New To Woodworking » Articles

Sharpening

admin — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 23:44:07 +0000

There is nothing quite like a finely-sharpened edge. Many newcomers to the craft assume they are doing something wrong with their technique and quickly get discouraged because they just picked up grandpa’s old plane and started hacking away at some poor piece of wood. If that plane was well-tuned and the blade sharpened properly, that first experience would be much more pleasurable and the learning curve significantly reduced. Here are some great videos covering various sharpening topics:

Fine Woodworking – Video: Sharpening Basics (paper and stone methods)
Lie Nielsen – Video: Sharpening a Rip Saw
Lie Nielsen – Video: Sharpening a Cross-Cut Saw
Lie Nielsen – Video: Sharpening Plane Irons
Lie Nielsen – Video: Flattening Stones

Setting Up Shop

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 16:40:30 +0000

Another big decision you need to make as a new woodworker involves setting up shop and buying tools. There are A LOT of opinions out there on this stuff. You might be wondering, “Should I go all hand tools?” “All power tools?” “A mixture of both?” If you ask me, I say a truly functional workshop is one that incorporates both hand tools AND power tools. The best tool for the job (regardless of power) should be the rule of thumb.

The Tools

Here is a video of my shop in 2007. Not only will you see all the tools I used at the time, but I’ll also give you an idea of what tools I think are necessities for small and large shops (toward the end of the video). Video: The King and His Castle

Over the years, I have begun to incorporate hand tools more and more into my work. These days I consider myself to be a “hybrid” woodworker. I find the more I use hand tools, the more I have control over fine detail. Watch these videos to learn how we can incorporate hand tools into our work flow.

The Wood Whisperer – Video: My Favorite Power Tool Accessory, Hand Tools
Woodworking Online -Video: 10 Essential Hand Tools For Your Shop
Woodworking Online – Video – Three Handplanes Every Shop Should Have
Fine Woodworking – Video: The Essential Handplanes

Clamps

Some very important “tools” in the shop, which can sometimes be overlooked, are clamps. With so many varieties, how do you know which ones to buy and which ones to avoid? Here’s my take on clamps: Video: The Big Squeeze

A few more helpful clamp articles:
Article: A Small Clamp Starter Set
Article: Parallel Jaw Clamps

The Shop Space

Some of my thoughts on shop setup – Article: Evolution of a Workshop
Space-saving solutions for a small work area – Article: Smart Shop in a One-Car Garage
Using models to plan shop layout -Article: A Layout Kit for Small Shops
Wheel-mounted tools and cabinets -Workshop Tour: An Efficient Garage Workshop

Shop Projects/Storage

A Torsion Box Assembly Table – Video: Torsion Box Assembly Table
An Assembly Table Stand – Video: Assembly Table Stand
A simple weekend workbench – Article: Rock-Solid Plywood Bench
A central island for the shop -Article: An Island Workshop
Lumber Storage -Article: All About Lumber Storage
Tool Storage -Article: All about Tool Storage

And finally, here are ten video tips for setting up your shop:

Selecting and Using Wood

admin — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 08:41:27 +0000

Without a doubt, the most important part of woodworking is the medium itself: wood. Just about everything on this page covers the ins and outs of working with wood. But what about buying it? Believe it or not, hardwood dealers can be quite intimidating to a first time buyer. These places aren’t exactly like your local home center where the wood is clearly marked with a price and there is a friendly (sometimes) staff waiting to help you. By the way, home center lumber is expensive and there isn’t much selection, so its best to avoid it whenever possible.

So before you head out to the hardwood dealer, check out these videos:

What to expect on your first trip to a lumber dealer – Video: A Lumbering Feeling
Popular Woodworking – Video: Buying Lumber
Fine Woodworking – Video: From Log to Lumber

An Informed Purchase

Its also very important, when buying lumber, to strategically buy boards that will work perfectly for your project in order to eliminate waste and have the best looking boards in the most visible places. Layout is everything!

The Wood Whisperer – Video: Gadget Station (Laying out rough lumber)
Wood Treks – Video: Layout Rough Boards for Maximum Yield and Beauty
Popular Woodworking – Video: Choosing Project Lumber
Woodworking Online – Video: Selecting Lumber for Great-Looking Projects

Setting Up Your Tools

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 20:40:45 +0000

Keeping your tools running smooth will not only yield better results, it will also make your time in the shop safer. One of my earliest frustrations with woodworking came from poor setup. I struggled for weeks with my jointer thinking the problem lied in my technique. In reality, the tables just weren’t aligned properly. I used to hate using bench planes until I took a few passes with a friend’s finely-tuned smoothing plane. What a difference! Learning and improving technique is a million times easier with properly tuned tools.

Setting up Power Tools:

The Wood Whisperer – Video: Tablesaw Setup/Tuneup (Pt. 1)
The Wood Whisperer – Video: Tablesaw Setup/Tuneup (Pt. 2)
The Wood Whisperer – Video: Bandsaw Setup/Tuneup (and cast iron rust prevention)

Setting up Hand Tools:

Woodworking Online – Video: Tuning a Hand Plane for Performance
PhillySawDust – Video: Adjusting Wooden Planes

Design – Bring Your Ideas to Life

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 17:17:02 +0000

When starting your first project, its a good idea to follow a plan. This way you can focus on your milling and joinery skills. Eventually though, you are going to want to start designing and planning your own projects. Thinking of the idea is the first part of the challenge, and coming up with a reasonable way to bring that idea to life is the second part. Here are some videos on designing your own projects.

Justifying A Design/Designing “On The Fly”
Designing a Special Leg/Template Construction
Design Justification for the Gadget Station (near the end of the video)

Designing for Modern Woodworkers

There’s really nothing like grabbing a pencil and a piece of paper and drawing out your ideas. But wouldn’t it be great if you could have a digital 3D rendering of your projects to analyze and manipulate? Well lucky for us there is a program called Google Sketchup. Its a relatively easy program to learn with a user-friendly interface. Yet its powerful enough to create just about anything you can dream up.

Download Sketchup for Free
Reverse-engineering a table using Sketchup
SketchUp Basics – Trunk Lid Pt. 1
Sketchup Basics – Trunk Lid Pt. 2
Sketchup Basics – Trunk Lid Pt. 3
SketchupForWoodworkers.com- Top notch beginner tutorials!
Design. Click. Build – FineWoodWorking.com
SketchUp Model Gallery in The Wood Whisperer Forum
Popular Woodworking’s Sketchup Gallery

Milling Your Own Lumber

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:58:21 +0000

To Mill or Not to Mill?

That is the question! Buying lumber in the rough and milling it yourself has lots of benefits. First of all, its cheaper. Second, you can keep your boards as thick as you want. And finally, you can be sure that your boards are always flat with nice straight sides and 90 degree corners. But, you need to have the budget and the room for the main tools involved in milling: the jointer and the planer. So if you do decide to go that route, check out this video: The Wood Whisperer – The Jointer’s Jumpin’ – A basic review of the milling process and a few alternative milling methods for special circumstances.

Since a planer and a jointer represent such a huge investment, most folks can only get one at a time. So, should you get a jointer first, or a planer? This Question of the Week deals with that exact topic: Which Comes First, Planer or Jointer?

Using Hand Tools

admin — Sat, 25 Jul 2009 16:38:54 +0000

Hand tools are enjoying quite a renaissance amongst woodworkers these days. And for good reason. They can be inexpensive, they’re quiet, and they require no power. Not to mention the romantic notion that hand tools somehow bring you “closer” to the wood. But hand tools do have a slight (and sometimes great) barrier to entry: they require dexterity and practice. But most folks agree that it is well worth the time investment when you see the level of control hand tools can bring to your work. Here are a few interesting and helpful links on various hand tools and techniques that you might find interesting:

The Wood Whisperer – Video: My Favorite Power Tool Accessory, Hand Tools
The Wood Whisperer – Video: Hand Tool Basics w/ Kaleo Kala
Popular Woodworking – Video: Using a Bench Hook
Popular Woodworking – Video: Making Stopped Grooves
Popular Woodworking – Article: Understanding Bench Planes
Fine Woodworking – Video: The Essential Handplanes
Fine Woodworking – Video – Smoothing Wide Boards with a Handplane
Woodworking Online – Video – Three Handplanes Every Shop Should Have
Wood Treks – Japanese Hand Planes: Characteristics and Basic Use
Wood Treks – Using a Smoothing Plane To Prepare for Finishing
A huge collection of articles on hand tools – Resource: Index of Fossil-Fuel-Friendly Woodworking Knowledge

Joinery

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:42:58 +0000

One of the most fundamental concepts in woodworking is joinery. Without it, our projects would simply fall apart. There are hundreds of ways to join one piece of wood to another. Here are some videos that cover some of the basics:

The Wood Whisperer – Video: When Dovetails Cry
The Wood Whisperer – Video: Tenons Anyone (Pt. 1)
The Wood Whisperer – Video: Tenons Anyone (Pt. 2)
Woodworking Online – Video: Quick and Easy Joinery
Fine Woodworking – Video: Easy Dovetail Layout
Woodworking Online – Video: Hand-Cut Dovetails

Safety

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:41:09 +0000

Is there anything more important in our shops than our personal safety? I don’t think so. Knowing how to use your tools properly, and adhering to all safety procedures is the best way to keep yourself out of harm’s way. Below are a few videos produced specifically for Woodworker Safety Week 2008.
The Wood Whisperer – Safety Week
The Wood Whisperer – What If?
The Wood Whisperer – Tablesaw Experience
The Wood Whisperer – My Mistake
The Wood Whisperer – Miter Saw Safety

Finishing

admin — Fri, 24 Jul 2009 20:40:18 +0000

Once your project is complete, its time to turn your attention to the finish. Don’t let this be an afterthought. Remember that when people see your work, the finish is the first thing they see. So don’t let it be the last thing on your mind. I believe in keeping the finish process as simple as possible. So I created a DVD called “A Simple Varnish Finish”, that is available in our store. It shows you all the tips and tricks you need to know to produce a flawless finish using wiping varnish.

You should also check out these links to videos that cover the topic of finishing:

Video: Live Finishing Q&A
Video: Pop Goes the Maple- Using dye to get more contrast out of figured woods.
Video: Desert Outdoor Finish – A finish that works great in the hot arid desert.
Video: Coloring Blotchy Woods
Video: A Cut Above Pt. 2- Several methods for finishing a butcher block cutting board.
Article: Cutting Board Finishes
Video: Refinishing Pt. 5- Two of my favorite pore-filling techniques.