This project was perfect for batch production; the pieces are simple and can be cut in multiples. BUT, the coolest part of all is that when it was done we put our carriages together and created a train of inspiring proportions. 
These little tables are remarkably strong. Birch ply give access to lovely graphic lines. It is a happy design exercise to make a toggle that matches the legs. I like the birch ply, but should have avoided the circle of the body!
Everything my friends make begins with best laid plans. But they do go astray! In this case there were aspects of the construction process that were so difficult that I needed to invent some extra help. Here is little bench clamp that holds up the basket end. At the beginning stage the unsupported end won’t…
This blog is the work of a retired woodwork teacher, me. A wonderful career of making cool things with kids has loaded my head with lots of stuff to make and share. Lessons are an Act of Sharing My inventive/creative work continues through opportunities to share what I enjoy. There are customers at a wood tools shop where I work part time….
Naughty Fun Making a rubber band gun is a bit of a dilemma. Is it an encouragement for naughty behaviour? Is it a precursor for violent solutions to problems? As a child, the rubber band guns I made were delicious! Mum didn’t like them; that made them more fun! I didn’t shoot dogs or people;…
How can a woodworker be involved in cake decorating? My wife is a traditional cake decorator. She does the fancy thing with icing and makes sugary lace and that kind of stuff. An event called for an art deco cake. It could have been made from icing, but in that era much of the furniture…
Stable Work Surface Jobs in wood offer incredible variety. My brief, on this occasion, was to make a strong and serviceable workbench. It was to be big enough and stable enough for multiple workers to use hand planes. It wasn’t to cost too much for it would be disposed of after three days of use….