Indholdsfortegnelse for September/October 2021 i Popular Woodworking

Throughout my career, I’ve sat in on a variety of interviews with candidates, trying to fill various positions. The one phrase that always leaves a bad taste in my mouth is “I’m a perfectionist.” Now, don’t get me wrong. Perfection is a fine goal to have. Heck, I always strive for perfection. But when people ask if I’m a perfectionist, my response is always: “Absolutely not.” Hang with me and let me explain where I’m going with this. As you read through this issue, you’ll notice a few different projects with hand-cut dovetails, and I even have an article on hand-cutting them. Jokingly, we started calling this the dovetail issue. For some reason, people always see dovetails, and in particular, hand-cut dovetails, as the epitome of craftsmanship. I don’t really…

PROJECT #2114 Skill Level: Intermediate Time: 2 Days Cost: $180 Building a wood-bodied hand plane should be on every woodworker’s bucket list. I have been entertaining the idea for years, however always falling short on the execution. It wasn’t until recently that a colleague of mine left a book on my desk by Cecil E. Pierce called Fifty Years a Planemaker & User. I was instantly hooked after reading the preface. What strikes me about Cecil (other than his irrefutable passion for woodworking) is the language he uses to describe his affinity for the craft of creating hand planes. His old-world metaphors combined with his unique sense of prose are luring and oftentimes comical. This part autobiography, part instructional guide, takes you through(step-by-step) the process of building a Razee-style Jack…

It’s not often that I see a new boutique toolmaker pop up on the woodworking scene. Usually, I see some form of press release or article in a publication. Over the last year, however, I’ve been closely following the journey of one small toolmaker from Ohio. Andrew Kimmons started selling his chisels on his Etsy store, and I had seen a handful of reviews that were showering Andrew with praise on his handmade chisels. So, I reached out to Andrew to see what the buzz was about. After receiving the set of chisels from Andrew, my first impressions were pretty striking. They were flawless. The curly maple handles were very nicely turned, and I knew immediately that they are made with a hand tool user in mind. It nearly felt…

PROJECT #2115 Skill Level: Intermediate Time: 4 days Cost: $250 I have a confession. I like nice tools. There’s something about boutique tool makers that I love. I’m guessing it’s the combination of high-quality tools and the maker’s backstory that speaks to me. Understandably, most of the time, the tools from these types of companies are pretty pricey. With that being said, I’ve been tossing a lot of my tools into a tool tote over the last few years as I travel to give demonstrations or teach classes. Every time they rattle and bang together, I cringe. So, that’s what drove me to build myself a little nicer toolbox that would keep my tools protected. The style of this tool chest is based on one that I saw in a…

Even if you don’t recognize the name, you’ve probably seen a picture of Henry Studley’s tool chest. All of the tools nestled together are awe-inspiring. Rewind back to 2015, and my father-in-law bought a pair of tickets for us to see the chest when it was on display in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. It was an amazing experience, and any hand tool user couldn’t help but drool over the tools nested within its mahogany case. In my opinion, the crown jewel of the toolbox is nestled on the top of the right-hand side—the Studley mallet. The beautiful infill mallet is made of bronze or gunmetal and believed to either have been cast by Henry, or modified from another tool maker. No identification mark is visible. It’s such a nice-looking mallet, that…

Woodpeckers Precision Taper Jig Most of the Shaker-inspired furniture I build has some form of tapered leg. When Woodpecker announced their Precision Taper Jig, I knew it would have a place in my shop. As you can expect from Woodpecker, the Precision Taper Jig has some features that make it a sheer joy to use. One of those features is the angle gauges with interlocking teeth. There are two on the jig—one for angles from 0-7° (in 0.25° increments), and a second for 0-15° in 0.5° increments. Another feature that I love is the handles that do double-duty as workpiece hold-downs. A replaceable MDFbasekeepsthejig zero-clearance for tear-free cuts. The Precision Taper Jig is set to ship in late October 2021. —Logan Wittmer ▪ Precision Taper Jig Woodpeckers Woodpeck.com Price: $279.99…

I delayed, stalled, and put off a circle cutting jig for the bandsaw. After all, I had a small trammel for cutting circles with a router, so I was not sure how much I would use it. Now that I made one, it’s surprising how often it comes in handy. Plus, there are added benefits of cutting circles on the bandsaw… dust is well controlled, and delicate plywood veneers are preserved on the top side. With this jig, you will get accurate results which are comparable to a router jig. I built this circle cutting jig for my Laguna 1412 bandsaw, but it can be easily modified to work on any steel frame bandsaw. Start with Plywood Base Size a 3/4" thick by 18" square piece of plywood and mark…