Decorative Moldings Galore

Looking for something to jazz up your next project? Well, you’re in luck. 1200 new decorative molding options just poured into the rockler.com Wood Products department, adding to our already healthy supply of architectural moldings. You’ll now find just about anything you could ever want in lineal moldings, swags, rosettes, corbels, fretwork and everything else ornamental.

The new offerings are made by Bendix Architectural Products, a company that’s been carving and shaping away at some of the finest quality architectural ornament since 1923. You’ll find everything from down-home rope molding to extravagantly carved acanthus corbels in a variety of wood species and sizes, all ready to attach to your projects and finish.

Together with our selection of furniture legs, custom cabinet doors, inlays and edge bandings, and other wood products, they make up a furniture building resource that really has you covered. It’s a great opportunity to let your imagination run wild. How about a nice cherry entertainment center with arch-top raised panel doors, laurel swags in basswood, pierced ivy-pattern fretwork, a couple 3’’ hummingbird inlays, and bun feet? Or possibly a maple highboy with cherry half-rope molding, claw-and-ball foot cabriole legs, and a liberal application of variously-sized grape onlays in red oak? The possibilities are practically endless...

Uncommon Drilling Tool Deals

If you’re like most woodworkers, you don’t get overly excited about drilling accessories. More than likely, you have a set or two of the most useful types of drill bit, and unless a project calls for something more exotic, call it good right there. True, ninety percent of the drilling operations in woodworking can be best accomplished with one or two types of bit. And even though a few of the more specialized bits on the market could prove invaluable down the road, a little added incentive may be required before you feel justified in picking up drilling tools that you don’t need this very minute. Well, an irresistible opportunity to flesh-out your drill bit collection may be at hand. Right now in Rockler Outlet Store, you’ll find a few very good reasons to treat yourself to some truly useful drilling equipment from a ways off the beaten path.

t’s not every day that the average woodworker reaches for a hole saw, but when the need comes up, it’s almost always because nothing else will do. A hole saw is, without a doubt, the most efficient way to cut a large diameter hole in a piece of wood, and virtually the only way to do the same in other, more obdurate materials. The Irwin 17 Hole Saw Kit comes complete everything you’re ever likely to need, including pilot bits, 12 hole saw sizes, two ½’’ arbors, and a free 3/8’’ arbor. With cutters made from highest quality bi-metal, you’ll be ready to punch holes up to 3” across in just about anything, including the odd piece of cast iron or stainless steel. Right now, you’ll find this professional-class kit in the Rockler Outlet for a very attractive 30 percent off the regular price, at $79.99.

While you’re there, you’ll also find an exceptional deal on a set of brad point bits with an interesting and useful design twist: Deep See Brad Point Bits make judging hole depth easy with a series of 1/2’’ bands etched into their a surface at 1/2” intervals. In all but the most exacting work, they eliminate the added hassle of positioning a depth collar, or of trying to get by with a piece of masking tape to mark off the correct drilling depth. Deep See bits are ground from high carbon steel for a long, useful life, and at a mere $10 for a set of 8 (more than half off their regular price) they make for an especially affordable “luxury” addition to your drilling kit.

How about a drill bit that turns corners? We’re sure you’ll find lots of uses for 3D Multi-directional Cutting Edge Bits, but their main appeal may be that they’re just plain cool. Sharpened on all edges, 3D bits will drill in any direction. They’ll drill holes in any conceivable shape, cut channels along a material’s surface, make odd shaped recesses, and perform any other-than-straight boring operation that the situation calls for. The set of four is currently marked down almost 60 percent to just under $30, a deal that’s as uncommon as the bits themselves.

And that’s just a glimpse of the deals in one tiny corner of the Rockler Outlet. If you’re the type who likes to get your tools and supplies at the best possible price, instead of waiting for your projects to tell you when it’s time to buy, check it frequently – new opportunities appear all the time.

History of construction

Man has constructed buildings and other structures since prehistory. The technology and economy of construction work has changed throughout history.

• Ancient construction

As cities formed, professional crafts like masonry, metalworking and woodworking emerged. Simple machines like levers and pulleys came into use, as well as nails. Arches, vaults and domes were used to create spans. In ancient Rome, concrete was invented. Occasionally, slaves were used as workforce, but not as often as depicted in popular culture (for instance, the Egyptian pyramids were built by free men). Some construction works were done as corvée.

• Medieval construction

In the Middle Ages of Europe, cathedrals were the greatest construction projects. Craftsmen became organized in guilds. The pile driver was invented around 1500.

• Industrial construction

The industrial revolution was manifested in new kinds of transportation installations, such as railways, canals and macadam roads. These required large amounts of investment. New construction devices included steam engines, machine tools, explosives and optical surveying.

As steel was mass-produced from the mid-19th century, it was used, in form of I-beams and reinforced concrete. Glass panes also went into mass production, and changed from luxury to every man's property.

With the second industrial revolution in the early 20th century, elevators and cranes made high rise buildings and skyscrapers possible, while engineering vehicles and power tools decreased the workforce needed. Other new technologies were prefabrication and computer-aided design.

Trade unions were formed to protect construction workers' interest. Personal protective equipment such as hard hats and earmuffs also came into use.

From the 20th century, governmental construction projects were used as a part of macroeconomic stimulation policies, especially during the Great depression (see New Deal).

In the end of the 20th century, ecology, energy conservation and sustainable development have become more important issues of construction.

from : WIKIPEDIA

Tool sharpening

The cutting and some of the shaping woodworking tools rely upon sharp cutting edges to produce a satisfactory finish. Keeping these tools sharp is an important aspect of woodworking. There are a large number of machine powered and hand powered sharpening methods in use by woodworkers, the selection of which is in part determined by the tool being sharpened and part personal preference. Some tools, such as chisels and plane blades, are commonly sharpened by the owner, others, such as saw blades and machinery knives, are more often sent to a sharpening specialist.

History

Along with stone, mud, and animal parts, wood was certainly one of the first materials worked by primitive human beings. Microwear analysis of the Mousterian stone tools used by the Neanderthals show that many were used to work wood. Indeed, the development of civilization was closely tied to the development of increasingly greater degrees of skill in working these materials.

Among early finds of wooden tools are the worked sticks from Kalambo Falls, Clacton-on-Sea and Lehringen. The spears from Schöningen (Germany) provide some of the first examples of wooden hunting gear. Flint tools were used for carving. Since Neolithic times, carved wooden vessels are known, for example from the Linear Pottery culture wells at Kückhofen and Eythra. Examples of Bronze Age wood-carving include trees worked into coffins from northern Germany and Denmark, and wooden folding-chairs. The site of Fellbach-Schmieden in Germany has provided fine examples of wooden animal statues from the Iron Age. Wooden idols from the La Tène period are known from a sanctuary at the source of the Seine in France.

Two ancient civilizations that used woodworking were the Egyptians and the Chinese. Woodworking is depicted in many ancient Egyptian drawings, and a considerable amount of ancient Egyptian furniture (such as stools, chairs, tables, beds, chests) has been preserved in tombs. As well, the inner coffins found in the tombs were also made of wood. The metal used by the Egyptians for woodworking tools was originally copper and eventually, after 2000 BC bronze as ironworking was unknown until much later.^[1] Commonly used woodworking tools included axes, adzes, chisels, pull saws, and bow drills. Mortise and tenon joints are attested from the earliest Presynastic period. These joints were strengthened using pegs, dowels and leather or cord lashings. Animal glue came to be used only in the New Kingdom period.^[2] Ancient Egyptians invented the art of veneering and used varnishes whose composition is not known as finishes. Although different native acacias were used, as was the wood from the local sycomore and tamarisk trees, deforestation in the Nile valley resulted in the need for importation of wood, notably cedar, but also Aleppo pine, boxwood and oak, starting from the Second Dynasty.^[3]

The progenitors of Chinese woodworking are considered to be Lu Ban (魯班) and his wife Lady Yun, from the Spring and Autumn Period. Lu Ban is said to have brought the plane, chalkline, and other tools to China. His teachings are supposedly left behind in the book Lu Ban Jing (魯班經, "Manuscript of Lu Ban"), although it was written some 1500 years after his death. This book is filled largely with descriptions of dimensions for use in building various items—such as flower pots, tables, altars, etc.—and also contains extensive instructions concerning Feng Shui, the ancient Chinese practice of geomancy. It mentions almost nothing of the intricate glueless and nailless joinery for which Chinese furniture was so famous.