Woodworking Made Simple for Woodworkers

Old & new. While there are many types of mortise gauges (I have more than a few), my favorite is this two-beam wedged version. I liked it so much I copied it. Make your own copy of this precision vintage tool. by Peter Follansbee from the December 2016 issue of Popular Woodworking E ven after two years of working alone, I can still hear the visitors to my museum shop where I worked for 20 years: “My grandpa was a carpenter….” It’s a line I heard a lot. I used to wish for a secret button I could step on to cue, at tremendous volume, John Prine’s song: “Grandpa was a carpenter/he built houses, stores and banks/chainsmoked Camel cigarettes and hammered nails in planks.” I had no such button; I resisted the urge to sing and the talk would meander one way or another. In many cases, it included the visitor pointing to a marking gauge and saying, “I have one of those tools – what is it?” By far, it’s the most com...

A plow plane is a joinery powerhouse in the hand-tool shop. Not only can you plow grooves with it – you can, if necessary, use it for rabbets and tongues, though it’s a laborious tonguing process. Enter the combination plane – a plane that excels at grooves and has changeable cutters for not only other as well. Hunting down a vintage Stanley No. 45 or Record #405 in good condition can be a challenge, though, and they’re often pricey. But there’s a new option: the Combination Plane from Veritas. It’s heavier than the company’s Small Plow Plane (natch), but light enough to not tire me out. I weighed it on our postal scale against a Stanley No. 45, both with a 1 ⁄ 4 ” plow blade inserted. At 3.68 pounds, the Veritas is more than a pound lighter than the Stanley (4.72 pounds) – but still heavy enough to stay easily in the cut. I tested it mostly with the 1 ⁄ 4 ” plow blade that it comes with; that...

Resawing thin stock and cutting thin strips is typically the domain of the bandsaw. And while I consider the bandsaw to be an essential shop tool, not everyone has one. Furthermore, because the bandsaw leaves a somewhat rough surface behind, you’ll need a way to smooth that thin stock before you can use it. So it’s probably worth considering an alternative option that kills two birds with one stone: utilizing a more common tool that results in a smoother cut. So let’s look at a few ways you can use your table saw to cut thin strips. First, the Problem! Why can’t we just set our table saw fence for 3/16″ and run the piece through? The primary reason is safety. With so little space between the fence and the blade, it becomes difficult to effectively push the stock past the blade and kickback can easily occur. So the key is to find a way to either push the stock through safely, or simply push the reference stop to the LEFT side of...

A miter saw, sometimes called a chop saw, is often the first semi-stationary tool new woodworkers purchase. With a miter saw you can make repeated cuts, all the same length, as well as cut accurate miters, or angles. What is a miter saw? Unlike a table saw or band saw, when using a miter saw, your board remains stationary while the blade moves through it. This means the length of your cut is limited to the diameter of the blade. For this reason, a miter saw is primarily used for crosscutting: cutting a board to length, across its grain. Although a table saw can also make these cuts, it’s handy to own both tools because there is no easier or quicker way to make crosscuts. Anatomy of a miter saw The blade of a miter saw is attached to a head that swings down to make a cut. When not in use, a spring holds the saw head in an upright position. A blade guard covers the blade and automatically retracts when making a cut. In addition to protecting your hands from injury, the blade g...

Why Bent Lamination? When it comes to cutting curves, the easiest way to get the job done is to simply cut the curve from a piece of solid wood. But solid wood has significant limitations. Some curves would require a piece of stock so thick that it would not only be incredibly wasteful, but you aren’t likely to find the wood in the first place. The second issue comes down to stability. When you cut a curve in a straight-grained piece of solid wood, you inevitably create weak point where the curve cuts across the grain (a situation known as “short-grain). So your best bet with heavilyt-curved parts is to either steam bed the material to shape or do a bent lamination. Pictured left you can see a closeup of one of the rockers on my Maloof-Inspired Rocker. This is a perfect example of a situation where bent lamination is a good choice. How it Works The concept is actually pretty simple. Thick boards don’t bend well but thin ones do...

I’ve been running for a few years now and this year my goal is to complete seven, half-marathon races. Every time you finish a race they give you an award medal. They are all unique and a fun way to remember all the races. I’ve been needing a way to display them., so I designed this rack. It was pretty easy to make and will hold a lot of medals! I began with the two sides, which are the most complicated. I cut a series of notches using a stack of dado blades on my table saw. On my router, I cut out a short rabbet for the inspirational message sign to drop into. Then I cut the decorative angled ends on my bandsaw. The top cross piece has a notch on each end to create a lap joint with the sides. And beveled decorative ends. I like using lap joints because they look nice and are self squaring, making glue-ups easy. The slats just drop in place. No need for notches on them. I cut out the letters using my scroll saw and bandsaw. After painting them silver I glued them to th...