Wood Working
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How To Mark / Draw Lines On Dark Wood?
Rose asks, “Where can I purchase a pencil that writes white for marking wood projects?”
Making pencil marks that you can see on dark wood is difficult at best. The problem is that graphite, a.k.a pencil lead, does not show up very well when written on a dark wood. What to do?
Well, I have a [...]
Is Your Workshop Ready For A Hurricane Or Other Severe Weather?
As hurricane Ike barrels towards the Texas coast it makes me think about how prepared is my wood shop for severe weather. This event got me thinking about how many tools I have acquired over the years that are in my workshop. More than I realized. Then I started to think about how much they [...]
Adding A Stringer To An Existing Outside Stair Case
Tracy writes – “Our home is a 27 year old four level split. There are seven steps up from the front entrance to the main level. These stairs are 58″ wide. There are only two stringers for these stairs and so the stairs are very creaky and squeaky. Is it possible to add another stringer [...]
When To Add A Third Staircase Stringer?
Jim writes: At what width do you go from 2 stringers to 3 stringers in a wooden staircase?
In my stair case articles, I neglected to write about when it is necessary to add a third stringer to support the stair case. I would go to a third stringer when the stair case width exceeds twenty [...]
How To Make A Pair Of Nunchucks
Alexander writes…
“I was browsing through your wood working site and I’m in a bit of a dilemma.
I do nunchuck seminars for kids and I’m trying to produce a few sets of nunchucks myself to keep their costs down, but my issue is the octagonal shaping. I was wondering whats the best way to cut [...]
How To Make Replacement Tongue And Groove Flooring Strips
Jeff writes, “I am redoing an old house and need to make some tongue and groove flooring. What tools would I need? I will be using 1×4×8 pine thank you for your input.”
The easiest way to make replacement tongue and groove strips is to use a router mounted in a router table. You could route [...]
Top 3 Benefits of Working with Wood as a Hobby
I enjoy working with wood. It is always a good day when I get to make a pile of saw dust constructing a piece of furniture that will get years of use out it. Take a look around you, today if it is mass manufactured it is usually made out of plastic and [...]
Army Medic Making Violins While On Tour in Iraq
I came across a really cool article about Sergeant Geoffrey Allison a medic in the Army. He is currently assigned to a one year tour of duty in Iraq. During his off time he works on building violins.
From scrap wood he built a small work bench that is wedged between his bunk and the [...]
Cutting out the stair case: How do I build a set of stairs?
Now you are ready to cut out the steps. Remember to cut on the waste side of the line. The waste side is the triangle that you are cutting out. When you get to the corner of the step the circular saw blade will leave a bit of material. Use your [...]
A soldier’s wood working projects in Iraq
I just came across an interesting article interviewing a soldier from the 101st airborn. In the forward operating base, he fashions various wooden objects from the scrap / discarded wood he finds on the base. His specialities are small boxes, jewelry boxes, coin boxes, cabinets and gun racks.
He also over sees the base’s wood [...]
What to do with all of the saw dust and wood shavings?
Every wood project results in some amount of saw dust. What to do with it? When I first started my hobby I would through it out in my trash. I knew I could do something better with it than put it in a land fill somewhere.
My father-in-law had built a small mulch bin in his [...]
Pressure treated lumber – chromated copper arsenate
For decades pressure treated lumber was treated with chromated copper arsenate (CCA) to prevent rot, fungus, and insect attacking the wood. The chemical treatment worked so well in preventing the wood from decay that it was quickly used in a variety of projects such as decks, fences, play structures, picnic tables, docks, and framing garden [...]