My Stanley 51/2 was in a bit of a state when I got it and refurbing it took a bit of time and cash. Now it works a treat and looks like new. I’m nearly through the bench build and have spend hours using it – it really is a workhorse piece of kit. I did some final cleaning up of some oak legs the other day and I can’t really see how a smaller plain would do a better job.
And the fact is that you can make your own patio chair with several old but still good pallets. Here we are providing a tutorial that everybody can follow easily – it is very well-written and also self-explanatory, which is great for those who are a beginner at woodworking and have never completed a DIY project before. As you don’t need to be a professional woodworker or a handyman to complete this project, so it is not a difficult task – all you need is a bit of determination!
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I know I’ve been a little MIA but we’ve had a big project in the backyard, an overwhelming workload (which we planned on being MUCH less), and then decided to hire out for some help to haul away a huge amount of dirt. Unfortunately, that ended up with the guy we hired stealing from us…..uggggh. When will we ever learn to not be so trusting?! Steve and I both have a problem with that……but when did being “too trusting” become such an extreme character flaw?!! Sad. Anyway, the whole situation is under investigation and there are some definite twists to the story that the crime-show-watcher in me would love to share with any other crime-show-watching enthusiasts out there. ;) Hopefully soon.
On chisels, once a new comer learns to sharpen, Aldi sells a 4 chisel pack for about $20 US. They are blunt and the backs need to be flattened but once correctly sharpened, they hold their edge very well. These are my go to chisels for most work and they’re as sharp as a scalpel. My good chisels haven’t seen the light of day in over a year as the Aldi chisels work beautifully.
More than a decade ago I spent 2 weeks in Maine aspiring to learn furniture making. On my return home I started enthusiastically planning to turn my basement into a proper shop – with all the “essential” tools I had learned to use. My list reflected my engineer’s preference for buying quality and quickly exceeded $25k in power tools alone (table saw, band saw, joiner, thickness planer, drill press…) even before solving the power, lighting and dust challenges.
A staple of every For Dummies book, Part IV presents the Part of Tens. Chapter 19 includes ten good habits to get into to make your woodworking experience safer. Chapter 20 offers ten woodworking pitfalls that almost everyone encounters at one time or another. (Oh, and ways to avoid or fix them, too.) Chapter 21 gives you some woodworking resources so that you can keep expanding your woodworking knowledge.
I've only been woodworking for a few months and am still very much a novice. I bought this book hoping to learn some creative, but easy methods or time saving tips, but as my title implys, this book contains only the most basic of techniques. However, this book is very good for understanding basic terminology. This was my first "for dummies" book so maybe I was expecting too much. A few episodes of the New Yankee Workshop and/or a few hours of browsing the internet and you can learn the majority of what this book covers.
24″ for the chopping block. all of my lumber comes from last years spring clean up. currently have Cherry, White oak, Ash, Hard & Soft Maple as Well as Sasafrass on hand there is also Birch in the woods but none of them have needed to come down yet. I keep two single bevel axes one light one Heavy(2-1/2 lb) which I use depends on how my Elbow feels. A Froe is also required. I think going from tree to board is harder than from board to furniture but it depends how much wind is in the tree. I don’t think I would of ever been able to build the required skills if I had to pay for the lumber though I guess I paid in labor. Air dried stuff is some much better to work with its worth it.
In researching the Sloyd tool cabinet shown at left I found some old tool catalogs from Chandler & Barber of Boston (a primary supplier of Sloyd paraphernalia), including one from 1900 complete with a list of pricing for all the tools in the cabinet. This got me thinking. According to the Federal Reserve’s website, $1 in 1900 should be worth about $27 today. Yet a straight monetary conversion doesn’t paint a complete picture since some tools that were common back then are a specialty today, and vice versa. So I created a spreadsheet that includes columns for the original hand tool prices, those same prices adjusted for inflation and actual prices for similar tools from today’s retailers. Click here to see that spreadsheet.
The block height’s going to be a personal thing, depending on what you use it for. Mine’s about knee height, which is on the low end, but I did use to do a tremendous amount of prepping straight from the tree. As you’re the same height as me, I’d say 33″ would be a tad on the high side. If you imagine you’ve got a longish piece of wood to work down the length, you want to be holding it almost vertical, rather than angled as it’s less likely to slip. The higher the working surface, the more angled it’s naturally going to become, hence why mine’s so low.
Part I is your introduction to woodworking, wood, and woodworking shops. Chapter 1 gives you an overview of the woodworking process and gets absolute beginners up to speed on this fascinating hobby. Chapter 2 helps you to understand the unique qualities of wood. You discover the various types of wood used in furniture and how to find and buy the right boards for your projects. Because woodworking is an inherently dangerous activity, Chapter 3 shows you how to create a safe working environment and gives you some guidelines for working as safely as possible.
Nearly all of these links are affiliate, which means that I earn a small amount when you purchase one of them. It doesn’t cost you anything, so everyone is happy and I can keep bringing you free content. I only refer things I am happy with personally, and while you’ll notice a few dominant colors here, all opinions are completely my own. I try to give relatively affordable options, and in cases where I recommend spending a bit more it is because I am confident that it will save you more in the long run and be well worth the slight extra cost.
Aside from the privacy it offers, a latticework porch trellis is a perfect way to add major curb appeal to your home for $100 or less. The trellis shown here is made of cedar, but any decay-resistant wood like redwood, cypress or treated pine would also be a good option. Constructed with lap joints for a flat surface and an oval cutout for elegance, it’s a far upgrade from traditional premade garden lattice. As long as you have experience working a router, this project’s complexity lies mostly in the time it takes to cut and assemble. Get the instructions complete with detailed illustrations here.
The very affordable coping saw (often around $20) is regularly used for rough cutting shapes in the board, but especially for removing waste from dovetail joints (one of the most common wood joints). An affordable coping saw will work just fine as long as you have plenty of replacement blades on hand (also very affordable). Read my hand saw buying guide for more detail on brands & features to look for when purchasing a coping saw.
