Erika Ericson

Nov 20, 2024 | finewoodworking.com | Jonathan Binzen |Erika Ericson

From boyhood Marc Ricourt was fascinated by both woodwork and art. But after training and working as a carpenter for some years and then attending art school, he found himself unsurevwhat he would do. A book byRichard Raffan taught him how to turn, and gradually his passions for art and handwork began to merge. Ricourt harvests beech and oak trees for his vessels from the hilly, forested land around the village where he lives in Burgundy, France.

Nov 5, 2024 | finewoodworking.com | Ben Strano |Charles Mak |Erika Ericson

I don’t own a set of dowel formers, so I make the occasional set of dowels and pins by hammering a slightly oversize workpiece through a drill gauge. My gauge is made from 1⁄16-in.-thick steel, so it stands up well to the task. If you don’t have a drill gauge like mine, you can drill holes of the desired diameters in a steel plate of similar thickness. To make a dowel, start with a square stick that’s roughly 1⁄8 in. larger than the desired diameter and about 1 in. longer than the final length.

Oct 29, 2024 | finewoodworking.com | Erika Ericson

Roller guides keep workpieces on trackJessEm’s Clear-Cut roller guides, which have been around for a decade or so, have bolts that fit into the T-tracks included on some rip fences. JessEm’s brand-new Clear-Cut Flex guides are not only less expensive but also more versatile. Made with a glass-filled polymer instead of the original aluminum, Clear-Cut Flex Stock Guides are plenty tough. More importantly, they come with adapter bolts and plates that let you mount them on a sacrificial wood fence.

Oct 16, 2024 | finewoodworking.com | Mark Edmundson |Erika Ericson

Drawers are the hardest-working parts of a cabinet, carrying their loads in and out, thousands of times over. In fine furniture, wood drawers usually ride on wood supports. In built-in cabinetry, however, which prioritizes functionality over tradition, mechanical slides—sometimes called commercial slides—are usually a better choice.

Oct 14, 2024 | finewoodworking.com | Erika Ericson

Synopsis: Israel Martin likes machines but prefers to work with hand tools. To avoid the tedium that can accompany working with hand tools, he simplifies his designs, using mostly straight lines and square corners. In this Handwork piece, he describes his approach to working with hand tools, sharing what he has learned about himself as a woodworker and how that has enabled him to find the right balance between precision and speed.