Tabla de contenidos para October 2018 en Woodworker's Journal

In previous columns, I have talked extensively about turning and drying bowls from green wood and explained how and why such a bowl goes oval during the drying process. I have harped on the idea that a choice is to let the blank dry for about three months, then re-turn it so that you end up with a round bowl, and I have also covered a few different ways to speed the drying process [June 2018 “Woodturning”]. What I have never talked about in these pages is the re-turning process itself (although the topic is covered in my book Turn a Bowl with Ernie Conover). The process entails proper chucking, the re-turning process, sanding and finishing. Let’s look at each of the steps in turn. Re-Chucking The two standard ways of…

Why don’t white oaks grow in more northern latitudes? The prolific seeder’s acorns germinate in the fall as soon as they are released from the tree. The roots often do not have enough time to penetrate the soil, and the little seedlings are killed by freezing — with first frost occurring as early as late September in some areas, like Maine. Red oak acorns, on the other hand, do not germinate until the following spring so do not have the problem of freezing weather. What Does It All Mean? A quick guide to terms from the world of woodworking. Quartersawn: Lumber cut with growth rings almost parallel to the board’s edges Dovetail: Attractive, strong joint formed by mating angled, fan-shaped “tails” on one board to correspondingly sized and shaped “pins”…

Silica Packs Keep Biscuits Dry Wood biscuits will swell in the presence of humidity until they don’t fit their slots, but one way to keep them dry and unswollen is to use a desiccant. Those little packs of silica gel that often come in shoeboxes are perfect for this purpose. Instead of throwing them away, just put a silica pack in your container of biscuits and seal it tight. Then change it every time you get a new pair of shoes. Serge Duclos Delson, Quebec Table Saw Jig Rips Thin Strips I made this saddle-type jig from scrap that rides along my table saw’s rip fence to help keep my fingers up and out of harm’s way when ripping thin strips. It has an adjustable 1/8"-thick hardboard hold-down that slides…

People often use cyanoacrylate adhesive for bonding parts, filling voids, repairing finish and even as a finish on raw wood — typically on pens and other small objects because it cures so fast. Most folks insist various brands of cyanoacrylates, often called “super glue,” are more alike than not, and there’s some truth to that. However, GluBoost® products are different indeed and open up a whole new world of options for us woodworkers. Most notable in their line is Fill n’ Finish™, a flexible, clear cyanoacrylate that stays liquid until you spray it with GluBoost accelerator, after which it solidifies instantly and cures clear. It seems hard to believe, but it’s true. That means you can apply it to wood as a finish or pore filler, take your sweet time…

Michael Dresdner is a nationally known finishing expert. He shares his expertise on the DVD The Way to Woodwork: Step-by-Step to a Perfect Finish, available through the store at woodworkersjournal.com. When students start back to school in the fall, the teachers usually take at least a bit of time to review what was previously learned. It can be a worthwhile endeavor, especially if you can clear up any questions. That’s what we’ve tried to do this time out, with some questions focused on the topics of previously published Finishing Thoughts columns. Questions on “Lingering Questions,” Finishing Thoughts from May/June 2017 Q I enjoyed your tip in the June 2017 issue suggesting coating a cutting board with paraffin. In sharing it with my wife, she wondered what would happen if you…

Q Recently, the subject of pilot holes came up in conversation. It turns out that my colleagues all have strong feelings on the matter — including each of them feeling, strongly, that his is the correct way to drill pilot holes. Hence, the pilot hole smackdown. The question: Whose pilot hole technique team are you on? Joanna Werch Takes Woodworker’s Journal Editor A When it comes to pilot holes, there is a right way, a wrong way — and then whatever wackiness my co-workers are doing. The goal of joining two pieces of wood together using screws is this: to tightly secure the wood that the screw is going through to the stock that it is being joined to, and to do it without splitting the wood. Every woodworker I…

While living in France, I fell in love with stereotomy — the set of geometrical knowledge and graphical drawing techniques used to lay out voluminous pieces into their complex structure — specifically, the subset “Art du Trait.” Developed by French carpenters before the 13th century, Art du Trait is a kind of applied geometry which allows the carpenter to use three-dimensional drawing to design complex wooden structures. One can literally build anything imaginable without the use of a calculator, computer, modern-day technology or having to have a PhD in Mathematics. No wonder this knowledge has been recognized by UNESCO, which in 2009 classified it onto the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The French trestle (a direct translation from tréteau), or sawhorse, is perhaps the high point…

Mass-produced serving trays are often unstylishly box-like and, being machine-made, feature simple cutouts on the ends as handles. They can be boring, and, to paraphrase American furniture maker Jere Osgood, their straight-line designs are a wasted opportunity. Curves add interest to a piece, and thus I included curved handles in the latest tray I’ve made here. To add a handcrafted feel, the tray features hand-cut dovetails and rabbets. For a striking look, I used maple for the handles, while sapele and African mahogany veneer ply make up the tray. Since those maple handles are thin, they are a good candidate for hot-pipe bending. Using that technique of bending wood, which I will explain later in this article, is a surprisingly simple way to achieve the curved visual effect and add…

An outfeed table is a great functional improvement to a table saw. No longer do you need to worry about workpieces falling off the back of the saw — or trying to keep them from falling as you wait for the blade to spin down. The outfeed table top, especially when combined with the table saw top, provides ample additional working surface, while putting a cabinet underneath it efficiently increases shop storage space. As you build your own outfeed table, you can also plan for additional work holding options. First, Some Table Considerations The overall size of an outfeed table surface should depend on the shop setup, the size of table saw it will be used with and the length of stock you typically use in your projects. The biggest…