Podcast Directory

Episodes

Lee Valley has bee making some of the best woodworking, hardware, and garden tools in the business for the past 30 years.

Rob may be President of a large corporation but that doesn't mean that he just sits behind a big desk pushing paper. In fact Rob holds several patents on woodworking tools and is very active in new tool development.

Here are some of the topics that we covered during our interview:

• The first product that Lee Valley shipped (hint: It's not a woodworking tool).

• Why the customer base in woodworking differs from any other business out there (this one will make you proud to be a woodworker).

• What does Rob Lee do in his spare time?

• What's the best part of running Lee Valley Tools? (Hint: It has something to do with being the equivalent of a rock star!)

• What all goes into new product development?

• Ever wondered what the name Veritas means and why it was choosen?

• And much, much more!

When people think of high quality hand planes, one of the first companies to come to mind for most is Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, and for good reason. Lie-Nielsen Toolworks has been turning out some of the best "Stanley" type hand planes for over 25 years.

However, over the last several years Lie-Nielsen Toolworks has been turning out a lot more tools than just hand planes.

In our fourth interview I get the opportunity to talk to the owner and founder of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Thomas Lie-Nielsen. We talk about:

• What it was like to start a tool manufacturing company 25 years ago when woodworking hand tools weren't as popular

• The challenges they faced bringing chisels to the market

• Some of Lie-Nielsen's newest tools - Workbenches, Progressive Pitch Saws, Inlay Tools, Educational DVDs, and much more

• What a typical day is like for Tom Lie-Nielsen

• My own suggestion for a new product for Lie-Nielsen: You're gonna love this!

• You'll even get to hear first hand what new tools Lie-Nielsen will be coming out with in the near future (I'm VERY excited about this one!)

• And much, much more

• Modern Tools: Tolerances and Myths

• How Modern Tools are Designed and Made

• Bevel-Up vs. Bevel-Down Planes (CLOSED)

• Modern Tools: Tolerances and Myths (repeated session)

Visit our website for more information and to hear more interviews!

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Craig Stevens

I had a lot of fun interviewing Adam. He wears a lot of different hats: Period furniture maker, contributing editor for Popular Woodworking magazine, he writes on two different blogs, volunteers at Pennsbury Manor, and has a day "job" outside of woodworking.

Adam opens up about a variety of topics. He talks about being product oriented vs. process oriented and how there may be many more woodworkers that feel that way than we think.

Adam also explains why he chooses to build period furniture completely with hand tools (his answer will probably surprise you!)

We also get into a discussion on how the museum community is influencing the future of reproduction furniture making.

Our talk also gets into how our forefathers had advantages over us when it came to the availablity of hand tools and also what 18 century woodworkers lacked.

Adam talks about how the hand tool market is lagging behind for cabinet makers vs. specialty woodworkers such as chair makers and why that is and what he's doing about it (check out Adam's line of hand tools on his website: www.adamcherubini.com)

Check out the interview and also hear Adam talk about what classes he will be teaching at this years Woodworking in America Conference being held in Berea, KY.

Let us know what you think by going to our website and leaving a comment on our blog @:

www.WoodworkersResource.com/blog/

Thanks for listening!

Craig Stevens

www.WoodworkersResource.com

In this interview we have the opportunity to speak with John Economaki, founder and president of Bridge City Tool Works. John started out as a designer/craftsman, but after developing allergies to wood dust, had to find a new career.

John has always been a designer at heart and soon discovered that woodworkers were interested in many of the designs and improvements he had made to tools while building furniture for a living.

Fast forward to today, and you have one of the most innovative companies in the world when it comes to woodworking tools.

We hope you enjoy!

Craig

P.S. Be sure to check out our website for all kinds of other resources to help in your pursuit of this craft.

www.WoodworkersRe source.com

I know you're going to enjoy listening to Michael talk about how he got started in woodworking, The Windsor Institute, and what he will be teaching at this year's Woodworking in America Conference. After listening to the interview come back and check out The Windsor Institute's website to learn more about all the different classes that are available, and while you're there, be sure to catch up on what Michael is writing on his blog .

In this episode we look at attaching a fixed shelf by two different methods: Biscuit Joinery and with a Stopped Dado Joint.

Next, we look at different ways to reinforce our shelves so they won't sag under the weight that's put on them. We also talk about a cool program that can calculate for you, based on information you put in, whether your shelves are strong enough to support what you intend to put on them.

Finally, we look at how to cut the rabbit joints into the side pieces for the back to fit into so you end up with a nice, clean looking fit.

Thanks so much for watching, we hope you enjoy!

And as always, if you have any questions, or want more information, go to our website:

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Craig Stevens

In this episode of the Woodworkers Resource Video Podcast we're continuing the topic of building bookcases. This time we look at cutting and installing crown molding on our bookcase.

We will show you how to use simple off the shelf crown molding you can find at most "Big Box" hardware stores to really dress up your bookcase.

Ever had problems getting tight joints when install crown molding? I'll show you a simple way to get perfect looking miters every time!

If you would like to be notified when new espisodes come out, sign up for our newsletter at:

www.WoodworkersResource.com

And as always, if you have any questions or comments, you can email us at:

contactus@woodworkersresource.com

Thanks for Watching!

Part II of our Building a Bookcase video series covers the topic of face frames. We talk about ways to construct face frames (mortise and tenon, and pocket hole joinery) along with things to consider when figuring out what size your face frames need to be.

We'll even show you how to make sure your face frames fit your bookcase perfectly every time.

For more information on woodworking and to be alerted to future videos podcasts, go to our website and sign up for our newsletter.

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Thanks for watching!

Craig Stevens

In this episode of the WoodworkersResource.com video podcast we're going to be looking into building simple bookcases. In this first part, we look at different joinery methods to construct our bookcase. We'll talk about advantages and disadvantages of using butt joints, rabbits, and pocket hole joinery to construct bookcases.

In part II we'll look into constructing face frames and ways to make sure that they fit perfectly, everytime.

If you would like to be alerted to when we release new episodes, simple go to our website and sign up to receive our newsletter. Just for signing up, you'll receive a special "Bonus" from us as our way of saying, THANKS!

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Craig Stevens

In talking with some of my woodworking friends on this subject, I learned that most were not comfortable with kids being in their shops because of safety concerns. Granted, there are extra precautions that must be taken when kids are present, but don't let this keep you from introducing woodworking to your kids, grandchildren, or even the kids up the street. And if you're a parent or grandparent who doesn't have a lot of knowledge around woodworking, but your kids have an interest, don't let fear of them getting hurt keep you from teaching them.

It is up to us as adult woodworkers to pass our knowledge down to those that show interest. If we don't, who will? Our schools? Doubtful. Find a child to nurture and teach what you know. Don't be afraid to let them in because they "might" get hurt. How did you learn?

Here are somethings to keep in mind when working with kids in your shop:

• Make sure all your power tools are unplugged. That way you don't have to worry about it.
• Make sure that all the blades on your power tools are covered or lowered so they're not exposed to little fingers.
• Stick to hand tools in the beginning no matter how old the kids are. They need this foundation anyway.
• Don't leave your kids unsupervised in the shop no matter how comfortable you are with their knowledge, maturity level, or skill. Accidents can and will happen.
• Using hand tools like hand saws can wear kids out quickly. Watch for this, step-in and help out during these times. When kids (and adults) get tired, mistakes are more likely to occur.
• With that last point being said, however; don't do all the work for kids just because YOU CAN! Let them do the work they can, and be willing to let them make mistakes on their own. This one is tough for us parents, trust me, I know.
• First and foremost, make it fun for them! Let them have some say into what they build. There are only so many bird houses a kid can make.

The video that we shot on shop safety for kids is not all encompassing, not even close. But, it will give you some good points to help you get started. My hope for this video is take it will make you more comfortable with having kids in your shop and for your kids to have a good and safe time with you.

If you have any questions or comments about the video after you've viewed it, just send us an email at:

contactus@woodworkersresource.com

And for more information on woodworking whether you're 7 or 70, go to our website at:

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Enjoy!

Craig Stevens

Here's another episode we shot at The Woodworking Show in Atlanta GA. While at the show we had the opportunity to interview Joseph Strong with Bad Dog Tools. Joe demonstrated their Rover Bits to us, and to say we were impressed would be an understatement.

Rover Bits are like a forstner bit, an auger bit, and a spade bit wrapped up into one. Ever tried to use a forstner bit in your cordless drill? How about drill straight into a nail embedded in a piece of wood with any bit without damaging it?

Watch this video to see what amazing things you can do with Rover Bits.

To learn more about these bits visit our website at:

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Craig Stevens

P.S. Just to let you know, I have no financial part with Bad Dog Tools. This is strictly a demonstration video of a cool product that I though you might find a need for in your shop.

Here's another video from our trip to The Woodworking Show in Atlanta, GA. In this video we get a look at a very innovative tool to sharpen your your woodworking tools, the Jool Tool.

My good friend Rob interviews the CEO of Jool Tool, Anie Piliguian, about how this sharpening system works.

We were sure impressed with the speed and ease that the Jool Tool can put a razor sharp edge on cutting tools.

If you have any questions about the Jool Tool or anything related to woodworking, visit our site at:

www.WoodworkersResource.com

Craig Stevens