WOOD Magazine October 2022

On my first day working at WOOD® magazine, 15 years ago, I vomited. I'm not sure I've ever told my co-workers that story. WOOD magazine had been a fixture in my family's household growing up and subsequently in my own small-but-growing shop. So, what started out as an on-a-whim answer to a job posting I saw in the magazine quickly turned into several weeks of interviews and culminated in a 600-mile, cross-country move with my wife, toddler, and a near-mint-condition journalism degree in tow. Walking into the WOOD magazine offices that first day had all the pent-up pressure of my personal history, the dizzying previous weeks, and my long-standing cultlike reverence for the brand. I was so nervous that I ended up working up a horrible migraine and had to furtively…

EVERYBODY’S GOT ONE You know what they say about opinions, right? They’re one, among many, of the not-safe-for-print goings-on that every person possesses. We normally count our opinions (and our goings-on) among those unmentionables, but today we’re throwing off every shred of propriety and waving them in your face. The opinions. Not the goings-on. Our Favorite Edge-work Router Bits woodmagazine.com/edgebitfavsOur Builders’ Favorite Finishes woodmagazine.com/finishfavsTools We Can’t Live Without woodmagazine.com/toolfavsOur Favorite Drilling/Driving Accessories woodmagazine.com/drillingfavsOur Favorite Specialty Chisels woodmagazine.com/chiselfavsOur Favorite Doweling Jigs woodmagazine.com/dowelingfavsOur Favorite Noise-Canceling Headphones woodmagazine.com/nonoisefavsOur Favorite Block Planes woodmagazine.com/blockplanefavsOur Favorite Tablesaw Safety Gadgets woodmagazine.com/safetyfavsKevin’s Favorite Veneering Tools woodmagazine.com/veneerfavs SHOW US YOURS! That’s right, take off your inhibitions and bare your opinions for us to see. Join the WOOD magazine reader panel and receive free woodworking plans to answer online surveys. The surveys, managed by…

YOUR VOICE New Haven in New York After receiving one of my first issues of WOOD® magazine (issue 141, April 2002) I immediately fell in love with the “Build-to-Suit Pergola” plans. I must have read through those plans at least ten times. The picture was gorgeous, and the idea of building something that grand all by myself was thrilling. But I figured I would never have just the right spot or opportunity to actually attempt it. Almost 20 years later, I finally got my chance. The dilapidated brick patio behind our house needed a major update, so I dug back through my old issues of WOOD and found the plans that I had dreamed about for so long. After prepping the area and digging out a huge space for the patio, I used…

Q Dado blades: Does size matter? I’d like to buy a stacked dado blade for my tablesaw. I’m considering a 6" blade, but wonder if I’ll regret not going with the larger size down the road. What do you recommend? —Mike Davis, Ann Arbor, Mich. A The main difference between the two sizes, Mike, comes down to the maximum depth of cut. On a 10" tablesaw, a 6" dado blade typically cuts about 1⅛" deep, while an 8" blade goes an inch deeper, up to 2⅛". (Your mileage may vary.) Unless you sometimes cut dadoes or grooves deeper than 1", a 6" dado blade will handle most tasks. But the extra cutting height of an 8" dado blade can be useful in certain situations [Photo A]. You may also need a larger dado blade for cutting…

Ready … Setscrew … Stop! While building a cabinet for hardware storage, I came up with a screwy solution for drawer stops: setscrews. Stopped grooves routed in the drawer sides fit over a pair of setscrews installed at the front of the cabinet, as shown. I placed the setscrews and grooves on the centerline of the drawer opening. After drilling the pilot holes in the cabinet sides, the setscrews easily threaded in using a hexhead wrench. I drove them flush before installing the drawer. After routing the grooves in the drawer sides, I drilled a ¼" access hole near the rear of each groove. With the drawers installed, I aligned the access holes with the setscrews and backed out each screw 3/16" to trap the drawer in the opening. The setscrews catch the…

Place your prized items in this handsome case and see whether they, or your woodworking prowess, draws more attention. Hinged doors provide quick access if an admirer wants a closer look at an object. Glass shelves let light from the cordless LED pucks shine through to items below. And the solid-wood top provides additional display surface and strong support for heavier items. Establish a Base 1 Laminate stock for the legs (A), then cut the legs to size [Materials List, Drawing 1]. Lay out the tapers on the inside faces, then use a shop-made jig to hold the legs while cutting the tapers [Photo A]. 2 Form the mortises on the tapered faces [Drawing 1]. Then, rout round-overs on the leg bottoms. 3 Cut the base aprons (B, C) to size and machine tenons…