Popular Woodworking Magazine » February 2012 #195

I Can Do That: Message Center

Article Index — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 00:51:28 +0000

A low-tech solution for a family on the go. By Steve Shanesy Pages: 26-27 From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now. The kitchen is the crossroads for today’s busy family. And while we have high-tech gadgets to text messages, take notes and keep a calendar, I’ve found a kitchen message board has … Read more »

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Serpentine Chest

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:55:48 +0000

Expand your casework repertoire with a curvaceous front.By Glen D. Huey Pages: 28-35From the February 2012 issue #195. Buy the issue now.One of the most interesting aspects of a serpentine chest, with its front concave at the ends and convex in the center, is how the wood grain changes as the curves undulate across the front. A drawer front that begins as a piece of flat stock presents three distinct areas after shaping. The grain in the concave sections displays an “X” pattern, while the grain in the center section forms a circle. The patterns highlight the curved front to give the chest a more distinctive appearance.* In the cut list for the Serpentine Chest, the drawer fronts were incorrectly listed as 1 -3/4" thick; the correct thickness for each drawer front is 2 -3/4."MODEL: Click here for the SketchUp model of the Serpentine Chest. VIDEO: See Glen use a router setup to remove the bulk of the waste from dovetail sockets. MORE VIDEO: Discover the treasures of 42 diplomatic reception rooms at the U.S. Department of State building in Washington, D.C., home to a fabulous collection of American antiques. IN OUR STORE: “Building 18th-Century American Furniture” by Glen D. Huey – an extensive collection of project plans of the author’s favorite furniture pieces. Also, Glen’s video, “Cheating at Handcut Dovetails.” Read more »

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Handle With Care

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:52:51 +0000

Make your own door and drawer pulls for a custom finishing touch on your work.By Gary Rogowski Pages: 36-39From the February 2012 issue #195. Buy the issue now.It’s the grip that counts. A limp handshake is as bad as a poorly designed handle. OK – that’s a stretch. But there is something to a well-designed handle that invites you to explore a cabinet or drawer. Handles are usually the first thing that people touch on a cabinet or drawer, and it’s a crucial opportunity for a designer to make a good impression. Yet handles are usually the last thing made for a piece.WEB SITE: Visit the web site for the Northwest Woodworking Studio. ARTICLE: Read Gary’s “Jasmine Jewelry Box” article. BLOG: Read Gary’s blog. IN OUR STORE: “New Masters of the Wooden Box,” by Oscar P. Fitzgerald. Read more »

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A Frame With Architectural Interest

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:50:50 +0000

‘Crossettes’ in the corners add flair to this mirror or picture frame.By Mark Arnold Pages: 40-45From the February 2012 issue #195. Buy the issue now.Architectural elements on which intersecting vertical and horizontal members extend beyond a simple lapped or mitered joint are said to be “crossetted.” The term has been used to describe any projecting corner treatment and has been a decorative staple employed by artisans and designers for centuries.WEB SITE: Visit Mark’s web site to see more of his work and learn about his woodworking classes. ARTICLES: Read the two following articles to make Robert W. Lang’s waveform moulding picture frames: "Modern Wave-form Mouldings" and "Making Frames." WEB SITE: Discover the Society of American Period Furniture Makers. IN OUR STORE: “Complete Guide to Architectural Carving,” by Kurt Koch. Read more »

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Just Plane Round

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:45:08 +0000

An exercise in dowel-making without a lathe.By Charles Bender Pages: 46-49From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.During my formative years as a woodworker my instructor, Werner Duerr, taught many lessons both subtle and gross. Sometimes it wasn’t until years later that I learned the benefit. Toward the end of the first year, students were required to make a box with different compartments to hold nails. The project was timed and had to be completed using both hand and power tools but the bulk of the work had to be done by hand. The handle, in particular, was allowed to be made only by hand. To make a wooden cylinder without the aid of a lathe was one of the subtler lessons in planecraft Werner taught me.WEB SITE: Visit the Acanthus Workshop web site for a schedule of upcoming classes. IN OUR STORE: “Cabriole Legs Simplified,” a DVD from Chuck Bender. Read more »

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Mirrors in Multiples

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:42:01 +0000

Designing the process can be as challenging as designing the object.By Robert W. Lang Pages: 50-53From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.The way something looks is only the first half of a design problem. How to make it and how to make it efficiently are often greater challenges. If you want to make more than one of something, the problem grows exponentially. I designed these hand mirrors as a production item about 30 years ago. They are an example of making good choices from available options for quality and efficiency.VIDEO: Watch a video of the circle-sanding jig in action. FULL-SIZE PATTERN: Download the full-size PDF pattern of this project: Mirror_Pattern Read more »

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Return of the Passer Drill

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:40:57 +0000

A welcome ‘voice’ from the past.By Roy Underhill Pages: 54-55From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.Satellites beep around the globe, kids scream about the band from Liverpool, and after 41 years you’re about to hang it up. Before you do, there’s one more length of rosewood on your bench, one more steel blade – one more try square to complete.WEB SITE: Visit The Woodwright’s School. VIDEO: Watch Roy use his passer drill. IN OUR STORE: “The Woodwright’s Guide: Working Wood with Wedge & Edge,” by Roy Underhill. Read more »

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Great Woodshops: Designs of Note

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:35:07 +0000

A former musician brings an improvisational skill to the craft.By Christopher Schwarz Pages: 58-59From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.Somewhere between street musician and the symphony orchestra, between an 18th-century hand woodworker and a contemporary designer, is Jeff Miller, a Chicago furniture maker, teacher and author who defi es every pigeonhole. In fact, if given the chance, he might just redesign that hole to better fit the pigeon.SLIDESHOW: See more photos of Jeff’s shop. CLASS: Take a class from Jeff. TO BUY: “Chairmaking & Design,” by Jeff Miller. Read more »

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Flexner on Finishing: ‘Green’ Solvents

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:30:37 +0000

These environmentally friendly products are surprisingly effective.By Bob Flexner Pages: 60-62From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.The three primary solvents we use in wood finishing are paint thinner (mineral spirits), lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol. Paint thinner thins and cleans up oils, oil stains and varnishes, including oil-based polyurethane. Lacquer thinner thins and cleans up lacquers and lacquer stains. Denatured alcohol dissolves, thins and cleans up shellac.ARTICLES: We have many finishing articles available free online. IN OUR STORE: “Flexner on Finishing” – 12 years of updated columns illustrated with beautiful full-color images. Read more »

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Design Matters: Sketching: It’s All in Your Mind

Article Index — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 05:25:24 +0000

Try this exercise to unlock imagination.By George R. Walker Pages: 18-20From the February 2012 issue #195 Buy the issue now.In the first century B.C.E., a military architect named Vitruvius captured the distinction between a designer’s mind and the minds of the rest of us.“For all men, not just architects, are capable of appreciating quality; but there is a difference between laymen and architects (designers) in that the former cannot know what a building will be like unless he has seen it completed; while the architect knows perfectly well what it will be like … from the instant he conceives it in his mind, and before he begins it.”BLOG: Read more from George about design on his Design Matters blog. IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s design DVDs. Read more »

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