NeilsenHandMade

Great read. thank you.

#8 (or 3b) Make friends with old woodworkers. I got my first table saw (and a lathe) from a guy for free because he already had 2 and knew a lady who was getting rid of one because it was collecting dust in her garage. The old guys are full of experience and wisdom, seem to know everyone in the neighborhood and always like to talk shop.

Love to be part of this community. what a blessing.

josh.

thanks.

Wow. thanks John and Chris. i also work with reclaimed wood and have started developing my own procedures for removing nails. even to the point of envisioning what kind of new tool i would invent for this purpose, to minimize any new damage to the surface. I think Chris really has the process dialed in. pretty impressive. I can't wait to try it out. I wonder if you could even use a strong magnet at that point, to lift the nail out with zero damage to the surface.

thanks for the tip guys.

and btw, anyone building with reclaimed wood is always welcome to email me and exchange tips and techniques: josh@joshneilsen.com

thanks guys.

randomly pick me!

great questions RiverRock.

John, your public is waiting...

John,

i'm really stoked on your exaggerated swooping forms in the stretcher pieces and the drastic angled dovetails. i am sometimes hesitant to use certain forms in my own designs because they are not typically seen in traditional woodworking. i feel like you "give me permission" to let my creativity run free (as long as it's structurally sound, of course).

and the dovetails are great. i've been fascinated by the dovetail ever since i first learned about it in my first woodworking class.

thanks for the post.

josh.

Dude, that's awesome. Love the details. can you describe the finishing process you used?

also, how does your wife feel about lugging a 15' piece of wood to a campsite? sounds like something i'd ask of my wife, too. she once helped me load about 35 16' 100y/o 2x4's into a small suv and then drove back home 25mph the whole way so the load didn't tip or fall out.

thanks God for patient and understanding woodworker wives!

hi John. i've been admiring your work for the last year or so. i really like your approach to materials and design. my ideal is to never even pay for materials (though i'm not completely opposed to it). i use reclaimed old growth 2x4's, old pine shelves, doors, windows, plywood and/or flooring i find in the trash bin. and i've recently started exploring the woods around my in-laws home in big bear, CA. i found a cool piece of oak burl attached to a fallen tree, borrowed a chain saw and went to work. (btw, i was super stoked to see your cherry burl bowl you turned.) is it possible to contact you directly through email? i have a bunch of questions about working with reclaimed materials. if so, my email is josh@joshneilsen.com.

if not, i'll try and post the questions here.

thanks.

josh.