THE MIRACLE FINISH: WIPING VARNISH a4 PT pas For Tricky Cuts me i ~ 11 Causes of Nasty Kickback Why You Need A Big Bowsaw Your First ~ Fan pacing f ViPOPULAR Woopworking Bowsaw Basics he European Colonial-era Plate Rack This walnutplate rack, a 53 58 Lae First Learn How. Discover Why. Build Better. VEMBER 2008 - FEATURES 63 Avoid! Kicioack 76 Tabl Imitation Could | Table and guard use BY MARC ADAMS 66. Everyday Greene & Greene 72 ASkateboard inaVacuum BY HUNTER LANG. =REGULARS My Weird 18th-century Relationship Chairmaking With My Router ARTS MYSTERIES ouron atin BY ADAM CHERUBINI housed sliding-dove with he simple rote jigon page 36. 6 roputar Wen Varnish ona Curved Aprons Butcher Block FROM OUR READERS Brune sracnuoto More Angle from Triton’s Bargain aMiter Gauge Sander row ove eraoces oun SAF v Flush-cutting Jig BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ Corner Shelf Varnish Wiping Varnish Pink Lemonade ovrormewoooworkBowsaw Dovetails in3 Minutes Youiveneverseen dovetail ike thisbetore! In justthece minutes, master cabinetmaker Fark Klausz marks and cuts full set of dovetails (paint ade dovetails with abowsa popularwoodworking.comvideo gpopularwoodworking.com popularwoodworking.com/customerservice populanvoodworking comprojectplans popularwoodworking.comaticloindex popularwoodworking.convtoolreviews popularwoodworking com/magazineextras popularwoodworking.com/blogs ppopulanwoodworking.conwritersgudlines popularwoodworking.convcontactus 8 sm Popular Woodworking Novenber 2008 ONLINE The Wood Whisperer Sure, mineral oil and area great (and traditional) way to finish a cutting board, but a couple coats of thinned varnish does the job, too ~ more quickly. And, lasts longer. popularwoodworking.convvideo Sliding Dovetails tthe Np Ser olen D. Hey ‘much easier than you might think popularwoodworking.convvideo New Arts & Crafts CD Therevival ofthe Arts & Crafts Mavementisn’t justin he furniture store. Woodworkers of allevels of experience havenamed itoneof their favorite styles to buildin their workshops. Why? Clean ines and honest joinery Sowwe'veput together a new CD that features our 49 favorite ASC articles (in pa format from Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine. W'sjust $15, including shipping & handling fo US. frders. You can read more aboutiton ur blog. ororder now at ppopularwoodworkingshop.com categoryied dvd Slide Show New Tools from IWF Logon to popularwoodworking.com and the magazine's blog forthe newest, coolest and ‘orldest wooehworking equipment we came across atthe 2008 International Woodworking Fairin Atlanta including the new Delta Unisaw that’s made inthe United States), opularwoodwerking conviWF Os Everyday Greene & Greene ints downloads pase show of eve Cs la poem, oer oe homes ining dtaioktchn ant ppacmaingconmeee« CONTRIBUTORS * Frank Klausz Artheage of 1 Frankentered the Hungarian rade school system, earned his journey- ran cabinetmakercerificateand laterbecame amastercabinetmalker. Hisapprenticeship may have been tougher than most, forhe had an exceptionally ough master father. Today, Frank builds fine fur niture in his New Jersey-based shop, and teaches at various schools and ‘woodworking shows (he'll beat he Woodworking In America confer- cence Nov. 14-16). You can see ag Iery of his work at frankklausz,com. Inthis issue, Frank writesabout bowsawsand why you should have these tools in your shop (page 42). Jon Shackelford isalowyerspecializing intellectual property, an aeain which he has practiced exclusively for more than 20 years. Jon hhas been working wood (and coveting tools) since childhood, and enjoys furniture buildingand hon stripanoe, andis planning to expand the fleet this winter witha wood:-strip kayak. Like many ovation projects. He recently built cedar ‘woodworkers, Jon isalso anamateur inventor, he ntly pending fora novel panel gluing and clamping press, Jonand his family live hhas one patent in Chelsea, Mich, Inhis first tory for Popular Woodworking, Jon ‘writes about egal issues to consider when imitating furniture designs. It begins on page 76. Kerry Pierce, afouryearcancer survivr, hasbeen building Shaker and period furniture for more than 30 yea and hasbeen writing about the genres for almost 20 years, His 18th book, “Chair making Simplified was recently pub- lished by Popular Woodworking Books. Heand his wife, Elaine are the parents of two adil children, Emilyand Andy Forthisissue, Kerry built an 18th century plate rack out of walnut. The stony begins on page 53 10 Popular Woodworking, November Hunter Lang is. 16.yea-old wood worker from Cincinna i, who has hi enthusiasm for woodworking since he young child, He started out by ght- ing scraps of wood together in his father’s shop (his dad is Senior Editor Robert W. Lang),and ha other fun-related woodworking tlessuch as pinewood derby cars, toy gunsand birdhouses, For his first story for Popular Woodworting, Hunter made a sauim-pressed skateboard (page 72). since moved on to many Wosoworkin runusuen sonoma omroe Steve Shane Ml fo110r Christopher Schust 11407 echris chvar2@hspbs.com ARTOMECTOR Linda Wits 111396lindawatstfwpubs.com smortoon Rober. Lang XI1327eraber lang@hwpelscom seworeoron Glen DH 11203 eglen heyohp anacinG 08 Mesin XID }48ameyan itzparick@hpubscom ASSocATEsDoRFORTHEWER Drew DeFenning 1100edrew depenning@%vpub orocnarne 4 Parish ‘dam Cherubini, Bob Fenn, Toy Sextor FAV PUBLICATIONS INC. ‘cuamwanscto David Nussbam stot VE MANUFACTURNG RPRODUCTON Pil Gs maanuractunne Barbara Shanks ‘excutve wr nteRACHVEMEDI John ernes \CEPESOOATCO Nike Kohn F.WPUBLICATIONS INC repent Davi Blansteld We cONSUMERMARETING Sau DeCatlo ‘REron, BUSSES PLANE Tom Wis courenonce omer SarsDumlord concovaronoaecr0 ila Engel ewsstan0 RECTOR Susan Rose RooucToN COORDINATOR Vick Whiter ADVERTISING Aovertancciter0n Don Shed S31. cht Allentown, PA IBIO4 1H. 610-821-4425; 4K610 821-788 dlschroder et+ Out on A LIB + BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ, EDITOR My Weird Relationship With My Router the vent holes ofthe plunge router that first my elationshipwith the ool, Butfor truce with my routers, Tobe fair, the flameswere my fault, had just changed the brushesin thetooland had doneapoorjoboflining thingsup. Sowhen the tool’ commutator spun upit barbecued the litle suckers and announced my error withabeleh of fire Thissmallincident pushed me to rethink hhow Ido things in the shop. Forexample, one ofthebiggestsitengths ofthe routerisitsabil ity tocut hundreds of moulding profiles The problem is that these profiles still d sanding, which ‘consuming process for complex. profiles. And if you get lazy on this point, youlllose the crisp lines thatarea hallmark ‘of good work. ‘So I learned to use moulding planes, which leaveabeautiful,ready-to-finish sur face. Truthfully, howey hhave their difficulties, Holdingthe work can beachallen moulding planes ind you have tobe real picky about selecting your wood, otherwise: will tear out grotesqh Somost days’ toss-up for me:Spend alot of energy sharpening, setting up and using my moulding planes, or fire up my routertable and make 100feet of moulding inamoring (and spend the next two days sanding it). Whats the lesson here? Goed wwork—by hand or power—takesasharpeye anda bucket of patience. 12 Popular Wanwarling, November 2008 How about joinery? Ilike cutting dove tailsby hand, but typically that's for a piece that has four to six drawers, In the coming 1 plan: drawers and build some addition: gto re-do our kitchen's leabinets forthat room. [haveacouple dazen drawers tobuild, plus havea wife, nwo kids, three caisand aday job, [think that my dovetail saw is going to ‘getcoated ina fine film ofdustas fire upr routeronadovetaljig, Yup. knowthey wont look “handmade” but they will look “done. The lesson here? Every operation in woodworking is a lrade-off between perfection and com: pletion And finally, there are tasks for which the router isa miracle worker. Making sli. ingdovetailsand stopped dadosand grooves by hand isachore. And ve personallystrug, sled to master those for yearsnow Then Glen D. Huey asenioreditorat this magazine) showed me some of his router tricksand thedirt-simple igshe uses forcut- \ingthese complex joints, Forthese essential joinery chores, the router noequal, and asked Glen to share some of these tricks with us inthisissue behind your router's brushes lined up just right You're going to need this tool. PW Thelesson? Always getthe prin Cte Foley POPULAR oy (OODWOT! ° aceite eae customer Service Hwan contact cntomersesce wih tqanlonrepr dingy tcrpton, Irchangsovordhaged oe? tational! odor FO, hx 203, Pam Coss S210.023 Or yup eephone el toe 877.860 340 and acsomersoice tepareran lina aged When doesmy subscription expire? “The date of your subscription expiration appears ‘on your magazine mailing label above your ‘name, The date indicates the lastissue in your subscription, Can gethackissues of Popular Woodwor Back ssues are available while supplies lat Visit popularwoodworki Cr ifyouknow the exact month and year of the sue you want, all our customer service department toll-free at 800-258-0929 to order. ccom/backissues. Whatiftwantmore information abouttheprojectsand tools read aboutin Popular Woodworking? Forall editorial questions, please write 0 Popular Woodworking Editorial, 4700 E.Gallraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Ore-mail popwood@fxpubs.com, Does Popular Woodworking, offer groupdiscounts? Group discounts are avalableby special arrangement with the publisher. For more details, send an e-mail toDebbie Paolllo atdebbie paolelloefwpuis.comorcall 513-531-2690x11296. ‘Our Privacy Promise to You ‘We make portions of ourcustome list avalable tocareully screened companies that oer products and services we b enjoy. I you do not wantto receive offers and/or information, please let us know by contacting sat: List Manager, FsWW Publications 44700 E. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 Safety Note Safety is your esponsibility. Manufacturers place safety devices on their equipment for ‘areason, In any photos you se in Popular Woodworking, these have been removed to provide clarity. Insome cases well sean awkward body position so you can better see what's being demonstrated. Don't copy us, “Think about each procedure you're going to perform beforehand,LETTERS FROM OUR READERS Curved Bricked Rim Can be Constructed from 914" Pieces the building processfora 36"-wide demilune table I made in Philip. Lowe'sclassat the Mare Adams School of Woodworking (for pictures. and stories, ee popularwoodworking.com/nov08). The rim, which hrasafinished size of 3414" x 39, was made ofa number of bricked piecesthat were pattern-routed layerby layer. Several people com- ‘mented that they'd built half-ound tablesin this manner, but with 5*-ong pieces, and asked the dimensions of these longer pieces. Eachoneis 1% thick, 1¥4" wideand 91/"longatthe longside;the angle on each end is75°(@.ka. 15°off 909, and thus8¥6"longat the shorter side, Werub jointed chevrons out of 36 ofthe pieces, screwed. the bottom layerof five hevronsaround the edge ofthe pattern with, screws countersunk through the bottom) then routed ittoshape. The next layer was bricked with four chevrons, with half pieces oneither end, The third and fourth ayers followed! suit Piecesaclded tothe back. Angle both ends ofthe form with each layer served as support when routing, Thoughscrewsand glue secured eachlayertothe precedingone, glue alone would impart sufficient strength with enough set-up time. Afverthe final layer was routed to shape, the rim wasremoved from the pattern, and trimmed at the band saw alongthe interior curve to afinished thickness f 1. —Megan Fitzpatrick, managing editor Cutting Dovetails on Edge Grain IsAsking for Trouble have a question about dovetails want to make a couple items for my granddaughter ancld-ashioned hooded cradle with canted sides (life-size, not doll) and a frame-and: panel hope chest Tveeutdovetalsonsilverwaretrays with canted sdesand learned thatthe grain ofthe tailsissuppesed orun parallel with the wood soasnot to weaken the tails, However, Isa anantique mahogany cradle (way out of my price range) that did the opposite. The grain, inthe tals ran perpendicularto the angle of slope without a single broken tail. Which is Second, Iran actossa frame-and-panel chest ina shop with the corner stiles joined. with dovetails, Of course, that makes the direction ofthe tail perpendiculartothe grain ofthe wood. That should bea really ba idea, yet the jointsare holding up extremely well, ‘Can I safely do the same with my chest? — Gary Long, Norfolk, Virginia 1h Popular Wacwcling, November 2008 lescommontoseeallsort ofstnange constructions in antique furniture. Jus lke today, there wasnt “one way’ todothings ack then. That said, cuting dovetails on edge grain is «almost always asking for trouble. The joint may _go together. may hold up inuse (perhaps due to ‘he surrounding assemblisinche piece) Buitisa compromised jointand doesnot exploit he centstrengthin a property made dovetail ‘And in some cases, suchas the ere you described, there could beacross-grain construc tion. That joint could be stressed every season when he woextexpands and contracts. My recommendation: Keepyourtalsandpins parallel othe grainof our wood. hrstopher Schur, editor ‘What's Causing Cupping? Tmanexperienced woodworker whohasjust started a small furniture shop. love bul: ing chests, and I recently started to market asmallbox, Thave had some cupping issues with the tops (usually atwo-piece edge glue-up) and ‘wantto know your thoughts. Thave avoided using cleats up until now. Will italways be risky not using cleats of some type, even on small top? Ordo you have any hints that ‘would ensure more success? have extensive history with gluing. However, thissmaller scale project is fairly new. I’sa high-end box with anatural finish. Im hopingtokeep the top onthe lighter/simple side My shop conditions were less than ideal as faras temperature/moisture consistency incomparison to home conditions = which isprobably the cause ofthe cuppingasmuch asanything. Inmy newshop those conditions havechanged, butarethere other thingsthat ‘could be causing the problem? Christopher Per There area couple things that might be causing your problems, Firs, are you using air-dried or Jin. driedlumber? Air dred isusually abithigher ‘moisture content than kiln-dried lumber, and | believe air-dried stock sa Bit less stable (due 10dadtional moisture). Thsisalsoa gral reasonto allow materalsto acclimate ora week ortwoto ‘your shopsenvironment prio tomiling Are yourling stock from athicker boardand fipping faces as you milo as not to remove the Dulko he material fromany one ace? you take the majority ofthe maste fom one face you open the stock o areas of unequal moisture content because the middle of aboardisigherin moisture than the outer surfaces. A that toc driesitcan cause the piece to cup. This compounds i you're attempting tobookmatch pices resawn froms/4 stock, so afer you make abolematcncut,youneed toallow the pieces to acclimate before milling to your final dimensions Thetrickistobeginthe mllingprocessbut then wait fora time before going to you final thick nesses. Allow the material to res fora ew days, then finish miling by working the pieces as you would normally Finally would look at dhe amount of camp pressure youre using as you gluc the ponds. You readonly enoughpressuretodes thant. Further pressureaddsstresstothe wood whihcan after 24 Fhoursin clamps, cause the pieces to distr. Allin al, you shouldt have problems ifyou follow these guidelines. Give them a try and sce ifthey help. —GlenD. Huey, senior editor Overcome Slop in Biscuit Joints Thave been struggling with my biscuit joiner and have nearly given up. But lre-read your article from the February 2007 issue (#160) anda glimmer of hope remains. Loriginally boughtthe biscuit joiner totry tostraighten up longer boards for glue-ups. However, there wassomucslop inthe fithat there wasnowaythebiscuitswouldlineupthe boardsand hold them. The biscuitsmoved up and down ¥7 or so. think Iwas makingall ofthe mistakespossible and some that didn't. scem possible. waseven thinkingof getting back into the dowelingthing again. —IraB Rothenhoe‘er, Clubb, Missouri The lot should be tight in the thickness ofthe bis- cuit Theiscuitscan swellandshrinkethschanges in humidity, but generally they can e pushedin byhandor youmight need alight ap with a ham: ‘mer. Going he length o the biscuit, you'l be able tomave them back and forth, depending onthe depth setting ofthe machine Ifthey are as sloppy as you describe, theres 16 Popular Wowdwacking. November 2008 ——Lerrers >—— definitely aproblem that couldbe the machine, ts cutter or your technique. The fst thing would checesthecuter.t’sposible (but nll) that tooth is bent, resultinginawider than normal slot. Amore ly prablemisthe plunge mechanism ofthe tol. should move smoothly in and out without any up-and-down movement The as thing to look ais your technique. If sou tit the machine as you plunge, the sor will bbe wider than tought tobe, Hold the fence down firmly, lack your arms an try pushing with your legs and body. I'seasy to introduce some swing into the motion if you try touse yourhandsand armsalone Robert W. Lang, senior editor Latex Paint Blocking Woes [paintedanentertainment center with interior latex semi-gloss, and Lam havinga real prob- lem with blocking, which makes the doors stick. To stop the sticking, ean [topcoat the edgesofthe doors with shellacand then poly urethane? Im very frustrated and I should have stuck with milk —Terry Kelly, Presque Isle, Maine Yow'e right that latex paints “block” — chats, stick. son ofthe realy big downsides of atex point hat noone talks about ‘One suggestion would be o apply wax the doors, butitmay notworkorlonganditsilhave tobe reapplied now and then, Thisis the easiest thing tot, hough Youridea ofshellacandpolywrethanesounds fine tome, but tha’ «lot of work to do tothe entre cabinet. t wonder if you can simpy coat te door edges. Also, dan‘ see why youl have touse both shellac and polyurethane. Why not shlla alone orpolyurethane alone? Or what about coating theedgrs with an alkyd pain or mile paint o he same colorand sheen? Ifyou dotry the wax first, then youl have co remove it very well with mineral spirits ornaphe thabeforeapplyingpolyurethane or paint Indhis «case lwould begin withthe shellac becauseit may De dficulttogeall he wax off. See ifthe shellac ‘wor by itself There salsoawhite-pigmented shellacclled BIN ifthe proectispainted white Theproblem withall hese suggestions, except ‘the wax, is that you're building thickness, which ‘males rubbing moreikely- Socontinuingtothink ‘outloud, why nat try waxon one doorandsceifit works. it does, clean itoffas good as possible «and apply a thin coat of stlac or BIN. I've heard of adding cornstarch or talcum power tolatex paint to prevent the blocking, but Tve never red, scan’ tll you how much to «ada or fit works. Butit makes sense tome that itcould —Bob Flexner, contributing editor ‘Omnijig Review Clarification nour reviewof the new24" Omni the August 2008 ssue (#170) we state that additional bis were required to cut davetals in material other than ¥ hick. Actually, the dovetail bit included with the jigallows you cut cdavetailsinanythicke nessupto 44", PW Question? Comment? We want to hear from you. Popular Woodworking welcomes comments from reader about the magazine or wood! ‘working in genera, s well as questions on allaeas of woodworking, We are more than happy to share ou woodworking experience with ou by some clarity to whatever aspect ofthe erat you fare unsure about, andi you have a compl sve wart to addres it whenever possible yovering your questions or adding Though we receive a good del of mail, we ty to respond to al comespon manne Published coespondence may be ected for length ors. Al comespondence Ibecomes the propery of apolar Woodworking Send your questions and comments va e-mail to popwoodefwpubscom, orby mail Popular Woodworking 4700 €, Callaith RoadTRICKS OF THE TRADE EDITED BY PAUL ANTHONY THE WINNER: More Angle from a Miter Gauge about 50°. To solve the problem | add atapered for fine adjustment. Fasten the tape miter end ofthe secondary fence to e-stick tape. (U shim, clamp the piccestogether fora few moments oensureagood scrap block to the auxiliary Ausliary Fence posite end tosupport the free end Workpiece the taper offeut asa tempor Tosetupforthe ct, posion the miter gauge _f / asnecessary gauging the angle betweenthe blade TJ] and the face of the tapered piece. Then cut as / / ral hodingthe workpiece emily aginst 4 /} SE Cninenneetemrtana —( (|| Attach tapered secondary fence tormiter gaugefence Cash and prizes for your tricks and tips! Each issue we publish useful woodworking tips from our readers. Next issue's winner receives a $250 gift ceriticate from Lee Valley Tools, good for any item in the catalog or on the web site (leevalley.com) (The tools pictured at right are for illustration only, and are not part of the prize.) Runners-up each receive a check for $50 to $100. When submitting a trick (ether by mail or e-mail) you must include your complete mail ing address and a daytime phone number. If your trick is selected for publication, an editor will need to contact you. All entries become the ‘of Popular Woodworking. You can send your trick by e-mail spubs.com, or mail it to Tricks ofthe 00 €, Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OF 1B Popular Wowdwarkang. November 2008 ssn———* TRICKS OF THE TRADE *—— Handscrew Headstand Here'saneat trick learned from my dad for rillingahole intothe end ofashort dowel or other stick atthe drill press The challenge, ofcourse, is securing the stick ina vertical position. Clamping the work toa vertically tiked table isa hassle, and [dont havea drill press ise for holdingsuch apiece. What | dohave area couple handscrews, ‘hich work great forthe job. Just secure the stick between two ofthese clamps, orienting them at 90° toeach otheras shown, They'll solidly hold the piece upright forlocatingand drilling he hoe —Nate Roberts, Dubuque, lowa MIRED FROME TB Clamp stick between ‘wo opposing handscrews — Better Sanding-disc Storage Inmy work, Tusealotofrandom-orbitsand- ingdises, which I previously stored in their boxes stacked on shelves. Thismeantsorting through the boxesto retrieve the necessary grit, with the boxes eventually scrambled and sometimes falling to the floor. [finally developed a wall rack to organize the dises inanaccessible fashion. The rackissimplyaboard with Yi'-diam- eter dowelsthat serve ashangers forthe discs, organize the discs on the board in succes sive grit order, ranging fromecoarsetofine. To keep them neatlyin place, I secure the disks ontotheirdowels withspring-type coter pins Glsocalled "R"pinsorhitch pins). which are available at hardware stores. By removing the pin from the grit in process, its obvious which gritistobe used next. The setup makes retrieval quickand helps ith inventory.con- trol because Ican see at aglance when Lam low ona panicular grit. —JoeZeh, Worthington, Massachusetts 20 @ Fopular Woodworking, Noveber2008 Spring-type coter pinon dewel holds sanding disks inplace Wall-mounted board Stopping Set Screw Spin ingpltsandteriuresare madera hard matralssuchasLexan, phenolic or aluminum. andinladesetserewsforfine Adjusts Unfortunately, nthese ard materiale erewsean loosen frm he ‘atin ofthe machinery, cmuing inde Veale tha ese screwson some commercial products include a plug or coating ofnylon or cher soft material Tockuhe screw in place decided totry sbahething silat when sald sxe phenolcaero-cearance inserts Tuseda tethpickteappyacrpefrabbercement onthe threadsof the eigh-adjustment ser screws then allowedit ody. When Serewediothe insert the film of rubber ‘cement provides enough turning resis- tance o keep thescrews fromlosing their adjustment during normal use. —Steve Sawyer, Livonia, Michigan ‘conmmuxDonce22———* TRICKS OF THE TRADE *—— Self-adhesive Clamp Pads ‘Topreventmarringmy workpieces, like touse padson my F-style clamp jaws. Commercial slip-on plastic pads are availabe, but they're pretty expensive. also can't find them in sizesto fit my smaller clamps, Attaching leather or ‘other material with contact cement works, but takes time toapply. visit ta hobby/craft store turned up the perfect solution: self-adhesive foam, Sold under brand names such as “Foamies,” the thin material is made forkidstocutupinto fun shapesto apply tonotebooksand the ike. Applying {tro clamp jawsis child's play, too. Simply cut it toan approximate shape to sultyour jaws, peeloff the backing, then pressit into place. only costsabout buck fora" x 12" sheet, which will coverlotsof clamps. And the material Iastsalongtime inuse —S.D. Luther, Great Neck, New York S Settadhesive foam padding wallor 7 cabinet sides 2 Tope rule ® Adstick length to thismeasurement Stick and Tape Rule Measuring, Usingasteel measuring tape totake inside measurements cean lead to inaccuracies, For one thing, it'simpossible 10 tuck the bentend ofthetapeallthe way intoacorner. (Si plyaddingthe length ofthe tape rule body isnt very accu rate.)Also,any tape sagadlsto the overall measurement steel rule, rather than atape, would add accuracy However, ifa tape isall you have available, Ive found ‘a more accurate approach isto use a ¥4"-square stick in conjunction withthe ape rule. Lbuttone end ofthe stick into, say, the inside right-hand corner, then tse the tape rule to measure over from the inside lefthand corner to the opposite end of the stick. I then simply add the stick length to the tape measurement, For easy calculation, ‘cut the stick tosome fot increment ortoa whole number that’s easy toadd, such as 50 inches. The technique has proved particularly invaluable when measuring wall, oor, and ceiling distances for long lengths of room trim ‘or cabinet installations, Gerry Chiusano, Mt, Bethel, Pennsylvania Zero-clearance Saw Top Skin I recenily thought I'd outfit my portable “benchtop* table saw with azero-clearance throat plate to reduce tear-out andto prevent narrow strips from fallingdown throughthe ‘wide throat opening. Unfortunately. thethroat plate openingis very shallow and requires accommedatingnumerousodd-shaped tabs, somakingacustomthroat plate wasnt soeasy. | decided totake a simpler approach. Isettherip fence formy intended rip. and measured the entire saw table areatothe left ofthe fence. then cutathin plywood panel to rmatchthearea. Aterresetingthe rip fence for ry desited original ut lattached the panelto thetable ith double-sticktapeatthe sawtable edges and near the blade sot. temporarily clamped downa board near the centerofthe table, then raised the blade through the panel. Voila! hada zero-clearance blade sot. Aftermakingmy ripcut, stashed the pane! for future use when makinga similar ornar- 22 w fopular Woodworking, November 2008 rower rip cut, which simply involvesshifiing the panel asnecessary. I keep a few of these panels in various sizes because they can be used time and again until they're too slotted towork well. PW Raise blade —Bruce Dorn, Portland, Oregon Attach thin plywood pane! ‘with double-| Sticktape through panel But panel against fence- Arts & MysTERIES - BY ADAM CHERUBINI 18th-century Chairmaking Building a Philadelphia Chippendale chair — part 1 ficult to build thana formal chair. Thesteuc tural requirements of any chair are tricky ngles further But when curvilinear element complicated slackel good square reference faces. Reducingthe numberofstructu menisiofourleg simply things inthis case just means the Theneedtomalethe overall formappeal nline and massis enough to frustrate. Not ae good plans not commonly available the curvedshapesand ‘owo-dimensional p ur dificult to us Bark ‘pl ~ Shoe ‘mouting Rear seat rail Curves and angles. The diagram abov trates the parts of a formal chair back. Th ‘moulding is glued 0 the top ofthe rear sea al Everything ee with mortise and.tenon joints. ve seen no slots or dowels on Iath-century chairs. And on formal chairs, the Startat the back. ve begun my Philadelphia Chippenclale chair with the back as Id wit ther reoften pegged but the other joints, bottomed chair made eadher this year (issues #169 and #170). The shoe at the bottom ofthe bac splat must be shaped before Icon glue t Wt cover that detalin a future atte partsAda to this the need for carved ornamen. tation, and you've got one challenging wood: ‘working project on yourhands, youtre thin ing that the combination of joinery, artistry and carving ability pro- videsatest of yourskillasacrafisman, rest assured it atest few in history have taken The finest Philadelphia chairs were almost always designed by one person, constructed by another and carved by a third, In 18th: century Philadelphia, it may have been the case that fourth specialist appliethe finish, anda fifth upholstered the seat. ve extolled capabilities of period craftsmen and their tools fortheva yol workthey couldanddid produce, But clearly, they had their limits, Andonthat merry note, lan goinngtoarro: santly attempt to push my limits. Um facing ry chair phobia he: build Philadelphia Chip ‘onand willattemptto dalechair. The series ofarticlesthat will follow will race my efforts, Pm not auditioning or attempting Impress youwith my skill, Failureisnot only possible, it's likely: And youll hear about it here, Why should Ibe the only one to learn from my mistakes? In thisarticle, 'm going to begin with the chairs back structure, My goal here isto and worry about the hisisachoice period cralis: execute the joinery fis ‘men didniv and couldn't make Start with the Back The back legs of Philadelphia Chippendale chairs were typically full 84 stock. So 134" istypical, with %"t0 17" not uncommon. | mswere used tomarkthestock. The patternscanbe nested” to get several legs cout of one piece of stock. Phila featured characteristic ‘stump’ rearlegs, The lack ofa foot may have allowed chairmakers w nestingthem closer ogether. lwondered ifthe lelphia chairs more legs out of agiven width of stock, patterns weren't such that a single sav kerf could define the ront of one leg and back of another. Ipossible, hiswould bea significant time savings. While I don't doubs it w possible, Lwas Kke this work, Uadrit used my frame sawiina whileand the first ewstrokes snaked back and forth across the line. Some then. Mahogany is too expensive to waste witha suitable tool, stuck with itand inan inch or razy handsaw. But lacking any other so, my technique returned, Patience and a Missing afew details. This chair sometimes Called a “centennial chat” by antique dealer, isa reproduction made inthe 1870s 080s Though the detas are sornewhat lacing, i. ail close dimensional copy of 1th-cent Philadephia Chippendale chairs light touch are helpful with frame saws, An inchlater, wassuccessfully splitting theline Thad marked. And so it went Good saw cuts ike these impress meand was proud of myself until Isaw the back sideof the piece. Ihad held the line but blown square. This wouldn't have been so terrible had it not been in the onearea I needed a ection =the area where the seat rails ap.Afewminuteslater, had square join cas. Thistime I gave myself ie" ofspace Detween the patterns. Ironically, these cuts Good clamping, easier work. | lamped both legs pis trapped betwen the fel lamp bench’ planing st planes and shaves to easly shape the leg stock Tricky driving This rane saw sitet with "iwi blade. 1's basicaly a huge coping saw ‘cts fast, but can be tricky to use. Steering the ‘cut requires a ight touch and constant ater ton, especialy as the cut gets closer to parale! tothe grain, Even though these teeth are filed {or tipping, the wood's gran can grab the blade push other. I's mach easier to Use i¢at some angle to the rain. Unfortunate ‘the most entica parto this ut, the area where seatrails attach, was purposely oriented with the grain, ‘were squarer, but the experience humbled me nonetheless. Inthe fist 30 minutesof this project, my most basic woodworking skills wwercalready challenged, With the legs roughed to shape, I planed the flat spot where the side seat railsattach, Thisisthe one truer erence face forthe back ther using my homemade handscrews. My srews, This allowed me to push or pall my cpulaoodwrkingcon @ 25legs. Plane this flat, markt and dont touch, itagain I shaped the legs usingrmy drawknifeand twospokeshaves, One shave wasset up ikea jack plane, the otherlikeasmoothing plane. (ack shave? Smooth shave?) When the legs were done, | joined them with the rear seat rail. The seat rail hasan angled shoulder, but aside from that, this was nothing special. In fact, | used the same tools and techniques | described inmylastantcle. I glued and draw. bored thisjoint. The only tick here was that ‘the rear seat rail isactually lush withthe back surface of the legs. You needa litle flat onthe backs ofthe legs to accommodate this, You ccandefinethisassecond reference faceifyou ‘wish, and planeit parallel tothe first. Or you cansimplyset your mortising gauge fromthe front face and clean up the legs later. Crest Rail The crest ral joins the legs with two narrow * tenons, These enonsarealigned perpen- dicular with the crest rail so thatthe crest rail canslide straight down, With he crest rain place, Iwasleftwitha bbasicmotise and tenoned frame like somany cothersthad done. The legsare the tiles, and the earseatrailand rest railarethe rails.So far, so good. Be in width, the angle atthe seat rail was the same as the angle at the crest rail. Is just trapezoidal box wise left the legs uniform Back Splat The attachment of the back splat is one of the trickier structural elements. The splat is tenoned into the bottom of the eres rail and tenonsintoaseparate piece glued tothe top of Room for carving, The tenors a the top of the leg are ovented to allow the installation of the crest rail Notice that they are based to the ‘outside ofthe leg: This is dane to allow room for carvings that will decorate this joint ater 26 fopular Woodworking. November 2008 + Arts & MysTeriEs * ‘close match. | used spokeshaves to wnooth the legs and get them similar to each other. [found tis work o be particularly enjoyable. Spoke shaves relly are lke wood planes with very short soles, This process reminded meof match planing Some platsare flat So you simply ha mortisesin the crest rail and shoe. Some plats are curved side to side. My splat is curved similartothe back egsof tbe chai. Thiseally ‘complicates the attachments. Despondent,1 called Colonial Williamsburg, Journeyman David Selishury has madle more than a hun- dred of these chairs, His advice: Shape the splat first Ubegan the splat with 5/4 stock. Lused the back leg template asa starting place forthe curve, but finished by freehanding it. The back platisflaiterthan the legs. Is frontsits, flush with the rest railat the ppanditsback. sits lush with the back legs (and shoe) atthe bottom. Because ofthe carvings, shot fo thickness. [started the shaping by hollowing, the back sde witha gouge. When I gotclose tothe line, smoothed with the grain witha shallower gouge and finished with my spoke shaves. Hound thisjob intimidating Making the Shoe You need a thick block of wood forthe shoe ‘Thisistypically made fromthe eg tock wast l’sashort piece, beveled on either end to fit between the legs atop the rear seat ral. 'm zgoingtoshapeitina future article. beveled theendsandcuta Ys" mortiseabout Ys" from itsback. The mortise needs tobe angled about airback. That sgivesalittle more strength othe mortiseand alitle less eurvature tothe splat 5°inthe same directionasth ‘Rough work. |roughr-shaped he curve the ‘back splat with a gouge. Even now, looking at ‘this picture, ths seoms.a preposterous way to shape tis part. Surly there most bea better vay with some sort of sed and router perhaps? ‘But truth be told this’ take that long. In not ‘move than 10 minutes of fil pleasant work, f ‘had he splat gouged! to shape Five or 10 mi ‘utes later, my spokeshaves finshed the job, ‘be could doit hal that ime next time. The splat ftsinthe shoe with noshoulder infront, With that joint one, Ip the chair together placingthe opofthesplatbehindthe cresrail. knifed the interface. Thre trate cally placed ral. At thisjoin, the tenonshave shoulders ‘only infront. The material betweenthe tenons snans join the splat to the crest will get cutaway ime. Allthishad tobe tight and glued together before that work starts, ter but that wasno helpto 1gthe Whole Thing Together dont want tomislead you. With tenonson the tops ofthe legs the fit at the shoe, and the tenonsat the op ofthe splat, Thad todo some custom fitting, All of those joints had tobe good and not just a the surface. Alot of times, Tundercut tenon shoulders to get them tolook nice at the surface. But in this case, Ineeded good contact at the shoulders through the flldepth.Tdont want my carving toreveal gappy joints So Thad to goaround up imesand clean up my joints witha pchiseland acrosscut saw Conclusion Inthe beginning of this series Italked about wrof making chairs. And there is no chair that scares me more than this one. But for this portion ofthe construction at least, elt fine making the basic frame structureJ Incredibly strong & fast setting “J Shorter clamp times keeps your project moving along ELEVATION a2 M2 2% 302 Walnut a2 Ms 2% 39 Walnut 1 Largescrolt ‘a OM 51 Walnut @ 6 Smallscrolls Ye 2% he Walnut Q 1 Top Ys 4 50! Walnut 1 Bottom Ya D4 504 Walnut G2 tongsheles Ys 2% 504 Walnut’ Center 6 Shoetshelves Ys Pie 6G Walnut Sides 3 Safetybars Sia 5 380 Walnut ep 1 Thickfrontcown 8413456" Walnut 8 D2 Thicksidecrowns 194194534" Walnut 2 1 Thinfrontcxown 3% Ye 52Ye Walnut 2 2 Thinsidecrowns % wh ow Walnut 2 1 Bottom mould ‘7 51 Walnut 2 Endmouldings Ye Te 33¥ Walnut Ns We MOULDING 92. Paritionmouldings = M2 1'4 338 Walnut SECTIONS) 2 Shelfmouldings Ye Maree Walnut CCutall moulding long and trim to fit populcwondvertingsom «55‘A flat place fo work. | buit a large plywood deck before Istarted assembly sift had begun with the ladders of sve been no way ta ail int the ends shelves, (Notice the backing board clamped tothe deck. Tis backs up the ‘began with the middle shelves boca ‘each end, there would ‘opposite ends ofthe selves, ing ea stable ral The scroll holds it square. Beiove nailed the big scroll tothe rack, I checked ofthe hare by measuring th ofthe longer cagonal into th wide ough naling surface to heep the rack square forms, but have neither tool, and none of my moulding planesareadecent approximation for these shapes, so roughed them in on my tublesaw,then faired the profileswith a variety of handplanes, followed by hand sanding, The Frame Like the original, the frame on my rack is assembled with notches (cut onthe band saw), nailed rabbets(with pre-rilled holes) and !"- dos (which Lleft unglued because of setbrads, plusa lar partstohold he frame together. Inthi the frame ofthis plate ra nailed frame ofahouse. When younailthose 56 @ fopularWonworking. November 2008 diagonals, There was Viblock and nailed the railed the small sro red the rack ov he dado he long squareness mo place, The scrolgave mea first few studs other plates the joinery seems flimsy, but asyouadd more nailed partsto the frame, strengthaccumulates until when tis complete —those first few studshave become sturdy parts ofa powerful whole Thegan by nailingthe lonjzmidle shelves into place. [next added the frame's top and bottomand bothends, followed by thesmall scrolls, which were glued and nailed into their notches. [then turned the rack over and slid :nd nailed the short shelves into their da them through those dados, Uknew that the only chance | would have square upthe frame would be when Inailed the wide top scroll into place because it was the only piece witha wide enough bitetocor JOINERY DETAILS rect an error. After I had tacked tha into place with a brad in either top corner, checked the frame for square by measuring the d agonal, and found that one diagonal was ¥6* longer than the other. I pushed the long diagonal against V-block clamped tothe deckononeendof that diagonal, Then, while pressingagainst that V-block until the len ‘ofthe diagonals matched (making the frame square), nailed the wide scroll into place finished up the frame by nailing thesafety bars into their notches. Installing Mouldings The first moul Linstalled wasthe bottom portionofthecrown moulding. Leutthe parts‘onamiter box=leavingeachabitlong—then brought them tothe final length witha miter ck’s mouldings required two different shooting ‘ane for the flat miters and one for plane anda shooting board. (The plate boards the box miters)) Lthen screwed these piecesinto place from the back side. Inext added the 134" x Lvs" pieces ofthe crown mouldin again cutting, each piece slightly longand bringingthem to lengthonashootingboard. screwed thelong central piece in place from the back side, The ‘ewoend pieces ofthismoulding press-fit with slue by holding each piece in position for 60 seconds while the glue grabbed, Ithencut and ft the! 7%" mouldings forthe front edgesoftheendlsand the bottom. nailed (and glued) the two end pie position but Heft the bottom loose because Fado fit the joints where the partition ould: {ngs would meet this bottom section. These meetings of end and partition mouldings requirea double miter. | first cut the 45° carsonthe male section, roughingin the cutsby sawingabitoutside amarkmade con the bottom sie by a bevel square. then finished up these angles with a m onashooting beard Tai eutthe female halves ofeach jeinton thebottom side ofthe bottom moulding then roughed nthat joint on my band sa and fin {shed upwithaparingchisel. When those joints ‘were finished, I nailed the botiom into place But [couldn't at that time, nailthe partition mouldingsbecause those first had to e fi for the long middle shelf mouldings. These joints ‘were double itersjust ike the jointsconnect ing the partition and bottom mouldings. Hanging the Rack Lester Margon said that original plate rackhhas Standard hangers ofthe to rack maybesecuredtothe wall” Iwasritsure fastened.to the rearedge { bottom members so that the what “standard hangers” meant so lehose ‘hangmy version froma 1x2 walnut cleat tha isscrewed tothe wall and to the underside o the platerack’stop. Because thismeant thatthe whole rack: wndwhatever wasdisplayed upon it-would be hung from the top, Lreinforced the top with several hidden glue blocks and ‘corner brackets. PW pair ofme! Tey afar maken encase, Oho adhe author many books 2 ncucng te few “Chataking Spied” Popul Woven Books) Youcansee mareothisworkand hs boaksat Where glue helps. Clue ad ite strength to.a dad joints fever had a chance to gle side gaint side grain, I used glue a Double your precision. The partition mouldings enter the bottom mould the double-miter joint shown here. The same joints used when the middle shol mouldings enter the partion mouldings, ith The miter’ mate. This photo shows the ly ‘ut af the jint's female part. The marks on the right edge ofthe moulding incicate the full with ofthe male moulding while the marks a the let hand side of each aiago palindlicate the width ofthe central raised portion of the male moulding. Staying clear ‘ofthe layout fines, cut the joint on my band saw smbled them unglied, but when m doing here with ths moulding ‘Shooting to size. ough cut the miter onthe male prt with asav; then finalized the miter with several strokes ofa miter plane-an a shooting hard. The miter Isfinshod when itjust moets the conta aised portion ofthe moulding Pareto fit. ther fine-tuned the female part ofthe joine with paring chisel giving tho part several test ppiline EXTRAS For more on nails, goto: ppopularwoodworking.convaug07 so 057aL OG amtudy the furniture built prior to the Queen Anne period and youl find surface ‘ornamentation is primarily accomplished ‘with mouldingsand/or paint. Whilethereare afewexamplesof carvings on earlier work, it ‘wasritunti the ftstthird ofthe 18th century thatfurnituremakersincluded decorative fea- tureson their work such as hells and fans, Wallace Nutting, in “Furniture Treasury Vol II" (Macmillan Publishing Co), sepa- ratesshells rom fans by callingthem, ‘those cheaper modifications which more properly are denominated fans.” Fromaearving per- spective, he wascorrect~shellsare more df: ficult to produce, But froma purely aesthetic pointof view, think fans, when carved well, rival any shell design in beauty ‘As the popularity of fan carvings grew during the 1700s, each region of furniture ‘manulacture developed ts ownstyle, Today. ‘we evaluate the carved fan to help identifyin which regiona piece of furniture was built. Thisdesign wasdeveloped froma number ‘of New England pieces.and haveiinfused my own ideasas wel Asan introduction to fan carving, you might expect a flat design. However, creat- ingan undulating design, aserpentine oran ‘S-shaped surface, involves only acoupleaddi- tional steps duringthe carving process. And the resultsare worth the extra effort. Ittakes five tools to enhance the design of any project with a carved fan. We show you the tools and tricks to get right the first time. Accurate Layout, Better Results imagine there are woodworkers who carve exceptionally well who could position them- selvesin front ofablank of woodand freehand carveamasterpiece fan. I cannot The frst stepin fan layout is placement This fan is carved into.a drawer front. The carvingisplaced "above the bottomedge ofthe drawer frontto gain additional shadow linesasthe design rolsintothe drawer divider below. Mark this distance up from the bot- tom edge. then use a straightedge and pencil todraw the baseline, ‘Most fanson period furnitureare symnmet- rical designs, Mark the middle of the drawer front on the previously marked baseline, Use square toextendla vertical line upthe face of the front. Theintersection ofthe two linesis important;acircleandahalfcirclearedrawn from this point. The circle, from which the rays travel outward tothe fan's edge, hasa 114" diameter, which isa ¥4" radius. Usea compass to complete the full citee. FANCARVING No diference. Aswith any wood: working project. the path toa great caved fan begins with good, accurate Jayout work ‘Thesize ofthe itcle influencesthe width ‘ofthe raysat theirsmallest or narrowest sec: tion. Lfthecircleshrinksinsize, the width of the raysat the circle becomes too narrow to carve or distinguish. Yourfirstinstinet might betoincrease the size ofthe inner citcle, but Imust caution you that you need tokeep the ratio ofthe circle and the fan size in mind, Proportionsare easy toloseif you're not care ful and then the carving wont look pleasing, totheeye. ‘The radiusofthe outer edge ofthe fan, the half circle, is determined by the height ofthe drawer front. you have no boundaries the sky’sthe limit asto size, but for this drawer front, set the compass so the top edge of the fanis I"below the topedge. That'saradiusof 5¥/e"and the fanis 104" acrossat the baseline, Draw the outeredge ofthe fan witha compass, then continue the layout ines from theend of the halfcircle (where the halfcircle intersects the baseline) othe bottomedge ofthe drawer fromtusinga square. popularsoadverkingsom 59Step Offthe Rays With the overall dimensions of the fan st thenext step isto lay out the individual rays, Thistaskiscompleted witha pairof dividers, apenciland a straightedge Set the dividers at 1" ihisis the figure I used) and begin to step off the pointsat the {intersection ofthe vertical line and the fan's couteredge. Working from the centerline out ‘maintainsthe symmetry ofthe fan. Make very light pinpointsasyoulay outoneside ofthe fan by making impressions along the fais outer edge. The last point, the one made nearest the aris baseline, should be very close to that baseline. Ifyour layout falls short, increase the spread of the dividers then repeat this step again. IesOK tobestightly past the baseline, but Ifyou go too far past you begin o close the fan’scircumference and, in my opinion, that changes the look, Small deviations are fine and youshould alwaysplease your eye. Once the dividers are set and the width ofthe raysis determined, step off the points adding pressure as you work. Move to the second half ofthe fan and repeat the steps ‘olay outthe ray points, agai starting from the centerline ‘Stepping out. Symmetry is important, soit best to layout the ray sizes with asec of ides, Connect the dots. Draw the ray lines onto the carving using the stepped: of points along the fan’: outer edge and the point atthe intersection of the baseline and vertical line. 60 & Fopular Woodworking, November 2008 Now connect the points made with the dividers with the point at the intersection of the verticalineand the fan's baseline. Carty thelinespastthe farisedge Youll need draw those lines in asecondtime after dishingout the serpentine area. Evaluate the layout at thistime.fyouthink the inner layout lines are too tight, increase the diameter ofthe inner circleor reduce the number ofraysin the fan. Do the opposie if thers ‘Toestablishthe depth ofthe serpentine or sculpted area, turn toatrick adapted from ‘watching Windsor chairmakersseulpt seats Drillaholetothe required depth, then sculpt tothebottom ofthe hole. For thefan,adjusta ‘compassto-",use the vertical baseline point foroneleg. then draw ashor lineacrossevery other ray ine, Next installa 4" drill biinto thedll press set the presstodrilltoadepth of /is', then drill at each intersection along that 4" radius, Required Carving Tools Asfarascarvinggoes.thisfan requiresamini- malnumberofearvingtools:three gougesand. two V-partingtools The numbersgiven on my carvingtoolsindicatethe amount ofcurvature and the width ofthe blade, in that order. So, the higher the first numberof the gouge the tighter the curve, and the higher the secondl number the wider the cutting en. Ofthe gouges, oneisa7/25straight-shaft gpugeandthe twoothersareback-bent gouges, 25/6 and a25/13. The straight gouge isthe tool used to hog out the serpentine-shaped valley ofthe fan while the back-bent tools, are used for carving the convex surfaces of each ray. The smaller back-bent tool is used along the first third of each ray moving from the innercircle outward. The remainingray edges are worked with the wider back-bent gouge ‘spartingtoolsworkprety much thesame. Usethe 15/6 tool to score each ray line along itsentire length andl complete the first third ofeach ine. The wider 12/8 V-partingtoolis cused to parttheremainingray linesaswellas todefine the outer edge ofthe fan. ‘So how do you hold a carving tool? My answers, "as comfortably as you can.” Iike towrap one hand around the tool's steel as ‘one would their lower hand while holding a baseball bat. Then I position the end ofthe handle into the palm ofthe other hand with theindex fingerextended down the wooden shaft. eannot say which hand should bethe rightor eftbecause youll findthat being ambi dextrous while catvingisa fine asset, Learn toswitch backand forth. The hand lowest on the tool guides the toolsdirection and actsasa pivot when neces sary. The top hand ismy drivehand, pushing the tool through the wood. My two hands ‘work in unison, Finally Time to Carve Clamp the drawer front securely to your bench, Use the 12/8V-parting oolto define the outer edge ofthe fan, Asyou work witha partingiool youll find tsalot like steetinga car Ifyoutuen your wrist tothe ight, the cut imovestothe right twist your wrist ef and thetoolcutstothelek, Keepthe carving tool asstraghtas possible whilecuttingthe edge ‘Work the linet. uniform depth Theinnercirelehasto be cut, but not with tool Usethe straight gouge, held verily tostabanddefinethe innercitele. Alighttap ‘on the end will do the trick. Due to the shal- Excavation guide. The key o cutting the serpentine shape both level and consistent sto dell accurate holes and work to their depth,A short list. You don't need ato ch fan Three gouges and tw0 ps Work between the lines. The addition ofthe inside layout fie, along ws you lo create a evel and symmetrical swith the depulseting holes, al rough. low depth of the raysas they meet the inner Next, use the sta rial fromthe -shapedarea. Remov ing thismacerialisnot acomplextask because ight gouge to hog away ‘mastoofthe wood beingremovedis he idle ofthe fanthat the grain. l’son! you're cutting with the grain. At that point, youlll need to move slowly and diligently to remove only the waste material. I's easy to digabit too deep. Work to the bottom of the drill-pressholes. Inordertomakeatruesymmetrical rough Tadda Tis". My trough or serpentine shape is 21" other compass ine withthe too set10 ‘wide, When the majority ofthe wasteiscleared ancl youve reached the bottom of the drilled holes, use the straight gouge to smooth and level the surface The ideaisto get the surfaceassmoothas youcan before movingon, Sanding the surface ‘would surely accomplish this, but xs pook-pooh using sand areasrequiringmore carv Is the tools faster. Asa bs Hof carving too} to make this 3 tools areal thats required. Wie driving a car. Si ambidextrous, you‘ surfaceallowsthe remaining stepsto be accomplished more quickly and the wool ccutsshow better. And, Icanalwaysstrop the edge of (Choose whether you want to sand or not then lay the ray lines back onto the fan, Here y carving tools, iswhere havingthe linesextend overthe fans edge pay dividends Pull Rays froma Flat Surface Tomake the rays stand ott andl be noticed, start with thenarrow-partingtool Push the wwolalongthe tayoutlinewithalight hand, All youe ryingto doisdefine the ray, not digit deep. Keep your wrist straight —no steering the tool =a you work from the inner crcl outward, Asyou reach the downward slope of theserpentinearea,youTlneed increase the patch ofthetool,ormaintan therelationship othe tool the sua asyoudescend. Work justo the bottom of the shaped area. Tocompletecuttingthe ray line youll need to work from the outer edge back to the bot a, Trying to cut uphill tom of the shaped 1 do it my way. Hold the caving eer your parting oo! along the outer edge of the fan, How you turn your west determines the cuts path head of the game. isnotadvised although itcan be done. This, is where youl find being ambidextrous use ful. t’seasier to switch hands than turn the drawer fron Once the ray linesare defined and you've deepened the first part ofthe ray, turn tothe ‘wider V.parting tool to increase the depth of thellines over thellast two-thirds of each ray The wider oolbeginstoroll the edge ofeach ray, Just remember to change directions and work into the middle of the trough Theory saysyoushould increase the depth ‘of the ray lines as you move farther from the innercince, Ithiswere flat work would heed that advice. But due othe serpentine shape, | dont find it necessary to follow that “rule The same process isrepeated oneach ray Youcan complete your V-tool workallat once Ifyou choose. 1, however, like to work a few atimeandswitchto the gougestowatch thefan develop, Rolling the Rays ‘Whilethe V-parting:oolshegin the processof shapingthe rays, isthe back-bent gouges that om = 6Wallin the tool. Grain direction is not such an sue when using a V-part {ng too. Use the narrow cutting tool forthe finer ines ofthe rays and the wider tool as you near the outer edge. 'No big deal.’ only with the small back-bent gouge that you'e able to round the edge ofthe rays near the inner circle. rollthe ray’sedgesto form. Thisis where you ‘need to payatention to the wood grain. The sgrainchanges throughout the fan, depending fon where youre carving, Watch carefully If youcut against the grain, youtre more likely totear the fibers instead of cut. And due to the shallowness of the work, a small area of tear-out can be irreparable damage lfyoute working with particulary dificult ‘wood -which I dont suggest if this sa first attempt, but Lalso know how, as woodwork ers, we hate to practice — you can wipe the area with a dampened cloth and gain better results from your carving tools. I's the old “how-to-trim-end-grain”trick~it works on fa grainas well Begin rolling the edges with the 25/13 gouge. Work from the outer edge inward. ing small amounts of wood while you traverseiintothe valley from the outer edges ‘ly accomplished. The ideaistocarvethe ray into a semicircle at the outer edge, but | ‘must admit that my rays are a bit flattened, Toproduce the fullhalfcirclerequiresdeeper V-grooves and more work. It should take a couple passes to fin- {sh the rounding of each ray. As you move 62 Popular Woniworing. November 2008, hhave to read the gran inward youll reach point where you need 10 change tothe smalleravidth back-bent too. The smaller tool allow endsneartheiinner circle. Repeat these steps witheach ray while ryingtokeepthe surface smooth After you complete the rounding of the ray’sedges, makeanotherpassusingthe 15/6 V-partingtool.Thispasscutsabitdeeper due totheedgesofthe raysbeingcutaway. Nolon: geristhe shoulder of thecarvingtool rubbing againstthe wood, Thenusethe back benttool to round any edge as needed Homestretch: Straighten and Sand Because Tm carvinga drawer from that rolls intoa drawer divider, Ineed to remove the materiallbelow the frrsbaseine, The bottom eadgeof the inner circles trimmed with the ‘straight gouge leaving the edge at 90° to the drawer front The squared edges, the continu ation ofthe outer edge, are rolled down one side and ft lat toward the center. ifyourworkisanything ike mine, 1know youll have a few line wiggles here and tere Because the majority ofthe carving iscom- plete, you get the feel andlock ofthe faninits Big impact. Even though there’ can tell nowt adds impact tothe design ofthe overall projet. Which direction do you carve? The cuting action ofa gouge near the middle rays is mostycros rain buts you move tothe outer rays you ile touch-up work left on this an, you finished stage, Take a few minutesto go back and straighten any misaligned ray lines Agreat tipforthissep istousealow-ange ‘orraking light. Let the light shine across your fan, Asmchasit mightscare you, anyimper fectionswilljump right out. But, please dont get caught up in ryingto attain perfection. 1 ‘ew fancarvingsasl dobuilding 1&ih-century reproduction furniture and devetails they're perfect in every way, how am going to know they arehandmacle? ‘When you'vesmoothed the fanasmuchas youcan with yourtools,tha’sthetime toturn tosandpaper.Dontstart with anything more coarse than 4150 grit And ifyourcarvingis anywhere clase tosmooth, you're better off startingat #180-geit sandpaper Please don't be tempred to use a lap-sanding whee! 10 finish your fan, That apparatus hurts more thanithelps. Be patient. Sand by hand, then audthe completed fan carvingtoany of your projects. PW (Gln isa senor ede otis maga, published anor and he hostof te Woodworker ge OVD ‘Sees, Contacthen 513-531-2690 31129 04 slo huey Sips comre eae eee Pee eee att} ore eee eer Caer taED The fundamental rules (and devices) to keep you clear of danger at your saw. eafkcback where he work Tokensdcradtomshantic proplchovcrerexpencned et medlcibackmo thanonc ‘ thenoviceandexperienced woodworke vaca ean inthe sh Taha won deooffsomethingand head inany direction, and boards with some significant width that kick backcan pivot sidewaysas well believe that most woodworkers don't understand the cause and cure of kickback, solerstake alookat both The Mechanics of Kickback Kickbackoccurswhenapiece of woodsune pectedly thrown back toward the operator The lifting and throwing force of kickback startsatthe back of the blade, not the fron ‘Togetabetterunderstandingof how this your sawand: p marker. Now rotate that forceisereaved, unplug: tooth witha felt tooth to where it just starts to rise above the tableat the back of your saws throat plac Ifyou follow this one tooth as it rotates it will give you abetieridea how a piece of \woodisliftedand thrown forward. When the bade isesthrough the table atthe back ofthe saw it hasan initial vertical lift. Asthe blade continuesto rotate and reaches the top ofits a, the vertical liftbeginsto ransformintoa Dorizontal thrust. Bythe time the blade moves fromthe top ofthe arcback down towardthe saw’stable, the horizontal thrust transitions backtovertical Bynowallthe orceis moving down towards the table onits way to doing itall over again, To help students understand how much lif.a rotating blade has, I move them over to the 20" disc sander (unplugged, ofcourse). AS the sandpaper disc rotates, youcan safelysand ‘wood onthesideth thetable. But mavethe wood totheliftingside istotating downtoward andthe pieceisimmediatey lifted up. Atable saw blade works ina similar fashion, ‘The Causes of Kickback (OK, so we know that kickback occurs at the back ofthe blade, but what are the ceventsthat can cause the stock tocontactthe backof the blade? The power of kickback. One ofthe magazine's former editors experienced a kickback on the table saw thatesuited inthe board ying back and striking a bench chisel, bending 64 w Feputar Woodworking, November2008 \ \ \ Up, forward and down again you follow the ‘marked tooth in the series of photos above, you ‘an sce how intially the tooth its the workup. Then i pushes it forward, And finally it pushes itdown, Byfarthe most commoncauseisbindingor pinching. Thishappens whena piece of wood ‘ecomes trapped between the rotatingblade and astationary object, such as the fence or the guard. The follow that stock can kick back 1. Crosscutting.a piece of wood with the ‘on the lef side ofthe blade while \gisa list of reasons miter gaug the fence is being used asa stop on the right side of the blade -blam-o! 2. Insome caseskickbackis createdilthe saw kerf closes around the blade 3. Make sure the fence is parallel to the blade. Ifthe fenceis toed inward toward the blade. itcancause the wood tocomein contact ‘with the back edge ofthe blade 4. Cutting wwisted, distorted, knotty crooked or springy wood. 5. Frechandcuttingoreuttingwoodthatis not flat on the table, such as round stock 6 Losingcontrolofthe work orletting go ofthe wood at th with the sawblade T.Notfllowingthrough when ripping, ot stoppingbefore the cu 8 Intentionally orunintentionally allow ingthe woodto “drop ontoportothe side of theback ofthe blade 9. Backing out of acut same time it’s in contact is complete 10. Improper setup of the machine's ‘guards, fixtures or hold-downs, 11. Applying the entire pushing force toward the offfall or fre sectionof the work instead of pushingtoward the fence. ‘The Cures for Kickback Usethe guard, Thebestcure forkickbackisio deny he wood access to theback oftheblade. Aspliuer.especiallyariving kn, isby farthe best protection you can give yoursel. Double-checkall yoursetupsand planyour ccutscarefully. Be aware ofall he pinch points corbindings that could be created duringany ccutand planyour work first, Andalthough this isntacure forkickback, there are blades that have anti-kickback fingers behind the teeth that limittbe chipor depthof cut. These biades are sometimes sold asanti-kickback blades, but they do not eliminate kickback. Now let's look at two important devices that can help youavoid injury, but only fyou use them properly Featherboards and Push Sticks Dr. Jeffery Greenburg, a brilliant hand sur sronand prety fair woodworker, told me that he has never treated a patient whose injury ‘occurred because ofa push stick orany other safety device. Asa matter of fact, common reason accidents occur is from not using a safety device. Push sticksand featherboards ke, inexpensive, can be made toany sizeand are expendable. There area lot o detilswritten on howtomake articles, drawings and push sticksand featherboards, but most profession: als make the simpler types for two reasons: They are easy and quick to make, and whenA proper featherboard. The ‘and springy, as shown, You can clamp ther to the table ort the fence to op improve the safety of many operations they get cutand nick: J youdon' feel sobad. ‘They are the ultimate sacrificial tool Featherboards Nota Cure-all Featherboards, spring boards, combs, anti etic hold-downsall hold the workdown oragainst kickback fingers, spreaders and m: anedge, and they act like a spring. A feather board is piece of solid stock with multiple kkerfsthavare equally spaced alongthe grain, The endofthe piece iscutata 30° to 45°angle Featherboardscan help minimize kickback, butthey donot eliminate it, as some commer cial featherboard manufacturers suggest Featherboards re designed, forthe most part, to be clamped to the table or fence Clamping them tothe fence is usually nota problem. But clamping to the table can be a challenge. To getaround this, some commer cial eatherboards have either builtin expan: sion bars that ft in the miter gauge’s slot or heavy-duty magnets. Ifyou use shopclamps tosecure your featherboards, use twoclamps to prevent the device from pivoting lasimpleclampingsolutionisnot readily available, ry placing high-strength, fiber ‘woven carpet tape on the down side of the featherboard. This will hold it to the table but will nt quite give the “stay-put” holding powerthat you can get with aclamp, Featherboards that ate clamped to the fence help keep the wood flat against the table and provide some kicking resistance They canbe placedanywhere alongthe fence whereadownward forceisneeded. Beaware that ence-mounted featherboards can some: times be restrictive. Table-mounted feather be offersome kickingresistance. tis vitalthata table-mounted featherboard neverbe placed ‘ds providle force toward the fence and s of eatherboard are consistent in size boxe oct beyond the front edge ofthe blade. Ifmour behindthe blade, the force will intothe back of the blade. The Proper Use of Push Sticks Push sticks are used tohelp through the cut while keepin d hold the work against the table while pushing, ish the stock your fingers od push stick can help i ofthe blade: forward at the s They are an absolute must when cutting narrow orthin stock, Push stickscomeinall ne time shapesand sizes, and ita good idea o have several different typesand thicknesses ready to go. inmost casesthe wid ofthe pushstick should be lessthan the distance between the sawand the fe Iprefertousea push stick that both hooks nd sits on the top of the ack edge board. Thistypeof push stick ives controland helps keep the stock from tipping up while moving past the blade Inisimportant to understand whi 1, tousea push stick. As longas you have your hands ona board when making, cut, you will always have a great degree of control. Assoonas you use a push stick, you lose portion of that contol Better together. Here a push sticks used with a featherbourd. The stick keeps the work Maton the table Yin nto the nd moving forward. The feather Jo, presses the work against the fence [always recommend that you use your hands for pushing your work when you have morethana3* clearance fromthe guard—you simply have more control, [fyourhands wll be within 3° of the guard, however, t push sticks definitely necessary Beaware that you will lose some control Asamatter offact,ifyou usea pushstick with a downward force on a board that is off the table, it could cause the board to tip upward, Pushsticksju the beginningofcut ona long beard. Ukeepmy push stick handy and when my push hand gets to that 3° limit, with my left stareni effective ornecessaryat hand holding the board firm, Tuse my right hand to pick up the push tick and finish the cut. lalsokeepa second push stick tothe left ‘ofthe table so that my lefthand hasaccess to apushstickas well. Be push sticks can slip offthe stock and cause a very dangerous situation. Always keep your pushstick hooked firmly over th ‘ofthe board. PW yethat sometimes orside recnsvoksop safety, wich aiableon A good push stick. Here! ofrmy frequently used push sticks Ithooks over the back ofthe work and presses the work a thea whingcom 65In the hands of genius, ordinary items become fine art. BY DAVID MATHIAS & ROBEDa Peer ee Peer nee aay detail and craftsmanship of the Pe eetvery common objectsindecd: doors and cabi nets for the kitchen and bath. With photo- sgraphsfrom 10Greene & Greene houses from ‘modesto majestic, well reenes gift for elevating mundane ele ‘mentsto high ar. In a Greene & Greene home, there are no unimportant details. Everyday items are crafted withthesame degree of skilland care Both Useful and Beautiful A place for everything, Inthe Boton house, the ther-new telephone was given a bull in home. as showpiece items, and designed with the ‘same thoughtful blending of form and fune tion, Acabinet ina servanr’satea would be simpleand of less expensive material, but as well constructed as dining room built-ins Then and Now Ima modern home the kitchen isa gathering, place, perhaps the only room in which the (Out of sight, not out of mind. Located i the Gamble garage, this medhcine cabinets sracetuly designed, nicely detailed and well consiucted, Custom closet. The closet doors in the Jenny Reeve house provide an important design element for ith son practical need. 68. fopular Woodworking. November 2008 centre family spends time together. This isa relatively new phenomenon in urban/sub- ban America where, historically kitchens coften smalland the domain ofhired help. Lange kitchens that are well-integrated with therestofthe home have facilitated the change. Centralairconditioning hasalso played arole ~ kitchens are no longer sauna. ike. Bathrooms have undergone a similar transformation, One hundred yearsago, few ‘would have considered the bathrooma sane ‘uary, For many contemporary people, tha’s exactly what a bathroom is. Today's marble: clad, whirlpool-equipped baths bear only a lance to their forebears, Henry passing Inthe world in which Chacle Greene lived, kitchensand baths were almost entirely wilitarian. For theirwealthier clients, the kitchen wasrarely seen; itwasa room in which only the staffspent time. Thus,atten- tion to detail inthese rooms provided limited returntothearchitect. Yet,evenin theirmod: est.commissions,the Greenesaitended tothe etailsin kitchensand baths justasthey did imevery other aspect of their work. Inthe Kitchen, Intact 100-year-old kitehensand baths are rate, The Gamble house, ofcourse, is unchanged from that time. Restored rooms nother Greene & Greene homes retain some ‘of the original elements (or reproductions of them). The Caroline DeForest house, however still asits original kitchen right down tothe ‘wooden countertops. The DeForest house isa wonderful exam. ulimate pleofthe Greenes work prior toth ‘bungalows. Built in 1900,this2 foot home has many interesting features, The OOsquare: ‘main entrance to the house is on one side rather than facing the street. The walkway brings visitorstoa wonderful covered porch. The double-door entry leads ta livingarea with a wall of windows above an inviting window seat The kitchen isquitesmalland simple. The ccabinetsare a straigl but attractive board-and/-batten design decorated with hun: dreds ofroundl ead brass screws. Theslotsin thescrewsalign withthe grain direction ofthe ‘wood: t'sa subtle, obsessive touch, The Gamble house kitchen islargeby com: parison ~ though not by today’s standard for house ofthat size. ts center island layout ‘would seem familiar to many homeowners today. The lack of a kitchen table isone clue thatthisisntatypical, modern kitchen design,‘The maple cabinets are very pleasing. The adjacent butlers pantry leadstothe stunning 1Broom, Beginningin 1906,many Greene Greene cabinets, panticularlyin butlers pantries, were constructed withstiding rather than swinging doors, response tothe 1906 San F cearthquake, to prevent dishes from fallingto the floor when the shaking started The Smallest Room White. White walls. White floors, White fixtures, White, everywhere white. That is «a reasonable description of most bathrooms 100 years.ago. The Greenes didn't do.lot to that situation, Clients expected white, thecolorof clean, What the Greeneswereable todo, however, was to unify the bathroom with the restof the house Modlern vanities weren't yetcommon but every bath had a medicine cabinet. Rather than sterile featureless models, Charlesand Henry incorpora that were clearly integrated with the houses architectural trim, The truly grand Robert Blacker house has medicine cabinet and two stained glass win. cd custom-made cabinets owsintegrated to become a work ofart. Itisa In the Kitchen Asit was in 1906. Built before the ultinate bungalows, the DeForest house was modes, yet the small Kitchen contained elegant details Maple masterpiece. The story is told 9! Mary Gamble never set foot in kitchen, yet the cabinets Allina row. The DeForest pantry cabinets fe turedstylied board-and-batten doors and the ‘numerous exposed crew head areal aligned the direction ofthe wood gran, ‘On the way tothe dining room. The Gamble house butlers pantry; between the kitchen and and wall dining 100m, features Roor-to-celin tonwall cabinetsfantastic detail that transform: plain room intoa place of marvelous beauty Wsa detail that would be suitable in many settings inthe home Makingan Entrance Anyone with more than a casual familiarity with the work of Greene & Greene has seen examplesoftheirmagnificent entry doors. The Califomiaive oak motifon the Gamble house doors is probably the best-known example, butseveralotherhomes~includingthe Ford and Blacker houses —have similaely striking, The Bath Sign of the times. nthe early 19005, ‘white was the prefered color for bath rooms because it vas considered sat itary, The Gamble master bathroom followed ths dictum, but ina style Aeeping withthe resto the house appear One for the Blackers. Blacker house the bathroom cabinet ‘was enhanced with artglass doors, and the bracket details aso present Is, While the mainentrancesare mostimpres are quite beautiful. Aswith numerous clements in a Greene & Greene house, the design vocabulary ties doors intothe whole In the Gamble house, sunbursts (long elements angled at the top to model the windows. In kets” grace the Blacker house, the corners of many exterior doors as well as windows, In the Freeman Ford house several interior doors ineludeart glasssim'- ys) appear in doorsand. Blacker b ‘An accurate reflection. In Charles Greene's Pasadena ‘home, the medicine cabinet contains lements that he wooden in ote parts ofthe home entry door. Recurrin, & Greene hallmark The Halstead house (1906) was a very modest commission for the Greenes. Orig nally quite small, it was built with a single bedroom. Yeteven inthishumble home there isconsiderable attentionto detail. Many inte: rior doorsare a four-panel design, one over three, The enter bottom panelisshorter than, those flankingit. Therailsaboveand below the bottom panelsare angled to meet the shorter panel rather than stepped. This isa subtle, Entrances Subtle deta interior docrsin the Freeman Fort! house arch in detail. Art ls ight and louis add elegance in an understated way. [Not an ordinary door. This door fiom the Hal stead house reveal variations in door compo ‘ents that require e‘wonderful detail that inspiresaweat the idea that someone thought to doi In some cases even garage doors got the cat the Gamble house's garage, with iftsand pegscreatively arranged, andthere’sno questionasto itsheritage ~itis clearly Greene & Greene, In 1916CharlesG north to Carmel, Calif, to pursue architec u endeavors. His years there resulted in some zene moved his family aareduced paceas wellasotherartistic Unity, not division house a Greene & Greene norm, Most notable isthe Di Jan the natura uty ofthe Northern California coast and to Charles Greene's genius. Forthe last 30yearsofhislife,Cha mary canvas washisCarmelstudio, Thehand ofthemasteris,tothisday,seen everywhere His carving work on the doors is magnifi cent, Somecarvings remain unfinished, with ‘Charles'chalkand pe onthem, As orallofus, Charles lst of projects cilsketchesstill visible was longer than his years.on earth, Now that building components are mere Outbuildings, not afterthoughts. The at the Camble house con commodities it is important to recall atime with today such quality isavailable only othe very wealthy. Perhapsone day the pendulum will again swing in the other direction Until then, we can look tothe work of the past and hope. PW Active retirement, Charles Greene spent ‘orking in and on his studi inImitation COULD BE JLLEGAL Nao atagel 13} a ant-garde are studied, scaled and reproduced by industrious woodworkers nota furniture creat der imitation a.compliment especially when it leads to lost income or damaged reputatior Inincreasing numbers, furniture creators turning tointellectualp ety lawasa means of preventing wnaut ized replicationof their work, Take forexample lent & Trademark Ot 76 Popular Wosdwling, Novem ? Many iconic designs are legally protected; research before you copy. the famous «. Herman Miller, whoacquired his rom Charlesandl Ray Eames from reproducing the “EAMES traclemat and also t netive shape (its trade dre stered these traits with thet United States eo competition in the marketplac this end favor a competiti which many sellers can off larproduets. This aim, how with two other societal objective aginginnovation, andl 2)preventingeonsumer confusion atthe point of pur How doesa government like the United States, dedicated to free-market principles, balance equally compelling. > foster ormistakeintheir purchases? T sd “intelectual property” law: isadifference between building furniture forsaleandbuildingfor personaluse. though personal-use builders may be equally guilty ofinfringingsomeonesintellectual property they are far less likely tha benot those who sell i edor pursued Four Types of Protection Ilegalimitation of furniture isa formof res passing although instead of rouncingon another personsland, the trespassisto their intellectual” property. Inthe context of fur niture reproduction, the most germane (but bby no means the only) forms of intellectual property are: 1) design patents, 2) uty pat ents, 3)copyrightsand 4) trademarks, For woodworkers who sell their handiwork, i may be helpful envision these formsof intel Tectual property like menacing bear trapsset between the workshopand the buyer. Avoid inginfringement isamatter of carefully evad- ingeachtrap, orseekingpermission from(and ‘often paying) the tap’s owner forthe privilege of crossing over. To be caught ina trap isan expensive and exhausting process whether cone is found guilty or innocent. Design Patents Design patents, common in the furnicure trades, are airs variety oftrapsto be dodged by the reproduction furniture maker. They proteet the unique (and wnobvious) ora rental designsofthings manufactured and assuch are ideally suited foraltypeso farni re. Once granted by the US. Patent Off, aadesign patent lasts H4 years and cannot be renewed orextended. Many successful fur niture designers protect their ereationswith design patents. Infringement of a design patent occurs when, in the eyes of an ordinary observer, aivingattention asa purchaser usualy gives the reproduction piece substantially resembles, thedrawingsinthe design patent. fadjudged guilty, the infringercan be ordered tostop the infringementand pay money damagesranging, froma reasonable royalty t-compensation for lost profits or worse How can reproduction furniture maker Inthe field of design patent traps? First, consider the age ofthe inspira tional furniture design. Ifthe piece tobe cop- iedhasbeen known tothe publicformorethan safely passth ‘onably safe toassume Jevantdesign patents have expired (Adding four yearstothe normal design pat- ent lifespan accounts fr possible delays in patent filingand examination.) For inspira tional furniture designs less than 18 years old, the most reliable way to reduce the risk cof design patent infringement isto conduct patent research, Patent infringement serious ‘business, and therefore clearance research is nojeb foranamateur,seekassistance froma qualified intellectual property lawyer Utility Patents Uiltypatertsareanother gang wapsstand! ingbetweena woodworker and hisorher cus tomers. These legal devices provide protection forunique {and unobviows) products, aswell Thos. Maser. This icone chai s trademarked asthe Thos, Moser Continuous Arm Chair, tis futher protected by a design patent. asthe machinesand processes used tomake things, and the materials from which things are made. Utility pate the urniture iradesthattheUS. Patent Office hascdedicated specific classic bedsand other types of furniture. Au patent last iypically) for 20 years from the date itis fled inthe Patent Office and inthis onstochairs, lity context cannot be renewed or extended, Frank Lloyd Wright. These chars and the extension table were designed for Susan Lawrence Dana in 1902, Pictured above are reproductions from Cope land Fursiture, which holds exclsive license to build these and other Frank Uoyd Wight designs popularwooiworkingcom @ 77Liketheirdesign counterparts, lity pat- entscanbe infringedeveniifthe reproduction maker does not slavishly copy the original Ulity patentinfringement occurs whenthe reproduction piece incorporatesthe combina tionoffearuresclaimed inone ofthe numbered paragraphsat the end ofa utility patent. In additiontospendinghundredsofthoasandsof dollarsinalawsuit,infringers willbe ordered tocompensate the patent holder. The wility patent shown onthe next page forthe Balans Variable Chatr, memorable forsupportingthe ‘occupant ina semi-kneeling posture. Inthe ‘mid-1980s, the patent ownerssuedacompet toralleginginfringement To trek safely around all possible util ity patent traps, the reproduction furniture maker should again consider the age of the inspirational furniture. Utility patents have slightly longer lifespan than design patents = 20 years. Furniture commercialized more than 20 years earlier therefore, isnot likely toremain fettered by utility patents. Ifthe furniture piece to be copied isless than 20 rsoldand has uniqueattributesthat could possibly be protected with a utility patent, qualified patent lawyershould be engaged to search and evaluate the patent records Copyrights Copyright property threat to the reproduction [urn ture maker. Copyright can be used to protect putely stylistic elements found in furniture eathird form of intellectual design, including original works of applied decorative carvingsoremblems,custom fini- al, original paint schemes, fabrie patterns and such. Copyrightshavesomewhat limited appli- cation to furniture design. The law has deve ‘oped so that copyright protection should not overlap the domains reserved for patents Asaconsequence, there are many boundar- ies placed on copyrights. For example, the overall shape ofthe furniture piece cannot be copyrighted ~that is reserved to design patents, Nor ean any functional features be copyrighted, in deference ro tity patents Eventruly artistic featuresthatare insepara- bly integrated into the structure of furniture snnotbe copyrighted for ear ofencroaching intothe patent domain To illustrate this last point, think of a shield-back chair with particularly artistic fretwork, the fretworkisan integral portion of the backrest, the chair may not function properly without it. Therefore, the fretwork. patterns deemed inseparable fromthe struc ture and probably not copyrightable Many furniture companiesroutinely reg ister copyrights covering distinctive artistic clementsintheir furniture designs, and donot seem reluctant to enforce those copyrights ‘Undercurrent U.S. law.acopyrightauto- matically attaches the moment the "work" is, created, and endures or theauthor life plus Landscape Forms. This Michigan-based company holds design patent protection ona number of their products that are seen across the word n parks, arpors, on college campuses and other public spaces The company recently defended its ights to the Austin bonch, pictured above. 78 Popular Wonivoring. November 2008 anadditional 70 years. Inthe case of copy- rightable worksmadebyacompanyemployee, thedutationof copyright willbe95 yearsfrom itsfirst publication or 120 years from creation, \whicheverisshorter. Therefore, due tothe lon- evity of copyright protection, the reproduc tion furniture makerAellershould becareful swhen drawing inspiration fromanyartstic sculptures, carvings or pictorial representa tionsthatare less than 120 years old However, the risk of copyright infringe ‘ment diminishes considerably ifthe artistic clement at issue isacommon feature found inpiecesby various woodworkers, orifitisso integrated imo the functionality ofthe piece (ike the shield-back chair example thatitis hhardo imagine the featur wworkofart ‘Copyright law ike allotherformsofintel Jectual property la isinfested wth terminol- ‘ogy, interpretations nd exceptions crafted by courts and lawmakers overmany years. There is therefore no substitute for consult inga qualified lawyer if you suspect your ‘commercial activity willlead anywhere near another s copyright. isastand-alone ‘Trademarks Trademarksarea fourth category ofintellectal property raps forthe furniture maker. Awise rmaker/seller of reproduction furniture will give wide berth to other people's trademark rights, just as they would when crossing the areas laden with patent and copyright traps “Trademarks protect consumersfrom mistake ingthesource ofa product they intend to buy ‘Constumers rely on trademarks (sometimes subconsciously) to indicate that product was ‘made or sponsored by a trustworthy source Gustav Sickle ike many finecrafismen and women, authenticated his pieces with various formsol trademark, fromared decal with joinerscompassand Alstk Xan,"to paper labels, and eventually a stamped maker’smark ‘Trademarkscantakeawide varity of forms ~fromwordsand logos, tocolors, shapes, and even sounds and smells. The woodworker reproducing someone else's furniture design should be especially mindful nottocopyany maker marks, names, logos or distinctive product shapes (when the furniture shapes, protectable astrade dress). Misappropriation ‘ofnames, logos and maker marks should be rather obvious refrain fromusingeitherthe same oraconfusingly similar brandingtech- nique asthe original. Forexample,ifsomeoneUtility patent. Above is the utility patent forthe ‘Bolan Variable Char 2 popular seating form in the 1960, sellingtheir reproduction ofa Craftsman-era chair applies tit (or their advertising) any of the protected words or logosassociated ‘with Frank Lloyd Wright, thereproducermay receive anasty etter from the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation, which currently holds aagreat many trademarksassociated withthe latearchiteet Trade Dress Trade dress on the other hand, oF as is fr mally known "product configuration trade dress," recognizes that the shape ofa product can operate similar toa brand name or logo Gsasserted by Herman Miller for the Eames Joungechait). Fortunately forthe reproduction woodworker, the shape ofa furniture piece rmustsatislyahigh standard inordertoacquire trade dress protection; not many furniture designs will qualify. Unless business has beenaggressiveoveraperiod of years policing its furniture designs, trade dress protection, {snot likely to be recognize T1997, the U.S. Court of Appeals, 2nd Cir cuit issued adecision stemming fromattade dress infringement suit filed by Michigan- based Landscape Forms, Inc., a designer/ ‘manufacturer of furniture used in airports, parksand shoppingmalls. Thecourt reasoned that elementsin the shape of furniture are sometimes airly equated by consumersasthe “stamp oftheir maker” Despite the opportu: nity for trade dress procection toexist in any ‘non-functional design eatureitwillonly arse Stichley. This vademark irom Gustav Stckleys Craftsman Workshops is found on pieces manus factured fom 1912 0 1916, The designs were ‘ut of prodlction fora number of ears, and thus are now inthe public domain ‘once the shape ofa product has developed substantial recognition with consumers as areltable symbol that they associate witha single produce: ‘Under the right conditions. any traclematk —beitamaker's mark, name, logo o distine- tive product shape-maycontinue indefinitely (Examples of long-lived trademarks include beer brands Lowenbrau, which elaims rights, backto 1383, and Stella rtoisdatingto 1366) Unlike patents, trademarks do not havetobe registered withany governmentagencytobe enforceable. Asaconsequence,itissometimes difficult to assess when a particular furniture Piece embodies protectable trade dress, and allthe more reason why the prudent seller of reproduction furniture relieson professional legal support to assess infringement risks. Assess the Situation ‘Countess intellectual property raps have been set by furniture designers and creators to stop unauthorized copying of their work. Reproduction woodworkers aspiring to sell their handiworkare at riskofstepping none ‘or more tapsif they ae not cate An honest, selFadministered inquiry may help the reproduction woodworker recog- nize when trademark infringement could bean issue. Ifthe answer toany ofthe fo: lowing questionsis yes" then you may be venturing dangerously close to wademark infringement ‘= Am intentionally playingolfthe good mame and reputation of someone else by adopting Corstrayingtoo close to) their name, logo or product design? 1 [sit possible that buyers might mistakenly assumemy product issponsored or approved by the originator ofthe furniture piece Lam replicating? 1 [sthe furniture piece lintendlto reproduce currently available from only one particular souroe? Toavoid patent and copyright traps,con sider the age of the piece tobe copied. Ifit first appeared more than 120 years ago and hassinee been knocked off by others with ‘out apparent backlash, then itis unlikely any threatening intellectual property traps remain. Ifthe inspirational design issome- ‘where between 20-120 years old, then any patent will have expired and only copyright and trademark dimensions need be consid- ered, Here too, multiple precedents of other people copying the same furniture design suggest the coast is clear. Any inspiring fur niture design thatis less than 20 years old should be reviewed forpatents, in addition to trademarksand copyrights, before attempting commercial knock-off. Asageneral caution, the first person to knock-offa particular fur. niture design, even one that is greater than 120 years old, should be wary. nll case, consult qualified intellectual property law. yerbefore exposing yourselfto unnecessary risk and liability ‘Onthe flip sie ofthis discussion, if you happen tobe a furniture designerand want to protect your latest masterpiece, consider allthese formsof intellectual property. Patent strategies tend to be the stronger and more easily enforced formsof intellectual property provection. However, patent protectioncan be expensive and the decision toile fora pat ent must be carried out early, at most within offirst makingthe furniture design known tothe public. Fornon-functional arts tic features of furniture design, copyrights provides lot of “bang forthe buck." They are easily registered and enjoy a long lifespan, although they areonly effective against direct copiers, Trademarks are a valuable tool for any business, but require consistency in use and vigilant policingand marketing inorder tomaintain. PW Toms ar atrmey pecan nelle propery law andisrepsered withthe US Patent Tradonark Office. He is been counsetinginentor ardavidl ‘working woodin fs spaetime kr more han 20 yeas Jombvesin eke. Mich, populawcodverkingcom @ 79+ JIG JOURNAL - BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ Flush-cutting Jig An end to the troublesome task of trimming solid-wood edging. ers. And while cl nps and cleverness go.a long way toward gettingthe edging stuck to the plywood, the real trouble begins when othe plywood Thanks to of ply we b cut ' exterion y year to work the stuff without kin, it seems to get rough the face veneer the ugly pliesbelow. Soyou have tobe caret any time you deal with the stu. Theteare lots of ways to rimthe edging, and I've tried just about every one of them, Here's what I've found Scraping or sanding. Ifyou can get your edging on just right so that its only ‘about “¥o4" proukl of the plywood, then i's simple thing to ind orscrape it flush as you prepare your parts for finishing Unfortunately, to work to this tolerance generally requites great skill orspecial route bitsthat createan interlockingjoint bewween, ndthe plywood. Youalso.can add and th solinesto' this imerlock Planing. I! you d router bitsor don’t want to cut splines, you which isan extrastep. canmake your edgingjustalitle wider and simply use glueand clampstoapply the edg- ing. The edging will slip around a bit, but onthe edging —usually 752" '/is" on each or sand it, Planingit (1 ea block plane) is OKifyouhave only afewshelves todo. When youare building an entire run ofshelves it ‘more work than necessary, s#Routingor sawing off the waste, Othe solutions include removing the waste with a router witha flush-trim bit, or sawing of 80 & Feputar Woodworking, Noveber2008 Just ttle off the bottom. \when you ald Tush to the plywood ca be tricky or teous glued together) makes simple anc quick the waste with the cut being limited by some solutions involves balancingthe work onits skinny edge and pushing it past the cutter Thiscan be atippy situation—one false move and your plywood ot edgingis toast, Plus, it canbe difficult to keep the workpiece against ‘our fence with enough force to get the edg- ing truly flush to the plywood. Solution: Work Flat Mysolution came to meafew yearsago when trimming all the edging for the built-ins in home addition. I needed something that solid wood nailed and > bits of wood that ae could run hundreds of feet of plywood with Tiulechance ofspoilingthe work. And didnt want to buy some fancy tooling, So here's how it works: You need a cou. ple scraps of plywood (their size will var depending on your work), a stack dado set and your table saw, The two pieces of cra are screwed together to form an “I” shape ‘One part sits lat on the top of the saw, the ‘other hooks over the ral of yoursaw’s fence Gon't forget to clamp it there). T ‘onthe arbor so that itwill makeacut thats ightly widerthan your edging, Then raiseAn overgrown bench hook. This, ‘bench hook, butts essential to clamp the sae, You don't want ito A brush with ashness. To et the dao stack soits exactly as high as th just brash the wok the saw’s arbor so the dado stack is exact! as high as the serap ply wood piece on your saw’s table, (One note on dado stacks: This jigwont work well if youhave a cheap dado stack where the chippers are shorter than Now set your table saw’s rip fence. Lock down the fence so that when you push you! workpiece over the jig and against the fence the edging will pass over the dado stack. This igand technique have oi vantages: fe The work remains stable during the cut. The more you press the 82 & FopularWonworking. November 2008, rk over the knives. The knives shoud 3 JOURNAL * Safe and accurate, One the work Hat the jg, the cleaner the resulting cut. Plus, itworks fine even if the plywood hasa litle ‘#You don't have to balance the work on edge, so you won't gouge the ply wood or the edging by accident You can easily use a basket-style table saw guard with this ig, like rippinga board. x the end ofthe pro with Asyou get more confide ech. nique, you willbe able oeasily set the fence igs really ke about tis jigs th he blades, plus you can use your basket Results see how the igcut tis edging lash (the siall ridge sac slue squeez behind). Above it ‘example ofthe shels 1 profiled dee. sothat the ouside tethof your dad stackare positioned exactly where the seam isbetween your plywoodandl theattachededging, When youbit this sweet spot, itsalmost impossible tocut through the ply wood skin And while th ‘ofanxiety witha project, itsstill not enough tomake me woods with paper-thin veneers. PW joy working with these ply- 1 Can Do Tuat - BY MEGAN FITZPATRICK Corner Shelf This handsome hanging storage unit is a snap to build with screwed butt joints. i achoice when it comestostock selection. In the November 2007 "ICan Do That" column, pleand casual storage unit offers swe discussed an easy wa rews (‘Shaker Sie jue up panels sou might wish to outlined there to make panel topand shelf But, you can also buy already glued-up panelsof pineat the home center forjustalitle more cash outlay, so that’s what Idi for this project. My shopping rp lorthiscorer shel 14° 48" Comer storage. Sinple 1 build, his shelf unit with hooks adds casual elegance tan oftenr ‘overlooked storage opportunity ~a comer. 'x2"X2'fortherail, and twodouble ha rubbed-nickel finish Start by cutting your top to the prope *otheleftofmy cutline, and used thatas the jigsaw. (Note 48 wide, the other sizedsquare;therestofthepiecessimply need a rail along which tofit under't,asshown below. While the to cone back piece is inmy version wide bec mak se they overlap) Depend ‘ours smaller (or larger), and base the our jigsaw (or circular 1 piece face do kecaul (apiece of 2x4 work ind clamp it in place. This. ou flat reference surface against which to sizeof your other pieces olf the op, calculat up may vary: To set your rowb ion, simply measure from, blade to thi le of your * overhang, all the panelsto size, l clamped a tothe piece, makes a good guEXPLODED VIEW hi balance the wide back pieceasyoudrill holes and screw the pieces together (used 143" x #8screws). Set the back pieces aside, and move onto the topand shelf To make the 45° cuts across the top and shelf, use the same jgsetupasforthe panels Onthetop. theangle begins” fromthe back corners; on the shelf, itsat 64" The sides were simply chopped to 7 length from the dimensional stock to 16" at the miter saw Then, measured in 142" rom thebottom edge, grabbed a handy bucket off our shop shelves, and used that to draw my arcs. The are ended at 6° from the side's bottom edge, so that's where I installed the shelf later in the process. The position of your shelf can vvary based on your radius~or based on what you think looks most attractive. There's no structural reason that the shelf he aligned with the curve, What'son hand. You don'tneed 2 compass to daw an arc. ust grab whatever’ handy around the house, used 9 bucket with an 11 diameter tots outer tn Comer Shelf 1 Narowback 342416 2 1 Wideback Ms Pine a2 Sides 347M 16 Pine 21 Top 34232 ala Pine 21 Shelf 342i 214 Pine Q 1 Toprail 34h 24 Pine 45° on both ends fier markingand cutting one side with jigsaw, Tused that cut to mark the second side. Ithen cut it, clamped the two togeths and did the final shapingand smoothing wit araspand #120-gritsandpaper.lalsosanded toclean up saw cutsand break the edges Nowit's time to put it all together. First, position your shelf and mark on the back of both back piecesthe location for your screw holes (I used five screws across each back Piece). Drill pilot holes at the marked loca tions into the positioned shel, then sink your screws. Position yourside pieces withthetop edge aligned with the top ofthe back pieces, and drill pilot holes and countersinkstoattach the sides to both the backs and shelf used four screws along the side, and two to hold (orserew) the top in placeafter drill ing pilot holes, making sure you haveaneven overhang on both sides. Thelast stepisto measureacrossthe front edge just under the top, and eut your ral to Tength, So that it fits snugly into the angled ‘opening, cut 45° angles on both ends, Now runabead of gluealong he top edge, position it,dril pilot holes and nail iti place. Now that everything isassembled,fillyour screwand nail holes, then paint, add the hooks ‘where you like them, and you're done. PW ‘Megan te managing etn ofthis magne. Contact vat 513531269018 or megan tspach © ‘pubscom, About This Column (OurICan DoThat” column features projects that canbe completed by any woodworker ‘with a modest butdecent kitof tools in less than two days of shop time, and using raw materialsthatare available atany homecen- ter. We offer a free online manual in PDF format that explainsall the tools and shows ‘you how to perform the basic operations in step-by-step format. You'll learnt rip with a jigsaw, crosscut with a miter saw and dil straight with the help of our manual Visit CanDothatExtras. com to download the free manual popularwooiworkingcom @ 85PRODUCT INDEX * ADHESIVES SAWMMLLS ge TENS se napeseecurrens (rveciinduares 55. 130 Romig con Anata $3) 100. amanteolcom SCHOOLANSTRUCTION Oliver Corp. 17 132 olivercorp.com 95 131 oelce.com Roertticcom 2 1p) Tapeh ‘Workshop 94 137 philadelphiafurnitureworkshop.com sonwsaanneit saraccessonies Books a a Oneida Air Systems 35 133 oneida-aicon FINISHES & SUPPLIES: ‘SHOWS Ex igo) eka SENINSSECTEES APT E MARTINS TaaWoanens 138 finan Otome Peduce 23.135 exbomewvod.am eoorecaan an Canosa 8F 10 cueumoodscom BlueSpruce Toolworks 94-104 —_bluesprucetoolworks.com Wall Lumber 19145 walllumbercom Bobs Rule 35105 bobsrulecom Woodfinder 85 — —_woodfinder.com CrtenenSudlo 34109 erakomamnuiocon caicaiaanaienenenind HARDWARE Build Better Cabinets KITS & PLANS AmercanFurniur Design 94101 american om SSM A toe) | Pygmy Boats = pygmyboats.com if ee, tio = Woodworking Magazine! sonia roo aceEsone OD WORKING fapaeeaeean Beal Too! Company 103 bealltook.com mane ee Pe ang 126 ellerdovetal.com 148 woodpeck.com 151 worksharpools.con Keller &¢ Company erecta Perr eee Woodpeckers ‘Work shan ° se oes POWER TOOLS BobMarinosFestoolSioe 23. © — —_bohmarinoshestoolscom CCarveWrght 81107 carvewrightcom TL dewalteom 114 feinas.com ain General ner 15119 general.ca Pras Grizaly Industrial co om com IDS Company 9124 jdstoolso Jet Tools 7 25 jenools.com Oneay 35134 onewayon.ca (ODWORKIN RIR Studios 19138 sfrstudioscom LY Seely Toolworks «15141 teletytoolworks.com Abts BB Popular Wondwoking, November 2008———+ FLEXNER ON FINISHING BY BOR FLEXNER Applying Wiping Varnish ‘wiping varnish beingone of the best finishes forawoodworkernotusinga spray gun—most recently in November 2005 (youcan find that article in the finishing section at popular woodworking com). Wiping varnishissimply alkyd orpolyurethane varnishthinnedabout half with mineral spirits (paint thinner). The thinning makesthe varnish easy to wipe on the wood. Iyou remember, | pointed outthatthebig problem with wipingvamnish ismanufacturers concealingwhat$inthecan, Instead of calling the product whatitis—thinned varnish-they commonly use uninformative names such as*tungoil,’Seal-a-Cell, Waterlox, Profinor Salad Bowl Finish, This user-unfriendly marketing practice hhas prevented the finish from being treated category” inthe mannerofother finishes suchas oil, shellac, lacquer and water-based finish The advantage of grouping all thinned varnishes asa category isthatit allows usto discussuniformapplication proceduresthat apply to every brand. For this article, we're going toavoid confusionby makingourown ‘wiping varnish, Tvedesigned thisarticleasastep-by-step instruction using scrap wood, similar, for example, o an exercise in learning to cut dovetails. Ifyou would like to follow along, youwill need the followingsupplies, most of which are available ata home center. 1 Aquart ofglossoi-based polyurethane varnish (approximately $8). A quart of mineral spirits, also known asppaint thinner (approximately $5) 1 Aclean, wide-mouth jar withalid from your kitchen). 1 Latex or other type of protective gloves approximately $2 for 10 pair 90 w reputar Woodworking, November 2008 Practice makes perfect. simple solution. Above is everthing you need to make and apply wiping varnish, which is simply alkyd or polyurethane varnish thinned aboutin hal with mineral spits, By fst practicing on ‘crap, you' feel more comortable when you tackle the rel project a Lincfreeragssuchasold, clean T-shirts, cheesecloth or Scott Rags, which are paper ragsin abox or on aroll approximately $2 forthe rll. sm Ashe off400-grit sandpaper approx: mately $4 fora packet of three), fw A2'x2'orlarger, sheet of Y/2" or V+" veneered plywood or MDF. Any hardwood vveneeris OK (from your scraps, a wood sup: plieror one of many cabinet shops that often throwaway pieces this size) = A brown paper bag (from the super marke. ‘The procedure is detailed inthe follow: ing pictures. ‘obs sthor of “Undeancing Wood niting"anda ‘cnvrutngeitorto Popular Weexbworking,To make your own wiping varnish fortis exerci, pour approx _mately equal amounts of a based polyurethane and mineral spins {nto wide-mouth a. Before applying the finish, sand the surface ofthe panel to #150 grit ‘or £180 grit with the gain (f you usearandom-orbit sande, finish ‘ff by sanding nthe direction of the gra with #180 grt to remove the ‘ander sw. Back the sandpaper with a fat sanding block) Remove the dust with a vacuum if possible so you don’ brush the dstinto the ait. You ‘can ako usea tack rag but you wil load itup prety quicly. Then pour some ofthe wiping varnish onto the wood and wpe it all over the surface \uith one ofthe types of rags. You could also brush on the wiping varnish, ‘but pouring and spreading is much faster ‘Be sure to str the thinned polyurethane or the two parts wil remain separated, Alter thoroughly wetting the surface, wipe of ll the excess wiping varnish witha cry ra. (seldom use cheesecloth and often use the Scott Rags. Here Fm using an old, clean Thin.) There's no need to scrub {iy simply wipe to remove the wetness. Let this fist coat dry for fur to sk hours oF overnight. 1, Sand thesurface ight sing $400 -sandpaper ntl enh feels smooth, ltshouldn' take much, usually not mare than one or ‘hwo passes everywhere. There’: no reason to use a fat black to back the sandpaper. For the most effcion use ofthe sandpaper, tear oft. third of sheet erossways, and fold tint thirds lengthways. This gives you the faces for easy handling. & emer tsaning das with acum oy ack ag Fh by wp Ing over the surface with your hand. You fee! if any dustremains and your hand wil pickup. You can wipe your hand an your pants toch populacwoodvertingsom @ 91+ FLEXNER ON FINISHING * For the second coat, we've a tle more fish on the surace though you could apply all coats inthe manner of the fist. The dow side ofthe fst method i tha the uid wil be slow, bt each coat will be almost pert. Instead of using a brush for the second coat, old one ofthe rags to ereatoa Mat sd, Heve musing a Scot Rag With the surface wet, begin wiping inthe direction ofthe wood grain to get an ever thickness that is slighty more than damp but nt as {wet as when brashing. you have poured too much fish nto the surace, remove some witha dry cloth and continue spreading withthe folded ‘loth, Move your head to catch arelected light on the surface to see what's happening so you can correct problems. This is erica for achieving good results et this coat dry forfour to i hours or oveanight (the finish ies fasterin warmer condtions), Cleary each coat has to be kept very thin on vertical suraces to avoid rans and sags Just as withthe frst coat, pour some ofthe wiping vamish onto the surface and wipe t around with the folded cloth 1O Ment nhs srt src igh wth 1100-9 sandpaper to remove dust nibs and ather problems, (There ave akxays dust nibs when you apply the finish damp or wet Sand jest enough So the surface feels smooth, 11 Mating stout go rng ring appcation- or ample a dty loth that leaves lot of dustin the finish ~ your can remove the uncured finish for quite some tine by wiping over with cloth wet with mineral spirits. You won't remove or damage the coat underneath, 92 & fopular Woodworking. November 2008 AD Mereananptyasmany cots ou gant uni ou ete ok you want. You can experiment with how much fish you keave-on | the surface with each coat. Once you have built noticeable thickness, the finish will be glossy. you would rather have a satin sheen, apply a last coat ‘or two using gel varnish (also sold as neutral gel tan) in the same manner 2s the fist coat of wiping vamish. Wipe of al the excess, No mater how Clean you get the atin your shop, there will always be some dust mibs.An ‘easy way to remove them without changing the sheen isto rub lightly sing 2 folded brown paper bag. Wait to doth until the fn has cured enough 0 you no longer smell the paint thinner with your nose pressed against the surface, You'l be amazed at howotfectve this, PW——- Out oF THE WoopwoRK BY RICHARD MA RD Pink Lemonade An old piece of MDF brings back happy memories. “Happiness isnt something you experience: itssomething you remember” Oscar Levant fordays. You know thefeeling. Alitle voice is, ‘creaming the answer toa question from the ‘basement of your brain and ittakesa good night’ sleep or some distraction to hear it clearly. Toalarge extent woodworkingserves this function, Concentratingon the repetitive strokes ofa plane iron on asharpening stone Jeavesalotof brain power todo other things. Sowhatelseisitabout woodworkingthat makes us happy? One weekend the answer came to me toward theend ofa month-long project. Several years ago my wife and} decided to take advantage of the hhousing-price bubble in California ‘and buildanadditiontocurhome She needed an office. Ourteenag, cersneededarecreation room. Out aging parentsmight someday need anelercate room that could dou bleasa guestroom fornow. And ‘wantedashop, We loveourneighborhoodand didrit want 1o move, so we built on. A first, the shop became a combo fax ‘office and paint room. The garage continued toserveasaweckend woodshop. Everythit ‘on wheels and both cars back in by Sunday night wasthe promise. That worked welluntil awoodworkinguncle got senileand Ibecame therecipient ofa 20" planer, an 18"band saw and a big dust collector. My car lost out fora year. Meanwhile, the hand-tool drumbeat of Christopher Schwarz, Adam Cherubini, Rob Cosman and others advocating safer, dust- reduced and lessnoisy shop practices finally ‘got tome it wastime fora change. 96 w ropular Woodworking November 2008 The paint shop part ofmy faus-office was a T'x II'space. Withaclever plan thisspace transformed duringamonth intoahand-to0l shop. Anewly cut-in window, tongue-and- _groove knotty pine panelingmade with 19th- century moulding planes purchased off the Internet, and my Brazilian hammock hanging between two hooks forthe occasional nap, ade the room finally habitable, Iealso smells good [Now wecometothe happiness part. One of thelastthings wastacklingthe accumulation ‘of wood leftover from past projects. You know, the corner ofthe garage that hascutoffends that are too bigto just throw away. Over the years, this pile has taken on a life ofits own. ‘We call it Fred. Itwas time for Fred to lose ‘some weight. So one Sunday, with strains of Bachand Handel playinginthe background, Thegan todo something about Fr Ast worked througha warm Augustafter= noon, sorting Fred into useablesand throw- aways, Lcame toa good-sized piece of MDF and reached downand pulled itouofthe pile sa probable useable, Turning it over, how= ‘ever, my throat gota lump and Ijust stared. atthe piece. In large fet-pen letters was the word "Lemonade” Nailed acrossthe top was aremnantofachess board made longago. In alood of memories, recalled that my daugh- terhad made the sign when she was 8 years old, She had left it asa legacy for me toenjoy years ater. "A&M Pink Lemonade” stand lasted only cone summer'safternoon, Twolittle girlshad the time of their lives using Dad's tools and rmaterialsto hammer, draw and imagine all ofthe money they were going to make. After all, Pink Lemonade at 25 cents, Candy only “peny” and free ice would bea real deal for all ofthe thirsty commuters traveling past cour front yard, My daughterhas always had anentrepre- neurial bent, Herpreschool resume includes collectingtrash from around the house to sell topeople who didn't have any; gpingaroundthe neighborhood affering to dra pictures for people foreash;and finally her {desire tobe country-western singer with the stage name Gin- Eger Ale. You haven’ lived until youhavea daughter. «_ Hethandmadesign became «she finishing touch for my lit 1 -lefaux-offce shop. Someday, maybe lsllitforamilliondol- larson eBay. That iswhat those memoriesare worth tome And, now Tknow Oscar was right. Happi- nessissomething you remember, And that is aTeason to love woodworking Youcan make something for others that really evokes hap- piness. Perhaps someday, my daughter will find some litle thing her of Dad made that will etchherasmany happy memoriesasthat “Lemonade” sign brings me. PW Richaciva brine, eestor and lomo ight Instructor Seven years go. heredscowered woodwork ‘ng more than tive daca rome om ace woody clases