Show Off Your Best Woodworking – It Could Win You $1,000

Dig out the best pictures of your work – or get started now on a new piece – and enter the fifth annual PWM Excellence Awards for a chance at the $1,000 grand prize. Submissions are accepted accepted in five categories from now  through June 16 – click on the logo at left (or above, if you’re on mobile) to enter (or see the link below) There’s no fee to […]

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Bloxygen & Brushless Motors – Friday Live!

This week we’re discussing the benefits of using Bloxygen as well as whether brushless motors are worth the investment. Of course we have tons of Q&A too. Here’s the rundown:

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Make a Kid Size Maui’s Hook From a 2×4

Recently, my son has been obsessed with the Disney movie Moana. One of the primary characters is the demigod Maui who wields a magical hook. The hook has a very distinct look and is adorned with special carvings.

Using a single 2×4, I made a kid-sized version of the hook. I started by making a template by free-handing the shape and cutting it out at the bandsaw. You can simply DOWNLOAD MY TEMPLATE if you like the shape I came up with. Print the template with no scaling and then cut and tape the pages together. Use some spray adhesive to attach the paper to some 1/4″ plywood or MDF and then proceed with the cutting.

Cut down the 2×4 into pieces that cover the hook shape as shown in the video and then glue the pieces together into a panel. Cut out the shape, fare the curves, and then use a rasp or power carving tools to give the hook its final shape. The etchings were drawn on with a pencil and then burned in using a Razertip Wood Burning Tool. I referenced images from the movie for the etches but I wasn’t going for perfection and ad-libbed quite a bit.

Keep in mind that you don’t need to use everything I used in the video. A jigsaw can be used instead of the bandsaw. All of the sculpting can be done using nothing more than a rasp and hand planes. And if you’re intimidated by the sculpting, you can always cut the shape out of 3/4″ plywood, round over all of the edges, and give that to the kid and let them use their imagination. Here are some helpful links to the specific tools I used for the build:

• Download the Template
• Milwaukee Grinder
• Holey Galahad Grinding Disc
• Makita Die Grinder
• Ball Nose Burr
• Large Fine Rasp
• Small Fine Rasp
• Razertip Wood Burning Tool

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Keith’s Game Board TAKE TWO!!!

This is my second “run” at a game board. My first was a project for a neighbor. This one is an upgrade with more exotic woods and features, and the end product is for my own personal use.

The embellishment I am most excited about on this project is the addition of built-in drawers for storing the checker and marble game pieces. I added suede flocking to the cavities for the game pieces which I think give it a more professional finish. Special inlays were added to the edges of the drawers as well as the four corners of the game board. I also added visual/tactile features to the drawers so that players could tell which drawers contain checker pieces vs marbles when the drawers were closed.

I used Rare Earth magnets on the back edges of the drawers and inside of the drawer cavities so that the mechanics of removing and inserting the drawers had a very “crisp/snug” feel. I added a subtle curve to the front edge of each drawer as a design element to offset all of the “squareness” of the overall project (i.e., square perimeter of the board, square inlays). This seemed to improve the visual appeal of the finished work.

The precision of my work on this project benefited greatly from recent purchases of some new equipment, including a drum sander, chisels, and a low-angle block plan. Unfortunately, as my addiction grows for sophisticated tools, I realize I must continue to hold down a day job to afford them! Although the game board itself is done, I plan to supplement this project by making chess pieces, as well as a table for displaying the board when not in use. It actually has turned out to be a nice piece of furniture which I am proud to display in my home.

I encountered several traumatic moments (aka, learning experiences) throughout this project build, including severe burn marks introduced by my drum sander, and a bad finish coat application that required a complete re-sand and re-coat of finish. All were correctable, although I feel fortunate that my wife agreed to continue to let me live with her after witnessing several of my meltdowns. Please feel free to offer your insights and suggestions…all are welcome.

Materials, Cost, Labor:
Game Board Base: Cherry (checker board side) | Ash (marble game side)
Inlay woods for checker board: Paduk and Maple
Checker board pieces: Paduk and Maple
Seal coat: Shellac (clear)
Finish coat: Polyurethane (GF High Performance – Flat sheen)
Paint for marble holes: Enamel model paint (Testors brand)
Total material cost: Approx. $268
Hours spent: A bunch!

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Video: Frank Klausz Finger Joint How-to

It’s hard to fathom, but finger joints are a relatively new joinery method for Frank Klausz, because why not just cut dovetails when you need a box?  In fact, when we filmed the video below (2014), he’d cut his first finger joints but two weeks before. But that doesn’t mean he doesn’t know what he’s talking about – after all, Frank has been a woodworker for longer than I’ve been […]

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Real Woodworking Just Grows and Grows

Thursday 30th March 2017 It seems true to me. Real woodworking is an unstoppable force that carries within itself the ability to influence change and transform lives. This is because it is proving ever more to be rewarding, fulfilling and meaningful. I cannot even begin to tell you the positive influence it’s had on my own life …

Read the full post Real Woodworking Just Grows and Grows on Paul Sellers' Blog.

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‘Houndstooth Dovetails’ – by Rob Cosman

I recently posted on our Instagram account and Twitter feed the opening image from Rob Cosman’s 2006 article “Houndstooth Dovetails,” and it proved remarkably popular – so I figured I might as well post the article. And while that “opener” certainly benefited from good lighting, and great camera and a skilled photographer (as you can see below), the image above is from my phone, and taken just a few minutes […]

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A What? A Dovetailed Dustpan?

One of the great things about working for editor Megan Fitzpatrick is that she will laugh at your face and then (usually) go along with your crazy ideas. Case in point: the dovetailed dustpan in the June 2017 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine. When I submitted my sketches of a shop-made dustpan and asked to write an article, I strongly suspect she thought I was kidding. After all, you can […]

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Dealings in Different Eras

Saturday 25th March 2017 This past week I was reflecting on some realities with regards to buying specialist tools and equipment. Hard to imagine, but I do recall walking with a friend in Texas back in 1987 and discussing how the worldwide web would be a place to buy and sell, exchange ideas and become …

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Insomnia – the Greatest Design Drug

For the last 20 odd years I have benefited from regular bouts of insomnia. When they happen, I’ll wake about 4 a.m., roll over and my head will spin with several conflicting images, usually relating to something on my workbench from the past, present or future. For years I tried to get back to sleep when this happened. When Lucy and I had children who were young, we needed every […]

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When a Tenon Snaps

Saturday 25th March 2017 So what do you do if a tenon snaps off when you least expect it? Such things happen, after all, and you have already invested good time in the buying and milling wood, forming tenons and even shaping the wood for its place in the whole. I have had it happen …

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Welcome, Gentles All

Below is an advance of my editor’s note from the May/June 2017 issue (which mails to subscribers April 12 and is on newsstands April 25). I want everyone – subscriber or no – to know that we welcome queries from any and all woodworkers, and that I’d love to see more diversity in our pages. But it’s a two-way street. I’m about to break a self-imposed rule about keeping “politics” […]

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Things have changed

It has been nearly 16 months since my last post to Tom’s Workbench. Since then, a lot has changed in my world.

• I grew some more gray hair.
• My oldest son graduated high school and went off to college.
• I got a new job.
• Oh, and probably most pertinent to this blog – I am in the final stages of getting divorced.

Yes, that last change is the one that has tossed everything into the air for me. I moved out of my house in January of 2016, and have been living in an apartment since.

I do not hate my ex wife. I do not wish her ill. Many of the problems we had in our relationship were my fault, and I have told her so and take full responsibility for them.

The time has come to move on.

Part of this moving on process involves the shop – or should I now say garage – of the family home. That’s where 18 years worth of tools, memories and learning the craft of woodworking took place. And, now that we have reached an agreement, I have to re-imagine my woodworking and reduce the number of tools in the shop.

One of the greatest inspirations I have had during this process was the work of Vic Tesolin and his book the Minimalist Woodworker. Vic’s observations included the profound realization that no, you don’t need a fully-stocked professional shop to crank out woodworking projects. A more modest collection of fundamental hand and power tools – paired with some easily built shop appliances –  can do the trick just nicely.

So, for the past month, I made a list of the critical tools I would need to take for my new shop setup. I asked myself a basic question – what would it take for me to build a bookshelf or a wooden chest?  With that as my starting point, I wrote down the ideas as quickly as they came to me …

• My track saw
• My routers
• Some clamps
• My Tormek (to keep tools sharp)
• Hand saws
• Chisels
• Planes

I also threw a few other ideas on that list as well. For instance, while no one would ever call a pocket screw a classic joint, they can prove indispensable for building cabinets.

Armed with this list, I entered the garage to see the old, familiar tools I haven’t touched in more than a year. It could almost be described as a surreal experience. Things were obviously not arranged as I had them, but that’s OK. This space is no longer mine, and it is my responsibility to get it turned over to its rightful owner.

Working with a few friends, I boxed and labeled what I wanted to take, and loaded those items into my buddy’s van. Those are going to my new workshop.

The other items that pain me to part with .. the table saw, band saw, dust collector, drill press..  well, I worked with the St. Petersburg Woodcrafters’ Guild. They agreed to buy those tools for pennies on the dollar and resell them, with the benefits going back to fund the guild. While it killed me to lose them, I knew they were going to good use, I wasn’t going to be paying through the nose for storage until a new, more permanent shop situation opened for me and I when I do replace those tools, I could get the latest and greatest safety features on them.

By the end of the day, I was sore, but the shop was ready for the movers to come in and unload the tools. I closed the garage door for the last time as the shop, walked to my car and drove home with the essential tools in tow …

Facing a future that was wildly different than the one I used to know.

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The Maslow $500 CNC – Beta Testing Begins

Several weeks back I reported on the Maslow CNC that costs just $500. Here’s Part One and Part Two if you missed it. This is a Kickstarter project, which means that it’s a crowd-funded product still in its development phase. Being a backer means you’re not so much a buyer as an investor enticed by the opportunity to get in early at a lower price before it’s released to the […]

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Lacquer is Easy to Clean from a Spray Gun

Lacquer is such a wonderful and versatile finish. I think every professional I’ve talked to who has used lacquer and other finishes (with good exhaust, of course) loves lacquer. There are lots of reasons for this, including reduced runs and sags, relative ease of control in different weather conditions with the solvents available, relative ease of repair, and lacquer’s excellent rubbing qualities. But here’s a plus you may not have thought […]

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Micro Bevels – Friday Live!

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Today we’re talking about sharpening micro bevels as well as a bunch of Q&A topics. Here’s the rundown:

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Book Giveaway: Woodturning Techniques for Furniture & Cabinetmaking

One of our newest books comes from Windsor chair expert Mike Dunbar. The book covers woodturning from a furniture and cabinetmaking perspective. If you’d prefer to make your own furniture components rather than buy mass-produced factory-made parts, then “Woodturning Techniques: Furniture & Cabinetmaking” may be of interest to you. You’ll need access to a lathe, of course – but the rewards of learning how to use woodturning tools to create your own chair […]

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Kevan’s Rudis Sword

The Rudis sword that my friend John and I designed has a few symbolic elements:
– Pommel & Hilt: Both are made of maple burl wood. As you may know, burl is a wood that has taken some trauma along the way, but that leads to the beauty of the knotted-rope-like grain. Both ends are unfinished since the work of honor and purpose is never done.
– Handle: Made of American Holly, it looks like ivory. American Holly is not an easy wood to find, so are men who have restored their honor and purpose. It is made to look like a backbone, because that’s what it takes.
– Blade: It is made of Bethlehem olive wood symbolic of Him whose power we need to draw upon. Olive oil is only rendered after great pressure is applied to the olives, then it bleeds the oil. Olive oil was used anciently as fuel; in anointing Kings to show they were called of God to lead; in anointings to heal the sick; and to help flavor to permeate food. The olive branch has long been a symbol of peace.

John, a good friend of mine, is a Marine who served three tours to Iraq. He came home and (his words) “I got caught up in all the ‘learned helplessness’ of the more disabled vet I was, the more cash I got each month from the government0. After a year or so I found that I had lost the fire in the belly I had as a soldier, and more importantly I lost my purpose. I was shackled by many of these well-intentioned programs; what I needed was to be free again, earning my honor again… I found no person or program could give me my honor back, I had to earn that myself.”

John has since started a non-profit called, Merito (latin for “merit”), that focuses on helping returning soldiers who are in a similar situation as his, to restore honor and purpose. More soldiers are taking their own lives now than at any other time. Merito is aimed and helping to fix that.

He chose the symbol of his organization, the Rudis Sword. A Rudis is a wooden sword, with an ivory handle—a gift to a gladiator as proof of his achieved freedom. It signifies his ascent from being a slave to becoming a freeman. The memorable past battles of a Gladiator are carved into the blade of the sword. A stipulation disclosed in the show is that a gladiator must always have the Rudis on his person or risk receding into slavery.

All these attributes epitomize the soldier who has gone through John’s Merito program. And this Rudis sword will be their graduation token.

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Shavings of Fibonacci

Though Fibonacci developed his numerical sequence to provide a formula that’s used throughout many mathematical considerations, and mathematicians may enjoy its reality in their work, it also occurs naturally in elements of nature too. The nautilus shell is an example and so too the natural numbering system appears in the arrangement of plant leaves, pinecones, pineapple cones, …

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Video: ‘Anne of All Trades’

You might know Anne Briggs Bohnett from her website, Anne of All Trades, or perhaps through Instagram, where she’s quickly racked up more than 60,000 followers (with a mix of photos featuring woodworking, farming and unbelievably adorable animals), or perhaps you’ve met her at Woodworking in America or a Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event…or maybe even taken a class from her at the Pratt Fine Arts Center in Seattle. If so, […]

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In 2013 I Traveled the USA

Tuesday 21st March 2017 It’s hard to believe but in 2013, starting in January, I traveled 12 US states to demonstrate my belief that hand tool woodworking could feature a thousand percent more highly than it did if we could seriously consider what we wanted from being woodworkers. I knew from my experience living and working …

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One-weekend Router Table

Router table cabinets can be a waste of space. This compact, vise-mounted unit stores easily and is just the right size. by David Thiel April 2005 Popular Woodworking Magazine I think it might have been seeing a $1,000 router table setup at a recent woodworking show (it’s very cool, but $1,000?). Or maybe it was realizing that our shop’s router table’s cabinet mostly takes up space and fills with dust. […]

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Don’t Fight the Work – Body Mechanics in the Shop

In the late ’80s and early ’90s you could visit a strip club and it wouldn’t be sleazy. The reason: Mike Tyson. He would simply walk through opponents with devastating power in the first few rounds. Nobody wanted to order the expensive pay-per-view at home with the odds of it being over in seconds. So the strip clubs could collect a door fee, a two-drink minimum and be done with […]

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Elia Bizzarri: Multi-talented Woodworker

It won’t come as much of a surprise that woodworkers are frequently good at more than one thing. Sometimes it’s necessary, other times it’s just for fun. I was in Hillsborough, N.C., last week working with Elia Bizzarri on two new videos and we started talking about what music to use. He asked if we’d like him and a few of his friends to play something. “Yes!” was the easy […]

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Camera Arms For The Workshop

This started out as what i though would be a long custom build, but because of a design flaw in my original project I took a completely different direction to save time and Money. In the video, I show how to rig up some simple articulating camera arms for use in the workshop. In a […]

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Dutch Boxwood Bead Boxes

On my first visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) in New York I saw, among the monumental and famous pieces, a small item that captured my eye. It was so impressive that I even decided to buy a postcard with a picture of it. This was a spherical shaped miniature wooden box that, once opened, displayed an intricate biblical scene that shocked me with its complexity and level […]

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Call it Done (For Now)

After the worst Thursday on record, I awoke the next morning and resolved to sort out this stool. I needed more maple, so I headed to Frank Paxton Hardwoods and found the perfect board waiting for me. Straight. Clear. Flat. Reasonably priced. So I assumed I’d get into a car accident on the way home. (No collisions.) I milled the new seat, assuming it would be case hardened and twist […]

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Rubbing Out a Finish: The Plastic Spreader Trick

Rubbing out a finish to achieve a perfectly flat surface on porous woods such as mahogany and walnut is a lot of work, so it’s usually reserved for tabletops. Using a film-building finish (not oil), the first step is to sand the finish back, or level it, to leave the pores filled in. You usually have to do this even if you have used a pore filler because there’s always […]

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Poly Is Not The Enemy! – Friday Live!

Today I show you some early results from the Wiping Varnish Shootout I’m working on, which leads me into getting on my soapbox about oil-based finishes and misleading marketing language. Of course we have your questions as well. Here’s the rundown:

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A Couple of Celtic-influenced Projects

I don’t always post holiday-themed projects, but hey – with my heritage, I can’t pass up the opportunity to share some Celtic knotwork in celebration the Emerald isle. So here are a couple woodworking articles from our archives that feature Celtic carving (though the “Peasant Chair” has a distinctly Moravian flavor to all but the carved back). Both the “Celtic Love Spoon” and the “Peasant Chair” predate our digital files, […]

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Video: Make a Panel-cutting Sled for Your Table Saw

In this video excerpt from “Table Saw Jigs & Fixtures,” Matthew Teague tells you why you might want this jig for your table saw, how to make it, and how to safely use it. Get instruction from Matthew on making 10 more essential table saw jigs on the video download – or better yet, get 24/7 access to all our videos (more than 400 of them on things woodworking!) on […]

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Failing Daily Since 1993

After the 2015 election, I did what every sane American did: I eliminated the annoying people from my social media feeds on both the left and the right who had become singularly obsessed with politics. And then I took another healthy step: I eliminated feeds from the “fake perfectionists.” Who are the “fake perfectionists?” You probably know them. They are the people who post beautiful photos of their work on […]

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Tim’s Gaming Table

This was a large 8 person Gaming table that I designed with the client to be able to be used as a regular solid surface table, the table “leafs” flip over to reveal a microsuede surface for card playing, and the leafs can be table out and the neoprene lower lighted gaming surface is show for roll playing games and board games you want to leave set up for a long time while the leafs can cover it. There are 8 trays that pull out for when playing certain games so players have places in front of them to hold their notebooks or cards or game pieces. The entire table was made from Red Oak, it has LED color changeable lighting for the lower game surface, it has 6 outlets mounted on the underside of the table for plugs for phones or laptops.

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Braces, Top, Wedges & Finishing – Knock Down Trestle Table Pt. 2

Looking for Part 1? Go here.    —  Support TWW on Patreon! 

Download the Plans

• SketchUp Plan
• PDF Plan and Cut List V2
• SketchUp Plan (Metric)
• PDF Plan and Cut List V2 (Metric)
• Purchase a Lumber Kit for this project

Braces

This table is perfectly sturdy without adding additional braces (or cleats) in the middle. But they do offer additional stability and will also assist in keeping the top flat. Furthermore, they add some extra visual interest that you won’t see on many trestle tables. They are sized by dry-fitting the parts and getting the exact measurements from the base itself. The braces themselves are tapered and drilled just like the outer braces.

I used the Domino to create the mortises for these parts but the plans assume you don’t have the Domino and feature traditional mortise and tenon joints. You could also substitute two dowels at each joint. However you join them, consider only gluing the vertical post into the brace, and skipping the glue where the vertical piece meets the rail. Someone suggested this to me online and I thought it was a great idea simply because it allows the table to be taken apart and transported easily. And these braces don’t need glue to do their job.

Wedges

The wedges start as blanks of dimension 8″ L x 2 1/4″W x 5/8″ T. A taper is then cut from one corner to a 3/8″ mark at the other corner. From there the wedges can be fit and trimmed to your liking. I like having bothe wedged fitting within the width of the legs but with a staggered appearance. To get that effect, you can do what I did in the video or trim you wedges to the dimensions listed in the plan.

The Top

The top dimension is 68″L x 38″ W. While you generally want to size your top based on traditional proportion appropriate for the table itself, my design is more about custom-fitting a table for the space. So if 68″ x 38″ sounds a little odd, that would be why. I’m also using 5/4 stock for my top because I’d like to have a finished thickness of 1″. You could certainly use 4/4 for this and end up with a 3/4″ to 7/8″ top.

I had to use eight boards to get the width I needed, so arranging the grain is something of a futile exercise. I simply cut my boards around flaws and oriented in a way that looked decent to my eye. Once glued up, gentle curves are cut on all sides using a jigsaw. You can use thin pieces of scrap stock to draw the curves or use a purpose-built drawing bow.

The Finish

I’m using  Minwax Wipe-On Poly for the finish. While many people don’t like the look of polyurethane, if applied with care and in thin layers, it can actually look really nice. I’m using a satin formulation and after the final coat cures, I employ a buffing process that utilizes 400 grit Platin (these are incredibly expensive but can be used more than once) abrasives and a mineral oil/mineral spirits mixture.

Wood Whisperer Thread Taps

To attach the top to the base I’ll be using classic connector bolts and Wood Whisperer Thread Taps. The holes are tapped to a depth of about 5/8″-3/4″. The bolts are then driven in to secure everything in place. There’s still time to pre-order your taps. Pre-order ends March 24th.

Gallery

Here’s the final table in place in the kitchen. So far, the family absolutely loves it!

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Surviving U.S.-made Woodworking Clamps & Clamp Care

Responding to my post last week on the demise of woodworking clamps made in the U.S., a few readers pointed out that the well has not completely dried out. Yes, we have probably lost the big names in casting, forging and milling of clamps, but a few smaller manufacturers have survived, in addition to new makers who have released some interesting stuff in the last few years. Milwaukee Tool and […]

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Book Giveaway: Simple & Stylish Woodworking

It’s always fun to see the new books arrive. Popular Woodworking Books’ latest release “Simple & Stylish Woodworking: 20 Projects for Your Home” officially releases in mid-April. It’s a compilation of small projects that make great home accents. Selected from the archives of Popular Woodworking, these projects allow you to learn new skills and get in some practice on smaller scale builds before committing to a larger piece of furniture. The […]

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Designing yet another piece. How it happens

Tuesday 7th March 2017 Designing yet another piece. How it happens  In most cases a design begins with perceived need. I tend to isolate my thoughts to a space in a room where I feel what I want to design will be a part of. I find that that’s a more logical place to start but …

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Quick, Dirty & Effective Trammel Points

When starting in woodworking I couldn’t afford a good set of trammel points. I had my grandfather’s set, but it didn’t lock down well. Then one day woodworker Troy Sexton showed me how he drew large arcs and I realized that I already owned an effective trammel. Troy uses a yardstick (or meter stick if you are metric). Then he bores holes at all the locations where he wants to […]

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‘Popular Workbench Magazine’

“Popular Workbenches” is often suggested as a title revision for the magazine, given the number of workbench plans we’ve offered over the years. And it’s true that we have published a generous number of them – but every one is different! And given that a worksurface of some kind is integral to any workshop, well, it’s a perennially important topic. So in this post, just for fun (and to procrastinate […]

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Breadboard Ends With Draw-bore pins

I am often asked about breadboard ends on furniture. I think mostly because they do trim out flat tops and tables nicely and they also help to constrain tabletops to prevent movement such as cupping. The main issue mostly is that the width of wood expands and contracts across its width but so minimally in …

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