Magazines

• Prize summerhouse 2 – Alan Holtham continues building the revolving octagonal summerhouse that will be the star prize at this year’s GetWoodworking Live show at London’s Alexandra Palace in March. This month he tackles erecting the wall panels, cladding them with shiplap boards and getting the roof on. It’s looking rather good already!
• Suite inspiration 3 – Roger Berwick’s oak dining suite is completed as he designs and builds a stunning tall display cabinet to match the table and chairs he’s made in the last two issues. It features a glazed upper section fitted with glass shelves, and two concealed centre drawers that are perfect for storing cutlery, table mats and the like. Next month Roger moves on to make a matching occasional table.
• Stand to attention – Keith Smith presents a simple but elegant umbrella stand for the hallway, cleverly designed to take a metal tray that will contain the unavoidable rainwater drips.
• The bath store – Gordon Warr describes how to make a simple stool for the bathroom that incorporates some useful storage space and features a comfortable water-resistant cork seat.

In the Workshop section, Keith Smith tackles a job that will appeal to anyone with a fitted kitchen; replacing the cheap veneered chipboard plinths that are so easily damaged if water is split on the kitchen floor. Paul Sellers describes how to mould side beads to disguise the joins round cabinet doors and drawers using little more than an old wood screw and a wood offcut. Apart from costing next to nothing, his simple cutter can be adjusted to form beads of different sizes. Vere Shannon muses on a lifetime of woodworking, and describes the tools he simply couldn’t do without. Last but by no means least, Keith Smith buys some wood at auction, clogs up his workshop extractor system with holly shavings and talks about his need for skin protection to prevent contact dermatitis.

Our turning section concentrates on techniques rather than projects this month, opening with a look at how to create texture on your turned work. Colin Simpson tries out the new Decorating Elf tool from Henry Taylor and a chatter tool from Hamlet, and explains the cunning Japanese texturing technique known as ukibori. Ian Wilkie continues his series of features on miniature turning by describing the range of techniques he uses to hold and turn small workpieces. Finally, Chris Child turns a block of burr elm into a smart pepper mill with a ceramic grinding mechanism.

Our regular test section has reports this month on the following tools and equipment:
• Festool F700Z spindle moulder
• Felder F38 power feed
• Festool CXS cordless drill/driver
• Makita BO3711 orbital sander
• Skil 4270 jigsaw
• Axminster TH410 thicknesser
• Bosch Mx2Drive cordless screwdriver
• Jet JWL-1220VS lathe
• Trend N-Compass circle cutter

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