Mark Your Work

Wood marking
Once upon a time there was a gifted craftsman who made the most incredible products anyone had ever seen or used. Word increased about how amazing his products worked, yet sales did not increase. People looked, but simply could not find or identify his products. Why? Because his products were not marked! The moral of this story is;
“If it is worth making, it is worth marking”

Router Table Upgrade

This will be the forth Router table upgrade – the first was simply the router held in the vice – not the safest of methods. Following that I added a table into the extension wing of my old Craftsman table saw – which had served me well over the years. and then last year I bought a new table saw and the router table was propped up somewhere in the shop and when needed clamped to the bench. Read more…

Sagging Shelves

Recently we visited dear friends in England and while we were whiling away a very pleasant afternoon I happen to notice their book shelf was sagging quite considerably. Read more…

Part 5 – Panel Doors

Part 5 – Panel Doors. Right now the humidity outside my air-conditioned workshop is around 85% and climbing and all of the wood in my workshop is swelling. It’s a fact: wood expands and contracts and when making furniture you have to account for these fluctuations.

Cabinet carcasses are generally constructed so expansion happens front to back, thus minimizing the effect. Read more…

Part 4 – Creating Bridle Joints

Bridle joints can be use anywhere you might use half-lap or mortise and tenon joints. They are very strong and a good choice for jointing thin stock, especially where a lap joint would not offer strength and a mortise and tenon would be too small. I have even seen double bridle joints used in the construction of chairs, joining arm and leg in one flowing piece. As a general rule, a bridle joint can be used in place of a lap joint, but a lap joint should not be used in place of a bridle joint.