Fine Woodworking Magazine August/September 2025

Online extras Visit finewoodworking.com/318 VIDEO Finishing with flair In this segment from our eLearning course, Mike Mascelli demonstrates his tips and tricks for applying an oil-based varnish. VIDEO Mirrors for mockups Bob Van Dyke found a clever way to visualize the layout of Federal-style inlays on tabletops: a pair of mirrors, held at a right angle, that helps him see into the future. VIDEO Jomo Tariku Jonathan Binzen interviews Jomo Tariku, a designer and woodworker whose work is inspired by African design. Take a look into his recent solo exhibition at Wexler Gallery in Philadelphia. Plans: Creased copper Ellen Kaspern adds a custom copper roof to accent her twig lantern and provides a template so you can easily cut and fold your own. VIDEO These nails make the cut Gary…

Michael Mascelli is primarily an upholsterer, but in his role as director of the Professional Refinishers Group he has been fortunate to work with many of the leading professional wood finishers, including Bob Flexner, Mitch Kohanek, Jeff Jewitt, and Don Williams. Mike has combined materials and techniques from these and other experts into his teaching and lecturing on wood finishing for many years at schools, clubs, and guilds across the country. An active member of the Society of American Period Furniture Makers, he is working on a variety of upholstery treatments for reproduction and period pieces using both traditional and modern materials. When he’s not in his shop, teaching, or driving around in classic cars, Mike enjoys being grandfather to two energetic boys. Ellen Kaspern is a custom furniture maker…

Spotlight 50th anniversary issue Years of learning from Fine Woodworking First up, congratulations for the 50 years—and the anniversary issue! It arrived in my mailbox yesterday. I could see how behind the times I am in the trade when one of the features listed on the cover was about “CBN wheels,” which I’d never even heard of. Coincidentally, this month marks my 50th year in woodworking, after I joined the Apprenticeshop in Bath to begin my life in it—in that case, with boats. Before that, I’d been on a circuitous path for several years, which included carpentry and some finish work. But this move marked the beginning of taking rough wood and turning it into something—cutting, shaping, joining, etc.—instead of just cutting the ends off of boards and nailing stuff…

Like many FWW readers, I have a very small shop, and I use my workbench as the outfeed table for my table saw. I made this simple auxiliary table so I could use the workbench to support bandsaw work as well. When I’m done using it, it simply folds up and stores in a corner. Three key features make the table work. First, the front leg extends downward to grab the leading edge of my bench, preventing the table from sliding backward when a workpiece contacts it. Second, it has inexpensive friction hinges that join the legs to the top. Called “adjustable torque hinges” on Amazon, they allow you to open and close the table easily, while preventing it from accidently closing in use. Last are the adjustable feet, which…

A lot of good methods have been published for flattening boards that are too wide for the capacity of one’s jointer. Most involve some sort of planer sled. I’ve taken a simpler approach lately, which is just as effective. It works on boards up to 2 in. wider than my jointer. You’ll have to remove the guard on your jointer to make way for the wider board, so be sure to use push pads as always to keep your hands safe. Start by jointing as much of the width as you can, leaving a lip along one edge. Then remove the lip with hand planes. I start with a smoothing plane and sometimes finish with a jack plane. With the jointed surface as your guide, it’s very easy to flatten…

MANUFACTURED BY BOW PRODUCTS and sold as a kit by Infinity Tools, these cleverly designed accessories can also be purchased individually. Although they will get most of their use on bandsaws, some of the components will also work well on table saws and router tables. Bow’s XT Xtender Fence is slotted at the back to accept a pair of T-track clamps that attach it to an existing fence. At 5 in. tall, it will support big resaw cuts, and with a beefy 1-in.-thick cross section, it’s dead straight. Hanging off the ends of this 46-in.-long auxiliary fence are two tough plastic brackets that support long boards at the beginning and end of a cut. These can be positioned anywhere along the fence and always end up level with the machine…