1. Logs cut during a tree’s growing season will have bark that is easy to remove while logs cut during a tree’s dormant season will have bark that is hard to remove. This is because during the growing season the tree’s cambial cell contents are quite fluid and making the cambial layer fragile. During the dormant season the cell content thickens and the cambial layer stiffens becoming less vulnerable.

2. Wipe exotic woods with a little acetone to clear the oils before gluing.

3. To slow checking as you turn a piece of green wood you can spray with water.

4. After you rough turn a bowl using green wood seal the outside only, leaving the inside unsealed. This will speed up drying and allow more even drying.

5. If you have one of those vacuum sealers used for food they also work great for keeping your used paint brushes from drying out overnight, minimizing the need to clean them between painting sessions.

6. To mark a straight line on a dowel place it in the miter slot of your table saw and then draw a straight line where the edge of the slot meets the dowel. If your dowel is smaller than 3/4″ round cut a smaller dado in a scrap piece of wood and use the same technique.

These are just a few tips that I picked up over this past week. They come from a variety of sources including books, magazines, newsletters, online and from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

Back to the shop…

Here’s a project I started a few weeks ago. It will be a Craftsman style coffee table that will be 45″ X 28″. This is the first piece in a set of 4 that will include the coffee table, 2 end tables and a sofa table.

The wood is red oak from a couple of church pews that I picked up almost a year ago. A local church was moving and I was able to get 2 pews at a good price that yielded about 100 square feet of wood at 3/4″ thickness.

Here’s a photo of one of the pew backs:

Continue reading 'Craftsman Style Coffee Table'

Ebony has always intriged me and today I got a chance to work with it while making this Flat Top American pen:

Continue reading 'A Turned Pen Of Ebony'

Although the guest speaker was unable to make it to tonight’s Atlantic Woodworkers Association meeting we had a great ‘show and tell’ and Q and A session.

One of the members brought in a project he recently completed:

Continue reading 'Woodworking Show And Tell'