Home 2008 Archives for February 2008
February 5, 2008 By

Cabinet design question: Book matching resawn panels (3)

This post is a continuation of the previous post, to answer Neil’s question in its entirety. In the previous post I used new, resawn veneers, not the original panels I showed in “wing” book match that Neil requested me show in slip match arrangement.

I decided to follow up with this post, because I failed to mention, and to show, that it is possible to obtain more than one book match for every set of panels. This photo illustrates what I mean; for the alternate “wing” book match I simply swapped the position of the boards, as I tried to suggest with the arrow (this is a large image-please give it a few seconds to open):

Book match alternatives

I hope you can notice the differences in color for the two panels shown on the left-hand side of the photo above. These reflect the color/brightness differences I see in the shop. The photo on the right shows the outer surfaces of the board; these surfaces show dramatically different spalting patterns, and much of the symmetry is lost; this is the main reason that slip matching will not work very well for these two boards, as shown in the photo below:

“Wing” book match vs. slip match

I hope this exercise helps in the visualization of panel or veneer matching. In this instance it helped me to decide that the slip match for these resawn panels will not work very well; this was due to the differences in the spalting patterns of the front and back surfaces of the original board.

When resawing veneers, which are much thinner than these resawn panels, it should be quite easier to achieve slip matched patterns that are pleasing to the eye.

Filed Under: Blog, Cabinetmaking, Krenov, Resaw
February 4, 2008 By

Cabinet design question: Book matching vs. slip matching resawn veneers (2)

Neil wrote two days ago:

“I was wondering;…. What the 2 panels … would look like if they were slip matched?? What do you think in comparison to the match you’re showing us????”

Part of my reply read: “…This is a great suggestion, and a terrific opportunity to share with the readers the differences it *can* make to try different things…”

In the photo below I have placed side-by-side a new set of spalted maple boards I resawed today, to obtain 1/8-inch thick veneers. I photographed the pair immediately after finishing the resawing, so they still have some blade tooth marks. For resawing I selected a new board that showed strong “ink lines” demarcating the spalted areas; the original boards I showed earlier would not have produced the results you see below.

The photo shows the striking difference that results when the boards are slip matched (Option 2), vs. the more traditional book match(1). The following are immediately apparent:

  1. The book matched pair has a nice balance and feel to it. This is the pattern that results when we resaw a board, keeping the resawn boards in sequence and then we open these two boards like the page of a book; growth rings, spalting pattern, etc., form symmetrical patters about the contact edge.
  2. The slip matched pair results in a panel that could show tension or imbalance, in sharp contrast to the book matched pair. This pattern is created by slipping, in sequence, successive pieces of the resawn veneers; the veneers are not turned over as they are slipped over each other. In the repeating figure that results, the grain pattern does not match up at the joints.
  3. The book match option may work better in the case where symmetry is paramount. On the other hand, when finished, each veneer may have different light reflection.
  4. One advantage of using the slip match option is that the finish will have a uniform color, because the exposed faces have similar light reflection.

I trust this will help you in selecting a matching option when working with resawn veneers. I would like to hear your opinion on these options, any advantages or disadvantages you experience as your work with these matching options, and how you are likely to use each one.

Edit to add: Now, to answer Neil’s question.

Neil: I really like the slip match pattern I get with these particular veneers; in fact, I will use this option on some projects. But, for my Krenov-inspired cabinet, at this stage I think I might stick with the book match option. What actually happens will depend more on the actual look of the doors on the carcase, and with the whole thing assembled and on the base. Who knows? I might even make two sets of doors, and a selection process based on viewing the real thing in person. With this type of cabinet I usually stay fluid until the last moment, while always keeping the target in mind.

Thanks, Neil, for suggesting that I evaluate and share the slip match option!

book-slip-match.png

JET 708115K JWBS-14CS 14-Inch 1 Horsepower Woodworking Bandsaw with Graphite Guide Blocks, 115/230-Volt 1 Phase
Filed Under: Blog, Cabinetmaking, Krenov, Resaw
February 3, 2008 By

The 2008 KC Woodworking Show – Friends, reflections…

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The 2008 Kansas City Woodworking Show took place in the Exhibit Hall of the Overland Park Int’l Trade Center.

I attended Friday afternoon, and most of Saturday. In Episode 7 I share the following (next time I am taking a Unipod, or something similar to steady the camera!):

  1. The breakfast at a local restaurant, attended by several members of WoodNet and Saw Mill Creek online woodworking forums. You have a chance (finally!) to meet some of us, together in one place. Some identities have not been revealed, to protect the innocent.
  2. Some comments about attendance by tool manufacturers large and small.
  3. The sights and sounds of the Show.

Prior to the show, a group met for breakfast at a local restaurant. For me it was a great pleasure to meet so many woodworkers I knew only from the online woodworking forums. I asked everyone, and they graciously agreed, to identify themselves, with their affiliation. One or two were highly reluctant, as they claimed to be in the WPP (Witness Protection Program). If I have revealed any identities that I should not have revealed, it is strictly MY mistake. Please notify me ASAP!

For me this gathering was proof of one thing: The Shows are not only about tools, but also about the people who use them. Networking should be something we learn to do better, as it will eventually help us become better woodworkers, as it does in our everyday lives.

After all, what would the tool manufacturers do if no one wanted to buy them? Or, worse yet, if people wanted to use them, but could not afford them? Interesting thought, as the implications could reveal much of what we might not know about ourselves, least of which is our ability to improvise and invent. I don’t even want to go there…

I won’t list the names of the attendees, as I don’t want to bore with a bunch of names. You can make a list if you wish. We had a great visit, and great food to boot.

This gathering also developed into a Show-and-Tell, as several fellow woodworkers brought pretty special items: An old Disston saw without a number (made before Disston started using a numbering system); several craftsman-made routers in various sizes, a gorgeous shoulder plane the size of a Stanley 9-1/2 (I almost “borrowed” it permanently), an all-stainless steel skew plane… I am sure I forget what else. C’mon guys, help me complete the list, please!

We finished the breakfast gathering with about one hour to spare before the start of the show. Steve Roxberg invited me to visit his shop. He has a terrific basement workshop, complete with a brand-new yellow/mustard cyclone dust collection system. He even gave me a wren bird house to bring back to my wife – she loves to build bird houses, and our granddaughters love them too. Thanks for the invitation, Steve; I enjoyed the tour of your shop tremendously, and your tips on making the jigs to make the bird houses!

Now, some of the highlights, and my reflections of the 2008 Show. You can see and listen to some of the sights and sounds in Episode 7, above.

  • I talked with several reps, distributors, and small business owners (I will call them collectively “this group”). One theme was pretty much the common thread: They not only wish for, but have a good feeling that the new Woodworking Show owners truly want to make them real winners. It will be quite interesting, in the remaining of 2008, to watch the trend in the sentiment of this group, and compare it to the sentiment of the people attending the Shows.

  • My extremely informal and (definitely non-scientific) survey of people I met at the show was that they also sensed “some”, or “much”, improvement over the Shows they attended in previous years.

  • Metro Hardwoods: The newest supplier of hardwoods in the Kansas City area. This is where I bought the spalted maple for the Krenov-inspired cabinet I am building. Terrific place to look at some of the nicest lumber, and some nice exotics too. Some people might wonder about the pricing structure for the exotics; but try getting them elsewhere… I use limited quantities of these, so I am not an expert in exotics, not by a long shot.

  • A little gold nugget: Powercrafter’s air-powered carver. This is a little marvel of fluid flow technology, spinning the bit at 500,000 RPM to do its thing on wood. I bought one for my wife last year, when they introduced the current model. It is not only a terrific engineering feat, but a wonderful tool to use to enhance your workpieces. I don’t use it, because carving has never been my thing – but this might change now that we have this carving tool. Episode 7 shows several examples of what one could accomplish, given a little carving talent <sigh…I lack this totally>.

  • I hope Episode 7 will give you a sense of attendance on Saturday (I did not shoot any video on Friday). There were good vibes in the air, as if people felt as I did – that something was better, with this year’s Show than in the last two years. The booths showing live demos were definitely better attended, people were buying a LOT more than in recent history (per my meager observation capacity), and the vendors had plenty in stock.

In summary, based on my attendance, the Woodworking Shows seem to be off to a better start than in recent years, and I hope the owners will stick to their plan to make them better. I wish them the best, as these are possibly the best way to bring to the general public the latest in the woodworking tools we all use, whether it is heavy iron or smaller hand tools. I also hope that the new Show owners can get more tool manufactures signed up to bring their wares on the floor. It will be good to once again see the manufacturers themselves be the ones showing their tools and talking to the people. I do not mean to imply that the distributors cannot handle it; on the contrary, they did a great job. But it will be the message the representatives of the companies that make the tools bring to us that will make the biggest difference. That, and having the *major* players present at the Shows sharing their latest tools.

If none of this happens, I might attend next year’s Show and it will be my last. Will it make any difference? It will, if enough people believe that not much has changed.

If you wish to read someone else’s point of view, and you have not seen it yet, I invite you to read the December 1, 2007 review by Marc Spagnuolo (The Wood Whisperer) of the most recent Show in his part of the country. On January 4, 2008, he wrote an Update. These will be worth your reading.

Happy Super Bowl, and may your favorite team win!


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Filed Under: Blog, General, Shows