Spring $2.50 Wood Threads 1977, When a man's fancy tumsto fancv. There comes a time in every Not to mention more than 170 man's life when he outgrows the bits and cutters to pick from. Or a basic power tools. When his imagi­ $49.99* toter kit complete with the nation calls for more. 4600 router, wrenches, edge guide, That's the perfect time for a the three bits you'll probably use the router. One of the few power tools most, and a carrying case to hold around with hardly any limitation everything. but your imagination. All in all, it's one whale of a bar­ Meaning you can make flutes, gain. Especially when you consider beads, reeds, rounded comers, the one feature you can't get or almost any other finishing touch anywhere else. under the sun. Plus a lot of really Rockwell engineering. practical things, like dovetails for The kind that only comes with drawers, dadoes for shelves, rabbets half a century of indus­ for joints, etc., etc. trial experience and on­ What's more, it's all pos the-job performance. for just $39.99; the pri It goes into every of a Rockwell 4600 portable and Ij2-hp Router. For some stationary tool very good reasons. aD�.. ;_ we make. Super high speed It's why (28,000 rpm), to cut fast they're all and smooth. Microm­ made tough, eter depth con­ accurate and trol to powerful. ' adjust­ when you're ments ready toSo let your imagi­ easy. Non­ nation go, they'll make mamng the going good. base, to You can depend on it. protect Rockwell. It's the your same name industry's been wood. depending on for years. Double insu­ 50 lation, to pro­ tect you. 100% '!' ball-bearing con­ Rockwell International struction, to last and last. For more information and a free copy of the "Rockwell1977 Buyers' Guide;' write Power Tool Division, Rockwell International, Poplar Towers, ·Manufacturer's suggested retail price. 6263 Poplar Avenue, Suite 600. Department A. Memphis. Tennessee 38138. Fine Spring Volume Number 1977, WqqQWorki1, ng6 CONTENTS 4 Letters 8 Methods of Work 14 Questions & Answers 16 Books 18 Addenda, Errata 20 The Wood Butcher by Cary H. Hall : 'I made it, the whole thing' 22 Wood Threadsby Richard Starr : A handmade tap and screwbox Editor and Publisher 29 The Scraper by Tage Frid: A most versatile tool Paul Roman 32 California Woodworking by Alan C. Marks : Intriguing solutions Managing Editor John Kelsey 35 Bent Laminations by Jere Osgood : Slice and glue the wood Contributing Editors 39 DryKiln by William W. Rice : Design seasons 500 board fe et Tage Frid R. Bruce Hoadley 44 Expanding Tables by Alastair A. Stair: 500 years of making room Alastair A. Stair Correspondents 46 Two Sticks by Hank Gilpin: Ancient method simplifies layout New England: Rosanne Somerson Stacked Plywood by Ellen Swartz : A fluid alternative to hardwood South: David Landen 50 West: Alan C. Marks 53 Two Tools: Push-stick; duckbill scriber Editorial Assistants Ruth Dobsevage 54 Pricing Work by Douglas Sigler : Keeping a small shop afloat Judy Fairfield Barbara M. Hannah 54 Going to Craft Fairs: Some considerations Advertising Manager 56 Colonial Costs by R. E. Bushnell : ...and a guess for today Janice A. Roman Advertising Representative 58 Serving Cart by Alan C. Marks : Sliding top solves design problem Granville M. Fillmore 62 Woodworking Schools: Where they are, what they offer Subscription Manager Carole E. Ando 64 King of the Woods Cover: Th ree-quarter-inch wooden screw Fine Woodworking is published quarterly, March, June, September, and December, by The and nut, six threads to the inch, made with Taunton Press, Inc., Newtown, CT 06470, Telephone (203) 426-8171. Second class postage tools de scribed on page 22. Nut is made of paid at Newtown, CT 06470 and additional mailing offices. Copyright 1977 by The quartersawn cherry; screw is yellow birch. Taunton Press, Inc. No reproduction without permission of The Taunton Press, Inc. ISSN 0361-3453. Subscription rates: United States and possessions, $8.00 for one year, $15 .00 for two years; foreign rate, $9.00 for one year. Single copy $2.50. Postmaster: Send notice of undelivered copies on form 3579 to The Taunton Press, PO Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470. Address all correspondence to : Subscription, Editorial or Advertising Dept., The Taunton Press, PO Box 355, Newtown, CT 06470. 3 LE RS ________________________________________ TTB ...ref erring to cutting the fe male portion of the sliding chests and on reservoirs, as the joint is very strong and less dovetail (Winter ' 76), you say : ... ..the tapered side is sawed likely to leak air under varying degrees of stress. at an angle, using the saw shoulder as the guide. " Please des­ However the method of producing the joint is rather in­ cribe how the shoulder may be used as a guide when it is not volved and cumbersome. Several special tools and fixtures in contact with the work until the cut has been made to its must be made. Also needed would be a vertical boring fu ll depth. It seems that a standard backsaw or dovetail saw machine or drill press. In the old days a breast drill and a used with a guide block cut to the desired angle and clamped reliable apprentice were used. The cove and pin were cut first, to the work would serve much better. with a hollow mill shaped somewhat like a Forstner bit, whose Actually, the router plane appears to be the essential tool center retracted into its shaft against a spring. The cutter to hand-cutting the fe male portion of this joint. formed the cove and pin in one operation. -Stephen B. Ringle, Somerville , Mass. The spacing is very critical and was achieved with a ratchet [Editor's note: Tage Frid replies that because the handle of the saw is beveled bar, precisely notched to 1/128 in. Ratchet bars were made to at the correct angle where it meets the blade, you merely eyeball it. When match each size mill. Next the pinholes were drilled (using the saw shoulder looks parallel to the work, the cut will be correct. J brad point drills) in the end plates or drawer sides, and these matched the pins previously formed by the mill, because the Regarding the article by Bob Stocksdale (Fall '76), I am in same ratchet bar was used. The scriber is set down over a pin no position to quarrel with a professional wood turner whose and set to the radius of the cove. Remove its bushing and work is as fine as those pictured ...What I don't understand replace it with the correct size scriber pin, and scribe an arc is his sanding sequence. Starting with 16 grit seems incredible directly above each pin. The scriber must be set so that the to me-I myself start with 50 grit and feel that much of the scallops are just an interference fit when the joint is assem­ time this is too coarse ...Ideally it seems to me no sanding bled. A fine saw cut is made down to the interstice of each other than a very fine grit should be required. arc . Next, a sharp half-round firmer gouge of a radius to -Alex R. Ross, Stzllwater, Okla . match the cove is fitted with a pilot device equipped with a pin to match the pinhole. Regarding Clarence Hill's question about an old drawer The end plate is clamped down over a piece of hardwood joint (Winter '76): During my days as a master pipe organ (maple) that has a dado cut down its length, that falls directly builder, we called this a pinned cove joint. As to its origins, it below the pinholes to accept the guide pin. The guide pin is could have been either German, French or English. A larger slipped into the pinhole, and the chisel is adjusted to fit version than that normally seen on drawers was used on wind between the sawn lines. Strike the chisel in the normal man- $6.00An Introductory Offer. Save on 2 Lumber SaOlple Packs con taining 33 different kinds of wood. Now, for $15.00, you can compare Ash with John Benge, Birch, Brazilian Thlip, Bubinga, Cherry, Harra ---II Wormy Chestnut, Coco Bola, Ebony, Ekki, Green WOOD & SUPPLY Co. I Heart, Holly, East Indian Laurel, Hondouras 39 WEST 19 STREET, NEW YORK. NY 10011. Mahogany, Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Philippine I N arra, English Brown Oak, White Oak (plain o Here's my check, or money order, for I sliced), White Oak (rift cut), Padouk, Poplar, $15.00. Send me your lumber sample packs, usually $21.00, plus a catalog. I Purple Heart, Brazilian Rosewood, East Indian I o Here's my dollar. Send me a catalog Rosewood, Hondouras Rosewood, Sugar Pine, I plus a 2 dollar credit on my first order. I Teak, American Walnut, French Walnut, I I Nicaraguan Walnut, Wenge and Zebra Wood. These are not veneers but lumber samples I Name I % by 2 by 6 inches. I I If you're interested in our stock of I Address I plywoods, logs, 2 ply veneers or turning blocks, send us a dollar and we'll send you a catalog and a L City State Zip j 2 dollar credit on your first order. -------------- 4 LEITERS (continued) __________________________________ ner, two or three blows with the mallet. Do not cut the craftsmen. This steel is readily available from any industrial scallops in one' 'fell swoop. " Make it in rwo cuts, just short of supply house.