Backyard Bonanza!

This afternoon, I’m visiting a local slab lumber vendor I found on Facebook Marketplace. I’m in search of a thick chuck I can flatten using Rockler’s new Full-Size Slab Flattening Jig. I’ll also be trying out a carbide-insert router bit and some new slab hold-down clamps. I’m excited to try these products and will report my findings in a future video.

Where I live in rural Virginia, there are plenty of folks “off the beaten path” who have portable sawmills and cut and dry slabs. So I bet I’ll find something unique and economical that didn’t have to travel far to end up in my shop.

I’m impressed by those who turn local logs into lumber, especially when the trees might otherwise have ended up becoming firewood or worse, landfill refuse. In our new June issue, we feature a small Minnesota business called Storm Trees that produces lumber from fallen trees and sells it to the public. If you live in the Twin Cities area, why not give them a visit next time you’re in the market for project lumber? You might find some incredible boards and help reduce waste at the same time. Sounds like a win-win to me!

Chris Marshall, Woodworker’s Journal

Extend Your Router’s Repertoire

A handheld router can cut perfect circles or ellipses, trim various protrusions flush and mill signs handily when paired with a selection of jigs, bases and templates.

Rockler Thin Rip Tablesaw Jig

Rockler’s handy jig helps you cut thin strips of wood for a variety of uses safely and accurately.

Crokinole Gameboard

Do you love table games? Here’s a Canadian favorite you can make with a circle-cutting jig and a router. It’s a quality gameboard that’s both easy to build and lots of fun to play!

Folding Adirondack Chair

While it shares the same relaxed styling of other Adirondacks, this chair does one thing most others don’t: it folds up.

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