There are dozens of woodworking schools of one kind or another in the US and Canada. From college programs, to chairmaking workshops, to residential apprenticeships, to timberframing classes - tons of courses exist. But there are gaps in the geography either because the local trees suck for making furniture and boats (i.e., Wyoming) or because no one lives there (i.e., eastern Montana). I threw this map together this morning. The usual hot spots stand out - those places recognized for their natural beauty and strong historical ties to traditional woodworking: Coastal New England, Appalachia, Northern California, the Ohio-Kentucky line, and the Puget Sound. My goal with this map was to show t

I've had this Michigan-pattern Kelly True Temper "A39" felling axe head knocking around my shop for a while now. I think it weighs 3.5 lbs. Cannot recall where I got it. So, since my body is beat up and needs a rest from construction, I figured I'd make handle and sheath for it. A couple years ago, I bought this chunk of curly western maple. Good looking, but not very strong. A bad choice for an axe handle to be sure. Let's use it! Last week I sold my big bandsaw to the former State Geologist of Alaska, so I had to dig out the jigsaw. The dado stack helped me hog out the bulk of the material remaining. The shape of the handle came from the classic old railroad template for a "poll axe", thou

Some research on a Powermatic Model-50 6" jointer currently for sale on Craigslist is compiled below. I've included photos of comparable machines where possible. Powermatic paint colors, knob color, and serial numbers are the three key pieces of information that indicate year of manufacture. The serial number for this machine is "1490", the color is gray, and the knobs are red. This unit was built between 1955 and 1959, though probably closer to 1955. It is one of the earliest PM50s built; Powermatic began selling jointers in 1955. The cabinet has been modified with an angle grinder and several parts are missing or worn out. Needs a full overhaul. Might be worth the effort. Front view of the

Hil at mass start of the cross country leg of the 2017 Ski to Sea Race at Mount Baker, WA. Hil (skate ski) and Courtney (downhill ski) race for Team Tony's Coffee Double Shot and Team Jack's Bicycle Center, respectively.

The Alaska Department of Transportation limits the number of characters on personalized license plates to six. A quick search of their database yielded the following plate names NOT yet taken. What are you people waiting for? SOURDO CUTWUD WULSOX XTRATF AXEMAN SAW IT LIVDIT ICEDIN ICEDUP IGLOOS MUVOUT WELEFT TOOFAR FINDIT GOBACK GOWEST LWR 48 OILGUY OILRIG OILLEG MMBBL EXXON GROWER FEDJOB GOTWUD BUMPY POTHOL FOLLY VEEP VITUS VAST VASTER REMOTE MORMUD CLAMMY CLAMS QUAKES US GOV NO GOV USGS MAP IT UNMAPD USFS GEOLGY NOSOIL MORMUD ALCANT 61DEGN BIGGUN BUMLEG GOT2P NO PHD NO PFD JEEZ SK8SKI SURFIN BIGLY MRBOND FAHKYU

HOUSE COLORS Living Room/Dining/Master Bedroom Drywall Benjamin Moore "Navajo White" Kitchen Wall Paneling Olympic Home & Property Maintenance Satin "Ultra White" 471966 Kitchen Cabinets Valspar Signature Semigloss "Ultra White" 773958 Kitchen Window Trim (reclaimed pine) Varathane Water Based Polyurethane Semigloss White Oak Flooring Varathane High Traffic Water Based Polyurethane Semigloss Living Room Ceiling Car Decking & Beam Wrap Clear shellac + Amber shellac + Minwax "Cherrywood" gel stain Barn Door Sliders in Master Bedroom Valspar Signature "Butterscotch Cream" Upstairs Solid, Clear Finished Doors Varathane Water Based Polyurethane Semigloss Basement Ceilings Valspar drywall primer/s

Which fence to buy? Figuring out which aftermarket fence is right for your cabinet-style or contractor-style table saw can be a daunting task. Your grandfather will tell you, "Buy a Biesemeyer, young man, and forget all your worries. But get a job first." But questions may remain. "Isn't there a cheaper, just-as-good alternative to a gold plated Biesemeyer?" "Isn't the t-square fence a universal design?" "What about all these fences that cost $150 less - aren't some of them good enough?" "Do I really need a job?" If you ask me, I'll tell you to buy a Biesemeyer. Here's why: It'll hold its value. It'll help you sell a used saw quicker. You'll love using it every day. Old guys will envy you. I

Today, while high up on a ladder caulking some new siding, I coined the term "Cougjacked". The folks at Urban Dictionary liked it enough to publish it.

Power tools wear out over time, especially if you either a.) use them a lot, or b.) neglect them in a damp corner. Mine get used. A few have needed upgrading or replacement for some time, so over the past few weeks I've been trolling our local Craigslist for bargains on quality equipment. Craigslist in Alaska is quite a vibrant marketplace for tools, materials of all sorts, the odd billy goat, truckloads of drill pipe, grow lamps, and 5 million dollar cabins on the Kenai. I have been successful in my search. Check it out... Since 2005, this venerable DeWalt 12" slide compound miter saw (DW708) has served me very well. I use it daily and it still runs strong and cuts square, but... ...I was a

Mud Season in Alaska prompted me to re-do the pad at the front steps. First, I removed a couple wheelbarrows of the offending soil. Second, I joined pressure treated 4x4s with lap joints and exterior screws to form a frame. Third, I leveled them all around and attached them to white oak stakes driven a couple feet down. Fourth, I added a few inches of 3/4" gravel, which filled in beneath and supported the frame. Last, I threw some 12" x 12" pavers down. 2 hours. Lucy still prefers the dirt.

I bought this REI puffy jacket on a recent trip to Montana. I don't much care for the REI logo, so I started looking around online for a good patch to sew over it. Here's a few choices I'm considering. This is the one I went with.

Determining workshop footprint. Layout of the footings. The following photos are taken from the SE corner. Footings poured. 12 yards of gravel (hand-shoveled). Vapor barrier laid down over the gravel prior to slab being poured. This photo is taken from the NE corner. Slab poured level with footings. First course of Fox Blocks set out and glued down along tight-string baselines. Door and window sizes determined, bucks built and installed as course after course of ICF blocks pile up. Six courses of ICF block, 7 bucks installed, HV clips, and rebar complete. Now for the interior walls - one in concrete block, one in 6" ICF block. Stabilizing the walls with 12-ft tall verticals and diagonal turn

Now I'm not saying you need to jump on the phone to Art Bell, but the following 4 examples strongly suggest that I, a child of rural Skagit County, demonstrated the power of precognition at an early age through my art. Exhibit 1a.) Predicted automobile. Exhibit 1b: Actual automobile. Exhibit 2a: Predicted dog. Exhibit 2b: Actual dog. Exhibit 3a: Predicted tree-shaped rocket. Exhibit 3b: Actual guy in a rocket-shaped tree. Exhibit 4a: Predicted fighter jet of my own. Exhibit 4b: Actual framed photo of Tom Cruise on my wall.