Woodworker's Journal 2007-Winter, страница 6
Accessories Make the Tool It couldn't have been more than an hour after I put my first table saw together that it happened: I needed an accessory to go with it. I had bought the saw with the grand plan of building a few cabinets for my budding garage shop, then charging into the other projects on my list. Well, next to that stack of plywood, my shiny new saw looked woefully small. In fact, it was downright puny. Despite my excitement to get those cabinets underway and turn that stack of plywood into a pile of parts, my cautious nature in the shop was applying the brakes. Could I possibly cut those sheets up safely on my own without a helper to catch the offcuts? No way. I needed an outfeed table. So much for the cabinets. Task One was to cobble together my first of many, many jigs and fixtures for that saw. In the years since then, I can't even count the number of accessories I've built for my tools. No doubt, you've come to the same revelation I did that day. Out of the box, our woodworking tools can work wonders for us, but sooner or later — probably sooner — you'll be making a few jigs or fixtures to go with them. Think about it: a router becomes more useful with a straightedge guide, a handful of templates and, of course, a router table. Clamp a shop-made table with a hole in it to your drill press and it transforms into a drum sander. You can slice up your own wood veneer on a band saw, but you'll fall short on uniform thickness unless you make a point fence to steer those tricky long rip cuts. Shop accessories make tools safer to use. They expand a tool's range of functions, improve convenience and sometimes even make up for a shortcoming here or there in a tool's design. Adding the right jig or fixture to your mortiser, miter saw or lathe will help you "trick it out" to be the tool that fits you best. This special issue of Woodworker's Journal is dedicated to workshop projects. Special Projects Editor Chris Marshall and I have selected some of the best shop accessory stories from past issues to help fortify your collection of jigs and fixtures. (We're even including a table saw outfeed table plan!) We've also added a handful of smart technique articles so you can bone up on veneering, steam bending and gluing up large panels. If you're just getting started with your tool collection, I think you'll enjoy Chris's lead-off article on the top five shop tools, starting on page 8. Can you work wood without shop accessories? Sometimes. But the right jig or fixture can fit your tools like a hand in a glove. You'll work faster, safer and in most cases, more accurately too. [j^l USfej Jul-- 6 WINTER 2007 woodworkersjournal.com LARRY N. STOIAKEN Editor in Chief ROB JOHNSTONE Editor JOANNA WERCH TAKES Senior Editor JEFF JACOBSON Senior Art Director JOE FAHEY Associate Art Director ANN ROCKLER JACKSON Publisher MARY TZIMOKAS Circulation Director KELLY ROSAAEN Circulation Coordinator SARAH M. GREER Advertising Director ALYSSA TAUER Advertising Assistant Special Projects Editor CHRIS MARSHALL Contributing Editors MICHAEL DRESDNER MIKE MCGLYNN RICK WHITE ADVERTISING SALES J.F. Van Gilder Company RO. BOX 802405, Dallas Texas 75380 DAVID BECKLER david@jvgco.com TERRI MATHIS terri@jvgco.com JIM VAN GILDER jim@jvgco.com Phone: (972) 392-1892 Fax: (972) 392-1893 SUBSCRIPTION INQUIRIES (800) 765-4119 or www.woodworkersjournal.com Write Woodworker's Journal, P.O. Box 56585, Boulder, CO 80322-6585. E-mail: woodworkersjournal@neodata.com. Include mailing label for renewals and address changes. For gift subscriptions, please include your name and address in addition to your gift recipient's name and address. BACK ISSUES & REPRINTS Woodworker's Journal or Today's Woodworker Workshop Projects is published by Rockler Press Inc., 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. Single copy price, $5.99 (U.S.); $8.99 (Canada/other countries). Reproduction without permission prohibited. Printed in the USA. WEB SITE: www.woodworkersjournal.com ©2006 Rockler Press Inc., Printed in USA. |
