What You Should Know When Buying Woodworking Bed Plans?

If you are going to build yourself a bed made from wood, then you need quality bed plans. Before buying the plans, here are 3 things that you should know when choosing woodworking bed plans.

1. They must be easy to understand and the instructions are given step by step. These are essential to make your work much easier, especially if you are new to woodworking or a novice woodworker. 

For plans which do not guide you or show you the simple method to construct your bed, then they will not be of much help to you. They should also provide you with material lists and also the tools and equipment which you are going to use during the construction of your bed.

2. You must find woodworking bed plans which contain more than one type of plan. This will ensure you have various options in choosing the right bed project for you. As you know, there are many types of beds, from the simplest ones to the complicated ones. 

So, if you are a beginner or a novice, or even an expert, this feature is very important as you can choose which one suits you the most.

3. In woodworking, quality bed plans are very important. Buying cheap plans will be a waste of your money, your materials, and also your time. You need to buy plans which are worth your money. 

Besides, quality does not necessarily mean expensive. For less than USD50, you can buy 90 high-quality plans including other plans as well!

So, before you buy your woodworking bed plans, make sure you adhere to the above recommendations.

How to Renovate an Old Wooden Chair?

We all have wooden furniture in our homes. If nothing, everyone must be possessing one from among many types of wood chairs. If one of your wooden chairs is in such a condition that it can not be used further, you can revamp it to get a new chair. 

Chair renovation will not only save you money but also do a favor to the environment. You will get a new cheap chair which is a fine piece of eco-friendly furniture too! 

Here is the step-by-step instruction for renovating your old wooden chair into a brand new upholstered chair.

• Get the required material for your DIY project of chair renovation. You will need wood glue and clamps; a staple gun; some filling material (batting) like cotton, wool, synthetic fibers, etc. or a foam cushion; upholstery fabric-5 inches larger than the foam cushion; fine-grit sandpaper; some paint or stain; and of course, the old wooden chair.
• Remove any screw that is still there on the chair. Also, pull out the parts that are no longer strong enough to support the chair.
• Make the chair as strong as you can by reassembling the parts (that you had earlier pulled apart) with glue and clamps and then putting the screws back from where you disassembled them.
• If you plan to stain the wood, take out all the paint with the help of sandpaper. However, if you wish to paint your old furniture chair, you do not need to sand it down to the wood.
• Wipe the chair with a damp cloth and let it dry.

• If staining, apply the wood stain with a piece of cloth evenly over the whole chair. Apply stain everywhere, even in the cracks. Apply two coats of stain to get a perfectly even surface.
• If painting, apply the paint on the chair with even strokes of a small brush. Here also, you may need two coats of paint to get an even surface.
• Take the wood base of the cushion and set it on some thick batting. Now trace around the wooden seat form and lift the batting, upside down, onto the fabric. Put the wood on top to make a batting sandwich and then pull the fabric towards yourself. Staple on the underside of the seat platform. Staple it tightly across the top surface. Trim the extra fabric from the bottom and turn it over.
• If you want, you can even make another thinner cushion for the chair back (to be tied on at the top and bottom of the back). Alternatively, take the fabric(whatever is left) and make a simple pillowcase. Slip it over the back and secure it with a sash tied from front to back with a large bow behind it!

Your all renovated eco-friendly new upholstered wooden chair is all ready to be used!

5 Oak Furniture Care Tips

Purchasing oak furniture can be a major investment, so it makes sense to take care of each and every piece that you own. Although oak is a unique type of furniture that requires special care, it is also a type of furniture that isn't too difficult to take care of. 

By maintaining your oak furniture you can not only protect it from damage but extend its life as a useful feature of your home too. Continue reading to learn just how easy it is to care for your wooden furniture pieces and enjoy them for many years to come.

Condition Your Wood

Conditioning the wood is one of the first things that should be done after you purchase oak furniture. This is easy to do on your own and requires just a few minutes of your time. When you condition the furniture you will be able to prevent any stains that would otherwise occur while also helping to create the perfect look in your home. You can condition almost any type of wood furniture, including tables and chairs.

Dusting is also something that you should do to all of your oak furniture pieces no less than one time per week. Dusting keeps the bunnies away and ensures that your furniture looks its best. Along with regular dusting, be sure that you clean the pieces with an oil-based cleanser once every three to four months. This keeps them looking their best.

If you have outdoor furniture the care that should be undertaken to keep it at its best is just a little bit different than that which is necessary for indoor oak furniture. While you want to follow all of the above steps for outdoor pieces, it is also essential that you add a waterproof coating to the furniture. 

Outdoor oak furniture can take a great bit of damage with the various weather conditions it will have to endure. Without this waterproofing, your furniture may look old and worn long before its time.

Keeping the oak furniture out of direct sunlight is yet another way to keep the pieces looking their best. Sunlight will damage any type of wood when it is in constant contact. This is not the change that you want to see in your furniture, so keep it away!

Always use coasters and table covers when using oak tables. Water and other liquids can stain oak furniture. Coasters and covers can be purchased at many different home stores at reasonable prices. Invest in them and benefit greatly. 

10 Tips & Tricks to Solve Annoying Woodworking Problems

1. Protect your project from Glue Run-Outs

When glue leaks onto a wood exposed surface it generally seeps into the pores of the wood, and any finish you want to apply to the wood will have blemishes, as the finish cannot fill the wood spores because they are already filled up with glue.

A simple trick to get rid of the problem is after dry-fitting your work and before you apply any glue, simply line up the edges that you are going to glue and use some masking tape or even some blue painter's tape.

The result is that any glue that leaks out will end up on the tape instead of the wood.

After the glue has dried, all you have to do is peel off the tape and your wood has been protected.

2. How to Eliminate Saw Blade Burns

The simple answer is to avoid them in the first place.

Check your saw blade. Is it sharp and clean?

A dull blade slows how fast your wood can go through the saw and a slow cut is very often the cause of saw blade burn.

Burns on your stock can be removed by sanding but a better idea is to use a wood plane or a sharp, flat scraper.

3. How to Drill Clean Holes

When you drill with a large hole saw or spade bit, do you find that the backside of the stock tends to tear when completing the hole?

You can avoid this by clamping a block of hardwood to the backside of your work before you drill. Do not use anything softer than your workpiece or you might find that a tear will still happen.

Another thing you can do is just drill halfway through the stock, until the pilot just penetrates the backside of the workpiece, then flip your workpiece over and drill back the other way.

4. Stop Pipe Clamp Stains

Glue loves to drip and stick to the metal bar of a pipe clamp. This can stain the wood or even interfere with the operation of the clamp.

One solution to this problem is - to use a hand saw to cut a roll of wax paper into 2" strips. Either wrap the strips around the bar or lay them over the bar during glue-up. Your problems are over.

5. Information Makes Strong Joints

Oil, wax, and sawdust can compromise the strength of a glue joint. Just a very small amount of sawdust can wedge the pieces out of line or create gaps in the glue joint. Take the time to remove dust, chips, or splinters from a joint. It does not take much effort or time but can save hours of repair time.

Learning about the adhesives you are using is important, and can eliminate many of the common problems new woodworkers come across. You can get a lot of information by simply checking on the package or container of the adhesive you use. Many manufacturers have websites, which will give you a lot of information you should be aware of. This can give you a good head start on producing long-lasting glue joints.

6. Safety with push sticks

Here is a safety tool to keep your fingers safe around your router table or table saw.

One slip around the blades of your table saw or router table a slip could bring a quick end to your fun with woodworking very fast.

Push sticks and Push Blocks can be used to take some of this danger away from your fingers. Using them enables you to rip and shape smaller pieces of stock with a greater level of safety.

Check locally or even on the Internet as you can find a number of commercial push sticks and push blocks available or you could even make one.

The size or shape varies from user to user and which machine you are using and even what application you need a push stick or block for.

For feeding narrow stock between a feather-board and a fence a push stick with a 45-degree angle with a small notch at the end usually works best.

Design and make your own for different jobs to suit you.

7. Surface Planing

One of the problems you may run up against is knowing if the entire surface of a board that you have run through a thickness planer is flat.

A simple method to find out is to use a piece of chalk mark and scribble on the surface of the board.

Then just run it through your planer until all your chalk marks disappear.

8. Fix A Sagging Door With Deck Screws

We have all seen how a heavy door can sag after it has been hanging for a while. What happens is, that the weight of the door can cause the doorjamb to twist.

Generally why this happens is, that the fasteners holding the door in place are not strong enough to support the door's weight and the screws holding the door hinge to the jamb are fairly short., Just use long screws so you can connect with the wall framing. Replace the short screws in the hinge with 2" deck screws. These 2" screws will reach into the stud and help secure the door

9. A Simple Putty Trick

After filling some nail holes with putty and the putty is lighter than the wood around it- you will usually see large blotches (instead of tiny nail-sized spots.)

Here comes masking tape to the rescue once more!

Before you use your hammer and nails, simply put down a strip of masking tape and nail and set the heads like normal.

Then push your putty into the holes and remove the tape. The little bit of putty that is still there can be easily sanded.

10. How To Keep Your Costs Down

When starting out - only add tools as you need them.

You would be surprised at how many jobs can be done with the tools you already have. Far better to check that out first before heading out to buy what you think is really necessary at that time.

Consider alternate ways to do the job with what you already have.

Do not go running out to buy cheap tools either, because you will probably regret that later. There is no substitute for quality.

Be very careful buying used power tools, the bargain price may look great but, you had best do a careful check before you buy. Find out why the tool is for sale, has it been replaced with a bigger and better model or is it just a dud?

Generally speaking, used hand tools, especially older brand names usually have better quality than the newer models. Check with friends and family to see if they have any tools they are not going to use and are willing to part with them.

Woodworking Plans

Woodworking plans are classified according to the purpose for which they are used. They can be for commercial or non-commercial purposes.

There is a number of things to consider while choosing a woodworking plan for your work. There are a huge variety of plans available.

For non-commercial people who do not have much skill, a woodworking plan, which involves a simple but artistic design, is easy to follow is best.

A plan should have good descriptions and explanations along with good diagrams and illustrations, which explain things in more depth.

There are a number of sources where you can get the woodworking plans.

Consider websites. Many sites provide online woodworking plans. The nice thing about that is you can download and store the plans on your computer and use them whenever required.

I have found many good sources of information so... Go here for more

Specialist Gluing Techniques for Wooden Kitchen Worktops

The traditional way to create a glue edge has been to use a feed-through molder, where the left and right vertical spindles are set with straight knives to produce a flat edge. The problem with this is the way the knife comes into contact with the timber as it passes through. 

Spinning around on the block, usually at 6000 rpm, the knife effectively hits the timber at about 26 degrees and scoops out a groove. It is this action which causes all the issues. These grooves can vary wildly depending on how fast the timber is run through the machine. 

At high feed speeds, the scoops will be quite wide, and there is an obvious ripple, often clearly visible, along the entire length, particularly visible in oak and walnut. Lowering the feed speed helps to combat this, however this obviously takes longer and therefore becomes more expensive.

A standard 6000 rpm moulder will run between 6 and 30 metres per minute. Being able to run a machine at five times the output is pretty tempting in a world dominated by cost. However this is only the first issue. The second issue, lost on just about every other manufacturer, is compression. 

As the knife comes in to contact with the timber for the first time, before it starts its cut, it compresses the timber. During the cutting stroke, as the angle changes from 26 degrees to zero, the compression factor increases through this rotation. This means that the top layers of cells just under the knife cut are compressed together. 

This means the surface is made much less porous, and as a result the glue will not penetrate as well, and therefore the strength of the glue line will be compromised. This can be minimised with ultra sharp tooling, however to make this effective the tool would need to be sharpened every hour. 

Even a moderately sharp knife will lead to unacceptable levels of compression, often called 'glassing' where it actually makes the top surface like a glaze, thus making it all but impossible for the glue to penetrate. Woods like oak and walnut are somewhat affected by this, but maple, iroko and other tropical timbers are significantly affected to the point where glue line failure in these worktops is a common occurrence.

The way to achieve the perfect glue edge is to use a special saw blade combined with pre-moulding. To do this, there are a number of requisites without which the search for the ultimate glue line will be fruitless. 

Firstly, the moulder needs to have six heads - two top spindles, two bottom spindles and two sides. The last bottom head which accommodates the saw arbour must be big enough to accommodate the saw blades, and also have plenty of power; at least 20KW. Ideally the spindles should all run at 8000 rpm. 

The next requisite is that the input material should be accurately finger jointed. Finally, we must assume that all tooling is of very high quality, sharp, and for hardwoods like oak and walnut, carbide tipped at the least, preferably solid carbide.

Set up the first bottom to take off enough material to ensure that after passing this first head it is perfectly flat to the bed, as this creates the first reference point, or datum. Next, the right vertical spindle should be set to remove enough material to provide the second reference edge, the right fence datum, with a good enough finish. 

The left vertical spindle needs to take enough off the left edge to provide a clean and consistent edge, the same being true of both the top heads, which are there just to clean the timber up and calibrate it, so it requires the least amount of sanding once glued.

That takes us to the last bottom, where the real action takes place. The tool here is effectively a saw arbour with two blades, both hogging blades. A special side pressure fence needs to be set up exactly right to hold the timber perfectly still as it guides it in to the special tool. 

The tool needs to be a very high quality tool, from a supplier like Leitz, to ensure that everything is set up correctly with an exact perpendicular set up from the bed to the blades. Without this setting at absolutely 90 degrees, then staves will not glue together in a flat panel. 

The saw blades need to be carbide and very sharp, but since they will be set to only remove 0.5mm each side, and should have 24 teeth set with a reverse hook, they will only need sharpening every 4000 - 6000 linear meters.

When working with materials such as oak and walnut, not only must the tooling set up be spot on, but the machine itself should be in perfect condition. Weinig machines offer the precise tolerances required for this sort of work. Spindle bearings need to be super heavy duty in order to minimize or preferably eliminate vibration.

But even with all this, you still need the skill to set the machine up and operate it. With oak worktops making an increasingly large percentage of replacement and new kitchen worktops, getting it right has never been more important.

10 Most Cited Reasons Why One Should Build Their Own Wooden Shed

As an independent wood construction consultant, I am asked many times WHY one should go into the hassle of constructing a wooden shed in their garden? It's difficult to give a precise and concrete answer as the reasons will vary from person to person and from place to place. 

Therefore I decided to prepare a shortlist of the 10 most used reasons why somebody should build their own wooden shed:

1. It's really fun to do
2. The newly build wooden shed greatly improves the value of your home
3. It's much cheaper to construct yourself than to buy a ready build wooden shed
4. If you build yourself, you can adapt your shed plan exactly to your specific needs and wishes
5. If you do the project together with your kids it's a great "family bond building" undertaking
6. It really is not difficult if you have the proper shed design and building plan
7. You can build a wooden shed for almost every possible use you need, be it a garden shed, a boat shed, garden tools shed, extra office room, or whatever you want.
8. Everything you made yourself will feel you much more proud than anything you bought ready-made
9. You can adapt the style of your shed to the style of your house
10. You yourself will select which materials or timber you will use, enabling you to buy specifically certified "green wood" for environmental reasons

These reasons are just a sample of the many benefits building yourself a wooden shed will give to you. I hope these will motivate many more people to decide to do so.

I know so many people who build their own wooden shed and almost without exception, all are very proud of what they build. But, on the other hand, many more people won't even consider thinking about constructing something themselves. 

It seems we are living in a world where everybody only values things ready-made and bought in shops or stores. We forgot about the pleasures it brings to prepare, design, and then actually construct things ourselves.

• Then there are also the people who are thinking about constructing their wooden shed but are afraid to do so. The reasons might be manifold such as:
• They have never ever constructed anything themselves
• They feel they don't have the skills to do so
• They think it is too difficult or complicated to build themselves a wooden shed
• They are afraid they are not being able to pull off the project themselves and will end up buying a ready-made shed anyway
• They lack the confidence to involve themselves in a project like this
• Or, maybe they are confident enough, but their family members, neighbors, and/or friends are discouraging them!

If, however, you take a clear and objective look at the reasons why people decided to construct themselves a wooden shed and the reasons why people don't try to build their wooden shed the conclusion is easy:

It really is possible, feasible, fun, and economical to build your own shed!

Many people have done so and certainly they aren't all woodworking experts or professionals. People of all ages and professions successfully build their own wooden shed and are extremely proud of it!

Top 10 Tips for Workshop Organization and Safety

No matter how large or small your workshop is, there are always ways to make it function better. 

Here's a list of 10 creative storage ideas, organizational solutions, and general workshop improvement tips.

Hammer storage 

Sure, you can simply hammer some nails or dowels into a board to hang your hammer, but here's a way that is more secure and looks better. Attach a chest handle, usually used for lifting large boxes, to your tool board. Mount it upside down, so when the board is hung up the handle will fall open and the hammer will fit right in.

Power cord organization 

Do the cords to your power tools always seem to be in the way when you're cutting or drilling? To keep them out of the way when you're working, take a screen door spring and put an "S" hook in either end. Hang one "S" hook from a convenient spot in your work area. Loop your power cord through the lower "S" hook, so it hangs out of the way while you're working.

Creative clamping 

If you're working on a piece of wood that needs to be vertical while you work on it, here's an easy clamping solution. Take two sliding C-clamps and clamp them near the bottom of the wood on both ends. Then clamp the clamps to your workbench. Now, both of your hands are free to work.

Hammering small nails 

If you're having trouble hammering a tiny nail without hammering your fingers, simply push the nail through a small strip of paper. Use the paper to hold the nail in position, then hammer. When you're finished, tear the paper off.

Making wood filler 

When you need to fill an unsightly gouge in a piece of wood you're working on but are out of filler, you can easily make your own. Take a small container and fill it with a bit of wood glue. Next, take some of the sawdust left over from your project and stir it into the glue, making a thick paste. Pack your custom-made wood filler into the hole and let dry.

Storing dowels 

You can make a great dowel rod holder by using different lengths of ordinary plastic downspouts. Use downspout brackets to attach the downspouts to your workbench or wall, and cut small wooden blocks to plug up the bottom ends of the downspouts.

Extension cord storage 

To keep your long extension cords from getting tangled, store them in a 5-gallon bucket. Simply drill a hole, an inch and a quarter to an inch and a half in diameter, on the side of the bucket towards the bottom. Pass the plug end of the cord through the hole and feed the rest of the cord into the bucket. When you use the cord, just pull out as much as you need.

Preserving wood filler 

To prevent a can of wood filler from drying out, simply cut off a small piece of a sponge and pour a small amount of wood filler solvent onto it. When you're done using the filler, place the sponge inside the can and put the top back on. The solvent on the sponge will keep the filler moist until your next use.

Keep screw tops from sticking 

After a few uses, the screw-top caps of adhesives often get glued closed due to the adhesive drying in the threads of the top. To prevent this from happening, wrap some Teflon tape around the threads in a clockwise direction a few times. Snap off the tape, screw the cap back on and now you've got non-stick threads.

Organize sandpaper 

A great sanding job requires several different grits or grades of sandpaper, from coarse to fine. The trick to keeping those different sandpapers organized is as easy as using an expandable file folder. Label each tab with the sandpaper grit numbers, then file the coordinating sandpapers into their correct slots.

What Goes Into Making Wooden Jewelry Boxes?

When browsing for possible wooden jewelry boxes to purchase, or when admiring the one you already possess, it may occur to you to wonder just what kind of people design and construct such things. Wooden jewelry boxes are exquisite works of functional art, and it takes people with a wide range of talents to create them.

Wooden jewelry boxes end up gracing your home and containing your precious collection, but they begin in the minds of people whose job it is to design and put together these amazing products. We know what materials are needed to make wooden jewelry cases, but what is just as important as what is needed to make a talented wooden jewelry box designer/manufacturer.

An Appreciation of Beauty: Someone who designs wooden jewelry boxes should be capable of seeing both the beauty in things and the value of that beauty. They can look at paintings, buildings, or nature and see what makes them beautiful. 

This enables them to make sure their own creations are infused with beauty as well, so that they are pleasing to the eye as well as functional devices. It isn't enough for them to create a simple box; it must be something that serves a decorative as well as a practical purpose.

An Understanding of Jewelry Owner Needs: When planning the layout of wooden jewelry case the behavior of those who will be using them must be taken into account. This will ensure a box that is designed to be intuitive and user-friendly, and that has places to hold the many different types of jewelry people have, and also arranges them in a way that allows ease of access and feels natural.

A Knowledge of Wood: There are many different types of wood used to make wooden boxes, and each one has its own unique characteristics and properties. Knowing the best way to work and utilize each type of wood in the best way possible and get the most out of it. 

One cannot simply go into carving wood with a cavalier attitude, especially when the wood is a rare and difficult one to work, such as burl wood. Special techniques must be used in order to maximize the potential of the wood one is working with.

Ingenuity and Imagination: This is where all of the previous areas of expertise come together. When designing wooden jewelry boxes one must call on all one knows to create a wonderful, functional and well-devised box. 

Their standards are high, for they know yours are as well. They put all of their artisan skills and artistic vision to use in order to create beautiful and functional jewelry products for your long-time use and enjoyment.

As you can see, quite a lot of skill is needed for the creation of wooden jewelry cases, and those who choose this as their vocation put quite a lot into their work. The fact that they do ensures that you, in turn, will get a lot out of the wooden boxes you purchase.

Now Listen Very Carefully Here:

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