Popular Woodworking Magazine » June 2010 #183

Online Extras: June 2010 Issue

Article Index — Sat, 12 Feb 2011 17:02:34 +0000

Online Extras for the June 2010 issue include a video of the “Dovetail Tape Trick” – as well as a few of our other blue-tape favorites, a video of the trim router and baseplate in action, a free SketchUp model of the White Water Shaker Table, a free SketchUp model of the Queen Anne dressing table, a free SketchUp model of the stool featured in Barnard's article and more. Read more »

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End Grain: Sandpaper Drawer

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:09:45 +0000

The lessons I learned from Dad’s crumpled and worn-out abrasives. By Joe Barnhart Page: 64From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue nowWhether you’re a professional or hobbyist woodworker, having a keen sense of proper material utilization reduces the cost of projects while extending increasingly hard-to-find resources. Conservation means taking advantage of carefully thought-out plans, cut lists and diagrams, board selection and myriad other techniques – all while avoiding mistakes.Building Baltic birch plywood drawer boxes the other day, it dawned on me that I’d forgotten to allow space for the full-extension slides. I’m avoiding my accompanying phraseology here; let’s just say I threw an immature tantrum, then trimmed the parts. Later, I wondered what childhood woodworking experience would cause such a negative reaction.Article: Read "Under the Rope and Into the Doghouse." Article: read "It's OK to Make Mistakes." Read more »

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Flexner on Finishing: Twenty Questions

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 15:02:35 +0000

Did I mention there would be a quiz? By Bob Flexner Pages: 60-61From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue nowHere are 20 questions, together with the answers, based on my articles from Popular Woodworking. If you have been reading regularly, you should do well.For more in-depth explanations, go to popularwoodworking.com/finishing, where you’ll find many of the articles, and you can find explanations in my book, “Understanding Wood Finishing.”Articles: Visit the "Flexner on Finishing" archive. To buy: Bob Flexner's book, "Understanding Wood Finishing." is available at Amazon.com. Video: Wood Whisperer applies varnish. Article: Read Bob Lang's "An Authentic Art & Craft Finish." Read more »

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Great Woodshops: Country Workshops

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:57:38 +0000

This sylvan school offers a wide variety of classes in woodworking and more. By Stuart Page Pages: 58-59From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue nowCountry Workshops began when Drew Langsner and his wife, Louise, moved from California to the Smoky Mountains. On their farm, a 15-minute drive from the nearest tarmac, they’ve built a two-story cabin by hand, which took two years (and an infinite amount of patience) to build.As I drive the path to the Langsner farm, I marvel at their beautiful buildings: the old tobacco drying barn used as a workshop and guest quarters; and Drew and Louise’s cabin farther up the hill, which looks out over the valley below. Nestled in the trees of the surrounding woodlan is a second guest lodge. And just when you think things can’t get better, you eat some of Louise’s home-cooked food (picked from the garden) and watch the sun set over the valley.I stayed above the workshop in student accommodations, where it is pleasantly cool even in the summer heat. The rooms are Spartan but comfortable, with plenty of craft books for bedtime reading. I found myself diving into tomes about knife-making before falling asleep to the sounds of the forest.If you’re looking for a five-star hotel, look elsewhere. But if you want simple comforts, healthy food in workingman’s portions, warm fires and good company then Country Workshops is what you’re looking for.Web site: Contact Country Workshops. Article: Read about Roy Underhill's The Woodwright's School. Article: Discover John Wilson's The Home Shop. Article: Read about the College of the Redwoods. Read more »

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New Life for an Old Table Saw

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:47:52 +0000

By Steve Shanesy Pages: 54-55 From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue now The dream of a “barn find” looms large in most people’s imagination, whether it’s 1,000 board feet of 18″-wide walnut or a ’67 Mustang (pony interior, of course). Problem is, it rarely happens to you. My turn came last fall … Read more »

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Jig Journal: Shop-made Saw Vise

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:41:00 +0000

A must-have device for sharpening saws. By Robert W. Lang Pages: 52-53From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue nowOne of the cardinal rules of woodworking is that the purchase of one tool begets the need for several others. Sawing by hand is both easier and more accurate than many people think, provided the saw is sharpened properly. Old saws can be an incredible bargain, and if you’re a frugal sort you likely won’t want to spend a lot on sharpening equipment.There are three things you need: a triangular file to make the teeth sharp, a saw set to bend the teeth away from the body of the blade and a vise to hold the blade while you work. A file costs about $5 and a new saw set less than $20. But a new saw vise will set you back more than $120 – unless you make your own.This was the problem we faced a couple years ago when we held a hands-on saw sharpening class at the 2008 Woodworking in America conference. We needed 50 saw vises and we didn’t have a lot of time or money. So we looked at some vintage vises, consulted a saw guru and came up with this design.Any hardwood will do; we used odds and ends we had in our shop of ash, poplar, cherry and oak. Most of the joinery is simple butt joints reinforced with yellow glue and #8 screws. The jaws sit in shallow rabbets in the two uprights, and should be held in place with screws only. You will likely want to modify the jaws at some point to accommodate a different saw, or tweak the way the jaws hold the saw blade.A saw vise does two things: It puts the blade at a convenient height and the jaws keep the blade from vibrating as you file. Before you follow our plan, however, give some thought to the type and size of saws you plan on working with, and don’t be afraid to change the size or shape of the jaws.Lacking 50 bench vises at our conference location, we made the base so we could secure the saw vise to a workbench with a couple Fstyle clamps. The addition of a square block secured below the base will allow you to hold the saw vise easily in your bench vise.Video: Watch Thomas Lie-Nielsen's video on "Techniques and Sharpening." Web site: Read detailed sharpening instructionsin Pete Taran's "Saw Filing – A Beginner's Primer" on VintageSaws.com. Buy: Shop for saw sharpening supplies, including files, sets and a modern saw vise from Tools for Working Wood. In our store: Purchase "The Perfect Edge," Ron Hock's new book on sharpening. Read more »

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Taming the Top-heavy Router

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:35:14 +0000

Replace your router’s base with one that is oversized and stable. By Robert W. Lang Pages: 50-51 From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue now The router can be a great friend in the woodshop, but it’s one of those friends with character traits that aren’t welcome in all situations. Like the fraternity … Read more »

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Inlay for Curves

Article Index — Tue, 25 Jan 2011 14:31:40 +0000

A trip to the hardware store yields clamps that put the bend in inlay. By Rob Millard Pages: 46-49 From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue now Inlaid bandings are a time-honored technique to embellish furniture, as are curves. Combining the two is surely a way to take your furniture to the next … Read more »

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Success With Scraper Planes

Article Index — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 18:06:15 +0000

Understand and tune up one of the best weapons in the war against tearing. By David Charlesworth Pages: 42-45 From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue now Scraper planes are some of my favorite tools, excellent for avoiding or removing tear-out whilst maintaining a flat surface. Card scrapers will remove tear-out, but there … Read more »

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White Water Shaker Table

Article Index — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 17:00:48 +0000

We set out to reproduce a simple side table from the White Water Shaker community. We failed. By Christopher Schwarz Pages: 38-41 From the June 2010 issue #183 Buy this issue now The first time I encountered this table in the White Water Shaker collection, it was locked in a storeroom with more than a … Read more »

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