When breaking down a board, Mason McBrien likes to use a clear template a little bigger than the part he’s laying out. This way, he makes sure the grain is exactly what he wants.
Straight rips at the bandsaw
Because laying out for grain often means running at an angle to the board’s edge, use the bandsaw for rips. A jigsaw can handle the crosscuts.
Rip adjacent parts from single wide board
Ripping nearby upper and lower parts from a single wide board keeps the grain matching between the two, strengthening the project’s aesthetic harmony. Mark the end grain so you can easily identify matched pairs later.
Legs need rift grain
Look for straight grain on the edge of an 8/4 board as well as straight grain on the face. Ideally, you want growth rings that are evenly spaced on all faces and run 45° across the ends.
Make wide tops from a single board
This ensures grain and color match. Crosscut the board and use one half as the middle of the glued-up top; the second half gives you straight, riftsawn edges.
Glueline disappears in the rift
Rotate the riftsawn edges end for end and glue them onto the first half of the board you crosscut, and the glueline vanishes in the straight grain. The tighter and straighter the grain, the better the effect.
With tapered legs, split aprons, and profiled top, Mason McBrien’s table was designed to showcase the lightness and straight grain of the American white ash.
One of many extremely accurate Incra miter gauges, this model offers 180-degree adjustment to 1/10 of a degree, and a long, straight fence with a telescoping stop system.
The DeWalt 735X produced two faces perfectly parallel to one another, with surfaces far superior to what the other machines produced, thanks to its two feed speeds. At high speed, the planer works fast and leaves a smooth surface. But the slower, finish speed produces an almost glass-smooth surface. Knife changes are easy, with spacious access to the cutterhead from the top and a gib screw wrench that doubles as a magnetic lift to remove the knives. The 735X also has great dust collection, thanks to an internal blower that helps evacuate chips. The port has a 2-1/2-in.-dia. opening, but has a built-in adapter for 4-in.-dia. hoses. My only complaint is the location of the dust port. It’s on the outfeed side of the machine, and exits straight back. If you don’t pull the hose to the side, it interferes with material as it leaves the machine. The top is large and flat, so it’s a great place to set material in between passes through the machine.
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, but it created less tearout than all but one of the other machines (the DeWalt 734 was its equal). Knife changes were quick and easy with the provided T-handle wrench. Dust collection was good, assisted by an internal fan. The 2-1/2-in.-dia. port on the outfeed side of the machine is directed to the side, so the hose is out of the way. The planer’s top is flat and provides a good surface for holding stock between passes.
The clear plastic template gave me a great idea, my wife is a hardcore quilter and has several clear plastic layout tools. One is six inch by twenty-four inch and it has the square inch gradient marked on it in black. I'm sure there are other sizes available at the Quilters stores.
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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Comments
The clear plastic template gave me a great idea, my wife is a hardcore quilter and has several clear plastic layout tools. One is six inch by twenty-four inch and it has the square inch gradient marked on it in black. I'm sure there are other sizes available at the Quilters stores.
Great point! My wife is also a hardcore quilter. They are also good for angles.
Great Tip, I picked this up some time ago and don't remember where. I use an older clear Fiskars Quilting Ruler (https://www.joann.com/fiskars-coastal-6x24-ruler/8298127.html) all the time.
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