Indholdsfortegnelse for April 2017 i Woodworker's Journal

For a quick video tour of several of these connected devices, please visit our website at woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab. These days, it seems apps are expanding the possibilities of our smart devices about as fast as the IT coders can write them. So it’s only logical that this burgeoning technology should influence the world of power tools, too. And now it has. BLACK + DECKER, DeWALT, General Tools & Instruments, Milwaukee and RYOBI are setting the bar with app-driven innovations that will enable us to interact with lithium-ion batteries, cordless tools and measuring devices in groundbreaking ways. If you’ve ever wanted more security, customization and data reporting from your tools, these companies now offer free iOS or Android-friendly apps that expand…

Contact Information Festool 888-337-8600 Hitachi 800-706-7337 Infinity Cutting Tools 877-872-2487 IRWIN Tools 800-464-7946 Kreg Tool Company 800-447-8638 Northern Tool + Equipment 800-221-0516 Rockler 800-279-4441 Striker Concepts 704-658-9332 The Miter Fold Dado Set from Rockler turns a flat sheet of plywood into a box (four sides and a bottom) in just four passes on the table saw. The joints created with the set fold on the outer layer of plywood, which means each corner of the box features a unique continuous grain — and the box has the appearance of a solid piece of wood. This product includes a custom 8" miter fold blade; two full outside 8" dado stack blades; 1/4", 1/8" and 1/16" chippers; and 0.1 and 0.2 millimeter shims. All of the blades are steel with carbide tips.…

What Does It All Mean? A quick guide to terms from the world of woodworking. Mortiser: A machine similar to a drill press but with a hollow, square chisel surrounding the drill bit, used to cut square or rectangular cavities, known as mortises, in wood S4S: Lumber that has been surfaced on all four sides Sliding dovetail: A form of joinery similar to a dado but with angled rather than vertical sides and a mating piece shaped along its edges at a corresponding angle Curiously, although sandpaper in some form goes back 2,000 years to first century China, most of its development has taken place in the last 200 years. Once made of natural grits, today most papers contain various synthetic grits. Medullary rays are the structures in wood that…

Sponsored By GENERAL Easier-opening Spring Clamps While building a summer project with my teenage granddaughters, they found my 2" spring clamps difficult to squeeze open. So I devised this simple modification to make the clamps easier to use. I installed a 1/4"-20 carriage bolt into a pair of holes I drilled through the handles, then added a washer and a knob. Now the girls can simply twist the knob to open the clamps, or squeeze the handles and adjust the knob to hold the open setting. Loosening the knob closes the clamp. I think anyone with limited grip strength will appreciate this convenience. Jim Moorehead Barrigada, Guam Clamp-on Workbench Storage Trays These little 9" x 3" plastic organizer bins sure are handy to have around the shop, and you can…

After graduating from college with an art degree, Marco Terenzi spent a brief time making large, sculptural items — which would lead, he realized, to “a career path of selling to galleries.” At the same time, he was making metal miniatures of his items for fun. “I figured I liked doing it so much, I’m just going to keep making miniature things.” Marco’s specialty in miniature things just happens to be miniature woodworking hand tools. Built to 1/4 scale, his tools are not only miniature, but functional — although, he says, he sells them as collectibles: “I don’t know if those tiny screws would stand up to daily use.” In his own possession, however, is a jack plane measuring a little over 31⁄2" long that Marco says he uses “all…

Any cabinet that shares space with plumbing is a compromise between utility and storage. When I needed to replace an aging bathroom vanity, I was determined to get the most out of the available space as well as build something with a little more pizzazz. After some research into the latest products on the market, I discovered that a lot had changed in vanity design since I last looked. So I set out to build a modern furniture- style cabinet with lots of storage. The key design features include a prominent horizontal grain pattern wrapping all three faces and graduated drawers. To give the piece less of a built-in look, it is elevated off the floor on a set of adjustable chrome legs. Inside, drawers wrap around the sink bowl…

THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS Dr. Jim Randolph, DVM, is a veterinarian practicing in Mississippi who regularly blogs at www.mypetsdoctor.com. Michael Dresdner is a nationally known finishing expert and author of The New Wood Finishing Book. Rob Johnstone is the publisher of Woodworker’s Journal. Contact us by writing to “Q&A,” Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340, by faxing us at (763) 478-8396 or by emailing us at: QandA@woodworkersjournal.com Please include your home address, phone number and email address (if you have one) with your question. QWe have some leftover composite lumber from a deck. I was planning to use it for birdhouses. Do you recommend composite lumber for birds, or is it harmful? Lavern Farmwald Grayson, Kentucky AWeighing durability and safety, the balance tips substantially to a “no” answer. Composite…

For a video on riving green wood for turning spindles, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab. Almost any woodturner is familiar with turning bowls from green wood. Fewer know that spindles can be turned from green wood as well. Like bowls, it was a common practice before 1850. A commonly accepted factoid is that any spindle turned from green wood will check, or even split, and become unusable. This is not true, however, as long as you do not have a complete annular ring anywhere in the billet you turn your spindle from. It is not difficult to gather a billet that does not have a complete annular ring — especially if you do it in the traditional way. Wood Shrinks as…

Michael Dresdner is a nationally known finishing expert. He shares his expertise on the DVD The Way to Woodwork: Step-by-Step to a Perfect Finish, available through the store at woodworkersjournal.com. For a video demonstrating brushing on varnish, as well as cleaning the brush, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab. Originally, the word “varnish” meant a mixture of natural resin and drying oil. Today’s oil varnishes usually contain synthetic resin, but like their ancestors, they’re durable, beautiful and easy to apply. Unfortunately, the term varnish may be used for almost anything that contains resin, and that confuses the issue. Before we settle our focus on the use and handling of oil varnish, let’s take a quick look at some of the other coatings…