jameswoodsk

11/11/2025

08/08/2024

Throwback Thursday to 2012 March 26, when I bought a workbench from Lee Valley Tools. It is quite versatile, sturdy, and well made. It's a quality product and very useful in my shop.

Later that year, Jodie and I were in Edmonton, browsing in a bookstore, and I came a cross plans in a magazine to make a mini-bench. This is the ideal companion to the Sjobergs bench, because it raises the work area above waist height, which is perfect for hand-held router work or for glue-ups. We came home with the magazine and the desire to make one for myself.

I had some maple lumber, which forms the top and vise jaws of the mini-bench, and the rest is fir 2x4s, similar to the original bench. I used the front vise from that bench, which I replaced with another, also purchased from Lee Valley.

For those familiar with work benches, there are holes in the top to accept "dogs" that let the woodworker hold pieces in place while working. Lee Valley produced their own "Wonder Dogs," to complement the table. Then they came out with "Prairie Dogs," spring-loaded to stay flush with the bench surface until needed. Give a gentle push on top, and up pops a Prairie Dog, ready for use! Another push, and it locks in the down position. Very satisfying!

08/01/2024

Throwback Thursday to 2011 December 18, when I made a small trinket box. The body is an exotic hardwood with very pronounced grain (could be Sucupira. This is a tropical hardwood known for its high density and pronounced interlocking grain), and the lid is oak. The embedded magnets allow the lid to swivel. It was intended to hold paper clips, but could be used for any small objects/keepsakes. A fun project. 😁

07/11/2024

Throwback Thursday to 2011 December 31, when I added a new layer to a Big Buck trophy. It had been around for so long, that the small engraved badges used up all the space. It's one of several I've done over the years.

06/27/2024

Throwback Thursday to early 2008, when I started turning bowls and cups on my lathe. Most of them were given away, but I still have the little maple cup and one bowl. They're fun to make, but it seemed I always ended with more shavings on the floor than finished bowl!

06/22/2024

So I made this for our daughter to celebrate her recent Master of Education degree. WTG, Stacie Edgar!

06/13/2024

Throwback Thursday to many years ago, when I made this postage-stamp dispenser, designed to hold coils from Canada Post. My Aunt Mattie (Martha Jean [née Somerville] MacKay) was a prolific letter writer, so I made this for her as a birthday gift -- she used loads of stamps!
The whale's body is a drawer to hold the coil and the stamps come out of a slot above the blowhole. The wood is walnut – a nice little scrollsaw project from my shop.

06/03/2024

A couple of weeks back, I was asked by some friends out west to make a cribbage board for their friends in the shape of the letter "M" -- this is the result. It was a great challenge, and I was up to it! (With my carver software, of course... :) )
It's fun to watch the CNC carver drill the holes, using a feature called "pecking," where the bit goes into the wood just a little, then comes back up to clear the chips, plunges a bit deeper, then withdraws to clear more chips, then goes all the way down for the complete hole. Then on to the next one, and the next, until all 377 holes are drilled.

02/22/2024

I made this for a friend in Pennsylvania. I added labels in a photo to show the species of wood I used.

01/16/2023

My wife's cousin has a convenience store with attached theatre/arcade. This is for the side door -- a Christmas gift for her husband.