• The harvesting of Ancient Kauri is a very ecologically friendly practice.
• No standing trees are cut
• These incredible trees are excavated from underground and any disturbed land is carefully restored.
• Every tree grew for more than 1200 years.
• They stopped growing over 50,000 years ago.

This ancient Kauri wood is pretty spectacular stuff and it fills us with a sense of wonder to hold something so very very old.

In a former life, I worked in an industrial laboratory and later, in many manufacturing facilities setting up labs.  We ordered a lot of supplies from Grainger.  You’ve no doubt heard of Grainger.  We source them a lot in Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines for some hardware items you might not be able to find at your local home center.  They established their roots as an industrial/commercial supplier. 

They have a subsidiary company that specializes in supplying laboratories — Lab Safety Supply (they have some cool stuff you can use in the shop, too).  I used to order a lot of lab supplies from them.

Turns out that Lab Safety Supply is broadening their market.  They recently acquired McFeely’s.  You know McFeely’s from their cartoonish catalog covers of Jim Ray, the owner.  They rose to fame in woodworking circles by supplying square-drive screws.  I love to use square-drive screws in my shop.  And if you use pocket hole joinery, you already know the benefits of square drive screws.  McFeely’s has an interesting history that you can read about here.

According to this press release:

“McFeely’s will be marketed as an independent brand by LSS, the leading direct marketer of targeted, specialty business products in the safety, industrial, environmental and homeland security markets. Through a similar direct marketing model, McFeely’s serves over 70,000 active customers including serious woodworkers, handymen, home improvement professionals, construction companies and cabinet makers.”

How many times have you overheard somebody make this comment? “Finishing is my least favorite part of woodworking. It’s so hard to figure out the difference between BLO and Danish oil and Teak oil, and all the other brands of varnishes and oils available.” I’ve been woodworking for years and I totally agreed with the comment. But it doesn’t have to be such a mystery.

Doug Hicks has a clear and concise way of explaining it all during this weeks Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar Podcast. Instead of “…apply two coats and let dry,” his directions for finishing with varnishes and oils will make everything crystal clear.

You’ll want to pick up the Seminar Guide at the Woodsmith Podcast Store. It’s full of great information on oils and varnishes.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 15, 2007
Release #07-275

Firm’s Recall Hotline: (866) 761-5572
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Robert Bosch Tool Corp. Recalls Skil® Circular Saws Due to Laceration Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Skil® brand Circular Saws

Units: About 811,000

Manufacturer: Robert Bosch Tool Corp., of Mount Prospect, Ill.

Hazard: The trigger switch on the circular saw can be locked on or the switch can be turned on without the use of the safety lock-out. This can cause unexpected operation of the saw, posing a risk of laceration.

Incidents/Injuries: The firm has received five reports of the saw staying on after the user released the trigger. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall involves Skil(r) brand circular saws with model numbers 5650, 5700, 5750 and 5755. The model number and date code are printed on the nameplate located on the front of the saw. The recall includes the following date codes:

28101 - 29231
38101 - 39231
48101 - 49231
58101 - 59231
68101 - 69231

No other models or date codes are included in this recall.

Sold at: Home centers and independent hardware retailers nationwide from January 2002 through December 2006 for between $70 and $80.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled saws and contact the firm for instructions on obtaining a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact the Robert Bosch Tool Corp. toll-free at (866) 761-5572 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm’s Web site at http://www.skiltools.com/en/CustomerService/SafetyInfoRecalls/

To see this recall on CPSC’s web site, including pictures of the recalled product, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml07/07275.html

Jig plans for cutting circles, adjustable dadoes, and a flush trim jig are included in this week’s Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar Podcast. Bryan Nelson will also give the low down on how to build a hinge mortising jig and a unique router table sled that holds narrow workpieces firmly while routing across end grain.

Check out the Woodsmith Podcast Store for more deals on router bits and the seminar guide.

I recently traveled back to my hometown in central Ohio to see family and our new granddaughter. While I was there, my wife discovered the Big Bugs exhibit by David Rogers at Inniswood Metro Gardens in Westerville, Ohio.  As you can see in the photo at left, a beetle is about to amputate my son’s leg. The most impressive bug we saw was the praying mantis, shown on the right.

As noted on his web site, David sculpted these creatures using various combinations of whole trees found standing or fallen dead, cut green saplings selectively harvested from the willow family, dry branches, and other forest materials. The different shapes, colors and textures of these materials provide these sculptures with character, definition, and a sense of motion.

If you get a chance to see this exhibit in your area, it’s worth taking the whole family. Just keep your kids away from the jaws of the beetle.

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

Here’s last week’s tip from ShopNotes online editor Phil Huber:

My workshop shares space with the family car. So it’s important that all of my power tools be portable and take up as little space as possible. So I made the fold-up router table you see here.

I made a simple router table top and attached it to a pair of 2×4’s with screws. Then, after removing the top of an adjustable clamping table, I mounted the router table to the clamping table stand, as shown in the left photo above. The table is firmly supported by the clamping table base.

The nice thing about the table is it can be raised and lowered to match the task at hand. Best of all, I can remove the router and quickly fold the table up to store it against the wall whenever it’s not in use (right photo).

If you’d like to see other router table plans, just go to PlansNOW.

Good Woodworking,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

Send for a preview issue of ShopNotes magazine

At the AWFS Fair in July, I had the wonderful opportunity to get a close look at some extraordinary woodworking exhibits by some very talented students. AWFS sponsors the “Fresh Wood” competition that spotlights outstanding student works being produced at some of the best high school and post-secondary woodworking programs in North America.

I had a chance to chat with one of the exhibitors, Chris Hedges. His furniture project (a high-boy/secretary) was getting a lot of attention. And it should have. Chris won three awards with his project: First Place in the Reproduction category, the People’s Choice award, and Best of Show.

He’s 32 years old originally from the Circleville, Ohio area. He says he’s happily married and has a 3 year old daughter. When not making furniture and spending time with his family, Chris enjoys trap shooting and golfing. Chris says, “Although my wife and I lived in Athens, Ohio for 12 years before relocating to Knoxville, Tennessee. I earned a Masters from Ohio University (I taught sociology for four years after graduating) and then spent two years at University of Rio Grande in the Fine Woodworking program.”

When I asked him how he got started in woodworking, here’s what he said: “I really had no experience with woodworking as a child, other than nailing end grain to make ‘bookshelves’ for my dad. Most of the training I have before starting Rio’s program was theoretical — meaning I read as many books as I could. Although I could take apart a table saw in my head, I didn’t actually touch one until I started at Rio.”

As for the secretary Chris built, as a second year student he was encouraged to build something that was both technically and academically challenging. Having seen a number of similiar secretaries in the DuPont collection at Winterthur, Chris was highly intriqued by their swiss army knife-like nature and thought that building the secretary would truly challenge his acquired skills. “While plans were provided, I felt it would be to my benefit to stray as far from those plans as possible in an effort to distinguish myself from the rest of the pack,” Chris said. 

All in all, the research and production process took nine months, including the creation of scale drawings from photographs, designing the upper case, getting materials, then building the project. Chris used curly quartersawn cherry (from Irion Lumber Company) as the primary wood and madrone burl for the veneer from Certainly Wood. All secondary wood is poplar.

All wood was dimensioned to within 1/32″ of the final dimension with power tools and finished up with hand tools. As for joinery, all dovetails were cut by hand. Mortise and tenons and sliding dovetails were cut using power tools. While most of the work was done at school, a lot of the hand work was done at home, including dovetails, carvings, and turnings. “At the time that I built the desk, all I had at home was a lathe and a bunch of handtools,” Chris stated.

I think Chris has an excellent future as a woodworker based on what I saw. His craftsmanship is excellent and his attention to detail is impeccable.

I just cannot imagine my two nephews being apart. For example, once when Gail and I were babysitting the twins and their 3 siblings, all 5 kids went down to the basement to watch a movie… slumber party style. I went down there and found 4 sleeping bags. When I asked why there were only 4 sleeping bags, the middle child (Maddy) looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “The twins sleep together.�

Harrison and Jackson recently got a room to themselves, and they got bunk beds. When they gave her a tour of their room, Gail asked them who slept on the top bunk. The reply was, “Nobody…we both sleep on the bottom.� When I think of the twins, I just can’t conceive of having one without the other.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered the story of a different pair of twins who were separated at birth. This story is one of the things I learned when Gail and I travelled to Dublin recently. It’s a lamentable and cruel tale of two twin brothers separated at birth. One was taken to America, and the other was hustled off to Ireland. However, the DNA connection of these two was so strong that even though each never knew of the other, the very chemistry of their makeup carried them down educational roads and career paths that were remarkably similar.

It wasn’t until I happened to go shopping one day in Dublin that I discovered the story of TK and TJ….The MAXX Brothers.

“You know what the funniest thing about Europe is…it’s the little differences.� Vincent Vega, American Philosopher (deceased)

Erich Lage has been a senior illustrator (and editor) for Workbench Magazine for 12 years now.

Before that he owned his own remodeling-design business. In 1977 he started his journey in residential construction as a concrete finisher and ultimately worked as a trim carpenter and service manager in the Home Building Industry in the Midwest. During this month’s Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar Podcast, Erich will provide you with suggestions on how to troubleshoot all your home repair questions. During the seminar he’ll talk about everything from basement window repair to installing box beams in a family room.

Once again, the seminar guide is available for sale at the Woodsmith Podcast Store.

The editors here at Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines see a lot of new products come across our desks. Some we have to laugh at, and others are really good ideas.

Eagle Jigs is a small company out of Kansas City, Missouri that seem to come up with some good ideas. They’ve got several products that you might want to consider for your shop. They seem to have a knack for developing products that solve real problems in the woodworking shop. Maybe that’s because they’re woodworkers themselves.

One such product is the Versa-Block. It’s one of those things that looks so simple, but the more you use it, the more uses you’ll find for it. It’s an octagon-shaped piece of solid alumimum. Each face has another octagon shape milled onto the surface. Each edge of the smaller octagon is offset from the corresponding edge of the main body. It’s easier to understand once you see the photos and hold it in your hand. On one side, the offsets are in 1/16″ increments. On the other side, the offsets are in 1/8″ increments.

You can use the Versa-Block for a number of things. The most obvious is setting bit heights on your router and blade heights on your table saw. But you can also mark offsets from the edge of a workpiece up to one inch. And you can use the Versa-Block as a square during glue-ups. Like their web site says, “This is an accessory that the more you use, the more uses you will find to use it.”

Another handy item they’ve come up with is the Laser-Cut Triangle. They come in 3″ and 6″ sizes. The triangles are similar to the aluminum Swanson Speed Square you’d use for framing a house. But these are plastic and laser-etched for accuracy. One side of the triangle has small holes — like the Incra Marking Rules — for the tip of your pencil for drawing and marking lines parallel to an edge. The base of the triangle is etched in 1/16″ increments. The “hypotenuse” of the triangle has angular markings etched so that you can use it as a protractor. The prices are reasonable enough that you can afford to have a few in the shop.

Hi! First of all I want to thank you for the sweet comments and emails. I´m happy to share my work with you and give you some ideas and tutorials, and I´m even happier that my work is useful!!

Today I want to show you a very looooooooong necklace that I made: I used very small beads, so it takes me more than an hour to finish the work.

The good thing is that I can use this necklace as a bracel: just put it around the wrist many times….

You can visit other posts for more ideas:

Strange earrings

More handmaded earrings 

Handmade jewerly

My earrings collection… they´re all handmaded!

Handmade bracel with wire and beads

Step by step: how to make a necklace with beads

A necklace with beads 

Bye bye,

Fran

Some folks aren’t aware that they can get a free woodworking tip in their email inbox every week. It’s something we’ve been doing for years and has proven to be very popular. A lot of woodworkers have been printing their favorite tips and storing them in a 3-ring binder.

If you’ve wondered what tips you’ve missed, we’ve got some handy links for you look up any of our past eTips. For our older eTips (prior to August 2003), click here.  For more recent tips, you can click here. Between these two web pages, you’ll find a complete list of all our past eTips.

Remember to sign up here for free eTips if you don’t already receive them.