Dusty Chisel

A small offcut can still hold plenty of potential.

I resawed this piece to get the thickness I needed, then used a template to cut and route the shield shape. After drilling, softening the edges, sanding and applying the finish, it was ready for its next chapter.

Woodworking is just as much about problem-solving as it is about making things. You won’t always have a dedicated tool for every job, so sometimes you have to work with what’s already in the workshop.

For this long straight edge, I used a circular saw for the rough cut, then a router and straight guide for the final pass. Different setup, same straight result.

Giving this chaotic end-grain board a completely different shape.

I marked the circle, removed the excess on the bandsaw, then used a router to bring it perfectly round and shape the edges. It still needs its final sanding and oil, but the new shape is there.

A customer wanted a seriously large chopping board made from one solid piece of walnut—not strips glued together and not just for display.

This valet tray was carved from one solid piece of walnut—no joints and no separate base. I removed the centre with a router, shaped the edges, then sanded and oiled it to bring the grain to life.

This started as one solid piece of wood. I made a simple router guide, then removed the centre layer by layer to form a large serving tray.

It still needs plenty of sanding and oil, but the shape is finally there.

This natural void was full of loose material, so I cleaned it back to solid wood and filled it with black epoxy.

Would you fill it or cut it out?

A customer mailed me the exact shape they wanted for a trophy shield.

I first transferred the paper design onto MDF to create a reusable master template, then used it to shape the final shield from solid Kauri.

From an envelope to the finished piece.

Oak and walnut, cut into strips, glued, crosscut, rotated, and glued again. The checkerboard only appears after the second cut—and the oil brings the end grain to life. Would you use it or put it on display?

Most people would cut this edge straight. I decided to keep it.

After removing the loose bark, carefully cleaning the natural edge, filling the cracks with black epoxy, and sanding everything smooth, the oil finally brought the grain to life.

Would you keep the live edge or cut it straight?