I’ve been trying different sizes of docks to find The One True Dimension, which I think is 3″ wide by 1.5″ square. However, the other sizes can be useful in other situations, such as holding up business cards or other scraps of paper. I’m liking the effect of having different sizes ha on visually organizing competing to-do lists.

There are two interesting craft problems I’m facing:

• I was having problems with the slot being slightly curved. I was about to fix a defective Allen-headed set screw by jamming a torx bit into it, which helped fix a wobble. The curve, though, was created by a loose blade tensioner. Now the slots are straight, but it turns out that the slight curve helped grip the card better! This suddenly becomes a difficult cut, unless I can purposefully deform the saw blade in a controlled manner. Or, go to some kind of molded design. Or perhaps design a jig for a precision router that can follow a curved contour. The alternative is to cut the straight slot but find a slightly-narrower blade (the “kerf”, I think this is called) so the slot is thinner, make the dock wider, or the cut deeper so it sits better.

• Finishing wood with stain and other coatings is surprisingly complex. I was under the impression that this was a wipe-on, wipe-off operation. However, as with many things, this advice has no bearing on achieving a high-quality finish. Although I’m dealing with small pieces of wood, I want the finish on them to be exceptional. These are desktop artifacts, after all.

For finishing wood, I’ve found this Fine Woodworking article on selecting a wood finish very helpful in understanding the different types of finishes. I had no idea there were so many kinds. I’m leaning toward hand rubbed finished, and have been looking into acquiring finer grades of sandpaper. The instrument making scene seems to have a lot to say about high-quality finishes also, and I’m getting the idea that it takes weeks if not months to do it right. That has ramifications for my production line. I’d like to get a small surface plate, which is awesomely flat, to use as a sanding base as I move through progressively finer grits. I also would like to make a bunch of staining vises that will hold the blocks in a frame, held in place with a pressure-applying screw shaft. I could possibly just use cheap C-Clamps that I build a holder for so I can array them out in a row and batch stain…but I’m getting a little ahead of myself. It’s fun to think about, though.

I’ve been wondering how to label these card docks. I tried writing with pencil, but it’s hard to do without smearing the graphite. Then I remembered I had a “Stockwell Rubber Stamp Kit” that I once used to make regift receipts for Christmas. I dug it out and did a quick test on a piece of pine. Perhaps I should have let the ink dry first, as it is getting fuzzy where the clear polyurethane coat is interacting with it. Or, it’s the nature of the pine itself; perhaps it would blur as much with a hardwood.

I’m thinking of stamping the bottom of the index card docks with this stamp so people know where it comes from. It’s kind of mysterious looking too, if you don’t know what the heck a card dock is, or who in the world is “davidseah.com” making these silly things.

I’ve been buried in a programming project for a museum, and I find this very fatiguing. When I need a break, I return to the Index Card Holder project and work with my hands a bit. The plan is to make a bunch of these “card docks” and sell them on Etsy for the sheer fun of it. Part of the fun is not knowing very much about woodworking at all. Making blocks is about as simple as one can get, so it’s a good starting point to learn.

I’ve been making do with the handful of miscellaneous tools I have. I’ve been buying the hardwood pre-cut, then cutting it down to size with a miter saw box. I made a jig to hold the resulting brick of wood at an angle so I can use the saw to cut the slot at an angle. Finally, I’ve been sanding them by hand.

Because the miter saw isn’t easy to make square, I’ve been using pieces of gaffer’s tape to layer my crudely-cut jig so I can reliably make straight cuts (see above picture). One challenge is cutting the slot at an even depth given two challenges. First, the depth guides on the miter saw are NOT calibrated in any way, so I’ve been refining shims to make the cut even. Secondly, the jig itself does not reliably zero on the miter saw bed.

I’ve been looking for a tool solution, but they are expensive. One idea is to buy a table saw that can tilt the blade at an angle, then rip the wood through it against the fence. To get the fine slot width, though (I belief this is called the “kerf”), I think I need a hobby table saw, such as the $350 tilting arbor one from tool supplier MicroMark. Proxxon makes one also, though it gets spotty reviews. Alternatively, I could get a hand-powered Jointmaster Pro SW, but these are even more expensive and have a production wait list. Very nice, though!

In the meantime, I’m just going to work with my miter saw setup and see how it goes. Maybe over time, I’ll figure out a cool way of precisely replicating these blocks.

I also have been looking at wood stains. Not being very familiar with them, I bought a few small cans and some painters pyramids to try to stain them myself. I’ve been using medium and fine grit sandpaper sheets lying on my toolbench, sanding along the grain by moving the blocks over the sheet a few times very lightly. I also have been lightly sanding the slot and block edges to round them very slightly (and hopefully evenly). I’ve been having some trouble with the ends, which don’t have an attractive look. Oh well.

It looks like the staining process takes several days, because I have to stain, dry, restain, then add a protective coat. It’s kind of unpleasant…I don’t like the smell, and the latex gloves I’m using are a little annoying. My basement, fortunately, is exhausted to the outside so the fumes don’t build up.

I haven’t figured out a wood burning or marking stamp yet, so I am trying writing on the bottom of the docks with pencil. I promptly smeared the first one, a prototype that I’m planning to send to buddy Colleen in LA for her opinion on whether it’s cool or not. So many fine motor skills required for woodworking and staining! Working it out as I go.