The Woodworker - December 2016 - What is in it...

The Editor’s retro advent calendar is a perfect Christmas project
The Editor’s retro advent calendar is a perfect Christmas project

Welcome to the December issue, which is full of lots of Christmas projects for you to make and many other articles for you to enjoy. Robin Gates’ simple winter projects are the star of this month’s cover, which are bound to help you beat those winter blues. Michael Forster is also back with a simple kitchen storage commission, which unfortunately didn’t quite go to plan, thanks to some dovetail glue line problems. However, the completed project was a resounding success with its recipient. The Editor brings us two Christmas projects this month, including a hand-built advent calendar with a surprise behind every window, and a lovely pull-along toy for pre-school children, not to mention Ian Salisbury’s mix up magnet man (or woman), which gives you the chance to create a collection of playful people, creatures, and whatever else your imagination can conjure up.

Traditional craftsman Victor Curd knows a lot about the art of skiving

Traditional craftsman Victor Curd knows a lot about the art of skiving

We also have part 2 of Andy King’s guide to grains & timbers, which sees him coming up with a collection of potential problems to look out for when selecting timber at your local yard, and Mark Griffiths tells us more about traditional craftsman Victor Curd, who teaches him how to create and fit a leather skiver.

Colin Simpson’s juniper gems
Colin Simpson’s juniper gems

In turning and carving, Graeme Benson introduces us to the Sheffield-based U3A Woodcarving Group and discovers that companionship and a sense of camaraderie are key to producing creative work, before Ian Wilkie shares a fun turning project for chess fans who enjoying saving the pennies. And if you want to know more about making the most of small pieces of juniper branchwood, then Colin Simpson’s two charming projects will show you how to make the most of the timber’s contrasting sapwood, heartwood and natural-edges.

The Bosch Professional GST 10.8 V-LI cordless jigsaw’s onboard work lamp
The Bosch Professional GST 10.8 V-LI cordless jigsaw’s onboard work lamp

In ‘Kit & tools’ we have a great deal of variety for you, starting with the Editor’s review of the Bosch Professional GST 10.8 V-LI cordless jigsaw. As he found, the cordless nature of this tool makes it ideal for the travelling woodworker and it has a host of excellent features, including the simple and secure blade changing system. Definitely worth a look if you’re in the market for a new jigsaw. Andy King is also back with two tests, one of which looks at a range of Gorilla Glue adhesives, which are ideal for pen turners looking to glue up their pen kits quickly and they also benefit from an excellent bond strength, before he has a closer look at the recently redesigned Triton TWX7 Workcentre and modules,

Fancy winning a Hammer A3-26 planer/thicknesser worth over £3,000?
Fancy winning a Hammer A3-26 planer/thicknesser worth over £3,000? See below for details!

While the closing date of our fantastic Felder competition is looming, there’s still of time to get building a piece of furniture to enter. Anyone can enter regardless of age or skill level; you just need to document the build of a project, take photos, write a short amount of text, then submit it to be in with the chance of winning 1 of 3 prizes, worth a combined total of over £4,000. Good luck!

As well as all this, we also have your usual favourite pages, including our timber suppliers directory, readers’ letters, AOB, archive and marketplace.

All this and much more in the December issue of The Woodworker, which is now on sale!

X