Indholdsfortegnelse for December 2019 i Popular Woodworking

As the editor of a woodworking publication, I spend my days reading and writing about woodworking, and talking to other woodworkers about projects they're doing. Part of my job is to research new techniques, new makers, interesting designs and woodworking history. (I also spend my fair share of time in meetings and talking about initiatives and business goals and all that jazz, trying to hurry it up so I can get back to the woodworking.) And then, I get to put it all into a magazine and send it to you. Hopefully, you'll find it inspiring, and maybe you'll even make some of the projects. That's the goal at least. It is work, but it's some of the most worthwhile, fulfilling work a person can do, and I'm very grateful…

I usually try to wiggle my way out of it. Repairing furniture that is. Seems everyone has a wobbly chair or a drawer that sticks on a dresser, and most of it isn’t worth fixing, especially if it’s some modern particle board disaster. That was my thought when the neighbor lady asked me to look at a child’s chair in need of some work. To my surprise it was nice example of an early Ohio country chair that had been handed down for many generations. In spite of hard use it was in remarkably good shape except the arm rests on each side were loose and one would pull right off without effort. Back in my shop I placed it up on my bench for closer inspection. It was covered…

Start by making the shaping pattern and sample from full size paper drawings spray glued onto ½" plywood, rough cut with a jig saw or a bandsaw. For the large slot in the middle, drill ⅜" holes in the corners and use a jig saw to remove the rest of the slot area. Precision matters in this project. Spend time making your patterns and slots exactly right using rasps and files to smooth, right to the line in the drawings. The full-size sample is used to lay out the parts you’ll cut from ¾" plywood. The second is a special offset pattern. It’s ⅛" smaller all around to allow for shaping parts with a router, ⅜" router bit and ⅝" bushing. Once you’ve drilled the two ⅛" holes near the…

Shaker stepback cupboards aren’t abundant. In fact, there are only a few examples in the many published books on Shaker furniture. Unless you have a sharp eye for Shaker furniture, or are excited about painted furniture with a heavily worn surface, I doubt you would give a second look to the original cupboard on which this project is based. However, the fact that the original is part of the White Water Shaker Village collection propels this piece, in my opinion, toward the top of Shaker cupboards. A reproduction of this cupboard is a must. And in the process, we can turn the clock back to see the cupboard in its earlier days. INSPIRATION FROM THE ORIGINAL The original Shaker stepback, with its missing crown moulding and other absent features, required…

Magnetic Clamping Pads C-clamps can mak nasty dents that are tough to sand out. Pads or block will prevent this, but they're often awkward to hold in place while you tighten the clamps. I make pads that don't require extra hands. I bought a roll of 1-inch wide adhesive backed magazine strips from a craft store and cut off a number of long lengths. I adhered these strips to 1¼" wide pieces of ¼" plywood. Using a miter saw, I cut these pieces into shorter lengths as needed to fit the C-clamp jaws. I store my magnetic pads on a steel strip that I screwed to the end of the bench. The pads are ready to go whenever I need them. —Peter Smith Duct-Taped Sanding Block Sometimes I prefer to…

PROJECT #1922 Skill Level: Intermediate Time: 3 days Cost: $200 “Hand and heart lead to life.” was an early motto of the North Bennet Street Industrial School (NBIS), now called the North Bennet Street School (NBSS). Founded in 1885 by Pauline Agassiz Shaw, a progressive Boston philanthropist, the school was established to “train students for careers in traditional trades that use hand skills in concert with evolving technology, to preserve and advance craft traditions and promote greater appreciation of craftsmanship.” The school started off as a social and educational experiment designed to help residents in the North End of Boston, many of whom were immigrants, acclimate to America, learn a trade, socialize and become better citizens. In pursuit of this goal Shaw learned of Otto Salomon’s work at the Sloyd…

The X stretcher assembly must be cut with precision. The tenons at the bottom of the legs must align with holes at the ends the stretchers. Cutting the lap joint presents a problem, but by using a simple jig, the necessary precision can easily be achieved. Draw the stretcher layout on a piece of 21¼" by 14¼" poster board, marking a 2¼" square at each corner for the ends of the stretchers. Locate and mark the center of those 4 squares, and then finish drawing the stretchers per the plans. Place the completed drawing on top of a piece of ¾" plywood or MDF, and with an awl press through the center point of the four 2¼" squares to mark their location on the plywood. With a ½" forstner bit,…

When choosing a plywood finish be aware that plywood can raise its grain severely with a water based finish and blotches easily with certain stains. Ideally, the bench with all its nooks and crannies is an good candidate for lacquer if you have a spray setup. A hand applied finish like Watco oil is another possibility. With any hand finish remember that getting into those little gaps will be challenging. Wanting to add a little warmth, I chose a long time personal favorite: Osmo Polyx Oil. This German floor finish is made from various vegetable oils and waxes. You can hand apply the very thick Osmo in the manner of a rub-on oil/varnish finish. Wipe on. Wipe off. Build up three or four thin layers, and it’s a rich and…

One of my favorite songs back in the 1960s was Bob Dylan’s, The Times, They are A-Changin’. This theme applies today to what’s happening in wood finishing. It’s natural for us to believe that the way things ought to be are the way they were in our youth or young adulthood. Change always brings with it the necessity for adjusting. I’ve had to make lots of adjustments in my wood finishing. The main areas are finishes, solvents, spray guns, paint strippers and adjusting to the widespread consolidation that has been occurring. Finishes The biggest change is the introduction of water-based finishes and the slow disappearance of nitrocellulose lacquer and varnish. Actually, just using the term “varnish” is becoming out of date. There aren’t many varnishes left. They have been replaced…

One of the enduring features of Roy Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop” PBS television show is the familiar and rambling back-drop of former projects, parts, tools and wood that frames most episodes. My favorite item in his shop is his nail cabinet—a pine wall-hung cabinet tucked in the far back corner. On the inside of the door of the cabinet, Roy has hung a print of a lovely lady holding a bock beer alongside an admiring goat. And while that’s some nice lens candy for the television cameras, I’m more attracted to the 21 drawers on the right side of the cabinet. These drawers are more useful to the married woodworker. Nail cabinets show up frequently in traditional workshops of many trades, and they are illustrated and discussed in books about…

PROJECT #1924 Skill Level: Intermediate Time: 4 Days Cost: $200 Thanks to advanced design tools, an entirely new category of modern architectural details, furniture design and art has emerged. Named after the specialty software tools used to create it, it’s called parametric design. Parametric furniture consists of evenly spaced rows or stacks of shapes that create the illusion of large three-dimensional forms. Usually, these exacting shapes are cut on a CNC and assembled in several ways. Stacks of parts are glued together to form large laminations, evenly spaced shapes are held together with complex internal structures or drawn together with threaded rod and spacers. As a furniture maker and artist, I’ve been exploring parametric sculpture and have developed some new techniques that woodworkers can use to quickly build and create…

Stratus Portable Ambient Air Cleaner Axiom Tool Group axiomstratus.com Price: $499 Ceiling-mounted ambient air cleaners are stuck in one spot in your workshop, and have to fight gravity to collect airborne dust. The Stratus air cleaner can be moved to wherever you’re working, so it’s closer to the source of dust. It’s designed to catch dust on the way down before it has a chance to circulate throughout the room. At its top setting, the Stratus inhales air at a rate of 848 cfm through its washable outer filter and 1 micron inner filter. Available upgrades include a stainless steel body and an odor and smoke neutralizing charcoal filter. The Stratus packs a lot of air-cleaning power into a small footprint. From the Editors and Contributors In an effort to…