As I mentioned in my entry from yesterday, my first order of business this morning (after stirring in the skin at the top of the glue pot -- blech) was to band saw away the waste on the inside of my bricked rim. I wanted to go early and get that out of the way, but at Marc Adams' school, power machinery can be used only between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Those are the hours when a staff member is on hand to supervise.

Marc has been running his school since 1994, and in that time, there's been not one major accident on any machinery. That's because safety is of paramount importance to Marc and his staff. Exposure to blades is limited as much as possible by featherboards, hold-downs, shields, fences, sleds and more. As you can see in the picture at the top, in order to cut our table rim's tenon cheeks on the table saw, we had to keep our hands well above the blade in order to secure the workpiece against the jig attached to the miter gauge.

If there's a way to make the operation safe, Marc and his staff have found it, and they're adamant that while at the school, students and instructors follow their proven safety procedures. And they watch like hawks to ensure that happens. This can be frustrating at times -- but it also means that students go home not only with a great woodworking experience, but with all the digits with which they arrived.

On Wednesday, for example, we were crosscutting legs to length at the table saw. Two stops were set up to the left and right of the blade, attached to a sled. Plus a Lexan shield covered the blade. In order to get our leg stock into position, the sled had to be pulled far enough back to allow access to the table under the shield. And though we had a number of small offcuts, the shield prevented anyone from reaching too close (3" minimum) to the spinning blade. It seemed tedious to maneuver the pieces under the angled shield, but it caused the operation to be performed slowly and meticulously. As one of our class assistants, Doug Dale, said, "Often, the safest way is also the most accurate."

It's a great lesson, one I'll keep in mind when I get back to our shop. Now if only there were a Lexan shield to keep me from cutting into my tenons with a handsaw.

— Megan Fitzpatrick

Read Part 1 of this series here. And Part 2 is here.

To start off the second day in Phil Lowe's "Building a Demilune Table" class, we rub jointed 34 pieces with 15° angles on each end into chevrons (shown above). I thought I knew how to smear on glue and rub two pieces of wood together, but Phil showed us how to first size the end grain with a very thin layer of glue rubbed in to fill in the xylem and phloem. That, Phil says, keeps the glue used in the rub joint from being sucked up into the end grain and makes the resulting joint stronger.

After our 17 chevrons were made, we screwed and glued six of them around the edge of the pattern we routed yesterday (being careful to keep screws out of the leg-joint areas). Then, we cut close to the pattern edge on the band saw, and touched up any wonky spots with a spokeshave. Let's just say I got some spokeshave practice. The final step for each layer was to pattern shape it on the router table. The rim was built up with three more bricked layers of chevrons and half pieces, sawing (spokeshaving) and routing each layer as we went.

The most exciting moment of the day for me (and no doubt for many of the class members), was unscrewing the rim from the pattern and seeing the shape emerge. That poplar sure is pretty – but I suspect I'll like the bird's-eye maple veneer even more. We scribed lines back from the front edge, and some people have already cut away the waste from the back. I was at the end of the line at the band saw and there's no power-tool use after 6 p.m. at the Marc Adams School of Woodworking (more on that tomorrow). So my first task on Wednesday (after plugging in the glue pot for delightful olfactory ambiance), will be to remove that waste. Then it's on to planing the tapers on the legs.

Read Part 1 of this series here.

— Megan Fitzpatrick

Monday morning, I left my house at 5:30 a.m. to drive to Franklin, Ind., to the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. I had to be there by 8 a.m., and while it’s only an hour-and-a-half drive or so from Cincinnati (if one drives too fast, as I am wont to), I tend to get lost. And I got lost. Twice. But, I made it by 7:30, and I had my bench set up by the 8 a.m. start.

I’m taking Phil Lowe’s “Building a Demilune Table” class. Not only is it my first foray into curved work, I’ll also learn to hammer veneer. I’m using mahogany for the legs and top, and bird’s-eye maple veneer will be applied (along with banding of a species yet-to-be-determined)to a substrate of poplar. Monday, each class member cut a series of short pieces of secondary wood, which will be bricked to make the curved substrate for the apron (we’ll pattern rout to an MDF template once the polygon is assembled).

While all of this is new and exciting, what I found most revelatory was the planning process. On a piece of butcher paper, using only a T-square, two triangles, a 6” rule and trammel points, Phil produced beautiful full-size orthographic and isometric drawings of our project in less than two hours – all with seemingly no math. I must learn this.

Not so exciting? Prepping for hammer veneering. While I’m delighted to be learning this traditional skill, Phil prefers his hide glue well done. So although we won’t be dipping into the glue pots for at least another day, the redolent scent of cooking collagen hangs in the air. That ought to go well with breakfast.

— Megan Fitzpatrick

Read part 2 by clicking here.

Porter-Cable (PC) held a press event in New York on Tuesday. The event was to introduce new tools, both cordless and corded. After the release, we were invited to attend a Yankees baseball game. (I know it’s a dirty job, but I don’t mind taking one for the team.)

Let’s talk tools. PC introduced a line of tools that will be sold at many regular dealers, but the only home center where these tools will be found is Lowe's. The majority of the line, due out in November 2008, focuses on 18V cordless tools in nickel cadmium (Ni-Cad), with one using lithium ion (Li-ion).

In this category the company is bringing out a four pack of tools that includes a drill/driver with a 1/2" chuck, a 6-1/2" circular saw, a reciprocating saw and a flashlight ($150). A second group of tools is a two pack that includes the drill/driver and the circular saw ($110). Each package has a charger and two batteries as well as other miscellaneous parts including a saw blade, bit tips and a soft-sided carrying case. Interestingly, PC decided to stay with Ni-Cad for these tools although they are compatible with the 18V Li-ion batteries too. In addition, Porter-Cable introduced a hammer-drill kit (the tool plus two batteries and a charger) expected to retail for $140.

If lithium power is your choice, PC is bringing out a drill/driver kit. The drill features a 1/2" metal chuck and a 24-position clutch with a two-speed gearbox. The kit also includes two batteries and a charger ($180). The batteries are P1-level batteries with a 1.1 amp hour rating.

The kit prices look pretty good for PC tools and each of these tools will be available individually. I had the tools in my hands at the event, but didn’t have time to get a good look at each. My question is this: Why continue to use Ni-cad technology when most others are using, and consumers are knowledgeable about, Li-ion? My best guess about the battery choice is that the older technology allows the company to hit specific price points that enticed Lowe’s to the table. I can’t think of another reason to stick with Ni-cad when the buying public is changing gears to accept Li-ion-powered tools.

When PC Vice-President Dan Gregory said DeWalt tools were their professional-line tools, I was astounded, as were others. He explained that PC is attempting to position these tools for tradesman – an area of the market that PC feels is full of value-conscientious, value-driven buyers. PC is being sandwiched between Black & Decker (at the low end) and DeWalt (the high end). I’ve always thought my Porter-Cable routers and PC sanders were better than the DeWalt counterparts.

So what’s to happen to the regular Porter-Cable tools that we all know today? As for the existing tools PC has produced for years (the routers and random orbit sanders), I’ve been told the company doesn’t plan to change them at all. I hope we see packaging that differentiates between the new line and the company’s current tools.

In addition to the new tools mentioned above, Porter-Cable introduced a battery-powered, 6-1/2" circular saw with a laser that was pretty cool. It was priced at $60, but you also have to buy a battery and charger. New in corded tools: hammer drills, reciprocating saws, small angle grinders, 1/2"-chuck drill/drivers and laser-equipped circular saws. For the suggested retail price for the kits or for individual tools, open the PDF below.

—Glen D. Huey