The four project options include a hunting knife, wooden beverage caddy, a turned pen or a turned bowl. Each Make and Take class lasts two to three hours and focuses on a single project.

“April is National Woodworking Month — the perfect time to learn new woodworking skills,” says Scott Ekman, Rockler’s vice president of marketing. “These classes offer a unique opportunity for anyone interested in woodworking to learn basic techniques, get some hands-on experience and meet other people interested in the craft.”

Make and Take classes are limited to only three to six participants per class, in order to enable instructors to offer lots of one-on-one time. So, no previous woodworking experience is necessary. You will be taught everything you need to know, and supplied with all of the necessary tools, safety gear and materials, to complete the course project.

Rockler store associates are the course instructors. Many have been woodworking for years and love to teach, Ekman says. “It’s the highlight of their day to lead these classes.”

The Make and Take program started in April 2016, and then was repeated last fall as a precursor to the holiday gift-giving season. Ekman says these small group classes are continuing to gain momentum across Rockler’s network of 36 retail stores. So much so that some classes fill up well in advance, and some stores are now even providing Make and Classes throughout the year — not just seasonally.

Here’s a quick overview of the projects and skills this time. In the knife-making class, participants will mount, shape and finish the wooden “scales” that comprise the handle of a fixed-blade Sarge hunting knife. For the beverage caddy class, students build a handled carrier with spots for six bottles and a bottle opener on the side. Techniques include forming matching shapes, curve-cutting and making dowel joints. In the pen-turning class, participants will turn and finish a wooden pen body on the lathe and assemble it with a Manhattan-style hardware kit. Those choosing the bowl-turning class will turn a wooden blank into a finished bowl, using a bowl gouge and other basic lathe tools.

The cost of the knife-making class is $45. It’s been done in previous Make and Take seasons, and Ekman says it’s also ranked as the customer favorite. “We try to offer new projects on a regular basis, but keep the most popular ones,” he adds.

Bottle caddy and bowl-turning courses cost $35 each, and turning a pen is $25. Previously, Rockler offered courses on turning the handles of pizza cutters and ice cream scoops. The classes were enthusiastically received, which has prompted Rockler to offer bowl- and pen-turning options this time.

“The newly added turning classes will be exciting — it’s really fun to give folks the chance to experience woodworking on a lathe,” Ekman says. “Our bowl-turning class has quickly sold out in several stores.”

To learn more details and register for classes at your closest Rockler store, click here. And if you happen to miss this month’s Make and Take sessions, Ekman says Rockler plans to offer more gift-making classes this fall.

This same link also will direct you to the free plans and videos related to Make and Take projects, if you’d like to build the projects from your home shop instead of attend a class. “We encourage all experienced woodworkers to use these resources to pass along their love for woodworking to someone new,” Ekman says.

If you’ve considering getting into woodworking but have hesitated, due to lack of tools or experience, this could be your month to take the plunge and go home with something useful and beautiful you’ve made. “This is the first woodworking experience for a lot of the people signing up,” Ekman says. “We find these classes make a good introduction to basic woodworking, and they’ll help build your confidence.”

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Many locking bit holders are C-ring style with an internal clip that holds the bit. These often don’t lock as securely as needed in certain applications. Manufacturers have tried to solve that problem through an array of other locking bit holder designs, but each has come with trade-offs. Some sacrifice size for more magnetism, while others meet the needs for magnetic holding power but are less durable.

Milwaukee believes these new SHOCKWAVE Locking Bit Holders are stronger and more durable than others, without the usual trade-offs. Their auto locking design allows them to fit all inserts and 1/4-in. hex bits.  They feature two magnets to maximize magnetic transfer and holding power to the fastener, versus the typical single-magnet styles. A smaller profile and quick-release collar also provide for easy one-handed bit changes. And as with all SHOCKWAVE impact-duty accessories, they feature an optimized Shockzone geometry to provide up to 30 times longer life, absorbing three times more torque to prevent breakage.

Available now, Milwaukee’s SHOCKWAVE Locking Bit Holders come in the following lengths: 2-7/8-in. (item 48-32-4531, $8.97); 6-in. (item 48-32-4532, $10.97); 12 in. (item 48-32-4533, $13.97) and 18-in. (item 48-32-4534, $16.97).

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The DCB609 battery provides up to six times the runtime of a 1.5Ah 20V MAX* battery, DeWALT calculates. It delivers 180 watt hours of energy when used singly, or 360 watt hours when doubled up for use in DeWALT’s 120V MAX* power tools.

The battery will operate down to 0°F. DeWALT also reports that the DCB609 runs cooler on average than Milwaukee’s comparable 9.0 Ah battery (model 48-11-1890), during a constant 60-amp discharge up to a 70° thermal shutdown.

DeWALT’s new FLEXVOLT DCB609 9.0 Ah Battery is available now through select DeWALT retailers. It sells for $199, without a charger.

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Rob Johnstone: I would recommend a drying oil finish — something like a Watco Danish oil. Let it cure completely. It puts a thin protective film down that will help keep glue, paint and other gunk from sticking to the workbench top. When it starts to wear through (which will probably happen pretty quickly under steady use), just take a random-orbit sander, give it a good once-over and apply some more finish. If you have “installed” some big dents or surface distortions over time, you can renew the surface by planing it flat — provided the surface is thick enough — then put the oil finish on once more.

Tim Inman: For a shop workbench, I would put on a thinned coat of polyurethane varnish. Not much will stick to poly, and you will certainly have spilled glue, oil, nondescript goo, and other things on the bench over the years. The poly will let you clean up pretty well. A good coat of wax is another option. The third option, which I use myself, is nothing at all. My bench top is made of 3-in. thick Douglas fir bridge planks, which are about 12 inches wide. The top measures 3 ft. by 8 ft. and the thickness of the planks. I have used this bench since about 1974. Other than being “used”-looking, it is as good today as it was the day I made it. I was able to get these bridge floor planks because they arrived at the road engineering department “untreated” and they refused to use them. Their bad luck made my day!

Chris Marshall: This is one of those questions where, if you ask 10 different woodworkers, you’ll probably get close to 10 different answers. I like the “non-stick” approach for easier bench cleanup. Currently, my bench has a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac sanding sealer on it — mostly because I had a nearly empty can of it at the time that I wanted to use up. But I wish it was even more non-stick than it is. Next time I scrape it down and refinish the top, I think I’ll just use some wax and call it good.

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-Tony Oliver
Denver, CO

See the Gallery Below:

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“You guys crack me up every year. I always get to the second article before I realize it is APRIL FOOLS DAY.  My favorite is still the kerfless band saw blade from a good number of years ago.  My next most favorite issue of the year is the eZine issue that follows the APRIL FOOLS ISSUE when people make all those comments showing that they did not catch the humor that was intended by the entire issue.  I even shared the video about how to get the most out of your table saw with a FaceBook group on woodworking for local woodworkers. Thanks again for this year’s issue.” – Charles Buster

In that light, regarding the submission from Mo Lahr of Cuspid, Wyoming:

“ I do not know if this is a special April Fools issue or just a mistake, but the correct term in one of your articles is DENTIL molding not dental. I should know because I am a retired dentist and woodworker and I still have all my fingers.” – Ken Baker, DMD

And some reader feedback in the spirit of the thing, with a very thorough roundup. – Editor

“I attended the HOOPLA conference and I heard no mention of hardwood shortages. That bit of news would have shaken the conference. Furthermore, nothing is being constructed in the South currently, so vast resources of wood is not in demand.  If the north is missing any hardwood, they should interview Chet Marchel. He must have a vast supply, as he always has some beautiful materials for his rudely short videos.  I bet it’s southern hardwood that was floated up the Mississippi!  Clever trick there!

“I did try the VR-EZ goggles in the VR-EZ goggle booth while at the conference. (Catchy booth name.) It took three EMT’s six hours to remove my glued hand from the table with Eulg. I thought every EMT kept that remedy close at hand. While patiently waiting, I tried the Milkshake Paint. I was surprised to find that I was lactose intolerant while glued to a table. The hosts were quite tolerant and compassionate of my predicament.

“Regarding your table saw tip, it would have saved electrical power had you rotated the panel counterclockwise AROUND the blade instead of pushing horizontally across only 1-2 teeth. This causes uneven wear on the carbide, then it’s time to ‘file those teeth.’  Everyone knows that!

“I enjoyed the article about culinary uses for my lathe. The only issue I found with the comments is what type gas is best to use.  I (and all my friends in the South) prefer propane. It’s probably just a Southern thing.

“The woodworking app is the best new app in a long time.  I helped test the beta version and no longer even need the app as I hear almost nothing full-time.  So soothing! Huh?” – T Newman

“Always look forward to your April first eZine.” – Lee Rehberg

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