WoodTreks
WoodTreks videos are for people who love wood. I hope you’ll join me as we explore the wide world of wood art & craft. I’ll bring you more than just the “how-to’s”. We’ll also travel the back roads and byways to meet the people and see the places that make this past-time so interesting. Information, artisans, experts, scenic locales, and great examples of art & craft - it’s all ahead. We’re on a wide ranging journey of fun and discovery.
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Thanks: Reflections On The First Year Of WoodTreks
December 31, 2008
December 31, 2008 — If you are a regular visitor to my WoodTreks video blog, you’ve come to expect a new video with each of my blog posts. But as 2008 comes to a close, I thought I’d reflect for a moment on the first year of my WoodTreks adventure, the people I’ve met along [...] To watch video or read the complete text of this article, click on the headline above. This feed provided by WoodTreks.com. Read More →
Layout Rough Boards for Maximum Yield and Beauty
December 22, 2008
In rough carpentry, deciding how to cut into a board is pretty straight forward — measure to length and chop. But for fine woodworking, slicing up a prized piece of lumber is a more refined skill. In this video, professional cabinetmaker and teacher Eric Matson shows how to evaluate rough lumber prior to cutting. First, [...] Watch video and read the complete text now. Click on the headline above to go directly to WoodTreks.com. Read More →
Precisely Dimension Rough Lumber in Eight Steps (Part 2 of 2)
December 18, 2008
This video is the second half of a two part series on the quick, easy, repeatable way to prep rough lumber. In Part One, (view Part One here) instructor and furniture maker Eric Matson demonstrates, step-by-step, how he breaks down rough boards by into smaller rough parts. In this final segment, Eric takes us [...] Watch video and read the complete text now. Click on the headline above to go directly to WoodTreks.com. Read More →
Precisely Dimension Rough Lumber in Eight Steps (Part 1 of 2)
December 11, 2008
Dimensioning rough boards by breaking them down into smaller, precisely sized parts is one of the key first steps in any woodworking project. This preliminary process certainly isn’t the most glamorous part of working wood, but virtually every skilled artisan will agree it’s one of the key steps for achieving consistently, high-quality, results. In this [...] Watch video and read the complete text now. Click on the headline above to go directly to WoodTreks.com. Read More →
“Must See” Carving Grips and Hand Movements
December 1, 2008
Sometimes when I look closely through the lens of my camera at a gifted artisan’s working hands, I see movements similar to the supple and exacting hand-motions of a musician. This is especially true when it comes to carving. Woodcarving requires a high-degree of free-hand skill. There are few opportunities to rely on jigs or [...] Watch video and read the complete text now. Click on the headline above to go directly to WoodTreks.com. Read More →
Selection, Care, and Feeding of Waterstones
November 24, 2008
There are perhaps as many ways to sharpen tool edges as there are opinions on the matter. In this video, we take a closer look at one of those methods — the use of waterstones, a sharpening method that consistently receives high ratings among many top artisans. Proponents say that waterstones are fast-cutting, relatively clean [...] Watch video and read the complete text now. Click on the headline above to go directly to WoodTreks.com. Read More →
Laminating Curved Objects Using Flexible Plywood And A Vacuum Press
November 18, 2008
Whether it’s a circular veneered table apron, a contemporary laminated chair back, or a flowing architectural column, if it’s a curve made with wood it’s most likely created using a process of bent wood lamination. One of the most common ways of pressing and clamping these laminations is to use a vacuum bag system. In this [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
It All Starts With Prep — Laying Out Twists and Spirals
November 8, 2008
Warning! Skip this video if you haven’t watched any of my “How to Carve a Twist or Spiral” video series featuring Irion Company carver, Brad Ramsay. I say this not to discourage you, because it’s a revelation here to see Brad work his magic. But if you first watch Part 2 or Part 3 (which [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
5 Essential Tips For Hand Cutting Better Dovetails — What Do You Think is Important?
November 6, 2008
This is the final wrap-up segment on my video series on “How To Hand Cut Dovetails” featuring master artisan Craig Vandall Stevens. There are many steps to getting optimum results cutting dovetails, so focusing on just 5 ideas is sure to leave some key point on the table. And that’s where you come in. Watch the [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
Window To The Past: The Use Of Patterns In Traditional Furniture Making
October 30, 2008
In this video, we join proprietor Todd Felpel as he takes his ritual end-of-day tour through the highly acclaimed, 60-year old, Irion Company cabinet shop. This nightly walk is how Todd monitors the hand-crafted work of Irion’s skilled artisans. As we tour with him, Todd reflects on 250 years of furniture making tradition. It’s a [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
The Big Payoff: Finish Carve a Decorative Spiral
October 21, 2008
Irion Company’s staff cabinetmaker Brad Ramsay, shows us the final finishing steps in carving decorative twist finials — those stately carved spiral flourishes often found on elaborate grandfather clocks, highboys, and other top-grade period furniture. This is the third segment in my three-part video series focusing on how to carve twists and spirals. In this [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
Decorative Inlays — A Survey of Styles
October 16, 2008
Decorative inlay bandings are signature components of many different styles of furniture built in the 18th and 19th century. In this concise video overview, Jeff Williams, Irion Company’s inlay specialist, shows samples of the inlays he has made and discusses where and how they were used. There are many different styles featuring a wide assortment [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
Secrets Revealed: How to Rough Carve Twists and Spirals
October 10, 2008
For years, one of the great mysteries to me was, how did artisans of the past make those spectacular decorative twist finials often found on the most elaborate grandfather clocks, highboys, and other high-grade period furniture? In this video, we meet Irion Company staffer Brad Ramsay, an accomplished cabinetmaker and highly skilled carver who shows [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
How to Make Decorative Inlay Banding
October 2, 2008
Inlay is the traditional technique of inserting decorative elements into the surfaces of furniture, musical instruments, or other wood-crafted objects. In this video tutorial, Irion Company’s inlay expert Jeff Williams demonstrates one of the most important aspects of the process; making finely detailed strips of inlay bands. You can buy pre-made banding, but making [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
Making and Applying Decorative String Inlay
September 26, 2008
For centuries, decorative string and banded inlays have been highly valued embellishments that were applied to the finest furniture. Among the many techniques and styles of inlay, string inlay is perhaps the most common and useful method. Even today, some designers and craftspeople use simple string inlays to define, highlight, or bring focus to elements [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
The Art of Air Drying Beautiful and Stable Lumber
September 4, 2008
For most woodworking projects, green wood is dried before it is used. The process is an age-old art. Before there were modern lumber kilns (which use heat to accelerate the drying of wood) there was the time-honored method of drying lumber slowly — in the open air. In this video, I spend time [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
Hardwood Dealer Rick Hearne Describes Hidden Beauty In Rare Logs
September 2, 2008
In a world of filled with commodity wood, there remains a special niche for those lumbermen who deal in the finest grades of timber. The rarities of the wood world (the burls, the figured, the exotic, the delicate grained, the carefully seasoned) are reserved for the most exclusive wood projects and the most discriminating artisans. Fine-hardwood [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
The Definition and Features of Plain, Rift, and Quarter Sawn Boards
September 2, 2008
Ever wonder what defines quarter sawn, plain (flat) sawn, or rift sawn lumber? Professional sawyer and fine-hardwood dealer Rick Hearne dissects a sample flitch-cut log to demonstrate the variety of grain orientations that can be milled from any log. It’s more than an academic exercise because each type of cut offers the woodworker specific [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
John Reed Fox: How a Master Artisan Selects Wood
September 1, 2008
Boston-based furniture designer and artisan John Reed Fox knows a great board when he sees it. It has stunning color and texture. It’s air-dried slowly and peacefully. And boards from the same log flitch are always available to make a perfect grain-matched set. But this is only half the story. John also looks for his [...] [[ This is a content summary only. Visit my website for full links, other content, and more! ]] Read More →
