Open the window
The “Making a panel plan” section of the Louvered Interior Shutters story (Feb/Mar 2023) contained an error. The last paragraph should have read, “Determine the number of louvers by subtracting twice your desired rail width from the panel height and dividing by 2. Round to the nearest whole number to get your number of louvers. Then modify the width of the rails to make the opening in the panel frame equal to twice this whole number.” Sorry, math is hard.
A big hit
The Tenderizing Mallet (Dec/Jan 2023) is one of the best I’ve seen in years, and I was compelled to make one for each of my children. But cutting the grooves with a bandsaw is time-consuming, and the accuracy is subject to user skill. Instead, I used my router table and a 1/4” 60° bit to cut the face. Starting right of center, I rotated the workpiece 90° after each cut, moving the fence every four passes.
Gordon Patnude, via email
Back to the garage
Steve Butler, host of PBS’s The Garage with Steve Butler, has published his first book, The Garage with Steve Butler, Volume 1. Full of tips, techniques, and projects highlighted in the first season of the show, the book hit bookstores in early February. Through his show and book, Butler aims to translate his 20 years of woodworking experience into economically and technically accessible projects for DIYers—all from the approachable confines of his garage workshop. The book is available through select retailers and as a print-on-demand publication through lulu.com. The show airs on 260 PBS affiliates and on Butler’s YouTube channel.
Soitenly!
I received the Feb/Mar 2023 issue and plan to build the Turning Accessories Cart. Of course, I want to build the best version of this shop stooge, so I’m wondering: which stooge is the smartest?
Rick Shaffer
Cottonwood, AZ
Senior Editor Ken Burton replies:
That’s a very good question, and I’m not sure I know the answer. But it made me reconsider my choice of materials for the cart. Obviously, I should have used Curly maple. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Shout outs for shop class
I suspect many of Woodcraft Magazine’s readers learned the pleasures and rewards of woodworking as I did: in shop class and from my parents. But now that many schools are phasing out shop (or industrial arts, or whatever they call it these days), we are in danger of losing that hard-earned knowledge. We owe it to the next generation to pass along the tips, tricks, and techniques we were taught. I can’t remember the last time I used trigonometry, but I did put my shop class skills to use last week as I hung a door in my latest project.
Richard Entwhistle
Highland Lakes, NJ
Senior Editor Ken Burton replies:
Passing on our skills and experience is a must. And it is concerning that many schools are cutting back on the kinds of hands-on classes we grew up with. Fortunately, this isn’t true everywhere. Case in point, shop teacher Ben Hudson, issue 110’s Top Tip winner, wrote in to say he planned to put his prize (a $250 Woodcraft Gift Card) toward a Domino joiner for his local high school’s shop class.
