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Spotlight

Important People: Kari Hultman

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There have been a bunch of folks who have had a major influence on Tom’s Workbench over the past five years. I wanted to take the time to recognize a few of the folks with which the blog would have never happened.

Today, I send a shout-out to Kari Hultman of the Village Carpenter.

I first met Kari at the 2009 Woodworking in America conference in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania. The funny thing is that I had met her virtually before the conference, since we had already became acquainted through Marc Spagnuolo’s Wood Whisperer site.

The one thing that stuck out about Kari when I first met her was her incredible – almost encyclopedic – knowledge of woodworking hand tools. She can pick up a hand saw and notice the smallest details about it. She gave me a primer on hand planes. She showed just about everyone up at the Hand Tool Olympics.

So, when the time came for me to buy a set of chisels, who do you think I turned to for advice? And what great advice she gave me as I went through a used set, then turned to a new and different choice. All of the time, she was there to answer questions – no matter how stupid they were (and did I ever give her a few humdingers!) She offered the same advice on my entry into carving, and has always been encouraging.

Kari shares her experience and expertise freely with the rest of the woodworking community, volunteering to teach classes at her local guild and at other locations.  She has even offered to give me a few lessons on letter carving… I hope that when we meet again in Cincinnati, I can take her up on her offer!

I can assure you that she will probably blush and will give me some grief for listing her today, but she definitely deserves all the kudos that come her way!

 

Tools

Just Try One

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If you have been a regular reader of Tom’s Workbench, you know of my legendary, epic failure in trying to assemble a square project. I mean, everything starts out straight and true. I have all kinds of clamping squares at my disposal. I know the whole make the diagonals measure up trick. Heck, I even carry my well-loved double square that I keep handy… just in case…

But, I still end up from during assemblies struggling to get things nice and square in the clamps. My problem?  I need a convenient way to measure square with one hand while adjusting clamps with the other. My combination square is great, but if you are too ‘enthusiastic’ in your handling of it, you could force the blade to unseat from the head, giving you a bad reading. Nope, I needed something fixed to a handle at a true 90 degrees.

It was then that I realized I had never – in my dozen plus years of woodworking – ever used a try square.

What a dope I am.

You see, the try square is one of those tools you can handle easily. It has a fixed blade with a handle that’s beefy enough to get a good grasp on. Slap that puppy in a corner, and you can easily see how true things are. And, if you have to mark a line across a board’s surface, heck, that’s easy as can be.

My friends over at Bora tools sent me a pair of beauties. Two of ’em.. one with a 12 inch blade, the other with an 8 inch.  The markings are etched on, making them easy to find and read. So, if you need that line to go out only four inches, bingo, you got it.  It is also etched with a number of angles on the face. Now, I have to admit that at first I was scratching my head. I mean, isn’t this just a square?

Then it hit me, the red handle on this square has a number of angles where the blade enters the body. By having one of these facets touching the board, you can get some common angle readings – 45, 22.5 and a few others. The handle also has a ledge on it, allowing you to rest the square’s handle on the face of the board, preventing it from rocking while you are trying to mark. Nifty.

While I haven’t had much woodworking time in the shop recently, I was able to use it when assembling my mom’s step stool, and, I have to admit I used it while tiling my bathroom. Nice, clearly marked lines were great to work with while on the tile saw, making my life a whole lot easier.

Oh, I’m sure I will still have my challenges while trying to make my assemblies square. After all, I’m me, right?  But, I’m hoping that by keeping the try square handy at the bench, my accuracy will improve.

 

Quick Polls

Quick Poll

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Power tools are awesome. They make so many tasks in the shop faster and easier.  From ripping boards to boring holes, there’s one to suit your needs.

However, they can cost quite a bit. There are off brands and cheaper models, but for high-end power tools, prepare to pry open your wallet to pay…

That is, of course, unless you buy a factory reconditioned tool.  These reconditioned tools are typically ones that are sold to a customer but returned because of some defect.  They are returned to the factory, rebuilt to specs and sold again.  You might be able to score a decent tool for a discount price.

However, there are some woodworkers who have had bad experiences with reconditioned tool.

This week, let us know if you have every bought a reconditioned tool and how it worked for you.

 

Link of the week

Link of the week

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Weiss Hardwoods

Normally, I am happy to bring you the link of the week each Friday. But, today, it’s with a heavy heart that I present this one.

My local hardwood supplier, Weiss Hardwoods, lost a member of the family a few weeks ago.On July 15th, owner Jeff Weiss passed away. A loving husband, father and local business legend, Jeff joined the staff at Weiss on July 1, 1976. Over those years, he helped build Weiss Hardwoods into a local institution, providing full-service milling and a great array of native and exotic hardwoods for contractors and little guys like me. He even took the time way back in early 2008 to sit down with a young woodworking blogger to tell about the ins and outs of shopping for hardwood.

I remember one day walking into the store, and Jeff was making beignets and  chicory coffee the weekend before Mardi Gras, serving his customers as they came in to conduct their business. As we chatted that morning, I realized that he was just a genuinely funny guy and a quick wit.

Jeff was always a great friend to the local woodworking community, and he will be truly missed.

Rest in piece, my friend.

Spotlight

Important People: Megan Fitzpatrick

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There have been a bunch of folks who have had a major influence on Tom’s Workbench over the past five years. I wanted to take the time to recognize a few of the folks with which the blog would have never happened.

Today, I send a shout-out to Megan Fizpatrick of Popular Woodworking.

A few years back, the Woodworking in America event was just getting off the ground. The idea of bringing together woodworkers from around the country at a centralized event wasn’t a new one, but this one promised to be exciting, with noted woodworkers such as Frank Klausz, Toshio Odate and Roy Underhill in attendance.  I looked at that event back in 2009 longingly, but in a house with two young boys, finding the cash to travel to and stay at the event was going to be a real challenge.

That’s when, out of the clear blue, Megan e-mailed me, offering me the opportunity to attend the event as a member of the woodworking media. What an opportunity that was!  That’s where I met people like Dyami Plotke, Kari Hultman and Shannon Rogers.  I got to become an informal volunteer and carnival barker for Mike Siemsen. I even got to meet Ron Hock.  Everywhere I turned, the up and coming folks in woodworking were very happy to be there, greeted me warmly and shared freely of what they knew.

The best moment? I got to jump up and down on Megan’s workbench to test how strong it was!

This year will mark my fourth Woodworking in America conference, and I am as excited as I was to attend the first one. Thanks, Megan.

 

Experiences

Been kinda scarce

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If there’s one thing I am known for, it’s my inability to sing well. I mean, I couldn’t carry a tune if you put it in a bucket for me. Not sure why I sing at karaoke events, though…

The other thing I am known for is my consistent posting schedule. So, what gives?  No Sunday post?  A Monday post that is coming out in the afternoon? And, with a bunch of anxious folks looking to get to the thousandth post entry?

Well, this past week has been exceptionally interesting. You see, I was invited up to the National Emergency Management Institute in Emmitsburg, Maryland to instruct a Master Public Information Officer class. This was the pilot class, the first time it was ever taught, and it was a real honor to be selected as one of five instructors from around the country.

But, first, after I landed and got my rental car, I had to swing by and pay a visit to the Udvar-Hazy center of the National Air and Space museum. That’s where the Space Shuttle Discovery is now being exhibited, and wow, is that ever impressive. The craft is much larger than I expected it to be, and the sight just about moved me to tears. It is something I strongly recommend you see.

From there, it was off to the campus. The facility is a former Catholic college situated in the rolling hills of western Maryland, and the terrain is just gorgeous. It’s a far cry from the sandy, flat terrain we are used to here in Florida. In fact, the view from the front of my dorm room took in some exceptionally impressive views of a massive hill right nearby.

The campus is dedicated to both Emergency Management and Fire Safety, and there are a number of monuments around the campus that reflect this. The most striking sits in roughly the middle of campus, and is dedicated to the firefighters who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. A moment of quiet reflection under this monument can help put things into perspective…

The class itself was a real challenge. We five instructors were joined by 21 students who had a wealth of experience to bring to the table. People who had faced down tornadoes, hurricanes, earthquakes and many other disasters were there, and our job was to help develop advocates for public information. Hopefully, during the class, each of the students was able to take home enough inspiration to take their programs to the next level.

Since the campus is also about ten miles south of Gettysburg, no trip to the Emergency Management Institute is complete without a tour of the battlefield. My dad and stepmom met me while I was up there, and we saw the battlefield in a unique way – on Segway personal transports. These two-wheeled devices sure made navigating the hilly ground easier. The tour even stopped to catch a picture of me standing in front of the State of Florida’s memorial along the Confederate battle line.

The most moving part of the battlefield is known as the high water mark of the Confederacy or as the Angle. It was at this point in the line that General Pickett’s ill-fated charge actually reached the Union lines and nearly broke through, severing the Army of the Potomac and carrying the battle. Only a fierce counter-attack conducted by some Pennsylvania regiments pushed the Confederate onslaught back, saving the day for the men in blue. Just standing at the site is a moving experience… something I recommend highly.

Right now, you might be wondering why I am sharing all of my trip pictures with you, and wondering what this has to do with woodworking. Well, there was another event that took place on Thursday night. Kari Hultman of the Village Carpenter’s website lives just up the street from Emmitsburg, and had asked if there was any chance we could get a group of area woodworkers together for some food, fun and tall tales. Our site of choice – the Appalachian Brewing Company restaurant in Gettysburg.  The food was great (If you get a chance, e-mail Kari about her salad…) but the conversation was even better. It’s always great to put names with faces, and I really would like to thank everyone who came out that night. Betsy Pearce Hochstein, Scott Hayes, Mark Hochstein, Adam Weigand, Daniel Bodan, Nancy Sheets, Alan Garner, Tom Iovino, Neal Becker, Andrew Vincent Cortese and Daria Cortése. Oh, and I should throw another thanks in there for Kari and – if you squint – you can see that Iggy got into his private jet and paid us a visit!  Good monkey…

Now, I’m back at the house. Refreshed. I have to knock out some grouting and other work on the shower project, but it will be back to the shop shortly!

 

Link of the week

Link of the week

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The art of dollhouse miniatures

As you peer into the well-appointed bedroom, feast your eyes on the handsome suite of bedroom furniture. The design of the mahogany headboard mirrored in the ornate washstand. The flowing lines of the frame and panel doors of the armoire…

Now, imagine this furniture is unbelievably tiny, and fits in to a doll’s house. What would you say now?

For a segment of woodworkers who love to work in miniature for a doll’s house, this type of ornate design is a challenge, and today’s website is a great place to visit for design ideas, step by step plans and technique articles on how to build your own set of miniature furniture.

The best thing about building in such small scale? You don’t have to call a mover to rearrange the room when you get tired of the layout.