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Many of us have hobbies. My wife Mary gardens and is crazy about dahlias, which are truly beautiful flowers. But apparently, they are also a bit pricey — okay, really pricey. (I don’t ask about gardening costs, and Mary doesn’t ask about bird hunting expenses.) And despite her several attempts to winter over the bulbs to save some money, those efforts have just not been successful.

Last weekend, we came up with a new idea for keeping the bulbs at the correct cool temperature and humidity. It involved me building a rudimentary frame that could be wrapped with fabric and placed under a basement window. The frame was nothing special but let me just say that I got some significant brownie points for my effort!

Crossing fingers here that “Operation Dahlia Bulbs” is a success.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Making a Bag Toss Game

The game is played with the two game boards you make and a couple of sets of 5″ x 5″ beanbags. The game is scored by the number of bags that fall on or in each hole. The top hole is worth 2 points. The middle hole is worth 1 point. And the bottom hole costs you 1 point.

Click Here to Download the Drawings and Materials List.

Solving Clamping Problem in a Snap

Solving Clamping Problem in a Snap

Project: Versatile Crosscut Sled

Premium Project: Stickley-Inspired Plant Stand

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I called Ian Kirby out of the blue in late 1999 after reading parts of his book The Accurate Router (Cambium Press). I found his direct language and instruction refreshing amid so much romanticized writing about the craft of woodworking. We chatted for a bit, and by the end of the conversation, Ian had agreed to try working with the Journal and me.

Twenty-plus years later, he is still putting up with me. (In fact, I may have found a kindred spirit.) But by the time Ian and I started working together, he was a well-established author, teacher and designer. Having worked in the earliest of days with Fine Woodworking and American Woodworker magazines, his reputation was well established. But what most periodical readers know of Ian’s work is the proverbial tip of the iceberg.

Ian has degrees in furniture design, wood science and wood technology. His classical woodworking training was in the British Arts & Crafts tradition. He arrived from England where he was teaching at the university level in the early 1970s on a sabbatical year. Over the next few years he taught at various institutions stateside. In late November 1976, he opened his own studio teaching woodworking, focused on design. He is also an industrial designer and consultant. There is more to this tale than I have space to tell, so I will focus on his work with our magazine.

Emphasis on Design

Ian made it clear straight away that he would prefer to use our pages to focus on design and woodworking- related topics, not simply be building boxes (in his terms). That was wonderful for me, as I knew many folks who could build things but few who could teach the building blocks of woodworking mastery. Ian is at his heart a teacher. As a result, I am certain that Ian has produced more pages teaching design and proper technique in our magazine than has been published in any other consumer-focused magazine. We have covered drawing, designing with mock-ups, essays on seating and a host of other topics. It is something I am very proud of. At one point, we collaborated on a three-DVD set called The Way to Woodwork. In my (very biased) opinion, it’s some of the best woodworking video that has been produced.

Even at 90, Ian is not one to let the grass grow under his feet. For example, his current endeavor is designing furniture to be built from a kit. His first piece is a small table that will be a joint project with Rockler. His design inspiration came from the proportions of the ash tables on the opposite page, lower left.

As Ian continues to look to the future, I will keep working with him but also treasure these past many years of time spent with such a rare talent. Happy birthday, my friend, and continued good luck to you!

The post Ian Kirby Turns 90 appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

This may sound like a bit of a silly request. “What’s to know, you use your hands to make them work — duh.” But having been around for a bit, I know that many woodworkers have only a passing acquaintance with hand planes, spokeshaves, backsaws, marking gauges — I think I’ve made my point.

So I guess my real question is, would you like to learn how to use hand tools to better enhance your time in the shop? If so, what is it that you would like to learn, and what’s the best way we can do that for you? I’ve got some ideas, but I have learned to ask the question rather than assume the answer. I am looking forward to your feedback.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Installing a Butt Hinge

Turning a Tea Strainer

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And if you allow me, I would also like to encourage you to become a subscriber to the Woodworker’s Journal print magazine. (I know that many of you are — thanks.) In these times of rising costs, it would be the best twenty bucks you can spend. The pages are full of great projects, tool articles and stories about woodworkers — but they also have a ton of content from folks like you. Subscribers send us letters, photos of their projects and woodworking tricks. All for $1.70 a month. (You lose that much change in your BarcaLounger each month.)

So, check out the magazine. It is worth every penny and it helps fund the Weekly as well.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Video: Making a Custom Charcuterie Board

Click Here to Download the Files.

Alex Fang: Door Project Opens Other Creative Doors

Alex Fang’s door project and inspiration from a fellow content creator has led to an opportunity to build an online audience.

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But in the late 1600s in Cremona, Italy, there was such a woodworker: Antonio Stradivari. He was so good at what he did that fame and fortune flowed to him like water downhill. “Rich as Stradivari” was actually a saying at the time. Stradivari, as most of you know, made violins as well as other instruments — viola, cello, double bass. He even made guitars. And he was a full-time woodworker. There are about 1,000 Stradivari instruments that still exist and are still being played. All made by hand. He lived to be 92 years old and was still making instruments up until his death. (He did of course have apprentices helping him.)

While I am commenting on his financial success, I am certain that Antonio was not just building instruments for the money. He was interested in his craft. So, while we will likely never get as rich as a Stradivari doing woodworking, we can emulate him by focusing on our craft. And that can lead to riches of another kind.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Green Lumber: What Can I Do With It?

Lumber that has just been harvested and is still saturated with water in its cells is called “green.” When is soaking-wet “green” wood desirable? History shows it’s had scores of practical uses.

Surgical Glove Improves Grip Strength

If you find yourself having a bit of trouble getting a tight grip on smooth clamp handles, this tip will lend you a hand.

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As to the steam generator, Rockler sells a great one. The company’s Steam Bending Kit is safe to use and has all the pieces you need to get started. You can make your own, but there’s the risk that it could explode — something to definitely avoid! The steam generator needs to be connected to the steaming chamber with a hose. The chambers themselves can be made from solid wood, CDX exterior plywood (our example on the opposite page) or PVC designed for very hot temperatures. (Some schedules of PVC will go limp when treated to steam.)

The chamber we made is much larger than we needed for these little hooks, so we added a movable chamber divider. Next time we may be making some long table legs or sled runners instead … who knows?

What About the Wood?

Air-dried wood is a must; the kiln-drying process hardens the lignum when it heats the wood. Green wood is your best bet — wood that has a moisture content of 20 to 30 percent bends most easily. While there are some conflicting opinions as to which species of wood is best for steam bending, most lists include white and red oak, ash, elm, hickory, beach and birch.

Sourcing green hardwood can be a bit of a challenge, but local saw mills will have a supply. Also, you can look up local woodturners who usually have sources for green lumber. If you are adventuresome and you own a band saw, you can harvest your own pieces from recently downed logs and limbs.

Avoiding a break when you bend is the goal. Your bending blanks should be wider than they are thick, and the bending face should be plainsawn. You’ll get the best results when the grain runs the entire length of the blank’s edge. If the grain runs off the edge, be sure to orient that toward the “inside” of the curve. Here are three tips that proved very useful for us: 1) Sand the blank smooth before you bend it; 2) Chamfer the edges with a block plane and 3) Soak the blank in water with Downy fabric softener. All of these steps reduce breakage.

Steam Bending Guidelines

• Presoak wood several hours in water/Downy liquid fabric softener.
• Convex and concave curves on one piece require a two-part form.
• Use air-dried lumber so its lignum is not hardened by heat.
• Lumber with 20 to 30 percent moisture content bends best.
• Lumber drier than 10 percent will not bend without breaking.
• Use plainsawn wood that’s wider than it is thick.
• Prepare blanks with vertical grain running the length of the edge.
• Choose straight surfaced wood without knots, rot or other flaws.
• Overly long workpieces helps with leverage when clamping.
• Steam one hour per inch of wood thickness.
• You may need to re-steam large bends (15 minutes per re-steaming).
• Once bent, allow to cool for one hour, then move to a drying form.
• Expect some springback once the wood dries, and plan for it.

Making the Bending Form and Hook Blanks

First, you need to make the bending forms. We used 3/4″ MDF, but Baltic birch plywood or solid wood will also work. We’re providing drawings of the hooks’ inside and outside curves and their ovoid shape on a free downloadable PDF.

Cut two pieces of 3/4″ stock 7″ wide by 11″ long, and transfer the two curved shapes for the bending mold onto the pieces. Take them to the band saw and cut as closely to the lines as you can. Then use a drum sander or stationary belt sander to refine the lines. Set the pieces flat on a worktop 3/8″ apart and see if their curved edges align well. If they do not, use a sander to adjust the profiles. These are your bending form templates.

Use the templates to create the mold pieces from six 3/4″ x 7″ x 11″ blanks. Make three of the concave and three of the convex pieces. Carefully align the curved faces for each form, gluing them together. We secured one of the forms to an additional piece of MDF for a base so that only one of the two curved forms would be able to move when clamping up steamed parts.

With that done, now it’s time to make the hook blanks. Ours are 3/8″ x 2″ x 11″ red elm, but the other hardwood species mentioned earlier would be just as good. We cut them from a section of a log, and it was admittedly a challenge to get pieces with the grain running correctly. We needed three pieces for the coatrack, so we made five blanks to allow for potential fractures.

Once roughed out, we planed and sanded the blanks smooth. Chamfer their edges, then soak them in water with a bit of Downy fabric softener. Experienced steam benders swear by Downy. It apparently softens the lignum. Who knew?

Turning Up the (Steamy) Heat!

Our steam chamber has grooves on the inside that allow us to insert adjustable slats that suspend the hardwood blanks in the middle of the chamber. We also installed a chamber divider to limit the steaming area inside. Plugging in the steam generator, we waited for about 15 minutes for it to start making a substantial amount of steam, then another 30 minutes to be certain the chamber was up the correct temperature and humidity. We put one hardwood blank into the chamber and set a timer. Steam the wood about one hour per inch of thickness. As these pieces are approximately a third of an inch thick, 20 to 25 minutes of steaming was required.

Before the piece is ready to bend, get three strong clamps ready to go. When the timer rings, carefully open the chamber door and stand back — that steam is hot! Unplug the steam generator. With gloves on, place the blank inside the bending forms and center it. Install a clamp in the center of the forms to start the bending process. You don’t need to move quickly, but don’t dawdle; the blank begins to cool immediately. Using the other two clamps, continue to squeeze the forms together until the blank is bent to its new shape.

The bent wood needs to stay in the forms for at least an hour. While it is in there, make a cooling form that matches just the concave side of the bending form. Once the piece has cooled for an hour, take it out and clamp it in the cooling form. Let it set at least overnight. When you unclamp it the next day, it might spring back a bit … that’s to be expected.

Complete the coat hook shaping process by tracing the ovoid shape found in the Drawing onto the face of the bent blank. Cut out the coat hook shapes on a band saw or scroll saw and sand them smooth. We chose a 1/2″ x 2″ x 24″ piece of wenge for a backboard. To mount the assembly to the wall, we drilled two holes 16″ apart.

Then we placed the hooks evenly along the 24″ board, avoiding the mounting holes. Attach the hooks with a spot of glue and two #8 x 1/2″ black washerhead screws. When the glue cures, apply a few coats of Watco oil finish, and fasten your new coatrack to the wall.

We hope that this simple steam bending process and project may entice you to try it out. It’s a great way to expand your woodworking horizons by adding more curves!

Click Here to Download the Full-Size Template.

The post PROJECT: Scandinavian Modern Steam Bent Coat Hooks appeared first on Woodworking | Blog | Videos | Plans | How To.

Click Here to Download the Accent Lamp Drawings.

Mica powder is made from a reflective stone mineral that has a naturally glassy shimmer. When mixed into epoxy resins, lacquers, paints, plastics, candles and other DIY crafting projects, it creates an eye-catching metallic shine. Eye Candy mica pigment powders are available in a wide range of vibrant colors, all using top-quality base materials. The ultra-fine pearls are 10-60 microns in size* (with exceptions; see note at bottom) to better blend with a wide variety of mediums. Their natural sparkle and sense of depth makes them perfect for slab-style river tables and other deep pour epoxy projects.

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While away, woodworking did raise its head. Mary urged me not to go ask the resort if I could cut down one of their trees with a huge burl growing on it. We went golfing … I lost four balls in the first three holes, which is something of a record for me. We went hiking, and I even got to throw out a line from shore. (No fish were harmed in the making of this weekend.) Here in Minnesota, Labor Day is the unofficial start of fall. So from me to you, here is wishing you a lovely fall, wherever you live.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Air Compressor Water Woes

A.J. Hamler discusses the ins and outs of managing moisture in compressed air.

Turning Matching Salt and Pepper Shakers

This culinary set requires precise drilling and turning. Ernie Conover shows you how.

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Which has brought a new perspective to my shop behavior. While I have always been pretty careful in terms of proper technique and safety gear, I am now spending a little more forethought on lifting, unloading and things like properly supporting my work. Perhaps a little late, but at least I am still in the game.

So what about you? Do you take precautions beyond typical shop safety? If so, what are they? Perhaps we can all benefit from your experience.

Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal

Why You Should Be Wet-Sanding Your Woodturning Projects

Adding wet-sanding to our arsenal can be a major benefit to our lungs. AAW’s Mike Peace explains the benefits of using lubricants when sanding turning projects.

Six Simple Wood Finishes

Six examples of simple finishes that anyone can use to enhance their next project.

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