Being able to cut a dovetail joint using only hand tools has become recognized as a level of achievement. But there are other reasons to learn how to cut joinery by hand besides proving yourself and, for me, the biggest reason is being able to deal with unique situations. The joint below on the left … Continue reading Why I Value the Ability to Cut Joints By Hand
You might remember this table design I developed in January. Last weekend, while at the Skills Canada National Competition, I showed it to some of the cabinetmakers overseeing the event and they were very impressed with the design. I counted twelve intersections in the centre and one really big headache. I figured that I could … Continue reading Cutting Joinery for V-Table
During Artwalk, I showed my work in Gallery Bistro (2411 Clarke Street) with three other artists: Bronwen Belenkie, Clive Tucker and Mandara Lebovitz. Our exhibition will continue through April 28th. The gallery is open 10am-3pm Tuesday through Sunday. Last week, I spent three days at Lee Valley Tools Ltd. demonstrating joinery techniques. I took the opportunity to hone my skills and … Continue reading Practice and Experimentation with Joinery
Some of my recent designs have involved complex angled joinery, such as the base of this table inspired by a sketch by Vic Hubbard. I was having a hard time visualizing in my head how the joinery would work, so I built a prototype to help me understand. Since it's only a prototype to explore the mechanics … Continue reading The Value of Prototyping
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 12 – Fitting the Mother of all Mortise & Tenon Joints
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 7 – Installing Battens and Flattening the Underside
Friday night, I went down to the shop because I wanted to build something. I started with a small slab of Western maple and designed the piece on the fly. I documented the build live on Twitter and what you see below are the updates from the third session (see what I did in the … Continue reading Maple Slab Build, Session 3
Friday night, I went to down the shop because I wanted to build something. I started with a small slab of Western maple and designed the piece on the fly. I documented the build live on Twitter and what you see below are the updates from the second session (see what I did in the … Continue reading Maple Slab Build, Session 2
Freud's 24-tooth Heavy Duty Rip Blade (LM72M010) is what is installed in my table saw 90% of the time. The blade has 24 teeth 0.126" wide, ground flat on the top and pitched forwards at 20 degrees. These characteristics make it the most versatile and most used saw blade in my shop. As you would expect, … Continue reading Flat-Top Ripping Blade is King
This bench was inspired after the Joinery Bench that Shannon Rogers brought to Woodworking in America. It was intended to simply be a taller workbench and I honestly did not know how useful I would find it (ask me in half a year). This small bench was built taller than normal (39.5") to allow joinery … Continue reading My Tall Workbench with Flair
