Yearly Archives: 2014

Folding Rule

This entry was posted in Tools on November 13, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Octagon tenon jig front view — What to do when you need to make a custom cut? You make a custom jig. While making some bird houses, I was faced with the challenge of rabbeting a 1-1/2″ wide ledge along the entire perimeter of the octagonal base. At first glance, this seemed like a simple job for the tenoning jig but […]

Custom tenon jig

This entry was posted in Jigs Techniques on November 12, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Completed cherry table and mock-up — It sure is a downer to build a piece of furniture and realize when it’s finished that is doesn’t quite look right. Maybe the piece is too bulky for the space, or doesn’t quite match the rest of the furniture. Perhaps the proportions are off. Or maybe it’s just plain ugly. To minimize the chances […]

Building a Furniture Mock-up

This entry was posted in Joinery Techniques on November 10, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

When it comes to deriving drawer heights for a chest of drawers, there are several tried and true proportioning techniques that can be relied upon to create a piece of furniture that is pleasing to the eye. The simplest approach is a uniform progression in which each drawer has the same height. This approach doesn’t require […]

Calculating Drawer Heights for a Chest of Drawers

This entry was posted in Techniques on November 3, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Here is a collection of miscellaneous tips to help you be a more eco-conscious woodworker: Dust control Controlling the dust in your shop not only improves the quality of the air you breath but also makes it easier to collect sawdust for mulch and other eco-pursuits. Poor dust collection can lead to health problems that […]

Eco-Woodworking Tips

This entry was posted in Safety Wood on October 3, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Shellac flakes — The next time you’re preparing to finish a woodworking project, take an eco-moment to consider the environmental friendliness of the finishing materials you use. Conventional solvent-based finishes such as nitrocellulose lacquer and varnishes provide a durable, high quality finish at a reasonable cost. However, they can also be significant sources of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) […]

Eco-Friendly Wood Finishes

This entry was posted in Finishing on October 3, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Homasote panels — No, we’re not talking about unseasoned lumber. In this case, “green” refers to reconstituted wood products that have recycled content, low toxicity or other eco-friendly qualities. These products include formaldehyde-free composite wood panels, bio-panels made from agricultural fibers such as sunflower hulls, wheat straw, and sugar cane fiber, arsenic-free pressure-treated lumber, engineered structural wood, and […]

Green Wood Products

This entry was posted in Wood on October 3, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Certified Wood

This entry was posted in Wood on October 3, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Reclaimed barn lumber — Reclaimed, rediscovered, recovered, recycled, and reused are terms that refer to wood that has been given a new lease on life. The category includes: 1) timber recovered from river beds, lake bottoms, swamps, and the forest floor; 2) wood previously used in industrial mills, warehouses, barns, homes, boats, wine tanks, railroad ties, fences, furniture, and […]

Reclaimed Wood

This entry was posted in Wood on October 2, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Repairing a Worn Out Dowel Hole

This entry was posted in Joinery Restoration on October 2, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

4-way equal pressure clamp — Like most woodworkers, I have accumulated quite an assortment of woodworking clamps over the years. As someone once said, you can never have too many clamps. Of course, I love, er… I mean like some of my clamps more than others… The clamps I use most often are trigger-action mini bar clamps. They’re lightweight, adjust […]

Clamps I Have Known (and Loved ??)

This entry was posted in Accesories Tools on September 30, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Sanding with bench cookies — Looking to “fill out” an order of woodworking supplies, I decided to buy a four pack of bench cookies. I was somewhat skeptical of these relative newcomers to the woodworking scene, but for 12 bucks, how could I go wrong? I figured I could always use them as drink coasters if they didn’t perform well […]

Bench Cookies – Not Too Crumby

This entry was posted in Accesories Finishing on September 30, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

Woodshop air filtration unit — Dust is not our friend. It coats our tools, work surfaces, and worst of all, our lungs. Centralized dust collection systems do a good job of removing wood chips, chunks, shavings, and larger dust particles but you need something more to remove the fine airborne dust particles. That’s where an air filtration device comes in. […]

Roll Around Woodshop Air Filtration System

This entry was posted in Accesories on September 9, 2014 by Bill Kovalick

I used to use a commercial blade cleaning product with the no-nonsense name of “Saw Cleaner” to remove pitch from my circular saw blades. It did a great job — you just sprayed it on, let it sit for a few minutes and then wiped off with an old tooth brush and warm soapy water, […]

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