I was commissioned by a synagogue to build a portable cabinet (“ark”) in which to store and transport a Torah scroll. Cabinet is made of 5/8″ quarter sawn white oak, with an inclined front (5 degrees).
Two inch casters are installed in the rear which only engage when the cabinet is tipped about 12 degrees. Finish is danish oil, spar urethane and wax.
The interesting feature of this piece are the doors, which employ Scott Lewis’ inlay technique from FWW 233. Lewis used it for a cutting board but said he could “also imagine using it on chair backs, box lids, or cabinet doors.” I took up the challenge. My client loves the result, hope you do, too.
Since buidling this, I have been commissioned to build a table top employing the same technique. The glue-up should be quite challenging on a piece of that size, but this smaller project gave me lots of hands-on training.
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Makita 2012NB Planer
Of the planers with two-knife cutterheads, the Makita produced the best surface quality. The knives are very narrow and a bit tricky to change, but Makita provides two magnets for lifting them off the cutterhead, and these make it easier. The machine’s dust port is an odd size, with an outside diameter of approximately 2-7/8 in. I used an adapter to connect it to a 4-in.-dia. hose, but dust collection was only fair. Finally, a full revolution of the height-adjustment wheel moves the cutterhead 3/32 in. The other machines move 1/16 in. with a complete revolution of the handle, a dimension that’s much easier to work with because the most common thicknesses for furniture are in multiples of 1/16 in.
WoodRiver’s deluxe marking gauge is a good-quality disk-cutting gauge, but lacking the O-ring of the Veritas models, it was a tad fussier to set precisely. Also, the etched markings on the shaft were 1/32 in. off the actual distance between cutter and fence.
The Crown Tools cutting gauge tightens securely and cuts well, but fit and finish issues make fence adjustments fussy. The thumbscrew can’t apply moderate tension, which would make adjustment easier.
Priced nearly $300 less than the DeWalt 735X, the Ridgid R4331 is an excellent value. Its three-knife cutterhead left wonderfully clean surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pine. It did not perform nearly as well on curly maple as the 735X.
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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