July/August 2020

July/August 2020 Issue Preview

As summer reaches its zenith during this unparalleled year, you might be spending more time in your shop than you would under more “normal” circumstances. We hope our August issue’s content will encourage you to try a few new techniques, go “all in” on some of our projects and of course, stay motivated in this wonderful craft. We’ll call it distraction of the best sort!

Miter Saw Station: Give your compound miter saw a hard-working home base when you build this rolling shop fixture. It offers ample workpiece support when cutting and plenty of offcut storage, plus two forms of dust collection and a closed upper cabinet.

Adjustable Mobile Desk: If you’ve considered switching to a standing desk for health reasons, our design is easy to build and enables you to work wherever you like. Two knobs lower the telescoping column for seated use.

Carved Dough Bowls: Pick a cool, pleasant day and a couple chunks from your firewood pile to do a bit of outdoor woodworking. These carved dough bowls are a perfect excuse to let your imagination — and the chips — soar!

Bamboo Fly Rod: Contributing author Jeff Day wasn’t satisfied to hit the trout streams with manufactured fly rods. So he set out to make his own. If you’re up to the challenge, Jeff’s article and related online content will show you how.

Woodturning: The classifieds and estate auctions can offer huge savings on a full-sized lathe if you don’t mind buying one that’s gently used. Be sure to read Ernie Conover’s tips for sizing up a used lathe in this issue before you buy.

Tool Tutorial: Hand plane nomenclature can be confusing, especially when you’re trying to choose which hand planes to own and use. Our publisher hopes to bring some clarity to the topic with a brief overview of hand plane history.

Tool Preview: A dedicated drill press is handy, but it’s not the only option for drilling precisely. Rockler’s new Portable Drill Guide and Self-centering Vise offer a viable, high-quality alternative to a drill press in a much smaller package.

Hardworking Woods: Yellow poplar may not offer the visual pizzazz of expensive exotics or figured woods, but what it lacks in curb appeal it more than makes up for in utility. We pay tribute to this often-unsung hardwood.

Six Simple Finishes: Yellow poplar may not offer the visual pizzazz of expensive exotics or figured woods, but what it lacks in curb appeal it more than makes up for in utility. We pay tribute to this often-unsung hardwood.

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