WOOD Magazine July 2022

Get plans for this classic porch swing at woodstore.net/classicswing Last fall, Annette and I did what we always do before starting a big project on our house: We drove to better neighborhoods than ours and scouted for ideas. Several years ago, we hit the Sunday open-house circuit looking for creative kitchen concepts before remodeling our first floor; this time, we cruised for exterior inspiration—siding, stone, etc. While navigating a suburban maze of winding roads (some of these developments look like they were laid out on a three-day drunk), we stumbled across a concept I’d never seen: a cluster of homes surrounding a cul-de-sac, but the cul-de-sac—and the driveways and garages it served—was behind the buildings. This script-flip pushes the front of the house just feet from the sidewalk, inviting conversation between porch-sitters…

A RARE JIM, INDEED There is nothing that Jim Heavey can’t do. You think we’re just saying that—flattering him to get him on our good side, maybe. But no. We have video evidence. He once transformed a blank wall into an entire workshop. It only took him three videos. woodmagazine.com/jimbuildsashop His miters are always perfect. woodmagazine.com/jimsmitersareperfect He can make five tablesaw jigs using only a half-sheet of plywood. woodmagazine.com/jimbuilds5jigs And if—if!—he ever got tired, he would build his own Adirondack chair to relax in. To be clear, he’s never been tired. But he did build the chair to show you how to do it, in case you get tired. woodmagazine.com/jimnevertires Which color shirt should Jim wear next? Send your nominations to woodmail@woodmagazine.com.…

’Mazing Mods It took me awhile, but I completed the Rock ’n’ Roll Maze Game in issue 277 (October 2021). My fat fingers had a hard time with all of those small pieces, so I decided to scale everything up to a more manageable size. I nearly doubled the dimensions of the wall pieces to ¼" thick and 1" tall, and upgraded to a ½" ball bearing instead of a marble for the game ball. Of course, that meant I had to increase all of the other dimensions proportionally, as well. All of that led to also beefing up the joystick assembly to accommodate the extra weight. Thanks for the inspiring plans. It’s a tough maze to navigate! —Mark Nygard Hazen, N.D. I enjoyed building the Rock ‘n’ Roll Maze Game and after playing it…

Q Hit the deck for your next project? The last time I was in my local home center, I noticed a stack of composite decking that looked a lot like real lumber. Would it be suitable to use for woodworking projects? —Delbert Shumaker, Valparaiso, Ind. A The answer to that question depends on your intended use, Delbert. Composite decking is made from a mixture of wood particles and a plastic binder that is compressed or extruded into boards. This yields a water-resistant product that doesn’t require a finish. And as you discovered, some composite decking bears a striking resemblance to real wood. But before you start building your next highboy or grandfather clock out of this material, consider these characteristics. For starters, composite decking weighs about 45% more than pressure-treated lumber. At the same time,…

Get Your Bearings Before Using Benchtop Tools To make it easier to move my benchtop tools out of the way but still lock them in place during use, I came up with a method that uses transfer bearings, like those shown above. One bearing in each corner of a plywood platform makes it easy to roll the tool around the benchtop; they drop into dimples in my bench to secure the tool during use. I started by drilling a 1" hole in each corner of a platform sized at least a couple of inches larger than the tool base. The platform then serves as a template to rout the dimples using a 1"-O.D. guide bushing and a 5/16"-radius core-box bit. I fitted the bushing in each platform hole and plunged to create…

Turning a set of matched legs can intimidate even an experienced turner. But even with a “matched” set, the legs don’t have to be truly identical, just passably similar. In fact, slight differences between the legs testify to the hand-crafted nature of a project. The legs on this end table feature a combination of beads, tapers, and curves that require only basic turning skills repeated over and over. By the time you finish, you’ll be a turning whiz. Can’t find mahogany plywood? Make your own. woodmagazine.com/veneersmallpanels Square Off With the Case 1 From ¾" plywood (we used mahogany), cut to size the case sides (A) and back (B) [Drawing 1, Materials List]. 2 On the sides and back, cut the grooves, dadoes, and rabbets [Drawings 1a, 1b], matching the ¾" rabbets and grooves to the…