Alice Berry     454-3815   Design                        Phil Bishop         967-4626      Finishing
                        Tom Church   967-4460   Turning                       Harry May          962-0215      Carving
                        Bob Reese     728-7974   Sharpening                  Ross Roepke      455-8310      Jointery

David Duggin will make a presentation on recognizing and restoring "Tennessee Furniture". David lives in Woodbury's oldest house and is a dealer of high end period antiques.

Before the advent of cardboard boxes, manufacturers joined the sides of thin wooden boxes with these joints because they were strong and fast to make. Today, box joints have taken on practical and decorative roles in projects ranging from jewelry cases to hope chests. After you build the jig featured in the Box-Joint Jig Project, follow these steps and see firsthand how easily you can master this joinery method.

1. Before you cut the actual box joints, keep in mind that the width of your box sides must be an increment of the finger width. Otherwise, you’ll wind up with less-than-pleasing partial fingers at the bottom of your box. So, in the example of 1/4"-thick   stock discussed here and in the jig-building article, the  width of the workpieces must be an increment of 1/4"    (such as 5", 5 1/4", 5 1/2", etc.).

2. Mark the front, back, and side pieces of your box. Also, mark the top edge on each of these pieces.
For each box you make, you cut the sides consecutively, and the front and back consecutively. It doesn't matter which pair you do first, so we'll start with the sides.

For all of the following cuts, hold the top edge of the workpiece toward the jig pin for the first cut. Now, put hand pressure on the jig to hold its miter-gauge bar firmly against the right side of the tablesaw channel. Make the first cut as shown above. Place the just-cut notch over the jib pin and repeat to cut fingers along the full width of the workpiece. Cut the other side piece in the same fashion.

 
 

3. Before you cut the front and back, cut one notch into a scrap piece, just as you cut the first notch into the side piece earlier. Position this notch over the pin as shown at left, and butt the top edge of the front piece against the scrap before making a cut.
Make the remaining cuts in the front piece by removing the scrap, placing the notch over the pin, and proceeding as described earlier. Cut the back piece just as you cut the front.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

4. To join your box pieces, apply glue to all of the mating surfaces with a small brush. Tap the joints together with a rubber mallet if necessary. Clamp the box together as shown above. (You may need to position a clamp diagonally to square the box.)

Note that we used scrap pieces on each side of the corners to evenly distribute the clamping pressure along the joint. Wider boxes may require additional clamps.

After the glue dries, sand the fingers flush with the sides, front, and back. Be careful not to round over the corners.
 
 

Notice from the Treasurer:
DUES are due.
$10 for singles
 $15 for families

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 Ailanthus
The tree that you really don't want to grow

You'll find it in a wide "natural" range that stretches from the Plains States to the East Coast and northern Michigan to Florida's panhandle. In fact, heat or cold doesn't hinder this species much. Nor poor soil. Nor city smog and smoke. Even dryness won't bother it. And the tree can survive submergence in salt water. So, there's little to stop its propagation (it spreads by seeds and sprouts from its deep root system). In many places, the ailanthus has become a real nuisance by aggressively crowding out native or ornamental species.

So why give this tree a bad rap? For one thing, it stinks. The blossoms of the male ailanthus produce a stench. The leaves and wood also have a formidable and unpleasant odor. And, it's not a very convincing shade tree. Nor does ailanthus live long-maybe 75 years. Lastly, ailanthus wood looks like white ash, but is weak and brittle.

Ailanthus' only claim to fame is that it is the tree referred to in the book and motion picture A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Unfortunately, it really does.

TIP: To prevent wood from sliding, use double-faced tape to affix medium- or fine-grit sandpaper to the face of the miter gauge of any power tool. You can easily replace the tape and sandpaper when necessary.

—Bill Roberts, Angola, Ind.
 

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Visitors at the December meeting:
Don Miller:  Manchester
Lowell Johnson:  Tullahoma

New Member:
 David Jones:  Manchester
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"Briggs Paint on Atlantic street in Tullahoma will be carrying natural color Deft Oil in gallon ($22.50) and Quart ($7.99) sizes as a test marketing project.  They should have it on the shelf before the end of January.  They will continue to carry it, if there is a demonstrated demand,  and maybe expand to carry the colors as well.  See Jeff at the store for questions or comments."
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WEB SITES of INTEREST

Arrowmont School of Arts and Craft

WOOD ONLINE newsletter

Falls Mill

Appalachain Center for the Arts

Forest Products Lab. 1999 Wood Handbook

Highland Hardware

Woodworker's Journal

WOOD Online TVWW page

Kevin's Woodturnings

The Oldham Company

The Woodworker's Choice

Russell Brown's Web Page