wood-working
Jan’s Corner: A Woodworking Forum for Amateurs to Experts
An exciting new feature on our blog! Jan’s Corner will give an inside look at his latest woodworking projects. Comment, give us your insight and tips. Plus, (coming soon) share with us your own wood working skills and knowledge by posting your own projects and sparking further conversation with other members.
You can register now as a subscriber to our blog. We will let you know when this feature is up and running.
Eastern Maple Kitchen
Our customer, Janet, tells us about her beautifully finished kitchen in her own words:
I used Aniline water based stain on the Eastern Maple, mixing equal parts of golden oak and honey amber then slightly less of russet amber to get a hint of red. I had much more success in getting even colouring on both the maple plywood and the solid.
We did a shaker style door and I used a Kreg pocket hole jig to assemble the doors. Not probably as strong as woodworkers joints but they were strong enough for the purpose.
The project was a long one (one year) but well worth it.
Nuts and Bolts
Positions of authority: business executives, assembly-line managers, supervisors, parents. Different title; same scenario. Successful adults (now parents) growing up in a work-ethic environment, slogging through the public education system, sending their children to private school because it represents success; a betterment. Better for what I ask? Better yes….in some ways; perhaps not so in others. Same scenario for that mandatory university/college degree so commonly expected by the corporate world. Cause and effect: ‘BofA’ degrees are the new ‘high school’ diploma. Again I ask: Better?
Don’t get me wrong. I did encourage our children towards a university education hoping they attain marketable skills as a means to ensure happiness and financial independence. How? Where? And it really didn’t matter so much if they were otherwise driven. As young adults heading towards some form of post-secondary education, my constant and unwavering advice was to figure out what brings pleasure and how to do this better – whether that meant some form of further education or not. Liking something and trying to do it better likely meant you’ll be good at it……………..meaning somebody just might pay you for this passion. Basically, do we work for the pleasure of what we are doing, or is work simply a means to an end…….or a weekend? It’s this imbalance in our conception of work versus leisure that creates pressure points.
Victoria High School’s Woodworking and Construction Program
By our customer and Victoria High Teacher, Stewart Wheeler
Victoria High School’s woodworking and construction program starts at the grade 9 level and gives student’s the opportunity to take up to 7 different courses by the time they graduate. In grade 9 students do a simple table -600mm long by 285mm wide by 440mm high out of pine or another inexpensive wood. They will also build a giftbox using a choice of different woods. In grade 10, students will do a detailed display table that introduces a variety of wood joints and techniques – biscuited mitres, mortise and tenon, pocket holes, dados, rabbets, cross laps. They will also be introduced to turning on the wood lathes by producing a simple bowl. The last required project is a box of their selection out of a “Box by Box” book from Lee Valley which has a range of boxes that vary in difficulty.
Pre-formed Skateboard Deck Blanks
Now Available through West Wind
- Dimensions: 1/2″ x 10″ x 36″
- Professoinal Rider
- Compound Curves
- Industrial Glue
- Made From Eastern Hard Maple
- Made in Canada
Just $40!
November Customer Projects
We have some talented customers who do amazing work! Here’s this months selection:
Click the large images to scroll through through the photos.
