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LettersWoodworkers are not snobs -I'm upset by the letter in fWW#72 stating "woodworkers are egotistical, pompous snobs." Ifthe author had preceded his statement with the word "occasionally,"I might not have taken offense. But when he implied thatall woodworkers are in that category, he should be forced toswallow those words. I have met many woodworkers from allover the nited States and from a few foreign countries, andamong them all, I have found only one that fits his description,and he wasn't even a fair amateur. In my town, we have the ParsonsAmateur Woodworkers Society with 35 members. I mustsay I've never associated with a finer bunch of men, who arealways willing to help each other. When beginners feel they can'tcompete with the work being done by more experienced workers,we encourage them to keep trying and remind them ofthese lines that I once read, "Use your talents to the best of yourability. Remember, the woods would be very quiet if the onlybirds that sang were those that sang best."-Myer S. Freshman, Parsons, Kans.Praise for authentic Chinese joinery-Allan Smith's article infWW #73 on Chinese furniture was not only good reading, but adelightful change of pace. For many years, I've been excited bythe Chinese style and curious about the joinery. I've made twocoffee tables similar to Smith's horsefoot deSign, to showcasesome antique tiles my wife inherited. The results were spectacular.But, I used classical European joinery methods, because Ididn't know any better. It wasn't untill read Gustav Ecke's bookChinese Domestic Furniture that I discovered the authentic Chinesejoinery. (Smith recommended this book, and it is available fromCharles E. Tuttle Co. Inc., Box 410, Rutland, vr 05701-0410.) I'vemade a third table following Ecke's faultless drawings. All thecomponents interlock, and the structure would be perfectly stablewithout glue. However, I'm not a total purist and did gluethings together at final assembly. This table will last forever andneed never be taken apart. -Thomas A. Sharp, Sanibel, Fla.The old resaw joke -A man came to our store and boughtseveral thousand dollars of woodworking equipment. After athree-day class in the fundamentals of woodworking, he put anad in the paper that claimed his shop could do any kind ofwoodworking. His first caller asked if they resawed wood, towhich this entrepreneur answered, "We don't have to; we saw itright the first time." He later came back to the store and prefacedhis story with the question, "Hey, what does resaw mean ?"-Jimmy Reina, Indianapolis, Ind.More hints on rubbing out finishes-Many thanks to MichaelDresdner for his fine article on rubbing out fi nishes ( fWW #72).But I would like to make a few suggestions that might be helpful,especially to those who do a lot of commercial refinishingand finish restoration.When spraying lacquer, add fish-eye remover rather than retarderto increase flow-out and gloss. Add the fish-eye removeranyway when working with previously finished furniture thatmight be contaminated by silicone. The fish-eye remover won'tUNTON PUBLICATIONS... hy Icllo",' ('H(hll:;;:J."I'The Taunton Press: PaulRoman, publisher; janice A. Roman,associate publisher; Roger Barnes, design director, Carol Gee, e.'-­eculive secretary. Accounting: Wayne Reynolds, controller; PatrickLamontagne, manager; Carol Diehm. Rosemary McCulloch, JudithSmith, Rachel Yahwak, Elaine Yamin. BooksIVideos: john Kelsey,associate publisber, Eileen Hanson, administrative secretary, DeborahCannarella, managing editor, Paul Bcrtorelli, senior editor, ChristineTimmons, associate editor, Maria Angione. secretary; Videos: RickMastclli, producer/director; James Hall, assistant producer; Art:Deborah Fillion, manager; Gary Williamson, assistant art director;Cathy Cassidy, art assistant; CopylProduction: Ruth Dobsevage.manager; Pamela Purrone, COPY/production editor; Marketing: JonMiller, manager, Philip Allard,promotion writer. Corporate Market·lng: Dale Brown, director, Andrea Ondak, manager, Donna Pierpont,publiC relations manager; Barbara Buckalew, e:t:ecutive secretary;Christine Cosacchi. customer service coordinator. Data Process·ing: Drew Salisbury, manager; Brendan Bowe, senior programmer/tmalyst; Susan Partis, programmer trainee; Ellen Wolf, PC coortlillator.Fulflliment & Operations: Tom luxeder, director; janeTorrence, secretary; Circulation: Karen Cheh, coordinator .. Barbaral'less, fulfillment assistant; Customer Service: Terryl n,omas, supervisor,Anette Hamerski, Patricia Malouff, Nancy Schoch, ClaireWarner; Distribution: Danny D'Antonio, supervisor, Grace Aumuller,David Blasko, TimodlY Harrington, linnea Ingram, Mary Ann Costagliola,Alice Saxton, Robert Weinstein; Purchasing & Facilities: Williamslow the (hying/curing process as it improves flow-out and gloss.Also, here's how to rub out a dining table to a beautiful glossin an hour or less: First, level the surface with 600-grit stearatedpaper. Remove any sanding scratches and remaining orange peelwith a power buffer and Ditzler #16 rubbing compound, whichis available from auto-body supply stores. If you've never used apower buffer, practice on something expendable fi rst-bufferscan be tricky. Finally, remove t11e residue with naptha and a softrag, then buff to a diamond gloss with a clean lamb's wool padon your power buffer. -Scott Lawrence, Redmond, Wash.Clean water for eye safety-Dr. Paul Yinger's eye-safety article(fWW #72) is fi ne as far as it goes, but I have some concernsabout his recommendations on using water as eye wash. Thewater in Lexington, Mass., must be better than here in centralOhio. Tap water here is so hard it's an irritant. For this reason, Ikeep sterile solution close to my first-aid kits. Sterile saline isconunonly available at drug and grocely stores in t11e contact-lenscare sections. I reconunend the types labeled "for sensitive eyes."-Douglas Campbell, Clintonville, OhioMore warnings on eye injuries -In addition to Dr. Yinger'swarnings (fWW #72), I'd like to mention two other specific injuriesI've seen as an ophthalmologist. Catastrophic eye injury canoccur when someone is reaching under a surface to drive in ascrew and looking from above. A slipped screwdriver can be adangerous stabbing tool. I've seen three such injuries in t11e pasttwo years, and each one resulted in an eye lost.All forms of hammering can be dangerous, but hitting steel onsteel is by far t11e most dangerous, as tiny particles can fly off theface of the tool at tremendous speed. These tiny particles canpuncture the eye quite easily, and they are very difficult to locateand remove. Observers are just as vulnerable as the tool operatorto injuly, too. Unfortunately, many times t11e injUly may noteven be recognized as serious, and the person may not seek adoctor. This could lead to potentially disastrous complications.Dr. Nick Strong, Cambridge, EnglandLye for apple - Some time back, Fine Woodworking had an articleon using lye to enhance the color of cherty. I tried the ideaand was totally satisfied. Perhaps the finest piece of furniture Ihave yet made is a cherty side table colored with lye and fi n­ished with an oil finish. I've since used lye to enhance the colorof apple and have had equally impressive results. Appleheartwood takes a rich, deep color, whereas sapwood is affectedonly slightly. The results can be quite dramatic.-Keith Hacker, Scandia, Minn.Kids do have a place in the shop-I don't agree with recentletters (fWW #71 and #73) that say kids don't belong in theworkshop. The first reason being that my father was a carpenter,and if he hadn't allowed me in the shop, I would never havebecome so involved with woodworking. Secondly, my 8-year-oldson now works with me in my shop. He knows how to safelyoperate the bandsaw, drill press, jigsaw, sander and lathe. He hasSchappert, purchasing agent; Lois Beck, office-services coordinator;Donald Hammond, mail-services clerk; Chuck Hollis, Office maintenance;Christopher Myers, Office-operations clerk; Debra Brown,chef/manager, Yang Rogers, cafeteria (lsslstant; Subscription:Carole Ando, manager, Patricia Aziere, Connie Bar