WOOD Magazine November 2018

give thumb thanks

The hottest part of last summer was spent with my hand in a splint, thanks to a broken left thumb. Six weeks of explaining it to friends, colleagues, and even total strangers, who would stop me and say, “Oooooo, what did you DO?!?” The natural first question from people who know me was, “Was it a woodworking accident?” No. But technically, yes, only because I was trying to pull a dead branch out of a tree with a pole saw (no good story ever starts with “I was doing this really smart thing…”) when the handle slipped free and smacked into my thumb, HARD, and I was pretty sure something broke. A couple of days later—don’t judge me—the hand doc confirmed that yes, my thumb was broken; there was a bone chip…

safety is the new sexy

The fall fashion season is upon us, and everything safe is chic again! The with-it woodworkers are accessorizing with understated pushsticks and must-have safety glasses. Stay safe, stay sexy with these hot tips! Kickback can turn your runway walk into a doubled-over hobble in the blink of an eye. Kick kickback in four tools with our guide. woodmagazine.com/kickkickback All the hottest tablesaws sport these classic safety gadgets, hand-selected by our trend-attuned editors. woodmagazine.com/tssafetygadgets The word we’re hearing is that ears are “in.” And the “it” ears are into hearing protectors. Sound safety strategy meets fashion advice with the always-stylish Jim Heavey. woodmagazine.com/heaveyonhearing Every accessory-minded maker needs a closet as stylish as the gear they stash. Make your own safety-gear cabinet with our free plan. woodmagazine.com/safetycabinet…

bench warrants a mentor

My 12-year-old grandson, Luca, has been hanging out in my shop for several years, doing small projects as he developed his skills building and using tools. When issue 252 (March 2018) arrived, he wanted to build the Compact Workbench on its cover. So, we purchased the materials together and went to work building two of them. I demonstrated each step on the workbench that I would keep, and supervised while Luca built his own. He even turned the vise handle on the lathe. We made a few modifications to the plan, adding casters, an electrical outlet, and a T-track, and made the bottom tray recessed. Just wanted to let you know how much I appreciate WOOD magazine and the opportunity it provides to pass woodworking skills on to the next generation. —Phil…

one stall, not small at all

When Andy Webster built his new home, he made sure to reserve one stall of the three-car garage for his workshop. Because he likes to work on smaller projects such as desktop clocks, he’s perfectly happy in his approximately 300-square-foot space. Having his home builder bump out two walls created recesses for tucking in tools and cabinets, providing clear walking paths. Plus he has the option of temporarily expanding into the adjacent parking stall. Wire shelving just inside the overhead door holds small power tools and accessories. Benchtop power tools on dedicated stands line up from the front to the back of the shop adjacent to the wire shelving unit. This layout separates the shop space from the two remaining garage stalls where he parks his vehicles. You may notice that Andy’s…

ask wood

Make a good connection even when it’s a bad fit Q I’m doing my level best to corral airborne dust at its source, but hooking my portable and benchtop tools to a shop vacuum has proven a challenge. Tool dust-port diameters vary—some metric and some imperial—and don’t mate with my vacuum hoses. Any suggestions for making connections between ill-fitting ports and hoses? —Randy Welch, Royal Oak, Mich. A Before you break out duct tape to make the connection (at least temporarily), Randy, try one or more of the following: Check the tool manufacturer’s website. You might find the adapter you need—one not originally supplied with the tool or one you simply lost over time. Get a second-party rubber adapter. Wood-working retailers sell various hard-plastic adapters, but we prefer flexible rubber ones [Photo A]…

shop tips

Add decorative splines to big projects using a biscuit joiner Like most woodworkers, when cutting slots for exposed corner splines, I typically use a tablesaw jig with a V-shape saddle to hold frames upright. But when faced with cutting such slots in a large table apron too cumbersome for a tablesaw jig, I built a fixture that helps get the job done with a biscuit joiner. To build the fixture, simply cut 45° bevels on the ends of two fence pieces (A) and glue and screw those to a plywood base (B). Glue and screw in place a pair of extensions (C) to form a V-saddle. Then, remove the screws closest to the cutting area to prevent any chance of the blade striking them. Cut a slot by plunging in the biscuit joiner…