A reader recently wrote to me asking for advice on what router bit to use for surfacing wood. He has been using standard straight bits that have been effective at levelling the Douglas fir end grain but left some tearout which required a significant amount of extra work to remove. What determines quality of cut?When … Continue reading What Router Bit to Surface a Slab?
Fascinated with the form of the tripot, and interested to see what was involved in making one, I have started my own. I couldn't think of a better way to understand and appreciate it than to make one myself. Loosely following an article in Woodwork by Hugh McKay on his process of making a pentapot … Continue reading My Tripot: Shaping the Exterior
After gluing up the four sides, my next step was to rout in the puzzle pieces. I used three combination squares referenced off of each edge to lay out a grid, which represented the size and location of the puzzle pieces. Pencil can be difficult to see on black walnut, but I found that roughing up … Continue reading Routing the Puzzle Pieces for Puzzle Table
There was certainly a little creativity and cleverness that I put into the design of this box. Because of that, I have enjoyed the process of making them. Yesterday, I had three batches in various stages of completion and began detailing one group. Chamfering the Edges The first step was to chamfer the edges. This … Continue reading Adding Chamfers
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
Router bit sets with 30 assorted bits seem like a great deal and an affordable way to start your collection. I'm sure that I'm not the only one who bought one of these sets. They are good value if you look at the cost per bit. However, the sets often come with moulding profile bits … Continue reading Overflow, Part XI
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 17 – Two Feet for Two Legs
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 14 – Battens and Complicated Tenons, Again
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 8 – Make Your Tools Work for You and Flattening the Top
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 