When I packed my shop to move from Columbus, Ohio to Des Moines, I just wrapped all my table saw blades in newspaper and stacked them in a box.  I didn’t take time to sort out the ones that needed sharpened and the ones that probably should have been discarded (I hate throwing out saw blades).

So when I finally set up shop in my two-car garage, I was using the same saw blade in my table saw that I was using in Ohio. It was a Signature Series blade made by Oldham. I’ve been very happy with it. But lately, I’ve noticed it was pretty dull.  So rather than send it out for sharpening just yet, I thought maybe it was time to step up to a premium blade.  Of course, the Forrest Woodworker II has ruled the roost in saw blades for many years.  I’m just old enough to hate having to spend $120 on a saw blade.  I’m used to the good old days when you could get a decent blade for less than $40.  But I’ve also been reading a lot of good things about the Freud Premier Fusion blade.  Now, it’s not inexpensive either (around $100), but I needed (er…wanted) a new blade. 

So I went to the Woodsmith Store to buy one.  I met up with Dave Larson, the store manager.  He proceeded to tell me an interesting story about the Freud Premier Fusion blade.  He said that blade has been around for about ten years and was just called the “F410″ and was a nominal seller.  Then one of the woodworking magazines did a review of it a few years ago.  Sales started to climb.  Freud realized they had a winner on their hands, put into motion a massive marketing campaign, and named the blade the “Premier Fusion.”  Their web site now lists it as the P410 (for the 10″ blade).

So I bought the Freud Premier Fusion and brought it home.  I put it on my 10-year old Craftsman table saw.  I was favorably impressed.  Crosscutting red oak left an extremely smooth surface.  I grabbed a piece of melamine particleboard for the ultimate test.  Again, the cut was nice and smooth and the top edge of the cut line was nice and crisp with no chipout.  There was just the smallest amount of chipout on the bottom edge, but hardly noticable.  But I did notice something curious.  I compared the tooth geometry on the Freud Premier Fusion with the Oldham Signature Series blade.  They looked strikingly similar.

Well, I’m in the middle of trying to clean up and reorganize my shop.  So I grabbed the stack of saw blades I had moved from Ohio.  In it, I found a barely used Freud Diablo blade with the gold coating.  Still sharp.  And I found a CMT fine cut-off blade.  Hmm…I forgot about that one.  But it needs sharpened.  So I’ve got the two blades that need sharpened plus the one that’s like new.  I guess I really didn’t need to buy that Freud Premier Fusion.  But I’m not going to return it, either.

A humble ring which honors all of the women and men that have made they life's work of clothing and sheltering the human race.

See more like this ring at http://www.simplywoodrings.com.

Quite a few of the camp members got together during the last year and built gers (popularly called yurts) for this year's Pennsic. They bought air-dried ash from a saw mill, and built rather impressive tents. Anne and I have had a ger for the last five or six years, and they are extremely comfortable camping ? even when it rains (or pours) steadily for six days, like it did last year.

One good thing about gers is how they resist wind. Because they are domed at the top, and all the force of the roof's weight is transfered down to the walls, when a strong wind comes it pushes the entire structure tighter to the ground, using the same aerodynamics that lift an airplane (only in reverse). I'm always glad of this when heavy thunderstorms come through. It wouldn't survive a tornado, of course, but as long as the materials hold, I'm fairly confident that the tent won't fail in linear winds.

Another plus is the fact that they have holes at the peak of the roof that can be uncovered in good weather. This lets air circulate as though the entire tent were a chimney. With the smoke hole open and the tent walls slightly raised, the air flow keeps the tent almost the same temperature as the outside.

Gers have walls that support rafters pegged into a roof ring. There are no internal supports, so a 16' diameter tent like the one Anne and I use, is entirely usable space with five or six foot tall walls at the outside and rafters that rise to a peak of 8 or 9 feet. The walls are a lattice of cross-bound staves that are arranged like those expandable baby gates: the lattice opens out to form a wall of diamond openings (see below). The latice is very flexible and can rollup fairly tightly.

The red column above is the wall (called the khana) of a 16' diameter tent with 5' walls. Like all of the new gers, they stained the wood of the khana, rafters, and roof rings to match and attached the staves of the khana with aluminum aircraft rivets.

The pile of red wood above is all the rafters for the same ger. These fit into a roof ring at the top and sit on a wire at the bottom. In some designs the rafters are notched and sit on the x of the lattice walls

Above is the wall and door of another tent, being assembled. This is the same size tent as the red one. In this case, the walls are held fast by the door frame and by the wire that encircles the top of the wall. In traditional gers, there are belly bands that encircle the lattice of the khana and prevent the circle from expanding during use.

Here is the roof ring that supports the top end of the rafters. It is leaning against the outside of another of the new gers.

Above the roof is being put on the ger. In these a ladder is used, but in many constructions the ring can be raised from the ground. In fact, traditional Mongolian gers have two poles that lash onto the roof ring and allow the rafters to be assembled by one or two people without the use of a ladder.

Several of the new gers had quite impressive wooden doors on them. Unfortunately, I neglected to take pictures of them. Adding a wooden door to our tent is a project I've had in mind for some time now. Perhaps I'll make one for next year. For now, we're comfortable with a canvas door panel.

I'm pretty happy with how it's come out. I used a new finish technique (CA/BLO) that I haven't used before and I'm quite pleased with the results. To see the others as they are completed, head on over to my other site...

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.

Cen-Tech Digital Angle Gauge
From Harbor Freight. Regular price $29.99, at the time of this writing it is on sale for $24.95!

I know, Wixey has the name for these little digital angle gauges. But the HF version works just fine.

It ships with the angle finder and an instruction sheet (I hesitate to call it a pamphlet) in a small white paper box.

It's pretty straightforward to use. Set it on your horizontal surface and turn it on. Give it a few seconds to settle on an angle then push the "Calibrate" button. The trick here is not to move the device while pushing the button. If you move it too much it will either be inaccurate or you'll get an "Err" on the display. Once you've calibrated it and it reads zero, put it on your blade or fence (my Rockwell 4" Jointer is in the photo). Give it a few seconds to settle then adjust your device a bit at a time. You have to let it catch up to your adjustments, so adjust slowly. Once you think you are set, wait a few more seconds to let the reading settle down. You may have to make another tiny adjustment at this point to nail your desired angle.

Once you're done, or you've got an "Err" on the display, press and hold the "On/Off" button for 5 seconds to turn the device off.

Not having owned a Wixey or other Digital Angle Gauge, I can't do a direct comparison. But the HF one is very accurate. It is sensitive to being picked up or moved too suddenly while it is turned on, resulting in the "Err" display, but rebooting the device takes care of the error.

It was definitely worth the $$.

Highland Woodworking is excited to announce the addition of John Jordan Turning tools! An internationally renowned Wood Turner and teacher, John Jordan's works have graced The Renwick Gallery of The Smithsonian, The White House, The Boston Museum of Fine Art and Atlanta's High Museum of Art.

John Jordan tools have been developed over time and are a result of his many years of creating pieces that are known for their creative detail and texturing. Mention the name John Jordan while around any group of wood turners and the reaction is one of amazing respect. The fine reputation that follows him is echoed in the tools he has created.

Visit the John Jordan Wood Turning Tool collection at Highland Woodworking!

The final step of the transformation from rough piece of wood to finished piece is a healthy coat of BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil). After the assembly of part 2 of the current project, here is what our original board looks like now.

When they say it’s hot in Vegas, they aren’t kidding. And even though the show floor is air-conditioned, there are some hot new products heating up the arena.

Porter-Cable is set to announce a whole lineup of new tools tomorrow night at a press briefing. I’m going to see if I can sneak in the back door and let you know what I find out.

I got to spend some time at the Rikon Power Tools booth. I met and spoke for a few moments with Erin Riley, president. She said that the company is relatively new (around seven years old) and that Rikon tools have only been around for a little over four years. Steve Mangano, vice president, took some time to show me some of their products. They’ve got some innovative features on their band saws, and I was impressed with their table saw with sliding table. At just under $2,000, I think it’s a bargain with all the features and capabilities. They even have in their product line a couple of radial drill presses. I have an old Rockwell radial drill press that my dad gave me. I think every woodworker should own one. You can read all about their products on the Rikon Power Tools web site.

And Bessey Tools has got a new clamp that’s got my attention. It was originally introduced a few years ago but went away for a redesign and was re-introduced a few months ago. Look for the new DuoKlamp at your Bessey retailer. The product is so new, I couldn’t find it on their web site, but be on the lookout for it.

A chat with John McInerney, VP Sales/Marketing at Amana Tool was worth the time. He say’s they’re redirecting some of their sales efforts to broaden the product line for the home woodworker. Some products that are more used in a production shop have just as much appeal to a hobbyist woodworker. For example, a number of their router bits will be available with replaceable carbide inserts. This has a lot of advantages, according to John. For one, they can use a harder, finer grade of carbide since it wouldn’t be subjected to the heat of brazing it to a steel body. That means a sharper, longer-lasting edge — two other advantages for woodworkers. The initial investment might be a little more, but the costs of replacing the inserts will be considerably less than the cost of a new, traditional-style bit.

Well, I’m off now to see what’s up with the Kreg Tool Company.

Stay tuned for further developments.

I have completed dimensioning, handplaning and scraping the surfaces of the panels for the drawer cases. The panels were longer in length than necessary, an extra length allowance of each of the panels comprises one side of each drawer case. These drawer case sides will be rabbeted into the top and bottom panels. The grain orientation of the drawer cases is similar to the cabinet top and bottom, this is purposely designed in to accommodate any expansion and contraction due to humidity changes in the ambient air. In the lower drawer case, the sides are somewhat longer to accommodate two drawers and a drawer divider. The hardwood drawer divider will be fitted into dadoed slots in the center of either side of the drawer case. Dadoes run perpendicular to grain orientation as opposed to grooves which run parallel to the grain orientation.

The drawer case sides, and top and bottom panels are oriented in the same direction to have the complete drawer case movement occur front to back similar to the cabinet itself. The drawer case sides need to be trimmed to size next and then a dado created in the dual drawer case. The drawer cases are assembled afterwards with careful attention to maintaining the drawer cases perfectly square. Once the assembly is complete, I will fit the drawer divider into its dado.

I'm anxious to begin work on the drawers and have yet to decide whether the drawer faces will be a contrasting color, most likely so. In this case, I need to find a wood which complements European Beech.

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"

Everybody has their little secrets. Mine is moonshine. Moonshine works for me. It allows me to focus, to get the job done, in fact, without moonshine, I'ld have to find...

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The latest Popular Woodworking magazine has a good shooting board article with plans. An expanded version of the article is available as a PDF file. It is pretty big at almost 2mb so it might take awhile to load over a slower intenet connection.

I’m keenly aware of the affects of breathing in too much dust thanks to an unfortunate attempt years ago to carve a duck decoy with a moto-tool! Now, whenever I’m sanding or routing (or doing any job that produces a lot of fine dust) I wear a dust mask. The problem with your typical dust mask is that they don’t work very well.

Believe me, this is not an area where “good enough” suffices. You certainly don’t want to scrimp on dust protection, but too often I’m using an old mask that’s past the point of effectiveness. That’s why I recently spent the money on a half-mask respirator (photo at left). I like this 3M product for several reasons, including the fact that it’s comfortable to wear and economical (they retail most places for around $10 - $12).

But the thing I like best about it is that there are a wide variety of filters available. There are cartridges and filters designed to be used when working with sawdust, as well as fiberglass insulation, pesticides, lawn chemicals, and spray finishes. The respirator I purchased didn’t come with a cartridge included, so I was able to save a little by buying just the ones I needed.

I picked up my respirator at McFeely’s.com, but they’re available at several locations including Ace Hardware and Lowes.

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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.

The base molding is on so, after downing a double espresso, Tommy gets to work sanding it. Then he reviews how he made the transitional pieces and attached them to the feet. Next, Tommy attaches the feet to the base and points out the horrible mistake he made and how he's going to fix it.

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.

So today I get a copy of the WoodWorker's Book Club bulletin and it lists the "Top 50 Member Favorites." I eagerly flipped through to see if my book on workbenches made the list.

It did. It was No. 30.

I was quite pleased by this bit of news. It was good to be on the same list as Taunton's "Complete Illustrated Guides" (at No. 1), Kerry Pierce's "Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture" (No. 2) and Jim Tolpin's "Measure Twice, Cut Once" (No. 3, and one of my favorite woodworking books).

But my moment of glee was quickly flung into the dirty litterbox when I saw what aced me out at No 28: "Black & Decker's 24 Weekend Projects for Pets."  

That put my tail between my legs. Time to go home and start writing that birdhouse book I've had on the back burner.

— Christopher Schwarz

This morning I went through my Woodworking Link Farm to make sure the links still worked. I had to delete a few, but for many of them I was able to find the new address, and in the case of Bob Keye's Bench Pages, I was happy to find I could use a Wayback Machine link.

If you're looking to browse woodworking (and related) Web sites this could be a good start:

http://www.robertkarl.org/pages/woodworking_and_tool_bookmarks.html

Even though I was going quickly through the links (to finish in one sitting), it was still fun to browse through these again.

Hi! I found this pattern on the web, on sandyfroglegs blog. They are really cute to make as a gift on this holidays. I´ve made only one, but I´ll share it with you now so you can make them for Eastern holiday.

The pattern is really clear: just follow the step by step (or row by row) instructions.

My egg seems Einstein, so I named it Einstegg. I made the eyes and mouth with yarns, but you can try other materials, like beads, for example.

Editor's note: Because it's "Workbench Week Internazionale" I decided to tie up a loose end from my book: "Workbenches: from Blah, blah blah to Yadda yadda yadda." On page 57 I discuss Thomas Stangeland's bench and point out how the best woodworking I've seen has been built on the most minimal of workbenches.

Helpful reader Tom Moore visited Stangeland's shop recently and snapped the above photo of the bench. Below is the story that goes with that workbench.


In 2006 I taught a class in handwork at a school where Thomas Stangeland, a maestro at Greene & Greene-inspired work, was also teaching a class. Though we both strive for the same result in craftsmanship, the process we each use couldn’t be more different. He builds furniture for a living, and he enjoys it. I build furniture because I enjoy it, and I sell an occasional piece.

One evening we each gave a presentation to the students about our work. One of the pieces I showed was an image of my French workbench. I discussed its unusual workholding devices and how the bench was a bit of a Thor Heyerdahl experience.

Thomas then got up and said he wished he had a picture to show of his workbench for the last decade: a door on a couple horses. He said that a commercial shop had no time to waste on building a traditional bench. And with his power-tool approach, he just needed a flat surface and some clamps to work.

It’s hard to argue with the end result. His furniture is beautiful.

But what’s important to note here is that you can get by with the door-off-the-floor approach, but there are many commercial woodworkers who still see the utility of a traditional workbench. Chairmaker and furnituremaker Brian Boggs uses more newfangled routers and shop-made devices with aluminum extrusions than I have ever seen in a shop. And he still has two enormous traditional workbenches that see constant use.

The point here is that a good bench won’t make you a better woodworker. And a not-quite-a-bench won’t doom you to failure. But a good bench in any shop will make many power-tool operations easier and open the door to permit you to try many hand-tool operations. The bench is simply another tool. It’s the biggest wooden clamp in the shop.

As Thomas was wrapping up his part of the show he showed an interesting slide of an enormous and thick slab of an exotic wood he had been stashing for years and years in his shop.

“I just need to find the right project for it,� he said.

“Hey Thomas,� I heckled, “that slab sure would make a great benchtop.�

He laughed. Next slide, please.

— Christopher Schwarz

The club, which was started a year and a half ago, has grown to over 20 members. 8 to 10 usually show up for our monthly meetings, where we do as many hands-on projects as possible.

Most of these women are brand new to woodworking?some are retired, with grown children?and all are enthusiastic to learn. The enthusiasm can be gauged in the sheer volume of exhuberant chatter that goes on during our meetings.

Regarding woodworking (and probably most things), all that women seem to need is a little encouragement & patience, and they will dive right in. Tonight, we worked on part 2 of our current project?cutting boards?in the Woodcraft Store shop where we meet. During the course of the 3-part project, they are learning how to use the jointer, planer, and miter saw. Next time, we'll have a router workshop, when we'll round over all the cutting boards and test drive different types of routers and bits.

We decide at each meeting, as a group, what the next topic will be. There are no dues, no officers, no business to attend to. We sit at a table, facing one another. All of the women have ownership. It's very different from what I call the "boys' club"?the other woodworking club to which I belong. Up until last year, I was the only female member.

In the boys' club, the guys seem to prefer hierarchy and structured meetings. We have officers, dues, and an annual business meeting. There are too many guys in that club (and too small a space) to do much hands-on stuff, so we mainly have a demo or lecture. Members sit in rows of chairs and face the presenter. The volume of these meetings is also different. Pretty quiet, except for the speaker, and the occasional wisecrack. The guys chat with one another prior to and after the meeting, but not so much during.

The other very important difference in the two clubs: the women's club usually has snacks. This past year in the boys' club, when the Christmas party was discussed, the guys opted to not have one. Conversely, the women all but leapt out of their seats with a resounding "YES!" when I asked if we wanted to have a club Christmas dinner.

And you wouldn't believe what they brought. Crab cakes, homemade lasagna, homemade meatballs (made by one woman's husband, which cracked us up), salads, and desserts like you'd find at Wegman's.

It's great fun to be an observer in both clubs. Despite their differences, there is one common thread between the two clubs: they both consist of people who want to create something?something useful, something artistic, something challenging. Something that will leave a lasting mark.

I was in Toronto on Tuesday - visiting with some good friends - Anson and Joanne. I was also delivering this little Blackwood infilled XSNo.4. This plane has a few unique features worth noting.

The sole of this plane may look pretty typical - but the material is quite unique - it is pure iron. There is a very skilled blacksmith in town here - and during one of my visits, I asked him if there was a material that would be “rust proof�. He said he had some pure iron from France that might be suitable. So he gave me a piece to try.

This plane is going to spend a good part of its life restoring a boat on the east coast - so rust was a primary concern. I used brass pins to hold the infill in - to eliminate another potential rust area. I used a steel pin to hold the lever cap - I was concerned that a 3/16"D brass pin would not hold up over time.

The pure iron sole was a real treat to work with - much softer than the 01 I usually use. It felt more like bronze than steel. It piened beautifully! I suspect this won’t be the last pure iron sole I use.

Tommy builds a custom scrub plane to work the side shapes of the bombe lower cabinet. He transposes the curve to the bottom edge of the plane and the blade and then shapes the tool. Once the plane is shaped, he shows off the new plane working the sides. PLANE, PLANE, PLANE...Nothing like making a tool before you start the job.

Ever wonder how Google Books and some of those other freebie book sites manage to produce those anemic looking book pages? You know, the ones that look as if someone...

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