Tool Cabinet Class Day 1

Today we hit the ground running. Most everything I make starts from the tree and this was not far from it. Rough cut lumber that I had milled about 2 years ago. We started with 8/4 walnut and milled into the stiles and rails for the sides of the cabinet. These new machines from Jet are fantastic.

 Pete and Skipper, both retired airline pilots and long time friends, are my students this week. Two of the  nicest guys to work with and both very talented and accomplished wood turners.

 Here we are breaking in the new mortising machine from Powermatic. We have lots of mortise and tenons to make and machine cut is the only way to do this project in a week.

 After cutting all the mortises we finished day 1 cutting all the tenons on the table saw using a Forrest dado blade.

 Here are enough rails for 2 cabinets. Tomorrow we will be fitting and finishing the joinery for the case sides. I like this process but I remember why I love chair making and hand tools. Stick around for the progress...