Innholdsfortegnelse for June/July 2020 i Woodsmith

Inspiration for a project comes from many sources. In the case of the shop cart on page 38, designer Dillon Baker wanted to create a cart that serves as a companion to a workbench — a staging area for tools, an extra worksurface, and some storage. He found a Shaker dry sink (like the one you see above) that had a lot of the features he was looking for. With a little tweaking, like changing the construction to plywood, he’s designed a great shop helper. The final weeks of working on this issue came just as “work from home” orders were given to people around the country and world. It really changed up the way we work here. I hope you and your family are healthy, safe, and finding…

Our first in-person Weekend Shop Class took place March 7 & 8. Six students showed up bright and early on a Saturday morning to get a crash course in making large dovetail joints —the heart of the auxilary vise project. Sure, a lot of the heavy lifting is done at the band saw, but getting a good, snug fit happens at the tip of a chisel. The class was lead by our shop dream team of Creative Director Chris Fitch and Shop Craftsmen Steve Johnson and Marc Hopkins. Project Designer Dillon Baker joined in, too ensuring that students had plenty of one-on-one attention learning the skills and techniques we use every day. If you’re looking for a fun, rich learning experience in the company of other woodworkers like you, check…

Box making offers an appealing rabbit hole in the world of woodworking. Whether it’s your main focus or just a diversion in between other furniture projects, a box offers a fun use of shop time. One of the best reasons to build a box is to explore new ideas in design, construction, or technique. This box takes a different approach in the design category. Most boxes open at the top with a hinged, lift-off, or pivoting lid. Here, the box has a pair of doors at the front — like a full-size cabinet. This twist changes the relationship with how you interact with the box. With both doors open, you still have full access to the contents. Though now, the items stored inside are organized in a different way. I…

Slow & Steady Wins the Race. While it can be tempting to go big when gluing up the worksurface, a better approach is to glue three to four strips instead. After passing the sections through the planer (both faces), glue them into wider sections (detail ‘a’). Two Halves. Take light passes when planing the halves. Remove just enough to get a level surface. Belt Sander. A belt sander quickly levels and smooths the worksurface. With the previous steps, this should go fast. Drilling Bench Dog Holes. A portable drill guide holds a drill perfectly square to the surface. For thick stock, a spade bit works efficiently. You could use a Forstner bit, however you’ll need to stop and clear the chips to prevent clogging.…

Thirty-five years ago I fell in love with my first router. It was a Bosch 1604 and I still have it in my shop. One of my children will have to decide what to do with it, because I’m never parting with the old boy. The magic of watching a router work has never faded for me. Firing the tool up and watching it devour a square edge while leaving behind a smooth, succulently shaped profile is a delight that never diminishes (photo above). The shaping satisfaction sawdust really flies when using bits like the two beading bits you see to the left. But that’s just icing on the cake in this instance. Complex profiles like these also save a lot of work when you’re crafting a project that harkens…

I don’t think that there’s a facet of woodworking that has nearly the amount of gadgets and gizmos that woodturning has. From tooling to chucks, there’s countless options. However, there are a few pieces of my every-day turning set that I wouldn’t want to do without. Here, I want to share my top five must-have turning tools and accessories. THE BEST QUALITY CHUCK By far my most used form of wood holding on the lathe is my chuck. The chuck I prefer is shown here. It’s the Easy Chuck from Easy Wood Tools. Yes, it’s a pricey investment, but it’s probably the last chuck I’ll ever buy. It’s designed and made in the USA. And the quality of construction is second to none. But, there’s one feature that I really…

In the Midwest, a short drive out of town has you in the middle of the rolling corn and bean fields of Iowa. Speckled throughout the countryside are family farms of all sizes. Often, most have been in the family for centuries. And even though modern machine-sheds are now more common than barns, you’ll still see old barns being used for storage. If you’re lucky, you might catch a glimpse of an old weathervane still sitting on the roof, ready to point where the wind is coming from. WHIMSICAL DESIGN. While weathervanes aren’t used as much anymore, building one is still an adventure and a fun journey that blends woodworking and metalworking. Sprinkle in a little sculpture and you’ll end up with something like you see here —a creative, fun…

Most bookcases in our day and age stay mainly in the safe, practical lane of utility. All we’re looking for is a sturdy set of shelves to stow away treasured old books, games, and maybe display a few favored curios. As you see in the photos here, this bookcase does all that in a style that makes plain boxes blush. HISTORICAL HERITAGE. The bloodline of this bookcase goes back to the third era of the Georgian period of design (which started with King George I). That time is often referred to as the “Golden Age” of furniture making. The hallmarks of that era are captured in this fine interpretation in several ways. As you see here, the “waterfall” speaks to the treatment of the sides of the case. There are…

Shortly after getting my first table saw, I was advised to buy a good quality combination blade. This blade, it was said, would make smooth crosscuts and rip well enough to handle most cutting tasks I asked of it. It’s proven to be true and now I make the same recommendation when people ask me about getting a table saw. That combination blade can be used for more than just cutting boards and plywood down to size. I’ve learned that a single blade performs just as well in creating crisp, snug-fitting joinery. While a dado blade is usually thought of as the “joinery blade,” I want to highlight four joints you can make without having to take your combination blade off the saw. Learning these skills comes in handy for…

Better Dust Collection There are times when the dust collection feature on the router table fence doesn’t do the job at hand. In my most recent case, I was using a flush trim bit and had to remove the fence all together. The dust collection solution I came up with is what you see here. VACUUM CLAMP. As you can see, my idea uses a shop vacuum hose and head held in a clamp. The clamp is made out of a few layers of plywood and has a wide base. The base gets clamped to the router table, and the hose is held in a hinged clamp. A shop-made latch holds the clamp closed. When I need to deploy the holder, it’s simple to clamp it to the table and…

You just got a router, now what? Here are the top seven things I’d buy first to get the most out of it. Now I’m not talking about router bits here at all. I really consider those a given. You can’t do anything with a router without them, except maybe listen to it run. But I do have some basic advice, choose your bits carefully. BUY AS YOU NEED. Personally, I’d buy the bits as I need them based on the project I’m working on. And I’d buy the best bits I could afford. For me that means solid carbide or carbide-tipped router bits. They’ll last longer and provide better results overall. With the bit discussion out of the way, we’re ready to add accessories. You can buy them in…

Accuracy in woodworking is only as good as your measuring and marking tools. And when it comes to those two items, what you use for marking out measurements is the key to better results. When I first started out, I used a “sharp” pencil. Of course, as you use it, it becomes a little less accurate. And to be honest, even fully sharpened it’s not all that precise. It was always a guessing game as to what part of the pencil line I should cut to. It wasn’t long before I moved on to using a marking knife for as much of my layout work as possible. Marking knives (or striking knives, as they’re sometimes called) come in a wide range of styles and prices. I’m particularly drawn to the…

When I built my workbench, one of the main goals was to have a surface large enough to handle most projects. It wasn’t difficult to achieve that. However, bench space shrinks quickly once you factor in the tools, plans, other supplies you need close to hand while working. And wouldn’t it be nice to have extra space for assembly, too? Answering all these points leads to the origin of this project. Now I realize that a shop cart isn’t groundbreaking. In fact, every one who works in the Woodsmith shop has a cart (or two) parked close by. What makes this one unique is how its size and features play into the role of a workbench companion. You know, that trusted sidekick every hero has. The primary feature is the…

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