WT30

General

Been checking out the Lee Valley catalog. Don’t have one, you can request one. Marc talks about drawing bows available, and Matt mentions a “Golden Ratio” ruler that he spotted.

Matt talks about Kaleo now teaching a sharpening class using the Tormek system which leads to Marc and Matt discussing “Scary Sharp”, water stones, and manual vs. automated sharpening systems.

Marc’s table top dilemma: Marc reaches out to the community for ideas and opinions on designing the table top for his current project. Marc and Matt discuss what they do when they hit a roadblock when designing a project and breaking down barriers when using new materials for the first time.

Local woodworking guilds / clubs: How do you keep the interest going? Seems like a lot of people are looking online for community rather than their local clubs or affiliations. Let us know what you think.

Voicemails / Emails

Marty
This may sound like a silly question, but my wife has asked me to build her a simple chest of drawers. It will replace one we bought at a store that has seen better days. It will be housed in our master bath. I envision nothing more than a simple carcass with drawers on slides to hold all of her hair products and other appliances such as curling iron, hair dryer, etc. My question concerns drawers: Is it best to size the carcass to fit the size and number of drawers I want or determine the size of the carcass and try to figure out how many drawers and what size will fit inside the carcass. Now the area where the chest will fit is approximately 30 inches wide. To blend the cheset in with the existing cabinetry, I plan on putting doors on the carcass to cover the drawers. Any help would be appreciated.

Schwiggs
I’m looking to upgrade some of my personal protection gear and wanted your opinion on what you use most in your shops. Currently I have a decent pair of glasses, but they don’t seal around the face terribly well. I wouldn’t mind getting something that keeps more out. For my ears I just use little expandable foam ear plugs, and I’m looking for something that has more noise cancellation that I could use with the iPod. Finally, for my lungs, I got a simple drywall mask that I wear while doing really dusty operations, but I’d like to get a respirator as well. So finally the question: Which of these items do you guys use most around the shop and where do you see the biggest gain. As for brands, I’ll probably just go with The Wood Whisperer Store and get ideas from there.

Greg – Tampa
I have an antique bird’s eye maple secretary desk. I recently found some termite damage. Now, the damage is in a small piece which is about 1 inch by 24 inches. This piece is attached by screws and can be removed. I have killed the termites and can easily make this piece, but I prefer to keep it original. Do you know something I could inject into the voids to make this piece solid again. It would need to be something that goes in liquid and then turns solid. Do you have any suggestions?

Scott – Chicago
I was wondering if there are any books that deal with the woodworkers themselves. I was wondering if you guys know of any books that talk about the woodworker, his experience, why he does woodworking. Kind of a life story sort of thing.

Unknown caller
On a recent show I listened to there was a question about router bits. Specifically, router bits for edge banding and the diameter of the bits. I was expecting an answer that would be consistent with what you said previously, Marc. I was expecting you to say that the larger the diameter, the slower the speed of the router which may be more appropriate for some materials than others. But you didn’t say that, and now I’m wondering if maybe I misunderstand the size of the router bits and the speeds on the router. Can you help me with this?

Relevant Links:
Workbenches
Kaleo’s Workshop
The Impractical Cabinetmaker
Woodworking Wit & Wisdom

16 replies on “WT30”

Holy cow! Another WTO so soon? Aside from the videos, this is probably my favorite part of TWW.

Sadly though, the famous “Matt Laugh” that I once found annoying has been adopted by myself. So I guess everything has it’s downfall, hugh? 😛

Keep it up!

Getting young people interested in woodworking to join
Clubs and guilds this is getting a lot harder,
I live in So. California, and hear about our Schools
Discontinuing there woodworking programs either
From a financial or liability issues.
The high school and Jr high I went to I know,
Both no longer have their woodworking programs.
As for kids these days I see most of the interests and knowledge
Being passed down from older family members and friends.

I think Marc hit the nail on the head – even as a 42 year old – the club here is not really welcoming of anyone not retired. A lot of guys seem to collect tools and make jigs but little in terms of production. Which is fine as a social outlet – but is a real problem for continuing the supply of woodworkers in the absence of school programs. I am fortunate here in that the two high schools in town still have good shops that turn out some nice work – but I was also one of the people who lobbied the school district to invest in the Saw Stop – which helped to keep the wolves away from the door by actually proving that wood shop can be safe or (safer) when the critics point to incidents that have happened in the past.

We have to be active to keep the craft alive as a useful skill to be taught. Once the equipment is auctioned off and the space converted to a conventional classroom – getting a shop back is nearly hopeless.
As for Biographical books –
Soul of a Tree: A Master Woodworker’s Reflections by George Nakashima
and of course “Sam Maloof: Woodworker”

I always knew the USA was way behind the times…. In Canada the new Lee Valley catalog comes out in September.

Great show as always, guys.

OK Marc,
If it wasn’t already hard enough to wait for Part 5 you had to increase the pain and suffering by hinting at your final design decision. Personally I think you need to stay up night and day until this video segment is released. There is time for eating and sleeping later.

I just sent for my copy of the Lee Vally Catalog. The one I got last year is just about falling apart. They should make drool proof pages!

Great show!

Marc,
Was there a contest on the best ending idea for your project
And who was the winner ?

Feel free to ask for help at any time !

Marc-
I was actively involved in AAFW for years. I learned a lot from the guest speakers and from the other members. But, I stopped attending about five or six years ago because their focus seemed to drift toward building toys for charity. I then made contact with “The Splinter Group” and began attending their meetings. They were a much more professional group and had a much broader focus. Unfortunately, my schedule didn’t allow me to continue attending their meetings. (I don’t know if they’re still active).

Hey Marc and Matt:

Although not specific to building a cabinet, the book HOUSE by Tracy Kidder is really good. Tools-Trim all aspects. You’ll find usable information within an excellent writing style.

Neil

Ok was just wondering if the proble was with my Itune! LOL! There was an Itunes update the other day. Everytime there is one something else in my Itunes stops working properly! Anyone else allways have crazy problems with their Itunes?

A problem I see with increasing local woodworking clubs number is that woodworking is a patient hobby. something you can’t rush through, and kids and even young people like myself have become to use to the idea of instant everything. The Internet puts the world at your fingertips. So if you want something you can just go out there, find it and buy it.

I really think that if you want the younger genrations to take an interest in woodworking We are going to have to step away from the stereotype that only old men in their garages or basements are doing this craft and it all looks old.

We have to AMP it up and show them that they can design their own style and step away from the traditional and do some freeform/funky stuff.

Granted learning the traditional/old way is the best way to learn the techniques and styles, but if you don’t get the young people interested they won’t be willing to learn.

Scott

Hi Guys,

concerning the person who needs to repair termite damage, there’s a company called RotDoc (www.rotdoc.com) that sells an epoxy specifically designed for repairing dry rotted wood. I discovered them when I was renovating my RV, although I never bought the product, to repair dry rotted frame sections. It may be appropriate in this case, however,

Thanks and keep up the great work,

Pat

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