Innholdsfortegnelse for August/September 2020 i Woodsmith

While I typically head to the shop to get away from computer screens and technology, they do have a place in woodworking. I find that software applications (“apps”) help make my time in the shop more efficient, saving time, money, and a lot of head-scratching. After taking a look at dozens of apps (and believe me there’s a ton of them out there), I’ve rounded up a few of the ones I use on my Apple iPhone on a regular basis. Many of these apps (or similar ones) are available for other platforms (like Android), as well. Downloading them to your phone (or, in many cases, a tablet) and you can be working with them in just a few minutes. Many of them are free or low-cost. In either case,…

Louis Pasteur said “A bottle of wine contains more philosophy than all the books in the world.” If that’s the case, then you’ll have quite the library at the ready with this project. Not because of its size, it’s more due to good design. The parts for the rack, back and dividers are all made from 1/2" plywood. This was a perfect compromise when designing the look of the rack. Using 3/4" material just felt and looked unnecessarily thick. Plus, using the 1/2" material for the back added a lot of rigidity to the case. To keep the scale properly proportioned, the drawer is made of 3/8" material. But let’s start with the rack that stores the bottles first. That means sizing the case parts. MITERS. The sides, top, and…

The wood vise screw premium kit from Lake Erie Toolworks comes with everything you need but the jaw. A hard maple screw, nut, handle, and brass mounting hardware (called garter rings) are included in the kit. 1 Wood Screw Opening. To accurately align the jaw to the apron use a spacer block the same thickness as the top. Then mark the location of the hole through the apron. 2 Vise Nut First. Center the vise nut on the opening to see if it needs trimmed. Then hold it in place with double-sided tape, remove the jaw, and screw it to the apron. 3 Attach Wood screw. Feed the wood screw through the vise nut and draw it tight to the apron. Mark screw locations through garter ring and drill pilot…

Applying epoxy to your project completely seals the wood surface. So if you intend to stain the wood, you’ll need to do it before topping it off with the epoxy. Another option is to add aniline dye stain powder directly to the epoxy mixture. Alcohol-soluble dyes dissolve better than water-soluble versions, but either can be used. And you’ll want to experiment with the amount of dye to add so that you get the right color. These powders are generally highly concentrated, though, so you’ll find you won’t need to add much. When using dyes, it’s best to add the powder after the resin and hardener have been thoroughly mixed. This helps ensure that the epoxy will cure properly. The quarter-sawn white oak in the photos to the right show the…

? When building a table saw sled, what is the best wood to use for the runner in the miter slot, that has the least amount of expansion and contraction? Walter Pinkman Facebook A miter bar for a table saw jig (or any jig, really) needs to slide easily in the miter slot. But, if it’s too loose, your jig won’t be very accurate. And if it’s too tight, it’s hard to use. You’re looking for just the right “feel” where it’s snug but slides with little effort. There are several options to consider. WOOD. As a woodworker, the obvious choice is to use wood. For a quick miter bar, make one from your wood scraps. The advantage of wood is that you can easily fine-tune the size for a…

Drill Press Sanding Drum In my garage shop, I’m often looking for ways to make tools multifunction. In some recent extended shop-time, I discovered a good way to upgrade my drill press sanding drum. SANDING DRUM. While drill press drum sanders aren’t new there are a few palces they fall short.The biggest is that they always seem to have some runout and flex a little. Plus, I always seem to have to cobble together an insert or a table so I can lower it all the way. To fix that, I modified an insert for my drill press table (my table is from WoodsmithPlans.com). I made a table that attaches to the insert and allows the drum to be recessed. A bronze bushing stabilizes the drum to prevent wobbling. Then,…

Back in the day, there was a wrist watch made by a company named Timex. The main selling point of the watch was it’s modest price and toughness. The slogan was “It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.” True to its word, I had several of those watches that served me faithfully for decades. Well, the bench you’re looking at here easily meets and surpasses those qualities. The modest-sized bench might lead you to think that it could be pushed around if you attempt any aggressive joinery work on it. Not so, the thick top planks, and massive aprons that are let into the base with half-laps (and angled on the ends) means this bench won’t budge no matter what you throw at it. Those aprons have more going…

Living in the middle of Iowa, you wouldn’t expect boats to be a big part of my youth. But in this sea of corn, I grew up fishing on the Mississippi almost every weekend (thanks grandpa). During the weekdays, we would be hitting the water in our ski boat after my dad got off work. Even today, we spend every weekend in our family pontoon boat. Having always been around boats, it’s been a dream of mine to build a center-console fishing boat. Something in the 27-foot range that can handle off-shore fishing in my retirement years. Now, that’s a long ways off. So, in the meantime, the boat shown here is a good way to test the waters (pun intended) of boat building. PLYWOOD CONSTRUCTION. In the world of…

SUPER MET-AL Wood Filler Floor Repair Stick Our specially designed Floor Repair Stick will give you a professional look when repairing scratches and nicks on Wood, Concrete, Laminate, Vinyl floors and surfaces. Made in USA. FREE Samples Call: 1-800-851-8464 www.skmproducts.com Knew Concepts Heavy Duty Fret Saws Knew Concepts fret saws are the stiffest saws in history. Stiffer saws mean better control of where the blade cuts. Isn’t better control always a good thing? Made in Santa Cruz, CA. www.knewconcepts.com Woodsmith Cabinet Scraper System The Woodsmith Cabinet Scraper System offers a foolproof method for getting a consistent, razor-sharp edge using only a few simple tools. The secret is in the Woodsmith jig — a unique tool that lets you file the edge and then create a bur. https://store.woodsmith.com/products/7512124…

Anyone who’s been in our shop or seen one of our shop tour videos knows that we have a lot of router bits. And I mean a lot. Truth be told, some of them are for very specific operations. However, there are a few of these specialty bits that, quite honestly, work so well that they’re worth the expense and the shop space. Let’s take a look at a few of these unique bits. SCREW SLOT BIT The first unique bit that I really like is the type shown to the left. These are screw slot bits. They form slots in a workpiece for the shank of a screw to pass through while holding the head — all in one pass. You can see the bit in action in the…

Even though lighting technology has moved way beyond candles, the gentle flicker still draws people in. In an instant, you’ve created a welcoming, comforting environment. Housing the candle in a lantern only heightens the experience and calls back to an earlier time. This lantern project has everything a weekend project should have. Great design comes first. Many “simple” projects fall flat on their faces because the designer didn’t take the time to make the project beautiful. In addition, this lantern keeps the ease of construction while incorporating enough thoughtful details you expect in a custom piece. Speaking of details, let’s take a quick survey of a few. The tapered profile and overhanging top evoke Arts & Crafts styling. The seamless miters show off the shape and allow the individual pieces…

Large Dadoes. A straight edge combined with a router and pattern bit takes all the stress out of making the dadoes in the apron that mate with the base. Angled Notch. The notches that locks the aprons to the base are made with a combination of two saws. A back saw for the shoulder, and a jigsaw for the angle. Guide Opening. A combination of drill bits are needed to rough out the opening in the apron for the parallel guide. Then a use a router and pattern bit to clean up. Tidying Up. To clean up the opening, your router and pattern bit are called for. The template gets you started, then the walls of the opening guide the bit.…

One of the hallmarks of the hull of a boat (page 44) is a finished surface that’s smooth and waterproof. It also should reflect light evenly without any noticeable surface variations. While the finish on our boat is for waterproofing, a smooth epoxy finish looks great on other projects as well. Achieving a glass-smooth surface like this can be difficult, however. The issue is that many wood species have open pores that draw the finish below the surface of the wood. This can result in a finish that may be smooth, but appears to have “texture.” The key is to fill the pores before applying a finish coat. I have used various paste-type pore fillers over the years. And while they work great at filling the pores, it can be…