Online Extras for the November 2010 issue include the free SketchUp model for the Hanging Corner Cupboard, the free SketchUp model for the Contemporary Shelves, the complete SketchUp model for the William & Mary Bookstand and more. Read more
November 2010 #186
The Popular Woodworking November 2010 issue’s cover project is a hanging corner cupboard by Mark Arnold. It’s much easier to build than it looks.
Ron Herman reveals why the forgotten miter box works just as well today as it did when the tool was used to build this country.
Marc Adams continues his series on veneer in his second installment. You’ll learn how to cut, glue and sand veneer.
Discover a traditional trick used by carpenters to help fit doors with ticking sticks.
In the first of a series of articles, Michael Dunbar assists with aging your projects gracefully using tricks to add artful wear and tear to a piece of furniture.
Charles Bender teaches you how to build a rare William & Mary bookstand.
The I Can Do That project is a set of contemporary shelves.
George R. Walker explores the use of ornamentation in furniture design, and shows how it can add spice to your work.
Detailed article previews are below. Online Extras (downloads, etc.) can be found inside each article.
[description]Articles from the November 2010 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine[/description][keywords]Popular Woodworking Magazine, Magazine Articles, Technique Articles, Project Articles, Tool Reviews, Finishing[/keywords]
End Grain: Repurposed, Reimagined
Morgan library pieces get extended shelf life.
By Brendan Isaac Jones
Page: 64
From the November 2010 issue # 186
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The call came as monumental calls do – in the middle of hanging upper cabinets.
“My name is D—, and I need you to build me two walk-in closets using J.P. Morgan’s Library.”
I sent a tack into the cabinet, stepped onto the porch, and asked D— to please repeat herself.
“I’m purchasing about 20 pieces of J.P. Morgan’s Library – the financier, who lived at 36th and Madison in New York? I need you to rebuild it into closets.”
Web site: Visit Brendan’s blog and web site.
Web site: Read a history of the Morgan library. Read more
Flexner on Finishing: Wiping Varnish
A method of brushing onto a complex surface.
By Bob Flexner
Pages: 54-56
From the November 2010 issue # 186
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Wiping varnish might be the most popular hand-applied finish used by woodworkers. It’s popular because it’s just as easy to apply as oil finishes but much more moisture, scratch, heat and solvent resistant.
You can make wiping varnish yourself by thinning any oil-based alkyd or polyurethane varnish about half with mineral spirits (paint thinner), or you can buy it from a large number of manufacturers.
Unfortunately, these manufacturers create confusion with their labeling. Most use uninformative names with the intention of making you think you’re buying something unique. The variety of names used also puts up barriers to the treatment of this fi nish as a category, similar to lacquer or water-based fi nish, with application instructions that apply to all brands.
I’ve written about wiping varnish a number of times because I believe it’s the best finish for most of those woodworkers who just want a fi nish that’s easy and foolproof, it and produces great results.
Article: Read more about Bob’s method for cleaning and storing your brushes.
To buy: Bob’s new book, “Flexner on Finishing,” is available at shopwoodworking.com.
Web site: Read more finishing articles.
Article: Read Bob’s story on applying gel varnish. Read more
Aging Your Projects Gracefully
Part 1: Adding wear and tear to a piece is like writing a convincing tale of fiction.
By Michael Dunbar
Pages: 50-53
From the November 2010 issue # 186
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It’s your day off. So, you go into your shop to make a new piece of furniture. How do you want it to look when you’re done? Well, it’s a new piece. So, that’s how it should look – new. You gently sand out every blemish from the raw wood. You carefully apply the fi nish. You rub it down until it is so perfect it gleams. There it is. Not a flaw.
A growing number of woodworkers have a different impulse. When they complete a piece of furniture, they want it to look like it has been kicked around for a couple hundred years. They want their furniture to look worn and used. How did this trend get started? Follow the money. These furniture makers discovered that well-heeled customers are willing to pay for this look.
Article: Read Michael Dunbar’s blog.
Web site: Visit the web site of The Windsor Institute.
To buy: “American Windsor Furniture: Specialized Forms,” by Nancy Goyne Evans.
In our store: Our new “Flexner on Finishing” book will help you try different finishes to age your pieces. Read more
Fit Doors with Ticking Sticks
A traditional trick used by carpenters can help you fit doors into almost any irregular opening.
By Carl Bilderback
Pages: 48-49
From the November 2010 issue # 186
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Fitting inset doors into a face frame cabinet is a task that even veteran cabinetmakers would rather avoid. Unless the corners of the face frame are perfectly square, and the door’s rails and stiles are straight, the usual procedure is often time consuming and frustrating.
You know the drill: Check all the corners of the face frame with your square, put a straightedge on the door’s rails and stiles to check for any humps or hollows. Typically you discover that the frame has some problems. So you make the door with enough extra length and width to allow for fitting the door to the frame. At this point there are different ways to advance the process, but the bottom line is that with enough trying and fitting with a handplane you end up with a door that fits the frame with a nice equal margin on all four sides – maybe.
Some 25 or 30 years ago I read about a procedure usually used by carpenters called “The Ticking Stick Method” for fitting countertops and the like into spaces with irregular shapes and angles. This method is simplicity itself because it allows for a near-perfect fit using only a stick that has a long taper and a sharp point on one end, a piece of cardboard and a pencil. That’s right – no square, no sliding bevel and no tape measure is required.
Although this article deals with fitting flush cabinet doors to the face frame, this system is adaptable to solve many other problems that you may encounter.
Article: Read Carl Bilderback’s article on how to install a Dutchman.
Web site: Visit the web site of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association.
Video: Want more explanation of how ticking sticks work? Watch this free video from the editors.
In our store: Our “Cabinetmaking Essentials” DVD will get you started building cabinets. Read more
Cut, Glue & Sand Veneer
Part 2: Simple and inexpensive tools are the core of a successful veneering job.
By Marc Adams
Pages: 40-47
From the November 2010 issue # 186
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For nearly 30 years I have worked with veneer as one of my principal materials in all my furniture pieces. What I enjoy the most about working with veneer is that it’s a form of “silent” woodworking. It can be done without the running of loud machinery. It offers more design opportunities, is forgiving and offers a great way to embellish any type of project. I love the challenge of cutting, arranging and pressing veneer. Even today there is a thrill of taking a finished panel out of the press to see the results.
The darker side of veneer is taking that finished panel out of the press and finding that it has some kind of failure, especially after all that effort.
Working with veneer involves skill – not talent. Anyone can do it. The process involves cutting veneer, arranging it, taping, choosing the proper glue and core, pressing, removing the tape, sanding and preparing it for finish. Each step is a process of its own that will make the next step easier and more successful.
Blog: Read Robert W. Lang’s blog entries about his visit to a veneer mill.
Web site: Visit the web site for the Marc Adams school of Woodworking.
To buy: Get veneer from Certainly Wood.
In our store: “The Woodworker’s Guide to Veneering & Inlay,” by Jonathan Benson. Read more
The Forgotten Miter Box
Once common, the miter box has been relegated to garage sales. Here’s why you should find one for your workshop.
By Ron Herman
Pages: 36-39
From the November 2010 issue # 186
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I build houses for a living, and I have a full array of power equipment at my disposal. Yet, when I trim out a house or construct built-ins, I almost always turn to one of my manual miter boxes.
These nearly forgotten tools are more accurate than power saws. They can handle stock and mouldings that many power saws struggle with. And they are cheap, rugged and are hiding under every rock (if you know where to look).
In fact, miter boxes have always been a staple of my family’s construction business, and I think they should be in your workshop as well. So here’s an introduction to one of my favorite tools.
Web site: Read about backsaws and other saws on our site.
Web site: Visit the web site of the Mid-West Tool Collectors Association. Join and attend a tool meet.
To buy: Lie-Nielsen Toolworks makes replacement miter box saws in custom sizes.
In our store: “Handtool Essentials” contains lots of great articles on saws and getting started in hand work. Read more