April 2011 #189

Our cover story for the April 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking is a Gustav Stickley Morris chair, built with traditional joinery and techniques by Executive Editor Robert W. Lang.

Editor Christopher Schwarz reports on compwood – a recent innovation that allows you to bend wood without using steam or adhesives.

In his first story for Popular Woodworking, Jameel Abraham shows how a few shop-made appliances allow you to add stunning face-grain inlay to your work in Precision Inlay, Simple Tools.

Senior Editor Glen D. Huey shows you how to make a dovetailed keepsake box that doubles as a master class in tight, quickly cut dovetails.

Discover from John Wilson how to make a variable-pitch jack plane that can be easily adjusted from 45° to 52°.

Bob Lang shows you how one afternoon of work and a scrap of wood can seriously enhance your hand-tool skills in The Gottshall Block Challenge.

In this month’s Tool Test, we take a look at DeWalt’s company routers, the CEROS sander from Mirka and Bosch’s axial-glide miter saw.

In Design Matters, George R. Walker shows how dovetails do double duty as a design feature and joinery.

Bob Rozaieski and Wilbur Pan explore the eerie simlarities between Western and Japanese planes in Arts & Mysteries.

A simple but handsome tool rack (which would also look great in the kitchen) is this issue’s I Can Do That (built by Christopher Schwarz).

Bob Flexner discussed the challenges of shellac in Flexner on Finishing.

Joe McMahon shares a love story that started at a Chicago crime scene in End Grain.

Enhance your knowledge with a glossary of woodworking terms used in the issue.

Detailed article previews are below. Online Extras (downloads, links, etc.) are found within that article.