This may be the most complicated woodworking project we’ve ever seen — but man, is it cool. (Just make sure you’re standing back when some of those secret compartments open!)
http://www.youtube.com/embed/MKikHxKeodA?feature=player_embedded
Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category
WJ Reader Ideas Needed: Raise the Bar (By Adding Some Wood!)
April 8th, 2013 by Joanna TakesLeave A Comment »
Among woodworkers, there are some projects that are “classics” — whether the woodworker in question has built them or just has them on a mental “someday” list. Sometimes, it seems as if nearly everyone has built, or wants to build, a guitar, a wooden boat … or a bar for the basement.
If that woodworker was participatin
g in the “Raising the Bar” program of George Dickel’s Tennessee Whiskey, they’d be building a pretty fancy bar. It might, for example, include using whiskey barrels for barstools — or even the front end of a classic car for the bar front. Those are just a couple of examples from the real-life teams competing in this event, which is now a film series on Hulu .
Team bar-building? Competition? Yep, and there’s a chance for Woodworker’s Journal readers to get in on the action, too. Tell us your ideas for what to add to this bar to make it cooler — anything from specific types of glasses to specific types of stools — and, if your idea is chosen as the winner, you could see your idea come to reality. (Here’s a thought from your editors: since you’re Woodworker’s Journal readers, we’d suggest something made out of wood.)
Further details? OK. First, the backstory. Whiskey company George Dickel’s slogan is “Handmade the 
Hard Way.” It refers to their 25 employees personally overseeing every step of the distillation process. To promote that slogan, they partnered with the producers of such TV shows as “Deadliest Catch” and “Storage Wars” to film six teams of real-life craftsmen — woodworkers, metalworkers and more — building bars at the 2012 American Royal World Series of BBQ in Kansas City, Missouri. Each team had just eight hours to build what they thought would be an impressive bar. “Most of my projects take exponentially longer,” said Kansas City woodworker Kirk Brown. “You can’t make anything really well, really fast, just like you can’t make whiskey real fast.”
Some teams went in with design ideas; some didn’t. They had access to some handheld power tools — like a circular saw, jigsaw, planer and battery-powered drills — and they brought some of their own tools. “I brought a hand plane,” Kansas City woodworker Kirk Brown said, “and thank goodness, because we ended up using it when we plowed over the cord of the power planer.”
Afterward, producer Thom Beers’ Original Productions company turned each of these builds into a video for the Hulu series. And public relations company Taylor Strategy assigned each of these teams to a partner publication — randomly, you will notice. Which is perhaps why the assigned “Woodworker’s Journal” team is one that incorporated no wood into their build, except the stand for metalworker Kyle Moody’s anvil. (Not that we’re bitter.)
Moving on. Each partner is soliciting ideas from our own team — that’s you, Woodworker’s Journal readers — for additions that will “raise the bar” further for our assigned bar. Examples? Replacing the glass in a traditional shot glass with redwood (a shot wood?). Or adding rockers to the bar stools. Or … ? We’re waiting for your ideas, which will be submitted to Taylor Strategy on Monday, April 15
. They’ll be judged on a) originality and creativity; b) representation of true American craftsmanship; and c) the “cool-ness” factor: something you’d want to show off to your friends.
Whatever’s picked as the winning “Raising the Bar” item will actually be made, in a set of eight. If it’s a Woodworker’s Journal team item that wins, they’ll send us the eight items — but we’ll share with our readers. We promise.
So, watch the video of “our” bar (and the other ones, too, if you’d like — some of them incorporate wood) and send us your ideas for additions. You can share in the comments to this blog post, on our Woodworker’s Journal Facebook page, or by emailing us at editor@woodworkersjournal.com. Let’s “raise the bar” on (woodworking’s) creativity!
Memories of George
May 1st, 2012 by Sandor NagyszalanczyLeave A Comment »
I was reorganizing some paperwork the other day, when I ran across a file that contained letters, manuscripts and notes from master wood finisher George Frank. I worked with George when I was an editor at Fine Woodworking magazine. I was originally assigned to work with George because he and I were both Hungarians and so could converse in our native tongue. Over the years, George became not only a treasured colleague of mine, but I also kind of became his adoped grandson; he had no male children of his own. George passed away nearly 15 years ago, at the ripe old age of 94.
March/April 2012 Issue Preview
March 5th, 2012 by Matt BeckerLeave A Comment »
Rob Johnstone gives you a sneak peek at the March/April 2012 issue, which you’ll find on newsstands soon, including the following:
Downdraft Sanding Cart
Working from a series of mock-ups and prototypes, the Woodworker’s Journal staff has designed one of the handiest build-your-own downdraft tables you’ll find, with features to hold your wood steady and, of course, confine the dust.
Stickley Hall Table
A particularly stunning piece of wood and some simple pocket-hole joinery combine to create a classically Arts and Crafts styled table (which knocks down for transport).
Simple Knife Block
Done totally on the table saw, this weekend project will provide you with handy homemade kitchen storage.
Tool Review: 1/4″-Sheet Sanders
Sandor Nagyszalanczy takes palm sanders in hand to review what’s out there on the basis of factors like power and sanding performance, ergonomics and ease of paper change, plus dust collection.
Today’s Shop: Benchtop Router Tables
Benchtop router tables have grown up: Chris Marshall takes you through the features that put today’s tables on an even playing field with the big boys.
Rust-Oleum Gives Woodworker’s Journal Sneak Peek
November 14th, 2011 by Chris Marshall2 Comments »
If you’re one of those dyed-in-the-wool loyalists when it comes to the types and brands of finish you use, it might seem like there’s not much new that could (or should) be put into a can these days.
But if it seems like there isn’t much new “under the sun” when it comes to stain and varnish, sometimes all it takes is a new player in the market with some fresh ideas.
AWFS Tool Show: WJ as Official Blog Partner
July 25th, 2011 by Joanna TakesLeave A Comment »
If it’s summer in the woodworking world, it must be time for tool shows! Last week, your intrepid Woodworker’s Journal editors were off to AWFS (the Association of Woodworking and Furnishings Suppliers) 2011 show in Vegas — for which we were the official blog partner!
Click on over to AWFSBLOG.com for new tool insights and other news from the show, with videos that make you feel like you were there along with us!
And the Winner Is …
July 5th, 2011 by Joanna TakesLeave A Comment »
Thank you to all who participated in our June Father’s Day Giveaway here on the Woodworker’s Journal Blog. The woodworker who won the one-year subscription to the print Woodworker’s Journal was Rich, who left the comment
“I love the moment when I realize that the pile of parts and pieces I have so diligently been working on have come together as something that was only seen in my mind’s eye.”
We agree, that’s a pretty cool part of woodworking – and so were all the other great aspects you shared of what you like most about woodworking.
Making Sawdust: The Weird Way
June 29th, 2011 by Tim Knight1 Comment »
It all started with a cry for help.
Early last year, I read an interesting entry on a foresters’ forum. A reader explained that she was given a wooden chainsaw-carved bear by her father. A few days after she received, it she noticed that it was growing “hair.” Lauren wrote, “I noticed some things growing out of the sides of the bear that look like little white strings, about 2 inches long. I got a broom and brushed them off, and within 2 hours of me brushing them off, they had already started to grow back!” She had no idea what was happening with her new gift, and most of the good folks who replied didn’t either. Most of them guessed it was fungus of some sort. They were close, but it was far too early to call it a fungus. Confused yet? (more…)
Father’s Day Giveaway From WJ!
June 17th, 2011 by Joanna Takes69 Comments »
We’re taking a little break from our regular routine here at the Woodworker’s Journal Blog to shake things up a bit. We’re adding some great new authors to the blog, bloggers who’ll be enlightening you on a regular basis about topics like wood finishing, wood species and wood, well, in general.
If you’re a reader of the Woodworker’s Journal print magazine, you’ll likely recognize the names of our newest blog contributors: finishing expert Michael Dresdner, silviculturist (that’s a tree scientist) Tim Knight, and woodworking and tool expert Sandor Nagyszalanczy. 
If you’re not a reader of the print issue — well, you’ve got a great chance to check it out! One commenter on this blog post will win a free one-year subscription to Woodworker’s Journal. (Don’t worry, current subscribers: if you’re picked as the winner, you’ll get a free year added to your current subscription.)
So, while our Father’s Day offering is not a cheesy card implying that you, your dad, your brother, or anybody else you might happen to know would be likely to nail your thumbs together in the shop, we still hope you’ll appreciate our effort to celebrate the big day all the same. (And if you’re the wrong gender to be a father; that’s A-OK with us. Hey, you had a father somewhere along the line, right? It’s all good.)
How do you qualify to win this giveaway? It’s so simple! Just leave a comment on this blog post, telling us your favorite part of woodworking. If you haven’t posted on our blog before, you’ll be asked to enter your email — which won’t be published, but will be how we’ll contact you if you’re the winner. We’ll use a random number generator to choose the winning comment after the giveaway closes at midnight Central Daylight Time on June 29. We’ll contact the winner by email, and they’ll have 72 hours to respond, or another winner will be selected. We’ll let everybody know who won in another post on this blog.
You can keep coming back here to check us out, or you can sign up to receive blog entries by email or RSS feed by clicking here. We’re a friendly bunch here at the Woodworker’s Journal Blog — editor in chief Rob Johnstone shares tales like how a simple idea to plant some spring seedlings led to him building a full-fledged garden cart; field editor Chris Marshall has shared more than once about his super-popular miter saw station; and we even showcase projects readers like you have built, like this nifty apothecary cabinet. Sometimes, our staff does things like participate in a Guitars for Vets guitar build, and we share that experience here, too. All of that, plus our new regular blog columnists, add up to some great woodworking reading.
Whether you win this giveaway or not, we hope to see you around!
Laguna Tools Starts New Relationship With Rockler
January 11th, 2011 by Joanna Takes2 Comments »
Today’s announcement from Laguna Tools and Rockler Woodworking and Hardware joins the two family-run woodworking companies into a new relationship.
— both in-store and online.
Starting later this month, woodworkers will be able to purchase products like Laguna’s 14-, 16- and 18-inch band saws, 2 and 3hp cyclone dust collectors, hybrid cabinet saw and 3hp cast-iron top cabinet saw while they’re shopping for the hardware and other woodworking supplies sold through Rockler. Ann Rockler Jackson, CEO of Rockler Companies, and Catherine Helshoj, vice president of Laguna Tools, have indicated that additional products will follow throughout the year.
Both women also cited similar commitments to quality, customer service and innovation between the two companies, which have a combined 81-year history. “We are thrilled to offer the legendary quality of Laguna power tools to our woodworking customers, and to help Laguna expand their presence across the country,” said Rockler Jackson, while Helshoj’s statement was, “We’re very selective about our business alliances, and we’re proud to be affiliated with such an outstanding organization.”
Those of us here at Woodworker’s Journal are pleased to share this information with our readers. This is good news for woodworkers and good news for our industry.
