On today’s show, we’re talking about whether you can save money by building your own furniture, Jeff Miller’s new jigs for hand tool work, and a few topics pushed back from last week’s show including how to make a rule joint and long-term tool storage.
Around the Web:
Jeff Miller’s Jigs for hand tools
Jeff Miller’s new jigs are designed to make the process of creating a mortise and tenon with hand tools quick, easy, and accurate. Matt and Shannon discuss whether or not elaborate jigs have a place in the hand tool shop.
Voicemails
Nathan – Can you save money by building your own furniture?
John – How to make a rule joint?
MLCS Woodworking Rule Joint
WoodSmith Shop Rule Joint
Roberto – What do I use to protect my tools during long-term storage.
Cosmoline or Ballistol
iTunes Reviews
Thanks Brian Brazil and 94Av8r!
8 replies on “WT97 – The Jigs Up!”
Hi guys,
Longtime listener, first time commenter (from this side of the mic at least). Regarding the variety of jigs and whether they save time/add time/waste time…I’m a firm believer in “whatever works for you”.
I’ll roll my eyes from time to time at some of the jigs that are discussed on blogs and in magazines, but half the fun of being a hobbiest woodworker is just being in the shop and proving to myself I can build just about whatever I want.
One jig I didn’t hear any discussion about was the hand plane jointer fence…
Thanks for all you do!
I just happened to send you guys an email regarding a shootout of hand vs. power before I turned on this episode. I would have to agree with both of you. There is a necessity , I believe, to get well acquainted with your hand tools to understand there capabilities and understand a plethora of fundamentals in woodworking. With that skill set you can tackle a world of hurdles that can come up in the power tool world. There are things that can be done with power tools that just cannot be duplicated with power tools and vice versa. Balance is the key to life grasshopper.
Correction:
There are things with hand tools that just cannot be duplicated with power tools and vice versa.
Recently, I took my wife to a Stickley Warehouse sale – She wanted a new coffee table. After pouring over the contents of the sale and the price of scratch & dent furniture she asked me to build her a coffee table. I spent a little over $400 on 5/4 walnut and saved $600, and I got some guilt free shop time.
Just clicked on the link for the WoodSmith Shop Rule Joint and it made Internet Explorer shut down twice. Hope it’s just me but thought I would pass it along. Feel free to delete this if you think it’s me.
Best,
Jim
Seems ok in my browser. It is a link to a PDF document. Try right-clicking and downloading it to your desktop instead.
I got into woodworking so that I could make things that weren’t available for sale. Not that they were really outlandish or “custom”; just that they were exactly the size and shape that I wanted. So, if you compare the cost with something that’s close to what I want, I could have saved money. Compared to hiring Marc to make me something on commission that’s exactly what I want? Well, considering the cost of the table saw, I probably still could have saved money. But if I make enough things… (I keep telling myself).
I’ve been woodworking for about 8 years now. I started for a couple of reasons. First, is that I have a beautiful desk that my grandfather, who was a master woodworker, made and I treasure. I want to build furniture that my wife and I like, and that will pass down to my children and grandchildren. The second reason is that it is relaxing and forces me to focus on something other than my very demanding job. In the shop, distractions equal disaster – to wood or to me. So, saving money was not my main motivation – legacy and the pure joy of creating something with my own hands was and continues to be.
I really enjoyed this podcast!