Online Extras for the February 2011 issue include how to cut the hinge in the the folding bookstand article, a link to Adam King’s podcast interview with Michael Fortune, the Right Way to Prepare Lumber PDF, Shaker Wall Cupboard Sketchup file and more. Read more
February 2011 #188
Our cover story for the February 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking is a three-legged occasional table by Michael Fortune. It can be built using steam-bending techniques or clever bent laminations.
In a creative nonfiction story, Roy Underhill writes about André Roubo and his folding bookstand, built from one piece of walnut. The piece was used at the “Altar of the Nation” when General Lafayette swore allegiance to the new republic in 1790. The article includes plans translated from Roubo’s original text.
Marc Adams teaches a geometry lesson in veneer as he shows you how to make “Louis cubes,” a simple form of parquetry that is easier to make than it appears (really!).
Senior Editor Glen D. Huey compares three-knife cutterheads with two staggertooth designs. He’ll help you decide if you need to upgrade your cutterhead in your jointer or planer (or both).
Editor Christopher Schwarz shows you how to build a Shaker wall cupboard, a classic piece from the New Lebanon Shaker community. It’s easy to complete in just a few hours.
In Tool Test, we try out the Benchcrafted Glide Vise, the “Polar Bear” hybrid table saw from Grizzly and the new Side Winder Router Lift from Woodpeckers.
George R. Walker discusses the humble yet essential divider in Design Matters.
In Arts & Mysteries, Bob Rozaieski shows you how to tune up and use traditional moulding planes in Replace Your Tailed Router.
Our I Can Do That project for this issue is a pirate chest with a curved lid, built by Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick.
Chris Schwarz visits an incredible shop in Living the European Dream for Great Woodshops.
In Flexner on Finishing, Bob Flexner gives a finishing overview to help you make sense of the many types of finish available.
End Grain, by Brendan Isaac Jones, features a squirrel surprise.
Detailed article previews are below. Online Extras are found in the articles.
[description]Articles from the February 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine[/description][keywords]Popular Woodworking Magazine, Magazine Articles, Technique Articles, Project Articles, Tool Reviews, Finishing[/keywords]
Three-legged Occasional Table
Steam-bending or bent laminations can be used to make this eye-catching design.
By Michael Fortune
Page: 26-33
From the February 2011 issue #188
Buy this issue now
The design of this table is part of a series that I revisit from time to time. The original concept for the series was based on a pinwheel (a common example of which is a child’s pinwheel on a stick that blows in the wind.)
This shape lends itself to repeating one design element several times then attaching them together, an efficient approach when making furniture. So far I’ve made several different stools, cabinets and even massive boardroom tables based on the same pinwheel motif. Generally speaking, I come up with an idea then problem-solve how to do it, often relying on the well documented history of furniture making in books and magazines.
For this table I revisited a sketchbook that is 25 years old. At the time I had completed a commission for stacking
tables with Australian lacewood tops and steam-bent cherry frames. In my design exploration there were several sketches that I thought had some value but didn’t work for that particular commission so so I filed them away for use at a later date. My old sketchbooks have become an idea bank that I’ll make a withdrawal from when I’m casting about for something to make.
Web Site: See more of Michael’s work on his web site.
Web Site: Find out when Michael is teaching at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking.
To Buy: Purchase Michael’s CDs on various aspects of design and construction.
In Our Store: The “Sourcebook of Modern Furniture.” Read more
Roubo’s Folding Bookstand
A woodwright translates (and channels) the 18th-century French Master.
By Roy Underhill
Page: 34-37
From the February 2011 issue #188
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Translating André Roubo’s instructions from the 18th-century French is a delight, for he speaks to you as if he’s just stopped by your bench. The level of detail assures you that this is something he has done himself, and the money-saving tips remind you of his early days as a poor apprentice. Even the way he often leaves out the first thing you should know until the very last gives you the sense of a mind overflowing with knowledge.
This little bookstand from plate No. 331 of “L’Art du Menuisier” will give you a quick dip into the torrent of his genius. It’s a modest but appropriate introduction to the man, because books truly bookended his life story – as we’ll see when we first walk a few miles in the boots of Monsieur Roubo.
Video: Watch select episodes of “The Woodwright’s Shop” online.
School: Discover Roy’s “The Woodwright’s School.”
In Our Store: The eight benches in Roubo’s shop are pictured in Plate 11, which we offer as a poster suitable for framing.
In Our Store: “The Woodwright’s Guide: Working Wood with Wedge & Edge” and other books and articles by Roy.
Blog Post: “Use a SketchUp Model to ‘Get It’
Blog Post: “Another Way to Do It”
Read more
Shaker Wall Cupboard
A classic form from the New Lebanon Shaker community is easy to build in a few hours. By Christopher Schwarz Page: 48-49 From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue now If you don’t like nails, then perhaps you should turn the page. This small wall cupboard from the New Lebanon Shaker community bristles … Read more
Tool Test: Benchcrafted Glide Vise
Machined to the nth degree, this leg vise clamps like a champ. By Megan Fitzpatrick Page: 16 From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue now The Benchcrafted Glide Leg Vise takes its design cues from a traditional leg vise with a wooden screw, but this contemporary iteration works more smoothly, easily and quickly. … Read more
I Can Do That: Pirate Chest
Masonry nails and two XXL leather belts impart the ‘arghh!’ in this build. By Megan Fitzpatrick Page: 24-25 From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue now Don’t let the curved top of this “pirate chest” scare you. It’s a lot less tricky than it may appear – and it’s excellent practice with your … Read more
End Grain: Squirrel Surprise
A project with a bite.
By Brendan Isaac Jones
Page: 64
From the February 2011 issue #188
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How do three carpenters feed an abandoned baby squirrel? Glass dropper in hand, huddled around a kitchen table in the historic district of downtown Alexandria, Va., we discovered the answer: with great difficulty.
The day previous, atop scaffolding in the driving rain, Jay pried off a return from the termite-damaged cornice of a house on Prince Street. We heard the sound of scampering, and a rust-red squirrel exploded out from the darkness of rotted wood. It balanced briefly on Jay’s arm, seemed to consider the weather, then trotted down the side of the building. So it goes when you’re replacing the entire cornice on a 19th-century townhouse. Back to work.
The following day, as we replaced termite-ridden framing, a splinter of wood fell on the yellow grating of the scaffold. Just before we swept it onto the waiting canvas 40′ below, the splinter moved, and revealed a dun-colored belly, tiny whiskers and two slits where eyes should be. It looked, with its little arms, like a ginger root. We picked him up, and decided we had in our hands a baby squirrel. Naturally, we named him “Cornice.”
Article: Read “Almost a Plane Wreck.”
Articles: Read our many free articles about hand tool use. Read more