AsaC

Thanks, Keith. Sorry for the so-so photos. It was tough to get good ones without getting in the way, but I'm glad you got the overall flavor of this fine event. Hope to see you there next year!

Good question. The home button is centered, so the dimple should be too. the slot should be about 3/4 in. deep (forgot to mention that earlier) so none of the screen is hidden. That means the dimple needs to extend about 5/8 in. from the top surface to give good access to the button. I think a 2-in.- dia. Forstner bit will make a nice dimple. Of course, you would be using just a section of the bit's diameter to make a 5/8 deep dimple.
Have fun.

Me too. The onboard keyboard works fine, and the Smart Cover holds it at a good angle. But with a separate keyboard the viewing angle is a bit low. That's where this stand comes in, I think. Plus it is a good angle for watching videos or whatever. But hey, it is yours, so you can sell it better than me!

Aluminum oxide wheel, 80 grit. Get a friable wheel like this one. Particles break off leaving fresh edges behind.

Trust me, the crowned wheel works way better than a square edge. I was a machinist (trade school) before I was a woodworker, and I always believed in the square edged wheel too. But then I tried this amazing technique, recommended by Joel Moskowitz, from Tools for Working Wood, which was taught to him by an old-school guy from Europe.

Rounded wheel gets you a square edge! It's counterintuitive, I know, but you have to try it. It focuses the grinding action on one part of the edge at a time, making it much easier to control. And as for keeping the edge square, it is simple. If the edge is already square, you just use that to track your progress, flipping the tool over to check.

If the edge isn't square, mark a line across the back, set the tool rest to 90 degrees, and grind the tip blunt at 90. Then reset the tool rest to the grinding angle, usually 25, and start grinding, using the blunted tip to track your progress.

Try it. It is amazing.

Thanks for the kind words, everyone, and the helpful feedback. Good exchange, Ian. And I'll see you in Williamsburg, Jerry. I'll be at the first session, and Matt Kenney will be at the second.

I stand by all of the advice given in the dust article. Of course, we could have dived in a whole lot deeper, as you point out, but our editorial judgement was that most people don't care to. The article, plus the one in the same issue on state-of-the-art shop vacs (with HEPA), goes deeper than any article has before (that I know of), asking folks to take fine dust more seriously, and taking the industry to task for not doing so. If you freak out hobbyists with too much science, and tell them they need a 5hp cyclone (they don't), most will give up before they begin. Bear in mind that most folks have an old 30-micron bag system, if anything, so even a pleated filter is a huge upgrade. This was our logic anyway. You have every right to disagree.

By the way, I take every person's feeback here to heart, and blend it into what we know from surveys and just meeting people and visiting shops. We are always open to various shifts in direction and trying new things. For example, a lot of people have told us we need to go beyond furniture and boxes, so we've been trying some articles on guitar-making, making entry doors, etc. The problem with the fringe stuff, though, is that everyone wants something slightly different. The best solution is the web, where it can live forever, and continue to find its small but passionate audience.

I'll respond to a few of the questions and comments at once. There aren't enough tablet owners in our audience yet to pay for us developing an iPad version, though I would love to, and no doubt eventually will. Imagine a FWW where you click on a picture and it turns into video, where drawings become animations, and so on. That's the Holy Grail.

And I just personally did a state-of-the-art article on dust collection in FWW #223, our annual Tools & Shops issue. There hasn't been one like it anywhere else:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/ToolGuide/ToolGuidePDF.aspx?id=34367
Check it out, "ondablade." I think it is exactly what you are looking for.

As for plans, every dimension and detail you need is in the exploded drawings, though you'll have to to some work on your own to make a cutlist. That said, we are strongly considering putting cutlists online for free. They are just a spece-hog in the magazine.

On the overall direction of the magazine, here's our goal: We try to be as useful as we can to as many people as possible, without compromising on our core values, which are to show how to build things that will last decades, and are tasteful enough that you will want to live with them for that long.

But of course, we can't be perfect for everyone. We know from our many readers surveys, for example, that the vast majority of our readers are hobbyists, and are not interested in info on how to succeed as a pro, though we sprinkle that in from time to time for our pro and prospective pro audience. Same for the folks who want interviews and craftsman profiles. We sprinkle those in but always make sure the magazine is packed with practical how-to info, which is what most people want.

Thanks for the kind words, guys. I'll make sure the staff sees them.

By the way, to make it safer, some people make the shoulder cut, then go over to the bandsaw to cut away most of the waste before continuing. You can just set the badsdaw's rip fence and leave it there for all the tenons you have to make.
If the bandsaw is close by, it goes just as fast as the tablesaw-only approach, since the tablesaw cuts go a bit more quickly with just a sliver of material left to remove. Plus you are applying less sideways force, which means your hands aren't pushing hard toward the tablesaw blade, which is where most of the danger comes in.

To answer a few of the questions here, I should say first that if you have any misgivings about the technique you shouldn't do it. As I mentioned earlier, based on the responses here, we've decided not to do a print article about it, since we don't feel confident teaching it to beginners. And there are many other fast ways to make a tenon that are inherently safer.

That said, if you do choose to try it, I don't think the blade type matters much. The whole point is not to change the blade you normally use. If you do that, you might as well put a dado set on the saw, and cut tenons that way.

As for the danger of using the rip fence as a stop, that is way overblown for non-through cuts. But you definitely don't want to do it for full crosscuts, where the cutoff could become trapped between the blade and fence.

And last, we'll continue to seek out your opinions about woodworking techniques. I like the idea that everyone can take part in the magazine-making process. That's the power of the Web. It doesn't mean the editors still won't have the final say, but this robust and thoughtful discussion proves how passionate and knowledgeable our readers are. OK, go ahead and say I'm just kissing butt.

Thanks for the many insightful answers posted here. One of the many great things about the web is the way it lets us at the magazine interact with so many readers. In some cases, it will let us get a read on an issue or start our reporting (see my blogs on the recent tablesaw developments) before we finalize a magazine article. The intent here was to give you all a voice. It's great to see how generous and thoughtful people are in our community.

Anyway, upward and onward. In this case, I'm leaning toward leaving this speed tenon technique out of the magazine. As many of you have pointed out, the magazine speaks to woodworkers at every level, and this technique might be dangerous in less-experienced hands. That's how many on our staff felt, too.

Tough call. This one was right on that line between what people do in the real world and what a responsible teacher would teach.

Nicholas--
Just stumbled across this. The editors love this design. Would you be willing to do a how-to article on one of these tables. We would coach you through the writing and then travel to your shop to take the photos. E-mail me at achristiana@taunton.com to continue the conversation. Thanks a lot.
--Asa

Just to clarify, I'm not arguing against SawStop in general, either in this Q&A blog or the other one I wrote. And I'm not yet sure which side of the CPSC issue I come down on. Lots of interviewing still to do. My goal with these blogs was to ask the tough questions. You can be sure I'll be just as tough on PTI. That's a different blog, coming soon.

Hi again. I made a mistake in one of my questions. I hadn't read enough of the CPSC briefing package when I said that Steve Gass had "dominated the discussions." After reading the whole thing, I can't stand by that statement. Gass was the original petitioner that got this thing started, and he supplied some info to the CPSC, but the CPSC went far beyond that in conducting their own tests and research. So I apologize to Gass, and I'll have our web guys change my wording as soon as possible. As I mentioned earlier, this is a fast-breaking story, and I am learning as I go.

Great comments here (most of them). Thanks. I can assure you that I came in with some opinions, as any experienced tablesaw user and industry observer would (covering these tools for 15 years), but I am learning as I go, and working hard to keep my mind open and remain unbiased. There are great points on both sides of this debate, and in my questioning of Gass I was hitting him with all the tough questions I could think of. You can bet I will do the same with PTI. Gass made some great points I hadn't heard before, and I'm very interested in the other manufacturers' responses.

Keep weighing in. You guys are adding a lot to the debate, as I knew you would. I'm listening, and you can be sure the industry is too.

Great comments. Thanks a lot. I started these two blogs with a pretty good grasp of the Osorio case and a lot of experience as a woodworker, and from being in frequent contact with manufacturers for many years now, but I am still learning as I go. I've learned a lot more in the past couple of days from reading the Osorio documents (some of them) and the entire CPSC briefing package (ouch) and from my Q&A with Gass, and your comments are adding a lot to the debate, as I had hoped.

I didn't know that appeals don't usually involve new witnesses, so I was wrong to expect that the Osorio award would or could be overturned. So thanks to the lawyer who commented. I didn't realize that Bosch had admitted in the Osorio case that it could put SawStop-type technology in its saws for just $55 more. Thanks to Gass for pointing that out. There is an awful lot going on here, and both sides have legitimate arguments.

There are many moving parts here, to say the least. I do have opinions of my own, but those are changing as I learn more, and I can promise you I am staying unbiased against Gass, PTI, etc. We'll be sure to stay on this story. Gass raised a lot of great points in our Q&A blog, I will be putting those to PTI this coming week, and passing along their answers to you right away.

We are working on more fully reported coverage of this breaking news in the next issue of FWW (#224), and we'll eventually be providing our perspective to the CPSC as well. So please keep weighing in. I'm reading every comment.

I was lucky enough to shoot this article in LA with Nick. I met him at The Martha Stewart Show, where he was demonstrating how to build a canoe paddle by hand, and I knew right away he was the real deal. While I was out there at his shop's "undisclosed location," I also shot a shop tour. Check it out at http://www.finewoodworking.com/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=34350
There's a longer version for members, too:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/subscription/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=34351
I'll see if one of the web folks can add these videos to this blog.
Now I've got to get back to brainstorming Nick's next article. Think enough FWW readers would want to see his process for making beautiful handmade canoe paddles? Or should we a full how-to article on these side tables he makes?
http://www.finewoodworking.com/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=34272

Thanks, Jolly. I thought I was going to take it on the chin from the hardcore woodworking crowd, but so far so good... It's not really woodworking, but it did involve a saw! Better yet, it kept us all outside for a few days.

Weekend workshops are great, too, and the best teachers tend to travel the country. I'll bet there are some great workshops near you. There are schools all over, Woodcraft stores hold lots of short classes, and there are also classes at local woodworking clubs and guilds. Go to our community page:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/Community/CommunityHome.aspx
and scroll down to find links to lots of clubs, schools, and events. If you strike out, e-mail me at achristiana@taunton.com, and I'll help you find something.

Sorry for the delay, folks. Busy makin' the donuts. By "20 to 30 times longer" I was referring to how much longer a carbide edge lasts than a steel one, all other things being equal. I based these numbers on my admittedly vague recollection of comparison numbers I've seen in the past, and I might have overstated the case a bit. The article is based on very thorough tests and research, however, not a tired editor's vague recollections.
Consider this, even if the edges last 10 times longer than steel, there are four of them on each tooth. I can also report that I've had a planer-jointer with a segmented cutterhead in my shop for two years now, and I've probably filled my dust collector bag 6 or 8 times since I got it, and I'm still on the first edge of each tooth. They don't get nicked like my steel knives did, and they cut with virtually no tearout on even the toughest woods. It's an amazing upgrade. My old knives were always nicked, and I let them get dull because I didn't want to deal with changing them until I was forced to do so!

Will do.

I totally agree about innovation being the answer, and I said as much to both of these companies.

I definitely took the 14-in. Laguna into account when blogging about this new Rikon. We recently reviewed that Laguna and the larger Grizzlies, so I'm looking forward to trying this new Rikon out and comparing it to the others. Stay tuned.

No worries. There should be no problem with kickback on the tablesaw when cutting the shoulders, as long as the workpiece is held firmly against the miter gauge. All the leverage is in your favor and the workpiece will slide along just fine. But I wouldn't drag it back through the blade. Slide it sideways once it is clear of the blade, and get it out of the way before you pull the miter gauge back.
Great blog, Tom. You've got me convinced, and I was a diehard dado set guy!

Nice shop. I answered your question about jennifer anderson's bench, by the way, at my blog on the Del Mar show:
http://www.finewoodworking.com/item/38444/best-pieces-from-the-biggest-woodworking-club-in-america
Sorry for the long delay!

JQL--Sorry for the delay. Jennifer Anderson told me she designed the carving in RhinoCAM, based on pleated fabric, and did it with a CNC. Not sure how she colored it, though it seems almost anything would work, with a quick sanding to clean up the flat areas.

JQL--
I'll ask.

Sorry, Matt (MBerger). Next time for sure.

Robert--
Great comment. You win the fair tickets if you want them! Let me know.
--Asa

Thanks, all--
JD--I think you are right about the clunkiness. These are only a couple of initial ideas, mind you, but I will definitely lighten the base, and your ideas are excellent ones. Not sure how to float the top, but it will be something probably bolted right through. I think 3-Form actually makes some extender-type posts with nice screws on them, or maybe I saw that somewhere else.

AcaciaDave--I love that quote!. I think we are all citizens of ImagiNation. That's what will make FurnLab a hit, I hope.

Lindhrr--Keep it positive. Let's celebrate everyone's efforts, so people feel encouraged to break out of the box. 3Form's stuff is for sale, by the way, so they are inviting people to use it, and my design will be more than just a slab of 3Form with no other ideas invested, I'm sure. C'mon brother, join the ImagiNation!

To those who just don't agree with this sort of joking about woodworking, I want you to know that I do respect your opinions. Humor is always a risky thing for FWW, since we are regarded so seriously by our readers, and also since you never know how a joke might be taken. But each April 1, we take that risk and let our hair down for just one day. We thought the video was funny, especially the part where you got to see the staff joking around, and we didn’t think anyone would mistake the “Sissy Stick” for anything more than what it is: ridiculous.
And, although some people have complained, it is mostly about the fear of OTHER people misunderstanding it, not the objector himself. That said, I do think we gave the impression to some that we are not serious about safety, which couldn’t be further from the truth. Helping people become better, safer woodworkers is deeply important to me, and is a big reason this job is so meaningful for so many of us.

Sorry, Linda. I'll correct the blog. Great work.

Flair, you're right. That back stage photo was corny, and I felt like a dork!

Thanks, guys. Her producers did a good job prepping me. You get plenty of advance notice about the questions she might ask.

Great feedback here for us editors. Matt gave his take on this issue of cutlists in the magazine.

Here's what I would add. My biggest reason for leaving them out has always been that anyone can use our detailed, dimensioned, exploded drawings to make their own cutlist. That's what I do. And with the space a cutlist would consume, we can show you a technique that your couldn't figure out on your own. Also, cutlists encourage beginners to precut parts that shouldn't be precut, as Matt pointed out.

But maybe we were wrong. I'm going to put this question to a 1,300-member reader panel we have assembled. I think the idea of putting it online is a great one.

And I'll ask about materials estimates, too.

Thanks for this VERY helpful feedback. Sometimes you just have to ask.
--Asa Christiana
editor, FWW

Nice job, Matt. Killer post and pics! Glad you are having fun. It's hard not to!

You've got me convinced! I think readers would love to see Andrew execute this joint, step by step. Thanks for the great feedback! Stay tuned.

Important to give credit to Beaumont. The connection/inspiration is clear.

My wife was not happy about that line! She is actually great about staying out of my hair (not enough of it left to get into). But the truth is that she probably wouldn't be happy seeing me go to Burning Man. With lots of mood-altering substances, and a, let's say, "alternative" reality when it comes to morality, it's not really a married man's game. But it is also an amazing event when it comes to creating and living art, if you are into that sort of thing.

Thanks for all the great questions, folks, and thanks to Brian for fielding them all. This is much better than just my blog alone.

Wow, I had no idea we'd get som many good ideas so quickly! I think we struck a chord here.
I'm loving this idea of the Festool MFT top and then DIYing everything else, but good points were made about a sacrificial MDF top and Kreg holddowns also.
Let's see what others say. We'll feature this blog in an upcoming e-Letter, and then we'll get a whole new flood of advice!

Camdenken--
1-1/2 in. is the thickness limit. So anything bigger than a 2x4 won't work.

It definitely has dust collection (I added a note about that in the original blog). I should have mentioned it. Company reps said that if you attach a hose, the thing is almost dust free.
One other thing, this was designed by the same engineers that did Porter-Cable's latest dovetail jigs, and those were great in our tests.

Sorry it took me a while to answer, but wow--what an incredible series of responses. Every one is a good read, from very thoughtful and engaged people. My first reaction is: The Web is an amazing tool for getting beyond the thoughts and words of just a few cloistered editors and their frequent contributors and authors.

My second response took a bit longer to formulate, but here it is: The Furniture Society needs a clearer mission than "advancing the art of furnituremaking," though nobody would disagree with that statement. In fact, I think it DOES have a tighter focus than that, though is is not explicit. David Richardson has it right I think, when he notes that the organization is "basically for professional furniture makers, and their friends and supporters." That's a clear mission and represents one way the FS could continue to go.

That would include doing all of the things they are currently doing, which Scott Braun and others have described eloquently. And it would probably go a long way toward energizing the membership if the Board of the FS could give everyone a common goal to work toward, such as educating young people, as Doug Stowe and "CranberryRose" suggest. That would also help to solve the "ask not what your country can do for you" problem that a few people have mentioned. People love to be a part of a higher goal.

BUT, here's the rub with the pro furniture maker focus, it occurs to me. It probably will help with declining membership numbers, but might not stop the slide. From everything I can tell, pro furnituremaking is a shrinking profession. I think there will always be a pretty fixed number of cabinetmakers, putting plywood built-ins and kitchens into people's houses, but I'm talking about people who build freestanding custom furniture, especially one-offs. For a wide variety of reasons, cultural and economic, it is getting increasingly difficult to make a decent living as a small-shop furnituremaker. So the other way way the FS could go is to make a concerted effort to reach out to hobbyists. I'm not sure exactly how they could do that, but I'm going to take a closer look at the AAW, as Skewz suggests. Feel free to weigh in with suggestions.
Stay tuned, and thanks a million. I am really honored by the time and thought all of you have put into this question.

Unfortunately, the bids for the table didn't meet the minimum so The Furniture Society will auction it again next year. That's good news for anyone with deep pockets and a deep appreciation of studio furnituremaking history.

Yeah, Gary is a great guy, and a great artist. It's funny how many of the most talented furniture makers are also the most down to earth. I may be off-base on Bennett actually inventing the roach clip, but he definitely made a pile of dough designing and manufacturing them. I think he did those metal peace signs, too. He's here at the Furniture Society Conference in Boston, so I'll ask him.

Sorry for my LONG delay in responding. I lost track of this one.
On the photograph thing: Of course, we can't teach you everything in an article, or even a book, and shooting a piece of furniture indoors is just one small slice of the art and craft of shooting photos.
But it's amazing how much better your furniture shots will be with a few simple accessories and some helpful tips. Check out our article in FWW 213, out on newsstands right now. That has all the proof you'll need.

As for how to submit articles to FWW: We are a how-to magazine, so we are looking for clever techniques and tasteful projects, ones that will appeal to a broad cross-section of our readers, most of whom are intermediate woodworkers. To submit an article, go to: http://www.finewoodworking.com/pages/fw_authorguideline.asp

And as for the aging of our raedership, you are spot on with that one. Simply put, not enough new or young peoplke are coming in to the craft to replace those who are aging out of it. And you are right again that there is no unified effort to change that. We don't have the resources to do it on our own, though we promote and feature young peoples' work whenever we can, and we have created a free video series on Getting Started in Woodworking aimed at attracting and supporting new woodworkers. We also tried to get a coalition of manufacturers to pitch in money for a National Woodworking Day, but the economy tanked and money was tight. All I can say to you is be an ambassador for the craft. Invite younger folks over to your workshop to do projects. Join your local woodworking guild and help them improve their outreach programs, things like that.

I totally agree, Ralph. When I hear music, I sometimes see geometry unfolding in my head. The same goes for stand-up comedy routines. There is a natural harmony things that we all respond to. We call it quality, or beauty, or somethign else. Good article structure, good layout, a well-built machine, it's all one.
What did the buddhist say to the hot dog vendor? Make me one with everything.

I hear you, Tom. But the wood is pretty miraculous, no? I've never seen a flitch like this one.

Brent--
It looks great. I like how you lengthened the vise jaw. That will help you hold long boards on edge. Also, it's good to see that you took advantage of the storage space under the benchtop. Great work!
Keep woodworking. If you built this workbench in a day, you've got real talent.
--Asa

My favorite comment so far is "Crotch Block 2000." That would come in handy for all those people on America's Funniest Videos.

Definitely, Don. In this economy (maybe short-term) and this culture (probably longterm), it is increasingly difficult to sell custom-made furniture. Alomost every pro woodworker I know is increasingly supplementing their income with teaching gigs.
But those are the pros. Not much has changed with the hobbyists, other than the fact they they are getting older, and not as many young people (say, under 50!) are discovering woodworking these days.

Hydroelectricguy--
Mark Schofield (who attended the 2nd session) and I did talk at length about whther FWW should do one of the projects at the conference as a project in the magazine, since all of the pieces were intriguing in their own way.
I can tell you that we decided not to do the stand-up desk. The equation when it comes to magazine articles is always, "How many people do we think will actually build this?" The trouble with this desk is that it is not terribly practical for modern life, so only a small percentage of readers will actually take it on.
We only do about 15 project articles a year in the magazine, so we have to choose them very carefully. That said we do find other ways to feature cool pieces like this one. Sometimes a nice piece doesn't merit a project article, but it might serve as the example piece for an article on a specific technique.
So stay tuned!

Thanks, all. Answers to a few of your questions:
Mark Schofield, our managing editor, attended the second session and will be blogging about the SAPFM (Society of American Period Furniture Makers) and the special awards to Steve Lash and Mickey Callahan.
Willimasburg doesn't do a DVD of the show footage. It is a great live show, but it is hard to turn 15 or 20 hours of rambling stuff into a good DVD presentation. From my own experience at Taunton, I know that you have to have a tight script for a successful production.

Thanks, Gina. I added a picture of Jefferson (Bill Barker) speaking at the banquet. To be honest, I expected it to be a little corny, but he was just the opposite. He was totally committed to the character, and masterful at it. I was inspired by his first-person stories about the early days of the democracy, how he went about researching and writing the Declaration, etc. He was a true renaissance man, like most of the founding fathers, with a powerful, independent mind.
And DanMart is right about the special treatment that Col. W'burg gives the attendees. Spending a bit of extra time down there really fills out the experience.

Happy New Year, all.
I've really enjoyed the responses and discussion so far. I agree with most of the posts, actually. Of course, Danish Modern had its own sources, as almost nothing happens in vacuum. Also, it certainly has never gone away. My own opinion is that it has faded a bit from the American public's attention, as well as the North American woodworker's. I can't really speak for European woodworkers, or others.
I guess I hope that that changes, that woodworkers rediscover it in the way I did recently, and take it to new places.
A few questions remain from my blog: When historians look back in another century or so, and try to identify a dominant furniture style for the 20th century, will it be Arts & Crafts? Danish Modern? Something else?
And will any identifiable style coalesce in the 21st century?

Here's what I got out of the Jacobsen quote: A little goes a long way, basically. We have to evaluate a lot of furniture at FWW, for the Readers Gallery, for projects, etc., and probably the most common problem pieces have is trying to do too much: too many types of wood, too much contrast, too many eye-grabbing details battling for attention, and so on. Jacobsen argues for artistic restraint, which is almost always a good thing, especially in the long run. The piece that shouts at you can become abrasive over time; just like simple elegance in lines, proportions, and details will grow on you.
--Asa

Great comments here. I'm especially flattered that a teacher of cabinetmaking in Copenhagen took the time to respond. I love that quote from Arne Jacobsen.
And I'll check out Al Navas's podcast and blog, right after Christmas. Right now, my wife and I are waiting for our youngest daughter to be sleeping soundly enough for us to put Santa's deliveries under the tree! Happy holidays, everyone.
--Asa Christiana

fshanno--
No problem using pocket screws to attch the top and shelf. Good idea.
--Asa

I'm so glad to seee that people are happy with this bench. Tell your friends about it. I think a lot of woodworkers struggle for years without a real bench.
A few notes on the suggestions. I think a thicker finish would be great, but like someone said, when the MDF top gets beat up, you can always make another. Maybe that's a good reason not to glue the two MDF layers together but just use the screws we showed.
The leveling feet seem like a good idea, but they might make the bench skitter across the floor when you handplane on it, for example. Maybe some kind of leveling feet with rubber on the bottom of them?
And don't worry about the bench racking sideways. No diagonal stabilizers are needed when you have those long bolts and nuts all tightened down. You could chuck that base off the roof of your garage and it would be fine. Wait, hold on, I can just see the YouTube video now.

Great comments here. I think Larry is right that I used the phrase "in the public domain" too loosely. I meant that the design and techniques are out there for everyone to see. The copyright and patent issues are complicated, though, when it comes to furniture design. My understanding is that there is a lot of grey area, and that cases can be hard to prove.

Safety is always foremost in our mind at FWW. But here's the point people are missing, and the reason we allowed that photo to run in the first place. The force needed to peen the corner of a miter-gauge bar is very slight, and two hammer faces are not going to shatter from light taps. So the safety police are right in theory (there are situations where one hardened face could splinter another) but wrong in this specific case. The context makes all the difference.
This reminds me a lot of the letters we get each time we run a photo of someone grinding on the side of the wheel. Grinding should be done with a light touch, and there just isn't any danger of the wheel exploding as some warn. Yet the letters pour in, saying, "I was always taught..."
I went to tech school for high school and worked in machine shops, and saw people use the side of the wheel regularly and safely, but with a light touch, of course. The edge of the wheel is where you should do most of your grinding, but there are times when the flat side comes in handy.

I thought the same thing, Sleepydad, but it is the same cutterhead Steel City puts in their planers, and I saw some of the cuts it made at the show. Extremely clean and smooth. I should have mentioned that in my blog. Also, each cutter goes on its own ring, and the rings can be removed if the seat that holds the cutter gets damaged. That's impossible on other cutterheads.

Thanks, everyone. The tools on the list were just a few suggestions, all being relatively popular tools we haven't reviewed in a long while. I'm glad folks are using the comment feature to let us know what we missed. That was the plan.
As you can see, people's needs are quite varied. That is one of the challenges of putting together a general-interest woodworking magazine ("fine" or not). But I've seen a few things mentioned over and over, from used tools to sharpening stones to hand tools. Your comments will definitely factor into our decision-making. By the way, we are already working on an article that teaches people where to find used machinery, and what to look for to make sure you don't get a lemon or get in over your head with rehabbing.
Keep the good comments coming.
--Asa Christiana, editor

Sorry for the late credit, Andy. I fixed the caption. I'll be doing more blogs on the conference, so stay tuned.

I'm glad this touched some people. Sam's life touched so many people. Greg, I added some photos to this blog. To see the best photos I shot during my two days, check out the article that resulted from that trip: http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/ProjectsAndDesign/ProjectsAndDesignPDF.aspx?id=24704
--Asa

Thanks, everybody. The response has been overwhelming. There are lots of good ideas and questions here. The upshot seems to be: how to get a small shop to work. Stay tuned. We may well be contacting some of you for your tips.
By the way, I'm always grateful, and a littled awed, when people come out of the woodwork (so to speak) to offer comments and info and a piece of their lives. We put projects and techniques out there--like the workbench in the Getting Started in Woodworking video series--and then sit back and hope people will find them and try them. I can't tell you how rewarding it is when they do (see the post from "Blackwill").
--Asa

Wow, Daniel. It was a joy to see your post and the pics of your daughter. It's just what I had hoped when I posted the project. It's funny how something as simple as drilling can be a treat for a kid. I thought it would be boring (so to speak), but I'm jaded. I had forgotten how cool it is to see the tool cutting for the first time, and how you can feel the cutting action as you pull down on the handle, etc. I'll share this with Mike (or art director), who did the plan, and has a daughter of his own, about the same age as mine and yours.
You made my day (and your wife's).
--Asa

Good comments about safety. I've had a couple of e-mails, too. For starters, this is my daughter, so you can be sure I considered her safety.
I'll take the questions one at a time:
1. Blade exposure. My opinion is that this is not a big safety issue. I lower the guides when blade flex is a particular problem, which wasn't the case here. The safety issue is a tradeoff, to me. Lower guides might keep fingers away from the blade, but they also obscure the sightline, making it hard to see the blade at all, maybe tempting fingers closer than an exposed blade would.
2. Long sleeves. Good general safety rule. In retrospect, I should have had her roll them up. But again, in this case, I just didn't see the hazard. Her fingers would be in danger long before her sleeves got close to the blade.
3. Earmuffs. Seriously? On a 14-in. bandsaw cutting cedar. No.
4. Safety glasses. She does have glasses on, which will stop the stray particle from hitting the eye. But again, consider the context. I hear the same thing about drill presses. Those tools just don't throw material faceward, and not rapidly either, in my experience. Normal glasses are fine for these tools, at least for me. The safety police will say that a particle can hit the cheek and glance upward into the eye. I've never had that happen on a bandsaw or drill press. That's just not what they do.

Remember that my safety approach does not have to be yours. But also remember that some safety rules were made for worst-case industrial situations, with unskilled, fatigued, distracted workers working all day poorly set-up machines, without close supervision.

Good points, all. I'll keep all of this in mind.
I knew I'd take some safety flack when I posted this. Let me add a few caveats. I'm not recommending this for everyone--just saying it works for me. People have to make their own safety decisions. If you are nervous about this, or if you think you might forget to take the gloves off at a critical time, then just wear them when you go to the lumberyard. They'll make it easier to unstack and restack those piles, and the yard guys will love you for it.
As I said, I take them off when there is any chance my hands might come close to a spinning blade or bit. Also, these are close-fitting gloves. That's important.
In some cases, believe it or not, I think I can control the stock better when wearing these, with less of a chance that my hands will slip. On the other hand, I make sure I never have dangling sleeves or jewelry.
All that said, woodworking is inherently dangerous. So take your time, err on the side of safety, and never work when you are tired, distracted, etc.
--Asa

Thanks for the kind words, Rob. It was your article that inspired me to try Japanese paper. It was just as easy as you said it would be, in fact easier, for two reasons:
1. The glue bottle (sold by the paper supplier) had a cool applicator tip that worked better than a small brush for me.
2. The plastic wrapper on the paper roll had some instructions on it. They were in Japanese of course, but there were little pictograms that made it all pretty clear. I followed their suggestion and just applied the glue, clamped down one end of the roll, and just rolled it across the whole screen. Done. No cutting needed until afterward,when everything was dry, when it was very easy to trim with a razor and straightedge.
Next time, I'll try the cool marquetry technique you showed!
Thanks.
--Asa

It is easy to find flaws in any group of 60 pieces, and the Kerrville show is no different. But I'd rather talk about what is right about handmade pieces. After all, someone had a picture of something beautiful in their mind's eye, took a pile of rough lumber, and made it happen. And if they made it 90 percent of the way, that is something to celebrate. Also, remember that with a show like this, people are usually rushing to make the deadline. And finishes are usually what suffers. So I always cut people some slack on that. I saw one beautiful inlaid table that had lengthwise ripples sanded into its surface, telltale marks from a poorly set up wide-belt sander. I had a chance to meet the table's maker, and sure enough, he said he had been rushing to get the table to the show, and put it through the big industrial sander to try to quickly get the marquetry level and ready for finish.

BStev is right. There weren't enough of the best contemporary makers. The more recent choices were the weakest of all. I hope Taunton will do a book like this and get it right.