December 2011 #194
Our cover story for the December 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking is 12 Rules for Tool Chests, by Contributing Editor Christopher Schwarz. He builds a traditional tool chest that will hold all of your hand tools in one convenient spot.
In Complementary Curves, Jeff Miller shows how most of the challenge in making his graceful arch table with bent-laminations is in the prep.
In Straight Talk on Sharpening, Deneb Puchalski shows that while a cambered plane blade works fine, it is important to first experience “sharp” on a straight blade.
Ernie Conover shows how to keep your lathe from loafing between jobs with this inexpensive Shop-built Disc Sander.
Special wood is the starting point of inspiration for these boxes infused with the past in Ted Brown’s Krenov-style ‘Memories Box.
In Chester County Style, Charles Bender shows how this Pennsylvania county developed unique and recognizable furniture.
This issue’s I Can Do That project is a gent’s box by Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick.
In this issue’s Tool Test, we take a look at Veritas’s Bevel-up Smoothing Plane, Leigh’s R9Plus through-dovetail and box-joint jig, and a new veneer saw from Gramercy Tools.
In Design Matters, George R. Walker shows how developing your design skills is a journey of discovery.
In Arts & Mysteries, Adam Cherubini shows how today’s tool choices pale in comparison to what 18th-century craftsmen typically had in their tool boxes.
In Flexner on Finishing, Bob Flexner dispels many of the myths about French polishing.
Brian Boggs suggests that you consider yourself a midwife to creativity in The Myth of Original Design.
Detailed article previews are below.
12 Rules for Tool Chests
Don’t reinvent the wheel when storing your tools. A proper chest is still the best.
By Christopher Schwarz
Pages: 26-31
From the December 2011 issue #194
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When I tell people that I’ve worked out of a traditional tool chest for 15 years, they look at me as if I’m someone who has not yet discovered the joys of indoor plumbing.
They say, “Haven’t you tried a wall cabinet? Or built storage below your workbench? Why not a series of open shelves next to your bench?”
VIDEO: See how easy it is to get to all your tools with just one hand motion.
BLOG: Follow the Lost Art Press blog for more insights into tool chests.
ARTICLE: Read the rules for workbenches.
TO BUY: “The Anarchist’s Tool Chest,” by Christopher Schwarz (Lost Art Press).
IN OUR STORE: “Handplane Essentials” (Popular Woodworking) by Christopher Schwarz is available in both print and as a digital download.
Complementary Curves
Most of the challenge in making this graceful table is in the prep.
By Jeff Miller
Pages: 32-39
From the December 2011 issue # 194
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Many interesting pieces of furniture are deceptively simple. Deceptive, because although they appear simple, they are actually very difficult to make. Although this is occasionally true in my own work, that’s not the case with the Arch Table, a piece that looks more complicated to make than it actually is. I’m not saying it’s easy; there’s a lot of preparatory work, and it is quite demanding in terms of shop resources. But the stuff that looks hard to do is actually not all that bad.
BLOG: Read Jeff’s design and furniture making blog.
VIDEO: Jeff talks about his table in our free online video.
VIDEO: Watch our free video of Jeff’s ellipse jig in action.
IN OUR STORE: “500 Tables: Inspiring Interpretations of Function & Style” by Julie Hale.
Straight Talk on Sharpening
While a cambered plane blade works fine, why start the hard way?
By Deneb Puchalski
Pages: 40-43
From the December 2011 issue # 194
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A sharp edge is an absolute necessity for hand-tool woodworking – but for many beginners, sharpening plane irons and chisels is an obstacle rather than a gateway to enjoying hand tools. Using dull tools not only requires more effort, it yields poor results. I believe sharpening is a skill that you must master in order to do good work. That doesn’t mean it has to be hard to do.
PLAN: Download a free PDF plan for Deneb’s “Angle Setting Jig.”
TO BUY: “Coarse, Medium & Fine,” an explanation of bench planes, by Christopher Schwarz.
TO BUY: Get Christopher Schwarz’s DVD “The Last Word on Sharpening.”
IN OUR STORE: Get Ron Hock’s comprehensive book “The Perfect Edge.”
Shop-built Disc Sander
Keep your lathe from loafing between jobs with this easy-to-make, inexpensive disc sander.
By Ernie Conover
Pages: 44- 47
From the December 2011 issue #194
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Disc sanders are invaluable for anyone working with small parts, such as toymakers, instrument builders, model makers and turners doing segmented work. In fact, any shop will find the machine well worth having.
Your wood lathe provides an ideal platform for a shop-built disc sander that won’t cost you more than $50 and a few hours of shop time. Your lathe’s bed provides a rock-solid platform for the table, and the headstock and spindle powers the rotary action. An added benefit is variable speed, a feature that dedicated machines don’t offer. You can adapt the sander size and capacity to the swing of your lathe. Even a mini-lathe will allow a 10"-diameter sanding disc.
VIDEO: Watch Ernie as he works on the details of the disc sander.
WEB SITE: Read about Conover Workshops, Ernie’s school.
TO BUY: Ernie’s latest book, “The Frugal Woodworker” (Fox Chapel) from which this story is excerpted. Available in mid-2012.
IN OUR STORE: Want to learn the fundamentals of turning? Get our video “Turning Basics for Furniture Makers.
Krenov-style 'Memories Box'
Wood is the starting point of inspiration for these boxes infused with the past.
By Ted Brown
Pages: 48-51
From the December 2011 issue #194
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In my mind, this article goes to the root of why we work wood. It is about the philosophy of creating things in wood and the approach more so than the technical application of skill. Back in 1993, I spent nine months studying a way of working under James Krenov at the College of the Redwoods in Fort Bragg, Calif. Yes, I learned technical things there, but more important is that Jim inspired us to think, to be sensitive in our choices and to do the very best we could in the execution.
ARTICLE: For another approach to a small, contemporary box, read Gary Rogowski’s “Jasmine Box.”
ARTICLE: For more on applying shellac, read Bob Flexner’s “French Polishing Myths,” in this issue on page 60.
TO BUY: Build your skills with “Box by Box,” by Jim Stack.
IN OUR STORE: “New Masters of the Wooden Box,” by Oscar Fitzgerald.
Chester County Style
This Pennsylvania area developed unique and recognizable furniture.
By Charles Bender
Pages: 52-55
From the December 2011 issue #194
Buy the issue now
From its green rolling hills in the south and plains-like farmland in its middle to the nearly mountainous terrain in the north, the topography of Chester County, Penn., is as diverse as its people and, more important, its furniture. As woodworkers, nearly everyone who is interested in period furniture has heard of Chester County. But do many even know where Chester County is?
BLOG: Read Chuck’s blog for more on the Chester County style.
WEB SITE: Read more about Acanthus Workshops and Chuck's classes.
TO BUY: “Cabriole Legs Simplified,” a DVD by the author.
IN OUR STORE: Chuck can teach you how to “Carve a Ball & Claw Foot”with his step-by-step DVD.
I Can Do That: Gent's Chest
A simple box for basic household tools.
By Megan Fitzpatrick
Pages: 58-59
From the December 2011 issue #194
Buy this issue now
Common in the 19th-century, a “Gentleman’s Tool Chest” typically contained a set of fancy household tools including the first “multi-tools” – a handsome handle into which a variety of tools including gimlets, drivers, chisels and the like could be fitted. The chest might also include a small brass-backed saw, a filigreed square, dividers, a brass hammer and more – “showcase tools” for the squire who simply liked to putter around the house.
BLOG: Discover more about period Gentleman’s Chests.
PLAN: Download the free SketchUp plan.
ARTICLES: All the “I Can Do That” articles are free online.
