February 18, 2009

Fine Woodworking - April 2009

Way back when we started the site, we used to review all of the woodworking/construction magazines we got. It was sort of a tedious affair and after we solicited your opinion on the matter, we discovered that you enjoyed reading them about as much as we enjoyed writing them. But still, when we get something we're impressed with, we like to let you know about it. And this month's Fine Woodworking is just such an issue.

A lot of the content of Fine Woodworking lands way above our heads. We don't have the time to spend a day tuning up a block plane or the patience to make a massive table saw jig for just one cut (for a piece of furniture that we don't have the skill to make). But this latest issue, while filled with a lot of expert-level ideas and procedures, also has a number of great articles for anyone interested in tinkering around in the garage or basement shop.

The issue includes...

An Illustrated Guide to Doors - a great article with illustrations of all the major joints, panel profiles, hinge options, and a lot more. It's a great primer on door anatomy and all of the different things that go into building (or fixing) one.

Handplaning 101 - Another nice article that gets down to the basics. Nothing extreme here, just a step-by-step guide on how to correctly use a plane. Good stuff.

When Clamps Fall Short - This is a good article on ways to adapt your clamps for the need at hand. Clamps are great when everything is square and in one plane, but what about in more challenging situations? Read the article to find out.

Dry Your Own Lumber - We like the whole 'from scratch' ethic that this article proposes. It covers the money saving (but time-consuming) process of setting up a backyard lumber drying rack. The results are neat looking and one year from now, you've got a ton of usable lumber.

Buy this issue at Fine Woodworking

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