I See the Light!

There is a verse in the Book of Ecclesiastes that states, “…the grinders cease because they are few, and those looking through the windows grow dim.” It is referring to the inevitable changes we experience as we grow older, our teeth and eyes failing. While my choppers are just fine, thank you, I am definitely adding light fixtures to my working area. Clearly, I would have benefitted from this even in my youth, but now it is a necessity.

Recently, I added a few 10,000 lumen LED lights to my shop. I don’t really know what a “lumen” is, but it has got to be powerful, because I felt like I could get a suntan in the shop when I switched the lights on. It is so much easier to see pencil lines, sanding marks and other details that I can recommend them without hesitation.

Getting older has its benefits and its challenges, but I am glad that there is technology to solve some of the problems.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Get the Most From Your Thickness Planer

Benchtop planers are an extremely useful tool for any workshop. They perform one of the most important tasks in woodworking — smoothing lumber and machining stock to a specific thickness.

Making an Epoxy Resin Pond Table

Anyone who has looked at woodworking videos on YouTube in the last score of years has likely not been able to avoid the hundreds of examples of “river” tables — two interesting pieces of lumber joined in the middle by a river of epoxy resin to make a tabletop. While this lumber was not great for a river table, its unique configuration did lend itself perfectly to becoming a “pond” table.

Resins come in different formulas. I wanted a version that would allow me to pour thick layers, so I used MAS Deep Pour Epoxy, consisting of three parts resin to one part catalyst. Two aspects of this product are its relatively thin consistency and its long cure time. Those combine to make a deeper pour more successful by allowing air bubbles the time and ability to escape.

I’ve been very interested in trying a unique looking set of metal legs called a Straw Bundle “Light” Table Base. Made of steel tubes cut and welded at dramatic angles, they struck my fancy.

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