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Natural edge or live edge lumber has become a quite a trend in the past few years and many lumber stores are now offering a variety of species that are either single or double sided live edge. Unlike purchasing ordinary lumber, and selecting it for grain, color, and type of cut, natural edge lumber is unique because every board is different.

Often the cost of this natural edge lumber is premium priced, and of course, there are all sorts of different choices in how the edges look so, first of all, finding a piece you like at any one of the lumber stores who offer it, then getting the optimum usage from that natural edge plank is imperative. 

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/qz6UjJoRKVc

Probably more than any other kind of lumber, you really need to have a good idea what you are going to make and the dimensions of it before you even start looking for natural edge lumber ... unless of course, you are just buying lumber on "spec" which I do from time to time, then hope it will fit what I want to do with it when the time comes ... I still have some pieces that haven't found a use yet ... but one day  .... one day ....

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Measuring and Marking are a big part of woodworking and anything we can do to make it easier and more accurate will only make the work more pleasurable. There is nothing worse than working on a project right up until assembly then finding that one or more of the pieces don't fit and the part or parts need to be re-made. Making thing right the first time is just so much easier. I find it's better to take my time to the build rather than trying to rush and make mistakes because often the mistakes are fundamental measuring errors that lead to parts problems later on.

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/wqRVFL5wjhY

One of the tricks I learned recently was how to make a circle using a square, a pencil, and 2 nails. At first, I couldn't see how it could even work. Something about it didn't seem right and I wasn't able to visualize it in my mind, I had to actually try it out, and wouldn't you know ... it works ...

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There are always pros and cons to making things yourself in your own workshop because sometimes they are better than what you can purchase commercially and other times they are not, and often it depends on the materials being used. Commercially we don't have access to some of the material for building things, like stronger plastics and resins. All we can rely on in most cases is wood and sometimes with some sorts of metal accessories or parts. 

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/wKliiwTpSdM

These shop made Push Blocks are no different in terms of challenges, but in this case, although the materials may not seem as heavy duty, the end result is that they actually work much better than the commercial ones I have ...

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The final step of creating a woodworking project is putting some sort of finish on it. Sometimes the finish is a clear coat of some product, other times it is opaque like a paint. In either case there is usually some sort of mixing and and cleaning process that needs to be done and not all of are in love with the process and some (me) have often taken short cuts.

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/vOwGiAQKykQ

I don’t often paint wood, but sometimes it is the only choice and if you do not mix paint fully, you can get streaking, patchy color and inconsistent texture, so mixing well is imperative. Mixing smaller quantities is easier but often we are mixing gallon pails or at least portions of them and all that paint needs to get mixed...

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I don’t fall in love with tools very often but I’m making an exception for this Router Base Jig from M-Power Tools. The first thing I wondered was why is this called a CRB7, if you look on the box, it says Combination Router Base and the 7 just designates how many functions this jig can accomplish.
The base comes partially assembled but has some parts, depending on the router you have, that can be changed to make it fit better. It was at this point I began to see just how innovative this unit is.

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/TmdC0m5J8fU

Most router jigs that I have seen, you need to remove the plastic base from the router and re-attach it to the new base, and often, you need to drill and countersink new holes because there is no standard in router base attachment holes.
But this jig is different, it uses the rails that are often used for Edge Guide Adapters ...

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Making jigs is fun, but sometimes they need their own handles, and often there are other reasons for wooden handles around the workshop I made a batch of them many years ago and over time they have been used up for various projects and it's time to make another batch of them that will hopefully last me a few years.
To make these, I am have laminated 3 - 1/4" pieces of hardwood together, Oak on the outside and maple on the inside to give me 2 laminated boards that are 5 inches wide and18 inches long. I will get 6 handles from each laminated board.

Watch it on Youtube: https://youtu.be/4XXHj7qqz-o

I prefer laminated wood for a project like this because laminated wood is often stronger than natural wood, and these handles will be screwed and glued to whatever they are attached to so I need to make sure that screws and glue will hold them ...

  1. 5 Quick Dust Collection Hacks: Woodworking Tips and Tricks
  2. Small Parts Holding Jig for the Table Saw / Wood Clamp Table Saw Jig
  3. Workshop Hacks Part 3 - Woodworking Tips and Tricks
  4. Selecting and Cutting Wood on a Budget: Money Saving Hacks Part 5
  5. Trim Router Edge Guide Jig (Palm Router Edge Guide)

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