If it looks right, it's probably right. In my work, I've always tried to avoid numbers. Mostly, I used numbers to communicate with the rest of the world. For example, it was more helpful to tell you that Relationship Study was about 45 inches wide than to gesture with my hands. Recently, I made a … Continue reading Exactly as Precise as Required
After Woodworking in America in Pasadena, Paul-Marcel and I stayed in California for a few days to explore the local attractions, including The J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Eagle Tools, and Paul Schurch's woodworking shop. Paul-Marcel's latest post includes video footage (duration - 15:11) from inside the Los Angeles County Museum of … Continue reading Woodworkers in an Art Museum
What is Overflow? Almost a year ago, I started my Overflow program to give away woodworking stuff I no longer used to followers of my blog. It was going strong for a while and I gave away a lot of good stuff including a: Ridgid Air Filter; Veritas Scraper Holder; Makita 1/3 Sheet Sander; Lee Valley … Continue reading Overflow is Back!
In Part I and Part II, I built this prototype table which was to be mounted on a wall. The next step in the design and construction of the table was to install hardware that would allow it to be mounted to a wall. The simplest way to attach the table would have been a pair of big … Continue reading Black Locust Wall Table, Part III: Testing Blind Mounting Hardware
In Part I - Visualizing in Wood, I selected and prepared the table components. Part II - Putting it Together covers everything else - joinery, sculpting, and assembly. To facilitate laying out and cutting the long tusk tenon, I first flattened one face of the upright. I used three round, wooden bench dogs to immobilize … Continue reading Black Locust Wall Table, Part II: Putting it Together
Last year, Festool USA sponsored a contest to find the best Festool-themed Jack-O-Lantern. I started with this: And transformed it into this: To carve this Fest-oo-Lantern, I used drew my design on the pumpkin with a washable marker, then used a carving knife to outline the areas to be removed. I used a shallow and … Continue reading Woodworking-Themed Jack-O-Lanterns
This table was inspired by a coffee table design of Brian VanVreede with a daring cantilevered top. I worked out my design in my head over the next five months until I built the first wall-mounted version. How I Chose My Materials The entire table was made of black locust because it was hard and strong enough, and … Continue reading Black Locust Wall Table, Part I: Visualizing in Wood
After Woodworking in America, I hitched a ride to Phoenix with Paul-Marcel. In his shop, I built a puzzle box with a mechanical lock. In this video, I demonstrate the operation of the box while talking about wooden jigsaw puzzles and the design and construction of the box. (Duration - 10:04) Read about another of … Continue reading Mechanical Puzzle Box
While in Phoenix, Arizona, I visited Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, Taliesin West. Tours of the property are offered daily and the grounds also serve as a school for the Frank Lloyd Wright School of Architecture. At the school, the philosophy is simply: Learn by doing. Find this quote, along with many other interesting quotes … Continue reading New Quote Added to “Quotables”
I'm a pretty creative thinker and am not afraid to try unconventional techniques, even at the Hand Tool Olympics (at Woodworking in America in the Pasadena Convention Center) with a crowd of people, including Chuck Bender, hovering around the bench. Bud Decker filmed my performance which he described as being "by far the most fun … Continue reading Unconventional Techniques at the Convention Centre
