George Vondriska, Author at WoodWorkers Guild of America

New Product: Yeti Smart Bench

February 28, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

Every once in a while, I come across a tool that makes my jaw drop. The Yeti SmartBench, $5,995, is a great example. It’s a portable CNC that’s capable of cutting 4’ x 8’ sheets. What looks like an aluminum sawhorse or scaffold is a fully operational, small footprint, portable CNC router. Broken down, the…

Product Review: Slab Stitcher

February 28, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

Cutting bowties into slabs, cookies, tabletops… is quite the rage. Slab Stitcher has created a complete package for this process that includes the required templates, guide bushing, router bit, AND the bowties. Complete starter kits as shown here range in price from $80 to $115. A handful of companies make templates. What’s unique about Slab…

Cool Products from AWFS

February 10, 2020 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice.

I love going to tool shows. I attended AWFS 2019 in Las Vegas, and here are some of the great products I spotted while I was there. Hollowing Chisels and Wire Burning Kit Easy Wood Tools is ready to help you turn smarter, not harder. They’re Mini Hollower Set, $286, is designed for smaller-scale hollow…

Ebonizing Wood

September 19, 2018 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building.

The next time you’re working on a project that calls for a dark, opaque accent that looks like ebony, try ebonizing wood for the right look. It’s a fairly simple process, but works better on some woods than others. Ebonizing wood is not the same thing as simply coloring wood with ebony stain. When you…

Father’s Day Gift Ideas

May 15, 2018 By George Vondriska & filed under Blog, Buying Advice, Product Review, Skill Building.

Looking for the perfect gift for the woodworker in your life? With Father’s Day right around the corner, this is timely. But whatever the event, your favorite woodworker is certain to love these gift ideas.

Gluing Up Panels

February 25, 2018 By George Vondriska & filed under Gluing and Clamping, Skill Building.

Gluing up panels is a must-have skill in woodworking. From table tops to raised panels there are plenty of times you’ll need to glue boards edge to edge. When you do you want the panel flat, with rock solid glue joints. Here’s the recipe for making that happen in your shop. Rough cut to length. …

Trivets on a CNC

November 15, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Plans and Projects, Woodworking Plans, Woodworking Projects.

I recently built a table for my daughter. The phone call telling me she had ruined the finish by putting something hot directly on the table wasn’t good. That got me thinking about trivets. This is a great CNC project; an example of accurately cutting from two faces. This article includes step by step VCarve…

French Cleat Storage System: It’s the Bomb!

November 13, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Uncategorized.

Looking for a great way to add versatile storage to your shop? Try using a french cleat storage system. They’re easy to make, you can change your mind as much as you want after they’re installed, and you can easily take stuff from storage to bench and back to storage. The wall behind my drill…

Router Woodworking Basics: How to Use a Router

August 26, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Portable Power Tools, Router, Skill Building.

Want to use a router, but don’t know where to start? Learn how to use a router with these router woodworking techniques and tips. Boy, I use routers a lot. They can do so much. From adding a profile to an edge to cutting dovetail joints, a router is an incredibly versatile machine. But if…

7 Must-Have Router Bit Types

June 29, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building.

Select from these router bit types for your next project. A router is one of the most versatile tools you can have in your shop, and there are MANY different router bits available. Here’s a guide to the seven bits I find most useful, and what I typically use them for. 1/8″ Round Over Bit.…