August 2011 #191RSS

Popular Woodworking August 2011 issueOur cover story for the August 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking is a Pennsylvania spice box built by Senior Editor Glen D. Huey, with three hidden compartments behind 11 drawers.

Ron Herman teaches how sizing tools to the user leads to more efficient and more comfortable work.

In Coffee with the Brethren, Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick builds a Shaker-inspired coffee table with through-drawers.

Executive Editor Robert W. Lang shows how elements of a martial art can help improve your work in Tai Chi & Woodworking.

Editor Christopher Schwarz builds a light bulb-shaped lamp out of plywood in A Bright Idea.

You’ll learn how to make massive dovetails that fit together like a glove using a router, band saw and hand tools from Jameel Abraham.

In Royal Flooring in Appalachia, Don Williams shares his story of how antique parquet floors from Paris found a new home in his rural Virginia woodshop.

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

[description]Articles from the August 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine[/description][keywords]Popular Woodworking Magazine, Magazine Articles, Technique Articles, Project Articles, Tool Reviews, Finishing[/keywords]
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Coffee with the Brethren

Build a Shaker-inspired coffee table with through-drawers.

By Megan Fitzpatrick
Pages: 38-41

Coffee tables didn’t exist as a furniture form until the 1920s (when they were known as cocktail tables). So while there is no true Shaker coffee table, I needed a table to put in front of my couch that would work well with the other Shaker-influenced furniture in my living room. And to my mind, that’s one of the best things about being a woodworker – the ability to design and make exactly what you want. So that’s what I did.

ARTICLE: Read “Four Good Ways to Make Drawers.”
ARTICLE: The article for the bookcase that goes with this table is available on our web site, free.
BLOG: Read about making these drawers.
MODEL: Click here for the SketchUp model of the Shaker-inspired Coffee Table.
TO BUY: The article on the matching Shaker stepback can be downloaded from our store.
IN OUR STORE: If you like the Shaker style, get “Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture.” Read more »

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If the Tool Fits…

Tools sized to the user lead to more efficient and comfortable work.

By Ron Herman
Pages: 34-37

One of the first things I do with new employees is fit them to a handsaw. And as a woodworker, fitting tools to yourself is one of the first things you should do, too. Why? If a tool is uncomfortable to use, you won’t practice using it – and if you don’t practice, you can’t master a tool or technique. Instead, you’ll look for alternate ways to do the chore. And even if you’ve already mastered a tool, the easier and more comfortable it is to use, the more precise you’ll be. It’s like anything else – if it doesn’t fit, it doesn’t work.

SLIDE SHOW: Take a tour of Ron’s shop.
SLIDE SHOW: Take a tour of Ron’s shop.
BLOG: If you have questions about the proper size of a bench, read Editor Chris Schwarz’s blog.
TO BUY: Ron has sharpened thousands of hand saws. And you can learn how he does it with a new DVD: “Sharpen Your Handsaws with Ron Herman.”
IN OUR STORE: Get “The Joinery Challenge with Ron Herman” DVD.
Read more »

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Royal Flooring in Appalachia

Paris parquet finds a new home in a rural Virginia woodshop.

By Don Williams
Pages 54-55

The convergent threads of life are sometimes amazing, coincidental things.
My earliest and most important mentors in the restoration arts were Pop and Fred Schindler, the remarkable father and son of an eponymous shop, who first introduced me to Monsieur André Roubo nearly 40 years ago. Their roles in shaping me as an artisan cannot be overstated.

BLOG: Editor Christopher Schwarz has written a lot about the Roubo workbench – find all the entries on his blog.
WEB SITE: “L’Art du Menuisier” is available in the original 18th-century French on Google Books.
TO BUY: Plate 11 of “L’Art du Menuisier” is available as a poster, suitable for framing. Read more »

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Meet Don Williams (He’s in our August Issue)

From the August 2011 issue #191 Buy this issue now Don Williams is a Washington, D.C.-based conservator, educator, author, and finisher, and has over the past 40 years worked on preserving and restoring some of the most interesting objects in our nation’s public and private collections. He has written, lectured and demonstrated on an array … Read more »

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Tricks of the Trade

This month’s winning trick is a nifty solution for Slide-out Tool Storage, from Dyami Plotke

Edited by Kari Hultman
Pages: 14-15
ADDITIONAL IMAGES: See the construction process of the slide-out tool storage cabinet.
VIDEO: Tricks-in-Action shows you a free video of one of this issue’s tricks in use in our shop. Watch “A Better Dado Setup” – as well as a few of our other favorites.
WEB SITE: Visit the new Tricks of the Trade page online.
BLOG: Tricks editor Kari Hultman writes about woodworking on her blog, The Village Carpenter.
IN OUR STORE: “601 Woodshop Tips & Tricks,” by Graham McCulloch. Read more »

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End Grain: My Design, Dad’s Tools

A proper chest to store prized chisels.

By Glen D. Huey
Page: 64

The most prominent piece of furniture in my mom’s living room is a Queen Anne lowboy my dad built. As you can imagine, the piece is coveted by family members, as it was the first piece he tackled as a furniture maker. Dad had experience in home construction, but was new to furniture making. Right out of the gate he chose cabriole legs and a carved fan – that’s the way he approached woodworking and life.

ARTICLE: Read about Seaton’s tool chest.
Read more »