Magazines

Bastian Bonhoeffer’s warrior knife block will certainly make a statement in any kitchen

Our November issue is hot off the press and we think it’s a cracker! Not only have we got a varied selection of projects for you to enjoy, but also a fair few technical articles for you to get your teeth into as well. Kicking off our projects section is David Long, a new author and one who will be providing a lot more articles over the coming months, so look out for them! Tasked with building a ‘big girl’s bed’ for his young granddaughter Jessica, David had to make the most of the available space and also incorporate integrated storage boxes that would fit neatly underneath. As can be seen above, we also have Bastian Bonhoeffer’s warrior knife block, which will certainly make a statement in any kitchen, and keeping with the kitchen theme, Janice Anderssen’s modern bread bin design features an integrated slot for a pine cutting board and a holder for your knife. Around the house, Phil Davy’s high shelf solution offers a great way of housing books, DVDs or bits and bobs that don’t need to be readily accessed, and in turning, Les Thorne turns a traditional children’s cup and ball toy using a lovely piece of oak.

As John Bullar shows, the bandsaw is ideal for repeatedly cutting straight parallel-sided pieces, such as these large tenons

In our ‘technical’ section, we’re thrilled to welcome back John Bullar, who embarks on the first of a 12-part series on improving your furniture making; and in the next of his ‘What the Dickens’ series, Dave Roberts looks at some wonderful garden seats that were originally conceived as a way of using up the left-overs of oak sleepers. Moving on, in the next of his ‘understanding wood’ series, Peter Bishop tells us more about wood shrinkage and movement and how this can have a big impact on the outcome of our projects, before Tony ‘Bodger’ Scott takes a sideways look at sharpening.

Rhys Gillard’s stunning sycamore demi lune table

Also this month’s cover star, Alexander White is this month’s profiled furniture maker, whose award-winning bespoke pieces embrace technological innovations while still staying true to their roots, and in ‘Centrefold’, we take a closer look at Rhys Gillard’s stunning sycamore demi lune table, which features an oak veneer fan top. Designed to hug a wall with no corners to bump into, this piece is ideal for narrow hallways or around the edge of a room, and finally, in ‘people & places’, this month’s ‘End-Grain’ ponders the forgotten Age of Wood.

The new Ryobi R18TR cordless trim router in action

Test-wise, we’ve got some great kit and tools recommendations for you to put on your upcoming Christmas lists, including the Multi-Sharp Drill Bit Sharpener, a really handy sharpening device that should give your drill bit collection a new lease of life. We also have a fantastic reader offer on this piece of kit, so see inside the issue for details. We also get to grips with the Ryobi R18TR trim router, a new cordless offering that is compact, allows for fine depth adjustment, and will no doubt appeal to many fans of cordless power tools. Brand-new from Bosch, we also take a look at their T308 jigsaw blade collection, put the iGaging digital protractor through its paces, before getting nostalgic as we revisit the Trend T5 router, which is currently available at an unbelievable promotional price - don’t miss out!
We also have a great competition from IRWIN Tools, which gives you the opportunity to win 1 of 20 IRWIN Jack 880 Plus Universal Coated Handsaws. Number one for speed, ease and quality of cut, see inside the issue to find out how you can be in with a chance of getting your hands on one! We also have all your usual favourite pages, including news, courses, next month and letters & makers, so don’t forget to pick up your copy today, and if you don’t already, then why not subscribe?

Enjoy!
Tegan Foley, Editor