WOOD Magazine December 2015 - January 2016

Once again, it’s the time of year when we woodworkers take to the shop in earnest and start building gift projects that we’ll give to those we love. You may be done already (some of our Facebook followers told us they were already working on Christmas gifts in September... September!). Or maybe you’re the procrastinating type who thrills to filling the tree with gifts fragrant of fresh finish. (I am firmly in the latter camp.) Either way, we’ve got you covered with great giftables. From the elegant wooden bracelets on page 60, to the picture frame on page 72 that actually celebrates gapped miter joints, to the stunning coffee table on page 26, you’re sure to find a project for someone on your gift list. And check out dozens more downloadable…

WOODMAGAZINE.COM NICE DRAWERS!! Try these no-sweat, flush-fit inset drawers. woodmagazine.com/insetdrawer Hide the slide with bottom-mount hardware woodmagazine.com/bottommount Save with no-fail, low-dough epoxy slides woodmagazine.com/epoxyslider Bulk them up with heavy-duty, ball-bearing slides woodmagazine.com/ballbearing MAKE A CLEAN SWEEP The 3-step program for board-hoarders woodmagazine.com/boardhoarder 12 ways to recycle sawdust woodmagazine.com/sawdust Clean your blades for better cuts woodmagazine.com/cuttercleaner EARN LOYALTY POINTS As our thanks for being a loyal customer, starting now, your purchases at the WOOD Store earn you points to use toward future purchases. See more details at woodstore.net/woodpoints…

I always enjoy the articles in WOOD®, but “Making the Perfect Frame” by Jim Heavey in issue 235 (October 2015) was especially timely. When the issue hit my mailbox, I was struggling to make a mitered frame to fit a stained-glass panel. Jim’s tip about troubleshooting gaps with a business card turned out to be the solution I was looking for. My joints came out perfect. –Gary Stoh, Beaumont, Calif. Five words of woodworking wisdom We asked our Facebook community what advice—using five words or less—they’d give a newbie woodworker. Here are some favorites: Evan Mcbeth: Make often, make mistakes, learn. Brett Howe: Imperfection is character, embrace it. Chuck Hemesath: DonÕt buy cheap tools! Scooby Carolan: Spend on wood, not tools. Scott Glasgow: Frustrated? Angry? Stop, relax, resume. Ed Dinges: Plan out everything. Safety first. Jim Heavey: Join a woodworking…

Optimize bowl mounts to fit your four-jaw chuck Q As a new woodturner, I’m looking for the best way to mount bowl blanks in my four-jaw chuck. I like the idea of using a recess rather than a tenon in the bowl bottom because the recess eliminates turning away a tenon as the last step to complete the bowl. But my chuck has dovetailed jaws, and I’m struggling with cutting perfectly matching dovetailed recesses with my bowl gouge. Can you help? —Steve Jacobs, Sacramento, Calif. A The good news, Steve, is this angle doesn’t have to match precisely. The most critical aspects of mounting a blank in a chuck are making sure the wood rests firmly against the face of the jaws rather than the base, and that the inside corner of the…

TOP SHOP TIP Zero-clearance solution for thin throat plates The steel throat plate on my tablesaw is thin—so thin that wooden zero-clearance inserts sag and affect the accuracy of my cuts. After noodling on the problem for awhile, I finally realized I didn’t need to fill the entire throat opening, just the blade slot. To do that, I first made a 1∕4" hardboard backer about the same size as the factory-supplied throat plate, but narrower to avoid the plate stops. After counterboring a handful of rare-earth magnets into the top face of the backer board, I stuck it to the bottom of the steel plate. Next, I shaped a strip of 1∕8" hardwood to fit the blade opening, making sure it rested flush with the steel-plate surface, and glued it to the backer…

Start with the carcase Tip! Save time by making the drawer false-front parts (P, Q, R) [Drawing 3] as you make the side parts (A–D). Tip! Finish-sand the panels before assembly so you can sand right up to the edges. This is also the time to stain or oil the panels if you wish. (We rubbed on a coat of oil to enhance the grain.) Start with the carcase 1 Cut 3∕4" stock to size for the rails (A, P) and stiles (B, C, Q) [Materials List, page 30]. Center a groove on one edge of each rail and stile (A, B, P, Q) [Drawing 1]. Groove both edges of the center stiles (C). 2 Form tenons on the ends of the rails (A, P) and center stiles (C) [Drawings 1, 3]. 3 Prepare and glue-up…