TAUNTON'S

ine

OO� I I Choose the right glue Surefire finish for walnut How to build picture frames that last TOOL TEST: 15 dado sets Making sense pf sandpaper grits

941

April

201756

No.

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Dust is no friend to the serious woodworker. So let's clear the air and set the record straight. New canister dust collectors from JET feature exclusive V-Weave technology that filters dust up to times smaller than standard filters. Not only that, the new JET dust collectors have over six times the filtering capacity of standard units. The innovative canister design makes disposal easy. (No more messing with cloth bags.)

15

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READER SERVICE NO. 173

The Firat ChoIce of Serious Woodworker Since s1846 @ 2003 Forrest Manufacturing

Code FW

Fine WoodWorkin g

�

MARCHjAPRIL2005

.�..

" ... 176

features 34

Finishing Walnut Dyes and glazing bring out the best in this traditional hardwood BY JEFF JEWITT

38

A Benchtop Bench For routing and handwork, this minibench raises the action to a comfortable height BY JEFF MILLER

On o u r Web site: See the author demonstrate the benchtop bench

42

Six Essential Glues These adhesives handle most furniture-making needs BY SCOTT GIBSON

50

Fortify Your Joinery Hidden corner blocks add strength where it's needed BY

54

GARRETT

HACK

Dado Heads We tested

15

sets

for smoothness of cuts BY STEVE LATTA

50

ADD STRENGTH WITH CORNER BLOCKS

up front

68 12 20 & 28 &

Contributors Letters

Methods of Work

• Hanging tool storage • Router jig for flush edging • Vise insert prevents racking Notes

Comment

• Remembering Jon Arno • Western Design Conference

60

Tools

•

60

8940 96 I & 104 17

Fundamentals

round and curved palts

Making and using a cutlist

BY JO HN ZEITOUN

74

Install Inset Doors With Ease Four-step process uses the joimer and tablesaw

Make professional-quality,

to guarantee a perfect fit

custom frames at a fraction of the cost BY ROBERT

Retrofit guides for bandsaws

Readers Gallery

Router jig makes

All About Picture Framing

horsepower ratings

in the back

Pedestal Table easy work of shaping

68

Materials

• Lie-Nielsen chisels debut • Compressors get new

REGENCY TABLE

project's cutlist

•

Questions

Do

Answers

need a 6-in. or an 8-in.

jointer?

BY J . SPEETJEN S

•

Talking Shop With Kristina Madsen

Curved stretcher adds grace

HA MON

80

On o u r Web site: Download a printable chart for your next

"I

love the technical aspect

of woodworking"

BY JON AT HAN BIN ZEN

Offset hinges for lipped doors

Master Class

and legroom

Finish Line

True grit: Your sandpaper may have changed without you knowing Cover photo: Rodney Diaz

34

FINISHING WALNUT

finewoodworking.com

icontributors ll1

Fine WqqQWorking"

:l

EDITOR Anatole Burkin

Mark Edmundson

ART DIRECTOR

Michael Pekovlch

MANAGING EDITOR Asa Christiana ASSOCIATE EDITORS Thomas G. Begnal, William Duckworth, Andy Engel, Mark Schofield, Steve Scott

ASSISTANT EDITOR Marcia Ryan

SENIOR COPY/PRODUCTION EDITOR Thomas McKenna

COPY/PRODUCTION EDITOR Julie Risinit

ASSOCIATE ART DIRECTORS Rodney Dlaz, Kelly J. Dunton

SHOP MANAGER John White EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Jennifer Deeds CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Christian Becksvoort, Mike Dunbar, Garrett Hack, Roland Johnson, Mario Rodriguez, Gary Rogowski,

Scott Gibson

25

CONSULTING EDITOR Chris A. Minick

("Six Essential Glues"), a woodworker for

METHODS OF WORK Jim Richey

years, has ruined many shirts and jeans by carelessly

INDEXER

wiping glue on them. He only recently started wearing a shop apron. A former editor at Fine Homebuilding and Fine Woodworking, G i bson now is a freelance writer who works from his home in Maine. His book The Workshop

Harriet Hodges

PUBLISHER David Gray ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT Christina Glennon SR. MARKETING MANAGER MARKETING MANAGER

was published last year by The Taunton Press.

Marissa Latshaw Ellen Kracht

SINGLE COPY SALES MANAGER

John Zeitoun

("Pedestal Table") studied furniture- and

Mark Stiekman

ADVERTISING MANAGER

cabinetmaking at Algonquin College in Ottawa, Ont.,

Linda Abbett

Canada. He worked for several years in the field and

SENIOR NATIONAL ACCOUNT MANAGERS

opened his own shop, River Woodworks, i n

19 6.

John Dyckman, William M. McLachlan

During

ACCOUNT MANAGERS

the summer, Zeitoun teaches a workshop on building

Susan Warren Abrams, John Lagan

birch-bark canoes near his hometown of Wakefield,

AD SALES SUPPORT SUPERVISOR

Que., Canada.

Bob Hamon

Marjorie Brown

SENIOR AD SALES SUPPORT ASSOCIATE

("All About Picture Framing") is a certified picture

Christina Kryzanski

framer who has been designing and making classic picture and mirror frames in wood since

197 .

WOODWORKING BOOKS

He has a bachelor's degree in art from

the University of Arkansas, where his studies also included classes in architecture, industrial arts, and m useum methods. Hamon can be reached through his Web site at www.artandmirrors.com.

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Fine Woodworking:

(ISSN:

&

VIDEOS

Helen Albert

0361·3453)

is published

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Taunton Press, Inc., Newtown, CT CT

J. Speetjens

("Install Inset Doors With Ease") has been a

professional woodworker for more than

20

years. Trained

in the art of stringed-instrument making, Speetjens began his career designing and building electric guitars. Since

1992,

he has been building custom furniture and

millwork, ranging from entry doors to case goods to

6

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READER SERVICE NO. 151

M A R C H/AP R I L

2 00 5

7

..letters 1111

Spotlight

books (mainly Tage Frid, of course), so how is he so much better a woodworker

THE INHERENTLY INTELLIG ENT VS. THE KNOW-IT-ALLS

than I am?

I find the letter writers who try to one-up the authors q uite

-J O LY O N J E S T Y, Mount Sinai, N.Y.

am using. You meet people like this all the time-they are Another shop flooring solution

the ones who can't resist the opportunity to show how smart they are. This seems to be particularly true when it comes to

In FWW #172, Dan

I just finished reading "Shop Flooring

(FWW

Faia used fire to

Solutions"

safety issues. The editor gives us fair warning in every issue

achieve a finishing

would like to suggest another product­

with the "About your safety" disclaimer. It's a fact that the shop

effect. The technique

contains many sharp objects that can maim, or even kill, if not

drew a heated response from some readers.

used properly. Then there is dust, electricity, chemicals (this

#174, pp. 50-54). I

Y2-in.-thick rubber pavers from Re-Tek

.softlandingrubber.com). I have ( www dropped honed chisels on tllem with no damage, and the pavers have some give,

one seems to be a favorite for the know-it-alls), lifting heavy wood, hard floors, noise, and loose clothing or hair. Additionally, a person stands a fair chance of getting killed just d riving the car to buy wood! Trust me, though, most of us are quite aware of all

so tlley are comfoltable to stand on. They are priced at about $4 to $5 per square foot. - R H ET T F U LK E R S O N , via email

these hazards. For the others, well, there's always Darwinism. Meanwhile, I think we can trust the editors of Fine Woodworking to continue to bring us i nformative articles

Clarification

on the proper way to handle some of these risks, including the use of a torch to get

A number of readers voiced concern over the cover of our previous issue

an antique finish.

WW

#175), which depicted an author using a tablesaw tenoning jig. While (F

-J I M W I L L I A M S O N , Bucksport, Maine

we don't recommend a knuckle­ dragging posture for this procedure, the Inspired to reorganize a shop

in diameter, causing the blade to spin

composition of the photo made it appear

In the article, "A layout kit for small

off center. Can you help me out, please?

that the autll0r's hands, which were

shops" (Shop Design, F

WW

#174,

- J O E L S T R O N G , East Granby, Conn.

pp. 22-26), John Yurko motivated me to take a hard look at my overcrowded

actually more than 2 in. above the blade, were too close for comfoIt.

Shop manager John White replies:

C 16-ft. by 26-ft.) basement shop. Faced

You pointed out something we did

Correction

with a jumble of stationalY and benchtop

indeed miss in our review. I contacted

The price of the Milwaukee drill, model

tools, and no assembly space to speak

Ridgid about the problem and received

of, I used Yurko's suggestions and layout tools to create a shop plan on paper. I

this response: "Unfortunately, some

article " 1 4.4v Cordless Drills" (F

TS3650 arbor assemblies have incomplete

pp. 40-47). The tool, with two batteries

now have a pleasant, efficient, working

threads, which may cause problems

and a charger, costs about $ 1 90.

shop with 30% additional free space for assembly and workflow.

when using a stacked dado. Correct

- G E O R G E D E R I N G, Greenwich, N.Y.

arbor assemblies are available from Ridgid at no charge. A customer can elect to replace this assembly on his

Tablesaw problem

I purchased the Ridgid tablesaw (model o. TS3650) after reading a positive

own or take it to an authorized service center for free replacement." Call Ridgid at 800-474-3443.

review in Fine Woodworking. But I discovered a design flaw that you

An example of humility

missed. After stacking two outside dado

The article about Jimmy Carter

blades to make a 14-in.-wide cut, I

#174, pp. 82-85) almost brought tears

noticed that one blade cut about

to my eyes. Maybe he was not the best

\-16 8

in. deeper than the other. The

problem is that a small pOltion of the arbor is significantly narrower (0.030 in.) FINE WOODWORKING

(FWW

person to project American might, but what a perfect example of humanity and

o. 0616-20, was listed incorrectly in the

W\,\7

#174,

About your safety Working wood is inherently dangerous. Using hand or power tools improperly or ignoring standard safety practices can lead to permanent injury or even death. Don't try to perform operations you learn about here (or elsewhere) until you're certain they are safe for you. If something about an operation doesn't feel right, don't do it. Look for another way. We want you to enjoy the craft, so please keep safety foremost in your mind whenever you're in the shop. -Anatole Burkin, editor

humility. He and I have read tlle same Photo, this page: Mark Schofield

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..methods :l :l :l 1 of work

E D I T E D A N D D R A W N BY J I M R I CH E Y

.BestTip Hanging tool storage Perforated a ngle i ron

Chain Peg

Space is at a premium in Dick Rochester's garage shop, so he put the empty area above his workbench

Magnetic tool holder

to good use. His hanging tool-storage system keeps a number of regularly used hand tools

suspended this tool-storage unit above my

within arm's reach.

workbench so that the tools I use most often remain within easy reach. The unit is easy to move or raise, if necessary. I made it simply by screwing together two scraps of birch plywood into a T-shape and attaching end caps. To hang tools, I added wooden pegs and heavy-duty magnetic tool holders. To suspend the unit, I bolted two lengths of perforated angle iron (the stuff used to hang garage-door tracks) to the ceiling and attached the unit to the angle iron with three chains on each side. The three-chain configuration eliminates swinging. -Dick Rochester, Lafayette, Colo.

A

Reward for the Best Tip

Send your original tips to Methods of Work, Fine Woodworking, Box 5506, Newtown, CT 06470. If published, we pay $50 for an unillustrated tip; $100 for an illustrated one. And if your tip is the best, you get a pair of 14-in. tenon saws ;made by Adria Toolworks.

PO

--------{�..�.

Extralong clamps I recently needed some long clamps to span an 8-ft.-long dining table, but my Jorgensen parallel-jaw clamps were too ShOI1. So I made a clamp twice as long as the original by removing the sliding head from one clamp, then removing and reversing tl1e head on a second clamp. Using the hole in the bar where the sliding jaw goes, I fastened tl1e two bars together witl1 a ShOI1 bolt. I had to enlarge the sliding jaw's hole slightly to accept a %-in.­

Fixed jaw

dia. bolt. (Keep in mind, though, that the jaws no

Bolt

longer will stay parallel in all situations. ) You can use tl1is technique on Bessey clamps if you file off the stamped keeper dimples and drill a hole for the bolt at the end of the bar. -George Burman, Madera, Calif.

12

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vi

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NO. 140 MA R C H/ A P R I L

2005

13

methods of work

conti n u ed

Router jig ensures flush edging

Wood h a n d l e

Solid-wood edging often is added to plywood to hide the core plies and to protect the fragile edges of the thin surface veneers. To ensure a good-looking, flush connection, I mill the edging about

�

in.

oversize in thickness. Then I glue it to the plywood, making sure the edging projects a bit on both sides. After that, I trim the edging flush using a router and a shopmade jig.

Base p late

The jig has two pans: a router subbase of Plexiglas and a baseplate of melamine. I chose

Subbase

melamine because it is flat, smooth, and heavy, and it slides easily. I added a handle to the subbase and Adjust bit height to thick­ ness of a sheet of paper.

the baseplate to make the jig easier to control on large sheets. To use the jig in corners, I trirnnled the front corners of the baseplate and positioned the router bit ahead of the point. The base is large enough that its weight coun terbalances the router . and keeps tile bit from diving into the work.

Edgi ng

With the router in the base, I adjust the bit to ride the thickness of a sheet of paper (typically 0.002 in. to 0.003 in. thick) above the surface of tile plywood. This keeps me from removing any more material from the already velY thin surface veneer. I

//

Router bit trims the edging to within a bout 0.002 i n . of the plywood .

then rout away the surplus edging on both sides of the plywood. As a final step, I use a card scraper to remove the router marks and to bring the edging flush with the plywood. -Bridger Berdel, Tucson, Ariz.

Extension ladder Roof rack

Strap

Molding

Extension ladder secures molding in transit I had to transpon 24 pieces of 16-ft.-long crown molding on my SUV, but the roof rack wouldn't suppon such long lengti1s. My solution was to strap an extension ladder to the top of the car and then strap the molding to the ladder. I attached the bottom section of the

extension ladder to the car with two ratcheting straps--one in the middle and one from the back bumper to tile bottom rung of the ladder. I also added another strap around the middle to keep the ladder sections from sliding apan. Then, when I picked up the molding, I telescoped the ladder out to 1 4 ft. and added another strap from the top rung to tile front bumper. -Paul Comi Jt:, San Gabriel, Calif.

14

FI

E W O O D W O R KI

G

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Freud's innovative adjustable-hub design not only eliminates the need for shims, but allows you to fine tune the width of the dado wrthout ever removing the dado cutter from your table saw. No more wasted time making adjust­ ments and re-adjustments. A simple click of the dial ensures accuracy the first time.

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The features the same premium materials and quality as all of Freud products. The blade bodies are laser cut for extreme accuracy, and the preci­ sion-ground arbor holes ensure precise blade alignment on any table saw. The MicroGrain carbide is manufactured specifically by Freud for splinter-free, fiat­ bottom grooves in all materials-including problem materials like veneered plywood or melamine. Choose the dado set that produces the best finish and highest-qualrty cuts of any dado set today- choose Freud. Whether you're a production shop, cus­ tom woodworker, or serious woodworker, Freud makes rt easy for you to end­ lessly create dadoes wrth fiawless fiat-bottom grooves.

For Freud's ful www.line ofrheiugdhtoqulasl.ictyomdado sets, go to: READER SERVICE NO. 198

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methods of work

con t i n u ed

Simple method for drawing an oval

Vise insert prevents racking This simple litde shopmade gadget prevents my vise

SYM M ETRICA L OVAL

from racking when the pressure gets cranked up on one end of the jaw. To make it, stan by cutting a couple

Length of quadra nt

r: 1 EF

Height of q u a d ra nt

H

G

F

E

6

c

D

A

of dozen

�-in.-

to lA-in.-thick plywood scraps, each

one 2 in. wide by 4 in. long. Then drill a %-in.-dia. hole near one end of each piece. Fasten the pieces

Line conn ects lettered pairs.

c D

together widl a lA-in. bolt, washers, and a wing nut. After snugging up the vise to the workpiece, pivot the plywood spacers down into position as needed at the opposite side of the vise. With dle insert in place, the vise won't rack, even if you tighten it down hard.

I ntersecti n g pOi nts create curve.

�

-Scott Cullen, Edina, Minn.

Center of oval

-+----� One q u a d rant of oval

ASY M M ET R ICAL OVAL

Center of ova I

Second quadra nt

First q u a d ra nt

I learned a simple way to draw an oval from a remarkable anist in his 80s named Art Overbeck. The idea is to create a curve in only one quadrant of the oval. Once the quadrant is drawn, it's used as a template to create the remaining three quadrants. Stalt by drawing two perpendicular lines; one equal to the height of the quadrant, and the other equal to the length of

V.-i n . bolt

the quadrant. Then divide each line into the same number of pans, with the palts on each line equally spaced. The more pans a line has, the smoother the resulting cUlve will be, but there's no need to go overboard here. It usually doesn't take a lot of parts to end up with an adequate CUIve.

2 in. wide

Once the points have been marked on the lines, label each one with a letter as shown. ( ote that each line ends up with

4 in. long

the same letters, but the sequences differ.) Then draw a line between each matching letter, for example, A-A, B-B, and so on. The next step is to draw a line connecting the intersecting points. You can draw this line freehand, or bend a

thin

piece

of wood and use it as a ruler to ch-aw the line, creating a smood1 cllIve between the points. Cut the CUive to create a template and use it to trace the CUIVe in the remaining quadrants. You also can use this technique to make an asymmetrical oval. The procedure is the same, except the marked lines aren't square to each other. -R.B. Chambers, Richardson, Texas

16

F I NE W OOD W O R KING

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M A R C H /A P R I L

2005

19

.notes 1 1 1 1 & comment

Jon Arno, 1940-2004 JON ARNO, A RESPECTED AUTHOR

offered practical advice to the woodworker with an

and longtime contributor

engaging mix of botany, histOlY, and storytelling.

to this magazine, died Dec.

Although Arno had been ill for many years, he

1, 2004, after a battle with

continued working and writing until recently. His

cancer. The Fine Woodworking staff who worked with Arno,

last article for Fine Woodwol'king, "The Mysteries

and a much larger world of

issue #169. Arno also wrote two books

woodworkers, will miss him.

A long history with Fine Wood. working. Jon Arno's numerous

articles stretch back to 1979. His writing about wood penetrated the surface and brought out the subject's character.

and Magic of Cherry," appeared in

Arno liked to call himself

and contributed to a tl1ird. The

a wood technologist, and he relished sharing his incredible

published by Reader's Digest in

range of knowledge about trees and the products tl1ey provide. In his books and magazine alticles, he revealed

an encyclopedic command of the subject and a love for language. As one of many Fine Woodworking editors who were privileged to edit Arno's manuscripts,

Woodworke1'S Visual Han dbook was

1995, and Trees: An Explore Your World Handbook was published by DiscovelY Books in 2000. His

contributions can be found in A Guide to Useful Woods of the Wodd, Second Edition ( Forest Products

Society, 200 1 ) . Arno once told me, "I probably

I can testify that he made the job a joy. Except for the occasional misspelled word-he hated the constraints of conventional spelling and even had

had sawdust in my diapers . " One

an eloquent argument against the need for it-the

moving to Michigan, where

only difficulty was deciding what part of the copy

he shaped a career building

t h e s p ri ng, th e i r

had to be omitted in order to fit onto the pages allotted . (A limited word count was anotl1er concept

cUlved staircases. Arno's father statted a window-sash business

maj estic gna rly

he disdained.)

that his mother'S family built

b ra n c h es a n d

of his grandfathers trained as a cabinetmaker in London before

Arno was associated with this magazine longer

into a lumbelyard and building

tl1an all but a handful of other writers and editors.

supply, where Arno worked for

His first article, a one-page item on mixing and

many years. He also setved as

using milk paint, appeared in FW'W #15 (March 1 979). Not long

a consultant and gave seminars

after, he developed

identification for antiques dealers

his signature niche:

and museums.

writing profiles on

on furniture styles and wood

In recent years, Arno became

O N SYCA M O R E

Late to l eaf i n

patchy, ash-gray ba rk h ave led syca m o res to be ca l l ed 'gh ost trees.'

many of the species

active on Internet discussion

and families of

boards, including the Fine

wood. The anicles, nearly two dozen

Woodworking Knots site. The technology allowed him to share expertise and ideas with new friends

in all, made for

all over the world.

lively reading. They

In a Knots posting three days before his death, Arno said a graceful and forthright farewell to his

O N C H E R RY

online colleagues: "There really isn't any need for sympatl1Y, " he wrote. "I've had a good life, and,

Its d e n s ity, text u re , sta b i l ity, d u ra b i l ity,

while it is doubtful I am going to live much longer,

wo rki ng pro p e rties, color, a n d figu re a re

I certainly don't feel cheated . . . "It is a disappointment to have to hang it up, but

as becko n i ng to some woodworke rs as

that's just the way it has to be.

a co l d beer o n a h ot s u m m e r d ay.

20

F J N E WI 0 0 0 WI 0 R K J N G

" Godspeed to you all. -Jon" - William Duckwol1b, associate editol'

notes & comment Bold designs shine at Western conference co nti n u ed

CODY, WYO., IS ABOUT AS FAR AS A WOODWORKER CAN GET

from the galleries and studios of New York and Los Angeles. That alone makes it a surprising venue for one of the country's most influential and exciting exhibitions of furniture, fashion, and art. Each fall, this tourist town at the gateway to Yellowstone National Park hosts the Western Design Conference. The 2004 event featured 80 furniture makers in the field of 100 jury-selected designers and artists. Furniture maker Scott Reitman of Cleveland said the show attracts a high-end clientele of collectors and interior designers, and a broad spectrum of talent. "A lot of the future of Western design is being dictated by what's happening at that show," he said. Influences on Western design include America's pioneer and cowboy past and its Hispanic and Native American cultures. The style also can include Arts and

A variety of styles. Mike Roths' Bit­

Crafts or Asian elements.

terroot China Hutch (above) features cowhide panels and horsehair tassles for drawer pulls. The settee (below) was built by Colorado furniture maker Bob Crutcher.

Among the pieces at the 2004 conference was a tall carved cabinet, called the Cody Cabinet (right), by Reitman's company, SAR Furniture. Mike Roths of Bear Paw Custom Woodworks in Stevensville, Mont . , presented a n enormous rustic cabinet called the Bitterroot China Hutch (above left). It features iron butterfly hinges,

Impressive display. The Cody

a clear varnish finish, and knotty cherry stock. At the other end of the scale was a simple Southwestern settee (left) by Bob Crutcher of Bayfield, Colo. The piece was built of walnut, African mahogany, and maple. The conference is sponsored by Western InteriOrs and Design magazine. For details on the 2005

conference, visit

www .westerndesignconference.com.

-John English, editor of Woodezine, a Web site

Cabinet was inspired by the natu­ ral beauty of the West and fea­ tures corner posts of 16/4 walnut carved to look like trees. The 8%-ft.-tal/ piece, designed and built by Scott Reitman and decorated by master carver Eddie Canano, took more than 600 hours to complete.

devoted to woodworking (www. woodezine. comJ

B ook Review

Simply www20 3.5$9. 5 Board Feet

THIS SIMPLE BUT VALUABLE BOOK consists of

Turn to that section, flip to the page

by Douglas E.

tables, with board-feet values tabulated

with the right length on it, and skim

Maxwell. IUnlverse

for lumber up to 25\12 in. wide, 1 6/4

down the width column to find the

Inc.,

thick, and 20 ft. long. Whether you're

board-foot number.

. lunlverse

. com,

paperback;

pp.

adding up a stack of rough hardwood

low-tech calculator is coming with me,

and costs from a project cutiist, this

along with my tape measure, lumber

logically organized, ti1in book does it

crayon, clipboard, and block plane.

in seconds. Got a 5/4 board in hand?

2

F I NE

WOODWOR K I NG

ext time I go to the lumberyard, this

at the lumberyard or estimating materials

-Asa Christiana, managing editor

Photos, this page, John English (top left, middle left); counesy of SAR Furniture (top right); p. 24, Timothy Sams

gifts woodworkers really want

Don't know what to buy the woodworker in your life?

Whether you're a woodworker yourself or shopping for a woodworker, check out these listings for some great products.

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notes & comment Lowe receives 2005 Cartouche Award continued

PHILIP C. LOWE, A MASSACHUS

ETT

S CRAFTSMAN and teacher known for his prolific

conservation and reproduction of early American furniture, has won the 2005 Cartouche Award. The award, presented in January at the Society of American Period Furniture Makers' annual meeting at Colonial Williamsburg, is among d1e most prestigious of its kind. The prize recognizes lifetime achievement in building, promoting, and teaching about American period furniture.

Art

Peters, chairman of the society's advisOly committee, said Lowe's craftsmanship

"represents some of the finest artistlY on the entire planet." He also noted Lowe's teaching and his devotion to historical accuracy in period furniture making. Lowe, 56, began building and restoring furniture full-time in 1986, after 13 years as a student and instructor at Boston's North Bennet Street School. A master carver and wood turner, and a frequent contributor to Fine Woodworking, he has done conservation work on hundreds of furniture pieces, including numerous examples of early lew England furniture on display at the renowned Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, Mass. His waterside shop in Beverly, Mass . , also selves as a classroom. At The Furniture Institute of Massachusetts, Lowe offers a two-year program that concenu'ates on me forms and techniques of u'aditional American styles. Among his current projects, Lowe is doing conservation work on a shield-back chair built by William Fisk, wim calving by Samuel McIntyre of Salem, Mass., circa 1 790.

Stev

-

e Scott, associate editor

Lifetime achievement. In receiving the Car­

touche Award, Lowe was recognized for his devotion to American period furniture.

Wood moisture is a crucial factor that determines usefulness and stability of wood. Lignomat offers pin and pinless meters, giving our customers a real choice to select the meter for their needs. The versatile mini-Ligno pin meters from Lignomat are a favorite for professional woodworkers and serious hobbyists, for all woods from veneer to heavy timbers. Ask about free brochure for pin and

less meters.

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oTtL/il.LHMJ 49

lnc, p. 1 I 0

Groff

ADVERllSER, page

Machine, p. 88

Kayne

College, p. 19

F INE

131 150 151 152 23 189 58

Freud, p. I 5

Golden Witch Technologies,

Bear Mountain Boat Shop, p. 1 12

CabP"rts, p. 95

Eagle Woodworking, p. 1 1 0

Products, p. 1 13

The BeaU Tool Co., p. 1 13

Berea Hardwoods, p. 25

89 87

Eagle Tools, p. 95

of Massachusetts, p. 1 12

75

Auton Motorized Systems, p. 103

Hardware, p. 109

5 9 77 53 84 145 29 134

156

Reader Service No.

School of Woodworking, p. 1 1 0 Sears Crnftsman, p . 33 Seven Corners Hardware, lnc., p. 102 Shaker Workshops, p. 1 7 Sharp Tools USA, p. I I I

141 48 188 72 61 175

University of Rio Grande, p. 1 13

Vac-U-Clamp, p. 18 Vacuum PreSSing Systems, p. 109 Val"dthane, p. 89

J

Vidi Visual Communication, p. 1 1 Vie! TooLs, Inc., p. 3 1 Virutex.com, p . 26

39 W Moore Profiles, p. 1 0 7 66 WGB Glass, 185 \Vagner Electronic

p.97

37 71 161 148 1 130 197 82 94 191 118 139 137 138 194 157 52 88 68 8 166 30 36 140

Products, p. 101 West Penn Hardwoods, p.

12

Western Dovetail, p. / /3 Wetzler Clamp Company, p. 26 Whitechapel, Ltd., p. 99 Wilke Machinery Co. /Bridgewood, p. 1 7 William

g Woodworks, p. 13

William Ng Woodworks, p. I I I Williams

& Hussey,

Wood Artistry, p.

12

p. 95

Wood Rat, p. 97 Wood River Veneer, p. I I 4 Woodcraft, p. 10

-

II

Woodcraft, p. 9 1 Woodcraft, p . 102 Woodfmder, p. I I 0 Woodfinisilingsuppties.com, p. I I I Woodjoy Tools, p. I I I Woodmaster Tools, p. 93 Woodmaster Tools, p. 99 Wood-PI), Lumber Corp., p. 1 1 0 Woodsmith Store, p . 99 Woodworker'S Depot, p. 109 Woodworker'S Source, p. / 1 4 Woodworker'S Supply, p . 109

Zar Wood Finishes, p. 13

ifinish l l 1 .. line

B Y

True grit

M A R K

S C H O F I E L D

CAM I Vs. FEPA grits

The two main methods of grading abrasives for sandpaper are the CAMI system and the FEPA system. A FEPA-grade grit generally is coarser than its CAM I equivalent but is produced with a tighter tolerance for particle sizes within each grit (see the graph at bottom).

Yo u r s a n d p a p e r m a y h a ve c h a n ge d

T H E F I N E R T H E G R I T, T H E M O R E T H E G R A D ES D I F F E R

w i t h o u t yo u k n o w i n g 60

Below about 220 grit, the size of the a brasive particles on both types of sandpaper is roughly equal. Above that level, FEPA sandpaper is increasingly coarse relative to the same grit number on the CAMI scale.

P60

andpaper has many confusing specifications, P80

from the type of abrasive to the weight of the paper, but at least the grit size

80

has always been easy to understand.

P100

Unfortunately, this is no longer true: The world of sandpaper grits is undergoing a

100

quiet revolution, and the grits you've always relied on for each stage of woodworking may no longer be the most appropriate.

P120 120

1 l

CAMI once was dominant

P150

A generation ago, most sandpaper sold in the United States had its abrasive size graded on a scale developed by the Coated Abrasives Manufacturers' Institute (CAMI)

150

and approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). This standard was so common that

180

reference to it was not even included on the back of

220

P180 P220

a sheet of sandpaper; it simply stated the grit number:

P240 240

180, 220, etc. In Europe, the Federation of European Producers of

P320

Abrasives (FEPA) had its own metric grading scale, but to avoid confusion, FEPA-graded paper carried the prefix P with the grit number: P I 80, P220, etc. Not only was the distinction clear, but FEPA sandpaper sold in the United States also

320

P400

400

P600

600 800

P1200 P1500

For coa rse- to mediu m-grit pa per, there is very l ittle d iffe rence between the two gra d i n g syste ms.

For fine s a n d i n g a n d f i n i s h i ng, it is i m portant to know w h i c h type of sandpaper grade you a re using.

was confined largely to that made by European

F E PA : R O U G H E R

companies such as Having two grading methods would be of only academic interest if the same numbered papers produced the same results. Unfortunately, the finer the grits become, the more the two grading systems diverge (see the chart at right). Below 220 grit, the size of the abrasive

Phoros: Michael Pekovich

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