KS Woodwork Blog

The 2008 Woodworking show was last weekend in Kansas City. It was much improved over last years show. The entire show floor was packed this year compared to 50 percent full last year. There was no parking spots to be found that is how busy it was. There was a minor issue with the online ticket ordering system. I did not receive the tickets, only an invoice. The invoice was accepted without any problems.

There were a few new local wood-turning and woodworking clubs compared to previous years. Most were providing free demonstrations throughout the show. I attended a demo by wood magazine on installing crown moulding. The only problem was some difficulty hearing over the crowd noise.

The vendors were friendly to deal with. The discounts were not as good as I hoped. I saved shipping on some heavy purchases from Craft Supplies USA.  There will be a review of the CSUSA Pen Press and Blank Drilling jig.  Also look for a review of Penn State Industries lathe.

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Happy new year to everyone.

There seems to be a recent trend among hobbyist woodworkers.  They are going back to hand-crafting methods.  There is a benefit of reduced noise and no dust collection required.  The router is replaced with a handsaw and chisel.  Woodworking magazine is going to host a series of events on using hand-tools.  The entire schedule can be viewed on their website:

Woodworking Magazine

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Woodworking Magazine had an article on Marking Knives. I have always used a pencil for laying out woodworking projects. This product is affordable and would be worth trying.

The article can be read at the link below:

Woodworking Magazine, How to use Marking Knives

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2” Marking Knife
Rosewood handle for easy gripping and control, plus quality Sheffield steel blade. 2” Marking Knife

A couple of shop fixture were very well designed. The Wall Cleat System and Clamp Rack would be useful in any size shop. The Mobile Drawer Cabinet inspired an idea I might investigate. There is a hardware liquidation store locally that frequently has damaged goods section with file cabinets. The smaller ones I believe are around $10.00. Some metal work, paint and a set of casters and there can be a complete cabinet for $20.00. It would be difficult to make a similar cabinet out of plywood or MDF for cheaper.

Wall cleat system

Image retrieved 20 October 2007 from http://www.woodmagazine.com.
The proposed cabinet hanging system allows for easy re-configuration in the workshop. I could see the benefit where a finished wall material has been applied. In the case of drywall, the cleats could be painted the same color allowing them to blend in. Cabinets can be moved without leaving a large number of holes behind. My shop is currently studs without any wall covering. This will work well for now.

Clamp Rack

Image retrieved 20 October 2007 from http://www.woodmagazine.com.

The clamp rack design for this idea shop makes efficient use of space. Storage is confined to a small amount of wall space that is a premium in a smaller shop. The design could easily be modified for different kinds of clamps Scrap material that is normally discarded could be used. The rack can be screwed directly to the studs under drywall if the wall cleat system is not used.

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Wood magazine has a section on their website dedicated to showcasing various workshop designs. They have suggestions for designing 5 usable workshops based on a set of criteria. Also included is a gallery of the Wood magazine shop as well as reader workshops.

The workshops are:

14X28′ Shop
The Double-Car Garage Shop
The Basement Shop
3 Car Garage Shop (Single Stall)
Outbuilding Idea Shop

The 3 Car Garage Shop (Single Stall) article is similar to my workshop. I have 1 bay of a two car garage. I was able to take a few ideas from the article. Design the shop fixtures so they can easily be re-arranged. As the shop is used it can be modified for optimum efficiency. When building cabinets use the same design and rough dimensions. This will make them easy and cheap to build. A workbench could be modified to work as a router table.

The magazine suggests many low-cost and readily available materials. Medium-density fiberboard (MDF), medium-density overlay (MDO) plywood, and soft maple. I use 1-by and 2-by material in my shop. In this area 2X4 kiln-dried studs cost around $2.70.

The entire gallery of workshops can be seen at: http://www.woodmagazine.com/wood/category.jsp?catref=wd122

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In the recent article Woodworking Without a Tablesaw, the circularsaw was a common replacement. Toolcrib.com recently had a survey of which circular saw under $100 was the best. The poll on toolking can be viewed at:

http://www.toolcrib.com/blog/2007/10/05/best-circular-saw-under-100/
Many Skill saws are available for under $100 or slightly more.

Skill Circular Saws

Make sure that any circular saw you purchase is not part of the recalled models:

Sears Craftsman Saw Recall

Skill Circular Saw Recall

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I recently joined Family Woodworking’s site. Upon reading articles there is one where many woodworkers do not have a table saw. This piece of equipment is standard in many shops. It can easily handle rips, crosscuts, dados, and tenon cuts. Most of us would be completely lost without the tablesaw.

Many members have the Bandsaw as the central piece of equipment in the workshop. When working with sheet goods a straight piece of lumber and circular saw works well. The festool system is mentioned a few times in this post.
The entire forum can be read under: No tablesaw?

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Phil Huber of ShopNotes presented a unique workbench design.  This workbench easily folds up into the wall stud space saving room in a small shop.   The design would work well for adding mutiple work areas that can be accessed as needed.  I  think a heavy duty workbench would still be needed for large projects.

The entire article can be viewed at: http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2007/09/14/sn/

Retrieved from woodworkingtips.com on 7 October 2007.

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How many times have you been unable to complete a task in the workshop? For me a task could be something new or something I have done many times. There are days when nothing will go right in either situation. I have launched many tools in to space flying across the shop. This same tool will be the one I need a week from now and will be unable to locate. Glen Huey of Popular Woodworking Magazine has written about this same experience. If we post enough requests he may share Stained Glass tips in a future article.

Of Dovetails and Glass-cutting

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