Popular Woodworking Magazine » December 2011 #194

I Can Do That: Gent’s Chest

Article Index — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 01:37:57 +0000

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, … Read more »

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12 Rules for Tool Chests

Article Index — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:00:45 +0000

Don’t reinvent the wheel when storing your tools. A proper chest is still the best.By Christopher Schwarz Pages: 26-31From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy this issue nowWhen 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. Read more »

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Complementary Curves

Article Index — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:55:12 +0000

Most of the challenge in making this graceful table is in the prep.By Jeff Miller Pages: 32-39From the December 2011 issue # 194 Buy this issue nowMany 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. Read more »

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Straight Talk on Sharpening

Article Index — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:35:17 +0000

While a cambered plane blade works fine, why start the hard way?By Deneb Puchalski Pages: 40-43From the December 2011 issue # 194 Buy the issue nowA 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.” Read more »

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Shop-built Disc Sander

Article Index — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:30:57 +0000

Keep your lathe from loafing between jobs with this easy-to-make, inexpensive disc sander.By Ernie Conover Pages: 44- 47From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue nowDisc 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. Read more »

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Krenov-style ‘Memories Box’

Article Index — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:25:24 +0000

Wood is the starting point of inspiration for these boxes infused with the past.By Ted Brown Pages: 48-51From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue nowIn 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. Read more »

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Chester County Style

Article Index — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 14:22:01 +0000

This Pennsylvania area developed unique and recognizable furniture.By Charles Bender Pages: 52-55From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue nowFrom 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. Read more »

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Design Matters: Why Design?

Article Index — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:51:02 +0000

Developing your skills is a journey of discovery.By George R. Walker Pages: 20-22From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue nowMy brother and I gazed at a sunset from a rocky perch high atop Boulder Pass in Glacier National Park. A ball of orange slipped behind the jagged peaks way out there somewhere toward Japan. We sat there dazzled, not uttering a word as the clouds turned into purple islands in a sea of molten lava. We were doing something we felt passionate about. It took effort to haul our packs up the steep trail, yet we soaked in every moment like a gift. That sunset wasn’t an in-your-face adrenalin rush, but something in the moment, quiet and deep.BLOG: Read more from George about design on his Design Matters blog. IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s DVDs. Read more »

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Arts & Mysteries: Chisels Through the Ancient Eye

Article Index — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 21:50:33 +0000

Today’s tool choices pale in comparison.By Adam Cherubini Pages:24-25From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue now.We’ve talked and written volumes about planes and plane irons, and how to sharpen and use them. But when one thinks about making things by hand, there are a whole host of tools required to complete a project. Some tools get more attention than others. I guess I feel as though chisels have been overlooked.TO BUY: ”Smith’s Key,” reprinted in 1975, is often available through used book stores. WEB SITE: Read more about “Smith’s Key.” IN OUR STORE: Get “The Arts & Mysteries of Hand Tools” on CD. Read more »

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Tool Test: Gramercy Tools Improves Veneer Saw Design

Article Index — Sun, 06 Nov 2011 20:26:46 +0000

By Steve Shanesy Page: 18From the December 2011 issue #194 Buy the issue nowThe traditional English-style veneer saw with its cranked handle is probably more familiar to U.S. woodworkers than is the traditional French-style saw with its handle directly atop the blade. The latter was unfamiliar to me until I picked up this new saw by Gramercy Tools. I then learned the Brooklyn-based toolmaker added a significant new feature: a solid steel 3⁄16"-thick backer plate to which the blade is secured.BLOG: Read more about veneer work at popularwoodworking.com/dec11. Read more »

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