UPDATED 3Oct2019 (with videos below): If trees grow where you live, then cutting them can be a rewarding stewardship responsibility. It can also be a great way to heat your home. I’ve been cutting firewood and heating with it for […]
Continue ReadingHow-To Basics
Q&A OF THE WEEK: “Is a Wood Planer Worth Buying for a Basic Shop?”
PUBLISHED 13Jun2019 Q: I’m planning the buy one of the benchtop jointers you recommended in your kitchen cabinetmaking course, but can you also recommend a benchtop wood planer? Is this a good piece of equipment to add to a very basic […]
Continue ReadingBAILEY LINE LIFE EP. 20 – Buffing an Oil-Finished Table Top
In this week’s video episode, watch how a repairable oil finish is made exceptionally smooth, see the best way to level a surface before buffing, and watch a random orbit sander and buffing pads in action
Continue ReadingWORKBENCH SUPREME: See a Combination Scaffold Frame, Storage System & Workbench
A number of years ago I was asked to testify in a lawsuit involving a father who fell off a ladder building a shed for his adult son. This man was suing his son for not providing a safe working […]
Continue ReadingQUARTER SAWN HARDWOOD: How Understanding Wood Grain Improves Your Woodworking
Steve Maxwell, Canada’s Handiest Man, explains how to select wood grain depending on how lumber was sawn from the tree.
Continue ReadingDIGITAL DISCIPLINE: One Key to the Hands-On Life
Pete is a drywall contractor friend of mine who’s always quick with a joke and a smile, and he mentioned something once that I won’t forget. “If I hire a drywaller who smokes, I should pay them $2 an hour […]
Continue ReadingDETAIL SANDERS: Tips for Using This Key Tool for Outdoor Wood Refinishing
Summer is the season you’re most likely to refinish outdoor trim, door frames, window sashes and finickity woodwork of all kinds, and detail sanders are tools I’ve come to rely on for this kind of work. Also called multitools these days because they can also cut and grind, detail sanders are not for stripping back large expanses of bare wood.
Continue ReadingQ&A: How Can I Dispose of Shavings From My Planer?
Q: I recently bought a benchtop wood planer and have been happily generating bags and bags of sawdust in my workshop. Trouble is, I just found out that my municipality doesn’t accept sawdust as garbage. How can I dispose of […]
Continue ReadingQ&A: Can you help me make sense of options for potlights? I’m confused.
Q: Can you help me make sense of all the options for potlights? I’m confused by all the choices, sizes and types. A: Potlights are also called recessed lighting in the industry, and they’re a terrific feature when used properly. But […]
Continue ReadingWORKBENCH PLANS: Download First-Class Design for Free
If you don’t have a workbench somewhere around your home, you should get one. You’ll never find a simpler, more economical source of mental health and household well-being. Fewer and fewer people have home workbenches these days, and maybe that’s […]
Continue Reading Learn More from Bailey Line Road