After two decades of flattening and jointing wood by hand or with various edge jointing techniques using a router or table saw, I finally threw down the cash for a jointer. The Wen planer I purchased several years ago, though not the beefiest planer in the world, does its job—but often after hours of flatteningContinue reading “10 Reasons I Love the Powermatic 8″ Jointer (60HH)”
Tag Archives: Custom Furniture
Salon Towel Cabinet Project
Hair salons use lots of towels. Clean towels need to be stored in an easy-to-access place. Towel storage takes up space. I am not sure, but I expect most if not all hair salons have the same issues with towel storage. The place my wife goes for her hair certainly does. When one of theContinue reading “Salon Towel Cabinet Project”
My Favorite Tools: Sharpening with Dia-Sharp Bench Stones
When is a tool sharp enough? Over the years, I have realized that what I thought was sharp at one time simply doesn’t produce the quality of what I want or need today. For power tools, there is a balance in the level of sharpness because of the nature of the cutting edge. Most carbideContinue reading “My Favorite Tools: Sharpening with Dia-Sharp Bench Stones”
My Favorite Tools: Saws (or Seven Reasons the Dozuki Z is my go-to saw)
I have never really liked sawing wood by hand, whether pruning or lumber, although pruning is more forgiving at least. I think its the imprecision of sawing, or perhaps my implementation of sawing. The table saw or miter saw or bandsaw or even the circular saw all have their own special precision. But sometimes noneContinue reading “My Favorite Tools: Saws (or Seven Reasons the Dozuki Z is my go-to saw)”
My Favorite Tools: A Plane that Breaks the Mold
Most of the hand planes in the shop have some common characteristics, whether small or large. They have a flat base with a space that allows a blade to protrude and when pushed or pulled to take thin shavings of wood. Most planes we think of are metal, but wood planes are also popular andContinue reading “My Favorite Tools: A Plane that Breaks the Mold”
My Favorite Tools: Hand Planes (part 1)
About twenty years ago, I inherited some power tools from my grandfather, who had died several years before. After his retirement, he bought and turned houses that needed refurbishing and had a nice shop for that purpose. I received a Delta contractor table saw, a Porter-Cable router and circular saw, a Bosch belt sander, aContinue reading “My Favorite Tools: Hand Planes (part 1)”
My Favorite Tools: Measuring
Not to be too obvious, but if you cannot measure accurately, you cannot be skilled at woodworking. And to measure accurately, you need the correct measuring tools that do what you need. Length, width, height, depth, square, 45°, other angles, outer diameter, inner diameter, circumference, radius, center, level, and other measurements take different tools dependingContinue reading “My Favorite Tools: Measuring”
Office Sideboard Update
It’s done! The “Office Sideboard” project I began in late October is finished. As always, it took longer than I wanted, but mistakes happen, plans change, and all of that results in more time. Sounds like life in general. The result, however, is more beautiful and functional than I originally conceived or imagined. Some changes,Continue reading “Office Sideboard Update”
A Dove Tale
After spending any time reading woodworking magazines, the topic of dovetails inevitably comes up. Terms and phrases usually get repeated almost to the point of being cliche: “the sign of excellent craftsmanship,” “time-honored,” “the strongest joint,” “beautiful,” “difficult to master,” “intimidating” are a few. The reason they are repeated is because all are true—especially theContinue reading “A Dove Tale”
A New Project: Office Sideboard
Over the years, I have built many pieces of furniture for our home and others. The only times I actually used a pre-existing plan was for my daughters’ loft beds and the coffee table in our living area. I discovered quickly that much of the enjoyment of making a piece is the creativity involved inContinue reading “A New Project: Office Sideboard”
R Jackson Painter, PhD 