What $100,000 of Woodworking Looks Like

Aolani Studios builds a $100,000 woodworking project over five months, showcasing complex techniques and tools for massive curved windows.

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Key Takeaways

Complex woodworking projects require patience, precision, and specialized tools.
Investing in high-quality tools like the Festool domino joiner can significantly improve workflow and results.
Curved and compound angle woodworking demands custom jigs and careful planning.
Safety should never be compromised, even when curiosity tempts risky behavior.
Meticulous measurement and fitting are crucial for large-scale, high-value woodworking builds.

What the video covers

The project took about five months and involved building four large curved main windows valued at over $100,000.
The build required complex joinery techniques, including domino joinery and compound angle cuts on curved mullions.
The creator used specialized tools like Festool domino joiners, a panel saw, and a thicknesser with a helical head for smooth finishes.
The video covers challenges such as designing curved components, flattening mullion sections with a custom sled jig, and precise trimming.
Safety moments and curiosity-driven risks, like near accidents with a bandsaw blade, are shared candidly.
The creator emphasizes the value of expensive but effective tools that save time and improve quality.
The process included making custom templates, hand planing, and careful measurement to ensure perfect fits.
The video also touches on the mental and physical demands of the project, including long hours and attention to detail.
Humor and personal reflections are interspersed throughout, making the technical content engaging.
The project highlights the intersection of craftsmanship, design, and high-end woodworking technology.

Chapters

How long did the woodworking project take to complete?

The project consumed about five months of work, involving detailed craftsmanship and complex techniques.

What tools were essential for building the curved windows?

Key tools included the Festool domino joiner, a panel saw, a thicknesser with a helical head, and custom jigs for flattening and cutting.

What safety advice does the creator share?

The creator shares moments of near accidents, emphasizing the importance of common sense and using push sticks to avoid injury.

Full Transcript — Download SRT & Markdown

Speaker A

How you going? This was probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever agreed to build. The whole project consumed about five months of my life, and I genuinely put blood, sweat, and, well, no tears, but I definitely put blood and sweat into it.

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sweat into it. All right, on first glance, you're like, "It's not that bad." Hey, this is normal. This is getting a bit more complicated.

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All right, on first glance, you're like, "It's not that bad." Hey, this is normal. This is getting a bit more complicated.

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They're massive. With the whole project worth over $100,000, which is terrifying. Now, you might be asking, how does something like this even get designed and built in the first place? This is pretty much how it went. The architect

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This, this is no sleep for months. But then you realize they're curved on both axes.

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Just a heads up. This video will be flipping through methods used building the four big Mian windows. They're all built with similar techniques, so you'll get the point. And talking on method, really the only logical place to start

Speaker A

They're massive, with the whole project worth over $100,000, which is terrifying. Now, you might be asking, how does something like this even get designed and built in the first place? This is pretty much how it went. The architect

Speaker A

And that's coming from a guy whose shop has this wall. Now, given I'm not a total novice with woodworking, it is fair to say I can make my own dominoes, which isn't rocket science. And it's not like you need a

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had a psychedelic dream and put it on paper. Their normal joiner said no. Then I quoted it and they said yes.

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Do you ever have one of those weird intrusive curiosity moments where you're in the middle of doing something a bit mundane and your brain goes, I wonder what would happen if, like, imagine touching a bandsaw blade while it's

Speaker A

Just a heads up. This video will be flipping through methods used building the four big main windows. They're all built with similar techniques, so you'll get the point. And talking on method, really the only logical place to start

Speaker A

I remember thinking, I wonder what'll happen if I just keep cutting. And you can actually see me pause for a second and then decide d what the heck. I think it goes without saying, but I'm I'm never doing that again.

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is the top and bottom plate, which was straightforward enough. I heard about whether to do bent lamination here, but eventually decided on dominoing segments. And to which might I add that the price of this is ridiculous.

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This brings me to yet another overpriced festival product. However, it is worth its weight in gold. This system is just so good and since I've discovered it, I'm using it every chance I get.

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And that's coming from a guy whose shop has this wall. Now, given I'm not a total novice with woodworking, it is fair to say I can make my own dominoes, which isn't rocket science. And it's not like you need a

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every single mullion section to be dead flat that I put together this sled jig and flatten them all like this.

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tutorial on how to do it yourself, but I filmed it anyway. You know, make sure it's milled to the right size, chuck a round-over bit on it, save what would have been $400.

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So, I built this after this project. I think it goes without saying that this panel saw is a massive timesaver. I almost never joint on the jointer anymore. This is just such a perfect consistent rip. However, I do still need

Speaker A

Do you ever have one of those weird intrusive curiosity moments where you're in the middle of doing something a bit mundane and your brain goes, I wonder what would happen if, like, imagine touching a bandsaw blade while it's

Speaker A

And talking about helical heads, you would have seen in my previous video, but this is also the same moment my new machine arrived. Now, was I replacing a machine that still works? Yes. Was I also looking for an excuse to get a

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running? And then common sense obviously kicks in and you don't touch it. Well, this was basically one of those moments.

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washing machine, but I filmed it anyway. The only difference is this one removes wood and not stains.

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I remember thinking, I wonder what'll happen if I just keep cutting. And you can actually see me pause for a second and then decide, "What the heck." I think it goes without saying, but I'm, I'm never doing that again.

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See, this would have been one of the first moments I could switch my brain off during this build. The template is already made. The radius is already glued. It just needs to be flush trimmed. This process is pretty

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First thing, that's the closest thing to woodworking porn you'll ever hear. Second thing, I feel so sorry for anyone who ends up buying this and doesn't get to experience that sound.

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Nothing. Nothing went wrong. I just wanted the suspense. Everybody out here. Good morning. I'll probably say yada yada yada. This is very important because blah blah blah. But this is actually very important because these two are actually the door jam. And because the frame is

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This brings me to yet another overpriced Festool product. However, it is worth its weight in gold. This system is just so good and since I've discovered it, I'm using it every chance I get.

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Okay, that was probably clear as mud. So look at this for context. Exhibit A, if I didn't do anything, and exhibit B, what I did You know that saying, measure twice, cut it once? Well, how about measure once

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In Australia, there's a famous podcast duo called Hamish and Andy. Now, Hamish is known for being fast and loose and Andy for being organized and proper. I definitely had the latter mindset when doing this job. I was so determined for

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Well, I'm genuinely curious as to whether it fit this good the first time, but this is the only footage I have of it. Surely not.

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every single mullion section to be dead flat that I put together this sled jig and flattened them all like this.

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Actually, that would be terrifying. Back to the point. I'm only saying this because it saved me a lot of this cleaning up.

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I could do this on the jointer, but I wasn't risking anything but perfect here, so I just put in the hours. And I know what you're going to say next. It'd probably be best to just have a dedicated sled table. And you're right.

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And can I stress again, this wasn't just cutting an angle straight through each piece. Because the faces of the mullions aren't square to one another, each cut is a compound angle on a piece that's already curved.

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So, I built this after this project. I think it goes without saying that this panel saw is a massive timesaver. I almost never joint on the jointer anymore. This is just such a perfect consistent rip. However, I do still need

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saw to trim them to size. You're probably thinking, couldn't they just be cut to size before the router table? Well, I thought the same thing before I blew the first test piece to pieces because nothing was supporting the tip of the triangle.

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to clean up each edge on the thicknesser, which does kind of sound wrong until you realize the finish left by a helical head is so smooth, I don't even need to sand it most of the time.

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Actually, that's that's a lie. I just I lost the footage. So, we're stuck with a pretty mixed bag of clips. But if you do want to know a bit more about how to make each of these curved beadings, you

Speaker A

And talking about helical heads, you would have seen in my previous video, but this is also the same moment my new machine arrived. Now, was I replacing a machine that still works? Yes. Was I also looking for an excuse to get a

Speaker A

at least I used a push stick. [sighs] I'm not sure if there's a better way to do this, but I had to make some pretty funky shapes for this beating. The back edge is straight and flat to meet the

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bigger one? Also, yes. But it was definitely the right decision. Now, to most people, this is probably as exciting as watching someone unbox a new washing machine. But to most woodworkers, it, it pretty much still is like watching someone unboxing a new

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So I pretty much had to hand plane each flush with the frame. By this point, I was actually feeling quitly optimistic, But you know that scene in Shrek where he says, "It's quiet, too quiet." That's exactly what watching this footage back feels like.

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washing machine, but I filmed it anyway. The only difference is this one removes wood and not stains.

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And no, it wasn't on the new planer thicknesser. It was something far less intimidating.

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I won't be using it for now as I'm waiting for my three-phase to get hooked up. So, you'll see it running later in the video.

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reached straight through the opening. Was I rushing? Yes. Was the whole setup avoidable? Also, yes.

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See, this would have been one of the first moments I could switch my brain off during this build. The template is already made. The radius is already glued. It just needs to be flush trimmed. This process is pretty

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And if there's one real test of whether all this was worth it, it's loading it onto a truck, driving it to sight, and seeing if it survives the journey. Now, I did forget to film the install, so you're going to have to use your

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foolproof until you remember the fool is still operating the butt clincher router bit. And just when I switch off, what could possibly go wrong?

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fives are exchanged. Someone cracks a beer. And everyone pretends they weren't slightly worried it wasn't going to fit in the first place.

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Nothing. Nothing went wrong. I just wanted the suspense. Everybody out here. Good morning. I'll probably say yada yada yada. This is very important because blah blah blah. But this is actually very important because these two are actually the door jamb. And because the frame is

Topics:woodworkingcurved windowsdomino joinerFestoolpanel sawhelical headcustom jigswoodworking projectjoinery techniqueswoodworking tools

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