In “Fixed-width Panel Raiser,” the cover story for the November 2013 issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, Willard (Bill) Anderson builds a specialized handplane to raise panels. It’s a study in accurate layout with an understanding of angles, and the results are a shop-made plane that works great and stands the test of time. In “Woodworking Excellence,” get inspired by the winners in our inaugural woodworking competition. Christopher Schwarz, in “6-board Chest,” builds an historic form that defies cross-grain construction, and he explains how to use your boards to dictate the chest size. Get to know finish expert Brian Miller, whose focus on Greene & Greene restoration has opened many doors in “A Finishing Passion,” by Marci Crestani. Senior Editor Charles “Chuck” Bender shares his “Five Favorite Jigs” to make work in the shop easier and far more accurate. Learn more about Peter Follansbee and how he connected with the Plimoth Plantation in “A 17th-century Joiner’s Life,” by Christopher Schwarz.
In this month’s Tool Test, we review a solidly built, smooth operating router lift setup in “Excalibur Deluxe Router Table Kit,” as well as the “Veritas Shooting Plane” and the “Eco-series Spray System by ASI-HVLP.”
In this month’s Design Matters, learn how storage items help with design in “Portable Drafting Table,” from George R. Walker. Robert W. Lang shares his techniques for perfect square holes from a “Hollow-chisel Mortiser” in Woodworking Essentials. Bob Flexner eases the task of sanding when he debunks “Fine Sanding Myths,” in Flexner on Finishing. Finally, in End Grain, Brian Boggs explains that one of the best sources to learn woodworking is on your workbench in “Myth of the Self-taught Craftsman.”