Shootingboard.net

Dropbox makes online storage, backup, and sync easy

Monty — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:18:49 +0000

Like everyone else, I store a lot of work and woodworking-related files, magazine & journal articles, plans, images for ideas/inspiration, and other documents on my computer. However, I am on the go and I regularly use several different computers at home and work (not to mention my Droid and iPad). As a result, my files were scattered around, and difficult to find when I needed them. Worse, when I copied one file to other computers, I could never be entirely sure which version was the current updated version. That’s why I now have Dropbox installed on all of my computers at home and work, and even on my Android phone and iPad.

If you have never heard of Dropbox, it is a file synchronization and backup utility allows you to sync your files online and across your computers automatically. It automatically syncs when new files or changes are detected. And the sync is efficient – only the pieces of a file that changed (not the whole file) are synced, saving time and bandwidth. You can also set up shared files or folders for collaboration with others or simply for hosting files you want to share.

It’s secure – all transmission of file data and metadata occurs over an encrypted channel (SSL), and all files stored on Dropbox servers are encrypted (AES-256) and are inaccessible without your account password. It works for Windows, Mac and Linux computers, as well as mobile devices. I find it especially handy for my dual boot Mac & Windows setup – it works equally well with Bootcamp or a virtual machine.

With Dropbox you get 2GB of online storage for free, with no time limits. You can increase your storage limit (up to 8GB currently) through referrals, which is part of the reason for this post. If you sign up through my link on this page, you get an extra 250MB (for a total 2.25GB), and so do I.

Spreading Wood Glue the Easy Way

Monty — Sun, 13 Apr 2008 19:44:24 +0000

This is a great tool for spreading wood glue quickly and evenly over wood surfaces. It’s a soft rubber roller called a “brayer”, made by Speedball. This can be found in the ink stamping section of your local craft store.

I found the 4″ roller for about $10, and let me assure you it’s well worth the money! I have used it for spreading wood (PVA) glue, plastic resin glue, and even laminate adhesive. It did get a little gunked up with the laminate adhesive because I used a little too much, but each time I have used this roller I have been able to get a nice even coat over the surface. It cleans up easily with warm water (for the PVA or PRG) or paint thinner (for the laminate adhesive), and still rolls like the day I bought it!

Gymnastics Rings

Monty — Fri, 28 Mar 2008 02:02:15 +0000

I recently started working on some basic gymnastics skills, and I decided to use my woodworking skills to make some home-made rings. See my gymnastics rings page for details on how they’re made.

Bedside Table Project

Monty — Tue, 06 Nov 2007 23:21:46 +0000

I made a pair of bedside tables out of cherry, in the Shaker style, with hand-cut dovetailed drawers and tapered legs. Go to my Bedside Table Project page for more details.

Maloof-Style Rocker

Monty — Sun, 04 Nov 2007 01:44:01 +0000

My Maloof-Style Rocker Project is by far my biggest project to date, but alas it is still unfinished (as of November 2007). I fully intend to finish this – all that’s left is the final joinery and shaping. Of course, that’s still an awful lot of work… but I know I’ll get around to it one of these days!

My Workbench

Monty — Sat, 03 Nov 2007 18:55:44 +0000

My shop workbench was by far my most ambitious shop project. It is a real beauty of a bench, and incredibly useful – I don’t know how I ever managed without it! Take a look at my Workbench page for details about the bench and how I built it.

A new look for Shootingboard.net!

Monty — Sun, 23 Sep 2007 22:17:04 +0000

Shootingboard.net has a new look! I’m using new software to publish the site, so hopefully updates will be easier for me to accomplish in the future…. it’s still a work in progress, though.

This website is intended to provide some information about my experience with woodworking, woodturning, and my workshop & tools. Most of this information was put together from posts & threads that I participated in on the WoodNet forums and the NCWoodworker.net forums.

Hopefully we’ll have some new woodworking projects to display here again soon!

Shop Fox 8″ Jointer

Monty — Sun, 30 Jul 2006 15:18:10 +0000

I picked up this 8″ jointer as part of a group purchase deal. It replaced my 6″ Jet - a big improvement. See the Shop Fox 8″ Jointer page for more details.

Krenov-Style Hand Plane

Monty — Mon, 03 Apr 2006 11:48:43 +0000

I made this hand plane out of purpleheart, with help from Woodguy1975. This design is based on David Marks’ European Hand Plane episode. See the Krenov-style hand plane page for more details.

Flip-Top Cabinet

Monty — Sat, 01 Apr 2006 11:34:18 +0000

I made this flip-top cabinet to hold three of my heaviest “benchtop” tools. I basically wanted my two benchtop sanders stored out of the way but easily accessible. See the Flip-Top Cabinet page for more details.