LumberJocks Summer 2007 Woodworking Awards

June 11, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 1 Comment 

So what are you doing this summer? I bet you dont know, do you? Well have I got a prospect for you!! How about building a project and entering the LumberJocks Summer 2007 Woodworking Awards. There are two awesome categories: Garden Projects and Wood Joinery. And entering the contest is so easy. Just head on over to Lumberjocks for all the details.

And one thing I really want to bring your attention to is the prizes. Not that I am materialistic. Ok maybe a little. But check out some of these prizes: Dowelmax, The Best of Fine Woodworking DVD, $50 Amazon.com gift certificate, 1 year C.W. magazine subscription, Techniques DVD Series, HeppleWhite Nightstand DVD, Veritas Low-Angle Jack Plane, and LumberJocks T-Shirts. And all you have to do is send in a few pictures of your work. Its that easy.

One Minute How-To - Caring For a Wooden Cutting Board

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

I recently had the pleasure of participating in a very cool podcast called The One Minute How-To, hosted by George Smyth. Since George’s audience is quite varied, I needed to cover a topic that would be useful to a broad audience. And since just about all of us own a wooden cutting board of some sort, I decided to explain how to care for one. Enjoy!

Have a Listen!

What Happens in Vegas, Gets Posted on TWW

June 7, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 8 Comments 

I just got back from one of the coolest training sessions I have ever been to and I thought you might like to hear about my little adventure. As you probably know, Festool is one of the sponsors of our show. Being a fan of Festool tools and an admirer of those who owned them, years before The Wood Whisperer was a twinkle in my eye, I jumped at the opportunity to take a 3 day training session with them. And since I will be doing demonstrations for Festool at this summers AWFS Fair in Vegas, its a good time for me to learn as much as I can about the Festool universe. So Nicole and i fired up the little VW bug and headed up to everyone’s favorite place to lose hard-earned money, Las Vegas.

There were six guys in our group, and all of them were involved in tool sales. They were a really nice bunch of guys too. Our trainer, Steve Bace, picked us up promptly Monday morning in a Festool-labelled truck. I was somewhat disappointed that his vehicle was not Green and Black with a vacuum hose attached to the tail pipe. I guess Festool hasn’t made one of those yet. Class began every day with a hearty breakfast followed by lecture-style instruction and tool review. And lecture only gets you so far, so each day we would spend a large majority of our time in the shop working with the tools. I was drowning in a sea of green and black. Someone pinch me! Multi Function Tables everywhere, Systainers (Festool’s tool cases) stacked everywhere, and a giant store display against the wall. It really was like a tool candy store.

Obviously there is no way for me to tell you everything I learned, but suffice it to say I am now pretty well-versed in the functions and features of every tool Festool sells. Yes……I am that cool. :) But I do have a few tools that really stood out in my mind as cool. First, was their PS 300 Jigsaw. I don’t know about you guys but the jigsaw is pretty much a forgotten tool in my shop. I only use it when I absolutely must and I never look forward to the experience. Whether its poor blade tracking, blade warpage, or tearout, something is bound to bite me in the butt. After working with the PS300 for a few hours, I am starting to rethink the possible uses for a jigsaw in my shop. This saw repeatedly produced tearout-free, straight and perpendicular cuts. Just look at the picture where we cut out two blocks of wood from the end of a 4×4. There is no way I could do that with my jigsaw.

The second thing was the Festool C12 drill. In many cases, a drill is a drill is a drill. Obviously some are better than others but they all drive screws. But the C12 actually has a brushless motor which means incredibly long life. Steve mentioned that Festool stopped testing how many screws this drill would drive before dying at 1 million. Apparently, if you invest in the c12, it will probably be the last drill you ever buy. Another amazing feature was this drills low-speed torque control. Ever have a screw that is sitting just proud of the surface and you want it to be just slightly recessed. With most drills, you will either try to drive it further and overshoot your depth, or you will have to back the screw out and start over. With the C12, you can simply continue driving the screw at a super low speed until the screw is exactly where you want it. You have complete control. Pretty cool.

I would like to thank both Festool and Steve for this experience. Steve was one of the most knowledgable “tool guys” I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with. When a guy tells you several things you didn’t know about a tool you’ve owned for 2 years, you tend to listen up. So anyway, this is by no means an advertisement and I hope it isn’t interpreted as such. I was very excited about this opportunity (just ask the people in the chat room), and I wanted to share my excitement with you.

Episode 19- Assembly Table Base

June 3, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Projects, Video | 31 Comments 

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High Resolution Version

This video covers the construction of our assembly table base. I review every detail from cutting the sheetgoods to installing door and drawer hardware. If you like what you see and you are inspired to build your very own assembly table, downloadable plans are available at FineWoodworking.com/thewoodwhisperer. You can also view shorter versions of the videos right on the Finewoodworking.com site. But the full video will only be available here at TheWoodWhisperer.com.

And here are a few links to products featured in the assembly table episodes:

Concealed Hinge JIG IT® System Concealed Hinge JIG IT® System
As seen in The Wood Whisperer Video Podcast! Drill concealed hinge cup holes with ease and accuracy. Easily locate, center and drill cup holes on cabinet doors for fully concealed hinges.

Concealed Hinge JIG IT® System

Assembly Square for squaring the frame while the glue dries.
Self-Centering Bits for accurate pre-drilling of screw holes.



Episode 18- Assembly Table Torsion Box

June 3, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Projects, Video | 27 Comments 

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High Resolution Version


Here’s the one you’ve all been waiting for! If you’ve seen my latest videos or if you’ve checked out the live webcam recently, you most likely got a good view of my new assembly table. And I haven’t been able to go into too much detail about it….until now! In collaboration with our good friends over at FineWoodworking.com, we’ve created two project videos for your viewing and building pleasure. Episode 18 covers the construction of the Torsion Box Top and Episode 19 covers the construction of the base.

(UPDATE: A correction was made to the plan download on Tuesday, June 3, to reflect the correct dimensions of the torsion-box top.) If you like what you see and you are inspired to build your very own assembly table, downloadable plans are available at FineWoodworking.com. You can also view shorter versions of the videos right on the Finewoodworking.com site. But the full video will only be available here at TheWoodWhisperer.com.



Wood Talk Online- Episode 9

June 1, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | 1 Comment 

Download Episode 9



Our first voicemail was from Wilbur. His question involved power jointer vs. jointing with hand planes. Skee called in, he was curious about the use of different wood species within the same project and how you balance that. Are there rules or guidelines that you use? Matt thought it was a matter of matching up the grain pattern. Marc thought it was a personal choice and that exotics were very good for accents. Marc and Matt received a comment from J.T. concerning his new purchase of the Leigh FMT mortise and tenon jig. He has had outstanding results-makes for a perfect joint. A definite time saver. Marc and Matt welcome any comments on the FMT. They would love to see any projects from their viewers.

First email from Mike who has a moisture issue on his cast iron tool tops. His question was how do I remove rust from cast iron and prevent it from happening again. What can I coat the cast iron with and where can I buy it? The guys suggested checking out the forums and Marc also explained his technique to remove rust. A novice in fine woodworking wrote in to ask if the guys had any suggestions or tips on how to deal with twisted or cupped stock. Matt suggested cutting into smaller pieces and working around the defect. If a board is going to twist it will. Marc also mentioned, don’t be afraid to scrap a piece. Skee had a question of structure versus weight. How do you know how much weight the stucture you build can take? Are there common rules of thumb about size and span that they can cover? Matt suggested woodbin.com, the project design and furniture standard section. The second part to question was a concern on driveway. What can I do to clean up material? Marc recommends TSP and wire brush.
Daryl wanted to know what they would recommend to use for dovetails? The guys agreed that everyone has a different opinion on this. Daryl’s second part to his question involved needing help tuning a old Bailey jack plane and a Stanley smoothing plane? Matt directed him to check out the video podcast at mattsbasementworkshop.com. The Basics of tuning up planes.

Their next question was a request to provide a source or list of wood species and their toxicity. Matt recommended staying away from holly. Marc suggested that there is no good dust. You should always wear a respirator. Here are some helpful links:
Health Hazards in Woodworking
Botanical Database

Ty’s question was, how do you pay for downloads? Marc mentioned that there are a lot of free resources out there. The standard upkeep of the site is where the cost comes in. Roberto had a question that dealt with a Norm Abrams show where Norm dealt with loose mortise and tenon joints. Scott wrote in with a question for Marc. He wanted to know more details about working with David Marks, and if Marc would ever consider giving the same opportunity. Marc recommended checking out djmarks.com.

Also an email from a serious hobbyist asking for a suggestion for a planer. Matt suggests a Rigid lunchbox planer. But as always, it depends on a person’s budget. Then we have Louis who is working on a bed for his baby daughter. He wanted to ask the guys on their experiences with shellac. Marc and Matt agreed that the shellac would work well in this application. Recommended spraying it on. Then finally, we have Kevin who wanted to know what the guys thought about a combo jointer planer. He purchased the 6” versus the 8” joiner and currently has a lunch box planer. Neither Marc or Matt are fans of the combo. An 8” jointer would save time and trouble.

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