Tools for...

Working Wood

Last Sunday I was all set to cut out the scroll detail on the heritage door project so I went down into my shop, took out my bow saw and because I'm sawing a piece of 3/4" white oak needed to change out the fine tooth blade for my coarse one. The saw, made by Gramercy Tools in New York, came with an assortment of three 12" long blades: 10, 18, and 24tpi. I needed the 10 tpi for this application. So away I go into the 'ol tool cabinet to fetch it. Hmmmm, not in there; maybe the tool chest- nope. My other tool box? Notta. Then it hit me as if recalling a distant dream I suddenly remembered the last time I used my coarse blade, way back before the summer came,(so long ago)I was cutting out a sharp curve in some crazy hard maple and I snapped it! Well it quickly became obvious that I needed to order some new blades and did so on Monday. I figured it really wouldn't matter or set me back any time on the project because I still had lots of fine tuning and sanding to do on the door details. I'd move on to the next step and leave the scroll element for next week when the door is complete.
So that was Monday evening and I ordered the new saw blades, (got the three pack for $11.00...a sweet deal) so here I am going through some of the other door elements when today, Friday the door bell rings and it's a delivery man with the blades!
Man, that was fast. I've gotten so used to waiting weeks or sometimes months for something to arrive when I order it on-line.
Four days, that was all...that's good service. And the best thing? The courier just handed me the package! I also got pretty used to ordering something from the States and when it shows up on my doorstep I need to dish out some more coin for either the delivery, the customs charges, the delivery guys dying mother...what ever...my point to all this: Tools for Working Wood is a fast, reliable mail order company that has never let me down and stands by it's products. Always top notch service which sadly, is seriously lacking in most of my other dealings in this world.
So if you're an on-line shopper like me and would like to get some great service too, then Tools for Working Wood is somewhere you should try.
Cheers!

SKETCH-UP

'gesundheit'

















This past week a fellow East Coaster has been putting together some Sketch-Up models for the book projects. They'll all be available at my new website when the book is launched in November but I thought I'd show you some shots of the first project model here. It's the Cabinetsmakers Toolchest.
These are only 'stills' from the program but when you actually open the files in Sketch-up, you'll be able to zoom into the pieces, rotate them and flip them over, change your perspective on each 'scene' as well as 'orbiting' all around them to get a closer look. A really cool educational tool, they also have all of the dimensions and measurements for you.


















If you don't know Sketch-up it's a free application from Google. Click the link to download! You'll be able to look inside the pieces, see the joinery up close and really get personal with the designs. It should also answer any joinery questions when the time comes for you to build these pieces in your own wood shops.
A great tool, it seems that every time he sends me a new model I can't help to think: "Man, I wish I had this while I was building them!"
I'm really looking forward to November...

Cheers!

(and thanks again Daniel)