Black Walnut Beauty
I just cut into some more Black walnut. The 2 pieces are 14 1/2×32 x 4I keep getting impressed by our creator!
Bass Guitar in progress
I just got a picture of my bass being biult by Pete Skjolds.The body is ash and the top is out of my wood… Madrone Burl.Pete says it is going to be stunning! Can’t wait!! !
American Hanging Cupboard #4: 3D Rendering/Texturing in Sketchup
So after the tip from Jack regarding Kerkythea I decided to download it and play around. I found some amazing wood textures at Arroway Textures of different wood species(they have a sample available for each species for non-commercial use) and started applying them to the model… below are some shots of the results. If you click on the exploded view it will open a large version rendered at the highest available pixel setting in Kerkythea. There are a few spots where the texture is app...
American Hanging Cupboard #3: Cutting the tenons - What NOT to do...
So last night I began cutting the tenons on the table saw. Now before everyone tells me I’m lucky to still have my fingers or flames me for posting these pics, here’s a disclaimer. DO NOT use a table saw without the use of a throat plate. Disastrous things CAN and likely WILL happen… (See Also: Standard disclaimer “Blade Guard Removed for Clarity”) That being said… I’ve never had problems making cuts with the dado stack in the tablesaw without ...
American Hanging Cupboard #2: Stock Preparation - Rough Dimensioning
So unfortunately I got carried away actually working rather than documenting the process, but I did snap this photo before I quit for the night. So far I’ve gotten all the face frame pieces cut down to final size and have marked out the tenons on the rails. I also cut a test mortise in some scrap that went through the same milling process so I can test the fit of the tenons as I cut them. The dado stack is in the saw ready to rock. I will begin cutting the joinery tonight(I ho...
American Hanging Cupboard #1: In the beginning...
Many moons ago(ok, only about a year ago) I picked up my first issue of Woodworing Magazine at the local bookseller, entranced by the beautiful wall cabinet that graced it’s front cover(below.) I purchased it before I had most of my tooling and knew someday I would build it. I began studying the article, every photo, every drawing, memorizing dimensions and going through the build in my mind. I built a true to life sketchup model (see image below) based on the dimensions in the...
How to find great figure wood other than Burl
This is in addition to the burl blog I put on a week ago. Thank you for all the reads.This is to the best of my knowledge and I am still learning.I have found crazy figure in tree crotches. A tree crotch is where two branches come together. It is usually the piece that fire wood people don’t want because it doesn’t slit. That is because the crotch is the hardest part of the tree and the grain in going in different directions. It’s where you get what is called “feather”. “Haring bone, r...
Building a Traditional Wooden Boat #11: Stem to Keel and Lining Off
Just a few more steps left before I can start putting the planking on the sides. Cutting in the Rabbet Between Stem and Keel The next crucial step is cutting in the rabbet between the Stem and Keel. This was done entirely by hand with a few sharp chisels. I used a small piece of wood (3”x1”x3/8”) as a template, representing the plank, to ensure a smooth transition as I cut away the rabbet. Here is the before picture: And the after picture. This was done on both ...
How to find and harvest legal burls!
Hey everyone, It was suggested that I start a discussion on how to find and harvest burls. Please give your input also. I don’t deal with straight grain that often. I cut and sell burls for a living so here is what I know. It is illegal to harvest a burl without permission. of course if it is on your own property you can give yourself permission. What I do is put an ad on Craig’s list saying I want your burls. Most people don’t know what burls are. So you don’t get that many calls....
Natural Edge Burl Wood Furniture #1: Box Elder Burl Coffee Table
Hi everyone, I started this project a few days ago. It is a Box Elder Burl that I hollowed out with an arbortech and plan on getting a 36” glass top for it. I am wandering how to finish the outside. Due to the pressure washing. It has made the surface a little ruff. So I am not sure if I should sand it and just show the figure or keep it natural. I still have a little bit more of hollowing it out. I also plan on sanding the inside and figure out how to make the figure pop out visuall...
