Innehållsförteckning för December/January 2024 från Woodsmith

Craftsman, Shaker, Queen Anne, Danish Modern ... these are a few of the furniture styles that are well known to woodworkers. The more I talk with Chris, Steve, John, Dillon, and Marc, the more I learn about other design streams. Some of these lesser known styles are regional or focused on a specific person or company. A few years ago, Dillon came across a photo of a piece in the “Monterey” style. After some research, he found a book that featured other items and highlighted the history of the movement. From this he designed the cabinet featured in Woodsmith 256. In this issue he’s back at it with a buffet that starts on page 38. Design books like this are a great way to generate ideas for projects. This doesn’t…

Finishing techniques seem to fall into one of two poles: “quick & easy” and everything else. Allow me to present a mid-level technique: a crackled paint finish that’s worth some extra time and effort. It’s the technique used on the door panels of the Monterey buffet on page 38 and shown above. There’s a lot to love here. An aged finish holds more visual interest than a flat, blemish-free surface. This painting method also incorporates contrasting colors in a subtle way. For the one applying the finish, there’s a fun moment when the crackle effect begins that seems like magic. WHAT YOU NEED. The photo at left shows the supplies you’ll need. At the heart are two colors of paint separated by a layer of liquid hide glue. The glue…

DESIGNER Project Nothing brings people together quite like a good game. It’s a wonderful way to spend an afternoon — and an evening too, depending on the game in question. However, where to host the game is always an issue. Should we clear off the dining table, or all crowd around the coffee table in the living room? A break-down poker table is always an option, but often an unsatisfying one, with its wobbly legs and layers of dust after being hauled out of a closet or garage. And what if the game isn’t finished by the end of the night? Should we leave the game sitting out, or begrudgingly declare a draw? As an avid game player, whether of the card, board, or dice variety, I was naturally intrigued…

Band Saw V-Jig Cutting odd-shaped parts always poses an interesting challenge. The band saw is certainly the safest place to get the job done, but it’s far from perfect. That said, this V-jig will certainly help when it comes to long workpieces. The jig cradles the piece, and it works well for a few different operations. Two cleats are mounted on a hardboard base to create the V. A notch into the jig separates the narrow cleat and allows room for the band saw’s blade. As you can see above, the jig gets taped to the fence, and the V supports pieces of any shape. Leonard Wade Lake Charles, Louisiana NOTE: The base is made from ¼" hardboard. The cleats are made from 1¾"-thick hardwood. SUBMIT A TIP…

When it comes to making crosscuts, there tends to be two types in my shop. First, the rough cut, initially trimming a piece down to a workable size. For efficiency’s sake, the saw above is my choice here. The second type of cut is a precise one. When cutting a board to final length, I prefer a crosscut sled at the table saw. I may be a bit biased, but I find the stationary blade provides far more accuracy than my sliding compound miter saw. However, there are some workpieces that are too long to crosscut reliably or safely on the tablesaw. The long walnut frame pieces for the gaming table on page 52 (which you can see being cut above) are a prime example. For these, the miter saw…

HEIRLOOM Project It all started around 1929 when Frank Mason and his son George, the owners of Mason Manufacturing Company, were approached by Barker Brothers furniture store to create a new line of furniture under the name “Monterey,” that would harmonize with all the ranch houses being built in the Valley. The inspiration provided to the Masons from the furniture company was a poster for the movie Old Arizona, and a reference to a settee that appeared in the movie. So for the Masons the years between the crash of Wall Street and the start of World War II were not depressing at all. They stayed busy in a large building located in old Los Angeles creating this line of furniture and the hardware that adorned it. Times were good…

When I was a kid, one of my favorite toys was a set of blocks at my grandmother’s house. They were the old-school kind: a letter on one face, number on another, grooves milled into the top and bottom, and a couple images to round it out. I think it’s safe to say that many woodworkers share a similar affinity for blocks, whether from childhood memories or their current shops. I’ve found that many woodworkers I meet have quite a few shop blocks — and they aren’t for visiting grandkids (necessarily). The blocks may be used for gluing and clamping, raising a workpiece off the benchtop, or to improve the accuracy of power tools. It’s this last function that I want to focus on here. We’ll zero in on the…

GREAT Gear Keeping your shop clean and tidy takes time away from the fun stuff — like making messes while shaving, chopping, or sawing away at your current project. We’ll take a look at three products that help you stay clean, tidy, and orderly while you’re working in your shop. Let’s start with a kit that takes some of the hassle out of emptying your dust collector. THE DUST COLLECTOR HERO The Dust Collector Hero is a kit that replaces the dust collection bag on your dust collector. Here’s a quote from their website on what the “Hero” does. “The Hero is an air tight chamber that eliminates the need for a bag or drum to be directly connected to the dust collector debris outlet. An optional DC Guard Dog…

SHOP Project I don’t think there’s a more sparse definition of “default settings” than what you get when you unpack the box containing your new drill press. Once assembled, the chunky cast iron table stares blankly at you as if to say: “What — I’m a drill press, what did you expect?” And once it’s up and running, don’t let the purring of a drill press fool you. Unless you clamp the workpiece — or hold it firmly against a fence — you can get hurt quickly by the bit grabbing the material. Most cast iron tables have slots to hold workpieces to the table while drilling, but it won’t be long before you start daydreaming about a table that makes it a joy to drill holes. Well, you can…