Have you ever designed a project from scratch and tried to decide what molding profile to use on the edge of the top? Why is it some moldings make a project appear “heavy” and some make a project seem light, like it defies gravity? Here’s a web site I ran across that’s got a great article and graphics on architectural moldings. It’s written by Donald M. Rattner, Director of the Institute for the Study of Classical Architecture at the Real Estate Institute of New York University. The article is a bit technical, but I found it interesting to see the different styles of moldings and how they affect the overall look of a project. The article is focused on architectual design elements, but the basic principles apply to your projects around the house, too.

I have made this set of wooden rings for that couple that are opposites but share a bond that they lone understand.

See my work on my http://www.simplywoodrings.com

It's Feature Friday and today we're reviewing another great title from Lie-Nielsen.  This is part 2 of the David Charlesworth series on hand planes.  If you're wondering how to use a hand plane to get nearly dead flat edges, faces and more this is the DVD to get you started.  To order your copy from Woodcraft Click here.

REMEMBER!  If you have any comments, questions, suggestions or you want to enter for some free schwag you can always drop me a line at 1 231 354-2338

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

Hendrik is wrapping up his annual finishing seminar: 
Part 3"Antique Restoration Techniques" - May 31st or June 7th.

Also, coming up on June 14th, Hendrik is conducting a seminar based on his book "Starting and Running a Woodworking Business"at his Acton, Ontario Workshop.  If you'd like to attend or just get more information about these seminars contact Hendrik at info@passionforwood.com.

Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below

powered by Podbean.com

To download directly to your computer Right Click and "Save Target as"

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below

powered by Podbean.com

Say you've spotted an antique in a museum that you would dearly love to reproduce. How do you obtain permission and, if approved, how do you go about taking measurements and photographs?

First, you need to contact the museum's curator and ask for permission. In correspondence, be polite, honest, brief, and let the curator know that you will accommodate his/her schedule.

So. Now you have permission to document measurements and photos of your beloved artifact. What do you need? How do you prepare? All you need is a ruler, tape measure, notebook, pen, and camera, right?
Yes and no.

That's all that accompanied me on my appointment with the scheitholts, and I was ill prepared....and nervous that I would take up too much of the director's time. So much so in fact, that I forgot to take the measurements of the overall length of both zithers!

This morning I heard back from the curator at the Gettysburg Military Museum, granting me permission to photograph and measure Robert E. Lee's Medicine Box (after December).

I haven't been this excited since the Christmas I unwrapped my "Space 1999" action figure set and model spaceship.

This time, I'll take a worksheet with me that lists all the parts of the cabinet that need to be measured and columns for wood/other material, width, length, height, and thickness. I'll also sketch the cabinet (it helps if you can take a snapshot before your appointment) and label the parts so I remember what each set of measurements refers to.

The other thing I'll do is not get too creative with the photos (like I did with the zithers). I'll be sure to take lateral, top & bottom, and straight on shots of each part of the cabinet. That way, if I forget to take a measurement, I can refer to the photo and use a known measurement to obtain the missing one.

Have I forgotten anything? Probably. But it's an exciting learning experience of galactic proportions.

This is a previous post, but I never did continue the discourse. I find it fascinating how furniture design has evolved over the centuries. If we go back to the middle ages and the era before, quite a few developments in furniture construction techniques were in progress. Prior to this era, in the centuries before, very little furniture was available, it was considered a luxury to have chairs, tables and cabinets. The larger, more finely made furniture of this era was typically destined for the aristocracy of the time as a display of their wealth and status.

Most conventional furniture of these early periods was assembled without consideration to wood expansion and contraction or wood movement. This worked for many years, since the interior of buildings in this era was often at the same temperature as the exterior. With the advent of heated interiors, wood movement became much more of a factor to deal with in construction and design of furniture, and the practice of simply assembling wood planks together to form furniture needed to evolve. It was in the middle ages that frame and panel construction was adopted. This technique allowed a solid wood panel to literally float within a wood frame composed of rails and stiles. The solid wood panel could expand and contract on a seasonal basis, and not cause any structural failure within the furniture.

All of a sudden many more possibilities were created for furniture design and its widespread appeal began in earnest. Furniture also began to become more affordable as of the 18th and 19th century, more furniture makers existed and sound construction techniques began to become standardized. There are numerous periods over the past centuries and each of these had a style or styles associated with them. Additionally, each country had a style of its own within these periods. One can see how similar furniture design principles were adopted by successive countries over the different periods. Popular furniture styles which are widely recognized have familiar names such as English Chippendale, German Biedermeier, American Federal and Arts & Crafts, French Art Nouveau, Italian Rococo, etc. The evolution continues to more recent styles such as Modern Swedish ( Krenov style) and Contemporary styles.

One interesting tidbit is that a style of furniture is never really defined until the particular period has elapsed, almost like looking through a rear view mirror. Today's styles might be referred to as a particular period of style, but only after the period has lapsed. In the photo, a small swedish modern styled tabletop cabinet . To be continued...

Finally and regretfully, slightly later than advertised, short course dates for 2008 are now posted on my website.

They are available from late January, ...

Make all the fun you want to about all his “routahs,” but you have to admit that Norm Abram has done more to foster a worldwide interest in woodworking than anyone else. While I don’t always agree with his choice of construction techniques and joinery, he has made woodworking approachable and less intimidating for millions of people.  I had the chance to meet him (actually, just a handshake) at a Delta/Porter-Cable gathering at the AWFS show in Las Vegas in July. He seems like a great guy and I’d like to have the chance to sit and have a cup of coffee with him sometime.

In Design News, there’s a great article about how Norm got started and how he managed to make it into his 20th season this year on New Yankee Workshop. Did you know that Norm attended college with the intent of getting an engineering degree?  Here’s an intersesting quote from the article:

“I hated sitting in a class of 600 in a thermodynamics class, but I loved being in the lab working with metals. I hung in there for a couple of years and said this isn’t for me. You can learn a lot from school and books, but you really learn from experience,” he says. Going with a gut feeling, he switched to production management in business school, sensing he wanted to be a building contractor. He came close but never earned a degree because midstream in college he “felt it was time to go to work.”  

And the rest is history, as they say.

Quality WoodWorking projects start with premium grade Mesquite HardWoods From Arizona Desert Mesquite.




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





 

There are guys that “trick out” their cars…or motorcycles…with fancy paint jobs and chrome. Why not do the same with the tools in your shop? Wood Werks Supply in Columbus, Ohio is giving you the opportunity to order a customized Powermatic table saw.

To quote Wood Werks Supply:

“This won’t be just any saw. We start with the award winning Powermatic PM2000 10″ table Saw. We’ll Blanchard Grind the top, add the reliablility of an American Made Baldor® motor, then install your favorite accessories. You’ll decide exactly what color it will be, and we’ll finish it off by prominently displaying your name on the front of your perfect saw.”

Create and order your customized Powermatic PM2000 here. I created the one you see in the photo here with just a few clicks. It’s got a 3hp, single-phase motor; paint colors to honor the OSU Buckeyes; and a cast iron extension wing with cast iron legs.

If you’d like to find out more and join in on the long-running discussion over on WoodNet, click here.

Tommy and Al present September's Pallet Maker of the Month Award and review the winner's work.

On Monday I shared with you some great follow-up questions from some listeners of the show. 

Well there were a couple more that I thought were important to share with all of you and the best way to do these was to explain them in a video.

Thanks to Donna and Shawn for submitting them!!

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

Hendrik is back in September so get your questions in as soon as possible.  This time around, it's an open question and answer session so send them in!!  And if you're visiting the IWF in Atlanta, Hendrik will be there too, so say HI if you see him.

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

To download directly to your computer Right Click on direct download, choose "Save Target as"

The wood for this ring is from a tree which is commonly known as the “Tree of Heaven”. It is the tree that has taken on the symbolism for what it is to be an immigrant in America in the book “A tree grows in Brooklyn” by Betty Smith. Anyone who has ever come in contact with this tree will remember it. The journey to learn more about this tree has led me to learn more about myself. It was the long forgotten memories and dreams of a little boy that this piece has allowed me to rediscover.



The base wood is walnut which represents passion and intellect. The crème colored wood ailanthus (Tree of heaven) celebrates the spirit to overcome all life throws at you.
http://www.simplywoodrings.com

Pocket holes are one of the simplest forms of joinery in all of woodworking. All you need is a pocket hole jig to drill the holes and some special pocket hole screws to connect two pieces together. They’re great for avoiding problems with laying out your workpieces and with alignment. Plus, they eliminate the need to clamp up a lot of pieces during glue up. During this week’s podcast, Phil Huber will show you some tricks for using pocket screws and he’ll build a complete patio table using pocket screw joinery.

As usual, all of the links to articles, seminar guides, and products that you’ll see being used during the seminar podcast can be found at the Woodsmith Podcast Store. They include a link to the seminar guide, a couple of great project articles from Woodsmith magazine that feature pocket hole joinery, and several great Kreg Tool Co. products for sale. Be sure to check it out by clicking on this link: Woodsmith Podcast Store

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:

Measuring the width for a drawer bottom can be a challenge. I usually measure several times just to make sure I get it right.Then I made the simple drawer gauge shown in the photo below. Now, I don’t have to worry about the “numbers.” The gauge always shows me the exact distance.

It’s made from two pieces of aluminum angle joined together by a small wood block (see end view below right). The telescoping arms are two pieces of flat aluminum bar stock set side by side. A knurled knob, pressed-in threaded insert, and a penny sets and adjusts the arms.

It’s easy to use the gauge to set up your table saw for the cut. Just slide the arms until each one touches the bottom of the groove in the drawer sides. Then tighten the knob to secure the arms.

Next place the end of one arm against the blade and the other arm against your rip fence. Lock the fence in position and make the cut.
Good Woodworking,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

Send for a preview issue of ShopNotes magazine

Unpluggedshop.com is continuing to attract more and more users. In the last month, we had over 10,000 pageviews, over 3,000 visits, and more than 1,500 absolute unique visitors! The average time spent on the site is 3 minutes and 47 seconds or about one minute per page.

Thanks for stopping by, and as always, let me know if you have any comments or suggestions for the site.

Luke

Narex Chisels have just arrived—in stock now! Fine Woodworking Magazine selected Narex Czech Republic Chisels from 23 top brands as Author's Choice for "Best Value" western style bench chisel.

Don't pay too much for Narex chisels! Our customers tell us that some retailers have raised Narex Chisel prices because of increased demand. Don't be fooled—Narex Chisels are a great value here at Highland Woodworking!

Visit Highland Woodworking for more information on this and all of our fine woodworking products.

If you’ve read Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines for any length of time, you know that we’re a fan of threaded inserts. They make it easy to build jigs and fixtures and knock-down furniture or projects. They’re a great way to add machine threads for attaching screws and bolts.

E-Z Lok is a manufacturer of threaded inserts for a variety of industries and applications. And I’ve recently discovered that their web site is a valuable resource of information you can use when building projects that make use of threaded inserts. Their web site contains PDF documents that contain detailed dimemensioned drawings and complete charts listing dimensions and recommended hole sizes for their inserts. (They caution you to try out the insert on a scrap piece to get the exact hole size.)

Click here for a chart of their inserts for hardwood.

Click here for a listing of the knife-thread inserts for softwood.

I like to use press-in “Finserts” whenever I can (see photo at left). I don’t have to thread them and risk not getting them in straight. You can simply press or tap them in place. Click here for more information on finserts.

If you scroll to the bottom of these pages, you’ll see links for PDF documents of drawings and charts.

E-Z Lok’s products are sold through a variety of distributors like McMaster-Carr, Reid Tool, and MSC.

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

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

A very popular design with nautical people for many years. I have used teak and birch to add to the nautical idea of the ring.

Teak Wood Ring Teak Wood is hard strong durable yellowish-brown used in shipbuilding. The Teak is incorruptible. It holds its own against all that life throws at it. The silver is sterling silver.

www.simplywoodrings.com

A while back a listener wrote asking about the difference between a left-tilt vs right-tilt tablesaw.  This is a common question that beginning woodworkers have, and with good reason. 

Usually these days the right-tilt saws are much more inexpensive, but even with the lower price most woodworkers prefer the left-tilts.  Why you ask?  I'll give you my opinion in the show.

You may have noticed I'm trying something new today.  I've decided to start recording video of myself recording the show.  This way I can add a little extra here and there, and who doesn't want to look at this mug??

Let me know what you think about this little experiment and of course drop me a line with your questions, comments and suggestions.  And don't forget that Hendrik is back in May and we're talking about starting a small woodworking business, so get your questions in for Hendrik too.  Just drop us a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.

 

Also, Hendrik is starting his annual three part finishing seminars: 
Part 1 "Preparing the Surface and Staining" - May 3rd. 
Part 2 "Hand Finishing and Rubbing Out"    - May 10th or 24th.
Part 3"Antique Restoration Techniques"      - May 31st or June 7th.
So if you live in the Toronto area or feel like visiting it, and you want more information about Hendrik's finishing seminars, send an email to info@passionforwood.com

 Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below

powered by Podbean.com

 

 

 

To download this show directly to your computer just Right Click and "Save Target as".

 

I'm back...last week I ended up flat on my back thanks to the flu!!  I'm still a little weak, but feeling a ton better!!

Today's episode is my response to a listener's email that came in awhile ago.  Scott's in the market for a new router table and maybe a router and was wondering what I might look for if I were looking to get a new one.

Regardless of the manufacturer there are key items and accessories that I consider to be crucial in models I'm looking at.  So for today I'll share with you my thoughts on the router and on the next episode it's time to take a look at router tables.

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

Don't forget to get your questions in for Hendrik's next visit in April, we're talking lumber defects and how to work around them.  For comments, questions and schwag entries drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.

Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below

powered by Podbean.com

Hey Dick, Debbie challenged me too.. while we were chatting yesterday; she mentioned something about CEO dancing clowns.. or maybe she was referring to me ha.

Anyways here we come…

... and now one beautifuuul ballet jump

... and a sweet bonus from my brand new wife lol

These photos are from a great friends wedding (last weekend). I officially contribute them to our 10,000 projects happy dance ;) Who’s next?