Posted by David J. Marks July 31, 2014
I believe that design is the ultimate frontier in woodworking. Â We live in a time that finds many people with the resources to set up a shop at home. It is amazing to see how many people are able to outfit their shops with a lot of the tools they need …
I often get inquiries from fellow woodworkers about finishing products, particularly about the best way to extend the shelf life of various products:
Hello David,
 Speaking of finishes, I was never a fan of poly but I tried the wipe on poly you recommended by General Finish.  The sealer is very good and lasts a long time in the can, …
Question from a Client
David,
I bought this very old Chinese tray with half the lacquer worn off. I want to preserve what is left and use it to work on.
Can I paint or spray some kind of clear finish on it? You are our guru for surfaces on wood. All I know is textiles.
Thanks for your help.…
Olive wood from California orchards is prone towards developing cracks and checks very easily. It is a beautiful wood and it is stable once it has dried.
Here is what has worked for me in dealing with olive wood for turning. I recommend that you have some Green Wood Sealer on hand.
I brush green wood …
Last weekend I demonstrated at the Desert Woodturning Roundup in Mesa, Arizona. I had 6 rotations, 2 on combining metal with wood, 2 on gilding turned vessels and 2 on creating patinas on vessels.
There was a great line up of Demonstrators :
J. Paul Fennel who lives in Scottsdale and does some amazing pierced and carved hollow vessels.
Richard …
I had a student in mid November 2012 that traveled from North Carolina to take a 5 day private class with me. One of the things she was interested in learning was my method of cutting dovetails using the bandsaw and getting that “hand cut†look.
She had been taught by a Master Craftsman from the UK to use a …
Woodworking is about passion and guitar making is a form of that passion. Woodworking is challenging enough but building a guitar requires making something out of wood that not only looks good but also sounds good.
Kevin Russell is a musician and show promoter who lives in Seabastopol Calif. Kevin is so passionate about guitars that he decided to stage …
Phil Crane from the Sacramento area took a class with me early November 2012 on how to make a bentwood laminated lamp from mahogany similar to the one I made on Woodworks episode #512.
Bending wood opens up a world of design possibilities that enable one to create things that have flowing curved lines as opposed to the predictable flat …
The good folks at Popular Woodworking magazine invited me to do some demonstrations at the Woodworking in America show in Pasadena last October.
One of my demos was on double bevel marquetry so I decided to make a small sample of something to show the people in my class.
I decided to try and make a “bug”.
Yellow heart made …