The core of a torsion box is a grid made up of many thin strips of wood. For my shelves, those strips are 1/2"x3/4". I machined the strips for the core using my table saw and thickness planer to ensure they were dimensioned uniformly. Then I moved to my tablesaw to cut the half lap … Continue reading Lap Joints
For some reason, I have never experimented with finger joints. But recently, while playing with the dovetail saws at one of the woodworking shows, I found myself addicted to cutting them. Here's one of the better joints I cut: While quite time consuming to cut by hand, they are relatively quick to do by machine … Continue reading Finger Joints
For years, my friend and lumber hook-up Dave has been using a hastily-designed rack for his chainsaw chains. Made of Pacific yew, it is sturdy enough and looks very nice with beautiful colouring and two live edges. However, it doesn't stand up on it's own and doesn't fare much better when propped up against something, … Continue reading Dave’s Chain Rack
I have been experimenting with different types of joinery. On my second prototype of a seating bench, I experimented with triple offset tenons and wedged triple offset tenons. I liked the cleanliness of the triple offset tenons but didn't care for the complicating detail of the wedges. When a finish is applied, more soaks into … Continue reading Exposed Joinery
I have been working on developing a line of furniture for my company. Inspired by some Douglas Fir I found in my wood pile with green iron stains, I built this bench. If you look closely at the inside of the left leg, you can actually see evidence of the square steel spike that was … Continue reading Prototyping – Bench
The mortise and tenon joint is a fundamental in furniture making. It has been around for ages and has stood the test of time. The joint consists of two parts - the mortise, which is the hole, and the tenon, which fits into the hole. What makes this joint so strong is the large gluing … Continue reading Yet Another Way To Make A Mortise
Well, it's been two months since my last posting. And the bench has come a long way, though there's still a long way to go. I ended up having the Douglas fir resawn in half. Many thanks to my friend and fellow woodworker Doug Ward. I've now laminated the bench top and flattened it. I … Continue reading Progress on The Workbench
