New Chat Room and How You Can Support The Show

May 11, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 3 Comments 

Well its been a busy week to say the least! During our live show on Sunday, we had a chat going over at Ustream.tv. It was pretty cool but it would have been cooler if people could have simply accessed the streaming video and chat right here on the The Wood Whisperer. So i made it my mission to find a simple chat system that I could embed into the Webcam Page. Fortunately, I found Gabbly.com. So head on over to the Webcam Page and see who’s chatting. After only two days, the chat room already has some frequent residents. Its a great place to go when you have a quick question or you need to bounce an idea off a fellow woodworker. Nicole and I also stop in quite frequently. And now that I can see your comments while I am in the shop, I have been known to break out into the occasional spontaneous demo. So you never know what surprises await you on the Webcam Page.

In one of the recent chat sessions. It was brought to my attention that many folks aren’t sure how The Wood Whisperer Store works and how the sales affect the show. Most of you know that you can buy anything from the Tools & Hardware category within The Wood Whisperer Store. In addition, I select certain products and categories that I think would be of interest to you. But believe it or not, occasionally people buy stuff from Amazon that you cant find in the Tools & Hardware category. You know, things like deoderant, surgery textbooks, and lumpfish caviar. And you can still help out the show if you go to Amazon through The Wood Whisperer front door. Simply enter The Wood Whisperer Store and click the link at the top left that says, “Go to Amazon.com”. You will now be on Amazon’s regular site and all of your purchases made within 24 hours will count toward a Wood Whisperer referral.

So I hope that clears up any confusion. Feel free to tell your friends and family about the store too. Every little bit helps. As always, we appreciate your ongoing support of our efforts here at The Wood Whisperer. We’ll see ya in the chat room!

My Baltimore Sun Interview

May 10, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 12 Comments 

I had the good fortune of being interviewed last week by John Lindner of the Baltimore Sun. It was a fun experience but after listening to it, I realized that I talk way too much. :) Oh well. I would like to blame it on nerves but the truth is I just like to hear myself speak. So if you have a few minutes, check out the interview on John Lindner’s Blography Podcast.

Click here to download to the interview.


Click here to listen to the interview.

Wood Talk Online- Episode 6

May 10, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | 4 Comments 

Download Episode



Welcome to Episode 6. It’s been a busy week for both Matt and Marc. Marc discusses the new upgrades to The Wood Whisperer’s website. There is a new streaming video and an actual chat room! Lots of fun so be sure to check it out.

Our first question is from Ty. He would like information about how to get that thick top layer on a bar top that he and friends are planning to build this summer. Marc says the finish is usually a 2-part, epoxy-style finish that is poured-on and refers listeners to www.Klockit.com for their finishing supplies.

Next e-mail is from Craig who is looking for the optimal way to glue up some large panels. Marc suggests using biscuits to keep the joints level and aligned. Parallel style clamps are also helpful. Matt suggests using cauls or maybe using narrower panels to make it more manageable.

Terry writes in and would like to follow up on a previous show’s question and would like additional information on the “how to’s” when one does not have dedicated equipment such as a jointer. Then Dan asks for an opinion and discussion on the strengths vs. weaknesses for the various types of joinery such as mortise and tenons, biscuits, pocket holes, etc. for an upcoming coffee table project.

The fifth e-mail is from Brian who would like to know how to get a clean edge so that the mortise and tenon looks good when assembled. Marc and Matt discuss the various possible causes for the tear out and then offer some suggestions and tips.

The next question is from Pete who would like to know which key skills are required for one to become proficient in using hand tools. Correct sharpening skills is most important followed by the proper use of chisels. The next skill should be the use of a block plane, as well as card scrapers and then the various hand saws. In their discussion, Matt and Marc also talk about various chisel sets and hand saws.

Jeff writes in and would like some suggestions on inlay techniques when cutting out letters that require tight angles. Marc suggests using a very fine blade on the scroll saw and then be sure to orient the letter properly with respect to the grain. Also the use of double sided tape helps. Take a very thin piece of material as a backer board and double stick tape it to the piece that you are working on. The extra support will allow really fine work without the risk of it splitting.

And lastly, a BIG thank you to Bob for the generous, huge box of assorted candy. Bob is an avid listener and wanted to show his appreciation for all we do. So if there is anyone else out there listening that would like to send Marc a new wireless microphone he will be very happy to accept your donation to the cause!

The Wood Whisperer Mentioned in a Marketing Book?!?!?

May 9, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 6 Comments 

Yep, that’s right. One of our own Wood Whisperer viewers , Matt Heinz, happens to be a marketing genius. He runs a fantastic marketing blog, MattOnMarketing.com and has recently written a new book, “Move The Mouse & Make Millions”. Pretty self-explanatory title. But believe it or not, our little website was highlighted as a good example of using a video podcast as a marketing tool. Thanks Matt!

So if you are looking to grow your business online, this book might be just what you need. The book is available for pre-order in The Wood Whisperer Store so check it out.

Home Brew Finish Mix- Question of the Week

May 8, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 10 Comments 

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

I recently watched a woodworking show on TV. The cabinet maker used a mixture of linseed oil, tung oil, and polyurethane for the finish. He stated that he bought it off of the shelf. I can’t seem to find anything like it on the internet. Do you know of any product like this, or do I have to mix it myself? If I have to mix it, what is the ratio?

And here was my reply:

“Hey Brian. If you mix it yourself, the standard mix is approximately 1/3 each. But that’s a mix that has some redundancy built in. You would probably be better off (unless you strictly want an oil finish) with a mix that contained 1/3 (linseed oil OR tung oil), 1/3 polyurethane or other varnish, and 1/3 mineral spirits. This will give you a very durable wipe-on finish with the added benefit of varnish. There are numerous oil/varnish blends that will be similar to the above mixture. Waterlox, General Finishes Seal-a-Cell, and Watco Danish Oil, just to name a few common ones.”

Shop Tour Video Challenge!!

May 8, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment 

Well, now is your chance to show me how its done! LumberJocks.com and I are holding a Shop Tour Video Challenge. All you need to do is give us a tour of your workshop, post the video on LumberJocks.com, and voila!, you are entered into the contest.

If you have a camcorder or webcam, a computer, and a few extra minutes, you can enter this challenge. If you need a little help with the process, you should check out http://freevlog.org for some great video tutorials on how to get your video on your computer. Once you have a compressed video file, you need to get it on the web. Here is a quick video I made explaining the process I recommend:

Low Resolution Version


Click To Play

Motivators and Prizes:
1. Global fame for becoming a real video-powered LumberJock
2. Three random winners will get cool LJ/TWW shirt, a Powermatic shirt, and a Wood Whisperer Coffee Mug.
3. Two random winners will get cool LJ/TWW shirt, a Wood Whisperer Coffee Mug, and a Furnitology101 DVD.

How to Enter and Official Rules:
1. Just add your entry as a regular blog entry at LumberJocks.com and tag it with challenge02 (of course you may add any additional tags too).
2. Embed the video into your blog posting using the method described in the above video.
3. Valid video must be at least 3 minutes long.
4. The entry deadline is May 21st.
5. Winners will be announced online at LumberJocks.com and TheWoodWhisperer.com on May 23rd.

You can check out the current video blog entries right here: Shop Tour Videos

So fire up that camcorder and show us your sacred space. Get creative and most importantly, have fun! Good luck!

Episode 15- Updated Shop Tour/Live Q&A (Pt 1)

May 7, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Video | 9 Comments 

Low Resolution Version
High Resolution Version

Video thumbnail. Click to play.
Click To Play

A big thank you to all of you who participated in our first ever LIVE show. We made history together! For those of you who missed it, I will post the edited videos as regular podcasts (starting with Part 1 above). I couldn’t believe how much time went by. When it was all said and done, we put in about 2.5 hours!! Questions were coming in left and right from the chat room so the videos will seem long for folks who weren’t there in person. To quickly explain what was going on, I planned on a quick shop tour and a little Q&A. Nicole was operating the camera and Mom was moderating the chat room and yelling out questions as they came in. It was pretty funny. Everything went well, minus a few technical issues. Unfortunately, the live audio was via my laptop microphone. I have it all figured out at this point so the audio will be much better next time. As you will see though, the recording came out as expected.

And as an added bonus, I have included a few helpful links below courtesy of our friends at FineWoodworking.com:

This is a video and flash tour of a garage shop in which all of the tools and work surfaces store under a single workbench that spans a single wall. Pretty cool if you have to park your cars in the garage at night:

Workshop Tour #1

This is a video tour of one of the most popular shops featured in Fine Woodworking magazine, which features a center island that houses all the tools, dust collection, and work surfaces:

Workshop Tour #2

Here are a few quick shop idea excerpts from one of Taunton’s books:

Shop Ideas

Live Shop Tour/ Q&A - Sunday 4 pm edt/1 pm pdt

May 3, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 32 Comments 

So let’s make history together! On Sunday May 6th, we will have our first LIVE interactive Wood Whisperer Episode. There have been a lot of requests recently for a new shop tour, and I would be glad to provide one. Only this time, things will be a little different. As we walk around the shop, you will have the opportunity to ask questions via the chat module provided by Ustream.tv. Incredible!

So on Sunday at 4 pm eastern/ 1 pm pacific, go to http://ustream.tv/channel/the-wood-whisperer. There, you will see the live streaming video and the chat box. The first time I went there it told me to download the latest Java by following the supplied link. I did this and everything turned out great. The chat works flawlessly now. My computer also popped up a dialog box requesting certificate approval. The chat wouldn’t work unless I did this. Now if you haven’t signed up for a free account with Ustream.tv, that’s ok. The chat will log you in automatically as “Guestxxx”. Feel free to type in your questions and I will try to answer as many as I can. Go ahead and ask anything about the shop, my tools, my life, etc… Lets have fun with it. And lets hope the website is working on Sunday. And if you prefer to simply watch, you can still see the action on our Webcam Page.

Oh and it might not be a bad idea for you to go to Ustream.tv ahead of time and check out some of the other streaming videos so that you can get your Java up to date. So lets just call this a little experiment. And who knows, we just may do some live demos periodically if things go well. We will also be recording the event and posting it as a regular podcast so don’t worry if you miss it. Thanks everyone! See you Sunday!

New and Improved Webcam- Streaming Video

May 2, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 13 Comments 

Maybe I am just a geek, but I get super excited about new technology. And if I can find a way to use that technology to enhance The Wood Whisperer podcast and website, you can bet Im gonna do it! As many of you know we have a webcam that takes pics every 15 seconds. Well, I just recently heard about a website called Ustream.tv that actually serves as a vehicle for streaming video. So I figured, what the heck. Lets give it shot. Its working flawlessly for me right now. I am getting both streaming video AND audio. This is way better than a static picture. So hopefully this company will stay in business for a while so we can have fun with this new technology. So, until the next podcast, ENJOY THE SHOW!!!

Identifying Different Species- Question of the Week

May 1, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 5 Comments 

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

First off, it’s an awesome podcast. This is the perfect example of the value of good podcasting as a medium. Thank you for all the hard work I know goes into it. My question: How can I learn how to identify wood species better? I want to know for general knowledge, but I also need to know. A friend works at a cabinet shop and they sometimes let me rummage through the shorts and pick out a variety of boards for a very reasonable price. That leaves me with the dilema of identifying what I am getting (preferably while sorting through things!).

And here was my reply:

“Hey Brian. Thanks for the kind words. Podcasting is a relatively unappreciated medium but its getting more popular by the day. As far as wood identification, you have a few options. First, there are always books. Go to Barnes and Noble, get yourself a coffee, and hang out in the store a while with some of their wood species books. But pictures and descriptions will only get you so far. You need some hands on. So truthfully, the easiest thing to do is make a trip to your local hardwood dealer. Preferably one that lets you walk through their hardwood selection. This way you can feel and touch the different wood species and see what the names are. And you can also compare and contrast similar woods like maple and birch. You should be able to get an an idea of the subtle differences between the woods. The final component is just time and experience. The more you work with different species, the more properties you will have in your head to compare them with. Things like density, color, and smell can all help you ID the species quickly. Hope that helps!”

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