Woodworker's Journal April 2018

There really is MORE ON THE WEB! We do our best to pack as many interesting projects and articles as we can into every print issue. Unfortunately, there’s a limit to what we can fit on these pages. The good news is we’ve got unlimited space on our website. As you flip through the pages of this issue, keep an eye out for the More on the Web banner (pictured, right). It’s your cue that there is additional content waiting for you online at woodworkersjournal.com. It could be a video, additional tips or a downloadable plan. All you have to do is jump on the website and click the Current Issue box on our homepage. That will take you to the latest More on the Web videos, articles and plans. You can also click…

ROCKING THE SPRING THING ... Here in Minnesota, even though snow in March can be waist-high on a tall editor, it is still the month we start looking forward to the big thaw. Regardless of where you live, it would be a great time to start building our cover project: the Tall Outdoor Chair Set. It took a bit of convincing to get me on board with putting a twist on the classic Adirondack chair design, but at the conclusion, I was forced to admit that the chairs are pretty awesome (they’re also much easier for old-school dudes like me to get into and out of). Another article that I would like to draw your attention to is our Track Saw Jig. Track saws have been gaining popularity, and I must…

All That Ash ... As a follow-up to my question on what to do with all my dying ash [Questions & Answers, February], here is one thing to do. Ash burns very well, but it is a shame not to make stuff with it. These spatulas are finished with butcher block oil, then soaked in water, then sanded again with 320. Unfortunately, this doesn’t use much wood, but it shows off some of the nice ash figuring. Barney Heller North Wales, Pennsylvania Cabinet and Leaving a Legacy I’d like to compliment Rob Johnstone on “Building Gifts and More” [Letters, December 2017]. It wasn’t dark at all. Leaving a legacy through our craft is very important to most of us. I would invite you to try to view a Little House on the Prairie episode entitled…

JenWoodhouse.com Jen Woodhouse is a performing songwriter who also has a great eye for design. She loves to build projects and share them on her website, The House of Wood (The DIY Life of a Military Wife). Most are furniture and decorative furnishings, but she also throws in a few workshop projects, such as this mobile worktable with storage shelves that doubles as an outfeed table. Her projects are designed with the DIYer or beginning woodworker in mind, and she offers downloadable PDF plans for most of them. The projects are archived on her website; her Instagram and Facebook pages are the best places to keep up with her latest work. JimmyDiResta.com Jimmy DiResta has been making things for over 40 years. He’s a true jack-of-all-trades, with an infectious love of being creative,…

Sponsored By Pencils Make Handy Mini Stickers I saw short sections of green logs into cutting boards for gifts, and they need to be stacked to dry after I cut them. Rather than cut up a bunch of wooden stickers, I’ve discovered that pencils are much more convenient. They’re uniform in shape, long enough for logs up to about 7" in diameter, and their octagonal profile prevents them from rolling and shifting the stack. Marty Mandelbaum Mount Sinai, New York Crosscut Sled Dust Shroud I made this long dust shroud from scrap plywood and 1/8" acrylic to improve dust collection on my table saw crosscut sled. Scrap blocks, attached to the fences of my sled, enable the shroud to slide up and down for slipping workpieces underneath, without allowing the shroud to shift left and…

Q When building cabinets, I frequently assemble my stacked dado blades to cut a “near” 3/4"-wide dado. At this point, I can no longer use the arbor washer that came with my saw and have all threads in the arbor nut engage. The big question is, is it safe to secure a blade without using a washer? The main observable difference is that I must hold the outer blade securely to prevent it from turning and possibly contacting the teeth of the adjacent chipper blade. Dave Zemple Sunnyvale, California A Seems like you are maxing out the dado capacity of the saw, which has a short arbor shaft. Most saws today have a maximum dado capacity of 13/16", and not having an outer arbor washer could allow the stack to slip and…