Innholdsfortegnelse for June 2024 i Woodworker's Journal

Four years ago, we published a “modern” version of the classic Adirondack chair. Rockler has produced a set of cardboard and MDF templates (items 61139, 62667) as well as a hardware kit (item 65175) to make the construction process even more convenient. Customers and our staff have found this chair to be very comfortable. So for 2024, we thought we’d take a good outdoor chair one step further and add rockers to it! A lot of prototyping has gone into these rockers to get their shape just right. And it’s surprising how much more relaxing the chair is to sit in with them! They raise the seat height a few inches so it’s easier to get out of, and the rocking motion feels stable and pleasant. I think you’ll really…

Linenfold panels date from 14th century Europe and were used extensively in both cathedrals and secular architecture up through the end of the 1600s. In their day, they were called lignum undulatum, Latin for undulating wood; historians applied the name linenfold in the 19th century. The 4' x 8' paneling of their day, they evoked the feeling of hanging draperies and tapestries used extensively by the wealthy, at a much lower price, and with little maintenance needed. Many frame-and-panel walls were made to use them — often located on the lower half of a wall in a style we still call wainscoting or, for the enthusiastic, floor to ceiling. If travels ever take you to Akron, Ohio, be sure to visit Stan Hywet Hall, the mansion built between 1912 and…

Some Things Just Take (a Lot) More Time! LESSONS LEARNED AT THE LATHE. One day last winter, I was feeling a sense of the doldrums that come from too much gray weather and not enough shop time. A woodworking cure that usually helps me snap out of my funk is to grab one of my dried bowl blanks and turn something useful, pretty or hopefully both. I headed to the storage shed and found an enticing candidate. Well, this particular silver maple bowl blank was gargantuan — the biggest I’ve ever turned, in fact, at roughly 14½" in diameter. It was quite out-of-round at first, but I wrangled it back into shape in an hour or so. The outer profile revealed itself, pleasingly, after another hour. By four hours in,…

When I was first starting out as a turner, my goal was to turn, sand and finish a reasonably good bowl-shaped object in four hours or less. I don’t know why this seemed to be a good idea, as I wasn’t going to be able to earn anything close to minimum wage no matter how quickly I turned. I lived by the motto, “From firewood to firewood.” This was helpful at first. I didn’t worry about perfection as it wasn’t going to happen anyway. I turned a lot of “roadkill” blanks, and when things went sideways with one of them … well, no big deal, it started out as firewood anyway, so into the burn pile it went. Turn and burn, man! The one good thing that came out of…

We’ve had this old-fashioned candy machine in our family for some time, and while I have been meaning to make a nice stand for it, other projects and commitments seemed to always get in the way. But recently I acquired a Rockler VS 12-24 Variable Speed Midi Lathe (item 72333) with the accessory bed extension (item 71801), and I knew I had the perfect project for this lathe! The candy machine fits well on the smaller top specified in the Material List on page 29. But you might prefer to make the larger top instead and use this Pedestal Stand to display a big house plant or other object. Either way, let’s get started making it! Milling and Gluing Notice in the Exploded View Drawing on page 29 that while…

Everybody loves sanding! Oh, wait; I was thinking of ice cream. Sorry. Still, the analogy isn’t a bad one: If ice cream is the dessert that finishes up a good meal, sanding is the process that finishes — literally — all the combined efforts you put into a project. But, while my waistline may provide an argument against ice cream, sanding is an essential part of any project’s successful completion. Meet the Sander Family Sanders for woodworking come in a variety of types and sizes, including benchtop and stationary floor models, but the most useful handheld sanders boil down to four options. Not all sanders are suitable for all jobs, of course, with some better at certain tasks than others (and some disastrous if not used correctly). 1. Random orbit…

While the majority of what you probably need to cut on a band saw is wood or sheet goods, wouldn’t it be handy to be able to slice through metal as well? Unfortunately, woodcutting band saws spin the blade too fast for that task. But with the DAKE/Laguna 14|CX Bandsaw, ferrous metals such as steel, iron, stainless steel and more are fair game because this machine’s blade speed can be set to as low as 60 surface feet per minute (SFPM). The saw’s two-step pulley system provides a mechanical high speed range for wood and low speed range for metal, which are easy to switch between by shifting the saw’s poly-groove drive belt from one step to the other. Then, just twist a variable-speed control knob on the saw’s column…

Does it get used in your shop? Recently, we asked our Weekly online news-letter readers if they use hide glue. Here are some of their comments. “I use it all the time. Started using the new bottled version, and I haven’t looked back. The [glue] beads are collecting dust. In damp situations, I still use PVAs or polyurethane. Cyanoacrylates have a place as well. I make and repair string instruments for fun, so the hide glue is a good fit. Over the years, I started using it more and more for other projects after it became available in the bottle form. Bottled stuff doesn’t smell that bad compared to a hot glue pot.” - Chris Jenkins “I have used both Titebond hide glue and Old Brown Glue. I find myself…

Windows are meant to deliver light into your home’s interior, but they can also provide an unwanted view into your home. That’s why almost everyone wants and needs some form of window covering in their home (unless you live in the middle of nowhere or don’t care about privacy). Although window treatments vary greatly in style and function, I think the best kind are the ones that ensure privacy while still letting in light — and ones that you can make in your shop. This interior shutter project has a lot going for it, including excellent light transmission that doesn’t compromise privacy and simple modular construction. You can use almost any wood for these shutters, but typically it’s best to either match or complement your existing woodwork. I used vertical-grain…

Rockler’s Router Bit Maintenance Kit (item 68994; $34.99) provides an all-inone solution for cleaning and sharpening router bits up to 3¼" in diameter. The translucent reservoir on the base holds 10.5 oz of cleaning fluid, and it has windows so you can assess the bits inside. Its blue lid features five circular holders that are stepped to accept ¼"-, 8 mm and ½"-shank bits and secure them for inverting into the reservoir. The flip side of the lid forms a shallow dish with rounded corners for storing bit bearings, screws and washers. An O-ring gasket on the lid prevents leaks. The kit’s blue “bit grip” has three interchangeable steel collets in ¼", 8 mm and ½" sizes; each fits into the grip’s removable cap to hold bit shanks safely by hand…