This video (really a still frame animation) of making a lawn chair is quite fantastic. I like the style of the chair, but the brilliant bit is the way the craftsman / videographer make it appear as if the wood and tools are making the chair themselves.
Clever no matter how you look at it. Clever woodworking, clever filming, clever construction. I found it completely informative and at the same time, completely entertaining. I’ve watched it three times already. Well done Frank - www.frankmakes.com
My son swims quite well for a 4 year old, and when he expressed an interest in diving from a diving board, I wanted to be an encouraging father. So I went out to the shop and rummaged around for a suitable plank. I had 5′ long 2″x6″ made of cedar. It was not quite […]
I was in my local Home Depot yesterday and walking through the tool section looking to buy a couple of bar clamps. I have always favored the Jorgensen brand because they are sturdy, well made, and are made in the USA. I have always appreciated that Home Depot carries them. So I walk […]
Every old tool fan has a story of the one that got away. Some great old gem of a tool that slipped through their fingers for some reason or another. My most recent one still makes me shake my head in disbelief. I’m not fully up and running with my new garage bay workshop. To […]
This video is amazing and clearly shows the effects of a chip breaker with a much steeper angle on the front of it (think snow plow rather than ramp) and setting it closer to the edge of the blade than “conventional wisdom” would have suggested. The video very clearly shows that the chip breaker works […]
My workshop in FL is still not ready yet, so here is one from a collection of things from my time in NY that I had not gotten around to posting. On our property I needed some outdoor lighting to keep our B&B guests from bumping into things in the dark. Any of the modern […]
While my workshop is being reconfigured, the only real woodworking projects I have been doing lately are taking my 3 yr old to the Home Depot Kids Workshop and the Lowes Build and Grow Workshop a few times a month. Both stores really do a nice thing of providing the kits, tools and work space […]
I watched this video and was impressed by all the cool automated technology used to create the timberframe components. But I also thought, where’s the fun in that? Industrially precut timber framing has become the predominant house construction method throughout Japan. In this documentary, Bakoko explains the process from factory floor to building site. […]
I am still suffering from a severe case of workshop withdrawal. The entire contents of my workshop are still residing in a 5′x8′x8′ U-box pod waiting for us to move into a new house. Overall I have to say I am happy with the U-box service…just sad to be without a shop for the duration […]
I have a Craftsman 14″ bandsaw that is a twin brother to the Rikon (the Rikon has a few more refinements). I am not certain whether Rikon makes the Craftsman or some third company makes both the Rikon and Craftsman. Either way, I saw this video about fine tuning at setup and I wanted to […]
In general, timber frame structures are incredibly solid and stable. Here is a great example of the stability when 344 people gathered to lift a barn and move it by hand and foot from one location to another.
I’ve seen this issue come up and get discussed on several forums. A joiners mallet is pretty simple to make, so it is a quick and satisfying shop project to get one constructed, but then the question arises, “what angle should be put on the head?” This is an important question with advice ranging from […]
For years I have been keeping my eye out for a rounded bottom spokeshave (convex, front to back). I have an old Stanley 151M flat soled spokeshave that works quite well and I wanted a vintage round bottom Stanley 151R to match. Unfortunately they seem to be kind of rare, or on eBay the photos […]
Tool owner stamps always intrigue me. When I pick up one of my old wood planes and look at the layers of old owner stamps on them, I wonder who they were and what they did. Were they carpenters, or just hobbyists? Did they pass them on to their children? Did they save up for […]
For years I have kept my chisels in a drawer. I keep covers on the tips so they don’t damage each other, but as my chisel collection has grown, the drawer has gotten crowded and is just not the best way to store and access them repeatedly. So I decided to make a chisel rack. […]
I was fortunate to spend several weeks around the holidays soaking up some sun in Florida and spending time with my family. Time with my wife and son on the beach was gift No 1 and brings a smile to my face just thinking about it…especially as I look out the window now at the […]
In the last post I showed off some newly made socket chisel handles and justified the use of octagonal shaping on the back section. If you liked the finished product and wanted to see how I made them, then this post is for you. Ideally, if I were some kind of master sculptor I could […]
I have an odd collection of chisels ranging from a couple of modern plastic handled abominations to several old Stanley 750′s , an old Witherby, a PS&W and a D.R. Barton. I am gradually replacing the plastic handled chisels as I find older socket handled varieties. I like my old chisels, some belonged to my […]
I found this painting online. It was first published in the National Park Service publication New Discoveries at Jamestown: Site of the First Successful English Settlement in America. The painting is artist, Sydney King’s interpretation of the lumber industry in colonial Jamestown. I find the painting fascinating as it focuses on so many aspects of […]
My son and I were on our way to the grocery store the other day, and on the way there, we saw a sign for a barn sale. I got a big smile on my face and said, “Do you want to go see if they have any old tools?” … he answered… I’m pretty […]