Woodcraft Magazine February/March 2017 (75)

For over 30 years, Mike Dunbar has built Windsor chairs and taught chairmaking to students from all over the world who journeyed to The Windsor Institute in Hampton, NH. There could be no better authority to launch our Famous Furniture department (see p. 64). Mike was featured on the cover of a Woodcraft catalog back in 1976; the cover image (left) shows the craftsman at the beginning of a remarkable career. For an informative and entertaining view of chairmaking history, pick up a copy of his new book of essays, Pull up a chair. With over 40 years of woodworking experience and affiliation with Woodcraft for 11 years, Al Huls currently manages the Woodcraft store in Indianapolis, Indiana. Al teaches classes on tablesaws, bandsaws, sharpening, finishing, Shaker oval boxes and hand planes…

There was some debate about putting this issue’s cover project in the magazine. “A spice box is way too complicated.” “We’ll never be able to cover all the steps in a single issue.” “Can we really afford all the drawings we’ll need for this project?” So what tipped the scales to make this impressive display of joinery part of this issue’s project selection? Let me explain… First of all, even if you don’t want to build a spice box, there are some useful techniques here that you may want to use on other projects: building a dovetailed case, installing a cornice molding, or dividing a small cabinet into compartments, for example. And the second half of this project (coming up in the next issue) includes other useful techniques, like installing a faux ivory inlay…

Marc Spagnuolo, aka The Wood Whisperer, has been sharing his craft online for over a decade. But that’s not all. Since then, with his family firmly in his corner, he’s created a successful guild, produced audio and video podcasts, sold project plans, and written a book called Hybrid Woodworking to share what he’s learned about combining hand tool and power tool techniques. I managed to catch Marc during a rare few minutes of downtime. We talked about how The Wood Whisperer got its start, who inspires Marc, and the importance of working with your hands. —Chad McClung onlineEXTRA We’ve only scratched the surface here. Go towoodcraftmagazine.comto read our full interview with Marc. WC: How did The Wood Whisperer get started? MS: My wife, Nicole, and I originally tried to boost our furnituremaking business. I wasn’t expecting…

Check out our convoy In the days before Christmas, we received many emails from readers, woodworking guilds, and Woodcraft stores, all proudly sharing photos from successful toybuilding events inspired by Don Russell’s “Toy Trucks from 2×4’s” (Oct/Nov, Issue #73). Don’s clever design and mass-production tricks proved to be a winning combination. Based on the feedback we received, the trucks were as fun to build as they were to give away. In addition to brightening the holidays for hundreds of kids, it was clear that the project also afforded experienced woodworkers the opportunity to share their skills and passion for woodworking with beginners of all ages. So, to all those who donned elf hats during the recent holidays: Woodcraft Supply and all of us at the magazine extend our congratulations for a job…

Woodworkers don’t need a degree in theoretical physics to understand the relativity of time; particularly, how a clock spins faster as a deadline approaches. Waiting for glue to dry can be a major frustration. Titebond and DAP have recently introduced two new glues that can help you get to the finish line faster. To find your go-to glue the next time that time’s tight, here’s what you need to know. Titebond’s Quick & Thick behaves much like other polyvinyl acetates (PVAs), but compared to regular yellow glue, this special blend can cut your assembly time in half. The only noticeable difference is in the viscosity of the glue; as the name suggests, Q&T is 3× thicker than regular glue. I noticed one advantage of this caulk-like consistency right away: The glue…

I recently had to replace a broken leg on a Duncan Phyfe style candlestand table. These legs are curved, so you can’t taper them on the tablesaw. They are also tapered fully end-to-end, so you can’t shape them on the jointer the way you can a stop-tapered leg. So here’s how to pull off the job: After planing the leg stock to the thickest dimension at the head and cutting the curved shape, mark the desired thickness at the toe. Then prepare a piece of sacrificial support stock that’s wider than the head end by an amount equal to twice the desired taper, and longer than the length of the head by a couple inches. Center the support across the thickness of the head, attaching it with two screws. Run…