Mar 022017
 
Tips from Sticks in the Mud – March 2017 – Tip #1 – Changing Leaky Tool Batteries
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Welcome to “Tips From Sticks-In-The-Mud Woodshop.” I am a hobbyist who loves woodworking and writing for those who also love the craft. I have found some ways to accomplish tasks in the workshop that might be helpful to you, and I enjoy hearing your own problem-solving ideas. Please share them in the COMMENTS section of each […]

Feb 282017
 
A Great Combination:  Festool Kapex Miter Saw & CT SYS HEPA Dust Extractor
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A highlight of my visit to Highland Woodworking a couple of years ago was the chance to spend a little time with the Kapex KS 120 EB Sliding Compound Miter Saw and make a quick video review of the tool. In short, I liked it. I wanted it. But, alas, I couldn’t afford it. More […]

Feb 172017
 
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One of our favorite new tools this year is the compact dust extractor, the CT-SYS, from Festool. The portable unit makes workshop cleanup so easy (not to mention other cleanups around the house, in the car and anywhere else you can think of!) Find out more about the Festool CT-SYS Dust Extractor in our 8 minute video.

Feb 162017
 
Wooden Platonic Solids
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The Greek philosopher, Plato, was also a mathematician and he discovered and proved that there are only five regular solids. A regular solid is one that is made up of all the sides being made of one simple regular plane figure such as an equilateral triangle, a square or a regular pentagon. The five regular […]

Feb 132017
 
Summer 2015 Woodworking Project: Youngest Grandkids’ Picnic Table
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Let The al fresco Dining Begin! When our youngest grandchild, Sara Riley, was only a few years old, I got some rough-sawn cedar, planed and sanded it, and built the cutest miniature picnic table with two separate benches. A few years later our second grandchild, Charlie, came along, and his big sister now graciously allows […]

Feb 102017
 
Introducing the Madcap Woodwright
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In this new monthly column the Madcap Woodwright, John McBride, invites both seasoned pro and novice woodworkers alike to stop and reevaluate their perspective on woodworking. Each month, the Madcap Woodwright column will explore issues that encourage you to examine time worn attitudes and approaches to woodworking. In his first column, John starts by telling the story of how […]

Feb 082017
 
First Steps on a Beginner's Journey to Handcut Dovetails
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In this month’s issue of Wood News, Amy Herschleb writes about her own journey learning how to cut a dovetail by hand. Amy is a staff writer for Highland and a relative beginner to woodworking, but her current surroundings working at the Highland Woodworking retail store make for a perfect environment to immerse herself in all things […]