Freedom Pens Project

As an American, I want to wish my fellow countrymen and women a happy and safe Independence Day. To get the festivities off right AND involve woodworking, here’s a great link.

The Freedom Pens Project was established by the members of the Sawmill Creek Woodworking Forum. They have established this non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization to make wooden pens for the American service men and women stationed overseas in combat areas.

Since its inception in 2005, volunteers turning pens for the Freedom Pen effort have produced more than 80,000 pens. Contributions from corporate partners such as Penn State Industries, Rockler and Woodcraft have helped defray the costs, and turning clubs from around the country have - quite literally - turned out thousands of pens.

You don’t even need to own a lathe to help. A contribution of $1.90 is enough to send one pen to a service man or woman deployed overseas.

While the right to disagree with the government’s overseas policy is guaranteed by the Constitution of the United States, supporting the young men and women who have answered the call of duty is widespread across our country. The Freedom Pens Project can show service personnel that we are thinking about them and their day to day safety. Plus, you’ll be providing a tool that person can use to write the folks back home.

While the main site does appear to need some updating, the Sawmill Creek forum that deals with the project can be found here, and the effort is still alive and well.

Delta 12″ Portable Planer 22-540

As with just about every woodworker, all of my first projects were built of 3/4″ material. The plywood, the lumber - everything was exactly as thick as it had come from the home center.

One day, I was holding some sweet wood that was given to me by a local hardwood supplier, and I thought to myself, “There has got to be an easier way to get all of these boards the same thickness without using a belt sander.”

That’s when I went out and got a portable thickness planer.

Sure, I considered some very expensive models. But, since I thought I was only going to need it for a few projects and money was tight, I went with the ‘entry level’ Delta.

When I unpacked the unit, it looked very solid and straightforward. A simple crank handle to adjust depth, two sturdy tables for infeed and outfeed, a cord wrap. Even better was an access port to remove and replace the motor brushes to help with future maintenance. Obviously, Delta didn’t plan on this to be a disposable piece of equipment.

The first project I ‘fed’ this planer was a laminated picture frame stile - strips of walnut, mahogany and maple. The planer’s depth was easy to set, and it made short work of evening out the irregularities. I was stunned how quickly I could produce a really nice surface that only needed some sanding to perfect.

Unfortunately, there was quite a bit of snipe on the ends of the board. I planned for this and made my glue ups longer than I needed, so I was able to cut off the sniped ends and build around it. Since the project was made of free scrap, it didn’t affect me much.

Now that I’m building with more expensive wood, I’ve had to create a work around to reduce the amount of snipe I get. The solution was use a piece of melamine shelving with two cleats screwed to the underside to register it to the infeed and outfeed tables. I also lift up on the edge of the board as it comes out of the planer. These workarounds do OK for now.

I’ve reversed and changed the blades, and the process is relatively simple. It involves unscrewing two allen bolts from each end of the disposable blades. They were also easy to remove and replace. One word of caution, however. Planer blades - even dull ones - can cut you badly if you make contact with them. Always be careful when handling them!

Since this is the first planer I have ever bought or used, I’m sure my review isn’t as valuable as those who have used many others. But, hey, it works for me, and I’m really in no hurry to go out and replace it. My plan is to use it until the thing falls apart. Or, at least, until I hit the lottery!

How to set up and use a shooting board

Hand planes are very useful tools for flattening a board’s face, truing an edge or planing a bevel.  However, if you really want to move your hand planing to a new level, consider using a shooting board.

Shooting boards give you the control you need to accurately plane end grain or miters to absolute precision.   They are easy to build, and the technique to use them is very easy to master.

This site, sponsored by White Mountain Designs, offers step-by-step instructions for building the basic shooting board, add-ons that allow you to plane spot on miters and bevels and tips on how to use the jig with different types of planes.

Even if your power tools are tuned accurately, a shooting board can refine your work to near surgical accuracy.  Take your plane craft to the next level with a shooting board.

My weather station

• September, 2007

I love weather.  I also love woodworking.

What better way is there to satisfy both of my passions than by building a wooden weather station?

This was one of those projects I really enjoyed building because it was built with free scraps.  The Brazilian cherry and maple were cast offs from a neighbor’s shop that I was able to put to work.

For the body of the station, I laminated strips of maple and Brazilian cherry, then bored the holes for each of the instruments.  The top and bottom of the station are moldings I shaped on the router table.  I shaped a rectangle of wood and then ripped the pieces from the larger piece, making for a much safer operation.

I used glue and pocket screws to attach the top and bottom, and discovered just how easy it was to split the wood.  There are two small splits where even the finest pocket screws were too much.

I sanded the piece down to 220 grit, and finished it with the Rude and Crude method - 1# cut of dewaxed shellac, sand with 400 grit, then apply two coats of Danish Oil.

The instruments were purchased from Lee Valley, and they include a thermometer, barometer for measuring atmospheric pressure and a hygrometer, which gives a fairly accurate reading of the relative humidity.  Unfortunately, because I have the  station indoors, I’m reading the temperature and humidity inside my office.

Cape May Winery

Sure, it’s not strictly woodworking, but, hey, I’m on vacation, so you get this.

Believe it or not, in touristy Cape May County, New Jersey, there’s a little bit of a wine renaissance taking place. About 18 years ago, students with Rutgers University planted a sample vineyard in a sleepy little corner of the county, away from the beaches, t-shirt shops and sunburned vacationers.

With Delaware Bay to the west, the Atlantic to the east and some very well-drained soils, classic wine grapes are being harvested and turned into really nice wines. Pino Grigio, Chardonnay and Cabernet Franc are growing well, and the county is quick becoming a wine destination.

Now, what about that woodworking? Well, the vines, winery and tasting room stand on what used to be the estate of one Isaac Smith, the local coffin maker. In fact, the Isaac Smith label is in the shape of - you guessed it - a coffin.

I just had to work some woodworking in on this trip!