I stumbled across
this article on Gizmodo about a woodworker named
Clayton Boyer. Of course it features some amazing woodworks of art, some intricate
clocks such as the one pictured below:
Time for me to get to work, this would take me forever to make!
Boyer thinks that "anyone with a little determination can put together any of his clock designs". He also goes on to say that "skill level is not as important as perseverance".
So what are your thoughts on that? Do you agree, is skill level not as important? Post your thoughts to this blog post.
I tend to think that it is a combination of 3 things: the skill level of you as a woodworker, the determination and patience to see a project thru to completion, and the
woodworking tools and woodworking accessories that you use to complete the job. A good craftsman never blames his tools, rather he appreciates how good tools can make his life a lot easier. Whether you are talking about
router bits or
router jigs,
shaper cutters, a
wood carving set,
wood bandsaw blades or even something as simple as
sanding sleeves, quality tools help you get the job right done the first time. Which tools can you just not be without when you are heading into a big project?
From everyone at
Eagle America,
HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all of the mom's out there!
For woodworkers, mom's are a true source of inspiration...so we owe you a lot. Not only do we owe you for taking care of us when we were young, but we owe you for putting up with us. You know what I mean, right?
Not only did you put up with a lot of garbage from us growing up, but you put up with our less than stellar
woodworking projects as we honed our craft. Young woodworkers try really hard to make their mom's smile. They slave over their woodworking projects, using all
woodworking tools and woodworking accessories at their disposal, to make that really ugly first birdhouse. Remember that first jewelry box you got from high school shop class? It was NOT pretty, but you smiled and encouraged us anyways. Remember that first wooden
picture frame and how it was crooked? You still put a picture in there and displayed it on the coffee table in the living room. When it was our birthday or Christmas, you bought us new tools such as
table saw blades, a
woodcarving set,
router bits and
sanding sleeves even though you really had no idea what they would create.
You built us up and we will be thankful for that for the rest of our lives. If you are a mom, thank you! If you are reading this and you are not a mom, call yours today and remind her how much she means to you.
Again, Happy Mother's Day!
My husband Mike is a very accommodating spouse. He is often called upon to make my ideas a reality. Knowing he jumps at any opportunity to use his woodworking tools, a friend showed me some cutting boards in a hen and rooster shape that I was sure Mike could make with little effort.
After I drew the shapes I wanted, Mike took one look and off he went to the lumber yard to purchase local hard maple. He cut the shapes using his band saw with the new bandsaw accessories (cool blocks) he had just installed.
Then he used his scroll saw blades to fine tune the shape. Mike first sanded the rough edges with his spindle sander and sanding sleeves. Then he used the Scuff Balls that I purchased for him as a Valentines gift. He used the course one and it worked beautifully.
As you can see in the picture, it left the edge very smooth.
I love my hen cutting board and I can’t wait for the rooster to be finished.
T
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!
George, one of our Eagle woodworking associates writes:
"Walking canes are not hard to make, in fact, they are very easy, enjoyable and rewarding. It depends on how much detail or carving you want to put into your creation. The sticks I use generally come from the woods in my back yard. I find them in the winter time when the leaves are off the trees. All you need are a few tools: a measuring tape, some wood cutting tools such as hand pruning cutters and a hand limb saw, sanding supplies and a few woodcarving tools. Not to mention, a creative imagination!
The limbs that seem to work the best for me come from Crab Apple, Hickory or Hard Maple trees. The limbs should dry for one season. Rasps, hand files and sanding sleeves can be used for shaping your handle, making sure to sand off any sharp edges! The foot of the cane can be completed with a brass or rubber end cap. To finish your cane, you can leave it natural, stain it or spar varnish can be used to protect your completed piece.
I hope this little story helps inspire woodworkers to try cane making. It really makes for a fun project!"
Happy Cane Makin’
George “The Cane Maker”
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.
Boyer thinks that "anyone with a little determination can put together any of his clock designs". He also goes on to say that "skill level is not as important as perseverance".
Powered by Compendium Blogware