Fear: The Great Motivator

A few weeks ago during a lightning storm, we lost the top half of a huge pine tree that separates our yard from our neighbor's. It fell smack dab in the middle of her backyard—no damage. Whew.

Our other neighbor, who loves physical labor and was an ox in a former life, offered to chop it up for her with his chainsaw.

And I offered to make everyone rustic window boxes.

As you may know, I'm a wee bit terrified of lathes. But there's another tool to which I afford a wide berth: chainsaws. Maybe I watched too many slasher movies as a kid. Or maybe I'm just a big sissy, but I don't go near them.

No problem. I figured I'd slice the logs up on my bandsaw and everyone would have a window box by the end of the day.

Well. The logs were big and unwieldy, and my bandsaw blade isn't as sharp as it should be, so that plan fell flat on its face.

Now what?  I could use a handsaw but that would take forever, and I'm no masochist. My form of self-flagellation is to forgo dessert.

I could use a chainsaw, but (refer to above statement).

No, if I couldn't use a bandsaw, then I was going to cut the logs by hand somehow. That meant building a frame saw.

Fortunately, there are lots of bloggers who have chronicled the process. I'm following their lead in building my own.  Here is one link.  Here is another.  And here is one more.

I'm planning to include the handles like those found in the Roubo print and hope it doesn't add too much time to building the saw.  I need to get to those logs, which are lying in my yard, before my chainsaw-loving neighbor gets any funny ideas.

Chris Schwarz-enegger

On this, the day after Chris Schwarz' 43rd birthday, and the day before his last day as editor at Popular Woodworking Magazine, I'd like to thank him for making such a positive impact on the woodworking world.

To the man who was one of the catalysts for the current hand tool renaissance; whose midas touch sets off waves of orders to many a one-man toolmaking business; and who possesses boundless enthusiasm for woodworking and a penchant for writing humorous and informative articles and books....

Happy (belated) Birthday and All The Best To You, Big Guy.

WIA: On Your Mark, Get Set....

Register!

If you're planning to go to Woodworking in America this year, don't wait to register. Classes fill up quickly as do the evening activities.

If you've attended in the past, check your email before registering. I believe they're giving a discount to past event-goers.

Looks like another great line up of topics, speakers, and market place exhibitors.

See ya there!

There, I fixed it!

You might wonder why there are circular troughs surrounding each of the bench holes on my workbench.  They are the result of me swinging the arm of my desk lamp around as the light needs to be shifted.

The plastic clamp portion of the lamp had broken long ago and I am too frugal to buy another, so I just stick the metal post in a bench hole and get to work.

Over the years, the metal post has begun eating away at the holes, so the desk lamp has become less supported and refuses to stand upright.

Today, I had had enough and decided to build a quickie holder that could slide along the back edge of my bench.

I figured it would keep me from my project for about half an hour.

More than an hour later and with much fiddling, I'd come up with a lego-like contraption that works, but is rather unsightly.

I sandwiched a spacer block between two 2x4s and stuck the lamp post in a hole that I drilled into one of the boards. When I angled the lamp to one side to test it, the entire assembly tipped along with it.

That meant adding another piece that would wrap beneath the back edge of my bench, but the 2x4 in the back was too short to reach the bottom of the apron.

So, I had to add another thin board beneath the 2x4 before adding the final piece that would hook the holder in place.

It's pretty ugly. But it does work.

Which reminds me of another "There, I fixed it!" story.

Our garden hose had started to leak pretty badly where the nozzle is attached, so I went to the store to buy plumber's tape. I did not fix it right away, a few hours went by, and my partner came in from the yard to tell me she'd fixed the hose.  She then proclaimed, "That tape is so lame. It's not even sticky!"

I went to inspect her handiwork and found this:

I kinda wished she had asked me how to use plumber's tape before she fixed our leaky garden hose. 

But, it does work. 

Handplanes: 2 Reasons to Own One

Sure, there are more than two reasons to own one or more handplanes. But if you work primarily with power tools and do not plan to unplug your shop in the near future, here are two benefits for adding a handplane to your tool arsenal.

Have you ever experienced burn marks on the edge of your boards from your table saw? Some wood species such as cherry and maple are prone to it.

You could take a pass on your power jointer to remove the marks; you could sand for, oh, about half an hour (and hope you don't round over the edges); or, you could take three micro-thin swipes with a handplane.

There's nothing wrong with using a power jointer (I still use one), but what if the board has reverse grain and you get tear-out no matter which way you run the board through?

That's also where a handplane shines.  You can tackle the edge of a board from both ends to eliminate the problem of reverse grain.

Today I was milling boards for a new project and experienced both burning and tearing.  I reached for Devereau, my jointer plane, and hoped she was in a good mood.

She was.

She was even downright delightful as she whisked away the blemishes. Good girl, Dev. You escaped the burn pile again. Ha, just kidding.

Maybe.

----------------------

You can also use a card scraper, cabinet scraper, or scraper plane for these two problems, but planes have many more uses than those listed above.

Valhalla Can Wait

I did not get raptured yesterday.

According to Christian broadcaster, Harold Camping, May 21 was the day that all the good people of the world were to be whisked away to heaven, leaving the rest of us baddies behind.

That's okay with me. Because that meant that I got to spend time in my shop building a little table for our back porch.

And yet, I can't help but wonder what might have prevented me from being raptured.  I mean, I'm a nice lady.  I buy girl scout cookies, tip the mailman at Christmas, wear deodorant.

No, the only thing I can think of is that I used to be a spider-killer. My 8-legged nemeses and I now have a pact: I don't kill them, and they don't seek me out to torment.

You think I'm kidding?

True story: about 10 years ago while attending a church service in our sanctuary, I was menacingly threatened by a nefarious arachnid.

Our 150-year-old church has a peaked 56' ceiling.  I was sitting toward the middle of the center pew, attentively listening to the sermon, when a Honda-sized spider appeared right before my eyes—2" from my line of vision.

Now, in previous encounters with spiders, I have been known to leap from a front-passenger seat into the back seat of a car; swerve off the road and leap from my car, arms a-flailing; and awaken from slumber halfway out of the room, having leapt from my bed to escape the clutches of a dream-inspired arthropod. With fangs.

But I was in church. Where no leaping is allowed. Presbyterians are called the "frozen chosen" for a reason. We don't move, or sway, or clap. We sit stoically in the pews, eyes toward the pulpit.

So, what does a puritan do when faced with the wicked glare of a bedeviled creature? She, in one swift movement, uses her worship bulletin to sever its thread, lightly drop it to the floor, and gently encourage it to become a permanent part of the carpet fibers with the heel of her shoe.

I was smooth. In control. Cool hand Kari.  Through an herculean effort, I had overcome a monumental challenge....and no one would know.

Or so I thought.

Following the service, and for several years (years!) later, I was forced to relive the event through the  interminable recollections of the amused onlookers who had been sitting in the pews behind me.

"Man, we saw it coming all the way down from the ceiling, heading right for you!" they'd chuckle.

With a 56' ceiling, surely it would take at least a couple minutes for a spider to reach its target. Meaning, my brothers and sisters in Christ watched and waited as a freight train with eight legs made tracks for my face.

Nice way to "do unto others," guys.

So, for that event, as well as other equally fun spider confrontations, I am left behind.  With my workshop, and tools, and projects.

Which is the very reason I've included "squashing ants" on my to-do list.

Fort Frederick Market Fair Video

After writing two blog posts about the Fort Frederick Market Fair in previous years (here and here), I thought I'd shoot a video instead.

Some of the craftsmen you'll see are, in order:
Brian Graham, Patapsco Valley Woodwright (at 00:30 - 00:39 in the video)
James Stewart, Woods Unlimited
George Mathews, Handcrafted Windsor Chairs
Dave Krill, Capt. Krill's Den of Antiquities
William Ebner, Fine Furniture Reproductions (at 1:58 - 2:08 in the video)
Charles Boland, Storybook Joinery

To watch the video in HD, go here.


Music featured in the video: Over the hills and far away, by Paul Hutchinson & Paul Sartin; and music from the Pride & Prejudice soundtrack—The Militia Marches In, Another Dance, and Can't Slow Down.

Books for Beginning Woodworkers

Occasionally someone writes me with a question about woodworking. Sometimes I'm able to give them an answer and other times I enlist the help of others to provide a better and more thorough one.

This is where you come in.

A 31-year old woman from North Carolina would like to get into woodworking, but "knows absolutely nothing." She asked if I could suggest some ultra-basic beginner books and resources.

She has an inkling that she'd like to make furniture, but as she's just getting started, she's not really sure.

The book that changed my life nearly two decades ago is The Complete Manual of Woodworking by Albert Jackson, David Day, and Simon Jennings.  It was the perfect place to start for someone who didn't know the difference between a router and a bandsaw.

Beyond that, here is my short list of beginners' woodworking books (and I know darn well I missed a bunch). Some subjects might not apply to everyone. In no particular order:

1. Foolproof Wood Finishing by Teri Masaschi.
Many will disagree with me about the best finishing book, and indeed, I haven't seen Marc Spagnuolo's soon-to-be-released book, but of the ones I own, this one is the most cut-and-dried and clear to me.

2. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery by Gary Rogowski.
Gary covers all of the most commonly used joints—how to cut them with hand tools or power tools.

3. Complete Illustrated Guide to Sharpening by Thomas Lie-Nielsen
No question about sharpening is left unanswered. Lie-Nielsen is a master sharpener.

4. How to Carve Wood by Richard Bütz
Bütz addresses all types of carving, starting with whittling. I do not subscribe to his lettercarving or chip carving techniques, but for relief carving and others, this book is a good start for beginners.

5. The Complete Guide to Chip Carving by Wayne Barton
Hands down, this is the very best book on chip carving.

6. Handplane Essentials by Christopher Schwarz
Absolutely everything you need to know in order to work with handplanes. This book is the definitive guide.

7. The Fine Art of Marquetry by Craig Vandall Stevens
This book is fantastic. Marquetry is well within your reach with Stevens' guidance.

8. Woodworkers' Guide to Veneering & Inlay by Jonathan Benson
Again, all guesswork is removed with this book. Benson is an expert on the subject.

9. Roy Underhill's books are perfect if you plan to pursue traditional woodworking.

I have no books on woodturning and very few on building furniture, so I'm not able to offer advice on those topics. However, if you are looking for some simple plans geared toward beginners, I encourage you peruse the I Can Do That page on Popular Woodworking's site for free downloadable plans and articles.

For more online help, I suggested she visit woodworking forums, blogs and podcasts—invaluable resources.

There are lots of great books and magazines for beginners. Help a lady out and post your thoughts in the comments.  And feel free to contest any of my recommendations. They are just my opinion and open to debate.