Capstan Table
§ by Joel Hess on December 28th, 2006
Do you have a room where space is limited? Then this “Capstan”* table from DB Fletcher Furniture Design could be for you. It’s amazin’!
*Note: You’ll need Apple QuickTime to view the video.
Readers’ Gallery
§ by Joel Hess on December 26th, 2006
Bill Hendrick of Ankeny, IA has sent more great photos of his work for our gallery. This is his first furniture project and it turned out great.
I’d love to post more photos of your projects to our Readers’ Gallery. Simply email them as attachments to me (Joel Hess) and I’ll make sure they’re posted.
Woodsmith Video Podcast Holiday Break
§ by Joel Hess on December 23rd, 2006
We have two more seminars on tape from the Fall 2006 Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar series at the Woodsmith Store in Des Moines, IA. Our Winter sessions start again on Thursday, January 18th and so we’re taking a couple of weeks off during the Christmas Holidays. See you again in a couple of week’s with more Woodsmith Woodworking Seminar video podcasts. -Joel
MP4 - QuickTime Version [1 MB]: Download
Podcast #7: Bowl Turning - From Log to Bowl in Under an Hour
§ by Joel Hess on December 22nd, 2006
Brian Simmons, the Woodsmith Store’s most famous assistant manager, has a national reputation as a woodturing educator. A member of the American Association of Woodturners (AAW), Brian came to the Woodsmith Store in a roundabout way. Originally from Georgia, Brian and his family moved to Iowa after his wife took a job here in Des Moines.
Brian worked for Paxton’s Hardwoods before they closed the store. He’d heard about the seminars at the old Woodsmith Store and stopped in one day to offer his services to teach woodturning if the store ever decided to have a turning seminar. Store manager, Dave Larson, offered Brian a job on the spot and the rest is history.
In this week’s Woodsmith seminar: Bowl Turning — From Log to Bowl in Under an Hour, Brian takes a short section of poplar log and turns out a beautiful bowl, all while offering some really great insight in how to turn green wood.
Dovetailed Shoulder Plane Plans Now Online
§ by Randy Maxey on December 20th, 2006
In ShopNotes 88, we featured a project to build your own shoulder plane with double dovetails. I’ve had more than a few 
guys contact me about how to get plans. I’m happy to announce that the plans are now available at PlansNow.com. You’ll not only get the detailed plans for building the shoulder plane, but you’ll get a supplemental article that gives you tips and tricks for working with metal. It’s a great value and a great project. And you’ll end up with a quality tool that’ll last.
50 Years of Workbench
§ by Joel Hess on December 19th, 2006
The slogan for Workbench magazine is “Practical Ideas for Your Home.” And as editor Tim Robertson describes in the February 2007 issue, “It’s a magazine that DIY’ers have come to depend on … for practical projects that they (can) build using basic tools, techniques, and materials.” Read the rest of this article »
Realizing Your Weaknesses
§ by Randy Maxey on December 18th, 2006
Well, I was able to complete my first real project since moving to Iowa over a year ago. My shop is still a mess and some of my things are still in boxes. My shop’s condition is no where near where I’d like it to be (a total mess), but I somehow managed to complete a project.
While I spent over twelve hours in the shop on Saturday, I learned some new things and reconfirmed some things I already knew about myself. Read the rest of this article »
Search Patents with Google
§ by Randy Maxey on December 15th, 2006
When I was doing some research for a recent ShopNotes article, I wanted to find out about the history of a tool. The first 
place I went was the United States Patent and Trademark Office web site. I was trying to track down the original inventor of a tool and I was generally interested in reading some of the old patent documents. But navigating the USPTO web site can be a challenge at times. What’s worse is that you have to have a TIFF reader installed on your system to be able to view the old patent documents.
Well, this morning, I found out about Google’s new Patent search. It’s in “beta” right now, meaning that they’re still testing it. But I checked it out and it’s pretty cool. Read the rest of this article »
Video Podcast #6: Router Fundamentals - Tips and Tricks
§ by Joel Hess on December 14th, 2006
Routers are a must-have tool in most modern shops. The old advise was to start with a fixed base router, then buy a plunge model when the need arose, or when you could afford it. These days though, combo kits are hot because you can slide on whichever base best suits the operation at hand.
In this week’s Woodsmith seminar: Router Fundamentals, Brian Nelson, managing editor for ShopNotes magazine fills us in on all the tips and tricks he uses to get the most out of his router. He also offers several great tips for choosing a router and what benefits the various routers styles and features offer.
Coming Up in ShopNotes 91
§ by Randy Maxey on December 13th, 2006
Get ready to spend some time in your shop this winter building these great 
projects.
The Mobile Planer Stand is just the ticket for giving your portable planer a permanent home. It provides plenty of extra storage space and its outfeed support makes working with long stock a breeze. And while we’re at it, we’ll give you a step-by-step approach for tuning up your planer to create perfect boards in a short time. Read the rest of this article »