Regardless of what it is, the most important thing is to take what you’ve learned this week and turn it into the kind of habit that becomes second nature.  Because it’s those kind of habits that one day could be the difference between a close call in the shop or a trip to the Emergency Room…or worse.

Woodworking to me is the kind of past time and lifestyle that is probably best learned by observation and learning from our mistakes.  No one makes perfect dovetails the first time out and no one WON’T have a close call or two in the shop over their lifetime.

The real responsibility of every woodworker when it comes to safety is to develop a set of best practices they can count on to greatly minimize the chance of an accident occurring.  Because the truth is, there will never be a way to completely eliminate them.  

Last year while working on a project for the show, I had one of those accidents that could have been life altering.  I made a number of mistakes that in hindsight leave me feeling embarrassed and angry at myself.

On today’s episode you’ll see footage from this accident.  I won’t lie, it’s graphic so please consider that before you watch.  But the big lesson for today will be about what went wrong, what I could’ve possibly done to prevent it and hopefully you’ll learn from my mistake so you don’t make one just like it or worse.

As I mentioned in the episode, here’s a link to the video at Popular Woodworking Magazine featuring Bob Lang’s Trim Router base CLICK HERE. Don’t be surprised if it shows up on the show sometime.

No related posts.

Most of the time that spark occurs because once we take ownership of a house, we immediately want to make it our own. Whether it’s replacing trimwork, adding crown mouldings, maybe even tackling some repairs to unsightly fixtures or features that would scare off some people. Whatever the task it suddenly means it’s time to get some tools and dive headfirst into those projects.

Recently a friend of ours approached me with a problem she’s lived with for several years, a broken louver door to a bedroom closet. As soon as she walked in the door with it I had flash backs to when we bought our first house. It was a project I couldn’t resist, especially because I knew it was one I would have been intimidated by all those years ago.

On today’s episode, join me on a trip down memory lane as we set aside some of our regular woodworking shop projects and tackle a little home repair.

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Hock Smoothing Plane Kit

I’ll walk you through one method of truing the sole to make it flat, which is extremely important for it to work the way it’s suppose to. We’ll shape the body to a size and feel that not only makes it unique from other planes on my shelf, but feels right in my hands. And then we’ll take it for a maiden voyage and discuss a little bit about adjusting the blade of a wooden bodied plane vs the metal bodied versions with mechanical adjusters.

If you’ve built a Hock Smoothing Plane or something similar, I’d love to hear about it. Send pictures if you have any available, I may even post them so others can see your work.

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1. 481 Building a Hock Smoothing kit pt 1
2. 458 Building A Hock Shoulder Plane
3. Follow Up To Hock Plane Kit

Hock Smoothing Plane Kit

Just like before, all the materials for successfully building a completely usable plane were included, all you need to add is glue and some shop time. In less than a weekend you can have a great tool that will quickly become one of your favorites.

In part one, we tackle the assembly process. While it’s very straight forward there are a few key tasks that need to be accomplished to ensure the rest of the setup goes as planned. So follow along and see why this kit maybe your entry into the world of hand planes.

Please take a moment to answer our listener survey for Matt’s Basement Workshop Podcast. A few simple, anonymous questions with a chance to win a MBW T-shirt if you choose to leave your email. Your answers are private and will never be sold to spammers or advertisers.

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1. 458 Building A Hock Shoulder Plane
2. Follow Up To Hock Plane Kit
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I had the pleasure of talking with FWW Editor Asa Christiana about the magazine and to fill us in on what Fine Woodworking Live is all about. We get all the details about the upcoming event, and even a few scoops on things that may still be in the works to round out the whole weekend.

Fine Woodworking Live starts on Friday and Saturday morning with a large general session discussions and then branches off into small-group sessions in the afternoon to discuss topics by a variety of experts you’ll recognize from the pages of Fine Woodworking Magazine.

Saturday night, Nick Offerman, star of NBC’s “Parks and Recreation” and a die-hard woodworker, will be the guest speaker at an optional banquet dinner. Then to wrap it all up on Sunday, there’s a number of additional sessions being offered on specific topics in a small class setting. Some of these are limited in space and number of attendees, so get registered early before space fills up.

Fine Woodworking Live is being billed as a “can’t-miss weekend for anyone looking to dive deep into the craft, guided by the best and the brightest in the field of woodworking. Plus it’s a great chance to meet fellow woodworkers in an engaging, enlightening, and fun event“.

If you have any questions about the event, head on over to www.finewoodworkinglive.com and you’ll find all the information we talked about in today’s show.

Please take a moment to answer our listener survey for Matt’s Basement Workshop Podcast. A few simple, anonymous questions with a chance to win a MBW T-shirt if you choose to leave your email. Your answers are private and will never be sold to spammers or advertisers.

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While we’re talking about how I did it, I’ll share with you some other potential options for taking care of the same task. My own technique was a little unconventional, so it’s important to see a few that are more traditional.

Once we’ve covered the topic of installing the mirror in the frame, I wanted to address a couple more questions that came in regarding the construction process. A few of you wondered about options for cutting the rabbets using other techniques than the single blade method and a couple of you wanted to know about another way to create the stopped chamfers.

Hopefully we’ll answer your questions and concerns in today’s show.

Please take a moment to answer our listener survey for Matt’s Basement Workshop Podcast. A few simple, anonymous questions with a chance to win a MBW T-shirt if you choose to leave your email. Your answers are private and will never be sold to spammers or advertisers.

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2. 478 Samantha’s Mirror Pt. 1
3. Frame and Panel Follow Up

Thankfully I’ve been holding on to a stash of Cherry for a while now and this seemed to be the perfect project to break it out for.

Last week we ripped and crosscut the stock to size (I also admitted to messing that up and having to re-draw the plans to accommodate for the mistake), we also cut the mortise and tenon joinery we’ll use to assemble the project.

This week we rabbet an edge on the backside of the frame to support the mirror.  That sounds easy, but I chose to use just the tablesaw and I had to create stopped rabbets for the stiles.

Then we chamfer the edges of the rails and stiles, but not end to end, instead we create a nice little stopped chamfer on the router table.  We glue it all together and then add some shop made walnut pegs to help reinforce the mortise and tenon joinery.

This was a great little project that could easily be completed in a weekend and leaves you looking like a hero to someone.

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We (this time I mean “us”) finally purchased one not to long ago and I intended to hang it behind the door in our bedroom.  Even though it’s beveled on the edges it just looked to plain, so we were trying to decide if it should be hidden away in a closet?

It didn’t take very long to think about it, but what we really needed was a nice frame to set it in and mount in position.  So I headed to the basement and decided it was time to break into my stash of aged cherry.

Now that we have the backstory of today’s project, let’s get started building it.  This is a two part build video, starting with the basics of ripping and crosscutting the stock to its dimensions and then moving into “handcut” mortise and tenon joinery.  Then next week we’ll wrap it all up.

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The obvious benefits of a riser block to a 14″ bandsaw is the increase in height. Normally the maximum resaw height on a saw this size is about 6″ at most. By adding a riser block system you increase that significantly. What does that mean? It means all those wide boards you’d love to bookmatch for stunning panels are now possible, it means you can resaw your own veneers from WHICHEVER species of wood you want, it means all sorts of options.

But with a variety of options available that also means there’s some limitations too. While not necessarily significant anytime you alter a machine from it’s original configuration, regardless of whether you use original manufacturer’s kits, you’re still going to run into hiccups that may require the machine to need a little more tweaking before using.

I’d love your feedback on today’s episode and your suggestion leave a comment in today’s shownotes or drop us a line mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.

And if anyone noticed the video seems a little off, I’ve been experimenting with using my iPhone as a video camera…it still needs a little tweaking, but not too bad.

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Unfortunately I haven’t had a chance, all that often, to take these questions and turn them into the great content they’d make. So while I’m currently finishing up a couple of project builds, I thought we’d do start tackling the list of audience inspired episodes.

In today’s show, a listener asked about choosing a shoulder plane. He asked specifically about two models, the Stanley No.92 and the Ron Hock Shoulder plane kit. While I prefer not to make specific recommendations on which tool to purchase, I do have an opinion on the features that make a good one and things to consider when thinking of purchasing.

I’d love your feedback on today’s episode and your suggestion for this listener and also the many others who have asked very similar questions about shoulder planes also. Leave a comment in today’s shownotes or drop us a line mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com.

And if anyone noticed the video seems a little off, I’ve been experimenting with using my iPhone as a video camera…it still needs a little tweaking, but not too bad.

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2. Ian’s Shoulder Plane Build
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I mentioned in the episode that since filming the original footage I had started to streamline the construction process. Just like with any project where you find yourself repeating the build over and over (think cutting boards, jewelry boxes, pens, etc.) you discover little shortcuts that can help to cut the production time down, but not affect the quality of the results.

As I’ve mentioned before, I really appreciate tips and suggestions from you the audience. And once again, you’ve come through for me with a great tip that I’m using from this point out when building the boxes. Don (no last name in the email) suggested I checkout an article over at Fine Woodworking Magazine it’s titled 2 Fast Ways to Build a Box and was written by Bill Nyberg.

On page one of the downloadable PDF (it does require a membership to the digital media) Bill lays out a quick and easy two cut step that creates the lips of the two sides. Essentially the same thing I’ve been creating, but with my method I was spending way too much time setting it up. This new method cuts my setup time in HALF. Checkout today’s show to see what I’m talking about.

Just to let you know, I don’t cover Bill’s entire article, just this one little part that has made a huge difference in how I’ll be cutting parts for more of these boxes and maybe even other projects down the road.

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In part four we complete the “Shelves and drawers” by building the drawer fronts from solid maple, attaching the bases to each of the units and then adding all the final touches from painting to hardware.

A lot of you had questions about using MDO; its workability, paintability, cost and more.  Rather than addressing each of your questions as they come in, I tried to include all of them in the video.  Hopefully I answer yours, but if not, don’t hesitate to contact me.

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And even though the bases will, for the most part be hidden out of sight, that’s no reason to not take a few minutes to design something that looks nice. You never know when someone will take a look!

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By ganging similar cuts for each component, you can take advantage of a single setup on your tool to eliminate unnecessary steps.  Not to mention it also eliminates the possibility of making miscuts too.

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All four pieces would stand on top of solid maple bases and the drawer fronts would be solid maple also.  These would be left natural with a clear finish while the shelving units and drawer bodies will be painted a glossy white.

The entire project, except the base and drawers themselves, will be made from MDO – medium density overlay.  This is my first experience with MDO and as we’ll talk about in the final wrap-up episode, it won’t be my last.

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The boxes are best described as being nothing more than a “Super simple box”. No extravagant ornamentation, no exotic species and no complicated joinery. The idea was a plain box that would be given to her clients with a DVD of their images inside, along with maybe a few proofs.

I have no delusions that these boxes will be passed down from generation to generation, but in fact expect them to be set aside on a shelf somewhere or maybe even re-purposed for some other task. So the design for the box was that it wouldn’t take long to build, be inexpensive and just be functional.

The first few took me a little while to get the building process tweaked. But after having built about a dozen or more so far, it now only takes a couple of hours to batch out up to 6 at a time. In fact the bottleneck now is waiting for the glue to dry.

I’m planning to experiment with more box making in the future. So plan to see some various designs and construction processes in the future. But for now, enjoy this super simple box.

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If you’re not familiar with Woodworkers Fighting Cancer it’s a charity started by our good friend Marc Spagnuolo – The Wood Whisperer to help raise funds and awareness about research to fight a disease that has probably touched each and everyone of us at some time in our lives.

The most recent fund raiser involves individuals building a Rocking Horse from free downloadable plans available through WOOD Magazine. The project was one that could be accomplished with a minimal number of tools and wasn’t so much a challenge that even brand new woodworkers would feel comfortable tackling it.

The build was a lot of fun and I learned a few things along the way…especially an important lesson about spray adhesives and my disdain for jigsaws. But you’ll hear and see more about that in the video.

For more information on Woodworkers Fighting Cancer, including how you can donate directly, visit www.thewoodwhisperer.com/wfc/.

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So please except this quick little update video as a small appetizer until I have the first of the new content edited and up for your viewing pleasure. I appreciate your patience!

Speaking of patience, I know some of you have been entering your name in the schwag drawings all summer and up until recently too. This is another area I’ve neglected, so we’ll be remedying that this month also. If you’ve already submitted your name any time since July, consider yourself all set. If you’re not sure and want to get it in “just in case”…go for it.

We have some great schwag to give away and I’ll let you know more about that shortly also. Did I thank you for your patience yet?

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In today’s episode I’ve included clips from Megan Fitzpatrick’s “Your first dovetails”, Charles Brock’s “Sculpting by hand & power”, Chris Schwarz’s “12 rules for toolboxes” and Steve Shannesy’s “Veneers in contemporary furniture”.

To learn more about each of these lecturers, books, DVDs or possible upcoming classes visit the following link for each:
Steve Shannesy & Megan Fitzpatrick – www.popularwoodworking.com
Chris Schwarz – www.lostartpress.com
Charles Brock – www.charlesbrockchairmaker.

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While Woodworking in America is usually billed as a hand tool event, over the years several new topics have been added to round out the experience of attendees. From design and Sketchup to power tools and even Japanese hand tools. Woodworking in America lecturers are covering a wide variety of topics.

In today’s episode I’ve included clips from Graham Blackburn’s “Hand planes for joinery”, Chuck Bender’s “Secret drawers & hidden compartments” & Charles Brock’s “The Sculpted Rocker – A study of form and function”.

To learn more about each of these lecturers, books, DVDs or possible upcoming classes visit the following link for each:
Graham Blackburn – www.blackburnbooks.com
Chuck Bender – www.acanthus.com
Charles Brock – www.charlesbrockchairmaker.

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Not only can you get your hands on these tools, but more importantly you have an unique opportunity to talk with the tool makers themselves. Ever wonder about having customized tools made? Have questions about the design or function of a tool? Or just want to play with some really cool tools? The Woodworking in America marketplace is the perfect place to do all of that and more. It’s truly the woodworker’s candy store.

But if you’ve visited this year or in previous years you also know there’s more to the marketplace than tools and supplies. There’s great freebie demonstrations from the likes of Roy Underhill and Adam Cherubini to name a few. Along with drawings for amazing door-prizes, opportunities to meet with television personalities like Scott Philips and Tommy McDonald. And for the really daring, there’s the Hand Tool Olympics. Compete against yourself or a friend or two to see who can have the best results with a basic set of hand tools to create basic joinery and complete typical workshop tasks.

Thanks to the many tool manufacturers and vendors for your time and answering all of my questions. It’s much appreciated!

Vendors in today’s episode include the following:
Lee Valley
Hock Tools
Two Cherries
Bow Clamps
Catharine Kennedy
Tools for working wood – Gramercy tools
Elkhead Tools
Microjig

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And this year is no different. With all the great conference instructors, the even larger marketplace and even more great attendees than in the past, this year should add up to quite the event. I can’t list all the great things that are happening, so I’ll just share what I can without rambling on more than usual.

If you can make it down, even for just one day or for just one hour, you won’t be sorry. Conference attendees can choose from 1 day passes on either Friday or Saturday, 3 day passes for the entire weekend or pay as little as $8 (online) or $10 (at the door) for access to the marketplace.

And in the marketplace you’ll of course find all those manufacturers and vendors you keep hearing about, along with the like of Tommy Mac of the Rough Show, Rob Cosman and I heard even Scott Phillips will be in attendance.

Other great things to do other than buy amazing tools and hob-nob with celebrities (yes I’ll be happy to sign autographs):

Hand Tool Olympics, Sindelar Tool Museum, and free demonstrations all day long. Along with a chance to win some amazing door prizes and even trade in your old bottle of glue for a brand new 18oz bottle of Gorilla Glue.

To find out all about the happenings, including a list of scheduled speakers, vendors and to purchase tickets, visit www.woodworkinginamerica.com.

AND ONE MORE THING!!!
Thursday September 29, 2011 come out to Keystone Bar & Grill to rub elbows with the many woodworking bloggers who will be attendance this year. No tickets to buy, no posts to write. Just walk in and join the fun. Hope to see you there, although I’ll be rolling in around Midnight if I’m lucky (late flight).

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Ever since the guys at Bell Forest have become an advertiser on the site I’ve been haunting THEIR website looking at amazing stock for project ideas.

One thing that caught my eye early on was some of the project kits they had available. These are kits perfect for a weekend build or just for someone looking for an easy to assemble gift without a lot of hassle with designing and planning the construction process.

The Paddle Cutting Board is one of those kits. Sent with everything you need to build; the wood, the template, the directions. All you need to add is time, tools, glue and you. Who could ask for more?

To find out more about the Paddle Cutting Board kit or any of the other great offerings from Bell Forest visit their website at www.bellforestproducts.com You better hurry though, now that the holidays know were talking about them they’ll charge right at us instead of sneak up from behind.

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Yes, I’d say Summer is about ready to be tucked away under a pile of dead leaves very shortly. So that means it’s time to start posting some of this content I’ve been filming.

To get these new episodes started on a solid footing I’m posting my recent build of Benchcrafted’s Moxon Vise Kit. If you’re not familiar with Benchcrafted already, you might want to take a few moments to visit their website and checkout their amazing bench hardware and plans.

Jameel and the guys don’t mess around with quality, they have one set of standards…GOLD. I’ve never read a review or commentary that didn’t involve their hardware being praised in the highest way. So when I had a chance to try one of their Moxon Vise Kits I jumped at the opportunity. AND MAN WAS I NOT DISAPPOINTED!!!

At this point I could go on about the quality of their craftsmanship and the details of the instructions, but I won’t even begin to scratch the surface of how impressed I am with it. You’ll just have to watch and see for yourself.

For more information on any of the Benchcrafted products visit www.benchcrafted.com. Tell them Matt sent you, hopefully they won’t blacklist your email LOL!

And one more thing; for the sake of transparency, I received this kit from Benchcrafted in exchange for advertising. BUT, I would’ve heaped the same praise on them regardless!

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When it comes to woodworking events, this one feels like a homecoming. I get a chance to sit and talk with many of my friends who I normally only chat with online, and visit with vendors I like to call friends, but they probably would like to keep it just at clients LOL!

I can’t emphasize enough how much fun this show really is, and I hope you’ll have a chance to attend at least one of these in the future. Even if you can be there just for the marketplace, you’ll appreciate how big and amazing this event really is.

For more perspectives of the 2008 Berea Kentucky Woodworking in America conference visit this post where you’ll find links to many more bloggers and podcasters who were in attendance that year, CLICK HERE.

To see all the footage I shot and posted on YouTube from the 2009 conference visit this link CLICK HERE.

And here’s a link to all the posts and episodes from bloggers and podcasters in attendance at the 2010 conference, CLICK HERE.

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