Construction Kids

Parents are busy trying to figure how to keep their little ones occupied for summer break. Some may keep their kids home, allowing them a lot of free play time. But many others will be sending their kids to camps. Many of those kids will go to bible camps, dance camps, sports camps, adventure camps or some other summer adventure.  But, wouldn’t it be cool to send your kids off to – construction camp?

That’s just what some lucky kids in Brooklyn will be doing this summer at Construction Kids. This woodworking school is set up to let budding builders get some hands-on experience with saws, drills and other important woodworking tools as they build projects of appropriate difficulty for their age. Not only can kids participate in summer camps, they can also take woodworking classes throughout the year and even have construction birthday parties.  Where were these things when I was growing up?

The site links to the class schedule, some of the cutest pictures you have ever seen and news coverage of the operation.

eGuitarPlans

With Les Paul’s 92nd birthday yesterday, and Google’s tribute to this guitar pioneer, it’s only fitting that I link to a site that gives you the know how to build your own electric guitar.

This site is pretty darned amazing.  Not only are there plans for sale for some pretty sweet looking guitars (They cost only $6 each… quite the bargain for detailed plans), there are also links where you can buy pickups, view podcasts on the building process and even buy completed guitars if you would rather just rock out.

I think Les would be proud.

Ancient Kauri Kingdom

So, you would love to get your hands on some old-growth lumber to work with.  Ya know, stuff found at the bottom of a lake from an old sawmill operation.  That’s cool and all, but what about wood that predates the Roman Empire, ancient Egypt or the cave paintings found in France?

In New Zealand, huge forests of Kauri trees toppled over as water levels rose, softening the earth around the root balls. As these trees fell, they became buried in the bogs, preserving their wood for millennia. Some of the trees fell over as recently as 3,000 years ago, but the ancient ones being recovered toppled over nearly 45,000 years ago.

These trees are dug up and slabbed into some of the most amazing wood you have ever seen.  This site is the front door to Ancient Kauri Kingdom, an industry leader in the harvest, processing and handling of this treasure from the past. Yes, you can work with it just like any other wood. There’s plenty of information on the site about how the logs are found, how they are processed and how you can purchase some pieces for a special project of your own.

Bear Mountain Boat Shop

Wooden canoes are traditional, stylish and can make a day on the lake a great adventure.

Did you ever wonder how they are built… or even if you could try your own hand at building one?

The Bear Mountain Canoe Boat Shop is a great resource for prospective canoe builders. Videos, plans and and technique articles help guide you through the design, planning and building phases. There are plenty of styles to choose from, so you can find a model suitable for adventure or leisurely cruises.

Canoes not your style?  They have plans for kayaks and small boats as well.

An interesting site for the outdoor enthusiast in your life…

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Compwood Products

So, you want to build a project with bent pieces.  Does that mean that you have to slice a board down to make bent laminations? Maybe. How about building a steam box to soften wood for bending around a form? You could do that.

But, what about taking wood straight from a package and bending it immediately with no special tools or tedious preparation? If that sounds like a better idea, you might want to give Compwood a try.

Treated with an interesting compression process at the factory, hardwood boards such as walnut, cherry, ash and maple come shipped to you in plastic to maintain a higher moisture level. From there, you can bend the wood by hand and clamp it in place and let the piece dry. That’s it.

While the wood is more expensive (about three times the board foot cost of regular wood), the convenience can save a lot of time in the shop.

Mike Rowe’s Senate Testimony

Many days, I doubt if anyone really has a clue in Washington, D.C. So many times we hear about partisan bickering, bad decisions and unproductive meetings.

That wasn’t the case yesterday.  Mike Rowe, the creator, host and executive producer of the Discovery Channel’s show Dirty Jobs was on Capitol Hill to testify to the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation. He was called before the committee to talk about the lack of vocational training in our schools and the number of jobs available that can’t be filled because there are not enough qualified tradespeople to do the work.

Mike’s brief presentation was riveting as he spoke about his grandfather – a jack of all trades – and how today’s education system has significantly reduced the importance of vocational education.

His call for a nationwide PR effort to bring vocational education back to schools was funny, impassioned and thought provoking. You can read the text of the statement at the link above, but Mike is a very effective communicator, and you would miss the emotion in his voice. If you want the full impact of the testimony, check out the video here.

Watching that video, it’s difficult to figure out who was more impressed to be in the others presence – Committee Chairman Senator Jay Rockefeller or Mike.

ToolCrib.com’s push stick and push block page

So, you want to build a push stick or a push block to keep your hands safe and get better control of your work?  The folks at Tool Crib.com put together this really cool listing of 11 push sticks and 14 push blocks from many different sources for your convenience.

Whether you are looking for a push stick to work with your table saw, jointer, router table or other tool, or  you are looking for one that can handle a specific task, you are bound to find something here to pique your interest.

Check out the plans and happy building!

(Oh, and while this may be my last post for Woodworkers Safety Week 2011, remember that woodworking safety is a 365-day-a-year proposition. Take the time to stay safe out in the shop!)