Wont Your Fireplace Be Jealous

The start of the year had come and gone with nary a word from the Furniture Project. Typically the promotion of their traditional February event begins in the fall. The lack of information this year had me wondering if the event would continue (and hoping for the best). Though it didnt make it to air, I even had the question "whats up with the 2014 Furniture Project?" in the show notes for the most recent Modern Woodworkers Association podcast.

My friend, Rusty, with his stool from the 2012 Furniture Project

Then, as if in answer to my question, the Furniture Project tweeted this teaser on Friday:

Coming Monday: We are announcing a new project for this years show. It is meant to be designed and built quickly by makers of all levels.
— TheFurnitureProject (@DesignBuildShow) January 10, 2014 Today the announcement came:

You’re all invited to The Furniture Project! Cost of admission? One cabinet: http://t.co/aN4wTbTmp2
— TheFurnitureProject (@DesignBuildShow) January 14, 2014

The whole announcement can be seen on their blog here.
While I cant admit to being in any need of a Chimney Cabinet, they have succeeded in choosing a project which can be as simple or complex as the maker likes.
Additional information on the actual 2014 Furniture Project isnt so easy to find. Luckily its on the Rules and Eligibility form for entering a chimney cabinet. Here are the details:

The Furniture Project 2014

Seaport World Trade Center – Boston, MA – February 21-23, 2014

Call for Entries - Design|Build|Show Challenge:

Category Constraints:

• The piece must be 3-6 tall, no more than 24" wide and no more than 18" deep.
• The piece must have at least one door.
• The piece must be made primarily of wood, though the use of other materials is encouraged.
• All finishes are acceptable (paint, oil, lacquer, shellac, etc.), including unfinished.
• If you have any questions, email us at info@designbuildshow.com. We will update the rules with any frequently asked questions.

Hopefully Ill be able to make the 2014 Furniture Project. Ive been to the show in years passed and Id highly recommend it. Do visit if you can. And why not? Make a Chimney Cabinet and showcase it while youre there.
Dont forget about the +Modern Woodworkers Association Podcast. We talk woodworking with Guests from around the world of woodworking every other week. Subscribe to the RSS feed or iTunes today.

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Jointing Fence

Squaring board edges is one of the typical job for traditional woodworking hand planes where they show their effectiveness. Stanley produced the famous but rare 386 as help  to be applied on side of jointer planes.

Of course best  modern plane makers offer similar solutions. I recently found myself having to do the squaring job on long fir boards,  using the new Stanley 62, a low angle plane with the length of a jack which reproduces the historical N° 62. It is not a jointer but the low-angle configuration offers advantages in softwood planing. The sides are very low, not allowing the anchoring of traditional guides. That required a self-built solution. So I made a simple guide with a beech  board (composed of several pieces assembled for greater stability), reproducing in the upper portion the shape of the  plane and leaving a protrusion from the bottom of the plane of about 7 cm.

Another removable piece, anchored to the main board, covers one of external parts to the mouth ; so,  when you join the guide to the work piece you are within the cutting area of plane. This piece could  be replaced in special situations with a shaped board in order to have a different angle than 90 degrees. The  

 anchorage system consists of two L-plates with a central pivot to create a very effective third type lever in wich the grip is guaranteed by rubber interposed between the plate and the plane.

During processing, the main strength  is carried laterally to held the fence tightly in contact with the board. The knob is used to improve lateral handling. And here it is at work.

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