Table of contents for June 2013 in Woodworker's Journal

ADVENTURES IN WOOD BUYING ... I’ve had great success buying lumber from established retailers on the Internet, woodworking specialty stores and, of course, lumberyards. But the places where I’ve had the most fun buying wood were small, local sawmills. Often one-man shops, the lumber is locally sourced and often found in thicknesses and groupings hard to get elsewhere. You want four slabs of 3"-thick oak in a sequential flitch? (Got it right here!) Chunks of 4"-thick black walnut with plenty of sapwood included? (How many you want?) While you’ll find no exotics, local sawmills are often a source of lumber that you’ll have a hard time finding anywhere else. And, I’m guessing a lot of you appreciate the joy of traveling off the beaten path to find great prices on…

After Len Urban of Rancho Mirage, California, sent in his mystery tool featured in the February Stumpers, Dean Miller of Kilgore, Texas, knew “it’s a specialized portable router with a special bit.” Darrell Slimick of Hayward, California, recognized it, too, but admitted: “I must say that I have inside information; I am a locksmith by trade.” What does a locksmith know about a specialized portable router? Randy Beauchene of Valley Springs, South Dakota, explains: “The Stumper is a lock mortiser. Clamp it to the edge of a door, turn the handle clockwise, and the router will travel back and forth, routing out the edge of a solid core door so a mortise lock can be installed.” “Not clearly visible in the picture you provided, there is an adjustment on the…

Woodworker’s Journal Staff One of the great things about our craft is that, unlike money, lumber really does grow on trees. Or more precisely, lumber is made from trees. And as trees grow all across the United States (OK, not everywhere — sorry, Texas Panhandle), there are also people turning those trees into lumber from Alaska to Florida and most places in between. Some of those lumber operations are huge Weyerhauser type companies — but many are small mom-and-pop mills slicing up local lumber and selling it to all comers. Last March, the Journal visited a couple of one-man operations near our Minnesota headquarters and got some insight into their world. Ted Solberg and Steve Timm have sawmills about 30 miles apart, both in the shadow of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Both…

Jewelry boxes are often made with complex joinery to give them an air of sophistication and high style. But you can make a wonderful little heirloom without all the extra work, using just a scroll saw. Scroll saws often sit idle in many shops because we don’t stretch their potential. Here’s a fun way to put yours back into service and prove that it’s more versatile than you might think. Forming the Box and Insert In selecting your wood for the box and the lid, look for a good color match between the two and an attractive grain pattern for the lid. I rough-cut both pieces to size and jointed the long edges that would become the back of the box, using a portable drum sander with a fence. Then…

Woodworker’s Journal has introduced our own woodworking application (app). Woodworker’s Journal Power Tool Tune-Up App, designed to work with iPad 4.2 or later operating systems, provides step-by-step instructions for caring for popular power tools such as the table saw, band saw, jointer, drill press, planer, dust collection system, air compressor/nailer and moisture meter. Experts Sandor Nagyszalanczy and Chris Marshall share over 60 minutes of video footage on the care of these tools, and there’s also a maintenance calendar included, along with text and over 150 photos. Woodworker’s Journal Power Tool Tune-Up App is priced at $4.99 in the iTunes store. The Flexy Cord™ line of extension cords are designed to be tangle-proof and kink-proof, using material with “memory” that retracts the cord back to its original length. The reduced cord…

Stickier Screw Lube Lubricating screws with a bit of wax makes them easier to drive, but beeswax is often too hard and flakes off the threads. While helping a friend replace a toilet recently, I noticed that the wax ring was a soft, sticky consistency, perfect for screw lube! But the shape would be messy to store. So, I melted the wax down in a double boiler and poured it into an empty deodorant container. It winds up easily when you need more, and you can just cap it when you’re done, for no-mess toolbox storage. John Cusimano Lansdale, Pennsylvania Broader Shoulders Make Better Planing When I need to adjust an uneven tenon shoulder, I use a shoulder plane set for a thin cut. The trouble is, there isn’t much…

Downsizing Woodworker Creates a Lasting Legacy Over the past few months, readers have had a discussion going in our Letters department about what to do with a shop full of tools when a woodworker’s time of using them is past. Jim Neuman of St. Joseph, Michigan, donated his in a way that’s truly nurturing a new generation of woodworkers. “About a year ago, at age 65, I decided not to build a new shop on the property where we were building our new house,” Jim said. “I felt that at that age I would not likely get the value from such an expensive undertaking.” That disappointed the Sarett Nature Center in Benton Harbor: over the years, Jim had built cabinets, displays and even animal cages for them. So, the nature…

Working with thick waney stock was a treat that I had never done before. So, when the opportunity came to build this table, I jumped at it. At first I thought that the toughest task would be finding the 3"-plus thick wood to work with — but it turned out to be surprisingly easy. I simply called a local sawmill, a farmer in my area who also saws and dries wood, and asked what he had on hand. He told me that he had some really great ash lumber in the stack ... and he was right. After a quick trip to his place I was ready to kick this project into gear. Preparing the Stock I selected the best looking section of the lumber to be the tabletop, and…

It’s summertime again, and if you’re like me, that means it’s time to mend those cracked fence pickets, replace some deck boards or build the dock you’ve had on your “honey-do” list for way too long. I can’t think of a single woodworker who doesn’t also do home repair. And, when my “shop” shifts to some far corner of the yard, cordless tools are essential. In recent years, lithium-ion batteries have taken the cordless industry by storm. Truth be told, this leapfrog in battery technology wasn’t really intended for us hobbyists: lighter, longer running power packs matter most to the folks who make their livings building houses, running conduit and smashing concrete — it’s for the trades. But we all benefit ... who wouldn’t rather take fewer trips back to…

Grilling and dining out on the deck or patio is one of those great American pastimes. But then there’s the matter of getting all your supplies from the kitchen to the Great Outdoors ... and that takes some of the festivity out of it. Several months ago, our art director Jeff Jacobson was contemplating a way to make the whole process easier — wishful thinking after a very long Minnesota winter! — and that started a lively design conversation between Jeff, editor in chief Rob Johnstone and our publisher, Larry Stoiaken. The result of their noodling and repeated sketching is the eye-catching Serving Tray Cart you see here. Yep, you read the name right — the top tray lifts off to tote sundries from fridge and cupboard to grill and…

THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a writer/photographer of several woodworking books and a frequent contributor to Woodworker’s Journal. Michael Dresdner is a nationally known finishing expert and the author of The New Wood Finishing Book. Joanna Werch Takes is a senior editor at Woodworker’s Journal. James Vintzel is global product manager, compressors, for Stanley Black & Decker. Contact us by writing to “Q&A,” Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340, by faxing us at (763) 478-8396 or by emailing us at: QandA@woodworkersjournal.com Please include your home address, phone number and email address (if you have one) with your question. Q After reading the very thorough Tool Review in the December 2012 issue [“Eight Benchtop Band Saws”], I started shopping for a Skil 3386 in local stores and online.…

A bench grinder is, in essence, a double-ended motor with a grinding wheel mounted on each of the protruding shafts. As well, the motor has a base and guards surrounding the grinding wheels and eye shields to protect you from sparks and debris. Top-end grinders even have a variety of upgrades to this basic package. You can pay anywhere from well south of a hundred bucks to several thousand dollars for a bench grinder. Obviously, you get something for your money, so let’s take a look at features. Wheel Size Size: Grinders are sold in 6", 7", 8" and 10" sizing, which refers to the diameter of the grinding wheels the machine accepts. Unless you’re on a limited budget, avoid the 6" and 7" machines. They generally lack enough power…

Sometimes building furniture is not about making a museum quality piece, but rather it’s about pure function and saving time and money. My wife and I needed a dresser to tide us over until I could build our “real” dresser, so off to the furniture store we went, only to find very expensive junk — basically made of cardboard — and nothing for less than $200. I’m thinking, no way am I putting money into anything like that when I can build one for half the price that will function 100 times better. Hence the piece you see here. It really fits the bill … and when I complete our official dresser, it will find a new life somewhere else in our home! The construction is simple: just cut, rout,…

Just about everyone I know who has moved from a bustling city to a rural setting has had this experience: After working tirelessly all week, you’re sleeping in on a Saturday morning, looking forward to reading the paper and sipping hot coffee in tranquility. But suddenly, your Norman Rockwell moment is shattered by the nerve-grating sound of a screaming chainsaw (likely wielded by your otherwise considerate neighbor cutting firewood or clearing downfall on their property). Despite their portability and effectiveness in all types of woodcutting chores, gas chainsaws are some of the noisiest, smelliest, most annoying power tools on the planet. But fortunately, the latest electric cordless chainsaws now have the potential to restore the peace on those pastoral weekend mornings. Fueled by high performance batteries, cordless chainsaws are surprisingly…

There are plenty of $30 and $40 per gallon deck coatings on the store shelves boasting up to four years of UV and mildew protection. They range from clear through lightly tinted toner, to more pigmented semitransparent stain, and on up to opaque deck paint. For a more varnished or painted look, they’re a fine option. But down at the south end of the aisle are the much cheaper deck waterproofers, ranging between $10 and $20 per gallon. For many of us, these are a genuine bargain and an ideal choice. These waterproofing sealers are usually clear or very slightly tinted and may cover more square feet per gallon than more expensive coatings. Besides being inexpensive, they go on uniformly and are quite easy to apply with a large 18"…