Fathers Day Must Have Woodworking Gifts

Find out what woodworking gifts our staff of editors and dads hope to receive this Fathers Day.

Photo: Woodcraft

Fathers Day is fast-approaching and the Fine Woodworking editorial departments crew of dads are eagerly anticipating (or at least hoping) for a small workshop-related token of gratitude from sons, daughters, and moms. So we figured wed take a quick poll of the dads out there to find out what tools (maximum value of $100) were on their wish-lists. If your plum out of ideas regarding what to get dad, here are a few possible choices to get you started.

Whats on Your Wish List?
We want to know - especially because some of us are still considering other options!

Asa Christiana
Editor

I bought a cheap but complete set of those no-name Taiwanese brad-point drills way back when. Some worked well, but the sharpening was inconsistent on others. And all of them dulled pretty quickly. Its next-to-impossible to resharpen brad-points properly in a home shop, so my set is riddled with gaps now. And ever since FWW did a review of brad-points in 2005, Ive wanted a set of the Lee Valley high-speed steel bits, which bored smooth accurate holes in the toughest woods in our test, with zero tearout at the rim. A set of 12 is only $43 at LeeValley.com.

Lee Valley High-Speed Steel Brad Point Bits - $43

Lee Valleys high-speed steel (HSS) set cuts clean, accurate, flat-bottomed holes similar to those produced by a Forstner bit.

Michael Pekovich
Art Director

Ill let you off cheap this year. One of the greatest additions to my new shop is a hand-crank pencil sharpener and a big stash of Ticonderoga no. 2 pencils. I sharpened up a dozen pencils and put them in the top drawer of my bench. They soon migrated to every corner of my shop so that now, no matter where I turn, I can find a sharp pencil.

Dixon Ticonderoga Pencils and Sharpener - $25 

Remember pencil and paper? It may seem like a boring gift, but a woodworker can never have enough marking implements. Ditto for a good old-fashioned sharpener!

Mark Schofield
Managing Editor

Always need more clamps; clamps work best in pairs; I have two sons therefore Id like two Jorgenson 24in. heavy duty bar clamps. The 1200 lb limit should pull most of my joints together.

Jorgensen 24-in. Steel Bar Clamps - $49.99 each  

 Need more information on clamps? Check out Fine Woodworkings complete Tool Guide listings.

Matt Kenney
Senior Editor

Although I believe I am getting an iPod speaker dock for my shop, it is over $100. So, Id say for under $100 I would like a 3 in. thick by 12 in. wide by 18 in. long granite surfacing plate from Grizzly. The plate itself costs $34.95, but because it weighs 79 lb. the shipping is $44! Thats a grand total of $78.95. 

 Grizzly Granite Surface Plate - $34.95 + $34 (shipping) 

According to Matt, it beats having to stick sandpaper to his tablesaw table--his usual method for regrinding plane irons and chisel bevels.

Tom McKenna
Senior Editor

Im in dire need of Forstner bits (to be used after I get a drill press, of course). The last time I found myself at Woodcraft, I was eyeing up this 7-piece set. Hint, hint, hint.

Woodcraft 7-Piece Forstner Bit Set - $82.25 

Be sure to catch the complete review on Woodcrafts forstner bits in our online Tool Guide.

Ed Pirnik
Web Producer

I currently own two squares - a 4-in. and a traditional 12-in. combo square. Ive always found the 4-in. to be really easy to work with; it hides in my shop apron and is always at-the-ready. In fact, I think I actually use my 4-in. more than my 12-in. That larger square is just a bit more bulky and Ive always wanted the perfect in-between size. A 6-in. combination model will satisfy nearly all my needs and is small enough to remain hidden in my shop apron, right beside its trusty, smaller cousin.

Starrett 6-in. Combination Square - $92

Find out what sets a $75 tool apart from a $6 tool in our article on combination squares from FWW #159.

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Fine 50 – Bowl Turning Tools Techniques w David Marks

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On a recent visit with my friend and mentor, David Marks, we decided to make a little video together. Initially the idea was to simply show David my video production process. But as things started to progress, I knew we had the makings of a great video and this was something I wanted to share with the woodworking community.
The goal was simple: let’s turn a bowl! But as easy as that sounds, properly filming a bowl turning from start to finish can be quite tricky with just a few hours to play with. I had to catch a plane that evening and this was something of a last-minute idea. But we managed to pull it off, amazingly.
Anyone who has worked with David knows that the man is a perfectionist by definition. He regularly achieves a level of quality that I can only hope to some day match. So with David Marks, even a “quick and dirty” bowl deserves a perfect spherical profile, an absolutely tearout-free finish, and a crisp decorative band. And forcing him to produce a David Marks creation under those conditions proved to be a challenge and an important learning experience for me. When David works, there is really only one way to do things: to the best of his abilities. So there’s really no such thing as “good enough”. Its either done properly or its not. This is something I really admire.
David shows you a number of tools and techniques in this video. You’ll see some of the more standard options like the bowl gouge, the parting tool, and the pyramid point tool, as well as some interesting offerings from Easy Wood Tools. In this video, David shows the Easy Rougher and The Easy Finisher. You can purchase the Easy Wood Tools, including the David J. Marks Pro Series featuring beautiful Bubinga handles at David’s website. The advantage of buying the David J. Marks Pro Series in addition to getting a signed bubinga handle, is that the handles are longer than the standard Easy Wood Tools which gives them better leverage.
I hope you enjoy this special episode. Maybe this will help fill in the gap left by my severe lack of turning content! And for those of you who miss the good old days of Woodworks, this is going to be a real treat!



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Woodworking Tip of the dayEasy

NEW... NY Adirondack Chair & Footrest Wood Plans

Be the envy of all your friends with our NY Adirondack Chair & Footrest. It will sure be the topic of conversation. Our NY Chair and Footrest is very easy to build, because of our step-by-step instructions, detailed illustrations and best of all; Full Size Templates. You dont have to re-draw the plans. You can get started right away. Save time and money and order our special Corrosion Resistant Hardware Kit that includes all the hardware needed. If you order (3) Hardware Kits, well give you the woodworking plans FREE, plus well give you FREE Transfer Paper. The Chair measures: 39" H x 44" W x 55" L. For personal use only, not for mass production. http://www.gcwoodworks.com/ny-chair.htm

Aging Wood Artificially As wood ages, the surfaces that are exposed to light and air tend to grow darker. (Only walnut and mahogany grow lighter.) This phenomenon helps to give antique furniture its lustrous patina. When making reproduction of antiques, you can create an artificial patina by applying a 10-percent solution of nitric acid (available from most chemical-supply companies). Let the acid soak into the surface of the new wood for several minutes, then warm it with a heat gun. As the temperature of the surface climbs, the wood will suddenly turn dark. Continue to apply heat until the wood surface is dried thoroughly. When applying the acid, be sure to wear rubber gloves and a full face shield. work outdoors or in a well-ventilated room. check us out at http://www.gcwoodworks.com/

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Adirondack Round Back Chair Woodworking Plans

Our Adirondack Round Back Chair is uniquely designed and very easy to build. It has a deep, angled seat and wide arms, the perfect place to rest your elbows and hold a tall glass of lemonade, a plate of food or a book. If you add one of our Adirondack Footrests, you may never get up. For more information go to http://www.gcwoodworks.com/adirondack_round_back_chair.htm

For more informatin on the Adirondack Round Back Chair Woodworking Plans go to http://www.gcwoodworks.com/adirondack_round_back_chair.htm or go to  Gold Country Woodworks at http://www.gcwoodworks.com/

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What does Woodworking Beer and Wine have in common

What does Woodworking Beer & Wine have in Common?
Well its our Woodworking Plans...

Beer: Beer Bottle Adirondack Chair & Footrest Woodworking Plans
http://www.gcwoodworks.com/Beer%20Bottle%20Adirondack%20Chair%20&%20Footrest.htm



Wine: Wine Barrel Adirondack Furniture Woodworking Plans
http://www.gcwoodworks.com/wine-barrel-furniture.htm



For more Award Winning Woodworking Plans go to:   http://www.gcwoodworks.com/

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