A friend of mine on Facebook recently posted an image of his 6-in. combination square and said he can’t do any woodworking without that tool in his apron. I had to agree with him that I would be lost without a combo square within reach, but my choice is a 12-in. model. (He must work to finer measurements than me.)
Which got me thinking of other items that I go to each time I am in the shop. I have a tape measure that is smallish overall (about 1-1/2 in. x 1-1/2 in. square) but has a wide, easy-to-read tape surface. When I misplace that baby, I am annoyed. (Although sometimes I find it still in my hand when I am “looking” for it.)
What about you? Do you have a cadre of tools that you reach for when you are getting down to business? I think your answers will be fascinating.
Take a look at what’s in store for November/December 2020, including offerings from Rockler and a new woodworking book by Matt Kenney.
Scroll Saw 101
Expert scroller Carole Rothman casts a spotlight on the scroll saw: Here’s what you need to know about buying, using and being safe with this tool.
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Every now and then it’s good to get back to the basics. Today’s tutorial demonstrates the essential function of changing a drill bit, covering both types of chucks and best practices for a centered bit.
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“Oh but you are very naïve. Depending on what happens (in today’s election), tomorrow and every day after could be very different. If nothing is going to change, then why vote? Why even have an election? And I am not being partisan, this is true whatever your or my political leaning. No insult intended but please think about your statement and mine.” – Don Rawls
“I’ve been hiding in my shop for weeks. I’m sick of all the noise and hoopla and dire warnings of the end of our republic. I don’t think so. Even if the ‘wrong’ guy wins, we’ll survive. My closest friend, also my best woodworking buddy, was told by his daughter-in-law that if he didn’t vote for her candidate, he could forget ever seeing his grandchildren again. What idiot would make such a threat? He asked my advice, which was to vote his conscience. If she decides to cut him off from his grandchildren, who love their grandpa dearly, she’ll have to explain why. Crazy. I’m drawing up plans for my next project, which will have plenty of mortises and tenons. Maybe some hand-cut dovetails as well. And Santa’s workshop already has a long list pending. Plenty of time, right? One thing I know will be true tomorrow: no more stupid TV ads and no more nuisance political calls. I’m rejoicing.” – Steve Dragg
“I am re-organizing (or rather, organizing for the first time) my shop and have several table saw blades that I would like to store safely. Any ideas?” – Dave Fogt
“(Your editorial was) spot on as always! I’m just going to hang loose until the first Monday after the second Wednesday of December to see who is going to be in the White House come 20 January.” – Elaine D.
Learn how to attach wood veneer to a plywood substrate. Veneer is a thin piece of solid wood. Plywood is most commonly used as the substrate because it is dimensionally stable, meaning that it does not expand and contract much with changes in temperature or humidity. Veneer is attached to the substrate with wood glue.
Apparently, something important is going on today here in the U.S. So many people I know are pretty worked up — scared, sad, angry, worried, frustrated…the list goes on. I confess that I am a person who pays way too much attention to politics. But here are a couple of things I know to be true. Tomorrow and the next day and the next will continue as they always have. And it is better to spend those days in the shop than nearly anywhere else.
As Solomon said, “There is nothing new under the sun. But there are woodworking shops, and that’s pretty cool!” (That second sentence, I’ll admit, is challenged by some scholars…)
So, I hope today finds you focused on mortises and tenons, gluing up lumber and cleaning your shop — all things that we have a chance of controlling (the cleaning part is questionable in my shop). Remember, the only two things in life you can’t avoid are death and wood movement.
Get a head start on your holiday planning with our collection of gift ideas, most of which you can make in a weekend!
Turning a Spoon and Spatula
Ernie Conover shows off his time-tested methods for making treenware, specifically a spoon and a spatula. You can find his patterns for cutting the general shapes at the band saw here. Then, he’ll take the blanks to the lathe to demonstrate the best methods for cutting the curved surfaces and handles.
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If you’ve ever found a color of paint and thought it would look great as a wood stain, you’re not alone, but did you know that there is a simple process to make it happen? Discover how in the Skill Builder video below.
FREE SHIPPING: $39+ Orders. Additional shipping charges will apply for select oversized items, express orders, international orders, and orders to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Rockler reserves the right to limit quantities, correct errors or omissions and modify or end this promotion at any time. Neither 15% off nor FREE SHIPPING can be combined with any other offer or applied to previous orders. Not valid with Rockler’s Professional Catalog and independent resellers. Offer ends 11/25/20.
‘Tis the season to build gifts, and in this new issue you’ll have plenty of easy-to-build options! Good sense should dictate getting a head start on them as soon as possible, but we’ve got you covered — even if the holidays are already in full swing.
Cartographer’s Coffee Table: While this hasn’t been the best year to travel, we take the style of a vintage map-maker’s cabinet and give it fresh purpose with a thick top, stylish hardware and practical drawer storage. Call it our 2020 homage to wanderlust.
Cordless Charging Table: If you sometimes put off cell phone charging because of the hassle of plug-in cords, this veneered side table provides a hidden wireless solution that can top up your phone while you sleep.
Two Wall Clock Plans: Even in the digital age, analog wall clocks can still make practical and fun-to-make gifts. Here are two versions you can build with a CNC machine or a handheld router and Rockler’s number templates.
Four Simple Holiday Gifts: Gift-giving doesn’t have to be expensive if you’re a clever woodworker. These quick, easy projects can be made from scrap-bin cutoffs or careful culling from the firewood pile at next to no cost.
Woodturning: Wooden spatulas and spoons are ideal for today’s coated cast-iron cookware. Ernie Conover demonstrates the process of making both options.
Tool Tutorial: Sharpening tool edges doesn’t have to be tedious or time-consuming if you add some voltage to the process. Here’s a survey of several powered sharpening systems to consider.
Tool Preview: RIKON’s new VSR 70-3040 full-size lathe solves the problem of limited swing and spindle capacity with a stacked bed that grows at the twist of a knob.
Hardworking Woods: Red oak has been a mainstay in woodworking and cabinetry for a long time. Learn more about this practical and plentiful North American species.
Six Simple Finishes: Blotching can be a bugaboo when staining close-grained hardwoods like maple, birch or cherry. Here’s a simple finishing regimen to help avoid the problem.
What’s in Store: If Santa could use a few ideas for you under the tree, here’s a sampling of new products worthy of wrapping paper and a bow.
RIKON Power Tools has an industry-first solution for increasing capacity on its 70-3040 full-sized lathe. And it doesn’t involve change-overs or buying any extra accessories. You can increase both its swing over bed and distance between centers at the turn of a dial! This lathe’s solid-steel bed is double-stacked and interlocked on a rail system. Between the two beds, a separate 24-volt DC motor drives a continuous lead screw and actuator to slide the lathe’s top bed section open or closed. The mechanism is sealed inside a tubular casing with an IP54 rating, to protect it from dust and moisture. Powering it from fully closed to fully open takes about half a minute.
Scoop your coffee with style and keep the coffee bag tightly sealed with these little wooden wonders. Download the template locating the scoop hole and clip slot for this project.
Are you considering getting started in the world of CNC projects? In this demo, we’ll show you how the Shark SD100 CNC machine from Next Wave Automation works. And, we’ll make a nifty Mid Century Modern clock in the mix.
Ernie Conover shows off his time-tested methods for making treenware, specifically a spoon and a spatula. You can find his patterns for cutting the general shapes at the band saw here. Then, he’ll take the blanks to the lathe to demonstrate the best methods for cutting the curved surfaces and handles.
One of my favorite holidays is soon to be here. I really like Halloween, because on a normal year, I get to see the costumed kids walking the neighborhood. That’s big fun, and I always buy more candy than we could possibly hand out. The extra somehow finds its way to my shop, so there’s no bigger win/win in my book. But this is not a regular year…I don’t know about you, but my candy consumption has been at a high level for the last eight months.
The kids around here have been wearing masks and hanging out in the neighborhood all summer (same as me). Even so, my grandchildren are laser focused on the holiday —as the blaster project mentioned last week demonstrated.
So have some fun with the scary holiday, however you can make it work. And then, onto holiday gifts (unless you have completed them already…yeah, right).
From drying his own lumber to stitching leather cushions, Willie Sandry is a soup to nuts maker..
How to Apply Milk Paint
Milk paint has been around for a very long time, but there has been a recent upswing in its usage in woodworking. Chris Marshall explores this classic product and its newer innovations in this video.
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FREE SHIPPING: $39+ Orders. Additional shipping charges will apply for select oversized items, express orders, international orders, and orders to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Rockler reserves the right to limit quantities, correct errors or omissions and modify or end this promotion at any time. Neither 15% off nor FREE SHIPPING can be combined with any other offer or applied to previous orders. Not valid with Rockler’s Professional Catalog and independent resellers. Offer ends 11/25/20.
Last week, Rob shared that he’s spending some shop time with his granddaughter these days and wondered what Halloween projects you might be churning out. Several of you have shared. – Editor
“I knew the day would come when the grandkids would not find us magical anymore. Grace will be 18 next month. Noah was 15 in August. They have their own schedules. Grace drives. Noah plays computer games with his friends. Nowadays, we are just old people. But a while back all of us had fun with projects. The treehouse was their favorite. One side was a castle with princess Grace. The other side was the Black Pearl with captain Noah. There were shop-made swords that knighted grandpa and Noah on a regular basis. The Black Pearl, when I donated it to the young kids two blocks away, had over 100,000 miles in her log. We visited all seven continents and fended off hundreds of pirates with a shop-made canon that fired ping pong cannon balls into the neighbor’s swimming pool. The catapult was not my idea … Noah made me build it. The small bags of mulch that landed on the neighbor’s car did no real damage. A dry towel and a leaf blower and no one ever knew. If you have a woodworking shop and kids or grandkids, take the time to make some magic and enjoy the time together.” – Bruce Adams
“Over the last few weekends, my daughter and I have been going through our scrap-wood pile and making holiday decorations for our yard and for a friend of ours who recently moved to the area. We still have to make a ghost or two and a witch to round out the collection. My daughter is still a little too young for the power tools, but she was very excited to help ‘direct’ the project and apply paint. It has been fun to have her out in the shop with me working on something that she will see for years to come.” – Tom Hanley
“I have made some of these ‘Pumpkin Folks’ ornaments.” – Ron Chamberlin
Traditional milk paint comes as a bag of powder, and it’s been gaining a lot of traction in woodworking circles in recent years. It’s one of the oldest forms of paint, and I think there’s an authentic nostalgia to using it. It contains limestone, casein protein — which is where the milk comes in — and natural earth pigments that provide the color. The powdered paint must be mixed into solution with water before use.
General Finishes has taken a different approach to their milk paints. It still has a limestone base, like traditional milk paint, which gives it that flat sheen and great durability. But it’s formulated to be more user-friendly and economical.
The paint comes premixed in a can to the correct ratio, so with a little stirring it’s ready for use. It has a much thicker consistency than typical home center paint, yet it can be brushed, rolled or sprayed. And, it has very little odor when wet. When you’re finished, GF Milk Paint cleans up with soap and water.
When Washington-based woodworker Willie Sandry gets excited about a project, he jumps in with both feet. And considering he’s a physical therapist, he can take these leaps forward without hurting his back.
“My biggest reward of PT is inspiring someone to turn a sedentary life into one filled with fun, useful activities.”
As a young man, Sandry would help his father, a contractor, build decks and refinish floors during summer breaks from school. Two uncles — one a boat builder and the other a woodcarve — also were early woodworking influences.
Sandry’s mother, a writer, helped shape his publishing pursuits, too. “In the most basic sense, I build things and write about them,” Sandry says. “Talk about the acorn not falling far from the tree!”
Works of Gustav Stickley, Harvey Ellis and Charles Limbert influence Sandry’s projects. Sometimes he builds close copies of originals; other times, the designs are refreshingly new.
Over the years, Sandry has gravitated toward Arts & Crafts style furniture, and we’ve published several of his projects embracing this aesthetic. He’s developed a particular fondness for Charles Limbert.
This white oak Arts & Crafts bedroom set ranks among Sandry’s favorite woodworking accomplishments.
“Sometimes I’ll do Limbert reproductions, trying to match every angle and dimension. Other times I’ll let functionality guide the design and add in cutouts and inlays reminiscent of a Limbert piece,” Sandry says. “Limbert used angles, curves and cutouts in a recipe that almost always produced a beautiful piece.”
Among his résumé of projects, Sandry says the one he’s just completed is often his favorite. But a special example that stands out is a master bedroom suite that includes a bed frame, dressers and nightstands. He’s also pleased with his Limbert Hutch.
Sandry’s work demonstrates a high degree of skill. But of course, no one becomes a talented woodworker overnight. Sandry admits that it’s taken many years to gain proficiency with the craft. He feels the evolution of his skills started with the ability to make joints fit together well. Then, he focused on his project design skills, and last came the ability to apply a sprayed finish well.
Adding More Skills
A shed-style kiln enables him to buy unseasoned white oak lumber and dry it himself.
A number of years ago, the high cost of buying kiln-dried, quartersawn white oak lumber prompted Sandry to build a lumber drying kiln. Aside from cost savings, the kiln also helps him better control his lumber’s quality.
“It changes the whole way I look at my lumber supply,” Sandry says. “I don’t calculate down to the board foot anymore. I buy by the stack and not by the board.”
Sandry has added leatherwork to his woodworking skillset. Decorative cutouts filled with contrasting wood inlay often accentuate his projects. He creates them with a combination of power and hand tool techniques.
Arts & Crafts has even inspired Sandry to try his hand at leatherwork. When he wanted to sew leather cushions for a Morris chair and ottoman years ago, he took a class to learn how.
One aspect of the woodworking process Sandry has decided against is sawing boards directly from the log.
“I debated about buying a band saw mill one year, but that same year a log rolled onto a sawyer friend of mine. He broke his pelvis, and it forced him to retire early,” Sandry recalls. “Right then and there my wife made me promise I wouldn’t get a lumber mill.”
This white oak Arts & Crafts bedroom set ranks among Sandry’s favorite woodworking accomplishments.
But provided he stays away from bucking logs, Sandry says his wife “heartily” embraces and encourages his woodworking. It’s also sparked interest from his twin teenage sons who occasionally build with him.
Sandry’s woodworking is an avocation that continues to offer new opportunities for both learning and enjoyment. “If a chair needs a leather cushion, let’s sew one. If a cabinet needs a leaded glass panel, get out the soldering iron and let’s do this thing. And if someone reads about my work and is inspired to make something like it, well that’s just the cherry on top of it all, my friend.”
Later this week, my eldest grandchild, Maggie (8 going on 9), and I will be making her a set of “blasters” to complete her Halloween costume. The blasters (non-working models) will be made of wood, but painted in such a way that all the other kids will likely think she got them from Blasters R Us. We will see, since Maggie is in charge of the painting.
All this has me wondering what sort of Halloween contributions will be coming from your shop. There are many ideas that come to my mind … gravestones, zombie parts, maybe a working model of a guillotine.
But as fertile as my imagination is, I am certain that my fellow woodworkers are much more creative and productive. Hence, I will wait to hear from you on the matter.
Help keep your hand tools and other small supplies organized and at the ready with this easy-to-build, two-drawer tool chest.
Power Carving Wood Art
Power carving is growing in popularity. It is a fun way to express your woodworking in three dimensions. Inspired by the new grinder and accessories, Inspired by the new grinder and accessories from Arbortech, Rob Johnstone tries his hand at creating art, assisted by the power carving tools (you be the judge).
From Our Sponsor
When you need to cut multiple cross lap joints with uniform spacing, reach for the Rockler Cross Lap Jig. Screw it to your miter gauge and use it with your table saw and a dado stack to cut the half-lap joints for anything with a wooden grid: lattice, wine racks, grilles/mullions for glass doors, and torsion boxes for your workbenches and table tops.
FREE SHIPPING: $39+ Orders. Additional shipping charges will apply for select oversized items, express orders, international orders, and orders to Alaska, Hawaii, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands. Rockler reserves the right to limit quantities, correct errors or omissions and modify or end this promotion at any time. Neither 15% off nor FREE SHIPPING can be combined with any other offer or applied to previous orders. Not valid with Rockler’s Professional Catalog and independent resellers. Offer ends 11/25/20.
A friend of mine on Facebook recently posted an image of his 6-in. combination square and said he can’t do any woodworking without that tool in his apron. I had to agree with him that I would be lost without a combo square within reach, but my choice is a 12-in. model. (He must work to finer measurements than me.)
