stevep
Junior Member
Posts: 63
|
Post by stevep on Dec 5, 2008 20:59:51 GMT
Picked one up at Tescos the other day - first time for years. Disappointment is hardly the word. A pair of doors made from 3 layers of oak laminated to give a total thickness of 65mm, all because "it's an easy way to make mortice and tenon joints". And a bookcase made by halving the shelves and the uprights. And 4 pages on woodscrews for gawds sake.
I don't think I'll be buying it again. Are there any alternatives out there?
|
|
|
|
Post by jonnyd on Dec 5, 2008 21:20:09 GMT
I used to get Furniture and Cabinetmaking I have about the first 100 issues but then got a bit bored with it but still get the occasional issue. You can get a month for free on the fine woodworking magazine site with all the back articles see here reg.taunton.com/account/fww-jet-offer.html?ig=WNTJetTrial which is worth a look. jon |
|
|
|
Post by Keith on Dec 6, 2008 14:11:59 GMT
Hi Steve, sorry you didn't like the mag; or my article  We get complaints that there is never anything new, so I do something different and ......well you can't please everyone all the time. You could always throw darts at the picture of the guy on the cover ;D As for the doors, you seem to have missed the point of them. I laminated these up to give a stable door that I could guarantee wouln't twist. The opening door is not bolted at the top or bottom and after 18 months the fit, and seal, is as tight as ever. Not everyone has a spindle moulder  and this technique allows someone with little tooling to make a quality door. I have made doors and windows this way for years, especially when I need a particularly thin yet stable section, and they are durable and practical. The 65mm thickness helps with thermal efficiency, allows easy housing of thick dg units and gives the door a feel of real quality, as it shuts like an expensive car door. You should look at the US magazine "Fine Woodworking" they have a comparatively massive budget and the articles may suit you more. As for "The Woodworker", for those who expressed an interest when I put a picture on the site, next month should see the start of my cyclone build series, it's over three months I'm afraid as I got carried away with the verbiage ;D Keith |
|
stevep
Junior Member
Posts: 63
|
Post by stevep on Dec 6, 2008 19:32:39 GMT
Oh dear. Seem to have dug a big hole for myself here, and a big one at that. I certainly didn't pick up on the fact that they've been installed for 18 months, and I did understand the reasoning behind the laminating method to achieve the joints. Perhaps I'm too much of an old mortice and tenon fogey.
Just to prove that I'm willing to eat my words, I hereby solemnly swear to buy the next issues to follow your cyclone series. And I promise not to complain again.
Steve (red-faced)
|
|
|
|
Post by engineerone on Dec 6, 2008 21:53:52 GMT
sorry steve, if you make promises like that you may well get banned for being a brown nose ;D your points were valid, and it is sad that keith had to defend his article, since patently the sub editors cut things which might well have made it clearer. paul |
|
|
|
Post by Keith on Dec 7, 2008 8:02:02 GMT
Oh dear. Seem to have dug a big hole for myself here, and a big one at that. I certainly didn't pick up on the fact that they've been installed for 18 months, and I did understand the reasoning behind the laminating method to achieve the joints. Perhaps I'm too much of an old mortice and tenon fogey. Just to prove that I'm willing to eat my words, I hereby solemnly swear to buy the next issues to follow your cyclone series. And I promise not to complain again. Steve (red-faced) Never complain again  We men always have to have something to complain about. That's what SWMBO tells me anyway ;D And next month I probably have an MDF shelf unit in there too and that is bound to raise a few hackles. Keith |
|
|
|
Post by Keith on Dec 7, 2008 8:17:49 GMT
sorry steve, if you make promises like that you may well get banned for being a brown nose ;D your points were valid, and it is sad that keith had to defend his article, since patently the sub editors cut things which might well have made it clearer. paul Paul, to be fair to the editorial team I don't think they did edit it. We now have Ralph Laughton as editor, a real woodworker who actually knows his stuff, and I don't have problems with them editing the sense out of a piece like I have had a few times in the past. There is always a limit on how much you can write for one article, I try to make a judgement on what I would like to say, to make the article interesting to read, and what I need to say (more boring perhaps as a read), to make the project a practical proposition for someone to build from scratch with no prior knowledge. This is why the cyclone article has ended up so long, it is outside my comfort zone. I have little experience of fibreglass and I expect most of the readers will be similarly disadvantaged so I have tried to give as much information as I could. Credit to the editors rather than edit it down they decided to run the article over three months, something that they are normally loath to do. Keith |
|
|
|
Post by mrgrimsdale on Dec 7, 2008 18:26:46 GMT
Oh dear. Seem to have dug a big hole for myself here, and a big one at that. I certainly didn't pick up on the fact that they've been installed for 18 months, and I did understand the reasoning behind the laminating method to achieve the joints. Perhaps I'm too much of an old mortice and tenon fogey. Just to prove that I'm willing to eat my words, I hereby solemnly swear to buy the next issues to follow your cyclone series. And I promise not to complain again. Steve (red-faced) Shouldn't worry about complaining - it keeps them on their toes ;D I do it all the time! |
|
|
|
Post by scraper on Dec 8, 2008 21:22:52 GMT
A similar layering technique is used for furniture in an American book titled Fast Furniture and looks good in that application too. As for the MDF shelving done with 'halving' joints, or egg boxes as the mag calls them, I've done MDF units that way for a while, but with a bit of accurate work I don't need the big mallet assembly technique shown in the article!  Found a 1988 Woodworker in the loft last week too. Still reading it ............................... ;D David. |
|
|
|
Post by walter on Dec 19, 2008 17:35:50 GMT
This month we are treated to 3 pages on nuts & bolts, i`ve heard of going back to basics, but really.
Keiths home made cyclone looks interesting, & anything that improves dust collection is always welcome.
What made me smile was Ralph Laughton`s review of the joint genie, it got full marks for performance & value for money, i not saying it isn`t a good product, but wasn`t Ralph demostrating this at one of the shows? If so how impartial can his review be? Or is it me just being cynical.
|
|
|
|
Post by nickgibbs on Dec 19, 2008 22:41:43 GMT
Found a 1988 Woodworker in the loft last week too. Still reading it ............................... ;D David. I was working for Woodworker in those days. Which issue was it? Cheers Nick |
|
|
|
Post by scraper on Dec 19, 2008 23:19:20 GMT
Hi Nick, It is October 88 - the issue with the large model hydraulic excavator in it. I built it at the time for my son, and he's 24 now!! I've also unearthed a Woodworker Annual Issue 89, with all the issues including the ads. Even has a youthfull David Savage and a competition introducing the wonders of MDF!! David. |
|
|
|
Post by Keith on Dec 20, 2008 7:54:55 GMT
I have The Woodworker Annual, from 1901 which includes the very first issue. It has a small piece on sharpening, and I quote; "If practised slowly at first, the habit of sharpening tools without rolling will come quite naturally" They also say the popularity of Art Nouveau is on the wane, mainly because of "weak and inferior production". See, nothing changes ps Ralph loves the Joint genie, he phones me up just to tell me how wonderful it is ;D |
|
|
|
Post by scraper on Dec 20, 2008 11:03:12 GMT
I have The Woodworker Annual, from 1901 But did you buy it new? I know we have some old members, but ..................... ;D |
|
|
|
Post by mrgrimsdale on Dec 20, 2008 13:55:16 GMT
This month we are treated to 3 pages on nuts & bolts, i`ve heard of going back to basics, but really. Keiths home made cyclone looks interesting, & anything that improves dust collection is always welcome. What made me smile was Ralph Laughton`s review of the joint genie, it got full marks for performance & value for money, i not saying it isn`t a good product, but wasn`t Ralph demostrating this at one of the shows? If so how impartial can his review be? Or is it me just being cynical. Sounds like a very moderate degree of sceptism. Let's face it the joint genie is rubbish and reduces woodwork to the level of lego. I'd rather use a hammer and nails! It's only a matter of time before someone invents a wood/lego system where you just buy ready made components and clip/glue them together - starting with shelves for collections of expensive, unused, shiny tools covered with brass knobs ;D ;D |
|
|
|
Post by Keith on Dec 20, 2008 14:11:55 GMT
Jacob, not sure who invented flat pack but I think Ikea already have that market sewn up
Scraper, most of the time I do feel old enough to have bought it!
|
|
|
|
Post by mrgrimsdale on Dec 20, 2008 14:55:08 GMT
Jacob, not sure who invented flat pack but I think Ikea already have that market sewn up Ooh yes, and I thought I was on to a winner! Mind you they don't pretend that putting them together is woodwork or any sort of craft process - even though you need to be a genius with 2 pairs of hands. Anyway I was thinking more of a general sort of kit, like meccano but in wood, so you could make everything from a little stool with kit no.1, up to a full size replica of nelson's victory with kit no.99 |
|
|
|
Post by walter on Dec 20, 2008 22:26:05 GMT
I`m affraid de-skilling is rife in all trades, look at plumbing plastic pipe you push together, electrics are going that way with connections you just push the wire into, yet the regulation of the trades gets greater & greater. It would seem someone wants an end to small one man bands, leaving large companies paying huge sums in regulatorary fees to administrators & the government raking in tax & paye.
Think i`ll stick to my old traditional methods, if only to p**s off those who would like to govern us.
Walter.
|
|
|
|
Post by walter on Dec 20, 2008 22:28:50 GMT
Having just re-read my last post should i change my name to Old Camudgeon???
Walter.
|
|
and this technique allows someone with little tooling to make a quality door. I have made doors and windows this way for years, especially when I need a particularly thin yet stable section, and they are durable and practical. The 65mm thickness helps with thermal efficiency, allows easy housing of thick dg units and gives the door a feel of real quality, as it shuts like an expensive car door.
We men always have to have something to complain about. That's what SWMBO tells me anyway ;D And next month I probably have an MDF shelf unit in there too and that is bound to raise a few hackles.
