Technical notes: Press the small play button under the video otherwise you’ll be pushed to Ustream. Also, I have no control over the commercial that plays in front of the video. Ustream is a free service and they force ads into the videos to cover their costs. And finally, you’ll notice the audio clips quite frequently. That’s what happens when you do a surprise demo using a cheap webcam.

I thought I would submit this viewer project to you as I am so damned proud of it. It’s my first piece of “fine furniture.” I built it as part of a Hall Table Course I did here in Melbourne, Australia. It’s made from Tasmanian Blackwood and has recycled Jarrah stretchers and drawer handle. For most of the joints we used the Domino although I did make my own loose rectangular tenons to fit between the bottom stretchers.

We went through everything from dimensioning the rough lumber, selecting our pieces to match the grain pattern, assembling and finishing. Six sessions in all. I made a few mistakes along the way but all were easily fixed and can’t be seen in the finished product. The handle and stretchers were rough cut on the bandsaw and then I finessed them by hand to get it all looking good. All the other work was done using the usual tools … tablesaw, bandsaw for the inside tapers on the legs, hand scrapers and hand planes.

The finish is Organoil Hard Burnishing Oil. It’s a natural, organic oil with a lovely lemon scent! Sanded up to 400 grit, applied the oil and then sanded with the oil on the timber to create a slurry (this has the effect of sealing the wood.) I continued sanding with the ETS on the oil/slurry all the way up to 4000 grit! Then some EEE (Tripoli) and wax to finish it up nicely. I’m really proud of the final result and it now stands proudly in our hallway for anyone to see as soon as they come into our home.

Thanks again for all your incredible work and sharing your gift with the rest of us. It really does inspire. There are heaps of pics on my Flickr page. There is also a WIP discussion on the woodworking forums.

Finally, a thorough look at my new digs. Now my hope is that this shop is just temporary, until we sell the other house. But until then, I can make my 3-car garage a comfortable place to produce great projects! Enjoy the shop tour!

Here is my review of the DeWalt Tracksaw, FINALLY! As much as I tried to focus solely on the Tracksaw, its nearly impossible not to draw comparisons to the Festool TS line of plunge saws. Let me sum it all up by saying you need to be really picky to find distinctions that will make a real difference to the average woodworker. If you are trying to make a decision between these two saws, you will probably need to look at bigger picture things like price, system approach, warranty, and interoperability with other tools. But if you are looking for a saw that makes extremely safe and clean cuts with good dust collection, either saw will fit the bill.

Here are a few other reviews and comparisons that you might want to check out:
Mike Heidrick’s Comparison on Sawmill Creek
Tom Hintz’s Review at New Woodworker
Professional Power Tool Guide Review
Festool’s Tracksaw Site

Status Report:

Where have we been for nearly 2 months?!?!?! Marc gives a Gadget Station update and talks about the “project hump”. Matt announces that his next project will be a bedside table for Madison.

Around the Web:

Working Wood by Tom Fidgen
Luthiercast
Upholstered Chair Project Video

News:
Final Cut sawblades.
Amana’s In-Tech router bits with replaceable cutterheads.

Steel City introduces spiral head lunchbox planer.
Auriou rasps back in business!

Hot Deals:
50% OFF ROUTER TABLE STARTER PACKAGE
Regular Catalog Price $239.97 E-Direct Special Offer $119.99

Bessey Tradesman Bar Clamps Buy 2 – Get the 3rd FREE!

Topics:
IWF Review- DeWalt TrackSaw, Delta Unisaw, General International’s adjustable height bandsaw.
Intro to Spokeshaves – low-angle vs. standard – flat vs. round bottom

Tom’s Tip: Keeping the shop clean.

Here are a few shop pictures, we finished it’s construction about 6 months ago. It is about 1400sf inside and has a 200a service to it. I have a 10hp three phase converter as well. Building it allowed me to carefully place outlets, lights, fans etc. It is basically livable with AC/heat, it has a 1/2 bath and at the end we included a separate guest house (mostly to get the drums out of the house, per my wife’s endless requests). It is pretty full at this point with the recent addition of a JLT panel clamp, which was very worthwhile because having a dedicated clamping area has been well worth the sacrifice of space. As you can see I have a large Festool area set up with 4 MFT’s, which has been where the vast majority of the work takes place. The shop is very long (65′) so I was able to place all the tools that need dust collection at one end in order to minimize pipe runs. The undersized Oneida 1.5 hp collector I have needs to be replaced but I have not got around to that yet. This has been the first time we have had a garage in about 9 years, when I began woodworking, and it is awesome to have the dedicated space. Thanks for your witty, experienced contribution to our beloved craft.

Festool recently released two new routers, the MFK700 and the OF2200, and a new multi-function table, the MFT3. Judging from the emails I’ve received, there is a lot of interest in seeing these items on the show. So this one is for you guys!
And perhaps the most exciting part of the video is at the end when I announce the Fecool Giveaway Prize for May, a brand new MFK700 Trim Router.

Topics: April is turning out to be a very busy month with lots of travel. Marc recently attended the Festool Grand Opening event. Matt went to a Lie-Nielsen tool seminar/demo last weekend. Improper safety techniques in a woodworking class. The announcement of the first annual Woodworker’s Safety Week (May 5th – May 9th). We get Rick Rolled. Hollow chisel mortisers. Tom’s Tip. And if you had $2500 to set up a shop, what would you buy? Leave us a voicemail and let us know!

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

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