Spring Classes Wrap Up

Well it’s the middle of June and that means that the Spring Class Session is over. Thanks to all my students who spent some time with me over the last few months in the wood shop. From beginners to experienced, young and old, Mothers, daughters, sisters and well, a bunch of guys! It’s always a pleasure to share the knowledge of wood working.
I’ll be offering classes again in the Fall so drop me a note if you’re interested in attending. I’m finishing up another book project this week and will be taking some time off for some much needed R & R on the East Coast. Stay tuned…

Teak Legs From Burma

Readers Project
 


I was thrilled to receive a letter from a reader in Burma this past week who made a version of my side table – Skinny legs and all… In case you don’t know, Burma is in South East Asia and lies between Bangladesh and Thailand.The table was made from reclaimed Teak with a local wood called Pinkado for the drawer fronts.

Ashley writes:   “In this country there are only a limited range of timbers available for woodwork and, if you buy from a local supplier, would likely come from some bit of old growth forest and be unsustainably (and possibly illegally) logged.  To get around this I work with a British guy who has set up a small scale furniture production business using salvaged timber and local workers.  His is another story but he has an amazing set-up and produces excellent furniture using mostly hand tools and traditional joinery techniques.  They even re-size all their boards – which come from old buildings being torn down – by hand, using planes they make themselves!  Very old school.  So that’s where I get my reclaimed teak and pinkado.”

I think artisans here in the West may sometimes forget just what a luxury it truly is to be able to walk into a local saw mill or big box store and purchase any number of wood species. This letter reminds me to be thankful for all we have!

Ashley writes: “the table took about 100-120 hours to build over a four month period, which includes a modest amount of stock preparation.  It also includes practice joints on scrap wood as I had not tried several of the techniques and had never built a drawer before.”

The table is finished with Teak oil.
I love what he did with the design by simply eliminating the upper apron thus changing the over-all appearance of the piece. This version has almost a mid-modern feel and I think he did an incredible job.




Ashley writes: “I made a few design changes – most notably dropping the front rail, but stuck to the essence of your design.  And, of course, i did it all with hand tools.  I must say, at the beginning i didn’t think my skills would be up to it, but it worked out OK (my wife likes it which is all the praise i need!). Thanks for the inspiration.”

Ashley, I really should be the one saying-thanks for the inspiration! It’s  amazing to see readers finding ways to make these designs  their own. This is probably the best example I’ve seen to date. Thanks for sharing and I encourage other readers to share any projects they may have tackled over the course of the last three years since Made by Hand was published. I love seeing variations on the designs and hearing from readers from all over this truly amazing planet we share.
Cheers!

A New Review

From Highland Woodworking
 
I just received the new issue of Wood News Online, the monthly newsletter by Highland Woodworking. I always like reading this newsletter as it’s been full of great information. The new video series, The Highland Woodworker has also been great to watch. Only two episodes in but it’s a great show…and free if you can believe that! The first episode was with Roy Underhill and the last one featured Brian Boggs and Ron Brese. Great to see these guys in action and get a glimpse into their work shops.
I was surprised to see a new review for my book- Made by Hand at the top of this new issue and thought I’d share it here.
Cheers!


Made by Hand: A Delightful Journey into the
World of Hand Tool Possibilities
by J. Norman Reid
Delaplane, Virginia
Working wood by hand is becoming increasingly popular. What’s the attraction? Perhaps it’s the elimination of noxious dust, the satisfaction of building something beautiful entirely by hand, achieving closer tolerances than are possible with powered machines, or working quietly and achieving a deeper intimacy with the wood that’s our medium of expression.
Whatever the reason for choosing to work with hand tools, Fidgen’s book is a diverting introduction to working wood by hand. Written in a highly accessible style, more like a conversation with a woodworking friend than a beginner’s manual, Fidgen explains the essentials for setting up a hand tool shop—basic tools, sharpening, constructing key appliances, processes for design and construction—then progresses to six innovative and beautiful projects, each building on skills developed in constructing the previous ones.
He begins with tools: layout tools, cutting tools, hand planes, special-purpose planes and tools, and chisels. He gives an introductory discussion of sharpening, urging the use of honing guides to assure consistency in the shape of the cutting edges.
Next he covers several appliances to guide and ease handwork: bench hooks, miter hooks, shooting boards, winding sticks and workhorses or, as he calls them, shop ‘bents.’ For each of these, Fidgen discusses and illustrates their construction—perhaps these will be your first handmade projects—but provides little information about their use.
He next progresses to processes of construction. Included are making a cut list, selecting wood, planing, sawing, cutting dovetails and making mortises and tenons. Readers will find these sections interesting and useful, though more detailed treatments are available elsewhere.
The second half of the book consists of six projects that build on each other and so are intended to be undertaken in sequence. The first is a cabinetmaker’s tool chest, a small handheld case to carry hand tools to a job site or store them in the woodshop. Following that is a hanging wall cabinet featuring half-blind dovetails, sliding dovetails, a pair of inside drawers and a single-board door. Third is a side table that bears hints of the Shaker style but is clearly modern in design. This project employs six different joints and is intended to stretch your hand tool skills one step further. The next project is a charming small bookcase that features through tenons and front doors with mullions backed by Japanese paper. After that comes a cabinet with six drawers and a door on the left side. The final project is a hunt board or sideboard with sliding panel doors.
The book concludes with a gallery of some of Fidgen’s other work that is intended to inspire other possibilities with handwork.
The large-format, beautifully illustrated book is accompanied by a 45-minute DVD that gives a personal overview of the tools Fidgen employs in his hand tool-only workshop. Introduced by a song, “Working Wood,” written and performed admirably by Fidgen himself, the DVD contains recommendations and tips on selecting, buying and what’s essential for getting started with hand tools.
In sum, I found this book a pleasure to read. For the armchair woodworker, it’s a delightful journey into the world of possibilities. For the beginning hand tool worker, it provides enough information to get you started. The experienced hand tool enthusiast will already know much of what he presents but may find the review enjoyable and the projects inspirational. In short, there’s a little something for everyone here.

Happy Bang-7 Day

"...stop and recognize life is not a race between us and them. It's a journey we all share."
 

New Offerings from Veritas

Tongue-and-Groove Accessories for Plow Plane
 

Veritas Small Plow Plane with 1/2-in. cutter and conversion kit installed.

One of my favorite, and most used tools has to be the Small Plow Plane by Veritas. I reach for it on almost every project I make and just recently, Lee Valley has come up with a few new additions to make this already great tool even better.
Veritas has introduced a series of Tongue and Groove blades along with a complete line of large size cutters. Up until this point the sizes ranged from 1/8-in. up to 1/4-in. Great for drawer bottom grooves and small scale cabinet work but this new line extends the range all the way up to 3/4-in. They’re available in A2 tool steel and only took a few seconds to polish and put to work. A simple conversion kit that easily installs on the existing plane make it possible to use this new, larger line of cutting irons.
This past week I’ve been making some moldings for one of the projects in my new book and if you’ve ever made moldings you know that the bulk of the work happens before you ever touch a molding plane. A series of grooves and rabbets are created to remove the bulk of the material before the hollows and rounds refine the profile. Just this morning I used both the new 1/2-in. cutter and then the 1/4-in. T & G to establish the profile on a piece of walnut. Once complete, it was quick and easy to define the shape with my Hollows and Rounds.
The change over from standard plow plane using the conversion kit was quick and easy with excellent results.

Bottom of Plow Plane showing 1/4-in. T & G cutter.

If you’re someone who would rather create your grooves with a hand tool instead of on a router table or table saw, then the Veritas Small Plow Plane, along with this new line of cutting irons will fill all of your grooving needs.
To make the deal even sweeter, Lee Valley is offering a discounted, introductory price until June 18th so get ‘em while they’re hot~
Cheers!

30 Craft Market

Peterborough, Ontario
 


Hey folks,
I just received an email about the 30 Craft Market in Peterborough, Ontario and thought I’d pass it along for any Ontario readers.
These are the details-

Vendor Call:

 Saturday, Dec 1st, 2012. 12 – 5 pm

All items must be $30 or less, and, handcrafted.

Booths are $30.

 

www.30craftmarket.ca

 

This may be a great opportunity for some of the local crafters in the area to get out and sell some wares.

Cheers!

In the Field

" I'm not writing it down to remember it later, I'm writing it down to remember it now."
 

Field Notes- National Crop Limited Edition

So before I even begin, let me say this post isn’t really wood working related. This is just me venting some thoughts on how cool I think Field Notes are.
Field Notes?
C’mon- you know.
Those little pocket ledgers that people, who still remember how to use writing utensils can sometimes be seen using away from their home office or place of work. The place you jot down ideas or sketch little sketches. Maybe a mental note or two, a doodle or really, what ever. Grocery list? Cut list? Hardware list? Sure, they all work.
So yeah, I think Field Notes are cool and this latest edition is the cat’s a**.
A product both I and my 6 and 7 year old kids can enjoy. My daughter already told me she wants the Neon Summer  Camp pack. That alone is reason enough to mention it.

Throw one in the tool chest.

My latest order is the National Crop, limited edition series. ” … a custom-boxed set of six notebooks paying tribute to America’s top six crops; corn, soybeans, hay, wheat, cotton and sorghum. ”
( yeah I know what you’re saying, what the hell is sorghum?)
Well not only did I get the six ledgers, but they come in this great little box with a badge and a poster and thrown into the parcel was a Field Notes calendar for the wood shop wall. Sweet!
Well, that’s all I really wanted to say- Field Notes. They’re cool.
Back to the bench!
PS.
This last shot is a little pocket, wood working book a friend gave me a few years back.
It’s  books like this that inspired the brand. I keep it close, just like my Field Notes-Cheers!

Inspiration

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