Wood turning is a specialized area within woodworking. By and large, most woodworkers don’t turn, unless it is a chair maker who turns spindles for their chairs. But that isn’t the same as being a woodturner, who is a woodworker who specializes in the use of a lathe to make turned wood products. Woodturning offers … Read more
Sapele is a somewhat exotic hardwood which comes from west-central Africa, from Sierra Leone to Uganda and ranging farther south to Angola. The Entandrophragma Cylindricum tree that sapele wood comes from can grow up to 180 feet tall, with a trunk diameter of 7 feet. This makes it one of the upper canopy trees of … Read more
Birch plywood is one of the more popular hardwood plywood varieties, being commonly used in cabinetmaking, furniture making and even in making jigs in the workshop. As hardwood plywood goes, it is one of the lower cost varieties, while providing clean, smooth and attractive grain. By and large, birch plywood has few voids and is … Read more
The guitar is a favorite amongst both folk instruments and amongst stringed instruments. While the lute is probably the number one folk string instrument worldwide, the guitar beats it out in the United States. It is a fretted string instrument, unlike violins and cellos which have no frets. It is also played directly by hand, … Read more
Wood ship models are fascinating, providing us with a glimpse into the age of sail, when tall ships sailed the oceans, carrying merchants and explorers to distant lands. Not all those ships made it back, as they were very dependent on the weather and didn’t have the navigational aids, communications and weather satellites we have … Read more