Popular Woodworking 2004-08 № 142, страница 14

WGDDCRAFT

UNIVERSITY

There's a

Woodcraft University location nearyou

Alabama

Birmingham Area Arizona Tucson California

Orange County

Sacramento

San Francisco/Dublin

Santa Rosa

Colorado

Colorado Springs

Denver

Connecticut

Hartford Area

Orange

Delaware

Wilmington

Florida

Casselberry

Clearwater

Jacksonville

Fort Lauderdale

Georgia

Atlanta Area

Indiana

Evansville Indianapolis

Kentucky

Louisville Maryland

Towson

Massachusetts

West Springfield

Woburn

Michigan

Canton

Sterling Heights Minnesota Bloomington Missouri St. Louis Area New Hampshire Portsmouth Area New Mexico Albuquerque

New York

Albany Rochester North Carolina

Charlotte Area Greensboro Raleigh Ohio

Cincinnati Area

Cleveland Area

Columbus Area

Dayton

Oklahoma

Oklahoma City

Tulsa

Oregon

Eugene

Portland Area

Pennsylvania

Harrisburg

Philadelphia Area

Pittsburgh Area

Rhode Island

East Greenwich

South Carolina

Charleston

Tennessee

Johnson City

Knoxville

Nashville

Texas

Austin

Dallas Area

Fort Worth

Houston

San Antonio

Utah

Salt Lake CityArea Virginia

Richmond

Roanoke

Virginia Beach

Washington D.C. Area

Washington

Seattle

West Virginia

Parkersburg Wisconsin

Appleton/Fox Cities Area

Madison

Milwaukee Area

Woodworker's Club:

Connecticut

Norwalk

Maryland

Rockville

WGDDCRAFT

For your local Woodcraft store, visit www.woodcraft.com, or for a free catalog, call 800 542-9115

Dept.04PW08BE

CIRCLE NO. 128 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.

Letters

continued from page 10

Since then, I have lived in fear of losing or damaging my priceless jig. However, if this is a joint that readers are going to try on plywood, which Bill seems to be doing, there are a couple of things I am sure he knows but doesn't mention.

First is that on the vertical cut, the bit is cutting the veneer face and will cause chipping at any speed. Making the cut gradually is tedious and doesn't seem to help much. I solved this problem by making a heavy score line with a straightedge and a utility knife at the top of the cut.

The other problem that I found is that the spline created in the vertical cut is very easy to break during assembly, particularly on some of the larger pieces that might need some additional encouragement to fit. Before applying any pressure to move the end that's out of line into position, be sure the part of the joint that has been fit is clamped in position. Otherwise the least amount of pressure is likely to snap the spline.

Jon Noel Helena, Montana

Bill Hylton responds: Regarding the problem you mentione d about the splintering and chipping of the face veneers, the only place I can envision a knife-cut being made is at the inside edge of the miter, which would be at the inside corner of the assembled joint. You'd have the same problem at the same spot on the cuts made with the work flat on the tabletop.

I think a zero-clearance support around the bit would be quite beneficial. I didn't have the space to broach this topic in the column, but in the accompanying photos, I show a hardboard auxiliary tabletop providing a zero-clearance opening for the bit in the table.

And I have the movable fence facings of the router table's fences closed in on the bit. I did this with the router running, so the bit cut its profile into the ends of the facings. You can see that I was cutting birch plywood and it didn't have splintering that I recall.

Where's the Book to Help with QuickCAD? It's Hidden, but it's There

In reference to your "CAD for Woodworkers" article (June 2003), I purchased the QuickCAD program as described in your very good article. I'm having some trouble in using the program due in part to my lack of

understanding of the "not-too-informational" book that came with the program.

I pulled up the designs that were included in the article, as well as those on your web site, to see what you had done. Do you know of an aftermarket book that would be of help with this program?

Don Nicholas Lakewood, Washington

Author John Hutchinson responds: You already have the only book on QuickCAD, but you don't know it. It's contained in the CD-ROM with the software. To keep prices down, most of the software manufacturers are going with these kinds of CD-ROM "books." The entire thing prints out to almost 400 pages, and it contains everything you could ever want to know about QuickCAD. Put the CD-ROM in your computer and the path to the book should become evident — now that you know it's there.

There are Plenty of Options Available When Finishing Cherry

I have recently started making my first piece of furniture - the Stickley Side Table (June 2000). I decided on this piece as a gift for my parents, who have new cherry Stickley furniture in their house.

I noticed that you finished this white oak table with a reddish aniline dye, then applied one coat of boiled linseed oil and wiped on a thin coat of warm brown glaze. What would you recommend I use to finish this table, considering it's cherry?

David Hussung Louisville, Kentucky

Editor's Note: Cherry is a beautiful option for Arts & Crafts furniture. It's my opinion, and the opinion of many woodworkers, that cherry requires no additional coloring. Properly selected and matched cherry that shows no sap will age and darken to a beautiful, warm color. This actually happens very quickly, especially when the wood is exposed to sunlight. My suggestion is to complete the piece and allow it to get some sun. Try and move the piece to balance the light it's exposed to. After a couple of days, a coat of boiled linseed oil will bring out more depth and color. Your finish coat can be a traditional wax, shellac or even a coat of lacquer. The table will continue to darken and gain beauty. PW

— David Thiel, senior editor

12

Popular Woodworking August 2004