Popular Woodworking 217 April 2015

A Chairmaker Who Changed the Craft Mirkaa
DEROSS
April 2015 ■ #217
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CONTENTS APRIL 2015
30 33 50
F E AT U R E S
22 Ruhlmann 33 Kumiko Lamp 42 Curve Appeal

Tabouret The latticework (or kumiko) in this Japanese-
inspired lamp is made from many small bits
This skill-building stool employs eight
different joints, bent lamination and several
This side table, inspired by the stunning Art
of wood – but some clever jigs simplify the hand-shaped parts. The result is a seat that
Deco work of Émile-Jaccques Ruhlmann,
process to make perfectly sized pieces. looks great in your kitchen or shop.
features torpedo-shaped holly and mahogany
BY R A N E Y N EL S O N BY N EI L C RO N K
legs, holly inlay and mahogany veneer.
BY M A R I O RO D R I G UE Z ONLINE u A Master Reflects ONLINE u Free Plan
Toshio Odate reflects on his traditional Download a free SketchUp model of this
ONLINE u Small & Simple
Japanese woodworking apprenticeship. project.
Build an understated Shaker one-drawer side
popularwoodworking.com/apr15 popularwoodworking.com/apr15
table with these free plans.
popularwoodworking.com/apr15
40 Charred Finish 50 Make a

30 Tapered Sliding With just a blowtorch, wax and a scouring
pad, create a beautiful black finish with this
Revolution
Dovetails blazingly simple technique. From a Tree
Discover how to cut this strong and versatile With a single chair, a book and years of
BY S E T H G O ULD
traditional joint quickly by hand; you research, a curious attorney changed the
probably already own the tools. ONLINE u Black Ops (woodworking) world and inspired
BY FR A N K S T R A Z Z A Discover another technique to ebonize wood a generation of green woodworkers.
for a beautiful black finish. BY C H R I S TO P H ER S C H WA R Z
ONLINE u Watch & Learn popularwoodworking.com/apr15
Watch a video of how a tapered sliding ONLINE u Log to Lumber
dovetail is made by hand. Peter Follansbee writes about the best oak
popularwoodworking.com/apr15 money can’t buy.
popularwoodworking.com/apr15
40
SLIDING DOVETAIL PHOTO BY BEN OWEN; KUMIKO LAMP PHOTO
BY RANEY NELSON; JENNIE ALEXANDER PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ; CHARRED FINISH PHOTO BY SETH GOULD popularwoodworking.com ■ 1
CONTENTS APRIL 2015
10 16 64
REGUL AR S
4 Enter the 12 Mirka DEROS 62 Why is Finishing

2015 PWM Random-orbit So Difficult?
Excellence Sander FLEXNER ON FINISHING
BY B O B FLE X N ER
Awards TOOL TEST
BY T H E ED I TO R S
OUT ON A LIMB
BY M EG A N FI T Z PAT R I C K
ONLINE u Tool Test Archives
We have many tool reviews available for free
64 Why I Love Ikea
END GRAIN
6 The Ins & Outs on our web site.

popularwoodworking.com/tools
BY EDWA R D S U T ER
Of Workbench
Joints
LETTERS
16 Killer Wood
DESIGN MATTERS
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S
BY G E O RG E R . WA LK ER
10 Forstner Bit 58 Work Begun

In a Hand
Brace? Sure!
ARTS & MYSTERIES
BY P E T ER F O LL A N S BEE
62
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S
ONLINE u More Tricks

Read and watch some of our favorite tricks.
popularwoodworking.com/tricks
Number 217, April 2015. 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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■ Produced and printed in the U.S.A.
ILLUSTRATION BY MARY JANE FAVORITE; FIGURED WOOD PHOTO BY GEORGE R. WALKER;

2 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 HARDWARE PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; PARTS PHOTO BY PETER FOLLANSBEE; SEAL-A-CELL PHOTO BY BOB FLEXNER
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OUT ON A LIMB BY MEGAN FITZPATRICK, EDITOR
APRIL 2015, VOL. 35, NO. 2
popularwoodworking.com
Enter the 2015 PWM EDITORIAL OFFICES 513-531-2690
GROUP PUBLISHER ■ Jamie Markle
Excellence Awards
[email protected], x11452
GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR &
EDITOR ■ Megan Fitzpatrick
megan.fi[email protected], x11348
SENIOR ART DIRECTOR ■ Daniel T. Pessell
T
[email protected], x11396
he submission period com- pull that off, well, do get in touch with
SENIOR MANAGING EDITOR ■ Michael Wallace
mences on April 1 for the 2015 me about writing an article). [email protected], x11407
PW M Excellence Award s; The editors and contributing editors CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ■
entries will be accepted through to Popular Woodworking Magazine will Bob Flexner, Christopher Schwarz,
June 14 at popularwoodworking. select the Grand-prize Winner, plus Steve Shanesy
com/2015readerexcellence. the winner in each of the five catego- PHOTOGRAPHER ■ Al Parrish
This will be the third year we’ve ries. Your online voting determines the PROJECT ILLUSTRATOR ■ Donna R. Hill
sponsored the awards. What I’ve Readers’ Choice winner (voting opens ONLINE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ■
David Thiel
liked most about them June 17). [email protected], x11255
is seeing and sharing the Gary Staple, of Hali- CONTENT EDITOR, BOOKS ■ Scott Francis
great work produced by fax County, Nova Scotia, [email protected], x11327
Popular Woodworking was the grand-prize win-
readers. And I want to ner in 2014 (his “Cherry F+W MEDIA, INC.
CHAIRMAN & CEO ■ David Nussbaum
see more of it! I encour- Blossom Tea Case” is COO & CFO ■ James Ogle
age all of you to submit pictured here). I hope to PRESIDENT ■ Sara Domville
your best work for the meet him in person Sept. CHIEF DIGITAL OFFICER ■ Chad Phelps
2015 awards. The six 25, at Woodworking in SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,

OPERATIONS ■ Phil Graham
winners will be featured America 2015 in Kansas VICE PRESIDENT, COMMUNICATIONS ■ Stacie Berger
in the November 2015 City, Mo.
issue, and all entries Autumn Doucet, of ADVERTISING
are available for view- Wenatchee, Wash., was VICE PRESIDENT, SALES ■Dave Davel
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ing online for Readers’ our inaugural winner 331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104
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check for $1,000. Each of the five Edi- us at Woodworking in America 2014, TEL. 715-445-4612 x13883
tors’ Choice winners and the Readers’ we featured her lovely mahogany and [email protected]
Choice entry with the highest number ebony jewelry box with mother-of-pearl NEWSSTAND
of votes overall win a $100 gift certifi- and abalone inlay in the April 2014 For newsstand sales, contact Scott T. Hill:
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You can enter up to five pieces total Plus, the PWM Excellence Awards
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4 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015

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LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
The Ins & Outs of pinkish color. Unfortunately, there’s no

good way to do this, either.
The cause of the darkening is exposure
Workbench Joints to oxygen and light, which speeds the oxi-

dation. You can reduce exposure to light,
but not oxygen.
So no matter what you do, the cherry
I
’ve finally started on a workbench Naveen, is going to darken.
from the “Build a Sturdy Work- The reason the joinery is on the interior You can apply a number of coats of UV-
bench in Two Days” DVD, but I of the legs is visual. resistant marine varnish from a marina
have a question about the stretch- For the long stretcher, it makes store (or online) to slow the darkening.
ers. Is there a particular reason why the bench look more like a traditional As I showed in the teak-oil article, var-
the stretcher joints are on the inside bench with a mortise-and-tenon base. nishes from home centers aren’t effective,
rather than the outside? It also helps to hide any gaps in the no matter what their claims.
Naveen Gogineni joinery. But I don’t think you’re going to like
Damascus, Maryland For the short stretchers, it insets the this solution. Marine varnishes are glossy
short stretcher and adds shadow lines. to reflect as much of the light as possible,
Feel free to put the joinery on the and they are more effective with more
outside if you prefer. coats. You’re going to end up with a thick,
Christopher Schwarz, glossy finish that will not stop the wood
contributing editor from darkening slowly anyway. I suggest
you experiment on scrap wood.
Neither shellac nor water-based poly-
urethane offer significant UV resistance.
As for the flower pot, I suggest you
Short stretchers move it to different locations every now
and then.
Bob Flexner, contributing editor
Erasing Makers’ Marks

I recently read your article “Make Your
Mark” (December 2014, issue #215) and
took away a few things I will incorpo-
Long stretchers rate into my routine. I did, however,
have a question: When do you remove
the marks?
If the marks make it less likely to
Keep it in the Pink and leaves a surface that is not uniform. make a mistake during fi nal assem-
I enjoyed Bob Flexner’s article on teak I have finished the pieces so far with bly, do you wait until after glue-up and
oil in the February 2015 issue (#216), shellac, followed by multiple coats of handplane or scrape them off? Or do
especially the UV-resistance portion. water-based polyurethane. you remove them just prior to assembly
I recently procured a large cherry Do you have any suggestions or ref- and just keep them in order?
tree that had fallen in a farmer’s field. I erences that might be useful? Glen Farmer III
had it cut into boards and dried them, Dean Birzele via e-mail
and I am in the process of learning how Elkhart, Indiana Glen,
to make furniture. Dean, I remove marks after assembly. You gen-
I have not found a way to keep the Funny – most woodworkers want to know erally have to plane every surface after
finished products from darkening. I how to make cherry darken to the rich assembly anyway to level joints.
don’t particularly mind the darkening rust-red color of old cherry faster than Before planing I remove most of the
result, but my wife does. just letting it age naturally. (There’s no pencil marks with alcohol. That makes
More importantly, if something is good way to do this.) it easier to plane away the marks.
placed on the surface (flower pot, etc.) it You’re the only person I’ve come across Christopher Schwarz,
shields the wood below it from sunlight who wants to keep the cherry its natural contributing editor
CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
6 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 ILLUSTRATION BY MARY JANE FAVORITE

Our Annual Hardware
Catalog is Now Available.
View the full catalog online at www.leevalley.com
or download it through the Lee Valley Library app
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CARD #28 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM CARD #36 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

LETTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
Must One Always Sand? Avoiding Amber Waves

In “The Essential Woodworker” (Lost I used Zinsser Amber Shellac for an
Art Press), Robert Wearing recom- early banjo I made. While it turned
mends planing and scraping, then out pretty good, I had a lot of trouble.
sanding. I used the shellac straight out of the
I have a DVD from Frank Klausz in can, and it ran and streaked a lot. I am
which he works on a cherry coffee table almost finished with a parlor guitar, Highly Recommended
by planing and scraping, then pulls out and I am thinking of using the same Dental floss (an unwaxed tape variety that
his Festool Rotex sander and sands the shellac. This time, however, I will thin doesn’t leave filaments behind but isn’t
whole top. Frank says it is to prepare it so as to hopefully avoid most of that. overly slick) is a cheap and easy-to-find
item that belongs in your toolbox.
the surface for finish. Should I thin the amber-tone stuff to
I use it most often for pulling glue into
I’ve made just four “real” projects in a one-pound cut? If so, does that mean cracks (say, if I bang together too-tight
cherry and ash and, with wipe-on film fill a jar two-thirds full of denatured dovetails and cause a minor split). Pull
finishes, sanded only between coats. I alcohol and fill the remaining one-third out a length, coat a bit of it with glue, then
avoid sandpaper, mostly because of the from the shellac can? Should I make a work it into the split. Remove the floss
and clamp. Floss also comes in handy for
mess in my garage – it gets everywhere. thicker mix for later coats? Also, what
cleaning junk out of small drill bits and
I doubt there’s a simple answer to type of brushes do you use? the lead screws on auger bits.
this – but is it species-related, finish- Jason Stamper — Megan Fitzpatrick
related or just a preference as to whether Mountain City, Tennessee
you sand before applying finish? Jason,
Nathan Harold I think Zinsser comes out of the can at a
Pleasanton, California three-pound cut; one pound is pretty thin,
Nate, but I wouldn’t make it any thicker for later Customer Service
How can I contact customer service with questions
Historical practice goes something like coats – just add more coats. I’d experiment regarding my subscription, including a lost or damaged
issue?
this: Plane until you can’t get the surface first with a two-pound (or so) cut ( about Visit popularwoodworking.com/customerservice. Or write
any nicer. Scrape any tear-out. Use an two-thirds shellac and one-third alcohol). to Popular Woodworking Magazine, P.O. Box 421751,
Palm Coast, FL 32142-1751. Or, if you prefer the telephone,
abrasive to blend the textures of the two These days I use a spray system for call 1-877-860-9140 (U.S. & Canada), 386-246-3369
(International) and a customer service representative will
kinds of surfaces and remove any remain- shellac and almost every finish (except be happy to help you.
ing tool marks. paint) – it’s much closer to foolproof than When does my subscription expire?
The date of your subscription expiration appears on your
Sometimes you don’t need to scrape or ragging or brushing. magazine mailing label, above your name. The date
indicates the last issue in your subscription.
sand because the wood is so well-behaved. If I did have to brush shellac, I’d use a
Can I get back issues of Popular Woodworking and
Sometimes the type of finish you are using natural (ox) bristle. Woodworking Magazine?
Back issues are available while supplies last. Visit
(such as French polish) demands a dead- But for such a lovely and involved item popularwoodworking.com/backissues. Or if you know
flat surface that requires sanding. as a guitar, I’d take the time to do a proper the exact month and year of the issue you want, call our
customer service department toll-free at 855-840-5118
So it really just depends. Here are some French polish. It’s not difficult; it just takes to order.
What if I want more information about the projects or
additional thoughts. a little time and stick-to-itiveness. PWM tools I read about in Popular Woodworking Magazine?
1. Abrasives were around before planes Megan Fitzpatrick, editor For all editorial questions, please write to Popular
Woodworking Magazine, 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100,
(sandstone), so don’t pooh-pooh their Cincinnati, OH 45236. Or send an e-mail to
[email protected].
effectiveness. ONLINE EXTRAS Does Popular Woodworking Magazine offer group
2. Sometimes sanding is needed, espe- discounts?
cially when you are using modern dye Letters & Comments Group discounts are available by special arrangement with
the publisher. For more details, send an e-mail to Debbie
At popularwoodworking.com/letters you’ll Paolello at [email protected] or call 513-531-
stains. A sanded surface makes the dyes
find reader questions and comments, as 2690 x11296.
penetrate more evenly in my experience. well as our editors’ responses. Our Privacy Promise to You
3. After you put a film finish on a piece We make portions of our customer list available to carefully
of wood, it’s impossible for most people We want to hear from you. screened companies that offer products and services we
believe you may enjoy. If you do not want to receive offers
Popular Woodworking Magazine welcomes
to tell if the wood was sanded or planed. and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at:
comments from readers. Published cor- List Manager, F+W Media, Inc.
4. Planing is faster but requires more respondence may be edited for length or 10151 Carver Road, Suite 200
Blue Ash, OH 45242
skill. Sanding is slower, but it is easy to style. All published letters become the prop-
learn the basics. erty of Popular Woodworking Magazine. Safety Note
Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place safety
So the bottom line for me is this: Plane Send your questions and comments devices on their equipment for a reason. In many photos
via e-mail to [email protected], or you see in Popular Woodworking Magazine, these have
if you can, sand if you must. been removed to provide clarity. In some cases we’ll use an
by mail to 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100,
Christopher Schwarz, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
awkward body position so you can better see what’s being
demonstrated. Don’t copy us. Think about each procedure
contributing editor you’re going to perform beforehand.
8 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR

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TRICKS OF THE TRADE EDITED BY MEGAN FITZPATRICK
THE WINNER:
Forstner Bit in a Precise Plane-blade Setting

One way to attack problems with tear-
out when handplaning is to set the chip-
Hand Brace? Sure! breaker tight to the edge of the plane

blade. Here’s a foolproof way to get a
precise and repeatable blade setting
every time.
T
rying to bore with a Forst- The real beauty is that the pilot Select a feeler gauge with a thick-
ner bit using a hand brace is hole acts as a depth stop. Once the ness equal to the distance you want to
a nearly impossible task. I’ve bit bottoms out to the depth of your set the breaker back from the cutting
come up with a solution that works pilot hole, it will not bite into the edge – say .005". Tape the feeler gauge
fast and effortlessly. timber; it will just spin in place and to a hard, flat surface.
Drill a pilot hole to whatever stop cutting. Touch the back of the iron to the flat
depth you desire, then place the point So not only can you bore faster, surface and against the edge of the feeler
of the Forstner bit into the hole. The you can bore to depth without fear gauge. Slide the breaker down the back
cutting edges of the bit itself will then of going beyond your “depth stop” of the iron until it touches the feeler
come into contact with the timber, pilot hole. gauge. (If the iron has a curved cutting
and you can start boring; within a Salko Safic edge, apply downward pressure in the
short amount of time, you’ll have Pacific Pines, center of the iron and the breaker.)
successfully bored a hole. Gold Coast, Australia Tighten the cap screw, and you’re
done.
Rhett Fulkerson
Frankfort, Kentucky
Chipbreaker
Bit will
stop at
bottom
of pilot
Forstner point
.005"
feeler gauge
Pilot hole
Plane blade
Show, Don’t Tell After they decided on an overall table friends to dinner, then serve them with
I worked with a couple a while back shape and chairs, I sent them home that template laid atop their existing
who were trying to meet two compet- with six chairs and a cardboard cutout table and the chairs gathered ’round.
ing concerns for a custom dining set: of the smallest six-person table I could After dinner, they decided a 68"-long
They wanted a table large enough for recommend (40" x 72"). They wanted table was as small as they could go.
six people, but they wanted it as small a 60"-long table. Mark Hicks
as possible. I had them invite four of their largest Ozark, Missouri
10 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY JANE FAVORITE

Dodge Marital Discord cruddy saw blades. I’ve been banned saw blades, would be great. After some
With an Oil Drain Pan from the pan! thought, I came up with a plastic oil-
I’ve been using my wife’s metal pie pans I never liked the idea of possibly drain pan from an auto-supply store.
for cleaning table saw and miter saw dulling the teeth by banging them And I found such a pan at the local
blades. Besides the fact that the blade’s around in a metal pan anyway, so I dollar store for…$1.
teeth scratch up the inside of the pan, started to think about a substitute. A Just place the saw blade in the pan,
she just doesn’t like the idea of baking shallow plastic pan, with a diameter squirt in some liquid dish soap and
pies in a pan that was used to clean large enough to accommodate 10"-12" add enough warm water to cover the
blade. Let it soak for a few minutes,
then scrub the blade and teeth with a
Brass bristles
plastic- or brass-bristled brush. The
drain pan does the job, and the soft
polyethylene surface won’t take the
edge off the teeth.
John Cusimano
Lansdale, Pennsylvania
ONLINE EXTRAS
Plastic bristles For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/apr15
TRICKS ONLINE: We post tricks from the past

and film videos of some Tricks of the Trade
in use in our shop. They’re available online,
free. Visit popularwoodworking.com/tricks
A Corker of a Blade Guard Automotive Starting Fluid to read and watch.
One of my students showed up with Makes a Mean Brush Cleaner Our products are available online at:
all of his knives and awls protected To clean polyurethane finishes or oil- ■ ShopWoodworking.com
by corks from wine or beer bottles. It based paints from small paintbrushes, Cash and prizes
seems silly, but cork is the best reusable such as a hobby or artist’s brush with for your tricks and tips!
guard I’ve found. It doesn’t slip off, like natural bristles, the typical approach Each issue we publish woodworking tips
plastic protectors. And it makes your is to dispense a tiny amount of mineral from our readers. Next issue’s winner
sharp tools easy to find in a tool chest. spirits or other solvent into a small con- receives a $250 gift certificate from Lee Val-
Christopher Schwarz tainer, then soak the brush. But there’s ley Tools, good for any item in the catalog or
on the web site (leevalley.com). (The tools
Fort Mitchell, Kentucky an easier and more convenient way: Use pictured below are for illustration only and
a spray can of “starting fluid” from an are not part of the prize.)
auto-parts store. Runners-up each receive a check for
Spray the fluid directly on the bris- $50 to $100. When submitting a trick,
tles. As with all fl ammable solvents, include your mailing address and phone
number. All accepted entries become the
always use in a well-ventilated area and property of Popular Woodworking
away from open flames. Also, be careful Magazine. Send your trick by e-mail to
about where you direct the overspray [email protected], or mail it to
(starter fluid is a solvent after all – it Tricks of the Trade, Popular Woodworking
likely contains heptane – and thus can Magazine, 8469 Blue Ash Road, Suite 100,
Cincinnati, OH 45236.
damage some finishes). Then wipe the
brush dry with a paper towel.
Repeat this process two or three
times or as needed.
The final step is the same as with any
solvent: Wash the bristles with soap
and water, rinse well and let dry. PWM
David Long
Lexington, Kentucky
popularwoodworking.com ■ 11
TOOL TEST BY THE STAFF
DEROS Random-orbit Sander

Mirka’s compact electric sander performs like an air-powered tool.
I
avoid sanding as much as possible
– but sometimes it has to be done.
Since early 2010, when we got a
Mirka CEROS (Compact Electrical
Random Orbital Sander) in for pre-
release testing, that’s been my go-to
tool for this dreaded task.
What I’ve never liked about the
CEROS, however, is that it plugs into
an external power pack that then plugs
into the wall. Yes, the sander outper-
forms other electric sanders (it looks,
feels and performs like an air-powered
unit), but coupled with the power pack
for which you have to allow room, it’s
far more cumbersome to move around,
there are several connections to check,
and it takes more space to store. And
it’s a bit inconvenient to pack up and Fast & clean. The Mirka DEROS sander performs like an air-
transport. powered tool – and the dust collection is amazing. The damp
Mirka’s new 5" DEROS (Direct paper towel at right contains all the residual dust wiped from a
9' butcher-block counter after sanding.
Electric R andom Orbit Sander),
though…I’m wholly impressed. This
4,000-10,000 rpm variable-speed tool er-block countertops and leveled the was also noticeable; I had far less clean-
replicates all that’s praiseworthy about walls and ceiling of a room that for- up on both wood and plaster with the
the CEROS, but it plugs directly into merly featured faux Venetian plaster. DEROS.
a typical household wall outlet. No On two walls and half a ceiling, and on It’s also quiet; I didn’t have a decibel
more external power pack. Plus, the one counter, I used my Ridgid; for the meter handy at home, but it passed the
power cord is integrated into the 18' second room and other counter, I used “cat test” – they didn’t run. (The com-
dust-collection hose (a 30' hose is also the DEROS. Less weight, coupled with pany’s literature states the dBs as 71.)
available), so it never gets in the way. better balance and control because your The one sticking point is the price; at
At just 2.3 pounds on our postal hand is much closer to the work, makes almost $600, this sander is significantly
scale, the DEROS weighs less than the a huge difference – particularly when spendier than other consumer electric
Ridgid R2601 electric random-orbit sanding overhead and on vertical sur- sanders. But the technology and per-
sander (ROS) I bought for use at home faces (I had a lot of both on the walls). formance are also significantly better.
(3.4 pounds). The tool’s height is 33 ⁄4"; Porter- So while I’m not ready to say goodbye
In December, I sanded my butch- Cable’s 390K low-profile ROS is 43 ⁄8" to my Ridgid (I can’t bear to bin an
in height, which is already 1" or so adequate tool, particularly one I don’t
shorter than other ROS models). And use often), when the time comes for a
DEROS Sander MID550201 the on/off – the paddle on top – is a replacement, I will shell out the extra
Mirka ■ mirka.com/deros or
330-963-6421 lot more convenient than the typical dough for better performance, better
side-mounted switch. dust collection and ease of use. There
Street price ■ from $595
The dust collection difference be- is likely a lot more plaster work in my
■VIDEO Find out more about the DEROS in
tween the two, both hooked up to the future when I find a new old house to
a free Popular Woodworking video.
same Festool CT mini vacuum, and rehab, so it will be worth it.
Price correct at time of publication.
with the same sanding discs (Abranet), — Megan Fitzpatrick
CONTINUED ON PAGE 14
12 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 SANDER & CHARGER PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH, PARTING TOOL PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
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TOOL TEST CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
Easy Wood Tools 1 ⁄8" ‘Easy Parter’ Parting Tool

Since my fi rst experience with Easy Easy Wood has remedied this
Wood tools in 2011, I’ve been a fan. with a new 1 ⁄ 8" parting tool
Thanks to the tools’ long-lasting car- that makes fine details as small
bide inserts, I can focus on the shapes as 1 ⁄8" wide that were impos-
I want to produce instead of heading sible with the basic set.
to the grinder or tweaking the lathe’s As with the other Easy
tool rest. Wood tools, the Easy Par-
The three basic tools in the Easy ter has a replaceable carbide
Wood catalog – the rougher, finisher tooth. But unlike the compa-
and detailer – do about 95 percent of ny’s other tools, it isn’t changed
the shapes a furniture maker could with a screwdriver. Instead,
want when working between centers. you use a key (included) that
But the one tool that was missing slightly pries open the tool’s jaws, al- the handle parallel to the floor and gen-
from the line-up was a parting tool. lowing the tooth to drop out. Then you tly push the tool into the work. It cuts
put in a new tooth and release the key. smoothly and quickly.
It takes 20 seconds. My only quibble is that the cutting
Easy Wood 1 ⁄8" Parting Tool I have found the Easy Wood carbide edge of the Easy Parter is about 3 ⁄16"
Easy Wood ■ easywoodtools.com or inserts to be incredibly long-lasting. higher than the cutting edge on my
866-963-0294
If I am careful, I can turn the parts for other Easy Wood tools, so I have to
Street price ■ from $120
as many as 10 Roorkee chairs before lower my tool rest to use the tool. But
■BLOG Read more about Easy Wood tools
requiring a fresh edge. that’s a small price to pay for avoiding
and the company’s origins.
The Easy Parter works just like all the grinder.
the other Easy Wood tools. You hold — Christopher Schwarz
Bosch ‘Power Ready’ Wireless Charging System

Although wireless charging is noth- the charger (WC18C; $59) and remem-
ing new (it’s been around for years for ber to put the tool atop it. But I used
home and mobile phones), the Power the system in the shop for a few weeks,
Ready system from Bosch is a first in and (after I trained myself to put it back
the tool sector. where it belongs) it really is faster and
As of this writing, the system in- more convenient than switching out
cludes only the WCBAT612 18-volt the batteries…and hoping your backup
thin-pack 2Ah battery ($89), which is battery is charged.
backward-compatible with all of the A benchtop charger frame (WC18F;
company’s 18V lithium-ion tools. But $12) keeps the battery properly aligned
a press release states that this spring to charge, but if you don’t use the frame
Bosch will introduce fat-pack 4Ah bat- (I did not) pay attention to the light
teries to the wireless lineup. (Both will display; green means it’s working – and
also charge on a traditional charger.) without the frame, it’s a little fussy to
I was skeptical at first, because you align things correctly. There’s also a
do, after all, still have to find a plug for holster-style frame (WC18H0l; $49)
available to mount the charger and a
drill on the wall (or in a work truck).
Wireless Charging System It takes just under an hour to reach The inductive charging (an alternat-
Bosch ■ bosch.com
a full charge from empty, and about 30 ing magnetic field) works only when a
Street price ■ from $138 (for the battery minutes to reach an 80-percent charge compatible battery is on the pad. And
& charger)
– but if you keep the tool where it be- the pad won’t function if it identifies a
■BLOG Read more about this system and
longs when it’s not in use, that’s never foreign object, such as a screw or metal
see it in action.
an issue. And of course it stops charging shavings. PWM
when the battery is full. — MF

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DESIGN MATTERS BY GEORGE R. WALKER
Killer Wood
Don’t let fabulous figure overshadow your design elements.
M
uch has been written about
how Michelangelo, the great
artist and sculptor, spent
years of his life in the Carrara, Italy,
marble quarries. He sought out prom-
ising stone and often took part in the
whole process, from the initial section-
ing of blocks from the mountainside to
the actual supervision of transporting
stone to his studio in Florence.
One note of interest: The master
sculptor had the enormous blocks
roughed down close to their finished
forms while still on the quarry floor. He
provided drawings to guide the rough
stone cutters and in this way minimized
the cost to transport the massive stones.
Some things never change. Out-
standing stone or wood is always in
short supply and expensive. Yet there
are hardly words to describe the bliss
as a rough chunk of figured grain shim-
Responsible use. Rich claro walnut (top) and figured mahogany deserve our finest design efforts.
mers at first light.
Our ancestors long ago learned how
to exploit the useful properties of wood. up a special gift, created by storms, Don’t Fight It
They knew that the toughness of elm hardship, frigid winters, blistering I’ve always had a soft spot for figured
made a wagon wheel hub that could droughts and a bit of mystery. I don’t maple and early on was eager to see how
take a beating, and that the elasticity take that lightly, and I always desire to other woodworkers past and present
of English yew could lend its power to make something worthy of the special used it to maximum effect. One thing I
an archer’s bow. material. noted is that it’s very rare for it to show
Yet aside from its countless utilitar- It’s also important to note that, up in heavily carved sculptural work
ian qualities, wood occasionally shows although dramatic figured wood can such as ball-and-claw feet.
flashes of glory. Like our ancestors, we make a profound statement, it cannot I posed the question to a few ex-
can’t help but be dazzled by the shim- make up for a poor underlying design. perienced carvers and always heard
mering grain and tangled brushstrokes Ask yourself before committing that the same answer: Figured wood is
painted by nature in the face of a board. special wood: Will this design hold up troublesome to carve and therefore
even if it were made with tulip poplar one to avoid. No doubt that’s one of the
Figure Can’t Trump Form or construction pine? primary reasons it’s seldom carved.
There are no magical design formulas That’s actually a good question to Yet, one important maxim in design
that come into play before we plunge a ask before applying carving, marquetry is that, any time we pair two different
saw into some ridiculous claro walnut, or outstanding wood to any project. If things, the goal is always that each will
but it’s obvious the stakes are higher. the underlying bones are good, that complement and bring out the best in
The good stuff, what the lumbermen blistered maple may transform it into the other. Together, the pairing results
call their “private stock,” is rare and something great. If the form itself is in something more than just the sum
costly. That alone gives pause. But for lacking, the best wood in the world of the two.
me it’s the thought that nature offers will not make up for it. Plunging a gouge through the sur-
16 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 LEAD PHOTO & DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR; BLACK WALNUT & MAPLE PHOTOS BY HORIZON WOOD PRODUCTS
®
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DESIGN MATTERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
face of a figured wood often kills the

striking grain. Instead of the dramatic
tiger stripes dancing across the surface
of a flat board, it takes on a mushy look
when sculpted into a curved or irregu- Sawn revelations.
lar surface. Bird’s-eye black walnut
Worse, in the random spots where anyone? Nature never
ceases to unveil sur-
the figure shows through the surface, it
prises.
visually fights with the carving itself. It
defeats the whole purpose, almost like
two trumpets playing different music
with a different beat.
The same can be said for mould-
ings. Although it’s tempting to try to Hidden treasure.
add some pop to mouldings by using How about a bubbly?
figured wood, we have to understand The boiling surface
what we are trying to accomplish. The of this figured maple
primary purpose of mouldings is to shimmers even in the
rough-sawn state.
add depth by producing strong bands
of light and shadow.
Figured stock, aside from its difficult That amazing curly koa will have a I’ve built, I never regret spending more
working properties, will only detract much more dramatic effect if we frame for that burl wood or that really dense
from the very effect we are trying to it in a way that allows the beauty to walnut. If you are lucky enough to find
accomplish. The shimmering grain stand out. That means we use restraint a lumberyard that carries great wood,
actually takes away from the sense of in our selection of wood to frame it. It’s consider yourself fortunate.
depth we are trying to achieve through best to frame in either plain wood or, The better ones, such as Horizon
shadow lines. at most, a contrasting wood tone that Wood Products, not only carry amazing
complements the striking panel. wood but also understand the needs of
Make Beauty Stand Out As tempting as it is to construct door furniture makers.
Carvings and mouldings both hint frames and banding from wild grain, My only regrets are that I didn’t buy
at something important about using if we want to showcase the dramatic, more, not less. PWM
dramatic wood. Less is more. it’s best to play it off something un-
derstated. George is the author of two design DVDs
We underestimate the craft tradition (Lie-Nielsen Toolworks) and writer of the
Design Matters blog.
when we think the period woodwork-
ers opted for straight-grained woods
Indistinct shadows. Mouldings are nothing
in door frames simply because it was ONLINE EXTRAS
more than bands of light and shadow. Figured easier to work with hand tools. Dis- For links to all these online extras, go to:
grain actually muddies the shadow lines. criminating builders know that the ■ popularwoodworking.com/apr15
frame is not the star. It’s the panel inside BLOG: Read more from George R. Walker on
the frame. Let the door panels sing by his Design Matters blog.
letting the backup singers do just that IN OUR STORE: “Unlocking the Secrets of Tradi-
– play backup. tional Design” and “Unlocking the Secrets
It seems a bit counterintuitive, but of Traditional Design: Moldings,” DVDs by
in the end this will make that special George R. Walker.
wood shine brightly and take your work Our products are available online at:
to another level. ■ ShopWoodworking.com
About This Column

Many Thanks to the Sawmill Design Matters dives into
Finally, it’s important to note that, the basics of proportions,
although rare and beautiful wood is forms, contrast and compo-
The right frame. A plain or figured door
sition to give you the skill to tackle furniture
frame – which takes away from the dramatic expensive, it’s not the place to scrimp.
design challenges with confidence.
grain in the panel? When I look back over furniture

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Ruhlmann Tabouret BY MARIO RODRIGUEZ

Create sultry
sophistication with
Art Deco details.
É
mile-Jacques Ruhlmann (1879-
1933) is considered by crafts- Solid. Web frames add rigidity to the case and
people, collectors and designers provide surfaces on which the drawers ride. Stubby but strong (enough). Stub tenons are
They are housed in 1⁄2"-wide dados in the a quick and sturdy solution for frames that
to be the premier Art Deco furniture
case sides. don’t support a lot of weight.
maker; he was called “Art Deco’s great-
est artist” by The New York Times in
2009. All the fuss is for good reason.
This French designer’s work is char-
acterized by the skillful use of luxuri-
ous and exotic materials, including
ebony, kingwood, ivory, amaranth,
Indian rosewood, sharkskin and tor-
toiseshell. What really set his work
apart was how he perfected a purity
of line – lithe sinuous curves melding
perfectly with sharp, disciplined and
crisp rectangles and straight edges.
Ruhlmann insisted on uncompro-
mising quality, and as a result, his
pieces consistently lost money, some-
times as much as 20 to 30 percent. For
example, it typically took more than 50 Innards first. The carcase is assembled around the web frames, then the back drops into rabbets
in the sides.
hours to create a single leg for a piece.
The exquisite workmanship invested
into his pieces is immediately obvious the side panels to receive the 3 ⁄4"-thick and that any light blow could damage
to any viewer. back, and across the top ends of the the surface and reveal the substrate
My original design is strongly influ- side panels for the upper drawer web below and destroy the illusion. So to
enced by Ruhlmann’s collective work frame. Next, I cut 3 ⁄16"-deep x 1 ⁄2"-wide provide more protection to the edge, I
and employs a number of details he dados into the sides for the other drawer laminated 1 ⁄16" shop-sawn cross-grain
often used on his amazing furniture. web frames. mahogany veneer to a foundation strip
These include the inlaid dot border, The frames are made of 1 ⁄2" poplar of 1 ⁄16" long-grain veneer.
contrasting accents, vertically oriented and are joined with stub tenons set into
veneer work and slender tapering legs a lengthwise groove. Once glued up,
on this piece. they are cut square and to final size.
The design is called a tabouret, or And because the 3 ⁄4" plywood cabinet
work table. Set alongside a desk or draw- sides and back are assembled around
ing board, it would store and organize these three poplar frames, they must
frequently used tools and materials. But be perfectly square and dead flat.
its small size (about 19" wide x 15" deep In addition to holding the sides and
x 31" high) makes it a piece that can be back of the carcase together, the frames
placed anywhere – in an entryway, at support and guide the smooth opera-
the end of a sofa or next to a bed. tion of the two dovetailed drawers.
Carcase & Web Frames Top it Off

The carcase sides and back are made For the top’s substrate, I used 1 ⁄2"-thick
of 3 ⁄4" shop-grade plywood. After cut- birch plywood. Composite edging. To add some strength
ting the parts to size, I cut 1 ⁄2"-deep x I’m always aware of how delicate to the top’s edges, I laminate the cross-grain
3 ⁄4"-wide rabbets on the back edges of and vulnerable a veneered surface is veneer to a strip of long-grain veneer.
LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH, STEP PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTRATIONS BY DONNA R. HILL FROM THE AUTHOR’S DRAWINGS popularwoodworking.com ■ 23
143⁄ 4"
143⁄ 8"
111⁄ 2"
1⁄
2"
1⁄
2" 7 ⁄ 8"
3⁄
4"
24"
4"
PROFILE 13⁄ 8" PROFILE SECTION
This makes handling the cross-

grain banding easier and also provides
critical thickness to the edge as protec-
tion against future accidents (as well
as against sanding through the veneer
during construction).
Glue the edging and hold it in place
with luthier’s tape. After it’s dry, plane
and sand the edging flush with the top’s
surface.
Bookmatched Center Field Sticky solution. After applying glue to the Center field. After the glue sets up overnight
edge, hold it in place with luthier’s tape until in the press, trim the edges of the field 15 ⁄8"
After pressing the bookmatched leaves
the glue sets. back from the substrate’s edges.
flat, shoot the edges with a block plane
to ensure they are straight and matched,
and tape them together. Glue them to adjustments necessary for perfect, just a couple of hours of drying time,
the substrate panel using cold fish glue; tight-fitting miters. trim everything flush using a sharp
set the work in a giant manual screw Glue down the border, one piece at veneer saw. Remember how the grain
press overnight. Then carefully trim the a time, using yellow glue and clamping of the overhanging veneer is oriented
veneer 15 ⁄8" back from the panel edges. cauls (cover the cauls with any non- and trim it with great care.
I cut the cross-grain borders 13 ⁄4" stick tape). As I unclamp one segment,
wide and pre-cut the miters for a pre- I set the next in place, taping across the String the Panel
cise fit at the corners. The extra 1 ⁄8" in miters to ensure the joint won’t open up I use a Dremel with a 1 ⁄16" milling bit, at-
width allows me to make last-minute later or shift while it’s clamped. After tached to a router base, to cut a 1 ⁄8"-deep

177⁄ 8"
173⁄ 8"
3⁄
4"
11⁄ 8"
4 3⁄ 4"
111⁄ 2"
4 3⁄ 4" 17⁄ 8"

51⁄ 4"
17⁄ 8" 17⁄ 8"

147⁄ 8" 3⁄
4"
3⁄ 4"
PLAN SECTION
little “pop” is a Ruhlmann trademark.

These 1 ⁄8"-diameter dots are cut us-
ing a punch made from a 21 ⁄ 2"-long
piece of 1 ⁄8" inside-diameter stainless
steel tubing with “saw teeth” cut into
one end. Use a 4" XX tapered slim saw
file to cut the teeth and to slightly taper
the outside diameter.
With the punch chucked into a
drill press, lower it slowly (and at a
slow speed) into a slice of 3 ⁄16"-thick
ELEVATION
holly. After punching out three dots,
remove the tube from the drill press
and push out the dots before proceed-
ing. Attempting more dots at one time
Straightedge clogs the tubing and crushes or “burns”
the dots. Any damaged or discolored
dots will show badly, so cut extras and
discard those that are less than perfect.
You’ll need 80 good ones…and a few
extras for insurance.
Get into the groove. After mitering the cor-

ners, glue the holly inlay strips in place.
Straight & true. To cut grooves for the string-

ing, I use a Dremel in a router base. Notice into 1 ⁄4" stringing material.
the clamped straightedge that guides the tool.
After mitering the ends with a chisel
and a miter block, I fit the stringing into
x 1 ⁄16"-wide channel for the 1 ⁄16" holly the grooves, then glue it in place with
stringing that is installed all around the rough edge up.
the center bookmatched panel. (Clamp Later, it’s planed and sanded flush
a straightedge to the top to guide the (when you do that, be careful not to cut
router base.) through the veneer).
Using a thin-kerf 10" table saw blade
and a zero-clearance insert, carefully Dotted Edge Dots. You’ll need 80 holly dots (plus a few
rip the 1 ⁄16"-thick stringing; then use A bright staccato band of dots that neat- extras for insurance). Note the “saw teeth” on
the band saw to rip those wider strips ly punctuates the slender top to give it a the punch.
To position and drill the holes into
Ruhlmann Tabouret the edge of the top, make a simple drill-
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
T W L ing jig (see image below). Lay out the
1⁄ 2 exact position of each dot on strips of
❏ 1 Top 141⁄8 171⁄8 Plywood Veneer*
3⁄ 4 tape laid onto the top, then clamp the
❏ 2 Sides 111⁄2 14 Plywood Veneer after assembly*
3⁄ 4
jig to the top, drill a hole, and move the
❏ 1 Back 111⁄2 173⁄8 Plywood Veneer after assembly*
jig to your next mark.
❏ 6 Web frame rails 1⁄ 2 17⁄8 101⁄2 Poplar Inject a small amount of glue into
❏ 6 Web frame stiles 1⁄ 2 17⁄8 163⁄4 Poplar each hole (I use a Monoject #412 plastic
❏ 1 Face frame rail 3⁄ 4 11⁄8 155⁄8 Mahogany Veneer after assembly* syringe) and gently tap the dots into
❏ 2 Face frame stiles 3⁄ 4 11⁄2 111⁄2 Mahogany Veneer after assembly* place, leaving each slightly proud.
❏ 4 Legs 11⁄2 11⁄2 21 Mahogany Oversized for turning* After the glue dries, work each dot
❏ 4 Feet 11⁄4 11⁄4 41⁄2 Holly flush using a detail file, then sand the
❏ 2 Drawer fronts 3⁄ 4 43⁄4 147⁄8 Mahogany Veneer* entire edge smooth with #220-grit
❏ 4 Drawer sides 5⁄ 16 41⁄4 131⁄2 Spruce sandpaper.
❏ 2 Drawer backs 1⁄ 2 33⁄4 147⁄8 Spruce
❏ 2 Drawer bottoms 3⁄ 16 133⁄8 141⁄2 Spruce
U-shaped Face Frame
1⁄ 2 I attached an open U-shaped face frame
❏ 1 Staging panel 121⁄2 131⁄2 Spruce **
1⁄ 2
to the cabinet to strengthen the carcase.
❏ 2 Breadboard ends 15⁄8 131⁄2 Spruce
The frame also visually alters the piece,
❏ 1 Staging panel front 3⁄ 4 7⁄ 8 147⁄8 Mahogany Veneer* giving the cabinet a more tailored and
❏ 4 Drawer guides 7⁄ 8 7⁄ 8 11 Maple formal look, and it reduces the drawer
❏ 2 Panel guides 7⁄ 8 11⁄4 133⁄4 Maple opening.
❏ 6 Knobs 11⁄4 11⁄4 2 Holly The frame is made up of three ma-
❏ 2 Leg-dot balls 5⁄8 5⁄8 11⁄2 Holly hogany pieces joined with stub-tenon
and open-mortise joinery, with the
*Veneer: Crotch mahogany for center field, straight-grained mahogany for the balance,
plus holly stringing for the top. **Includes stub tenon both ends grain running in the conventional di-
rection.
The pieces are veneered with the
same mahogany veneer that covers the
carcase (see below) to maintain a neat
and uniform appearance. The grain of
the veneer on the face frame rail is ori-
ented vertically. Because of the narrow
size, I veneered the frame-face parts
using yellow glue and clamping cauls.
Once the face frame parts are ve-
neered and the joinery is complete,
glue up the frame. (I used a spacer along
the open bottom of the frame to main-
Tape in place. Lay out the dot locations on a piece of tape, bringing the lines to the table edge. A tain critical dimensions and to ensure
simple jig helps to align your drill bit and keep it straight; a stop-block on the bit keeps you from squareness.)
drilling too deep.
Veneer the Carcase
For the plywood carcase, I chose
straight-grained mahogany for its
warm, even color and absence of fig-
“The man who has had the

greatest influence on designer-
craftsmen of furniture in the last
100 years is undoubtedly Émile-
Jacques Ruhlmann.”
—Silas Kopf,
Dotted line. Use a syringe to inject glue into the holes, then insert the dots all along the edges. from “A Marquetry Odyssey”
When the glue is dry, file the dots flush, then sand.

Face front. The face frame is joined with open mortise-and-tenon (stub tenon) joints; make sure
everything is square before you glue up.
ure. Because the case was already as- plication of more glue (or heat from an Hot hide. The carcase is veneered in the
sembled, I employed the traditional iron) and additional focused pressure traditional manner, using hot hide glue and
a veneer hammer. It’s not difficult, but you
method of using hot hide glue and a until a good bond is achieved. Later,
must work quickly.
veneer hammer to lay down the veneer. trim the excess with a veneer saw, then
After brushing warm glue onto the plane and scrape the seams smooth
cabinet, place the veneer face down before sanding with #220 grit. Add poplar once the leg is turned.
onto the wet glue and apply glue to the cross-grain veneer to the reveal on the Next, turn a 1 ⁄2"-diameter x 1"-long
backside of the veneer. While it’s still carcase top. tenon on the bottom of each leg.
wet (and warm), fl ip the veneer face For the feet, I prep 11 ⁄4" x 11 ⁄4" x 41 ⁄2"
up and quickly began to press it down Time for Shapely Legs holly blanks, then drill a 1 ⁄2"-diameter
with the hammer, squeezing out the I mill my leg stock 11 ⁄ 2" square x 21" hole into one end and glue them to the
excess as you carefully work toward long, then cut out a 3 ⁄4" x 51 ⁄4" section at tenons on the bottom of the mahogany
the edges before the glue cools. the top of each leg. This cut-out section leg blanks.
After thoroughly pressing down is replaced with a piece of poplar glued Holly is a hard, tight-grained wood
the veneer, I check for any stubborn, in with a slip of heavy brown paper that can be turned to a smooth, ivory-
unglued edges and bubbles. These can placed between the poplar and the leg like surface. It is the perfect choice for
be reheated and eliminated with the ap- blank. This allows easy removal of the the feet, knobs and other light-colored
accents on this piece.
I describe the leg as a “torpedo”
shape, tapering to 1 ⁄ 2" at the top and
3 ⁄4" at the foot, with a 13 ⁄8" swell at the
thickest point.
After turning the legs to a rough
brown shape with a roughing gouge, I clean
paper and smooth the taper starting with my
Ashley Isles “3-1” gouge (Item #IT-MA-
RIO125 at Tools for Working Wood),
Leg prep. Before turning the legs, cut out a 3 ⁄4" x 51⁄4" section from the mahogany and glue in a then switch to a 11 ⁄ 2" skew gouge. I
piece of poplar, with heavy brown paper between the two species. finish up with a block plane.
Foot joint. Use a small block plane to smooth

The drill. Prep, then drill the holly foot blanks to the transition from holly to mahogany (mine is
slip over the mahogany leg tenons. a Lie-Nielsen No. 102).
After turning the legs to their final SUPPLIES
shape and removing them from the Stewart-MacDonald
lathe, remove the glued-on poplar sec- stewmac.com or 800-848-2273
tion by gently guiding a chisel into the 1 ■ Binding tape
seam between the two woods. This #0677, $4.89
leaves a clean-cut ledge on the ma- 1 ■ Router Base
hogany leg, which will eventually fit #5260, $53.65
against the side of the carcase. Prices correct at time of publication.
Staging Panel & Drawers Half-blind. At the front, the drawers are
The slender panel that slides out from I cut the drawer fronts to their exact joined with half-blind dovetails (through-
beneath the drawers at the bottom of size and veneer the fronts with vertical- dovetails are used at the back).
the carcase is used to briefly support, grain mahogany. As I did with the car-
display or organize tools and materials. case face frame, I veneered the fronts
I made up a 1 ⁄ 2"-thick panel with with fish glue in a cold press.
breadboard ends and joined the front The drawer sides, backs and bottoms
of the panel to a strip of mahogany (that are made of quartersawn sitka spruce
will line up with the drawer fronts) with (leftovers from a guitarmaker). This
a short, continuous tenon. This strip is stuff has a beautiful, straight grain and
veneered with the same vertical-grain a creamy color well-suited to this piece.
mahogany as the drawer fronts and face It’s also surprisingly strong, enabling
frame for a pleasing waterfall effect. me to mill the stock down to 5 ⁄16" for
Allowance. Hold the drawer bottom in place
The staging panel hangs in a pair of the sides. The backs are 1 ⁄2"-thick; the with a washer and screw in a slot to allow for
U-shaped guides, which are screwed to bottoms are 3 ⁄16" thick. seasonal wood movement.
the underside of the bottom web frame. The drawer sides are joined to the
By screwing the guides in place, I can fronts with hand-cut half-blind dove-
adjust their positions to provide smooth tails, and to the back with through-
and easy travel for the staging panel. dovetails.
The drawer bottoms are inserted
with the grain running side-to-side;
that way any wood movement is di-
rected toward the back of the drawer. To
accommodate that movement, I insert
a screw and washer through open slots
cut into the back of the drawer bottom. Guides. Drawer guides should be fairly tight
to the drawer sides to keep things from bind-
I build drawer boxes slightly larger
ing. Fit them by hand for smooth travel.
than the opening, which allows me to
plane them down for a perfect fit, one
stroke at a time. Once the shape is complete, I sand
Staging strip. The front of the staging panel Before fitting the drawers, glue wood and burnish each knob to a super-
is attached with a stub tenon that stops just drawer guides onto the drawer webs. smooth finish while it’s spinning on
short of either end. These guides take up the space between the lathe.
the carcase interior and the face frame. The tenons are inserted in holes
By handplaning them, I can tweak them drilled on the drawer and staging panel
to provide smooth travel for the drawer fronts. Turn the tenons for a tight fit so
boxes and create even spacing of the they won’t loosen over time. Setting
drawer fronts. them is a small challenge. To embed the
knobs gently, I use a wooden handscrew
Turn the Knobs to press them into place (rather than
For the holly knobs, prep several blanks knocking the crown).
to 11 ⁄4" square by about 2" long.
Once they are turned round to 3 ⁄4" Leg Punctuation
diameter, I put them in a collet chuck. At the top of the legs are 1 ⁄2"-diameter
“U” for underhung? The staging panel rides This allows me to turn a tenon (3 ⁄8"-di- round dots. As with the knobs, I turn
in U-shaped guides attached to the underside ameter) and knob without having to these on the collet chuck, leaving a
of the bottom drawer’s web frame. remove and re-chuck the blank. generous tenon.

After turning and sanding the two
small balls, I stick the tenon into a block
for support and saw the balls down the
middle on the band saw. Then, saw the
two halves free from the tenon.
Legs, Meet Carcase

The torpedo-shaped legs are attached
to the case with sliding dovetails. This
is a perfect way to set the cut-away sur-
face tight to the sides of the cabinet Quick slots. A simple jig of 3 ⁄4" plywood Keys. Use mahogany scrap to make the keys
guides the router’s rub collar to make quick at your table saw, then plane them for a pre-
and produce a strong joint. Another
work of the leg dovetail slots. cise fit before cutting them to length.
benefit of this method is that any error
in placing the legs is easily corrected.
I begin by milling 3 ⁄4" wide, 8° dove- a 3 ⁄4" dovetail bit and a 3 ⁄4" outside-
tail slots in the carcase with my router, diameter rub collar. A template guides
the rub collar and sets both the po-
sition and length of the dovetail slot
(see photo above). With the template
clamped to the case, I can cut the slots
in a single pass.
Now mill some mahogany scrap to
13 ⁄16" thick, tilt your table saw blade,
Applied keys. Screws hold the dovetail keys
and cut both edges to 8° to match the in place on the back of the legs.
slots. After testing the fit of the dovetail
key into the slot, cut the keys free. With
a few passes of a block plane, trim the
Gently, now. A wooden handscrew provides keys to a precise fit, then cut them to
sufficient pressure to push the knob tenons in length.
place without damaging the faces.
Drill a pair of countersink holes into
each key, then screw the keys to the
legs using 3 ⁄4"-long #6 wood screws.
Check the fit and registration of each
leg. Once you’re satisfied with the fit
and appearance, dismantle everything,
apply glue, then reattach the legs.
With the legs glued to the carcase,
glue the leg dots at the ends and tape
them in place until the glue dries.
Tiny turnings. The leg punctuation dots are Then sand all surfaces to #220 grit
held in a collet chuck and turned to shape (be careful not to cut through any ve- Finishing touch. The dots atop each leg
using a file. neer). If you have spray equipment, use provide the final punctuation.
it to apply at least two coats of satin
lacquer. I’ve also experimented with
General Finishes’ High Performance
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
Polyurethane Water Based Top Coat, ■ popularwoodworking.com/apr15
which imparts a nice, protective sheen.
WEB SITE: Visit the author’s web site for infor-
(And of course, feel free to experiment mation on upcoming classes.
with other finishes on scrap.)
VIDEO: See Mario Rodriguez’s ingenious solu-
Now all that’s left to do is decide tion for scooping a chair seat.
where in your home to display your
TO BUY: “Building a Classic Drawer with Alan
elegant Ruhlmann-inspired work. PWM Turner” (who also teaches at Philadelphia
Furniture Workshop).
Safe cut. Use the tenon on the end of the ball Mario is a long-time furniture designer, maker and Our products are available online at:
to secure it in some sacrificial wood. Then cut teacher; he now offers classes at the Philadelphia ■ ShopWoodworking.com
each ball in half at the band saw. Furniture Workshop.
Hand tools are
the way to go for this
traditional joint.
T
apered sliding dovetails are
multipur pose joints tra-
ditionally used for drawer
dividers, holding legs in place
on a pedestal table and attaching tops
to case pieces.
The primary reason for a tapered
joint (instead of a straight joint) is the
reduced friction over its length. The
tapered sliding dovetail gets tight only
during the final fit, when it is ready to
seat home. This reduced friction makes
fitting much easier.
Once the joint is seated, it is ex-
tremely tight and often requires no
glue. Hand-cutting this joint is easier
and quicker than the lengthy process
of setting up a jig and machine.
After incorporating tapered joints
into much of my furniture, I’ve found
them strong and multifunctional; I be-
lieve you’ll enjoy their benefits, as well
as the challenge of cutting the joint, as
much as I have.
Below, I’ll show you how to create
a small tapered sliding dovetail, such
as would be used for a drawer divider.
Tail Layout
For this exercise, I use two 3 ⁄4"-thick x
4"-wide cherry boards (a typical size
Tapered
for a drawer divider).
The first step is to cut the tapered
tail (after making sure that the end of
your board is perfectly square).
Set a cutting gauge (not a pinned
Sliding marking gauge, which would tear the

fibers rather than cutting them) to 1 ⁄4"
and scribe all around the end of the
tail board to mark the baseline. On
Dovetails
the board’s edge, the sliding dovetail
appears identical to a regular dovetail.
However, from above, there will be a
taper.
Place the tail board upright in your
vise in preparation for marking tapered
BY FRANK STRAZZA lines on the end grain. Starting with the
30 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTOS BY BEN OWEN

Tail cuts. I use a dovetail saw to
make the tapered cuts; notice how
I use thumb pressure against the
saw to keep it correctly aligned to Chiseled wall. Use a chisel to create a “wall” against
the cut. which you can register your saw.
Tail layout. After marking the baseline at 1⁄4",

mark the taper on the end grain.
end facing you, place a straightedge on

the outside edge. Angle it toward the
other end of the board, with a slope of
about one-quarter the thickness of the
board; in this case, that will be 3 ⁄16". Narrow, then wide. First, mark the
Draw a tapered line with a pencil along small end of the tail. (Note that your
the straightedge. Repeat this process knife position is critical here, and be
for the opposing side. sure to mark both sides.) Then mark
the wide end on the other edge of the
Using a dovetail marker or bevel
pin board.
gauge, draw the lines for the tail on the
edge of the board. (I like a 1:7 angle.)
Now use a chisel to create a wall sliding dovetail, such as on a tabletop,
Cut the Tail right against the knifed line. That cre- the plane is essential.)
Cutting the angles on the top is a bit of ates a nice shoulder to set your saw
a challenge, but no more than sawing a against to use as a guide for accurate Mark & Cut the Pin
tenon cheek. Starting at the back, cut cutting. (This method is effective for The next step is to transfer the tail to
partway down your line, shift the saw to extreme accuracy in cross-grain cuts.) the pin. Mark two pencil lines square
the front and make another partial cut, But don’t overcut! Inspect the tail to across the pin board to indicate the
then join the two cuts. It is helpful to ap- ensure that the shoulders are crisp width (3 ⁄4") and placement of the tail
ply pressure between your thumb and and clean. board. Draw a face mark on the inside
the side of the saw to keep it aligned. On occasion, I use a sliding dovetail of your pin board on the right-hand side
It’s important that the two tapers plane to cut the tail, but I’ve found it not and another one on the right-hand side
on the end grain are straight and that as effective for a narrow tail such as this of the tail board. These marks should
the angles that make up the tail are cut one. (However, if you’re creating a long face each other; they will help you keep
accurately. Remember – you are only the alignment correct.
cutting down 1 ⁄4". Lay your tail board on edge with the
“Opportunity is missed by most
because it is dressed in overalls
small dovetail end touching the pin
Cut the Shoulder and looks like work.”
board, with the end grain facing you.
With a knife, deepen the shoulder With your knife closest to the shoulder,
—Thomas Edison (1847-1931),
line that you marked with your cut- American inventor mark the small end of the tail on both
ting gauge. sides. Now flip the tail board end to end
Waste removal. Work in from fully following the angle of the tail. Be
both sides to remove the sure not to overcut.
waste. On the wider side, a
3 ⁄8" chisel is the best choice; Working from both sides, remove
working from the narrower the waste using a 3 ⁄8" and a 1 ⁄4" chisel,
side, switch to a 1⁄4"-wide tool. with the bevels facing up.
With a small router plane, remove
any excess material, bringing an even
depth to the floor of the pin.
Now the moment of truth! Slide the
tail into the socket and use a hammer
to seat it tightly. If it’s too tight and
doesn’t go all the way home, that’s a
good problem. Look at both ends, and
you can usually tell where the problem
lies. If it’s too tight on one end, simply
chisel away the material on the pin
board. (If it’s too loose, start over with
a fresh pin board.)
And don’t worry if your joint isn’t
perfect on the first try; it took me sev-
Cordless router. Level the eral practice sessions the fi rst time,
floor of the socket using a too. PWM
small router plane.
Frank is an award-winning furniture maker and a

so the end grain faces away from you. over the knife cuts several times to woodworking instructor at the Heritage School of
Woodworking in Waco, Texas.
Mark the large end of the tail on the edge deepen the lines.
of the pin board closest to you, marking Transfer the 1:7 angles of the tail
both sides right at the shoulder. onto the edge of the pin board.
The key is transferring an image of Using the same 1 ⁄4" setting on your
the narrow section of the tail onto the cutting gauge, mark the depth of the
pin board. pin recess.
With a straightedge, join the marks As you did for the shoulder cuts, use
for both tapers front to back. Then with a chisel in your layout lines to create
a knife, lightly scribe along the straight- a wall for your saw to follow, then saw
edge. Remove the straightedge and go down the length of the taper line, care-
Great divide. The tapered sliding dovetail is

my joint of choice to divide casework drawers.
ONLINE EXTRAS
WEB SITE: Visit the Heritage School of Wood-

working and the author’s web sites.
VIDEO: Watch Frank Strazza demonstrate
this technique in a free video.
WEB SEMINAR: “60 minutes to Better Furni-
ture Design” seminar download, by Frank
Strazza.
IN OUR STORE: “Made by Hand,“ by Tom
Fidgen.
Truth. The finished sliding dovetail joint Our products are available online at:
Test. Now slide the tail into its socket; use a should seat firmly in place. If you’ve cut it ■ ShopWoodworking.com
hammer to knock it home. perfectly, you don’t even need glue.

Kumiko Lamp
BY RANEY NELSON
The road to enlightenment is paved

with lots of little strips of wood.
I
am not by nature organized or
detail-oriented. When I was young,
I was the guy with the punk rock
blaring and the messed-up clothes;
the dog often ate my homework. Even
as an adult, attention to detail is not
my strong suit.
So it used to puzzle me why, as a
craftsman, I’m attracted to detailed,
obsessive and small-scale work. You’d
think I’d have made a better chainsaw
sculptor than infill planemaker.
I now realize my shortcomings are
why I gravitate to things that seem
out of character – because while I’m
making tools and furniture I’m also
working on myself. With each proj-
ect, I improve my patience, my focus
and my appreciation for details. And,
in the end, making what’s difficult is
infinitely more satisfying than making
what comes easily.
Though I’m still the unkempt guy
with the music loud, work like this has
made me a better craftsman.
Whether you’re looking for spiritual
attainment, are interested in taking
your hand skills to the next level of
precision or need an excuse to use a
blowtorch, this Japanese-influenced
Andon-style lamp is worth the effort. unfinished, so the surfaces should be
It combines basic hand and power tools planed clean with a sharp blade. The
with a few purpose-made jigs – and a procedure I use to dimension the stock
lot of attention to detail – to produce a also leaves the pieces with a beautiful
beautiful reminder that patience is the surface and an extremely consistent
key to wisdom. thickness.
Plus, you get to set it on fire. Sweet. Starting with boards milled and
planed to 3 ⁄4" thick x 8" wide x 14" long,
Materials joint both edges square and flat. Then
The lamp is basically a four-sided frame Charred. Diffuse-porous mahogany (left) take one or two passes with a sharp
and panel, with an outer structure of keeps some of its color and chatoyance, plane over the jointed edges to finish
flame-charred hardwood (see “Charred thanks to a film coat of shellac. Ring-porous this surface before sawing.
woods such as oak (right) develop great
Finish,” page 40) and interior panels At the band saw, rip the panel-frame
texture as earlywood burns off.
of softwood lattice. strips fi rst, sawing 1 ⁄ 16" over the re-
For the outer structure (the legs), quired 3 ⁄8" to leave enough material
oak, ash and hickory look great with cedars are similar to hinoki, and both to thickness them later. Set the strips
a heavy char, while mahogany and finish beautifully. If you can’t find these, aside and take the board back to the
walnut look best with a lighter char to white pine and basswood also work, jointer, and repeat the steps until you’ve
retain chatoyance and color. though the results are not as crisp. got all your frame stock. Now rip the
For the lattice components, straight- I made a pair of these lamps, one 3 ⁄16", then the 1 ⁄8" kumiko stock using
grained softwoods work best. “Ku- with oak and pine and the other with the same procedure.
miko” is the general term for the strips mahogany and Alaskan yellow cedar.
of wood that go into the lattice, as well Thicknessing Jig
as for the work itself. Traditionally, Kumiko Panels For these short lengths of kumiko, a
Japanese hinoki cypress is the wood of I like to save the fun part (the fire char- simple handplane fi xture does a fine
choice for kumiko. In North America, ring) for later, so I start with the ku- job getting consistent thickness. To
both Alaskan yellow and Port Orford miko frames. All the kumiko are left make the fixture, rabbet three pairs of
Kumiko stock prep. Start with finish-planed 3 ⁄4"-thick boards. Joint both edges flat (left), then
finish plane (center) before band-sawing strips a bit thick (right). This leaves just one surface to
finish-plane after the pieces are cut.
Manual planer. The

final side of the kumiko
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1 ■ Professional shoji paper
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1 ■ Double-sided shoji tape
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Prices correct at time of publication.
34 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTRATIONS BY DAN PESSELL FROM THE AUTHOR’S MODELS
513⁄ 16"
11"
213⁄ 16" 33⁄ 16" 211⁄ 2"
15⁄ 16"
213⁄ 16" 11⁄ 4"
65⁄ 16"
ELEVATION EXPLODED VIEW –

SINGLE PANEL & CROSS SUPPORT
1⁄ 2"
11⁄ 2"
MITER JIGS
Slotted
kumiko offcut
Miter jigs. Nearly all the joinery and cutting of the kumiko happens Adjustable stop. Take an offcut from a kumiko and cut a 5 ⁄16" slot
in these two mitering jigs. Rip a groove about 3 ⁄4" wide x 1⁄2" deep in it for use as a stop in the jig. The stop needs to be about 4" long
in 8/4 stock. For this piece, 16" jigs will let you use both ends for – you can drill several holes to mount it at different parts of the jig
different angles. You need, at minimum, one 90° end, one 45° end for different purposes. You can use pan-head wood screws, but I
and one 22.5° end. recommend drilling and tapping for 1⁄4"-20 machine screws instead.
Trim the shoulders. A zero-set flush-cut
Mitered cheeks. Rip cut at 45° for the tenon saw rough-cuts the cheeks and removes the Pare to fit. Then pare the cheeks with a sharp
cheeks. waste. paring chisel.
interchangeable tracks (3 ⁄8", 3 ⁄16" and same process shown above but rip cut-
1 ⁄8"), then tune them with a shoulder ting at 90°.
plane for exact consistency. Most of the joinery for the inner
The tracks are mounted to a dead frame is done using purpose-made
flat, quartersawn board, plus a few #6 mitering jigs (see “Miter Jigs” on the
wood screws that serve as stops. Thick- previous page). Set the length with the
ness all the 3 ⁄ 8" kumiko strips, then fence piece, and the jig ensures exact
change tracks for the other thicknesses. consistency on all the pieces.
The inner frame of the panel, called
a “tsukeko,” is made from the 3 ⁄8" ku- Lattice
Square cheeks. Rip at 90° for the mortised
miko. I cut the mitered-tenon joinery Now on to the 3 ⁄16" inner latticework.
stile cheeks.
by hand with my thinnest dozuki, but On each frame, there are three horizon-
a good dovetail saw will suffice. (The tal pieces and a single central vertical,
tenons are 1 ⁄4" x 1 ⁄8" x 1 ⁄8".) all joined by half-lap joints. The two length, and they’ll be added once the
For the mortised stiles, I follow the additional vertical dividers are not full- frames are assembled.
Cut the shoulders for the tenon cen-
tered on the end of all pieces. Pop the
Kumiko Lamp waste off with a chisel.
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS Lay out and cut the vertical piece
T W L
by aligning the already-cut horizontal
OUTER FRAME kumiko with its lower edge.
❏ 4 Legs 11⁄2 11⁄2 211⁄2 Mahogany Next, use a pair of the middle piec-
❏ 8 Rails 11⁄4 11⁄4 85⁄16 Mahogany 1" TBE* es to mark the central half-lap on the
❏ 1 Cross support 1⁄ 2 11⁄2 79 ⁄16 Mahogany 1⁄ 2" TBE* remaining eight horizontals. Use the
same middle pieces aligned with the
KUMIKO PANELS, OUTER FRAMES
bottom of the vertical lattices to mark
❏ 8 Rails 3⁄ 8 3⁄ 4 69 ⁄16 Yellow cedar them off; the spacing from the bottom
❏ 8 Stiles 3⁄ 8 3⁄ 4 111⁄4 Yellow cedar is identical.
Finally, lay out the mortises in the
KUMIKO PANELS, GRID
outer frames using one of the vertical
❏ 4 Long verticals 3⁄ 16 3⁄ 4 103⁄4 Yellow cedar 1⁄ 8" TBE*
pieces and one of the outer horizontals.
❏ 8 Short verticals 3⁄ 16 3⁄ 4 213⁄16 Yellow cedar The mortises should be just more than
❏ 12 Horizontals 3⁄ 16 3⁄ 4 61⁄16 Yellow cedar 1⁄ 8" TBE*
KUMIKO PANELS, INSERTS

”Every man-made thing, be it a
❏ 32 Diagonals 1⁄ 8 3⁄ 4 17⁄8 Yellow cedar chair, a text, or a school, is thought
❏ 64 Hinged pieces 1⁄ 8 3⁄ 4 113⁄16 Yellow cedar made substance.“
❏ 64 Keys 1⁄ 8 3⁄ 4 5⁄8 Yellow cedar —Peter Korn (1951-),
from “Why We Make Things and
*TBE = Tenon both ends Why It Matters” (2013)

Half-lap lattice joints.
Start with the center
Sandwiched horizontal pieces,
vertical pieces which have three
evenly spaced laps;
you’ll lay out the verti-
cal laps from this piece
to ensure consistency.
Layout is simple if
you’ve been precise –
Center
Gang-cut. Mark and cut the central horizon- horizontal set a pair of dividers for
tal kumiko carefully; they will be the template pieces (front 11⁄2" and mark off three
for all the other lap joints (as shown at right) & back) lengths from either
as well as for the frame’s mortises. side.
Ready for assembly. Here you can see the joinery on all the pieces that
go together to form the inner structure. Clamp both ways. While the glue cures, I work on the outer structure.
1 ⁄8" in depth – the wood in the mortise Cut the lamp support and fit its ten- bottom of each leg. Pay close attention
tends to compress significantly, so be ons, then drill dead center for the 3 ⁄8" to the orientation of the pieces – only
sure to remove enough material that threaded lamp pipe. the outer faces of the leg are chamfered
spring-back won’t force the pieces out For the legs, mark the mortises and – and leave about 1 ⁄2" of flat area at both
of their mortises. grooves for the kumiko frames, and cut top and bottom.
I don’t usually glue the half-lap the 3 ⁄16"-deep grooves with a router.
joints, which are tightly press-fit. I Then drill and chop the mortises, Light ‘em Up
use a dab of glue in each mortise, and paying close attention to getting the The charred finish on the lantern’s out-
I glue the four corners as well. Though long-grain faces square and smooth. er skeleton is done with a propane or
the frames are tight fits, I leave them Once done with the joinery, cut the MAPP torch. It’s a lot like airbrushing,
in clamps for several hours to ensure large chamfered faces at the top and but with much hotter (and cooler) pig-
a good bond.
Support Group
The outer frame is straightforward.
The four legs are mortised to receive
3 ⁄4"-square, 1"-long tenons, and both the
legs and the rails are grooved to house

the kumiko panels. The rail tenons are
mitered to prevent meeting. That re-
duces the glue surface, so pay attention
to the fit of the mortises, particularly Final shaping. Before lighting them on fire,
at the small inner edge. finish-plane all the outer frame components
and put a large chamfer on the long edges.
One pair of bottom stiles gets cen-
I use a Japanese chamfering plane, which
tered 1 ⁄4"-thick x 1"-wide x 1 ⁄ 2"-deep Stopped grooves. I know of no good way to does a spectacular job of making consistent
mortises for a cross support that will cut these grooves by hand, or I would. Rout- chamfers, but a block plane and some close
house the lamp cord and threaded pipe. ers were made for this. attention does just as well.
ment. Once the pieces are cool enough Diagonal Fret Work
to touch, buff the wax with a lint-free After installing the small vertical divid-
cloth or finish with a few coats of pad- ers, fit in the diagonals for each panel.
ded shellac to enhance the depth. Set the 45° jig fence to 17⁄8" (just a bit
larger than necessary). It’s important to
Fill in the Blanks shoot both faces of one end before flip-
By now the inner frames should be ping the piece end for end, or the length
ready for the insert work. First, cut and will not work out correctly. Check the
install the two remaining 3 ⁄16" vertical fit. Hopefully it’s just a bit too large for
kumiko in each panel. These should be Burnt is the new black. I use a MAPP torch, all the openings, so tap the fence on
cut to a length of 213 ⁄16", with a single, held dead perpendicular to the surface, about the jig and re-shoot one end.
centered half-lap joint in each. This 4"-5" away to char the wood. Once the color Continue until you have the piece
can be marked off with dividers just develops, while each piece is still warm, rub fit to the largest opening, then shoot
with burlap or a Scotch-Brite pad and paste
as the lattices were. another piece to the same size and check
wax to even out the color.
Some words about fitting: Even if its fit in all the remaining slots. If it fits
you’ve been painstaking, there will be any of them – great. Shoot another piece.
small variations in length of the pieces, In this way, when you shoot a piece Once a piece is too large for all the re-
so the miter shooting jigs you made for that is too large for any of the remain- maining openings, tap the fence closed
the tsukeko will be in constant use. ing openings, those few hammer taps a few thou and continue the process.
The best approach when fitting a set will adjust the jig’s fence length and
of pieces is to fit to the largest gap first, allow you to re-shoot it for a perfect fit A Dash of Magic
then systematically shorten the setting in the next-largest slot. Continue this While you might not realize it from look-
of the jig’s fence with hammer taps to process until you’ve fi nished all the ing at the opening photo, the outside-
fit each joint in order of size. installations. angled pieces of each quartered section
are “hinged” – that is, the wood isn’t
CHOP MICRO-MORTISES cut all the way through where it bends.
Sizing the “hinged” pieces is trial
and error, but the same length as the
diagonal in the last step is a good place
to start. Cut and shoot a 17⁄8" kumiko
strip as with the diagonals, but this
time use the 22.5° shooting jig for an
Tiny holes. Cutting such small mortises

requires more finesse than most mortis- Hide the evidence. Use a 1⁄8" chisel to
ing. A single sharp blow with a 1⁄4" chisel pop waste from top and bottom, so that
defines the longer edges and severs the any compression marks will be hidden by
end-grain fibers. the kumiko shoulders when installed.
Taking shape. First install the short vertical

dividers.
And insert. Check your fit and repeat the

initial steps as necessary. With practice,
The perfect pop. Waste should pop out I can get to sufficient depth with a single
like a little spiritual biscuit. “pass” of my chisels. Diagonals in place. Next, cut and install the
diagonal inset pieces.

Folded wood. The “magic” hinges are a result Keyed up. Lock everything in place with the
of careful and controlled sawing. keys and take a deep breath.
See & saw. A utility lamp, shining into the

work at bench level, makes it possible to gauge
by eye the depth at which to stop sawing.
included angle on each end of 45°. Use

a marking gauge to mark a crosscut line
at dead center for sawing.
You’re going to saw this piece al-
most all the way through, but stop just
a few thousandths of an inch short to
leave a hinge that allows the piece to
be folded for installation. This sounds
impossible, but it’s actually not hard if
Stick ’em up. Double-sided tape beats traditional rice glue on all counts.
you work smart. The simplest and best
solution is to use a sharp raking light
that will let you see how close the saw place with light force, locking the entire my local big box store. I recommend
teeth are to the bottom. pattern solidly in place. If there is any an inline cord switch over a socket-
A dab of water on the bottom of the wiggle, the key is too small. Don’t force mounted one to keep from having to
piece will help the hinge pop open a piece, though, because this will dis- reach in to turn the switch.
cleanly; it should fold with nearly no tort (or break) the lattice. Again, work Once the front and rear panels are
force and remain intact. Install the from largest opening to the smallest. dry, install the remaining panels and
piece in one of the panels and check stiles, and do the final glue-up. After
its size. When pressed firmly into the Shoji Paper the glue dries, power up your new lamp
corners, each leg of the hinge should The last step before assembly is to install and enjoy some good punk rock (loud,
just about bisect the corners. If it is too paper on the inside of each panel. Tra- of course) and a beverage while you
long, start over with a slightly shorter ditionally, this was done with rice glue, bask in the glow. PWM
hinge piece. A bad fit will look sloppy, but I find modern shoji tape simpler to
so try to get a good length worked out. install and repair. Put the tape around Raney is an infill planemaker and woodworker at
Cut all the hinge pieces to the same the perimeter of the tsukeko frame and Daed Toolworks (daedtoolworks.com); his shop is
located near Indianapolis, Ind.
length and install them in the panels. remove the backing. With your shoji
paper flat and face up on the bench, put
The Keys the frame on the paper and press gently ONLINE EXTRAS
And now for the final pieces: the keys to adhere the paper. Trim the edges to For links to all online extras, go to:
that lock the hinges and make the pat- the frame with an X-Acto blade.
tern complete. Each key is quite small, To get the paper drum-taut, spritz it WEB SITE: Visit the the Daed Toolworks web
and you’ll have to do the same sort of lightly from the rear with water. This site to see Raney Nelson’s infill planes and
read his blog.
large-to-small sizing as you did for the will make the paper sag slightly, but
TO BUY: For more on Japanese latticework,
diagonals. once it dries (20 minutes) it will be
the author recommends Desmond King’s
Start by crosscutting all the keys tight and seamless. “Shoji and Kumiko Design: Book 1” and
from 1 ⁄8" stock at 5 ⁄8", which should be Toshio Odate’s “Making Shoji.”
oversized. Shoot both faces of one end Wrap it Up & Turn it On IN OUR STORE: Make a simple “Shoji-Paper
on the 22.5° jig. Then shoot the opposite The glue-up is best done in two stages. Lamp,” an article by Christopher Schwarz.
end on the 45° jig and check the fit, Glue the front and rear sections first, Our products are available online at:
resetting the fence and re-shooting as then install the lighting hardware in the ■ ShopWoodworking.com
required. The piece should just slide in cross support. I used a lamp kit from
Charred Finish
BY SETH GOULD
Fire and wax together produce a rich black surface.
F
ire might not be the first finishing and it really stands out on its own. have been hard-pressed to find main-
technique that most woodwork- I don’t claim any ownership over this stream examples of burnt wood used
ers gravitate toward; then again, application, because I am sure at some as a finishing technique.
I am not most woodworkers. point I saw another blacksmith’s handle
As a blacksmith and toolmaker, I done this way. But by now I have done Material Options
am around fire every day, and when I it enough to feel comfortable sharing In my experience, open-grained hard-
began burning my hammer handles, I this technique. woods such as hickory, oak, walnut and
found it to be a simple way to obtain an Beyond the charred oak barrels used mahogany produce the best results for
alluring surface that set my work apart. in distilling spirits and some use of fire this technique. With these, the softer
It is unlike any other finish I have seen, fi nishing in Japanese architecture, I earlywood tends to burn away faster,
leaving a varied surface texture that
looks and feels great after charring.
Woods with a more closed grain,
such as maple and cherry, keep their
smoother surface and don’t turn out
nearly as compelling. Softer woods such
as pine and cypress tend to burn too
quickly and have a ragged appearance.
Beyond the species, two factors to
keep in mind are moisture content and
thickness. If the wood is too wet or too
thin, it is prone to warping or cracking.
Any well-dried wood should be fine,
but stay away from anything green.
I tend not to burn wood that is
less than 5 ⁄8" thick. The smaller
dimensions are unpredictable
and especially prone to bending.
O
One way to combat this is to use
stra
straight-grained wood to help prevent
unw
unwanted movement.
Tools. A torch, some wax and an The Process

Th
abrasive pad are all you need to For a charred finish, you will need a
produce a rich black finish. piece of abrasive cleaning pad (such
pie
as SScotch-Brite), paste wax, a rag and
some sort of flame. I use my acetylene
som
soldering torch, but an inexpensive
sold
propane torch or MAAP torch will work
pro
Results. This hammer handle with a charred
finish has one coat of wax that was added just fine.
while the wood was warm and buffed with a The beauty of the technique is that
T
rag once it cooled. the wood can be surfaced to a rather
rough state, and, through the process
rou
of burning,
b the end result is a refined
surface. I usually don’t go beyond a fine
sur
40 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 ALL PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR EXCEPT “IN FURNITURE” IMAGE, COURTESY OF TOM SHIELDS
In motion. Use the torch to char the wood
evenly, constantly moving so you don’t burn Wax on. Use a liberal amount of wax; the
away too much material in one spot. wood really soaks it up once it liquefies.
“Keep a little fire burning; however

Hot surfaces. This side-by-side comparison small, however hidden.”
shows show how much the charring tech- —Cormac McCarthy (1933-),
nique refines the surface of the wood; there’s American author
no need to sand before burning.
rasp for my shaping and finishing; the partial burning can be an attractive
torch takes care of the rest. alternative as well. Experiment!
When putting the flame to the wood, Next, use your Scotch-Brite pad to
don’t be too aggressive at fi rst. I ap- scoop up some paste wax and aggres-
Fast finish. With about 30 seconds of scour-
proach the wood with the torch and sively rub it into the wood. This works
ing, you can skip an hour of sanding.
move up and down the material so I am best while the wood is still warm so the
not lingering on any one place with the wax melts and spreads around.
heat. By constantly moving the flame, As you scrub, the charred particles more wax to build up the finish, but
the wood will burn evenly and be less will be picked up by the liquid wax and I usually just buff with a rag and call
prone to bending, warping or cracking. help to blend any unevenness. Once you it a day.
Also, if you stay in one spot, you run the have given the piece a good scouring, For me, this technique is purely aes-
risk of burning away too much material wipe off the excess wax and let it cool. thetic, so my experimentation has been
and creating a depression. At this point, if you see any spots rather limited. There are many places
If the wood flares up, I simply blow that seem light or uneven, you can go this finish could be used, though – such
it out and continue burning. I keep go- back and burn a little more. This will as woodworker Tom Shields does on
ing over the piece until I can no longer burn off any wax you have already ap- his contemporary work.
see the color of the wood and there is plied, so you will have to reapply where For another charred finish example,
an even black char on all the surfaces. necessary. see “Kumiko Lamp” on page 33 in this
For some applications, however, When the piece cools, you can add issue. PWM
In furniture. Tom Seth is a metalsmith who lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

His work has appeared in numerous exhibitions and
Shields, who has work
publications, and he regularly lectures on his craft.
in many museum
collections, is a fine
example of a contem-
porary furniture maker ONLINE EXTRAS
who uses the charred
finish technique in his For links to all online extras, go to:
work.
WEB SITE: Visit the author’s web site at seth
gould.com for a look at his metalsmithing.
WEB SITE: See more of Tom Shields’ work at
tomshieldsart.com.
TO BUY: If you like playing with fire, check out
Peter Ross’ blacksmithing videos.
Our products are available online at:
■ ShopWoodworking.com
Curve Appeal BY NEIL CRONK
This stool builds your skills with eight different joints and bent laminations.
C
ompetition is the whetstone
of talent; this was in full effect
when I built this Wharton
Esherick-inspired stool for an online
shop stool build-off hosted by Flair
Woodworks. It was the perfect oppor-
tunity to try out a design that had been
floating around in my head for a few
months – and I won, so I count it as a
success.
The stool provides an exercise in
bent laminations and eight different
joints: angled mortise-and tenons,
both straight and angled drawbored
mortise-and-tenons, a pegged slip joint,
several different types of lap joints,
dovetails and wedged through-tenons.
Broken down step-by-step, this project
is remarkably simple to build – even if
you’re new to the techniques.
Drawing. A full-scale drawing helped me

work out the joinery, but it also serves as a
template for the final design.

I fiddled with the design by drawing BENT LAMINATION FORM
the stool’s profi le full-scale on some
scrap plywood, playing with the pro-
portions of components and joinery for
each connection until I was satisfied.
F or my bent lamination work, I
build a form with the required
radius (in this case, 87⁄16") out of three
Then, I used the full-scale drawing as layers of 3⁄4" plywood. For this form,
a template for the parts, and as I laid the final length and width is approxi-
out some of the joinery. mately 15 x 111⁄2" – those dimensions
I also made a plywood full-scale needn’t be exact; you simply need to
drawing of the bottom to use as a layout be able to fit the clamps.
template, and a router jig to locate the First, lay out the radius on the cor-
handhold on the underside of the seat. ner of a squared-up piece of plywood
White oak was my choice for this then “Price is Right” the line by cut-
project because it bends easily, so I ting as close to it as you can without
knew it would work for the bent lami- going over (I use a band saw, but a jig-
nations on the legs. Also, I just like saw works, too). Clamp the plywood Clamp holes. After gluing up the bend-
working with white oak. ing form, use a Forstner bit to drill 11⁄4"
into a vise and use a spokeshave to
holes for the clamp heads.
fair the curve to your layout line.
Start at the Top Trace the curve onto another
Start by laying out the parts on an 8"- piece of plywood, then cut close to that line and glue and screw it to the first
wide x 8' long 8/4 chunk of white oak piece, leaving a small amount overhanging the edges.
and rough-cut all but the leg stock. For Use a pattern bit in a handheld router to match it to the first piece, then
the legs, select one full-width piece of repeat this step once
stock that’s at least 283 ⁄16" long (try to more to get to three
3 layers of
find a piece with a rift-sawn edge for layers in total. 3⁄ 4" plywood
87⁄ 16" 3"
the curved laminations). Working with Set a combination radius
an uncut piece makes it easier and safer square to 3" and draw
to joint then cut the bent-lamination a line in from the
plies on the band saw. edge, then drill 11⁄4" 11⁄ 4" dia. 111⁄ 2"
The seat is 11" wide, so if you don’t holes centered on
have a board wide enough you’ll have that line for the clamp
to glue up two pieces; try to slip-match heads.
them to provide the illusion of a single Cut six 21⁄4"-wide
piece. Clamp and set that glue-up aside strips of 1⁄8"-thick Bal-
to dry while you work on the curved tic birch plywood to
15"
portion of the legs. act as clamping cauls.
With the leg material planed to 11 ⁄2" — NC FORM PLAN
thick, draw carpenters’ triangles on
the face so you can get the plies back
in the same order after milling them.
Rip 1 ⁄ 8"-thick strips off the edge,
jointing between each cut.
Cut 13 strips for each leg, then plane
them to 3 ⁄32" to make up the 11 ⁄4"-thick
bent laminations. The remaining wood
is the stock for both of the straight legs.
For lamination glue-ups, I’ve used
both Old Brown Glue (liquid hide glue)
and polyurethane Gorilla Glue. Both
work well and have rigid glue lines,
though I had a bit more squeeze-out
to clean up with the Gorilla. I know
many woodworkers prefer plastic resin
Lamination plys. I use the band
glue for laminations because there’s no saw to rip 26 1⁄8"-thick strips for Now plane. If, like mine, your planer has a minimum
creep, but I didn’t have any on hand. the bent lams. The remaining depth of 1⁄8", add a melamine or smooth plywood sub-
(See “Bent Lamination Form” for how stock is for the straight legs. base to get to the required 3 ⁄32" thickness.
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTRATIONS BY DONNA R. HILL popularwoodworking.com ■ 43

11"
141⁄ 2"
65°
87⁄ 16" R
26"
273⁄ 16
92°
1111⁄16" 125⁄ 8"
135⁄ 8"
81⁄ 2"
1"
7⁄ 16"
12
37⁄ 16"
11⁄ 4"
PROFILE 3D VIEW
I construct a jig for this process – and the clamps. The two at the back are 1 ⁄2" thick x 1"
you’ll need two forms, or time for two Start with a big bar clamp at the end wide, located 1 ⁄2" from the back edge
sessions of lamination bending.) that will have the bridle joint, then and 11 ⁄8" from the sides; they get cut to
If you’re using polyurethane glue, work your way out from there with F- a 1" depth. The two at the front are 7⁄8"
spritz water onto both sides of the plies style clamps. Use your hip to push the thick x 1" wide, located 7⁄8" in from the
(not necessary with hide glue or plastic plies toward the form as you add and front and 15 ⁄8" in from the sides; they
resin) then spread the glue on, stacking tighten each clamp. get cut to a depth of 5 ⁄8".
the plies together one at a time. With Remove most of the mortise waste
the triangles lined up, wrap masking Seat Mortises & Tenons with a Forstner bit at the drill press.
tape around one end to make it easier With the seat milled to final size, lay With the same setup, cut through-
to align the plies as you start adding out the four mortises on the underside. mortises on one edge of the plywood
Work around. The first

clamp to apply is the bar
clamp across the end; then
work around the form Bar clamp
using F-style clamps to pull
everything tight.
Waste away. A Forstner bit makes quick work

of removing the bulk of the mortise waste on
the underside of the top.

15⁄ 8"
7⁄ 8"
1⁄ 4"-radius
7⁄ 8"
23⁄ 4" roundover
1"
15⁄ 8"
371⁄ 2° 3"
bevel
1"
1⁄ 2"
1⁄ 2"
11⁄ 8"
SEAT PLAN
EXPLODED VIEW
Reference
mark
power jointer.
Now edge-joint the bent lamina-
tions. Make sure the convex side is rid-
ing flat against the fence and confirm
that the edges are square before planing
them to a final thickness of 11 ⁄4".
Reference mark. Before you take off the Line up the marks indicating the
clamps, make a pencil mark where the flat Cleanup. A small block plane makes quick starts of the flats on the bent lamina-
starts. work of cleaning off glue squeeze-out.
tions, then clamp and screw the ends
together in the offcut area.
seat template, widening the one for the to 11 ⁄4" square. Cut both ends to 25°, As is to be expected, I had a small
straight legs (at the front) to 31 ⁄2". That leaving an extra 1" at the bottom to al- amount of spring-back when I pulled
way, you can use the same holes to lay low for leveling the stool after glue-up. the bent legs out of the clamps. To fix
out the half-lap locations for both the Before fully removing the clamps
right and left leg intersections. (See the from the laminations (wait at least 24 “It is far better to work with one
jig in use on page 48.) hours), mark the edge where the flats plane, one saw, one chisel and a
Use a bench chisel to clean up the start so you can easily match up the pair. few accessories, all of them good,
corners for the four mortises in the seat Now transfer the marks from the honest steel, properly sharpened,
bottom and double-check to make sure edge to the inside faces so you don’t than it is to have a cellar full of
they’re the correct depth. lose them when the edges are jointed. inadequate devices.”
Clean up the drilled mortise corners I use a block plane to clean up the
— “How to Work With Tools and Wood,”
on your seat template, too. foamy squeeze-out from the Gorilla Stanley Tools (1942)
Now mill the pair of straight legs Glue before jointing the edge with my
For the straight-leg layout, use the
full-scale drawing to locate and mark
the tenon shoulders using a square and
a bevel gauge set to 25° to wrap the
line around. Show the legs to their seat
mortises to mark out the cheeks. I use a
square and marking knife to mark those
lines from the end to the shoulder line.
I cut these with a handsaw then fit
them to their mortises.
Join Stub Legs to Curved Legs

With the stub legs milled to 11 ⁄4" square
x 145 ⁄8" long (that includes an extra 1"
Small adjustments. With only minor spring- for leveling), use a marking gauge set to
back at the joinery surface, it was an easy the thickness of the curved legs (11 ⁄4") to
call to remove a small amount of material to mark the square shoulder for the bridle
flatten the joinery surface. Such minor adjust- joint on the backside of the stub legs.
ments are invisible in the finished piece.
Set your bevel gauge to knife in the
angled shoulders of the male portion
a bevel gauge set to 2° to lightly transfer of the bridle joint, then square across
that up the sides; use a square to mark the front.
Joint. With the outside edge riding on the the shoulder on the inside face of the To lay out a bridle joint, I like to use
fence, joint the laminated glue-ups to 11⁄4" curve. I use a pencil to mark the ends of a dual-wheel marking gauge with both
thick. Make sure the pieces are square.
the part, again wrapping around the pair. cutters set to the same measurement.
I cut the bent laminations to length With one bevel facing in and one bevel
this, I simply used a block plane and using a handsaw with the help of a facing out, I can use it to lay out both
spokeshave to remove a small amount bench hook, holdfast and clamp. Be- the male and female parts of the joint
of material where the front stub leg fore cutting, wrap some tape around with the same gauge. Use the stem with
attaches, bringing the piece back into them to hold the pair together after the the cutter’s bevel facing the gauge’s
line with my template. screwed ends are cut free. head to lay out the male portion of the
With everything squared up, place With the bent laminations and joint. Use the other stem to lay out the
the curved bits on the full-scale draw- straight legs cut to size, and the tenon female portion of the joint. This gauge
ing and, with a marking knife, mark shoulders laid out, lay out the tenon set-up will ensure accurate knife lines.
the locations of the 1 ⁄2"-thick x 1"-wide cheeks on the top of the bent lamina- Lay out the cheeks using the gauge
seat-tenon shoulders. Use a square to tion. I find it hard to see gauge lines on set to 3 ⁄8" – leaving 1 ⁄2" in the middle –
help carry the marks around both parts. white oak, so sometimes I put some then cut to those lines on the band saw
For the female part of the bridle joint, green tape on the end grain before lay- or with a rip saw, depending on your
knife in the shoulder of the joint on the out. When I gauge the lines, it cuts the preference. I cut the shoulders with a
bottom outside joinery surface, then use tape; that makes the cutline easy to see. crosscut saw and used a coping saw to
Straight-leg tenon. Use the full-scale drawing

Taped up. Tape helps to hold the bent lamina- Cheeky. Colored tape helps me see and cut to to locate the layout for the tenons atop the
tions together as you cut them to length. my knife lines. straight legs.

‘Curve Appeal’ Stool
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
T W L
❏ 1 Seat 15⁄16 11 141⁄2 White oak Bevel sides and front

❏ 2 Long legs 11⁄4 11⁄4 283⁄16* White oak Tenon one end
❏ 2 Curved legs 11⁄4** 11⁄4 215⁄16 White oak Tenon one end
❏ 2 Stub legs 11⁄4 11⁄4 145⁄8* White oak
❏ 2 Side stretchers 3⁄ 4 1 127⁄16 White oak
❏ 1 Rear stretcher 3⁄ 4 13⁄8 1111⁄16 White oak Dovetail both ends
❏ 1 Foot rest 1 13⁄4 125⁄8 White oak Tenon both ends
*Includes extra for leveling **Final size; start with 21⁄2" or thicker stock to account for Dual cutters. Set both blades to the same
lamination saw kerfs measurement and use one gauge for the mat-
ing parts to ensure accurate lines.
remove the middle waste. Clean up to

the lines with a chisel.
To glue up this joint, make a curved
block screwed and glued to a 1 ⁄8" ply- Tail
wood caul with the end cut square and
in line with the joint. With a couple of
notched cauls, glue up the joints with
liquid hide glue. When the glue is dry,
drill a 1 ⁄4" hole in the center of the joints,
Bridle joint glueup.
then pin them with a riven oak dowel. A curved caul with
a “tail” that registers
Dovetailed Stretcher along the length of the
For the dovetailed rear stretcher, cut curve will help you
clamp this joint to-
a 1 ⁄4" deep rabbet, 15 ⁄16" from the end
gether as the glue sets.
of the stretcher. This makes it easy to
register the stretcher to the leg as you
mark the baseline for the second tail. the tight-fitting mortise and place the gauge set to 3 ⁄8" to mark the baselines.
Plus, it reduces the thickness of the tail, straight leg into the slotted mortise, I use a wide chisel to deepen and
so its socket is 1 ⁄2" deep to maintain the making sure the shoulders are tight. notch the straight shoulders on the
legs’ structural integrity. Place a clamp across where they curved legs; that creates a shoulder
Then, with the straight legs in their meet. Lightly mark out the shoulders that serves as a guide for a perfect saw
seat mortises, butt the rabbeted shoul- of the half-laps, then extend the lines cut. On the straight legs, remove the
der of the stretcher against its leg and down the edges and use a marking bulk of the waste and pare with a small
mark the other shoulder with a knife.
Mark that shoulder and again cut a
rabbet. Now lay out and cut the dove-
tail pins (I like a 10° slope). Locate the
stretcher at its final location across the
straight legs, then scribe the sockets
and mark the baselines on the legs.
Remove the stretcher, cut the edges
of the socket and add a few more kerfs
in the waste to make it easier to chisel
the waste out. After removing the bulk
of the waste with a chisel, clean up to
the baseline with a router plane. Fit
the joint, but don’t glue it up just yet.
Mark the stretcher. A rabbeted shoulder on Sockets. Place the stretcher in its final loca-
Leg Half-lap Joints one end makes it easy to register the stretcher tion, then use a clamp across the legs to pull
Using the plywood seat template, against the leg as you mark the shoulder loca- them tight to the rabbeted shoulders. Mark
place the bent-lamination tenon into tion at the other end. the dovetail sockets on the legs.
Half-lap waste. After
cutting a series of kerfs
with a handsaw, I use
a chisel to remove the
bulk of the half-lap
waste. A router plane
cleans things up for
final fitting.
Lap layout. With the legs registered in the
seat layout jig, clamp across where they meet,
then mark the shoulder locations on each the top of the stub legs. I mark them leg; I call it a “triple tenon” (only the
piece for the half-lap joint. on one face, then lightly wrap the lines center portion is integral to the joint).
around to the opposite face to ensure To make it, cut the center tenon 1 ⁄2"
chisel to establish the curved shoulder. they align. wide, then cut the shoulders of the short
Use a router plane to clean up the floor Using a drill press and Forstner ears. Cut the center tenon to final thick-
on both halves. bit, remove the bulk of the waste com- ness with a handsaw, then fit it with
ing from both sides, then clean up the a router plane as necessary. Slide the
Footrest: Wedged Tenons corners with a chisel. Though this is a tenon into the mortise and mark the
To lay out the through-mortises for wedged mortise, I cut and fit everything outside cheeks, then cut them with a
the footrest’s wedged tenons, align the straight, then flare the mortise. handsaw. Remove the middle waste
stub-leg tops and clamp them together. The footrest has one through-tenon with a coping saw and chisel.
Now mark 3 ⁄4"-long x 1 ⁄ 2"-wide that will be wedged and two ears that When wedging a tenon, I saw the
through-mortises, 27 ⁄ 8" down from wrap around the front and back of the tenon kerfs, insert the wedges, then
measure the tenon width so I know
how much to flare its mortise (in this
case, 1 ⁄8"). Lay out the extents of the
flare, then cut the slopes with a chisel.
Drawbored Side Stretchers

The side stretchers are installed with
angled mortise-and-tenon joints that
Measured flare. Insert the

wedges into the unseated
mortise, then measure the
Through-mortise layout. Here’s the marked layout for the flare. Use a chisel to pare the
footrest’s mortises. mortise
Guided paring. A block

cut to the desired angle
(in this case, 25°) helps
guide your chisel for
perfect paring.
Eased corners. The ”ears“ of the footrest’s

front get rounded with a rasp and files.

are drawbored into the straight legs and side stretchers and the dovetailed rear
attached with a drawbored lap joint to stretcher. (Again, after the glue dries
the front stub legs. flush and clean up the joints as needed.)
Lay out the 3 ⁄8"-thick x 3 ⁄4"-wide x Finally, glue the legs into the seat
1"-deep mortise, 1 ⁄4" in from the outside bottom, using angled cauls to seat the
edge of the long straight legs. Hog out clamps at the front and pull that joint
the angled mortises at the drill press, tight (see photo at left). Drawbore the
then use a purpose-made ramp to guide tenon atop the curved leg through the
your chisel as you pare the 25° slopes. back edge of the seat; no clamps are
Lay out the tenons to match and cut needed there.
them. I cut the shoulders and cheeks Before finishing, the stool needs to
with handsaws and tweak them as be leveled. To do this, I place it on my
needed with a router plane. bench (a known level surface) and in-
This joint gets drawbored, so with sert wedges under the legs as necessary
a piece of scrap in the mortise (to help until the stool is level to the bench.
limit the depth), drill a centered 1 ⁄4" Then, using a block of wood that’s
hole, 3 ⁄8" in from the edge. just thicker than the wedges, set a pen-
To mark the drawbore, insert the cil on that block, and mark around the
matching tenon and, with the shoul- Take it in stages. Glue up is best done in a bottom of each. Cut to the lines with a
well thought-out order, and in stages.
ders tight, use a 1 ⁄4" drill bit to mark crosscut saw. (You might also wish to
the center of the hole. lightly chamfer the edges of the legs to
Remove the tenon and offset the flats between them with a jigsaw and keep them from splintering at the bot-
hole center 1 ⁄16" toward the shoulder, clean them up with a rasp. Attach a tom corners as the stool gets dragged
then drill. piece of 3 ⁄4" plywood to serve as a fence, across a floor.)
Re-insert the rear tenon and pull then center the template on the seat and Before applying a finish, break all
it in place with a drawbore pin, then clamp it in place. Rout the waste with the edges with #220-grit sandpaper
mark and cut the lap-joint layout on a template bit to a depth of 5 ⁄8". I used a and clean up any remaining tool marks
the front leg and stretcher. Drill 1 ⁄4" 1 ⁄4" radius bit to round over the edges. or marks from the clamps. Also cast
drawbore holes for the half-lap, too. To lighten the seat, cut a bevel on a close eye over the piece to look for
the bottom of the front and both sides. any glue squeeze-out; clean up with
Shapely Seat & Footrest I set my table saw to 371 ⁄2°, and, start- sandpaper or scrapers as necessary.
Now you’re ready to excavate the han- ing with the end grain sides, made the To finish the piece, I applied a wash-
dle on the bottom of the seat, bevel its cuts. Clean up the tool marks with a coat of one-pound-cut shellac, followed
underside edges and shape the footrest. block plane. by two coats of polymerized tung oil
Make a handle template out of 3 ⁄4" With a block plane, rasp and file, (with ample drying time between
plywood by drilling two 15 ⁄8" holes 3" round over the front edges of the foot- coats) that I applied by wet-sanding
apart, 23 ⁄4" in from the edge. Cut the rest and chamfer the back edges. with #600-grit wet/dry sandpaper for
a smooth finish. PWM
All Together Now
Before gluing up, make sure all surfaces Neil is a woodworker, toolmaker and furniture de-
have been smoothed with a handplane, signer in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. You can see more
of his work at cronkwrightwoodshop.com.
spokeshave or card scraper (or sandpa-
per, if that’s your preference).
As with most projects, this one is
glued up in stages, with ample drying
ONLINE EXTRAS
time between each. ■ popularwoodworking.com/apr15
With the legs in position on the seat
WEB SITE: Visit the author’s web site for a look
to keep things properly aligned, glue up at his other furniture pieces and tools.
the wedged through-mortise footrest
PLAN: Download the SketchUp model for
on the front legs, and the rear draw- this project.
bored mortise-and-tenon joint of the
TO BUY: “Chairs & Benches,” a collection of
side stretchers to the back legs. After 17 seating projects from Popular Wood-
the glue is dry, flush and clean up the working Magazine.
Get a handle on it. A router template makes it joints as needed. Our products are available online at:
quick and easy to cut a handle on the under- Next, glue up the leg half-lap joints, ■ ShopWoodworking.com
side of the seat. the front drawbored lap joint on the
Built in Baltimore. While many people
associate Jennie Alexander’s chairs with
country woodcraft, she lives in urban
Baltimore, where she developed the
design for her chair.
Make a O f all the unusual twists and

turns in the life of Jennie
(formerly John) Alexander,
Revolution
surely the most incredible
has been to be pronounced dead in the
media while being very much alive.
When her second woodworking
book was released, “Make a Joint Stool
from a Tree
from a Tree” (Lost Art Press), some re-
viewers said she was deceased; others
assumed “Jennie” was John’s widow.
So let’s set that fact aside – John is
now Jennie – because it has nothing to
do with Alexander’s incredible wood-
working career, the iconic chair she
B Y C H R I S TO P H E R S C H WA R Z designed or her profound influence on
woodworking during the last 37 years.
A curious attorney helped Alexander’s first book, “Make a
Chair from a Tree” (Taunton Press and
kick-start ‘green woodworking’ later Astragal Press), was the 1978 light-
ning bolt that ignited the woodworking
with a single chair and a book. passions of thousands of woodworkers
and brought “green woodworking”
50 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR EXCEPT WHERE NOTED
out of the forest and into the modern “I was bored,” she says. “I was in-
workshop. Even after the book went out terested in music.”
of print, the chair continued to inspire She founded a repertory jazz trio
through a DVD of the same name pub- and played around Baltimore, playing
lished by ALP Productions. piano in bars instead of studying. She
The chair that is featured in the book left Johns Hopkins and went to night
and DVD is both old and new. While school to study mathematics. Then
it is based on traditional ladderbacks she quit that, got a job as a draughts-
and deep-lignin science, Alexander’s man and then at a war plant – all while
chair is not tied to a particular period singing and playing jazz piano with the
or style. Its parts are shaved instead of Southland Trio.
turned. It looks at home in a log cabin or But one morning, Alexander was
an urban loft. It weighs almost nothing lying in bed unable to sleep and heard
but is as strong as a suspension bridge. Broken chairs. Alexander’s research has been a voice from her childhood speaking
And it is definitely the most comfort- informed by many bits of research, including to her. It was the voice of Snowball, a
looking at bits of chairs that have broken to
able all-wood chair I have ever sat in. voice on the radio show “Uncle Bill
learn why they failed.
There is something about the back and Snowball,” which featured a blind
that is simply incredible. The two slats banjo player who would sing in the high
hit you in the right place, and the back cluding a post-and-rung chair with a falsetto voice of Snowball.
legs are curved in a way that pleases fiber seat. “It had always been there,” “Go to law school,” Snowball said.
your eye and your muscular system. Alexander says about the chair. “I liked Alexander took the disembodied ad-
As soon as I sat in one of her chairs, that chair. It was comfortable, low and vice and by 3:15 that afternoon had
I knew I had to make one. stocky but had an elevated air to it.” enrolled in law school at the University
I’m not alone. Thousands of chair- Alexander attended Baltimore City of Maryland at Baltimore.
makers have been smitten with the Polytechnic Institute, a four-year high Alexander graduated law school
design. And many of them, such as school that specialized in engineering – in four years instead of three because
chairmaker Brian Boggs, went on to graduating there would give her a year’s she decided to attend night classes to
become professionals. So if you are one head start at university. In high school prevent her from playing jazz on week-
of the tens of thousands of people who she studied engineering with extensive nights. After coming in first on the bar
now build chairs from green wood or shop work, from combustion to elec- exam, Alexander married “a wonderful
carve spoons or bowls, you are almost tricity to woodworking – things that girl” named Joyce, now deceased, and
certainly part of the lineage that began stuck in her scientific mind and would started a traditional law career. Which
– in part – with a Baltimore boy who come in handy later on when bending might have been the end of the story if
was handy around the house. chair parts with heat and moisture. it weren’t for meeting Charles Hummel
After graduating, Alexander en- at Delaware’s Winterthur Museum.
Obey Snowball rolled at Johns Hopkins University as
Born in December 1930, Alexander was a sophomore to study engineering. But Shaker Chairs
the son of a mother who was a secre- she was shocked to learn the school was Like many young people, Alexander
tary to the president of an insurance teaching the same material from high and Joyce fixed up an old house; Alex-
company. She would leave a to-do list school, but to four decimal points of ander started reading English books on
for Alexander to tackle after coming precision instead of two. traditional trade, including chairmak-
home at night. She arranged for Bou-
levard Hardware to provide tools from Almost homemade.
the store’s extensive stock of Stanley Alexander enjoys mak-
ing effective tools from
tools. Jerry and Miss Irma at Boulevard
inexpensive raw materi-
filled the bill. als. Here, she made a
The owner also gave Alexander useful side hatchet from
handouts on tool use that were printed a standard double-
by Stanley Tools, which Alexander kept bevel hatchet.
in a three-ring binder, including a guide
to sharpening and using hand tools.
“That,” she says, “was my bible.”
Another important part of the home
picture was that Alexander’s mother, a
former Sloyd student in Massachusetts,
had collected some old furniture, in-
‘Make a Chair’ on a chair. Alexander’s first
book – “Make a Chair from a Tree” – sitting
Boring the joints. Alexander demonstrates boring the mortises in a leg using a benchtop fixture on a chair made by Larry Barrett, one of
that simplifies the process. Alexander’s many students.
ing. She fixed up a fishing boat (which In the meantime, Alexander joined says. “Kelsey also hired Bruce Hoad-
later became a pond for storing wet the Early American Industries Associa- ley to read the text. Hoadley advised
wood for chairmaking), started making tion (EAIA) and met Charles Hummel, Kelsey, and I listened to every word.”
stools and decided to make some chairs. author of the book “With Hammer in
“I called a firewood man and said Hand” (University Press of Virginia) ‘Make a Chair From a Tree’
I want a hickory log so long and so and a curator at Winterthur. “Make a Chair from a Tree” was the
straight,” Alexander says. Later on, With Hummel’s guidance, Alex- first woodworking book published by
“I hear a great sound at the back. He’s ander became an expert on antique Taunton Press, Alexander says. At the
dropping off hickory logs. Don’t ask me chairs made by the Dominy family on time, the new magazine was just getting
how I broke those down to get them on Long Island, including one interesting started working on books with Tage
the lathe. But it’s time to make a chair. chair in the study collection that could Frid and Bruce Hoadley, but Alexan-
I got those legs up on the lathe, and the be disassembled when the humidity is der was ready to go, says Kelsey, the
lathe was jumping across the room. low (she was permitted by the museum then-editor.
“When the rough, split spindle fi- to disassemble the chair, by the way). “I remember thinking it was a per-
nally turned round, 6'-long sopping- All of this led Alexander to experi- fect topic for the then-new Fine Wood-
wet strands of hickory traveled up the ment with wet wood. To test theory af- working audience, the concept was so
gouge and hung themselves up on my ter theory on joinery, moisture content elemental and fundamental, and so
right ear. I said, ‘I will never go to the and how wood behaves. Some of the unlike anything then in print; it cut to
lumberyard again.’” chairs work fine. Some do not. the very core of what we were trying
And she never has. At some point she decided to write to do,” Kelsey says. “At the same time,
Alexander and Joyce were fascinated a book about her chairs and traveled to the publisher, Paul Roman, had a more
by the Shakers. They made several trips New England in 1977 at the suggestion conventional view of our woody audi-
to the Sabbathday Lake Shaker commu- of fellow craftsman Richard Starr. Al- ence and judged it a risky proposition,
nity in New Gloucester, Maine, where exander says she and Starr visited John perhaps a very hard sell. But we didn’t
Sister Mildred there became Joyce’s Kelsey, the editor of Fine Woodworking
“spiritual guide.” Alexander decided to magazine, at his home with a draft of
make a Shaker chair with a one-slat back. the manuscript for “Make a Chair from “The faster a thing is created, the
“So I made some very clunky Shaker a Tree” (Alexander says she “just hap- more fleeting its permanence.”
chairs with one slat and we used fake pened to have the draft in hand”). —Friedensreich Hundertwasser
(1928-2000),
twisted paper (instead of rush or tape “Kelsey read the draft overnight and Austrian artist & architect
for the woven seat),” she says. hired me in the morning,” Alexander

WHAT MAKES A ‘JENNIE’ CHAIR?
D uring a 2014 interview with Jennie Alexander, she

explained some of the features of her chair that she
thought were critical to its strength, comfort and beauty.
On assembly:
“I assemble the side frames first, which is a pain in the
butt. I put chairs together with a long bar clamp. The joint
Here are a few of her comments. has a slight interference fit of .01". When you assemble
it, it sounds like small arms fire – you have an oversized
On support: bone-dry tenon going into a slightly moist mortise, and
“What is the lumbar spine about? Slat-chair people drive it in squawking.
want to use seven slats – some slats are above your head. “The sides of the tenon are removed (sometimes a
Is the chair beautiful? Oh yes, it’s a wooden octopus. traditional technique) to ensure that the effective bond is
But is it comfortable? Some day you are going to find the between the domes of the tenon’s ray plane with the end
lumbar spine.” grain of the mortise. And that’s the Alexander chair.”
On her chair design in comparison to a ladderback
kitchen chair: A look inside.
“My first one-slat chairs were too heavy with hickory This cutaway
sample shows
and big parts. I asked: Can we lighten it up? I always
how the tenons
thought of the kitchen chair. That is a masterpiece. interlock in one
“The mule ear of the back legs – curved slats and of Alexander’s
back posts are a comfort to the spine. It looks good. And chairs.
it is hard to do. My slats are thin and flexible. I’ve lost only
one of them in 45 years to a split.
On chair construction:
“I interlock the tenons in a way that withstand for-
ward and back movement – the bane of all chairs. I want
every rung to share the shock. It’s like grass in the wind.
They all share the load.”
know, and it wasn’t going to be a huge

investment of time or money, so we
agreed to jump and find out.”
Kelsey and Starr traveled to Balti-
more to work on the book with Alexan-
der. Roman, the magazine’s publisher,
shot the photos, Alexander says. The
team worked to shape up the manu-
script for its 1978 release. (Upon reflect-
ing on the process, Alexander says she
was “eternally grateful” for Starr’s help
in particular.)
Meanwhile, Alexander continued Chair in use. While Peter Follansbee was
to investigate chair technology and the joiner at Plimoth, he would use this chair
made by Alexander to explain some aspects
offered huge changes right up until the
In the country. Peter Follansbee, Theodore of joinery and chair technology.
moment the book went to press – an
and Jennie during their early days at Country
unconventional way to make a book
Workshops.
(or a chair for that matter). Alexander switched to shaving the
One of the biggest last-minute chairs instead of turning them. Kelsey
changes was in how the parts were “I was down in the shop kicking then had to re-write the book, Alex-
shaped. Alexander had been using a stuff. I didn’t know what to do,” Alex- ander says.
lathe to turn the components. But right ander says. “Joyce gives me a cup of tea. “But we wanted a great little gem of
before an EAIA meeting, Alexander was She says, ‘You shave stuff eight-sided to a book, and we didn’t want to be issu-
told she couldn’t use a lathe because it put it on the lathe don’t you? Well keep ing revised editions within a year or
was too dangerous to the audience if going.’” Alexander went to the meeting two, so we rode the pony right to the
something flew loose. and returned with a shaved chair. ground,” Kelsey says.
“Make a Chair from a Tree” hit the good-sized log. He (drew out) the joint
market in 1978 with multiple adver- on the junk mail on his table. I rose to
tisements in the magazine that were the bait.”
supported by articles from Drew Lang- That moment launched a long cor-
sner and Alexander on green-wood respondence between Alexander and
techniques and technology. Kelsey says Follansbee, who would swap letters
the book – 128 pages in an unusual and photographs from their homes
9" x 9" format – was a hard sell with in Baltimore and Massachusetts. And
most readers. But it was aimed right eventually the letters led to the book
between the eyes of Peter Follansbee “Make a Joint Stool from a Tree,” which
in Massachusetts. explored 17th-century joinery and
“I was in my shop with a table saw stock preparation.
and a drill press,” Follansbee says. “I This dunking into the world of green
think I was trying to make a bookcase. woodworking led Follansbee to become
With those two articles I was just cap- the joiner at Plimoth Plantation for
tured.” more than 20 years, where he contin-
Follansbee bought the book, started ued to explore 17th-century furniture.
making chairs and in 1980 saw that Al- “All in all, (Alexander) has been a
exander was teaching a class at Country huge part of my life,” Follansbee says.
Workshops in North Carolina. Though Early on. Alexander at Country Workshops in
1979 with Geli Courpas, her first apprentice.
Follansbee didn’t drive a car, he found Country Workshops
a way to the school via an airplane, two Follansbee was similar to many wood-
buses and 25 miles of hitchhiking and Foreman, Robert Trent and Hummel workers who discovered green wood-
walking. In time he became a regular at Winterthur were also researching. working through “Make a Chair from
at the school, and he and Alexander They helped open the door for Alex- a Tree.” He started with the book and
became friends through a love for green ander’s research in giving her access ended up studying it deeply under the
woodworking and a twisted sense of to old pieces. direct tutelage of Alexander at Country
humor. “He (Alexander) was looking for Workshops in rural North Carolina.
At the time, Alexander was explor- someone to test his theories,” Follans- Drew and Louise Langsner founded
ing theories of how case pieces had bee says. “He was practicing law and Country Workshops in 1978 shortly
been made using 17th-century green- didn’t have time to build a complex after the couple had written a book
woodworking techniques such as piece. So I ended up saying, ‘I’ll go fart titled “Handmade,” and Drew had
riving stock, and joinery techniques around with some of this.’ I had given just finished a book called “Country
including drawboring that Benno up all my power tools. I had found a Woodcraft.”
DREW LANGSNER ON POST-&-RUNG CHAIRS
W hen I first learned to make post-and-rung chairs I was thinking that

structurally they lacked triangulation, but that (adding triangulating
structures) would be very challenging with the post-and-rung construction.
It wasn’t until I dug down into trying to understand Japanese timber
framing that I realized that the lack of triangles (“braces” in conventional
American and British timber-frames) is what makes the post-and-rung chair
so sturdy. Particularly in Jennie Alexander’s very light version. Under impact
and load, the (chair’s) frame springs around; this disperses the load over a
wide area.
With triangulation, the frame is stiff and loads tend to accumulate at the
triangle apexes; they can come loose. The Japanese house frame without
braces flexes during their many earthquakes. The roof geometry is a big tri-
angle, but there’s no joinery up there. All the poles are lashed together and
therefore wiggly when the frame below moves.
But Alexander and John Kelsey were able to show that the major stress/
failure on a chair has little to do with load. It’s almost all the result of count-
Ready for comfort. The back legs of Alexan-
less fluctuations in moisture content within the joint. der’s chairs are shaved to shape, steam-bent
— Drew Langsner, Country Workshops, countryworkshops.org and then placed in these forms to dry, ensur-
ing they hold their shape.
54 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 COUNTRY WORKSHOPS PHOTO BY DREW LANGSNER.
“Almost as soon as that book comes
out I get a letter from John who was very
excited about the book,” Drew says.
The two resolved to meet when Drew
traveled to New England to speak at
the Woodcraft Supply store.
During the visit, Drew invited Alex-
ander to Country Workshops to teach
a class on building a simple stool. That
class soon evolved into a class on build-
ing a simple chair with one slat and
finally the chair that appeared on the
cover of “Make a Chair from a Tree.”
And Country Workshops became
the flash point for woodworkers who
wanted to explore traditional wood-
working in a deep way that was rooted
both in tradition and science.
Even today, people come from all
Sitting pretty. Alexan-
over the world to study chairmaking
der’s chair (foreground)
at Country Workshops, many of them with a simple antique
inspired by Alexander’s incredibly ladderback behind.
lightweight chair. You can see both the
“In fact, some students (from Aus- similarities in form but
the vast differences in
tralia) were here last week were sent
style.
here by Jennie,” Louise says. “She is
always encouraging people. I think that
is a special thing about her – generosity. sentially a historical ladderback design clunky,” Drew says. “John’s are really
“Woodworking is such a special that appears over and over. slender and elegant. How he came up
part of her life and she wants to share.” But Alexander was not content to with that look I don’t know. But the
So what is it about Alexander’s chair just build a reproduction and call it look changed everything.
that still continues to inspire people to done. Alexander, a jazz singer, likes to “He refined the chair just perfectly.”
build it? Drew says it’s interesting to explore variations on a theme. In fact, Drew says he’s about to start
him because Alexander’s chair is es- “The Appalachian chairs were a little making a set of them for their house
and daughter. And they were going to
be exactly the same chair shown on the
cover of “Make a Chair from a Tree.”
“It’s like Alexander took an old piece
of music,” Drew says. “She’s following
all the 300-year-old notes and making
it new again.” PWM
Chris is the editor at Lost Art Press and is working with

Alexander to produce a new revised edition of
“Make a Chair from a Tree.”
ONLINE EXTRAS
WEB SITE: Visit Jennie Alexander’s site.
TO BUY: “Make a Chair from a Tree” DVD.
WEB SITE: Take a class at Country Workshops.
Our products are available online at:

Still shaving. Alexander’s Baltimore shop is light and airy, despite its location in a densely popu- ■ ShopWoodworking.com
lated urban area. Green woodworking doesn’t have to happen in the country.
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ARTS & MYSTERIES BY PETER FOLLANSBEE
Work Begun
Forget the stockpile of wood; what about the stock of partial projects?
W
hen building furniture,
some woodworkers keep
a stockpile of lumber on
hand and draw from their stacks as
they begin a new project. Others buy
enough lumber (with some extra) for
each piece they are planning to build,
often working from a list that includes
all the pieces in a given project and their
rough dimensions. I work in a differ-
ent way. I start with a log and split out
almost every piece of oak that I use at
the bench. Starting with the log is a lot
of work, but it’s even more fun.
When I split open a log, I have an
idea of what my needs are, but the log
often has ideas of its own. If I have a
particularly large diameter, straight-
grained example, then I split out and
stockpile wide panels for joined work, In progress. My shop is no different than those of period joiners (and likely no different than
yours), with multiple works in various stages at any given time.
even if I have no immediate need for
panels. This approach usually results
in my starting several projects at once, Most of those I finished up so I didn’t I’m not alone in this of course. I take
then leapfrogging back and forth be- have to move them. Some got stalled solace that period joiners were as scat-
tween them. (the chest with drawers and the chest of tered as I am. Or more so.
Sometimes there are quite a few drawers). I’ve just been back in a shop
pieces underway, usually limited by for two months and have revived those In the ‘Shopp‘
shop space. When I was preparing to two pieces and made a large box with Take the 1596 inventory of Philip Jos-
move my shop a year ago, I had a joined a drawer. Then the floodgates opened. lyn, filed in Exeter, England. The ap-
chest, a chest with drawers, a chest of I now have underway the two chests, praisers, Nicholas Baggett and Martin
drawers, two wainscot chairs, a long a carved box, two more wainscot chairs, Garrett (alias Harman), were both join-
table and several joint stools. I finished a joined stool and the beginnings of two ers themselves, so we get great details:
a carved box in the midst of all these. joined carved chests. “Item one Presse beinge half made
20s; Item certaine timber beinge ap-
In one corner. This heap in- pointed owt for a Table 6s8d; Item
cludes a chest with two draw- endes of timber and endes of Bourdes
ers, a box front, an-almost
in the same shoppe 13s4d; Item certen
done box with an interior till,
parts for a wainscot chair, Seelinge in the same shopp beinge made
a piece or two of a chest of 8s; Item half a hundred of Montens &
drawers and red oak framing half a hundred of stooles legges 4s.”
stock ready to be “appointed” The “Presse” is a large cupboard
to any or all of these projects.
for clothing. These usually have doors
instead of drawers, often with pegs
inside for hanging clothing.
“Certen Seelinge” today would be
spelled “certain ceiling,” but it doesn’t
58 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR

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ARTS & MYSTERIES CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58
Wainscot. The hall stock processed into framing parts,

in the Merchant’s this time rails and panels. The price
House (Marlborough,
comparison between the rails (£4/11/4)
Wiltshire) shows period
wainscotting; a room or and the finished bedsteads (£2/6) tells
two like this could eas- us there’s a lot of rail stocked prepped
ily use “half a hundred” ahead in this shop.
muntins. The inset Over in New England, the trend
photo (below) shows a
continued. In 1671, John Symonds, of
cross-section of a wain-
scot muntin (notice the Salem, Mass., had “2 Bedsteds almost
drawbore holes). finished £3” and “3 stools and one half
of a Box 12s6d; Timber planke & board
£5-12.” His inventory also included
“part of a Chest…Timber in the Woods
£1-2, an apprentice of 17 years old who
hath 3 year and 9 moneths and 2 weekes
to serve.”
mean the part of a room over your head. For me, it’s more fun starting proj-
It refers to wainscotting or paneling on ects than finishing them. Ultimately,
hand, presumably already dedicated I get to the point where I’ll settle down
to a particular room, hence “certain.” and finish off pieces in rapid-fire suc-
Joiners in the 16th and 17th centuries cession. For a brief time, it really looks
were often called by the double moniker like I know what I’m doing. But were
“joiner and ceiler.” steed 5s, two bed steeds begune 6s, an inventory of my “shopp” to land
The 50 “Montens” are muntins – on(e) presse begune 13s4d, two payer of in front of a curious craftsman 400
the short intermediate framing parts, pyllars and other worke 19s, panels £2- years from now, pretty much the only
perhaps for more of the wainscotting. 16-7, rayles £4-11-4, 2 inche planckes thing that would distinguish it from
The stools’ legs are the squared sec- of wallnut tree £2, halfe inch bordes Joslyn’s or Ould’s lists would be the
tions for joint stools, maybe already of wallnut tree 6s8d, inch and quarter currency, and the spelling of “presse”
mortised and turned. of wallnut tree 15s, two oaken plankes and “wallnut.” PWM
Also, the quantities can throw you. 4s9d, certayne other peces of tymber
“Half a hundred ” could be 60 pieces. £4, turned and carved worke 12s8d, Peter has been involved in traditional craft since
In many cases a “hundred” is six-score, more odd tymber 6s.” 1980. Read more from him on spoon carving, period
tools and more at pfollansbee.wordpress.com.
i.e. 120 pieces. That’s a lot of bedsteads underway at
In 1613, Anthony Ould, of Worces- once; he must have had a fair amount of
ter, England, had half-finished work room available. A press is also substan- ONLINE EXTRAS
and timber on hand when he died. tial. The pillars could be large turned For links to all online extras, go to:
Listed in his inventory were: work for the bedsteads, but also could ■ popularwoodworking.com/apr15
“In both the shopes: two standing be turned parts for cupboards. Like the BLOG: Read Peter Follansbee’s blog.
bedes finesht £2-6, on(e) liverye bed previous inventory, this one includes TO BUY: “17th Century New England Carving:
Carving the S-Scroll” (Lie-Nielsen).
IN OUR STORE: “The Arts & Mysteries of Hand
Tools” on CD.
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”).
In progress. One piece “begun” is this chest Chest build. Here’s a joined chest – or three- Our products are available online at:
of drawers. This is the upper case, still lacking quarters of one, at least. Finish the rear fram- ■ ShopWoodworking.com
some applied ornament and the top boards. ing, a lid and bottom, and off it goes.
FLEXNER ON FINISHING BY BOB FLEXNER
Why is Finishing So Difficult?

Misleading claims and directions may be due to manufacturer ignorance.
I
n the previous issue (#216) I wrote Watco Danish Oil. The application
about teak oils and how none have method Watco suggests on its label
is a two-step single coat, both steps
anything to do with teak wood.
applied within 45 minutes. This
Reading the article, you may have asked results in a slightly duller and clearly
yourself why companies would put out rougher feeling surface (left half of
products that aren’t what they say they surface) than the better application
are and don’t do what they say they do. method (right half of panel) sug-
gested by experienced woodwork-
I used to think the people at these
ers for nearly 40 years.
companies knew better and did this to
fool us. But after more than 25 years of
dealing with them, I’ve come to believe
that many who target the DIY market
just don’t understand their products.
The companies aren’t actually finish
companies; they’re marketing compa-
nies. They just sell stuff, using whatever
labeling or claims they think will work.
How can they do this and get away
with it, you ask? In my opinion it’s Minwax Wood Conditioner. The company says to apply the stain within two hours of applying the
because finishes are chemistry – in conditioner. Shown on this panel, left to right, is the stain applied directly to the wood; immedi-
contrast to woodworking, for example, ately after applying the conditioner; after 10 minutes; after two hours, and finally after overnight
which is physics. You can see that a drying. Notice that the blotching actually gets worse (because of the evaporation of the thinner)
the longer the elapsed time until the thinned-varnish conditioner has fully dried.
band saw isn’t a table saw, even though
it, too, has a table. But you can’t see the
difference between varnish and lacquer, wait 30 minutes; reapply; wipe dry after ers know this, the mislabeling causes
either in the can or on the wood – and 15 minutes. This doesn’t produce good confusion for beginners.
they are very different finishes. results because it’s really just one coat. Minwax also makes “Wood Condi-
Because many marketing people The first hasn’t dried before the second tioner” and provides instructions on
have little understanding (even though is applied. The full sheen and smooth- the can for avoiding blotching. Apply a
their products are usually very good), ness of any finish isn’t produced until wet coat; wipe dry after five to 15 min-
we, the users, struggle. How else can a second coat is applied over a dry and utes; apply the stain within two hours.
you explain the following examples? sanded first coat. These directions don’t work well.
But in nearly 40 years, as Watco was The wood conditioner is varnish
Watco Danish Oil bought and sold by many companies, thinned with about two parts mineral
Watco Danish Oil was introduced to (It’s now owned by Rust-Oleum), these spirits. It requires six hours to over-
the woodworking community in the directions never changed. night to dry and become effective at
second issue of Fine Woodworking in reducing blotching.
1976. The application directions in the Minwax Wood Finish & Wood
article were good, and they have been Conditioner 3M Safest Stripper
repeated by writers and teachers count- Minwax has also been bought and sold 3M Safest Stripper was introduced
less times since: Apply a wet coat; let many times, most recently bought by in the early 1990s as a substitute for
it soak in; wipe off; let dry overnight; Sherwin-Williams. But the name, strippers based on methylene chloride,
sand smooth; apply a second coat, and “Wood Finish,” on their yellow cans which was a suspected carcinogen.
maybe a third after another day. of stain has never been changed to The stripper is almost unique in that
But the directions on the Watco can reflect what the product really is – a it contains 65 percent water.
were (and still are): Apply a wet coat; stain. Though experienced woodwork- Apparently no one at 3M understood
62 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR

the relationship between water, wood Olympic didn’t make interior stains.
and paint stripping. Being good marketers, they quickly
Safest Stripper works very slowly, so introduced a line of interior products
it has to be left in contact for a long time. modeled after Minwax, and they ad-
This can cause veneer to lift, especially vertised for months in woodworking
on old furniture (pre-1950) glued with magazines with one- and two-page
animal hide glue, and it causes steel advertising spreads.
wool to rust and leave black marks on Highlighted in the ads were two
the wood. The formulators had appar- pictures of oak, one blotched with an
ently been using 3M’s own Scotch-Brite “ordinary” stain, the other an even
Seal-a-Cell wiping varnish. The way to tell if
pads, and no one had enough experi- color with their “absorption-control”
a finish that thins and cleans up with mineral
ence with stripping to realize that most stain. The problem is that oak doesn’t spirits is oil or varnish is to put a puddle on a
people use steel wool. blotch! Apparently, no one at Olympic non-porous surface. If the puddle dries soft
knew this. Pine and cherry blotch, and and wrinkled, it’s oil or oil/varnish blend. If
Olympic Stain Olympic stain blotches them just as all the puddle dries hard and smooth, it’s var-
nish. This is clearly varnish despite the claims
Olympic Stain had been the best- liquid stains do.
of the manufacturer.
known deck stain for decades. When
PPG bought it in the mid-1990s, they Carver Tripp Safe & Simple
did a survey and found that Olympic Carver Tripp was once a prominent fin- which was, and still is, represented
was the second best-known interior ish company sponsoring Norm Abram. as an oil sealer that “penetrates deep
stain behind Minwax, even though The company made a water-based wood within the wood.” But a puddle dries
stain called Safe & Simple. One big is- hard and smooth, so it had to be var-
sue with water-based stains was, and nish. (Varnish is made with oil, but it’s
still is, that they raise the grain of the no longer oil and the oil part can’t act
wood. So Carver Tripp dealt with this separately.)
problem by simply claiming on the label To prove that the finish was oil, the
that their stain “never harms the wood owner told me the main ingredient:
or raises the wood grain.” alkyd-modified linseed oil. This, of
Did no one at Carver Tripp know course, is a more technical name for
enough about water and wood to real- varnish! He didn’t know.
ize that making such an obviously false I think it’s manufacturer ignorance
claim might not be a wise thing to do? that is most responsible for making fin-
3M Safest Stripper. Because of the high Carver Tripp no longer exists. ishing so difficult to understand. This
percentage of water in this paint and varnish explains why the help you get when
remover, steel wool used for scrubbing off the
sludge rusts and causes black marks on the
General Finishes Seal-a-Cell you call these companies is so poor.
wood. This caught the manufacturer by sur- When I was writing “Understanding The products are good; the instruc-
prise. To fix the problem, 3M put this warning Wood Finishing” in 1993, I called Gen- tions and claims are not. PWM
sticker on the cap. eral Finishes to ask about Seal-a-Cell,
Bob is author of “Flexner on Finishing,” “Wood Fin-
ishing 101” and “Understanding Wood Finishing.”
ONLINE EXTRAS
ARTICLES: You’ll find many free finishing

articles on our web site.
IN OUR STORE: “Flexner on Finishing” – 12
Olympic Stain. This is a part of the ad Olym- Carver Tripp water-based stain. To deal with
pic Stain ran in woodworking magazines to the problem of water-based stains raising the years of columns illustrated with beautiful
introduce their interior stain. The oak on the grain of the wood, the marketers at Carver full-color images and updated, and “Wood
left is blotched, but oak doesn’t blotch. The Tripp simply said theirs didn’t. Did no one try Finishing 101.”
only ways I can think of to get oak to look like the stain or realize how obviously false this Our products are available online at:
this are to do a poor job of sanding or gener- claim is and that making it might damage the ■ ShopWoodworking.com
ate the image on a computer. reputation of the company?
END GRAIN BY EDWARD SUTER
Why I Love Ikea

Lessons from a big box guide my approach to woodworking.
I
love Ikea. Yes, I said it.
This store has provided me with
an understanding of furniture de-
sign and with products I use on many
of my projects. For some I’m happy to
pay, but for most I haven’t had to pay
a penny.
I first became aware of furniture
design while walking our dog. Seri-
ously. To get to the off-leash park, we
walked down back lanes.
I was alarmed at the sheer quantity
of discarded furniture – Ikea furniture,
to be precise. I began to examine this
stuff more closely, and gradually a pat-
tern emerged.
From this pattern I formed a “law”
of furniture design. Take, for example, pressed and then racked, and fasteners saw, I bought the hardware, like many
Ikea beds: Pieces broke right where the would fall out. others do, from Tools For Working
mechanical fasteners were placed. Well, Second is that dowels make lousy Wood. But the beech for my saw came
it figured, two kids jumping on a bed = joinery for dynamic loads; they invari- from Ikea. Actually, it came from
dynamic load. Therefore, dynamic load ably failed. my neighbor when he tossed out his
+ barficle-board + mechanical fasteners Third is poor stock selection. The Ikea Poäng armchair. There was even
+ time = garbage. curved rear legs almost always failed enough left over to make an English
I learned about chair construction because of grain runout. After a year layout square.
– actually how not to construct a chair working there, I had opportunity to So when do I actually make a trip
– while working at Chez Phillipe, a cozy examine how nearly 80 identical chairs to the big blue and yellow box and fork
French bistro. Maybe it was serendipity failed, and it never cost me a dime. Not out money? I do it for one, and only one
that caused me to observe how Ikea an armchair detective, but close. item: Numerär. That’s the 11 ⁄2"-thick
chairs failed, but I made the necessary As I became more proficient with countertop in solid beech or birch. It’s
observations seated on the “throne.” tools and had time to make projects, not furniture; it’s building material.
When a chair failed, the waiters I began to see discarded furniture in As a result, I’m grateful for Ikea. Just
hauled it off to our tiny staff washroom. the back lanes in a different light – as a not for the reasons Ikea wants me to
At any given time, there were five failed resource. I haven’t bought cup hinges be. PWM
chairs crammed into that tiny john. in 10 years now – same with drawer
The owner would salvage what glides, knobs, and pulls. While Edward has splurged for “real” lumber in some
he could from broken chairs and re- Ah, but wood, you ask, can real projects, others are made from furniture he finds
while walking his dog in Vancouver, British Columbia.
assemble a single one. Missing chairs wood be salvaged from Ikea castoffs?
were replaced with the same Ikea model Yes, there is some real wood in Ikea
and given a coat of lime-green paint furniture. ONLINE EXTRAS
(to match the decor of Chez Phillipe). Discarded beds come with solid For links to all online extras, go to:
There were three major causes of spruce bed slats, which are just un- ■ popularwoodworking.com/apr15
failure: First was choice of materials; der 3 ⁄4" thick, 34" long, and about 3" TWITTER: Follow us on Twitter @pweditors.
the chairs were softwood, pine I think. wide. I have built numerous projects Our products are available online at:
Again, wood around the mechanical with these. ■ ShopWoodworking.com
fasteners failed, or wood was com- Hardwood? Yes. To build my bow
64 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTO BY AL PARRISH

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A Chairmaker Who Changed the Craft Mirkaa

April 2015 ■ #217

Inlaid Art Deco Side Table

Fire & Wax

Display until April 27, 2015

CARD #31 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

22 Ruhlmann 33 Kumiko Lamp 42 Curve Appeal

40 Charred Finish 50 Make a

4 Enter the 12 Mirka DEROS 62 Why is Finishing

6 The Ins & Outs on our web site.

10 Forstner Bit 58 Work Begun

ONLINE u More Tricks

ILLUSTRATION BY MARY JANE FAVORITE; FIGURED WOOD PHOTO BY GEORGE R. WALKER;

Over 20,000 Woodworking Products!

Our Exclusive Brands:

Our Magazine: Woodcraft Magazine Publishes

CARD #49 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM

Enter the 2015 PWM EDITORIAL OFFICES 513-531-2690

GROUP PUBLISHER ■ Jamie Markle

2015 awards. The six 25, at Woodworking in SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT,

The Grand-pr i ze Cherry Chest”; she not [email protected]

4 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015

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The Ins & Outs of pinkish color. Unfortunately, there’s no

Workbench Joints to oxygen and light, which speeds the oxi-

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6 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 ILLUSTRATION BY MARY JANE FAVORITE

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Must One Always Sand? Avoiding Amber Waves

8 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR

Z E YO U R SAW LIKE A PRO!

Forstner Bit in a Precise Plane-blade Setting

Hand Brace? Sure! breaker tight to the edge of the plane

10 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY JANE FAVORITE

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14 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE April 2015

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