Author Archives: woodshopcowboy

This Week In The Shop: Jewelry Box

One of my MasterClass students finished a jewelry box just in time for Mother’s Day.  He’s been working for close to three months on it. We began with a design consultation, in which we researched various box designs on the web.  I want to give a big thank-you to Andy, an extremely talented and generous woodworkerContinue reading “This Week In The Shop: Jewelry Box”

Bookshelf in Mission Style

This bookshelf recently left the workshop at school.  The bookshelf started life as an illustration in The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mission Furniture, by H. H. Windsor, otherwise known as the good fellows at Popular Mechanics. Which the student modified to suit the schools current needs.  The CAD mock-up looked like this: In the end,Continue reading “Bookshelf in Mission Style”

This Week in the Shop: Art Car

This Week In the Shop, 80% of our students left for an overnight camp.  I stayed back and worked with a small group of seniors building senior gifts.  One of those senior gifts happens to be an Art Car, which you can follow along on the Art Car 2011 page.  This week’s pictures: And then:Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: Art Car”

The Things they Carried (Cool Tools Everyday Carry Contest)

Kevin Kelly, editor of Wired magizine, runs an interesting blog on Cool Tools.  He recently held a contest looking for tools which are carried everyday.  This year, I’ve been refining my tool belt to carry the tools that make my job run. So let’s start, shall we?  From right to left: Canvas Tool Pouch:  It’sContinue reading “The Things they Carried (Cool Tools Everyday Carry Contest)”

Weather Stations, Web 2.0 Tools and John Merrow

This week, my colleague shanghaied one of my chalkboards for a weather station.  While the chalkboard & wind unit may not seem like much, The hand-held reader really catches a teacher’s eye. This type of scientific information begs to be utilized in the classroom.  Daily, nay, hourly temperatures can be recorded and used to findContinue reading “Weather Stations, Web 2.0 Tools and John Merrow”

Teacher Tip: Use Pilot Holes for Hammering!

When installing finishing brads and nails, I usually chuck the nail into the bit and punch a hole through the lumber.  This results in a minimal hole (the length of the nail minus the depth of my drill’s chuck jaws) which prevents most splitting. I recently “discovered” a secret – the deeper the pilot holeContinue reading “Teacher Tip: Use Pilot Holes for Hammering!”

A Quick Reminder – Keep Safe Today

This article from Makezine.com hit my inbox recently.  Woodshop, machine shop, handsaws and chisels can all cause injury and at times, death.  Constant vigilance and evaluation of our skills is the only way to reduce the our chances, and our students chances, of injury.  Take a moment today to evaluate your own practices and routinesContinue reading “A Quick Reminder – Keep Safe Today”

Why I Sometimes Read Business Books (The Teacher As a Manager)

By kindle recently bit the dust and as I reloaded the half-read novels into the new one’s memory, I came acroos a book for business managers. In many business books, I’ve found lots of semi-coherent and applicable advice (and soemtimes incoherant and inexplicable advice) for teachers. For example, in “The Truth About Managing People”, StephenContinue reading “Why I Sometimes Read Business Books (The Teacher As a Manager)”

Teaching New Techniques in the Woodshop

In the Masterclass, I had the oppurtunity to bring out my rasps. What a successful technique for my students to make matched part! I usually have to show a technique two or three times before a student picks it up – but this was pretty intuitive. I’m defnetely reworking the tool list: should I addContinue reading “Teaching New Techniques in the Woodshop”