Its all in the details....

There is something special about old stair cases in a home. I love the overall statue, the details, and the overall construction. Its easy to see why these stair cases have lasted so long! Today sadly the majority of the stair cases are being made or restored to a lower quality. 

Can you blame the contractors? My answer is yes and no. Some contractors simply don't know how the makers of the past made stairs, or simply there isn't enough money in the budget. But if there is a budget to restore a stair case than I think they must make them how they once were versus simply toe nailing balusters in place and making round tenons. 

Below you will find a stair case with dovetailed balusters. Its simply a thing of beauty. I was luck to bid on this job but sadly I didn't get the job because the contractor didn't budget the cost and necessary work involved. 

But I am happy to say that I was able to educate the contractor and now he will have me bid on staircases before hand. Today my interest in the woodworking world is more in houses and architectural details. While I love furniture there is more money in house work and for me to continue  living the dream I must do what I can to save the pass and make money as small business. 

If you have a staircase that needs a little TLC, than contact me. I will happily travel to the site if the money is right. 

Cheers!

Sanding Block

Sanding, some of us hate it while others so call love it. Either way we need to do it. So why not sand comfortably with Time Saver Tools, Preppin Weapon Sanding Blocks.  The blocks came to my attention by furniture maker Clark Kellogg from Texas. These blocks were in the back ground of an image on Instagram. Well one day while strolling through Woodcraft Supply I found this sanding block on the shelf. Once in my hand I knew why Clark loved them. Now I wanted them! 

This lead me to find them online and buy every color. Why all the colors? Well I can set them all up with different grits. The coarsest is red and the finest is blue. The color line up is red, yellow, green, and blue. The blocks feel amazing in my hands and I can happily say these are a great investment and a joy to use. 

I may even say I like sanding. Ha! Yeah right. Well at least my hands don't hurt as much anymore. 

Cheers,

FR

Sanding in the round.

In the field of furniture making and repair there isn't any tricks but rather tip and techniques. Today I will share a tip with you that I learned from Master Will Neptune. Will Neptune if you don't know him is one of the best makers I have ever had the chance to see and work next to. This isn't me bragging of an opportunity (I was called out on this once so its a sore spot and always will be). This is me sharing a tip I lucky was able to learn while sharing a shop with a master. 

As yo many know I do a ton of refinishing. Sore tired hands are always looking for anything to speeds the process along. Sanding is bad enough but sanding in the round is even worst. Especially when it comes to not ripping the sand paper as you slide it side to side. Well that isn't the case anymore. Simply add some duct tape to back of a sheet of sandpaper and rip the desired width. Now you won't tear the paper, but you surely will wear that sand paper down. 

Happy sanding. I hope this tip will be helpful to you in the future. 

Cheers.