Woodworking Magazine Weblog

About a decade ago, my boss Steve Shanesy told me something about design that knocked me flat. When he was a struggling custom furniture maker, he took some time off to do something that few people do.

Create a new style of furniture.

That is one of the most ambitious personal projects I could imagine. I wonder if there has there been a new style of furniture created in my lifetime. Does James Krenov’s work constitute a new style? Sam Maloof? George Nakashima? I don’t know the answer to this question, but I do know how one mouth-breather of a woodworker (me) goes about it.

And because I never tire of hearing how other people design pieces, I thought I’d share with you the convoluted path I’m taking this week to make a simple thing for our fall 2008 issue.

I like old furniture – anything from Ancient Egypt to World War II interests me greatly. So when I set out to build something I hit the books to look at as many examples of furniture and decorative objects from that period as I can. In this case, we decided to build an 18th-century wall cabinet for the fall issue, so I cracked open all my books from Wallace Nutting, particularly “A Furniture Treasury.” This out-of-print book is available in many forms and is fairly inexpensive. I paid $20 for my two-volume set at Half-Price Books.

I might not look at wall cabinets when I scan these books. I look at lots of casework pieces and their proportions, mouldings and the arrangement of the components, such rails and stiles from doors.

When I’m saturated (a few trips through the treasury will do that), I’ll start sketching. It’s not formal. I just draw without regard to perfectly straight lines or dimensions. I sketch in the car while waiting for the kids to finish track practice. Or in the few minutes of peace I get between the bedtimes of the two kids. I sketch things that I’m sure won’t work just to give them their day in ink.

The more examples I draw, the better the chance I’ll hit something I really like. I don’t use the Golden Section or any other mathematical formula. It’s all gut.

Then I fire up a CAD program on my laptop and try to turn the sketches into something that can be built and has some dimensions that make sense – a dining table that’s 30” high, for example.

While In CAD I’ll make a few variations that take advantage of the cut-and-paste power of the program. I’ll move the drawers and doors around. Add a cupholder. With this wall cabinet I tried it with two doors (like the Nutting original), one door, then a door with a drawer.

Then I show the CAD drawings to others and ask them which ones they like. Why they like it isn’t as important – though I always ask. Maddy, my 12-year-old, liked the two-door version of this cabinet because of the symmetry and that you could display two contrasting pieces of pottery behind the glass panes. Katy, the 8-year-old, liked the drawer because it could be used to “hold little things.” Lucy, my wife, declined to put a dog in that fight.

Next stop: If I have time, I’ll knock together a prototype in poplar to see if it looks awkward. Prototyping always pays off in two ways: I make small adjustments that improve the design, and I’ll typically keep the prototype for our family.

— Christopher Schwarz

Editor's note: Because it's "Workbench Week Internazionale" I decided to tie up a loose end from my book: "Workbenches: from Blah, blah blah to Yadda yadda yadda." On page 57 I discuss Thomas Stangeland's bench and point out how the best woodworking I've seen has been built on the most minimal of workbenches.

Helpful reader Tom Moore visited Stangeland's shop recently and snapped the above photo of the bench. Below is the story that goes with that workbench.


In 2006 I taught a class in handwork at a school where Thomas Stangeland, a maestro at Greene & Greene-inspired work, was also teaching a class. Though we both strive for the same result in craftsmanship, the process we each use couldn’t be more different. He builds furniture for a living, and he enjoys it. I build furniture because I enjoy it, and I sell an occasional piece.

One evening we each gave a presentation to the students about our work. One of the pieces I showed was an image of my French workbench. I discussed its unusual workholding devices and how the bench was a bit of a Thor Heyerdahl experience.

Thomas then got up and said he wished he had a picture to show of his workbench for the last decade: a door on a couple horses. He said that a commercial shop had no time to waste on building a traditional bench. And with his power-tool approach, he just needed a flat surface and some clamps to work.

It’s hard to argue with the end result. His furniture is beautiful.

But what’s important to note here is that you can get by with the door-off-the-floor approach, but there are many commercial woodworkers who still see the utility of a traditional workbench. Chairmaker and furnituremaker Brian Boggs uses more newfangled routers and shop-made devices with aluminum extrusions than I have ever seen in a shop. And he still has two enormous traditional workbenches that see constant use.

The point here is that a good bench won’t make you a better woodworker. And a not-quite-a-bench won’t doom you to failure. But a good bench in any shop will make many power-tool operations easier and open the door to permit you to try many hand-tool operations. The bench is simply another tool. It’s the biggest wooden clamp in the shop.

As Thomas was wrapping up his part of the show he showed an interesting slide of an enormous and thick slab of an exotic wood he had been stashing for years and years in his shop.

“I just need to find the right project for it,” he said.

“Hey Thomas,” I heckled, “that slab sure would make a great benchtop.”

He laughed. Next slide, please.

— Christopher Schwarz

Matt Vanderlist has just posted a podcast of a conversation he and I had last week. I hesitate to call it an interview because it sounds a lot like us just goofing around and joking about woodworking.

So I guess, it actually just sounds a lot like a day at the office.

In any case, we discuss handsawing, premium tools and how we generate story ideas here at Woodworking Magazine and Popular Woodworking. Plus Matt and I brainstorm an idea for a shop garment that ensures you never have to take a break while woodworking – and it composts the yard. (If anyone has a good name for this product, post it here.)

It was a fun conversation and if you have some time at your desk and want to look like you're working… I highly recommend it.

— Christopher Schwarz

If you were charmed by Harrelson Stanley's Japanese workbench, then here is another variant for you that was built by Russ Merz of Cincinnati, Ohio.

Merz built this bench about seven years ago. The horses were built using scrap oak salvaged from pallets. The beam was built from 2x4 construction lumber.

"I read about these and just had to have one," Merz writes. "I think you know the feeling."

Here are the stats: The trestles are 20" high and 38" wide. Each foot is 21" long. The slab is 3-1/8" x 8-3/4" x 68".

So how does he like using the bench? Well, he doesn't. The parts for the bench usually sit below his European-style workbench. But for our benefit, he dusted them off, set them up outside and snapped these photos.
 
"Even though I never use this, it was fun making," Merz writes. "About a year or so after you make this (bench), brush off the dust, sign it, put it on eBay and donate the proceeds to your favorite charity."

— Christopher Schwarz

Woodworker James Oliver has built a massive workbench with French lines (tree trunk legs), English-style workholding (a twin-screw face vise) and some modern practicality (a quick-release vise in the end-vise position).

When I first posted photos of Oliver's bench in January, readers wanted to see more photos – not only of the bench, but of the shop. Oliver, who works part-time for Coastal Carvings in Coombs, British Columbia, obliged with these two other views of his bench and shop. Click on the photos to see the full-size versions.

The layout for a hand-tool shop is pretty sweet. There's a saw till at the right of the photo with planes above. The window directly behind the bench is also home to a rack with striking and boring tools. And check out the nice collection of chisels on the left.

For me, however, the best part is the floor. Our shop in Cincinnati has a concrete floor, as does my shop at home. Almost every year, I come up with some scheme to lay a wooden floor in both shops, but something (usually my love of eating meat once in a while) gets in the way.

Thanks to Oliver for these photos of another inspiring shop and bench.

— Christopher Schwarz

Many readers were interested in Bill Liebold's sliding leg vise, which he installed on his Roubo-meets-Dominy-style workbench (I'm just going to call this form the "Bill Bench" from here out).

Liebold liked the sliding aspect of the leg vise because when you used it in tandem with a fixed leg vise, you could clamp just about anything. Need to dovetail a 24"-wide case side? That's child's play for this set-up. How about planing an entryway door? Just as easy.

This sliding leg vise arrangement was shown in a plate in Andre Roubo's 18th century treatise on woodworking, but I've never seen one in the wild on an old bench. Perhaps that's because there is a weakness to the original design (or my employer is not funding enough trips to France for me). Liebold said the pressure applied by the screw could bow the front edge of the bench out. This occurred because the vise runs in a track on the underside of the benchtop. When hard pressure was applied, the tongue that rides in the track would push out in some cases, bowing the front of the bench.

Liebold, however, has now fixed that problem. The solution? Steel.

"Well, I just had to make my sliding leg vice work in a permanent way so I wouldn’t have to worry about it breaking," Liebold writes. He lined the track with steel (you can get this from a home center).

So how does it work?

"Now the weakest part of the vice is the parallel guide," Liebold writes. "I cinched down on a piece of basswood until I could hear wood starting to crackle. I was able to dent the basswood and I bent the brass pin in the parallel guide. Success!"
 
— Christopher Schwarz

Now you can download six free SketchUp drawings for projects published in Woodworking Magazine during the last four years.

These files work with Google's free drafting program, SketchUp, and allow you to take the projects apart, see the joinery and view the projects at any angle. These files are great for understanding how a project goes together before you start building it.

These files were provided by draughtsman Louis Bois, who has been providing technical illustrations for Woodworking Magazine for the last couple issues. Louis does these drawings as a free service to the readers, so please join me in thanking him for his hard work.

The projects below are some our favorites:

Shaker Hanging Cabinet: This is the cover project from Issue No. 1. I've built this project about five times now for various family members and customers, and it is always well-received.

HangingShakerCabinet.zip (100.4 KB)

Shaker Side Table: This project from Issue 2 has enormous popularity. The delicate legs and fine proportions of the top make this project one of my favorites.

Sliding-lid Box: Also from Issue 2, this box is a great lesson in how to build drawer boxes (with one table-saw set-up) and makes a great home for your chisels.

SlidingLidBox.zip (31.44 KB)

Dining Room Tray: From Issue 5, this project is a great lesson in learning to use cut nails (and a tanning bed) to build a nice cherry project.

DiningRoomTray.zip (24.34 KB)

Enfield Cabinet: Also from Issue 6, this tall cabinet -- it looks like a jelly cupboard I suppose -- is an excellent lesson in vintage case construction techniques.

American Trestle Table: This cover project from Issue 6 has a special place in my heart because the prototype is my dining room table. Endless nights of homework have trashed the perfect film finish, but I like it even more now than they day I finished it.

AmericanTrestleTable.zip (75.25 KB)

All of these files are compressed in a .zip format. Double-clicking on them will unzip them.

— Christopher Schwarz

Some of my favorite tools came from the hands of Kevin Drake, the founder of Glen-Drake Toolworks in Ft. Bragg, Calif.

Anyone who has been in our shop for more than 30 seconds knows my affection for the Tite-Mark cutting gauge. It is, hands down, without equal. And I wouldn't want to work wood without it. (You can download a pdf of my 2005 Endurance Test of this tool using the link below.)

TiteMarkENDTEST.pdf (121.29 KB)

But Drake makes other extraordinary tools. His chisel hammers are excellent (I use the No. 3 size). His plane-adjusting hammer is on the rack in my shop at home and taps every plane iron into position in my work.

Lately Drake has been developing a line of tools that help with dovetailing, including a scraper-like tool that starts your saw kerf, and a new dovetail saw with two handles. We've been itching to bring Drake to our shop for a hand-on workshop and now we have finally arranged a free evening workshop for readers at 6 p.m. on May 8 in our shop in Cincinnati.

If you've never been to these events, they're a tremendous amount of fun. We serve you dinner, and then Drake will demonstrate his new saw (and other tools). Then you'll have an opportunity to use the tools in our shop and ask all the questions you like. And if you hang around late enough, we usually end up all going out for a beer afterward.

Right now we have about 10 spots still open for the workshop. If you want to attend, please send an e-mail to Megan Fitzpatrick at megan.fitzpatrick@fwpubs.com to reserve a spot.

I've known Drake for many years and he is both an accomplished woodworker and toolmaker. After a career as a musician, Drake attended the College of the Redwoods under James Krenov. He's a fascinating and thoughtful guy, and I'm certain he's going to put on an excellent show. Hope to see you there.

— Christopher Schwarz

As I was unpacking my tools for the Lie-Nielsen Hand Tool Event in Chicago this weekend, John Economaki from Bridge City Tools stepped up to my workbench with an astonishing piece of wood.

It was a narrow slice off the end of a dowel that was .004" thick. It was cut with a handsaw.

"I cut this with my new saw," Economaki said. "You ready for a rematch?"

Earlier this fall, he and I had a sawing contest to see who could make the thinnest crosscut (he won that contest; see the full story here). Economaki handed me the paper-thin slice and I knew two things: I didn't want a rematch, but I definitely wanted to see his new saw.

Turns out it is more than just a handsaw. It's a Japanese sawblade mounted in a frame that was topped with sliding tables. It is, in essence, a hand-powered table saw with sliding tables. Economaki calls it the Jointmaker Pro, and it's going to be available this summer (most likely June, Economaki said).

In this photo, Economaki pulled away the stops so you can see what the cutting action looks like across the sloped blade.

Here are the particulars: The sawblade is mounted teeth-up in the frame of the Jointmaker. And the blade slopes up from the front of the tool to the rear. On top of the Jointmaker are two sliding tables – one on either side of the blade – that slide on dovetailed ways (no bearings, just a perfect fit).

Some of the controls are like a table saw: You raise and lower the blade with a crank, and you can bevel the blade left and right. To make common cuts, the Jointmaker Pro comes with a series of stops that you can set for the particular bevel angles.

Look familiar? The Jointmaker Pro has controls similar to a table saw. And as a bonus it bevels both left and right.

The two sliding tables can be moved in tandem at any angle between 0° to 47° by securing the Jointmaker Pro's wooden fence across them. Then you simply secure your work on the table with a couple very clever hold-downs and – zip – push the work over the blade.

The slope of the 28-tpi crosscut blade (a rip blade is available) cuts the work with surprisingly little effort. But how much wood can you cut with a human-powered table saw? Economaki said you can cut stock up to 5" wide and 1-1/2" thick. Thick stock requires a lot more strokes against the blade, but it's easy (I tried it).

What is most surprising about the tool is the resulting cut. It is the cleanest sawcut I've ever seen, whether by hand or power. Economaki made dozens of different kinds of cuts during the hand-tool event for dovetails, tenons, half-laps and bridles – and all them were flawless from the saw.

At the end of the show, he made a series of compound miters, and they went together with an air-tight fit.

Economaki said the idea for the tool came to him during a sleepless night.

"I began by putting a Japanese saw blade upside down in a vise," he said. "I made a cut by pushing the work over the blade, and the light went on."
 
The Jointmaker Pro will cost $1,195 retail, Economaki said, but there will be an introductory price of $995.

"It costs 10 times that of a good dozuki," he said. "Yet you get perfect results."

— Christopher Schwarz

The best hand drills ever made came out of the Millers Falls factory in the first half of the 20th century. While many people used these drills for boring holes in metal, the tools proved remarkably adept at becoming the first generation of cordless drills for woodworking.

These drills are today called eggbeater drills because of the way the drive mechanism works. The main gear turns either one or two pinions on the tool’s shaft to turn the chuck backward or forward – just like an old kitchen eggbeater.

My favorite eggbeater drills are the Nos. 2, 2A and 5 made by Millers Falls. These drills were made to an astonishingly high degree of precision, and are easily comparable to tools manufactured today by Lie-Nielsen Toolworks, Veritas, Wenzloff & Sons, Adria or Gramercy.

The eggbeater drills are fairly common at flea markets, but they are also usually in dogmeat shape. The gears are rusted. The bearings are gummed up. The wood knobs are dried out and cracked. The frames have lost all their paint.

But now Wiktor Kuc, the owner of WKTools.com and WKFineTools.com, is restoring and selling these drills on his website and on eBay. He recently sent me a Millers Falls No. 5 that he has restored, and I am just stunned by the quality of the restoration.

This tool looks better than any example of a Millers Falls I’ve ever seen. It looks good no matter how close you examine it. Inside the chuck. At the seam between the ferrule and the handle. Where the pinions mesh with the main gear.

Kuc says he’s been restoring these kinds of drills for a year. He’s been learning the best way to disassemble and clean the tools, how to apply principles from jewelers to polish the metalwork, and how to deal with the dried-out wood.

“I started doing this for myself,” Kuc says. “I love to restore old tools. I read Herb Keane’s book (‘Restoring Antique Tools’) and it blew my roof off. I had to learn to do that.”

Since he started restoring drills (and some braces), Kuc’s resurrected more than 130 Millers Falls drills, 30 Goodell-Pratt drills and a number of braces.

He takes all the drills apart as much as possible, strips them clean and then rebuilds them so they look and work perfectly. The ones he can restore to their full glory Kuc sells on his web site after four to five coats of paint and refinishing everything. The drills that he cannot get perfect he sells on eBay at a reduced price, though they are functionally perfect.

The perfect drills cost between $60 and $110, depending on their rarity. On eBay, the current crop of drills cost between $50 and $90. Are they worth it? Absolutely. If you want a cordless drill that will never run out of juice (until you run out of juice) an eggbeater like this is ideal for any toolbox.

These tools have small chucks that are great for furniture-scale twists and brad-point bits. I use hand drills all the time when making pilot holes, especially for screws or nails.

And one more thing: If you already have a Millers Falls drill, Kuc also sells reproduction parts for these drills that are usually missing, such as the side knobs and the bits that are stored in the handles.

Millers Falls drills are very common, so if you don’t want a restored one you’ll be able to find them at garage sales, flea markets and eBay (they are not scarce by any measure). But if you want the best – a tool that looks as good as it works, check out Kuc’s selection. Highly recommended by me (and banned by wivesagainstschwarz.com).

— Christopher Schwarz