Any bibliophile should immediately be drawn to the traveling bookcase built by Christopher Schwarz which is the cover project this issue. The glass doors and striking brass pulls, corner brackets and corner guards make this an eye-catching project that's fun to build and fully functional, too; Willard Anderson provides step-by-step instructions on how to restore a "woodie" bench plane. The article focuses on "user tools" that can be restored for use in your shop; in "Breadboard Ends," Chuck Bender shares five cross-grain strategies that are sure to keep your tabletops, desk lids and wide-panels flat and straight; Gary Rogowski's "Illusion Cabinet" is the perfect size for many uses around your home. Plus, it's a contemporary design that demonstrates just how easy it is to work with proportions and ratios.
If you're in need of sawhorses for work around your shop, "The Butterfly Horse" by Don Williams is just the ticket and discover the best glue for veneer work and for any project that requires an extended open time in "A Must-have Woodworking Glue," by Laurie McKichan who joins us from the pages of American Woodworker.
In this month's Tool Test, we review the 'Ready 2 Rout' automated fence setup that brings CNC-like accuracy to your router table, the Benchcrafted Classic leg vise and Bosch's newest dust extractor, the VAC140A; George Walker discusses how to freehand sketch a volute in Design Matters; we welcome Peter Follansbee who takes over as our Arts & Mysteries columnist and extolls the virtues of proper lighting in the shop; and in End Grain, Gus Goodwin shares his thoughts of his friend and the tools left behind in "Inheritance."
Plus Tricks of the Trade, reader letters and more.