The Village Carpenter
The Village Carpenter: one person’s woodworking journey, with a focus on handtools, a nod to the past, and an appreciation for the creative spirit.
Visit this site >Subscribe to this site's RSS feed >
Japanese Saw Lovers…This One’s For You
November 20, 2008
Japanese Saws
November 19, 2008
According to Jim Blauvelt and Harrelson Stanley, Japanese saws just make sense. Since they are used on the pull stroke, they tend to stay straight in the cut, as opposed to Western saws, which are used on the push stroke and can sometimes bind in the cut. Because of this, Western saw blades are thicker than Japanese blades in order to accomodate the resistance.No vise is used when cutting with a Japanese saw. Huh?? What's a workbench without a vise? Less expensive, for one thing. Instead of employing...
New Tools: Gadgets or Godsends?
November 19, 2008
The marketplace at the WIA conference was bustling with would-be tool buyers looking for the latest offerings from manufacturers. Lie-Nielsen devoted a corner of its booth to its new line of innovations: saw jointing jig, chamfer plane, tongue & groove plane, inlay tools, corner chisels, small hammer, fishtail chisels, burnisher, and a tool that cuts shallow mortises, Quaker locks, and the like after you have assembled your workpiece.I was especially interested in the saw jointing jig, which...
WIA Video
November 18, 2008
Here is a short 3.25 minute video with scenes from the WIA conference. Some of the interviews are hard to hear, but hey, it's my first video. Hope you like it!In order of appearance:Matt Vanderlist (press & show attendee)Don WeberAdam CherubiniMike Wenzloff (saw sharpening)Jim Leamy (plane)Phillip Edwards (plane)John Economaki (jointmaster)Adam CherubiniHarrelson StanleyCraig Stevens (press & show attendee)Unknown (show attendee)Blue Spruce (marking knives)Don McConnellAdam Cherubini (tool...
Still at the Starting Gate
November 18, 2008
While I'm still getting my photos, notes, and video together from the WIA conference, other bloggers are off and running with their footage. Be sure to check out what Matt Vanderlist, Mitch Roberson, Al Navas, Neil Lamens, Phillip Edwards, Craig Stevens, and of course, Chris Schwarz have to say about the event....and I promise to crack the whip before too long. Read More →
Greetings from Berea!
November 14, 2008
Day number one of the Woodworking in America conference has come to a close and it was filled with informative seminars, tools that would like to come home with me, and lots of wide-eyed woodworkers. One of the best parts for me was the opportunity to speak one-on-one with talented plane makers including Don McConnell, Larry Williams, Phillip Edwards, and Jim Leamy.I also ran into a few bloggers you may recognize: Matt Vanderlist, Mitch Roberson, and Al Navas. More to come! Right now, it's...
Matthew Harding
November 11, 2008
Mark from Woodfired introduced me to the inspiring work of his friend, Matthew Harding, a highly regarded woodworker, sculptor, and carver from Australia.While there are many talented individuals in the visual arts, Matthew is extraordinarily gifted in diversity, as expressed in his broad range of style.He has command of various materials, including wood, bronze & steel, and stone; and a firm grasp on balance, composition, design, and originality.Check out his website to see more of his artwork....and...
Woodworking in America
November 8, 2008
In just a few days, I'll be rubbing flannel-covered elbows with other handtool enthusiasts, bloggers, & podcasters; famous woodworkers; and handtool vendors at the Woodworking in America conference.Here is a list of the classes I will attend and blog about in the coming weeks:1) Japanese Saws in Western Work2) Master the Spokeshave & Drawknife3) Rehabbing Old Tools4) Understanding Western Saws5) Wooden Plane Technology6) Setting Up A Handtool Shop7) Mortise & Tenon—3 Solid...
Chip Carving
November 3, 2008
I took a chip carving class this weekend at Olde Mill Cabinet Shoppe with master carver, Wayne Barton, who studied all disciplines of carving in Switzerland, has won both national and international awards, is the author of two chip carving books, has appeared on both The American Woodshop and The Woodwright's Shop, and is a very entertaining and affable man.Wayne not only taught us several techniques and patterns, he discussed wood choice, finishing, tools, sharpening, design considerations, and...
Blackbeard & Vampira
October 31, 2008
These are our next door neighbors' kids, who stopped by for trick or treat last night. If I had a kid, I would insist that blackbeard makeup be part of his everyday ensemble. Read More →
Spindle Turning
October 28, 2008
Having turned only pens in the past, I was excited to turn the spindles that will pin the legs to the runners on the sawbuck table.Owning few lathe tools and possessing a miniscule amount of knowledge about woodturning results in an inevitable learning experience.I turned two spindles at a time on my mini-lathe. The first spindle took several hours to complete but the second one was turned in about 45 minutes. It did take a while to figure out how to use the tools... and how not to use them. Lesson...
Brown Tool Auction Bonanza
October 24, 2008
If you've never been to a Brown Tool Auction and Dealer Show, you are missing out on a chance to be in the presence of a boat load of handtools—rare, beautiful, user-friendly, collectible, utilitarian—and scads of other handtool lovers chatting about their favorite subject.Today, I found what I've been scouting for a few years: user moulding planes with delicate profiles at decent prices. I bought three and they are in near perfect condition.As I was paying for one, a 70-something year old man...
Back to the Sawbuck
October 21, 2008
I glued up 5 cherry boards for the table top of the sawbuck table and cut the sliding dovetails beneath the table surface. The dovetail dadoes receive the runners that will be pegged to the legs.First I squared up the table top and cleaned up the end grain with a Lie-Nielsen skewed angle block plane with nicker. I bought this plane before I knew how to sharpen it and was not very impressed the first time I used it. I hadn't looked at it in years, but took it out, sharpened it on my 8,000 grit waterstone...
Tips on Documenting Antiques
October 17, 2008
Say you've spotted an antique in a museum that you would dearly love to reproduce. How do you obtain permission and, if approved, how do you go about taking measurements and photographs?First, you need to contact the museum's curator and ask for permission. In correspondence, be polite, honest, brief, and let the curator know that you will accommodate his/her schedule.So. Now you have permission to document measurements and photos of your beloved artifact. What do you need? How do you prepare? All...
Scheitholt
October 16, 2008
When I first visited the Mercer Museum last year, more than just handtools caught my eye. I was intrigued by folksy musical instruments, called Scheitholts (also Zither or Zitter). The Germans who settled in Pennsylvania and other parts of Colonial America in the early to mid-1700s brought the zither, or at least the idea of the instrument, with them.The ones on display in the museum’s current exhibit "Everyday Rhythms" are 19th c. However, a few 18th c. zithers are know to exist, including a 1781...
I’m a Lucky, Lucky Lady
October 12, 2008
The EAIA meetup last weekend was held at the recently renovated Dills Tavern, originally built in 1794. The weathermen promised a warm, sunny day, but it was cloudy and frigid, which prevented me from staying for all the day's activities. I was sorry to have missed Jim Leamy's afternoon lecture on making plow planes. The ivory plow plane was one of many of his exquisite planes that were on display.Tailgating with vendors who were selling antique tools started early, and was followed by presentations...
Finished Cross
October 6, 2008
Finished, but for the finish, which will most likely be boiled linseed oil.For the inlay, I traced around the pieces with an exacto knife, defined the incisions with a small veiner, hollowed the background with a laminate trimmer, and cleaned up the shapes with chisels and gouges.The small circles of purpleheart were made with a plug cutter at the drill press.The other shapes were rough cut at the band saw and cleaned up with files. I filed a slight underbevel on the inlay pieces so they would...
Mercer Museum
October 3, 2008
The Mercer Museum, in Doylestown, PA, houses an enormous collection of tools and other artifacts that were used prior to the Industrial Revolution.Among the exhibits are tools used by physicians, blacksmiths, clock makers, tinsmiths, cooks, cobblers, farmers, and woodworkers, in addition to many others; and collections of pottery, stove plates, painted chests, stagecoaches, boats, and much more.Henry Mercer, historian, archaeologist, and owner of the Moravian Pottery and Tileworks, recognized the...
Things I Learned in the Shop Today
October 2, 2008
1. If you pound it hard enough with a mallet, it will fit.1. a. Oh yeah...but it will split.2. Tears shed on wood have grain-raising properties.3. Titebond III has gap-filling, project-salvaging capabilities.4. If you work with purpleheart, rest assured, you will get a splinter.5. Sometimes it's best to walk away from a project.6. Tiny pieces of wood are more difficult to work with than larger ones.7. I might need bifocals. Read More →
Celtic Cross Update
September 28, 2008
The practice knot I carved when I started this project has a rounded look, like rope, but I tried something different with the final cross. Instead of creating rounded edges, they're chamfered, and I think it looks a lot nicer. (It's also a faster and easier technique.)I used a gouge to chamfer the inside curves and cleaned them up with a small round file. All straight edges and outside curves were chamfered with a straight chisel.Just another option if you plan to try this type of carving. Read More →
The Best Bookstore, EVER!
September 27, 2008
Baldwin's Book Barn, located in Chester County, PA, is 4 stories of ruggedly-built shelves that support over 300,000 used and rare books.The main portion of the store is a former dairy barn built in 1822. Original flooring, rafters, and doors remain, providing the proper setting for the collection.A grassy embankment behind the barn slopes upward to the second floor, enabling the 19th c. farmer to easily move things to the upper levels. This embankment is characteristic of a Pennsylvania Bank Barn.Inside...
Robert E. Lee’s Medicine Box
September 23, 2008
Before visiting the new Gettysburg Visitor Center, I didn't know that General Lee even had a medicine box.The center's museum houses clothing and war relics from, and features short films about, the American Civil War. The layout is a conglomeration of displays in a dimly-lit maze of walls, media screens, and glass cases. Very atmospheric. You could easily spend hours admiring artifacts and reading and viewing film about the war.Halfway through the museum I happened upon these unexpected gems—General...
Brandywine River Museum
September 21, 2008
N.C., Andrew, and Jamie Wyeth's paintings figure prominently in the galleries at the Brandywine River Museum in Chadds Ford, PA.Photos of the artwork are not permitted, however I was allowed to photograph this elaborately carved coat of arms which originally adorned the pediment of the Dauphin County Court House in Harrisburg—Pennsylvania's capital city.The carving, created in 1861 by E. Omensetter, was constructed with four horizontal pine boards used as a backing for the pine relief carvings...
Little Boxes
September 17, 2008
Is it just me, or do all woodworkers find boxes irresistible? I'm especially attracted to small ones that you discover tucked behind a mountain of other goodies at an antique store. The desire to open the lid to see what the box contains is unsquashable. Even if it turns out to be empty, it was worth looking, wasn't it?The writing box features a 1/16" thick lid with detailed pull for a small compartment, and 1/16" thick tongues on the breadboard ends of the writing surface that conceals a larger...
Hear Those Sleigh Bells?
September 12, 2008
Christmas will be here before we know it and if you plan to make gifts, it might be a good time to start. If you're like me, projects usually take longer to build than anticipated.Every adult on your list can always use two things—picture frames and cutting boards. (And gas cards if you plan to buy gifts instead of make them.)You can make simple and attractive picture frames from 2" square pieces of wood. It's quick, it's easy, you can make a bunch at a time, and it cleans out your offcut bin.I...
I Could Spit Nails!
September 9, 2008
My new favorite saying prompted me to list all the commonly-used phrases and metaphors I could think of that involve some aspect of woodworking. Here's what I came up with:These phrases have been around for a while and are as worn out as 30-year-old band saw tires, so I feel it's our duty to coin some new ones for the good of the craft. If you come up with one, feel free to share. I mean, surely we couldn't have exhausted all possible woodworking clichés.(Knock on wood.) Read More →
Birthday Gifts
September 7, 2008
Trying to the flatten the spaces between the knots in a Celtic cross is difficult with a chisel. Typically, you wind up with a 4-sided raised pyramid as you work the chisel into the wall of each knot, as shown in the first photo.I tried using the chisel like a scraper with fair results. But a gift certificate to Woodcraft for my birthday from my partner's mom presented a much better option.I purchased 3 bent chisels which gave me the leverage and angle I needed to remove the pyramid and flatten the...
Long’s Park Art & Craft Festival
September 1, 2008
The Long's Park Art & Craft Festival is a juried exhibition of the products made by talented craftspeople who work in a variety of media. I sought out the woodworkers, of course, and asked them about their pieces.First I encountered Joe Graham (Photos 1, 2, & 3. Photo #2 is from Joe's website), Windsor chairmaker and instructor/owner of Lenox Workshops in Ohio. Joe works with handtools and at the show used a workbench made from 3 slabs of thick, single-dovetailed wood, a stretcher, and tusk...
I Lean to the Left
August 30, 2008
Some of you may be surprised or even a little disappointed to hear that, but it's true.No matter how hard I try to keep even pressure on my plane, the edge I'm jointing becomes sloped to the left. Knowing this about myself, I take a conservative approach to jointing by frequently checking my progress with a square.You might think the way to remedy the problem is to lean to the right. But that would only result in a peaked ridge down the middle of the board with slopes to the left and to the right.Instead,...
EAIA Meet Up
August 29, 2008
An Early American Industries Association meet up is scheduled for October 4 in Dillsburg, PA.The following information is printed with permission from Tom Graham, who asks that you contact him or Dana Shoaf if you plan to attend, so they can get a ballpark number of attendees (email addresses for both are below).--------- Thought any of you, particularly those in PA, MD, VA, WV or even DE or NJ might be interested in this upcoming event. Besides its annual meeting, members of the Early American...
