Singer and mandolinist Gene Johnson, of the country band Diamond Rio, enjoys being onstage before a live audience. But when he's offstage, nothing relaxes him more than working in his shop and turning a piece of rough wood into an heirloom-to-be.
Johnson took wood-shop in junior high school and still has one of the first pieces he made, a small cherry table (figure A), as well as the first object he turned on a lathe (figure B). And when he just has an hour in the shop, he can turn out items like a turned candleholder with a captive ring (figure C). Or he can work on a current project like a lamp with a night-light set into a decoratively carved hollow section at the top (figure D).
Currently, however, the big project is a special one: a crib for his grandson. He made one for the first grandchild, and when his second daughter gave birth recently, he began working on a crib for the new addition to the family.
The first step is a scale drawing of the design (figure E). The crib will be made out of cherry, which in its rough stage (figure F) looks nothing like the smooth, satiny material that it eventually becomes in the hands of an expert woodworker like Johnson. (The wood, which came from his property, has been sitting upstairs in his shop for the past four years, drying out.)
Safety tips: - Always wear eye protection when working with wood and power tools.
- Slats should be placed no more than 2-1/4" apart so the baby won't get his head stuck.
First Johnson passes the wood through the joiner to give it a true edge (figure G). Then he takes it to the planer (figure H), which will give the board a smooth surface. (Note: Always check the grain direction before you run wood through a planer so you're not chipping the wood but simply planing it.) He keeps the wood as thick as possible since once he cuts it to width on the table saw, he will be splitting it in half widthwise to make two thinner pieces.
Expert tip: With both planer and joiner, you may have to run the wood through twice.
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