Est. 1998 — 27 years of woodworking knowledge
Hi folks, Well, I sent our esteemed webmaster Peter a copy of the only video we ever published, 16 years ago, of one of my oldest friends, Bill McCarthy, in the steam-powered woodworking shop that he set up in one of his barns. An avid historian who ran “Restoration Millwork,” a cabinet shop and architectural … Read more
WordPress is a widely recognized and acclaimed web software that enables millions of webmasters worldwide to build their websites and blogs. It is estimated there are around 2 billion websites on the internet, with WordPress powering approximately 40% of those websites or 800 million. It was used to create what you are reading now, so … Read more
by David Mather I first read the LORD OF THE RINGS trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien 30 years ago and have been a fan ever since. After seeing the movie, I decided to re-read my old tattered “tri-tome” so I could compare the two. In doing so, I was reminded of something I had forgotten: trees played a … Read more
Making a peppermill is a relatively simple process combining spindle turning techniques and drilling on the lathe.
I have participated in the hardwood lumber industry in Eastern Tennessee for many years, including, but not necessarily limited to, logging, part ownership of a saw mill, consulting for a mill, operating small kilns, wholesaling hardwood lumber, and even manning a fire tower—watching that it all didn’t burn down. During the course of preparing this treatment, I have visited several mills, log yards, and lumber yards, and talked with the owners about their current operations. These photo essays will be drawn from this experience. Hardwood lumber production could be different elsewhere, and softwood lumber production certainly is, but I believe what I describe accurately reflects what goes on here in Eastern Tennessee and to a large extent is applicable in many other enterprises.
Like the proverbial journey of a thousand miles, our love affair with wood had to start somewhere. It’s always interesting to hear where our visitors got their start. So, this time around, i trotted out one of the classic survey questions: “How did you get started in woodworking?” Some of the answers may surprise you… … Read more
One topic that has been widely debated on the WoodCentral forums is the issue of hand tools vs. power tools. Most woodworkers—but not all—would rather prepare and dimension stock with power equipment, saving their manual labor and hand tool skills for the final stages of a project-the joinery, final surfacing, and detailing. I asked our … Read more
Every summer, the woodworking industry converges on either Atlanta or Las Vegas for the granddaddy of all trade shows, a 4-day binge of ald faces, new products, and non-stop horse-trading among manufacturers, distributors, and consumers of everything to do with woodworking. The show also provides an opportunity for consumers to interact directly with company executives … Read more
The WoodCentral community is a phenomenon that could not have come about before the Internet. But, what exactly brings us all together on this wavelength? It occurred to me that everyone who frequents our web site (and other forum sites) has a couple surefire things in common: at some point we became interested in woodworking; … Read more
Woodworking has come a long way in the past 100 years and the pace of change is likely to accelerate in coming decades as baby boomers pass the torch to a new generation of electronic-age craftsmen. It’s hard to predict what technology and changing social and environmental realities will do to this craft, but I … Read more
Woodworkers’ skills are always evolving. Through magazines, books and especially online forums (where precise feedback is just a few keystrokes away), ambitious amateurs are improving all the time. And, as they improve, their horizons expand as well. At some point, many woodworkers-probably most-decide their work is good enough to sell, begging the obvious questions “Where?” … Read more
In today’s hectic world, most of us have to schedule our time pretty carefully to be sure of getting all the important things done. In light of this madness, I wondered how folks managed to find the time to work in their shops, and this led to this month’s question: “How do you fit your … Read more
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