Simple Shaker End Table
Most joinery for small tables
is unnecessarily complex.
You can build this icon of
good design using simplifi ed
(but solid) methods.
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Begin at the Legs
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
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



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
Autumn 2004

“The finest tool ever created is the
human hand, but it is weak
and it is fallible.”
— Sign above door to shop of planemaker and
author Cecil Pierce (1906 - 1996)










Tackle the Top






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












Simple & Sturdy Table Joinery








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




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17
Yes, this wastes a little wood, but there isn’t much
wood in this table to begin with. When the grain
lines run from corner to corner of your template,
mark that shape and head to the table saw.
With the shape of the leg drawn on the end grain,
it’s now just a matter of sawing and jointing to
those lines. First cut the angle on the table saw.
Getting good-looking legs is all in the growth
rings. When the rings run from side to side (right),
the leg shows fl at-sawn fi gure on two faces and
quartersawn fi gure on two faces. This won’t look
right. Grain that runs from corner to corner –
called bastard grain – creates four faces that all
look the same.

The
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
8
⁄
8
⁄
"-deep mortises are centered on the ends of
the legs and are open at the top. This allows you
to cut them all with one fence setup. Note that the
front legs receive a mortise on only one face. The
back legs get mortises on two faces.
Bastard grain
Flat-sawn
Quartersawn
Quartersawn
fi gure
Flat-sawn
Flat-sawn
fi gure
Then square things up on the saw or jointer.
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





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


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
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


Taper the Legs




18
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
Autumn 2004
The
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
8
⁄
8
⁄
"-long tenons are
cut using the same setup
on your router table. Here
it’s obvious that tenons are
nothing more than rabbets
that have multiplied.
Simple Shaker End Table
NO. PART SIZES (INCHES) MATERIAL NOTES
T W L
Table
❑
4 Legs 1
1
⁄
8
⁄
8
⁄
1
1
⁄
8
⁄
8
⁄
26
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
Cherry Taper to
5
⁄
5
⁄
5
8
⁄
8
⁄
"
❑
1 Top
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
18 18 Cherry
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
x 2" bevel on underside
❑
3 Aprons
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
5 12
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
Cherry
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
8
⁄
8
⁄
"
tenon both ends
❑
2 Front rails
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
13
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
Cherry
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
tenon or dovetail
❑
4 Drawer guides
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
1 12
1
⁄
8
⁄
8
⁄
Cherry Notched around legs
❑
2 Spacers
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
16
⁄
16
⁄
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
11
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
Cherry Glued to aprons
Drawer
❑
1 Front
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
3
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
11
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
Cherry
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
" rabbet on ends
❑
2 Sides
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
3
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
12
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
Poplar
❑
1 Back
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
3 11
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
Poplar
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
" rabbet on ends
❑
1 Bottom
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
11
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
12
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
8
⁄
8
⁄
Poplar In
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" groove
A
5
⁄
5
⁄
5
8
⁄
8
⁄
"-wide chisel makes quick and accurate work of the small mortises
on the legs. If you don’t have a mortising chisel, a standard bevel-edge
chisel will do the job, though you should avoid wailing on the handle
and levering out the chips as much as possible. Work from the center
out as shown. Mark the mortise depth on your chisel using permanent
marker (believe me, it’s not permanent). This works better than tape.
Shave
1
⁄
16
⁄
16
⁄
" of all four faces of the tenons for the
lower front rail. Make the same cut on three faces
of the upper front rail. Then raise the bit’s height
to almost
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
16
⁄
16
⁄
" and shave the two larger cheeks on
the lower rail. Adjust the height of the bit until the
lower rail fi ts snugly into its mortise.
woodworking-magazine.com
■
19
End Table
Leg, Apron and Rail Joinery
18"
27ø"
26œ"
14"
11œ"
5"
3ø"
1˚"
Taper starts
1" below front rail
œ"
œ"
2"
ø"
œ"
π"
‹
‹
µ"-thick x
µ"-long tenons
‹
œ"-long dovetail
∫"
set back
∕
Rear apron
∕
∕
upper front rail
∕
Rear leg
∕
Side Apron
∕
Front leg
Top is 18" x 18"
20
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
Autumn 2004
The dovetails are simple backsaw work. Even if
you miss your line, you’ll be able to fi x it when
you cut the socket. If you mess up the socket,
the result will never show. Saw down to the
shoulder and pare away the little waste sliver
with a chisel.
Second, mark out the shape of the dovetail on
the top of the leg using a mechanical pencil or
(even better) a marking knife.
Third, use your backsaw to defi ne the edges of
the socket. Saw inside the marked line. You can
pare away the extra waste with a chisel once
the socket is chopped out.
To remove the waste, fi rst loosen it up by
chopping a series of score lines on top of the
leg. Then come in from the front of the joint
(as shown) to pop the waste out. Keep working
down and back. This is good chisel practice.
This table is a great project for practicing your
planing. The parts of the base aren’t wide, so you
don’t have to worry about the corner of the plane
iron digging into your work. If you’re interested in
learning to use a hand plane, planing the tapers,
rails and edges of tabletops are three good
places to begin.
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

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



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


Gluing it up
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
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
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
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






Sorting Out the Guts


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

Cutting the Dovetails on the Upper Front Rail
Supplies
Rockler
800-279-4441 or rockler.com
1 • Cherry Shaker
7
⁄
7
⁄
7
8
⁄
8
⁄
" knob,
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
8
⁄
8
⁄
" tenon,
#78493, $2.59/pair
Price as of publication deadline.
The holes need to allow the body of the screw
to pivot. So reaming out the holes as shown is
perfectly acceptable.
woodworking-magazine.com
■
21
Once you cut the notch in the drawer guide,
a sharp chisel can fi ne-tune the fi t with ease.
To learn how to correctly sharpen a chisel, see
“Sharpening a Chisel” on page 11.












Cleaning Up













WM
— Christopher Schwarz

















Thin the sides of the drawer until you get a
smooth fi t. A sander can do the job, but a hand
plane removes material in a much more
predictable (if slightly slower) manner.
Drawer Details













The entire top is riding across the blade on a
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
"-wide edge, so take care when cutting the bevel.
Notch fi ts
around leg
Upper drawer guides
Proper preparation, technique and tools are all required to make a perfectly fl at panel.
Gluing up Flat Panels
Three easy steps – joint, glue and clamp – help you create perfect panels.
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
Autumn 2004

The fi rst step in gluing up a fl at panel is
reading the wood. The end view of a board (or
log, as above) shows the different shrinkage
pattern for different cuts of lumber. Knowing
how your lumber will react to humidity changes
will help you with your panel layouts.
Fresh cut
After drying


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
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


WM
– David Thiel
woodworking-magazine.com
■
23
When clamping, it’s easiest to start at the center of the joint with your
fi rst clamp. As you apply pressure, make sure that the faces are aligned as
perfectly as possible by running your fi nger across the joint. Wipe off the
glue with a wet rag. You want to remove the glue entirely, not push the glue
further into the grain, so wipe well.
This three-board panel (on top) shows nicely
matching grain patterns, making the transition
between the boards invisible. The three boards
underneath the panel exhibit some problems that
can arise in matching grain.
A good glue joint starts with a thin, even coat of
glue. Glue will penetrate wood until it starts to
cure, then it only lays on the surface of the wood.
So for fast glue-ups, putting glue on one surface
of the joint is adequate. For multiple or long (24")
joints, spread glue on both surfaces.
Finger
check
Clamp pressure
radiates out
at 45° to
clamp heads
With your fi nished faces showing, mark
one board with an “
�
” and the oth-
er board with an “
�
.” Also mark the
joint on both boards to avoid confusion. Take the board marked with an “
�
”
and place that marked face “in,” against the jointer fence, and make your
pass. Take the “
�
” board and set it with that face “out,” away from the joint-
er fence, and make your pass. Even if your jointer fence was out by 2° or 3°,
by producing complementary angles at the joint you will have a square joint.
And it works for as many boards as necessary to make up your panel. The
inset photo shows the fl at panel with the 2° offset at the joint.
Sap
Knot
Split
2°
Simple & Fast Rabbeted Drawers
It takes only one setup
on the table saw to cut
every joint you need to make
a solid drawer. Without a
doubt, this is as easy as it gets.
A
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AA
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Measuring Like a Pro
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
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
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

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
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


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





Fine-tuning and Assembly









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

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




“Yes, risk-taking is inherently
failure-prone. Otherwise, it would
be called sure-thing-taking.”
— Tim McMahan (1949 – )
international business speaker, author, photographer
Here I’m measuring the height of the drawer opening near the center. You
should also measure the height at both ends of the opening. The width also
needs to be measured at top and bottom. Also shown in the photo are the
drawer guides and runners in a typical case.
When building a drawer with a captured bottom, clamps are placed to apply
pressure in both directions with the bottom in place. Note that the clamps
are placed just behind the rabbet to apply as much direct pressure to the joint
(without interfering with it) as possible. Brads add strength.
Drawer guides
Drawer runners
Brad location
ø"
¬"
¬"
¬"
¬"
¬"
ø"
¬"
¬"
ø"
¬"
¬"
Set your
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
-wide dado stack at
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
high
and
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
away from the fence. All of the
crosscuts are made using the miter gauge
to support the work. The fi rst cut trims
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
off the end of the piece. Make this same cut
on both ends of the front and back.
Make the second cut with the end of
the piece pressed tight against the
fence, which will create the full
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
"
width of the rabbet. Repeat this cut
on both ends of the front and back.
Keep your saw at the same setting to
cut the
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
groove in the sides
and front that holds the bottom in
place. One pass is enough.
Finally, cutting a rabbet will allow the
bottom to fi t into the grooves. Make this
cut with the bottom on edge as shown at
left. This operation is dangerous without
a zero-clearance insert in your table saw.
Featherboards help keep the bottom tight
against the fence during the cut.
A rabbeted bottom fi ts into the
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
grooves on the sides and front. Note that the
back is
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
"
narrower than the front to allow
the bottom to slip in place under the back.
This drawer design employs
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
"-wide x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
-deep rabbets cut
on both ends of the front and back.
The rabbets allow for more gluing
surface and add a rigid corner to
reduce racking.
1
Plan
Build a Drawer with One Saw Setup
Exploded View
Elevation, from rear
2
3
4
26
■

Autumn 2004












Fitting the Drawer in its Space









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



















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
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
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



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








WM
– David Thiel
Next, a larger jack plane removes material from both sides until the drawer slides in smoothly.
With the drawer in place, you can see the reveal at both sides, on top and on
bottom. By beveling the lower edge of the drawer front with a block plane,
the spacing appears to match on all four sides.
Another trick to fi tting a drawer is to use screws in the back to help adjust the
depth. The two screws can be adjusted in and out to fi t the drawer front fl ush
in the opening.
woodworking-magazine.com
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27
The fi rst step in fi tting the drawer is to trim the
height. A simple block plane can be used to take
off a little bit at a time until the fi t is perfect.
Screws
1
⁄
32
⁄
32
⁄
" reveal

Drawer Primer: Sliding-lid Box
We discovered that our
drawer-building technique
is an ideal method to make
sturdy storage boxes.
T

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
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







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









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
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



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










WM
— Christopher Schwarz and Kara Gebhart
28
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
Autumn 2004
Sliding-lid Box
NO. PART SIZES (INCHES) NOTES
T W L
❑
1 Front
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
2 6
7
⁄
7
⁄
7
8
⁄
8
⁄
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
groove on bottom
❑
1 Back
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
2
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
6
7
⁄
7
⁄
7
8
⁄
8
⁄
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
groove on top and bottom
❑
2 Sides
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
2
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
15
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
"-wide x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"-deep rabbet on ends;
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
"
groove on top and bottom
❑
1 Bottom
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
6
7
⁄
7
⁄
7
8
⁄
8
⁄
14
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" rabbet on all sides
❑
1 Lid
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
6
7
⁄
7
⁄
7
8
⁄
8
⁄
14
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
4
⁄
4
⁄
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" x
1
⁄
4
⁄
4
⁄
" rabbet on sides and back
❑
1 Tool holder
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
1
1
⁄
2
⁄
2
⁄
6
3
⁄
3
⁄
3
8
⁄
8
⁄
Varies depending on your usage
2ø"
15"
6®"
ø"
©"
ø"
ø"
2"
14"
ø"
¬"
6µ"
1ø"
ø"
14ø"
14œ"
6®"
¬"
¬"
Profile
shown
without
side panel
Bottom has
rabbet on
all four
sides
Plan
Profile
Elevation
Tool Holder Detail
ø" Dia.
©"
¬"
1¬"
Sliding-lid Box
2" Wide
¬" deep at front
‹
‹
2"
See Tool Holder Detail
∕
woodworking-magazine.com
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29
Proper technique, including using as few strokes as possible, is key to a good lacquer fi nish.
Brushing Lacquer
Considered by many to be diffi cult to use, this fast-drying fi nish is worth the effort.
U
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Why Use Lacquer at All?
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
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
Autumn 2004




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


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











Using a Brush


















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


Three Coats are Typical


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
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


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

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
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
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




WM
— Steve Shanesy
woodworking-magazine.com
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31
If the coat of lacquer is still very wet, you can
brush out a run, such as the one shown here.
A sound brushing technique will deter a sag, such
as the one shown here.
“Show us a man who never makes
a mistake and we will show a man
who never makes anything. The
capacity for occasional blundering
is inseparable from the capacity to
bring things to pass.”
Herman Lincoln Wayland (1830 - 1898)
author
End Grain
Lyptus: A Wood Worth Working?
W

WW









Eucalyptus grandis

E. urophylla




























A Mahogany Look-alike



















Easy on the Machines



















Lyptus Challenges Some Hand Tools






















The Verdict on Lyptus









WM
– Christopher Schwarz

32
■

Autumn 2004
FOR MORE INFORMATION
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visit weyerhaeuser.com/wbm.
Extras
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Woodworking Magazine
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(and no outside ads) as you see in this issue, our
Spring 2004 issue features:
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Two better ways to cut accurate rabbets
■
Tricks to building stub-tenon doors
■
Plans for a beautiful Shaker hanging cabinet
■
How to get good results from wipe-on fi nishes
■
Plans for a simple tool cabinet
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Reasons why most 6" rules don’t measure up
■
Tips and techniques in our Shortcuts section
■
Illustrated Glossary
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Questions About
Woodworking Magazine
?
What is Woodworking Magazine?
Woodworking Magazine
teaches the fundamen-
Woodworking Magazine teaches the fundamen-Woodworking Magazine
tal knowledge necessary for good craftsman-
ship. Our goal is to make you an independent,
mindful and competent woodworker by fi lling
the inevitable knowledge gaps left by teaching
the craft to yourself. To ensure our magazine
is of the highest quality, we challenge wood-
working’s conventional wisdom to fi nd the
techniques, materials and tools that work best.
Every operation and tool in
Woodworking Maga-
zine
has been tested time and again by our staff
zine has been tested time and again by our staff zine
of professional and enthusiastic amateur wood-
workers in our shop in Cincinnati.
Why is there no advertising?
To ensure that
Woodworking Magazine
is free
Woodworking Magazine is free Woodworking Magazine
of bias – or the perception of bias – we don’t
accept any outside advertising from the man-
ufacturers or sellers of woodworking tools and
equipment.
Who publishes this magazine?
And who are the editors?
Woodworking Magazine
is owned by F+W Pub-
lications Inc. F+W publishes a wide variety of
magazines and books for the enthusiast on top-
ics that include hunting, scrapbooking, gar-
dening, writing and woodworking. The editors
include a staff of professional journalists and
woodworkers who also work on a sister publica-
tion,
Popular Woodworking
. Their names, phone
numbers and e-mail addresses are listed on
page 1, as well as online.
How often do you publish?
And can I purchase future issues?
After receiving an overwhelmingly positive
response to our fi rst issue, we are pleased to
present our second issue. Our 2005 publishing
schedule is now being planned. You can sign up
to receive information about future issues of the
magazine by visiting our web site and signing
up for our free e-mail newsletter.
Coming in 2005:
■
Arts & Crafts bookcase
■
A better way to cut sliding dovetails
■
Choose the right marking knife
■
Getting great results with shellac
■
Bench vises worth buying
■
Glass-door display cabinet
■
Learning to read the grain
■
And a whole lot more!
■
Search through
our illustrated Wood-
working Glossary –
a comprehensive list
that helps explain
much of the jargon
related to the craft.
If you encounter an
unfamiliar word in this
unfamiliar word in this
issue, look it up online.
issue, look it up online.