A forum for discussing woodworking, specifically furniture making. Feel free to post comments and questions about your current projects, tools, studio set-up, or whatever is on your mind.
This blog is moderated by Jamie Yocono, owner of Wood It Is! Custom Cabinetry in Las Vegas, NV. Her website is wooditis.com. If you need to speak to an actual human... call 702-672-8981!
Now...let's talk wood!
This chair cracks me up every time I look at it. I'm just guestimating, but the height of that seat looks like it's about five feet off the ground.
If the average height of a chair seat is around 18", look at the front stretcher, behind her legs. If that dimension is 18", then the space underneath it looks twice that size.... hence, about 54". It looks taller than that to me, so I'm guessing 60".
The biggest question I have - how the hell did she climb there? There must be a ladder somewhere, possibly built into the side?
WAY cool. Wouldn't you love one of those in your yard?
Is there anything worse than constantly fumbling for your glasses while working in the woodshop? Let's face it - being able to see what you're doing is not only important for safety reasons, but also for quality assurance.
Once, before I had my eye surgery, I sanded an entire dining table top without my glasses on. It was a warm summer evening, and too hot for me to be bothered wearing them - they were constantly sliding down my nose with all the sweat.
Well, imagine my horror when I finally put them on and looked at the table top. I had to start the sanding process all over again, since I'd missed so many blemishes on the wood.
This box came in the mail today.
I was really excited, because my eyes have been slowly failing me, and once again, it's time to admit that I might need some vision correction. Oh, I'm lucky enough that most days, I can see just fine. But in the woodshop, I want to see everything.
They're very similar to the safety glasses I'm currently using, but the bifocal area lets me see close up, which is sweet. The even come in a micro-fiber bag that serves both as a storage bag and as a cleaning cloth. Well done, folks.
The only slight thing I would change is that the ear pieces on these glasses are a gray color, and I prefer my glasses to be completely clear. Still, that's a small price to pay for the benefits I get from these.
Great glasses for a great price (about $20) - how can you put a price tag on your eyes? I highly recommend these. One thing though - you'll never be able to blame any poor sanding on your projects on the fact that you can't see.
Springtime in Las Vegas - one of the best times of the year. People who live here say this is is the reason we're here - it's simply gorgeous. I've been spending a good deal of time working on ceramic pieces - finishing up a small tile commission, and working on a set of platters, like the one shown below. I call it my Ultimate potsticker platter, as it has a small bowl incorporated into the platter, perfect for holding the dipping sauce. Someone visited my Etsy shop and asked if I would make a couple of these of these for them, only with two bowls, so that they could use these for sushi serving platters. The two bowls could hold ginger and wasabi.... smart! I've created a plaster mold that I use when making these platters - and everything was going well until one of the feet fell off! These feet are made using an extruder, and are attached later, when the clay has set up a bit. Attaching two pieces together is usually pretty straightforward, you score the clay (scratch it up a bit) and then use a little slip (liquid clay) as a "glue" for attaching the two pieces together. This usually works very well. But I wasn't watching what I was doing and knocked the foot off. I could have thrown the whole piece in the scrap bucket and started over, but this platter had some very interesting texture on it, so I didn't want that to go to waste. Then I remembered a recipe for repairing clay, and thought I'd give it a shot. I've used it before with very good results. Basically, you make a "glue" of one-third vinegar, one-third Karo syrup
and one-third clay slip. Those two pictures of our dogs were painted by my friend, Stacey Campbell, who does amazing portrait work. The top one is of my Weimeraner, Ipo. And the other is of Lily, our miniature Schnauzer. Both passed away recently, and we keep Stacey's paintings in the kitchen, as a way of keeping them near us. (We sort of drew the line at keeping their ashes in the kitchen.) I just love walking into the kitchen in the morning and seeing Ipo and Lily in there, while I'm making a pot of coffee. To make the ceramic repair, mix the three ingredients together dampen both pieces of clay that will be attached, and then spread a little of the mixture, like a glue. This stuff hardens like cement, rather quickly, so make sure you position it correctly the first time. I wiped away the squeeze-out, and cleaned the bottom of the platter. You can barely tell it's been repaired. As long as both pieces of clay were moist enough, the piece will stay in place without any problem. If it pops off, one of the pieces probably wasn't wet enough. l let the piece completely dry before putting any weight back on the foot.
A simple and effective repair! I wish repairing wood was this simple! OK, back to the studio... I have 200 pounds of clay calling my name today... oh, one more thing - if you're interested in having a portrait painted by Stacey, you can contact her here.
There's nothing like warmer weather to make you feel closer to nature. Putting in a garden, cleaning up the yard, working on the sprinkler system, taking the lawn furniture out of storage - it all points to summer coming. Our summers here feel like they last forever, especially around August, when the temps can hit 115˚ and there is no break in sight.
Working on handmade tile makes me feel closer to nature, too. There is an amazing amount of inspiration free for the taking, right in your own neighborhood.
A few weeks ago, we had friends in town, celebrating one's birthday. They had some amazing things planned, including a scuba dive at Mandalay Bay's Shark Reef exhibit. Although I had to teach a class that morning, I managed to get out of the shop in time to join everyone, see the exhibit, and watch our friend swimming with the fish.
Yes, that's a real image of her in the shark tank, she's on the right. Very inspiring, which led me to these new creations in tile...
Well, that last tile was actually inspired by watching The Godfather the other day, and hearing that "swimming with the fishes" dialogue.
A friend of mine suggested some new ideas for tile, and I've been researching some new shapes and styles, before I commit them to clay. Meanwhile, leaves seem to be running through my brain.
If you've got a great glaze, even the simplest shape of a leaf can be amazing. Check out the crystal formations on the glaze below!
Like I said, inspiration is everywhere. Hope your Spring is coming along nicely.
There are three types of people in the world - people who honestly love winter (like Jen) or those who tolerate it, like Julie. Then there are those who despise it, like me. If you've noticed that I've been a little absent on the blog lately, it's because it's been in the high 60's here. I'm getting my Spring on.
Here are the blooms on our nectarine tree in the back yard.
So woodworking is taking a backseat for a week or two. Well, my sore back is another reason I've stayed out of the woodshop, but that's OK, the garden is calling my name...
My favorite local gardener sent out word that tomatoes have to be in the ground by April 1 in order to set the fruit. He's never steered me wrong, so I went to the nursery and bought some plants to get the ball rolling.
Remember last year, when I had eggplants coming out my ears?
Well, this year, the bumper crop might be spaghetti squash.
I planted those in three different spots, and I have no idea what they'll do; I've never planted them before. Our neighbors and friends might be sick of them by the time August rolls around.
What Italian gardener doesn't have this? Or this?
Later in the summer, when avocados are calling my name, I'll mix up some guacamole, using fresh cilantro. But I've never had luck growing it in the ground, so this year, I decided to try it in a pot. When it gets too hot, I can bring it inside.
Last year, I tried growing artichokes for the first time. I had no idea what I was doing, but by the end of the summer, the three plants were absolutely huge. I cut them back, almost flush to the ground, but never got around to covering them with mulch, as my local expert recommended. Good thing we had a mild winter - they were no worse for their nekkidness. They sprouted up like weeds; here's the largest one, it's about three feet in diameter already!
To all my fellow gardeners out there - get your bottle of Advil ready... and stay tuned for round two in the garden...
When I was a child, I used to build elaborate tents in the family living room. I would create my own little "fort" by draping blankets over the various tables in the room. It was even better when my sister or cousins joined in - the more, the merrier!
That's why I love this table - I just wish I knew more about it.
Sorry that there hasn't been much activity here, but I've had an incredibly busy schedule at the woodworking school lately. Luckily, things are back to normal once again. Well, as normal as things ever are around a woodshop...
Which brings me to the latest thing running around my head - music in the woodshop. Here's a confession - I really love rap music. And I think it gets a bad... well, rap, for being nonsensical and angry. Sure, much of it is. But there is a ton of interesting rap out there that deserves your attention.
Last week, I had music playing in the woodshop and students arriving for their last Basic Woodworking session. One student walked in a started complaining about the music playing in the shop. "I hate rap!" What a shame. She's missing some great music.
This is a current favorite. If you're offended by salty language, here's a censored version. Try to look past the lyrics and listen to what he's saying. You have an open mind, don't you?
Getting this radial arm saw cleaned, adjusted and back in good working order wasn't an overnight project. It took the better part of a couple of days, but it was well worth it. Once the new table was installed and leveled, most of the work left involves truing up the blade in relationship to the table and fence.
You've heard me gush about the Wixey cube and the digital protractor, and once again, these two devices make set-up very simple. Set the Wixey on the table, and zero it out.
Then flip it onto the blade, and check your angle.
If I was using a regular framing square, I wouldn't have gotten nearly the accuracy that I'm getting with this. I'm telling you, it's the best $25 you'll spend for your woodshop ever.
Then I used the protractor to adjust the blade square to the fence.
Last, I checked to see if the blade was had any heel in it. That's when the yoke of the saw is slightly twisted on it's carriage. Yes, you can still get a square cut from a heeled blade, but it will give you a wider kerf, as the blade is cutting through your wood at a slight angle. Mine needed a slight adjustment, which was simple.
All that is left is to add a thin, sacrificial table on top of this new one. If I'm lucky, I'll never have to replace this table again. I fully intend on keeping it free of any kerfs.
Just a little too porn for you...
There is some excellent information available, should you decide to tear your saw apart and fine tune it. If you Google "Radial Arm Saw Tool Tune-up" you should come across some helpful documents.
After all the cleaning and adjustments to the column, this next steps are fairly simple.
With the top of the saw is stripped clean, I adjusted the bolts under the table, to level them up. There are three sets of these bolts - front,
middle and rear of the table.
All three sets have to be dead on, in order to have a perfectly flat top. It's very simple to level them up. A straightedge spanning across the top makes this very easy, and the bolts, once adjusted, lock the top in place.
After I cut the new Baltic Birch top, I put it on the top, and marked the mounting holes from underneath.
Once drilled, everything goes together smoothly. I double checked the top for flatness, after it was screwed down into place.
There are three stiffeners that mount under the table, to ensure the top stays flat. These were a little more trouble to install, requiring a good deal of drilling and alignment. Putting on the new top took half a day, but considering that the old top had a huge dip in the center, this new top was worth every bit of the effort.
One thing that I read in the book suggested that an additional, sacrificial top be placed on top of this permanent top. That way, the blade could be raised and only would only through the top table. If you never cut into the bottom one, you never have to replace it. That's a great idea!
FInally, it was time to test the table height, to make sure that it was set at the same height from front to back, and side to side. It's not that critical when cutting through a board, but if I was cutting dados, and the table wasn't accurately adjusted, the dado would be inconsistent from one end to the other.
Start by pointing the blade arbor completely perpendicular with the top.
With the Wixey digital cube, it's easy . Zero out the cube,
then attach it to the arbor and set it to 90˚. Nice.
Push the saw all the way back in place, and then lower the saw until the arbor just touches the table. (Of course, I forgot to photograph the last part of this test, but it's simple.)
Then pull the saw forward. If it's the same height off the table, you're good. Swing the saw 45˚ to the left and check it the same way, both in front, and in the back. Then swing it right and check it. The arbor should sit just on top of the table, evenly at all six locations. This means you've got accurate depth adjustment to your saw, and it's important. If you didn't, cuts like dados would be deeper on one side of your but than the other. It's less important with cuts that go all the way through your board.
I could have thrown the whole piece in the scrap bucket and started over, but this platter had some very interesting texture on it, so I didn't want that to go to waste. Then I remembered a recipe for repairing clay, and thought I'd give it a shot. I've used it before with very good results.
and one-third clay slip. 
Last, I checked to see if the blade was had any heel in it. That's when the yoke of the saw is slightly twisted on it's carriage. Yes, you can still get a square cut from a heeled blade, but it will give you a wider kerf, as the blade is cutting through your wood at a slight angle. Mine needed a slight adjustment, which was simple. 
With the top of the saw is stripped clean, I adjusted the bolts under the table, to level them up. There are three sets of these bolts - front,
After I cut the new Baltic Birch top, I put it on the top, and marked the mounting holes from underneath.
then attach it to the arbor and set it to 90˚. Nice.
