I’ve posted about the apron before. After wearing it for a while, there is good and bad things about it. The shop apron is nice to keep dust off of your clothes and to hold some tools. The down side is it keeps a bunch of sawdust in the pockets. The #rzmask makes me breathe easier. Much nicer than not using a mask.
Taking off the side to get to the good stuff
Sawmills are an interesting machine. So much power and ability to take what was once a tree and makes boards. The boards aren’t finished to a point they can be used for furniture, but finished to a point that a woodworker can do the rest in their shop. When first looking at the mill, the though is how precise can this saw be? It was good enough to be impressive for the size. It can get a board within an eighth of an inch of desired thickness. That is good enough for most of us to run through a lunchbox planer to get to a finished thickness. Usually, a woodworker wants boards to be a quarter inch to a half inch oversized to ensure the final is even. Of course, none of the boards really should be used until they are dried, or kilned to a proper moisture level, otherwise the boards will move more during the natural drying. Patience is key for those of us that don’t have a kiln. Set the freshly cut boards to the side for a couple years and buy a moisture meter. By the time the plans are drawn and the rest of the household chores are done, the boards are probably dry. With most of our lists of chores, it could be years.
Some of the hand tools at the Great Lakes Woodworking Festival
Last Sunday was the Great Lakes Woodworking Festival. It was a great day to learn about the Sam Beauford Woodworking Institute. There is quite the school setup for learning all sorts of the arts. This event was geared for woodworking and they showcased their woodshop. The display of tools was nice. Along with the hand tools they also have an assortment of power tools. A woodworkers dream. The turnout was great, and I hope next year is even bigger