The Woodworker inc Good Woodworking-May 2019

Peter Benson makes four identical planters for his daughter’s new garden
Peter Benson makes four identical planters for his daughter’s new garden

Welcome to our May issue, which we’ve done our best to cram full of spring-time projects and techniques for you to make and learn from, as well as a few interesting and inspirational features to boot. If we start by taking a look at our wide range of projects and turning articles, first up is Peter Benson’s four matching planters, which he makes for his daughter’s garden; next, inspired by his late Grandad’s homemade tools, Martin Pim-Keirle produces his own traditional wooden full-depth marking gauge; why saw when you can turn? says Dave Roberts, who presents this month’s turning challenge; Phil Davy brings a cupboard back to its former beauty; Les Thorne’s beaded and burnt bowl in brown oak makes use of liming wax and blowtorching to create an interesting effect; and last but not least, Ian Wilkie’s clever design for a small cottage-type dolls’ house features two floors, a folding roof and looks very effective when painted.

Learn how to correctly apply French polish with Liberon’s comprehensive guide
Learn how to correctly apply French polish with Liberon’s comprehensive guide

And if that’s not enough to whet your appetite, in our technical section, Liberon explains the processes taken to achieve beautifully rich and stunning results with your French polishing; next up, bugs, beetles, barrels and hooks are all featured in the latest instalment of Peter Bishop’s directory of wood-related words and phrases; and in the next ‘Borderlands’, Dave Roberts takes an idea for a walk in search of a second opinion.

Building a spiralling structure in Ruskin Land
Building a spiralling structure in Ruskin Land

In terms of features, we have our usual eclectic mix, starting with Anselm Fraser’s monthly column, which sees him explaining how woodworking is a constant process of lifelong learning; next, Denis Whittaker MBE shares the story of his woodworking life, including a few of his boxmaking greats (one of which happens to be featured on this month’s cover); in ‘Me & my workshop’, we meet 53-year-old Cornish furniture maker, Carl Austin, whose workshop is based in the harbour town of Falmouth; John Greeves visits Ruskin Land and discovers something terribly interesting in the wood; in ‘Archive’, spring finds Robin Gates musing on messing about in boats, inspired by a handsome motor cruiser in the May 1947 issue of The Woodworker; and in ‘End-grain’, Edward Hopkins presents a tongue-in-cheek guide to the magazine.

Cutting down some decking using the Makita SP6000J plunge saw with rails
Cutting down some decking using the Makita SP6000J plunge saw with rails

As always, we like to bring you all the latest kit and tools on the market, and this month is no exception. Phil Davy starts off by putting the Ryobi R18MS216-0 ONE+ cordless sliding mitre saw through its paces, which he finds to be pretty impressive in use, followed by the Bosch GLI 18V-2200 C Professional worklight, which offers high power brightness – anywhere, anytime. Next up, Cameron Sidgwick tests the Makita SP6000J plunge saw with rails and connector, which he finds to be a competitive, slick and accurate piece of kit, and in mini tests, we look at Skelton Saws Peacock Oil, before giving Peter Sefton’s A-Z of Jointer Set Up and Maintenance a thorough watch.

Fancy getting your hands on this Clarke CMS10S2 10in sliding compound mitre saw?
Fancy getting your hands on this Clarke CMS10S2 10in sliding compound mitre saw?

We also have a double competition for you this month, featuring a Clarke CMS10S2 10in sliding compound mitre saw and 1 of 5 sets of Peter Sefton’s Ultimate Thickness Planer DVD series. Yes, all of this kit is up for grabs, so see inside the issue for details on how to enter both - good luck! As well as this, you can also expect to find all your usual favourite pages, including news and courses, welcome, marketplace, next month, letters and readers’ tips. All this and much more in the May 2019 issue of The Woodworker & Good Woodworking, which is now on sale!

Enjoy!
Tegan Foley, Editor

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