Matt's Basement Workshop - Audio

WOODWORKING IN AMERICA 2010 has opened the doors for would-be attendees to register and plan their schedules for the upcoming October 1-3, 2010 conference. As someone who's had a chance to attend two of the Woodworking in America events I wouldn't hesitate to suggest people sign up and come out to see what it's all about. This year's Woodworking in America is in the backyard of the crew making it all happen, Popular Woodworking Magazine, and they've added some more bells and whistles to make it even bigger. But rather than listing it all here take a listen to what Megan Fitzpatrick, Managing Editor of Popular Woodworking Magazine has to say about ALL the festivities you'll find when you attend. For more information, visit www.woodworkinginamerica.com. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-430WIA2010Preview929.mp3] Click to Play Download Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

It's another Tuesday and that means it's time for another "Try it Tuesday". This week we have the Kreg Multi-Mark, a great little multi-marking tool for a wide assortment of jobs in and out of the shop. With three possible blade positions for quick measuring and marking the Kreg Multi-Mark is a handy tool for setting up your blades and bits or creating relief lines around doors and windows for carpentry jobs. And that's just the start, I'm sure you'll find more jobs in your own shop. Checkout one today at either Woodcraft.com or at Kregtool.com. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-429KregMultiMark251.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

We're close to wrapping up SAFETY WEEK 2010 and I stumbled across a great article at WOOD Magazine's website. Not one to let a good thing slide by, I asked the folks at WOOD for permission to share it with all of you. Thankfully they said yes! Today's episode is based on the 12 point checklist mentioned in Shop Safety Checklist. It's a great read and something worth checking out to make sure you're working safe too. A huge thanks to WOOD Magazine for permission to share this with all of you! [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-428ChecklistForSafety878.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

The GRR-Ripper on MBW

We start May out with a visit from our very own guest expert Hendrik Varju of Passion for Wood. This month's topic is "Starting a Woodworking Business" and we received a number of great questions from all of you. It's no secret many of us hope and dream of a day when we can hang a sign and spend our days in the shop designing and building custom pieces of furniture for customers who can't get enough of our craftsmanship. But what does it take to get a shop up and running and how do you deal with the "out of shop" stuff? Many of these questions were sent in and Hendrik did his best to answer them as thoroughly as only Hendrik can. And in case you have more questions about this topic, coming up on June 5th, 2010 Hendrik has an all day seminar at his own shop covering this discussion. Attendees will of course have access to ask Hendrik specific questions maybe not covered in today's show, or to ask him for more details on specific topics we did. Not to mention each attendee gets a copy of

There are times when I just want to make something for fun and I don't want to spend a lot of time worrying about all the details to make it right. Of course, I do want to make sure it's something I don't mind my name being associated with too! One type of project that's fun and can make a great gift for a loved one is a custom wooden sign. Whether it's an address plaque so the pizza delivery person knows NOT to miss my door once again or so help me I'll...or a humorous expression for reminding guest they're welcomed to visit but don't plan on staying long. Custom wooden signs are great projects. To make them even better and easier to knock out in your shop, Milescraft created the SignPro kit. In the box is everything you need to make a wide variety of wooden signs, from horizontal to vertical...letters to numbers...large or small. All you need is some wood and maybe a dictionary so the neighbors don't shake their heads in disbelief, again. For the typical signs I've created with the SignPro, it's taken on

It's time for another visit from our very own guest expert Hendrik Varju of Passion for Wood. This month we were discussing more about wood science and movement. We had some questions come in from listeners, and as usual the conversation headed off in many directions. So hopefully we'll cover something you were hoping to hear the answer too. If you've ever been interested in starting your own Woodworking business but wasn't sure how to get started or what to expect have we got a show for you! Coming up soon is Hendrik's annual "starting a woodworking business" seminar. Too get all of you ready for it, we'll be talking with Hendrik about his life before being a professional woodworker. Have any questions you'd like to ask Hendrik about getting started? Drop us a line, EMAIL US with you're question. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-424878.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

We all want to kick the tires before we buy, but when it comes to certain things in life it's not always possible. Thankfully the folks at Lie-Nielsen understand this and travel across the states and into the great white north to give every woodworker an opportunity to man handle their planes, saws, chisels and more. While the events are slightly different from venue to venue, they're a lot of fun to attend!!Thanks to everyone who made it to Jeff Miller's in Chicago for the show. It was great to meet all of you and thanks for saying HI, Aiden couldn't believe people actually knew me LOL!![dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-423911.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio FileDon't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

It's time to wrap up our discussion of the block planes. Hopefully I've answered some questions and explained the hows and whys of using the block plane. It's an important tool for all woodshops, powertool, handtool or hybrid. Regardless of whether it's a low-angle or standard angle block plane, the block plane is something that shouldn't be skimped on when the time comes to buy your first or a new one! As part of the wrap-up today I asked the folks at Lie-Nielsen if we could borrow some of their specialized block planes to get a better look at them. And thankfully...they said yes! So on today's episode let's look at some block planes that look like no other, but work as amazingly as all the others. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-TDM86136.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

There are a lot of workbench accessories on the market, but typically they're either something that needs to be built as part of the workbench top and are nearly permanent components or they're small useful items, but don't have much versatility to them. A newer accessory that hit the market in the past year is the Veritas Surface Vise. It's a great tool that adds a ton of versatility and options to my less than adequate bench. The basic tool right out of the box worked amazing, and because it's removable head is designed to have shop made accessories attached...if necessary...the options for it's use increases dramatically. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-422446.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

Today's episode for The Daily Matt is a quick demo of the basic tasks in my own workshop that the block plane takes care of for me. They're very simple tasks, but almost no other plane does them as well. I'm convinced it's because of how much smaller the block plane is, when compared to the size of the other bench planes. It's easy to manipulate the plane to do what I need and get the results I wanted. And it doesn't matter whether the block plane is low-angle or standard, with a nice sharp blade the job is a breeze. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-TDM85438.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

Today's episode is the final in the series on the Maple, Child's Dresser build. Unfortunately as will happen on this show, I did have to jump forward in time a little as I started to fall behind my original schedule to have it completed. Up to this point the vast majority of the construction has been documented, and the only thing that was left to complete was the drawers. We can come back on another episode and talk more specifically about the drawer construction, but in this episode I'll touch briefly on what I did in this project to make them. As part of the final wrap up on the build I'll touch on some of the subtle details I used to make the dresser as kid friendly as possible. Hope you've enjoyed it, and if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me. Coming up for the next build project...the Maple, Child's Bookcase! [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-421607.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors b

While I had originally planned for today's episode to be a look at the different ways I use my block plane. What I decided to do instead for this episode, was to demonstrate how and what I prefer to tweak on a block plane. Just like with any other tool, there are some key parts and components that just might need a little attention to make it work better. Is it necessary to take these steps on every block plane? NO, especially with models produced by the premium plane makers. But it doesn't hurt to know what you should be looking for, just in case Quality Control missed something. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-TDM84491.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

Today's Try It Tuesday is a look at the Czeck Edge Ruler-Stop. A handy little tool that literally fits in the palm of your hand but still has the ability to do great big things. The Czeck Edge Ruler-Stop works much like a traditional square, but with one big exception...you're not stuck with only using one kind of ruler. The vise like action of the Ruler-Stop opens to a maximum width of 1-1/4" and can accept rulers, shop made story sticks and just about anything that can fit within it's grasp. And because the sides of the body are ground flat and square to the jaws, it can easily be used much like you would a traditional square to layout lines on your projects. There's a lot the Czeck Edge Ruler-Stop can do, but you won't know until you try it out for yourself. Mine sits in my shop apron pocket so I never have to be without it. But check it out for yourself. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-420263.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag a

Today's episode is being posted a day earlier than normal, but with good reason. I wanted to give everyone a chance to clear their schedules for the next Live Wood Talk Online, which will be Monday March 22nd, 2010 at 9PM ET. If you can make your way over to www.thewoodwhisperer.com/live join us in the chat room for all the fun of a live show. A few other announcements on today's episode include a chance to win your share of the $10,000 in tools and accessories from Festool and Fine Home Building Magazine. For more information about this contest visit Festool/FineHomeBuilding Giveaway. Todd Clippinger of www.americancraftsmanworkshop.com sent us a heads up on a limited time offer by Scott Morrison of www.finewoodworker.com. Scott's offering a 15% discount on his "Building a Maloof Style Furniture" DVDs, templates and Buterfly joint kit. More details are in the show. April 9-10, the Lie-Nielsen Toolworks Show will be stopping in Chicago for a visit at Jeff Miller's studio. I'm planning on being th

Today's episode is the 5th part of the series on the Child's dresser. We've jumped ahead a little bit as in real time I started to fall behind so I did some assembly work with the camera off. I'm trying to document as much as I can on these projects, but occasionally things kind of fall through the cracks. For the most part, today's episode covers drawer front construction from rough to finish. And glue up of the dresser top. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-419595.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

Continuing along with the discussion on block planes, today's episode is an overview of some of the features I consider important in a block plane. Whether it's the overall size of the body, the angle of the bed or something as simple as the feel of the front knob. Hopefully the things we talk about today will help to answer any of your questions, and if not, maybe they'll raise some we can address on a later episode. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-TDM82298.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

The guys over at Bora Clamps recently introduced their latest clamping system, the Bora Wide Track Clamp Edge. A straight edge clamp that works very much like a traditional clamp with the added benefit of having a straight edge body attached to it. The beauty of a straight edge clamp is you can attach it to a surface, such as a workpiece or a tabletop/workbench and run your circular saw, router, jigsaw or most portable tools along the edge. It's a great system for those with limited space or jobsites where you don't have the luxury of large tools with fences and the like. And add to all of this the fact the Bora Wide Track Clamp has an extra wide body that will not flex while using, extra thick soft pads that can easily handle stock up to 1-1/2" thick, have the ability to angle the clamp body 22-1/2 degrees left or right while clamping or the fact that the body has a T-track system built in. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-418546.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't

Block planes are small but extremely versatile tools that fit into your shop regardless of whether your a powertool user or a handtool user. Block planes fall in the family of bench planes and can be used for just about every job from rough to finish. There is some confusion about the standard and low-angle versions, most specifically whether you need both or if you can get away with one or the other. For my own shop, I definitely prefer the low-angle version because of how well it works with end-grain. But the standard angle is just as easy to use and can handle the same exact tasks. [dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-TDM81987.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Video FileDownload Audio File Don't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.

Hi everyone, Hendrik is back for the month of March and we've decided to do a last minute audience question and answer session. If you missed submitting your question, don't worry...we're taking them and setting them aside for more episodes upcoming in the future.Hendrik has back to back Woodworking shows coming up the first two weekends in March. To visit him at either one, checkout these links to find out where and when:Canadian Home Workshop Show - March 5-7, 2010Kitchner-Waterloo Woodworking Show - March 12-14, 2010[dewplayer:http://blip.tv/file/get/Mattvan-417616.mp3]Click to PlayDownload Audio FileDon't forget to enter for free Schwag and please support our sponsors by visiting their links here on the website.