The Wood Whisperer takes a ride on the iPhone!

June 30, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 10 Comments 

I am sure most of you are aware that the Apple iPhone was released yesterday. Hundreds of crazy people lined up at AT&T and Apple stores for hours just to get their hands on this overpriced piece of technological candy. Just to clarify, if I wasn’t currently committed to Verizon, I most likely would have been one of those crazy people. But apparently I’m not the only Apple fan boy in The Wood Whisperer community. Brian in Texas sent me this picture and I just had to post it. Look ma!! I’m in the iPhone!!


Tearout when routing dados- Question of the Week

June 27, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 5 Comments 

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

When I rout a dado or rout a dovetail socket, I get tearout at the beginning and end of the cut. What options other than kniving the outline of the dado or socket?

And here was my reply:

“Hey Ralph. By far, the easiest thing to do is take a couple pieces of scrap that are the same thickness as your workpiece, and butt them up against the ends. Its a good idea to clamp them into place. The scrap pieces will essentially sandwich the workpiece. So when you start and finish the cut, the fibers of the workpiece will be completely supported and there should be little to no tearout. Hope that helps.”



Wood Whisperer Meetup at the Vegas AWFS Show

June 24, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 4 Comments 

As many of you know already, I will be at the Festool booth during the upcoming AWFS Fair in Las Vegas. Nicole and I thought it would be a great idea to have a Wood Whisperer get-together at The Las Vegas Hilton Lobby on Friday, July 20th at 8pm. So if you are going to be at the show and you would like to meet up, RSVP with Nicole. And if you are interested in helping promote The Wood Whisperer that week, we are offering a free shirt (send Nicole your size when you RSVP) and stickers/buttons to hand out. Think of it like a “street team”. Send all RSVP’s to nicole@thewoodwhisperer.com. Thanks guys and we’ll see you in Vegas!!

Ramblings of a Woodworking Geek

June 22, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 10 Comments 

I was just sitting down to play a rousing game of World of Warcraft on my fancy little iMac, while listening to a podcast on my MP3 player, as Nicole is having a chat on her Motorola Q and I cant help but realize that I am completely surrounded by technology. And as many of you noticed, my affinity for the techno-clutter has found its way into the podcast and the website, for better or for worse. With all this high tech stuff on my brain, I am constantly thinking of ways to integrate the newest online tools into a place that serves as a resource for an age old craft. You see the irony here? As all of you know, things don’t change very much in the world of woodworking. Perhaps this is what you love about it. A new tool may come out every once in a while (just take a look at some of the newest offerings from our sponsors), but the core concepts are always the same. And although there are always faster ways to get woodworking done, I have a great deal of respect for the folks who continue to use hand tools simply for the love of the task. Anyone who has run a properly tuned hand plane over a piece of cherry will know what I mean.

The problem:

Some of my most powerful learning experiences came directly from another woodworker. Not a book or a magazine article. But a real live person giving me advice, either in person or in a forum. Sometimes all we need is a direct answer to our questions. And forums can be great for that. Take Woodnet for example. If you post a question there you will more than likely have 10 answers within a few hours. Thats great! But the problem with these threads is they usually go off topic and there is no real opportunity for a true dialog between the woodworkers involved.

The opportunity:

Now unless you’ve been sleeping quietly under a large rock, you’ve heard the term Web 2.0. In fact, its a bit over used. As I like to say to Nicole, “Its soooooo 2006!”. One of the hallmarks of Web 2.0 is improved communication. And in the last 6 months alone we have seen an explosion of new technologies, such as user-generated live streaming video. There are so many cool things out there, but how can I harness that technology here at The Wood Whisperer. And more importantly, how much is too much? This is the topic of conversation at the Spagnuolo household almost daily.

The solution:

So what you see here at The Wood Whisperer is a work in progress……a real-time live experiment if you will. I want to provide an environment where people can stop by and watch a professional woodworker do his job on a daily basis. Its kind of like watching Norm’s webcam at The New Yankee Workshop (which I used to do all the time when I worked in an office). But imagine if you could interrupt Norm for a minute to ask him a question about the project he is working on! How cool would that be?!?! Now I don’t mean to compare myself to Norm, but I think you catch my drift. With these emerging technologies, that exact situation is now a reality. I hope that The Wood Whisperer will not only provide helpful videos and tutorials, but it will also serve as that apprenticeship very few of us have the time for. Lets face it. Most of my viewers barely have enough time to work in the shop, let alone take classes and sign on as someone’s apprentice. But if you spend a little time in the chat room and watch our streaming videos at TheWoodWhisperer.tv, you can’t help but learn a few things and pick up some tips here and there. And I am by no means the only one with the answers. The chat room is full of knowledgeable woodworkers who are ready to offer assistance with any question you might have. And if you just want to chat about the weather, you can do that too. I usually have the chat room up while Im working so if you ever have a question and you see TheWoodWhisperer in the chat room, ask way.

So I suppose the purpose of this babbling session is to let you know what my current mission is here at TheWoodWhisperer.com. And this is something that seems to change and morph on a regular basis. After all, technology slows for no one. And honestly, I don’t want it to. There is always something fresh and new out there and if it might be useful to my readers and viewers, I will incorporate it into the site. So please, take advantage of all we have to offer here at the site and be sure to check out our extended family using the links in the left column. We are all in this together.

As always, Nicole and I thank you all for your positive energy and your support.


Exotic Wood Issues- Question of the Week

June 21, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 1 Comment 

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

Hey Wisperer. I am working with a bunch of exotic hardwoods. Are there any gluing or finishing hazards to avoid that you know of or have heard of. For example: When gluing X clean the glue surface with acetone, or if gluing X use this type of glue, or Finishes do not adhere well to X because of its high oil content and the amount of minerals in the wood. These are things I would like to learn before some type of failure can occur. If you know of someone working with these on a regular basis I would appreciate the contact. Thank-you.

And here was my reply:

“Hey Josh. There are a number of woods out there that can cause finishing and gluing problems. Teak, rosewood, cocobolo, bloodwood, and padauk, just to name a few. Unfortunately there is no single place that I know of where you can find this information. Nor is their anyone in particular (that I know of) who specializes in these issues. Just remember that most answers are just a Google away. If you want to know what most people do to finish cocobolo, just search for finishing cocobolo. And if the wood is tricky to finish, then you should probably assume that its a safe bet to wipe the joints with acetone as well. Most oily woods should have no problem with regular wood glue if you wipe with acetone first. And most of these problem woods will do best with a mineral spirits, acetone, or lacquer thinner rub down just prior to finishing. And its usually a good idea to seal them with dewaxed shellac first, before moving on to your topcoat of choice.”

Wood Talk Online- Episode 11

June 20, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | Leave a Comment 

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Matt mentioned a recent article in Woodcraft Magazine citing a statistic released by the CDC regarding the dramatic rise in nail gun injuries due to the increased use of pneumatic nailers. We had two great voicemails, first was a question from Hloakes about the advantages of using plywood vs. dimensional lumber. The second email melted the hearts of our hosts with a “YOU’RE THE BEST” by Vicki the daughter of listener Grant. Oh yeah and her dad had a question for us too.

So we now move into the email portion of the show where first up was a question about how important it is to attend a school of woodworking. Is it important to our hosts? Our next email was a question about choosing a small shop dust collector and if we had any ideas for properly hooking one up to his DW 621 Plunge Router.

There were a couple of questions about HVLP sprayers that our Marc was able to shed some light on, while Matt just drank water and fiddled with his mic. Listener Scott shared his views on the Festool Domino and the Sawstop. He also sent us a link to check out free design software at eCabinetsystems.com . Christian from the Netherlands asks about specialized hand planes for fine joinery and James asks about sanding a routed detailed edge. Last but not least, are you interested in Nominating Wood Talk Online for a Podcast Award? Nominations start July 1st, click here for more details podcastawards.com

New and Improved Wood Whisperer Store!!

June 17, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 4 Comments 

I have never been completely satisfied with the look, feel , or functionality of The Wood Whisperer Store. Martin over at Lumberjocks.com recently brought my attention to a service that lets you create a really cool Amazon.com affiliate storefront. After spending a few days building up the pages, I think we have a site that’s ready for prime time. I hope you enjoy it. Remember that all of your purchases will result in a small percentage of income for the show. And just a quick thank you to everyone for supporting the The Wood Whisperer. Without you, these improvements and new features would not be possible. So you keep supporting the show, and I’ll keeping making things cooler and more interactive. Click the link below to check it out.


Dust Collector for Power Hand Tools? - Question of the Week

June 15, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 13 Comments 

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

I would like to ask a question about dust collection. I have a small workshop in my garage and have found dust to be a major problem. I don’t have any large machines but I do have small power tools such as routers, circular saws, biscuit joiner, sanders etc. and hope to get a saw bench and a thicknesser some time in the future. I seem I have two options: a dust extractor with 4 inch pipe reduced down to the hand tool size hose or a workshop vacuum. As my wife watches your podcast with me she straight away picked up you saying that your workshop vacuum clogs up sometimes and is adamant that I need a dust extractor, but I am working on the theory that the dust extraction on the tools I have would work better with the greater suction of a vacuum rather than the greater flow of the extractor. I’m happy to be in the wrong; I just would like to buy the correct unit for our needs. Could you give us the benefit of your experience in this matter?

And here was my reply:
“Hey Robert. A dust collector is a good investment, but I would pretty much reserve it for stationary power tools. I don’t think a dust collector is a good option for the powered hand tools. I guess you could do it, but it think it would be a big pain in the butt. By the time you reduce the diameter down to a hand tool size, the suction wouldn’t be very good and the 4″ hose would be quite annoying to work with. I use a true dust extractor for my hand tool applications these days. I got sick of the shop vac clogging up on me all the time and I upgraded to one of the Festool vacs. This guy is meant for dust extraction from tools and isn’t harmed by the fine dust. Plus, its a heck of a lot quieter than running the cyclone or a shop vac.

So i would say stick with the Shop Vac for now. And if you decide to upgrade in the future, be sure to upgrade to a higher quality extractor like the Festool. And keep the big dust collector for the big tools. Good luck.”



A Favor for Powermatic

June 13, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 1 Comment 

Powermatic recently contacted me in hopes of collecting pictures or video of people using OLD Powermatic, JET, and Wilton tools. Specifically, the Powermatic Green, JET Blue, and any old Wilton products. They would also like pictures of people using our new products to build projects. And I know lots of you guys have Powermatic and Jet tools. So if you have some nice pics or videos, send them on over to WMH Tool Group at the following email addresses:

powermail@wmhtoolgroup.com

jetmail@wmhtoolgroup.com

wiltonmail@wmhtoolgroup.com

Thanks everyone!

Wood Talk Online- Episode 10

June 12, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | 2 Comments 

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Marc and Matt opened up the show by discussing Marc’s 3-day training session with Festool in Las Vegas. Marc thought it was one of the best training sessions he ever had and thought the instructor Steve was terrific.Matt made the announcement about the summer awards at Lumberjocks.com. There are 2 categories: garden projects and wood joinery. Check it out-great prizes and all judging is being done by your peers.Our first voicemail was from Patrick. His question was on blade maintenance. The second was from Larry with a feedback comment on protecting tool surfaces. He had really good success using Topcoat by Bostick.With our emails we received a follow up on wood toxicity and allergies. Another follow up was from Kendall on episode 9 on toxicity issues with certain woods. Kendall made note that the stronger aromatic woods means stronger oils. Gordon asked Marc and Matt if they will be attending the AWFS show in Las Vegas in July. Matt will not be attending. Marc and his wife, Nicole, will be attending and invited everyone to stop by the Festool booth and say Hi.

Brent had a question on shop air compressors. He would like to know what would be sufficient to run a brad nailer, finish sprayer and to clean up saw dust around work area? The guys recommended stepping it up due to using a finish sprayer. Best bet is to find the spray gun you are going to use and check out the air requirements. Jorge had a question as to where do plywood joints get their strength from? Is it feasible to use a rabbit joint to join the bottom of a wall cabinet or necessary to use a dado joint so that the cabinet bottom gets supported in the lower shoulder. Does using brad nails or screws help the joint strength while the gluing sets up?

James emails in with a suggestion on what planer to buy. The second part of the email dealt with matching wood color with wood grain pattern. What less expensive local woods would match with more expensive exotic types? For example, what wood grain resembles ebony, mahogany, wenge, or even cocobola? Keith had a question for Marc dealing with Powermatic. Keith had just purchased the PM2000 table saw a few months ago and loves it. He noticed that Marc has a PM66. There is a several hundred dollar price difference between the two, and he was wondering what the major differences are.

Gordon has a question on sharpening his chisels and plane blades using the scary sharp method, using sandpaper for your sharpening. It’s fairly cheap without having to buy one of those grinding stations. Someone told me to check out one of those new diamond stones. Are they quicker and how long do they last? And what is the grit size equivalent for each? He followed up with a note for Marc to not throw away your feeler gauges. I found a use for them. They’re great for working glue into hairline cracks or splits in wood, caused by the inept use of a chisel on occasion. Craig writes in and needs help. He is making a corner china cabinet and has a finish problem. His problem is with one of the lower doors. While applying a gel varnish he was sanding lightly between coats with 400 grit and got a little to aggressive on the lower door. Matt thought that he may have burnished the wood and that the sawdust was pushed into pores. Marc mentioned that when sanding it is hard to get wood to look exactly the same. He possibly pushed varnish down into the grain. It may never stain the same. Marc recommends spraying.

Alex’s question was on using double sided sticky tape and which tape did the guys use? Marc likes to use Turners tape, that he gets at wood working stores. He gets his at Wood Craft or Rockler. Matt has also used carpet tape. It’s a little thicker, and even the blue painters tape. We also had someone write in that says he was building cabinets this past weekend and started pondering the question of designing the cabinets to encourage them to be square on assembly. What other techniques can you suggest to help force the cabinet into square before applying a face frame or backing? Lastly, we have a question from Lip about spiral cutter heads on jointers and if its worth the extra cost. Both Marc and Matt agreed to go for the standard head, especially if you are on a budget. Marc and Matt closed out the show with a special thank you sent out to Bob-”You are the Man!”

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