Year In Review

The year will end in a few days and it's time for me to draw a resume.

Hand Cranked Grinder

I received a X-Mas gift pretty early this year.

To be more exact it was a Saint Nicholas gift.

And a real surprise for me

Dolled Up - Mid-Century Table (Season Final)

This is the final post about the Mid-Century Table build.

Let me show you my finishing process.

And finally some beauty shots in the right light.

Workshop Insights

Actually I'm working in parallel to my woodworking project on my bench build.

Just want to give a short update.

Additionally I think it's time for some workshop insights.

Finish Line Comes Closer - Mid-Century Table (Pt. 12)

Sometimes things do need much more time as estimated.

But the journey is the reward. Isn't it?

The build process of our new Mid-Century table is in the final stages.

How To Make Turn Buttons

This week I will show you how I made some turn buttons for my new table.

Dangerous Curves - Mid Century Table (Pt. 11)

The fun part of the table build project came up.

Shaping the table top.

Coming from a rectangle board and going to, but find out for yourself....

The BSW Newsreel

A lot of things were done this week. Nothing special which is worth a dedicated post.

But things are coming together :-) 

Mid-Century Table (Pt. 10)

Some news from the table project.

The project is changing now. 

From rough dimensioning and construction to shaping.

The Case - A Workbench Adventure

The workbench is a nice "side" project :-) .

I'm busy at work for the time being, so some low-brainer work in the shop is ideal for relaxation.

What's Good for Your Soul?

I was busy the last days with a lot of things. Not much of this was woodworking. But I would like to share some thoughts.

Mid-Century Table (Pt. 9)

The table is getting contour and structure.

Nevertheless, with every new task it has got a new surprise.

Review Of The Spoon Rack Series

Today I'm writing my first review.  It's about a new hand tool woodworking video series.

This series is done by Helen Fisher and Richard Maguire. 

I think most of you know them under the label of "The English Woodworker".

The Workbench Adventure

It seems that my workbench plans are not pretty popular. Anyway, I will build what I have planed.

Maybe it is a good idea to give you some more information about my thoughts and considerations.

Do I Need A New Workbench?

When I started with woodworking 3 years ago, I didn't had any idea about what workplace I would need.

So I started with what I had. A few box cabinets made from chipboards and a working surface made from MDF.

But now I know it is time to have a working environment which fits my needs much better.

This post will be the beginning of my upcoming project of building a new workbench.

You know what? Feel yourself invited to follow me on this trip.

How To Make Another Dovetail Marker

This is the second part of the mini series about dovetail markers.

It is more and more fun to build these little helpers.

How To Make A Dovetail Marker

In preparation for a small training project I made a dovetail marker.


Yes, of course you can buy one.
But it is fun to make one by hand.


See how I made mine.

Monday Again! - Weekend Errands

Four days 'til it's Friday!


I've done it again.

I have found some amazing must have tools for the shop.

But find out for yourself. ;-)

Mid-Century Table (Pt. 8)

The table build is an angular affair.

No room for superficialities.

Even if it is challenging, it is fun to build and at the end I'm getting closer.

Mid-Century Table (Pt. 7)

Concentrating on the essentials was the theme of last week.

My rare workshop time is focused on this single project for the time being.

Mid-Century Table (Pt. 6)

The first mortises in the legs are done.

Time to start the tenons of the aprons.

But wait......is that right...?

Mid-Century Table (Pt. 5)

Finally I got my ducks in a row.

Even if one of the little buggers tries to waddle off.

Someone is waiting for the Mid-Century Table.

So, this project will have the main focus for the next time.

But having the next things in mind there is something more going on.

Help! I've Got Too Many Ideas

I guess you all know the situation - 

Another project was finished.

And now the unavoidable question raises.

What now? Which will be the next project?

How To Make A Sliding Dovetails Jig

Are you following Paul Sellers Woodworking Masterclasses, like me?

He is building a Shaker Style Stool (or bench) with sliding dovetails.

For making the sliding dovetails he is using a jig which is simply a piece of wood with an angled edge.

The question came up how to establish that angle to the block of wood with hand tools only and being precise.

Here is how I would do it....

Summer Night Light - The Final (Pt. 6)

It's done!

After some disappointing experiences The Garden Lantern is ready now.

See the latest activities in this post.

I guess it is time to come back to the table build.

Furthermore new projects are in my mind.

Monday Again!

Monday again!? Have a good one.

I hope it was a great weekend for you too.

Beside a nice BBQ with friends we were at the flea market again and I have finished some project work.

But find out for yourself.

Near The Finish Line - Summer Night Light Pt.5

Man, time flies.

Started a while ago with a comfortable time cushion, time was running out pretty fast.

But let's have a look...

Monday Again! - Kerfing Plane Pt. 2

Keep calm and pretend it's not Monday.

Folks, it is Monday morning again. Another weekend is over and my vacations too. How sad is this?

Anyway. Some news about the Kerfing Plane prototype I'm building.

Interested? Then have a look....

A Little Bit Of Everything

The last two weeks I was in vacation. Due to this there was no update last week.

We had a great trip to England and we have seen a lot of interesting things.

Let me give you an update about the exciting things which happened the last days.

• Something about England
• The Kerfing Plane
• The Summer Night Light

A Kerfing Plane Prototype

I read in Tom Fidgen's Unplugged Woodshop book about this tool.

It totally makes sense for me what he is writing about the resawing process.

The actual driver for wanting t have one is that I have to saw some thin wood strip for the insets of my Garden Lantern.

So I decided to give it a try.

Back On Track - Summer Night Light Pt.4

Back on track.

Although things are going slowly, I'm making good progress with my garden lantern build.

Thinking twice before starting a task take its time. It pays off.

In the last post I've reported about the top and bottom parts and about preparing the stiles.

Fitting the stiles to the bottom was this weeks task.

A New Try - Summer Night Light Pt.3

Recovered from the frustrating results of last week I started from the scratch with a new attempt to build that Garden Lantern.

I've tried to recap what went wrong.
Read this week about:

• Findings and assumptions
• Overall state so far
• What's about the Table

How To Make Firewood - Summer Night Light Pt.2

I started enthusiastic into the new project.

And it went well - first.....

But find out for yourself.

Summer Night Light

This is more or less my first commission. Okay, it is from my sister in law.

But she asked me to build a garden lantern for her. Similar to a piece she had seen during a holiday trip.

I won't be a copy cat so I will combine a few ideas I've got in my mind.

Monday Again!

On this Monday morning remember: Coffee solves everything!

This was a four day weekend for me. That meant some workshop hours for me :-)

Here are the news from the weekend.

A Packaging Box Goes Around The World

As promised a while ago this is the first competition with a great give away.

Come in, find out....

How I Make a Packaging Box

Inspired by a packaging box Tom Fidgen made in his online community I thought it would be a good idea to make one.

Also it is a great side project to bridge the time between thinking and making.

So, here is mine.

Monday Again!

Stay strong! Weekend is coming soon.

Another week is starting. Fortunately in Germany that will be a short business week.

It is national holiday on Thursday. That means a long weekend.

Here are the news from the last weekend:

• The first kustom packaging box
• Resawing like crazy
• A Summer Night Lamp

Mid-Century Table (Part 4)

This weekend I started the real build of my new table.

Stock preparation was on the list.

Let me tell you a bit about sawing oak.

Some general thoughts and experiences I had during my shop time.

And a small unboxing feature.

Monday Again!

Okay Monday. So we meet again.

A quick update after the weekend.

My topics today:

• Birthday
• Why I hate my No. 3!
• What's on the bench?

Mid-Century Table (Part 3)

The second week of the Mid-Century Table build.

I'm trying out a lot of new things and luckily it went really well.

Let me tell you something about using jigs and templates.

How my spokeshave and I became friends. 

And why dowels are indispensable.

Monday again!

"Why is Monday so far from Friday but Friday so close to Monday?"

Another weekend is over. Just a quick update this Monday.

A small unboxing feature and a quick project update.

Mid-Century Table (Part 2)

The first week of the new project is over.

I was a bit lazy the last weekend. That means I didn't spent much time in the shop.

But my thoughts are at the project all the time. 

I thought about jigs, resawing, saw sharpening and so on.

But more on this later.

Here is the progress so far.

Monday again!

Keep in mind  - The first 5 days after the weekend are always the hardest.


Just a quick update after the weekend.

Back To The 50'ies

This is the start of a new project.

In this project I will build a triangular mid century style occasional table, which will reflect the organic aesthetics of the 50’ies.
At least this is the goal.

And I will share the build, the challenges the projects has and my experiences with it, here.

Time Flies

Please tell me it's not Monday again already.

I've got so many ideas and projects in my mind that the weekends are much too short.

The last weekend started promising on Friday with pretty good weather conditions. So some activities were planned (of course they weren't called woodworking).

First Aid Cabinet (Part 6)

Seven weeks are over now and we are near the finish line.
All parts of the First Aid Cabinet are ready now.
A few last hands on and then it is ready to use.

Furniture Of Desire

Since a while we would like to have a side table for our new designed living room.
But until today we couldn't find one. Good starting point for a new project. Isn't it?

First Aid Cabinet (Part 5)

My last week was creative, although I had a bad cold.
So again I couldn't spend so much time in the shop as I wanted. But I had time to think a bit about my Blog, my posts, a logo and other stuff like this.
I think in the next days I will do some changes to my Blog layout.
But anyway. As last time said, I will complete the door and build a drawer for the First Aid Cabinet.

First Aid Cabinet (Part 4)

This was a busy week and I'm behind my pace.
But anyway, a door and a drawer is needed.
And after the carcass assembly (I've reported about in my last post) went well together, this time we will have a look at the door.

First Aid Cabinet (Part 3)

After having a side project last week I finally came back to my main build.

This time I'll report about making the housing joints for the drawer shelf.

And I would like to share my thoughts about doweling the top and bottom into the sides.

It's cooler again

Temperature was lower again today.
But anyway, I had to varnish the planters.
You know, Spring season is coming. And everything will be prepared for living outside.

Spring Time

It's spring time in Germany. The first days this year with two digit temperatures.

First Aid Cabinet (Part 2)

After dimensioning the needed boards for the corpus I've written about in my last post (First Aid Cabinet Part 1), I'll report about jointing the parts together. Rabbeting the sides and doweling the top and bottom will hopefully make a rigid frame for the small cabinet.

First Aid Cabinet (Part 1)

In my last post First Aid in the Woodshop I explained already the reason for building this piece of workshop furniture.
After a design and drawing phase I have now started the project.

First Aid in the Woodshop

A few weeks ago the inevitable happened. I cut into one of my fingers.

With a chisel. Deeply.

And the usual first aid method - a tissue and some tape - did not help.

But nothing else was handy.

After being in the emergency room to get my finger sewed, I had some workshop free time were I could think about future projects.