WOOD Magazine September 2020

With an abundance of time on my hands last spring thanks to COVID-canceled activities, I decided to tackle a shop purge. Away went the “must have” stuff that I rarely, if ever, used; the “that’ll come in handy someday” detritus that never did; and the “I have no idea what this is or where it came from” junk. Way up on a shelf I discovered an unopened box of miscellaneous stuff from Dad’s shop. Judging by its contents, I’d guess he never did a shop purge. In the box I discovered an old, scarred hand plane—a rusty No. 4 Craftsman, with alligatored finish on the tote and knob (neither of which, amazingly, was broken) and yellowed paint streaked along its sole. The name “Virg” scrawled neatly on several parts, including the tote,…

READ WITH CAUTION Does the tablesaw review on page 40 make you pull out your wallet and frantically attempt to shove cash through the pages of this magazine in a reflexive attempt to purchase a new tool? First, that’s not how magazines work. Or cash. And second, please avoid these additional tool reviews. Your computer will thank you. Not literally. That’s not how computers work. AVOID THIS 6" JOINTER REVIEW If you have a weakness for flattened, squared lumber, then you’ll want to avoid the temptations offered in this thorough review of 6" jointers. woodmagazine.com/jointerreview AVERT YOUR EYES. MITERSAWS AHEAD. Odysseus begged his plugged-ear sailors to release him to the Sirens. If you foolishly choose to read this review of 10" sliding mitersaws, follow his example and first tie your credit card to the mast of…

It’s Kind of a Big Wheel For more than 50 years, I watched a complete wagon wheel rot away as it leaned against a rock wall adjacent to the 1726 gambrel-roof colonial home my father bought in 1968. Last summer I hauled the steel hubs, rim, and six remaining spokes from New England to my workshop in Florida so I could rebuild the wheel for yard art. After researching the original construction methods for wagon wheels, I chose white oak for the rebuild and pinned together the perimeter sections with 1⁄2" steel rods to keep it authentic. When I completed the wheel two months later, it was too nice to put outdoors, so instead I turned it into a kitchen table. The center hub seemed the perfect place for a lazy Susan,…

Q Air-drying Lumber Is More Than a Matter of Time A friend cut down two cherry trees, and I agreed to haul them away in exchange for the lumber. How long do I need to air-dry the wood before I can use it for furnituremaking? A In general, Travis, air-drying green lumber reduces boards’ moisture content (the ratio of the weight of the water in the wood to the weight of dry wood) to about 15-20 percent. This can take anywhere from six weeks to years, depending on the species, thickness, and local conditions. Even then, you’ll need to let the lumber continue drying for several more weeks or months in a space with a climate similar to where the finished piece will rest. So instead of a clock or calendar, rely on a moisture…

Jig Simplifies Difficult Pocket-hole Joints Commercial pocket-hole face clamps work well for parts of the same thickness aligned flush, such as a typical box corner or face frame. But clamping two parts of varying thickness, or ones in the field of another, as shown below, proves trickier. Here’s my solution. Clamp the parts together in this two-part jig. The workpiece with pocket holes goes between the adjustable jaws, with the other workpiece clamped between the jig’s rails. Be sure to precisely align the jaws for a square clamp-up. When installing the carriage bolts in the rails, drill a shallow recess for the bolt head. —Glen Perry, Greenville, Mich. Tips Earn up to $150. If your tip is the best of the issue, it wins Top Shop Tip honors, and you receive a tool prize worth…

Increase storage and serving space in your dining room while adding a touch of farmhouse style with this oak sideboard. There’s even room to conceal an audio system behind the barn-style doors so you can enjoy music with your meal. Commercial rolling barn-door track and hangers proved too large, so we made a scaled-down version that relies on readily available—and inexpensive—steel flat bar stock and common hardware. Watch three ways to drill shelf-pin holes. Click here or visit woodmagazine.com/shelfpinholes Note: You don’t need to decide about the slot right now; it’s easy to cut it after assembly. The Carcase Comes First 1 Cut to size the sides, partitions, fixed shelves, and bottom (A–D) [Drawing 1, Materials List]. 2 Rabbet the back inside edge of each side (A). Notch the partitions (B) and drill shelf-pin holes in…