This Week In the Shop: Dining Bench Made from Upcycled Bed Frame

The newest piece to walk out of my home workshop.  A dining bench up-cycled from a bed frame.  If you are interested in seeing plans, drop a line to me, my contact is below. Make it safe & keep the rubber side down this week.  Thank you for visiting my practice zone and project showcase. Continue reading “This Week In the Shop: Dining Bench Made from Upcycled Bed Frame”

This Week in the Shop: A Quiet Place

This project was for my mother.  In order to do it though, I had to build a woodworking shop for my father.  Interesting how that works out. All told, this project cost under $50.  My father’s garage stuff collection netted me tons of scrap wood for the work spaces, paints and some hardware while myContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: A Quiet Place”

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”

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”

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”

Community Watch: Build A Box!

Eight students, six boxes built and finished.  It was a long day in the shop – nearly seven hours with only a few breaks for liquids.  I can  think of a number of great moments: the first box getting nailed together, the last coat of shellac being applied, the look of what-have-I-got-myself-into as the students tackledContinue reading “Community Watch: Build A Box!”

This Week In the Shop: One Block Projects – Book Ends

A little while ago, I ran a book review on One Block of Wood.  I recently made a pair of bookends using Ms. Tolstrup’s plans out of salvaged pine and live oak.  Hope you enjoy the looksee.  Read a good book this week. Especially books on pirates! Make it safe & keep the rubberside down.

This Week in the Classroom: Try Squares

My new “little” project obsession:  try squares.  These guys mark boards square.   That’s it.  All they do.  The try, not tri, comes from the act of “trying” an angle to see if it’s square, not three, or tri. This slideshow punctuated by a few of my favorite song titles, puns and lyrics in noContinue reading “This Week in the Classroom: Try Squares”

Check Out the Shutter Table Project on Recyclart.org

Recyclart.org is a site dedicating to showing off recycled and salvaged projects from readers around the world.  If you’ve followed WodoshopCowboy for a while, you know I make the most of the Houston ReUse Warehouse’s offerings.  Here’s another shot at how my boys and I used louvered shutters and fence posts to create some pretty sweet littleContinue reading “Check Out the Shutter Table Project on Recyclart.org”

This Week in the Shop: Plywood Storage & Lights & New Workbench

Since I moved into my new digs in April, my shop has undergone a number of changes.  I blogged about the move-in and of course I went and changed it immediately. First, a couple bright spots.  Not long after I unloaded everything I realized two very important things about home ownership.  One, you can putContinue reading “This Week in the Shop: Plywood Storage & Lights & New Workbench”