How to Make a Lectern
Michael T Collins makes an easily adjustable lectern. Dale Carnegie once said ‘there are always…
Submissions now open for the Mark Baker Woodturner of the Year Competition. Enter HERE for a chance to win prizes
Michael T Collins makes an easily adjustable lectern. Dale Carnegie once said ‘there are always…
In honour of our much missed and respected former Editor Mark Baker, we have launched…
Firstly, welcome to the new Woodworkers Institute! It is still the same great resource of…
Dave Western creates from scrapwood a killer whale that is based heavily on a dramatic form…
Ian Woodford shares some ideas for designing and making a nutcracker. Since the early days,…
John Lloyd looks at a 15th-century technique that revolutionised furniture making. No, this has nothing…
Michael T Collins makes a beautiful rustic-looking coffee table. I have long been a proponent of…
Have you ever stood in a room and considered how many joints you are surrounded by? Probably not. It is a fascinating thought often overlooked – that the minutiae and might of the built world is contingent on the humble joint.From mitre joints in your kitchen cupboard, to technical expansion joints on the biggest bridges; the means by which two parts are conjoined is an integral part of our history – literally unifying societies across great divides, and making unsightly kitchen appliances vanish. Yet for their cosmic brilliance, joints are subject to earthly stresses and failures – hence why it is important to choose the right joint for the job. Little wonder then that there is such a variety to choose from, each with their own pros and cons. The Question is, which one is the right one? In this two-part series, Douglas Coates takes a forensic look at the
Have you now stood in your kitchen an considered how many joints you are surrounded by? Probably not. Continuing on from the first part of this series, Douglas Coates looks in detail at the mechanics of the blind tenon and dovetail joint, including optimal tail angles. He continues by discussing methods for managing moisture in joinery, and offers tips on how to glue joints that last. Blind tenon This joint is one of my personal favourites. Although it may look complicated, it’s construction isn’t too laborious, and what it gives in return is well worth it. As the ultimate test of its durability, I recommend making one and then trying to break it – if you can.It also gives you the thrill of a once-only fit. No dry run. Just precision and faith. Tip: on assembly, use a lot of sharp small taps, as opposed to one big bang. And
Plane maker Oliver Sparks explains how the use of soot helps to seat an iron and wedge. When it comes to wooden planes, I have read many times that having a correctly seated iron and wedge is vital to a plane’s performance. I agree, and yet there seems to be little instruction out there on how to achieve this. In this article, I will be using the ‘smoke fitting’ technique to do just that on a matched pair of wooden thumb planes. Whether the smoke fitting technique is applied to a shop-made or a vintage plane, the method set out here will transform that temperamental tool into a well-behaved instrument. What is smoke fitting? Smoke fitting is a very old process used extensively by gunsmiths to fine-tune the fit between parts that must mate exactly. The theory is a simple one – a layer of soot is deposited onto a
Zoe Gertner carves from a log a large snail for a garden ornament. What can you carve from those awkward-shaped branches which well-meaning people give you from their gardens or firewood piles? When it becomes general knowledge that you carve wood, sometimes well-intentioned friends, neighbours or relatives will present you with various branches, logs and trimmings from their gardens in the hope that you will make use of their donations and produce for them a lovely carving, rather than simply dispose of it in a shredder or bonfire. A rather daunting idea, though, if you are accustomed to using only prepared cubes of wood with a bandsaw to cut it. But, given a little thought, you might be able to use some of the pieces for carving rather than for toasting your toes at the woodburner stove. Some years ago I was given some pieces of timber from a large walnut tree
Richard Findley takes a look at involuted turning for the first time. Involuted turning, or inside-out turning as it is otherwise known, is an interesting two-stage turning technique, which produces a turned design with a hollowed out centre and an opening in the side of the item. Internet searches bring up a huge amount of examples of candle sticks, lamps, fun Christmas tree decorations, artistic pieces and even furniture with involuted legs. As with all of my articles in this series I’m exploring a technique that is new to me so my first step is a little research into the subject. While the examples I see on the internet are fascinating, nothing really jumps out at me. I flick through some of my books and in Mike Darlow’s Woodturning Methods, I spot an apple with an apple-shaped cut out on its side. This immediately appeals to me as turned fruit
Guest editor Emiliano Achaval talks to woodturning video creator Mike Peace When I accepted this guest editorship, my third one, I only had to think a little about who I wanted to introduce you to. My good friend Mike Peace has done a lot, not just for the woodturning world but for his community, his church, and his country. He has what I call old-school values, which we have in common, and we have shared many miles travelling to symposia together. His house near Atlanta is close to countless woodturning clubs within driving distance. He has demonstrated at all of them several times and was chosen to demonstrate at the Portland AAW symposium a few years ago. Mike gives one-on-one classes in his well-laid out shop and is one of my favourite YouTube woodturners. He was a great turner before he even thought about making videos, unlike some dubious ‘masters’
Oliver Waters and Jim Cooper share a few techniques for establishing reliable layout lines for crisp joints Students on a one-year course at Waters & Acland spend the first few weeks mainly focusing on tool preparation and their respective use in combination with a variety of measuring and marking equipment. To develop their skills they are required to build a Chinese puzzle as a precursor to tackling a host of decorative dovetail joints. In this article we’ll be looking at why stock preparation is key to establishing lines you can trust and why measurements alone aren’t always the best indication of size. Stage 1 The students are provided with a length of stock machined to a 20mm square cross-section. Their remit is to use the supplied stock to produce all the components necessary to make the Chinese puzzle. Accurate marking-out, cutting and chiselling are essential in order to produce a
Deciding which joint to use in cabinet and box construction relies on a number of different factors. Colin Sullivan tackles the problem and comes up with five variations that don’t require machining. Nothing is more critical than good preparation. The joint is likely to fail if the material is not square and true in the first place. The majority of corner joints require a lap of some sort. Even a lap dovetail joint must have a perfectly square edge on the pins. Without exception, all of the joints mentioned in this article have a structural integrity that is not completely dependant on other carcass components for their strength. These joints will allow you to finish your sides flush or create a stepped shoulder to suit and incorporate decorative features like chamfers and mouldings. Simple they may be, but each one is a real test of your hand tool skills, requiring clean lines and square
