Woodworking Online
A great blog from the folks at Woodsmith and ShopNotes. Their blog is helpful and informative and the video podcast is top-notch. Their videos are actually in-store demos, filmed on location at the Woodsmith Store in Iowa.
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Three for Three
November 21, 2008
WoodNet.net Forums member QSAWN says he’s “finally finished” building three cribs for his three new sons. Well, it took me about a month to complete 90% before the boys were born and 8 months to complete the last 10% after they were born. Well deserved congratulations on both counts and more comments in the Woodworking Forum. BTW: Plans for the crib (originally published by Workbench Magazine) are available in print or as a download at PlansNOW.com. Read More →
First-Time Gazebo
November 11, 2008
Over at WoodNet.net, member ephmynus is showing photos of his new gazebo. For this project, I did actually use a plan I found from PlansNOW. I’ve never built anything other than furniture so I had no idea where to begin without a plan. So, this is the first time I’ve ever used a plan, the first time I ever built anything like this, the first time I’ve ever laid a deck, the first time I’ve ever done any roofing. Lots of firsts so I’m pretty glad how everything turned...
New Media Center in Woodsmith 180
November 10, 2008
We’ve offered several TV cabinet projects to our readers over the years. They’re handsome, sturdy, and… obsolete. The new flat screen TV’s don’t fit in the openings of the old projects. So this time, the designers created a media center that won’t go out of style or become obsolete. The center begins with a base cabinet that can accommodate a 42″ television and all the boxes and cables that go with it. This can be a stand alone unit. Or as your space, time,...
Good News at PlansNOW
November 6, 2008
PlansNOW.com is the only place online you can download over 350 Woodsmith, ShopNotes, and Workbench project plans and technique articles. It’s where you’ll find all the most popular project plans published since the magazines began. It’s a hopping place accounting for over 50,000 downloads a year. Well, the best just got better. Now you can join PlansNOW, and you can download the best plans on the web for as little as $1.50 each. Here’s how it works: There are three levels...
Podcast #38: Tips for Working with Plywood
November 4, 2008
Ready for a kitchen remodel complete with all-new cabinets? Finally building that entertainment center? Or are you just wondering how to cut a sheet of plywood down to size on your table saw? Then this seminar is for you. There is no doubt that working with plywood can be a challenge. According to Dave Stone, a full sheet of 3/4″ hardwood plywood can weigh anywhere from 60 to 100 pounds. And the last thing you want to do is drop it on a corner or have excessive chip out when you cut a piece down...
ShopNotes Magazine Posts 3D Model of Workbench Online
October 8, 2008
ShopNotes magazine has finally given its readers a practical reason to download Google’s design and drawing software — SketchUp. In Issue No. 102, the magazine features a great plan for a Cabinetmaker’s Workbench. And for the first time, they’re providing an Online Extra feature that I think is really cool — a SketchUp model of the workbench in 3-D. If you’re familiar with the program, you know how powerful a tool it is. And if you’re new to it, Google...
The Do-It-All Patternmaker’s Vise
October 3, 2008
If you’re looking to add versatility to your workbench, a patternmaker’s vise is a good way to do it. At the turn of the 20th-century, Emmert Manufacturing produced a bench vise to help patternmakers make wood parts for castings used in manufacturing. Unlike typical vises, the Emmert vise could twist and turn in several directions and angles. This allowed patternmakers to adjust a workpiece to a comfortable position without having to loosen the vise, adjust the workpiece, and tighten...
2008 Fall Woodworking Seminar Schedule
September 30, 2008
Here is the Fall Woodworking Seminar Schedule at the Woodsmith Store (all seminars start at 6:30pm): Oct 2 …Choosing the Best Workbench for Your Shop w/ Dennis Perkins Oct 9 …Selecting Lumber: Get the Best Wood Possible for Your Projects w/ Dennis Perkins Oct 16 …Straight, Flat, & Square: Three Tools that Make it Easy w/ Terry Zuck Oct 23 …Mortise & Tenon Joinery: Simple Techniques for Strong Joints w/ Jim Downing Oct 30 …Using Sheet Goods: Why “Strong, Stable, and Flat”...
Podcast #37: Turning Tools — Sharpen Your Skills with Sharp Tools
September 23, 2008
Keeping your turning tools sharp — before, during, and after a turning session is extremely important. Brian Simmons prefers the Wolverine system from Oneway, using their grinding jig with the vari-grind attachment to put a fine edge on his turning tools. If you’ve seen earlier seminars presented by Brian, you know that he constantly uses his General 6″ bench grinder to sharpen his gouges, skews, scrapers and parting tools. Brian prefers this 1800rpm grinder and uses an 80-grit aluminum...
Podcast #36: Hand-Cut Dovetails with Robby Pedersen
August 4, 2008
Robby Pedersen has spent almost 20 years teaching cabinetmaking to young people. His shop and showroom — RVP~1875 — in Story City is a destination stop for school children throughout central Iowa. Before starting his business making reproduction furniture, Robby ran the period cabinet shop at the Living History Farms in Clive, IA. During this seminar podcast, Robby will demonstrate cutting dovetails with the same tools and techniques used by pioneer craftsmen of the 1800s. You’ll find...
Podcast #35: Tuning a Hand Plane for Performance
June 18, 2008
If you’ve checked out a copy of Woodsmith or ShopNotes in the last couple of years, you may have noticed that articles about hand planes and their use have been showing up a little more often. That’s mostly because we have an editor who takes an active interest in promoting their usage — Randy Maxey. Randy will spend an hour during this Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar Podcast to give us his tips for tuning up a hand plane, a very important procedure if you’ve ever tried to use one. As you...
Band Clamp Corner Protection
May 13, 2008
You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today. Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: When gluing up a mitered assembly, I often rely on band clamps to pull the joints together. They’re easy to apply and provide the even clamping pressure needed to keep things square. The only catch is...
Podcast #34: 7 Must-Have Shop-Built Table Saw Accessories
May 7, 2008
If there is one power tool that lends itself perfectly to accessories it’s the table saw. Things like push sticks and stop blocks can make using a table saw more efficient and safe. And, auxiliary fences for the miter gauge and the rip fence prevent chip out and protect the factory fence from being damaged. Best of all, each of these accessories can easily be made in the shop. This week’s Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar focuses on seven accessories that are “must-haves.” You’ll find...
Chamfer Plane
May 1, 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: A block plane makes quick work of chamfering the edge of a workpiece. To ensure a constant width and angle, I built the base shown in the photo above. It slips over the plane to make ¼″ chamfers...
Invisible Finish Repair
April 25, 2008
You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today. Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: It always breaks my heart when a project gets its first scratch. But I know that even with the best of care, it’s bound to happen. So rather than stew over a minor blemish, I came up with an easy way...
Fold-Up Router Table
April 18, 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: My workshop shares space with the family car. So it’s important that all of my power tools be portable and take up as little space as possible. So I made the fold-up router table you see here. I...
Dowel Drilling Jig
April 8, 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: Drilling a centered hole in a dowel can be a challenge. It’s hard to get the drill bit centered and keep the dowel from turning as the hole is drilled. To make it easier, I built the jig shown below. Build...
Flush Cut Shield
March 28, 2008
You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today. Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: Whenever I use screws to assemble a project, I hide them under wood plugs. Cutting the plugs and gluing them in place is the easy part of the job. The bigger challenge comes once the glue dries — trimming...
Podcast #33: Quick & Easy Joinery
March 26, 2008
If I had the time, I’d build every project with hand-cut mortise and tenon or dovetail joinery. But that’s not a very realistic goal, nor is it necessary. There are plenty of joinery methods out there that can be made both quickly and easily. During the seminar podcast, I’ll talk about three of my favorite “quick and easy” joinery methods. One of the most “traditional” methods is the lap joint. It’s easy to cut with just one setup on the table saw. And it provides plenty...
Drill Press Table Upgrade
March 21, 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 wanted to add an auxiliary table and fence to my drill press. But I didn’t want to spend a lot of money. So I built the simple drill press table and fence with a replaceable insert you see in the...
A Lipped Box Lid
March 15, 2008
You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today. Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: The easiest way to make a lidded box is to build the box and lid as one piece and then cut them apart on the table saw. This guarantees that the lid will be a perfect fit to the box. With a little modification,...
Old Woodworking Machines (OWWM) Web Site
March 14, 2008
It’s no secret around the office and among my family members that I have an affinity for old tools. It could be old hand tools or “old iron” power tools. I have a couple of antique scroll saws and a very old three-wheel Craftsman band saw in my shop. I guess I inherited this habit from my dad. He’s always bringing home a “bargain” from the latest garage sale or auction. Last week, he called me and told me he just “acquired” an old Craftsman...
Micro-Adjust Your Router Table Fence
March 5, 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: The router table in my shop gets lots of use. But it’s always difficut to make fine adjustments to the fence. So I built the micro-adjuster you see in the photo above using spare parts I had around...
Sanding Disc Alignment Tool
February 28, 2008
You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tips sent to your email address each week! Got to Woodworking Tips.com and sign up today. Here’s last week’s tip from Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: My oscillating disc sander has built-in dust collection and it works great — but only when the holes in the sanding disc are aligned with the vacuum holes in the sander’s pad. And this simple requirement...
Telescoping Drawer Gauge
February 21, 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: Measuring the width for a drawer bottom can be a challenge. I usually measure several times just to make sure I get it right.Then I made the simple drawer gauge shown in the photo below. Now, I don’t...
Podcast #32: Router Table Tips, Tricks, & Techniques
February 15, 2008
Doug Hicks doesn’t just go through the motions when he presents a seminar. With all his years of woodworking and teaching experience, he really provides a wealth of knowledge and know-how. During this seminar podcast, Doug will explain why a router table makes a router even more versatile. His tips for buying or building a router table are well-researched and insightful. And he’ll present some special techniques and tips to make your work on a router table easier, safer, and more accurate. Be...
Magnetic Stop Block
February 15, 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 Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: When cross-cutting short pieces to the same length, I like to clamp a stop block to the rip fence of my table saw. This block provides clearance between the rip fence and the saw blade so the cut-off pieces...
Small Parts Clamp
February 8, 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: When gluing and clamping small parts together, it’s always a challenge to align large clamps to hold them in place as the glue dries. To make this job easier, I built the small parts clamp you see in...
Teenage Woodworker: Denis Rezendes
February 6, 2008
It would be easy to say that Denis Rezendes is NOT your typical teenager. But I think there are a lot of young woodworkers out there, and it’s time we started giving teens like Denis some credit. He’s posted his first instructional video at Lumberjocks.com and I really enjoyed it. It is so basic, at a little over 12 minutes long, yet it is packed with good information for the young woodworker. As someone who has spent a few hours in front of the camera doing podcasts, I can tell you...
Finishing Shelves
February 1, 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 Woodsmith online editor Ted Raife: Finishing shelves can be a time-consuming chore. After applying finish to one side, you often have a long wait before the finish is dry and the shelf can be turned to work on the other side. When each...
