The Greene Greene Guild Blanket Chest

Right after the Tilt Top Table, Marc is back into a new Guild Build. This time well be making a Greene & Greene style Blanket Chest.

The SketchUp of the Greene & Greene Chest build.

I have a checkered history of Guild Builds, have participated in the Shaker End Table and the Hanging Wall Cabinet builds (sort of). Alas, sometimes live does get in the choice.
But dont let my busy schedule keep you achoice. The Guild Builds are a great choice to learn and build along with your friends. This will be a fun and practical project. Beautiful too. Build along.

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Its Starting To Come Together

For the first time in over a year my clamps are off the floor, out of buckets and hanging on the wall where they belong.

This was a less than useful home for my parallel clamps.

This past week I was able to spend some time in the shop. With the walls and floor finished, I focused on getting tools out of their piles on the floor and into their permanent homes. This is a slow process, as I usually have to design and build their permanent home first.
I knew that the design for the clamp racks had to be efficient. I used to use Woodpecker Clamp Racks. Though they were strong, easy to use and cost effective, they only stored clamps one (1) clamp deep. Given my abundance of clamps and shortage of wall space, this mean they had to go. Six (6) months ago, they moved to my Dads shop and theyve been happy there since.

My old Woodpeckers clamp racks now house my Dads Parallels.

For the new racks in my shop, I spent a few days savings rack designs to a Pinterest board. The I took the materials I had at hand and got to work.

5/4 Pine, 3/4" OSB & 1/2 Baltic Birch served as great materials for the clamp racks.

I ended up with three (3) simple racks. They total 10 slots for clamps. Each slot is 12" long and holds between six (6) and eight (8) clamps, depending on the size of the clamp head.

In use, the 3 racks work wonderfully.

I also made a simple rack for my quick clamps. Its just two (2) pipes (the original guide rails from my band saws factory fence) set into a wood block. I took the idea from the pipe clamps which my quick clamps used to hang from.

Simple and effective quick clamp storage.

Finally I made a quick rack for my Systainers. This rack is just a temporary measure, but Im looking to consolidate all my storage and get everything off the floor. In those terms, it works well.

A quick and dirty systainer rack.

Hopefully Ill get further on it this week, though I have to start working on the next quilt rack as it is due at the by the end of September.

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Springtime For The Wood Whisperer His Guild members Too!

Well fellow woodworkers, Marc is up to his old tricks and another Guild Build is upon us.

For any of you who dont know (can there be any woodworkers who dont know?) the Wood Whisper Guild Builds are a trice yearly build where Marc publish plans & offers step by step instructions while the Wood Whisperer Guild members build along. Bell Forrest Products even sell special kits of all the lumber needed to build a Guild Build Project.

Previous Guild Build projects have been a shaker table, a dresser and a wall hanging cabinet. This Springs build is a Greene & Greene inspired Adirondack chair.

Though its a thing of beauty, Im sad to say I wont be building along due to other time commitments. Dont let that stop you though. Its a community build second to none. You owe it to yourself and your woodworking to give it a try.

My Shaker Table from the
1st Guild Build.

My almost finished Bastard Wall Cabinet is my
excuse for a Winter 2011 Guild Build project.

Now joint the Guild and get to work on that beautiful chair.

A Little Reorganizing A Little Shop Tour

I cleaned and rearranged the shop today. Now that the wands are finally (almost) done, I needed to clean and rearrange things so that I could walk, use the table saw and find my bench.

Most of the rearrangement involved the hanging of the Bastard Tool Cabinet on the wall and moving my Festool sanders off the floor and onto the wall next to the Bastard.

There are a few corrections to what I say in the video:

1. I think the Port-A-Mate rack was more. I bought is a while ago.
2. What I say is cherry on the lumber rack looks like, and is, walnut.
3. I say “That’s about it” three (3) times. Only one (1) of those times is at the end.

How’s your shop organization? Time for a cleaning?

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MWA Podcast 30 Mike Pekovich

This orginally posted at modernwoodworkersassociation.com over the weekend. If you missed it, please be sure to check it out. Mike was one of my favorite interviews.

MWA Podcast Episode #30 - Michael Pekovich

MWA Podcast Episode 30 - Michael Pekovich (60:03)

Download the MP3

Date: May 30, 2013

By: Chris Adkins, Dyami Plotke, Tom Iovino

Description: Join us for this episode as we speak with guest Michael Pekovich of Fine Woodworking magazine. For show note and more on the MWA visit: http://modernwoodworkersassociation.com

Show Notes:

What’s in the shop?

• Chris
• chisel cabinet
• humidor
• Dyami
• Priming the Tree House
• Mike
• Using props from photo shoots as a reason to build cabinets

Newsletter to come

Main topic

• Tonight’s guest, the 2010 Tenon Shootout Champion
• Mike Pekovich, Fine Woodworking’s Art Director
• Mike’s classes at Fine Woodworking Live
• MIke’s Hobbit Cupboard
• Mike’s Turn Your Garage Into A Real Workshop article

More on Mike’s shop

• Fine Woodworking Best Workshops
• Penultimatewoodshop.com Series on Mike’s Shop

If you’re missing us already, you can subscribe to the show on itunes. Just search for the Modern Woodworkers Association. Once you’re subscribed, you’ll be sure never to miss an exciting episode. While you’re in iTunes, please leave us a 5 star rating. It helps our rank so others can more easily find us.

If you want to find out more about the Modern Woodworkers Association, be sure to visit modernwoodworkersassociation.com, follow the MWA on twitter @MWA_National, like the MWA on Facebook or circle Modern Woodworkers Association on Google+. While you’re there, join the MWA Google+ community for project sharing, discussion and loads of woodworking banter.

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Were all Tusken Raiders

My Festool Random Orbit Sanders

I like to sand. I know that goes contrary to popular opinion, but I find sanding relaxing.The reason I like sanding is that I’ve stocked myself up with an arsenal of sanding paraphernalia that usually make it easy. My normal routine is to use a Festool random orbit sander connected to my CT22 dust extractor via my vacuum boom arm. The result is that sanding is usually a relaxing process. It could be a little monotonous, but listening to an entertaining podcast or book takes care of that. If you don’t have a decent vacuum and boom arm to connect to your sander, you really should. The less dust, the greater the sanding enjoyment.

This weekend I’ve had to leave my fancy set up behind and sand by hand. I’m making some wands (more on them in a future post), and there’s not a flat surface on them.The result has been lots and lots of hand sanding. I’ve used 3M Sandblaster sanding pads for the wands, and while I’ve been happy with the results, I’ve been hating the process. I now remember why so many of us hate sanding.How do you deal with sanding?

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The Guild Top Table

The Wood Whisperer Guild is about to embark on their next group build -- the Tilt Top Table.

Safety first . . . and second . . . and third . . .

What is the Wood Whisperer Guild you ask? Surely you know already if you’re an active part of the online woodworking community. If you’re new, the Guild is the members section of the Wood Whisperer Site. Why be a member? There are many great reasons. If you’re not yet familiar with them, you can watch an exhausted and dreary eyed me talk about why the Guild is so great.

This build will be a neat project. It’s going to be a traditional tilt top table. While this traditional form of furniture isn’t quite to my taste, it is much to my wife’s. I’m sure that if it’s not quite your style either, someone you know will still love it.Regardless of style, it’s going to be an interesting build. It’ll be the first time a Guild Build breaks out the lathe. The flip top and gently splaying legs that extend the shape of the center turning will also be fun to build. Or you could bastardize the design and not turn or splay it, as I’d probably do.

That is the great thing about Guild Builds. Though it’s a community build of many Guild members building along with Marc, the project’s not as important as the community. I’ve never had as much fun building a project as I have with the Guild Builds I’ve participated in. Even when my own project veered off dramatically from the one Marc was building, it was still great to participate with the group and share the camaraderie that only comes from building along with a group. Short of sharing a classroom, the Wood Whisperer Guild is the best choice to enjoy you woodworking (and learn) with others.

Learn more about the table with Marcs introduction video.

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