It’s winter here in Northern Virginia and my sons have discovered a strange and wondrous sport of the North:
Hockey!
Learn to build your own hockey sticks – and a technique that can be applied to all sorts of shop and furniture projects.
Tag Archives: hand tools
Home #Makerspace: Two Easy #KidArt Mobiles
This week, we took to the skies with a two simple mobiles.
Mobiles are kinetic sculptures which rely on and play with the scientific concept of equilibrium and center of gravity. The pieces often spin and flutter with the breeze, presenting a constantly shifting face and focus to the observer. Some mobiles are motorized, such as the spinning toys hung over a baby’s crib.
Here are two very quick and easy spinning mobiles to make in your own home.
Home #Makerspace: A Young #Maker ‘s First Saw Kit
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 & up. For very young makers, 4 to 7, I suggest the smaller flush-cut saw. TheseContinue reading “Home #Makerspace: A Young #Maker ‘s First Saw Kit”
Tool Primer: Hand Saws for #Woodworking
Every #makerspace or #woodshop needs a hand saw or two, but which one do you need? Check out the different types of saws available in this week’s Tool Primer!
Every tool has a purpose. The Tool Primer Series explores common #makerspace and #woodworking tools. You can check out the entire series here.
This Week in the Shop: 3 Simple Picture Frame Plans
Picture frames make fantastic skill building projects. You can practice joinery and create precision jigs. Frames reward practice and good finishes. They can be made from cheap materials and scraps – meaning they are easy on the pocketbook. All in all, the perfect project to start with. With one exception. Miter joints – that is,Continue reading “This Week in the Shop: 3 Simple Picture Frame Plans”
This Week in The Classroom: The Simple Coffee Table in Spalted Red Oak
Earlier in the year, the great folks at Canyon Mesquite donated a number of spalted red oak boards to make furniture out of. It took a while, but we finally made some great use of them. Finished with Howard’s Feed-N-Wax. Make it safe & keep the rubber side down this week. Thank you for visitingContinue reading “This Week in The Classroom: The Simple Coffee Table in Spalted Red Oak”
This Week In the Shop: Queen-Sized Bed
It has been a while since I’ve shared a completed project from my bench. I haven’t been particularly inactive, just an inactive blogger. Recently, I completed a queen-sized platform bed for my wife and I. I completed the footboard over last winter break, and this summer I took on the headboard. The headboard and rails areContinue reading “This Week In the Shop: Queen-Sized Bed”
This Week in the Shop: A Simple Pin Marking Gauge
To end the year, my students have been making simple marking gauges. My students learned to create a mortise and use hand planes to fit a tenon in this particular project. Here’s how we did it. 1. Cut a 1″ or 3/4″ square oak strip into 8″ lengths. 2. Cut a 2″ length from a maple stripContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: A Simple Pin Marking Gauge”
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!”
WSC Designs 