Crafting wood can be a complex and rewarding task, but often times beginners may find themselves frustrated with their results. But no matter where you are in your woodworking journey, there are always tips and tricks that can help you create something beautiful – without breaking the bank. We’re going to look at woodworking tips and tricks for makers of all skill levels so even if you feel like it’s too overwhelming to attempt your own project, we’ll provide some guidance so don’t give up just yet!
This has to be one of the cheapest and easiest ways to create gears for medium-sized weekend projects. In a pinch, cut some MDF about the same size as the gear you want to make and then glue a piece of automotive timing belt around the circumference.
A peek inside the mind and workshop of automata artist Dug North.
If you’re a fan of woodworking or NBC’s “Parks and Recreation,” check out this video by the folks at Fine Woodworking. Nick Offerman, who plays the surly Parks Director Ron Swanson, shows off his woodshop, which he has outfited with his own DIY router jig for planing large slabs of wood.
Naturalist John Muir was also an amazing maker who became known for his clever and artful inventions.
In fact, there are a now a couple of different tests, but the traditional method is known as the Janka hardness test, named for Austrian wood researcher Gabriel Janka, who invented it in 1906. The test measures the force required to embed a standard-sized steel ball (of 0.444in/11.28mm diameter) exactly halfway into the surface of a standard-sized sample of the wood
Mike Davey is a maker we’re already familiar with through projects such as his incredibly detailed Turing Machine. This time he’s made a wooden wall clock, based on a design by Clayton Boyer, that almost looks like a long-legged creature with a little finger periodically pulling on the escapement.
Everybody’s favorite slingshot aficionado, Joerg Sprave, is in the driveway again. This time around he’s testing an upgrade to the Nerd Revenge 2000, a homemade pump action slingshot crossbow capable of delivering ten sharpened pencils in under five seconds with considerable force.
