Fine Woodworking Magazine

Our Unlimited membership provides exclusive access to a dynamic menu of woodworking talent, techniques, and projects—combining our print subscription with our online membership—all for $99 a year. For details on all the benefits, go to FineWoodworking.com/members. Online extras Visit FineWoodworking.com/322 VIDEO Beads, dowels, and bevels Jeff Miller shows off three shopmade jigs he uses while building his Shaker round table. VIDEO Shaping a seat Blending hand and machine methods, Tim Coleman shapes the scooped top and coved underside of his stool seat. And he shows how to cut the scoop with a bandsaw of any size. VIDEO Barking up the right tree Cook Inlet Tribal Council’s Design Alaska Club shows how to responsibly harvest birch bark for making projects like Peter Follansbee’s birch-bark containers. VIDEO Back to shellac Mike Mascelli…

In 2014 Craig Thibodeau (“Secret Latches for Drawers” and Designer’s Notebook) switched his focus from standard furniture and cabinets to complex, mechanized puzzle furniture, supported by a worldwide network of collectors. Today he is the foremost practitioner of this unique multimedia craft, which requires complex mechanics and impeccable woodworking. The career turn was made possible by Thibodeau’s early experience as a mechanical engineer and product designer, and by the beautiful veneered pieces he built during his subsequent woodworking career. Several years ago he relocated his family from San Diego to rural Virginia to cut costs and improve his lifestyle. He is very happy he made the move. Growing up in Phoenix, Matt Monaco became passionate about playing drums and studying modal-jazz drummers. When he discovered the lathe in his late teens,…

Sometimes buying top quality isn’t enough When a woodworker spends thousands on a quality table saw with a quality miter gauge or buys a quality aftermarket miter gauge—recommended by Fine Woodworking (“Miter Gauges,” FWW #306)—then why would they go to the trouble of making a wooden sled? Surely technology and manufacturing improvements and standards count for something! —KONRAD PLACHTA, Bathurst, Australia Editor’s reply: The need for a crosscut sled in addition to a miter gauge is a subject I’m happy to address. However, it raises the broader topic of just what tools we need in order to accomplish our work, and why they may differ from person to person. Last fall I had the good fortune to participate in a woodworking tour of England hosted by Fine Woodworking (we’re heading…

Add a strip for a smoother template If you’ve ever tried to make a curved routing template by cutting close to the line and then sanding, you know how difficult it is to create a smooth, fair surface without any bumps or dips. I’ve discovered a method that makes this task much easier but doesn’t take much more time. Start by laying out the curve on your template material, using your preferred drawing tools. Now cut the curve right on the line, using your bandsaw, jigsaw, or whatever. Cutting on the line is easier than trying to cut beside it while attempting to maintain a consistent distance from it. Save the cutoff piece—you will need it for clamping. Now rip a ⅛-in.-thick piece of solid wood or hardboard so its…

■ MACHINERY Big-saw features in a small-shop size THE NEW LAGUNA 10-IN. BANDSAW HAS A HOST OF FEATURES that make it an excellent choice for a primary small-shop bandsaw or a great auxiliary saw in any woodworking shop. The V10 features cast-iron wheels whose inertial weight helps keep blade speeds steady and helps provide smooth cuts in hardwood. Combined with a 1hp motor, this saw can take full advantage of its 5 ¾-in. resaw capacity. The saw also has two speeds, allowing it to cut nonferrous metals at the lower speed. The saw offers a switched work light that illuminates the upper guide area and has a 120V outlet on the saw housing for additional lighting if desired. There is also a master switch on the saw that controls the motor,…

A few years ago I completed a mechanical puzzle desk inspired by the 18th-century furniture of David and Abraham Roentgen, whose work was renowned for its ornate marquetry and hidden mechanical features. The Roentgen Puzzle Desk took me a total of 12 months to build, spread out over three years, and it currently waits in a climate-controlled storage unit until my client’s new home is ready to receive it. Like many of my customers, he is an avid puzzle collector. This piece represents a milestone for me. Like all of the pieces I’ve made over the past decade or so, it has a wide variety of puzzles built into its structure, which must be solved in a specific order to unlock a final prize hidden within. Some clues and puzzles…