Issue 304
Issue 304
Hot … Really Hot
Here where I live, it has been really stinking hot of late. Now, I know that this is dangerous ground to cover, because many of you live where you don’t get worked up about the heat until you cross the triple digit Rubicon (we use the Fahrenheit scale here in the U.S. — it would be the upper 30s Celsius). But here in the Northern wastes, when the going gets hot, the tough just get cranky and whiney. (Hey, give me 25° below zero any day.)
But as with many a dark cloud, this one has a silver lining, at least it does for me. Because, while my house does not have air conditioning, my workshop most certainly does. (Priorities, priorities, priorities!) So while the mercury is flirting with 100˚ and the dew-point is making Guatemala look temperate, I have a refuge that also keeps me woodworking.
Sometimes when you don’t get what you want, you have to settle for something better!
Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
What's In Store
-
Stanley Dual Color Squares
Easy readability is the purpose of themolded-in color graduations in Stanley®’s new dual color squares, the 7″ STHT460101 and 12″ STHT46011.
-
Frontier Logs Play Set by Ralph Bagnall
Inspired by his own desire to make a wooden logs play set, author Ralph Bagnall developed the book Frontier Logs Play Set with plans and instructions for doing just that.
-
Bosch ROS65VC Offers Lower-impact Sanding
Late last year, Bosch launched a new random-orbit sander, the ROS65VC, with technology that should help make sanding less physically demanding.
Tricks of the Trade
-
Table Saw Blade Protector
I like to place a 1-inch thick foam pad on my shop floor just inside the table saw base.
-
Get the Most Out of Your Glue Bottle
Once a plastic glue bottle gets about three-quarters empty, it seems like it must be held upside-down forever before the glue reaches the nozzle.
-
Drill Press Chuck Key Keeper
Keep your drill press chuck key within easy reach by attaching a key caddy.
Q & A
-
Sharpening a Marking Knife?
Are marking knives sharpened the same way as chisels and plane irons?
-
How Should I Cut My Lighthouse Base?
I can’t quite figure out how to make the cuts since each side piece needs to be tapered as well as cut at an angle.
-
Controlling Rust in a New Shop?
It is hot and dry. I have cleaned the rust off and tried several kinds of sprays, all to no avail. Help!
Industry Interviews
-
Unearthed Paints: Natural Alternatives to Latex
Couple launches paint and wood finishes line that contain only natural ingredients instead of petrochemicals.
Feedback
-
Hollowing Small Dowels: A Suggestion, and a Comment
This time out, the responses to the question “How Do I Hollow Small Dowels” in last issue’s Q&A section brought forth an additional suggestion — and a commentary.
Reader's Project Gallery
-
White Oak Sideboard
I had some quarter sawn white oak left over from a large entertainment center I built a few years ago.
-
Zebrawood Dining Table
This is a dining table I completed just a few days prior to Christmas. It is made from Zebrawood with Padauk for the rails.
-
Cherry Four Post Bed
Here is the completion of a year-long (off and on) project to make a cherry four post bed. The posts and solid and made from reclaimed barn beams.
Today's Woodworker
-
Sally and David Nye: Fan Carvers in Search of History
About 12 years ago, chip carver SallyNye and husband David went to a carving show, where they spotted a little carved bird.
