Modern Woodshop
Dave Noftz is an amateur woodworker from the Chicago suburbs. In Dave’s own words, “I hope that this podcast and blog will not only document my journey through the craft, but also serve as a forum for us to all learn from each other.” His podcast is insightful and entertaining, so have a listen!
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Episode 40: The Tortoise and the Hare
November 21, 2008
Click here to play I’m constantly trying to learn new things. I’m not always successful, but it’s a worthy goal. I’ve recently concluded, however, that I’ve been unknowingly sabotaging this goal with regards to my woodworking for many years. I’ve been acting like a hare, when I really wanted to be a tortoise. Which one are you? I also learned that the term “Crockpot Mojo” means something different to other people… and Google sent a lot of those folks over to modernwoodshop.com...
Episode 39: Crockpot Mojo
November 14, 2008
Click here to play You’ve used your drafting skills, your routing skills, and your dovetailing skills to design and build projects. I bet you’ve even used the Pythagorean Theorem once or twice. But have you ever used Crockpot Mojo while in the shop? Read More →
Episode 38: Sharpening
November 7, 2008
Click here to play We all know that the ancient mysteries of sharpening are guarded by an elite group of ninjas that live high up in the mountains. I mean, c’mon, everyone knows that. In today’s episode, I will reveal some of those mysteries. If the ninjas ask… you didn’t hear this stuff from me. Read More →
Sharpening a New Chisel
November 3, 2008
In a perfect world, new tools would come ready-to-use right out of the box. Unfortunately, the world isn’t perfect, however, so when you bring a brand new chisel or plane iron home, you need to do some sharpening. I do not consider myself an expert at sharpening, but I am able to get consistently sharp edges on my tools using a few basic tools and skills. If you are new to sharpening, I highly recommend Leonard Lee’s book The Complete Guide to Sharpening. There’s a lot of...
Episode 37: Review of SmartFlix.com
October 17, 2008
Click here to play This week’s episode is an in-depth review of SmartFlix.com, a DVD rental service for how-to woodworking videos (and other hobbyist videos, as well). If you’d like to try out the service, use the coupon code MODERNWOOD when you check out to save $2! The subscription-based sister site that I mention during the review is Woodturner University. Read More →
Episode 36: Dream Shop
October 10, 2008
Click here to play Let me guess… your current shop is less than ideal, right? Too dark? Too cold in the winter, too hot in the summer? Lots of spiders? Wasps? Yeah, me too. In this week’s episode, I’m giving you a rundown of the 6 changes I would make to turn my current shop into my dream shop. What would you change about yours? Read More →
My Favorite Go-To Tool
October 9, 2008
Everyone has a favorite go-to tool. This is the tool that you reach for early and often to solve all manner of issues. For some woodworkers, this is a block plane; for others, it’s a favorite chisel. I’m sure there is someone out there that even considers their router to be their favorite go-to tool. Here’s mine; I call it The Persuader: Yes, my favorite tool is an old beat-up dead blow mallet. I’ve had this tool for so long that I don’t even remember buying it....
Episode 35: Now With LASERS!
October 3, 2008
Click here to play It seems like manufacturers keep trying to turn our power tools into high-tech gadgets. This week, I give a rundown of the most common technological trickery that gets inflicted upon us, and I cut through the hype to determine what’s useful and what’s not. Also, the Modern Woodshop buzzer makes an appearance this week for the first time since episode 4! This time, it’s much louder and scarier. Read More →
Episode 34: Luxury Tools
September 26, 2008
Click here to play This week I talk about the top 7 luxury tools that I wish I had in my shop. Read More →
Episode 33: The Path Of The Hand Tool Warrior
September 19, 2008
Click here to play This week I discuss the concept of a role model for the woodworking community, I ask the immortal question, “what’s up with that?”, and I train you to walk The Path of the Hand Tool Warrior. Read More →
Nightstand Project: Cutting the Mortises, Part 2
September 17, 2008
I used my router jig to cut the lower mortises on all of the legs. This operation doesn’t require anything fancy; I used a 1/2″ straight bit and a 5/8″ bushing on my plunge router. It’s important that you center your bit in the bushing, or you will introduce error into your cuts. I center my router bit in 7 easy steps: Set the router upside down on your bench or work table. Plunge the router to maximum depth. Loosen the three screws that hold the baseplate to the router...
2008 Podcast Awards
September 16, 2008
If you enjoy the Modern Woodshop Podcast, please give me a vote for the 2008 Podcast Awards! Voting ends on September 30. Read More →
Nightstand Project: Cutting the Mortises, Part 1
September 8, 2008
I broke the process of cutting the mortises and dados for the nightstand carcasses into three steps: Cut the top open-ended mortises on the legs using the router table. Cut the dados for the side and bottom panels on the legs, rails, and stretchers using the router table. Cut the remaining mortises on the legs using a handheld router. This post will describe how I accomplished steps 1 and 2; my next post will detail step 3. I used a 1/2″ straight bit in the router table to cut the top open-ended...
Episode 32: The Router is Your Friend
September 5, 2008
Click here to play Roses are red, Violets are blue, The router is my friend, And I’m sure you’ll like it, too.* * I’m expecting this poem to win me a Webby. Read More →
Episode 31: Reversal of Fortune
August 29, 2008
Click here to play Over the last five years, the hobbyist woodworking community has undergone a dramatic 180 degree shift in our attitude toward tools and tool pricing. In this week’s episode I explore this phenomenon and look for a reason as to why we all simultaneously performed the half-hokey-pokey. Here’s the links for more information on the new Delta Unisaw and new Sawstop saw that I mention. Read More →
Episode 30: What’s Your Failure Threshold?
August 15, 2008
Click here to play “Professional grade” tools are dying out, Roubo is selling out, and I’m preparing to exceed my failure threshold. Here’s a link to the post that I mention from Chris Schwarz’s blog about the new Lie-Nielsen Roubo bench. Read More →
Nightstand Project: Joinery Layout, Part 3
August 12, 2008
You might think that I could skip laying out the dados to hold the solid panels for the sides, back, and bottom of the nightstands. Just set the router table fence correctly and run all the parts, right? I’m not willing to take that risk. There are 32 dados to cut on the 24 furniture parts pictured below. Some of those parts need dados on multiple faces, and those dados are not always spaced identically. As you can see, there is the potential here for things to get really confusing really...
Lumberjocks Summer 2008 Award Winners
August 11, 2008
Martin recently announced the winners of the Summer 2008 Woodworking Awards over at Lumberjocks. Congratulations, not only to the winners, but to all 84 participants. Some really amazing work was submitted for the contest, so head over to Lumberjocks to check it out! Read More →
Episode 29: Watch Out For Falling Clamps
August 8, 2008
Click here to play We all know that we should be careful around the sharp pointy objects in the shop, but did you know that there are many other non-tool-related items in your workshop that pose a real hazard? In this week’s episode, we are discussing the hidden dangers that lurk in the shadows… Read More →
Nightstand Project: Joinery Layout, Part 2
August 5, 2008
In my last post, I described how to layout the open-faced mortises for the top rails by drawing them directly onto the leg blanks. This will provide me with guidelines when I set up my router table to make the cuts. The stretcher and drawer divider mortises, however, are blind, so I will need to use a hand-held router. I built a simple jig to ensure that every blind mortise is cut in exactly the same spot and to the exact same size on each leg blank. The jig is made from a piece of scrap 3/8″...
Episode 28: Watch Out for the Woodworking Police
August 1, 2008
Click here to play The enforcers of woodworking justice are on the loose. They don’t want us encouraging folks to take up the hobby, and they don’t think anything you’ve ever built should be considered “fine woodworking.” Watch out! Read More →
Nightstand Project: Joinery Layout, Part 1
July 28, 2008
Accurate layout is one of the most important aspects of cutting good joinery. Curiously, it is also the least discussed aspect of cutting good joinery in the woodworking media. My next few “Nightstand Project” blog posts will detail how I layout all of the carcass joinery. I am building two nightstands simultaneously. The two carcasses combined require 28 individual parts and 40 mortise and tenon joints. If I didn’t clearly and accurately layout all 40 joints, I would become...
Episode 27: Bread and Butter
July 25, 2008
Click here to play This week we are talking about the mortise and tenon joint, the furniture maker’s bread and butter. Read More →
Nightstand Project: Joinery Overview
July 24, 2008
I’m planning on cutting some (or all, if time permits) joinery this weekend, so let me give you a quick preview of my plan. The vast majority of the carcass joinery is good old mortise-and-tenon. The picture below shows how I plan to lay out the joints. In this picture, you are looking down at a corner of the carcass. You can see the leg, a front rail, and a side rail depicted. Sorry for the poor quality of the picture; I had to sketch this out quickly on graph paper because I didn’t...
Episode 26: I Invented the Hammer
July 18, 2008
Click here to play What’s that you’re saying about the hammer being a common carpentry tool? No way, man. I totally invented that. Read More →
Episode 25: Where The Heck Is My Router?*
July 11, 2008
Click here to play In this week’s episode we discuss the various options available for handheld power tool storage. * I will also accept the pronunciation “routah.” Read More →
A Two Stage Approach to Managing Scraps and Offcuts
July 7, 2008
It’s amazing how quickly scrap wood and offcuts accumulate. In order to keep some semblance of control and order in my shop, I came up with a simple two-stage process for managing and storing my scraps. Stage 1 of my system starts at the table saw. As you can see in the picture below, I have a large box that sits under the left extension wing on my saw. This box is always empty at the start of a new project. As I work on the project, all offcuts and scraps get thrown into this box. ...
Summer 2008 Lumberjocks Woodworking Awards
July 1, 2008
It’s time! The Lumberjocks Woodworking Awards for Summer 2008 are kicking off today. This year there are two categories: (1) One Man’s Junk. Find some junk, recycled wood, old hardware… anything… and turn it into something amazing and unique. (2) Serve It Up With Class. Design and build a serving tray with two different varieties of wood. It’s a fun contest and there are some great prizes this year, so make sure you check it out! All the rules and instructions...
Episode 24: Where The Heck Are My Chisels?
June 27, 2008
Click here to play In this week’s episode we discuss the various options available for hand tool storage. Ten bonus points will be awarded to those who can correctly identify how many times I say the word “lament.” Read More →
