Popular Woodworking 2007-06 № 162, страница 7

Letters

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Soft maple is almost always red maple (acer rubrum), though sometimes it will be silver maple. Hard maple is typically sugar maple (acer saccharum) or sometimes black maple (acer nigrum).

What's the difference? The hard maples are heavier, a bit harder and tend to be whiter in my experience. The soft maples weigh a bit less, are a bit easier to work (though not much) and tend to have more color streaking throughout (grays and browns mostly). In general, we've found color streaking becomes more prominent in Southern-grown maples of both types. In soft maples, unusual figure seems to be more common in our area, though the curly version of hard maple tends to be more dramatic.

Soft maple is generally less expensive than hard maple and is sometimes used as a secondary wood by some furniture makers. I have found that you can also use soft maple for exterior parts if you select it carefully.

— Christopher Schwarz, editor

Wanted: Details for Making Hand Tools

Where can I find details for making my own planes, saws and more? I spent some time on the Clark & Williams site (planemaker.com), but they give helpful hints - not details and dimensions.

Jim Rather Medina, Texas

There are good resources out there for people who want to build their own tools.

If you are interested in making James Krenov-style wooden planes (or aren't sure what style you want to build), I recommend "Making & Mastering Wood Planes" (Sterling) by David Finck. While the book focuses on building the low-slung plane associated with Krenov, the book is an excellent all-around reference on plane mechanics and tuning.

If you want to make wooden planes that are more traditional, including moulding and joinery planes, then I recommend "Making Traditional Wooden Planes" (Astragal) by John M. Whelan. It also is an excellent reference on plane mechanics.

For making your own saws, I have two recommendations . Visit the Norse Woodsmith site (norsewoodsmith.com), which has a wealth of information about saw making (and tool making in general). There are lots of photos, illustrations and text to guide you.

For sharpening your saws, I recommend "Setting and Sharpening Hand and Power Saws" (Wooden Boat Books) by Harold H. "Dynamite" Payson. It is, in my experience, the best book on the topic.

— Christopher Schwarz, editor

How to Make Side-hung Drawers

I am a relatively new woodworker and focus on Mission-style furniture. I am in the process of making two end tables that each have one drawer.

Excluding my workbench that contains drawers hung on manufactured runners, I have never made a piece of furniture that has drawers. I would like to hang the drawers from the sides using wood rails that ride in a groove in the drawers' sides (as done in Stickley furniture) but would like some specific guidelines on how to do this. If it's possible to do this with a table saw rather than a router, that would be great.

I particularly like the Stickley-type furniture plans that have been published in Popular Woodworking but haven't found any that contain a drawer using this construction method. Are there any? If not, do you have any detailed guidelines that I could use? For example, given a specific drawer opening size, how do you size the drawer appropriately for the space ? And where do you place the wood rails and the drawer grooves for a foolproof fit? I want to learn some general "rules" that I can apply to any future situation.

Brian Baker Bethlehem, Pennsylvania

The Byrdcliffe cabinet I made for the April 2006 issue (#154) has side-hung drawers. I also discuss this in my first book, "Shop Drawings for Craftsman Furniture" (Fox Chapel). It's not that complicated. I usually make the drawer sides out of V2" or ⁵/s" material, and make the groove ¹/s" to ³16 " deep. The width of the groove will vary between and 1¹^4" depending on the height of the drawer, with a wider groove in a taller drawer. I center the groove top to bottom in the height of the drawer side. I make the drawer about ¹^16" smaller on all sides than the opening; if the drawer front is more than about 6" wide, I'll leave a bigger gap at the top and bottom (I use a nickel as a spacer in winter and a dime in summer).

The main thing is to get the runner sized so

that it slides nicely in the groove without being sloppy. If I can, I'll attach at least one end of the runner to the case with a screw in an oversized hole so that I can adjust it to keep the drawer front parallel to the front of the case. For a final fit, I'll rub chalk on the runner or in the groove and work the drawer in and out to reveal the high and low spots. I try to cut a nice clean groove with a machine — I prefer the router — then I can plane the runner with a block plane or a shoulder plane to fit. Paraffin rubbed on mating parts will help it slide.

The main reason not to use the table saw for the grooves is that the grooves need to stop an inch or so back from the front of the case. A stopped groove from the table saw will ramp up at the end and this excess material will need to be removed.

— Robert W. Lang, senior editor

Advice Needed for Correct Use of The Skew in Woodturning

Do you have any advice on the correct use of a skew in woodturning? I was taught incorrectly in school and later learned a little correct woodturning technique during a brief encounter with a far more knowledgeable turner than my woodshop teacher.

One trick was to turn, then join offset turnings to make offset feet on tapered legs, then round and cut them off cleanly - all glass-smooth with no sanding whatsoever. I learned more in five minutes from that turner than in an entire year in school, and would like to expand on that.

Christopher Wright Verona, New Jersey

For truly glass-smooth cuts, the skew is the proper tool — and mastering that tool takes practice. Alan Lacer is a recognized expert and promoter of using the skew, and he's made some good videos demonstrating its use and technique (you can find his videos and more information about him at alanlacer.com).

Because you have already discovered the value of learning firsthand, I'd suggest you look into a turning club or guild in your area. Members are usually more than happy to help people learn and improve. Our local group in southern Ohio even has an established no-cost mentor program. You can find a list of clubs with links to more info at woodturner.org.

— Steve Shanesy, publisher continued on page 16

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Popular Woodworking June 2007