Let's Talk Wood

Packing up a friend's shop, and missing him already!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Mon, 20 Apr 2026 02:00:00 +0000

If you missed the story about George Nakashima on CBS the other morning, you missed a really interesting view into the world of his live edge furnture. (Scroll down to watch it.)

For at least a dozen years, Andrew Moore was THE live edge maker here in Las Vegas. He's a good buddy and fellow furniture designer. I've even hired him to teach a few classes at my old school.

His company is Reclaimed Secrets; he started out many years ago working with pine that was killed by beetles.

The wood's noticiable blue tint added to the visual interest of this wood, but unfortunately - the availability of beetle kill pine was limited. And worst of all - the wood is very soft. So Andrew branched out into working with hardwoods - walnuts, maples, pecans.

He had a ridiculous inventory of live edge slabs. Later, he added my one of my favorites - Monkeypod.

But alas... all good things come to an end. There are so many factors that play into the success of a business - wood prices, competition by other artists, fuel prices, popularity of the product, and much more.

For many years, Andrew was THE only one in town making live edge furniture. But with the popularity of live edge work, many artisans have now jumped on that bandwagon. All of that, plus some amazing new opportunities opened up for him, and he's packing up and moving to Texas. I've been helping him pack his shop all week.

Of course I will miss him, and wish him the very best in his new endeavor. I've been in Vegas long enough to see many artisans open up shops, only to see them eventually leave for brighter pastures. I believe that's where he's headed - to a pasture like that, where his work will once again be in HUGE demand! And he'll be kiling it again!

Enjoy this video!

Animal House Pottery has cooked up something for us to enjoy...

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Sat, 14 Mar 2026 15:55:00 +0000

If you know anything about my work, then you know, I love combining mediums. Sure, wood is my first love.

But I've been working with clay since the early 90s, when I experimented with tile making, to incorporate it into the furnuiture that I build. I still have a ceramic studio, and one of my current projects us making tile for the backsplash in my kitchen. (Add that to my list!)

So when I found out that Animal House Pottery was going to be exhibiting some of the students ceramic work, I headed down to City Hall to see the show.

There's no doubt City Hall is impressive. It’s easy to park, there’s a deck right across the street.

As you walk up to the building, you see larger than life sculptures of Oscar and Carolyn Goodman, our former mayors. Say what you want about them, but I think they accomplished a lot during their reign.

Security in the lobby is pretty tight, but as you walk in the doors, you can see the show displayed in the lobby. Once I told the security guard I was attending the show, she gave me a voucher for free parking, and I stepped through the metal detector to see the work.

I know… a metal detector! It's hard to believe we've gotten to this point, but considering not too long ago, we had a mass murder here, where 100 people died... it (sadly) makes sense.

The ceramic show wasn't extremely big – by my count - there were only 14 pieces. But there were quite a few that I absolutely adored.

Hopefully, I am attributing the artwork to the correct artist - my iPhone was acting up, after a new update, so many of the photos that I took were out of sequence. (Thanks, Apple!)

A piece that I absolutely loved was made by Nicholas Denson, a figurative abstract sculpture that had me staring at it for quite a while.

I took several photos, but really couldn't capture the essence of this piece. But it was stunning.

Owner of the pottery – Anthony – had (I think) one of the most impressive pieces. It was a large vessel, much larger than anything else in the show.

If you've ever thrown clay on the wheel, you know how difficult it is to accomplish something this big. That in itself was very impressive. But Anthony's piece was lovely in its own right –the shape, the markings, the texture - everything about it was gorgeous.

I very much enjoyed the details in Marianna Romero Martinez' piece - Resilient Nature.

She combined a wooden plaque with a ceramic sculpture of a heart - embellished with flowers and color. I later learned she's been working on a whole series of similar pieces - imagine how interesting it would be to see an exhibition of all of them togeher!

JuliaEstelle’s “Margiela” was another one of those that had me thinking about it as I drove home. A single large scale tentacle of (I'm assuming) an octopus was rich in detail, and deep in surface decoration and color.

Again – hard to take photos of pieces like these, but her work was great.

Another piece I very much enjoyed was Robert Hoier’s constant pots – a saggar fired plant vessel.

To be honest, when I first looked at it, it didn't seem like anything special. But I found myself returning to the pedestal where it was displayed, viewing it from all angles.

The color and texture of it was magnificent.

My favorite? Cathy Calabio’s Jupiter Vessel(s) were the ones that I'm most enjoyed.

They were sculptural in ways that challenged you to look at them from every angle possible. The glaze on these are right up my alley, and they were simply (technically) outstanding.

I spent a good long time examining them from near and far.

Bravo Cathy!

There were several whimsical pieces, including this one by Mariana Romero Martinez, and this trio of ducks by Ashley Hughes. They were clever and fun and I enjoyed their playfulness.

As I've gotten older, I've learned to appreciate whimsy in artwork. With practice, anyone can make technically good pieces. But combine that with some thought and incorporate it into the work, and it takes to piece to a whole new level.

Finally - I really liked the texture and luster of this vessel, and I'm guessing that it was raku-fired.

You don't see that spectrum of color on reduction or oxidation fired pieces. But honestly - raku is a crap shoot. Sometimes you'll get amazing colors, but often, you'll get sooty, damaged work. Raku is a whole different ballgame, so this piece is a victory.

Again - if I mis-labeled any of these photos, attributing the work to the wrong artist - I apologize. Apple really needs to get their act together with its phone updates.

The show ends in late July, and I highly recommend stopping and seeing this interesting collection! (Don't forget to ask for a voucher for parking!)

This year's Antique Arms Show round-up

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 19:02:00 +0000

It takes a lot to drag me to the Las Vegas strip, but this year's Antique Arms show at the Westgate Hotel did it. It's a once a year exhibition/sale of weapons – knives, swords, guns, rifles -all with a slant toward historical interest.

The Westgate Hotel was where Elvis Presley used to perform, so when you walk in – you are greeted by this.

Head down the hallway to the right and you'll pass the giant cup of Boba,

and then you'll see the ticket office for purchasing day passes for the show. When you enter – you're only in the first room.

It has a variety of exhibitions, with a ton of emphasis to Native American art.

The crowds were sparse, but there were a lot of people checking out the Native American artwork.

But the second room seemed like the one where most of the action was happening.

Sure, there are tons of weapons – rifles and guns, and especially knives. That's what I went there to see. The Las Vegas Knife Maker group had a huge section of tables – more about that later. But someone directed me to these engraved knives, and I was happy to be pointed in that direction.

These knives aren't just special, they are simply works of art. The engraving on these knives is beyond phenomenal, and the presenter at this booth pulled one of the knives out and showed me the details. I believe that Knife second from the left was priced at around 80 K.

I'm sure there's a word for it, but there is a little secret compartment in that handle, that displays more engraving. I didn't get a picture of it, but the fellow said the purpose of it was to give them more surface area to engrave!

I was interested in the handles that people use on knives – these are called scales.

You can see from these pictures that this is a very specialized market – considering most of this material this material is pricey and incredible.

These petrified wood pieces – book matched and dyed run around $500 a set.

Travel through the rows of tables, the exhibitors share huge amounts of information about their weapons. From the detail of the inscriptions on these knives to the historical aspect of them- these are not only works of art, but have amazing historical value.

This booth featured Civil War weapons. This five shot revolver was like nothing. I've never seen – circa 1840. It included everything you need, but I forget if this was actually a working pistol or not.

If you're a history buff, these displays will captivate you.

This pistol holds 10 rounds, and was made around 1840.

This weapon blew my mind – it was not only a pistol,

but a huge sword. Two weapons in one!

This German military rifle, circa 1650, had engraved details that are hard to fathom, considering the time period.

And this bayonet/rifle was at once awesome and scary.

That bayonet folds backwards to allow the rifle to be shot, but snaps forward for hand to hand combat.

It's not that the rifles and weapons don't interest me, but I really enjoy the display cases that some of these weapons have.

This booth displayed several rifles on some slabs of hardwood that had gone through a fire.

You can see the interior surfaces of this wood is blackened with soot and char, but the outsides are polished. It was pretty incredible.

As I made my way toward the Las Vegas Knife Maker group – I ran into my buddy Len.

He's been working with Damascus steel, and making knives with acrylic handles. His Company – Black Dog Forge – makes a variety of weapons, jewelry, and he's even started making his own leather cases,

which are outstanding!

The close-up of his Damascus knife blades are amazing.

Some of the other knife makers are shown here. This is Vince who seems to specialize in Tomahawk/Peace pipes, and swords.

He has a ton of smaller knives as well. Vince and his wife have jumped into the knife making field with both feet.

I particularly liked this young man’s knives – in fact, I bought one for my kitchen!

Connor has passion for this, and his skill belies his age. I expect amazing work from him in the future. (And I love the kitchen knife that I purchased from him!)

But here's the headmaster – my buddy Tony Immordino. (I totally spaced out and forgot to get a photo of Tony, so this is from last year's show! Duh!)

He has a forge on his property, and I believe is the founder of the Las Vegas Knife Maker group. He has hosted the Hammer-in event at his shop, featuring guest speakers who are well-respected in this field. This two day event will teach you more about Knife making than one would imagine.

You can take a class, making a knife in a day or two. Or - or just visit Tony's forge and check out the work that's going on. Obviously knives with more detail take longer, but if you are interested in learning this amazing skill – I urge you to contact him.

Here are some of the other local knife makers - each with special styles and skills.

Honestly, this is a very talented group!

I can't wait to find some time and make a knife with Tony. If you're looking to learn a new skill, and leave with a quality knife that you'll have forever - this is your place. If you're interested in taking a class with Tony, or just finding out more about the Las Vegas Knife Makers, here's a link to read more or join their Facebook group.

Every year that I attend this antique arm show I learned something new. This year was no different, and my main takeaway was that engraving is a specialty field of which I can't describe. These custom engravers are simply at the top of their game, and everyone within their community has their little niche in the market.

I can't wait for next year's show!

A cool video featuring a friend of mine!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Tue, 10 Feb 2026 04:14:00 +0000

My buddy Ken, co-owner of Legacy Woodworking, hosted ShopSabre at his shop a few weeks ago, where they filmed him at work.
Ken works with a physical therapy company, manufacturing a couple of products that they sell. It takes about two weeks to cut all the parts, assemble them, package them, and then get them sent off to the warehouse from which they will ship as orders come in.
Check this out!

Need some CNC parts cut, or a product designed and manufactured? Feel free to contact Ken and start the business of your dreams!

Happy New Year (a little late!)

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 16:53:00 +0000

Happy New Year to you! It's been a while since I've written anything here. But - don't think that I've been sitting around watching football!

Well, OK, I have been doing that, but I've also been working on a ton of small projects. Here's one that will be memorable, for a variety of reasons.

Someone approached me about making an urn for their father's ashes. And their father was a part-time woodworker, so they wanted me to incorporate one of his old pieces, a small table, into his urn.

This table top is right out of the 80s, possibly the 70s. It's plywood, with a golden oak stain and a very darkened patina to its glossy varnish.

The bottom didn't have any varnish on it, and over the years - the kids wrote on it with pen and crayons. If you zoom in here, you'll see a signature and date.

They'd asked if I could possibly incorporate the handwriting into the urn.

This plastic box is pretty standard; I've made quite a few urns and all of them have used a plastic liner box like this. Inside is a plastic bag with the actual cremains, so there is some flexibility there, in case you don't want to be bound by the size of this box.

That said - working with plywood like this was a challenge. The main case was easy enough to construct - and mitering the corners was an easy solution to hiding the plywood. The plastic liner fit inside this plywood case perfectly. Notice the pocket holes for screwing the top on this. Normally - I NEVER use pocket screws for attaching anything. But in this case - there wasn't a better way to attach the top.

So I trimmed down another piece of the top - cutting it to size and routing in a similar profile on the edge. Luckily I had router bit in my arsenal! But once I routed the edge, cutting the matching profile, the wood that was exposed was a massively different color.

Again - my bag of tricks gave me some options! These Mohawk spray stains allowed me to match the newly exposed wood to the older stain/patina. It took a few test pieces to find the right combination - golden oak with medium walnut stain layered on top of it.

The top is attached from the pocket screws, so that no joinery is exposed. And the bottom is screwed on from below, should anyone need to access the contents. Since it's being flown across the country, there's always the possibility that TSA will want to inspect it, although there is proper paperwork verifying the contents. So hopefully that won't be a problem.

And yes - I did incorporate all of the writing that was on the table top. Here's the bottom of this urn, with the handwriting on it. There is more handwriting inside the urn, as well.

I tested a small piece of this plywood, to see if I could laser some artwork onto the wood. But the 45 year old varnish on the surface created some wicked fumes. So lasering this was out of the question. Instead - the family will order a brass plaque to finish off this piece, commemorating the vital info for their dad.

As time goes on, I find myself building more and more of these urns. And I've always considered it an honor to build these pieces. I know, that might sound corny, but I love personalizing these pieces with things that are important to the families.

God Speed, Charlie!

Do you tinker? Are you an inventor? Time for the annual Design Competition with Doug Mockett

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Tue, 11 Nov 2025 17:47:00 +0000

One of my all-time favorite hardware companies is Doug Mockett; they’re located in southern California.

I've been buying specialty hardware from them since the late 1980s. (I know – I'm dating myself!)

They make some of the coolest, contemporary hardware out there - from casters and wheels, to pulls and knobs, a ton of cool hooks for hanging things around your house, grommets galore, and (I think) their specialty – wire management. If you've ever struggled with cords hanging off the back of your desk, and wanted to make that gaggle of cords look better, their cord management systems might be just for you.

I love this pop-up outlet, perfect for countertops or areas where you don't want a plug all the time.

But one thing that Doug Mockett does is hold a design contest for people to enter their inventions for possible production. If you win, you not only win a cash prize – but you get a percentage of royalties on that piece you invented. I have entered it a couple of times, and have never won. Much to my frustration!

I got an email the other day announcing contest. It's the 40th year!

I wish I was a bit more prepared, because I would enter it again!

Here are some 2024 winners

One of these winners mentioned that fact that it's free to enter, thus removing the financial barrier for students on a budget. Many instructors now use this contest as class project, encouraging design students of all specialties (furniture, architecture, fine and functional art, industrial design and more) to enter their designs.

Imagine what a thrill it would be to win something like this, while still in design school!

If you want more info about this year's competition, click here!

Woodworking Classes in Las Vegas? Hell yes!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 21:38:00 +0000

It's been entirely too long since I posted here, but it's not like I've been on a cruise, or Netflix-ing and chilling. Or sitting around watching the World Series.
Well, OK - I have been doing that... what a great series, and I'm not even much of a baseball fan!
But I've also packed in a trip back east to visit my mom for her birthday. And started two new woodworking classes.
And I've also been chatting with a few people who saw some old tool repair videos that I made years ago, helping them rebuild their Makita planer, and their Bridgewood planer. (I love talking tools!)

So like I said - I've been busy, and unfortunately- keeping up with this blog is down on the list of priorities.
But I do want to talk about woodworking classes here in Las Vegas.
The owners of Legacy Woodworking and Design have committed to offering classes at their shop. It's the perfect venue!
Their shop is well equipped; they have tools most of us dream about! Imagine having access to a wide board sander, a massive CNC, and Festool galore. It's a woodworker's dream come true!

Legacy is a full service cabinet shop... need tables for your restaurant? Or a built-in entertainment center for your home? They're your guys. They've done some incredibly complex builds that other shops turn away, because they can't wrap their heads around the plans.
Here's a link to read more about the classes, or to register:
CLASS INFO!
(Click on that link above to read more.)

A chair from a different era

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Tue, 05 Aug 2025 21:03:00 +0000

Seems like I've been doing a lot of repair and restoration work lately, and this bent willow rocking chair is a good example of one of my recent projects.

Someone called me about fixing a broken rocker on it, but without seeing it, it's hard to know how much work it's going to take. The owner of this chair said she thought the chair was from the late 1800s, but I couldn't verify that. Either way - it was beaten up, and in bad shape.

Turns out the rocker had been broken for a while, and someone had attempted a repair. The repair may have worked, if they would've just put glue in the wood and clamped it. But just putting two screws by themselves led to failure.

I said I’d do my best.

Each leg was held to the rocker with one screw, and four nails – all very rusty. I guess that's how they did it a hundred years ago!

The wood crumbled as I took out the screws.

I decided to notch the leg a little higher, for more gluing surface and an area to add an extra screw.

I took the old rockers off and traced them onto a piece of hickory, the hardest wood I could find that would match the willow decently.

Once I cut and sanded them, I shaped them a little differently, to make the area that attached to the legs a little bit wider. That way they could accommodate two screws instead of one.

After distressing and staining the new rockers, I attached them with glue and screws.

But the legs were rotted, cracked, and deteriorated, and although the owner of this chair assured me that this chair was only for decoration, I was concerned about the integrity of that joint. Here you can see the bottom of this leg that was rotted out.

I didn't know how I was going to repair the bottoms of the legs. Wood filler is too weak, and bondo seemed like overkill. But then I called a buddy who suggested five minute epoxy made by Gorilla.

I didn't realize that they make two types of the epoxy – I chose the Ultimate, because it was darker in color. The other version was clear.

Once mixed – this epoxy hardens very quickly, and is rock hard. I've used other five minute epoxy that take hours to cure, and don't really harden to my satisfaction. But this stuff was rock hard super fast.

Once the rockers were glued in place, I repaired the legs. Luckily, due to the aged nature of this rocking chair, I could leave the surfaces, a little rough and pocked.

And just like that – this rocker was back in service.

Repairing this chair taught me a few things – old wood can seriously deteriorate, and that make repairs like this much more challenging. But the second thing I learned – never underestimate a good epoxy!

Let's check out the 2025 AWFS show

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Fri, 25 Jul 2025 17:05:00 +0000

It's time for the 2025 AWFS wrap up – a woodworking convention that I've been going to for at least the past 14 years or so. They all start to blur together after a while!

For the past few years, the AWFS show has been in the West Hall of the Las Vegas convention center. Parking is pretty easy, although it gets pricier every year. I usually take a photo of where I'm parked, because it's easy to lose your car.

The registration desk is set up just inside the entrance doors. It used to be a long process to get registered, but with QR codes and pre-registration, you basically show up, show them your code, and they give you a badge.

Walking inside the hall, you greeted with a cacophony of machinery running. There's no shortage of automated equipment running, and even though I took a few videos – I couldn't get them loaded here. That's a shame, I have a couple of cool ones.

I just looked it up the square footage of this place, this hall has 600,000 square feet of exhibition space. When I tell people it's large, they think I'm exaggerating. It reminds me of an airport. Come to think of it now I'm curious how big my local airport is in comparison. OK, I take it back – I just looked it up and my local airport is MUCH bigger.

When you first walk in, you are greeted by some of the major players in this market –they must pay extra for this space with such great exposure. And their booths are huge – much larger than the smaller companies who buy a single space.

I thought the chainsaw carving was pretty cool,

they had live demonstrations, and a lot of examples of what they can accomplish.

There were a lot of people hanging around, watching these guys.

But the real reason that I attend is to see the Fresh Wood competition, a furniture making competition between high school and college kids, with a few private woodworking schools added to the mix. This work never fails to amaze me.

I took so many pictures, and was planning on posting photos of not only the work, but of the artist/maker information here too. But I had so many photos to upload it was getting out of hand.

So I've decided to only add pictures of the work this year.

This grandfather's clock with its Kumiko details was quite nice.

And I liked the lines of this cabinet featuring bentwood laminations.

This small wall cabinet was well done, and mostly unremarkable except for the door on it. This maker fashioned the door with a curve in it, acting as the handle for opening the door. A very interesting little detail.

This piece really caught my eye - a long, low cabinet with very interesting lines.

I don't believe the information sheet said what type of wood it is made of, but I believe it's either Sapele or African mahogany. Either way, this piece was fabulous. It's one of my favorite two pieces in the show.

This low chair was very nicely made,

as was this bench.

There were a lot of cabinets that were well crafted, but I always listen to my inner voice that says" less is more" when viewing some of these pieces. (Kudos to Ludwig Mies van der Rohe)

I think it's easy for newer woodworkers to go a little bit overboard, and include detail details that aren't necessary, and actually detract from their pieces. Hell, I know a lot of adults that do that too. In my opinion, the piece below is a perfect example of this.

It was quite nicely made, the door handle was handcrafted, as were the Kumiko Panels. But the doors were carved, which I felt was a little overkill. And they weren't sanded and finished as well as they might've been. I know I know, I'm being critical of a high school kid, but all those details add up in the overall judgment of this piece.

This small walnut and maple piece was quirky and fun, reminded me of something out of the Jetsons.

And here is my favorite – this Ash cabinet that is so perfectly made, and Zen that I fell in love with it.

If I had one slight critique, I would have hoped that the grain on the top drawer would have been as horizontal as the bottom drawer. Maybe I'm just splitting hairs about this, but the slope of that grain really threw my eyes off.

The door was amazing, and I do love cabinet doors!

The door "panel" was woven leather cord, in which the ends were inserted into a series of holes drilled on the inside edge of the door stiles, and rails.

There's quite a bit of work just in making that door, and I love the overall effect that it gave this piece. If I were judging this year, this would have been my top vote.

As always, the musical instrument makers really showed up. It's mind blowing that these guitars are made by high school kids.

Favorite was the one with the Lighthouse inlaid on the soundboard.

It featured a sound hole on the side, which was interesting.

But I did not understand this detail on the top, kind of where your armpit would be placed over the guitar while you're playing it. That dark area was curved, which makes sense because that's where your arm rests. But I've never seen a guitar that doesn't have crisp edges. So it makes me think that perhaps something happened while making this guitar, and this detail turned into Plan B.

I'm not throwing shade at anyone - I've had a bunch of those in my life!

This guitar was particularly cool for the detail of the sound hole

and for its bridge.

Here's another one with a wonderful mountain scene inlaid on it,

and this one with a sleeping fox. Again – kudos to their woodshop instructor. People have no idea how much work goes into building a guitar!

I don't ever remember a violin being entered in this competition, but there was one this year. I can't imagine the level of dedication. It takes to research this and figure out how to make it. I wish the maker had done a little bit better job sanding, and applying to finish.

But again – these are just kids – pretty amazing to pull something like this off.

There were a lot of various pieces that were nicely made, but not necessarily worthy of awards. This low coffee table had some wonderful details.

But this Birch plywood desk, which I believe was constructed for the woodshop classroom, was less than perfect. There were some huge gaps in the miters on the top, and the overall construction seemed more utilitarian than artistic. I suspect they had a few sheets of birch plywood, left over, and decided to task a student with building this.

Then again – some of the pieces were quite intricate, although simple. This bent lamination small side table was very nice crafted.

And this small table, listed as a coffee stand, was very simple yet had interesting lines.

There were a couple of foosball tables entered in the competition,

and I do have to admire these kids, taking on a project quite as detailed as this.

After checking out all of the furniture, I walked around the floor, meeting up with some of my favorite vendors. Had a long talk with Scott and Lana, who own Cimarron Drawer here in town. They build all of my drawers, and I love the work that they do.

Went to the Doug Mockett booth, I've been buying their hardware for at least 30 years. I take that back - when I built my first house in 1986, I used much of their hardware in my house. So I've been using their stuff for almost 40 years.

Ridiculous!

The Sawstop booth was much scaled down this year – they usually have a booth that is huge, with all of their saws on display.

One saw was "topless" to show the internal components. I guess that fits in perfectly with Las Vegas.

I always enjoy seeing these "tables" made out of boards. I don't know why, but these are very cool. One that I saw was completely fake and had drawers on the backside of it. That would be something kind of cool to pull off.

And finally – people who know me know that I'm pretty opinionated about woodworking gear. For example – while I admire Woodpeckers, a company that makes excellent quality woodworking accessories, I think they go a little overboard with some of the things they manufacture.

If you Google some of their products, you might find some satirical posts about some of their tools that are simply overpriced and lame. The "blade destroyer" post I just saw had me laughing- not at the guy who made it, but for the thought of anyone who would hang their blade up on a flimsy "clothes hanger" to store it, with the chance of it falling down and damaging the teeth on the blade.

It's as if tool manufacturers sit around thinking up silly tools that they can sell, all to make a buck. Trust me, I've bought more than a few tools like this, that I never ended up using, and have wound up at the bottom of a drawer. Or worse - in the garbage!

Which leads me to this booth – the Micro Jig company. My friends loved to mess with me, sending me micro jig Gripper advertisements, and other Gripper paraphernalia. In fact – I was given a few of these glorified push sticks to test out a few years ago.

I just don't understand why anyone would spend $70 for this device. I've been making push sticks for 45 years, never purchasing one. Push sticks are disposable items, and I imagine over the years – quite a few of these grippers have ended up in the trash, after being ruined by sawblades.

OK, I'll stop ranting now, but this booth made me laugh. Of course, they're probably laughing all the way to the bank! Lol

That's it for my wrap up of the 2025AWFS show – my overall impression was that the show was much smaller than I've ever seen, and some of my favorite tool companies were missing. It's still a great show, but it could use a boost in both suppliers and visitors.

Another collaboration!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 16:06:00 +0000

This town offers SO MANY opportunities for people who want to tap into their creative side - we have stone carvers, pottery shops, wood turners and knife makers, just to name a few of the skills one can learn here. I've had the knife-making group on my radar for a few years. In fact, I went to a knife and gun show and was blown away with the array of weapons on display. I blogged about it here, and even organized a woodworking meeting at the shop where many of them forge with fire and create magic.

One of their members reached out to me about making a box to hold a sword he'd made. This piece was outstanding - almost 30" long, with a Damascus faceted blade, and a custom carved (and inlaid!) handle.

On top of that, he'd fashioned a hand-sewn sheath for the blade with intricate tooling.

This masterpiece needs to be seen to be fully appreciated!

My task was to fashion both a display stand for this, as well as a box for storing the sword. This sword was sold to someone in the Middle East, and will be shipped soon. (Have I mentioned that I love having my work across the globe?)

I took a few measurements of the piece, but the asymmetrical blade was a challenge - so my first thought was to make a stand that was adjustable. Sliding dovetails are a perfect solution for this, and after making a cardboard model of the sword, I sketched a few designs on paper, to work out the angles that would hold the sword and sheath. This adjustable stand can be narrowed to hold shorter knives, or slid to its maximum width with to display the longer sword.

The box was more routine to build, but one thing I've learned is to treat the Maple that I use with a shellac wash, to eliminate any finishing blemishes. Maple and Cherry can turn splotchy when oiled, and I wanted to avoid that. So I thinned some shellac and applied a few coats to seal the grain.

The lid is held in place with a chain, to hold it at a proper angle and keep it from flipping backwards. And the two small supports that hold the blade have rare-earth magnets inlaid in them. The supports are covered with felt to hide the magnets and protect the blade.

I absolutely love collaborating with other artists, and I hope to make quite a few boxes for the knife-makers - their community is vibrant and diverse. Right up my alley!

Designing - from concept to reality

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Sat, 07 Jun 2025 03:48:00 +0000

Ever wonder how a design progresses from a vague concept into reality?

Sometimes it's a quick process – as I imagine most artists have designs rattling around their brain, and can rapidly turn their designs into reality.

Other times, it's painstakingly slow, with changes and reiterations happening almost daily.

I've worked with a very creatively-minded couple for the past 10 years, having built many pieces of furniture for them, as well as smaller accessories for their home. They travel the world collecting artifacts – and their eye for unique items never fails to impress me.

Years ago – they came to me with a door knocker collection, asking me for a creative way to display them. They said they'd be happy with mounting the door knockers on just a simple board, to display them.

But I took that as a challenge - and I made quarter sized doors to mount each door knocker on - here are the first two I made. They are actual working doors with a shadowbox inside of them.

Buy that final door knocker that I had to work with gave me fits!

First of all, it's heavy – and very big. This isn't the exact one I was working with, but it's very close. About 8" long, and roughly 2.5 pounds of solid copper.

I mounted this door knocker on a sample piece of wood, but its weight caused the board to topple over. So I knew making a door/shadowbox as I had before wouldn't work. The weight of this door knocker would cause the whole piece to topple.

Back to square one...

In the beginning, I worked with the idea of making a round door, because I felt that fish imagery lent itself toward curves.

As with all designers, I flooded my brain with images to stir up more inspiration. Because the door knocker is a giant fish, the design I wanted had to include some inspiration with water. So I played around with aquatic themes. I'll admit – I was struggling with this, because of the parameters I had to work with, size wise. (More about that later.)

Meanwhile, I was at another client's home a couple of weeks ago; she's creative and inspiring. I brought up this design, and that I was struggling with it. It was a classic “analysis paralysis” that I was experiencing, where too many designs decision decisions muddy the waters, making it difficult to choose just one. My friend gave me a bit of a pep-talk, as well as made me promise that I would go home and settle on one design.

Easier said than done!

Back in my studio - I had more than a few designs rattling around in my brain. But I was determined to finish this project. It's only been four years since I started this!

This pendant started me thinking about water themes.

And away I went.... down the design rabbit hole...

I searched for some door inspiration,

hoping to fit the knocker with the door.

And I'm embarrassed to say that the clients emailed me a few times, asking about the progress of this final piece. As they added more pieces to their collection in the gallery/room in their house over the years, the space that they had saved for this last door knocker shrunk.

So aside from struggling with the design, I was also limited in size. To be honest, I was ready to call them and give the knocker back.

But I kept thinking about the words from my friend, who basically said - get to work!

And that's just what I did - pulled out the sketchbook, came up with a scaled model in cardboard, then finally pulled out the block of Sapele that I'd been saving for a "special" project. A little carving, milk-paint and some lacquer and it was finished in a flash.

(Thanks for the pep talk, Heidi!)

It's the best feeling in the world to call a client and tell them their project is complete.

PS.... they received the piece today and were beyond thrilled. I'm so relieved to have this off my mind!

Who knew stamps could be so cool?

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Mon, 21 Apr 2025 06:03:00 +0000

If you're like me, you still drop letters in the mail a few times a month.

Oh don't get me wrong, I switched to online bill pay years ago. And most of my correspondence is through email. But I do like to send birthday cards, sympathy cards, and still have to pay a few odd bills that arrive in the mail.

I've learned something this month – woodworkers are definitely represented in the variety of stamps that are available through the US post office right now.

My longtime favorite stamp has been this piñata stamp, it reflects everything that I love about the Southwest.

But when I went to re-order some piñata stamps recently, I found these other excellent stamps with woodworking themes. This one featuring Shaker Design was a MUST purchase for me,

as well as this postcard stamp featuring tree leaves. Now I don't send a lot of postcards, but considering that it featured a sassafras leaf on the stamp, well – it won me over.

Some of the causes that the stamps reflect are near and dear to my heart.

Hell, I went to college on a Title IX scholarship, so I'm particularly fond of this one.

This one commemorating women cryptologists is really great!

Hell, there's something for everyone!

These two women definitely deserve some recognition!

Here's the full sheet of the Shaker Design stamp that just arrived yesterday -It's almost a shame to use the stamps. I'd rather frame it!

The most ridiculous thing I saw this year ....

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 15:43:00 +0000

The end of the year always brings up thoughts of "wrapping up" the last 12 months. Good things and bad...

Here's a great doweling tip to make up for that bit of woodworking nonsense...

click here

The joy of outsourcing...

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Wed, 09 Apr 2025 01:23:00 +0000

I wrapped up these eight dining room chairs a few weeks ago, amen for that!

The chairs were sent to the finisher for final sanding and the spraying of lacquer. Some people might feel that's "cheating" by not finishing them myself. But - to me, it makes a lot of sense to hire a professional to do what they do best!

Hector has been a finisher for years, and my friends who have used him rave about his work.

Each chair had multiple coats of sanding sealer,

followed by a few coats of clear lacquer.

Now they're headed to the upholsterer.

I can't wait to see the finished chair!

So - yes, the finishing and the upholstery was outsourced. What's that Dirty Harry line?... a man's got to know his limitations? I fully understand that I'll never be an expert at spraying lacquer, and I'll certainly never be a master upholsterer! So it's much smarter to turn to the pros for this work.

Stay tuned for final pictures soon!

Time to wrap up a few odds and ends...

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Mon, 17 Mar 2025 17:16:00 +0000

It's been a ridiculously long time since I posted anything here, but I haven't been slacking off.

From holding private one-on-one classes, to teaching at the local Woodcraft store, my feet are still firmly in the world of educating future woodworkers.

Just a few weeks ago, I helped a friend correct a few problems on this hall table that she built. Most of us understand when I say "life gets in the way" and that's what happened with this table. There were some issues that needed fixed, and she was too busy and without the proper tools.

Another past student needed help assembling the eight dining room chairs that started building years ago. When the wife put her foot down and threatened to buy eight chairs, he asked me to step in and get these done!

This was the prototype chair he built years ago,

with its leather upholstery, live edge crest rail, and a beautiful lacquer finish. These are companions to an amazing live edge dining table he built years ago.

By my count, each chair had 16 pieces,

each needing joinery cut on the ends, and once assembled, all the joints needed pegging to strengthen them.

The glue-ups weren't particularly difficult, just time consuming.

Once they started to take shape, they were loaded in a rental van.

It really never rains here, but doesn't it figure that the one day we needed to move these chairs to the finisher's shop - it was sprinkling. Murphey's Law, no doubt.

And finally - I've been working on a few wall cabinets for myself. I always push my personal projects to the back of the project list, but I had a burst of energy and built a Monkeypod cabinet that I liked so much,

I made another in Maple!

These are hung on the wall via a French cleat, and all I need to do is a little more sanding and apply a finish.

See? I have been busy!

The Antique Arms Show - I had no idea I would enjoy this so much!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Sun, 26 Jan 2025 23:40:00 +0000

If you live in Las Vegas and complain that there's nothing to do here - well, you just aren't looking in the right areas!

Although - if you ask people who live here, most will tell you it's been ages since they've visited the Strip, unless they work there, or have to go for a convention or to meet someone. It's just too damn expensive - almost every casino / resort charges you to park, and even if you just want to visit two or three casinos, it'll cost you $100 in parking fees. Hence - we locals don't go very often!

That said - every single week, there are conventions, meet-ups, gatherings, performances and so much more. Yesterday, the Westgate hosted an Antique Arms show, which featured everything under the sun concerning historical weaponry and military armor.

And even better - two friends who are knife makers had a booth at the show. So you know I had to check it out!

The show was held in two halls, not quite as massive as the main Convention Center halls we have here, but still - this venue was pretty big.

My good buddy Len has only been making knives a couple of years - he started out as a wood carver (and he's a damn good one!) but his knives are really beautiful. Some knives seem almost "too nice" to use - but Len's knives feel great in your hand, and just give off a "use me" feel to them.

He was primarily using wood for his handles, but lately has started experimenting with resin handles in all sorts of colors and cool characteristics.

Because Len started out as a carver, you can see some of his carved walking sticks in the foreground of this photo.

Len shared his booth with Tony, probably the premier local expert knife maker here. Tony is not only one of the most knowledgeable knife makers that I've ever met, but honestly - he's just an all around great guy.

He never makes you feel stupid if you ask a question, and always willing to answer anything, no matter how many times he's probably been asked it! He's been educating me on Damascus steel knives, and now of course, I want one. For cooking. It might be my next big splurge, who knows?

If you are unfamiliar with Damascus knives - you should read up on them. Fascinating stuff!

I was so distracted by all the cool things at the show (asking a million questions, too) that I didn't get a lot of photos of some of the amazing weapons at this show.

This sword that belonged to Clark Gable.

I believe the fellow who owned it said it was used in a movie that Clark filmed years ago. (Was he a swashbuckler in something? Gone with the Wind?) I don't know, I don't watch old movies... but my mom would know. She knows more about old movies than I know about woodworking!

It was engraved for Clark - imagine this - this was decades before engravers were automated... so all of the tooling on this sword was done by hand.

I couldn't believe they actually had cannons on the display floor!

Several, in fact. I can't tell you how many cool things were on display - rifles and pistols from the wild, wild west... everything from weapons from the Civil War, Revolutionary War, WWI and WWII, Vietnam and even more recent wars.

One fact that blew my mind - many of the rifles had GIANT bayonets mounted to them, and someone mentioned that during certain wars - more soldiers died from bayonet stabbings than from being shot. That's because soldiers would run out of bullets, so the bayonet was the only way to fight. That fact kind of blew my brain up - some bayonets were so long, it look like you could go through 3 people at once!

Bizarre.

Seriously - I wish I had taken photos of the rifles - there were models with dates and names carved into the butts (from the 1800's or earlier) and so many cool little details that were fascinating. Think - Billy the Kid, or Annie Oakly.

Next time, I HAVE to get better photos.

OK, on a lighter note - there were also quite a few booths dealing with Native American stuff - blankets, jewelry, trading post kinds of artwork. Moccasins, beaded work, peace pipes, very cool stuff.

Lots of cowboy boots and hats, too.

Out of everything I saw at the show - one little item caught my eye.

This fellow had a lot of oriental stuff - swords, knives, Hari-kari daggers, etc but this little box with two very small (maybe 4" long) musical instruments were fascinating.

I couldn't figure out what they were.

Can you guess?

These were a set of antique sterling silver salt and pepper shakers. Simply amazing details.

There was a very small door on the back of each one, where you could fill the shaker. And on the side of the body of the instrument were 6-8 small holes from which the salt or pepper could pour. The attention to detail was ridiculous, and I'm kicking myself for not buying them. Luckily - the man who was selling them lives close to me, so I may give him a call and pick them up.

All in all - this show was worth the trip, despite the $45 parking fee (that included a $10 valet tip) and the $20 entrance fee. I'm not even that interested in weapons, but went to support my two friends. But if you're a history buff or just interested in weaponry, this is a show you shouldn't miss!

And finally - someone with a sense of humor!

Wood in Space?!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Mon, 09 Dec 2024 00:27:00 +0000

This is one of wildest stories I've read this year!

Imagine sending a small wooden box into space and when it's time for its return, it (purposefully) burns up in the atmosphere, thus creating less pollution and potential damage to the planet. Wow!

Here's the story that caught my eye...

World's first wooden satellite, developed in Japan, heads to space

By Kantaro Komiya and Irene Wang

The world's first wooden satellite, built by Japanese researchers, was launched into space on Tuesday, in an early test of using timber in lunar and Mars exploration.

LignoSat, developed by Kyoto University and homebuilder Sumitomo Forestry, will be flown to the International Space Station on a SpaceX mission, and later released into orbit about 400 km (250 miles) above the Earth.

Named after the Latin word for "wood", the palm-sized LignoSat is tasked to demonstrate the cosmic potential of the renewable material as humans explore living in space.

"With timber, a material we can produce by ourselves, we will be able to build houses, live and work in space forever," said Takao Doi, an astronaut who has flown on the Space Shuttle and studies human space activities at Kyoto University.

With a 50-year plan of planting trees and building timber houses on the moon and Mars, Doi's team decided to develop a NASA-certified wooden satellite to prove wood is a space-grade material.

"Early 1900s airplanes were made of wood," said Kyoto University forest science professor Koji Murata. "A wooden satellite should be feasible, too.”

Wood is more durable in space than on Earth because there's no water or oxygen that would rot or inflame it, Murata added.

A wooden satellite also minimises the environmental impact at the end of its life, the researchers say.

Decommissioned satellites must re-enter the atmosphere to avoid becoming space debris. Conventional metal satellites create aluminium oxide particles during re-entry, but wooden ones would just burn up with less pollution, Doi said.

"Metal satellites might be banned in the future," Doi said. "If we can prove our first wooden satellite works, we want to pitch it to Elon Musk's SpaceX."

The researchers found that honoki, a kind of magnolia tree native in Japan and traditionally used for sword sheaths, is most suited for spacecraft, after a 10-month experiment aboard the International Space Station.

LignoSat is made of honoki, using a traditional Japanese crafts technique without screws or glue.

Once deployed, LignoSat will stay in the orbit for six months, with the electronic components onboard measuring how wood endures the extreme environment of space, where temperatures fluctuate from -100 to 100 degrees Celsius every 45 minutes as it orbits from darkness to sunlight.

LignoSat will also gauge wood's ability to reduce the impact of space radiation on semiconductors, making it useful for applications such as data centre construction, said Kenji Kariya, a manager at Sumitomo Forestry Tsukuba Research Institute.

"It may seem outdated, but wood is actually cutting-edge technology as civilisation heads to the moon and Mars," he said. "Expansion to space could invigorate the timber industry.”

Revenge of the shop nerds. - or how to trick out your shop vac!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Sat, 30 Nov 2024 19:09:00 +0000

Friends are the spice of life, right?

My buddy Rick is a designer, computer whiz, woodworker, inventor, and one of the nerdiest guys that I know. I say that with a ton of love and respect for him!

The other day, he decided to paint and trick out his shop vac, turning it into a droid. Because.... why not?

Like I said - NERD!

He has so many tools and tricks up his sleeve, but he relied mostly on his 3D printer. And his creativity.

He painted the body of the vacuum with a shellac primer, ordering a couple colors of paint from Home Depot.

To make it look like a droid, he designed some buttons and lights - here are some of the prototype parts he printed.

He even curved the backs of them, to fit on the rounded body of the vac.

He dug out some semi transparent filament for the buttons and the lights, to make it look more realistic. While he was printing the light panels, he started thinking about the arms, and designed them to hold the end of the hose. The other one will hold the bag of accessories so it’s all together. (Smart design, I love it!)

These arms have fake screws and fake wires.

Again - they are curved on the back for the round body and the yellow pipe can be a hook or hold the end of the hose.

This rendering is what it would look like, according to his design.

Hot off the press - these four button/LED plates just finished printing.

He thought of everything, including printing a bunch of multi color semi translucent buttons and lights for the droid.

This is crazy-fun!

Next - he turned his attention to the exhaust ports. Fake vents with fake screws? No problem!

Here's the vac after two coats of primer and two coats of paint. Next is the black banding around the middle

He masked off the area, and sprayed the band black.

Gluing the semi-translucent buttons and lights on the panels was a challenge. Superglue for the win! He told me this was all PETG filament for these parts, btw.

(Whatever that means!)

A real challenge was clamping everything while the glue did its magic.

Good thing he has a ton of these clamps.

He attached the feet and started applying some detail items. Clamping the robot name plate on.

He decided to do a 30mm atomic rocket ship inlay - all 3D printed, no paint. His 3D printer holds numerous spools of various colored filaments, so he can print things, integrating the colors.

Here's one of the “arms” of the robot.

Btw the text on the logo means “AIR!” In an droid font. (Who the hell knew there was a droid font?!?)

A little robotic grip to hold the bag of accessories for the arm

This is genius - he put a pool sock on the filter, so he doesn't have to constantly buy new filters. I'm totally buying some of these socks the next time I buy a new filter - I hate beating on my filter to coax a little more life out of it.

He also figured out how to make the superglue work more quickly, by using a spray activator on the glue. That meant he didn't need to use tape or clamps to hold everything.

And finally...

I'm not sure when he snuck the wiggly eyes on it, but it's a cool effect.

I constantly tell him that he should advertise, telling people about some of his services - like 3D printing. He has a big laser and a CNC - and I have used him a few times for help with some of my projects.

So - if you need a little boost for something you're working on, let me know and I'll connect you with him!

The future of reclaimed lumber?

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Mon, 18 Nov 2024 16:27:00 +0000

Seems like every week, I get an email or a call from someone asking me to build something out of reclaimed lumber. That's always dicey, as the chance for finding nails or screws in the wood is a real concern.

Finding bullets in boards is pretty common, too. Most people don't think about that, but shooters often attach targets to trees, and aim at them. So trees can be riddled with bullets, which make their way to lumber mills, which end up on your workbench. Running a board through my planer - and discovering a piece of metal embedded in it can be a nightmare. Blades are expensive, and the downtime for replacing the blades is a real concern.

My buddy Eric sent this video, and I was fascinated to see that someone has come up with a machine that will inspect a board for metal, and then remove it. After it is removed, the machine then x-rays the board to ensure there's nothing left!

How does this all get accomplished? That's even more interesting - the metal fragments are targeted with induction heat, thus charring the wood around the screw or nail. This makes it easier to pull out the metal culprit. Brilliant!

This ten-minute video is worth a look!

Finishing up the Porter Cable 690 router repair

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Fri, 08 Nov 2024 19:32:00 +0000

The router parts finally arrived - the two new bearings and a new set of brushes.

Installing the larger bearing was simple.

It slipped very nicely in place, and I re-installed the snap ring that holds it in place.

But then I turned to the armature, where the smaller bearing was to be installed.

It was a super tight fit, and I had to grease it, in order for it to slide on.

I slipped a socket over the top of it, so that even pressure was applied when I tapped it into place.

The armature fit nicely back in the body,

and this nut holds everything in place. It's a 1" nut, and I tightened it down with an impact driver, all while holding the armature on the other end with a rag.

There are a lot of sharp fan blades on the other end of the armature, so the rag is definitely needed!

Finally - I put the top cap in place, making sure that all of the wiring was pushed away from moving parts, and that nothing would bind.

Last thing to replace were the two brushes - and WOW - those were a PAIN to install. My hands are pretty small, but even so - my fingers got in the way of holding down the brush spring, all while slipping the top plastic cap in place.

Seriously - it took longer to install the two brushes than the whole time it did to replace the bearings. There must be a trick to it that I was missing.

But finally - the router was buttoned up, plugged in and working fine.

If you ever see one of these (Porter-Cable 690 series router) at a garage sale or flea market, I highly recommend that you snap it up! They are out of production and when they're gone, you'll be out of luck! Just the fact that they made two differently sized collets for it, as well as a fixed and plunge base makes this one of the most versatile routers out available.

I love repairing tools!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Tue, 29 Oct 2024 00:46:00 +0000

It's been a month since I posted anything here, but don't think I've been sitting around eating bonbons.

I've managed to squeeze in a trip back east, organized a swap meet, and now that cooler weather has arrived, jumped back on the mountain bike for some great rides.

I picked up a Porter Cable router at the swap meet.

It was one of the old reliable 690 series, which is now officially out of production. If you can find one, snap it up! They were the best router ever made, in my opinion.

But the router I bought sounded a little rough. Did it need brushes? New bearings? Both are pretty cheap, and very easy to replace.

I ordered two sets of brushes on eBay, but the bearings were a little trickier. The place where I almost always buy my tool parts had the bearings. But at over $6 for each bearing, and $12 for shipping - I decided to pass on buying them.

I've purchased bearings quite a few times from PGN Bearings online, and their prices are ridiculously inexpensive. One company quoted me $12 for a bearing (I needed several) and I bought them at PGN for around a dollar. So I knew that's where I'd be buying them. I just needed to take them out, so I could find the part number on them.

I removed the base,

and then the two screws that hold the top cap in place.

Now's a good time to pull out the old brushes. They're behind that big plastic black cap.

I was surprised to find that they were in pretty good shape. I've already ordered replacements (shoulda checked them first!) but I'll probably re-use these. They look almost new.

After the brushes are out, two more screws are removed and I was ready to pull the case apart. It's best to use a marker and draw a registration line on the top and bottom, so things go back the correct way (and easy) way.

After the two screws came out, the case popped apart (with the whack of a rubber mallet)...

and the armature was revealed. That small bearing on the top was the first bearing to remove, and although I tried to do it carefully with two flat blade screwdrivers, it wouldn't budge.

My buddy Phil, from Bison Tools, taught me that "two screwdriver" trick. I just found out a few days ago that he passed away. He was a tool repair genius, and once changed the complete set of bearings in my jointer in under an hour. Talented guys like him are rare and disappearing - RIP Phil.

Since the bearing wasn't budging, and I knew I needed a gear puller, like the one shown below.

I stopped by my mechanic's shop and borrowed his - and the bearing popped off in 3 seconds!

I needed an impact wrench to remove the nut that holds the armature and collet in place, but once it was removed, the second bearing was revealed.

It's held in place with a snap ring, so snap ring pliers are needed to get that bad boy out.

And boom - here are the two old bearings. One seemed fine, but the other had a bit of a drag on it. That was probably the culprit!

So I went to PNG's website and typed in the numbers on the bearings. I ordered two of each - they were less than $1.50 a piece, and within two hours of ordering it, I got a shipping notice. They're on the way!

It shoud be easy to install the new bearings when they arrive later this week, and (fingers crossed) this router will be running like a top in no time!

Stay tuned for the re-assembly!

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Sat, 28 Sep 2024 15:40:00 +0000

Just finishing up a Power Tool Woodworking class, and I couldn't be more proud of what this group has accomplished.

When they first joined me in the woodshop, all but one had never touched a tablesaw. Here it is, four weeks later and they've lost that "tool fear" that is so common to new students. Every single one of them performed some pretty complex techniques on the tablesaw, and all of them installed a set of brass hinges with finess and without needing band-aids!

To me, that's a win-win!

Need a Recommendation for a Day Trip?

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Tue, 17 Sep 2024 00:35:00 +0000

It's getting harder and harder to get weekly blog posts here, because there are SO many things to do here. Not just in town, but little day trips - those are the hidden gems that distract me from doing any woodworking.

Oh, don't get me wrong - there's always a project that needs completing, or emails and phone calls to return. But the weather has cooled, football season is starting up, and everyone seems to be in better moods, now that the 115 degree days are over.

My buddy Rick and I decided to head to Rachel, Nevada, about 2 hours north of Vegas, for a little day trip.

Anyone in the area knows that to get there - you'll head up the Extraterrestrial Highway, toward Area 51, the super secret military installation where just trespassing a bit too far will land you in jail. Once you're out of the city, the road is mostly empty except for scattered farms and occasional livestock. You literally can see the road stretch out before you for miles, and behind you for miles.

This cow was visible miles away, mostly because of the contrast between the scenery and its jet black body. We thought it was a black rock on the side of the road. Poor thing, it was just across the highway from the rest of its herd.

Seriously - this place is desolate.

Our destination was the Little Ale'Inn - a bar and grill/gift shop/motel. You'll see this truck off in the distance,

and when you get closer, you'll realize there's a flying saucer hanging from the tow boom.

Parking is easy,

and don't be surprised if you see several tour busses in the parking lot. It's a hot spot for anyone who loves shows like The X-Files, or Twilight Zone. It attracts a diverse and fun crowd.

You'll be greeted by some interesting visitors,

and just inside the door - the bar ceiling is littered with money. I don't know the significance of this - if anyone knows - fill me in!

Don't come for the food - the single page menu is fine, but your choices are pretty limited.

No one is driving 150 miles for a hamburger. It's the ambiance that makes this place really fun and special. Sure, it's dated, and there aren't that many tables.

But once you've ordered, it's time to check out the artwork and all the tchotchkes that feature all things ALIEN!

From posters

to blow up dolls, pillows, furries, and WAY more.

I like the wall of celebrity photos, each signed and dated from people who have visited.

Did you know that MANY movies have been filmed here at the Inn and in the vicinity? Check this out!

You can spend hours checking out the wall that features actual (?) photos and articles about aliens and spaceships

I'm a sucker for kitsch alien art, and there's no shortage of it here. Their "merch" is varied and super fun -

everything from alien hot sauces and beef jerky to shot glasses, clothing, beers

liquor,

dolls,

and more than I can even remember!

I don't know why I didn't pick up one of these certificates - you never know when you might need one!

All in all - this is a sweet day trip for any true believers, of which I am one.

If you've never ventured out to Rachel, I highly recommend it.

Interested in a woodworking class?

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Tue, 27 Aug 2024 16:55:00 +0000

I know it's been a minute, but I've been finishing up a few old things, and starting some new ones.

There's one spot left in the upcoming Powertool woodworking class that I'm teaching - it starts on Sept 6. It's a Friday afternoon class, which a lot of people request!

Meanwhile - these cooler temps have started me thinking about a fall/winter garden. I'm hosting a plant trade on September 7 - if you want to put in a winter garden, come to this event and grab some free plants!

Passing the Torch

noreply@blogger.com (Wood It Is!) — Mon, 05 Aug 2024 22:47:00 +0000

Picture this.... it's the fall of 1978, and I'm finally starting the meat of my woodworking studies in college.

Ohio University (in Athens, Ohio) in the late 70's was idyllic. Seriously, you couldn't ask for a better collegiate experience. Surrounded by rolling hills of trees, the liberal arts college was situated on a river, with much greenery... pure heaven. It was about a three hour drive from my folk's house, and a very easy drive, at that!

Almost all of my studio classes were held in Seigfred Hall - a four story tomb that was built into a hillside.

Enter from the back and you were on the ground floor. (Park there and you were sure to get a ticket!) That's where the wood shop and ceramic studios were located, as well as the sculpture and life modeling classrooms. Here are some of the ceramic kilns and the entrance to the sculpture lab.

Enter from the front of the building and you were a few floors up, an elevator ride away from the woodshop and ceramic hub.

Nearly every single week, a random artist would paint or decorate the inside of the elevator, so you never knew what it was going to look like from week to week. It was fascinating, and I suspect the inside of that elevator is inches smaller now than it was when I was there. Think of hundreds upon hundreds of layers of paint, paper mache, posters, decoupage, plaster, and more. It was a site to behold!

Seriously, this was a PERFECT art building to develop your style. You can read about it here.

Everyone has a favorite teacher, or at least a mentor who helps us along the way. I had two - both were sculptors. David Hostetler was a folk artist of international acclaim, but we knew him as an amazing spirit.

David's work is on display all over the world, and his class - Functional Sculpture as Furniture - gave me my start on making the artistic pieces that I still design and build today. Seriously - it was mind blowing.

Mike Cunningham was a metal sculptor. It's funny, his family owned a very popular music store in town, where you could buy everything from a piano or guitar, to sheet music and violin strings. It was THE music hub in town, and all the years that I studied with Mike, I never knew his family owned it. He didn't want to wind up as the owner of a music store, and he told me that that was a big disappointment for his parents when he didn't take it over. I could relate on some level - my folks owned a restaurant and I knew that I never wanted to permanently end up in the restaurant business. Kindred souls, Mike and I were.

Mike took me under his wing around that time - and of the best things he taught me was about Fine Woodworking Magazine. This magazine was first published in Winter of 1975,

so I was a few years late to the party. But - despite being a poor college student, I managed to buy all of the back issues, and subscribe to it. And ... considering I'm still a subscriber - that's almost 50 years of devotion.

This isn't an understatement - this magazine did as much to influence my work and teach me things that I didn't have access to back at Ohio University, as any college professor did.

Years later - I would meet some of my idols that I'd read about in the magazine - like Tage Frid,

or Roseann Somerson, or Wendy Maruyama, and many more. Unfortunately - I missed my opportunity to meet James Krenov, Wendall Castle and Gary Knox Bennett... but I felt like I "knew" them from reading their numerous articles in the magazine.

Fine Woodworking taught me about using Watco Danish Oil - a finish I still use to this day. And taught me tablesaw techniques like cutting box joints, or how to make a 5 panel door. I swore - if I ever was on Naked and Afraid - all I would need is a tablesaw and I could survive anything.

All of this is to say - I hit a crossroad in my life last week.

Someone approached me about acquiring my nearly 50 year collection of Fine Woodworking magazine, and after much soul searching - I agreed. Honestly - the magazines took up almost nine-feet of space in one of my bookcases. And since I'm not teaching as much as I used to - I just don't need access to all of those articles. Plus - everything is available in different forms nowadays - both on disc and online. No need to keep nearly 200 pounds of magazines anymore!

So I packed them up in my truck, and handed them to an upcoming woodworker. She's already texted me that she's losing herself in each issue. I can still feel the thrill of reading about angled tenons or tapered dovetails, or bending wood, or... the list goes on and on.

So thanks Taunton Press - for all the years of education and entertainment. I'm not going anywhere. I'm just passing the torch to some new blood.