Popular Woodworking Magazine » February 2011

Three-legged Occasional Table

Article Index — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:18:34 +0000

Steam-bending or bent laminations can be used to make this eye-catching design. By Michael Fortune Page: 26-33From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowThe design of this table is part of a series that I revisit from time to time. The original concept for the series was based on a pinwheel (a common example of which is a child’s pinwheel on a stick that blows in the wind.) This shape lends itself to repeating one design element several times then attaching them together, an efficient approach when making furniture. So far I’ve made several different stools, cabinets and even massive boardroom tables based on the same pinwheel motif. Generally speaking, I come up with an idea then problem-solve how to do it, often relying on the well documented history of furniture making in books and magazines.For this table I revisited a sketchbook that is 25 years old. At the time I had completed a commission for stacking tables with Australian lacewood tops and steam-bent cherry frames. In my design exploration there were several sketches that I thought had some value but didn’t work for that particular commission so so I filed them away for use at a later date. My old sketchbooks have become an idea bank that I’ll make a withdrawal from when I’m casting about for something to make.Web Site: See more of Michael's work on his web site. Web Site: Find out when Michael is teaching at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. To Buy: Purchase Michael's CDs on various aspects of design and construction. In Our Store: The "Sourcebook of Modern Furniture." Read more »

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Roubo’s Folding Bookstand

Article Index — Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:24:59 +0000

A woodwright translates (and channels) the 18th-century French Master. By Roy Underhill Page: 34-37From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowTranslating André Roubo’s instructions from the 18th-century French is a delight, for he speaks to you as if he’s just stopped by your bench. The level of detail assures you that this is something he has done himself, and the money-saving tips remind you of his early days as a poor apprentice. Even the way he often leaves out the first thing you should know until the very last gives you the sense of a mind overflowing with knowledge.This little bookstand from plate No. 331 of “L’Art du Menuisier” will give you a quick dip into the torrent of his genius. It’s a modest but appropriate introduction to the man, because books truly bookended his life story – as we’ll see when we first walk a few miles in the boots of Monsieur Roubo.Video: Watch select episodes of "The Woodwright's Shop" online. School: Discover Roy's "The Woodwright's School." In Our Store: The eight benches in Roubo's shop are pictured in Plate 11, which we offer as a poster suitable for framing. In Our Store: "The Woodwright's Guide: Working Wood with Wedge & Edge" and other books and articles by Roy. Blog Post: "Use a SketchUp Model to 'Get It' Blog Post: "Another Way to Do It" Read more »

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End Grain: Squirrel Surprise

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:23:06 +0000

A project with a bite.By Brendan Isaac Jones Page: 64From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowHow do three carpenters feed an abandoned baby squirrel? Glass dropper in hand, huddled around a kitchen table in the historic district of downtown Alexandria, Va., we discovered the answer: with great difficulty.The day previous, atop scaffolding in the driving rain, Jay pried off a return from the termite-damaged cornice of a house on Prince Street. We heard the sound of scampering, and a rust-red squirrel exploded out from the darkness of rotted wood. It balanced briefly on Jay’s arm, seemed to consider the weather, then trotted down the side of the building. So it goes when you’re replacing the entire cornice on a 19th-century townhouse. Back to work.The following day, as we replaced termite-ridden framing, a splinter of wood fell on the yellow grating of the scaffold. Just before we swept it onto the waiting canvas 40' below, the splinter moved, and revealed a dun-colored belly, tiny whiskers and two slits where eyes should be. It looked, with its little arms, like a ginger root. We picked him up, and decided we had in our hands a baby squirrel. Naturally, we named him “Cornice.”Article: Read "Almost a Plane Wreck." Articles: Read our many free articles about hand tool use. Read more »

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Flexner on Finishing: Finishing Overview

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:16:44 +0000

Understand the basics. By Bob Flexner Page: 56-57From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowA wood finish is a clear, transparent coating applied to wood to protect it from moisture and to make it look richer and deeper. This differs from paint, which is a wood finish loaded with enough pigment to hide the wood. And it differs from a stain, which is a wood finish and a colorant (pigment or dye) with a lot of thinner added so the excess stain is easy to wipe off. The remainder just colors the wood; it doesn’t hide the wood.Unfortunately, the term “finish” also refers to the entire built-up coating, which could consist of stain, several coats of finish (a “coat” is one application layer) and maybe some coloring steps – for example, glazing or toning – in between these coats. For some reason, we have only one word to refer to both the clear coating used, and to all the steps used.Usually, the context makes clear to which is being referred.To Buy: Get Bob Flexner's new book, "Flexner on Finishing." Article: Read "The Basics of Wiping Varnish." Read more »

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Great Woodshops: Living the European Dream

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:11:39 +0000

A St. Louis physician spent years assembling the perfect shop. By Christopher Schwarz Page: 52-54From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowThe problem with many “dream shops” is that their visionaries never wake up and get on with building any furniture.There’s nothing inherently wrong with building a hobby shop and having the shop alone being the hobby, but this magazine is about building wooden things inside a shop. So it seems a waste when I visit a shop that never sees a speck of sawdust. For the last few years, I’ve been following the progress of Dr. Kent Adkins, a young surgical urologist outside St. Louis, who has been methodically planning and constructing an 1,800-square-foot shop attached to his home by a breezeway.It would be easy to assume that Adkins simply picked the machines and tools with the highest price tags for his shop, but that would be an insult to the years of passionate research Adkins and his friends have put into searching the world for tools that are the best in class and safe as possible.I’ve seen Adkins on the floor of the International Woodworking Fair, picking apart the features and details of machines, veneer presses and even hand tools. He traveled twice to the Ligna woodworking show in Germany. I’ve watched him question sales representatives with the insight of a journalist. And in May 2010, I got to operate his crane.Video: See the Maka mortiser in action. Web Site: Download a free video from this shop. Read more »

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Upgrade Your Cutterhead

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 18:02:26 +0000

Segmented knives reduce tearing and noise. But do you need to upgrade both planer and jointer? By Glen D. Huey Page: 42-47If you purchased your jointer or planer a couple decades back, or if you had a watchful eye on your woodworking budget as you made your purchases, chances are your machine has a three-knife cutterhead installed. Did you choose wisely? Should you make a change? Today you have other options.Other cutterhead options most common to home woodworkers and small production shops have small square knives spaced around the diameter and along the length of the cutterhead.These cutterheads reduce the noise in your shop, mill figured woods better than straight-knife heads and make dust collection easier. However, they are more expensive and require installation in an existing machine. Is one option better than another? Is changing your cutterhead worthwhile?Video: Watch the installation of a 20" stagger-tooth with shear into a planer. Article: Read Glen D. Huey's article about "The Right Way to Prepare Lumber." Web Site: Visit Byrd Tool for cutterhead installation information." To Buy: Grizzly.com has both cutterhead designs available for your machines. In Our Store: "Woodworking Machines (Back to Basics)" by John Kelsey Read more »

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A Geometry Lesson in Veneer

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 17:34:28 +0000

Part 4: Louis cubes are a simple form (really!) of parquetry that is easier to make than it looks. By Marc Adams Page: 38-41From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowParquetry is cutting veneer and arranging it geometrically. By cutting and taping geometric pieces together in some fashion, a veneer project can come to life.If we cut diamond-shaped pieces at a 60° angle we can make something called Louis cubes. Louis cubes are created by arranging three pieces of veneer together to produce the mesmerizing effects of 3-dimensional cubes. This same diamond shape can also be used to create a star arrangement. The stacking potential is endless. I do recommend that you have at least two or more colors of veneer. Try to avoid veneers with difficult grains such as red oak, lacewood and wenge.Video: Visit the David R. Webb veneer mill with Marc Adams. Blog: Executive Editor Robert W. Lang takes you on a detailed trip through the Atlantic Veneer slicing operation and the Veneer Tech splicing plant. Web Site: Explore veneering classes at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. To Buy: Purchase excellent veneers from Certainly Wood. In Our Store: " A Woodworker's Guide to Veneering & Inlay: Techniques, Projects & Expert Advise for Fine Furniture" by Jonathan Benson. Read more »

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Arts & Mysteries: Replace Your Tailed Router

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:07:50 +0000

Stop the screaming once and for all. By Bob Rozaieski Page: 22-23From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowWhen I first started using hand tools, I was hesitant to let go of my router. I had no love affair with the screaming beast. We weren’t even good friends. We just called on each other when we felt that need to … make moulding.Let’s face it. It’s tough to beat a router at cranking out moulding. For the woodworker on a budget, the big shaper with custom cutters won’t give us the time of day. So the router becomes the go-to tool.But as most make-do relationships go, we tire of the screaming, constant mess and inadequate performance. This leads to periods of inactivity, neglect and, ultimately, designs devoid of the shapely features we once knew.When I finally had enough of the screaming, I discovered moulding planes. If you’re a relatively new hand-tool addict, beware these hand-tool sirens. After using a well tuned moulding plane, their calls become difficult to resist.Web site: Visit Bob Rozaieski's web site and read his hand-tool blog. Article: Read Editor Christopher Schwarz's article about Clark and Williams, makers of molding planes. Blog: Read Adam Cherubini's "Art & Mysteries" blog. In Our Store: "Traditional Molding Techniques," a DVD from Don McConnell. Read more »

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Design Matters: Essential Dividers

Article Index — Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:01:44 +0000

Unlock your creativity with this humble tool. By George Walker Page: 20-21From the February 2011 issue #188 Buy this issue nowHow comfortable would you be giving up your tape measure? If that puts you in a cold sweat, I can relate. Time was when I worked only from prints, taking careful measurements to make accurate parts. I thought design was for the talented few – those folks blessed with a good eye. Here’s a little secret: Some are born talented but many acquire design skills much the same way as learning to cut dovetails. It’s a matter of building foundation skills and a little practice.Lesson number one: Get acquainted with your new instructor – the simple, humble pair of dividers. They’ve been rightly called the “tool of the imagination.” In pre-industrial craft, artisans used this simple pair of pointed legs joined at a fulcrum both to explore and apply proportions. Dividers were the stock-in-trade for all the woodworking crafts: carpenter, cabinetmaker, wheelwright and everything in between.Blog: Read more Design Matters on George R. Walker's blog. Blog: Work with some more example mouldings to practice divider use. In Our Store: George R. Walker's DVDs. Read more »

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