I know that many of my podcast listeners do not have the time to get over to the blog to read it so I want to make sure that no one misses out on my profound thoughts capture on Audioboo. You can subscribe to the Audioboo iTunes feed by clicking here and following the iTunes link on the left side of the page.

I am interested to hear some feedback on these clips and what if anything you want to hear more of.

I will do my best to post links to each boo here on the blog as well as it appears the widget from Audioboo is not working just yet to do it for me.

Look for short audio content a lot more as I hit the road for the Woodworking In America conferences in the coming months as well as 2 more visits up the road to the Acanthus Workshop.

Registration for the October 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Woodworking in America Hand Tools and Techniques conference in scenic Valley Forge, PA is now open. By now y’all have probably already learned this through the grapevine but I am going to add my two cents.

A lot of the criticisms from last year were that the classes were too short to cover the material and there were so many choices, you couldn’t help but feel you were missing out on something. Also there was a lot of wishing for more hands on clinics. Well it appears the WIA staff was listening because like the Design conference in August, the class offerings are such that everyone will get a chance to attend every class. Moreover, there are a lot more hands on clinics. Finally, it looks like the suject matter has been tightened up to focus on more specific elements and hopefully allowing a more comprehensive look at each topic in the short time alotted.

I for one will be at this event and I am looking forward to rubbing elbows with some big names and a lot of “friends I have never met” from the blogosphere and woodworking online community.

A word of warning, registration is open now and the conference filled up really quickly last year so get off the fence at head over to the site and get signed up!

1. One Meter Dash – Step away from your table saw and venture back into the 1800s. Each contestant is required to accurately rip a 36″ piece of 2 x 12 stock using a handsaw. We hope you practiced the pointers doled out in Popular Woodworking magazine’s “Arts & Mysteries” column. This event is judged mainly on time, with points deducted for going way off the line. (A kinked saw will result in immediate disqualification.)

2. Shooting Sports – Use a jointer plane to straighten and square the edge created during the One Meter Dash. That’s right – you have to do it completely by hand. Crazy. Judging, with a test bar of aluminum, a feeler gauge and an engineer’s square is for straightness and accuracy.

3. Crosscut Extravaganza – Hold your finger straight to sight down the saw (or simply channel your inner square) to accurately crosscut a piece of 2 x 12 lumber. This event is judged mainly for time with points deducted for going way off the line. (A kinked saw will result in immediate disqualification.)

4. Brace Yourself For a Hole in One – Before the advent of electric and battery-powered drill/drivers, carpenters and woodworkers used a brace and auger bits to bore holes. The challenge: Bore a 3/4″ hole in a plank, straight and square to surface of plank (no squares or other aids allowed). It’s not as boring as you might think! Judged for speed. Points off for major blowouts on the backside and any degrees out of square.

5. Pins First or Tails First – You make the call on which method you prefer; we’ll track the numbers to see which is more popular. Either way, you have to complete a well-fit three-pin dovetail joint on a 1×4, using hand tools. Goodbye jig. Judging is subjective – but we know it when we see it. If the competition gets close, we may call in a jury.

6. Greco-Roman Tenons – Produce a 3″-long, 3/4″-thick tenon on the end of a piece of 2×4 stock. Your attempt has to fit into a provided test mortise. This event is judged for time and quality – with some latitude allowed if the tenon is a bit tight, as most are hand planed to final fit.

So you can see that these games will test any galoot’s skills. There will be prizes for the medalists and grand prize winners and there has been mention of some “everyone gets a ribbon” prizes for participating too. I for one am very excited and plan to compete. Stay tuned to my podcast in the coming weeks for a look at my “training” program and I will see you all in August where we shall compete on the field of sawdust (and I don’t mean the local sawdust floor bar…well maybe that would be fun too)

Having been to the showroom and taken the factory tour, I can tell you that I definately didn’t see the things going on in this video!

The Sorby Intermediate Turning Set is great for both spindle and bowl turning and includes 6 tools.

3/8th Bowl Gouge
3/8th Spindle Gouge
1/8th Parting Tool
3/4 Roughing Gouge
3/4 Oval Skew Chisel
1/2 Round Nose Scraper

These are excellent tools that will last you a very long time and are made of the finest high speed steel.

If you have some basic tools already and are just looking to upgrade or purchase a few more, Woodcraft is offering all Sorby turning tools at 20% off! Check it out these prices are good starting this weekend, September 27th and running through October 31st. Trick or Treat!

Well last October for our anniverssary, my wife and I spent a long weekend in Williamsburg, VA. We saw it all, but I must have made at least 15 stops into the cabinet maker’s shop. The guys there started to recognize me and call me by name. That dormant seed began to sprout and a passion for hand tool work began. Now that was only 7 months ago so hardly have I had time to become terribly proficient in the startling breadth of hand tools out there, but I have definately transformed how I work with wood. I have found a happy synthesis between the power tools and the hand tools. My jointer and tablesaw still get quite a work out, but there are a lot more chisels laying about and handplanes and scrapers on every flat surface. I have found myself buying old tools on ebay even. Check out the mortise chisels that i just got. (excuse the blatant pose, I was looking for website fodder)

All of this preamble is my way of introducing a new series of posts that will detail my shop transformation to allow for this synthesis that I spoke of above. The most glaring deficiency in my shop now is a complete lack of a bench. (gasp!) I have some things that need to be done first in order to make room for said workshop shrine however so I will start there. In other words, hand on tight and tune in for the fun!

That being said I wanted to bring up a safety topic that concerns other in my shop. Modern Woodshop has already touched on safety with other when they visit your shop. What I am referring to is our pets who love to be by our side, and under our feet (usually while the table saw is running)

First things first, no matter I do I cannot keep my retriever, Alex, out of the shop. When I let him in, he insists on being right by my side. Here is what I do to keep him happy and out of the way:

I have put a dog bed in the shop where he can settle down and stay out of the way.
I also bring in a few toys to keep him busy in his corner.
Periodically, I stop what I am doing and go over and pet him and spend some quality time.

These steps are all well and good when I am doing hand work or at a machine with good dust collection. When the dust starts to fly and the noise levels increase there is not much to do short of:

Seriously, at that point, I have to escort the dogs out of the shop. Just remember to think of your pets too as the increased noise levels and dust can effect them just as much as you. Let’s not forget that tripping over a dog any time in the shop can lead to disaster.

This weekend, I got nothing done in the shop as I spent the entire day Saturday and much of Sunday, rewiring my table saw and jointer. Alex had managed to chew off the power cord, sever the cord running directly into the motor, and sever the cords running into the power switch. Additionally, he ate the plug off the jointer. Needless to say, he has been bumped off the shop apprentice list for a while until he can recognize the value of shop safety and good machinery. Thank goodness, nothing was plugged in.

The silver lining to all of this is that I have increased my skill level with general wiring. Not only that, I decided to buy some insurance and got some of the green apple spray that repels dogs. I hope this will keep him from being tempted in the future.

I have taken measures to keep all the other power cords up and out of reach so that I don’t have to repeat this exercise with the band saw, lathe, planer, etc. Although, I suppose if he eats the bandsaw cord, it would be a good excuse to upgrade the motor to 1.5 HP.

I hope this will explain the lack of posts here. No one wants to watch electrical work, and I was certainly not in a good mood while doing it. Clarence is pleading his innocence, but I hold him responsible as the big brother for not keeping his little upstart brother in check.

I cannot guarantee any regularity to the posts here, but I will try to keep everyone updated on what projects I am working on, how business is going, things I am learning, and of course the health and well being of my shop apprentices, Clarence and Alex.