At the recent Woodworking Show, one of the highlights was to get reacquainted with Jim Heavey. Jim is the Contributing Craftsman with Wood Magazine, and, just as last year, he brought his funny approach and common sense tips to his seminars.

This year, Jim’s talks were based on building and using jigs and fixtures. For those who get to see this presentation, Jim doesn’t disappoint. His first supposedly 45 minute presentation stretched to nearly an hour and a half, and the audience sat spellbound, hanging on every tip he presented.

In this first presentation, Jim flatly told the audience that in these tough economic times, we all have to get the most out of our tools. Jigs and fixtures not only make tools like a table saw multi-taskers, they also increase the accuracy and safety of the tool as well.

Never was this more evident than in the first fixture he built – the zero clearance insert. With a scrap of ½” multiply or baltic birch plywood, you can pump out a dozen or so blank inserts for your table saw. You can make them so cheaply, that Jim advised that you make them for your commonly used blade setups – one for a regular kerf blade, one for a thin kerf, a separate one for different common dado set ups… and you can still have a few blanks laying around for specialized setups with bevels.

The sacrificial fence he made was a little more complicated than the average board-clamped-to-the-fence. It was built like a torsion box with two sides of MDF and some middle ribs. With glue and screws on all but the middle ribs, even the slightest potential movement of the other face is prevented. Also, even after the first face is chewed up, you can still set the amount of blade buried in the fence by flipping the jig over and referencing off the good back side. Jim advised that woodworkers should built two versions – one that is the length of the fence and another that is about six feet long. The longer fence can trail behind the rip fence and gives a broad reference fence for a long sheet of plywood to rest against while doing rips.

Jim also showed that by flipping the ‘fence’ of a sliding cut off jig to the front of the sled, you can keep it from tipping off the table saw. A marked improvement over ones built with a trailing fence.

As the jig projects were rolled out one after another, Jim acknowledged that the jigs were plans which appeared in Wood magazine. However, he was quick to point out, “Hey, this stuff isn’t rocket science. If you look at the jig and come up to play with it after the presentation, you should be able to go back to your shop and build something similar.”

In his second presentation, Jim could have billed himself as a magician. In the front of the audience, he showed a beautiful mission style night stand with through mortises and exposed tenons made of quarter sawn white oak. The joinery looked very complex and appeared to take an entire arsenal of tools to craft, but, as he said, “Everything – including the mortises and tenons – was cut on a table saw.”

As he described the methods he used, it became clear how it was done. The capital letter I shaped cutout was done by ripping the board in half, cutting the decorative cutouts with a scroll saw and then gluing back a ½” spacer. The mortises were cut by slicing out a ¾” stick strip, crosscutting that strip and then gluing it back together spaced far enough apart to allow a corresponding tenon to fit inside. Even the tenons were inlaid strips.

“Really, it’s THAT easy,” he kept saying as he explained his techniques. When he was done, the audience members came forward to inspect the work, and were able to find where the cuts were made only after careful inspection of the piece. “Oh, and when someone tells you how good your project looks… SHUT UP and take the compliment. They will only see it if you point it out.”

I’m sure I’ll be working with a few of these techniques in some upcoming projects.

Again, while most – if not all – of these techniques were described in the pages of Wood Magazine, having a professional – and quite talented – craftsman there to explain each of the operations was valuable.

This past weekend, I went to the Tampa edition of the Woodworking Show, and I’m glad I did.

For those of you not familiar, the Woodworking Show is a traveling woodworking expo where woodworkers can come to see new tools, buy scads of new products and get a great deal of advice.  This is now my fourth year of attending the Tampa show, and every year I look forward to it.

This year, I noticed something very interesting and quite unexpected – the place was crowded.  Even in these uncertain economic times, woodworkers were packed shoulder to shoulder at demonstration booths taking in the presentations about Carter band saw guides, Grip Tite magnetic feather boards and the Prazi Chestmate dovetail jig.  I spoke with several of the exhibitors who all sang the same refrain – there has been a significant increase in attendance over  the past few years, and people were buying – the smaller items.

Oh, sure, the ‘big iron’ was there.  I got to see both Saw Stop table saw models at the same time, and the newly redesigned Delta Unisaw attracted a crowd.  However, those units were not moving as they had in years gone by.  To me, it appeared that the folks who were lovingly caressing the handles and cast iron tops were taking mental notes to consider a later purchase.

Surprisingly, there were very few ‘brand new’ designs being offered.  The folks at the Kreg Tools booth (one of the larger ones at the show) were even lamenting openly that the only really ‘new’ item they were offering was their brand new corner clamp to help with cabinet assembly.

While most of the tools weren’t bleeding edge new to the industry, they were certainly new to me.  I finally had an opportunity to see the DeWalt and Festool track saws almost side-by-side (they were a two minute walk apart, but that was manageable).  I’m not sure which model is ‘better’, but both systems are very slick and quite an improvement over your basic circular saw.

I also rediscovered something about the craft – namely that there must be a thousand different ways to get from point A to point B.  No fewer than four ‘dovetailing’ systems were being demonstrated – systems that made through dovetails, half-blind dovetails, decorative dovetails… the works.

My favorite vendor booth was from Lee Valley tools. They had a great selection of chisels, planes, saws and other tools from their catalog, and had benches set up where customers could use them.  I had my eye on about a dozen tools, but the woodworking budget was far from enough to cover everything I wanted.  I settled on one of the new design Veritas dovetail saws, which should be coming in the next few days.

There was a new emphasis on hand tools at the show, with an exhibit area called the hand tool rodeo.  The presentation primarily covered the hand plane and was valuable in showing what the working parts were and how the functioned.  At this booth, a local woodworker had brought a selection of his own tools for expo goers to use.  It was a treat to use his massive beech jointer on a piece of cherry.  More to come on this…

Tucked away on one side of the expo was one of the most valuable areas – it was the table set up for several of the local woodworking guilds.  There, local woodworkers and turners were showing off their projects and touting the advantages of joining the clubs.  I know this would run counter to the purpose of the expo, but I would have loved to have seen those tables in a more prominent place where they could have seen some additional traffic.

Finally, the best part were the education booths.  Wow, from cabinet building to finishing, those booths offered a great deal of advice for novice to advanced woodworkers.  Turning, finishing and cabinetmaking lessons were all taught, but the highlight of the show was the booth sponsored by Wood Magazine.  There, Jim Heavey was offering some common-sense woodworking tips to help stretch your woodworking dollar, get more accuracy in your cutting and improve the safety of your shop.

After six hours of wandering the Florida State Fairgrounds entertainment hall, I was beat.  But, I also left the expo feeling recharged, wanting to get out into the shop to try some of the new techniques I learned and tools I purchased.

All in all, an excellent way to spend a Saturday.

While they may have lost some of their luster due to the Internet and the current economic situation, woodworking shows and expos are some very interesting places to visit.  You get to meet and talk with – in many cases – the same people who created the tools they are selling, to hold the tools in your hands and see them in operation.

Yesterday, while I was at the Woodworking Show in Tampa, I saw some folks hugging the wall just taking some mental notes on what they wanted to buy, while others were staggering out the doors of the convention hall, struggling to carry home all of their goodies.

This week, we want to know how you feel about purchasing something – anything – at a woodworking show or expo.

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Scrollsaw.com

The scroll saw is one of the most underutilized tools in the shop.  Most woodworkers think about it when they need to cut an intricately patterned fretwork for a project, but fail to realize its full potential in cutting three -dimensional projects and joinery.

Scrollsaw.com is a site that is totally dedicated to the use of this versatile tool.  There is a free guide available for beginning scrollers which gives the basics and history of the tool, and technical information about blade selection, the proper setting of hold down pressure, how to keep your pattern free from dust as you cut and dozens of other topics.

The site also offers links to dozens of plans from the most basic to very challenging.  Toys, insartia and even furniture plans are covered in the selection.  Some are free while others are for sale.

If you have a scroll saw that’s collecting dust in your shop, this site is worth a visit.

We’re now entering spring, and that means a few important things.

First of all, my allergies are going haywire. But, that’s neither here nor there. It also means the start of the baseball season, lawnmowers will be coming out of their winter hibernation and the flowers will be blooming. Of course, this holds true if you live in the northern hemisphere… but, again, I’m getting away from myself.

It’s also the time that fashion designer start flocking to cutting-edge cities such as Paris, Milan and New York for the unveiling of the newest spring fashions. I’ve seen a few of these shows on TV, and, I have to confess, some of the designers must be playing with their Barbie dolls a little bit too much. There are very few self-respecting women who would admit to wearing any of those avant-garde designs right off the runway.

That’s why I like sensible clothes. Pants that are durable, shirts that fit and are comfortable and clothes that just don’t wear out when you are working hard.

In one small upper Midwestern city, that’s exactly what’s coming off the designer’s sketchpad. Duluth Trading, a company that sells clothes for working men and women, designs their work wear to last.

This company, which was founded in the late 1980′s by two brothers who invented the Bucket Boss, grew through the years to encompass other tool holders and a basic line of branded work wear.

Suzanne Harms, the company’s marketing director, said that it was important early on for Duluth Trading to reach out to woodworkers through the woodworking magazines. “Our brand and products are built around guys who thrive on the craftsmanship and challenge of working with their hands. Carpenters, woodworkers, cabinet makers, builders, remodelers, hobbyists, the guy building a deck, tinkers and gadget and gear heads, car enthusiasts, bikers, hobby farmers. As our business has grown rapidly in the last 8 years, we’re appealing to a broader range of hands-on men and women. And our focus is more clearly on designing apparel and gear that supports what Duluth customers do – and help them do what they do better and safer.”

All of their clothing – from the signature fire hose cotton canvas items down to belts, suspenders and other accessories, are designed with input from working men and women and then evaluated by the trades panel. “We have a trades panel of eight guys here locally, and the same type of test panel type group for women’s clothes. Our panel members are very direct and very connected to what works and what doesn’t.”

Features such as extremely durable stitching, oversized pockets and even longer zipper pulls were worked into the design of the clothes to provide longevity and convenience. In fact, the company is now offering a guarantee on their trademarked Fire Hose work pants. “If you can wear them out, send them back to us. We’ll buy you the next pair and take care of shipping as well.”

The same type of quality applies to the tools and tool bags offered in the catalogs. While Duluth Trading doesn’t offer large power tools or many hand tools, their offerings cover some interesting personal tools designed to be carried in a pocket. Pocket knives, small precision tool kits and flashlights don’t do a great deal of work, but they make working much easier. “We have gotten some outstanding reviews from Popular Mechanics, woodworking magazines, HGTVPro, woodworking school directors, contractors/remodeling magazines – the list can go on for a while.”

While their products very tough and useful, the Duluth Trading ad copywriters have a great deal of fun when describing and designing their products. One of the funniest and longest-lived ads deals with their extra long tail work t-shirts. They are advertised to cover the dreaded ‘plumber’s butt,’ and are sold in a small plastic pail marked ‘Crack Spackle.’ “The fun atmosphere here leads to some often unexpected humor. The storytelling and ‘MacGuyver meets Paul Bunyan’ approach to product development makes it a great place to work.”

The work wear industry is a crowded one, but Duluth Trading is happiest when blazing their own trail. “We are who we are and we do not want to be the competition – we want to provide the best resource and experience for our customers.”

I’m from a pretty large Italian-American (read Roman Catholic) family.  My wife’s family is also Roman Catholic.  This means that during the spring of every year, we get notified about upcoming First Communions and Confirmations for nieces and nephews.  These events are pretty special, and buying a gift card to Target really won’t cut it as an appropriate gift for the child being honored.

What I came up with was the simple cross project.  This is not only a memorable hand-made gift, it’s also a great way to practice your skills on a small project and use up some of that really choice scrap wood lying around your shop.

In order to make the cross a little more visually interesting, you will want to do a glue up of some contrasting woods into a blank anywhere between 1 1/2″ – 2 ” wide.  Maple and walnut make a classic combination, but any combination will work.  For this cross, I used some tiger maple and padauk that had been lying around for a while.  I glued the pieces together into a strip that measured approximately 22″ long.  You won’t need all of the length, but it’s better to have more than less…

Once the glue is cured, that’s a great time to pull the piece out of the clamps and either sand or plane them flush.  You want the pieces to be a uniform thickness, but the exact thickness isn’t that critical.  I shoot for 3/4″ thick using my thickness planer.  I’m left with a pretty sweet looking strip that’s ready to work.

The next step is to square up the ends.  I did this on my table saw with my Osborne EB-3 miter guide.  If you left your blank long and you had snipe, you will be able to clip off those affected areas.  This is also the time to start cutting the pieces to size.

Now is a good time to tell you that when I built these crosses in the past, I would use a half-lap joint.  It’s a very good joint for this application, but they took a long time to cut and it seemed no matter how careful I was, I could count on something going wrong… maybe the joint would be a wee bit too sloppy, maybe the thicknesses weren’t perfect.  Now, I’m using dowels to do the joinery, and I have found it to be an easier way to go.

The upright piece – with my project’s width at 1 3/4″ – should be 12″ long.  That’s what looks right to my eye.  I also like to keep the upright intact from top to bottom – I feel this makes the cross look more ‘uplifting’. The crosspiece should measure out about 2/3 of that length – 8″ side to side.  Using the half-lap method, you would cut this 8″.  Using dowels, subtracting the width of the piece and dividing the remainder in half, I came up with two pieces 3 1/4″ long.

Before you get into the joinery, there’s one more step that is critical to perform.  If the cross is going to hang on a wall, you will need to provide some method for that.  Sure, there are keyhole router bits that will give you the properly shaped slot, but I have found that a small diameter dovetail bit will be adequate.  Just plunge the work down onto the bit installed in a table mounted router somewhere above where the crosspiece will be, and push the work so the bit travels toward the top of the upright.  This will give you the right shape so someone could hang this on a nail in the wall. Do it now, or it will be tough going around the crosspieces.

For the dowel joinery, I turned to the Joint Genie. I have found this to be a very precise dowel jig that gives a lot of flexibility.  It consists of a nickel plated body with through holes spaced evenly.  It also has fins on the edges – by using the fins, it’s easy to roughly center the dowel spacing on the board and allows you to index all pieces to this same spacing.  A tail fin sets the position from the end of the board consistently.

Using the block with the 1/4″ dowel openings and the supplied 1/4″ bit and stop collar, I clamped the jig in place and using the dowel holes at the bottom of the jig, drilled two holes.  I repeated this operation on the other side, flipping the fins to the opposite side of the jig to get the same reference.

From there, I used the jig to drill into the ends of the cross pieces.  Again, the Joint Genie allowed me to get the proper spacing the first time out – a very useful feature.

Here’s a shot of the cross dry-fitted with the dowels in place.  I know that dowels aren’t going to provide the strength of the cross-lap, but this is a decorative piece – and I have found myself having to make lots of these (My record for one session was five).  The dowel process really speeds my joinery and still provides all the strength I need.

All I need to do now is glue it up, sand and finish, and it will be ready to package and ship.  This one is going to my Godson for his Fist Communion, but I’m sure I’ll  be building more…

All of the instruction manuals for your power tools tell you to give your complete, undivided attention to operating the tools.  However, if you look into most shops, you will find that woodworkers are splitting their attention – slightly – by listening to music or talk radio while doing their work.

Since it’s very unlikely that you will be continuously running your table saw or router for hours on end, most woodworkers are easily able to focus on those particular cuts for the necessary time and then listen to something else between operations.  And, when it comes to a tedious task like sanding, well, a radio is very much appreicated.

This week, we want to know what you listen to while in the shop.  Sure, you may listen to several different things, but which is the primary thing you will listen to.

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