So, at the last meeting of the St. Petersburg Woodcrafters Guild, I was asked to do a quick presentation about different types of glues that woodworkers use. Not only do I like glue, I also like to talk. So, this was an easy one for me to do!

Once I found out I was doing this, I asked for a little bit of help from my friends over at Gorilla Glue. They sent over a few sample packs of their product – one to use for the demo, the other to give away. So, I packed my stuff this past Tuesday, grabbed the iPad to record the happenings, and, well, let’s roll the video!

The glue up video from Tom Iovino on Vimeo.

Hopefully, I didn’t lead too many people astray, and I was able to let some folks know about different types of glue.

I can’t wait until I speak again!

It’s like the planets have aligned today in the woodworking blog-o-sphere.  First of all, the FOURTH episode of the Modern Woodworkers Association online discussion has been posted.  This month, we’re talking all things Sketchup and we do a review of an educational video to see if it really can improve your designing.  Pull up a chair and listen to it here:

You know, two things really confuse me: doing my taxes and watching a game of cricket.

When I was back on campus at the University of Maryland, I can remember stumbling across a field where a cricket club was playing a match.  I sat for a while and watched the action.  It was very interesting, but I was baffled by the rules.  One of the club members approached me and I asked him if he could explain the game to me.

“Sure,” he said, and started by telling me how cricket was the sport that eventually created baseball.  The description went on for about another twenty minutes.  I thanked him for his time and wandered off, even more confused than before.

One thing I am not the least bit confused about, though, is the care it requires to build a cricket bat.  This vital piece of equipment, I have learned, takes a tremendous amount of care and craftsmanship to ensure it has the right amount of flexibility.

Let’s take a look at the show How It’s Made to see just what traditional woodworking techniques go into making one.

One of the most beautiful looking and sounding instruments is the violin.  The soaring strings can bring tension and excitement to lively pieces and melodious strains for more relaxed pieces.

Our friends at the Discovery Channel show ‘How it’s made’ follow along with the process of building one of these beautiful instruments.  From wood selection through the final finish, get a look at how these gorgeous instruments are crafted.

There are a lot of really bad shows out there on TV. I mean, REALLY bad.  So bad, in fact, that I spend most of my time watching the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, the Science Channel… you know, educational stuff.

One of my favorite shows is called How It’s Made. I’ve seen it on both Discovery and the Science Channel. This show is great – it shows exactly how different common everyday items are made in an industrial setting.  I’ve seen how different foods, instruments and vehicles go from their raw components to the finished products.

While at first blush it may seem morbid, one of the most fascinating segments was about how wooden coffins are made.  The skill and craftsmanship really show in each step of the build, and the finished product is beautiful to behold.

Since this is a behind-the-scenes look in an industrial setting, many of their techniques involved require special tooling and manufacturing jigs to accomplish.  However, their techniques are still  interesting to watch and can be applied to other projects.