Although the upper case pigeonhole assembly looks "sweet" and is all on an even plane, Tommy realizes that the lower case assembly isn't even. He "doesn't know what to say" and he "totally messed up." He needs to destroy it and redo. He believes if he had taken the time to lay out everything before he started, he wouldn't have had this problem. "I'm having this thing critiqued at the museum and I hope to have some big, heavy-hitters there," he says, "I want it to be the best it could possibly be." Destroying it and doing it over is, "a lot less stressful than having to live with it" wrong.

So today I get a copy of the WoodWorker's Book Club bulletin and it lists the "Top 50 Member Favorites." I eagerly flipped through to see if my book on workbenches made the list.

It did. It was No. 30.

I was quite pleased by this bit of news. It was good to be on the same list as Taunton's "Complete Illustrated Guides" (at No. 1), Kerry Pierce's "Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture" (No. 2) and Jim Tolpin's "Measure Twice, Cut Once" (No. 3, and one of my favorite woodworking books).

But my moment of glee was quickly flung into the dirty litterbox when I saw what aced me out at No 28: "Black & Decker's 24 Weekend Projects for Pets."  

That put my tail between my legs. Time to go home and start writing that birdhouse book I've had on the back burner.

— Christopher Schwarz

This fall, our magazine is sponsoring the first-ever weekend conference devoted to hand tools and learning to use them.

We're calling it the Woodworking in America conference, and we'll be bringing together the country's best hand-tool woodworkers and manufacturers for a symposium in Berea, Ky., on Nov. 14-16.

There will be more than 40 short classes on tools and techniques during the long weekend, plus a marketplace where toolmakers can display (and sell) their wares, social events with the demonstrators and toolmakers and more.

So who is going to be there? Here's the list of people who have agreed to teach seminars during Woodworking in America as of this date (with more to come):

Roy Underhill: Known as "St. Roy" to the legion of fans who watch "The Woodwright's Shop" on PBS, Roy worked at Colonial Williamsburg and then launched his show about traditional hand tools.

Frank Klausz: One of the country's consummate craftsmen, Frank is a professional New Jersey cabinetmaker who trained in Hungary and has a lifetime of experience with the full range of handwork.

Michael Dunbar: Founder of The Windsor Institute, Michael has single handedly revived the craft of building Windsor chairs, has trained thousands of woodworkers and is a passionate student of the art and history of handcraft.

Adam Cherubini: The author of Popular Woodworking's popular "Arts & Mysteries" column, Adam is a devoted 18th-century woodworker who builds period pieces using period tools.

James Blauvelt: A Connecticut cabinetmaker, joiner and carpenter, James owns Bluefield Joiners and is a student and teacher of Japanese tools and traditions.

Robin Lee: The president of Lee Valley Tools in Ottawa, Ontario, Robin has been a driving force behind the expansion of the Veritas line of premium handplanes and a caretaker of the company's immense tool collection.

Thomas Lie-Nielsen: The founder of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks in Warren, Me., Thomas has been making and selling premium traditional hand tools for 27 years. Thomas's company was the trailblazer in reviving many traditional forms of tools that had been lost.

Larry Williams and Don McConnell: Two of the principals behind Clark & Williams in Eureka Springs, Ark., Larry and Don are bottomless wells of information about traditional tools and their workings. Both are accomplished woodworkers, planemakers and tool historians.

John Economaki: The founder of Bridge City Tool Works in Portland, Ore., John has long been a pioneer in developing new (and very beautiful) forms of hand tools for woodworkers.

Konrad Sauer: The owner of Sauer & Steiner Toolworks in Ontario, Konrad is one of the leading makers of custom infill handplanes.

Wayne Anderson:Wayne specializes in designing and building custom infill handplanes that are deeply rooted in the past but are each a completely original work of art.

Ron Hock: One of the earliest and most important players in the revival of handtools, Ron makes high-quality replacement plane irons, chipbreakers and marking knives in Ft. Bragg, Calif.

Mike Wenzloff: The founder of Wenzloff & Sons sawmakers in Forest Grove, Ore., Mike is a long-time woodworker and expert in saws and saw sharpening. His premium saw business has exploded in the last two years.

Joel Moskowitz: The founder of Tools for Working Wood and an expert on woodworking history, Joel has recently been making many traditional hand tools, as well as selling them through his catalog and web site.

Clarence Blanchard: The publisher of "The Fine Tool Journal" and the president of Brown Auction Services, Clarence sees more old tools in a week than most of us see in a lifetime.

Kevin Drake: After studying under James Krenov at the College of the Redwoods, Kevin founded Glen-Drake Toolworks, where he combines woodworking, toolmaking and education. His innovative tools have received numerous awards; we named his Tite-Mark one of the "Best 12 Tools Ever." 

If you are interested in attending, please visit the web site that is dedicated to this conference at WoodworkinginAmerica.com and sign up for the conference's newsletter (the sign-up box is on the top right of the page). You'll then be the first to be notified of when registration will open (it will be before July 1) and the pricing for this event.

Attendance will be limited to a few hundred people (we want to keep the event intimate and manageable), so be sure to register as soon as slots become available. We are expecting the conference to sell out.

There are more announcements and surprises ahead that I cannot share with you right now, so please stay tuned to the blog and the conference's newsletter.

— Christopher Schwarz

Photo taken at the Marc Adams School courtesy of Marc Adams.



I ...

Shop classes are fast becoming an endangered species in the United States. I suppose that the beginning of the end was when the name changed from ?shop class? to ?industrial arts.? When I was in 7th & 8th grades, all boys had to take wood shop, plastics shop and drafting class. All girls had to take home economics but the sexism inherent in our educational system is a different article.

In the 7th grade I didn?t care much about shop class. It just didn?t interest me. I did the work I had to do to make the little treasure chest project we were assigned but there was no joy in it for me. Surprising only because of my current love for working wood. More surprising however, is a dark secret I?ve hidden for nearly 35 years. My wife doesn?t know. I don?t think my parents know. In fact, I don?t think I?ve ever told anybody. You?re the first. Here it is: I was kicked out of wood shop.

Since most of you don?t know me very well that statement might not surprise you. So let me tell you, I wasn?t the kind of kid who got kicked out of classes. That was the one and only time in my scholastic career. I wouldn?t go so far as to say that I was scarred by the event but here I sit more than 30 years later writing about it. So what happened you may ask?

The shop teacher at our school was a man named Delbert Lumbert. I couldn?t make that up. No, really. Knock it off, I?m serious. OK. Mr. Lumbert seemed somewhat less interested in teaching the class than I was in taking it. I certainly don?t envy someone the task of shepherding 30 mostly uninterested kids through a minefield of sharp, spinning steel. All the same, he didn?t seem to be enjoying his chosen career. Maybe the years had gotten to him. Maybe he could see the coming extinction of his kind. Maybe he just needed a hug. But I don?t think I ever saw the man smile.

So one day I?m waiting to use the band saw. Another student is cutting something. When the offcut is free of his work piece, I reach over and remove it from the table for him. I wasn?t trying to challenge authority, I was just trying to be helpful. Of course, I recognize now that it was dangerous. Mr. Lumbert recognized it then and, as luck would have it, he saw me do it.

I can?t know the underlying cause of Mr. Lumbert?s reaction. We didn?t discuss his feelings. We didn?t discuss anything. He yelled. Loudly. I cowered. He told me to get out. I did. I don?t remember where I went but I?ll never forget walking out that door. I wish I could say that after he cooled off he reviewed shop safety with me (or the entire class). Or that he called my parents to make sure that they were aware and could remind me to be careful. But that didn?t happen. We never spoke of it again.

I have no idea what became of Mr. Lumbert. I?m sure he?s long since retired. Our brief, unhappy encounter caused no lasting damage. Who knows, maybe it was even positive. It?s not how I would want to handle such a situation but it?s hard to argue with results. After all, the lesson was well learned. Later (much later) I became an enthusiastic hobbyist woodworker. And so far, I can still count to ten without removing a shoe.

Learning to cut woodworking joints is one thing. Figuring out how to assemble all those joints in a correct and efficient order for a project is another skill entirely.

In the upcoming Fall 2008 issue of Woodworking Magazine, we're delving deep into the topic of cabinet construction. And the method we have developed during the last decade is different than any other you have read, but it will do three things for your woodworking:

1. You'll make fewer mistakes and waste less wood.

2. You'll have an easier time fitting your doors and drawers.

3. Your cabinets will go together faster with tighter joints.

If you'd like to learn about our new method, then I encourage you to subscribe to the magazine by May 30 to guarantee you will receive a copy of the Fall 2008 issue. In addition to our research into cabinet construction, you'll also find:

Fitting Doors & Drawers: We show you how to square up doors with a table saw and fit it precisely with a hand plane. Plus, we explain how to size your drawers so they'll fit properly with only minor adjustments with a plane.

Tool Review – Sliding Bevels: Why do so many of them slip and slide around on you? We investigate the major brands available today and find the best ones.

Coloring Walnut: Walnut with a simple clear finish looks cold and lifeless.
We show you how to warm up this beautiful wood with a variety of approaches, including shellac and stains.

So why should you subscribe to Woodworking Magazine? We think it's different than every other magazine out there. It's written to help all woodworkers fill in the inevitable gaps in our skills that result from teaching ourselves woodworking.

We show you the historical, time-tested and frequently forgotten methods to saw any joint, drawboring, wedged through-tenons and splines. We review tools that other magazines won't touch but are extremely important: like 6" rules, screws, combination squares and moisture meters.

Plus, we offer projects you won't elsewhere. We build only time-tested forms in classic styles, such as Arts & Crafts, Shaker and early American. More importantly, we pick projects that can be built without an enormous outlay of time, wood or tools.

And that's not all that's different. Woodworking Magazine has no advertisements and is printed in glorious sepia-toned black-and-white on its inside pages.

If you're ready to subscribe, we're ready to take your order. Click here and we'll sign you up to receive the next issue.

— Christopher Schwarz

It’s safety week on The Woodwhisperer Network.

I covered the vast majority of my safety knowledge last year when I posted about the guy who has to remove a shoe if he wants to count into double digits.

However, I did come up with an important safety thought that I should share:

Differentiate between woodshop tools and toolshed items before someone gets killed and someone ends up in prison. (I know that doesn’t make sense, so I”ll explain.)

It starts with the dog. Our dog Peyton is obsessed with chewing lumber. He’s always grabbing rough sawn cut-offs from the shop and running off to gnaw on them. When he’s out in the back yard, he will jump up and tear the lowest limbs off of the trees. He’s an insane little pruner who leaves jagged limb spurs for any tree appendages he can reach.

Last week my lovely wife Gail decided to clean up some of the trees in the back yard that Peyton had roughed up, so she asked me for a saw. I suppose I should have paid closer attention to her, because Gail is a go getter. After giving me plenty of time to respond to her request for a saw, Gail grabbed one out of my woodshop and went to town on the trees in the backyard. She said that saw sure cut through those branches even though it was not a saw specifically designed for pruning trees. Can you guess what kind of saw she used?

Was it my dovetail saw? No.

Was it my Carcass Saw? No.

Was it my Tenon Saw? No.

Was it a DeWalt Reciprocating Saw? No.

Was it a Coping Saw? No.

Was it a Fret Saw? No.

Gail has style. When the dog jumps up and buggers up the lower limbs of the trees in our back yard, Gail cleans them up with a Panther Saw.

At first I was a little upset, but after hearing her describe how well it cut, I decided to try for myself. Wow…that Panther really does cut!!!!!

My safety advice is to pay attention when a loved one asks to borrow a tool. Gail and I got lucky. The borrowing of the Panther Saw worked out this time, but it could have easily had a disastrous outcome. A kinked blade or a dinged horn would have clearly led to a rumble in the backyard, and only one of us would have walked away.

Gail, you’ve been warned. Touch my Panther Saw again, and I’ll cut you!!!!

With the fretwork completed, it's time to start the next layer of molding: the cove. Tommy reviews the miters and suggests using a lot of stock when doing this type of work. Tommy then shows how to cut dentil molding and demonstrates its placement on the secretary. Finally, he makes an inside miter for the dentil molding using a ramp block and chisel.

As requested, here is a photo of the Dovetail Saw which Mike made for me.

It is ...

I’ve been playing around with dovetails – in metal this time. Since I’ve been spending lots of time in the workshop I thought I would sneak the odd minute here and there for some fun. I tried a couple of test runs and they turned out well so thought I’d attempt something larger. And here we go – a thumb plane. I’ve just cleaned the dovetails up after peening and it looks pretty good – it’s amazing how they appear from the bruised and bulbous mass of hammered metal.

Now – don’t get excited. I’m not turning into an Infill maker – filing out dovetails is really tedious. But it has been a good exercise. And you can never have too many skills ;)

Tomorrow, Waka and I are visiting a new sawmill. I’m quite excited about this – sounds like they may have some very interesting timber. I’ll report back tomorrow with the facts!

Cheers

Philly

Recently, Gazebo can be applicated as :

• Decorating of the house yard
• Placed in the edge of the pools as a relaxing place
• Placed in the house yard or garden
• Placed in the backyard or terrace at the back house

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Green wood chair making class by American master craftsman Drew Langsner takes place this autumn at Gifu Academy.
We make a traditional ladderback chair out of local green wood, using only hand tools.


??????????????????????????????????????????????????Country Workshops??????????????????????????????????????????The Chairmaker's Workshop???????????????
Mr. Langsner is a world's famous woodworker who has been pursueing his career for more than thirty years. He runs various craft courses at his Country Workshops. He is the author of 'The Chairmaker's Workshop'.

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The chair making class consists of part A and B.
On part A we cleave logs to get chair parts, steambend and shape them.
On part B we drill mortises and cut tenons, assemble and weave the seat.
You can book either part A or B, or both.
The tuition is 24,000 yen for each part. Room and board is not included.
We accept eight bookings for each part. Contact Japan Green Woodwork Association.

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Green wood chair making class by American master craftsman
Instructor: Drew Langsner
Venue: Forest Workshop, Gifu Academy of Forest Science and Culture

Part A 27-29th September 2008
Part B 18-20th October 2008
9:00-18:00

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A large consistent supply of high quality Mesquite HardWood Lumber and fast professional on-line service is why Arizona Desert Mesquite is fast becomming the leader in Mesquite Lumber Distribution. Whether you're looking for 8/quarter, 6 quarter , 4 /quarter , or 3/4"  blanks for HardWood Flooring , Arizona Desert Mesquite has a large supply to accomodate your needs. 





 

An hour ago, the 16th and final drawer was installed. What a feeling. I have been working on the last 4 drawers for a week or so. One of them was a monster at almost 12" deep. Drawer number 13 was pretty significant - it was the first one where all the dovetails fit right off the saw. Drawer No.14 had one corner that needed a bit of paring, but 15 and 16 (the monster drawer) were also off the saw. I took a pile of photos of drawer No.16 being built - it will be the subject of “Some thoughts on dovetails - part II”. The “Red-Robbie” pulls are just temporary until the African Blackwood pulls are done.

Here are a few pics of the three banks of drawers in the kitchen.





I think I can hear Jill blissfully filing Tupperware. Next up on the home reno front - back to the sunroom...

It?s no secret that I?m a fan of the work of Greene & Greene. A big fan. Anyone with cursory knowledge of the brothers has heard of the Ultimate Bungalows. These homes, designed by Charles and Henry at the height of their popularity and creative energy, are grand residences built with uncompromising attention to detail. Everyone agrees the the Gamble, Blacker, Pratt and Thorsen houses are in this category. Many include the Freeman Ford house as well. Were I the ultimate authority, the Robinson house would also join the list.

While the Gamble house remained in the Gamble family until it was donated to USC and the city of Pasadena, the other Ultimates have more colorful histories. Most endured some period of neglect or abuse. The rape of the Blacker house resulted in ordinances that protect historic homes in Pasadena. I think the Thorsen house trumps them all, however. Since 1942 the Thorsen house has been home to a fraternity.

I suspect that many of you have seen the movie ?Animal House.? It?s hilarious. It?s a classic. It?s completely unlike the California (Berkeley) chapter of Sigma Phi. The brothers of Sigma Phi take their stewardship of the Thorsen house, which the fraternity purchased from the Thorsen estate, very seriously. Every Saturday morning they work as a group on maintaining the house. They learn its history. They take pride in it.

But keeping up with the demands of a 100 year old mansion (and a work of art at that) is difficult. And expensive. About 9 million dollars. If you find yourself in Berkeley, stop by the house. The brothers will happily give you a tour and accept a donation to the fund. But don?t let an inability to visit stop you from contributing. Send a few dollars and help save an historic landmark, one of the Ultimates. It?s a lot easier to keep such houses around than to wait for another genius to come along and design more.

The Thorsen House Restoration Campaign
c/o Mr. Dan McNear
Route 1
Box 264-E
San Rafael, CA 94901

The Festool Kapex KS 120 Miter Saw has shipped in North America and is now in stock at Highland Woodworking. The culmination of years of testing and engineering, the Kapex KS 120 was developed with one goal in mind: to be the best sliding compound miter saw ever manufactured. The Kapex KS 120 is the first miter saw with variable speed, enabling the user to match the speed of the blade with the requirements of the material for perfect cuts, every time. Finally, a sliding compound miter saw that combines a large cutting capacity with a compact lightweight design. The Kapex delivers 12" miter saw capacity in a revolutionary 10" miter saw design.

Festool, founded in 1925 by Albert Fezer and Gottlieb Stoll in southern Germany, has constantly set new benchmarks for innovative tool design and development, and the Kapex KS 120 Sliding Compound Miter Saw does so again. The innovative twin-column forward rail design gives the Kapex saw greater precision in an extremely small footprint. And Festool's meticulous engineers designed the saw to capture 91% of the saw dust when used with a CT dust extractor when using a 36mm hose.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Power Consumption: 1600 Watts
• Speed: 1,400-3,400 RPM
• Cutting Depth 90°/90°: 12" x 3-1/2"
• Special Cutting Depth: 4-23/32" x 3/4"
• Crown Nested Capacity: 6-5/8"
• Max Bevel: 47°/47°
• Miter Range: 50°/60°
• Dimensions: 28" x 19-3/4" x 18-1/2"
• Weight: 47 Lbs

Highland Woodworking is located in Atlanta, Georgia USA. Call 800-241-6748 for sales or visit www.highlandwoodworking.com for more information.

When we were in Erie last weekend, someone commented on their recent visit to this site and wanted to confirm that I was in fact still making planes. I assured them I was, but the comment has been rolling around in my head ever since. When we got home, I checked the site and sure enough... there has not been a “planemaking” post for quite a long time. Here is what has been going on in the last two months.



Front to back; A Brazilian Rosewood filled A5, an English boxwood filled A5*, an Ebony filled A6, an Ebony filled A1 panel, a Brazilian Rosewood filled No.4, a Brazilian Rosewood filled A5, a Brazilian Rosewood filled A1 and a Brazilian Rosewood filled A2 jointer.

A shot from the other side.



And some detail shots.



This is a family of 4 planes infilled with Brazilian Rosewood from a single plank. The No.4 is bedded at 52.5 degrees and has a 2" wide blade. The A5 is a York pitch with a 2-1/4" wide blade and the 14-3/4" long A1 and 22-1/2" A2 are bedded at 47.5 degrees. This is going to be a fantastic set of planes to use.




* This is second boxwood filled plane I have made. The first was an XSNo.4 I made last years and I have been dying to make another ever since. Boxwood is a real treat to work with - it cuts like hard butter. I also want to thank Bill Carter for generously supplying the piece for the handle. Finding genuine boxwood is really tough, let alone something large enough to make a handle with.



This past Friday, I shaped this Brazilian Rosewood handle. Above is a shot I took when I started shaping, and the black streak came alive. To me - this is what dreams are made of! Below is a photo of the handle fully shaped, sanded and ready to have the adjuster fit.



The two Ebony filled planes are at the tail end of the french polishing process - they each have 9 coats at this point and are looking magnificent.

Next update - the kitchen doors!

Here I am, this time with handmade jewerly, after a week posting about knitting and crochetting.

I get this beads and I start a very easy necklace. I embroider 12 little beads and 1 bigger bead… until I get the length I wanted.

After that I made the hook.

As you can see I made a hook using wire and modelate it with my pliers (clamps). I made the spiral structure and the hook.

Rockler currently has their 4-in-1 screwdriver kit on sale for $5.99 so I grabbed a couple. I needed some screwdrivers for work anyway, and thought this would be a great chance to try turning one myself.

The handle is cherry, and the black lines were done by wire burning, a technique where a stiff piece of steel wire is held in a groove cut into the spinning workpiece. Hold the wire in the groove until it starts to smoke.

The hole for the shaft is made with a 5/8 spade bit on my craptastic drill press. The hole isn't perfectly straight, unfortunately. I really need a new drill press! The head of the unit shifts when pressed down into the cut causing an angled hole.

The finish is a 3# cut of amber shellac applied over some BLO (boiled linseed oil). I rubbed the shellac into the spinning handle on the lathe. Gave it a wonderful hand rubbed look.

If you get a chance, give one of these screwdrivers a try. Lots of fun and useful too!

I have been watching Larry Williams excellent new dvd on the making of traditional side escapement wooden planes, which has just been published by ...

Day two of the show finds Tommy talking with more interesting craftsmen-and women-including: Randy Crossman who does hand-cut wooden jigsaw puzzles up to 4,000 pieces; Robert Reiss of Window Views puts photographs behind window panes; Gary Keener who makes beautiful furniture and won Best in Show 2007 for Furniture-Traditional Body of Work; Harold Shapiro and Michele Sommer-Shapiro who make furniture and do metalwork using a lot of recycled materials; Joe, a stone carver, creates fountains as well as lamps that burn oil; John Rundlett, a woodworker, specializes in toys; Holly Alderman uses photographs to create tapestries and "all kinds of things" inspired by sculpture; and Jacquelyn Rice, a self-described "artist and maker," who makes whatever she dreams up.

Tommy works on the "really tough" drawer fronts, eight in all. He's trying to "elevate his game," but the project is "starting to get" to him, especially because of all the tiny pieces of wood. But Tommy is satisfied with the finished pieces and determined to keep moving forward.