This reader’s project submission comes all the way from the Mediterranean (unless there’s a town called Cyprus I’m not aware of…):
This is a double length chest of draws made for a customer with a turned bowl and spoon thrown in as a gift as I do on most of my projects. The chest is made of Swedish pine to match existing bedroom furnishings.
Peter Grice, Cyprus
If you’ve got a project you’d like to share, click here to send it in. You never know, it could be our next blog post!
I just wrapped up a project made from almost five sheets of plywood. As you can imagine, that’s a lot of surface area to cover with finish. And, here in the North Country, we’re still in the “deep freeze,” so all of my shop windows and doors are closed up tight. Good ventilation was going to be a challenge during finishing. I also needed to complete the entire finishing process in the shop, which definitely isn’t a “clean room” situation. It’s dusty, especially with the furnace running. So, I knew I’d need a fast-drying finish, too. At least that would help cut down on the magnetic effect that wet finish seems to have on dust and grit.
Recently, Rockler and LumberJocks teamed up and put together a contest for creative uses for Bench Cookies (details here).
While I’m sure there are some great entries out there, the one submitted by DonW just begs to be the next viral hit (at least among woodworkers). Make sure you check it out by clicking here.
For the June print issue, I’m building a big plywood shop project. Several pieces in the project include some rather thick edging strips, which can be difficult to clamp tightly in place. Especially when they’re on the ends of an 8-ft. sheet of plywood.
I’ve used thicker edging before in a few projects, and each time I’ve wondered about those funky C-clamps made for jobs like these. They’ve got three screw jaws instead of just one—the most helpful being the third that runs through the spine of the clamp, perpendicular to the other two.
Well, last week I took the plunge and bought a half dozen to give them a try.
I was a little late getting this posted (it came in over the holidays), but I wanted to share this striking piece of work that I would guess even experienced boat builders would appreciate.
Here is a baby cradle that I just finished for my new nephew (Christmas present). Many more hours than I had planned, but well worth the effort.
- Russ Oswald
I wouldn’t be surprised if the little one grows up being drawn to a life at sea …
No matter how many years I’ve used a table saw, my blood still runs cold when I think about the potential for a kickback that leads to injury. Thank goodness it hasn’t happened to me. But, others in our community haven’t been so fortunate. You don’t have to search woodworking forums for too long before you’ll find direct proof. The scary photos and war stories are definitely out there. There’s no debating the fact that kickback is one of the leading causes of table saw accidents. We all know it, but what are we doing in our shops to prevent it?
Despite the snowy prospects here in Minnesota, it’s time to think spring. To that end, we’re happy to announce that the April print issue of Woodworker’s Journal is headed to your mailbox and should be arriving shortly. With any luck, it will bring us all warmer weather and longer days! Here’s a quick look at some of the great new content you’ll find inside:
Most of my projects don’t get many laughs. Or at least, I don’t intend them to.
I bet you’re probably in the same boat. We woodworkers spend a lot of time thinking about form, function, good technique, the right material choices, durability, safety and so forth. Most projects have an intended and practical purpose. And, I think those are all good aims. Materials are expensive, and shop time is often pretty short. Not to mention the fact that if you actually make your living—or even part of it—from the furniture or cabinetry you build, there’s not a lot of room for funny business. You follow your plans, turn out good work and move on to the next challenge. Get ‘er done.
That’s why some lighthearted woodworking is a really nice change of pace to see now and again. Take, for instance, this little YouTube gem a friend of mine sent me recently:
A great project that will complement nearly any decor; it can be built in a couple of weekends.
Although traditional white oak would be a great choice, we decided that with its exceptionally long and straight-grained appearance, quartersawn longleaf pine lumber was a perfect selection for this Arts & Crafts inspired bookcase.
Harris Lebus Library Bureau This eye-catching reproduction piece displays many of the signature aspects of the British Arts & Crafts style, including a chamfered crown, muntins in the glazed doors, gentle arches in the paneled doors, solid sidewalls and splayed feet. It’s an ambitious project with lots of parts but well worth the effort to tackle.
Modular Barrister's Bookcase We’ll forgive you if you have a burgeoning home library-it’s tough to resist the urge to collect books, even in today’s world of instant media and DVDs. If you’re looking for a neat and attractive way to store your volumes, these modular bookcases just might be the ticket. Start with two or three and build more as the need arises.
Organize all your clamps and glue-up supplies within arm’s reach, and enjoy the advantages of the space-saving fold-down clamping table – you’ll never have to scrape glue off your workbench again.
Bat House Bungalow Unless you enjoy sharing the great outdoors with mosquitoes, horse flies and other pesky insects, we’d all do well building a few bat houses for more bug-free living. This simple project will keep bats living outside instead of in your attic, and it’s a great way to improve their habitat. You can build one in just a few hours.
