Author Archives: woodshopcowboy

Tool Review: Marples’ Japanese Style Saws

Some new gear found its way into my home-shop.  I’ve recently bought the Marples/Irwin-branded version of this saw by Shark: The manufacturer patterned this saw after Japanese ryoba saws.  Some quick thoughts – it has two saw blades.  The larger teeth (the 8ish ppi) side seems to excel at ripping, while the 17ppi side excelsContinue reading “Tool Review: Marples’ Japanese Style Saws”

This Week in the Shop: Cardboard Prototypes

This week’s word:  Prototypes.  Brought to you by the letter C for cardboard. What a week!  My students spent last week drawing and planning and designing and planning and planning.  We got outside this week! My chair group is off to a fast start.  Both “makers” have created cardboard prototypes for their chairs, while theContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: Cardboard Prototypes”

This Week in the Shop: The Cajon Drum

This week, I prepped for this summer’s woodshop classes.  The students will be building these benches, mending and designing chairs and constructing Cajon drums.  I’ve secured enough lumber for the benches, pulling plywood chair designs from various sources and built this example project.  Look to the above link for construction details. I finished the sidesContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: The Cajon Drum”

Tool Primer: Painting A Room

In February, I learned the necessity of insurance, family, cash-in-your-pocket and good-quality plumbing.  My house flooded – and I’m talking spectacular water-from-the-ceiling, I-hope-this-never-happens-to-a-house-I-own flood. Every room in my house received flood damage.  We moved out for a month and the landlord gave us a new house (ok, his insurance did).  I will say this: weContinue reading “Tool Primer: Painting A Room”

(School) Year in Review: Art Car 2011

As I gear up for summer program, I will be taking a little time to reflect on my past year. My bosses at work have kept me on as a teacher, although I smell the terrifying and exciting smell of change in the air. On May 22nd, my students (and I) participated in the 2011Continue reading “(School) Year in Review: Art Car 2011”

This Week in the Shop: Children’s Picnic Table

This week in the shop, I got the chance to use up a few of the pine boards laying in the woodpile.  My son got a picnic table out of the deal.  The table is 24″ L, 11″ W & about 11″ H. The table: The chair (the rails are too close together): The resultContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: Children’s Picnic Table”

This Week in the Shop: Reading Stand from Salvaged Wainscoting

Here’s my latest workshop creation.  It’s a small reading stand for my wife’s grandmother (or rather, mine too, I guess).  The curly flame maple isn’t actual wood, but some sort of printed-Formica laid over some pretty expensive chipboard.  The Formica/chipboard came off a local office’s wainscoting, and I just had to grab a coupla panels. Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: Reading Stand from Salvaged Wainscoting”

This Week in the Shop: A Granite Trestle Table (for Grillin’)

There’s a saying in electronic/maker/hacker circles. Sometimes, you just need enough junk before you can start doing cool stuff. You need a “critical mass” of stuff.  This trestle table came together because of a “critical mass” of junk.  The pressure treated base was scrap pieces from a variety of sources (work, my own projects, etc)Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: A Granite Trestle Table (for Grillin’)”