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Private Notes
This week on Rough Cut, host Tommy MacDonald tackles a Trestle Table, perfect for any kitchen. To make the table, Tommy handpicks a piece of local New England black walnut from Artisan Lumber in Lunenberg, Massachusetts, where he catches up with specialty lumber expert Brian Brown to talk about cutting and drying the rough cut lumber. Back in his workshop, Tommy works with woodshop assistant Eli Cleveland to construct the table, demonstrating how to make mortise and tenon joints, spring joints for the table top and bread board ends to prevent the wood from warping.
A Shaker-inspired Step Stool is Tommy’s project on this episode of Rough Cut. This simple piece serves as the perfect introduction to woodworking, and throughout the episode Tommy explores the technique of making dovetails. For inspiration, he travels to Rollingsford, New Hampshire, and meets up with Allan Breed of the Breed School of Fine Woodworking. There, Allan shows Tommy his unique way of cutting dovetails, which involves holding the saw upside down. Upon returning to his shop, Tommy works with local woodworker Al D’Attanasio to explore varied techniques for making dovetails.
Boston’s Old North Church may be most famous for its steeple lanterns, which once signaled the start of the American Revolution, but another standout characteristic of the building is its dentil molding. Host Tommy MacDonald travels to the historic site to gain inspiration for his newest Rough Cut project, a Wall Cabinet. Then he heads to Beverly, Massachusetts, to speak with fine furniture maker Phil Lowe about adding architectural detail to woodworking projects. After his trip Tommy returns to the workshop to build his Wall Cabinet, which features detailed dentil, cove and quarter round moldings.
The Octagonal Lazy Susan featured on Rough Cut this week has a lot of bang for the buck. Not only is the octagonal shape beautiful to look at, but the inlaid veneer of birdseye maple and beeswing mahogany really make the piece magnificent. In this episode, Tommy provides detailed instructions on how to build the initial shape, and then takes particular care with his guidance on how to do the inlay. On a very special Rough Cut Road Trip, Tommy gets a behind-the-scenes peek at Historic New England, a massive warehouse of historic artifacts and furniture that is not open to the public. Back in the shop, fellow North Bennet Street School graduate Eli Cleveland joins Tommy to build the Lazy Susan.
With a reverent nod to Veteran’s Day, this episode of Rough Cut features Tommy building a Flag Box, commonly used for housing the American flag. As a special feature in this episode, Tommy welcomes five retired members of the military into the shop to help him properly fold the flag for the box. In true Rough Cut fashion, the box itself features splines made from live oak taken from the USS Constitution. Throughout the episode, Tommy provides detailed instructions for crafting the flag box, highlighting the techniques for achieving successful splined miter joints. Tommy also goes on location to the USS Constitution to speak with naval historian Margherita Desy and is paid an in-studio visit by fellow woodworker Al D’Attanasio.
The Shaker-inspired Night Stand is one of Tommy’s favorite projects. This particular piece really shows off Tommy’s style in using rough cut lumber and gives Tommy a chance to put a contemporary spin on a traditional piece. In this episode, Tommy explains techniques for mortise and tenon joinery, as well as how to taper a leg. He also heads to the North Bennet Street School in Boston, where he meets up with Steve Brown, the head of the school’s Cabinet and Furniture-making department. Later, Steve lends a hand back in Tommy’s shop.
Tommy is the first to say, finishes are an art unto themselves. That’s why he dedicated an entire episode to this topic featuring two very talented finishers, Christine Thomson, a period finisher from Salem, Massachusetts, and Mark Libby, a local finisher who has worked with Tommy for years. In this episode, Tommy provides detailed project instruction for work requiring a finishing technique. He visits Christine’s shop to see some of her techniques, and later, Mark Libby swings by Tommy’s shop.
The Keepsake Box is a perfect project for anyone who wants to learn simple, small box construction. The box would make a great jewelry box or even a humidor. A special feature of this box is the herringbone inlay – a dramatic embellishment featured on top. In this episode, Tommy demonstrates how to build the box and then explains how to create the magnificent herringbone veneer pattern for the top. It is a lot easier than it looks! Then, Tommy takes a trip to the John Adams House in Quincy, Massachusetts, to see one of John Adams’s desks, covered in spectacular veneer and banding. Later, Tommy is joined in his shop by Neil Lamens of Furnitology.com.
Though the Serving Tray in this episode may look simple, it involves a complicated compound angle that defeats many woodworkers. But, Tommy has an answer for you – a trick that makes compound angles easy. In this episode, he provides detailed instruction and discusses the technique of creating compound angles. Then he joins Gerry Ward from Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts at the First Church of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Later, Tommy returns to his workshop for a visit from the North Bennet Street School’s Steve Brown.
The blanket chest has been around since the Pilgrims came to Massachusetts in the 1600s. In this episode, Tommy builds one that demonstrates basic frame construction as well as mortise and tenon joinery. He also shares his techniques for carving, a special feature of the box that is both dramatic and simple. He also stops by the Whipple House in Ipswich, Massachusetts, to speak with artisan Rob Tarule. Later, his friend and fellow woodworker, Al D’Attanasio, stops by the shop for a chat.
The s-curve legs and ball and claw feet are the standout features of Tommy’s Chippendale footstool. Many furniture makers get defeated by the ball and claw, but in this episode Tommy stops by master carver Will Neptune’s shop to get tips on an incredibly easy way to break it down. Will provides instruction and shares his carving experience and skill with viewers. Tommy then returns to his studio to speak with Steve Brown of the North Bennet Street School.
Who doesn’t want a beautiful natural bread box for their kitchen, especially if it features a fabulous tambour door? The tambour door has been around for hundreds of years, and though it looks like it would be hard to construct, it is made of just a few slats of wood stuck onto a canvas. In this episode, Tommy demonstrates the techniques for constructing the bread box and building the tambour door. He also tours the Peabody Essex Museum with curator Dean Lahikainen, who shows off their wonderful collection of John and Thomas Seymour pieces of early American furniture. Finally, Tommy is paid an in-studio visit by fellow North Bennet Street School alumnus Eli Cleveland.
In the final episode of season one, Tommy guides viewers through the process of building a trellis. Whether for growing roses, creeping vines or clematis, this is an easy-to-make project that will highlight the outside of any home. Tommy also steps outside the studio with Trellis Structure’s David Valcovic as the pair visits the John Adams House in Quincy, Massachusetts, to see a variety of magnificent trellises.
In this episode of Rough Cut, Tommy tackles a Greene and Greene-Inspired Dressing Mirror, perfect for practically any room. To get inspiration for the mirror, Tommy heads out on a Rough Cut Road Trip to the magnificent Gamble House in Pasadena, California. There he finds brilliant Arts and Crafts examples by architects Charles and Henry Greene. Back in the shop, Tommy works with North Bennet Street instructor Steve Brown to explain the details and joinery in the project including finger joints, cloud lifts, and drawer construction.
This time, on Rough Cut, Tommy takes on an Arts and Crafts-Style Chair. This episode will demonstrate how to make the legs, arms and back, mostly through standard mortise and tenon joinery. The Road Trip brings Tommy out to Alta Loma, California, where he visits the home of one of the biggest names in chair making: the late, great Samuel Maloof. There, Tommy visits with Samuel’s wife Beverly as well as a curator. Back in the studio, Tommy is joined by master furniture maker Chuck Bender of The Acanthus Workshop in Pennsylvania.
On this installment of Rough Cut, Tommy builds a traditional Pie Crust Tray. For inspiration, he heads on a Rough Cut Road Trip to the new Art of the Americas wing at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. There, Tommy meets with curator and chair of the Art of the Americas department, Elliot Davis, to talk about the Chippendale and Federalist-style pie crust tables they have in their collection. Tommy takes his MFA knowledge back to the shop where he and Eli Cleveland walk through the turning and carving techniques needed to make the project.
On this Rough Cut episode, Tommy makes a practical Serving Cart, essential for any kitchen, out of scrap tiger maple. The project is a basic cart form, however, for the top serving area, Tommy goes on a Road Trip to look for the right solid surface. In Canton, Massachusetts, Tommy explores different kinds of man-made and solid surfaces with the help of fabricator Paul D’Attanasio. Ultimately, he decides on a man-made solid for his project. Back in the shop, Tommy’s friend Al D’Attanasio stops by.
The Drop-Leaf Table featured on this episode of Rough Cut has a lot of bang for the buck. Not only is the shaker-type style beautiful to look at, but the finger joints are fun to learn how to make. To get inspiration for this project, Tommy takes a Road Trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to see drop-leaf and gate-leg tables from centuries past. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by Chuck Bender of The Acanthus Workshop in Pennsylvania.
This time, on Rough Cut, Tommy demonstrates the turning technique by using a lathe and shows how to turn cove and bead shapes into a Tall Floor Lamp. He heads to New London, New Hampshire, on a Rough Cut Road Trip, to visit the studio of artist Peter Bloch, who turns lamp shades out of Aspen logs. Back in the studio, Tommy is joined by his friend and fellow woodworker, Al D’Attanasio.
The Standing Mirror in this episode of Rough Cut is one of Tommy’s favorite projects, due to its simple design augmented by Paul Schurch’s magnificent marquetry. On this episode’s Road Trip, Tommy visits Schurch’s studios in Santa Barbara, California, where Paul demonstrates basic marquetry.
The Rough Cut Veneered Coffee Table project brings Tommy on a Road Trip to the metal works shop of Payne Engineering in Canton, MA. There, Tommy learns the basics of making a metal frame. Back in the shop, Tommy builds out the coffee table and teaches some basic veneering techniques. Then, Tommy is joined in the shop by fellow woodworker Laura Fuoco.
In this episode of Rough Cut, featuring the Laminated Coat Rack project, Tommy teaches basic geometric patterns using different species of wood by stack laminating. Then, Tommy and crew head out on a Rough Cut Road Trip to Brookhaven, New York, where studio artist David Ebner is busy making his famous Scallion Coat Rack – a project that teaches both lamination and turning techniques.
Tommy looks at the technique of bending wood for his Rough Cut Console Table/HDTV stand project. To get some inspiration, Tommy goes on a Road Trip to meet with the curator of the Brooklyn Museum. There, he learns about the Thonets, who are famous for perfecting the technique of steam-bent lamination. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by Rough Cut regular Eli Cleveland.
On this installment of Rough Cut, Tommy takes a look at the art of sand shading, a technique dating back to the ancient Egyptians. He demonstrates how this art form can be uniquely applied to his Sand Shaded Clock project. For the Rough Cut Road Trip, Tommy heads to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City, which houses some beautiful examples of sand shading made by John and Thomas Seymour. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by St. Louis radio personality McGraw Milhaven.
This time, on Rough Cut, Tommy discusses project design and explains how to do basic mortise and tenon joinery for a Simple Case Construction Bookcase project. He takes a Road Trip to the Furniture Divas exhibit at the Fuller Craft Museum in Brockton, Massachusetts. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by New Hampshire furniture maker Tom McLaughlin.
The final project in season two of Rough Cut is a Potting Station, perfect for any outdoor gardening space. To gather inspiration for the project, Tommy heads on a Rough Cut Road Trip to the Massachusetts Horticultural Association in Wellesley, Massachusetts, where gardens curator David Fiske shows Tommy what is needed for the perfect potting station. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by friend and fellow woodworker Al D’Attanasio.
On the premiere of Rough Cut Season 3, Tommy creates a beautiful ambrosia maple Coopered Leg Table – perfect for a dining room or office. To get inspiration for the piece, Tommy travels to beautiful Napa Valley for a visit to the incredible Seguin Moreau Cooperage. Here Tommy gets an up close tour of the wine-barrel making process. Full of ideas from Napa, Tommy returns to the shop to teach the technique of coopering.
This time, on Rough Cut, Tommy takes on the key tool in any woodshop – the workbench. With help from his shop coordinator and Rough Cut technical advisor, Eli Cleveland, Tommy will demonstrate how to make a workbench with mortise and tenon joinery and a beautiful solid maple top.
On this Rough Cut episode, Tommy tackles the difficult technique of off-set turning on a lathe when he makes the unique Barley Twist Lamp. The lamp is made out of beautiful mahogany and topped off with a specially made glass top designed and created just for this project. For the Road Trip, Tommy visits his good friend, glassblower, Niels Cosman at his Rhode Island School of Design studio. Niels will make a special appearance back at the Rough Cut shop when he personally delivers the finished lampshade to Tommy.
This week on Rough Cut we’re making a Mitered Hall Table out of one giant slab of figured maple. Tommy will show us how he achieves the look of one continuous grain pattern by interpreting the wood. And for the Road Trip Tommy takes us to Berkshire Hardwoods in Western Massachusetts where we meet owner, Jeff Poirier, and learn how he takes a local tree and turns it into a beautiful piece of stock.
The Dovetailed Toolbox created on this week’s episode of Rough Cut has played a supporting role in Tommy’s shop since the very first season. Tommy will demonstrate how to achieve the striking dovetail joinery found on his toolbox and what kind of things you can do at home to “make it your own”.
On this installment of Rough Cut, Tommy builds a beautiful, sleek steam bent lounge chair – perfect for inside and out. To teach us more about the ancient art of steam bending, he takes us on a Road Trip to Newport, Rhode Island’s International Yacht Restoration School. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by Rough Cut regular, Eli Cleveland.
Everyone has a family heirloom or photograph that needs a special display and on today’s episode of Rough Cut, Tommy builds a beautiful Mahogany Frame with Hand-Carved Lettering. For inspiration, he heads down to Newport’s historic seaport to visit one of the world’s most famous sailing vessels The Coronet. And back at the shop, his good friend and master woodcarver, Sten Havumaki, will join him to offer up some letter carving tips.
This time on Rough Cut, Tommy teaches a variety of tips and tricks that can be applied to any cabinet, when he makes a simple Bamboo Vanity perfect as a base cabinet in a kitchen or bathroom. For the Rough Cut Road Trip, Tommy heads to the West Coast to meet Dan Smith, the inventor of a very cool sustainable bamboo product used in this week’s project. Back in the shop, series favorite, Al D’Attansio, joins Tommy.
On this week’s episode of Rough Cut, the Laminated Bowl. It’s an awesome addition to any kitchen. Tommy demonstrates a super efficient method to make this bowl and crafting it to perfection on the lathe. For our Rough Cut Road trip we’re off to the world famous culinary institute at Johnson and Wales in Rhode Island where well-crafted wood pieces are a chef’s best friend in the kitchen.
Tommy masters the method of bricking on this week’s Rough Cut, when he builds a classic Demilune Table with a stunning antique looking veneer belt. For inspiration, Tommy goes on a Road Trip to Boston’s Museum of Fine Arts where curator, Elliot Davis, will show him some signature pieces from the collection. Back in the shop, Tommy is joined by series regular, Steve Brown.
This week on Rough Cut, the Free Standing Deck. Tommy will focus on the basics of frame construction and give special attention to installing a solid support system. And for the Road Trip, Tommy finds inspiration at a very special place – the USS Salem. The WWII naval ship is home to some excellent carpentry work.
On a very special episode of Rough Cut, Tommy joins forces with actor and woodworker, Nick Offerman, to create a Platform Bed. The simple bed frame is made using mortises and tenons. It is topped by a stunning live-edge ambrosia maple headboard. Planning ahead, Tommy has some tricks to make a king-sized bed easy to transport.
The final project of Season 3 takes on Olympic proportions when Tommy visits the home of Jim Craig, legendary hockey goalie, to create a Media Center, fit for a gold medal. Flat screen TV’s tend to be a focal point in a room, but this Walnut Media Center allows the Craigs to highlight a few other prized possessions. Don’t be scared by its size, this project breaks down to move from shop to home.
This week on Rough Cut, we’re building an amazing bent lamination chair that’s perfect for any home. Host Tommy MacDonald shows viewers how to bend wood into a form using a jig that he made himself and our Rough Cut Road Trip takes us to the International Contemporary Furniture Show in New York.
Who doesn’t need a nice pine chest for storing blankets and other things around the home? For this episode of Rough Cut, we build a simple Pine Chest, based on a 17th century design. For the accents, we visit Tremont Nail in Massachusetts, one of the few steel manufacturers still making nails from scratch.
This special episode of Rough Cut features Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis sharing his memories of the Boston Marathon bombings by making a memory box with host Tommy MacDonald. Designed to hold memories of a loved one, the box’s design shows how easy it is to build this weekend project at home.
This week on Rough Cut, we’ll be building a beautiful, art glass table lamp featuring triple-mitered corners – the perfect accent piece whether it’s on or off. For our Rough Cut Road Trip, we’re heading to Cambridge Massachusetts and to a glass-making school where artists work miracles with glass and fire. Tune in to learn the art of fusing glass with designer Neils Cosman.
With this episode of Rough Cut, we’ll bring you back to the 1700’s and look at some of the federal embellishments at the Pendleton House at the Rhode Island School of Design. Back in the shop, Tommy and Eli show viewers an effortless way to really make your hall table shine with bell flowers, stringing, and other awesome embellishments.
This week on Rough Cut, we’ll be building an elegant and versatile bass wood room divider. In Japan they’re called shoji—which means screen—and they can be used to partition a room or filter light in front of a window. For our Rough Cut Road Trip, we’re heading to a shoji workshop in Queens, NY, where craftsmen create screens according to ancient Japanese methods.
This week on Rough Cut, we’ll build a frame and panel bookstand that’s perfect for any room. And for our Rough Cut Road trip, we’re heading to western Massachusetts to hang out with the legendary Silas Kopf, to see how he creates his unique brand of marquetry.
This week’s Rough Cut is officially for the birds. We’re going to build three bird houses and talk about bird-specific design. For our Rough Cut Road Trip, we’ll visit with a few feathery friends, and find out what THEY look for in a home and join our good friend Al back in the shop.
This week on Rough Cut, we’ll be building my all-time favorite project – a baseball bat BED that’s perfect for any kids room. For our Rough Cut Road Trip, we’re heading to Fall River, Massachusetts to the Axis Bat Factory, to see what really goes into making a major league baseball bat.
This week on Rough Cut, we show the advantages to mass production by building a chair and then showing how we can duplicate their chair to make a set of four or six. It’s easier than you think!
This week on Rough Cut, we’ll be building a versatile draw leaf table and show you the secret that allows good leaves to appear and disappear whenever you need them. Lending a hand in the shop is a special guest Eli Cleveland, Rough Cut’s technical advisor.
This episode is dedicated to those items in the kitchen that you can make easily in a quick week-end project. Host Tommy MacDonald is joined by his friends Al D’Attanasio, North Bennet Street School instructor Steve Brown, and man around the shop Eli Cleveland. Together the team whips up a rolling pin, pepper grinder, and ice cream scoop.
Who doesn’t need a nice garden bench for their outdoor spaces? In the season finale of Rough Cut, Tommy shows us the intricacies of making a simple garden bench really sparkle. Move over Adirondack Chair, this is a garden bench you absolutely can’t live without.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we’re getting ready for summer and outdoor summer cooking. Host Tommy MacDonald teams up with an old friend, chef and actor Paul Wahlberg, to make a patio prep station, perfect for any outdoor grilling area. Then, Tommy and Paul will go to Paul’s restaurant, Alma Nove, in Hingham to install the beautiful piece.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald hits the road and heads out to the Windy City of Chicago. For inspiration, he visits the Art Institute of Chicago to appreciate some classic woodwork and get inspired for his next project, an Arts and Crafts Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired rocking chair. Back home, friend and furniture maker, Tom McLaughlin, joins Tommy in the shop to create this stylistic rocking chair.
On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we go big. Host Tommy MacDonald shows us how to make a queen sized pencil post bed with tapered octagonal posts. This bed originated in the 1700’s and has been a popular style ever since. North Bennet Street School instructor Steve Brown joins Tommy at his shop to show him how to perfect the tapered, octagonal posts out of perfect, classic cherry wood.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald steps out of his comfort zone, and his shop, to join Peter Galbert in central Massachusetts, where he shows Tommy how to make a classic Windsor chair. This is a new project for Tommy, and a complicated one, but also a fun challenge, as he’ll be using multiple kinds of wood and new techniques to perfect this classic.
On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, it’s all about simplicity and customizable finish. Host Tommy MacDonald teaches viewers how to make a classic Shaker-inspired nightstand after he learns from the pros in Shaker Village in Canterbury, NH. Then, expert finisher Charles Neil visits from Virginia and shows how finishes can individualize any project and make each project unique.
Contrary to what it sounds like, a linen press doesn’t press your linens, it holds them. On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald shows viewers how to design and build their own linen press, starting with the frame and drawers. One special feature of this fabulous piece of furniture, the feet, which have a molding and frame all their own.
A linen press is half drawers and half wardrobe and perfect for household linens like towels and sheets. On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald finishes his stunning, cherry wood linen press by completing the upper element, the wardrobe. He’ll show us how to install the shelves and hang the door on its hinges as well as how to complete the piece with a wonderful finish.
On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald has the ‘Wood Whisperer’, Marc Spagnuolo, in the shop. Marc joins Tommy to make a Hall Tree and Bench, which can add both elegance and convenience to any home.
This episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac is extra special as host Tommy MacDonald visits his alma mater, The North Bennet Street School. He’ll tour the new facilities with old friend and teacher, Dan Faia, talk to students about their current projects and even learn something new about his upcoming project: the gate leg table. Take it from Tommy Mac, you’re never too old to learn.
A classic is a classic for a reason. On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald goes back to Shaker Village to learn about another Shaker, old-time staple, the Shaker Style Clock. We’ll see a variety of styles down at the village, and learn what materials go best with which and then use that in the shop to make a classic of his own with friend and fellow woodworker Al D’Attanasio.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald explores the beauty in woodworking. First, he visits the Holy Name Cathedral in Chicago, which is not only a testament to God but also to woodworking. Then back in the shop, he reinvents that beauty in a Queen Anne table, a classic with smooth, curved legs.
A woodworker can’t help but be influenced by the great Frank Lloyd Wright and today on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy will embark on his second Frank Lloyd Wright style project: the Light Pendant. It’s a light fixture that brings together wood and mechanics and is a statement piece that shows off the style of the famous architect.
On this episode of Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, host Tommy MacDonald brings you closer than ever: into his home! In the shop, Tommy works with friend Al D’Attanasio to build a china cabinet perfect for any home. Then together the dynamic duo installs the massive piece into Tommy’s house.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we head to beautiful Santa Rosa, California to meet up with master woodworker David Marks as part of our Master Showcase Series. Spending the entire episode in his shop, we learn how former television host and wood turner David Marks makes his spectacular turned hollow wooden vessels. This week’s project is made from maple burl, poplar, and ebony and accented with gold leaf.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is joined by Master Woodworker Tom McLaughlin of Epic Woodworking and together they create a complicated Kitchen Leaf Table. With an Arts and Crafts inspired design, Tom and Tommy work together to make it more contemporary by adding a triangulated base, and a place to store the leaves under the book matched table top. Tom uses a high quality cherry wood for the entire project.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we travel out to sunny Santa Barbara, California to catch up with master marquetry man Paul Schurch of Schurch Woodwork. Together Tommy and Paul create a maple and mahogany table with some amazing marquetry inlaid on top. Their inspiration for the marquetry comes from the local California blue belly lizard, which Paul and Tommy catch during an expedition in Santa Barbara. It’s all part of our Master Showcase series.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is joined by Rough Cut regular and Master Furniture Maker Steve Brown from the North Bennet Street School. Steve and Tommy pick a project that encourages the home woodworker to keep it simple with a Child’s Chair, concentrating on its rustic splayed legs. A great project for beginners, it’s made of a beautiful white oak, with inspiration coming from a traditional bretstuhl of Germany.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy works on a poplar and black walnut Spice Box. He’ll be joined in the shop by Glen Huey of 360 Woodworking to help break down what looks like a complicated box structure with an amazing inlaid design on the door. Glen and Tommy are inspired by the famous Chester County, Pennsylvania spice boxes made popular in the late 18th Century, and want to see if these useful boxes can make a comeback!
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy introduces a new face to the show, furniture maker Jesse Shaw. Jesse works with Tommy to build a contemporary version of the 1950’s style TV tray, with an updated curve in the legs to make it more modern. Made out of a rich walnut, Jesse uses bent lamination and modern technology to make an amazingly handy living room essential.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is inspired by his Dad’s old library chair. Back in the shop is Master Woodworker Tom McLaughlin, who’s updating the design by adding a bent laminated seat rail, stack laminated crest rail and making the actual seat a bit more comfortable. Made out of cherry, this chair is sure to make it another generation in the MacDonald family.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, series regular Steve Brown is back in the shop! He’s here to help Tommy update a traditional bench with a more contemporary design, but still keep it comfortable. Using this project as another teaching tool, Steve walks us through some of the basic steps of woodworking any expert will tell you is important to practice.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we travel to Beverly, Massachusetts to learn from Master Woodworker and furniture maker Phil Lowe. As the owner and director of the Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, he’s well known for his teaching throughout North America. He and Tommy get together to build a chair, and Tommy is excited to learn new techniques as well as add his own spin to the design.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is joined by series regular Al D’Attanasio to build a computer table. Al and Tommy are inspired by their own lives, hoping to have a place to hold all the essentials for a modern life. Though not as hip as some people may think, Al still needs a spot for his computer as well as drawers and a filing cabinet for his necessary paperwork.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac we concentrate on a fall front desk, designed as a great work desk. Tommy is joined by series regular Steve Brown who breaks down the different parts to make it a much simpler process. Steve and Tommy work together to make it as compact as the original design to utilize space, while adding in their own contemporary design.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is inspired to build a dog house by visiting with the Plymouth County Sheriff’s Department K-9 unit. After going on the road, he and Al return to the shop to build a dog house fit for any dog, large or small. Even big enough for Tommy’s own dog, Murphy.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we’re heading to Canterbury, NH to see Master Woodworker and series regular Tom McLaughlin in his natural habitat. Tommy joins Tom in his workshop to build a porch swing, a perfect addition for any family home.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, it’s out with the old, in with the new – Tommy’s building his very own shop from the ground up! We start by going over the plans for the shop with Tommy’s architect Monte French, before heading over to Koopman’s Lumber to talk to Steve Ingram who explains what kind of lumber Tommy picked and why. Finally, we head back to the site to meet up with building commissioner Ed Walsh, who reminds us it’s not just about building a shop, it’s building it safely. It’s all part of the brand new season of Rough Cut!
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is joined by his general contractor, Chris Reynolds, to talk about the framing of the shop. From the foundation to laying out the sills to putting up the first wall, we learn the best way to start off a project like this! And with a little help from Rough Cut regular Al D’Attanasio, that wall will be up in no time
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we’re working on the second floor of the shop. Joined by good friend Bob Ayer and his crew, Tommy has his work cut out for him – he’ll need to straighten the walls before adding the entire second floor deck and lay out an opening to where his staircase will go. It’ll be a lot of work, but with his friends the Rough Cut crew is willing to tackle it!
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy and crew do some heavy lifting, working on the gable ends of the roof and lifting the walls into place. We first head to see Tommy’s longtime friend Jim Reader, to walk us through how to pick out the best lumber you need for your job. Then it’s back to the site to see new Rough Cut regular Chris Reynolds to install the Gable Ends, before getting that wall up – all before a storm hits!
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, it’s all about the interior of the shop – from the stairs, to the wall frame holding up the roof. To help him with the layout and construction of the stairs, Tommy brings on old friend Gordon Arthur to break down what seems like a complicated project into a few simple steps.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac it’s a long day of heavy lifting to finish up the frame of the roof. Tommy gets Rough Cut regular Chris Reynolds to help install the ridge, the long and short rafters, and finishing touches like collar ties. By the end of the day, Tommy will have an actual building!
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy works on the finishing touches to complete the roof. Joined by good friend and general contractor Chris Reynolds, the two work to get the fascia and trim boards to size before installing them on the roof along with the drip edge and shingles. Tommy and Chris first walk us through a small safety lesson, reminding carpenters how important it is to stage your site properly so you and your crew can work as efficiently and safely as possible.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy builds and installs the soffits to his workshop and then explains the tricky science of how to install doors and windows. In addition, Tommy gives us a lesson in siding which includes learning how to make all the shingles match above the doors and windows, under the roof, and along the gable ends of his shop. The finishing touch is learning how to create the beautiful detail of woven corners.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, our host is joined by contractor and friend Chris Reynolds and together they bring viewers inside the shop and learn how to hang interior doors. Once the doors are hung, Tommy and Chris create and build out the trim around the doors and windows. Then this dynamic duo is on to baseboards and finally, we get a lesson in laying down hardwood flooring.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, Tommy is joined by good buddy and fan favorite Al D’Attanasio. Together they head over to the old shop and reminisce about their many years woodworking together. They then dismantle the cabinets and bring some of their favorites back to the new shop. After installing those, Team Tommy Mac shows viewers how to build new cabinets. And then finally, Al helps Tommy create a beautiful laminate top to sit on top of one of them.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac we focus on what it takes to really complete the exterior of the shop. First we put in a massive granite block to serve as the front step into the workshop. Then contractor Chris Reynolds works with Tommy to create some window boxes and then finishes the look by filling in the landscaping in front of the shop and lays down the gravel for the driveway.
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we go back to classic woodworking and make a beautiful exterior door for the woodshed. It’s a lesson in tongue and groove as well as mortise and tenon construction and the end result is fantastic! The shop is almost done!
This week on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac, we recap the entire season. We started the season with a cement foundation and through the Season Seven episodes created a new shop, and taught viewers framing, roofing, siding, trim, and all that goes into building a brand new building. It’s an incredibly exciting season on Rough Cut Woodworking with Tommy Mac.
In this premiere episode of Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking, host Tom McLaughlin builds a classic Shaker-inspired hall table. Made of cherry, the piece features iconic Shaker details, such as mortise-and-tenon joinery with wooden pegs for strength and looks, and elegantly tapered legs to give the table a slender appearance. Simple to make, and at home in any décor, this piece is sure to inspire.
In this episode of Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking, host Tom McLaughlin uses American ash from his back woods to create a hanging bow front cabinet featuring hand-crafted proud dovetails and a hidden magnet close. He’ll share his tips for using lamination to create the simple but beautiful bow front door by applying a fantastic figured ash veneer.
Host Tom McLaughlin welcomes guest and veteran woodworker Terry Moore to his wood shop this week on Rough Cut with Fine Woodworking. Terry shares his technique for designing a dramatic sunburst walnut veneer pattern on a round side table while Tom heads to the lathe to show how to turn an Art Deco-inspired column. The two collaborate on the cross lapped joinery feet and the end result is an elegant, smooth, intriguing piece which is very pleasing to the eye.
Tom McLaughlin shares his contemporary take on a classic design: the Adirondack lawn chair. Using cypress, Tom shows how to cut a comfortable curve into the seat and back of this chair.
Mike Pekovich shares his methods for making a beautiful tea box out of the dark and exotic wenge wood. He then contrasts that with a spectacular figured birdeye maple which creates the interior pieces in the box.
Tom McLaughlin makes a spectacular coffee table with a waterfall end and wood base that creates a cantilevered effect. Tom also shows how to use hand tools to make a beautiful bowtie inlay.
Tom makes a Shaker-inspired blanket chest with drawer and bracket feet using an exterior of cherry and interior of white pine panels.
Inspired by the nearby Shaker Village, host Tom McLaughlin collaborates with guest John Ryan to craft authentic reproduction Shaker oval boxes out of cherry. These boxes are iconic because of their utility and potential for customization in size and shape. John shows Tom his technique for bending strips of wood around a form, creating a smooth and beautiful Shaker box.
In this episode host Tom McLaughlin builds a Craftsman-style dining chair out of white oak. He’ll share traditional chairmaking techniques, such as mortise and tenon joinery reinforced with wood pegs. He’ll also show you how to create authentic Arts and Crafts details with a traditional yet modernized look.
Tom welcomes his friend and neighbor David Lamb, a New Hampshire furniture master, to his shop. They share tips for making an end table out of contrasting walnut and butternut and this one is all about the details.
Tom shares his design for a Shaker-inspired table made out of curly maple and takes a deep-dive into explaining the tilt-top mechanism that makes this piece so unique.
Guest Chris Becksvoort joins Tom to make a stunning table lamp. Chris shares his contemporary shaker-inspired design that boasts elegant bent-wood techniques to give off a soft light effect.
Tom shares the design for his hanging tool cabinet, a piece that personalizes any shop. Tom uses a jig for the corners and a veneer panel for the front; then he hinges and mounts the doors and provides guidance on how to create an interior customized for any collection of tools.
