WOOD Magazine May 2021

My e-mail regularly delivers notes from readers who’ve tried for the first time a technique or product they learned about in WOOD® magazine, and the message often includes photos that share the results. Sometimes, the email asks, “What did I do wrong?” But most contain some variation of “I’m really pleased with the outcome!” (You’ll see a few examples in “Your Voice” starting on page 6.) The past year’s events dragged many of us kicking and screaming out of our comfort zones, into video conference calls with friends and family, or cooking actual meals in our own actual kitchens. And for many woodworkers, including me, trying new things in the shop. For example, when my daughter, Katie, asked me to make her a dice tower—a baffled box that tumbles dice dropped in…

DOPAMINE DEALER Look, we get it. You just got this magazine issue, and, right out of the gate, we tempt you away to go watch a quick video or check out a social media post. Sure, you’ll get a tiny dopamine rush—an unmerited brain reward—as if you’ve accomplished the portrayed project yourself. But 37 videos later, you realize you never changed out of last week’s underwear, much less made it out to the shop, inspired by what you read here. So, please: Read this magazine first. Change your hashtaggin’ underwear. Then, return here to take some of these free plans out to your shop. They feature projects that you will have to complete all on your own. Now, proudly tell Siri, Alexa, or whoever else is listening in that you’ve got your…

Mailbox Postscript When I saw Dave Campbell’s mailbox photo in issue 271 (“Taking Measure,” November 2020) and read his message, it struck a chord with me. I, too, had stashed those same mailbox-post plans from issue 218 in a special projects folder that I keep. It just so happened that a good friend of mine accidentally hit my old 6×6 mailbox post pretty hard as he was backing out of our driveway a few months ago. So I took the opportunity to replace that dilapidated 10-year-old post with the one shown at left. I’m so glad I tried the draw-bore technique. I’ve received many compliments on the post from family and friends. And they’re even more impressed when I tell them only eight oak pegs hold the whole thing together. (I used two…

Q Cutting acrylics and plastics I’ve been asked to make several wood-frame display cases with acrylic (Plexiglas) panels. The acrylic I purchased comes in large sheets. What’s the best way to cut it down to size? —Richard Barerra, Little Rock, Ark. A Cutting acrylic or other plastics (such as polycarbonate or phenolic) isn’t a whole lot different than cutting wood, Richard. In fact, you use many of the same tools. However, follow a few finer points for best results. A tablesaw is the most efficient tool for cutting sheets of acrylic down to size. Most manufacturers offer blades made specifically for cutting acrylic and plastics, so if you’ll be working with these materials on a regular basis, you may want to invest in a dedicated blade. For occasional use, however, an 80-tooth, triple-chip-grind (TCG) blade…

Custom Inserts Mean Chip-free Router Cuts The split fence on my router table allows me to adjust the opening around the router bit. That’s great for straight bits, but for anything with a profile, I would often get tear-out on the workpiece because there was nothing to support the wood fibers. And sometimes the workpiece would wander into the gap, resulting in an uneven profile. To solve these problems, I created zero-clearance inserts for my router-table fence. Using a 45° chamfer router bit, I routed chamfers on the inserts and on the fence faces, as shown. The resulting joint secures the insert and keeps it flush with the faces. I keep several blank inserts on hand. Before routing a profile, install a blank insert in the fence. With the fence away from the…

If this workbench and storage cabinets are part of a larger garage-shop upgrade, turn to page 54 for tips on getting the most from your shop space. No woodworker ever complained about a storage surplus. But with these quick and easy-to-build projects, you could be the first. Build a wall’s worth of cabinets in a weekend, and put together the workbench just as quickly. To simplify the workbench construction, we used a 36×80" solid-core door for the benchtop. For a more traditional top that you can resurface down the road, laminate maple boards to the same dimensions. Put the Base in Basic Bench 1 Cut the sides and divider (A) [Materials List], then jigsaw the notches [Drawing 1]. Set these panels aside. 2 Cut the platform supports (B) and platform (C). Glue and screw the…