Becoming a master woodworker, one project at a time.
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I ran across this today and thought it might be worth sharing with other woodworkers. This quote goes as follows:
“At the end of the day, you have something tactile,” he says, explaining that he garners a special satisfaction out of taking a piece of wood and creating a lasting piece of furniture.
That is what is great about woodworking, you are building something that will be lasting and useful.
Read the entire article here.
Cutting a dado is a very common task in a lot of woodworking projects. What is a dado? It’s basically just a word for cutting a channel, or a groove, into a piece of wood that another piece of wood will slot into.
This is a great way to make sure that pieces are put together accurately in cabinets, desks and so on.
You are cutting the grooves that everything will slot into, thus greatly increasing the accuracy of assembly during your woodworking project.
The photo shown here demonstrates this example, there is a groove cut in the wood that is sized for another piece of wood to fit into.
The easiest (or at least most efficient) way to cut a dado is to use a stacked dado blade for a table saw. A stacked blade is pretty much exactly as it sounds, multiple bladed stacked to create a wide cutting blade.
In order to properly use a stacked dado blade on your table saw, you will want to make sure that your saw can fit the stacked blade, and you will also want to be sure that your saw is powerful enough to cut into wood with that wide of a stroke.
If you can’t safely fit the needed with of blade onto your table saw, there are a couple tricks to make it easier to cut the dado you need with the hardware you do have.
The first situation might be needing to cut a 3/4 dado, but only being able to fit a 1/2 stacked blade into your table saw. In this case, you could make one pass to cut a 1/2 inch dado, and then make a second pass on the table saw to cut the remaining 1/4 inches that you need. You will need to make two passes, obviously, but you can still get a 3/4 dado by doing this.
Alternatively, you may need to cut a dado that is 1/2 inch deep but don’t have a saw powerful enough to make that in one pass. You could cut 1/4 inch deep on one pass, then make a second pass and cut out the remaining 1/4 inch. This is quite common for woodworkers that use router blades to cut dadoes.
In order to promote strength and stability in your woodworking projects, it’s probably a good idea to refrain from cutting a dado that is more than 1/3 of the way through the full thickness of the wood. If you cut 2/3 of the way through, you will destabilize the strength of the wood and may accidentally bread the board before you get everything assembled.
image by: David Numan
I found this story to be pretty inspiring. What a great way to resurrect a beloved tree that just couldn’t stay standing anymore.
After rotting away and eventually getting cut for safety issues, students at Mackay Elementary School witnessed the rebirth of their beloved 350-year-old white ash tree May 14.
One of the pieces of art created from the 350-year-old white ash is this bowl that Greg Jensen, Cleveland, Ohio, created.
Up and down the hallways and in the gymnasium and library lay remnants of the 70-foot tree that brought shade and comfort to the residents of Tenafly and the students at Mackay for centuries since the American Revolutionary War.
Hosted by The Children’s Tree & Art Foundation, 17 renown woodworking artists across the nation participated in a collaborated project to bring back history for the students, showcasing their art pieces from chunks and pieces of the torn down tree.
“It’s completely different than what we’re used to but it’s sort of refreshing,” commented woodworker Jacques Vesery about the exhibit’s unique location. “It’s really for the appreciation of the kids and their appreciation for this living thing. It’s historical, really.”
Read the rest here.
This guy should be inspiration for many. Wayne Mickelson begin his woodworking hobby late in life and he has tackled a impressive project soon in his hobby career.
“I didn’t think I was capable,” he said. “But I am. I got familiar in a hurry.”
Wayne began cutting and sanding oak, walnut, and cherry wood as soon as he arrived at Cypress Cove retirement community in south Fort Myers in 2005.
After two years of practice, he began turning out sophisticated, intricate segment bowls that required crafting 350 pieces of natural African wood together using precise mathematical computations.
“The plans cautioned a person not to attempt it unless they had 10 years experience,” he said. “But I didn’t want to wait that long.”
Read the rest of his story here.
When taking on a cabinet building project, there’s a few tips that will help you from getting yourself into a tricky corner. Thinking ahead regarding a few of the aspects of cabinet building will help you keep the process efficient.
It can be a good idea to finish the inside face of the cabinet boards before you put the cabinets together. This will make it easier to finish the wood in general, as you will be avoiding having to apply wood finish in corners and tricky to reach spots inside the cabinet.
You might also want to avoid putting any slick surfaced finish on the inside, that will make it tougher to glue surfaces together, if you’re using glue. Check out some other gluing tips for woodworking if you plan on using glue to build your cabinets.
Think about anything else that you might need to attach to the inside of the cabinet, and if it makes sense to put it on before assembling the main walls, do it.
Of course, the easiest way to line up the shelving and walls in your cabinets will be to cut a dado for each shelf end or inner wall end. Use glue to set the shelving in place in the dadoes, and clamp it all down while it dries and sets.
Framing can be a big help to get everything straightened out when you are lining up the shelves and other large panels in your cabinetry. Use framing squares along with clamps to accurately place all your panels, shelves and walls.
Don’t forget about the back panel on your cabinets. You will want to prepare the back panel wall by making dadoes for the shelves and walls of the cabinet. If you do this, you can be completely confident that everything will line up on the cabinet and when you put it together, it will practically snap into place and everything will be aligned as needed.
It can also be forward thinking to drill holes for the screws on the back panel. You can basically just drill right in the middle of the dadoes to get the holes done quickly.
Then when you are staring at the blank wall of the back side it will be easy to place the screws that you will need to hold the back panel in place.
These tips should help you get going in the right direction. Remember to frame everything accurately and think ahead in terms of what you will need to do inside the cabinet. You can save yourself a lot of trouble.
image: Velo Steve
Glue is a common adhesive used in many types of woodworking projects, and if your woodworking plans call for it, you’ll need to use it. There are right and wrong ways to glue pieces of wood together, so make sure that you are using proper technique to get the strongest adhesive bond.
The wood must fit
When gluing two surfaces together, be sure that the surfaces that will be glued together fit each other without any bowing. If you need to force a piece of wood into place while the glue is trying, the strength of the joint will be compromised. If one of the pieces of wood bows, and needs to be forced and held into place, that is not a good thing.
Use less glue
Try to keep the amount of glue to a minimum. Spread a thin layer of wood glue onto both joining surfaces, and be sure to cover the entire surface that will be glued. Use a stick or a brush to apply the glue accurately and in a thin layer. Cover the entire surface that is to be glued. If you use thick layers of glue, the joint will actually be weaker than if you use thin layers of glue.
Keep it clean
Be sure that the joining surfaces are free of any contaminants that could interrupt the adhesiveness of the glue. Dust, oil, wax, etc. – all these will cause problems when trying to glue surfaces together. Clean the surfaces and let them dry appropriately as well.
Clamp it
One you have glued your pieces of wood together, be sure to clamp the pieces while they dry. This is very important. The wood must be held in place until the glue has properly dried and set. Clamp the wood together and tighten the clamps until you see a small bead of glue coming out from the joints. This means that the the joining surfaces are secured tightly together. You might need to leave your wood clamped together for up to 24 hours to let the glue properly cure and set.
Cleanup
Once the join dries and the glue is set, you will have little beads of dried glue raised above the surface. At this point, remove your clamps and use a chisel or something to scrape the excess dried glue away. This works better than trying to wipe it off with a damp cloth, which can cause undesirable after-effects.
A good example of using a lot of these gluing techniques would be in the construction of a cabinet, if you are trying to follow some cabinet woodworking plans. Having to glue the shelves in if you are using dadoes will require lightly applied thin layers of wood glue.
image: vanRijn
Hey, what’s better than getting kids interested in creative and cognitive projects and hobbies like woodworking?
Woodworking can be a great discipline builder for kids and it can teach them a lot of different technical things as well. Measuring, planning, drawing, using tools, paying attention to safety precautions – it’s all there for the learning.
If you want to introduce your kids to woodworking, first and foremost pay special attention to safety.
Once you’ve created a safe working environment, and your kids understand the necessary precautions regarding the tools they will be using, get them started with a project! Check out these books for more resources regarding woodworking ideas and woodworking plans for kids.
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Woodshop for Kids |
All-New Woodworking for Kids |
Weekend Woodworking – 150 Easy Projects |
Woodworking (Kids Craft Series) |
With kids, the best thing is to keep the projects simple. Don’t overwhelm them with big projects, or complicated building tasks. Focus on things like birdhouses and basic furniture and shelving. All three of those examples are things that they can use themselves, which will show them added value to woodworking as a hobby.
When making plans for the project, include your kid on the planning process. Ask them how they want to build the project and what ideas they have. They will think it’s pretty neat that they can have some major input in regards to how the project will be built.
Even if they have wacky ideas, it might be fun to incorporate them into the project. Kids do have crazy imaginations and will probably come up with weird features for furniture if you give them the opportunity, for example.
image source: Bob and Renee
Every tool that utilizes the purposes of a sharp edge will need to be sharpened, it’s just a fact of life. Saw blades, knives, chain saws and so on, they all will become dull and lose effectiveness over time.
Therefore, if you have tools, you will need to learn how to sharpen them, and sharpen them well. Each tool will have it’s own cycle in regards to becoming dull from use. How much you use it, the type of material that is being cut and the conditions under which the tool is used will determine how often you need to sharpen your particular tools.
Some people like to sharpen tools, and find it enjoyable. Others find it to be a chore. Which are you?
Regardless of which type you are, you will will always wonder, “how sharp should I make this thing?”
You should be able to go by a single, simple rule when it comes to sharpening. Sharpen your tools only the point where they make your job efficient. If it cuts like it’s sharp, it’s sharp enough, and you probably don’t need to tackle the job of sharpening this tool just yet.
Wait until your tools feel dull, and then sharpen them. Don’t sharpen them just because you need something to do. You might cause excessive wear on your tools and wear them down to the point that they need to be replaced more often.
Of course if you really do just like sharpening your tools, you might just not be able to resist sharpening all the time. There’s nothing wrong with being a sharpening fanatic, they are your tools after all.
image source: Let Ideas Compete
Woodworking is something that may give some people a feeling of dread. But it is easy to do with a bit of practice and is a relatively cheap past-time. Simple woodworking projects are available to help you feel comfortable with learning the skills needed to create some wonderful wooden masterpieces. Follow the tips below to start your new life as a woodworker.
The first step is to choose a simple range of quality tools. Many of the projects you will undertake in the early days of woodworking do not require a lot of high-tech equipment. It is not necessary to go out and buy the most expensive tools. You can pick up the basic tools you need from garage sales, online auction sites and or second-hand stores.
Remember, the quality of the tools you buy is much more important than anything else. In this respect it is usually better to buy used tools that are in good condition. Because they have been extensively used and made at a time when quality was more important than quantity, you are likely to get a lot more use out of them.
Once you have your basic tools, you can then start your search for simple woodworking projects. There are many plans available to follow, some of which are free and some attract a fee. You can find a range of projects on the internet to get you started.
It is best to begin with some of the softer woods such as spruce or pine. These woods are easier to work with and will help you to learn more quickly. Once you are comfortable with using these materials, you can move on to harder woods such as mahogany and birch.
It is important that you do not rush yourself. Take it at your own pace and if you do not feel comfortable undertaking a specific project, then do not do it! You have all the time in the world to learn more complicated and intricate projects. Remember, woodworking should be enjoyable and only slightly challenging. Try to learn at least one new skill with each project that you tackle to steadily increase your knowledge base.
As your knowledge increases you can then add more tools to your toolbox. You can start out with a scroll-saw which is one of the easiest and safest to use. A scroll-saw also takes up limited space in your woodworking area. You can then add more tools as you feel you need them as time progresses and you tackle more complicated woodworking projects.
Taking on simple woodworking projects is easy to do if you really want to give this hobby a try. You will gain in confidence the more you do and just think of the faces of friends and family when you produce useable items such as benches, tables and chairs with your own fair hands!
Looking to learning the skills needed to create exquisite wooden masterpieces? We’ve got the inside info on fantastic yet simple woodworking projects now on WoodworkingIdea.com
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Albert_Hoogendoorn
At least this guy learned something about himself:
I’m not a real handy guy, especially when it comes to power tools — table saws, routers, jigs. They’re scary. Noisy. Intimidating. Most have teeth. Plenty of teeth. Spinning. Fast. Very fast. Just one mistake … I won’t go there.Woodworking has taught me to overcome that fear, giving me confidence and teaching me how to use at least a half-dozen basic tools safely and properly. These are tools I never would have picked up otherwise.
In addition to overcoming fears, you will just generally feel more comfortable with “handyman” type of stuff. Stuff that once seemed intimidating, in terms of maintaining a house, might start to seem quite a bit less intimidating.
