General Woodworking Videos

A Woodworker's Tour of Historic Fort Steele

Most woodworkers love looking at the works of other woodworkers. I often think there is some sort of inspiration that happens when you have the opportunity to view someone else's work. When it's old, antique of classical furniture it's even better. Well, we had the opportunity recently to visit a historic site in Western Canada, not too far from the city of Cranbrook in British Columbia, called Fort Steele. The town was originally called Galbraith's Ferry as it was beside the Wild Horse River, and was settled around 1864 during the time of the Gold Rush that started in California and ended in Alaska in the late 1800's.

The name change happened in in 1888 when the general tone of the residents of area became tense and Superintendent Samuel (Sam) Steele of the North-West Mounted Police  was summoned, along with his troops, to come to the area and to try to resolve the unrest between the Ktunaxa and the white and Chinese settlers who were relatively new to the area.

Today Fort Steele is national historic site with buildings and furnishings either restored, or rebuilt as near as possible to their original state, and that's exactly what we came to see.  Original buildings from the 1880s and furniture from the period.

 

We located some fantastic finds as we toured the site, trying to keep out of the way of other tourists but still trying to capture all different furniture pieces as well as the building structures such as log buildings and antique furniture.

Click read more to see other photos of what we found ...

Read more: A Woodworker's Tour of Historic Fort Steele

Making Table Saw Blade Rack

Storing larger 10" and 12" table saw and mitre saw blades can be a bit of a hassel. I have a number of table saw blades and I change blades quite frequently depending on the job I am doing so finding blades is a common task.

Almost every power saw blade these days is tipped with Carbide. The reason for using carbide is that it is very hard and it resists heat very well, and that is why carbide retains it's sharp edge for a long time. The problem with Carbide is that because it is a crystaline type of structure, it can ... and does, fracture easily if bumped against another carbide tipped blade or bumped against steel. (for example, laying a carbide tipped blade down on top of your steel-topped table saw can often chip or even knock a carbide tooth off, and once this happens, blades should NOT be used as they are now dangerous, ALWAYS lay carbide tipped blades down on softer materials like wood, cardboard or some other softer material)

This is why it is important to have a good safe place to store you power tool, table saw and mitre saw blades, and either plastic or wood are idea. If you have a number of blades, a quick glance will tell you which one you need to grab and install on your power tool, so being able to see all your blades at the same time is beneficial.

Read more: Making Table Saw Blade Rack

Woodworking Work Bench

" The first thing every woodworker needs is a work bench. Even before any tool is purchased you need a work bench. There are a million designs and every woodworker has a different work bench, even if they are based on the same plan or design. A number of our members have asked be for more details on my work bench and so that is what this video is to do, review one option in work bench design.

Read more: Woodworking Work Bench

Learn Practically Everything About Woodworking with Woodworking Videos

Woodworking has been something we humans have practiced ever since we learned how to use the most basic of tools in order to gouge and chisel into wood, turning it into our desired shapes. Being something we as a species have probably been doing for thousands of years, we have gained vast amounts of knowledge on the ins and outs of woodworking. Having stored and compiled vast amounts of knowledge on this craft, however, has its drawbacks. The most glaring one is that all this information will inevitably be overwhelming to the woodworking beginner, one who has no prior knowledge on the craft. In this age of widespread technology and multimedia, how, then, will one be able to present such a huge amount of information about different topics on the craft? With woodworking videos , of course!

Nowadays, there is an instructional video for almost anything. Woodworking videos are no different, as different videos will enlighten any novice on nearly any aspect of woodworking they are curious in. A certain set of woodworking videos, for example, may show you the basics, may explain woodworking in general to you. Another set of videos might teach you how to operate a certain electric woodworking tool, and what you can achieve with the said tool. Even another set of woodworking videos, for that matter, might teach you certain techniques which you can use with the most basic chisels, gouges and carving knives in order to produce unique results. There are even some sets that might teach you a thing or two about different types of wood, and the advantages and disadvantages that come with working with each type.

There is also a distinct advantage with woodworking videos as opposed to other media for teaching woodworking. This is the fact that the aspect of woodworking you are being taught may be demonstrated right before your eyes. For example, a video about the use of a certain tool might show you how to handle the said tool, even if this part is not explicitly narrated. Another video showing how to carve in a certain way might show you how to position and balance yourself in relation to the piece of wood you are carving. This goes on and on, a testament to the benefits of having a full visual and auditory experience before you.

There are many different sources for woodworking videos . One may, first and foremost, opt to learn from the information superhighway, by streaming and/or downloading videos off the Internet. If one is not satisfied, some people and companies may offer more scrutinizing lessons for a price. Woodworking videos from the latter category may be offered for downloading or private streaming, and may even be offered in conventional formats, such as VCDs and DVDs, as well.