Both methods are easy to learn and far less demanding than traditional approaches. The first produces segmented bowls with solid sides; the second creates open segmentation.

Segmentation with Solid Sides

My method for creating this type of bowl eliminates the need to cut many small pieces at precise angles. Instead, it relies on stack cutting, a standard scroll saw technique, to create the blank.

The basics are simple: two contrasting blanks, typically between 1/4″ and 1/2″ thick, are attached with double-sided tape. A pattern, consisting of a circle divided into a designated number of segments, is attached; the circumference and segments are then cut to shape.

Once cut and numbered, alternate segments from each set are exchanged to form two multi-colored circles. Because all pieces are stack cut, deviations in any piece are compensated for by complementary deviations in the adjacent pieces.

The segments are glued at their edges to form two circles and sanded lightly once the glue has set. They are then glued together to form the blank.

The blank can then be cut in the same way as any scrolled bowl, or rings cut from it can be used as decorative elements in a multi-blank project.

Open Segmentation

It was challenging to design a blank that would look like open segmentation when cut into rings, but the solution turned out to be quite simple. The blank is constructed from wedges cut from a circle, then glued evenly around a thin substrate.

A pattern is attached to the substrate side and the rings are cut at predetermined angles. The cutting process creates rings with a regular pattern of slices and spaces.

Depending on size and purpose, the bowl can be cut so that the wall thickness remains uniform throughout, or cut so that the wall thickness increases slightly with each successive ring.

Walls of even thickness are ideal for smaller bowls, especially those that are primarily decorative, while those with increasing wall thickness have a greater gluing surface — a consideration for larger bowls or those intended for regular use.

Sanding of an open segmented bowl is standard, with two notable exceptions. First, care must be taken to avoid catching the sander on the edges of the segments; the slits at the bottom of the round inflatable sander are especially vulnerable. For this reason, I use the smaller of the two inflatable sanders: the openings in their abrasives resist snagging better.

Second, the center section of the blank, usually used as the base, has wedges on its underside. These must be sanded off for the piece to be used. If this is not feasible, cut a new base from the same wood as the substrate.

Variations to Explore

This versatile method for open segmentation can be used for rounded square and wavy bowls as easily as for round ones. With a slight pattern adaptation, it can even be used to make oval bowls whose segments remain evenly sized all around the circumference.

Once you’ve mastered the process for making a basic scrolled bowl, it’s an easy transition to variations that no one will believe were made with a scroll saw.

The post Simulating Segmentation with the Scroll Saw appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post VIDEO: Organizing with Lock-Align System appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Corian®

In thicknesses of 1/2″ or less, Corian can be used to make attractive cutting boards, trivets, coasters and candleholders. Even though it’s expensive to buy, you can often get offcuts from a local countertop fabricator for little or no cost. (It helps to call in advance, bring a sample of your work and cut a small project as a thank you.) Another source is eBay; check frequently, as offerings change constantly.

While easy to cut, the material can melt if the wrong type of blade is used or the motor speed is too high. Skip tooth blades are generally recommended, with motor speed set at about 60 percent of capacity. However, after some experimentation, I found that the #5 Flying Dutchman Polar blade had no trouble handling 1/2″ Corian at the highest speed setting, while others could not do so at any speed.

This variability of performance among blades is why you should always make trial cuts on scrap with the blade and speed setting that you’re planning to use. When your project has been cut, sand it to correct irregularities, soften edges and create the desired degree of shine.

Acrylic

Acrylic sheets can be cut with a scroll saw, provided precautions are taken to reduce friction and heat. When cut, the edges look frosted; heat from a butane torch will restore the clear appearance as well as soften the edges and remove small surface scratches.

Acrylic excels where transparency is desirable. When used as the center panel of a frame-and-panel box lid, it allows the contents to remain visible even when the box’s lid is closed.

Metal

Equipped with a metal-cutting blade, the scroll saw can cut soft metal such as copper silver, brass and aluminum, up to 1/8″ thick, as well as 1/8″ brass rod. Sheets can be taped between pieces of 1/8″ plywood to prevent burrs on the underside, keep shavings under control and protect the saw table.

In the hands of a skilled cutter, the scroll saw can also be used to cut coins, turning these everyday objects into pieces of incredible beauty and delicacy.

Foam Core, Paper, Fabric

Many craft materials can be cut quickly and easily with the scroll saw.

I’ve cut 1/2″-thick foam core glued to hardboard to make a base for a wedding cake.

I’ve also used it to craft a custom-sized ring holder. The scroll saw can also make quick work of cutting multiple shapes for appliqués or quilts.

Not all fabrics cut equally well; select those unlikely to shift, such as medium weight cotton.

Fabric can also be glued to plywood, then clamped securely to prevent cupping as it dries.

And don’t overlook the saw’s ability to customize notepads or make stacks of decorative cutouts.

Once you start thinking outside the (wooden) box, you just might begin to use your saw in ways that you never imagined.

The post Cutting Different Materials with Your Scroll Saw appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

1. It’s all about the blades. A British band saw patent was filed in 1809. But the technology to create durable band saw blades (the welds broke quickly) kept band saws from being a practical tool for the next many years. A patent by Anne Crepin, a Frenchwoman, solved the welding problem in 1846, and the way was made clear for band saws. The American band saw patent was filed in 1836 by Benjamin Barker of Ellsworth, Maine. (Apparently it had to wait for a suitable blade as well!)

2. Size matters. Woodworking band saw blades are generally made of carbon steel. The width of the blade is the key determinant as to how small a curve or diameter you can cut. A 3/4″-wide blade’s minimum cut diameter (about 5-1/2″) is much larger than a 1/4″ blade (approximately 5/8″). On the other hand, wide blades usually cut straighter lines than narrow blades, if they are sharp.

3. Those are some fine teeth you have. Tooth count varies on band saw blades. In general, narrow blades have more teeth per inch and cut smoothly but require a slower feed rate. Wide blades have fewer and larger teeth per inch. They cut more roughly but are stronger, to handle much thicker material. The larger gullets between their teeth allow more swarf to be removed with greater efficiency while producing less friction.

4. Two to tango. There are two main types of tooth configurations: hook tooth and skip tooth. The hook tooth has about a 10-degree rake angle, allowing more aggressive and faster cutting. Its trade-off: a rougher cut. Skip tooth blades will not cut as quickly but leave a much smoother surface on the wood, requiring less sanding on exposed edges.

5. Jack of many materials. While we primarily cut wood, band saw blades are available that cut many different materials. Plastics and non ferrous metals (brass, copper and aluminum) can also be cut with the proper blades on a standard band saw. Carbide tooth blades are a relatively new technology that provide high quality cuts and remain sharp for a long time.

The post Band Saw Blades: Five Fast Facts appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

– Granville Jones

Trying to seal liquid sap is an exercise in futility. Spar urethane (a misnomer, by the way) is probably exterior urethane, and while it would undoubtedly cure over the sap pockets, do you really want active, oozing sap under your cured finish? That can’t end well.

The traditional material for sealing sappy knots is called “knotting” and is made of thick shellac. It works moderately well for a little while but ultimately fails. I’ve seen sap make its way through just about every clear wood finish, thick paint and even through vinyl “contact paper” drawer liner material. There is a way to “set” the sap by heating the wood past the point where sap crystallizes, but it’s probably not practical on your thick pine slab. Personally, I would consider using something else for a coffee tabletop. After all, even the best finish has its limitations.

The post How to Deal with Pitchy Pine appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Magazine subscribers can log in to access these plans. If you’re not a subscriber, you can also purchase this individual plan.

The post PROJECT: Workshop Bench and Wall Cabinet appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Walnut Coffee Table appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

The post PROJECT: Carved Table appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Taking cues from several Nakashima pieces, my final design features a half-dovetailed case over a rectilinear base joined with half-laps. The flexible design can be scaled to fit larger TVs or serve as a low bookcase under a window. The case is joined with halfblind dovetails at the upper corners and dadoes at the bottom, with a vertical divider dadoed into place at the center. While the two shelves could be fixed in dadoes, I chose to use adjustable pins so the owner can add more shelves at a later date, if desired. I used wide, vertical-grain fir for the case, which prevented me from having to glue up panels. To carry the straight grain figure around to the front and back of the console, I applied shop made banding to the edges.

Starting with Dovetails

Begin by cutting the top and sides to final width, then plow a 3/8″-wide rabbet 1/4″ deep on each end of the bottom face of the top. The rabbets’ shoulders make it easier to mark the dovetail pins and also strengthen the case against racking. Once the rabbets are cut, mark tails on the ends of the top panel.

For the 12″-deep case here, I used three 2-1/2″-wide tails spaced 1-1/4″ apart and set back 1″ from the front and back edges, but this spacing can vary based on your personal preference and the depth of your case. Remove the waste between the tails using your preferred method.

The wide spacing between my tails allowed me to remove most of the waste on the band saw before paring to my layout lines with a sharp chisel. To finish the dovetails, position each end of the top panel over its mating side panel, and mark the locations of the tails with a sharp knife before cutting the sockets.

There are various ways to cut dovetail sockets, ranging from routing the bulk of the waste away before cleaning the joint with a chisel, or carefully paring the joint.

I cut a series of kerfs in the waste area, sawing close to my layout lines, then chop out the waste with a chisel. Once the bulk of the waste is clear, I pare to my layout lines with a chisel and test fit until I have a neat joint.

Adding Dadoes and Rabbets

To plow the stopped dadoes for the case bottom and vertical divider, I used a 1/2″ straight bit in a router guided by a simple jig composed of two rails joined by parallel fences.

A cut in the fence aligns the jig with layout lines on the workpiece, and the parallel rails guide the router precisely.

Position the jig, clamp it in place and plow each 3/8″-deep dado in a couple of passes. It’s easy to forget that these are stopped dadoes, but start each joint with a plunge cut, and stop routing before you reach the end of the board.

A 3/8″ rabbeting bit set 1/8″ deep makes quick work of forming the tongues on the ends of the case bottom and center divider — rabbet both faces of these panel ends.

Then trim the shoulders of the tongues so their overall length matches the dado lengths.

Prefinishing Before Assembly

When possible, I like to pre-finish parts before assembling them. For this console, that meant finishing the case’s interior surfaces before putting it together and then finishing the outside of the case after it came out of the clamps. I started by sanding the case parts, working up through the grits to 220, then applied blue painter’s tape to the joinery to keep those surfaces bare. I wiped a few coats of garnet shellac on both sides of the divider and the inside faces of the case. After the shellac cured, I wet-sanded by hand using denatured alcohol and 320-grit wet-dry paper to smooth the finished surfaces further.

At this stage, you can remove the painter’s tape to prepare for assembly. The glue-up isn’t complicated, but its sequence matters. Begin by joining the sides to the bottom, then insert the divider into the bottom. Finally, place the top. Carry out a dry fit first before opening the glue bottle to practice the sequence and ensure that the joints fit together well.

Applying Edge Banding

Edge banding is usually reserved for covering the exposed edges of sheet goods to make the edges more attractive. Here, it actually serves the same purpose. Depending on your wood choice, you might decide to skip this step, but in this instance, adding edge banding enabled me to wrap the vertical grain pattern from the faces of the case around to its front and back edges. Applying banding to both edges also keeps the appearance of the console consistent if it should happen to be positioned away from the wall.

I ripped strips of edge banding on the table saw, cutting the stock 1/8″ thick from a board that was slightly thicker than the width of the edges I was facing. While it might be tempting to set the rip fence just 1/8″ away from the blade to make these repetitive cuts, I think it’s safer to set up these cuts so the strips fall away from the blade instead of being trapped between the blade and the fence. This requires me to reposition the fence for each cut, as the workpiece gets progressively narrower. But if you set each cut up carefully, you can still end up with strips that are all the same 1/8″ thickness.

I wanted to ensure a tight fit between the pieces of edge banding, so I applied it in stages, gluing only a piece or two at a time. If you’re impatient, a brad or pin nailer can speed up the process, but I prefer to take my time using glue and clamps alone to avoid the need to fill any nail holes.

I began by applying a piece to the top edges, cutting strips of banding to length and mitering both ends at 45°. After applying a thin layer of glue, I clamped the trim in place, taking care that its inner edge was flush with the inside edge of the case. The outer edge of the trim should stand slightly proud of the case and will be trimmed flush later.

The side edge banding came next. I cut these pieces a little longer than their finished length and mitered the top ends. When gluing them on, again take care to make sure their inside edges are flush with the case’s inside edges. After the clamps come off, trim their bottom ends flush with the bottom face of the case with a utility knife or hand saw.

With the sides covered, move on to the bottom piece of edge banding. Cut it to fit tightly between the side banding, and glue it in place. Finish up by gluing the center pieces of edge banding onto the divider, leaving both edges proud of the divider.

I used a piloted flush-trim bit in my trim router to trim the edge banding flush with the case and cleaned up the inside corners with a chisel, but a block plane would work, too. Depending on your taste, you could also apply a small roundover or chamfer to the outer edges of the banding, but I simply eased those with a sanding block. Once that’s done, do any touch-up sanding and apply finish to the outside of the case.

Installing the Shelves

Next comes the two adjustable shelves. Cut panels for them that are 1/8″ shorter than the width of the console’s openings. Install edge banding on their front and back edges to continue the vertical grain pattern here. Once that’s glued in place and trimmed flush, sand the shelves and apply finish to complete them.

To hang the shelves, I created a basic drilling jig for positioning the shelf pin holes inside the case. It’s just a length of scrap cut slightly shorter than the case opening with a pair of holes drilled at the desired height and set back about 3/4″ from either edge. To use the jig, clamp it in place with one of its edges flush with the front or back of the case, and drill the shelf pin holes about 1/2″ deep. Though they aren’t necessary, I also added metal shelf pin sleeves to these holes to lend a more refined appearance to this aspect of the build.

Building the Base

The key design elements of the case — its overhang and setback — carry through into the base, with the stretchers extending past the feet and the feet set back from the edges of the case. I joined the stretchers and feet with simple half-laps. Cut the parts to size, and drill pilot holes through the thickness of the stretchers at the drill press for eventually screwing them to the case bottom.

Next, arrange the stretchers and feet in their correct orientation, and mark the stretchers for the cross-lap pockets, using the feet to set the actual width of these cuts. I cut the pockets with a Japanese pull saw and chisel, first making parallel saw cuts, then chopping away the waste in between them.

These joints can also be cut on the band saw or using a dado blade on the table saw. Fit the stretchers and feet together; if the joints are too snug, I find it’s easier to plane the long grain of the feet until they slip into the joint pockets. It’s much easier than paring or filing the end grain inside the pockets to fit the feet that way.

When the joints slip together as they should, drill countersunk pilot holes and drive a screw through each half-lap joint to lock the parts together. Then invert the case, position the base for an even overhang all around, and drive screws through the stretchers and into the bottom panel to attach these components.

With the console still inverted, drill the four installation holes for the adjustable chair glides. Install the glides, and turn the console right-side up. Slip the shelves into place on shelf pins and this project is ready for your living room or, in my case, delivery to a happy client.

Hard-to-Find Hardware:

Black 1/4″ Pin Supports (1) #22781
Black 1/4″ Sleeves (1) #22872
Polished Nickel Glides-Screw Chair Glides (1) #12295
1/4″ Hex Drive Threaded Inserts (1) #31872

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

The post PROJECT: Nakashima-inspired Console appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Techniques Include: Cutting segmented bowls with scroll saw, chucking and turning cored bowls, and dealing with pine pitch.

Plus a look at power nailers.

The post Woodworker’s Journal – September/October 2019 appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.