Cutting the dead wood out and crowning the trees not only makes them look better, but makes them healthier as well.
In a few years the tree with fill in and look better than ever.
Some of those limbs were so large that I saved them. I wonder what I can make with them besides firewood.
Time to gather up all of my bandsaw accessories and wood bandsaw blades so I can re-saw the limbs so they can be kiln dried. Who knows, by sometime next year the lumber from these limbs could be sitting in my house as a table, clock or even bowls and trays.
I sure love the oak trees in my yard but neither I or my lawn mower will miss a lot of those acorns!
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?
Here's a news flash - it's spring time! I spent a lot of this past weekend dealing with the inevitable...cleaning out flower beds, getting my garage in order, and thankfully riding bikes with my kids. Two-thirds of that was a lot of work (did I mention that I also mulched my beds on Monday night?) which made me yearn for a lot more fun.
That brings me to you and woodworking. You can put your woodworking skills to work outside this spring by making planter boxes, bird houses, wooden signs, Adirondack chairs and even picnic tables!
You can make these too - put your skills to work!
These are things you and your family can enjoy for months on end, so get out your pencil and paper and sketch up some plans. You can always select one of our outdoor woodworking plans as well. Once you have your plan, put your woodworking tools and woodworking accessories into action and start building! A lot of outdoor projects are much more simple to complete than more complex interior furniture and cabinetry projects. That means it won't take many tools to get some of these basic project done. A Kreg Router Table here, some wood bandsaw blades, table saw blades and woodworking drill bits there...each project will require something different.
Finally, I am a fan of all things Maine and I stumbled across this video from The Maine Wood Treaters, Inc. It is all about assembling one of their picnic table kits.
So, what shape is your picnic table in? Do you need to simply refinish yours this year or do you need to build a new one? If you are building a new one, will you get a kit like this or will you build one of your own designs from scratch? Let us know, comment on this post!
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.
I was like a kid in a candy store when I walked into the wooden framed barn that housed the old woodworking tools and woodworking accessories used to make the 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.
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!
One day not long ago, I stopped into a local store, a thrift shop that benefits Habitat for Humanity. In the mood to bargain shop, I was looking for whatever good deal on woodworking tools and woodworking accessories I could find.
It turned out that I hit pay dirt. Not on tools but I found interior door knobs for my basement doors that had gone unfinished for the past year – I found five for $10 each.
Then, I stumbled upon a large beam covered with paint dirt and a few nails for $30.
Could this be my future mantel? It’s dimensions looked good, 5-1/2” x 11-1/4” x 14’-8”.
I couldn't determine the wood species at the time but it was heavy, over sized and a fantastic price.
I couldn't be happier – items I actually needed for less than $100 – Such-a-deal!
Since then… the doorknobs are in the doors. But, the beam has yet to be hung. Bummer!
Well all that changed last weekend - I started to prep the lumber, first removing the nails with a Nail Finder so I did not ruin my wood bandsaw blades and then prepping it for the dimensional size I needed.
I discovered that the well tattered lumber was actually a beautiful, tight grained piece of clear Douglas Fir.
I found the beam had a fairly pronounced twist so I cut a lot of the fat off with a band saw.
Thanks to St. Patrick's Day we are having a Lucky Shipping Sale!
Now thru Sunday, March 21st you pay just $3.17 Flat Rate Shipping on orders under $99 or you get FREE Shipping on orders over $99! It's the perfect time for you to stock up your shop with new woodworking tools and woodworking accessories such as:
Just click over to EagleAmerica.com to see more details on our homepage. It's as simple as entering STPATTY in the Promo Code box during checkout. Enjoy the savings!
This week I found an article from the Chillicothe Gazette in Chillicothe, Ohio about preschoolers and teens connecting through woodworking. It's a great, quick read about a preschool that is located right next to the high school shop class. In essence, the older kids are sharing their craft with the preschoolers. What a great example for YOU!
Please teach me how to make stuff!
Woodworking is a hobby that needs to be shared with the masses, are you doing your part? Did you know that due to budget shortages all around our country, school woodshops are being closed and programs are being cancelled?! It's a shame that an entire generation of kids will not be exposed to our craft...so it is on all of us to keep it alive!
Imagine how much better you could teach them than Lowe's!
So how can you spread the word? When people ask you about your finished projects, or compliment your handy work, volunteer to tell them how you made them! If a child marvels at the box you made, take them right out into your shop and show them where you made it. Show them the cabinet making tools you used to refurbish the kitchen, show them the Kreg pocket hole jigs you used when building that new end table, let them cut a piece of scrap wood with your wood bandsaw blades, let them whittle with your wood carving set, let them go to town on some scrap boards with your woodworking drill bits.
Just 5 minutes spent with an open eyed child could create a woodworker for life!
My weekly scouring of the internet for woodworking related articles this week led me to the Southern Oregon Mail Tribune web site. They did a great article on J. Chester "Skip" Armstrong that I found fascinating. He has become famous thanks to the art he creates using his chainsaw!
J. Chester "Skip" Armstrong
His wood works of art are not of the normal rough, chainsaw variety. His sculptures are amazing and I bet if you didn't know any better you would never guess that he used a chainsaw to make them. You can see a gallery of his work by clicking here.
I like this one Skip, I wonder why!
People like Skip amaze me. I don't know about you but I have a hard enough time controlling a router or scroll saw let alone a chain saw! I don't care how slow I go, I still have a hard time controlling scroll saw blades and wood bandsaw blades no matter how many scroll saw accessories or band saw accessories I use. Sure, I am a novice woodworker and that explains the majority of it. However, I am nervous to use a chainsaw to simply cut down trees, let alone to do intricate work like this. There is no limit to the amount of sanding supplies I would need to fix all of the mistakes I would be sure to create.
One aspect of woodworking that I have not tried to date is wood carving. I am sure with the right wood carving set or wood carving tools I could make SOMETHING out of a log, but something like this?!?! Forget about it!
Which brings me to my point. Artisans like Skip should not scare us into not trying something new. It is tempting to watch a skilled craftsman and say, "there is no way I could ever do that" and then just give up without trying. Don't be afraid to try something new, you will never know what you can accomplish if you don't try.
I just read a great blog post at The Professional Power Tool Guide about The Ten Most Dangerous Tools. It made me think about all of the woodworkers over the years that I have met who have injured themselves while enjoying their craft. Yes, a fair share of those happened with many precautions in place, but more often than not the people who hurt themselves wound up telling me how stupid they were!
Are you TOO COOL to be safe?
Many of the "walking wounded" have told me that they were simply "too busy" or "too cool" to be properly safe in their shops when they were making the most simple of cuts. Are you too cool to be safe?
From the article referenced above, did you know that:
Over 37,000 people per year go to emergency rooms because of power nailers
39,000 ER visits per year are the result of chain saws
My personal opinion is that if people would only slow down and take their time they would prevent the vast majority of injuries. If they simply take the time to use the large assortment of woodworking accessories that have been designed to prevent injury they would live long, scar-free lives. Use woodworking clamps to secure your work, use dust collection accessories to protect your lungs, use one of the many saw blade accessories to help you prevent kickback and keep your hands away from the blade. Safety is serious business. We at Eagle America care deeply about your safety and always encourage you to think twice and cut once.
OK, ok...I know you are sick of hearing it. I know preaching safety can be boring, and scary, so what better way to lighten this post than to laugh at injuries! Here is a long clip of THE EXACT OPPOSITE of being safe, thank you Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor. Enjoy the laugh...but remember the real message.
For those of you who don't know, Eagle America was actually founded as a woodworking show company. Every year from the Fall thru the Spring we would load up our trucks and head to a different city for a weekend-long woodworking show.
This was the best way to go to market and it predated the internet as well as the vast expansion of "big box" stores like Home Depot and Lowe's. When you needed woodworking tools, these shows were the place to be. In those days it was much harder for you to find unique woodworking accessories locally such as the vast assortment of Router Bits that we offer, a wide assortment of scroll saw blades or unique scroll saw accessories, all shapes and sizes of wood bandsaw blades, etc. The shows were THE place to find it all, all you had to do was come on down when the "traveling circus" would roll into town.
My how times have changed. The shows are still out there but people don't have to go to them to get what they need. Back in the day, if you wanted to find a router table system or router table stand, the only place you could see one would be a show. Now all you have to do is Google it or (shop at EagleAmerica.com) and you can see all the different shapes and sizes from the comfort of your home computer.
My questions for you today are:
Do you still go to woodworking shows?
If so, how often do you go?
How far are you willing to drive to go to them?
I am driving to Columbus, Ohio, this weekend to visit the show and I will take pictures to share with you next week.
On almost a daily basis we have discussions here at Eagle America centered around how certain products or programs will be received by our woodworking customers that frequent different marketing channels. Here are some examples:
Mark likes to shop for Eagle Router Bits at EagleAmerica.com instead of by using his catalog. He prefers the layout online to the catalog because he only wants to see info about Eagle bits because they are all he wants to buy. Online does this, the catalog does not as it shows both Eagle and PriceCutter router bits side by side.
Martha likes to shop for her wood bandsaw blades and scroll saw blades thru the catalog. She doesn't like to pay for things online and really doesn't care for speaking to people on the phone so she flips open her catalog, writes her order out on the order form, and mails it in via the US Postal system
Karen doesn't know what the internet is and doesn't like to shop unless she absolutely has to. She appreciates getting the catalog in the mail a few times a year, especially ahead of the holidays, so she can order her supplies to make gifts for her grandkids.
The point of this is that all woodworkers, like the projects that they create, are unique. Each has a different set of needs that need to be met and wants those needs met in a way that is comfortable to them.
I want to hear from you! How do you like to shop for your woodworking tools and woodworking accessories? Do you like to surf the web and then buy over the phone? Do you like the web so much you don't want to receive a catalog in the mail ever again? Do you like receiving our catalog but wish we presented things in a different manner than we do now? Which is your favorite, ordering by the web, phone, or the mail?
Let me know what you think and I will do a better job of making sure you get exactly what you need, exactly when you need it and exactly how you want to get it.
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“Look up in the sky….it’s a bird, it’s a plane…it’s Super-woodworker!”
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. 
One day not long ago, I stopped into a local store, a thrift shop that benefits Habitat for Humanity. In the mood to bargain shop, I was looking for whatever good deal on 
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