Argh! Rust!

I recently went into the shop after a few weeks of not being able to spend as much time in there as I would like, only to discover some rust on my combination square!

So, this video talks about what I think happened, how I fixed it, and what general steps I take to try and prevent rust on my tools.

What do you guys do to prevent rust in your shop? Leave a comment!

Links to the products I mention are below:

SlipIt
Jojoba Oil
Sandflex block (Fine)

Video Introduction & Shop Tour

After doing a couple of “alpha” test videos with the Narex chisel videos I did, I thought it would be cool to start adding video content more consistently to The Wood Lab blog. Here is the introduction to this video series, and then cap it off with a tour of my shop! Let me know what you think!

Safety Week 2011 – Safely Getting Into (Or Out Of) The Shop

It’s the first week of May, and therefore it’s Woodworkers’ Safety Week. Many folks have some great posts regarding safety while working in the shop. I’ll take a slightly different approach and talk about safely getting into and out of the shop.

My shop is in the basement, so it involves going down stairs to get there (as well as the laundry area also in the basement). My house is old, and the stairs were no exception. After years of weakening from use, some damage at the foot caused by the occasional wetness that can occur after a good rain or snow melt (and who knows how much water before a sump pump was installed some time in history), being very steep, and no handrail, the stairs needed to go. (I think you’ll agree after looking at the pics below – I’ll let you guess which are “before” and “after”.)

So that’s my safety tidbit – have a safe way of actually entering, or exiting the shop!

My First Lie-Nielsen and French Cleat Tool Storage System

I hope everyone had a great Holiday season and that the New Year is treating you well. I haven’t posted much since the Holiday season kept me pretty busy, but I actually did have some things I did in December and beginning of January that I think are worth posting.

I went to a Lie-Nielsen tool event in October of 2009 which I was really impressed with, so when they were coming back to the area (this time in Beverly, MA), I went… with a budget. While there, I picked up this sweet dovetail saw – my first Lie-Nielsen tool.

I also got some time in the shop to work on some organization. I have one section of wall in my basement that was an ideal place to put a French Cleat system, which makes it much more functional than looking at a stone foundation wall. I got this idea from The Wood Whisperer (Episode 106). Basically the idea is to have a cleat cut at the top at 45 degrees toward the wall, then you make custom hangers for your tools with a mating 45 degree hanger.

For my setup I put up some 2×4’s, then mounted pine panels to them. I then put up some basic trim the same thickness as the cleats (3/4″). Of course I had to make it “official” by putting up my “The Wood Lab” sign.

And what was my first hanger? One for my shiny new Lie-Nielsen dovetail saw of course! I’ve posted some pictures below.