This advertising-free publication is filled with good craftsmanship.
Articles in this issue include:
Adding Age to Cherry
by Megan Fitzpatrick
Add stain to cherry and it blotches. Add a clear finish alone and cherry looks washed out and gray for a couple years until it develops a nice patina. We investigate some of the many techniques for jump-starting the aging process and find one that is simple and good-looking.
Build Furniture with a Hammer
by Christopher Schwarz
Hammers and nails have developed the reputation of being second-class joinery. Don't believe it. The right nail, right hammer and right techniques can be a revelation.
Dining Room Tray
by Christopher Schwarz
Build this simple and elegant reproduction of a Shaker silverware tray and you will become a maestro with a hammer.
End Grain: How We Learn Woodworking
by David Thiel
A woodworker who grew up in his father's professional cabinetshop discovers that the price of a good woodworking education is the duty to pass that knowledge on.
Enfield Shaker Cabinet
by Christopher Schwarz
With hammer in hand, we show you how to build a reproduction of a well-proportioned cabinet from an often-overlooked Shaker colony in Enfield, Conn.
Fractional Calipers
by David Thiel
Once exclusively a machinist's tool, dial calipers have invaded the woodshop. We comb through the many styles and sizes to pick out the calipers that are actually useful for working wood -- not machining metal.
Letters
by the magazine staff
In this issue we publish a fair number of Letters about Issue 4, including some tips for drawboring blind holes, selecting wood for a Roubo-style workbench and clamping your work for dovetailing.
Making Good Grooves
by David Thiel
Cutting grooves for a frame-and-panel construction can be frustrating and dangerous. Using a straight bit in a router table (a common strategy) can fling your work across the room. We compare three solutions: slot cutters, dado stacks and plough planes.
On the Level: By Every Measure
by Christopher Schwarz
Furniture is experienced with our eyes and hands (and other parts of our anatomy on occasion). Then why do we insist on experiencing our furniture primarily through our measuring tools?
Shortcuts
by the magazine staff
Shortcuts this issue include a simple trick for improving your holdfasts, advice for how to better track a line on a band saw, a trick to purchasing readymade drawbore pegs and a shop-made centerfinder.