Fitting Brass

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [CAT MEOWS] [THUNDER] [HORN HONKING] WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE, PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

HEY, HELLO AGAIN.

WELCOME BACK TO "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

I'M ROY UNDERHILL.

WELL, LAST TIME WE GOT TOGETHER, WE WERE LOOKING AT CAMPAIGN FURNITURE.

AND HERE'S THE MASTER OF CAMPAIGN HIMSELF, MR. CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ.

ROY.

CHRIS, HEY.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, WE LOOKED AT CONSTRUCTION DETAILS LAST TIME, PARTICULARLY ON THIS PIECE.

THIS IS A BOOKCASE.

IT IS A BOOKCASE.

AND CAN WE OPEN IT UP?

LET'S.

HERE WE GO.

WE OPENED IT UP LAST TIME, AND IT WORKED WELL.

AND IT'S ACTUALLY GOT BOOKS IN IT, AND WE WANT TO TALK THIS TIME, THOUGH-- SHOW US ABOUT THE BRASS, THE BRASS.

OK, THAT'S WHAT IT'S ABOUT.

SO WE LOOKED AT SOME OF THE JOINTS HERE.

IN FACT, CAN I OPEN THIS RIGHT HERE?

YOU BET.

ALL RIGHT.

HERE YOU GO.

AND THIS IS THE JOINT THAT YOU'RE SEEING RIGHT THERE.

YOU SEE HOW THAT'S A... YOU CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A LIP RIGHT THERE.

ALL LINED UP TO IT.

YEAH.

LOOK AT THAT.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S A PLENTY STRONG JOINT.

WE SAW HOW TO CUT THAT.

BUT NEVERTHELESS, FOR SOME REASON, THESE GUYS FELT COMPELLED TO PUT BRASS ON THE CORNERS.

WHAT'S THAT ALL ABOUT?

YEAH, THERE'S BRASS, SOMETIMES UP TO 60 PIECES ON A CAMPAIGN CHEST.

GOOD GRIEF.

YEAH.

IT'S A LOT OF WORK.

AND THERE WAS A VERY GOOD REASON FOR IT, AND IT WAS MONSOON SEASON, SO...

SO THEY LEAVE ENGLAND-- THEY LEAVE ENGLAND, WHERE IT'S VERY TEMPERATE ALL THE TIME.

THEY GET TO INDIA, AND THEY HAULED ALL THEIR FURNITURE BY BOAT THERE.

THEY SET IT UP IN THEIR BUNGALOW.

MONSOON SEASON HITS, REALLY HIGH HUMIDITY, CONSTANT RAIN, REALLY HIGH HEAT, AND IT STEAMS IT APART, JUST LIKE CARVINGS FALL OFF, YOU KNOW.

IT'S JUST THAT THE HIDE GLUE, WHICH IS NOT WATER RESISTANT NORMALLY, JUST FALLS APART.

SO THEY FOUND THIS OUT THE HARD WAY, ARE YOU SAYING?

THE EARLIER STUFF, THEY DIDN'T HAVE THIS BRASS ON THERE?

NO, THE REALLY EARLY PIECES DIDN'T USE A LOT OF BRASS.

THEY WOULD HAVE PULLS AND STUFF, BUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE THESE CORNER GUARDS.

AND SO, YOU KNOW, THESE PROTECT THE PIECE, YOU KNOW, DURING TRAVEL, BUT THEY ALSO ARE SORT OF A LITTLE BIT OF LAST RESORT IN CASE THE GLUE DOES TEND TO SOFTEN UP DURING MONSOON SEASON.

SO THEY MADE A VIRTUE OUT OF IT, MAKING IT A DECORATIVE FEATURE.

WELL, THEY WOULDN'T HAVE PUT IT ON IF IT WASN'T NEEDED, BECAUSE IT IS A LOT OF WORK.

WE'RE GONNA SEE JUST HOW MUCH WORK IT IS, TOO.

NOW, THIS IS SOMETHING WE OFTEN HAVE TO DO HERE, IS THIS, JUST PUTTING IN HINGES.

JUST STANDARD BUTTS.

THESE ARE YOUR STANDARD BUTT HINGES, AND THAT'S WHAT ALLOWS THE CASE TO OPEN AND CLOSE.

ALL RIGHT, BUT THIS HAS A LITTLE THING TO IT.

YOU SEE HOW ALL THE SCREW SLOTS ARE LINED UP?

THESE ARE CALLED WHAT?

IT'S CALLED CLOCKING OR SOLDIERING SCREWS, AND IT'S REALLY-- IT'S A PERSONAL PROBLEM.

I MEAN, ONCE YOU START DOING THIS, YOU CAN'T STOP WHEN YOU START.

GET THEM ALL IN LINE.

IF THEY START-- IT DRIVES YOU CRAZY.

AND SO, YEAH, I STARTED SEVERAL YEARS AGO CLOCKING MY SCREWS.

AND YOU CAN'T STOP.

I'M IN A PROGRAM.

YOU'RE IN A DOWN SPIRAL.

OK. AND THEN THERE'S ONE MORE I GUESS WE'VE GOT TO CLOSE IT BACK UP TO SEE.

THIS ONE.

IS IT ALL BALANCED?

GOOD.

ALL GOOD.

AND THIS ONE DOWN HERE ON THE FRONT SIDE, THIS LITTLE HANDLE, THIS IS AGAIN INSET FLUSH INTO... WHAT DID YOU SAY THIS WOOD WAS?

SAPELE?

THIS IS SAPELE, WHICH IS AN AFRICAN... AN AFRICAN SPECIES.

AND AGAIN YOU CAN SEE THE CLOCKED SCREWS THERE.

BUT THIS IS DEAD FLUSH ON THERE.

YOU CAN'T TELL WHEN YOU COME ACROSS THE BRASS THERE.

AND SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE HOW TO DO THAT.

SO YOU'VE GOT SEVERAL LAYERS ON THAT.

BUT THE REAL TOUGH ONE-- ALL RIGHT.

LET'S GO TO THIS ONE HERE.

ALL OF THOSE IT MAY SEEM, YOU KNOW, "I COULD DO THAT.

I COULD DO THAT."

ALL RIGHT.

THIS IS THE ONE HERE.

YEAH, THAT'S THE BEAR.

THAT'S THE BEAR.

AND YOU DON'T WANT TO POKE THE BEAR.

YEAH, THESE CORNER GUARDS ARE ON THE TOP OF CAMPAIGN CHESTS AND ON THE EDGES OF BOOKCASES LIKE THESE.

AND WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THEM, AS YOU'LL SEE, IS THAT YOU KNOW, WHERE DO YOU START TO FIT THEM?

I MEAN, YOU DON'T START AT THE TOP, BECAUSE IF YOU CUT THAT IN AND THEN YOU CUT THOSE IN, THEN IT WOULDN'T BE BIG ENOUGH.

AND IT'S A SYSTEMATIC APPROACH TO GETTING THESE IN, AND IT'S WHAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT.

OK, GONNA SEE HOW TO DO IT FLUSH, BECAUSE, YEAH, THIS HAS GOT TO GO NOT ONLY THIS WAY AND THAT WAY AND THIS WAY, HA HA HA!

AND ALL KIND OF AROUND.

OK.

SO IT'S A VERY, VERY CHALLENGING BIT.

BUT ONCE YOU'VE GOT THE SYSTEM... OH, IT'S EASY.

IT'S CAKE.

IT'S 6,000 PIECES OF CAKE.

HA HA!

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S GO AHEAD NOW, AND I WANT TO TAKE A LOOK, THOUGH, FIRST AT THE BRASS AND SEE WHAT DIFFERENT KINDS OF BRASS WE'VE GOT HERE.

NOW HERE'S ONE THAT LOOKS FAMILIAR TO ME.

WELL, YEAH.

IF YOU DO THIS FURNITURE RIGHT, YEAH, YOU HAVE TO KNOW YOUR BRASS.

I MEAN, YOU'VE GOT TO KNOW-- YOU'VE GOT YOUR NICE BRASS.

YOU'VE GOT YOUR NOT-SO-NICE BRASS, YOUR JUNKY BRASS, AND THIS IS SOME NASTY BRASS.

THAT'S BAD THERE.

OK. SEE, IT'S NOT EVEN... NOT EVEN BRAZED AT THE CORNER.

NO.

IT'S STAMPED, AND YOU CAN SEE THERE'S A GAP RIGHT THROUGH THERE.

IT'S STAMPED AND FOLDED, BUT EVEN WORSE THAN THAT-- I CAN FORGIVE SOME OF THAT, BUT, YOU KNOW, THESE YOU JUST APPLY WITH LITTLE ESCUTCHEON PINS.

IT'S SURFACE MOUNTED AND USUALLY APPLIED WITH ESCUTCHEON PINS.

SO IT'S REALLY NOT VERY DURABLE.

I MEAN, I DON'T THINK MONSOONS-- I THINK MONSOONS ARE GONNA HAVE ITS WAY WITH THIS ONE.

NO.

THIS WOULD TEAR OFF LIKE THAT AS WELL, AND WHEN IT TEARS OFF, IT'S GONNA PULL THOSE NAILS OUT AND LEAVE THIS EVEN WORSE THAN EVER.

AND ALSO I SAY PROBABLY IT'S BIGGEST SIN-- THIS HAS NO CHARACTER WHATSOEVER.

IT IS.

IT'S FEATURELESS.

THIS IS JUST STAMPED SHEET.

IT'S BENT SHEET.

YEAH.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THAT'S ALL I NEED TO SAY ABOUT THAT.

LET'S SEE.

NOW, YOU'VE GOT BETTER PIECES HERE, THESE ONES WE'RE LOOKING AT.

SO IF WE GO IN HERE, HERE IS A...

THIS IS A VINTAGE PIECE, BUT YOU CAN GET THEM MADE TODAY JUST LIKE THIS FROM THE ORIGINAL MOLDS.

THEY'RE STILL BEING MADE.

SO WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS IS NOT ONLY IS IT JUST DROP-DEAD GORGEOUS ON THE OUTSIDE... YOU KNOW, I MEAN, IT HAS...IT LOOKS LIKE OLD BRASS.

BUT IF WE LOOK ON THE INSIDE, IS THAT YOU CAN SEE THAT IT WAS CAST.

SO THIS WHOLE CORNER GUARD WAS CAST.

NOW, HOW EASY THIS WOULD BE, THOUGH, TO TAKE A STRIP AND BEND IT, YOU KNOW, BUT CASTING A THING LIKE THAT, THAT'S AMAZING.

YEAH.

IT'S THE EXTRA STEP.

BUT THAT IS WHAT MAKES IT LOOK REALLY, REALLY NICE.

AND WHAT WE CAN TELL FROM LOOKING AT THIS PIECE IS THAT IT WAS SAND-CAST.

AND SAND-CASTING IS ONE OF THE 3 WAYS OF CASTING METALS FOR FURNITURE BRASSES, AND THAT IS ONE OF THE WAYS THAT I REALLY LIKE.

I REALLY LIKE SAND-CAST PIECES.

SO IF WE LOOK AT SOME OF THESE PIECES, WE CAN SEE-- OH, THAT ONE.

OK.

THIS IS MUCH MORE READILY APPARENT, BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT THE SURFACE, THE UNFINISHED SURFACE, IS IT LOOKS LIKE LITTLE GRAINS OF SAND BECAUSE IT QUITE LITERALLY WAS.

THE PATTERN WAS PUSHED INTO A WET, OILY SAND, AND THEN THE PATTERN WAS REMOVED, AND IT WAS FILLED WITH HOT METAL.

AND THEN POLISHED UP TO LOOK LIKE THAT.

BUT STILL IT KEEPS THE CHARACTER THERE.

IT'S A BEAUTIFUL COLOR.

WHAT IS BRASS, BY THE WAY?

BRASS IS AN ALLOY.

IT'S AN ALLOY OF MOSTLY COPPER WITH A LITTLE BIT OF ZINC.

SO THAT'S WHAT MAKES IT FROM BEING RED.

IT BRIGHTENS UP LIKE GOLD.

IT DOES.

AND YOU VARY THE ZINC DEPENDING ON WHAT SORT OF CHARACTERISTICS YOU WANT, HOW MUCH...HOW IT MACHINES, HOW IT BENDS.

YOU CAN ALSO ADD SILICONE.

YOU CAN ADD, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF OTHER THINGS TO GIVE IT DIFFERENT CHARACTERISTICS.

BRASS IS SORT OF A CATCH-ALL TERM FOR COPPER ALLOY.

FOR A LOT OF THOSE THINGS.

OK. IS THERE A DOWN SIDE TO THIS CASTING?

YEAH, THERE IS, AND THAT IS THERE'S A LOT-- SAND CASTING.

YEAH, SAND CASTING.

THERE'S A LOT OF HAND WORK, YOU KNOW, IS THAT EVERY PIECE IS GONNA REQUIRE A LOT OF POLISHING, BECAUSE WHEN IT COMES OUT, IT LOOKS LIKE THIS.

SO POLISHING IS DIRTY WORK AND ALSO NOT VERY GOOD ON YOUR HEALTH.

AH.

OK. ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S SEE.

YOU'VE GOT ANOTHER STYLE OF CASTING HERE.

YEAH, THERE'S ANOTHER ONE HERE, IF WE DIG AROUND A LITTLE BIT.

SO THIS IS...NO, NO.

HERE IT IS OVER HERE.

OH, OK.

SO THIS ONE IS VERY SIMILAR.

THESE TWO PIECES ARE VERY SIMILAR, BUT THEY'RE MADE IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

SO THIS IS ALSO A CASTING, BUT IT'S CALLED INVESTMENT CASTING.

AND SO YOU CAN SEE THE BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SAND CASTING AND INVESTMENT CASTING IF WE LOOK ON THE BACK AND WE LET THE LION COME CLOSE TO IT.

SO THIS LION IS SAND-CAST.

AND IT'S A BEAUTIFUL LOOKING LION, BUT YOU CAN SEE HIS FACE IS KIND OF BLURRY.

I MEAN, IT'S NOT...

THERE'S NOT A LOT OF DETAIL IN THE MANE HERE.

BUT IF WE LOOK REALLY CLOSE HERE-- BETWEEN THOSE TWO SCREWS.

YEAH, DOWN BETWEEN THOSE TWO SCREWS, THE CASTING DETAIL IS SO FINE THAT YOU CAN EVEN READ THE BRAND NAME DOWN IN THERE.

SO THAT'S INVESTMENT CASTING, WHICH IS A DIFFERENT PROCESS THAN SAND CASTING.

IT'S A MULTI-STEP PROCESS THAT INVOLVES A CERAMIC... A CERAMIC FLASK, AND IT CAN PRODUCE BEAUTIFUL DETAIL.

IT CAN PRODUCE CASTING THAT DOESN'T REQUIRE AS MUCH HAND FINISHING AS THE SAND CASTING.

BUT ITS DOWN SIDE IS IT DOESN'T PRODUCE STUFF THAT IS DIMENSIONALLY CONSISTENT.

SO BECAUSE OF ITS COOLING-- REALLY?

HUH.

YEAH.

IT'S ONE OF THOSE ODDITIES OF THE CASTING WORLD.

SO IT SHRINKS THIS WAY-- IT MIGHT SHRINK A LITTLE AND DISTORT A LITTLE BIT.

SO YOU'RE NOT GONNA HAVE EVERY PIECE EXACTLY THE SAME UNLESS THEY'RE ALL, YOU KNOW, MACHINED OR FILED TO BE COMPLETELY CONSISTENT.

AND SO THAT'S THE SECOND TYPE OF CASTING.

THE THIRD TYPE OF CASTING-- NOW, THIS IS AN OLD, OLD TYPE OF CASTING, 1830's.

IT'S CALLED DIE CASTING, AND THIS WAS INVENTED FOR THE PRINTING INDUSTRY TO CAST MOVEABLE TYPE.

THIS LITERALLY HAS TYPE ON IT.

IT DOES HAVE TYPE IN IT, AND IF YOU MOVE IT, IT'S MOVEABLE TYPE.

BUT DIE CASTING IS DIFFERENT BECAUSE IT'S A METAL DIE THAT IS USUALLY-- YOU KNOW, THE SHAPE IS MACHINED INTO THE METAL, AND THEN IT'S POURED-- HOT METAL IS POURED INTO IT.

AND THE ADVANTAGES OF DIE CASTING ARE AMAZING DETAIL.

VERY THIN.

THEY SAVED A LOT OF BRASS.

YOU CAN SAVE A LOT OF BRASS...

IF THAT IS EVEN BRASS.

I DON'T THINK THAT IS BRASS.

IN HERE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY CAST IN THE SCREW THREADS.

THAT'S THE KIND OF LEVEL OF DETAIL YOU CAN GET.

IT'S REALLY HARD TO SEE.

BUT ALL OF THAT IS AT THE EXPENSE OF REALLY SORT OF A CHINTZY FEEL.

MOST DIE CASTING IS IT HAS...

IT FEELS LIGHTWEIGHT.

IT DOESN'T REALLY WEIGH ANYTHING.

AND ALSO THEY HAD TO PUT A FINISH ON IT.

THIS IS PROBABLY SOME SORT OF CHEAP ZINC ALLOY.

AND, YEAH, I KNOW.

I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT.

I WON'T EVEN TOUCH IT THERE.

I'M SORRY.

I'LL HOLD IT.

BUT THERE'S ONE THING YOU NEED TO LOOK AT ABOUT DIE CASTING.

I DO HAVE TO SHOW YOU.

LIKE, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR HARDWARE AND YOU SEE A PHOTOGRAPH OF THE HARDWARE AND YOU SEE THESE LITTLE ROUND CIRCLES ON THE BACK, YEAH, THOSE ARE WHERE THE EJECTOR PINS PUSH THE CASTING OUT OF THE MACHINE...

THE MACHINE MOLD, AND SO THAT IS AN INDICATOR THAT THIS IS DIE-CAST, AND IT MIGHT BE SOMETHING YOU WANT TO THINK TWICE ABOUT.

POPPED IT OUT.

OK.

SO THAT'S A...

SO I'M NOT A BIG FAN OF DIE CASTING.

SO YOU'RE HARDCORE.

YOU WANT SAND-CAST-- OR INVESTMENT CAST ARE FINE, GOOD STUFF.

WELL, I LIKE IT.

I SAW A PIECE HERE THAT I WANTED TO ASK YOU ABOUT.

NOW, THIS ONE LOOKS LIKE YOU'RE BUYING IT ALREADY INSTALLED.

YES.

EXACTLY.

THEN YOU JUST GLUE IT ON THE FRONT OF THE CASE OR NAIL IT.

WHAT'S THE STORY WITH THIS?

NOW, THIS IS A BEAUTIFUL-- WELL, TELL ME ALL ABOUT IT.

YEAH.

THIS IS WHAT WE CALL SKELETONIZED HARDWARE, WHICH IS AN EARLY FORM OF HARDWARE.

SO IF WE HAVE THIS ONE HERE THAT HAS THE BRASS BACK PLATE, THAT'S A LATER FORM THAT APPEARS IN THE 19th CENTURY.

EARLY 18th-CENTURY CAMPAIGN FURNITURE AND EARLY 19th-CENTURY FURNITURE HAD THIS SKELETONIZED, WHERE THERE ISN'T A BACK PLATE TO IT.

NOW, IT'S STILL FLUSH.

SO IT'S A MARK OF AN EARLY PIECE.

NOW, WHAT'S INTERESTING ABOUT THIS PARTICULAR PIECE IS THAT IT WAS OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING THAT WAS BROKEN UP.

AND THAT HAPPENED TO SOME CAMPAIGN FURNITURE, IS THAT AFTER IT CAME BACK HOME FROM ITS TRIP OR AFTER IT BECAME OUT OF FASHION, THEY WOULD BREAK IT UP AND USE THE BIG PIECES OF WOOD TO... YOU KNOW, FOR SOMETHING MORE FASHIONABLE.

AND THEN THIS PIECE WAS-- THE PEOPLE WOULD RESCUE THE BRASSES AND GIVE THEM TO A JOINER FRIEND OF MINE.

SO THIS STOPPED BEING A CHEST THAT TRAVELED TO INDIA AND SO FORTH AND BECAME A RADIO CABINET OR SOMETHING.

OR A TELEVISION OR WHO-KNOWS-WHAT CABINET.

YEAH.

BUT YOU CAN ALSO SEE FROM HERE-- THE OTHER COOL THING FROM HERE IS I'VE TAKEN THIS APART TO SEE HOW THINGS WERE INSTALLED.

BUT IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY INSIDE THIS AREA RIGHT HERE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE IS A PIECE OF VENEER INLAYED IN THERE.

AND THAT WAS A LITTLE HINT.

IT WAS A LITTLE TRICK THAT THEY USED.

THAT PIECE?

YEAH, THAT PIECE RIGHT THERE.

SO THAT IT WAS AN EASIER INSTALLATION PROCESS, BECAUSE THEY COULD HOG OUT THIS WHOLE OUTSIDE AREA THEN COME IN LATER WITH ANOTHER PIECE.

PUT A LITTLE FILLER IN THERE.

BECAUSE GETTING RIGHT AROUND THAT LITTLE NIPPLE THERE, THAT IS... THAT'S REALLY TOUGH.

YOU NEED A GOUGE, AND YOU WANT TO GET THAT JUST RIGHT.

WELL, TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THEY SAY CUTTING CORNERS USUALLY MEANS GOING FASTER, BUT LOOK AT ALL THE CORNERS YOU'D HAVE TO CUT ON THIS SKELETONIZED BRASS.

YEAH.

AND THERE'S ONE MORE LITTLE DETAIL I WANT TO POINT OUT HERE.

IF YOU LOOK AT THESE SCREW HEADS OVER HERE, IF YOU LOOK CAREFULLY, YOU CAN SEE THAT THEY'RE ALMOST GONE.

YOU KNOW, THEY'VE ALMOST DISAPPEARED.

THAT'S NOT FROM WEAR.

A LOT OF THESE PIECES WERE FILED FLUSH AFTER THEY WERE INSTALLED, AND THEY WOULD FILE AWAY THE SCREW HEADS, SORT OF LIKE AN OLD ENGLISH ENFIELD PLANE.

SO RATHER THAN HAVING THE SCREWS SLOT LIKE WE SEE RIGHT HERE, YOU FILE THEM OFF.

AND THIS ONE, THEY STOPPED HALFWAY AND SAID, "GOOD ENOUGH."

YEAH.

"DONE WITH THIS.

MOVE IT ON!"

"MOVE IT ON OUT."

ALL RIGHT.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THAT'S OUR BRASSES NOW.

AND IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE ACTUALLY GOT AS A SOURCE OF THIS... WHAT'S WITH THIS?

CAN WE TAKE A PEEK IN THERE?

YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE FUNNY THING, IS THAT A LOT OF THESE BRASSES, THEY LOOK REALLY VINTAGE AND OLD, BUT THEY'RE ACTUALLY NEW BECAUSE THESE MOLDS ARE STILL AROUND AND STILL BEING MADE BY COMPANIES, ESPECIALLY IN ENGLAND.

AND SO THIS WAS A BOX, INTERESTINGLY-- GO AHEAD AND OPEN THAT.

HAS THIS EVER BEEN OPENED?

NOT IN 60 YEARS.

SAW IT HERE FIRST.

THAT'S WHAT WE CALL NEW OLD STOCK.

AND SO YOU STILL FIND THESE BOXES OF THESE BRASSES SITTING AROUND, AND I PICKED UP THIS BOX FOR, YOU KNOW, NOT MUCH MONEY AT ALL.

SO IF YOU DO SEARCH, THEY'LL COME UP MORE OFTEN THAN YOU'D THINK.

HA HA HA!

I LOVE IT.

AND YOU GET THESE BRASSES, AND THEN IT'S INCUMBENT UPON YOU TO MAKE SOMETHING WORTHY OUT OF THE BRASS.

ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK.

WHAT SHOULD WE START WITH ON THESE?

IT LOOKS LIKE YOU'VE ALREADY GOT A PIECE HERE.

YEAH.

I'M WORKING ON INSTALLING ONE OF THESE THAT HAS A BACK PLATE.

AND THE FIRST STEP TO INSTALLING ONE OF THESE IS TO FLIP IT OVER, AND IF YOU LOOK HERE, YOU CAN SEE THAT THERE'S THIS SORT OF RECTANGULAR AREA THAT IS A RECESSED AREA, AND WHAT I DO WHEN I'M INSTALLING, YOU KNOW, 10 OR 20 OF THESE, I WILL MAKE A BLOCK OF WOOD THIS IS THE SIZE OF THAT...

THE LOWER STEP.

THE LOWER STEP.

EXACTLY.

SO THIS IS THE DEEPER STEP.

AND THEN I WILL TRANSFER THAT SHAPE TO WHEREVER I WANT THE BRASS TO GO.

SO I'LL TRACE AROUND IT WITH A PENCIL.

AND THEN I'LL COME UP HERE, AND HISTORICALLY, A LOT OF THEM WERE INSTALLED BY BORING OUT A LOT OF THE WASTE.

I'VE TAKEN THE BRASSES OFF OF MANY PIECES, AND THEY HAVE THESE CIRCULAR MARKS LEFT FROM WHAT CAN BE A FORSTNER BIT OR A SPADE OR A CENTER BIT.

OH, REALLY?

OK.

SO A CENTER BIT.

AND THIS IS A FORSTNER BIT THAT HAS THAT SHARP EDGE AROUND THE PERIMETER, LIKE A SHARPENED END OF A PIECE OF PIPE.

AND SO THAT'LL CUT FLUSH ON DOWN THERE.

BUT I GUESS BEST OF ALL, IT TRACKS AROUND-- WELL, LET'S SEE IT.

IT'LL EXPLAIN IT BETTER IF WE SEE IT IN ACTION.

YOU BET.

WE'LL JUST FINISH UP THIS.

AND WATCH YOUR FINGERS.

ALL FINGERS INSIDE OF THE CAMEL.

ALL RIGHT.

SO WE JUST GO DOWN LIKE THAT.

IT DOES A REALLY GOOD JOB, AND YOU CAN-- YOU CAN FEEL WHEN THAT REACHES BOTTOM, WHICH IS NICE.

BECAUSE IT'S REFERENCING OFF THE ALREADY-CUT SURFACE.

YEP.

AND I PROBABLY WON'T BE ABLE TO MANAGE THIS OVERLAP.

LET'S SEE IF YOU CAN DO IT.

IF THE GRAIN...

IF THE FORCE IS WITH YOU.

AND THE FORCE IS WEAK WITH THIS ONE.

IT WALKED OFF.

BUT NEVERTHELESS, ROUGH IT IN.

AND THE FORSTNER BIT IS A PRETTY OLD BIT THAT'S BEEN AROUND...

SINCE THE LATE-- SINCE THE 1880's.

THAT ONE IS.

I KNOW THAT.

SO...GOSH.

ALL RIGHT.

SO NOW-- WE GET TO THE CHOPPING.

AND SO I WILL JUST CHOP OUT THE REST OF THIS.

AND I USUALLY CHOP ACROSS THE GRAIN SO I DON'T ACCIDENTALLY SPLIT THE DRAWER FRONT.

SO THIS IS MUCH LESS LIKELY TO ACT AS A WEDGE.

IF I WENT LIKE THIS, BAD TROUBLE COMES UPON YOU.

YOU DO THE OTHER WAY JUST, UH... JUST AT THE FINISH.

SORT OF BREAK UP THE...

THIS BREAKS UP THE BEAM STRENGTH.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THESE ARE ALMOST LIKE STOPPING CUTS BUT ALSO POP THE WOOD OUT.

YEAH.

YEAH!

SO WE'RE ALMOST THERE.

JUST A FEW MORE LITTLE WHACKS WITH A CHISEL.

AND CLEAN UP TOWARDS THE EDGE.

AND THEN COME IN HERE... [HAMMERING] I USUALLY DO THIS BEVEL-DOWN SO I CAN HAVE THE HANDLE ABOVE THE WORK.

RIGHT.

YEAH.

UM... YEAH.

YEAH.

ALMOST THERE.

THERE'S ONE MORE LITTLE... TAKE YOUR TIME TO GET THIS RIGHT NOW.

THIS IS GOING TO BE A BEAUTIFUL POPLAR CHEST.

I'D SAY, YEAH.

ACTUALLY, YEAH, WE'RE NOT DOING THIS IN OAK THAT THIS IS REALLY GOING TO GO INTO.

YEAH.

SO THEN YOU TAKE YOUR-- WHAT'S NICE HERE IS YOU TAKE THIS, AND IT'LL START TO FIT, BUT THE OTHER-- IT'S ALMOST THERE.

THE DETAIL THAT'S MISSING FROM THIS LOWER PATTERN IS IF WE LOOK UNDER HERE, SEE THIS LITTLE WIRE?

NOW IT'S THIS WIRE.

SO THE WIRE, WHAT I USUALLY DO IS I TAKE IT, AND I GIVE IT A REALLY GOOD MALLET WHACK, AND THAT SHOWS ME WHERE THE WIRE IS.

SOMETIMES IN A SOFT WOOD-- LOOKS LIKE IT SANK IT, YEAH.

YEAH, IT'LL SINK IT.

AND THEN I CAN JUST COME IN WITH A CHISEL, BECAUSE THIS WILL HAVE TO GO DEEPER AFTER THE SECOND RECESS IS IN.

SO I'LL JUST GO AHEAD AND GET THAT OUT OF THE WAY.

SO ONCE THAT'S GOOD, NOW WE CAN SEE VERY EASILY... YEAH.

THAT WE CAN JUST TRACE AROUND THIS.

AND DO IT WITH A PENCIL?

I DO IT WITH A PENCIL.

YOU CAN DO IT WITH AN AWL.

UM...WHAT YOU SEE A LOT OF PEOPLE WOULD DO IS THEY WOULD PROBABLY DO IT FAIRLY ROUGHLY, AND THEN THEY WOULD FILL IN THE PERIMETER WITH BLACK WAX AFTER IT WAS FINISHED.

BUT I DON'T DO THAT.

WELL, DO YOU HAVE A PROBLEM?

I MEAN, THE WOOD IS EXPANDING AND CONTRACTING IN THIS DIRECTION, AND YOU'VE GOT THIS BRASS THAT DOES NOT EXPAND WITH HUMIDITY.

SO IT IS GONNA SHOW A GAP.

YOU WILL SEE A LITTLE BIT OF A GAP UP AND DOWN, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S MANAGEABLE.

AND THEN AFTER THAT, IS IT JUST, YOU KNOW, CHOPPING THIS WASTE AWAY.

NOW, I'M SURPRISED YOU'RE DOING THAT ALL WITH A STRAIGHT CHISEL.

YEAH, I TRY TO DO AS MUCH AS I CAN WITH A CHISEL.

YOU KNOW, CHISELS, STRAIGHT CHISELS ARE EASIER TO SHARPEN THAN GOUGES.

SO WHAT I DO IS I JUST USE THE BACK, SINCE THIS IS A CONVEX SURFACE AND JUST DEFINE ALL THE WAY AROUND THOSE.

AND OF COURSE, LIKE BEFORE.

AND IT'S FUNNY BECAUSE YOU LOOK AT THIS AND YOU SEE THAT CONCAVE CORNER AND THINK, "OH, THAT'S GONNA BE TOUGH."

BUT WHAT YOU ACTUALLY END UP CUTTING IS A CONVEX SURFACE TO FILL THAT.

YEAH.

IT WORKS QUITE WELL.

ALL RIGHT.

HA HA HA!

SO IT'S--YEAH, THERE'S A LOT OF CHOPPING INVOLVED.

BUT YOU CAN IMAGINE, IF WE WERE DOING ONE OF THE SKELETONIZED PIECES, WE'D BE... WE'D HAVE TO DO A 10-PART SERIES.

I SAW ONE--LET ME SEE IF I CAN FIND IT HERE.

HERE'S ONE.

YEAH.

YOU CAN SEE, AS CHRIS WAS SAYING, THAT DOING ALL THE ANGLES ON THIS ONE WOULD BE MUCH MORE INVOLVED.

AND THIS WAS THE EARLIEST STAGE.

DO YOU THINK JUST BECAUSE OF THE TROUBLE THAT IT TOOK TO INSTALL IT?

YEAH.

THEY, UM... YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW EXACTLY WHY.

I MEAN, THERE'S NO, LIKE, RECORDS, BUT THE SUPPOSITION THAT I HAVE HEARD IS THAT THIS LOOKED, YOU KNOW, LIKE THE REGULAR SWAN'S NECK PULL THAT YOU WOULD HAVE WITH A BACK PLATE, AND SO IT RESEMBLED FINE FURNITURE BUT ALLOWED IT TO GO FLUSH.

AND YOU SEE A LOT OF OLD EXAMPLES WHERE THEY... BEFORE THEY EVEN HAD SKELETONIZED STUFF, WHERE THEY WOULD, UM... TAKE A SWAN'S NECK, YOU KNOW, THE TYPICAL PULL, AND USE NO BACK PLATES AND JUST MAKE THAT RECESSED INTO...

INTO THE PIECE.

ALL RIGHT.

NOW THIS, I'VE GOT TO SAY, YOU MUST BE...I SAW YOU HAD A BRASS... YOU'VE GOT THE BRASS THING HAPPENING HERE.

I SAW--THERE IT IS.

A BRASS ROUTER BIT, TOO.

SO LET ME GUESS.

IS THAT THE NEXT... THAT IS THE NEXT STEP, IS THAT ONCE I GET THIS-- AND I'M ALMOST THERE-- THEN I'M GOING TO TAKE THIS LITTLE DEVIL AND USE IT TO CLEAR OUT THE BOTTOM.

NOW, THE IRON IS SET TO THE THICKNESS, THE THICKEST PART.

ITS DEPTH IS SET TO THE THICKEST PART OF THE BACK PLATE.

RIGHT THERE.

RIGHT.

EXACTLY.

SO I JUST PUT IT IN UP AGAINST THERE.

AND THEN I TAKE, AND I JUST PUSH THE WASTE OUT.

AND IT LEAVES A NICE FLAT FLOOR FOR THE BACK PLATE TO GO INTO.

AND ONCE YOU GET INTO THE GROOVE...

I MEAN, PEOPLE, LIKE, TRY TO COME UP WITH ALL CRAZY MANNERS TO MECHANIZE THIS THING, AND IT'S CRAZY.

I MEAN, THIS HAND STUFF, ONCE YOU GET IN THE GROOVE AND YOU COMMIT TO DOING IT IN THE SHOP, IT'S REALLY...

IT'S REALLY QUITE EASY.

SO THAT'S GONNA GO DOWN THE REST OF THE WAY.

IN FACT, LET'S SEE.

HERE IS WHAT THE FINISHED WORK LOOKS LIKE.

AND THIS IS IN AN OAK VERSION OF THAT BOOKCASE.

THIS IS JUST... JUST BEAUTIFUL THERE.

WHAT IS THIS OAK?

THIS IS FRENCH OAK.

FRENCH OAK.

OK. YEAH.

JUST SOME LEFT OVER FROM ANOTHER PROJECT, A WORKBENCH-BUILDING PROJECT.

BUT IT IS A GORGEOUS PIECE OF WOOD.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, LET'S TAKE A LOOK AT THAT CORNER.

WE'VE GOT A MINUTE FOR EACH CORNER, I GUESS.

OK. WELL, LET'S GO.

ALL RIGHT.

LET'S BRING THIS GUY OVER HERE.

ALL RIGHT.

SO THIS IS THE BACK OF THE SAME KIND OF BOOKCASE THAT HE WAS MAKING BEFORE.

IT'S APPARENTLY THIS TIME IN OAK.

MM-HMM.

WITH A LITTLE BIT OF MAHOGANY.

SO LET'S SEE.

WHERE'S YOUR CORNER?

HERE.

YEAH.

WELL, WE'VE GOT TO FIND THE RIGHT CORNER.

AND YOU SEE THEY'RE LETTERED, BECAUSE THESE ARE SAND-CAST.

"E, E, E." YEAH, EXACTLY.

SO "E, E, E." SO THIS IS, YES, THE FAMOUS POET'S CORNER.

OK.

THERE WE ARE.

AND SO THE FIRST THING TO DO, ONCE YOU GET THAT CORNER IN PLACE, IS YOU FIRST WANT TO PENCIL AROUND IT.

AND THAT'S JUST SO YOU DON'T MAKE-- IF YOU SET YOUR GAUGE TO THE WRONG SETTING, YOU WILL KNOW IMMEDIATELY, BECAUSE IT WON'T EVEN BE CLOSE TO THE PENCIL LINE.

SO THIS CAN KIND OF SAVE YOUR BACON EVERY NOW AND AGAIN.

OK.

SO JUST ESTABLISH WHAT'S HAPPENING THERE.

EXACTLY.

THEN THE NEXT THING TO DO-- AND THAT IS "E"-- IS WE'RE GOING TO WORK BY GAUGING OFF OF THE BACK, THE OUTSIDE OF THE BRASS.

WE DON'T WANT TO EVER-- WE DON'T WANT TO MEASURE, BUT WE WANT TO GO FROM THE OUTSIDE CORNER TO THE OUTSIDE EDGE, AND THAT WAY, WE CAN COME IN, AND I KNOW ABOUT WHERE TO START BECAUSE OF THE PENCIL MARKS.

AND THEN I WILL GAUGE THIS.

SO IT'S ANOTHER HANDY THING.

AND THIS PIECE OF BRASS HAS LEGS THAT ARE DIFFERENT LENGTHS.

SO I WANT TO CHANGE THAT.

WE WOULD HOPE, YEAH.

WELL, AS SAND CASTING WILL DO.

AND SO WE'LL COME HERE AND GAUGE THAT ONE IN.

AND THEN THE LAST SETTING IS TO GAUGE THE HEIGHT.

SO WE'LL TAKE IT IN HERE, AND WE'LL JUST SET THIS UNTIL IT GAUGES THE HEIGHT.

SO HOW FAR DOWN IT'S GONNA GO DOWN.

IT'S GONNA GO THAT WAY.

OK. AGAIN OUTSIDE YOUR PENCIL LINE.

OUTSIDE IT.

AND THAT'S JUST ANOTHER LITTLE RELIABLE WAY TO DOUBLE-CHECK MYSELF.

ALL RIGHT.

SO NOW I SEE YOU'VE GOT ONE.

CAN WE MOVE DOWN TO THIS GUY HERE?

OH, YOU BET.

SO THIS IS THE "D, D" CORNER.

SO LET'S PULL THAT AROUND THERE.

YEAH.

GET THAT RIGHT THERE.

AND I'LL FIND THE "D" BRASS.

I THINK THAT'S MR. "D." SO HE'S GOT ONE ALREADY CUT.

WE CAN SEE A LITTLE BIT OF THIS.

YEAH.

AND SO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO HERE IS I PUT THE BACK OF THE CHISEL TOWARDS THE WASTE AND THE BEVEL TOWARDS THE PART I'M MARCHING TOWARD.

SO I'M MARCHING BEVEL-FORWARD.

HOW DO YOU KNOW HOW DEEP TO GO, THOUGH?

WAIT A MINUTE.

HOW DO I KNOW HOW DEEP TO GO?

WELL, AFTER ABOUT THE 300th OR 400th... OK.

I GET A GOOD FEEL FOR IT.

I INTERRUPTED YOU.

YOU DID SAY THE BEVEL THIS WAY.

AND SO THAT'S PUSHING THE CHISEL THAT WAY.

IT'S PUSHING THE CHISEL THIS WAY, AND AS YOU CAN SEE, IT IS VERY EASILY MAKING THE OAK-- EJECTING--EJECT OAK.

ALL RIGHT.

AND THEN WHEN WE COME TO THIS PART, THEN WE SWITCH AROUND AND CLEAN THAT OFF.

SO NOW ALL THAT BEING SUNK DOWN.

WE CAN THEN PUT THIS IN HERE FLUSH, TRACE THAT WAY, AND WE'VE JUST GOT ONE MORE DIMENSION TO GO, WHICH IS TO HOLLOW THAT, AND AGAIN THAT'S CONVEX.

MM-HMM.

VERY EASY TO DO WITH A STRAIGHT CHISEL.

ALL RIGHT.

WELL, IT LOOKS LIKE WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO SAVE THE SECRET OF CLOCKING SCREWS FOR ANOTHER TIME BECAUSE...

THE SECRET IS SAFE WITH ME.

CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ, THANK YOU SO MUCH.

I SURE APPRECIATE IT.

THANK YOU, ROY.

AND THANKS FOR JOINING US HERE IN "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

MAY THE GRAIN BE WITH YOU.

SO LONG.

LEARN MORE ABOUT "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" AND TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING ON OUR WEBSITE.

YOU CAN FIND US ONLINE AT pbs.org.

MAJOR FUNDING FOR "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP" IS PROVIDED BY... [CAT MEOWS] [THUNDER] [HORN HONKING] WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS, STATE FARM HAS THE TOOLS TO GET YOU TO A BETTER STATE, PROUD SPONSOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S SHOP."

ROY UNDERHILL IS THE AUTHOR OF "THE WOODWRIGHT'S GUIDE: WORKING WOOD WITH WEDGE AND EDGE," AS WELL AS OTHER BOOKS ON TRADITIONAL WOODWORKING, ALL PUBLISHED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF NORTH CAROLINA PRESS AND AVAILABLE AT BOOKSTORES AND LIBRARIES.