The Woodworker inc Good Woodworking-April 2020

Another spring issue under our belts and we think you’ll particularly like this one, not only because it contains a fantastic profile on furniture and plane maker Theo Cook, but also because it’s filled with a wide variety of fantastic projects and technical articles, not to mention tests.

Charles Mak makes an inlaid wine bottle box by hand
Charles Mak makes an inlaid wine bottle box by hand

So, to get things started Charles Mak shows you how to cut the decorative joinery for an inlaid wine bottle box by hand; Adrian Parfitt comes up with two complicated designs for an arched altar table commission before one is finally chosen; Dave Roberts uses antique mahogany to recreate a classic piece – a travelling salesman’s sample; if you want to maximise room space by reversing the door, Phil Davy tells you how to do it with mortise & rim locks; and last but not least, in turning, Les Thorne comes up with a cauldron-style bowl design in olive ash, which features textured and carved feet as well as pyrographed detail on the rim.

Martin Saban-Smith shares his top 10 smartphone photography tips for taking great shots of your woodturning projects
Martin Saban-Smith shares his top 10 smartphone photography tips for taking great shots of your woodturning projects

In our technical section, in his next series instalment, Martin Saban-Smith shares his top 10 smartphone photography tips for taking great shots of your woodturning projects; Michael Forster tells us to watch that dust as he discusses dust extraction solutions; before Peter Bishop concentrates on the Fs in his next ‘Woodworker’s encyclopaedia’ helping.

An Alan Peters revolving bookcase: simple, functional, space-saving. Circa 1990
An Alan Peters revolving bookcase: simple, functional, space-saving. Circa 1990

Our features section is particularly brimming this month and includes a special article from Alan Peters Award Organiser Jeremy Broun, who looks at the importance of making furniture you believe in – an ethos very much held by Alan Peters himself, as we focus on the upcoming award; next, in ‘Archive’, Robin Gates is entranced by the making of a violin, the subject of a marathon series of articles running in The Woodworker from 1958 to 1959; in ‘profile’, Martin Pim-Keirle discovers more about the immensely talented Theo Cook, who also happens to be this month’s cover star; in ‘Me & my workshop’, Rick Wheaton looks around the workshop of former broadcaster, scientist, author and photographer, Adam Hart-Davis; in ‘Modern woodworking’, Tom Fraser shows how becoming a successful furniture maker requires more than a talent for woodworking and design; and in the final part of his series, Gareth Jones describes finding a niche with his craft products and an odd customer who commissioned a loo roll holder; before Edward Hopkins brings us his last helping of ‘End-grain’, which sees him going back to his roots.

The set of Rowdens large French curves are beautifully presented and all finished in shellac and wax
The set of Rowdens large French curves are beautifully presented and all finished in shellac and wax 

Moving on to tests, we’ve got a very nice selection of both hand and power tools for you this month, as well as some safety kit, starting with the Axminster Craft AC200BDS belt & disc sander, which is aimed at smaller workshops. As Phil Davy says, it’s a step up from a budget machine and is capable of excellent results. Next, he takes a look at the DeWalt DCW210N-XJ random orbit sander, and although a pricey bit of kit, he thinks it’ll certainly give similar random orbit sanders a run for their money. Phil is also impressed with Dickies Cameron safety boots and the PEC Tools solid squares from Classic Hand Tools, which he found to be very accurate indeed. We also have a test from new author Simon Frost, who was delighted to put the full set of Rowdens Fine Furniture Maker tools through their paces. Describing them as beautifully designed and crafted, they are also accurate and easy to use while encouraging fine woodworking. What’s not to like?

Our competition this month is in conjunction with Dickies Workwear, who are generously giving five lucky readers the chance to win 1 of 5 tickets to Makers Central, an event that celebrates makers, creators, hobbyists and artists from all over the world. So if you fancy going along and meeting some amazing makers, see inside the issue for full details on how to enter - good luck!

As well as all this, you can also expect to find your usual favourite pages, including news and courses, welcome, marketplace, next month, letters and readers’ tips, plus much more! Don’t forget to keep sending in your top workshop tips too as we have a fantastic Veritas apron plane with PM-V11 blade up for grabs each month, and one could very well be yours! So be sure to pick up your copy today, or why not subscribe?

Enjoy!

Tegan Foley, Editor

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