Fine Woodworking #051 1985 03 04 Rublmann furniture.pdf

he Funiure of Rublmann

�W orng

March/April 1985, No. 51

4 Letters

Editor

Paul Bertorelli

Art Director

Deborah Fillion

Associ,de Editors

Jim Cummins

Roger Holmes

Assistant Editors

Dick Burrows

David Sloan

Copy Editor

ancy Stabile

Associate Art Diredor

Roland Wolf

Editorial Secretary

Cindy Howard

Senior Editor

John Kelsey

Contributing Editors

Tage Frid

R. Bruce Hoadley

Richard Starr

Simon Watts

Consulting Editors

George Frank

Otto Heuer

Ian J. Kirby

Don Newell

Richard

Cover: A rosewood cabinet inlaid

with iVOry richly illustrates why

woodworkers are taking a new

look at 20th-century master

jacques·Emile Ruhlmann. See

p. 30. Photo: The Metropolitan

Museum oJ Art, Edward C. Moore

jr. Gift Fund, 1925.

8 Methods ofWork

14 estions & Answers

20 Books

Jointer thicknessing; patching veneer; jigsaw blower

102 Events

ontoxic finishes; high-speed steel; airless sprayers

108 Notes and Comment

Restorarion vs. conservarion; wi ldfowl carving

30 Jacques-Emile Ru m ann by A.U Chastain- Chapman

orthern woodworking; quest for ebony; chainsaw

addicrs; fracrion calculators reviewed

The bowsaw is excellent Jor joint·

cutting or cutof work. See p. 52

Jor plans. Photo: Simon Watts.

35 Restoring Ruhlmann

A 20th-century master rediscovered

38 Flip-Top Table by Robert Ma rch

42 Hollow-Chisel Mortising by john Leeke

by Nick Mo nja rdo and David Pa rson

Getting unleI' the veneer

E. Preiss

44 Testing Wood Chisels by Bill Stankus

Double-duty design

47 A visit to a chisel factory by David Sloan

Straregies for boring accurate square holes

48 A second opinion by Pa ul Horgan

Lab finds no secrets in the steel

Norman Vandal

Methods of Work

Jim Richey

49 Ash by jo n W. Arno

52 Shopmade Bowsaw by Simon Wa tts

The Taunton Press

Paul Roman, publisher; Janice A. Ro

man, associate pubUsbec; Dale Brown,

director of marketIng; JoAnn Muir, dI

rector of administration; Tom Luxeder

54 Japanese Lacquer by Charles Roche

Counterfeit oak or quality cabinetwood?

58 Starting Out by Roger Ho lmes

Tailor its size o suit the job

business manager; Carol Marotti, er

sonnel manager; Lois Beck, office ser

vices coordinator; Pauline Fazio, ex

ecutive secretary; Patricia Rice,

receptionist.

Aountin: n e fs,

manager; Catherine Sullivan, Elaine

YamIn.

63 Bandsaw Your Own Veneer

Urusbi, a traditional thousand·coat finish

t: Roger Banes, design dI

rector; LIsa Long, staff artist.

oo..:

Laura Cehanowlcz Tringali, editor;

Heather Brine Lamert, assciate art

director; eorah Cannarelia and cott

andis, assIstant editors.

Build and fit a basic drawer

66 Sculptural Inlay by Na ncy H. Bolstad

44. Photo: Bill Stankus.

Fine Woodworking (ISSN 0361.3453) is pub·

lished bimonthly, January, March, May, July,

September and November, by The Taunton

Press, Inc., Newtown,

Flment:

Carole E. Ando, subscription manager;

Terry Thomas, assistant manager; Glo

ria Carson, Dorothy Dreher, Claudia

Inness, Cathy Koolis, Donna Leavitt,

Peggy LeBlanc, e

Chisels may look alike, but do

diferences in the steel make one

cut better than another? Find out

on p.

68 Making a Panel Saw by Lary Kella m

by Brad Wa lters and Richard Ba rsky

All it rakes is patience and a sharp blade

e P a l, Nancy

Schoch; Ben Warner, mail-services

clerk. Roert B

70 Shopbuilt sliding table by Rick Will iams

Three·dimensional images in wood

c hi, distribution su

ervisor; David Blasko, John Daly, Bob

GarvIn,

71 Cloak-and-Dagger Furniture by Barbara Fe inman

Prduction: Mary GalpIn, man·

agec; Barbara Bahr, secretary.

nn ea Ingram, MarcheUe Sero

r 06470. Telephone

(203) 426·8171. econd·c1ass postage paid at

'elown,

Sears saw serves as the basic machine

Produc

ling.

73 Up-scaled sculpture by F. L. Wa ll

tion ervics: Gary Mancinl, manager;

David DeFeo, coordinator; Nancy

r 06470, and additional mailing

Inc. No reprduction without ermision of The

Taumon Press, Inc. Fine Wdworkinge is a

registered trademark of The Taunton Press, Inc.

a pp, system oerator; Claudia Blake

Applegate and eorah

7 4 Tips From a Turner by Allan Tu rner Heds trand

omotiol: Jon Miller, manager;

oo er, assis

SuciptJOD ats: United Stales and ss

sions, .16 for one year, '30 for two years; Can

ada, '19 for one year, '36 for two years (in

U.S. dollars, please); other countries, '20 for

one year, '38 for twO years (in U.S. dollars,

please). Single copy, $3.50. Single copies Out·

side U.S. and

Woodworker finds CIA has eye for sculpture

s n aher, publicist; nn e FeIn

stein, assistant art director.

Video:

Rick Mastelli, dIrector; on Goff, Jr.,

production assIstant.

Adverttsinc and Sls: Richard Mulli

gan and James P. Chlavelli, national ac

counts

76 A Look at Kit Furniture by jim Cummins

sSS ions, '4.00. end to Sub

cription ept., The Taunton

1 sales coordinator; Rosemarie

r 06470. Address all correson

dence to the appropriate department (Sub

scription, Editorial, or Advenising). The Taun

ton Press, 52 Church Hill Road, PO

ss, O ox 355,

116 Haunting Wooden People

Make your own mini drive centers

a ges; Vi n E. o n ,

Newtown,

a te ls rep n tative; o le Weck

esser

ox 355,

Is rhis really woodworking?

T 06470. U.S. newsstand disui

bution by Eastern News Distributors, Inc.,

Newtown,

355, ewtown, CT 06470.

owd, trade sales cordinator; aura

Lesando;

r etary. Tel. (203) 426-8171.

III Eighth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10011.

Postmaster: Send address changes to The Taunton Press, Inc., PO Box

Dpartments

Articles

tants.

Leters

W #49,

The brief article "Getting a Frame Upholstered" (F

and a practicing musician, so I speak from both fields.

Perhaps our most divine gift as human beings is our infinite

capacity never to do the same thing in the same way twice

[despite) the strong influences of mass production, whose es

sence is the production of identical things. That goes for mu

sic, too, with its recordings that contain no mistakes !

During the late 18th century, a Benedictine monk wrote an

encyclopedia of organbuilding. In it he drew many diagrams

indicating the diameters and other dimensions of the many

pipes. His scales are highly irregular, one space being narrow

er, the next Wider, the next narrower, and so on. At first we

thought it was poor draftsmanship, but now we realize that he

was trying to document the purposeful irregularities that pro

duce the unique sound inherent in a fine scale of organ pipes.

Tests on fine violins have shown conclUSively that mathemat

ical regularity of tone is not a characteristic of great work.

-josepb Cbapline, Newbury,

p. 64) was of particular interest to me as a woodworking

hobbyist and professional upholsterer. I was delighted that up

holstering wasn't treated (as is many times the case) as one of

those bothersome extras after the real skill work is finished.

I wou ld add these suggestions: Try bartering between the

trades-a footstool kit, say, for spring tying, lathe blanks for

padding, wood finishing for trim finishing, and so on . If you're

designing your own upholstered fu rniture, consult an uphol

sterer in the drawing stage to ensure that you've included all

the necessary tack rails and other features. Leave the cutting

and sewing of fabric to the skilled and equipped. Close is not

good enough here.

For those do-it-yourself jobs, the upholstery shop may be a

better source of supply than a wholesale supplier, since pur

chases can be made in smaller quantities than wholesalers will

allow, and with no delivery time or shipping charges. Supplies

can also come with valuable how-to information from an ex

perienced upholsterer. There are still upholsterers around

who have devoted years to developing excellence in their

trade and who would jump at the chance to work with crafts

men of other specialties, like frame builders, carvers and

wood finishers.

N.H.

In response to Robert Deason's comments in the Novem

betjDecember issue, I would like to commend the staff of

us to realize the diversity in our trade as craftsmen. Profes

sionally, there are many fields in woodworking, each having

its own merits and accomplishmets. Certainly we can accept

the painted chest just as it is, art. Some of the most treasured

crafts were done with a brush, only they were done on canvas.

-Doug Vondracbek, Newberg, Ore.

-Cbarles A. Spille", Bridgeport, Tex.

What a surprise found in a recent issue. For the past two

years I've been digging through the back issues of magaZines

and reference books and generally making a pest of myself at

the local library, trying to come up with some way to make snow

shoes. The article entitled "Making Snowshoes" in issue #49

has more information on the subject than all of my research

has turned up.

In regard to the color front covers: I'm all for color-let's

have more of it. Inside, outSide, unfinished, finished, painted;

wood and anything made from it is beautiful. Color can only

help enhance that fact. - Dexter

I isted a material for degumming saw

& Hammer washing

A recent catalog I saw

blades at $12.95 per gallon. A box of Arm

R. Louvien, Austin, Minn.

soda (six pounds of it) sells for under $3 and will remove any

gum I've come across, including rosewood sap and even Plexi

glas residue.

Put the blades in the sink, run enough hot water to cover

them and sprinkle a little soda over them. The gum almost

floats away or can be rubbed off eaSily in just a few minutes.

Not only have you saved $12, but there's plenty of powder left

for the laundry.

There is one minor flaw in the current issue, #50. On p. 58

(Roger Holmes' article on bookcase joints), you illustrate the

highly risky practice of sawing dadoes on a tablesaw, using the

rip fence as a guide. This is absolutely unsafe . I've had a few

instances of the saw grabbing ...and chewing panels to shreds

before a complete cut could be made. Having been injured,

although slightly, in recent months, I perform no operations

on my tablesaw using a rip fence without the guard and its

anti-kickback pawls. The hazard is even greater if the sawblade

is even slightly dulled.

In reply to John O. Wa lter's letter in issue #50, I would like to

share my paintbrush-cleaning method and also the results of

putting gasoline into the sewer.

I have fo ur tight-lidded, 50-oz. applesauce jars labeled 1, 2,

3 and 4. I put a pint of paint thinner (not gasoline) into each

jar. To rinse my brushes, I pour thinner from jar #1 into a tall

tin can, rinse the brush, then retun the thinner to the jar. I

proceed by repeating the process with each jar in order, re

tuning the solvent to the jar it came from each time. When

jar #1 gets low, I refi ll it from #2, then #2 from #3, and so on,

finally putting some fresh thinner into jar #4. This system

saves brushes from being lost to procrastination, saves thinner

because I never discard any, solves the problem of disposing

of flammable liquids, and ends the temptation to use gasoline .

The experience with flammable fu mes coming into the

basement was repeated here last summer, near Wa shington,

D.C. Many houses become vulnerable to this type of accident

when the trap in a basement drain dries up. A driver delivered

a load of gasoline into a sewer instead of a tank by mistake,

and as a result several houses exploded and burned.

-jobn L. Ditman, Beltsville, Md.

- Girvan Milligan, Carmel,

- Tom

. Moore, Sprinfield, Va.

ROGER HOLMES REPLIES: I don't agree that dadoing on the tablesaw is

absolutely unsafe. either is it, or any other machine operation, ab

solutely safe. Tablesaw-dadoing requires care and alertness. If the

end of the board isn't held firmly against the fence as the board is

fed, it can slew sideways, causing the dado head to grab the wood

and chew it up, and maybe your hand, too. Long, narrow boards are

most difficult to keep flush to the fence, so don't tablesaw-dado

boards much less than 1 ft. wide. And if you're at all uncomfortable

with dadoing on a tablesaw, better do it with a router or by hand.

W #49) fo r a number of

After using the chatter technique (F

years, I have made a change in lighting used for this type of

turning, to help see the chatter. I have mounted a stroboscopic

light above the tailstock. When the light is adjusted to the

same RPM as the lathe, it will appear to stop the turning action.

As I make my chatterwork, I can actually see what patten is

being made while it's turning. Other woodturners may do the

same with bowls, vases, etc. -jon Sauer, Daly City, Calif

W #4 7

My wife says your magaZine provides less useful information

than before. She's a technical writer/editor, and she knows

how to make a publication interesting. I agree with her.

There's something big missing from the last few issues. I'm

also concened that the emphasis on color indicates a substan

tive change in the magazine. Some of what I see is intangible,

4 Fine Wo odworking

(p. 98) . I have had some experiences that parallel his that

might be of interest to your readers. I am an organbuilder

W on the recet changes in format. I think it is of value to

I couldn't agree more with Max Hunsicker's letter in F

WKW

... theleadingedge

WhatistheBestBandsawBuy?

We offer a complete line of industrial quality carbide

tipped saw blades and router bits. They are available at

our everyday low prices. WKW distributors are available

nationwide.

CARBIDE TIPPED

Your partner in WOOdworking,

ELEKTRA BECKUM, has the

perfect solution: The BAS450

18" Universal Bandsaw.

• 18" Throat with 12" height

• 1.5 HP continuous-duty motor

• 4 speed (260-690-147003800 fpm)

• 3/16" Blade width

• 45 0 Tilting able

SAW BLADES

Catalog

Suggested

No. Dia. Teeth Application

List Price

08010 10" 18 Rip

$50.10

08033 10" 40 Trim

ATB

56.50

ELEKTRA BECKUM AT THE HEART OF A GOOD JOB

08034 12" 48 Trim

ATB

& Raker 59.70

67.20

08061 10" 40 Comb.

ATB

08074 10" 60

08079 10" 60

08075 12" 72

08304 10" 80

08501 8" 48

Gen. Purpose

Gen. Purose

Plastics or Laminates

Sawbuck or Mitersaw

ATB

59.50

61.00

81.90

81.70

72.50

BA450WRN

All these features for only $1,360

FOB Somerdale,

CARBIDE TIPPED

ROUTER BITS

STRAIGHT CUTTING BITS

Catalog

N o .

Shank Flutes C.D.

C.L.

Suggested

List Price

$ 9.90

10.50

10.85

13.00

10.10

15.40

17.45

68112

1/4

68128

1/4

5/16

68146

1/4

1/2

WdcraftSpecialties,Inc.

�NOVER

68332

3/8

H/4

1·1/4

18124 Madison Road, Parkman, OH 44080

68422

1/2

2161548-3481

Tradition is Back

with

68536

1/2

68546

1/2

�

CARBIDE TIPPED

FORMED BITS

Depth

No. Type of Cut Shank C.D. of Cut or Angle of Cut

69302

Length Radius

Suggested

List Price

$11.55

11.35

w/earing 22.90

w/bearing 20.50

w/bearing 22.55

wi bearing 20.80

w/bearing 27.65

w/bearing 20.75

w/bearing 11.65

w/bearing 33.60

'y' Groove 1/4" 3/8" 3/16 90° inc!.

69404 ovetail

THE CONOVER

LATHE SET

1/4" 1/2"

14· 1/2

h . A wd d aors shck etter n metal and itats an aforable

71002 Cove

1/4"

3/8 9/16

t in

insure its suer high quality. It has heavy cast

roller earings. a

71100 Rabbet

1/4"

1/2

3/8

We manufacture the Conover lathe

i on, prcisin T lffikn

distance. You can

our Parkman, Ohio factory to

iron cons

16" swing, and unlimited center

lathe or tum orch osts-your option!

t it up

71206 Corner Round 1/4"

5/8 3/8

a owl

71302 Beading

1/4"

114

t s mounted on a d of 8 quaner ms, which you n make

71402 Roman Ogee 114"

1/4

he onover athe

$I for your 16'page catalogue detailing the Conover

r lathe inexs to 12 osiions and s suitable for hay e plate t n g (inard and

outard), metal sp

71500 Chamfer

1/4"

7/16 45·

price.

nn g, and spindle t n g. It hs a ll ne of exciting �.

73004 Laminate Trim 1/4" 1/2"

FLUSH

@$895 each.

71704 Classical

1/4"

1/2 1/8

WKW.(1-800-225-5959)

OK Conover,

608-365-9581

Enclosed is

Lathe et and your entire line of handmade tols.

Call our toll free number:

Win

_____________

end me

Conover Lathe et(s)

_______

1-800-CALL

In Wisconsin call:

nife rks

Enc10ed is

Cheque

M.O.

MasterCardVisa

_______________________

Ad�e�

& Decker (U.S.) Inc.

Card #

______________________

Exp. Date

Name

______

___

_____

A Division of Black

City

State

Zi,

Beloit, Wisconsin 53511

Phone

March /April 1985 5

Grind

Catalog

youreU-to any ln

Plik z chomika:

Inne pliki z tego folderu:

Inne foldery tego chomika: