Closer

I took some time Tuesday (with a day off) to head to school and work on my project. I had hoped to get 3-4 hours and finish it, and I got close, but not done.

When I got there, I started by marking out the mortises for the handle. That's really the major part left, and I wanted to get it done. I saw a TA and asked him, and he told me to drill it out and then chisel things. That's what I did.

It went better than I expected, but as soon as I'd drilled one, I realized I'd used the wrong marks to set the holes and was off to one side by 1/4" or so. Fortunately my handle was large enough that I could easily cover things up. The outside might be noticeable, but the handle won't be off center. I

With that done, I went to work on the handle itself. I measured the tenons and cut them, but I found my holes were slightly off at an angle and the handle was twisted. That's why I have a large handle. With the table saw and jointer, I cleaned things up so it fits and looks better.

I used my chisel to make one tenon and was surprised how easy it was. Definitely better than messing with the router for such a small job.

I did a quick ease-ing of the edges on the router, but need to take my plane and shape this thing a bit and then apply a finish.

Certainly not an "A" semester, but at least a C, which will let me take other classes down the road.w