Shop Talk Live · 11 Jul 2025 · 58m
Gary Rogowski and Vic Johnson join Ben to discuss woodworking equipment, techniques, and teaching. Gary details his new shop setup, his obsession with bandsaws (specifically a Gates American and a Yates American), and his theory on blade drift, while also debating the durability and thickness of shop veneer for furniture. Vic and Gary share insights on using aggressive tools like Stu Mac scrapers and luthier tools, and recommend simple, engaging projects for teaching youth, such as milking stools, skateboards, and cajons.
makers and hobbyists
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Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss various woodworking projects and tool usage. They cover building a large walnut picture frame using half-lap miters, creating a dog station feeder, and experimenting with foam core veneering. The hosts also provide detailed safety advice and beginner project suggestions for lathes, bandsaws, routers, and CNC/laser tools, emphasizing proper technique and safety gear like face shields and tool rests.
Hosts Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss listener questions, starting with Diresta's potential action figure campaign through Toy Backer and Clagett's silicone mold making using Smooth-On materials. The trio debates the value of cheap versus expensive tools like those from Harbor Freight and DeWalt, and compares sharpening systems such as the Veritas MK2 and Workshop 3000. They also offer advice on managing workshop space, comparing radial arm saws to table saws, and navigating client relationships in custom woodworking.
Hosts Bob Clagett, Jimmy Diresta, and David Picciuto answer listener questions about workshop management, tool maintenance, and maker psychology. They discuss strategies for handling shop layout, such as positioning table saws near entrances, and debate the merits of sharpening versus replacing saw blades. The conversation also covers overcoming creative blocks, managing project priorities, and encouraging young people, particularly girls, to engage in making by showcasing finished, desirable projects rather than just tools.
Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss the details of NBC's new show 'Making It,' including Diresta's role as a shop teacher and the negotiation to license the show's name. The hosts also provide advice for beginners in woodworking, recommending specific tools like bandsaws, track saws, and hand planes, while emphasizing project-based learning over buying a full set of tools upfront. They share personal anecdotes about shop renovations, building guitar stands, and recommend other maker channels like Brett's Skull and Spades and The Oddlings.
Jimmy Diresta, Bob Clagett, and David Picciuto discuss their recent activities and brainstorm ideal modifications for workshop tools. David Picciuto details making wedding rings and preparing for go-kart racing, while Bob Clagett shares stories from the Good of the Land Fest and his bandsaw sword-cutting antics. The hosts then engage in a fantasy brainstorming session, proposing improvements for bandsaws, routers, table saws, and welding equipment to solve specific pain points like blade tensioning, cord management, and quick-change systems.
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