Overworking

I have made many pieces in my lifetime as a maker. Occasionally, some pieces, large and small, ended up being somewhat overworked. I look back into the history of my craft and I might consider the work made for the highly privileged, mostly the wealthy charlatans of past life, though extraordinarily remarkable, and almost all...

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The Easiest Way to Clean Saw Blades & Router Bits

Sponsors

Woodcraft and Priority Bicycles

Purchase the Ultrasonic Cleaner shown in this video for only $35! (as of June 2025) – This is an Amazon Affiliate link

Let’s be honest—cleaning saw blades and router bits is one of those shop chores nobody looks forward to. You know it needs to be done, but soaking in degreaser and scrubbing each individual tooth feels more like punishment than maintenance. The mess, the fumes, the procrastination—it all adds up until your “dull” blade turns out to be just dirty and underperforming. In fact, here’s an old video from 2012 showing how I used to do it: How to Clean Blades & Bits

Here’s the deal: if you want your tooling to last and your cuts to stay crisp, regular cleaning is a must. But that doesn’t mean it has to be miserable.

Enter the ultrasonic cleaner!

This little countertop gadget, commonly used for jewelry, bike parts, and car bits, has quietly become the easiest way to clean saw blades & router bits in my shop. It uses high-frequency sound waves to blast away pitch, resin, and gunk, all while you sit back and relax (or let’s be real, go sharpen something else or check Instagram).

Just mix a simple water-based cleaning solution like Zep Industrial or Simple Green Pro, pop your bits or blades into the bath, and let the cleaner do its thing. In 5–10 minutes, your tools come out looking shockingly fresh, with zero scrubbing and no chemical war zone left behind.

In the video, I break down:

• Why gunk buildup causes more issues than you think (hint: heat + friction = damage)

• Why your “dull” blade might just be dirty

• How ultrasonic cleaning works (it’s oddly satisfying)

• What solution and settings I used

• The dramatic before-and-after results that’ll make you rethink your whole cleaning routine

Bottom line? If you’re tired of scraping gunk by hand, the easiest way to clean saw blades & router bits is probably already sitting in someone’s garage—or waiting in your online cart. This simple upgrade has already changed the way I care for my tools, and it might just do the same for you. And remember, after you clean your blades and bits, be sure to coat them with something to protect from rust, like Blade Coat! 

Shown in the Video

Ultrasonic Cleaner ($35 on Amazon as of 6/25)

Zep Industrial Cleaner

Simple Green Pro (This is a good alternative to what I used)

Blade Coat

Larger Ultrasonic Cleaner (This is the one I’d buy if budget wasn’t a concern)

The post The Easiest Way to Clean Saw Blades & Router Bits appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.

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Why We Chop Deeper

If you know me at all, watch my videos and such, you’ll see me mark my chisel to the length of my tenon with a Sharpie so that I know when to stop the main chopping…but then you’ll see me make another lighter pass taking the mortise slightly deeper. Why is that? Well, when the...

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Can Finish Prevent Tearout? (plus more of your questions!) | Ask TWW

Sponsored by Woodcraft! 

Want your question answered in a video? Join us! Become a YouTube Member  or Become a Patron

On this episode of Ask TWW, we’ll not only see a new trick for taming tearout, but we’ll discuss everything below:

Topics Covered:

Hard Wax Oil on Countertops: Got a worn-out Rubio finish? Just give it a light sanding and reapply. No need to switch products—Rubio’s ease of repair is one of its biggest perks. Want to learn how to apply Rubio (or any hardwax oil) to furniture? Check out this video!

• Natura Onecoat (A cheaper alternative to Rubio)
• Bumblechutes Bee’Nooba Oil/Wax – Save 10% with code TWW10

Skipping Sanding Grits: Can you jump from 120 to 180 grit? Technically yes, but adding 150 grit makes things more efficient and helps avoid swirl marks.

Epoxy for Soft Wood: Penetrating epoxies can toughen up soft woods like cypress. They’re not magic, but they do help.

• Total Boat Penetrating Epoxy Sealer
• Total Boat Table Top Epoxy

Finish as Tear-Out Prevention: Tearout is as old as woodworking. Could there be a new trick for tackling tearout? Someone asked if applying finish firms up the fibers enough to help keep them intact during a cut. Initial tests show a some improvement, but more testing is needed.

Dust Filter Cleaning: Compressed air works, if you’re gentle. Manual tapping helps, too. For a serious upgrade, check out agitators from Myers Woodshop.

• Myer Woodworks Filter Shakers

T1-11 Wall Prep: A quick sanding and optional stain can make shop walls look cleaner and film better on camera—but it’s all personal preference.

• Watco Walnut Danish Oil

Handling Criticism: Whether online or in person, some advice is worth considering… and some you can politely ignore.

Bonus:

Don’t forget to check out my books Essential Joinery and Hybrid Woodworking, available as signed copies from TWWSTore.com Great resources for woodworkers at any level!

The post Can Finish Prevent Tearout? (plus more of your questions!) | Ask TWW appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.

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My Floor Exercises

It took about an hour to create this amount of shavings, no more. Swept up from the whole floor, they’d fill a 100 litre bin bag. I planed wood for five continuous hours, and it felt really invigorating. I’d compare it to a marathon’s worth of being good to my health. My blood pressure yesterday...

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A Rare Day: I’m Actually Selling My Woodwork!

Sponsored by Woodcraft – Together, we can create anything!

In between big furniture builds, I like to spend a little time catching up on shop organization and smaller side projects, like these cutting boards made from scrap wood. In this casual, vlog-style video, I take you along as I refine the shapes, sand the surfaces, laser in the TWW logo, and apply a food-safe finish. Basically, everything I do to finish cutting boards for sale. It’s not a full cutting board build, but a peek behind the scenes at how I prep products for sale and use up valuable leftover material. Plus, a little shop talk, some tips, and probably a cat cameo.

Important Links: (product links are affiliate links and help support the show)

• Cutting boards now available here: TWW Store
• Get some Backside Sandpaper!
• Mahoney’s Walnut Oil
• Mahoney’s Walnut Oil & Wax
• 72″ x 24″ Runner – Great for sanding!
• Powermatic Air Cleaner
• Irrigation Syringes
• Makrs Stain Pads Use Code TWW for 15% OFF!
• (Video) A Better Way to Apply Oil Finishes
• Ryobi Buffer
• Microfiber Buffing Bonnets

The post A Rare Day: I’m Actually Selling My Woodwork! appeared first on The Wood Whisperer.

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Anonymisation (with an Anglicised S)

I remember we men in the 70s signing parts of the work we’d made as a team with a soft pencil and doing it somewhere discreetly. Whether you spell it with an ‘S’ or a ‘Z’ is of little consequence, that simply gives the continental divide and the common divergence from one English to an...

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