Matt's Basement Workshop - Audio

It's time to wrap up the construction of the wooden drink carrier (six-pack) so we can all get back out in the sun and enjoy the rest of our summer (or for our friends in the southern hemisphere…prepare for the summer). Today's episode we pickup at the bandsaw where we'll shape the middle divider and then continue from there to create some finger holes for easier carrying and then on to final assembly. There's also a little discussion about materials for building your own and possibly some dimensions for carrying larger bottles than the standard 2.5" diameter size used for this particular version. If you decide to make one or something very similar, please share your pictures and results. I know I'd love to see it! Tools mentioned in today's show: Veritas Spokeshave Gorilla Wood Glue FISH Forstner Bits Bora Pistol-grip Clamps Woodslicer Resaw Bandsaw Blade Download Video Download HD 720 Video Download Audio Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

AHHHH SUMMER!!! The time of year that I find it's hardest to get myself into the shop to work on projects, but yet I can't fight the need to be in there. So to help ease my burden of guilt I like to do smaller projects that are easily accomplished at night or for a few hours on a weekend. Today's project is exactly the kind of "small project" I'm talking about. Plus another great thing about it is the fact I'm using up some of my smaller stock and scraps that ordinarily become firestarter for our summer bonfires in the backyard. Completely based on the dimensions of a typical cardboard six-pack, the six openings are the perfect fit for standard 12oz glass "beverage" bottles. The bottles fit perfectly in the openings and are very stable when you're carrying them from one location to another (not to mention, depending on what stock you make it from, you'll look pretty darn cool too!) And unlike the standard cardboard six-pack, the handle is much friendlier on the fingers and you could easily adjust it so it rises up further from the bottles for EVEN more comfort. Today's episode is the first of two parts. We'll cover a little bit of the milling and dimensioning of the stock along with much of the straight forward joinery I used to make assembly easy and strong. Tools featured in today's episode: Veritas Small Router Plane Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

One more trip back to Des Moines Iowa for the 2013 Weekend with WOOD conference. Today's episode features a class taught by George Vondriska titled "Logs to lumber". Wondering what the class was all about? The title isn't a funny play on words, the class was literally a lesson on how to take small to medium-sized logs and create usable lumber in your own shop. The beauty of this class was in the simplicity of the technique and realizing you don't need a monster band saw to make lumber from local trees or maybe one that has important meaning. If you're not familiar with George, he's the host of the Woodworkers Guild of America - www.wwgoa.com. George has a ton of great information and his presentation of this class was fantastic. A huge thanks again to George and also to the folks at WOOD Magazine for the opportunity to attend the conference. Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

Thanks to a generous donation of some amazingly beautiful Teak boards from a friend of the show, I have an opportunity to work with an species of wood I probably would ordinarily not use. It's not that I don't want to use different species, I just have a few that I'm readily familiar with and just haven't had a reason to step out of my comfort zone before. So the first thing I'm building with these gorgeous boards is a...shoe rack! Tools featured in today's show: JET Benchtop Oscillating Spindle Sander with Spindle Assortment, 110-Volt 1 Phase SawStop Cabinet Table Saw Steel City Tool Works 14-Inch Band Saw Wood Slicer Resaw Bandsaw Blade Bora Pistol Grip Clamps Micro Jig ZeroPlay Guide Bar System [haiku url="https://archive.org/download/506TeakShoeRackPt1/506%20Teak%20Shoe%20Rack%20Pt%201.mp3" title="MBW506"] Download Video Download HD 720 Video Download Audio Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

This week I'm on vacation with the family and I thought it would be the perfect time to share some of the footage I recorded at the 1st ever Weekend with WOOD earlier this year. There's 5 videos in total, starting today with a little montage featuring the location of the conference and some of the footage you've seen in earlier clips. It really was a great event, and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone who wanted to attend (assuming it'll happen again…which it sounds like is being planned already). For more information about who appeared at the conference as a speaker, the classes that were taught and just general information, visit the website at www.weekendwithwood.com. [haiku url="https://archive.org/download/WeekendWithWOOD2013/Weekend%20with%20WOOD%202013.mp3" title="MBWWOOD"] Download Video Download HD 720 Video Download Audio Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

I make no bones about it…I've been very reluctant to pick up my turning tools for years now. I use to ask "WHY?" every time I saw the lathe in my shop and wondered whether I should just sell it or not? But I knew deep down that I wanted to get over my phobia and dive in someday. That day has finally come and thanks to Brian Simmons' classes at the recent Weekend with WOOD conference I feel even more confident than ever. This year Brian taught several different classes at the first ever event, and I was lucky enough to take two of them. The first was a sharpening turning tools class and the second was a turning fundamentals. Like I mention in the video, I knew deep down I was doing the right thing with my lathe, but it was like I needed someone to give me permission to continue doing it. [haiku url="https://archive.org/download/WeekendWithWOODBrianSimmons/WeekendwithWOODBrianSimmons.mp3" title="MBWBrianSimmons"] Download Video Download HD 720 Video Download Audio Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

Another trip back to Des Moines, Iowa this week. The 'Weekend with WOOD' conference was a wealth of information for all the attendees, especially myself. High on my list of classes were anything that had to do with finishing. When I saw Gary Rogowski was to be teaching a finishing class I knew I had to sign-up. Today's snippets are all from Gary's "Three Simple Finishes" class on Saturday morning and as I mention in the video, there were plenty of moments where I was so wrapped up in the discussions that I forgot to film some of the best information. Thanks again to the folks at WOOD Magazine and especially to Gary Rogowski for the experience! For more from the folks at WOOD Magazine visit www.woodmagazine.com. For more from Gary Rogowski visit The Northwest Woodworking Studio - www.northwestwoodworking.com. Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

In part 1 of the Teak shoe rack build I milled this amazing Teak stock my friend Jim sent. In today's episode it's time to wrap up the milling process by taking the components over to the router table and profiling the edges on all the pieces followed by prepping them for the mechanical fasteners. The final result is an amazing project that my family will put their shoes all over, soaking wet and nasty. But since it's made from Teak I'm not worried about it all. Tools featured in today's show: Fisch Drillbit/Countersink Set Bench Dog 40-300 ProMax RT Complete SawStop Cabinet Table Saw Steel City Tool Works 14-Inch Band Saw Wood Slicer Resaw Bandsaw Blade Bora Pistol Grip Clamps Micro Jig ZeroPlay Guide Bar System Download Audio Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

On today's episode I'm sharing my full review of the 110V, 1.75HP SawStop cabinet saw I received as part of an advertising deal back in October of 2012. As I had mentioned in the previous video "Hello New Saw", I wanted to spend a little time with the saw before I shared my opinions about it. And that's exactly what I do in this episode. It's been a little over 6 months and I've had a chance to build a few projects with the new saw, this has allowed me to get a "real world" feel for whether a saw like this is worth the investment for a home woodworker or serious hobbyist. Of course what would a SawStop review be without firing off the braking system? So we do that today too, in fact we do it TWICE just to show off that flesh isn't the only conductive material that could set off the system. Interested in purchasing a SawStop or SawStop Accessories for your woodshop? You can find them at the following locations: Highland Woodworking Woodcraft.com Amazon.com [haiku url="http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-505SawStopMeTheFullReview291.mp3" title="MBW505"] Download Video Download HD 720 Video Download Audio Help support the show - please visit our advertisers

The new website is up and running…obviously…and I have all of you to thank for making this happen. Not just those of you who donated to the fundraiser but to all of you who visit from time-to-time. If you're a frequent visitor and remember the layout of the old site hopefully you can see a huge difference in the way things are laid out on this current version. I really like the layout of this new site and have ongoing plans to make it more informative and easier to navigate, so you'll see the occasional tweak from time-to-time. As part of my thank you to the many donators that made this happen you'll find your name listed below…it's the least I can do to show you my appreciation for your generosity! Thank you to each of you (listed in no particular order): Zac Higgins Gunnar Olsson Brander Roullett Fr. Thomas Bailey, OSB Jim Ligon Richard Law Mitch Roberson Brian Glendenning Marilyn Guthrie Chris Schwarz Bill Schenher Chris Michalek Jeff Peterson Scott Bassin Dave Hart Tom Collins Randy Peterman Steve Brassard Larry Thayer Chris Nichols Jack Coats Jim Ashley Rik Minnich Chet Kloss Dyami Plotke Frank Bivins Tony Hamm Neal Becker Walter Keast Pierre Forget Bobby Slack Toby Sauer Shaun Wellert Erik Van Joe Wiener Richard Hall David Ulschmid Tobias Eklind Dick Moffett Mac Lyle Allan Grant Brett Watson Mark Loughran Ben Strano Jim Mossoney Alan Anderson Brian Brazil Eric Fortin Mick Montgomery Wes Fullenwider Big Cheese Stefan Gmoser Rick Gable Mike Tuxen Wilbur Pan Jon McGrath Jon "Dozer" Mendoza Jack Jacobs David Beecher Chris Birkland Scott Blanchett David Lankford Todd Clipping Tom Hoffman Tom Pritchard Eric Wolf Daniel Gardner Matt Robinette Shannon Rogers Ben Minshall Jonathan Szczepanski Mike Llewellyn Jay Tennier Ron Hock Tobias Sauer Kevin Van Deusen Ken Goodell Andy Gartzke Dennis Rozak Scott McClaury Cliff Merrill John Verreault Vic Hubbard Christopher Landy Marc Spagnuolo "Drunken Woodworker" Ron Shoemaker Elaine Andersen Stephen Glaesman John Laffoon Robert Teague Ernesto Segovia Download Video Download HD 720 Video Download Audio