Building Small Projects: The New Best of Fine Woodworking

162 Pages·2004·86.364 MB·English

by  coll.

NEW BEST FINE WOODWORKING
THE OF
Building
Small Projects
THE NEW BEST OF FINE WOODWORKING
Building
Small Projects

NEW BEST FINE WOODWORKING
THE OF
Building
Small Projects
The Editors of
Fine Woodworking
T
© 2004 by The Taunton Press, Inc.
Photographs © 2004 by The Taunton Press, Inc., except where noted.
Illustrations © 2004 by The Taunton Press, Inc.
All rights reserved.
Pp
The Taunton Press, Inc., 63 South Main Street, PO Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470-5506
e-mail: [email protected]
Distributed by Publishers Group West
Jacket/Cover design: Susan Fazekas
Interior design: Susan Fazekas
Layout: Susan Lampe-Wilson
Front Cover Photographer: Asa Christiana
Back Cover Photographers: Asa Christiana, Michael Pekovich, Strother Purdy
The New Best of Fine Woodworking® is a trademark of The Taunton Press, Inc.,
registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Building small projects / the editors of Fine woodworking.
p. cm. -- (The new best of Fine woodworking)
ISBN 1-56158-730-8 [book]; ISBN 1-63186-231-1-8 [pdf format]
1. Woodwork--Amateurs' manuals. 2. House furnishings--Amateurs' manuals. I. Fine woodworking.
II. Series.
TT185.B783 2004
684'.08--dc22
2004006984
Printed in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
The following manufacturers/names appearing in Building Small Projectsare trademarks:
3M®, Brusso®, Dremel®, Harris®, Leigh®, Masonite®, Morse®, Scotch-Brite®, Stanley®, Titebond®,
Varathane®, Watco®, Waterlox®
Working wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring safety
practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don’t try to perform operations you learn about
here (or elsewhere) unless you’re certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn’t
feel right, don’t do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety
foremost in your mind whenever you’re in the shop.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks to the authors, editors,
art directors, copy editors, and other
staff members of Fine Woodworking who
contributed to the development of the
articles in this book.
Contents
Introduction 2 SECTION 2
Picture Frames and Mirrors
SECTION 1
Boxes
Splined Miters Join Mirror Frame 50
BOB GLEASON
A Small Elegant Box 4
GARY ROGOWSKI Picture-Framing Techniques 53
LEON SEGAL
Making Mitered Boxes 10
GARY ROGOWSKI A Basic Mirror Frame
Detailed to Your Liking 59
An Elegant Jewelry Box 18 D. DOUGLAS MOOBERRY
STROTHER PURDY
Shaker Oval Boxes 25
SECTION 3
JOHN WILSON Clocks
Building a Humidor 32
Pear Mantel Clock 64
RICK ALLYN
MARIO RODRIGUEZ
Thomas Jefferson’s Writing Desk 40
Building a Shaker Wall Clock 72
LON SCHLEINING
CHRIS BECKSVOORT
SECTION 4 SECTION 6
Shelves and Cabinets Stools
Build a Wall Shelf 79 A Sturdy Footstool 131
PETER TURNER MARIO RODRIGUEZ
Colonial Cupboard 83 Oval Chippendale Stool 139
MIKE DUNBAR RANDALL O’DONNELL
Craftsman Wall Cabinet 94 Credits 149
IAN INGERSOLL
Index 151
Magazine Cabinet 100
CHRIS GOCHNOUR
Wineglass Cabinet 108
SCOTT GIBSON
SECTION 5
Tables
Build a Shaker Round Stand 116
CHRIS BECKSVOORT
Making an End Table 122
STEPHEN LAMONT
Introduction
T
he first useful object I ever built out
of wood was a lidded box. It was
not a piece to admire for its beauty
—but I was thrilled that all the parts simply
fit together. I was only 12, and I built the
box without supervision and completed it
with all 10 digits intact, something that no
doubt thrilled my parents. The box was
made of materials I had picked up at a
home construction site—plywood and
wood screws. As far as I knew at the time, I
invented the joinery: butt joints reinforced
with glue and screws.
I slathered several coats of paint over the
piece and added a hasp and lock to guard
my not-so-rare coin collection and a few
risqué post cards of Atlantic City bathing
beauties. The box survives to this day, intact,
the treasures of the time long since swapped
for a place to store a few seldom-used tools.
I can’t say that my plywood box project
was the experience that inspired me to
eventually pick up woodworking in my
adult years, but the process of building it
brought a sense of satisfaction no different
from what I feel today upon completing
a piece.
By calling these projects small, we don’t
mean to imply simple or uninspired. The
projects we have chosen—boxes, cabinets,
tables, stools—run the gamut from simple
2
to elaborate. Some may be completed in a lenging yet rewarding project. Or maybe
weekend; others may take months. They you want something to do in an afternoon
are taken from the pages of Fine Woodwork- —check out the plans for Shaker Oval
ingmagazine and come with detailed in- Boxes. No matter what you make, remem-
structions to walk you through the process, ber to have fun. It’s not just about the ob-
step by step. ject; let the process itself be an adventure.
Depending on your skill level, you may
want to dive right in and tackle the classic —Anatole Burkin,
Thomas Jefferson’s Writing Desk, a chal- Editor of Fine Woodworking
INTRODUCTION 3