03. April 2000.pdf

P RO -S IZE Y OUR B ANDSAW T ABLE

PROJECTS

INSIDE!

Woodworking

Popular

April 2000 #114

The Skill-Building Project Magazine for Practical Woodworkers

G LAZE :T HE M YSTERY F INISH E XPLAINED

www.popularwoodworking.com

In This Issue

Arts & Crafts

Sideboard

For collectors, sideboards are one

of the most prized pieces of Arts

& Crafts furniture. For wood-

workers, this design will give you

a sturdy heirloom that’s interest-

ing to build.

Woodworking on

Death Row

Some of the most dangerous

people in the country are wood-

workers who spend hours each

day at their craft. Learn how

they build projects without leav-

ing their cells.

Garden Storage

Bench

Keep your hoses and garden

equipment handy but protected

from the elements with this rock-

solid garden bench.

P OPULAR W OODWORKING April 2000

America’s BEST

Project Magazine!

In Every Issue

Letters

Mail from readers

Cris Cuts

Tools That Changed My Shop

Forever

Tricks of the Trade

Don’t throw away your mustard

bottles; super glue simplifies com-

pound sawing

Ingenious Jigs

Nick Engler shows you how to

vastly improve your band saw using

leftover lumber

Projects From

the Past

20th Century Desk

Magic Shelves

You probably saw these shelves

in an ACE Hardware ad last

year. But what you didn’t see is

the construction techniques and

installation tricks that make

these shelves a snap to build and

install.

Spring Safe

Jeff Vollmer, a master maker of

puzzle boxes, shows you the se-

crets to constructing this puzzle

“safe” that has a spring-loaded

drawer.

By Jeff Vollmer

Tool Test

Delta’s new miter sled, the

Microplane and Porter-Cable’s

new 12-volt drill

Endurance Test

Four-way Screwdrivers

Flexner on Finishing

Glazes and Glazing Techniques

Modern Console

Shelving doesn’t always have to

be predictable and boring. These

stand-alone console units create

interesting nooks and crannies

for displaying your books and

collections.

By Mark Kessler

Icebox Entertainment

Center

In the first furniture project from

the new “Little Shop that

Could,” learn to build this useful

TV stand without a lot of expen-

sive machinery.

Caption the Cartoon

Win a set of Quick Grip clamps

Classifieds

Out of the Woodwork

The Art of Making Mistakes

Shaker Stepstool

Learn to build these sturdy dove-

tailed steps the same way the

early Shakers would: using hand

tools, a few old-fashioned tricks

and a dose of patience.

On the

Cover

Turn on the radio

when you build

these Shaker steps

because your table

saw and router will

stand silent as you

learn to master through-dovetails.

Cover photo by Al Parrish

www.popwood.com 3

Out On a Limb

Advice for the New

April 2000, Vol. 20, No. 2

www.popwood.com

Editor & Publisher Steve Shanesy

Senior Editors David Thiel &

Christopher Schwarz

Associate Editor Jim Stuard

Art Director Amy Schneider

Contributing Editors

R.J. DeCristoforo

Nick Engler

Bob Flexner

Glen Huey

Troy Sexton

Technical Advisers:

Bill Austin

Scott Box

Chris Carlson

Dale Zimmerman

Makita USA. Inc.

Delta International

S-B Power Tool

Franklin International

General Manager Jeffry M. Lapin

Editorial Director David Fryxell

Creative Director Matthew Small Gaynor

Magazine Art Director Nancy Stetler

CIRCULATION

David Lee, Director

Mark Fleetwood, Single Copy Sales Mgr.

Terry Webster-Isgro, Direct Sales Mgr.

PRODUCTION

Barbara Schmitz,

Director of Manufacturing

Martha Wallace, Magazine Production Dir.

Matt Walker, Production Assistant

Ruth Preston, Studio Manager

ADVERTISING

National Sales Representative

Bill Warren, Five Mile River Assoc. LLC

RR1 Box 1400, Stockton Springs, ME 04981

Tel. (207) 469-1981; Fax (207) 469-3050

Advertising Sales

Joe Wood, Tel. (513) 336-9760

Fax (513) 336-9761

Classified Advertising Sales

Joan Wright, Tel. (513) 459-9298

Advertising Production Coordinator

Debbie Thomas, Tel. (513) 531-2690, ext. 219

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES Subscription inquiries,

orders and address changes can be made at

www.popwood.com (click on Subscriber Services).

Or by mail: Popular Woodworking,

P.O. Box 5369, Harlan, IA 51593 or call

(515) 280-1721. Include your address with all

inquiries.Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery.

Popular Woodworking (ISSN 0884-8823, USPS 752-250) is

published seven times a year in February, April, June, August,

October, November and December by F&W Publications, Inc.

Editorial and advertising offices are located at 1507 Dana Ave.,

Cincinnati, OH 45207; tel.: (513) 531-2222. Unsolicited

manuscripts, photographs and artwork should include ample

postage on a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE);

otherwise they will not be returned. Subscription rates: A year’s

subscription (7 issues) is $19.97; outside of U.S add $7/year.

Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 0546232. Canadian

return address: 2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON N8Y 1V2

at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster:

Send all address changes to Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 5369,

Harlan, IA 51593 Canada GST Reg. # R122594716

Produced and printed in the U.S.A.

ATTENTION RETAILERS:

To carry P opular Woodworking in your store, call

(513) 531-2690, ext. 327, or write: Dealer Program, F&W

Publications, Inc., 1507 Dana Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207.

Woodworker’s Book Club: 1507 Dana Ave., Cincinnati,

OH 45207; (513) 531-8250

Audit Bureau of Circulation membership applied for.

P OPULAR W OODWORKING April 2000

O UT ON A L IMB

Contact

Information

Steve Shanesy

Editor & Publisher

Specialties: Projects,

techniques, article and

project selection

(513) 531-2690 ext. 238

steves@fwpubs.com

Advice for the New

A list of the things that a book or magazine can’t teach.

M aybe it’s the time of year or perhaps

joint changes so does its potential for suc-

cess or failure. Rely on joints for strength

instead of the thickness of the wood.

Learn patience. As a new woodwork-

er there’s the temptation to rush to com-

plete a project. It’s natural to want to see

the fruits of your labor. But often this leads

to compromises in workmanship.

When you have learned the patience

woodworking requires you will enjoy

spending time in the shop far more than

the things you build.

Practice until you get it right. Don’t

waste good wood learning how to cut a

joint, to use a router or to install a hinge.

Practice on scraps until you do it right sev-

eral times. Practice teaches patience.

Buy good tools and take care of them.

In turn, they will take care of you. Buy the

highest quality tool you can reasonably af-

ford, even if it means putting off buying

other tools. Doing without some tools will

help you become clever about other ways

to get the job done.

Understand that finishing is not wood-

working. It is a separate craft that deserves

attention and passion. A great finish can

make a so-so project great. A so-so finish

will make a great project so-so. Always

make a sample board before finishing your

project. Oil finish is the exception to this.

Learn to read the wood. Select boards

for beauty and place them appropriately

in your projects. It’s a shame to hide a pret-

ty face. Read the wood for grain direction

so it won’t tear out.

If you can, make friends with a more ex-

perienced woodworker. Ask as many ques-

tions as you can without becoming a pest.

Read books and magazines about wood-

working, but know there are more suspect

ones than good ones. Ask your friend which

are the good ones. Remember the words of

English woodworker John Brown, “(G)lean

what you can by reading what the experts

say. Just don’t let it get in the way of your

woodworking.” PW

the planets have aligned, but we’ve

all noted an increase in the number of calls,

letters and e-mails from folks new to wood-

working. We enjoy the questions and com-

ments, and they cause me to reflect on

what I wished I’d known when I first began

woodworking.

Safety is more than a set of rules. It’s a

way of working, if not a way of life. Most

beginners are rightfully concerned about

safety. Serious injuries can and do occur.

How close is too close to allow your

hands near a spinning blade? The only ab-

solute answer is in the blade. Otherwise, it

depends. While you can get too close, the

danger lies not so much in proximity to

the blade as the way you hold the work.

Kickbacks cause most hand injuries, not

having your hands too close.

So avoid kickbacks. Know what caus-

es them and work accordingly. Apply pres-

sure in the right place to hold the work

down and to the fence.

Safety procedures in machine manuals

are there for two reasons. Some keep you

safe; others keep the manufacturers safe

from lawsuits. After a while, you’ll know

the difference between the two.

Wear safety glasses. But don’t forget you

damage your hearing every time you turn

on a machine. Injury to your hearing is

very serious. The damage from loud nois-

es accumulates over many exposures.

There’s no blood, no pain, it just happens.

Unlike a cut, this damage won’t heal.

Listen to your instincts. Sometimes

you’ll get an inkling something isn’t right.

Pay attention because it probably isn’t. Re-

think what you are about to do and you’ll

come up with a much safer solution.

Don’t ever fear a machine. If you do,

don’t use it. Always respect a machine. It

has more power than you know.

Build every project in your head first.

Then build it on paper before you attempt

to build it in the shop. Your mistakes will

be reduced to almost none.

Learn why certain joints work and oth-

ers fail. Know that as the application of a

David Thiel

Senior Editor

Specialties: Projects,

new products and tools,

tricks of the trade

(513) 531-2690 ext. 255

davidt@fwpubs.com

Christopher Schwarz

Senior Editor

Specialties: Author

liaison, website, projects,

photography

(513) 531-2690 ext. 407

chriss@fwpubs.com

Jim Stuard

Associate Editor

Specialties: Projects,

carving, turning, project

illustrations

(513) 531-2690 ext. 348

jims@fwpubs.com

Amy Schneider

Art Director

Specialties: Magazine

and cover design, photo

direction

(513) 531-2690 ext. 471

amys@fwpubs.com

Got Questions or Problems

With Your Subscription?

To report problems with your subscription

visit our website at popwood.com, call our

subscription offices at 515-280-1721, or

write to Popular Woodworking ,P.O.Box

5369, Harlan, IA 51593.

Our Privacy Promise toYou

We make portions of our customer list

available to carefully screened companies

that offer products and services we believe

you may enjoy. If you do not want to re-

ceive those offers and/or information,

please let us know by contacting us at: List

Manager, F & W Publications, 1507 Dana

Ave., Cincinnati, OH 45207

Safety Note

Safety is your responsibility.

Manufacturers place safety devices on their

equipment for a reason. In many photos

you see in Popular Woodworking , these have

been removed to provide clarity. In some

cases we’ll use an awkward body position

so you can better see what’s being demon-

strated. Don’t copy us.Think about each

procedure you’re going to perform before-

hand. Safety First!

P OPULAR W OODWORKING April 2000

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