WOOD Magazine February/March 2016

Alittle more than a year ago, a bunch of us were beerstorming at the brewpub near the office when the discussion turned to how we could get more young people involved in woodworking. Even if they have an interest, they may not know how to begin, much less have deep enough pockets to just stop, drop, and equip a shop. As the ideas (and beverages) flowed, I could see the wheels quietly turning in the head of Lucas Peters, our digital content manager, until he offered up this gem: “Why not build a shop the way you buy a car or a house—on the installment plan?” And with that, Idea Shop 6 was born. The concept? If you can set aside $150 per paycheck, you can have a complete woodworking shop—and be building…

A helicopter crash left U.S. Army Flight Engineer Chuck Isaacson paralyzed from the chest down but didn’t slow down his shop build. woodmagazine.com/shoponwheels SHOPAHOLICS WOOD magazine’s Idea Shop™ is back (page 42)! And since we know your love of a good shop borders on the obsessive, revisit some of our favorites: PLAN YOUR SHOP Download a workshop grid and tool templates to begin planning your shop. Cut out the tool templates and lay them out on the grid to determine possible layouts. woodmagazine.com/shoplayout When Dale Heisinger gave up his garage to the family car, he traded up to an inexpensive backyard shed with a well-planned layout. woodmagazine.com/backyardshop Your shop is a retreat; Mike Walker’s is a resort. Overlooking a forest lake, his 1,670-squarefoot shop is the epitome of organization. woodmagazine.com/resortshop FREE SHOP JIG PLANS • Tablesaw miter sled…

Plane awesome I was elated to see the plans for the AC-130 in issue 236 (November 2015). As a retired Marine and Vietnam veteran, I’ve had the privilege of flying aboard several C-130s, which we lovingly referred to as “gooney birds.” My most memorable flight was the one that took me home from Vietnam after completing my combat tour. The morning was foggy, but as I walked across the tarmac, I began to see the shadow of that big bird—first the tail section, then the hulk of the fuselage. Nothing ever looked so beautiful to me! I held my breath as we rumbled down the runway and didn’t let it go until I felt the wheels come up. We were safe and heading home. Now my grandson, an active-duty Marine, is…

Q What is a “Regulator” clock? I’ve seen lots of clocks with the word “Regulator” printed or etched on the glass of the door covering the pendulum. What’s the history of this name—is it a brand of clock or a type? —Phil Hughes, Washington, D.C. A We turned your question over to one of the world’s leading clock experts, Phil. Gregg Perry operates a studio in Pennsylvania (perrysclocks.com) specializing in the conservation and restoration of antique clocks and watches. He’s also a certified appraiser of these timekeepers. Here’s what we learned from Gregg: Regulators were first developed in England around 1720. Typical clocks of the day were only accurate to within about 5 minutes per week. But regulators, such as the one shown at right, powered by a weighted and geared mechanism, could…

TOP SHOP TIP Nailer gauge makes anyone a straight shooter You know that gut-punch feeling you get when a brad blows through the side of a case assembly? Never experience it again. This simple guide holds the pneumatic brad nailer perpendicular to the face of the workpiece and centers the fastener on the adjoining piece’s thickness. When you need to center the brads on a different thickness of material, just swap out the guide’s spacer block. —Charles Mak, Calgary, Alta. 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 at least $300. Send your tip, photos or drawings, and contact info to shoptips@woodmagazine.com Because we try to publish original tips, please send yours only to WOOD® magazine. For sending this…

Even with a growing reputation as a “jack-of-all-trades” maker, I’m often blindsided by a request to work with a material, process, or technology which I’ve never even considered. For example, a client recently asked me to work with Corian, a solid-surface material. Now, solid-surface material is something I probably should have already known about, but I gravitate toward the things I’m comfortable with, putting off things I should be learning in favor of working with triedand-true materials. After all, with the comfort of familiarity comes the comfort of expected results, expected time allowances, and expected expenses. But the client didn’t know that. They just knew I make cool things and Corian is the cool thing they wanted. So I researched to learn everything I can—including the exorbitant cost of the material. That’s…