72- Contemporary Clock

November 17, 2008 by thewoodwhisperer · 13 Comments
Filed under: All Videos, Marc's Projects

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Here’s another great small project for the holidays. Its a small Contemporary Clock. This piece should take about two days to build. And this is another project that can benefit from the batching process. So be sure to make a bunch!

And just to help you along, I did my best to create a working SketchUp file that should be perfectly to scale. Just keep in mind that I am by no means a Sketchup expert, so please give all measurements the “common sense check”. After reviewing the sketch myself, I realized that the width of the center square piece is about 1/16″ off. Rest assured, it should be 3 1/2″. Download the Sketchup File by clicking the link below. And if you haven’t used Sketcup before, you can download a free copy from Google: Sketchup

Download Sketchup File for the Contemporary Clock

To sum up, here’s a basic cut list (also stated in the video):
(1) 3/4″ thick x 3 1/2″ wide x 3 1/2″ long (for the clock)
(4) 3/4″ thick x 1 1/2″ wide x 6 1/2″ long (for the frame)
(2) 1/4″ diameter x 1 1/4″ long dowels

And here are some links to the materials used in the video:

General Finishes PolyAcrylic
Clock Parts

Circle/Grommet Templates
This is the plexiglass template kit I used to create the holes for the clock works. Highly recommended!!

Circle/Grommet Templates

Tags: clock, hickory, maple, purpleheart, Wenge

71- Magazine Rack

November 12, 2008 by thewoodwhisperer · 24 Comments
Filed under: All Videos, Marc's Projects

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As the holidays approach, my mind always turns to small, simple (yet elegant) projects that we can make for our family and friends. I have two of them in store for you this year. And the first one is a collapsible magazine rack. The rack is designed to pull apart and collapse for shipping or storage. Its lightweight but surprisingly sturdy. This piece should take about two days to build, and that’s just because you’ll be waiting for glue to dry. So let’s call it two half days. And best of all, it would take just as long to build 5 as it would building just one.

And just to help you along, I did my best to create a working SketchUp file that should be perfectly to scale. Just keep in mind that I am by no means a Sketchup expert, so please give all measurements the “common sense check”. Download the Sketchup File by clicking the link below. And if you haven’t used Sketcup before, you can download a free copy from Google: Sketchup

Download Magazine Rack Sketchup File

And to wrap things up, here’s a basic cut list (also stated in the video):
(4) 3/8″ thick x 4 1/4″ wide x 16″ long
(1) 3/8″ thick x 4″ wide x 14″ long

And here are some links to the finishing materials used in the video:

General Finishes Water-based Dyes
General Finishes PolyAcrylic

Tags: magazine rack, maple, pop the grain, walnut

70- A Chat with Leo Laporte

November 3, 2008 by thewoodwhisperer · 17 Comments
Filed under: All Videos, Interviews, Marc's Projects, On the Road

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The title says it all. We drove all the way up to Petaluma, CA to deliver the gadget station to the one and only, Leo Laporte. We had the pleasure of hanging out in the TWiT Cottage where Leo records all of his shows, and streams them live at TwitLive.tv. And the coolest part is that the gadget station seems to have found a permanent home on the shelf behind Leo’s desk. Nicole and I were quite ecstatic to meet Leo. Mission accomplished!

Tags: gadget station, leo laporte, twit

69- Gadget Station (Pt. 12)

October 29, 2008 by thewoodwhisperer · 17 Comments
Filed under: All Videos, Marc's Projects

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Well I finally made it to the finish line. This episode covers the hinge installation, pegging the tenons in the doors, making custom ebony handles, and finishing. I end the video with a justification of my design.

If you are interested in the Gripper system I showed for cutting small parts, you can pick one up in our Amazon.com Store. And if you are looking for the finishing DVD I mentioned, you can find that right here.

Links:
Gadget Station (Pt. 1)
Gadget Station (Pt. 2)
Gadget Station (Pt. 3)
Gadget Station (Pt. 4)
Gadget Station (Pt. 5)
Gadget Station (Pt. 6)
Gadget Station (Pt. 7)
Gadget Station (Pt. 8)
Gadget Station (Pt. 9)
Gadget Station (Pt. 10)
Gadget Station (Pt. 11)

Tags: bubinga, ebony, finishing, gadget station, grrrripper, pegged tenons, varnish

68- Gadget Station (Pt. 11)

October 22, 2008 by thewoodwhisperer · 12 Comments
Filed under: All Videos, Marc's Projects

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In this video, I resaw the spalted maple panels on the bandsaw using Laguna’s Resaw King. What a bandsaw blade! I then glue up the doors and begin creating the ebony plugs for the case. I finish up by showing my process for fitting inset doors.