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On The Cover: Entrance Mailbox

By: Michael Kampen (Feb/Mar 2006)
This attractive ‘Arts and Crafts’ style mailbox is made with materials that are traditionally associated with the Arts and Crafts style: White oak and hammered copper. White oak was an especially good choice for this project, because it is one of the best woods for resisting decay, and the hammered copper makes excellent arms for holding newspapers, catalogues and flyers. Michael provides clear and concise step-by-step instructions, along with three full colour photos and a detailed 3d exploded view illustration, complete with all parts labeled. He also gives you a detailed material and hardware list. To top it off, Michael gives you three extremely informative side-bars to help you: lay out the squares; cut the squares and texture the copper. This mailbox is sure to dress up your front entrance.

Furniture Project: Slate Top Coffee Table

By: Michael Kampen
The rough texture of slate, combined with the smooth polished surfaces of wood, create interesting contrast in this coffee table design, kind of a rough elegance. Michael gives a full colour photo of the finished table, a 3d exploded view illustration showing all of the parts and measurements, a detailed material and hardware list, and helpful step-by-step instructions. He also gives a very informative side bar, explaining how you can use simple texturing in your next project.

Furniture Project: Slate Top Coffee Table

Furniture Project: Gaspe Dresser

By: Gary Dover
This replica dresser is pure Quebec: an Anglo-American style hutch using the latest mid-nineteenth century technology – large panes of glass to form glazed cupboard doors and a splendid cornice, bristling with French panache and elegance. Gary gives step-by-step instructions and provides a 3d exploded view of the dresser, complete with all parts and measurements. He also gives two additional illustrations showing the details of the dresser carcass from both the front and side. Add to that a complete material and hardware list and you are on your way to bringing a bit of Canadian history into your kitchen or dinning room.

Turning Project: Lidded Antler Bowl

By: Paul Ross
This bowl is made of a few different woods, but the main focal point is the elk antler. The project incorporates some box making techniques as well as bowl turning techniques. The main bowl section is elk antler, the lid is African blackwood and the foot is a combination of rosewood and serpentwood. It is the different textures and surfaces that add to this project’s visual appeal. Paul makes this project easy, with 11 step-by-step photos and detailed instruction.

Skill Builder: Story Sticks

By: CW Staff
In this article, we ask: “If I told you that it was possible to build a stool for your workshop bench without ever picking up a tape measure or ruler, and that if you wanted to, you could build 2 or 2000 stools and they would all be identical, would you think I was telling you a tall tale? Well, it’s not a tall tale, it’s a story stick” In this wonderful introduction to story sticks, you will learn that they have been used in furniture making for a long, long time. Craftsmen through the ages have recorded the details of their designs by carving them ont long narrow wooden boards at full scale. This provided a durable record of their work, and an item could be reproduced easily by transferring measurements directly to the work piece. If you eliminate the need to measure, then naturally, you reduce the potential for measurement related errors. Read this article and learn more about story sticks and how they will help you record your projects for easy reference in the future.

Tool Test: Wixey Digital Readout

By: CW Staff
If you use your thickness planer a lot for precision milling, then you might want to have a look at the Wixey Digital Readout. This simple device works something like a micrometer, in that it digitally measures the travel of the planer head in relation to the planer table top. Our staff gives this handy device a thorough workout and recommend it if you are a frequent planer user. Find out why.

Wood Joinery: Stopped Dado Joint

By: Michel Theriault
A stopped dado provides the same strength and flexibility that a dado joint does, plus it hides the dado itself for a cleaner look on the fronts of bookshelves and other similarly constructed projects. It doesn’t require much extra work and in the long run it is easier than adding a facing strip or veneer to hide the joint. Michel shows you how to make this very useful joint with 3 full colour step-by-step photos and instructions. Be sure to get in on this excellent joinery series and learn about a different joint each and every issue.

Wood Carving: Cartoon Caricatures

By: David Bruce-Johnson
Carving for fun is a great way to learn how to carve for ‘serious’. This project demonstrates all the skills and techniques one would use to relief carve a realistic profile. With a cartoon, you can relax and enjoy yourself, because absolute accuracy is not necessary. The three main steps in relief carving are: outlining; contouring; and detailing. In this article, David gives 20 detailed photos, showing and explaining all three of those steps.

Scroll Project: Napkin Holder

By: Ted Duquette
While this article is written primarily for novice scrollers, advanced scrollers may be interested in the technique Ted uses to attach the pattern to the project pieces. It is a technique that you are sure to use again and again. Whatever your level of skill, this napkin holder is an easy, straight forward project that makes a great gift.

Skill Builder: Turning Coves and Beads

By: JP Rapattoni
For many new turners, finding the right technique can be a little frustrating, and they often end up using scrapers to do most of their turning. This article will help you get more use out of your gouges and rely less on your scrapers for shaping.

Shop Supplies: Glues

By: Hendrik Varju
Hendrik usually uses only four or five kinds of glue in his workshop. Each glue has a specific purpose. Knowing which glue to use, and how best to use it, comes with understanding and experience. In this first of a three part series, Hendrik looks at some of the more useful glues available to woodworkers. Read this article and find out: what glue will serve the majority of your needs; what glue to use for it’s water resistant qualities; what glue to use for it’s long open time; what glue to use for bent laminations and projects that will be moist or damp; what glue to use for its gap filling ability; and what glue to use for antique restorations. Hendrik also provides full colour photos of each of these glues so that you will be able to easily identify them next time you are looking for them. This is one project that you are sure to refer to again and again.

Shop Equipment: Safety

By: CW Staff
When it comes to making your shop a safer place in which to work, one of the most important tools you can use is your brain. It can help you identify hazardous situations before they happen and develop a plan to minimize such situations. Areas covered include: routine maintenance; splitter (or riving) knife; emergency lighting; first aid kits; eye and ear protection; eye wash station; dust mask and respirator; work gloves; smoke detector and dust collection. If you haven’t already taken a serious look at your own workshop safety don’t delay another day. Read this article and make sure that your workshop (and home) are safe for you and your family.

Shop Machinery: 6” Stationary Jointer

By: Hendrik Varju
While there are 4” and 6” table top jointers, they are light duty machines that are really only suitable for craft work. They use loud universal motors, and can’t deliver solid, vibration-free performance. For furniture building, a 6” floor model (stationary) jointer will better suit your needs. Read all about 6” stationary jointers and learn: why you need a jointer; and what features to look for (including bed length, bed controls, fence accuracy and size, stand and motor specs). Hendrik also gives you some very helpful tips on using your jointer.

Tool Specs: 6” Stationary Jointers

By: Graham McCulloch
In this issue, Graham lines up seven different brands of 6” stationary jointers and lists all of their individual specifications. It’s a quick and easy way to compare a variety of jointers.

Wood Wisdom: Joining (Part I)

By: Clive Smith
If you had a chance to practice hand planning a rough piece of wood into a finished four-sided component (as described in Clive’s last article), you are now ready to take on the challenge of joining two pieces of wood together. Follow this series along and learn; the use of joints in woodworking; the simple half lap joint; the modified half lap joint; and the wedged half lap joint. The excercises that Clive gives in this article will greatly increase your skill level in the use of hand tools and your confidence level in understanding how and why these three joints perform the way they do.

Woods to Know: Black Walnut

By: Laura Morris
There are only two species of the walnut genus native to Canada: butternut and black walnut (also called American black walnut). Find out more about this wonderful wood: its uses; its physical properties; and its working characteristics. Laura also includes a full colour photo of black walnut’s grain and a beautiful illustration showing the tree’s profile, leaves, bud and walnut.

Scroll Saw: Edmonton

By: Ted Duquette
If you (or anyone you know) has a connection to Edmonton, this scroll saw project makes a great gift. Collect all of the patterns in this ‘Canadian Cities’ series, and you will always have a relevant ‘cityscape’ to give to someone, no matter where they live.

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