Woodworking Book Review : Tiny Boxes 10 Skill Building Box Projects By Doug Stowe

For lots of woodworkers making boxes is a great way to develop their skills of design and practical technique. They are terrific for extending your woodworking repertoire as well as providing a ready source of gifts or useful storage places for all those bits and pieces we tend to hold onto “just in case”.  There are quite a few books out there to help with this so is this one worth the dollars?

First up Doug Stowe writes great copy, it’s easy to read and to understand what he is getting at. Often design sections of these books can get a bit too wordy, a bit artsy if you know what I mean. In this book Doug is straight forward about what he likes and how it’s achieved.  The basic layout of the book is simple. Ten projects each require a slightly higher level of skill to achieve. They are all set out in a logical order, an introduction to each box and some discussion on its form and design. Simple to follow instructions on how to make the box together with some tips for variations on the theme, are supported with some good photography as well as excellent sketch illustrations.

The projects here are as the title suggests small scale so you don’t have to have a lot of shop space or invest in great quantities of expensive stock to make them. To complete everything though you would need a well-equipped shop  (Band saw, Router table, Lathe) but Doug offers plenty of tips on how to achieve results with a less sophisticated arsenal.  There is a great section on creating some custom inlay and I particularly liked the section on creating tiny versions of the classic bentwood box.

If you want to take on a real challenge the final box in the set is a Japanese puzzle box. This not only looks amazing it’s a fiendishly clever and would be a very satisfying thing to produce and show off to your pals. As with most quality woodworking books there are hints and tips throughout and plenty of “that’s a great idea” moments thrown in.

 So back to my original question is it worth the dollars? In short yes, it’s a good book to browse and a great book to work from, progressively building up your skills. For the experienced woodworker there are some challenges to overcome as you are operating at the smaller end of the scale. For the novice it’s a great way to improve your skills and have inspiring projects to work towards.

   

Tiny Boxes . . . 10 Skill Building Box Projects by Doug Stowe is available from thegmcgroup.com and other retailers online. ISBN-978-1-63186-447-6

A Guide to Milled Timber with Matt Cremona and April Wilkerson

As your woodworking journey progresses, most people shift from using highly stable man made board for their projects; to more decorative and satisfying to work with natural timbers.

Understanding the grain direction in a board makes a huge difference to both the structural properties of your projects and how they will look when finished. You also need to figure out how the board may move over time, given that natural timber never really stops reacting to the environment it’s in.

Triton Brand Champion Matt Cremona talks to April Wilkerson about the terms associated with milled timber, and how to take account of the properties it can exhibit over time.

How to “read a tree” with Matt Cremona and April Wilkerson

Many woodworkers actively seek out timber with interesting or decorative grain patterns for their work. For most of us that means a hunt through the slabs already cut in the timber yard to find the perfect piece to work with.  However for Triton Brand Champion, Matt Cremona searching for interesting figure in timber starts by understanding how trees grow and the forces at work to shape their internal structures.  In this film Matt talks to April Wilkerson about the process of reading a tree as it stands to understand the hidden treasures within.

In conversation with Matt Cremona

Matt Cremona is an emerging star from the rapidly-growing community of craft professionals who generate at least part of their income from sharing knowledge and skills online to encourage the next generation of woodworkers.

Where Matt differs from most however, is his unique enthusiasm and experience of taking his work all the way from milling his own locally-salvaged timber, to creating fine furniture and other projects. Matt shares his work via his weekly shop updates on his YouTube channel, his website, a very active Instagram account, and regular podcasts with fellow woodworkers.

Matt’s content features not only his own work and progress on current projects but also the work of others, who send him their own project details, as inspiration for the wider community.

In this short film, Matt talks about the motivation behind his career change from software engineer to professional woodworker and communicator. Matt is working with Triton, supporting our brand champion program, providing feedback for product development, and supporting Triton with personal appearances at major trade shows and exhibitions. 

Check out Matts great content on his website www.mattcremona.com and by subscribing to his channel onYouTube or follow daily progress on his projects on Instagram. 

Woodworking Book Review; Good Clean Fun , Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop

(Dutton) 

By Nick Offerman

This friend is a proper woodworker’s book. If you are deep into craft with many years of experience, you will appreciate the subtext of the writing and some of the fine details. If you have just been bitten by the woodworking bug and are still at the dreaming stage of setting up your shop, this will fire you up with enthusiasm to get on with it without delay.

What’s more, on days when you just can’t get into the shop (does that actually ever happen?) this book will fill the void with tales of daring do and sawdust from some of the coolest woodworkers in America. Nick’s style of writing is easy going and straight to the point with a satisfying seasoning of well-timed humour throughout.

After an initial and very readable introduction to essential tools and workshop set-up, there is a really good section on the properties of wood and how boards are cut. Doesn’t sound like much, but if you are new to the ways of the saw; this is devilishly useful info when you want to sound convincing at the lumber yard.

  

Now the main event of this very readable volume is an introduction to a cast of fine woodworking folks who share an absolute passion for making stuff; and have crossed paths with Nick and his studio over time. Firstly, each of these twenty characters is introduced in a very readable preamble which gives you a flavour of their own particular brand of wood fever.  Secondly, you get some delightful projects presented by their makers and some pretty detailed instructions; some accompanied with great illustrations to help you make them if you choose to take up the challenge. Some are complex and require serious time and skill, but you can start with a small but beautifully detailed kazoo, and who wouldn’t want one of those?

Throughout the book are some beautiful images. ‘Wood Porn’ is a fair description as well as some original pop art and illustrations. There is a smattering of side articles on subjects as diverse as beard culture and workshop fashion; all presented with the level of irreverence and smart humour that are the hallmarks of this really great book.

Undoubtedly this is a terrific book with some great original projects to pick up, either to do or to dream about making in your own fashion. But more than that, it sets out in print what the modern world of woodworking or making with wood is about. It’s a kick back at conformity and the mass produced in favour of creativity and rediscovery of craft skills. Not just for those lucky enough to make their living from working with wood, but for the millions of us who enjoy freedom of expression made real by our own hands.

Good Clean Fun, Misadventures in Sawdust at Offerman Woodshop by Nick Offerman is available from thegmcgroup.com, and other retailers online. ISBN-978-1-101-98465-9.

Once upon a tree; Il Etait Un Arbre.

Meet 3 friends from the ENSTIB Wood Engineering school in Epinal; who’s passion for woodworking and creativity pushed them to create their own company, ‘Il Etait Un Arbre.’

Despite one of the founders growing up working with steel, the company have discovered the beauty that working with wood can offer- as well as offering an ecological benefit too, which was the inspiration behind creating the company. ‘Wood is a bio based material, completely renewable- we are working with a living organism and there’s a special feeling that comes with that.’

Best of the Woodworking Web- Theres no place like here: Liberty Tool

In honour of #DIYweek our Best of the Woodworking Web post shows H.G "Skip" Brack who salvages tools from all over New England to resell at affordable prices; making DIY accessible to everyone.


Through this, H.G "Skip" Brack supports his local economy and craftsmen- He salvages up to 1 and a half tons of tools each week and resells at affordable prices. 'I price things intuitively, but I do it so people can afford it. People around here aren't rich, and I'm conscious of that.'




There's No Place Like Here: Liberty Tool from Etsy on Vimeo.

Crimson Guitars Revisited

We first visited Ben Crowe at Crimson Guitars, based in Dorset in the UK, in early 2014. At that time, Ben was pretty much flat out getting his fledgling specialist custom guitar business off the ground. His infectious mix of enthusiasm, passion for his craft and commitment to spreading the word with a relentless social media schedule was difficult to resist. 

A couple of years on and this dedicated #MasterofWood has grown his business making guitars and a line of specialist luthiers tools for building and repairing string instruments. He also trains and educates his growing team of talented luthiers and apprentices, plus the wider fan base that follow him on YouTube.

We thought it was time to catch up again with Ben and see where Crimson Guitars have got to two years on. The transformation is truly impressive. 

If you missed the original post catch it here Crimson Guitars March 2014

Best of the WoodWorking Web- Natural Goods

Our Best of The Woodworking Web post tells the story of Luca Bressan, a designer born by The Dolomites; a mountain range located in north-eastern Italy.  His love for the ocean and wildlife created a 'cultural clash' between forest and saltiness. This short documentary by Marco Mucig 'Natural Goods' showcases Luca's passion for creating high performance surfboards using the best from nature. His idea of building surfboards and living in the mountains might sound crazy, but when Luca found out that madness was possible, the world became a different place.  His background as a product designer, growing up around nature and his innovative eye made his passion for surf shaping incredibly natural to allow him to create uniquely crafted surfboards that no one had achieved before.

For more information about Luca and his work, visit www.solosurfboards.com

Build and heirloom tool chest, free to download project plans

Launched in 2015 the Triton TWX7 Workcentre is proving a real hit with woodworkers. Its combination of workbench, precision router table and table saw is the core of a great workshop set up. We challenged the team at Woodworkers Journal to come up with a quality project that could be completed on the Workcentre. Chris Marshall accepted that challenge and has produced this terrific project plan and accompanying video to build a quality tool chest that would look great in any workshop.

You can watch the video of the project build below  and download the full plans and step by step guidance from this link. Triton Tool Chest Plans

For anyone who completes this project and shares a picture of the finished piece with us via Facebook or Twitter we will send you a  unique Triton care package.

How to make a picture frame with no mitres

Picture frames are a regular for the woodworker. They make a great gift or quick project to add a nice touch around the home. But you don’t always have to go to the trouble of a full mitred joint. Sometimes a simple joint done well using a quality timber and well finished is all you need.  In this video George Vondriska from Woodworkers Guild of America shows us how to make a simple, frame with no mitres on the Triton TWX7 Workcentre. Be sure to check out the full and extensive online library of resources at  www.wwgoa.com

Wooden Sled Maker – Marc Besnier

Our latest Master of Wood is Marc Besnier a craftsman whose business Au Fil Du Bois is based on a beautiful hill top in Ardecshe, Southern France.  Marc creates high performance dog sleds and wooden luges. Some are bespoke creations, fitted to the user’s size and weight, destined for use in the harshest sub-zero environments as a critical element of a polar expedition. Whilst the smaller luge can be seen in smart resorts across the Alps and beyond. Though many modern composite materials are available, the use of wood primarily Ash coupled with the skilled hands of a craftsman such as Marc still provides the high performance, durability and flexibility that is required when you are operating in the toughest conditions.

Woodworking Book Review; Building Sheds by Joseph Truini

Building Sheds by Joseph Truini

This week’s review is for a new book from the ever-popular stable of the Taunton Press, which has a great catalogue of woodworking and hobby titles to choose from. The first thing to understand here is the title and aim of the book. The term “shed” has slightly different meanings around the world. This can be a wooden building in the garden for storing the lawnmower and assorted household junk that can’t be accommodated anywhere else. Equally it’s a refuge from regular life gainfully employed as a workshop for making or fettling objects or small projects of all sorts. This book is very much aimed at the former, concentrating on the design and construction of a range of storage sheds, with some innovative features that make them easily adaptable to a range of uses.

This is a really well-illustrated book with a very hands-on style beginning with the basic principles of methods and materials. Keeping in mind that there are different rules and regulations around the world with regard to permitted development and building codes, there is a lot of ground covered here with good levels of detail. Getting a great foundation is important for any project so whether you need to put in frost-proof deep-level piles or a simple wood skid frame, this opening chapter gets you off to a great start. With sections on walls, cladding and roofing, the basic design and choices of materials are laid out with good images of most of the options. There is certainly enough information here to inspire you to design your own shed.

If, however, you want a bit more guidance in building a quality shed of your own, then there are five full projects to choose from where you can follow step-by-step guides from the foundation to the rooftop. Each project has illustrations with key timber dimensions as well as lots of photos of the entire build process. None of them look like a quick weekend project ­­-̶  in fact, a couple look substantial enough for a small family to live in. These are all achievable given sufficient time and budget. None of the projects requires a great number of specialist tools, although an impact driver, a circular saw and a nail gun are really going to take some of the pain out of it for you.

These are all pretty impressive structures that would be a really positive addition to your property. Some of the design features mean they not only look great but have some well-considered practicality built in. It would have been great to have a compiled cutting list and materials list consolidated for each project to make it easier to work out the budget. However, there are links to websites where the full plan can be viewed and purchased from third-party vendors who make these sheds commercially.

If you are planning or dreaming of building your own purpose-built stylish shed as your ideal workshop or garden store, then this book is well worth a browse. A serious case of shed envy is guaranteed.

Building Sheds by Joseph Truini is available from www.thegmcgroup.com and other retailers online.  ISBN 978-1-62710-770-9

Best of the Woodworking Web:Timber Furniture

It’s been a while since we shared a ‘Best of The Woodworking Web’ Post, so it’s that time again.

Meet Adam Magers, a skilled craftsman who believes we live in a world where a vast majority of the furniture is mass produced out of man-made materials with the intent of generating excessive profits.

In Adam’s experience, furniture like this doesn’t last and his passion for woodworking led him to start his business, Timber Furniture KC, where by taking time and care to craft furniture by hand that can stand the test of time.

For Adam, making furniture is more than just a job, it’s his passion.

Timber Furniture from Kindling on Vimeo.

Architectural Model-Making - Build a City on Your Workbench.

In March last year we shared an introduction to the team at Studio Hardie on our blog.

Charlie Palmer works as a project manager with William and the team, but also has an independent business - Charlie Palmer Models - which is based in the East Sussex county town of Lewes. Charlie Palmer Models provides architectural model-making services specialising in high quality context/off sight buildings.

We met up with Charlie to discover more about making professional architects’ models. With a background in ‘silversmithing’ and the many subsequent years spent running the workshop at Cockpit Arts, Charlie still has a big appetite for design-and-make projects, with an eye for detail and precision that’s required to deliver huge projects on a small scale.  

How to build a Longboard

This is the next post from the amazing team at In’Bô in France, where they make really exciting products using innovative techniques fused with traditional materials.  

In this film we get to see the entire process from the construction of the laminated deck from layers of wood veneer, flax fibres and topped with their own marquetry deck.   To make such a high performance product you need to take real care in the storage and preparation of the wood. Temperature and humidity are critical factors in the preparation as is attention to detail in the finishing. The final product is very cool. 
Filmed in French this film has English subtitles.

See this earlier post for an introduction to the team at In’Bô http://blog.tritontools.com/2015/08/a-new-age-for-wood-meet-in-bo-cool.html
 If you are making your own high performance products with wood drop us a line  and you could feature here on the blog, leave a comment below or email Marketing@tritontools.com

Making space – meet the hackers and makers of Dallas

In previous posts we have talked to woodworkers and craftspeople about the rapidly growing interest in making stuff and being a ‘maker’. 

The stumbling block for many people in realising their vision is the lack of access to suitable resources such as tools or a space to work in. This is where a ‘makerspace’, sometimes called a ‘hackerspace’ or ‘fab lab’ comes in. A makerspace is a community of like-minded individuals who club together to create a facility that supports all members in their creative endeavours.

We visited the Dallas Makerspace in Texas, USA, to find out how such an organisation gets off the ground and just what makes their set-up - one of the largest such facilities in North America - so successful.  In short they have great membership bases who all contribute financially as well as sharing collaboratively in the running of projects. The community has grown to provide support for dozens of small enterprises and Kickstarter campaigns with great facilities, as well as sharing experiences with members and teaching new members.

If you are interested in working with wood, metal, plastics, or other creative arts, or if you would like to include 3D printing or laser CNC machines in your armoury, then working collaboratively is a great way forward. Alex Rhodes, a board member for the Dallas Makerspace, gives us an insight into their community in this short film.

If you have a collaborative ‘maker’ project, we’d love to hear from you, so why not drop us a line and share your experiences?

Studio Hardie Diaries - Building a timber frame farmhouse, Isle of Eigg, Scotland

Hamish Boden from Studio Hardie talks about the challenges of fabrication and installation of a Douglas Fir timber frame farmhouse in one of the remotest parts of the British Isles.

The house was designed by Cameron Scott and was a contemporary take on a traditional four bay farm house, using douglas fir and larch. The brief was to build something that was both eco friendly and robust (considering the regular storms gusting up to 80mph) whilst making the most of the epic landscape.

(This time lapse video has no soundtrack)

The main thing that attracted me to this build was the location.  Eigg is a remote island on the west coast of Scotland at just six miles long by four miles wide, with a population of fewer than 100.  Everything about this place is dramatic from its sweeping mountain-scape to its expansive views and often turbulent ferry crossing, all adding to the islands rich history.  Therefore it is only right that the farmhouse exude a similar kudos.

Another major attraction to this project is that my family live here.  My Father and Grandfather have both built houses on the island. I couldn’t pass up this opportunity, whether I liked it or not. Naturally my competitive side is to build something bigger and better so the Studio Hardie team and myself set off on the 600 mile journey to build the house of all houses.

We built the frame off site in our workshop.  It meant that we weren’t exposed to the elements during winter and could give the extra attention to detail that it deserved.  Logistically it was ambitious.  Transporting the timber to the island was the first major hurdle. The articulated lorry was full to the roof and it literally wouldn’t have taken another piece of timber. We had to use a specialist boat for carrying the freight and lastly a tractor and trailer for the last kilometer on the island. It was a relief to get the project to site.

 I’ve done a few small projects there previously. I started with building a little shepherds hut that taught me a lesson on being prepared. You have to be militant in planning and it helps to be resourceful.  The closest builders merchant is in Fort William so any materials take a week to arrive.  You can’t just nip out when you have forgotten a box of screws.  Problem solving is as important too. I know my tool kit better than I know the back of my hand and probably spent more time with it than I have my own family.

Like any project thinking through every process is key.  Knowing what happens next and what you will need in advance. I guess this is something that comes from experience, both good and bad. There’s nothing like getting something horribly wrong to teach you a lesson.  Its how you recover from that situation that really sets your principles.

Another challenge is the lack of and limitations on access to modern luxuries like a crane or access equipment.   We didn’t even have mains electricity so had to rely on generator. We resorted to the medieval technique of raising the building by hand. In some ways it’s the most pleasurable way to put up a building.  It’s slow but you can be methodical and finesse things as you go.

Eigg is one of the first communities in the UK to produce all of is electricity supply locally with renewable resources so building a house out of renewable timber seemed like the obvious thing to do.  For me timber framing is the essence of carpentry and teaches you so much about wood. I really think it’s a good starting point for any carpentry discipline. Being able to read a piece of timber to knowing what the grain will do over the years and how it will be affected by shrinkage.  You don’t get many second chances with green oak as its not like you can cover up a mistake with a bit of filler or paint.  One thing it also really helps with is getting good at using hand tools. The timber is often so large and difficult to move hand tools are the only option, You learn to use the circular saw in all directions and sometimes even cutting upside down.

I think the highlight of this project for me was seeing the frame slowly take shape. It took around 2 weeks to erect.  Each day you would see a little progress and begin to see how the house is going to sit in the landscape. It was every bit as fun, challenging and hard work as it looked.

Best of the Woodworking Web - Wintergatan's Marble Machine

When we first saw this video a few weeks ago, we just knew it was perfect for our next 'Best of the Woodworking Web' post. The Wintergatan Marble Machine was built by Martin Molin, a Swedish musician, and is powered by 2,000 marbles. The end result is really impressive.

Wintergatan - Marble Machine from Wintergatan on Vimeo.

You can see a whole series of videos showing how the machine was made on Wintergatan's YouTube channel.

Product Review for the Triton TWX7 Workcentre

Here on the Triton blog we usually concentrate our efforts on telling the stories of other woodworkers around the world and giving you an insight into their craft. Those of you who have followed the blog for a while might remember an interview by Chris Marshall at the IWF show in Atlanta in 2014, where we first previewed the Triton TWX7 Workcentre for the US audience. As a departure from the usual fair, this week we are really blowing our own trumpet. We sent the TWX7 to Woodworker's Journal Magazine in the United States for them to review and this is their short film.

Come and see us in action

For those of you in Europe, you can see this product with live demonstrations at the International Hardware Fair in Cologne, Germany, from the 6th 'til the 8th of March. We will also be joined by some of our #MastersofWood contributors to the blog who will be on the Triton booth taking part in live demos and answering your questions. So come along for a chance to meet April Wilkerson, our favourite YouTuber from Texas, Patrick Burnett, maker of amazing wooden surfboards from Cape Town, South Africa, and Jamie Smith, a cabinet maker from the UK. If you are at the show, stop by for a coffee and a chat.

How to make a paint storage cabinet with April Wilkerson

Back in December, we published an interview with April Wilkerson, our USA Triton Brand Champion. It was one of our most popular posts to date, bringing lots of new people to the Triton pages so welcome to those of you who are new to our blog. While we were in Texas with April, we filmed a new project build exclusively for Triton.

April usually builds, films, edits and publishes her own projects single-handedly, so we thought it might be fun to help out for a day. If you want to find out how to build robust and mobile paint storage cupboard for your workshop, check out this short film:

If you want to get your hands on the written plans for this project, just visit April’s site: www.Wilkerdos.com .
If you missed the interview you can find it here: http://blog.tritontools.com/2015/12/meet-april-wilkerson-from-woodworking.html

More to Life with Woodworking, the Peyton High School Woods program

Lots of people contact Triton looking for support for their organisations. Usually it is for sponsorship or donations to help a worthy cause, and like most responsible organisations we do our best to help out where we can. Just occasionally, a request comes with a unique story that is worth both supporting, and in particular, sharing.

In many industrialised countries there is a growing understanding that the long-term educational  goal to put all kids through an advanced academic programme is missing an important point. Both students and even advanced economies need to have a base of practical skills – or in other words, people who can actually make things.

Vocational qualifications and aspirations have long been looked on as something for those who were not smart enough to achieve academically. In many places, even access to practical or craft subjects such as woodwork, metalwork, automotive etc, has become a rare opportunity at high school level. So without the active encouragement of a parent or grandparent or another suitable role model, very few young people are getting the chance to experience the joy that making or growing something with your own hands can bring.

Peyton, Colorado is a small town not far from Colorado Springs. With the prairie stretching out on one side and the Rocky Mountains in the background, it's pretty typical mid-America, though in one respect it's doing something really ground-breaking. By making great use of a previously abandoned building, they are reintroducing practical education - specifically woodworking - to the games console generation in spectacular style.

This is not the old woodworking programme of previous generations; this syllabus aims to teach advanced, professional, lean manufacturing techniques as well as hands-on design and construction to students with an equal weighting to more traditional academic subjects. It's a unique education and industry collaboration that is being seen as a model for similar programmes, not only in America but across the globe.

This short film provides a background to the programme, how it came about and where it's heading for the future. We love the way the students are supported by retired volunteers, bridging the generation gap and sharing not just practical skills but genuine life lessons. Let us know what you think by leaving a comment below.

Timber Mountain Men

During a recent trip to the United States, where we were travelling to woodworking events, we were lucky enough to discover a timber mill high in the mountains of Colorado. The owner/operator of the mill kindly allowed us to look around and gave us some valuable insights into its operation.

 

Most of the timber is cut within a short distance from the mill, and includes many different species and grades. Local beetle kill pine is also processed - with its blue grey colouring that’s so distinctive and sought after by designers.  The owner wasn’t keen on any publicity, but we thought you might like to see where they work.

The mill stands around 9,500 feet above sea level, and in late October the cold, clear air makes every splash of colour really stand out against the dust and grey-green of the surrounding forest and timber stacks.