Yesterday, I cut another square slot in the side stretchers, and today, I cut two more. Now I’ve done eight out of twelve of these, and the last few have been much faster than before. Also, that wraps up the ones for the side stretchers; the four that remain go in the big front and rear stretchers. These pieces are far more visible.

I’m definitely getting better with the coping saw. Using a technique of cutting a knife line and paring to it before drilling the holes for the saw, I’ve managed to remove most of the waste with the saw in much less time than before, and cleaner, too. This has been especially true on the last three pieces.

Despite its weight, this wood tears out easily, especially between the earlywood and latewood, so there’s a lot of patience involved here.

My try square is irritatingly tarnished. I’m going to try to clean that off tomorrow and wax it.