In “Tommy Mac’s Toolbox,” the cover story for the December 2012 digital issue of Popular Woodworking Magazine, Tommy Mac builds a toolbox much like his very first project at woodworking school. One his all-time favorite projects, the box taught him to harmonize power tools and hand tools. “The Case for Hollows & Rounds,” by Matt Bickford, explains how just a few specialized moulding planes can be used to create a seemingly limitless number of complex moulding patterns. Christopher Schwarz builds a delightful “Moravian Stool.” This piece only costs about $10 in wood and two days of shop time, but includes tapered octagons, sliding dovetails, compound leg splays and wedged through-tenons. When completed, you’ll be halfway home to being able to build a Windsor chair. Add a little extra decorative touch to projects with “Profiled Inlays.” Rutager West, a largely self-taught woodworker, shows you step-by-step how to create these delicate moulding pieces with precision. Woodworking is a physical act, whether working with hand tools or power tools. Jeff Miller, teacher and author of the book “The Foundations of Better Woodworking,” offers 12 tips on coaching your body to produce quality results in the shop in “Body Mechanics.” Finally, in “Parquetry Tabletop,” Heather Trosdahl uses grain pattern in a unique take on a pinwheel design. Plus, learn how to work with shop-sawn veneers.
In this month’s tool test, we take a look at the “Knew Concepts Titanium Fretsaw,” the “Makita PJ7000 Biscuit Joiner” and the new “Bosch 23-gauge Pin Nailer.”
In this month’s I Can Do That, Tom Nunlist builds his first project, a “Bookshelf & Wine Rack,” with help from the rest of the staff. In Design Matters, George R. Walker takes a “Look Beneath the Surface” to find design lessons contained in the “bones” of period furniture. And finally in End Grain, Robert W. Lang makes a connection with his woodworking forebears through mistakes left behind in their work in “Past Imperfect.” And of course you’ll find Letters and Tricks of the Trade.