Issue 770

Our Favorite Things

A random thought came to mind recently, as sometimes happens when I’m at a corporate meeting or during a Sunday sermon. This one was, how many woodworking projects have I built in my life? As I dove into this rabbit hole, I quickly decided it was impossible to determine. (Did the sword and shield I built as a kid qualify as one project…or two?)

Then I asked myself what woodworking project has brought me the fondest memories? What has been my favorite project? This turned out to be nearly as difficult. But I got there eventually.

What about you? Do you have a favorite? Or maybe just a favorite for this year? If so, share it with us! A picture would be great, but just a short note will do, too. We’ll put them in the Feedback department to share with all of you. And next issue, I will share my own favorite to join in the fun. I am so looking forward to this!

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Building Cabinet Doors with Rail-and-Stile Bits

 Learn how to build cabinet door frames using a rail-and-stile router bit set. Most cabinet doors – especially if they are made in a factory – have frames that are assembled with rail-and-stile joints, also commonly called cope-and-stick joints. These joints feature a decorative profile, such as a flat shaker edge, a rounder or an ogee, which frames the panel, and a groove that contains the panel. In this case, we used a Shaker-style rail-and-stile router bit set. Building cabinet doors is easy when you have a rail-and-stile router bit set to cut these joints.

Tool Cradles to Shorten the Wait

This reader often needed a random orbit sander close at hand, so he created a simple solution to make sure it never strays far.

Premium Project: Skee Bag Game

Here’s an indoor bag toss game for the winter months. It’s tons of fun to play and teaches addition and subtraction too!

Premium Project: Redwood Slab Vanity

Furniture made from slab lumber is growing in popularity. This vanity uses sustainably-harvested redwood burl to create a perfect bathroom centerpiece.

From Our Sponsor

Setting up an efficient and easy-to-use dust collection system is important in every woodworking shop.