It's almost time....

Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Coming to Las Vegas, NV  Warren, ME - October 12, 2015 -- Lie-Nielsen Toolworks(R), the premier US manufacturer of heirloom quality woodworking tools, is bringing its popular Hand Tool Event(R) to Las Vegas, NV on October 16-17, 2015 at Wood It Is! This event is part of the company’s ongoing international program to expose woodworkers of all ages and skill levels to the benefits of traditional hand tools and techniques, and is a rare opportunity for the public to receive first-hand instruction directly from the toolmakers.  Hand Tool Event Details  Dates: October 16-17, 2015  Times: Friday, 10am - 6pm, and Saturday, 10am - 5pm  Venue: Wood It Is!  Address: 2267 West Gowan Road, Suite 106,  North Las Vegas, NV 89032  “We started these events to expose more woodworkers to the improvements in quality, environment, and enjoyment that handtool work can offer,” says Lie-Nielsen founder and president Thomas Lie- Nielsen, “and over the past decade we’ve seen their popularity explode with new and experienced woodworkers alike. Incorporating traditional tools and methods can offer even die-hard machinery users ways to bring their work to the next level. The fact that our tools don’t require earplugs or respira- tors just adds to the appeal.”  Lie-Nielsen staff will help demystify the world of hand tool woodworking and cover topics like sharpen- ing, tool setup and use, and joinery. Visitors are encouraged to get hands on and ask questions.  Lie-Nielsen also invites guest demonstrators to showcase their work at these events. Guests include independent toolmakers, woodworkers, and educators who share their values for quality craftsmanship. The guests for this event will be posted on www.lie-nielsen.com/hand-tool-events About Lie-Nielsen Toolworks  Lie-Nielsen Toolworks makes heirloom quality, woodworking hand tools in Warren, Maine, and takes pride in providing exceptional support to their customers. Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Events travel to cities around the country to promote woodworking education in the use of hand tools. Lie-Nielsen also offers weekend workshops, instructional videos, and encourages visitors to tour their showroom and shop in Maine.  For more information about this event, please contact the woodworking school at 702-631-1870. Copyright © 2015 Wood It Is!, All rights reserved. You're receiving this email because you either love woodworking, or want to meet and share tips and techniques with other woodworkers in Las Vegas. Our mailing address is: Wood It Is! 2267 W. Gowan Units 106/107 North Las Vegas, Nevada  89032

Check out this bonus issue of American Craft Magazine; you're going to love it...

For obvious reasons, American Craft magazine is one of my favorites. 

Their articles are always fascinating and on the cutting edge of what's hot in the world of makers. 

Here's a REAL treat - they have published a bonus 2015 issue and - great news! - it's ALL ABOUT FURNITURE. 

Here's a link - ENJOY!

Welcoming a new beast to the tool arsenal...

Be it ever so humble (and confusing!) - we have finally acquired a CNC at the shop! Well, Denny has... he made the plunge during the AWFS show, and has been working diligently to learn the ins and outs of it. 

CNC is a process used in the manufacturing sector that involves the use of computers to control tools. In our case, we have a router hooked up to a computer, and we can tell it to cut a variety of design or profiles. Honestly, it allows for perfection a (woodworking) world where perfection is iffy, at best. 

Denny's CNC choice? A Legacy Explorer, with a table that will hold about a 4' piece of wood. It's a good start for dipping your toes into the pool of CNC mania, since learning the software is much of the battle. 

Actually, most of the battle. 

Our first project was a Photo Booth, in which an iPad and SLR camera were linked together. The iPad sits in the rectangular window, and you can press a button and have your picture taken, just like an old time photo booth. 

 The photo will then be displayed on the iPad screen. This booth is used for parties, where your guests can fool around and shoot photos of themselves. It's great for capturing fun shots at parties, weddings, etc. 

We've also been working with a few clients, doing some logo work with them. This logo, cut into small "coins" of wood, will become pendants down the line. Here are our practice cuts,

 and the the final pieces. 

 As we get better with software, the ability to produce some amazing carvings gets easier. 

 This urn came out exceptionally well, and opened up a huge arena of possibilities for us. 

 So what does the future hold? Well, we have a ton of irons in the fire, both with clients and with some of our own projects. I made this mahogany bog chair (sometimes called a plank chair) a few weeks ago, and I hope to carve something in the back of it soon. The hardest part is deciding what to carve! 

And don't faint...  but I'm almost done with the Sassafras dresser I started a while back.

 I think I'll try to carve something cool on the back rail of it, to match the headboard I carved a while back. 

Damn, having the CNC opens up all sorts of possibilities!

 Stay tuned!

Here's a followup to a couple of interesting requests!

A very sweet young woman wrote to me the other day, asking if I could save some plane shavings. 

You know - the kind of thing shavings that come from hand planing wood.

 So Denny and I grabbed a couple of planes and some a few pine boards, and went to work. She picked up a box full of shavings that afternoon, and lo and behold! She 

sent this picture of her handiwork a few weeks later. I love the creativity that people possess!

 Another wildly creative (and ambitious!) fellow wandered in, asking if I would straighten out some boards that he'd recycled from various shipping pallets. Honestly, when he brought the boards in (and there were a TON of them!) - I thought he'd gone off the deep end! 

But - a job is a job, right? 

We ripped them into parallel strips, trimmed the ends,  and gave them a thorough sanding. A few weeks later, he sent us this shot - a wall in his den, paneled with the reclaimed lumber. He still needs to fill in a few gaps he has, but what a terrific job he did!

Seeing this almost makes me want to rip apart some pallets and get started....

Well, almost. I'm not that motivated!

The Summer of Chair Making

 Chair making seems to be the benchmark by which all woodworkers are judged: if you can build sturdy, comfortable (and attractive!) chairs, you can call yourself a woodworker in its truest sense. 

Seems like I've passed that test, as I've been on a chair making tear lately. Here are some examples of the latest work coming out of my shop - a set of six walnut chairs that I call - cowboy inspired. 

The clients requested rustic elegance - live edges and knots to be included, with pegged joinery and rusty upholstery tacks. (Notice the diamond shaped pegs I used - yes, every joint was reinforced with 1/4" white oak pegs.

 I built four side chairs, and these two arm chairs. They chose a gorgeous leather from Tandy (I didn't even know they still existed!) and the upholsterer did an amazing job putting it all together. 

Meet one of my favorite buddies....

Did you ever meet someone and think to yourself - he is such a nice guy, I just wish him all the luck in the world? Like - you're just rooting for someone's success?

That's how I feel about my buddy Braxton. 

He started off as a student a few years ago, but as I've gotten to know him, he's just blossomed into a full-blown friend as well. Stay at home dad, bicycler-extraordinaire, and kick-ass woodworker. Maybe even better - a hysterical yet informative videographer. 



Add them all together and I'm really proud to call him a pal.

His company is Timber Manufacturing, here's a link. 

He builds some amazing pieces, like that slab bench above, and this bench below. 

Check out this cash register counter for a U-Bottle-It store in Henderson. Braxton was recently featured in an online profile by Lane Brothers Woodshop, and it's a pretty interesting scoop on his life. Here's a link.

(Thanks for the plug in the article, B!)

Check out this wall unit and 13' long steel-framed white oak bar top that he built for Khoury's Fine Wine and Spirits. 

Our woodworking community here never fails to amaze me, and over the years, we've forged some really great friendships here. About a year ago, Braxton met Zac Higgins at one of our Sin City Woodworker meetings - and a solid friendship was cemented. The two of them both have very informative YouTube channels, and an awesome following. In fact, they recently  collaborated on two videos - you need to check these out! 

Here's Braxton's side of the story - 

and flipping it over - here's Zac's take. 

Their YouTube channels dedicated to both quality woodworking, but they also add a fun element embedded in their work. C'mon, who else uses elbow macaroni or Captain Crunch in their castings, to produce cool stuff on the lathe?  

I hope you'll subscribe to both of their channels, and maybe even drop them a line if you have some cool stuff to share. Seriously, you couldn't meet two more awesome guys sharing their passions. 

My first garden

If you get sick of reading about my garden, you may want to quit reading this post! 

The funny thing is - I didn't realize I was a gardener for a long time, but then my mom reminded me of this school project when I was nine years old. 

It was Catholic school, in Inglewood - we had to start a plant from a seed. My teacher ended up calling my mom, begging her to take the plant that I had started home. It had gotten too big. 

I guess that was the start of my gardening career. 

This zucchini was bigger than me!

Well that was then, and this is now.

The gardening club that I started this past spring was such a success, I can't wait to do it next year. In fact, a few people have asked me to add their name to the list. For just a few dollars to buy some packs of seeds, we all started plants. And then traded with each other. It was amazing to see all the plants that showed up from everyone's labors, we had hundreds and hundreds of them. 

Alas, my 2015 garden has reached the end of its life. Once the squash bugs and horn worms show up, it's all over. I pulled everything out last weekend. 

So the squash bed went from this 

to this.

 When these bitches show up, you're done. 

Oh, don't worry, the fall vegetables are going in soon. 

Here's a slideshow recap of the 2015 garden... Enjoy!