Photographed 15 years after it was constructed, this eastern white pine blanket chest was finished with two coats of Danish oil and now glows with a pumpkin-color patina. The chest carcase and the coopered top are constructed entirely with screws and pegged joinery. Photo: Scott Phillips
Fine Woodworking Recommended Products
Powermatic PJ-882HH Parallelogram 8-in. Jointer
The Powermatic smoothed boards excellently. It has a plastic insert that sits shallow of the fence, where thin boards tended to catch when flattening faces. The Powermatic was the only model that uses a knob to adjust the angle of the fence—a nice feature—except that locking it caused the fence to move slightly, which made it tricky to square the fence. But when locked, the fence did not move. The 90° stop was easy to set but wasn’t reliable. The guard was finicky to install and would often not snap back fully after a board passed by.
Bosch has produced another quality miter saw. It not only fits tight to the wall; it also has the shortest distance to the miter lock. The saw’s generous miter range is complemented by its large selection of miter detents. However, it falls short in a few areas. The handle is nicely ambidextrous, but its large size may make it cumbersome for all but large hands. I also found the miter and bevel controls, including their locks, stiff. The saw is the only model in the field with no light, either an LED or laser.
While this sander is among the least expensive models in the test, its performance ranks among the best. The stock removal was excellent, and dust collection was solid when used with a vacuum. It handles really smoothly, too, and has a tall body that fit my hand nicely whether I was holding it from above or around the waist.
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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