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Experiences

Woodworking convergence

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The crazy thing about woodworking as a hobby is that – for the most part – it’s a solitary type of event. You get time away from everyone in your sanctum, alone with your thoughts.

I'm such a goof...

Yeah, for an extrovert (more like an exhibitionist) like me, that’s not gonna cut it. That’s part of the reason why I have been keeping this blog going for coming up on seven (???) years.

The other thing I have noticed is that other woodworkers seem to enjoy the whole woodworking community thing. That’s why I could feel the stars align earlier this week when everyone’s favorite Jersey-bred Italian woodworker Marc Spagnuolo paid a visit to Dirty Water lovin’ Boston-to-the-heart Wicked Pissah Tommy MacDonald’s shop to shoot an upcoming episode of Rough Cut.

Marc and Tommy MarcandTommy

While this fuzzy focus film grab isn’t as exciting as seeing Bigfoot in the wild, it does capture a fleeting glimpse of two of the biggest up-and-coming names in woodworking in the same shop preparing to build a project that will be coming out in the next season.

Now, this is hardly the first time two big-name woodworkers have gotten together. There was the time that Steve Ramsey of Woodworking for Mere Mortals met his new neighbor… what’s his name?

And, of course magazines always bring big names in woodworking – like Norm Abram and Steve Shanesy of Popular Woodworking – together for articles that go beyond the simple, “Here’s how you build that,” to shed more light on the entire process and the joy they get from the craft.

Norm and Steve

I think that’s why events such as Weekend with Wood and Woodworking in America are also catching on – it’s bringing together more and more folks to make the craft a whole lot more dynamic. And, local woodworking stores like Infinity Cutting Tools are offering classes, as are established woodworking schools like the Franklin Street Fine Woodworking School here in Tampa…

Well, folks, it’s a movement.

And, I couldn’t be any happier to be a small part of it!

Projects

I’m far behind, but catching up

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I remember being totally caught up once. Back in 1986. It was the best 15 minutes of my life.

Ever since then, I’ve been playing an ever-maddening game of catch up at work, at home, in the shop. Yup, even there!

Remember waaaay back in March, when I started talking about building some dresser top valets for my nephews? Yeah, about that…

I got sidetracked with an important project for my coworker. And, I had the start of hurricane season. And, the little health thingy…

OK, enough of that. It is now time to get out and build my first dresser top valet, and I had a blast working on it this weekend.  I had milled up some walnut for these projects back in April, and the boards have been sitting since then, just waiting patiently for me to get off my butt and into the shop. Spread out on the bench That’s just what I did, carefully cutting the pieces to size and marking them per the plan. I have got to tell you, it was fun being out in the shop again, working at the bench making a pile of wood into a project.   One thing about the plan I am using is that it’s a router-heavy plan, allowing me a lot of time to use the router table. MicroJig Push BlockThese MicroJig Push Blocks helped to make the job a whole lot easier, and a ton safer, as I cut the rabbets and dadoes necessary to put the pieces together. The case comes together With some Bruce Springsteen on the shop stereo, I was in the groove – so to speak. I was able to get all of the pieces in place, and noticed that everything was going to plan. And, when the time came to glue the piece together, I felt that familiar nervousness – had I thought everything through?

Glued up

Well, you bet I did.  The piece came together nicely, with the base of the case already glued up and good to go.

The offcuts

I have been mothering over my supply of walnut because I am getting close to the end of what I have milled, so I will be carefully using it to ensure it can make it all the way.

Plans

The weekly plan

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This Old House’s Cornhole game plan

So, you are outside enjoying the summer weather, but how many times can you reread that same magazine, break up squabbles between the kids or hear Uncle Earl gripe about the traffic getting to your favorite campsite? You know, what you need is a distraction!

This Old House's Cornhole game

And, that’s what today’s plan from This Old House offers – a simple plan to build a bean bag toss – or cornhole – game. Using some construction lumber and plywood, you can create a game that will make happy campers – or beachgoers – for hours.

Link of the week

Link of the week

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The Moringa Community Third World Woodworking Project

In western Africa, the challenges that need to be overcome are daunting. The Moringa Community is an organization that is seeking to improve the lives of the residents of Ghana by teaching important skills such as food preservation, textile arts and industrial skills – such as woodworking!

Moringa Community woodworking

That’s right, the third world woodworking project is teaching local Ghanans how to learn carpentry and furniture making to build homes and furniture that can be sold locally, keeping the nation’s limited wealth home. Because of the lack of the country’s infrastructure, the emphasis is on portable power tools to improve the speed of the woodworking process.

Ultimately the plan is for the program to become entirely self-sufficient.

Shop Talk

Things are looking up!

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You know, I’m feeling pretty good these days. I’m feeling stronger every day, work is keeping me busy and, yeah, I am getting a bit of time in the shop.  The best part?

Check out that ladder!

Well, the best part is that I have found a sweet new tool!  Yes, it is a ladder. Why do you ask?

Oh, what does it have to do with woodworking?  I knew you were gonna get there!  The thing about my shop is this – it’s fairly decent sized. My wife allows me to use the entire place (thank you, honey!) for woodworking, giving me some serious space to spread out and practice my craft.

But, even a two-car garage still fills up quickly. To help make the most out of my shop space, I have been constantly reclaiming shop storage space wherever I possibly can. Fortunately, there are still nooks and crannies that I can access for storage, but I have to think in the third dimension. In other words, I have to look up.

My veneer storage

Upward storage started with this area on top of my tool shelf setup. After I built my Fujiwhara Chest, I was left with a supply of beautiful veneer that I didn’t want damaged. So, I folded it in the cardboard that it shipped in and stashed it up here. It was also a good place to stow the veneer tools, just keeping them handy for when I need to do some work. Before I got the ladder, I had to go snag a dining room chair to reach up there, but with the ladder, it’s easy to get up there.

The area above the finishing cabinet

Then, there’s this space at the top of my finishing cabinet. It has crap on it now, so I’ll have to clear it off, sort through what I want to keep and prep this area.

The plane storage

Now, this area above my front bench I envisioned setting up as a ‘plane display shelf’, and I have put a few planes that didn’t make the cut up here. But, no one sees them, so I should sort through this and get it ready for storage.

Bulk storage

And, finally, this area above the washer and dryer. Yeah, maybe I should just clean this area off and use it to store the huge bulk rolls of paper towels I get at the wholesale club. At least that will keep them out of the woodworking areas.

Tools

They get no respect

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I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love movies starring the late, great Rodney Dangerfield. Caddyshack. Back to School. Easy Money. This guy was comic gold, and the movies he was in are still timeless classics.

The master himself

He is well known for his self-deprecating sense of humor. Basically, the guy got no respect. How bad?

  • When I was a kid I got no respect. The time I was kidnapped, and the kidnappers sent my parents a note they said, “We want five thousand dollars or you’ll see your kid again.”
  • I asked my old man if I could go ice-skating on the lake. He told me, “Wait til it gets warmer.”
  • Once when I was lost I saw a policeman and asked him to help me find my parents. I said to him, “Do you think we’ll ever find them?” He said, “I don’t know kid. There are so many places they can hide.”

At that, he would adjust his tie, and keep the one-liners coming.

The reason I bring up Rodney is that there are some tools in my shop that get no respect, but boy, do I love them anyway.

Bora trigger clamps

These quick action trigger clamps are the bomb. My favorites are these babies from Bora, and they are just about some of the handiest things to have around the shop.

Now, they aren’t long enough to glue up huge panels, but that’s OK, because there are tons of times when I wish I could have a third (or fourth or even fifth) hand in the shop, and they fill the bill nicely.

Assembly squares

For instance, when I assemble projects (after my misfortunes on getting things square) I use some assembly squares to help keep things at 90 degrees. There’s no easier way to make this happen than to use these little guys to grab the square and hold everything true until things are joined properly.

Holding down the Kreg

Another great time to use these babies is when I am holding tools down to the bench. Whether it’s the combo belt/spindle sander or the Kreg pocket hole jig, securing the tool to the bench really helps eliminate one potential problem of having the tool walk on me. These honeys grab nicely, and allow me to focus on getting the work done, rather than trying to manage the work and the tool.

Stop holder

And, when it comes to setting up stops on tools like my miter bench, these sucker shine. Once I get the right measurement, I can break out the stop that I use (yes, I understand that’s not Cal Ripken) and clamp the stop to the miter table’s fence.  This way, I can get accurate cuts without exposing my hands to the dangers of the whirly, spinny, toothy thing…. I can use these on all types of jigs for the miter saw, band saw, router table, table saw or anything else that can eat fingers.

Sure, the don’t get a lot of respect, but, hey, they definitely earn their keep in my shop!

Plans

The weekly plan

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I Can Do That: Outdoor Bench

There sure is a lot of work to do outdoors during the summer. But, that shouldn’t stop you from relaxing afterward, enjoying a cool beverage and being the master of all you survey, right?

I can do that outdoor bench

If you are going to do that, you probably want to check out this easy to build plan form Popular Woodworking’s I Can Do That series. With a little pine, some screws, a jig saw and a good coat of paint, you’ll be sitting pretty before you know it!