Magazines

Geoff Gray’s fall front wooden toolbox

March is here and we have an issue filled with all manner of content for you to enjoy. We kick off with Shaun Newman’s rocking horse restoration, which is the subject of this month’s front cover. Deciding to rejuvenate an old family friend, he rescues ‘Caroline’ – an old rocking horse – from the basement and proceeds to give her a new lease of life. We also have a nice and easy shooting board project from Phil Davy that will certainly prove useful in the future, before Geoff Gray shows us how he adapted an existing design for a fall front wooden toolbox and applied his own personal twist, while overcoming a few problems along the way… Next, Clint Rose of Timber Anew shares a simple project for a sofa arm table, which makes use of homemade contrasting dowels to finish it off perfectly, and in turning, Les Thorne’s idea for a pair of turned maracas not only makes for a fun project, but is also a great exercise in copy turning and airbrushing.

The simplest of straight leg support structures, says John Bullar, is braced by a hidden diagonal frame beneath the table top

In techniques, we have the last of Dave Roberts’ ‘What the Dickens’ series, but fear not, as he will be back in a few issues’ time with a brand-new series entitled ‘Borderlands’, in which he explores woodworking aspects of the border country. Peter Bishop brings us the next instalment in his ‘understanding timber’ series, where he takes an overview of wood’s uses over time, as well as offering a peek at the future, and in his next article, John Bullar looks at building tables and considers both the top itself and its supporting legs. We also have two exclusive ‘how-to’ guides for you courtesy of Trend, which takes you through the steps for using the Trend Adjustable Trade Lock Jig, plus the fitting of a multipoint security lock strip, which can be added with ease to leave a neat and unobtrusive result.

Close to finished, Lakshmi Bhaskaran and Jonathan Walter of Bark Furniture fit the sliding doors at their workshop in North Cornwall

We also have some fantastic features in store, including the latest from Edward Hopkins as he demonstrates the maximum anxiety method of making a linenfold panel for a standard chest of drawers, before we take a closer look at this month’s Centrefold, as Jonathan Walter and Lakshmi Bhaskaran of Bark Furniture share a stunning piece from their Acorn Collection, which aims to capture its own piece of ‘50s Americana. Plus, we also have a special report from David Moody, who shares his observations of ancient Egyptian woodworking at the British Museum, and in ‘end-grain’, we ponder the passing on of woodworking knowledge to future generations.

The detachable side handle on the new Veritas mitre plane is definitely easier to use than awkwardly grasping the side of the plane

We have a wide range of exciting tests for you including Phil Davy’s review of the stunning new Veritas mitre plane, which he had no hesitation in awarding the full five stars. Although costly in price, this beautifully-made piece of kit performs fantastically on meaty end-grain and features precise adjustments, so good reason to start saving now! The Woodworker Editor Mark Cass puts the Triton TWSS10 250mm wetstone grinder through its paces and thinks that it would prove to be a great addition to any workshop, and Edward Hopkins tests a useful tool - the Veritas Jointer Blade Sharpener - which is designed to restore blades dulled from normal use, even if they contain minor nicks.

Win 1 of 10 pairs of Dickies Workwear Liberty safety boots – worth £72.50!

And last but not least, we bring you another fantastic competition from Dickies Workwear, which gives 10 readers the chance to win a pair of their brand-new Liberty safety boots. Worth £72.50 per pair, these boots offer tradespeople greater flexibility than ever before. You can also find all your favourite usual pages, such as news and courses, all the latest readers’ ads, Phil Davy’s ‘Around the House’, where he visits Westonbirt Woodworks to find out more about their Chairmaking Course, and in the process meets blind woodworker Paul Palmer whose attitude to life is truly amazing, and you can also see what we have in store for you next month, as well as perusing some great letters from our readers. All this and much more in GW329!

Enjoy!
Tegan Foley, Editor