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Workbench magazine has been a source for great project plans for the home for many, many years. I think I bought my first copy off the newsstand around 1987. Back then, I was a brand new homeowner anxious to turn my 3-bedroom, 1000-square foot ranch-style home into my own idea of a “castle.”

Even though my wife and I were on a tight budget in those days (or maybe because we were), we realized the benefits of updating and maintaining our home. I considered every project that added to the functionality (and beauty) of that small house as an investment. Read the rest of this article »

In July 2006, I had the privilege of traveling to Welkom, South Africa to help Brian and Lois Neihoff. Originally from Iowa, they operate “The Pines” orphanage for young children who are orphaned because of AIDS. You can learn more and see a video about Brian and Lois by clicking here.Our team of eight was tasked with converting some donated office space into a three-bedroom apartment for orphans of AIDS. That we did in record time, but while we were there Lois asked if I could build some boxes for the children to store their belongings. These boxes would fit under the beds.

But there were some challenges. The only material they had available was 1/2″ (13mm) particle board. And we all know that particle board does not hold screws very well. So I used an age-old trick of drilling and inserting short lengths of 8mm dowel at all the screw locations (see drawings below). I created a SketchUp model you can download and view or modify here.

The dowels gave the 1-1/4″ wood screws something to “bite” into. A little glue during assembly made for a strong and sturdy box. We added two lengths of 3/4″-wide half-round molding on the bottom as “runners” to make it easier for the box to slide under the beds. And a knob on the front and some brightly-colored paint completed the box.

This simple act of service got me to thinking. Sometimes we as woodworkers are forced to get back to basics to meet a need. In this case, I didn’t have the luxury of working with hardwood or creating attractive dovetail joints. I was forced to think about working with the material at hand yet making it as practical and attractive as possible. I enjoyed the challenge and knowing that I was able to contribute to a need.

A special thanks to Steve Ames for assisting me on this project. We had a great time working on this together.

I love hearing and reading about other woodworkers. I enjoy reading about hobbyists and what they do in their shops. I also gain inspiration from those woodworkers that have managed to make a living from their craft. It’s not easy and it takes a huge commitment to make a go of woodworking as a livelihood.

John Schwartzkopf of Cedar Falls, Iowa has found a niche making tables and sculptures…and sometimes a combination of both. He describes his work as half functional and half sculptural. He combines power tools with hand techniques for his one-of-a-kind pieces. You can read more about John’s work here. Read the rest of this article »

On August 8, I wrote about how to get our younger generation involved and interested in woodworking. Even Governor Schwarzenegger realizes the value of vocational education as “a way to deter dropouts and to train needed craftspeople” (read the complete story here).

Another great way to involve youth and get them interested in woodworking is through your local 4-H clubs. Read the rest of this article »

Doug has created a really enjoyable series of articles for building a project to fit a specific need. In this last installment, Doug completes the table top and attaches it to the base.

Read the rest of this article »

“…Education is a process of opening creative doors and allowing those doors to open to everyone.”    

      –Reverend J. Lynwood Smith, founder of The Shelbourne Craft School (now the Shelbourne Art Center)

There’s been a fair amount of press lately about how difficult it is to pass the craft of woodworking down to a younger generation. Traditional high school woodworking programs are being cut in the interest of saving money. And our high-tech society doesn’t lend itself to hobbies and crafts like woodworking.

I think it’s up to us woodworkers to get kids involved and interested in our craft. Let your kids hang out in the shop.  Invite the neighbor kids into your shop while you’re working on projects.  Let them make some cuts on a band saw.  Or make some shavings on a lathe.  Watch their eyes light up.  They’ll soon be begging you to help them make something.  What better way to pass on the legacy of woodworking.  Invest some time in the younger generation.

Adam Wilde in Canada is a 19-year old that got sawdust in his pants cuffs watching his Dad work on a lathe.  Now he’s making custom pens on his own to help pay for college.

And the former Shelbourne Craft School in Vermont (now known as the Shelbourne Art Center) is continuing a tradition of teaching youngsters the craft of woodworking.  It was started in 1938 in the basement of a church rectory by Rev. J. Lynwood Smith.  His goal was to have local youth learn the fundamentals of woodworking and the joys of creating from wood “articles both useful and pleasing to the eye.”  Here’s an article that talks about the history of the center and how it reaches the youth.

Let us know how you got started in woodworking.  Do you involve your children in your craft?  If so, how?  We’d be interested in reading your comments.

The International Woodworking Machinery & Furniture Supply Fair — USA ® (IWF) is one of the world’s largest woodworking trade shows. Over 40,000 people will attend the four-day event held at the Georgia World Conference Center in Atlanta. This is my first, but hopefully not my last.

The IWF trade show includes exhibitors from the furniture manufacturing, architectural woodwork, custom and general woodworking industries. It’s a great opportunity for me to meet the manufacturers and their representatives. I hope to get information that I can pass on to you about all the exciting new woodworking products that will be introduced in the next year. I also expect to watch my fair share of live demonstrations and attend a few technique seminars. I’m really looking forward to it.

Some of the exhibitors that I expect to talk to include: Bessey, Jessem, Delta Machinery, Porter-Cable, and DeWalt, among others.

As “Danny in Houston” says so well, “….WOW ….(best) post of the month for sure!”
My Wife Finishes a Major Project (Warning: Lots of Pictures)

Did you know a Unisaw is a table saw, but a table saw isn’t necessarily a Uni..? (Submitted mostly for the pictures of Keith’s A100 Unisaw, presumably the very first one produced/sold by Delta.)
What is a Unisaw?

There are some true artists out there, and it seems like the Woodnet forums gets their fare share of them who build beautiful hand planes.
Damascus and Ivory Plane

At this point, Doug Hicks has glued up the laminated legs for the side table and cleaned up all of the excess glue on the legs by running them through his thickness planer. Then, before cutting the legs to length, he made one pass on all four edges of each leg with an 1/8″ roundover bit mounted in the router table. Let’s pick things up from there. Read the rest of this article »