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On The Cover: Buffet and Hutch

By: Danny Proulx, Luc Rousseau, Jack Chaters (June/July 2005)
This is the third project of a three part series for your dining room. Issue #34 showed you how to build an expandable dining room table. Issue #35 detailed the step-by-step construction of the matching chairs. We now complete the dining room suite with a beautiful buffet and hutch. The instructions are detailed, and include 12 full colour, step-by-step photos. You also get a 3D exploded view of the finished buffet and hutch, showing all of the parts and measurements. This article also includes a comprehensive materials and cut list, and three very helpful construction notes.

Shop Project: Shaker Workbench

By: Jim Shaver
The workbench is a fundamental tool for a woodworking workshop. Look at photographs of workshops from the past and you will see a craftsman working on a project using his bench as a shop tool.

Easy Project: Bedside Box

By: Michael Kampen
Everyone always has a number of items that gather on the bedside table, such as keys, change, watch, and wallet. This simple, stylish box will allow you to keep such items close at hand and eliminate clutter at the same time. Michael leads you through the process of making this box with step-by-step instruction and 3 fully detailed illustrations. He also provides a complete materials list, cut list, and a photo showing three different variations of the box.

Furniture Project: Waterbed

By: David Voth
Waterbeds have come a long way since they were popular in the 70’s. They are available in all kinds of configurations, from full-motion to a full-motionless. All are available in a soft side (similar to a regular mattress with no box necessary) or a hard side (where you need a box to contain the mattress). David wanted this waterbed to be both attractive and practical, so he included three large pull out drawers. He leads you through the entire process with step-by-step instructions, 2 full colour photos, and 5 detailed illustrations showing all of the parts and measurements. David also provides a detailed materials and hardware list. If you’re thinking of a waterbed, or already have one that you want to up-date, consider this waterbed. You’ll be glad you did.

Furniture Project: Floating Top Console

By: Hikmet C. Sakman
When Sakman was designing this console, he was striving to blend strength and grace. He wanted it delicate, but not too frail. He also wanted some unique details that would be visually appealing. When you see the table you’ll see just how well he accomplished that. This table is absolutely spectacular. In addition to the top, which appears to float, Sakman added another visual delight: twisted legs. It’s the first time that we’ve published a project with such a feature, and it works. If you want to create a piece of furniture that will literally stop your guests in their tracks, this is it. In addition to the step-by-step instruction, Sakman gives a stunning photo of the finished piece, a 3D exploded view showing all the parts, 2 full colour photos showing details, and a complete materials and cut list. ’s. They are available in all kinds of configurations, from full-motion to a full-motionless. All are available in a soft side (similar to a regular mattress with no box necessary) or a hard side (where you need a box to contain the mattress). David wanted this waterbed to be both attractive and practical, so he included three large pull out drawers. He leads you through the entire process with step-by-step instructions, 2 full colour photos, and 5 detailed illustrations showing all of the parts and measurements. David also provides a detailed materials and hardware list. If you’re thinking of a waterbed, or already have one that you want to up-date, consider this waterbed. You’ll be glad you did.

Turning Project: Banksia Nut Candle Holder

By: Paul Ross
This traditional turned candlestick project has a bit of a twist. Instead of starting with a block of wood, the material used is a ‘Banksia nut’ seed pod. Try it. You just might like it. Paul shows two large, full colour photos of Banksia nuts that he has turned. He also gives 12 step-by-step photos, showing the process and detailing the materials used. If you are looking for something different to turn, Banksia nut could be just the thing for your next project.

Turning Jig: Steady Rest

By: JP Rapattoni
To achieve the very best results in your turning, vibration must be kept to a minimum. Vibration is problematic for any turning, but it is particularly problematic when turning long spindles, or hollowing out deep vessels. To reduce vibration, you can build a support to hold the work you are turning. A steady rest is just such a support. The steady rest is an excellent accessory for reducing stock vibration. In this article, JP leads you through the process of constructing your own steady rest jig. JP gives a large, full colour photo of the jig in use, 6 illustrations showing all of the parts and measurements and detailed 3D exploded view. If you want to improve your turning by reducing your vibration, be sure to build this essential shop jig.

Carving Project: Decorative Owl

By: David Bruce Johnson
Because of its many round masses of feathers, an owl is an excellent subject to make, using a wood with character. By ‘character’ David means that it has pronounced grain. Besides demonstrating the merits of ‘character’, David’s project demonstrates two major carving practices: the use of centerlines; and how to join two complex curved surfaces. David crams so much info into this article that we had to add a full page just to get it all in. David also includes more than 30 full colour photos of carving ‘how-to’. For those of you who are ready to practice using centerlines and joining two complex curved surfaces, David includes an owl pattern to start with.

Wood Joinery: Tongue and Groove

By: Michel Theriault
The Tongue and Groove (T&G) joint is primarily a structural edge-to-edge joint. You can use it to strengthen glued-up boards or to keep backing boards for a cabinet flush, even when not glued together. You can also use it to strengthen a butt joint, such as on a cabinet frame. It’s the same type of joint used to keep hardwood floorboards flush. In this article, Michel outlines ‘what you need’ and ‘how to make’ a T&G joint. He shows the steps with full colour photos, gives a large colour photo of a matched set of T&G router bits, and shows a T&G joint, both assembled and unassembled. This is an excellent, ongoing series on joinery. Follow the series and you will know, and be able to make, a variety of different joints in your woodworking projects.

Sharpening Technique: Waterstones

By: Hendrik Varju
Although learning to use hand planes and chisels takes practice and patience, the learning process is made much easier if you know how to sharpen those tools. Varju states that many of his new students comment on how much they dread the hand planning portion of a course. They all change their mind though, when they use sharp tools. Once the art of sharpening has been mastered, all of your cuts will be more precise and enjoyable. In this article on waterstones, Hendrik covers: Selecting; Keeping Waterstones Flat; Honing Guides; Hollow Grinding; and Waterstone Techniques. If you’ve tried using a hand plane or chisel in the past and it didn’t appeal to you, perhaps you may want to sharpen it up and give it another chance. Using a sharp tool may make just the difference.

Shop Utilities: Switch Box

By: Michael Kampen
Anything that makes your time spent in the shop safer and more enjoyable is worth looking into. Here is something that you may want to consider: Many shops are equipped with a router, mounted in some sort of table. While this arrangement vastly increases the utility of the router, it can also place the on/off switch in an awkward position. If you use a shop vac or dust collector with your router table, it adds yet another switch. A popular modification is to build a switch box that turns your shop vac on when you turn your router on. Simple, yet ingenious. Michael shows you how to single-switch your shop with detailed instructions, a full colour photo of all of the necessary pieces and parts, and an illustration showing how to put it all together. See how simple single-switching your shop can be.

Tool Review: King 6” Industrial Jointer, Blue Spruce Marking Knife

By: Carl Duguay
King 6” Industrial Jointer The 6” jointer is a shop staple. Without it, truing rough lumber would be a burdensome chore. We recently took King Canada’s 6” Industrial Jointer, the KC-60FX for a spin. To make a long story short, King’s KC-60FX is good value in a small shop jointer. It’s the details of the article that you’ll want to see: what the jointer comes with; how the pieces fit together; and all of its features and benefits. Carl adds in a detailed and explanatory note on how to dimension lumber. Afterall, you’ll want to get started using your jointer as soon as you get it set up. Blue Spruce Marking Knife The pencil is a very useful tool to have in the workshop. While it does a commendable job for rough marking and for making orientation and cutting guidelines, it is not the best choice when laying out precision cut lines for highly visible joints, such as dovetails, box joints, butterfly keys, and exposed tenons. For these kinds of joints, you would do well to use a precision marking knife. In this review, Carl outlines the marking knife in general, and the Blue Spruce marking knife in particular. Carl concludes that Blue Spruce marking knife is right on the mark. He gives extensive details about this knife, and shows 3 full colour photo comparisons of marking knife, pencil and awl lines used in woodworking.

Shop Tested: HNT Gordon Block Plane

By: Carl Duguay
Terry Gordon has been making wood bodied hand planes since 1995. He offers an impressive range of 12 models, including jack planes, smoothing planes, shoulder planes and rebate (rabbet) planes. Carl used the Gordon Block Plane extensively over the past year, and notes with confidence that it is one of the sweetest planes that he has ever used. He explains why in the article and shows a beautiful full colour photo of his plane, complete with shavings.

Woods to Know: Black Cherry

By: Laura Morris
Black cherry is one of Canada’s fruit bearing trees, renowned for its purplish-black, slightly bitter tasting fruit. It is a unique tree that is part of the rose family and can often be seen in mixed forests located within the provinces of Nova Scotia , New Brunswick. Southern Quebec, and Ontario. In this article, Laura covers black cherry’s uses; physical properties; and working characteristics. She also shows a beautiful illustration of a black cherry tree; bud; blossom and fruit. If you haven’t started following this series of trees to know, it’s not too late. By the end of the series you will know all of the woods that are available to you for your projects.

Wood Wisdom: The Soul of Woodworking

By: Clive B. Smith
When was the last time you thought about how much you truly enjoy woodworking? Clive hadn’t considered it himself, until he stopped working with wood. It was only then that he realized just what he had been getting out of it, and what he was now missing. Read along, as you explore with Clive, the soul of woodworking.

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