Innehållsförteckning för February/March 2023 från Woodsmith

WORKING with Tools The band saw is one of the most versatile power tools in any shop. From pattern cutting to resawing to joinery, it’s capable of jobs across the spectrum. The thin kerf of a band saw blade means less waste compared to a table saw or miter saw, and the downward cutting motion makes it one of the safest power tools to use. Despite these advantages, there is one big drawback that a lot of band saws suffer from: drift. A saw that needs tuning or has a dull blade will really suffer, but even a well-maintained band saw can pull to one side during a cut. There could be an issue with the tires — the crown, the axles, the alignment, the blade position on the crown…

DESIGNER Project The work of designing shop projects, drawings, and creative paintings since the advent of the digital world has been a dazzling adventure, to say the least. And in many ways rightly so — the ‘undo’ feature that is available in all creative software programs has been a godsend. THE REST OF THE STORY. While the digital defense team gloats about these merits, we all know that there are times when the old school analog realm works just fine, thank you very much. How about the touch and tooth of sublime surfaces from cotton rag paper to voluptuous vellum — along with your favorite drawing or painting instrument? That can’t be replaced by a sterile monitor. And you’ll never be forced to upgrade your pencils for this table. Speaking…

HEIRLOOM Project There are times when you just need one more table. Whether you’re hosting family for a holiday or getting ready for a weekly game of poker in the garage, it’s nice to have something you can set up quick and put away at the end of the day without hassle. When these occasions roll around, I often find myself scrounging for the same flimsy, white, folding table. It’s cheap, it’s plastic, it’s certainly not flat, and it’s got a wobble that drives me mad. But, it is necessary — or at least it was. The table you see pictured here is our alternative to the typical choice. The hardwood leg assemblies keep the table steady while also being able to slide together and apart easily. The top is…

Miter Saw Micro-Adjustment Stop The miter saw is my main cross-cutter, but making small adjustments on the piece being cut isn’t easy. The stop you see here was my answer. Since clamping a stop block to the fence is difficult on short pieces, the stop is long and attached to a plywood fence. The stop is simple: two pieces connected by a couple bolts for adjustability. The mounting block is L-shaped, with one hole for a hex bolt to fine-tune the stop block and another for a carriage bolt to lock it in place. The carriage bolt is counterbored, while the hex bolt threads into a T-nut. The stop block is a long piece with a cut-out for the mounting block at one end and a chamfer for dust relief…

GREAT Gear Every table saw comes with two mandatory accessories — a rip fence and a miter gauge. Out of the crate both items address a basic function. The rip fence guides material through the saw blade with the direction of the grain, while the miter gauge hold boards safely during a cut across the grain. Of course both do more with the addition of auxiliary fences and jigs. Here we’re looking at two jigs for your miter gauge. FALSE STARTS. One more thing I want to mention before we dive into the jigs — your table saw blade needs to be parallel to the miter gauge slot for these jigs to work properly. That being said, let’s take a look at the two of them. MITERSET. If you visit…

Woodworking is always a fun endeavor, and when you come across a project like you see here, there are bonus points for variety. Which reminds me of another old saying, “variety is the spice of life.” That adage came to mind often when dealing with and thinking of this cabinet. THE DESIGN. For instance, the big square that is the case and the overlay doors are soothed and supported by the curvilinear base. While the rattan tondo in the door agrees with the base, it does so in a more exotic way. Speaking of the door, the term “frame and panel” door doesn’t speak to the beauty you see here. That’s because the hardwood panel has been brought flush to the frame and given a little separation as well. This…

Any seasoned carpenter will tell you, installing crown molding is anything but a routine task. Unlike most moldings, which are attached flat to the wall, crown molding rests at an angle between the ceiling and wall. Because it “leans” at an angle, working with crown molding requires cutting compound angles, which can be a tricky operation. To complicate matters even more, in general construction, walls and ceilings are seldom flat, square, or plumb. CROWN MOLDING CLOSE-UP If you haven’t purchased crown molding before, it’s worth taking a few minutes to familiarize yourself with some of the basics — such as how it hangs on the wall. WHICH SIDE IS UP? All crown molding has a decorative profile milled into the face of the molding. At first, it may not be…

TOY Project Marbles are one of the oldest toys known to humanity. The earliest are estimated to have been made in 2500 BCE, and writings from the Roman empire show us that Roman children played with them much like kids might today. Of course, a modern child has no shortage of entertainment, but there’s still something to be said about the simple, visceral joy of a toy like the one here. ANCIENT TOY, MODERN DESIGN. The marble tower here is based off of the many marble run toys you may have seen in toy aisles — or, like me, had as a child. As simple as a marble is, a run isn’t much more complex, and most are just a series of ramps for a marble to travel down. However,…

ROUTER Workshop Routers require bits. I use this obvious statement because routers are often (and rightly) recommended as an essential tool for furniture making. Without talking about the bits though new woodworkers don’t have much to go on. When you combine the range of bits available and different types of woodworking projects to make, selecting and suggesting router bits becomes subjective and overwhelming. THREE CATEGORIES. I divide router bits into three broad groups: joinery, profiling, and shaping. There’s some overlap, for sure. However, this distinction helps to narrow down the conversation with other woodworkers about what kinds of bits to purchase. In this article, I’ll share the joinery bits I’ve come to rely on in my own projects along with some bits that I know others around here use frequently.…