The New Issue of Good Woodworking Magazine - GW325

The ash for Les Thorne’s green wood projects is fine stacked horizontally, but ideally, the sycamore should be dried on end to prevent the timber from going grey

Well, it’s that time of year again when our Special issue comes around, and here it is! Months in the planning and hopefully one that will inspire, intrigue and educate, the subject of our 2017 issue is Timber Conversion, which is brought to you in association with Record Power. Boasting some of the best woodworking authors in the UK and USA, we’re very proud of GW325, and hope you’ll like it as much as we do! Consisting of technical articles, a few projects and some features to boot, as well as some tests for good measure, our Timber Conversion Special aims to cover all bases and tell you all you need to know about this fascinating subject. Mike McCrory kicks off our projects section, which sees him making a Valentine’s jewellery box using machine methods. Made using stunning pieces of bird’s eye maple and book-matched walnut, this project also comes complete with various interior trays, and in turning, Les Thorne demonstrates the different types of functional projects that can be made using fresh, green timber.

John Bullar shows how a waney edge on each board, which follows the undulations of the outside of the tree, can be ripped off with a handsaw or on the bandsaw or saw table
John Bullar shows how a waney edge on each board, which follows the undulations of the outside of the tree, can be ripped off with a handsaw or on the bandsaw or saw table

Our technical section is bursting at the seams and is handily broken down into different aspects of timber conversion, starting with Phil Davy’s ‘Around the House’, where he shows you how to remove old polish and varnish, before discussing the things to look for when buying both soft- and hardwoods from a timber merchant, and finally offering some great tips on getting boards home and how best to transport sheet materials. Moving on to using planer/thicknessers, we have a great article from Record Power looking at how to dimension timber accurately using this machine; Peter Bishop talks you through the process for correctly setting a planer/thicknesser and suggests reasons why you might not be getting the best possible cut; and in ‘Understanding Timber’, he also provides some guidance on choosing the correct grade of timber to use, as well as suggesting various ways in which this might impact on your projects. And last but not least, in ‘What the Dickens’, a theatrical production sets Dave Roberts reviewing the situation – or at least wood’s ability to transform and be transformed; and in the next of his ‘Improve your furniture making’ series, John Bullar shares the story of how he converted an apple tree into a stunning occasional table.

David Simmons of Interesting Timbers with a huge sequoia log prior to milling
David Simmons of Interesting Timbers with a huge sequoia log prior to milling

In ‘People & Places’, we do away with our usual ‘Centrefold’ and this month bring you a UK timber suppliers directory: a comprehensive alphabetical list detailing the wide range of timber suppliers across the UK, as well as the services each one of them offers. John McMahon returns to describe his attempts to reconnect with trees as a raw material and in the process gives an outline of the past, present and future of woodland management from a woodworker’s perspective; in ‘Home Truths’ Edward Hopkins fashions a wooden niche - a small space inviting occupation - to mark the arrival of his grandchild; Garry and Shaun Stevenson share the story of how a passion for quality raw materials led to the development and continued growth of their business; and in ‘End-grain’, we go back nature and ponder the escapology of wood.

Planer wars: John Lloyd puts two differently priced planer/thicknessers through their paces
Planer wars: John Lloyd puts two differently priced planer/thicknessers through their paces

In ‘Kit & Tools’, we’re thrilled to welcome John Lloyd, who gets to grips with two differently priced planer/thicknessers before analysing the results - what do you really get for your money and is it worth the extra outlay? Phil Davy also takes a look at the Bosch EasyCut 12 saw - the world's first general-purpose saw with ‘Nano Blade’, a saw blade with a surrounding micro-chain; and Edward Hopkins urges you to make way for PVA as he speaks to the Technical Service Manager of Titebond glues and tries out their Quick & Thick adhesive.

This fantastic planer/thicknesser from Record Power could be yours!
This fantastic planer/thicknesser from Record Power could be yours!

And while this may seem like a plethora of timber-related content, that’s not all, as we bring you a fantastic competition from Record Power, which gives you the chance to win your very own PT260 10 x 6in planer/thicknesser, worth £649.99! Of course, we also have all your usual favourite pages, as well as giving you a glimpse at our exciting December issue, complete with its fair share of festive projects for you to make!

Enjoy!
Tegan Foley, Editor

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