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Over in the WoodNet Woodworking Forums, member Steven has posted several photos of rocking horses he’s making for his grandchildren. In doing so, he’s carrying on a family tradition begun by his father who made a rocking horse for Steven’s children.

Family built items hold that special appeal. Around 30 years ago my Father built this rocking horse for our first child. She is now married and starting a family of her own and her daughter now has her rocking horse…. Over the years this simple rocking horse will get built many more times as needed as our 6 children start their family’s.

WoodNet.net Forums member QSAWN says he’s “finally finished” building three cribs for his three new sons.

Well, it took me about a month to complete 90% before the boys were born and 8 months to complete the last 10% after they were born.

Well deserved congratulations on both counts and more comments in the Woodworking Forum. BTW: Plans for the crib (originally published by Workbench Magazine) are available in print or as a download at PlansNOW.com.

Over at WoodNet.net, member ephmynus is showing photos of his new gazebo.

For this project, I did actually use a plan I found from PlansNOW. I’ve never built anything other than furniture so I had no idea where to begin without a plan. So, this is the first time I’ve ever used a plan, the first time I ever built anything like this, the first time I’ve ever laid a deck, the first time I’ve ever done any roofing. Lots of firsts so I’m pretty glad how everything turned out.

Sure doesn’t look like a first-time effort! More photos and comments at WoodNet Forums. Plans are available at PlansNOW.com.

At least a half dozen times, I’ve experienced serious kickback while using my table saw. Not once during any of those times though did I feel that I was doing something that was inherently dangerous. I almost always use my guards and push blocks. I take my time to set up my saw for safe, accurate cuts. I’ve even been known to step back and question whether there is a better way to complete an operation that I’m not 100% comfortable with.

And still, I’ve experienced situations that could have resulted in bodily injury.

Once I was knocked on my keester when a workpiece I was ripping pinched the blade and got kicked back into my stomach. (I broke two cardinal woodworking safety rules during that particular procedure.) I don’t remember now what caused the kickback. But I’ll never forget how lucky I was not to have been injured more seriously. (Or the pain to my gut!) But none of us are perfect. Accidents happen and all you can do is hope they don’t happen to you. Right?

That’s why I was surprised while watching a recent segment of TOH, as a trim carpenter made a free-hand cut on the table saw. Frankly, I watched in disbelief as he made the cut and thought to myself, “Man, that just looks dangerous!” Norm Abram was standing there watching and I thought maybe he would say something, but he didn’t. I figured there would be a lot of people commenting about the segment on our woodworking forums. And there is a debate raging over at WoodNet. But, you may be surprised to learn that there are a lot of people defending the practice.

Several people have commented that the practice of pushing a piece freehand past a spinning table saw blade is an acceptable practice by professional trim carpenters. It may be. And the guy managed to make the cut during the show without any problem. But I can tell you one thing….I’m never going to try it.

What’s your response?

Kenneth Owen of Tulsa, Oklahoma is proud of his wife. And he has every right to be. They were looking to outfit a new bedroom and fell in love with a Moser-style bed. So she decided to build one. That’s right — she did the milling and gluing and bending and clamping.  Everything.  And the results are outstanding.

Ken posted photos of the process of building this bed. You can read all about it over on WoodNet. It’s an amazing story of how the project was completed and Ken gives all the details of how his wife progressed from start to finish.

Any day of the week, and at almost any time of the day, you can find a couple of hundred people comparing notes, exchanging ideas, swapping tall-tales and generally sharing their love of woodworking with each other on the WoodNet Forums.

Around since 1993, the original WoodNet BBS was a way for Woodsmith magazine to further support their customer base. The BBS evolved into what is now WoodNet.net and it not only includes the forums, but you’ll also find project plans, woodworking tools and kits, tool reviews, and tips and techniques that are sent direct to your email address each week. Read the rest of this article »

Garrett French is at it again over at the ToolCrib.com blog. He’s compiled a list of the “5 Most Influential Woodworkers” based on input from folks at a couple of forums, including the WoodNet forum. Like any list, it may be more interesting for who was left off, than who was included. I’d like to mention a couple of people who weren’t on the list, but in my opinion, should be placed right near the top.

Don Peschke and Paul Roman.

If those two names aren’t so familiar to you, it’s because they’ve both worked more behind the scenes as the pioneering editors and publishers of Woodsmith and Fine Woodworking magazines, respectively. Each has probably influenced more people to get into the shop and actually build something than just about anyone else on Garrett’s list.

Neither Don nor Paul’s name is as familiar perhaps as Norm Abram, but to me their magazines were groundbreaking. Woodsmith, published by August Home Publishing (they also put out ShopNotes, Workbench, Garden Gate, and Cuisine at home), is unique in that it doesn’t just show you a pretty project, it helps you build the project with detailed step-by-step instructions and clear, concise drawings and photos. I remember the first time I picked up Woodsmith magazine, my very first thought was “I can do that!”

(As you may know, Don owns the company I work for, so this is not a completely unbiased post! But the fact is, I’ve been an editor for Woodsmith for 7 years, but I’ve been reading the magazine for over twenty-five years.)

Paul Roman, and his wife Jan, started Fine Woodworking in 1975 and it eventually expanded into a publishing empire that includes magazines for woodworking, home building, cooking, and gardening. Paul’s goal was to have a woodworking magazine that not only informed, but also inspired its readers. There’s no arguing with that, it’s an awesome magazine.

I suppose we’ll always be more influenced by TV personalities. And this is not a knock on Norm, but I’d rather read about woodworking and then go do it myself, than watch it being done on TV anyday.

If you’d like to subscribe to Woodsmith to find out exactly what I mean, click here.

Accidents happen.

All it takes is one wrong move, one moment of hesitation, a single lapse in concentration, or a misplaced step. And it doesn’t matter what power tool you’re using. They’re all dangerous…if…you don’t take the time to think about what you’re doing.

Apparently, I’m not alone in feeling that “operator error” leads to most serious injuries in a home shop. That seems to be the consensus of the 100 or so readers who responded to a recent survey at ToolCrib.com that asked the question: “What’s the most dangerous woodworking power tool?” Garrett French, who runs the Tool Crib blog, went to the trouble of compiling all of the responses and then posting about the results. And they were pretty interesting. The table saw got a lot of votes. So did shapers, chainsaws, routers and jointers.

But let’s face it, a blender can cause an injury — in the hands of someone who’s not paying attention. So the bottom line is, use your head. Don’t leave stuff lying around. (Remember Ed from Extreme Makeover?) Turn off the TV and concentrate. (At least when you’re using a power tool). Be confident. (If you have any doubts, don’t do it.) And once you start, don’t stop. (The minute you let up, somethings bound to jump and bite you.)

And if you can’t read the whole post (it’s long out of necessity), take a break from the serious nature of this topic and be sure to read the comments from Bill Wilson. He posted his clever and funny response to Garrett’s question on the WoodNet forum.

Chris Vesper of Australia threw down the challenge. What do you think?
World’s Smallest Dovetails?

Forget the best deals from the past! I want to know what you’ve got for me now?
Got Gloat? Best Power Tool Deals Ever

This looks to be a great deal… Can you say “Snipe?”
400 Bf Spalted Maple Starts @ $0.25 per Board Foot

I do not normally think of most woodworkers as artists. Then I see work like this…
Cocobola HF

Have a good weekend!

I’ve never met anyone — who gets into woodworking to save money — actually save any!

First Furniture Project

If I’d known about this rehab process before I bought the rust-encrusted Stanley No. 6 and No. 7 planes that I found at a garage sale for $4, I wouldn’t have resold them for $20!

It’s No RareBear

This is a sweet project that this fella put his heart and soul into. I like it.

There’s a Bird in my Office

-Joel