Page 108 - Learn Woodworking

Tambour doors are flexible sliding doors often used on roll top desks, computer desks, entertainment centers breadboxes and kitchen appliance garages. Tambour doors are sold pre-assembled, but you can make them yourself in your home workshop using a router and roundover bit. This video will show you how.

If you've recently purchased a router table, a table saw or any other stationary power tool, you may have noticed that your new prized possession didn't arrive with every related (and often, very desirable) piece of equipment imaginable already in the box. Don't feel cheated. By convention, power tools come with the equipment necessary to perform their basic functions safely, under typical operating conditions - and that's about it.

Have you ever used a 3/4" router bit to cut a dado for a plywood shelf, only to discover that "three-quarter inch" plywood isn't all that it claims to be? It can be a shock the first time; you're left a plywood-to-dado fit that has more than just a little "slop". In fact, the typical sheet of 3/4" plywood actually measures close to a hefty 1/32" less than its nominal thickness would lead you to believe.

The layout of dovetails involves cutting the tails (the pink wood on the left) and pins (the beige wood on the right), both cut to match the other. I like hand-cutting dovetails, and I’ve literally cut thousands of them. As a result, I try to execute them in a manner that hearkens back to the day when dovetails were all done by hand, and guys got paid to get them done fast and right.

As durable as most table saws are, they do require attention from time to time. If you're table saw is is leaving rough saw marks, burning wood or bogging down when you rip average stock thicknesses, chances are something's amiss, and it's time to diagnose the problem.

Calculating Polygons Polygon calculations come up frequently in woodworking. Finding the angles and dimensions of used in building multi-sided frames, barrels and drums (to name a few applications) begins with an understanding to the geometry of regular (symmetrical) polygons.

Not all woodworking machinery angle scales are created alike. In fact, there are two different conventions for the calibration of angle scales in common use on woodworking machinery. One type of scale is calibrated to treat a square cut as a 90 degree cut, while the other scale treats a square cut as a 0 degree cut. Along with that, the terms used in woodworking to describe angled cuts don't make the origin of the angle measurement perfectly clear.

Whether you are updating existing cabinetry or finishing off a new cabinet project, selecting knobs and pulls is your chance to add a touch of your own individual style. There are no specific rules in selecting hardware, but there are a few common practices to be aware of, and a few things to watch out for. In this article, we'll touch on the most important considerations when choosing new cabinet hardware.

There are many different types of hinges available on the market, but for Kitchen, Bedroom & Office Furniture you will generally find concealed hinges used. Concealed hinges are as the name suggests, they are hidden from view so that you only see the surface of the door. If you are constructing new cabinets, Rockler strongly recommends that you choose your cabinet hinges before you begin construction.

Fretwork and intricate cutting don't have to be expensive, there are some very affordable scroll saws on the market. The late Rodney Dangerfield probably would have felt a solidarity with scroll saws because, among all other woodworking machines, these seem to get the least respect — or more fairly, the least amount of press. When we need to cut curves, we tend to head to the band saw, and that’s a logical choice.

Ripping wood is a primary function of the table saw, and because its importance, many manufacturers pay particular attention to the quality the rip fence on the saws they offer. Still, many factory fence systems lack the reliability and precision that would qualify them for exacting work.