Compuler Opefations Ken Miner Circulation Manage, Jeff Farn. Admlntstrauve AsSiSlant Cheryl Scott Building Malntenance Archl.. KRUse WOOOSMJTH (ISSN 0164 ....114) IS p
Co, 2200 Grand Ave., DesMolnes.lovIa50312 WOODSMITH is a regISteredmemark of the Woodsm,th Pubhshlng Co. Copyright 1984 by Woodsmrth Publishing Co.
All Rights Reserved. Subs~lplfon.: One year (6 issues) SID. T"",
toys aren't what they used to be. Gone are the days of simple shapes that can be bandsawn OUtin coumless multiples. Instead, the new toys are beginning 00look more like scale models of the real thing. The details and the ingenuity required 10 work in this small seal. presents quite 8 challenge. AI first. I have 00 admit r was 8 little reluctant to build toys with such detail, All the little pieces seemed like too much to handle - too small and too fragile. But the only way I was going 00 have the ooy truck and a biplane I wanted was to build them. As I began working on these toys. I discovered two things, F·irst. tbe small parts are nOI all that difficult to make. Although at times 1 felt like 1 WaSbying to make 3 toothpick with a ehainsaw, I got used to the seale very quickly. ABOIIT THIS ISSt:E. Wooden
But I also discovered something I hadn't antieipated. The more 1 worked on the
1 felt the years roll back. It wasn't longbefol"e Ibegan 00feel like a kid having fun in the shop. The truck was the most fun. Each Iitlle part became a project in itself: making 8 illting bed with stake sides that could be removed, and a gas tank with a tin;; gas cap, and seats inside the cab. The crowning touch. however was the arched fenders with running boards. I had seen this type of fender on other toy car •. But r always assumed they Were incredibly fragile, and would snap apart with the slight""t bump. Not a very good thing to have on a ooy. Imade two proootype fenders and found Ihatthey were a lot sturdier than Ithought they'd be. To give them the full test, I 10YS, the more
mounted them to one of the early versions of the eab and chassis. Then with a cringe, 1 dropped the truck
ti'Oma height of three feet to the shop floor to see what would happen to the fenders. To my amazement, they didn't break ofT. In fact. it took several more attempts before the truck landed in just the right way Second class PO'" pald at Des Motne1;. 00break ofT8 fender. If it can stand up to Iowa that, it should stand up to most of the Postma.I.r: Send cIlange ot """ress nObCe. abuse it's likely to receive, Form 3579. to Woodsmith PubliShill9 Co.. 2200 BOX JO[NTS. Beside. the toys, there are Grend Ave.. Des Moines. Iowa 50312. three other small projects in this issue. All three are joined with box joints. BACK ISSUES There seems to be a mysterious attracAMback issees of Woodsmllh are SbltaV<1llabte. tion to this joint. All it takes is a stroll Send lor a boOkiel deson'btng ine contents end through any antique store (0 see the popuprices 01 all baclc ISSUes. larity of all the Uttle boxes (and large!" crates) that are made with box joints. It SAMPLE COPIES seems that if iI'S a little box that's joined If you nave a mend who would like tosee a copy with box joints (not nailed together, mind ofWoodsrnltll.juSI send lhe name and address. you). it'. worth se1Iing for outrageous and we'lI send • sample (al no OOSI) amounts of money. years (12ISS<1es)$18. SIngle copy PrICe. $l.50 (Canada end Foteogn: add $l per year.) Change Of Address: PLeasE!be sure 10I~ude both your Old end new address
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So when I had the jig set up to make box joints for these projects. I made a few more little boxes - nothing fancy, just a box with 8 tid that's made with box joints. I made a half dozen or $0 and gave them away. Idon't have the vaguest ideaofwhat they'll be used for. but everyone was delighted 00 have a little wooden box made with box joints. IMaybe if, just the fact that it wasn't made of plastic, and it wasn't nailed together.) SOURCEIlOOK. For six years we've published IVood8",Uh without any advertising. But that has both its good side and its bad side. Almost everyone likes the fact that Ihey don't have to wade through pages of ad. to get to the "good part." But without ads, a 101 of the information about woodworking catalogs and products is hard to find. That's why we decided to publish the l\'ood8l11ith SOl/l·cebook. lVe have tried 00make the SOli""ebook a helpful guide rather than just a collection of ads. We also wanted to provide. way so you could easily order new catalogs and get infom18tion about tools and supplies you might be interested in buying. The fil'llt issue of the Sourcebook was mailed to all of OUl"subseribers who were on file a. of August 31. 1984. IVe'remailing it out now (in the early fall) 00coincide with the introduction of the new catalogs. I hope you find it helpful. If enough lI'ood$mitll subscribers use it to order catalogs and information. we'll publish more (expanded) editions in the future. NEIl t'ACt:s. Doug Hick. has joined our editorial department. You may recognize the last name: Clifford Hicks, Doug's father, was editor of Popular Mechanics in the early OO'sand until his retirement this year was editor of the P.M. Yearbooks and other special publications Doug developed his writing 0011$ by wOl"king with his father on the articles about woodworking projects in tbe past thirteen Yearbooks. Inaddition, he t8ught a high school woodworking course for the past five years, and "'lIS one of the foundersofthe Kishwaukee Woodwerkers club (see the article on page 24). We're happy to have Doug join us. MORENEw FACES- Nine months ago Our cireulation department got together and decided to take it upon themselves to make
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a substantial increase in our circulation.
This past month, Christel gave birth to Stephanie. 71bs. 12 ozs., Sandy g..ve birth to Jason, 7 lbs. 12 OZS., and Vicky gave birth 00 Aaron. 7 lbs. 9 OZS. lIEXT ~1"ll.llIG. The November December i,sueofWoodsmilh (No. 36) will be mailed the week of Nov. 26. 1984. WOOD SMITH
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EXACT KERFS FOR SPLINES
Hardboard make> greal material for toplir\{'~ ,.ince it i14 ,,·ery uniform in thickness, (\1,")_ Rut hoI' do you get 8 spline groove the cerrvet .iw LV take the hardboard7 I salved the problem by taking an old steel blllde (I used the one that came "ith my table saw) to a local saw sharpener and had him .<\Iu.t Ih~ tooth set to cut a 1.'l'OO\'(" just wid~ ('noulChto take the hardboard. Ctorge R03CII/Oll
UPRIGHT CLAMPING
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Technigu_e_s__
base. The.ivJ o( the new base depends on the parucular Job applieation or the size or th,·
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