Did you kick off 2011 with any resolutions? Initially I didn’t think I would, since they never seem to stick. But, I’m going to adopt one after all: Keep it simple, and do it well.
Posts Tagged ‘Dovetails’
Simple Things Done Well
January 19th, 2011 by Chris Marshall1 Comment »
What’s New in the August Issue
June 28th, 2010 by Chris Marshall4 Comments »
We publishing folks live and die by the “master calendar,” and according to ours here at Woodworker’s Journal, the August print issue is off the press and in the mail. You should be receiving your copy any day now. So, in between cutting the grass, angling for bass or getting those summer woodworking projects going, be sure to give your new magazine a close look. It’s chock-full of summer sizzlers you won’t want to miss:
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.
Getting it Done in ’10
January 1st, 2010 by Chris Marshall3 Comments »
Ah, resolutions…
Depending on how you look at them, they could be the best or worst part of flipping the calendar to January.
Here are my plans for 2010: instead of vowing to drop 20 pounds or remodel my basement—both of which are equally unlikely—I’ve made a couple of woodworking-related resolutions this year. The first one should be easy to pull off:
1. I’m gonna tame my tangled mess of air compressor hose.
Sounds ridiculously easy, doesn’t it? Right now, it lays on the floor in a pile where it gets in my way, because the hose has a memory to it and doesn’t coil up easily. I kick it around and shove it here and there, but I need a better solution. Retractable? Maybe hung from the ceiling? This year I’m going to figure something out. (Advice anyone?)
Holiday Countdown Has Begun
November 13th, 2009 by Chris Marshall3 Comments »
Holiday projects are prime time for brushing up on some skills while churning out the seasonal cheer.
It’s official. Halloween is behind us and crops are coming out of the fields. Home Depot has the artificial Christmas tree display up right now, so the harbingers are all around us: December holiday season is right around the corner.
You know where I’m gonna take this, don’t you?
In Defense of An Old Friend
October 19th, 2009 by Chris Marshall1 Comment »
Sometimes the first tool you reach for is a personal favorite. One of mine is Porter-Cable's 690 fixed-base router.
Lately I’ve been churning out a lot of router dovetails, and that, of course, means choosing a router. I’ll be honest with you: I’ve got several different routers on the shelf. But what did I reach for first? My good old Porter-Cable 690LRVS with a fixed base.
And that got me thinking about favorite tools.
Now, you’ll notice that Porter-Cable isn’t sponsoring this blog post. They don’t even know I’m writing it. It was just me, alone in the shop as usual on a Monday morning, and the thought process was about this simple: “Gotta rout dovetails this week…need a router…grab the 690.” My gut drove the decision.
Dovetail Confessions
August 10th, 2009 by Chris MarshallLeave A Comment »
Okay, true confession time: I’ve never cut dovetails by hand. There, I said it.
It’s probably not a big thing to admit, really … lots of us woodworkers don’t cut and chop pins and tails the “old school” way. Sure, I can steer my router through a dovetailing jig with the best of them, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But for me, a woodworking editor for gosh sakes, I feel like I’m admitting some deep, dark secret. I’m supposed to know this stuff to be a card-carrying shop writer, right?
Well, wrong.
It’s just that cutting dovetails by hand is one of those “I’d really like to learn that and someday I’ve gotta get to it” kinda things. Who doesn’t want to make sweet-looking dovetails in any shape or configuration you please? A well-made dovetail joint separates a darn-good drawer from one you want to carry around and show off, like a picture of your kids. And, when you can stand back and say that you did the job without ever reaching for a guide bushing or spending three hours dialing in the bit depth…well, you’ve arrived, right? At least that’s what that little voice inside my head tells me.
Tools Don’t Replace Talent or Time
August 5th, 2009 by Chris MarshallLeave A Comment »
One of perks of being Woodworker’s Journal’s “field” editor is that, every now and then, I actually get out into the field. Sometimes I’m headed to trade shows, but the trips I enjoy even more involve getting together with other woodworkers to see how they do things. In addition to meeting some really fine people and taking care of a photoshoot, I often learn a thing or two about myself in the process.
Case in point: A while back I had the pleasure of spending a couple days in the shop of a world-class woodworker. Since he’s not the sort of guy who would probably want the attention, I won’t name names. But, he’s truly a master of the Shaker and Queen Anne traditions. Over decades of woodworking, he’s built numerous juried pieces, taught classes extensively and has written many books about woodworking and craftsmanship. But, in spite of that resume, he’s a humble, unassuming guy. Here’s the sort of fellow who speaks only when he has something thoughtful to say. He’s salt of the earth and gracious, through and through.
And boy oh boy, can he build furniture…
