One of the great things about Eagle America is that our Outlet Store offers classes for woodworkers of all skill levels.
I had a chance to participate in a turning class where the group was turning wine bottle stoppers. Now I am not an expert turner by any means but I had turned a few projects in the past. The wine bottle stopper looked like a fun project that I could do in between larger projects so I signed up.
The process is very simple. You can turn the stoppers from one piece of wood or if you want to get fancy, you can glue up different species for contrasting colors.
Grab a few band saw accessories and dust collection 
accessories and cut your piece to size. Find the center of one end of the material and use a premium drilling bit to drill a hole in the end for the threaded mandrel.
Remove the turned piece from the mandrel and thread the bottle stopper into the bottom.
Does your deck look like this?
- Give your deck a thorough checkup
- Look for loose railings, inspect the foundation
- Beware of rotting wood, beat up fasteners and mold/mildew
As any passionate woodworker knows, even when you are on vacation, you can’t resist spending some time inquiring about a great woodworking project when you run across one.
When I was on vacation in Tennessee, I spent the day at the Dollywood amusement park.
Not only are there great rides for the whole family but there are many arts & crafts displays. 
Dollywood has a working grain mill powered by a water wheel, glass blowing furnaces, a blacksmith shop and to my surprise, a woodworking shop dedicated to building authentic wagons and carriages.
All of the wood cutting tools in the shop are authentic to the mid to late 1800’s. The tablesaw, bandsaw, and drill press are powered by an overhead belt and pulley system just as it would have been during that time.
Suddenly, my mind was filled with all kinds of dreams about what it might have been like to change the wood bandsaw blades or table saw blades on that old equipment.
The wagons and carriages are made from yellow poplar, hickory and white ash so you know the woodworkers building the beautiful pieces on display have to be using premium drilling products in the old drill press to get through those hard woods.
The one tool I noticed was missing from the shop was the dust collector and dust collection accessories.
Aside from a broom and a dust pan, dust collection is the result of modern health concerns thanks to improvement in science.
If you are ever in the neighborhood or you are looking for a great place to take the family, Dollywood really has something for everyone.
By the way, for those who are interested in buying and wagon or carriage, the ones at Dollywood are for sale and they can make you almost any style you can think of!
March Madness Savings have come to Eagle America! Starting now you can Save Up To 60% on 16 different woodworking accessories. Click here to see the complete selection or scroll down for a preview.
SAVE $10 - Miter Gauges- Fit any machine track with a standard 3/4" x 3/8" miter slot
- Adjustable stops at 45° and 90° positions
- 18" guide bars and a pivoting work support body with pointer and calibration readings
- Click Here
SAVE $20 - 13-Piece Carbide Tipped Brad Point Set
- A premium drilling accessory that will easily outlast conventional steel bits
- Feature a center ground point and two outer spurs for exact drilling control
- For use with 3/8" or larger chucks
- Click Here
SAVE $20 - Band Saw Tension Crank- One of our most popular band saw accessories
- Makes fine adjustments simple
- Allows you to easily release the tension on your blades at the end of each use, increasing the life of your blade
- Fits 14" models including Delta (and Jet 12") and most imports
- Click Here
SAVE $10 - Router Bit Storage Tray
- Protect your investment in Router Bits!
- Trays will help you keep all of your bits clean, sharp and accessible
- The High-Density foam tray includes a wood case and holds up to 100 bits
- There are (50) 1/4" holes and (50) 1/2" holes
- Click Here
SAVE $5 - Scroll Saw Blade Container- One of our most popular scroll saw accessories
- Protect and organize your scroll saw blades
- Measures 4"W x 5-3/16"D x 6"H
- Comes with 12 unbreakable, removable plastic tubes and identification labels
- Tubes and case are clear for easy identification
- Click Here
...that was just a sample. Click here to see the complete March Madness Sale selection.
he other day, my April 2010 #211 Fine Woodworking magazine showed up in the mail. As usual, there were lots of wonderful projects to admire or at least, be jealous of the amount of time these woodworkers have to work on their projects. I think I speak for most woodworkers with day jobs that wish we all had more time to commit to our projects.On the last few pages of the magazine I ran across an article about turning scrap wood into small platters or bowls. I instantly thought of the ever increasing pile of scraps in my shop. In between all of my other projects this last weekend, I sorted though the scrap wood pile and found a piece of mahogany and a piece of black walnut to get me started.
I laid out a few basic profiles on the scrap pieces that resembled something close to the images of the projects in the magazine. I grabbed a few band saw accessories and headed over to my band saw where I attached all of my dust collection accessories. A few quick cuts with the band saw and I was ready to carve out the center of the little bowl.Before I went to town with my wood carving tools, I used a premium drilling Forstner bit to hollow out the bulk of the material. After carving out the center, I took both pieces over to my spindle sander where I used sanding drums and sanding sleeves to finish the edges.
With a quick hand sanding, I was ready for finishing.
To finish my little bowl and platter, I used a food safe salad bowl oil just in case my wife decides to use them for serving snacks.
Overall, this project took a few hours and quickly turned a few scraps into some Fine Woodworking!
The Kreg K3 Master System
If you have the itch to add something new, click here to see our complete selection of Kreg woodworking tools.
JR, Eagle America's Creative Director writes:
Every good builder knows a few simple rules…
#1 – Wood is good – Vinyl is final
#2 – Think like a drip
#3 – Wine is fine – Liquor is quicker
and
#4 Be smarter than the woodworking tools
Unfortunately I had trouble with being smarter than the woodworking tools last December.
Actually, my story starts in August 2009 when I asked my wife and kids to help me install a signpost at the front of our property for our alpaca farm. In Ohio’s summer weather and in full daylight, the job was a breeze. Maybe too easy.
So, I decided to wait until December’s first snow to ask my 12-year-old son to help me hang the actual sign. I thought I heard my high-school wood shop teacher’s voice telling me this was a bad idea and that in these conditions, woodworking tools are often smarter than the woodworker, but I stubbornly proceeded anyway. My wife wanted the sign hung before the end of the year.
In my haste to drill a half-inch hole using premium drilling products through a 4 x 6 post while holding a support brace, I expertly drilled a chunk out on my left index finger. My son stared as I did the dance of pain and expressed my discomfort.
I waited two weeks, until Christmas Day to go to the hospital. It took an ER doctor, an anesthesiologist, an infectious-disease doctor, a hand surgeon, a bevy of nurses, an overnight stay and weeks of occupational therapy, but I’ve been drilling just fine since what has come to be known as the “expensive sign incident”.
Remember, woodworking tools such as table saw blades, shaper cutters, premium drilling bits and woodworking router bits are sharp and dangers if you are not careful!
In Summary:
August – Involve the family and make an enjoyable memory.
September – I’ve got plenty of time.
October – I promise the wife I would finish the sign within a week.
November – The weather hasn’t changed, I've got time.
December – I need to get this finished before the Christmas party so my neighbors don’t jab at me.
Christmas Day – My hand is swollen and finger movement is strained. I guess a trip to the emergency room is in order.
January – The stitches are out and I’m on my way to occupational therapy.
Today – Got to go, I’m late. I’ve got to get a mantel hung. Anyone see my hand plane?
Great for Valentine's Day, weddings or special occasions.
These great gifts are easy to make. Simply glue up your left over wood scraps of various wood species to create beautiful patterns and colors. Grab your woodworking tools and head to the drill press. Trace the inside of the template and use a forstner bit to clean out the bulk of the material. We recommend a 2" bit which you can find in our full line of premium drilling products.
Place the template back onto your blank and cut out the rest of the material using a router and Eagle router bits. Using a compass, trace the outside of the tray wall thickness and use your bandsaw to cut off the waste. If your bandsaw needs a tune-up, we also have a full line of band saw accessories to help you get your bandsaw in top shape.
With a little sanding, your tray is ready to be finished. We recommend using natural food
safe Wood Preserve Oil to finish your project. A collet extension is required to make extra deep bowls but is also useful whenever your general woodworking requires extra deep cuts.
Use our large Polycarbonate Mounting plate (415-0503) to support your router over the large recessed openings.
Make one today, fill it with candy and warm someones heart tomorrow!
“For years I have had two passions, woodworking and fly fishing. One day, frustrated with store bought fly tying stations, I decided to put my woodworking skills to the test and create my own fly tying station. Those fly fishermen who tie their own flies can appreciate this.
The fly tying station I designed is easy to use, does not take up much space and can hold all the fly tying tools necessary for your creation. After showing it to friends in my friends in the fly fishing club, everyone liked the design and the next thing I know, I was building and selling fly tying stations to the entire club.
I made this fly tying station from walnut. It blends in well with any furniture and is great for home or away. I used some premium drilling accessories and woodworking drill bits to make the holes and some other wood cutting tools from my shop to do the rest. It’s a great feeling when my love for one hobby can help me in another!”
Well done George!
Miki, one of our Eagle woodworking experts writes:
"My mom was refinishing her kitchen cabinets. My sister and I thought it would look great if we added knobs and drawer pulls to her cabinets so we gathered up our cabinet making tools and cabinet bits and set off to mom's house. We purchased the hardware and was ready to install them for her birthday. Mom was excited about the idea and thankfully agreed with our choice of knobs and pulls. So one weekend morning, my sister and I went out to my mom’s while she was at work and installed them.
We used the Euro Handle-It Jig to install them. This is on of the great woodworking accessories out there! It was so easy we were done in about a half hour! All we had to do is decide on a dimension for the knobs on the doors, hold the jig in place and drill using a premium drilling bit. You can flip the jig for left or right opening doors.
Then we set up to do the drawer pulls. That was just as simple. We measured the drawer length, subtracted 3” for the drawer pull length and divided by two. Set the jig, drilled the holes, and installed the pulls. If you are in the market for a well made, easy to adjust jig for installing door and drawer pulls, I suggest the Euro Handle-It. And it’s made in the USA!
Giving these old chairs a new look was simple and fast using some really great woodworking tools we carry at Eagle America. I used sanding supplies such as sanding sleeves and sanding drums to clean up some of the rough edges and the Festool Rotex sander to clean up the flat surfaces. I also used one of the Kreg pocket hole jigs and a few other premium drilling products to fix a few loose joints.
A great woodworking accessory for any woodworker to have is the Earlex sprayer. Within a half hour I sprayed 4 chairs, one table and one ottoman. By using the sprayer, it deeply penetrated the wood grains and gave it a clean uniform look.
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