Friday, December 3, 2010

Current Woodworking Promotions and Sales

These are all of the woodworking deals we have found recently.


Jet Woodworking
Ends 6/30/11

Powermatic
Ends 6/30/11

Woodcraft - Various items
Expires ??


Rockler - Free Shipping on $75 or more
Code V1932 - Ends 1/23/11

KlockIt
Code 7A420 - Ends 1/26/11

Fastenal
Ends 1/31/11

Clearance Sale - Northern Tool + Equipment
Ends 1/22/11

Harbor Freight
Ends 1/21/11
Harbor Freight
Ends 1/27/11

Save up to 50% at Garrett Wade's Year End Clearance Sale
Ends 2/28/11

Winter Clearance @ Rockler
Ends 1/16/11

Harbor Freight
Ends 1/16/11

Northern Tool + Equipment
Ends 1/11/11

Harbor Freight
Ends 1/11/11

Winter Clearance + Free Shipping at Rockler
Code V1928 - Ends 1/5/11

Free $25 Gift Card When You Buy $100 or More pfeil Swiss made Carving Tools
Code 11126
Free Shipping
Code 22333 - Ends 1/3/11

5 Day Super Saver Coupon Sale! at Harbor Freight
12/31/10-1/4/11

Make Your Own Sale Event at Peachtree
Code end10 - Ends 1/2/11

Free Shipping at Lee Valley
Ends 1/3/11

Clearance Sale at Northern Tool
Ends 1/4/11

Starts 12/4/10 - Ends 12/31/10
Winter Clearance at Rockler
Free Shipping
Code V1927 - Ends 12/31/10

Harbor Freight - Various items
Expires 12/30/10

25% off over 1,000 items plus free shipping on order of $50 or more at Fine Woodworking
Expires 12/27/10
Free Shipping at Klockit
Code 6A432Z - Ends 12/22/10

Free Shipping with your order of $50 or more at GarrettWade
Code GROUND50 - Ends 12/17/10

Free Shipping and the Kreg Jig K3 Master System only $139.99 at Woodcraft
Code 22333 - Ends 12/24/10

Take $15 off your next order of $75 or more at Garrett Wade
Code 15DOLLAR - Ends 12/10/10

Offer Code Sharp1 - Expires 12/6/10
Offer Code WBS126 - Expires 12/5/10

Offer Code 132211 - Expires 12/3/10

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Woodworking Contests, Promotions, and Giveaways

Here is a list of all the contests, promotions, and giveaways we have found recently. We would love to win something and hope that you will too.

$10,000 Workshop - Popular Woodworking, Jet, Bessey - Contest ends 5/31/11 (One entry per person/email per day)


Router Bit Bonanza Sweepstakes - Wood Magazine/Eagle America - Contest ends 1/31/11 (One entry per person/email per day)


Laugna Tablesaw Giveaway - American Woodworker - Contest ends 3/31/11 (One entry per person/email per day)

$750 Buying Spree - Rockler - Contest ends 1/31/11 (One entry per person)

Dremel Trio Sweepstakes - Handyman Club of America - Contest ends 1/14/11 (Do not have to be a HCOA member to enter but one entry per person)

Arrow R.E.D. Camaro Sweepstakes on Facebook - Contest ends 1/22/11 (One entry only)


Woodworking Holiday Wish List Sweepstakes - Woodcraft/Fine Woodworking - Contest ends 12/31/10 (One entry per person)

Power It Up Sweepstakes - Powermatic/Fine Woodworking - Contest ends 12/31/10 (One entry per person)

Great Carter Holiday Giveaway - Wood Magazine - Contest ends 12/31/10 (One entry per day)

Freud Woodworker's Dream Sweepstakes - Wood Magazine - Contest ends 12/31/10 (One entry per day)

Lie-Nielsen Sweepstakes from Highland Woodworking - Contest ends 12/31/10 (Multiple entries are permitted, once every 3 minutes)

The Ultimate Powermatic Workshop - Powermatic/Jet - Contest ends 12/31/10 (One entry every two weeks)

The Ultimate Jet Workshop - Powermatic/Jet - Contest ends 12/31/10 (One entry every two weeks)

Powermatic/Jet Tool Giveaway - Contest ends every two weeks (One entry every two weeks)

Powermatic/Jet Weekly Giveaway - Contest ends every week (One entry every week)

Win a Router Station from Wood Magazine and Rockler - Contest ends 12/14/10 (One entry per person per day)

Win a Dremel Trio - Popular Woodworking - Contest ends 12/10/10 (One entry per person per day)

Routing Articles from Wood Magazine

We just received the latest email from Wood Magazine. It contains plenty of new info all about routing and routers. If you don't get these emails, we highly recommend them. Here are the links to the videos and articles in case you don't get the email. We are going to practice dadoes with the router this weekend and we have entered the sweepstakes. Maybe we will win!

Free Routing Videos

Reader Router Tables

Router Add-On Plans

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Google Sketchup for Woodworking

We are attempting to use Google SketchUp to design some of our future projects. We ran across this website Sketchup for Woodworkers by Rob Cameron and are following the video tutorials. We will post our progress as we go along. Please note that the tutorial videos are for SketchUp 7 and a Mac so it is a little different if you are using version 8 and Windows.

We are using Google SketchUp 8. You can download it here. For now, we will be using the free version. Here is a link to Cheat Sheet for SketchUp 7 for Windows and for Mac. Will post a link to SketchUp 8 when we can find it.

1) Getting Started, Part 1
Mr. Cameron posts: "In this tutorial we learn how to setup Sketchup from the beginning to work best for modeling furniture and cabinets. I introduce the rectangle, push/pull, orbit, pan, and zoom tools."

We have learned the basics now. Had a little trouble because of the version and operating systems differences but we were able to figure it out. The first video is very well put together and we learned all of the basic commands that we need. On to the next video.
  
2) Getting Started, Part 2
Mr. Cameron posts: "The second half of our Getting Started tutorial. In this tutorial we build a bookshelf using the tools we already learned, plus the tape measure and move/copy tool. We also start grouping our object."

We made a bookshelf! We never knew how easy it was to use this software but that was because we attempted to learn on our own. One thing to note is that for Windows users in order to copy items you need to use Ctrl and not Alt like Mac users. On to the next video.

3) Dados, Rabbets, and Guides
Mr. Cameron posts: "In this tutorial we rebuild our bookshelf with the shelves dadoed into the sides. We also rabbet the back on. I introduce the ‘guides’ feature of the tape measure as well as several shortcuts for navigating around your model, more fun with groups and different ways to select exactly what you want."

Well we made a bookshelf with dadoes and a back with a rabbet. We also put a face on the bookshelf. It was not as easy as it looked in the video but we managed to figure it out. And it was a lot easier then figuring it out on our own! On to the next video.

4) Curves, Moulding, and the Outliner
Mr. Cameron posts: "In this tutorial I introduce the Outliner panel for keeping track of all these groups floating around. We also rebuild the bookshelf using Components. I use the Line, Arc and FollowMe tools for the first time to create moulding on our bookshelf."

We now know how to add mouldings to our bookshelf. It is all starting to come together. On to the next video.


5) Moulding Revisited
Mr. Cameron posts: "I wanted to show a couple more examples of moulding—adding base moulding and an example of cutting away from a larger piece to form a decorative edge."

We learned how to add a base moulding with compound curves as well as a solid top for the bookcase with a chamfered edge. On to the next video.

6) Joints, Joints, Joints
Mr. Cameron posts "In this tutorial I cover several of the most common woodworking joints—miter, half-lap, tongue and groove, splined, rabbet and groove, blind dado, sliding dovetail, mortise and tenon, and the good old-fashioned dovetail."

We learned how to make many common woodworking joints. This stuff is coming easier and easier. We can't wait to start designing projects.

7) Dimensions and Printing
Mr. Cameron posts: "In this tutorial we see how to add dimensions to our drawings, how to set them up to print and add scenes so we can save “views” of our model for later."

We learned how to add dimensions and to print a project. Still somewhat confusing but we think it will become clearer as we practice more.

These are all of the full tutorials at this time. There are 3 quickies that we will watch soon. We are going to use this to show all of the common woodworking joints and make a separate post detailing those joints with photos from SketchUp.