STL330: Our least favorite questions

Please don’t ask

From Chuck:
If Mike could never hear a particular woodworking question again what would it be? And what is his definitive answer to that question?

From Eric:
I’m in the process of moving forward with inviting a visiting artist (local area artist in residence program/grant) to gain access to my shop. I would consider my shop well-equipped, but I have always worked solo in it. I am constructing a bench for them to use and reserving space for their materials/supplies/etc. Where is the line drawn for YOU on what is available for unrestricted use and what is hands-off for a visiting beginning/intermediate furniture maker over a 3-6 months?

Stunt parts

From Bevelup:
In the magazine, are the action photos on an article pictures of actual pieces being built or do the subjects prepare parts specifically for photos?

Top 3(0) Shop Mates

From Matcha:
If you had to pick 3 shop mates, alive or dead, who are you picking to learn from, who are you picking to be inspired by, and who are you picking to pal around with?

Wood Movement, Wood Shmoovment

From Andreas:
I recently came across an Instagram video where a woodworker is building a table. In the video, he constructs a rectangular frame, mitered and glued at all corners. Additionally, the frame is reinforced with crosspieces that are pinned and glued. This certainly makes the frame quite stable but very likely prevents any movement in width, right?

He then inserts a tabletop, approximately 35 to 40 inches wide, made from flat-sawn boards glued together, into this frame. Furthermore, he glues this tabletop directly to the crosspieces (No battens/cleats with room for movement). I wrote to him expressing my concern that the table might tear apart at the corners, due to seasonal movement and possibly at other points as well. He replied that he did not see any problem.

Am I completely mistaken, or can the table actually survive with this construction?

Chaotic Kumiko

From Jim:
I’m planning on incorporating a kumiko panel in a new project. I’ve been looking at a lot of kumiko designs online and in books. When visiting the Metropolitan Museum in NYC I came across this window in the Japanese section that seems to be filled with a completely unique irregular kumiko-type lattice work. See the photo. I found the lack of geometric rigidity breathtaking and fascinating. I can find no other examples of irregular kumiko patterns.

Questions:
– Are you aware of a style of kumiko that is irregular like this? Do you also find it interesting?

– Are there random or irregular elements that you find add to a design? For instance, I also find that irregularly spaced slats on the back of a cabinet are much more interesting to look at than regularly spaced ones.

I love the show. It’s amazing how much woodworking you can learn just with your ears!

Failing Eye Sight

From Thomas:
My Dad is an avid woodworker and retired about a year ago, and I am helping him with a bucket list project of his: a European style workbench that I believe he modeled after Frank Klausz’s.

We’re pretty deep into the project and to the point of making the large dovetails on the end caps and tail vise.

Our challenge right now is that he is suffering from macular degeneration and while he can overall see alright for day-to-day life, small details such as a scribe line are difficult to see. We are using tricks such as blue tape, headlamps, bench lights, and magnifiers, and he has ordered some fancy glasses, but it remains a challenge.

I am happy to help and enjoy our time in the shop together, but I also want him to feel like this has been his achievement so avoid helping to the point of doing things for him. Also, once it’s done, I want him to feel equipped to make more pieces with this snazzy workbench once we move it to his shop.

I think we should try doubling or tripling layers of blue tape so that there is a thicker ledge to feel against, but other than that, I’m out of fresh ideas. Whatcha’ll think?

Shop Setup

From Bevelup:
How long / how many iterations did your ships go through before you settled on your current layout?

Every two weeks, a team of Fine Woodworking staffers answers questions from readers on Shop Talk Live, Fine Woodworking‘s biweekly podcast. Send your woodworking questions to [email protected] for consideration in the regular broadcast! Our continued existence relies upon listener support. So if you enjoy the show, be sure to leave us a five-star rating and maybe even a nice comment on our iTunes page. Join us on our Discord server here.