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  • Woodworking with Gene Johnson
  • From "Celebrity Hobbies"
    episode CHS-105
    advertisement

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    Gene Johnson

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    Figure A

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    Figure B

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    Figure C

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    Figure D

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    Figure E

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    Figure F

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    Figure G

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    Figure H

    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.





    RESOURCES :

    Build It Together: 30 Easy Woodworking Projects for Kids and Adults
    Author: Katie Hamilton & Gene Hamilton
    Publisher: Stackpole Books
    ISBN: 0811724212

    Woodworking for Kids: 40 Fabulous, Fun & Useful Things for Kids to Make
    Model: 0806904305
    Author: Kevin McGuire

    To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.


    Sterling Plumbing Group Inc., / A Kohler Company
    Rolling Meadows, IL 60008
    Phone: 837-734-1777
    Fax: 515-996-9154

    Woodworking For Kids: 40 Fabulous, Fun And Useful Things For Kids To Make
    Model: 0806904305
    Author: Kevin McGuire


    Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
    Website: www.sterlingpub.com

    The Complete Manual of Woodworking
    Author: Albert Jackson
    Publisher: Knopf
    ISBN: 0679766111

    Painting Skills
    ISBN: 1842154109
    Author: Mike Lawrence
    Order this title from Amazon.com.

    Arts and Crafts Woodworking Projects: 11 New Designs in the Stickley Tradition
    Model: 0811726622
    Author: Robert E. Belke

    Fine Woodworking
    A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
    The Taunton Press Inc.
    Website: www.taunton.com

    Building Shelves in a Weekend: 15 Step-By-Step Woodworking Projects
    Model: 1558705481
    Author: Alan and Gill Bridgewater
    (March, 2000)

    Popular Woodworking Books

    Woodworking Basics: The Essential Benchtop Reference
    Author: William Perkins Spence
    Publisher: Sterling
    ISBN: 0806909412

    176 Woodworking Projects: A Workbench Treasury
    Model: 0806965282
    Author: Workbench Magazine

    To order this title from Amazon, click here.


    Country Woodworker: How to Make Rustic Furniture
    Author: Jack Hill
    Publisher: Chronicle Books
    ISBN: 0811815897

    The Small Wood Shop (The Best of Fine Woodworking)
    Author: Helen Albert (Editor)
    Publisher: Taunton Press
    ISBN: 1561580619

    The Art of Woodworking: Shaker Furniture
    Model: 0809495333
    Author: Kenneth Winchester (Editor) , et al
    Time Life Books
    Website: www.timelife.com

    The Woodworker's Guide to Furniture Design: The Complete Reference. . .
    Model: 155870437X
    Author: Garth Graves
    Betterway Books (F & W Publications)
    Website: www.fwpublications.com


    Woodworking Techniques: Best Methods for Building Furniture from Fine Woodworking
    Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking magazine
    Publisher: Taunton Press
    ISBN: 1561583456

    American Woodworker Magazine
    American Woodworker
    Website: www.americanwoodworker.com

    Fine Woodworking: Making Picture Frames
    Author: Stuart Altshuler
    # 014032
    The Taunton Press Inc.
    Website: www.taunton.com

    Mastering Woodworking Machines (Fine Woodworking Book)
    Author: Mark Duginske
    Publisher: Taunton Press
    ISBN: 0942391985

    Desks and Bookcases: Build-It-Better-Yourself-Woodworking Projects
    Model: 087857848X
    Author: Nick Engler
    Rodale Press
    Red Oak, IA 51591
    Phone: 515-242-0282

    Cabinets and Bookcases (Art of Woodworking)
    Model: 0809499452
    Author: Niall Barrett

    Woodsmith Custom Woodworking Tables, Desks and Chairs
    Model: 0783559569
    Author: Editors Time Life Books
    (2000)


    Time-Life Books Inc.
    Website: www.timelife.com

    The Complete Illustrated Guide to Woodworking
    Author: Lonnie Bird, Andy Rae and Gary Rogowski
    Publisher: Taunton
    ISBN: 1561586021

    Woodworking With the Router: Professional Router Techniques and Jigs Any Woodworker Can Use
    Model: 0762102276
    Author: Bill Hylton
    (1999)


    Readers Digest
    Pleasantville, NY 10570-0235

    Beds and Bedroom Furniture: The Best of Fine Woodworking
    Model: 1561581917
    Author: Editors of Fine Woodworking
    (1997)


    The Taunton Press Inc.
    Website: www.taunton.com

    The Complete Woodworker's Companion
    Author: Roger Holmes
    Publisher: Watson-Guptill
    ISBN: 0823008665


    Woodworker's Guide to Wood: Softwoods, Hardwoods, Plywoods, Composite, Veneers
    Model: 080836878
    Author: Rick Peters
    (2000)
    Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
    Website: www.sterlingpub.com

    Advanced Woodworking
    Model: 0783539126
    Author: Editors of Time Life Books
    1998
    Time-Life Books Inc.
    Website: www.timelife.com

    Popular Woodworking
    F & W Publications, Inc.
    Website: www.popularwoodworking.com

    Setting Up Your Own Woodworking Shop
    Model: 0806983140
    Author: Bill Stankus
    Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
    Website: www.sterlingpub.com

    Woodworking for Kids: Over 40 Fabulous, Fun and Useful Things for Kids to Make
    Model: 0806904305
    Author: Kevin McGuire
    (1994)

    To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.


    Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
    Website: www.sterlingpub.com

    Outdoor Woodwork: 16 Easy-to-Build Projects for Your Yard and Garden
    Model: 158017437X
    Author: Alan and Gill Bridgewater
    (February, 2002)

    To order this title from Amazon.com, click here.


    Storey Books / Storey Communications Inc.
    Website: www.storey.com

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