WOOD Magazine November 2015

I’ll never forgot the first time I saw a C-130 military transport plane in real life. My wife, Annette, and I were driving near the Des Moines airport (home to the 132nd Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard) as this massive, lumbering, olive-green C-130 did touch-and-go landings. We pulled over and watched, slack-jawed and awed, as it seemed to approach in slow motion until its wheels just kissed the runway and then those huge engines roared to life to carry it up and away in a steep climb. That memory flashed back to me when Senior Design Editor Kevin Boyle popped out of the WOOD® shop with the AC-130— the gunship version of the C-130—shown below. (Note to purists: Kevin’s design is actually a hybrid, with both weaponry on the…

2x4 CHALLENGE The gauntlet has been dropped in the WOOD Online forums. What masterpiece can you fashion from a single 8' 2x4? Answer the challenge and post your pics: woodmagazine.com/2x4challenge TIME IS ON YOUR SIDE WITH THESE FINISHES • Color-changing wood: Prevent it or provoke it. woodmagazine.com/colorchange • As good as old: Finish reclaimed lumber. woodmagazine.com/reclaimed • Match new stain to an old project. woodmagazine.com/matchstain • Patina or pathetic? Revive a worn finish. woodmagazine.com/revive • Need a fast finish? Try these Christmas-Eve miracles. woodmagazine.com/christmaseve For years, this Mission-style tall clock endured the full brunt of direct exposure to sunlight, draining the dye finish of its color and bleaching the white oak. A pigmented stain would have held its color better. CUSTOM-BUILD A TAILGATE PARTY • Team-themed beanbag game boards: woodstore.net/beanbag • Cover your cooler with this cool stand: woodstore.net/cooler • Low-dough, high-style…

I strongly agree with the Editor’s Angle in issue 229 (November 2014) and the notion that woodworking is in your heart, not your tools. Using my CNC keeps my hands away from dangerous blades when making molding and can add complex embellishments to my projects. I’m glad that today’s schools are teaching young woodworkers how to use CNC; I think it’s the way of the future. WOOD’s new look No more than a few pages into the September issue, I felt something had changed. Project plans seemed crystal clear and easy to follow. You’ve hit a home run. This is a very different magazine. —Marlin Bailey, Richardson, Texas When other woodworking mags are getting thinner and thinner, you buck the trend and expand. I really like the new larger photos, especially on the projects. —Dennis…

Q I’m planning to build new cabinets for my kitchen, and a buddy said I should make the face frames first and then the carcases. That seems backwards to me. Is there an advantage to this method? —Tom Casey, Columbia, S.C. A Although it may sound counterintuitive, Tom, there’s a good argument for making face frames first. When multiple cabinets have to line up next to each other in a row, small errors of even 1∕32" multiply quickly across that span. To eliminate these errors, first make the frame for each cabinet to exact width. Then mill grooves on the back side to accept rabbeted cabinet sides, allowing the face frames to overhang the case sides by 1∕16". (The wider the overhang, the more “wasted” space you’ll have between cabinets.) For cabinets that…

This slide-out tool setup saves space and your back Benchtop tools are great space savers, but you still need to lug them into the open to use them. Maximize their space efficiency and spare your back with this setup. I built slide-out “shelves” using laminated MDF or plywood panels, heavy-duty drawer slides (sized according to the weight of the tool they need to support), and pieces of 2×4 mounted on edge to the benchtop. A dowel slides through each shelf and into a hole drilled in the benchtop, locking the tool in place either in its in-use or stored position. —Bob Gillispie, Gruver, Texas TOP SHOP TIP 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…

Ican remember my first day of Catholic high school like it was yesterday, even though it happened back in 19–mumblemumble. Our principal, Sister Patricia, minced no words when she greeted the new freshman class. “While you are here, you will make mistakes, and you will be called to account for them. But,” she continued, “you should consider these golden opportunities from which to learn.” My right eye still twitches when I think about that lecture, but how many times since she uttered those words has she been right? No one goes through life without making at least a few mistakes, but as long as we are open to learning from them, we get better. “You will make mistakes, and you will be called to account for them. But you should consider these…