Woodworkers in the News
Woodcarver Sculpts Works Of Art From Native Hardwoods
RuralNorthwest.com
For 30 years, a New Jersey native who once worked as a wilderness ranger in Wyoming's Big Horn Mountains has quietly gone about creating works of art from slabs of seasoned hardwood, laboring over minute details for months the way a poet will war with the rhythm of words until they have graced the edge of perfection. MORE
Student builds car of wood
Porter-Cable
A North Carolina State University Graduate Student is building an actual car from wood! Sponsored by the folks at Delta/Porter-Cable, the car is a real-world performance car will stir the imagination of any woodworker. MORE
Craftsman honors the fallen
Arizona Daily Star
A Rita Ranch resident and disabled veteran is using his knack for woodworking to help Arizona families of soldiers who have died in combat in ongoing wars.
The resident, R. Courtney Powell II, has his own home woodworking business and normally charges for such items as handmade, ceremonial flag display cases. He charges $60 for a single-frame case.
But now he's giving flag display cases away to Arizona families of service members killed in combat during the United States' ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
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Casket makers offer simple alternative to expensive burials
Post-Bulletin - Rochester,MN
When Patrick Kilby's mother was diagnosed with terminal cancer two years ago, he started looking into funeral costs.
What he found amazed him.
"A cheap casket is $5,000," he said.
He and his sister, Carol Lima, looked around, but they couldn't find anything they were happy with. Then Lima suggested that Kilby make the casket himself. MORE
Neurosurgeon finds wood-working an artistic escape
Orange County Register
In his tidy 850-square-foot woodworking shop, Dr. Gus Halamandaris calls upon, in part, the practiced precision of the operating room to help craft armoire, gates, doors and chairs.
"Woodworking is a natural progression of what I already do" as a neurosurgeon at Salinas Valley Memorial Hospital, Halamandaris said. "Doing it helps me realize, even more, that lasting value, anything that's going to be permanent in nature, has got to be done right and that there are not many shortcuts." MORE
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Woodworking Lingo...
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Bear scratches: Indented growth rings in the form of elongated or lenticular depressions are termed "bear scratches". Bear scratches occur most commonly in Sitka spruce and Douglas fir. The term is derived from the appearance of lighter colored tissues that form longitudinal streaks on the tangential face. For many years, such streaks were thought to be caused by animal claw injury.
Bent Carving Tools: Tools that have a curve or crank along their length. This allows them to get deeper into recesses without catching the wood around the edge and juddering. These tools are always pushed forward to cut; never levered.
Birdseye: Numerous small areas on the surface of the wood in which the fibres are distorted so as to produce elliptical forms somewhat similar to bird's eyes. Found in maple and sycamore, rare in other species.
Burl: A bulge and irregular growth that forms on the trunks and roots of trees. Burls are highly sought after for the incredible patterns the wood yield.
Heartwood: The dead inner core of a tree. Usually much harder and darker than the newer wood. Also known as sapwood.
Mortise and Tenon joint: A joinery technique where the tenon from one board fits into the mortise of another.
MDO or Medium Density Overlay – engineered plywood with a resin treated fiber applied to both faces. This gives an extremely smooth finish that is easy to paint.
Parting tool: An alternative name for a "V" tool and which points to a key V tool function: of separating one part from another.
Washcoat: A reduced finish that is applied over raw wood to reduce stain penetration, or over stains and fillers to promote adhesion of the next coat.
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Woodworking as a Business
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Furniture maker defines elegance in woodworking
"You look at something, and it's not going to necessarily jump right out and grab you right away. It's gonna be something you're going to look at; then, the longer you look at it, the more you will appreciate it. To me, that's elegance."
Understated also describes the building where Strauss crafts his custom and signature line of art deco-inspired furniture. You won't see big, flashy signs or display windows. Instead, you will see a red and tan brick building and a small black and white sign that reads: "John Strauss, furniture maker, LLC."
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What's New in Woodworking
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18" Measuring Kit for Jigs
Take your jigs and fixtures to new levels of accuracy! With this easy to use kit, you’ll be able to set your jigs up for convenient repeatability and easier, more precise stop-block operation. Includes 3 left-to-right and 3 right-to-left 18" tapes, as well as 2 plastic cursors for stop blocks. Tapes are 1/2" wide and feature peel-and-stick backing for simple, lasting adhesion to a variety of surfaces. Cursors are made of durable lightweight plastic and have two slots for screw attachment at various widths (screws not included).
LEARN MORE
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