New Alan Turner Video on FWW...

[Jason Tuinstra]

...at least I think it's new

Check out the FWW site and see our very own Alan Turner explain and demonstrate his tapering jig.

Great job Alan! Very simple, safe, and effective jig. Thanks for the demonstration.

[Dave Richards]

Very good Alan and thanks for the heads up Jason.

I'm hoping for a set of wedges for Christmas, too.

[Jason Tuinstra]

I'm hoping for a set of wedges for Christmas, too.

Yea, that was funny. But you know what, I prize those little cut-offs. They make great wedges for door stops and all sorts of other things - gaps in my dovetails, levelers for my equipment, and so much more!!! When I run low, I know it's time to make more furniture with taperd legs.

[Alan Turner]

You guys may think I was kidding about the wedges, but I stockpile them, and still run out. Wobbly workbench (out of flat floor), etc., etc. They come in handy as clamps from time to time as well.

[Matt Guyrd]

Way to go, Alan!

Now, if only I could see it! Looks like you have to be a member to access the video, which begs the question...is it worth the annual fee? Clearly, $14.99 (with magazine subscription) is dirt cheap for the availability of the vast amounts of cool information, so maybe the question should be to those who are already members. Do those of you who are members, find yourself frequenting the website enough to justify the access fee?

If it is utilitized enough, I would think it is worth the $35 (w/o mag subscription) fee too.

Some probably think it is worth the fee just to see Alan's video.

Might be a good "stocking stuffer" idea.

Again, congrats on the FWW gig, Alan!

Matt

[Dave Richards]

So Alan, does that mean you won't be sending me a set for Christmas?

I know what you mean. Those little wedges come in handy.

[Jason Tuinstra]

Matt, I just joined a couple weeks ago. Because I subscribe, I got it for the $15 bucks. It is totally worth it to me. I have downloaded a number of pdf's and have learned a lot from the videos that they provide - this thread is a case in point. Becuase I subscribe to the magazine, I don't know that I'll keep this subscription year after year, but it is a nice way to go into the archives and get articles that I've not previously had access to.

[Rob Bodenschatz]

I agree that it's worth it.

[Jim Becker]

Another star is born! 'Next thing you know, he's going to be doing dovetails in HiDef!!

[Rick de Roque]

You guys may think I was kidding about the wedges, but I stockpile them, and still run out. Wobbly workbench (out of flat floor), etc., etc. They come in hand as clamps from time to time as well.

Alan,
Loved the video. I had a question, How do you register the 3rd and 4th taper since the other side will already have a taper?

Thanks,
Rick

[Rick de Roque]

Matt, I just joined a couple weeks ago. Because I subscribe, I got it for the $15 bucks. It is totally worth it to me. I have downloaded a number of pdf's and have learned a lot from the videos that they provide - this thread is a case in point. Becuase I subscribe to the magazine, I don't know that I'll keep this subscription year after year, but it is a nice way to go into the archives and get articles that I've not previously had access to.

Jason,
I agree its well worth tthe $15. I have been able to search a number of articles and videos that I would not have had been able to get.
Rick

[Alan Turner]

Rick,

For a 2 way taper, such as a shaker leg set, the stops or keepers are set only once.

For a 4 way taper, such as I do on a hearth bench, you cut two contiguous faces, and then reset the keepers for the other two. Since the edge of the mdf platform is right at the cut line, this is easy. It is why I suggest a knife line or marking gage line (really the same thing) on the bottom of the leg stock. I also typically mark the waste areas with a heavy line of chalk as it is rather easy, esp. on 4-way tapers, to cut the wrong face on the second set-up.

By way of background, FWW came to PFW in late July to film video tips. Matt Berger (FWW's online editor) came alone, with a video camera that was quite small. He shot 8 tips, four of me and four of Mario. They will use only two of mine, but all four of Mario. (Yes, there is a reason for this.)

It was a fun two days, both of which were pretty short as Matt was driving down from Connecticut. The editing was fantastic. FWW has to edit the footage to use voice overs since otherwise the machinery noise would make it a very unpleasant experience to view/hear.

I thought that the new videos posted each week were free for that first week, but this is not so, I have been told. I am a subscriber to the online site, even though I do have all of the back issues. It is a great research tool, which I use often when designing a new piece, or looking for a special jig.

Glad everyone enjoyed it, and thanks for the compliments.

[Mark Singer]

Alan,
Great job! and great idea! I really enjoyed watching it!

[Rick de Roque]

Rick,

For a 2 way taper, such as a shaker leg set, the stops or keepers are set only once.

For a 4 way taper, such as I do on a hearth bench, you cut two contiguous faces, and then reset the keepers for the other two. Since the edge of the mdf platform is right at the cut line, this is easy. It is why I suggest a knife line or marking gage line (really the same thing) on the bottom of the leg stock. I also typically mark the waste areas with a heavy line of chalk as it is rather easy, esp. on 4-way tapers, to cut the wrong face on the second set-up.

By way of background, FWW came to PFW in late July to film video tips. Matt Berger (FWW's online editor) came alone, with a video camera that was quite small. He shot 8 tips, four of me and four of Mario. They will use only two of mine, but all four of Mario. (Yes, there is a reason for this.)

It was a fun two days, both of which were pretty short as Matt was driving down from Connecticut. The editing was fantastic. FWW has to edit the footage to use voice overs since otherwise the machinery noise would make it a very unpleasant experience to view/hear.

I thought that the new videos posted each week were free for that first week, but this is not so, I have been told. I am a subscriber to the online site, even though I do have all of the back issues. It is a great research tool, which I use often when designing a new piece, or looking for a special jig.

Glad everyone enjoyed it, and thanks for the compliments.

Thanks Alan. Keep up the great work.

Rick

[Jim Hinze]

Alan, I watched the vid last night and will be making the jig today. I have sitting on my workbench 4 legs that require a 4 way taper. It's for a bench and I've been dreading using the traditional taper jig.. I never really got the hang of it (I'm not that smart), but yours looks like a sinch!