The cover project for the August 2010 issue of Popular Woodworking is a workbench in the 18th-century style. Andre Roubo first drew it in L’art de Menuisier. It endures as quite possibly the most perfect workbench ever designed. Our version, built by Editor Christopher Schwarz, was built using exclusively hand tools (except for one 6′ rip on the band saw).
Senior Editor Glen D. Huey shows you how to turn a puny half-lap joint into a strong, mitered half-lap joint in just minutes with a router, a straight bit and a piece of plywood.
In this first of two installments from Toshio Odate, discover how to marry Japanese design sensibilities with Western dining table traditions (legs that accommodate chairs) in Magobei’s Dining Table.
Jim Tolpin shows you how to make a footstool perfectly sized to your own body dimensions (your hands serve as the unit of measure) in Design by Foot, Hand & Eye.
Dress up the outside of your shop (or your house) with this easy-to-build old plane birdhouse (the only birdhouse Christopher Schwarz has ever made).
Bob Flexner shows you two methods for filling pores for an elegant look.
In Woodworking with Wee Ones, discover the secrets to getting kids into the workshop (all it takes is free range of imagination – and lies).
George Walker writes about sublime echoes in Design Matters.
Detailed article previews are below. Online Extras (downloads, etc.) for this issue can be found inside each article.
From the August 2010 issue #184
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If you’re tired of sanding for extended periods with your palm stretched across the top of a random-orbit sander, and your fingers held spider-like to manipulate the switch, take a look at Makita’s new BO5041 tool.
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From the August 2010 issue #184
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If you’ve been slow to step up and spend your hard-earned money on an impact driver because you’re not sure if you would use the tool enough to justify the cash outlay, Bosch has introduced a tool that should ease your commitment issues.
Bosch’s 18v Lithium-ion Impact Drill/Driver (26618-01) offers an ideal combination of torque, speed and control, all within a single tool. It has three-modes: an impact mode, so you can put the tool to use when sinking long screws or when ratcheting nuts and bolts, and two drill modes that satisfy all your standard drill-driver duties.
Article: Impact drivers made the “Best New Tools” list two years running. Read more at popularwoodworking.com/aug10. Read more
One word describes this tool, its cutters and the twist on the materials used: innovative.
By the editors
Page: 16
From the August 2010 issue #184
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Seldom does a tool come along that changes how we look at a woodworking technique, but the Noden Inlay Razor does just that. The Inlay Razor, designed by Adjust-A-Bench inventor Geoffrey Noden, allows you to make an unlimited variety of inlay bandings as quickly as you can prepare the wood.
Although the process looks as if it might be slow, the work glides along easily. In fact, the process to create straight or curved banding is as addictive as it is creative.
While the tool itself is very simple, the idea and the design of the cutters used to slice the wood are outstanding and a bit mind-bending. The concept is light-years ahead of its time, but the cutting blades are decades old.
Blog: Read more about this tool and watch a short video at popularwoodworking.com/aug10. Read more
By Christopher Schwarz Page: 8 From the August 2010 issue #184 Buy this issue now I have spent my life avoiding politics in all forms. In fact, when I was a kid, the most memorable political statement I heard was: “If voting could really change things, then it would be illegal.” I know that sounds … Read more
