Pocket screws sure make face frame construction easy, don’t you think? But, there’s one hitch in their getalong for me: clamping up the joints before driving the screws. Since I don’t use pocket screws day in and day out, and for lack of a quick and better solution, I still grab those locking pliers with the disk-shaped heads to hold my joints tight. Sometimes they work as advertised, sometimes they don’t. The longer the joint parts, the harder it is to wrangle them with those clamps.
Archive for March, 2010
Pock-It Hole Clamps: Better Clearance, Clarence
March 26th, 2010 by Chris Marshall5 Comments »
Table Saw Injury Lawsuit
March 22nd, 2010 by Rob Johnstone36 Comments »
There has been copious amounts of virtual ink (and probably more than a little actual ink) used to discuss the recent settlement awarding $1.5 million to a Massachusetts woodworker who injured his fingers using a table saw.
I’m left thinking that Chris Marshall’s post, A Darker Side to Loaning Tools, was eerily prescient considering it was written almost three months before the court decision was rendered, and (as far as I know) completely unaware of the lawsuit. It almost begs the question, does this decision mean that there’s a darker side to SELLING tools?
So what do you think? Was this decision a good one for woodworking? Was justice done? Bad decision? Good decision? And more importantly, where could this decision lead us?
Rob Johnstone
Editor in Chief
Tile Topped Wine Cabinet
March 22nd, 2010 by Matt Becker2 Comments »
While we get quite a few wine cabinet submissions (and all of them are great, mind you), this one stuck out with its two-toned color scheme and marble tile top.
My wine cabinet, built with pine frame, panel sides, glass doors and marble tile top.
Tony LoRusso
Click here to send in some projects of your own!
Matt Becker
Content Coordinator
Challenging My Own Claim
March 19th, 2010 by Chris Marshall4 Comments »
A few weekends ago, I ended up proving a point to myself without really setting out to do it. I needed to make a couple of boxes, and I wanted a quick but elegant solution for joining the corners together.
As it turns out, I’ve been a little delinquent lately in getting my tool test tools returned to their proper owners. It’s been pretty busy here in the shop since Christmas, and those shipping tasks keep getting pushed further down my to-do list. So, I still have the Keller 1601 Pro Series Dovetail Jigs here from our December ’09 dovetail jig review. My bad, but actually, a good coincidence.
Workbench Storage Cabinet
March 15th, 2010 by Matt BeckerLeave A Comment »
Reader Bill Roberts sent in some photos of this great workbench and storage cabinet.
This is a workbench and storage cabinet I made for my brother. It was made out of pieces of lumber left over from a cabinet shop that went out of business. It has red oak and maple doors & drawer fronts,the top is out of a luann interior door. I cut the panels off and sandwiched them over cork sheets. The case, dividers, and drawers are made out of plywood.
- Bill Roberts
We’re always looking for more projects submissions, so click here to send them in!
Matt Becker
Content Coordinator
Ah, Those Tools We Love
March 12th, 2010 by Chris Marshall3 Comments »
Normally, I’m not one for chain emails. I generally delete them about as fast as they hit my inbox. But recently one of our readers forwarded the following email about tools that just caught my attention. It sure gave me a good laugh, because, well, truth is pretty funny sometimes. See if you agree:
BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used to cut good wood into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside.
DRILL PRESS: A tall machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beverage across the room, denting the freshly-painted project that you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.
WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off of bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “Oh, crap!”
CIRCULAR 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.
BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-ups 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.
LOCKING PLIERS: Generally used after regular 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.
TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool that can 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.
PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids; can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.
STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.
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.
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 to the object we are trying to hit.
UTILITY 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. Also cuts fingers.
There you have it—life with tools. We sure can’t live without them … and sometimes not even with them!
Catch you in the shop,
Chris Marshall, Field Editor
Chest of Drawers
March 8th, 2010 by Matt BeckerLeave A Comment »
This reader’s project submission comes all the way from the Mediterranean (unless there’s a town called Cyprus I’m not aware of…):
This is a double length chest of draws made for a customer with a turned bowl and spoon thrown in as a gift as I do on most of my projects. The chest is made of Swedish pine to match existing bedroom furnishings.
Peter Grice, Cyprus
If you’ve got a project you’d like to share, click here to send it in. You never know, it could be our next blog post!
Matt Becker
Content Coordinator
Rollin, Rollin, Rollin…
March 5th, 2010 by Chris Marshall11 Comments »
I just wrapped up a project made from almost five sheets of plywood. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of surface area to cover with finish. And, here in the North Country, we’re still in the “deep freeze,” so all of my shop windows and doors are closed up tight. Good ventilation was going to be a challenge during finishing. I also needed to complete the entire finishing process in the shop, which definitely isn’t a “clean room” situation. It’s dusty, especially with the furnace running. So, I knew I’d need a fast-drying finish, too. At least that would help cut down on the magnetic effect that wet finish seems to have on dust and grit.
Funny Bench Cookies Contest Entry
March 1st, 2010 by Matt BeckerLeave A Comment »
Recently, Rockler and LumberJocks teamed up and put together a contest for creative uses for Bench Cookies (details here).
While I’m sure there are some great entries out there, the one submitted by DonW just begs to be the next viral hit (at least among woodworkers). Make sure you check it out by clicking here.
Matt Becker
Content Coordinator
