‘Home and Improvement’ Category

The Long And Evolving Woodworking History

To truly understand any craft, it's important to learn about its history and how it evolved into what it is today. The same goes for the craft of wood...

 

To truly understand any craft, it’s important to learn about its history and how it evolved into what it is today. The same goes for the craft of woodworking, which has evolved tremendously over time. To do this, one of the most important steps is for you to take some time and learn about the woodworking history, what it is that made woodworking into what it is today. This way you can understand more about it and also have more of a respect for the craft.

Woodworking actually has quite a long and extensive history, one that goes back much further than most people would expect. Researchers believe that it first became truly popular back in Egyptian times. Of course they didn’t have all the fancy power tools that we do now, but there is evidence that showed they created a lot of different things out of wood. There were actually woodworking shops set up as early as the 1500s.

Therefore they were forced to work much harder even on the smallest projects. Woodworking was a very respectable craft and one that was looked upon with greatness. Over time there have been some notable woodworkers who have made their names in history. Their woodworking skills help them stand out and that includes Wharton Esherick, Garrett Hack and Evert Sodergren to name a few.

When we compare the woodworking experiences of centuries ago and compare that to the craft today, it’s pretty astounding. However, there are much more advanced tools and techniques that have been learned along the way. Woodworking is a wonderful hobby and the list of things you can create is practically endless. It all depends on a person’s skill and how much time and money they’re willing and able to put into a project.

There are some complex woodworking projects, which you can find online for free and download to print off. If you want to get started in woodworking, once you’ve taken a look at the woodworking history you can appreciate the tools you’re using and learn the basics on how to read plans. It’s a great hobby to get started with, and some even choose to get into it professionally. It’s pretty incredible to take a look back at the woodworking history and see how much this craft has evolved over time.

The Beauty of Japanese Woodwork

 

People have been doing woodwork for as long as they’ve had both tools and trees to do it with. They’ve been constructing things out of trees for thousands of years now and as time as gone on things have become more advanced. At first, these things were simple things like cups and spears, but as time went on, people began to use wood for more advanced things like beds, bookcases and even entire houses. And Japan, as one of the oldest countries in the world, has a beautiful and rich history of Japanese woodworking to showcase.

So what tools are typically used in Japanese woodwork? Japanese woodworkers use chisels, marking knives, planes, hammers, chisels, spoke shaves, axes, scrapers, spear pines and adzes, among others. These tools are known for having extremely sharp edges that make cutting far easier; the hand saws and hammers come in a variety of shapes so that they are always perfectly sized for the job. Japanese woodwork is most famous, however, because it typically uses a special construction method that manages to hide joints from view, something that gives their wood creations extra beauty.

Japanese woodwork has infiltrated Japanese culture so completely that even houses are constructed based on some of its principles. Most Japanese woodworking consists of building storage spaces like closets, shelves and other storage alcoves directly into the walls so nothing sticks out; this means that there is very little furniture in a typical Japanese house. However, there are some classes of Japanese furniture that are famous all over the world: the tansu class and the nagamochi classes of furniture.  Furniture included in the tansu class includes things like bolted-door chests, other simple chests and even things like chests-on-chests that look like steps; all of these things are designed to save space in a house. The nagamochi class, meanwhile, includes things like trunks and other pieces that box-like and a little bit bigger. There are other types of Japanese woodwork furniture that includes shelves made with doors that have ceremonial purposes like displaying ancient scrolls or things like tea ceremonies.

An important aspect of Japanese woodwork, however, is the deep respect that is still afforded to those woodworkers who choose to use their hands to construct this furniture. As with most things in Japanese culture, those who choose to devote their lives to something and become masters at it are deeply respected. They have spent years perfecting their woodworking skills and are often perfectionists that refuse to let a flawed piece leave their stores. This is why Japanese woodwork furniture is so prized.

Kids Woodworking Projects That Are Simple And Safe

 

Kids woodworking projects can be a lot of fun for older kids, as long as you only let the grownups use any power tools. There are lots of great kids woodworking projects that you can get started with, and of course you can always come up with your own ideas too. Of course you just want to ensure that only the grownups are using the large and dangerous equipment and keep the safer parts of the projects to the kids. Keep an eye on younger children and make sure you’re using all the dangerous tools until they’re older and able to handle them properly and safely.

Kids love Halloween so why not work on a Halloween woodworking project with them that they can treasure forever? All you need is a jig saw, sandpaper, hammer, dust mask, goggles, artist’s brush, carbon paper, wooden stakes, finishing nails, plywood and some paint. Now all you do is choose a pattern say of a pumpkin or witch, perfect for Halloween. Then you want to print the pattern off the computer or trace onto paper, put carbon paper over the plywood and lay the pattern over top of this.

Use the carbon paper over the wood to trace out the lines of the pattern you’ve printed off to use. The kids can do this part and just make sure that they’re pressing down hard enough on the carbon paper so it will mark the wood. Then you use the jigsaw to cut out the shape and start to sandpaper around the edges until they’re smooth to the touch. You don’t want uneven, rough edges on your Halloween lawn figurine and this is the perfect job for the little ones because they won’t hurt themselves on the sandpaper.

Then they can paint and decorate the figurine however they want, and it’s really fun to use glow in the dark paint because then it will stand out even at night when trick or treaters come. There are lots of other fun kids woodworking projects you could enjoy, such as the Halloween goodie bag. For this project you’re going to need to choose a pattern again, but think of something that’s going to be large and convenient to carry candy in. If you’re working with a bit younger child, you may want to stick to a much more basic project.

Make a box like shape but without a top on it, and they can decorate this however they want and take it around to collect candy. Kids really enjoy woodworking projects because it lets them create things that they can treasure for a lifetime. Don’t ever let your kids use woodworking tools like power saws or jigsaws which they could seriously injure themselves with. These are just a couple ideas for kids woodworking projects and you can spend a bit of time online or reading through woodworking books to get more fabulous ideas.

How to Start and Run a Successful Woodworking Business

 

Woodworking is a craft that has been around since the primitive times. For people who have had an interest in this craft since they were a child or who have just recently become involved with it, starting up a woodworking business may be a dream. For those who are skilled in woodworking, starting up a woodworking business can be a prosperous idea. The first step is to determine what sort of budget you’re working with.

This is the best way to get started because it affects all of the other decisions that need to be made. You’re also going to need to decide what items you want to specialize in. Maybe you prefer working with home decor pieces or want to focus on smaller more delicate items like jewelry boxes or children’s toys. Find a good supplier for all your wood and equipment needs, and this is an important step because you want to find a supplier that you can rely on for the long-term.

Once you’ve gotten the details of the business out of the way, start working on finding a reputable supplier that you can trust in for purchase of your supplies and materials. This way you have a trusted source for supplies and a better chance of scoring deals after building a reputation with the company. You’re also going to need to make sure that you have a work area to complete your projects. Whether you’re working out of the garage at your home or renting out another space, ensure that there’s enough working space for you.

Depending on whether you have employees or not, you’re going to need space to keep track of all the company’s finances including accounting and employee payroll. While you may be able to handle all the workload by yourself, as you start to get busier you may find it easier to hire on employees. The quality of woodworking is one of the main selling points of this business and if that’s not there your business will plunder. Marketing the business is always important even when you have your goal number of customers.

No business can do well without proper marketing and one of the best ways to get your business out there is to have a website created. Even if you don’t plan on shipping items to people, at least by having a website more people can access it. You should also consider putting ads in the newspaper or magazines, even commercials on television if you can afford it. Put ads in magazines, rent commercial space on television, whatever you can do to let people know that you’re there is going to benefit your business.

A Beginner’s Do It Yourself Woodworking Project: Basic Bird Feeder

 

More people are getting started with the woodworking craft all the time. Woodworking uses wood and specific tools to create beautiful pieces that can last a lifetime. For anyone interested in do it yourself woodworking who wants a simple plan to get started, this plan for a bird feeder is perfect. For a simple bird feeder, all you’ll need is some cedar wood, cedar shingles, a dowel, window screen, and deck screws to hold everything together.

To get started you want to cut out the back 8 x 10 with a 30 degree peak for the roof. This is going to give birds an ample angle to stand on where they won’t fall and also make the bird feeder look nice. Then you want to drill about a 1 ¬º‚Äù hole centered about four inches up from the bottom. Remember, the best woodworkers always measure twice and cut once.

Remember that good woodworkers always measure twice and cut once and this is a rule to live by. This is the rule of woodworkers, because you’re always going to be better off having to cut extra off a piece that’s too large rather than having to start over from scratch because you cut a piece too short. Now you want to cut the two side pieces which should be 1 ¬Ω x 6‚Äù and the front at 1 ¬Ω x 8‚Äù. One of the most common mistakes that beginner woodworkers make is they think all pieces need to be the same, when in reality the front and back need to a bit larger because they’re meeting up with the peak of the roof on the bird feeder.

Hold each piece as you’re gluing it together, for about a count of ten as this will give the glue time to bond to both pieces. Mount the sides and glue them onto the back piece, making sure you use proper carpenter’s glue that’s strong enough to hold the wood together securely. Carpenter’s glue is best for this as it’s really strong and regular glues may not hold the wood properly. For larger bird feeders and other projects in the future, you may need to use clamps to hold pieces together and ensure they’re glued together properly.

Trim off any extra screen on the bottom, as birds could get their feet caught in it if you don’t. All you need to do now is nail the stake onto the back and put the bird feeder outside in the ground. Then you just have to glue the stake onto the back of the bird feeder which is what you’re going to use to hold the bird feeder in the ground. This is a very basic bird feeder but a great example of the simple projects that beginners should start off with.