Shenandoah Awls

Previously I've written about the business I operate with Jeff Fleisher, called Shenandoah Tool Works, and the woodworker's mallets we introduced in 2013.  We since have added a new product, which we call the Shenandoah Awl.

Tiger Maple Awl

The Shenandoah Awl is a birdcage awl that incorporates a unique design for the handle, a large round bulb shape that allows the user to easily apply plenty of torque in use.  In addition, the steel shafts, made of oil-hardened (O1) steel, are shaped in a twist that gives them a decorative touch.  The shafts are hand-forged by a local blacksmith.  As with the Shenandoah Mallets, the handles are hand-turned from a variety of domestic and exotic hardwoods, the most popular of which are those made with crotch walnut and tiger maple.

Birdcage awls differ from scratch awls, which are intended to mark lines in wood.  Birdcage awls have a square shaft that, when twisted in the wood, is capable of drilling holes to start screws, install locks, or simply to mark the location to start a drill bit.

The awls have been selling very well and have received good reviews from other woodworkers, including Popular Woodworking magazine.  They are available at the Shenandoah Tool Works website and are priced at $54.99 USD.

Norm

Using Pinterest for Woodworking Research

I recently signed up for Pinterest.  I've got to admit it straight out; I'm not a big social media user.  Sure, I have a Facebook account and I read it sometimes but seldom post.  And I'm on LinkedIn as a passive presence.  I don't Tweet.  So frankly, I wasn't sure why I'd want to be on Pinterest.  All that said, I decided to give it a go.

My first idea was to post links to my business, Shenandoah Tool Works, and I created links to photos of the woodworking mallets and birdcage awls my partner Jeff Fleisher and I produce.  But then, upon looking around, I began to see photos of things I'd like to build for myself.  So I created boards in Pinterest for several projects--a cabinet to store hand tools, saw tills, a rolling lumber cart, table designs and decorative boxes.  After creating the boards, I searched each of these topics, scrolled through what I found and pinned the photos I liked best to my boards.

Already I've used the photos to design a rolling lumber rack that combines several features I saw in the Pinterest photos--racks for boards, storage for plywood, bins for offcuts, a panel saw and clamp storage.  I can already see that it will reduce the clutter in my shop and add functionality as well. 

If you haven't tried Pinterest yet, you may find it useful for designing projects.  The good thing is, it is not only easy to use but it's free!  If you like the project boards I've set up, you can always follow me.  My site is my name--Norm Reid.  If you decide to use Pinterest, let me know how it works out for you.

Norm

Update on 2014

Well, so far this year, things haven't turned out as I planned in my last posting.  Early this year I was diagnosed with cancer in a couple of places and in February I had an operation to remove it.  The operations was, by all accounts, successful, but it did take me out of the shop for the better part of four months.  As a result, I haven't gotten very much done on the goals I set out for the year.  Needless to say, when next January rolls around, much of what I planned will remain undone.

Still, I have done a few things.

• Jeff Fleisher and I introduced our new birdcage awls and began selling those via the web.  Sales have been very good.  We continue to sell our Shenandoah Mallets as well.
• Jeff and I are signed up to have a vendor booth at this year's Woodworking in America, which will be held in Winston-Salem, NC, September 12-14.  We will be busy this summer producing enough stock to meet the expected demand for our awls and mallets.
• I built a bird's mouth fixture to use with my turning saw.  I purchased that from Tools for Working Wood at last year's Woodworking in America.  I can't say I've learned to use it effectively yet; that remains an objective for this year.
• I built a pair of shop bents to go with my sawbench.  For these I used salvaged Douglas fir from stairsteps that were replaced in our house.
• I resumed teaching at Woodcraft the other day with my Handplane Basics class.  That is a milestone for me on my road to recovery and I will now be able to teach the other classes I'm planning to conduct.
• I installed my new General router table.  I got the one with the cast iron table.  The router is also new, the 3 1/4 hp Porter Cable router, which should give me all the power I'll need.

I'll still work on the other projects I proposed for this year, though my emphasis will be on preparing to teach several new classes.  For those, I need to first build the projects we will be building in class so I am fully prepared to teach them effectively.  I do want to finish the bedside tables and the natural edge walnut coffee table, at a minumum.  And, I'd like to build a Greene and Greene style clock based on plans from a November 2010 Wood Magazine article.  Other projects may simply have to wait until next year!

Norm

My Goals for 2014

Well, it's that time of year when, Janus-like, we look back at what we've accomplished in the preceding year and ahead to what we hope to achieve in the coming one.  Here are my lists.

2013

This was a very busy year for me, woodworking-wise.  While I accomplished a lot, I also started a number of things that remain unfinished.

My friend Jeff Fleisher and I started a small business, Shenandoah Tool Works, and began production of premium woodworking mallets featuring highly-figured hardwood handles.  The mallets come with steel heads in 1 lb. and 1 1/2 lb. weights.  Business started off well and our mallets have been well-received.  We attended the Woodworking in America show in Cincinnati in October and did a good business there, getting valuable exposure in the process.

I continued working on a pair of white oak bedside tables.  I hesitated over several construction problems that I eventually solved and the cases are now glued-up and awaiting drawers. 

I upgraded my Nova 16-24 lathe to the Nova 3000 DVR model, which seems more powerful and is certainly easier to use with its adjustable speeds.

I sold off my Craftsman radial arm saw, now that I'm using handsaws to dimension my lumber.

I joined Shannon Rogers' Hand Tool School and began learning from Shannon many of the mysteries and skills associated with hand tool woodworking.

I started work on a joinery bench, following plans developed by Shannon Rogers in the Hand Tool School.

With a colleague at the Leesburg, VA, Woodcraft store, I designed a Hand Tool Woodshop class series  that he and I will be teaching on a monthly basis.  The idea is to teach hand tool skills while letting students build new and useful appliances and tools.  Examples are bench hooks, shooting boards, and saw benches, among others.

I was able to locate a natural edge walnut slab that I planed smooth, mostly by hand, for use as a coffee table top.  I also purchased another slab of highly colored maple and was able to get a slab of beautiful red box elder that I also plan to turn into a coffee table.

I undertook a lot of additional, smaller projects that are too numerous to recite or even to recall.

2014

I hope to focus my attention this year on a select number of high priority objectives:

• Complete and finish the bedside tables.
• Build a base for the walnut coffee table.
• Build several Jefferson lap desks  like the one on which the Declaration of Independence was written in 1776.  I have a wonderful mahogany board waiting for that purpose.  I'll follow the plans from Charles Neil's Mastering Woodworking on-line sessions for that.
• Recommence work on a Winchester Chippendale secretary that I started several years ago in a class with Jeff Headley and Steve Hamilton at Woodworking Workshops of the Shenandoah Valley.  The casework is completed but not glued-up, the drawers remain to be built and all the pigeon holes need to be created.  I'm sure I won't be able to complete the project this year, but I want to make significant progress on it.
• I want to learn how to cut dovetails by hand with precision and ease.
• I want to complete the joinery bench I started in 2013.
• I want to build a sharpening station.
• I've ordered a General International router table with a cast iron top and hope to have that installed in late January or February.
• I'd like to turn a number of items using the cherry, hickory, apple, box elder and other blocks I have stored away.

• I want to continue teaching hand tool techniques at the local Woodcraft stores, including the introduction to hand planes, restoring old hand planes, saw bench, shooting board and other classes.

• Jeff Fleisher and I will continue to produce our premium woodworking mallets.  And, we expect to begin offering a hand-forged birdcage awl sometime early this year as well.

I'm sure other things will come up during the year, principally projects from the Hand Tool School that I'll want to tackle, such as the Limbert Table from Semester Two.

Did I say a select number of high priority objectives?  Well, I guess I've put a lot on my plate for this year.  It remains to be seen how much of this I will actually be able to accomplish.  Check back next January!

Norm