I
TAUNTON'S
•
Ine
Tool test: Combination squares Decembe r 2002 No. 159
00 -... ... 1
Installing butt hinges Steel wool vs. abrasive pads Outfit your
14-in. bandsaw for resawing Shaker-style drop-leaf dining table Hidden compartments in furniture 1-hp mortisers reviewed
$7.99/Canada
$8.99
12 o
94115 56525
7
Designing entert
Departments
6 8 18 28 38 96 102 108 116 129
Contributors Letters Methods of Work Scribing an arc; Cutting small wedges safely; Shopmade router lift; Sacrificial rip-fence cover
Notes
&
Comment
Period masterpiece on a different scale; "Top" turners gather at national symposium
Tools
&
Materials
Innovative 3%-hp router from Down Under; Butt chisels from Crown Tools; A better support stand
Current Work A gallery of our readers' woodworking
Rules of Thumb A time and a place for every finishing method
Questions
&
Build
a
harvest table, p. 62
Answers
Miters for stock of different widths;
A nonyellowing finish for maple
Master Class Shaping curved furniture parts
Finish Line Removing surface dust
v
On the Cover:
enttWhen ehinkrtcomponent adesiinmentgningcentans er, fDrawi irst. Seeng: Bruce p. 78 Morser
Epoxy inlay, p.
73
Outfit a bandsaw for resawing, p.
44
Articles 44
73
Soup Up Your 14-in. Bandsaw
custom colors and designs
For resawing, these upgrades will
52
Epoxy Inlay This simple technique allows
greatly improve performance
beyond the scope of traditional inlay
BY JOHN WHITE
BY KEITH RUST
Installing Butt Hinges The right hinges make a difference when it comes to looks,
77 Coloring epoxy 78
Engineering an Entertainment Center
performance and longevity
BY GARRETT HACK ON OUR WEB SITE, Watch a video clip of the author
There's more to it than putting a television in a box
chopping a hinge mortise
BY BROOKS TANNER
58
Steel Wool vs. Abrasive Pads
8
4
Even with the advent of synthetics,
I-hp Mortisers
there still is a place for old-
These machines are bigger, beefier and mightier than benchtop models,
fashioned steel wool
but are they worth the extra cost?
BY JEFF JEWITT
62
TOOL TEST
BY ROLAND JOHNSON ON OUR WEB SITE, Take a tour of a 1·hp mortiser
Harvest Table This Shaker drop-leaf design can be built for two or for
Installing butt hinges, p. 52
20
90 95 A gallery of secrets Secret Spaces
BY CHRISTIAN BECKSVOORT
Create hidden compartments
to suit any style of furniture
68
Combination Squares What sets apart a $75 tool from one that costs $6?
BY MARK SCHOFIELD
BY STEVE LATTA ON OUR WEB SITE, Tips on tuning up a combination square
Combination squares reviewed, p. 68
Visit our web site:
www.finewoodworking.com
Contributors
Fi n e WqqQWorking
When Michael Fortune (Master Class) is not on the road teaching, he's in his rural studio outside Toronto, Canada, developing his
PUBL ISH ER
signature furniture designs and building them
Timothy D. Schreiner
with the help of an assistant. It's safe to say that Fortune is Canada's best-known
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
ART DIRECTOR
Anatole Burkln
Michael Pekovlch
MANAGING EDITOR
woodworker, as he was the first furniture maker
S EN IOR EDITOR
Matthew Teague Asa Christiana
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
ever to win the Saidye Bronfman Award, his
William Duckworth, Thomas G. Begnal, Timothy Sams, Mark Schofield
country's most prestigious prize for excellence in the fine crafts. He used the $25,000 cash award to finish restoring a 175-year-old log homestead, where he works and lives with his family. His furniture is on permanent exhibition at the Canadian Museum of Civilization; see some of it at www.civilization.ca/arts/bronfman/traeng08.html.
SEN IOR COPY/P RODU CTION ED ITOR Thomas McKenna
COPY/P RODUCTION EDITOR Julie Rlslnlt
ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTOR IMAGING SPECIAL IST
SHOP MANAGER EDITORIAL ASS ISTANT When
Keith Rust
("Epoxy
Inlay") gave himself a
Jerry TerHark
(Finish Line)
Craftsman tablesaw for his
lecturer at The Wood working Shows that tour
expected it would lead to a
the country, persuading
profitable and exciting
woodworkers of a l l experi
career as a woodworker.
ences that finishing isn't so
Well, it didn't. He has, how
hard after all. He studied
John White
Christopher X. Baumann
CONT RIBUTING EDITORS Tage Frld, R. Bruce Hoadley, Christian Becksvoort, Marlo Rodriguez, Gary Rogowski, Mike Dunbar, Lon Schleinlng, Garrett Hack
has become a regular
35th birthday, he never
Kelly J. Dunton
William M. Godfrey
CONSULTING EDITOR METHODS OF WORK IN DEXER
ever, found comfort in the fact that his profession
under master finisher George Frank, later became
of 22 years-that of managing a state-of-the-art
a finishing instructor, ran a furniture-restoration
recording studio in Dallas-has given him the abili
business and worked in the research and develop
ty to afford the occasional new chisel or router bit.
ment department of a large manufacturer of finish
This is his debut article for Fine Woodworking; he
es. More information about his books and videos
also has written for Woodwork magazine.
on finishing can be found at www.jerryterhark.com.
Chris Minick Jim Richey
Harriet Hodges
GROUP PUBLISHER
Jon Miller
ADVERTISING MANAGER David Gray
SEN IOR NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGER Linda Abbett
NATIONAL ACCOUNTS MANAGERS John Dyckman, William M. McLachlan
Brooks Tanner
(" Engineering an Entertainment
Center") is a self-proclaimed high-tech d ropout. In his previous career he worked on everything from
Raised in England,
Mark Schofield
("Secret
Spaces" and Rules of Thumb) spent nearly 20 years in the oil industry as a journalist, trader and
depth sounders to laser
broker after graduating from Oxford University.
storage and ha rd drives.
Throughout this time he pursued woodworking as
Tanner started woodwork
a hobby even when apartment living confined h i m
ing in 1992 when his
t o only h a n d tools a nd small projects. Becoming
house needed a new
an editor with Fine Woodworking has brought the
kitchen. After looking at
opportunity to meet and learn from many
commercial cabinets, he
accomplished woodworkers across the country,
realized that he could buy
but i ronically it has meant less time for his own
the materials and tools
woodworking. Having
and still save money. Over the next five years he
moved to a new house
developed his skills by studying furniture and by
in Connecticut,
reading as much as possible. As an audiophile and
Schofield spent most of
WOODWORKING BOOKS
EXECUTIVE EDITOR
&
VIDEOS
Helen Albert
Fine Woodworking: (ISSN: 0361-3453) is published bimonthly, with a special seventh issue in the winter, by The Taunton Press, Inc.. Newtown, CT 0647 0-5506. Telephone (203) 426-8171. Periodicals postage paid at Newtown, CT 06470 and at additional mailing offices. GST paid registration #123210981. U.S. distribution by Curtis Circulation Company, 730 River Road, New Milford, NJ 07646-3048 and Eastern News Distributors, Inc., One Media Way, 12406 Route 250, Milan, OH
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home-theater enthusiast, he saw a need for enter
his spare time this past
tainment centers that were designed from the
summer creating a
ground up, keeping in mind the requirements of
garden area, bui lding a
both the electronics and the users. To fill that
deck and rea rranging
need, he started BJTanner Custom Cabinet and
the stones that littered
St., P.O. Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506.
Furniture (www.bjtanner.com).
his property.
Printed in the USA
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CLASSIC DESIGNS
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MATTHEW BURAK READ ER SERVICE NO. 135 ' O V E M B E R / D E C E M BE R 2002
7
Letters Wondering about safety-I found
sleeves and jewelry away from the action.
Ernie Conover's article "Learn to Turn
Or, as an alternative, go out and buy a
FWW # 1 5 6, pp. 68-73) really
Spindles" (
steady-rest accessory.) Our magaZine
useful. In particular, I found the informa
serves readers of all skill levels, and the
tion on the grinding of the spindle gouge
techniques have to reflect that wide
helpful-a tool that I have been strug
ranging interest group. Woodworking is
gling with on my own lathe.
inherently dangerous, but ultimately, it's
However, as a matter of safety awareness, I was pretty startled by the photograph on p. 70 (shown here) of the article that showed Conover grasping/supporting
The Taunton Press
Inspiration for hands-on livingN
INDEPENDENT PUBLISHERS TAUNTON, INC.
up to the individual to decide on his or her comfort zone.
THE TAUNTON PRESS
Pmirknt
Long live the radial-arm saw!-I
found the August 2002 issue to be just ex cellent. One of my favorite subjects was
&
CEO
Chief ofOperations Finan" Director Publisher, Magazines
from behind while cutting. This may
saw. Fifteen years between tests is quite a
Editorial Director
be fine for an
time period, and this review has made all
Cr�ative Director
experienced turner
radial-arm saw users, including myself,
with a feel for the tools
quite happy. I am sure that even the skep
Thomas Luxeder Timothy Rahr Jon Miller Sarah Roman
Publisher, Books
James Childs
Human Resources Director Controller Technology Services Director
and the dynamics of the situation, but
tics took some interest in this article as
surely this article was aimed at the
well. How do you test any better for ma
relative beginner, who will not have
chine runout than 0.0000, like the Original
Fulfillment Director
those skills and feel for the subtleties of
Saw Co. model did? I congratulate William
Associate Ad Sales Director
the rotating workpiece.
Duckworth on his article.
Promotion Director
Marc Vassallo Susan Edelman Carol Marotti Wayne Reynolds Edward Kingston Steven Turk Patricia Williamson Jeff Dwight
TAUNTON TRADE COMPANY
-Pauljacklin, Corona, Calif
President, Jan Roman
write about this particular case after
TAUNTON DIRECT
noticing a number of such incidences in
Generational divide-Allow me to
FWW that have worried me: pictures of
reintroduce myself: 24 years ago Fine
hands pushing workpieces toward
Woodworking published an article I
unguarded tablesaws and so on. The
wrote on proper drawer construction.
magazine does make a strong statement
I would like to offer a few comments with
on the importance of safety; however, I
regard to Janet A. Collins' article " Making
think you allow your contributors to
Traditional Dovetailed Drawers"
demonstrate techniques that are really
# 1 5 7, pp. 78-83).
quite suspect.
The article recommends to prepare all stock through planing, scraping and
I accept that they are skilled practi
John Lively
Publisher, Magazines
FWW
On reflection I realize I am prompted to
CE 1975
Foundus, Paul and Jan Roman
covered in the issue: "Radial-Arm Saws" ( # 1 5 7, pp. 72-77). I love my Ridgid
the workpiece
51
Circulation Director, Ned Bixler TAUNTON NEW MEDIA
Director, Suzanne Roman
(FWW'
tioners with trained hands, but your
sanding before doing anytl1ing else. This
magaZine is read by others who do not
is wrong. One of the principles of
THE TAUNTON STAFF
Books: Marketing: Allison Hollet0
d"
_______
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C A B I N ET H E I G HT The height of the ca binet is determi ned by the n u m ber of components a nd the a m o u nt of media storage needed.
111/t:
TV D I M E N S I O N S
T h e new H DTV format i s wider than cu rrent televisions, with a 24-i n .-high screen having a width of 43 i n .
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