Rob's Editorial

Electronic Letdown?

We did it, our first fully digital edition of the Woodworker’s Journal is online and doing well. We received a bunch of feedback about the issue, both positive and negative, that we are taking quite seriously. Many folks were thrilled with the concept of being able to access their favorite magazine on the web 24/7. They liked the live hot-links, the video, the ease of navigation and other features too numerous to mention. Others thought the digital version was “fuzzy.” (If that happened to you, your hook-up to the Internet is a bit too slow for our magazine right now.) Others did not like the idea of adding another piece of software to their computer (the Zinio reader), asking why we did not simply use the PDF format. The answer to that question is that the PDF software did not provide the depth of functionality of the Zinio format. Another common issue was that the scaling feature was funky … either 100% (too small), or 200% (too stinking big).  The scaling problem can be solved by downloading the reader, which has four settings as compared to the web browser version that has only two. With that said, we are working on solutions to all these challenges. The question that I really want to put to bed is: “Is this going to replace the print magazine? Will I not be able to get my paper issue some day?”  No way. We will not be replacing the print version of the magazine. The digital issue is simply an alternative option (a super-cool one!). But here is the deal: the July/August issue will be the only free example of our digital issue; from now on it will be on a subscription basis only. (Subscribe here!) I hope this answers some of the questions surrounding our new digital issue. Many of you thought it was the bee’s knees, and I must confess to being in that crowd. But I may be just a bit prejudiced. Rob Johnstone, Woodworker’s Journal PS If you have further questions regarding our digital issue, click here.

Today's Woodworker		Brian Newell: East Meets West After spending the past ten years designing and building furniture in Japan, Brian Newell has returned to the U.S. He brings with him not only his considerable woodworking skill, but also a designer’s eye influenced by his experiences on both sides of the Pacific. The result is quite astounding.
Tool Preview		Bessey K Body: Clamp It Tight When you want to clamp something, what do you want your clamp to do? Hold stuff together – with ease, with strength and without breaking (the clamp itself or the object being clamped). That would be my criteria, and I'm willing to bet other people have the same requirements.
Q & A		Easier Ways to Turn Multiples Are there ways of using patterns or techniques for turning multiples, like chessmen, that eliminate repeatedly stopping the lathe to take measurements?
Feedback		Calculation, Maintenance, Bostitch and Brevity Calculating Woodworkers One question in the last issue dealt with calculating rail, stile and panel sizes for raised panel doors, and a reader responded with an enormously helpful solution. – Editor “I had the same problems until I found a wonderful little program at Rockler called the Woodshop Calculator. ...
Industry Interview		Stockroom Supply’s V Drum Sander: A Unique Drum that’s Anything but Humdrum Some tool ideas arrive from out of the blue and others are designed to fill a bare market niche, but the V Drum Sander had a different origin. It came about as the result of its inventor being forced to field one too many complaints from annoyed sandpaper customers about the paper loading up on their drum sanders.
Web Surfer's Review		Blades and Stones Small Radius: from Women in Woodworking “In Mark Duginske's book, The Complete Guide to the Bandsaw, he says that with a quarter inch blade you can cut a curve with radius of curvature equal to that of a quarter. I can come nowhere near this. The best I can do, with considerable blade flexing, is a radius of more than one and a half inches. I also get noticeable burning of the wood. I am using four quarter maple and yellowheart. Can someone suggest what the likeliest problem is? Could it be poor technique, though I am trying to follow his directions, a cheap Craftsman 10 inch saw, a dull blade, low tension, a cheap blade, a dirty blade or something else?” – Toysandpuzzles
Free Plans		Early American Step Table This Early American Step Table is a quick and easy project — and it’s made from an all-American wood, too: ¾” pine.
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What's In Store		D51276K and D51257K Finish Nailers - DeWalt DeWalt’s D51276K and D51257K 15- and 16-gauge Finish Nailers have a patent-pending Sealed Lube Dual Tech™ system of dual stack piston ring and non-stick head valve design to maintain the motor’s durability whether the user chooses oil-free or oil-lube operation. The 3.85-lb. nailers can drive 1-inch to 2-one-half-inch nails into hardwoods. Price is $189 for the 15-gauge D51276K and $169 for the 16-gauge D51257K. ...
Schools		View our list of Woodworking Schools