Our Picks

I've been wanting to try my hand at greenwood carving, particularly spoon carving.  I decided that, to give myself every chance to succeed, I would need a bench dedicated to carving.  I checked youtube, carving forums, etc and decided that a log mule/carving bench would fit the bill.  It just so happened that my mother, last week, had asked me to remove some downed trees from her yard.   

Fret-Sawing and Wood-Carving for Amateurs is book by George A. Sawyer. This book was downloaded from the Google Books Project.

The Maine Coast Craft School

Jacob Hubler, an immigrant from Switzerland, purchased his first tract of land in what is now Bushkill Township in 1743 and over the next decades he would continue to accumulate tracts of land that he would later call Jacobsburg. Hubler became a naturalized subject of the British Crown in 1763, and during the American Revolution he served on Northampton County’s Committee of Observation. Sometime before 1785, Hubler built the Jacobsburg Inn, which served as a store, tavern, and residence. By the time he died in 1789, Hubler’s holdings amounted to about 432 acres. Read more...

So you get a Shopsmith and it is new to you.  This versatile machine will do or help you do many things in woodworking.  Some folks think that this machine is only a lathe, but it is so much more.  This is dedicated to the Mark V (500 series - 500, 505, 510, 520 including the Power Pro).  You should inventory to see if you have the following parts.  

Starting a new project for a serious audiophile with some serious equipment.  His McIntosh amp alone weighs 125 lbs.!  The dimensions alone make this rack impressive; everything is 8/4 and the shelves are 23" deep, 52" wide, and the unit is 31" high.  Each shelf will weigh about 70 lbs.

This is a scanned document of the now defunct Workbench Magazine of this era. Permission was granted by the new Workbench Publication for The Patriot Woodworker community to copy and use the old Workbench Magazine at our pleasure, and for free distribution and re-use.
 
 

A Guild of Contemporary Horn Workers and Collectors
In 1996, Roland Cadle of Hollidaysburg, Pennsylvania, who had long been interested in the historic 18th Century horn trade, conceived the idea of hosting a “Horn Fair” at the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA. 

You have a backyard? Well here is your calling! For the grandkids or your own kids, this classic awaits!

Collection of projects. Many free plans, some chargeable.   Furniture, woodwork, and shop tools.  Projects usually demonstrated on YouTube..

Four production side chairs were completed this week.  The design is original.  Primary material is cherry.  The seat is made from hard maple with two cherry accent pieces and was scooped using the TS. 

This is a scanned document of the now defunct Workbench Magazine of this era. Permission was granted by the new Workbench Publication for The Patriot Woodworker community to copy and use the old Workbench Magazine at our pleasure, and for free distribution and re-use.
This scan is of a corner cupboard, this is a great example of traditional design. These old Workbench Magazine's were fairly light on the detail, but with some prior knowledge and experience you can use this plan as a great jumping off point to build this corner cupboard.
Enjoy!

VFW National Home for Children

Has anyone had any experience with Fisch bits, specifically their auger bits?  I have been looking for a source for auger bits.  What I see on ebay and Amazon is disappointing.  Rusty, still have wood chips in the cutters and flutes, broken spurs, etc.  The only place I have found with a decent selection is Highland Woodworking.  Their product line features Fisch Jennings pattern bits, and a three piece set of 3/8, 1/2, and 3/4 inches is $119.99.  A little pricey, but if they are good quality I don't mind that too much.   

The Smithsonian Institute is a premier destination for education, research, fun and shared files and images.

I've had this lathe for several years now,..just hadn't jumped in yet. Today was the day. Had some blue spruce that I recently cut down,..tree was dead..it seemed dry enough but after the bark was knocked off it acted like it wanted to fray a bit,...so I got into my curly maple scraps. I knew it was dry.

Directory of woodworking books (and others) most link to the site "archive.org"

I was fortunate to be given the opportunity to make a retirement gift for a friend who's been with the Sheriff's department for 30 years. 

Sears and Roebuck and Co Machinery 1911

 

Just a really cool collection of research subjects by Don.

Was going to wait til I had better pic from the good camera but decided these iPhone ones will work. 
     

Editor: Hasluck, Paul N. (Paul Nooncree), 1854-1931
Title: Rustic Carpentry
Contents: Light rustic work -- Flower stands, vases, etc. -- Tables -- Chairs and seats -- Gates and fences -- Rosery walk -- Porches -- Canopy for swing -- Aviary -- Foot-bridges -- Verandahs -- Tool houses, garden shelters, etc. -- Summer houses.
Release Date: Dec 20, 2012
Copyright Status: Public domain in the USA.

Mark Stansbury (creator) posted on this (his) link on another site. This is a treasure trove of resource material, catalogs and the like for anyone that appreciates, uses, collects or researches old tools.
Kudos to him for his vast work...I've C&P his comments from another site.
 

I have wanted to cut something like this for a while and this looked like a good project to test in Carveco.