Popular Woodworking Editors' Blog

The February 2009 issue has been mailed to subscribers and will be available for sale on the newsstands starting next week. As always, we try to provide you with the best traditional and modern woodworking techniques, and the newest issue is no exception. Here are some of the stories you'll find in the latest issue.

On the Cover:
7 Strategies for Better Drawers
Details make the difference between fine furniture and pedestrian design – and drawers in particular reveal the care of the craftsman. Mario Rodriguez provides instruction on constructing elegant drawers for your finest projects, from how to properly prepare drawer stock, to scaling your components so they aren't chunky, to making drawer slips.

Shaker Stepback
Managing Editor Megan Fitzpatrick shows you how to build a stepback that is sized for traditional china or a flat-screen television.

Four Ways to Make a Tapered Leg
We explore four different methods for tapering legs: using handplanes, using a custom table saw jig, using a jointer and using a jig for your planer.

The Barnsley Hayrake Table
Traditional craftsman Don Weber builds one of the signature objects from the British Arts & Crafts movement using (mostly) hand tools.

HayrakeTable.pdf (3.21 MB)

D.L. Barrett & Sons, Planemakers
Meet Kyle Barrett, the maker of an award-winning plow plane and the continent's newest custom toolmaker. And get this: He's just 18 years old.

Make a Ball and Claw Foot
Adam Cherubini enlists the help of Chris Storb to produce a stunning pictorial account of how to carve a ball-and-claw foot.

Finishing Cherry
Bob Flexner dispenses the truth about cherry: It blotches, even under a clear finish. Efforts to control the blotching are usually futile or make the overall project look worse. Here's what to do.

SawStop's Contractor Saw
Senior Editor Glen D. Huey reviews the new SawStop contractor saw after the entire staff takes the machine for a spin.

Great Woodshops: Reuben Margolin
Artist and woodworker Reuben Margolin makes stunning moving sculptures from wood that imitate nature, from a caterpillar to wind blowing a wheat field.

— Christopher Schwarz

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A short while ago, Porter-Cable brought out a new line of tools targeted at professionals. These tools were shown to editors in an event in New York and are in stores now (click here to read about the tools). I received a phone call yesterday afternoon from one of my Delta/Porter-Cable contacts and the focus of the phone call was to inform me, and have me relate to you, of a small problem with the some of the lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries – only the Li-ion batteries – associated with the drill/drivers of this new line of tools.

Porter-Cable has uncovered an issue in about 6 percent to 8 percent of the lithium-ion batteries that causes the batteries not to recharge. Chances are you won’t be affected with this problem, but if you are, here’s what you need to know:

Customers who have purchased the PORTER-CABLE 18V cordless lithium drill/driver kit (PCL180DK-2) and have experienced difficulty charging their battery are encouraged to contact any PORTER-CABLE service center or call 888-848-5175 to receive a replacement battery. To locate the nearest authorized PORTER-CABLE service center, log onto www.PORTERCABLE.com <http://www.portercable.com/> and click on the Service/Support tab.

To face this issue head-on and work to satisfy customers is how companies build trust. I applaud Delta/Porter-Cable for being up front about this issue and keeping its customers informed.

— Glen D. Huey

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With all the talk at our “Woodworking in America” conference about how to properly sharpen plane blades, I didn’t see or hear one presenter mention a power sharpening system. I know there are many woodworkers that sharpen with electric-powered sharpeners.

As you may know – I was asked numerous times at the conference – I use a WorkSharp 3000 to sharpen my chisels and plane blades. I find that tool the best way for me to put a fine edge on my hand tools. Yes, I do have a few hand tools.

On a 3000 (click here to see a video) the chisel and plane iron port sharpens tools up to 2" wide, so the machine is limited to work on narrow blades only. And with the only available bevel angles at 20°, 25°, 30° or 35° you were limited there as well. Not to mention it was only possible to add a 5º micro-bevel if desired. So from what seemed like day one of the introduction of WorkSharp WS3000, there was talk about an attachment to sharpen wider plane irons. That attachment came is now available.

The accessory uses a platform that’s bolted to the tool in place of the original top tool rest. There are leveling screws to bring the table into perfect position with the glass sanding discs – use a good straightedge to adjust the table. If the table isn’t level and in line with the discs, you may notice a slight skew as you sharpen your blades.

With the setup ready, you need to position your plane iron into a supplied honing guide.
One thing I picked up at the conference is to adjust the blade to an identical position each time you return to sharpen that blade. If you do that, you’ll spend less time sharpening and you’ll extend the life of your irons. WorkSharp’s Alignment Fixture – also included with the attachment – helps you do just that.

Simply set the alignment pin into the fixture at your desired setting (arrow facing away), slide your iron – bevel up – into the guide as it’s held to the fixture and the blade nuzzles up to the pin, then tighten the honing guide, capturing the blade.

One catch in using this accessory is to match the bevel angle scale on the alignment fixture to the appropriate position on the honing guide. There’s a white scale with angles that match those at the port, or an amber scale that has multiple settings from 25º to 60º. (I’m not fond of the stick-on labels used designate white or amber positioning. I’m fearful those labels might vanish leaving one to wonder which position is which.)

Once the blade is set into the guide, you’re ready to sharpen. Flip the honing guide so your bevel angle is down and the wheel of the guide is running on the plate. Introduce the iron to the sanding disc and you’re off to a keen edge.

Of course, you’ll need to work through the grits to gain a sharp edge, and if you use a micro-bevel you’ll need to adjust the blade in the guide a second time. This time adjust the alignment pin with a simple turn. By placing the pin in the same hole setting, but turning the arrow to point toward the guide and blade, you’re adding a 1º micro-bevel. That also shortens your time spent sharpening when you touch up the edge.

I plan to continue to sharpen with a WorkSharp 3000 in the future. Now I can work on my plane irons as well.

At the conference many different methods for sharpening were discussed. What method do you use? Water stones? Oil stones? Sandpaper by hand or a tool such as a WorkSharp? Let us know by answering our survey.

— Glen D. Huey