Woodworker's Journal

The Great Outdoors WARM WEATHER WOODWORKING RETURNS I know that for you woodworking folks in the south and southwest, the summer heat can be a huge problem, making shop temperatures oppressive. In the same way, the Yankee contingent without heated shops suffers in the winter. As Hemingway once said, “Life is cruel, and one must endure it with courage.” (Too dramatic?) Here in the northern climes, spring and summer are the bomb-diddly when it comes to woodworking. In my small home-shop garage, one of the things I like to do is pull my lathe out onto the driveway and let the chips fly where they may (in a literal, not figurative sense). Cleanup is done with a leaf blower, and those little hassles, like spilled finish, are just not an issue. When it comes…

Finishing Frustration In the past, I have mixed different coats of finishes that were not compatible and have had to sand them all away and start over. What finishes are compatible, either as a base or topcoat? Which are best for particular projects, such as indoor or outdoor? What will work together for a good outcome, and what should we avoid combining? Tony Newman Via the Internet Rob Johnstone Responds: Finishing is both complicated and simple at the same time. Some-times I think the large numbers of options we have these days adds to the confusion. While this question is worthy of an entire article, here is a snapshot. Shellac, while it has some limitations as a topcoat, is a wonderful sealer. For practical purposes, everything can be put on top of it —…

Recently our Weekly newsletter asked readers to share favorite projects they’re built. Here are two that caught our eye. See many more examples at woodworkersjournal.com. Under the “Weekly” header, click “Feedback” and then scroll to “Favorite Woodworking Projects” and “Even More Favorite Projects.” Mesquite Masterpiece This project started more than seven years ago when I was learning the sawmill trade from a mentor of mine. When I said I wanted to make a dining table someday, he said, “Let’s go pick out a log.” We slabbed a mesquite log and started kiln-drying it that day. It sat in storage until this year when I finally got around to building the table. It is live edge, 15⁄8″ thick, around 42″ wide on average and 124" long. Lee Summers Via the Internet In Memory of an Animal…

In this survey, we asked woodworkers what types of outdoor projects they have built and what species of wood they use for this purpose. 1. Which of the following outdoor furniture projects have you built? a. Adirondack chair 11% b. Bench 24% c. Picnic table 17% d. Porch swing or glider 8% e. Lounge chair 3% f. Outdoor furniture — not Adirondack style 11% g. Side table 15% h. Other 6% i. I don’t build outdoor furniture 5% 2. Which of the following other types of outdoor projects have you built? a. Birdhouse 26% b. Birdfeeder 16% c. Plant stand 20% d. Lending library 2% e. Mailbox 9% f. Garden border or raised garden 23% g. Other 5% 3. Which of these woods are your preferred species for outdoor lumber? a. Cedar 35% b. Cypress 10% c. Douglas fir 8% d. Hemlock 2% e. Mahogany 3% f. Pine 14% g. Teak 5% h. White oak 15% i. Other…

Sixty-seven guessers took aim at Ken Gatto’s February mystery tool labeled “Bullock.” And that branding was a dead giveaway for many. “It’s a Leach Pattern Saw Set No. 1, produced by Bullock Manufacturing in Springfield, Massachusetts, reports Sim Galazka of Crozet, Virginia. “These date back to the early 1900s,” adds Robert Good-man. “I have three of them and use them!” says Steven Woughter. “As a (handsaw) blade is filed to sharpen it,” explains Dave Wozniak of Green-field, Massachusetts, “the pattern sinks down into the blade, truncating the existing set.” Floyd Koppenhaver continues, “These were used to reset the teeth.” “The screw in front holds the blade in place and determines the width of the set, while the little ‘half parrot’ thingy pinches the tooth against the hollowed-out anvil to create the set,”…

When pigments are used to color wood, they work the same as if you took a handful of ordinary mud and just wiped it over a board. What is left behind clinging in the grain is the coloring. If you wash off the mud, away goes the coloring. It’s just that simple. Pigments do not actually change the color of the wood, they simply add or contribute their color to it. The good news about pigment stains is that they are very easy to control, since they do their job by laying on the wood and in the grain spaces. Also, pigments are very lightfast. After all, they are just dirt, and dirt doesn’t bleach much. Tim B. Inman The Art of Classical Furniture Finishing Red Rose Press; ISBN: 1434837394…