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No Singlet Required
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Skiving OffHowever, what separates me from the vast legions of Pack Rats out there is the fact I still find a way to use all of the crap that I keep in piles down in the basement.
I realize most hoarders of collectibles (keepers of junk) are neither able to use their stuff nor find the strength to sell it on Ebay, so I want to help them. Today is our first installment of Pack Rat Self Help.
With this blog entry I imagine hundreds of guys going to the basement, digging through a pile of collectible stuff, and emerging with a revitalized part of a dapper wardrobe. Because today, I give you:
The Top 5 places to wear your
20 year old wrestling headgear:
20 year old wrestling headgear:
1) During all stages of commercial air travel.
2) While playing slow pitch softball.
3) At very large gatherings (20,000+ people) like the Boat, Sport, and Travel Show held at the State Fairgrounds.
4) During Job Interviews.
5) Any funeral where you serve as a Pallbearer.
The other fun possibility is to choose one store that (at least in your mind) requires you to wear wresting headgear in order to visit. In my case it's Barnes and Noble's. Everything looks quite normal as I park the car, get out, and head toward the front door. However, there is nothing I like more than to have some guy standing at the front door, courteously delaying his entrance so he can hold the door for me, while I say, "Just a minute, Friend" and reach into my front pants pocket for the old headgear that I put on before setting foot into that store.
It stays there as I look at the books. The headgear is clearly in place as I peruse the music and movies at the back. I even ignore its presence on my head as I point out my published articles to uninterested strangers in the magazine area.
I keep it in place while paying for my purchase. I act as normal as can be as I ask the clerk what is my anniversary date for renewing the stupid B&N Membership.
However, the moment my foot touches the sidewalk outside the store, I scramble to remove that headgear like it is a giant cobweb I just unwittingly walked into.
That's what my life is all about, folks. I don't just come up with ways to use the stuff I have stored away....I find ways to do it with a grace and style that makes other people hold onto their children's hands just a little bit tighter when they see me out in public.
"I am Jeff Skiver, and I approve of this message." (Jeff Skiver)
I just beat the 4 year anniversary...
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Sauer & Steiner
... of starting the kitchen (by 2 weeks!). I guess technically - it is not quite done - the pulls are not finished - but... it feels pretty great to have it to this point. The above photo is made up of 3 shots spliced together in photoshop - it was the only way I could get the whole thing in.
The doors themselves went together quite well - and were easier and faster than the drawers. I used a Zona saw to cut the shoulders for the hinge mortises - and a small router plane to clean them out. I was a little worried about cutting the mortises in the cabinets, but it worked quite well. I am still a little bitter that I did not have the foresight to pre-cut mortises for knife hinges like I used in the mudroom cabinets... but I will get over it. These are oil rubbed bronze hinges and worked quite well with the walnut (and the future African Blackwood pulls).
I need to thank Jim Shaver for reminding me of a great technique for keeping doors closed. I used 3/8" rare earth magnets buried in the bottom of the door rail and another in the face frame. They are epoxied in and covered with a piece of walnut veneer (planed flush with an XSNo.4 of course:). It worked perfectly.
In hindsight, there are a few things I have learned.
Firstly - building your own kitchen cabinets is not for the faint of heart. I underestimated the size of this project by at least 200%. It was totally worthwhile, I learned a tremendous amount and I would do it again (if I had to), but I was nuts to think I could do it in a year.
2. Taking the time to find quarter sawn wood for door frames is the right thing to do. In the grand scheme of the project and the immense time it requires - the extra expense of quarter sawn is a drop in the bucket, and you will thank yourself repeatedly because everything is so stable and is visually harmonious.
3. Hand cutting the dovetails in the drawers is extremely time consuming... but worth it if for no other reason than the the learning experience. It took several months of “spare time” to get them done, but my confidence in cutting them has really improved and has positive implications for a lot of other woodworking skills. And - they just look wicked.
4. Door panels that are 7/16" thick are flexible enough to be persuaded into a frame.
5. Air dried walnut is a wonderful wood to work.
6. Sanding sucks. There were a few places where I was not able to plane a surface so I hauled out my ROS. It was a perfect reminder of why I make planes.
The doors around the sink window have beveled glass in them to mirror the side lites of our front door (see below). The doors worked out very well - but the beveled glass on the top 4 doors is a little tough to see given the dark interiors.
The kitchen island was made several years ago - it was installed Christmas day 2005. The boxed dishwasher was the island with a tablecloth thrown over it. What prompted the island construction was a phone call from Sears (where we bought the dishwasher). They were calling to suggest that we might want to consider extending our coverage because the one year warranty was about to expire. Jill just laughed and told them we would pass - the dishwasher was still in the box.
Antique Traditional Kudus House
09/09/2008, 06:06 | Antique Knockdown Carved Wood House
The traditional house of Kudus is one of the traditional houses that formed as the human culture evolution that continuously occuring process acculturation and as the results of developing creation of the supporting community.
The outcome is a maginificent architectural living house, attractive, filled with meaning and socio cultural values that did not occur in the other places in Indonesia
The architect mostly achieves the ideal process of culture combination and success to represent a unique colour of
The roof construction of traditional house of Kudus shows the level of wealthy of the owner since cost to make the roof is the highest cost compare with any other parts of the house. The expensive cost was because of the motifs perfection and the carved style also the difficulty on the process to construct it.
The Pencu style roof (the towering roof) used to be made of Rumbia (a particular kind of palm leaves), but now more likely to be made of tiles. Kudus tiles often have special plant motifs, and there are the so-called genteng gajah (with elephant ornamentation) on the wuwungan (the topmost row of tiles), and the genteng raja (king tiles) which are beautifully decorated.
The design interior of the traditional house of Kudus looks simple and divided into Jogo Satru room as a guess room, which in the standard traditional house of Kudus the cover area is around 3 x 10 msq. In this room, the floor is lower around 1 m from the main room (inside room) and is a part of the fourth step or floor.
Then, inside room (jogan lebet) is a fifth step with area around 7 x 10 msq. A chair uses as the connection between the two rooms because of its level differences.and as partition between the two rooms used Gebyok.
Inside the inside room (jogan lebet), there are several rooms such as living room located below the joglo, then bedrooms and gedongan as the place to keep the heilroom and wealthy. Gedongan placed between inside room and pawon (kitchen) that located in the left or right of the house.
This pawon except use for cooking and dinner room, also use for the family activity, such as made of convection products and other home industries. In front of the pawon, precisely in the edge part of the yard placed well complete with the bathroom.
There are several types of doors in the traditional house of Kudus, there is one door, two door and sliding door. One door is usually for the kitchen, two doors in gebyok and the sliding door is in the front.
One thing that necessary to be noted is that traditional house of Kudus always build face to the south that full with the philosophy meaning and based on the natural rule of rational calculation.
Interview with Clarence Blanchard
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Woodworkers ResourceClarence is president of Antique & Collectible Tools Inc., the corporation that owns the Fine Tool Journal and Brown Auction Services. Clarence began collecting tools early on in his life, which first started because of his interest in woodworking. He quickly learned that he enjoyed collecting tools more than working with them. Clarence worked as a Chemical Engineer for years while his interest in tools steadily grew.
His interest culminated with the purchase of the Fine Tool Journal in 1995. After growing the journal for two years, Clarence then purchased Brown Auction Services in 1997, which is the number one antique tool auction company in the world!
Here's some of the things you'll learn in the interview:
- What exactly is the Fine Tool Journal?
- Where do the tools come from that the Fine Tool Journal and Brown Auction Services sell?
- What are some of the differences between antique tools and some of the hand tools being produced today by high-end manufactures?
- What goes on at the two large auctions that Brown Auction Services put on each year and what you can expect to find?
- How much the world record Sandusky center wheel plow plane went for? (This will blow your mind!)
- How you can find antique tools you're looking for using Clarence's companies.
And of coarse we'll talk about what Clarence will be talking about at the Woodworking in America Conference:
- Hands-On Clinic: Rehabbing Old Tools
- Vintage Tools: Their Advantages, Disadvantages and Value
If you'd like to hear other interviews and learn more about woodworking, go to our website at:
Thanks,
Craig
Lumber Runs
11/07/2008, 04:28 | A Woodworking OdysseyLast Saturday, during a trip to Downes & Reader in Stoughton, MA, I picked up some Freijo at $3/board foot. I selected 5 pieces of 4/4 stock that were roughly quarter sawn. They are 5" wide and about 3 feet long. I know nothing of the wood, but it is beautiful to look at. Wikipedia says it is also called Spannish Elm, Ecuador Laurel, or Salmwood, and as they say: it looks very much like teak. I'm looking forward to working this wood.
In about a week, I'm off to western Massachusetts to retreive some rough sawn oak and planksawn pine. I'm told there is about 150 or 200 board feet, and I'll need a place to put it. I should build a lumber rack soon. Fortunately, my brother-in-law was throwing out some perfectly good 2x6 lumber that he didn't mind me bringing home; so I have the supplies. I just need to build the rack.
In about a week, I'm off to western Massachusetts to retreive some rough sawn oak and planksawn pine. I'm told there is about 150 or 200 board feet, and I'll need a place to put it. I should build a lumber rack soon. Fortunately, my brother-in-law was throwing out some perfectly good 2x6 lumber that he didn't mind me bringing home; so I have the supplies. I just need to build the rack.
Celtic Cross Update
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Village Carpenter
The practice knot I carved when I started this project has a rounded look, like rope, but I tried something different with the final cross. Instead of creating rounded edges, they're chamfered, and I think it looks a lot nicer. (It's also a faster and easier technique.)
I used a gouge to chamfer the inside curves and cleaned
them up with a small round file. All straight edges and outside curves were chamfered with a straight chisel.Just another option if you plan to try this type of carving.
Update on the Craftsman 8" Drill Press
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Wood Destruction by a Woodscrub
In this entry I talked about the Craftsman 8" Drill Press model 315.11970 that I had purchased off eBay.
Since I've been doing some turnings, I've needed to use a drill press to make
accurate holes in the workpieces.Too bad I don't have a press capable of drilling accurate holes!
I mentioned that it was "unstable as hell". I recently took it apart to determine why it was so unstable. After all, who would sell a drill press that's unstable when new?
Craftsman would. That's who.
I found that the red plastic housing is the entire framework. There is no metal to metal connection between the drill motor and the post.
Note to engineers: Cheap plastic does NOT provide rigid connectivity in a power tool!
I made a slight improvement by wedging a piece of wood scrap into the tool between the post bearings and the plastic housing. It helped, but not much.
As far as I'm concerned, this thing is completely useless. I get more accurate holes using a hand drill.
If anybody wants to donate something that ISN'T a complete piece of crap, I'd be more than happy to accept!
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Wood Rings by Simply Wood Rings
You can order your custom wooden wedding ring set at simplywoodrings.com. If you have a special wood that you have a deep connection with or just the love of nature and a desire to live in harmony with the earth, in an eco-frendly way. I will be glad to put something to gather for you. Visitme at http://www.simplywoodrings.com
Episode 147 - Bedroom Set: Drawer Facings
10/23/2008, 09:00 | T Chisel - The Rough Cut Show!Tommy reviews the work so far on the dresser, including the dividers and the drawers. He then shows how he worked the drawer facing.
Web 2.0 and Woodworking
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Traditional Tools & NewsI'll try not to get into techno-garble but obviously we are all internet users here. I've started using an online app called Google Notebooks and it is a great tool for researching and sharing ideas and discoveries. I've been using it to organize notes and online info about tools and woodworking. You can publish your notebooks as webpages for others to use and also set it up to have multiple users add to the notebooks. The best thing is that it is easy to use and edit.
Here are some notebooks I've made public
Layout tools
Workbenches
Saws
If anyone would like to join me in building these notebooks, just email me and I will add you to the list of editors.
As these are filled in, it will create a great resource that is fully searchable.
Showing Off Your SketchUp Models
00/00/0000, 00:00 | WoodworkingONLINE.com 
You’ve probably heard of Google’s SketchUp. It’s a 3-D design and drawing program that’s easy to learn but very powerful. (I wrote about SketchUp in Woodsmith 167.) And there’s a free version you can download here (the Pro version costs $495 — still a bargain compared to other design software). I use it to draw up rough sketches of projects I’m designing or to work out some tricky dimensions.
I grew up in the AutoCAD world (since version 2.52 for those of you keeping notes). So I’m familiar with high-priced CAD packages. And I’ve gotta’ say that SketchUp can’t be beat for the price. AutoCAD started back in the 1980’s as a two-dimensional drawing program and as such, has never quite been able to shake off that legacy. It’s become a powerful drawing program, but it doesn’t hold a candle to some of the newer 3-D packages. While SketchUp isn’t meant for creating detailed CAD drawings, it’s ideal for conceptual 3-D design.
A lot of woodworkers have discovered the ease of use in designing projects using SketchUp. And the challenge has been made over on WoodNet to show off your SketchUp models. Some folks have even placed their models up on Google’s 3D Warehouse so you can download them into SketchUp and modify them.
SketchUp’s online help and resources are second to none and worth checking out if you want to get the most out of SketchUp. And there’s an independent online community you can join at www.Sketchucation.com.
So don’t be shy! Head on over to WoodNet and post your best SketchUp models.
Brown Tool Auction Bonanza
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Village Carpenter
If you've never been to a Brown Tool Auction and Dealer Show, you are missing out on a chance to be in the presence of a boat load of handtools—rare, 
beautiful, user-friendly, collectible, utilitarian—and scads of other handtool lovers chatting about their favorite subject.Today, I found what I've been scouting for a few years: user moulding planes with delicate profiles at decent prices. I bought three and they are in near perfect condition.
As I was paying for one, a 70-something year old man walked over and joked that he'd never seen a lady buy a plane before. I told him it was a Christmas present. To which he replied, "Oh, you're buying it for someone else. Well, you had me there for a second."
"It's a Christmas present for me", I grinned.
Later, I saw him again when he was standing with his wife and he pulled me over. "This lady bought a handplane!" To which his wife replied crossly, with hands on hips, "I bought a handplane before! And that's a sexist comment. You could get in trouble for that!"
I thought my day was complete.
Then I ran into Jim Leamy and his lovely wife, Becky, who are always so gracious to talk with me at these shows. Jim told me I could stop by his shop for an interview sometime, so be prepared for some amazing eye candy in a future post.
As I was saying goodbye, Jim reached beneath his display table and removed something that he placed in my hand. It was two of his miniature beech rabbet (rebate) planes. One is 3/8" and the other is 3/16". Both are
exquisitely crafted and stamped with Jim's maker's mark and he wanted me to have them.And that's what made my day complete. I never thought I'd be able to say that I'm a proud owner of a Jim Leamy plane, let alone two. Thanks, Jim!
Charles and Ray Eames US Postal Stamps
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Furnitology Productions
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.
Podcast #37: Turning Tools — Sharpen Your Skills with Sharp Tools
00/00/0000, 00:00 | WoodworkingONLINE.comKeeping 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.
Long's Park Art & Craft Festival
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Village Carpenter
The Long's Park Art & Craft Festival is a juried exhibition of the products made by talented craftspeople who work in a variety of media. I sought out the woodworkers, of course, and asked them about their pieces.
First I encountered Joe Graham (Photos 1, 2, & 3. Photo #2 is from Joe's website), Windsor chairmaker and instructor/owner of Lenox
Workshops in Ohio. Joe works with handtools and at the show used a workbench made from 3 slabs of thick, single-dovetailed wood, a stretcher, and tusk tenons. The bench didn't rack at all while he used a drawknife to shape spindles, so it was an effective, knock-down workbench—perfect for travel.Joe, who studied with Mike Dunbar and Ernie Conover, offers week-long classes, including private room, all meals and materials. By the end of the week, you will turn a log into a Windsor chair, using only
handtools. The classes focus on several styles of traditional Windsors, but Joe also offers his own adaptations in his product line.Next, I met Sam Martin (photos 4, 5, & 6), who makes intricately-detailed scale
reproductions of a multitude of vehicles and who co-wrote Making Toys: Heirloom Toys to Make in Wood. As if the amount of work required to construct his pieces wasn't impressive enough, he pointed out that all his vehicles have moving parts. Doors & tool boxes open, gates fold down, fire truck ladders extend, and spreaders on road graders move sideways and foreward and backward, just like on a real one.
The logging truck was my favorite and he explained that the miniature logs were cut from saplings on his property. I asked how he made the tire treads (shown on the road grader and on the vehicle above the cattle truck). He cuts the circle first
and then uses a table saw jig which is equipped with a protractor that indicates where to cut the treads. His products make great gifts for collectors as well as grandkids. But if they were my grandkids, I doubt I'd let them play with these beauties unsupervised!Brad Smit
h (photos 7, 8, & 9), owner of Bradford Woodworking, studied at R.I.T. and belongs to the Pennsylvania Guild of Craftsmen. Brad builds unique and custom pieces, some of which incorporate h
is signature design element—ax handle legs—which are turned on an antique ax handle lathe. The lathe leaves a ridged pattern on the wood which ax makers would sand smooth. Brad instead allows the ridges to remain, which gives his pieces a handcarved, organic look.His tractor seat stools, which include ax handle legs, also feature a reproduction tractor seat, produced by an Amish foundry in Lancaster County, P
A, that comes complete with the Bradford Woodworking logo.Be sure to check out Brad's website and also his blog.
The last woodworker I met was Todd Gill of TMG Designs (Photo #10). Todd is a recent graduate of East Carolina University and worked collaboratively with Brian Bortz to design the sofa tables in his booth. Brian designed the shape of the tables and Todd constructed them and designed the decorative inlay, made from metal and colored resin, for the table tops. All other pieces in Todd's collection are designed and built solely by him. He mainly works with veneer over mdf, which enables him to control wood movement and allows him to use highly figured species.
The designs have a contemporary feel, and Todd told me his products sell better in certain larger cities t
hat appreciate modern furniture. The market, he said, changes with each year and it's difficult to predict when pieces will sell or not. Todd works part time in his business, participates in 10 shows a year across the country, and works as a sub contractor for other furniture makers.He was also the youngest participant at the show, in his early twenties, and it was refreshing to see this kind of talent in a young woodworker.
Be sure to visit the woodworkers' websites for more information about them and their works of art.
Going Nationwide: The Woodsmith Shop TV Show
00/00/0000, 00:00 | WoodworkingONLINE.com 
If you’re a subscriber to Woodsmith or ShopNotes magazine, or live in the state of Iowa, you probably already know that we’ve been busy around here. We’ve been working hard on a new TV show that has been airing on public television (PBS) stations in Iowa and will soon be available nationally in December.
The Woodsmith Shop is unlike any other woodworking show you’ve seen. It’s the first one to be filmed and produced (by Iowa Public Television) in High Definition. That means the picture quality is unsurpassed. You’ll see all the details of the tips and techniques we talk about on the show.
Second, The Woodsmith Shop isn’t a project-based show. What I mean is we’ll spend an entire episode talking about a particular woodworking joint, tool, or technique instead of building a project. That means you’ll get more detail about woodworking than you’ll find on any other show. And you’ll have the opportunity to download project plans and articles from our web site that are related to the show’s content.
We’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback so far from those that have seen the show. And a lot of folks nationwide are anxious to take a look. Now is the time to take a minute to email or call your local public television station and tell them you heard about The Woodsmith Shop and want to see it in your area. This link will take you to the show’s web site where you can find out if the show is airing in your area. You’ll also get a list of PBS stations in your area and a contact link for each station.
Let us know what you think of the show.
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Wood Rings by Simply Wood Rings
Ancient Kauri wood and pure fine silver ring
This ring is made from Ancient Kauri wood and 99.9% pure fine silver.
The Kauri wood is the world's oldest wood at 50,000 years old. When I work with a wood that is this old it puts things into perspective in a very real way. I think of life without our minds trappings. Not empty but more full of what life really is. Imagine for a moment what nature has done for us to have this natural miracle of our life from so long ago. This ring gives you a connection to an extraordinary time of pre-historic sunlight, rains and life from so long ago.
Do You Flatten the Backs of Your Chisels?
00/00/0000, 00:00 | WoodworkingONLINE.com 
One of the fundamental definitions of a sharp edge is the intersection of two flat surfaces that meet at some angle. Whether it’s a chisel or plane iron, if one of the surfaces isn’t flat, you can’t expect to get a sharp edge.
There’s a running discussion over on WoodNet about if, when, and how you flatten the backs of your chisels. Then there’s the question of what “flat” really means.
Personally, when I buy a new chisel, I’ll use wet/dry sandpaper on a granite tile and work through the grits until the back is polished. Then I’ll work on the bevel to get a sharp edge. After that, the only time I work on the back is to remove any burr after I’ve honed the edge. I’ve had good success with that method and my chisels seem to be plenty sharp. The same holds true with my plane irons.
With western chisels, I only worry about polishing the last ½” or so of the back. Japanese chisels are hollowed out on the back side, making them easier to flatten.
Head over to WoodNet and leave your 2¢ worth.
Wesonbirt 2008 - still the perfect woodworking show.
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Sauer & Steiner
I had the good fortune to attend the Festival of the Tree again this August, and like last year - was not disappointed. The format was the same - camping on the grounds of the Westonbirt Arbouretum, large scale sculptures in a picturesque setting and very fine food prepared by “cheffie” (pictured below drying some tea-towels).
One of the most enjoyable things about traveling is the incredible people - and this year's adventure was no exception. There were many familiar faces to catch up with and just as many new ones. We were set up in the Classic Hand Tools marquee again - situated off to the side of the display area. But judging from the well worn pathways inside - we were certainly not out of sight.
There was a new demonstrator at the show this year - and for all intents and purposes - he stole the show. Steve Woodley specializes in supplying hand hewn timbers for restoration work and provided four days of inspirational demonstration.
He was supplied with 3 oak logs and over the course of the 4 days, managed to square up two of them. I found myself stopping to watch every time I walked by - with several additional deliberate trips to watch his progress. I was struck with the simplicity of the process - and the incredible skill and precision required to execute it properly. Steve taught me two very important lessons about axes. First - he taught me how to sharpen them - and yes - they should look like the backs of your plane irons. Secondly - a mediocre axe is not worth the struggle. He had at least 8 axes with him - all made by Gransfors. These are available in the UK from Classic Handtools or in North America through Lee Valley. Not only is he highly skilled - he is a fantastic guy. His brother lives less than an hour from my house and I am hoping to figure out a way to get him over to this side of the pond. I am working on it Steve.
It was great to see Jolyon Reynolds again this year - he was set up around the corner from Steve. Between the two of them - they had an amazing demonstration.
Mark Hancock and his charming wife Karen were at the show again and were a crucial part of the good natured fun and frolic in the classic handtools compound. There were only a few “safe” seconds for me to capture the above photo before Mark shifted his gouge and showered me with shavings. Typical : )
I was thrilled to see my good friend Michel Auriou again - it had been far too long since our last visit. I always enjoy Michel's insight into toolmaking, steel and business. The best piece of news was that Auriou is back in business. Hopefully some more left handed rasps will be in my future...
David Charlesworth and Pat stopped in on Saturday - it was great to see them again. They were set up beside me which gave us a chance to catch up a bit and talk shop. Here we are discussing one of Bill Carters planes (nice segue, eh?)
That same day - Bill and Sarah Carter arrived. It is always a thrill to see them. Bill had over a dozen planes with him - from wee little 1/2" boxwood smoothers, to an incredible 28-1/2" jointer. Bill was kept very busy with a steady stream of admirers and Sarah kept the three of us content with coffee and homemade cake.
If I had the money - this pair of mitre planes would have come home with me.
Another fine planemaker stopped in for a visit - Christopher Martyn. I met Christopher at last years show and was very impressed with his instrument planes. Some of his planes were featured in Fine Woodworkings 2007/2008 Tools & Shops issue.
My friend Tony stopped in to try a few planes - here he is testing out a No.4 smoother.
I also met Mike Riley and had a great visit with Phil Edwards. The Romanesque fellow is Alex Primmer - he works for Classic Handtools.
It is amazing how much changes in a year. Last year, Phil was contemplating making a few planes - and this year he had his own line of tools and was conducting a brisk business. A few days before I left for England, Phil sent me an email asking if there was anything he could bring along to help reduce my luggage. It was an extremely thoughtful offer and as it turned out - I did use many of his things over the course of the event. My deepest thanks Phil for taking good care of me during the show. I hope I can return the favour in Berea.
Mark Bennett was a new demonstrator at the show and I have to say I was quite impressed. He is a very kind, soft spoken fellow and we found ourselves discussing the finer points of plane design, our respective wood stashes (I suspect his will knock my socks off when I see it) and design in general. I thoroughly enjoyed his company. He was also a wealth of knowledge and passed on several great insights. One of the more interesting one was tree warts. I have to admit I was a little skeptical until he showed me one. He handed me a holly wart. He said they are very tight burls and cuts them into disks and uses them for inlay work. So I now have a Holly wart to add to my growing pile of timber.
Fun & games
The show was not just work - there was tremendous play as well. I sometimes feel guilty about it - and there were two instances where I found myself beautifully derailed.
The other derailment was Mark and I cleaning up a large piece of boxwood (with an Auriou rasp of course).
Philly and Mike Riley planting some vile shavings.
Chris Pye being majestic even when he is trying not to be. Chris was set up about 30 feet away but I was able to watch him transform a rather non-descript bit of wood into a very fanciful beast. I only wish I was able to pay closer attention - I know he has a lot to teach and I have a lot to learn.
I also had great visits with John Lloyd and Rob Cosman but did not manage to find them when I was collecting photos.
And last but certainly not least... a rather tuckered member of the International football team who was sadly defeated at the third annual “Billy Hancock Birthday showdown”. The Brits won 3/0. Mark shared a very funny comment on the last day. He was telling a few of us how surreal it was to be the keeper for the British team and seeing all these faces he recognizes from magazine head shots rushing at him. The quote went something like this... “and there was Rob Cosman - with the ball... rushing towards me. Bloody hell!”
I would also like to express my thanks to Mike Hancock, his lovely wife Mary, and their kids Alex and Billy. The Classic Handtool marquee is not the focus of Westonbirt - but it has become a very important part of it - and clearly inspires people to work with wood. Mike has done an outstanding job, and has proven that a vision of something different and a little creativity can make something very special happen. Congratulations Mike.
Off on a tangent...
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Refined Edge
I had some spare time recently while waiting for finish to dry and thought I would experiment with some inlay techniques. I have always found a piece of inlay with a surrounding border to be fascinating to be able to make. I need to confess, I've done this before although quite a while ago and need the practice. What I had in mind is a fair sized yellowheart diamond with a black border, I used blackwood. I have the inlay set in a lighter wood, nothing special, just a small offcut. The process of creating and inserting the inlay is a very good test of patience and fine hand tool skills , for almost everything here is accomplished with hand tools. The border itself is bandsawn from a larger piece of blackwood and the yellowheart also bandsawn from a solid block. The yellowheart inlay is first drawn out and cut with careful attention to the shape of the diamond, each of the sides and facets needs to be a mirror image of the other side. I then mark the inlay onto the lighter background wood with an allowance or margin for the surrounding border. Once marked with a fine knife, I then remove or carve out the recess for both the diamond and border. Next step is to fit both the yellowheart inlay and blackwood border into the recess with glue , make sure it is well seated and wait for everything to set. Afterwards, I judiciously handplane the inlay and the result is in the photo at top. I find it great therapy to go off and do some other type of woodworking during or after some intensive furniture making, it clears the mind and the instant results can be very gratifying, the practice also keeps the skill retention up...
足踏みろくろでお椀づくり/ bowl turning on pole lathe
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Masashi's woodworking diaryテレビ番組の「鉄腕!DASH!!」でも紹介されるなど、生木の器づくりがにわかに注目を集めています。グリーンウッドワーク協会では、足踏み式のろくろを使いやすく改良して、お椀づくりに使っています。
ここでは動画でお椀づくりのようすをご紹介しましょう。さらに詳しい作り方は、「グリーンウッドワーク協会活動ブログ」で紹介しています。
どうでしたか？おもしろそうでしょう？
自分もやってみたい！と思う方は、グリーンウッドワーク協会が主催するイベントや勉強会にご参加ください。また２年制の専修学校、岐阜県立森林文化アカデミーでも、授業に生木を使った器づくりを取り入れています。
ここでは動画でお椀づくりのようすをご紹介しましょう。さらに詳しい作り方は、「グリーンウッドワーク協会活動ブログ」で紹介しています。
どうでしたか？おもしろそうでしょう？
自分もやってみたい！と思う方は、グリーンウッドワーク協会が主催するイベントや勉強会にご参加ください。また２年制の専修学校、岐阜県立森林文化アカデミーでも、授業に生木を使った器づくりを取り入れています。
Drastic Measures
00/00/0000, 00:00 | David's blog
Here is the same 1 1/4" chisel back after about two hours of flattening work.
I tried several ...
Drawers installed...
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Refined Edge
I now have the three drawers fitted and installed into their respective compartments, masking tape serving as temporary pulls :) The partial vertical divider I referred to earlier is also installed with the correct grain orientation which follows every other part of the drawer compartments. I like the idea of the divider as it separates the two halves of the interior. I have designed the drawer compartments to be accessible with one door open, so this makes more sense now. The transfer of light between the left and right areas is also a consideration, at least to me. I don't want to compartmentalize the individual areas above the drawers. Next, I need to decide on drawer pulls, I'll probably go with dual pulls per drawer to avoid any racking issues since the drawers are fairly wide.And of course, what to do with the opening below the left hand drawer. I have a few options, okay maybe three options. Either it will be a hidden compartment, or a larger, deeper drawer for larger objects. The third option would be to simply leave it open and accessible. In any case, I'm excited about this since it opens up design possibilities to me. I might even apply some inlay to the facade if it is a hidden compartment. I will mull over this for a while while I move to another project I need to work on. and come back to this in a few days. My wife and I are also on a great three day hiking and outdoor vacation as we speak, up in the mountains. Time to clear the mind and get the thought processes recharged, something I like to do periodically.
Two peas in a pod (Wooden Wedding Ring Set)
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Wood Rings by Simply Wood Rings
"Two peas in a pod"
For that couple that have that unique bond of having so much in common. I have made this set "Two peas in a pod".
The Box is made of White Oak wood and Red Oak wood.
The rings shown are single wood Walnut (men's) and Mahogany (women's)
Click Here To See The Listing.
Rankine 911
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Skiving OffArt is Individualism, and Individualism is a disturbing and disintegrating force. Therein lies its immense value. For what it seeks to disturb is monotony of type, slavery of custom, tyranny of habit, and the reduction of man to the level of a machine.
Oscar Wilde
The Soul of Man Under Socialism
There’s no better snack than nibbling on the hand of one’s feeder.
Jeff Skiver
Last week I emailed Popular Woodworking’s Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick a couple more Out of the Woodwork Features for calendar year 2009. She responded by saying she would pull one of them ahead to December 2008.
That confused me because just over a year ago I wrote a very special Christmas story specifically for Popular Woodworking, and it has been my assumption that they were saving it for the December 2008 issue.
So I asked Megan why she needed to run one of the new ones in December when we had the special Christmas story. Hesitantly, Megan confessed that the magazine's editing staff had decided to not publish my Christmas story in Popular Woodworking.
Therefore, I want all of my faithful blog readers to realize that the legacy of Jeff Skiver has now grown to include a Christmas story that is apparently too controversial for Popular Woodworking. In reality, as a professional (and a Capitalist) I am not too concerned because they paid me for it a long time ago. (Actually they purchased the First Rights to Publish, but I was paid whether they ever run it or not.) However, the strange thing is that I didn’t even think of this story as edgy when I wrote it.
This one page feature is just the normal Skiver attitude applied to a Woodworking Christmas theme.
So even though it doesn’t bother me that they are running a different Skiver piece in the December issue, I am still going to try to milk this out for all it’s worth and try to make the “Missing” Back Page Feature the stuff of legend.
If I have my way, the Canceled Skiver Christmas Feature will someday be as highly regarded by collectors of literary antiquities as the Dead Sea Scrolls. (I have a pretty high opinion of my work, don’t I?)
Despite my chosen title for this blog post, I am not going to do a Censorship Soap Box Rant. Popular Woodworking choosing to not run that feature isn't nearly as bad as when I was still writing for Highlights and suffered the ongoing torment of having Management cancel my best ideas for the monthly Goofus and Gallant cartoons.
In fact, as a way of finally achieving some healing for the Censorship I faced from Highlights, I now provide you (my faithful blog readers) with my top 5 Rejected Goofus and Gallant ideas:
1) Gallant always treats his dates with respect.
Goofus understands that “NO!!!!” means she is just being playful.
2) Goofus shoots up with anything he can find.
Gallant would rather forego a hit than use a dirty spike.
3) Gallant maintains a career so he can finance his own addition.
Goofus knows that his mom wouldn’t leave her purse out if she didn’t want him to borrow from her.
4) Gallant adorns his car with a bumper sticker that says, “COEXIST.”
Goofus’ car sports the old classic, “Ass, Gas, or Grass…nobody rides for free.”
5) Gallant includes Broadband Internet access in his monthly budget.
Goofus just downloads tons of illegal porn and copyrighted material over his neighbor’s unsecured WiFi. (As Goofus always says, “Do the models have to be 18 if you are downloading through someone else’s IP Address?”)
Oscar Wilde
The Soul of Man Under Socialism
There’s no better snack than nibbling on the hand of one’s feeder.
Jeff Skiver
Last week I emailed Popular Woodworking’s Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick a couple more Out of the Woodwork Features for calendar year 2009. She responded by saying she would pull one of them ahead to December 2008.
That confused me because just over a year ago I wrote a very special Christmas story specifically for Popular Woodworking, and it has been my assumption that they were saving it for the December 2008 issue.
So I asked Megan why she needed to run one of the new ones in December when we had the special Christmas story. Hesitantly, Megan confessed that the magazine's editing staff had decided to not publish my Christmas story in Popular Woodworking.
Therefore, I want all of my faithful blog readers to realize that the legacy of Jeff Skiver has now grown to include a Christmas story that is apparently too controversial for Popular Woodworking. In reality, as a professional (and a Capitalist) I am not too concerned because they paid me for it a long time ago. (Actually they purchased the First Rights to Publish, but I was paid whether they ever run it or not.) However, the strange thing is that I didn’t even think of this story as edgy when I wrote it.
This one page feature is just the normal Skiver attitude applied to a Woodworking Christmas theme.
So even though it doesn’t bother me that they are running a different Skiver piece in the December issue, I am still going to try to milk this out for all it’s worth and try to make the “Missing” Back Page Feature the stuff of legend.
If I have my way, the Canceled Skiver Christmas Feature will someday be as highly regarded by collectors of literary antiquities as the Dead Sea Scrolls. (I have a pretty high opinion of my work, don’t I?)
Despite my chosen title for this blog post, I am not going to do a Censorship Soap Box Rant. Popular Woodworking choosing to not run that feature isn't nearly as bad as when I was still writing for Highlights and suffered the ongoing torment of having Management cancel my best ideas for the monthly Goofus and Gallant cartoons.
In fact, as a way of finally achieving some healing for the Censorship I faced from Highlights, I now provide you (my faithful blog readers) with my top 5 Rejected Goofus and Gallant ideas:
1) Gallant always treats his dates with respect.
Goofus understands that “NO!!!!” means she is just being playful.
2) Goofus shoots up with anything he can find.
Gallant would rather forego a hit than use a dirty spike.
3) Gallant maintains a career so he can finance his own addition.
Goofus knows that his mom wouldn’t leave her purse out if she didn’t want him to borrow from her.
4) Gallant adorns his car with a bumper sticker that says, “COEXIST.”
Goofus’ car sports the old classic, “Ass, Gas, or Grass…nobody rides for free.”
5) Gallant includes Broadband Internet access in his monthly budget.
Goofus just downloads tons of illegal porn and copyrighted material over his neighbor’s unsecured WiFi. (As Goofus always says, “Do the models have to be 18 if you are downloading through someone else’s IP Address?”)
Flattening Traditional Oilstones
00/00/0000, 00:00 | David's blogI have been watching Larry Williams excellent new dvd on the making of traditional side escapement wooden planes, which has just been published by ...
Electronic Smart Glass for Conservatories
10/31/2008, 09:05 | Wood Shutters
It's often be written that "people who live in glass houses shouldn't...!" and the traditional solution has been to go indoors to do whatever you want to do, or invest in some window blinds.
But if you really want to impress the neighbors with your technique, perhaps you should invest in smart glass.
Smart glass allows you to control the amount of light and heat, passing through it. At the flick of a switch the glass can change from being transparent to opaque, giving you privacy when you want it, but without the necessity of installing blinds, shutters or curtains.
There are seve