Get The Lead Out

So recently on a woodworking forum I frequent we had a discussion about pencil sharpeners.  We all were pretty much in agreement that the old school manual crank ones were the best and thus we set out on finding the ideal pencil sharpener.  In my quest for the ultimate sharpener I started doing some digging on available options. There are tons of them out there X-Acto makes some, Stanley Bostitch makes some as well.  I then stumbled upon Class Room Friendly Designs.  The looks of the pencil sharpener are pretty slick, it is an old school look that I prefer.  Check out this video of how it works

I was honestly skeptical of the of the sharpener.  It looks like it would work good, but I wasn't sure about the mechanism that pulls the pencil into the sharpener.  In reality it works extremely well.  You can sharpen the pencil and it will basically stop when the pencil is sharp.

The sharpener came packed very well.

Here you can see the sharpener and the clamp the you can use to clamp it to a shelf.

I would like to have seen two sharpeners in here but honestly the one does a fantastic job.  It creates a very clean cut and a very nice point on the pencils.  

 Here you can see the little clamps that grab hold of the pencil while you are sharpening.  It  holds the pencil very firmly and doesn't allow it to move while sharpening.

 Look at those beautiful points.  I sharpened a few more pencils after this and it is consistent in its ability to sharpen all the pencils.

All in all I would highly recommend this pencil sharpener if you are in the market for a manual sharpener.  I am very happy with the tool and have added it to my arsenal of tools in the wood shop.  

Please make sure to check out http://www.classroomfriendlysupplies.com/ the sharpener is $20, the company that sells the sharpeners is based out of North Carolina.  I don't believe you will regret the purchase.

New Tool Kreg Deck Jig

Kreg Tool just announced a new tool/jig yesterday for the DIY’er.  It is called the Kreg Deck Jig.  It looks pretty interesting. 

It allows you to drill concealed screws into your deck board and also comes with spacers so that you get even spacing between your boards.  I think it might have some merit. 

To learn more about the jig check out Kreg’s Ning Site

Here is a video from Youtube on the site

The MSRP is $99.99 on this Jig which isn’t to bad.  If it is a time saver and secures the boards better then I know it would be worth the money.  I don’t have any decks planned in the next 12 months so don’t know that I will be purchasing this to review it.  If that changes you will know.  :)

Disclaimer:  I am in no way affiliated with Kreg Tool Company I am just a DIY’er who happens to use and enjoy their tools. 

Have a Great Day!

Technorati Tags: Kreg,Tool,Deck,Jig,Deck Jig

Argh… The tool hunt was a bust

Well we made it to the antique show and I looked all over the place and only found one vendor selling any tools and they were okay but nothing jumped out and said buy me.  So maybe next time.  There is supposed to be a bigger show next month so hopefully that will have some additional tools. I guess we will see.  We did however find a great little Windsor Chair.  I need to get it out in the shop and just make sure that everything is nice and tight and to get some photos.  I will try and take care of that tomorrow.  I would love to learn how to build these chairs they are suck a great chair.

We did get a chance to meet a couple of fellow bloggers from The Greentiques Solution and The French Maid’s Place.  They do some amazing work you should make sure and check out their blogs and see some of there work.

 

Till next time…..

Have a Great Day!

Let the tool hunt begin….

Today my wife, son and I are headed to the International Antiques and Collectibles Show.  I am on the hunt for some antique tools.  I am mainly looking for some hand planes maybe a couple of hand drills and pretty much any other thing I can find.  I am really looking forward to this.  I am hoping to find some good deals and can’t wait to restore these tools back to pristine condition.  It will also give me a chance especially with the hand planes to hone (you guys see what I did there) my sharpening skills.  I can honestly say when I was a kid I never thought I would look forward going to antique show.  My how a little bit of time changes things. 

I am kind of on this hand tool kick and want to get some of the older tools to give them a whirl.  I am a huge fan of Roy Underhill he is an amazing craftsman.  I can only hope to achieve half the skill that he has gained over his years of woodworking.  He has a school in Durham and I really hope to be able to take some classes with him and some of his other instructors.  I hate that I live 3.5hrs away.  I however will not let that stop me. 

Anyway…  I have been told that it is time to get ready and go….  I will post any great finds that I happen upon. 

Have a Great Day!

 

Technorati Tags: tools,woodworking,antiques,hand tools

Beginner Woodworker Tools

Today I want to talk about some of the basic tools of woodworking, some of these tools you will have some you will want and some are necessary for successful projects. 

 

Lets focus on small and medium sized projects:

If you are working on smaller projects you may not need a table saw or other “advanced” tools to complete the project.  Take for example the Coffee Table featured here:
I completed this table using only a Compound Miter Saw, a biscuit jointer, a Kreg Pocket Hole Jig, Clamps and a Random Orbital Sander sometimes referred to as a ROS.  In this scenario the the biscuit jointer is not necessary however it does make life a lot easier.  The one thing to note on this table is you want to get very straight boards.  If you get boards that are bowed or cupped meaning that there is a bend in the board and it looks like it arcs or has the beginnings of a U shape you will not get a clean joints.  There are ways to fix those issues in the wood but those required additional skills and tools which I will not get into at this time.  To build this table with the tools mentioned earlier you would use the Miter saw to cut your 2x4’s to length.  The biscuit jointer will allow you easily join the boards together, the pocket hole jig will allow you to attach the top to the base with ease and the sander is there, well to sand and prepare the wood for the stain or paint that you will be using. 

Purchasing tools:

As far as purchasing your tools you have many options you can get most of these tools at the big box stores or a Woodcraft and online.  If you are budget minded and you can order from Harbor Freight, I don’t believe you can get the pocket hole jig there but that is available at Lowes or Woodcraft.  Harbor Freight sells tools for a fair price and typically they are good quality.  You do have to be careful with what you get from them.  My biscuit jointer is one of theirs and I have had great luck with it.  My father has one of their miter saws and he loves it.  One other option if you are looking to possibly get brand names is Craigslist.  I have had real good luck with buying from Craigslist.  I purchased a Jointer and a Planer from craigslist and got both of them for less a either one of them would be now, both are brand names however both are probably 15 years old or better.  Each of those tools work great.  If you do decide to buy from Craigslist make sure you do some research on the tools ask for the model numbers if available before committing to the purchase always go look at the tools and ask to see them work.  One thing I forgot to mention is that I used was a band saw to create the taper on the legs.  You could also use a jigsaw to create the same taper and save some money on the tool. 

Well to wrap it up.  If you are beginning to woodwork I would suggest the following tools to get you started, a Jigsaw, Miter saw, Biscuit Jointer, some kind of Sander.  I briefly mentioned clamps.  These can get expensive, for a cheap alternative for the time being you could purchase some ratchet straps and use those to pull the wood together.  If you don’t already have them for around the house work I also suggest a power drill either cordless or corded.  That should get you building and allow you to tackle several projects.

 

Technorati Tags: Tools,beginner,woodworker,bandsaw,mitersaw,coffee table,jointer,planer,drill,biscuit jointer,clamps,purchase