Though Summer is far and away my favorite season, as fall approaches, I am getting really excited to transition from long days working outside on our farm back into the shop. My fall transition this year will be very different than it has been any year prior, however, as two pretty major life changes have come about since […]
No Southern-fried Southern boy wants to be called a Yankee, but we share the characteristics of shrewdness and thrift. Thus, each month we include a money-saving tip. It’s OK if you call me “cheap.” If you are not fumble-fingered, you may want to skip this tip. Always unplug your table saw when working in or […]
Some years ago I tailored the backstop system you see in the photo below to back up workpieces when cutting biscuit slots. Totally independent, they can be clamped as close to or as far from the edge of the workbench as you like. They can also accommodate any length of board just as simply. I […]
This month we’ve got a great issue of The Highland Woodturner, our online newsletter dedicated exclusively to turning. Our August 2015 issue includes: Making a Guiro– A Guiro is a Latin-American percussion instrument turned out of a hollow gourd and played with a stick or tines. In this article, Curtis Turner discusses the selection process for the […]
The figure in tiger, or curly, maple is a feature of great potential beauty. But how can you finish it to bring out its full loveliness? You can, of course, give it a clear finish—like General Finishes Arm-R-Seal or a water-based finish such as General Finishes High Performance. This will reveal the curl as a […]
After seven hours around a lathe, three blocks of wood, a refresher course on angles, and one accidental projectile [no one was harmed in the making of this article], I am excited to have taken my first spin at woodturning. The setting for the course, Beginning Turning, was the shop and classroom situated on the […]
Recently, Master Carver Sabija Mutjaba collaborated with Scott DeWaard on a huge triptych carving for the Marian Chapel in the All Saints Catholic Church in Knoxville, TN. This project was a huge undertaking and the beautiful video below captures the creative process from start to finish. Video produced by Joan Karpeles (www.joanproduces.com)The video has gotten […]