I'm very excited to announce that my Apex Cribbage Boards are now available! The final steps of cutting, installing, and finishing the Signature Inlay Tokens in the bottom of each have been completed so the cribbage boards are now ready to ship. They are available for purchase on my Games & Puzzles page, and through … Continue reading Now Available: Apex Cribbage Board
I am excited to announce that my Apex Cribbage Boards will soon be available for sale. It started as a crazy "I wonder if I can..." idea about two years ago, and it feels like I have been working on this project for an eternity. There have been many moments of frustration, questions about whether … Continue reading Available Soon: Apex Cribbage Board
This post is the result of a comment on a recent post asking for a recommendation of a scrub plane. I cannot make recommendations without first explaining the basis of my viewpoint, so here we go! A scrub plane is a short-bodied plane (about 9-10 inches long) with a radiused edge on the blade. Its … Continue reading What Makes a Good Scrub Plane?
Nobody is perfect. I see shortcomings all the time in my work and in the work of others. If in my work, the challenge is to find an effective solution. Regardless, I find it amusing to come up with plausible(?) excuses, some of which poke fun at legitimate techniques which, done properly, yield a high-quality … Continue reading Best Excuses for Woodworking “Mistakes”
The push blocks that I use in the shop are not fancy, but they afford me excellent control and are cheap to make. I make half a dozen at a time and leave them around the shop at different machines. Besides being used as safety accessories, they also get abused as mallets, cauls, anvils, blocks, … Continue reading My Push Blocks
Slow down and take your time. Make something extraordinary. This has been my mantra lately as I have been developing several items for production. Some have been in the active development stage for over a year, which is unusual for me - usually once something is started, it is completed within about a month. I … Continue reading Make Something Extraordinary
I think that we try too hard to succeed. Because of that, our learning is impeded. Here's an example.Let's say that I want to build a simple stool for my workshop - a utilitarian piece and one where I am free to experiment because I am the only user of the piece. I could use … Continue reading Do You Really Want to Learn? Then Set Yourself Up for Failure
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?
I have not one, but two articles published in the latest issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement! Turn to page 28 for the cover story, Learn to Work With Live-Edge Material for my advice on sourcing and building with live-edge wood. Live-edge material has grown increasingly popular in recent years. It has a very unique look, … Continue reading Published in February/March 2019 Issue of Canadian Woodworking & Home Improvement Magazine
Nearly every tool is designed with compromises. In some cases, the compromise is made to increase the ease of production (and therefore lower cost). Other times, the compromise is made to make the tool more appealing to a broader audience. After using a tool for a while, these compromises become very clear. You'll think, "I … Continue reading Good Tools Work for You, Not Against You
Sculptural Woodwork by Chris Wong 