This past week I ventured over to Glen Huey’s shop to use his jointer (mine is in dire need of blade sharpening) to make tapered legs for the federal card table I’m working on. The next day I was chewing the fat with another woodworker at work who asked how I did it with just a jointer.

After several drawings & step by step directions on the white board in my office he looked at me and said “I just can’t see it!” So I told him I’d go home an take a few step by step photos and that’s when the light bulb went off. I remembered that Popular Woodworking posted a video online of the very technique.

So we logged into the web and did a quick search for it so he could “see” it. After viewing Glen demonstrating the technique he looked at me with that “you have to to be kidding me” look. But before he could speak I said “yes, it’s that damn easy and works every time!”

I believe it was Troy Sexton who first came up with this method and shared it with Pop Wood but prior to learning it from Glen I can say I used each and every jig I could find to make this operation easier. It didn’t matter if it involved a tablesaw or a bandsaw it was a pain to set up and get done. But this, it’s super easy, accurate and CRAZY FAST!

So using the code provided by Pop Wood’s player I embedded the video of Glen demonstration the technique.

Give it try cause once you do you’ll use it every time you need to taper legs!

If you’re not a believer yet maybe you’ll enjoy this video of Orianthi featuring Steve Vai performing: “Highly Strung” instead?!? They’re both phenomenal guitar players!

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While working on my federal table last weekend, I set my sites on inlaying the curved string on the apron. After several attempt at trying to make the radius buy misting the string and using a soldering iron (and breaking each and every string) I gave up.   I was licked and all was lost.

At this point I was seriously wondering why in the world I didn’t just go with three rectangles on my apron instead of getting fancy and laying out curved ends.

So I stomped into the house and started digging up all my books, magazines, printed internet articles, DVDs, VHSs anything do to with inlay methods of work and found – NOTHING!

That was until I sent a distress email to Glen & Chuck asking what in the world I could be doing wrong. (After all I had bent lots of stringing using an iron before.)

Then the suggestion came to think bigger!  So with that I traded in the soldering iron for a piece of pipe and torch.  And the following is a step by step process on how I was able to make the curved inlay.

Step 1: While soaking my inlay in hot water I put a piece of pipe, about the same size of the bend I want, into a vise and heat it using a torch.

Step 2: After the pipe is heated I take a piece of string and using a piece of flashing as a backer I set the middle of what is to become my curve on the pipe.

Step 3: Using constant downward pressure I slowly pull the string around the pipe. (You will hear sizzling at this point.)

Step 4: I hold the two sides together with one hand while rubbing the back of the flashing with my other. (Think of it as trying to rub out a crease. But be careful because the flashing will be hot!)

Step 5: Release the pressure and take a look at your curve. Make sure it doesn’t have any cracks or splits.  (If it does you either did step 3 too fast or the pipe has cooled down too much.)

Step 6: Cut it length and install it.

Once I completed this I went back through all my resources and I found at least 3 different places where this method was demonstrated.  (Why is it you can never find anything when you need it?)

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This year on New Years Eve day I decided it was time to move the Federal Card Table I was working on along.  It had felt like forever since I last worked on it due to the holidays and having to get a second shot for tennis elbow.

After many long discussions about how to complete this with power tools (that would involve elaborate jigs, much set up time, etc..) I decided to break out my Steve Latta stringing tools I purchased a while back.  Armed with them (and 96 Rock playing on the radio) I set out for an afternoon of using nothing but hand tools.  (Those of you who know me, know this is a big step for me!)

Having already completed the layout work and gluing on my temporary backer blocks I started by setting up the radius cutter and plowing out the curved ends. (Below you can also see where I used a dental pick to help with the clean out.)

From here I set my straight cutter and simply connected the two half circles for each of the 3 sections.

I have to say even though I’m a power tool guy, I did have an enjoyable (and semi-quiet) day of woodworking in peace!  I might have to expand on this!!

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Actually that was a lie.  I left this for me.  But this was my only gift to myself the Christmas season. (does that count?)

I’ve had the Milwaukee Sub-Compact Driver for some time and loved it except that it didn’t accept drill bits.   So when I saw this baby I had to have it!

So tell me, what did you get yourself for Christmas?

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Recently I’ve been working on a new Federal Card Table for my home.  While working on it I decided to use my Lie-Nielsen radius inlay cutter (based off Steve Latta’s design) to make my apron inlay circular vs rectangular.  (Photos of that to come)

So prior to just going hog wild on my apron itself I applied a piece of veneer on my apron cutoff and started playing around with the radius cutter.  After trying the layout a couple of times I was happy with the job the cutter did but boy I didn’t like the center point hole that was left behind.

After thinking a bit I overcame this by deciding to do all my layout work and mark my cross hairs in pencil on the apron.  After that I cut a few shims and marked a set of cross hairs on them and then broke out the hot glue gun to attached the shims to my apron making sure to align the cross hairs from the shim to the cross hairs on the apron.

Now I have a piece of wood that will receive the center point hole that I can remove with a little heat and have zero marks left behind!

Do you have a different way that you would have (or have) attacked this type of issue?  Is so share them in the comments below.

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Got this one emailed to me today.

MEN’s TOOLS

DRILL PRESS: A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal  bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.

WIRE WHEEL: Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light.  Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, “Oh, sh*t!”

CIRCULAR SAW: A portable cutting tool used to make studs too short.

PLIERS: Used to round off bolt heads.  Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.

BELT SANDER: An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up  jobs into major refinishing jobs.

HACKSAW: One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board  principle…. It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your futurebecomes.

LOCKING PLYERS: Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads.  If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intensewelding heat to the palm of your hand.

OXYACETYLENE TORCH: Used almost entirely for lighting various flammable objects in your shop on fire.  Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out ofwhich you want to remove a bearing race.

TABLE SAW: A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood  projectiles for testing wall integrity.

HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK: Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.

BAND SAW: A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut  good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the  trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.

TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST: A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.

PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER: Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; butcan also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips screw heads.

STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER: A tool for opening paint cans.  Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.

PRY BAR: A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50 cent part.

HOSE CUTTER: A tool used to make hoses too short.

HAMMER: Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is  used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent to theobject we are trying to hit.

UTILITY KNIFE: Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts.  Especially useful for slicingwork clothes, but only while in use.

SON OF A BITCH TOOL: Any tool that you grab and throw across the room while yelling,  “Son of a Bitch at the top of your lungs.  It is also, most often,  the next tool that you will need.

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When I’m gluing up a project I’m always grabbing for my 16oz Titebond glue bottle.  It’s lightweight but still holds enough glue for any glue up I’ve ever had.  (I have carpal tunnel so lightweight is always good!)

Also, I’ve noticed when retailers put Titebond on sale it’s usually the 32oz bottle and I’m fine with that.  Why you ask?

Well almost always the tip of my 16oz bottle is glued shut.  It doesn’t matter if I wipe it off, chip at it or even chew the dry glue off of it. It’s ALWAYS stuck.

So what I do is grab a small bowl of hot water and throw the stupid cap (from the 16oz bottle) in it just as I’m about to clue up a project.  From there I grab the cap off my 32oz bottle and screw it onto my 16oz bottle and go to work.  (They’re the same size)

Then after the clue has had a chance to soften up and off the other cap, I dry it off and put it on my 32oz bottle.

Maybe not the easiest  but I can say issue solved.

Thoughts?

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Saturday morning I set out to Glen Huey’s shop to do a little research on an issue I was having with my Bosch Colt router.

Earlier in the month I had purchased a precision collet from PreciseBits.com that would allow me to use 1/8” bits in my Colt for inlay work.  (Routing for stringing 1/16” and below)

When I tried to test fit the collet it worked great except I could never get it tight enough to actually hold a 1/8” bit.  This is because I was using both a spanner wrench that came with the collet and the tiny wrench that Bosch mailed out to people who didn’t like using the “red button” to tighten their bits.

The reason I don’t use the “red button” to help tighten my bits is because I use a Micro Fence plunge base with my Colt.  (Something that made the Colt 100x more useful!) And by doing so the base hides the button making it impossible to reach hence the use of two wrenches.

So what we found is that the precision collet was so much larger than the stock collet that it bottomed out on the wrench.  This made it impossible to completely tighten.  You could get it tight enough to not come off but not enough for it to hold the bit.

This is where out of the box thinking comes in.  We had to have a thinner wrench.  Since we didn’t have access to grinder we used a spindle sander and a fence to sand the end of the wrench down.  This allowed us to get it thin enough (without making it too thing to be used) so we could hold the bit in place.

What we deducted is that we know Bosch doesn’t give the extra wrench away with the kits (you have call them to get it) because of the “red button” deal and that PreciseBits.com didn’t have it when designing the collet for 1/8” bits.  Or if they did, they decided to still make it extra long to get extra threads holding the bit in place since it was so small.

So after that we walked over to Stan’s (a local doughnut shop) to reward ourselves for a job well done!

Now I’m wondering what I can modify this Saturday…

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Building 18th Century American Furniture is the latest book from Glen Huey and F&W Media.  It brings together what I think are the best projects from his first three books together.

The 20 projects are:

1. 18th Century Cupboard
2. Chester County Tall Chest
3. Chippendale Entertainment Center
4. Diminutive Dish Cupboard
5. Massachusetts Block Front Chest
6. Massachusetts Highboy
7. Mt. Lebanon Shaker Counter
8. New York/Canadian Stepback
9. Pennsylvania Chest on Chest
10. Pennsylvania Tall Case Clock
11. Shaker Press Cupboard
12. Shaker Sewing Desk
13. Shaker Small Chest of Drawers
14. New England Secretary
15. Slant-Lid Desk on Frame
16. Townsend Newport Highboy
17. Sheraton Field Bed
18. Seymour Sideboard
19. Federal Inlaid Table
20. Queen Anne Drop Leaf Dining Table

Now when I heard this was coming out I was both a bit upset but yet excited.

I was upset because I felt the book should have added a new project or two or should have added a few of his best furniture projects from the magazine but I’m sure this was much simpler for the publisher to put together and won’t knock them for that.

But what I liked about this was the fact that I now have ONE book with Glen’s projects (that I would build) out in the shop instead of 3.  I say that because with Glen’s first book (Fine Furniture for a Lifetime) I am on my second copy.  (I use that book at an idea guide, a project reference, you name it.  That book has my favorite woodworking book ever!)

But like all good things his first two books have been remanded so unless you go to Glen’s (WoodworkersEdge.com) site you won’t be able to easily find them.  (and now  you don’t need to!)

So if you are new to Glen’s work or new to woodworking you’ll really enjoy this book.  Its really a step by step book with tons of photos instead of just text with a photo here and there.  This way you get to see what he’s talking about.

NOTE: This book is a collection of projects from Glen’s first 3 books:

• Fine Furniture for a Lifetime
• Building Fine Furniture
• Building Period Furniture

Here is a photo of my Chester County Tall Chest that I built from his book.

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