Talk of the Town
April 30th, 2006SketchUp, SketchUp, SketchUp! It seems everybody was ranting about Google releasing SketchUp for free last week. So what’s the big deal? To find out, I decided to download it and give it a try myself.
To get my feet wet with the program, I decided to start with something simple. The wife mentioned the other day that she’d love to have a hall table to place in our downstairs entry way. I decided I’d attempt to create a model in SketchUp using some plans I found in an old issue of Wood magazine. My plan was to produce a quick mock-up and then change it later based on her input. After about 20 minutes or so of playing around, I had the basic hall table model shown below.
Toy Bear Christmas Ornament Plan
April 28th, 2006
This little toy bear is made from black walnut. The head and body are made from 3/8″ thick quartersawn stock, and the arms and legs are made from 1/8″ thick quartersawn stock. All parts are assembled using .125″ diameter by .625″ long spring/split pins. The pins combined with the tongue and groove joint between the head an body allow all the parts to rotate freely.
Download your free plans for the Toy Bear Christmas Ornament here.
1/8 Inch Shank Miniature Router Bits
April 27th, 2006Are you working on a project with small, intricate parts? Do you have a rotary tool? Maybe a miniature 1/8 shank router bit is just what you need?
Many rotary tools have router table and/or plunge router base accessories available for them. I happen to own the Dremel 400 Series XPR rotary tool, 335 plunge router attachment, and the 231 shaper/router table. Combined with one of these innovative rotary tool bits enable free-hand work such as sign making, inlaying, mortising, adding a decorative edge on soft and hardwoods, and making miniature moldings. Plus, using Dremel’s 1/4” or 1/2” sanding bands with the shaper/router table enable you to get in and sand some pretty small radii on those intricate parts.
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The Dremel is a decent tool. The plunge base is pretty solid and I have no complaints. The shaper/router table, however, could use a couple improvements. The bracket for attaching the rotary tool isn’t very robust and is made of plastic. The height adjustment mechanism isn’t all that great either. This makes it a little difficult to do precision height adjustments on the bit, but once your bit is adjusted the table does a decent job. Overall, I have to say I’m pretty happy with the Dremel product line so far.
Mid-Week Funnies
April 26th, 2006An old timer is looking at tools at the local building supply store and picks up a hammer. “They don’t make these like they used to,” he tells the salesman. “I’ve had the same one for over fifty years. Just had to replace the handle six times and the head twice.”
Buford walked into a doctor’s office and the receptionist asked him what he had. Buford said, “Shingles.” So she took down his name, address, medical insurance number and told him to have a seat.
Fifteen minutes later a nurse’s aid came out and asked Buford what he had. Buford said, “Shingles.” So she took down his height, weight, a complete medical history and told Buford to wait in the examining room.
A half-hour later a nurse came in and asked Buford what he had. Buford said, “Shingles.” So she gave Buford a blood test, a blood pressure test, an electrocardiogram, told Buford to take off all his clothes and wait for the doctor.
An hour later the doctor came in and asked Buford what he had. Buford said, “Shingles.” The doctor said, “Where?” Buford said, “Outside on the truck. Where do you want ‘em?”
Random Ramblings
April 24th, 2006Greetings All,
I managed to get another plan done over the weekend. I’m hoping to release it this Friday just in time for the weekend. Sorry, but you’ll have to wait until Friday to find out what it is. I’m also working on an article about miniature router bits that should be completed by Thursday. On Wednesday be sure to check back for a little mid-week humor.
Stay Tuned,
Wuudchuck
Christmas Sleigh Ornament Plan
April 19th, 2006Here is another one of Fern’s great little woodworking designs. This one was introduced in 1986. Like most of his work, this sleigh uses different hardwoods to provide a natural contrast to the design.
Download your free plans for the Christmas Sleigh Ornament here.
A Little Fun
April 19th, 2006Bob goes to see his supervisor at the millwork shop. “Hey boss,” he says, “we’re doing some heavy house cleaning at home tomorrow. My wife needs me to help with the attic and the garage. You know, moving and hauling stuff.”
“We’re short handed, Bob,” the boss replies. “I can’t give you the day off.”
“Thanks boss,” says Bob. “I knew I could count on you!”
One night a wife saw her husband standing over the baby’s crib.
She stood watching him silently, he looked down with mixed emotions, disbelief, doubt, delight, amazement, enchantment, and skepticism.
She slipped her arm around him, “Penny for your thoughts?” she whispered.
“It’s amazing, how can they make a crib like that for $49.99?”
A young boy around seven years old got separated from his father at a large woodworking show, remembering what his parents had told him to do in such a situation he approached a security guard and reported that he had lost his dad.
“What’s he like,” the security guard inquired?
“Mom says beer and women,” the boy replied.
Crown Molding Made Easy
April 18th, 2006
Nothing dresses up a room or a cabinet like the regal presence of crown molding. This classical accent defines a project the way a frame embellishes an oil painting. And with such a wide array of profiles available, there’s a crown molding made to fit every space. Smaller profiles are used on furniture, casework and cabinetry (like the dentil crown shown at right), while larger moldings are used as architectural trim.
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