New Woodworker’s using router bushings page
Since the flattening jig I wrote about this past Wednesday required the use of a router bushing, I thought it would be a good idea to give you a resource about how to use them.
Tom Hintz – the New Woodworker – put together an outstanding page on what router bushings are and how they are used. Tips about how to set them up and use them with templates are offered. Sure, they are simple, but they can provide you with so much versatility…
I’m sorry, it’s the kid in me. The big guy is coming, and here’s the best site to find out where he is. NORAD is using its satellites and other ‘secret’ technology to track Rudolph and company…
Also, I want to give y’all a little present this Christmas Eve.
Thank you. Thank you very much…
So, maybe you are stuck in home port, preparing to ride out winter, dreaming about the warmer months. Or, you are in the Southern Hemisphere or a more tropical clime longing to get out on the water. Perhaps in a wooden craft.
If that’s the case, you could do a whole lot worse than checking out Wooden Boat Publications. This magazine and Internet site features wooden craft of all kinds – from handsome powered craft to breathtaking sailing boats. There are articles on how to build, maintain and use these impressive craft, with an emphasis on material selection and building technique.
Even if you don’t like the water, this is a pretty cool site to spend some time on… and dream about the warmer days to come!
So, you want to make your front yard a little more festive for the holidays? Sure, you could go and buy some of those fancy 3-D looking lighted decorations, but why not do the job yourself?
At this site, you can find the collection of holiday yard plans designed by the folks over at Wood magazine. From leaping reindeer to delicate snowflakes, each of these plans comes with a .pdf of the full size design, so all you’ll have to do is print out the design, lay it on a sheet of plywood or, for the smaller designs, some project wood, and get to cutting.
What a great way to show off your woodworking skills and bring some festive spirit to your neighborhood.
Aren’t hand tools cool? Hand saws, chisels, planes, scrapers… the quality of the tools being made now rivals that of those made before the arrival of power tools. The problem with them, however, is that they do their best work when you use the proper technique.
So, where can you learn those techniques?
Why, in the comfort of your own home! Shannon Rogers of the Renaissance Woodworker has recently launched the virtual hand tool school. Chapters will be set up to feature different tools, their proper use and a project that features that particular tool.
Yes, there is a charge to join the hand tool school, however, it’s considerably less than going to a woodworking school, you have access to the content any time of the day and you can learn at your own pace. And, to get an idea of how the school works, you can get a free preview by registering.
Woodworker’s Guild of America: Working with big wood
Wood sliced into boards is great to work with and can allow you to build awesome furniture. But, once you work with a giant slab of wood, well, you’ll be amazed at the designs mother nature can throw into the piece.
This page gives you some pointers about working with these huge pieces of wood. From the safe lifting of boards that could weigh hundreds of pounds to the safe way to cut the boards down to size when building smaller projects, there are a number of common-sense safety and storage tips available.
This entry – provided for free from the book Woodworking for Dummies – shows some interesting aspects of creation of mortise and tenon joints.
From the absolute basics through more advanced discussions about angled parts of the joints, this is a basic primer on the joint. While you will want to do some more searching for more detailed info, this isn’t a bad place to take in a little bit of info on one of the most useful woodworking joints.