December 2021

Woodworker's Journal

“America’s leading woodworking authority”™

Woodworker's Journal1 min read
Finding That Spark Of Inspiration
Building handmade gifts is one of the most satisfying woodworking experiences of my life. Whether the gift is fanciful or practical, complicated or easy, it makes little difference. I am exhilarated as I build, excited when I complete it and gratifie
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
You Guessed It — Gifts!
There’s no need to sugarcoat it … we are in the homestretch when it comes to making gifts for the holidays. It’s my hope that in this issue you will find inspiration for your efforts as well as a couple of fun-to-build ideas to help you out. Our sele
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
Woodworkers Journal
ROB JOHNSTONE Publisher ALYSSA TAUER Associate Publisher CHRIS MARSHALL Senior Editor JEFF JACOBSON Senior Art Director DAN CARY Senior Content Strategist COLLEEN CAREY Video Production Assistant NICK BRADY Project Builder MATTHEW HOCKING Internet Pr
Woodworker's Journal3 min read
Letters
Why Such Skinny Pins? When I look at many projects with dovetail joints these days, there seems to be a trend toward small, skinny pins. As an engineer, I think joints not only have to be strong, they must also look strong, since non-engineers judge
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
Reader Projects
My father recently passed away, and I wanted to honor him in a way that would recognize his carpentry talents. He and my mom built houses as a hobby and as a way to finance their retirement. I don’t have his carpentry skills; I’m more of a woodworker
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
We Asked Our Survey Group About Routers This Time
How many handheld routers do you own? 1 to 2 32.14% 3 to 4 48.87% 5 to 6 13.81% 7 or more 5.18% About how old are your routers? Three years or less 4.39% 4 to 7 years 44.61% 8 to 10 years 30.76% 11 years or older 20.24% Do you own a battery-powered r
Woodworker's Journal3 min read
STUMPERS Fiery Possibilities Or A Toothy Truth?
While Chris Ericson’s small cast-iron mystery tool from our August issue (pictured at right) has had him stumped, several of you have thrown your hats in the ring to help solve this riddle. Two likely possibilities have sifted to the top of the mail
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
Trivia
How Big Should Bowls Be? Most beginning turners aspire to turn gargantuan bowls. In reality, 6" to 14" is the range of useful bowl diameters in everyday use. Beyond 14" a bowl dominates the table and, filled with oranges, much of the fruit will rot b
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
Thrifty Caddies, Slick Flush-trimming Mod
Do you ever forget a tape measurement you just took? Here’s a trick I’ve been using for more than 50 years to avoid that problem. Attach a piece of white vinyl or plastic laminate to the side of your tape measure with hot glue or silicone caulk to cr
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
Cut From The Same Cloth
When my family immigrated to the United States from Vietnam in 1985, we were sponsored by the Lezons, a Polish-Italian family that tended to our needs as my mother searched for employment. My mother was a successful embroiderer in Saigon (now Ho Chi
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
Denver Store Celebrates Grand Opening
If you live in the greater Denver area but haven’t visited your local Rockler store lately, you might not be aware that the store has almost doubled its footprint in 2021. To mark that expansion, it celebrated a grand opening with festive events and
Woodworker's Journal6 min read
Build a Four-legged Windsor Stool
With the holidays approaching, I thought a Windsor stool might be a fun gift project to make. The round seat is an easy faceplate turning job, and the legs are a simplified double-bobbin style that is much easier to turn than the classic baluster leg
Woodworker's Journal6 min read
Modern Farmhouse Dining Table
When my family moved into our new home, we needed a table to fill the larger dining room space you see here. Our house’s architecture is an open floor plan concept, so we wanted a table with a modern but very buildable design to closely match the hou
Woodworker's Journal3 min readChemistry
Pouring Resin Coasters
Handmade gifts never go out of style, and they’re a fun way to explore your own creativity. Lately I’ve been excited to make some epoxy coasters using Rockler’s cool new silicone coaster molds (for more about the molds, see “Tool Preview,” page 60).
Woodworker's Journal5 min read
Menorah/Holiday Tea Light Candleholder
Whether secular or religious, festive candleholders are an integral part of the holiday season. My “modular” design uses tea light candles for a stylish, modern look. It can be made with nine candles as a menorah or with fewer candles as a table deco
Woodworker's Journal5 min read
Beehive Honey Dipper
If nothing tastes better in a steaming cup of tea or on top of a slice of toast than a dollop of honey, a special honey dipper like this could sweeten how you dispense that drizzle. Rockler offers a stainless-steel honey dipper (item 65970) with an e
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
Simple Serving Tray
This simple geometric serving tray can be made using only a handsaw, a drill, three clamps and some sandpaper. It is a perfect beginner’s project, and experienced woodworkers could make several of them as nice gifts in a short time, too. The tray con
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
Vote for the Best Design in Our Honey Dipper Challenge!
When the idea of turning a honey dipper for the issue was decided, several staff members came forward wanting to do the project and article (well, all of us). Chris was selected to take charge of the article, but several of us felt excluded and wante
Woodworker's Journal3 min read
Turner’s Tool Holder
When you’re in the middle of a turning project, it’s handy to have all of your lathe tools within easy reach. This tip-out tool holder, which began as a “Trick of the Trade” submitted years ago by reader James Mossinghoff, can bring that convenience
Woodworker's Journal3 min read
Veneering: Skin-deep Beauty
Veneering — or applying very thin layers of wood to cover a substrate — has been around since, well, forever. Even the ancient Egyptians used veneer! Still, many new and even experienced woodworkers can be hesitant to make use of veneer in their work
Woodworker's Journal8 min read
Quick-and-easy Joinery Solutions
Woodworkers have a variety of joinery methods to choose from, with many of them being both decorative and strong — but complicated to build. There’s nothing wrong with fancy dovetails, for example, if you have the time to make them well and the proje
Woodworker's Journal1 min read
Playing Dominoes
Combing multiple aspects of joinery methods we’ve discussed here, the Festool Domino is a unique — albeit pricey — tool option for making fast, strong joinery. Visually similar to a biscuit joiner, the Domino uses an oscillating plunging bit to make
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
Veneer Pack Options are Great for Newbies
For those of you who have been taking advantage of veneering’s many benefits, you likely have your own special sources. But if you’re just getting started with the craft of veneering, I suggest a source that you know and trust: Rockler Woodworking an
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
New Silicone Casting Molds
Poured resin, mixed with a cornucopia of different colorant options, can make a variety of small projects more eye-catching and exciting! With five new types of reusable casting molds from Rockler, you can pour custom epoxy resin blanks for turning p
Woodworker's Journal3 min read
Safer Track Saw, Forest-friendlier Mallets
Drilling accurate screw holes in doors or drawers for pull hardware should be much easier to do if you use a JIG IT Knob and Pull Pro Drilling Guide (item 53038; $49.99) from Rockler. That’s because you mount the pull you’re installing onto the jig u
Woodworker's Journal2 min readChemistry
Replacing My Antique Table’s Sticky Finish?
Tim Inman is a professional woodworker and finishing expert and the author of The Art of Classical Furniture Finishing. Q The finish on my family’s antique dining table gets sticky when it’s wet or heated by serving dishes. I’d like to refinish it be
Woodworker's Journal2 min read
Bubinga: Guibourtia tessmannii
Bubinga is wood derived from trees in the genus Guibourtia, named after the French pharmacologist Nicholas Jean Baptist Gaston Guibourt, who lived from 1790 to 1861. There are 16 known species of Guibourtia with 13 occurring in Africa and three in So

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