December 2007 Popular Woodworking
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15 Best New Tools of 2007: Our Opinionated Picks DECEMBER 2007 ISSUE #166 Learn How. Discover Why. Build Better. Shaker Workbench Rock-solid Design has Storage in Spades Shoe Polish: The Secret To an 18th- Century Finish PLUS ■ Better Dovetails With a Jig ■ Stickley Poppy Table ■ Turn a Top (or 1,000) popularwoodworking.com Learn How. Discover Why. Build Better. DECEMBER 2007 FE ATURE S 43 57 62 36 Gustav Stickley 57 Best New Tools 62 21st-Century Poppy Table of 2007 Shaker Gustav Stickley is best-known for his It’s hard to believe that in a craft almost as old as Workbench rectilinear Craftsman pieces, but this early (and civilization itself, new and better tools continue If you like looking at furniture as much as you somewhat unknown) table shows his early to be developed every year – but they are. And like building it, this is the workbench for you. experimentation with Art Nouveau. here are our 15 favorites from 2007. The stack of drawers, raised-panel door and BY ROberT W. L ang bY The POPUlar traditional case construction create lots of space WOOdwORKing STAFF for tools. The top and vises make it a functional 43 Practical Safety workbench for both power- and hand-tool users. Devices BY glen D. HUEY WOODWORKING ESSENTIALS Guards, push sticks and featherboards are 72 Variable-Spaced meant to protect us, but their poor design Dovetails by Jig can sometimes make machine operations With these two innovative methods, you’ll dangerous or inaccurate. Here, we offer devices no longer be a slave to your dovetail jig when and safety rules that really work, and don’t deciding how tall your drawers should be. interfere with your woodworking. BY DON means BY marc adams Number 166, December 2007. Popular Woodworking (ISSN 0884-8823,USPS 752-250) is published 7 times a year in February, April, June, August, October, November and December by F+W Publications, Inc. Editorial and advertising offices are located at 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236; tel.: 513-531-2222. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and artwork should include ample postage on a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE); otherwise they will not be returned. Subscription rates: A year’s subscription (7 issues) is $19.96; 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 2007 by Popular Woodworking. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 72 Canada GST Reg. # R122594716 ■ Produced and printed in the U.S.A. popularwoodworking.com ■ 3 december 2007 R EGULARS 24 76 82 10 A New Way Not 24 Finishing Touch 90 Understanding ARTS & MYSTERIES to Get Hurt BY Adam CherUbini Solvents OUT ON A LIMB FLEXNER ON fINISHING BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ BY BOB FleXner 28 Mission Chair I CAN DO THAT 12 How to Use BY glen D. HUEY 96 The Boys Handscrews In the Guild LETTERS OUT OF THE WOODWORK FROM OUR RE ADERS 32 Veritas Small BY jeFF SKIVer Plow Plane TOOL TEST 16 Low-Cost BY OUR STAFF Leg Vise TRICKS OF THE TRADE FROM OUR RE ADERS 76 Draw Perfect Arcs JIG JOURNAL BY ROberT W. lang 82 Turning Tops AT THE LATHE BY JUDY DITmer ON The DECEMber COVer This Shaker-style workbench is as practical as it is nice to look at, with plenty of benchtop workspace and built-in tool storage. Page 62. COVer PHOTO BY AL Parrish 28 4 ■ Popular Woodworking December 2007 December 2007 O NLINE Video Blogs Extras Video Gallery On the Blogs Project Plans Editor vs. Editor PW Shop Projects Lost Stickley Side Table On Hybrid Table Saws Senior Editor Glen D. Huey built the Shaker If you like the Poppy Table in this issue, check The hybrid table saw test from the November Workbench in this issue (page 62) – but would out the free plans for a Gustav Stickley side 2007 issue generated a lot of discussion Shaker craftsman Freegift Wells approve? Glen table that’s a bit of a mystery. The table showed amongst the editors. We’ve captured the discusses his design process and decisions. up in a modern auction recently. After building highlights on video so you can see what popularwoodworking.com/blogs it, we think we know why the attractive table features appealed to who, and why. never appeared in the company’s catalog. popularwoodworking.com/video New This Month: popularwoodworking.com/projectplans Weaving a Shaker- Rules for Workbenches Earlier this year, we promised 2007 would be Tape Chair Seat the “Year of the Workbench.” To round out popularwoodworking.com 2007, we published a lengthy piece on the rules ■ Contact Customer Service “I Can Do That” Extras for designing (or buying) a good workbench. popularwoodworking.com/customerservice This month’s Mission chair project in the popularwoodworking.com/toolstechniques I Can Do That column is from our brand-new ■ Free Project Plans popularwoodworking.com/projectplans I Can Do That project book (from Popular No-fail Dovetails Woodworking Books). We didn’t have room to Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick has been ■ Article Index explain how to weave the chair’s seat, so we’ve practicing dovetails using a method developed popularwoodworking.com/articleindex posted step-by-step instructions and suppliers by Senior Editor Glen D. Huey. We sum up his ■ Tool Reviews for you online. technique and give you a progress report on popularwoodworking.com/toolreviews popularwoodworking.com/dec07 Megan’s tails and pins. ■ Magazine Extras popularwoodworking.com/projectplans popularwoodworking.com/magazineextras Poppy Table Extras ■ Editor Blogs Senior Editor Robert W. Lang has posted a lot of popularwoodworking.com/blogs thoughts on our blog about his building process And More! for this Gustav Stickley piece. Plus, he drew up Visit popularwoodworking.com/dec07 to find ■ Writer’s Guidelines a complete list of all the online resources for popularwoodworking.com/writersguidelines full-size project plans that you can download (for a small fee) and print for your shop. this issue – including videos, additional ■ Contact the Staff popularwoodworking.com/dec07 drawings and photos. popularwoodworking.com/contactus 6 ■ Popular Woodworking December 2007 CONTRIBUTORS ® Learn How. Discover Why. Build Better. DECEMBER 2007, VOL. 27, NO. 7 popularwoodworking.com EDItorIAL OffICES 513-531-2690 PUBLIshER & GROUP EdITORIAL DIRECTOR Glen D. Huey, senior editor of Popular Woodworking, has settled into his new role Steve Shanesy as a magazine editor (and our resident power-tool guy, videography expert and guy EdITOR Christopher Schwarz with the largest truck) after almost two decades of work as a professional cabinetmaker, X1407 ■ [email protected] teacher and freelance author. His web site (where you’ll find all of his books and videos) ART DIRECTOR Linda Watts is woodworkersedge.com. X1396 ■ [email protected] Right now, in addition to his editorial duties for the magazine, Glen is working on SENIOR EdITOR Robert W. Lang a new book, “Finish Trim Carpentry for the Homeowner” (Popular Woodworking X1327 ■ [email protected] Books), which is scheduled to ship to bookstores in February 2008. SENIOR EdITOR Glen D. Huey X1293 ■ [email protected] For this issue, he designed and built the Shaker-style MANAGING EdITOR Megan Fitzpatrick X1348 ■ [email protected] workbench featured on page phOTOgrAphER Al Parrish 62. This is the bench that Glen will be using in our shop in CONTRIBUTING EdITOrs Adam Cherubini, Bob Flexner, Troy Sexton Cincinnati, and he employed many of his furniture-making F+W PUBLICATIONS INC. talents in building the piece, CHAIrmAN & CEO David H. Steward from the stout post-and-rail CFO John Speridakos base to the dovetailed drawers. EXECUTIVE VP, INTERACTIVE MEDIA John Lerner VP, MANUFACTURING Barbara Schmitz The bench is designed for the DIRECTOR, IT Mike Kuehn modern woodworker who uses F+W PUBLICATIONS INC. a lot of power tools, some hand MAGAZINE GROUP tools and needs a lot of tool- PRESIDENT Colin Ungaro storage space. VP, CONSUMER MARKETING Sara DeCarlo BUSINEss plANNING DIRECTOR Tom Wiandt CONFERENCE DIRECTOR Sara Dumford CIRCULATION DIRECTOR Linda Engel Jeff Skiver is a mechanical engineer who NEwssTAND DIRECTOR Susan Rose designs automobile parts, and he could usually DIRECTOR, DIGITAL MEDIA SOLUTIONS Michael Kushner be found with a wrench in his hand – that is until proDuction he stumbled into woodworking in 2004 when he prODUCTION MANAGER Vicki Whitford built a sauna in his basement, and fell in love with prODUCTION COOrdINATOR Katherine Seal it (both the woodworking and the sauna). Now, he’s ADVertising steadily working his way chronologically backward ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Don Schroder through various styles of fine furniture. 331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104 He notes that he’s not afraid to make ugly furni- TEL. 610-821-4425; FAX 610-821-7884 [email protected] ture, citing as evidence a heartstopping pink and purple Arts & Crafts desk his niece requested. Jeff’s ADVERTISING prODUCTION COOrdINATOR Nancy Miller, 513-531-2690 X1228 “Out of the Woodwork” story (page 96) is his first [email protected] for the magazine, and marks the last time he’ll be welcome at his local woodworking club. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Subscription inquiries, orders and address changes can be made at popularwoodworking.com (click on “Customer Service”). Or by mail: Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Or call toll-free 877-860-9140 or 386-246-3369. Include your address with all inquiries. Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. Robert W. Lang is a senior editor Don Means With a degree in NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION: Curtis Circulation Co., of Popular Woodworking and author of mechanical engineering, Don has an 730 River Road, New Milford, NJ 07646 ATTENTION RETAILERS:To carry Popular Woodworking in the definitive books of shop drawings inclination toward metalworking and your store, call 800-894-4656 or write Magazine Retail Sales, for Arts & Crafts furniture, including machine tools.