Simple and Easy Box Joint Jig

This is my box joint jig based off Woodfather's design which is used with a single rip blade. It has a pin that matches your blade's kerf and a set of spacers in a 1:1 ratio to the fingers of the box joint. You can easily change the size and spacing of the box joints by changing the width of the spacers. Want 3/8" fingers? Use 3/8" spacers. Want 8 mm fingers ... you know the drill. For simplicity I used 1/4" plywood for my spacers which lets me cut each finger in two passes using my 1/8" blade.

Mine follows the original plan closely with a couple of minor modifications. I added a tab to the back of the fence so it clips over the jig and stays in place on it's own. The tape acts as a spacer allowing the fence to slide freely.

I added edge banding to the fence where it rides along the jig. The mating face of the jig also has edge banding and both are waxed. The fence travels smoothly left and right.

The pin (pic above) is a screw 3.17 mm in diameter with the head removed. The kerf of my Freud rip blade is 3.19 mm. The resulting joints are snug but allow room for glue.

The block on the far right is glued in place and never changes. I used cyanoacrylate in case I ever need to remove it. Below you can see the edge banding along the top of the jig.

The spacers are held in place by a scrap of wood approximately the right length, then a small wedge is inserted to keep everything snug.

Mine is a wee bit taller and the sides come farther back. This allowed me to attach a handle. I tried first without a handle but my left hand kept searching for a hold. I find it more comfortable with a handle.

The strip of ply along the front of the fence (red arrow below) is only 3/4", not sure what I was thinking, but it will have to be replaced with a deeper version that will accommodate more than a couple pieces.

An unplanned change which didn't work out, are the runners being short in front (see above). The wood took a funny bow and were binding so I had to cut them down but now the jig wants to tip forward. Definitely leave them long in front. Adding the handle stopped the tipping so I'm not sure if I will bother replacing the runners.

Speed Square Miter Sled for Table Saw

A quick and easy sled modification for cutting 45° miters on the table saw. I trimmed a plastic speed square so it will lay flat and screwed it in place with the widest side toward the blade. The screws go through a scrap of wood which acts like a washer allowing the square to slide left and right. Very easy and very handy.

Dulcitar or Stick Dulcimer

I don't play guitar but I love making noisemakers. The process for building cigar box guitar (CBG) type instruments is well known and covered extensively on the web but achieving a highly playable instrument can sometimes take a little practice. This is my third and definitely best, stringed instrument.

The dulcitar is held and strummed like a guitar but like a dulcimer has diatonic frets, 2 melody strings, and 2 drone strings. These are often called Strumsticks*.

Feel free to post about your own instrument builds in the comment section.

Specs:

Scale: 25"
Tuning: DAdd
Fretboard: 1" wide
Box volume: 140 cubic inches
Sound hole: 1 1/4"

Ingredients:

Bering cigar box
Honduran mahogany
Macassar Ebony
Padauk
Bone
Fret wire and tuning heads from CB Gitty
D'Addario dulcimer strings
Sweat

Neck and headstock are mahogany laminated with ebony. The bone nut in this photo had to be replaced because it didn't allow for spacing the strings. A little heat and the super glue gave way, replacing it took less time than filing string slots in the new nut.

The Bering box is quite plain and I may go back and decorate it. You can see the heel cap made from American holly and a thin layer of walnut. The copper fret markers are hard to see.

Video of my daughter Brenna playing the dulcitar.

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Notes and Resources: 

http://www.cigarboxnation.com/
http://www.cbgitty.com/
http://www.daddario.com/DADMobileProductDetail.Page?ActiveID=3757&productid=268&productname=D_Addario_J64_4_String_Dulcimer_Strings&sid=7db807cc-9880-4142-96c2-04299fb525dd
*Strumstick® is a registered trademark of McNally Instruments

Chip deflector for Easy Wood Tool or other carbide tools.

One night after turning I washed up and my hands were on fire. Wood chips flying back at my hand and fingers had left hundreds of little paper-like cuts. You couldn't see them but I sure could feel them. The next day I made two chip deflectors. Video at bottom on how to make your own.

You'll need a piece of scrap hardwood, some small rare earth magnets, and 2"x4" piece of plexiglass.

Watch this video for step by step instructions.

Rocket Ship: Summer's Woodworking 2x4 Contest 2014

A retro style rocket ship made from approximately half a 2x4. Two pieces cut and glued then turned on the lathe make the rocket body. The nose cone comes off to reveal a space inside. The fins were cut to shape then resawn to thickness on the bandsaw.

The fins were colored with dye made from padauk and lacquer thinner. Then I routed shallow grooves on the rocket body for the fins to set into.

Making a maple microphone stand

A bent clothes hanger had been serving as a microphone stand for too long so I tossed it and turned a new one from silver maple. This is part of the maple tree that fell in our yard over a year ago. The black plastic holder came from a clamp-on microphone stand I had no use for. See the videos for details on how it was made.

The wood for the base was spalted (dark bands of color cause by a fungus) and bug eaten. I filled the bug holes with a padauk dust and super glue mixture (red) and gasket sealer (black). Dyed epoxy was the plan but it had disappeared so I used what was on hand.  The gasket sealer worked okay but I didn't get it deep enough into some of the holes.

Yes, that is a halo sticker on my file cabinet and yes that is a Guitar Hero microphone, I am a gamer. The mic is actually a decent USB microphone so I kept it when we sold Rock Band and Guitar Hero. 

Video

http://youtu.be/DKIY6MwD_-0

Part 2

Favorite Woodturning Youtube channels

Tim Yoder makes turning videos for Popular Woodworking and they don't make them easy to find. Best bet is search YouTube for "Popular Woodworking Tim Yoder".
https://www.youtube.com/user/popularwoodworking/search?query=tim+yoder

Cap'n Eddie Castelin tends to produce long, chatty, videos with a strong emphasis on teaching. Cap passes along a lifetime of tips, tricks, money saving ideas, tool how-to, skill building, finishing lessons and much more. He also runs a web store with sharpening aids, tool kits, carbide cutters, plans, all at very reasonable prices. Makin' Shavin's is his monthly newsletter.
http://www.youtube.com/user/capneddie
http://eddiecastelin.com/

Brenden Stemp is a highly skilled turner whose videos cover a range of subjects from wood selection, tool reviews, quick video tips and projects.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BrendanStemp

Mike Waldt shows turning tips, projects, and has a beginner series.
http://www.youtube.com/user/TheCymruBoy

Robo Hippy covers many subjects you won't see anywhere else.
https://www.youtube.com/user/robohippy

Gord Rock
https://www.youtube.com/user/GordRocks1

Channels with more emphasis on projects:

Jake Gevorgian shows incredible control and skill with a skew, not really a how-to channel but entertaining none-the-less.
http://www.youtube.com/user/paloarteinc

Carl Jacobson has 2 channels, one focused on answering questions while the other showcases projects.
http://www.youtube.com/user/haydenHD
http://www.youtube.com/user/Thetuningshop

Robbie the Woodturner demonstrates unique projects with many tips and tricks along the way.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Robbiethewoodturner

Alan Stratton spins many unique and interesting turnings.
http://www.youtube.com/user/AsWoodTurns

Miguel Sanchez has a good channel.
Update: Miguel has started doing videos in English!
https://www.youtube.com/user/Drizztss

Beginner Series

Mike Waldt beginner guide

Carl Jacobson - Back to Basics Series

Richard Raffan - How to turn a bowl

Captain Eddie Woodturning 101 - Lathes

Captain Eddie Woodturning 101 - Workholding

Captain Eddie Woodturning 101 - Tools

The series continues. I won't list them all but they are sequentially numbered.