Another Festool Commercial

March 20, 2008 | Filed Under Blog | 7 Comments 

The feedback on the last Festool video was pretty good so I will post a link every time one is released. This video highlights Festool’s line of sanders and how they integrate with the CT dust extractors. If you are a fan of Festool tools, you might want to sign up for the newsletter so you can receive automatic updates on Festool products and events.


Watch Me!

I am in the process of doing a number of these videos for Festool and it sure is a lot of fun. But, I have to accompany this post with a disclaimer. This is NOT a Wood Whisperer episode. This is a video I created in cooperation with Festool as promotional material for their products. So why am I linking to it? Well first off, I am proud of it. Many of you know I enjoy making videos nearly as much as woodworking itself. Second, we have a lot of Festool fans in our viewership, and a product-based video like this might be of interest to you. Enjoy!

Off-Topic Favor

March 19, 2008 | Filed Under Blog | 9 Comments 

Nicole’s high school friend, Marcus Engel, is a motivational speaker and an all around good guy. But he isn’t your typical Tony Robbins type. Marcus was in a nearly fatal car accident with a drunk driver and lost his vision as a result. He has an amazing story to tell and travels across the country sharing his perspectives and insights on life. He has a promotional video out on YouTube and has set a goal to reach 1000 views by April. How about we help him get 1000 views by tomorrow?

Before you watch, know that there are a few painful photos of Marcus from his recovery. Thanks everyone.


Marcus Engel


Episode 44- Hand Tool Basics w/ Kaleo Kala

March 19, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Video | 5 Comments 

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A quick review of some basic hand tool techniques with Kaleo Kala.



Smooth and Blotch-Free Finish - Question of the Week

March 18, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 1 Comment 

This week’s question comes from Jeff. He writes, “Love your videos have learned so much, only wish there were more! I have a problem and can’t find a layman’s answer. I like how you break down things so simply that even dumbass’s like me can understand. I built my nephew a computer desk out of Birch Plywood. I wanted to get this super nice cherry finish. The guy at HD told me to stain it with Cherry Stain (Minwax) then top coat it with Polyurethane (sp) Well, as I am sure you know it looks like “S**T” fortunately I did this on a test piece…please please please give me a layman’s answer as to how I can get a nice looking smooth finish, one that I would be proud of.”

And here was my reply: “Well this may not be super easy, but its the easiest way I know of. You can start by sealing the surface so that you get even stain absorption. I use a product called Bullseye SealCoat. This is a 2 lb cut of shellac but you might want to dilute it down to 1 lb. with denatured alcohol. Simply wipe on a good coat using a rag. It dries quickly so make it snappy. Let this dry for a few hours, then lightly sand the surface (by hand) with 220 grit sandpaper. Blow or wipe off the dust. Now you have a sealed surface on which to apply your stain. You can try the Minwax stuff, or you can try a gel stain. Gel stains are thicker and tend to sit on the surface more than regular stains. This means more even coverage over blotch prone woods. Once the stain dries, you can topcoat with shellac, varnish, lacquer, or any other topcoat of choice. But be sure to sand lightly between coats with 320. I like to actually increase the grit each time I sand. So after the first coat I use 320. After the second I use 400. After the third I use 600 and stay with it from there. And in general, as far as top coats go, I find wipe on varnish to be the easiest to work with. Remember, always practice on test boards. You never know how that stain is going to look until you actually try it. Good luck!”

And here are a few good related articles from FineWoodworking.com (made free for a limited time just for Wood Whisperer readers):

Avoid Color Mistakes and Learn How to Fix a Blotchy Stain

Dyes Can Do It All: Color bare wood without blotching, tint topcoats, and touch up blemishes

Gel Stain User’s Guide: Easy to apply, these stains are forgiving, even on blotch-prone woods

Wood Talk Online - 32

March 16, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | 14 Comments 

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Topics:
Marc’s new finishing room, The Earlex Spray Station, self-cleaning blast gates, “lazy people food”, taking photos of your work, accepting credit cards, and dyed through tenons.

Relevant links: Steve Kaeser Lights

If you want to leave us a voicemail: 623-242-2450

Sculpted End Table - Project of the Week

March 13, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Project of the Week | 15 Comments 

This week’s project should look familiar. I had a few requests for “beauty shots” of the final product. So, here you go! Enjoy.

front2sm.jpg highfrontsm.jpg

topsm.jpg detailsm.jpg

Episode 43 - A Chat with Kaleo Kala

March 12, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Video | 20 Comments 

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Many of you might already be familiar with Kaleo. He runs KaleosWorkshop.com and does the This Week in Wood Podcast. He is also recent graduate of the Australian School of Fine Furniture. And now that he’s back in the states he’s gearing up to start his own woodworking business. I was able to spend a whole afternoon with Kaleo and it was like hanging with an old friend. I decided to do a brief interview with him (this video) as well as have him show us a few rudimentary hand tool techniques (next video). Enjoy!

Lighting Tips from IzzyVideo.com

March 11, 2008 | Filed Under Blog | 6 Comments 

Its no secret that The Wood Whisperer’s shop is half woodshop, half video studio. Ok maybe its just a woodshop with a camera and some lights. But you get the idea. One of the challenges of shooting video in an environment like this is mixed lighting. The light from fluorescent tubes doesn’t necessarily play well with the light coming through the windows. Add in some external photographic lights and you got yourself a veritable lighting potpourri. Unfortunately, the camera isn’t able to make sense of these colors as well as our own eyes can. As a result, the videos and photographs produced in our shops can be a bit off-color.

My buddy Izzy, from Izzyvideo.com is an incredible videographer. The boy knows his stuff! And he was a very valuable resource as I tried to resolve my lighting dilemma. He just released a video where he addresses this exact lighting issue. I think a lot of you will find it useful.


Izzy Video 81- Mixed Light Sources

After watching the video, you might be wondering how I finally resolved the issue. The first thing I did was make sure all of my overhead lights were the same 6500K daylight spectrum bulbs. This lighting essentially simulates daylight and works rather well with the light from the windows. Using the manual white balance setting, the camera is able to add some orange and red tones back into the picture to give a nice accurate color, with no other supplemental lighting. You guys have observed the results of this setup for about the last 6 or 7 videos.

Differing Viewpoints on Design - Question of the Week

March 10, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Question of the Week | 13 Comments 

This week’s question comes from Richard. He writes: “I understand your desire to design on the fly, so to speak, even though I’m exactly the opposite. What I don’t understand is why you design on the fly in the final medium, making the FINAL project. Why not use inexpensive and easy to machine materials to build a prototype. I bet you would find it easier to be adventurous and you would find all the problems and develop creative solutions for the final product. Then build the final product utilizing all the experience gained building the prototype. Despite my misgivings for your method, I do like the design of the table legs. Now for the top.”

Richard then provided three links to articles that apparently cited instances where other folks recommended designing in a less expensive and easier to work material. Two of the links didn’t work for me but here is the one that did (from David Marks); http://djmarks.com/stories/djm/designing_a_chair_92876.asp

So here was my reply: “Hey Richard. You pose an interesting question. First and foremost, there is no doubt in my mind that a prototype with cheap wood makes more sense. And remember that I did do a prototype for the most difficult part of the project: the leg. Now if I planned on making multiples of this piece or if this were for a client, I probably would have mocked up the entire thing. I also would have done a mock-up if I were using a really expensive wood for the final piece. Walnut certainly isn’t cheap, but its not even close to the price of other exotic hardwoods out there. Another reason I like this method is the fact that the finished product, while maybe not the perfect execution of a particular vision, is usually a serviceable and beautiful piece that can be given to a relative or put in a spare room if I really don’t like the final result. Fortunately, I have never had a piece turn into a complete disaster. Prototypes can be beautiful too. :) Another reason would be time. Sometimes I have a real good idea of where I want to take a piece, but I don’t really have the time to work everything out in a prototype. So, in many cases, I jump right into it.”

“I suppose the final reason is to prove a point. Prototypes, scale models, and developing exact plans and drawings can sometimes be deterrents for the average woodworker who wants to venture into the design process. Most of these people barely have time to build a finished piece let alone build it twice! My goal is to show them that sometimes you can just throw caution to the wind and have some fun. Hopefully they understand that I am just presenting ONE way to build….not THE way to build. As a professional custom woodworker, prototypes are just a fact of life. But as a person just looking to build a nice piece and have some fun without making “design” out to be a daunting task, designing on the fly is a reasonable and fun alternative. Hope that explains it a little better.”

For more viewpoints and opinions about design, check out this excellent assortment of articles provided by FineWoodworking.com:

9 Tips for Better Design

A Good Guide to Design

A Quick Course in SketchUp

Fine-Tune Designs Before You Build

All About Furniture Design

Pro Portfolio: Masterful Apprenticeship

Pro Portfolio: When East Meets West

Wood Talk Online - 31

March 10, 2008 | Filed Under Blog, Wood Talk Online | 7 Comments 

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Topics:
Kaleo Kala’s visit to Marc’s shop, “The Schwarz”, woodworking classes, Lie Nielsen’s backorder, new tools from Festool and Powermatic, Forstner bits without spurs, and milling lumber with only a planer and a router table.

If you want to leave us a voicemail: 623-242-2450

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