WOOD Magazine March 2019

story sticks

Whenever I build a project for someone else, I try to include something that gives the completed piece a story; some interesting tidbit the recipient can share with those who might ask about it.For example, when building a new conference table for my church, I went searching for some solid-wood banding to hide the plywood edges. My hardwood dealer had a whole rack of old-growth oak harvested from sunken ships at the bottom of Lake Michigan. Bingo! A merely functional table now had a story. Last Christmas, I made “pegs and jokers” games for both kids from a Philippine mahogany shelf I’d salvaged while remodeling our first house.So, when my son, Colby, married his fiancée, Jenny, last November, I wanted to build them a gift that would have a special…

share your build with the woodworking community!

It’s easy! Log in or register at woodmagazine.com, hop over to woodmagazine.com/memberplans, and click “Create Your Own Member Plan.” Then, follow the directions to teach other woodworkers how to build your amazing project. While you’re there, browse through the projects from other woodworkers for inspiration. ■…

sounding board your voice

Digging out the SplinterJust curious: Did the all-wood Splinter supercar you featured on the cover 10 years ago (issue 186, October 2008) ever make it to the street?—Wendell Barrick via e-mailYes, but technically no, Wendell. Its progenitor, Joe Harmon, took a few years off from the project after earning his master‘s degree in industrial design (for which the car was created) and married Caroline, one of the build-team members.After being asked in 2016 to show the midengine supercar—90 percent of which is made from wood—at the Essen Motor Show, Joe initially declined because the car wasn‘t done. But, inspired by the invitation, he made it streetlegal in time to display at the show.Although he says the car has lived up to his expectations, Joe confesses he‘s never licensed the Splinter nor…

sounding board your projects

When Neil King, of Black Mountain, N.C., designed and built these stools for his kitchen island, the goal was to create a simple, comfortable design featuring clean lines and through-tenon joinery. The frames are leopardwood, accented by zebrawood seats and backs. Oklahoma-born Floyd Beeson, now of San Diego, loves to build wood projects for his backyard, including this from-scratch replica cannon. The only purchased components are the 3" PVC barrel and the wood cannonballs. John Wright, of Sacramento, Calif., built this walnut-and-maple reading stand for his daughter. The sturdy ledge supports a book, laptop or tablet. Thomas Martin, of Webberville, Mich., salvaged some discarded limbs from a tree that was being milled and then waited for just the right project to come along. It finally arrived on the cover of issue 225 (May…

two-car (no-car) shop

When Ed Kassof converted his twocar garage to a woodworking shop, he exiled the family cars to the driveway, a decision he hasn’t regretted.The shop features many creative solutions for storage, mobility, and multipurpose use. For example, the hideaway tablesaw (page 14) and mitersaw workstation with flip-up wings both store small, but work big.Ed designed his shop with lots of open floor space. Putting casters under benches, a lumber bin, tool cabinet, and clamp rack means that “no tool in the shop is ever in the way of any production,” Ed says.Two custom-made workbenches fill specific needs. The top of the tablesaw workstation consists of a hollow-core door sandwiched between two layers of plywood. At the front of the bench, an outlet strip nestles between the plywood layers. Large drawers…

ask wood your questions

Build feather-friendly birdhouses and feedersQ I use all sorts of wood scraps and recycled materials to make houses and feeders for songbirds. Some of those projects attract flocks of feathered visitors, but others don’t. What can I do to improve results?–Dan Polson, Durango, Colo.A The material you use and how you treat it can have a big impact on whether a birdhouse or feeder will appeal to its target audience, Dan. For better visitation, try these pointers:■ Like us, birds prefer to stay out of the heat in the summer and the cold during winter. So don’t use plastic decking that gets hot in the sun. Tin and other metals also heat up in a hurry and provide little insulation.■ If possible, don’t place a birdhouse in direct sunlight. Of…