Molly Bagby

Woodworking in America 2014 Marketplace: Plate 11 Workbenches

Sep 182014
 

The WIA Marketplace is full of both power and hand tools and to use some of these tools to their full potential, you need a good workbench. This is where Plate 11 Workbenches comes in. Founder Mark Hicks was on hand this past weekend to discuss the story behind his company and how on a dare from Christopher Schwarz, Mark was inspired to start making his own workbenches:

Mark built a pair of Split-Top Roubo benches specifically for WIA, but by the time we met up with him, he had already sold the model at his booth. Luckily, the second in the pair was on display at the Sterling Tool Works booth and thanks to Sterling company founder, Chris Kuehn, we have some beautiful pictures of this bench to share with our readers:

plate11roubo1

plate11roubo2

You can find out more about Plate 11 Workbenches by visiting their website: http://plate11.com/plate-11/

The September 2014 issue of The Highland Woodturner

Sep 172014
 

wt42Hey woodturners, we’ve got a new issue of The Highland Woodturner for you to read!

First up we’ve got a classic article from Curtis Turner on turning your own chisel handles. You can even make a whole set of them and always know which chisels are yours!

Temple Blackwood explains “The Order of Cuts,” which is a method of planning out the steps of your project. He applies this method to the creation of a Fluted Antique Screw-Driver Handle.

Every month we have been featuring an episode of Popular Woodworking’s new show Woodturning with Tim Yoder, and this month he has an episode on turning a Cylindrical Box with a Drawer.

Our Show Us Your Woodturning artist this month is Jay Barry, who has only been turning for 4 months and already has some beautiful bowls on display!

Phil has a turning tip on changing up your everyday woodturning by attending a class or folk school and learn some new skills!

All of this and more in our September 2014 issue of The Highland Woodturner.

Wood News Online, Number 109 (It Rhymes!)

Sep 032014
 

wn109blogimageSummer is coming to a close, but that usually means the woodworking season picks back up again and people are out in their shops in the (usually) lovely weather that Autumn brings. We’re happy to have just released our September issue of Wood News Online, #109, full of even more project ideas than past issues have had, as well as some great tips, tricks, and woodworking deals.

This month’s issue includes:

  • Project Ideas: Wine Glass Cabinet – Forrest Bonner discusses his plans and construction process of a wine glass cabinet for his wife. In this project article, he goes over the SketchUp plan he created and then has a step-by-step picture instruction of the actual creation of the project.
  • Continuing with last month’s Electric Bass Guitar Build, Lee Laird continues his build and has to decide what kind of neck he will build on the guitar, with either a “neck-through body” or a separate neck that connects to the Bass’s body. Find out which one he chooses and how he builds it in this issue!
  • We’ve got an interview with our Lie-Nielsen/Tormek Sweepstakes winner, Kevin Meske, who took some time to answer a few questions about his new tools and what kind of projects he is making with them.

Our Show Us series includes:

  • Show Us Your Shop with Glenn Miller’s beautiful Catskills shop in the upstate New York. Glenn gives us a history of his woodworking pastime and shares some of his projects that he has completed.
  • Show Us Your Woodworking with Duane Holmes’ Southern Ladies Desk, as well as a beautiful chest he is building for his granddaughter full of inlay and veneer.
  • Show Us Your Carving with Sarah Rowe, our first ever Show Us Your Carving contributor whose column originally appeared in our July 2011 issue of Wood News.

Our monthly tip contributors include:

We’ve also got some great product reviews on The Complete Manual of Woodworking and the Lenox Tri-Master Carbide Tipped Bandsaw Blade.

And while you’re reading, check out our newest products including the Elipse P100 Dust Mask, the Woodpeckers OneTime Tool – Angle Gauge, the Benchcrafted Classic Leg Vise, and the Rikon Grinder.

All of this and more woodworking products, tips, and project ideas in our September issue of Wood News Online.

Winner of our 2014 Lie-Nielsen/Tormek Sweepstakes Revealed!

Aug 282014
 

LN-tormek-giveawayBetween April-July, 2014, customers were able to enter our Lie-Nielsen/Tormek Sweepstakes for a chance to win a great prize package, which included:

The lucky winner was recently announced and we are happy to congratulate Kevin Meske on his lucky win!

We recently spoke with Kevin on his woodworking background and what kind of woodworking he plans to do with his new tools:

kevinmeske1. Can you give us a history of your own woodworking? What types of woodworking do you do? How did you get started?

I have always had a passion for building things. My mother use to tell me that I would tear apart all my toys as a young boy just to see how they work and then put them back together. I started woodworking at a young age, mainly birdhouses and other small projects. My passion for it really took off when I found Norm Abram and the New Yankee Workshop. Today I am employed as a carpenter and also love watching Tom Silva on This Old House. Although I love carpentry, nothing beats trying to replicate a Norm Abram piece out in the workshop. Furniture building is my favorite kind of woodworking.

2. How did you find out about the contest?

I saw the Tormek Grinder on the New Yankee Workshop. I went to google and did some more research about it. There was a link to the contest on the search page. I added it to my Amazon wish list that same day. Thanks to you, I was able to remove it.

3. Can you describe your reaction on finding out that you won?

I was going through my email deleting spam/junk mail and I ALMOST deleted the email saying I won because I didn’t recognize the name. The only reason I gave it another look was that I saw that it had an attachment with it. I couldn’t believe it that I had won. My wife was sitting next to me and I just told her in a low voice (in shock),” I won.” Then we screamed and celebrated together. 

4. What do you plan on using your new tools for? What will you do first?

I plan on sharpening everything I can get my hands on, which is exactly what I did first. No more dull chisels! I am excited to build a new project to break in my new hand planes.

5. Hand Tools or Machines?

They both have they advantages and disadvantages. I like to use power tools to get me as close as to finished piece as it will take me. I like to fine tune with hand tools. for example fitting a tenon into a mortise.

Any final words?

Just want to say thank you for helping me add more tools to my workshop. I have many more to add as I am a young man and just getting started and buying what I can afford and when I can afford. Thanks to you and this contest I have a couple top of the line goodies that I will cherish forever! (Also, below is one of my Norm Abrams replications that I created)

meskeproject

Keep reading the blog to find out when our next contest will be!

The Highland Woodturner- August 2014

Aug 212014
 

Have you read the new issue of The Highland Woodturner hwtaugustyet?

Our August issue contains several great articles, projects, and tips that can be used in the woodturning realm.

This month, Curtis Turner focuses on the use of Liming Wax and Sandblasting to help embellish and enhance the surfaces of your turned projects. He goes over the process of sandblasting and alternative methods, and also gives some good tips on using liming wax and how to use it safely.

Rick Morris gets a start on turning for the holidays and gives a step-by-step outline of Turning a Christmas Tree. He lets you know the tools and materials you need, as well as multiple pictures of the creation process.

Natural Edge turning offers a different look to your turned projects and this month’s ‘Show Us Your Woodturning‘ contributor, Gene Russell, shows off his beautiful natural edge bowls.

Phil Colson offers a tip involving the finishing of your turning by letting you know what to do if you have a broken nozzle on your can of finish. Check out the Nozzle Tip.

And don’t forget to check out Popular Woodworking’s Woodturning with Tim Yoder with a special episode on Turning a String Top Toy.

All of this and more in our August issue of The Highland Woodturner!

 

“Measure twice, cut once”- The Down to Earth Woodworker and his biggest mistake this year (so far)

Aug 152014
 

legdetail1Every month in our Wood News Online publication, we feature Steve Johnson, the Down to Earth Woodworker, who provides a variety of woodworking project ideas, tips, and stories from his own recent experiences in the shop.

In this month’s DTEW column, Steve discusses his illegible handwriting, which started as a child and has never seemed to improve as he has grown older. Unfortunately, this has led to illegible graph paper plans for his current SawStop Outfeed Table project, in which he has ended up with table legs that are too long.

You can find out more about Steve’s SawStop Outfeed Table project, as well as read the entire Down to Earth Woodworking column for August, HERE.

Woodturning with a Cause and Building an Electric Bass Guitar in the August issue of Wood News

Aug 072014
 

WN108We just published the August issue of Wood News Online, which contains a lot of great project ideas, safety tips, and woodworking community stories.

One of our community stories, Woodturning with a Cause, written by Aaron Cooley, talks about Aaron’s work with the organization We Ride to Provide, an organization dedicated to “honoring, serving, and supporting K-9 teams in Georgia and wherever else they can help.” This includes providing support for the K-9 units from the beginning to the end of their lives through donations of both money and other items. As a woodworker, Aaron has been able to provide his support by donating urns that he has personally turned and finished himself.

Another highlight of this months Wood News issue is the beginning of Lee Laird’s series on Building an Electric Bass Guitar. Lee has been playing instruments all of his life (on top of being a woodworker) so it is only right that he bring both hobbies together to build his own bass guitar.

As always we have our Show Us series with reader submitted shops, woodworking projects, and carving.

And don’t forget, we’re always accepting submissions for our Show Us series, as well as other woodworking tips and projects ideas. Send your submissions to woodnews@highlandwoodworking.com.