Ampersand Woodworks

Ampersand Woodworks Ampersand Woodworks is a husband and wife team that produces handmade, unique wood craft products and furniture.

Thanks for all the kind words about the Walnut mic cabinet we made for Thermal Studios and Stephen McKnight. Here’s a fe...
10/01/2021

Thanks for all the kind words about the Walnut mic cabinet we made for Thermal Studios and Stephen McKnight. Here’s a few other photos for those interested. Always a pleasure to make one of a kind furniture pieces for people who truly appreciate the craft.

It’s always nice to cool down after a workout.
04/24/2021

It’s always nice to cool down after a workout.

Cardio for woodworkers.
04/24/2021

Cardio for woodworkers.

04/13/2021

Today we had some time between glue-ups to work on a family project that’s been on the back burner for months. Watch us install lots of tiny cedar shingles- there were around 1,300 in total, this is just the last little bit. We’ll share the final project when it’s done... eventually! PS- No, we are not interested in taking on any tiny roofing jobs that you may have. 👷‍♀️🔨 🏡 😬

One of the less fun, but no less important tasks of woodworking is keeping your tools sharp. We have a couple hand plane...
04/07/2021

One of the less fun, but no less important tasks of woodworking is keeping your tools sharp. We have a couple hand planes that have been handed down through my Dad’s side of the family- these were manufactured between 1899-1910. Sharpening plane irons is a process, but necessary to get clean cuts. The mirror-like shine on the very tip of the iron is called a “micro bevel” that is super sharp and can be quickly touched up during use. The old way was to use oil stones for sharpening, but we prefer using new diamond stones that never need to be flattened.

We were recently commissioned by the Hornby family to build this custom bed and angled bookshelf with under bed storage....
04/03/2021

We were recently commissioned by the Hornby family to build this custom bed and angled bookshelf with under bed storage. The challenge was designing it to breakdown into parts that would fit up the stairs of their early 1800’s farm house! (Photos are from the test assembly before delivery)

When applying a clear finish (in this case, General Finishes High Performance) it’s helpful to use a raking light to mak...
03/13/2021

When applying a clear finish (in this case, General Finishes High Performance) it’s helpful to use a raking light to make sure you’ve achieved good even coverage. Even better when the sun happens to be coming through the window at just the right angle.

-Surface prep is a critical step in the finishing process, not only to create a smooth surface, but also to even out a...
03/03/2021

-Surface prep is a critical step in the finishing process, not only to create a smooth surface, but also to even out any tiny inconsistencies on the wood itself or where there’s joinery. A helpful tip when sanding is to make light pencil marks with a #2 or softer graphite to help show where you’ve already sanded. It’s also useful for showing when a joint is flat (or not yet, like the 2nd photo).

Design for furniture comes in different stages- overall dimensions, a general style, and then the details. But sometimes...
02/17/2021

Design for furniture comes in different stages- overall dimensions, a general style, and then the details. But sometimes during the build you can find ways to put some additional design features in. For instance, while working with the stock for these drawer fronts, we worked it out so that they could have continuous grain from one to the other. It’s the little things that make a big difference!

While not specifically a woodworking tool, this funky little device saves a ton of time and increases accuracy at the sa...
02/06/2021

While not specifically a woodworking tool, this funky little device saves a ton of time and increases accuracy at the same time. It’s an equal space divider- especially useful for laying out joinery or fasteners, and skipping the math! Perfect even spacing every time.

In our last post we showed how we use a router jig, and tonight we have a different kind of jig. Installing drawer slide...
01/31/2021

In our last post we showed how we use a router jig, and tonight we have a different kind of jig. Installing drawer slides can be an incredibly frustrating and difficult task to get just right. They need to be installed perfectly square to the casework, parallel and coplanar to each other for the drawers to function properly. Quick and easy way to accomplish this is to use a setup block milled to size and clamped in place to reference the slide off of. This way each slide gets installed in the exact same spot, and square, parallel, and coplanar. Also using one of our favorite small tools - a Vix bit, that automatically centers the drill bit in a hole.

A big part of woodworking is problem solving. Needed to put a 1.5” wide dado in the middle of a long panel. We have a bi...
01/29/2021

A big part of woodworking is problem solving. Needed to put a 1.5” wide dado in the middle of a long panel. We have a big enough table saw to do it with a dado stack, but it’s a little sketchy. So, you make a jig! This router jig references the stock going into the dado to make a perfect fit, and uses a pattern bit to make the cut.

Address

Breckenridge Drive
Sicklerville, NJ
08081

Opening Hours

Monday 9am - 5pm
Tuesday 9am - 5pm
Wednesday 9am - 5pm
Thursday 9am - 5pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm
Sunday 12pm - 5pm

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