Episode 31- Pencil Holders
October 31, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Projects, Video | 38 Comments
High Resolution Version
With the holiday season on its way, its time to start cranking out those gifts!! And that’s what we are going to do in this episode. I designed these simple little pencil holders several years ago just as a way of utilizing shop scrap. Turns out they make great gifts too. So get creative and try different color/wood combinations. Its hard to make these things look bad. This video covers wood selection, milling, and assembly of a fancy little pencil holder. Stay tuned for Episode 32 when we focus solely on finishing this piece.
And I need to send out a big thank you to Nick for producing the SketchUp drawing above. Simply click the picture and you can download the .skp file. If you don’t have SketchUp, you can download the free version here.
***Note***
Project videos like this one take a significant amount of time to film and edit. So I am going to start something new. If you like what you see and you want to support the cause, please consider donating. There are no set amounts. Just decide what the show was worth to YOU.
Contest Reminder
October 30, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment
Hey everybody. Just a last minute reminder to get your entries in for the monthly Fescool drawing and The Wood Whisperer monthly giveaway ($150 ToolKing.com gift certificate). The links for both are in the right column. I know you guys like free stuff as much as I do, so get that entry in! :) Good luck everyone!
Fool Proof Finish?? - Question of the Week
October 29, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 11 Comments
This week’s question comes from Chris. He writes:
I recently discovered your site and pod casts and as my wife says I’m a bit obsessive. I have learned so much from you, and instead of waiting for a weekly show of Norm on PBS (and being a bit overwhelmed) I have been able to take some great information and apply it to real life armature woodworking. So I have just finished assembling my first big project a walnut blanket chest for my wife. I did make mistakes and then mistakes but as of now I am somewhat pleased. Since I jumped in full force for the piece I decided to do the same with the finishing. I derived my finishing from a recipe from a book called Foolproof Wood Finishing by Teri Masaschi. I decided to stray a little form the recipe in the book because when I practiced on scrap I wasn’t happy with a few details. In the end here is what I have done.
Sanded to 180 grit. Wash coat of 3 to 1 lb cut shellac, 320 scuff, Behlen’s burnt umber glaze, shellac wash coat, 320 scuff, general finish oil base mahogany wood stain, and then Minwax Dark Walnut Oil Base Wood Stain. Now here is where my question is. I was planning on top coating with 3 layers of General Finishes Arm-R-Seal Oil and Urethane Topcoat (Semi-Gloss). The books I have don’t give much detail on really making a topcoat work well.
So do you think this topcoat is a good one? Do you see any problems that I may have? If I don’t like the Semi-Gloss after 3 layers and want more gloss can I do a 4th layer of High Gloss? What kind of Gloss does a blanket chest usually have? What kind of work, it any should I do between each layer of topcoat? Grit, etc. Have I gone too far and does finishing really have to be this complex to get a piece to look better than amateur? Perhaps the complex finishing makes it look less professional. Thanks for your pod casts and I am planning on doing as much of my future online woodworking shopping thru your site. So here are a few pics for your criticism. Any all feedback and critiquing is well received. Be brutal.
And here was my reply:
“Hey Chris. Thanks for the kind words. I am glad you find the videos interesting and informative. I see no problem top-coating with Arm-R-Seal semi gloss. In fact, that would be my recommendation. Im not a fan of super high gloss so I think you are safe there. And after several coats of semigloss, adding a coat of gloss will not look like gloss. It will just look like a coat of gloss over a semigloss finish. Between each coat of topcoat, I usually sand lightly with 320 or 400 grit paper.”
“Now for the criticism. And this doesn’t reflect poorly on you. It reflects poorly on the finish schedule from that book. “Fool Proof Finishing”?!?!? Really???? When you have that many ingredients and steps, anyone could mess it up. So before I go any further, I would like to say the construction, design and craftsmanship look great. If thats your first big project than you certainly have something to be proud of. Congrats!”
“So here’s The Wood Whisperer perspective on the finish (a combination of opinion and fact). That recipe is kind of BS on walnut. I really hope the author didn’t recommend that finish specifically for walnut. You paid good money for that wood. You paid a premium because it was walnut. With that finish recipe, you could have purchased alder at 1/4 the price and the final result would be nearly identical. Personally, I think its a darn shame to put synthetic color on top of a naturally-beautiful wood. The most I would do to walnut would be hit it with a walnut dye or stain to enhance the color a bit. But that’s a rare occurance in my shop. So this finish has created what appears to be a slightly muddy and vague view of what would have been beautiful grain. Three coats of Seal-a-Cell and a couple coats of Arm-R-Seal (or any varnish) would have given you a beautiful protective finish that enhances the grain and really lets the wood shine. It also lets people know that this piece is real walnut and not just layers of color on top of wood.”
“Bottom line is, finishing is kind of like cooking. The more crap you throw in, the less you can discern and appreciate the individual ingredients. And when it comes to finishing, there is a lot of bad info out there. That’s not to say that Teri’s advice is necessarily bad. If that’s what works for her, then great. But to call that a “fool-proof finish” in a book that seems to be intended for beginners is just a disservice to all of us. As a person who spends a great deal of time trying to show people that this stuff is NOT as hard as it seems, its upsetting to me to see you go through all these extra steps.”
“I wish you the best of luck on your future projects. And just an FYI, three authors that have never steered me wrong are Bob Flexner, Jeff Jewitt, and Michael Dresdner. Good luck!”
And just to be completely fair, I should mention that I have not read this book so I do not know the context in which Teri’s finish was recommended. My comments are simply based upon the information I received from Chris.
Cherry Hall Table- Viewer Project of the Week
October 26, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Project of the Week | 21 Comments
Welcome to the first of many “Viewer Projects of the Week”. Nearly every day I receive photos from viewers displaying their most recent projects and triumphs in the shop. I usually encourage folks to then add the pics to our Flickr Group so they can be viewed in our Viewer Gallery. But this is confusing for some people and doesn’t really give us a chance to discuss the projects as a community.
So as we post these projects, I invite all of you to comment. Keep in mind that as a community, we represent a wide range of skill and experience levels. Not to mention we all have our own opinions, tastes, and preferences. So if you have a criticism, please keep it constructive. If you are a jerk, I will promptly send Nicole to your house for a stern talking to. So with that out of the way, let’s take a look at our very first, Viewer Project of the Week.
This week’s project is by David M. from Vestal, NY. David describes himself as “corporate drone” who just recently started getting into fine woodworking. His only previous woodworking experience was in 7th grade, nearly 23 years ago. His hall table is made of from cherry, features bandsawn legs and a continuous 16″ wide top!! Let’s hear the story from David himself:
I picked up the wood for this table at my local hardwood distributor, Southern Tier Hardwoods. The day I stopped in I noticed an unusual stock of wide (15-18″) 4/4 cherry planks they had just finished from raw stock. I bought all they had and figured I’d be able to start my first project with some of it - and at a minimum avoid some gluing. The intent was to use my first woodworking furniture project to replace a sofa table in our foyer. I wanted to match the theme established by a cherry mirror hangng on the wall directly above the table. I decided to match the legs to the mirror sides. My wife was skeptical that my first project would make the grade for the foyer. (my victory was to be sweet)
The table was finished with three coats of Deft lacquer and touched up with #00 steel wool. I really wish my first project looked that good. You are off to a great start David.
If you would like your project posted as a Viewer Project of the Week, send me an email with some photos and your story. Not all submitted projects will make it into a feature, but we appreciate you sending your projects in.
Which Comes First: Planer or Jointer?- Question of the Week
October 24, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 39 Comments
This week’s question comes from Doug. He writes:
Hi Marc. I only have the money to buy one tool at a time with months in between purchases. If you were going to choose between a planer and jointer, which one would come first?
And here was my reply:
“Hey Doug. Excellent question. If I had to pick, I would get the planer first. That way you can at least get your lumber pretty darn close to flat and parallel. Furthermore you can resize your lumber when necessary. These days, i would be lost without both the jointer AND the planer. So sad.”
But that’s just my opinion. I think Doug would be best served hearing everyone’s opinions about this question. So what would you find most useful on it’s own, the planer or the jointer?
Interesting Stuff at Fine Woodworking
October 24, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 3 Comments
Finewoodworking.com just released a very interesting set of videos geared toward the beginner, called “Getting Started in Woodworking“. So if you are new to the hobby or you just want a nice review of the basics, check out these videos.
Now most of you probably know about Fine Woodworking’s old Design books. Well they are issuing a call for entries on a similar project. It looks like they plan on showcasing over 100 original designs in a magazine format. So if you are interested in entering your projects for consideration, check this out! All entries are due November 30, 2007.
Have fun and good luck!!
Impressions: Tenryu Gold Medal Blade
October 23, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 22 Comments
As many of you know, I recently hung up my much-adored Forrest Woodworker II blade in an effort to give another brand a shot. That brand was Tenryu. I have heard great things about their blades and even had a chance to work them on a few occasions. So I was excited to give their products a shot. Specifically the MP-305100AB in my miter saw and the GM-25540 in my table saw.
Let me start by saying the MP-305100AB has found a permanent home in the miter saw. Never have I had such glass smooth cuts from that tool. To be fair though, I upgraded from a stock blade. But what an amazing upgrade it was!
As for the tablesaw blade, I have to say that the blade cuts beautifully. Since my Forrest blade is several years old and has been sharpened a few times (and is in need of sharpening now), a true side by side cut quality comparison was not possible. But I have used my Forrest for years and I am quite familiar with its cut characteristics. And if the Tenryu produced a perceptible difference, I would have spotted it. And to be honest, there wasn’t much difference at all. Of course in a controlled side by side test, with microscopes and lab jackets we might be able to choose a cut quality winner between these two. But seriously folks, in my shop (and most likely yours), both of these blades kick butt and produce top notch cuts. Since the blade is so new, factors like how well the blade holds a sharp edge over time have yet to be determined.
The only real problem I had was that I was under the impression that this was a full-kerf blade. So during the testing, I noticed binding and other indications that this blade had an odd kerf width. Come to find out it is actually being billed as a thin-kerf blade. And it happens to be one of the thickest thin-kerf blades on the market, which is why I didn’t immediately notice the size difference. Unfortunately, this is a deal breaker for me since my setup is for full kerf. Both my splitter and my zero clearance insert would be useless with this blade.
Verdict: Tenryu is a top-notch company that produces a premium blade. The cut quality certainly justifies its cost. If Tenryu could manufacture this blade with a full 1/8″ kerf, they would have a customer for life.
Wood Talk Online - Episode 20
October 23, 2007 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | Leave a Comment
It’s time for another episode of Wood Talk Online and our hosts are at the height of their tangent-ny goodness.
Marc mentioned a new set of videos available at Finewoodworking.com called Getting Started in Woodworking. Marc also mentioned that he decided it’s time to start thinking about going green and introduced the subject of water-based finishes by providing these great links to help you learn more about the subject:
WoodNet Forum Post
Rockler Article
Making a Collapsible Spray Booth
It’s obvious that woodworking season is upon us, given the large number of voicemails and emails that came in for this episode. Chris calls in asking about wood movement and Marc’s suggestion is to check out “The Shrinkulator“. Next is Fred who apparently has a problem with holes being drilled in the wrong place. Bob has some facial hair that might not work with a dust mask and the last voicemail for this episode is from Chet who asks about which is our favorite jig in the workshop.
We have emails too, starting with Rex who wants to know if we have any ideas on a good choice of stock for making trekking poles used for hiking. Zac in Vegas is having trouble finding the motivation to head into the shop, every now and then, and is curious to see if we have any helpful ideas to rekindle the fire. Joey’s making some coasters and is looking for a way to apply a finish without drips, sags or losing his mind. And last but not least is Tony, who’s looking to get a mirror like shine to his hand plane and chisel blades.
As always if you have any comment, questions or feedback drop us a line at woodtalkonline@gmail.com or call us at 623-242-2450. And if you’re interested in getting your name in for a chance to win a WoodSlicer Resaw Blade from Highland Woodworking send us an email at wtopromo@gmail.com .
Wood Talk Online - Episode 20
October 23, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | Leave a Comment
It’s time for another episode of Wood Talk Online and our hosts are at the height of their tangent-ny goodness.
Marc mentioned a new set of videos available at Finewoodworking.com called Getting Started in Woodworking. Marc also mentioned that he decided it’s time to start thinking about going green and introduced the subject of water-based finishes by providing these great links to help you learn more about the subject:
WoodNet Forum Post
Rockler Article
Making a Collapsible Spray Booth
It’s obvious that woodworking season is upon us, given the large number of voicemails and emails that came in for this episode. Chris calls in asking about wood movement and Marc’s suggestion is to check out “The Shrinkulator“. Next is Fred who apparently has a problem with holes being drilled in the wrong place. Bob has some facial hair that might not work with a dust mask and the last voicemail for this episode is from Chet who asks about which is our favorite jig in the workshop.
We have emails too, starting with Rex who wants to know if we have any ideas on a good choice of stock for making trekking poles used for hiking. Zac in Vegas is having trouble finding the motivation to head into the shop, every now and then, and is curious to see if we have any helpful ideas to rekindle the fire. Joey’s making some coasters and is looking for a way to apply a finish without drips, sags or losing his mind. And last but not least is Tony, who’s looking to get a mirror like shine to his hand plane and chisel blades.
As always if you have any comment, questions or feedback drop us a line at woodtalkonline@gmail.com or call us at 623-242-2450. And if you’re interested in getting your name in for a chance to win a WoodSlicer Resaw Blade from Highland Woodworking send us an email at wtopromo@gmail.com .
Live Show Sat. 10/27/07 (2pm Eastern)- One Year of TWW
October 23, 2007 | Filed Under Blog | 12 Comments
If you can believe it, its already been a full year since The Wood Whisperer launched. My how things have changed! I would have never predicted the show would become this much a part of my career and life. But I have no regrets. With your help, we have created a tight community of woodworkers from all walks of life, and all parts of the globe. We’ve helped new woodworkers enter into the hobby, and we’ve reenergized old woodworkers’ interest in the craft. And most importantly, we’ve managed to make friends and have some fun along the way.
So its time to celebrate! On Saturday, 10/27/07 at 2pm Eastern, we will have a live show. That means live streaming video and a live chat. And it all takes place on the TWWLive Page. Navigating to http://thewoodwhisperer.tv will take you to the same place. It will be the same setup as last time (for those that remember): Nicole behind the camera and mom yelling out the questions from the chat room. Only this time, we will be building something.
With the holiday season coming up quickly, its time start thinking about making gifts. Years ago, I made these simple little pencil/pen holders just for fun. I made two initially, but of course I quickly had a long list of family and friends that wanted them. They are perfect for batching out since they are so tiny, and they also utilize shop scrap. And we can have some fun with different wood combinations while we’re at it. So join us on Saturday to see how I build it. And if you can’t make it on Saturday, have no fear. We will release a video soon after specifically for this project.
See you then.
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