Use a combination square to determine whether the cutting edge of the plane blade is square to the sides. If it is not, square the cutting edge on a bench grinder, making sure to adjust the grinder’s tool rest at 90″ to the wheel.

2.Creating a hollow-ground bevel

Sharpening a plane blade involves three steps: creating a bevel on the blade’s cutting edge, honing a microbevel on the first bevel, and removing the burr that results from the honing process. To create the first bevel, clamp the blade bevel-down in a commercial grinding jig and adjust the tool rest to create a 30′ bevel. Holding the jig on the tool rest, advance it toward the wheel until the cutting edge makes contact. Slide the blade side-to-side across the wheel, pressing lightly. Check the cutting edge periodically and stop grinding when the bevel forms.

3.Honing the microbevel

Once you sharpen the plane blade’s cutting edge on a grinder, as in step 2, the result will be a hollow-ground bevel.If you did the job by hand on a sharpening stone, you will obtain a flat bevel.In either case, you need to hone a microbevel on the first bevel. Place a combination sharpening stone fine side up on a work surface. Screw cleats to the table against the stone to keep it from moving. For a hollow-ground bevel, clamp the blade in a commercial angle-setting honing guide with the bevel touching the stone. Saturate the stone with the appropriate lubricant and then, holding the honing guide, slide the blade back and forth from end to end along the sharpening surface. Apply moderate pressure until a microbevel forms. If you are starting with a flat bevel, clamp the blade in a commercial angle-setting honing guide with the bevel touching the stone. Then raise the angle of the blade a few degrees and complete the operation as for a hollow-ground bevel.

4. Lapping the burr

The honing process will create a thin ridge of metal, or burr, on the flat face of the blade. To remove the burr, saturate the fine side of the stone again. Holding the blade perfectly flat on the stone, bevel side up, move it in a circular pattern until the flat side of the cutting edge is smooth.

5. Testing the blade for sharpness

Clamp a softwood board to a work surface and, holding the blade bevel-side up in your hands, cut across the grain of the surface. A sharp blade will cleanly slice a sliver of wood from the board without tearing the wood fibers.

6. Honing the end of the cap iron

Secure a benchstone to your work surface; in the illustration at left. a diamond stone, which should be lubricated with water, is shown in its own box. Set the front portion of the cap iron that contacts the blade flat on the stone and slide it in a circular pattern on the surface. Continue until the tip of the cap iron is perfectly flat. This will guarantee that wood chips will not become trapped between the iron and the blade once the two pieces are reassembled.

To bore holes that are centered on the surface of a board, use the shopmade center-drilling jig shown above. The illustration provides suggested dimension.

Use a straight piece of 1-by-1 stock for the jig arm. You can make such a device any length you choose, but cutting it to the length shown allows it to accommodate even the widest stock used in a typical project. Mark the center of the top face of the arm and bore a hole through it for a guide bushing. The hole should be 1/8 inch larger in diameter than the bushing, which should be slightly larger than the holes you wish to make with the jig. Press the bushing into place.

Next, turn the arm over and mark a line down the middle. Mark ooints on the line 3/4 inch from each end, then bore holes halfway through the stock at these points, making them large enough to hold a 3/8-inch grooved dowel. Dab some glue into the holes and insert the dowel.

To use the jig, position it on the stock and pivot the arm until the dowels are up against the opposite edges of the workpiece. Holding the jig with one hand, fit the drill bit into the bushing and bore the hole.

For a hole centered on the edge of a board, first secure the workpiece edge-up in a vise. Then position the jig on the edge of the stock with the dowels flush against its opposite faces.

A damaged corner is best repaired with a patch. If the edges of the break are ragged or sharp, use a wood chisel to cut a shallow, oval-shaped mortise with smooth edges around the damage. Hold the chisel with the bevel facing down and work with the grain of the wood.

Installing the patch

Cut a patch that roughly fits the mortise, then shape it with sandpaper or a chisel until it fits perfectly. Spread some glue in the mortise and set the patch in position, aligning its grain with that of the workpiece. Use masking tape to keep the patch in place while the glue dries. To level the patch with the surrounding surfaces, pare away the excess with the chisel. Cut with the grain, keeping the chisel bevel side up.

Filling a damaged a corner

An alternative to patching a damaged corner is to reconstruct it with wood filler. Secure the workpiece in a vise. Make a form No keep the filler from sagging by taping a thin piece of metal or plastic, or a tongue depressor to the side of the stock. If you use a tongue depressor, place a strip of wax paper underneath to keep the filler from bonding to the stick. Apply the filler with a putty knife, then tape a second form to the top surface.

Use a try square to check whether the cutting edge of the blade is square. If it is not, square it on a grinder with a rough wheel. With the guard properly positioned and the blade clear of the wheel, switch on the machine. Holding the blade between the index finger and thumb of your right hand, set it bevel up on the grinder’s tool rest and advance it toward the wheel until your index finger contacts the tool rest. Slide the blade side-to-side across the wheel, pressing lightly while keeping your finger on the tool rest. The tip of the blade should stay perpendicular to the wheel throughout the operation. Dip the blade in water occasionally to prevent it from overheating. Check the blade for square regularly.

2. Creating a hollow-ground bevel

Sharpening a plane blade involves three steps: creating a bevel on the blade’s cutting edge, honing another bevel on part of the first one-called a microbevel-then removing the burr that results from the honing process. To create the first bevel, clamp the blade top face up in a commercial grinding jig set to create a 30″ bevel. Run the cutting edge across the wheel as you would for squaring the blade; the jig will keep the blade square to the wheel. Check the cutting edge periodically and stop grinding when the bevel forms. As a rule of thumb, the bevel is correct when most of the sparks showering from the grinder fall on the top face of the blade, rather than below it.

3. Honing the microbevel

Place a combination sharpening stone fine side up on a work surface. Nail cleats to the table against the stone to keep it from moving. One of the cleats should be the same height as the stone and 4 to 5 inches long; this will allow you to use the full length of the abrasive surface. Clamp the blade in a commercial angle-setting honing guide with the bevel touching the stone. Saturate the stone with the appropriate lubricant-either water or a light oil-until it pools on the surface. Then, holding the honing guide, slide the blade back and forth from end to end along the stone, applying moderate pressure until a microbevel forms. Continue until a burr-a thin ridge of metal-forms on the flat face of the blade. Then lap the burr as you would when sharpening a plane by hand.

With its compact and pliable sanding pad, the random-orbit sander is ideal for sanding contours such as a cabriole leg. Clamp down the workpiece and fasten a sanding disk to the sander’s pad. With the tool clear of the stock, switch it on and lower the pad onto the surface. Applying moderate pressure, work along the length of the workpiece in back-and-forth passes until the surface is smooth. Reposition the piece in the clamp as necessary to smooth adjacent surfaces.

Hand sanding

Smoothing contoured surfaces using only sandpaper risks creating blemishes on the wood or flattening out the curves with excessive pressure. For a shop-made sanding pad that can follow contours without over-sanding, wrap a sheet of sandpaper around a thick sponge that you can comfortably grip. Hold the paper around the sponge and sand along the length of the surface with firm pressure.

Using a sanding block

Secure the workpiece and attach a piece of sandpaper to a commercial contour sanding block. On the type shown, the ends of the paper are pinched together and held in a slot on the narrow side of the block. For most contours, sand with the circular side of the block against the wood. For crevices and other tight spots, wrap a sheet of sandpaper around the block, hold it in place and sand with the narrow side.

Choose a filler that is compatible with the ingredients and color of the finish you will be applying, Use a putty knife to work the filler into the hole and overfill it slightly, then scrape off the excess to level it with the surrounding surface. Avoid spreading filler onto undamaged areas, where it may cause uneven coloring if a stain is applied.

Melting shellac stick with a soldering gun

Select a shellac stick of the appropriate color and set a soldering gun on Low. Holding the stick over the hole, melt it with the tip of the gun. Drip enough of the product to fill the hole. While the filler is still soft, use a knife or a wood chisel to press it evenly into the damaged area. Work carefully to avoid marring the surrounding area with the knife or chisel blade. Allow the filler to cool. To level the filler with the surrounding surface, soak the bottom of a felt block with a small amount of commercial leveling solution and lightly rub the block back and forth across the repair. The slow-acting solvent in the solution dissolves excess filler without harming the wood.

Applying shellac stick with a burn-in knife

Light the alcohol torch and hold the burn-in knife over the wick for several seconds. With the shellac stick over the damaged area, press the knife against the stick so that enough filler melts and drrps into the hole Reheat the knife as necessary until the hole is filled. Use the knife to spread the filler evenly. Finish the repair with leveling solution and a felt block.

Take a piece of wool roughly 3 inches square and fold the corners toward the center, stretching the wool with each fold. Then squeeze the wool pad into an oval and add a few drops of 2.5- to 3.5 pound-cut shellac. Disperse the shellac throughout the wool by crumpling the pad in your hand, then place it in the middle of a single thickness of coarse linen. Add several drops of alcohol to the pad.

2. Preparing the pad for French polishing

Gather the linen around the ball of wool and twist the linen until the pad is held firmly in place. Then tap the pad against the palm of your hand to spread out the shellac and alcohol and form a flat surface. If the pad is too wet, squeeze out the excess liquid. (When not in use, the pad should be stored moist in an airtight container to prevent it from stiffening.)

3. Filling the pores

Apply a sealer coat of shellac with a brush and allow it to dry. (This procedure can be done before making the pad.) Then sprinkle pumice on the workpiece and shake a small amount on the pad. Grip the pad tightly between your fingers and thumb and work the pumice into the wood with any of the strokes shown in the diagram below; choose the one that proves most comfortable. Keep the pad moving while it is on the surface to prevent the alcohol on the pad from leaving a mark on the wood. Pay particular attention to the edges so as not to leave them untouched. At first, the pumice will sound scratchy as you rub. The more the pores fill, the less scratchy the pumice will sound. Continue to pad, occasionally sprinkling on fresh pumice and adding more alcohol, until the pores are completely filled and the surface has a matte look. Depending on the size of the workpiece, this procedure may require 30 minutes or more. After filling the pores, set the workpiece aside for a day.

4. Building up the film

Prepare a new pad and dab a drop of oil onto it with a finger to provide lubrication for padding the surface. Polish with the same strokes you used to fill the pores. Use light pressure with a wet pad. As the pad dries and the friction increases, apply more pressure. Recharge the pad with shellac and alcohol, as needed. Repeat the process until the look of the finish pleases you and the polishing streaks disappear. Set aside the workpiece for a day . After the shellac has dried you will notice a milky clouding of the surface, as in the upper half of the workpiece in the photo (below). This is the oil used to lubricate the pad; having risen to the surface it must now be removed. Moisten a pad with alcohol and rub the surface with long strokes (or polish with a fine glazing compound) until the oil disappears. This will reveal the final look of the French polish as shown in the lower half of workpiece in the photo.

To help align the stencil precisely, draw a reference line centered along each side of both the workpiece and the stencil. Then secure the stencil to the workpiece with masking tape, making sure the reference lines match up properly.

2. Applying the paint

Transfer the stencil design to your workpiece by spraying or brushing on paint. If you are spraying, mask the surfaces surrounding the stencil with paper and set the workpiece edge up on a work surface. Holding an aerosol paint can about 6 to 10 inches from the workpiece, direct the spray at the stencil until the exposed wood is coated lightly with paint. To prevent paint from bleeding under the stencil, keep the nozzle level with the stencil and spray in a straight line. To use a stenciling brush, set the workpiece flat on a work surface and dip only the tips of the bristles in the paint. This will result in a light coat and thus reduce bleeding. Holding the brush perpendicular to the surface, jab the bristles up and down on the stencil until the wood is covered, reloading the brush as necessary. If you are using more than one stencil to apply several colors, let each coat dry before spraying or brushing on the next.

3. Removing the stencil

To avoid any bleeding, remove the stencil while the paint is wet. Peel the masking tape from two adjoining corners, then gently lift the stencil off the workpiece, pulling up the two sides evenly. Avoid sliding the stencil along the surface or you may smear some of paint. Once the paint is dry, remove any adhesive residue with naphtha before top coating the workpiece.

Dip the tips of your fingers in a bowl of the lubricant and sprinkle several drops on the surface to be rubbed out. Wear rubber gloves if you are using oil as a lubricant.

2, Abrading the surface

Shake a little pumice onto the surface, then begin lightly abrading the surface with a felt block. Follow the pattern. If you do not have a felt block, wrap a piece of burlap around a scrap of wood. Continue rubbing the surface until a mixture of the rottenstone and lubricant forms. Use a soft cloth to wipe off a small area of the surface periodically to inspect the finish. You want to make certain that you are not rubbing through the topcoat.

3, Removing the pumice and lubricant

Wipe off the abrasive and lubricant with a clean cloth. Check the surface sheen; the finish should have a satin luster. You can either stop the process at this point or repeat it to obtain a glossier sheen.

Tint a container of flat oil-based paint with artists’ colors so that it matches the hue of the wood you wish to imitate. Spread a layer of the paint on your workpiece as a base coat and allow it to dry. Then apply a graining glaze on the painted surface with a foam brush or pad applicator. To begin the process of creating a grain pattern on the wood, wrap a soft cloth tightly around three of your fingers, then draw the cloth along the surface several times, drawing thin, wavy, parallel lines.

2. Refining the grain lines

To make the grain lines from step 1 a little more delicate, dip an artist’s brush or a camel’s hair sword striper in the glaze, and draw it slowly along the surface within the original lines (left). For best results, hold the brush at an angle to the surface. If you wish to simulate a knot on your workpiece, rub in lines for a rough oval or diamond shape around where you will be adding the knot. Experiment with the brush until the surface has the grain pattern you are seeking.

3. Drawing in knots

Wrap a cloth around one finger and dip the fingertip in the glaze. Then gently touch the surface to make the knot. To smooth out the patterns and blend them into the background, brush the surface back and forth with a soft, dry brush following the direction of the grain. A badger softener is ideal for this stage of the process. 0nce the surface is dry, apply a topcoat, then polish it with rottenstone and paste wax.