Popular Woodworking Magazine » Popular Woodworking Magazine Article Index

Voysey Mantel Clock

Article Index — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:39:16 +0000

Build this sleek, contemporary-looking design from 1895.By Robert W. Lang Pages 22-29Charles Francis Annesley Voysey (1857-1941) was one of the eminent architects and designers of the British Arts & Crafts movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Voysey designed complete environments, including textile and wallpaper patterns. His work influenced American designers such as Harvey Ellis, who is also known for the use of architectural details in furniture designs.Blog: Read about an alternate method used to make the inlaid ring out of wood. To Buy: “Arts & Crafts Furniture Classics” is a compilation of Robert W. Lang’s project articles from the pages of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Web Site: See photos of the original Voysey clock at the Victoria & Albert Museum. Download: Get full-size patterns of the panel bottoms, clock hands, dome and spire. Voysey Drawings In Our Store: Buy the video and watch the author build this project step by step. Read more »

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Carve a Classic Linenfold Panel

Article Index — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:20:24 +0000

Learn the techniques to carve this traditional flowing drapery design.By Mary May Pages 30-35Backpacking across Europe as a college student, I experienced the awe-inspiring splendor of magnificent cathedrals and castles. I took every opportunity I could to visit these buildings, and I was afraid to blink for fear of missing some intricate and important detail; I just could not get enough. Without realizing it, this was the start of my passion and love for the art of woodcarving.Pattern: Download a free, full-size pattern of the linenfold design the author used to carve the panel in this article: Linen Pattern Web Site: Visit Mary May’s site for information on classes and to view a gallery of her work. Blog: Learn more about linenfold carving as you watch the author work on her panel. To Buy: Master the techniques to make 17th-century New England S-scroll carvings. In Our Store: DVDs and online classes in carving detailed acanthus leaf and shell carvings with master carver Mary May – Coming Soon. Read more »

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William & Mary Spice Chest

Article Index — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 15:19:23 +0000

Curved stretchers, turned legs and hidden drawers make this piece a standout.By Zachary Dillinger Pages 40-46In the early 18th century, the fashionable place to store household spices was in an attractive, lockable spice chest. These chests were status symbols, because having one indicated your household was wealthy enough to require an entire chest to store these luxuries. This chest was inspired by a circa-1720 William & Mary Philadelphia piece; I used period techniques and tools to build it. And while we no longer treat household spices as valuables, the chest provides handsome storage in my modern household.Blog: Read Zachary Dillinger’s hand-tool blog. Article: Read Charles Bender’s article on the William & Mary style from our April 2010 issue (#182). Blog: Read more about how the author builds drawers for his 18th-century reproductions. In Our Store: “Building 18th-Century American Furniture,” by Glen D. Huey. Read more »

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Take a U-turn to Scoop a Chair Seat

Article Index — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:55:05 +0000

A table saw and a simple jig make a time-consuming task quick and easy.By Mario Rodriguez Pages 36-39Woodworkers use all sorts of techniques to scoop out their chair seats. Many commonly resort to hacking out the waste with traditional tools such as an adze, travisher and scorp. Others design and assemble elaborate jigs to precisely guide and control a router. Some take the high-tech route and employ CNC equipment. But no woodworkers I know would turn to their table saws to get this tricky job done.Blog: Watch a short video in which Mario Rodriguez put his jig through its paces. Web Site: Take a tour of the author’s shop and school, Philadelphia Furniture Workshop. In Our Store: Order our full-length DVD “Table Saw Jigs & Fixtures.” Read more »

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Double-bevel Artistry

Article Index — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 14:36:50 +0000

A scrollsaw and simple steps yield stunning inlay results.By Jameel Abraham Pages 47-50Picture a two-layer cake. Using a knife, cut a circle out of the middle while holding the knife perfectly vertical. You now have two cylinders of cake that you can easily pull out of the rest of the cake.Now start again with a fresh two-layer cake, but this time tilt the knife handle in toward the center of the cake as you cut the circle. You now have two cones, each smaller toward the top of the cake, tapering to larger at the bottom. The top cone pulls out easily. (Feel free to eat that piece.) The lower and larger cone from the bottom half of the cake, however, you can pull up only so far before it wedges itself in the top layer’s conical hole. It fits so well, in fact, that it virtually disappears. That’s because it exactly matches the shape of the hole, because both were cut at the same time.Pattern: Download the pattern used for the inlay in this article – Inlay Pattern. Models: See the author’s progression of SketchUp scenes that lead you through the double-bevel inlay process. Blog: Read the Benchcrafted blog for more from Jameel Abraham. In Our Store: “Creating Veneer, Marquetry & Inlay” DVD. Read more »

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Southern Gent’s Mirror Stand

Article Index — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 20:05:51 +0000

Discovered in a museum basement, this Piedmont design makes heads turn.By Glen D. Huey Pages 51-55My first trip to the Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts was for business. Robert W. Lang, the magazine’s executive editor, and I traveled to Winston-Salem, N.C., to research and select furniture projects for the book “Furniture in the Southern Style” (Popular Woodworking Books).Upon our arrival, we did not head straight for the museum showrooms as you might expect. Instead, we headed toward a furniture junkie’s dream – a basement filled with file cabinets, each stuffed with furniture photos and related information.Video: Watch the author “bump-cut” tenons at his table saw. Blog: Read more about the interesting twist of the top’s rabbet joinery. Plan: Download free, full-size drawings of the post stand and mirror crest designs. Top Pattern – Side Pattern In Our Store: Read articles on more Southern furniture including a cellarette, sugar chest and small slant-lid desk. To Buy: Measured drawings of Southern furniture in “Furniture in the Southern Style Collection” (book and CD). Read more »

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Tool Test: Infinity Shrinks the Dado Stack

Article Index — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 19:32:39 +0000

'Dadonator Jr.' is small in size but big on performance.By Steve Shanesy Page 14Regardless of what you may think, size doesn’t matter – at least not when you’re talking dado stacks. Infinity Cutting Tools’ 8" “Dadonator” was highly touted when it was released in 2008. Today, Infinity offers the “Dadonator Jr.” It’s the same tool only smaller in diameter (6") and price.Article: Read the full review of the 8" Dadonator from our October 2004 issue. Read more »

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Tool Test: Amana Countersinks Conquer Burning & Marring

Article Index — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 19:24:55 +0000

By Steve Shanesy Page 14Amana Tool has four new countersinks with various-sized drill bits and non-marring depth stops.Each countersink has twin carbide-tipped flutes, and these are the only countersinks in the industry with this feature. Carbide-tipped flutes allow the bit to cut cleanly and last longer when working with hardwoods, plywoods and other engineered wood products.Article: Learn more about countersinks and countersink bit designs. Read more »

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Tool Test: Clever Spyder Jigsaw Blades Make Super-tight Turns

Article Index — Sat, 01 Jun 2013 19:17:39 +0000

By Steve Shanesy Page 16Spyder, a Kansas City, Mo.-based company, has introduced a jigsaw blade with teeth on the front and back edges. At first glance, these blades look odd at best and gimmicky at worst. But after taking these blades for a test-drive, I began to understand the versatility offered by this innovation. Of course it’s possible to cut moving backward, but the bigger surprise is how tight of a radius cut you can make – less than 3⁄4" in diameter.Video: See the Spyder double-sided jigsaw blade in action. Read more »

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Tool Test: Vesper Tools Try Square: Perfect & Functional

Article Index — Thu, 30 May 2013 22:42:25 +0000

By Christopher Schwarz Page 16Every shop needs a square that is the ultimate arbiter of squareness. It is the tool that determines if your jointer fence is 90° to the table, if the end of a board has been shot square or if a drawer’s joints are correct.While I love my combination square, it has worn a bit after 16 years of daily use to the point where I don’t trust it for high-tolerance tasks. So this spring I purchased a 7" try square from Chris Vesper, an Australian precision toolmaker, and it is now my favorite square.Blog: Read about a visit to Chris Vesper’s shop in Australia. Read more »

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