Reheat that cup of coffee and make sure the boss isn’t looking… this week’s roundup is a doozie! We’ve got Popular Woodworking’s Best New Tools of 2009, with a ton of hand tools… and a few tools for real woodworkers (just kidding Neaderthals!). Then we’ve got a real treasure of the internet, free videos from the New Yankee Woodshop! And… there’s 9 more great finds from the web this week. ENJOY!
1) The Best New Tools 2009: Winner’s List
“…some toolmakers, particularly individual makers, small companies and lean manufacturers, kept going [through the recession]. And as a result we saw the most unusual crop of new tools and machines in a long time. Many of the machinery makers were cautious in 2009, but Grizzly Industrial and SawStop in particular still seemed to be firing on all cylinders. And their efforts definitely show in this year’s list of our 12 Best New Tools. And on the hand-held power tool side of the market, Makita seems unstoppable when it comes to continuously refining the products in its strong areas (as least as far as woodworkers are concerned): cordless drills and miter saws.”
From the Popular Woodworking Best New Tools list we’ve got:
MAKITA LS1016L Miter Saw (reconditioned $479.99 shipped) >>
MAKITA BTD144 Impact Driver ($369.99 shipped) >>
2) Classic New Yankee Woodshop Videos Online!
Folks, it don’t get no better. Free Norm! The New Yankee Woodshop is going back to the vaults and releasing the oldest New Yankee Woodshop videos they have. You can watch them as they come out on the home page, and check out the release schedule here >>
3) Pricing Your Work
Man, Marc is awesome. He gave me my LOL of the week: “Over the last few years of running this website and doing my show, I have been asked one question repeatedly: “Why don’t you ever shave?” And a close second to that question is: “How do you price your work?””
also see:
How to Price Your Woodworking: A Community Guide to the Great Pricing Debate
4) log cabin on side
This log cabin is on wheels. Oh, and all the logs are sideways. ENJOY.
5) A Look Back at the Top Ten Web Stories of 2009
“As another December makes its way through life’s shredder, it’s time to take a look back at the Top 10 Popular Woodworking web stories of 2009. Did you search, download or read any of these top stories? Are you responsible for this ranking?”
6) video: A Push Block for the Router Table
A video From the Woodsmith Shop TV Show: Have better control and prevent tearout with this simple push block.
7) An alternative for jointing long boards.
“When I plane long boards, I always work the board 6″ longer than the finished product because invariably, there is snipe on the ends, no matter how slight. The same 3″ of waste on each end can be used to fasten boards together from the back side with a piece of scrap. I put a 3/4″ up-spiral router bit in my handheld router, and fastened the 2 boards to a piece of scrap exactly 5/8″ apart from each other.”
8) Russian company makes computer mouse from wood
“The components of each mouse are made from a single piece of red or black wood such as bubinga, makor, sapele or ebony. According to the company, it took four years to develop the manufacturing techniques, which it says are completely environmentally friendly.”
9) Video: Homemade Bandsaw Blade Welder
“A good friend gave me this homemade bandsaw blade welder a while ago. I figured I’d give it a try even though it scares the heck out of me.”
10) Table that turns into a secret house
“The “Daily Shelter” by artist Ingrid Brandth is a dining-room table that converts to a secret fort: “At first glance it looks like an ordinary table. But for the one who knows its secret, it can be transformed into a shelter where one can hide from scary sounds, ghosts or family members. Just like a snail feels safe in its house.”
11) Portland treehouse: swanky Hobbit pad
“Located on a flag lot, a steep sloping grade provided the opportunity to bring the main level of the house into the tree canopy to evoke the feeling of being in a tree house.”
