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I Might Have the Answer You Need

November 1st, 2009 in blogs     
BetsyE Betsy Engel, contributor
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The leaves store under the tabletop - good for a small apartment
Just pull the leaves out from under the tabletop to expand the table
Table fully opened.
The leaves store under the tabletop - good for a small apartment

The leaves store under the tabletop - good for a small apartment

Photo: Kelly Dunton
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I answer the phones at the Fine Woodworking editorial office. It’s fun. On the mast head in the magazine it used to say “to contribute an article, give a tip, or ask a question contact Fine Woodworking” with my phone number listed. These days I’m a little harder to find but I still get some interesting phone calls.

One day, a caller asked if I’d seen the movie “Witness” with Harrison Ford. I reluctantly answered yes. He then wanted to know if I remembered the toy Ford made in the movie. The caller wanted plans for that toy. Despite my best efforts I couldn’t help him.

Another caller started off the conversation by saying, “You’re a girl. Are you going to be able to help me?” He was serious. I was dumbfounded but managed to keep my cool and answer his question.

But this call is one of my favorites: A while ago I got a call from Walt who was looking for plans and/or information to make a particular table. He was describing the table to me but I was having a hard time visualizing it. I told him that if he could send me a sketch I might have a better idea of what he was looking for. Not long after in the mail, I received a model table that he had made. The table is about 3” tall and 6.5” long and the leaves are stored below the tabletop. When you want to expand the table, all you do is pull out the leaves. While Walt was building the model, he said he “stumbled” on the answer. When I saw the table and saw how it worked I was able to find the perfect article for him. Check out “Designing for Dining” by Tage Frid, one of our original contributing editors.

It’s nice to be able to help our readers (although that doesn’t mean you have to run to the phone right this minute to ask me a question). If you are truly stumped though, I might be able to find what you’re looking for in the magazine.


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Comments (1)

Anatole writes: If you get another call about that wooden toy, tell the caller that the toy from "Witness" was a marble wizard or marble racer. It's basically a series of wooden tracks built into a type of maze contraption. Marbles are dropped onto the tracks, which tilt and move. Posted: 10:55 am on November 2nd
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