| Blog series by Betsy | updated 33 days ago | 10 parts | 1750 reads | 87 comments total |
Part 1: What to do, what to do
OK you guys know by now that I am having to limit my woodworking to small hand tool stuff, if that. That’s going to drive me nuts! I’ve thought that I would start doing some of my needle work with the idea of incorporating them into boxes, or other woodworking projects in the future when I’m feeling better. Tonight, being Friday, I thought it would be as good time as any to bring out the thread and material and get started. Then….. I went past my little bedroom shop an...
Part 2: Fixing small opps....
OK—- so here’s my first tip. I was reminded of this little tip when I saw a similar little “defect” on my bed rail. So let’s suppose, just to humor me, that you have been commissioned to build a new royal throne for Queen Elizabeth. And not only that, but you’ve been given the grand honor and immense responsibility to build this new throne out of the last remaining piece of Transalvanian Ugbuga wood. This is a very rare wood indeed. Can’t screw thi...
Part 3: Sand paper and cheapskates
So there I am in my little bedroom shop pondering the future and what projects I’d like to build when I’m feeling better. Hummmmm should clean up this mess. Once cleaned maybe it’ll stay that way – until I start working again anyway. So here I am cleaning up, picking up tiny pieces of wood, shavings, etc. Underneath it all is this miserable looking piece of sandpaper. Here’s my tip for the day. No matter what brand/type of sandpaper you use—- don̵...
Part 4: Plywood thoughts
sitting here thinking of things that I was taught when I first started woodworking took me to plywood. We all seem to use a lot of it when we first start out. So here are some of my thoughts and tips for those who are new to using ply for their projects. 1) It’s important to recognize which face is the best face. Sometimes this is difficult to decide depending on the sheet you pick. In this instance you need to decide which is the one you want facing out and mark it clearly so you do...
Part 5: Measuring thoughts
Tonight’s tip runs along to something we all do, no matter if we are hand tools nuts, power tools maniacs or a combination of both. We measure, mark and cut. How we do that is important. One of the most important things in measuring, marking and cutting is consistency. Lack of consistency can lead to multiplication of errors along the way. If you learn nothing else, and you should something else, learn this——use the same measuring tool throughout your project. When you a...
Part 6: Marking and cutting
OK – this is probably going to be very simplistic at best for most, if not all, of you. But I’m really trying to keep my head in the woodworking game. I’m thankful for the support my fellow LJ’s have been giving me by reading and responding to my blogs. So onto today’s “tip.” As we all know making/marking a line to use as a guide to cut your board to final length is quite important. If you don’t mark the piece, you have no idea or are just...
Part 7: The lowly butt joint
In my continuing effort to show that woodworking can be simple and easy I present my next “tip.” I appreciate your looking/reading and your comments/input. The butt joint is probably one of the most degraded and misunderstood joint in woodworking, yet it is the easiest to make. It can also be a very strong joint if done properly and used in the right application. A butt joint generally is one board’s edge placed against another’s face. A butt joint ...
Part 8: Hand planes and their many uses
So I’ve been sitting here thinking and thinking and thinking about woodworking. An amazing hobby to be sure and certainly a great way to make a living if you so chose. But honestly, it’s the pits as far as a hobby when you find yourself sidelined and unable to use your tools. They just sit there mocking you, calling your name, making noise to get your attention and yet to no avail. You can’t use them. Well at least I can’t – not just now. Come this Fall though, w...
Part 9: My mind set and woodworking
Some say my mind is set—- in other words – I’m stubborn. So say they. I prefer to think I have a mind set. In other words – I think a certain way about certain things. Safety is one of those things that I have a mind set about and my mind is set on. I’ve been thinking about this today as I sit here, yet another day on the couch, unable to go to the shop and do what I would prefer to do. I’ve been thinking that maybe if I just do this little something ...
Part 10: A thought on the basics
Not long ago I asked for some ideas to blog about to keep my head in the game while I wait for my recovery to be complete—- you guys really came through. As you know I’ve been working on (and exposing my lack of knowledge and ability) on blogging about Sketchup. Will keep that up for sure – I am learning. However, I need to go back and work on some of the other ideas you gave me to give myself a break from Sketchup and keep myself sane. Trying to figure out the program is h...
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Blog Series
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