20 September 2013 Hits: 5445
Arts & Crafts" Straight lines and simple designs.
When I first got brave enough to start building furniture without a pattern I began to realize how many different styles there were. I actually struggled when creating designs; I was sometimes inconsistent with different styles in the same project – not necessarily wrong but unusual. There are many different furniture design styles, and they all have a few distinct characteristics that make them what they are. There is Early American, Colonial, Chippendale, Shaker, Arts & Crafts, and Contemporary; just to name a few of the more popular. For this article, I'm going to focus on the characteristics of my favorite, Arts & Crafts.
13 September 2013 Hits: 5502
"New Toy for the Shop" What do you find when you unwrap a saw on a crate.
The day before the electrician installed the 220 in the shop, Woodcrafter had 15% off of select Jet power tools. Would you believe it -- the one I wanted was on sale with FREE shipping. I ordered it immediately. The following day I put my portable table saw on Craigslist and within an hour the saw I had been using for the last 6 years was gone. It was the end of an era; I was actually a little sad to see it go. It worked very hard for me, and I learned so much using that saw (mostly the hard way). Jet Tools is a subsidiary of the Walter Meier Group, a multi-national corporation that also boasts the Powermatic power tools and Wilton hand tools nameplates.
30 August 2013 Hits: 5310
"Epoxy on the Floor" The floors got a coat of epoxy.
I had been coveting a sealed epoxy floor in my workshop ever since I saw a picture of this dude's workshop on thewoodwhisper.com site a few months earlier. I knew it would be a lot work; I actually talked myself out of it a few times. Then finally after several hours of research, I decided I was going to do it. I actually ended up buying something different than what was recommended most and the jury is still out on its long term durability, but for now it looks great. I got up crazy early and cleared everything out of the workshop – I filled the Jeep space AGAIN.
16 August 2013 Hits: 5426
“New Lights, 220 & Outlets” New shop brighter and more powerful.
Power Upgrade: I just finished a major outdoor furniture build, and I had a few more dollars to contribute to the make-over. The dream of a cabinet table saw was still present in my mind, but there was one problem. I needed 240 volts for the saw I wanted. And there was that little problem of too-few-outlets-and-no-lighting that needed to be overcome as well. I called a buddy from on base where I worked. He came out and gave me an estimate, and a week later he was in my garage attic running lines.