My son, Vinny, has been asking me to help him make his own workbench for a while now. Since Father's Day was approaching we made an agreement that he could come out in the shop and build his bench with my help on that day. As an aside, I milled and cut all the parts … Continue reading DIY Kid’s Workbench with Downloadable Plan
Shop AC Installation, Part 2: The Insulation Installation
In part 1 of this series, I outlined what weather stripping product I used to seal my garage door. Now it is time to insulate the oven, I mean, garage door for less than $150. The afternoon sun beats down on the door as it faces west. The heat that radiates from the inside of … Continue reading Shop AC Installation, Part 2: The Insulation Installation
Make a Scratch Stock
The Nicholson bench I will be building in the coming months require a profile on the edges of the ship lapped boards for the shelf. Well, it isn't required but I like the detail it will add to the bench so I am going to make it a requirement. I want to build the bench … Continue reading Make a Scratch Stock
Make a Point Tool
While at Woodworking in America 2015 I attended a class with David Marks showing his woodturnings. He passes some tools around and one that caught my attention was the tool he referred to as the point tool. He went on to say how to make it and I left with an idea for a new … Continue reading Make a Point Tool
Shop AC Installation, Part 1
My shop conditions are great 2 months out of the year. That is early spring (April) and late fall (October). All the other months the heat is miserable or the cold is not glue or finish friendly. I have tried to combat the heat (108+ degrees inside in the summer) by running fans as the … Continue reading Shop AC Installation, Part 1
Up Coming Bench Build-Off
The Dusty Life crew (Brian McCauley, Kyle Toth, and Myself) is hosting a Workbench building event in the late weeks of August and into September. The event is conveniently called the Bench Build-Off. There is a sizable list of sponsors who are pledging prizes to be given at random to several lucky builders. You can … Continue reading Up Coming Bench Build-Off
The Make it Forward Project, Part 2
This is my portion of the second edition of the Make it Forward project. In short, it is a collaboration where 9 craftsmen and craftswomen pass a project along after adding their own work. I contributed a hand cut dovetail box frame constructed of vertical grain douglas fir. Now it is time to pass it … Continue reading The Make it Forward Project, Part 2
Bandsaw Blade Upgrade
Up until several weeks ago I had been using a Wood Slicer resaw blade on my 14" bandsaw. after making a rookie mistake while cutting a turning blank and bending that blade I decided it was time to up my resaw game. Enter a carbide tipped bandsaw blade. Which one would I choose? What was … Continue reading Bandsaw Blade Upgrade
Brass Chisel Hammer
A couple weeks ago I won this (above) brass mallet on eBay. I really like the old, mushroomed faces, wear marks, and the patina on the brass. The only thing wrong with it was the steel rod handle. The solution: contact a local machinist to remove the handle and bore a 1/2" through hole … Continue reading Brass Chisel Hammer
Split Top Saw Bench with Downloadable Plan
As I progress in my woodworking skills, my interests are persistently moving me toward more frequent hand tool usage. I will never give up my machines (with the exception of the table saw) because they perform the bulk of the preliminary work, milling lumber to S6S. In the coming months I will be building a … Continue reading Split Top Saw Bench with Downloadable Plan
Woodworking Projects, Videos, Tips, and More 