Magazines

Phil Davy’s decking is perfect for al fresco woodworking

While Autumn may be looming there’s still lots to celebrate, and our September issue is certainly one of them. Brimming with a range of varied projects, technical articles, profiles to excite, and tests to make you want to part with your hard-earned cash, there’s something to suit every woodworker out there. While we’re sad to say goodbye to our cover star, John Bullar’s excellent beginners’ guide to furniture making series, we’re pleased to report that he’ll be back in a few issues’ time with a brand-new series, so watch this space! In our projects section this month you will find Andy Smith’s wonderful toy wooden camera, which is made using scrap pieces of walnut and maple, and would make the perfect gift for any young budding photographer, and also on the theme of gifts is Annemarie Adams’ lovely acorn pendant, which is is quick and easy to make, gives you a good opportunity to use up scrap pieces of wood, and would be lovingly received by any fan of wood. Or if making projects for the home is more your thing, then Noah Weinstein’s clever corner shelving solution is sure to liven and brighten up a corner of any room; and moving into the garden, Phil Davy’s decking is perfect for al fresco woodworking, before we round things off with another great turning project from Les Thorne, as he decides to do battle with a piece of brown burr oak.

A 6mm screw extractor from WoodRiver

We’ve also got some great technical articles for you, including another exciting instalment from Dave Roberts’ ‘What the Dickens…’ series, as he finds that keeping up with the times isn’t always the same as making progress, and if you find yourself struggling with small brass screws stuck in hardwood, then Mike McCrory’s guide to extracting these problem culprits will ensure you deal with the problem properly and stop his happening the next time you use them. In the final part of his series, John Bullar looks at preparing and treating the wooden surfaces of furniture, and moving on from looking at methods of harvesting, Peter Bishop now makes the natural leap to looking at the processes used for converting logs to lumber, before John McMahon shows how it’s possible to design your ideal workshop for less than the price of a takeaway meal (depending on how you look at it!).

Rocking chair with the ‘Inspector’ in cherry with ash spindles/legs – short rockers for apartment living – overall 813mm wide × 914mm dia. × 1,118mm high - by Michael Brown

In ‘People & Places’ Sam Carter’s console table from his ‘Arching Collection’ forms this month’s Centrefold, which was designed to be in keeping with the room it sat in, the entrance of which incorporated a Gothic arch; and our featured profile this month looks at chair maker Michael Brown, who on sailing over from England in 1985 and upon landing on America’s shores, went about building his own timber-framed house before setting up a business making stunning bespoke hand-crafted chairs and furniture, which he continues to do to this day; and finally, in ‘End-grain’, we look at the subject of errorism - or how to fail safe.

One of the two volumes from Peter Sefton’s new Fine Furniture Making DVD range

In ‘Kit & Tools’ we look at a wide range of kit for you, including the Triton TJS001 jigsaw - a budget-priced offering that features a powerful three-stage 750W motor and a pendulum action that provides impressive cutting performance, before taking a look at the Ernst Socket Boss, which is similar to the systems mechanics use. These organisers are designed to keep sockets visible and accessible, so no more lost sockets, and they are also ideal for transporting to and from a job site. And handy for the inevitable autumn evenings is the Bosch GLI 18V-1900 worklight, which is ideal for site work or a small workshop, and will  certainly make sure you’re not kept in the dark. We also take a look at two brand-new volumes from Peter Sefton’s new Fine Furniture Making DVD range, which are very well produced and the professional and authoritative delivery instils the viewer with confidence throughout. Finally, if you fancy giving your decked area and garden woodwork a splash of colour, then Rainbow Chalk’s Shabby Chic Garden & Decking Paints’ range of easy-to-apply water-based colours will certainly do a sterling job - you can even win a tin of the Decking Paint yourself, which forms this month’s competition.

And as well as the above, you’ll also find all your usual favourite pages, including news and courses, letters and makers, where we take a closer look at the work of Paul Lemiski of Canadian Woodworks, and our next month pages gives you an elusive glimpse at GW323.

Enjoy!
Tegan Foley, Editor