#HTE

Choosing a Table Saw, Workbench Porn and an April Fool’s Woodworking Technique 

The Joy of Woodworking

Who knew Matthias Wandel was a Bob Ross fan? In this April Fools video, Wandel channels Ross to show off his magical woodworking techniques:

Reclaimed Wood Bench

A quick, efficient build: This week La Fabrique DIY knocks out a bench made from reclaimed wood. At the end there, you can see them sealing up the holes for the lag bolts; do you reckon they’re actually using hot glue, as it looks like, or do you think they used something resinous in stick form?

Tabletop Fastening Hardware

This week Izzy Swan gives us a more in-depth demo of his new fastening invention, the Izzy Skirt Washers. To refresh your memory, these allow you to affix a tabletop to the apron in such a way that you no longer need worry about wood movement. Also, in the last video, he cut the holes with a two-step process; but here he shows you a faster way using a countersink bit.

The Samurai Carpenter’s Workbench Features and Specs

Last time Jesse de Geest gave us a porntastic look at his heirloom-quality workbench. This time he runs through its functions and features, showing us that it’s not only beautiful, but cleverly designed:

Chainsawing Slabs

What do you do when your friend’s neighbor has a maple tree on their property that needs to be removed? If you’re Frank Howarth, you drive over there with a couple of chainsaws to get some slabs out of it. Also, for you Howarth fans who are chainsaw-savvy, here’s your chance to help the man out: He’s got some tool-specific questions for you at the end.

The One-Year Easter Egg

Here’s a second one from Frank Howarth, because he’s a maniac. This one was fun to watch because he started it a year ago, became sidetracked by his kitchen remodel, then returned to the half-finished box of parts and had to remember what he was trying to do.

Upgrading the Air Quality in Your Shop

Marc Spagnuolo’s back, this time discussing a shop issue that old-timers might ignore: Air quality. You only need to read one or two stories about folks that can no longer work wood because they’ve developed respiratory problems before you start thinking about this too. Here Spagnuolo shows you the steps he’s taken to ensure he’s breathing in clean air rather than sawdust:

Shop Hardware Storage

April Wilkerson needs to upgrade an earlier solution she’s outgrown, so this week she builds a higher-capacity hardware storage system. It features removable bins on French cleats for convenience, and to keep the system out of the way when it’s not being accessed, she’s found a handy place to put it:

Workbench Upgrades

No build video this week from Jay Bates, instead it’s about something equally important: Workstation optimization. Here Bates shows you the small but crucial modifications he’s made to his self-built workbench in order to ensure a smooth, efficient workflow:

Quiz Game Buttons

Bob Clagett continues his recent run of combining woodworking and electronics to create items his kids can enjoy. This time around, he’s worked up game-show-style buzzers that his kids can press during quiz games. (There’s no actual buzzing sound, but they illuminate to indicate who hit the button first.)

What Kind of Table Saw Do You Need?

Here Linn from Darbin Orvar goes over her choice of table saw, a contractor-style model. She highlights the design feature that sold her on it and explains why you don’t necessarily need a cabinet saw to do work: