Woodcraft Magazine February / March 2019

A childhood spent on a Wisconsin farm provided Tom Monahan with a positive, can-do attitude and the ability to fix just about anything. At the ripe age of nine, Tom learned the art of paint making from the famed Norwegian house painter Ole Peterson. Before joining General Finishes in 1994, Tom owned an antique restoration business, and later worked as a professional finisher for a coatings company. In addition to developing General Finishes’ line of water-based stains and paints, Tom serves as technical consultant (and stars in) dozens of free how-to videos available at generalfinishes.com. Turn to page 49 to see Tom in action prepping and painting a beautiful bookcase. David Heim (page 32) learned about SketchUp a dozen years ago, when he worked on an article about the 3D design…

A new book and a free download There’s no better gift than a handmade one. And giving to a child a project that you made kicks kids off with an appreciation of handcrafted heirlooms. Whether it’s an exciting toy or a handy stepping stool, youngsters will value the gift for years to come. Prolific woodworking and DIY writer, Spike Carlsen has a new book. Building Unique and Useful Kids’ Furniture (Linden Publishing) offers a plethora of playful projects for kids of all ages. Get a good idea of the 24 whimsical easy-to-build projects in this book by downloading one for free. Visit woodcraftmagazine.com, and click on onlineEXTRAS. There you’ll find a PDF of The Cheery Cherry Toy Chest (right). And then be sure to pick up a copy of Spike’s book at…

During the colder months, my family and I love to huddle around a good jigsaw puzzle. We spin records or listen to audiobooks while converging on our dedicated puzzle-working table. We prefer tessellations that feature Americana paintings or landscapes, but any picture will do. I often trudge on long after the rest of the family has retired, chasing the tiny thrill that comes from fitting a piece. It strikes me that working wood isn’t all that different from working a jigsaw puzzle. For example, starting both activities requires planning and careful organization. With a puzzle, I’ll begin by locating the edge pieces and flipping the remaining bits right-side-up, separating them by color and pattern. Then I excavate and sequester the unusually shaped pieces, after which it’s a matter of constructing discrete…

Anyone who takes hand planes seriously has heard of Hock Tools and its founder, Ron Hock. Since 1982, he has made what many consider the best plane blades on the planet. His Stanley replacement blades are 3/32" thick, considerably beefier than the originals. His Krenov blades are 3/16" thick, on a par with the blades in Japanese planes. A Hock chip-breaker is twice as thick as a Stanley original. The thickness significantly reduces chatter and makes for much smoother cuts. Hock originally used only high-carbon O1 steel, which can be honed to a very keen edge. He now also uses A2 steel, which is a bit more difficult to hone, but offers better edge-holding qualities. Based in the gritty Northern California town of Fort Bragg, Hock Tools is inextricably linked…

Dimensions for the liquor cabinet I enjoyed Paul Anthony’s Outfeed column in issue 86 about the design evolution of his liquor cabinet. I admire the flexibility to adapt and change a project on the fly as he did. I also really like the cabinet, and wonder if plans are available for it. —Chuck Schisel, via email Senior editor Paul Anthony replies: Thanks for the good words, Chuck. They echo requests from a number of other readers for the liquor cabinet plans. Unfortunately, I’m afraid there aren’t any, as the cabinet was never intended to be a project for the magazine. That said, perhaps you could design and build something similar yourself. If it helps, see the general dimensions below. Also, note that to allow full swing of the center door, you’ll need recessed pulls.…

Woodworkers, DIYers, and professional contractors took notice when Kreg Tools introduced a track saw system in 2016 that allowed users to attach their existing circular saws, bypassing the expense of a designated track saw. The Accu-Cut’s main limitation was its cutting length—just enough to crosscut a full sheet of plywood. Favorable reviews were matched by an outcry for a longer track. At last, the new Accu-Cut XL offers all the benefits of its predecessor, but with the “full-sheet-length” capacity that had been missing with the original. This guide system saw plenty of use in my shop and at a house renovation project. One of the best features of this system is the way that the sled attaches to a circular saw. After initially positioning the pair of clamps used to connect…