Any reader of this site knows I am a fan of oil stones... One of the finest quality oil stones out there are by the Norton company are known as "Lily White Washita" stones.  These are the type of stones I learned how to sharpen on - I had one of these stones for many years, and lost it through a mishap 10 or 12 years ago now - and I have missed it. They had gone out of production many years ago and were no longer available, but still command a hefty price for a vintage one on ebay and the like when you found a used one. 

Then, a couple years ago, Joel Moskowitz at Tools for Working Wood worked his magic with the Norton company (the manufacturer and owner of the quarry where they are mined) and got them to resurrect their Lily White Washita line of oil stones. 

When I heard they were available again I was ecstatic.  But of course I didn't buy any right away - I always had something else that was more important to get first, as I now have a hard translucent arkansas that's been serving me quite well.  However - I nearly waited too long...

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The Maple Tree has long been associated with The independence of mind, extra ordinary person, full of imagination and originality. The lighter base wood is Birch and Birch symbolizes birth and new beginnings and is feminine in nature.

The dark wood is dyed to achieve the color much like dyed wool.

I handcraft every ring to bring out the warmth and honesty of the wood. Each ring is hand formed from thin layers of wood chosen for its grain and durability.

I will make custom sizes upon request.
All you need do is visit me at: http://www.simplywoodrings.com

To be used by Hobby & do-it yourselfers to display their Mesquite and other fine wood projects.


Check out this fist entry From Ronald Hesketh ... It's about Time ...


Read this heartwarming story about two Men and a Very Special Clock ! ...           >>>>>> Click on "more " >>>>>>>> 

You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today.

Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife:

When gluing up a mitered assembly, I often rely on band clamps to pull the joints together. They’re easy to apply and provide the even clamping pressure needed to keep things square.

The only catch is that the sharp mitered corners of the assembly have to be protected from the pressure exerted by the band. My clamps came with metal corners meant for this purpose, but they often damage the corners they’re supposed to protect.

My simple solution was to substitute more forgiving, corrugated cardboard pads for the hard metal corners, as shown at right. The cardboard pads provide plenty of protection without leaving any unwanted evidence of their use.

You’ll find more great project tips, techniques, and plans at PlansNOW.

Good Woodworking,

Ted Raife
Online Editor, Woodsmith

Send for a preview issue of Woodsmith magazine

I never cease to be amazed by the incidence of tools which don't work, and like to refer to them as Manufacturer's Perversions.

More ...

Every so often it just happens, I get a little burnt out or just overwhelmed...even with woodworking!

I know it's shocking and unheard of, but there are times when shop time is available but getting in there is a whole other issue.  Here are a few things I do for motivation or just to do something different but still woodworking.

If you'd like to enter for free schwag, have a comment, question or suggestion, drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or  head over to the website.  Or...leave a voicemail at 231 354-2338.

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Hi everybody...........I'm on a roll, what a past 2 weeks. And now it ends with US Postal Service Commemorative Stamps all about the Eames.

Herman Miller, DJ DuPree, George Nelson, Noguchi.....we've been exposed to Eames and should surely appreciate this stamp.

I always buy a sheet to tuck in one of my woodworking text. Kinda fun finding it a few years down the road.

Pick up a sheet, if you're a follower of the blog you know the "Eames Team".

Neil

PS......editing now, look for a very special interview in the coming days. It's over the top.

I know that based on the numbers of posts rolling through this blog lately you would be hard pressed to think anything was happening at all in my little dungeon of a workshop... and you'd actually be wrong!

I actually do have a few projects in the works!

~ I have a couple of pens that I need to get finished. They really should have been done a long time ago, but sadly they kept getting stuck on the backburner.

~ I have another set of Adirondack chairs to do. This set is going to be painted white. They are for one of the girls at work that has already purchased two others. She also wants a couple more foot rests to go with them. The foot rests aren't quite as far along as the chairs though...

~ I have another small table in the works also. Similar in size to the table I made for my daughter, this one is being made with some oak that once was a hand rail in a local college.

~ I also have that dresser from oh so long ago that I would like to make some progress on. In a way, I'm actually glad that project got halted. I've found a few ways to overcome some perceived obstacles in that project that I feel fairly confident in tackling now.

So if I can stay focused and busy, I might actually have some interesting posts coming up soon. It would be nice to end the year with a barrage of completed projects and postings!

It's the middle of July and while technically...I'm still on vacation, it's time to give away some great schwag to some even greater listeners!!

This week we have a set of 2-1/2" Whiteside Brass Height Gages for one lucky winner and a great title from Sterling Publishing for another lucky listener.  That's right, two lucky winners this week!

Oh and by the way, checkout the video for today's show...I have a little surprise for everyone.  Warning though!! The sound is left channel only...a new bug popped up and I'm working on it.

If you're interested in getting a set of your own gauges from Woodcraft click here, Whiteside Brass Height Gauges.

WIN AN iPOD TOUCH!!  If you have the time, please take the new listener survey, and when you do you'll be entered to win an iPod Touch.

If you'd like to enter for free schwag or just have a comment, question or suggestion drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or  head over to my website at www.mattsbasementworkshop.com or call our Skype Voicemail at 231 354-2338.

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I assembled the stand and am test fitting it in the photo a few hours after glue up. It fits well and is in very good alignment with the cabinet. This is a concern otherwise the stand looks more like an afterthought than designed with the cabinet if it doesn't fit right. The twin stretchers at the bottom work out well and introduce a small focal point into the design. It is quite a small feat getting the rails and stretchers in position for the glue up and a good point to stop and plan this out well. I assembled the sides initially, then put everything together with the front and rear rails and stretchers. The upper and lower rails are mortised into the legs with single tenons, whereas the twin stretchers are dowelled into the bottom side rails.

I am quite pleased at the aesthetics of the piece and the harmony between the cabinet and stand. I needed to spend some time at the edge treatment phase of all the stand components. The edges of each component are slightly chamfered with a small hand plane, then the edge transition is touched with a very fine sanding block to knock out any sharp edges. Since this is all done by hand, I find myself counting the exact number of strokes with the hand plane, in this case two. It is recommended that all the components be completed in one pass to avoid confusion. In other cases, where multiple passes are necessary, counting the handplane strokes is a good technique.

The stand is also beech and all the front and side facing components have non-descript grain pattern, straight grain for the most part, to not introduce any crazy graphics which take away from the main focal point, the cabinet.

I'm kind of anxious at this point to complete the interior of the cabinet, create the drawers and a small partition, then the pulls, so I can begin to apply finish. I'm curious to see how the figure of the door panels comes out. Of course, I can always wet the surfaces with naptha to temporarily see the figure pop, but I can wait a few more days.

I had a little deliberation deciding on the final height of the cabinet and settled for a 55 inch height , along with a second opinion from my better half. Having the piece too low and it begins to look like a credenza , too high and the stand begins to look spindly. I also wanted to provide an opportunity to see the cabinet as a whole, including a partial view of the top. Accessibility and visibility of the cabinet interior is also important as this is somewhat of a showcase cabinet, and my wife and I did take this into consideration.

 

The flood is starting already. In addition to launching a new web site (www.deltaportercable.com), Porter-Cable today announced the availability of a new plunge base for their 890-series routers. From their press release:  

The plunge base is offered as part of multi-base kits, models 893PK, 894PK and 895PK, as well as an accessory, model 8931. With machined brass brushings and steel guide rods, the upgraded base offers an extremely smooth and durable plunge stroke for greater user control and accuracy. In addition, a through-the-column dust collection system supports efficient dust removal, and yields improved bit and cut-line visibility when used with a durable, clear Lexan® sub-base and dust shroud, which come as standard.

To further enhance precision and ease of operation, the base features a six-position adjustable turret stop for stepped plunge cuts; a single, flat side on the base that allows routing to be done in tighter spaces while also providing a straight reference point; a lever release for quick motor transitions between bases; and rubber overmolded handles for a comfortable grip.

The versatile plunge base, which accommodates the existing 890 series motor, is ideal for a variety of woodworking applications, including general purpose cutting, dado stops, fluting, rabbetting stops, and hinge cutting. The plunge base, model 8931, and multi-base kits, models 893PK, 894PK and 895PK, will be available for purchase in July 2007 for $115, $269, $289 and $289, respectively.

First off - let me apologize for not posting anything for a few weeks. I have been pretty busy in the shop - working on some very cool planes and some “other work”. I will be posting about it in the next few weeks.

I have recently completed a set of 4 rebate planes - 1/2", 3/4", 1" and 1-1/4" widths. The sides and sole are 01 tool steel and the infill is Brazilian Rosewood. It has been a while since I have made a set of these - and I have to say it was a lot of fun.




They are a matching set in that all the Brazilian Rosewood came from the same piece - but I tried to maximize some of the figure by using it where it will be most visible. The 1-1/4" rebate is a good example with that wonderful swirl at the front.







Most of the wedges have either some burl or curl in them.

You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today.

Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife:

It always breaks my heart when a project gets its first scratch. But I know that even with the best of care, it’s bound to happen. So rather than stew over a minor blemish, I came up with an easy way to make it disappear.

My repair system started with an investment in an assortment of touch-up markers. You can get these from many woodworking and finishing supply companies. My set includes about a dozen different colors and this gives me a good shot at finding a close match to the project. But the trick is finding the best color match without relying on a lucky guess.

To help make a more informed choice, I created a sample sheet on a piece of clear acetate. The sheet contains a small, labeled swatch from each marker. As you see in the photo, I simply hold the sheet up to the project to find a good match. After choosing a marker and performing a quick touchup, the project looks as good as new and I feel a whole lot better.

For more helpful project tips, techniques, and plans, visit PlansNOW.

Good Woodworking,

Ted Raife
Online Editor, Woodsmith

Keeping your turning tools sharp — before, during, and after a turning session is extremely important. Brian Simmons prefers the Wolverine system from Oneway, using their grinding jig with the vari-grind attachment to put a fine edge on his turning tools. If you’ve seen earlier seminars presented by Brian, you know that he constantly uses his General 6″ bench grinder to sharpen his gouges, skews, scrapers and parting tools. Brian prefers this 1800rpm grinder and uses an 80-grit aluminum oxide stone for most applications.

Be sure to check out the Woodsmith Podcast Store for a link to the Seminar Guide that Brian used during this seminar, plus a few sharpening accessories for sale.

It's the beginning of a new month and that means it's time for Router Bit of the Month!!  For the entire month of April, 2008 Woodcraft is featuring Whiteside's 1/4" radius Cove and Bead Edge Profiling bit. 

This little decorative edge profiling bit is like getting two bits in one.  The combination of a 1/4" radius cove profile and a 1/4" radius bead give plain old square and chunky edges a beautiful decorative look that's very pleasing to the eye.

The great thing about Whiteside's cove and bead bit is that when you use it in your router table it's like getting four profiles for the price of one.  By running your stock flat against the router table you get an edge with the bead leading the profile, but by standing the stock on edge and running it up against the router table fence you get an decorative edge with the cove leading the profile.

Or, if you're just looking to use the cove or the bead profiles by themselves it's once again a matter of adjusting the height of the bit and moving the fence back and forth.  In a matter of minutes you're making separate profiles from this one combo bit.

If you're interested in ordering this month's Router Bit of the Month from Woodcraft.com just click on the picture:

Congrats to Frank Bylo, this month's winner of a Whiteside router bit!!  If you haven't entered your name for free schwag or just have a comment, question or feedback, drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.

If you're in the upstate New York area this weekend April 5 & 6 checkout the Northeastern Woodworker's Association's Showcase.  Filled with great seminars and demonstrations, check it out at www.nwawoodworkingshow.org.

For anyone interested, coming up on April 11 & 12, 2008 there's a great little tool demo and woodworking school openhouse going on at J. Miller Handcrafted Furniture in Chicago. The details can be found at Lie-Nielsen.  There will be some great demos by a number of well known woodworkers and I'm planning on checking it out myself.

Don't forget to get your questions in for Hendrik's next visit in April, we're talking lumber defects and how to work around them. 

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The November 2008 Newsletter has been Posted. Go to Club Menu and click on Newsletter.

Sometimes there’s nothing better than tinkering in the shop and making something just for the sake of doing it. For me, it’s often making my own wood hinges. For Canadian engineer/woodworker Matthias Wandel, it’s wooden gears, geodesic spheres, and other fanciful, if not always practical contraptions. His most recent creation is a Binary Marble Adding Machine, the latest in a series of “rolling ball sculptures.”

Why build a marble machine? Well, according to Matthias, “My Marble Machines are complicated and ingenious, but utterly useless pieces of toy machinery that automate the process of playing with marbles. With toys like these, mankind is free to pursue more productive ends, while leaving the playing with marbles to his trusty automated machine servants.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself.

My first real, full-time job with benefits out of high school was working for a coatings (”paint”) manufacturer. I worked for about twelve years in the research and development lab. Years later, as part of an unrelated job, I helped set up quality assurance labs inside of manufacturing facilities. Needless to say, I’m pretty familiar with the supplies that are used on a day-to-day basis in the lab. So you should have seen the looks on everyone’s face in the office when I ordered in some “lab” supplies for an article I’m working on for an upcoming issue of ShopNotes magazine.

I ordered inexpensive beakers, disposable pipettes (”eye droppers”), aluminum weighing dishes, wash bottles, and all sorts of other “lab supplies.” Now if you don’t know what any of these things are, you’re not alone. But as a woodworker, I’ve realized that a lot of these items can be real handy in the shop. Beakers can be used for measuring and mixing stains and finishes. The pipettes are great for squeezing glue into tight areas for repairs. Disposable aluminum weighing dishes make great mixing containers for epoxy or for holding small amounts of glue during assembly. Wash bottles are a lot more convenient for storing and dispensing solvents like paint thinner than those square metal cans.

My two favorite sources for lab supplies are U. S. Plastic Corporation and Lab Safety Supply. Take a browse through their web site or order a catalog. You’ll be surprised at what you’ll find that’ll be handy to have in the shop.

There is one variation of usage which has struck me forcibly after many years of reading American magazines and Reviews.

Larry Williams' wooden moulding ...

I got a treat on Sunday. The Heritage Carousel at Union Park in Des Moines, Iowa was celebrating its tenth anniversary.  As part of the celebration, they invited the original builders of the carousel, The Carousel Works, Inc., to attend and demonstrate their carving and painting skills.  I got to speak with the owner and his wife (Art and Marilyn Ritchie) about their craft.  It so happens that they’re from Mansfield, Ohio, close to where I grew up in Ohio.  He’s been carving for over thirty years.  His wife does some of the painting.

As we stood there chatting, he was using his Pfeil carving tools to smooth out the body shape of a horse figure.  You could tell his tools were very sharp.  He was effortlessly taking thin chips out of the basswood figure.  I asked him how he keeps his tools so sharp.  He uses a buffing wheel to hone the edge as needed.

One of my boys asked him how many times he’s cut himself.  He smiled and pointed to his tool roll you see here on the left.  He includes bandages as part of his tool kit.

As time went on, he commented to passers-by that they’ve got seven full-time carvers on staff at the shop.  He said that the figure he was carving on that day is going to be a training aid for his carvers.  As we were talking, he flipped the figure over to show how he had carved the musculature and rib cage of the horse on one side.  His point is that unless a carver knows the anatomy of a horse, he’s going to have a difficult time carving one.  The detail was fascinating and realistic.

The discussion turned to painting.  He says they use three coats of primer, sanding between coats.  Then the colors are brushed on.  Finally, five coats of clearcoat are applied for durability.

Besides building new carousels using wood figures, The Carousel Works also does restoration of old carousels.  To me, it was refreshing to see that there are still companies out there working hard to keep craftsmanship alive.

A common question and concern for anyone using vintage planes is the topic of replacement blades.  While some vintage planes come with blades that work perfectly fine, often we may find ourselves with one that sorely needs to be replaced.

Modern manufacturers like both Veritas and Lie-Nielsen sell replacement blades, but the most common name most are familiar with is Hock Blades.  Hock blades are available through a number of resources including Woodcraft.com.  But if you're looking for a vintage replacement blade or just replacement parts for your vintage planes checkout Bob Kaune's Website.

REMEMBER!  If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or you want to enter for some free schwag drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or you can always leave a voicemail at 231 354-2338.

Hendrik is back this month and we're talking about "Why we woodwork".  We'd love your feedback on why it is that you woodwork also, so call or write in to the show.

Don't forget too that on June 14th, Hendrik is conducting a seminar based on his book "Starting and Running a Woodworking Business"at his Acton, Ontario Workshop.  If you'd like to attend or just get more information about these seminars contact Hendrik at info@passionforwood.com.

If you have the time, please take the new listener survey.

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Status Report: Marc talks about his recent router table injury and his experiences with both the Laguna Resaw King bandsaw blade and the Final Cut tablesaw blade.

Matt just completed the chisel plane build and confessed that he purchase pre-made legs for an office desk. He is also continuing his experimentation with spokeshaves.

Around the Web: The all-wood X-Wing Fighter!

News: Rockler offers new cast iron router table. Sears offering Craftsman benchtop spindle sander that looks a lot like the Delta Boss unit. Lee Valley intros two new planes: Side Rabbet Plane and the Skew Rabbet Planes.

Hot Deals:

25% Off Bessey F-Style bar clamps at Woodcraft 6" - 30" long versions thru Sept.30, 2008.

Bessey K-body clamps at Woodcraft 24" & 40", buy 3 get 1 free.

WoodRiver Carbide Anti-Kickback Router Bits 10 piece 1/2 shank bits Woodcraft $50 or $5 each bit.

Bora Clamp-N-Cut Edge Guides (Mentioned in listener voicemail)

And a very special offer from Highland Woodworking. FREE SHIPPING to listeners of Wood Talk Online on any order over $50 through 10/03/08. Listeners just need to put "wto" in the Discount Code field during checkout. Terms, conditions and details are here.

Voicemail: Roberto had a question concerning tablesaws with built-in router tables. Ray wanted our opinions on Gorilla Glue. Chris wanted advice on clamping straightedges and cutting large sheets of ply.

Tom's Tip: Uh oh, you dropped some screws!!

Hey everyone I've finally went and done it, I've built a chisel plane from some scraps laying around the shop and a brand new Hock Block Plane blade (the most expensive part of the build!)

Many of you sent me the plans to the FWW article featuring the chisel plane construction in issue #148.  Here's a link to it Wooden Chisel Plane.

If you'd like to enter for free schwag, have a comment, question or suggestion, drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or  head over to the website.  Or...leave a voicemail at 231 354-2338.

Interested in ordering DVDs containing the complete series of audio, video and PDF episodes from Years 1 & 2 of MBW?  Drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com, $25 for each or $40 for both.  Also, each month I'll be selling CDs with all of the previous month's episodes for $8.

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Any one that has seen two lovebirds perched together understands that love is a natural animal instinct that you can also be seen when you look into someone's eyes, and see everything you need.

The Box is made of Maple wood and Purple heart wood.

Visit Me At http://www.simplywoodrings.com for you Wooden Wedding Band Set.

森林文化アカデミー・ものづくり研究会に入ってきた６人の新入生たち。
今週はさっそく木工旋盤（ろくろ）の実習で、すりこぎとすりばちを作りました。
これは新年度の恒例プログラム。まずは楽しむことからものづくりを始めてほしい、というアカデミーならではの実習です。
We welcomed six freshers to the Craft and Furnirure Making Dept. this year.
We start our lesson by wood turning. Wood turning is easy and fun, so it gives a good impression on woodwork to the freshers.

アカデミーならではといえば、このグリーンウッドワークもそうですね。
斧（おの）や銑（せん）を使い、生の木を人力だけで削ります。木工を学ぶ教育機関で、こうして生の木を削るところはおそらく他にないでしょう。
The first lesson includes green woodwork. Shaving on the horse and turning on the pole lathe. We are probably the only woodworking college in Japan that teaches green woodwork like this.

できあがったすりこぎとすりばち。
これでさっそくスパイスをすりました。
Each student made a mortar by electric lathe and a pestle by pole lathe.

シナモン、クローブ、カルダモン、ジンジャー、そしてミルクをたっぷり入れたインドのチャイを飲みながら、１年生と２年生の交流会。今年は教員３人を入れてぜんぶで１７人！賑やかになりそうです。
At the end of the lesson we ground spices with those mortars and pestles to make Chai, the Indian spice tea.
All the member of the Craft and Furniture Making Dept. enjoyed chai while introducing each other.