Chisels:: What Matters What Doesn't

Know Your Dye Stains Beadlock
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April 2017 #231
Chisels:
What Matters;
What Doesnt
Why & How to Make
Your Own Plywood
William & Mary
Dovetailed
Side Table
Breadboard End
Cutting Board popularwoodworking.com
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CONTENTS APRIL 2017
28 37 50
F E AT U R E S
20 Good Chisel 37 Make Your 50 Breadboard End

Sense Own Plywood Cutting Board
Learn what chisels you need (and which ones Build shop-made, solid-core plywood (no, Use a centuries-old technique to build a
you dont), how to set up any chisel, and the not like the 4x8 sheets at the home center). contemporary piece, and spice up dinner
right way to use it. Its the simplest tool in your Why? Because for some applications, its prep with this high-style kitchen accessory!
chest and the most sensitive and versatile. better than anything you can buy. BY DAV I D P I CC IU TO
BY C H R I S TO P H ER S C H WA R Z BY J A M EEL A BR A H A M
ONLINE u Maker Talks
ONLINE u Get a Handle ONLINE u About the Author Listen to the Making It podcast with David
Rehandle a chisel with the help of this free Learn about Jameel Abraham and Picciuto, Jimmy DiResta and Bob Clagett.
article by Roger Holmes. Benchcrafted in this free prole. popularwoodworking.com/apr17
popularwoodworking.com/apr17 popularwoodworking.com/apr17
28 William & Mary 42 Faux Urushi

Side Table Known as the perfect nish, Japanese
Try your hand at 17th-century-inspired lacquer is a laborious (and itchy) ancient
furniture with this little table, featuring turned technique. Try this exquisite epoxy fake-out
drops and legs, dovetailed aprons, Gothic for a quick, skin-safe alternative.
BY D O N A LD C . W I LLI A M S
arches and serpentine stretchers.
BY K ER RY P I ERC E
ONLINE u Lacquer Master
Watch hypnotic videos of lacquer master
ONLINE u Style Guide
Maki Fushimi working wordlessly.
Discover more about the William & Mary
popularwoodworking.com/apr17
style and see stunning period examples.
42
COVER & SIDE TABLE PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH; PLYWOOD PHOTO BY JAMEEL ABRAHAM;
CUTTING BOARD PHOTO BY DANIELLE ATKINS; LACQUERED BOX PHOTO BY DONALD C. WILLIAMS popularwoodworking.com 1
CONTENTS APRIL 2017
12 58 64
REGUL AR S
4 Show Off Your 12 J. Wilding 58 Wallington:

Work It Could Hollow & The Unhappy
Win You $1k Round Planes Turner
OUT ON A LIMB TOOL TEST ARTS & MYSTERIES
BY M EG A N FI T Z PAT R I C K BY T H E ED I TO R S BY P E T ER F O LL A N S BEE
6 62
ONLINE u Tool Test Archives
Shaker Candle We have many tool reviews available for free Brands of Dye
on our website.
Stand Grain popularwoodworking.com/tools
Stain Differ
Orientation FLEXNER ON FINISHING
16
BY B O B F L E X N E R
LETTERS
Mouldings Got
64
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S
A Start in the You Own a

10 Centering Gutter
DESIGN MATTERS
Table Saw?!
Mortises for BY G E O RG E R . WA LK ER
END GRAIN
BY DAV I D S H A P I RO
Angled Work
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S
ONLINE u More Tricks

Read some of our favorite vintage tricks.
popularwoodworking.com/tricks
Number 231, April 2017. Popular Woodworking Magazine (ISSN 0884-8823,USPS 752-
250) is published 7 times a year, February, April, June, August, October, November and
December, which may include an occasional special, combined or expanded issue that
may count as two issues, by F+W Media. Editorial and advertising offices are located at
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issues) is $24.95; outside of the U.S. add $7/year Canada Publications Mail Agreement No.

40025316. Canadian return address: 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON N8T 3B7 Copyright

2017 by Popular Woodworking Magazine. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and
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Magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 Canada GST Reg. # R132594716
Produced and printed in the U.S.A.
HOLLOW & ROUND PLANES PHOTO BY AL PARRISH;

TURNING PHOTO BY PETER FOLLANSBEE; TABLE SAW PHOTO DAVID SHAPIRO;
2 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 CLOCK PHOTO BY GEORGE R. WALKER
OUT ON A LIMB BY MEGAN FITZPATRICK, EDITOR
Show Off Your Work

APRIL 2017, VOL. 37, NO. 2
popularwoodworking.com
EDITORIAL OFFICES 513-531-2690
PUBLISHER Allison Dolan
It Could Win You $1k

allison.dolan@fwmedia.com, x11484
GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR & EDITOR
Megan Fitzpatrick
megan.tzpatrick@fwmedia.com, x11348
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR Daniel T. Pessell
daniel.pessell@fwmedia.com, x11596
D
ig out the best pictures of circular bench (shown here) that nosed
MANAGING EDITOR Rodney Wilson
your work or get started out the competition in the end. We were rodney.wilson@fwmedia.com, x11480
now on a new piece and en- impressed by not only the fair curves ONLINE EDITOR Jon Russelburg
ter the fth annual PWM Excellence of the 10'-diameter bench, but by the jon.russelburg@fwmedia.com, x11434
Awards for a chance at the $1,000 execution of the many Maloof-style CONTRIBUTING EDITORS
Bob Flexner, Christopher Schwarz,
grand prize. Submissions will be ac- joints in the base. Steve Shanesy
cepted in five categories from April Im hopeful the 2017 competition PHOTOGRAPHER Al Parrish
1-June 16 at popularwoodworking. will yield a similar battle its fun to
PROJECT ILLUSTRATOR Donna R. Hill
com/2017readerexcellence. discuss the ner points of joinery, wood
LETTERS & TRICKS ILLUSTRATOR
Theres no fee to enter the only selection, form and style. Martha Garstang Hill, garstang-hill.com
string attached is that well print the And thats why its of utmost impor- ONLINE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER
work of the grand-prize winner, the tance that the photos you enter allow us David Thiel
david.thiel@fwmedia.com, x11255
winners in each to appreciate your
Jacob Motz
ONLINE CONTENT DEVELOPER
of the five cat- work; if we cant jacob.motz@fwmedia.com, x11005
egories and the clearly see your CONTENT EDITOR, BOOKS Scott Francis
Readers Choice piece overall and scott.francis@fwmedia.com, x11327
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November 2017 of the work that CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Thomas F.X. Beusse
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4 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY ALEX SUTULA

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LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
Shaker Candle Stand Clenching Nails on Saw Table:

A Recipe for Damage?
I read with interest Christopher
Grain Orientation Schwarzs article Fall in Love with

Nails in the December 2016 issue of
Popular Woodworking Magazine (#229).
I wasnt aware there was so much in-
T
he Shaker candle stand is a were in tension it would be very weak. formation about the lowly nail.
ne piece, and a good exercise On this point you have to take into However, I have concerns regarding
in handwork. But I have two account the original tables longevity as the use of the cast iron top of a table
complaints. well. There are some that are more than saw as a worksurface to hammer nail
1) The grain orientation shown in 180 years old and completely intact. If tips, bending them back into the work
the legs has the thin parts with grain there were a fault in the design, I think it (as is illustrated in the photo and ac-
at right angles a great possibility would have made itself evident by now. companying text on page 42).
for a break! While most of them have been museum The top of a table saw should never
2) The proposed dovetail layout jig pieces for the last 60 years, they sur- be used as a worksurface! Pounding
is way too complicated, and would be vived 120 years of daily use beforehand. on it as demonstrated could leave scars
warranted only if one were planning Regarding the layout jig, I just n- in the saw tops surface, and more im-
a production run. The time would ished reviewing my new video about portant, jar the saw out of alignment.
be better spent with saw and chisel. this table, Building the Hancock I do use mine as at space, but only
Tom Higby, Shaker Candle Stand (its available after I set a 1 4" hardboard cover on it.
Fowlerville, Michigan now at shopwoodworking.com). The Ros Barnes,
Tom, part where I show making the dovetail Belen, New Mexico
The grain orientation of the leg I wrote layout tool is just shy of 11 minutes Ros,
about is precisely how the original (unedited) so it really doesnt take Ive been clenching nails on my table saws
Shaker pieces were made (see the pho- much time. I think it is worth making; top for a decade now and havent scarred
tos below of the original). I was skepti- an accurate layout on both elements it or knocked it out of alignment.
cal about the thin tapered toe as well, of the sliding dovetails saves time in Clenching a nail doesnt require a lot of
but it really does not affect the stability the end. force its not like blacksmithing which
of the table at all. The short grain at Will Myers, contributor is probably why Ive never encountered
the ends of the legs is in compression a problem.
when weight is applied to the table. If it For those woodworkers who dont want
to use a machines cast iron top, I suggest
using a at scrap of steel or iron to back
up the nails head.
Christopher Schwarz,
contributing editor
There is No Single Archetype

For a Shaker Candle Stand
Im a fan of Popular Woodworking Maga-
zine and a long-time student and collec-
tor of Shaker furniture. I was surprised
by the article on the Shaker candle
stand in the December issue. One might
get the impression from it that there is
one archetypal Shaker candle stand,
and that many people had made poor
drawings and inaccurate copies until
this article.
In fact, there were many variations
in Shaker furniture both between and
within the various communities.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
6 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY WILL MYERS

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LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
The round stand in the collection (I know of 17 different books with this
of the Metropolitan Museum of Art table included) that is the same as what I
was probably made in New Lebanon documented, or is really even close.
and is denitely not the same size and My main inspiration for writing this
shape as the stand in the collection at piece was to provide a precise plan of the
Hancock, although they appear similar. actual table at Hancock so that if someone
The claims that this is the first does wants to build an accurate copy, he
perfect copy of the original and that or she can do so without having to travel
its the Hancock candle stand done to the museum and gain access to the Highly Recommended
right ignore the scholarship on Shaker piece. Making changes to the design is
Good Clean Fun is going to bring a lot
stands and numbers of craftspersons quite alright, but at the very least the
of new woodworkers into the craft. Like
who have made beautiful copies of the builder will have an accurate starting Nick Offermans other books, its hilari-
many different originals. point either way. ous. Non-woodworkers are going to read
It is one of the artistic gifts of the I in no way mean to denigrate any pre- it and love it and by the time theyre
Shakers communities that they al- vious authors. I simply wish to state the done, most will be itching to set up a
woodshop and start making things.
lowed many variations within the facts I have documented from the candle
And if you already bleed sawdust,
basic, simple forms that they adopted stand at Hancock. well, this book will make you laugh out
from The World. A close study of their Will Myers, contributor loud and remind you of what (I hope!)
casepieces, stands or chairs is like a got you into the shop in the rst place
course on the visual power of small Giving Hide Glue a Try unmitigated fun! Megan Fitzpatrick
changes in design. I think Best Glue for Furniture, by
Doug Powers, Christopher Schwarz, is a terric article
Lyndeborough, New Hampshire (in the February 2017 issue, #230).
Doug, Ive been an amateur woodworker Customer Service
You are absolutely correct that the Shak- for nearly 20 years, but have never used How can I contact customer service with questions
regarding my subscription, including a lost or damaged
ers made many different forms of pedestal hide glues. All this time, glue-up and issue?
Visit popularwoodworking.com/customerservice. Or write
candle stands (and other pedestal tables). assembly was the most stressful and to Popular Woodworking Magazine, P.O. Box 421751,
I was not trying to imply in any way that least enjoyable part of my hobby. Now I Palm Coast, FL 32142-1751. Or, if you prefer the telephone,
call 1-877-860-9140 (U.S. & Canada), 386-246-3369
the candle stand I wrote about is the only know its because of the short open time (International) and a customer service representative will
be happy to help you.
true or correct Shaker candle stand. of the PVAs Ive always used hence When does my subscription expire?
The particular table from Hancock project assembly became a timed event, The date of your subscription expiration appears on your
magazine mailing label, above your name. The date
Shaker Village about which I wrote has and who needs that? indicates the last issue in your subscription.
Can I get back issues of Popular Woodworking
been photographed and written about I cant wait to try some hide glue on Magazine?
Back issues are available while supplies last. Visit
many times, as I am sure you are aware. my next project. Thanks Chris! PWM popularwoodworking.com/backissues. Or if you know
There is also more than one table of this Karl Zetmier, the exact month and year of the issue you want, call our
customer service department toll-free at 855-840-5118
style, probably all made with the same Leavenworth, Kansas to order.
What if I want more information about the projects or
patterns (which more than likely origi- tools I read about in Popular Woodworking Magazine?
nated at Mt. Lebanon, N.Y.). There are For all editorial questions, please write to Popular
Woodworking Magazine, 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100,
slight differences in the tables I have ONLINE EXTRAS Cincinnati, OH 45236. Or send an email to
popwood@fwmedia.com.
observed, mostly in the turnings; the legs Does Popular Woodworking Magazine offer group
all look to be identical. Letters & Comments discounts?
At popularwoodworking.com/letters youll Group discounts are available by special arrangement with
I do feel this particular table has been nd reader questions and comments, as
the publisher. For more details, send an email to Debbie
Paolello at debbie.paolello@fwcommunity.com or call 513-
misrepresented in the past in publications, well as our editors responses. 531-2690 x11296.
many of which include the statement: Our Privacy Promise to You
Measured from original at Hancock We want to hear from you. We make portions of our customer list available to carefully
screened companies that offer products and services we
Popular Woodworking Magazine welcomes
Shaker Village (and often accompanied comments from readers. Published cor-
believe you may enjoy. If you do not want to receive offers
and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at:
by a photo of the table I measured). respondence may be edited for length or List Manager, F+W Media, Inc.
10161 Carver Road, Suite 200
I personally measured the original style. All published letters become the prop- Blue Ash, OH 45242
at Hancock, and what I provided are the erty of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Safety Note
correct dimensions for that table not my Send your questions and comments Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place safety
devices on their equipment for a reason. In many photos
via email to popwood@fwmedia.com, or you see in Popular Woodworking Magazine, these have
interpretation of it, but the actual origi- by mail to 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100, been removed to provide clarity. In some cases well use an
nal tables dimensions. I have not found a Cincinnati, OH 45236.
awkward body position so you can better see whats being
demonstrated. Dont copy us. Think about each procedure
previously published measured drawing youre going to perform beforehand.
8 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY AL PARRISH

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TRICKS OF THE TRADE EDITED BY MEGAN FITZPATRICK
THE WINNER:
Centering Mortises Use a Wedge to Measure

Gaps in Hard-to-reach Places
An easy way to measure a gap that is
For Angled Work in a difcult place to reach with a ruler

is to take a wedge and insert it into the
gap, then mark a line on the top of the
wedge at the intersection.
W
hen drilling mortises for While you could then measure the
chair arms, such as those distance from the wedges bottom to
in a ladderback chair, it your line, I simply turn the wedge on
can be difcult to accurately center its side so I can see my line, and use
your bit. that to set my table saw blade.
But wrap a string around the rear Tom Flader,
post at the mortise location and then Fond du Lac, Wisconsin
around the front post, and nding
Drill bit
the center gets a lot easier.
By resting the bit extender on the Alternative to Pencil Erasers
front post and using the string to Typically, any pencil marks I make on a
visually locate center while drilling, workpiece are applied early in the pro-
you ensure the mortise will also be cess cabinetmakers marks to indicate
angled correctly. the orientation of carcase sides, for ex-
Bit extender
David Douyard, ample. Those marks get planed off after
Pine Meadow, Connecticut assembly as I prepare to apply a nish.
But occasionally, I have to make a
pencil mark (always a light one so as
not to scribe the line in the wood!) after
the nish planing is done, and remov-
String ing it with a pencil eraser can leave an
ugly smear.
So instead, I reach for the alcohol.
A good rub with an alcohol-soaked rag
usually erases the mark.
Megan Fitzpatrick,
Cincinnati, Ohio
Tape holds boards together

Easy-opening Finish Cans Keep it Together When
I was tired of picking up cans of nish Gang Cutting Dovetails
I had not used in a while, only to nd Aligning two drawer sides together
that the caps were solidly attached to to gang cut dovetails saves time and
the can. Some of the liquid had found improves accuracy, but sometimes
its way onto the cap threads, which then perfectly mating two pieces together
solidied and sealed the two together. and holding them while closing the
To alleviate the problem, I now cut vise can be a juggling act especially
a small piece of plastic bag (I use the when ipping the boards end for end.
ones from the hardware store) and put Ive solved my strife by aligning the
it over the opening and threads, then boards at on the bench, then bind-
screw on the cap. ing them together with a wrap of blue
Now my cans of nish open easily, painters tape. Now the sides hold to-
even after Ive not used them for a while. gether through the whole process.
John Cole, Derek Olson,
Murrieta, California La Cross, Wisconsin
10 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARTHA GARSTANG HILL

Safe Transport of the boards together, then wrap a strap
Long Boards in a Short Vehicle around one of the clamps.
My vehicle isnt long enough to handle The clamps are positioned against
a lot of the material with which I work, the edge of the latch-gate opening to
so I have to let it hang out the back. To help prevent sliding back and forth.
keep things from sliding around and Andy Brownell,
from falling out as I drive, I clamp all Cincinnati, Ohio
Chip clip
Chip Clip Sandpaper Solution
I keep my sandpaper organized by
using bag clips found at the
grocery store, and mark the
clips so I know the grit of the Strap wrapped Clamps against
sandpaper at a glance. around clamp lift-gate lip
Dan Martin,
Galena, Ohio ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
VINTAGE TRICKS: TRICKS ONLINE: We post tricks from the past

and lm videos of some Tricks of the Trade
Clean Mortise Bottoms with legs at to create a 30 cutting edge in use in our shop. Theyre available online,
This Shop-made Tool at the intersection with the rst cut. free. Visit popularwoodworking.com/tricks
When mortising, I found it difcult to The exact angle isnt critical; you just to read and watch.
remove waste left over at the bottom want it sharp enough to cut well, but Our products are available online at:
of the mortise made by my hollow- sturdy enough to withstand the pry- ShopWoodworking.com
chisel mortising bit. Prying it out ing action. Go easy with the grinding, Cash and prizes
with a bench chisel often damaged cooling the metal frequently in water. for your tricks and tips!
the shoulder of the mortise and was (If you overheat it while grinding, Each issue we publish woodworking tips
not kind to the chisel. I needed a tool it will lose its temper and your tool from our readers. Next issues winner
with a right-angle cutting edge that will dull quickly in use.) receives a $250 gift certicate from Lee Val-
would allow me to scrape the bottom For a handle, drill a 3 16" hole at ley Tools, good for any item in the catalog
or on the website (leevalley.com). (The tools
of the mortise right up to the corners, least 1" deep in a piece of 3 4"-diam- pictured below are for illustration only and
then pull the chips out. I gured out eter hardwood dowel, then tap the are not part of the prize.)
how to make one from a 732" Allen Allen wrench into the hole. Runners-up each receive a check for
wrench. Heres how: This tool works well for clean- $50 to $100. When submitting a trick,
With a hacksaw, cut off the short ing mortise slots 1 4" wide and up. include your mailing address and phone
number. All accepted entries become the
leg of the Allen wrench at a 45 angle, For larger mortises, make one with property of Popular Woodworking
leaving about 3 4" of length on that a larger Allen wrench. Magazine. Send your trick by email to
leg, then grind the face of the cut Mike Callihan, popwoodtricks@fwmedia.com, or mail it to
at. Next, grind the top of the short Burnsville, North Carolina Tricks of the Trade, Popular Woodworking
Magazine, 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100,
Cincinnati, OH 45236.
Precise Hinge Placement leaves to keep the epoxy from bond-

When installing butt hinges, its ing it in a closed position, then slip the
hard to know exactly where to drill door into its frame and shim it into
the holes. Heres the method I use: position within the opening. When
I attach one leaf of each hinge to the the epoxy has cured, I open the door
door then spread a 5-minute epoxy and install the wood screws. PWM
(or cyanoacrylate) on the other leaf. Devore O. Burch,
I tape a layer of plastic between the Fort Worth, Texas
popularwoodworking.com 11
TOOL TEST BY THE STAFF
J. Wilding Hollow & Round Planes

Simple and functional, these moulding planes perform as they should.
eremiah Wilding is relatively new

to the wooden planemaker breth-
ren, but his planes perform as if hes
been making them for decades and
hes offering them at a price that wont
break the bank.
I tested a J. Wilding No. 6 (3 8" ra-
dius) hollow and round pair; they per-
form on par with M.S. Bickford and
Old Street Tool planes but there are
some stylistic differences (more on that
in a minute).
The mouths are right, ejecting shav-
ings neatly and consistently, and the
wedges hold tight with a perfect fit
against the blind side. And they are
comfortable in the hand.
Wilding offers his planes sharp-
ened and unsharpened. So I got the No. 6 pair. The details on J. Wildings hollows
and rounds are rooted in 19th-century British
hollow sharpened, and it worked per-
planes simple and functional.
fectly, producing crisp shavings with
an absolute minimum of fuss. The
round came unsharpened, and had a So how do the J. Wilding planes
signicant scratch in the business end differ from the M.S. Bickford and Old
of the tapered iron it took me about Street Tool planes? Well, theyre a Toy-
20 minutes of attening the back on a ota to the other makers Mercedes. Both
#1,000-grit waterstone before I could are reliable, comfortable in use and
move on to honing and polishing the do the job theyre meant to do, but the
back, then sharpening with sandpaper Toyota is much simpler in the detailing.
wrapped around a dowel before nish- Instead of wide chamfers and eyes beech, which he says is easier and less
ing with a slipstone. on the ends, and elegant coves and l- expensive to dry properly for plane-
So unless you just love sharpening, lets on the steps (the side of a wooden making.
for the $15 price differential per pair, moulding plane where it juts out to the Wilding started out as a period fur-
Id recommend having them delivered width of the sole), J. Wilding planes niture maker, and his attention to detail
sharp. (Sure, youll have to sharpen after have simple, narrow chamfers and shows in his planes the differences
using them, but youll know better what a flat at the step, which reduces the are in aesthetics, not in function.
youre aiming for.) amount of detail work that goes into The hollows and rounds are avail-
each. The top of the wedge is also less able in 1 8", 1 4", 3 8", 1 2", 5 8", 3 4", 11 4"
ornamental. And the planes are 1 2" and 11 2". Nos. 2-10 (1 8"-5 8") are $260
J. Wilding Hollow & Round shorter (91 2" rather than 10") all of per pair unsharpened/$285 sharpened;
J. Wilding jwildingplanemaker.com which makes them look more like 19th- Nos. 12-18 (3 4"-11 2") are $285 per pair
Street price from $260-$300 per pair century British planes than the more unsharpened/$300 sharpened. Wild-
ARTICLE Read our tool test of the J. Wilding
elaborate high-end 18th-century look ing also offers quarter and half sets of
moving llister plane. of the other two makers tools. hollows and rounds, as well as other
Prices correct at time of publication. Plus, Wildings planes are quarter- wooden moulding and joinery planes.
sawn maple rather than the traditional Megan Fitzpatrick
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
12 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PLANE & BEADLOCK PRO PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH; CHISEL PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR

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TOOL TEST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
Beadlock Pro Joinery Kit

I looked to the Beadlock Pro recently right price for this quick job.
when I found myself needing four loose- Initial setup of the Beadlock is im-
tenon joints for a project I wanted an portant it isnt self-centering, but this
economic but quick solution, and didnt allows for more variety in tenon loca-
want to make a router jig. tion. Just make sure to mill a few pieces
The Beadlock system, which cuts of test material on which to conrm
mortises up to 31 2" wide, uses a stan- your setup and youll be in good shape.
dard drill bit with a stop collar to rst While a traditional loose tenon has
guide your drilling of a series of three smooth sides, the wavy shape of the
holes. Then the guide block is shifted Beadlock tenons makes the joint very
slightly to drill two overlapping holes precise but it also makes it somewhat
evenly spaced within the rst three. unforgiving. Theres no left-to-right
Together, these create an undulating slop to adjust things. So again, accurate
mortise into which the Beadlock tenons setup is key.
t perfectly. Its quick, simple and at the The Beadlock Pro kit is solidly made
of steel and anodized aluminum, and it The tenons are available precut at
Beadlock Pro Joinery Kit comes standard with a high-speed steel 11 2", 2" and 21 2" lengths, or in 12"
3 8" bit, stop collar, a paring block (to lengths you cut yourself. (There are
Rockler rockler.com or 800-279-4441
guide your chisel if you wish to atten also router bits available to make your
Street price $140
the ridges for a traditional mortise) and own tenon stock.)
ARTICLE Read about other loose-tenon
a molded storage case. Guide blocks and Is the Festool Domino faster? Ab-
joinery methods.
bits for 1 4" and 1 2" tenons are available solutely. But the Beadlock is a decent
Price correct at time of publication.
as accessories. budget alternative. David Thiel
Veritas Mortise Chisels from Lee Valley Tools

The Veritas (Lee Valley) mortise chis- difference between the two in
els are awesome in every sense of the terms of edge retention or overall
word. Theyre big, heavy and can plow performance. (Their paths di-
through a mortise in just a few good verged at the sharpening stones,
passes. The size, shape and substantial however, where PM-V11 was the
thickness of the blades bring English clear winner, taking a ner edge
dagger-style mortise chisels to mind, with fewer strokes.) The rounded
while the overall shape and length give heel of the blade might seem like
them the feel of elegant Japanese or sash a small detail, but it provides a
mortise chisels in the hand. smoother fulcrum and changed
The chisels are available in 1 8", 1 4", how I used the tool to clear waste.
5 16", 3 8" and 1 2" (and as a set of ve). I found myself almost shearing
I tested the 1 4" size in both A2 and with the edge as I levered, leaving
PM-V11 steel and found little practical a cleaner and more uniform mortise, exactly 90 to the ferrule to exploit
especially in the corners. the woods natural strength, and the
But its easy to start judging a mor- hybrid tang-and-socket design resists
Veritas Mortise Chisels
tise chisel from the wrong end and get splitting and tightens with every mallet
Lee Valley leevalley.com or
800-871-8158 hung up on the pointy part when the blow. These chisels are slightly more
Street price from $85/each to $399/set
real question is, can this thing take a expensive than others currently on the
beating? Years of mallet strikes are the market, but theyre built for the long
VIDEO Watch what mortising looks like
from the inside out.
only sure answer to that question, but haul and to my mind, that makes them
all signs point to yes. Both test chisels a bargain. PWM
Prices correct at time of publication.
exhibited dead-straight grain oriented James McConnell
14 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017

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DESIGN MATTERS BY GEORGE R. WALKER
Mouldings Got a Start in the Gutter

Woodwork and architecture share some surprising DNA.
I
am a country mouse who likes to
visit the city. Its a habit that doesnt
make much sense, because Ive al-
ways preferred walking in the woods
to dodging trafc.
But when my design quest led me
into the world of architecture, I came to
value the urban landscape. As a wood-
worker I had a vague idea of the overlap
between buildings and furniture, but I
was stunned, then delighted, to learn
just how much.
Throughout history, our furniture
echoed and reected the best creative
ideas from buildings. It turns out that
many of the things that make us feel
good about a home also resonate in our
favorite chair. Thats the shared thread
that runs through our furniture-mak-
ing craft and is key to understanding Close relatives. Cornices and crown mouldings on furniture come from the same wellspring
architecture.
the hidden gems of good design.
Im not saying that you must school
yourself on classic architecture (oh, step back in time and nd out how this pots. We join interior walls to ceilings
yes I am it will rock your world). But all got started. with a crown moulding or use it to cap
just taking the time to pause and look off our kitchen cabinets. Decorators
with purpose at that old courthouse or Function First even sell sections of crown as shelves
library building can unlock a treasure We nd a cornice or crown moulding to add some architectural air to a wall.
trove of ideas. If you think about it, this on the top of tall buildings, tall case Where did this all come from? Rain
connection makes sense. Much of our clocks, bookcases, entertainment cen- gutters. Early crown mouldings were
architecture began as wood structures, ters, even the top rims of clay ower used on the tops of exterior walls where
and both carpenters and cabinetmak- a pitched roof connected with the struc-
ers shared many tools and techniques. ture below. Builders realized that water
But this goes much deeper than a com- streaming down a wall and seeping into
mon material and tool set. Furniture the foundation was a recipe for failure,
and architecture also share a common so they used the outward extension of
design language. the angled crown moulding as an over-
One way to see this clearly is in hang to protect the structure below it.
something as everyday as a crown More than just a decorative crown, this
moulding. The house carpenter and moulding also hid a rain gutter carved
the furniture builder have long used into the top side, which controlled the
a crown or cornice to cap off their de- ow of rainwater off the roof.
signs, and the feature is not limited So, yes, this thing we call crown
to historic forms. A graceful crown moulding began as a practical solution
moulding continues to nd a place in Crowning touch. A crown moulding can to a water problem. Yet our ancestors
contemporary work, and with good transform a humble shelf into something werent the kind of builders that would
reason. But before we go there, lets extraordinary. just hang some gutter and leave it at
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR EXCEPT GENTLY CROWNED BY LIE-NIELSEN TOOLWORKS;
16 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 GUTTER TALK ILLUSTRATION BY ANDREA PALLADIO, FROM THE FOUR BOOKS OF ARCHITECTURE
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DESIGN MATTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
to convey the effect they were after. and simple owing arch to a complex
They wanted to get a sense of lightness combination of curves. Aside from
Rain gutter
or lift. Thats why crown mouldings your own observations of buildings,
usually have compositions featuring search through furniture books and
concave curves rather than a series of note how artisans used different pro-
convex shapes. les and scales. I reference a link in the
In contrast, we use convex-shaped Online Extras where you can down-
mouldings in the bottom of structures load several classic cornice profiles
where they reect the sense of heavy that you can study and use in your own
loads pressing down from above and designs. Who knows? You may have a
causing them to bulge out. city mouse inside of you longing to go
look at some great architecture. PWM
Application
Whether you want to add a crown to the George is the co-author of two design books and
family room walls or design a cornice writer of the By Hand & Eye blog with Jim Tolpin.
Gutter talk. In the cross section of this cor- for a bookcase, here are a few tips to
nice, you can see a small semi-circle that was guide your decisions.
the rain gutter carved into this stone temple.
Weve all seen remodeling jobs
where someone slapped up a thin strip
that (industrial chic hadnt been in- of moulding to hide the seam where
vented yet). Even though the solution the wall meets the ceiling. Though a
had a structural purpose, builders also crown can cover some drywall sins,
thought about how our eye took in a its true purpose is to transition the
building. In this case a cornice termi- eye, and scale is important to achieve
nates a tall vertical plane a wall. this. In the case of a wall, the height
Our eye prefers a transition, a visual of the crown is related to the height of
signal that tells us something is about to the wall. Take notes next time you are
end. Ancient builders observed the way in a space with tall ceilings, such as a
nature deals with transitions and took church sanctuary. The crown mould-
inspiration from how tree branches ings will be quite large, in keeping with
curve up gently to carry the eye toward the room height.
Pop the hood. If we scaled this crown to
the sky, and they mimicked this in the An ancient rule of thumb is that a
the overall height of this tall clock, it would
curved proles of crown mouldings. cornice should be one-eighteenth the be twice as tall and broad. Instead this is
The lines of light and shadow result- overall height of the wall. That means a proportioned to complement the upper hood
ing from the prole give our eye that crown for an 8'-high ceiling would be a section of this clock.
transition we look for. little over 5" in height. Thats not writ-
Builders also thought about what ten in stone, but its a good jumping-off
shapes the crown prole should take reference. ONLINE EXTRAS
However, when it comes to furni- For links to all these online extras, go to:
ture, you may wish to deviate from this
rule. A tall, narrow grandfather clock BLOG: Read more from George R. Walker on
his By Hand & Eye blog with Jim Tolpin.
would look top-heavy if you applied
that same one-eighteenth logic. In that PLAN: Download PDFs of historic crown
moulding proles from the authors site.
case, you might think about the cornice
just in relation to the height of the top IN OUR STORE: George R. Walkers DVDs.
portion of the case, called the hood. Our products are available online at:
These kinds of decisions are subjec- ShopWoodworking.com
tive, but thinking in terms of the crown About This Column

verses the structure below it will help Design Matters dives into
guide your eye. the basics of proportions,
Finally, the pro le of the mould- forms, contrast and compo-
Gently crowned. The gently curved concave sition to give you the skill to tackle furniture
prole on this crown gives it a lightness and ings must be considered. History of-
design challenges with condence.
sends the eye upward. fers a wide range of ideas, from a plain

Inc.
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Good I
ts almost impossible to build fur-
niture without a chisel, yet most
woodworkers Ive met (even profes-
sionals) have chisels that are unbal-
anced, the wrong shape and poorly
Chisel
sharpened.
Before you despair, this article is not
a commercial to convince you to buy
an expensive set of boutique chisels.
You cannot just throw money at this
Sense
problem. Instead, my hope is that after
reading this article you will fetch the
1 2" chisel you have in your set no
matter the brand or the vintage and

set it up for a high level of work.
Once you see what a proper and per-
B Y C H R I S TO P H E R S C H WA R Z
fect chisel is capable of and how to
wield it youll quickly discover that
the chisel you have is (most likely)
perfectly adequate, or that it could be
better. Either way, youll know exactly
why that is the case.
Warning: If you are a tool collector
or have beliefs that tools should not be
radically altered, you denitely want
to stop reading now.
Types of Chisels
& What You Need
Most woodworkers have far more chis-
els than necessary. Years ago I sure did.
The downside to being chisel-rich is the
downside to having a dozen children:
You have to take care of them all. Id
The simplest tool in your chest is much rather have a small set of perfect
and sharp tools than a menagerie of
also the most sensitive and versatile; mists that Im always poring over to
nd a decent one.
heres how to set up a chisel to a high level Likewise, I dont think you need a
bunch of styles of chisels to do good
and wield it like a maestro. work. Ive explored the world of rmer
chisels, slicks, registered, butt, paring,
patternmaker and crank-neck tools.
Yes, they all have their uses for certain
trades and times in history. But I always
come back to the basic bevel-edge chisel
as the most handy pattern for making
furniture. A good bevel-edge chisel (and
well discuss what makes a good one)
can handle almost any task imaginable.
What sizes? A set of ve (1 4", 3 8",
1 2", 3 4" and 1") is more than enough. If
I had my druthers, Id skip the 1" chisel

and get a 11 4" or 11 2" chisel instead.
These wider tools come in handy for
paring and dening tenon shoulders.
20 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTOS & ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
Its better with a bevel. The narrow ats on the long edges of these Mortising needs mass. Hand-mortising can be brutal on the wood and
chisels let you sneak into acute corners, yet they are strong enough for the maker. Mortise chisels are built to withstand heavy blows and lever-
fairly heavy work. ing out boulders of waste.
Second-string chisel-
When students ask me how to start ers. The shtail chisel
buying chisels, I recommend they buy (top, right) is a huge
a 1 2" tool (the most-used size), then ex- help when cleaning up
pand cautiously from there. You might half-blind dovetails.
The swan-neck chisel
end up with a 1 8" bevel-edge chisel
(top, left) scours the
because you make London-pattern bottom of mortises.
dovetails. You might never pick up a 38". And the drawer-lock
The only exception to this blanket chisel (sorry, no cute
of love for bevel-edge chisels is when animal name) lets you
work in tight quarters.
it comes to mortising. If you cut your
mortises by hand, youll be best served
by a couple dedicated mortise chisels.
Ive snapped bevel-edge chisels in a
deep mortise (heck, Ive seen students board. Note that you can make your Drawer-lock chisel: This odd-look-
snap mortise chisels in a deep mortise). own shtail chisel with a hardware- ing bird gets you into tight places when
But what style of mortise chisel? Jap- store chisel and a grinder if you want installing locks in small drawers. You
anese? English? Continental? All of the to try out the pattern rst. In any case can get around owning one of these
patterns work just ne Ive used them you need only one chisel that reects with this simple trick: Install the lock
all in my shop for many years. My favor- the type of dovetails you cut. before assembling the drawer.
ite is the English pattern because it has Swan-neck chisel: If you cut a bunch
an oval-shaped handle that helps you of mortises, this chisel is a life-saver Whats Important & Not
line up the tool with the joints walls. when it comes to cleaning out the trash While it seems logical to focus on the
Also, the English pattern is the most at the bottom of the mortise, which can steel of the chisel the tool is a piece
beefy and seems to take abuse the best. be vexing at times. I have only one (a of steel stuck to a stick its one of my
You dont need a lot of sizes of mor- 1 4") that matches the size of my mor- smallest concerns. I think theres ba-
tise chisels (please dont buy a whole tising chisel. sically good steel and bad steel. Bad
set). Start with a 1 4" chisel if you work steel wont hold an edge for more than
with mostly 3 4"-thick material or a 5 16" a few minutes of work. It needs to be
if you work mostly with 78" to 1". Let annealed, re-hardened and tempered
your work dictate the next size you (which will make it good steel). Good
purchase. If you plunge into bench- steel covers a wide range of tools from
building, youll nd a 1 2" to be indis- the well-made hardware-store tool up
pensable. If you make delicate frames, to premium products. Yes, there are dif-
a 3 16" will come in handy. ferences in the edge-holding properties
between the inexpensive and expensive
Fancy Specialty Chisels stuff, but if you keep your chisels sharp
There are lots of specialty chisels out with regular honing, you wont really
there some are helpful; others are not. notice the difference.
Here are the patterns that I nd most Chop, hone, repeat. When dovetailing a Chisels should be honed regularly
carcase, I hone my chisel after each corner.
helpful for furniture making. during work. When I chop out dove-
When dovetailing a large drawer, I might do
Fishtail chisel: If you cut half-blind two corners before honing. With small draw- tails in a chest or case, Ill rehone the
dovetails, these chisels are invaluable ers, I hone after nishing each drawer. These chisel after every corner. This gives me
for cleaning out the sockets on the pin- little rules keep me sharp. a break from bending over the work
use a more relaxed grip when paring.
Im not a fan of plastic handles for a
couple reasons:
They are much heavier than wood-
en handles and throw off the balance

of the chisel. The extra weight makes
them quite fatiguing to use when chop-
ping dovetails especially. You have all
that weight swinging up in the air that
you have to control. You quickly feel
this as soreness in the meat between
your thumb and palm.
About this long. I dont like the feel of plastic.
For general use, the Though Ive held many quality handle
handle should be shapes made with plastic, I got into
the width of your Necks are for pushing. The small hollow area in the handle makes the making furniture because I love wood.
palm like here. tool easier to push.
If you have a heavy plastic handle,
here are my two recommendations:
and ensures the chisel is keen when I your control and increase your fatigue. 1) Replace it with a wooden one. Its
start at it again. Unless its a paring chisel, the length not difficult (we have an article by
You are welcome to obsess over all of the handle should be about the width Roger Holmes on this process on the
the different steel formulations and of your palm. Anything more increases website). 2) If you refuse to take this
read all the torture tests that get pub- the weight and can affect the balance. route (which is weird because you are
lished (confession: Ive been involved in My favorite handles, no matter who a woodworker), then hacksaw off the
some of these), or you can quit worrying makes them, have some sort of neck end of the handle and shape it with a
and get to work at the bench. near the transition between the handle rasp to reduce the weight and shorten
Bottom line: If your chisel wont hold and the steel. This narrow area is an the handle. This is what woodworker
an edge for more than a few chops, send ideal place for your thumb and index Lonnie Bird does when students bring
it back to the maker or learn to heat nger to push the tool forward while plastic-handle chisels to his school. The
treat steel. Otherwise, focus your en- paring. Having this neck allows you to tools look pretty bad after the opera-
ergies on what is far more important tion, but they are much easier to wield.
than steel: the handle. When it comes to the balance of the
tool, you want the steel part to be heavi-
The Handle & the Balance er than the handle. The tool should be
The comfort of the handle and the bal- balanced 50/50 at a point somewhere
ance of the tool are, in my opinion, the along the steel part. A handle-heavy
most important factors in selecting a chisel is misery.
good chisel. Heres what I look for when One of the other important details
I pick up any chisel. of a bevel-edge chisel is the size of the
You should be able to wrap your n- side bevels. The bevels of a good chisel
gers entirely around the handle. But Farewell heavy plastic. Use a hacksaw to re- will almost touch the at back of the
the tool shouldnt get lost in your palm. move the plastic handle. Then turn a wooden tool leaving a very ne at. A chisel
Handles that are too big or small reduce one. Its time well spent. like this will plunge nicely into a tail-
Handle-heavy hurts. If the balancing point for the tool is in the handle, Tiny ats are good. The thin at area on the side of this chisel makes
I think its too heavy for light chopping. Cut the handle down or replace it ideal for dovetailing. Poorly designed bevel-edge tools have ats as
it with a wooden one. wide as 14".

JAPANESE CHISELS FOR WESTERNERS
M ost woodworkers have irted with Japanese chisels. I had

a set of beautiful blue-steel blacksmith-made chisels in the
late 1990s. They are the most gorgeous form of chisel made, and
the best Japanese chisels seem to stay sharp much longer.
In use, Japanese chisels arent really all that different than
Western chisels. There are small differences in how to set them
up. But before you dive headrst into that world, I recommend a
good deal of research, because there is a huge gap between the
low-end chisels and the pricey handmade ones. CS
Thats not at. One of the nice features of Japanese chisels

are the hollows ground in the back. These hollows make the
chisel easy to set up theres less steel to atten.
board without bruising the tail. It also

can get into other acute corners, such as
buttery-shaped mortises and sliding
dovetail sockets, with ease.
Note that if your chisel has a chunky
at on the side, you can x that easily
on the grinder (see the photo at right Its not scary. If you
for details). have a at platform
While I like this small at on the around your grinding
edges of the steel, I dont like the bevel wheel, then grinding
and the back to come to a point for the down the side bevels is
easy work, even for a
simple reason that these tools shred beginner.
my ngers while chopping or paring.
Oh, and what about the different Three ways to attach
ways of attaching the handle to the the handle. Here are
blade? Manufacturers try to make a lot the most common
of hay about the differences between three ways to attach
a socket chisel, a tang chisel and the the handle to the blade:
a tang (top), a socket
combined socket/tang construction of (center) or a combina-
Japanese chisels. Dont get too wrapped tion of socket and tang.
up in it.
Socket chisels are heavier but its
easier to replace the handle (turn a new
one and knock it into the socket). Tang
chisels are lighter, but the handle is
more difcult to replace and might re-
quire a ferrule, which is a sleeve of metal
that keeps the wood from splitting at and nicely ground. All you have to do #1,000-grit waterstone (or the equiva-
the intersection of the metal and wood. is polish the back, hone the bevel and lent) to see how wonky it is. As I work
And the Japanese hybrid construction is get to work. the back of a chisel, I always plunge
probably the best of both worlds, but it Less expensive, vintage or abused it on and off the stone. Working the
is available on only certain tools. chisels generally need work. You might back side-to-side can result in the back
not have to perform all the steps below, becoming convex, especially with nar-
Set Up a Chisel so take stock of each chisel rst. row tools.
One of the best reasons to buy premium The rst thing I do is to atten and After about 30 seconds on the
chisels is they are a cinch to set up. polish the back of the chisel. This #1,000-grit stone, I look at the back.
The back is at, the handle is perfect can take a moment or a day. To asses Youll see one of three patterns: 1) The
out of the box and the bevel is square the state of the back, I rst rub it on a scratches cover the entire back, mean-
Great, good & bad. When the scratches
cover the entire back (left), it is at. When the
scratches are at the tip and near the handle In & out. To atten the back (especially with Remove metal & tedium. Grinding out a bel-
(center), it is hollow. When the scratches are narrow chisels), its best to plunge the tool lied back can save hours of work. Once again,
in the center of the blade only, it is bellied. onto and off of the stone rather than working a at platform around the wheel makes this
Bellied blades can be hard to set up. side to side. operation a cinch.
ing your back is at. 2) The scratches Other Modications chisels are covered with a thick skin
will be at the tip and up near the handle If your chisel has chunky ats on its of goopy lacquer. Remove this with
only, meaning your back is hollow. 3) long edges and you plan to cut dove- solvents, scraping or sanding. Many
The scratches are in the middle of the tails, youll want to grind these bevels to people leave their handles bare, but
length of the blade, meaning your chisel make the ats thinner along the blade. if you want a nish, I recommend a
is bellied. (See the illustration above.) You can do this operation with a le, couple coats of oil. Slick lm nishes
If the back is at or hollow, polish it. but its tedious. Set up a grinder and arent my favorite thing in the world,
I use #4,000 grit and nish with #8,000. youll nd its fast work. and I think they make the handle a tad
And then you are done with the back. After grinding the bevels (or just more difcult to grip.
If the chisel is bellied, Ill put a inspecting them), take some ne sand- If you have a Japanese chisel, you
straightedge on it to see how bad the paper or a burnisher and break any might need to set its metal hoop on the
situation is. If the straightedge makes sharp edges along the shaft of the blade. end of the handle. There are lots of de-
close contact, Ill try to x the situation Sharp edges will shred your hand while tailed tutorials on the internet, but heres
with some coarse belt-sander paper chopping dovetails. the quick-and dirty: Remove the hoop,
stuck to a at surface, such as my table Now turn your attention to the han- then hammer the handle in the hoop
saws wing or a piece of granite oor- dle. If its uncomfortable or plastic, I area to compress the wood to receive
ing. I use the same plunging strokes recommend you turn a new handle or the hoop. Tap the hoop on the handle
on the coarse paper and hope for the at least modify the existing one. Most so its about 1 8" or 3 16" from the end.
best. If I manage to get it at enough so plastic handles are too heavy, so cutting Soak the end in water for about 20 or 30
the scratches reach the tip of the tool, off 1 2" to 1" from its end will greatly minutes to make the wood swell. Use
Ill then move to the #1,000-grit stone improve the balance. the chisel, which will mushroom the
and polish it up. Many inexpensive wooden-handled end of the wooden handle over the hoop.
If it seems hopeless, I take the chisel
to the grinder and attempt to grind out Farewell plastic. Ive
the belly. This is pretty easy (see the turned a new wooden
handle for this chisel
photo above, right for details), but the
that is the same shape
results are generally not pretty unless as the old plastic one.
you are a maestro at the grinder.
It is well with me only when I have

a chisel in my hand.
Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564),

Sculptor, painter, architect & poet

Sharpen the Bevel The rst rule applies to all three op- cuts with a chisel to reduce the peg so
Check to make sure the bevel is rela- erations: Chisels want to travel through its just a whisker proud. Then you place
tively square to the sides of the tool. If the wood at an angle that bisects the the back of the tool at on the leg and
its out by more than a couple degrees, bevel. So if you have the tip sharpened pare away the last bit.
regrind the bevel square. Note that, at 30, and you drive the chisel straight The other trick when paring is to use
with some homemade chisels, the long down into a board, it will try to travel at a slicing cut. This reduces tearing. A
edges of the tool might not be parallel, an angle of 15 to the back of the tool. slicing cut is where you move the chisel
so youll just have to split the difference. (See the illustration below if you are both forward and sideways in the cut.
Most chisels are ground with a bevel scratching your head.) It takes a little practice to master, but
of 25, then honed. You can hone the You can overcome this tendency by its the best way to tame tricky grain
entire bevel (a Japanese practice), or just removing wood in front of the bevel. and will up your carving game as well.
hone the tip, which is called a second- If the wood offers minimal resistance, When paring, put your off hand on
ary bevel. Honing just the tip speeds then the chisel will travel straight down. the blade to steer it in a slicing cut. Use
sharpening and increases the angle of So when paring, the trick is to re- your dominant hand to push the tool
the edge in relation to the back. move as much material as possible be- forward.
Most people hone their chisels fore making the nal paring cut. Think
somewhere between 30 and 35. Some of a drawbored peg that you need to Light Chopping
woodworkers tune up their chisels for ush up to the surface of the leg. First The most common light-chopping op-
specic jobs. Wide paring chisels get you should saw away as much of the eration is removing waste between your
ground at 20 and honed at 25 (or less). peg as possible. Then take light paring tails and pins when dovetailing. Your
The middle sizes are ground at 25 and
honed at 30. The small sizes for chop-
ping get ground at 25 and honed at 35.
Lower angles are easier to push and
higher angles retain their edge longer.
I dont mess with this. I nd that
sharpness is more important than the
cutting angle. So I grind all my tools
at 25 and hone at 35. It keeps things
simple and I can pare and chop without
any problems.
When I hone, I start with #1,000 grit,
then proceed to #4,000 and nish with A little geometry. When wood presses
against both the bevel and the back, the tool
#8,000. Many woodworkers skip the
will plunge into the wood at an angle that Slice while paring. Its usually best to use a
#4,000 and go straight to the #8,000. bisects the bevel. The black arrow indicates slicing cut while paring. Move the chisel both
Others stop at #4,000. Experiment. the desired direction of travel. The red arrow forward and laterally to do this. My left hand
indicates the direction the tool wants to go. is moving the chisel to my left.
Chisel Safety
The most serious workshop accidents MAKE YOUR OWN BUTT CHISELS
Ive seen were caused by chisels. Pre-
venting accidents is simple: Never put
your esh in the path of the blade. When
paring, both hands should always be on
B utt chisels can get in tight places that bench chisels cannot. But I dont
own butt chisels (nor do I want to). Thats because I can transform my
socket bench chisels into butt chisels by removing the handle with a few
the tool. Never hold the work with one taps. When Im done, I can then tap the handle back into the socket.
hand and chisel with the other. This is why I dont recommend gluing your handles into your sockets. If
With the serious lecture out of the you nd a handle comes loose
way, we can learn how to use the ver- too easily, spray the handles
satile chisel. tenon with hairspray. Let it dry
and knock it into the socket.
Use a Chisel That will improve the grip.
Most chisel applications can be divid- CS
ed into three operations: paring, light
chopping and heavy chopping usually Instant butt chisel. Removing the
mortising. Each operation has different handle of your socket chisel gets you
rules and tricks to ensure the chisel into most tight spaces.
does what you want it to.
The rule of halves. To avoid crossing the baseline, remove half the waste (left). Then remove half
of the remaining waste. Continue this cycle until you cannot remove any waste. Thats when you
See the 90. If you cannot see the relation-
drop your chisel tip into your baseline (right).
ship of the back to the work, you are likely to
undercut or overcut. Sit or stand so you can
see this important angle when chopping. A low-angle chisel.
This low-angle chisel is
great for the nal chop
off hand holds the chisel like a pencil. when dovetailing. Its
Your dominant hand drives the tool fussy. But some cus-
tomers pay for fussy.
with a mallet.
Because you are driving straight
down into the wood, the chisel will
want to travel in a direction that bisects
your bevels angle. That is why many be-
ginners cross the joints baseline when
chopping out their dovetails they you are unlikely to cut straight down. I rst learned to mortise using the
leave too much wood on the bevel side One more thing about light chop- central V method, which is where
of the tool and the tool moves across ping. Sometimes the wood will come you drive down hard in the center of
the baseline, ruining the cut. out in chunks that are below the base- the mortise with the bevel facing you.
Just like with paring, the way to line. Usually this isnt much of a prob- Then turn the chisel so the bevel faces
avoid this problem is to remove as much lem because its inside the joint. In some the far end of the mortise and drive
waste in front of the bevel as possible softwoods the chunking can be so bad down about 1 8" away from the first
before you put your chisel in the base- that it might show when the nished strike. Turn the chisel around and drive
line. One way to do this is by sawing piece is planed up. down about 1 8" from the rst strike,
away the majority of the waste with a The solution is to use a chisel with a but this time on the edge of the strike
fret saw or coping saw. Another method really low angle (usually between 20 that is closest to you. The bevel of the
is to chisel away the waste before plac- and 25) for the last couple chops. Its tool should always face the ends of the
ing the chisel in the baseline. kind of a pain and requires another mortise at this stage.
When I teach students to cut dove- chisel to maintain, but thats the best When you get to your nished depth,
tails, heres the scheme we follow to way I know to avoid the problem. turn the chisel so the bevel faces the
ensure they dont cross the baseline.
When you chisel away the waste, rst Mortising
chop half of the waste away. If theres There are lots of ways to cut mortises by
1 4" of waste left, chop away 1 8". Then hand; this is my favorite method. Just
repeat the operation. Chop away half of like with light chopping, its impor-
the 1 8" of the waste (1 16"). Then chop tant to stand in the right place. When
away half of the 1 16". Keep going until mortising, you dont want to stand to
you cannot remove half of the waste. the side of the tool. Instead you want to
And thats when you drop your chisels stand facing the bevel of the tool. That
tip into the baseline. will ensure your chisel doesnt wander
The other trick involves where you left or right, making your mortise wider
sit or stand when chopping (I prefer than intended.
to sit). Its best to sit to the side of the Another important note: I dont rec-
A solid mortising setup. This is a fairly com-
chisel so you can see that the back of ommend mortising in your vise. Its
mon English way to cut mortises. Note that
the chisel is 90 to the work. If you sit better to work on the benchtop over a the side pressure from the cramp, I mean
in any other orientation, you cannot leg. See the photo at right for a simple clamp, helps prevent the work from splitting
tell if the chisel is dead vertical and setup for mortising that works well. during mortising.

Chop, chop. As with any light chopping,
sneak up on your layout lines so you dont
Central V is a friend to me. Here you can see how the cut progresses with the central V cross them. Remove all the waste in the
mortising method. At left the V is rst made. The cut progresses at center. Then you turn the bevel middle before paring or chopping on the
around to clean up the ends of the mortise at right. knife lines.
mortise, and chop down gradually to Hinge Mortise ing (take half the waste until you cannot
get to the knife lines at the ends of the The other common type of mortising take half of the waste). Be careful when
mortise. is actually light chopping: making a you are chiseling parallel to the grain.
At the end, you might have a lot of hinge mortise. The trick to accuracy is Chopping here might split the work.
debris at the bottom of the mortise to remove as much waste as possible in Ill usually use hand pressure to pare
that is difficult to lever out without front of the bevel before chopping out away the section of the mortise that is
damaging the ends of the mortise. This the layout lines that dene the extant of parallel to the grain.
is where the swan-neck chisel saves the hinge leaf. First break up the surface
the day. Another option is to just keep of the mortise with light chops. Remove The Most Important Trick
chopping until the mortise is deeper that layer of waste with a router plane. Whenever you are having trouble with
and the debris is not in the way of the Then sneak up on the layout lines your chisels, stop and sharpen them.
tenon. using the same method as for dovetail- That xes about 90 percent of problems.
It also gives you a few minutes to clear
MALLETS: ROUND, SQUARE & METAL your head and perhaps think of a better
solution to the trouble you are having.
M allets are objects as personal as your knife. And working with someone
elses mallet feels like wearing their underwear: very weird.
The three most common choices are wooden mallets (both round- and
I never allow my chisels to come
anywhere near dull. And this strategy
ensures my problems will only be with
square-headed) and metal ones. Square-head wooden mallets come in two my chiseling technique. It also allows
common sizes: about 11 ounce or 16 ounce. They are inexpensive and easy me to forget about my tools edge reten-
to make, but (in my opinion) a bit bulky. tion properties. They never see dull,
My favorite chisel mallet is a and I never want for a chisel that costs
16-ounce round mallet that is infused as much as a table saw. PWM
with resin so its tough and compact.
The only downside to these resin- Christopher is the editor at Lost Art Press and the
infused mallets is they are expensive. author of the forthcoming book Roman Work-
benches.
Japanese and some English joiners
use metal mallets; I use one for mor-
tising that is about 212 pounds. The ONLINE EXTRAS
weight of the head does the work and it
doesnt destroy the handle (promise). popularwoodworking.com/apr17
My best advice on mallets is not
BLOG: Learn a different way to mortise by
to take anyones advice. Try some out hand.
for yourself at a woodworking store or BLOG: Read about rehandling a mortise
show. The answer is in your ngers. chisel.
TO BUY: The Perfect Edge video by Ron
CS
Hock.
Common mallets. Most woodworkers IN OUR STORE: Using the Versatile Chisel with
prefer round, square or metal mallets Jeff Miller video.

(which can be round or square). This is Our products are available online at:
100-percent personal preference. ShopWoodworking.com
William & Mary
Side Table
BY KERRY PIERCE
Turned drops and legs, arches and serpentine stretchers

typify this ornate 17th-century style.

W
hen someone u se s t he this table my story sticks are hardwood reduced the length below that mark to
term period furniture, offcuts; my patterns, two pieces of 1 4" 13 4", the greatest diameter of any ele-
we think most often of the plywood; and my measuring gauges, ment in that section, and I reduced the
Queen Anne, Chippendale and Fed- are two pieces of 3 4" pine. diameter above the cup to 2", the great-
eral genres. Certainly these have been est diameter in that section keeping
the most inuential styles in Western At the Lathe in mind, of course, the tapering shape
furniture-making history. But there The most eye-catching feature of Wil- of the cup above the mark.
have been other periods worthy of our liam & Mary furniture is the use of bold After estimating the placement of
attention, among them the William & turnings. The word bold doesnt refer the tenon shoulders with the story
Mary period, named for the English to a quality the turner brings to the pro- stick, I used my length gauge to nail
monarchs of the late 17th century. This cess (if it did, I would be disqualied). down the overall distance between
is a genre Ive long admired. Unfortu- Instead it refers to turnings in which tenon shoulders. With a parting tool,
nately no one had ever before asked there is a considerable difference be- I cut a trench on the outside of both
me to build in this style, so when my tween the greatest and least diameters. marks to a diameter of 1". This is twice
wife asked for a small table on which For example, the upside-down cup the diameter of the nished tenons, but
she could rest her coffee cup beside above the trumpet has a diameter of its enough to establish the limits of
her bird-watching chair, I decided to 3", while other parts of the leg turnings the visible parts of the leg, and leaves
indulge myself. have diameters as narrow as 3 4". more meat to support the piece during
The design of my wifes table incor- Begin the turning process by estab- the next steps.
porates several William & Mary motifs: lishing an order for the steps you will I then cut the various beads, coves,
the serpentine X stretcher, the Gothic take to produce these parts. In the case vases and llets. I formed the beads
arches on the apron, the turned drops of the legs, I rst turned my 31 8" square with the tip of my 1 2" skew, the coves
at the bases of the arches and, of course, turning stock into a 3" cylinder with a with my 1 4" gouge (its bevel snugged
the bold leg turnings, incorporating roughing gouge. up against the work) and the llets with
both the cup and trumpet and the I then marked the bottom of the cup an upside-down chisel. Before sanding
bun foot features. (the point of greatest diameter). Next, I each piece, I reduced the tenons to their
Drawings & Story Sticks Story stick. Locate the

I begin the construction of any piece position of the legs
greatest diameter, leav-
of furniture by creating measured
ing sufcient material
drawings to guide me through the con- north and south. Note
struction process (presented here in 1 4 the row of calipers on
scale). Then, based on those drawings, the wall, each set to
I make my patterns and story sticks. one of my nal turning
dimensions; I leave
This particular table requires three
them set until Im done
story sticks: one for the legs, another turning all like parts
for the feet, the last for the drops. It for a project so that I
also requires a pattern for the Gothic can quickly and easily
arches of the aprons and a pattern for check the diameters.
the X stretchers.
In addition, I made two simple mea-
suring implements: one for the legs and
one for the feet. These are necessary Location, location.
because it isnt possible to lay a story After youve reduced
the diameter of the
stick or a rule on a bold turning and
top and bottom of
produce accurate results the peaks and the leg blank, use the
valleys of the turning make it impossible story stick to mark the
to lay the story stick at on the work. shoulders at the top
And, while the heights of intermediate and bottom of the leg.
Then nail down those
turned elements can vary from leg to
locations with your
leg or foot to foot, it is critical that the length gauge. Note that
overall length of these parts be abso- I allowed a tiny bit of
lutely consistent from one to another. extra length between
I dont keep pattern material in the shoulders to re-
move when the turning
my shop. Instead, I use whatever odd
was done.
pieces of wood that will serve, so for
LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; STEP PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTRATIONS

BY DAN PESSELL FROM THE AUTHORS DRAWINGS popularwoodworking.com 29
Turn, turn, turn. I turn beads
and any bead-like forms (the
cup above the trumpet, in this
case) by rolling the tip of a 12"
skew over the side of the bead.
(You can also use a gouge.) For
cove-like shapes, such as at the
top of the bottom vase here, I
use a 14" gouge, keeping the
bevel on the work.
181 2"
161 2"
141 2"
Tenon
3 4"
Attachment
1" strip
114" #8 screws 11 2" #8 screws

DROP PATTERN
One square = 14"
8"
Filler block
Tenon
13 4"
3 32"
Tenons
21 8"
Cup
Trumpet
133 16"
Tenon
1 2"
Tenon 31 2 "
LEG & FOOT PATTERN

One square = 14" ELEVATION

William & Mary Side Table
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL
T W L
1 Top 3 4 1812 1812 Cherry

4 Aprons 34 8* 1412* Cherry
4 Legs 3 dia. 1578** Cherry
4 Feet 234 dia. 312 Cherry
2 Stretchers 12 414 2214 Cherry
8 Drops 1 dia. 314 Cherry
4 Corner cock beads 332 134 134 Cherry
8 Drop cock beads 332 1 1 Cherry
4 Filler blocks 5 8 5 8 134 Hardwood
2 Attachment strips 1 1 1234 Hardwood
Legs & drops. Although to the naked eye the turnings on this *I cut dovetails proud & plane ush after assembly; add 132" on each
table appear to be nearly identical, actual measurement would end if you follow my approach; **Tenon both ends; Tenon one end.
reveal considerable variation.
1 2"-diameter nished size. Dovetailed Aprons by hand. For this reason (and because
The feet and drops were created in As much as possible, Ive removed Im not smart enough to gure out how
the same way: I established the greatest machine tools from the fussy work of to use a router dovetail jig), I cut the
diameters with my roughing gouge, cutting joints. Ive done this because dovetails on the apron by hand.
then articulated the details with a skew, Ive grown to love those quiet times Because of the fittings hand-cut
gouge and chisel. at the bench when Im cutting joinery dovetails require and the stress those
ttings can impart to the components,
its important to cut the joinery before
153 8"
sawing out the arch shapes at the bot-
23 8" tom of each apron section.
My dovetailing process is simple.
I saw out the tails, which denes the
23 8" sides of each one with a backsaw, re-
move the bulk of the waste with a cop-
ing saw and, nally, clean up the bottom
Half lap joint reinforced on bot- of each pin space with a paring chisel
tom with four 38" x #6 screws
powered by a mallet. I then clamp the
pin stock in my vise, lay the dovetails
on the edge of the pin stock and mark
those pins with a pencil. After squaring
vertical lines on the pin stock, I saw
153 8"
1 2"-dia. mortise
STRETCHER PLAN
(Note: Blow up the above to 400 percent Three edges Dovetails. I mark my baselines 132" deeper
for use as stretcher pattern.) are radiused than the stock thickness (and cut tails-rst).
On the case. Glue is both
cheap and incredibly strong;
apply it to all mating surfaces.
Gently tap the tails to start
them in their positions, then
seat them with slow pressure
from a clamp over cauls.
Arch support. Grain runout in the Gothic arches makes them suscep-
tible to breaking under clamp pressure during glue-up. To reduce the
risk, screw a caul to the inside faces of pin stock as shown here. (The
screw holes wont be visible on the nished table.)
Flushed. Level the surplus length of the pins

(if, like me, you choose that approach), and
clean up the case.
them out just as I did the tails.

After tting the joints, cut the arches
on the aprons, then fair and smooth
the curves.
Glue up the case and check its
CL squareness by measuring diagonals
(adjust as necessary). Position ller
blocks ush with the leg locations (you
can see one in the Clamping cauls
photo on page 35), then set the case
aside to dry overnight.
Serpentine Stretchers
APRON ARCH PATTERN Plane your stretcher material to a thick-
One square = 14" ness of 1 2", then square two lines across

Det er de sm unjagtigheder der
kendetegner det gode hndvrk.
(Its the small inaccuracies that
characterize the good trade.)
Danish saying
that material 11 2" apart. Place your

stretcher pattern so the limits of its
central square align with those squared
lines in a position that allows the entire
stretcher component to be drawn on
that material.
Before you cut out that shape, exca-
vate a dado between the squared lines
that is a depth half the thickness of
your material, in this case 1 4".
Saw out the shape of the first
stretcher component, then use it and
the stretcher pattern to establish in
your mind on which side of the sec-
ond stretcher component youll cut the Stretcher layout. Square two lines 112" apart across your stretcher stock. Place the pattern on the
matching dado for the lap joint. stock in a position that aligns the limits of the lap joint with the two squared lines on the stock,
Remember that the right and left then trace the pattern.
sides of the nished stretcher assembly
must be mirror images the placement
of this second dado determines whether
or not you achieve that bilateral sym-
metry. Cut the dado on the wrong side
and youll end up with a strange-looking
stretcher assembly you know, like I
did my rst time out.
This next step is optional. I applied a
gentle radius to the squared ends of the
stretcher components simply because
I liked the way it looked. If you choose
this option, begin by establishing three Lap joint. I use my radial arm saw to cut the Cut the curves. I use a band saw to cut out
lines on the edges at the end of each waste from the lap joint to a depth of 14" (half the stretchers, then fair and smooth the
stretcher. You could create these lines the thickness of the stretcher stock). curves by hand.
by measuring, but I chose to eyeball
their placement using my nger as a Square or eased? On
fence to locate the pencil point. some 17th-century
pieces, the edges of X
The rst line should be drawn in
stretchers are simply
the middle of the ends thickness, leav- squared. On others,
ing 1 4" of thickness above and below the edges of the entire
the lines. The two remaining lines are lengths of the stretcher
drawn on the top and bottom surfaces components are
radiused. The edges of
of the ends, approximately 1 8" from
my stretchers manifest
the edges. a compromise; only
Using a block plane or rasp, cre- the three sides of the
ate rounded surfaces connecting the square through which
lines on the top and bottom with that the legs pass are radi-
used. I like the look.
line in the middle of the components
thickness.
The final step in preparing the
stretcher components is to bore 1 2"
Radii. I drew lines
freehand to guide my
block plane and rasp as
I shaped the ends of the
stretchers.
Then drill 1 2"-diameter holes for the

leg tenons and 1 4"-diameter holes for
the drop tenons using Forstner bits at
the drill press. While the 1 2" bit is in
your drill press, bore the leg mortises
centered in the feet.
At this point, youre ready to put
things together. I recommend a dry
assembly to ensure that everything is
just the way you want it. When youre
satised with your work, apply glue
to all the mortises and tenons and as-
semble the tables undercarriage.
I g l u e d u p t h e 3 4 "- t h i c k x
1
18 2"-square top from three pieces,
then moulded the edge using a com-
bination of rabbets cut at the table saw
Ready to glue. With the holes bored and the lap t, apply a little glue to the joint and assemble. and handplanes.
Then reinforce the joint from the underside with countersunk 3 8" screws.
The same look can be achieved solely
with handplanes, or with a router or
holes in the squared ends of both it to thickness before cutting the tiles shaper; use the approach that ts your
stretcher components, through which to nal size. tools and skills.
the feet are secured into the legs. The Ease all four edges of each tile to a I screwed 1" x 1" strips of hardwood
placement of these mortises is criti- gentle radius and nish-sand before through clearance holes to the under-
cal, so be sure that each is centered gluing each tile in place. side of the top to position and attach
in the squared end. (The easiest way
to nd those centers is to draw a pair Safe machining. After
of diagonals across the squared ends. youve ripped the cock
bead stock to the n-
The center will be located where these
ished width, attach the
diagonals intersect.) bead stock to thicker
Apply a bit of glue, assemble the lap stock (a sled) with
joint, then reinforce the joint with a double-sided tape,
few countersunk 3 8" wood screws on then run that through
your planer. (Or use a
the underside.
different method for
thicknessing.)
Add Some Cock Beading
There is a 3 32"-thick cock bead tile at
the base of each of the Gothic arches.
Those at the corners are 13 4" square;
the intermediate tiles are 1" square.
Rip your stock to width, then plane

Leave it on the sled. It would be unsafe to use a radial arm saw (or miter Grit work. I used spray adhesive to afx small pieces of sandpaper in
saw) to cut the thin cock bead tiles to length but leave the 3 32" stock grit progression to a piece of scrap, then eased the edges of each tile to
attached to the sacricial planing sled and its OK. a pleasing radius.
Filler block
Caul
Round mortises. Use a 12" Forstner bit to drill

Clamping cauls. Add a drop of glue, then carefully position and clamp each cock bead tile cen- mortises for the tenons atop the legs, and a
14" Forstner bit for the tenons atop the turned
tered on its leg or arch location. Because of the width of the corner tiles, its necessary to apply
pressure indirectly through the use of a caul slightly larger than the tile. drops.
Use the force.

Although it isnt neces-
sary to leave the clamps
on the legs while the
glue dries (in fact,
doing so can result in
deformation of the
tables undercarriage),
its better to pull parts
together with a clamp
than it is to bang it
with a mallet because
the force imparted by
the mallet is explosive
and therefore much
Pierced buns. The tenons on the bottom of more likely to result in
each leg pass through the holes in the stretch- cracked components.
ers, and into 12" mortises in the feet. These
can be drilled while holding the foot in your
hand. A Forstner bit imparts very little torque
to the part being drilled. (I would never do
this with a twist drill.)
Sloped rabbets. My
moulding method is
to cut a rabbet by rst
making four 3 32"-deep
cuts 1" from the edges,
then raise my table saw
blade to 1" and adjust-
ing the angle slightly to
cut sloped rabbets. No-
tice that Im standing
not at the back of the
table as you ordinarily
would, but at the side
of the table opposite
the fence. This position
not only keeps me out
of the zone in which
kicked-back strips can
be rocketed toward the
user, it also gives me
better control of the Fair the edges. After cleaning up the sawn edges with a wide shoulder
panel during its passage plane, I use the same three-line method from the stretcher ends to cut a
along the blade. roundover on the edge of the top.
it to the table base (see the pictures of incredible consistency but that I dont deliberately create these
below), but you could use wooden but- approach to woodworking is the an- inconsistencies; they are simply the
tons or commercial tabletop fasteners tithesis of what takes place in my shop. result of the way I choose to work.
if you prefer. Much of what I do is eyeballed rather When someone looks at a piece of my
Finish as desired. (I used a matte than measured. This means there is furniture, I want them to know that a
polyurethane on the base and a gloss variation in diameters between one leg human hand and a human eye were
polyurethane on the top.) and another, between the placement of deeply involved in the fabrication. PWM
coves and beads along the lengths of
Bedazzling Consistency the leg, between the angles and widths
Kerry has been a furniture maker and teacher for 50
We live in an era of woodworking ma- of my dovetails, and in the widths of years and is the author of many books, most focusing
chinery capable of fabricating parts the two stretcher components. on Shaker furniture and hand-tool use.
ONLINE EXTRAS
PATTERNS: Download full-sized PDF patterns

of the legs, feet, drops and stretchers.
ARTICLE: Read The William & Mary Style, by
Charles Bender.
ARTICLE: Read Kerry Pierces Rethinking
Shaker Design.
ARTICLE: Read about period hardware and
how it was attached to furniture.
IN OUR STORE: Build a Classic Shaker Stool
with Kerry Pierce, on DVD or as download.
IN OUR STORE: With Saw, Plane & Chisel:
Building Historic American Furniture with
Hand Tools, by Zachary Dillinger.
TO BUY: Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture, by
Get attached. I used 112" #8 screws to attach two strips of 1" x 1" hardwood on opposing sides
at the top of the aprons. After centering the tabletop on the base, I screwed the strips to the bot- Kerry Pierce.
tom of the top through clearance holes to secure it in place while allowing for seasonal move- Our products are available online at:
ment. Note that the grain direction of the top is perpendicular to the length of the attachment ShopWoodworking.com
strips.

Make Your Own
PLYWOOD
BY JAMEEL ABRAHAM
Shop-made ply
can achieve shapes and forms
solid wood just cant handle.
Enjoy your
T
he title of this article may sound sandwich. Can
silly, or perhaps us woodwork- you count the
ers have just run out of things layers in the image
to write about? Now that is silly. But above? From top to
bottom: sunburst
why on earth would anyone want to
veneer of maple
make plywood? Its almost as ridiculous and beech, 116"
as saying, Honey, pick up a quart of cherry, quartered
aliphatic resins at the supermarket. I mahogany core,
116" cherry, 18"
ran out of wood glue last night. You
white pine. At left,
dont make plywood, you buy plywood,
see how shop-
right? No one but a caveman would made ply creates
build anything out of BC plywood. Or unique project
would they? possibilities.
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR popularwoodworking.com 37

Stock prep. These quartered boards of mahogany are a perfect material
for your core. If you can get all your boards from one plank of wood, all I want to squeeze. Basic panel glue-up here. No rocket science
the better. involved.
The Why When working with typical plywood, of a panel are always running parallel
Plywood: What do you picture? A 4x8 attaching hardware (especially to the with each other, but perpendicular
piece of laminated who-knows-what edges of the panel) can be problem- with the layer they are glued to. This
filled with tan putty and football- atic. Because in typical plywood you keeps the panel at. It doesnt matter if
shaped dutchmen that you would only have equal thicknesses of plys, youre there are three layers or 301, each layer
use for cheap shop furniture or college presented with narrow bands of long is glued at 90 to the layer beneath it,
bookshelves. grain in between rows of end grain, and opposing layers are always parallel.
First off, forget about the 4x8 thing. making the screw-holding properties You cant screw this up as long as you
Youre not mass producing this stuff of the plywood iffy. With a lumber-core orient each layer at 90 to the previous.
youre making up pieces just slightly panel, you can treat the entire panel To maximize the solid-wood effect
oversized. Say you need a cabinet door, as solid wood, attaching hardware in of lumber core plywood, its impor-
18" x 24". You make a piece of plywood the same manner as you would with tant to make the central core thick. If
thats 19"x 25". Done. Youre basically solid wood. your goal is a 3 4"-thick panel (and that
making what you need, when you need A lumber-core panel, like any ply- number is arbitrary you can make
it. wood, is made from an odd number of whatever thickness you like), then your
And heres why you want to make layers. This serves the purpose of bal- central core should not be less than 716".
your own plywood. Not for a quick set ancing the layers. Balancing means that This leaves you some room for varying
of cabinets, not for edge-banded book- the grain in the two outermost layers thicknesses of the outer layers.
shelves for the guest room. Youre mak-
ing plywood for real, lasting furniture
from wood that you select. That unique
project that demands something spe-
cial and that special something is
called veneer. Yes, you can veneer to
solid wood, but dont expect it to stay
stuck for very long. Wood movement
will wreak havoc with it. The trick,
ironically, is to actually use veneer to
immobilize the wood.
Lumber Core
My favorite type of plywood is called
lumber core. Youre probably pic-
turing plywood as an odd number of
equal-thickness layers of veneer. The
vast majority of plywood falls into Core smoothing. A light pass with a jointer plane makes the core nice and at after coming out of
this category. But heres why its not the clamps. Dont get overeager here. Youre just getting rid of slight misalignments. The nal pass
the greatest for most furniture making: should be a light traversing. This leaves a toothy surface your glue will love.

The core material is important.
Youll want to select the best quality
material you can find. I like to use
mahogany, but any stable wood is ac-
ceptable. Mahogany has a ne texture,
and it is stiff and light. These attributes
make for a wonderfully lightweight but
strong panel. Heres the other important
thing: This central core should be made
from the most quartersawn wood you
can nd. Riftsawn is OK, but try your
best to get those growth rings dead
perpendicular to the faces. I usually
have to select narrower boards to get
the most quarter across the full width
of the board, then glue these up until
Thick & rich. This is 116"-sliced veneer awesome stuff for lumber-core panels. This happens to
I get the width I need. This is typical
be cherry, but any wood will work.
edge-joining work. Easy stuff.
Once the core is glued up, youll
Layered up. Here Ive
need to surface the faces by hand (often joined the edges of
the case due to the width) or run the the 116" veneer with
panel lightly through either a surface perforated veneer tape.
planer or sander. You dont want any Note that the grain
direction in the core is
raised ridges on the joint lines or plane
perpendicular to the
tracks that might telegraph through outer layers.
your veneer.
Remember, youre building this
panel oversize, so dont get too nicky
on dimensions just yet. Just make sure
its bigger than it needs to be.
Once the core is ready, you can
begin preparing your next two outer
layers. Orient the grain perpendicular 116" veneer
to the grain in the core. I like to use
Core
thick-sliced commercial veneer, and
1 16" veneer is readily available in many
species (I tend to buy from Certainly

Wood). The thicker dimension makes painters tape, pulling the tape tight a little scraping action. Blue tape is a
it a bit easier to work with. Jointing across the joint (the tape will stretch real bear to remove after coming out
veneer might seem like a tricky propo- slightly before breaking) every 3" or so. of the press.
sition, but its actually quite easy. My Now ip the veneers over and repeat Once the veneer tape is on, ip the
favorite way is to use a couple offcuts of the process with water-activated veneer piece over and remove the blue tape.
hardwood, about 3 4" thick, then place tape, adding a single strip of tape down Make two pieces like this, one for each
the veneer in between these boards, the joint. side of the core. These pieces should
making sure the veneer is right at the The water-activated veneer tape is be just about the same size as the core,
edge of the board, then pass the whole important. It shrinks as it dries, draw- but never bigger. You dont want thin,
sandwich over a jointer, or clamp the ing the joint tightly together. It also overhanging edges to get damaged in
whole works in a face vise and have removes easily after coming out of the the press.
at it with a jointer plane. Because the press with the wipe of a damp rag and The outer layers can now be glued to
thin veneer is held tightly between the the core using your preferred method. I
sacricial boards, it planes exactly like use a vacuum-bag system, but you can
Reality is plywood and plastic,
a thick piece of solid wood. You can get done up in mud brown and olive
get excellent results with dirt-simple
perfect edge joints in veneer with this drab.
curved cauls and clamps. If you dont
method, and its quick and easy. mind tying up your bench for a few
George R.R. Martin (1948-),
To join the veneer, rst tape the piec- American author hours, you could use several go-bars
es together on the backside with blue and a big caul (3 4" MDF is great) to
Apply the glue. I like
to spread the Unibond
with a disposable roller.
Make sure its a nice,
wet coat with no dry
areas.
Make the sandwich.

With the core ingredi-
ents prepared and the
dressing applied, you
can set the outer layers Joining thick veneers. Here Im using ye olde
in place. technique of candling to check my joint.
Glues
This subject is open to some debate.
The traditional choice is hide glue,
and if youre experienced with using
hot hide in veneering applications, I
Press it real good.
Into the bag the panel dont see a reason you cant use it to
goes, along with two make your own plywood. You dont
MDF cauls to even need any fancy tools, and we all know
the pressure. I let it sit the holding capability of hot hide glue.
overnight. If you use
My favorite, however, is Unibond 800.
Unibond, smear some
inside a Ziploc bag, It cures hard and is very much like hot
seal it up and use that hide in its cured state. It is, however,
to determine when its chemical-based, and you may not feel
cured. It should crack comfortable using it. To each his own.
like burnt cheese on the
Epoxy is also an option, but it is quite
edge of pizza when its
cured. Mmm, pizza. messy and will likely ruin your bag
or press if youre not careful about
squeeze-out. The Unibond stays put
and doesnt squeeze out like epoxy.
Yellow glue can also be used. I dont
exert enormous pressure on the panel. a xed amount of force (unless you go recommend contact cement. Its good
But back to the vacuum-bag system. to the top of a mountain where the air for Formica, but not so useful for ne
You dont need a high-dollar electric is thin). That plastic sack is pushing furniture.
pump system to get the benefits of on your veneer the same whether you
squishing wood under atmospheric suck out the air with a fancy electric After the Press
pressure. Do an internet search for pump or an inexpensive plastic pump When your panel is cured and out of
skateboard veneer press and youll that you operate by hand. Your bike tire the press, you can treat it just like solid
nd a company called Roarockit that doesnt know if its holding 50 pounds wood, except for planing the surface
makes manual veneer presses. Heres of air from the gas-station compressor (more on that in a bit). If you wish to
the thing with using a vacuum to make or from the foot pump youve had in the add more layers of veneer, it will add to
plywood: Atmospheric pressure exerts garage since 1986. the rigidity and stability of the panel. To

Nail clamps of yore.
Another olde way of
doing things. (Read the
text for details you
Batten up. A 12"-thick batten raises up didnt think Id reveal
the pieces just enough to exert the perfect all in the captions now,
amount of pressure at the joint of these thin did you?)
boards.
keep things manageable, I dont usually

glue more than two layers on at a time. Sit on it. A weight
If I want my outer veneers to be made keeps it all from misbe-
having while the glue
of thicker material, to allow some extra
cures.
meat for dressing the stock after glue
up, heres what I do. On the chest lid
shown on the rst page, I wanted the they are presented to the blade of my plywood panel is really only one more
show side to be made from the same jointer plane, which I run on its side step beyond a panel of edge-glued
material as the rest of the chest: white on the benchtop as I plane the edges boards. And the result is a dead- at
pine. This allowed me to treat the of the veneers. To check the quality and stable board that you can work
show surface just like the rest of the of the joint, I hold both pieces up to a just like solid wood. Once you add
chest, meaning I could handplane the strong light to check for leaks. This is this technique to your woodworking
surface more aggressively, even to the called candling. arsenal, youll realize you can make
point of inducing plane tracks if I so To clamp these thin veneers, I slip a shapes and forms that solid wood just
desired. This would be risky in thinner 1 2"-thick batten under the joint, then cant handle. PWM
veneer and wouldnt allow for much er- drive small nails right into my work-
ror or prevent tear-out. By using a full bench (or a scrap of MDF if youre sensi- Jameel is a toolmaker, artist and woodworker, and
1 8"-thick veneer layer, I can handplane tive about your benchtop) at the edges co-owner of Benchcrafted (benchcrafted.com).
the surface without worry and reap the of the veneers. Apply glue to the joint,
benets of the cross-grain construction remove the batten, then press the joint ONLINE EXTRAS
of lumber-core plywood. The thicker at to the benchtop. A piece of wax pa- For links to all online extras, go to:
stuff also nishes like solid wood. See, per under the joint keeps the assembly popularwoodworking.com/apr17
I told you this stuff was great! from getting glued to the bench. Press WEBSITE: Visit the authors site and click
With the thicker veneers, I dont use the joint at and feel that the glue line through to his blog.
veneer tape to join the edges. Because is ush. Now place a heavy weight on ARTICLE: A Must-have Woodworking Glue,
the wood is thicker, the edges them- the panel and let it cure. Thats it. The by Laurie McKichan.
selves also need to be glued. I use an old nails keep enough pressure on the joint IN OUR STORE: The Advanced Art of Veneer-
luthiers technique to do this: I joint the while the glue cures, and the heavy ing with Jonathan Benson.
edges on a shooting board, because the weight keeps it from popping up under Our products are available online at:
wood is so thin. I simply block up the the tension of the nails. ShopWoodworking.com
veneers off my workbench surface so When you think about it, making a
Faux W
ithin the ongoing renais-
sance of fine furniture
making, I find myself an
enthusiastic evangelist and ardent
agitator for the full appreciation of
Urushi
decorative surfaces in most itera-
tions, especially nishing. To many
skilled furniture makers, Im that weird
woodworker who sees nishing not as
something to be endured or avoided,
but rather to be anticipated and savored
BY DONALD C. WILLIAMS as a delightful opportunity for express-
ing skilled craftsmanship and artistry.
Poison sumac for a perfect nish? Yup, Im the guy who thinks making
things is mostly the necessary preamble
A quick epoxy fake-out spares the itch. to the more desirable task of making
the surfaces sing in four-part harmony
at the nishing bench.
For most artisans aware of the rich
history of traditional nishing, that
sublime space of the perfect nish
is occupied by the exquisite hand-
rubbed or pad-polished transparent
spirit varnish known commonly as
French polish.
In that assertion they would be one-
third correct, as a padded spirit varnish
is but one of the trinity in the pantheon
of sublime historic decorative nishes.
And as it happens, the remaining
two nishes are interconnected in that
the penultimate decorative surface, ja-
panning, is in fact a Western derivative
of the ultimate high-performance deco-
rative nish representing the highest
expression of the art namely oriental
lacquerwork or urushi (ur-OO-she).
The Perfect Finish

The ancient art of urushi is perhaps the
highest-performing coating known to
man, and technical literature from the
modern coatings industry is sprinkled
with articles discussing the quest to
synthesize a replicate of the natural
materials remarkable characteristics.
Once again, nature holds the ace
card with a coating material result-
ing from purifying and re ning sap
from the urushi tree, Toxicodendron
verniciuum (formerly Rhus verniciua),
a cultivar of the poison sumac tree. The
resin in true lacquer, urushiol, is the
same toxic chemical that makes poison
ivy and poison oak, well, poison, and
which also occupies the underside of a
42 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR

mangos skin. Who knew? (As one of my
daughters learned recently, it is really
important to peel a mango before eat-
ing; otherwise the unfortunate result
is something probably akin to getting
your lips sandblasted.)
But what a spectacular surface
urushi is, with unparalleled beauty and
a durability quite literally unknown in
most modern artistic coatings. Short
of degradation resulting from truly
extreme exposure to ultraviolet light
(sunlight), the only way I know to dam- Simple & elegant. As with many art forms,
age a healthy lacquered surface is to for urushi there is great elegance in simplicity.
pour boiling nitric acid on it. Now that Even a simple box made on the table saw or a
is what I call high performance. small box from a craft supplier make excellent
substrates. Cover the surface. With slightly thinned
Like many furniture coatings in epoxy, saturate the surface to get complete
general use, urushi lacquer is used as penetration of the seal coat. Come back in a
both a transparent varnish and, with identied the perfect substitute and half-hour or so to brush out any runs.
the addition of pigments, as a paint. will continue my explorations, I am
However, unlike many of the coatings at a point where I can move forward,
we use, urushi has a syrupy consistency rening my skills and aesthetic sense by
and is applied with brushes designed creating beautiful objects in the milieu
and fabricated to work more like trow- of oriental lacquerwork with what I call
els than the artists brushes we typi- faux urushi. Epoxy may not be the
cally employ for much thinner spirit or perfect analog to urushi, but it was close
oleoresinous materials such as shellac enough for me to test my hypothesis
and oil varnish. about making faux urushi objects.
Urushi is a reactive coating, under- There are notable examples of uru-
going an enzymatic polymerization shi lacquerwork being employed as a
under the very specic conditions of transparent nish, but the predominant
a warm and moist environment. Most use for it is as an opaque pigmented
lacquer shops have specially con- coating, sometimes applied in layers
structed curing chambers in which with different colorations for further Sealed & ready. The box has been sealed and
sanded, and is ready for me to begin laying
the temperature and humidity can be artistic expression. This is my primary
the foundation.
modied, and where the varnished or focus here, where I demonstrate a clas-
painted objects are placed to harden. sic rubbed through lacquer surface.
The full urushi cure takes a few days, As I continue to explore new artistic any other generally even-grained wood,
during which time the pieces must be expressions along this line, I will blog cutting the pieces on the table saw and
ipped or rotated occasionally to pre- about them in detail on my website, gluing them together with hide glue or
vent sags and drips in the thick coat- donsbarn.com. PVA. As in many historical lacquered
ing. A completed urushi surface takes pieces, the joinery is perfunctory at
many applications, sometimes dozens The Substrate best, relying on the encasing lacquer to
or even hundreds of layers, each pains- While most genuine urushi lacquer- serve as an exoskeleton to hold every-
takingly applied and polished by hand. work has a wood base, that need not thing together. After the glue sets and a
It requires months or years to complete be the exclusive case. Multitudes of quick sand with #80-grit sandpaper to
the entire process. remarkable lacquered objects feature remove any bumps, the surface is ready
If this doesnt sound like the perfect fabric, paper or woven vegetable ber for a seal coat of basic epoxy, thinned
nish, I wont quarrel with you. Yet the as a base. Art Deco artists such as Jean about 10 percent with acetone for deep
beauty, craftsmanship and durability Dunand and Eileen Grey have even penetration, using a disposable brush.
of the surface inherent in lacquerwork applied polychrome urushi lacquer to Throughout this exercise, for all but the
has been a siren song for me going back metal creations. nal clear coats, I used West System Ep-
many decades. For this project I used a simple hex- oxy, Resin 105 with 206 Slow Hardener
Several years ago I embarked on agonal wooden box of balsa wood. (its what I had on the shelf). After the
a quest to nd a suitable alternative You can make your own simple box- seal coat hardened, I gave it another
to this art form. While I have not yet es from pine, tulip poplar, paulownia or brisk sanding to remove any pebbles.
Building the Foundation enous base rendering the woods grain
The system for constructing a uru- direction irrelevant. In keeping with
shi lacquerwork coating is a complex the traditions as I understand them, I
one, generally beginning with adher- cut the cloth on the bias (at 45 to the
ing fabric over the entire surface of warp and weft of the fabric) so that it
the substrate. The initial base layer would lay better to the surface, espe-
for urushi lacquer, and hence my faux cially as it encounters curved surfaces
urushi, is an extremely ne fabric. For or corners.
my early trial runs, I selected a light- Once the fabric was cut to rough
weight portrait linen from the ne art size, I applied epoxy resin on the sur-
painters suppliers, but I found that to face with a disposable brush or spatula,
be too heavy for the scale of my work. set the fabric in place and burnished
I then tried handkerchief linen and it down with a spatula (not unlike the
eventually ultra-ne hemp linen. These motions of hammer veneering), then
both worked exceedingly well and are applied another light application of
what I use now. the epoxy.
Cut the bias. The rst step is to cut the bias
(the hypotenuse of the triangle). All further The fabric serves as a robust inter- The application of the fabric un-
measurements and cuts are either parallel or face between the wood and the layers derlayment often takes several steps,
perpendicular to that bias line. built up later, and provides a homog- and that was the case here; normally
Be generous. A generous ap-

plication of the epoxy makes
Box template. Using the box itself as the certain there will be thorough Press in place. Place the slightly oversized piece of linen in
measuring tool, I cut a slightly oversized piece saturation and laying-down of the correct location, pressing it down just enough to keep it
of linen from the bias-cut fabric. the fabric. there.
Yet more epoxy. Once the fabric is at and rm on the

Now burnish. Starting in the center of the section, gently use the spatula as a surface, apply a light coating of epoxy over the entire surface
squeegee to remove excess epoxy and burnish the fabric at. and set it aside.

I apply fabric rst to the inside bot-
tom, then immediately to the outside
bottom, then set the piece aside. The
next day, after two sections cured, I
trimmed them and proceeded to apply Knead until stiff.
the fabric to the hexagonal insides. I let Sprinkle the ller on a
the fabric sit until hard, then trimmed fresh batch of epoxy
and knead it with
it and applied the same layer on the
a spatula. Continue
outside surfaces. adding ller and mixing
Once this fabric ground was fin- with the spatula gradu-
ished, I sanded the surface lightly with ally until it stiffens.
#120-grit sandpaper to remove any
large bumps. This sanding need not
be fussy all you want to do is knock
down any obvious boulders.
Next comes the primer/ller coat,
prepared by mixing another epoxy
batch and bulking it up with diato- Get it covered. The
initial application of
maceous earth. I use disposable paper the ller can almost be
plates for nearly all of my epoxy mix- applied with a spatula
ing. Using a spatula to mix the ground and squeegeed off. The
lacquer substitute, I add diatomaceous important thing is to
earth until the material is essentially cover the entire surface
evenly.
too stiff to ow, similar to mayonnaise
or frosting. Then comes the opportu-
nity to test your cake-decorating skills Once this heavily bulked primer as possible so that when it is sanded it
when you slather the thickened mate- has hardened and been sanded with is an excellent and at surface for ap-
rial on the whole surface smoothly. #80-grit paper (again removing only plying the pigmented epoxy layers for
Any lack of smoothness will need to the worst unevenness), mix a second the nish coats. Once hardened, this
be removed later, so its better to work epoxy/diatomaceous earth batch that layer should be sanded with #120-grit
quickly and just get it smooth from is less stiff and can ow out a little. sandpaper and a rm block (sometimes
the start. You want to get this layer as smooth I even scrape it with a Sloyd knife), mak-
THE LACQUERING SPATULA
M uch of lacquer prime-coat

application is closer to
spreading cake frosting than nish-
ing, requiring a spatula rather than
a brush. I make my own spatulas
from at-sawn lumber, usually
white pine or bald cypress (primar-
ily tangential grain orientation)
because I have found that radial or In the bend. A well-made lacquering Ready & waiting. This batch of spatulas is
quartersawn wood is more prone spatula will be exible enough to conform shaped and sealed with molten wax, ensur-
to the surface perfectly, yet robust enough ing the epoxy/lacquer can be wiped off
to splitting in use. I start with some
to not snap off when used with pressure. once you are done with the process.
at-sawn lumber approximately
18" thick and cut to the size and
shape desired. Then, with a well-sharpened block plane placing some #400- or #600-grit sandpaper face-up on
and a Japanese knife, I create a gentle taper to a near a at board and gently passing the spatula along it. Then
knife-edge prole for the working end. You want the tip it goes into a bowl of molten wax to seal it completely
of the spatula to be very exible to conform perfectly to from any epoxy penetration. When done properly, the
the substrate on which you are applying the lacquer. My spatulas tip is actually translucent when you hold it up to
nal step is to very gently smooth the tip on both sides by the light. DW
Art completes what nature cannot
bring to a nish.
Aristotle (384-322 BC),
Greek philosopher
closely resemble a block of wood with

about 1 4" worth of bristles protrud-
ing from the end. While I have made
some of my own traditional brushes,
the simplest entre for a newcomer is to
Syrupy. The second batch of
primer/ller is less stiff than the rst modify a hake or hak-ie (pronounced
one, more like syrup than frosting. ha-KAY) brush available from art
supply stores.
Take the new brush and dip it into a
pot of hot hide glue until the bers are
Coat your box. At this step you learn saturated, then shape the tip with your
whether or not you have good cake- ngers and set it aside until the glue
decorating skills. Dont worry; you will is completely hard. Using a Japanese
get better at this.
knife or similar tool, trim the bristles
to about 1 2" in length and taper them
ing sure not to cut through to the fabric of choice for generations. But lacquer- to a knife-edge tip.
layer. (If you do cut through, another work requires a substantial paradigm Once the shape of the tip is to your
coating of primer is required.) shift because the nish being applied liking, soak the brush in hot water to
When this layer is sanded smooth is not water-thin, such as spirit var- remove all the glue; when it has fully
to the point where the surface is uni- nishes, or even the heavier viscosity dried, it is ready to use. For these brush-
form, you are ready to begin applying of thinned honey, as in oil varnishes. es it is critical to clean them thoroughly
the pigmented paint layers by brush. Urushi lacquerwork requires applying after every use my solvent of choice
something more akin to refrigerated is acetone. I put a little bit in a glass jar
The Lacquering Brush pancake syrup, and the brushes needed and massage the bristles gently in the
For most traditional nishing practices, must be appropriately robust. True lac- solvent, replacing the old solvent with
a ne, soft-ish brush with elegantly quering brushes do not actually look new several times just to make sure the
long agged bristles has been the tool much like brushes at all they more brush is cleaned.
Get your goat. Heres Start Building

one of my homemade To build the faux urushi, prepare an-
lacquering brushes in
other batch of epoxy and mix in col-
the traditional form.
Goat hair bristles are ored pigments with no other additive
embedded into and run to render it into paint. My preference
the whole length of the
brush handle.
Glue stiffened. The

bristles of this hake
brush were impreg-
nated with hide glue,
then trimmed to 12"
length.
Cut like a knife. The tip is sculpted to a knife

edge, extending the prole up to the handle.
This can only be accomplished easily if the
bristles are fully saturated with hard glue.

Red epoxy. This epoxy batch is mixed with red pigment powder and Freshly done. Heres the nal pigmented faux urushi all freshly done. It
will be applied over the black base and the rst red coating. will ow out a little in a half-hour or so.
is to use artists ne dry pigments Once the surface of each layer has SUPPLIES
using a restricted palette of red, black fully hardened, I gently wash it with dis- Jamestown Distributors
and dark blue for the most part and posable cotton pads moistened with a jamestowndistributors.com
making sure the pigment is well mixed mild detergent, followed by wiping with or 800-497-0010
into the epoxy. clean pads moistened with distilled 1 West System 105 epoxy resin
Using your lacquering brush, a water, followed by clean, dry pads. This #WSY-105A, $34.09/quart
modied hake brush or even a short- removes any waxy compounds known 1 West System 206 Slow Hardener
bristle oil-painting artists brush, apply as stearates that might form during the #WSY-206B, $39.23/0.86 quart
a thin but complete layer of the pig- hardening reaction and cause beading 1 West System 207 Clear Hardener
mented epoxy on the entire surface of or cissing down the line. I found that #WSY-207A, $38.99/0.66 pint
the piece. If this is not possible to do all taking these precautions and switching Fabrics-Store.com
at once, select the portion of the sur- to Wests Special Clear Hardener 207 fabrics-store.com or 866-620-2008
face to be coated (top, bottom, inside, for the nal clear coats did the trick. 1 Bleached handkerchief linen
outside etc.), then return to complete Following each application of the #IL020 - Handkerchief, $9.75/yard
the task once the initial application epoxy faux urushi, the cured surface Hemp Traders
has hardened. needs to be smoothed perfectly, scrap- hemptraders.com or 562-630-3334
As a practical matter, given the ing it with disposable razor blades and 1 Hemp linen
hardening time for the faux urushi, using progressively finer-grit sand- #CT-L4, $13.13/yard
you might need a dust-free chamber paper as you build the coats. When Blick Art Materials
to place the object inside while it is sanding the cured surface, make sure dickblick.com or 800-828-4548
curing. This could be as simple as an to be careful at the corners. For objects 1 Sennelier dry pigments
overturned clean cardboard box. with at surfaces like those illustrated #02993-(various), prices vary by color
1 Gamblin whiting dry pigment
Fixing the cissing. #02959-1014, $9.55/4 oz.
Cissing is the beading Lee Valley
up of a coating when leevalley.com or 1-800-871-8158
applied over a contami-
nated surface (in this 1 Behlen 4F pumice stone
case waxy contami- #80K04.02, $8.90
nates formed during 1 Behlen rottenstone/tripoli
the previous coats #80K04.05, $8.90
hardening). It is a head-
Japan Woodworker
scratching thing, and I
japanwoodworker.com or 800-537-7820
solved it by changing
my working process. Japanese knives, various
Drug or Department Store
1 Hypo-allergenic cosmetics pads
Farm or Garden Store
1 Diatomaceous earth
Prices correct at time of publication.
Razor smooth. Disposable razor
blades are the secret weapon for ultra-
smooth nishing on at surfaces.
Small
sanding
block
Go-to polishers. Triangular blocks of hard felt

cut from a polishing wheel are my go-to tools
for polishing nishes and almost everything
else in the studio.
Once I had my two sets of pigmented

epoxy nished red over black I stra-
tegically abraded the surface to bring
out the visual texture I wanted, with
the black showing at the corners and in-
Rubbed through. Here, the rubbed through effect is completed on the smoothed surface, mak-
termittently on the at surfaces. Then I
ing it ready for the nal layers of transparent faux urushi.
applied two coats of transparent epoxy.
With that perfectly applied and
in this article, I nd it useful to employ the sandpaper grits for each successive cured surface, it is time to polish it out.
small sanding blocks. When the sand- layer of cured epoxy until I achieved This is the process that separates urushi
ing has resulted in a uniform surface, that perfect surface after using #1,500- work from almost every other type of
you can apply the next coat of epoxy grit wet/dry sandpaper. wood nishing its importance cannot
faux urushi. It usually takes several layers to be overstated. For the nal faux urushi
I repeated this process until I built arrive at this point, each taking only polishing, I generally use a cut-up semi-
enough coating so that the surface was a few minutes to apply, but a day (at hard felt bufng wheel as my rubbing
perfect. I worked my way up through least) to cure. blocks, which I charge with abrasive
An easy effect. The tools and

materials for the ultimate surface
polish could not be easier Reach the tricky bits. A 14" dowel with felt
pulverized limestone (whiting), afxed to an angled end polishes hard-to-
ngers and water. reach areas.

Scrape & sand. Heres how it looks scraped with a razor blade and
Prepped for polishing. This surface is ready for nal polishing. sanded with #1,500-grit wet/dry paper and a sanding block.
And nal polish. Finally, I polished with multiple grades of agglomer-

Finely polished. Next I polished with 4F pumice, then rottenstone ated microalumina and a felt block, then applied whiting with my
(tripoli) and a felt block with water. ngertips.
polish. Sometimes my ngertips work keep them straight. I use water or naph- residue, you are left with an epoxy faux
just ne for the nest polishing. tha for the polishing slurry medium. urushi surface that is breathtakingly
As for the abrasive powders, I use For any intricate surfaces or inside magnicent. PWM
those from the province of metallog- corners, I take a 1 4" dowel and cut the
raphy or petrography, or for scanning end at a shallow angle, then epoxy a Don retired as senior furniture conservator after al-
electron microscopy: 1.0-micron, small chunk of felt to the end to use most three decades with the Smithsonian Institution.
Follow his work at donsbarn.com.
0.3-micron and 0.05-micron micro- as my polishing surface so I can reach
alumina. These high-performing abra- these difcult or recessed locations.
sive polishes are unfortunately quite Much like the sandpaper grits, I ONLINE EXTRAS
expensive, but a little goes a long way. steadily work my way up to the ner For links to all online extras, go to:
Im still working my way through the and ner abrasive powders, making
4-ounce units I bought three decades sure that the surface is uniform before WEBSITE: Read artist Wiebke Pandikows
ago, though I have had recent trouble moving on to the next one, and I always thesis on the history of lacquerwork technol-
ogy.
nding suppliers for small quantities. clean the surface completely before
VIDEO: Watch lacquer master Maki Fushimi
A less efcient, but more available starting with the next, ner polish.
work silently in the studio its hypnotic.
and affordable approach would be to I use litho pads or hypo-allergenic
BOOK: Check out The National Museum of
work with 4F pumice, followed by rot- cosmetics pads to clean the abrasive
Modern Art Tokyos Japanese Lacquer Art:
tenstone/Tripoli and, nally, whiting powder slurry. I use them only once Modern Masterpieces for creative inspira-
(I prefer Gamblin brand). and toss them in the trash. tion.
Either approach, however, will re- For the nal polish, I use whiting TO BUY: Traditional Techniques with Don
sult in a awless, mirror-like surface. with a small piece of chamois lubricated Williams collection of videos and articles.
I make a point of reserving a felt with naphtha, or just plain whiting on Our products are available online at:
polishing block for each grit, and I mark clean, dry ngertips. When you n- ShopWoodworking.com
them with permanent marker to help ish with this process and clean off any
Breadboard End
Cutting Board B Y DAV I D P I C C I U T O
Practice a centuries-old technique on this small contemporary piece.

F
ou n d on e ve r y t h i n g f r om 2" 178"
rened 18th-century highboys 34"
12"
to muscled Arts & Crafts tables, 1"
breadboard ends are a handsome and
time-tested way to prevent wooden 114"
panels from warping over time. Cor-
rectly made, breadboard ends not only Rubber foot 34"
keep panels at, but also allow them to PROFILE

expand and contract with seasonal (or
other) changes in humidity.
Key to successful breadboard ends 2"
are the pins that join the tongue of the
panel to the groove on the end piece.
For this application, the center pin is 1 4" dia.
xed in both the panel and end, but 4"
the outer pins are installed in elon-
gated holes that allow the panel to
12"
move freely with shifts in humidity.
But other breadboard ends, such as
those found on a drop-front desk, for 4"
example, feature xed pins on one end
to force expansion and contraction to
happen on the unhinged edge.
This small cutting board is a great 2"
project on which to get started with
breadboard ends, and it features a mod-
2"
ern look with its use of contrasting
woods. PWM 18"
David is the host of makesomething.tv and the author PLAN

of Make Your Own Cutting Boards: Smart Projects
and Stylish Designs for a Hands-On Kitchen (Spring
House Press).
Cutting Board with Breadboard Ends
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL
T W L
1 Center panel 2 12 16 Hickory

2 Breadboard ends 2 2 12 Walnut
6 Pins 14 dia. 114 Hardwood dowel
2 Glue up the panel.

Spread a thin layer
of glue (Titebond III
or another waterproof
glue is best) onto all
mating edges and
clamp them together to
create a single panel at
full width. Try to get at
least one side ush to
create a at surface.
1 Rough cut the stock. Begin by cutting

lengths of 8/4 (2" thick) hickory stock to a
length of 18". Cut enough pieces to create a
cutting board 12" wide when glued up edge
to edge.
LEAD PHOTO BY DANIELLE ATKINS; STEP PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR & ERIC OBLANDER popularwoodworking.com 51
3 Thickness the stock. Run the panel through your thickness planer,
attest side down, until the top is at. Then ip the board over and
atten the other side as well. The exact overall thickness is less impor-
tant than making sure the entire panel is of uniform thickness. 4 Prepare the breadboard ends. Plane the stock you plan to use for
breadboard ends down to the same thickness as the center panel.
6 Cut the tongue. Position the fence 1" from the blade (including the blade width)
and raise the blade to 3 8". Take multiple passes with a single blade to hog away the
waste on the ends of the stock, with your last pass guided by the miter gauge but ush
5 Square it up. At the table saw, use a miter gauge to

square up the two ends of the center panel.
against the fence. Because youre removing the same amount from each face of the
panel, the tongue is perfectly centered.
7 Raise the blade. With the saw switched off, raise

the blade until its height matches the length of the
8 Cut the groove. On the stock youre using for breadboard ends, take multiple
passes to hog out the waste to accommodate the tongue. Be sure to ip the stock
and take passes with each face against the fence so that the tongue will be centered.
tongue. Aim for a t that is snug but goes together with only hand pressure.

9 Crosscut the breadboard ends. Mark the width of the center panel directly onto
the stock youre using for the breadboard ends. Use your table saw and miter
gauge to crosscut it to length.
10 Rip it to width. Now that all of the joinery has
been cut, remove any excess width on the bread-
board ends by ripping them at the table saw.
11 Prepare for pegs. Set the breadboard ends into position on the
panel and drill three 14" holes on each end. The holes should go
12 Allow wood to move. The center holes on each tongue should
be drilled straight and true. But use a hand drill to ream out (left
to right) the four outer holes. These slightly wider holes will allow the
through both sides of the breadboard end as well as the tongue on the pegs to stay in the same spot on the breadboard ends as the main panel
panel. expands and contracts.
13 Glue it up. To allow for inevitable wood movement, glue only

the center 3" of the panel to the breadboard ends. The outer
14 Install the pegs. Clamp the breadboard ends to the panel tightly
in place. Use a mallet or hammer to drive short lengths of 14"
dowel through the breadboard ends and tongue. Round over the lead-
pegs will keep the ends ush against the shoulder on the panel even as ing edge of the pegs so they are easier to tap into place. On the center
the panel changes with humidity. dowels only, add a drop of glue before you sink the pegs.
Its not just about making beautiful furni-
ture. But how do you get rid of it?
Tage Frid (1915-2004),
Woodworker, teacher & author
15 Clean it up. Use a ush-cut saw to trim away the ends of the pegs. If theyre not
quite ush with the breadboard ends, use a sharp chisel to clean up the cuts.
16 Cut the bevel. Angle the blade on your table saw
to about 45. Then bevel the lower edges of the
breadboard ends using a miter gauge to guide your cut.
17 Seal any imperfections. Use a pencil dipped in epoxy to drip

epoxy into any knots so bacteria doesnt gather in the crevices. 18 Make it shine. Use a lint-free cotton rag to wipe on your nish of
choice. This board was nished with mineral oil and wax.
19 Give it a lift.
Screwing rubber
feet onto the bottom of
ONLINE EXTRAS
the cutting board at all popularwoodworking.com/apr17
four corners not only PODCAST: Listen to the Making It podcast
raises the cutting board with David Picciuto, Jimmy DiResta and
up off your counter, it Bob Clagett.
also lends a little grip so
BLOG: Read Breadboard Ends: Why &
it is less likely to move
when in use. How on our website.
VIDEO: Learn how to make breadboard ends
using a router, free on our website.
IN OUR STORE: Make Your Own Cutting
Boards: Smart Projects and Stylish Designs
for a Hands-On Kitchen, by David Pic-
ciuto.
IN OUR STORE: The Woodworkers Kitchen,
by A.J. Hamler.
Our products are available online at:
ShopWoodworking.com

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Bandsaw Blade Lignomat USA 15 124 lignomat.com

Warehouse 7 125 bandsawbladewarehouse.com
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of Woodworking 56 64 schoolofwoodworking.com
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Cook Woods 56 111 cookwoods.com
Shellac.net 57 shellac.net
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Custom Branding Irons 17 93 branding-irons.biz
Tools for
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Varathane 3 varathane.com
Forrest Mfg. 5 13 forrestblades.com
Wagner Meters 17 123 wagnermeters.com
Freud America Cvr 4 67 freudtools.com
Wall Lumber 15 47 walllumber.com
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Whitechapel Ltd. 56 48 whitechapel-ltd.com
Harbor Freight 59 76 harborfreight.com
Woodcraft 9 49 woodcraft.com
Highland
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I Can Do That 56 popularwoodworking.com Woodline 13 50 woodline.com
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ARTS & MYSTERIES BY PETER FOLLANSBEE
Wallington: The Unhappy Turner

Trade dangers revealed in 17th-century journals.
I
thought of Nehemiah Wallington
(1598-1658) when I set up my lathe
in my nearly nished workshop.
A few times a year he pops up in my
mind. He was a turner in Puritan-era
London, and as unhappy a soul as you
might meet.
I know of him through Paul S. Seav-
ers book Wallingtons World: A Pu-
ritan Artisan in Seventeenth-Century
London (Stanford UP). Wallington
kept journals and notebooks, more
than 2,600 pages of which survive, that
are the material upon which Seaver
wrote his book. While Wallington (and
Seaver) concentrated on larger issues of
the day religion and politics among
them I scoured the book for references
to Wallingtons trade.
Look Out!
Most of what we nd in Seavers book
mentioning the turners trade is about
Unlike Wallington. I enjoy time spent at my craft but turning is just part of my livelihood.
the workshop as a perilous place. Wal- Gods great mercy that it hit none of us,
lington recorded several brushes with for if it had, it would have maimed us,
near fatalities, and praised God after if not killed us.
each close call. Much of this quote is Seaver, not
One incident involved an apprentice, Wallington, so the chairs might not
Theophilus Ward, who, while showing actually have been in a stack. Regard-
chairs in the back room, dislodged a less, turned chairs of the period can
heavy one with his bustling about, ap- be quite heavy, and I wouldnt want
parently one at the top of a stack, which one to fall on me from a stack or not.
crashed down into the shop through the In another incident Wallington
doorway and demolished a powdering mentioned, My sweet child Sarah was
Ware falling chairs. A turned chair to the tub that Wallington was in the process playing in the shop, and as I was shew-
head would be painful. of selling to another customer. It was ing of bed staves to a customer, a huge

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ARTS & MYSTERIES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58
ash log, propped against the wall, was route to New England. His goods were
dislodged and fell towards Sarah and inventoried in Boston, and among his
had I not by Gods providence caught tools were one skrew & a pin to turne.
hold of it it would have knocked her This refers to the points of a pole
down and killed her. lathe, as described by Joseph Moxon
Furniture historians have often some years later in his book Me-
pondered what bed staves are, never chanick Exercises. A treadle or great
having seen any surviving examples, wheel lathe needs a drive center at
but we all know what a huge ash log one end to transfer the action to the
is, and that it would hurt if it fell on you. workpiece.
One more. I include this so we dont Baynley also had two gouges & two
feel so alone in our haste making tool hooke tooles and 3 turning chesils.
handles. Nehemiah Wallingtons More typically, period inventories
brother-in-law was chopping wood are less specic, like the dishturners
in the garret and the hatchet head had tooles owned by John Frizby of New
come off and fallen three stories down Haven in 1694.
the stairwell to the shop, again miss- I mostly use my lathe for joined fur-
ing everyone. So tool handles shrunk niture parts: legs (or stiles) of joined
back then, too; its not just a modern stools and chairs, applied turnings
problem. Maybe they never did make for casework and other small bits. I
them like they used to, after all. do make turned chairs on it, but not Applied work. Not all turnings stay in the
enough to be efcient at it. The same round. Heres a pair of split turnings glued
and nailed to a joined chest.
Know Your Tools holds true for woodenware.
My lathe is a simple machine, framed in For me, the most compelling quote
oak and fastened with wooden wedges in Seavers book is in Wallingtons own is a poor, unhappy craftsman with no
and iron nuts and bolts. Ive had it since words: At night after examination how real interest in his work. The second
1994 and am quite accustomed to its I have spent the day, after a chapter read is how lucky I am today to be able to
idiosyncratic traits. Its a pole lathe, I went to prayer with my family; then I spend my time making things in wood
with one upright extended above the went into my shop to my employment with simple tools, and both provide
bed to form one poppet and the other more out of conscience to Gods com- for my family and enjoy it at the same
moveable and secured with a wooden mands than of any love I had unto it. time. PWM
wedge. The workpiece is fastened be- This quote leaves me thinking two
tween the centers of the lathe, which things. One is that it gures that the Peter has been involved in traditional craft since
are mounted in these poppets. only period artisan who wrote any- 1980. Read more from him on spoon carving, period
tools and more at pfollansbee.wordpress.com.
In 1643, Thomas Baynley died en thing I have ever seen about his trade
ONLINE EXTRAS
BLOG: Read Peter Follansbees blog.
ARTICLE: The Best Oak Money Cant Buy.
About this Column

Arts & Mysteries
refers to the contract
between an apprentice
and master the 18th-century master was
contractually obligated to teach appren-
tices trade secrets of a given craft (and the
apprentice was expected to preserve those
mysteries).
Our products are available online at:
A hook. Here, Im using one of the dishturners tools, specically a hook, to hollow the inside of ShopWoodworking.com
this bowl. The lathes power cord is wrapped around a mandrel tted into the bowl.
FLEXNER ON FINISHING BY BOB FLEXNER
Brands of Dye Stain Differ

Make sense of different dye types to understand what works for you.
I
n the last issue (#230), I mentioned
that I liked to use W.D. Lockwood
or J.E. Moser water-soluble powder
dyes (they are the same) for staining,
and non-grain-raising (NGR) or Trans-
Tint liquid dyes (they are also the same,
just different concentrates) for tinting
coats of nish to make a toner.
Ive written about these dyes pre-
viously in Popular Woodworking for
example, in the November 2006 issue
(#158). That article is reproduced in my
book Flexner on Finishing. Though Dye types. The dyes discussed in this article are, from the left: liquid concentrated and acetone-
thinned metal complex; powder metal complex; powder acid (partly reversible); and liquid metal
the article covers the broader subject
complex with an acrylic binder.
of dyes well, I think I could do a better
job of distinguishing between types.
There are differences that may affect are not compatible with oils and var- try. That discussion gets very complex
which you choose. nishes.) very fast. Its simpler to learn the char-
I would separate the dyes commonly These dyes can also be used as a stain acteristics of the different brands and
available to woodworkers into two con- directly on wood, and they often are, choose the brand for the characteristics
trasting types: liquid or powder, and especially to create a background color. you want.
metal complex or acid. And I would But they arent as effective or versatile W.D. Lockwood and J.E. Moser
create a new, slightly different, category as powder dyes, in my opinion, for use brands are acid dyes. They have the
for General Finishes dye. as the total stain (rather than building useful color-matching characteristic of
the color in steps). being able to be lightened signicantly
Liquid or Powder The most common powder dyes are after they have dried by wiping over
Dyes sold in liquid form include Trans- dissolved in water. By adding higher them with a wet cloth. Rewetting these
Tint and non-grain-raising (NGR). ratios of dye powder, you can make dyes redissolves them so some of the
TransTint is concentrated NGR. NGR very dark colors; lower ratios create color can be removed. Each time the
is TransTint thinned a lot with acetone. lighter colors. dried dye is rewetted, more of the color
Lots of companies, including Behlen, can be removed.
sell NGR dyes, which are commonly Metal Complex or Acid So if you get the color too dark, you
used by professionals. Dyes were rst synthesized in the mid- can lighten it. If you get the color wrong,
Dyes sold in powder form include 19th century. There were a number of you can, of course, tweak it by apply-
TransFast and Lockwood/Moser. (In different types, one being acid dyes. ing another color on top. But this may
the 1980s John Moser started a fin- Theres no reason to go into dye chemis- make the combination too dark. So
ish company, Wood Finishing Supply,
repackaging Lockwood dyes under TransFast General Finishes Lockwood/Moser Reversibility. Metal-
his name; later he sold his company complex dyes (left) are
only minimally reversible
to Woodworkers Supply.)
by wiping over with water.
The liquid dyes contain a glycol- Dyes that contain a binder
ether solvent, which makes them com- (middle) are not reversible
patible with water, alcohol and lacquer at all. Acid dyes (right) can
thinner. So these dyes can be used to be lightened a lot by wiping
over with a wet rag each
make water-based, shellac-based and
time the dye has dried.
lacquer-based toners. (Notice that they

DYE CHART
BRANDS LIQUID OR POWDER METAL COMPLEX OR ACID WHERE SOLD
TransTint Liquid (concentrated) Metal complex Woodcraft, Rockler and Klingspor stores and catalogs
Non-Grain-Raising (NGR) Liquid (thinned) Metal complex Paint stores that cater to the professional trade and
many woodworking stores and catalogs
TransFast Powder Metal complex Woodcraft, Rockler and Klingspor stores and catalogs
Arti Powder Metal complex Highland Woodworking
Lockwood and Moser Powder Acid (reversible) wdlockwood.com, Woodworkers Supply and Lee
Valley stores and catalogs
General Finishes Liquid with acrylic binder Metal complex Woodcraft, Rockler and Klingspor stores and catalogs
you can lighten the wrong color rst,

then tweak it.
The biggest problem with acid dyes
is that they fade fairly rapidly in sun-
light, even through a window. In the
early 20th century, chemists gured All dyes fade. I covered the bottom half of this
out how to add a metal molecule to panel and placed it in a west-facing window
dyes to make them more fade resistant. for six months. All the dyes faded (top half),
some less than others, but they all faded. Use
These dyes are called metal-complex Pigment. General Finishes dye appears to
pigment to avoid fading in sunlight.
or metalized dyes. I believe TransTint, contain pigment, which settles to the bottom
TransFast, Arti and all the NGR dyes of the can. Pigment requires a binder to glue
it to the wood and, indeed, General Finishes
are this type. Lockwood also makes a they will fade signicantly within a
contains an acrylic binder.
metal complex powder dye. few years no matter which type of dye
But the added molecule also causes is used.
the dye to bond fairly well to the wood, It might help a little to apply a UV- Bottom Line
so you cant lighten the color much by resistant boat nish (from a marina, So what do you do with this informa-
wiping over it with a wet cloth. Bond- not a home center) over the dye, but tion? If youre getting satisfactory re-
ing can be a positive characteristic by the best solution is to keep the object sults with whatever dye you are using,
limiting the amount of color that can be out of sunlight or use pigment for the stick with it. There will always be a
lifted when brushing a nish. It can be coloring. learning curve if you switch to another
negative because you are fairly locked brand.
into the initial color you get, unless General Finishes Dye But if you see a characteristic you
you want to make it darker. The newest dye player in the wood- want with another brand, then make
A not her d i f ference b et ween working market is General Finishes. Its the switch. Or begin with that brand
metal-complex and acid dyes is that dye is like TransTint and NGR in that it if youre just starting out. PWM
acid dyes produce richer and deeper is both liquid and metal complex. But
colors, though the difference can be in addition, the dye includes a binder, Bob is author of Flexner on Finishing, Wood Fin-
subtle unless you do a lot of comparing. listed as acrylic. ishing 101 and Understanding Wood Finishing.
At first, I was confused by this.

Fade Resistance Why the binder? Then I read the data
The marketing angle for metal-complex sheet, which recommends using one of ONLINE EXTRAS
dyes is that they are more fade resistant General Finishes water-based nishes For links to all online extras, go to:
than acid dyes. This is true, but its only over the dye. So Im assuming the com-
ARTICLE: Making Sense of Dyes, by Bob
relative because both dyes fade in UV pany wants to better lock in the color
Flexner.
light much faster than pigment. so it cant be lightened or smeared by
IN OUR STORE: Flexner on Finishing 12
My thinking on this is that fade re- brushing.
years of columns illustrated with beautiful
sistance is a non-issue for most wood- The downside, of course, is that the full-color images and updated, and Wood
workers because we hope that the ob- color cant be lightened at all short of Finishing 101.
jects we make will survive for decades stripping, which is not very effective, or Our products are available online at:
or longer. If these objects are placed sanding, which is difcult to do without ShopWoodworking.com
in sunlight, even through a window, losing control.
END GRAIN BY DAVID SHAPIRO
You Own a Table Saw?!

This hand surgeon likes meeting fellow woodworkers but not at work.
I
long ago lost track of how many
people, upon learning of my inter-
est in woodworking, have puzzled
aloud over my table saw. They follow
up with, Do you know how important
your hands are? or, Do you know
how dangerous that thing can be? The
answers are, Yes, and Absolutely.
Ive spent my entire professional
career as a hand surgeon and have
seen more woodworking injuries than
probably anyone else (except for my
hand-surgeon colleagues many of
whom are woodworkers). Ive grown
to respect the power of the machines
we use, their ability to wreak havoc
in an instant and our own inability to Ive yet to see an amputation from a ence. Novice errors such as wrong-way
turn back time. Ive seen injuries rang- table saw with an appropriate blade feeding (inadvertently climb-cutting
ing from hyperaggressive manicures guard and splitter. There have never on the router table, for example) or
(warning shots) to life-changing am- been many good reasons to remove the jointing a too-short or too-thin piece
putations. This hasnt at all diminished guard; now with better-designed saws, are not uncommon. And those with
my enthusiasm for woodworking, but guards and riving knives, there are even too much experience often tout the
has given me insight into what causes fewer. Ive seen woodworkers injured on acceptability of unsafe procedures. I
injuries and how we can stay safe. the backstroke as they bring a hand know it doesnt look safe, but Ive done
Many woodworking risks can be back over an unprotected blade after a it this way for years, is a line heard
minimized by good practices such as cut, those who didnt see the teeth as too frequently in the emergency room.
keeping an uncluttered workshop, the blade slowed and some who just Impairment: This should go without
wearing masks, eye and ear protection, pushed their hands into the blade as saying, but dont drink and cut.
using dust collection and disposing the work lifted, uttered or started to My hand-surgeon hands are valu-
of rags and chemicals correctly. And kick. It is gruesome use your guard. able, but no more than anyone elses.
injuries happen with hand tools too Improper tool or setup: Nipping a We all need hands to do our jobs and
Ive treated tendon and nerve injuries little bit off a small piece on a table saw hobbies, write our names and hug our
caused by errant paring chisels. without a fence or guard? Ripping an 8' families. Protect yours and be safe. PWM
Ive noticed that woodworking in- board without adequate outfeed sup-
juries tend to fall into a few categories. port? Holding a metal trim piece on the David is a hand surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic in
Inattention: Repetition, fatigue, drill press with your hand? Sometimes Cleveland, Ohio.
deadlines and complacency with a tool the setup takes longer than the cut
or technique are all setups for disaster. featherboards, push sticks, guards and ONLINE EXTRAS
Tool work is no way to cool down from outfeed support all take time to posi- For links to all online extras, go to:
a bad day if you cant get a problem out tion. That is time well spent. popularwoodworking.com/apr17
of your head, stay away from the sharp Inexperience (or too much experi- TWITTER: Follow us on Twitter @pweditors.
stuff. I use that time to draw, clean the ence): Carefully consider all informa- ARTICLE: Woodworking Essentials: Table
shop, read or search the internet for tion you encounter on the internet if Saws, by Marc Adams.
more tools, plans and tips. an idea or technique doesnt look safe, Our products are available online at:
Inadequate protection: In the hun- it probably isnt. Read comments on ShopWoodworking.com
dreds of table saw injuries Ive seen, videos, and note the sources experi-
64 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR

SHOP FOX
machines are
backed by a 2 Year
SINCE 1989! Warranty!
TRACK SAW MASTER PACK 7" 2 HP PLANER MOULDER W/ STAND

Motor: 120V, 1.1kW, 5500 RPM, 9A C US
Blade rim speed: 9070 FPM Motor: 2HP, 240V, single-phase, 10.8A 177335
Max. cutting depth at 45 without rail 15 8", Cutterhead speed: 7000 RPM CPM: 14,000 CPI: 64-300
w/ rail 17 16" Feed rate: 0-18 FPM Max. profile: 634"W x 34"D
Max. cutting depth at 90 without rail 25 32", Planing width: 7" Min. stock length: 9"
w/ rail 131 32" Min. stock thickness: 14" Max. stock thickness: 712"
Included saw blade: Overall dimensions: 3614"L x 22"W x 3412"H
160mm x 20mm x 48T Approx. shipping weight: 324 lbs.
Dust port dia.: 11 2" W1835 Track Saw
Saw weight: 11 lbs.
Includes:
Accessory Pack &
55" Guide Rail
W1812 7" 2 HP Planer Moulder w/ Stand

W1832 Track Saw Master Pack D3393 Elliptical Jig for W1812
10" 2 HP OPEN-STAND HYBRID 13" 3/4 HP, BENCH-TOP 12" X 15" VARIABLE SPEED
TABLE SAW OSCILLATING DRILL PRESS BENCH-TOP WOOD LATHE
2 HP, 120V240V, single-phase (prewired for 120V)
Motor: 34 HP, 110V, single-phase, universal motor
Motor: 34 HP, 110V, 1725 RPM
Motor Amps: 15A at 120V, 7.5A at 240V
12" swing over bed 15" between centers
Overall height: 38"
Enclosed cabinet bottom w/ 4" dust port
Two spindle speed ranges: 500-1800 RPM &
Spindle travel: 314"
Precision-ground cast-iron table w/ steel wings
1000-3800 RPM
Swing: 1314"
measures 4014" x 27"
Drill chuck: 58" 1" x 8 TPI RH thread spindle size
Rip capacity: 30" to right, 15" to left Spindle indexing in
Speeds: 12, 2503050 RPM
Quick removal/replacement system for blade guard and 15 increments
Table: 1238" dia.
riving knife
Table swing: 360 Heavy-duty cast-iron
Weight: 243 lbs. Table tilt: 45 left & 45 right construction
Approx. shipping Approx. shipping
weight: 123 lbs. weight: 87 lbs.
Includes a 10" x 40-tooth
carbide-tipped blade,
standard and dado table
inserts, miter gauge, push
stick, and arbor wrenches
W1668 W1836
W1837 10" 2 HP Open-Stand Hybrid Table Saw 13" 34 HP, Bench-Top Drill Press Bench-Top Wood Lathe
POCKET HOLE MACHINE 6" PARALLELOGRAM JOINTER WALL DUST COLLECTOR

Motor: 12 HP, 120V, single-phase, 3A, W/ SPIRAL CUTTERHEAD Motor: 1 HP, 120V240V,
17,500 RPM Motor: 11 2 HP, 110V/ 220V, pre-wired 110V, single-
Two flip stops for drilling consistency phase, TEFC, 3450 RPM, 15A/7.5A single-phase, prewired 110V,
Auto start/stop motor actuation w/ pull of Precision-ground cast-iron table size: 551 2"L x 6"W 7A 3.5A
handle Floor to table height: 321 2" Air suction capacity: 537 CFM
Auto adjust clamping Max. cut (per pass): 6"W x 1 8"D Static pressure: 7.2"
foot mechanism for Intake hole size: 4"
Rabbeting capacity: 1 2" Spiral cutterhead dia.: 3"
workpiece thicknesses Impeller: 10" balanced
Cutterhead speed: 4,850 RPM
between 12" to 112" cast-aluminum
Cuts both dia. holes for
CPM (effective): 19,400
Bag size (dia. x depth):
pocket screws at the same time Fence system:
1312" x 24"
Ideal for face framing positive stops @ 45 & 90
Bag filtration: 2.5 micron
Approx. shipping weight:
Dust level viewing window
Fast & super easy 429 lbs.
Height with
pocket holes! bag inflated: 44"
PATENTED! Built-in mobile base!

W1755S
Approx. shipping weight:
55 lbs.
W1833 Pocket Hole Machine 6" Parallelogram Jointer w/ Spiral Cutterhead W1826 Wall Dust Collector
WOODSTOCK INTERNATIONAL, INC. IS ALSO HOME TO ROMAN CARBIDE, PLANER PAL, JOINTER PAL, AND MANY OTHER FINE BRANDS.
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR CALL TOLL FREE TO FIND AN AUTHORIZED DEALER NEAR YOU.
18595
SHOP FOX is a registered trademark of Woodstock International, Inc.

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What tools and techniques are discussed for working with mortise and tenon joints?

What tools and techniques are discussed for working with mortise and tenon joints?

What furniture project is featured in the magazine?

What furniture project is featured in the magazine?

Know Your Dye Stains Beadlock

April 2017 #231

Get a Japanese Lacquer

Display until April 24, 2017

Perfect Fit 1. Veritas Router Plane 05P38.01

CARD #28 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

20 Good Chisel 37 Make Your 50 Breadboard End

28 William & Mary 42 Faux Urushi

4 Show Off Your 12 J. Wilding 58 Wallington:

A Start in the You Own a

ONLINE u More Tricks

HOLLOW & ROUND PLANES PHOTO BY AL PARRISH;

Show Off Your Work

It Could Win You $1k

Casework, Cabinets & Bookcases in focus. An uncluttered background is ADVERTISING

4 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY ALEX SUTULA

CARD #127 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

Shaker Candle Stand Clenching Nails on Saw Table:

Grain Orientation Schwarzs article Fall in Love with

There is No Single Archetype

6 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY WILL MYERS

Other Products We Offer Our Dust Bags Feature

AMERICAN FABRIC FILTER CO.

We have expanded our inventory

1405 Deborah Herman Rd SW, Conover, NC 28613

CARD #126 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

8 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 PHOTO BY AL PARRISH

The V2/21.55, 21-gauge 23/16" Combo Pinner/Brad Nailer

Centering Mortises Use a Wedge to Measure

For Angled Work in a difcult place to reach with a ruler

Tape holds boards together

10 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARTHA GARSTANG HILL

VINTAGE TRICKS: TRICKS ONLINE: We post tricks from the past

Precise Hinge Placement leaves to keep the epoxy from bond-

J. Wilding Hollow & Round Planes

eremiah Wilding is relatively new

Beadlock Pro Joinery Kit

Veritas Mortise Chisels from Lee Valley Tools

14 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017

CARD #124 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM LOWEST

CARD #47 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

CARD #52 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

Mouldings Got a Start in the Gutter

Router Boss! FREE SHIPPING 6 MONTH TRIAL

All Seven 2016 Issues!

Order your Download online at ShopWoodworking.com

CARD #93 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM CARD #123 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

tive, but thinking in terms of the crown About This Column

18 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017

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matter the brand or the vintage and

I had my druthers, Id skip the 1" chisel

en handles and throw off the balance

22 POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2017

M ost woodworkers have irted with Japanese chisels. I had

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