This weekend, I am demonstrating Festool power tools at Lee Valley Tools Ltd. in Coquitlam. To generate interest and demonstrate what can be done with the tools, I am turning this seven-foot-long slab of cherry into a coffee table. By the end of Thursday, I had made some good progress. To make the legs, I used … Continue reading Single-Slab Cherry Coffee Table, Part I
Last week, I worked at the Coquitlam showroom of Lee Valley Tools Ltd. demonstrating the Festool power tools. I was given a stack of pine and a set of plans for Megan Fitzpatrick's Shaker-inspired Step Stool which appeared in Popular Woodworking's column, I Can Do That. Over the three days, I had time to build two stools. The design was … Continue reading I Can Do That with Festool and Flair
I learned in Session 9 of the Maple Trestle Table Build that using a router to cut mortises was slow and tiring, and required me to wrestle the heavy slabs into a vertical position. I certainly didn't want to bring the wood to a stationary machine such as a hollow chisel mortiser or slot mortiser - … Continue reading How and Why I’m Buying a Festool Domino XL (DF-700)
On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working. That got me yearning to build a trestle table. I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 10 – Curvy Legs are Always Good
On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working. That got me yearning to build a trestle table. I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 9 – Mortises the Slow Way (or Why I’m Buying a Domino XL)
On the morning of Sunday, April 15th, Morton and I exchanged ideas about trestle tables, spurred on by a recent sketch of a table on which he was working. That got me yearning to build a trestle table. I documented my progress live on Twitter which was useful because each update had a time stamp so followers could … Continue reading Maple Trestle Table, Session 3 – From Two Slabs to One Table Top
Background I have had the 6" Mirka CEROS (Compact Electric Random Orbit Sander) for about a year. Although I have not used it in a production shop environment, I used it extensively for sanding sculptural work and, to a lesser degree, for flat surfaces. I have had absolutely no issues with it. When I purchased the Mirka … Continue reading Review of the Mirka CEROS
Since I don't yet own a Festool router, my Porter-Cable 890 Plunge Router showed the most promise of containing the mess. Dust and chips were drawn into the port built into the base (located behind the depth stop turret) and up through the column. My only shop vacuum/dust extractor was a Festool CT26 and I … Continue reading Adapting a Porter Cable 890-Series Plunge Router to fit a Festool D27 Dust Extraction Hose
To see how I installed the CEROS transformer on my Festool CT26 dust extractor, click here. This article shows how to layout and carve threads in a rubber hose end-piece. However, the same techniques can be used to carve male threads in wood or another material. The Mirka CEROS (Compact Electric Random Orbit Sander) has a … Continue reading Hand-Carving Threads (to Connect a Mirka CEROS to a Festool 27mm Hose)
To see how I connected the Festool D27 hose to the CEROS, click here. The Mirka CEROS (compact electric random orbital sander) is different from most electric sanders because it is powered by a brushless DC motor and requires a transformer. The sander, transformer and cord come packed in a Systainer 2 (2 refers to the size). Systainers … Continue reading Combining a Mirka CEROS with a Festool CT26
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 