Here's the latest pen. This is a Sapele Cigar pen with a segmented celtic double knot made of Maple and Cherry.
There are 32 pieces in the segmented knot - 16 Maple and 16 Cherry. The picture below shows better detail of the knot, but the picture above best shows the true colors of the pen.

The first ever Safety Week has come to a close and here at Matt's Basement Workshop we have some great schwag to giveaway to four of you look listeners of the show.

I was joined by a special guest down in the office who helped to draw the names, so if you didn't win...blame him!!

To learn more about these great products, or to order your own from Woodcraft click on these links. Milescraft Blade Remover & Pushstick Set, ZEM Hearing Protection, Safe Air Power Mask.

Congrats again to our winners and thanks for watching!!

Here I am, this time with handmade jewerly, after a week posting about knitting and crochetting.

I get this beads and I start a very easy necklace. I embroider 12 little beads and 1 bigger bead… until I get the length I wanted.

After that I made the hook.

As you can see I made a hook using wire and modelate it with my pliers (clamps). I made the spiral structure and the hook.

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.

After spending six hours selecting the wood for the project, Tommy reviews how he will mill the pieces. The work includes cutting, joining, acclimating, hand-planing, using a spring jointer and cutting dove tails.

Here's an excellent interview with a young furniture designer showing at the 2007 International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

アメリカ人の木工家、ドリュー・ランズナー氏による椅子づくり講座が９月２７日から始まりました。８人の参加者たちが、クリの丸太を割るところから挑みました。
The greenwood chair making class by American woodworker Drew Langsner started from the 27th September. Eight participants rived chestnut logs to make post-and-rung chairs.

今回の講座には、いくつもの大きな意味があります。

参加者として、飛騨の学校で師範を務める木工のベテランから、工房を構えるプロの木工家、森林文化アカデミーの現役学生、生涯学習講座の常連さんなど、幅広い人たちが集まったこと。グリーンウッドワークによって、木のものづくりを楽しむ人たちの新しいネットワークが生まれつつあります。

そしてアメリカの第一人者を講師に迎え、レベルの高いものづくり講座を美濃で開催できたこと。レベルの高さは、木工のプロたちが参加者として遠方から集まったことでも分かります。ドリュー・ランズナー氏は３０年以上の経験を持ち、何冊もの著書があるグリーンウッドワークの専門家です。こうした木の文化の情報発信を美濃から続けていければと思います。

There are a lot of important meanings to have this class here at the Gifu Academy.
First, the class is organized and run by the Japan Green Woodwork Association, which was established by the graduates, students and short courses participants of the Gifu Academy. It is a good example of feedback to the college by the students.

The second thing is that a new network of people is being established by green woodwork as a catalyst. A master craftsman at the other woodworking college, professional woodworker who runs her own workshop, a regular participant of Gifu Academy short courses, are among the participants.

The third thing is to have had the best-quality woodworking programme here in Mino, Gifu prefecture. Drew Langsner is a famous woodworker who has more than 30 years of experience and published several books about green woodwork and chair making. We are hoping ourselves to be a centre of various woodworking information in Japan.

さて講座の前半の３日間は、ひたすら丸太を割り、四角に削り、それらをさらに八角形へ。
銑＝ドローナイフや、南京鉋＝スポークシェーブと呼ばれる道具を使って、椅子のパーツを作る作業が続きました。

During first three days of the class, the participants rived logs to pieces, and shaved them to square, then octagonal spindles using drawknives and spokeshaves.

Clarence 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:

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Thanks,

Craig

If you’ve checked out a copy of Woodsmith or ShopNotes in the last couple of years, you may have noticed that articles about hand planes and their use have been showing up a little more often. That’s mostly because we have an editor who takes an active interest in promoting their usage — Randy Maxey.

Randy will spend an hour during this Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar Podcast to give us his tips for tuning up a hand plane, a very important procedure if you’ve ever tried to use one. As you may know, an out-of-tune plane, with a dull or nicked iron, can be a real pain to use. This seminar is for “users,” not “collectors.”

Be sure to check out the Woodsmith Podcast Store for links to a few products that Randy used during this seminar. There are also links to Seminar Guide at PlansNow.com

Today we're talking Wood Science 101 with Hendrik Varju.  All of us have been, or should be at sometime concerned with what wood movement can do to our finished projects.  So understanding how and why wood moves is crucial to designing and building pieces that will last through the years.  So check out today's show, which is the first half of a two part discussion on one of the most crucial topics in woodworking.

I'd really like to thank Hendrik for agreeing to come back and talk with us again.  If you're interested in learning more about Hendrik or to order a copy of his DVD "Jointer and Planer Secrets" stop by his website at www.passionforwood.com .  

Coming up next month we're talking about dealing with twist, cup, bow and other wood problems.  So if you have questions drop us a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com and that's also where you can enter for the free schwag drawings too!!

 

Here’s something you’ll want to put on your calendar. PBS will be airing a show entitled, “Craft in America: A Journey to the Artists, Origins, and Techniques of American Craft.” It will air in three episodes beginning on May 30. The most notable artist to be featured—as far as woodworkers are concerned—is Sam Maloof. You can see a list of other artists to be featured here. The web site has a cool virtual exhibit that will show you some of the work of the artisans.

To find out when Craft in America airs in your local area, click here.

I will admit it - I am quite spoiled with some of the infill wood I have. Genuine Brazilian Rosewood tops that list - but a while ago, I ran into a piece that stopped me dead in my tracks. It was a small section of burl. There was not much, and I had to really work to get enough for an XSNo.4.



And even after it was roughed out- I was not 100% sure I had captured enough of it. About a month ago, I started the plane. As I was working away I realized this piece was spectacular.



What sometimes happens is the figure and curl of the wood disappears as you cut it down and fit it to the metal shell. This piece was the reverse. With every cut - the infill kept getting better and better. There was a great light patch of wood on the rear infill that I really wanted to keep. I cheated the rear infill as far to the right as I could to capture as much of that patch as possible. You can see the patch in the photo below.



The front bun was equally spectacular - despite its small size.



This piece of burl was a very rare find. I cannot promise to find another one like this - but there are a few other large pieces that look promising. I just feel lucky to have found this piece.

I’ll admit it. When it came time to set up my shop, I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on lighting. Yep…I’m cheap. So I went to my local big box store and picked out the least expensive flourescent shop lights I could find. But just so you don’t think I’m a total cheapskate, I did upgrade half of the tubes to the newer (and more expensive) daylight or full-spectrum tubes for more natural lighting. I learned that lesson from our new shop here at August Home Publishing. Natural lighting makes a big difference.

Now, my cheapness may come back to haunt me. The Consumer Product Safety Commission has sent out notification of a product recall for shop lights made by Cooper Lighting. You can read all about the recall here. To see the announcement on the CPSC web site, click here.

Well, since my shop lights look suspiciously like the ones that are being recalled, looks like I’ll have to climb a ladder and check them out. And if yours look like the one shown in the photo here, you should do the same.

HI Folks
Was pleased to turn on the computer this morning and find this review......
Glad you liked the plane, Chris!
I better get back in the workshop, then :)
Cheers
Philly

１年生の３番目の課題が、このトレーです。
この実習のためにデザインしたものです。
日本のシンプルなお盆も考えましたが、取っ手をつけてやや洋風にしました。
取っ手の部分を機械でくり抜く加工を入れたかったためです。
The third project for the first year students is this tray, which I designed for the project.
First I thought of Japanese style simple tray but I put handles and made it rather Western style, for the students to learn how to use a router.



加工にはルーターという機械を使います。
まず合板で型をつくり、その上に材料を固定してルーターにかけると、その型どおりに削ることができます。倣い加工といいます。専門用語で治具（じぐ）と呼ばれるこの合板の型をつくるのも、実習の目的です。
Students make a plywood template first. Then place a material on it and cut it according to the template. It is one of the purposes of this project to learn how to make the plywood template, or the 'router jig'.

学生はそれぞれ、好みの形に取っ手をくり抜きました。
隅には、補強のための板「かんざし」を入れます。
Each student routed out their original shape.
The photo showing the keys to reinforce the mitred corner. It is called 'Kanzashi', hair ornaments, in Japanese woodworking.

The 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

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

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

Whenever I use screws to assemble a project, I hide them under wood plugs. Cutting the plugs and gluing them in place is the easy part of the job. The bigger challenge comes once the glue dries — trimming the plugs flush to the surface.

For me, this is a two-step process. First, I use a small back saw to trim off the bulk of the protruding plug. Then I sand or plane the remaining portion flush to the surface. But my lack of care with the back saw often led to problems. If I tried to cut the plug too close, I would scratch or gouge the surface, making more work for myself.

But as is usually the case, a small problem had a simple solution. I dug up a scrap of plastic laminate and made a flush cut shield. The laminate shield has a hole drilled through it slightly larger than the diameter of the plugs. You place the shield over the plug flush to the surface and then saw away without worry (Figure 1). The thin shield allows you to give the plug a very close trim and all that’s needed to finish the job is a little sanding (Figure 2).

For more helpful project tips, techniques, and plans, visit Plansnow.com.

Good Woodworking,

Ted Raife
Online Editor, Woodsmith

We talk a lot around here about the Woodsmith Store. For a little over fifteen years, it was a small, out-of-the-way haven for woodworkers tucked into the Beaverdale neighborhood of Des Moines. Then in 2003 everything changed.

That was when the old Payless Cashways building in Clive was remodeled and Des Moines became home to one of the largest independently-owned woodworking stores in the country. It is truly a regional destination store for woodworkers from all over the Midwest. The store, now over 20,000 square feet in size, is filled with woodworking supplies, tools, machinery and hardwoods. Think Cabella’s, Bass Pro Shops, or L.L. Bean.

This coming weekend, Friday, Saturday and Sunday (September 21st, 22nd and 23rd), the Woodsmith Store will celebrate its 20th Anniversary with a Fall Fair event. There will be a lot going on, not only in the woodworking departments, but in the painting and gardening departments as well. I just thought it deserved a shameless plug here. Hope you can stop by.

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:

I never seem to have enough storage space in my shop. This is especially the case when it comes to screws, fasteners, and other odds and ends. Things I need close at hand, but don’t use every day.

So, to store these and other small items, I built a pull-out storage case, like you see in the photo at right. The case is large enough to hold a couple of small plastic storage cabinets with lots of drawers (the kind you find at hardware stores and home centers). I also added a few shelves to store other items.

Since I wanted to be able to move the case, I placed it on wheels (see drawing at right). A handle attached to the side lets me simply pull it out to get to the items and then push it back out of the way again.

The case fit nicely against the wall next to my workbench. It worked so well that I built a couple more cases and rolled them next to one another. Now I have lots of storage in a space that would have gone to waste.

Good woodworking,
Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

© August Home Publishing Company
2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa 50312

Click here if you’d like to subscribe to ShopNotes magazine.

For a lot of us, the back of a project is usually just a matter of cutting a piece of plywood to fit.  But a specific design may call for something more, or perhaps we just want it looking nicer.

What are our options?  Do we really have options?  Sure!!

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.

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

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Halloween Challenge: LumberJocks | HomeRefurbers | GardenTenders

13 projects have been entered into our Halloween Challenge and I’m very pleased to announce the winners of the prize draw:

1. $50 gift card → Steelmum
2. Leather apron plane holster → mjon
3. Lee Valley cap → jeffthewoodwacker

Congratulations!

———————————————————————————————

Halloween Challenge: LumberJocks | HomeRefurbers | GardenTenders

No, this won't be a comprehensive list, or even an attempt at one. Instead, I'm going to show you some photos of Harbor Freights least expensive turning chisels. I grabbed a set of these because they were $10. I figured: carbon steel, poor grinding. I can regrind the chisels, as well as hone frequently because of the carbon steel.

Little did I know just how dangerous these are.

The chisels bent under normal use. Yes, bent. Right at the tool rest. Especially if because of the turning I can't get the rest right up against the workpiece. The tang that goes into the handle is just a thin, pointed bit of steel. (Sorry, forgot to snap a pic of that. If you want to see it, ask.) It bent easily on the large roughing gouge because the body of the tool was too substantial to bend at the rest.

The more dangerous item was the shattering handle. It shattered and sent the parting tool that was mounted into it flying across the garage. I still haven't found it, though I heard it wizzing past my ear when it launched.

Avoid the HF cheap turning tools if you value your life and health!

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

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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:

The router table in my shop gets lots of use. But it’s always difficut to make fine adjustments to the fence. So I built the micro-adjuster you see in the photo above using spare parts I had around the shop.

The adjuster is easy to build. Start by drilling and tapping a strip of ¼″ aluminum to accept a piece of threaded rod. And then bend the aluminum strip into an “L” shape.

Next, drill two holes in a hardwood adjusting block. One horizontal hole for the threaded rod and a vertical one for the hold-down. Then you can cut a dado at the bottom of the fence to hold the piece of L-shaped aluminum in place.

Assembly. Put the pieces together by slipping the threaded rod through the adjusting block and adding washers and locknuts, like you see in the drawing and detail below. This allows the aluminum strip attached to the fence to be moved forward and backward one thread at a time when you make fine fence adjustments.

Fence Adjustment. To use the micro-adjuster, you’ll first need to lock down the opposite end of the fence. Then lock down the micro-adjuster by tightening the knob on top of the adjusting block. Use the turning knob to adjust the fence to the desired position. Once the fence is located where you want it, lock down the other end of the fence. Then all that’s left is to turn on your router and you’re ready to go.

If you’d like even more great ideas for getting more from your router, go to: Router Tables at PlansNow.

Good Woodworking,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

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