Podcasts about wood talk online radio

I mentioned on a recent episode of Wood Talk Online Radio I was building some small boxes for my wife Samantha's photography business -Shuttersam.com. 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.

It's been a long time in the making and that has nothing to do with the kit itself! My Brese J-Style Small Smoother has finally been completed and is making the most amazing shavings a plane has ever taken in the basement workshop. For those of you who've heard me talk about this project on Wood Talk Online Radio you know it's been an ongoing laugh each and everytime it's been discussed. Well the laughing is over and the tears of joy are streaking my face. With the completion of the small smoother I finally have a plane I can say I crafted myself and it's made to be unlike any other out there. If you're not familiar with Ron Brese and his amazingly beautiful hand planes you really need to take a look for yourself. They're not just gorgeous to look at, but the feeling you have when you pick one up and take a few passes with them is mind blowing. They're a really work of art and they have the capability to elevate your planing to a new level. Don't just take my word for it, ask anyone who's had the pleasure of trying them out. Of course I'm not going to lie and pretend this kind of beauty doesn't have its cost. Ron makes each plane himself and doesn't rush the construction. He makes them to exacting tolerances with the end result being tiny, wispy shavings more reminiscent of soft billowy clouds than thin see through shavings. And that's not just on any old wood, we're talking those kind of results on some of the nasty, trickiest grains out there. Again, don't take my word for it. Ron often travels around the country with the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Hand Tool Event. Stop by his booth and manhandle a plane for yourself. Maybe you could bring a sample of that board you've had trouble with before and see if he'll let you try one of the planes on it? So without further delay, let's get on with today's show! This is part 1 of a 2 part episode covering the construction process in making the J-Style Small Smoother. We'll see how you shape the wood and prep it for placement in the body. Then next week we'll finish the whole process. It's so easy, you'll be asking me why it took so long for me to get my butt moving in the first place? To learn more about Ron Brese or any of these amazing planes pictured above, visit his website at www.breseplane.com. Tell him Matt sent you! ***editor's note: Ron no longer offers handplane kits, a bummer for sure!***

I'm not a fan of New Year resolutions. I vow to stop making them every January 5th, which usually coincides with the same day I give up on the diet/exercise program I started on January 1st. However, this year I decided to give it one more try and announced on Wood Talk Online Radio that by the end of the year I'd give my shop a much needed facelift. This is nothing new in the basement workshop, in fact it's something I had been vowing to do for a long time. For a long time now I've been getting frustrated with how cluttered my shop was feeling and even more frustrated at my inability to get work done without having to constantly move things around just to accomplish a single task. To be quite honest, the extra time it was taking me to clear a spot to plane a board or to set up a tool for a cut that should take only 30 seconds to accomplish was becoming too long. Not to mention that I was constantly losing small items and tools in the ever growing piles. In other words...SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE! Today's episode is a tour of my new shop layout. I have yet to put it through its paces on a project, but there's room to tweak it for optimal flow and efficiency when I do. A huge thanks to the folks over at Port-A-Mate for their help with a few new items to make the shop a better and safer place to work.

I'm not a fan of New Year resolutions. I vow to stop making them every January 5th, which usually coincides with the same day I give up on the diet/exercise program I started on January 1st. However, this year I decided to give it one more try and announced on Wood Talk Online Radio that by the end of the year I'd give my shop a much needed facelift. This is nothing new in the basement workshop, in fact it's something I had been vowing to do for a long time. For a long time now I've been getting frustrated with how cluttered my shop was feeling and even more frustrated at my inability to get work done without having to constantly move things around just to accomplish a single task. To be quite honest, the extra time it was taking me to clear a spot to plane a board or to set up a tool for a cut that should take only 30 seconds to accomplish was becoming too long. Not to mention that I was constantly losing small items and tools in the ever growing piles. In other words...SOMETHING HAD TO CHANGE! Today's episode is a tour of my new shop layout. I have yet to put it through its paces on a project, but there's room to tweak it for optimal flow and efficiency when I do. A huge thanks to the folks over at Port-A-Mate for their help with a few new items to make the shop a better and safer place to work.

Card scrapers, sharpening with sandpaper, planing narrow boards, paring with the bevel down, and deciding between storing your lumber in the garage or in the basement.

Taxes, the future of woodworking, and a butt load of content from the magazines, blogs, and forums

It's been a long time in the making and that has nothing to do with the kit itself! My Brese J-Style Small Smoother has finally been completed and is making the most amazing shavings a plane has ever taken in the basement workshop. For those of you who've heard me talk about this project on Wood Talk Online Radio you know it's been an ongoing laugh each and everytime it's been discussed. Well the laughing is over and the tears of joy are streaking my face. With the completion of the small smoother I finally have a plane I can say I crafted myself and it's made to be unlike any other out there. If you're not familiar with Ron Brese and his amazingly beautiful hand planes you really need to take a look for yourself. They're not just gorgeous to look at, but the feeling you have when you pick one up and take a few passes with them is mind blowing. They're a really work of art and they have the capability to elevate your planing to a new level. Don't just take my word for it, ask anyone who's had the pleasure of trying them out. Of course I'm not going to lie and pretend this kind of beauty doesn't have its cost. Ron makes each plane himself and doesn't rush the construction. He makes them to exacting tolerances with the end result being tiny, wispy shavings more reminiscent of soft billowy clouds than thin see through shavings. And that's not just on any old wood, we're talking those kind of results on some of the nasty, trickiest grains out there. Again, don't take my word for it. Ron often travels around the country with the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Hand Tool Event. Stop by his booth and manhandle a plane for yourself. Maybe you could bring a sample of that board you've had trouble with before and see if he'll let you try one of the planes on it? So without further delay, let's get on with today's show! This is part 1 of a 2 part episode covering the construction process in making the J-Style Small Smoother. We'll see how you shape the wood and prep it for placement in the body. Then next week we'll finish the whole process. It's so easy, you'll be asking me why it took so long for me to get my butt moving in the first place? To learn more about Ron Brese or any of these amazing planes pictured above, visit his website at www.breseplane.com. Tell him Matt sent you!