Woodworking Resource Center / Blog

A bit of history...I started making wine stoppers in 1988 and since that time, I have made more than one quarter million.  I managed to pay my mortgage for more than fifteen years by turning these little guys.  Not really sure why anyone needs a wine stopper because when I open a bottle of wine, I do my best to finish it.

I first became interested in woodturning after watching Tim Yoder on PBS. I watched how organic and creative the process was and it just looked fun. I saved up some money and bought a midi lathe which is what I still turn on today. At first, I didn't really want to make anything structured, like pens or bottle stoppers (even though I eventually learned to enjoy them).

The centuries-old methods of Japanese joinery have captivated western woodworkers for the last few decades. Saws and planes that work backwards from ours seem foreign, until you try them out and see how they use gravity instead of fighting against it.

Flexibility. That’s what I wanted to design into this work table. I wanted it to work with just about any table saw, provide storage in its base and have a versatile work surface. I built this one for the new Saw Stop that’s been added to our model shop, but as you’ll see, you can make the table as wide as you want it, as long as you want it, and can make it match the height of any saw made.

As a guy who doesn’t drink a whole lot of coffee, I’ve built a surprisingly large number of coffee tables. But, I suppose the same could be said for “bookcases built” vs. “books read”. Furthermore, I’ve built at least 2 changing tables, but rarely wear a diaper. In any case, in this article I’m going to walk you through building my Mid-Century Modern Inspired Coffee Table.

I’ve used the same pair of saw horses for over 40 years. In that time, they’ve seen thousands of cross-cuts and rips, but they’ve also served as a makeshift workbench, a step ladder, scaffolding, a finishing platform and a lunchroom bench. They’ve seen new construction, home remodeling and lots of furniture projects. Every paint splatter conjures up memories of a project and every errant saw kerf reminds me not to work too fast or when I’m too tired. 

Creating the graceful slopes of a spindle and thin-walls of a bowl are just two of the many tasks the Ultra-Shear Round Carbide Insert Turning Tools handles with ease.

Create smooth handles in even the toughest materials while using our 45° shear scraping with this round tool. 

Turning the Wall Street II Pen
By George Snyder

Gift giving seasons tend to sneak up on me. Everyone in my family expects hand-made gifts at every opportunity. Now, it’s late Spring, and by some twist of fate I have a rather large number of high school and college-aged nieces, nephews and neighbors all graduating within a few weeks of each other. I need a bunch of nice gifts, and I need them now. My “go-to” gift for these situations – particularly when I need a bunch – is the Wall Street II pen kit (also called the “Sierra” depending on where you buy it). The Wall Street II is one of the easiest pens to turn. It only takes one half of a standard pen blank, and the finished pen writes nicely and has great balance. What’s more, with a wide variety of trim styles and finishes, unless you’re an experienced pen turner, you would never guess that they’re all the same inside.