Slab flattening router jig
I built this slab flattening router jig to flatten the water oak slab that I harvested from my backyard. Here is the before & after flattening:
Category: Tips & Techniques
How To Turn A Sphere On Your Lathe
Turning a sphere on a lathe can be a frustrating experience. It’s virtually impossible to free-turn a perfectly round ball by eye without a solid methodology. There is at least one commercially available jig that will accomplish this, but it’s …
Reviving Old Rulers
Old rulers with etched markings could be revived in a 3 simple steps: Clean dirt and rust off with Scotchbright pad and WD40 or CLR calcium, lime, and rust remover. Paint over the etched markings (enamel paint). Make sure to …
Faux V-Groove Dado Joint
This article describes how to cut bird’s-mouth dado joint, which is a stopped dado with its edges dressed to appear as a bird’s-mouth miter joint.
Free Cut List Computer Program
When I was reviewing the project to build the desks for HAART, I wanted to make sure we had enough wood, and we also optimized our cutting to minimize the waste wood. I found a free Cut List program that …
Rack for Turning Tools
I am getting into turning lately and built up a good selection of turning tools in my shop. To organize and make the tools easily reachable while turning, I created this 44-3/4″-wide tool rack on the wall right behind my …
Kumiko—Japanese traditional decorative woodwork
In my current end table build, I’m incorporating kumiko panels to the design. Pictured above are the 2 panels that I created. The pattern is called “Senbon-goushi,” which literally translates to “thousand-column lattice” due to the density of its vertical …
Economical Alternative for Scroll Chuck Wrench
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
To mount/release a NOVA scroll chuck from lathe spindle, you need a 1-1/2″ crescent wrench. These wrenches are expensive if you purchase one from woodworking/woodturning stores. I found a cheaper alternative… in an automotive section of a discount store. One …
“Regain Your Edge” from WOOD Magazine
FYI, this recent article from WOOD Magazine on saw blade sharpening lists a several out-of-state sharpening service options. Regain Your Edge The right sharpening service can revive dull saw blades for less than half the…
Gel Stains: An easy way to control wood blotching and do other cool stuff
Staining wood is probably the thing woodworkers dread the most, and the reason is that so many common woods that we work with are prone to blotching. Testing your finishing strategy can certainly spotlight potential problems, but unless you test lots of scrap there’s always the chance that you can be in for a nasty surprise once the stain goes on. Gel stains can help tremendously with woods that often blotch, and in this article we’ll take a look at how gel stains work, how they compare to traditional stains, and how to apply them. We’ll also look at a couple of other interesting things that you can do with gel stains that would not be possible with other types of stains.