Most Influential Woodworkers

March 12, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 6 Comments 

If you frequent some of the forums in my links list, you’ve probably come across a recent post about influential woodworkers. Everyone submitted their Top 5 and Garret over at ToolCrib.com tallied the votes and compiled a list. He also included some very interesting links on each woodworker. You can check it out here:

Most Influential Woodworkers

Garrett asked what my top 5 were and honestly I only have 4. I am one of the new generation of woodworkers who learned more from reading and watching videos than I did from someone showing me in person, and my list reflects that.

I would say first is my step-father. Growing up in New Jersey, he had some simple tools and taught me the ins and outs of driving nails, sawing, and doing basic framing. He wasn’t really a fine woodworker. But if it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t have had the solid “handy man” foundation that allowed me to progress as a woodworker.

Number two would have to be the one and only David Marks. I learned more from watching Woodworks than anything else. And when I had the opportunity to apprentice with him, I fit right into his shop since I already knew many of his tricks and techniques. He’s an incredible woodworker and I feel lucky to even know the guy, let alone learn from him.

Number three would be his Normness, Norm Abram. No matter how many brads he uses, I still love the guy. There is just something comforting about the New Yankee Workshop. I love having it on in the shop while I work. And I probably have learned more from his show than I realize.

And finally number four is a guy who didnt make the list. Its George Frank. He is an “old world” finisher with a lot of experience and great stories. He has a book called “Adventures in Wood Finishing” where he tells numerous finishing stories that will not only entertain, but also provide valuable lessons. I learned a lot from reading his stuff and I highly recommend you pick up some of his material.

So that’s it for me. Check out the big list over at ToolCrib’s Blog.Its a fun read.

Ideas, Shop Upgrades, Impending Arizona Heat, Oh My!!

March 10, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 17 Comments 

Well, it’s only early March and the weather man is already calling for 90 degree weather. Time to put on my short pants. The was never really a major obstacle in the past since I would just get in a zone, and woodwork until it was quitting time. But this year, we have a bigger issue with The Wood Whisperer. There is just no way that I can film podcasts with the camera, the laptop, the 1000W lights, all producing heat in a 110F+ environment. Not to mention, Im usually not in the greatest of moods when I am working in those temps. So something needs to be done. Nicole and I have decided to make a major investment in the show and the business. We are installing air conditioning in the shop. Now, in Arizona, this doesn’t mean you throw an A/C unit on the roof and call it done. It means a major retrofit that will include replacing three 9′x10′ doors and blowing in insulation into the walls and ceiling. So after a few weeks of getting bids together, we selected the companies we want to go with and now we are just waiting for them to get their butts over here and do the work. Its expensive, but Nicole and I really like the direction the show is taking and we feel it is well worth the personal investment.

On a lighter note, I am toying with the idea of putting a webcam in the shop. It would be a simple camera setup that would see the entire shop and will update every 30 seconds or so. I know when I used to work in the lab, I would keep The New Yankee Cam on all the time just to see Norm in action. But Norm has a very specific shop schedule and I only got to see him working maybe one or two times. My shop, however, is running nearly every day of the week. And I thought it might be fun for you guys to see what I’m up to. I guess I have to stop picking my nose now. Damn.

So that’s just some of the stuff going on right now. I might even film some of the action as the retrofit gets underway. Its not woodworking, but it is interesting nonetheless. As always, thanks for watching, thanks for clicking the ads and visiting our sponsors, and thanks for ordering stuff through Amazon. You guys (and gals) are the bestest!

Reminder About Powermatic Prize Pack

March 9, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 11 Comments 

Don’t forget about the Powermatic Prize Pack. The names will be drawn on the 17th.
Scroll down a few posts to see the details. We have some really cool stuff to give away and its FREE!!! So send us the answer to the stupid question. Thanks everyone.

Episode 11- Arts & Crafts Table (Part 4)

March 8, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Projects, Video | 18 Comments 

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In the final part of this episode, I show you how to make a curved template for the bottom rails. I also discuss joinery, finishing, and glue ups. I also show you what I find to be the easiest way to attach a solid table top to a base. This episode moves fast so hang on to your hats!

Tablesaw Blades: Which One To Buy?- Question of the Week

March 6, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 14 Comments 

This week’s question comes from Jeff. He writes:

Hey Marc. I’m gearing up for an attempt at a maple and walnut (or mahogany) chess board. Question is, my blade on the 10″ table saw has gone thru a lot of MDF recently and its time to buy a new one. I’m looking to get some real clean and straight cuts and was wondering if I should buy a high tooth count blade for a nice finish. My current blade is still good for the rough stuff. I’m thinking 3/4 to 1 inch thick strips. Any suggestions?

And here was my reply:

Hi Jeff. The table saw blade is one of those things that I truly feel is worth investing a little extra money in. You can spend $100 on a good blade and have it sharpened once a year, or you can get a mediocre blade for $50 and have to replace it a couple times a year. Furthermore, one gives drastically better results than the other. To me, its a no-brainer. Personally I like Forrest blades. I use a 40 tooth Woodworker II. This is my all-purpose blade, from solid wood to plywood. And if you keep your box when you buy it, you can use that to send it back to Forrest for a perfect resharpening. Another company that I really like, but I do not own, is Tenryu. I have used their blades a few times and I thought they were just as good as Forrest, for about the same price. But because I already own Forrest and I use them for sharpening, I stick with Forrest. Incidentally, I always seem to find the best price at Amazon. Here is a link to the blade in my Amazon store:

Forrest WWII



Interview with Winter 2007 Awards Winners at LumberJocks.com

March 5, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment 

Should I just say it again or does the title suffice?? Well, nothing wrong with a little redundancy. Click Here to see the interview with the Winter 2007 Awards winners over at LumberJocks.com.
Mark DeCou and Roger Strautman not only make beautiful wood creations, but they also look super awesome in their fancy LumberJocks t-shirts.


Powermatic Prize Pack Giveaway

March 4, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 9 Comments 

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Thanks to our friends at Powermatic, we have some schwag to give away! We are holding a drawing on March 17th where we will select two winners. Each winner will receive a Powermatic hat, jacket, t-shirt, travel mug, and carpenters pencils.

And what do you have to do to win? Not a whole lot. You just have to answer one simple question: Why was my shirt stained on one of the early Wood Whisperer episodes?

Email your answer to TWWPromo@Gmail.com and if you are correct, you are entered into the drawing. Its as simple as that. Feel free to watch the video above for a slightly more entertaining version of the contest announcement.

What I’ve Been Up To This Week

March 2, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 8 Comments 

Once in a while (not often enough), I reserve a week of my schedule for shop-related task/uprades/cleaning/maintenance, etc. All the tools were in need of a good cleaning and waxing, blades needed sharpening, and most importantly I needed to reorganize the shop for more efficient video filming. I think I have an setup I am happy with now.

One major upgrade I would like to show you involves my latest purchase: a Makita 12″ sliding compound miter saw. This one replaces my Craftsman 10″ chopsaw which was a real trooper. But I just needed more capacity. And not to mention, Amazon had a killer deal going on so I had to bite. And what did I do as soon as the saw was delivered? I did what any self-respecting woodworker does when they get a piece of new equipment. I built a piece of furniture around it. Actually I just built a few extension wings to support longer pieces and to make the miter saw an official “station” within the shop. The whole station was basically built on top of an existing set of cabinets so all I had to do was build the extensions and a new surface for the top of the cabinet. The extensions are very simple in design and feature a nice Rockler T-track that will be used for a home-made stop. The trim is Jatoba that was left over from a previous project.


The second upgrade project I did was a large wall-storage system. I dont know about you, but I hate looking at pegboard. Maybe I’m just weird like that. But I wanted to build something that had the versatility of pegboard, but looked better, supported more weight, and had the ability to be upgraded or repaired over time. My solution? A 4′x8′ French cleat modular storage system. It was easy to build and I had a lot of fun making little storage units for different things in the shop. Maybe someday I will post an article on how to build this unit.


Next week I have a big project that I have to complete for a customer and then its back to filming the next podcast. Busy busy busy. I hope you all have a great weekend!

Episode 11- Arts & Crafts Table (part 3)

March 1, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Projects, Video | 11 Comments 

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In this episode, I glue up, scrape, and sand the table top. I begin milling the aprons and discussing our joinery options. I also give you a good view of the Festool Domino in action.

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