Larry | February 13, 2010
I suppose I’m a curmugeon but I oppose the very notion of spending $4-5 on a piece of paper that will end up in the trash the day after it’s given. And so, every time Valentine’s Day rolls around I’m faced with showing my Valentine(s) that I care without succumbing to the card marketeer guilt [...]
Larry | January 7, 2010
In my last post on this subject I outlined my strategy to become as good a woodworker as Tom Fidgen. Having concluded, from studying his book Made By Hand, that he’s achieved his prowess by having a set of shop bents available to him I decided to build a set of my own, thus improving [...]
Larry | December 21, 2009
We’re about to finish a year and I’ve just finished a cabinet – with a finish. On all counts I’m happy as I can move into the holidays unencumbered by pressing schedules.
I’m posting this for two reasons. The lesser of the two is that I’ve talked about this project in previous posts and thought some [...]
Larry | December 10, 2009
When you’re new to woodworking, and trying to learn, it must be frustrating to read “Prepare your surface and then apply your favorite finish”? This is an example of well-meaning woodworkers, and woodworking magazines, attempting to help people while forgetting that those who need advice also need the details. All of us who fall into [...]
Larry | October 23, 2009
My daughter loves Halloween. I love my daughter. Put the two things together and when October rolls around I start thinking of what to make that will make her giggle. This year, along came Steve Goode, the guy who runs the blog called The Scrollsaw Workshop. He posted a set of patterns for some pumpkins, [...]
Larry | October 18, 2009
I’ve had several people ask me about the scraper handle that was shown in my post on working thin stock. This is a tool I made several years ago and it’s starting to show its age. I can’t really do a true how-to on making one as I only need one and it’s already built [...]
Larry | October 2, 2009
Those of you in the US who understand that finishes vary in quality know the brand General Finishes to be on the high end of the quality scale. They’re a bit more expensive than what you find in the big box stores but the results are well worth the slight difference in price. General Finishes [...]
Larry | September 28, 2009
I live in Quebec, Canada. Most people here speak French, and people like me try, mostly without success. I was wandering the dollar store and my eye saw the word “entonnoir” on a label associated with a round hunk of plastic with a great big wonky hole as its “funnel” part. Like a [...]
Larry | June 30, 2009
What little shop time I’m getting right now is coming in very short segments. Casting around for a smallish project, that didn’t require juggling large pieces of wood resulted in my indulging a desire to own a turning saw.
What’s a turning saw you ask? It’s a small bowsaw, of course? Oh…and a bowsaw is a [...]
Larry | June 14, 2009
Most commercial finishes are too thick for use on miniatures and need to be thinned before use. Often, we want to use dyes that must be mixed with an appropriate solvent. I’m a big fan of shellac in various dilutions and so typically have 3-4 bottles of the stuff in my finish cabinet. All of [...]
RSS