Woodworker's Journal fall-2009, страница 8

Reader Questions, Answered

Readers regularly submit questions about woodworking to the magazine. We do our best to answer them— or find other experts who can. here are those responses.

The Workshop Book

Scott Landis

The Workshop Book, by Scott Landis, has our editor's endorsement as a great guide to planning your shop layout.

QWe recently retired to central Texas where it's either hot and humid or cold and humid. A 12' x 16' shed could make a small workshop. I make small items but need space for tool storage. I also need to store a walk-behind lawn mower, wheelbarrow and garden tools.

Aside from the space problem, I'm concerned about dust clogging an air-conditioner filter or exploding from a gas or electric heater. Flammable

fumes, too, are a concern. Maybe I want more than I can have, but if you can suggest ways to solve these problems, you'll have my vote for president.

R. R. Ihrig Whitney, Texas

A If nominated, I will not run; if elected, I will not serve ... but thanks for your vote of support! It sounds like you are willing to put some time and money into creating an efficient and functional shop space. And you are doing it in the right way by planning to avoid problems before you begin. My favorite book on this subject remains Scott Landis's The Workshop Book, published by Taunton Press.

To your questions about dust and flammable fumes, common sense is the key in dealing with both. Sufficient dust collection (both point-source dust extraction and ambient air filtration) is a great investment. New options for both enter the market continually. In a small space, finishing with hazardous fumes can best be dealt with by avoiding them altogether. With the large selec

tion of shellac and waterbased finishes on the market, not to mention products like wipe-on polyurethane, I would be surprised if you would need to resort to spraying lacquer or the like. I would avoid a heating system that uses an open flame, but I am aware of hundreds of shops that use woodburning stoves to heat them. I wouldn't ... and, in fact, when I run for office, that will be part of my policy statement: I'm strongly against open flames in the workshop.

— Rob Johnstone

QI am making a garden gate out of red cedar. The gate is 3' x 4' high, but I think the surface is too flat and needs a textural element. I thought that a V-groove in the center and one every 3" expanding outward would break up the surface to give it more visual interest. Do you know of a jig design or another way to keep my router's V-grooves straight and the lines parallel to each other?

Donald Kennedy East Hampton, New York

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Reader Questions, Answered