Woodcraft Magazine

When I wake up in the morning, before my brain begins its daylong deluge of to-dos and worries, I try to bring to mind at least three things for which I’m grateful. The list varies from day to day and could include simple ideas such as appreciating a good night’s sleep or looking forward to a tasty breakfast. Or perhaps sentiments as straightforward as being grateful for friends and family. And sometimes, I express existential gratitude: “I’m grateful that I woke up today.” But due to its numerous attributes worthy of gratefulness, one item that often makes my morning list is woodworking. We woodworkers have a lot to be grateful for. Inherent in our craft are traits of good character, such as patience and humility. It teaches us problem-solving and reveals…

Paul Sacaridiz, who served as the Executive Director of the Haystack Mountain School of Crafts in Maine, has been appointed Director of Cranbrook Academy of Art in Michigan. An accomplished sculptor and ceramicist, Sacaridiz’s career includes 25 years experience in art making, teaching, administration, and higher education and nonprofit leadership. In more than six years at Haystack, Sacaridiz grew the school’s endowment and annual fund, and added 50 new fellowships. Sacaridiz’s tenure at Cranbrook begins this May. He takes over for COO Rod Spearin, who served as Interim Director of the Academy since Susan R. Ewing retired from the position in July 2021.…

Renowned Canadian turner Stephen Hogbin passed away in January at the age of 79. Born in England, Hogbin studied woodworking at Rycotewood College and industrial design at Royal College of Art before moving to Canada in 1968 to teach at Sheridan College School of Design. Hogbin’s award-winning and influential woodturnings feature cut-apart, re-assembled, and hand-carved elements. How to reach us Email editor@woodcraftmagazine.com Important: Please include your full name, address, and phone number. Published letters are edited for length and clarity.…

ROBERT SHERRIFF, NORWALK, CT High as a meow-ntain. Woodworker and cat aficionado Sherriff built this stylish stand for his three Maine Coons, Kiki, Fat Boi, and Slim. The cylinders are kerf-bent birch plywood. After bending each side around a plywood disc, Sherriff used construction adhesive to hold it in place and fill the kerfs. He liked the look so much he decided not to veneer the inside surfaces. After building the two 17" diameter beds, he attached them with solid maple strips for a 36" overall height. We’re sure the cats appreciate Sherriff’s hard work. DONALD LEMMA, GLADSTONE, NJ Keep the change. When hobbyist woodworker Lemma wanted to store his collection of more than 100 U.S. Morgan Silver Dollars, he designed and built this slick display. The case and drawers are constructed of…

Overview • 8" swing over bed, 5¼" over banjo• 13" between centers• 1" × 8 TPI spindle• ⅜" spindle bore• #1 Morse taper• 19⁄16" tailstock travel• 750-3200 RPM variable speed range King Canada has introduced the KWL-813VS, a pen lathe from King Industrial, for entry-level turners. It comes with the standard equipment you’d expect to find with most mini lathes—live and spur centers, knockout bar, faceplate, tool rest—and other usual features, such as cast-iron construction and an on/off switch with a safety key. It’s a good-looking, well-made machine with enough power for small turnings. I was curious to find out what this mini mini-lathe could do. This tool is noticeably tiny, but it doesn’t look or feel cheap. The castiron bedway, headstock, and tailstock give the machine a stout appearance and some heft.…

I recently completed a lathe project that required me to drill a series of equally-spaced holes around a small vase. To accomplish this, I made a banjo-mounted, horizontal drilling jig powered by a ½" handheld drill. I used 8/4 hard maple about 3 × 3" (size to suit) for the jig body and drilled a hole through it. I pressed ½" ID bronze bushings into each end of the hole, slid a ½" bolt, 6" long through the bushings, and threaded a drill chuck on the end of the bolt. To mount the block on my banjo, I drilled a second hole in the block’s underside the same size as the post hole for the tool rest. Then I slid a matching steel rod into the hole, locking it with…