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Shop Vignettes
11/15/2008, 04:13 | A Woodworking Odyssey************************************
The back side of my old Delta drill press has become an impromptu shrine to the kids: An origami whatsit from my eldest, and a note from the youngest. If you can't quite read the note, it says:
"Dear Daddy, I really love you and I really want to say I love you as much as Echo, because I love Echo a lot. To Daddy, from Marian"Echo is the cat.
************************************
Above is a planing stop I built with nothing but saw dust. Oh, and glue and wire brads. Yes, the scrap MDF from the radial saw top and testing boards (I must post about this sometime soon?I have the pictures) has come in useful. This stop allows me to set the board unclamped on the bench and quickly plane both sides. It lets me plane down to 1/4" in width.************************************
SWMBO recently started upgrading the kitchen. This involved some screw-together furniture, and a wish for one more shelf. The clear pine was almost too good for the project, but it was the perfect width with only one glue joint.
I don't know why the notches on the underside were so satisfying to make, but they were. These notches seat themselves on pegs, two of which I manufactured from the shanks of two wood screws (there were only two extra with the kit, and I just could not see paying Lee Valley $11 to ship me 50 more).
While making the shelf pegs I discovered that I no longer had a hacksaw (though I did have a hacksaw blade). Have you ever tried hacksawing by holding a loose blade in your hand? It makes the hand cramp up, so after a while I got smart and clamped it in a machinist's clamp. That was slightly better, but you can bet I bought a hacksaw frame when I went to the hardware store earlier this week.
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This 12" wide, 10' long cherry board cries out to be used for something good, preferably before Christmas. Wish me luck with fitting this project in with everything else.************************************
Two new additions to the shop, courtesy of Patrick Leach. I've wished for a grooving plane on many occasions, and now I have one. Will I ever do more axe hewing? I hope so. I just have to tighten the handle up in its socket and I'm all set.
************************************
I started the storm window stock preparation. Above was a rough rip and chop.
Then the pieces were jointed and planed to width at a friend's shop. I'm letting it aclimatize to the shop while I figure out when I'll have time to work further on it (maybe tomorrow after helping my brother-in-law lay subflooring in his new "man cave".************************************
The pictures above almost speak for themselves. I cut a hole in the wall of the basement stairwell. Someday soon the plumbers will come and fix our plumbing, and I'm ready for them. For this project I pulled out the keyhole saw that had languished since I impulse purchased it from my friend Trevor.Nothing beats the satisfaction of having the tool you need on hand, especially when you've never needed it for all the years you've had it.
Woodworking Tips for Sharpening Hand Tools
11/05/2008, 21:02 | Highland Woodworking Blog
A Guide to Sharpening Chisels and Plane Irons
User Review: Work Sharp 3000 Sharpening Machine
Hollow Grinding: Necessity or Relic?
Q & A: Not Ready for Prime Time?
Waterstone Sharpening: Care & Use of Japanese Waterstones
Guide to Sharpening and Using a Woodworker's Best Friend - The Scraper
Sharpening #80 Cabinet Scrapers
User's Guide for the Makita 9820-2 Sharpener
Tormek vs. Jet and Standard Bench Grinders
GATEWAY TO OUR ONLINE CATALOG OF SHARPENING TOOLS
Visit our huge archive of woodworking tips, articles, and Q&As
Visit the latest issue of Wood News, our monthly online magazine
Featherboards for Ripping Window Stock
10/23/2008, 00:11 | A Woodworking OdysseyResearch revealed that my prior belief that poplar would be better than pine for outdoor applications was wrong. In fact, consensus amongst online woodworkers and the Wood Handbook from the U.S. Forest Service agreed that pine was usually better, but not by much. So ignore my earlier intimation in the Replacing a Rotting Stair Riser post that poplar is any good for rot resistance: it isn't.
Among the contenders for stable outdoor woods: cherry, walnut, cedar, white oak, and mahogany. What a bummer: the beautiful woods are apparently also the ones to use in painted applications outdoors. There is a small silver lining in this: about two years ago I said "yes" when a friend offered me part of a bargain pile of mahogany offcuts, all 4/4 in random widths and 5 foot lengths. This stock is perfect for building the storm, and I selected window stock from this pile:
The thinnest piece will become a simple triangular molding designed to stop water from flowing easily into the window joints. I plan to post the storm window plans in a future entry. Especially because the molding stock was so thin, I wanted to have it seated firmly against the fence of the RAS (yes, I am going to rip stock on a Radial Arm Saw; and no, I am not any more afraid of this than I would be with a table saw). I wanted feather boards.To start, I ripped a scrap of pine into thinner sections to make two feather boards:
Then I turned the arm to 45 degrees and cut a fresh kerf in the fence:
Using the newly cut kerf, I could line up precisely with the marked 45 degree cut and know that the cut would be exactly on the line. This kind of precision isn't necessary for the feather boards, but it was good practice for when it would be:
With the angles cut onto the board, I turned the saw back to the rip position and started cutting fingers on the board. I ripped to the marked line, turned off the saw between cuts, and repositioned the rip. Unlike a table saw, where the blade is stationary and the fence moves, on the radial arm saw the fence is stationary and the blade and motor are repositioned:
Many people have cautioned me about the dangers of ripping on a Radial Arm Saw (including my father and a friend who attended the North Bennet Street school), and while I agree that any exposed blade rotating at high speed can be a danger, in practice I believe a well adjusted Radial is as safe or safer for ripping than most table saw settups. Take a look at this:
Notice that the body of the motor blocks access to the side of the blade, and the blade guard, once properly positioned, sits directly between the feeding hand and the blade. Through all of this ripping, I felt perfectly comfortable with the safety precautions on the saw. And because I had adjusted the heal/toe position properly, there was no tendancy to kick. The process went quickly and when I tested the newly cut feather board it worked perfectly:
The only thing I didn't like about the feather board was the long point just waiting to catch me in the hip. So I cut the other side to a 45 degree and rounded the tip before starting in on another. At the end of the night I had two feather boards completed:
With that done, I'll soon be ripping window stock.Roman Tools for Building Catapults
10/20/2008, 03:40 | A Woodworking OdysseyAccording to Roman Woodworking
, the book I mentioned in a prior post, a woodworker in those times would have had a full compliment of tools for building in wood. I was surprised to see how many of these tools looked essentially identical to those we use today. Here's a quick list I compiled from the book:- Workbench
- Adze
- Auger
- Chisel (both paring and mortising)
- Gouge
- Drill
- Knife
- Draw knife
- Spokeshave
- Lathe
- Plane
- Saw
- Wedge
- Hammer
- Mallet
- Calipers
- Dividers
- Compass
- Plumb Line
- Level
- Ruler
- Square
- Bench dog
- Clamp
More Radial Arm Saw Adjustments
10/11/2008, 04:41 | A Woodworking Odyssey
It has been years since the radial arm saw came into my shop, and I have not used it at all because it was not set up accurately. I've been working on fixing this over the last two weeks, and I'm getting quite familiar with the settings.
The thing that took me longest, was getting the table to be nearly perfect in its alignment with the saw arm. I had spend hours trying to get this right, and I was getting nowhere until I learned the trick from a book called Fine Tuning Your Radial Arm Saw, by Jon Eakes. The secret was to adjust four reference points on the table and use a crescent wrench as a lever for fine positioning. This simple trick was a huge revelation, and once I learned it, adjusting the table was done in under an hour. I'm sure I could do it in under 30 minutes now if I needed to do it again.
I'm now most of the way through testing and adjusting the saw. I hope to finish tomorrow and start ripping stock for the storm windows I need to build. I guess I just needed a big project (ripping and chopping the stock for 5 storms) with a deadline (winter) to motivate me to get this machine working. There was no way I was going to rip all that stock by hand.
Washing Machine
08/22/2008, 13:50 | Antique Knockdown Carved Wood House"Wize? will give you some reviews for a different washing machines and give you details according to released date, washer type, load type, control features, and pros. There are also will give a distinct image of the washing machine and its price ranges. It shows a survey result which will give you an idea if that washing machine is the best for your own personal usage.
Visit ?Wize? now for detail info!
Safety Week
05/08/2008, 20:03 | Musings From My Shop
It?s safety week at Popular Woodworking. Reading their blog this week took me back to my start in woodworking.
When my wife and I bought our house, we decided that we wanted a tile-top kitchen table. I opted to try making the table after we failed to find what we had in mind. I enjoyed that experience so much that I thought I?d get more involved in woodworking.
I started slowly. No multi-thousand-dollar trips to the woodworking stores, I got some handheld tools and went about reading everything I could find. Before long it became clear that a table saw would be a useful tool. I shopped around for a used contractor?s saw and found a Delta at a reasonable price (though I had to drive to Pittsburgh to get it). ?Now,? I thought, ?I?m a real woodworker.?
I got the saw setup in short order. While I had read about table saw use, I don?t believe that I had ever before used one. I set the rip fence, fired it up and began pushing a piece of oak through. After a couple of seconds the oak was on the other side of the room, striking the water heater with a very loud noise. Unhurt but a little shaken, I shut off the saw and went upstairs. My first (and only experience with kickback).
I don?t remember what I thought about -- if I considered selling the saw and taking up golf -- but after a while I ventured back down to the shop. The water heater sported a nice new dent, a convenient reminder that I could have been sporting a nice new dent. Luckily something made me decide to give it another try, to climb back on the horse.
Woodworking has been an important part of my life since. An inauspicious start notwithstanding. It?s good to think about such things once in a while, to remind ourselves that our hobby (or profession) involves inherent risks. Fortunately, the risks are balanced by great rewards.
At the Newsstand
04/15/2008, 05:01 | Musings From My Shop
I?m still in a mode with very little time for woodworking. That?s not a complaint since the project keeping me out of the shop is a great opportunity and incredible fun. But there is some news from the shop.
About a year ago I made a new arts & crafts kitchen table with a tile inlay top. I wrote about the process for Woodwork magazine. The article is in the June issue, available now.
Soon I?ll be able to post about the current project. I hope you?ll agree that it?s worth the wait.
A Good Cause
03/24/2008, 02:29 | Musings From My Shop
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
Petit Bags
03/08/2008, 17:10 | Arts and Crafts BlogI have two pretty and small bags I made last week to show you. I used “unuseful” pieces of felt (that were useful in this case). Using my sewing machine I made, in no more than ten minutes, two little bags.
The handles are made, as you can see, of crochet (just a simple chain with a combining color).
The eyelets are made of crochet too… I made both of them and sewed them with my needles and thread, that´s all!
When life gets in the way
03/02/2008, 22:42 | Musings From My Shop
The thing about being a hobbyist woodworker is that shop time is not automatic. Sometimes kids, work, kids, other projects, etc demand attention. Did I mention kids? (The empty-nesters among you can stop snickering now.) That?s just the way it goes.
Progress on the Shaker desk for my mother-in-law is slow. My wife is on a business trip to Japan so I?m looking after the kids. I have another project going on that is consuming most of my free time (watch this space for updates on this -- it?s exciting). And at work, it?s just about time for final exams.
However, there is an upside to being a hobbyist woodworker. No client has ever called demanding to know why I?m behind schedule. If I don?t feel inspired I don?t have to go into the shop. And I?ve never had to wonder where the next job is going to come from. I sometimes comfort myself with those thoughts when I wish I could just chuck it all and hang out a sign. And soon life will calm down and I?ll be back in the shop working on that desk.
A New Project
02/24/2008, 08:02 | Musings From My Shop
It?s been a few months since I completed the Greene & Greene chest project and two since I finished the bench for my wife for Christmas. Since I?ve been busy with other things but it?s time to get going on a new project. Next up is a simple shaker style desk for my mother-in-law.
I bought the lumber, some nice cherry, at a local lumber mill just after New Year. It sat acclimating in my shop for about a month before I began milling. At this point I?ve made the legs (though they aren?t yet tapered) and gotten a good start on the aprons though I still have to make the tenons.
As it is a Shaker piece, the design is simple. In fact, the most interesting parts are hidden construction details (the top rail dovetailed into the legs and lower rail attached with twin tenons). It should be a fun project.
Watch out for that first step...
02/15/2008, 05:12 | Musings From My Shop
A popular theory holds that woodworkers belong to one of two categories: Normites, those who use power tools and only power tools; and Galoots, those who would rather take a hammer blow to the forehead than use a corded tool. It?s a religious thing, no one can be both. Like the Jets and the Sharks (when you?re a Galoot, you?re a Galoot all the way). When a Normite and a Galoot approach each other on the street everyone else crosses to the other side. There?s little common ground.
I?ve been a woodworker for ten years, more or less. Like many, I began with a table saw. My first project was a router table. I added other tools (planer, jointer, drill press, band saw) as needed but in rather quick succession. I had a well outfitted shop and all was right with the world. I was a Normite. Oh sure, I?d occasionally use chisels or even a block plane (oh, the horror) but I never strayed enough to put my American Federation of Normites membership in jeopardy. I made a number of pieces of furniture this way. Life was good.
That was the status quo for quite a while ? the electric meter was an indicator of my time in the shop. Until last year. That?s when some evil people made me think about hand tools in a serious way. There was no single event but a series of several involving talented, passionate, inspirational woodworkers. My world had been a settled, comfortable place. Until those evil people got me thinking. They motivated me to learn about the wide variety of tools and their capabilities (though there is still far to travel on this long, steep learning curve). They made me realize that some operations can be performed more accurately with hand tools. They made me spend a lot of money.
This was my introduction to Galoots. Like billionaires, I had known of their existence but I didn?t know any personally. And just as billionaires are shrouded with mystery, Galoots were an unknown quantity. I expected a bunch of throwbacks, guys stuck living in the good-old-days, possessed of a stubborn refusal to acknowledge progress. I believed that woodworkers of the past would have welcomed the opportunity to trade their planes for electric routers. Now I know better.
When I started acquiring hand tools I bought those that I thought would be useful based on what the (no longer so) evil people had demonstrated. So what did I hope to accomplish? What problems was I trying to solve? (Beyond the obvious of relieving my checking account of excess funds.) I had three goals: to improve accuracy and my ability make fine adjustments; to reduce the amount of sanding required; to wear ear plugs less often.
Several months later, I?m well on the way to accomplishing these goals. On my most recent project I used hand tools when possible. I cut finger joints largely with a hand saw and chisels. I used a block plane to round edges and trim the end grain of stiles. Tenons and panel tongues were fitted with a shoulder plane. I haunched tenons with a hand saw. The list goes on. Most importantly, the joinery turned out very well, I didn?t have to sand as much as in the past and there were entire days with no ear plugs. Along the way, I accomplished an unanticipated fourth goal: I had a great time. I?m not sure when I?ve had as much fun in the shop.
There?s no turning back now, though I won?t eliminate power tools from my shop. Frankly, the thought of dimensioning rough lumber using only hand planes is entirely unappealing. So I guess there are more than two categories for woodworkers (galootified-Normite?). So much for popular theories.
Shameless self-promotion
02/09/2008, 07:40 | Musings From My Shop
The April issue of Popular Woodworking is on it?s way to subscribers and will be available on newsstands before long. In this issue is an article I wrote about the Greene & Greene chest that has been mentioned on this blog several times before. While the full article isn?t yet available, the on-line extras are. I?m very proud of this piece. Have a look.
A Fast Project
01/28/2008, 05:03 | Musings From My Shop
I have two sons. The oldest is not quite 8. This year he joined the Cub Scouts. I?m no outdoorsman so the camping doesn?t do much for me. But there?s one annual scouting event that?s right up my alley. It combines my love of woodworking and my lifelong interest in cars. It?s the Pinewood Derby.
The Pinewood Derby is the original level playing field. Every kid gets a block of wood, a few nails and four plastic wheels. The rules are simple though typical of our times they run to about half a page. And while the heats are now computer-timed the basics of the race are straightforward. A sloped track and Sir Isaac Newton are as complicated as it gets (ok, throw in some graphite powder).
Making the cars is a father/son project but the bulk of the work is to be performed by the scout. Dylan designed his car. I cut the shape on the band saw and then Dylan sanded it. And sanded it. Painting was a team effort. Turns out that spray paint cans can be difficult for seven year-old fingers to work. But we managed two coats of primer and two of Ferrari red.
A friend mentioned that the secret to speed is to sand and polish the axels (the above-mentioned nails). So we did that too. And we made sure that the wheels didn?t have any rough spots from the manufacturing process. A few decals and it was ready to race.
In Dylan?s age group there were 13 entries. Each car raced 12 times -- four runs on each of the three lanes on the track. And that?s just for one of the five age groups. So it seemed like it would be a long haul. In reality it went quickly and was fun.
In Dylan?s first set of three runs his car won each time. The look on his face was worth a million bucks. In the end, he didn?t win his group. Cars against which he didn?t race were faster. He didn?t seem to mind. Within minutes he and his brother were playing with the car on the floor. Winning is fun but not as fun as playing. Or making a car with your son.
Learning the hard way
01/17/2008, 16:22 | Musings From My Shop
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.
A link to the mothership
01/10/2008, 23:18 | Musings From My Shop
I wrote once before about the generous gift I received from Kori Capaldi, Operations Manager of the Gamble House. I met Kori when I was in Pasadena for Pasadena Heritage Craftsman Weekend in October. Because I spent quite a bit of time at ?THE house? for various tours and receptions, I got a chance to talk with Kori for a while. I told her about the chest I was building and that the lid would be restrained by a leather strap. A month or so after I returned home Kori sent me an email and asked if I?d like a piece of the leather that was used in the Gamble house when the leather straps on the lighting fixtures were replaced several years ago.
Of course I said ?No? and that was the end of it. OK, maybe I said ?Yes? and tried not to appear overly anxious in the process. You see, the Gamble house is tantamount to a religious shrine for those of us afflicted with serious cases of Greene-itis. It is indescribably beautiful. I mean that literally. No attempt to convey, using words, that amazing vision can end in anything but utter failure. Thus, to have a tangible link between the core of the G&G universe and one of my pieces of furniture is very special indeed.
Though I?ve had the leather for some time now, I?ve just completed installing it. I didn?t want to be hasty -- it had to be just right. I spent hours scouring the internet for the perfect rivets to use to attach it and the search paid off. I found a product even better than I had hoped for. Screw posts are similar to rivets but because they screw together they are removable. So if I ever have to remove the lid of the chest I won?t have to cut the leather (Actually, I wouldn?t have been able to cut the leather I would have asked my wife to do it. When I wasn?t home.). And with persistence I was able to find them in solid brass with an oil-rubbed bronze patina. With that final piece of the puzzle in place, the installation is complete. And it was worth the wait. Thanks Kori.
By the way, this chest is the subject of an article to appear in the April issue of Popular Woodworking (available early March). Unfortunately, I didn?t have the Gamble leather when photos were shot for the article -- in the magazine you?ll see a piece of upholstery leather leftover from a Morris chair project.
Tobacco River Woodturner
11/15/2006, 12:06 | The Wood Shop
Photo Courtesy Tobacco River Woodturner
John Peters: Mesquite Wood and Segmented Bowls.
I began turning wood in 1970 in high school wood shop and after thirty years as a machinist moved to northwest Montana. I've started making segmented bowls again, as a hobby. I like to use dense heavily grained woods for my projects and Mesquite is one of my favorites. Mesquite takes a high polish, glues well and is hardly affected by humidity and temperature. The vessel in the foreground of the picture of is mostly Mesquite; the zig-zag feature ring is Curly Maple and Purpleheart with Bloodwood top and bottom rings. There are 193 pieces of wood in the bowl. I also use Rosewoods, Ebonys, Hard Maples, Yellowheart, 40,000 year old Ancient Kauri, American Holly and others. I give most of my work away as gifts but I will occasionally sell one. If you are interested my link is sajo@interbel.net.
Thanks for looking,
Tobacco River Woodturner
John Peters
Eureka, Montana.
Wood Talk Online #41
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastHey everyone Marc and I are back after an extended summer break. And we just finished the latest episode of WTO. Lot's to talk about...
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
Status Report:
Where have we been for nearly 2 months?!?!?! Marc gives a Gadget Station update and talks about the âproject humpâ. Matt announces that his next project will be a bedside table for Madison.
Around the Web:
Working Wood by Tom Fidgen
Luthiercast
Upholstered Chair Project Video
News:
Final Cut sawblades.
Amanaâs In-Tech router bits with replaceable cutterheads.
Steel City introduces spiral head lunchbox planer.
Auriou rasps back in business!
Hot Deals:
50% OFF ROUTER TABLE STARTER PACKAGE
Regular Catalog Price $239.97 E-Direct Special Offer $119.99
Bessey Tradesman Bar Clamps Buy 2 - Get the 3rd FREE!
Topics:
IWF Review- DeWalt TrackSaw, Delta Unisaw, General Internationalâs adjustable height bandsaw.
Intro to Spokeshaves - low-angle vs. standard - flat vs. round bottom
Tomâs Tip: Keeping the shop clean.
313 Downtime Monday
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastEvery 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.
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
To download directly to your computer Right Click on direct download, choose "Save Target as"
315 Router Bit of the Month - Whiteside's 1/2" Round Nose Core Box Bit
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastHey everyone it's the beginning of a brand new month and that means it's time for Router Bit of the Month!!
For the entire month of October Woodcraft is featuring Whiteside's 1/2" diameter Round Nose Core Box Bit. A great grooving/veining profile for projects such as fluting, sign making, etc.
If you're not today's lucky winner of this great bit you can still take advantage of the sale price and add one to your collection just click here Woodcraft.com.
Also as mentioned in the show, I use the 1/4" version with my SignPro Kit from Milescraft.
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.
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
To download directly to your computer Right Click on direct download, choose "Save Target as"
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00/00/0000, 00:00 | Masashi's woodworking diary
森林文化アカデミー・もã®ã¥ãã‚Šç ”ç©¶ä¼šã®ï¼‘年生ã¯ã„ã¾ã€é¡ç¸ã¥ãã‚Šã‚’ã‚„ã£ã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚
今回ã¯ã‚‚ã£ã¨ã‚‚一般的ãªé¡ç¸ã®ã‚ˆã†ã«ï¼”５度ã§åˆ‡ã£ã¦çµ„ã‚€ã®ã§ã¯ãªãã€ãƒ›ã‚¾ã¨ãƒ›ã‚¾ç©´ã‚’作りã€çµ„ã¿ç«‹ã¦ã¾ã™ã€‚
機械ã§ãƒ›ã‚¾ã¨ãƒ›ã‚¾ç©´ã‚’作るã®ã¯ã¯ã˜ã‚ã¦ã®ä½“験ã§ã™ã€‚
ã“ã®ã‚ˆã†ãªå°ç‰©ã‚’ã¤ãã‚ŠãªãŒã‚‰ã€æœ¨ã¨æœ¨ã‚’組む手法や機械ã®ä½¿ã„方をå¦ã‚“ã§ã„ãã‚ã‘ã§ã™ã€‚
The first-year students of Gifu Academy are making a picture frame.
It is not mitred but mortise and tenon construction. They are their first machine-cut mortises and tenons.
They learn various joineries and how to use machines through making such small products.
日本ã®è¶³è¸ã¿ã‚ãã‚/ Japanese Pedal Lathe
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Masashi's woodworking diaryã“ã“ã¯ä»Šã‚‚５ï¼äººã®æœ¨åœ°å¸«ã‚’æ“ã™ã‚‹ã€æ—¥æœ¬ä¸€ã®æŒ½ãã‚‚ã®ã®é‡Œã§ã™ã€‚
ä¼çµ±ç”£æ¥ä¼šé¤¨ã«ã¯ã€æ˜Žæ²»æ™‚代ã«ä½¿ã‚ã‚Œã¦ã„ãŸè¶³è¸ã¿ã‚ãã‚ãŒç½®ã„ã¦ã‚ã‚Šã¾ã™ã€‚
I visited Yamanaka, Japan's biggest woodturning town this summer. There are fifty woodturners (!) who make their living by turning bowls and plates.
There was a Japanese pedal lathe at the Traditional Industry Museum. Such pedal lathe were used in the late 19th century.
日本ã®è¶³è¸ã¿ã‚ãã‚ã¯ã€ãªãœå‰Šã‚‹æ™‚ã‚‚ã€å‰Šã‚‰ãªã„時もペダルをè¸ã¾ãªã‘ã‚Œã°ãªã‚‰ãªã„ã®ã‹ã€ãšã£ã¨ä¸æ€è°ã§ã—ãŸã€‚写真ã®ã‚ˆã†ã«ã€ä¸¡è¶³ã§è¸ã‚€ã‚ˆã†ã«ãªã£ã¦ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚
西洋ã®è¶³è¸ã¿ã‚ãã‚ã¯ã€å‰Šã‚‹æ™‚（æ£å›žè»¢ï¼‰ã¯ãƒšãƒ€ãƒ«ã‚’è¸ã¿ã€å‰Šã‚‰ãªã„時（逆回転）ã¯ãƒãƒã®åŠ›ã§å¼•ã戻ã—ã¦ãã‚Œã¾ã™ã€‚片足ã ã‘ã§è¸ã‚ã°ã„ã„ã®ã§ã™ã€‚（ãŠæ¤€ã¥ãã‚Šã®å‹•ç”»å‚照）
I was wondering why Japanese pedal lathe has two pedals for each foot. You need to tread with one foot when you shave, and tread again with the other foot when you don't shave.
Western pole lathe has only one pedal and you need to tread when you shave the wood. Then the spring of the pole pull it backward.
ãã®ç–‘å•ãŒã€ã‚ãã‚å人・ä½ç«¹ä¸€å¤«ã•ã‚“ã®é›»å‹•ã‚ãã‚ã®ä»•äº‹ã‚’見ã¦ã„ã¦å°‘ã—解ã‘ãŸã‚ˆã†ãªæ°—ãŒã—ã¾ã—ãŸã€‚
ã¾ãšã€ã‚«ãƒ³ãƒŠã§å‰Šã£ã¦ã„ã‚‹ã¨ã“ã‚。ã‚ãã‚ã¯æ™‚計回りã«å›žã‚Šã¾ã™ã€‚
A hint to answer this question came to my mind when I saw the master woodturner Mr.Satake's work at his workshop.
He is turning with a gauge on this movie. The lathe is turning clockwise.
ã¤ãŽã«ã€ã‚¹ã‚¯ãƒ¬ã‚¤ãƒ‘ーã§å‰Šã£ã¦ã„ã‚‹ã¨ã“ã‚。ã‚ãã‚ã¯å時計回りã«å›žã‚Šã¾ã™ã€‚
ã¤ã¾ã‚Šæ—¥æœ¬ã®ã‚ãã‚ã¯ã€å›žè»¢ã‚’æ£ã¨é€†ã¨å¤‰ãˆãªãŒã‚‰ã€ãã®ã©ã¡ã‚‰ã§ã‚‚削るã®ã§ã™ã€‚
The next movie shows Mr.Satake using a scraper. The lathe is turning anti-clockwise.
Japanese woodturner changes the direction of rotation frequently while turning.
ã‚‚ã—人力ã®æ™‚代ã«ã‚‚ã©ã¡ã‚‰ã®å›žè»¢ã§ã‚‚削ã£ã¦ã„ãŸã¨ã™ã‚Œã°ã€ä¸€æ–¹ã®å›žè»¢ã«ãƒãƒã‚’利用ã™ã‚‹ã‚ˆã‚Šã€ä¸¡æ–¹ã®è¶³ã§è¸ã‚“ã§ã‚„ã£ãŸæ–¹ãŒå‰Šã‚Šã‚„ã™ã„ã¨æ€ã„ã¾ã™ã€‚
ã“ã®æŽ¨è«–ã€æ£ã—ã„ã‹ã©ã†ã‹åˆ†ã‹ã‚Šã¾ã›ã‚“。ã§ã‚‚ãªã‚“ã¨ãªãã€å½“ãŸã£ã¦ã„ã‚‹æ°—ãŒã—ã¾ã™ã€‚
The twin-pedal lathe makes sense if they were turning like this in the old days. You get enough torque when you need it with two pedals.
316 Preferred Sandpaper for Lapping Handplanes
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastListener Doug wrote in about using Aluminum Oxide sandpaper vs Wet/dry for lapping hand plane soles. Doug had some concerns about the fact that he couldn't find Wet/dry in coarser grits than 400 and was worried that using an AO with water would ruin the sandpaper.
My answer for Doug was...
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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Wood Talk Online Giveaway Winners
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastThe winners of the Wood Talk Online Giveaway (sponsored by Lee Valley) are:
Richard Sylvestre and Mack McKinney.
They each will receive one of Lee Valleyâs new Skew Rabbet Planes!
So if you're not Richard or Mack don't give up hope of getting your hands on these great planes. You can get both of them on sale at a great reduced price for two more days.
Lee Valleyâs special promotional pricing ends 10/15/08. Trust me, once you've tried one of these, you'll fall head over heels for them!!
Kiwi Shed - Shop of the Week
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Wood WhispererThis week’s shop comes from Hamish. Let’s see what he has to say:
“Thought you might like to see my little sheds that I use here in New Zealand, I have been really interested in seeing so many different styles and designs of peoples workshops. The thing I have noticed is the passion that people have in designing and building their own space.”
“I started my own business in June 2007, just making work benches and now have expanded to garage and wardrobe systems. I have had no training in joinery or woodworking but have studied in Draughting. Watching The Wood Whisperer has been very interesting. If you noticed I took Marc’s design of the assembly bench to the max size. Its been really handy. Cheers. I will continue to expand into wood working over time. Keep up the good work USA.”
Here is a little more info from Hamish:
The saw is SCM SI-16W Rise & Fall Tilt Arbor Sliding Table Panel Saw
3.2m cut capacity, scorer unit, auto brake. 415v/3ph/50hz.
1500mm rip capacity
3200mm crosscut
5.5hp main motor / 1 hp scriber motor
overhead guard which i have taken off for easier cuting of 2.4 x 1.2 panels
The other big machine is a KD 54 Hot melt Edgebander, this will glue on pvc or wood edging to board or timber, trimmes and cuts egding in one go. very handy. The other machine is a Blum Mini Press which can drill hinge holes into the doors and also has removeable head which can be replaced with a 8 drill spindle head allowing you to drill muiltable holes in a work piece.
The jointer is a toolline 6inch buzzer with 1400mm table good for long pieces of timber only single phase but fine for what i use. I have a little thckness under bench 12inch. handy but only entry level. In the other cabinet shed we have a a horizontial drill press for caming and dowling and compressor and hand tools and very important fridge for lunch. Also as for the question on the legs to by benches I flat pack the benches and send around the country this allows for them to be easily removed the bolted back on. I also have a very Loving and Wise Wife who fully supports me in my work and does keep me from getting to carried away in buying to much stuff. Thanks for the questions hope this helps
Related Posts
A different type of woodworking...
00/00/0000, 00:00 | The Refined Edge
I've been tasked with reconstructing the wood dash panel from a vintage British automobile which is currently being restored. The dash was previously veneered and after about thirty five years, it succumbed to the elements and began to delaminate. Along with this, the original veneered surfaces were cracked and flaking off. This is a type of work I have not done before. The only effective way to remove the veneer completely and uniformly was with a sanding machine. After performing this on either side of the dash panel, I had clean wood underneath. The wood was high grade plywood with many plies. I judiciously re-laminated the laminations which were separating, which was no small feat. Once I was completely satisfied that the plywood dash had regained its strength and rigidity I began to plan the application of veneers both on the face and back of the dash panel.The veneers were applied one at a time, beginning with the back of the dash panel. I cross banded or alternated two layers of the back cherry veneers to add rigidity and strength to the dash panel. I next cut out the multitude of holes from the back along with screw holes and rectangular cut-outs. I used reamers, sanding pads, and small half-round and round files to accomplish this.After I was satisfied with this, I applied veneer, bird's eye maple, to the face of the dash. Similar to the back, I re-created the holes, cut-outs, etc. from the front. Next, I veneered the glove compartment box door following the same procedure.
In the photo, I have just completed veneering and sanding the dash panel, glove compartment door, and have it fitted in its opening. Some more small detail work and I am almost ready to apply finish to the dash panel. There were some stressful moments in all this, veneer being so thin with very little margin for error, but it seems to have worked out. I thought I would share this experience.
317 Jointers Revisited
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastJim wrote in a while back about the pros and cons of hand plane jointers vs power jointers.
This is a recurring question with many listeners so I thought I'd share the answer and then also some extra thoughts that I had after I sent Jim my response.
The winners of the Wood Talk Online Giveaway (sponsored by Lee Valley) are:
Richard Sylvestre and Mack McKinney.
They each will receive one of Lee Valleyâs new Skew Rabbet Planes!
So if you're not Richard or Mack don't give up hope of getting your hands on these great planes. You can get both of them on sale at a great reduced price for two more days.
Lee Valleyâs special promotional pricing ends 10/15/08. Trust me, once you've tried one of these, you'll fall head over heels for them!!
Sorry no video today...minor technical error!
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.
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
To download directly to your computer Right Click on direct download, choose "Save Target as"
318 Review of "Revelations on Table Saw Set-up & Safety" DVD
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastThe latest DVD from our very own guest expert Hendrik Varju of Passion for Wood is out and I've had a chance to finally sit down and take it all in.
Actually it took a few nights to do that, as this DVD contains close to 10 hours of information. It is literally like being right in Hendrik's shop and taking one of the most detailed classes on everything you every wanted to know about tablesaws.
For more information on ordering this DVD from Hendrik stop by his website at www.passionforwood.com.
Coming up in November Hendrik will be back and taking your questions on Tablesaws. Whether it's regarding setting up, safety or cutting, get your questions in early. Also, if you'd like to enter for free schwag, have a comment, question or suggestion drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com, head over to the website where you can also leave your comments, or you can leave a voicemail at 231 354-2338.
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
To download directly to your computer Right Click on direct download, choose "Save Target as"
306 Hendrik in September Pt. 1
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastMBW's very own guest expert Hendrik Varju is back once again and today we're answering some of your questions that you sent. Today's episode is Part 1 of a 2 part series. The second episode will of course be released on Monday.
To start the show off we find out what Hendrik thought of the recent IWF in Atlanta and then jump right into Shannon's email on compound joinery. Then we move on to Sal's question on marking and measuring.
The article recommended by Hendrik for dealing with compound joinery is in the October 2002 #158 issue of Fine Woodworking Magazine, p.96 in the Masterclass section.
Also as a special announcement, exclusively here at MBW, Hendrik has just released his latest DVD "Revelations on Table Saw Set-up & Safety". Now available for purchase at his website.
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 231 354-2338.
Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below
To download directly to your computer Right Click on direct download, choose "Save Target as"
304 Shooting Board Follow-Up
00/00/0000, 00:00 | Matt's Basement Workshop PodcastHey everyone it's Monday and it's back to work for most of us. Of course over the weekend I had a chance to hear from a number of you who had questions regarding the shooting board. Perhaps the number 1 question was "why doesn't the blade of the plane alter the reference