Rob's Editorial

Woodworking Af-Fair

“Our State Fair is a great State Fair, it’s the greatest State Fair in the land….” I’m no Oscar Hammerstein, but I know a good song when I hear it, (and some might say, will perform it endlessly …) even if I’m not as keen on the whole State Fair experience as some other members of our staff.  (Fellow Minnesotans, please leave your rotten tomatoes at home. ) I do find it great that I get a sneak preview of the fair’s entries in the category most important to me: woodworking. Not just any woodworking, but kids’ woodworking. (I won’t sing again, but you know, “children are the future…”) Each year I spend a day as a judge of woodworking projects submitted by kids to the fair. It is a long day — but satisfying. I am so happy there are still kids doing woodworking out there, and they are doing some great stuff. Precise, hand-cut dovetails by high schoolers, clocks and tables by middle schoolers, and even some great stuff from elementary kids. Spending an August day looking at these projects, hanging out with 30-year veteran shop teachers, talking about woodworking and the future of our craft: that’s one of the greatest things about the State Fair to me. OK, and the mini donuts. Rob Johnstone, Woodworker's Journal P.S. (“State Fair” is actually about the Iowa State Fair. I know that. Remember I mentioned fellow staff? She won’t let me forget. Iowans, you can keep your tomatoes, too.)

Today's Woodworker		Matthias Pliessnig: Around the Bend “As far as comfort level goes, chairs are the hardest thing to make,” insists Matthias Pliessnig. This may be true for him, but not everyone makes seating that looks like an undulating tide, frozen in time, whose surface is rendered in strips of bent wood. Matthias describes one particular piece of seating saying “it looks like two intersecting waves.
Tool Preview		Sand Flee Portable Drum Sander: No More Fleeing from Sanding It’s an open secret that sanding is a job that most woodworkers would like to, well, flee. So, anything that makes it easier – like the Sand-Flee® Portable Drum Sander – is of interest.
Q & A		Exterior Paint Recommendation What kind of paint would you recommend for an exterior carved sign? I want it to protect the wood and not fade.
Feedback		Kudos, Advice and Comments Free Plans We’re guessing that the negative comment about our free plans in the last issue was what inspired this writer to share his view. – Editor
Industry Interview		Baker Hardwoods: Slab Happy Jim Baker is a retired biology teacher, and that may explain in part why he was drawn to the unusual and rather limited business he currently runs. He cuts and sells fancy figured slabs of walnut trees. However, instead of felling healthy trees, he cuts up dead and downed trees.
Web Surfer's Review		The Path Not Taken Overwhelming Respect: from WoodCentral The table saw is perhaps the most pernicious tool from the standpoint of safety. These two threads show an interesting reaction to that danger. The first is from someone who got bitten but had the courage to continue. He describes his ordeal of overcoming the fear to get back on the horse. - Editor
Free Plans		Pine Cabinet Need someplace extra to store…something? Books? Blankets? Maybe even something in a dorm room? This Pine Cabinet isn’t all that big – not quite two feet high, by a little over two-and-one-half feet wide – but it’s enough to give you that little extra something, wherever you need it.
Calendar		View our Calendar of Events
What's In Store		Down Under Router Table Dust Port - Rockler The Rockler-exclusive Down Under Router Table Dust Port solves the problem of dust control when your workpiece coves the entire bit. It attaches, without the use of tools, to the bottom of a router plate insert and guides dust into the hose. The dust port fitting fits through the openings on virtually every router base. ...
Schools		View our list of Woodworking Schools