October 2003 #103,

Contents

RepairTips48
Sometimes fixing somethingold is assatisfyingasmaking something new.With these 14 slick methods you can takeit apart and put it back togetherbetter than new.

Furniture

Bow-Front
Bookcase

You'lllove the look of the curvy front, and sandwich constructionand simplejoinery make it easyto build.

56

ServingTray

With a little handsomewood and somecleverjigs you can make one-or a dozen-of theseattractivetrays.

68

Air Cleaners
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To your health.After centralat-the-source dust collection and your shopvacuum,an air scrubberis your third line of defense againstshop dust.Find out which scrubbersmove the most air and havethe best filters to trap the tiniest particles.

76

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Contents
DEPARTMENTS

& Answer 12 Question 22 WorkshopTips Shop 30 TheWell-Equipped 35 TheWayWoodWorks

Mahoganyand Its Look-Alikes

Tips 84 SmallShop

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page 36

page 12

page 30

DUpSCnpttons:
American Woodworker SubscriberServiceDept., PO Box 8148, Red Oak,IA 5159I-1148, (S00) 666-3I f 1 e-mail : AWWcustserv@cdsfuifiil*eot.com Artide Indgx A complete index is availableonline at www:americanwoodworker.com Pft Artides! ?'horocopiesare availablefor $3 each.Write or calt American llbodworker Reprint Center,pO Box g3695, 9.$68 of Stillwater,MN 55083-0695,(7I5) 2464344,8 AM to 5 PM CST,Mon. through Fri. Visa, MasterCari, Discover and American Express accepted. Bad<bgUes: Some are available for $5 each. Order from the Reprint Center at the address above. 5rg$6d,on$ Write to us ac American Woodworker, 2915 Commers Dr., Suite 200, Eagan,MN 5512r $ttgp-&(651) Phone: 454-9200 Fax (651) 99+2250 e-mail: aweditor@readersdigest.com
American Woodworker ocroBE 2R oo3

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Editor Senior Editor Associate Editors Ken Collier Tom Caspar Randy Johnson. Tim Johrson, Dave Munkittrick Jon Stumbras, George Vondriska Patrick Hunter, Vern Johnson Mary Flanagan EvangelineEkberg

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Goves Unusual MadeEasy

Q' I'm stuck trying to copy an
cove molding old-fashioned I know about for a new bookcase. cutting coves by anglinga board to a but I cant figureout how to get blade, tablesaw ideas? shapeI need.Any the elliptical A. There arefour different settingson a tablesawthat can determinethe shapeof a covemolding. Two arequite familiar: the angleof the guide boardsand the height of the blade. The others are pretty clever and not widely known.You can tilt the bladeand tilt the workpiece. The first two settings make symmetrical curves (curveshaving the sameshapeon either sideof a vertical centerline).Tilting the blade and workpieceallows you to make more complexasymmetricalcurves,where the left side is different than the right side.To make the elliptical molding at right,we setthe guide boards at 30 and ran to the blade,tilted the blade 45 degrees degrees ledge. one edgeof the workpieceon a 3/4-in.-high You might go crazy trying to figure out all the comto make your molding, though, binations necessary Fortuand chewup a lot of scrapstock in the Process. nately,you can buy a pamphlet to give you a head start (seephoto,below right). The pamphlet doesnot contain any photos showing the generalprocedurefor settingup and usingyour saw. If this is your first time cutting covemolding, refer to a Coved more detailedhow-to story,such as"Thblesaw 34. 2002,page Panelsl'AW#95,September

TILTED BLADE

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Caution:You must remove your blade guard to make thesecuts.Be sure to use push block and only raisethe bladeabout l/ l6 in. at a time.

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FROM CURVE Set up your saw on PaPer before cutting complex coves.Create a worksheet by copyinga profile given in the cove cutting pamphlet, and show the entire curve profilesare full-size shown below.These angleof the guide the bladeto its full height.The made by raising boards and tilt of the saw blade are given with each profile. you'll haveto figure lf you must tilt the workpiece,as shown above, out the heightof the ledge.
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Source (908)658-4396 Klausz-Tech, Box 78 NJ07978 Pluckemin, andhandling. plus$2 shipping pamphlet; CoveCutting $ 10,

Save hours of trial-and-error setuP work by ordering this $ l0 pamphlet (see Sources, at left). lt contains profiles of curvesmade by 56 different of tippingthe saw blade combinations the guide boards.Theauthor and angling is Frank Klauszlll. son of master woodworker Frank Klauszll.

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Question& Answer

GAGIue Lasting Longer

Q. CA glue is terrific for quicklybondingsmallpieceswithMy boales clog but how do you makeit lastlonger? out clamps, up and the glue hardensway too soon. (CA) glue is a A. Onceopened,the shelflife of cyanoacrylate into an air-tight you zip it short three to six months. But if (out of the reachof plasticbag and storeit in your refrigerator children),the glue will last indefinitely.Cold doesn'taffectthe bonding propertiesof the glue,but you should allow the bottle beforeusing it. to reachroom temperature CA bottle after clogging,"burfl'your from your nozzle To keep it until the glue squeeze and upright each use.Set the bottle a vacyou'lI create go, you let When the top of the nozzle. reaches the botuum that will suckthe glueback into the bottle. Next, tap times to forcethe tom of the bottle on your workbenchseveral last drop or two of glue to fall back into the bottle. Then put the capback on. unscrewit from the bottle and If your tip getscloggedanyway, to pry offloosenedpieces or needle awl an Use soakit in acetone. of glue.

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& Answer Question

Gement Gontact for Veneer?

Q. I'm about to start mYfirst veneeringproiect,a smallbox. ls contact cement okay to usel A . Cont ac t c em e n t i s e a s Yto u s e but for you dont needclamps, because glue plastic-resin with go the bestresults, of (seeSources, below),the choice plyand veneeringpros. wood manufacturers What's not so good about contact It's risky. First,bubbles,bumps cement? or ridgesin the glue can show or "teleSecond, graph"through to the surface. oils wipe-on especially some finishes, can soak through the and varnishes, veneer,loosen the glue and causethe veneerto lift. Lastly,contact cement staysflexible,but a rigid bond is more durable. The veneer may come loose the causing and its joints may separate, split. or crack veneerto
16
American Wo odworker

I f y o u s t i l l w a n t t o t r Y c o n t a c t Yellow glue works okay, but when it cement,youcanminimize theserisksby dries it's not as rigid as plastic-resin to heat that are dead flat,laying glue. It's also more susceptible using veneers the veneeron a stablesubstrate(suchas and water damage. MDF), using a contact cementformuSources -8477,www.daP.com at right), lated for veneer(seeSources, (888) 327 DAP, Glue,#00203, Plastic-Resin Weldwood applying before shellac with and sealing l l b . ;$ 7 . a top coat of finish. (9 Constantines , 5 4 )5 6 l - l 7 | 6 , glueis generallysold as Plastic-resin www.constantines.com a powder that you mix with water.When # | 2VGB VeneerGlue (contactcement), I qt.;$9.25. it's dry it makes a very rigid bond.

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Q. I sellsome of my woodworkingprojectsso I can buy new still cover my shopl insurance power tools.Will homeowner's All insurance cantell you for sure. agent A. Only your insurance a"hobby"shopasa normalpart of your homewill accept carriers if your but you may moveinto a dilferentcategory coverage, owner's business. a cottage of home the becomes shop property Pull out your policy and look for limits on personal of the tails or heads make t can If you purposes. usedfor business you save can clean Coming Be honest. fine print, call your agent. a lot of grief if you everhaveto file a claim. to visit,it paysto showhim a tidy and orderly comes If your agent and proper fire extinguishers layout,a dust-collectionsystem, storageof flammablefinishing supplies(that usually meansa metalcabinet). Whether you make money from your woodworking or not, damaged they're you shouldhavea recordof all your toolsin case way morewoodworkingstuffthanwe can Most of us have or stolen. and it may well add up to more moneythan a normal remember, of"tools." policywill coverunderthe blanketcategory household but the nextbestthing is youd havekept all your receipts, Ideally, and tour of your shopwith a still or videocamera to takea complete your tools' makea visualrecordof all
If vou have a question Voud like answered, send it to us at: Question 8CAnswer' r, 2915 Commers Drive, Suite 700, Eagan, MN 5512-1 or A-*"ricarr.Voldworke e-mail.to qanda@readersdigest.com. Sorry but the volume of mail Preventsus from answering each question individually'

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GorillaBrandPremium Glueis the all purpose, glueidealfor interior/exterior needs.lt's most repairandbonding greatfor indoor/outdoor furniturerepair, woodworking projects, aswell asgeneral repairs aroundthe house. metal, Bondswood,stone, ceramic andmore! strongand lncredibly 100% wateroroof. .*.@r

of a blaclcconrc into pl.ri' A. ,lll thc prarts tr t l: t rr'ht'n ir i t ' se t t t t i r r r1 l t c1 ' 'tt1'1t1 : ,' . ' c()iltiItS, c o r n r s i o r -a rn c l r - i t s ti,s b c v o n c lp r r e v c n t i n u to l<eep a b l a d cr u n r . r i n s c o o l a n c .s l traight

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20

From Our Readers

Edite ud yR a n d y f o h n s o n

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Protection Fingertip
I discovered the hard way that sandingon a lathe can be hard on the fingers.Now,to protect my fingers,I cut the fingertipsoff a latex-dippedwork gloveand wear one or Not only doesthis protwo of the fingertipswhile sanding. to hold onto tect myfingertips,it alsomakesit much easier the sandpaper. I found a pair of theseglovesat a hardwarestorefor below). about $4,or you can order them (seeSource, Caution:Dont wearthe whole glovewhile working on injured if the glovegot your lathe.You could be seriously caughton your turning project or lathe. S.l.Chant
Source Mart,(800) 646-5346 ABC Safety rt.com www.abcsafetyma gloves, Dipped rubber #ml-K57PM; pair. $l I per dozen
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RecentlyI was routing a decorativeedge t"i";iiP ,-*s o n a large round ,-..'.","'. 1/2" PLASTTC About tabletop. TUBING halfiuay around, my router startedto vibrate and I noticed (with great dismay) that the depth of the routed Pattern had become much deeper than when I started.I turned off the router and when I lifted it offthe tablethe router bit fell out and hit the flobr. After uttering a few choicewords, I called a friend for help.He diagnosedthat I had installed my router bit too far into the collet. He said that the shank of somerouter bits flaresout just under the cutting head and if you tighten the collet againstthis flared areait's likely to come loose during use. Sureenough,the shankof my router bit wasin fact flaredbelow the cutting head.Neverwanting to experiencesucha costlymistakeagain,I addeda short sectionof plastictubing to eachof my router bits to prevent them from going too deepinto the collet.I found the tubing in the plumbing sectionof the hardware
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for Bit Spacers Router of Mind Peace -\\__

FLARED SHOULDER

storefor 50 centsper foot'

paurlohnston

Gauge Marking Surefire

but drilling holesin a straight line can be tricky. That's Screwingplywood pieceswith drywall-type screwsis quick and easy, why I made this handy little marking gaugethat allows me to quickly and accuratelymark a line on my plywood for drilling screwholes.To make it, simply cut a 3/8 in. by 3/8-in. rabbetinto a board that is about 1-in.wide by 8-in.long.Younow have . a marking gaugeto make a line that will put your screwsexactly in the centerededgeof your 314-in.plywood. Paquette lacques
24 American Woodworker oo3 o c r o B E2 R

Tips Workshop

IheFirst Ghoice for Hinge Screws in of Grafhmen 90Gountries Around theWorld.

Plywood Reinforce

Plywood edgesdont provide a very good anchor for hinge screws.So while building a wooden toy box that had a piano-hinged lid, I reinforced the plywood edgeby routing a groove and gluing in a strip of solid wood. This provides a and should hold tight for manyyears. strong place for the hinge screws, FrankCampagna

Playing in Gards the Shop

A deck of playing cardscan be very useful around the w oodshop. One of m y favorite uses is for shimming my dado set.I drill a s/S-in.hole inthe centerof several cards and keep them with my dado set so theyre ready when I need them. PLy*g cardsarealso handy as disposable glue spreaders and for leveling the feet on my rolling workbench. Waiting for a finish to dry? How about a game of solitaire?! Larry Presneall

26

American

Woodworker

oo3 o c T o B E2 R

Tips Workshop

BarGlamp Easy-Tighten
Bar clamps are great tools, but sometimesit's tough to get a good grip on the small wood To getextratorque,I drilled a hole in the handle. handle and inserted a dowel. It givesme a lot more twisting oomph with a lot lesshand strain' from the I drilled the 3/8-in. hole 314-in. to h a n d l e th e of end bot t om avoid hitting the bolt that extends into the top of the handle. JonStumbras

,i$'v 5"

T'OWEL

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3/8" DlA. HOLE

28

American

Woodworker

2R oo3 ocroBE

lHUbnrffibruU
TSC-IOCL 1O" Table Saw '*i*' *'-'i

ti'otiit'ioi5;;

\- -'i arbor Left'tilting FEATURES: of kickback. chance reduces release withquick 1-1/2 hp motor plug.10" blade dia. connection gauge with Miter caPacity. witha castirontable Larqe T-slot. front wing.Beveled solid extension gauge miter forsmooth edge table hoot<up. collection 4"dust operation.

forcontracto.rsot \ smat'r snops.

withstandad shown Align-a-Rif 30"capacity fiplence.

ss

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BW.l5P l5tt Planer priced economically yetbuiltlikelarger planers. professional 3S h: p,3knife FEATURE knife Jackscrew cutterhead. base Enclosed adiustment. formobility. mobiliV wheels wiih wi[h caPacitY. x 6"planing 15" Three stock cuts. smoother front and rollers support rate. feed soeed back.2 switch. withWheels Magnetic Base Enclosed

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The
t

Planer Feature-Packed
D eW al t' snew D W 735 13-i n. pl aner i s qui t e a machine.For $480,youget athree-knifecutterhead, an automaticcarriagelock and two feedspeeds, lead a fan to clearchips.All thesefeatures to exceptionallysmooth surfaces. The three-knife cutterhead is a breakthrough in small planer design. This is the first 120-volt benchtoP planer with a universalmotor to havethreeknives,rather than two. Most benchtop pl aner s f eed material at a singlespeedand Produce50 to 80 cutsper inch (cpi).Adding one more knife booststhe DW735 to 96 cpi. (Higher cpi generallymeanslesssanding.) Slowing down the feed rate by flipping a switchon the DW735 bumps cpi way uP to l7g,perfectfor planingtear-out-prone figured wood. Only one other benchtop planer,the Delta 22-580($azo;,hastwo feed producing 60 and 90 cPi. speeds, lock helpsminimize snipe(the The automaticcarriage slight depressionmost benchtop planers cut into the Ieadingand trailing endsof a board). This lock is automatic-there's no leverto pull. Only one other planer,the Makita 2012N8 ($soo;'hasthis feature. The chip-ejectorfan isnt intendedto replacea dust collectorbut it helpsto keepa board smoothby quickly (Excess chips cirremoving chipsfrom the cutterhead. on in blemishes result culating around a cutterheadcan a board's surface.)Two Craftsman planers,the 21722 ($roo; and2l743 ($a+o;'havea similar feature. At 20-in.deepand 92 lbs.the DW735 is bestsuitedto a dedicatedspot in the shop.The bed on the DW735 is support 4-ft. boards.Addilong enoughto adequately longer boards are a $45 for supporting tables tional and disThe knivesareindexed,double-edged accessory. knivescost $45. Replacement posable. Source
There's plenty of room to changekniveson the DW735. Removethe top and you've got free accessto the innovativethree-knife cutterhead.
DeWalt (800) 43 3-9258,www.DeWalt.com DW735 13" Planer; $480. DW735 | Foldingtables;$45. DW7352 Replacementknives;$45.

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American

Woodworker

2R 003 ocToBE

psd* D

fointerKnives Quick-Ghange

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Dispoz-A-Blade is a foolproof system for retrofitting virtually any jointer oi planer with new indexed knives.Indexed knives snap right in placeon pins, so there's no need for fussing with measuring equipment. The new knives are double-edgedand disposable. This convenience doesnt come cheap.A Dispoz-A-Bladesystemfor a 6-in. jointer is $198.An 8-in. systemis $226;a l5-in. planer systemis $298. Installing a Dispoz-A-Blade system is straightforward. Thke one measurement from your cutterheadand sendthat number to Dispoz-A-Blade.They'll send you a blade holder to fit your machine and a set of Posi-Setrare-earth magnets to position the holder in the cutterhead. Removeyour oldknives, jack Dispoz-A-Blade is a drop-'em-in-and-go screws and springs,thendrop in the magnetsandblade holder. indexed knife system that takes the One thing that doesnt change:you ll still usethe old knife@*$Y"Al out of changingknives on jointers and planers. locking bars to securethe knives in the cutterhead. If a knife is nicked, shift it slightly to offset the nick. When the knives get dull, flip them Source over.Only Dispoz-A-Blade knives can Esa USA,(800)557-8092, www.estausa.com g 198. Dispoz-A-Blade 6" jointerknives; be used as replacements. A new set of DOUBLE.EDGED double-edged6-in. replacementknives DISPOSABLE KNIFE costs$22. INDEXINGHOLE MAGNET
BLADE HOLDER

Adiustable SlotGutter
There's nothing to lose with the new EZ-Dial Slot Cutter, $100, from Amana. No shims,that is. Other adjustableslot cutters rely on replacing shims to vary the thicknessof the cut, but not the EZ-Dial. Adjustingthis cutter is aseasyasturning the volume knob on a radio. Justdial in the slot width, cinch the lock nut, andyou're good to go. Shimmed slot cuttersare lessexpensiveand offer a greaterrange of adjustment in one cutter,but are more difficult to set up. The EZ-Dial is availablein t'wo sizes;1/Sin. to Ll4in., and Il4:uir.to Il2 in. One fullturn of the adjustmentdial changes the slotwidth by only Il32 in., so fine adjustments are easy. This simple systemis a greatway to make the slotsrequired for slipping undersizedplyrood into frames,or customcutting gro ovesfor tongue- and-gro ovej oints. EZ-DialSlot Cutters are carbide tipped, come with 1/2-in. shanksand cut groovesup to Ll2-in. deep.
Rotate the knob to tweak the width of a slot. This cutter is split in two halves.Turning the knob raisesor lowers one half.

Source
Amana Toofs, (800) 445 -0077, www.amanatool.com EZ-Dial Slot Cutter #55500 l/8" to l/4"; $ 100, to l/2"; g 100. #555 | 0 | 14"

American

Woodworker

ocroBER2oo3

3l

T h eW e l l - E q u i p p e S dh o p

Ghip Gatching Gouge

Tirrnerstypically haveto settlefor letting the chips fall where they may,and turning producesplenty of them! The ingeniousCleanTirrnVacuum Gouge,$48, collectsall thosechipsby sendingthem directly to a vacuum. This gougeis bestfor roughing bowl and spindleblanks,greenor dry. It canbe usedfor shearingor scrapingcuts,too. For bestresults, connectthe gougeto an extra-flexible hose(seeSources, below). This gouge's someproblems.Chips unique round shapepresents disappear down the tube so fastthat you can'tseethem.Observing how chips are formed is important feedbackfor modifying your technique.In addition, turning a long, straight spindle is more difficult than with a conventionalroughing gouge. The business steel,like end of theVacuumGougeis high-speed Itt a2-ll2-in -long pieceof high-speed many good lathegouges. pipe.Both pipe bondedto a24-in.-longpieceof carbonsteel steel piecesof pipe have a l-3l8-in. outside diameter.The Vacuum Gougeis closein price to other high-speed steelchisels. This is a handy tool, but bear in mind that a vacuum turns a quiet
pastlme lnto a nolsy one. Sources
Woodworker's Supply,(800) 645-9292 www.woodworker.com hose,#897-457;$28. | 2' extra-flexible
American Woodworker ocroBE 2R oo3

CleanTurnTools,(800) 883-4077 www.cleanturn.net Vacuum Gouge $48, plus $7.50 shippingand handling.

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\ jigsand router tables. Theyare '; intuitive andfun to use,idealfor bothamateurs and professionals alike. Whereasother machines give you fixed templates, givesyou the WoodRat lt usesno guidebushes totalfreedom. lt features and no expensive add-ons. infinitely variable dovetail ing plates aswell asthe means to maketenons, mortises, laps,grooves, rabbetts, sliding dovetails and muchmore.

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The Well-fquippedShop

BradNailer Tight-Spot
Sometimes when you want to get out of a tight spot you have nailingtrim to an inside to get into a tight spot.For example, to the corner.This new gun takesbrad-nailerconvenience next level.Unlike other brad nailers,the magazineon the Quicknail 1850-2($tZO; anglesup and awayfrom the tip, This is a making it easier to get the nosein confinedplaces. large nail guns. have long enjoyed with featurecarpenters shoots18-gauge bradsfrom I to 2-in. The Quicknail1850-2 long. Most brad nailershavethe same2-in. maximum,but a number alsoshootshorterbrads,down to 5/8 in. on this areusefulfeatures A no-mar tip and adjustable exhaust brad nailer.On the negativeside,you must use a wrench to only hasa bump open the noseand clearjams,and the 1850-2 Brad NailerTool Test, mode.(For more on features, see our fire AW #102,page68.) The angledclipsrequiredfor this gun cost at a local aboutthe sameasstraightclips,but may not be available
home center. Sourcce Quicknail (888)NAILGUN, www.I SSSnailgun.com #1850-2;$120.

34

American

Woodworker

2R oo3 ocroBE

The WayWood Works

ByTomCaspar

Mahogany
and lts Look-Alikes
Africanand Philippine Are less-expensive just asgood? "mahogany"
Stunning grain. Huge boards.Highly rot resistant.Adream (or a nightmare) to work. What one wood fits this bill? Mahogany,of course. the color is usually Eventhe plainestmahoganyboards are quite beautiful,because up to 150 (Photo huge, towering Mahogany trees are 1). red coppery a deep,rich boards up to 4-in. into verywide sawed ft. over the rain forestfloor, and are often thick. The bomb6 chest,above right, was made from one 24-in.-wide board,3-in.thick and 16-ft.long! With all thesegood qualities,why aredt we all lining up at the it's expensive, Because lumberyard for mahoganyboards? about $5 to $9 per bd. ft. It's so expensivethat exporters of other woods have worked "mahogany" into the street names of t heir pr oduc ts a n d in confusing the succeeded heck out of woodworkers (Photo 2). Let'sclearthe air a bit and compare these sideby side. species
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I American mahogany is one of the woods.lts price I world's most beautiful slowly but steadilyas these hasbeen.rising SouthAmer:icantrees become more Expensive to fell, processand export. No wonder everybody'slooking for substitutes!

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Co-mon mahogany look-alikes include ) (They're pronounced and Lauan. Khaya, Sapele, L and Loo-ahn.) Khayaand Kigh-yah, Sah-pee-lee and are in Sapeleare often calledAfrican mahogany asAmerican the same botanicalfamily,Meliaceae, but Lauanis sold as Philippinemahogany, mahogany. it's not in the same botanicalfamily.

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The Way Wood Works

Fig.A Guideto Mahogany
rnaarcp|l4l/la Arnerican mahogany Honduras mahogany Swfetenio Khoyoivorensis Khay.4 African mahogany African mahogany Sapele Philippinemahopny Lauan qlindriam Ennndrophragmn yarious speciesof Shoreo ' $5-9 $,+8 . $5:10 $34

mahogany has long Q e-"rican \.f been favored for its outstanding with hand especially working qualities, tools.lt's easyto clearly mark with a knife or pencil,smooth with a hand planeand pare with a chisel.Dense boards are usuallybetter for handwork than lighweight boards.

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American Mahogany This is the real McCoy. American mahogany comes from Central and for SouthAmerica,and hasbeen prizrcd fine furniture and boat building since the eighteenthcentury (Photo 3). There are actually two different kinds ofAmerican mahogany:Cuban or S anto D omi ngo mahoga nY (Swietenia mahogani)and Honduras . lt mahogany(&uieteniamacroplrylla) was the denser,darker Cuban variety that first excited furniture makers 300 yearsago,but there'svery little of it left today.When selling mahogany, most lumber dealersare referring to the Honduras type. Honduras mahogany primarilY comesfrom SouthAmerica.Thebest and densestgrades,those most like the legendary Cuban mahogany,are exported from the rain forests of Peru. Honduras mahogany is still but it's been logged readily available, of a veryheavily, often at the expense healthy forest. There'sbeen quite an international effort to certify more responsi bl e l oggi ng practice s. For more on certifi.edand plantationto go mahogann grow n www.certifi edwood.org.

38

American

Woodworker

2R oo3 ocToBE

r-r
The WayWood Works
Plainsawn Quartersawn
Quartersawn boards often havea ribbon-striped causedby appearance, the grain or fibers periodically changing direction.This means that quartersawn boards often have tear-out problems. American mahogany plainsawn, is generally but Khayaand Sapele are usuallyquartersawn to show off their strong ribbonstripe figure.

Mahogany Quartersawn is Harder to Work Many mahoganytreeshavean unusual internal structure called "interlocked grain" (seepage46).When boards are plainsawn (with the growth rings more or les s par alle l to th e w i d e fa c e ),
American Woodworker

interlocked grain makes beautiful swirling patterns.When boards are quartersawn (with the growth rings at ri g h t a ngl es to the w i de face), interlocked grain makesa ribbon-stripe figure (Photo 4). Plainsawnmahogany is generally a

pleasure to work, but quartersawn mahoganycanbe a bear.Eachribbon in board indicatesa change a quartersawn in grain or fiber direction.When planing or jointing, you can't win. Whatever direction you feeda quartersawnboard, you may get nasty tear-out.

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A wide range of figure and color is availablein American mahoganyand other closely related veneers.Few other woods have \ so many different faces.With careful staining, t/ all these ven6erscan be blendedwith solidAmerican mahogany, Khayaor Sapele. Color and pattern'trade names" vary with different suppliers.Tobuy the veneers shown above,see Sources,page46. Pricesare given per squarefoot.These piecesare f-in.wide.

Golo6 Density and Figure Are All Over the Map Looking over a pile of roughsawn American mahogany,youmight think all the boards arepretty much the same. Pick up a few,however,and you notice that some are a lot heavierthan others. Plane their surfaces,and you'll seean astonishinglywide range of color. Fewwoods areasvariableih density, color and fig*. asAmerican mahogany. In addition to their lower cost, that's why so many other woods can be marketed as "mahoganyi'or blended with American mahogany as showy veneers or secoridary solid woods (Photo 5). AOutdoor furniture madeof VAmerican mahogany will lastmany yearsbecause it's naturally rot resisiant. Likeall woods, it slowlyturnsa silvery graycolor outdoorsunless it'sstained or rarnished. Khaya andSapele are also goodchoices for outdoor projects, but wont lastaslong.
t

Steer away from the least dense boards. Often they have the blandest color, but more importantly, the wood is softer and doesn'tsurfacewell.Yodll get patches of fuzzy grain that are difificult to smooth (Photo 7, page44). Mahoganies from Africa: Khaya and Sapele Khaya and Sapele havelong been used asfine furniture woods, particularly in Europe. Both are less durable for outdoor furniture than American mahogany(Photo 6). Khayaand Sapele are availablefrom manylumber dealers. 46,for a dealerwhdll SeeSources,page ship through the mail. Khaya is a gorgeous wood, and a good substi tute f or American mahogany.In fact, with many boards, it's darned hard to tell the two woods apart. Khaya is generallyquartersawn to produce a distinctive ribbony appearance.

Fig.B Rot Resistance

42

American

Woodworker

o c r o B E2 Ro o 3

The Way WoodWorks

Quartersawn Khaya is often sold as "Ribbon- Striped African Mahoganyl' Khayaworks well, but it's not on par with the best grades of American mahogany.It's more prone to tear-out, and there'sa greater chanceyott'll get someboards withfvzry surfacepatches that are very hard to smooth (Photo 7). Khaya is generally softer, too, and wort'thold ascrisp an edgeasAmerican That meansit's not asgood mahogany. for fine detail in moldings and carvings. Sa p e l ehas a fi ner texture than It'seasier to tell the American mahogany. two apart, but Sapeleis still a good substitute.Like Khaya, Sapeleis often quartersawn to reveal a ribbon-stripe grain pattern, but its ribbons are often narrower and closer together. With is also tighter interlocked grain, Sapele more prone to tear-out thanAmerican mahogany. Philippine Mahogany3 Lauan Lauan is inexpensive,plentiful and widely usedin plywood, trim moldings and commercialfurniture. But it's not a true mahogany.Lauan is one of many woods that arelooselycalled"Philippine mahoganyi'Theyall comefrom the Far East, are generally identified by their color, and havevaried properties. The redder varieties are heavier and much more rot resistant than the lighter varieties,for example. Most of the Lauansold in the U.S.as l umber and pl yw ood i s pret t y It's a softerand lighter wood consistent. than American mahogany,dentseasily with your fingernail and hasa tendency to splinter. It has little of the beautiful figure of American mahogany and a much coarsertexture.For the most part, you shouldrt't use it as the show wood on a pieceof fine furniture,butyou can use it on the inside of a piece made from American mahoganyor Khaya.

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Fuzzy grain is an annoyingproblem / with all of the mahogany-related f woods, especiallyin less-denseboards. Everyonce in a while you'll come acrossa lightweight board that you just cant get Before smooth, even with power sanding. giving uP, tD, stiffeningthe fibers with a wash coat of shellac, and then sanding.
American Wo odworker

oo3 o c r o B E2 R

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The Way WoodWorks

Grain? What ls Interlocked

of American mahogany and its look-alikes The ribbon-stripe appearance comesfrom a peculiarcell structure called"interlockedgrain."The striping that is,when the growth rings is most noticeable when boardsarequartersawn, are at right anglesto the wide faceof the board. Each stripe reflectsa changein the slopeof the grain, or fiber direction. Many tropical trees grow in a spiral pattern (rather like the threads of a direction from one wood screw).The spiral pattern periodically reverses growing season to another. an opportunity Interlockedgrain is both an opportunity and a challenge.It's to createa visually stunning effect,where eachstripe can changefrom dark to light as you walk around a polished piece of wood. The challengeis in its fibersrun in two planing and sandingthe wood without tear-out,because completelyopposite directions. Fortunately,today's high-speedbenchtop havemadethis job a lot easier. IW planersand random-orbit sanders

Sources CertainlyWood (7 | 6) 655-0206,www.certainlywood.com Mahoganyand related veneers

West Penn Hardwoods. (888) 636-e663 www.westpennhardwoods.com SolidAmerican mahogany, Khayaand Sapele, plainsawnor quartersawn

46

American

Woodworker

ocroBE 2R oo3

a a a

FASTER than hand-sanding MAKE MONEY- 9Oo/o than wide belt sanders SAVEMONEY- I/3 LESS COST Efficient,affordable,highestquality TOPEARVTTVGS
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an Woodworker

ocroBER 2003

by Mac Wentz

Tlps
the job. Plus,we'll showyou someshortcuts that might help you avoid disassembly altogether.|ust keep in mind that these methods aren't meant for fine antiques. If you suspectthat a piece of furniture is especially old or valuable,have an expert t+e a look (see'Antiques-Repair & Restore" inltheYellowPages).

T\ /f ajor furniture repair often involves IVldisassembling the pieceand putting it back together.Soundssimple enough: knock things apart and glue them back together. But anyonewho'stried this knows that it nevergoesthat smoothly.This article will showyou someslick waysto dealwith the most commonand frustratingaspects of

outi damaged sereus rith an ertractor O lwist

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There are lots of ways to attack screwswith damaged or screws and are available at home centers for $3 to $5. broken-offheads.But in most cases, drilling into the screwand Centering a drill bit on the jagged end of a broken screw can using a screwextractoris the most foolproof method. Extrac- make you curse.Sobegin by drilling a starterhole with a tiny tors come in sizessmall enough to remove 3132-in.-dia. bit (1/16 in. or so),which is easierto control.

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Drill a hole in the screw shank. No needto drill deep-l/8 to l14 in. is usually deep enough.

Remove the broken screw by insertingthe extractor and turning counterclocharise.The extractor will lock into the hole and twist out the screw.
American Woodworker ocroBER 2oo3

get agrip on nails

Some nails are easyto deal with. Sometimes you canseparatethe parts and then removethe nails.Other times you might be able to drive a nail right through the part and out the other side. But in some cases there's no alternative to pulling them.And that meansvou need a way to grab the nail'shead.If you can'tget hold of pliers-on the nail'shead,drill holes-just largeenoughfor needle-nose oppositesidesof the nail shank.Run the bit right along the shank and bore asdeepasthe shank,if possible. This will help to loosenthe nail.

llrillholes to

then chip out gut, O iloilow Dr0[en rcnons

When half of a dowel ortenon staysin its hole, you'lI be tempted to grab a bit of the same size and completely drill it out. But this is almost certain to

uith ahammer @ Disassemble

Despitethe variety of spreadingclampsand prying tools available,hammers are still the favorite disassembly tools of furniture repair pros.Someuserubber mallets,otherslike dead-blowhammers, which have heads filled with sandor metal s hot t o elimina te bounce-back.Either way,yotill DEAD.BLOW needa collectionof wooden blocks,card}IAMMER board or carpet scrapsto prevent surfacedamage. Cover your workbench with carpet or a heavy blanket and swing away.Try to knock joints straight apart. Some twisting and wrenching is inevitable, but keep it to a minimum and you ll avoid breakingjoinery. leaveyou with an enlarged,off-center hole.Instead,usea bit that'sabout U8in. smaller than the socket.Then break out a section of the remaining material and the rest will chip out easily. A small carver's gouge is the perfect tool for the job, but a narrow chiselor even a sharpened screwdriver will work, too.

joints Iniect into spory loose

This is a fix that makesfurniture-repair purists cringe but let'sfaceit some just arent worth the time it takesto make a first-classrepair.Epo"y pieces injection is fast and easy, but also a bit of a gamble.It doesnt work every time and if it doesnt, you're stuck with a loosejoint that'salmost impossible to pull apart and reglue. The goal is to force epoxF into the pocket between the end of the tenon and the bottom of the mortise or socket.That way,eporywill flow into gapsaround the tenon. The hole you drill into the pocket should be sizedso that the tip of your syringeseals tightlywhen inserted.Asyou apply pressure to the syringe,wiggle the loosepart so eponyflows all around the tenon.You'll get the best resultsusing low-viscosity epoxy that will inject page55). and flow easily(seeSources,
American Woodworker o c r o B E2 R oo3

glue and scrape off tenons O Heat

New glue doesn'tadherevery well to old glue,so you haveto get rid of the old stuffbeforereassembly. Turn a heatgun on old glue, and it reactsjust like old paint, becoming soft, gummy and easyto scrapeoff. )ust rememberthat a heatgun is designed to destroyfinishesand can evenignite wood. Have a wet rag handy to keepthings cool.

Shield the nearby finish with a broad putty knife as you applyheat to the old glue.lf your heat gun is adjustable, start out usingthe lowest heat setting.

Scrape away the softened glue immediately. lt will cool and hardenin just a few seconds.Any leftoverglue residuecan be removedwith light sanding.

get glue and hot water out ofholes O $havings

Scraping,sanding or reaming old glue out of a socket or mortise is slow,tediouswork. And it's tough to do without enlargingthe hole. So why not let heat and moisture do the work for you?A big syringeletsyou put steaming-hotwater right where you want it and crushedshavings from a block plane are greatfor soaking up the softenedglue.You might haveto repeatthe process a coupletimes,but it'sstill saferthan other methods.

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Pack the socket or mortise with wood shavings and then add steaminghot water.Be carefulnot ro drip on the surrounding finish.

Pull out the shavings with needle-nose pliers after l5 minutesor so,then repeatthe processif necessary. Let the wood dry out for a couple days before reassembly.

American

Woodworker

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51

Insert a dowel to reinforce the joint between the glued-on block and the original part.

tenon lebuild abroken

but it's A broken tenon may seemlike a disaster, actually pretty easyto fix. The first stepis to trim offthe rough,broken end.Then glue in a block in placeof the missing tenon. If you'refi"itg a chair leg or someother part that will bear a lot of stress, standardgluesdontbond end useepoxy,because grain very well. With the block in place, drill a dowel hole through the block and into the part. The photos at right show the rest of the process.

Round the block to create a new tenon.A circle traced on the end of the block is a helpfulguide.Youcan patiently sand or carve until you get a snugfit, or you can go for a "close enough" fit and glue the joint with epoxy,which will fil| an),gaps.

llrap up a
tU0rn down tenon
When a joint loosens and beginsto wobble,the tenon and socketwear.eachother down. To enlargethe tenon and restorea tight fit,wrap it with a shavingfrom your plane. Keep in mind that wear and shrinkage turn round socketsand tenons into ovals.This meansyou'll have to do some careful sanding to shapethe tenon just right.

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aspindle orrung @ hserl

A broken spindle or chair rung can be removed well enough. But how do you get the repaired or new part back in without major disassembly? The answeris a scarfjoint a long, tapered cut that provides plenty of surface area for a strong glue joint. A scarfjoint is lessvisible than a simple crosscut.

Make a scarf cut, slicing the part in two.A fine-tooth dovetail saw is perfect for the job, but a fine hacksawbladealso leavesa clean cut with almost no tear-out

Glue and insert the ends of the scarfed part.Then immediatelyglue the scarf joint together.

O$il'i1strensth
Most furniture fractures can simply be glued back together. But some breaks are messy,leaving splintery fractures that wont form a strong glue joint. You could replace the entire part, or you might be able to reinforce it from inside-usually without removing it. Begin by gluing the part back together as you normally would. Next, you ll need a long drill bit and a steel rod cut to length, Diameters depend on the repair,but the bit should be l/16. in. to 1/8 in.larger than the rod. Steelrod (threaded or smooth) Bore a deep, oversized hole that extends through the re-glued fracture. For and l2-in.-long bits are availableat easier drilling and lessstress on the home centers. fracture, start with a smaller bit before
drilling the full-diameter hole. Pull the bit out ever),few secondsto clear wood chips.

Partly fill the hole with epoxy and insert the steel rod. Be prepared for epo)ry overflow as you insert the rod by taping adjacentsurhces and watching for drips.

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joints forloose Ihrough'dowels

Any joint that canbe drilled into from one end is a candidatefor a through-dowel.This is an easyrepair,but heirlooms. holesto plug,so it isn't for cherished leaves You can make your own plugswith a plug cutter ($4 at plugsblend with home centers) or buy them.Face-grain the surrounding wood better than plugs cut from end page55). grain (seeSources,

Drill a hole-or two-through the joint. For a cleanhole,clampa use a clampto keep the joint block in placeto preventt,:ar-out.Also, from spreading as you drill.

Drive dowels through the joint. Rememberto set the dowels deep enoughto allow for plugs.

glue for rcpairs @ Choosing

Strong and convenient,yellow wood glue is a good choicefor most repairs. But there are gluesthat offer advantages for specialsituations: sLowER GLUES Dependingon factorslike temperatureand wood species, standardwood glue can setin aslittle asfive minutes.Whenyouneed more time for complex t assemblies suchaschairs, tryliquid hide glueor ,'.-e"Titebond'sExtend,a slowersettingversionof yellowglue.Both offer about twice the open time of regularwoodglue (see page55). Sources, often FASTER clue Cyanoacrylate, "Super name brand referredto by the Gluel'is perfectfor small repairs it setsin minutesor evensecbecause onds dependingon the formulation. Instead of finding waysto parts,you cltrmpsmallor odd-shaped by hand can hold a repairtogether until the gluesets. GLUE Although mixing is a cAe-FTLLTNG pain, two-part epo)ryis the best s.. choicefor a joint that doesnt fit quite right. Epo*y makes & joints strong sloppy-fitting ** it becomesa firm, because gapfiller as strong-bonding it cures. Standard wood gluesshrink asthey dry and aretoo brittle to bridge glue gaps.Polyurethane but expandsto fill gaps, doesnt cure hard enoughto becomea sturdy gap filler.

.dc

&

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you glue before @ tehearse

Clampsaregreatfor squeezing flat,parallelparts together, but most furniture throwsyou a few curves. Evena clampingjob that looks simplecan turn out to be tough.So dont touch that gluebottle until you'vedone a complete dry run. Herearea few tips for dealingwith sornetricky situations:

Make custom clamping blocks to provide parallelsurfaces for curved parts.Curves sometimesrequire blocksthat hook over the part to keepthe block from slipping as you applypressure.

Squeeze together curved tops with blocksand wedges.Just screw the blocks to a sheet of plywood or MDF and drive in shimsto applypressure.

Pull together odd shaped parts with handscrews. Screw hanger bolts-which are half screw half bolt-into the ends of handscrew clamps.Then drill holes in the back side of the pieceto accept the hangerbolt tips. M

HANGERBOLT

souRcEs
SystemThree, (800) 333-5514,www.systemthree.com SystemThree Clearcoat is actuallyan epoxy coating,but its low viscosity makes it ideal for injecting into joints. l2 oz; g lg. A variety of other epoxy products are available as well.

Woodwo rker's Supply, (800) 645-9292, www.woodworker.com Titebond Extend slower-settingwood glue,#950- 147 , | 6 oz.; 96. Liquid hide glue,ffi72-203,4 oz.; 95. Glue injector syringe, #178-00l; $3.29 each. Face-grain plugs, from oak, walnut or maple in diameters from 3/8- to | -in.A pack of 100costsfrom g l0 to g 17.

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SandwichConstruction
S a n d w i c hc o n s t r u c t i o n u s e s r e a d i l y thicknesses of plywood to create available thicker panels.ltalso lets you producea panel that has two very good-looking sidesbecause the best sideof eachpiece of plywood faces outward. There are two basic ways to create a first is to simplyglue sandwichpanel.The two piecesof plywood backto back.This is the approach we used for the end (seephoto,below panels in this bookcase works wellfor cabinet left).This approach parts that will be fastened to other cabinet parts, such as the ends of this which are biscuited and glued bookcase, to the subtop and the bottom shelf.The reasonfor fasteningthese end panelsis the plywood parts that make up because ( l/4 the panels are differentthicknesses i n . a n d 3 / 4 i n . ) ,s o t h e r e i s a r i s k o f warping. However, if the sandwiched plywood partsare the samethickness,the chance of warping is greatly reduced. can evenbe usedwhere they Suchpanels wont be fastened down, as for cabinet doors or adjustable shelves. The secondway to createa sandwiched panelis to use a center core with a layer of plywood gluedto eachside (see photo, below right).The center core can be either a lumberframe or another pieceof plywood.Thelumber-frame approachhas the advantageof letting you produce a panel of precise thicknessthat weighs lessthan one madewith a plywood core. that is Eithercore will makea sandwich resistantto warping.

Gluing together a 314-in. and a l/4-in. piece of plynrood creates the end panels for this bookcase. This sandwiched panelis then trimmed to finalsize,and final result is an the legsand appliedrailsare added.The end panelthat is flush on the insidewith a frame-andpanellook on the outside.

Gluing two pieces of l/4-in. plywood over a lumbepframe core creates the center panel for this bookcase. This creates an extra-thick but lightweight panelthat is exactlythe samethickness as the legs.Witha lumber frame on the inside,youcan customyou want. make panelsany thickness

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tFi$A I
Exploded View
3/4" OVERHANG AT BACK

1-112"
1-114" OVERHANG AT ENDSAND APPROXIMATELY 1-1l2"ATTHE FRONT

INNER PANEL AND LEG ARE FLUSH

114" XIN" RABBET

CENTER PARTITION

TAPEREDLEGS (sEE DETATL 1)

BACK PANEL RABBET RUNS LONG

DetailI
Tapered Footand RabbetDetail Notice thatthecorner legs are tapered ontheadjacent
insidefaceswhich leaves the outer facesof the corner legsstraight.The center legsare taperedon opposite faces.as shownhere. Also note that the rabbetfor the back panelsruns a l i t t l e l o n gt o e l i m i n a t e t h e n e e dt o c h i s e lt h e b o t t o m squareto fit the back.

BACK CENTER LEG

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'Start by making the legs, because the center | panelwill be madeto match them in I sandwiched the tapered foot at the bottom thickness.After band-sawing of the legs,sandthe taper smooth.

lf Saw the plywood parts for the sandwichedend and parts should be cut oversizeat this 4 center panels.These point.Theywill be trimmed to final sizeafter they are sandwichedtogether.

I Test the center panel to make sure it is flush on of the filler the thickness rf either side of the leg.Adjust boardsas needed.

panels.The Glue and clamp together the sandwiched center panel(shown here) usesfiller boards.Theend panelsare just two piecesof plywood sandwichedtogether. I 'l

Tools and Materials Youll need a planer,jointer, tablesaw bandsaw,belt sander,biscuit joiner, jigsaw,drill and finish sander,plus various hand tools, to complete this project. W e us ed unifo rm l i g h t b i rc h plywood and select white birch lumber for the main parts of the bookcase. Thes e m at er ia ls h a v e a n o v e ra l l white/light color. For the top we used

flame white birch that hasa wonderful figure and grain pattern. I t t a k e s a b o u t 2 - 3 1 4 s h e e t so f plywood and 30 bd. ft. of lumber to The wood costs build this bookcase. page67).If about $350 (seeSources, you use natural birch instead,it will cost about half as much to build. Natural birch contains darker heartwood and is what you find on the racksat most home centers.

Start with the Legs plane and cut the legs(A) to final Joint, and finish-sand Then band-saw size. (Photo 1).Note that the the taperedfeet center legs and the end legs have tapered(Fig.A,Detail 1, differentsides page 59). The l egs are done f i rs t because the centersandwichedpanel will be made to match the thicknessof the legs(Photo3).

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f Trim the glued-up sandwiched panels to final rf width. Cut a little off each edge so both edgesare straight and parallelto each other.

is ( Saw the sandwiched panels to final length.This lf easyto accomplish with the help of a tablesaw sled.Cut a little off both ends so they are parallelto each other and squareto the edgesofthe panels.

CENTERLEG (coRRECT)

(#)
;Gpens
Build the Sandwiched Panels Sawthe plywood parts for the center partition and the end panels(parts B, C and D, and Photo2). See the Cutting List, page67, for dimensionsand the Plywood Layout (Fig. F) for a r e c o m m e n d e dc u t t i n g p l a n . P a y attention to which sideof the plywood looks best.You want to pick the best s ide t o f ac e out o n th e g l u e d -u p sandwiched panels.

Uh, oh. We glued the wrong leg to the front of the center panel!Thisis an easymistaketo makewhen working with parts that look very similar.To avoidthis blunder, carefullymark the legs, indicating which ones go on the ends and which ones go in the center.Also, mark which edgesget cut for biscuitsand gluedto the panels, it's alsoeasyto cut the biscuitslots because in the wrong edgeof a leg.Thecenter legson this bookcasehave taperson oppositesidesof the leg,whereasthe end legshave tapers on the insidesurfaces.

Next make the fillers (E and F) for the center partition and check that they're the correct thickness (Photo 3). It'stemptingto use3l4-in.plywood for these fillers because314 plus ll4 plus 1/4 equalsl-ll4,right? Not when it comesto plywood. Plywood is often Il 3 2 i n . or more thi nner than i ts specified thickness.This can have a noticeableeffecton the final thickness of a sandwiched panel. Proceedwith gluing together the

pl yw ood parts that form t he sandwiched center and end panels (Photo 4). When the glue is dry, trim the sandwichedpanels to final size (Photos 5 and 6). Add the Legs Usebiscuitsand glueto attachthe legs to the sandwichedpanels (Fig. A, Photos 7 and 8). Pay close attention to the orientation of the taperedfoot on the legswhen you are cutting the
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panelsand ! Cut slots for biscuits in the edgesof the biscuitshelp sidesof the legs.The I the corresponding when they are glued keep the legsand panelsaligned together.

center Q Glue and clamp the legs to the panels.The [f panelis flush on both sidesof the legsbut the end lt's not panelsare flush only to the insideof the legs. sincethey are mainly necessary to put glueon the biscuits for alignment.

Q Rout the rabbets in the back of the rear legs.The I plywood back fits into this rabbet once the case is assembled.The center leg gets two rabbetsand the side legs get only one rabbet.

| fi Taper the front edge on the shelve.usinga the because taperingsled.Thisis necessary I tf tablesaw wider at one bowed front of the bookcasemakesthe shelves end than the other.

l ).It' .s e a s y bis c uit s lot( sF ig .A,D e ta i1 hereand cut slotsin to makea mistake the wrong faceof the legs(seeOops!, page6l). Also note that the legsare flush with both sidesof the center panelbut areflushonlywith the inside of the end panels. After the legs are attachedto the end panels,add the appliedtop and bottom rails (parts G and H, Fig.A). the threepanels by routing Complete the rabbetsin the back legs(Photo 9
62 American Woodworker

a n d D e tai l 1). The l l 4-i n. pl yw ood backs (J) will fit into these rabbets is assembled. oncethe case Make the Curved Shelves and subtops The curvedfront shelves plywoodparts startout asrectangular (K) and aretaperedon the front edge usinga taperingsled(Fig.B) on your (Photo l0). To makeleft and tablesaw right taperson the samesled,cut four of theseparts best-sideup and fotrr

down. This givesyou three best-side all left shelves and threeright shelves, with their bestsideup, plusa left and right subtop. Next,glue the solid-woodedging (L and M) to the tapered edgeof the (Photol l and Fig. shclves and subtops C). Pay attentionthat the edging is flush with the good (top) side of the It doesn'trnatterwhich face shelves. on the subtops, the edgingoverhangs just be sureyou makeoneleft and one

ocroBER2003

314"X3-1/2"X30" SIDESUPPORT 314"X5"X16' END SUPPORT

\-TOGGLE CLAMP

Tablesaw Tapering Sled

Thissledis used to cut thetapers on the frontedges of the plywood shelves. Tobuildit, drawa sawlineon oneof yourshelfblanks o f th e 1 /4 -i np . l y w o o d. andlinet hisup withth ee d g e Thenglueandclamp boards nextto the shelf the support (see clamps Sources, blank. When the glueis dry,addthetoggle page Thenset 67) and usethemto holdthe shelfblankin place. yoursawfence of the shelf. to 18 in. andsawthe taperon the edge

1/4'PLYWOOD

S hel f P i n D ri l l i ng Gui de Mark the bottom of the guide soyou don' tacci dental l y fl i p i t over andend that up w i thhol es d o n ' tl i n eu p .

CurvedFrontTapered Shelves The shelves are wider a curved at one endandhave front edging.

114" X314" X32"

314"X314" X314"

MASKINGTAPE 3/8" X 314"X1" 314"

tr$o-l
Curved Tracing Jig
This jig is usedto draw the curveson both the shelves and the bookcase top. The small spacerblockscan be glued to the backer and then the thin wood strip can be held in placewith ,board masking tape.

3/8'THTCK

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and I I Attach the solid-wood edge to the shelves I I subtops. Let the ends of the wood edgingrun a little to trim the long.Afterthe glue is dry,use a handsaw endsflushwith the ends of the shelves. overhanging

rf Use a tracing iig to draw a curved line on the I Drawing it on the I & bottom side of the shelfedging. easier(Photo l3). Use a bottom side makesband-sawing spacerboard to support the tracingjig while drawing.

I I I J

Use a bandsaw to cut the curve into the shelf edgingwith the lip of the edgingpointingup.

I I rt I

Sand the curved edging smooth.Start with a belt sanderand finishup with an orbltal sanderor by hand.

right. Use the curved tracing jig (Fig. D) asa guideto drawthe curveson the bottom of the edging of the shelves and subtop (Photo 12). Then bandsawand sand the edgingto final shape (Photos l3 and la). Assemble the Bookca$e in Stager Startby cuttingbiscuitslotsin the ends of the bottom shelves and subtops, and the joining surfaces of the centerand
64

that the endpanels(Fig.A).Remember shelves are flush with the rabbet at the backof the legs(Detail l) and setback ll4n.from thefront of thelegs(Fig.A). Gluing and clampingtheseparts (Photos is a two-stage process together without 15and l6). Practice eachstage glue to make sure the parts line up correctlyand to get a feelfor how they with go together. Get a helperto assist is holdingthe parts.Makesurethe case squarebeforeleavingit to dry.

After the caseis glued up and dry, flip it over on its top and add glue blocks (N) to the under side (Photo 17). Glue blocks are an easyway to After the glue add strengthto the case. is dry, turn the cabinet right-side up and drill the shelf-pin holes using a page bit (seeSources, self-centering 67) and a shop-made drilling guide (Photo18and Fig.E). Now is a good time to takethe four remaining shelves back to the tablesaw

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I f Glue and clamp rogerherone half of the bookcase I rl first. lt's a good idea to test-assemble these parts beforeyou use glue.Proppingup the cabineton a couple of 2x4s makesit easyto check that the parts are correctly alignedon the back edges.

I ( Add the second section of the bookcaseonce the I 19 glue in the first section is completelydry.Again, check that everything is squarebefore leavingit to dry.

I f Fl:p over the bookcase and add glue blocksto the a I boaom.They add an extra measureof rigidity and strength to the legsand case.

I Q Drill 5mm holes for the shelfpins usinga self, I |[J centering bit and a drilling template.Alignthe template flush with the front legsand the rabbetsat the rear.

and cut 1/16 in. off one end of each shelf. It doesn't matter which end, because you'rejust trying to provide someclearance so they'reeasyto install and removefrom the cabinet.Aregular tablesawsledmakesthis stepeasyand safe.Add a ll4-in. plywood spacer u nder t he bot t om o f th e s h e l f to accommodate the overhang of the edging and cut the shelves good-side up. This way,if any chipping occurs,it will be on the under sideof the shelf.

Completethis phaseof assemblyby attachingthe plywood back panels(|) (Photo19). lrlake the Solid-Wood Top After selecting the boards for the curvedtop (P),planethem to thickness and joint the edgessquare. Useboards long and wide enough to produce a glued-uptop that is about I in. oversize in length and width. You will cut the top to final sizeafter theseboards are

glued together. Cut biscuit slots about every 6 in. along the joining edges. Keepthe slots in a couple of inchesfrom the ends so you dont expose them when trimming the top to final length. Biscuits help keep the boards aligned during clamping, but don't expect to have perfectly flush joints everywhere. You will most likely have a few ridges that will needto be scraped or sanded.Also, dont worry if the top develops a little
Woodworker o c r o B E2 R oo3

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Drilling I Q Attach the back with pan head screws. I 7 pilot holesfirst makesdrivingthe screwsa lot easier. easier which makesfinishing The back is now removable, later on.

using on the top of the bookcase t n Draw the curve jigyou used Draw for the shelves. hV tracing the same one sideofthe curvefirstandthenthe other.

t I Attach the top usingwasher headscrews.The L I holes in the subtop are oversizeto allow for seasonal movementof the solid-woodtop.

Disassemble the bookcase and finishit with your LL favoritefinish.Aclear satinvanishlooks great on white birch.

,rrl

-\
4, 11\i.' , s _"'

tt -tt * 'lr

Washer head screws are commonly used to attach drawer fronts to drawer boxes, but they also work great for attaching tops to cabinets.The large washer head holds tight without digging into the plywood. Once you've tried them you'll find many uses for them. They're availablein l-114, l-l12 and page67). l-3/4 in. lengths(seeSources,

twist after it'sglued up. Our top ended up about ll2-in. high at one corner but easilypulled flat when we screwed it onto the bookcase. After you have the boards for the top glued up, cut it to final length.Next, mark the final width at the middle and the endsand usethe tracing jig to draw the curve (Photo 20). Cut the curve with a jigsaw and sand it smooth. Attach the top to the subtop with (Photo21). washerheadscrews

Finishing Now that you have the bookcase all together you get to take it apart for finishing (Photo 22). Removethe top, and the backs. the adjustableshelves This makes finishing the parts easier and putting it back together simple, sinceyou knowall the partsfit correctly. We used a clear satin varnish on our It brought out the grain and bookcase. gaveit a warm naturallook.lW

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zoog ocroarn

FisFl
Plywood Layout

tl

-----------l

(halfsheet)

I I
I

(quarter sheet)

----r----r---r

**-t I I I I I I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I
I t

ci
I I I I I I

I I I

| /4" White Birch Plywood

| /4" White Birch Plywood

3/4" White Birch Plywood

3/4"White Birch Plywood

Cutting

List Overall Dimensions 62-ll4"W x42" H x | 6-3t4" D

T

w
10" 10" 2 -1 /2 " 2 -1 /2 "

L Add1/2' to widthandlength for roughsawing Add1/2' to widthandlength for rough sawing

Add 1/2' to width and length for rough sawing

A B D E
F
\J

Legs Center partitionpanels

6
Z I

1 - 1 / 4 ' , 1 - 1 / 4 " 4 1 - 1 / 4 ' ,6/4 birch 1/4', 1/4" 3/4', 7/8', 7/ 8 " 5/16', 5/16', 1/4', 3/4',
,l 1

1 2 - 1 / 4 ' ,3 6-/4', birchplywood plywood 36-1/4',birch 36-1/4', birch plywood 7- 1 / 4 " birch 36-1/4', birch 10" 2-1/4', 1 0 " birch birch birchplywood 5/4 birch 5/4 birch

Outerend panels
I n n e re n d p a n e l s

Short fillerboards Longfillerboards Applied top rails Applied bottomrails

B a c kp a n e l s

z
Z

Plane thickness to fit (see Photo 3) Plane thickness to fit (see Photo 3)
Planethickness to be flushwith side of leqs

z z

H J K L M
N

Plane thickness to be flush withsideof leos Rough width, finished widthis 13-7 /8' at wide endand11-5l8"at narrow end Rough length, trimto finallength after gluing to shelves andsubtops
Glue up from narrowerboards

29',
1Ar

34-3/4', b irchplywood
zo

Tapered shelves andsubtops I Edging for shelves andsubtop 6 Edging for bottomshelves Glueblocks Curved top
z

1 1

29"

2 - 1 / 4 " 29',

8 1

1 3/4',

3-1/2', 5/4 birch

P
I

16-3/4',62-1/4',4/4 flamebirch

I sources
I 1
J

Paxton Woodcrafters' Store, 614select white birch;96.40/bd.ft.

j taoo) 32s-e8oo
I

West Penn Hardwood, (888) 636-9663 www.westpen nhardwood.com 414 flame white birch; $5/bd. fr. Woodworkers Hardware, (800) 383-0 130 www.wwhardware.com | " washer head screws,#SCLPSX| ; $4 per 100 | -l /4" washer head screws,#SCLPBX I l4; $4 per 100 | - l/2" washer head screws,#SCLPSXI l2: $4 per 100 5mm steel shelf pins,#G402BN; g3 per 20.

WoodworkersSupply, (800) 645-9292 www.wwsupply.com Rabbeting router bit,#8l9-647;g l8 ea. Toggle clamp, | ; $ | 0 ea. # I 73-00 LeeValley, (800)87l -8 158 www.leevalley.com 5mmself-centering drill bit,*t04J05.05; $7 ea.

Youngblood Lumber,(800) 933- 1335 www.youngbloodlumber.com 3/4" uniform light birch plywood;975 per full sheet,$21 per quarter sheet. l/4" uniform light birch plparood;946 per full sheet"$25 per half sheet.

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/,,.s,
'1

;omc,@r
oo

,r
oCToBEB 2003

Tray Serving
1 Miter the I end pieces, usinga stop block, so they're all the same length.From the samesetup,miter the extra pieces you'll need to make the jig for the next step (Photo 2).

Coution: Blade guard must be removed to make this cut Be Careful.

Cut ^4 dadoes in the mitered usinga ends, dado set.A jig made from extra mitered piecesmakes dadoingsafe, preciseand repeatable.

/)

nacks, hors d'oeuvres or breakfast i n bed: th i s t r ay deliversthe goods in style. It weighsalmost nothing, but it'sbuilt to last,and it requiresso little wood that you probably wont even have to go to the lumberyard. allowyou to The jigs wdve designed traysin multiples.It's maketheseelegant a good idea to make a practicetray as you make the jigs, so you can test the resultsand make adjustments. The cool-looking corner joints are to easytomakeon the tablesawthanks jig and a coupleof a simple miter gauge routing sledsallow fences. Shop-made you to template-routthe archedends, rounded cutoutsand curvyhandleson the router table. We've even devised a for gluing. surefireclampingprocedure, If you follow our how-to, youte sure to succeed.

Tools
Youll needa dado setfor your tablesaw and a patternbit for your router table (a pattern bit is a flush-trim bit with the bearing mounted betweenthe cutting page75). flutesand shank;seeSources, Youll also need a planer to mill the 1/2-in.-thicksidesand ends,a jigsawto rough-cut the curves,and a drill press with a 7l8-in. Forstnerbit to establish the curved endsof the handle cutouts. We used a disc sander and a halfround file to true the roughsawnarches and cutoutson our 114-in.-thick If you dont have a routing templates. with disc sandet smooth out the arches a sandingblock. Miter the Ends First Cut the blanks for the sides,ends and handles(Fig. A, PartsA through C). Make extra parts of each,for testing your setupsand to usein the jigs you'll be making. from Setyour miter gauge28 degrees or perpendicular(at either 62 degrees your depending on how 28 degrees, miter gaugeis calibrated)and attacha long fence.Then miter one end of all your end blanks (A).

Coution: Blade guard must be removed to make this cue Be Careful.

1 Cut J beveled edges on the sidesand angled grooves to house the plywood bottom. Use a regular blade to cut the groove, makingtwo or so three passes, the plywood fits snugly.

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7132"W X 3/16"D (TYP.) GROOVE

5/16'D X 5/g"W X17132"L

DetailI Detail2

5/16"DX s/g"W DADO (TYP.)

TRIMTO MATCH END PROFILE BEFORE GLUEUP

thistray from acouple preclous pleces you've been saving.

118DEGREES 28 DEGREES

.\

ffi;,r^" -Teuon

Caution: Blade guard must be removed to make this cuc Be Careful. Cut half-lap tenons on the sides, usingthe miter taute, a sacrificial fenceand your dado set.Thefencesetting determinesthe tenon'slength.The tenon'swidth and thickness are determinedby bladeheight. A -T f Transfer the location of the grooye from the side to J the end,after assembling the corner joint.Thismerhod is more accuratethan usinga ruler.

American

Woodworker

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7l

Tray Serving
Rout both f O handles from one piece of wood, using a flush-trim pattern bit and a shop-made templaterouting sled (Fig.B, page75).

On the bottom edge of one end blank, mark the l3-314-in.final length, measuring from the mitered end. Use this marked blank to install a stop block on your fence so you can miter the other end of the blanks (Photo 1). Cut the dadoes(Fig.A, Detail 1) with a dado set and a jig that holds the end pieceon its bevelededge(Photo 2). To make the jig, attach a tall fenceto your miter gauge and fasten two of Your extra mitered pieces to the fence. Be surethe end'sbottom edgerestsflat on the sawtable when it's clampedin place. The dado starts llfin. awayfrom the end'sbottom edge. Bevel the Sldes so blade to 28 degrees Tilt the tablesaw's of the you can bevel the bottom edges sides(Fig.A, Detail 2). The bevel angle is the sameasthat on the mitered ends. To get a smoothly sawn surface,make First establishthe two beveling passes. bevelby setting the rip fenceto leavethe blank slightly wide (about 1/16 in. oversize).Then reset the fence and make a light clean-up pass to final width. Leavethe blade at the sameangleto cut the grooves for the plYwood bottom, starting Il2 in. from the bottom edge(Photo 3).

Sawthe I / handles from the blank usinga sacrificialslednothing more than a scrap of plywood. Fasten the blank to the sled with doublefaced tape, so the small handlesstay attached and stable after the cut.

Flt the Gorner folnto

Setup the sawto cut the hulf-l"P tenons on the sides.You have to remove the blade guard for this procedure, so be careful.Installthe dado setand lower it below the saw table. Then make a sacrificialfenceto housethe dado set,so you can crosscutthe tenons to length (Photo 4). Setting the blade height to cut the cheeksand bottom facesof the tenons is fussy,becausethe tenons have to fit just right. Usethe dadoeson one of the end piecesto mark the location of the tenons on an extra side piece.Then cut starting out"fati'and the tenon cheeks, adjust the blade height until you get the proper fit. Cut the back face of the

72

Ametican

Woodworker

o c r o B E2 Ro o 3

tenon last. This cut removesthe slot for the plywood bottom, so it won't showwhen the tray is assembled. Fit the Plywood Bottom The lastjoinery stepis to cut groovesin the end piecesfor the bottom. Dry-fit the sidesand endsso you can transfer the location of the grooves(Photo 5). Cut thesegroovesstraight,not angled like the ones in the sides,but use the samemultiple-passtechniqueto make them wide enough. Dry-fit the tray's bottom, to make sure it fits. Lay one of the ends flat on your bench and insert the bottom into thegroove.Then engage the bottom in the side's groovesand slidethem down to meet the end. If the bottom is too wide, the tenonswont fit.If the bottom is too long, you won't be ableto install the other end. Make Sleds for

C) Glue the O handles on the roughlyshaped ends. Use centerlines and a spacerto hold the handle level and at the right height. Waxed paper keepsthe spacer from accidentally gettingglued on.

Routing the Curves

All of the curved shapesare templaterouted,usingtwo shop-made sleds, for safety(Figs. B and C,page75). Each sled consistsof a template,a fenceand two stops.Toggleclampshold the blanks securelyand push blocks give you excellent control of the sled (see Sources, page75). Use a photo copier to enlarge the patterns (1 and 2, page 74) for the templatesby 256 percent. Because copiers aren't alwaysaccurate,check your enlargements and make necessary adjustments so your patterns match the stateddimensions. Saw the Blanks Oversize Install eachblank in the sledand mark the curves and cutouts.Then roughsawthe blanksto within 1116 in.of the lines.To cut out the handles,youllhave to drill a pilot hole for your jigsawblade on the end pieces.If you have a drill press, install stop blocks and drillT lSin.-dia. holes near each end of the cutout.Then simplysawout the middle.

Rout the Q J arched end and the handle at the sametime, using a sledand a pattern bit (Fig.C, page75). Be especially careful not to blow out the protruding front end of the handle.

I \,1 handle hole.With the power off, center the bit in the hole.Make sure the sled doesnt move when you power up. Push the sled forward into the bit (1) and advance the cut counterclockwise around the inside of the hole (2). Make very light passes and go slowly.
American Woodworker ocToBE 2R 003

the 1 n Rout

73

Tray Serving
Make the Handles Both handlesarerouted and sawnfrom they'retoo darn a largeblank, because small to safely machine individually (Photos6 and7). Youhaveto rout into the grain on the front side of each arch, so make light passes and go slowlyto avoid tear-out. it The routing sledis a big help,because gives you such great control of the workpiece. Sawingthe narrow,rounded handles free from the blank is easy and safe when you use a simple plywood sled (Photo 7).Without the sledto stabilize the small off-cut handles,it's possible for them to spin back into the blade and kick back. It's important to saw the handles accurately, ll2-in. wide at the center. Sawinga bit wider makes them a lot longer; sawinga bit thinner makesthem a lot shorter. When you set the fence,remember that the handlesare offcuts-you have to compensatefor the sawkerf. Attach the Handles to the Ends Cut I-7l8-in.-wide spacerblocks to hold the 3/4-in.-thick handles at the right height for gluing (Photo 8). Mark on the handles.Applya thin centerlines bead of glue and rub the handle back and forth againstthe end. Let the joint sit for a couple of minutes before clamping, so the pieces won't slide around when you apply pressure. Rout the Arches and Handle Holes Routing the archesis similar to routing the handles.Be carefulon the front side ofthe ofthe arch and take advantage control the sled givesyou (Photo 9).

'l 'l Angled blocks and a flat surface put clamp Pressureon the ioints. First I I chmp the endsto a pieceof MDF (1).Thenclampthe sidesto the ends,using clampthe endsto the sides(3). angledblocks (2). Finally,

Hand l e Pattern 1 Handle

t', Grid

Pattern2 End

l" Grid

L 6"W x 21-15/16" 2-1 /2" H x 14-1511 OverallDimensions: Part

1 / 2 "x 2 - 3 / 4 "x 1 8 " 1 / 2 "x 1 / 3 / 4 "x 2 2 " 3/4"x2-3/4"x16"
1/4" x14n x21n****
American Woodworker 2R oo3 ocroBE

LIST CUTTING

1 / 2 "x 2 - 1 / 2 "x 1 3 - 3 / 4 " * 1/?" x1-5/8"** x21" 3/4" x1/2' x6'*** /4" 1/4" x 13-7 /16' x 20-1

of bottom **17/32' Ltenons on ends ***tvvohandlesper blank

To rout the handle hole, move counterclockwisearound the inside edge(Photo 10). Assembly Dry-fit the tray,including the bottom. The sideswill be slightlytallerthan the ends(Fig.A,Detail2,page 7l). Plane or sandthem flush.Finish-sandall of the parts prior to gluing and clamping. It'sbestto glue the traytogether all at once (Photo l l). This requirescareful clamping,so usegluethat setsup slowly. Gluing the bottom in addition to the cornerjoints makesthe tray very rigid. Don t go crazy with the glue,or you ll have a lot of squeeze out to clean up. coat the mortises in the ends and Just run a bead in all the groovesfor the bottom. Youll needa 20-in. x22-in.clamping table(weused3/4-in.MDF), five24-rn.capacity adjustableclamps and two small clampsto hold the endsflat to the clampingboard.We used2x4 risersto make room for the end clamps. Our angledclampingblocks were offcuts. Spray on the Finish After gluing, you'll have to do some touch-up sanding to flush the joints and round any sharp edges. Vacuum the tray,wipe it with a tack cloth and it's readyfor finishing. A er os ol- s p ra y p o l y u re th a n ei s a perfect finish for this project. Set the tray upside-downand spraythe bottom and outer sidesfirst. After the poly is dry, turn the tray over and spray the inside and the top edges. Spraythree coatson each side,sanding between
each coat.

Routing Sleds
Shape the templates,using Patterns I and 2 (page74).Fasten the fencesatthe bottom of the templates, exactlyparallel.Then fastenthe stops so they cradlethe blanksdead-center on the template. Fig. B Handle Routing Sled

112" X5-112" X 20"

STOP BLOCK 112"X1-114"X2" (ROUTPROFTLE AFTER GLUING)

TEMPLATE 1/4"X8"X20"

Fig. C End RoutingSled

112"X5-112" X20"

Sources SevenCorners Hardware, (65l) 224-4859 www.Tcorners.com Top bearingflush-trim pattern bit, l/2-in.dia.;| -in.flute; l/4-in.shank, F r e u d5 0 - 1 0 2 $ ; 26. HighlandHardware,(800) 241-6748 www. h ighland hardware.com Toggleclamps(2;use for both sleds) #166104:$6 ea. Pushblocks (2;use for both sleds) #03 1039; $ l0/pair.

STOP BLOCK 112"X1-114" X2-112" (ROUTPROFTLE AFTER GLUING)

TEMPLATE 1l4"Xg"X20u
American Woodworker OCTOB 2E 0R 03

75

rh

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,TEO
Iotuotg'n'

Test: Tool

Munkittrick byDave

to the nextlevel Take dustcontrol

one are the dayswhen a dusty shop was considered a productive shop.Now, a dusty shop is a hazardousshop. Fine dust makesa messof everything,including your lungs. Due to this heightened dust collectionhasbecome awareness, a fast-growingareafor manufacturers o f w o o d w o r k i n g e q u i p m e n t .A i r cleaners are designedto hang from the ceiling where they can reduce the inyour amount of fine dust suspended shop's air (Fig.A). Common Misconceptions About Air Gleaners Air cleanersare not dust collectors. to collect They aresimply not designed l a rg e q u anti ti es of dust. Most ai r heating and cleanersuse disposable air conditioning filters. These filters are designed for relatively clean,slow moving air. Filters on dust collectors a r e d e s i g n e dt o t a k e h e a v y d u s t cleaning. loadingsand repeated Don't Put the Cart Before the Horse B e f o r er u s h i n g o u t t o b u y a n a i r c l e a n e r ,g e t a h i g h - q u a l i t y d u s t collector with proper filters first (for more on this, seeAW #80,"Tool Test: 80 andAW #100, Dust Collectorsi'page "Central Dust Collectionl' page 54). Add a shop vacuum to collect from your hand-held power tools (seeAW #80,"Tool Test:ShopVacuumsl'Pug-. 69). Together,these two systemswill capture the vast majority of the dust your shop produces.An air cleaner

American

Woodworker

2R oo3 ocToBE

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Air cleaners are the last line of defense in the war on wood dust. Firstcomesa high-quality dust collectorthat captures the dust directlyfrom your machines. Next comesa vacuumto capture the cloudsof dust from your hand-held power tools.Finally, add an air cleanerto get what's left. Don't forget a dust maskto protect your lungsfrom the dust that's on its way to your air cleaner.

Am erican Wooclworker

o c r o B E2R oo3

77

How Do TheyWork?
soul RREL.CAGE
:
CLEAN
AIE -

Fig. A
CutawayView of Air Cleaner Typical
w i t ha s q u i r r e l a :b o x in principle ir ss i m p l e A n a i rc l e a n e Theblower motor. hp)electric run by a small(fractional cageblower filter.The anda pocket a pre-filter pullsairthrough filters, typically twoor more prematurely pocket f ilterfromgetting pre-filter protects expensive the more the finestparticles. plugged f iltercaptures Thepocket withdebris. in cubicfeet is measured an air cleaner through of airthat passes Theamount ( c f m). perm inut e
DUSTY .AIR

will help capturethe fugitive dust that your other systems. escapes The Balance of Air Flow and Filtration Effectiveair cleaningis a race against time. Once a dust particle becomes airborne, it's only a matter of time in your shopor lungs.To beforeit settles get the dust before it can settle,an air cleanermust circulate allthe air in your shop everysix minutes. in cubic So,lotsof airflow,measured feetper minute (cfm), is a good thing. But the cfm capacityof an air cleaneris alsoneeda onlyhalf the equation.You top-notch filter to capturethe fine dust. Only a few of the machinesin our test successfully combined good cfm and good filtration (Fig.B). Somemachineshavegreatfilters but ar e les s t han ro b u s t i n th e c fm department(Fig.C). Othershad lots of airflowbut lessefficientfilters (Fig.D).

Testing Air Cleaners of the techni calexperti se B e c a u se required to accuratelytest air filters, to ParticleTech, we took all the cleaners l estinglab in I n c . , a p r o f e s s i o n at Minneapolis.Beforethe testwe installed self-stick weather strip on the filter flangesof eachmachineto reduceleaks (see'Air Cleaner Tips" page8l). Each m a c h i n e w a s s e t i n a s e a l e dt e s t chamberwhere a total of 80 grams of test dust was introduced standardized in 16-gram increments called "loadings."The standardizeddust we used was made up of particlesthat rangedin sizefrom 100micronsto less than I micron. Dust that got through the machineswas captured and weighedto determinehow much dust the air cleanerlet through. With each loading, cfm readings werealsotakento track how the airflow degradedasthe filter got dirty.

Filtration The "Blow Through" heading in the chart, page 82, tells you how many gramsof the testdustgot through each machi ne.It i s a di rect meas ureof fi ltration performance. The blow through numbersarequite smal l , but keep i n mi nd th at t hi s most harmful represents the smallest, So,a small differencein particle sizes. weight is actually a big difference in performance.For example,our worst performing machine let 68 times as much harmful dust through asour best performing machine.That'shuge. Manufacturersoften usepercentages to rate filter performance but this is mi sl eadi ng.In our test, the wor st performercaptured91.5percentof the dust and the best captured 9 9. 875 percent.Long yearsof schoolinghave conditionedus to look on a 90 percent But that'sjust scoreas a great success. with filtration. not the case

American

Woodworker

oog o c r o e ez R

Air Flowwith FilterEfficiency Balancing

Fig.B Hish CFM/
High-Efficiency Filt er Themosteffective a airc leaners st r ik e high balance between (cfm) andhig h a ir f low The f i lters. efficiencf
higherthe airflow,the faster y o u rs h o pa i r w i l l b e c l e a n e d . Highthe equation, f i l t e r sc o m p l e t e e f fi c i e n c y dust a l m o s ta l l o f t h e a i r b o r n e capturing s u c k e di n t o t h e a i r c l e a n e r .
LOTS OF CLEAN AIR

The Best

Fig. C
Low CFM/ High-Efficiency Filter
with low Air cleaners c f m c a n ' tg e t a l l t h e dust beforeit settles out of the air. Eventhe if the best f ilter is useless f a i l s t o b r i n gi n blower air. enough
A LITTLE. C L E A NA I R

DUST FALLOUT

Fig. D
H i g hC F M / Low-Efficiency Filter
Air cleaners with low-eff iciency f i l t e r sa l l o wt o o muchdust-laden air to be circulated b a c ko u t i n t o y o u r s h o pa n d l u n g s .

LOTS OF NOT-SOCLEAN AIR

POOR FILTER

t-.

Featu res

,-"fi'=9r?s?'*=

rl Disposable pre-filters do a better job than washable I pre-filters.However,washablepre-filters offer greater simplywash cleanwith water,dry and reuse. convenience:

Webbing or stitching is usedon the best ] L performing pocket filters, allowing the filter to open up like a parachuteinto the air stream.Thewebs also prevent the individualpockets from contacting each other for uniform airflow through the filters.

Real World CFM Avoid using the manufacturer's cfm numberswhen comparing air cleaners. These are often based on the blower running without the filters installed. Not a very realisticnumber. We took a total of six cfm readings on each machine,starting with clean filters and once for each 16-gram loading of test dust.As the filter loads The"Dirty with dust,the cfm decreases. Filter CFM"rating in the chart is the last readingtaken after all 80 grams of dust have been run through the machine. T he " A v er age C F M" i n th e c h a rt represents the average of all six readings and is a good working number to use when determining what sizemachine you need for your shop. Size Air Gleaner Do I Needt As a rule of thumb, your air cleaner should filter all the air in your shop everysix minutes.This is a minimum. An air cleanerthat can do the job in less it will cleanthe time is better because contaminated air in your shop that much more quickly. To determine the size or how many cleanersyou need, start by calculating the cubic feet of your shop (L x W x H). Divide that Ithat

n u mb er by 6 and you' l l have the minimum number of cubic feet per needsto minute,or cfm, the air cleaner pull through it's filters.Usethe'Average CFM" number from the chart to seeif the collector you'relooking at is right for your shop space. if your shop measures For example, 15 ft. x20 ft. x 8 ft., it contains2,400 cubic feet of air. Divide by 6 to get the minimum cfm required,in this case 400. Features Pre-filters A i r c l e a n e rp r e - f i l t e r s a r e e i t h e r (Photo 1).The disposable or washable pre-filter choiceis yours.A disposable manytimes beforethe will be replaced pocket filter behind it needs replacement. You may be tempted to pre-filter,but vacuum offa disposable dont. This can damagethe fabric and reducethe filter'sefficiency. Washablepre-filters, on the other hand,offer convenience and long-term When they get dirty, you cost savings. simply rinse them out, let them dry and put them back into service.The filter moneyyou save usinga washable may get spentin more frequentpocket however,becausethe filter changes,

let more dust through. washables RemoteControl A remote control may be important if your machineis goingto be out of reach (P hoto 3). On some mach i n est he remotecontrol is the onlywayto adjust speedor set the timer (a bad deal if you run out of batteriesor lose your remote). Speeds Timer andVariable A timer and/or variable speedsare on somemachines(Photo4). available Timers aregreatand allowthe machine to keep cleaningyour shop air when allow you'renot there.Variablespeeds you to run your machine at a lower the noiseyou haveto cfm. This reduces put up with, but the lower cfm also of y our reducesthe effecti veness cleaner. Noise Thesemachinesare running for long periods of time, so noise can be an issue. All the machineswere relatively (we're quiet talking about a woodshop here).The trade-offfor a quiet machine is lower cfm. You just cant haveyour cakeand eat it, too.

80

American

Woodworker

oo3 o c r o B E2 R

CFM numbers
ck No: 7086208
'ial No 2H 4H

(9

aO Oa
HI MID

TY'

providedby manufacturers

.e
(

LO

SPEED

,,&
Remote controls let you operate your Q 9 machinewhen it's out of reach.Weliked radio-controlledremotes the best.They don't require you to aim the remote or have a clear shot at the control panel.They even come with key slots in the back so they can be hungon the wall. Timers allow you to cleanthe air when just set the air you're not around. cleanerto run a few hours after you're done and you'll return to a cleanshop.Variable speeds are of lessvalue.The machine is quieter on a low setting, but for best performance, it needsto be circulating as muchair as possible.

are often unrealistic.

They'rebased on runningthe blowerwithout the filters!

AIR CLEANER TIPS

Telltale FilterMonitor
Ribbonson the exhaustport are a visiblecue that it's time to change your filters.With a cleanfilter installed, tie a few long ribbon "telltales"onto the exhaustgrate.Then, turn on the machineand shorten them until they flutter horizontally.They'll beginto droop at about a 45-degree anglewhen itt time to change the filters.

PreventLeaks
Add a gasketon the filter flangeto prevent air from bypassing the filters.Some modelscome with a gasket on the filter flanges, but all the ones we saw were poorly installed,leaving largegaps.You can applyyour own gaskets usingself-stick weather strip available at hardware stores.

Whereto LocateYourAir Cleaner

Locateyour machineas centrallyas possiblebut cheat it toward areaswhere the dust is created.For example, a good location is over an assembly table where you do handsanding. For best results, especially in larger shops, buy two smallerunits rather than one big one.That'sbecause your air cleaner tends to pull hardeston the air around it leaving the far corners of your shop virtually untouched.Two cleaners can be set uP to create a current around the shop to maximizethe circulationof air through the machines.

Arnerican Woodworker

ocroBE 2R oo3

8l

Recommendations
O u r p i c k s r e p r e s e n tt h e o p t i m a l combinationof cfm and filtration. Units that allowedmore than a gram of dust thr ough were e x c l u d e d fro m this may At first glance, consideration. but a small seem overly restrictive, in efficiencycan make a huge difference in effectively capturingsmall, difference dust particles. health-damaging lesscfm than the but about 11-percent Editors'Choice, the JDS750-ER. fet put up somestrongcfm numbers, let more than twice but both Jetmachines asmuch dustthroughasthe JDS750-ER. with comes The GeneralInt'l 10-550 great good at a cfm, all a remote and price.It would havebeen a strong Best Buy candidateif it hadnt let through four times more dust than the Delta AP-200,our BestBuy.The samething can be saidfor the ShopFox:greatcfm but it fell down on and good features, took The Lee Valley 03J05.20 filtration. top honors in filtration, but was weak on the cfm side. IW
Note: An air cleanerfrom Harbor model Freight(800-423-2567), #46361,arrivedtoo late to includein the laboratory testing.At $ 170,it is the lowest priced machinein the group. a radio It's quiet,and includes remote control and hanging hardware.However,the filters are only capableof filtering to 20 microns. Craftsman and Grizzly declined to participate in this tool test.

Runners Up
A.couple of modelswould havemade B es t B uy and Ed i to rs ' C h o i c e h a d beenbetter. filteringor cfm performance a top Editors' The Delta 50-875was hasgreatfiltration Choicecontender.It

+roa
"""" AP-200 Delta e
Delta 50-875 GeneralInt'l l0-600 Ml General Int'l l0-550 M I

(800)438-2486 $230 5821402 498 (800)438-2486 $270 594t437 523

0.2 0.3 3.8 1.2 0.3 0.8 0.65 0.3 0.1 2.05 1.8 3.6 6.8

none infrared

w
D D

Y Y
N

(sr4)326| r6r $320 402t242 3 3 1

(sr4) 3 2 6 - i l 6 1 $220 64U383 523 (8oo) 480-726e $289 664t5t4 589
(800)274-6848 $240 674t383 528

radio(f)
infrared infrared infrared infrared none none

7so-ER JDS !n
10008 JetAFS1500 JetAFS| LeeValley #03JO5.0 AB 5OO LeeValley #03J05.20 AB 760
Penn StateAC620

w
D D

Y Y* Y*
N

(800)274-6848 $32s 899t737 823

(800) 87r-8| s8 $r9s 27v242 2s7 (800) 87r-8rs8 $279 402t297

(800)377-72e7 $240 351 t39

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WandD

Y Y*
Yx N N

242t45

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D

radio(f)
infrared none

F ox W l6 9 0 S hop Woodtek923-838 Woodtek923-859

(800)840-8420 $26s 6851484 596 146 (800) 64s-e2e2 $200 t7 t t99 (800) 64s-e2e2$2s0 27v223 241

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W

radio(f)

(t) manualswitch to selectremote or manualoperation.

82

American

Woodworker

ocToBE 2R 003

E UJ E l

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JDS 75O.ER This is a greatall-around air cleaner.The JDS hasthe two basic requirements sewn up:excellent cfm and great filter pedormance. Plus, the 750-ERaddsan infrared remote,timer and variablespeed. We wish it had a radio remote, but that'sour only complaint.

Delta AP-200
The DeltaAP-200hasall the basic requirements at a low price: excellentfiltering performanceand high cfm.Theret no remote control if you're thinkingof hanging your machineup out of reach,but the switch is located on the power cord for easyaccess.

Y Y/R Y Y Y/R Y/R

N N

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
N N

1 2 x 2 4x 2 8 1 2x 2 4 x 2 8 1 4x 2 4 x 3 0 12x24x28 1 2 x 2 4x 3 4 12x24x30 16x20x32 llx20x32 llx20x32 12x24x30 1 2 x 2 4x 3 0 1 2 x1 2 x 3 0 1 2 x 2 4x 3 0

65 68 64 65 65
66

Built-inswitch in power cord. Electrostatic or charcoalpre-filteravailable. 3-speedmotor.Timer settingsat l12to7-l12hour settingsin l12 hour incremenrs. Built-in dirty-filter irylicltor. Gaps in filter-flangegasket.Switch on power cord. Timer settings at2,4,6 and 8 hours.3-speed fan. Single speed.Timersettingsat 2,4 and 8 hours.Gaps in filter-flange gasket. 3 speeds.Timer settingsat l, 2, 3 and 4 hours.Electrostatic or charcoal pre-filteravailable. Timer settingsat2,4 or 8 hours.3-speed fan.Electrostatic or charcoal pre-filter available. Gasket around pocket filter frame. 2" thick pre-filter.Timer settingsat 2,4 or 8 hours.3-speedfan.Comes with two filters,but hasthe capacity for three. Electrostatic or charcoalpre-filteravailable. Filter changenot tool-free.Smallopeningmakeschanging pocket filters difficup. Loose screws for filter accesspanel are easyto lose. 2 pre-filters.2speeds. Smallopeningmakeschanging pocket filters difficult. Loose screwsfor filter access panelare easyto lose. 5 speeds. Gaps in filter-flangegasket.Higher efficiencypocket-filter upgradeavailable. Timer settingsat2,4,6 and 8 hours. 3-sPeed fan.Gasketaround pocket filter frame.Timersettingsat 1,2 and 4 hours. Polyesterpocket filter is washable. Switch on power cord. Polyester pocket filter is washable. No pull chainor cord switch for manualoperation. l-micron upgradefilter available.

68 60 6l 57
66

Y/R Y/R
N N

57 57

Am eri can Woodworker

ocToBE 2R oo3

83

v;"r,{iiig

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S m a l l S h o pT i p s

Dispenser Tape fumbo

I havefive or six differentkinds of tapeitt -y shop,and last I got fed up with rooting throrrghu drawerto find weekend the one I wanted.To solvethe problem,I built this tape that holdsa varietyof tapewidths and types. dispenser birch from scrapsof 314-in. I made my dispenser lumber but plywood will work. Almost all regular-size rolls of tapehavea 3-in. centerhole,so the samesizefiller block will work for most rolls. and rounded I mademy fi.llerblocks 2-31l6-in.square The axle roll. the the cornersuntil I got a tight fit inside The axlefits into a slot in the wassimply a314-in.dowel. dividers.I cut the slotson my routertableusing a3l4-n.bit. They arell4-in.deep and 1-1/2-in.long. dia.straight A hacksawblade on the front panel servesas the to your proedge.Ifyou needa roll closer tape-cutting ject,just lift it out and take it with you. Ron corradin

85

American

Woodworker

2R 003 ocToBE

gi ygtqouuq boss! opportunity! unlimited Enioy

You Choose! Hours the Work Money! Make Great
beforethey put their money on the line. YOU can be the expefi they rum to!

INSPEGTIIB A HOME BE
Spots! Trouble toDetect Learn home inspectiontakesonly The average - R OOF Home Inspectors - WIR IN G a coupleof hours...and * WINDOWS - FOUNDATION can eam greatmoney working ftlll- or Dart{ime.The medianannualincomefor - PLUMBING INSULATION - ASBESTOS in the U.S.is $37,500. ilome Inspectors eam Ten percentof Home InsPectors INFESTATION LEAD over $56,000!* Needed! Experience No Previous ()wn Business! Your Starl
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NoMoreBruises
My shop is so small that I often bump into my tools while navigating between them. Recently, I got a nasty scrape andbruise on mythigh from the end of the fencerail on my tablesaw. To preventfurther injury l pluggedthe end of the rail with a rounded-overblock of wood. I still bump into it occasionally, but at l e a s t n o w i t d o e s n ' t l eave a scratch. Hall James

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If you havean origind Small Shop Tip, sendit to us with a phgg. Ifwe print it, you'll let $100! Sendyour tip to: *.r*g.t Small Shop Tips, Amirican Ifloodw6rker, 2915 Commerl Drirre, Suite 7fi), Ea*ran, MN 55lll or e-mail to cant be returned and becohe otu ptopetf,r upon acceDsmce and payment.\79 may.qdit submissions, andusi them in all print and electronicmedia.
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While working in my shop,I becamehungry and decided to break for a peanut butter sandwich.We buy "natural" to be peanutbutter that needs Being mixedbeforespreading. both a power tool nut and a drill genius,Itook my cordless and chuckedin our Mixmasthe process. to speed ter blade, The mixingwent well,but asI tried to unhook the dripping blade,I instinctively gripped the drill, and unintentionally pulled the trigger at the same time. Round and round went the jar and blade, spraying peanut but t er a l l o v e r th e kitchen.Somegenius. Pilcher Tom
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cabineton riser blocksso I could wipe all around the botI wasreadyto stain my Mission-styledisplaycabinet,the toms of the legswithout touchingthe floor.Unfortunately, first project I'd built sincewe'd moved into our brandas I steppedback to admire my ingenuity,I kicked over wasunfinished,I Eventhough the basement new house. the open can of stain. I was right; my wife was not knew my wife wouldn't appreciateany stains on the a dropclothwasunnecessarybecause amused! floor.Still,I decided Ioe Cafferata I was planning to wipe on the stain. I even set the

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If you have a woodworking blunder you're willing to share, send it to us. You'll receive $100 for g3.!91:_we print. Send to: "Wood*oik.t, 55121, or e-mail to Drive, Suite 7OO, Eagan, MN 29Li Commers e\iZ Oops!, American oops@re^adersdigest.com. Submissions can'r be returned and become our property upon acceptance and payment. \fle may edii submissions, and use them in all print and electronic media.

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