Woodworkers Journal - June 2014 USA

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Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

3

W o o d w o r k e r ’s

J o u r n a l

Contents June 2014

Page 56

Vo l u m e 3 8 , N u m b e r 3

22 Adjustable Turning Bench By Ernie Conover Follow the spindle from a seated position with this bench made for sit-down turning.

28 19th Century Shaving Box By A.J. Hamler Inspired by Civil War era styles, this storage box has dividers to hold grooming supplies, plus a handy mirror.

Page 28

Page 22 4

By JoAnne K. Liebeler Adding a backrest and arms, plus a distressed finish, transforms an abandoned coffee table.

56 Full-size Mirror By Chris Marshall Highly figured wood, contrasting dowel pin accents and through tenons make this curvy mirror frame a handsome project.

Departments

6 Editor’s Note and Letters A fond farewell; plus, readers write about projects from recycled wood.

Page 34

34 Mudroom Bench

40 Tool Review Chris Marshall reviews 14" steel-frame band saws.

12 Tricks of the Trade Make a compass from T-track. Readers share their shop solutions.

50 Tool Preview Sandor Nagyszalanczy introduces you to the Handibot portable CNC.

14 Questions & Answers Origins of the quartering system for lumber nomenclature.

52 What’s In Store Power tools, workwear and more: what’s new for your shop.

18 Stumpers That’s where you’ll find the mystery tool solution.

62 Finishing Thoughts Five finishing fixes you’ll find in a professional’s repertoire.

20 Shop Talk London family has been building wooden boats for over 300 years.

66 Hey ... Did You Know? New department features curiously fun woodworking facts. June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal

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Letters

ROCKLER PRESS THE VOICE OF THE WOODWORKING COMMUNITY

JUNE 2014 Volume 38, Number 3

Change is a Constant

ROB JOHNSTONE Publisher JOANNA WERCH TAKES Editor

FOR 25 YEARS, HE’S BEEN A CONSTANT. Larry Stoiaken was hired by our founder and CEO, Ann Rockler Jackson, to start a woodworking magazine. They named it Today’s Woodworker, and it became a wonderful, project-based bimonthly magazine that reached nearly 130,000 readers in its heyday. (We bought the Woodworker’s Journal in 1998 and combined the two

CHRIS MARSHALL Senior Editor JEFF JACOBSON Senior Art Director JOE FAHEY Associate Art Director MATTHEW HOCKING Internet Production Coordinator MARY TZIMOKAS Circulation Director KELLY ROSAAEN Circulation Manager LAURA WHITE Fulfillment Manager

Founder and CEO ANN ROCKLER JACKSON

magazines.) Larry would be the first to tell you that he was hired for his editing

Publisher Emeritus

skills rather than his woodworking acumen (We didn’t call him “Mr. Bondo®” for

LARRY N. STOIAKEN

nothing!) or for the fact that he looks a lot like Jerry Garcia.

Contributing Editors

Luckily for all of us, his editorial skill and well-honed insticts developed our easygoing style, which has been well received over the years. Respect for the reader was his core principle. He also said: “Never use a hundred words where one picture will explain it better, but take the time and space to explain the tricky parts. And keep the editors who work for you [like yours truly] from getting too big for their britches, or from being too goofy.” His legacy is a highly respected and well-run magazine. I say it is his legacy, because last January, Larry decided to retire. We will miss him here at the Journal, but it is the nature of life that change is the only constant. I have now moved into the publisher’s chair, and while there will be changes, I will do my best to move forward building on his lessons and listening to our readers.

— Rob Johnstone

Bed’s a “Beaut” Having made several Murphy beds over the years, I found this one [“Bed/Desk Combo,” February 2014] to be a beaut! Clever is an inadequate description! [In the same issue], building a cabinet around an old window produced an excellent example of what can be done [“Recycled Cabinet”]. Several years ago, I had access to over

1,000 bd. ft. of old, old barn wood. Made beautiful cabinets and furniture out of it. Jim Gier Payson, Arizona

Just want to mention a potential hazard when reusing and recycling wood. If your machines are connected to a dust collector, and should you encounter a

Letters continues on page 8 ...

NORTON ROCKLER SANDOR NAGYSZALANCZY ERNIE CONOVER

Advertising Sales ALYSSA TAUER Advertising Director [email protected] DAVID BECKLER National Sales Representative [email protected] (469) 766-8842 Fax (763) 478-8396

Editorial Inquiries ROB JOHNSTONE [email protected] JOANNA WERCH TAKES [email protected] CHRIS MARSHALL [email protected]

Subscription Inquiries (800) 765-4119 or www.woodworkersjournal.com Write Woodworker’s Journal, P.O. Box 6211, Harlan, IA 51593-1711 email: [email protected]. Include mailing

label for renewals and address changes. For gift subscriptions, include your name and address and your gift recipient’s.

Book Sales and Back Issues Call: (800) 610-0883 www.woodworkersjournal.com Woodworker’s Journal (ISSN: 0199-1892), is published in February, April, June, August, October and December by Rockler Press Inc., 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. Periodical postage paid at Medina, Minnesota and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Woodworker’s Journal, P.O. Box 6211, Harlan, IA 51593-1711. Subscription Rates: One-year, $19.95 (U.S.); $28.95 U.S. funds (Canada and other countries). Single copy price, $5.99. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Publications Mail Agreement Number 0861065. Canadian Publication Agreement #40009401.

©2014 Rockler Press Inc. Printed in USA.

6

Jim Gier found February’s Bed/Desk Combo to be a clever contraption.

June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal

Letters continued

Mudroom Bench, page 34 WJ — and our readers — have reused coffee tables, windows, roof boards and more to make “new“ recycled projects.

misplaced nail, chain, wire, insulator, steel bullet, etc. (all of which I’ve discovered in my lumber), there is always the possibility of creating sparks that will go directly into your dust collection system. Given that the sawdust/oxygen mixture is highly combustible, a very unpleasant explosion/fire could result. Unless you are looking forward to the substantial excitement explosions/fires can create for your shop, be very careful. Thanks. I always appreciate your publication. Dean Santner Alameda, California

A portion of this bedside table started out as a window shutter. Combined with ”leftover” cherry, it’s a frugal reuse.

My husband made two bedside tables for me for Christmas. He used recycled shutters that have been in his shop for years and some

cherry wood he had from previous projects. He also made a shelf for over the bathtub from leftover walnut he had in his shop. Both gifts are beautiful and, while he did spend hours making them, he said his total cost was something like $5.00! Robin Seitz Hailey, Idaho

I read with interest your article on repurposing wood [‘Recycled Cabinet”] in the February 2014 issue. I recently visited a friend’s farm and noticed some 13"-18" wide roof boards that had been removed from his father’s house when it was torn down. I drum sanded them just enough to clean them up some and to bring out the beauty of the wood; but not enough to take out the saw marks, nail holes and other rough characteristics. I

constructed a simple chest highlighting the full width boards. I used simple hinges and rope to give it an “older” authentic look and plugged the screw holes with plugs from the actual wood. I gave it back to my friend as a gift; he was thrilled and felt I honored his father’s memory. Bill Myers Muscatine, Iowa

Heat Off Sanding Discs In regards to the Tricks of the Trade “Leave Sanding Discs in the Dust” [February 2014],

Letters continues on page 10 ...

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QUIKLINK Click through Quik-Link on our website to find information on the tools featured in these articles: Tool Review (page 40) What’s In Store (page 52)

There’s more online at

woodworkersjournal.com

A reader has additional tips for chainsawing safety resources, taking into consideration the sawyer’s ability to reach help if an accident happened.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB

Check online for more content covering the articles below: Woodturning (page 22): Adjustable sit-down bench for woodturning (video) • List of resources for woodturners who are disabled (PDF file) Mudroom Bench (page 34): Overview of an upcycled project (video) Tool Preview (page 50): Handibot® in action: the first Universal Digital Power Tool (video) Small Shop Journal (page 56): Three-part finish process for tiger maple mirror (video)

Roger Tierman thinks the capabilities of the CarveWright CNC are plenty big enough for his needs.

I have an even easier way to get the disc off. Wave a heat gun over the surface of the sanding disc for a minute or two, and the disc will peel right off. No prying, no messy powder to clean off, the surface will be left ready for the new disc. Les Gaulton Falls Church, Virginia

Chainsawing Safety I read the article by Ernie Conover on “Chainsawing Your Own Bowl Blanks” [February 2014] with great interest. I was cutting on my woodlot one day when a thought occurred to me: I am only about 100 yards from my

house, so can I get there and get help if I cut myself? The answer was, “NO!” I determined that I needed two things to survive: First, a signalling device. I decided on a small, portable air horn like the ones used in small boats. It is loud, unusual and attention-getting. A cell phone is a good idea, but there is not always service where you might be cutting. My second need is a first aid kit. I purchased an old army web belt and a couple of ammo carriers to attach to it. I can wear it when I am in the woods cutting. I put in a touniquet and at least one blood-clotting package (fairly common in sporting goods stores or online) and a generous supply of large pads, wrapping and some tape.

After reading “Computers in the Woodshop” [February 2014], I felt it was necessary to respond to the reference to the CarveWright CNC Router as “slightly larger in size and capacity” than the “smallest, least expensive machines.” I have [made] 30" by 48" signage as well as full-size furniture on my CarveWright. I felt that the “small machine” reference did not give the CarveWright the due justice that it deserves. Roger Tierman Elcho, Wisconsin

Table Has History My grandfather built a table similar to Ernie Conover’s “Queen Anne Candlestand Table” [February 2014] in 1935. He was my inspiration in getting interested in woodworking. Bill Myers Muscatine, Iowa

John Jonash Alton, New Hampshire

The stamped name and date on Bill Myers’ grandfather’s table (above) are important for family history. Bill continues — and recommends — the practice.

10


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11

Tricks of the Trade Getting a Better Grip Tested and photographed by Chris Marshall

Full-size Miter Gauge Handle The knobs on the miter gauges that come with many benchtop power tools are too short to grip comfortably, but they’re simple to customize: just take a piece of 4"- to 5"-long dowel in a 1" to 11⁄4" diameter and drill a hole through the center of it, lengthwise. The screw threads of the original knob are probably standard coarse thread for a 1/4" bolt. Buy a carriage bolt long enough to go through your dowel handle and engage the threads in the miter bar, but not so long that the bolt will drag in your tool’s miter slot. Drive the carriage bolt through the dowel; the square portion under the bolt head will embed in the dowel and fix it in place, so you can twist the handle for tightening or loosening. Install a washer on the bolt, thread the new handle into your gauge and voila! A comfortable, custom-made handle.

Cheap Liner, Many Uses Did you know that those dollar discount stores often sell foam liner for kitchen shelves that works every bit as well as the mats we buy for sanding or routing? For just a buck or so, I use these for those purposes, but I also cut them into smaller pieces to help unscrew stuck lids on jars or to get a better grip on screwdrivers. When they get dirty, just rinse and dry them. Or, when they tear, toss them out and buy another one. They’re so inexpensive, I won’t spend full price on a sanding mat again.

Robert S. Hall Scarborough, Maine

Tony McQuay Little Rock, Arkansas

$5 Assembly Squares

Clamping is more challenging when the glue acts like a lubricant, which it does until it begins to set. Here’s a simple way to get more traction: I put a few grains of coarse salt or sand onto one of the mating surfaces of the joint after I’ve spread the glue. It takes very little grit to do the job. The salt or sand bites into the wood when you apply clamping pressure, preventing the parts from slipping. Sprinkle the grit toward the center of the joint for best success.

I’ve found a surprising source for inexpensive assembly squares: the building hardware section of my home center. There, I found Simpson Strong-Tie® CF-R concrete form angle brackets. These 6" galvanized brackets form a perfect square corner, as measured with my best engineer’s square, and their 16-gauge steel is plenty sturdy for clamping and assembly jobs. At around $5 apiece, they could be a great value to woodworkers.

Charles Mak Calgary, Alberta

Bill Wells Olympia, Washington

Better Traction on Slick Glue

12

June 2014

Woodworker’s Journal

KE C I P F TH S O ICK TR

T-track Compass

A set of nice trammel points or an oversized compass can be quite expensive for the hobbyist woodworker that I am. So, I made a big compass from materials I had on hand: a length of aluminum T-track, two 11⁄2"-long T-bolts and knobs, two 1 x 2" blocks of scrap, a pencil and a screw. As you can see, the bolts and knobs hold the blocks at any position along the T-track, so my compass is completely adjustable. I drove the screw through one block to serve as the pivot point, and I drilled a hole through the other block to hold the pencil. A band sawn slit up to the pencil hole enables the bolt and knob to grip the pencil securely. Here’s a sturdy compass that will only be limited by the length of your T-track.

In addition to our standard payment (below), Serge Duclos of Delson, Quebec, will also receive a RIDGID 3-piece 18V Hyper Lithium-Ion Combo Kit (Drill, Impact Driver & Radio) for being selected as the “Pick of the Tricks” winner. We pay from $100 to $200 for all tricks used. To join in the fun, send us your original, unpublished trick. Please include a photo or drawing if necessary. Submit your Tricks to Woodworker’s Journal, Dept. T/T,

Serge Duclos Delson, Quebec

P.O. Box 261, Medina, MN 55340. Or send us an email:

Safety First Learning how to operate power and hand tools is essential for developing safe woodworking practices. For purposes of clarity, necessary guards have been removed from equipment shown in our magazine. We in no way recommend using this equipment without safety guards and urge readers to strictly follow manufacturers’ instructions and safety precautions.

[email protected]

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Questions & Answers Cracking the Code of Quartering Lumber THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS Tim Inman is currently the owner of Historic Interiors, doing restoration and reproduction work, a field he’s worked in for 45 years. He also keeps bees. Christian Coulis is director of marketing, product management for Milwaukee Tool Company. Jason Feldner is a group product manager for cordless power tools at Bosch Tools.

Contact us by writing to “Q&A,” Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340, by faxing us at (763) 478-8396 or by emailing us at:

[email protected] Please include your home address, phone number and email address (if you have one) with your question.

Q

I have seen, in a project plan, the measurements of 6/4, 5/4 and 4/4 and don’t quite know what it means. I have asked around and have gotten some explanations, but am still confused as to how to reach those measurements. Is it that you have to glue boards together to get the over-sizes? And why would anyone want to confuse the general public with these rarely mentioned measurements? Please explain. Thanks. Martin Heuer St. Petersburg, Florida

A

These dimensions are very common among woodworkers and lumber folks. A 6/4 board is called out as “six-quarter” lumber, which means the board was 11⁄2" thick when it was cut from the green log. A 4/4 board is called out as “fourquarters,” which was a 1"-thick board when it was sliced from the log. Why? It goes back to the sawmills. Sawmills that cut

14

What is the solution to the quartering system’s secret code? Are the numbers meant to confuse the uninitiated? The secret goes back to the sawmill.

the lumber from logs are set up to increase the board thickness in quarter-inch jumps. When the sawyer cuts the log, there is a lever or handle he/she can pull that ratchets the log ahead of the blade. Four pulls is four quarters, six pulls measures out a 11⁄2" board, or “six quarters.” They don’t do 1/8" increments, and sawyers aren’t interested in converting measured fractions to carriage clicks. You want a 11⁄4"-thick board? Then you get 5/4 or 5 clicks on the log sled. Each time the log returns to the starting point after it has passed the blade, the sawyer pulls the lever and the log advances across the carriage to cut the next board off, four clicks to the inch. For

efficiency, the handle can be preset so the sawyer doesn't have to count clicks each time, but that is the basis of “quarter” calling lumber. — Tim Inman

Q

In reviewing the article on cordless 18-volt circular saws in the June 2013 issue, I noticed that all but two of the saws have the blade on the left side of the motor. Most of the corded 120-volt circular saws that I have seen through the years have the blade on the right side of the motor. Is

Continues on page 16 ...


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Questions & Answers continued

Sidewinder, worm-drive; right side, left side: Why are some circular saws set up with blades on the left and some on the right?

circular saws, which is why their blade is also on the left. — Christian Coulis

Q there a reason that most of the saws reviewed in the article have the blade on the left side? As I am left-handed, this would seem to make the use of one of these saws more natural, but most people are right-handed. Just curious. Dewey Lackey Brentwood, Tennessee

Winner! For simply sending in his question on the lumber quartering system, Martin Heuer of St. Petersburg, Florida, wins a General International 7-piece Deluxe 8" Dado Blade Set (item 55-185). Each issue we toss new questions into a hat and draw a winner.

16

A

Both types of saws are designed with the most frequent professional uses in mind. Corded sidewinder style circular saws are used mostly on wood construction projects, where the user is cutting dimensional lumber on a sawhorse. These users prefer to keep the weight of the saw on the piece they are cutting to length and not on the falling stock. Cordless circular saws are used more frequently with lighter materials and sheet goods like OSB. For these longer cuts, more users prefer the blade to be on the left side of the tool so that it is easier to see the cut line. The same holds true with worm-drive

In the Questions & Answers section of the February edition of your magazine, Jason Feldner, group product manager for cordless power tools at Bosch Tools, answered a question about switching to lithium-ion batteries in NiCad [nickelcadmium] tools. In his answer, he said, “And the tool and battery price is roughly equivalent to what you would pay for a new NiCad pack.”

Why on earth does a pair of replacement batteries cost as much as a new tool, two batteries, and a charger? This essentially makes the tool disposable. Apparently, one gets about five hundred charges on a battery while it continues to weaken, and then they are done. The tool itself is fine, and all one needs is a new battery. But they hold a gun to one’s head with inflated battery replacement prices. Please ask Mr. Feldner what is the thinking behind this. All of the manufacturers seem to do it. Jerry Egge Bend, Oregon

Continues on page 18 ...

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Questions & Answers

Stumpers

continued

A Cutter of Rounds

A

No one blew a gasket solving this mystery.

What’s This? This issue’s mystery tool belongs to Robert Borgman of Sauk Centre, Minnesota. He has no idea what it is used for. Do you know what it is? Send your answer to

[email protected] or write to “Stumpers,” Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340 for a chance to win a prize!

“Some of the best days of my childhood,” said Luke Oswald of Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, “were spent in my grandfather’s workshop watching and learning from [the late Herbert Nieder]. I can remember getting answers like ‘tongue puller’ and ‘ear hair trimmer’ when I asked what a tool was, so am not sure how true it was when he told me that this tool was a gasket cutter, but at this point it will always be a gasket cutter to me.” Luke’s grandfather wasn’t the only one who identified February’s mystery tool belonging to Vance Parker of Lewes, Delaware, as “a washer cutter, also called a circle cutter or a gasket cutter,” as Russell Ellis of Springfield, Massachusetts, said. “The cutter makes washers or rings from materials such as rubber, leather, copper or any other type of soft material,” said Todd Polewicz of Lockport, New York. “The center ‘large spike’ is held in a brace,” explained Steve Brown of New Castle, Indiana. “The operator of the tool holds the handle and rotates the tool like a layout compass,” added Gary Gossard of Orrville, Ohio.

Winner! Dizzy Swain of Newport, New Woodworker’s Journal editor Joanna Werch Takes compiles each issue’s Stumpers responses — and reads every one.

Hampshire, wins a DeWALT Cordless

Multi-tool Kit (Model DCS355D1). We toss all the Stumpers letters

“The two adjustable trammels provide the inner and outer diameters,” said Frank Levin of Hood River, Oregon. Bruce Turner of Whitman, Massachusetts, said that, like Vance Parker’s, “on mine there are numbers one through five on each side of the center shaft.” “This would be capable of cutting a 10" outside diameter gasket,” noted Gary Fortner of Lakewood, Colorado. Several people, like Channing Walker of Santa Rosa, California, commented that, “the arms should be positioned on either side of the center pivot.” However, that is only one option for its use. As Gerald Zablocky of Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania, noted in his letter, the “packing and gasket cutter” still made by the Kanzawa Company of Japan uses both adjustable points on the same side of the tool. “The two outer points are adjusted to the width of the gasket and cut the inner and outer edges, while the larger point is set to the radius of the gasket’s circle,” explained William Stoop of Tuckahoe, New Jersey.

When you purchase a cordless kit, the bundling of multiple components helps reduce the overall price within the market, given significant competition at both the manufacturer and distributor level. This drives the overall price down at the kit level. As a stand-alone, the component is often priced marginally higher to compensate for the overhead related to the singular item, both for manufacturers to produce but also for the distributor where you buy the pack to sell. Keep in mind

Should a battery alone cost almost as much as buying a power tool and a battery together?

that distribution sets market price, not manufacturers, in most cases. In the end, this also benefits the customer. While you may want to buy a replacement battery only, this same competition creates significant opportunities during peak sales promotion times when the latest technology drops in price even more. This is where I reference the opportunity to purchase a brand-new lithiumion drill/driver kit (basic duty), sometimes at nearly the same price it would cost you to purchase a replacement NiCad battery. The reality is that we all want to serve your power tool needs, and there are many opportunities to step into the latest technology in our competitive market. — Jason Feldner

into a hat to select a winner.

18


Shop Talk

The internal paneling on this slipper stern boat is made from Canadian yellow cedar: it has all the water resistance of red cedar; is harder; and, when varnished, radiates a golden hue.

Family Has 300 Years of Boat Building Experience

I The Peter Freebody & Co. boatyard is the latest incarnation of a family-owned company that has been working in boating for over 300 years.

n a tree-sheltered basin on England’s River Thames, near Windsor, is a familyrun, 300-year-old boatyard internationally known for its expertise with high quality wooden boats. The area is famed for smart leisure boating, and the late Peter Freebody said his forebears could be traced back to the 13th century as bargemen and ferrymen when the river was London’s transport artery.

Freebody’s yard produces the “slipper stern” craft, a limousine amongst riverboats. They reproduce and restore electric canoes: a curious fashion in the late 19th century. They restore steampowered “saloon launches,” a north Thames specialty. They are also world authorities on the upkeep and restoration of the “Riva,” defined as the Ferrari of the power boat world. In addition, customers can

Freebody’s boatyard restores all types of wooden boats, from the steam-powered saloon launch (a party boat for the nobility) at left to clinker-built dinghies like the one pictured above.

bring in wrecks of classic boats found in the mud somewhere, hanging on by a few fibers, and these craftsmen can rebuild them as new.

Careful Wood Selection I was shown around the workshops by Peter’s son, Richard, who, like his father, was raised on the job. In the shop, African mahogany is the main material. It’s durable, workable and can be finished to a high standard. Timbers are selected both for resistance to constant immersion without deterioration of appearance, and for color to achieve striking contrasts. Creamcolored obeche looks fine in cockpits. Columbian pine, or Douglas fir, is used for structural work, ribs and thwarts. Freebody’s replicates yesteryear’s fashion of striped decking — based on the look of old timber ships’ decks, which were caulked with pitch between boards and constantly scrubbed flat to swell the timbers and create a seal. The modern replicas


are created with marine ply, with grooves five to six millimeters wide routed out in stripes. A specialized sealant is injected into the channels, giving a hard but flexible finish that can be smoothed and varnished over. To create the deep gloss finish, a boat will be saturated for days with paintable wood preservative and, until recently, finished with a buildup of up to 14 coats of yacht, or spar, varnish, which has a large linseed or tung oil component to assist flexibility. Nowadays, several base coats of West System® high-tech

Square-shanked nails fit through conical washers to form a rove fastener.

epoxy resin is applied, repeatedly rubbed down and polished with a couple of coats of varnish.

“Take-up” Creates Seal Despite working with all the splendid craft, Freebody’s staff expresses great affection


for the clinker-built dinghy, the basic rowing boat you see by rivers and pulled up on beaches across the world. Its construction has a simple effectiveness: the slight curve around the entire hull causes the top outer corner of each board to bite into the board above. When placed in the water the first time, a process called “take-up” occurs. Water is absorbed into the timber for several days and swells it. The “bite” between the boards compresses together to form a seal. Richard told me that the Vikings would put fine sawdust into the water, which absorbed between the boards to enhance the process. The boards are fixed to the ribs using roves: squareshanked copper nails fit through from the outside of the boat into a conical washer. When bashed together using two hammers, a rivet is formed. The flattened cone develops compression. The excess nail is clipped off and the stub riveted over. During “take-up,” the nail hole seals. Peter Freebody’s own clinker-built dinghy sits in a

small workshop upstairs. No one has so far had the heart to finish it. “Maybe one day,” said Richard. — Barrie Scott

An as-yet unfinished clinker-built dinghy of Fijian mahogany was Peter Freebody’s last project.

WJ Personalities Do Demos

R

ockler Woodworking and Hardware celebrated the grand opening of their new Seattle, Washington, retail store last January. As part of the party, Woodworker’s Journal finishing expert, Michael Dresdner, joined publisher Rob Johnstone in woodworking demos, where they shared some great woodworking tips — like “finish firewood first.” Visitors also got to ask Michael and Rob for advice. “I had a great time at the opening,” said Johnstone. “Woodworkers are the best.”

Interested people constantly surrounded the workbench of Michael Dresdner as he demonstrated finishing techniques and answered questions.

Rob Johnstone of Woodworker’s Journal enthusiastically greeted customers at Rockler’s grand opening in Seattle, Washington.

21

Woodturning Turning For Other than a Standup Guy By Ernie Conover

This adjustable bench (the kind you sit on) allows you to scoot along your lathe, which is helpful if standing for long periods has become physically difficult.

M

y plans this month allow anyone to inexpensively build a suitable bench to work at a full-size lathe but still not put much weight on their legs. My hope is that this idea can open the joys of turning to people who otherwise might not give woodturning a spin, particularly if they find standing for long periods difficult to impossible. Like any idea, I am sure you will instantly think of some good improvements. Please feel free to share those ideas with me. My bench plans combine inspiration from a couple of different sources. First, as a presenter at the 2007 Eighteenth Century Furniture Conference at Colonial Williamsburg, I had the pleasure of turning on the

Inspired in part by an 18th century people-powered lathe (below), our author built a turning bench that will be helpful to those who can no longer stand for long periods of time.

22


Vicmarc VL200 Sit Down ONEWAY 1236SD

Confined to a Chair? These Lathes are for You With any of these lathes, a chair on casters allows turners with Bringing the spindle down to an ergonomically correct height is the biggest challenge to sit-down turning. The cheapest solution is a mini-

some use of their legs to move laterally as the spindle progresses.

lathe, for it is easy to build a table that just clears your legs when sitting.

Those in wheelchairs simply need to reposition the chair with the

However, a mini is not a perfect solution, because the lathe will still be a

needs of the work.

bit high for most people. A rule of thumb is that the center of the lathe spindle should be at the height of the turner’s elbow. I found just three full-size lathes designed specifically for the needs of sitting people: the ONEWAY 1236SD, the Vicmarc VL200 Sit Down and the Robust Independence Lathe. The first two lathes take the approach of building a cantilever stand and canting the lathe toward the operator. The Vicmarc can be canted anywhere from 0° to 45° and has a 6" range of height adjustment, allowing the center of the spindle to be anywhere between 291⁄2” and 357⁄16” when canted to 45°. The ONEWAY tilts from 0° to 90° and, in the latter position, adjusts to a center height between 323⁄4” and 373⁄4”. The Robust has a host of useful features, but its adjustment range of 42" to 50" means the spindle is far too high to be

Robust Independence Lathe

ergonomically comfortable for sitting. It needs to be a foot lower. www.woodworkersjournal.com

great wheel lathe while members of the audience supplied power. The lathe has a sort of bench that is no more than a 4" square beam that you can rest your buttocks on. I took an instant liking to the device: it took much of the weight off of my legs but still allowed side-to-side mobility. I actually climbed into the lathe, but pulling the pin with the round knob

on top allows you to swing the beam out of the way to walk into the lathe. This also allows for positioning the beam nearer or farther from the lathe, as fits the stature of the turner. My second source of inspiration is a weaving bench. I am familiar with them because my wife is a weaver. A bench for a loom has to allow the weaver use of her feet to raise and lower


the shafts by stepping on a series of pedals. On wide looms, the weaver must also slide side-to-side to throw and retrieve the shuttle. Therefore, many looms have a seat that is canted forward to make the treading and sliding more ergonomic. I have coupled the idea of the great wheel bench with a weaving bench in my plans for an adjustable bench for woodturning.

MORE ON THE WEB

For a video of the author demonstrating his adjustable turning bench, plus a list of resources for disabled woodturners, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on the “More on the Web” tab shown above.

23

Woodturning continued

Exploded View

Leg

(Front and Side Views)

A short dowel embedded in a scrap piece of sheet stock, plus a 'LD fence, are clamped to the drill press to index the hole spacing when boring the bench’s adjustment holes 1" apart.

Adjustable Block (Front View)

'LD

The Bench

MATERIAL LIST 1 2 3 4 5 6

TxWxL 1" x 5" x 33" 11⁄ 4" x 21⁄ 2" x 35" 11⁄ 4" x 21⁄ 2" x 25" 1" x 6" x 353⁄ 4" 1" x 21⁄ 2" x 81⁄ 4" 1" x 4" x 5"

Seat (1) Legs (4) Feet (2) Lower Cross Member (1) Adjusting Blocks (2) Seat Supports (2)

Seat Support (Front View)

Foot

(Front View)

'LD

24

C L

This is a straightforward woodworking project within the capacity of anybody. You do need a strong wood. I built mine from white oak, which is very strong. Maple or hickory would be other good choices. Drilling the holes on a perfect 1" spacing is a challenge! I found that building an indexing jig helped with this process. (You can see it in use in the photo above.) Setup of this jig has to be on the perfect center of the piece. Since the drill may wander in drilling this 21⁄2"deep hole, turning the piece upside down on each indexing will give much more accurate results. You may still have to run a drill through the three holes you are bolting to improve alignment during assembly.

Woodturning continues on page 26 ...


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Woodturning continued

The photo above shows the legs being clamped into their mortises. Note the 1" stock between them. The bench seat (narrow to increase functionality) is attached with screws.

This job can also be laid out well with dividers, as long as you don’t touch the adjustment across the four layouts. An error of only .005" can build to .100" over 20 holes, which is just under 1/8". Another method, if you are the only one to use this bench, is to clamp everything together, adjusted for your height, and just drill the holes needed. For solo use, this is my strong recommendation. Remember, the center of the lathe spindle should be at the height of the turner’s elbow. For example, yours truly is 5' 10" tall, which puts my elbow at 44". This is the height my father and I designed the Conover Lathe spindle to reach (he was the same height as me). Mortise-and-tenon joints made at 3/8" make for strong legs. Do not make the tenons bigger than 3/8" because you are severely weakening the trestles with a bigger mortise. A good rule for mortise-andtenoning pieces of equal thickness (11⁄4" in this case) is that the tenon should be 1/3

The author demonstrates the proper use of the turning bench. It is a useful piece of shop furniture for those who find extended standing a problem.

26

the thickness. Clamping a piece of the 1" stock (that you use to make the stretcher and seat supports from) between the uprights during glue-up will save much wringing of hands once the glue dries. I specify carriage bolt lengths that are available from hardware suppliers such as McMaster-Carr. That being said, it may be very hard to find these lengths at local hardware and box stores! You can buy longer and hack saw to the correct length once installed. You can file rough edges or uninstall and spin the tip against a bench grinder to yield the equivalent of an out-of-the-box bolt. The 3/4"- to 1"-thick by 5"-wide seat is attached to the support blocks with deck screws. The plans call for a generous radius at the front and back edges so as not to cut into your legs. I simply hand planed a generous chamfer and find no discomfort. I think the important factor is to make the bench fairly narrow, because in use, I keep one foot on the floor, with the other swinging free. Alternatively, I can rest both feet on the shelf of my Powermatic and still move along the bench as a spindle progresses. Much will depend on your lathe. As I stated at the outset, don’t be afraid to use my design as a starting point, and send me photos.

Ernie Conover is the author of The Lathe Book, Turn a Bowl with Ernie Conover and The Frugal Woodturner.


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27

19th Century Shaving Box By A. J. Hamler

It’s obvious from 19th century photography that people held personal grooming in high regard. Back then, men often owned a shaving box to store their supplies.

S

uch a box was divided to organize razors, toothbrush and brushing powder, small scissors, brush or comb, and perhaps needle and thread. While there were several different styles of shaving boxes, the one presented here is fairly typical. When opened, the small mirror attached to the box lid rests against the front of the box to keep it upright. You can adjust the box sizing to suit your own needs and tastes, and feel free to alter the dividers any way you like (perhaps even to accommodate a modern razor).

28

Getting Started I’ve chosen black walnut for this project, but feel free to use your favorite hardwood. Mill your stock to the appropriate thicknesses per the Material List on Page 31, then cut all the individual workpieces to size, with the exception of the 5/8"-thick workpiece for the mirror frame. When cutting the box ends, make an extra one or two for some test cuts in a later step. When cutting a strip of 5/8"-thick walnut to its 3/4" width for the mirror frame, don’t cut the individual pieces to length June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal

1

After installing a dado cutter in your table saw, set the height at 5/16". With the frame face upward, run the workpiece through to create a 1/4" wide by 5/16" deep rabbet on the back side.

3

2

To cut individual frame pieces, use your regular table saw blade, tilted to 45˚. With the blade angle set, cut the frame sides and top/bottom pieces to length.

4

Tape the outside corners of the frame pieces together in a flat, straight line end-to-end, then arrange the components tape side down and dab glue into each of the open miter joints.

With glue in all four joining corners, carefully lift and fold the frame assembly closed, adding a last piece of tape to the remaining corner to hold everything together.

yet. It’s more efficient — and safer — to first mill the frame’s rabbet with the workpiece as long as possible, and then mitercut the individual pieces to length. Follow the steps shown in the photos above for cutting, then taping and gluing the frame pieces together. After applying the final tape, check your frame assembly for square and allow it to dry on a flat surface. When the frame is dry, let’s strengthen those miter joints with thin splines. Secure the frame in a workbench vise (or clamp it to the edge of a worktable), and cut an angled slot in each corner with a handsaw (1/4" deep is plenty). Now, glue a thin (about 1/16") piece of walnut in each slot. Wipe off the glue squeeze-out, and once the spline has fully dried, trim it off and sand the corners smooth. You’ll barely see these in the finished frame.

Go ahead and set the 3/4" headless brads — they’re keepers for the glass and mirror backing — now to prevent scratching the finish later. Tap them in just enough to set the holes.


Building the Box Box construction here consists of rabbet joinery, although dovetails are also appropriate. With a dado blade in your table saw (or rabbeting bit in your router table), set at a height of 1/4", cut 3/8"-wide by 1/4"-deep rabbets on the ends of the two box sides. Now install a 3/16" straight bit in your router table, set at a height of 3/16", to create the dadoes for the box dividers on the inside faces of the end workpieces. These dadoes are pretty straightforward, but take your time with the setup to ensure the cuts are perfect. In the photo on 29

You can make spline slots a number of ways, but for a frame this small, a handsaw is easiest and fastest.

Put glue into the slot and press the spline into place. Wipe off excess glue and trim the spline flush once the glue dries. Sand the joints smooth.

dividers are 11⁄4" from each end of the workpieces. To keep everything straight, I’ve taped an arrow on the outside face of the workpiece denoting the correct orientation for each cut. Rest the workpiece against the end stop with the inside face downward. Turn on the router and slide the workpiece into the router bit until it reaches the table stop, then pull it back. Set the workpiece aside and make the same cut on the other workpiece. Now, turn off the router and reposition the fence stop (the walnut one here) so it’s 11⁄4" to the other side of the router bit and clamp it in place. Repeat the cuts as before, making sure to mind the direction of the taped-on arrows. Recall that earlier I recommended you make some extra end pieces? Do yourself a favor and make practice cuts on one of these extras first, to ensure your setup is right. Assemble the box by first dabbing glue into the rabbets on the side pieces, then clamp the box sides and ends together. Check the assembly for square, and allow it to dry. The dadoes we routed in the box ends for the dividers have rounded ends, so round the top edge of the dividers to match. These dividers are thin, so the easiest way is to do the rounding on a sheet of 150-grit sandpaper on a flat surface. Be sure both dividers are flush with the box bottom. You can fine-tune this once you’ve completed the roundover on the tops by inserting both dividers into the box, turning it right side up and sliding the whole thing over the sandpaper.

From Top to Bottom

It’s a good idea to tap the mirror-keeper brads into place to establish holes before applying finish.

page 31, right, you can see that I’ve clamped stops on my router table’s sliding fence to control the size and location of the cuts. Since the dividers are 13⁄8" high, you only want the workpiece to travel 13⁄8" into the router bit. On the right side of the photo, you can see where I’ve clamped a poplar table stop to control the forward travel of the fence to exactly 13⁄8" into the router bit. On the left side of the same photo, you see that I’ve also clamped a walnut end stop onto the fence to position the workpiece exactly 11⁄4" from the router bit: the dadoes for the 30

Both the box lid and base have rounded edges; the base takes a half roundover on just the top edge, while the lid edges are fully rounded. Install a 3/16"-radius roundover bit into your router table, and round all four top edges of the box base. For the lid, first round over all four top edges, then flip it over and do the four bottom edges. The lid is divided into two sections, which you create by making a cut 6" from one end. The 6" portion becomes the back of the lid, while the 3" portion is the front. Since the hinges essentially rejoin the lid we just cut, it’s most efficient to merely fold the two lid pieces over on themselves and cut both mortises at the same time on the router table with a 3/4" straight bit set 1/16" high. Make sure to orient the workpieces for a continuous grain pattern before you proceed. Clamp a stop block onto your router table’s miter gauge or sliding fence exactly 11⁄4" from the bit edge. Place the lid halves together against the stop block with the cut edges down, and run both over the bit at the same time to cut one complete hinge mortise. Still keeping the two halves together, flip them around side-forside and repeat to cut the other hinge mortise. While you have the 3/4" bit installed in the router table, raise the height to 1/8". Now, with the stop block still in place on the fence, create deeper mortises in the top/rear edge of the main box for two more hinges. With the same stop block setup, these will also position the mortises 11⁄4" from the box edges. June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal

Box Side

Box End

(Top View)

(Inside View)

Mirror Frame

(End View)

MATERIAL LIST 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14

TxWxL Mirror Frame Sides (2) 5/8" x 3/4" x 7" Mirror Frame Top/Bottom (2) 5/8" x 3/4" x 53⁄ 4" Mirror Back (1) 1/8" x 43⁄ 4" x 6" Box Sides (2) 3/8" x 21⁄ 4" x 81⁄ 2" Box Ends (2) 3/8" x 21⁄ 4" x 63⁄ 8" Dividers (2) 3/16" x 13⁄ 8" x 81⁄ 8" Box Lid/Base (2) 3/8" x 7" x 9" 3/4" Brass Hinges (4) Brass Brass Latch (1) Brass Brass Washer #6S (1) Brass Brass #6 x 1/2" Round-head Slotted Screw (1) Brass #6 x 3/4" Flat-head Slotted Screws (3) Brass #6 x 1" Round-head Slotted Screw (1) Mirror (1) 1/8" x 43⁄ 4" x 6"

Exploded View

Cut rabbets on the ends of each of the side pieces. A sacrificial fence protects the surface of the table saw’s existing fence when cutting.

Using a pair of carefully placed stops on your router table miter gauge, create the dadoes in each end piece for the box dividers.

Why double the mortise depth? Well, for the two-part lid we wanted the hinge centered between the two lid halves. For the hinges on the underside of the lid at the rear, however, we won’t cut mortises — they mount flush — and the deeper mortises in the box keep the lid from raising the full thickness of the hinge. Secure the two lid halves into your vise, mortise edges up. Center your hinges over the back-to-back mortises, mark and drill pilot holes, and screw the hinges into place.

Final Assembly


Place the lid upside down and center the main box on the upward-facing underside of the lid. With the box perfectly centered, trace the inside edges of the box onto the underside of the lid to indicate exactly where the open portion of the box will be once the lid is attached. (See photo, top of page 33.) Drill three countersunk screw holes in the top portion of the mirror frame: one through the center/top, and one on each side. 31

Round over the top edges of the dividers to match the dadoes. Sandpaper works fine, but you could use a very small roundover bit in your router table if you like.

The box base gets a roundover on the top edge, while the lid receives a full roundover on both top and bottom edges to form a bullnose.

The two side holes should be about 1/2" from the hinged edge of the two-part lid. Be sure that all three holes are drilled in the solid portion of the frame, about 1/4" from the outer edge, avoiding the rabbeted section where the mirror goes. Before attaching the mirror frame to the lid, slip your screws into the holes so they are fully seated, then check the screw depth against the edge of the lid: you do not want those screws going through and coming out the top of the lid. If the screws are too long, use the next shorter size. Center the mirror frame in the marks you made on the underside of the lid (you should have about 1/8" clearance on the sides and a bit more at the ends) and screw the frame into place. This step is just to set the screw holes and check the

clearance with the box sides. Once you’ve done that, you can remove the frame and set it aside. After adding a finish to the rest of the box, we’ll mount the glass and mirror backing, and permanently reattach it to the box lid. Install hinges in the rear mortises we cut earlier with the knuckles to the rear, then place the inverted box atop the lid/mirror assembly, lining the box up with your outline marks from earlier. Mark the hinge locations on the underside of the lid and drill pilot holes for the hinge screws. As before, insert screws into the hinge leaves and double-check that they will not extend through the lid; 3/8" screws, once paired with the thickness of the hinge leaves, should be right, but check this before installation. Before attaching the box base, apply a finish to the inside of the box and dividers. Shellac was typical for items like this. I chose amber shellac to really bring out the color of walnut. Shellac the dividers and box interior separately, taking care not to get shellac on the bottom edge of the box where you’ll apply glue, then slip the dividers into place when the shellac dries. Install the box base with a combination of glue and nails: at only 7" wide, wood movement isn’t an issue here, so glue won’t present a problem. Apply glue to the bottom edge of the main box and center it on the box base, and clamp up the assembly till dry. Once the glue dries, reinforce the bottom with headless brads (3/4" or 7/8") or pin nails. Note in the photo at the bottom of page 33 that before gluing on the base, I traced an outline of the box on the underside of the base to act as a nailing guide — place nails only in the dead center of this outline.

Installing the Locking Post Drill a pilot hole in the front edge of the box for a #6 x 1" brass screw that will act as the locking post for the box lid. Place the

Hold the two lid halves together to cut the hinge mortises in both pieces at the same time. With the lid halves clamped and held in a bench vise, drill pilot holes and install the brass hinges.

32


To accurately place the mirror on the underside of the lid, perfectly center the box and then pencil in the box opening to use as a placement guide.

hole exactly in the center of the box edge, centered from side to side. Drive the locking-post screw into this hole, but not too far. We need it there to mark for the locking-post hole in the lid and we’ll drive it to final depth once the lid is complete. Attach the lid to the box via the rear-mounted hinges, and close the box so the underside of the front edge of the lid rests atop the locking-post screw. (Hold the lid flat while you do this.) Press the front of the lid down firmly onto the locking post screw to make an indentation in the underside of the lid. Using the indentation as a guide, drill a 5/16" hole exactly centered on the mark. Be sure to place scrap wood underneath while drilling to prevent the drill bit from causing tearout on the opposite side when it comes through. The lid should fully close now, with the locking-post screw passing neatly through the center of the hole. With this done, go ahead and apply finish to the rest of the project.

Adding the Final Hardware There’s still the matter of keeping the box lid closed when your grooming tasks are finished. For that, it’s time to add the latch hook. Latch hooks really haven’t changed over the last couple hundred years. As long as you use one made of solid brass, rather than brass-plated, any commercially available latch hook is fine and will give your project a touch of high quality. I used a 11⁄4" hook, but a 1" hook would work just as well. Latch hooks typically come with a Phillips head screw, which is fine, but if you want to hold to period authenticity, replace it with a slotted screw instead. With the lid closed, adjust the height of the locking-post screw to allow you to slip the latch hook beneath the head without binding too tightly. Hold the latch hook in place and make a centered mark on the lid through the hook’s top screw eye. Drill a pilot hole on your mark. Insert the latch hook’s mounting screw through the hook eye, slip a washer onto the screw beneath the hook, and fasten the hook to the lid. Adjust the latch screw so the hook twists easily, but without any extra play in the action. I used a #6 x 1/2" screw to mount the latch hook, and although the lid is only 3/8" thick the combined thicknesses of the hook and the brass washer underneath it were sufficient to make it just right. As with every other instance of driving screws through the lid of the box, check and double-check before driving the screw. The final step is to reattach the mirror frame permanently to the underside of the lid with its three screws. Here, I’ll offer a bit of advice. Don’t yield to the temptation of gluing the mirror frame to the underside of the lid. If the mirror ever cracks, you’ll need to be able to easily remove the frame from the box lid in order to replace the glass. A.J. Hamler is former editor of Woodshop News, and the author of the upcoming book Civil War Woodworking, Volume II. Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

Center the mirror frame in your outline on the underside of the lid and screw it into place to set the screw installation holes. Be sure to doublecheck screw length to avoid driving a screw completely through the lid.

Glue and clamp the base to the bottom of the box. Note that the inner surfaces are already finished — it’s much easier to do the inside before assembly.

When the glue on the box base has dried, drive some small brads through the bottom to add a bit of strength.

33

Mudroom Bench

By JoAnne K. Liebeler

This functional, cottage-styled mudroom bench was repurposed from an old coffee table. Here’s how we did it.

I

t’s got dirty, back-door secrets. Neglected and unseemly, it’s the dumping ground for filthy footwear, mismatched gloves and outerwear. I’m talking about the back entry, or what architects call the mudroom. Just about all of us could benefit from some organization and tidiness in this transitional war zone. So in an attempt to bring some function and flair to this

34

space, a project was born: creating a mudroom bench out of a coffee table. Building a mudroom bench Sad and abandoned in the garage, this coffee table had from a coffee table isn’t a huge seen better days. With a little imagination and elbow leap of project-logic. The coffee grease, it has started a new life as a mudroom bench. table I’m talking about is solid 1 scarves, gloves and other accessories. wood and super strong. Its 17 ⁄2" height is ideal for sitting comfortably to remove And the relatively shallow depth of 23" footwear. It has drawers that can store doesn’t consume much floor space. June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal


MORE ON THE WEB For a video of the author talking about this project, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on the “More on the Web” tab shown above.

I should also mention it’s mahogany, a beautiful species of wood that deserves to be buffed up, polished and shown off. With structural bones like that, this coffee table was ideal for recycling, repurposing, rebuilding and repainting. The idea was to clean up the mahogany drawers, give it a two-step distressed paint finish and build our own backrest and arms. I’m no fine woodworker, but these are basic techniques and within anyone’s grasp. Besides, by reusing a piece of furniture, this was an affordable makeover.

The last step on the drawers was dealing with those chewed-up sides. A good 1/2" to 3/4" was completely missing thanks to some toothy little mouse. The solution? Clean up and cut down all the drawer side profiles so they’d match. To do that, I clamped a pair of drawers face to face and drilled two holes at their intersection for jigsaw access. I marked for the 3/4" cut and clamped a straightedge to guide the saw’s base plate. Just a quick note about that: I can’t be trusted to cut a clean, straight line without some help. Reinvention The guide was the Begins perfect solution. The coffee table had All the drawers been languishing for were reshaped, with decades in a garage. the result that each The finish was worn. drawer side now has There were a couple a shallow, U-shaped of dings and dents. profile on its top A family of mice made edge. Somewhere a condo out of the in rodent world, a drawers. But there mouse is laughing was no water damage at the extra work his Sanding off the old finish cleaned off the or warping. So it was a crud and corruption of years of abuse, drawer-chewing and also prepared the surface for paint. good starting base. caused. The first step was to Coffee and Tea to an Almost-Settee clean up the surfaces for painting. This Of course, the most transformative part of was a relatively easy sanding job since this project was to build a back and arms. they needed only to be residue-free and I used 3/4" plywood for the back panel smooth. A palm sander and 120-grit and got some help cutting it to size. That’s paper did the trick. Sanding the mahogany drawer fronts was because the table saw is a power tool I a little more intensive. It took three passes still find unnerving. Plus, big old honkin’ sheets of plywood are awkward. So it’s with 80-, 120- and 220-grit sandpaper to nice to have extra hands for this. Next, remove the old varnish and prepare them I measured for and cut angled corners. for a new finish facelift. The interior drawer bottoms were another Here, a shop-made fence was secured to help make an accurate cut. story. Their condition ranged from “OK” The angled corners were the beginning to “disgusting.” Some sort of unidentified of filling out some design details on gummy-gluey-gobs were stuck on the surthis piece. 1 x 4 pine was cut to face — and probably had been since the “picture-frame” the five exposed edges Reagan administration. Thank goodness for a cabinet scraper. It of the back. To soften the hard lines and angles, I gave a little bevel to the edges was the tool for getting into those narrow using a sharp block plane. Then they drawers to scrape out the gunk. Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

The author reshaped the top of the drawer sides to remove rodent damage. She used a Forstner bit to shape the ends of the new profile, and then “connected the dots” with a handheld jigsaw. Note the straightedge guide.

35

A mahogany stain on the well-sanded drawer fronts added life to the surface (left). A coat of black paint, strategically placed, would provide the contrast to the green paint applied later. Then the author would rub down through the green paint to expose “wear patterns” of the black color.

were glued and pinned in place, which set the stage for the centerpiece: mahogany slats. Talk about a miser’s dream! I used 1/4"-thick lauan mahogany plywood, which only costs $12 a sheet.

The slats were ripped to four-inch widths and cut to length. The arm assemblies were constructed from 1 x 2 pine pieces (see the Drawings) and screwed together as a simple box. They got a decorative kiss with some angle-cut 1 x 4 armrests.

Painting and Staining

Mitered corners on the plywood back added shape to a boxy project. A shop-made guide ensured the cut would be made accurately.

The seat, back and arms were already sanded to accept the two-step paint finish — a black undercoat topped by a basil green color. The green complements the mahogany’s red tones, so it’s a nice contrast for the wood. It also has a muted, neutral quality to it. That means it should be able to withstand the shifting winds of color trends over the years. With a two-step distressed finish, you don’t have to knock yourself out painting the undercoat over the entire structure. Only hints of it will be revealed. So the

base coat painting focused on areas where the natural wear patterns would be: edges and corners. For the drawer fronts and slats, I went with a mahogany colored stain. That rich, ruddy color is also beautiful. The stain was flooded on and wiped off. The job was finished with a topcoat of spray of shellac followed by sprayed lacquer. Staining and finishing before assembly is a good practice. You know darn well that fluctuations in humidity mean wood expands and contracts. By coloring and finishing all the pieces, you won’t see any telltale bare-wood lines when the wood shrinks. Leave the tan line to that kid in the old Coppertone® ads.

Putting it Together Mahogany plywood might be affordable and nice-looking, but it’s a bit flimsy. Face-nailing the slats onto the back panel wouldn’t look great, so securing the slats with glue was the only reasonable option. I played around with the spacing — opting for a penny’s width separation or so between each one — then glued them in place with yellow glue. To get good adhesion, a 2 x 4 was laid over the top of the slats with a brick or two on top of it working as a “clamp.” Once the glue was dry, I secured the subassemblies to the base. The pictureframe detailed backrest was held back 1" so it could sit on top of the coffee table base and locate the plywood accurately. A few countersunk screws driven in from the backside of the piece definitely turned this former table into a bench. Securing the arms provided rock-solid stability. Even though it was awkward to do, the armrest’s screws were driven in from the underside, to hide the fasteners. The author used spacers to get a regular pattern between the back slats. When she had figured the spacing out, she stained the slats to match the drawer fronts, then applied shellac from a spray can.

36


Exploded View

Arm Assembly (Side View)

MATERIAL LIST 1 2 3 4 5

Back Panel (1) Panel Frame Sides (2) Panel Frame Corners (2) Panel Frame Top (1) Back Slats (11)

TxWxL 3/4" x 221⁄ 2" x 51" 6 3/4" x 31⁄ 2" x 151⁄ 2" 7 1 3 3/4" x 3 ⁄ 2" x 8 ⁄ 8" 8 3/4" x 31⁄ 2" x 383⁄ 4" 9 3/16" x 37⁄ 8" x 177⁄ 8" 10

Arm Top and Bottoms (4) Arm Stiles (6) Arm Front and Backs (4) Armrests (2) Drawer Knobs (6)

Final Flourishes and an Almost-flop That just left the final decorative touches: hardware, a comfy cushion and distressing the finish. I chose round, hammered iron knobs to echo the undercoat color. You’d think finding fabric for a cushion would be rote, routine and dull as unbuttered toast. But it had to be carefully chosen. I considered the design (traditional), the colors (basil green and red wood tones) and the design elements (mahogany as the star attraction). A muted paisley-patterned corduroy was the solution. The last step was to distress the finish so hints of the black undercoat would show. The protocol called for steel wool and denatured alcohol to gently take down the topcoat. My first attempt didn’t go well. The topcoat seemed resistant to the alcohol. So I slathered on more and rubbed harder. When the topcoat finally began to dissolve, it did so without grace. Blotchy, skunky chunks of green paint came off. It even got down to bare wood. Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

TxWxL 3/4" x 15⁄ 8" x 14" 3/4" x 15⁄ 8" x 51⁄8" 3/4" x 15⁄ 8" x 65⁄8" 3/4" x 31⁄ 2" x 171⁄2" Rockler item #37413

I’ll blame it on a combination of poor technique and the wrong applicator, because when I switched to a ScotchBrite™ abrasive pad, the results were much more controllable and attractive. It enabled me to get that gently distressed finish that I’d envisioned from the beginning of the project. So at the end of the day, here’s how this coffee table transformation stacked up: It took about three days to complete. The cost of supplies and materials was under $100. And as a solution to a problem area, it’s pretty and practical. Best of all, a beautiful piece of mahogany craftsmanship was rescued, recycled and given new life. I hope it inspires you to find an old piece of furniture and use your skills to give it a second chance. It’s fun, practical and affordable. You can’t beat that! The arm subassembly was glued and screwed together. Then it was secured to the top and the backrest with screws. Finally, the armrests were screwed in place.

JoAnne Liebeler has been a host and producer of TV shows such as Hometime, Home Savvy and Passport to Design. 37

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39

Tool Review 14" Steel-Frame Band Saws: Big Resawing for Any Shop By Chris Marshall

40


The benefit of steel-frame rigidity is now extending to many smaller band saws that run on 110 volts. How well do they work? We find out.

T

he downside to traditional 14" band saws with all cast-iron frames is that many are limited to about 6" of resawing capacity. Today’s “next generation” of steel-framed band saws solve the problem: their box-style spines are tremendously rigid to withstand the high tension required for a wide resawing blade, and their frames are extended for tall resawing. Lately, the category of 14" steel-framed saws is growing. Even better, they’re equipped with 11⁄2" to 13⁄4"hp motors that run on 110 volts! No need to rewire your shop for 220 in order to resaw the really wide stuff. But, is sub-2hp and household current really enough? I rounded up six different 14" models and put them to work on 12"-wide hard maple to find out. And the results? Very pleasing! Here’s how they tested.

Top-shelf Resaw Blades Resawing demands a blade with sharp teeth and deep gullets to shovel out copious sawdust produced during cutting. So, for this resaw test, I used a new 3/4"-wide Timber Wolf silicon steel resawing blade (from

suffolkmachinery.com) in each saw. They feature two to three variable-pitch teeth per inch in a positive hook configuration. That aggressive design no doubt helped these smaller horsepower saws cope with the dense, 12"- wide hard maple used for my cutting tests.


41

Tool Review continued A foot brake (left), common on larger band saws, makes quick stops for safety possible on General’s 90-170B. No matter how modest your shop, if you have a 110-volt receptacle, you can run this saw, and all others featured here. Motors (right) are prewired for a standard outlet.

General International 90-170B Street Price: $1,594.99 Motor Size: 11⁄2hp / 12.5 Amp Table Size: 16"W x 20"D Weight: 293 lbs. Resaw Capacity / Throat Width: 12" / 13 1⁄2" Blade Length, Width Range: 112", 1/8" to 3/4" Web/Phone: www.general.ca / 888-949-1161

General International 90-170B General International’s 90-170B, along with all six of these test saws, did a fine job of general rip- and curve-cutting with a 1/4" blade. But, a saw made for tall resawing as well as general cutting needs to satisfy three main criteria for me: the blade guides should be easy to adjust (since you’ll want to switch back and forth between wide resaw or narrow blades); the rip fence and features should aid in resawing; and the motor must be gutsy enough to keep the blade spinning through wide stock. In most of these respects, the 90-170B has a lot to offer. It sports a generous, 16" x 20" cast-iron table, and a sturdy upper blade guide post moves smoothly up and down on rack-and-pinion gears to adjust its cutting height. The table sits on a pair of doublewalled trunnions that enable it to tilt and lock securely, and when tipped, the table is 42

reinforced by an extra support arm and lock knob in back. This saw comes with an Excalibur T-square style fence that, thanks to bearings, rolls smoothly on its front rail for ripping or resawing. A curved resaw attachment bolts on to provide workpiece “steering,” for coping with any blade drift issues during resawing. I wish the accessory were taller than 31⁄2", though: for the maple resawing test, I wanted taller backup support, so I used a shop-made resaw jig instead. With the exception of Laguna, General and the other test saws come with ball-bearing upper and lower blade guides — a more heavy-duty solution than the “cool blocks” you’ll still find on some traditional 14" band saws. Dual side bearings and a face-mounted thrust helped keep the 3/4"-wide resawing blade tracking straight on the 90-170B, and they adjust pretty easily too. The side bearings turn eccentrically with a screwdriver for fine adjustment, while either an

Allen screw or a smallish thumbscrew locks them. But, getting a wide blade into position in the first place is fussy work here. Blades load through a side slit on the table, then must be turned 90° in a small throatplate opening, while threading it in through a slit in the saw’s yellow upper blade guard and between the guide bearings. Once the blade is on the wheels, the lower left guide bearing is difficult to adjust without tipping the table up first. It’s all doable, of course, but it could be easier. A cast-metal quick-release lever on top tensions the blade by twisting it down — and that will come in handy for de-tensioning between uses, too. Once powered up, this General’s 11⁄2hp motor helped it steam through hard maple, slicing six 24"-long veneer sheets with ease. Two 4" dust ports in the bottom flywheel case kept dust to a minimum when connected to an 1,100 CFM dust collector. I also appreciate the foot brake that stops the cutting action in only about 1.2 seconds. At nearly $1,600, this saw is amply featured, but it’s priced high relative to most of the test group. Blade-change fuss aside, it performed solidly. Continues on page 44 ...


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Tool Review continued JET JWBS-14SF Street Price: $1,899.99 Motor Size: 13⁄4hp / 15 Amp Table Size: 16"W x 211⁄2"D Weight: 356 lbs. Resaw Capacity / Throat Width: 131⁄2" / 13 1⁄2" Blade Length, Width Range: 125", 1/8" to 3/4" Web/Phone: www.jettools.com / 800-274-6848

JET’s tool-less blade guides (left) simplify adjustments. The hefty 6"-tall resaw fence (right) comes with a threaded micro-adjuster for setting up precision cuts. Our author found it to be the best rip fence of this test group.

in this instance, I think JET’s JWBS-14SF will prove to be money very well spent.

Laguna 14-Twelve JET JWBS-14SF For a penny under $1,900 street, JET’s saw will be a shock to the pocketbook of most hobbyists. But that’s my only criticism of the JWBS-14SF. It was in all regards a pleasure to set up and use. Here’s why. Back to my initial criteria, JET has done its homework to make both upper and lower blade guides simple to adjust. Large knurled knobs control eccentrically moving double bearings on top, so they set without tools. The lower guide bearings are also easy to adjust: there’s ample room under the table for both hands, and even the rear rimoriented thrust bearing has a control knob in front where you can grab it. Blades thread straight in through a front slit in the table — easier than saws with side-slit styles — and a hinged upper guard opens for wide blade access. Once a blade is threaded, the saw has a three-position quick-release lever in back for tensioning. Viewing windows in the upper flywheel case, plus a large tensioning scale, help you keep track of blade settings at a glance with the door closed. JET equips the 14SF with a phenomenal rip fence. The base casting is hefty and locks with a large ratchet lever, and 44

a beefy, 6"-tall extrusion provides plenty of backing for tall resawing or flips down to a second low position when cutting thin stock. The fence’s microadjust control is another helpful asset here. A large throatplate opening with milled aluminum insert, durable knurled door latches and oversized hand wheels are thoughtful, quality details. Even tilting the table is made easier, thanks to a geared crank lever and polished handle. When I fired this machine up, I learned that it performs as well on the track as it sets up in the pit. There was plenty of power for resawing wide maple, while only about a tablespoon of dust was left inside the lower flywheel case afterward. Two long metal dust ports hook up to 4" hoses for cleaner cutting. While shelling out top dollar doesn’t always buy top quality,

Laguna has created an enticing package in this recently minted 14-Twelve band saw. Its 13⁄4hp motor and balanced, cast-iron flywheels drove the wide resawing blade through maple without


Oliver Machinery 4620 Street Price: $1,400 Motor Size: 11⁄2hp / 12 Amp Table Size: 16"W x 20"D Weight: 304 lbs. Resaw Capacity / Throat Width: 13" / 13 5⁄8" Blade Length, Width Range: 1133⁄4", 1/4" to 1" Web/Phone: www.olivermachinery.net / 800-559-5065

bogging down under steady feed pressure. A single 4" dust port in the bottom case kept dust to an absolute minimum. Heavy stock won’t shift the table off its tilt setting, either, thanks to two oversize trunnions that lend solid foundation below. This saw’s infrastructure seems made for heavy-duty cutting. Laguna outfits the 14Twelve with ceramic blade guides: four strips sandwich the blade at both guide locations, and two pucks provide rear support. Their aluminum housings slide along tracks in the guide mounting blocks for easier lateral adjustment, and plastic knobs lock them without tools. One gripe: the bottom blade guide area is cramped. Despite its side-loading table, blades are still quite manageable to install, thanks to an oversized throatplate opening and a hinged top blade guard. A quick release flips up for blade tensioning, and you can check blade tracking and tension through

two viewing windows up top. I like Laguna’s robust rip fence and the 51⁄2"-tall resaw facing for supporting wide boards. The fence can be adjusted for both parallelism and squareness if needed, although mine was spot-on from the factory. It Dual-port dust collection has no micro-adjust (top) kept Oliver’s lower provision like JET. flywheel compartment clean. A “bare bones” A box-style, welded spine 14-Twelve doesn’t (bottom) contributes added include the halogen stiffness to these steel saw frames to withstand high task light ($99) or tension from resaw blades. wheel kit ($149) shown here, but they’re worth it. The light offers broad illumination Oliver 4620 Side by side, it’s hard not to of the cutting area, and see some similarities between Laguna provides a built-in receptacle to plug it in. That’s Oliver’s 4620 and General International’s machine: Their helpful! The three-wheel table systems, rip fences, mobility system makes this blade guide components and saw pleasant to roll around. tensioning provisions are All in all, the 14-Twelve is virtually carbon copies, with straightforward to set up, and the exception that Oliver it bests tough cutting jobs.

Laguna 14-Twelve Street Price: $1,097 w/o task light or mobility kit Motor Size: 13⁄4hp / 14 Amp Table Size: 16"W x 211⁄2"D Weight: 258 lbs. Resaw Capacity / Throat Width: 12" / 13 5⁄8" Blade Length, Width Range: 1143⁄4"-116", 1/8" to 3/4" Web/Phone: www.lagunatools.com / 800-234-1976 Laguna’s $99 task light (left) shines bright light over the whole table area from above. Widespread trunnions (right) form solid table support below.


45

Tool Review continued

Blade quick-release levers (left) are good standard features on all of these saws. RIKON provides a hefty flywheel spring (above) to help the saw withstand greater forces required for tensioning wide blades.

RIKON 10-325 Street Price: $999.99 Motor Size: 11⁄2hp / 14 Amp Table Size: 16"W x 201⁄2"D Weight: 251 lbs. Resaw Capacity / Throat Width: 13" / 13 5⁄8" Blade Length, Width Range: 111", 1/8" to 3/4" Web/Phone: www.rikontools.com / 877-884-5167 outfits the upper guides with single, rather than double, bearings. Oliver’s frame is taller, too, by a couple of inches. This saw includes a full-size miter gauge, which is a convenient, useful feature. It has no foot brake. The slitted upper guard, small throatplate hole and side-loading table make blade changing finicky. Given their common traits, I expected the 4620 to perform similar to General’s machine. But, when I pitted it against a chunk of 12"-wide maple, Oliver’s 11⁄2hp, 12-amp rated motor seemed to struggle to keep the blade spinning. I backed off to only gentle feed pressure, and I was able to slowly resaw six slices of veneer, but if I applied feed pressure consistent with the other saws’ resaw tests, the blade slowed to a stall again. 46

Consultation with Oliver’s technical department helped me diagnose the problem: one of the lower drive belts that tensions the flywheel pulley was overly loose from the factory. It’s not an adjustment you’d expect to make on a new saw, and it wasn’t inordinately loose, but adding more tension fixed the glitch. Powered back up, the saw was able to resaw at a feed rate consistent with the others, helping Oliver finish my cutting tests with a good showing here.

RIKON 10-325 Seven years ago, RIKON’s 10-325 won our “Best Bet” honors among a group of 14", mostly cast-iron framed band saws. Now, after testing this tool again, I recall why. It’s sensibly designed, capable and easy to use. Its guide bearings — single side and rim-mounted thrust — move with knurled knobs

and tighten down easily with Allen screws. The lower guide bearings, hiding in table shadows on some machines, are easy to see and reach here. I love that the thrustbearing knob is forward facing on this saw. No need to tip the table to adjust these guides. Blade installation is easy, thanks to a front-slitted table and hinged blade guard. A left-right moving quickrelease lever in back provides blade tension, and viewing windows in the top case help you see what you’re doing. RIKON provides a fat spring for upper flywheel tensioning — a good provision for withstanding wide, stiff resaw blades. The 10-325 also has a sturdy rip fence with a fairly short fence beam and resaw bar. So, in the tall resawing test, I opted for a much taller shop-made resawing guide instead. Other amenities include a geared lever for tilting the table, a spacious storage compartment and shelf below the saw and a flexible task light to brighten the table. In testing, the saw’s 11⁄2hp RIKON-built motor muscled through hard maple, and most of the dust was whisked away Continues on page 48 ...


Keep safety close at hand!

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Bartley Classic Reproductions 1-800-787-2800 Quality Kit Furniture www.bartleycollection.com

47

Tool Review continued Small-shop owners will appreciate Steel City’s three-wheel mobile base (left), if a band saw must be moved in and out of position for use. A slab of polished granite (right) provides a flat, sturdy and corrosion-free sawing surface for this machine.

Steel City 50155G Hybrid Street Price: $699.99 Motor Size: 11⁄2hp / 14 Amp Table Size: 16"W x 21"D Weight: 291 lbs. Resaw Capacity / Throat Width: 12" / 13 1⁄2" Blade Length, Width Range: 105", 1/8" to 3/4" Web/Phone: steelcitytoolworks.com / 877-724-8665 through a lower 4" dust port. For just shy of $1,000, RIKON continues to provide a solid value for the money here.

Steel City 50155G


QUIKLINK Quik-Link takes you directly to the web page on which these products appear! No navigation necessary ... just go to woodworkersjournal.com and click on the Quik-Link icon shown above.

48

Steel City calls this saw a “Hybrid,” and that’s because, in truth, it’s an evolution of sorts: the frame is elongated cast-iron, with the bottom half nestled in a steel cabinet that opens for lower flywheel access. The design allows the saw’s 11⁄2hp motor to be moved down to the rolling base for more stability. And, the wheels/caster are a helpful standard feature for moving this machine around. Steel City has been off of our tool review “radar” for a number of years, so I was anxious to try this saw and see what it would have in store. The 50155G’s webbed framework is designed for 12" of resaw capacity. Blade guidance was assisted by double side bearings and face-oriented thrust bearings that can be adjusted with

knurled knobs and thumbscrews. It’s a good, tool-free design. The bottom guides are tucked in close to the trunnion casting and table, where I found the left bearing’s adjuster hard to reach. But, at least the guides don’t require squeezing a wrench or screwdriver into that space while you’re at it. Steel City equips this Hybrid with a thick, granite table that’s dead flat and rustproof. Blades load through a slit in its side and must be turned 90° at the throat opening. When installing wide resaw blades, you’ll also want to remove the two screwmounted blade guards. I like the saw’s 6"-tall steel resaw bar that mounts to the saw’s rip fence. I used the fence system with good success for the resawing test. And, after tensioning the wide blade with the machine’s quick-release lever, the 50155G chomped through wide maple in good stead. A gooseneck light up top brightened the work area.

The saw also comes with a circle-cutting attachment. One concern about cutting: when visually following a pencil line, the red blade guard partially obscured my line-of-sight to the blade. A plastic window is there to peek through, but it created a distorted view of the line. Dust collection through a 4" port in the bottom kept this saw running clean throughout my cutting trials. Coming in a tad under $700, Steel City’s Hybrid is quite long on features and easiest on the budget here.

“Best Bet” No Easy Pick JET has a standout saw in the JWBS-14SF, but its pricing is steep. So, I think the “sweet spot” in this group centers on Laguna’s 14-Twelve and RIKON’s attractive 10-325. They ran a dead-even heat in terms of resawing capability, but my hat tips slightly in favor of Laguna. Its stout build quality testifies to Laguna’s long history of engineering industry-leading band saws. The tall fence, rugged trunnion assembly and pro quality blade guides are substantial and well designed. That said, RIKON’s 10-325 has real appeal: it is nicely equipped and an excellent, budget-conscious choice too. Chris Marshall is Woodworker’s Journal’s Senior Editor.


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If You Buy Tools Anywhere Else, You're Throwing Your Money Away

Tool Preview Handibot: “Smart Machine” of the Masses? By Sandor Nagyszalanczy

A portable, automated routing machine that makes short work of cutting and shaping tasks in the shop … or just about anywhere else. www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB

For a video of the author putting the Handibot portable CNC router into action, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on the “More on the Web” tab shown above.

50

I

f there’s one machine that’s had a revolutionary impact on modern woodworking, it’s the CNC router. These computer-numerical controlled (CNC) devices use computer programs to direct the mechanized motions of a router (or other motor-powered cutter) in three-dimensional space. CNC routers can do just about anything traditional

woodworking machines — and traditional woodworkers — can do: cut out parts, engrave signs, create joinery, carve decorations, shape scrollwork, bore holes, rout pockets for mounting hardware and lots more. Up until now, all CNC routers, from the giant massproduction machines churning away in furniture factories to

the desktop models found in more and more small woodshops, had one thing in common: they were stationary machines that rout workpieces clamped onto a worktable, with the size of the workpiece limited in size by the capacity of the machine itself. But one CNC manufacturer has changed that, creating a small, portable machine called the Handibot® Smart Power Tool. It’s designed to sit directly atop the workpiece. This allows you to bring the machine to the wood, which can be practically any size: a long board on a benchtop, a wide plank or slab set on sawhorses, a large panel on a vertical wall, or even a beam spanning a ceiling (yes, it’ll even operate upside down!). Smaller than a portable thickness planer, the 37-lb. Handibot’s high-density polyethylene chassis has builtin handles that makes it easy to move to wherever it’s needed. ShopBot, the Durham, NorthCarolina-based company that builds the Handibot, calls it “the first Universal Digital Power Tool (UDPT): a smart machine that’s ready to tackle automated routing tasks on the jobsite as well as in the shop.”

Simple Automation To operate the Handibot, you must connect its control box to a PC computer with a USB cable. The computer runs special software that drives the router’s movements in three axes: left to right, front to back, up and down. High June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal

Stepper motors and precise mechanical components control the motion of a compact router as it shapes two- or threedimensional parts with great accuracy.

quality stepper motors control the router’s position precisely, with an accuracy of +/- .00025". To power its cutting, Handibot uses a DeWALT DWP611, a 7-amp compact router with a 1/4" collet that accepts both standard router bits and machinist-style end mills used for cutting and shaping foam, plastics, aluminum and other materials. Using popular CNC programs like PartWorks3D and VCarve Pro, Handibot can be programmed to do all the same kinds of cutting, shaping and machining operations that any other 3-axis CNC router can perform. To rout a part with the Handibot, first set it atop the work surface and either clamp or hold it in place (its own weight is enough to secure it for light cutting operations, such as engraving). On a computer connected to the machine, load the file for the desired operation into Handibot’s control program. Once a router bit has been chucked in place (top photo at right) and “zeroed” to the work surface, pressing a start button (either in the software or the actual green button atop the unit) launches the Handibot into action. Red LED lights flash a warning as the machine is active, jigging and jogging through its programmed routing routine. Hooking it up to a shop vac sucks up at least some of the Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

dust. The router shuts off and the warning lights turn green when the task is complete. Even though the Handibot’s work area is only 8" long and 6" wide (it’ll cut up to 4" deep), you can rout much larger areas by relocating the unit to another section of the work surface (bottom photo at right). Indexing holes and slots on the machine’s base make it relatively easy to register the machine accurately relative to the previous cut.

Kickstarter and Handibot But Handibot’s unique design and portability are only half the story. Just as remarkable is how the tool was funded on the Internet through Kickstarter, a popular website which promotes funding proposals for all manner of projects, events and business ventures. These range from making a film or recording a CD album, to staging a festival or fashion show, to creating jewelry or sculpture, to designing a new children’s toy or type font. People who sign on as backers can pledge money at various specified levels. Depending on the pledge level, backers may receive a premium, like a ticket to the proposed concert or show, or a completed CD or piece of jewelry. Shopbot launched their HandiBot funding campaign in July 2013, with a proposed goal of $125,000 to fund

the first manufacturing run of the machine. Not only did they meet their goal, but by the end of the pledge period, they’d raised nearly $350,000, contributed by more than 350 individual backers. Those who contributed at the $1,995 pledge level (or higher) were rewarded with one of the first-run “Kickstarter Edition” units which shipped in late 2013. ShopBot plans to launch a series of applications (“apps”), small programs that will allow the Handibot to be run from a smartphone or tablet-style computer, like the iPad. But their long-term plans include even loftier goals: to create a web-based system that enables anyone to participate and collaborate in open-source development of apps, as well as in the further development of hardware and accessories for the Handibot. Whether or not ShopBot achieves its goals, it’s clear that the Handibot, and smart tools like it, are going to have a significant impact on the way small-shop woodworkers make sawdust in the future. The Handibot Developer Edition currently sells for $2,795 and is available online at: www.handibot.com.

Although it’s built much like a full-sized CNC router, the Handibot’s small size and light weight make it easily portable.

A DeWALT compact router handles small carving, cutting and shaping chores. Its 1/4" collet accepts regular router bits or end mills.

Despite its small (6” x 8”) work area, Handibot can be accurately repositioned, allowing you to rout much larger workpieces.

Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a contributing editor to Woodworker’s Journal. His books are available at Amazon.com.

51

What’s In Store New Tools for Your Shop Contact Information Affinity Tool Works 866-588-0395 Bosch 877-267-2499 Center for Furniture Craftsmanship 207-594-5611 Diablo 800-334-4107 PORTER-CABLE 888-848-5175 Rockler 800-279-4441 Wrangler 888-784-8571


QUIKLINK NOTE: See Quik-Link at woodworkersjournal.com for web links to all of these products.

D

iablo’s new Universal Sanding Discs have a 12-hole pattern that allows for fast, precise alignment when mounting to either an 8-hole or a 5-hole disc sander: it’s a “one-size-fits-all” design. Made with a premium ceramic blend, these discs offer fast material removal and a long sanding life. A ClogSHIELD high performance stearate coating reduces pitch buildup and clogging for maximum productivity. A Hook and Lock™ backing produces continuous secure connection of the disc to the sander. The Diablo Universal Sanding Discs are sold in packs of four, 15 and 50 pads, as well as two seven-piece project packs. Pricing ranges from $4.97 to $19.97. Rockler Woodworking and Hardware is now offering Barn Door Hardware kits for interior rolling doors. Available in black and stainless steel, the hardware kits contain two latches, five wall brackets, a center guide, two floor stops, two end stops and a 6" track, offering quiet performance and a door that’s easy to roll. The hardware will support doors

Rockler Barn Door Hardware

Diablo Universal Sanding Discs

up to 250 pounds in weight, while the solid aluminum track provides strength that minimizes warping, bending or dents. The hand-forged brackets are available in shapes including horseshoe, spade, rectangle and round stick. Prices for the kits (item 57686) range from $289 to $549. In the book Why We Make Things and Why It Matters: The Education of a Craftsman by Peter Korn, the author takes the reader along on his personal journey toward finding meaning in creative work. Korn is the founder of The Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Maine and, prior to that, was an instructor at the Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado, a self-employed furniture designer/maker and a carpenter. The book visits each of those aspects of his life and explores questions such as how the making of objects shapes our identities and how the products of creative work inform society.

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters (ISBN 978-156792-511-1) is published by David R. Godine and is priced at $24.95.

Why We Make Things and Why It Matters

The Portamate PM-7500 Deluxe Miter Saw Stand from Affinity Tool Works has 20" quick-release universal machinery mounts that snap securely to the aluminum top for quick tool changes to support benchtop planers, band saws, scroll saws, miter saws and more. The stand measures 49" wide but expands to 8 feet for cutting long pieces. It can support up to 500 pounds and has June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal

Portamate PM-7500 Deluxe Miter Saw Stand

a 32" work height, as well as a four-outlet onboard power center and LED worklight. The stand’s four legs fold up for storage or transport. The Portamate PM-7500 Deluxe Miter Saw Stand is priced at $259. The Bosch CM8S 8-Inch Single Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw weighs only 37 pounds while offering the same cutting as a 10" miter saw. Its maximum cutting capacity is 121⁄4" crosscuts at 0˚, 8" miters at 45˚, 23⁄4" upright bases and 31⁄2" max crowns.

Bosch CM8S 8-Inch Single Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw


Integrated expanding base extensions add up to 29" left to right of additional workpiece support and retract to 18" wide when not in use to maximize the tool’s compact size. A clear lower guard creates an unobstructed view while a form-fitting trigger handle provides intuitive cutting and ambidextrous use. The CM8S is powered by a 12-amp, 5,600 rpm motor and has a suggested retail price of $469. PORTER-CABLE’s 20V MAX* Lithium Ion Four-Tool Combo Kit (PCCK614L4) includes their new 4.0 Amp/Hour MaxPack™ Lithium Ion Battery with an extended runtime. All the tools in the 20V MAX* line will work interchangeably with either this battery, or the original 1.0 amp/hour battery. In the Four-Tool Combo Kit are three of the newer tools added to the line: the 61⁄2" Circular Saw (PCC660B) with 21⁄8" cutting capacity at 90˚; Reciprocating Tiger Saw® (PCC670B), a lightweight (4.4 pound) option for cutting wood and metal in tight areas; and a Pivoting Flashlight (PCC700B) with four LEDs that deliver 120 lumens for visibility. Also included is a PCC601 1/2"

Drill/Driver with a tool-less chuck and variable speeds ranging from 0-350 or 01,500 rpm. The kit includes both 4.0 amp/hour (PCC685L) and 1.0 amp/hour (PCC680L) lithium-ion batteries, plus accessories. Suggested retail price for the Four-Tool Combo Kit is $239. Wrangler®, the jeans company, now offers the RIGGS WORKWEAR® Construction Pant. The CORDURA® fabric is engineered to blend with cotton for maximum strength without sacrificing comfort. The WORKWEAR pants have reinforced back pockets, a right side hammer loop and a patented leather tape measure reinforcement on the right front pocket. An abrasion test conducted using 800-grit sandpaper showed them to last twice as long compared to the average of 10 other North American canvas fabric brands. The pants come in men’s regular and big and tall sizes, with suggested pricing of $63.50.

PORTER-CABLE 20V MAX Lithium Ion Four-Tool Combo Kit

Wrangler RIGGS WORKWEAR Construction Pant

53

Woodworking Tools & Supplies Index June 2014 For product information in the blink of an eye, visit www.woodworkersjournal.com and click on the Tools & Supplies tab.

ADVERTISER

Page No.

Web Address

ADVERTISER

Page No.

Web Address

1-800-BunkBed

38

www.1800bunkbed.com/wj

Grex Power Tools

15

www.grextools.com

Abrasive Resource

55

www.abrasiveresource.com

Harbor Freight Tools

49

www.harborfreight.com

American Fabric Filter Co.

38

www.americanfabricfilter.com

JET Tools

2

www.jettools.com/14bandsaw

American Steel Span

39

www.steelspan.com

Laguna Tools

9

www.lagunatools.com

Armor Crafts

15

www.armorplans.com

Leigh Industries, Ltd.

55

www.leighjigs.com

Badger Hardwoods of WI, Ltd.

38

www.badgerwood.com

Lignomat

27

www.lignomat.com,

Bainbridge Manufacturing, Inc.

25

www.bainbridgemfg.com

www.moistureproblems.info

Bartley Classic Reproductions, Ltd. 47

www.bartleycollection.com

MDHearingAid

65

www.mdhearingaid.com/YP12

Beall Tool Company

38

www.bealltool.com

Norton Abrasives

5

www.nortonconsumer.com

Bench Dog Tools

47

www.benchdog.com

Oliver Machinery

17

www.olivermachinery.net

Briwax

19

www.briwax.com/WWJ

Osborne Wood Products, Inc.

Cabinets Quick

38

www.cabinetsquick.com

PanelPro

38

www.panelpro.com

Cherry Tree Toys

25

www.cherrytreetoys.com

Quick Screws

25

www.quickscrews.com

Christian J Hummul Co.

39

www.hummul.com

Ready2Rout

27

www.rockler.com

CMT USA Inc.

15

www.cmtusa.com

Rikon Power Tools

7

www.rikontools.com

CNC Shark

13

www.rockler.com

Rockler Woodworking

Colonial Saw

55

www.csaw.com/lamello

Cook Woods

47, 55

www.cookwoods.com

SuperMax Tools

63

www.supermaxtools.com

Cook’s Saw MFG, L.L.C.

39

www.cookssaw.com

Tablelegs.com

55

www.tablelegs.com

Country Home Products

27, 55

www.drpower.com

Tormek

3

www.tormek.com

The Craftsman Gallery

38

www.chipsfly.com

Tub O’Towels

55

www.tubotowels.com

www.epiloglaser.com/wwj

Wagner Meters

17

www.wagnermeters.com

Epilog Laser

3, 38

and Hardware

3, 38

38, 43, 55

www.woodencomponents.com

www.rockler.com

Freud

68

www.freudtools.com/quadra-cut

Williams & Hussey Machine Co. 63

www.williamsnhussey.com

Fuji Spray Equipment

11

www.fujispray.com

Woodworkers Source

15

www.101woods.com

General International

11

www.general.ca

Woodworking.com

55

www.woodworking.com

Gorilla Glue

11

www.gorillatough.com

WORKSHOP

67

www.workshopvacs.com

54


6+2:&$6( ABRASIVE RESOURCE Check out Abrasive Resource’s new website specializing in sanding discs, belts, drum sander rolls and sandpaper for woodworking. The company offers low minimum order requirements for one man shops and quantity discounts for production cabinet and furniture makers. Custom sizes and grits are available with laser technology and quick shipping. 800-814-7358 • www.abrasiveresource.com LEIGH SUPER JIGS Extraordinary joint making capability at exceptional price points. Available in three widths, 12", 18" and 24". No other jigs equal the versatility, precision and value of Super Jigs. 800-663-8932 • www.leighjigs.com TUB O’ TOWELS They’re bigger, stronger and tougher. Soaked in our proprietary 9-cleaningagent formula, these extra large 10" x 12" wipes are built to withstand vigorous scrubbing and your toughest messes. They knock out dried paint, grease, tar, ink, food and drink spills, scuff marks, dirt, and other tough messes. 800-846-7325 • www.tubotowels.com LAMELLO Introducing Lamello Tenso P-14, which allows users to quickly and easily create completely invisible connections. Made from rugged reinforced plastic, Tenso pulls from the center of the joint so it ensures that the clamping force is at the correct angle and there is no raking. Eliminates need for clamps, which is faster, uses less space and prevents marring! Distributed by Colonial Saw. 800-252-6355 • www.csaw.com/lamello/tenso.html WOODWORKING.COM Woodworking.com is the most complete woodworking instruction site on the web — and it’s free! Learn as you never have before. Share tricks and techniques with fellow woodworkers. Visit the forum and check out our blogs and gallery photos. Visit the special link below now and get a free bookshelf plan! www.woodworking.com/freeplan


COOK WOODS There is no better place to find the latest, high quality exotic hardwoods than Cook Woods! We bring in the finest exotic woods and logs from all across the world in the form of beautiful slabs, lumber, turning blanks and more! Check our website for individually pictured pieces.

877-672-5275 • www.cookwoods.com TABLELEGS.COM Vermont-made premium wood furniture legs, columns, bun feet, kitchen island posts and more. Call today for a quote on a custom table base kit built to your specs. Top off your design with a handcrafted custom wood tabletop. 800-748-3480 • www.Tablelegs.com ROCKLER WOODWORKING & HARDWARE Thousands of quality, innovative products for the woodshop. Your best source for exclusive router bits and accessories, unique jigs, and hard-to-find hardware, plus great selections of turning tools, project plans, exotic lumber, dust collection and more. Call or visit our website for a FREE catalog. 877-762-5537 • www.rockler.com DR POWER EQUIPMENT NEW – Trim while you mow! For anyone who mows with a riding mower and then spends just as long going around their property a second time to do the trimming, the NEW DR® 6.25 Tow-Behind Trimmer/Mower is the solution. Trim fence lines, garden edges, and more while you mow! 800-687-6575 • www.DRtrimmer.com/tow WOODWORKER’S JOURNAL Put a spring in your step as you head out to the shop when you’re working on projects from the Woodworker’s Journal 25 Outdoor Projects CD (item 54864). From picnic table to potting bench, to outdoor games

and seating, you’ll find great plans for a season in the sun — all for only $14.99! 800-610-0883 • www.woodworkersjournal.com/CDs 25 OUTDOOR PROJECTS

A collection of our readers’ favorite outdoor projects

55

Small Shop Journal

Full-size Mirror by Chris Marshall

Exquisitely figured tiger maple, contrasting dowel pin accents and through tenons give this curvy mirror frame real heirloom potential.

I

f, like me, you have teenage girls, you know the value of a mirror. Full-length? Bonus! But it’s equally handy for everyone in the family, too. While you could pay to have your mirror glass specially cut at a glass shop, you could also purchase an inexpensive full-length mirror at a department store: use the mirror glass, discard the frame. I happened to have an old wall mirror in need of a better frame. Whatever your source of mirror glass, be sure to adjust the Material List dimensions for the mirror frame rails and stiles, as well as the length of the stretcher, if your glass differs in size from the 14" x 54" mirror (piece 1) we specify here.

Gentle curves, repeated throughout this project, suggest a delicate stature, while the figured maple and contrasting dowels add striking details. Subtle antique brass pivot bolts keep the emphasis on the wood.

56


If you recycle an old wall mirror as our author did, first remove the backing from the frame and extract the glass. Measure its dimensions carefully so you can modify the mirror frame and stretcher sizes if your glass differs in size from ours.

Cut the deep stopped mortises on the ends of the mirror frame rails with a mortising machine and 1/4" hollow chisel, or with a drill press and a 1/4" Forstner or brad-point bit. Square up the mortise ends, if necessary.

Building the Mirror Frame Since the mirror frame rails and stiles (pieces 2 and 3) will be in full view every time someone looks in this mirror, select this stock by prioritizing consistent grain pattern and color, with no visible defects. Rip and crosscut straight blanks for the parts, then lay out 1/4"-wide, 3/4"-long mortises on the rails. Position them 3/8" in from the part ends. Hog out the waste to a depth of 11⁄4" with a mortising machine and a hollow-chisel bit, or with a drill press and 1/4" Forstner bit. Flip the rail workpieces end-for-end once the mortises are roughed in, and make a second round of passes to center the mortises exactly on part thickness. Square up the ends of the mortises and clean up their walls, if necessary, before you head to the table saw to cut matching tenons on the ends of the stiles. These tenons have 3/8"-wide shoulders on their ends and 1/4" shoulders on their broad faces. After they’re cut to shape, check their fit in the mortises to make sure the joints close fully and the frame remains flat and square. If everything registers properly, glue the pieces together. Drill and install four short dowel pins (pieces 4) to lock these corner joints. We used walnut dowels throughout this project to add dashes of punctuating contrast to the figured maple. You could form the gentle curves on the ends of the frame one at a time, laying them out with a flexible batten, but a template will guarantee uniformity. Draw a grid on a piece of scrap that’s a few inches wider and longer than the frame rails, and trace the arch by bending a batten of thin plywood or Masonite®. Cut the template to shape, and smooth its curved edge carefully on a sander. Now use your template to draw the arches: position it so the curves will leave 11⁄2" of stock on the ends of the rails. Cut the curves with a jigsaw, sawing about 1/16" outside your layout lines. Then clamp the template to each rail so it is aligned with the layout line, and use a bearing-guided flush-trim or pattern bit to refine the curves to their final form. All that’s left to do on the frame for now is to rout a 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet around the inside back edge to make room for the mirror glass and back panel. Rout this recess in two or three deepening passes to minimize tearout, and chisel the corners square. Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

Whiteside’s (routerbits.com) 7/8"-dia. carbide Ultimate Combination Flush Trim/Pattern Router Bit (inset) tamed any tearout on this figured maple when used to template-rout the mirror frame’s curved rails.

Rout a 3/8" x 3/8" rabbet around the inside back edge of the mirror frame. Be sure the rabbet will enable the glass to fit down easily into the frame. Chisel the curved outside corners of the recess square.

57

Small Shop Journal

Mirror Leg Pattern

continued

(Front View)

MATERIAL LIST

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

TxWxL 1/8" x 14" x 54" 3/4" x 3" x 163⁄8" 3/4" x 11⁄2" x 557⁄8" 1/4" Dia. x 5/8" 3/4" x 9" x 41" 1/4" x 1" x 12" 1/4" Dia. x 3/4" 3/4" x 31⁄2" x 14" 1/4" Dia. x 27⁄8" 3/4" x 61⁄2" x 163⁄4" 1/2" x 11⁄4" x 2" 1/4" Dia. x 13⁄4" 1/4" x 14" x 54" Rockler 26884 Rockler 31623

Mirror Glass (1) Mirror Frame Rails (2) Mirror Frame Stiles (2) Mirror Frame Dowel Pins (4) Stand Legs (4) Splines (2) Upper Leg Dowels (12) Stand Rails (2) Lower Leg Dowels (12) Stretcher (1) Floating Tenons (6) Stand Rail Dowels (6) Plywood Back Panel (1) Glass Retainer Clips (8) Mirror Swivel Hardware (1 pr.)

Mirror Frame Joinery

(Front View)

Leg Spline Location (Front View)

C L

Each square = 1"

Exploded View

Stretcher Joinery

Full-size Mirror Hard-to-Find Hardware Swivel Mirror Screws, Ant. Brass (1 pr.) #31623 ....... $15.39 pr. Glass Retainer Clips, Ant. Bronze (1 pack) #26884 ... $5.39 pk. 1/4” Walnut Dowels, 36” Long (2) #20982 ................... $3.19 ea.

(Front View)

CL

To purchase products online, visit www.woodworkersjournal.com and click on the “Store” tab. Or, call 800-610-0883 (code WJ1433).

58


Making the Two Leg Sets With four long, narrow legs like these, making them perfectly uniform not only prevents construction challenges but also ensures that the leg shapes will look great: you’d be surprised how little the deviation on a curve needs to be before your eyes can pick up the inconsistency! So, make a full-size leg template from void-free plywood or MDF, following the gridded drawing on page 58. Sand it carefully to fair the broad curves, and make sure you’re happy with its shape before you proceed. Trace four leg shapes (pieces 5) onto your stock, laying out their locations so the grain pattern on each pair of legs will harmonize across the joint when you assemble the legs. In this regard, it’s ideal if you can at least make each pair of legs from the same piece of consistently grained wood; even better, make all four legs from one board. Then cut the legs out slightly oversize. If your stock allows for it, leave an inch or two of extra material along the top narrow edges of the legs for now (see top photo, this page). The excess material here will make handling the legs safer while you’re routing the spline slots in the next big step. Fix the leg template to each leg with double-sided tape. Template-rout the legs to shape up to, but stopping at, the (for now) extra-wide top ends. Remove the template. Set up a 1/4" straight or spiral bit in your router table to mill a 1/2"-deep, 12"-long spline slot along the flat inside edge of each leg. Start them 2" down from the top curved ends of the legs. Mark the outer limits of your router bit on the router table so you know where to start and stop these slot cuts accurately. Mill them in a series of two or three deepening passes, flipping the workpieces from one face to the other each time to center the slots. Once the slots are done, square up their ends before trimming off the remaining waste material from the top ends of the legs and template-routing these final narrow areas to shape. Now lay the leg pairs together with the slotted edges butted up. Do these edge joints form flat, “airtight” seams? If they don’t, run the splined edges over your jointer for a pass or two to flatten them completely. Next, plane a scrap piece of solid hardwood, about 1/4"-thick by 21⁄2" wide and 16" long, down to fit snugly in the spline slots. You want a good friction fit for these splines (pieces 6). Rip and crosscut the two splines to size, and carry out a dry fit of both leg pairs to be sure the joints close correctly. If they do, glue up two sets of legs, clamping the narrow top ends until the glue cures. In a couple of hours, scrape or sand the splined joints flush and smooth. Follow the locations on the Drawings to locate and install six decorative dowels (pieces 7) near the top ends of each leg assembly. Use a self-centering doweling jig to align these holes evenly, and drill them with a sharp brad-point bit to avoid tearout around the rims of the holes. Dab glue into the holes, tap 1"-long dowels home and trim off the excess with a flushcutting saw or a multi-tool. Sand the dowel areas smooth. Woodworker’s Journal June 2014

Milling the leg spline slots is a “drop-cutting” process. Mark the edges of your bit on the router table so you can locate these cuts accurately. Leave extra waste stock at the narrow leg ends to make routing safer.

Spread glue into the spline slots and over the exposed areas of the splines, then clamp the legs into pairs. Make sure these flat-edged joints meet in tight seams for strength and best appearance.

Use a template to scribe bottom arches onto the rail workpieces. Leave these workpieces overly long so you can drill them for clamp heads and in order to trace the exact shapes and locations of the leg positions.

59

Small Shop Journal

continued

Mortising Jig (Top View)

C L

Machining the Arched Rails

A slotted template with attached fence made it easy to clamp each rail securely and rout the three through mortises accurately. This prevented any mismatching mortises during final assembly of the stand.

Cut the ends of the rails roughly to shape, then carefully sand up to your pencil lines. Glue and clamp the rails between the legs, let the glue dry thoroughly, then drill and insert long dowels across these joints (inset).

By installing a long clamping board, the same rail-mortising template, rub collar and router bit can do double-duty for routing matching mortises in the ends of the stretcher (shown clamped in place here).

60

The arched stand rails (pieces 8) that join the legs at the floor also deserve consistent curves, so take the time to make a template to establish the shape of these two curves. Then use it to help lay out two overly wide and long blanks that will become the rails. Notice that, in the bottom photo, previous page, there are a couple of reasons for using oversized stock: first, it will allow you to bore a pair of large holes below the curves of the rails to make the final glue-up easier when installing the clamps. Plus, the four angled ends of the two rails may not turn out to be exact matches, depending on how the leg stock has reacted to machining and assembly thus far: the legs might have moved slightly, making the length of each rail specific to its leg pair. The best way to account for this is to lay each leg set on top of its long rail blank and trace along the bottom inside edges of the legs with a sharp pencil to mark the ends of the rails accurately. Label each rail and leg set to keep their pairing clear. One of the distinctive and beautiful aspects of this full-length mirror are the six through tenons that join the sides of the mirror stand to the bottom stretcher. Your rails are nearly ready to cut out, but don’t do it before milling the three through mortises in each rail. They’ll be easiest to clamp in a jig while still rectilinear and overly long. The mortising jig (see Drawing above) I made for the task is simple in design: it’s just a plywood blank with three, 11⁄2"-long, 3/4"-wide slots cut through it and spaced 7/8" apart (23⁄8" from center to center). These slots will enable you to rout the actual mortises in both the rails and the ends of the stretcher using a 3/4" O.D. rub collar and a 1/2" spiral or straight bit in a plunge router. Trim the jig so the slots are exactly 3/4" from one edge: this will position the rail mortises 7/8" down from the tops of the rails. Screw a long, 11⁄4"-wide scrap fence to this edge of the jig: it will register the top edges of the rail workpieces during routing (see top photo, this page). One final note: you’ll also want the three slot sizes of the jig to match perfectly. I made a second template with just one slot, using a 3/4" straight bit, and that became a “master” for flush-trimming the three jig slots to final, uniform shape. Sometimes it takes a template to make a template! Clamp the final template to each rail, and rout the three through mortises in progressively deeper passes until the bit passes through each rail. When that’s done, cut and sand their angled ends up to the pencilled layout lines, and glue and clamp the rails between the legs. After the glue cures, drill and install the 12 long dowels (pieces 9) that reinforce these joints. Wrap up the leg pairs by rounding over their long outer edges with a 1/4" bit and the inside edges with a 1/8" bit. Bore a 5/16" through hole, 1" down from the top, for each pivot bolt. June 2014 Woodworker’s Journal


MORE ON THE WEB For a video explaining the three-part finish used on this mirror project, visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on the “More on the Web” tab shown above.

Assembling the Stand Rip-cut the stand’s stretcher (piece 10) to width, and cut it to length. Make sure to account for the overall width of your mirror frame, plus the thickness of the threaded inserts that protrude beyond the mirror frame for the pivot bolt hardware (see center photo, this page). Then grab the rail mortising template again and screw the end of a 3/4"-thick, 2-ft.-long scrap inside the template, flush against its fence. This way, you can clamp the template and the stretcher together in a vise vertically in order to mill three mortises on each of the stretcher’s ends (see bottom photo, previous page). The “clamping board” also centers the mortises on the stretcher’s thickness. Rout them 1" deep. Use a 3/8"-radius bit to round over the long edges of the stretcher. Your careful efforts at template mortising pay off now: if you set the stretcher between the leg pairs, the rail and stretcher mortises should line up exactly. If they do, you’re ready to prepare some long, solid stock to make the floating tenons (pieces 11) that will fit those mortises. Surface it carefully so it will slide into the mortises like a piston. Rip-cut the tenon material into three “sticks” that are exactly 11⁄4" wide, and ease their long edges with a 1/4" roundover bit in the router table. Then, round over the six ends of these sticks with a file and sandpaper before crosscutting the six 2"-long tenons to length. Clamp the stretcher vertically to your workbench, and position a legset on top of it. Spread glue into the deep mortises, and insert the floating tenons. I used a bar clamp to push them all into place. Repeat the process for the second legset. Finally, drill three centered holes down through the tenons from the top edges of each rail, and peg the rails and tenons together with glued dowels (pieces 12) to complete the stand.

Finishing Up Install two threaded inserts in the mirror frame, centered on its length, then soften the back and front edges of the frame with 1/4" roundovers. Cut a back panel (piece 13) to size. Apply stain and finish. When it dries, install the mirror and back panel with glass retainers (pieces 14). You’ll need to shorten the pivot bolts (pieces 15) with a hacksaw so the threaded portion is 11⁄2" long. Slip the mirror frame into the stand, and thread in the pivot bolts to complete the project. Now you can check your daily wardrobe choice, and admire your craftsmanship, for many years to come. Chris Marshall is Woodworker’s Journal’s Senior Editor.

Install the mirror and back panel in the frame recess, and secure them with glass retainers and screws. Thread the pivot bolts through the stand holes and into the inserts to mount the mirror frame in the stand (inset).


Assemble the leg sets and stretcher with six floating tenons. They started out as three long “sticks” (see inset), rounded over on their edges and ends, then cut to length. Spread glue in the mortises, and press them into place with clamp pressure instead of hammer blows.

Threaded inserts are much easier to install if you first tap their insertion holes for standard threads, then screw them in using a machine bolt and doubled-up stop nuts. A little wax on the wood threads helps, too.

Finishing Thoughts Five Fixes Used by Finishing Pros By Michael Dresdner

“It’s never a mistake unless you can’t fix it” — and when you do run into a finishing problem, one of these fixes may just be what the doctor ordered.

Michael Dresdner is a nationally known finishing expert. He shares his expertise on the DVD The Way to Woodwork: Step-by-Step to a Perfect Finish, available through the store at woodworkersjournal.com.

A

mateurs and pros alike can create high quality finishes, but there are some tricks of the trade more common to professional shops. Here are five useful ones to make life easier for all of us.

Steaming Dents During glue-up and handling, you’ll often get dents or gouges in the wood. Gouges are areas where wood fibers are torn or removed, and must generally be filled (or, if they

Does this putty look too light for this wood? That’s something you can fix as you go on. Most people err by starting out with putty that’s too dark. Pick one with your wood’s lightest color value — or slightly lighter.

62

A hot iron turns water droplets into steam, which expands to open wood fibers and level out a dent.

are really small, sanded out). Dents consist only of crushed, unbroken wood fibers, and can almost always be raised up without sanding or filling. Put a couple of drops of water into the dent, and let it soak in for a few seconds. Add another drop or two, just enough to fill the dent with water. Take either a damp cloth or a thin piece of cardboard, place it over the spot, and press the area with a clothes iron set on high. The water will seep into the crushed fibers and the hot iron will turn the water to steam. As the steam expands, it will push open the crushed fibers and leave the surface level. The damp cloth or thin cardboard is simply to prevent the iron from leaving scorch marks on the wood. Steam dents as soon as you see them, before sanding the

Contact us with your finishing questions by writing to Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Drive,

area. If you are not sure whether it’s a dent or a gouge, try steaming it first. You won’t do any harm, and you may make the gouge smaller. Once you’re sure it’s a gouge, reach for the putty, but first read the next section.

Hiding Putty The key to hiding putty starts with choosing the right color. I’ll tell you upfront that almost everyone goes too dark. Look at the wood carefully and find the very lightest color value in

% 8 , / 7

As you touch up a patch, your goal is to paint a picture of that particular wood onto the putty. A fine, sharp-tipped brush provides control as you paint in grain lines, moving from dark to light.

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it. Match your putty to that, or go a shade or two lighter, but never darker. When the putty is dry, sand it level so that the original outline of the gouge is visible. Don’t worry; I know it looks far too light now, but we’re going to fix that. Planning to stain the wood? First, test the dried, sanded putty with the stain you intend to use to see how it absorbs

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Finishing Thoughts continued mix them with dewaxed shellac using a piece of glass or mirror as my mixing board. Very fine #1 or #0 round, red sable brushes that end in a sharp tip provide both springy fibers and a controllable point, allowing me to create fine grain lines. The goal is to paint a picture of that particular wood onto the putty patch. Start by painting in the largest, darkest grain lines, then move on to the finer ones, remixing colors on the glass palette as needed. Often the grain lines alone will hide the spot. If you need to darken the background, apply a thin, semitransparent “wash,” made by mixing only a tiny amount of color into the shellac. Latex paint is your secret start to a custom color stain. Thin it with water to your desired shade, then wipe it on and off.

kit and blend the putty patch to the surrounding area. Need some help with that? Read on.

Touchup to Fool Them All

“Creep up” on the color you want by adding several thin, light colors of stain over a few days. The more coats you apply, the more uniform your color will be.

64

It’s easy to touch up darker, but almost impossible to touch up lighter, since that will leave an opaque shadow. Since we chose our putty wisely, we have a spot that only needs to go darker. I use dry pigment powders in a wide range of colors, and

Custom Color Stain While you can mix several stains together to make a custom color, not everyone wants to keep a shelf full of basic colors on hand. Besides, we’re not all adept at mixing colors by sight. Here’s a quick trick for easy custom color stain. At your local paint or home store you’ll see a wall of color chips covering every hue imaginable. Choose the color you want the stain to be, and have the clerk make up a

sample jar in latex paint. Most companies now offer four-ounce sample jars, but if you need a lot of stain, buy a quart. Thin the paint with an equal amount of water — more for a weaker color and less for a stronger one — and wipe it on and off as you normally do with stain. The resulting water-based stain is compatible under all the common finishes we use.

Layers Banish Blotch Stain once, whether with dye or pigment, and the wood “grabs” the stain where it chooses, sometimes absorbing too much in certain areas and leading to a blotchy look. Adding a second (or even third) layer of pigmented stain a day later can help even out the color and hide the blotch. When applying a pigment stain over dye for the purpose of making it more uniform, it’s a good idea to seal the dyed wood first. Use a very thin application of Zinsser® SealCoat™ or dewaxed shellac, reduced to a watery consistency. That step is not necessary if your first color application was a pigment stain, since pigment stains partially seal the wood all by themselves. To avoid going too dark, make all the stains lighter so they add up to the final color you want. After the first staining, you can adjust the color of the second stain to get exactly the right tone. Creep up on the final color; the more coats of color you divide your staining operation into, the more uniform it will look. There you have it. They say knowledge is power; hopefully, you now have the power to be a more efficient and more confident finisher.


Chicago Doctor Invents Affordable Hearing Aid Outperforms Many Higher Priced Hearing Aids

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HEYDid

You Know?

Woodworking trivia: a hot topic The Great Seattle Fire of 1889, which destroyed the whole city and its wharves, was started by woodworker John Back when his hide glue pot boiled over. It was low tide, so not enough water was available to feed the wooden-piped hydrants.

What Does It All Mean?

A transitional or transition plane has a wooden body paired with a metal top containing blade adjustment hardware. Some say they bridge the gap between antique wooden hand planes and modern metal ones.

A quick guide to terms from the world of woodworking.

Gib Screws: Screws used to hold blades in place in a cutterhead

Douglas fir, which is not a true fir,

strip of wood often used to

was named after Scottish botanist

cover the joint between two parallel boards or as a caul to apply even clamping pressure

Frog: Angled section of a hand plane body that supports the blade

Dave Powell, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

Batten: A thin, flat board or

David Douglas (1799-1834), but its botanical name, Pseudotsuga

menziesii, honors a rival botanist, Archibald Menzies. The term

Pseudotsuga means “false hemlock.”

Animal, vegetable, or mineral? Wax comes from all three. Beeswax, the softest one, is made by insects; carnauba, the hardest, comes from a plant (a palm); and paraffin is a mineral wax. Paste wax is often a mixture of two or more waxes.

own trivia ...

Send in a curious fact about your favorite topic and ours: woodworking. If it is selected for use, you will win an awesome prize! Submit your Trivia to Woodworker’s Journal, Dept. Trivia, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340. Or send us an email: [email protected]

66

Your Trivia Test: Q Two common waxes are made by insects. One, mentioned above, is beeswax. What is the other, and what insect makes it? Answer Shellac wax, made by the insect laccifer lacca. It is the second hardest of all the waxes.

Submit your

John Lutin of Manalapan, New Jersey, will receive a Senco FinishPro 23SXP 23-ga. Headless Pinner, 1 Gallon Finish & Trim Air Compressor (model PC1010N) and pack of 23-ga. Pins (item A101009) for having his contribution selected for the Trivia page.


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