#283-Jul/Aug 2020

Articles

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  From the Editor: Publishing during a pandemic

  If this were a normal year, Tom McKenna's editor's letter would be filled with stories about how much fun we had at Fine Woodworking Live 2020 last April. But this has not been a normal year.
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  Q&A: Sanding to 500 grit

  One reader asks Chris Becksvoort if sanding too fine will interfere with finishing.
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  How to Cut Accurate Tenons on the Table Saw

  A dado set on the tablesaw is Charles Durfee's go-to method for cutting tenons.
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  Designer's Notebook: The art of turning

  Max Brosi uses texture, contrast, and the distortion of the wood to bring his ideas forward. Once he knows what the piece is going to say, making it is an enjoyable and often automatic process.
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  How to Build a Desk Gallery

  Christian Becksvoort shows you how to build a gallery that's full of functionality and eye-catching details.
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  Jigs for Routing Perfect Curves

  Tips and techniques for making an assortment of pattern-routing jigs.
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  Veneered Boxes Made Easy

  Veneering pro Craig Thibodeau shows how to make a mitered, veneered box that he describes as simple but that looks anything but.
• 
  Don't build a new workbench

  Chris Schwarz demonstrates how to improve any existing bench with a few inexpensive pieces of wood and steel.
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  Carve Your Daily Bowl

  Greenwood carver David Fisher eats his cereal each morning out of a bowl he carved himself. You can, too, with just a handful of tools and this quiet tutorial.
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  Aspen Golann: Building without Boundaries

  Aspen Golann was intensely curious and determined from the start. At 8 or 9, she remembers leaving early for school to sketch an interesting house on her street. Inspired by…
• 
  From the bench: What is a mentor?

  Sometimes, in teaching, you learn as much from your students as they learn from you. Michael Colca has learned this lesson more than once.

Workshop Tips

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  Workshop Tip: Trim edge banding on the router table

  How to trim the excess banding flush without cutting through the thin veneer on plywood? The trick is to raise the fence.
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  Workshop Tip: Add a door handle to your router-table push block

  The handle makes it easier to control the push block and leaves the other hand free to control the workpiece.
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  Workshop Tip: Leather holds small screws for safe grinding

  Folded leather is an easier option than pliers for holding screws that need grinding.
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  Workshop Tip: Use tape to control a drawing batten

  When you draw curves with flexible wood battens, blue tape is an easy way to hold them in place.
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  Workshop Tip: Pivoting vise jaw secures irregular workpieces

  Double-tapered auxiliary jaw holds odd shapes securely.
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  Workshop Tip: Outrigger steadies table saw tenon jig

  A simple outrigger with a shoulder keeps tenoning jig from tipping during use
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  Workshop Tip: Simple way to micro-adjust your rip fence

  A block of wood and some playing cards help with tiny adjustments to the rip fence on your tablesaw.
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  Workshop Tip: Reamer and router team up to bore holes at uncommon diameters

  An easy way to bore odd-size holes.

Tools & Materials

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  Tool Review: Oneida's Super Cell Dust Collector

  Rollie Johnson calls Oneida's new offering, "A boss of a dust collector."
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  Tool Review: Router baseplates by Infinity

  Asa Christiana reviews a trio of excellent, affordable bases, pre-drilled to mount on many common routers.
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  Tool Review: Modern-day spoon bits

  Chairmaker Elia Bizzarri reviews these modern-day spoon bits
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  Tool Review: Wagner Orion 950 Pinless Moisture Meter

  Rollie Johnson says that Wagner's new meter makes it dead-easy to determine if lumber is ready to use.