Matt's Basement Workshop - Audio

It's official! Five years have come and gone and Matt's Basement Workshop Podcast is still going strong. I've talked before about the beginnings of the show so there's no need to re-hash it again...but you're welcome to ask me about any time you want! In today's episode we have a little bit of catching up to do from the long holiday hiatus. One of the big things I wanted to share is news that I finally completed the migration of all the archived material from episode 1 up to the current posts. This has been a long time coming and WAY OVER DUE. So take a look around and find your favorite old episode or discover one you might have missed. Something else you'll find in today's episode is an unique look at something many of you have asked me about in the past, "What's a typical day in your life?" Rather than just talking about it, we had a crew document a day in the life of the host of Matt's Basement Workshop. Hopefully it'll answer all those questions you had in the past. Coming up next week, the first part of a multi-part series on the construction of our friend's Walnut Buffet. A great project that was both fun and challenging for me. So make sure you come back to see it go from raw materials to finished project.

A quick hello before Christmas and the New Year celebrations take over. We're heading into the Holiday Hiatus, so it'll be a few weeks before new episodes of both Matt's Basement Workshop and the Spoken Wood Podcast will be coming out. Of course as I tend to do lately, I'll probably be adding the occasional blog post to let you know of cool things coming up or going on right now. I have high hopes that 2011 will be a big year for both shows. While 2010 was yet again another amazing year for the show, it wasn't without a few glitches here and there, but then again that's just how things go. I wish all of you and your families the Merriest of Christmas, the Happiest of New Years and whatever else I may have forgotten or overlooked depending on what you celebrate as this year winds down. I really appreciate all of you stopping by week after week, take care and be safe! Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links on our website. Take advantage of the 15% discount at Woodworker's Bookshop by entering promo code mbw15ww at checkout.

Part 2 of the construction of my Brese J-Style Small Smoother. In this episode we'll wrap up the final assembly of this amazing little smoother plane and I'll explain the right way to do it, while also explaining WHAT I ended up doing instead. Of course luckily in the end it all came together and works just as well and amazingly as I had hoped and dreamed it would! If you're not familiar with Ron Brese and his amazingly beautiful hand planes you really need to take a look for yourself. They're not just gorgeous to look at, but the feeling you have when you pick one up and take a few passes with them is mind blowing. They're a really work of art and they have the capability to elevate your planing to a new level. Don't just take my word for it, ask anyone who's had the pleasure of trying them out. Of course I'm not going to lie and pretend this kind of beauty doesn't have its cost. Ron makes each plane himself and doesn't rush the construction. He makes them to exacting tolerances with the end result being tiny, wispy shavings more reminiscent of soft billowy clouds than thin see through shavings. And that's not just on any old wood, we're talking those kind of results on some of the nasty, trickiest grains out there. Again, don't take my word for it. Ron often travels around the country with the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Hand Tool Event. Stop by his booth and manhandle a plane for yourself. Maybe you could bring a sample of that board you've had trouble with before and see if he'll let you try one of the planes on it? To learn more about Ron Brese or any of these amazing planes pictured above, visit his website at www.breseplane.com. Tell him Matt sent you!

It's been a long time in the making and that has nothing to do with the kit itself! My Brese J-Style Small Smoother has finally been completed and is making the most amazing shavings a plane has ever taken in the basement workshop. For those of you who've heard me talk about this project on Wood Talk Online Radio you know it's been an ongoing laugh each and everytime it's been discussed. Well the laughing is over and the tears of joy are streaking my face. With the completion of the small smoother I finally have a plane I can say I crafted myself and it's made to be unlike any other out there. If you're not familiar with Ron Brese and his amazingly beautiful hand planes you really need to take a look for yourself. They're not just gorgeous to look at, but the feeling you have when you pick one up and take a few passes with them is mind blowing. They're a really work of art and they have the capability to elevate your planing to a new level. Don't just take my word for it, ask anyone who's had the pleasure of trying them out. Of course I'm not going to lie and pretend this kind of beauty doesn't have its cost. Ron makes each plane himself and doesn't rush the construction. He makes them to exacting tolerances with the end result being tiny, wispy shavings more reminiscent of soft billowy clouds than thin see through shavings. And that's not just on any old wood, we're talking those kind of results on some of the nasty, trickiest grains out there. Again, don't take my word for it. Ron often travels around the country with the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Hand Tool Event. Stop by his booth and manhandle a plane for yourself. Maybe you could bring a sample of that board you've had trouble with before and see if he'll let you try one of the planes on it? So without further delay, let's get on with today's show! This is part 1 of a 2 part episode covering the construction process in making the J-Style Small Smoother. We'll see how you shape the wood and prep it for placement in the body. Then next week we'll finish the whole process. It's so easy, you'll be asking me why it took so long for me to get my butt moving in the first place? To learn more about Ron Brese or any of these amazing planes pictured above, visit his website at www.breseplane.com. Tell him Matt sent you!

It's Thanksgiving weekend in the States, so I thought it would be a perfect time to bring our resident expert Hendrik Varju back to the show. ; I figure many of you have a long weekend off and could use a little something to listen too and maybe inspire you while in the shop...or being dragged along OUT to shop for Black Friday deals.Just recently Hendrik released his two newest titles to his Private Woodworking Instruction in a Box series of DVDs.

I can't remember the last time I did any kind of shop tour in my current basement workshop, so after much prodding by a few of you (especially you John!!!) I decided it was time to invite all of you down for a look around.Really there's not a lot to look at that you haven't already seen, but I figured while you're all here I might as well explain a little bit about where and what I have in the shop. Coincidentally timed with this tour (completely unplanned I swear!) is the introduction of a new piece of equipment in my shop.Thanks to the folks at Highland Woodworking and their sponsorship of the show we have a brand new Steel City 8" Jointer.So without further delay, let's get this tour moving along!!!

If you have any questions from today's episode or any from the first 3 episodes of this series. Don't hesitate to drop me a line "EMAIL ME". Some of you already have, and I'll be addressing those questions in next week's episode where we'll devote the entire episode to answering those questions. The Kid's Maple Bookcase project is all wrapped up now and we're about to move onto something new. But before we do, I wanted to answer some questions a few of you had that came up along the way. As you probably already know (if you've seen Parts 1-4 of the build) I tried to offer alternative methods to the construction or answer questions that I kind of figured would come up along the way. And of course I invited you to send in your questions in case I missed something. The two biggest questions that were asked were in regards to the assembly of the side panels and then more of a comment and suggestion vs a question on the method I used for cutting notches in the shelves. I had discussed using different tools to cut the notches and included why I preferred not to use the tablesaw on this build to do it. I may have misspoke a little when discussing the tablesaw, but hopefully when you watch today you'll understand what I was trying to get at. If you have further questions about the build or about something you've seen previously, don't hesitate to EMAIL ME.

In today's episode we get a look at the finishedKid's Maple Bookcase. ; When I originally recorded the footage I was literally minutes away from the clients picking it up, so I may have skipped over some details you'd like to know more about.

Let's take one more trip back to Woodworking in America 2010 and I'll share with you a few more classes I attended as part of this ongoing amazing experience. I eluded to the "mourning phase" after leaving the show and coming down off my woodworking high as we drove away. That mourning isn't quite what it was a week ago, but I still have moments where I forget I'm not more than a classroom away from one of my many new friends. Hopefully you can make it next year, same location...so you can start making your traveling plans as soon as we hear the dates. Once they're announced you'll hear it from me right away. Today's episode contains snippets from Glen Huey's "Sliding Dovetails without Fail", Marc Adam's "Amazing Router Jigs for Inlay, Ellipses and 'Faux' Dovetails" and also one more from Chris Schwarz "Scraper Planes". Once again, don't take my word for how awesome it was this year, ask anyone who's attended! In fact, checkout some of the great links we've been putting together from my fellow bloggers and podcasters. Here's a link to a post where we've been adding them so you can get another perspective on the event CLICK HERE. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-443WIA2010Day2209.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio FileDon't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website. VisitHighland Woodworking where you can enter for a chance to win a set of 10 Lie-Nielsen Handtools. Tell them Matt sent you!

Another Woodworking in America has come and gone and it's left a lasting impression. Not just on me but everybody I've talked with who attended. This is like no other woodworking show out there right now. It's not about the vendors, it's not about the lecturers, it's all about the people attending. And I'm willing to admit I was wrong about my fears of the show becoming too big too fast. Even with the introduction of power tool classes and the combining of design seminars with the handtool lectures, Woodworking in America didn't lose it's focus on what today's woodworker wants to learn and more importantly experience, and it's that experience that will keep me and so many others coming back year after year. Even if you missed the deadline for signing up to attend the classes with the likes of Frank Klausz, Jim Tolpin, Roy Underhill, Ron Herman, George Walker and Michael Fortune you can still run into them in the marketplace, and what a marketplace it was too! Imagine all the vendors you've heard the staff of Popular Woodworking go on and on about in article after article regarding the new small manufacturer who's not just selling you a great tool but are using the tools in their own shops too. Still the one thing that blows me away each time I attend, are the attendees themselves. You may arrive alone, plan a quiet weekend of great lectures and maybe buy yourself something nice but after the first class you'll suddenly find yourself having conversations with your fellow attendees as if you'd known each other for years. Don't take my word for it, ask anyone who's attended! In fact, checkout some of the great links we've been putting together from my fellow bloggers and podcasters. Here's a link to a post where we've been adding them so you can get another perspective on the event CLICK HERE. Today's episode contains snippets from a few of my classes on the first day. Including a lecture by George Walker, Chris Schwarz, Michael Fortune and Roy Underhill. Enjoy, I know I did. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-WIA2010Day1621.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio FileDon't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website. VisitHighland Woodworking where you can enter for a chance to win a set of 10 Lie-Nielsen Handtools. Tell them Matt sent you!