One day when Tony happened across a book about building wooden canoes, purchased it on impulse, then followed up with purchases of a table saw and some wood. He built his canoe and then, based upon his own hobby of stand-up paddle boarding (SUP) turned his attention to building wooden paddleboards.

That interest, in turn, led to his founding the company “Jarvis Boards,” an Austin, Texas-based company that makes some standard types of paddle- and surf-boards, as well as made-to-order custom boards. They’ve also put together board building plans, materials and kits for those who want to build their own.

To balance the factors of user experience, environmental impact and overall aesthetic, Jarvis Boards builds each of their boards from recycled foam cores and woods such as maple and cherry.

You can find out more about the company and their paddle- and surfboards at jarvisboards.com.

The post Jarvis Boards: Wood for the Water appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The cutterhead on the helical model is equipped with 48, four-sided, carbide-tipped blade inserts for a superior finish and quiet cut. The straight-knife planer’s cutterhead has three high-speed steel blades for clean, efficient cutting.

These rugged machines have precision-ground, cast-iron tables, four-post design and closed steel bases to provide maximum control and support during planing. The Helical Head planer is equipped with cast-iron infeed/outfeed tables. The Straight Knife Planer has steel infeed/outfeed tables that fold up to help save shop space when the tool is not in use.

A 3hp, single-phase, 230-volt motor with V-belt transmission drives each machine to reduce vibration and running noise. They are controlled by an easy-to-access magnetic switch, which has a green safety light that illuminates when the planer is powered.

Both planers operate at a cutterhead speed of 5,200 RPM. A two-speed gear box provides dual material feed rates of 16 feet per minute (fpm) for a smooth finish when cutting harder woods and 20 fpm for faster dimensioning. You can shift between feed rates on the fly using a push-pull knob.

A large, top-positioned hand wheel with positive gear drive allows for quick and accurate table adjustments. One revolution of the hand wheel adjusts the cutting height by 1/16 in. Offering a 1/8-in. maximum cutting depth, the planers will surface workpieces up to 6 in. thick and 15 in. wide.

Each machine has a 4-in.-dia. dust port, located at the top/back, which is angled to direct the dust hose out of the way for easy connection to a shop’s dust collection system. JET recommends using a dust collector that’s rated for at least 400 cubic feet per minute of air draw or more.

The new JWP-15BHH 15-in. Helical Head Planer sells for $2,599.99. JET’s JWP-15B 15-in. Straight Knife Planer is priced at $1,699.99. They are covered by a 5-year warranty as well as JET’s RED Assurance, the industry’s most dependable service and support guarantee program.

To see the planers in action, click here.

The post JET^® 15-in. Planers appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Tim Inman: If you think having the shower in another room will save your vanity top from living in a high humidity environment, well… Think again. Every time that surface is used, it will be wetted. Every time that surface is cleaned, it will be wetted and soaped up with some new super-duper cleaner. A vanity top is a harsh environment for wood and for finishes. A polyurethane meant for wet duty, like a marine spar poly, would be my first choice. Actually, make that my second choice. My first choice would be soapstone, or marble, or ceramic, or porcelain, or… You get the point. Something that is nonabsorbent would be best. I’d put the wood on the wall or someplace where it will live a better life and where you will enjoy having it every day. Putting wood on a vanity top will have seemed like a great idea and give you pleasure for about the first six weeks. Then, it will be a disappointment and a continuing maintenance nightmare. These are my thoughts, of course, but I speak from a lifetime career as a furniture finisher, restorer/conservator and finish problem consultant. Remember, oak — especially white oak — is full of tannin and will just jump at the chance to turn dark purple/blue when allowed to be wet.

Chris Marshall: We woodworkers love, love, love our wood. But no matter how much I love it, I don’t think it belongs in every application. Here, I’m reminded of that old phrase, “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.” I think it applies when it comes to wood with a finish on it that will be routinely exposed to water and cleaning chemicals. You’ve probably seen those gorgeous bathtubs or sink bowls on the Internet that are made entirely from some dark, exotic, lovely wood. They sure do look sculpturally amazing to the woodworker in me, but how long will the finish on that tub really last? How long will that sink bowl stay watertight? No matter how much we fall in love with the idea that wood is the ideal medium for all things, there are some immutable truths that cannot be denied about it. Wood moves. Wood absorbs moisture. Wood joints can leak. Finishes fail. We can make these sorts of plumbing fixtures from wood — but in terms of durability and overall good sense about the material at hand, should we?

I have no doubt that a white oak vanity top will last a long time, but that doesn’t mean the finish on it will hold up. No matter what topcoat you choose, water is absolutely going to find its way into the nooks and crannies of tongue-and-groove joints laid horizontally. Then, once the wood gets damp and probably stays damp, moisture will compromise the adhesion of the finish on top. It will fail, and the evidence will be obvious. I’m not sure there’s a “perfect” finish out there that won’t require routine maintenance. So, my advice? Save the white oak for use as wainscot. Or have your brother consider building the vanity’s base from it instead of the top. Then I’d go for a more waterproof, maintenance-free material for the countertop. There are lots of beautiful options these days that would make a white oak base look absolutely fantastic. And the whole project will last. In the end, isn’t that the most important thing?

The post Best Finish for Oak Vanity Top? appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post VIDEO: Routing a Rule Joint to Make a Drop-Leaf Table appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.