SUMMER

SALE!
APRIL 2
PURVEYORS OF FINE MACHINERY®, SINCE 1983 | CELEBRATING 35 YEARS!
− to −
JULY 9
2018
MORTISING MACHINE 12 SPEED HEAVY-DUTY BENCHTOP
DRILL PRESS
• Motor: 3⁄4 HP, 110V, single-phase, • Motor: 3⁄4 HP, 110V, single-phase
8A, 3450 RPM • Swing: 14"
• Max. stock width: 8" THE HOTTEST SELLING • Drill chuck: 1⁄64"–5⁄8"
• Max. stock thickness: 73⁄8" MORTISING MACHINE • Drilling capacity: 3⁄4" steel
ON THE MARKET
• Mortising depth: 41⁄2" • Spindle taper: MT#2
• Chisel travel: 43⁄4" • Spindle travel: 31⁄4"
MADE IN
• Max. distance column-to-chisel center: 61⁄4" • Speeds: (12) 140, 260, 320, 380, 480, 540,
AN ISO 9001
• Table size: 6" x 16" 980, 1160, 1510, 1650, 2180, 3050 RPM FACTORY
• Heavy-duty cast-iron construction • Collar size: 2.040"
• Includes ½" mortising chisel • Precision-ground cast-iron table
INCLUDES BUILT-IN
• Approx. shipping weight: 92 lbs. • Table swing: 360º LIGHT (BULB NOT
• Table tilts: 90˚ left & right INCLUDED)
• Overall height: 38"
• Approximate shipping weight: 148 lbs.
$ $
59 89
W1671 $32500 SALE $31200 shipping
lower 48 states
G7943 $38500 SALE $36500 shipping
lower 48 states

OSCILLATING 13" BENCHTOP PLANER INCLUDES DUST

COLLECTION
DRILL PRESS WITH BUILT-IN DUST COLLECTION BAG!
• Motor: 2 HP, 120V, single-phase, 15A
• Motor: 3⁄4 HP, 110V, • Max. cutting width: 13", height: 6"
single-phase, 1725 RPM, 9A • Max. cutting depth: 1⁄8"
• Swing: 131⁄4" • Feed rate: 26 FPM
• Drill chuck: 1–16MM MADE IN AN ISO
9001 FACTORY
• Number of knives: 3 reversible HSS
• Arbor: JT33 • Knife size: 13" x 1⁄2" x 1⁄16"
3092372

• Spindle travel: 31⁄8" • Cutterhead speed: 9000 RPM

• Oscillating spindle: 3⁄4" INCLUDES: MADE IN
1", 11⁄2", AND 2" • Number of cuts per inch: 87
• Number of speeds: 12 • 21⁄2" dust port AN ISO 9001
SANDING DRUM SET
(250, 330, 380, 500, 590, 640, 980, • Footprint: 221⁄2" L x 13" W FACTORY
WITH MANDREL
1530, 1600, 1870, 2580, 3050 RPM) (D2677) • Approx. shipping weight: 71 lbs.

$ $
89 59
W1848 $41500 SALE $39500 shipping
lower 48 states
G0832 $38995 SALE $36995 shipping
lower 48 states

15" HEAVY-DUTY PLANER 10" JOINTER/PLANER

• Motor: 3 HP, 240V, single-phase, 14A • Motor: 2½ HP, 220V, single-phase, TEFC,
• Max. cutting width: 15", depth: 3⁄16" 3400 RPM, 9.9A
• Max. stock thickness: 63⁄8", min.: 1⁄4" • Max. depth of cut: 1⁄8" (jointer), 3⁄16" (planer)
• Min. stock length: 63⁄8" • Max. width of cut: 10¼" (jointer), 9¾" (planer)
• Feed rate: 16 and 30 FPM • Max. planer cutting height: 8¼"
• Cutterhead diameter: 3" • Jointer table size: 12½" x 4015⁄16"
• Number of knives: 3 HSS • Planer table size: 9¾" x 231⁄8"
• Knife size: 15" x 1" x 1⁄8" • Cutterhead speed: 6500 RPM
• Cutterhead speed: 5000 RPM • Cutterhead knives: 2 HSS
FREE PAIR OF
• Table size: 201⁄8" x 15" x 31⁄2" • Knife size: 10¼" x 11⁄16" x 1⁄8" SAFETY PUSH
• Overall size: 32" W x 28" D x 231⁄2" H • Cuts per minute: 13,000 BLOCKS
• Approx. shipping weight: 382 lbs. • Planer feed rate: 16 FPM
• Approx. shipping weight: 378 lbs.
OPTIONAL STAND AVAILABLE
$
G0815 $99500 SALE $95000 169
shipping G0675 $142500 SALE $137500
$
115 shipping
lower 48 states lower 48 states

1 HP SHAPER 2 HP SHAPER
• Motor: 1 HP, 120V, single-phase, 13A • Motor: 2 HP, 120V/240V,
• Table size: 155⁄8" x 173⁄4" single-phase, prewired 240V,18A/9A
• Table counterbore: 3" dia. x 3⁄8" deep • Table size: 24" x 21"
• Spindle travel: 7⁄8" • Spindle travel: 3"
• Spindle size: 1⁄2" INCLUDES 1⁄4" & 1⁄2" • Spindle sizes: 1⁄2" and 3⁄4" (included)
• Spindle length: 3" ROUTER BIT ADAPTER • Spindle speeds: 7000 and 10,000 RPM
• Spindle speed: 13,200 RPM • Miter gauge slot: T-slot 2 YEAR
• Floor to table height: 341⁄4" • Stand: cabinet-style, WARRANTY!
• Overall size: 27" W x 23" D x 401⁄4" H powder-coated finish
• Approx. shipping weight: 172 lbs. • Power cord length: 10' x 14 AWG
• Max. cutter diameter: 5"
• Approx. shipping weight: 293 lbs. 177335

$
115
G0510Z $46500 SALE $40995 W1674 $102500 SALE $96500 shipping
lower 48 states

TECHNICAL SERVICE:
18POP 570–546–9663
2 GREAT SHOWROOMS!
BELLINGHAM, WA • SPRINGFIELD, MO
FAX: 800–438–5901
19502
 • ALMOST A MILLION SQUARE FEET PACKED TO THE RAFTERS WITH MACHINERY & TOOLS FREE 2018
• 2 OVERSEAS QUALITY CONTROL OFFICES STAFFED WITH QUALIFIED GRIZZLY ENGINEERS CATALOG
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QUALITY MACHINES & TOOLS
• TRAINED SERVICE TECHNICIANS AT BOTH LOCATIONS • MOST ORDERS SHIP THE SAME DAY AT INCREDIBLE PRICES

3 HP DUST COLLECTOR 2 HP DUST COLLECTOR

• Motor: 3 HP, 240V, single-phase,
3450 RPM,12A
• Air suction capacity: 2300 CFM
• Static pressure: 16.7"
• 7" inlet has removable "Y" fitting
with (3) 4" openings
AN ISO 9001
• Impeller: 123⁄4" cast aluminum
• Bag capacity: 11.4 cubic feet
• Standard bag filtration: 2.5 micron
• Footprint: 58" x 33"
• Height with bags inflated: 78"
• Approx. shipping weight: 170 lbs.
• Motor: 2 HP, 240V, single-phase, 9A
• Impeller: 123⁄4" aluminum
• Air suction capacity: 1700 CFM
• Max. static pressure: 10"
• Sound rating: 83–85 dB
MADE IN • 6" inlet has removable “Y” fitting with
MADE IN
(3) 4" inlets
FACTORY AN ISO 9001
• Canister filter size (dia. x depth): FACTORY
195⁄8" x 235⁄8"
• Bag capacity: 4.5 cubic feet
• Overall size: 373⁄8" W x 311⁄2" D x 71" H
247570 • Approx. shipping weight: 150 lbs. 247570

$ $
G1030Z2P $49500 SALE $45500 89 shipping G0548ZP $51500 SALE $49500 89shipping
lower 48 states lower 48 states

FREE
14" DELUXE BANDSAW 10" HYBRID TABLE SAW 10" X 40T
35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION 177335 WITH RIVING KNIFE & IMPROVED FENCE CARBIDE-TIPPED
BLADE
• Motor: 1 HP, 110V/220V, single-phase • Motor: 2 HP, 120V/240V, prewired 120V,
• Amps: 11A at 110V, 5.5A at 220V single-phase
• Precision-ground cast-iron • Amps: 15A at 120V, 7.5A at 240V
table size: 14" x 14" • Precision-ground cast iron table
• Table tilt: 10° left, 45° right with wings measures: 401⁄2" W x 27" D
• Floor-to-table height: 43" • Floor-to-table height: 353⁄8"
• Cutting capacity/throat: 131⁄2" • Arbor: 5⁄8"
• Max. cutting height: 6" • Arbor speed: 3450 RPM
• Blade size: 931⁄2" (1⁄8" to 3⁄4" wide) • Max. depth of cut: 31⁄4" @ 90°, 21⁄4" @ 45°
• Blade speeds: 1800 and 3100 FPM • Rip capacity: 31" R, 16 3/4" L CM

• Overall size: 27" W x 671⁄2" H x 30" D • Overall size: 64" W x 401⁄4" D x 351⁄2" H C US

• Footprint: 231⁄2" L x 161⁄2" W • Footprint: 21" L x 191⁄2" W

• Approx. shipping weight: 247 lbs. $
• Approx. shipping weight: 371 lbs.
$ 00 89 $
115 MADE IN AN
G0555LA35 ONLY 625 shipping
lower 48 states
G0771Z 845 $ 00
SALE $ 95
819 shipping
lower 48 states
ISO 9001 FACTORY

17" HEAVY-DUTY BANDSAW 10" LEFT-TILTING TABLE SAW

35TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION WITH RIVING KNIFE AND CAST-IRON TABLE
• Motor: 2 HP, 110V/220V, prewired 220V, single-phase, • Motor: 3 HP, 240V, single-phase, 14A
TEFC capacitor 110V start induction, 60 Hz, 1725 RPM • Max rip: 8" left, 26" right of blade
• Amps: 20A at 110V, 10A at 220V • Max. depth of cut @ 90°: 3"
• Precision-ground cast-iron table size: 17" x 17" x 11⁄2" • Max. depth of cut @ 45°: 21⁄8"
• Table tilt: 10° left, 45° right • Floor-to-table height: 371⁄2" • Table size w/ extension wings:
• Cutting capacity/throat: 161⁄4" L of blade 48" W x 27" D
• Max. cutting height: 121⁄8" • Footprint: 201⁄2" x 201⁄2"
• Blade size: 1311⁄2" long • Approx. shipping weight: 550 lbs.
• Blade sizes available: 1⁄8"–1" wide
• Blade speeds: 1700 and 3500 FPM MADE IN AN ISO FREE 10" X 40T
• Overall size: 32" W x 73" H x 32" D 9001 FACTORY CARBIDE-TIPPED
• Footprint: 27" W x 17 3⁄4" D BLADE 177335

• Approx. shipping weight: 342 lbs.

$
$ 00
$
115 169
G0513ANV 995 $ 00
SALE 950 shipping
lower 48 states
G1023RLW $152500 SALE $147595 shipping
lower 48 states

16" X 46" SWIVEL-HEAD WOOD LATHE OSCILLATING SPINDLE SANDER

WITH CAST IRON LEGS & DIGITAL READOUT • Motor: 1 HP, 120V/240V, single-phase, TEFC
• Motor: 2 HP, 110V, single-phase, 14A • Cast iron 25" x 25" table tilts to 45° forwards,
• Swing over bed: 16" 15°backwards 177335

• Swing over tool rest: 131/2" • Spindle sizes: (10) 1⁄4" x 5", 3⁄8" x 6", 1⁄2" x 6", 5⁄8" x 6", 3⁄4" x 9",
1
• Distance between centers: 46" 1" x 9", 1 ⁄2" x 9", 2" x 9", 3" x 9", 4" x 9", tapered and threaded
• 1" x 8 TPI RH headstock spindle • Floor-to-table height: 351⁄2"
• MT#2 spindle & tailstock tapers • 1725 RPM spindle speed
• Spindle bore: 3⁄8" DIGITAL • Includes formed and welded steel stand
• Spindle speed range: 600–2400 RPM SPEED • Spindle oscillates at 72 strokes-per-minute
• Overall dimensions: READOUT! • Stroke length: 11⁄2"
721⁄2" L x 19" W x 48" H • Built-in 4" dust collection port
MADE IN • Shielded and permanently lubricated
• Approx. shipping weight: 354 lbs. AN ISO 9001 ball bearings
FACTORY • Approximate shipping weight: 296 lbs.
$ $
115 115
G0462 $66500 SALE $62500 shipping
lower 48 states
G1071 $87500 SALE $84500 shipping
lower 48 states

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CONTENTS AUGUST 2018

48 44 36

F E AT U R E S

28 A Shaker- 36 The Bowsaw 40 An Overview of

inspired Settee Chair Chinese Furniture
Combine the best versions of shaker seating Make this contemporary version of a classic The evolution of Chinese furniture design goes
with tapered mortise and tenon joinery, and design with just a few pieces of lumber, back millenia and its influence is still felt today.
you have a rock-solid bench. leather and twine – no glue required. The author connects the dots for us.
BY DAV I D LY ELL BY C H R I S S C H WA R Z BY W I LBUR PA N

44 A Brass and Wood

Panel Gauge
This indispensible marking tool can be made
with stuff you probably already have in your
shop. Learn the finer points of working with
brass and make a tool that will outlive you.
BY B O B ROZ A I E S K I

48 17th-Century
Scallop Edge
Tables
Inspired by a an old image of an antique table,
the author draws on other period designs and
his own instincts to recreate a distinctive design.
BY K ER RY P I ERC E

28
TABLES PHOTO: AL PARRISH / OTHER PHOTOS BY THE AUTHORS popularwoodworking.com ■ 3
CONTENTS AUGUST 2018

14 22 58

REGUL AR S

6 Trying New 14 Florip Toolworks 22 Scratch Stocks

Things Dovetail Saw for Mouldings
OUT ON A LIMB TOOL TEST ARTS & MYSTERIES
BY A N D R E W ZO ELLNER BY T H E ED I TO R S BY P E T ER F O LL A N S BEE

8 ONLINE u Tool Test Archives

Middle School
58
We have many tool reviews available for free

Adirondacks on our website. Problems in

popularwoodworking.com/tools
LETTERS Wood Finishing
18
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S FLEXNER ON FINISHING

Where BY B O B FLE X N ER

12 Adjustable Art & Function

64 Becoming
Router Stop Intersect
Block DESIGN MATTERS Part of the
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
BY G E O RG E R . WA LK ER
Woodworking
FRO M O UR R E A D ER S
Community
END GRAIN
ONLINE u More Tricks
BY A N D R E W G LENN
Read some of our favorite tricks and see
them in action in our Tricks videos.
popularwoodworking.com/tricks

Number 240, August 2018. Popular Woodworking Magazine (ISSN 0884-8823,USPS

752-250) is published 7 times a year, February, April, June, August, October, November
and December, which may include an occasional special, combined or expanded issue
that may count as two issues, by F+W Media. Editorial and advertising offices are located
at 10151 Carver Road, Suite #300, Blue Ash, OH 45242. Unsolicited manuscripts, photo-
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2018 by F+W Media, Inc. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mail-

18 ing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Popular Woodworking Magazine, P.O.
Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 Canada GST Reg. # R132594716 Produced
and printed in the U.S.A.
■

4 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 CANOE PHOTO COURTESY OF REID SCHWARTZ / OTHER PHOTOS BY THE AUTHORS
CARD #52 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM
OUT ON A LIMB BY ANDREW ZOELLNER, EDITOR

Trying New Things

AUGUST 2018, VOL. 38, NO.4
popularwoodworking.com
PUBLISHER ■ Allison Dolan
EDITOR ■ Andrew Zoellner
SENIOR EDITOR ■ David Lyell
ONLINE CONTENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER ■

O
ne of the reasons I love wood-
working is that there’s always
something new to try. It may
be a new technique, a new tool, a new
finish or even just a species of wood I
haven’t used before. As a woodworker,
you never stop learning. That’s a good
thing, though it’s easy to get over-
whelmed by the possibilities, too.
I’ve been learning a lot of new things
at Popular Woodworking, thinking
about how we can add some new ideas
into the conversation. Looking back
through our archives, it’s fun to see
new ideas come to light and evolve.
It’s also funny to think about how
things haven’t changed, too. For one,
how woodworkers dress hasn’t really
changed at all. And a table saw is still a
spinning blade in a flat table. A hammer
David Thiel
ONLINE CONTENT DEVELOPER ■ Jacob Motz
CONTRIBUTING EDITORS ■
Bob Flexner, Christopher Schwarz
DESIGNER ■ Marissa Bowers
PROJECT ILLUSTRATOR ■ Donna R. Hill
LETTERS & TRICKS ILLUSTRATOR ■
Martha Garstang Hill, garstang-hill.com
EDITORIAL CONTACT
popwood@fwmedia.com
513-531-2690
F+W Media, Inc.
Of course, not everything we try CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER ■Greg Osberg
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER ■ Jennifer Graham
in these pages will be entirely new. I’ll
SVP, GENERAL MANAGER F+W OUTDOORS &
always have a soft spot for well-done SMALL BUSINESS GROUPS ■ Ray Chelstowski
interpretations of classic designs (see MANAGING DIRECTOR, F+W INTERNATIONAL ■
James Woollam
the 17th-century scallop edged tables Robert Sporn
VP, GENERAL COUNSEL ■
and Shaker-inspired settee in this is- VP, HUMAN RESOURCES ■ Gigi Healy
sue), and projects that push designs to VP, MANUFACTURING & LOGISTICS ■ Phil Graham

is still for hitting nails and other stuff.
In our archives, there are projects
for housing tube televisions, entertain-
ment centers to fi ll with VHS tapes
and computer desks the size of studio
apartments. When was the last time
you used your dictionary stand?
That’s the fun thing about so much
of what we build – it’s a reflection of
the time we live in. When I look at my
own work, each project takes me to a
certain point in my life.
As I gaze at my dining table, I re-
member that I built the base three
times, and the third time I couldn’t
get it out of the basement shop I was
in. Then, while I was fi nishing it in
my garage, it rained and the table was
positioned in just the right spot to catch
a bunch of water. But I forged ahead,
and I’m happy that it’s in my home.
the breaking point, such as the bowsaw
chair (which took many iterations).
And as you’ll learn in our feature on
Chinese furniture, even designs that
seem new and different have their roots
in even earlier designs.
All that to say, you’ll be seeing some
new things in the pages of this maga-
zine and on our website, but it’s all
informed by what came before. You’ll
see us trying lots of new things. Some
will stick, some won’t. We’ll continue to
write about new tools and projects, and
share stories about what we’re learning.
But it’s not just about us, it’s about you,
too. We are a community, and we need
to support each other and encourage
one another to try new things. Our goal
is to inspire you to make something.
Woodworking can be a solitary en-
deavor – we’re here to make it less so.
ADVERTISING
VP, ADVERTISING SALES ■ Kevin Smith
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ■ Don Schroder
331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104
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TEL. 715-445-4612 x13883
connie.kostrzewa@fwmedia.com
NEWSSTAND SALES
Contact Scott T. Hill:
scott.hill@procirc.com
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES:
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Each project gives us the opportunity SHOPWOODWORKING.COM

Visit ShopWoodworking.com for woodworking books,
to try something new and a lesson for projects, plans and back issues of this magazine.
the next time (ie: measure your doors Copyright ©2018 by F+W Media, Inc. All rights reserved.
Popular Woodworking Magazine is a registered trademark of
so you can get your project home). F+W Media, Inc.

6 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 PHOTO: JACOB MOTZ

CARD #20 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM
LETTERS FROM OUR READERS
Revisiting Norm’s
Adirondack Chair
I
’m a middle school technol-
ogy education instructor here
at Mount Markham, which is in
central New York. Last year, I tossed
around the idea of doing an Adiron-
dack chair build with my 8th grade
Advanced Tech kids. I did a ton of
research on different chair designs,
and as you can well imagine, came
up with hundreds of variations of
the classic Adirondack chair.
I must admit that I’m not normally
inclined to use other’s plans when
doing a project – until I ran across
an August 2005 article in Popular
Woodworking titled “Norm Abram’s
Adirondack Chair.” I read the ar-
ticle several times and went over and
over the plans and could find little
to improve on. In retrospect, there
are probably very few out there that
could improve any of Norm’s designs.
At any rate, this school year I pro-
posed the idea to my administration
and to my eighth graders and all were
on board. The kids were so excited
8 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
about the build that they asked if
we could come in over our Febru-
ary break to get them finished up! I
of course agreed – it’s not often that
kids want to come to school when
they don’t have to.
I want to point out that these
chairs are student built, 100 percent.
I fabricated the patterns and guided
them through the cut, rout and as-
sembly process, but that’s it. Even the
upper rear cross pieces, which are not
only curved, but cut at 30°, were cut
on the band saw by a 13-year-old girl.
I’m very proud of the project and
of the kids, especially in an era where
so many of our school tech programs
have either gone totally digital or
gone away completely. In my opinion
this is a testament to the value of hard
work, pride in workmanship, and the
irreplaceable enthusiasm that kids
have for learning new skills.
Tavish Rathbone
West Winfield, New York
Woodworking Is Infectious
If you can believe it, this is my first
time responding to an invitation in a
magazine. Your Out On A Limb edito-
rial in the June 2018 issue inspired me
to speak. I’ll admit that I’m not a Popular
Woodworking loyalist, but I enjoy every
issue. I’ve caught myself watching the
mailman delivery each day and find
I’m excited to see another publication
waiting for me.
Over the years, I have collected old
tools and worry away at tuning them up
for use. I’ll spend hours searching the
internet for a missing screw or guard
to complete the tune-up.
I’ve also collected furniture from
days gone by. My grandfather (Gramps),
as a Baptist minister, built oak rockers
in both adult and child sizes, kitchen
sets, chairs and tables. I’ve been told
he could cut the compoud miter for a
hip roof on the fly with a hand skilsaw
in the 1950’s.
My other grandfather could make
almost anything from wood or metal.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
PHOTOS COURTESY OF TAVISH RATHBONE
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LETTERS
He was a farmer/engineer/machinist/
woodworker/glider pilot instructor/
photographer. I collected his lamps
and bowls he made with his lathe (even
though it was designed for metal turn-
ing). Both men were from the age of “If
you need it, you build it.”
In closing, your article sparked my
need to tell you and others: Woodwork-
ing is infectious, but in a good way.
Bob Spickard
Lincoln, Illinois
Leave Politics Out of
Popular Woodworking
Appreciate your request for feedback.
Great publication and helpful. Never
been disappointed, until now. Your
parting feature in End Grain by Jess
Hirsch (June 2018). The last thing you
need in your magazine is a political
slant on woodworking.
More disturbing was, that it was
the last thing I read, leaving an after-
thought and coloring everything posi-
tive written beforehand.
I do not want a politicized article.
I want to read about craft. My wood-
working removes the problems of the
world from my focus. It is purely about
the wood and the satisfaction derived
from its manipulation.
I have a daughter. At 10 years old, she
was side by side with me in the shop.
Introducing her to woodworking wasn't
about gender. It is about sharing a com-
mon experience that is productive.
Your author put a political spin on
an activity that is for everyone. She
makes an issue out of a non-issue. She
inflected sexism where there actually
probably wasn't any intention of that.
Her focus doesn't seem to be about
the aesthetics of the wood or the sat-
isfaction and appreciation of the craft.
She uses liberal ideology to sell it as
empowerment and advancement of
her political thinking.
The binary/trans/femme angle – is
that just an attempt to create advertis-
ing? I am appalled. I don't want this
nonsense injected into my craft. Keep
10 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 8
your politics and sexual preference to
yourself.
If I want to hear that opinion, I'll go
to a site that discusses it. You do not
need to try and market for two percent
of the population.
The amount of those two percent
that woodwork is even lower. The
amount that doesn’t want political
agendas is much higher. What’s your
actual demographic for subscribers?
So, stick to what you do best – wood.
Leave the politics and political correct-
ness out of it.
Lee Starling,
Key West, Florida
We received a few letters about Jess
Hirsch’s June 2018 End Grain column.
My intent was to highlight her success
in getting more people into woodwork-
ing, especially people who have been
historically underrepresented in our
ranks. I applaud every effort to get
more people making things, and I hope
others follow her example.
The woodworking community will
only become stronger as it becomes more
inclusive and individuals of all back-
grounds are accepted with open arms.
Andrew Zoellner, editor
ONLINE EXTRAS
Letters & Comments
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TRICKS OF THE TRADE EDITED BY ANDREW ZOELLNER
THE WINNER:

Adjustable Router
Stop Block
I
am making a bed headboard
which requires multiple mor-
tise and tenon joints on differ-
ent wood thicknesses. I am routing
my mortises and seeing the stop line
that was laid out for the mortise was
challenging at times. I wanted a stop
block that would be easy to use and
would be versatile enough to use on
all the various thicknesses.  
I used some scrap maple from
the headboard and drilled a hole in
the top piece, then cut a slot with a
scroll saw. I lined up the stationary
vertical piece with the edge of the top
piece and countersunk two screws. I
then drilled a pilot hole in the mov-
able vertical piece, placed a round
head screw with a washer through
the slot and screwed it into the pilot
hole loosely enough that the piece
could move freely. 
I also placed adhesive backed
sandpaper on the inside of each verti-
cal piece to help hold it in place with
a quick clamp. 
Bill Giesy A Better Eraser
Kissimmee, Florida I had been using the normal red pencil
eraser, to remove pencil lines from wood.
I was always disappointed that a red stain
would get left behind on the wood and in the
pores. The pencil eraser also did not always
remove enough of the lead, and both issues
necessitated more sanding than I would
have liked. An ink eraser was too abrasive
Inexpensive Jam Chuck and it left behind residue and scratched
Go to your local building supply store, finishes.
and find a cheap plunger (mine was $3). So, I grabbed my abrasive belt gum stick
Then take the handle off and use it for and tried it on bare wood and on finished
a jam chuck on your lathe – mine gets material. As long as the gum stick is clean,
the most use when reversing hollow I have better lead removal and no damage to
forms and removing the tenons. Works my finished material. If some shadowing is
great and is super cheap! left behind, only minor sanding is required.
Noah Schuerman, Mike Sherwin
Pullman, Washington Kirkland, Washington

12 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARTHA GARSTANG HILL

Cheap Paint Supports
When painting, staining or sealing
a woodworking project, it is almost
impossible to support the wood with-
out leaving behind evidence of that
support. I decided to use old dowel
rods – handles off of foam brushes – to
build simple supports for my projects.
The beveled end is barely in contact
with wood project, thereby leaving no
noticeable spots on finished surfaces.
Instead of throwing away your used
foam paint brushes, cut dowel off at
foam, drill a same-size hole in scrap
lumber, and you have a very inexpen-
sive support for your next painting or
staining projects.
Jerry Hinrichs,
Oregon, Illinois
Sander Sharpening Platform
I wanted to use my benchtop belt sander
as a safe and accurate way to grind my
hand tools. By adding a little exten-
sion table that is co-planar with the
sanding surface, I can use my honing
guides to keep everything square and
at the right angle. Everyone’s sander
is a little different, but a similar setup
might even work on a hand-held belt
sander in a vise.
I added PSA-backed sandpaper to
the insides of the rails to help keep them
from shifting when clamped. The L-
shaped rails ensure the extension table
is co-planar (minus belt sandpaper
thickness) with the sander surface.
That means your preferred method of
setting honing guide angles still holds
true. I have used it for a half dozen tool
re-grinds and love it!
Chase Hansel,
Melbourne, Florida
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
TRICKS ONLINE: We post tricks from the past
and film videos of some Tricks of the Trade
in use in our shop. They’re available online,
free. Visit popularwoodworking.com/tricks
to read and watch.
Our products are available online at:
■ ShopWoodworking.com
Cash and prizes
for your tricks and tips!
Each issue we publish woodworking tips
from our readers. Next issue’s winner
receives a $250 gift certificate from Lee Val-
ley Tools, good for any item in the catalog
or on the website (leevalley.com). (The tools
pictured below 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,
include your mailing address and phone
number. All accepted entries become the
property of Popular Woodworking
Magazine. Send your trick by email to
popwoodtricks@fwmedia.com, or mail it to
Tricks of the Trade, Popular Woodworking
Magazine, 10151 Carver Road, Suite 300,
Blue Ash, OH 45242.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 13
TOOL TEST BY THE EDITORS
Florip Toolworks Dovetail Saw
When Erik Florip of Florip Toolworks
announced that he would be offering
a premium dovetail saw for $85, he
immediately had my attention. At that
price point, these saws are positioned
well below other premiums saws, and
just slightly above some very popular
budget alternatives.
This saw comes standard with a
16ppi rip filed 9" plate (.017"), folded
brass back and a canted plate that offers
13 ⁄8" depth of cut at the toe opening up
to 11 ⁄2" at the heel. It cut smoothly and
tracked straight in a variety of hard
and softwoods leaving a whisper-thin
kerf. Although I sometimes felt that it
would benefit from slightly more set
Dovetail Saw
Florip Toolworks ■ floriptoolworks.com
Street price ■ from $85 to $135
WoodRiver Bevel-Edge Socket Chisels
When WoodRiver announced its new
socket chisels, I was very intrigued.
Price-wise, these chisels fall into the
intermediate range – $35-$45 for an
individual chisel (depending on size).
I picked up a 1 ⁄2" chisel and a 3 ⁄4" chisel
to put through the paces.
The chisels are ground from 100
CR-V steel and tempered to a hardness
of HRC 58-63. In use, that means the
chisels are hardened to hold an edge
well while still being able to be sharp-
ened relatively easily.
Out of the package, the backs of
the chisels were very nearly flat – just
a couple minutes of fl attening each
Bevel-Edge Socket Chisels
WoodRiver ■ woodcraft.com
Street price ■ from $35 to $45 each; $150
for set of 4
14 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
to the teeth, especially
in material thicker than
3 ⁄4", a saw this size really
excels in thinner stock.
The h a ng of t he
handle is about 5° lower
than most saws on the
market. This can make
a saw hard to start, but I
found no such problems
here, and after a week of
test cuts the low-slung
configuration seemed
very natural in use.
The handle felt a little
cramped around the upper and lower other domestic and exotic wood handle
horns on my large hand, and the shap- choices available at an additional cost.
ing of the handle wasn’t quite as crisp The Florip Toolworks 9" dovetail
and refined as other high-end saws, but saw is both beautiful and functional,
it was smooth, well finished and would and at this price, it's a solid choice for
be very comfortable to anyone with anyone seeking a high quality dovetail
small to medium sized hands. The stock saw that doesn’t break the budget.
saw ships with a cherry handle, with — James McConnell
for setup (and that might have been
overkill on my part). The chisels come
ground with a 25° bevel. I put a 30°
micro bevel on both chisels, then put
them to work. A few things jumped
out to me about the blades almost im-
mediately: They’re significantly thicker
than the reissued Stanley Sweethearts
I’d been using, and the side bevels are
ground more steeply (70 degrees vs.
30 degrees on the Sweethearts) with
narrow lands (about 1 ⁄32"). That blade
geometry let me clear out the corners
of my dovetails without having to grab
a second, smaller chisel.
The chisels come fitted with bub-
inga handles. They’re a little bigger
than other traditional socket chisel
handles I’ve used, but they felt good
in my hands (and with a socket chisel,
you can also turn your own). market for a new chisel or a complete
These chisels hit the sweet spot of set, you should definitely take a look.
price and materials. If you’re in the — Andrew Zoellner
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHORS
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TOOL TEST
Makita Cordless Track Saw with Bluetooth
Your next cordless power tool could
very likely include Bluetooth. The com-
munication protocol has been pushed
hard in the consumer tech world for
years. So why is the power tool industry
adopting Bluetooth? Flexibility.
Makita’s cordless track saw and
cordless vacuum both integrate its
AWS Bluetooth technology to talk to
each other. That means, when you be-
gin your cut with the track saw, the
vacuum turns on automatically. I found
the system to work well after the first
pairing. I did have to pair the duo a
second time during a large build and a
XPS01PTJ Plunge Saw Kit
Makita ■ makitatools.com
Street price ■ $500 (saw kit with two bat-
teries); Cordless HEPA Vacuum XCV07ZX
$360; track $85
Compact Pocket Hole Machine
Pocket holes are my go-to for quick
and easy assemblies – shop furniture
and jigs made out of plywood – as well
as making face frames and cabinets.
Castle’s newest pocket hole machine,
the Castle 100, puts the features of their
larger, floor-standing models into a for-
mat that fits in the small shop – the
machine stands about 14" tall.
This machine may be different than
other pocket hole jigs you’ve used. It’s a
two-step process. First, a router (a Bosch
Colt) cuts the pocket. Then you use a
drill and guide to drill the pilot hole.
Castle’s pocket holes are cut at a
shallower angle (6 degrees) than other
jigs and machines on the market. In
Castle 100
Castle, Inc. ■ castleusa.com
Street price ■ $475
16 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
battery change, but the
connection was solid
otherwise throughout
both days of building.
This type of connec-
tion could also be made
with an RF trigger, but
I would speculate that
the Bluetooth connec-
tion allows for future
expandability in their
product line and func-
tionality.
As a track saw, it
performed wonder-
fully. The cuts were crisp, and the track track-lock lever was helpful in keeping
stayed exactly where I laid it down. The the saw engaged before and after the
project I was building was made up of cut. Dust collection was better than
laminated baltic birch plywood, 11 ⁄2" expected. After making a series of 34"
thick. The Makita’s brushless motor cuts, I was left with just a dusting on the
(powered by dual 18-volt batteries) table – everything else was captured
didn't hesitate at all and held its charge by the HEPA vacuum.
throughout the bulk of the project. The — David Lyell
practice, that means there’s less of a
tendency for things to go out of align-
ment as you’re joining pieces (Castle
calls this “joint shift”). I was able to get
by just holding pieces in place with my
hand while I assembled my face frames.
And, dealing with big parts, you can
take the machine to your piece – just
clamp it on and cut. The small size also
means you can bring it with you on
location. Pocket holes often solve other-
wise tricky fastening/joining problems
during an install.
The Castle 100 comes ready to go
out of the box. It’s held in place with the
included Wilton C-clamp, and comes
with a dust collection port. It’s designed
to work with 3 ⁄4" material –other di-
mensions need a little jigging. While
the machine is not inexpensive, if you
use a lot of pocket holes and 3 ⁄4" mate-
rial in your work, it’s worth the cost.
— Andrew Zoellner
PHOTOS BY DAVID LYELL
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DESIGN MATTERS BY GEORGE R. WALKER
Where Art & Function Intersect
Meet Reid Schwartz: artist, interested human, maker of tools,
worker of wood and restorer of old things
I
t’s hard to think of a craft that’s not
tied to woodworking in some way.
Wood is either the material of choice
or it’s found in the tools used to shape
other materials, such as the stone carver’s
mallet or the weaver’s shuttle. In some
crafts, like boat building, wood is the
optimal material for the watercraft as
well as the tools. A great example of
this is our tradition of birch bark canoes
fashioned by the indigenous peoples of
North America. These light, agile craft
were fashioned with simple tools, from
materials harvested from the Northern
forest. Yet they were sturdy enough to
carry tons of freight across large stretches
of open lakes and treacherous rapids.
Reid Schwartz became fascinated with
these wonderful canoes and, in the pro-
cess, began to explore the traditional
tools used to craft these boats.
Crooked Knives & Curved Lines
A canoe is a study in curved lines. The
curves allow it to slip silently through
water almost without effort. Even the
few parts that are straight, like thwarts
(cross braces), are rounded over on the
edges so they don’t chafe the shoulders
when portaging the canoe. All those
curves pose a challenge to the normal
types of tools used for cabinetmaking
that help us make straight cuts and flat
surfaces. The sawplate on a handsaw
tries to steer the saw in a line just as
the flat sole of a handplane imparts
that flatness to the surface of a board.
The trick to successfully using a saw
or plane is to learn to let the tool follow
that straight line or flat plane instead
of following the whims of our bodies.
Enter the crooked knife. Everything
about this simple tool is optimized to let
the user guide the tool in any direction.
Instead of trying to cut a fl at surface
18 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
(which it’s capable of), it takes advan-
tage of our anatomy to form graceful
curved cuts. The shape of the handle
allows the user to engage the entire
muscle structure of the hand, includ-
ing the thumb to steer the tool. The
crooked knife is part of a long tradi-
tion of woodcraft by native peoples
who embraced it as the ideal tool for
shaping wood.
Craft Shaped by Art
Schwartz’s background in craft begins
with his childhood growing up on a
sheep farm in New Hampshire. There
was always something that needed
to be made or fi xed, and a neighbor
who knew his way around a piece of
wood was an early mentor, encourag-
ing Schwartz to dive in and work with
his hands. As a teen, Schwartz showed
a talent for drawing that led him to
enroll at what is now known as Mas-
sachusetts College of Art and Design
(or MassArt), and which was formerly
known as Massachusetts School of Art.
The school had an open-door policy for
different workshops where students
The crooked knife. This tool
is ideal for shaping curved
wood by hand.
could explore and experiment outside
of class time. He took the opportunity
to experiment with metalworking,
blacksmithing, forge welding and
woodworking.
After graduation he worked for a
high-end production cabinet shop for
three years before striking out on his
own. He had the good fortune of work-
ing with Harvard University, building
backgrounds and display settings for
the institution’s art galleries. It was
work that could vary widely from ex-
hibit to exhibit – from a simple display
case to an intricate background wall
display that looked like a landscape
with a flowing river.
Run-in With a Canoe
Schwartz moved his workshop to New
Bedford, Mass., where he first encoun-
tered examples of traditionally inspired
birch bark canoes. These weren’t only
CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
ALL IMAGES COURTESY OF REID SCHWARTZ
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DESIGN MATTERS
Small canoes. Schwartz made several models of these canoes to explore tools and techniques.
beautiful and functional but they could
be built with natural materials using no
fasteners and just a few simple tools.
Inspired by these iconic boats, Schwartz
made the fi rst of several small-scale
models that led to using the tools that
changed the course of his creative en-
deavors.
A whole world opened up in green
woodworking using just a crooked knife
or the traditional Sloyd knife. Fascinated
with the creative possibilities of these
tools, and combining some of his metal-
working and forging background, it was
a natural step to begin making crooked
knives for himself as well as for sale. That
might sound simple but these traditional
20 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
tools are anything but simple.
The crooked knife has a complex
curve that changes along its length.
Schwartz has “a box of shame” in his
workshop filled with failed experi-
ments. It took him more than 80 at-
tempts to create a knife that responded
in his hands like he imagined it should.
Those 80 attempts were not a path to
a destination but rather a journey that
continues to this day. He’s constantly
making design adjustments to his tools,
trying to improve the performance of
each batch. He tweaks the shapes of
the wooden handles or the curve or
thickness of the blades, and each tiny
adjustment is refined by carving tests.
Real-world testing.
Schwartz tests his
tools by carving
bowls, spoons
and handles (for
more tools). He’s
constantly refining
his tools.
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18
Schwartz credits others in the craft
for encouraging him. In particular,
Jarrod Dahl has helped in Schwartz’s
quest to design and make exceptional
tools. Dahl taught him that a knife has
to feel solid and not flex under your
grip. If the knife flexes, the user will
never lean into it and push it. This may
be a bit subconscious, but the tool will
telegraph to the user whether it can be
trusted. That’s a big deal when you’re
trying to make a tool that’s an extension
of the hand. Schwartz now produces a
line of tools that includes several dif-
ferent hook knives and his own version
of a Sloyd knife.
Extending the Tradition
Schwartz is not stuck in the past, try-
ing to make exact replicas of historic
tools. He’s joined a long line of artisans
who take inspiration from our craft
history and then extend design into
the present with their sights set on the
future. He finds ideas in the tools and
artifacts from the native cultures here
in North America as well as studying
objects uncovered in archeological
digs in Scandinavia and Europe. He’s
interested in making tools that’ll excite
contemporary woodworkers to follow
their imagination. Most of all, Schwartz
is searching for a design that chases
perfection; a simple tool that becomes
part of the hand and there’s nothing
simple about that. PWM
George Walker is the co-author of two design books
and writer of the By Hand & Eye blog (with Jim
Tolpin).
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all these online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
BLOG: Read more from George R. Walker on
his By Hand & Eye blog with Jim Tolpin.
WEBSITE: See more of Reid Schwartz's work
Our products are available online at:
■ ShopWoodworking.com
 SHOP FOX®
machines are
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TRACK SAW MASTER PACK 7" 2 HP PLANER MOULDER W/ STAND ®

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• Motor: 120V, 1.1kW, 5500 RPM, 9A 177335

• Blade rim speed: 9070 FPM • Motor: 2 HP, 240V, single-phase, 10.8A
• Max. cutting depth at 45°: without rail 15 ⁄ 8", • Cutterhead speed: 7000 RPM • CPM: 14,000 • CPI: 64-300
w/ rail 17⁄ 16" • Feed rate: 0-18 FPM • Max. profile: 63 ⁄4"W x 3 ⁄4"D
• Max. cutting depth at 90°: without rail 25 ⁄ 32", • Planing width: 7" • Min. stock length: 9"
w/ rail 131⁄ 32" • Min. stock thickness: 1⁄4" • Max. stock thickness: 71⁄ 2"
• Includes saw blade: 160mm x 20mm x 48T • Overall dimensions: 361⁄4"L x 22"W x 341⁄ 2"H
• Dust port dia.: 11⁄ 2" • Approx. shipping weight: 324 lbs.
• Saw weight: 11 lbs. W1835 Track Saw

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• Approx. shipping • Approx. shipping
weight: 123 lbs. weight: 87 lbs.

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W1819 10" 3 HP Table Saw with Riving Knife W1668 13" 3⁄4 HP, Bench-Top Drill Press W1836 Bench-Top Wood Lathe

KNIFE BELT SANDER / BUFFER 14" SUPER-DUTY RESAW BANDSAW WALL DUST COLLECTOR
• Motor: 1 HP, 110V, 14A, 1725 RPM • Motor: 2 HP, 110V/220V (prewired 110V), 1720 RPM • Motor: 1 HP, 120V⁄240V,
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• Left arbor: 1" x 81⁄ 2" extension • Table tilt: 5°, 45° • Air suction capacity: 537 CFM
with 5 ⁄ 8" arbor • Floor to table height: 37" • Static pressure: 7.2"
• Height with belt arm horizontal: 111⁄ 2" • Max cutting height: 14" • Intake hole size: 4"
• Height with belt arm vertical: 37" • Max throat capacity: 131⁄ 2" • Impeller: 10" balanced
• Overall width: 291⁄ 2"
• Max cutting width with fence: 12" cast-aluminum
• Cast iron body
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• All ball bearing construction
• Dual 4" dust ports 131⁄ 2" x 24"
• Approx. shipping weight: 113 lbs.
• Footprint: 23"L x 18"W • Bag filtration: 2.5 micron
• Approx. shipping weight: 388 lb. • Dust level viewing window
• Height with bag inflated:
44"
Made in an
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ISO 9001 Factory 55 lbs.

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ARTS & MYSTERIES BY PETER FOLLANSBEE

Scratch Stocks for Mouldings

Short runs of moulding call for custom scrapers.

S
cratch stocks are simple, shop-
made scrapers used to shape
mouldings. I’ve never found a pe-
riod reference to this tool; I don’t know
its name, what it looked like nor how
it was made. But I’m certain it existed.
How? By studying surviving chests and
other case furniture that have short
runs of mouldings surrounding panels.
In many cases, these mouldings fade in
and out just before the junction of the
mortise and tenon joints in the frame.
Most of these short lengths of moulding
are around 10" to 15" long. A moulding
plane couldn’t create the full profile in
such a short run.
I make two kinds of scratch stocks.
The first is to cut mouldings along the
edge of a board’s face.The tool consists
of a wooden stock, a blade made from
an old scraper or saw blade and one
screw (the modern concession).
I shape the stock something like a
cartoon pistol. I choose a dense hard-
wood; the body of the tool acts like a
fence running along the board’s edge.
I made one recently from riven maple
A scratch stock. This profile is more detailed
than some scratch stocks, but with clear,
straight-grained wood it’s well within reason.
A carving companion. This is one of my repro-
duction chests that shows the molding above
the carved panel as it fades out near the muntin.
scraps. It’s about 3" x 8" x 7⁄8" thick. I
saw out the shape, then mark a center-
line down the narrow portion, which I
call the beam. Choose a saw whose kerf
will accommodate the blade.
You want a nice snug fit – if the kerf
is too big for the blade it’s hard to keep
things steady. I saw down the beam and
beyond. I want the kerf to run about
1 ⁄4" to 1 ⁄ 2" into the handle to help keep
the blade in position.
After sawing, I shave a bevel along
both edges of the beam’s underside.
This helps keep the shavings from get-
ting choked under the beam. I saw the
shoulder then pare down the length
with a long paring chisel. It doesn’t
need to be a perfectly even bevel, just
relieve the wood underneath.
Even though I’m not a toolmaker,
I can worry my way through filing a
moulding profile on some scrap metal.
The blade material I use is cut for me
by a blacksmith friend. You can use old
scraper blades, or pieces of saw steel
from forsaken blades. I work the faces
on a medium diamond stone to clean
up the surfaces, then I use a felt marker
to color the faces and scribe the shape
I want. Remember to leave part of the
blade for sinking into the handle.
Position the blade, then bore a pilot
hole out near the end of the beam and
put a short screw in to pinch it shut.
This should secure the blade. There’ve
been times I’ve shimmed loose blades
with a shaving as I tighten the beam.
The other scratch stock I make is
like a marking gauge. It features a beam
fitted through a mortise in a fence. The
fence is tightened by a wedge. I use one
like this for making mouldings that run
down the middle of a rail’s face.
After planing the beam and the
fence, I chop the mortise in the fence.
Then test the beam in the fence. It
should be snug but not too tight.
The wedge mortise is the critical
CONTINUED ON PAGE 24

22 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR

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ARTS & MYSTERIES
Kerf the beam. If you use a backsaw, it has
to have a deep blade or you won’t reach far
enough down the beam.
Refine the mortise. Check that the ends of
this mortise have no protruding bumps in
them that might prevent the wedge from
pressing on the beam.
24 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22
Bevel the edges. This long-bladed paring
chisel makes easy work of the bevels, but you
can use a shorter chisel, too. Just skew the
blade so the handle doesn’t get in the way.
Shape the blade. I file the shape with tapered
round and triangular files. You can sharpen
Scratch stock with a the blade with slip stones or a burnisher, but
fence. This finished I go right from the file to molding, so I apply
scratch stock has a light touches at the end.
wedged fence, along-
side one underway.
I’ve left the fence
blank longer than its
final size making it
easier to handle for
mortising.
part. Its angle is pretty slight, and the
bottom of this mortise needs to break
into the fence’s mortise so the wedge
can bear upon the beam.
Kerf the beam, prepare the blade
and pinch the beam shut just like be-
fore. Then it’s ready to go. For the edge
mouldings, I chamfer the edge first to
Chop the mortise. I bore a hole then chop
remove the bulk of the stock. Then the out the mortise. This one’s about 5 ⁄8" x 3 ⁄4".
scratch stock is just to finish the profile.
I push the tool. Tilt the blade forward
as you’re working the shape.
For the other version, some mould- ONLINE EXTRAS
ings benefit from a groove first plowed For links to all online extras, go to:
down the board’s face, much like the ■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
chamfering. Touch-up each blade with BLOG: Read Peter Follansbee’s blog
the files from time to time. PWM
ARTICLE: “The Best Oak Money Can’t Buy”
Our products are available online at:
Peter Follansbee has been involved in traditional craft
■ ShopWoodworking.com
since 1980. Read more from him on spoon carving,
period tools and more at pfollansbee.wordpress.com.
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SHAKER- INSPIRED

Settee

28 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH / ADDITIONAL PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
B Y DAV I D LY E L L
This contemporary
take on a classic design
builds skills and design
sense.
M
any of my first woodwork-
ing projects encapsulate the
popular builds that you see on
the internet – chunky, rough and unbal-
anced (to put it gently). I am fond of
those years spent building low-quality
furniture. I was learning woodworking
in the few hours a week I could squeak
in after work. I didn’t know any other
woodworkers in person, and I didn’t
want to make the commitment to trade
my Saturday mornings with my wife for
my local woodworking club – feel free
to judge my priorities. So I accumulated
skills from YouTube and Instagram;
sadly there is no accreditation available
for this education track and I prom-
ise, it is filled with detours, speed traps
and potholes. You are bombarded with
information in an algorithm powered
curriculum and led astray by projects
of curiosity rather than tradition.
Thankfully, I turned a corner as my
skill set and eye begin to realize that I
could take my furniture making to the
next level. I stopped opening paint cans
with my chisels and discovered the
difference between a rip and crosscut
hand saw.
Smart Design
Before jumping into this build, I want
to share a couple of lessons I’ve learned
since joining the staff of Popular Wood-
working.
One lesson that I have come to take
seriously is design by aggregate. This
is not cherry-picking design elements
from genre to genre, but for this build,
I found three benches and a couple of
chairs, all traditional Shaker design,
that I liked. I drafted a bench that blend-
ed them into a form that wasn’t too far
from tradition, but fit my taste better
than any single bench. The depth of the
seat was determined by one bench, the
height of the back by another and the
rake and splay of the legs determined
by a third. This can be a dangerous
path, but when the parts are taken with
a keen eye, it can prevent you from re-
inventing a look that has been done
many times before. This also led to my
material choices – cherry and maple.
Another valuable lesson learned was
to design to my strengths. With this
bench, I really wanted to incorporate
the traditional kidney shape on the
ends of my bench, but I simply don’t
have a drawknife or the shaping expe-
rience that would ensure a masterful
finish. I could have hacked my way
through, but now was not the time. So,
I let that design element hit the cutting
room floor, I simply let it go.
The legs are attached to the seat with
wedged, tapered mortise and tenons – a
method I first found in The Anarchist’s
Design Book. I used this method to build
a stool last fall, so I was comfortable
with using it on a larger build. I fol-
lowed many of the principals laid out in
Design by aggregate. This bench started with inspiration from Shaker benches and chairs, as well
as chair joinery from The Anarchist’s Design Book, fit to the parameters of my cherry slab.
the book. It may not be 100% authentic
to Shaker furniture, but it’s rock solid
and works well.
Finally, don’t be afraid to test. This
is hardly news for many experienced
builders, but when you spend cold
hard cash for a unique board, there’s
no other way to build. I had almost zero
waste in this project – beyond a board
of cherry that didn’t match the oth-
ers once I started machining it. I have
plenty of wood around me to knock on,
so I feel okay in saying “nothing really
went wrong in this build.” I definitely
owe that to slowing down and thinking
things through.
Lathe Work
I got to work on the spindles and legs for
my project before anything else. It was
the most intimidating part of this proj-
ect for me – turning multiple spindles
to the same dimensions – and with
this done, the rest of the build would
be more enjoyable. If you’re looking to
get good at turning, building a Shaker
bench with 28 turned parts is a good
place to start.
I turned some test pieces before set-
tling on a final spindle size. I knew that
I wanted a tapered spindle for the back
popularwoodworking.com ■ 29
TURNING BACK SPINDLES ON THE LATHE
I started with 3 ⁄4" x 3 ⁄4" soft maple stock ripped from
the same board. I paid close attention to grain direction
and tried to use my best board that had the smallest
amount of runout. I cut all of the stock to 17" in length. I
used a center punch to prepare the stock pieces for the
lathe and found that it was better to take each spindle
to completion before moving to the next. Batching out
spindles like this is new to me, I had assumed that I’d
be able to complete one step of the process and swap
out the spindle for the next – not so.

The soft maple had some variation in color throughout the board I I didn’t break the corners before turning. A sharp gouge brought the
had purchased, so I tried to keep the blanks as uniform as possible. soft maple to a cylinder within seconds.

The length of my tool rest required a total A parting tool was used to bring the wide I checked diameters on the tenons with a
of three positions along the bed to turn the end to its final size. This is the tenon that dial caliper. I was shooting for a tolerance
length of my 16 1⁄2" part. sits in the seat. It is 3 ⁄4" long and cylindrical. of +-.010".
The taper starts just after this area.

After the tenons were taken to their final I found that the soft maple was quick to fray I used #150 grit sandpaper to even out
dimension, I tapered the middle of the and tear out, but never in more than what a the taper. The soft maple cleaned up very
spindle. quick sanding could correct. nicely.

30 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018

 the spindles for the back rest. I landed
on a tapered shape with the thickest
part of the spindle in the middle. This
was the traditional shape that I had
come across in my research, and it
looked great on my bench.

Seat and Base

If there is one show surface on this
bench, it’s the seat. It’s large, flat and
the primary focal point (unless you
are mesmerized by spindles). I started
with an 18" wide slab of cherry before
ripping it down to it’s final dimension
of 16" wide. This particular slab had
a single knot that only went halfway
through the 2" thickness. I considered
filling it with epoxy, but decided not to.
Series of coves. A single piece of pine was used as a fence for making the cove on the seat. The This bench is destined to sit in a hallway
gentle cove of the seat was achieved with a series of four cove cuts – each requiring three passes with 140-year-old knotty pine floors as
to achieve the depth I wanted.

of my settee, but did I want to taper

from 3 ⁄4" to 1 ⁄ 2" or from 5 ⁄8" to 3 ⁄8"? I
really wasn’t sure and I couldn’t tell
in SketchUp which size I prefered. I
quickly turned a spindle to a 3 ⁄4" round
and as I started tapering down to 1 ⁄2", it
became apparent that this was far too
bulky for the back of my bench. So, I
continued on down to the smaller size
and was very happy with the look.
I knew that I did not want to taper
the legs of my bench on both ends, cre-
ating a fat middle. That look doesn’t fit
my eye. So I found a chair in a shaker
book that retained it’s cylinder shape
through the top third of the leg before
it began tapering down to the bottom
of the leg – a solution I really liked. Plywood Jig. I cut two sets of legs for my plywood platform – one set at 10º and one set at 2º.
After creating the tenon for the tapered I secured each leg with two screws.
mortise at the top, I turned the whole
leg round at 11 ⁄ 2" diameter. Then, 6" Drill press work. My jig
down the leg after the tenon, I started worked wonderfully for
drilling the holes that
to taper to 1". It’s a gentle taper, but would accept the legs.
creates a dynamic look without the I had to complete the
traditional bulge-in-the-middle shape. reaming by hand. The
At this point, I was excited that most angled legs for the jig
of the lathe work was behind me and I were cut at the table saw
using my miter gauge.
moved to working on the seat so that
I could work toward assembly. I knew
that once the seat had it’s tapered mor-
tises reamed, I’d be be able to decide on
a shape for my leg stretchers.
The stretchers were going to be deli-
cate for sure, but not quite as delicate as

popularwoodworking.com ■ 31

No turning back. I used a 5 ⁄8” auger bit to
prepare the seat for the tapered reamer.
a backdrop. So, I positioned the knot
in the middle of the board, adjusting
the amount I cut off either side of board
when ripping to final dimension.
After dimensioning the slab, I head-
ed to the table saw to make the cove on
the top of the seat. I created this shape
through a series of cuts at an angle to
the saw blade (see “Cove Cutting” in
online extras). I found that I needed
just a single fence for this slab – the
weight of the slab itself prevented it
from breaking free from the fence while
passing over the blade. I used an offcut
to test this process before cutting into
my slab.
Each time I moved the fence, I had
to make three passes over the blade,
raising the height each time to get the
32 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
Ream it! I sharpened my reamer before run-
ning it through the seat. My drill press didn't
have enough stroke, so I finished by hand.
Tapered tenon. This ta-
pered tenon cutter makes
quick work of the tenons.
Try to keep the work cen-
tered in the cutter. I held
the cutter in my left hand
while driving and turning
the leg with my right hand.
Some prefer mounting the
tool in a bench vice.
It has legs! After finishing the tenons, I had to see the seat with legs. It was a statisfying moment to
see my bench as a bench. I swapped a couple legs around to find a setup that was ideal.
depth that I needed. For each pass, I
raised the blade a little over a 1 ⁄16", to
reduce stress on the blade. I made four
runs to create the shape of the cove,
then feathered the cove shape with my
sander.
Drilling the seat
I became acquainted with the tapered
reamer and tenon cutter from Lee Valley
last summer and found it very simple
to use on the shop stool I made. But
let me tell you: Everything is different
when you move from southern yellow
pine to an irreplaceable slab of cherry.
For this design, there are six legs
with no sideways splay (a common
arrangement for a bench this size). I
created a simple angled jig to drill the
six leg holes that that will be reamed
later on. The jig consists of a piece of
plywood roughly 16" x 16" with two
sets of legs – one set at 10° for the back
legs and one set at 2° for the front legs.
Again, I borrowed these angles from a
bench that I found in a museum archive,
not my invention.
Creating tapered mortises is a two-
part process. First, I used an auger bit
to drill the 5 ⁄8" hole to prepare for the
reamer. Then, I chucked the reamer in
the drill press to ream the hole. I started
each hole on the drill press and finished
with a cordless drill (because my drill
press doesn’t have enough travel to
do it). The freehand reaming with a
Reference off the seat. I used a trick from The "No Fear Chairmaking." Chris Schwarz produced a video called "No Fear Chairmaking." I
Anarchist's Design Book to determine the have serious objections to this philosophy after running a spade bit into my glued assembly.
hole location for stretcher.

cordless drill took a lot of muscle and

some choice words, but in the end I
had six perfect tapered mortises. And
I was sweating in my 58 degree shop.
My advice is to ream carefully (or get
a bigger drill press).
For the spindles, I located those on
the ends 3" in from the outer edges of
the bench, putting them in line with the
legs. From there, I determined where
the middle spindle would be and found
centers for the remaining 16 spindles
in between. On my bench, that made
center 3.22" from spindle to spindle.
I used a 7° jig to drill the 3 ⁄8" holes for No tear out. It's worth buying a new spade bit Marking the taper. I tapered the back of the
the spindles on the top of the seat. I for this step – or making sure yours is sharp. crest rail after drilling the mortises for the
spindles.
drilled the holes 3 ⁄4" deep to match the
spindle tenons.

Base Assembly
I brought the leg tenons to 1" diameter
on the lathe and then used a Lee Valley
tenon cutter to add the necessary taper.
With accurate reamed mortises, the
legs didn’t give me any trouble. I then
cut a kerf in the top of each leg for an
oak wedge to lock them in place. To add
the stretcher between each set of legs, I
used a 6" scrap and held my pencil atop
it and scribed a line using the seat as
my reference.
I used a spade bit with blue tape to
mark the depth of the mortise. This
process is indeed uncomfortable. How-
ever, with the spade bit ramped up to
full speed and a quick plunge into the Tilt the band saw. A well-tuned band saw made quick work of the crest rail taper. Simply tilt the
leg, I experienced zero tear out and table and proceed with confidence.

popularwoodworking.com ■ 33
 everything fit perfectly. A little fine tun-
Shaker-Inspired Settee ing with sandpaper and my stretchers
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL
T W L were ready for glue up.
1⁄ 2 1⁄ 2 After a dry fit, I did as much finish
❏ 19 Tapered Back Spindles 161⁄2 Soft Maple*
sanding as I could. I used Titebond 3
❏ 6 Tapered Legs 11⁄2 11⁄2 16 Soft Maple**
1⁄ 2 1⁄ 2
during assembly to give myself a few
❏ 3 Tapered Stretchers 121⁄2 Soft Maple***
extra moments to get the assembly to-
❏ 1 Seat 2 16 64 Cherry gether. Thankfully, I had my dad in the
❏ 1 Crest 7⁄ 8 4 64 Cherry shop during this phase – an extra set
of hands was a huge help. Driving the
*The back spindles taper from 1⁄2 to 3⁄8" – the tenon ends for the seat and the crest are wedges into the top of the legs makes
3⁄ 4" and straight.
this assembly bomb-proof.
**The legs begin their taper 6" below the seat.
***The stretchers taper at both ends to 3⁄8" with flat tenons for the mortises in the leg. Crest Rail
With the legs and seat glued-up, I was
ready to turn my attention to the crest
rail. It’s a tapered board with 19 holes in
it. There was a part of me that wanted to

64"
31⁄4"

4"

2"

183⁄4 "

7º
16"
23⁄4 " 7"

10º 2º

FRONT VIEW 171⁄2"

SIDE PROFILE
64"
32"
3"

3"

16"

LEG LAYOUT

34 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018


procrastinate on this particular part of
the build because I knew the back spindle
glue up was on the other side of it.
The rail is 4" tall and made of a board
of cherry that has wonderful concen-
tric rings emanating from the center
of the board. I kid you not, there was
an actual spotlight on the board when
I walked into Woodcraft looking for
material. With my stock still square,
I drilled the 3 ⁄4" deep, 3 ⁄8" mortises in
the crest rail. Then, tilting the table on
the bandsaw, I tapered the backside of
the crest rail from 3 ⁄4" to 1 ⁄2".
Fine tuning
To make things easier, I prefinished the
spindles before fine tuning them for fit.
I used my random orbit sander in a vice
at my bench, providing convenience
and dust collection while refining the
19 spindles.
Raise the grain. I found that water-based Polycrylic really raised the grain on the cherry. I avoided
issues by sanding after a spritz of water.
DIY disk sander.
I fine-tuned all 19
spindles for their
mortises by clamp-
ing my random orbit
sander in my bench
vice and using it as
disk sander.
After I assembled the bench and it
was in situ, I finally discovered what
I wanted from my seat. I had left the
seat square from front to back and it
looked far too chunky. I decided to
reduce the parallax effect and taper
the sides 1 ⁄ 2" from the halfway point
of the seat to the back of the seat. This
reduced the heaviness the square ends
conveyed, and I couldn’t be happier
with my 11th hour decision to lighten
the back corner.
Finish
I sanded by hand to #220, doing as
much sanding as I could before assem-
bly. I raised the grain with water and
proceeded through the grits.
From the outset, I was nervous about
the soft maple. When I tested fi nish
on it, I noticed that it had a tendency
to get muddy and yellow. So I chose
Cut it off. The back corners of the seat were
tapered back after assembly.
to use water-based Polycrylic on all of
the pieces to keep the finish clear and
keep yellowing to a minimum. Once
the bench was assembled and finished,
I went over the whole bench with fin-
ishing wax and steel wool to give it the
perfect hand-rubbed finish feel.
In the home
I’m not sure my 3-year-old son felt as
ceremonious as I did when I carried the
bench in from the garage and placed it
in the entryway of my home. As I gave
the wax another polish, he jumped
on the bench and started using it as a
ramp for his toy cars. But in the end,
I couldn’t ask for anything more than
to see my family use this piece of fur-
niture that pushed me to be a better
woodworker. PWM
David is Popular Woodworking’s Senior Editor.
SUPPLIES
Lee Valley
leevalley.com or 1-800-871-8158
1 ■ Tapered Tenon Cutter
#05J61.09, $39.50
1 ■ Large Standard Reamer
#05J62.01, $27.50
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
VIDEO: No Fear Chair Making by Christopher
Schwarz
ARTICLE: Cove Cuts on the Table Saw
Our products are available online at:
■ ShopWoodworking.com
popularwoodworking.com ■ 35
 The Bowsaw
Chair B Y C H R I S TO P H E R S C H WA R Z

36 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATIONS BY THE AUTHOR
Inspired by early saws
and a midcentury
classic, this chair is just
six pieces of wood.

W
hen human civilization
ventured out of Egy pt,
one of the first technologi-
cal advances made by the Romans
or Greeks (depends on who you ask) A big and tricky hole. To prevent splintering, clamp a scrap to the upright where the bit leaves
was the frame saw, what we now call the leg. This makes for a clean hole.
a bowsaw.
The saw blade is held in tension in
its frame with a wound string and a a toggle to wind some twine between screws. After making a bunch of chairs,
toggle, and when you need to go on a the uprights, below the stretcher. This this jig will get chewed up, so don’t go
trip, the saw breaks down to just a few tensions the backrest. to too much trouble.
sticks. This chair works on the same The legs slide through the leather The 13 ⁄4" diameter mortise through
principle. The leather backrest is ten- seat and through angled mortises in the leg is a bit tricky to bore if you want
sioned by twine and a toggle. The sling the uprights. Then you have a seat. It a clean hole. Use the drawings to mark
seat is held in place by the backside of really is simple to build and assemble. the location of the hole on your up-
the sitter. Even the leather bits are easy to make rights. Try to remember that these up-
This style of chair was made popu- with copper rivets and a hammer. rights are mirror images of one another.
lar in the 1960s by Ole Gjerløv-Knud- The bit extends beyond the edge of
sen (1930-2009), a Danish designer The Uprights the upright, which looks a tad scary. I
who also produced a line of daybeds The uprights are easy to make once recommend you clamp a scrap to the
that work on the same idea as this you build a jig for your drill press (or upright at this location to make the
chair. Gjerløv-Knudsen’s chair was simply tilt the table; my table doesn’t operation safer and cleaner.
designed for mass-production and tilt). The jig is a cradle that holds an After you bore the through-mortis-
featured turned components. Many upright at 17° off horizontal. It’s eas- es, bore a 1" diameter mortise in each
of the extant examples use canvas ily cobbled together using scraps and upright for the stretcher. Its location is
upholstery, though some use leather,
as I have here.
This maple version eliminates the
turning, substituting octagons for the
round parts so you can easily build
this chair without a lathe. It took seven
prototypes of this chair for me to get
everything working correctly for the
modern American frame, but once I had
the design figured out, I could build a
chair in an afternoon, including the
leatherwork.

No Glue, Just Tension

Here’s how the chair works: The two
uprights are separated by a stretcher
below the seat. You sleeve the leather
backrest over the uprights, then use
Easy octagons. Set your table saw’s blade Lighten the corners. The stopped chamfers
for 45° and rip the four corners to make an allow the uprights to rotate a little when
octagon. inside the leather backrest, which then allows
them to tension evenly.

popularwoodworking.com ■ 37
 33⁄4"
Bowsaw Chair 22" 91⁄4"
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES)

T W L

❏ 2 Uprights 21⁄2 " 21⁄2" 40"

❏ 2 Legs 11⁄2 " 11⁄2 " 40"
22"
❏ 1 Stretcher 11⁄2 " 11⁄2" 25"*
3⁄4 " 7⁄8 " Holes for
❏ 1 Toggle 81⁄2 "
Rivets
* 1⁄8 " tenon on both ends

48"
LEATHER BACK
11⁄ 2" x 11⁄ 2" legs 1" diameter x
1⁄8" long tenon
(2 needed)
Stretcher

231⁄ 2" 9"

13⁄4 " dia.

22" 4"
mortise,
40" 40"
centerpoint 81⁄2" Holes for
1⁄ 2 " from edge
Rivets
bored at 17°

1" diameter, 25"

1⁄8" deep
41"

LEATHER SEAT
13"
71⁄2" 81⁄4" SUPPLIES
Tandy Leather
tandyleather.com

21⁄2" Copper rivets, leather and leather tools

UPRIGHT LEGS & STRETCHER
ELEVATION

shown in the drawings. This mortise

is shallow; only 1 ⁄8" deep.
The last operation on the uprights is
to cut stop-chamfers on the four long
edges of the uprights. These chamfers
should be about 3⁄8" wide. A chamfer bit
in a router table is ideal for this opera-
tion. Use the drawings to mark where
the chamfers should end and use a stop
block to make this operation foolproof.

Make the Legs

The two legs are octagons. They start
out at 11 ⁄2" x 11 ⁄2" x 40" sticks that you
rip or plane to an octagonal shape.
When making a lot of something (I
made eight of these chairs), I opt for
the table saw. To get all four facets the
same size I sneaked up on the correct
A quick turn. If you have a lathe, turn the tenons on the stretchers. Make them a little undersized fence setting and checked my work with
so they slip easily into the mortises in the uprights. a ruler. Then I ripped the legs to shape.

38 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018

 Remove any machine marks with a
handplane and use a fine file to chamfer
the ends of the octagons. The ends of
the legs will be touched by the sitter,
so you want them to be hand-friendly.
The Stretcher & Toggle
Use the same setup on your table saw
to make the octagonal stretcher. Then
you can turn the short 1" diameter x 1 ⁄8"
long tenon on each end. If you don’t have
a lathe, this is quick work with a knife.
The toggle is just a stout stick. Dec-
orate it however you like – I cut 3 ⁄ 8"
radius curves on both ends and made
little notches in the toggle for the string.
But honestly, a stick from your yard
will do the trick.
Remove all the machine marks from
the wooden parts. I finished all the wood
with a blend of linseed oil and beeswax,
though any clear finish will do.
Leatherwork
Working with leather is easy with sharp
tools and a hammer. I did all this with
a utility knife, hammer, nail snips, a
leather punch and a rivet setter. For
this chair, I’m using No. 9 x 1 ⁄2" cop-
per rivets and a No. 9 rivet setter. The
leather is about 10 ounces.
I make patterns for the leather parts
using cheap hardboard (which then gets
recycled into other parts for jigs). Cut-
ting the leather with a pattern instead
of a ruler will ensure your ruler doesn’t
slip and ruin the expensive leather.
Make your patterns, cut your leather
and lay out the holes for the rivets us-
ing the drawings as a guide. I usually
use masking tape to mark where the
rivets should go, then I confirm things
are correct by wrapping the leather
around the wooden part to make sure
I haven’t made a mistake.
Once I’ve confirmed the location of
the rivets, I punch the holes on 11 ⁄4"
centers, which makes a strong seat and
backrest. Fold the leather onto itself to
produce the pockets for the legs and
uprights. Now push each rivet through
its two holes and place the burr on the
end of the rivet. Set the burr with a
rivet-setting tool.
Snip off the excess copper with nail
snips and peen the post over the burr
You are the clamp. My body weight keeps
Tape is your guide. Lay out the locations of all
the pattern in place on the leather. Score the
your rivets using tape and confirm everything
leather with a light cut at first. Then come
works before punching your holes.
back for a full-depth cut.
with a hammer. Repeat…a lot. Finish
the edges of the leather if you like. You
can burnish it with a piece of hard wood
and add a little wax.
Assemble & Sit
Assemble the uprights, stretcher and
backrest first. Use some stout 1 ⁄4" rope
to tension the uprights and backrest.
I attached one end of the rope to one
upright with a hangman’s noose. Then
I wrapped the rope around both up-
rights and attached the other end of
the rope to the opposite upright with
the same knot. A strong joint. Traditional copper rivets take
Use the toggle to tension the assem- a little longer to install than “rapid rivets,” but
bly. Don’t worry too much about over- they are far stronger.
tensioning the rope. The rope should
break before the wood.
Put the leather seat in place between ONLINE EXTRAS
the uprights. Thread the legs through For links to all online extras, go to:
the seat and the mortises in the up- ■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
rights. Put the chair on the floor and
have a seat. It’s a low, lounging position, VIDEO: Learn to set a rivet.
TO BUY: “Build a Campaign Chair with Chris-
and you’ve earned it. PWM
topher Schwarz”
WEBSITE: See the author’s gallery of his work
Christopher Schwarz is the editor at Lost Art Press at christophermschwarz.com.
and the author of “Ingenious Mechanicks: Early
Workbenches & Workholding.” Our products are available online at:
■ ShopWoodworking.com
popularwoodworking.com ■ 39
 A N OV ERV I E W O F
Chinese
B Y W I L B U R PA N
W
hen it comes to the history of
woodworking, period furni-
ture styles, and woodwork-
ing techniques, most woodworkers
think about William and Mary, Queen
Anne, Federal, Chippendale, and so on.
It is arguable, however, that furniture as
we know it would not be the same with-
out Chinese furniture, and that study-
ing Chinese furniture leads to lessons
about woodworking techniques that
are applicable to woodworkers today.
Historic Background
The earliest examples of furniture in
China can be traced back to the War-
ring States (475-221 B.C.) and Han
40 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
Furniture
(206 B.C.-220 A.D.) Dynasties, where
examples of lacquered furniture have
been found in tombs from that time.
The use of furniture began to expand
over the following centuries, due to
the Buddhist-influenced practice of
formal sitting on raised platforms and
low chairs. During the Northern and
Southern Song Dynasties (960-1127
A.D.), tall tables and chairs become
more commonplace. Artwork from that
time shows furniture with some of the
design elements typically associated
with Chinese furniture, such as the
waist found on Chinese tables.
But it was really during the Ming
Dynasty (1368–1644) that Chinese
Figure 1. Examples of Ming dynasty furniture. This
chair and incense stand have many of the typical
characteristics of Ming dynasty furniture: clean lines,
graceful curves, and a minimum of ornamentation.
The use of curved legs as seen in the incense stand
influenced the development of cabriole legs in
Queen Anne furniture.
furniture took on the form that we are
familiar with today. Lines in Ming Dy-
nasty furniture are simple and clean,
often incorporating graceful curves
into the design. There was a minimum
of ornamentation, in order to allow the
grain of the wood to speak for itself. One
of the primary woods used during this
time was huanghuali (“yellow flowering
pear”), which has a pronounced grain
pattern. This grain pattern was often
incorporated in casework panels and
chair slats as a way to best show off the
pattern.
The transition from the Ming to the
Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) was accom-
panied by a burst of creativity in the
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR

Figure 2. Detail of huanghuali grain pattern.
Huanghuali wood has a distinctive grain
pattern. The pattern in the center is said to
represent the face of a young girl. Pieces of
wood that exhibited this pattern were highly
valued, much like how tiger maple was desir-
able in western period furniture.
arts. This was reflected in the aesthetic
sensibilities seen in Qing Dynasty fur-
niture. As opposed to the clean lines and
forms seen in Ming Dynasty furniture,
Qing Dynasty furniture is characterized
by an explosion of detailed ornamen-
tation, usually in the form of carved
motifs and lattice work. It is worthwhile
noting that the basic forms developed
during the Ming Dynasty can still be
seen underneath the often elaborate
decorations applied to Qing Dynasty
furniture.
During this time in Europe, there
was a growing fascination and appre-
ciation of Chinese art forms, including
ceramics and furniture. This interest
in Chinese design and aesthetics was
strongest in England. The lightness and
graceful lines of Ming Dynasty furni-
ture also found their way into western
furniture as can be seen in the transi-
tion from the relatively heavier styles
of the William and Mary period to the
Queen Anne period. Appreciation for
Figure 3. Ming dynasty
cabinet, showing the
grain pattern of huang-
huali wood in the panels.
Ming Dynasty forms can be seen by
the incorporation of curves into Queen
Anne furniture. The cabriole leg often
seen in Queen Anne furniture is clearly
derived from the curved leg forms found
in Chinese furniture.
Designs from Chippendale and Hep-
plewhite are near-direct descendants
from Chinese forms. In fact, Thomas
Chippendale’s famous catalog, “The
Gentleman and Cabinetmaker’s Direc-
tor” is subtitled, “Being a Large Col-
lection of the Most Elegant and Useful
Designs of Household Furniture in the
Gothic, Chinese, and Modern Taste”. It’s
not an overstatement to say that with-
out the influence of Chinese designs,
western period furniture would not
look the way that it does.
Figure 4. Examples of
Qing dynasty furniture.
This round stand has
elaborate carving over
the surfaces, but on close
inspection the forms of
Ming dynasty furniture
and joinery can be seen
beneath the carving. It
echoes the form of the Figure 5. An example of a Queen Anne chair.
Ming dynasty incense The slat in the back is derived from the backs
stand in Figure 1, but has of Ming dynasty chairs, while the cabriole
much more elaborate legs echo the curves found in pieces like the
carving over its surface. incense stand in Figure 1.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 41
Figure 6. Chippendale thought that Chinese
furniture was not necessarily a bad thing.
Chinese Furniture Elements
Ming Dynasty furniture represented a
great leap forward in the development
of Chinese woodworking. This was
the period in which the more compli-
cated interlocking forms of mortise
and tenon joinery was developed. Al-
though an overview of the many differ-
ent interlocking joints used in Chinese
furniture is outside the scope of this
article, an example of an interlocking
joint used to connect the leg and apron
of a table can be seen in Figure 7.
This was also the first time in Chi-
nese history where the design of the
furniture also reflected its function.
For example, the arched arms of a Ming
Dynasty chair don’t just drop grace-
fully downwards from its midpoint
just to look nice. The angle of the drop
matches the natural fall of a person’s
arm from the shoulder down to where
the hands rest on the ends of the chair’s
arms (Figure 8).
Practical Lessons from
Chinese Furniture
It might be asked why Chinese wood-
workers developed the complicated
joinery typically found in Chinese fur-
niture pieces. I think the most likely
42 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
Figure 7. An example of an interlocking joint found in Chinese furniture. This joint would have
been used to connect a leg piece to the apron of a table. All of the pieces interlock to create a
seamless joint.
reason is that it solved a woodworking
engineering problem. The woods used
in Ming Dynasty furniture came from
a variety of tropical species. As men-
tioned above, one of the most popular
woods used during the Ming Dynasty
is huanghuali, which is a member of the
rosewood family. Other woods used in-
clude red sandalwood, rosewood, and
ebony, all sourced from Southeast Asia.
Being tropical woods, these woods
contained oils and resins that would in-
terfere with gluing. Not much is known
about glues used in traditional Chinese
furniture making, but during that pe-
riod of time (1300-late 1500’s), hide
glue (or some other animal-derived
glue) and rice glue would have been
the only choices available. Given the
glue choices of the time and the woods
used in Chinese furniture, it is doubt-
ful that glue would have been a reliable
method of keeping joinery in place.
This may explain why Chinese
woodworkers went to the trouble of
making the elaborate interlocking
joints found in Chinese furniture.
Given the climate of China, and the
lack of controlled interior environ-
ments during the Ming and Qing dy-
nasties, Chinese furniture would have
been subject to large humidity swings,
and so glued joints would have ample
opportunity to fail. Frame and panel
construction would mitigate many of
the problems with wood movement,
and the elaborate, mechanically inter-
locking joints used to join the frame
elements together would take care of
the glue problem.
Frame and panel construction also
solved one other design issue that Chi-
nese furniture makers had to deal with.
The lumber obtained from the tropical
species used in Chinese furniture mak-
ing came from logs that were relatively
narrow in diameter, because the trees
were so slow growing. At most, these
logs would be 10” in diameter. In ad-
dition, the logs often had a good part
of the center that was rotted away, or
otherwise unsuitable for furniture
making. To get a board 8” wide from
these logs was doing pretty well. In my
trips to China to look at furniture, I
rarely saw a board that was much wider
than 8”. So how do you create a tabletop
meant for dining out of huanghuali
when the widest board you have is 8”
long, and glue is unreliable? Use frame
and panel construction.
Examination of Chinese furniture
 pieces (Figure 9) shows that this ap-
proach, while certainly more time con-
suming than a straightforward glue
up, can be extremely successful. I have
seen a good number of tables made with
frame and panel construction where
the lines between the panels and the
frame are incredibly tight, on the order
of 1 ⁄32", despite the fact that these pieces
are around 500 years old.

Go See it for Yourself

Most museums with a furniture
collection will have at least a few
Chinese furniture pieces to exam-
ine. Museums that I have personally
visited that have good examples
of Chinese furniture include the
Metropolitan Museum of Art in
New York and the Nelson-Atkins
Museum of Art in Kansas City. The
Peabody Essex Museum in Salem,
just outside of Boston, has the Yin
Figure 8. In this Ming dynasty chair, the fall of the arms is deliberately designed so that it follows Yu Tang exhibit, which is a 200 year
the natural fall of a person’s arm from the shoulder, as can be seen in the side view. old Chinese house that was brought
to the U.S. and reassembled, and is
a great way to see Chinese furniture
in the context of the buildings they
were used in.
If you happen to be in China, in Bei-
jing, there is the National Museum of
China, which has a large collection
of Ming and Qing Dynasty furniture.
There is also the China Red Sandal-
wood Museum, which has a tremen-
dous collection of Ming and Qing fur-
niture, as well as some very well done
replicas. In Shanghai, the Shanghai
Museum also has a good collection
of Ming and Qing Dynasty furniture.

Wilbur Pan lives in New Jersey and writes about

woodworking on his blog at giantcypress.net.

ONLINE EXTRAS
Figure 9. The top of this Ming dynasty
table is made with frame and panel For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/Aug18
construction, probably due to the
limitations of the width of boards BLOG: Visit Wilbur Pan’s blog for more on
available to Chinese woodworkers Japanese tools and woodworking.
from the trees that they harvested,
VIDEO: How to Use Japanese Woodworking
and the inability of glues available
Tools by Wilbur Pan.
at the time to adhere to rosewood
species. Even though this piece dates Our products are available online at:
back to the early 17th century, the ■ ShopWoodworking.com
joints remain impressively tight.

popularwoodworking.com ■ 43
Make a Wood and Brass
Panel Gauge
I
BY BOB ROZAIESKI f you rip your stock on a table saw,
your uses for a panel gauge are
limited. If you make your rip cuts
Learn how to work with a band saw or hand saw, how-
ever, a panel gauge is an indispens-
with brass and make able tool. Its usefulness really shines
when you need to mark out multiple
an indispensable tool wide panels to the same width such
as the sides of a carcass or the shelves
for hand work. of a bookcase. You can use a ruler and
straightedge to perform this task,
but the panel gauge is more efficient
and precise.
44 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
Panel Gauge Requirements
I built a simple panel gauge 10 years ago.
But after years of use, my old, poorly
designed gauge is starting to get a bit
worn and loose, affecting its precision
and usability. I considered buying a
new one, but there are few commercial
options available and each has at least
one shortcoming that I wasn’t willing
to accept. So I decided to build one.
My new panel gauge needed to meet
several requirements. First, the beam
should be at least 28" long to allow
PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATION BY THE AUTHOR
A less common marking tool. While the panel gauge hasn’t been common in most shops for more
than 100 years, once you use one, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without one.
marking out case sides up to 24" deep.
Second, the beam must lock in place
rigidly with no movement whatsoever.
Third, the fence has to register solidly
on the stock. Finally, the gauge must
be able to mark both rough sawn and
milled lumber, which means it has to
accommodate both a knife and a pencil.
This panel gauge also incorporates
brass for the locking mechanisms and
wear parts. Brass can be cut easily with
a hacksaw and shaped with files. Tap-
ping brass is also straightforward. Plus,
it polishes it up nicely.
Start with the Fence
I’m using 11 ⁄4 " thick hard maple for my
gauge because it’s a dense wood that
will be resistant to wear yet it can still be
worked easily enough with hand tools.
However, any heavy, dense hardwood
will work just fine.
Mill the stock for the fence to di-
mension, then bore the holes for the
beam mortise and 1 ⁄2" brass nut. The
beam is pentagon-shaped so that will
lock down without any wiggle at all.
In order to layout the mortise for this
shape, start with a diamond by drawing
lines tangent to the hole at 45 degrees
to the bottom of the fence.
After laying out the 3 ⁄4 " diamond
mortise, chop the sides with a 3 ⁄4" chis-
el. Work half way through the stock
from either side, meeting your cuts in
the center. The resulting mortise should
be as clean and straight as possible so
that the fence slides easily on the beam
A valuable power tool. While I do 99% of
my woodworking with hand tools, a bench
top drill press comes in handy from time to
time.
without being loose and sloppy.
After chopping the diamond, lay
out the 1 ⁄4 " square mortise for the brass
pressure foot on each face of the fence.
To do this, measure 1 ⁄8" above and be-
low the top point of the diamond (the
center of the mortise) and draw lines
parallel to the bottom of the fence. Simi-
larly, measure 1 ⁄8" left and right of the
top point of the diamond and draw
lines perpendicular to the bottom of
the fence. Chop out this mortise to a
depth of approximately 1 ⁄8".
This will leave you with a section in
the center that is still “V” shaped. Pare
away the “V” shaped material just to the
tip of the diamond. You will end up with Start with a diamond. The mortise for the
five-sided beam starts out as a diamond
a mortise that is 1 ⁄4 " wide x 1 ⁄4 "high x shape, which is easily laid out with a combi-
1 ⁄ 8" deep on each face, connected by
nation square.
a mortise that is 1 ⁄4 " wide x 1 ⁄8" high
and about 1" deep through the center.
Complete the Brass Work
The nut for the thumbscrew is made
from a short section of 1 ⁄2" round brass
rod. In order to ensure that the hole in
the wooden fence stock lines up with
the hole in the 1 ⁄2" round brass nut, bore
through both at the same time. Use a
bit sized for the thumbscrew you are
using (mine is 1 ⁄4"-20 TPI).
Bore straight through the brass all
the way into the beam mortise (a drill
press makes this step easy). Then, re-
move the 1 ⁄ 2 " round brass stock and
From diamond to pentagon. The top of the
bore the hole in the fence larger to cre- mortise is cut square to make room for the
ate clearance for the thumbscrew. Tap brass foot that will lock the five-sided beam
the hole in the 1 ⁄2" round brass stock in position.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 45

Create a custom nut. Drilling and tapping a piece of round brass rod creates a simple, decorative
captured nut for the thumbscrew.
File the foot. While this piece looks difficult
to make, it is actually quite simple. The inside
faces don’t need to look pretty – everything
but the outer faces will be hidden when the
gauge is assembled.
to match the threads of your thumb-
screw, and cut the brass stock slightly
oversized with a hacksaw.
Make a 1 ⁄ 2 " by 1 ⁄ 2 " rabbet in the
bottom corner of the fence to provide
better registration of the fence on the
stock being marked. Since the rabbet
is subject to significant wear, attach
a pair of 1 ⁄ 8" thick x 1 ⁄ 2 " wide brass
strips with 30-minute epoxy. These
wear strips will help to lengthen the
life of the fence. Leave them slightly
oversized for now.
While you have the epoxy mixed,
glue in the brass nut if you’d like (this
step is optional but makes the gauge
more user-friendly). To do so, insert it
most of the way into the hole and add
a bit of epoxy to the two ends before
46 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
The finished foot. When the foot and beam
are assembled into the fence, the foot will be
captured in the “U” shaped mortise above
the beam.
setting it all the way in. This will keep
epoxy out of the threads. Make sure to
get the thumbscrew hole aligned and
the thumbscrew functioning before
the epoxy sets up.
Now turn your attention to the
pressure foot. This small brass foot
is cut and filed to shape from a 1 ⁄4" x
1 ⁄4" x 11 ⁄ 2" piece of bar stock and ap-
plies pressure to the top of the beam
to lock it in place. Without this piece,
the thumbscrew would damage the
top surface of the wood beam.
Once the epoxy has cured, all of
the brass can be fi led flush with the
faces of the wooden fence. To hold
the pressure foot in place for fi ling,
wedge a small piece of soft pine in the
beam mortise.
Make the Beam
The beam starts out as a 3 ⁄4" square
piece of maple. Plane the corners off
the beam leaving a small flat. To create
the larger flat surface for the pressure
foot to contact, plane the top corner
down until the flat is about 1 ⁄4" wide.
Bore a hole to fit a pencil about 3 ⁄4"
from one end. Make a vertical saw kerf
through the end of the beam, through
the center of the hole and about 3 ⁄4" past
the hole. In front of the pencil hole,
bore a horizontal clearance hole for a
wood screw on one side of the kerf, and
a pilot hole on the other side of the kerf.
By putting a wood screw in this hole,
you can pull the kerf closed to clamp
a pencil in the beam.
Fit the Knife
On the opposite end of the beam, chisel
a 1 ⁄ 2 " wide x 3 ⁄ 16" deep notch. Cut a
piece of the 1 ⁄8" x 1 ⁄2" brass stock and
fit it to the notch. Bore and tap a hole
in the center of the brass for a #10-32
machine screw. Bore a shallow relief
hole in the beam behind the brass so
that the screw does not press into the
wooden beam, and then epoxy the
tapped brass strip into the notch. Once
the epoxy has cured, file the brass flush
with the beam.
You have several options for the
knife. The easiest is to purchase a panel
gauge knife (Lie-Nielsen carries them).
If you go this route, you may need to
alter the size of the mortise at the end
of the beam to fit the knife.
I made a knife from an old card
scraper. To do so, cut a 1 ⁄2" wide strip
from the edge of the scraper. I used an
abrasive cutoff wheel in a rotary tool.
You could also clamp the scraper stock
between two scraps of wood and use a
hacksaw to cut through the wood and
scraper at the same time.
File the cut edge until the blade fits
into the notch in the end of the beam.
Grind a curved cutting edge and bevel
on one end of the knife. Drill a series of
holes down the center that will become
a slot for the mounting screw. Use a
chainsaw file to connect the holes and
smooth out the slot. Cut the knife to
length, file the edges to remove the
sharp corners, and polish the faces on
Shape to your liking. Once all of the brass is Joiners saddles. Blocks with a “V” shape cut into them are useful for working on the corners of
filed flush, the profile of the fence can be cut square stock.
with a coping saw and shaped with files and
scrapers.
Another brass nut.
Another tapped piece of
a honing stone. You can then hone or brass is the perfect way
to attach a removable
file the bevel.
scribing knife.

Finish is Optional
I go back and forth when it comes to
finishing tools. On the one hand, ap-
plying a couple of thin coats of finish
will protect the tool from dirt and keep
it looking pretty longer. On the other
hand, any film finish is going to wear
away with regular use. For this gauge,
I applied a couple of coats of an oil/
varnish blend, lightly sanding with
600 grit sandpaper between coats. I
don’t know how long the fi nish will
last. But I have no doubt that this new
gauge will last me at least the rest of
my lifetime. PWM

Bob is a self-taught craftsman and designer of 27

years who specializes in hand-tool woodworking. He
teaches woodworking at the Chestnut Creek School 7⁄8" Homemade scribing knife. A piece of an
of the Arts and builds custom furniture from his home 1⁄ 2" old hand saw or card scraper makes a simple
shop in Grayson County, Va. scribing knife that is easy to sharpen with a
file. A chainsaw file easily turns a couple of
1⁄ 2"
drilled holes into a slot.
3⁄8" dia. SIDE VIEW

1⁄4" square
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
23⁄4" WEBSITE: Visit Bob Rozaieski’s website and
read his hand-tool blog.
3⁄4" VIDEO: See how the author built this gauge.

IN OUR STORE: Shop Made Tools by

Chad Stanton

6" Our products are available online at:

■ ShopWoodworking.com

FRONT VIEW

popularwoodworking.com ■ 47
Late 17th-Century
Scallop Edge Tables
B Y K E R RY P I E R C E

An idea sketched on paper

continues to evolve as
it’s sketched with tools
in the shop.

48 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018 LEAD PHOTO: AL PARRISH / OTHER PHOTOS AND ILLUSTRATION BY THE AUTHOR
I
envy those designers who can cre- work in stages allows those stresses in beads, a 1 ⁄4" spindle gouge to make
ate new furniture idioms, building the wood to be reconciled a little bit at coves and vases, and a small paring
upon what is current in order to a time so that when you do the final chisel used bevel-side down to create
produce something never before seen. sizing of your stock, you have a reason- filets. The only tricky aspect of turning
These men and women are doing what able expectation that the components the leg and stretcher components is
the great furniture designers of the past will be stress free and remain flat and the creation of clean shoulders where
did to enrich the history of our craft. straight in the finished pieces. the square and turned sections come
Not everyone can do that however. I together. I do this with my 1 ⁄2" skew,
know I’m more comfortable dipping Working the Lathe fi rst standing it on its edge with the
into the past for design ideas, re-imag- Because I’m self-taught, I would never point down, then spearing into the
ining classic period forms, mixing and describe myself as a good turner, so if blank to establish the location of the
matching details to produce pieces you’ve been trained in good lathe tech- bottom of that shoulder. Next, with my
which are, I hope, fresh if not entirely nique, please disregard the methods skew in that same point-down posi-
original. For example, the two tables I’m going to describe here. tion, I tilt it at a 25 or 30 degree angle
seen here are loosely based on a small For this project, my turning kit was away from the cut I just made. Then
photo I saw in a 30-year-old copy of The quite small. I use a 11 ⁄2" roughing gouge starting a half inch north or south of
Magazine Antiques. They aren’t repro- to round forms, a 1 ⁄ 2" skew to create the initial cut, I push the skew into the
ductions of that piece. There wasn’t
enough detail in the photo to attempt
such a thing, even if that was what I
wanted to do. Instead I took what I liked
about that 17th-century original, then
worked in some details borrowed from
other furniture periods, as well as my
own history as a furniture maker.
Specifically, I narrowed the tables
to increase their apparent verticality;
I added a taper to the long mid-section
of each leg, and I added a bandsawn
border of scallops to the tops.

First Steps
Good stock preparation is always criti-
cal, particularly in the construction of
pieces assembled from components
relatively thin in cross section where
stresses in the material can sometimes
manifest themselves in any number Start with a story. Before fabricating any turned component, I prepare a story stick for that
of disheartening ways. In the case of component to make it easy to mark locations along its length. I also set calipers to the various
these tables, I began by ripping out diameters of the elements of that component. Those calipers hang above my lathe as seen here.
oversized leg and stretcher blanks from
a 3" thick plank of cherry which also Square to round. I
yielded the quartersawn apron compo- create the transition
nents. The parts from which the tops from square to turned
elements using my 1⁄2"
were assembled were cut from some 5/4
skew as shown here.
figured cherry, also cut thick. With the skew resting
On the first day, I worked the stock, on edge with its tip
flattening and straightening it on the down, I move the skew
jointer and doing a bit of thicknessing into the spinning work
at the site of the point
on the planer, then stickering it. Every
where the square and
few days, I would repeat the process of turned elements meet.
flattening and straightening, removing Then I make several
thickness and width a bit at a time, rolling passes of the
restickering the material at the end of skew moving from
points 1⁄2" north and
each session to allow the stresses in the
south of that location.
wood to express themselves. Doing this

popularwoodworking.com ■ 49
 work and roll the point into the speared
line from the north and then from the
south, repeating this process until I’ve
achieved shoulders of the correct size.
This technique takes a bit of time to
master, so you might practice on an
extra turning blank.
For reasons I’m not knowledgeable
enough to understand, the wider, more
tapered edges of so many modern skews
Roll the skew. I then roll the skew into that Mark the intersection. With my skew on edge,
don’t do this work very well, at least
incision from both sides to create the rounded point down, I lay out the intersection of the vases.
bottoms of the two vases. not in my hands. They tend to skit-
ter along the blank, leaving behind an
unsightly cut that spirals around the
turning blank. In fact years ago, when
I was teaching a chairmaking class,
I took a man’s wide skew to demon-
strate this technique on a post he was
turning and promptly ruined the post.
Embarrassing.
If you find your skew has produced
a less-than-optimally clean shoulder,
don’t despair. A little work with some
good, cloth-backed abrasive should
correct any imperfections.
On to the necks. I shape the necks of the vases (which are nothing but long coves) using my ¼”
fingernail gouge. The fillets at the top of each vase are created by scraping with an exceedingly
Tenons and Their Mortises
sharp paring chisel laid on the tool rest bevel side down. I like chopping mortises by hand. I don’t
like sawing out tenons, so my tenons are
Good results from created on the tablesaw using a stack of
a self-taught turner. dado cutters and a sacrificial fence. This
Even for someone
with my mediocre
creates tenons with a rough surface, but
turning skills, it’s I remove that roughness during fitting
possible to create with a shoulder plane. Please remember
turned components that not all your tenons are going to
requiring only mod- have shoulders of the same depth, so
est sanding.
if you use this method, you’ll need to
use several different height settings on
your dado blades.
If you’re using my method, once
you’ve created your tenons, use that in-
formation to lay out slightly undersized
mortises. Mark these with a knife to
give you something in which to register
your chisel tip. Then begin to remove
the waste with a mortise chisel, keep-
ing the sidewalls of each mortise clean
with a paring chisel.
Then, when it’s time to do a dry- as-
semble, use a couple of shoulder planes
to bring the dimensions of the table-
sawn tenons down to a snug – but not
My ruler fence. The wood fence is screwed Chop the mortises. I delineated the sides of the tight – fit in the mortises.
to the metal ruler. I keep a bunch of these mortises with a marking knife. Then I chopped
metal rulers on hand because the fenced rulers the mortises with a chisel ground to a width Building Sub-Assemblies
simplify the marking process. slightly less than the width of the mortises.
One of the most important decisions

50 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018


Add an apron detail. I use an astragal plane
near the bottom of the apron components to
create a bead with a narrow fillet on each side.
Assemble the base. I began the gluing process by assembling the sides of the table’s under-
structure. Note the two clamps on the apron end. Two clamps ensure that the apron shoulders
are tight against the legs at the top and bottom.
you’ll make in the creation of any rela-
tively complicated piece of furniture is
the sequence of necessary glue-ups.
If you’re using hide glue, I suppose it
would be possible to glue it the entire
undercarriage in one session, but since
I prefer modern yellow glues, I divide
my work into several different sub-
assemblies. In the case of these tables,
I chose to glue up the sides – apron,
stretcher, and two legs – in one session,
then the next day bring two side sub-
assemblies together in a second session,
attaching the top on the third day.
Making the Top
While the legs and apron sections were
all cut from the same 3" thick plank,
the tops on my tables are glued up from
some figured cherry I had set aside for
Two sides become one base. Join the two this purpose. I brought this material
sides together, keeping things square. down to a bit less than 3 ⁄4" in stages as
Add tenons. I created
the tenons on the ends of
the stretchers and apron
components on the table-
saw using a stack of dado
cutters. Notice that material
adjacent to the shoulders is
wrapped in masking tape.
This reduces the likelihood
of splinters. (It’s important to
note that ends of the tenons
must be mitered in order to
fit in their mortises.)
Stretcher mortises. I then cut the mortises for
the stretchers that join the two sides. Notice
the mitered ends on the stretchers on the right.
I described earlier, then glued up the
panel. I know that I use a ridiculous
number of clamps when I glue up a pan-
el, but my impression is that doing so
results in fewer post-glue-up problems.
My butt joints are formed in two
stages. First I establish a 90° angle
on my jointer. Then I clean up jointer
ripples with a jointing plane equipped
with a fence. This produces clean and
accurately made surfaces ready for glue.
I’m a little profligate with glue. It’s
inexpensive and wondrously strong,
so – unlike many craftsmen – I glue
both surfaces of the glue joint before
bringing them together with clamps.
Drawing with Tools
If you’re a furniture designer/maker,
you must draw. At fi rst that work is
done with conventional drawing tools:
a pencil, a pen, a bit of charcoal. But
popularwoodworking.com ■ 51
 17th-Century Scallop Edge Table
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES)
T W L

❏ 1 Top 23⁄32 131⁄2 193⁄4

❏ 4 Legs 13⁄16 13⁄16 231⁄4
❏ 2 Short aprons 3⁄4 21⁄2 89 ⁄16
❏ 2 Long aprons 3⁄4 21⁄2 143⁄4
❏ 2 Short stretchers 13⁄16 13⁄16 89 ⁄16
❏ 2 Long stretchers 13⁄16 13⁄16 143⁄4
❏ 2 Cleats 1 31⁄8 73⁄4

21⁄4"

231⁄4"

23⁄ 32"

Top Profile
3⁄4"

21⁄ 2" Apron Cross

Section

31⁄8"

73⁄4"

One Square = 1"

Table Cleat Download the full-size pattern

in the online extras.

52 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018

as the execution of your work contin-
ues, your drawing tools become saws,
chisels, gouges, rasps, files, sandpaper
– anything with which you can refine
your lines. In the case of these little
tables, their most important features
– the scalloped borders surround each
– were drawn first on paper patterns,
then with a bandsaw, and finally with
a rasp and sandpaper.
After surfacing the table tops with
planes, scrapers and sandpaper, I
ripped the panels to width and cut them
to length. Then, after cleaning up the
sawn edges with planes (a straight jack
Plane the top. Because the table tops are assembled with figured cherry, I chose a low-angle jack
on the sides and bevel-up, low angle as a fore plane, rather than a normal jack (Of course, if the panels had been larger, I would have
jack on the end grain), I cut the bevels used an actual fore plane.)
on the tablesaw.
I then marked the scallops by trac-
ing around paper patterns on those
beveled edges. Next I moved to my
bandsaw – set up with a 1 ⁄4" blade –
and carefully cut out each scallop, after
which I fixed one of the tops in a vise
and began working the scallops with
a rasp. This is the most important step
in their fabrication, not only because
you’re removing bandsaw marks but
also – and primarily – you’re correct-
ing the inevitable but slight errors that
accompany any freehand sawing.
You are, in effect, using your eye to
measure the accurate delineation of
each half circle as well as making tiny
Two cuts to add the profile. The first cut – with the blade set at an angle – creates the bevels
adjustments of the size of the scallops around the tops. A second trip over the tablesaw cuts the shoulder beside the bevel.
so that each looks exactly like every

Clean up saw marks with a shoulder plane.
I repeated this process after I’d created
the scallops, too. The second pass slightly
crowned the bevels and allowed me to create
the appearance of a miter at the intersections.
Pattern makes perfect. I traced my paper Two-part cutout. I cut the all of the scallops
scallop patterns onto the beveled edges of first on one side about halfway, then reposi-
the top. tioned to finish cutting the scallops.

popularwoodworking.com ■ 53
Drawing with a rasp. In this photo, I’m draw-
ing scallop profiles with my rasp.
Attach the top. I fastened each attachment
cleat to an end section of the apron with
four 2" #8 drywall screws. The top was then
fastened to the attachment cleats using eight
15 ⁄8" #8 drywall screws.
other one, despite the fact that actual
measurement will reveal tiny varia-
tions between one scallop and the next.
This is a balancing act, requiring some
flexibility. For example if there is a tiny
glitch in the outside diameter of one
scallop, in order to conceal that glitch, it
may be necessary to adjust the outside
diameter of adjacent scallops so that
the overall effect is one of uniformity.
Finishing
The secret to a good finish is that there
is no secret; there is only hard work,
and that hard work begins with more
hand sanding than many woodwork-
ers would believe. When you’re deal-
ing with straight-grained material,
like the wood in the aprons, legs, and
stretchers of these tables, it’s possible to
clean up plane tracks with a relatively
54 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
An entire day of sanding. Because I had started the refinement of line on the scallops with a rasp,
my first abrasive was 100 grit, then 120, followed by normal progression to 400. I spent an entire
day hand sanding these scallops which is why I wrapped my finger tips in masking tape. Without
the tape, my fingers would leave a bloody record of their travel around the table top.
fine-grained abrasive, perhaps 220 grit.
With heavily figured material, like the
tops on these tables, it’s often necessary
to precede this grit with some scraper
work and a coarser abrasive grit, per-
haps 120. I use my abrasives – whenever
possible – with a sanding block in order
to keep the surfaces nice and flat.
My abrasive sequence is as follows:
first 150 or 220, then 320, finishing up
with 400, using each in the direction
of the grain. To get a truly fine finish,
you must work with each of these grits
far longer than you might imagine. As
you sand, constantly check your work
in a strong side light (natural is best).
Wherever you see a line or spot in which
sanding dust is collecting, you must
do additional work to level and clean.
It’s only when the entire surface is flat
and free from inclusions of sanding
dust that you can move on to the next
grit. I’ve never actually timed myself,
but my guess is that I spend more time
with a sanding block in my hand than
I spend with all the other stages of a
piece’s construction.
Then brush on two or three rela-
tively heavy coats of the finish you’ve
selected, as heavy as possible with-
out the danger of drips. The goal with
these preliminary coats is not create
a finished surface but to build a foun-
dation on which the finished surface
can be constructed. I sand after each
of these brushed-on coats using 400
grit paper. Then, on this base, I begin
applying thinner coats of finish using a
ball of white t-shirt material onto which
I dribble a bit of finish. After each of
these coats, I wet-sand with #600 grit
dipped in mineral spirits, continuing
this process until I get a film I like.
Drawing Complete
Good furniture has good lines, and
those good lines are achieved not only
with paper and pencil during the design
phase, but also with lathe tools and
bandsaws and rasps – with every tool
that is applied to the work. In fact, all
of furniture making can be thought of
as a drawing process, beginning when
the first tentative lines are put to paper,
continuing until the last bit of sandpa-
per is set aside in the shop. It is a process
consisting of the continuous refinement
of line, creating shapes and profiles
that flow one into another in ways that
satisfy both the eye and the soul. PWM
Kerry has been a furniture maker and teacher for 50
years and is the author of many books, most focusing
on Shaker furniture and hand-tool use.
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
PLAN: Download the full-size pattern for
these tables.
IN OUR STORE: Pleasant Hill Shaker Furniture
by Kerry Pierce.
BLOG: Get a tour of the author’s shop.
Our products are available online at:
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popularwoodworking.com ■ 57
FLEXNER ON FINISHING BY BOB FLEXNER
Problems in Wood Finishing
Once an inaccuracy gets started, it becomes almost impossible to correct.
“A
lie gets halfway around the
world before the truth has a
chance to get its pants on,”
said Winston Churchill (or others, if
you believe different attributes).
If you are familiar with my teach-
ing and writing about finishing, you
know that I have devoted a lot of effort
to making sense of the products we
use in fi nishing, especially the ones
that don’t seem to match what the label
says they are.
The word “lie” in Churchill’s quote
is pretty strong. It implies intent, and
in many cases I don’t believe that
manufacturers of finishing products
and people writing or teaching about
finishing intend to say or write some-
thing that isn’t true. They just don’t
understand the products they’re selling
or writing about.
With that said, it bothers me a lot
when I see some of the inaccuracies
still being repeated in magazines nearly
three decades after I first began calling
attention to them.
Oil & Wiping-Varnish Finishes
Ever since I began woodworking in
the 1970s, there has been confusion
about “oil” finishes. The confusion ex-
ists because some manufacturers label
their wiping-varnish finishes “oil.” The
confusion is then compounded when
articles in woodworking magazines
repeat the manufacturer’s labeling
even though in many cases the label-
ing doesn’t make sense. The products
labeled oil just don’t act like oil.
In fact, oil and wiping-varnish fin-
ishes, no matter how they are labeled,
could hardly be more different. Linseed
oil and tung oil, the two drying oils com-
monly available to us, never get hard
so they can’t be built up. All the excess
has to be wiped off after each coat or
the surface remains gummy and sticky.
58 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
Deck boards cup. It’s common to see randomly laid deck boards all cupped after months of
exposure to rain. The warping isn’t the result of how the boards were laid – heartwood side up or
down. It’s the result of compression shrinkage caused by the continual wetting and drying out of
just the topside.
In contrast, wiping-varnish finishes “Tung Oil Finish” in TV infomercials
are varnish (sometimes polyurethane and in appearances at antique clubs
varnish) thinned enough with mineral and stores. He claimed that tung oil,
spirits so they are easy to wipe on the which originates in China, is such a
wood. As with all varnishes, they harden great finish that it was used to protect
well overnight so they can be built up the Great Wall of China! Come on! The
to a very protective and durable film. Great Wall of China is made of stone
There’s no need to wipe off the excess and in its many parts is over 13,000
after each coat. miles long and high enough to keep
The first problem I came across in a marauding tribes out. You have surely
magazine article was General Finish’s seen pictures of tourists walking on
Arm-R-Seal being identified as oil. It’s parts of it near Beijing. It’s so huge that
not, and neither is Seal-A-Cell. Both are
wiping varnishes. (So you may question
why you’re instructed to apply both.)
The fault for any confusion begins with
the manufacturer, of course, and how it
promotes these products. But we should
know better by now.
Tung Oil
The oil most shrouded in mythology is
tung oil. Like linseed oil, tung oil is a
vegetable oil that doesn’t harden well. Oil and wiping varnish. When I buy a
So all the excess has to be wiped off container of wipe-on finish I typically put a
puddle on the top and let it dry so I can deter-
after each coat to get a functional finish.
mine whether it’s oil or wiping varnish. Oil, or
Beginning in the late 1960s a fellow any finish that contains oil, such as Danish oil,
named Homer Formby began promot- wrinkles and stays soft. Wiping varnish dries
ing a wiping-varnish finish he labeled smooth and hard.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 60
PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
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FLEXNER ON FINISHING
it can be seen from space.
The idea of people coating this stone
structure with oil to protect it is ab-
surd. And the further idea that the oil
would hold up for longer than a few
months when exposed to the harsh
weather in northern China makes this
claim even more absurd. So imagine
my surprise and exasperation when
I read this totally unbelievable claim
repeated recently.
Sanding
The same article suggests bringing out
more clarity in wood by sanding it to
800- or 1000-grit. This is true if you don’t
Cupped warp. Old furniture was rarely
finished on the underside of the top so one
would expect it to bow when adjusting to the
dryer conditions in modern buildings as the
finish on the top slowed the drying out. The
opposite happens, however, which indicates
that finishing the underside doesn’t improve
the stability of the wood.
60 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
Tung oil. The prob-
lem with tung oil is
that manufacturers
often label wiping
varnish “tung oil”
as McCloskey has
done here on the
right in contrast to
Old Masters on the
left. You can tell
what the finish is
by letting a puddle
dry on a non-
porous surface or
by whether on not
a thinner is listed
on the can. Wiping
varnish always
contains a thinner,
tung oil doesn’t.
apply a finish. But as long as sanding
scratches don’t show, you won’t see any
difference in finished wood by sanding
to very fine grits.
George Frank, if you remember him,
used to get a kick out of passing around
a maple board in classes he taught that
he had sanded to 2000 grit and asking
if anyone could identify the finish. The
board was shiny and did look finished, so
everyone had a guess. But it was a trick.
It hadn’t been finished at all, just sanded.
There are three problems with sand-
ing to very fine grits. First, it’s a lot of
work. Second, it does no good. If you
were to leave the wood unfinished, it
would soon lose its shine as humidity
raises the grain. And third, there’s no
resistance to liquids and stains.
Finishing Both Sides
And finally, here’s another inaccuracy
that got started in the 1970s and refuses
to die – that you should finish bottoms
and insides to provide equilibrium and
prevent warping. Finishing bottoms
and insides does make them look and
feel better, though, so you may choose
to do it. But don’t kid yourself about add-
ing stability.
Here’s the proof. Look at any old table-
top that has been finished only on the
topside (which was standard in factories
before the 1920s) and has warped. The
top will be cupped, not bowed, as you
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58
Formby started it. Homer Formby started
labeling his wiping varnish “tung oil” in the
late 1960s and promoted it widely. Other
manufacturers then began following Formby,
but many didn’t seem sure what Formby was
selling so some packaged wiping varnish and
others packaged real tung oil. So the confu-
sion started.
would expect in the drier conditions in
modern buildings. In other words the
finished topside should slow the drying
and shrinking of that side more than the
unfinished bottom side, so the top would
bow. But it cups.
The true cause of warping, other
than for wood that hasn’t been dried
properly, is the topside or exposed side
being wetted and dried out over and over
causing “compression shrinkage.” The
wood cells try to swell but can’t due to
the wood’s thickness. So they compress
to oval shapes and don’t resume their
previous cylindrical shapes when they
dry out. You can see the cupping clearly
on exposed decks which go through the
wet/dry cycle countless times.
On tabletops that are frequently
wiped with a damp cloth, it’s necessary
to keep the finish in good shape to pre-
vent moisture from getting to the wood.
This is the way to prevent warping. PWM
Bob Flexner is the author of “Flexner on Finishing,”
“Wood Finishing 101” and “Understanding Wood
Finishing.”
ONLINE EXTRAS
For links to all online extras, go to:
■ popularwoodworking.com/aug18
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END GRAIN BY ANDREW GLENN
Becoming a Part of the
Woodworking Community
Craft is a part of well-rounded college education.
I
recently moved to Kentucky from
Maine to head up the woodcraft
program at Berea College. Most
of the undergraduate students who
join the woodcraft crew do so without
having ever set foot in a woodshop.
Our crew’s main focus is to create the
wooden crafts and furniture pieces the
college sells to generate revenue and
help cover tuition costs.
Students come to Berea College
knowing they will work – Berea is one
of nine federally-recognized work col-
leges in the U.S. where students do not
pay tuition and work at campus jobs to
earn money for living expenses. The
woodshop provides some of those work
positions. But it’s clear that to the stu-
dents in the woodshop, it’s much more
than just a job.
Situated in an artistic community
just west of the Appalachian Moun-
tains, Berea College was founded in
1855 on Christian ideals with deep
roots in both social justice and the
crafts. It was the first college in the
64 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE August 2018
south that admitted black students
and female students. Its woodwork-
ing history includes the production
of Wallace Nutting’s furniture line of
early American pieces and preparing
students for careers as a shop foreman
or teaching industrial arts.
Today, we train woodworkers not
out of nostalgia, but to provide a full,
well-rounded experience to the stu-
dents and to make quality woodwork
that preserves Appalachian traditions.
For many, this is their first experience
working with their hands.
The students find enjoyment in the
shop for the same reason many of us
get “hooked” on woodworking – the
ability and desire to produce some-
thing beautiful with our wits and a few
tools. Just like the rest of the woodcraft
community, our student crew gets to
experience the many facets of wood-
working: it’s challenging and fun, cre-
ative, attainable, humbling, communal
and personal.
There are manual skills to be gained
The 2018 woodcraft
program crew at Berea
College. Students from
all backgrounds learn
woodworking skills and
make items to sell in the
college’s craft store to
support the college.
by learning woodworking. And I’m sure
those skills will increase in value as our
communities become more digital and
service oriented. For the students, the
manual skills complement their grow-
ing aptitudes, including their ability to
scrutinize their work, plan and solve
problems and set high standards. The
experiential learning opportunities
woodworking allows will benefit them
both inside the shop and beyond.
While there are Berea College gradu-
ates who go on to choose craft as a full-
time profession, our shop is mostly full
of future nurses, teachers, engineers
and computer programmers. We are a
shop that is focused on growing skills
and appreciation for this craft. How
students use these skills after college
is up to them. My hope is that making
is always a part of their lives, as it has
been for mine.
Andrew Glenn is a designer, furniture maker and
supervisor of the woodcraft program at Berea College
Crafts. Learn more at www.berea.edu.
PHOTO: JON KEMP
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