Article by Teresinha Roberts

Brazilwood, logwood and fustic are famous traditional natural dyes that produce bright colours on wool, cotton and silk; brazilwood yields rich reds, logwood purples and fustic strong yellows. These three dyes are made from the heartwood of medium to large trees originally found in tropical forests. With proper care, all three dyes have a good light-fastness. Eventually they mellow to paler but still pretty colours.

By late 1500′s large quantities of brazilwood, logwood and fustic were imported into Europe from Latin America. These three new dyes cost much less than those previously available therefore allowing more people to have colourful clothes.

Brazilwood

Brazilwood is found both in Asia and Latin America and Brazil takes its name from the tree. The wood comes from several species of Caesalpinia trees and it gives lovely rich reds.

Even though I was born and brought up in Brazil, I never saw a brazilwood tree, never read about the fiery reds it produces and was never taught that the word brazil comes from the Spanish brasa which means glowing embers. It was only when I came to live in England and became interested in natural dyes that I learnt more about this tree. I was very surprised to learn that my country of birth was named after the wood found there, rather than the other way round.

Brazilwood, however, was well-known for centuries, long before Brazil was discovered by Europeans; it was first mentioned as a dye in 1321, sourced from East Indies and India.

Most of brazilwood sold as a dye now comes from Asian trees. The species from Brazil, Caesalpinia echinata, is also known as pernambuco and is sometimes referred to as the music tree because its wood is used for making violin bows.

Logwood

Logwood dye is made from the heartwood of Haematoxylon campecianum, a forest tree from Central America. Haematoxylon literally means blood wood and it refers to the colour of the heartwood, while campecianum refers to the city of Campeche in the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico where this tree was abundant. Logwood was floated down rivers as large logs, hence its name.

Logwood chips produce purples, greys and blacks, the colours depending on the mordants used and the acidity of the dye bath. The dye haematoxylin produced from logwood is still used as histological stain for microscopic slides.

Old Fustic

Old Fustic, or Dyer’s Mulberry, is made from the heartwood of Maclura tinctoria, a medium to large tree of the mulberry family originally found in the forests of Brazil and the West Indies. It is a beautiful wood for wood turning and is then known as amarillo, which means yellow in Spanish.

Fustic yields a range of colours from strong dark yellows to an attractive peach colour on silk, cotton and wool and it has good light-fastness. It was used extensively from about 1600 to 1850, as it produces a strong colour at low cost. During the WW1, fustic was one of the dyes used to produce khaki for army uniforms.

Dyeing with Brazilwood, Logwood and Fustic

These three dyes are normally sold as wood chips but are also available as natural dye extracts. I prefer to use brazilwood and logwood as wood chips, as I seem to get a better colour this way. However, I find the fustic extract better than the wood chips.

To obtain strong colours, put 50g of wood chips in a saucepan, cover with boiling water and then leave them overnight. The following day, boil the chips in the water for about an hour. You must remove the wood chips before adding the fibre as they have small barbs that attach themselves to the fibre and would have to be carefully picked off one by one. The best way to remove the chips is to leave the dye bath to cool down for an hour or two and then pour the contents of the saucepan through a sieve, saving the liquid. You can also save the chips by spreading them out to dry, as they can be re-used several times. Add 100g of wool mordanted with alum to the dye bath and simmer for 30 minutes. Take the wool out and add another 50g of wool for paler colours. You might still get some colour on a further 50g of wool.

A pinch of iron mordant changes the final colour; brazilwood becomes darker and purpler, logwood goes greyer and fustic greener. A strong dye bath of logwood and fustic together with a pinch of iron will produce a black with great depth of colour, whilst brazilwood and fustic produce a fantastic orange.

Advantages of Wood Dyes

Brazilwood, logwood and fustic are great dyes for beginners, as they are both easy to use and very economical. If you want vibrant tropical colours that conjure the spirit of Brazil and the Caribbean, then tropical wood dyes are the ones to use.

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Article by Ron Hazelton

Copyright (c) 2010 Ron Hazelton

This projects lets cooks make a durable wooden cutting board with a custom feature. The curved notch at one end is a stylish and useful detail, letting you scrape food from the board directly into the bowl.

Step 1: Decide on the design, dimensions and materials you’ll be using for your cutting board. Assemble the required tools and materials. Since you’ll be using several power tools, be sure to wear safety glasses. Also, have a facemask for when you sand the cutting board.

Step 2: Assemble the butcher block. Cut three 17-inch lengths of 2-inch thick clear maple on the miter saws. NOTE: These are straight cuts, not miter cuts.

Alternate the wood grain by flipping the middle board over so that its grain runs counter to the outer two boards. Apply wood glue to the edges of the board where they will join. Clamp them together while the glue dries.

Step 3: Smooth the butcher block. Use a belt sander to flatten the cutting board surface so there is no noticeable ridge/transition from board to board. To do this, first move the sander across the boards in a diagonal motion. Once the transition is smooth, sand with the grain along the length of the boards.

Switch to a random orbit sand and to progressively finer grades of sand paper until the surface of the cutting board has no discernable texture.

Trim one end of the board on a table saw. Place the board in a wooden cradle that holds the wood steady as you slide it into the blade. Cut only a thin strip off the end, to smooth the edges of the three boards you glued together. Establish which side of the board will be the top – typically the surface with the more attractive wood grain.

Step 4: Notch the cutting board. Flip the board so the bottom side faces upward and draw a semicircle at the unfinished end with a compass and pencil.

Pass the board through the band saw and cut along the semicircle tracing. Add a drum sander to your drill press and smooth away any saw marks along the curved vertical edge of the circle.

Install a rabbeting bit with ball bearing guides on your router. The bit will cut a recess into the bottom edge of the semicircle while leaving a collar of wood on the top surface. Turn the board bottom side up and route along the edge to form the recess. The recess will allow a bowl of a particular dimension to slide into the board without gaps and to catch the food.

Step 5: Add legs to the chopping block. Drill four legs sockets into the bottom of the cutting board, using a drill press. DO NOT drill through the board. Place a socket at each corner on the flat end of the board, about ½ inch off the long and the short sides. Align the two sockets about ½ inch from the long side of the board, but inset them about two inches from the short side to provide clearance for the semicircle and recess.

Coat the interior of the leg sockets with glue. Tap in short wooden dowels for the legs. Ensure that the dowels are identical in length and tap them into the same depth so the board will stand levelly. Step 6: Finish the surface. Add a mineral oil coating to protect the board from food and liquids. Sand the mineral oil into the board using No. 400 wet and dry sandpaper.

And there you have it, a cutting board that’s durable, stylish and makes cooking and food preperation a little bit easier.

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Article by Dave Murphy

Chairs should be made of a hard wood that can support a lot of weight and withstand many years of use. Oak, pine and cherry are popular options. You will need a one inch thick piece for building the seat. Cut the seat to your desired dimension. Most kitchen chairs have a seat that measures 18×24 inches.

For the legs, you can use pre-cut spindles, or build your own. Use a 2×2 inch board and cut your front two legs exactly the same length, about 18 inches long is standard. Cut the back two legs 4 feet long. These two legs will also double as supports for the back of the chair. You can turn the legs on a lathe to round them out and create decorative variations in the wood before you start to assemble. Alternatively, you can purchase a thick hardwood dowel and use it for the legs of the chair if you wish.

Take the seat and attach the front two legs. You can chisel out a slot for each leg on the underside of the seat if you wish. Create a dowel joint to securely hold the legs in place while avoiding the need for screws and nails on the seat surface.

Now you will need to chisel out a slot for the seat on the back legs. Use a hammer and chisel or a router if you have one. Make a slot that goes about one-half inch deep into the legs and that starts at the exact length of the front two legs. Measure and visually test the height of your channel on a flat surface using a level before you cut. Test the seat to make sure it fits securely into the slot. When you assemble the seat and back legs, you may want to create another dowel joint and use wood glue to securely hold the seat in place. A nail gun is also great for nailing the seat to the back legs from behind.

The next step is to brace the legs. Run a 1×4 inch board around the outside or inside of the legs on the underside of the chair seat. Measure, cut, and attach each board connecting all legs together. It’s also a good idea to place a diagonal brace piece from each support board to another, creating an octagon appearance. Metal braces are also sturdy, inexpensive options. Glue everything into place after attaching each piece with screws or a nail gun. Allow the wood glue to set before going any further.

Now you’re ready to attach a brace across the top of the chair, connecting the two back legs. Work with this piece of wood for a while and test your hand at some planning skills. Plane out about one-half inch of the wood to create a comfortable place for your back to rest. You may want to do the same to several boards for a ladder back chair. If you want to use spindles for the back, simply order a quality wood dowel that matches the rest of your wood. Drill holes in the top board and chair seat, use wood glue, and assemble the chair back.

After everything is dry, your chair should be ready for years of quality use.

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Article by Cameron Clay

You’ve read the title, and now you might be thinking to yourself: “Join two pieces of wood? Big deal!” Well, think again. You’d be surprised by how often you may need to join two pieces of wood quickly and effectively.

Too many times, people just like you try to rejoin two wood pieces only to have them fall apart days, hours, or minutes later. Maybe you have a broken shelf that needs constant repairing, a desk drawer that won’t stay attached to the rest of your desk, or a TV stand that needs assembly. Wood glue won’t always finish the job or solve the problem, what you need is something the human race has used for centuries. You need wood dowels. Combining wooden dowels with dowel joints is a sure fire way to simply and cheaply fasten two pieces of wood.

Wooden dowels, frequently used in woodworking, are typically used to reinforce joints and support various components. Most importantly for this how-to, if you’re wondering how to join two objects together, wooden dowels do just that with a wooden dowel joint (which is filled with a wooden dowel pin, effectively aligning the holes.

Other uses for wood dowels may be as supports for hanging objects such as tools and picture frames.

How to Join Two Objects with a Wooden Dowel:

1. Buy wooden dowels2. Drill dowel joints into one of the pieces you want to join with a drill bit that is the same diameter as your wooden dowel. Drill slightly deeper than the length of your dowel, this makes room for wood glue. Tape or any other kind of indicator on your drill bit will help you know when to stop drilling.3. Indicate on your second piece of wood where you need to drill for the next dowel hole.4. Cut the holes into your second piece of wood, following the same directions in step 2.5. Insert your wooden dowels, ensure that all the holes line up, and that your wooden dowel pin joint is flush before you add glue to the joint. 6. Remove dowels, add wood glue, connect wood dowel with wood dowel joint, allow to dry.

There you have it. In 6 easy steps you took advantage of technology that has been relied on for centuries to join two pieces of wood. From wooden ships built to navigate the glove to your tv stand.

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How to quiet squeaky carpeted floors
Put a dab of wood glue on the nail to increase its holding power. If the board is wider than 2 inches, put a nail about 1/2 inch from each edge. Use a nail set to drive the nail head just below the surface of the floor. Repeat this process on the …
Read more on San Francisco Chronicle

EDGEBANDER WITH QUICK-MELT GLUE POT
Riebling Machinery introduces the Hebrock AKV 3003KD edgebander, which features a quick-melt glue pot for banding veneers, plastic, PVC, coiled material and solid wood. It is available with the following workstations: pre-milling unit, …
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How West Michigan man went from corporate world to making high-end wood canoes …
“They take more skill to build than a stitch and glue boat, but I like the idea of using real wood. Most of my boats are built from Michigan wood.” Deming adds touches of color and decorative patterns with other woods, sometimes reclaimed.
Read more on Michigan Business Review – MLive.com

Article by Freehandyman

Hiding blemishes on your project surface is something that often comes with the package when making things out of wood. Wood, as you may know, is often imperfect. But even if it is pretty close to flawless, you may still need to counter-sink a screw, or something similar. One thing I’ve learned is that a nice clean counter-sunk hole looks better than a screw head. You’ve probably come across situations that required you to fasten your project together with screws even though you didn’t want to leave anything visible on the surface.

So what do you do when you absolutely HAVE to use screws but you can’t stand the sight of screw heads on your finished product? (Personally, I abhor screw heads!) My solution is to counter-sink and then fill the holes with wood putty. This looks far better in my opinion. The only down-side is that taking it apart is a pain as you would need to dig out the putty before you can access the screw. But this isn’t really an issue in my book as I more often than not use wood glue between joints anyway, and so don’t plan on ever taking my project apart.

So here’s how you do it:

Get your wood glue – the squirt-bottle with the white creamy stuff in it – and squirt an appropriate amount on a mixing palette of some kind. This can be anything from a 20cmX20cm piece of plywood to a scrap of cardboard. Now take some saw-dust – preferably the saw-dust you just made so the color will be somewhat similar – and start mixing it into your glue. You should come up with a “dough-like” consistency. Remember to mix the 2 together well, making sure all the saw-dust is properly “dissolved” into the glue.

You’ll want to pack as much of the paste into the hole as possible to ensure a quality, long-lasting seal. Mounding the putty up over the hole is a good idea as you can then sand the putty perfectly flat with a disk sander after it dries. Trying to smear the putty flat while wet – and make it look good at the same time – is a futile endeavor – not to mention it will “concave” after drying. So it’s best to just mound it and take it down afterward. Remember that wood glue dries to a transparent finish but the saw-dust remains visible, so you’ll want to as much as possible keep the putty INSIDE the hole and not get it all over the surrounding areas.

Let the putty dry for at least 24 hours. Once dry, you can take your disk sander and sand it down till it’s smooth. It should be smooth enough to where you can run your fingers over it and not feel any unevenness. Of course, you will still be able to see where the hole was filled, but by staining, varnishing, or painting the surface, this should be minimized greatly. In the end, if you did the job right, it should look as if it was “meant to be there”.

You should also know that if you plan to stain or varnish the project after your putty job, you should take special care to sand down ALL traces of the putty to the outside of the hole. Any lingering films of glue will prevent proper penetration of the wood by the stain or varnish, and will consequently leave an ugly discoloration. One last tip to get you the best results: Make sure your counter-sunk screw holes are as aligned as possible and not just randomly placed. This will help everything to look uniform.

East kids learning a quality craft
The sound of sandpaper on wood and smell of glue immediately tells visitors in Al Terrell's class that students are working on a project. For the last six weeks or so, kids in Al Terrell's introductory to construction crafts class at East McDowell …
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Safety Factor with Commercial Mixer and Conveyor Equipment
… you should know about different kinds of preventive measures most needed for machines like drum floor sander, orbital floor sander, commercial mixer, conveyor equipment , floor polisher , nail gun, hot glue gun, drum sander, wood turning lathe, …
Read more on Connectus.net (press release)