Last night’s meeting of the Atlantic Woodworkers Association was a bit of a road trip where we visited two facilities of interest to woodworkers. First, we visited a Habitat For Humanity ReStore location and from there we went to Mill Supply, a local tool distributor.

The Habitat For Humanity ReStore is a home renovation center that accepts and resells quality new and used building materials from retailers, manufacturers, contractors and the general public. The proceeds from these goods goes towards local HFH home builds, while reducing the amount of material headed for the landfill.

Habitat For Humanity, of course, mobilizes volunteers and community partners in building affordable housing and promoting homeownership as a means of breaking the cycle of poverty.

Continue reading 'The AWA Goes On The Road'

I just finished a couple of more picture frames. These ones are made out of a bit of scrap pine I had and they are finished with a brown stain and beeswax. The shadow box style is simply accented with a 45 degree chamfer.

Here they are stained:

Continue reading 'A Pretty Pair Of Pine Picture Frames'

Here’s a video of one amazing table! Have company coming over for dinner? Do not despair! With a flick of the wrist, a push and a pull this table expands to fill the room, and fill your guests with wonder! The geometric design is fascinating to watch too! It reminds me of a kaleidoscope!

Called a Fletcher Capstan Table and created by David Fletcher it is based on a nineteenth century design by Robert Jupe. More information and videos are available here.

Back to the shop…

1. If you have a moisture problem in your shop keep your cast-iron tools like your tablesaw and lathe bed covered with heavy cotton bath towels when not in use. This will keep rust at bay and save you countless hours removing rust.

2. The strongest wooden tool handles have wood grain that runs parallel to tool head. Handles with grain running perpendicular to the tool head are more likely to break.

3. Hold a saw at 90 degrees to the workpiece for fast cuts. This leaves a rough edge. Hold a saw at 45 degrees to the workpiece for most cuts. This produces a fairly smooth cut. Hold a saw at a 20 degree angle to the workpiece to make very smooth cuts.

4. On the tablesaw cut boards that are too wide for the miter gauge in its normal position by turning it around so that the gauge precedes the workpiece.

5. Checking for square is crucial when building frames, boxes, cabinets, drawers, etc. To check for square quickly measure the distance of the diagonal corners. The measurements should be identical if the workpiece is square.

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 some from personal experience.

There are more Woodworking Tips and Tidbits located here.

Back to the shop…