Issue 82
Issue 82
Westward HO!
By the time you read this missive, I will be out on the wild North Dakota prairie partaking of my other passion …PETA members avert your eyes … bird hunting. I understand that, for many of you, bird hunting would hold the same allure as, say, a root canal. And I’m aware that there is no reasonable or logical argument to be made in defense of this other hobby. One reason I am excited to be going is that I have a new bird dog that will be making its first trip. So, by the time you read this I will either be very excited at her progress or depressed by my training failure – there is no middle ground. I wonder if you have a similar reaction to your woodworking. As you evaluate a newly finished project, are you either a genius or flop? Are you the worst critic that you’ll ever face or is it someone else? Let me know, and when I get back from the lone prairie, I’ll pass on the results.
Sincerely,
– Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal
Today's Woodworker
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Parma Sawdust Club: Woodworking with a Civic Twist
It was a pretty interesting challenge. The Nature Center at Shaker Lakes, near Parma, Ohio, had to cut down a fine old red oak tree to make way for its expansion.
Industry Interviews
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Laserkerf: 21st Century Accuracy for Your Radial Arm Saw
Forget complaining – this woodworker’s entrepenurial spirit led him to make an entirerly new, successful line of products when his laser-equipped radial arm saw wasn’t quite what he wanted.
What's In Store
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Craftsman Sanding Center: Breathe Easier with a New Twist on Sanding
By adding an oscillating spindle sander, Craftsman’s new Professional 6″ x 12″ and 4″ x 8″ sanding centers put a new twist on the old belt-and-disk combination sander design.
Q & A
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An Elixir for Checking and Splitting
Some of my slabs are beginning to check and split. I’ve heard poly-ethyl glycol is a liquid that is supposed to stop this. Do you know anything about this or where I can find it?
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Correct Bench Height
I wonder if the 35-1/2″ height is something of an historical quantity? I am 5′ 11″ and a 38″ floor to bench-top bench would seem to work well.
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An Issue with Cupping
I made a cutout in the shape of the state of Ohio from a piece of 1/4″ walnut. The grain runs from top to bottom and that is where it cups.
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Pine Difficult to Stain?
Pine’s really no problem when you’ve got Michael Dresdner giving you finishing advice. Our finishing expert answers a reader’s touch question.
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Dealing with a Tight Router Bit
Thank you for the info about ‘Tightening a Loose Chuck’. I have a problem with getting a router bit out of a tight chuck I have tried everything I can think of.
Feedback
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Feedback on a Cooling Rack
This Reader’s Response includes comments on loose bench chisels, our previous article on Rigid, and circular saws for leftys.
