PD Good’s How to Build a Drum

When woodworkers talk about building an instrument, a guitar usually comes to mind. Maybe a violin. Maybe a dulcimer.

But drums?  You bet!

This site, run by PDGood, goes into very good detail about the materials, methods and special hardware needed to build a drum kit. Whether you choose to go with plywood, segmented, steam bent or solid construction, there are plenty of options for the budding skin smasher. Hardware selection, wraps, glue choices and drum heads are all described in detail, giving in-depth insight into the building process.

Build your own drum set?  That can’t be beat!

Ron Hock’s Sharpening Blog

After this past Wednesday’s post on tool sharpening, I just had to make a link of the week to my good friend Ron Hock’s blog.

Sure, Ron has his Hock Tools site, but on his blog, you get to know more about this metal maestro. Ron really opens up, giving readers an insight into the mechanics of sharpening, furniture design and building and other items that catch his interest. He’s had articles on the DIY heat treatment of steel (don’t try this in your kitchen, OK?), features on notable woodworkers and he’s even helped me out by posting about Get Woodworking Week!

One of my favorite posts, however, was the one where he recommended a movie about the Steinway Piano company… even his movie reviews are worth a read.

Thanks, Ron!

Berlin Flyer Wooden Wagons

If today’s link of the week doesn’t fix your little red wagon, at least it can be the place to find a new one!

Tucked in the rolling hills of Berlin, Ohio, what started as a company making wooden components for wheelbarrows became a company dedicated to the building of quality,old-fashioned all wood wagons. The company offers five different models of wagons – from the P-Wee Flyer all the way up to the massive Berlin Loadmaster, there’s a model that will make for a very happy young one in your life. And, yes, other than the wheel hardware and some other strategic parts, everything on these babies is wooden – the stake sides, the body and even the handles.

Centered in the middle of Amish country, the company employees 20 Amish craftsmen who are turning out wagons similar to the ones that rolled out of the factory 30 years ago. It’s good to see a company stick to its roots and offer such a great throwback project.

Just two posts remain until the big thousand post milestone! 

Wikipedia’s entry on crates

Wood has been an important building component for humankind for millennia. It has been burned to warm and cook, split into boards to build shelters and sculpted into shapes to express an artistic flair. But, little thought is given to wood as a packing and shipping material.

This page from Wikipedia covers – very briefly – the history of wooden packing crates. From carrying ammunition for wars to be waged to the medical supplies that have cured diseases, wooden packing crates have been there, done that. In fact, during the heyday of wooden packing crates, many hobby woodworkers got their start using delivered crates as their material of choice.

Today, most shipping crates are made of cardboard or plastic, but there is a brisk business in classic wooden crates on eBay and other auction sites.  They are definitely a piece of history.

And, there’s post No. 994.

This Old House’s Composting bin plans

Tomorrow is September 1. And, in many places (not quite in Florida), the green summer leaves will turn to the fiery reds, oranges and yellows, and then fall out of the trees, ready to be raked.

While most folks will put them out with the trash or burn them, leaves will break down in a compost bin, creating a nutrition-packed soil amendment for your plants. But, those commercial composting bins are butt ugly, and bins built from stacked concrete blocks and chicken wire just look too darned trashy. What you need is a high quality, good looking bin that compliments your yard, looks sweet and shows off your handiwork.

This week’s link, brought to you by the folks at This Old House, shows how to build an attractive bin out of cypress, thermally-treated wood or some other rot-resistant species. Using simple screwed joints, the unit goes together quickly and provides a way to corral all of those pesky leaves.

Better get to it.. those leaves aren’t going to throw themselves out!

Bob and Dave’s Good, Fast and Cheap Bench

A workbench is an essential in a well-appointed shop. It makes both hand and power tool woodworking much easier. The only challenge? How do you build a substantial one with minimal investment in cash?

Simple. You want to check out Bob and Dave’s Good, Fast and Cheap bench. This PDF document was created a number of years ago, but features the simple steps to build a cheap yet functional workbench with simple, easily sourced materials. The building techniques couldn’t be easier, either. In fact, many of the tenons have their shoulders cut with a hand saw, with the waste split off with a mallet and chisel. Easy peasey lemon sqeezy.

Sure, it’s an older plan, and not a heavy-duty Roubo bench made out of choice hardwoods, but it will certainly give you a serviceable bench that can work in your shop for years.

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.