Doug Mason
03-17-2007, 1:30 AM
I, my wife and our infant took a couple days of holiday in Mendocino, near the College of the Redwoods in Northern California. Of course this gave me the opportunity to run up to the college to check out their woodworking program and shop. The program here is well know because of James Knenov (spelling??), of whom I know very little about. Having only been working wood for only a couple of years, I have only seen one other shop-- a local cabinetmakers shop--which was geared toward production cabinetry. So I was rather enthusiastic to see the set-up of this program. It was spring break so there weren't many people about.The shop (facilities) had two rooms-the front one being comprised of 15 or so workbenches, wood storage, and all the ancillaries (handtools, etc); and the back room being the machine room.
The front room was exactly what I expected for a program geared toward traditional woodworking--just benches and the respective toolcabinets and hand tools. One item that did stand out was that alot of people were working on veneering projects--as there were forms scattered about as well as alot of cut veneer (they cut all there own veneer--or so I was led to believe). Curved work in progress was littered all about the benches.
The machine room had an assortment of basic tools; two cabinet saws (a PM and Uni--niether of which had any outfeed table) and a small Felder slider. The slider was extremely small--and indeed as I soon learned it was only used for crosscutting. In fact, as with the Felder, the two other cabinet saws were for crosscutting only. All the ripping was done on either of the two giant bandsaws--a York and an Oliver. They were hugh machines--one having a one-inch blade and the other a half-inch blade. There was also an Aggassi bandsaw (a twenty/twenty-four inch wheel??), but, as I was told, it was seldom used; not because it is a bad machine, but because it was frail and out of place next to the old iron. At fist I was confused as to why all the ripping on the bandsaw?? Isn't the tablesaw quicker and more accurate? To which the response was that the bandsaw is safer, almost as quick, and these particular saws both cut almost perfectly. There was an old Northfiled jointer (15 inches??), some end-boring machines and and assortment of router/shaper machines.
The sharpening area had, in addition to a six inch Baldor grinder, two hand crank grinders--which were in use on both of my visits to the shop (I went twice over three days of holiday). The simplicity of their use has convinced me to get one!
One final observation is that everyone used shooting boards. There were crosscut sleds atop all the table saws/slider, and all cuts were finished thereafter on the shooting board. This was insightfull to me as I have never used or made one. Mmy next project is a shooting board!!
Everyone I talked with was very friendly--and I only wish I could take one of there courses. Well worth the visit.
The front room was exactly what I expected for a program geared toward traditional woodworking--just benches and the respective toolcabinets and hand tools. One item that did stand out was that alot of people were working on veneering projects--as there were forms scattered about as well as alot of cut veneer (they cut all there own veneer--or so I was led to believe). Curved work in progress was littered all about the benches.
The machine room had an assortment of basic tools; two cabinet saws (a PM and Uni--niether of which had any outfeed table) and a small Felder slider. The slider was extremely small--and indeed as I soon learned it was only used for crosscutting. In fact, as with the Felder, the two other cabinet saws were for crosscutting only. All the ripping was done on either of the two giant bandsaws--a York and an Oliver. They were hugh machines--one having a one-inch blade and the other a half-inch blade. There was also an Aggassi bandsaw (a twenty/twenty-four inch wheel??), but, as I was told, it was seldom used; not because it is a bad machine, but because it was frail and out of place next to the old iron. At fist I was confused as to why all the ripping on the bandsaw?? Isn't the tablesaw quicker and more accurate? To which the response was that the bandsaw is safer, almost as quick, and these particular saws both cut almost perfectly. There was an old Northfiled jointer (15 inches??), some end-boring machines and and assortment of router/shaper machines.
The sharpening area had, in addition to a six inch Baldor grinder, two hand crank grinders--which were in use on both of my visits to the shop (I went twice over three days of holiday). The simplicity of their use has convinced me to get one!
One final observation is that everyone used shooting boards. There were crosscut sleds atop all the table saws/slider, and all cuts were finished thereafter on the shooting board. This was insightfull to me as I have never used or made one. Mmy next project is a shooting board!!
Everyone I talked with was very friendly--and I only wish I could take one of there courses. Well worth the visit.