Thanks for the article on making arched raised panel doors (WOOD issue 208). I’m altering the design to use glass rather than panels. But how do I cut curves in glass?

Have you ever come across something that works unexpectedly well, or even perfectly? Like when packing a box and all the items fit in nicely with no rattling? Or when you finish building something with just a handful of scraps?

I come across these happy coincidences quite often. When I encounter them in daily life, they are a reminder that good design works. When I encounter them when making something, they are often encouraging as I take them as an indication that I’m on the right path. Good design works.

Take for example this happy coincidence that I came across today:

I needed to cut a series of hexagons with a 14 inch width. After laying out the shapes (read below to learn how I drew them), I first cut them into triangles with my track saw. (The hexagons were being cut from large, 2 inch thick slabs that were not flat, so the track saw made the most sense to me.)

Then, to make them hexagons, I needed to cut the other 3 corners. For this, I decided that my sliding table saw was the most efficient tool to do this with accuracy and repeatability. I set the crosscut fence to 30 degrees, then pondered how to ensure repeatable positioning.

The normal method of using a stop block wouldn’t work, since not all the corners of the triangles were intact (e.g. the corner extended past the edge of the material, as shown below).

My next idea was to use the diameter lines to align to a mark made on the crosscut fence. Although this would require manual alignment, this method would offer acceptable accuracy and be fairly quick to position each cut. Plus, the clear-anodized aluminum crosscut fence readily accepts pencil marks. I grabbed a pencil and combination square to make the mark and discovered…

Remarkably, in order to make the cut, the diameter lines would have to be located right at the end of the crosscut fence. No adjustments to the fence were required, and no marks needed to be made on the fence. How cool was that?

How I Laid Out The Hexagons

To lay out the 14 inch hexagons, I used a compass with pencil, pair of dividers, and a square. Below, I demonstrate drawing a smaller hexagon on a scrap.

First, I set the compass to 7 inches (half of 14) and drew a circle for each hexagon. I used a compass with a pencil, though I could have also used a pair of dividers to scratch the circle which would have been more accurate.

Next, I set the dividers to the same 7 inches by placing one point in the centre divot and the other point on the circumference.

Then I walked the dividers around the circle, leaving 6 equidistant divots around the circumference.

Finally, I connected the divots on opposite sides with a straight line, and drew a line square to that and tangent to the circle.

I extended the tangent line in the other direction, then repeated five times to complete the hexagon. Remember to leave enough room around the circle for the hexagon’s corners.

There are many ways to join pieces of wood, but mortise and tenon joints are the standard against which most alternatives are measured. In this comprehensive video (15 minutes), University of Rio Grande program director Eric Matson explains how mortise and tenon joints are used in typical post-and-rail construction — the type of construction often used in high-quality chairs, tables, and beds. In these applications, vertical posts (or legs) are joined with horizontal rails (or aprons). It’s the perfect application for this traditional joint.

In this video, Eric deconstructs a sample side table to show us how high-quality furniture is designed and built. Learn how to layout mortises for maximum strength, how to incorporate and work with split tenons, how to mark-up twin tenoned mortises, and how to account for reveals, offsets, and non-flush designs. Eric’s systematic approach minimizes errors and helps make layout and construction more efficient. For me, that’s the key point; understanding what makes for consistent, repeatable, quality joints. Armed with the information in this video and careful step-by-step application of what you’ve learned, you can craft better, stronger, faster joints. — (15.5 Minute Woodworking Video)

Eric Matson is the Director of the Fine Woodworking Program at Rio Grand University. Rio Grande offers a one year certificate program, as well as two year associates and four year college degree programs. Graduates have the skills and knowledge to be productive in custom furniture shops and architectural/cabinet shops. Rio Grande (pronounced rye-oh) is in Southern Ohio.

The post How to Layout Mortises: Anatomy of Post & Rail Construction first appeared on WoodTreks.

In rough carpentry, deciding how to cut into a board is pretty straight forward — measure to length and chop. But for fine woodworking, slicing up a prized piece of lumber is a more refined skill. In this video, professional cabinetmaker and teacher Eric Matson shows how to evaluate rough lumber prior to cutting. First, he identifies and marks with chalk unusable defects in the stock including knots, checks, and sapwood. Then he decides how cut to the board into rough component pieces for maximum yield and beauty. Part of Eric’s goal is to assure that sectioned boards “wrap” the project (i.e. a piece of furniture) in the same sequence they come off the board. This artful attention to the flow and continuity of the wood’s grain increases the quality of the final project. Grain flow is the core objective, but a complete evaluation also includes identifying highly figured parts of a board, which can be used for focal points (drawer fronts, table tops, etc). And if surplus material remains on the board, Eric makes sure he cuts extra spare parts and “set-up” pieces when possible. — Keith (4 Minute Woodworking Video).

Eric Matson is the Director of the Fine Woodworking Program at Rio Grand University. Rio Grande offers a one year certificate program, as well as two year associates and four year college degree programs. Graduates have the skills and knowledge to be productive in custom furniture shops and architectural/cabinet shops. Rio Grande (pronounced rye-oh) is in Southern Ohio.

The post Layout Rough Boards for Maximum Yield and Beauty first appeared on WoodTreks.

Four months ago, we moved to Campbell River, BC on Vancouver Island and I set up shop in the 2-car garage. I was surprised to discover that it was harder to fit everything into two-thirds of this two-car garage than it was in the old 1-car garage. This, I realized, was mostly due to the fact that I was short one wall for hanging things and that the garage was shorter in length.

The shop is organized in a workable manner, but there is still much room for improvement.

Facing north:

Facing east:

Facing south:

Facing west: