Our cover story for the October 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking is on the tantalizing try square that helped launch Bridge City Tool Works (BCTW). In Try for Your Best Work, BCTW founder John Economaki shows you how to make the iconic square using tools found in most woodworking shops.
In Diamond Banding, Rob Millard uses a common router bit and a simple jig to yield a jewel of an inlay piece in the Federal style.
In The Best Oak Money Can’t Buy, Peter Follansbee tells you why riven oak is the best wood for joinery (and how to do it), but that it comes at a cost – your physical labor.
In Portuguese Folding Table, Online Community Editor Ajax Alexandre builds a clever table that is simple to build and folds up flat for easy portability and storage.
In Make a Chair That Rocks, Jeff Miller teaches you how a bit of geometry and a simple prototype will ensure your rocking chair design will result in a comfortable seat and a smooth ride.
Discover Toshio Odate’s philosophy in A Teacup & 8 Dinner Plates, which derives from the ancient Japanese belief that many objects have a spirit.
In this month’s Tool Test, we check out General’s beefed up mortiser, Veritas’ Dual Marking Gauge, and the ’3Rill’ drill by Rockwell.
In Design Matters, George R. Walker discusses how getting off the straight path can be liberating.
In Arts & Mysteries, Adam Cherubini goes over whetstone sharpening.
In I Can Do That, Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick build a small bench that is ideal for a hallway or porch.
In Flexner on Finishing, Bob Flexner discusses four short (but crucial) finishing subjects.
In The Addict (the End Grain column), Kevin Thomas discusses how he doesn’t want a cure for his woodworking problem.
Plus, Christopher Schwarz’s final On the Level.
Detailed article previews are below. Online Extras (downloads, links, etc.) are found within that article.
[description]Articles from the October 2011 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine[/description][keywords]Popular Woodworking Magazine, Magazine Articles, Technique Articles, Project Articles, Tool Reviews, Finishing[/keywords]
The word “Pantheism” is defined as “the religious belief or philosophical doctrine, which identifies the universe with God.” And, “The doctrine that God is not a personality, but that all laws, forces and manifestations, etc. of the universe are God.” God is everything and everything is God.
I recently set out to design and build a new rocking chair. I’ve designed and built a handful of rockers, but my past efforts didn’t rock as well as I would have liked. I have confidence in my ability to make a comfortable “regular” chair, but it seemed like I was dealing with an entirely different problem with a rocker. So I decided to look a bit more carefully than before into what makes a rocking chair “work.” I wanted to understand the geometry of a rocking chair in hopes that I could improve my overall results.
I’ve tried most sharpening systems. I started with sandpaper and glass because it was cost-effective. It’s still tough to beat. You don’t have to worry about maintenance. If the paper rips or clogs, you throw it away. The surface you are working on is always flat. But at finer grits, the paper tears easily. I switched to Mylar-backed abrasives, and later the adhesive-backed films. These helped, but I was still unsatisfied.
“Hi. My name is Kevin and I’m a woodworking addict.” That’s how I feel I should start each meeting of our local woodworkers’ guild. My only problem is, it’s a habit I don’t want to break. I meet with approximately 80 guys and gals every month who feel the same way as I do.
I can see it with my eyes shut: a curving stretch of highway snaking past Otter Cliffs in Acadia National Park. Each twist in the road opens up a jaw-dropping vista of surf crashing on the pink granite shoreline. You probably have a favorite stretch of road. Chances are good that highway has some curves that gently unveil a landscape dear to your memory.
What follows are four concise – but important – finishing topics about which you’ve likely wondered. 1 – Metamerism Most of us have experienced a situation where we finish a project in our shop or garage to the exact color we want, only to discover that the color isn’t right when we move the project into the house (or to a client’s location). The explanation is the phenomenon of “metamerism.” The lighting is different in the two locations.
For 35 years I’ve used toothing planes on veneers, especially ones with swirling grain. With sawn veneers, the toother is the fastest way to make them flat (but not smooth). The pattern made by the plane increases the gluing surface by almost double.
