You can chisel out mortise and tenon joints in timbers by hand, program a CNC milling machine for the task, or you can use LignaTool’s router system. Their system lets you create dovetail mortise and tenons for connecting timber without fasteners.

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If you ask me, the worst part of a project isn’t the sanding or the finishing — it’s getting the dust off the project so it doesn’t ruin the finish. Forget about tack cloths, brushes, or compressed air; the Baker Model M4i Board DeDuster can remove the dust from 700 feet of boards per minute. At that rate, I probably only need to run it for a few minutes every year!

Typically used after resawing applications, the machine measures 108″ long by 36″ wide and adjusts from 38″ to 48″ in height. Independently powered by 2HP motors, the three nylon brushes remove dust from all four sides of each board the conveyor belt brings. A 6″ dust port optimally moving 1300CFM of air removes the dust, and you’ll also need 220V or 440V three-phase power in your shop to run the machine.

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This books tracks the 11-month construction of one Steinway Concert Grand, K0862, from the cutting of lumber in British Columbia to the final tuning and finishing. I found it fascinating to follow all the handwork and craftsmanship Steinway still uses in the various rooms of its old factory in New York. It takes approximately 12,000 parts and up to 450 people to assemble a concert grand.

The paperback version of the book is $11; a Steinway Concert Grand will set you back a bit more (~ $100,000 new, and $50,000 to $200,000 or more for a used model).

Via Amazon [What’s This?]

From Flickr via Charles & Hudson comes this beautiful staircase part of the restoration of a San Francisco Victorian home. The homeowners began by removing a wall that had been put up to separate the upstairs and the downstairs when the house was split into two units several years ago. They then duplicated an upstairs banister that was original to the house, and, after several long days of work, completed the staircase shown above.

The Flickr link has additional pictures and details.

Veritas® flush-cutting saws have teeth that are set only on one side of a thin flexible blade. This allows them to trim protruding plugs and dowels without damaging the surface. They cut on the pull stroke. (more…)

Mortise and Tenon joints are a staple of the furniture building craft, the very foundation of strong, long-lasting woodworking projects. I don’t really use them because there are other ways to make joints, and building in Mortise and Tenons is a giant pain the rear. But the Footprint Rosewood Mortise and Marking Gauge from Woodcraft is a beautiful-looking way to make the argument that I should.

The gauge starts off with Rosewood construction on the block and slide track and features a single pin on one side and double pins on the other to help mark your material before sawing, chiseling, or cutting. It also sports a brass inlay, thumbscrew and slide to offset the Rosewood.

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We often receive a good natured ear-boxing for one reason or another here at Toolmonger. One such letter came from reader J Stevens who brought to our attention the passing of woodworker and furniture builder Sam Maloof.

Though we never met him personally, we are familiar with his work and philosophy of building furniture. Mr. Maloof built all manner of furniture (including his house) by hand and from scratch. His pieces are both well-constructed and intensely valued by many collectors — but it was his attitude towards his fellow craftsmen that we find the most valued in his legacy. Sam Maloof wasn’t a keeper of secrets of the trade; he shared with anyone willing to listen.

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This is the gaze of a man who doesn’t want to start over. That’s what I normally look like when turning anything. Total focus and somewhere in the back of my head hoping I secured the wood to the lathe correctly. Reader Rboyett, however, is probably just thinking about how the taper on his cup should look.

Our collective hats are off to all the turners out there cranking out bad-ass stuff. I recently made a few attempts to turn a few projects myself; though they were very similar to cups you might have seen before, the quality of my craftsmanship will not be displayed at any art shows anytime soon — or ever, on any planet we know of.

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A favorite past time of mine is to see what I can turn scrap into out in the shop. It seems others like reader Jeffrey Immer play the same game. Jeff turned his pile of scrap into this sweet desk set.

Of course “scrap” is a relative term that differs from one shop to another; however I can say that I don’t see anything here other than hardware I couldn’t go to the scrap pile right now and duplicate — so we’re calling this one a fair ball. We love the construction of Jeff’s desk and the simple pieces it took to make it.

It’s not like other projects you might see on TV where they just found hundreds of dollars worth of rare, perfect hardwood lying around. That doesn’t happen to anyone but Norm and the guys at a lumber mill.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

While the name of M-Power’s Tri-Scribe may be from one of those we-like-hyphens-too-much marketing sessions, this seems to be a pretty clever little tool. I stumbled across it while browsing drafting implements and it’s an innovation I wish I’d had on hand in the past.

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Once again reader Jeffrey Immer takes basic materials to the extreme with his newest toolbox. From a guy who builds bridges and buildings out of 2×4’s and ply, a big-ass toolbox must have been an afternoon project.

officially dubbed the Giant tool box of Awesomeness, or GTBA for short, my tools were being removed from all there hiding places so I made this to lock them, it has to moved by forklift and I estimate it to weigh in around 2500-3000 pounds with everything in it empty it was not too heavy. it is made with 5/8 ply and 2×8’s cut down to 2×4s and 2×2s and lots of screws, took me about a day to build. 8′x4′x 42″ tall

I wouldn’t have thought of making a one-ton toolbox before seeing this, but I can definitely see the appeal. Jeff wins the “my toolbox is bigger than yours” contest - hands down.

Toolmonger Photo Pool [Flickr]

I’ve had a Radi-Plane (similar, if not identical to, the picture on the left) for many years*, and found it very handy for easing edges. I recently added — following a “suggestion” from the home project coordinator, a.k.a. my lovely wife — a couple of extra shelves to a cabinet above the oven. I used MDF for the shelves and my Radi-Plane did a great job rounding the edges (and was easier and quicker than digging out the router).

While checking options, I found Benjamen’s post on the Veritas Cornering Tool Set (shown on the right above; $33 for 2 tools with 4 different radii and a sharpening kit), and was wondering how these compare to the Radi-Plane (or the apparent equivalents, Woodstock’s W1100 Slickplane [What’s This?], available for $13, and the Rockler radius plane, available for $22). Has anyone had experience with both? Any other good suggestions for quickly and consistently easing edges?

*15? 20? I found a Radi-Plane reference in the Aug. 1990 issue of American Woodworker [Google Books]. My versions are branded “RADI-PLANE, L.A. Mathers Co., Stockton, Calif.”

Street Pricing [Google Products]
Radius Plane [Rockler]

Kevin covered Makita’s hypoid 7 1/4″ circular saw back in June, but there’s another feature in the range worth noting. That model, the 5477NB, has the same internals as the 5377MG pictured above, so you get the 15A motor, carbide-tipped blade, 2 3/8″ cut depth at 90°, and wear-resistant hypoid gears, but they’re contained in a magnesium casing. The result is a weight drop from 13.9 pounds to 13.0 pounds, and Makita claims the balance is improved as well.

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If you want to incorporate curves into your project, there are a few ways to do it. You can cut wood into thin strips of veneer and build up a curve layer by layer, you can steam the wood, or you can cut closely-spaced kerfs. Using KerfKore panels is another way to skip these time-consuming methods and get down to building.

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This bandsaw push block already has one hit against it. Could you face your fellow woodworkers and tell them you recommend using a Joy-Jaw push block and expect to keep any sort of respect? Aside from the bad name, however, it may have some redeeming features.

The large molded handles and wire guards keep your hands away from the blade. While the molded plastic body is rigid, it won’t damage the blade if you accidentally cut into it. The stepped jaws, which are reminiscent of an alligator wrench, will grip many shapes and sizes of small stock.

Woodteck designed and manufacturers this product in the USA. It’ll run you $30 plus shipping.

Joy-Jaw [Woodworker's Supply]

For those woodworkers who like the hand-shaped look, the smaller curves on trim can be a nightmarish proposition — or at the least a time-intensive one. Enter the mini-sized spokeshaves from Garrett Wade.

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Many, many years ago in a land far, far away — OK, it was northern California in the early 90’s — I saw plans for saw ponies in the July/August 1992 issue of Fine Woodworking (reprinted in The Small Wood Shop, available from Amazon), and built myself a pair using short pieces of 2×4 and plywood. These miniature saw horses are stackable (when stacked two-high, they’re roughly standard saw horse height), sturdy, and can even double as step stools or seats. Recently, while searching for the article, I came across Lee Harps’ blog and his saw pony modifications. I like what he’s done, and think I will incorporate his ideas when I complete another set.

Via Amazon [What’s This?]
The Small Wood Shop [Google Books]