Products From The Mind of Chris Wong
Looking for extraordinary? Do it with Flair Woodworks & Design.
When woodworkers think about the scroll saw, they often think of a tool that cuts slowly and is perhaps the power saw with which one is least likely to cut themselves. And, compared to stationary tools like the table saw, bandsaw, and mitre saw, I feel that it is an accurate description Perhaps a hand-held … Continue reading Risk to the User and Workpiece
Four months ago, we moved to Campbell River, BC on Vancouver Island and I set up shop in the 2-car garage. I was surprised to discover that it was harder to fit everything into two-thirds of this two-car garage than it was in the old 1-car garage. This, I realized, was mostly due to the … Continue reading Welcome to the New Shop: Campbell River
Often we see designers with a sketch pad, quickly scribbling shapes and ideas. Though my design process sometimes does start that way, my more calculated and less intuitive designs start with two lists: must-haves and desires. An example of a must-have might be “to allow four people to eat a meal together”, and a desire … Continue reading Designing from Scratch
Last month, we moved to Vancouver Island and I have been busy setting up shop, rebuilding the fence around the back yard and building two new gates with 1000 linear feet of 1x6 red cedar. When ordering supplies, I decided to try the premium-grade Universal Screws by U2 Fasteners. These sell for about $18 for … Continue reading A Practical Test of Premium Fasteners
My favourite screwdriver is a ratcheting one by Rolgear. Years ago, I replaced the stock double-ended bits with an assortment of 3" single-ended bits. Multi-bit screwdrivers like this one are very handy, as they hold 7 screwdriver bits and have a 1/4" hex drive socket which can be useful for sheet metal screws. However, if … Continue reading Reassessing and Looking for Ways to Improve
Sometimes simple things can make a big difference in the quality of your work, and the ease at which that work is performed. One example is sufficient stock support for long material. In the latest issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement, I have an article detailing how I built and adapted a removable outfeed … Continue reading Removable Outfeed Table Article
In my last post, I wrote about the challenges I faced getting some work done by contractors. The problem seemed to be a lack of caring. But how do you get workers who care? The three answers that come to mind are: do it yourself, enforce it or encourage it (with carrot or stick, to … Continue reading Cost Over Lifetime
Recently, we hired a contractor to do some soundproofing in our house. Normally, I would do this type of work myself since I have the tools and abilities required, but because the job required significant rearranging of the house to make room to do the work and I had lots of work to do already, … Continue reading Qualifications
Even in a small shop, I sometimes find that the power cords for my tools aren't long enough to work where I want. I've pondered this for several years and developed some possible solutions before finding a commercially-made product that checks all the boxes. https://youtu.be/onYw_1EdPMI
The latest issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement is focused on routers and has not one, not two, but three of my articles in it. I had fun challenging myself to put together ten Simple Router Improvements, and executing those ideas. Also in the issue is a short article I wrote about Router Collets … Continue reading Three Articles Published in February/March Issue of Canadian Woodworking
