Designing With Curves
Getting off the straight path can be liberating. 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 [...]
Nice Curves, No Math
Mechanical solutions for the formula-challenged woodworker. There was a time when I was fairly good at math – but that was back when “personal” and “computer” were two words you’d never expect to [...]
The Bow Box
Take your box-making and scroll saw skills to a new level. “Trompe l’oeil” is an old French phrase that literally means “it fools the eye.” Trompe l’oeil has a long tradition in the art [...]
Veneering the Curve
The ‘flat-board-first’ method enables you to veneer a curved part with any pattern you want. Boldness with balance—that’s how I see the front apron of a classic Federal card table. I love the way [...]
Curve Appeal
This stool builds your skills with eight different joints and bent laminations. Competition is the whetstone of talent; this was in full effect when I built this Wharton Esherick-inspired stool [...]
Sterling Tool Works Stainless Steel French Curves
Tool: Stainless Steel Roubo Curves Manufacturer: Sterling Tool Works MSRP: $90 I like using French curves for laying out hyperbolas, ellipses and parabolas when designing furniture details. These [...]
Floating Table
This handsome piece is simple to build and easily adapted to fit your stock. A friend asked me to design and build a table using a special piece of walnut. I was given approximate measurements, [...]
Secrets of the Cyma Curve
Invisible lines and circles explain the beauty of a series of fair curves. I can still remember Holloway’s farmhouse. Even in summer when the fireplace was cold, the smell of wood smoke lingered [...]
An Easy Way to Draw Any Ellipse
On my most recent project I needed an elliptical arc. Although my arc conforms to the Golden Ratio (1:1.62), the method I use works for an ellipse of any proportion. Determine the overall size of [...]
Adding Curves to Your Toolkit
A lot of woodworkers shy away from curves. There’s plenty of reasons for this. For starters, some of the common power tools are built for rectangular construction, a table saw is a good example. [...]
Sand Curves With Ease
Sand Curves With Ease Sanding is one of those necessary evils we all face as woodworkers. That’s why we flock to any tool that promises to make the job easier. Craftsman new Oscillating Spindle [...]
