October 2022 No.

298

TAU N T O N ’ S
•Oval side table

•Fast hinge mortises

•Arts & Crafts finish

•Amana church bench

Te a c h • I n s p i r e • C o n n e c t •Designer’s Notebook

Houndstooth dovetails, p. 52
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 Te a c h • I n s p i r e • C o n n e c t

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 Ԃ ISSUE 298

36
MORTISING
FOR HINGES

44
ACCENT
TABLE 28 WOODWORKING
IN THAILAND

features
28 Oval Side Table 44 Contemporary Woodworking
An elliptical top and crossed rails distinguish in Thailand
this contemporary piece
The country is rich and rising in fine furniture
BY THOMAS THROOP and woodcraft
BY ROBERT SUKRACHAND
36 Fast, Accurate Hinge Mortises
The key is to build a routing template 52 Houndstooth Dovetails
around the hinge itself COVER
STORY A master of this strong and snazzy joint
BY MICHAEL PEKOVICH explains its secrets
BY FRANK STRAZZA

Tablet editions free to subscribers 58 Amana Church Bench

Magazine content, plus searchability and interactive Essential form belies a master class in techniques
extras. Download the app at FineWoodworking.com/
BY JAMEEL ABRAHAM
apps. Access is free with your print subscription or
FineWoodworking.com online membership.

Cover photo: Jonathan Binzen

 in every issue
6 On the Web

8 Contributors

10 Letters

14 Workshop Tips
Ԃ Assemble miters quickly
and accurately
Ԃ Bottle corks make good
drawer stops

18 Tools & Materials

Ԃ Fantastic tablesaw blades
Ԃ Easier bandsaw setup

24 Designer’s Notebook
Exploring the versatile trestle table
68 GALLERY:
DESK

68 Gallery

76 Finish Line
A rogue Arts and Crafts finish

82 From the Bench

A bag of old chisels

Back Cover
Rococo Reflection
17 EASY BEAM
COMPASS

22
HEAVY-DUTY
ROUTER

76
ARTS AND
CRAFTS FINISH
 Our Unlimited membership provides
exclusive access to a dynamic menu of
woodworking talent, techniques, and
Online extras
projects—combining our print subscription Visit finewoodworking.com/298

UNLIMITED with our online membership—all for $99

a year. For details on all the benefits, go to
finewoodworking.com/members.

VIDEO
Woodshops
a world away
From open-air spaces to
Krenovian escapes, take
a closer look into some
of Thailand’s workshops,
which are as varied as its
woodworking (p. 44).

A lesson in referential measuring

Jameel Abraham (p. 58) demonstrates how to
determine the length and angle of a knockdown
joint without math.

VIDEO
Practice
makes better
Before Frank Strazza saws his
dovetails (p. 52), he sometimes
tunes up with some practice. In
this video, Frank demonstrates
techniques that can start you on
the right path.

VIDEO
Hassle-free hinges
Additional perks of Unlimited Michael Pekovich (p. 36) demonstrates the jig he
uses to create perfect hinge mortises.
ONLINE ARCHIVES FREE PROJECT PLANS
Get on-demand access to the As a member, you can search
complete Fine Woodworking our entire digital plan library VIDEO
magazine archive. That’s more to find just the project you’re
than 1,900 in-depth articles! looking for.
Arts and Crafts finish
We take a step-by-step look at three Arts and Crafts-
style finishes, including the one demonstrated by
Nancy Hiller on p. 76.
VIDEO WORKSHOP

Arts and Crafts Bed

Modeled after a Stickley bed, Kevin Rodel’s version
features Glasgow-style inlay, pierced carving, and
SHOP TALK L VE
tapered posts. As you build it, you’ll learn how to:
LISTEN UP, LISTEN IN
Ԃ Use templates to shape the bedposts and top rails
Tune in to our biweekly podcast for lively
Ԃ Create curved inlay using bent lamination conversations about the craft with our staff
Ԃ Inlay with pewter and other experts. Listen on iTunes, or watch
it on YouTube or at FineWoodworking.com/
Ԃ Create a decorative piercing with a carved relief shop-talk-live.

6 FINE WOODWORKING
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contributors
Robert Sukrachand (“Contemporary
Woodworking in Thailand”) is a furniture maker
Editor and Michael Pekovich
and designer who splits his time between New Creative Director
York and Chiang Mai, Thailand. Having grown
Deputy Editor Jonathan Binzen
up in Massachusetts while spending summers
in his father’s native Thailand, Robert started Deputy Art Director John Tetreault
woodworking as a hobby in 2012 and fell in love Senior Editor Anissa Kapsales
with it. He then did a three-month intensive at the
Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine. After Associate Editor Barry NM Dima

that, he spent a couple of years honing his skills as Managing Editor/ Elizabeth Knapp
a fabricator, building custom designs and working Production

for friends, before launching his company and first Administrative Assistant Betsy Engel
collection in 2015.
Editor, Ben Strano
FineWoodworking.com fw-web@taunton.com
Assistant Digital Editor KT Kaminski
Jameel Abraham (Amana Church Bench) is the king of the Social Media Coordinator Kara Demos
undersell. If he asks if you have time to see some of his work Manager, Video Studio Jeff Roos
in his family’s church, what he really means is “This church is
full of my carvings and paintings, including icons and friezes
that span the ceiling.” When he says, “I got into instrument Contributing Editors:
making for a bit,” what he really means is “I combined luthiery Christian Becksvoort, Garrett Hack,
Roland Johnson, Steve Latta, Michael Fortune,
with marquetry to create fabulous ouds.” And if he mentions
Chris Gochnour, Bob Van Dyke
his car doesn’t have AC, what he means is, “We’re going to roll
down the windows on the Porsche 911 I rebuilt and drive to FWW Ambassadors:
Benchcrafted, the workbench-focused company I co-own.” Michael Cullen, Mike Farrington,
Megan Fitzpatrick, Aspen Golann, Nancy Hiller,
Matt Monaco, Philip Morley
Frank Strazza (“Houndstooth Dovetails”) was barely out of
the single digits when he cut his first set of dovetails. He
began an apprenticeship right out of high school, proceeded
Fine Woodworking: (ISSN: 0361-3453) is published
to a journeymanship (under Paul Sellers), and taught for eight bimonthly, with a special seventh issue in the winter, by
years at the Heritage School of Woodworking in Waco, Texas. The Taunton Press, Inc., Newtown, CT 06470-5506.
These days, his dovetails wind up in custom workbenches as Telephone 203-426-8171. Periodicals postage paid at
Newtown, CT 06470 and at additional mailing offices.
well as in furniture. His woodworking passions also include GST paid registration #123210981.
carving, tool making, violin making, and inlaid lettering. He Subscription Rates: U.S., $34.95 for one year, $59.95
lives and works in the Texas Hill Country, but he has taught for two years, $83.95 for three years. Canada, $36.95
hand-tool woodworking across the United States. for one year, $63.95 for two years, $89.95 for three
years (GST included, payable in U.S. funds). Outside the
U.S./Canada: $48 for one year, $84 for two years, $120
for three years (payable in U.S. funds). Single copy U.S.,
Thomas Throop (“Oval Side Table”) grew up in New Canaan, $12.99. Single copy Canada, $14.99.
Conn., where he worked summers at a small custom lighting Postmaster: Send all UAA to CFS. (See DMM 707.4.12.5);
workshop. Tucked behind a house just across the street from NON-POSTAL AND MILITARY FACILITIES: Send address
the factory, unbeknownst to him, was a snug, one-man cabinet corrections to Fine Woodworking, PO Box 37610, Boone, IA,
50037-0610.
shop. After college, he moved to England for two years to train
at the storied John Makepeace School in Dorset. He returned to Canada Post: Return undeliverable Canadian addresses
to Fine Woodworking, c/o Worldwide Mailers, Inc.,
the U.S. in 1992 and began designing and building furniture as 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON N8T 3B7.
Black Creek Designs, working in a series of shops until he found Printed in the USA
his way back to New Canaan and that same snug shop in town.

We are a reader-written magazine. To learn how to propose

an article, go to FineWoodworking.com/submissions.

8 FINE WOODWORKING
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letters Sixteenths is small enough
I am a kindred spirit of letter writer
Christopher Brodersen (FWW #297),
who complained about the article “Polka
From the Editor Dot Box.” Well, he complained about
several things, but the one I agree with
is the absurdity of project drawings with
If you’re going to mess up, do it with style dimensions in 1⁄64-in. increments. Even
back when my eyes were younger than
Before me sits a pile of fail pieces, attempts at making wood bend in precise ways it 54 years old, I never measured anything
didn’t want to bend. I’m not bothered by it one bit, and I’ve been trying to figure out why. less than 1⁄16 in. Of course, my projects
Years past, I’d have been annoyed by every single one of these pieces not turning out involved dimensions much smaller than
that, but those adjustments were made
the way that I wanted them to. Each one would have made me feel discouraged, then
by eye, or mostly, by feel.
frustrated, then likely I would have abandoned the project.
—PAT M C V I C KE R , G a i t h e r s bu r g , Md.
My job gives me a glimpse behind the curtain. I’ve seen woodworkers, some of whom
I have looked up to for years, screw up. They all do. I’ve seen mistakes made by Mike It’s the journey that counts
Pekovich, Chris Becksvoort, Bob Van Dyke, Tim Rousseau, Chris Gochnour … you name I’ve been waiting for your editorial,
it. The difference is, they do it with style. They deal with it, and they move on. When “Technology and the future of
you’re learning how to work wood from magazines and videos you can only take in the woodworking,” because it’s an issue I
information that’s given to you. Most of the time, you see the end product, which may have thought about regularly for years.
be the result of fancy video editing, or countless iterations and prototypes. Stop judging Your line, “I’m fond of saying that the
end product is what is important to me
yourself, your skills, or your project on other people’s end products. Trust me, you’re not
and not necessarily the means ...” got
seeing all that has gone into a piece. You can’t.
my attention. Many of us are hobbyists,
For me, woodworking is a journey. Once I and don’t create things from wood
stopped thinking that every project had to be necessarily for the end creation, but for
perfect, I got better and better because my the “therapy” in our fortresses. For me,
attitude got better. I was able to try things woodworking certainly is for the means
and not worry about their outcome. I was able and not the end. Many times when I’ve
to move forward with a project even though it looked at my very expensive dovetail jig,
was flawed. You don’t get better by stopping. I’ve asked myself, “why am I in here?”
The answer is for relaxation, time away
My projects have flaws. They will always have
from the business world, and to liberate
flaws. But, every time I screw up, it’s one
my artistic side. Years ago, your cover
more notch on the wall, one more “point” earned, one more mistake that I can learn showed a man chiseling out pins for a
from and then stop worrying about. dovetail. That’s where I learned. Over
If I make a new mistake, I think: Why did it happen? How can I set myself up to make the years, I’ve set up my tablesaw and
sure it doesn’t happen next time? Do I need to use a different tool or technique? Did I bandsaw to cut pins and tails. The first
inspect my material properly? Did I mark my piece properly? If it’s an old mistake that time I joined two boards with dovetails, I
has reared its head again, I know how to fix it. It’s not as daunting the second time ran into the house to show my wife, only
around. Laugh it off, suck it up, and fix it. to have her ask, “what is it?”
I always come back to the idea that
When I look at the pile of failed bends in front of me, I see notches on the wall. I’m not in here for mass production; it’s
Whether it was deciding to work a little slower, making a change to a bending form, or about the journey, not the destination.
using better clamping techniques, I learned from every single one of them, getting me Of course I use the planer when milling
closer to my final goal. From the moment I cut into the board, I knew these pieces were stock but, every chance I get, I dive into
not do or die. I milled up extra stock because I planned to try some new techniques and my wall of planes. I think that there is a
inevitably would rack up some “mistake points.” I knew that I would find success, whether history and culture to woodworking that
the bend was good or bad. we want to maintain and pass down.
I use my grandmother’s recipes for a
Accept that you’re going to make mistakes. They are not novel. Learn to glory in them,
similar reason. I could always order out,
because that’s the only way they will be worth it. but then the art will be lost.
— BEN S T RA N O, e d i to r, F i n e Wo o d w o r k i n g . c o m —R I C H ARD D IS AMMARTIN O,
Lo w e r G w yn e dd, Pa .

10 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Ben Strano

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workshop tips Quick-Grip-style
clamps

Quick-Grip-style clamps
assemble miters quickly Clamp first pair
of parallel frame
pieces loosely
and accurately between tips of
clamps.

After trying numerous jigs and doodads for clamping mitered

frames, I found that Quick-Grip-style clamps provide the most
Spacers help to
straightforward and effective method. position miter tips 3⁄8 in.
First, place two parallel pieces separately in clamps, with the from ends of pads, and
tips of the miters slightly outside the centerline of the clamp parallel to clamp bars.
pads (roughly 3⁄8 in. from the ends). To make sure the parts are
positioned accurately, it helps to use spacers as shown. Use just Apply glue to all joint faces,
and position last two frame
enough clamp pressure to hold these first two pieces in place. pieces as shown.
Next, apply glue to the miters and slide the two remaining pieces
into place. The soft clamp pads allow these pieces to slip in,
aligning their tips pretty well in the process.
To draw the miters together, position two more clamps
perpendicular to the first pair and tighten them gently. Now
increase the pressure on all four clamps, checking the miter
alignment as you do so. When the joints are tight and accurately
aligned, you’re done. To align the joints in the other direction, feel
free to pinch more clamps across their faces.
I’ve used this method for all sorts of frames—thick and thin, small
and large—and it works on boxes too, with a set of clamps at the
top and bottom edges. This method is quick, easy and direct, with
nothing to set up and nothing to fiddle with.
— BOB P ET ER S O N , Po r tl a n d , O re .

Best Tip
Bob Peterson’s woodworking career got off to
a rocky start at age 6, when he tried to build a Add second set
backyard fort and left his dad’s tools outdoors. of clamps, and
Over the decades since, he has built all sorts of tighten loosely.
projects, including large tables that incorporate
steel, wood, glass, and porcelain. He built his
latest shop to be his last, with all the space and
features he’s wished for over the years.

A Reward for the Best Tip

Send your original tips to
fwtips@taunton.com. We pay $100 Tighten all four
for a published tip with illustration; clamps to align
$50 for one without. The prize for miter tips and
this issue’s best tip was an draw joints tightly
Irwin 26-pc. impact set, Irwin together, without
15-pc. turbo drill set, Irwin over-clamping.
Quick-grip clamp 4 pack, Irwin
13-pc. Speedbor spade bit set,
and Irwin Forstner bits, sizes
1
⁄4 in. through 7⁄8 in. dia.

14 FINE WOODWORKING Drawings: Dan Thornton

Bottle corks make good drawer stops
The usual way to create a drawer stop is to glue it onto the
lower part of the pocket (usually a rail of some kind), where it
will catch the inside edge of the closing drawer front. But it’s
awkward to figure out exactly where to attach the stop so it
arrests the drawer in the perfect position. Instead, I attach cork
disks to both sides of the drawer back. Wine and champagne
corks are perfect. Cut each slice a little too thick and attach it
with 5-minute epoxy. Once the epoxy is set, you can fine-tune
the drawer position by shaving each disk with a coarse file. If
you cut one too short, just glue on a little more cork. The cork
stops are not only easy to adjust, but also bring the drawer to a
cushioned close.
— DIC K EVA NS , C ha th a m , Ma ss.

Cut cork slices extrathick

and attach to both corners
of drawer back using two-
part epoxy.

Small disks, cut

from wine corks

After epoxy sets, use

coarse file to trim
cork stops and adjust
drawer position.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 15
workshop tips continued
Blade is rubbed side
Plane blade
Waterstone
to side on stone.
Hold a ruler with rubber bands
when back-beveling blades
When using the ruler trick to hone a
shallow bevel on the back of plane irons,
I find it hard to keep the metal ruler
stable on the stone. My simple solution
is to wrap wide rubber bands over the
ruler and stone. These keep the ruler
in place, making back-beveling fast and
accurate.
—CHARLES MAK , Calgar y, A lt a., C anad a

Wide rubber bands hold

ruler still while back-
beveling plane blades.
Thin metal ruler

Brass angle stock,

1
⁄8 in. by 1⁄8 in., with
Brass angle bar is another Plane blade 0.014-in.-thick sides

option for back-beveling

Here is an alternative to a thin metal
ruler for back-beveling plane irons. I use
a piece of narrow brass angle stock that’s
roughly 1⁄8 in. across and 0.014 in. thick,
which creates a nice, shallow bevel.
Available online and at hobby shops, the
brass is easily cut to the length of your
Waterstone
stone, and hooks nicely over the edge. I
use one hand to control the projection of
the plane blade and hold it against the
brass angle, and the other to hold down
the tip.
—LARRY MATTHEW S , Up p er Dar b y, Pa.

One hand sets

projection of plane
blade and holds brass
angle against stone.

Honing motion Other hand applies

is side to side. pressure to tip.

16 FINE WOODWORKING
Make a beam compass from common supplies
Needing a drawing tool for very large arcs, I figured out a
way to make a beam compass from two common compasses
and a yardstick. After attaching the drawing compass in rough
position, you can adjust its pencil leg to fine-tune the size of
the arc. Clamp the compasses to a longer stick, and there is no
limit on size.
— WAY NE R A L L EY, Ph o e n i x , A ri z .

Spring clamps Wood or metal yardstick

Common drafting
compasses

Clamp one compass with

pencil leg extended, and the
Adjust pencil leg to other with point extended.
fine-tune radius.

Long drawer builds storage into your rip-fence rail

I was looking for a place to store my precision tablesaw tools
close to the saw, and came up with this idea. Like many rip
fences, mine rides on a hollow rail, which turns out to be the
perfect place for a drawer. I made a long wooden one that fits
into the rail and holds all of my favorite setup tools. It takes
advantage of the unused space, and keeps my tools dust-free
and close at hand.
— DA N K AY, L e vac k , O n t. , C a n a d a

Drawer stores setup

accessories, like spacer
blocks, small square,
and digital angle gauge.

Drawer, 20 in.
long, built to fit
into front rail of
tablesaw rip fence

Front, solid wood,

rabbeted to fit into
drawer box and
overlap end of rail

Sides, 1⁄4-in. plywood, and

bottom, 1⁄2-in. plywood,
glued and nailed together

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 17

tools & materials
ԂBLADES AND BITS

Fantastic tablesaw blades

Tablesaw blades by
Whiteside Plus/Dimar
Combination, $65
Rip, $75
Glueline rip, $85

WHITESIDE has paired with blade manufacturer Dimar to

bring three new 10-in. tablesaw blades to the United States: a
combination, a rip, and a glueline rip, which was my favorite.
All three were superb, making them a perfect trio. Their cut
quality was excellent and made each of my tasks easy, saving
me a lot of time at the bench. The clear writing on each
outlining the blade type, arbor size, tooth hook and grind, and
number of teeth made for a great convenience.
The 50-tooth combo blade worked fantastically for ripping
and crosscutting both hard- and softwoods. While I usually find
combo blades give just OK rips, this blade left minimal saw-
marks on cherry, maple, and pine while requiring little force to
push the stock through the saw. For both 45° and 90° crosscuts,
there was no tearout and the end grain was smooth. All in all,
this blade worked as well as dedicated rip and crosscut blades.
The rip blade’s 24 teeth have a flat top, which I prefer over an
ATB grind for its better stock removal during rips and its flat-
bottomed cut. I tested the blade on oak, cherry, maple, pine,
and poplar from 3⁄4 in. to 2 in. thick. It cut even the thicker
stock very well, leaving smooth edges, and had no vibration.
With the cherry and oak, it was hard to tell which edge I had
run over the jointer and which I had ripped on the tablesaw.
The glueline rip blade, with its triple-chip grind and 30 teeth,
might be my new favorite. I’d never used one before, so I was
skeptical about gluing up off the tablesaw. I tested this blade
with 3⁄4-in. oak, poplar, and cherry. All were easy to push
through the saw and, despite visible sawmarks, each joint glued
up perfectly right off the saw. It was the fastest way I have ever
glued up boards. I am definitely purchasing this blade.
—Ellen Kaspern teaches at North Bennet Street School Glueline rip blade lives up to its name. Test boards’ edges were glue-
and around the United States. ready off the blade, yielding a joint that was tight and free of gaps.

18 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Barry NM Dima

 Groff & Groff Lumber, Inc.
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Quarter Sawn Red and White Oak, Burls, Turning Blocks, & More!
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awing available
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Expert advice, videos,

tips, and more
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free eLetter.

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© 2020 The Taunton Press
tools & materials continued

Bandsaw setup bar

ԂACCESSORIES by iGaging
$27
Easier bandsaw setup
IT’S OFTEN OVERLOOKED, but a critical step in setting up a bandsaw
is adjusting the table parallel with the blade. If you don’t, you’re left
with frustrating “drift,” which is nothing more than the fence, which
is typically adjusted parallel to the miter slot, being skewed relative
to the blade because the table isn’t set up correctly. Rips will be
skewed and crosscutting with a miter gauge or sled will be choppy
and inaccurate.
While squaring the table often takes careful, patient trial-and-
error, iGaging’s Bandsaw Companion makes the process super easy.
The Companion is essentially a 1⁄4-in.-thick by 12-in.-long aluminum
rule with four rare-earth magnets fastened to one side and a space
next to the magnets for the bandsaw’s blade. Simply snap the rule
to the blade (1⁄2 in. or wider works best), loosen the table bolts
(keep one snug as a pivot point), and align the blade and miter
slot using a finely graduated ruler. The length of the Companion
greatly exaggerates the path of the blade, making it much easier to
measure its relationship with the miter slot.
The Companion is also an accurate rule, has a sliding stop for
setting distances, and can be used as a beam for scribing circles.
—Roland Johnson is a contributing editor.

ԂACCESSORIES

Stronger finishing gloves Nitrile gloves

$18
I USE NITRILE GLOVES almost daily in my shop, typically taking
them on and off many times a day, particularly if I’m working with
stains, dyes, or other finishing products. My current gloves are good
quality quasi-medical gloves that are resistant to chemicals, but
they’re hard to put on and off and are frequently destroyed trying
to get one on a damp hand. I keep a bottle of talcum powder
around for that purpose, but that’s a messy hassle.
I’ve had a much better experience with Venom
Steel gloves. These nitrile gloves have two
layers, a tough outer layer and a slick inner
one, that make it easy to put them on or take them off without destroying the glove or my
patience. They even stood up to student use. I took several
pairs to a class and they held up amazingly well. We were
building a large torsion box, and two of the students wore
the gloves all afternoon with only one rip in one of the
gloves.
The gloves also feel good—so good that I’m wearing
them as I type this review! They seem to do well at keeping
the chemicals at bay and are tough enough to survive
rigorous use in the shop. Venom Steel sells them as “one
size fits most,” which means they’ll be a bit big on small
hands.
—R.J.

20 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Roland Johnson

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tools & materials continued

ԂNEW TO MARKET

Tools to look out for

High-hp fixed-base router
Bora’s PM-6250 comes with a 3.25-hp, 15-amp motor and a
fixed base with two D-handles. A ring on the base controls height
adjustment. The motor has a soft start and variable speed from
10,000 rpm to 22,000 rpm. In addition to two collets, a 1⁄4-in. and
a 1⁄2-in., the PM-6250 includes two subbases, one for standard
bushings and another with a 2.5-in.-dia. opening for larger bits.

Osmo with less white

Osmo’s Polyx-Oil Raw Matte 3051 is formulated to give an
untreated appearance on lighter woods, like ash, maple,
and birch. Compared with Osmo 3041, a neutral hardwax
oil, the Raw Matte 3051 has less white pigment. As a
result, on open-pore species such as ash and oak, the
company says white pigment will not show through on
multiple coats. Osmo also says it won’t amber over time.

Splinter removal kit

Infinity is selling the Sliver Med
Pack, developed by MyMedic. To
help locate splinters, the MyMedic
kit comes with tweezers that have a
built-in light pointing toward the tips.
Other items help with finding and
removing the splinter and sanitizing
the area, such as a small magnifying
glass, sliver removers, antibiotic
cream, a sanitizing towelette, and
bandages. There’s also a magnet to
help with metal splinters.

22 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: courtesy of vendors

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designer’s notebook
Exploring the versatile trestle table
B Y T H O M A S T H R O O P

T
he trestle table has always intrigued me, from its My forays into the trestle form range from the deeply
humble origins during medieval times, when plain traditional to the completely contemporary. In between I’ve
planks were laid on sawhorse-like trestles, to more played with all manner of trestles, and I’ve selected a number
recent forms with a fixed top supported by a pair of different ones to discuss here. My first were dining tables
of pedestals with a connecting stretcher. I’ve been whose legs were made in a familiar post, foot, and top rail
most inspired by early English refectory tables and by configuration. Later, designing low trestle tables, I used a
Shaker and Arts and Crafts-era trestles. The trestle table’s general modified three-part leg, broadening the post into more of a
design is simply elegant, structurally sound, and very efficient to plank. Then I started to think about foyer tables and began
make, requiring only straight-ahead joinery and a minimum of designing pieces in which the three-part leg lost its foot and its
material. There’s great economy to the structure: The stretcher top rail, and became a full-height slab. Along the way, I also
keeps the legs square, and the top is integral, acting essentially began moving the stretcher higher on some tables, allowing
as a second stretcher to keep the base from racking and from more negative space below it and creating more visual tension
twisting. And compared to most dining and coffee tables, with with the narrower space above. Pushing the form even further, I
their legs at the corners and aprons all around, trestles offer far started designing consoles and benches with waterfall legs and
superior leg space. with the rail pressed tight to the top—a completely different
Yet the trestle table is endlessly flexible. The form can be look from earlier ones I made, but still maintaining the simple
used at a variety of heights, for anything from a dining table structural elegance of the trestle table form. What’s next for my
to a bench, a hall table to a coffee table, and anywhere in trestle table design, I’m not sure, but I am looking forward to
between. Beyond that, the structural elements can be designed exploring its continued evolution.
in an infinite variety of shapes, sizes, and proportions, all
detailed to the desired effect. Thomas Throop builds furniture in New Canaan, Conn.

A contemporary twist on
the traditional trestle is
what I had in mind for this cherry
dining table. I wanted to convey
the feeling that the table was
blooming—springing out of the
ground. That led me to taper the
leg posts and give the stretcher
an upward arch. The foot, a
modernized version of a Shaker
trestle foot, blends the curve of the
stretcher with the flat planes of the
posts. Inlaid walnut beads on the
posts further accentuate verticality,
and an underbevel lightens the top
by making it appear thinner than
it is.

Photos: Thomas Throop

 Designed in the vein of an English Arts
and Crafts trestle, this sofa table in walnut
adds a few embellishments to the original. The
challenge was to make the piece look strong and
sturdy but not overly heavy. The posts, at 21⁄4 in. thick
and tapering from 5 in. wide at the base to 31⁄2 in.
at the top, have definite heft. But I cut tapered
chamfers on the corners—wide at the top to narrow
at the bottom; they accentuate the post’s taper and
lighten its top. Heavy chamfers on the stretcher
visually lighten it as well, and also tie its look to the
legs. I stopped those chamfers with lamb’s tongues
to give the eye a resting place at the center of the
stretcher.

Slab-like legs here replace the posts

more typical of trestle tables. This
coffee table in walnut with a cherry top was
the first trestle table I made with slab legs, but
many more variations have followed. The slabs
were originally one wide plank, but I cut them in
half and created a gap between them to break
up the wide surface and create a shadowline.
The slabs are notched to accept the stretcher’s
through-tenon. I carried the same idea to the
top, which also has a gap down the middle,
this one bridged by a series of inlaid squares of
bastogne walnut—a hybrid of claro and English
walnut.

Moving the stretcher upward

transformed the trestle on this hall table in
walnut and bubinga, giving the piece a far lighter
feeling while retaining its structural function. I also
dispensed with a separate foot and top rail, aiming
for a more elemental and contemporary feeling. I
did include a small cutout at the bottom of the leg,
which produces the appearance of feet. The design
of the slabs was inspired by the architecture of the
Yucatan—in particular, the grand pyramid Chichen
Itza, with its wide stairway rising between larger
smooth blocks of stone. I carved the central section
of the leg slabs to echo that arrangement of a fine-
textured band framed by smooth ones.

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 25
designer’s notebook continued

“Can you add a drawer to that

table?” a client asked, and this was
my answer. To make room, I dropped
the stretcher a bit and extended the
inset section at the tops of the legs.
I made the drawer front curved on
the bottom to reflect the curve of the
stretcher. I included the chip carving
on the legs but skipped the cutout at
the bottom, giving these legs a more
rooted feeling.

Sometimes materials drive the

design. In all my earlier iterations of this type
of trestle table I had used the legs and stretcher
to define negative space at the center of the
piece. But in this one, with its claro walnut legs
and top, I wanted to feature two tapered panels
of beautiful Oregon myrtle at the center. To help
draw your eye to the panels, I curved the top
and bottom stretchers and made them wider
as they approach the panels. I wanted to have
legs that tapered, thicker at the floor, but I didn’t
have thick enough planks of claro to manage
it. So instead I applied tapered edging to either
side of a parallel panel.

Reimagining the trestle

table, I used the same key structural
elements—legs, stretcher, and top,
to build this bench. I was looking for
simple, elemental shapes and trying
to make something new from the
historical trestle form. All the parts
move in sympathy, so there are no
wood movement issues, and the design
is extremely sound structurally, since
the stretcher shares a long-grain glue
joint with the top, creating a rigid
T-shaped element, and the mitered
waterfall legs are screwed and glued
into notches in the stretcher.

26 FINE WOODWORKING
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 Oval Side Table
An elliptical top and crossed rails distinguish
this contemporary piece
B Y T H O M A S T H R O O P

28 FINE WOODWORKING Photo: Thomas Throop

Legs
1 in. 21⁄8 in.
3
⁄4 in.
3
⁄8 in.

21⁄4 in.

Mortises first. Throop cuts the mortises for the rails and stretchers with the
workpiece still square. Then he bandsaws the taper into the front face of the leg.

Post-taper
shaping. After
sawing and
smoothing a taper
241⁄8 in. on the front face of
the leg, and then
running a centered
V-groove along
its length at the
tablesaw, Throop
bandsaws the twin
curves at the foot.
1 in.

21⁄4 in.
39⁄16 in.
Another curve. A
third bandsawn cut
creates the curving
1 in. 1 in. inside face of the
15⁄8 in. 31⁄4 in. foot.
SIDE VIEW FRONT VIEW

W hen I designed this side table, I was aim-

ing for something straightforward yet still
somewhat unexpected. I have always been
fond of half-lap, or halving joints, and I decided to
give the table’s base X-shaped rails and stretchers that
would be joined with half-laps where they crossed.
A rectangular top might have been visually awkward
with this configuration; going with an oval instead Two more tapers.
Throop next tapers
seemed like a natural solution. I often include tapered
both edges of the
elements in my designs, which can control visual leg on the bandsaw
weight and movement in a piece. Here I designed before smoothing
a leg that is wider and thicker at the bottom to help them with several
ground the piece while still maintaining an overall light passes at the
sense of lightness. And to enhance the upward move- jointer.
ment of the taper I added an incised vertical line at the
center of the leg. At the foot I included some curves
to reduce the visual weight down there and produce
a more dynamic stance that ties in with the oval top
and shelf. To complete the composition, the rails and
stretchers needed to be curved too. The rails, bowing

Photos, except where noted: Jonathan Binzen; drawings: John Hartman SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 29
SIDE TABLE WITH HALF-LAPS 223⁄8 in.
AND TAPERS 7
2 ⁄8 in.
Top and shelf are bubinga; legs, stretchers,
and rails are walnut.

Top, 7⁄8 in. thick by 147⁄8 in. 7

⁄8 in.
wide by 275⁄8 in. long 2 in.
LONG RAIL
Long rail, 1 in. Figure-8 fasteners FRONT VIEW
Rail tenons, 1⁄2 in.
thick by 4 in. wide are let in flush to thick by 21⁄4 in. wide
by 237⁄8 in. long underside of top. by 3⁄4 in. long
101⁄8 in.
27⁄8 in. 1 in.

2 in.
SHORT RAIL
FRONT VIEW
Leg, 15⁄8 in. thick
by 31⁄4 in. wide by Dado, 1⁄16 in. deep,
241⁄8 in. long creates shouldered
portion of half-lap
Shouldered half-
laps join rails and
stretchers where
they cross.
Short rail, 1 in.
thick by 4 in. wide To purchase
by 115⁄8 in. long V-groove, expanded plans
1 and a complete
⁄16 in. deep
parts list for this table
and other projects, go
to FineWoodworking
.com/PlanStore.

Long stretcher, 1 in.

thick by 21⁄8 in. wide
by 237⁄8 in. long Dado, 1⁄16 in. deep,
creates shouldered
portion of half-lap

9
⁄16 in. 53⁄4 in.
13⁄8 in.

Shelf, 7⁄8 in.

1 in.
thick by 73⁄4 in.
wide by 14 in. 101⁄8 in.
long
SHORT STRETCHER
FRONT VIEW

Center section Shelf attached Stretcher tenons,

1
of stretcher with screws ⁄2 in. thick by 1 in.
left flat to through wide by 3⁄4 in. long
receive shelf. stretchers.

12 in.
13⁄8 in.

Short stretcher,
7
1 in. thick by ⁄8 in. 9
⁄16 in.
21⁄8 in. wide by 3
115⁄8 in. long 22 ⁄8 in.

LONG STRETCHER FRONT VIEW

30 FINE WOODWORKING
upward from center to ends, echo the oval top, while
the stretchers, bowing the opposite way, create more
lift in concert with the feet. I’ve made this table in a
Shouldered half-lap joints
Centering device.
variety of woods; this time I made the base of walnut The half laps
and the top and shelf of bubinga. begin with shallow
dadoes for the
Legs first shouldered portion
The legs taper two ways—they are wider at the bot- of the joint. Throop
tom, but also thicker there. With the leg blanks still cuts in two passes
using a stop block
square, I marked both tapers, then marked the mor-
on the miter gauge
tises. After chopping the mortises on my hollow-chisel and turning the
mortiser, I moved to the bandsaw to cut the taper in workpiece end
the leg’s thickness. In order to keep the joinery simple for end between
where the rails and stretchers meet the leg, I tapered passes, ensuring
only the outside face of the leg. I smoothed the band- the dado is
perfectly centered.

Slot-cutting. With the stop block in the same location, The mating slot. With the first rail’s dadoes and slot cut, Throop can measure to find
Throop turns the rail on edge and raises the dado blade the correct width for the mating slot. He cuts it using the same centering technique.
incrementally to cut the half-lap slot.

sawn surface with a few light passes over the jointer.

With the leg tapered in thickness but still full width,
I detailed the front side with a centered V-groove run-
ning top to bottom. I did this at the tablesaw with the
blade tilted at 45° and set to cut about 1⁄16 in. deep.
The V-groove then became my reference line as I laid Well-fitted half
out the rest of the shaping of the leg—the taper in its laps. Having cut
the second slot
width and the curves at the foot. I cut to those lines at
slightly tight,
the bandsaw, then cleaned up the tapers on the jointer Throop uses a
and the curves at the bench with hand tools. few strokes of a
shoulder plane to
Half-lapped rails and stretchers achieve a perfect
The next step was to cut and fit the tenons on the rail fit.
and stretcher blanks. I cut them at the tablesaw with a
dado stack and a miter gauge. I set up the dado blade
to cut less than the full length of the tenon; for a 1-in.
tenon I use a dado stack 3⁄4 in. or less. This enabled
me to cut each face of the tenon in two passes and
use the rip fence as a stop.
After the tenons were complete, I cut the shouldered
half-lap joints. I used the shouldered version because
it helps keep the rails from twisting. I started by cut-
ting the shallow dadoes for the shouldered section

www.f inewoodworking.com 31
Shaping the aprons and stretchers of the joint. I used a dado stack and the miter gauge,
and again the width of the dado stack was less than
the full width of the dado. To be sure the dado was
perfectly centered in the length of the rail, I set a stop
block on the miter gauge and cut each dado in two
passes, flipping the rail end for end between them.
Next, I cut a slot half the height of the rail. I used the
same stop-block setting, but I turned the workpiece up
on edge and began cranking up the dado blade, reach-
ing the full height of the slot with a series of cuts. It is
very important to use a sacrificial backer here to mini-
mize blowout. Once these cuts were completed, I had
the target size for the slot in the mating rail. I set the
stop block to cut the slightly narrower slot, and again
guaranteed it was perfectly centered by turning the
workpiece end for end between each pair of passes.
Once cut and fit, the joint should come together with
just the slightest amount of friction.
At this point I took the stretchers to the drill press
and cut clearance holes and counterbores for the
Taking care of screws I would use to attach the shelf. With that done,
the curves. Having I cut the rails and stretchers to their curved shape at
cut and fitted the bandsaw and cleaned up with hand tools. I could
the tenons and have made templates and flush-trimmed the parts to
half-laps, Throop final shape with a router, but with just one table to
bandsaws the rails’
make, I find it simpler and more efficient to work by
curves and then
smooths them at
hand and by eye. A few passes with a small block
his edge sander. plane or the compass plane after bandsawing to the
line and I was ready for sanding. After final fitting of
the rail and stretcher half laps, I dry-assembled the
entire base and set it aside.

Two ellipses
To lay out the elliptical top and shelf, I used a tried-
and-true method with brads and a circle of string. With
the top (and then the shelf) upside down, I set pins
at the focal points of the ellipse, looped the circle of

Boring for screws. After completing the stretchers’ tenons and half Curving the stretchers. Bandsaw work achieves the curves. Edge
laps, but before cutting their curves, Throop drills clearance holes and sanding smooths the convex curves, but Throop uses a compass plane to
counterbores for the screws that will fasten the shelf. fair the concave ones.

32 FINE WOODWORKING
Assemble the base

Join the half-laps first. Throop glues up the rails and

stretchers separately and lets them cure before moving on
to the rest of the base assembly.
Dry-fit the whole
base. With the
rails and stretchers
string around them, and pulled it tight with a pencil. glued up, Throop
Keeping the string taut, I moved the pencil around adds all four legs
the perimeter to draw the ellipse. It can take a few dry, then stands the
base upright.
attempts to get a smooth shape. I cut to the line at the
bandsaw, smoothed the curve at a disc sander, and did
some hand sanding for final smoothing. Last, I routed
a small 45° chamfer around the top and bottom edges.
Then glue the
legs one by one.
The table comes together He removes one
The first step in assembly is gluing up the half-lap leg, applies glue,
joints. Take care that the parts are glued up with their replaces and
top edges flush and their inner faces square to each clamps it, then
other. This should all happen naturally if the joint is moves on to the
cut properly. Just a bit of glue on the surfaces and a next leg, working
his way around
single clamp will close the joint. Too much glue and
the table. Tapered
it will be difficult to close the joint, as the glue has offcuts saved from
nowhere to easily squeeze out. the leg-making
Once the rails and stretchers were glued up, I dry-fit process serve as
all the legs again. Then I removed one leg at a time clamping cauls.

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 33

Topping off the table
Elliptical layout.
A loop of string, to glue it and clamp it in place. Tapered clamping
two brads, a pencil, cauls were necessary; I had saved offcuts from the
and a steady leg-tapering process for just this reason. As the glue
hand produce the set on one leg, I would remove and glue up the next
elliptical layout for one, working my way around the table until all the
the top.
legs were glued and clamped.
When the glue had cured, I moved on to attaching
the top and shelf. Attaching the shelf was just a matter
of driving screws through the holes I had drilled in the
stretchers earlier. But I attached the top in a different
manner. Because the rails are so deep, it would be
unwieldy to drill through them for screws; and screws
wouldn’t permit as much movement as I wanted for

The oval emerges. At the bandsaw, Throop cuts the bubinga

top blank to within 1⁄16 in. of the layout line; then he fairs and
smooths the edges at his disc sander.

Mini profile. Using

a trim router and
EDGE DETAIL a 45° chamfer
bit with a guide
Trim router bearing, Throop
cuts a small
45° chamfer bit chamfer around
the top and bottom
edges of the top
Guide bearing and shelf.

Chamfers top and

bottom, 1⁄16 in. wide
Tabletop

34 FINE WOODWORKING
Figuring out the figure 8s. Wanting to recess the figure-8
fasteners into the underside of the top, Throop first screws
them directly to the top of the rails.

Inset ovals. After inverting the base on the top and Neat mortises. When set in their mortises and screwed down, the figure 8s sit flush
marking the locations of the figure 8s, Throop uses a with the underside of the top.
template to rout shallow oval mortises for each of them.

the top anyway. So I chose figure-8 desktop fasten-

ers. These allow plenty of movement and are easy to
install. I did add one twist to the process—I mortised
them into the underside of the top rather than into
the top of the rails. I think this makes for a cleaner
job and keeps the fasteners less visible.
First I screwed the fasteners directly to the top of the
rails. Then I placed the top upside down on the bench
and flipped the base upside down, locating it on the
top. I marked the location of the holes through the
fasteners and drilled pilot holes in those spots. Then,
using a template and a trim router, I mortised out an
oval for each fastener. The mortise was the same depth
as the fastener and large enough to allow it to swivel
as the top moves with seasonal humidity change.
To ebonize the walnut base, I used two coats of
Osmo Wood Wax in ebony. I followed that with three
coats of Osmo Polyx-Oil clear satin on the whole
table. ☐

Tom Throop makes custom furniture in New Canaan, Conn.

www.f inewoodworking.com
 Fast, Accurate
Hinge Mortises

The key is to build

a routing template
T here are a lot of ways to go about cutting a hinge mortise.
One option that I didn’t use for a long time was a rout-
ing template. I never knew what hinge I would use for a
project, and it didn’t seem worth it to make a new template for
each time. Second, I assumed templates would be a pain to make.
And last, I doubted their accuracy. However, teaching had a way
around the hinge itself of changing my view. In trying to figure out a way to get a class
through the process of hanging a door at the end of a long week,
I decided to give router templates a look. It turns out that making
B Y M I C H A E L P E K O V I C H a template is fast and a good fit is just about automatic. The key is
to build the template around the hinge itself. From there, a short

36 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Rachel Barclay; drawings: John Hartman

 ROUT AND SQUARE
FOR A PERFECT FIT
At the heart of the system is a pattern bit that allows you to
create a template sized to the hinge, eliminating the need
for measuring or guesswork. Simply clamp the template in
place, rout the mortise, and finish up by squaring the corners
with a chisel.

pattern bit makes quick work of the mortising, leaving just the
rounded inside corners to take care of with a chisel. It’s impor-
tant to use a good quality hinge (which you should do anyway)
because the sizes are more consistent from hinge to hinge, which
makes for a more consistent fit. I’ve had good luck with hinges
from Horton Brasses, Brusso, and Whitechapel Ltd.
This technique is so fast and accurate, I no longer use it just
for teaching. I’ve been putting it to use in my own shop as well.

Start by making the template

The hinge mortising jig consists of two parts, an MDF plate that
supports the router, and a solid-wood fence that gets clamped to
the workpiece. The plate is notched to create a recess for routing,
and cutting that notch is the most critical step. The pattern bit
I’ll use to rout the mortise simplifies the task. Its bearing exactly
matches the diameter of the cutter. Be careful when buying a bit
because not all brands have this feature. I’ve had good luck with
a 1⁄4-in.-long pattern bit from Whiteside, model 3000. With this
type of bit, you can cut the notch in the template precisely to
the hinge dimensions; you don’t have to account for any offset
between bearing and bit. (This offset issue can also arise if you
use a router equipped with a guide bushing.)
I’ll begin with a hinge template designed to cut one mortise at
a time. Later I’ll show you how to speed the process by making a
jig to cut both mortises at once. First you’ll establish the ends of
the template notch with a pair of deep cuts at the tablesaw. The
spacing of the cuts will determine the fit of the final mortise, so
take a minute to get it right. Start by tracing the hinge onto the
plate. The depth of the notch will need to account for the thick-
ness of the fence as well as the width of the hinge. Align the fence
to the edge of the plate and set the hinge against the fence. With
a sharp pencil, mark along each end of the hinge. Also make a

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 37
 Making the template
Plate, 1⁄2-in. MDF or
plywood, 4 in. wide
by 10 in. long

Fence, 3⁄4-in.-thick
hardwood, 2 in. wide
by 10 in. long

THE HINGE TYPE DETERMINES

THE MORTISE DEPTH

2
On a ball-tip hinge, the entire barrel should be proud
of the surface. This provides clearance for the hinge
tips.
T o create the routing template, start by marking the length of the hinge
on the plate (1). The notch needs to account for the thickness of the
fence as well, so butt the plate and fence against a vertical surface when
marking. Then mark the depth of the notch. For a normal butt hinge,
mark at the center of the barrel. On a ball-tip hinge, shown here, mark at
the inside edge of the barrel. Then cut the side walls of the notch at the
tablesaw, sneaking up on a snug fit. Clamp a pair of stops to the crosscut
sled fence, adding a pan-head screw to one block to act as a micro-adjust
(2). Set the blocks to cut inside of the pencil lines. Cut the ends of the
notch (3), and then bandsaw out most of the waste. Do the final trimming
to the depth line with a side-to-side skim cut at the tablesaw (4). After this
step, the notch should be too narrow for the hinge (5). Adjust the screw
stop to dial in the fit (6). The hinge should slip snugly into the finished
notch (7). The final task is to glue and pin the plate to the fence (8). Keep
On a butt hinge with flat ends, recess half of the the edge of the plate flush with the fence when attaching it to ensure a
barrel below the surface for a cleaner look. hinge mortise of the proper width.

38 FINE WOODWORKING
 3 4

5 6 7

mark to indicate how deep the notch should be. The type of hinge
you use will determine this dimension. For a standard butt hinge,
a rule of thumb is to cut a hinge mortise so that half of the barrel
is inset into the door. For a ball-tip hinge, inset the hinge to the
edge of the barrel to leave clearance for the ball tips at the ends.
To cut the notch, clamp a pair of stop blocks to a crosscut sled.
Drive a pan-head screw into the end of one stop to allow for fine
adjustments without the need to unclamp a block. Set the stops
to cut a notch slightly narrower than you need. After cutting the
ends of the notch, head to the bandsaw to remove most of the
waste. To get to final depth, head back to the tablesaw. Place the
plate between the stops and slide it back and forth, advancing
the sled slowly as you do so. Once the notch is cut, set the hinge
in place to check the fit. Ideally the hinge doesn’t quite fit at this
point. To widen the notch, drive the screw stop in slightly and
make another cut. It may take a couple of tries, but when the
hinge just slips into the notch, you’re set. Now attach the fence to
the plate. I use glue and 18-gauge brad nails to hold it in place.

Putting the jig to use

If you’ve been careful to this point, then the rest of the process
goes quickly and easily. The first step is to set the bit depth. I
use a trim router. It has plenty of power to handle the task, and 8

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 39

 Routing a hinge mortise

1 2

the smaller, lighter body is easy to maneuver. To aid in stability, I

replaced the small circular base with an oversize plate of Plexiglas.
Set the bit depth and rout the mortise following the steps in the
photos. The first time you use the jig, you’ll rout a notch into the
fence as well as the workpiece. On future jobs, you can use the
depth of the notch in the fence as a guide for setting the bit depth.
Once the routing is complete, leave the jig clamped in place and
use it as a guide for chiseling the corners of the mortise square.
Slide the hinge in place to check the fit. Ideally the fit should
be snug end to end. If the hinge fits the jig, but is too tight for
the mortise, it probably means that the bearing is slightly larger in
diameter than the cutter. In this case, the bit will leave a thin lip of
3 waste along the mortise walls. Simply pare the lip away while the

40 FINE WOODWORKING
 5 6

A trim router equipped with a pattern bit makes quick work of

routing a mortise. To set the bit depth, place the template
on the router base and rest the hinge on top of it. Raise the bit
until it is slightly proud of the hinge (1). Then clamp the template
in place (2). An oversize base makes it easier to keep the router
flush against the plate when routing (3). Work side to side, taking
shallow passes as you work toward the rear wall of the mortise.
The bearing of the pattern bit runs along the walls of the notch,
creating a mortise exactly the size of the hinge (4). Leave the
routing template in place and use it as a guide when chiseling the
corners square. Establish the vertical walls of the corners starting
with the mortise ends and then paring the rear wall. (5). Then
pare the bottom of the mortise flush (6). The hinge should fit tight
side to side and flush against the back wall of the mortise (7). If
there is any gap at the back wall, check the corners again for any
waste you may have missed (see below).
7

CHECK THE FIT

It’s not uncommon to find
that the hinge doesn’t
seat fully against the rear
wall of the mortise. While
it may not be apparent
at first glance, the culprit
is typically waste that
hasn’t been fully chiseled
out from the corners. To
remedy the situation, use
a wide chisel, registering it
against the routed portion
of the rear wall, and pivot
it down into the corner.
Check the fit and repeat if
necessary.

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 41

 A two-hinge template

1 2

3 4

jig is still clamped in place. Once the hinge slips in place, check cuts two mortises at once ensures consistent spacing between the
that it seats flush along the back wall and flat in the mortise. If it hinge mortises in both the door and case.
doesn’t, the cause is usually waste. It doesn’t take a lot to keep Making the double jig doesn’t take a great deal more time than
the hinge from seating, so don’t overdo it when trying to remedy the single hinge jig, but you will need to make custom jig for each
the situation. Go at it gently until the hinge fully seats. project to match the door height. To make the jig, determine the
mortise spacing from a full-size drawing or the door itself. I align
Mortising for two hinges at once the outer edges of the mortises with the inside edges of the door
While I started out using a single-mortise jig, there are some ben- rails. From there I make the jig plate 6 in. longer than the spacing
efits to using a jig that allows you to rout both hinge mortises at of the outer walls of the hinges. I set stops at the crosscut sled to
once. The obvious advantage is that there is less setup to do, but cut a notch 3 in. from one end of the plate, then rotate the plate
it also helps to ensure accurate spacing. Routing one hinge mortise to cut the other notch. Once the notches are complete, the process
at a time requires you to reposition the jig after each mortise. If is the same as for the single-mortise jig. ☐
your positioning is slightly off, the hinge mortises won’t be per-
fectly aligned between the case and door. This necessitates having Michael Pekovich is editor and creative director of Fine Woodworking, and
to widen one of the hinge mortises to get both to seat. A jig that author of Foundations of Woodworking (2021, The Taunton Press).

42 FINE WOODWORKING
 5 6

7 8

T o make the plate for a two-hinge template, start with an over-

length plate and mark the inside edges of the door frame (1).
These will be the outside edges of the hinge mortises. Add a
mark 3 in. from each hinge and trim the plate to final length (2).
This will allow you to cut both notches with the same stop block
settings at the tablesaw by rotating the plate end to end (3). On
a longer template, I like to cut an access notch at the center
which allows me to clamp the template in place at the center of
the door as well (4). The first step when using the template is to
rout the hinge mortises in the cabinet, or in this case, a hinge
strip that will be added to the case afterward (5 & 6). To locate
the hinge mortises in the door, trim it to final size and shim it so
that it is centered vertically in the case opening. Use a knife to
mark the door at the ends of each hinge mortise (7). Technically
you only need one mark to place the jig, but it’s nice to have
more than one in the event that one of the knife marks is off.
Clamp the template to the door using the center notch to secure
an extra clamp, and rout and chisel as before. (8 & 9). 9

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 43

 Contemporary
Woodworking
in Thailand
The country is rich and rising
in fine furniture and woodcraft
B Y R O B E R T S U K R A C H A N D

H aving split time between the United

States and Thailand as a kid, I’ve al-
ways looked out for ways the two
places relate. When I found them, those mo-
ments made my two homes feel closer to one
transitioned to living part-time in Thailand, my
own work in the country as a designer led me
farther afield to rural reaches and the country’s
northern cultural capital, Chiang Mai.
Below are the diverse stories of six leaders in
another. This was the sort of connection I was the country’s woodworking renaissance. Far from
seeking in 2017 when, as a Brooklyn, N.Y.– a monolith, this cohort of contemporary Thai
based woodworker and furniture designer, I makers parallels a broader Thai society constant-
set out on a trip to Thailand to begin collabo- ly in flux—thoroughly modernized and in touch
rating with the country’s resurging craft and with the West on one hand, but also increas-
furniture design communities. ingly introspective as many young Thais look to
In the years since, I’ve found exactly those rekindle a touch of the past and a traditional,
moments of connection in my visits to the stu- slower way of life.
dios of Thailand’s new crop of woodworking
furniture designers. The connections started Robert Sukrachand is a woodworker based in New York,
in Bangkok, the country’s capital. Then, as I N.Y.; and Chiang Mai, Thailand.

VIETNAM
MYANMAR
LAOS A WEALTH OF
5
6
WOODWORKING
TALENT

Nucharin
THAILAND 1
Wangphongsawasd
2 Charnon Nakornsang
4
2 3 Nanu Youttanakorn
Bangkok
3 1 4
Phakphoom
CAMBODIA Wittayaworakan
5 Thamarat Phokai
6 Moonler Collection Co.

Photos, except where noted: Robert Sukrachand;

this page, second from top, and bottom: Pichan Sujaritsatit
 NUCHARIN
WANGPHONGSAWASD

E ver since she was an undergrad studying industrial design

at the King Mongkut Institute of Technology, Nucharin
Wangphongsawasd, who goes by Nuch, has had an interest in
rigidity seems to have contributed to Nuch’s signature style of free-
flowing furniture and wood objects. Rarely static, her technically
complex works sway through the thoughtful use of bent-laminated
designing her own furniture. But, as she explains, “traditionally in and kerf-bent components.
Thailand we have carpenters who build houses, and then designers After returning to Bangkok and setting up her own workshop,
who work with fabricators. I wasn’t even familiar with the concept Nuch was promptly awarded a Wingate Residency at the Center
of a woodworker who both designed and built their own furniture.” for Art in Wood, in Philadelphia. There in 2016 her woodworking
Nuch, 37, began exploring this concept in earnest in 2009 after vocabulary further shifted. “The older I’ve grown the more delicate
being accepted into the furniture design program at the Rochester my work has become.” That development can be seen in her
Institute of Technology. “I had no clue what I was getting myself recent series of delicately bent tabletop objects, which she hopes
into,” Nuch explains. “I remember the first day when my mentor slow the viewer down in order to fully appreciate them. Now Nuch
told me what tools we needed to buy for our projects, and I had focuses mostly on teaching young people at local universities and
never even heard of them before. I was scared at that time, but deepening her exploration of her preferred bending techniques.
I knew all I could do was give it a try.” That openness and lack of “How far can you push it? That’s what excites me now.”

Photos, top right and bottom left: Nucharin Wangphongsawasd; drawings: John Tetreault SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 45
 CHARNON
NAKORNSANG

I n Charnon Nakornsang’s home studio on

the outskirts of Bangkok, there is little
separation between his work and home.
His small woodshop is full of the warm and
exquisite details many woodworkers save
for their most refined pieces of furniture.
Just steps away, entering the front door of
his home, a visitor’s jaw is likely to drop
at the grace of his furniture, the visual
balance in which he displays his work, and
the mesmerizing light.
Charnon, 34, came to woodworking
after 10 years as a graphic designer
in Bangkok. “Growing up, I didn’t get
to see furniture with real wood, just
built-ins and plastic and metal things,”
Charnon says while explaining his move
into woodworking as a career. While
watching the film The Great Gatsby,
he was enchanted by the walnut clock,
wood details, and warm palette of Tobey
Maguire’s cottage. “I started researching
this idea of living with wood all around you,
and that’s when I discovered Nakashima,
Krenov, and Esherick.”
Charnon was taken with the workshops
and hand tools of these artisans as much
as with their furniture. After taking a class
in using hand tools to build a chair, he
was hooked. “It became a full-time hobby

46 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, top right and bottom: Charnon Nakornsang

 and I began to sell some pieces. After work
and on the weekends, I would work on my
furniture projects whenever I had time.”
Around the time of Thailand’s first
COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, Charnon
left graphic design behind and commited
to furniture full time. He continues to
make his home life and workshop blend
seamlessly, building furniture for daily
use, such as a step stool for his daughter
who loves to help in the kitchen. Taking
a moment to appreciate the fine joinery
and details in Charnon’s work, mostly
made out of American hardwoods like
walnut and cherry, one is struck by the
way that wood knowledge and aesthetics
travel across the world. Indeed, atop one
of his finely finished tables lies a copy of
Krenov’s A Cabinetmakers Notebook, whose
philosophy is as elemental to Charnon’s
woodworking style as it is to any student in
the Redwoods.

Photo, top left: Charnon Nakornsang SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 47

 NANU YOUTTANAKORN

I n 2012, after 10 years as a graphic designer in Bangkok that he describes as “draining,” Nanu Yout-
tanakorn decided it was time for a change. He was accepted into the master’s of social design program
at Design Academy Eindhoven, in the Netherlands. Knowing that his study would primarily be workshop
based, Nanu wanted to freshen up his making skills. So he approached Phisanu Numsuriyothin, mentor
to many Bangkok-based furniture makers. “Phisanu got me hooked on woodworking,” explains Nanu, 39.
“Even though at Eindhoven we were doing workshops in all kinds of materials, whenever I returned
to Thailand, it felt like I was always surrounded by wood.” His mother collects old doors and windows
from across the Thai countryside, instilling in Nanu an appreciation for found and reclaimed materials.
Determining how to work with these materials, preserving organic forms while leaving his own imprint,
has been a core pursuit for Nanu. “I’m trying to find the balance between control and letting go,” he
says. “I only want to insert my intention where I need to, for example for a wood joint. It’s the contrast
between natural and manmade.” An example of this contrast is his recent commission for the British
ambassador’s residence in Thailand, a pair of benches built from a charmchuri log that grew on the
British embassy’s former grounds (see bottom left photo, p. 44).
His work has a hint of history and nostalgia. “The old way of life in Thailand was tied to wood materials:
tools, transportation, buffalo carts, barges,” Nanu says. “These pieces have been worn and contain layers
of time and texture. For me, it’s all about adding more and more layers in my furniture designs.”

48 FINE WOODWORKING Photos, bottom: Pichan Sujaritsatit

 PHAKPHOOM WITTAYAWORAKAN

‘T he world was spinning, and other people were working.

Meanwhile, I was doing this work,” says Phakphoom
Wittayaworakan, 43, as he explains the name of his studio,
Meanwhile Woodwork. His open-air woodshop, which evokes
the feeling of entering a rural Thai rice barn, has become a
place for “thinking about what’s going on between body and
soul,” he says. “Woodwork gave me the time to explore the
inside, and to have a peaceful moment.”
Phakphoom, who goes by Pop, grew up in this same village
in Buriram Province located about four hours northeast of
Bangkok. After studying to be a veterinarian, Pop moved to the
capital and opened a clinic. During the 2011 monsoon season,
now referred to as the Big Flood, unusually intense rains made
life unbearable for many Bangkokians and stirred Pop to
return to his childhood home.
The land that now houses his workshop and fruit and
vegetable orchards was then sprawling rice fields owned by
his mother. Settling in, Pop built his studio from scratch, slept
in the loft above, and began experimenting in making small
pieces of furniture and wooden tabletop designs. Carving
expressive bowls and trays soon became his focus. “Using
hand tools was shaping me, or tuning me, to be more peaceful
and calm. If I used a power tool, it had the opposite effect. The
noise made me feel more aggressive,” Pop explains. The calm
of his studio makes it a frequent pilgrimage point for many
of his woodworking compatriots, including the momentous
Found Wood workshop in 2015.
“As a kid, I never had a chance to work with tools, build
things, or experiment with wood,” an experience many of
today’s woodworkers can surely identify with. “I had a feeling
that there was something lost,” Pop says, “and I had to go and
find it.”

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 49
 THAMARAT PHOKAI

I n 2000, Thamarat Phokai, then a first-year painting major at the

Silapakorn University arts program, was walking home as he
passed Wat Phra Kaew, Bangkok’s famous Temple of the Emerald
Buddha. Landscapers were felling tamarind trees, cutting the logs
into small pieces, and discarding them. Instinctively, he grabbed as
many sticks as he could hold, and brought them back to his studio.
“I thought it would be fun to experiment with wood, because no
one else in my program was using the material,” he says. Thamarat
began carving small toys out of wood for fun. The next summer,
while spending time with family in Sing Buri Province, he was
taken by the kraat, a traditional Thai tool formed out of wood into
an elongated arc used for steering buffalo through rice fields.
Returning to his university, Thamarat began adapting this arc form
into his own wooden sculptures.
After living in Bangkok for 14 years, Thamarat purchased a
small plot of land in the mountainous northern region Chiang Dao.
Building a small house and separate workshop, he began focusing
on working with wood. Thamarat’s furniture and murals are built
completely by hand with chisels and handsaws. The only electrified
tool he owns is a rusty bandsaw, which rarely gets turned on.
“My inspiration comes from the natural materials around me
that I live with everyday. Just like a stone in the riverbed here
has texture, the pieces of wood that I work with have unusual
character,” he says. Rather than removing that character, Thamarat
preserves it. Averse to glue and sandpaper, he builds every one
of his chairs to knock down into individual components. His work
life blends seamlessly with the studio surroundings and mountain
hamlet. “Even the leaves that I look at outside of my workshop
every day provide inspiration,” Thamarat explains.
When he’s not building furniture, you might find Thamarat carving
a massive wooden totem or, as he was on my visit, chiseling
traditional finial components for the local temple.

50 FINE WOODWORKING
 MOONLER COLLECTION CO.

A bout 15 kilometers outside of Chiang Mai’s

city center, Moonler Collection’s sprawling
workshop vibrates as the company’s 30-plus
employees turn local charmchuri lumber into
elegant tables and chairs. Having nicknamed
themselves the Charmchuri Wood Whisperers,
Moonler’s team of designers and craftsmen
focus on elevating this overlooked species.
Moonler’s owner, Phuwanat Damrongporn,
moved to Chiang Mai in 2008 to collaborate
with local craftspeople. Visiting the craft
village of Baan Tawai, Phuwanat was
disappointed in the quality of the furniture
he found. Knowing that he could improve on
it, he hired his first and longest-serving employee, Kur, and the two began building
furniture—at first with minimal tools, as they couldn’t afford a full shop.
Phuwanat and Kur found an abundance of wood to work with. In the neighboring
provinces of Lampang and Phrae, local entrepreneurs rely on the charmchuri tree
to harvest the shellac excretions from the Kerria laca bug. The fast-growing trees
eventually stop attracting the bug and are felled, creating ample supply of the
lumber. “At this time, Thai people only wanted to buy furniture built out of teak and
rosewood. They were not interested in charmchuri furniture because the material
was traditionally seen as cheap and only used for woodcarving,” explains Phuwanat,
who saw an inherent beauty in the grain and flexibility in the size and color variation.
Sensing opportunity overseas, the young brand exhibited its first collection at the
Thailand International Furniture Fair in 2010, finding ample interest from buyers in
Singapore and Japan. The furniture is now exported across Asia and North America,
and most of Moonler’s new collections are designed by Thailand’s top independent
design studios. The Moonler team still sticks to its roots, building everything in-house.

Photo top right, bottom left, and bottom right: Nontarat Hasitapong SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 51
Houndstooth
Dovetails
A master of this strong
and snazzy joint explains
its secrets
B Y F R A N K S T R A Z Z A

T he houndstooth is a dovetail within a dovetail; its pins,

tapering to a rapier point, give an already beautiful joint
another dimension of visual attraction—and they make it
more challenging to create. I can’t remember when I first saw
houndstooth dovetails, but I loved them from the start, and I’ve
spent years employing them in custom workbenches. I cut the
joint entirely with hand tools. The handsaw is the only tool able
to create the fine needlepoint pin sockets that distinguish the
houndstooth. People often question the strength of the joint be-
cause of the seeming fragility of the narrow points. But in fine old
English furniture, where needlepoint dovetails originated, they’ve
stood the test of time. You can use the houndstooth on drawers
and cases, but I’ll demonstrate the process using the front rail
and end cap of a workbench. I often use contrasting woods for
this joint to heighten its graphic impact, and here I’m using curly
hard maple and walnut. Using species so different in density is
also advantageous because the walnut pins will compress slightly
when they are fitted to the maple tail board.

A helpful rabbet
The first step is to create a rabbet on the end of the tail board. This
will help locate the pin board later, but I do it mostly to reduce
the thickness of the tail board so I won’t have so much to cut
away. With a knife and square, mark a line across the tail board’s
inside face and on each of its two edges 2 in. from the end. This
distance will also be the full length of the tails, but don’t mark it

52 FINE WOODWORKING
HOUNDSTOOTH DOVETAIL
SIZED FOR A WORKBENCH
Small pin socket
2 in.

1
⁄2 in.

Tail board 3
⁄4 in.
between
3 in. layout lines
13⁄4 in.
2
1 in.
23⁄4 in.
Tails start with a rabbet
⁄3 of tail length Build a little wall. To prepare for the shoulder cut, scribe the crossgrain
4 in. 3
layout line with a knife, then use a chisel to create a stop to guide your
⁄4 in.
saw.

11⁄64 in.

Pin board

Pin board will be

slightly proud at
assembly; plane
it flush afterward.

on the outside face yet. Next, with a marking gauge, scribe the
depth line of the rabbet.
Saw the shoulder of the rabbet with a tenon saw or dovetail
saw. Then remove the waste with a chisel. You can saw out the
waste, but I find it’s just as quick and accurate to chisel it away.
Start by splitting along the grain well above the depth line. Watch
closely and make sure the split doesn’t dive down past the line.
If the grain is going fairly straight, you can continue closer to the
Saw the shoulder. After marking the rabbet’s depth line with a cutting
line. As you approach the line, start working across the grain. I gauge, cut down to it with a tenon saw.

Knock out the waste. You can take out fairly large chunks at first, Rabbet for the rabbet. Strazza takes a few light crossgrain passes with
chopping into the end grain. When you get down near the depth line, pare a rabbet block plane to flatten and smooth the surface.
across the grain to achieve an even surface.

Photos: Jonathan Binzen; drawings: John Tetreault SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 53

 clean up the cheek of the rabbet with the appropriately named
rabbet block plane.

Tails layout
The next step is to lay out the tails, which is fairly straightforward.
There are two large tails, each with a small pin socket cut within
it. Start by making three tick marks at the end of the board, one
in the middle and the others 1⁄2 in. from each edge; those are the
only measurements you need to create the two tails. Before mark-
ing the angles, carry the baseline across the face of the board in
pencil. Next, mark the angles with a sliding bevel on the face of
the board. Then use a combination square to carry the angled
lines square across the end of the board.
Next lay out the pin socket within each tail. I find that having

Tails layout the socket two-thirds the length of the large tail makes a visually
pleasing joint; I use a pair of dividers to step off those thirds and
mark the socket’s baseline. After marking the angles and the base-
Simple setting. Strazza likes a 1:7 ratio for the angle of houndstooth line with a pencil, come back with a square and a knife to mark
dovetails, and a quick drawing on a scrap guides the setup of his sliding the baselines on these pin sockets as well as on the large tails.
bevel.
Cut the tails
Dimensions
As you begin sawing the angled cheeks of the tails, keep in mind
of the double
dovetail. Use that these cuts must be sawn perfectly square across the end of the
dividers to find 1⁄3 board or the joint will not fit. If the dovetail angles are slightly off,
of the length of the it won’t matter as much, because they will simply be transferred
tails; that is where to the pin board.
the baseline of the For consistency’s sake, I make all the cuts that are angled in
small pin sockets one direction, then reset my body position and make all the cuts
will fall.
angled in the other direction. To make the second cut of each
pair that forms a needle point, simply put the saw in the first kerf,
press your thumb against the saw plate for guidance, and cut the
angle going in the other direction.
With all the angled kerfs cut, I remove the inside waste with a
coping saw. It’s ideal to leave a heavy 1⁄32 in. above the baseline; if
you’re not comfortable cutting that close, leave more. Then move
the workpiece from the vise to the bench and turn it on edge to
saw off the waste on either side of the tails with a tenon saw. First
deepen the existing cutting-gauge line with a knife and create a
stop cut with a chisel to produce a wall for the saw to ride against.

Lay down the angles.

After drawing the crossgrain
baseline lightly with a pencil,
mark the dovetail angles for
the tails and the pin sockets.

Now it’s knife time. With the angles drawn, scribe the tail and pin
socket baselines—not cutting continuously across, only where waste will
be removed.

54 FINE WOODWORKING
 Coping
mechanism. With
the tail board
still in the vise,
Strazza removes
most of the waste
with a coping
saw. He cuts to
within 1⁄32 in. of the
scribed baseline.

Saw the sides.

After most of the
waste is removed
from between
the tails, Strazza
saws off the large
chunks on either
side.

Create the tails

The important angles. Strazza tilts the tail board in the vise so he End-grain
can monitor the layout lines on the end and the face; then he cuts the cleanup. To cut
dovetail angles with a tenon saw. halfway through
from each face,
hold the chisel by
the blade with a
The rest of the shaping is done with chisels. Start with the base- finger or two on
the work to act as
line and aim to undercut it slightly. You’ll be working from both
a brake. That grip
sides of the board, so pinch the chisel tightly between your thumb lets you control
and fingers, resting your pinky and ring fingers on the workpiece. the depth of cut.
This is the best way to control the chisel, as you knock it with a Slightly undercut
mallet, and keep it from going all the way through to the other this and other end-
side. If you hold the chisel by the handle, you won’t be able to grain surfaces for
control the depth of cut. You want to undercut from both sides, an easier fit.
which gives the shoulder a shallow V shape.
With the tails complete, I use a small dovetail square with a very Skinny square.
narrow blade (made by Sterling Tool Works), which enables you The precise angle
to check between the tails to be sure the cuts are square. Ideally, of the dovetail kerfs
you won’t have to pare any material away; but if the cuts are not is not vital, since
you will mirror the
square, adjust them by paring with a chisel.
angles when you
transfer to the pins.
On to the pins But the kerfs must
To transfer the tails, clamp the pin board vertically in a vise and lay be square to the
the tail board on top with the rabbet’s shoulder tight against the face of the board.
inside face of the pin board. Use a sharp, thin knife to mark along To check them,
the sides and the wide ends of the tails. Mark as much as you can Strazza uses a
special square with
reach between the tails, and make tick marks at the needlepoint
a skinny blade.
openings. Then remove the tail board and use dividers to transfer
the baseline of the pin sockets to the pin board. Mark the inside

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 55

 Transfer the tails
Knifing the outline. After clamping the pin board vertically in a vise, Tick marks at the needle points. After marking as much as you can
place the tail board on top, registered on its rabbet. Then scribe along the between the tails, make short knife marks at the narrow openings.
outside angles and the end of the tails.
Extending the
angles. With the
tail board removed,
angles using the sliding bevel set to your dovetail angle. Next
use the bevel
mark the depth of cut with a cutting gauge set to the thickness gauge, set to the
of the tails plus just a hair. Carry the angled lines straight down dovetail angle,
to the depth line using a square and a pencil. and complete the
Since these are half-blind dovetails, they must be cut with the knife lines from
saw’s toe angled upward. It can be tricky trying to follow the the needlepoint
dovetail angles while cutting straight down and holding the saw tick marks to the
baseline.
at an angle. The key here is to stay on the waste side of the line.
When you have sawn as far as you can without touching the
baseline and the depth line, it’s time to start removing the waste
with chisels.
The first step is to remove all the waste above the small hounds-
tooth pins. After establishing a little wall against the baseline, hold
the chisel against the end grain with the bevel down and make
a good strong mallet hit; the chip will be forced up and toward
the wall. Then set the back of the chisel against the knife wall
on the baseline and give it another good whack, reinforcing the
baseline and creating a stop cut; this sequence is important for
each subsequent cut. Get as close as you can to the top of the
little pin, then flip the chisel over and pare to the line.
Next remove the waste between the little pins. In those narrow
spaces, I chisel straight down with a 1⁄4-in. chisel with the bevel
out and slowly work backward.
As you get closer to the baseline, lighten up on the chiseling
and pare to the line with the bevel up. Once you are within about
1⁄32 in. of the scribed line, slide the chisel into it and push; this

should give you a nice clean cut along the line. You can undercut
this surface, but don’t remove any wood along the outer edge.
There is little glue strength on end-grain surfaces, so you can un-
dercut these areas to ease fitting and reduce the potential for gaps.

Fitting the houndstooth How deep are the pins? To scribe the depth line for the pins, set a
Fitting can be a bit time consuming. I start by hammering home marking gauge to a hair over the full thickness of the tails. This will
the tail board with a rubber mallet. If it’s too tight, back it out. You produce pins that are just slightly proud when the joint is assembled.

56 FINE WOODWORKING
 Cut the pins
The houndstooth is half-blind. With the saw’s toe tilted upward, saw as Clean out the top first. Strazza begins waste removal by fully chiseling
far as you can without cutting into the baseline and the depth line. out the area above the houndstooth pins.

Going deeper.
Next, he chops (far
left) and then pares
(left) to clean out
the recesses on
either side of the
houndstooth pins.

Putting the
houndstooth to
bed. Strazza fits
the joint by partially
assembling it and
examining the pins
for dark or shiny
spots where the
grain has been
compressed. Then
he pares gently in
those spots.

can often see where it’s too tight by the bruising of the fibers. I
usually pare the pin board, as the access is easier.
When you are happy with the fit, it’s time to glue it up. I use
hot hide glue, which tends to lubricate the joint, making assembly
easier. It also fills minor gaps. If you have large gaps, you can
make little wedges, add glue, and tap them in. To fill small gaps,
you can use the old glue and sawdust trick. If you’ve tried this with
yellow glue, you may have been disappointed with the results.
But if you mix a bit of sawdust with hot hide glue, it makes the
best wood filler in existence; it scrapes and sands beautifully. ☐

Frank Strazza works wood in Bandera, Texas, and teaches across

the country.

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 57

58 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Barry NM Dima
 T he moment I first saw one of these
benches in a church in Iowa’s Amana
colonies, I wanted to build one. After
researching the benches’ history with Amana
historian Peter Hoenle, I discovered that the
original benches were made in Ebenezer (now
West Seneca), N.Y., in the early 1800s for the
churches of the Community of True Inspira-
tion, a communal society that still exists. The
benches, with their removable backs, were
transported from New York to Iowa in 1846
when the entire community relocated to near
Iowa City. The majority of the benches, some
upwards of 22 ft. long, are still used each week
by members of the church. I scaled down the
bench to 5 ft. to better fit in a typical home. I
also used hickory for the legs and battens and
pine for the rest.
For a seemingly spartan design, the joinery
is pretty exciting—and it’s all visible. The legs
use staked joinery to attach to the seat and bat-
tens, which themselves are joined via sliding
dovetails. The seat and splat are linked with
a knockdown joint, whose angled tenon re-
quires special care. A tapered wedge locks the
joint. To top it all off, the back rest connects to
the splats with drawbore pegs. It sounds like
a lot, but it’s worth it; the originals have been
going strong for nearly 200 years.

Battens with sliding dovetails

Done right, the sliding dovetails create a solid
mechanical joint that also benefits from glue.
Cut the housings first. After clearing most of
the waste with a dado stack, I use a router
and jig to create the flared side walls. I then
use the same dovetail bit in the router table
to cut the dovetail on the battens. Only light
mallet taps should be needed to assemble
the joint. I leave the battens about 1 in. long
for fitting.
The seat gets angled notches at its back edge
to make room for the angled splats. Trace each

Amana Church Bench

Essential form belies a master class in techniques
B Y J A M E E L A B R A H A M

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 59
A FEW PARTS, JOINED WELL
Mortise in back rest
Benches with this design have lasted nearly
starts 1713⁄32 in. Back rest, 13⁄16 in.
200 years thanks to tapered, staked joinery, from centerline thick by 51⁄2 in.
sliding dovetails, and well-considered mortise- wide by 60 in. long
and-tenons.

Drawbore pegs, 3⁄8 in.

dia. by 13⁄16 in. long

Splat’s upper tenon, Holes in splat’s upper tenon,

5
⁄16 in. thick by located 3⁄4 in. from edge of
313⁄16 in. wide by tenon and 15⁄16 in. from end
Splat, 15⁄16 in. thick
27⁄16 in. long
by 313⁄16 in. wide by
191⁄4 in. long Splat’s lower tenon, 15⁄16 in. thick
by 15⁄8 in. wide by 6 in. long

Batten, 11⁄4 in. thick

by 41⁄4 in. wide by
Splat tapers from 163⁄4 in. long
15⁄16 in. thick
to 13⁄16 in. thick
above seat

Knockdown peg, Bevel, 14°

1
⁄2 in. dia, flat on
top, 31⁄2 in. long

6°

31⁄8 in.
13⁄16 in. dia.
Dovetail housing,
3
7
⁄8 in. deep
1 ⁄8 in. dia.
5
⁄16 in. Seat, 13⁄8 in. thick
by 13 in. wide by
60 in. long

Seat 3⁄8 in. 16°

14 in. lower at
back edge

161⁄2 in.
Leg, 18 in. long

1 in. dia.
Rear rake, Front rake,
LEG DETAIL 18° SIDE VIEW 14°

60 FINE WOODWORKING Drawings: Christopher Mills

 splat onto the seat to lay out the notch’s width.
Saw and chop the joint first, then refine it with
Splat’s lower tenon an angled paring block, deepening it until the
angled to rest against notch’s top edge meets the top face of the seat
Notch for back leg, approx. 57.5°
splat, 16° at the very corner. Blue tape or a backer strip
at the top of the seat can help control blowout.
Then chop the ends for nice, crisp shoulders.

Angled mortise-and-tenons
Angled through-mortises in the battens ac-
cept the long splat tenons. Although this is a
knockdown joint, it yields an incredibly rigid
structure.
Mortise in batten To lay out the mortise for the splat, I drive a
in line with notch,
batten into its housing until it’s 1⁄8 in. proud at
angled 16°
Online Extra the front edge of the seat. Then I knife a line
To see Abraham’s math-
free method for cutting the
where the batten meets the notch to mark the
tenon’s angled end, go to front of the mortise. To mark the back, I hold
FineWoodworking.com/298. a splat blank in the notch and trace against it
JOINERY DETAIL
with a pencil. A pencil line is fine here since
I’ll plane the future tenon to fit.
Batten After removing the batten to lay out the
Seat Drilling angle for
rear leg, 21.5° rest of the mortise, including transferring it
Sightlines to the batten’s bottom face, I drill and chop
C/L
away most of the waste, then carefully chisel
the ends with an angled paring guide block
clamped to the batten.
With the mortise done, turn to the accom-
panying tenon on the splat. To make sure the
splat lines up perfectly with the notch at the
back of the seat, place the splat right on its
91⁄4 in. batten and use the mortise to mark the ten-
on’s width. I cut the cheeks on the bandsaw,
313⁄16 in. chop the shoulders with a chisel, and shave
down the thickness with a handplane. Leave
this tenon long for now. You’ll cut it to length
Drilling angle for 89⁄16 in.
front leg, 19° 11⁄4 in. later when the base is assembled. Do check
119⁄16 in. its fit though. Insert the splat into the batten,
LEG MORTISE LAYOUT
then tap the batten until the splat tightens up
TOP VIEW to the notch. There should be no gap where
the splat meets the top of the seat.
60 in. With the splat still tight against the notch,
mark the front of the batten to length. After
cutting at this mark, I cut the bevel on the bat-
ten’s front end for a nice shadow line.
Finally, install the batten. When driving it,
301⁄2 in. 351⁄16 in.
stop a couple of inches from the front of the
seat, apply some glue to the housing, install
the splat, then drive the batten until the splat
seats against the notch. Clamp the front of the
batten to the seat to close any gaps, remove
the splat, and let the glue cure.

Back rest is drawbored

The joinery for the back rest, a straight mortise-
and-tenon, is a break from the angled work so
Splay, 13° far. Its drawbore means it’s no less interesting
FRONT VIEW though. Again, lay out the joints using the parts

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 61
DOVETAIL BATTENS ARE
THE HEART OF THE SEAT
Use a jig to shape
Seat the dovetail
housing. The jig is
screwed together,
with the narrow
front and back
pieces secured
3
so they’re tight to
⁄8 in. the seat. They also
Dovetail, 14° serve as a backer
Batten
at the edge to
eliminate blowout
from routing the
dovetails.

Rout the dovetail housing to shape, width, and depth. After clearing
most of the waste with a dado stack, Abraham secures the jig in place
and routs. The router’s base is trapped by the jig’s wider side pieces,
which determine the width of the housing. The side pieces are parallel.

Use the same bit in the router table to shape the battens. After Insert batten by hand before lightly tapping with a mallet. If your
setting the bit’s height with a test piece, Abraham routs his battens. fit’s any tighter, the glue might swell it so much it won’t assemble.
These are 1⁄4 in. wider than the slot, and he sneaks up on the tail’s width; Additionally, you could blow out the front edge of the seat while inserting
instead of moving the fence, he handplanes an edge between passes. the battens.

62 FINE WOODWORKING
Saw an angled notch at seat’s back edge for angled splat. Saw Angled paring block perfects the slope. The block’s angled end is cut
kerfs every 1⁄4 in. or so before carefully knocking out most of the waste to match the notch. By clamping the block to the seat, Abraham can take
with a chisel. This notch makes room for the splat, which runs through light paring cuts that start high and, by gently tapping the block down, go
the batten and rests against the rear legs. deeper until he ends up with a crisp corner at the top of the seat.

Dry-fit the batten

to lay out its
mortise for the
back splat. Use
a knife tight to
the seat’s notch
to scribe the front
of the mortise (far
left) and the splat
blank to lay out the
back of the mortise
(left). Abraham
uses a pencil here,
which is accurate
enough, since he’ll
plane the splat’s
future tenon to fit.
Transfer the marks
to the batten’s
bottom face,
remembering that
they angle across
the batten’s edges.

Same angled
themselves. Insert the splats into the battens and clamp the back paring guide
rest to them, using spacers to set the correct height. Even though adjusts the
I haven’t cut the splats’ upper tenons yet, this setup allows me mortise’s angled
to use a knife to mark the length of the mortise on the back rest ends. Remove
most of the waste
and the shoulder on the splats. at the drill press
The back rest’s mortises are centered in the stock, but the splat’s and then with
corresponding tenons are offset toward the back so the taper can rough chops. Finish
be cut into the splat’s front face. with light paring
After the joints have been fitted, dry-assemble the back rest and cuts while holding
splats to lay out the splat’s taper, which runs from the top of the seat a chisel tight to the
angled block. Pare
to the back rest. The taper gives the sitter a little ergonomic com-
from both faces
fort—a welcome consideration from an austere piece of furniture. to avoid blowout.
Finally, lay out and drill for the drawbore pegs. I don’t glue this Install the battens
joint; the pegs are sufficient. But don’t assemble it yet. There’s after this step.
still more to do: the knockdown joint. Here, tapered pegs run

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 63

SPLATS ARE KNOCKDOWN
AND DRAWBORED
Chisel perfects
the splat’s lower
tenon shoulders.
Rather than
saw right on the
angled shoulders,
Abraham cuts close
and finishes with a
chisel. The cheeks
are simply ripped
at the bandsaw.
Leave this tenon
long for now.

Trace the bottom of the batten onto the splat tenon. This line lets
you accurately locate the angled hole for the dowel that will lock the
knockdown joint.

Plane a tapered
flat along an
oak dowel
while testing it
frequently. This
dowel wedges
the splat against
the batten. When
testing it, check
that the flat seats
firmly and evenly.
Trim it to length
after achieving a
good fit, leaving the
narrow end long for
easy removal.
Drill at an angle above the line from the batten. About a quarter of
the hole’s diameter should fall within the batten’s mortise. To create the
angle, prop up the splat with a shim under its tenon shoulder.

through angled holes in the splats’ lower tenons. The wedging

action keeps the splats tight to the battens—and lets you take the
bench apart for cross-country moves.

Staked undercarriage supports back

Even with its little tweaks and added interest, the joinery until now
is typical of flat work. The legs, though, are firmly in chair terri-
tory, with turned, tapered tenons and matching tapered mortises.
I turn the tapered legs and their tenons. The tenons need to be
smaller than the largest diameter your reamer can cut. While you
can use the measured drawing as a guideline when sizing the ten-
on, your individual reamer will determine the actual dimensions.
The rake, splay, and position of the legs were designed so the bev-
eled ends of the splats’ beveled tenons rest firmly on the backs of
the rear legs. This triangulation is what makes the bench so strong.
I use a pair of inexpensive laser levels, one plumb and one in a
shopmade adjustable mount, to cast sightlines onto my drill and

64 FINE WOODWORKING
reamer. I usually turn the lights off in the Clamp the back
shop so the laser beams are more visible. rest to the splats
to lay out their
Start by drilling through the seat and bat-
mortise-and-
ten from the top. This will isolate blowout tenons. Dry-fit
to the bottom, where it will be removed the splats and
when you flip the seat to ream from below. then clamp them
Hold the drill and your elbows close to to the back rest
your body for the best control. with risers for
When reaming, center the lasers on the even spacing.
Next, remove the
hole by eye. The lasers should walk up the
risers to knife the
reamer and meet at the middle of the top bottom edge of
of the tool. Ream slowly and carefully, tak- the back rest onto
ing frequent breaks to clear out the waste the splats. Then,
and checking that you’re still aligned with since the splats’
your lasers. You could skip the reaming upper tenons are
and use straight tenons, like many of the full-width, knife
the width of the
original benches do, but the joint would
splat onto the back
not be as strong. rest to mark the
Before gluing the legs into the seat, I mortise’s width.
drive them into the mortises dry and mark
the tenon at the underside of the batten.

After mortising the back rest, drill for the Mark the drawbore’s offset. Use a center punch 1⁄16 in. smaller than the hole. Register the punch
drawbore pegs. Two pegs in each mortise against the hole’s edge toward the shoulder. Drilling at this mark will create a hole offset 1⁄32 in.
guarantee a strong connection. toward the tenon.

Bandsaw the
Only after that do I cut the kerf for the wedge. This allows me
splat’s taper. At
to seat the tenon without the tapered mortise closing the kerf. I the top of the taper
apply glue to the tenon and the mortise. I then drive the tenons the splat should
into the seat, stopping at the marks. I use liquid hide glue for its be flush with the
extended open time. Then I glue and drive the wedges, which back rest. Bandsaw
should be about 1⁄16 in. wider than the tenon so its edges bite close to your line
into the seat. I apply glue to only one side of the wedge so if the before refining
with a plane. Don’t
tenon shrinks, it moves away from the wedge on the unglued side
assemble the
instead of pulling away from the mortise. Once the glue cures, splats and back
saw the tenons flush and smooth the top of the seat. rest yet.
The bottoms of the legs need to be cut to length. Place the
bench on a flat surface (I use my workbench top) and shim it so
the seat is level left to right and angled down front to back. Now
measure 161⁄2 in. down from the front edge of the seat and set
a pair of dividers to the distance between the 161⁄2 in. mark and

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 65

LEGS ARE TURNED
AND STAKED
Turn the tapered
tenons while
checking them
in a reamed
test hole. After
roughing away
most of the tenon
with a gouge,
Abraham adjusts
the fit using a
scraping tool. A
reamed test hole in
a partially resawn
block lets you
monitor the fit.

Laser level in a
tilting carriage
lines up angled
mortises for legs.
Abraham adjusts
the carriage to
the appropriate
drilling angle, then
positions it so the
laser falls on his
sight line. The laser
left plumb is set
perpendicular to
the sight line.

Ream from the

underside after
drilling through
from above. Ream
slowly and check
your progress
frequently. Small
changes affect
the rake and splay
more than you’d
expect. Abraham
blocks up the
plumb laser to
allow it to clear the
batten.

66 FINE WOODWORKING
the top of the workbench. Use the dividers (I use the Accuscribe ASSEMBLE AROUND
made by Fastcap) to mark a line around the bottom of each leg.
Saw to the line with a backsaw and chamfer the cut. THE SEAT
The back assembly has two final steps, trimming and angling
the splats’ lower tenons to length and attaching the back rest.
Each splat’s lower tenon needs to be cut to precise length and
beveled at the end so it rests evenly on the back of the leg. Get
this information, both the length of the tenon and the angle of the
bevel, from the bench itself. I tend to saw the tenon long, then
sneak up on the exact fit with a plane until the bevel rests at the
back of the leg just as the splat bottoms out in the batten. Treat
each tenon’s length and angle independently. With the splats fitted
to the legs, drawbore the back rest to the splats.
I gave my bench a soap finish, which is what the original bench-
es have. They’re still maintained with soap, and in fact, inside the
church in Amana where I first saw them there is a sill cock and
central drain for washing the wood floor and benches. ☐ Glue the legs in place. Orient the legs so the growth rings are
perpendicular to the long grain of the seat. This places the tenon in the
Jameel Abraham is a woodworker and toolmaker in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. most favorable position for seasonal shrinkage, helping the joint to stay
tight over time.

Wedges are extra insurance. The kerfs should also run perpendicular Mark the legs’ lengths. On a flat surface, use coins to shim the bench
to the seat, causing the white oak wedges to push against the seat’s end so the seat is level left to right and drops 3⁄8 in. front to back. Set the
grain. Trim the tenons and wedges flush after the glue dries. caliper to draw a line 161⁄2 in. below the top front of the seat.

Splat’s lower tenon trimmed and angled Back assembly is knockdown thanks to
to rest against legs. It’s crucial to get each tapered wedge. The original Amana benches
tenon’s length and angle correct, since their were disassembled and traveled halfway
contact with the legs strengthens the back across the U.S. in 1846 thanks to this design,
structure. Determine these measurements and many are still used weekly. Your version
from the bench itself, and plane them to fit. should hold up just as well.
Attach the splats to the back rest afterward.

www.f inewoodworking.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 67

gallery
Inspiration for our readers, from our readers

ԂBUD J O H NS O N
Ԃ Laytonville, Calif.
Bud thought it would be easy to
build a clock around the works,
but the design did not come easily,
and the engineering added to
the complexity. The case door is
hinged with adjustable cocobolo
hinges. For winding access, the
hood door pivots on pins in the
left column. With all of life’s
interruptions, the clock took more
than 35 years from inception to
completion.
NARRA AND COCOBOLO,
23D X 13W X 72H

Ԃ M I KE S AR AS I N
Ԃ Mystic, Conn. Show your best work
For submission instructions and an entry
The PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey inspired this
form, go to FineWoodworking.com/rg.
curio cabinet. The top section has divided light panes of
restoration glass. The four diamonds are opaque rain glass.
The base has a carved basket-weave apron, a hoofed foot,
and Asian-style brackets.
CHERRY AND POPLAR, 14 1⁄ 2D X 42W X 74H

ԂSTEPHEN J . PA D D IS O N
Ԃ Knoxville, Tenn.
A combination of influences led to the final design
of this bench. The basic form came from Japanese
architecture, while the stringing and fans were inspired
by the work of Garrett Hack and Frank Strazza.
VARIOUS HARDWOODS, 18D X 43W X 25 1⁄ 2H
Photo: Jeff White

68 FINE WOODWORKING
gallery continued

Ԃ G AY M E YE R S
Ԃ Sandy, Utah
The mountain scenery
outside the clients’ front door
became the inspiration for the
marquetry and kumiko panels
in this floating-top console
table.
WALNUT, MAPLE, VARIOUS
VENEERS, 16D X 60W X 30H
ԂJIM TUTTLE
Ԃ Pine Mountain Valley, Ga.
This wall display cabinet is a wedding gift. Its
asymmetrical openings were designed to display
wedding photos and pottery. Jim’s hope is that
the cabinet will be a special piece of furniture
in the couple’s new home as they begin their
married life together.
SAPELE, BIRD’S-EYE MAPLE, 8D X 16W X 34H

Ԃ ST E V E AH N
Ԃ Jeju, South Korea
Steve’s goal while designing both the writing desk and
chair was to achieve simplicity and functionality. The desk
can be used closed or opened up into a writing desk.
OAK DESK, 22 1⁄ 2D X 37 1⁄ 2W X 33H
OAK, WALNUT, AND SYCAMORE CHAIR,
20D X 16W X 31H
Photo: Tony Marsh

70 FINE WOODWORKING
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gallery continued

Ԃ DAN I E L S C H N EID E R
Ԃ Champaign, Ill.
This desk is a combination of European
modernist styles from the early 20th century.
The basic design is modeled after a 1905 desk
by Josef Hoffmann. Daniel made the stained-
glass panels in the style of Dutch artist Theo
van Doesburg.
RED OAK, HICKORY, MAPLE, 24D X 48W X 42H

Ԃ AVRO M TOBIN
Ԃ Marblehead, Mass.
This chair is Avrom’s version of a Duncan Phyfe chair
at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City.
He was drawn to its uncommon details, such as the Ԃ SH A N E T R E M B L AY
asymmetry of the harp. The chair won first place in its Ԃ Ste. Anne, Man., Canada
category in the 2021 AWFS Fresh Wood Competition.
Shane designed this piece to attract the eye from any angle. The facets on
MAHOGANY, ASH AND MAPLE BURL VENEER,
20D X 18W X 32 1⁄ 2 H
the benchtop all oppose each other to present balance and continuity while
the facets on the legs are intended to slim the appearance moving upward.
Photo: Lance Patterson
WALNUT, 16D X 41W X 20H

72 FINE WOODWORKING
THE WHY & HOW OF
WOODWORKING
A Simple Approach to Making Meaningful Work
FROM FINE WOODWORKING

With a generous mix of instruction,

design advice, and inspiration,
Fine Woodworking’s creative director
Michael Pekovich explains how to
create furniture and other pieces
that are meaningful, purposeful,
and beautiful.

Order your copy of The Why & How

MICHAEL PEKOVICH of Woodworking today.

Available at TauntonStore.com
or wherever books are sold
gallery continued

■ J IM WAL L AC E
■ Cedar Park, Texas
Made to evoke the magic of The Wizard of Oz, this cabinet features marquetry
panels portraying iconic images from the 1939 movie: the Emerald City; the
Yellow Brick Road; the Wizard’s balloon nearing the impending tornado; Dorothy,
Tin Man, Scarecrow, and Cowardly Lion strolling through the apple orchard; and
of course flying monkeys soaring over a field of poppies. When an observer views
the outside they easily recognize these black-and-white silhouette images. Then,
when the cabinet door opens, the same images appear on the interior, in color,
recalling the exciting transition when the film morphs from black-and-white into
color as Dorothy steps out of the farmhouse into Oz.
POPLAR AND DYED AND NATURAL VENEERS, 21D X 25W X 51H

■ M YRL PHELPS
■ Danbury, N.H.
Myrl set out to make a desk
that a large person would be
able to use without sitting
sideways, as is often the case.
The ash is from a tree that he
cut down and split by hand to
get straight grain for the bent
laminations of the legs. The top
is a solid piece repurposed from
a life as a desktop supported by
two filing cabinets.
ASH AND WALNUT,
27D X 60W X 28H
Photo: Charley Frieberg

74 FINE WOODWORKING
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www.f i newoodwor k i n g.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 75

finish line
A rogue Arts and Crafts finish
B Y N A N C Y R . H I L L E R

I
n 1898, when British architect Cheltenham Museum), the one I spent
C.F.A. Voysey designed his two- time with was dark. I don’t know the
heart chair, he specified that it particular finishing materials or processes
should be “made in oak and left used on that chair, but it was a rich, warm
quite free from stain or polish.” dark brown; like a little black dress, the
This direction for the finish was not darkness played tricks on the eye, making
relegated to a footnote, but handwritten in the chair seem more delicate and spindly
capitals at the top of the drawing. than it looks when finished to Voysey’s
As anyone who does custom design specifications.
or builds to order will know, customers I’ve finished most of my chairs only with
often have their own agendas. This is linseed oil, but for an article I prepared
how many examples of the chair for an upcoming issue, the editors and
came to have a dark finish, long I decided to color the chair dark. I use
associated with wood species such a three-step coloring system to get a
as mahogany that were considered warm, layered depth of finish typical
“higher quality” than English oak. of turn-of-the-century furniture and
Such sleight of hand was inconsistent millwork—in other words, exactly the
with the basic values of the Arts and kind of finish Voysey did not want for
Crafts movement, which emphasized his two-heart chair.
honesty (for example, through exposed Begin by sanding the oak to 180
joinery) and encouraged people to ask grit. Remove all dust, using a vacuum
themselves just why they attributed with a brush attachment, compressed
higher quality to things that were not air, or both. Raise the grain with a
home-grown or homemade, which lightly dampened cloth. Let it dry,
implicitly disparaged the simple, local, then sand again. Then move through
and not contrived. dye, stain, shellac, and finally wax.
In 2017, when I went to England with
the primary goal of measuring one of Nancy R. Hiller is the owner of NR Hiller
these chairs at The Wilson (formerly the Design in Bloomington, Ind.

A layered finish
First add color with a dye. Then
enhance that color and bring out the
wood’s character with a stain. Next,
seal all that in with an amber shellac
that warms the color at the same time.
And finally, add a layer of paste wax to
protect it all.

76 FINE WOODWORKING Photos: Anissa Kapsales

PRETTYGOODHOUSE
A GUIDE TO CREATING BETTER HOMES
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planet as possible.

by Christopher Briley, Dan Kolbert,

Michael Maines, and Emily Mottram

DAN KOLBERT EMILY MOTTRAM MICHAEL MAINES CHRISTOPHER BRILEY Available at TauntonStore.com
and wherever books are sold.
finish line
Boost color and grain
Starting with a dye instead of stain pops the grain. The dye darkens uniformly,
coloring the medullary rays along with the rest of the wood.

Brush on a base color. Hiller uses TransTint waterborne dye in Dark Walnut #6005.
Apply the solution with a foam brush, then use a dampened cloth to spread it evenly
on all parts of the piece. Wipe off the excess with a dry cloth. When the dye is dry,
check the surface. If it feels rough, carefully scuff-sand with 320-grit paper.

Round out the color with stain

Staining over the dye adds color and dimension, and further defines the grain.
Because the oil-based stain will not color the medullary rays, using it after the
dye makes the now-dyed rays stand out even more.

Apply a coat of oil-based wiping stain. Hiller uses Minwax Ebony 2718, applying A final wipedown. Leave the stain to dry overnight, and
it full-strength with a natural-bristle brush. Allow the dye to penetrate for about 10 then use a clean shop cloth to make sure the wiping stain is
minutes, then wipe off every trace. Go back and check for dye seeping out of the fully absorbed, dry, and no trace remains on the surface, as
pores and remove any you find, using a clean, lint-free cloth. it can react with shellac, causing problems.

78 FINE WOODWORKING
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INDEX TO ADVERTISERS

ADVERTISER WEB ADDRESS PAGE ADVERTISER WEB ADDRESS PAGE

Bessey Tools besseytools.com p. 71 Oneida Air Systems oneida-air.com p. 15

Blue Spruce Toolworks bluesprucetoolworks.com p. 19 Oneida Air Systems oneida-air.com p. 17
Cabinet Parts cabinetparts.com p. 79 PantoRouter pantorouterusa.com p. 27
Center for Furniture Pretty Good House tauntonstore.com p. 77
Craftsmanship woodschool.org p. 11
Rikon Power Tools rikontools.com p. 69
Clapham’s Beeswax Products claphams.com p. 5
Ripeeze ripeeze.com p. 79
Connecticut Valley School
of Woodworking schoolofwoodworking.com p. 21 Rockler rockler.com p. 21
DR Power Equipment godrpower.com p. 23 Shaper Tools shapertools.com p. 7
Donoghue and Associate p. 79 The Society of American
Period Furniture Makers sapfm.org p. 23
Eheat eheat.com p. 75
The Why and How
Felder Group USA feldergroupusa.com p. 11
of Woodworking tauntonstore.com p. 73
Freud Tools freudtools.com/cnc p. 19
Titebond titebond.com p. 9
Grizzly Industrial, Inc grizzly.com p. 2
Triton Tools tritontools.com p. 27
Groff & Groff Lumber groffslumber.com p. 19
Wagner Electronic Products wagnermeters.com p. 27
Hearne Hardwoods hearnehardwoods.com p. 21
Whiteside Machine Company whitesiderouterbits.com p. 71
Keller Dovetail Systems simpledovetails.com p. 79
Woodcraft Supply woodcraft.com/stores p. 23
Laguna Tools p. 83
Woodpeckers woodpeck.com p. 5
Lignomat lignomat.com p. 21
Woodpeckers woodpeck.com p. 12-13
Micro Fence microfence.com p. 79
Woodpeckers woodpeck.com p. 75
Mortise & Tenon Magazine mortiseandtenonmag.com p. 75

www.f i newoodwor k i n g.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 79

finish line continued

Seal and protect

Amber shellac brightens everything while adding a sheer layer of color,
as well as a protective topcoat. One coat is enough. Hiller is not looking
for a built-up finish, but a protective layer of brightness and warmth.

On with the amber

shellac. Hiller uses
Zinsser Bull’s Eye,
which is pre-mixed,
and applies it with a
natural-bristle brush.
Be especially careful
to avoid “rolling”
the finish around a
corner, which can
cause drips. If you
are proficient in the
use of a small pad
to apply shellac,
you can use that
method.

Scuff it up. The shellac will dry quickly, but you should still
allow it to harden for a few hours. Scuff-sand the shellac
with 320-grit paper and remove the dust with a clean cloth.

Add extra protection

Paste wax dries to a hard but very thin finish, giving added protection
and a silky smoothness to the touch.

Wax on. Hiller covers the shellac with Old Masters Crystal Clear Paste Wax 30901, Wax off. Let the wax sit until it puts up a slight resistance
simply rubbing it on in small circles. to buffing, then buff it off briskly with a clean, dry cloth until
you reach a soft sheen.

80 FINE WOODWORKING
 CLASSIFIED
The Classified rate is $9.50 per word, 15 word
min. Orders must be accompanied by pay-
ment, ads are non-commissionable. The WOOD
& TOOL EXCHANGE is for private use by indi-
viduals only; the rate is $15/line, min. 3 lines.
Email to: Fine Woodworking Classified Ad Dept.
Ads@Taunton.com Deadline for the November/
December issue is August 12, 2022.

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DIEFENBACHER TOOLS – Exclusive US distributor for

DASTRA German woodcarving tools. (720) 502-6687.
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Instruction
PENLAND SCHOOL OF CRAFTS, in the spectacular
North Carolina mountains, offers one-, two-, and eight-
week workshops in woodworking and other media.
(828) 765-2359. www.penland.org

MAINECOASTWORKSHOP.COM Traditional wood-

© The Taunton Press

working and carving classes in beautiful Camden,
Maine. World-class instructors: Mary May, Alf Sharp,
Ray Journigan, Mike Pekovich, Alexander Grabovetskiy,
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For Sale
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www.f i newoodwor k i n g.com SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2022 81
from the bench
A bag of old chisels
B Y M I C H A E L C U L L E N

I
t’s early January and my first on my bench. The only thing he said
day back at the workshop as he glanced at one of my blue-
after a long time on the road. handled chisels was, “You shouldn’t
I’m tuning up tools for the be using those things. Here are some
new year. It feels so good to chisels.” Then he left.
be sharpening and taking in It was obvious that he and John
the whole feel of being back in the had been talking and more than
workshop. The focus that sharpening likely had hatched a plan. Inside
requires always puts me in the right the bag was an amazing assortment
mindset for the many tasks ahead. of chisels; they were old, and all of
After so many years of them were made of cast steel, before
woodworking, the majority of my or during the war. The majority
tools come with a story. Twenty- were from England and Sweden.
five years ago, I was still working There were all different widths; and
with my apprentice chisels, a set of then along with the bench chisels
Marples with blue plastic handles was a large set of the finest pattern-
that were anything but fine tools. making chisels I had ever seen. All
They were made from soft steel of them were in decent condition but
that required constant sharpening. needed work.
The result, over time, was a set of A week later I commissioned John
chisels that had become so short to make London-pattern handles
they required special setups on the for all of them while I set aside
grinder. In spite of their metallurgical time to flatten the backs, hone the
shortcomings and generic looks, they edges, and slowly bring each chisel
did perform well if kept sharp. back to life. I chose bocote as the
Around that time I gave a material for the handles because of
talk at my workshop for a local New handles on old iron. Cullen’s windfall chisels got its density and toughness. It proved
woodworking club. One of the fitted with London-pattern handles; all but this one, in to be a good choice. The weight of
people who attended was John de pearwood, were made from bocote. the wood brought balance to the tool
Marchi, a sculptor, woodworker, and the beauty of the rich, dark grain
and collector of old tools. We had never met, and I learned handsomely complemented the cast steel. I soon discovered
that evening that John had once owned my classic 1920s that the octagonal design of the London pattern not only made
Avey drill press, one of my favorite tools. In fact, it turned out the chisel stay put on the bench, but afforded a good grip for
that John was the one who did the beautiful restoration of stout cuts with the mallet, whereas the narrow neck of the
it. That revelation set the tone, and we became good friends. handle down by the ferrule was an excellent place for the
During John’s early visits to the workshop he’d constantly fingertips when making very fine cuts.
make comments about my blue-handled chisels. He truly When I think back, it seems the bag of chisels arrived exactly
disliked them and made sure I knew it. Usually, he’d just say, at the right time. I cut my teeth with the blue-handled ones—
as he shook his head, “How can you work with those things?” sharpened them down to nothing and made countless fine
Other times he’d simply make a face, which said pretty much pieces with them. I may not have realized it, but I was ready
everything he felt about them. to do good work with good tools; ones that not only looked
Then one day, Wayne, an old student of John’s from his days beautiful simply resting on the bench, but really held an edge.
teaching art, dropped by my workshop. I knew Wayne because Now all these years later, there they are, lined up in a tool chest
he had a space in an antique collective right around the corner drawer, sharp as can be, and a delight to use. ☐
from my shop where he sold vintage woodworking tools. I had
bought quite a few things from him, though never a chisel. On After many years in Petaluma, Calif., Michael Cullen has brought his chisels
this particular day he arrived carrying a grocery bag and set it to Kent, Conn., where he is setting up a new workshop.

82 FINE WOODWORKING Photo: Michael Cullen

 Reflections
on Rococo

A
llan Breed, who carves with
mesmerizing fluidity, has
been building American
period furniture for nearly 50 years and
teaching his craft for more than 30. Yet
he’s still learning. Carving this 5-ft.-tall
looking glass, which re-creates a white
painted pine one made in Philadelphia
in 1770, was for him a revelation in the
Rococo style. Examining the original at
the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York, he found it at first “dauntingly
complex.” But he says that partway
through carving it, “I suddenly realized
what this guy had been doing—that
all the complicated carving was
actually completely modular and
predictable.” Breed saw that in
its essence the design was about
opposition: a textured leaf beside
a smooth one, a dished leaf beside
a pillowed one, a convex form
beside a concave one. “And if you erase
the leaves and foliage,” he said, “you
have opposing C-scrolls that chase
each other around the frame; they’re
the basic grid that the design is built
on.” He also noted that the original had
been carved at speed with large tools.
“This kind of carving can’t be labored
over and chipped away at. It has to
look spontaneous and quick. I learned
a ton by doing that mirror—I’d like to
carve another!”
—Jonathan Binzen
Photo: Bill Truslow