Rough Cut - Woodworking with Tommy Mac - Tips and Techniques

This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald explores the beauty in woodworking. First, he visits the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, which is not only a testament to God but also to woodworking. Then back in the shop, he reinvents that beauty in a Queen Anne table, a classic with smooth, curved legs.

A woodworker can’t help but be influenced by the great Frank Lloyd Wright and today on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy will embark on his second Frank Lloyd Wright style project: the Light Pendant. It’s a light fixture that brings together wood and mechanics and is a statement piece that shows off the style of the famous architect.

On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald brings you closer than ever into his home! In the shop, Tommy works with friend Al D’Attanasio to build a china cabinet perfect for any home. Then together the dynamic duo installs the massive piece into Tommy’s house.

This episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac is extra special as host Tommy MacDonald visits his alma mater, The North Bennet Street School. He’ll tour the new facilities with old friend and teacher, Dan Faia, talk to students about their current projects and even learn something new about his upcoming project: the gate leg table. Take it from Tommy Mac, you’re never too old to learn.

A linen press is half drawers and half wardrobe and perfect for household linens like towels and sheets. On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald finishes his stunning, cherry wood linen press by completing the upper element, the wardrobe. He’ll show us how to install the shelves and hang the door on its hinges as well as how to complete the piece with a wonderful finish.

On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald has the ‘Wood Whisperer’, Marc Spagnuolo, in the shop. Marc joins Tommy to make a Hall Tree and Bench, which can add both elegance and convenience to any home.

Contrary to what it sounds like, a linen press doesn’t press your linens, it holds them. On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald shows viewers how to design and build their own linen press, starting with the frame and drawers. One special feature of this fabulous piece of furniture, the feet, which have a molding and frame all their own.

A classic is a classic for a reason. On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald goes back to Shaker Village to learn about another Shaker, old-time staple, the Shaker Style Clock. We’ll see a variety of styles down at the village, and learn what materials go best with which and then use that in the shop to make a classic of his own with friend and fellow woodworker Al D’Attanasio.

On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we go big. Host Tommy MacDonald shows us how to make a queen sized pencil post bed with tapered octagonal posts. This bed originated in the 1700’s and has been a popular style ever since. North Bennet Street School instructor Steve Brown joins Tommy at his shop to show him how to perfect the tapered, octagonal posts out of perfect, classic cherry wood.

On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, it’s all about simplicity and customizable finish. Host Tommy MacDonald teaches viewers how to make a classic Shaker-inspired nightstand after he learns from the pros in Shaker Village in Canterbury, NH. Then, expert finisher Charles Neil visits from Virginia and shows how finishes can individualize any project and make each project unique.