Maple Trestle Table, Session 4 – Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood

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 4 – Clamping Odd Shapes and Sketching on Wood

Maple Trestle Table, Session 3 – From Two Slabs to One Table Top

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

Maple Trestle Table, Session 2 – Playing with Slabs

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 2 – Playing with Slabs

Maple Slab Build, Session 2

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

Freeing up Floorspace

This is the third article in a series about reorganizing my benchroom (my shop is divided into two sides; my machinery resides in the other half).  You can read the first article HERE and the second article HERE. The workbench resided against the left wall of the shop for as long as I could remember.  Last time … Continue reading Freeing up Floorspace

Construction of “Table with a Twist” – Part 1: Legs

When I set out to create this table I knew that I wanted to use plain wood for the base and figured wood for the top.  I knew that straight-grained wood would be easier to carve, and complements the carving well; curvy grain would distract from the linear design.  I expected that using figured wood … Continue reading Construction of “Table with a Twist” – Part 1: Legs

Peter Roberston Is My Hero

We Canadians have long understood the value of the Robertson screw, invented by one Peter L. Robertson in 1907. Unlike Phillips- and slot-head screws, they don't cam out or strip easily. Also, with a well-made bit and well-made screws, the screw will stay securely on the tip of the driver. How well? These two pictures … Continue reading Peter Roberston Is My Hero

Tools I Use Daily

There are some of the non-powered tools which I use nearly every time I work in the shop. These are my necessities, tools that make my work so much easier and most are a joy to use. Some are expensive, some are not. All are worth every penny to me. Here's the list:-COMBINATION SQUARE: I'm … Continue reading Tools I Use Daily