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We have an easy and fun project coming up in the next issue of ShopNotes that I think you’ll really like. It is sharpening stone box. I got the idea few months ago when I caught sight of a small box on Vince’s (managing editor of Woodsmith) desk. It was a sharpening stone box that Vince made patterned after one in an early 20th century book on woodworking.

What’s fun about the design of the box is that both the top and bottom are made from single pieces of wood that have been hogged out to accept the sharpening stone. The top had a routed edge and the bottom had a band-sawn profile. A simple, direct, and very appealing evening project with as many variations as you can think of.

Now, the heart of this project is creating the cavity for the sharpening stone and as simple as this might seem it took a few tries to get right. I thought about just chiseling them out. But, years ago I had made some boxes for carving tools that were carved from solid slabs and based on that experience, I knew this method was out. Next, I tried using a Forstner bit and then cleaning things up with a chisel. This worked OK but left an ugly bottom full of dimples and circles from the bit.

Then, I went to the router table and  made a template with a rectangular cutout that registered off of the outside of  the top and bottom of the sharpening stone box. To figure the size of the opening  just take the width or length of the stone, double that number, add 1/16″ extra for play, subtract the diameter of the router bit, and add the desired  wall thickness of the box, twice (confused yet?). Plunge cut this opening in some plywood to make a template, clamp it to the router table centered around the router bit with spacers to let out the sawdust, and  then impale the blank on a spiral router bit  and remove the waste, carefully, since you can’t see the bit. And there you go.

I can say that this method worked. But I can’t say it was simple, or easy, or felt comfortable. Later, Joel, the editor for this project diplomatically asked, “Is there a reason why you did it this way?” rather that just saying “Chris, this is a stupid way to make these boxes.” Joel and the ShopNotes staff had a project meeting and devised a much simpler approach. Their idea was to just use a template cut to the exact size of the desired opening and to use an upper bearing hinge mortising bit, it keeps everything in plain view — no critical dimensioning, easy, straightfoward, and safe. I had made the process overly complicated. I should have slowed down and taken the time to ask myself a few questions about the method of building: Is it accurate? Is it safe? Is it simple? Am I getting the results that I want? The lesson here is that you need to take the time to ask the right questions if you want to get the right answers.

I ended up making nearly a dozen boxes and really enjoyed coming up with appealing looks. These boxes are simple to build and a lot of fun. And, it’s a great project to use up some of those cutoffs and wood “treasures” that you’ve got squirreled away. If you decide to build a sharpening box, please send us a picture, we would love to see what you’ve done. (Pictures should be sent as attachments to cfitchATaugusthomeDOTcom.)

When I saw the old, gas barbecue grill that my neighbor had thrown away, it gave me an idea. The metal frame of the grill would make a perfect roll-around tool stand for my miter saw.
All I had to do was remove the tank and grill, paint the metal frame, and then build a couple of table supports.
The miter saw is mounted to a 3/4″ plywood base that’s bolted to the frame. Two open-ended boxes serve as the table supports. (Just be sure they’re flush with the surface of the miter saw table.) I even added a pull-out bin to hold short cut-off pieces.
You can get more interesting woodworking e-tips like this each week from the editors of Woodsmith Magazine just for the asking. Go here and sign up. It’s free.

One of things I most appreciate about the designers at ShopNotes Magazine is that their shop benches, cabinets, and tool racks are as attractive and well-designed as any furniture project you may be building in the shop. This wall-mounted tool rack is no exception, another in a long line of ShopNotes fixtures I wish I had in my shop. (Actually, several of them are in my shop.)
It’s considered a weekend project, and I suppose it is if you’ve got a shop full of tools and know how to use them. I expect I’d take a couple weekends to build it–why rush the fun? You can get a look at this and the other projects and techniques in the latest issue, ShopNotes No. 104, on the website. Check out the subscription offer while you’re there, and get yourself a free preview issue.

It’s time I finally addressed this topic. The seminar podcasts are NOT being discontinued.

As you know, August Home Publishing has branched out into television. The Woodsmith Shop just started its second season, which means our video production crew has been extremely busy taping and editing the shows that you’re now watching. Unfortunately, this means that podcast video production has been put on the back-burner.

We have been taping the seminars at the Woodsmith Store though and as soon as we get caught up, the podcasts will begin again. Thanks for your interest in the podcasts and I apologize for not keeping everyone up-to-date on our progress. Look for a new Woodsmith Seminar Podcast within the next few weeks.

Over at WoodNet Forums, member TomFromStLouis posted in-process photos and how to for an unusual project he just finished:

A friend of mine bought a 1965 Austin-Healey 3000. Suddenly I began to think that here was a fellow I always appreciated, but perhaps not as much as I should have. When I commented that the after-market steering wheel did not match the figured walnut dash, he handed me the original wheel covered in cracked Bakelite.

Lots of photos and discussion here.

The woodworking shop here at at August Home Publishing can be a very busy place. It’s where all of the projects for Woodsmith, Workbench, and ShopNotes are built as well as the props for the Woodsmith Shop television show. Now, all of the projects that come out of our shop have to hold up to the uncompromising standards of magazine photography. If there’s a scratch, drip, or chip it’ll show. So our shop craftsmen put a lot of effort into choosing the best lumber, matching it carefully, building to very high standards, and applying a flawless finish.

Most of the equipment in our shop any hobbyist would recognize and might well own: table saws, drill presses, planers, and workbenches covered with parts and hand tools

There’s one item that we have that the home shop might not is a dedicated finish room with a professional spray booth. With the volume of projects that get built around here, it’s an important tool in our shop.

I am in awe of this thing. Some people love to apply a careful, flawless finish and they’re great at it; I’m not one of those people. I find it all to be a bit tedious and frustrating. A spray booth excels in applying a final finish (clear or paint) evenly and smoothly. The booth also has the advantage of providing a clean and well lit environment. It’s a much better place to apply finish than in the corners of a dusty shop.

The spray booth arrived on several pallets stacked with all sorts of galvanized sheet metal parts and fasteners like an Erector Set spilled on the floor. Piece by piece it was bolted together. This was followed by a parade of sort. First came the contractors for electrical work, plumbing the compressed air lines, running an exhaust duct to the roof, and setting up the fire suppression system. Next came the inspectors from the city, fire department, and insurance co. You don’t have one of these installed on a whim.

The front of the booth consists of two large doors for easy loading and unloading. The doors also act as pre-filters to help trap dust. In the back of the spray booth are filters that catch overspray as the air is drawn out by the fan. And it has a big fan. There’s no doubt when someone is using the spray booth because it’s actually hard to open the exterior doors to the shop due to the suction created by the fan.

All of the electrical equipment is explosion proof (no sparks please). There’s one switch to turn on the lights and a second that simultaneously turns on the fan and opens a valve that lets compressed air flow to the spray gun. You can’t spray if the fan isn’t on.

With all of the use this spray booth gets, there’s a bit of overspray, so, the interior has a peel away coating. When the overspray gets too thick we can peel it off and apply another coat. We typically keep the gun full of clear lacquer and ready to spray. Lacquer has the advantages of being clear (color neutral), easy to sand, and very fast drying.

For my projects at home, I’m still a fan of simple wipe on finishes. They’re easy and almost (but not quite) foolproof. But here at work, nothing beats the spray booth for fast, quality, no- hassle finishes.