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Show Us Your Woodworking!
This month we are featuring the woodworking projects of Butch Montgomery, who has been woodworking since shop class in High School, where he built an entire roll top desk for his mother, despite the fact that it was a more "advanced" project. CLICK HERE to see Butch's projects: Show Us Your Woodcarving! We invite you to SEND US PHOTOS of your carving along with captions and a brief history and description of your carvings. (Email photos at 800x600 resolution.) Receive a $50 store credit if we show your carving in a future issue. 
This month we are featuring the beautifully carved spoons and boxes of Rodney Miller, who we have also featured in our Show Us Your Woodturning column in The Highland Woodturner. CLICK HERE to see Rodney's Carvings: Tips From Sticks-In-The-Mud Woodshop 
By Jim Randolph
Long Beach, MS This month Jim has a tip on what you need to do in order to enlarge an already drilled hole, as well as a money saving tip on finding the best wood storage solutions within the shop space you are provided. CLICK HERE to read this month's tips from Sticks-In-The-Mud Woodshop! Ask the Staff Question: I am making a dresser out of maple and need to stain or dye it to match a bed out of alder and stained a reddish brown color. What is the best method to match the color? Stain seems to just muddy the maple. For more details and the answer, CLICK HERE: E-mail us with your woodworking questions. If yours is selected for publication, we'll send you a free Highland Woodworking hat. 
TOOL REVIEW: Hock Kitchen Knife Kit By Jeffrey Fleisher New Market, VA This month, Jeff takes a different route in his tool review and discusses the Hock Kitchen Knife Kit. These kits include top quality, steel blades that you can add your own custom handle to in order to create a great addition to your kitchen. CLICK HERE to read more: HIGHLAND VIDEO: Product Tours and Tool Demonstrations available on our YouTube Channel! Check out the great product tour videos and demonstrations on our YouTube Channel. Our good friends Morton, David, Matt & Steve demonstrate some of our most popular products for your benefit in these tours. Click below to watch Steve discuss the Festool Kapex KS 120 EB Sliding Compound Miter Saw. Are there any products you'd like to see in a product tour? If so, we invite you to EMAIL US and let us know what YOU would like to see! 
This month, Ed Scent (Highland Woodworker cardholder since 1995) shares several suggestions on ways to prevent injuring yourself on a spinning blade, and how to figure out when it is okay to touch the blade. CLICK HERE to read the tip: 
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Inside This Issue
Book Review: The Soul of a Tree Tips from Sticks-in-the-Mud Woodshop Show Us Your Shop Designing and Making a Bench The Down to Earth Woodworker Q&A: Color Matching Tool Review: Hock Kitchen Knife Kit My Tell Tale Pyrography Blog: Installing a Benchcrafted Leg Vise Lie-Nielsen Tool of the Month: No. 60-1/2RN Low Angle Rabbet Block Plane Show Us Your Stuff Show Us Your Carving FINISHING: In a Pinch SAFETY: Dangers of Blade Spin Down Show Your Shop! For this popular monthly column, we invite you to SEND US PHOTOS of your woodworking shop along with captions and a brief history and description of your woodworking. (Email photos at 800x600 resolution.) Receive a $50 store credit if we show your shop in a future issue. 
This month we are featuring Herb Schlobohm's shop, which he refers to as the "antithesis" of the normal woodworking shop. CLICK HERE to take a closer look at Herb's shop: 
By Steven D. Johnson Racine, Wisconsin A Sticky Brand Extension Sins Of Commission, Sins Of Omission The 5S Compliant Shop Wall Cabinet Project 
This month, Steve discusses the science and structure behind the tapes we most often use in our woodworking shops. He also questions the integrity of furniture bought from a furniture store and the mistakes that can often be found. And lastly, he lays out the 5S Design Criteria for his new wall storage cabinets.
CLICK HERE to read more: 
This Month on The Highland Blog 
Installing My Benchcrafted Leg Vise
Our blogger, Terry Chapman, recently purchased the hardware for a new Benchcrafted Glide Leg Vise and has finished installing it on his workbench. Read about his installation process and the benefits of his new Benchcrafted Leg Vise on the Highland Blog. CLICK HERE to read more: Our March Lie-Nielsen Tool of the Month: Lie-Nielsen No. 60-1/2RN Low Angle Rabbet Block Plane with Nicker 
Many of my customers have come to me, wanting advice on which of our many block planes they should buy. Often this is prefaced by the fact that they would like the plane they buy to provide a great deal of functionality, as this may be the only plane they purchase. With this in mind, I frequently find myself suggesting our Low Angle Rabbet Block Plane ( 60-1/2RN with nicker). Read Lee Laird's blog post about the Lie-Nielsen No. 60-1/2RN Low Angle Rabbet Block Plane with Nicker: Take a closer look at the Lie-Nielsen No. 60-1/2RN Low Angle Rabbet Block Plane with Nicker: Designing and Making a Bench 
By Rod Scott Hayden, ID Rod Scott discusses the creation of a sitting bench using 100 year old antique cast iron castings and 100+ year old wood planks salvaged from the home site of an early 20th century homestead. CLICK HERE to find out how he designed and built the bench: 
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BOOK REVIEW:
The Soul of a Tree - A Woodworker's Reflections 
Review by
J. Norman Reid Delaplane, VA The Soul of a Tree, George Nakashima's autobiography and philosophy, is a special book about an extraordinary woodworker. It is, of course, an account of the story of his life and the influences that led him to become the exceptional woodworker that he was. But it is much more than that, for those influences—from his earliest years—developed his deep reverence for nature and, in particular, for the many and varied species of trees that inhabit our shared planet. And it is the expression of his philosophic views about trees that forms the core and important message of this book. CLICK HERE to read the review:
Perhaps the finest woodworking show you'll ever attend will take place in the small village of Amana, Iowa on May 15-16, 2015. Featuring many artisan toolmakers who specialize in the modern use of hand tools, this show will inspire and amaze anyone who loves the sound of a shaving clearing the throat of a well-made hand plane. Roy Underhill and many others will be on hand to educate and entertain. Nearby will be a rare display of the exquisite Studley Tool Chest. Save the date, and plan your route to Amana. You will not want to miss this show. CLICK HERE for more info: 
My Tell Tale Pyrography
By Prof. Nsir Malik Islamabad, Pakistan Pyrography literally means "Writing with fire" and in his article, Professor Nsir Malik discusses his method in creating his own machinery system for creating his beautiful wood burning artwork. Click here to read more: Finishing Wood with Alan Noel 
In a Pinch
This month Alan shares some everyday household items that you can use to help you with your finishing processes, and also requests your own household solution ideas. Here are EIGHT items you'll find around the house that you can use: 
our latest Web TV episode 
Charles Brock has singled out the specific tools he uses when building his sculptured chairs and listed them in one place for easy selection by woodworkers undertaking this challenging project. Check Out the Tools of the Trade: WOOD SLICER Testimonial 
Dear Highland,
I'm writing this letter to explain the absolute sickness I felt after the first cut with my woodslicer. I can't believe the number of hours wasted and the amount of frustration I had dealt with working around my bandsaws shortcomings. I will explain. Primarily I'm a turner and bought a bandsaw to cut the corners off blocks but also planned to use the tool for other tasks. Struggling with the factory blade and other blades purchased I found that "drift" was more like "undertow" and that resawing for segmented turnings was more like a wasteful way to check the grain direction. I decided to take one last chance before selling the expensive paperweight, and I purchased the Wood Slicer blade. I couldn't believe the feed rate and accuracy. I literally felt sick. Why did I wait so long to buy one? Why did I put up with a tool that made it harder to work rather than easier? I had wasted more wood than the blade cost. I would say to anyone that is struggling with their bandsaw .... stop and call. -Mike |
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