woodshopcowboy

This Week in the Shop: Ceramic 3-D Printing via Shapeways.com

In the late 1800’s and into the early 1900’s, a number of furniture makers, craftsman and artisans reacted against the massive mechanization and industrialization of (their) modern world to create a type of furniture called Arts & Crafts, Craftsman or Mission style furniture. Gustav Stickley in New York, the Roycroft community and others created furniture,Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: Ceramic 3-D Printing via Shapeways.com”

Community Watch: Build a Bench Is Complete!

Of the three or so classes I’ve taught at TX/RX Labs and the twenty to thirty projects I’ve taught at work, the simple bench project remains my favorite. It is an intermediate level project which can be reached by absolute beginners, it’s cheap to build (approximately $15 w/ finish) and it lends itself to multipleContinue reading “Community Watch: Build a Bench Is Complete!”

Community Watch: Build a Bench this Memorial Day Weekend!

Are you in the Houston area? Ever wanted to get started woodworking? Maybe you just enjoy benches as much as I do? Join me for the Wood Workshop at TX/RX Labs on Sat. & Sun. May 25th & 26th (5/25 & 5/26) from 9am-5pm. The Finished Bench I will be walking you through how to buildContinue reading “Community Watch: Build a Bench this Memorial Day Weekend!”

Community Watch: Intro to Woodworking Tools

Last Saturday I had the chance to introduce ten students to woodworking tools – great bunch! If you are interested in learning how to use power tools and are in the Houston area, why don’t you sign up for a class over at TX/RX Labs? Join me for a second class in June! Make itContinue reading “Community Watch: Intro to Woodworking Tools”

Tool Primer: How To Finish Your Woodworking Project: Sanding

In the next two Tool Primer articles, I will discuss my process for finishing a woodworking project. The finishing process is the difference between a good woodworking project and a heirloom piece of furniture. When I want to really knock a project out of the park, I focus much of my energy on choosing and creating aContinue reading “Tool Primer: How To Finish Your Woodworking Project: Sanding”

Community Watch: Intro To Woodworking Tools

For those readers who are looking to get into woodworking and live in the Houston area, consider joining me for Intro to Woodworking Tools on Saturday, April 13, 9am to 12pm at TX/RX Labs. I will be focusing on safety procedures for a number of common hand power tools, the table saw, router, oscillating sander,Continue reading “Community Watch: Intro To Woodworking Tools”

Community Watch: Art Car Registration is Open

Every year, I celebrate a my student’s success (and my survival) with 250,000 of my closest friends. How do I do that? I take a van filled with students and covered in wood butterflies downtown for a little ride. A little ride in the Houston Art Car Parade. If you are a Houstonian maker, teacher,Continue reading “Community Watch: Art Car Registration is Open”

Tool Primer: How to Select & Use Jigsaws

Some tools do only one thing well. Some tools do a lot of things well if you know how to use them. The jigsaw (or sabersaw), in my opinion, is unique in the pantheon of modern woodworking tools as it does nearly everything with equal parts of ineptness and frustration. So why keep it around?Continue reading “Tool Primer: How to Select & Use Jigsaws”

Community Watch: Sustainable Living Fest of Houston, TX

This weekend I got the opportunity to enjoy a some beautiful weather & check out Houston’s Sustainable Living Fest held at Market Square Park. Houston might be the epicenter of the oil & gas industry, but it has a wonderful green and sustainable environmental underground. There’s a lot of cross-pollination too. For example, the GalvestonContinue reading “Community Watch: Sustainable Living Fest of Houston, TX”

This Week in the Shop: The Tool Stand

If you give a woodworker a table saw, he realizes new vistas awakening in his craft. If you give him a table saw, he’d like a sweet router table. If he makes that router table, he’d need a bench to store his other bench-top tools. If he has a stand for his bench-top tools, he’dContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: The Tool Stand”