Issue 116
Issue 116
A Hunkering Down Weekend
We here in Minnesota take great pride in the fact that we live where weather deserves to be the dominant conversation. Just last week, about five miles from my cabin, the air temperature measured 54° below zero. Garrison Keillor calls us “God’s frozen people” for good reason. But watching the news recently tells me that people in other parts of the country are getting to know the secret benefits of truly nasty weather. We call it a hunkering down weekend. When the snow flies and the temperature drops … no one expects you to be out and about … that would be imprudent. And there is no better place to hunker than a woodshop. Let the wind blow and drifts pile up: start making sawdust and you won’t give it a second thought.
So here’s to no-good, nasty-cold, blizzard-like weather. And here’s to hunkering down.
Sincerely,
— Rob Johnstone, editor: Woodworker’s Journal
Today's Woodworker
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Alice Porembski: Where Contentment Meets Creativity
Single, twice divorced, and fifty-six, Alice Porembski is about the happiest and most contented furniture maker/designer I’ve interviewed, and also one of the best.
Industry Interviews
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Jerrold Roger Beall: The Beall Tool Company
Jerrold Roger Beall, or J.R. to most who know him, is nothing if not eclectic. To know that at 71…
Q & A
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Glue for a Butch Block Countertop
I want to make my own butcher block countertop. What kind of glue should I use?
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Drilling Holes in Rip Fence
Table saw fences don’t come with holes already there, the way miter guides do. Is it OK to drill holes in a rip fence to attach an auxiliary or sacrificial fence?
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Finishing Mahogany Deck Furniture
Greg Williams gives this reader a few thoughts to consider when choosing a finish for outdoor furniture.
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Painted Lumber with Planer
I was given a 12″ planer for Christmas. Is it OK to run painted oak through it? I’ve double-checked to ensure there are no nails or screws in the lumber, but wonder if the finish on the wood will dull the cutters.
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Suggestions for Woodworking Software
Can you suggest a simple woodworking software program that a novice woodworker, not a computer geek, can understand? One that also generates a cut sheet would be nice.
What's In Store
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Franklin’s Liquid Hide Glue: Classic Control
Franklin’s Titebond Liquid Hide Glue is a product I heartily recommend. It is available in a variety of sizes and from many convenient sources. If you have not used it yet, why not give it a try in your next project?
Feedback
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Dark Thoughts and Bright Ideas
At last, poetry that has a real message. My collegiate poetry teacher would flip in her grave if she read these poems.
