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Canadian Woodworking is distributed 6 times a year. Every month, we pack our magazine with tips, plans, tool reviews and more. Our articles focus exclusively on the subject of woodworking; from intarsia, to dust collection. Take a look at our current issue. If you like it as much as we do, feel free to subscribe, or request a free trial issue.
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On The Cover: Height AdjusterBy: Eric Gabe (June/July 2009) Craft Project: Mantel ClockBy: Marty SchlosserBrighten up a fireplace mantel, hall table, night stand – in fact any room – with this heritage style mantle clock. Fortunately for woodworkers, the ready availability and variety of electronic movements, clock faces, plastic or glass lenses, and bezels, has greatly simplified the process of clock building. Gone are the days of installing finicky mechanical movements. For those who can’t be bothered sourcing the various bits and pieces needed, kits containing everything, including the wood, are available. If you elect to purchase a clock face that’s different in size from the one used here you will need to modify the plan to make sure the face fits properly. It looks best if the bezel is centered within the face panel. The mantle clocks Marty build have three defining features: first, they are sized for today’s down-sized furnishings and fireplace mantles. Second, they are made of quality cabinet-grade wood and components. Lastly, they sound terrific when they are chiming. If you have never made a clock, now is the time. Marty gives excellent instructions, four full colour photos of the construction stages, a detailed illustration showing all of the parts and measurements, and a detailed materials list and supply checklist. Wood Finishing: Red Oak FinishBy: Marty SchlosserThere are few woods easier to finish than red oak. Whether you want it stained and sporting a bulletproof topcoat, or have its natural oak glow shining through, you can’t go wrong with red oak. It almost goes without saying that every project needs to be properly prepared before being finished. In fact, the vast majority of finishes are ruined or less than perfect as a result of cutting corners at this essential stage. This includes ensuring there’s no residual glue anywhere and that the surface is free of any machining marks or sanding scratches. Once the surface has been properly hand planed or sanded, you’re ready to begin. Marty leads you through the entire process in such a way that you will feel that he is looking over your shoulder. He covers: Surface Preparation; Grain Filling; Required Materials; Staining; and Topcoating. He also provides three full colour photos highlighting the process. Turning Project: Lidded Jewellery BoxBy: Allan CusworthOne of the most popular items to make when you decide to take up woodturning is a lidded box. This turned box is an excellent study of different techniques to add to your repertoire. The most popular use for these boxes is for keeping jewellry. However, they can be used for many different purposes, from holding paper clips, to pills in a lady’s purse. They make excellent gifts and usually become a treasured possession of the recipient. An assortment of shapes, sizes and different woods can also make a beautiful addition to a display for a local craft show. Lidded boxes come in many different styles and configurations. The lid style is often dictated by the end use. For example, the lid can pop off, lift off, or slide off, and it can either fit over the lip of the box base, or it can fit inside. Some even have hinged or threaded tops. You can make a simple little box with straight sides with a flat, curved, or dished top, or you can let your creative juices flow and make your design as intricate as you like. You may even want to add a top finial from a contrasting coloured wood, to add style to the piece. Allan does a terrific job of covering: Design; Choosing the Wood; Preparing the Blank; Turning the Lathe; Turning the Base; Finalizing the Shape of the Base and Lid Together; and Completing the Bottom. He also provides 10 full colour step-by-step photos, as well as a large full colour photo showing a variety of box styles. Furniture Project: Chess TableBy: Jerry HaighWhether looking for competition or an exercise session for the brain, this beautiful chess table will keep your knights and bishops on an even playing field. The chessboard top consists of an arrangement of eight-by-eight dark and light offset squares. These squares are made of black walnut and maple. The top trim is made of purpleheart while the rest of the table is made of walnut. To look at this table you would think that such a high-end looking piece would be difficult to construct. Not the case with Jerry showing you how. He gives 6 step-by-step full colour photos, two detailed illustrations showing all of the parts and their measurements, a detailed materials list, and a gorgeous photo of the finished table. This project, along with our series on making your own chess pieces (see issues 54-56) make a wonderful set. Easy Project: Cake KnifeBy: Glen FriesenThis knife, with its customized inlay, makes a wonderful wedding gift and keepsake. With this project, you will never be scratching your head again trying to come up with a gift for a wedding, birthday, or other special event. Glen provides easy, straight-forward instructions, covering: Preparing the Material; Inserting the Knife Blade; Installing the Pin and Handle; Installing the Inlay; and Final Tasks. He also gives a detailed materials list, a complete illustration showing all of the parts and measurements, and three full colour photos showing the completed knife. Shop Tools: Mortising MalletBy: Karel AeltermanYou will make quick work of chopping mortises with this easy to build mallet. With practice you can become very adept at chopping out mortises quickly and effectively. When you are only doing a few mortises, this might be the occasion to slow down and listen to some music rather than whining machines, while chopping away wood with a chisel and mallet. When you mortise by hand, you need a sturdy mallet to hit the mortising chisel. The head of the mallet should have sufficient mass to be able to drive the thick mortising chisel into the wood without hesitation. No light tapping here. Instead, repeated heavy blows are required. Follow Karel’s clear instructions, and you will have an effective mallet for years to come. Skill Builder: Dealing With Wood MovementBy: Rob BrownWood movement is inevitable. However, there are many design and building options to help a craftsman work with it – not against it. Woodworkers need to do two things when engineering and building a piece of furniture: (1) machine joinery that will secure different pieces of wood to one another with the appropriate amount of strength, and (2) allow wood movement to freely take place. The first point, joinery, has been discussed at great lengths. The second point is not discussed as often, but it’s a very important part of making furniture that lasts. Wood always moves with changes in humidity, so it’s important for woodworkers to understand how to make a piece of furniture that will accommodate that movement and stand the test of time. Rob is truly a fine woodworker, so when he covers a topic like this, you can be sure that knows what he is talking about. Rob covers: Frame and Panel Doors; Solid Table Tops; Attaching Cornice and Waist Moulding to a Chest of Drawers; Web Frame Construction; and Tenons. Understanding wood movement is paramount for a woodworker to be successful in the craft. Without this fundamental knowledge, beautiful projects can self-destruct and become feed for the wood stove. Don’t let this happen to you. Router Skills: Routing Bits, Jigs and AccessoriesBy: Michael KampenWhen you buy a router, you are investing in one of the most versatile tools you can add to your shop. But, to get the most out of your router, you will need some accessories and a collection of basic router bits. Essentially, a hand-held motor with a bit holder at one end, the router you brought home from the tool dealer on its own is of little use until you add the various accoutrements that unlock the true potential of this tool. With the addition of a modest collection of carefully chosen bits you can create a wide range of trim and edge profiles, combining various sections of the different profiles for the final result. Add some joinery bits and jigs to turn it into a joint making machine. Remember, until a sharp edge meets wood the router is nothing more than a fancy paperweight and when the cutting starts, controlling the router accurately and safely becomes the order of the day. Consider adding one of the many accessories that make controlling the router both safer to use and easier to control. Michael teaches you about: A Basic Bit Collection; Spiral Bits; Camfer Bits; Box Making Sets; Slotting Bits; Rabbeting Sets; Decorative Edge Bits; Fixtures and Jigs; Edged Guides; Flush Trim Jig; Mortise and Tenon Jig; Safety; and Maintenance. Whether you are just starting, or use your router regularly, this article will have you getting more out of your router than you thought possible. Shop Tools: Bench Top Drill PressBy: Michael KampenYou have probably got a cordless drill in your shop and for heavier jobs, perhaps a corded model. But when you need a real workhorse in the woodshow, look to the bench top drill press. The drill presses looked at in this article include: Ryobi; Craftsman Delta; Skil; King; Hitachi; Craftex; and General. For most of the holes that the average woodworker will need to drill, a handheld drill is fast and versatile. The drill is portable and comes to the work; they don’t take up a lot of shop space and can easily be taken on the road for jobs away from the shop. They will drill a hole in any direction that the drill is pointed. However, the weak link in this chain of events is that the human hand is not very precise in this regard. In certain situations, such as when a hole must be drilled perfectly perpendicular to the surface for mounting hardware for example, even a slight error will result in a sloppy fit. In these cases, what is needed is a drill press. Michael takes a thorough look the bandsaw, explaining all the ins-and-outs of how it works, and how to get the most out of it. Whatever your budget or experience, this article will help you choose the right bandsaw for your needs. Hand Skills: Smoothing PlaneBy: Vic TesolinLooking for an alternative to sanding dust and noise? Look no further, the smoothing plane will peacefully get the job done The smoothing plane excels at jobs that power tools can do, but with less noise and dust. In most cases, the smoother does the task faster and with far superior results. The key to mastering this plane is in the set-up and some basic techniques that are often not known by novice plane users. There are many types of smoothers on the market, but in this article Vic focuses on metal type smoothing planes because they are the most accessible to the average woodworker. Vic covers: Choosing a Plane; Using Your Plane; Setting Up Your Smoother; and Planer Technique. Shop Essentials: Hot Melt Glue GunsBy: Michael KampenIf you need an extra hand in the shop for a quick and easy fix, try sticking to your guns. Glue sticks, and the glue guns they are used in, are most commonly associated with seasonal crafts and children’s projects, but if you take a closer look you’ll find they can be a useful accessory in the workshop. We normally look to woodworking glues when constructing our projects, balancing off the open time and conditions of use, to select the best adhesive for the task at hand. At first glance, hot melt glue may not seem all that useful, it doesn’t provide as strong a connection between two pieces as traditional wood glue and has a very short open time, but you can use this to your advantage. Learn how to make the most of this useful shop item as Michael teaches you about: The Glue; The Applications; and Even More Uses. Wood Chuckle: Carving a CareerBy: Don WilkinsonDon retired from carving when he was only13 years old. His career was short, but believe me, quite entertaining. Find out all about it. You can subscribe to our magazine by clicking here. |
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