Several of you have sent in the tip of using sawdust or wood shavings, mixing it with glue to make a putty, rather than buying a commercial putty. So I put my props maker to work. Using all the same wood shavings, but three different glues he got three different results. First a tip he came up wi...
Our TV camera found Lawrence in a store: "When you are using MDF boards, what is the best wood filler to use?"
Medium Density Fiberboard or MDF is that very dense compressed sawdust that is formed into panels and all kinds of molding. When filling nicks and dents in this material, it is importan...
(This article was originally written in 2001 and is an interesting piece of history about learning how to use new tools. Many years after this show I did a real serious job of studying Miter Saw precision and safety and developed a whole series of videos on the subject -- they can all be viewed ...
One of our viewers is looking to redo all the trim in his house so he is wondering which mitre saw he should buy.
The variety is very confusing but there are two basic types:
Fixed mitre boxes that go up and down. They will cut mitres, angles to the right or the left and most of them will cut...
One of the most useful jigs for cutting straight lines across panels with a circular saw is a piece of 1/8 inch masonite with a straight edge screwed to it on one side.
Make it a bit to big and cut off the excess by passing your own saw along the guide edge. Now the outer edge provides you a vi...
Butcher blocks are either not finished at all, or are finished with oil.
There exist special 'Salad Bowl' oils that work well for butcher blocks, in that they are totally non-toxic, but they can be difficult to locate.
Probably the easiest finish is mineral oil from the drug store. The key is t...
After you have mastered the basics of woodturning then your only limit is your own creativity. One of the most challanging projects, conceptually and technically is reversed turning, where you turn both the inside and the outside of spindle like objects. These can be just artistic objects, or bea...
The wood lathe is my favourite woodworking tool - hands down. Follow this link to me simply having fun.
The most important safety detail in woodturning, after a face mask, is to learn to properly place, and constantly adjust, the chisel support. It should always be close to the wood to leave you...
Table Saw Basics
