"I spent some 29 years almost exclusively using the left side of my head designing computer software. As I approached retirement (we call it being retarded) in 2000, it seemed to be time to exercise the right side a little."
To read the full article on Bill Kandler and see images of his projects, click "read more" below for the full article
Colin Knecht and Paul Dalcanale, creators of woodworkweb.
This website is an interactive resource for all woodworkers. Members are encouraged to submitt articles, pictures of their work, stories, events, links, register clubs and join in the woodworking discussions in the Forums section. Sign up to become a member and you will receive our twice-monthly newsletter with latest industry news.
Woodworkweb has recently undergone a major re-write. We have transfered as much information and data from the old site as possible, but there may be some instances where logons and passwords may no longer work. If yours is one of these, please re-register. We apologize for any inconvenience.
"
WOW … That's the best word I can use to describe the new spray-on stain from Krylon. When I first heard of this product I was a bit skeptical, after all how could someone actually put a stain in a spray can that wouldn't clog up the nozzle. Well, someone at Krylon figured out how to do it, and it works like a charm!
I am quite familiar with Krylon products, I have used a number of them and they are all excellent. This new spray-can stain is another excellent product. The reason a spray stain is so attractive is because there are a lot of projects that are difficult (and messy) to get at with typical paint brush or wipe on stains. This new product is not only a welcome addition, it is going to replace some old standbys in my shop.
I was truly amazed at how well the product sprays on, penetrates the wood and leaves a very even coating. The can says that you can spray the stain on and leave it or you can wipe some of it off to allow the wood grain to show through. We tried both methods and both worked, but being woodworkers at heart, the wipe off method colored the wood nicely and still left the grain showing through. The other bonus is that it dries very quickly which is handy if you are going to put another clear coat on top.
Click the “Read More” button for more information (and check out their contest too) …
For many woodworkers today, scapers are a bit of a mystery. Many of us have heard other woodworkers extoling the virtures of scrapers and how wonderful they are. Well, we decided that it was high time to spend some time on scrapers and explain how and where to use them ... and most of all how to keep them sharp. I can tell you the absolute most useless tool you will ever have in your workshop is a dull scaper. On the flip ... a sharp scraper is irreplaceable.
Before sandpaper became popular, scapers were the item that woodworkers used to put a fine finish on their woodworking projects. In fact, scrapers were so useful and popular that there were people who circulated the woodworking shops with the sole purpose of sharpening scrapers for woodworkers. Because of the sound they made when sharpening scrapers they were called "clickers".
As it turns out, scapers are a VERY useful tool in finishing wood, and in many cases, especially with highly figured woods, particularly those with open grain, sandpaper can actually supress that three dimensional aspect of highly figured wood ... but scrapers can restore the look.
Click the Read More button to see more about scrapers.
Anyone who uses sheet goods knows how important it is PLAN their cuts. At the cost of sheet goods these days, and especially if they are veneered with a hardwood making a wrong cut can cost a lot of money and sometimes can result in having to purchase another sheet to amend the problem.
If you are like me and use sheet goods sporatically, let me introduce you to a geat new product ... and it's FREE. MAXCut is essentially a graphics program that lets you plan cuts before you make them. The result of this is you can plan you entire project before you even turn a saw on. If you are making smaller project, this may not be significant, but if you are like me, and just go finished building a new set of kitchen cabinet, a program like this can save you time and money. Click the Read More button for more information ...
Any ROUTER with a ROUND OVER BIT is probably one of the most used combinations in woodworking. Virtually every woodworker has at least one router and one of the first and most useful bits they will ever purchase is the round over bit. If you are like me, you problably have a few different sizes of these too.
Round over bits are great ... MOST of the time, but sometimes with the direction the grain runs on some wood that round over bit you love so much will actually tear out or rip the grain of that wood you are trying to round over. Very often the tear-out is hard to see, but run your hand over it and sure enough, it's rough. There is nothing left to do except hopefully sand the rough part down, and hope it doesn't have to be sanded down so far that it starts to become an obvious flaw in the piece.
Does this sound familiar to you ... you bet it does, has happened to all of us. But no worries, Feud to the rescue with their introduction of Quadra Cut bits. The difference with these bits is they now have 4 cutter heads in stead of 2 like most other router bits. So why 4 cutters instead of 2, well the answer is a few reasons.
OK, Now that you know how to cut picture frame material and make the angle cuts, now you need to put it all together. Glueing up smaller picture frames can be done with somehting a simple as black electical tape wrapped around the picture frame afer glue-up. The pressure of the tape will keep the corners together long enough to allow the frame to become ridgid. Larger picture frames are another story ... the black electrical tape trick doesn't work so well.
In this case it is better to have some sort of a picture framing glue-up jig. The one shown in the video can be made quite easily, the plans are easy to find on the Internet and it doesn't take long to put it together. As usual ... there are some tricks. I decided to offset the centre block so it makes it easier to use, AND I added wingnuts to the ready bar so that the whole jig can be tighted up around the frame quickly and easily ... you don't want to fussing around too much glues like Titebond lll, it will start harding up on you (especially in warm weather) in minutes.
Now that you know how to make picture frames, wouldn't it be nice to be able to make your own picture frame material ... simply and easily ... on your own table saw? The process of making picture frame material, also called molding can be as complex as you want to make it ... or you can make it simple. The molding I like to make are simple and when viewed in a cross section look like and "L" shape. They are easy to put together and look great.
I also ad splines in all for corners to add strength and an extra detail to the frames. I try to choose a contrasting wood so that the splines stand out somewhat from the frame molding.
...
...
It's important to remember that the face sides of your picture frame metial will need to be almost finished before you peform your final cuts. There is no easy way to run "L" shaped material through a planer and even funning it through a jointer will be tricky. All that should need to be done after the final cuts is to sand the face sides and begin the final 45 degree cuts as shown in the assembly video.
Have you ever been asked to make a picture frame? I'll be you replied, "Oh sure" and went promptly into your shop to create this mastepiece ... then discovered it's not as easy as it sounds to make perfect picture frames.
Now you can make your own picture frames, simply and with unbelievable accuracy with a few simple tools, and save yourself hundreds of dollars in custom framing costs.
The problems with making picture frames comes with four - fourty five degree corners. If each one is off by only one degree, then in total that will be off by four degrees. The other problem comes when you try to correct the final angle and re-cut it. When you do this you are actually making that frame side slighly smaller ... which creates another problem. Now you have one frame side that is slightly shorter than the other and it will never come together nicely now.
Well we have solved your picture frame making problems with a simple, new and innovative way of making your own picture frames in your home work shop
Have you ever stopped to think about woodworking clamps? Do you have any idea how many different kinds there are, not to mention their uses? ... We were absolutely blown away when we started to investigate the different types of clamps, uses and brands. Long gone are the days when some a few simple clamps would do the trick for you. Now we need to have all sorts of different types, different sizes and in some cases specialty clamps are needed.
But it's ALL GOOD!! ... because clamps make our lives much easier. They speed up project times and ease and contribute to making complex woodworking project easier to do. Take a moment and see what we discovered about clamps ....
If you are under the impression the Festool Circular saws were just another run-of-the-mill circular saw ... Boy! are you wrong. These two circular saws are revolutionary ... Finally someone has made a circular saw for woodworkers, not just for carpenters. These saws will deliver precision cuts, which is what woodworkers are looking for. If you are in construction or building houses, these circular saws will work fine for, as will many others, but if you are a "woodworker" you need to look at these saws ... they may change what you thing about your tool collection - in fact, you may be thinking of selling some tools to acquire one of these little gems ...
"I spent some 29 years almost exclusively using the left side of my head designing computer software. As I approached retirement (we call it being retarded) in 2000, it seemed to be time to exercise the right side a little."
"
WOW … That's the best word I can use to describe the new spray-on stain from Krylon. When I first heard of this product I was a bit skeptical, after all how could someone actually put a stain in a spray can that wouldn't clog up the nozzle. Well, someone at Krylon figured out how to do it, and it works like a charm!
Anyone who uses sheet goods knows how important it is PLAN their cuts. At the cost of sheet goods these days, and especially if they are veneered with a hardwood making a wrong cut can cost a lot of money and sometimes can result in having to purchase another sheet to amend the problem. 
Any ROUTER with a ROUND OVER BIT is probably one of the most used combinations in woodworking. Virtually every woodworker has at least one router and one of the first and most useful bits they will ever purchase is the round over bit. If you are like me, you problably have a few different sizes of these too.
