Build a Tie Rack for Dad

OK, the tie is the ultimate cop-out Father’s Day gift.  I have gotten ties from my wife and kids on Father’s Day, and I don’t even wear suits.

How do I know that ties are such cop-out gifts? Because I used to give my dad ties for Father’s Day, even though he delivered Coca Cola for a living.

What was I thinking?

Well, if you have given dad plenty of ties in years past, Canadian Home Woodworker has a Father’s Day Tie Rack plan you can easily build in a weekend.  Using a small amount of wood and some lengths of dowel, dad can now have space to hang up to 14 ties in a compact area in his closet.

The perfect place to put those gifts from Father’s Days past.

Oh, and to all you dads out there, Happy Father’s Day to you.

The Norse Woodsmith

So, you consider yourself a galoot?  Do you love hand tools and their methods of work?

If so, you owe it to yourself to pay a visit to the Norse Woodsmith.  This site offers a wealth of information about hand tools, old-school methods of work and jigs and fixtures which can make your woodworking easier and more accurate.

And, if you ever wanted to make your own tools, there’s a great section on that as well.  Recycling old hand saws into scrapers, building your own veneer hammer and creating marking gauges are some of the projects offered – and the construction isn’t as tough as you might believe.

Yes, there are even reviews of some powered tools, for those of you who won’t operate a tool without a power tail on it.

The New Yankee Workshop

When you think of woodworkers on TV, Norm Abram’s iconic image often comes to mind first.  From his signature plaid shirts to the well-worn tool belt around his waist, Norm is a woodworking legend.

The site for the New Yankee Workshop offers the entire collection of projects. From the medicine chest – the first plan built on the show back in 1988 – through the kitchen cabinet opus which aired last season, you can buy measured drawings and videos to accompany them.

The site also goes into greater detail, showcasing Norm-inspired projects built by other woodworkers, a question and answer section called shop notes and virtual tours of the famous workshop.

While Norm may not need the exposure, a visit to the New Yankee site can give you a little more background on this famous show.

Rick’s Workshop Electrolysis Rust Removal Page

Why is it that some of the best hand tools ever manufactured lie rusting in some basement before they are offered up for sale?

Are you intimidated to try to rehab a rusty old tool because you don’t know how to clean off the crust?

Well, Electrolysis is one very effective and scientific method you could try. Basically, you remove rust by immersing the plane in a solution of   baking soda and water and running a charge through it from a battery.

A woodworker named Rick  has given thorough step-by-step instructions on how the process works, and he claims that it’s a very easy thing to do that gives good results.

So, the next time you come across and old rusty and crusty flea market find, pay Rick’s site a visit and give the technique a whirl.

Eastman Publishing’s Free Flag Case Plan

With the Memorial Day weekend upon us here in the United States, it’s only fitting that I feature a project such as this one.

In the United States – as in many other countries – when a veteran of the armed forces passes, his or her casket is draped with the nation’s flag, which is presented to the surviving family members.

There are few honors for a woodworker greater than building a case for the family of a fallen serviceman or woman to display the flag.

This plan, provided for free by Eastman Publishing, gives woodworkers detailed instructions and drawings  for the construction of one of these cases.  The construction methods are easy enough for a beginning woodworker to tackle, and the measurements can serve as a starting point for more advanced woodworkers hoping to use different joinery techniques.

Unfortunately, many of my countrymen and women see Memorial Day as just an opportunity to get a day off work, take a vacation or enjoy a barbecue.  The deeper meaning – a commemoration of the ultimate sacrifice made by those who answered the call of service – should never be forgotten.

Peter Loh Studio Furniture

In his Bellevue, Washington shop, Peter Loh uses beautiful  boards to create unique works of functional art.

With a style decribed as cutting-edge quality but not to the point of alienating the average client… (Sharon Ricci, Director, Northwest Gallery of Fine Woodworking) Peter blends familliar forms with an unbounded creativity to arrive at some very unique looking pieces.

Through the careful selection of highly-figured boards, Peter’s work becomes more than a funcitonal piece of furniture – it becomes an expression of his woodworking journey and a piece of art to treasure for generations to come.

Peter’s gallery is truly something to behold and is worth a visit.

OSHA’s Woodworking Page

When it comes to places to find information to keep employees safe, there are few better resources than the the US Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). There are resources for employees in many different industries at the OSHA website, including a page for woodworkers.

While much of the information provided is geared toward the industrial setting, home woodworkers can learn a lot about how to keep themselves safe while working in their shops.

This site is very complete, with the safety information broken into logical segments – from rough milling through assembly all the way to finishing.  Regardless which part of the project process you are in, there is something for everyone.