The Complete Illustrated Guide to Shaping Wood / Lonnie Bird
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The COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED Guide to ShapingWood LONNIE BIRD ➤ Squares, Circles, and Ellipses ➤ Edge Treatments and Moldings ➤ Coves, Reeds, and Flutes ➤ Bent and Laminated Curves ➤ Turned and Carved Shapes The COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED Guide to ShapingWood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A(D) The COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED Guide to ShapingWood LONNIE B IRD t TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) Text © 2001 by Lonnie Bird Photographs © 2001 by Lonnie Bird Illustrations © 2001 by The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. Pp The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506 e-mail: [email protected] DESIGN: Lori Wendin LAYOU T: Suzi Yannes ILLUSTRATOR: Mario Ferro PHOTOGRAPHER: Lonnie Bird LIBRARY OF CONGRESS CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA: Bird, Lonnie. The complete illustrated guide to shaping wood / Lonnie Bird. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN-13: 978-1-56158-400-0 ISBN-10: 1-56158-400-2 1. Woodwork. I. Title. TT180 .B57 2001 TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) 684’.08--dc21 2001027430 Printed in Thailand 1098765 About Your Safety: Working with wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations you learn about here (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn’t feel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you’re in the shop. To Linda and our beautiful daughters, Rebecca and Sarah. Acknowledgments riting a book is a team effort that requires the ideas, Wsupport, and work of many people. Through this work, new friendships are often forged and old friendships are deepened. With this in mind, I want to say thanks to the many people who helped me with this project: Mike Foster of Freeborn Tools, for providing custom shaper cutter- heads. Brian Boggs, for allowing me to photograph his steam-bending process. Helen Albert and Jennifer Renjilian of The Taunton Press, for their patience and encouragement. Andy Rae, for his ideas and critical feedback. Gary Rogowski, for providing photos. Jason Bennett, wood- worker, friend, and patient stand-in, for many of the photos in this book. Most of all, I want to thank my wife and best friend, Linda. Without her love, patience, and hard work, this book would not have been possible. TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) Contents Introduction • 2 How to Use This Book • 3 PART ONE Tools and Materials • 6 ➤ SECTION 1 Tools • 8 TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) 8 Layout Tools 11 Basic Shaping 18 Tools for Edge 24 Tools for 25 Tools for 26 Tools for Tools Treatments and Carving Turning Bending Moldings ➤ SECTION 2 Materials • 27 28 Dry Lumber 28 Stock for 29 Stock for 30 Stock for Sawn Curves Bending Panels PART TWO Cutting Shapes • 32 ➤ SECTION 3 Straight-Edged Shapes • 34 45 Milling 46 Tapers 51 Octagons 54 Chamfers ➤ SECTION 4 Curved Shapes • 57 64 Arcs, Circles, 67 Exterior 76 Interior & Ellipses Curves Curves ➤ SECTION 5 Complex Shapes • 78 89 Raised Panels 93 Door Frames 102 Coopered 103 Compound Panels Curves TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) ➤ SECTION 6 Template Shaping • 117 123 Cutting with 125 Flush 127 Profile/Trim 129 Shaping Inside Templates Trimming Corners PART THREE Edge Treatments and Moldings • 130 ➤ SECTION 7 Edge Treatments • 132 TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) 136 Simple 138 Shaping an 141 Lipped 142 Shaping a 143 Dished Shaped Edge Entire Edge Door Edge Board’s Face Tabletop ➤ SECTION 8 Beads • 145 148 Quirk Bead 150 Beaded 152 Cock Bead Backboard ➤ SECTION 9 Simple Moldings • 154 159 Machine-Cut 162 Hand-Cut Molding Molding ➤ SECTION 10 Complex and Built-Up Moldings • 164 172 Solid Complex 180 Built-Up 183 Dentil Molding Molding Molding ➤ SECTION 11 Curved Moldings • 186 192 Arched 195 Gooseneck Molding Molding TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) PART FOUR Other Decorative Shapes • 202 ➤ SECTION 12 Coves • 204 209 Machine-Cut 211 Hand-Cut Coves Coves ➤ SECTION 13 Flutes and Reeds • 212 TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) 214 Flutes 220 Reeds PART FIVE Special Techniques • 222 ➤ SECTION 14 Turning • 224 229 Turning 234 Furniture 239 Pedestal 241 Decorative 246 Complex Basic Shapes Legs and Feet Details Turnings ➤ SECTION 15 Carving • 252 256 Lamb’s 257 Shell 261 Volute 262 Rosette 263 Flame Finial 267 Carved Feet Tongue ➤ SECTION 16 Bending • 272 276 Steam 278 Bent 281 Kerf Bending Bending Lamination Appendix: Shaping Small Parts • 282 List of Suppliers • 285 Further Reading • 286 Index • 287 TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) Introduction hape is a fundamental element Learning to tune and effectively use of design. All furniture styles, even power tools can be satisfying, too. And many seemingly simple designs such as power tool techniques, such as template Shaker, use shape to enhance, shaping, yield efficiency that is unmatched Sincrease function, and define style. For with hand tools. Machines are also a good example, the sensuous curve of a chair back choice for many labor-intensive tasks, such adds comfort as well as visual appeal, and as planing and sawing stock to size, provid- the slender taper of a table leg creates light- ing more time for creating details by hand ness without sacrificing strength. Shape is that machines simply can’t duplicate. For critical to the ultimate success or failure of a example, a bandsaw is an efficient choice for piece of furniture. It simply can’t be ignored. sawing a curve in preparation for refining Before shapes can be created, they must and sculpting the same curve with a spoke- first be visualized and then drawn. There are shave and a rasp. As a long-time wood- tools and templates available for drawing worker who seeks pleasure from the craft, TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping Wood W:9.25”xH:10.875” Wood TJ51-1-2008 IMUS 7/UOA0069-Shaping 175L EX 128White A M/A Magenta(D) geometric shapes; but organic, freeform I’ve learned to enjoy both hand and power curves are often best sketched freehand. tools for what each has to offer. Fortunately, the natural movements of the As you explore the pages of this book, it’s wrist and elbow make it possible for anyone my hope that you’ll be inspired by the crea- to draw flowing curves with a bit of practice. tivity and challenge that comes with adding As I’ve illustrated in this book, the shapes to your next woodworking project. choices available for shaping are numerous. And it’s not necessary to have access to a shop full of power tools, either. Many wood- workers are rediscovering hand tools along with the pleasure and satisfaction that comes with their use. Planes, saws, chisels, and other edge tools all require patience and a degree of skill; but they yield a handmade look and texture as well as a deep sense of accomplishment. 2 How to UseThis Book irst of all, this book is meant In this book, we’ve included a wide vari- to be used, not put on a shelf ety of techniques to fit these needs. to gather dust. It’s meant to be To find your way around the book, you pulled out and opened on your first need to ask yourself two questions: Fbench when you need to do a new or un- What result am I trying to achieve? What familiar technique. So the first way to use tools do I want to use to accomplish it? this book is to make sure it’s near where you In some cases, there are many ways and do woodworking. many tools that will accomplish the same In the pages that follow you’ll find a wide result. In others, there are only one or two variety of methods that cover the important sensible ways to do it. In all cases, however, processes of this area of woodworking. Just we’ve taken a practical approach; so you may as in many other practical areas, in wood- not find your favorite exotic method for working there are often many ways to get to doing a particular process.