Magazines

Phil Davy’s wonderful Mission-style mirror

If you have a gap in your woodworking schedule and fancy completing what the Editor calls an 'under the bench' project, then his handy tool caddy, also the star of this month’s front cover, will certainly tick a lot of boxes as well as giving you the chance to hone some essential skills. Yes, our September issue is here and we have some great and varied content in store for you, including a range of excellent projects, some technical articles that will help you to expand your repertoire, and a fascinating feature on William Morris. We also bring you Phil Davy’s lovely Mission-style mirror, which is made using quartersawn European oak, and in turning, Andrew Hall shares the secrets behind the making of one of his small signature hats, and Colin Simpson offers some great tips on how you can become better at undercutting turned bowls.

Peter Bishop’s Victorian wind-out mahogany extender, once restored

We’re also pleased to see Peter Bishop return with another restoration job, as he gets hands-on with a lovely Victorian wind-out mahogany extender; John Greeves takes us through the steps for making a coracle - a small, keel-less boat, which has always been used as a means of fishing or transportation; Rick Wheaton shares the first instalment in the story of how he and a group of volunteers made a green-timber outdoor sculpture/bench seat using froes, wedges, side axes, mauls and beetles; we look at a variety of woodworking joints, which are all you need to work solid timber with confidence; Chris Tribe reveals a fine furniture maker’s technique for fitting hinges; and with a view to helping you choose the right kit for the job, Andy King talks screw heads, threads, lengths and gauges.

Among other things, the Toolbox app shows the Bosch GSB 18V-60C 18V combi drill’s battery be very flat indeed...

In ‘On Test’, we begin with a look at two products, which will ensure your work is shown off and protected to its best, before taking a closer look at the Black & Decker Multievo 18V combi drill, which has plenty of guts and performed well under test. The Editor then looks at two-brand new tools from the Bosch’s Connected Bluetooth range, which really are leading the way in terms of embracing new technology, and Andy King explains why the Stanley FatMax carpenter’s hatchet is still an essential part of any carpenter’s tool kit. We also look at a great set of turning tools - the CompacTool six-piece turning set - which are specially designed for smaller lathes and working in close quarters. Ideal for novices, there’s certainly no compromise in terms of build quality.

William Morris’ Sussex Chair was based on an original by an unknown Sussex craftsman

Our special feature this month looks at how William Morris’ Sussex Chairs brought mass-produced style and quality to the emerging middle classes, and the Editor reviews British Saws: A History and Collector's Guide by Simon Barley, which provides a provides a rich and insightful collector’s guide to British saws. Our resident tool collector Gary Cook also returns, and this month reports from the recent tool auction held at Richard Arnold’s rural workshop, which saw a vast array of rare and wonderful tools on display, and we also have a great competition, which gives one lucky reader the chance to win a 2.5l tin of Rainbow Chalk’s new Shabby Chic Decking Paint, worth £29.99, so if you fancy sprucing up your outdoor areas then be sure to see inside the issue for further details on how you can enter. We also bring you your usual favourite pages, including our timber suppliers directory, readers’ letters, AOB, archive and marketplace, before we round things off with the next instalment in Stan Clark’s fascinating ladder maker’s diary.

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