Since his first trip to Colonial Williamsburg many years ago, when he saw the original of this Massachusetts tea table, Veenendaal had wanted to make a slightly different version in cherry. He used hand tools for most of the table (18-1/2 in. wide by 28-1/4 in. long by 26-3/8 in. tall), but he cut the cove in the top molding using the tablesaw. He says the most difficult part was cutting and fitting the skirt moldings to the aprons. He finished the table with boiled linseed oil, followed by four coats of orange shellac, and nitrocellulose lacquer.
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
JessEm Mite-R Excel II Miter Gauge
The gauge has a quick and easy method for fitting the guide bar precisely to your tablesaw’s miter slot. This means the gauge can be recalibrated if necessary for continued accuracy. The face of the protractor head can be adjusted square to the table and also square to the guide bar. This ensures accurate cuts, and it, too, can be readjusted if the need arises. The protractor head has stainless-steel knobs and fittings and high-contrast, easy-to-read white numbers and increments.
Knife changes on this planer were easy enough, except that you need an Allen wrench to open the dust cover and gain access to the knives, and it’s not the same size as the wrench used to loosen the screws that secure the knives. The 2-1/2-in.-dia. dust port can be reversed for use on either side of the machine. Two material rollers on top of the machine aid with transferring stock from the outfeed side back to the infeed side. Finally, there is no gauge that indicates how much material you’re about to remove, a convenience that three other planers also lack.
While all five of the smaller units will collect chips efficiently when deployed properly, the 3/4-hp Rockler was just a bit more powerful in our suction test. Bag changes were very easy too, thanks to a lip on the lower edge of the canister, which holds the bag in place while you operate the clamp. The Rockler 650 also hangs very solidly on its bracket, which helps when you turn the filter-cleaning crank.
This is the saw I want in my shop. For one, it’s easy to use. All of the controls are easy to reach and manipulate, and the glide mechanism is both robust and smooth. The handle works well for righties and lefties. Then there are added bonuses that no other saw has. For instance, its hold-down is superb, as it can move to different locations, hinges for a greater range of coverage, and actually holds down the work. In addition, the saw has two points of dust collection, letting it firmly beat the rest of the field. The one downside was the saw’s laser, which was so faint we had to turn off the shop lights to see it. Still, all these pluses in a package that fits tight to the wall? That’s a winner for me.
With its graceful curves, cabriole legs, and ornamental back splat, a Queen Anne side chair is a bucket list build for many woodworkers. Dan Faia had a very specific Queen…
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