I use Japanese-style saws exclusively in my classroom and home shop because I have young makers. I love the quick bite and accuracy of a pull stroke, the low cost and high quality, but mostly, enjoy handing my saw to … Continue reading Home #Makerspace: How to Saw (for Young and Beginning #Woodworkers)
3 Saws and a Miter Box. A beginning woodworker needs enough equipment to make only two types of cuts; the cross cut and curve. For cross cuts, I suggest a Japanese-style “pistol grip” carpenter’s saw for older makers, age 7 & … Continue reading Home #Makerspace: A Young #Maker ‘s First Saw Kit
Sometimes, young (and old…) woodworkers can use a little help sawing a board accurately, especially if the board must have a specific angle or length. A miter box helps a woodworker saw a 90 or 45 degree angle into a piece of wood. They are cheap to make, easy to modify and cut accurately.
Miter boxes are channels with slots cut into them. The slots guide the hand saw blade for accuracy and precision. The sides allow the user to clamp down the miter box and work pieces to the table or work bench, which greatly increases safety.
To use a miter saw, place your work piece in the channel, with your cut line against the kerf of the wood. Use a clamp to clamp the work piece and miter box to the table, as shown. Then place the saw in the cutting slot and saw away!
Take the jump to build your own.
Continue reading “Home #Makerspace: Miter Boxes for #Woodworking #Makered”
Two simple benches came out of the workshop this week. Hope you enjoy! I’m thinking of putting some simple benches up for sale…anyone have a price point? Make it safe & keep the rubber side down. Continue reading This Week in the Shop: More Simple Benches
In the past few weeks, I’ve had the chance to photograph my completed big fall project from 2011. I put together the table base over a few weeks in August and built the top over a couple weeks in September. I don’t remember much, other than my wife traveled overseas during that time. I remember my stomach tightening when she said “well, the country is in a state of emergency, so I might need a bodyguard” and the guys at the lumberyard telling me “a great story” about said country which involved his friend being smuggled out of a military dictatorship. I built the … Continue reading This Week in the Shop: Tangled Up (Dining Set) in Blue
My boys are back in town and they are locked and loaded – here’s a few glamor shots of their beautiful simple benches. Remember – if these look good to you, come build your own version with me at TX/RX Labs in May. Continue reading This Week in the Classroom: The Boys Are Back In Town!
It’s been a few weeks since I’ve let y’all into the woodshop at work. We’ve been building the “simple bench”. If you’ve been reading this blog long, you know I love building benches – butterfly benches, green benches, small benches and long benches. My boys have been working off this pattern: And I give them lots of flexibility in said pattern. We started with three 3 foot lengths of 1×12 stock. The students then cut their bench seats to any length as I rip the rest of the stock into 3 1/2″ strips for the aprons and 5 1/2″ strips … Continue reading This Week In the Classroom: The Simple Bench
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