General Woodworking

MAXCut Sheet Planner - Free Board Optimiser Software

Details

Hits: 25587

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 ... 

I have just started to use the program and from what I can see it appears to work well. It does take some time to get to know the program. What I particularly like is that if you try to add a measurement that outside of the size of material you are using, the co-ordiant shows up as highlghted in red, which is a signal you are ourside of the parameters of useage.

I understand a new tutorial is "in the works", which would be very helpful to many of us non-CAD users in getting us up-to-speed quicker with the product.  If you use sheet goods a lot, this program will really benefit you production and save time and money once you become proficient with it ... but don't take my word for it, go ahead and download your own FREE version and start learning how a planning program like this can save you time and money ...
Click the link  to download your free copy of MAXCUT ... www.MaxCut.co.za

Copyright Colin Knecht
Woodworkweb

Serge Roberge - Replicas in Wood

Details

Hits: 12684

These are NOT TOYS, these are accurat to tne minutes detail ... models.Serge Roberge worked as a logger and during his time off began playing around with making models of the logging equipment he was working with. He began to try out different woods for contrasts and the end results are absolutely stunning.

To seem more of Sege's work , please go to his website www.robergereplicasinwood.ca

.... you will be amazed at what he has done, I only wish you could see these units in person, the detail will amaze you these pictures do NOT do justice to the accuracy and detail the Serge puts into every pieces.

Wall Hanging Display Cabinet

Details

Hits: 8232

Every woodworker is an environmentalist at heart. I know this is true because every woodwork I have ever known agonizes about throwing out or (gasp) burning in the wood-stove any scrap of wood that has passed through their hands. To this end most of us seem to look for projects were we have the opportunity to use some of the odd pieces of wood we have laying around, and putting them to some constructive use, and that's exactly what prompted this project. Small pieces of wood left over from a larger project, but what do you do with them?

Well it so happened that a family member was looking for a display cabinet for small glass ornaments. Now the problem with small glass ornaments is they can get lost in large wood structure, which is the reason I opted to use "smoke colored" plastic for the shelves. I hoped they would hold the ornaments without taking away from them with such large thick wooden shelves.

I was fortunate to find that some scrap pieces of glass from an old broken picture frame and being the resourceful type, I had some chunks of plastic collecting dust that would fit the bill nicely. 

Thankfully the glass cooperated and fit the size the door (after cutting). I have been told on a number of occasions that old glass seldom breaks the way it is cut. I have news for everyone, glass no matter how old or new it is seldom breaks the way I want it to, but on this one I got lucky, one swift etch, then hang onto the table saw bed with the newly etched edge carefully aligned with the edge of the table and with one quick jerk, the glass broke cleanly.

I decided that rather than have wooden shelves I would use something somewhat less bulky so settled on using on eighth plastic. Because it was very thin I decided that it should be reinforced with a plastic spine underneath the shelf. The glass figurines and not that heavy, but a number of them on one shelf would start making the shelf bend.
All in all, it was a fun project, not complicated and best of all I got to use up some of my scrap wood.

Copyright Colin Knecht
woodworkweb.com