Congrats To Tommy MacDonald

With Norm's New Yankee Workshop no longer in production, it felt as if there was a void on PBS and everyone has been wondering who would step up to the airwaves or if anybody would.

Well, the word is out - Tommy MacDonald has publicly announced his contract to produce a new woodworking TV series with PBS. 

Tommy brings a great passion combined with his skill and knowledge for teaching woodworking to the viewing audience. This is already evident in the series of videos that he has produced himself and they can be seen at his Major League Woodworking site. You will find them under the button labeled the "207 Show."

Tommy also has a vibrant online community where one of the big topics they discuss is design. They cover everything on the topic of design from the history to specific elements that define a style and the people that influenced the design world. If you are interested in checking in on the community, stop by the 207 Forum.

Tommy has a guest moderator staffing the design forum and it is none other than Neil Lamens. Neil brings an incredible amount of knowledge in the history of design and furniture manufacturing to the woodworking community. His talent and knowledge is a great compliment to that of Tommy's. 

Neil is no stranger to woodworking videos as he has produced several himself. You can check out Furnitology Productions to see Neil's videos and gallery.

When you stop by Tommy's site you will immediately notice all the work that has gone into the design and attention to detail. Tommy is sure to bring the same level of perfection to his show in sharing with the woodworking community.

Another mention has to be for Dave Pruett. He is a good friend to the woodworking community for all the videos that he has produced to share woodworking skills and doing personal interviews. Dave can be followed at his blog "The Folding Rule."  Dave was lucky enough to get video of Tommy's announcement for the new PBS show.

Tommy - we wish you great success with the new show and will be looking for you on the air!

That is all I have for now so I will leave you with the video of Tommy's announcement.

Your friend in the shop - Todd A. Clippinger.

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Stacking Clamps

Stacking clamps on base.When I was working in Ohio a few years ago, I had ready access to the WoodCraft store in Columbus.

While shopping there I came across some stacking clamps called the "New Stacking Clamp" by R&R Clamp, Inc. They were displayed as cabinet door clamps. I have used them for gluing up cabinet doors and just about every other project that will fit in them. 

Tightening with a 3/4" socket and a drill driver or ratchet.

They have a 24" capacity and they are placed onto a set of rails that have to be installed on a base.They are tightened with a 3/4" socket and the kit includes a driver that installs in your drill for power driving, but I recommend final tightening with a ratchet.

Stacking clamps protected with visqueen. 

To protect the clamps I like using a heavy visqueen plastic. I have been using the same pieces of plastic for years because it is durable and the glue pops right off when dry. All I have to do is snap the plastic a few times like a towel and the wood glue pops right off.

This is much more effective than using rolls of wax paper which could not be used over and over for years like the plastic.

Multiple panels in glue up.

The Stacker Clamps are great because I can have more than one item in glue up at a time, but it all fits within the same footprint. This saves valuable space in the small shop.

The panels being glued up don't even have to be the same size. You will need to place the largest item on the bottom and smaller glue ups on top. The bottom clamps will need to be located in a position considerate of the clamps to follow on top of it to accommodate the panels being glued up.

Protective sleeves on metal clamp faces.The metal clamp faces have a protective vinyl or plastic sleeve on them. But a word of warning here, as any pliable clamp face will do, they leave a dark stain on the edge where they make contact. I believe it is the petroleum products or oils in the plastic that transfer to the wood which cause this. 

The solution is simple, I use scrap strips of wood or mdf between the project and clamp face. Or, I glue the panel oversize and mill it down to the perfect width on the tablesaw and jointer to remove the stained edge. 

Here is a short video that shows the basics of the clamps in operation. It only shows using them one layer high but you will get the idea. Run time :57 seconds.

You may be wondering if it was necessary to use that many clamps. The simple answer is "No, I just got carried away."

I could not find the clamps on WoodCraft's site. But I called the store today in Columbus, OH and they still carry them. The corporate catalog and website does not always have everything listed that the stores carry. I was informed that the stores have some autonomy in what they can decide to carry and so it may vary by location and from the corporate listing online.

This is interesting to know so you might find them in the local WoodCraft Store if you are near one. 

I was able to locate them at the Grizzly site under H9487 Stacking Clamp Starter Kit. 5 panels in glue up.

As I recall, I purchased a couple of the starter kits and extra parts. I currently have a total of 22 clamps. I like the clamps and could soundly recommend them. They work well and frequently I have multiple panels in glue up at one time. The "New Stacking Clamps" definitely fall into my list of "tools that really work."

Your friend in the shop - Todd A. Clippinger

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Update on 2010-02-28 14:59 by Todd A. Clippinger

Stacking clamps stored under bench.One more benefit that I would like to highlight about the stacking clamps is the compact storage. I have 22 of these clamps and there is no other clamp I own that will store as compactly as these.

As you can see they stack tightly on top of one another. Their architecture allows for this compared to the clamps that have a big head and skinny bar.

Sometimes You Just Need To Stop

I am a very task oriented person and I work a lot because I have my own business. When the grandkids come to visit, this situation makes it feel like they are getting in the way of production.

But the solution to this personal problem of perception is not to shoo them out of the shop, the solution is to stop what I am working on and spend time with them. The kids will always seem to be in the way in the shop, unless I make them a part of the shop. 

Jaiven & Khoen working on a project.

A situation that starts out feeling like the kids are in the way, changes to a fulfillment that can't fully be explained. It is something that has to be experienced to be understood.

It occurs to me that so often the solution we seek is the one that we reject. My nature is to point the kids out the door, but I realize after they go, the opportunity has passed to spend time with them and the shop feels empty.

Project Partners 

I recently shared a an audio post for Matt Vanderlist at his Spoken Wood Podcast. One of the points that I was trying to share was that passing the torch is not that complicated, it just requires you to stop what you are doing and share your time.

Khoen working a glue up.

There does not need to be any structure to sharing time in the shop, especially with kids. Kids are a creative group on their own and so I take advantage of this. As it turns out, this is easy parenting (or grandparenting in my case) and it works well for the kids because they get to be kids and just express themselves.

Jaiven, Khoen, & Todd

I don't tell the kids what to make, I let them figure it out themselves. I use the "empty box effect" to my advantage. You know what that is, on Christmas day when you buy them all kinds of toys yet they are more captivated by the empty box. With kids in the shop all you have to do is provide a stack of wood blocks in various sizes. 

There is problem solving and creativity involved. Coordination to use the tools is developed and this is also where you teach them to use the tools. At the end of the project, they learn to be responsible and put things back where they belong. That is enough structure. 

Through this experience, better relationships are built and the torch is being passed to the new generation because they are having such a great time. And most importantly, I have adjusted my priorities to the proper position.

Your friend in the shop - Todd A. Clippinger

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