Innehållsförteckning för August 2022 från Woodworker's Journal

Standing at Ease My first shop had a concrete floor, and it didn’t take too many hours of standing to appreciate the relief that a rubber mat afforded. I still stand on a rubber mat at the table saw as well as other machines. These mats greatly reduce leg fatigue and provide a nonslip surface among the sawdust and shavings on the floor. A good pair of shoes also goes a long way toward keeping your legs and feet from developing problems. Additionally, it sometimes helps to adjust your vertical position at the (table) saw for more comfort. For example, when cutting a lot of finger joints, I’ve found that standing on a low plywood platform helps reduce leg fatigue by raising me up to a more comfortable position for…

Spending time outside in July and August offers ample opportunity to enjoy lush green landscapes. But for those of us in the north, a bit of greenery in the winter is like a breath of fresh air. This plant stand accommodates a large-enough pot so that it can hold anything from a plethora of coleus to a small tree and can easily bring us that mid-winter respite. The stand is inspired by Danish Modern design, a style of Scandinavian influence that came into popularity after World War II. Focusing on form and function, the simplicity of the designs lent themselves to production-style woodworking. That made Danish Modern furniture affordable as well as trendy. Teak was the primary species of wood used in those 1950s-era pieces, and its mid-range hue and…

Contact Information ISOtunes 317-740-0419 isotunes.com Kreg Tool 800-447-8638 kregtool.com Rockler 800-279-4441 rockler.com Triton Tools 980-297-7200 tritontools.com For videos demonstrating VIDEO featured tools, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab. Super-tune your table saw’s blade and rip fence for parallelism with one another, and get cleaner, safer and more accurate cutting as a result, when you use Rockler’s Table Saw Alignment Gauge (item 66646; $59.99). It features a precision dial indicator that’s accurate to 0.001", with a bright, easy-to read face and a plunger that travels up to 1". It mounts to a glass-reinforced plastic body and a 6" aluminum miter bar that fits any 3/8" x 3/4" miter slot. The miter bar has expandable tensioning guide blocks to snug it up in a miter…

When Projects Catch Your Eye INSPIRATION IS WHERE YOU FIND IT It has happened to me so many times. I might be walking though an antiques store, reading a magazine, flipping through one of my wife’s catalogs or even visiting a friend’s house and there it is — something made of wood that catches my eye, and I can’t turn away. Oftentimes I decide that I am going to make “one of those.” I once saw an old-fashioned dough bowl in an antiques shop; it’s a piece of treenware where bread dough was placed to rise. I just had to make one (well a few, actually). Another time at a friend’s house, I saw an elegant Scandinavian-designed coat and hat rack with steam-bent wooden “hooks.” It was soon a project…

If you Google my name, you will find me listed as a designer and maker of geometric puzzles. Actually I prefer to call my woodcraft “AP-ART, the sculptural art that comes apart,” as the word “puzzle” can sound too much like jigsaw puzzles. Fifty years ago, you might have found me listed as a maker of canoe and kayak paddles. My paddles were much in demand, especially by racers. They were big and strong, and rarely if ever broke. I also made fiberglass kayaks, being a pioneer in that business. What brought that otherwise successful venture to an end was being sickened by the noxious chemicals. I have a background in engineering and a family background in art. So while casting around for a more healthy line of work, I…

Today’s trendy Roubo workbenches can require a bank loan to afford and feature some complex details that are challenging to make for the average woodworker. These modern “wonder benches” are up to task, without a doubt! But they don’t have to be the be-all and end-all of bench designs. Stout and heavy with a flat top is what you want. Fancy and expensive, however, need not be part of that equation. Twenty-plus years ago, my first attempt at a “workbench” was a modest affair. It was an oversized table I made from 2x lumber and a doubled-up layer of 3/4" MDF for the top. It took a beating for a lot of years and helped me build many projects until I finally retired it. I traded up — or so…

Potting Bench Praise Thank you for publishing Kim McNeelan’s “Cedar Potting Bench” that appeared on the cover of the June 2021 issue. The moment I saw the bench, I thought I needed to build one for my daughter who is an avid gardener. The design is both simple and elegant. It’s very pleasing to the eye while at the same time offers high functionality. When I showed the article to my daughter and asked if she’d like a version of it, she immediately accepted the offer. I completed the bench in time for our spring planting here in Michigan this year, and hopefully she’ll have it for many springs to come. Through your craftsmanship and design skills, you have brought joy to our family. Thank you for the article and…

Save Those Thin Offcuts! Here’s a reminder that’s so obvious it almost shouldn’t need to be told: Don’t throw out those thin offcuts after you’ve ripped solid lumber for a project. I’ve used them countless times as stir sticks for finishes, glue applicators, thin shims, spacers underneath projects I’m finishing and of course, kindling. They’re so much more useful in the shop than in a landfill! Patti Givens Kanab, Utah Washers Make Handy Radius Templates Washers make great little radius templates for laying out corners on workpieces. There are regular washers and fender washers, so the size variations are abundant. Find the sizes with the radii you want, label them and save them with your measuring and marking tools so they’re readily accessible when you need them. Bruce Kieffer Edina,…

Technical drawings for a “bed height” VIDEO set of dog steps are available at woodworkersjournal.com – click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab. For some dogs, these dog steps are just not necessary. My dog Mona, for example, is a Great Dane. Even though she’s a senior, she can climb onto the couch with ease. (Often leaving no room for me to sit down!) But for elderly mid-sized dogs, pooches with arthritis or small dogs like the puppy in the photo above, they can be very useful and extremely practical. (I know some folks who lift their arthritic canine buddies up onto the couch every evening to watch TV with them.) These little steps require a half-sheet of 3/4" plywood. I cut one dimension down to 39"…

At its most basic level, a router is simply a motor with a cutting bit attached to it, installed in a base for controlling it by hand. The motor spins the bit at extremely high speeds. This is our modern handheld router in a nutshell. That basic combination of motor, base and bit provides one of the most versatile and productive portable power tools in our woodshops. Routers are made in myriad sizes and configurations, some with fancy electronics and other just a bare-bones tool with an On/Off switch. There are more industrial versions of the router concept. As a young man in my dad’s shop, we produced “Fish & Fillet Boards” using a 20hp overhead router. These days, huge CNC routers power major manufacturing in a host of industries.…

Tim Inman is a professional woodworker and finishing expert and the author of The Art of Classical Furniture Finishing. Q Is there a home concoction one can make up to create a tack cloth for removing dust prior to finishing? A Woodworking and wood finishing textbooks all offer recipes for homemade “tack” cloths. Usually, they use some varnish or oil such as boiled linseed or tung diluted with mineral spirits to moisten the lint-free cloth. Actually, any oily substance compatible with your topcoats and stains would be fine. A cloth simply dampened with water works, too. Don’t overthink this. It’s just a dust cloth. If you do decide to make up your own oiled tack cloth, keep it sealed in a fireproof container, or better yet, dispose of it immediately after…