-Dan Will

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Video Transcript:

Chris Marshall: Hi folks, I’m Chris Marshall, with Woodworker’s Journal Magazine. Plywood with nice hardwood veneer on it, like this walnut ply, looks almost as good as solid wood — except for these edge plies. They don’t like the face veneer at all, and they don’t take stain well either. These edge plies are almost always better off hidden.

Now, you can hide the edges in a number of different ways. You can use iron-on veneer edge tape. You can cover the plies with a thin strip of solid wood and just glue it onto the edge. But for this nightstand project, I had to take a different approach. All four of these carcass panels are made of this walnut plywood, but the design called for a deep chamfer around the front edge, right here. So edge tape or a thin strip of wood just wouldn’t work.

I needed to put a thick enough piece of edging on these panels so I could rout into it like solid wood. So here was my solution. I made up ¾ x ¾ strips of solid walnut, to match the thickness of the plywood. And I joined them to the plywood edge by putting a ¼ x ¼ tongue on the wood edging that fits into a ¼ x ¼ groove in the plywood.

This tongue and groove joint makes a solid, interlocking connection that can’t slip out of place when I glue the pieces together. And, the thick edging gave me plenty of material to rout those deep chamfers. Even better, I could make this whole joint with a ¼-wide slot-cutting router bit. Here’s how to do it.

We’ll start with the groove cut in the plywood first. Once you’ve got the slot bit installed, raise or lower it until it’s centered on the thickness of the plywood. I’ve got a scrap piece here, marked for about where the ¼-wide groove should go. So, I’ll adjust the bit height to hit my marks.

Now unlock and move the router table fence over the bit until just ¼” of the cutters extend past the fence face. When you’ve got the bit setting as close as you can get it, lock the fence down. And close up fences around the bit on either side to minimize the gaps.

Now test your groove setup on a plywood scrap by running it past the bit with one face down, and then the other, in two passes. If your test cut makes a ¼ x ¼ in. groove, you’re all set to cut grooves in the actual plywood pieces. But if the groove is a little bit too wide, the bit isn’t quite centered, so adjust the vertical setting. And if it’s too deep or shallow, move the fence in or out to fix it. Then, once things are dialed in, make your actual groove cuts in the plywood panels.

With the grooves cut, you’re ready to mill tongues in some edging to fit them. Here’s a piece of what that edging looks like. Now, you could mill sticks of edging to ¾ x 1 in. and rout a tongue into the edge, but that’s really narrow stock to work with. And it’s hard to guide inside of featherboards. Instead, start with wider stock so you can make two edging strips rather one, and then cut them apart last. I made my stock 2-1/2 in. wide.

Now to prepare for making these tongue cuts on the edging, you’re about halfway there already. Loosen the fence and tap it forward just a touch. I’m only talking about 1/32 in. or so here. That way, the tongue will be slightly shorter than the grooves are deep, so it will seat properly.

Now lower the bit until the top edge of the cutter just kisses the bottom of the groove cut you’ve made in the plywood. Since your groove in the plywood is centered, this bit setting will work for cutting both sides of the tongue in the edging.

Then make two passes on each face of a piece of scrap that’s the same thickness as your edging stock to see if your tongue setting is correct [B-roll]. Make sure to control these cuts with featherboards on top and in front, to keep the scrap piece held securely against the fence.

The tongue on my test piece fits pretty well. It’s a good friction fit that I don’t have to force together. But the test tongue may not fit this well on the first try. If it’s too thick for the groove, raise the router bit a little to cut a thinner tongue. If it’s too thin, lower the bit to make the tongue thicker.

Keep trying until you get the tongue fitting the groove just right. Then, rout the tongues on your actual edging workpieces, and rip the strips to final width at the table saw.

Then, all that’s left is to spread glue into the grooves and clamp the edging in place. Then, when the glue dries, trim off the excess. I’ve used interlocking edging like this on many, many projects over the years — from shelves and boxes to tabletops and more. It’s an easy technique to hide plywood edges that’s durable, won’t fall off over time and registers itself automatically. Give it a try on one of your projects, and thanks for watching!

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“(Social media) has propelled us to the forefront, ahead of other companies,” says Tom Monahan. “It helps us to be agile in the marketplace.”

And that “agility” has influenced General Finishes (GF) recently to improve the performance characteristics of its Water Based Wood Stains and to launch a new Stain Blocker Primer that, Monahan says, will set it apart from all other primers. Both products, the improved stains and the new primer, were launched in May.

GF has offered a palette of 16 Water Based Stains for about two decades, but now the chemistry has been completely reformulated. Up until this year, the previous stains contained both pigment and dye, which is a common blend for consumer wood stain. But, the downside to a dye component is that some dyes aren’t lightfast and can fade over time, changing the stain color.

Now, GF Water Based Stains are making use of micronized pigments instead of larger pigments and dye, and Monahan considers it a radical shift in chemistry. “These pigments have a small enough particle size that they produce a deep clarity not found in other pigmented stains. The product provides superior quality and light stability.”

In addition to better color retention, the updated GF Water Based Stains have improved workability, which is brought about by modifying other aspects of the chemistry. The resin system now has been changed to an oil/water hybrid. It makes the product easier to wipe on with fewer lap marks and also simpler to repair. And, Monahan says you can apply the stain right over an existing finish to change the color or enhance it, similar to the way gel stains are being used.

Another benefit comes when the stain dries. Now, water-based varnish or poly can be brushed over it with virtually no “color pull” — the tendency of the stain to dissolve slightly and smear when the topcoat is applied. Other topcoats like oil-based varnish, wiping finish, shellac or lacquer are options, too. The improved Water Based Wood Stains are compatible with them all.

Social media outlets give GF a window into consumer trends 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Monahan admits. And when it comes to stain color preferences, that feedback is invaluable. “We have used Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram and Google + as avenues to both release new colors and learn what colors people are looking for,” he says.

For instance, several year ago, the company’s darker Java, Espresso and Brown Mahogany colors were trendy, and Monahan says they’re still very popular now. But, the new chic color, surprisingly, is gray. “Right now, any shade of gray sells,” Monahan says. “We have seven paint colors, gel stain, dye stain and floor stain all in gray. They have become the new neutral in the color world.”

Aside from consumer interest in better water-based stains, General Finishes has also been monitoring the trend of DIYers who are changing their wood-tone kitchen cabinets to white. Maybe you’ve done the same thing or are considering it for your kitchen. But if you’ve tried to paint cabinets without stripping off the old finish first, you know that there can be adhesion problems between paint and clear coats. And, even on raw wood, a paint primer may not prevent tannins and resins from bleeding through and leaving stains that are hard to hide.

So, recently, GF set out to develop a better wood primer. Its lab tested seven different commercially available stain-blocking primers on builder-grade oak cabinet doors, finished either with lacquer or red dye stain. The results of that testing led GF to develop its new Stain Blocker Primer with an “atypical resin formula” that includes epoxy and is water-based. “Our new Stain Blocker outperforms them all,” Monahan says.

Stain Blocker is recommended for use over existing finishes, raw wood or MDF, and it’s suitable as the base coat under milk paints, chalk-style paints and GF Black and White Tinted Polys. Monahan adds that if you are painting raw wood with high tannin content — oak, pine, maple, alder or poplar — Stain Blocker White Primer will effectively prevent tannin bleed through.

Whether it’s improving an existing product line, or developing something wholly new, General Finishes turns to social media as one barometer for staying current in a “trending” world. It also helps that many of GF’s employees are active woodworkers, painters, artists and hobbyists of one sort or another, Monahan adds.

“We are a fairly young (generational) group, and I think we are well-balanced between experience and youth … We all have a passion for what we do here.”

Learn more about General Finishes Water Based Stains, Stain Blocker Primer and other finishing products by clicking here.

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The 18-in.-long, 3-in. wide plastic accessory with keyhole slots can be mounted to the end of a router table or workbench to act as a “catchall” for debris, nearly at the source. Opening the cover on top creates a backstop to help you deflect dust and debris down into the funnel as you clear it off your work surface. Underneath, a 2-1/2-in. hose port enables the Bench Sweep to be connected to a standard shop vac hose or Rockler’s Dust Right Shop Vacuum Handle (item 55083, sold separately). Closing the Sweep’s lid acts like a blast gate.

A blue grid fits inside the Sweep to prevent larger material, bits and small tools or metal fasteners from falling into your dust collection system. Remove the grid and you can direct larger wood chunks down into a trash can instead. The grid can be hung on the back of the Bench Sweep when not in use. Storage hooks on both ends of the housing are handy for hanging a dust brush and other essential tools.

Rockler’s new Dust Right Bench Sweep (item 50608) sells for $19.99 and is available now.

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Plugfones are available through Infinity Cutting Tools for $25.90. Replacement foam or silicone earplugs come in five-pair packs for $8.90.

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Chris Marshall: I’ve been woodworking seriously for about 25 years, Tammy, and I’m still working up to building my first rocking chair. And when I do, for the first one, I’ll follow a proven design that works the way a well-made rocking chair is supposed to. What I mean to say is, rocking chairs are rather complicated pieces of furniture to execute well. The arc of the rockers, their length and the position of the chair on them all contribute to how easy the chair is to sit down into, how smoothly it rolls back and forth and how safe the rocking action is. If the rocker arch is too steep, it could pitch you out like a bronco going forward or tip the chair over backwards. Either way ends badly. Make the pitch too shallow, and the chair’s action will be too short to be relaxing — you’ll have to work too hard at it.

I don’t mean to be a naysayer, and I sure appreciate your ambition! But it really might be a good idea to start with some easier projects than a complex chair. Or, perhaps you can buy a rocking chair kit with parts that are already roughed out and fitted with joinery, and take the project from there. Then, you can build on new woodworking skills such as shaping and sanding, gluing and clamping, and of course finishing, as you put it together. When you’re done, you’ll have a well-designed rocker that you’ll really enjoy using.

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The mounting system has been a fear of mine because I had a friend that had one fall from the ceiling and break their ankle. I did not install that one. So, I am getting a little fancy with the ceiling mountings. I am using bearing rod ends with a screw in clevis to install the chain and springs on. The swing is attached to the porch ceiling with 1/2″ – 13 bolts through 4 x 4 in the ceiling framing. I used a rod end for the pivot. My wife didn’t like the squeaking when in use. The bracket has a 1/2″ hole in it which you can’t see. That is where the 1/2″ all thread gets drilled through a 4×4 in the ceiling between the trusses. The brackets get mounted to a 1″ thick oak plate and are held there with 3/8″ carriage bolts. I also safety wire the swing in case the spring breaks with air craft cable. All of the fasteners on the swing are stainless.

– Dan Martin

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