Router Bit of the Month - Solid Brass Inlay Kit
January 31, 2008
It's the beginning of a new month and they can only mean one thing on Feature Friday - it's time for Router Bit of the Month!! Remember, every month Woodcraft picks one of the many great profiles that Whiteside manufactures and that put it on sale for a great discounted price to make it easier for us to pick up either at your local Woodcraft store or online. This month we received Whiteside's Solid Brass Inlay Kit to try out in the basement workshop. This kit includes everything you need...
Making a wood plane from a kit
January 31, 2008
While browsing some of the woodworking videos on YouTube I came across this one from Ron Hock showing how to make a handplane from kit. The video also shows how to sharpen the blade using the ruler trick often attributed to David Charlesworth.Make a Plane from a HOCK Plane KitIn the end of the video you'll also see the method used to tune a wooden handplane, with just a few taps you're good to go. Simple and effective! Read More →
I walked through a very dangerous door today.
January 31, 2008
Today started off as a pretty uneventful day - I headed out to pick up some plane materials. As I was pulling into the parking lot - I noticed a sign on a nearby window "True North Cycles". As I got out of the car, I was trying to figure out where I knew the name from. I went about my business and as I returned to my car, checked my watch.... yup - I had a few minutes to spare...I walked in to a very cool spaces filled with bike parts and some rather magnificent completed bikes in a showroom. Then...
Crown Molding Woes
January 30, 2008
I've read lots of posts on WoodNet about mitering crown molding, but I had no idea how difficult the stuff could really be until I tried it myself. Between special events at my church and trying to get this stuff right, it's taken me several weeks to get where I am right now. And I'm not done with this stuff yet.After routing the moldings, there was a fair amount of rippling on the surface that needed to be sanded out. So I got out my 80 grit paper & went to town. Due to the shape, I just used...
To Upgrade or Just Buy New?
January 29, 2008
I've been thinking of upgrading one or two stationary power tools in my shop, but I could also easily just upgrade the components of each that are lacking. At what point is the price to upgrade not worth it? I've upgraded a few components on both the tablesaw and the bandsaw with the results being very satisfying. But there are more I'm interested in doing, so where do I stop?? Get your questions in for the next talk with Hendrik. Hendrik is coming back to discuss properly...
Wedged tenons - part 2
January 29, 2008
I wanted to make a series of posts about wedged tenons, but never got past the first one... And now Brad Ferguson just made my live a lot easier with his latest post where he covers a few other wedged through tenons.You must remember that the wedges must go perpendicular to the grain of the piece that has the mortise or there is a risk of splitting the piece when you drive those wedges into the tenon. Read More →
Hamilton Wood Show
January 29, 2008
This years show was as many of the shows in Hamilton a little disappointing for me. I wish the coordinators for the show would make a rule that each vendor must be 80 or 90 percent woodworking related as it is a Wood Show or so it is advertised.Probably half of the vendors at the show were selling goods or services that had nothing to do with woodworking. There were three different chamois vendors. Then there were people selling sweaters and jewellery and candy and COME ON!I love the fact that this...
Sharpening a handsaw
January 29, 2008
Sharpening ones tools can be a skill on its own and every woodworker will soon discover that to get the best results, learning how to sharpen will soon become a necessity.While we are on the subject of saws, here is a link to the best essay I've read on how to sharpen a saw blade:Saw Filing - A Beginner's PrimerEnjoy! Read More →
Episode 59 - Bombe Series - Upper Case Candle Pulls
January 28, 2008
The upper case is done and the drawers are built. Below the drawers, the candle pulls will be installed. After another trip to the RSID Museum, Tommy and Steve get the specifics about how to make the candle pulls. In an interesting aside, Tommy recalls how 20 years ago this weekend he was in a horrific car crash and spent a month in the hospital. Read More →
What a week!
January 27, 2008
This past week has been extremely busy for me. I didn't get much time to work on my project, though. I spent the week going to work, leaving there & coming home, having dinner, and then traveling to my church to listen to a special speaker. He was at the church from Sunday through Friday.I have done some work on the cabinet about which I have to update everyone, but I haven't had a chance to do any writing since the week before this. I will get some thing written up this week & post it...
Traditional Joinery Part 2 with Hendrik Varju
January 27, 2008
On with the show!! This is the second half of the traditional joinery discussion with Hendrik Varju, owner and operator of Passion For Wood. In today's episode we cover more questions submitted by you the listeners regarding dovetails, dados, rabbets, etc. Remember, next month Hendrik returns and we answer questions regarding properly tuning all of your hand planes, both new and used. Afterall even new planes need a little TLC before they're used. So if you have questions,...
ICFF Hans Wegner and Knud Erik Hansen
January 27, 2008
Click to Play January 26th 2007...... the Furniture Industry lost one of its Furniture Design Masters, Hans Wegner.I had the opportunity to talk of Hans Wegner with Erik Hansen of Carl Hansen & Son a manufacturer of Hans Wegner's Designs.Enjoy this interview and look further in thoughts of "Danish Modern", investigate the ethos of the Scandinavian woodworker. There is do much to draw from.Formats available: Quicktime (.mov) Read More →
MBW 2nd Anniversary and Traditional Joinery w/Hendrik Pt 1
January 24, 2008
It's time for the 2nd Anniversary show at Matt's Basement Workshop and we have a jam packed episode! Originally for today I was planning on posting the entire episode of my recent question and answer session with Hendrik Varju of "Passion For Wood". We sat down and answered questions submitted by all of you regarding traditonal joinery. There was a lot of information and some great answers, so much info in fact that it lasted well over an hour. So with that time,...
Pull-Out Storage Case
January 24, 2008
You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tip sent to your email address each week! Go to WoodworkingTips.com and sign up today. Here’s last week’s tip from ShopNotes online editor Phil Huber: I never seem to have enough storage space in my shop. This is especially the case when it comes to screws, fasteners, and other odds and ends. Things I need close at hand, but don’t use every...
Episode 58 - Tommy Sings the Blues
January 24, 2008
On a field trip away from the sawdust of his studio, Tommy visits his old "vocal" coach, Jackson, to get some tips to audition for "American Idol." Tommy's voice is in rare form when he sings a duet with Jackson. Check it out. Read More →
Truing a Waterstone
January 22, 2008
A listener of the show asked a couple of questions regarding waterstones. He recently purchased a couple of combo waterstones and a truing stone. To find out more about Norton Waterstones and flattening stones click on the image below. The first question is whether you need water involved in the truing of the stones and the second question is how long do the stones need to be in water before being used. On an unrelated note, I forgot to draw a winner for today's episode. ...
The forgotten bowsaw
January 22, 2008
The bowsaw is one of my favorite saws when I need to do some major sawing. It may not be as fast as a jigsaw or a circular saw, but it gets the job done and I can still listen to some music while I rip through an eight feet long board.Pictured on the right is a small bowsaw, which are usually found in the US and the UK where most bulkier sawing would be done with a large handsaw like a Disston D-8 or similar.This type of saw will have a thin narrow blade and is most useful to cut curves.On the other...
A Nail Question
January 20, 2008
Over the weekend a couple of questions came in that were raised by Feature Friday's DVD review of the Lie-Nielsen title "Forgotten Hand Tools". The use of nails in furniture construction is still a hot button issue with many woodworkers, and for good reasons. Does nailing components together cause problems down the road when it comes to seasonal wood movement? And is the toenailing of brad nails the same as using cut nails? Great questions and hopefully I give some decent advice?!?!?? Get...
A basic set of hand tools - Part II
January 20, 2008
With so many types of saws to choose from, it may be difficult for the beginner woodworker to decide where to start shopping and where to stop. To make things worse you have both western and Japanese saws to choose from.SawsEvery toolbox should have at least two handsaws, one filled for rip cuts along the grain and another for crosscut. The rip saw, if used for ripping rough lumber, should be around 26" long with 5 tpi.The other essential saw should be a smaller crosscut saw like a 12" long backsaw...
A refreshing return to tradition
January 18, 2008
Part way though this plane I realized this is the most "traditional" infill plane I have made to date. It was great to return to the roots of British infill planes. This is a 16-1/2" long A1 panel plane - infilled with Brazilian Rosewood, 01 tool steel sides and sole and a bronze lever cap and lever cap screw. This combination of materials is the epitome of British infills.I was also reminded why Brazilian Rosewood was the infill material of choice - it is one of the finest woods to work with. The...
Episode 57 - Bombe Series - Pigeonhole Reconstruction
January 18, 2008
Tommy discusses his work ethic and concern for his own workmanship after his big mistake on the pigeonhole assembly in which he had to trash three of them to ensure that they lined up on the plane correctly. He'd "rather have it right than not right." Now that they're nearly finished again, "it's like it never happened." Read More →
Making Crown Molding
January 17, 2008
I've been working on the cove / crown molding for the past two weekends now. I've had some ups and downs with this molding. I was able to make two good pieces, out of three attempts. The third didn't turn out too good. And then I had problems when I went to miter the finished molding. But that's getting ahead of where I'm going. I started out by mounting the crown molding bit I bought into my Bosch 1617EVS router, which was still in the router table after making the ogee molding previously. I then...
“Forgotten Hand Tools” DVD Review
January 17, 2008
For today's Feature Friday we're reviewing the Lie-Nielsen DVD "Forgotten Hand Tools" featuring Christopher Schwarz. But don't let the name fool you, it's not a lengthy discussion of a long list of tools that woodworkers have discarded over time. But instead it's a look at, and explanation of, three techniques using hand tools that most modern woodworkers have turned away from or forgotten altogether. Starting with the nail and hammer, leading into drawboring...
Small mahogany handplane
January 17, 2008
More than 10 years ago Popular Mechanics published a very informative article on making a small wooden handplane which I'm very fond of.I haven't built mine but I keep revisiting this article over and over again: Hand Made Hand Plane.At just over 6" long and with a 1 1/2" iron it can be used as a block plane to trim edges and surface small pieces.Enjoy! Read More →
Home Remodeling Project Aug thru Dec 2007
January 17, 2008
I'm playing catchup on entering pictures and information to this blog:Last year marked the beginning of my home remodeling project. I decided to start in the kitchen and get that part out of the way. Here is a picture of the kitchen looking from the den.This shows the cabinet that was installed over the breakfast bar. There was only about 24" of clearance between the counter top and the bottom of the cabinet. When you were in the kitchen you felt that you were isolated from the den. To see into...
New blog by Christopher Schwarz
January 17, 2008
In case you haven't noticed, Christopher Schwarz is now writing a new blog at Lost Art Press, his new publishing company which is devoted to help the modern woodworker learn traditional hand-tool skills.Besides Chris' usual essays on workbench design, there is an excellent series on handplaning which focuses on different techniques (seven at the time of writing) to reduce tear-out.The blog can be found at: http://blog.lostartpress.com/For those that have been following Chris' posts on the Woodworking...
Episode 56 - Bombe Series - Pigeonhole Deconstruction
January 17, 2008
Although the upper case pigeonhole assembly looks "sweet" and is all on an even plane, Tommy realizes that the lower case assembly isn't even. He "doesn't know what to say" and he "totally messed up." He needs to destroy it and redo. He believes if he had taken the time to lay out everything before he started, he wouldn't have had this problem. "I'm having this thing critiqued at the museum and I hope to have some big, heavy-hitters there," he says, "I want it to be the best it could possibly be."...
Repost of Router Bit of the Month - Vee Groove Bit
January 15, 2008
This is a reposting of the Router Bit of the Month video for January, 2008. Click To Play It's the first Router Bit of the Month for 2008 and we're off to a great start. This month we're trying out Whiteside's 90 degree Vee Groove bit. Just like with all of Whiteside's router bits, this is a carbide tipped bit that's made to last. And thanks to Woodcraft we can take advantage of the discounted price for the entire month of January to pick one up for our shops. The 90 degree...
More Listener Email - January 2008
January 15, 2008
Chris was asking about the importance of using the higher grit waterstones, i.e. 4000 or 8000 grit, along with a couple of other questions. While putting a fine polish on a blade will help make it sharp, in some situations being that sharp isn't as important?? You may have noticed the past couple of days that I've had some problems with my feeds, both the last audio episode and the video loaded over the weekend. My hosting service had some problems, but they appear resolved, except for the...
Episode 55 - Bombe Series - Upper Case Shelf Beading
January 15, 2008
Tommy discusses his progress on the upper shelf, which leads him to expound on the huge job of the secretary itself and how he's managing to get it done. Tommy's words of advice: "Sometimes the challenge is just getting the mountain of work done, just like any other job....You can't let it get to you. Have little goals and keep pushing." Read More →
