Popular Woodworking Magazine » October 2012 #199

Festool Domino XL DF 700

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 20:08:19 +0000

By Matthew Teague Page 16 Festool recently released the Domino XL DF 700, big brother to its revolutionary Domino DF 500, one of the most innovative tools of the last few decades. Aside from the size, the loose-tenon joints created by the XL are the same as with the earlier version. From a machine that … Read more »

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Veritas’s New Top-secret Steel

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 19:40:32 +0000

Canadian company creates a steel combining the best of the old and new. By Christoper Schwarz Page 14 I’ve long been suspicious of the so-called “super steels” that promise long edge life between sharpenings. That has always meant that you have to spend a long time sharpening the tool on your stones or – even … Read more »

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Bow-front Entry Table

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:55:11 +0000

This contemporary design is an easy, affordable introduction to curved work and veneer.By Matthew Teague Pages 26-33Learning to work with veneers and curves enables you to design and build almost anything. This bow-front entry table serves as a good introduction to both – without costing a small fortune or requiring you to attempt an overly intimidating project. Veneer introduces to you to a world of beautiful grain patterns and species that are prohibitively expensive to buy in solid hardwoods. Having the confidence to add curved and veneered surfaces to your work also allows you to tackle a wide range of period, contemporary and original designs that were previously off limits.This petite design teeters somewhere between a traditional bow-front table and a sleeker modern piece. The veneered bird’s-eye maple top panel and aprons are framed and highlighted by the darker, contrasting solid cherry used for the legs and top frame. A subtle but graceful detail is that the front faces of the front legs are angled to visually extend the curve of the front apron. Like this little detail, which you may not notice at first, I think all furniture should have a few secrets to be discovered only on closer inspection. The hidden drawer on this table qualifies as well; its non-traditional placement on the side of the table is completely disguised by a drawer front that is piston-fit between the legs. Unless someone points it out, you’d never know it was there.Article: "It’s a Secret," by Charles Bender. Plan: Download a SketchUp model of the bow-front entry table. Blog: Learn a quick method for dovetailing the upper drawer stretcher. Read more »

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Acanthus Leaf

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:51:59 +0000

Learn how to carve this classic detail – follow a few rules, and it’s simple.By Mary May Pages 34-39The beauty and elegance of the acanthus leaf has inspired artists, architects and craftsmen for centuries. Among furniture makers, carving this classic detail is a rite of passage, much like making your first hand-cut dovetails. If you are interested in carving, the acanthus leaf should certainly be in your repertoire.The acanthus plant, also known by the common name of “Bear’s Breeches,” is native to the Mediterranean. It has thick, spiny leaves with serrated edges and produces large 2'- to 3'-long spikes of white or purple flowers. The word acanthus comes from the Greek word ake, meaning a point or thorn, and anthos, meaning flower. The acanthus plant most resembles the dandelion, thistle and artichoke plants.The acanthus first appears in the decorative and architectural arts of Greece around the 5th century B.C. The most familiar historical use for the acanthus on a curved or turned surface is on the capitals of Corinthian columns.At first, the designs based on the acanthus leaf were accurately portrayed and extremely lifelike. As this motif grew popular, it became more stylized and has now evolved into an imaginary leaf of many uses. The acanthus design can be seen in everything from embroidery to architectural designs and furniture details.Web site: Visit Mary May’s web site to see more of her work, and find out when and where she’s teaching. Video: Watch as Mary May shows you how to sharpen one of the essential tools for woodcarving – the V-chisel. In Our Store: "How to Carve an Acanthus Leaf on a Cabriole Leg and on a Turned Post," DVD from Mary May. Online Learning: Mary May has just launched an online video school to teach carving; find out more. Read more »

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I Can Do That: Shaker Carry Box

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:45:18 +0000

Notched and nailed joints add visual interest to this simple project. By Megan Fitzpatrick Pages 50-52 This form is typically called a Shaker silverware tray – but it comes in handy for ferrying all sorts of things hither and yon. I got lucky at the big box store in finding some perfectly straight, flat and … Read more »

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M-Power CRB7 Combination Router Base

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:40:06 +0000

By Steve Shanesy Page 16 M-Power Tools offers an aftermarket router base that offers a number of features at the very reasonable price of about $90. It can be mounted to any router that has 5/16″-diameter edge-guide holes spaced between 35/64″and 51/8″. One key feature is an indexed micro-adjusting wheel that lets you dial in … Read more »

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‘Gizmozilla’

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 18:33:32 +0000

A perfect union between an improved router fixture and a Moxon-style vise.By Kenneth Speed Pages 40-43This fixture, which I’ve christened “Gizmozilla,” grew out of my general dissatisfaction with the methods available to small shops to cut mortises. At one time I used a small hollow-chisel mortiser but I never found the results satisfactory. I tried an open-sided box jig for router mortising, but by the time I had everything in position and clamped I was completely out of patience with the whole procedure. Finally, I resorted to drilling out mortises on my drill press and doing the final chopping out by hand. While I was generally happy with the resulting mortises, the process was far too slow.Then I happened on an article in an old woodworking magazine that described a basic router mortising fixture. It was a wooden beam with an attached channel for the router edge guide; it used Jorgensen hold-down clamps to secure the workpiece. The author nailed stops to the beam to limit router travel. While the basic idea was sound, it seemed less than fully developed. Nailing stops to something I’d just worked hard to make smooth and square seemed a little crazy, so I added T-track and moveable stops.I also added wooden clamping cauls of various lengths outfitted with steel bars and rare earth magnets to hold them to the clamps while allowing for some adjustment. The cauls and Gizmozilla’s 4' length adds to its flexibility.Video: Find out where the glue goes inside a mortise-and-tenon joint. To Buy: "Getting Started with Routers" DVD. Plan: Download a SketchUp model of Gizmozilla. In Our Store: "55 Best Shop-Made Jigs" CD. Read more »

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The Roorkhee Chair

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 17:56:09 +0000

Ten sticks of wood and basic skills are all you need to make this ultra-comfortable (and portable) seat.By Christopher Schwarz Pages 44-49Furniture historians tend to paint the Arts & Crafts movement as a turning point for modern furniture design – where style turned its back on the ornate excesses of the Victorians to embrace the simple lines of what was to become the more utilitarian furniture of the 20th century.I won’t dispute that assessment, but it neglects a long-overlooked piece of furniture: the Roorkhee chair. Named after the British headquarters of the Indian Army Corps of Engineers in India, the Roorkhee chair was developed in the final years of the 19th century as the British military become more mobile following humiliations it suffered in South Africa during the Boer Wars (1880-81 and 1899-1902).Weighing less than 13 pounds, the Roorkhee chair breaks down quickly, takes up little space and is shockingly comfortable. Because it has no fixed joinery, the legs and stretchers move to accommodate uneven terrain and any sitter.Blog: See how the tapered tenons and conical mortises are cut. Blog: Learn how to age the steel hardware for this piece. On the Web: Read all of the author’s articles about campaign-style furniture. In Our Store: "Chairmaking Simplified," by Kerry Pierce. Read more »

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Spokeshaves

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:51:12 +0000

Learn how to choose and use these versatile shaping tools.By James Mursell Pages 50-53As a Windsor chairmaker and spokeshave maker, I use a spokeshave more than any other tool. I have three: two straight shaves (large and small) and, for hollowing wood, the curved specialty shave called a travisher.My introduction to spokeshaves came at school where we had traditional wooden shaves with the blades held in place by friction. When they were sharp and set correctly they were great, but because they were old and well-used, the tangs often slipped in the body. That resulted in a sometimes unexpectedly thicker or finer shaving – not an endearing feature.I’ve spoken with many people at woodworking shows, and I am amazed by how many still have their grandfathers’ spokeshaves, but rarely use them because of the same problems I suffered during my training. This is a shame because spokeshaves are remarkably versatile tools for shaping wood.Article: Read Christopher Schwarz’s article on "Metal-bodied Spokeshaves." Web site: Visit James Mursell’s web site to find out about his spokeshaves and other tools, and details about his chairs and classes. Tool: Find out more about the Lie-Nielsen Boggs spokeshave. Book: Get James Mursell’s book, "Windsor Chairmaking." In Our Store: "Woodworking in Action" Volume 2, Volume 4 and Volume 6 feature Windsor chairmaker David Wright. Read more »

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Drawers Date Furniture

Article Index — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 15:31:33 +0000

Quick inspections reveal much about a piece’s age and possible origin.By Bob Flexner Pages 54-56A while back, my wife and I were visiting friends who wanted to show us their collection of antique furniture. At one point we went into their bedroom and I headed directly for a very old-looking chest-of-drawers. I pulled the top drawer open about 3", looked at the side of the drawer and felt the exposed bottom.The husband yelled out from behind me, “No! That’s my wife’s private drawer.” Followed immediately by my wife’s reassuring, “Don’t worry. He doesn’t even see what’s inside the drawer.”And that was true. I just wanted to date the piece by how the drawer was made.Over the years of working on hundreds of pieces of antique furniture, I’ve developed a quick and fairly accurate system for dating and determining the origin of any piece of furniture containing drawers. Here’s how I do it.Blog: Read Senior Editor Steve Shanesy’s report on his repair of a valuable antique drawer. Article: Learn four great methods to construct drawers. In Our Store: "Flexner on Finishing" – 12 years of updated columns in a hardcover book illustrated with beautiful full-color photos. Read more »

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