Tool Notes | Cape Falcon Kayak

Tools: Shop Fox calipers

February 2023June 2023Leave a comment

I switched over to these $40 Shop Fox calipers a few years ago when my $120 Starret broke after just a couple months of use. (their fractional calipers aren’t rebuildable anymore). I’m pretty hard on calipers, but this first shop fox lasted over two years. We’ll see how the next one goes. Does anyone...

Video: Brian Schulz, woodworking machinery innovator

February 2023July 2023Leave a comment

What do you think, is it time to replace it or should I fix the base plate, make some new knobs and just keep truckin’? I’m inclined to get the metabo cordless that I demoed a few months ago, but this thing still has a lot of sentimental value. FYI when I actually use...

On riving knives and tablesaws

February 2023June 2023Leave a comment

Couple weeks ago someone asked me why I don’t have a riving knife on my saw. That’s a great question considering that I suffered an injury from a blade bind about 15 years ago that easily could have been fatal. I was using all of the proper cutting techniques when a piece of ash...

The best nitrile gloves I’ve found

January 2023June 2023Leave a comment

This seems like a weird thing to share but for all the builders in my feed I just wanna let you know about these nitrile gloves that I picked up at Napa. I’ve been under the mistaken impression that all nitrile gloves were the same for the last 20 years. Normally I use them...

Norton vs Shapton stones

November 2022June 2023Leave a comment

A couple years ago I switched from Norton to Shapton stones because everyone said they were better but I’ve been regretting it ever since. With the Norton Stones, the finer grits would dish out faster but even if you didn’t feel like flattening, you could always throw a quick edge on because if the...

Video: First cut with the Metabo 36 V cordless plunge router

August 2022September 2022Leave a comment

After 25 years with my ‘beat up to the point of being unsafe’ porter cable router I decided to use the re-film for all of my router jig videos as an excuse to buy this cordless Metabo. Only time will tell if this ends up being a decent tool but I bought it because...

Video: Copying the hole spacing on your router to transfer to our kayak building jigs

August 2022September 2022Leave a comment

I’m redoing my router setup videos for my kayak building course. We replace the factory base with one made of 1/2” plywood so we can build various router guides and jigs. Getting the hole spacing precise is important because otherwise you risk cross threading the mounting holes. Normally you can just trace the factory...

Video: If I can mortise gunwales this fast, do I really need a Domino?

February 2022September 2022Leave a comment

Every time I post a picture of using the plunge router to cut slot mortises at least a few people jump in to say this would be faster with a Festool Domino. I’m cutting a mortise every 7 seconds, or roughly 2 1/2 minutes to mortise a set of kayak gunwales. Is a Domino...

Video: Happy Thanksgiving

November 2021July 2023Leave a comment

Thanksgiving around these parts might just be another boat building day with turkey, but at least everyone’s getting fed. My 1942 direct drive Parks planer chows down on 11 inch wide 5/4 white oak from Zena Forest Products....

Today’s tool tip: Makita circular saw blades

November 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Today’s tool tip: for the past 5 years I’ve been using these Diablo circular saw blades to slice up my bending oak to get the best possible yield on my kayak and canoe ribs. I’m currently using a lower-powered ‘craft’ table saw because my normal saw won’t fit in my current workspace. Cutting with...

Video: Slicing up some gorgeous bending oak

July 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Slicing up some gorgeous bending oak from Zena Forest Products to send overseas with my kayak building kits. I don’t sell bending oak domestically anymore because people can order it a lot cheaper from J. W. Swan & Sons (or pick some up in person from Zena), but I’m happy to put it in...

Sharpening blades

May 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Every time I sharpen my tools I have the same two thoughts: ‘jewelers rouge and leather cuts metal way faster than it seems like it should’ and ‘I should probably do this more than twice a year’. I really am a tragic excuse for a woodworker but luckily skin on frame building is pretty...

Video: Planing down bending oak

May 2021September 2022Leave a comment

Liz feeds a plank of J. W. Swan & Sons bending oak into “The Beast”, a 1942 direct drive Parks Planer. No dust collection, no safety features, no fancy cutter head, just 500 pounds of straight knife wood chomping muscle. I run carbide tipped knives from Infinity Tools and change them every couple years....

Template your perfect push stick

March 2021September 2022Leave a comment

If you find a push stick that feels perfect in your hand, make a template for it so you can use the same stick again. This avoids a potentially dicey transition when your habitual mind starts trying to use a different stick exactly the same way as the old one. It’s also a good...

$* #%! woodworking

January 2021September 2022Leave a comment

$* #%! ___ This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed. See the original post and discussion here. Follow Cape Falcon Kayak on Instagram »...