Build a Classic Chessboard

One of the things my oldest son loves more than football, fighter planes and annoying the heck out of his younger brother is playing chess. He can’t get enough of it.

I once bought him an inexpensive set, but he didn’t want any part of that. Instead, we are using the set I got when I was a teenager while on a trip to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts.

While that’s working out great, my son is eager to get his own set.  You know, so he can drag out his own set and beat me without mercy.

Rather than go out and buy a new board, I think we’re going to be building one of these first published in Popular Woodworking Magazine.  I once built a board using these techniques for a charity auction and it came out great.

The best part about this plan is that building the 64 square board is a piece of cake.  Instead of cutting the individual pieces and trying to glue them together, the technique employed by the plan’s designer increases the odds that the squares will come out evenly.  As an added bonus, the board also stores the pieces below, allowing you to keep the entire set together so you’ll be ready to play whenever you want to.

It’s a very simple plan that yields elegant results.  Now, I have to learn how to accept the fact that I will be humiliated by a ten year old…

Choosing and Using Hand Planes by This Old House Magazine

Leave it to the guys at the longest-running home improvement show to tackle the task of teaching their readers how to choose and use hand planes.

The show’s general contractor, Tom Silva,  shows the article’s readers the difference between the different kinds of planes (jointers, jacks, smoothers, blocks and specialty planes), how to sharpen the irons and how to tune the plane up to get the best results.

The accompanying pictures show Silva clearly demonstrating the proper planing techniques, including the right way hold the plane and how the curls should look as they come off the board.

Sure, this isn’t an in depth dissertation on the finer points of plane craft, but it’s an excellent way to get your feet wet in the wonderful world of hand planes.

David J. Marks’ website

Anyone who has watched an episode of Woodworks has seen the creativity, skill and calm demenor of David J. Marks.  Sure, this Santa-Rosa, California based woodworker is famous for his shows, but they only touch the surface of this extremely talented man.

He’s a multiple award winner, frequent contributor to woodworking magazines and all around busy guy.  His work is featured in collections and art galleries throughout the country.

David describes his work in his bio:

My inspiration is derived from a fusion of styles including ancient Egyptian, African, Art Nouveau, Art Deco and Asian. But essential to all my designs is the attention I pay to fine details.

David has also inspired several up-and-coming woodworkers, including Marc Spagnuolo, the Wood Whisperer.  And, yet, he still remains exceptionally approachable and down to earth.

A visit to David’s site will inspire.

Woodbin’s Sagulator

So, you want to build a bookcase with some shelves to hold a few nick-nacks in the living room.  Rather than spend lots of money, you opt to build them out of painted MDF.  After a few months of holding ceramic kitties and a vase of flowers, your spouse says, “Don’t you think it wold be cool if we put my 1957 collection of the Encyclopedia Brittanica up there?  They look so good.”

After a few books go up on the shelves, you notice a huge sag in the middle of the shelf span.  Bummer.

How were you to know?  Well, if you had checked with Woodbin’s Sagulator, you would have known exactly how much those shelves would have sagged.

This ingenious calculator allows you to determine the amount of sag you can expect based on the shelving material, thickness, width of the shelves and the weight of the goods they can be expected to hold.  You can even calculate how adding an edge to the shelves can improve their ability to hold weight.

If your plans include building some shelving, the Sagulator is an excellent resource to use in the design phase.

Legozilla’s New Yankee Workshop

It’s amazing what people can do with Legos.  Those interlockable pastic building blocks can create some amazing works of art… just like this one.

A person identified as Legozilla has created  – in Legos – a complete replica of the New Yankee Workshop.  Complete with a little whiskered Norm Abram.

From his signature plaid shirts to his workbench, this miniature goes into great detail and – as accurately as can be accomplished – depicts the shop, right down to the approximate location of the tools.

It’s not only the shop itself that is represented.  Legozilla also offers some shots of ‘Norm’ standing proudly in front of one of his completed projects – a roll top desk.

This is an amazing display to see – it’s worth a visit to the site.

Oh, before you ask, this was a customized piece built by the user.  There are (currently) no plans to offer Lego setups for sale to the public.

RATS!

College of the Redwoods Fine Furniture Program

Tucked away in the small California coastal town of Fort Bragg, the Fine Furniture program at the College of the Redwoods, Mendocino Coast campus is a national treasure.  Established in 1981 by master woodworker James Krenov, this program is one of the world’s most famous and respected.  The work turned out by graduates is truly inspired.

Building on Krenov’s teachings, students are encouraged to explore project shapes, grain patterns and wood colors in their understated yet stunning designs.

Currently, the college offers a nine-month program in cabinetry and furniture making with noted instructors Michael Burns, Jim Budlong, Greg Smith, Ejler Hjorth-Westh and David Welter. Other workshops lasting a few days or weeks are also offered in the summer.