Melissa & Doug Wooden Project Workbench

Melissa & Doug Toys - Wooden Project Workbench. Sturdy wooden workbench contains a functioning vise, tool rack, wooden tools, hardware and a storage shelf.

Price: $99.99

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Finding A Woodworking Project For Every Occasion

Woodworking is not only a satisfying, rewarding and therapeutic hobby, but also a useful pastime, as practical items such as household and garden furniture can be produced, used and enjoyed by the whole family for years to come (even possibly becoming a cherished family heirloom). There is a certain satisfaction in sitting in a rocking chair that you have lovingly crafted with your own hands, invested dozens of hours of painstaking labor in, sanded umpteen times, varnished (and sanded and varnished again and again!) till it gleamed like a mirror, bringing out the life and the fiery grain of the wood.

Anyone who has worked with wood knows the wonderful satisfaction that comes with the joy of crafting something with your own hands, and the sweet smell of raw wood shavings that linger in the air like a perfumed fragrance, while you work the wood and craft it and sand it until it comes to life in your hands and transforms into a functional thing of beauty. There are few hobbies to equal it.

Some woodworkers regard their craft very seriously and consider it almost a kind of artistry; others consider it more of a relaxing and productive pastime. Whichever category you fall into, there are thousands of woodworking projects and plans available online to suit the skills of both beginners as well as advanced woodworking enthusiasts. Some of these plans are free, others are not. The rule of thumb is that simple and basic run-of-the-mill plans are usually free, but more complex - and worthwhile - projects, usually need to be paid for. The plus factor is that woodworking project plans can be instantly downloaded and printed, so you need waste no time in ordering materials and getting started.

Whatever project you have in mind, the likelihood of finding the right plans to suite your needs online are high. Or, if you're not quite sure what you want to tackle next, you'll get dozens of inspiring ideas online - and the plans to go with it.

Most plans include detailed drawings that illustrate sizes and placement of components. Some plans also come with templates for those tricky shapes or rounded curves. The plans invariably include a material list that itemizes each piece needed, as well as any further hardware required such as screws, wood glue, hinges etc.

These Woodworking projects also come with detailed instructions on how to go about building and completing the project. In some cases, each step of the project is clearly illustrated with photographs of the actual project being build, and may even include explanatory videos.

The types of woodworking projects available online run into the thousands. Whatever your interest or level of skills, there's definitely a plan out there for you.

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Lathe Techniques To Give Your Woodturning Project the Right Design Touch

The same as any craft, woodturning demands a strong foundation in the basics, knowing the wood properties, tools, techniques and most especially design techniques or considerations. Improving this knowledge gives the woodturner the ability to express unique creativity in challenging ways, from the traditional to the modern style.

Spindle Turning Technique:

There are two basic tasks performed on the wood lathe, and spindle turning is the most popular. The process of spindle turning includes mounting a wood blank between the lathe's headstock and tailstock. Many different spindle types can be created, from furniture legs to pens. Several turning tools are used to shape the project. When turning small projects like wooden pens, wood turners use a small lathe size.

Decorative Spindle Technique:

Decorative spindle techniques, unlike the spindle turning technique, focus primarily on roughing, smoothing and sizing a cylindrical or tapered stock of wood. The technique includes elaborate cutting of grooves, notches, curves and unique shapes. But despite the fact this seems a complicated technique, all decorative spindle turning is based on two basic cuts of beads and coves. Beads are raised convex surfaces whereas coves are cut-in concave hollows. Though beads and coves can stand alone, usually, they are part of a combination of elements in the overall design.

Faceplate Turning Technique:

Faceplate turning technique is one of the most pleasing turning techniques, since the wood turner watches a rough block of wood change into a symmetrical, smooth, hollow timber item before his eyes. The whole process happens on the lathe. There is no assembly or fabrication of other wood pieces. The process is one fluid woodturning task. Faceplate turning provides the wood turner a good deal of design freedom.

Bowl Turning Technique:

Bowl turning is considered a little more difficult than spindle turning, but as the wood turner becomes more experienced in faceplate turning, he will improve his skills to the point that bowl turning will become second nature. The bowl gouge is the integral tool used in turning bowl. The wood turner holds the gouge's bevel on the wood blank that turns into a roughly shaped bowl. Scraping tools are also used in bowl turning.

Conclusion:

Wood turning is not only fun but when practiced it can be a very great and relaxing experience. Start with the simple design using the simple technique. As time goes by, you will learn strategies to make things easy and start practicing the next design technique. No single technique can make you an expert. You need to master these basic techniques and start making your own afterwards.

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The Woodturning Lathe - Your Main Tool In Every Woodturning Project

What exactly is Woodturning?

Woodturning is an experience you can totally enjoy. It can definitely be a rewarding and an addictive experience as well. It is fulfilling in a sense that you have a finished product afterwards, or you can even do this for repairing your damaged furniture parts. The pleasure of making or repairing your own wood turned products is definitely yours to have. You did not just save a lot of money; you also gained experience and a new learning as well.

The Importance of the Woodturning Lathe:

One important thing you have to provide so that woodturning becomes possible is a woodturning lathe. Lathes have become more trendy as years passed by. Many people have discovered woodturning lathes that are more convenient and can absolutely provide high quality of finished product.

However, in trying to search for a woodturning lathe, you have to be very careful in selecting one and always choose the best lathe. Some of them might be overlooked and can give you frustration later. If the price might be too expensive for you, take it easy because you can still sell it later as a second hand.

There are Different Sizes:

Lathes, especially the ones manufactured today, come in various different sizes, from small pen lathes up to huge machines that turn bowls. They have been purposely designated in accordance to the greatest diameter of the material that is allowed to be swung over the top part of the bed. A lathe that is very much capable of turning a disk that has a diameter of eleven inches, is referred to as an 11-inch lathe.

The other dimensions that must be taken in to account are those with a center measurement. This determines the number that showcases the maximum length of the material needed, which, in turn, can be mounted in between the headstock and tailstock. Parts of a lathe may or may not include a leg or a stand. It functions as an elevator of the lathe bed to your desired working height.

Parts of the Woodturning Lathe:

Almost all types of lathes have a bed. One end of the bed is called the headstock. It contains high-precision spinning bearings. Further, headstock often contains parts to enable conversion of the motor speed into variety of spindle speeds. Another part is called the tailstock. It can be positioned at any part of the bed and therefore, it is usually referred to as the loose head. It has a barrel that slides in and out parallel to the axis of the bed, and directly in line with the headstock spindle.

In a metalworking lathe, a carriage with a saddle and apron is topped with a cross-slide. A cross-slide is a flat piece that is situated crosswise on the bed. Unlike a metalworking lathe, woodturning lathes do not have a cross-slide, but banjos. Same as cross-slide, banjos are placed crosswise on the bed. However, its position can be adjusted manually.

Types of Woodturning Lathes

Beginners Lathe (Mini Lathe): This type of lathe is actually one of the world's most famous choices for most beginners. It can be fitted in a limited space and can also be extended later if you desired to. One consideration you have to think before selecting your first wood turning lathe is the cast iron bed and cast iron headstock and tailstock. It should have a minimum of four speeds with the lowest being 500rpm or lower, and the highest being 2000rpm or higher. Lathes are better without those light sheet metal construction and those with spindle bearing at one end only.

Floor Lathe: This is a heavy duty lathe, floor mounted, bed is more rigid than any lighter models, and this is a machine for serious and advanced wood turners.

CNC Lathe: This type of lathe is usually used by industrial user rather than the beginners or for the hobbyist. Though it has the disadvantage of programming it really hard, this lathe is able to produce complicated designs.

Pen Lathe: Small specialized lathe, usually limited to maximum 2" swing, ideal for pen turning, or turning dollhouse objects, just like cups, pots, columns, plates, and vases. It can also be used for prototypes for railroad pieces (including power or sign posts) and doll or marionette limbs. Thousands of classical model building items may be turned with ease. Note that you will also need specialist accessory tools to match.

Additional Equipment:

Some of the additional pieces of equipment you have to prepare are sharpening equipment, set of tools such as skew chisel, spear chisel, round nose chisel, parting chisel and gouge, abrasives and safety equipment.

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