Woodwork: Modern Machinery or Hand Tools?

Is it better, somehow, for diy woodworkers to use hand tools or modern machinery?

Seemingly there is a controversy around this topic. Some artisans believe that hand made projects are the scope of a true woodworker and that is it somehow "cheating" or less good to accomplish projects using machinery. They point to the woodworkers of yore who created amazing works of art by hand.

On the other hand, other woodworkers point out that the woodworkers of olden days were using the most modern tools available to them at the time, so today's woodworker is justified in doing the same.

There's quite a discussion about this topic here and there on the Net.

In the meantime, the link below goes to a good video. It's the first in a series of three that shows a woodworker making an oak blanket chest. Take note of the discussion underneath the video

http://worldtouristdestination.com/lifestyle/woodworking-howto-oak-blanket-chest-part-1-of-3/94416/

DIY Woodworking Requires Good Woodworking Plans

Some woodworkers know how to draw their own woodworking plans.  Others, especially the less experienced, prefer to start out with a good set of plans that someone else has used successfully.

  If you are new to woodworking and enthusiastic about learning this wonderful craft, then you need to know that it is not as easy as falling off a log.

  Sure, it looks easy when experienced woodworkers do it.  Let's be honest here. Anything looks easy once you know how – and the pros that you see turning out wonderful items have usually acquired years of experience under their belt.

  For the rest of us, there are skills to be learned, and undoubtedly there are mistakes to be made before you become skilled at what you are doing.

  It's fun, though, and well worth the effort.  The learning curve does tend to be a smaller one, though, if you have some help and guidance along the way.

  If you're not lucky enough to have an accomplished woodworker in your family or in your circle of friends, do not despair. You can still find the help you need on the Internet.

Woodworking Resources on the Net
 
The Internet is a wealth of information.  You can find plans, blueprints, how to's, videos and forums where people ask questions and get answers. Nobody is suggesting it's as good as having a professional woodworker standing by your side and mentoring you at every step – but who knows, perhaps that would get tiresome after awhile anyway.

  When you decide to use plans or blueprints that you have found on the Internet, it is important to find a source that is reliable and trustworthy. The Internet has much to offer – but not all of it is valuable. Some plans and information that you find will be useless at best and at worst will lead you to wasting time and money on poorly created plans.

  Another consideration is the complexity of the plans. Some otherwise good plans are created for the experienced woodworkers.  The projects are fine – but the instructions may be unsuitable for beginners.  These plans tend to assume that anyone reading them is experienced enough to figure out the steps that are missing.

  You will learn the woodworking craft at a much faster pace, and have more fun doing it, if you work with tested plans that are complete and suitable for newcomers.

  Woodworking Magazines

Another approach is to use a woodworking magazine. Many are available on the newsstands or you can subscribe to them. For the most part, the DIY info that you find in woodwork magazines is accurate and simple to use. You are likely to be satisfied with your project if you follow the instructions fully.  The down side to using a magazine is that subscribing is likely to be more costly than using plans you find online, and some issues may not contain projects that interest you.

  The other disadvantage to finding plans in woodworking magazines is that you are less likely to find the sort of plan you want. If, for example, you want to make a rocking horse, you may not find such a plan in your magazine – but you are quite likely to find rocking horse plans on the Net.

  Using Hand Tools Safely

If you are a beginner, you must also remember that it is advisable to begin with simple projects that can be done with hand tools.  If you are new, you probably do not want to run out and buy power tools for your first effort.

 
You must also learn how to handle your hand tools and how to use them safely. Once you have mastered the use of hand tools, you can then move on to using heavier tools.  But do be sure to learn and follow all safety practices before you advance to the power toys.

  Search around the Net and look for plans that are reliable. Undoubtedly you will find good resources for newbies to the woodworking craft, as well as sites selling and explaining the use of various hand tools.

  If you start now, a few short years from now you might well be creating woodwork projects that will be treasured additions to your home.

Picking the Best Wood for your Woodwork Projects

Any woodwork project involves woodworking supplies, which includes of course your tools and the wood you will use.

Choosing the wood you want to use for your project is a key component to ending up with a project that pleases you.  Deciding on the best wood prior to beginning the project is also likely to save you time, money and frustration.

If you have a set of plans, it should include a materials list.  If you are going to wing it by designing your own plans, then you will create your own materials list, which includes the wood you will use.

When deciding on your project, you will need to decide first between hard wood or softwood. Softwood is the wood from conifers. It includes most evergreen trees, other than larch and bald cyprus.  Hardwood is a term used to describe angiosperm trees and includes woods such as oak, cherry, maple, birch, etc.

Despite the names, softwood is not necessarily softer than hardwood and hardwood is not necessarily harder than softwood. There is a huge variation in softness among the various trees in each category.  However, softwood is generally easier to work with than hardwood. Much woodwork done by humans involves softwood.

Your next decision is to consider the finish that you want. In the softwood category, red cedar is a good choice for a natural wood finish. If you plan on painting your project, pine is good. Both red cedar and pine are easy to work with and usually easy to locate and purchase.

Hardwoods are usually finished, not painted, although there are always exceptions.

For best results in your woodwork project, purchase your wood a few weeks in advance. Store it someplace where damp cannot get at it, and put spacers between the boards. Your intent is to dry the wood out as much as possible. Do this and the wood will be easier to work with and you will experience less warping.

Woodworking Demo on Video. Building a Bench

This video from YouTube is so cool. It demonstrates diy woodworking at its best.  Woodworker Mike Jarvis demonstrates how to make a Jarvis Bench.  When you watch this video, you understand just how much time and craftsmanship goes into a good woodworking project.

This should be required viewing for all those people who think a woodworker can just throw a piece together in a few minutes -- or worse yet, balk at paying a decent hourly rate if they're purchasing a project.

What a great woodwork project.

Woodworking for Kids

Teaching young children to use woodworking tools seems like a daunting task to many diy woodworking enthusiasts.  As we all know, woodwork tools are dangerous if proper safety precautions are not observed.  Can we trust kids to pay attention to our safety warnings?

According to this woodworker, the answer is a resounding "yes".   This writer says she has taught children as young as five to work successfully and safely with woodwork tools and projects.  The article is Woodworking with Kids: Safety.

For yet more information about safety, check out: Safety First with DIY Woodworking

Here is an interesting video on YouTube showing a kids' woodworking class in session:

Removing Odors from Wood

Your woodwork projects could include the need to remove unwanted smells from your wood.

Wood, including wood floors and wood furniture is lovely, but it does have a drawback. Wood tends to soak up odors from anything that has been in contact with it.

If you have wood floors and pets, you're likely to find that your floor is reeking with unwanted pet smells.   Similarly, antique furniture that has survived many years is likely to have soaked up odors from mothballs, potpourri, smoke, or from anything else that has been stored in or on it, or spilled in or on it.

You can purchase commercial products to remove odor. This may be particularly helpful if you are dealing with pet odors.

However, if you are looking for a natural diy approach, you might try some of these remedies.

! But first!  The important thing to remember is that when applying moisture in any form, be sure to avoid the joints and edges of the wood.

1 Try wiping the wood with a cloth damped with ammonia. Wipe this off with a second cloth that has been dampened with water.

2. Try making a paste of baking soda and water. Apply the paste to the area with the odors and leave it for a few hours. (Avoid getting the ends and the joints damp).

3. Try sprinkling the area to be treated with kitty litter, or dry coffee grounds. Leave for a few hours or overnight, then vacuum off.

4. Mix  olive oil and white vinegar. Use a ratio of one teaspoon of olive oil to one cup of vinegar. Put this in a spray bottle and spray on the area to be treated. Shake the bottle frequently during the spraying. Do not get the joints and end pieces damp.

5. Use absorbent materials in combination, such as newspaper and charcoal briquettes.  If you are dealing with a drawer, stuff these items in the drawer and leave them for a week or so. Replace them at that time with a new selection of newspaper and briquettes. Leave for a second week. You should be noticing a decrease or elimination of the odor by the end of two weeks.

Here's a video from YouTube that demonstrates a product that removes oil stain and oil smells from wood and other surfaces.

Here's to odor free woodworking projects.

Installing Cabinet Hinges

Building or replacing a cabinet in the kitchen, workshop, bathroom, garage or elsewhere is among the most common projects that home diyers often tackle. There are various types of hinges available, and each has its own specific use.  You can make or break your project by choosing the best hinge for your cabinet. The right or the wrong hinge will have a huge impact on what you are hoping to accomplish.

One hinge is a relative newcomer to the field. That is a European hinge. Some of these hinges are easier to install than the other types of hinges, given that you do not need to create a mortise using your chisel.

Here is a YouTube video demonstrating how to install a European hinge.

DIY woodworking is such a meaningful hobby -- both creative and functional.

Dovetailed Grease Pot for DIY Woodworking

I've just found a great web site designed for diy woodworking and woodworkers wanting to increase their skill level

The woodworker, a guy named Roy Underhill, releases regular how-to videos which are displayed free on the web shop. The current on is all about tools and  making the "dovetailed grease pot."

It's a charming little woodwork project -- a woodwork puzzle, if you will.

The link is The Woodwright's Shop

Underhill also advocates the value of keeping some grease on the tools you use in your projects.

Woodwork Projects to Involve the Kids

Looking for a way to get the kids involved in diy woodworking?  It's a great idea. You share quality, family time with the children while teaching them a valuable life skill that will serve them well for their entire life.

I've just discovered a wonderful book that gets you started.  The Kids' Building Workshop: 15 Woodworking Projects for Kids and Parents to Build Together  by  Craig Robertson and Barbara Robertson takes you through 15 woodworking projects that are kid-friendly.

The projects include a bird houses, a tool box, a cricket cage, and a stool. Full and complete instructions and pictures are available for each project, and the projects increase in difficulty as you move through the book.  There is also a section on tools and tool handling.

The reading level is 9 to 12. You can get the book at Amazon (ISBN-10: 1580174884)

As in any woodwork project, safety is paramount.

Choosing Woodworking Chisels

A good set of woodworking chisels are an important addition to any tool chest  Any list of woodworking supplies or tools is likely to include at least a few of these handy items.

Bevels come in various types and sizes. Each type has a different purpose.

However, in short, a chisel is a tool used for cutting.  It has a sharpened edge set at one end of a metal blade.  It may be driven by a hammer or mallet, and it used to create shapes in a solid material, which can include wood, metal or stone.   Chisels have been around for a long time. As far back at 8000 BC, Egyptians used copper and bronze chisels to work wood and stone.  Today, chisels are more likely to be comprised of steel and come in different types of hardness.

In this video, a woodworker demonstrates and explains the different types of chisels and their use to woodworkers.

As you can see, they have many uses and each one specializes in a certain type of cut.

Hand Saws Used in Woodworking

Typical woodworking supplies and tools usually call for a variety of woodwork saws.

As a newcomer, you are likely to get by with just two Many woodworkers begin with just a crosscut saw, suitable for most projects and used when cutting across the wood grain, and a compass point saw (such as a circular saw) for finer work or for cutting thin pieces of lumber.

In time, these other saws may be useful additions to the workshop:

The Rip Saw: This saw is used for cutting with the grain, which is called ripping.  It has coarse teeth which are chisel shaped on the ends and are not sharped on the sides.

A Backsaw:  This saw is stiffened by a metal strip along the back. It's many tiny teeth ensure accurate sawing. It is used for cutting miters, as an example.  Examples of backsaws are razor, veneer, dovetail and miter box.

A Bracket Saw. This is a handsaw used for cutting curved forms.

A Coping Saw or Fret Saw: Extremely narrow blades make these saws suitable for cutting intricate shapes.  The blade rotates in a complete circle, ensuring you can cut corners appropriately. Extremely deep throated fret saws are available as well. sporting frames with eighteen inch clearance. They go by the name of scroll saw.

A Hacksaw: Hacksaws somewhat resemble bracket saws in apperance. They are used for cutting metal, cutting dowels and cutting thin wood strips.

These saws, as well as other woodworking supplies and tools can be damaged by nicking a nail or by inappropriate use.  Safeguard your tools and they will last a very long time with minimal upkeep.

Woodworking Tip: Brushes Used in Finishings

DIY woodworking often involves the process of finishing the wood using a stain, varnish, shellac, lacquer, paint or other finishing product.  This in turn requires brushwork.

It sometimes happens that you would like to "pause" during the process for a few minutes or a few hours.  If you do, you are faced with the daunting task of cleaning your brushes or else returning to the unpleasant reality of a hardened brush that may need to be replaced.

The good news is that there is a solution to this tricky situation. Simply wrap your wet brush well in plastic wrap.  The kind used for food preparation and storage should work okay.  Wrap the brush well, being sure that no open areas exist.  Your brush will remain wet this way for several hours.

You can take a break from your woodwork projects, return, and resume working on your finishing with minimal fuss.

Cut Woodworking Expenses with Recycled Woods

I've just read an interesting blog post by woodworker Chris Baylor, who discusses ways to cut costs on woodworking supplies.  Baylor suggests that using recycled woods  is a great economy for diy woodworking.

Woodwork projects made this way can be beautiful, Baylor says. "Some of the most beautiful pieces of furniture that I've ever seen were built from recycled longleaf pine that was salvaged from an old barn that was being demolished," the woodworker remarked.

You can buy recycled wood from various places on the Internet, but the financial savings may not amount to much. Remember that you will be paying for shipping and handling as well. Instead, look for farms and homes that are remodeling and ask about the old woods that are being discarded.  You may get a great deal -- perhaps you might even get your wood for free. 

Here's a great video showing an expanding table made from reclaimed barn wood.