epirnik

Folks, that's the wonderful thing about a craft like woodworking. There's more than one way to get any job done, plenty of differing opinions, and lots of opportunities for brilliant debate: case in point!
Cheers,

-Ed

jrich6024 - indeed it is. I only wish I had been able to pull that off at the age of 11 - not that I didn't try!

Cheers,
Ed

joefree77: That is NOT a job I think I could handle (cleaning up the "detritus" left behind. Yikes!
Best,
-Ed

ctsjr82: Indeed, it was a little difficult to control the dremel with the base as well as I had hoped. The solution I think will come with building a wide, flat base - maybe out of Lexan- and then making an even shallower cut so that the bit just sales through the stock. Still, I'm fairly happy with the result.
Cheers,
-Ed

62vetteefp: It's OK to step away from the Unifence. LOL. Glad you're ok with the choice!

-Ed

Thanks, Pickingrin1!

Cheers,
Ed

Thanks, jdm92562 for writing: I believe my next step will be to build a custom base for my dremel - complete with hand-holds that will make it easier to control the cutting. I also plan on making the cut (next time) even shallower than this one - so that the bit doesn't bog down and wander as much. This experiment was shallow but I can get even shallower, I'm sure!
Best,
Ed

Matt:
Has anyone used the term "geek" before when speaking about you? LOL

Kingbird: I'm glad this information was helpful to you. Thanks for you comment.
Best,
Ed

theoffcut: Indeed the traditional stop is more often used for panels and such. Just happened to be a photo I had on-hand.
Best,
Ed

PS: I'm going to continue adding a few more suggestions to this post over the course of the next few days - beginning with a "hold-fast" - working on that now. That is an awesome little device!

E

Beence: Awesome information. Thanks for posting that tip!
Ed

Hi guys,

Thanks for your comments. I must say that I truly enjoyed the camaraderie that's always present in Phil's shop. And as I said in the post, all of the wonderful carvings, joinery examples, patterns, and other bric-a-brac on his shop walls is just a sheer joy to go through.
Best,
-Ed

Hi folks,
Lots of great comments here. I thought I'd chime in on a couple of them. Regarding sound effects - I'm happy with the decision we made to get rid of them. While music or sound works well for segment intros, I too felt it was a bit much when they were peppered all over the place (although I still admit it was fun to play around with them - heh heh heh).

As far as live calls are concerned - I'm on the fence - I could go either way. That said, I feel as though we've got to take things one step at a time. Right now, the ability to have questions sent in via email is a boon to us. It allows us to go over the questions ahead of time in order to really craft a robust response--that's tough to do 100% on the fly. By reviewing the questions ahead of time, we're able to craft a well-edited answer that gets to the point quickly.

Anyhow, this podcast is now officially my favorite part of the "job" here at FWW. I love the interaction with folks who read the magazine/use the site, am constantly being challenged with questions, and just love hearing the final polished product when it goes out into the airwaves every other Friday. Many thanks for your continued support - seriously!

Best to all,
-Ed Pirnik

BLASMALDO: I'm no wood science expert so take what I say with a grain of salt. That said, the references I've found to "Caoba Centenraia" all seem to point to the Dominican Republic. At the end of the day, the wood species Swietenia mahogani grows all over the Caribbean, so I think one would be hard pressed to be able to figure out country of origin unless they could really trace a piece back to it's maker.

InNJ: Very interesting. At the time that my mother and grandparents left Cuba, they had my uncle go into their home (the one my mother is pictured standing in front of) to retrieve as much furniture as they could. Many of those old rococo antiques are still in my aunt and uncle's bedrooms. Unfortunately, the finishes have suffered greatly over the years, but it was fun to see mom's reaction to coming across all the old pieces that were in her bedroom as a kid. Cheers,
Ed

Hi Chris:
That slowness you describe is pretty normal. Since the site is brand new in every sense of the word, it's going to take some time for your machine to cache everything. I believe there is also some back-end caching that goes on - on our end as well (servers and such). The site should become faster and faster over the course of the next week - I am told.
Best,
Ed

james: I love that bench. I've had it for about six months now and wouldn't change a thing--except for the fact that it currently resides in my parents' basement as my wife and I are still searching for a home to settle in. So dad gets a good bench to piddle around on - FOR NOW!!!!! If I can answer any questions regarding construction of that bench - don't hesitate to send them my way. Best - Ed

james3one: Technically, you are correct. That said, there were a couple of reasons I choose to go long in this case: 1) Those splines are only about 3/8-in. wide. You'd be very hard-pressed to snap one along the long grain at that narrow width. 2) These boxes were constructed by laying the four box sides flat, taping them together and then rolling the entire thing into a box - after that was done, splines where tapped into place from the outside of the box. If I had gone with short grain, I would have been guaranteed a bunch of spots in those short grain pieces splitting part as I sent the splines "home." 3) by including a back on those drawer boxes that is glued and pin nailed into a rabbet, I created a super strong box that wouldn't provide for much racking stress on those splines. In some ways, the splines are there for alignment just as much as for some added strength. At the end of the day, I got some absurdly strong boxes out of the deal. They've been moved around, screwed/unscrewed many times (from the bench's open well) and one was even dropped - no problems to report. Oh, and sorry for having misunderstood your question. Glad you wrote in to clarify!
Cheers,
Ed

rorynidaho: Not sure what you are referring to. This is the biweekly podcast, not a video series. Sorry for any confusion.
Best,

-Ed

berferdt: not gonna tell you what the sound in the podcast is or isn't but if it were a sawstop - it'd be there simply because it's a cool sound.

Cheers,

E

Thanks Thognar!

Your note of support has been logged! LOL
Cheers,
Ed

Antondeg: You don't need iTunes to listen to the podcast. Just click on the red "Listen to the Podcast" link and you can stream it right through the browser.
Best,
Ed

sdbranam: To your point about techniques - "But clearing the waste was the same: chisel down across the grain, then in from the end to pop a chip, repeatedly" - That's exactly how I was I taught to cut dovetails at RIT many years ago, by a fellow named Rich Tannen - who is still there, I believe. Simple and effective. Thanks for listening.
-Ed

Hey folks,

Sorry about the delay on the streaming link. I had a two hour drive back from FW Live - arrived home to find a sick baby that pretty much kept us up all night. Ugh.

Anyhow, enjoy the show!!!

Best,

-Ed

Pah! And when would he have time to actually build the darn thing??? Just kidding. Always a pleasure, saschafer:)
Ed

saschafer: Yes, Furniture & Cabinetmaking is a wonderful magazine. We have a subscription here at the office. They put together a wonderful mag!

Best,

-Ed

Hi folks,

Thanks for the heads-up on the link. Not sure why it was doing that. Anyhow, it's fixed.

Also: "The Beard for No Good Reason:" That's priceless. Actually, I was in such a rush to finish getting the episode up on Friday afternoon that I had a heck of a time titling it. I WISH I had gone that route!

Best to all - and a special thanks to the kind folks who responded to my blog at LJ's for their questions and comments.

-Ed

CaseyO: HAH! Good question:) I think I'll take your advice. I have a workbench to finish building:)

Cheers,
Ed

I hear ya, saschafer - but I still thought it was hilarious. We'll have to agree to disagree on this one.
No harm, no foul though - you raise a perfectly good point.
Cheers,
-Ed

ChrisGlennie: The duluth aprons are super sweet (although more expensive) than this one. This one is manufactured by BucketBoss. I like it a lot although I will say that the adjustments on the back, where you cinch it down to fit you properly, aren't the greatest. The nylon webbing tends to get pinched and twisted in the metal guides you slide them through. That's my only complaint.

Bob Fenneman: have a look at dead squirrel's comment. He's got the right idea. You'll just need to add some leveling feet on two of the foot pads that support your bench's trestle end assemblies.

Cheers and thanks much for the kind words.
Best,
Ed

Hah! Thanks guys, I truly do appreciate those kind words on the bench AND the podcast!

Cheers to you both.

Ed

I hear you, guys. I enjoyed the video version and always felt like the white board we used was an awesome tool. Trouble is, it took a great deal of effort to handle those livestreaming events. Then getting the taped footage encoded for upload to the blog posts within a couple of days was also a good deal of work.

At the end of the day, the ROI was just so low, we couldn't justify keeping the video stream going. The number of folks who used the video stream as opposed to the audio version was just way too small.

Best to all,

-Ed

Hey no fair beem! I zapped the sound drops myself! Haven't been using 'em for two episodes now!
LOL
Only thing you'll ever here is the drops for segment intros - that's it!

Cheers

E

beem - you don't want to see me - I'm hideously ugly. LOL

I don't know, I like my "disembodied" nature on the podcast.

Cheers,
Ed

Hi Ron:

Argh! I would if I could, my friend. Trouble is, as we film these video workshops, often-times there are details that change midway through filming (happens organically). Because of that, we wait till the end of filming to check all the measurements and begin the plan production process - meaning, you've got to wait till it comes out around the same time as the video.

My latest problem is that the bench project, and work I'm doing right now on another Video Workshop project with Mike Pekovich (tool cabinet) has inspired me to build a "Tool Cabinet." My wife's response when I told her: "sigh, and where are you going to put that?"

We're looking for houses at the moment so all my woodworking gear is being stored - as will this bench and that future tool cabinet. I'm a sick, sick man. LOL

Cheers,

Ed

ejc: Nice! You should be able to find a decent deal on a cast iron vise. For about $100, you ought to be well-outfitted!

I assume the "borg" is a big box store? Never heard anyone refer to them in that manner before - that's hilarious!

Still....please don't get "assimilated."

Cheers,

-E

ctsr: Beech is an awesome choice, and one that I considered. I very nearly built the base out of that species. Not only is it reasonably priced, but quite frankly, it's got a really interesting grain to it!

Cheers,

Ed

Hi nslewis:
Indeed - "oil-based lacquer" was a slip of the tongue. As you state: an impossible formulation! It was actually a lacquer-based sealer, which is-or was at least, the industry standard for doing polyurethane over raw wood.

Also, you raised some great points/food for thought. There is most certainly a sort of "crowd-sourced" editing of less-than-stellar content that does go on in the online world. Good point!

Cheers,
-Ed

VegasRichard: Thanks for the kind words. It's tough to do a walking tour of the shop, because we have the camera on a tripod, with a great deal of wires all over the place. That said, we might be able to swing around so you can see the machine room (behind camera), and a couple of other tidbits. Can't promise a monster shop tour but we might be able to give a glimpse. I'll see what I can do.
Cheers,
Ed

whiskey3 and redstickslim: Thanks so much for your kind words. There is a great deal of effort put into these biweekly events and it makes our day when folks get a lot of use and fun out the work we put in. Cheers to you both.
-Ed

Thanks very much, beem!

Thanks for the kind words everyone. This was a blast to shoot, and Greg really ran with it! For the record, we are not chucking pocket-screws under the bus. They make very fast, strong joints, where appropriate. In fact, Greg owns the Kreg pocket-screw jig in the video, and uses it all the time.
Cheers,

-Ed

This is great! I'm posting it onto Offerman Woodshop's Facebook wall. I'm pretty sure he'll appreciate seeing his design built by someone else - and in action!

Cheers,

-Ed

stewdes: That's fantastic. Can you post a photo of the rig into our Jigs gallery?

Otherwise, you should absolutely post a photo to the Offerman Woodshop Facebook page!

Cheers,

-Ed

Dear beem:

Thanks very much for your kind words. Indeed, we noticed that issue with Asa's mic as well. The gremlin was tracked down and we look forward to episode two (should roll out on Friday, March 16 - we'll have that nailed down by that time.
These initial beta events are always finicky the first time around. I'm also glad you found that white board helpful. we weren't sure if it would pay off or not, but I too feel that it really helped Mike to get some good points across.

Best to you,
-Ed

Ha ha - Nah - lathe is spinning in the correct direction. That said, I could see why you might think otherwise - with the big Powermatic log facing the viewer.

Robscaffe: Lighten up. It's still a serious magazine, but ya just gotta be able to have some mindless fun once in a while:)

Cheers all.

-Ed

For me, it is at least in part, a response to a modern society driven more-and-more by experiencing life from within a virtual world-as opposed to a more tactile experience of life.

Very few people have the know-how to change their car's oil or replace their brake pads nowadays. How many folks do you know who can fix a leaky copper pipe or know how to navigate with a map and compass?

These sorts of talents/abilities are becoming more and more rare. And I'd say that is in large part to the way in which society has migrated from one in which folks largely "did things for themselves" to one in which we're more comfortable pretending to experience life throug the internet as opposed to getting our hands dirty and "doing" something. This sounds strange coming from a "web producer," I know, but it's a big part of the reason I enjoy building furntiure. I want to "do it myslef." There is a sense of victory that comes at the culmination of every project--a feeling that continues throughout life, every time you open the door of the cabinet you built or the drawer of the desk you assembled years before, you're feeling just a bit of that victory.

Hey Dennis,

I'm not familiar with Linke but did have the pleasure of going through a great deal of information about Lannuier while working on this slideshow. Hirschl & Adler also has pieces by this maker on display as well.
Will have to Google Linke today.

Cheers!

-Ed

Thanks guys:)
E

Bravo, Ken!
Best,
-Ed

Hi outdated: I believe you may have mis-heard what was stated in the slideshow: What Miss Feld speaks of is the fact that Phyfe does not appear to have been trained at all before his arrival in the United States, nor did he come from a cabinetmaking family or background. Mere statement of fact. Cheers, -Ed

SFGaloot, rburwell, and vance: Many thanks. The Hirschl & Adler exhibit is closing soon, do try and catch it!

outdated: Not sure what you are referring to in your response. Did you actually watch the slideshow?

Best,
-Ed

Hi folks,

Just took the clamps and cauls off the box lid. A perfect repair! I'll update the post with a few photos I snapped on my iPhone, later this week.

Many thanks for all your suggestions - they were spot on! Especially the one about the inverted, elongated "V" by stevefell.

Cheers,
-Ed

The tip about cutting out the patch area like an inverted, elongated "V" in order to go with the grain, is a very good one. Thanks.

I am still considering doing a burn in, but if I do go with the "glue-in" route, I'll be attempting the "V" repair.

EXCELLENT points all around. Thank you very much.

Best,
-Ed

OOOO - even better. I've got a marking knife I could hone up a bit - beveled on only one side. I'll just need to make the tool rest a bit thinner- to that the knife's handle doesn't hit the rest and prevent the blade from penetrating as far into the lid as I need to go.

Good thoughts!

-Ed

saschafer: Damn You!!!

hammertime8: Yeah, that's the idea I'm shooting for - going a bit beyond the actual damage. I think the toughest part is going to be paring out the waste, keeping away from the base wood as much as possible. THAT is going to require an incredibly delicate touch. Thanks for the input!
Best,
Ed

saschafer: I'm just glad I caught it when I did. better now than 6 months down the road when my computer is sitting atop it in the living room!
Cheers,
-Ed

cirelloman:

My theory has to do with the finishing process.

On the day I began to apply finish, I applied the first coat on the underside and allowed to dry overnight. The crack emerged overnight so I'm left to surmise that in the interim time between application of finish on the other side of the table, the top experienced uneven moisture absorption from tha air, allowing from some movement. Just my guess. That's why I'm always in a rush when applying finish to a top - I like to get it on as quickly as possible, and secure the top to the table via buttons, also as quickly as possible.

Best,
Ed

Fiveoaks: I should have perhaps added that if I'd wanted to make the crack invisible, I might have opted to tint the CA glue with some powdered dye. But again, I didn't really mind the visible hair line - I juste wanted it to be smooth to the touch. The tabletop is finally finished (put the last coats on today) and I'm quite pleased with the result. The spline can barely be seen - you really have to know it's there to find it.

Oh, and concerning the syringe - there is one caveat - I found that the small spring in the syringe blew out after squirting the gel into the crack. By the time I was finished, the spring and syringe tip gave up the ghost - to much pressure (remember, these syringes are designed for liquids, not gels) - so be careful. As for the vacuum trick - yes, I've known folks to use that method as well, to good effect.

Cheers,
-Ed

JMeeley: Absolutely could have done a breadboard end but at the end of the day, I just didn't want BB's breaking up the expanse of the tabletop. So I opted for this method.

byhammerandhand: Interesting! I've never been able to get a hold of them here in Connecticut. That's good to know.

Best,
-Ed

LOVE this idea! Thanks TimR!!

I've also wanted to experiment with doing offset mortises by placing one of the pins closer to the bit. In theory, I think it should work - haven't tried it yet, though.

Thanks for the great idea.
Best,
Ed

Hi swenson: Reason you can't see your glueline is due to the species of wood. The color of cherry is much closer - or complimentary - to that of the Titebond III. Doesn't matter how perfect a joint it is - this one was handplaned to a perfectly flat fit - that dark glue on such a bright white colored wood species 'll kill ya every time.

Best,
Ed

TopspinD - be sure to click on the link in the post to go to Pygmy's site to sign up.
Best,
Ed

thedude50: saschafer is correct - this technique is just for grinding the bevel - not for honing.

I must say, I still prefer the Tormek - it's nearly brainless when used with the guide - but with a new baby and all the expenses that go along with that - I'll be sticking to a conventional grinder for the time-being (in my home shop at least!).
Best to you,
-Ed

Mr_Sully: The link is now operational. Sorry about that!
Best,
-Ed

I smell a bribe, Kenney.

Thanks NikonD80: I'll never grow up. I refuse! As for the router table, I've kept in touch with Matt (we share a "cube" wall here at the office) regarding how he's liked using his new unit - loves it. He's been very happy with the final product. I got to play around with it as well - and with that mapel support structure - it is REALLY rigid, flat and tough. Now I need to find the cash to buy the old router he replaced with the unit in this one - used!
Cheers,
Ed

It seems to have been successful. Been a couple of weeks now and none of the pieces I baked have shown even the slightest signs of weeping. Phew!

james3one: Funny you should mention that. A couple of us were talking about that very same idea in the shop about three days ago - great minds:)
Best,
Ed

OtherPeoplesTrash: I often use olive oil to help dissolve bits of oil-based poly from my hands. Works like a charm!

Best,
Ed

johnny p: absolutely - it just depends as to whether or not you mind having to go through the re-sharpening and honing process. It didn't bother me at all.
Best,
Ed

elkhaircaddis: You are correct - at least I think you are! I allowed those mineral spirits to dry out of the board for a good few days before I baked them. Good point!

NHAccents: That is wild! You're saying that 160+ yearl-old lumber is still weeping?! WOW! Just goes to show, you can't stop Mother Nature!

I had spoken with one of my colleagues about the possibility of setting the sap in longer front/rear aprons. Luckily, I was able to find two boards that were just fine as-is but, we came up with the idea of potentially taping together a mini-oven using foil-coated rigid foam insulation and placing a heat lamp inside. I haven't done the experimentation yet to see what kind of temperature I could achieve in such a rig and if I were to do it, I would most likely do it outdoors - just in case. I don't think ignition would be a possibility but I'm no engineer and wouldn't want to mess around! So: perhaps building a long oven sized to just fit the components you desire and placing a heat lamp or two inside might be in order? My two cents.
Best,
Ed

jdgoodwin: Thanks for the tips! Keep 'em coming folks - this is a great little topic for anyone who has ever been handed this sort of a headache.

I wanted to chime in here, since I worked with Asa to get this post edited and published in a timely manner.
There is absolutely no disagreement here as to the phenomenal nature of the SawStop. It's a great product - that's why we have one in our own shop at FWW. That said, we all felt that certain issues were being glossed over by the CPSC. There is very little understanding as to other potential dangers with tablesaws. Also (I can't speak for Asa on this but these are my two cents) - what bugs me more than anything about the Osorio case is the simple fact that it speaks volumes about modern society. Where did the idea of taking responsibility for one's own actions go? That said, Osorio didn't bring the suit himself, but I do feel as though perhaps the court didn't quite understand the fact that Osorio had taken all the safety devices off of his saw, and was working in a state of complete ignorance - ever do a freehand rip? Sheesh.
Ed

Thanks again.
Indeed, I had read that little tidbit about her name. Incidentally, her middle name is "Carli" - an homage to two of my favorite cousins in Cuba (where my mother is from and where I visit family from time-to-time). Now I've just got to work on making her bilingual! A good skill nowadays, to be sure.
But that still leaves me wanting to head back up to Garrett's in the near future. I learned more in that one day watching Garrett work (about woodworking) than all the reading I've done on the subject over the years. It's wonderful to watch a skilled craftsman/woman go at their craft with such skill!

Best,
-Ed

Thanks NikonD80! My daughter is going to have a great birth story when she's a bit older!

Gentlemen, gentlemen, gentlemen: Don't you know that "reciPIE" is plural for "reciPE?" DDUUUHHHHHH!!!!!
Just kidding:)

-Ed

Moontoad - that is AWESOME! Keep 'em coming in the comments section. When I make round two - I'll add a whole wack of 'em!

Cheers,
Ed

Hey guys,

we've got another full page of more, and will be adding and tweaking this thing. Maybe I WILL make a downloadable version. Why not, right?

Cheers,
-Ed

1stwoodstone_man: That's a fantastic point. Thanks for bringing it up. Kim: No problem - I've been getting more and more interested in the craft since I began constructing humidors. The creative possibilities are endless when it comes to inlay and I would love to see Inlay Arts present some approachable methods that some folks might try out!
Best,
Ed

Thanks, Gina. And welcome back:)

E

Tony: Indeed that would be pointless. That's why the photo enlarges from 200 pixels in width to 430 pixels in width.

-E

Hey jminiard: A fair point. It would have been nice to have had more gold leaf photos. Fact is, we worked with the photos that were taken at the time of the frame's construction-photos graciously provided to us by Roger and Judy. And hey - did you remember to turn off your A/C the times you've tried gilding? LOL
Cheers,
-Ed

andybarss: Actually, it does mean exactly what I intended:
"to overwhelm with amazement; astound; astonish"

LOL
Cheers,

Ed

scootsp8: Exactly. I'd certainly classify this little table's engineering elements as absolutely stupifying.

-E

I gotta say - this is a fantastic debate! More! More! I feel as though I'm geeking out on furniture design!! Cheers all - and quite frankly- cheers on a super-interesting furniture design.
-Ed

Claytonwood: Nothing beats a solid combination square - especially after you've been fooling around with a lesser square that can be so inaccurate, it's infuriating! I love mine!

Kingmanson - I need to let Matt know that Woodcraft has 'em in stock!

I know I can't compete - as a member of the staff - but I needed to add my caption:
"Don't worry, baby, that Festool sander is just temporary...just temporary....daddy still loves you."

Thanks very much, foxrocks!
Ed

I must say, it's refreshing for us to be able to let our "hair down," break the conventional furniture making rules and essentially do whatever we please, without worrying about conventional furniture design trends and pleasing a specific audience. Furniture Lab serves to allow folks to really experiment - and quite frankly, repurposing materials just makes so much sense to me, what with all the bric-a-brac just laying around being unused nowadays.

Ed

This is an awesome design! Simple, yet very, very elegant. Well done - as always:)
E

'twas a veritable playground of neat, weird, oddball "stuff." You name it, it was probably there. That Toledo scale was one of the coolest things that caught my eye. Don't know why on Earth I'd want one in my living room but I do - really, I do. My wife (rightfully so) doesn't understand me:)

Ed

Heck no -but what an ingenious little device! Wish I had one just to horse around with! Cheers, Ed

Valid point there, Dreamcatcher.

I'm really curious to see how this new line pans out. Waiting to see one in the flesh once we get a model in to test out.
Cheers,
Ed

Heck, just using a dull tool on the lathe is enough to scare the pants off me. Catch it on your spinning stock in just the right way and you have a recipe for disaster.

This just didn't need to happen.

-Ed

Hi John_Moran,

As far as I know - the ability for images that are in the gallery sectino at the top of posts to appear in "print-to-PDF" has never been available. In-line images - or images that appear within the body text-- do appear, however, this post only has gallery images.
Best,
Ed

maxfrustation: I'd say Mike P. is one of the hardest working guys in this office!

Ed

Dear songbirdfeeder:
The video actually went up at 8:30am on April 1, 2011 - check the date. Our eletters however, go out on Tuesday's - so you may not have seen it on the site until just now.
Cheers,
Ed

PS: Glad you folks got a good laugh! Wow, was that ever fun to produce. Wish we could do these more often!

Hi John_Moran: sounds like you need to update your Adobe Acrobat. Just checked the PDF files - and all load and print as they should.

Best,
Ed

There's a lot of good food for thought here, folks. Thanks for the comments!

Best,
Ed

Thanks guys - glad you got the JOKE. LOL

Cheers,
Ed

finefinefinewood: Have you seen the FW issues from pre-1995? Talk about facial hair! Woah!

Hey finefinewood: WHAT ABOUT PLAID!!???? LOL

saschafer:
I just noticed you pointed folks to the Flash update. Thanks for pitching in - it's much appreciated.
Best,
Ed

Congratulations Texaswoodturner - you've got the book!
Cheers,
Ed

Hi folks,

Anyone having issues with the game not playing in a particular browser should update their Flash player. It's actually a Flash update that is required.
Cheers,
Ed

brandy20 and Woodsmithy: Thank you very much for your kinds words. It takes a great deal of effort to keep this site up-to-date and functioning as it should, and your remarks are truly appreciated.

Best,
Ed

Hi again folks.

You should be all set now. Enjoy!

Ed

Thanks for the heads-up folks. I'm working on this technical error as we speak. Should have the download working very shortly.

Thanks much and sorry for the hassle.

Best,

Ed

Superb work, as always, John! And please, don't come to work in leather pants - it's a wee bit odd in my humble opinion. LOL

Hey Steve: I hear ya. In fact, that's what's so fantastic about the website. I can do so many things on here that I can't necessarily do in print. Opens up a LOT of other avenues for woodworkers. When I was in college (RIT) I took several classes at the School for American Crafts. They had an awesome horizontal mortising machine that was so fun to use. I've always wanted to build a rig like this but fear the project - the intricacies of all the moving parts would take me forever to execute properly. Perhaps the coolest aspect of this guy's rig is the fact that he can move on two axes with the same handle. Just awesome!
Cheers,
Ed

Wixom:
Let me see what I can do. Perhaps these folks have a couple of photos (G-rated, please) they could share.
Best,
Ed

BStev,

I have read that Gass' original intent was not to build and sell safer tablesaws but rather, to pioneer and license the technology. That has always been my understanding and I can't help but sense that's what may be on the horizon. Who knows . . .
Ed

pkorman1: You're not alone. I could also use a space not just dedicated to woodworking, but perhaps for building R/C planes for my nephew (love that), a separate space for my wife's oil painting hobby. . . . the list goes on and on. It's tough being a fan so many different hobbies.

There's a great lesson here that rang a loud bell in my head when I read this post.

The bottom line is, one can't be a slave to a cut list. I can recall building one of my first projects from a plan and pre-cutting every component and piece of joinery to the exact dimensions of the cut list - then attempting to assemble the piece. Big mistake. Lots of my joinery failed to line up properly. One needs to "mark from reality" and not necessarily from a measured cut list.

I think the cut list is effective at the beginning of a project, when you're trying to figure out how much lumber you need, rough parts sizes, etc - but when it comes time to really craft joinery and assemble parts, a cut list can get you into a whole lot of trouble.

Some excellent points here.

Cheers!

-Ed

pscott - you are correct - Kelly used a hold-down on the miter saw. EXCELLENT tip.

Cheers,

-Ed

snowbelt3: I'm a Lagavoulin man, myself.

Cheers,

-Ed

texbrandt:

Interesting point. I know that Kelly is new to the beard world! LOL

Anyhow, for anyone who might find this of interest - we covered lung protection in this (one of several) article a few years back:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/Workshop/WorkshopPDF.aspx?id=2498

Cheers all,

-Ed

tmercer: I used a satin finish paper and had the print made at a custom digital outfit in New York that I love. The only downside was that - since this is a panoramic print - they had to use 16x20 paper - which makes it a bit more expensive for the print (in this case, $45). But the materials were essentially free as was the actual image so I felt it was worth it, and now have a happy grandmother. LOL.

Best,

Ed

Hi wdcraftr1:

In my frame, I actually experimented by using the end grain side but the demonstration in my post is for face grain - since that's more popular.

Man, you have a sharp eye!

Best,

Ed

Hi Thumphr,

I would suggest building the chest as-is out of cherry and then lining the interior of the blanket trough with some 1/4-in. - 3/8-in cedar. I wouldn't glue the cedar in, as this would cause movement problems but rather, make it a friction fit - much like is done with humidors when lining them with Spanish cedar. Also, after a couple of years, that nice cedar aroma might diminish. This can be remedied by giving the cedar a quick light sanding with some 220-grit sandpaper to release some more of those aromatic oils.
Good luck!
Ed Pirnik
Web Producer

Peter:

Your comments open up an excellent debate. As someone who has played around with both less expensive stamped hinges as well as higher end (like Brusso) solid brass hinges, I've always felt that the cheaper models have way too much slop in them - something Garrett referred to in the article. He - and I usually - opt for the solid brass models since the stamped metal isn't simply wrapped around a pin but rather, after the two leaves are made, they're fit together and then the pin hole is drilled through - leading to a much tighter fit.

Also, you may have missed it (this is a pretty long post) but he does refer to mortising the case - the same way he mortised the door. He goes on to say that in cases where you're just not going to be able to fit a trim router or chisel into the case for mortising, this step should be done while the piece is still in component pieces.

hope that helps - but let the "Great Hinge Debate" begin!!

Cheers to you,

-Ed Pirnik
FWW Web Producer

sgresh:

You make a very valid point. I'm the guy who put together that eletter in which it was referred to as an "app." It was not my intention to mislead, rather, since the site hosts a very basic application, I thought originally it was an appropriate term but in thinking about it after having reaad your comment, it's not a good idea to refer to something like this as an "app" in the age of the iPhone. Point taken.

Cheers,

Ed Pirnik
Web Producer

Good question gjwhite58. I've fired off an email to Doug posing your question.

Hope to hear back soon.

Cheers,

-Ed Pirnik
Web Producer
FineWoodworking.com

JYA: The material is called "Acrylester."

Cheers,

-Ed

Rotceh:

Ahora, dejame ver si puedo contestar en Mallorquin! Ja ja ja ja!

Un fuerte saludo,

Eduardo "Ed"

Rotceh:

Por favor, dejame contestar su comentario aqui.

He trabajado aqui en esta revista casi dos años y le puedo decir que yo mismo, soy de una familia de carpinteros españoles. Mis tios - de Barcelona y tambien de Mallorca, construyeron muebles divinos, pues, no entiendo porque piensa ud. que nadie aqui conece la historia larga de muebleria española.

Yo soy carpintero, mis tios fueron carpinteros, mis abuelos - carpinteros. Toods de España. Todos orgullosos de sus obras. Pues, quien aqui no entiende que hay carpinteros llenos de talento en España?

Y Punto.

Hi Bob,

It might depend upon where you live. At least here in the northeast, Baltic birch ply will run you around $55 a sheet for decent quality material.

Best,

Ed

MakeitWithWood:

You raise a lot of great points.

Here's my questions. There's plenty of mass-market furniture out there built from MDF but quite frankly, all of the stuff I've seen is poorly built, meant to last for perhaps only a 3-5 years. Why can't someonw come out with an economical furniture line built using a combination of MDF and hardwood? No, this wouldn't be "fine furniture." But for cost-conscious folks, I think it would offer them a happy medium. And who knows - maybe there's a great business plan in there somewhere?
Cheers,

Ed

Speaker cabinets! I had never thought about that. I would imagine that MDF absorbs a good deal of sound, thus helping to impart a warm tone to music? I'm no audiologist so I'm just taking a stab in the dark. That said, I am a lover of classical and jazz on vinyl and I have thought about building my own custom set of speakers.
Here's where I see a lot of debate: Lots of folks use the stuff for humidors lids, veneering over the MDF. Yet some folks say that moisture DOES pose a problem with this stuff. Conflicting information. Anybody here have any experience with using it in this manner? I only ask because I've been working on a couple of fine humidor projects recently. One of them will be lined with Spanish Cedar I was able to bring back from Cuba, and the lid lift will be fashioned from some iron I brought back from the El Morro (the old Spanish fort guarding the entrance to the Bay of Havana). I was able to pick up lots of large chunks that had flaked off of an old 17th century canon. Meaning: I want to make sure this humidor is built to last. The one I'm hoping to use those materials on consists of a box made of mahogany, veneered with rosewood and some fancy stringing. The lid is built from a high-quality multi-ply but I have considered using MDF. Any thoughts?

Best,

Ed

An EXCELLENT point, Andrew. In a tight shop - positioning is EVERYTHING!

Thanks for that tip!

Ed

Slap Roy Underhill into a modern shop. heh heh heh

There was also Asa Christiana's post regarding the ethical quandry posed by selling furniture based on FWW articles:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/18501/is-it-ok-to-sell-furniture-based-on-fww-articles

It's an excellent topic to be sure. Reproducing the work of a craftsman like Maloof - who has a style that's instantly recognizable by those operating in the "wood world" is fine for personal use. That said, selling an item like that would pose a major ethical problem. But that's a slippery slope. How does one define whose style is "known enough" so as to make it untouchable? Where do you draw the line?

Best,

Ed

Hi Aaron,

Good question. I'm sure different folks have different methods. I'm going to send Rob an email to make sure he chimes in but I can tell that my method - also the method of our art director whose blades cut shavings fine enough to see through - is to simply apply more pressure on one side of the iron (in a honing jig), then switch pressure to the other side, then even pressure, repeat, etc. This method has always produced excellent results for me. It's largely a matter of trial and error. There have been plenty of times when I've put a bit too much camber on a smoother. Just experiment.

Cheers,
-Ed

A really unique design, David. Nice!!! It's interesting just how many folks are getting into the chicken-raising "business." Over at John's house (I was there working on a video workshop shoot recently) - he's got little chicks all over the place. A new batch are living by his front door - almost ready to head out into the world. LOL

Best,

Ed

Mike: I think we're going to have to do a video tour of this baby!

Cheers,

Ed

RAReeder: I think the bottom line is that the cost for these tools will continue to plummet. Years ago, I worked in the advertising photography industry and can recall when the first pro-level digital SLR camera backs came out from Kodak. The DCS-460's (one of the earliest models) retailed for over $30K. Nowadays you can snag an excellent digital SLR body for under $500. It's gonna happen.

Personally, I think this technology will be a boon for folks who are building small-scale production pieces, dipping their toes into some sort of professional market. The technology has it's place. Would I use such a machine? Absolutely not. Not because I feel it's evil but rather, I simply enjoy making sawdust by hand.

Cheers,

Ed

RGCopple: That "I give up" button might not be a bad idea. Let me run it by the folks over here. And thanks for the suggestion!
Cheers,
Ed

hhmacdonald:

I have a feeling that much sooner-rather than later-some sort of sawstop-like technology will be standard industry practice. Heck, might even be federally mandated for all I know.

Also, lots of folks here are talking about splitters and riving knives - perhaps one of the best--and simplest add-ons to a tablesaw.

Best,

Ed

SRogers93: Your comment got me thinking, perhaps some information on understanding internet metrics and search functions might work. If you're going to market yourself online, you've got to have a basic understanding of how these things work.

Cheers,

-Ed

kingwah: Tell that to my wife. Ha ha ha

I am truly bummed after having read this. I bought a sweet little Rigid trim router not two months ago. While I LOVE the Rigid - boy would it be great to have that plunge capability, darn it!

Hi atoma,

I believe that the holes are drilled in such a way that the circumference of the circle just comes around enough so that the edges hug the jars a bit. You actually have to lift each jar up and out of the hole in order to get them out - at least that's how it looks to me. I don't think there is a tip danger.

Anyhow, thanks Cy for putting the time into making this great post for newbies!

Best,

-Ed

Thanks for the kind words, Stephany.

Hi ColinL: Yes, you are correct - and that's one of the five listed errors.

Best,

Ed

Beachton - Straight to the inferno! No joke. Roosevelt HATED this place! I kid. I kid. Nice catch guys, and some welcome humor.
Cheers,
Ed

Hi Aaron: Yup, this little kit is fantastic. Only trouble is, it's tough to get a hold of hypodermic needles, which are fantastic for injecting glue precisely where you want it. Anyhow, glad you've had the same luck!
Cheers,
-Ed

In my humble opinion - it's not a great tool for woodworkers per-se, however, for the ocassional DIYer or craftsy-types - this looks like a potential winner.

saschafer: Edmund Scientific! I had forgotten about those folks. I used to love pouring through the thick catalog when I was a kid. Thanks for the memory.

Cheers,
Ed

Point taken. LOL

Hi jentara:

Voting for this contest is no different than for any other. Voting is done by the community. on the "Vote for Our Next Contest Winner" blog post, where the poll appears. See this page:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/29258/vote-for-our-next-contest-winner

The poll was originally located in the area where it now reads "Voting is now closed." Once voting ends, the poll disappears.

"Thumbs-ups" have nothing to do with voting, rather, they're simply an internet widget used on most sites these days to indicate popular content.

The voting poll was prominently placed on our homepage for a rotator (the large images you see at the top of the homepage when you go to finewoodworking.com) and was heavily promoted via the FW eLetter which goes to 300K subscribers, facebook, twitter, and the blog rollup.

As I said earlier - voting is done by the community, not Fine Woodworking, not Taunton. The numbers are gathered and tallied by a third party in the interest of fairness.

Hope this answers your questions. If you have any more - don't be shy! I'm usually lurking around here somewhere.

Cheers,

-Ed

Voting is done by the community. on the "Vote for Our Next Contest Winner" blog post, where the poll appears. See this page:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/29258/vote-for-our-next-contest-winner

The poll was originally located in the area where it now reads "Voting is now closed." Once voting ends, the poll disappears.

"Thumbs-ups" have nothing to do with voting, rather, they're simply an internet widget used on most sites these days to indicate popular content.

The voting poll was prominently placed on our homepage for a rotator (the large images you see at the top of the homepage when you go to finewoodworking.com) and was heavily promoted via the FW eLetter which goes to 300K subscribers, facebook, twitter, and the blog rollup.

As I said earlier - voting is done by the community, not Fine Woodworking, not Taunton. The numbers are gathered and tallied by a third party in the interest of fairness.

Hope this answers your questions. If you have any more - don't be shy! I'm usually lurking around here somewhere.

Cheers,

-Ed

Hello colorintuitive,

Voting is done by the community. on the "Vote for Our Next Contest Winner" blog post, where the poll appears. See this page:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/29258/vote-for-our-next-contest-winner

The poll was originally located in the area where it now reads "Voting is now closed." Once voting ends, the poll disappears.

"Thumbs-ups" have nothing to do with voting, rather, they're simply an internet widget used on most sites these days to indicate popular content.

The voting poll was prominently placed on our homepage for a rotator (the large images you see at the top of the homepage when you go to finewoodworking.com) and was heavily promoted via the FW eLetter which goes to 300K subscribers, facebook, twitter, and the blog rollup.

As I said earlier - voting is done by the community, not Fine Woodworking, not Taunton. The numbers are gathered and tallied by a third party in the interest of fairness.

Hope this answers your questions. If you have any more - don't be shy! I'm usually lurking around here somewhere.

Cheers,

-Ed

HI BWoodstock:

Voting is done by the community and is limited on vote per IP address. "Thumbs-up" have no impact on voting.

Best,

-Ed

Hi furniture_artist: Those are the stats as of the posting time of this blog. I never published percentages or stats previous to this blog post so I'm not sure what numbers you are referring to.

Best,

-Ed

I think this is becoming a competition for who has the nastiest story. OK, I'm in:

Years ago when I was working as a timber-frame carpenter in rural Connecticut, I worked with a trim carpenter who wore blue rubber caps on two of his fingers in order to cover some insightly stumps. One afternoon, I just couldn't help it - I asked him "what happened?"

Apparently, he was working on a job one day, jointing some trim stock on his machine, set up in the driveway when a pretty woman walked by. You know the rest of the story. He turned his head and kept on going with the cut - the cutterhead chewed up two fingers. Always keep your eyes on your hands and your blade/bit! Sheesh!

He still swears she was worth it though. Ha ha ha

Best,

-Ed

TMitchell: Yup - that's the one that always makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up as well - yet I've seen people do it many times. We had to get pretty creative to pull it off safely for the photo.

Best,

Ed

greywolf6: I hear you. Most folks I've encountered find the blade guard to be a major hinderance to seeing their cut. Heck, I've seen very few cabinet shops with them in use. That said, it is perhaps one of the best ways to keep those precious fingers intact. Well, that AND a little dose of fear. I still fear the tablesaw and I find that the emotion keeps me much safer in the long run. I treat the tool with the same respect I did when I made my first cut many years ago and as a result - I've never had a single accident. Not even close.

Best,

Ed

bobinboerne: I shall immediately raise the issue of your "revocation" with the model. He will be crushed, for sure! Ha ha

-Ed

TimNott and others correctly pointed out the lack of a guard. That's what we call here, an editorial oversite. The guards are generally removed for visual clarity but you folks raise and excellent point and I think it's worth including a notation beneath the image stating: "Blade guard has been removed for clarity." A good catch that keeps me humble!

As for the wedding ring, I walked around the office to take a poll on that point. Most folks agreed that the ring point is more a matter of personal preference. That said, raising all these many points is in part, the point of the game. I make folks go to the blog post so that they can access the comments after playing, and read all the additional tidbits of information we get from our readers. So keep 'em coming - and thank you!

Cheers all and thanks for playing. By the way - this was staged - as I think it'd be hard to grab a photo of anyone that crazy. The hands do belong to one of our staffers though! Ha ha ha.

And as for that starched white dress shirt - too funny. Since I shot this in the summer - nobody at the office had long sleeves on, and the only shirt I could dig up out of our storage closet was a long sleeve, white FWW button down. Actually, we all made the same jokes about woodworking in a dress shirt, here at the office.

Best,

Ed

MFournier: Unless I'm mistaken, oil booms don't absorb oil, they simply corral a slick and keep it as one "unit," as opposed to breaking apart and going all over the place. It's simply a final "rope" (rope is not the perfect analogy but my brain's not all fired up right now - still early).

There has been a lot of talk about centrifuges here but in my mind, there's simply too much of the stuff for that to be a viable option. This is like an entire lake of oil.

Sigh.

Cheers,

-Ed

billyfishhead: That's a perfect question for the Knots forum. I'm betting you'll get a TON of answers if you post in there. Hope it helps!

http://forums.finewoodworking.com/forum

Cheers,

-Ed

cahudson42: Oddly enough, Kevin Costner beat you tot he punch - ha ha ha. Check this out:

http://localtechwire.com/business/local_tech_wire/news/blogpost/7822012/

Did you see the guy PLUNGE THE TIP of his saw bar directly into the tree!?

I'm just sayin' - and I'm speaking as someone who spent a LOT of farm time cutting a LOT of trees down back in the day - that's perhaps one of the craziest things you can do with a chain saw. Can you say "kick back" zone? LOL

I'm still stunned by this video.

Hi toych: Yes, it does have dust collection - although we didn't use it for the blog since the vacuum would have caused audio problems. There is a port on the right hand side of the stationary table, as you're looking at Matt head-on, standing behind the bench.

Cheers,
Ed

4th Axis: That's an excellent point regarding the slides. In fact, we've gotten a couple of designs over the years that use sealed bearing movements.

Anyhow, I'm glad you folks got a kick out of this. We're looking into shooting more of these little video blogs - where appropriate. If you have any requests on the types of topics you'd like to see in these quick-form videos, please don't hesitate to list them here in the comments.

Cheers,
Ed Pirnik

I know I can't enter this giveaway but I couldn't resist:

"Another example of exquisite craftsmanship could be found towards the end of the tour, where Madame Tussaud's skilled sculptors have delivered a stunning rendition of Fine Woodworking contributor Greg Paolini. The wax likeness is accurate down to the last eyebrow hair and the reproduction workshop smells of linseed oil and sawdust."

Cheers,

Ed

Will_Matney, you make a good point. The SawStop is certainly no "cure-all." I have never, in my many years of using tablesaws, even come close to having an accident- simply because I have a healthy fear of the tool. When I'm making a cut, my eyes are on my fingers, all the way through the cut. While fear can be a paralyzing force, when tempered, understood, and respected, it can really keep you safe.

Cheers,

Ed

LOL. Trust me, you haven't seen a bench with these details;)
Unfortunately, I can't spill the beans - yet.

Cheers,

Ed

Hi Gary,

Right now we're in the editing process. To give you an idea how in depth the whole process is - we've got about 11 or 12 one hour tapes to go through! The workshop will be up in the coming months and I'll probably chime in again via the blogs as the premiere date approaches. Hope that helps!

I can tell you that this project - the sheer scale, etc, was a doozey! In fact, that "colleague that wound up with a prescription for muscle relaxants?" Yeah, that was me. Ha ha ha.

Cheers,

Ed

Hello everyone: I've just fixed the link to the Treadle Lathe PDF. It should be working for you. Glad to hear the material was appreciated!

Hi Tom, we'd be happy to fill you in.

Over 1,000 site users voted in the poll and here are the percentages:

Eye Candy: 21%
Dulcimer: 16%
Home is Where the Hearth Is: 14%

Also, keep in mind that to keep folks from voting multiple times for there own piece and in the interest of fairness, we limit voting by IP address, username, etc, etc.

Ay ay ay,

Indeed Tom, there are a few more pages to the post:)

Cheers and happy gluing!

-Ed

Hi Tom77,

The purpose of a poll is indeed to stimulate member interest, and that's why the polls allow users to leave comments. To simply say "yes" or "no" would be pointless. Hence, we like folks to leave input that many times, is quite valuable.

As always - thanks for commenting - and keep 'em coming!

Cheers,
-Ed

Although I disagree with him, LeeSnyder certainly brings up a very valid point. Is it immoral to use ivory in this manner?

I would say no. The damage to the animal was already done - decades ago, and to simply throw out the ivory and pretend it never existed, would be simply awful. At the very least, the material is being used as opposed to simply wasted.

Do I believe we should be able to hunt animals for their ivory? Absolutely not. That said, I don't see the point in tossing away pre-existing ivory.

Lee's effort however, in choosing to "rain on the parade" is noble - especially amid all the accolades for Radelow's work. From a philosophical standpoint, he is staying absolutely true to his ideals, his moral compass - despite the fact the furniture, and the craftsmanship, are stunning, there is no wavering on his part.

There's a lesson here.

Best,

-Ed

For me, it all comes down to watching others at work - especially working with other folks - with greater technical ability than myself - in the shop, at the same time.

-Ed

Kelly, this is great! Gave me some inspiration for an oversized framing project I've been working on .

Cheers,

-Ed

I think that perhaps the bottom line is: nobody's suggesting CNC machines will take the place of a knowledgable craftsperson. It's more about knowing when to employ this technology and when to say "it's not necessary." Like many things in life.

I think I'd pose the question: "Is FINE WOODWORKING ready for CNC machines?" LOL

Hi gizmoman: I have a copy of Hoadley's book sitting right here at my desk. I'll see what I can find and post more information in the comments section.

Cheers and thanks!

-Ed

ClifP - that's a wild story. It reminds of the house my father grew up in. It was a simple two-story row house in a blue collar city in New Jersey - probably built about 1900-1910. When they bought the place in the early fifties, all the moldings were COVERED in goopy white paint. It took my grandparents and my father about five years to completely strip the house and shellac everything. They did an incredible job - as I never saw the slightest remnant of paint on that wood!

Come on, really?! Are you serious? Is someone actually charging money for this?

Hi folks,

Thanks very much for your comments. You hit on a good point, as just other day I was chatting with someone about possibly slowing the FF just a bit. Thanks for helping to confirm that hunch!

Cheers,

-Ed

PhastEddie,

Were the cans of amber shellac just as old as the clears?

AEW -

Here's the rub with the "ester" theory. Even if the alcohol and acid combined to form and esther, it doesn't explain the buildup of pressure in the can.

When I returned to the hardware store to clue in the shopkeeper, I took him over to a few of the other cans he had in there - all of which had bulging lids. That's a considerable amount of pressure. What is producing all that gas??

Still waiting on a couple of manufacturer explanations. No doubt folks are checking with attorneys, worrying about God knows what. I did of course make it clear that this wasn't their fault. These cans had bene sitting on the shelf for YEARS.

Cheers,

Ed

marzetti,

I tend to disagree. I've used both - premixed and flakes - and to be honest, I've been quite happy with the final product acheived using both products. Of course in the end, this is all subjective.

Cheers,

-Ed

Oh, and I'll be sure to post a quick photo of the now completed picture frames. They're quite nice - a simple, clean design.

AEW's response about forming an ester is one I've heard several times and I suspect there is some truth to it. Not to worry, as I'm in contact with a couple of manufacturers and hope to have an answer for you all quite soon.

Many thanks for all the interesting theories, suggestions and tips. This is exactly what the blog community was meant to provide.

Cheers,
-Ed

I actually posed the question to my father, a microbiologist, and his response was rather similar to that of "davecefai," especially that bit concerning "fermentation" which is what I originally thought might have happened. He had very little in the way of any idea as to what the heck might have caused this.

Anyhow, the frame came out nicely so, in the end, all is well.

Thanks all, for your comments and suggestions.

Cheers,

Ed

Hi Larry,

I haven't returned to the hardware store yet to exchange the can but before I do, I'll have a look at the condition of the inside. I'll let you know what I find.

Luckily, the stained maple came right off with a few passes of the block plane. Phew!

Congratulations RandyW for having won our hand plane. Also, congratulations to crisp3, who won our DVD.

Cheers all!

-Ed

FWW Smackdown!

Hello everyone,

Hmmm, well, it would seem we touched a nerve with this one. When the piece was promoted in the eLetter, the intent was not to be misleading but rather, to come up with an interesting headline to describe the video. We thought it was a great little piece that worked as an inspirational type of video, getting folks fired up to go and build.

I was a bit surprised when I read some of the negative comments here. That said, we take reader feedback pretty seriously around here so, I hope those of you who expressed disappointment understand that your voices were heard.

Many thanks for taking the time to read this post and sorry for the mix-up!

Cheers,

-Ed Pirnik
FWW

"I replace brushes and cords, but by the time a portable tool needs bearings replacement is usually the way to go."

Makes perfect sense to me.

In the past, I've repurposed partially broken tools and home appliances. I've also scavenged old power tools for still-working switches, cords, etc. It's a good idea to keep some of this material on-hand - especially the cords - for easy repairs to other tools.

-Ed

I wouldn't consider it an example of woodworking. While there's a heck of a lot of glue-work and perhaps some sanding and cutting involved, there's no real shaping at work here.

That said, I don't mean to sound disparaging. This work is incredible and a joy to see!

Cheers,

Ed

I can't help but wonder if perhaps this happens more often when striking a newer hammer with an older model. Has the quality of steel changed? The hardening process? Would it be the newer steel causing a chip in the older tool or vice versa? I've heard opinions from both sides of the spectrum. And because of that, I'm building a rig and breaking out the slow-motion camera. With any luck, I'll be able to pull off something interesting. Please keep your fingers crossed!

Cheers,

Ed

Happy Monday folks,

mvflaim, you won yourself a book.

Cheers,
Ed

Hi Koonan: The most positive aspect of Ortiz's book lay in the fact that even if the style of this piece isn't to your taste, it moves you to create. All those photos of luscious bubinga and wenge being milled and shaped really gets the creative juices flowing.

Glad you enjoyed the review.

-Ed

Seeing as how I inhabit the cube next to Matt, I can attest to the fact that he's no Dandy. If I recall correctly, he has a background that includes cage-fighting (I joke).

Well done, Matt.

-Ed

zenon001,

For some jointer/planer-related news, make sure you check out Asa's post on the new spiral cutterheads. It's in my list of updates above.

Cheers,

ed

Is it cool? Yes.

That said, I hope I never encounter one of these things "in the flesh." The creep factor is off-the-meter!

Best,

-Ed

Nice, Ralph!

Hybrid model available, perhaps?

Cheers,

-Ed

Hi Ted,

I just noticed your comment and wanted to keep you folks all up-to-date.

Anissa wasn't able to travel to the show so Editor Asa Christiana will be filling in for her.

Be sure to tell him Ed said hello.

Cheers,

-Ed

Hi shrogers4:

I strongly recommend getting a hold of Hoagy B. Carmichael's book. It is very detailed! I've been reading and re-reading it for nearly 20 years now! A little on the pricey side - since I believe it's long out of print - but really well put together.

Good luck!

-Ed

This post was an absolute pleasure to browse through, Derek.

Many thanks,

-Ed