Professional Documents
Culture Documents
2015
Exc
sold lusive
new on th ly
SHOP STORAGE ssta e
nd!
Page
42
SHOP FIXTURES
Page
72
7 Shop
Standbys!
SHOP JIGS
3
8
Page 60
2
4
6
7 5
8
$9.99US $10.99CAN
Workshop Projects
& Techniques
Whether you're building your first tool
collection, considering how to make your
shop a cooler place to work or looking for
Nail Gun Cabinet, that heirloom workbench plan, this workshop-
page 42 focused special issue will provide you with a
wealth of projects and advice to help make
your shop time as rewarding as possible.
4 Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s
Trapped Wedge
Layout Gauge,
page 88
Avoid Tearout,
page 44 Workshop Projects & Techniques:
Spring 2015
Chris Marshall Special Projects Editor
Advertising Sales
Alyssa Tauer Advertising Director
atauer@woodworkersjournal.com
David Beckler National Sales Representative
Shop Table, dbeckler@woodworkersjournal.com
page 94 (469) 766-8842 Fax (763) 478-8396
Subscription Inquiries
(800) 765-4119 or
www.woodworkersjournal.com
Write Woodworker’s Journal,
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Email: WWJcustserv@cdsfulfillment.com
Websites:
Adjustable
Shop Horse, www.woodworkersjournal.com
page 48 www.woodworking.com
©2015 Rockler Press Inc., Printed in USA.
A
ll of us want good value from
our tool purchases — high
quality for reasonable
dollars spent. Then there’s the
matter of choosing between all
the model options available at
various price points. Picking the
right one is enough to stymie
a woodworking editor, let alone a
newbie buying those first tools.
After years of reviewing
tools for the Journal, I still hav-
en’t found the tool-buying
crystal ball that guarantees you’ll
find the perfect tools to fit your
needs. But, poring over and using
hundreds of different tools has
left me with some general impres-
sions that may help ease your
long-term buying decisions when
those times come.
First, a little advice that may sur-
prise you. The “best” tool often
isn’t the biggest or most expen-
sive. It’s the one that gives you
safe, accurate results, saves you
time or effort and is comfortable
to use. Pricing doesn’t necessarily
correlate with these three factors.
You can do fine woodworking
with moderately priced tools if
they’re made well. And, thankful-
ly, the big tool makers we’ve come
to trust are building quality tools
at many price points — not just at
the top end.
/VERARMÀ$USTÀ#OLLECTION /2 )NTEGRATEDÀ-OBILEÀ"ASE
$199 Value $199 Value
Buy a Professional Cabinet Saw between March 1 and April 30, 2015,ÀANDÀWELLÀO˯ÀERÀYOUÀTHEÀ
UPGRADEÀOPTIONÀOFÀYOURÀCHOICEÀ)NTEGRATEDÀ-OBILEÀ"ASEÀORÀ/VERARMÀ$USTÀ#OLLECTION
À˾ FREE!
7HILEÀSUPPLIESÀLASTÀ6ISITÀYOURÀLOCALÀDEALERÀORÀSEEÀWEBSITEÀFORÀDETAILS
*Overarm Dust Collection requires a DC Blade Guard, which is included with the 3.0HP Professional Cabinet Saw but must be purchased for the 1.75HP model. 3AW3TOPCOMUPGRADE
A jointer and planer give you more
control over the initial cost, species
options and, of course, final
trueness and thickness of your
stock. For serious woodworking,
you’re going to need them both.
equal grace. It’s a much safer able cutting width, around 6" of
ripping tool than your table saw, resaw height and decent power
because there’s no risk of kick- for the money. For ordinary curve
back. A band saw will even help cutting and ripping, they’re still a
you economize stock and create great choice. You can even stretch
new design possibilities when you the resawing capacity another 4
use it for resawing. You’ll fall in to 6 inches by adding a riser
love the first time you saw open a kit to your saw. I would avoid
dazzling book-matched panel. saws with less than 1hp motors if
Band saws are sized by the dis- you plan to cut thick stock or do
tance from the throat of the frame any resawing. An underpowered
to the blade. It sets the maximum motor turns resawing into a slow
width of cut you can make. A sec- and laborious job.
ond and equally important capac- For wide resawing or roughing
ity is how high you can raise the out large turning blanks, a larger
blade guard above the table. This 16" or 18" band saw may be the
determines the thickest stock right long-term investment for
you can cut. So, choosing the you — even at twice the price of
best band saw for your shop will a 14" saw. These larger saws are
require reaching a compromise really entry-level industrial tools.
between cost and cutting capacity. Their heavy-duty frames, wheels
Fourteen-inch band saws have and blade tensioning systems are
dominated the home shop market designed to accept wider 3/4" or
for decades. They offer reason- 1" resawing blades. You’ll ben- efit from a more powerful 2 to
5hp motor, a big cast-iron table
and improved blade guides and
Blade Tension, Tracking Improvements guards. My 16" band saw has
never let me down, and I’m quite
certain it’s capable of more per-
formance than I demand from it.
Regarding features, a few are
worth the extra cost. A quick-
release blade tensioner will save
you the effort of cranking your
blade tension up and down each
time you use the saw (it’s a good
habit to adopt). Look closely at
the guides, too. Ball-bearing side
and rear thrust guides will gener-
ally last longer than solid guides
and help keep your saw track-
ing straight and true. A sturdy
Relieving tension on a band saw blade Top-flight blade guides will keep your rip fence is important. And, an
can extend its life. The process is cuts tracking straight and true. The on-board work light really helps if
simple with a quick-release, available best style: ball-bearing side guides and your shop lighting isn’t quite up to
on many new saws. a rear thrust bearing.
snuff. But, all things being equal,
Sanding doesn’t have to be an all-day affair if you outfit your shop with the right
machines. Your go-to tool for finishing prep will probably be a random-orbit
sander with a hook-and-loop pad (left). The author recommends a benchtop
spindle sander (middle) for cleaning up curves. A disc sander (right) is perfect for
touching up miter angles, rounding over corners and evening up same-length
parts when the need arises.
FOLD
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230 S. Clinton St., Olean, NY 14760
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SHAPE
Conventional
Spring 2015 17
A Traditional European Workbench
Here’s a workbench to top all others.
Designed by master woodworker Frank
Klausz, you’ll use it for a lifetime,
and so will your children’s children.
11
9 1
4
8
1 7
2
1
Fox Joint Detail
1
/2"
22
24
37
12
13
23
20
14
19
16
26
26
15 18
34
31 28
36
26
29
32
30
Square off the short section assembled. Cut the groove in the groove. Then dry assemble the
and glue it to the long section, short end cap also. All the spline caps to the top and drill the
making sure that all the holes grooves should be centered on long holes into the endgrain of
line up and that the splines don’t the thickness of the top. the top. Remove the caps and
interfere with them. Finally, Notch and drill the short end continue the holes to their full
trim the ends square and rout cap for the benchscrew nut depth. Drill or rout pockets in
the grooves for the end cap at this time. You will need to the underside of the top for the
splines (see photo, above). drill a hole in the inside face hex nuts, as you did with the rail
with a Forstner bit for the cast- joints in the base of the bench.
Attaching the End Caps iron nut, then a smaller hole If necessary, trim the shoulder
Before you can attach the end the rest of the way through for block for a perfect fit between
caps, you’ll need to first join the screw itself. Then trace the the top and the end cap assem-
the long end cap to the arm of benchscrew flange around the bly. Rout spline grooves on
the shoulder vise. This is a sim- larger hole and rout the end cap three sides of the block and
ple through-dovetail joint that to the depth of the flange. (A dry assemble it. Then, mark the
you can cut on the band saw typical installation is shown in finished length of both end caps
and clean up with chisels and the photo on page 27.) Repeat at 8½" past the back edge of the
rasps (see photos, below, and this procedure for the shoulder top, and cut them to length on a
on page 26). Make an angled vise benchscrew nut, and install miter or radial arm saw.
ramp, clamped to the band saw both nuts with the appropriate The final step before gluing on
table, to tilt the shoulder vise sized screws before glue-up. the end caps is to rout the dove-
arm when cutting the dovetail Next, drill the 1/2" holes tail sockets in the ends for the
socket. through the end caps for the backboard. Frank used a sim-
Dry-fit this dovetail, then disas- hex-head machine bolts that will ple router jig similar to the one
semble the parts and rout or rip reinforce their connection to the for the tail-vise dovetails (see
the spline grooves in both parts, top (see Drawings). Start the photos, page 28). The jig uses a
stopping the grooves so they holes from the inside of the 1/2"-diameter straight bit and a
won’t show when the parts are end caps, centered on the spline 5/8" template guide bushing.
I sharpen my tools
– not shorten them.
I have been a Tormek user for more than
15 years. Once you have a recipe for the
shape to suit your needs, it only takes
seconds to get the perfect cutting edge.
You are in perfect control and no
unnecessary steel is removed. www.tormek.com
Don’t miss the inspiring
Sharp tools mean more efficient
For more information on Tormek call Affinity Tool Works Tel.1-800 586 7635 or visit www.tormek.com
Demonstrations
available on
request,
RPS Dekor 20 B Call today!
Mi
Glazing Gun
Call 800-533-8016
www.satausa.com
to the underside of the end cap, the benchscrew. Run it all the
and the inside block is bolted way in, center it in the clearance
and glued to the underside of hole, and screw the flange to the
the top, where it forms the lower rear jaw of the tail vise.
part of the vise jaw. (Again, look
at the Elevation Drawings for Making the Vise Caps
these construction details.) The Next, make the vise caps. The
runner is bolted into a notch two parts of the cap should
in the inner block and slides in be thicker and wider than
the notch in the main jaw of the necessary; you will trim them
vise as shown in the inset photo after installation. Miter the
on page 30. ends where they meet, then
For smooth operation of the set the larger part of the cap
tail vise, it is critical to make all onto the completed tail vise,
the parts accurately and to be with the inside of the miter
sure the runners are parallel to aligned with the inside corner
each other and to the benchtop. of the frame. Mark the bench
Before you install the bench- dog hole locations from the
screw, move the tail vise through underside, then drill and chop
the full range of its motion by the corresponding holes in
hand to check for binding and the top cap.
interference. Any misalignment Finally, glue the two parts
or eventual sagging can be fixed of the cap together at the
by shimming the runners and miter, and assemble them
rails as needed. to the frame with glue and
Once you have ever ything clamps. Then plane them flush
running smoothly, with as little with the benchtop and tail
slop as possible, you can install vise surfaces.
Add Carvings
CM-6090B
CML-4030
Financing Available
Finishing Touches of the two bearing strips on Next, modify the benchscrew
At this point, the bench is the underside of the bench- for the shoulder vise. The
nearly finished. There are just top. Drill mating holes in the shoulder vise on this bench is
a few more important details top rails of the base so the designed to open to about 5½".
left to do. bullets will register the top in When the vise is closed, you
First, mount the top on the the exact location each time want the handle to come to rest
base. Frank uses rock maple you assemble the bench. After about 1/2" from the arm of the
“bullets” to register the top to you install the bullets, drill shoulder vise. The stock bench-
the base. Turn the bullets to through the top rails of the base screw that Frank used for the
3/4" diameter as shown in the for the 1/2" lag screws that shoulder vise was 2" too long,
Drawings. Glue one into each secure the top. so he had to shorten it.
Small but important details elevate Frank’s bench to the highest level of craftsmanship. The carved
oil cup mounted to the underside of the tail vise, for instance, is a handy place to keep a little vegetable
oil to lubricate anything that needs it, such as saws and plane soles.
Leather vise liners are another delightful finishing touch featured on Frank’s bench. The leather
protects the jaws and the work. When it wears out or gets damaged, you can soak it off and replace it.
And, of course, the fold-down crosscut stop at the end of Frank’s bench is another detail that truly
enhances the performance of his classic design.
Anniversary
Visit www.rockler.com/cnc-compare
Edition (58886) or your local Rockler store
$3999.99 and
CNC Piranha The CNC Shark family is made in the USA
(54111) $1599.99 by Next Wave Automation
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For a store near you or free catalog: Rockler.com 1-877-ROCKLER Materials code 606
LASER IT!
/
iÊvÃ
}ÊÌÕV
iÃÊÃÌ>ÀÌÊ
iÀi°
Leg
(Stretcher and Rail Locations)
11
1
/2"
1"
1
/2"
1 1 2
5" 21/2"
11/2" 11/2"
3
21/4" R. 1 1
1
/2" R. 101/4" 111/2"
5" Short Foot (piece 4)
17
28
23/4"
13/8" 31
17 31 33
Tail Vise
(Underside) 28
1"
1
/2"
11/2"
13/4"
Benchtop
(Top View) 22
38
17
24 23 24
When flipped
up, the stop
should align
16 29 with tray edge.
12 35
13/4"
13" 41/2" 21/8"
13/16"
51/2"
83/4" 53/4" 53/4" 21/2"
14 7
/8"
13 34 3
5 /4"
71/2" 19 20 23/4"
31/4"
18
9"
181/2"
Trees, vines and other plantings around Del Cover’s San Diego woodshop add character while blocking
the sun and keeping his shop cooler.
A
lthough we’re capable of using power tools. Fortunately, there are numer-
traveling to the far, frozen Keeping the mercur y and ous cooling options available. In
reaches of outer space as moisture level down in the this article, we’ll explore some
well as trekking across scorch- workshop not only makes strategies for making your shop a
ing deserts, we humans actually woodworking a more pleasant cool place to work when tempera-
have a relatively narrow range pursuit, but it also helps prevent tures climb. There are basically
of temperatures and humidity problems like tool rusting and three ways to make your shop
levels at which we’re truly com- lumber warping and checking. a cooler place: 1. Keep the heat
fortable. And it’s important to Excessive heat can also ruin from coming in. 2. Get the hot
feel comfortable when you’re adhesives and finishing supplies, air out and replace it with cooler
making sawdust: you need to as well as cause problems when air. 3. Condition the air inside
keep your concentration when gluing or applying finishes. the shop to make it cooler and
Inexpensive air baffles stapled to the underside of the roof The small air space left above an open ceiling’s insulation allows
prevent attic insulation from blocking cool air flowing in from hot air to escape through the roof ridge vents as cool air flows
vents at the bottom of the eaves. in from eave vents below.
light tone and having a reflective more upfront, but you’ll save on However, I can warn you of
or light-colored roof can help energy bills in the long run and a couple of common mistakes
reduce heat penetration by up to have a much more comfortable when insulating a shop: 1. When
a few degrees. That’s not much, place to do woodworking. adding thick insulation between
but every little bit helps, especial- You can also add good insula- the joists above a sheetrocked
ly if you ultimately run an energy- tion to an existing shop. There ceiling, take care not to block
hungry air conditioner for long are many insulation materials the attic’s eave vents (see the
periods of time just to bring shop suitable for residential construc- Drawing, above). The vents
temperatures down to comfort- tion, including fiberglass rolls allow cooler air to flow into the
able levels during the summer. and bats, rigid foam and fibrous attic to replace hot air escaping
boards, spray foams, etc., some from the gable or roof ridge
Insulation of which are easily installed. vents. To prevent this problem,
The single most effective way to Additionally, there are blow-in it’s easy to install air baffles, as
keep heat out of the shop is to insulating materials, such as cel- shown in the Drawing. 2. If your
insulate it well. Insulation makes lulose, mineral wool and fiber- shop has a cathedral style open
it harder for heat to penetrate glass, which can add insulation ceiling with exposed rafters, don’t
walls and ceilings, as well as (of to existing sheetrocked or pan- just stuff insulation between the
course) keeping heat in during eled walls and spaces too diffi- rafters! It’s best to leave about
cold days. cult to insulate with other mate- 1 to 1½" of clear space between
There are two basic ways of rials. You can rent a machine the top of the insulation bat and
insulating a building: adding and blow in the insulation your- the underside of the roof sheath-
thermal mass and creating an self, or hire a specialized con- ing. There must also be an eave
insulative boundary. Thermal tractor to do the job for you vent at the bottom and a ridge
mass is usually found in the form (see this link for more infor- vent at the top of each rafter bay
of thick, dense walls that don’t mation on insulation materials: (see the Drawing). This allows
conduct heat well: think of how http://energy.gov/energysaver/ hot, moist air that would other-
cool it feels inside a stone castle articles/types-insulation. wise be trapped above the insu-
or down in a basement or cellar, Showing you exactly how lation to escape. You can buy
where the earth itself provides to insulate your shop is well special cathedral ceiling bats,
thermal mass. It’s not practical to beyond the scope of this arti- which are thinner than usual
replace walls in an existing shop, cle; there is plenty of reference fiberglass bats or rolls with the
but if you’re planning on build- information in magazines and same R value (the higher the
ing a new shop in a really hot books or online. It’s also good to R number, the greater the
climate, consider using concrete consult with a professional insu- insulative value): 8¼" thick (R30
block, adobe and other masonry lation contractor, even if you plan rated) for 2x10 rafters; 10" thick
construction materials. It’ll cost to do most of the work yourself. (R38) for 2x12 rafters.
the dust collector, make sure the to choose from, including stan- inexpensive fiberglass furnace
system returns filtered air back dard air conditioners, mini split filter to the front of the unit,
to the shop, instead of blowing it systems, evaporative coolers and to act as a pre-filter. Cleaning
outdoors, lest your cooled — or dehumidifiers. The best choice the pre-filter, as well as the air
heated — air is lost.) for your shop depends on your conditioner’s built-in filter, often
budget (for purchasing, install- (every day if you’re doing lots
Cooling the Shop ing and operating the unit), how of sanding) by blowing it clean
If you live and work in a place much cooling you need and the with compressed air should
where summer temperatures kind of climate you live in. keep the air conditioner in good
regularly climb into the 90s or Standard air conditioners working order.
100s — and sometimes stay employ a compressor, condens-
there for days on end — your er and evaporator (same as your Mini Splits
shop probably needs some form refrigerator) to cool the fan- Mini splits are electric heat pump
of air conditioning. There are blown air passing though them. systems that not only cool your
several different types of air cool- Not only is the temperature of shop in the summer, but can
ing and/or conditioning devices the air reduced, but its moisture heat it in the winter as well. The
content is lowered as well. While system consists of a 220-volt-pow-
larger, industrial air condition- ered outdoor-mounted compres-
ers have the capacity to cool sor/condenser unit that’s con-
large shop spaces, they’re very nected via copper tubing to one
expensive to install and run. For or more indoor evaporator units
smaller shops (up to 1,500 sq. ft.) — no expensive ductwork is
located in moderate climates, a needed. The outdoor unit pumps
window-mounted unit is afford- cooled refrigerant through the
able, easy to install, and can tubing to the indoor unit(s), and
lower temperatures enough to a fan blows the cooled (or heat-
make the air more comfortable ed) air around the shop.
during the hottest days of sum- Although more expensive and
mer. Air conditioners are sized trickier to install than a regular
by their BTU capacity, and win- air conditioner (you do save the
dow-mounted models typically cost of having to install a sepa-
range from 8,000 to 25,000 BTUs. rate heating system), a mini split
A 12,000 BTU unit is about right system is very safe for use in a
for a two-car garage-sized shop. woodshop and is relatively inex-
One issue with running a reg- pensive to run thanks to inverter
ular household air conditioner technology that allows the unit’s
A powerful fan mounted in a doorway in a woodshop is clogging due compressor to operate at variable
provides an effective way to ventilate the to wood dust. A way to deal with speeds that deliver only as much
shop on a hot day. this is to simply duct tape an cooling/heating as needed.
Evaporative coolers are an eco- ture to the air, so it’s a good idea your shop, depending on its
nomical alternative to standard to monitor your shop’s relative square footage and how
air conditioners. They use a pow- humidity with a hygrometer damp it gets. For example,
erful fan to draw warm air past and make sure it doesn’t climb a two-car garage-sized shop
water-moistened pads where it much above 45%. that’s “moderately damp” (musty
is cooled by — you guessed it — odors detectable during humid
the process of evaporation. The Dehumidifiers weather) requires a dehumidifi-
air blowing out is not only cooler, Speaking of high humidity, hav- er rated at 10 pints.
in terms of temperature, but cre- ing too much moisture in the air Incorporating one or more
ates a breeze which makes the inside your shop is definitely a of the insulating, cooling or
ambient temperature of a shop bad thing: rusty tools, finishing dehumidifying strategies we’ve
feel several degrees lower than problems, lumber with a too-high explored in this article will sure-
it actually is. moisture content, etc. Reducing ly help keep your shop cool-
Evaporative coolers come in airborne moisture not only helps er and more comfortable even
both portable and stationary alleviate these problems, it can during the hottest “dog days”
(window- or roof-mounted) mod- make you feel cooler, too. of summer.
els, and are sized by their CFM A person’s perspiration helps
(cubic feet per minute) of airflow. return their skin temperature Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a contributing
A good rule of thumb for sizing to a more comfortable level editor to Woodworker’s Journal.
a unit is to take the cubic (not when it’s hot, and dry air favors
square) footage of your shop and evaporative cooling, while
divide it by two. For example, damp air does not. A portable
a 2,400 square foot shop would electric dehumidifier provides
need a unit rated for 1,200 CFM. an economical way of remov-
Commonly called “swamp cool- ing moisture from the air, and
ers,” evaporative coolers work hence can make your shop feel
best in hot, dry climates where cooler — even if the ambient
low humidity is the norm, as temperature stays the same.
in the Southwest. For example, This is most effective in regions
at 10% humidity, an evaporative that experience high humidity
cooler can drop shop tempera- during hot weather.
tures by as much as 20 to 30 Dehumidifiers are sized by the
degrees; while at 50% humidity, number of pints of water they
the cooler can only lower air tem- remove from the air in a 24 hour
perature by about 10 degrees. period. You can find an online
Clearly, an evaporative cooler is chart here: www.energystar.gov/
a very poor choice in regions index.cfm?c=dehumid.pr_basics_
with high summer humidity. dehumidifiers that shows A dehumidifier helps keep a shop’s air
Swamp coolers also add mois- you the right size unit for drier, thus making it feel cooler as well.
N
ail guns have a way of case you see above. I found it at for a dado set, and adjust it careful-
multiplying in my shop. Grainger.com (item C10116) for ly so its cutting width matches the
It began with an 18-gauge $23. The drawers fit full nail clips thickness of your plywood stock.
brad nailer, followed by a like they were made for them. Raise it a quarter inch above the
finish nailer, pin nailer and crown Now I know where every size is table. Use your miter gauge out-
stapler. If your collection has and when I need to buy more — fitted with a long fence to sup-
also grown, you know that more or when I don’t. port the side panels as you cut
nailers means more nail sizes. the top and bottom shelf dadoes.
Those little blister packs of Making the Sides Notice that the top shelf dado
fasteners ended up scattered, Begin the side panels by cutting intersects the stepped edge of the
and I found myself buying two 3/4" plywood blanks to size, side panels. And remember, the
duplicates instead of just getting then lay out and remove the lower sides are mirror images of each
better organized. Well, no more. “stepped” portion from both using other — not carbon copies. This
This plywood cabinet will keep your band saw or jigsaw. See the matters when orienting the panels
everything tidy. My idea started Drawing, next page. Next, cut correctly for dadoing.
with the black plastic 16-drawer the top shelf to size, and make With these dadoes done, crank
3
Side (Inside View)
13"
7
3
8
/4"
1 Note: rabbet is
1/2" deep.
131/4" guns so they’ll rest flat on their Wrapping Up
magazines on the shelf.) Round Turn more plywood into the bot-
Note: shelf stops short
of the back, making room over the bottom front corners of tom cleat, bottom shelf and cabi-
for the nail gun tips. 231/2" the side panels, too. net top panels. Finish and install
This is the right time to sand all them, locating the bottom cleat
1
/2" Dia. 3
of the project parts up to 180 grit. flush with the bottoms of the side
31/2" /4"
Mask off the dadoes and rabbets panels — it creates enough clear
in the sides before applying finish. space for the French cleat to fit
Note: dadoes
9" are 1/4" deep. through the cabinet back and up
101/4"
Assembling the Carcass into place. Then find a wall stud to
1
3
/4" Avoid making the same mount the French cleat — bevel
/2"
mistake I’ve made before when edge facing the wall. Rest your
1
assembling parts with French cabinet on it. Drive another screw
/2" Dia.
91/2" cleats: Your back panel’s beveled through the back panel into the
edge should face into the cabinet, stud to lock the project in place.
the blade up to 1/2". Clamp a not toward the wall. Fasten it into Now load it up for better nailer
sacrificial facing to your rip fence, the side panel rabbets with glue storage and convenience!
then position the fence next to the and screws to bring these parts
blade to mill 3/4"-wide rabbets together. Then slip the top shelf Chris Marshall is senior editor of
along the back inside edges of into its dadoes and attach it with Woodworker’s Journal.
the side panels. These will house glue and brads.
the back panel. I made three dividers in sizes to
Before you can assemble your support my guns and make them
parts, chuck a 1/2"-diameter easy to grab, but the proportions
roundover bit in your router and should work for most models.
ease the front bottom edge of the Shape their top corners with a 2"
top shelf. Now clamp the shelf radius and round over the sharp
into its dadoes in the sides and leading edges. Finish the dividers
use the shaped edge as a guide before screwing them to the top
for filing the square corners of the shelf and back panel,
sides to match the shelf. (You’ll spaced as needed to fit
also notice that the top shelf your guns.
stops short of the back panel
rabbet by 2½" — it’s no mistake.
The cabinet’s French cleat system
That gap makes room for the
makes it easy to position and hang
protruding nailing tips of your from a single wall stud.
I
n my opinion, the number one
challenge in woodworking is
avoiding tearout. Fortunately, it
is fairly predictable if you know
how to “read the grain.” That
refers to observing the grain
pattern in a board and interpret-
ing how its grain or tissue ori-
entation will react when you are
cutting it, especially in regard
to planers and jointers (includ-
ing hand planes). After teaching
woodworking for many years, I
find many woodworkers don’t
understand the concept. While
the practice of reading the grain
is exceedingly helpful, even
the most experi-
enced person can
be surprised by
reversing grain.
When viewed from the
end, a log’s grain looks
like a spider web (see the
illustration at left). That grain as
it presents in a board will tell you
how it will react to cutting. Those
patterns (flat, rift and quartered)
Log End View Grain Patterns indicate where a board was
harvested from a log. Riftsawn
is the most difficult to predict
which cutting direction will
Flat produce tearout.
Flat
Rift Flatsawn Lumber
Flatsawn lumber is the easiest
Quartered grain to read, and also can tear
Rift out excessively if you try to
“run the piece against the grain”
through a planer or jointer. The
Rays
Rays
growth rings in flatsawn stock
Quarter are roughly parallel to the face,
See the grain patterns as presented though they are curved. To joint
in boards in the illlustrations at right.
44 Av o i d T e a r o u t b y R e a d i n g t h e G r a i n
Flatsawn
Planer Feed Direction
Cutter
Rotation
Quartersawn
Planer Feed Direction
Cutter
Rotation
or plane the faces, it’s best to you should never read the time. Always test your choice by
read the growth ring lines on the cathedrals themselves. taking a very slight cut, and if
edge closest to the center of the Reading the rays on the face tearout happens, flip the board
tree. Woodworkers say that you is easy on species like oak, syc- the other direction and try again.
always want to “cut uphill” on amore and beech. It’s harder
those lines. See the top illustra- to read on species like maple Quartersawn Lumber
tion to clearly understand what and cherry, but still possible. Quartersawn stock is the oppo-
that means. All machines cut On open-grained but diffuse site of flatsawn, in that the
against feed direction, meaning porous species like mahogany growth rings run perpendicular
that you must be aware of the and walnut, read the coarse cell to the face. Again, think of a spi-
rotation of the cutterhead when structure on the face. And on der web, where the concentric
using a jointer or planer. To mill softwoods like pine and spruce, rings are like growth rings and
the edges, read the direction of you can read the resin canals, if the radial lines are like the rays.
the rays on the face. Read them the species has any. With prac- So evaluate quartersawn stock
near the center of the cathe- tice, you can accurately read in the opposite way to flatsawn
dral patterns and remember that the grain at least 95% of the stock. To cut the faces, look
at the edges. The edge closest stay on your toes. amount of the grain indicates
to the center will have tiny On riftsawn boards where the is the best feed direction. And
cathedral patterns (if properly growth rings on the end grain where you observe that you have
quartersawn), but read the tiny are 45 degrees to the faces and grain that twists profoundly or
rays running through them edges everywhere, it’s more dif- reverses within the length of the
instead. To mill the edges, ficult. In that case, read both board, use extremely shallow
read the growth ring lines on rays and growth rings on both cutting passes (and extremely
the faces. Look to the bottom faces and edges. Where rays sharp cutting edges).
illustrations, previous page, and growth rings run the same Some high-figure grain pat-
to understand the proper feed direction, you’ll read the grain terns, such as bird’s-eye and
direction and cutter rotation. correctly for sure. Where they curly figure (e.g., maple) involve
run in opposite directions, you’re constantly reversing grain, and
Riftsawn Lumber really just flipping a coin. Try there is often no risk-free way to
There is no clear-cut way to light cutting in one direction to proceed. Quilted maple, crotch-
read riftsawn stock consistently see how the wood behaves. grained mahogany and waterfall
because we do not see a proper bubinga are some other grain
cross-sectional view anywhere Worth the Effort patterns that will present this
on the faces or edges. However, The fact is that we always have problem. Again, shallow cut-
if a board is riftsawn on one side a 50/50 chance of making the ting passes will be helpful, but
but gets closer to flatsawn on the right or wrong choice, but that shifting to scraping or sanding
other side (nearer the center of does not reduce the value of methods (including thickness
the tree), that is a key. In other reading the grain. Incorrect feed sanders) will be most success-
words, by reading in the right direction can and will cause ful. Helical cutterheads will also
places you can treat the board as tearout at the worst possible help enormously. When using
flatsawn if it is close to flatsawn time. So just because some stock hand planes, use very high
in one area. If, on the other may be hard to read correctly cutting angles.
hand, the riftsawn board starts doesn’t mean we should aban- Reading the grain will save you
to become almost quartersawn don the practice altogether. time and frustration. It is some-
on the other side (the outside of I haven’t even talked in this thing every woodworker should
the tree), then look to the growth short article about situations learn to do. The good news is
rings on the face but really close where the grain reverses direc- that you will get better at it if you
to the edge which would have tion once or twice or even more practice it often.
been the outside of the tree. And in a single board. In that situ-
treat it as quartersawn. This is ation, the best course is to cut Hendrik Varju is a contributing editor to
more difficult, so you have to according to what the largest Woodworker’s Journal.
46 Av o i d T e a r o u t b y R e a d i n g t h e G r a i n
Made in
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the USA
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E
veryone needs sawhorses, laminating two plies (pieces 1 ending points for the cut. To limit
and I’m certainly no excep- and 2). You cut a half-lap across the amount of material removed
tion. While I have several each piece, and when they on each pass, use a series of
sizes, the pair I’ll be describing are glued up, the laps form a removable shims until you are
here are adjustable in height, through mortise. routing right up against the fence.
ranging from 24" up to nearly To contour the foot blanks,
35". They have nesting posts Shaping the Feet make a template to which you can
joined with sliding dovetails. To produce the shape, I routed clamp the workpieces with toggle
The outer elements are mor- an instep on each foot blank, clamps. The template need have
tised into the trestle feet. The then band-sawed the rough con- only the right-hand portion of
inner elements are attached tour and template-routed to final the overall contour: so when you
to a beam and are joined to a shape. Only after this work was rout, you are moving from ankle
wide stretcher with crossdowels done did I glue up the feet. to toe, and the cutting edges are
and connector bolts. The outer The instep is a simple cut on “laying down the grain.” That’s a
elements are similarly joined to a the router table, but it does take clean, problem-free cut. To com-
narrow stretcher. several passes to complete each plete the shape, flip the work-
Begin construction with the part. Use a 1"-diameter straight piece over and rout the second
feet. Each foot is made by glue- bit. Raise it about 7/8", and set half of the blank, again moving
the fence so about half the bit from ankle to toe.
Template-rout the contour of the foot is exposed. Clamp stops to the
plies. The author’s template has locking fence to give you starting and Making the Uprights
clamps to immobilize the workpiece. The uprights (pieces 3 and 4)
are made up of two pieces,
joined with a sliding dovetail.
See the Elevation Drawings
for the details. The strips that
are to be the inner (or narrow)
uprights are crosscut roughly 6"
overlong. Bevel their edges on
your router table. The match-
ing groove is plowed end to end
21/4" Bottom
7 Outer Stretcher
3 Upright 6
(Front View)
(Top and 14$
Front Views) 14$
21/8" Inner Upright
9 3"
3 3 21/8" (Top and Front Views)
/8"
12 4 3
/4" Upright Insert
11 4 3 (Top, Front and
111/16" End Views)
13 14$
Upright 1
2 /8"
Detail
4 1 75/8" 5 23/4"
2 23/4"
1
21/2" /4"
6
Exploded View
9 in the outer (or wide) uprights.
10 Then 53⁄4" lengths — the upright
5 inserts (pieces 5) — are crosscut
Foot from the narrow uprights and
Template C glued into the grooves. Form
L
the adjustment grooves and the
barefaced tenons on the outer
2 uprights. Go ahead and machine
1 The half laps are 2 1 ⁄ 2” wide and 3/8” deep. the stretchers and the beams at
Each square = 1” this time. The final task is to cut
the slot for the beam in the tops
of the uprights.
Material List Assemble the feet and uprights
without glue, then lay out the
TxWxL
1 Thin Foot Plies (4) 3/4" x 31 À 4" x 18" connector bolt holes in the
uprights and stretchers.
2 Thick Foot Plies (4) 1" x 31 À 4" x 18"
Dismantle these assemblies to
3 Inner Uprights (4) 3/4" x 21 À 8" x 16 7 À 8" drill the holes. Then glue up the
4 Outer Uprights (4) 3/4" x 3" x 201 À 2" feet and uprights. Bolt the stretch-
5 Upright Inserts (4) 3/4" x 21 À 8" x 5 3 À 4" ers to the appropriate uprights,
6 Bottom Stretchers (2) 3/4" x 3" x 22" and slide the inner assembly into
7 Upper Stretchers (2) 3/4" x 6" x 22" the foot-and-wide-upright assem-
blies. Use the appropriate hard-
8 Beams (2) 7/8" x 3" x 311 À 2"
ware (pieces 9 through 13) to
9 Cross-dowels (16) 3/8"-Dia. x 5/8", 1/4"-20
assemble each horse. All that
10 Connector Bolts (16) 1/4"-20 x 2 3 À 4" remains is to rout shallow dadoes
11 Carriage Bolts (4) 3/8" x 2" in the beam and to set it into the
12 Fender Washers (4) 3/8" I.D. slots in the uprights. Tally ho!
13 Ergo-style Wingnuts (4) 3/8"-16
Bill Hylton is a contributing editor to
Woodworker’s Journal.
A
well-made panel should hard lines or variations in color Remember Geometry Class
be flat, sturdy and have aren’t the first thing you notice. Ideally, the edges between
an overall grain pattern Sometimes you may need to try boards in a panel should meet
that looks like it grew that way. every arrangement under the at perfect 90-degree interfaces.
Achieving these goals takes sun before you land on the best In truth, that often isn’t the
thoughtful assembly and good compromise, but it’s worth the case. Your jointer fence may be
technique. Here are a few effort. Don’t worry too much a quarter or a half degree off of
suggestions that can help. about that old standby of alternat- square, but it really doesn’t mat-
ing the end-grain patterns. Unless ter. As long as the two angles
Make Your Mark your boards are really wide, this between the workpieces are
Before you even reach for the practice won’t contribute much supplementary — add up to a
clamps and glue, spend some to flatness over time. Once you total of 180 degrees — you’ll get
time composing the look of your find a pleasing arrangement, a matching glue seam (shown
panel. This should take place mark the parts so you can keep in exaggeration in Photo 2).
after you’ve jointed and planed their orientation clear (see Photo The way to ensure this is
the stock faces flat. Here’s your 1). You can draw a triangle or simple: When you’re jointing
chance to flip the pieces around, hash marks across the joints, use adjacent edges, don’t present
set them next to one another pieces of tape, or whatever meth- the same faces of both boards
in various configurations and od works best for you. The point to the jointer fence. Flip the
find the presentation that looks is to avoid confusion about how second board to the opposite
best. Try to blend the grain pat- the parts go together when face instead to create the
terns where the edges meet so you’re gluing them up. perfect mating edge.
Photo 3: Spread glue along the contact faces of both sides of Photo 4: Tighten clamps gently and in stages at first, to give
a joint — not just one. This improves the glue's adhesion. excess wet glue time to squeeze out of the joint.
%$)#&$%$)#&&$#%
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T technique, trick and finishing article that ever appeared
in Today's Woodworker magazine — the predecessor
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directions, elevation drawings and photos.
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T
his article came about as Kreg True-FLEX the right amount of “give,” so
a question from my boss: Featherboards it isn’t a chore to push wood
“What tools would you Power tool shops need feath- through a bit or blade, but they
absolutely not want to be with- erboards for accurate and safe still stand firmly against back-
out?” He was hinting at a “desert- machine setups, and Kreg ward motion during a cut.
ed island” scenario. And, it was a Tool Company’s True-FLEX™ But the real beauty of these
good muse, because it’s made me Featherboards are top-notch. blue ones is how they mount
search the shop for those tools I like the long adjustment slots to a machine: you get a pair
that really deliver, project after on their composite plastic bod- of T-bolts, plus plastic blocks
project, as opposed to others ies, which offer 5 inches of trav- that fill a standard 3/8" x 3/4"
that are either used less often or el from a miter slot, to handle miter slot. Use just the T-bolts
basically ubiquitous. Good tools either narrow workpieces close for a T-track fence, or slip the
stand out on their own. Here are to the cutter or wider material. plastic blocks onto the T-bolts to
seven of my favorites. Their flexible feathers offer just set them up for miter slot use.
The blocks wedge tight in the I use them, too. But the black hard to say, because so much
slot and do not move when you pipe can distort under pres- depends on the kinds of projects
secure the featherboards down. sure, and the jaws don’t stay you build. But, if you’re just
It’s nice to be covered for any parallel. That’s not an issue with starting out and gathering a
application with one purchase. BESSEY’s Revos, because their clamp collection, eight to 10 in
In that regard, while you bars don’t deflect and the clamp the 24" or 36" size will serve
can buy them individually, I’d heads are always aligned. I like you very well indeed. For wide
suggest you get the twin pack the plastic clamp head covers, panels, such as tabletops, I
(around $35): you’ll want to too: glue won’t stick to them, tend to use pipe clamps instead.
have two featherboards on hand and they help prevent accidental Panels that exceed 36" wide just
for many operations. marring. The classic K Body aren’t that common for me, in
Revos — BESSEY’s premium order to justify the extra cost of
BESSEY K Body Clamps option — offer more clamping really long bar clamps.
Whenever I’m gluing up pan- pressure than the more econom-
els, carcasses or cabinet doors, I ical Revo Jrs., which have only Helical Cutterheads
grab my BESSEY K Body® Revo™ been out for a few years. But, for I love my Powermatic 15" HH
or Revo Jr. parallel jaw clamps typical glue-ups, I haven’t need- planer. Aside from its battle-
before I even get out the ed more clamping force than the ship-tough build quality and
glue bottle. They are an essen- Revo Jrs. will provide. In fact, wide capacity, the biggest vir-
tial part of both the dry-fitting their lighter weight makes them tue of this machine is what
stages and the glue-up process. even easier to handle. gets the cutting done: it has
Pipe clamps are cheaper, How many parallel bar clamps a helical cutterhead with 98
there’s no question about it, and does a woodworker need? It’s four-sided, indexed carbide
Christian J Hummul
Company
Since 1983
WoodCarving Supplies
www.Hummul.com
1-800-762-0235
"# #
Fixed Stop
1 11/2"R.
Exploded View 3"
(Front View)
3
Jig Base 21/2"
(Front View)
Fence (Front View)
1"R. 11/2" Fixed stop location
1
/4"
1" 1"R.
5" 41/4"
13"
2 3
/4"
21/2"
1
3
/4" Fence location
101/4" 5
/8"
18" 13"
N
othing beats a drill press through the stop accepts a star in the sliding block, you can orient
for boring perfectly vertical knob and T-bolt; slide it along the long tang of the hold-down to
holes. With your stock flat the track to wherever you want it one side or the other of the block
on the table, you’ll get spot-on and then just snug it up. I offset and orient the block with the hole
verticality. However, when drilling the hole in the sliding block to to the right or left, all of which
holes into the ends of a workpiece, add versatility. provides versatility and efficient
turning the work on-end and keep- For simple drilling of shallow clamping power for differently
ing it rigidly vertical while drilling holes, just use the sliding stop sized workpieces (photos, bottom
creates a delicate balancing act. and knob by itself to orient your of opposite page).
A vertical drilling jig like this one workpiece against the jig’s fixed
makes the process easy again. stop. The jig provides the vertical Making the Jig
This jig works with the drill’s reference while you simply hold You can make your jig from just
table to hold your workpiece ver- the piece in place. For deeper about any flat material, but I
tically with a dual stop system — drilling (especially for things like chose 1/2" birch plywood for the
one affixed to the jig’s 90° fence pen blanks that tend to “get stuck” jig base and 3/4" for everything
serves as the vertical register for on the drill bit), add a hold-down else. I’ve sized the jig and its com-
the workpiece, while a sliding stop clamp beneath the star knob. Slide ponents for my drill press, so you
adjusts along a T-track to hold the the whole thing over against your may want to adjust sizing to best
workpiece upright. workpiece and clamp everything fit your machine. Also, my drill
Sliding stops and T-tracks go down securely. press has a pair of T-tracks in the
well together — a hole drilled Because the T-bolt hole is offset cast-iron table that I took advan-
For more holding strength, install a hold-down clamp underneath the star knob on the sliding stop. For wider workpieces, flip
the sliding stop and hold-down clamp as needed. Because the hole for the star knob is offset on the sliding stop, the blue
hold-down clamp can be flipped 180˚ to accommodate differently sized stock. When drilling shallow holes, you can remove
the hold-down to speed up your drilling.
I
was walking around my prop- eter at the base) would yield if
erty the other day, admiring they were sawn. Even one or two
the majestic redwood trees trees could yield enough lumber
that grow there in abundance. for a new deck, a large shed and
Although I’ve never seriously maybe even a kitchen’s worth of
considered cutting any of them cabinets (hmm…I don’t suppose
A Mobile Dimension sawmill (top) and
down, I couldn’t help but imag- I’d miss just one tree…).
portable band saw mill (above) both ine how much lumber each of Evidently I’m not the only one
cut with motorized cutterheads that those big trees (many are well thinking about getting lumber
ride on a track. over 150 ft. tall and 31⁄2 ft. in diam- from local trees. Nowadays, more
and more woodworkers, builders Although there are other even a sizeable hardwood log
and DIYers are buying and using por table lumber sawing into slabs, beams or boards.
wood that comes from local trees devices out there (see the side- Compared to an old-fashioned
sawn into lumber at a local saw- bar, page 70), the machine that sawmill’s big circular blade, a
mill. When you think sawmill, has proven to be the most thin band saw blade requires
you’re likely imagining an old efficient and versatile means less power to run and creates
rustic building and a huge cir- of turning logs into high- a narrower kerf, thus produc-
cular saw powered by an engine quality lumber is the portable ing less sawdust while yield-
as big as a ’56 Buick chewing band saw mill (PBM). These ing more useable lumber from
through giant logs like they were ingenious machines have a ever y log. PBMs are not only
toothpicks (sawdust chokes the motorized horizontal band saw safe, easy and economical to
air; the ground shakes). But the that rides on a track over the run, but since they can be
fact is that a lot of the lumber cut top of a log which remains transpor ted to where trees
locally is produced by smaller stationar y as it’s cut. A PBM have been felled and used to
portable sawmills. is small enough to be loaded saw them right on-site, they
One of the earliest porta- in the back of a pickup or eliminate the hassle and
ble sawmills was the Mobile be towed behind it, yet has expense of hauling whole logs
Dimension Mill, an ingenious enough power to transform to a standard sawmill.
device developed in the early
1960s. It uses a Volkswagen
engine to power three circular
saw blades: one large vertical
blade, and two smaller horizon-
tal blades that cut just ahead
of it. The distance between the
horizontal blades is adjustable.
The motorized cutterhead trav-
els on a track held by two end
supports that suspend it above
a stationary log. With each pass,
the three blades produce an
accurately dimensioned piece
of lumber. While very efficient
and productive, circular saw
blade mills are large, expensive
machines not designed for the The rigid bed of a band saw mill firmly supports a log or plank as the cutterhead
casual lumber sawyer. travels along it to take a cut.
Sign up at:
www.woodworkersjournal.com Spring 2015 71
Two Clamp Racks
from a Sheet of Plywood
Exploded View 4
5 3
4 2
7 3
6
2
1
T
hese compact but capacious Cutting the Parts to Shape
racks will keep your clamps In order to squeeze both racks
orderly, and all you need from one sheet, follow the
is one 4 x 8 sheet of plywood Cutting Diagram, above, careful-
to make them both. Each con- ly. Start by ripping the sheet into
sists of four deep channels for four, 111⁄4" x 8-ft. strips. Crosscut
storing rows of pipe, bar or two 281⁄4"-long blanks from two
quick-grip clamps over angled of these strips to form the racks’
braces. Their back panels span back panels. Round the bottom
two wall studs for strength, and outside corners of the back
the pair will shelve upwards of panels to form 1" radii.
80 or more clamps. French The two remaining full-length
cleats make wall-mounting both strips are dedicated to the
One sheet of plywood, cut carefully, sturdy and easy. It’s a lot of angled braces. First, cut them
will yield two clamp racks and storage for $50 or so! Here’s how into 16, 111⁄4"-square blanks, then
mounting cleats. to make them. miter-cut one edge of each to 45
2"
1 4 2 5
Mount
45° to rack
Mount 7
Spacer 1" R. 45°
to wall
6
2"
1" R.
Cutting Diagram
2 2
Material List
(Quantities listed per clamp rack) TxWxL
1 Back (1) 3/4" x 111À4" x 281À4"
Following this
2 2 1 1
cutting diagram 2 Braces (8) 3/4" x 111À4" x 111À4"
allows you to build 3 Bridges (3) 3/4" x 5" x 123À4"
two complete 4 Ends (2) 3/4" x 41À8" x 123À4"
clamp racks from
2 2 5 Rack Cleat (1) 3/4" x 31À2" x 281À4"
one 4 x 8
plywood sheet. 6 Spacers (2) 3/4" x 2" x 111À4"
3 3 7 Wall Cleat (1) 3/4" x 5" x 281À4"
2 2
7 7
3 3
2 2
2 2 3 3
6
5 5
2 2 4 4 6
2 2
4 4
Angle-cutting the 16 braces to shape is quick and safe with a crosscut sled.
6 6 Here the author secures each blank for cutting with a pair of toggle clamps
mounted on fences that are attached to the sled’s bed.
degrees, following the Drawings, rack to the wall. Cut both pairs Assembly and Hanging
above. A crosscut sled or a miter of these cleats to size, and tilt These racks are downright easy
gauge with a long auxiliary fence your table saw blade to bevel-rip to put together, and that’s part
will make this a quick job. Once their angled edges. What’s left of their charm: one afternoon’s
those are done, cut to size the of your plywood sheet should work, and you’ll be done! For
six bridges that will span each be sufficient to make up four each rack, fasten three bridges
pair of braces, and make the spacers. Each of them receive to six braces with screws to form
four end pieces with one corner a single 1"-radius corner, too. three main subassemblies. Note
of each rounded to a 1" radius. Knock the sharp edges off of that the top back edge of the
Notice in the Drawings that each the back panels, braces, bridges bridges will overhang the backs
rack has a cleat attached to its and ends with a sanding block to of the braces by 11⁄2". Now grab
back with an edge beveled to 45 prepare for assembly. That will more screws to attach the four
degrees. It will interface with a help these rough-and-tumble end pieces to the remaining four
wider wall-mounted cleat, also racks resist splintering when braces, as shown in the Exploded
beveled on one edge, to lock the you use them. View Drawing. I used 2" counter-
sunk deck screws and glue for easily. Drive a few brads through wall studs, if at all possible.
assembling all of these parts. (I the back panels to tack the These clamp racks will be very
didn’t fuss with wood finish on braces in place, then reinforce all heavy once fully loaded. Face the
my racks, but it couldn’t hurt. If the joints with more 2" screws, beveled edges of the wall cleats
you want the added protection, spaced every 4" or so. up and toward the wall before
finish the parts before beginning Attach the rack cleats up under driving stout screws or lags into
the assembly process, while the the overhangs of the bridges and counterbored holes in the cleat.
part faces are fully accessible.) to the back panels with more Then, set each rack on its wall
Next, round up your back screws and glue — face the cleat. Drive two more screws
panels and brace components. angled edges of these two cleats through the back panels and
Position three bridge subassem- down and in toward the back into the wall cleats to pin the
blies and two end assemblies 11⁄4" panels. Fasten a pair of spacers racks in place. Now, load them up
apart on the back panels; this slot to the bottom outside edges of with clamps!
spacing will enable you to slide each back panel to complete the
3/4" I.D. pipe clamps or the bars building stage. Chris Marshall is senior editor of
of most F-style clamps in and out Secure the wall cleats to two Woodworker’s Journal.
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C
omputers in the wood- or embellish surfaces, and more. you choose depends on your
shop? It doesn’t seem like There’s even a new generation computer skills, your budget and
they’d be too compatible. of “smart” machines on the the time you want to devote to
After all, laptops and desktop horizon that promise to make learning the necessary software;
models are built in dust-free standard tasks, like setting a design software can be expen-
clean rooms, and the average router fence or drilling holes, sive and require lots of time and
woodshop isn’t exactly the place safer and more precise. patience to master. If you’re not
to bring an expensive device Because the Internet is an particularly computer savvy and
that might be compromised expansive place and the world are intimidated by all the avail-
by a little fine dust — never of software changes at a blinding able choices, a good path to fol-
mind the bilious discharge of a pace, it’s likely I’ve overlooked low is to choose design software
belt sander! some useful apps, programs and based on your design goals:
But just as computer elec- websites (please let Woodworker’s Ê UÊ vÊ ÞÕÊ ÕÃÌÊ ii`Ê ÌÊ `À>ÜÊ
tronics have found their way Journal know of your favorites the shape of a part or project,
into everything from your car that weren’t included here). such as the outline of a turning
to your alarm clock and toaster or a loosely sketched design of
oven, woodworkers are finding Design & Drawing Programs a chair, dresser, etc., a basic
computers more useful, both If you’re ready to trade your free or low-cost paint/draw-
in and out of the shop. There pencil and paper for a mouse ing program such as Krita or
are three major ways that the and computer screen, MyPaint is relatively easy to use
computer revolution can change there are a huge number of and can produce good results.
the way you woodwork: One is ways to create a design To create wood parts from a
using a computer in your home for a woodworking or home sketch, simply print out your
office to create drawings or cut improvement project using a design full-size, paste it atop your
lists, create and print out plans, computer or electronic tablet, workpiece and use it as a tem-
etc. The second is to use your from simply sketching out an plate to cut the part out.
smartphone, computer tablet or idea to drafting a dimensional- Ê UÊ/ÊVÀi>ÌiÊ`À>Ü}ÃÊÀÊ«>ÃÊ
other device in the workshop or ly accurate drawing to creating to use to build a project, choose
on the jobsite to perform duties, a photorealistic rendering (see a basic CAD program, such as
such as checking for level/ photos, above). Programs suit- CadStd Lite or JustCad 10.0.
plumb, or do calculations that able for woodworking range Both of these free programs (for
help you lay out parts or set a from basic paint and drawing Windows operating systems) let
machine for cuts. The final way programs to CAD (computer-aid- you create and print out accu-
is to use computerized machines ed design) programs to special- rate two-dimensional drawings
either in your workshop or via ized cabinet/furniture design of cabinets, furniture, floor
online services, to actually cut and management software. plans, construction details and
out and/or shape parts, engrave Ultimately, the kind of program more using standard drawing
tools like lines, rectangles, arcs tutorial videos that teach all the
and circles (see photo, above) necessary skills. Once you’ve got Expanding a
you render and manipulate
on-screen with your computer’s
the hang of it, you may wonder
how you ever designed a piece
computer’s
mouse. More complex curved of furniture, such as a bookcase, woodworking
shapes take longer to draw, but chair or desk, without rendering savvy
are also possible. Most of these and examining it first in 3-D (see
Besides using a computer to
programs can save designs top illustration, above).
create designs, drawings and
as .dxf files, which may Ê UÊ vÊ ÞÕ½ÀiÊ >}Ê ÌÊ Ài`-
plans, or to run computerized
be used to create parts with el your kitchen or bathroom,
machines in the shop, there are
CNC lasers and routers (see add a deck or some other home
other ways to put your laptop
sections below). improvement project, a home
or tablet to work in making your
Ê UÊ /Ê }iiÀ>ÌiÊ >Ê vÕÞÊ Ì
Àii design program, such as HGTV
woodworking hobby or business
dimensional drawing of your Ultimate Home Design, can help
easier and more enjoyable.
project, you’ll need to use you quickly create a design, then
a CAD program with 3-D capa- visualize it in photorealistic 3-D. s 3TORE TOOL MANUALS
bilities. While there are plenty of ÃÌi>`ÊvÊ>}Ê>Ê`À>Ü}ÊiÊ s +EEP TRACK OF INVENTORY
pricey programs used by profes- line or shape at a time, designs s 3HARE YOUR WORK AND IDEAS
sional industrial designers, such are created by using a “wizard” s 2EAD MAGAZINES OR BOOKS
as AutoCAD or SolidWorks, function that takes you through s 'ET ONLINE PLANS
you can get excellent results the design process step-by-step,
s 'ET NEW TOOL INFORMATION
using “SketchUp Make,” a free or by “dragging and dropping”
program that works with PCs elements into your plan from an s #HECK USER REVIEWS
or Macs. Drawing an object in extensive library of forms, such s %XPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE
three dimensions takes a bit of as cabinets, furniture, appliances, s 3OLVE PROBLEMS
getting used to, but SketchUp lighting fixtures, etc. (see s 0URCHASE PRODUCTS
has some excellent online bottom illustration, above).
PLUS 5
OP
BONUS SH ! time.
s and
W
hen you’re a woodworker,
time in your shop is fun
What can make it even
TS
PROJEC
more fun? Handy shop projects
like jigs and fixtures that make
it safer and easier to perform all
the tasks you need to do — and
that are fun to build! You’ll find
25 great jigs and fixtures Jigs & Fixtures
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Detailed project
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Ê UÊ vÊ ÞÕ½ÀiÊ >Ê «ÀviÃÃ>Ê V>L- CNC Laser Engraving edge — a result of the laser
inetmaker or kitchen builder, a If you’re tired of cutting out intri- actually burning a thin kerf
comprehensive (and expensive!) cate parts using a scroll saw or through the stock. Laser cutting
cabinetmaking program, such jigsaw, having your parts laser or engraving can also be done
as CabinetPro or Cabinet Vision cut is an increasingly practical on plastics, paper and cardboard,
can help your business with option. While few woodworkers leather, cloth and even some
everything from creating shop have the budget to purchase metals, including aluminum
drawings and 3-D presentation their own laser machines (prices and steel.
graphics to generating cut lists, start in the thousands), there If you have a project that seems
bills of materials, pricing and are online companies you can a good fit for laser-cut parts,
bidding reports, and even code use to cut out your parts using one online vendor I’ve found,
for running CNC machines that a powerful CNC-guided laser Ponoko, makes it very easy to
cut out and shape your parts. machine. Some community upload computer files via the
workshops may have a laser that Internet for parts up to about
you can rent by the hour as well. 1/4" thick and 12 x 24 inches in
Laser machines cut with such size. For thicker and/or larger
Woodworking precision that they’re superb parts, you’ll need to use an indus-
Programs for creating intricate parts with
complex shapes or parts that
trial laser cutting service such
as Advanced Laser Cutting
Besides CAD software, there require a high degree of accura- Technologies or create parts
are literally hundreds of cy. Laser cutting can even create using CNC routing methods,
programs useful to small-shop flexible hinges (see book cover described in the following sec-
woodworkers. Websites offer above) or interlocking joineries tion. After you’ve designed your
dozens of links to programs like that allow entire projects to be parts with a CAD program (see
compound angle calculators, assembled with only a tiny bit of the CAD section), be sure to
dovetail angle and layout glue: for example, toys, games, save them as vector graphics
calculators, and more. On the boxes, models or even musical files (.dwg, .dxf, .ai or .cdr).
technical side, there are free instruments. This kind of file is needed in
calculators for lumber shrinkage, By using a less powerful laser order to run the laser machine.
board feet, log or lumber volume beam, designs, patterns or even (Epilog Laser’s “Sample Club”
and weight. Another handy online photographs can be burned into has some great examples of
“wizard” helps you determine the surface of the wood, a pro- projects designed specifically
where to clamp your router guide cess known as laser engraving. for a laser machine.) Multiple
fence when routing grooves, Laser cutting and engraving parts can be nested on a sin-
dadoes or flutes. Having trouble can be done on a wide range of gle sheet of material, to create
with the rise and run of stairs solid woods and wood materials, less waste. If you’ve created your
(straight or spiral), baluster like hardwood-faced plywoods, part designs in a paint or photo
spacing (decks or upper landings) MDF (regular and veneered) program, you’ll need to convert
or deck design and layout? There’s and melamine. On these mate- the resulting raster image file
an online wizard for that, too! rials, the laser leaves a dark cut (bitmap, jpeg or similar) to a
butler tray photo, above). Once Small-shop CNCs come in desktop model, the CNC Shark
a CNC program is created, it many different sizes and config- HD 2.0 (photo, above) handles
can be run over and over again, urations, each best suited to a workpieces up to 36" long, 28½"
which makes these machines particular range of applications. wide and 5" thick. In lieu of
great for creating multiple The smallest, least expensive a small built-in router used by
identical parts for all kinds machines, such as the Click- smaller CNC routers, many
of wood production items: N-Carve, are designed primar- desktop models like the Shark
clocks, magazine racks, trays, ily for engraving small plaques can run a more powerful router
you name it. Although they rep- and pictures. This small, micro- and make use of 1/2"-shank bits.
resent a substantial investment wave-sized machine connects A bigger router allows the use
both in money (a larger model to a computer and uses soft- of larger, longer bits and faster
can run $4,000 or more) and in ware that translates an uploaded cutting speeds.
the time it takes to learn and photograph into a shallow relief The software used to actu-
operate, a CNC router could carving created with its built-in ally run a CNC router varies
be an indispensable tool for a 30-watt router. Slightly larger between different machine
full-time or part-time woodwork- in size and capacity, CNC routers makes and models. Most come
ing business. like the CarveWright™ are capa- with all the basic software nec-
ble of cutting out, shaping and essary to both design your proj-
car ving moderate-sized parts: ect and generate the codes that
signs, door and drawer panels, determine the router’s tool path
etc. (photo at left). Machines — the sequence of motions the
like this are simple to operate router takes as the bit cuts the
using the included software. part. There are also additional
Larger in size and capacity, CNC routing programs, many
desktop-style CNC routers, of which are specialized for a
such as the General iCarver, particular task: for example,
mount atop a bench or stand transforming a photograph into
and can handle solid wood or a relief carving.
panel stock large enough for
full-sized furniture and cabinet Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a contributing
CarveWright CNC Router is an example of
the mid-sized home shop CNC machines.
parts. For example, another editor to Woodworker’s Journal.
BONUS
SHARPENING
SECTION!
H
alf the challenge of cut- eliminates the need for special your cutting gauge by ripping a
ting tight dovetail or mor- hardware. Many hand tools con- slice of rosewood for the splines
tise-and-tenon joints is structed 150 years ago, when (pieces 1). These will eventually
getting them laid out precisely. hardware was costly and more slip into a saw blade kerf, so cut
A standard marking gauge difficult to come by, utilized the a saw groove in some scrap to
featuring a sharp pin for a mark- trapped wedge. test the fit. Next, rip a 1/4"-thick
er does a fine job scribing lines Traditionally, rosewood is the by 8"-long strip that will be used
that follow the grain, but it tends wood of choice for gauges of later for the beam insert and
to tear the wood when going this type. This project requires
across the grain. A knife tip less than one board foot of 3/4"
makes a cleaner line than a pin stock. Buy a 1/4" spade bit for
on cross grain; it cleanly severs the knife stock, which you’ll
the wood fibers to establish a regrind to achieve the
precise shoulder, which helps correct edge.
guide a chisel or saw during the
joint-cutting process. Start Your Cutting
Besides the knife cutter, It’s always safer to
this gauge features a trapped cut smaller pieces
wedge, which allows for quick, from larger ones
one-handed adjustments and so begin making
4 5
/8"
9
/16" 1
7 6 5
/4"
13
/16" 23/4"
43/8" 1
11
/16" /2"
Start machining
by dadoing out
shaded area. 1
/4"
6
Small Wedge Assembled Top View
(Side View) 3 3 3
5 /4" /4" /4"
/16" 5
5
/16"
1
/4"
4 11/4"
3
/4" 1 6 8 2 1
/4"
17/8"
3
Hole length tapers
7 from 11/32" at top to
5/16" at bottom
3
/16"
3
Assembled Side View 9
11
/16" 8 1
/2" 4
5
Small Wedge
(Side View) 11/4"
5
/16"
9 1
7
6
1
3
4
Material List
TxWxL
1 Splines (4) 1/8" x 3/8" x 11À16"
5 2 Beam Insert (1) 1/4" x 3/4" x 4"
8
3 Small Wedge (1) 1/4" x 5/16" x 4"
1
4 Large Wedge (1) 1/2" x 3/4" x 43À8"
5 Side Head (1) 3/4" x 11À4" x 23À4"
2
6 Center Heads (2) 3/4" x 11À4" x 1"
7 Side Head (1) 3/4" x 11À4" x 23À4"
8 Beam (1) 3/4" x 11/16" x 8"
9 Cutter (1) 1/4" Spade bit
front edge of the fence block Making the Trapped Wedge Figure 4: Cut
the tapered 11/4"
1/4" from its bottom and raise Begin making the trapped wedge
the saw blade to hit the line. (piece 4) by ripping the stock dado in several
Make your cut by placing the you cut earlier to 5/8" wide and passes, moving
the fence a
side head (piece 5) on the jig cutting a dado as shown in the
little for each pass.
with its marked front facing Large Wedge Side View on page
the fence block and one end 89. Once the dado is cut, remove
bearing against the saw fence. one of the wedges from the
Make your first pass, then con- tapered dado jig and nail a stop
tinue moving the saw fence to to its wide end to make a taper-
make several more passes until ing jig for the large wedge (see
the dado is 1/2" wide. Be sure Figure 5). Set the wedge against
to fine-tune the last pass so the the taper jig and rip the piece,
dado fits the large wedge pre- splitting the lead corner with the
cisely, then smooth the dado’s blade. For safety, use scrap wood
angled bottom with a file. to press down on the wedge as
Taper
you cut. Now center the wedge jig
Assembling the Head Pieces in the dado to see if its back edge
After a careful sanding, dr y is flush with the shoulder of the Figure 5: To use your
assemble the head pieces and larger hole. If the fit isn’t right, tapering jig, adjust the
saw fence so the cut splits Fence
splines around it, sanding the continue trimming the wedge
3/4" dimension of the beam, if in very small increments, then the leading corner of the
stock. During the cut, be
necessar y, so it slides through shape the ends of the wedge
sure to control the trapped
the opening. with a coping saw and a file.
wedge stock with a
To prevent the beam from narrow hold-down block.
bonding to the head, coat its first Cutting the Beam Slot
2" with paraffin wax. Now glue The hole in the beam that holds
the head and spline pieces the knife and small wedge is
together and, while pinching tapered on its forward edge. 3/4"
the assembly with your fingers, It sounds unorthodox, but this
quickly clean out the excess is easily done on the table saw.
glue in the opening. Slip the Make the jig shown in Figure 6, 11
/16"
waxed end of the beam into then use it to cut a 1/4"-wide by 91/2"
the head assembly and clamp 11⁄4"-deep slot in the end of the
ever ything tight in both direc- beam (remember, the beam isn’t
tions (top to bottom and side to square, so be sure to cut into its
side). Later, when the glue has wider edge).
dried, you can sand the beam’s Earlier you cut a 1/4"-thick
11⁄16" dimension so it slides in strip for making the small wedge
the opening easily, trim the and the beam insert. To cut
head to final size and chamfer the strip in half, set your taper- Figure 6: Cutting a 11⁄4"-deep slot for the
all its edges and corners. ing jig against the table saw’s beam insert is safe and easy using this jig.
Step 3:
Step 1: Hone the back
Get started of the blade on your
by grinding the sharpening stones,
tip of your 1/4" then, while rounding
spade bit to a 90° point, the end into a
making sure you remove the fingernail shape,
original cutting edges. grind a 25° bevel.
Step 2:
Grind the shaft
above the blade to
lengthen the flat area to Step 4:
2", then file the edges square Hone the bevel with a slipstone and finish up by
so the bit is just under 1/4" wide. hacksawing the cutter off the shaft 2" from the tip.
FREE
White Oak
Nightstand
plan!
Y
ou may hear a different story
about the brass at the Pentagon,
but our guys in uniform sure
know how to squeeze a dime for all
it’s worth. As a GI during World War
II, author Keith Hettinger helped
build thousands of these all-purpose
tables at bases throughout the south
Pacific. The design calls for only one
sheet of 4 x 8 plywood and, judging
from the plywood cutting diagram
on the next page, every inch gets
used short of the sawdust left on
the ground.
Step 1: After cutting the plywood into Step 2: Make a tapering jig from scrap Step 3: Drill counterbored pilot holes
sections (see Plywood Cutting Diagram, wood, as shown in the Taper Jig Layout in the wider leg pieces, then glue and
next page), follow the layout to cut the drawing on the next page, and rip the screw the legs into four corner brackets.
individual pieces to size. leg panels to size and shape. Glue plugs into the counterbores.
Step 4: Glue and screw the aprons to Step 5: Assemble the pieces for all the Step 6: Band the top with walnut and
the leg brackets, making sure to secure support brackets and install the middle lay it on your workbench. Position the
the end aprons first to get the correct apron. Next, mount the remaining base on the top, check for squareness
overlap at the corners. brackets to the aprons with screws. and screw the base to the top. Sand and
finish with paint or varnish.
94 T h e A l l - P u r p o s e S h o p Ta b l e
1
3" 2
21/4"
12
4"
Middle
Apron 8
9 13
Bracket
Detail
9 8 7
10
11
14
3"
6 21/4"
5
10
141/2"
Side
11
4 Bracket
Detail
3 3
4
15 293/4"
Plywood Cutting Diagram First cut 3 Legs (4) 3/4" x 41À4" x 291À4"
4 Legs (4) 3/4" x 5" x 291À4"
5 End Aprons (2) 3/4" x 4" x 333À8"
6 Side Aprons (2) 3/4" x 4" x 57"
7 Middle Apron (1) 3/4" x 4" x 333À8"
8 Middle Apron Supports (4) 3/4" x 3" x 4"
9 Middle Apron Supports (4) 3/4" x 21À4" x 4"
10 Side Supports (4) 3/4" x 3" x 141À2"
11 Side Supports (4) 3/4" x 21À4" x 141À2"
12 End Supports (2) 3/4" x 25À16" x 12"
Woodworker’s Journal
ORDER YOURS Toys and Games CD
TODAY! Item #53974 ................. $14.99
^^^^VVK^VYRLYZQV\YUHSJVT
CALL 800-610-0883 (mention code WJ1506)
or order online: www.woodworkersjournal.com/wj1506
MACHINE OVERVIEW
Sand as thin as 1/32”, as thick as 4”
Sand 19” in a single pass and 38” in a
double pass!
INTELLISAND Technology auto-regulates
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Power requirements 110 Volt, 20 AMP service