He asked me what I’d recommend for a patio piece he was creating as he was aware that yellow glue is not waterproof and deteriorates when exposed to weather. My answer was Gorilla Glue.

I cautioned him on the way this glue performs in that it expands rather profusely. Used properly, it is a terrific product. If you don’t know how to use it – your project could be ruined. Well, one thing led to another and my explanation only provoked more questions from him, so I decided to make a short demonstration flick and post it on the website – maybe it will help others keep from ruining a project.

If you have never used Gorilla Glue and have need for a strong, waterproof adhesive, watch this short video and save yourself a ton of aggrevation!

Part of the fun of being online is being able to share and communicate with people who we might not hear from as often were it not for this medium.  Today I received the following from a friend and thought I would share it with you.  I know – I  know… we all get these well-worn joke emails, but this one is special.  I promise that if this doesn’t give you a chuckle… I will refund your money!

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, splattering it against that freshly-stained heirloom piece you were drying.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned guitar calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “YEOWW SHIT….”

ELECTRIC HAND DRILL: Normally used for spinning pop rivets in their holes until you die of old age.

SKIL SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters. The most often tool used by all women.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future becomes.

VISE-GRIPS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads if nothing else is available, they can also be used to Transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

WELDING GLOVES: Heavy duty leather gloves used to prolong the conduction of intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub you want the bearing race out of.

WHITWORTH SOCKETS: Once used for working on older British cars and motorcycles, they are now used mainly for impersonating that 9/16 or 1/2 inch socket you’ve been searching for the last 45 minutes.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

EIGHT-FOOT LONG YELLOW PINE 2X4: Used for levering an automobile upward off of a trapped hydraulic jack handle.

TWEEZERS: A tool for removing wood splinters and wire wheel wires.

E-Z OUT BOLT AND STUD EXTRACTOR: A tool ten times harder than any known drill bit that snaps neatly off in bolt holes thereby ending any possible future use.

RADIAL ARM SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to scare neophytes into choosing another line of work.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

CRAFTSMAN 1/2 x 24-INCH SCREWDRIVER: A very large pry bar that inexplicably has an accurately machined screwdriver tip on the end opposite the handle.

AVIATION METAL SNIPS: See hacksaw

TROUBLE LIGHT: The home mechanic’s own tanning booth. Sometimes called a drop light, it is a good source of vitamin D, “the sunshine vitamin,” which is not otherwise found under cars at night. Health benefits aside, its main purpose is to consume 40-watt light bulbs at about the same rate that 105mm howitzer shells might be used during, say, the first few hours of the Battle of the Bulge. More often dark than light, its name is somewhat misleading.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids and for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads. Women excel at using this tool.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws.

AIR COMPRESSOR: A machine that takes energy produced in a coal-burning  power plant 200 miles away and transforms it into compressed air that travels by hose to a Chicago Pneumatic impact wrench that grips rusty bolts which were last over tightened 30 years ago by someone at Ford, and instantly rounds off their heads. Also used to quickly snap off lug nuts.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit. Women primarily use it to make gaping holes in walls when hanging pictures.

MECHANIC’S KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use. DAMMIT TOOL: Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling “DAMMIT” at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.

Now you know

“With so many joints in woodworking, its sometimes difficult to know where to begin. But there is one joint that stands out in my mind as the first joint every woodworker should learn: the mortise and tenon”… view the movie online here.

Enjoy!

Festool is famous for re-inventing a number of old-faithful tools in recent years. The plunge-style circular saw with guide track, and high-end cordless drills that accept three different heads. Such cutting-edge (no pun intended) engineering comes at a premium, so these tools are pricey.  However, Festool’s latest innovation, the Domino Joiner is a very neat product for every woodworker.  Read more…

I have been making some significant progress with the new website. I have added information on popular mortising machines and tenon cutters for log and rustic furniture making.  As you probably know, mortising machines fall into two categories, those that drill round or square holes.  The round holes don’t require much explanation, but drilling a square hole needs special tools and knowledge.  As time goes on we will have detailed diagrams and videos to help the novice woodworker master this task.  But for now, you can check out a few mortising machines here.

Along the same lines, I’ve also uploaded some information about the most popular tenon cutters, which you can see here.

Overall, I am pleased with the progress and I appreciate your patience. My goal with this website is to offer  information that has value and not just a place to peddle a few tools. If there is something specific you would like to see included, please don’t hesitate to let me know.

Well, I guess it is about time to push back from this screen and go get ready to welcome 2007.  Oh yeah, before I forget…

Happy New Year!

There must be thousands of woodworking sites out there and many are places I frequent often. However the problem with most is that they try to be all things to all people of all experience levels. The keyword here is FOCUS.  I concentrate on one area, mortise and tenon joinery. Thank you for visiting and please don’t be shy about asking a question or posting your comments.  Enjoy!