Popular Woodworking 2005-11 No. 151

Learn How
Discover Why
Build Better
DISPLAY UNTIL 11-14-2005
BONUS SECTION: PRO TRICKS FOR PREPPING YOUR LUMBER
NEW TOOL ALERT: WE PICK THE TOP 10 NOW SHIPPING TO STORES
NOVEMBER 2005
ISSUE #151
FINE FURNITURE
THE EASY WAY
FINE FURNITURE
THE EASY WAY
9 Great Tactics
Make it Simple
Lasers on
Power Tools
Lasers on
Power Tools
A Bright Idea or
Just Plain Dim?
PLUS
PLUS
Maverick Ideas From
An 18th-Century Shop
Fact: You Need an Ax
Build Easy Glass Doors
Plans Inside:
Lonnie Birds Chest of Drawers
BEGINS OCTOBER 15Ih ENDS DECEHBER 51sI, 2005
B x 75 JOINTER
MoIor: 2 HP, 110V/220V,
sihgle-phase, TEFC
Precisioh grouhd casI iroh Iable
(ihcludes Iwo 5" eIehsiohs)
CuIIerhead speed: 5500 PPM
Ma. depIh oI cuI:
1
2"
MagheIic saIeIy swiIch
Heavy-duIy cehIer mouhIed Iehce
Appro. shippihg weighI: 489 lbs.
G0500
4 BLADE CUTTERHEAD
$
B75
00
CLOSEOUT PRICE
ONLY
$
695
00
OSCILLATING SPINDLE [
12 DISC SANDER
MoIor: 1 HP, 110V, sihgle-phase, TEFC
Precisioh grouhd casI iroh Iables
Disc sahder Iable: 17
3
4" 10", IilIs 45
OscillaIihg sahder Iable: 14
1
2" 14
1
2", IilIs 45
Spihdle sizes:
1
4",
5
8", 1
1
2" & 2"
Spihdle oscillaIioh: 60 SPM

HADE IN ISO 9001
FACTORYI
INCLUDES
JACK SCREw &
ACCESSORY
SPRING KIT
PLUS FREE PAIR
OF SAFETY PUSH
BLOCKSI
10 LEFT TILTING SUPER
HEAVY-DUTY TABLE SAw
G1025SL
ONLY
$
995
00
MoIor: 3 HP, 220V, sihgle-phase, 3450 PPM
Table size wiIh wihgs: 27" 40
1
8"
Arbor:
5
8" (accepIs dado blades up Io
13
16")
CuIIihg capaciIy: 8" leII, 26" righI
Ma. depIh oI cuI: 3" @ 90, 2
1
8" @ 45
Shop Fo
Classic Fehce
12 PROFESSIONAL CABINET SAwS
G5959 RIGHT-TILT
ONLY
$
1650
00
MoIor: 5 HP, 220V, sihgle-phase
Table size wiIh wihgs: 30
1
4" 48"
Dual arbors:
5
8" & 1"
Ma. rip capaciIy: 50"
Ma. depIh oI cuI: 4" @ 90, 2
5
8" @ 45
CasI iroh miIer gauge
DusI porI: 4"
Appro. shippihg weighI:
613 lbs.
G5959Z LEFT-TILT
ONLY
$
1695
00
FEATURES NEw
SHOP FOX
LONG REACH
FENCE
B x 65 SUPER HEAVY-DUTY
JOINTER w[HANDwHEELS
MoIor: 1
1
2 HP, 110V/220V, sihgle-phase
CuIIerhead khives: 3 HSS
CuIIerhead diameIer: 3"
Ma. depIh oI cuI:
1
2"
Heavy-duIy cehIer mouhIed Iehce
Appro. shippihg
weighI:
451 lbs.
HADE IN ISO 9001
FACTORYI
G101BHw
$
765
00
CLOSEOUT PRICE
ONLY
$
595
00
wHILE THEY LAST ~
NO BACKORDERSI
FREE PAIR
OF SAFETY
PUSH BLOCKSI
15 PLANER wITH CLOSED STAND
Table size: 14
7
8" 20"
Ma. cuIIihg heighI: 6
1
8"
Ma. cuIIihg depIh:
1
8"
Feed raIe: 16 & 20 FPM
CuIIerhead diameIer: 3"
DusI porI: 4"
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 555 lbs.
FRONT & REAR
5 ROLLER
EXTENSION
TABLES
6 x B0 FLOOR HODEL
EDGE SANDER
MoIor: 1
1
2 HP, 110V/220V, sihgle-phase, TEFC
Precisioh grouhd casI iroh Iable size: 22" 10
1
2"
Table IilI: 60 - 0 - 60
Ehd Iable size: 4
1
4" 8"
BelI speed: 1800 FPM
BelI IilI: 90
GraphiIe coaIed plaIeh: 6
3
4" 29
3
4"
INCLUDES
ADJUSTHENT KNOBS,
UICK BELT
RELEASE, BALL
BEARING OPERATION
AND BUILT IN
DUST HOOD
24 DRUH SANDER
Drum moIor: 5 HP, 220V, sihgle-phase
Cohveyor moIor:
1
4 HP
Feed raIe: 11 FPM
Ma. sIock Ihickhess: 4
1
4"
Drum size: 6"
CompuIer balahced drums
DusI porIs: (2) 4"
INCLUDES A
HEAVY-DUTY
RUBBER
CONVEYOR BELTI
Spihdle speed:
1725 PPM
SIroke lehgIh: 1"
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 180 lbs.
EASY CHANGE SPINDLE
SANDPAPER SLEEVES
THE ULTIHATE 10
CONTRACTOR STYLE TABLE
SAwS w[CAST IRON wINGS & TABLE
G0444Z RIGHT-TILT
ONLY
$
575
00
MoIor: 2 HP, 110V/220V, sihgle-phase
Table size wiIh wihgs: 27" 39
5
8"
Arbor:
5
8" Pip capaciIy: 30"
CuIIihg capaciIy: 3
1
8" @ 90, 2
1
8" @ 45
Shop Fo
Aluma-Classic
'
Fehce
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 298 lbs.
G0576 LEFT-TILT
ONLY
$
615
00
N8w
0
z00S!
CUS7DMR SRVIC: 570-546-9663
FAX: 800-438-5901

BELLINGHAH, wA - HUNCY, PA - SPRINGFIELD, HO
G0529
ONLY
$
450
00
THE HOTTEST
SELLING TABLE
SAw IN THE
COUNTRYI
G1066R
ONLY
$
1525
00
H5057
OPTIONAL
HOOK & LOOP
CONVERSION KIT
AVAILABLE
HADE IN
ISO 9001
FACTORYI
G1140
ONLY
$
550
00
ADJUSTS FOR
HORIZONTAL FACE
SANDING
B^ 10IN8
BL0w0U!
B 10IN8
BL0w0U!
HADE IN ISO
9001 FACTORYI
wHILE THEY LAST ~ NO BACKORDERSI
G0551
$
745
00
CLOSEOUT PRICE
ONLY
$
650
00
wHILE THEY LAST ~
NO BACKORDERSI
tS LAN8
BL0w0U!
POP0510
CIRCLE NO. 131 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.
1B wIDE-BELT SANDER
Cohveyor Ieed moIor:
1
2 HP
ElevaIioh moIor:
1
3 HP
Sahdihg belI oscillaIioh:
1
2" -
5
8"
Cohveyor speed: 16.4, 23, 32.8 FPM
Ma. board widIh: 17
1
2"
Ma. board Ihickhess: 6"
Mih. board lehgIh: 8
1
2"
Mih. board Ihickhess:
1
8"
SurIace speed oI
drums: 3550 FPM
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 1008 lbs.

HADE IN ISO 9001
FACTORYI
N8w
0
z00S!
14 INDUSTRIAL BANDSAw
MoIor: 1
1
2 HP, 110V/220V,
sihgle-phase, TEFC
Table size: 19
3
4" 14
3
16" 1
1
2"
1
8"
Blade lehgIh: 100
1
2"
Blade size:
1
8" -
3
4"
Blade speed: 3000 FPM
EIruded alumihum Iehce
DusI porI: 4"
215 lbs.
t4
BANbsAw
BL0w0U!
BALL BEARING
BLADE GUIDES
INCLUDEDI
21 SUPER HEAVY-DUTY
BANDSAw
wITH TILTING GEARED TABLE
Ma. cuIIihg heighI: 14"
Blade lehgIh: 165"
Blade size:
1
4" - 1
3
8"
Blade speed: 4600 FPM
CasI iroh Iehce
DusI porI: (2) 4"
684 lbs.
G0566
INTRODUCTORY PRICE
ONLY
$
1595
00
Table size: 29
1
2" 20
3
4" 1
7
8"
HADE IN ISO
9001 FACTORYI
INCLUDES 1 BLADE
& UICK CHANGE
BLADE RELEASE[
TENSIONER LEVER
20 PLANER
CuIIerhead moIor: 3 HP, 220V, sihgle-phase
Precisioh grouhd casI iroh Iable size: 25
3
4" 20"
2 speed auIomaIic Ieed: 18 & 23 FPM
5
8"
Ma. cuIIihg depIh:
1
8"
CuIIerhead diameIer: 3
1
4"
5 HP SHAPER
Table wiIh sIahdard wihg aIIached: 30
1
2" 28
1
4"
Spihdle Iravel: 3"
3 ihIerchahgeable spihdles:
1
2",
3
4" & 1"
Spihdle opehihgs oh Iable: 1
3
8", 2
3
4", 4" & 5
1
2"
Spihdle speeds: 7000 & 10,000 PPM
MagheIic power swiIch
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 357 lbs.
INCLUDES HITER
GAUGE & FENCE wITH
HOLD-DOwN SPRINGS
PROFESSIONAL SPINDLE SHAPER
Precisioh grouhd casI iroh Iable size:
35
1
2" 28"
CasI iroh Iehce assembly
Spihdle Iravel: 3
1
4"
Spihdle capaciIy: 5"
Spihdle sizes:
3
4", 1" & 1
1
4" 7
1
2"
Spihdle speeds: 3600, 5100, 8000
& 10,000 PPM
Ma. cuIIer diameIer: 5
7
8"
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 602 lbs.
INCLUDES
CAST IRON
HITER GAUGE &
4 SPRING STEEL
HOLD DOwNS
2 HP DUST COLLECTOR
Air sucIioh capaciIy: 1700 CFM
SIaIic pressure: 10"
FilIer capaciIy: 1 microh
6" ihleI has removable "Y" IiIIihg w/ Ihree
4" ihleIs Heavy-duIy sIeel ihIake
Bag capaciIy: 5.4 cubic IeeI
Souhd raIihg: 74dB
Dimehsiohs: 31
1
2"W 37
3
8"L
71"H
Appro. shippihg
weighI: 155 lbs.

HADE IN ISO 9001
FACTORYI
5 HANDLE CONTROLLED
FLAPPERS CLEAN FINE
DUST FROH FILTER
Over 12,000
ProducIs
OnlineI
HADE IN ISO
9001 FACTORYI
17 HEAVY-DUTY BANDSAw
MoIor: 2 HP, 110V/220V,
sihgle-phase, TEFC, 1725 PPM
Table size: 17" 17" 1
1
2"
Ma. cuIIihg heighI: 12"
Blade lehgIh: 131
1
2"
Blade sizes:
1
8" - 1"
Blade speeds: 1600 & 3300 FPM
DusI porI: (2) 4"
342 lbs.
INCLUDES
1
/2 BLADE,
FENCE & HEAVY-DUTY
HITER GAUGE
HADE IN ISO 9001
FACTORYI
G1026
ONLY
$
955
00
G5912Z
ONLY
$
2095
00
G0527
ONLY
$
4195
00
G054B
ONLY
$
495
00
2 HP DUST COLLECTOR
w[2.5 HICRON BAG
Air sucIioh capaciIy: 1550 CFM
SIaIic pressure: 11"
SIahdard bag IilIraIioh: 2.5 microh
6" ihleI has removable "Y" IiIIihg w/ Iwo 4" ihleIs
mpeller: 12" balahced sIeel,
radial Iih
HeighI w/ bags ihIlaIed: 78"
Bag capaciIy: 5.4 cubic IeeI
Appro. shippihg wI: 123 lbs.
G1029Z
ONLY
$
295
00
HADE IN ISO 9001
FACTORYI
RECEIVE A FREE G5576
2 STAGE CYCLONE SEPARATOR
wITH PURCHASE OF G1029Z
A HILLION SUARE FEET PACKED wITH TOOLS & HACHINESI
CRIZZLY CIF7
CR7IFICA7S
CIV 7H CIF7
DF CHDICl
- ALMDS7 A MILLIDN SUAR F7 PACkD 7D 7H RAF7RS WI7H MACHINS & 7DDLS

- 2 DVRSAS UALI7Y CDN7RDL DFFICS S7AFFD WI7H UALIFID CRIZZLY NCINRS
- HUC PAR7S FACILI7Y WI7H DVR 1 MILLIDN PAR7S IN S7DCk A7 ALL 7IMS
- 7RAIND SRVIC 7CHNICIANS A7 ALL 3 LDCA7IDNS - MDS7 DRDRS SHIPPD 7H SAM DAY
G0570
$
695
00
CLOSEOUT PRICE
ONLY
$
595
00
wHILE THEY LAST ~
NO BACKORDERSI
G0515
REG.
$
B45
00
SALE
$
795
00

HADE IN
ISO 9001
FACTORYI
G1055
$
1595
00
CLOSEOUT PRICE
ONLY
$
1150
00
wHILE THEY LAST ~
NO BACKORDERSI
z0 LAN8
BL0w0U!
Lose Those Unwanted Pounds
The C12 is so unique that we're trying to come up with
a new tool name for it. Yes, it's a cordless drill, but
because it's the lightest 12v by a full pound, is
ounce for ounce the most powerful tool in its
class, has the world's first brushless motor,
AND takes Festool right angle, eccentric and
quick-bit change Centrotec chucks, the
C12 is truly in a category by itself. Ideal
for installers, assemblers and those
who'd like to lose a little weight.
LIGHTWEIGHT. At a pound lighter that its competitors,
you lift 200 lbs less in a typical day without
sacrificing staying power.
LONG LIFE. The new EC-TEC motor is brushless,
for less wear. In tests, the C12 goes beyond
1 million screwdrivings.
COMPACTNESS. Innovative shape lets
you work almost anywhere.
Call us or go online to find out more.
NEW!
The C12
Cordless Drill
Lightweight & ergonomic -
for easy one-hand use
Centrotec quick-change
chuck - light, compact,
fast and easy
888-337-8600
www.festoolusa.com
Takes FastFix
eccentric
and right angle chucks
EC-TEC-Motor
is brushless and
wear-resistant for
extra long tool life
NEW!
Various battery types
and packages available
Ask about our free DVD or
CD-ROM with exclusive offer!
contents
popularwoodworking.com 3
92
38
Popular Woodworking (ISSN 0884-8823, USPS 752-250)
is published seven times a year in February, April, June,
August, October, November and December by F+W
Publications Inc. Editorial and advertising offices are
located at 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236;
tel.: 513-531-2222. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs
and artwork should include ample postage on a self-
addressed, stamped envelope (SASE); otherwise they will
not be returned. Subscription rates: A years subscription
(seven issues) is $28; outside of U.S. add $7/year
Canada
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40025316. Canadian
return address: 2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON N8Y 1V2

Copyright 2005 by Popular Woodworking. Periodicals
postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing
offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Popular
Woodworking, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235
Canada GST Reg. # R122594716
Produced and printed

in the U.S.A.
IN EVERY ISSUE
18 Are Dados a Good
Casework Joint?
Q&A
Dados alone stink. Learn several good ways to reinforce this
popular joint. Plus, choose grits wisely when power sanding
plywood and buy the best mortising chisels.
22 Lamp Caddy a Brilliant Idea
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Build a cheap, adjustable and portable light pedestal for
benchtop work. Plus, a better way to light your whole shop,
a trick to measure circumference and many more.
34 Ray Iles Mortising Chisels
TOOL TEST
New traditional English mortising chisels will make you
think twice before fring up your power mortiser. Plus,
Amanas better countersinks and new KIK Forstner bits.
38 Jet 14" Band Saw
ENDURANCE TEST
Manufacturers love to offer extra features on band saws. But
getting the machines basics right is most important and
thats why Jets band saw is a mainstay.
40 The Plane My Brother Is
ARTS & MYSTERIES
Years ago cabinetmakers frequently used the broad hatchet
when preparing stock. Heres how and why you should
incorporate this chopper into your modern shop.
by Adam Cherubini
92 A School Built to Thrive and Last
GREAT WOODSHOPS
Peter Korn has created a non-proft woodworking
institution in Maine with a focus on student creativity.
by Scott Gibson
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
Most cope-and-stick bits can produce frames that will
house glass as well as wood panels. Heres how to do it.
by Bill Hylton
100 Building Glazed Doors

40
34
22
100
Learn How
Discover Why
Build Better
ROUTER BIT
DEPTH-STOP
ALIGNMENT
LINES
INCREASED
CAPABILITIES
FAST. EASY. ACCURATE. PORTER-CABLEs new dovetail jigs take all the traditional
headaches out of cutting perfect dovetails every time. With patent-pending alignment
lines and router bit depth-stop, set-up and adjustments are painless. Both features
enable you to create more precise joints with a professional look. Plus theyre ready
to go right out of the box with no dreaded assembly. Dovetails just dont get any
simpler. For more information and video tips, visit porter-cable.com/jigs today.
THE CURE FOR PERSISTENT JOINT PROBLEMS.

POPULAR WOODWORKING November 2005 6
ON THE COVER
Large-scale projects
often are simply
boxes within boxes.
Learning how to build
solid, square casework
efciently is the rst
step to building ne
furniture.
Cover photo by Al Parrish
DEPARTMENTS
12 Out on a Limb
Changing Editors
14 Letters
Mail from readers
104 Out of the
Woodwork
Human Moisture
Meter
by Peter Sieling
44 The Essential Awl
Designed for piercing wood and laying out marks,
some awls are better than others. Heres how to
fnd the right one for your style of work.
by Paul Sellers
PROJECTS, TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
49 Casework Construction:
Wood Selection and Prep
WOODWORKING ESSENTIALS
In the second chapter of our new series on
case construction, learn the best methods for
selecting and preparing solid wood and plywood.
58 Tall Chest:
Carcase Construction
A veteran period furniture maker lays out his
time-tested (and sometimes surprising) strategies
for building solid and square casework.
by Lonnie Bird
66 The Anthony Hay
Cabinet Shop
Take a tour of Williamsburgs period cabinet shop
and learn some 18th-century tips to make your
21st-century woodshop a better place to work.
by Adam Cherubini
70 The Basics of
Wiping Varnish
Durable and easy to use, wiping varnish is the
fnish of choice for many woodworkers. We tell
you how to identify it in the store, use it, deal
with its problems and even make your own.
by Bob Flexner
76 Arts & Crafts Bridal Chest
We take Gustav Stickleys 1901 design, strip off
the iron hardware and build it with contrasting
woods to reveal a surprisingly graceful form.
82 Are Lasers Just a Gimmick?
Lasers are now available on everything from miter
saws and drill presses to scrollsaws and drills. We
decide if theyre truly useful devices or simply
clever marketing ploys.
86 The Newest Tools from the
Las Vegas AWFS Show
Get a sneak peek at new tools and machines
manufacturers are offering now and in 2006.
44
76
66
70
CUT CIRCLES
AROUND OTHER
JIG SAWS.
2005 DEWALT. The following are trademarks for one or more DEWALT Power Tools and Accessories: The yellow and black color scheme; the D-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the handgrip; the kit
box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool.
Cut circles around other jig saws with the DW331K premium jig saw from DEWALT. Designed with productivity
and accuracy in mind, the 6.5 Amp DW331K offers an all-metal gear case, all-metal keyless blade change,
four-position orbital action and a unique flush cutting blade only offered by DEWALT. This new premium
jig saw, available in corded and 18V cordless, allows you to make straight, radius, scroll and plunge cuts
through wood, laminate, pressure treated lumber, sheet metal and plastics with more precision than ever.
INTRODUCING THE NEW PREMIUM JIG SAWS FROM DEWALT
.
All-metal lever-action keyless
blade clamp for fast and easy
blade changes.
6.5 Amp motor delivers the most
power in class, enough power for
the toughest applications.
Unique flush cutting blade cuts all
the way to the front of the shoe.
Rubber grip provides better control
and comfort in all applications.
Tampa, FL
Florida State Fairgrounds
November 18-20, 2005
Ft. Washington, PA
Ft. Washington Expo Center
December 9-11, 2005
Somerset, NJ
Garden State
Exhibition Center
January 6-8, 2006
Springeld, MA
Eastern States Exposition
January 13-15, 2006
Ontario, CA
Ontario Convention Center
February 3-5, 2006
Green Bay, WI
Brown County Veterans
Memorial Complex
February 10-12, 2006
New Location
Palmer, AK
Alaska State Fairgrounds
March 24-26, 2006
San Rafael, CA
Marin Center
April 21-23, 2006
www.woodworksevents.com
4
th
e
o
rl
4
th
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o
rl
3
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rl
SHOW HOURS
Friday 12pm6pm
Saturday 10am6pm
Sunday 10am4pm
Admission Only $10
See the newest tools
and supplies you wont find in
retail stores. Watch and learn
from experts who come from around
the world. Meet and network with other
woodworkers who share your interests.
that has it all
November 2005, Vol. 25, No. 6
popularwoodworking.com
Editorial Offces 513-531-2690
Editor & Publisher Steve Shanesy
ext. 1238 steve.shanesy@fwpubs.com
Art Director Linda Watts
ext. 1396 linda.watts@fwpubs.com
Executive Editor Christopher Schwarz
ext. 1407 chris.schwarz@fwpubs.com
Senior Editor David Thiel
ext. 1255 david.thiel@fwpubs.com
Senior Editor Robert W. Lang
ext. 1327 robert.lang@fwpubs.com
Managing Editor Kara Gebhart Uhl
ext. 1348 kara.uhl@fwpubs.com
Assistant Designer Susan L. Smith
ext. 1058 susan.l.smith@fwpubs.com
Project Illustrator John Hutchinson
Photographer Al Parrish
Contributing Editors
Nick Engler, Bob Flexner, Glen Huey,
Don McConnell, Troy Sexton
F+W PUBLICATIONS INC.
David H. Steward, Chairman & CEO
Mark F. Arnett, Executive Vice President & CFO
Barbara Schmitz, VP, Manufacturing
F+W PUBLICATIONS INC.
MAGAZINE GROUP
William R. Reed, President
Susan DuBois, VP, Consumer Marketing
Matt Friedersdorf, Director of Finance
Mark Fleetwood, Group Circulation Manager
Cristy Malcolm, Newsstand Sales Supervisor
PRODUCTION
Vicki Whitford, Production Manager
Debbie Thomas, Production Coordinator
ADVERTISING
Don Schroder, Advertising Director
331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104
Tel. 610-821-4425; Fax 610-821-7884
d.schroder@verizon.net
Advertising Production Coordinator
Krista Morel, Tel. 513-531-2690 ext. 1311
krista.morel@fwpubs.com
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Subscription inquiries,
orders and address changes can be made at
(click on Customer Service FAQs).
Or by mail: Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 420235,
Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235.
Or call toll free 877-860-9140 or 386-246-3369.
Include your address with all inquiries.
Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery.
NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION: Curtis Circulation Co.,
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ATTENTION RETAILERS:
To carry Popular Woodworking in your store, call 800-894-4656
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Back issues are available. Call 800-258-0929
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Send check or money order to: Popular
Woodworking Back Issues, F+W Publications
Products, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990.
Please specify publication, month and year.
SAFETY NOTE
Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place
safety devices on their equipment for a reason. In many
photos you see in Popular Woodworking, these have
been removed to provide clarity. In some cases well
use an awkward body position so you can better see
whats being demonstrated. Dont copy us. Think about
each procedure youre going to perform beforehand.
Safety First!
OUT ON A LIMB
Changing Editors After
11 Years and 69 Issues
C
ome next issue youll fnd a different, but
familiar, name authoring this column
as Christopher Schwarz takes the helm as
editor of Popular Woodworking, a position Im
relinquishing after 11 years and 69 issues. Of
course the letting go is a bittersweet event in
my life as a woodworker.
But I leave with confdence that the maga-
zine is in very capable hands and knowing
my infuence will not be altogether absent.
Whi l e s t eppi ng
down as editor, Ill
remain publisher
and become editorial
director of this and
several other maga-
zines published by
our parent company,
F+W Publications.
Popul ar Wood-
working has under-
gone many changes
during my tenure as
weve tried to publish
a magazine to best satisfy your needs. Some of
the changes were good; some were, looking
back, a little embarrassing (ah, the Stumpy
the Reindeer project). We published some
articles that were controversial (woodworking
on death row) that you didnt like at all. Weve
published some groundbreaking articles (the
truth about horsepower ratings) and hope to
do more of that in the future.
Todays Popular Woodworking isnt per-
fect, but its far better than ever before. This
isnt the boast of a proud editor, but the com-
ments we regularly receive from you and read
in the form of posted comments on internet
woodworking message boards. Heck, some
even say its the best woodworking magazine
published today.
If it is, and I think it just may be, its largely
due to the hard work of a loyal staff of wood-
working editors and a tremendous group of
CONTRIBUTORS
PAUL SELLERS
Forty years ago Paul Sellers apprenticed in
woodworking and joinery near Manches-
ter, England. In the mid-1970s he began
building furniture and, in 1986, he moved
to Texas and started his
own furniture-making
business. In 1995 he
started the School of
Woodworking at the
Center for Essential
Education i n Texas
(cfeeschool.com). His
foundational woodworking course and
comprehensive curriculum in hand-tool
woodworking has helped more than 2,000
students become better woodworkers. Paul
says mastering hand-tool skills and tech-
niques is essential to fne woodworking even
in the modern shop. Paul discusses one of
his favorite hand tools, awls, on page 44.
PETER SIELING
Peter Sieling owns and operates Garreson
Lumber Co., specializing in domestic kiln-
dried hardwoods, in Bath, New York. Also
a woodworker, writer and beekeeper, Peter
lives in Steuben County
with his wife, children,
a flock of peafowl and
500,000 honeybees. A
regular contributor to
several magazines, Peter
has written four educa-
tional books for Mason
Crest Publishers on folk music, folk medi-
cine and farm life. Our Out of the Wood-
work column often features his humorous
lumberyard tales, such as this months on
his ability to divine moisture content from
wood (page 104). He also amazes his cus-
tomers by levitating boards and making
perfectly square freehand crosscuts.
Our Privacy Promise to You
We make portions of our customer list available to
carefully screened companies that offer products
and services we believe you may enjoy. If you do not
want to receive offers and/or information, please let
us know by contacting us at:
List Manager, F+W Publications
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
regular contributors. They all share an over-
sized zeal for the craft; all are woodworkers
first, and editors or writers second. More
important than their years of experience is
their continuing passion for the craft and will-
ingness to share their knowledge with you.
Were all just a bunch of woodworking
geeks and proud of it! Hanging around this
gang would be no fun at all if you werent into
woodworking. Just look at the short article
from the October
2005 issue about
the dovetails used
on Pope John Paul
IIs elegantly sim-
ple coffin. I mean
where else would a
serious discussion
occur about t he
joinery used in the
papal coffn the day
after the televised
funeral?
The most amaz-
ing thing about these past 11 years is that the
job was never boring theres never a shortage
of subjects and there continue to be subjects
that have never been covered before, or at least
with our generation of woodworkers.
There are many memories that stand out
when looking back, but the one that is most
apropos was made by Senior Editor David
Thiel when we started working on the maga-
zine. We were setting up our new shop when
we caught each others eye, then David said,
Can you believe theyre paying us to do this?
All these years later, its been that good.
So long, be safe and keep true to your
craft. PW
Steve Shanesy
Editor & Publisher
More Projects From
Greene & Greene
LETTERS
Most Plans or Details are Lacking
As a woodworker, I worship at the altar of
Charles Greene and Henry Greene. I have
made reproductions of Greene & Greene fur-
niture as well as pieces of my own design by
using the Greene & Greene design vocabulary.
I collect books dedicated to their architecture
and furniture, and I have many articles from
woodworking magazines detailing Greene &
Greene projects.
In most cases I fnd the result wanting in
some way (often the overall look of the piece
just doesnt seem right). So I was very pleas-
antly surprised by Robert Langs article in
your April 2005 issue. His Ford house server
reproduction is excellent. The piece looks
authentic and is constructed in a practical
but true-to-the-spirit manner. I hope to see
more Greene & Greene articles from Robert
in future issues.
David Mathias
Dublin, Ohio
A Better Way to Remove Rust
I have a fairly simple question that I bet you
guys could answer. I live in Miami, where, as
you can guess, its very humid almost year-
round. I learned early in woodworking to keep
a light coat of paste wax on all my machinery
(and tools) to keep them from rusting.
I recently renovated my shop and, unfor-
tunately, all my machinery had to stay outside
while the additions were being put in. This was
for a period of about two weeks. With some
speculation on your part, you can probably
(and correctly) assume that some of my tools
received rust spots, the worst of which was
my table saw with its cast-iron table. I asked
a couple friends what they thought I should
do and they assured me that a product called
Naval Jelly would dissolve the rust. Someone
also said to try rubbing the rust with steel
wool. Well, I tried both. When I used the
steel wool, I just ended up getting exhausted
continued on page 17
with no real progress in removing the rust. I
tried some Naval Jelly on an inconspicuous
area and it ended up staining the metal black
(to be fair, it did remove the rust). I was lucky
that I tried it only in a small area, as I really
dont want a black table saw. I was wondering
if you could tell me how to remove the rust.
Are there techniques or products that would
take the rust off without staining the metal?
Thanks for any help!
Craig Gelbard
Miami, Florida
The Naval Jelly does work, but as you noted, it
will stain the cast iron. Here is the method that
works for me:
Get a little can of Liquid Wrench. Its a
light penetrating oil developed for freeing rusted
nuts and bolts. Squirt this on the rusty spots,
and work it in with a Scotch Brite pad or steel
wool. You should be able to see the rust come
up. If the rust is very bad, let the oil sit on the
top for 20 minutes to half an hour, then rub
with the pad again.
This will leave you with a dirty oily mess on
the cast iron. Take some baby powder (make
sure you get the kind made from talc, not the
kind made with cornstarch) and sprinkle it on
top of the oil. Let that sit for 15 or 20 minutes,
and then wipe it off the surface with a rag. The
talc will absorb the oily residue, and leave a
slick surface on the cast iron. You might need to
repeat these steps a couple times.
The talcum powder also offers decent pro-
tection for the top: sprinkle it on the surface,
and let it sit for a few minutes to absorb mois-
ture in the iron. Remove the excess by dusting
it off with a rag. It gets into the pores of the cast
iron, and it leaves a bit of a flm.
If you ever have to store or leave your tools
outside again, try smearing a thick coat of wax
on the tops beforehand. This should help pre-
vent moisture from getting to the iron.
Robert W. Lang, senior editor
Lept. 05Pw04B
7
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What Wood Should Western
Woodworkers Use for a Workbench?
Your magazines web site has a downloadable
plan for a workbench that Im interested in
building. (I believe this plan is similar to one
you presented in a previous issue of the maga-
zine.) The plan calls for Southern yellow pine,
which is not stocked in my area. Would Doug-
las fr be a suitable alternative to the pine? My
general feeling is that Doug fr is a little soft,
and maybe a little sappy for a workbench, but
Id like to get your opinion.
Greg Long
Corvallis, Oregon
Ive built several benches using Southern yel-
low pine and have been satisfed with it. How-
ever, the trick to choosing your wood isnt to
worry about the particular species, but instead
to focus on the properties of local woods that
would be suitable for a bench. You need a wood
that is stiff, dense, dry and inexpensive.
By every measure, yellow pine is tougher
and stiffer than Douglas fr. Fir might be OK
for a bench, but before you go forth, Id inves-
tigate woods in your area that are similar in
strength to yellow pine, including larch, oak,
maple, ash, birch and beech. All of those spe-
cies are excellent benchtop material.
Christopher Schwarz, executive editor
On Norm and Nomenclature
As a follower of Norm Abrams work with
wood from the days of the Boston Old House,
I enjoyed the additional background informa-
tion in the August 2005 issue.
While Steve Shanesy commented on
Norms New England drawr-ings (possibly
due to an r that fell out of some draw?),
he didnt comment on his contribution to the
continued from page 14
demise of the verb to drill. Why is it that
every hole that he makes is pre-drilled? The
only kind of fastener that goes into place as the
hole is drilled is the drill-tipped sheet metal
screw. For everything else, a drill bit must
make a hole and be withdrawn before the fas-
tener goes in; thus the pre is superfuous.
There is a perfectly good use of the word
root as an adjective, however. Sometimes a
hole must be drilled before parts are assembled
in a way that will make the use of a drill impos-
sible later. When the fastener is inserted at this
later stage of assembly, it is correct to say that
it goes into a pre-drilled hole, i.e. one drilled
at some earlier time. However, languages being
changing things, I suppose there will be more
people who repeat this unnecessary prefx. At
least it isnt like nucular! PW
Milford Brown
El Cerrito, California
WRITE TO US
Popular Woodworking welcomes letters from
readers with comments about the maga-
zine or woodworking in general. We try to
respond to all correspondence. Published
letters may be edited for length or style.
All letters become the property of Popular
Woodworking. How to send your letter:
E-mail: popwood@fwpubs.com
Fax: 513-891-7196
Mail carrier:
Letters Popular Woodworking
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Q & A
Are Dados Alone a Strong Enough
Joint for Bookcase Construction?
Im in the beginning stages of a solid-wood
bookcase with doors. It has solid-wood shelves
joined to the cases sides with dados.
As I research traditional joinery for Arts &
Crafts-style cabinet and bookshelf pieces, Im
seeing that the joinery for solid-wood casework
is almost always simple dados.
What are your thoughts on this method of
joining solid wood? It seems to me that a dado
joint gives you virtually zero long-grain-to-
long-grain glue surface in solid-wood carcase
assembly. The piece Im making is almost all
solid wood except the back. Im interested
in this piece specifcally but also the overall
philosophy with this method of joinery.
Im debating several options: biscuits,
screws, sliding dovetails, and simply to quit
worrying about this and regard it as an accept-
able method of joinery.
Kevin Bradley
Battle Creek, Michigan
Dados alone stink. They have no strength against
wracking forces. Every long-grain surface of a
dado is mated to an end-grain surface, so glue
alone is weak. These joints need to be reinforced
for when the glue fails and it will. Sometimes,
the face frame of the cabinet will keep the case
together. But not all projects have a face frame.
So for reproduction pieces, I use cut nails
toenailed through the shelf and sides through
the underside of the shelf a historically correct
way to go about it. Sliding dovetails are another
option. They offer a mechanical interlock, though
they can be fussy to execute.
For more modern projects, I use dados with
pocket screws driven into the sides through the
underside of the shelves. Screws alone and biscuits
alone dont provide the same resistance to shear
forces (gravity). So my advice is to use a combina-
tion of dados, glue and some sort of mechanical
fastener thats concealed. This provides strength
against gravity, wracking and time.
What Sanding Grits Should I Use
When Power Sanding Plywood?
I need to sand a chest built out of plywood.
The problem is, because the face veneer is so
thin, I dont know what sandpaper grit to start
with and end with. Can you help?
Trevor Anderson
Bronx, New York
For solid wood, #80 grit is a good place to start,
ending up with #220 grit. Most plywood veneers
have been sanded after manufacture, so the ini-
tial #80-grit sanding that you might do on solid
wood isnt necessary.
Power sanding with plywood is always some-
thing to be careful with and Id recommend no
coarser than #120-grit paper to start, moving
up to #220 grit for a fnal fnish. Take it easy on
the edges of the sheet where its easiest to roll the
sander a little and burn through the veneer. If
youre hand sanding, then youre still OK with
the grits mentioned.
David Thiel, senior editor
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n

b
y

H
a
y
e
s

S
h
a
n
e
s
y
Carcase side
Shelf toenailed
into carcase side
Shelf
Are Dados
A Good
Joint for
Casework?
Nail set
How Long a Piece of Wood Can
My Powered Jointer Handle?
This question seems almost dumb to me, but I
cant seem to get this straight in my head.
Recently I had to glue up some long boards
to make long 3" x 3" square posts for a bed.
I have a 6" jointer, and when jointing the
stock, I seemed to have a problem with truing
some but not all of the pieces. And so I started
thinking about stock that is longer than my
jointers infeed table.
If I have a bow in the stock and the back
edge isnt even on the jointers table yet, isnt
that going to cause the stock to raise up while
Im passing it over the knives? Is there a trick
to fattening stock longer than your jointers
infeed table, or is this something that just
cant be done? Would extending my infeed
table with carefully placed medium-density
fberboard extensions help, or am I missing
the whole function of the machine?
Rick Schuster
Coraopolis, Pennsylvania
The length of the bed absolutely controls the accu-
racy of your jointing. The rule of thumb is that
you should be able to joint boards that are as long
as your machines infeed and outfeed tables com-
bined. Most cabinet parts are shorter than 48", so
it should come as no surprise that most 6" jointers
have a bed thats about that length.
Its possible to true reasonably straight but
over-long boards on short-bed jointers if youre
careful. In general, its best to frst work on the
concave face of a board. Ill remove the high spots
Dado
with a hand plane to get it reasonably true. And
then Ill run it over the jointer.
As to extending the bed of your jointer, some
manufacturers actually make bed extensions that
can add 4" or so, but most do not. Ive seen several
woodworkers add a torsion box apparatus to the
infeed table of their jointer. The problem is, it has
to be physically attached to the bed because you
move the bed up and down occasionally.
The best long-term solution is, of course, to
buy a long-bed 6" or 8" jointer, which is what I
generally recommend for people who work with
solid wood a lot anyway.
Which Mortising Chisel to Buy?
I want to ask your opinion about mortising
chisels. My question is this: Im tossed between
the Lie-Nielsen mortise chisels and everything
else. Im not a professional, but with some
calculated saving, I like to use the same tools.
And Im only going to buy the basic three:
1
4",
3
8" and
1
2".
My mortises are usually cut with a Wood-
Rat or hollow-chisel mortiser, but the stuff that
Im starting to build requires angled mortises
or mortises that Id rather either chop by hand
or have to clean up by hand.
Brian Hayner
Glens Falls, New York
A proper mortise chisel blazes through wood and
can do things that no hollow-chisel mortiser can.
Until recently, many were poor copies of historical
designs. But there are two brands Im enthused
by. The Lie-Nielsen (800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.
com) mortisers are excellent. Theyre technically
sash mortising chisels and are suitable for cabi-
net-scale work. The other is by Ray Iles and is
carried by Tools for Working Wood (800-426-
4613 or toolsforworkingwood.com). These are
nice copies of English mortise chisels. Theyre
both higher-priced tools, but worth it.
Start with the
5
16", which is the right size for

handmade mortises in
3
4" stock. Then expand

the set a tool at a time as needed.
What are the Rules on Tenons
For Building Large-scale Doors?
I am going to make an exterior door for my
house and plan to use mortise-and-tenon join-
ery for the stiles and rails. The stiles will be
about 8" wide, the rails about the same and
WRITE TO US
Every day we get questions from readers on
all subjects about their woodworking. Some
are letters; many are e-mail messages. We
are more than happy to share our wood-
working experience with you by answering
your questions or adding some clarity to
whatever aspect of the craft you are unsure
about. In addition to the hundreds we
answer privately every month, we want to
share the best questions here with readers.
Send your questions via e-mail to
popwood@fwpubs.com, or by mail to:
Q&A Popular Woodworking
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
the door will be 2" thick.
My question is: How big should I make the
tenons? How long, how wide and how deep?
Any thoughts you might have would help me
out a lot. Also, I heard that you werent sup-
posed to glue the whole tenon, just the top half
of it to leave room for any wood movement.
Is there any truth in that?
Mike Lopez
Saukville, Wisconsin
The rule of thumb in both cabinetry and large-
scale stuff is that the tenon thickness should
be half the thickness of your stock. So 2" stock
calls for 1"-thick tenons. As to the tenons width,
design the joint with edge shoulders of
1
2" to
3
4"
this will ensure you have lots of gluing surface
and should protect you from blowing out the ends
of your mortise walls during assembly.
As to tenon length, I would make the tenons
as long as your tooling will allow for this appli-
cation: 3" long should do the trick. Old doors
commonly used through-tenons, and there are
still a lot of these doors around today a testa-
ment to their design.
Also, as to the gluing procedure you refer-
enced, I would follow that procedure only with
the really wide rails. The narrow rails should be
frmly glued all around. Also, I would peg all
the joints double pegs in the 8"-wide rail. And
ream out the lower set of holes for the pegs a bit
to allow wood movement, much like in a bread-
board construction.
Is There a List of Must-have Tools For
Someone Who Cant Use Power Tools?
Many, many years ago when I was between 8
and 15 years old, I did a lot of minor woodwork-
ing with my grandfather. He had a full-blown
shop in his basement with all the planes, fles
and rasps you could ever want. He also had a
table saw, drill press, band saw, etc. I will be 47
in September and for a little more than a year
I have been living with ALS (Amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis). Often referred to as Lou
Gehrigs disease, its a progressive neuro-
degenerative disease that affects nerve cells
in the brain and the spinal cord resulting in
muscle weakness and atrophy.
ALS affects my hands and legs. Legs arent
called on much in woodworking but obviously,
hands are important. The motor functions
arent very good in either hand so picking up
Q & A
small objects like screws or nails is very hard
for me. However, my overall strength is still
OK, and because I have been asked by doctors
and family not to use any power tools, (I will
be getting a band saw though), I have come
to rely on hand tools.
Moreover, Im glad that I have had the
chance to experience using hand tools because
I fnd it much more interesting to try to build
something this way. I believe that it is a more
natural way of doing things. So I would like
your advice on what hand tools I need for mak-
ing boxes or small pieces of furniture.
Michael Rogen
South Salem, New York
Your question is one that is far beyond the scope of
a short answer, Im afraid. But there is good news
there are a couple out-of-print books that should
help. Many good libraries have them; most librar-
ies can get them through interlibrary loan.
They are both by Charles H. Hayward, one
of my personal heroes. One is called Tools for
Woodwork. This book looks at all the hand tools
you need in a shop that does hand work. It focuses
on setting them up and using them.
The second book is called The Complete
Book of Woodwork. Its ideal because it gives
you a long list of all the tools you need, plus a short
list of the tools you really need to get started. And
then this book shows you how to put all the tools
into practice how to cut mortises with chisels,
how to cut tenons with saws, etc.
Even though Ive been working wood since I
was 8, I still consult Haywards books just about
every week. PW
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In woodworking, light is par-
ticularly important
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Gooseneck lamps are
a good lighting choice
because theyre cheap
and adjustable. These
lamps come with a clamp
for mounting, but theyre neither
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approach was to build portable light pedestals
that could easily be moved where needed.
At its most basic, each of my three pedestals
is nothing more than a 3"-high, 6"-square box
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handles on the sides make for easy mobility.
The interior cavity is flled with lead shot for
stability. I added a fender washer and nylon
washer on top of the post hole for better swivel-
ing, and a layer of felt on the bottom to protect
table surfaces. I decided to make the pedestals
CASH AND PRIZES FOR YOUR TRICKS AND TIPS!
Each issue we publish useful woodworking
tips from our readers. Next issues winner
receives a set of three bevel-up planes from
Veritas. This set offers maximum versatil-
ity with a low angle jack, smoother and
new jointer, all using the same blade size.
Optional blades allow you to easily switch
bevel angles. This gives the planes the
cutting-angle capability of six additional
planes. This set is worth $600.
Runners-up each receive a check for $75.
When submitting a trick (either by mail or e-mail) you must include your complete mailing
address and a daytime phone number. If your trick is selected for publication, an editor will
need to contact you. All entries become the property of Popular Woodworking. You can send
your trick by e-mail to popwoodtricks@fwpubs.com, or mail it to Tricks of the Trade, Popular
Woodworking, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
even more useful by festooning them with rare
earth magnets epoxied into recesses to keep
a variety of squares, rulers and other instru-
ments within easy reach. You can also drill
out sections of the box to accept round tool
shafts and bits.
Bob Lloyd
San Clemente, California
jettools.com
JET Power Rebates start September 1!
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Compiled by Paul Anthony
Illustrations by Matt Bantly
Rare earth magnets
are recessed into top
Door
pull
Nylon washer Fender washer
Hole for
tool shank
Fill cavity
with lead shot
P
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o

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t
e
s
y

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f

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Raise blade through
hardboard to create
zero-clearance slot
1
4"-thick hardboard
approx. 5" wide
1 x 4 fence is the same length
as the hardboard piece
Screw 1 x 4 to fence
Jigging your Memory
I used to fnd that when I would pull out
a jig that I hadnt used in a while, I would
often forget exactly how to use it. In spite
of notations on the jig itself and an unjusti-
fed confdence in my memory, I too often
found myself scratching my head during
subsequent uses. Fortunately, memory is
actually pretty cheap and convenient in
these days of pocket digital cameras. I grab
mine to take a shot or two of the setup and
process, printing out and fling the pictures
either near the jig or in a reference folder.
The nice thing about self-printed photos
is that you can print them at any size you
like and easily make all kinds of notations
on them. (Now if I could just remember
where I put that camera .)
Albert Moody
Charleston, West Virginia
While trying to rip small strips of moulding
recently, I realized that I needed to make a
zero-clearance throat plate to prevent the
small strips from falling into the saw. How-
ever, I discovered that even a piece of
1
8"-
thick plywood was too thick to replace the
thin metal insert that came with my $200
benchtop saw.
To solve the problem, I decided to make
a zero-clearance overlay board that could be
attached to the rip fence. I began by cutting a
piece of
1
4"-thick hardboard roughly 5" wide

A Zero-clearance Fence Attachment
by 20" long to serve as the overlay piece, which
I screwed to the edge of a 1 x 4 about the
same length. To set up to cut the moulding,
I combined the thickness of the 1 x 4 with
the desired width of my moulding strips, then
set my rip fence to that measurement. After
screwing the 2 x 4 to my rip fence, I raised the
spinning blade up through the hardboard to
the appropriate height. I was now able to safely
and accurately rip the strips I needed.
Heath Huskey
Batavia, Ohio
TRICKS OF THE TRADE

Squaring a Drill Press Table
Most drill press tables are designed to tilt for
drilling angled holes. However, for most holes,
we want the bit oriented exactly perpendicular
to the table. Although you can place a small
square on the table for this purpose, it can be
troublesome to accurately sight the blade of
the square against the futes of a drill bit. An
easier method and one thats very accurate
is to bend a piece of stout wire or metal rod
as shown. With one end of the rod tightened
Wire touches surface
through full rotation
Bent wire should
just touch surface
in the chuck and the other end extended
toward the perimeter of the table, squaring
up is a simple matter of making sure the rod
just touches the table at every point during
its rotation.
Joe English
St. Louis, Missouri
A Better Way to Prep for
Water-based Finishes
Anyone who uses water-based fnishing
products knows that they can adversely
raise the grain of the wood when theyre
applied. So its important to pre-raise the
grain with clean water before applying the
fnish. But there are a couple tricks to doing
this preparation successfully.
After sanding the wood to #220 grit, wipe
it with a wet sponge thats not damp, but not
soppy either. Its best to use distilled water,
as the chemicals in tap water can cause
tannin-rich woods such as oak to dis-
color. After letting the wood dry, sand it
again with #220-grit paper. But this time,
begin by sanding very lightly diagonal
to the grain. This will help cleanly cut
off fbers that might otherwise simply be
pressed down into the wood pores, only
to rise again when the water-based fnish
is applied. Follow the diagonal sanding
with light sanding strokes parallel to the
grain to remove any diagonal scratches.
Now thoroughly remove any sanding dust
with a brush, tack cloth or compressed air,
and youre ready to apply your fnish.
Steven Silvan
Fargo, North Dakota
SETTING THE STANDARD FOR
MITER SAWS. AGAIN.
The best miter saws in the shop are now even better as DEWALT introduces the re-designed line of 12" miter
saws. Each of these saws delivers greater accuracy and capacity, with the durability, portability, and easy-to-use
features that you expect from the leader in miter saws. The DW718 Double-Bevel Sliding Compound Miter Saw
has best-in-class capacity and a tall fence design for the highest vertical capacity available. In addition, the DW715
Compound Miter Saw and DW716 Double-Bevel Compound Miter Saw provide greater capacity, plus 11 miter
detents with override capability for repeatable accuracy. Also available is the DW7187 adjustable laser accessory,
designed exclusively for each of these new 12" miter saws. With innovative features for better performance,
DEWALT has set the standard for miter saws. Again.
INTRODUCING THREE NEW MITER SAWS FROM DEWALT.
2005 DEWALT. The following are trademarks for one or more DEWALT Power Tools and Accessories: The yellow and black color scheme; the D-shaped air intake grill; the array of pyramids on the
handgrip; the kit box configuration; and the array of lozenge-shaped humps on the surface of the tool.
SEE ALL THREE SAWS
IN ACTION!
/pw
Hole drilled in
plywood allows
wall light to be
placed on nail
4' shop light
is attached to
plywood
Recessed carriage bolt
T-slot
Knob for table
adjustment
Sub-table mounting bolt
Shop Wall Lighting
My former shop was in a garage with plenty of
windows for great lighting. However, I recently
moved into a basement shop, and even with
a dozen 4'-long fluorescent fixtures on the
ceiling, I really missed the light I had in my
garage. I realized that I particularly missed
the side light coming in from the windows.
So, I decided to hang double-tube fuorescent
fxtures vertically on the wall to compensate.
What a difference it has made! I like it so
much that I added more, and a woodworker
friend has decided to do the same thing in his
basement shop.
Because I was initially not sure I would
like the result, I screwed the fixtures onto
boards that I hung on nails on the wall. That
way, I could easily screw the boards to the
ceiling should I choose to later. But, as it is,
I keep them hanging on their nails on the
wall. This also allows me to move them from
one place to another if necessary to provide
better light in one area, or to adapt to a dif-
ferent shop setup.
Serge Duclos
Quebec, Canada
Drill Press Vise Platform
A long time ago, I bought a good quality
machinists drill press vise at a yard sale. I
used it many times throughout the years, but
it was almost impossible to secure it to my drill
press table. The mounting slots didnt match
up with the slots on my table, and clamping
it in place was challenging at best. I fnally
decided to build an auxiliary drill press table
with T-tracks, to which I could easily mount
the vise, as well as other jigs.
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
My vise measures about 3
1
2" x 8", with

2
1
2"-wide jaws that open 2

1
2". I mounted
it in the center of a
1
2" x 7" x 16" plywood

panel using carriage bolts whose heads were
recessed in counterbores on the underside of
Monitoring Dust
After unplugging my dust collector for the sec-
ond inspection in a matter of hours, I started to
think about a way to see if the drum is full at a
glance. The problem is that my dust collector
empties into a cardboard drum which, when
full, causes the system to clog up, making a
real mess. But there is no way to monitor the
drums status without popping off the lid. So
what to do?
Well, I cut a vertical slot in the side of the
drum about 1" wide and 6" long, starting just
below the drums rim. Then I took a piece of
1
16" x 4" x 8" clear, thin, acrylic plastic and

pop riveted it over the slot, sealing the edges
with silicone caulk. Now I can monitor the
level of the chips inside the drum without
having to shut everything down. So far, no
more clogged system.
Ken Burton
New Tripoli, Pennsylvania
the panel. Next, I routed a
5
16"-wide x 9"-long
slot near each edge. A
1
4-20 hex bolt passes

through each slot, with the head of the bolt
riding in the drill press tables T-track and
a low-profle hand knob and fender washer
on the other end. (Knobs are available from
Reid Tool, 800-253-0421 or reidtool.com, item
#DK-184.) The setup allows me to quickly
and accurately position the vise and hold it
securely in place.
Craig Bentzley
Chalfont, Pennsylvania
Existing drill press table
Vise auxiliary table
Quality Blades for
Americas Craftsmen
Serious woodworkers demand perfection.
Thats why so many of them choose Forrest
saw blades.
Forrest quality is legendary. Our
proprietary manufacturing process,
hand straightening, and unique grade of
C-4 micrograin carbide give you smooth,
quiet cuts without splintering, scratching,
or tearouts. In fact, independent tests rate
our blades as #1 for rip cuts and crosscuts.
Forrest saw blades are simply the best that
money can buy. Theyre made in the USA by
the same family-owned business thats been
producing and sharpening them for over 55
years. And theyre backed by a 30-day money
back guarantee. Its no wonder that serious
woodworkers give them such high praise!
Your blades are without question the
best by miles, and I have tried them all.
Bob JensenFridley, MN
These are the finest blades I have ever
owned and you should be proud of your
quality product.
Patrick T. HankardSouth Windsor, CT
[Forrest blades] cut true, with no vibra-
tion. I was a carpenter by trade for over
60 years and continue to be an active
woodworker. So, I can say with confi-
dence that Forrest blades are the best.
Carl StudeBurbank, CA
The message is clear. If youre looking for
quality, performance, and value, it pays to
choose Forrest blades every time.
Our Most Popular Blades:
Woodworker II This
award-winning, all purpose
blade is the finest of its
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It works effectively in all
directionswith the grain
or across it.
Chop Master Produces
perfect miters every time
with no bottom splinters.
You get smooth edges on
all types of wood.
Woodworker I Great for
table and radial saws. It
trims and crosscuts all
woods up to 2" and is
ideal for plywood.
Duraline Hi A/T Our best
blade for birch and oak ply
veneers. It also delivers a
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Forrest blades come in a wide variety of
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Contact our internet store:
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Code PW
2003 Forrest Manufacturing
Hinge
centerline
drawn on
cabinet edge
1
4" plywood
Jig centerline
Pre-drilled holes
Cup hinge plate
A Double-rail Router Guide
When routing dados across a board using a
straight bit, its usual to clamp on a guide rail,
often as part of a T-square. This is fne as long
as you keep the router base tight against the
guide, and dont let it get diverted by a faw in
the wood or by a momentary distraction.
To make sure my router doesnt wander,
I made a double-rail guide. The two rails are
spaced to suit my router base, and are longer
Locating Cup Hinge Plate
When using cup hinges for frameless cabinetry, I begin
by drilling mortises in the backs of the doors for the cups.
I do this on the drill press using a fence with stops for
effciency and accuracy. After installing the cup half of
each hinge, I install the hinge plate on the cabinet side.
Ive found that using a jig to lay out the screw holes for
the plates speeds things up and ensures accurate place-
ment.
The jig consists of two pieces of
1
2"-thick hardwood
plywood glued together at a 90 angle. One piece has been
drilled out to properly locate the plates screw holes using
an awl. The scalloped cutout in the other piece allows
alignment with hinge centerline markings made on the
edge of the case sides. Its quite easy to make.
To construct the jig, frst install a test hinge to deter-
mine the distance that a hinge plate should sit back from
the edge of the cabinet side. Then drill the screw holes in
the jig at the exact distance back from the front edge. To
use the jig, frst mark the centerline for each hinge on the
cabinet. Then align the centerline on the jig with each
marking, and insert an awl to locate the screw holes.
Ann Tonipol
Memphis, Tennessee
than the widest board I expect to use. After
the frst cut has been made through the front
fence, the notch can be used as an alignment
reference for subsequent cutlines. If you like,
you can also space the guide bars far enough
apart to make a wide dado with two passes of
a narrower bit.
Percy Blandford
Stratford-upon-Avon, England
Space rails to t router
Notch in fence can be
used as an alignment reference
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Preserving a Brush with
Help from the Kitchen
I use lots of epoxy and solvent-based
varnish for boatbuilding as well as vari-
ous other woodworking projects. Rather
than discard brushes, I used to clean them
thoroughly with the appropriate solvent
immediately after use to prevent them from
hardening, especially with epoxy. Unfor-
tunately, this can be nearly as expensive as
simply buying new brushes every time.
Recently, I discovered that a brush can
be preserved for repeated use by storing it
in a plastic Ziploc bag in the freezer. Freez-
ing it prevents the heat necessary for the
epoxy to cure, and it prevents solvent-based
varnish from hardening as well. Now I can
do a small job the next day after letting
the brush thaw to room temperature and
squeezing the excess epoxy or varnish from
the bristles. Of course, its important to
freeze an epoxy-laden brush quickly before
the stuff starts to harden, but thats not a
problem with many small repairs.
Arthur Lyndaker
Red Lake, Ontario
www.woodworker.com/pwk05
800-645-9292
When calling, mention source code: pwk05
Request a FREE copy of our
catalog, featuring the largest
selection of woodworking tools
and supplies anywhere!
Request a FREE copy of our
catalog, featuring the largest
selection of woodworking tools
and supplies anywhere!
Cutting Curls
Curly wood is inclined to tear out when
planed. To minimize this, wet the wood
first by sponging it with water, then let
the water soak in for a minute or so before
feeding the board through the planer. For
best results, take light cuts for your fnal few
passes through the planer. Beware of using
tap water on tannin-rich woods like oak,
as chemicals in the water can discolor the
wood. Distilled water is a safer bet. PW
Shirley Church
Memphis, Tennessee
Correct
Incorrect
Composing Grain for Panels
When edge-joining boards to make panels
for tabletops or solid-panel doors, the com-
position of the grain can make all the differ-
ence between a truly attractive panel and
one thats visually disturbing. When laying
out the boards initially, work with pieces that
are somewhat oversized in length so that you
can slide them along each other to create as
uninterrupted a grain pattern as possible along
the joints, and as consistent a color match as
you can. The guidelines shown in the drawing
are suggestions. Rip, fip and slide the boards
in whatever fashion is necessary to get the
look you desire.
Paul Anthony
Riegelsville, Pennsylvania
Make sure board
widths are
symmetrical
Edges should have
straight grain
Locate knot fully within the board
Try to match grain at joint
Avoid
irregular
grain
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Measuring Circumference
Sometimes you need to measure the cir-
cumference of an item such as a V-belt
or cylinder. Or you might need to lay out
evenly spaced mortises around a turned
table post to accept the feet. Unfortunately,
its pretty diffcult to measure cylindrical
shapes using rulers or even tape measures.
The trick is to wrap the item with mask-
ing tape, overlapping the starting point.
Then knife through the overlap, remove
the tape, and measure it to determine the
circumference, or mark it for your desired
spacing, then reapply it to the workpiece
to transfer the markings.
Roger Dubois
Dudley, Massachusetts
Tilt ruler and sight
down increment lines
Squeeze nger against workpiece and
ruler to eliminate back shadows
Fine Points for Fine Measurements
One of my most frequently used tools is my 6"
pocket rule. Because of its precision and fnely
marked increments, I rely on it constantly to
ensure accuracy of my joints and workpiece
dimensions. In striving for maximum accu-
racy when using it, Ive learned to employ a
few helpful ruler-reading tricks.
First of all, whenever possible, read a
dimension between increments rather than
from the end of the ruler. Also, angle the ruler
up on its edge to better sight down the incre-
ment line and to reduce parallax error due to
the rulers thickness. When measuring the
thickness of a board, back up the ruler and
workpiece by squeezing a fngertip into the
junction where they meet, thereby eliminating
any shadows that may contribute to error. Just
as important, make sure to take full advantage
of available light, orienting the workpiece and
ruler toward a window or strong light, or bring
a light to the work if necessary.
Paul Anthony
Riegelsville, Pennsylvania
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Traditional English Mortising Chisels from Ray Iles
M
ost modern mortising chisels these
days are poorly ground, misshapen and
uncomfortable to use. Its no small wonder
that weve invented many ways to get around
using these diffcult hand tools.
So I was particularly pleased when I
learned that Ray Iles had begun making
traditional English mortising chisels in the
style that graced the tool chests of 18th- and
19th-century woodworkers. These chisels are
something quite extraordinary.
Theyre massive (the
3
8" weighs more than

13 ounces) so the tools motor into the wood.
The handles are oval and tapered side-to-
side and front-to-back, so you always hold the
chisel in line with your work. The blades are
slightly pyramidical shaped in cross-section,
so the tool is easy to remove after you drive
it into the wood. And fnally, Iles chose to
use an exotic steel, D2, which promises to be
tough and durable.
The D2 is indeed tough a blessing and a
curse. It took some extra time to fatten the
backs and sharpen the secondary bevel (a steep
JDS Dust Gate Switches Dust Collector
Even in a small shop, traipsing back and forth
to the dust collector to turn it on and off can be
a nuisance. Sometimes, laziness rules and the
collector wont get switched on at all the I
only have a small cut to make syndrome.
JDS Co. has packaged a clever, inexpen-
sive and easy-to-install device that will save
you shoe leather and time; and it will end the
excuses for not switching on your dust collec-
tor every time. Simply stated, this low-voltage
rig moves the collectors on/off switch from the
collector itself to the dust gate, which regulates
air fow to your machine. Open the blast gate
and on goes the collector; close the gate and
it shuts off. You can connect multiple gates
together so each one regulates the collector.
The setup couldnt be more simple. Mount
the system control box near your dust col-
lector. Install a JDS Dust Gate then connect
the two gate wires to the length of 22-gauge
wire provided, run the connecting wire to
the control box and connect the wires to the
two wire terminals on the controller. Polarity
isnt important so any connection will work
fne. Next, unplug the dust collector and plug
and durable 35). But once
sharpened, they held an edge
longer than my high-carbon
and A2 mortising chisels.
The ft and fnish on these
tools is quite good. The handles
are well-fitted to the blades.
The backs were nearly fat out
of the box (almost as good as a
Lie-Nielsen) and all the details
of the tools help justify the
chisels premium cost.
Once you use one of these
old-school chisels, youre
unlikely to switch back. Thanks to their
weight and beefy handle (which endures hard
blows), the tools dive through diffcult woods
such as white oak. And because youre not tied
to a jig or a machine, your mortises can be at
any angle and anywhere you can reach. Its a
liberating experience to use one. If you want
to try one tool, buy the
5
16". I think youll be

hooked. Christopher Schwarz
For more information, circle #179 on Free Information Card.
SPECIFICATIONS
Ray Iles Mortising Chisels
Street price: $53.95 to $97.95 each
Sizes:
3
16",
1
4",
5
16",
3
8",
7
16",
1
2"
Handles: Beech
Blades: D2
Performance:
Price range: $$$$$
Tools for Working Wood: 800-426-4613 or
Toolsforworkingwood.com
SPECIFICATIONS
JDS Co. Dust Gate
Street price: $53.99 110V/$69.95 220V
Includes: Controller box, electronic dust
gate, 100 feet low-volt wire,
connectors
Performance:
Price range: $$$$
Company: 800-480-7269 or
jdstools.com
TOOL TEST
in the control box
in its place. Lastly,
plug the dust collec-
tor into the control
box. Done. Addi-
tional blast gates
are added by simply
splicing those switch
wires into the exist-
ing gate wires.
JDS offers con-
trol boxes for either
110-volt collectors
up to 1. 5 hor se-
power, or 220V for up to 3-hp dust collectors.
All JDS Dust Gates are well-made metal units
that ft standard 4" rigid dust collection pipes
or 4" hoses. The 110V Start-Up Kit includes
the control box, one blast gate, wire connec-
tors and 100 feet of low-voltage wire. It sells
for $53.99. The 220V version is $62.99. The
available expansion kit includes two Dust
Gates, wire connectors and 100 feet of wire.
It sells for $35.99. Steve Shanesy
KIK Forstner Bits
Woodworkers need a good set of Forstner bits.
Designed to cut clean, fat-bottomed holes,
theyre very handy to have in the shop. If you
want a Forstner that goes a step further look
to KIK Forstners from TG Tools.
These Forstner bits are designed to cut
in any direction while a standard Forstner
requires fairly straight-on pressure. The nine
cutting edges found
on the KIK bits (as
opposed to four) make
this possible. In addi-
tion, these bits have a thin shaft to allow
boring angled or shaped channels which is
handy if youre running any through studs.
From a woodworking point of view, the
bits cut fairly well (I wasnt blown away by the
speed, but they did alright) and the design does
provide excellent waste removal. This is a real
advantage over standard Forstner bits, which
clog easily. The cutting edges can be touched
up with a standard fle or sharpening stone.
While these specialty bits arent for everyone
(the price is steep for steel bits), if you have
the need, these are the bits. DT
SPECIFICATIONS
KIK Forstner Bit Set
Street price: $74.99
Diameters included:
3
8",
1
2",
5
8",
3
4",
13
16",
7
8", 1", 1
1
4"
Materials: Steel, titanium nitride coating
Performance:
Price range: $$$$$
TG Tools: 800-687-4122 or mytgtools.com
Amana Carbide Countersinks
While using screws on a woodworking project
may not be fne woodworking, it happens all
the time. To improve the look of those screws,
a good countersink and plug cutter help a lot.
To make things even easier, I prefer a combi-
nation pilot drill/countersink bit. But coun-
tersinks can dull quicker than I like. Thats
why we were excited to hear that Amana is
now offering carbide countersinks.
The combination bits are sold either sepa-
rately, or in a set as shown here with a plug
cutter included. The countersinks are carbide
for extended life, while the bits and plug cutter
are high-speed steel.
Carbide does make a difference. These
countersinks cut through the wood so eff-
ciently that I actually had to pull back a bit to
keep from drilling too deep, which is a pleasant
change from pushing my old countersinks.
While a bit more expensive (pun intended),
these bits cut quick and smooth the frst time,
and for many more times to come.
David Thiel
THE RIGHT ANGLE TOOL
I have a right-angle cordless drill and I
really need it about once a month. Unfor-
tunately, because its used infrequently,
it usually doesnt have a charged battery
when I need it. Milwaukee came up with
an accessory that makes more sense to me.
The Right Angle Attachment accepts
1
4"-hex drive accessories (for drilling or

screwing) and with just the screw tip it
measures only 2
1
2", allowing you to get

into really tight places. This accessory will
t any make of corded or cordless drill and
is rated up to 235 in./lbs. of torque.
The attachment is of all-metal con-
struction and is equipped with an offset
handle that can be locked in 48 different
positions for the best support during use.
Its always a little tricky to support the
back of a right-angle drill once its slipped
into the tight work quarters, but this han-
dle adds the extra oomph you need.
Priced between $45 and $65 (look for
sales!), its not inexpensive, but its still
less than a right-angle drill (about $150)
and it never needs a charge.
The Right Angle Attachment is avail-
able from a number of catalog sales com-
panies and a number of internet retailers
including Tyler Tool Co. (item #49-22-
8510; shop.store.yahoo.com/tylertool).
For more information about this handy
drill accessory for your shop, contact Mil-
waukee Electric Tool at 800-729-3878 or
milwaukeetool.com. DT
SPECIFICATIONS
Amana PS-500 Countersink Set
Street price: $90
Sizes included:
1
8",
9
64",
5
32" and
11
64",
plus plug cutter
Performance:
Price range: $$$$$
Amana Tool: 800-445-0077 or
amanatool.com
TOOL RATINGS
Performance is rated on a one-to-ve scale.
You wont see a low rating (one or two)
because we dont publicize inferior tools.
Five indicates the leader in the category.
Five dollar signs indicates the highest price
in the category. Three indicates an aver-
age price. If you have tool questions, call me
at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255, or e-mail me at
david.thiel@fwpubs.com. Or visit our web
site at popularwoodworking.com to sign up
for our free e-mail newsletter.
David Thiel, senior editor
Dovetail Square Adds Accuracy to Marking Joints
Hand-cut dovetails can be tricky at frst, so
anything you can do to eliminate marking
errors will improve your joints.
One of my favorite marking tools for
dovetails is the Woodjoy Precision Dovetail
Template. This simple and elegant layout
tool allows you to mark both the straight
and angled lines of a dovetail joint with one
square. Switching between a try square and
a sliding T-bevel to mark a dovetail joint is a
royal invitation to error.
Another advantage of this all-in-one
square is that it can be used to mark the angled
part of the joint in both hardwoods (a 1:8
ratio) and softwoods (a 1:6). Also, the tool is
sized so you can mark dovetails in stock up to
1
3
8" thick thats more than I ever need (until

I start building coffns I suppose). And fnally,
the all-metal construction makes it durable
enough to live in my shop apron.
The only complaint I have about the Preci-
sion Dovetail Template is that it can shift a bit,
left-to-right, as you mark out your work. This
DeWalts New 5"
Random-orbit Sander
Random-orbit sanders have made my wood-
working career a much happier thing. And
each year there are improvements to the basic
concept that make them even better.
The newest 5" orbiter from DeWalt has
beefed up the power some and improved the
dampening system that keeps the sander from
gouging as the grit hits the wood.
Specifcally speaking, the D26453 sander
has a 3-amp electronic variable-speed motor
that offers between 7,000 and 12,000 orbits
per minute. Comparing it to similarly priced
sanders in the category, thats more oomph
than most by half to one amp of power.
Testing it against the competition, the
new DeWalt performed well with a decent
stock-removal rate and an acceptable level of
vibration reaching the users (my) hand, but
with a little more wobble than others.
DeWalts Controlled Finishing System
(CFS) is designed to control pad speed to
minimize gouging on start-up. Not bad, but
again its not signifcantly better than some
of the competition.
is a problem with all metal mark-
ing gear, but there is a way around
the problem. I added a thin slice of
Super High-friction Tape to the
brass face of the working surface.
This inexpensive tape ($2.50 for a
12" roll from Lee Valley Tools, 800-
871-8158 or leevalley.com) is peel-
and-stick, durable and makes this
square (and some other layout tools)
hang onto the work like a bulldog
while Im marking out joints.
With the tape added, the tool
is near-perfect. I hold the square
on the work with my left hand and
mark with a knife in my right.
In dovetailing, the ultimate goal
is to get to the point where you dont
need layout tools like this. But until
I can dovetail with my eyes closed,
Ill keep the Precision Dovetail
Template handy. CS
The pad is of hook-and-loop design that
holds the paper well, but not as tightly as some
of the competition. The eight-hole design for
dust collection and the semi-rigid bag did an
excellent job of keeping dust out of the air
and out of my lungs.
The DeWalt tested well for noise level
(81dB), but I noticed a slight vibrating noise
from the air defection ring under the pad.
Nothing bad, just an unusual noise.
Bottom line: the sander is a nice option
within the category, but priced at the top.
The dust collection was good and the sanding
performance decent, but not obviously better
SPECIFICATIONS
Precision Dovetail Template
Street price: $25
Performance:
Price range: $$$
Woodjoy Tools : 508-669-5245 or
woodjoytools.com
SPECIFICATIONS
DeWalt D26453 Sander
Street price: $89.99
Motor: 3 amp, variable speed
Pad: 5", eight-hole, hook-and-loop
Orbit:
3
32" dia., 7,000-12,000 orbits/min.

Weight: 3.5 lbs
Performance:
Price range: $$$$$
DeWalt: 800-433-9258 or dewalt.com
in light of the larger motor. The comfort level
was also good, including the well-styled body
that easily accommodates gripping the top or
around the neck. PW DT
TOOL TEST
FEATURES: Table height adjustable.
Jack screw knife adjustment. Two feed
speeds. Dust hood. Solid, cast iron table
extensions. Enclosed stand with built-in
wheels for mobility.
New!
The YC-8J
Jointer
now comes
with a
2 hp 1ph motor
and
4-knife
cutterhead
same low price.
FEATURES: Center-mount fence with
rack and pinion adjustment. Fence tilts
both directions to 45. Jackscrew knife
adjustment. Enclosed stand with built-in
wheels for mobility. Rabbeting table and
ledge. Dust hood.
YC-6J 6Jointer
with 1 hp 1 ph motor and 3-knife cutterhead
$339
00
Prices:
FOB, York, PA.
Subject to change
without notice
The YC-8J features
an extra long 72 table
YC-15P 15 Planer
with 3 hp 1 ph motor and
3-knife cutterhead
$799
00
YC-20P 20Planer
with 5 hp 1 ph motor and
4-knife cutterhead
$1,299
00
YC-8J 8Jointer
with 2 hp1ph motor and 4-knife cutterhead
$649
00
Some dovetail
jigs promise you
everything
The Keller Dovetail
System only promises
what it can deliver.
Fast setup. No test cuts. Precision
joinery. Unlimited widths. Classic
and variable spacing. Compound,
acute and obtuse angles. Curved
dovetails. Box joints. Made in USA
since 1976. 20-yr. warranty. 30-day
money-back guarantee.
Your best choice.
Its the easiest of all the
jigs to use and great for
production use.
Woodworkers Journal
VIDEO: $8.95 + $2 P/H
KELLER & CO.
Petaluma, CA 94952
1-800-995-2456
707-763-9336
www.kellerdovetail.com
Keller Dovetail System
Simple. Fast. Accurate. Enjoyable!
1327 I Street, Dept. P115
ENDURANCE TEST
W
hen I purchased a Jet 14" band saw four
years ago it was an amazing deal. The
saw came loaded with features, including a
fancy rip fence and miter gauge, and it cost
hundreds less than comparable saws.
Today, that same band saw is an even better
deal because Jet has upgraded the motor, the
blade guides and the blade-tensioning mecha-
nism, and still kept the reasonable price tag.
Like crows that are drawn to shiny objects,
woodworkers are easily dazzled by the features
and gizmos on their machines. But instead of
focusing on all the features available on this
saw, Id like to turn your attention to whats
absolutely important and nonnegotiable on
a band saw. Because beneath all the extras
on this machine beats the heart of a well-
designed, solidly built and accurate saw.
Lets start with the table. Some 14" band
saws have a table that fexes easily under hand
pressure (and this will spoil your cut). Some-
times this fex is because of spotty trunnions
that secure the table to the saws frame; some-
times the table fexes because of the way the
trunnions are attached.
The Jet, however, offers a solid working
surface that has never fexed under a heavy
load, even when resawing big stuff.
The second important characteristic of
band saws is that they retain their settings
during use. Band saws are surprisingly fussy
instruments that need tuning to really per-
form. And theres nothing more frustrating
than having to constantly adjust the blade
guides, blade tension or the orientation of
the top wheel. I can report
that the Jet is a real trooper
in this department. I rarely
have to make any adjust-
ments, except when chang-
ing blades. And I have the
stock guide assembly on my
saw (not fancy ball-bearing
guides). The only upgrade
Ive made to my guides is
to replace the metal blocks
with ceramic ones.
Band saws also need a
decent motor. I have the
3
4-horsepower version and have no com-

plaints in the guts department resawing is
a bit slow, but not at all onerous. Jet now makes
this saw with 1-hp and 1
1
4-hp motors, giving

you power to spare.
And fnally, the saw needs to run smoothly
to get an accurate cut. I tweaked my saw in two
ways to make it as smooth as a cabinet saw: I
replaced the stock drive belt with a Powertwist
link belt; and I balanced the top wheel of the
saw so it ran true by drilling out a little material
in seven places near one spoke of the upper
wheel. (All decent band saw books explain
how to do this.)
Here are some other features and tweaks
worth mentioning: The ft and fnish of this
saw is excellent; the paint job is frst-rate and
has endured lots of shop dings; and the welds
on the base and frame are neat and tight.
The only exception to this is with the
accessory riser block, which I added to my
saw. The metal casting that goes between the
top and bottom wheel of the saw had a rough
spot that rubbed the blades, shortening their
life. About 10 minutes with a fle fxed that.
The rip fence on this band saw is good,
though I have opted for a shop-made one that
I simply clamp to the saws table. Similarly, the
miter gauge is fne, though its not something
you should take into account when buying
any band saw.
In the end, I would purchase this saw again.
It is a nearly perfect machine for the home
woodworker. The engineers got the basics
right, they added a lot of nice (and useful)
features and the price is still fantastic. PW
Christopher Schwarz
Jet 14" Band Saw
You can buy this machine with a variety
of features, but whats critical is that Jet
got the basics just right.
P
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ABOUT OUR ENDURANCE TESTS Every
tool featured in our Endurance Test column
has survived at least two years of heavy use
in our shop here at Popular Woodworking.
SPECIFICATIONS
Jet 14" Band Saw
Street price: $529 to $599
Motor:
3
4 hp, 1 hp or 1
1
4 hp
Table: 15" x 15" cast iron
Table tilt: 45 right; 10 left
Blade speed: 3,000 sfpm
Max blade:
3
4"
Weight: 172 to 194 pounds
For more information: Contact Jet at
800-274-6848 or www.jettools.com
CMT USA, Inc. 307-F Pomona Drive Greensboro, NC 27407
888-268-2487 336-854-0201 Fax: 336-854-0903 www.cmtusa.com
Where the contractor,
woodworker and cabinetmaker meet.
Made In Italy
FEATURING JOHN LUCAS OF
WOODSHOPDEMOS.COM
Introducing CMT DVDs
Free Raised Panel
DVD with purchase
of any CMT Raised
Panel Sets begins
November 1, 2005
CMT & John Lucas of Woodshopdemos.com have teamed
up to bring you two new and informative DVDs:
HOW TO CMT: A woodworkers guide about how to use
CMT router bits from set up and safety to adjustment and
application techniques.
RAISED PANEL DOORS: Lucas takes you through
the procedure of making a complete door using the
CMT Cabinetmaking set in a step-by-step, easy to follow
demonstration.
The Plane My Brother Is
How (and why) you should
use the broad hatchet
in the modern shop.
E
state inventories of cabinetmakers shops
often include hatchets. Likewise, most
of the admittedly few images of period shops
depict hatchets prominently. It could well be
that these tools were used solely for the prepa-
ration of frewood. But the 15th-century poem
Debate of the Carpenters Tools provides us
with an important clue regarding the use of
hatchets in period shops:
The broad ax said without a miss,
He said: The plane my brother is;
We two shall cleanse and make full plain...
The broad ax has a long (broad) cutting
edge. While our notion of axes naturally cen-
ters on tree chopping, the broad ax is a delicate
tool. Its short, sometimes offset handle allows
only a compact swing. Its wide blade, often fat
on one side, rubs against the wood while its
sharp edge removes the high spots in a man-
ner not wholly unlike a plane. This tool, or a
smaller version of it sometimes called a joiners
or broad hatchet, may have been used in early
craft shops for the rough preparation of stock.
These arent tools for frewood.
Coincidentally, the poem above suggests a
relationship between two otherwise unrelated
tools (the broad ax and the plane). Here again
we get a glimpse of the cooperative nature of
the tools within the period workshop suggested
in a previous Arts & Mysteries article.
I know hand planes are quite popular
among this magazines readers, but Im less
certain about the popularity of hatchets. Mod-
ern planes have setscrews and brass adjusting
wheels enough to satisfy the gadget hound
lurking in each of us. But hatchets reside much
lower on the gizmo scale. They also conjure
images of a breathless, possibly bleeding, red-
haired man in suspenders. I recognize that this
isnt exactly the mainstream image of modern
by Adam Cherubini
Adam makes reproduction furniture using the tools
and techniques of the 18th century. He demonstrates
his crafts at Pennsbury Manor in Bucks County,
Pennsylvania, on Historic Trades Days. You can
contact him at adam.cherubini@verizon.net.
I had no faster or safer way to remove stock.
In a short time, I found I could rough shape
stock from the frewood pile for a whole host
of projects. Tool handles split from an ash
log were strong, light and easy to fnish with
a spokeshave. I chopped beautifully straight-
grained drawbore pegs for frame-and-panel
work. As my familiarity with the hatchet grew,
I found I could remove an inch or two from
a boards edge faster with my hatchet than
I could with my saw. Either way, the rough
surface would be planed smooth. The speed
with which I could remove stock was the frst
thing that attracted me to the tool.
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The broad hatchet is well suited for roughly preparing stock. Theres good evidence that this tool was
put to use in early craft shops and theres good reason to incorporate it in modern shops as well.
woodworking. So Im going to ask for your
indulgence just once more. If you work with
solid wood, I think you should own and use a
hatchet. Please allow me to tell you why.
I started using a hatchet in my shop several
years ago in an effort to save time roughing
at the lathe and to reduce wear on my rough-
ing gouge (which I have trouble sharpening).
ARTS & MYSTERIES
As time went on, I saw that using a hatchet
created a level of intimacy with wood that
went beyond hand planing. Only a hatchet
can provide you with the full sense for the rela-
tive strength of different species of wood, each
species unique working characteristics, and
differences between heartwood and sapwood,
and curled grain and straight. So productivity
aside, I recommend using a hatchet because it
offers a free education with every swing. This
is reason enough to try using a hatchet.
This is my ffth article in my Arts & Mys-
teries series. Each of the previous articles has
attempted to reveal some secret to working
quickly and effciently with hand tools. Instead
of simply blurting them out, Ive attempted to
do what the 18th-century masters surely did.
Ive provided concrete examples of how each
concept worked and left it to you to discover
the secret concept behind each example.
This article is no different. In my next article,
the last in this series, I will summarize the fve
preceding articles, and offer my thoughts on
the secret Arts & Mysteries. If youve not
read all of the preceding articles, I suggest
you do so before reading the summary. I hope
youve enjoyed reading these articles as much
as Ive enjoyed writing them.
Hatchet Techniques
Here are the three techniques I use most often:
splitting, hewing and paring.
In my woodshop, most of my delicate splitting
work is performed to make drawbore pegs
required for mortise-and-tenon construction.
Here you can see Im using a double-beveled
hatchet and my froe cudgel (a mallet also will
work) to split small pieces off of this block of
black cherry.
I steady the piece with the hatchet, then clap the
hatchets poll with my cudgel. My right thigh isnt
quite as close as it appears in this picture. Just a
reminder: When using your hatchet to split end
grain, dont try to steady the stock in one hand
and swing at the end grain with the other. Keep
both hands behind the edge, please.
Once I have nished splitting, the resulting pieces
are driven through a device called a doweling
plate, as shown above. The holdfast hole in my
sawhorse is quite convenient for this job. I pre-
fer to sit while working because I may be here
awhile. A simple table may easily require 20 or 30
pegs to complete.
Splitting
Splitting wood along its grain produces
workpieces of superior strength, workability
and sometimes beauty. Its also faster than
sawing in most cases. For really small pieces,
splitting may be the safest and most reliable
approach. I never swing the hatchet to cre-
ate a split because that doesnt give me the
control I need for cabinetry. Instead, I use it
like a wedge and strike its poll (the back of
the tool) with a cudgel (froe club) or a mallet.
I always use the splitting technique when the
workpiece is small.
In the woodshop, splitting is a bit more
delicate than the sort of splitting you might
do for frewood. Any hatchet will do. Place
the stock to be split on a solid surface. Next,
place the hatchet in the end grain where you
want the split to be, then hit the poll of the
hatchet with a wooden club, cudgel or mallet.
(Never hit metal with metal.)
If you have a very short workpiece, such
that a mallet blow drives the hatchet clear
Starting with straight-grained stock helps. A
single whack from the froe cudgel (a dogwood
root) has produced a nice straight crack. The froe,
another splitting tool, has little inuence direct-
ing the crack on boards like these, but its a little
better than using a hatchet for long splits.
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Bit
Head
Poll Haft
Bevel one side Bevel both sides
ARTS & MYSTERIES
through the stock, you can split off pieces of
virtually any size. When the stock is longer,
its best to split into halves, as shown at right. If
you want to remove a small piece from a large
piece, the froe is the right tool. It allows you
to control the direction of the split.
Hewing
Hewing is a controlled chopping technique.
I hew to rough shape wood or remove excess
from a boards edge. You can hew to a line
quite accurately, or you can rough hew a piece
destined for the wood lathe. In either exam-
ple, this is a faster alternative to sawing when
the offcut is destined for the woodstove. The
basic process for hewing usually begins with
crosscuts I call breaks.
When hewing a log square for example, the
task begins by chopping or sawing breaks from
the bark to the chalk line every two or three
feet down the length of the log. These breaks
make hewing easier because you can simply
split off the short chunks between them. You
can use the exact same technique for making
curved cabriole legs or for just knocking an
inch off a boards edge. In this case, the break
is necessary to stop crack propagation. Hewing
should never be splitting. Proper technique
produces thick shavings.
Paring
Because my hatchet is so sharp, I sometimes
use it to pare wood, much like you would with
a drawknife or paring chisel. Im amazed what
a nice job my hatchet can do. Paring with a
hatchet is less comfortable for me than using
a drawknife, but it can be more convenient
because you dont need a shaving horse. Theres
no trick to this except that both hands should
be behind the edge and the workpiece always
should be held securely. You can try skewing
the blade, or drawing it across the work as you
would with a drawknife. Otherwise, experi-
ment. You neednt always swing it to cut.
Conclusion
I began this article with the hypothesis that
broad hatchets were used by period cabinet-
makers. To support my theory I consulted
estate inventories, images of period shops and
an arcane middle-English poem (the quote
earlier is a translation) about carpentry. But
I can imagine that some of you are not con-
vinced by this not particularly compelling
evidence. Basic common sense tells us that
axes are for tree chopping, not fne furniture
making. Its easy to imagine a shave horse
made with an ax, but much more diffcult to
imagine a fne chest of drawers constructed
with such a crude tool.
If this stock were harder, I would have to chop
away the material between the breaks. But this
eastern white pine is so soft, I can pare instead.
This hatchet is as sharp as a kitchen knife.
When hewing a boards edge, I often simply chop
the breaks. As before, the waste between the
chops is simply chopped away. To hew the end
you are holding, simply invert the workpiece.
Theres no reason to swing with all your might.
Hewing is more nesse than anything else. Note:
Be sure to watch the grain direction. Make sure
you are never hewing parallel to it. Otherwise,
a larger than expected chip may be the result.
Always cut through the grain and always start
with breaks. Although Im not a carver, its my
understanding that carvers use a similar tech-
nique when they work.
For you skeptics, Id like to offer additional
dubious support for my theory. We can observe
in some pieces of period furniture a surface
quality that suggests broad hatchet use was
acceptable, particularly in areas that were not
readily visible. Hows that? On closer inspec-
tion, its impossible to determine whether
these irregular surfaces were produced by a
broad ax, a wedge, a froe or a drawknife. They
certainly dont appear to have been sawn.
But the point is that we know they had
axes and these surfaces could have been cre-
ated with axes. The larger question is why.
Why did these surfaces fnd their way onto
otherwise very nice pieces of furniture? Was
the maker having a bad day? Did the mas-
ter rely on apprentice labor to produce less
conspicuous components? Did he just run
out of time?
I think this is all very interesting to think
about. Unfortunately we have very little on
which to base our conclusions. Whatever you
choose to believe, know that the hatchet can
be a useful tool once you have acquainted
yourself with the techniques I have offered
pertaining to its use in the cabinet shop. How-
ever the most important technique has noth-
ing whatsoever to do with the hatchet. PW
When splitting long pieces of stock, its best to
split into halves. This illustration shows what
happens if you try to split a narrow piece from a
wide piece without a froe. The only time this will
work is when the workpiece is so short the rst
blow knocks the ax clear through. The best way is
to just split in halves (right).
C
raftsm
en around the w
orld
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Dept P1
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by Paul Sellers
Paul began his woodworking career 40 years ago as an apprentice in England. An
advocate of hand tools in the modern shop, today he builds furniture and teaches in
Texas at the School of Woodworking, which he started in 1995 (cfeeschool.com).
Designed for piercing wood and laying out marks,
some awls are better than others. Learn which ones
are best suited to your style of work.
The Essential
AWL
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any tool s seen for
the frst time express
their full function by
their very existence. They need
no explanation. Hammers, a saw
and a vise are such tools. There
is an informal aesthetic working
that delivers the tools function
and technique to the observant
viewer. This aesthetic immedi-
ately conveys all the information
without explanation. Awls are
that type of tool.
With one glance a woodworker
knows an awls function. Piercing
awls (sometimes called brad awls)
pierce wood. Scratch awls (also
known as marking awls) are used
for laying out projects and joints.
Here I discuss how to identify, use
and maintain three types of pierc-
ing awls and the scratch awl.
The aesthetics of an awl are
complete when the awl looks
as though it will ft the hand and
do the work. There are two ends
to an awl, the business end and
the handle. Both are important.
Good awls have bulbous handles
that serve to distribute the pres-
sure needed to push the awl into
the wood over a wide area of the
heel of the palm of the hand. Use
an awl that is too narrow all day
long and youll see my point no
pun intended.
Not Awl That Common
A few years ago while I was dem-
onstrating at a national wood-
working show, a couple young
men came by my demonstration
area and caught the tail end of
my presentation. When I had fn-
ished, they joined the usual crowd,
traced their fingertips over the
handles of my hand planes and
saws, and said, Man! Where did
you get all these old tools?
However, while looking among
the scattering of tools, these men Awls may be intended for the same purpose, but all awls arent created equal.
didnt pick up or even notice one of
my piercing awls a birdcage awl
which is still fairly uncommon
in the United States. I bought
it, along with my other tools,
as a young man earning
my modest wage of the
Engli sh equiva-
lent of $4.50 for
a 52-hour week.
Though the awls
real value compared to
planes and saws lay somewhat
obscured to the mens cursory
glances, I have grown to depend
on my square-pointed birdcage awl
more than any other type of awl.
For the most part all awls are
fairly underestimated tools. Men-
tion awls to most woodworkers
and they will likely stare back at
you blankly and wonder what you
are talking about, that is until they
hinge a few doors and box lids.
The true appreciation of this
unobtrusive little tool comes only
when, with swift, single-handed
dexterity, you locate the sharp-
ened point in the center of the
hinge hole, press and twist, and
there you have the most perfectly
tapered hole, ready to receive the
likewise tapered screw threads of
even the smallest of screws. Hand
tools such as these only become
truly appreciated when they have
fulflled their function time and
time again, year after year.
All Awls Arent
Created Equal
Awls once came in a wide variety
of shapes and sizes. R.A. Salaman,
in his comprehensive Dictionary
of Woodworking Tools (Astra-
gal Press) describes 14 different
types of awls including the brad
awl, upholsterers awl, fooring awl,
sprig awl, scratch awl and mark-
ing awl. In the United States its
common to term any of the more
specifc awl names under the sin-
gular heading of awl. But not all
awls are created equal. In fact, they
can be quite different.
Generally, we use awls for two
purposes: piercing wood or scrib-
ing wood surfaces for layout. Most
people put awls in two categories:
brad awls (also called sprig bits)
and scratch awls (also called
marking awls). However, a brad
awl is just one kind of piercing awl
many different types of piercing
awls exist.
Here I discuss three types of
piercing awls (the screwdriver-
shaped brad awl, the square-point
birdcage awl and the round-point
awl), and the scratch awl.
Awl in Awl,
Whats the Difference?
The most common use for pierc-
ing awls is to pierce wood fbers
for starting screws or nails. All
piercing awls are used the same
way with a push-and-twist-of-the-
wrist action back and forth to the
required depth. There are defnite
differences between each of the
three types of piercing awls, even
though their objective while in
use and the end result are always
the same.
All planes plane wood. Some
are dedicated to straightening
boards whereas some merely
smooth surfaces. Others create
shapes and still others ft parts.
But all of them remove shavings.
So, too, piercing awls are used to
pierce wood fbers in some way. Its
how they pierce wood and what
the result of that piercing is that
has a bearing on which type of
piercing awl you choose.
To s how t he di f f er ence
between the three piercing awls,
Birdcage
awl
Round-point
awl
Brad
awl
See the difference between the oval
wood and the triangular-shaped
piece of plastic. Bulbous, oval
handles better distribute pressure.
moreover, to feel the difference, I
suggest that you cut some strips of
wood about
1
8" thick by
1
2" wide
by 10" long. Pine, maple, cherry or
walnut will work fne, or you can
use Popsicle sticks as shown.
Take a round-point awl and,
about
1
2" from the end of the

stick, press and twist the awl
through the wood. Inevitably the
awl will split the wood along the
grain. It will do this in almost all
wood types.
Now try the same with a screw-
driver-shaped brad awl. The wood
will usually split, though not quite
so quickly or automatically as with
the round-point awl, provided you
From left to right: birdcage awl, round-point awl and brad awl.
Press and twist different types of awls into the ends of Popsicle sticks and you
can easily see the different ways different types of awls pierce wood.
begin penetrating the fbers with
the screwdriver point initially
placed across the grain as shown
in the illustration at right, and
then pushing and twisting the
awl as it penetrates the fbers.
Thi s t wi sti ng technique
accompanied an intentional
design feature of the tool. The
problem was that nobody passed
on the technique with the tool.
The idea is that the cross-grain
positioning of the fat blade acts
something like a chisel to frst cut
the fbers and prepare for deeper
penetration with subsequent pres-
sure as you twist and push deeper
through the fbers.
Now take a square-point bird-
cage awl and use the standard
technique of twist and push con-
tinuously but carefully as you con-
tinue through the Popsicle stick.
You should have a perfectly round
hole all the way through to the
diameter of the corner-to-corner
measurement of the awl.
Notice how the birdcage awl
acts more like a reamer with the
sharp, angular corners of the awl
cutting the wood fbers instead
of parting them and splitting the
wood. Because round-point awls
have no way of cutting the fbers,
they instead serve only to com-
press, force and bruise the wood.
The round point only parts the
fbers and this inevitably causes
the fbers to split.
In some situations, compres-
sion isnt bad. Sometimes its good
to leave all the fbers in place, such
as in a large door stile or door frame
where there is enough mass sur-
rounding the hole to support the
pressure given by the awl.
But for more delicate situa-
tions, such as near the ends of
wood pieces, the birdcage awl
finds its true value as a crafts-
ALL ABOUT ERGONOMICS
With its wide, oval-shaped bulbous handle designed to resist slip-
page and to t up against the heel of the palm, my favorite brad awl
was ergonomic long before anyone ever heard the word.
Comfort, fashioned by a mans hand, had little to do with the kind
of economy that concerns us today. It was more a sense of common-
place frugality and carefulness because the very tools a man worked
with were intrinsic to his life as a craftsman. Tools handed down
through centuries of work still serve as perfect examples of true
craftsmanship because the qualities of the man were reected in the
tools he made and were passed on to those of us who follow. The
tool shown here tells its own story.
The awl is old and English in origin. Economy was of little conse-
quence to its maker, except that he respected time and so used the
best materials at hand. The heavy-gauge brass ferrule he used was
a scrap found and saved as treasure in the till of his tool chest. The
steel awl gently tapers up to the bolster that intersects the square,
hammer-drawn tang. The brass-securing pin barely protruding
through the shoulders of the handle prevents the tang of the awl bit
from twisting in the handle.
But above all, dont overlook the oval-shaped, English ash
handle. It never twists or slips under torque. When all the raw com-
ponents were shaped into a tool to t his own hand one that would
serve him for six decades or more this tool meant more to him than
gold. His heir would one day nd the same tool to treasure with his
own scraps from which a replica would soon allow the original to rest
in its corner of the tool chest as this one did. PS
Extra heavy bolster
prevents tang of bit
from penetrating
deeper into handle
under pressure
Oval-shaped handle
ts comfortably
and gives a rm grip
Brass pin passes through wooden
handle at the shoulder and through
the tang of the bit to prevent bit
from turning under pressure
Heavy brass ferrule encases the
wooden shoulder around the tang
and also reduces the possibility of
splitting the wood at this critical
point of leverage
Round-point
awl
Birdcage
awl
Shown here is the anatomy of a well-designed awl.
man-designed tool. Though we
no longer use the birdcage awl
for its original task (more about
that later) this tool has this main
advantage: It will make large or
small holes to receive large and
small screws as needed. Another
advantage is its convenient size,
which makes it much handier
than a conventional hand drill
or even a screw gun because of its
single-handed simplicity, weight
and compact size.
Now lets take a closer look at
the three piercing awls described
above and the scratch awl.
The Birdcage Awl
The square-point birdcage awl
also is known as the square awl or
a sprig bit. Any one of these names
will do, but the two true names are
birdcage awl and square awl.
The term birdcage identifes
and isolates the tool to its original
application rather than its more
common function in our modern
woodworking era creating simple
holes. At one time, country wood-
workers made all types and sizes of
birdcages for catching, transport-
The birdcage awl will not
do what the screwdriver-shaped
brad awl will do because its square
along the whole length of the bit.
So when you turn the birdcage awl
in the woody fbers it automati-
cally reams out the whole length
of the tapered hole rather than
the periodic bypassing action that
you can do with the screwdriver-
shaped brad awl. Of course if you
simply push and waggle the bird-
cage awl as you would a round-
point awl and refrain from the
twist-and-turn action, the bird-
cage awl will leave all the wood
fbers in place.
The Round-point Awl
The round-point awl is simply
pushed into the wood to the
necessary depth. The advantage
of this awl is that, particularly in
soft-fbered woods, the fbers are
compressed rather than cut or
reamed away.
When the awl is removed, the
compressed fbers spring back so
that when you screw into the
parted fibers of the hole with a
wood screw, you have retained all
the original fbers of the wood to
then surround the threads of the
screw. Also, because of the elastic-
ity of the compressed wood fbers
pressing against the wall of the
screws main body, you add even
more security to the screw.
The downside of the round-
point awl is its tendency to split
the wood rather than cut the
fbers. Its a handy but sometimes
restrictive tool.
The Brad Awl
Again, the name brad awl is a
generic term meant for a pointed
tool used primarily for piercing
and separating wood fibers to
receive screws and small nails.
Woodworkers are typically called
on to work with other materials
such as cloth or leather. So for
many years this tool also has
been employed as a support tool
for furniture makers undertaking
upholstery or boat builders work-
ing with sail cloth and other can-
vas awning fabrics.
Most woodworkers use the
screwdriver-shaped brad awl until
they discover the birdcage awl or
the round-point awl. Discovering
these other two awls, how to use
them, sharpen them and how they
effectively work the wood fbers,
will exponentially change your
perspective of awls.
Both the brad awl and the
birdcage awl will achieve similar
results as each other. You can use
them to simply separate fbers, or
you can use them to ream out the
fbers and bore clean, clear and
round holes with a simple twist
of the wrist back and forth.
Although the screwdriver-
shaped brad awl can be used
both with or across the grain, we
generally enter the wood cross-
grain so that the leading edge of
the awl performs similar to a dull
chisel, severing the cross-grain
fbers rather than simply parting
the wood fbers to create a pointed
hole. By repeatedly pressing and
turning the awl alternately back
and forth to deepen the hole, the
awl parts the fbers and then reams
the next section of fbers below.
This action of successive twist-
ing and pushing retains more of
the fibers on either side of the
spade bit. As the point frst forces
and compresses the fbers apart,
and then rips the fibers below,
we effectively create a compres-
sion, rip, compression, rip effect
ing and keeping birds. The cages
were made from wooden frames
within which wood, bamboo cane
or metal bars were ftted to contain
the captive birds.
Cages for all types of poul-
try as well as exotic and singing
birds were common throughout
the world, and so this tool found
its greatest use for boring fine,
medium and large holes in rails
of wood to build bird enclosures
and all types of cages. Simple
six-sided boxes and ornate, mul-
tilevel palace cages came from
the craftsmans hands to enter-
tain and decorate peasant homes
and royal households alike. In fact,
birdcages predate metal screws by
many hundreds of years.
In reality the birdcage awl was
the only awl capable of produc-
ing a round hole in wood by actu-
ally removing material from the
hole by its reaming action. Other
awls, such as the brad awl, may
come close but the birdcage awl
could produce round holes more
effciently than any other tool of
its type and in locations that no
other awl could.
In
Twist
In
Twist
In
When using a
brad awl, begin by
penetrating the bers
with the screwdriver
point initially placed
across the grain as
shown above, and then
push and twist the awl
as it penetrates the
bers (right).
Birdcage
awl
Round-point
awl
to the depth of penetration. This
makes it a hybrid of the birdcage
awl and the tapered cone point
of the round-point awl. (See the
illustration on the previous page.)
Alternatively, pushing the brad
awl into the wood with its spade
point in line with the grain, the
brad awl will simply part the fbers
only, performing more like the
round-point awl.
My Favorite Piercing Awl
I prefer the birdcage awl followed
quickly by the brad awl. Im often
working in more dense, hard-
grained woods, and birdcage awls
clear a passage for the main body
of the screw while allowing for the
screw threads to actually bite into
and thread the wall of the hole as I
drive the screw home. Hardwoods
have more of a tendency to split
because many of them have a brit-
tle nature. The reaming function
of the corners of the birdcage awl
creates a perfectly tapered round
hole, which is the ideal shape for
traditional wood screws.
I didnt arrive at my conclusion
by some conscious decision after
discovering each successive awl to
be better than the previous one. I
simply realized that after 40 years
I always reach for the same awl
every time and so the birdcage awl,
for me, became the better awl.
Finding a Piercing Awl
There are several ways to acquire
your frst square-point birdcage
awl. They are relatively inexpen-
sive to buy, but you can also make
one yourself by simply filing an
inexpensive round-point awl or
screwdriver to a square tapered
point. I once did this when I mis-
placed mine and I am still using
it today (see the photo at right).
However, many awls have hard-
ened steel bits that are harder than
the teeth of a fle and so will easily
ruin the fle for further use. Test
it frst at a less important part of
the fle to make sure the awl is soft
enough to sharpen.
Lee Valley also sells a square
awl (800-871-8158 or leevalley.
com, #35N13.01, $15.95) that is
made in England using traditional
methods, and it has a turned rose-
wood handle, solid brass ferrule,
and a forged and ground steel bit.
The bulbous handle fts my hand
well and allows me to give full
pressure to the tool.
An awl unique to Veritas is
its own chisel point brad awl
(# 05N60.01, $15.50) designed
to efficiently bore through the
wood fibers using the typical
twisting action associated with
awls. Veritas hybridized the tradi-
tional brad awl with the birdcage
awl (see illustration above), which
resulted in another well-thought
through, fnely crafted tool so typ-
ical of Veritas engineering.
The Scratch Awl
One other awl in R.A. Salamans
Dictionary of Woodworking
Tools (though in a completely
different category) is a longer ver-
sion of the round-point awl that
goes under the more modern title
of scratch awl. The scratch awl is
self-descriptive and is simply used
by carpenters and joiners to mark
or scratch the shoulders of ten-
ons, dovetails and the positions
for parts of furniture and various
other woodworking projects.
Though it does scribe the
surface fibers by either cutting
or indenting the wood, this tool
is not as definitive as the layout
knife and is therefore used more
for carpentry work, timber fram-
ing, and making farm implement
parts, wheels and so on. The pen-
cil actually replaced the awl for
many preparatory steps because
it allowed temporary marking
without permanently marking
the wood in readiness for subse-
quent permanent markings with
the knife, or the marking or mor-
tise gauge for instance.
Its secondary use for most and
maybe its true value comes when
the nozzle of my glue bottle gums
up, and also when I have some
caulking to do and I need to pierce
the silver foil seal inside the nozzle
of the tube.
I ordered a scratch awl from
Lee Valley (#50K06.01, $9.95).
The scratch awl is typical of most
scratch awls except that instead of
simply providing a round handle,
this tool has two flats on either
side so that the awl stays in place
wherever you lay it down. The 5"-
long hardened carbon steel point
is hardened to Rc 55, which means
it will keep its edge, yet can be
readily resharpened as needed.
Replacing an Awl Handle
All too often the twisting action
wallows out the walls of the hole
and there is no substance there
to securely hold the tang of the
awl. At this point you can either
fll the hole with two-part epoxy
and push the tang back in place
or replace the handle.
As a beginning craftsman I
repaired many a tanged tool with
a replacement handle. That was
how I acquired many of my frst
tools. Hot coals from the heat
stove quickly turned the tang
bright yellow and pushing the
point into the center of the handle
was like pushing a hot knife into
butter. Stopping just short of the
bolster of the bit bottoming out
at the tang shoulder, withdraw-
ing the hot tang and quenching
it, and then driving the bit home
into the handle resulted in a well-
held bit.
Sharpening Awls
Woodworking tools deteriorate
through extended years of use
and awls are no exception. I sim-
ply sharpen my birdcage awl with a
fne single-cut fle on all four faces
working from the wider fat areas
of each face and along toward the
point. I fnd a fshhook sharpener
works great for sharpening round
awls. To sharpen brad awls, simply
lay each of the flat faces on the
bench stone and rub the faces back
and forth until they are fat. Trim
the fat point with a fle. PW
You can easily make your own
birdcage awl by ling an inexpensive
round-point awl or screwdriver to a
square tapered point. I made the awl
shown here after I misplaced mine.
Brad awl
Scratch awl
Chisel-point awl
CHAPTER
2
Casework Construction:
Wood Selection and Prep
I
n this chapter of our series on case
construction we focus on the materi-
als that make up the boxes-within-
boxes that are casework.
Well discuss using solid wood versus
plywood, and discuss the properties,
both pro and con, for each. Along that
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same line, well consider the concerns of
wood movement when using solid wood.
For that concern alone, a lot of case-
work is constructed out of plywood.
Whether its plywood or solid wood,
getting the boards ready to use takes
some particular steps to get it right.
These steps include proper planing,
joining and even gluing techniques.
Well show you the best ways to work in
either medium and well also take a look
at using either power or hand tools for
these steps, and a combination of both.
Plywood or Solid Wood?
Case construction is mostly about join-
ing panels together to form one or more
boxes. Coming up with the panels is
where we start.
Plywood is actually a very old inven-
tion. The Egyptians used a crude form
of plywood by cross layering thin sheets
of wood, alternating the grain direction.
Their intent was to make a stronger,
more stable piece of wood and thats the
same reason we continue to use plywood
in our projects today.
Weve added veneer to the equation
to make plywood an even more valu-
able building material. Rather than go
to the expense of using solid panels of
what can be very expensive wood types,
a thin veneer of these woods is used as
the outer surface of plywood. This gives
the appearance of nicely fgured, solid
wood, with the structural benefts of
plywood, and itll save some money.
Casework can be made from both plywood and
solid wood, or a combination of the two, as
shown in this blanket chest.
WOODWORKING
ESSENTIALS
BY DAVID THIEL
POPULAR WOODWORKING
That said, solid wood is still a more-
than-adequate option for casework
panels and well talk about some ways to
negate the movement issues involved in
wood panels. And, of course, solid lum-
ber is still the major component used
in case construction as the framework
pieces that hold many of the panels in
place and tie them together.
Choosing Plywood
There are three main grades of plywood
well discuss here: furniture grade, shop
grade and what well call high-density
plywood. In each category there are sub-
categories, but Ill try to keep this from
getting too complicated.
Furniture-grade Plywood
Furniture-grade plywood is a plywood
that has quality veneer faces on both
sides. The inner core can be a variety of
materials including softwoods, hard-
woods and fber core. The number of
plies, or layers, can also vary. As long
as the interior layers are oriented 90 to
one another (including fber core) it still
counts as a plywood.
These furniture-grade plywoods are
graded by appearance, the best face
is graded by letter, with A being the
best and D the worst. The back side
is graded by number, with 1 being the
best and 4 the worst. For furniture
projects youre generally looking for A1
or A2 plywood. The other grades are
often relegated to paint-grade projects.
Youll also need to pay attention
to the way the veneer is sliced off the
log. Rotary-cut veneer is peeled off the
log like an apple skin and will have an
unnatural appearance to the eye. Its not
ugly, its just not the best pattern.
Plain-sliced veneer is layed-up in
sheets as its cut from the log, from one
side to the other, and then seamed
much like you would glue up a panel
from multiple boards. This is the veneer
pattern that is considered best for visible
casework pieces.
Shop-grade Plywood
Shop-grade plywood is plywood with-
out the fancy veneer. It usually includes a
veneer, but the material may be a less val-
ued species such as birch or poplar. The
usage of lesser materials will extend to
the inside of the sheet as well, with more
inexpensive materials, and the possibility
of more voids and patches acceptable in
the plywood layers.
You may have raised an eyebrow
when I included fber-core materials with
plywood. Fiber core, or particleboard
or medium-density fberboard (MDF),
are technically plywoods because of the
orientation of the wood fbers. In fact,
though fber-core sheets are often thought
of as lesser quality, theyre actually a bet-
ter surface for casework. They remain fat
and offer more consistent thickness than
hardwood or softwood ply-core sheets.
Another beneft to MDF-core plywood
is that there is no chance of telegraph-
ing any wood imperfections from the
core materials through the veneer. These
imperfections are usually something that
wont show up until you apply a fnish
with very disappointing results.
Shop-grade plywood is often used for
just what it sounds like. If your casework
happens to be a cabinet for underneath
your table saw, or a storage cabinet for
Above are examples of the four most common types of plywood, all in
3
4" thickness. At the top is

a piece of furniture-grade red oak veneer ply. Below it is a piece of shop-grade plywood veneered
on both sides with poplar. This would be a good paint-grade plywood. Directly underneath that is
a piece of MDF with birch veneer. While not normally considered a plywood, because the bers are
arranged in a cross-grain pattern it ts in this category and is a useful material for case construc-
tion. At the bottom of the stack is a piece of Baltic birch high-density plywood. Notice the number
of layers compared to the other two plywoods.
Above are two samples of red oak veneer-clad plywood. At left is an example of rotary-cut
veneer, while the right-hand photo is plain-sliced veneer. The plain sliced is a more natural pat-
tern for use in panels, more closely imitating glued-up individual solid boards. The rotary veneer
is peeled from a log like an apple skin, leaving a repeating pattern. The dashed lines show the
pattern breaks on each piece. As these photos illustrate, just selecting a veneer pattern will not
ensure an attractive pattern. Seeing the piece in person is valuable for a reliable appearance.
all of your pneumatic nailers, this is the
sound and economical material for you.
Shop-grade ply can also be handy for
less visible case projects, such as built-in
closets and cabinetry in utility rooms
such as laundry areas.
High-density Plywood
High-density plywood is a valuable,
but utilitarian plywood grade. Often
branded as Baltic birch, appleply or other
names, these plywoods use thinner and
more numerous interior layers, while a
furniture- or shop-grade plywood may
have seven interior layers in a
3
4" thick-
ness. By using more plies of thinner
wood the plywood offers a more stable
and straighter panel.
You wont fnd MDF-core materials in
this category and in general the veneers
used for these plywoods are of secondary
woods, similar to shop-grade plywood.
These veneers are usually one of the
interior plies that just happens to be on
the outside of the sheet and can include
football-shaped patches.
This is a great material for the interi-
ors of your case pieces. Many professional
furniture makers will use this ultra-stable
material for drawer boxes. And it makes
a great sheet product for jigs and work-
shop fxtures.
Choosing Solid Wood
Choosing solid wood for a project,
whether for panels or for frame pieces, is
almost akin to an art form. Where you
get your lumber will dictate how par-
ticular you can be when shopping. If one
of the larger home-center stores is your
usual shopping spot, youll be limited by
species, grade and quality.
Id recommend fnding a lumber
dealer somewhere near you (check the
phone book, or contact a local wood-
working shop or woodworking club to
fnd the name of their supplier). Short
of that, consider ordering wood by mail
or from the internet. Weve had good
success with these remote lumber sup-
pliers, but it still removes you from the
lumber selection process, which is what
Ill discuss now.
After determining the species of
wood you want to use for your project
(and thats a chapter or book on its own),
you must fgure out how much wood
you need. Unlike plywood, solid lumber
comes in random widths, so the calcula-
tions are a little involved.
You frst need to determine the thick-
ness required. Most case pieces will
use
3
4"-thick material. If youre buying

lumber in the rough (just sawn at the
mill, with no surface planing completed)
youll be looking for 4/4 material. The
easy way to remember the quarter
method of referring to rough lumber is to
think of it in terms of
1
4". Four-quarter
rough material will measure 1", or four
1
4"s. Six-quarter will measure 1

1
2" in the
rough, and so on.
If youre buying lumber already sur-
faced (planed) you should check that
it actually does measure the indicated
thickness (slightly under or over is pos-
sible) and you should also understand
some of the terms used to grade and
mark solid wood.
S2S: Planed on two faces, with the
edges left in the rough.
S3S: Planed on two faces and jointed
on one edge, with the opposite edge left
in the rough.
S4S: Planed/jointed on all four long
edges of the board.
Anticipate a slight upcharge on sur-
faced lumber, and be prepared to still deal
with possible twists or warps in wood
that is already the required thickness.
Now back to how much wood you
need to purchase: Multiplying each
required pieces width and length in
inches and then dividing the total by
144 will give you the board feet required
for each piece and then you can add all
the pieces together. That gives you a
gross amount required, but because wood
doesnt come that way you need to figure
it differently.
If you can go to the lumberyard with
your list and calculate what parts will
Three versions of high-density ply. The top is a
1
2 "-thick Baltic birch, the middle is a

3
4" luan ply

and the bottom is a
3
4" Baltic birch. All are very stable and a useful addition to any shop.
Shown here is rough lumber from a mill. This is how you should think of the quarter system
when shopping. The left board is 4/4 and measures roughly one inch (you get a little extra on this
one and thats possible if you shop carefully), the middle is 6/4 and measures roughly 1
1
2" and
the right is 8/4 and should measure roughly 2".
POPULAR WOODWORKING
come from each board, youll be pretty
close. Of course, this assumes you have
the luxury of picking through the boards
for this process. If youre ordering lumber
from a local yard or the internet, you
cant rely on that.
Your best method is to round up to
the nearest whole inch dimension in
each direction and then add a little extra
to cover loss through planing, checking
and other unforeseen occurrences. How
much extra? A minimum of 10 percent
makes sense and some woodworkers will
recommend up to 40 percent. Id suggest
20 percent, myself.
Now you have your shopping list,
its time to go to the store. You want to
Shown here are two boards arranged to give an example of a good, solid-wood grain match (left)
and an example of a bad grain match (right). Even though the boards arent exactly the same
shade, by matching two sections that are long grain, the boards on the left look balanced. The
boards on the right have an interrupted cathedral and the cathedral gure on the far right board
is pointing the wrong direction.
Jointing and Planing 101
Start with the board positioned on the infeed
table with only light pressure on the board,
and your hands positioned back from the
cutterhead.
1 2
As you feed the board across the cutterhead,
maintain light pressure on the infeed side of
the board until you reach mid-point. You dont
want to try to push the board at to the table.
This will only maintain the boards curvature,
and it wont end up straight.
Once the board has passed mid-point over the
cutterhead, transfer your pressure (one hand
at a time) to the outfeed side of the jointer,
keeping the pressure over the outfeed table as
you push the board past the knives. Use a push
block for this last part to keep your hands away
from the knives.
3
Planing a board is easier than jointing, but
you still need to pay attention to a couple
things. Determine which direction the grain
is running on the board by running your hand
over the surface (left). This step is actually
like petting a dog or cat. The grain will lay
down in one direction similar to an animals
fur. The board should be run with the grain
laying down, starting with the leading edge
of the board, to avoid tear-out. Start with the
jointed face down on the planers tables and
take light passes until the rough face is mostly
leveled (right).
Youre now ready to work down to the nal
8
from face to face. There are also internal pres-
sures in wood that benet from balanced plan-
ing. By ipping the board with each pass you
help to maintain an even moisture and stress
rate in the board and can avoid cupping and
twisting after the board has been planed.
thickness of the board, but its important to
take material from both sides of the board
during this step. Because moisture evaporates
from wood more quickly on the surface of the
board than in the center, as you expose the
boards center the moisture content can shift
Board checks are
caused by kiln dry-
ing and will affect
your board yield.
Remember to
calculate that loss
into your plans and
dont pay full price
for that imperfect
18" of the board!
This is a view of a board that was too wide for the jointer. You can see
the division line down the center of the board, where the cuts overlap.
With a couple more passes this board will be ready for the planer.
4
What if your board is 10" wide
and you have a 6" jointer? You can
actually still atten the board suc-
cessfully. You will need to remove
the guard for this operation, so be
extremely careful and remember
to replace the guard once youre
done with the operation. Set the
fence to a little wider than half the
width of the board youre surfac-
ing. Then run the board taking no
more than a
1
32"-deep cut. Allow

the board to extend over the
jointer bed, but keep steady pres-
sure above the tables.
5
Then rotate the board so that
the part that was hanging off
the table is resting on the table.
Carefully run the board across
the jointer again, maintaining
pressure over the tables. Because
the knives are cutting at the same
depth on each pass youre taking
off the same amount of material
with each pass. Repeat these
steps until the boards face is
reasonably at.
6
With one face at, youre ready to
run one of the edges to straighten
it, and also form a square corner.
With the attened face against
the fence, start with all your hand
pressure on the board over the
infeed table of the jointer.
As when attening the face, main-
tain pressure only on the infeed
table until the board is mid-way
past the knives. Then transfer your
pressure to the outfeed table and
nish the cut.
7
consider a number of visual and physi-
cal aspects of the lumber beyond size.
Color consistency and grain pattern can
make or break a project. Unless youre
planning on including a sap streak down
the middle of your doors, its best to pick
boards with as little sap as possible.
Grain pattern can be a huge factor.
Because much of this wood will end up
in wide panels for your casework, the
idea is to make it look like it came from
one boards width. Matching cathe-
dral patterns, or just finding the most
straight-grained boards will move you
further toward that goal.
Physical aspects to look for include
knots, splits and moisture content. If you
find a really pretty board with a knot
down the middle, dont discard it. Get
your cutting list out and decide if you can
cut away the knot and still get the pieces
you need from the rest of the board.
Most lumber that woodworkers
purchase is kiln dried. This speeds up
the process of getting the wood into the
store, but it can also cause the ends of
boards to split, sometimes as much as 10".
Check your boards for this defect and
calculate it into your shopping. By the
POPULAR WOODWORKING
Even if you own a powered jointer and planer,
there are times that youll want to prepare boards
by hand. Sometimes the boards will be too wide
to face-joint on your jointer, or even too wide to
surface with your planer. The process requires
three planes and a couple other simple tools.
Prepping Lumber by Hand
about 7 percent moisture content. A few
percent in either direction is acceptable.
If your lumber is registering more than
10 percent moisture content, be prepared
for some possible warping as it dries to
match your shop conditions. This may
adversely affect the yield of usable wood.
Preparing Solid Wood
This is one of the more time-intensive
steps in making case furniture. Of
course, if youre experienced in these
steps (jointing and planing solid lumber)
then youre already a step ahead, but you
still need to do the work before making
your panels.
By defnition you want a panel for
your casework to be fat and straight.
You need to get your solid lumber in that
shape prior to glue-up, and then check it
again after.
After checking the lumber for grain
way, you shouldnt pay for that section
of the board if its split. Make them take
that off the total board footage, or at
least discount the price some.
As I mentioned, kiln drying gets
the wood into your hands faster than
air drying, and it routinely provides
a consistent moisture content in the
lumber. But its still a good idea to take
a moisture meter along with you to the
lumberyard. The wood should ideally be
jack plane. The cutting edge of the jack plane
should be curved and set to remove thick shav-
ings. Check your progress periodically using your
winding sticks.
When things look nearly at, switch to the
jointer plane, which should have a slightly curved
blade thats set for a ner cut. Work diagonally
across the face, then diagonally the other way.
Dont worry about tear-out yet. When the face of
the board is at, come back with the jointer plane
and smooth the board with strokes following
the grain. Clean up all the marks left from the
diagonal passes.
One face is now at. Using a marking gauge,
scribe the nished thickness of the board
on the long edges and ends the face of the
marking gauge should ride on the boards
nished face.
Repeat the attening process on the other
face of the board and work down to the scribed
line on all four edges. Finally, use a smoothing
plane on both faces to complete your work.
This sounds a bit arduous it is harder than
working with a powered jointer and thickness
planer. But if you have your jack and jointer
planes set to cut aggressively, youll be sur-
prised by how quickly the work can go.
Learning to edge-joint a board with a jointer
plane is also a good skill to acquire. Sometimes
boards that you want to edge-glue into a panel
will be too long for your powered jointer.
One accepted technique is called match
planing (shown above). With this process you
sandwich the two boards together in a vise and
plane both edges at the same time. Any small
differences in the angle of the plane will be can-
celed out by the fact that the two angles will be
complementary. For this process, sharpen your
jointer plane with a perfectly straight edge, like
that of a chisel or a block plane.
Another traditional technique is to plane each
long edge individually and test the boards edges
against one another. For this process, sharpen
a very slight camber on your iron. The position
of the planes body on the edge of the work will
allow you to correct the angle of the edge. With a
little practice, this will become second nature.
Winding sticks
Board surfacing
Match
planing
Dene the second face
with a marking gauge.
Edge
testing
For typical furniture-scale projects, use a jointer
plane, jack plane, smoothing plane and two
winding sticks winding sticks can be two
matching lengths of straight wood (usually of
contrasting colors) or you can also use aluminum
angle purchased from the home center.
Use the winding sticks to nd out where the
high spots are and if the board is twisted. By
putting one stick at the front of the board, one at
the back and sighting down across them, youll
quickly see any problem areas. Mark the high
spots in chalk and knock them down with your
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Off of 90
Plywood fresh from the store may show signs
of wear and general mishandling. Be pre-
pared to have to trim away corners or edges
to remove damage. The dirt on the surface of
the lower board will likely sand off, but its still
something to be aware of.
match and imperfections, cut the lumber
oversized for the needed panel. A few
extra inches in length is a good idea, and
only one extra inch in width is fne.
The frst stop is the jointer. To true
a board (make it fat and straight) the
jointer is a must. You want to make one
face and one edge true at this stage.
After the board is jointed, its time to
head for the planer to make sure all the
boards are the same thickness. Ive added
some photos on the previous pages to
walk you through these steps.
Of course you dont have to use
machinery to true and thickness a board.
You can use hand planes. This process is
quieter, creates less dust and many wood-
workers fnd it therapeutic. Truing rough
stock with hand tools is a bit of a chal-
lenge, but its do-able once you develop
a few skills and have the right tools. See
Prepping Lumber by Hand (left) for
tips on getting this right.
Preparing Plywood
One of the reasons I enjoy using plywood
in a project (beyond the stability and
uniform appearance benefts) is the lack
of preparation required to put it into the
project. Prepping solid lumber can take
a day all by itself, jointing and planing to
the proper dimensions. And thats before
cutting it to fnished size. Working with
plywood, its just cutting to fnished size.
Well, almost you do need to be
aware of the fact the plywood is fre-
quently not the full thickness as marked.
Three-quarter-inch plywood may be
11
16" or some other dimension in the

thirty-seconds. This isnt a crisis, but
you need to be aware of it as part of your
preparation to build. Dados, grooves and
rabbets may need to be adjusted to make
everything fit tightly.
Also, while plywood is manufactured
so that the full 48" x 96" sheet can be
used, the edges are often dinged, not
square to the face and the layers can be
uneven at the edges. Most woodworkers
plan on having to joint or trim plywood
sheets to give an acceptable edge. So,
youll need to anticipate that and prob-
ably allow about
1
2" loss in either direc-

tion when planning your cutting list.
Assembling Solid Panels
One of the happy situations with join-
ing solid lumber into panels is that a
long-grain to long-grain glue joint is the
strongest joint possible. Theres no need
for biscuits, screws or anything. The joint
will be stronger than the wood.
Of course you still need to pay atten-
tion to the way the boards match up for
the best appearance. And you also need
to prepare the mating edges to ensure
a fat panel. This sends us back to the
jointer to make a joint!
The edge created by a sharp jointer
pass is an excellent glue joint. But you
need to make sure that the two edges
to be joined are darn-near-perfect right
angles to the board face. Even after set-
ting the jointer fence, slight imperfec-
tions are possible. Thats why I like using
a little geometry to cheat.
If you take two boards with one edge
at 89 to the face and the other edge
at 91 to the face and glued the two
together, youd end up with a fat panel.
Because the two angles are comple-
mentary, they combine to form a 90
relationship.
With your jointers fence set slightly
off of 90 (for any reason) you can form
the complementary angle for glue-up by
simply reversing the faces of the boards
against the fence. Run your frst board
(seam edge down) with the face against
the fence. Run the second board with
the face facing away from the fence.
When the two are paired, youll have a
perfect joint.
Gluing up the panel is next. Pre-set
your clamps so that youll have a clamp
spaced approximately every 6" to 8"
along the board, alternating the clamps
from one side to the next to keep the
panel as flat as possible.
Apply just enough glue to cover one
edge completely with a thin layer of glue.
Then put the panels together and clamp
just enough to cause the glue to squeeze
out slightly. Along with cleaning up the
glue, its a good idea to throw a straight-
The most important
step in gluing up a at
panel is starting with
a square edge on each
of the mating boards.
Accurately setting up
the jointer will save
lots of headaches. If
youre not comfort-
able with the accuracy
of your jointers fence,
cheat by making
two complementary
angles on the mating
boards as discussed in
the article.
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POPULAR WOODWORKING
edge on the panel to check for flat.
When the glue is dry you still need
to fatten the panel. If youre lucky
enough to have a drum sander capable
of handling the width of the panel, a few
minutes of work will have you ready for
joinery. You can also use a random orbit
or belt sander to fatten your panel, but
take pains to remove material evenly
(checking for fat as you go) and be care-
ful not to round over the edges.
If power sanding isnt your frst choice,
remember how we fattened the single
board by hand earlier? Its time to take
that same technique to the next level by
fattening your joined panel.
Assembling Plywood Panels
Making plywood panels is relatively easy
if you use the right tool a biscuit joiner.
While not a common task, arranging a
veneer pattern to ft your project is pos-
sible with this technique. A biscuit joint
on a plywood edge isnt very strong, but it
will align accurately and provide stability
for use with panels.
Start by using your jointer to make
the same type of complementary mating
joint as we discussed for solid lumber. Be
aware that if your jointer has high-speed
steel knives, the plywood can dull or
nick the knives. Take light passes.
With the edges prepared, set your
biscuit joiner to cut the pockets in the
center of the edge and work only from
one side of the boards. If your biscuits are
placed too close to one face of the ply-
wood, its possible that the biscuit shape
can be telegraphed through the plies and
be visible on the face.
Take care when clamping the panel,
though the biscuits make alignment
easier. Light sanding should be all thats
required to fnish the panel face. PW
When working with paral-
lel jaw clamps (as shown)
its not necessary to place
clamps on both sides of
the panel. The clamps
design holds the panel at,
but its still a good idea to
check the panel to make
sure. Align the two (or
more) boards thickness as
carefully as possible when
applying the clamps. With
less offset between the
boards there will be less
planing or sanding to com-
pletely atten the board.
Using biscuits in plywood
panels makes sense to
more easily align the faces.
But the biscuits need to be
in the middle of the ply-
wood edge as shown in the
top board here. The lower
board has the biscuits cut
too close to the top edge.
Any swelling in the biscuit
will telegraph to the face.
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I
f youve never tried your hand
at building a chest of drawers
but youve built several proj-
ects with success, the simple tall
chest in this article is a good place
to begin. Because of its scale, a
chest of drawers can seem intimi-
dating at frst glance. But stripped
of its feet and moulding, this chest,
like all chests, is just a box. And
of course the drawers are simply
boxes, too, which are made to ft
within the large box.
The key to building casework
is to make it square. Otherwise,
as you can imagine, it becomes
very diffcult to ft the drawers and
mouldings. The key to making the
casework square is to use a stop-
block when cutting parts to fnal
length. Remember, for the corners
of a box to be 90, or square, paral-
lel parts must be the exact same
length. If you measure, mark and
cut parallel parts separately they
probably will not be exactly the
same length. Instead, if you mea-
sure and mark just one piece and
set up a stop-block, the mating
parts will be identical.
Once the basic case is con-
structed there is no longer a need
TALL CHES T:
CARCASE
CONSTRUCTION
by Lonnie Bird
Lonnie is the author of The Complete Illustrated Guide to Using Woodworking
Tools (The Taunton Press) and teaches woodworking. You can learn more about his
classes online at lonniebird.com.
Building fne furniture is
challenging, but never impossible. Learn
the techniques necessary for effciently
building any casework.
to measure at all. Instead, the
remaining parts of the case, such as
drawers and moulding, are marked
directly from the case. Using these
tested and traditional techniques
not only ensures that the parts ft,
the construction process is much
more effcient as well.
Chests of drawers such as the
one shown at right were very pop-
ular two centuries ago in the New
England Colonies. I like them for
their simplicity. They rely on good
proportions and careful selection
of fgured wood rather than lots
of curves and carvings; this chest
fts within a golden rectangle and
the drawers graduate using arith-
metic progression. The casework
is supported by tall bracket feet,
which were common on New Eng-
land chests of this classic period.
And capping off the chest is a bold
crown moulding.
Many of the surviving antique
chests are made from tiger maple;
a few are crafted of cherry. Tiger
maple is one of my favorite woods
but I opted for cherry because I
had some special planks that I cut
and dried myself. The case sides
and top are made from a matching
set of 22"-wide boards. As you can
imagine it was a large, old tree.
In fact, it was so old that the base
of the tree was beginning to rot
and so the commercial mills just
were not interested in the tree.
Its a good example of what you
can often fnd when you develop
rapport with a professional logger.
Finding lumber like this at a lum-
beryard is diffcult to impossible.
One-board sides and a top are
dramatic, but two well-matched
boards look great, too. And the
specialty lumber dealers in Penn-
sylvania (see Specialty Lumber
Dealers on page 60) often have
wide, fgured boards in stock. So
gather the necessary materials,
sharpen your chisels, grab your
dovetail saw and lets begin.
Mill the Stock
Before you lay out and cut the frst
dovetail, its important to mill the
stock flat and square. Cutting
dovetails on warped boards is dif-
fcult at best. I fatten one face of
each board with my jointer before
planing the stock to thickness.
Afterwards, I square one end of
each board and cut the stock to
length using a stop-block for accu-
racy. The stop-block is a critical
part of the setup when sawing to
final length. For the corners of
the chest to be square, the par-
allel members must be equal in
length. Afterward, cut a
1
2" by
1
2" rabbet along the inside edges

of the sides and top to accept the
carcases backboards.
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1
1
/
16"
1
/
2" grid
1
1
/
8"
1
/
8"
7
/
8"
6"
Side o case
Bollou edge o case 1
/
16"
Dovetail the Box
Once youve milled the four
planks for the box, youre ready
for joinery. I always use dovetails
for furniture casework; no other
joint can match the strength
and beauty of a row of dovetails.
Remember, too, that the chest
stands only 53" tall so the join-
ery at the top is easily visible; rows
of contrasting tails and pins are
an eye-catching part of this classic
piece of furniture.
Its important to start the lay-
out at the back of the case with a
half tail to hide the rabbet. Oth-
erwise, if you begin with a pin, the
rabbet will create an ugly void.
Crisp, well-delineated base-
lines are critical for making a
dovetail joint that youll be proud
of. If the marking gauge is sharp,
it will incise a crisp layout line as
opposed to a line that is torn or
ragged. A clean incision will allow
you to easily locate the layout line
with the chisel edge as you chop
the waste areas in the joint. Its
a good idea to test the marking
gauge in an inconspicuous area
and sharpen it if necessary.
For casework such as this
chest of drawers, I use half-blind
dovetails even though the joint
is partially covered by moulding.
Remember, solid wood is continu-
ally expanding and contracting
with the change of seasons. If
through dovetails are used, the
ends of the tails will push the
moulding slightly away from the
case during the dry winter months.
Half-blind dovetails provide a
neat appearance year-round.
Despite what you may have
heard, half-blind dovetails are
really no more diffcult or time-
consuming to cut than through
dovetails. The technique I use is
to cut the waste from between the
pins with a router. I dont use a jig.
Instead, I lay out the joint care-
fully with a knife and carefully
rout freehand to the layout lines.
It may sound diffcult, but its not
really; like most woodworking
skills it just requires a bit of prac-
tice. After routing the waste I chop
the rounded, inside corners square
with a chisel and mallet. Then I
scribe the tails from the pins and
saw them by hand. The result is
an authentic, hand-cut dovetail
joint. The router is used only to
effciently remove the waste from
between the pins, which makes
the process less tedious and far
more effcient. For more on cut-
ting dovetails, see my article in the
February 2005 issue and see the
photo essay on page 64.
Assemble the Box
Once all the dovetail joints have
been cut and ft, youre ready to
assemble the box. To make the
glue-up stress-free I frst assemble
the box and then gently tap each
joint halfway open with a mal-
let to apply the glue. By partially
opening the joints I can easily
apply the glue and tap the joints
closed again; theres no need to
match and align mating corners
after spreading the glue. I dont use
clamps to assemble the case; if the
ft is snug the joints will stay closed
without clamps. However, if you
decide to use clamps, be certain
that the clamp pressure doesnt
inadvertently twist the case.
Once the joints are assembled,
I check the corners for squareness.
If the case isnt square, a slight
amount of pressure on the acute
corners will make it square. I dont
use a clamp to square the case. The
limited reach of the clamp applies
pressure only in a small spot at
the clamp head. This causes the
box to twist. Instead, I position a
corner of the case on the foor of
my shop and push gently on the
opposite corner. This method
applies pressure across the entire
depth of the box and easily brings
it into square. Now set the box on
your bench, undisturbed while
the glue dries.
Add the Dividers
After the box is assembled youre
ready to construct the interior
TALL CHEST: CARCASE CONSTRUCTION
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL
T W L
2 Sides
7
8 19 46 Cherry
1 Top
7
8 19 31 Cherry
1 Bottom
7
8 18 31 Poplar
1 Bottom edging
1
2
7
8 31 Cherry
1 Front foot 1
1
8 6 33
1
2 Cherry
2 Side feet 1
1
8 6 20 Cherry
2 Back support blocks
7
8 6 12 Poplar
2 Base frame
7
8 2 31
1
2 Poplar
2 Base frame
7
8 2 17 Poplar
7 Dividers
7
8 2 30
1
2 Cherry
7 Dividers
7
8 2 30
1
2 Poplar
14 Drawer runners
7
8 1
3
4 16
3
8 Poplar
Crown moulding 2
1
4 4
1
4 48 Cherry
Base moulding 1
1
16 4 48 Cherry
Back
1
2 30 45
7
8 Poplar
Glue blocks
1
2
1
2 72 Poplar
SPECIALTY
LUMBER DEALERS
Good Hope Hardwoods
610-274-8842 or
goodhope.com
Groff & Groff
800-342-0001 or
groffslumber.com
Hearne Hardwoods
888-814-0007 or
hearnehardwoods.com
Irion Lumber
570-724-1895 or
irionlumber.com
Foot detail
31"
1
/
4"
1
/
4"
19"
2
1
/
4"
36"
1
13
/
16"
4
1
/
16"
4
7
/
8"
5
3
/
4"
6
5
/
8"
46"
8
3
/
8"
7
1
/
2"
4
13
/
16"
7
/
8" lyp.
30
1
/
2"
1
1
/
8" 31
1
/
4"
33
1
/
2"
31
1
/
2"
1
1
/
8"
53"
19"
21
1
/
4"
1
/
2"
1
/
2" 2" lyp.
1
1
/
8" 1" 1"
7
/
8"
20"
16
3
/
8"
7
/
8"
7
/
8"
75
33
1
/
2"
5" 1
1
/
8"
1
/
2" raudouwidlh shiplapped back
1
/
4"
5
/
8"
3
/
4"
1
1
/
2" lyp.
1
/
4"
1
1
/
2" lyp.
1
/
2"
3
/
16"
19"
1
5
/
16"
1"
11
/
16"
14
7
/
8"
7
/
8"
14
3
/
4"
3
/
8"
3"
4"
Cul liue
wasle
1
/
4" grid
38
2
1
/
4"
Plan
Elevation rear
Elevation
Divider/runner detail
Divider detail
Dovetail detail
Moulding pattern
Prole section
framework of dividers and run-
ners. There are actually two sets
of drawer dividers: one at the
case front and one at the back.
Each pair is joined by a set of run-
ners with mortises and tenons.
The ends of each divider have
dovetails, which ft snug within
matching dovetailed sockets in
the case sides. Once assembled,
the dividers and runners create
a rigid framework, which adds
greatly to the strength and stiff-
ness of the case.
I begin by routing the dove-
tailed sockets in the case to accept
the dividers. To ensure that each
divider is square to the case, I use
a template to guide the router for
corresponding cuts. Theres no
need to measure because the tem-
plate registers against the bottom
of the case. Besides greatly reduc-
ing the amount of time required
to cut the sockets, this technique
also eliminates potential layout
errors. I use a separate template
for each set of sockets. This way
Ill have the templates ready next
time I receive an order for the
chest. You may prefer to use one
template; start with the upper-
most set of dividers and reduce
the length of the template after
each set of cuts.
After cutting the sockets, Ill
rout the dovetails on the ends of
the dividers with the same 14
dovetail bit in my router table.
But frst I cut the dividers to the
fnal length, which corresponds to
the distance between the sockets.
Instead of measuring, I position
the end of the divider in one socket
and mark the length at the oppo-
site socket. This method elimi-
nates potential measuring errors.
All of the dividers should
be the same length. I mark the
divider closest to the top of the
case, clamp a stop on the saw and
cut all dividers to this length. You
may fnd that the sides of the case
have bowed slightly; the dividers
will push or pull the bow out of
the case as theyre installed. In
contrast, if you cut each divider
a different length to correspond
with the bow, the case will remain
permanently bowed.
Next, I mount the dovetail
bit in my router table and run the
stock through twice to cut the tail,
one pass on each face. The end of
the divider has a small footprint;
in fact, its too small to steady the
workpiece as you push it across the
router table. For additional sup-
port I clamp a stick of wood to the
divider at a right angle. The stick
rides along the top of the fence to
support the divider while making
the cut. I use a push block to keep
the workpiece frmly against the
fence and distance my hand from
the router bit.
Before cutting the dovetails
on the dividers I frst test the ft
on a sample piece of stock. The
dovetail should ft snug within the
socket and require gentle taps with
a mallet to coax it together. Unlike
a row of dovetails on a box, this
joint doesnt have mating long-
grain surfaces for glue; for the
joint to be strong the ft must be
somewhat tight. Before you go to
the next step remember to cut and
dovetail the short center divider
at the top drawer opening.
Runners
With the dovetails cut on the
dividers, youre ready to work on
the runners. Besides supporting
a drawer, each pair of runners
also serves as a kicker to keep the
drawer below from tipping as it
is opened. The runners have 1"-
long tenons on each end that ft
in mortises in the dividers. After
assembly each runner is fastened
to the case side with one or two
screws. Once screwed to the case
side, the runner serves as a bat-
ten to prevent the case side from
warping. Stagger the locations
of the screws, so theyre not in a
straight line. Heres where you can
run into a cross-grain construc-
tion problem.
As the case sides contract dur-
ing the dry, winter months the
runners can push the dovetailed
dividers out of the case. Cut the
runners
1
8" short to leave room

for seasonal movement. During
assembly, apply glue only at the
mortise-and-tenon joint at the
front. The tenon at the back is
dry and has a
1
8" gap at the shoul-

der. As the sides contract, the rear
A plywood template registers against the case bottom to ensure perfect alignment of the
joints as I rout the sockets for the case dividers.
Two passes across the router table creates the dovetail on the
end of the divider. The scrap above stabilizes the workpiece.
A screw driven into the case side helps keep it at throughout the years.
Scrap
Template
tenon will slide into the mortise.
When the relative humidity rises
during the summer months, the
case sides will expand and the ten-
ons will slide out slightly.
Once the joints are cut, youre
ready to apply glue, and assemble
the dividers and runners within
the case. Begin by gluing the front
dividers in place. Use caution and
apply pressure equally to each end
of the divider as you ft it into the
case; if the divider is installed
askew it will bind and may break
the joint. Next, glue the runners
into the front dividers. The last
step is to glue in the back dividers.
Remember, the back dividers are
glued to the case but not to the
runners. Once all the parts are in
place the case is amazingly rigid.
Feet
With the box completed, turn
your attention to the feet. Besides
supporting the case, the feet and
crown moulding transform the
box into a piece of furniture.
Miters join the feet at the front;
half-blind dovetails join the feet
at the rear to the poplar support
blocks, cut from one 12"-long
board. Once the joints are cut
and ft, I band saw the foots pro-
fle. Then I assemble the feet; frst
the dovetails, then the miters. To
glue the miters apply a coat of yel-
low glue to each half of the miter,
rub the joint together, check for
square, and let it sit while the glue
dries; no clamping is necessary.
After the glue has dried reinforce
the miter with a glue block in the
back. The grain in the glue block
must run horizontally to corre-
spond with the grain in the foot.
Otherwise the foot may crack with
seasonal humidity changes.
The base frame is glued at the
front only, and the front edge is
glued under the bottom edge of
the case bottom. The rest of the
frame is attached with screws in
slots. Glue blocks,
1
2" square, con-

nect the feet to the frame.
Crown Moulding
The crown moulding is shaped
from solid stock by using a series
of passes over a router table. Its not
possible to use fat architectural-
style crown moulding because it
creates a void on the top of the
case. Instead, its necessary to use
triangular stock. To avoid exces-
sive waste I band saw a rectangular
plank diagonally as shown in the
illustration on page 61.
After shaping the moulding, I
carefully miter the front piece; the
length of the front strip of mould-
ing is critical. If its too long it will
prevent the returns from coming
in full contact with the case and
create a gap. If its too short, it cre-
ates a gap in the miter. I miter the
frst end of the moulding, mark the
opposite end and creep up to the
miter with the saw. Once Im satis-
fed with the front strip of crown
moulding, I miter the returns or
side pieces to match. Then I cut
the other end of the returns fush
with the back of the case.
The next step is to attach the
crown moulding to the case. I
attach the front strip of crown
moulding with glue. Because
the grain direction on the case
corresponds with that on the
moulding, glue will hold the piece
secure without interfering with
seasonal wood movement. How-
ever, the return mouldings must
be attached to allow for seasonal
movement in the case side. Oth-
erwise, the case sides will crack. To
solve the problem, I apply glue to
the miter as well as the frst couple
inches of the moulding. I attach
the remainder of the moulding
with a couple screws from inside
the case. In order to allow the case
sides to expand without restriction
from the moulding, I slot the screw
holes in the case sides.
Back
I use
1
2"-thick poplar for the back-

boards. The edges of the boards
are shiplapped. I wait to attach
them to the case once the fnish-
ing is complete. This provides easy
access to the inside of the case for
fnishing.
In the December 2005 issue Ill
cover the techniques for making
the drawers.
A standard-angle block plane with a 55
cutting angle is useful for leveling the
joints. This high cutting angle reduces
tear-out in some tricky woods.
Apply a liberal coat of glue to the miter for the moulding.
The glue ensures the miter will stay tight over time.
Note that the grain pattern in the glue block is parallel to the grain pattern
of the foot to which its applied.
Align the two halves of the miter and hold the joint in
position for a minute or two.
SOLID CARCASE JOINERY: HALF-BLIND DOVETAILS
Begin by marking the baseline on the ends of the sides. Mark the baseline on the faces of the top (left) and bottom (right).
Set the gauge to equal the thickness of the
top and bottom.
Mark the inside face of the sides. Begin by marking the half-tail, which covers the back rabbet.
Use dividers to accurately step off the loca-
tion of each pin.
Mark the slope of each pin. Transfer the pin layout to the mating board.
Use a square to mark the sides of the pins. The pin board layout is complete.
1 2
3 4 5
6
7 8
9 10
As you rout the space between the pins, avoid undercutting
the back wall, which can weaken the joint.
Finish each space by chopping out the corners
with a sharp chisel.
The pins are complete and ready for marking the corresponding tails.
Position the pin board over the tail board and mark the tails
with a knife.
Transfer the marks to the end with a square.
Saw each tail to the baseline. Chisel the space between each tail. Tap the joint together with a mallet. PW
Set the depth of the router bit so that it
slightly contacts the baseline.
14 16
15
17 18 19
13 12 11
Baseline
of joint
Test
router cut
L
ast year I visited Colonial Williams-
burgs The Cabinetmaker Shop for the
frst time in 25 years. It was a real treat
for me. Woodworkers get special treatment
there to be sure. Its a little like going to a for-
eign country and being able to speak the lan-
guage. New opportunities to explore become
available to you.
I would like to have explored the shops
selection of chisels and saws, the glues and
fnishes, marking and dadoing techniques. It
would have been nice to spend an afternoon
examining the great wheel lathe. But on this
visit, I choose to explore the shop itself. Ive read
several articles on great two-car garage wood-
shops. Colonial Williamsburgs woodshop is
roughly the size of a two-car garage, but there
the similarities end.
The reconstructed Anthony Hay cabinet
shop is comprised of two rooms. The frst is a
narrow, hall-like space called the wareroom.
When I was there, a large Chippendale secre-
tary stood opposite a harpsichord. High-style
carved tables and chairs seemed almost pedes-
P
h
o
t
o
s

c
o
u
r
t
e
s
y

C
o
l
o
n
i
a
l

W
i
l
l
i
a
m
s
b
u
r
g

F
o
u
n
d
a
t
i
o
n
,

W
i
l
l
i
a
m
s
b
u
r
g
,

V
a
.
by Adam Cherubini
Adam Cherubini makes reproduction furniture using the tools and techniques
of the 18th century. He demonstrates his craft at Pennsbury Manor in Bucks
County, Pennsylvania, on Historic Trades Days. You can contact him at
adam.cherubini@verizon.net.
A look at Williamsburgs period shop
through the eyes of a
passionate hand-tool woodworker.
C
abinet
S
hop
Anthony Hay
the
trian in such company. By out-
ward appearance, I saw very few
indications of what I euphemisti-
cally call hand craftsmanship.
The tear-out and loose joints that
particularly characterize my work
are not to be seen here. Surfaces
have the uniformity of machined
surfaces. Finishes are as perfect as
those from any spray booth. If you
have any reservations about the
capabilities of hand tools, then
this room will allay them.
The wareroom leads to the
workshop. The workshop is a large
airy space with high ceilings and
large windows. Its whitewashed
walls disguise the lack of electric
light. At the end of the room is
a cozy freplace. Nothing in the
room particularly suggests its use.
There are no ugly hanging fuores-
cent shop lights, no dust collection
system and no orange extension
cords anywhere to be seen. Were
the room not positively cluttered
with workbenches, it would seem
a very suitable living space.
Get ready to hit me in the face
with a pie: The Hay shop has a cer-
tain indescribable, almost spiri-
tual feel to it. I dont know about
LEARNING AT
WILLIAMSBURG
I attended the Working
Wood in the Eighteenth Cen-
tury conference at Colonial
Williamsburg last January. Each
year, 400 or so woodworkers
attend one of the two back-
to-back sessions to learn more
about 18th-century woodwork-
ing from the resident master
craftsmen, conservators and
several other experts.
This years topic was Mak-
ing Case Furniture Desks and
Bookcases. On the stage in the
museums auditorium, crafts-
men performed the difcult
aspects of making secretaries,
including octagonal 13-panel
doors, decoratively carved
raised panels and the tiny draw-
ers and secret compartments
that characterize secretaries
from this period. The skill of
these craftsmen is overwhelm-
ing. They shape wood into
complex shapes with little more
than a chisel or rabbet plane.
Each year Colonial Williams-
burgs craftsmen and conserva-
tors cast their eyes toward a
different topic. So far theyve
examined chairs and tables,
tall case clocks and secretaries.
But it doesnt matter what the
topic is. For me, the conference
elucidates possibilities. Regard-
less of your taste in furniture, I
recommend attending at least
once. For details on the next
conference, see history.org/
institute/ or contact Deborah
Chapman at 800-603-0948 or
dchapman@cwf.org. AC
you, but I enjoy working wood in
part because I like the material.
Everything, and I mean every-
thing, in the Hay shop is wood.
The window frames are wood, the
walls, the ceiling and the foor are
all wood. Contrast that with the
average cement-foor shop flled
with metal machinery. Thats
not the kind of space I want to be
creative in. Its the kind of space
I expect to be paid in.
The majority of woodshops
with which I am familiar have
a coating of Medium-density
Fiberboard (MDF) dust in them.
It coats the fickering fuorescent
lights and gives a nasty brown haze
to everything. The overall effect is
like that of a bad black-and-white
movie about Soviet Russia made
during the Cold War. Everything
is bleak and gray and hopeless.
The light in the Hay shop is
strong, but without the harshness
that usually accompanies artifcial
light. I dont know whether its the
large windows or white walls. I
asked Mack Headley, the shops
current master, how he manages
in a shop devoid of electric light.
I dont know that I miss it
much electric lighting, Head-
ley says. Directional light is very
good. The shadow allows you to
read depth and dimension on a
surface much better. Fluorescents
fooding in from two directions
illuminate things, but the shadow
is gone, and its actually very hard
to read the (surface). You cant
actually carve decently with fu-
orescents coming in from several
directions . It actually is easier
and better to work in natural light.
Thats really the best of all. Not
having electric light at all.
Ive always been of the belief
that more is better. And thats
certainly always been my feeling
about workshop lighting. I guess I
always looked at not having arti-
fcial light as a huge disadvantage
to be overcome. When I asked
the question, I suspected that
the craftsmen in the Hay shop
have found some tricks to getting
around not having electric light.
But I was surprised to hear Master
Cabinetmaker David Salisbury secures a piece of work in one of the tradi-
tional vises, which tend to wrack. The benches are copies of examples shown
in Peter Nicholsons 1812 Mechanical Exercises.
Colonial Williamsburgs cabinet shop features a spacious-feeling workshop
with high ceilings, large windows and no electricity. And its all in the space
of a two-car garage.
67 popularwoodworking.com
Headley tout the benefts of direc-
tional or raking light. And I guess
this is why I like Williamsburg; I
dont know where else youd go to
get a perspective like that.
The Hay shops primary pur-
pose is to receive guests, so its
atmosphere must be inviting. We
may not have a choice about work-
ing with MDF, but wouldnt it be
nice if our shops could welcome a
spouse, child, grandchild or neigh-
bor? My wife usually rubs her arms,
shivers and leaves my cold subter-
ranean woodshop. Im not exactly
sure how to make a space inviting.
But I think the issue is worth con-
sidering. Light is probably a big
part of how a shop feels.
The size of the Hay shop isnt
particularly exceptional compared
to a modern cabinet shop. What
is exceptional is the fact that the
original shop (the reconstruction
is built on the original shops foun-
dations) probably housed as many
as six workmen.
There is a certain inherent
advantage to moving small tools
over large boards as opposed to
working in hand-tools-only shops.
But if space is tight for you, switch-
ing to hand tools for some opera-
tions may be a solution.
I saw only a single tool chest
in the shop, and Im not certain
to whom it belonged. Behind
nearly every bench (some are
free-standing) chisels hung from
racks and moulding planes rested
on short shelves. Bench planes
resided either on or under the
benches where scrap wood and
large wooden clamps were stored.
A few sawhorses lurked between
the benches. Saws were hung at
a single location by way of pegs in
the paneling.
Other than that, it was sur-
prising to see so few tools. Mod-
ern workshops with which I am
familiar are positively dominated
by tools and tool paraphernalia.
Many of the hand-tool storage
solutions Ive read about discuss
storing all the tools in one place
(hanging wall cabinet, tool chest,
etc.). While they may have put no
conscious effort behind it, the Hay
shop craftsmen appear to store
their tools according to the fre-
quency and location of each tools
use. Perhaps theres a lesson here
Headley
demonstrates
carving. Left to
right: Amber
Baden-Lopez,
Basaree Gajjar,
Martin Harcourt,
Headley and
Milton Wooley.
moving large boards over larger
fxed tools. The Hay shop illus-
trates the fact that a hand-tools-
only shop can be a fraction of the
size of a shop in which power tools
are used. This isnt a hobby shop,
but a real working shop capable of
producing very fne items. I know
there arent many woodworkers
for every style of workshop.
The workbenches are copies
of the benches shown in Peter
Nicholsons 1812 Mechanical
Exercises. While it is impossible
to place this specifc design into
Anthony Hays 18th-century shop,
they ft well within the plain and
neat aesthetic that characterizes
Williamsburgs style.
A deep apron bored for
holdfasts or pegs substitutes for a
sliding board jack for the support
of boards on edge. The apron also
stiffens the 8/4-thick benchtop.
A si ngle, apparently poorly
functioning face vise resides at
the traditional left side of the
benches. This vise is identical to
those Ive seen in period images.
Stock placed at a distance from
the single wooden screw wracks
the jaw. But Hay shop craftsmen,
either by nature or vocation, arent
complainers. Wracking is nothing
a piece of scrap cant fx and work
is continued uninterrupted.
Planing stops identical to those
depicted in Jacques-Andre Rou-
bos 1769 LArt du Menusier are
present on these workbenches. I
thought it interesting to note that
the traditional metal-toothed part
Master
Cabinetmaker
Mack Headley
shows off a
hand-carved
ball-and-claw
chair leg,
which is typical
of the nely
detailed work
Williamsburgs
craftsmen
produce.
BEHIND THE SCENES THERES A THRIVING COLONIAL ECONOMY
Costumed play actors they are not. Smiths (such as Steve Mankowski,
above) at the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop are hard at work.
of the planing stop was removed
from the benches, leaving only a
2"-square wooden block, which is
height adjustable by mallet blows.
Planing into a single stop requires
a specifc approach. Holdfasts and
battens can be used to stop the
work from rotating, but I didnt see
this done in the Hay shop.
Instead I saw workmen con-
trolling their stock under their
planes, moving the stock continu-
ously. I think it bears mention-
ing that the benches seemed a bit
lower than usual. Getting your
body over the stock might be the
key to controlling it.
The Hay shop challenges our
notions of the basic woodshop.
How much space do we really need
to be productive? How many tools?
How sophisticated must a work-
bench be to be useful? And can
you really do good work in a shop
without electricity?
Weve t al ked about get-
ting young people interested in
woodworking and reaching out
to female woodworkers. Maybe
tearing down some of the barriers
such as the cost of woodworking
equipment, the space required, the
noise, the mess and the idea that
woodshops are by nature nasty,
dusty places, would help.
The Anthony Hay shop in
Williamsburg might be a recre-
ation of a 200-year-old woodshop,
but it is also a place to go for new
ideas. PW
Blacksmith
Ken Schwarz
works in the
James Anderson
Blacksmith Shop.
69
Colonial Williamsburg is a town
in Virginia authentically recon-
structed to appear as it did in
1775, the dawn of the American
War for Independence. Then the
capital of the British colony of
Virginia, Williamsburgs archi-
tecture conveys the lifestyle of
the wealthier residents of the
18th century.
Prim and tidy Colonial build-
ings with whitewashed clap-
boards and pretty little fences
line the streets. There are box-
wood gardens and authentically
dressed friendly guides suitable
for any picture postcard.
But behind the scenery,
a much less scenic aspect of
Colonial life has been recon-
structed. The 20 or so individual
craft shops in town function
within a reconstructed Colonial
economy. I believe it is this
economy, more than any orga-
nizational directive, that drives
Williamsburgs crafts shops to
produce authentically.
Today, Williamsburgs crafts-
men can reproduce almost every
aspect of Colonial life. This
hasnt always been the case.
The blacksmiths at the
James Anderson Blacksmith
Shop for example, demonstrate
their craft for their visitors. Often
unbeknownst to their guests, the
items they are forging may well be
products required for projects or
tradesmen elsewhere in the town.
These items must be made
to the customers standards and
schedules, just as they would have
been 200 years ago. Its not good
enough to make something that
looks like a nail. It must func-
tion as a nail, must be capable of
being driven by a hammer, and
be made quickly enough to sup-
port the construction effort. In
at least some instances, this has
challenged preconceived notions
of 18th-century trades and pre-
cipitated additional research on
the subject. For modern craftsmen
willing to look beyond the scen-
ery, Williamsburgs crafts shops
provide us a chance to view alter-
native methods and technologies.
These arent just museum spaces
but real working shops staffed by
real craftspeople.
Williamsburgs plain and
neat buildings may be its prime
attraction, but theres a lot more
to see than meets the eye. AC
O
f all fnishes available,
none offers as much
protection and dura-
bility with as little difficulty in
application as wiping varnish.
With wiping varnish you can
achieve a run-free, brush-mark-
free, air-bubble-free and almost
dust-free finish, which after
several coats is very protective
against moisture penetration,
and resistant to scratches, heat
and solvents. And you can do this
with no more effort than wiping or
brushing on the fnish, and either
leaving it, or wiping off some or
all of the excess.
by Bob Flexner
Bob is author of Understanding Wood
Finishing, now in its second, fully
revised, edition. To purchase, visit
amazon.com, your local bookstore or a
woodworking supply store.
No other finish offers all of
these great qualities. The only fn-
ish that competes is gel varnish,
but its messy to apply, and it cant
be built up as fast on the wood
without leaving brush marks.
Wiping varnish is arguably the
single best fnish for most amateur
woodworking projects.
What is Wiping Varnish?
Wiping varnish is simply com-
mon oil-based varnish (any type,
including alkyd varnish, polyure-
thane varnish or spar varnish) that
is thinned enough with mineral
spirits (paint thinner) so it is easy
to wipe on wood. You can easily
make your own.
The name, which I created in
1990, and which has been adopted
by most writers and teachers of
wood finishing, makes sense
because the purpose of thinning is
to make the varnish easy to wipe.
You may already be using
wiping varnish and not realize
it because it isnt sold under that
name (maybe because that would
give away the simplicity of the fn-
ish). Its sold under many different
brand names, and few indicate
what the fnish really is.
This is the problem with wip-
ing varnish and the reason it isnt
widely recognized as one of the
best fnishes for anyone not using a
spray gun. Manufacturers obscure
the true nature of the finish by
their misleading, and sometimes
outright deceptive, product label-
ing. They want you to think they
are selling you something different
and special.
In this article I will tell you
about varnish, how wiping var-
nish came to be, how to make and
identify wiping varnish and how
THE BASICS
OF
Wiping
Varnish
Its durability and ease of use make
searching out this hard-to-identify
fnish worth it.
All of these nishes are wiping varnish. If you
shop at a home center or paint store, you will
nd the brands above. If you shop at a wood-
working store or from a woodworking catalog,
you will nd the brands on the right. All of these
nishes are essentially the same. They are var-
nish thinned enough with mineral spirits so they
are easy to wipe on the wood.
P
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t
e
s
to apply wiping varnish. I will also
explain how wiping varnish dif-
fers from oil, and mixtures of oil
and varnish. (See Testing for Oil:
Does It Get Hard? on page 74.)
What is Varnish?
Varnish is a very common fnish
that is appreciated for its terrifc
moisture, scratch, heat and sol-
vent resistance. No matter how
new you are to woodworking, you
have probably used some type of
varnish or oil-based paint, which
is varnish with pigment added.
One way to identify varnish
is by the thinner and clean-up
solvent listed on the container.
This is mineral spirits, which is
usually identifed by its more all-
inclusive name, petroleum distil-
late. The only other fnishes that
thin and clean up with mineral
spirits are oil, blends of oil and
varnish, and wax. None of these
fnishes cure hard, so they cant
be built-up thick on the wood like
varnish can.
All types of varnish are made
by cooking an oil with a resin.
(This is done in controlled condi-
tions; you shouldnt try it yourself
because of the fre hazard.) The oil,
which is usually linseed oil, tung
oil or modifed soybean (soya) oil,
makes it possible for the fnish to
cure in contact with the oxygen
in air. The resin, which is usually
alkyd or polyurethane, provides
the hardness in the fnish.
The most popular type of clear
varnish is polyurethane varnish. It
is the most protective and durable
of the varnishes. That is, it is the
most resistant to moisture pene-
tration, and it is the most resistant
to being damaged itself by coarse
objects, heat or solvents.
Spar or marine varnish is
also widely available. Its unique
quality is increased fexibility cre-
ated in the manufacturing process
by including a higher ratio of oil
to resin. Spar varnishes are meant
to withstand the greater shrink-
ing and swelling of wood placed
outdoors. Sometimes this varnish
contains UV absorbers to resist
damage from sunlight.
If the varnish is not labeled
polyurethane or spar, it is
probably alkyd varnish. Alkyd
is the workhorse of the varnish
resins. Almost all varnishes con-
tain some alkyd, including poly-
urethane varnish. Oil paints are
almost always made with alkyd
resin and are often simply called
alkyd paint.
These are the common types
of varnish on the market. You can
thin any of them with as much
mineral spirits as you want. The
more mineral spirits you add, the
less solids the varnish contains
and the thinner each layer of fn-
ish will be on the wood. (In some
parts of the country it is illegal to
thin varnish because of VOC laws,
and some brands of varnish refect
this by telling you not to thin their
varnish; but you cant harm any
varnish by thinning it.)
No finish is perfect in every
way, and varnish is no exception.
Varnish has two critical faws: It
cures slowly, and it has a fairly
thick or viscous consistency.
The slow curing gives dust a
lot of time to settle and become
stuck, and runs and sags have a
lot of time to develop on vertical
surfaces.
The thickness is responsible
for brush marks and bubbles cur-
ing in the fnish because it doesnt
fatten out well and bubbles dont
pop out easily.
To tell if a nish that thins with
mineral spirits and is sold as oil
or labeled with some uninfor-
mative name is wiping varnish,
put a puddle on top of the can
and let it cure. If it cures hard
and smooth within a day or two,
it is wiping varnish. If it takes a lot
longer and nally cures soft and
wrinkled, it is oil or a mixture of oil
and varnish.
Each of these nishes is a type of varnish. You can thin any one of them with mineral spirits to make a wiping varnish.
The wiping varnish will have the characteristics of the varnish you use.
Varnish is a difcult nish to apply with near-perfect results because it cures
slowly and is relatively viscous. The slow curing creates time for dust to settle
and become embedded, and for runs to develop. The thickness makes brush
marks likely and increases the possibility of bubbles curing in the nish.
1st coat 2nd coat 3rd coat 4th coat
1st coat 2nd coat 3rd coat 4th coat
As a result, varnish is actually
the most diffcult of all fnishes to
apply with near-perfect results. But
there is a way around the problem:
Thin the varnish so it cures faster
(the thinner flm combines faster
with oxygen in the air), levels bet-
ter and releases bubbles easier.
The product made by thinning
varnish is wiping varnish.
History of Wiping Varnish
Wiping varnish has been very
popular with amateur woodwork-
ers and refnishers for at least 35
years, but few have actually known
that it was wiping varnish they
were using. The fnish was made
popular in the late 1960s and
early 1970s by Homer Formby. He
traveled the country doing dem-
onstrations of his new miracle fn-
ish, Tung Oil, at shopping malls
and antique clubs, and he made a
number of infomercials that were
broadcast on TV.
Few people were familiar with
tung oil, which has its origins in
China, so the exoticness of the
name and source made the fnish
seem special. Formby was a master
salesman.
But he wasnt selling tung oil.
He was selling thinned varnish
that he labeled Tung Oil Finish.
This fnish is still available and
the oil used to make the varnish
isnt even tung oil. Its modifed
soybean oil.
Its important to note that even
if this fnish were made with tung
oil that is, tung oil cooked with
a resin to make varnish it still
wouldnt be tung oil. It would
simply be varnish made with tung
oil instead of some other oil.
Formby made contact with a
very large number of people, how-
ever, and his mislabeled wiping
varnish was a very good fnish. So
he won a big following and created
a market for fnishes labeled tung
oil. Soon other manufacturers
joined in with their own tung
oils. Some made their varnish
like Formby did by cooking alkyd
resin with modifed soybean oil.
Others cooked real tung oil with
one of the resins.
Some misunderstood what was
happening and actually sold real
tung oil in its raw state and this
really created problems. Incor-
rectly labeled or not, thinned var-
nish is an excellent fnish because
it cures hard. Tung oil doesnt cure
hard, so it cant be built up on the
wood without being sticky and
gummy.
Moreover, unlike boiled lin-
seed oil, which will produce an
evenly attractive satin sheen after
just two or three coats, tung oil
requires fve or more coats to pro-
duce an equivalent satin sheen.
And each coat requires several
days to cure and then has to be
sanded smooth before the next is
applied. Tung oil is a diffcult fn-
ish to apply effectively, and many
people who have tried it have been
very dissatisfed.
Despite the difficulties with
real tung oil, the market for a
thinned varnish fnish had been
established. So as time passed,
other manufacturers marketed
their own versions of wiping var-
nish. Unfortunately, many of the
manufacturers further confused
the marketplace by labeling their
finishes with non-informative
names such as Waterlox, Seal-a-
Cell, Salad Bowl Finish, Val-Oil,
Profn and more.
The result is that no one using
one of these brands now knows
what fnish they are using if they
do no more than read the label.
But all of these brands, being wip-
ing varnish, are easy to use, and
they produce excellent results.
Make Your Own
You dont, of course, have to buy
pre-packaged wiping varnish. You
can easily make your own. If you
do, you can choose which type of
varnish to use, polyurethane, spar
or alkyd, and you can also choose
between gloss and satin.
After choosing a varnish, turn
it into a wiping varnish by thin-
ning it with mineral spirits. (You
can also use turpentine, but there
is no advantage, and turpentine
is more expensive and has a more
pungent odor.)
To recreate a commercial
wiping varnish, thin the varnish
50/50 with mineral spirits. To get a
faster build, thin the varnish less.
The less you thin the varnish, the
You can see the differences in the build of four coats of varnish thinned with
25 percent mineral spirits (top) and 75 percent mineral spirits (bottom). Each
coat was brushed on and not wiped off. The lower the percentage of mineral
spirits the greater the build of each coat, but the more likely you are to get
brush marks and dust nibs.
To make your own wiping varnish, add mineral spirits to any varnish. The more
thinner you add, the better the nish will level and the less dust it will collect. But
the thickness of each coat will be less. Begin by thinning with one part mineral
spirits to two or three parts varnish, and adjust from there to your satisfaction.
TESTING FOR OIL: DOES IT GET HARD?
With all of the confused labeling from manufactur-
ers, how can you tell if a nish is wiping varnish? Its
simple. If the nish meets these three criteria, its wip-
ing varnish:
It thins and cleans up with paint thinner. (Min-
eral spirits, petroleum distillate or aromatic
hydrocarbon will be listed on the container.)
A puddle on top of the can, or on any non-porous
surface such as glass, gets hard within a day or two.
It is watery thin. (Full-strength varnish and poly-
urethane meet the rst two criteria, but they are rela-
tively thick, like syrup. They are also labeled varnish
or polyurethane, and wiping varnish is not.)
Curing hard is the critical characteristic because it
makes it possible to leave each coat of wiping varnish
wet on the surface as wet and thick as you want as
long as the nish doesnt puddle or run. You can build
coats one on top of another to achieve a thicker coat-
ing for better protection of the wood against moisture.
Confusion is caused because wiping varnish is
often sold or marketed as oil, and it is sometimes
included in the same category as oil in books and
magazine articles. But oil doesnt cure hard unless you
leave it for many months or years, and then only if it is
applied very thin. So all the excess oil has to be wiped
off after each application or you will end up with a
sticky, gummy mess. Oil is about as different from wip-
ing varnish as any nish can be.
Its true that oil is used as an ingredient in the
making of varnish, but remember that once the oil and
resin have been cooked, they are no longer oil or resin.
(See page 72.) I like to compare what happens in var-
nish to bread. Once you add water to our and yeast
to make bread, you cant go back to our or yeast, and
it would be foolish to call the bread our or yeast.
Likewise, it is totally inaccurate to call thinned varnish
oil or resin.
There are two categories of oil: natural oil, and
mixtures of oil and varnish. The two common natural
oils that can be used successfully as wood nishes
are linseed oil and tung oil. Linseed oil is pressed from
the seeds of the ax plant. Tung oil is pressed from
the nuts of the tung tree. This tree is native to China
but is now also grown in Argentina and the U.S. Gulf
States.
Linseed oil is sold as boiled linseed oil when
driers are added to cause the oil to cure faster
(overnight in a warm room when the excess is wiped
off). Without the driers, raw linseed oil takes
weeks or months to cure, even when all the excess
is wiped off. With or without the driers, the oil still
cures soft, the same as tung oil.
Both linseed oil and tung oil can be mixed with
any type of varnish, and the mixture can be thinned
with mineral spirits or turpentine. Many brands of
these mixtures are sold in home centers, paint stores
and in woodworking stores and catalogs.
Its important to stress that these are mixtures
or blends of oil and varnish. They are different than
varnish itself, which is oil and a hard resin that are
cooked together.
Because of the oil included in these mixtures,
oil/varnish blends dont cure hard. So you have to
wipe off all the excess after each application just as
you do with linseed oil and tung oil. Otherwise, you
will end up with a sticky, gummy surface.
Recently, I saw a woodworking magazine article
that compared a large number of wipe-on nishes
for characteristics such as viscosity, dry time, pene-
tration and solids content (ratio of nish to thinner).
Some of the nishes in the comparison were wiping
varnishes. Others were oil/varnish blends.
The article was virtually useless as an aid to
choosing a nish because the characteristic that
matters most, Does it cure hard? wasnt included.
You will never make sense of wipe-on nishes and
overcome the confusion caused by misleading label-
ing until you understand this distinction.
If a nish thins with mineral spirits, cures hard,
and is watery thin, it is wiping varnish. If a nish
thins with mineral spirits, is in liquid form (it isnt
wax), and cures soft, it is oil or a mixture of oil and
varnish. There arent any other possibilities for a n-
ish that thins with mineral spirits. BF
more you increase the possibility
of brush marks and bubbles curing
in the fnish. You also increase the
amount of dust that can stick to
the fnish because a thicker flm
(after the thinner evaporates)
takes longer to cure.
I suggest you begin with one
part thinner to two or three parts
varnish, and see how it feels to you.
You can always adjust the ratio as
you are applying the fnish.
Applying Wiping Varnish
There are three good methods of
applying wiping varnish: wipe off
all the excess; wipe off most of the
excess; leave the excess.
No matter which method
you use, you need to prepare the
wood frst by sanding out all the
machine marks and other faws.
The fnish wont disguise them; it
may highlight them.
In most cases begin sanding
by hand or with a power sander
using #100- or #120-grit sandpa-
per. Sand through all the wash-
boarding left by jointers, planers,
routers and shapers, and sand out
any other problems.
Then sand with #150- or #180-
grit sandpaper. If you use a power
sander for example, a random-
orbit sander its a good idea to
fnish off by hand-sanding in the
direction of the wood grain using
the same grit or one numbered grit
fner to remove squigglies.
Of the three application meth-
ods the most foolproof is to apply
the fnish just like you do an oil
fnish. Wipe or brush the fnish
onto the wood, keep it wet for a few
minutes until no more dry spots
develop, then wipe off the excess
with a cloth, leaving the surface
just barely damp.
Let the finish cure for four
hours to overnight depending
on how warm your shop is, then
sand the fnish smooth using #280
or fner grit sandpaper. I usually
use #320 or #400 stearated (gray)
These are examples of oil/varnish blends, simply mixtures of linseed oil or tung oil and
varnish, usually thinned with mineral spirits. You can tell that a nish is an oil/varnish blend if it contains mineral
spirits and a puddle on top of the can or other non-porous surface takes days or weeks to cure to a very soft and
usually wrinkled lm.
If dust nibs remain in the nish after the nal coat, rub the surface lightly with
a brown paper bag. The paper is abrasive enough to smooth over the nibs,
but not so abrasive that it leaves scratches in the nish. Be sure the nish has
thoroughly hardened before doing this.
sandpaper, which includes a soap-
type lubricant to resist clogging.
Sand just enough so the surface
feels smooth. Dont sand through
to the wood.
Dust the surface using a vac-
uum or a tack (sticky-varnish)
cloth you can buy at paint stores,
and apply another coat in the same
manner as the frst. Continuing
with the same steps, apply as many
coats as you need to achieve the
look you want.
Dont sand the last coat.
Instead, if there are some dust
nibs that you can feel, simply rub
the surface lightly with a brown
paper bag. This will smooth over
the dust nibs so that you dont feel
them anymore (though you may
still be able to see the faws in a
refected light).
Because you are wiping off the
excess, you may need to apply fve
or more coats to get enough build
for a nice-looking fnish. To reduce
the number of coats, simply leave
more of the wiping varnish on the
surface. In other words, dont wipe
off as much of the excess.
To get an even faster build,
brush the wiping varnish and
leave it just as you would full-
strength varnish. The fnish will
collect more dust nibs this way
because it will take longer to dry.
But it will level well (as long as it
has been thinned enough), and
you can always sand out the dust
nibs and apply a thinner fnal coat
to achieve near perfection.
You can get an even faster build
by brushing several coats of full-
strength varnish, and then sand
the surface level to remove brush
marks and dust nibs. Finally, apply
a fnal coat or two of wiping var-
nish, which you mostly wipe off.
If you apply a coat of wiping
varnish, or full-strength varnish
for that matter, and the varnish
doesnt level well, bubbles dont
pop out, or excessive dust collects
on the surface, you can remove
the still uncured fnish for up to
an hour or so by wiping with a
rag soaked with mineral spirits or
naphtha. You wont damage the
cured fnish underneath.
At any time in the life of the
fnish, you can recoat with more
wiping varnish to renew the sur-
face. Just be sure that the surface
is clean and dull clean of grease
and other foreign material and not
glossy. One method of achieving
this is to wash the surface with
detergent, and then lightly sand
or use steel wool. PW
After sanding the wood to remove
machine marks and other aws, use a
cloth to wipe on a wet coat of wiping
varnish. You can control the wetness
of the cloth to apply an evenly wet
coat of nish everywhere. Otherwise,
come back over with a drier cloth
and even out the thickness or totally
remove the excess. You can also use
a brush for application, of course,
but I nd that using a cloth is much
faster unless you intend to leave all
the excess.
After each coat has cured hard
enough so it powders when sanded
(four hours to overnight, with the
time being longer the thicker the n-
ish and the lower the room tempera-
ture), hand sand the nish smooth.
Remove the raised grain after the rst
coat, and dust nibs after all coats. Use
the nest grit that will remove the
roughness efciently usually #280
to #400 grit. Dont sand more than
necessary to make the surface feel
smooth or you might sand through.
After removing the sanding dust
using a tack cloth or vacuum (so
as not to stir up dust in the air), brush
or wipe on another coat of wiping
varnish. Brush and leave the excess if
you want to build the thickness with
fewer coats. Wipe and remove part
or all of the excess if you are trying to
keep the nish build thin, or if you are
having problems with brush marks,
bubbles or too much dust sticking to
the wet nish.
75
Arts & Crafts
I
n days gone by, a chest similar
to this would contain a brides
dowry. The form goes back to
Gothic times, but this is an adap-
tation of a Gustav Stickley piece
from 1901. Admiring the lines of
this piece, I was curious to see how
the design would look with con-
trasting materials, not the usual
Craftsman dark oak. The panels
are quilted birds eye maple, and
the other parts are Jatoba, also
known as Brazilian cherry.
The original was made of quar-
tersawn white oak with wrought-
by Robert W. Lang
Comments or questions? Contact Bob at 513-531-2690 ext. 1327
or robert.lang@fwpubs.com
Contrasting woods highlight the elegant lines
of this Gustav Stickley-designed classic.
iron braces on the corners. What
makes this unusual for a Stickley
design are the decorative corbels
on the panels. These also appeared
on a few dining room case pieces
made in the early 1900s.
Decorative curved elements
in Stickley furniture are usually
associated with Harvey Ellis, who
worked for Stickley in 1903. This
design appeared well before Ellis
worked for Stickley, and before
Stickley wrote against using purely
decorative elements in his furni-
ture catalogs.
Stickley doesnt always get the
credit he deserves as a furni-
ture designer. Building this
bridal chest with non-tra-
ditional materials takes his
design out of the Craftsman
context, and shows Stickleys
remarkable sense of line, pro-
portion and texture.
In many of the original bridal
chests I have seen, the center pan-
els have cracked. I think the cor-
bels are the culprits, keeping the
solid-wood panels from expanding
and contracting in the grooves of
the stiles. To avoid this problem,
I decided to use veneered panels.
The veneer is on a core of
1
2"-
thick Medium-density Fiberboard
(MDF), and the backing veneer is
sycamore, a less-expensive alter-
native to the fgured faces.
The veneer on the wider center
and end panels is bookmatched. I
pressed the panels one at a time in
a simple shop-made cold press, and
worked on the chests solid-wood
components while the glue on the
panels was curing.
If you think of this chest as a
simple box, most of the work is
in the five paneled assemblies:
the front and back, two ends and
BRIDAL CHEST
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3
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2
3
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1
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2"
1
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2" lyp. 1"
41"
2
1
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2" 3"
1"
12
1
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4" 4" 4
5
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8" 5
3
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4"
4
5
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8"
11
3
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4"
14
3
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4"
21"
12
3
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4"
1"
2"
1
/
2"
2
1
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2"
1
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2"
1
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2"
1
1
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4"
40"
3
1
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2"
3
1
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2"
13"
14"
20"
7"
8"
13
1
/
2"
14
1
/
2"
25"
21"
1
1
/
4"
3
1
/
2"
13
3
/
4"
3
1
/
2"
3"
3
1
/
2" 3
1
/
2" 13"
21"
1
/
2"
1
/
4"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
3
/
8"
3
/
8"
1"
2"
3
/
8"
1
/
4"
4
5
/
8"
1
1
/
4"
3
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
4"
3
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
3
/
8" 3
/
8"
1
1
/
4"
the top. The panel assemblies are
joined with mortises and tenons,
and each of the four legs is really
two stiles with the long edges
mitered together.
I fabricated all of the stiles and
rails, and then dry-ft each of the
panel assemblies before cutting
and assembling the miter joints
that connect the legs.
Managing Bits and Pieces
This isnt really a difficult proj-
ect to build; the hardest part is
keeping track of what piece goes
where. The applied corbels make
it necessary for the panel grooves
to be off-center on the edges of the
stiles and rails. As I cut the parts
I decided where they would go in
the finished chest, and marked
each one with a lumber crayon. As
I worked on the joints I paid close
attention to which face of each
part was the outside piece.
After cutting the panel parts to
size, I grouped four of the leg pieces
together and marked them out as
Horizontal section Section detail
Elevation
Vertical section
Prole
Lid plan
Section detail
2
1
/
4"
1" grid
13
3
/
4"
1
/
2"
79
left-handed pieces, using a story
pole to transfer the measurements.
I then laid out the other four leg
pieces as right-handed, marking
the locations of the grooves for
the panels and the mortises that
hold the stiles and rails together.
The mortises are the same
width as, and in line with, the
grooves that capture the panels.
These
3
8"-wide grooves are set

1
2"
back from the outside face of the
stiles and rails, so I had to be care-
ful to keep all the parts oriented
correctly as I milled the grooves.
I cut the stopped grooves with
a stack dado set on the table saw,
carefully lowering and raising the
legs on and off the cutters. Because
the mortises fall in the ends of the
grooves, the exact length of the
ARTS & CRAFTS BRIDAL CHEST
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL COMMENTS
T W L
2 Top stiles 1
1
4 4
5
8 41 Jatoba
2 Top end rails 1
1
4 4
5
8 13
3
4 Jatoba 11
3
4" between tenons, 1" TBE

2 Top center rails 1
1
4 4 13
3
4 Jatoba 11
3

2 Top end panels
1
2 6
3
4 12
3
4 Maple
3
8" x
1
2" tongue around edge

1 Top center panel
1
2 13
1
4 12
3
4 Maple
3
8" x
1

8 Legs 1
1
4 3
1
2 23
3
4 Jatoba
4 F&B, top & bottom rails 1
1
4 3
1
2 35 Jatoba 33" between tenons, 1" TBE

4 F&B, center stiles 1
1
4 2
3
4 15
3
4 Jatoba 13
3

4 F&B end panels
1
2 8 14
3
4 Maple
3
8" x
1

2 F&B center panels
1
2 14
1
2 14
3
4 Maple
3
8" x
1

4 Side, top & bottom rails 1
1
4 3
1
2 15 Jatoba 13" between tenons, 1" TBE

2 Side panels
1
2 14 14
3
4 Maple
3
8" x
1

16 Corbels
3
8 2
1
4 13
3
4 Jatoba Cut to pattern

2 Bottom cleats
3
4
3
4 37
1
2 Jatoba
2 Bottom cleats
3
4
3
4 16 Jatoba
5 Bottom planks
3
4 3
3
16 37
1
2 Cedar
1
4" x
1
4" tongue & groove

1 Bottom plank
3
4 2
15
16 37
1
2 Cedar
1
4" x
1
4" groove
TBE: Tenon both ends
With the dimensions marked on a story pole, the locations for the mortises
are marked on the legs as a group.
The mortiser is set with the chisel
ush with the panel groove. Plunge
the bit and chisel to make distinct
holes, then come back and clean up
the waste in between.
Each of the tenons is planed to t snugly in its mortise. A batten across the
bench eliminates the need to clamp the parts while tting.
grooves isnt critical. The grooves
in the rails and in the interme-
diate stiles run the full length of
those parts. After milling all the
grooves, I began making mortises
with my hollow-chisel mortiser,
setting the distance from the fence
to the chisel to match the location
of the groove.
The tenons were cut with a
stack dado set on the table saw,
and then trimmed to a piston ft
with a shoulder plane. With the
individual panels dry-assembled,
I made sure that the faces of the
joints were fush with a few swipes
of my smoothing plane.
Corbel pattern
Story pole
Batten
Groove
Setting the cutter above the table surface cuts a consistently sized tongue on
the back of the panels.
Strips of clear packing tape across the joint let the miters
fold together. More tape and additional clamps provide a
tight, strong joint.
Getting Ready to Assemble
I cut the veneered panels to their
fnal size, and then milled a rabbet
on the back of each panel on the
router table. With a slot-cutting
bit set just under
3
8" above the

table surface, I made a tongue that
slipped in the grooves of the stiles
and rails. This is a good technique
when working with plywood pan-
els of inconsistent thickness as the
fxed distance between the table
and cutter will produce a consis-
tent part that matches the width
of the groove. I then sanded the
With the back panel lying face
down on the bench, I assembled
the rails and panels for the sides.
Once they were in place, I put glue
on the tenons and dropped the
front panel assembly in place. I
then set the chest upright on my
bench and clamped across the
ends, checking for square.
After the glue on the solid
parts had dried, I sanded the out-
side of the chest with a random-
orbit sander, working from #100
grit up to #220, followed by a hand
sanding with #280 grit. The top
panel was then put together and
sanded smooth.
Adding the Corbels
I made the
3
8"-thick corbels by
resawing some of the 1
1
4"-thick
stock left over from making the
rest of the chest. After planing
them to thickness, I stacked four
pieces together with double-faced
carpet tape holding the layers
together. I made a pattern of the
corbel shape from
1
2" MDF, and

traced the outline on the top layer
of the stack.
Using stock a few inches lon-
ger than I needed, and interlock-
ing the patterns, I was able to get
eight corbels from each stack. I
cut the pieces on the band saw,
and sanded the curved edges on
the spindle sander before taking
the stacks apart. With a
1
8"-radius
roundover bit in my laminate
trimmer, I eased the curved edges
before sanding the corbels.
The corbels are glued to the
panels and edges of the stiles. I
used a couple
3
4"-long 23-gauge
headless pins to fasten the wider
part of the corbels to the panels,
flling the nail holes with some
sawdust and cyanoacrylate glue.
I hand sanded the entire cabinet,
and applied three coats of Water-
lox wiping varnish before hinging
the lid and putting in the tongue-
and-groove bottom.
I used four 2
1
2"-long, no-
mortise hinges for the lid, spac-
ing them evenly along the top
rail of the back of the chest. To
hold the lid in the open position,
I used a pair of toy-box supports.
Because the chest was still bot-
Rails and panels for the sides are slipped into the already-assembled back panel.
veneered panels to #220 grit to
prepare things for assembly.
Before assembling any of the
panels, I cut 45 bevels on the long
edge of each leg that didnt have
the groove for the panels. I glued
pairs of legs together, clamping
them with a combination of clear
packing tape and clamps. After
letting the glue on these joints dry
overnight, I glued together the
front- and back-panel assemblies.
The two end-panel assemblies are
put together as the entire case is
assembled.
SUPPLIES
Rockler
800-279-4441 or rockler.com
2 pair bronze no-mortise
hinges
#28696, $1.99/pair
1 RH lid support
#26229, $4.39
1 LH lid support
#26195, $4.39
81
Assembling
the front and
back panels rst
simplies the
nal assembly
putting the sides
together results
in a completed
case.
The assembled
chest is ipped
upright, the
corners are
checked for
square and the
case is clamped.
A stack of four blanks held together with double-sided
tape yields eight matching corbels.
After cutting, the edges are sanded with the stack still
stuck together.
The difference in thickness between
the corbel and the adjacent stile and
rail adds visual interest.
tomless, I could lay it on its back
on my bench, and reach inside to
position the supports.
Getting to the Bottom
I dont have a daughter, so this
chest will live at the foot of our
bed, holding extra blankets. I
placed
3
4" by
3
4" cleats around

the perimeter of the bottom, fush
with the bottom edge of the rails.
The bottom planks are
3
4"-thick
aromatic cedar, held together with
simple tongue-and-groove joints.
I nailed the bottom planks to the
cleats at the edges and ends. The
cedar is left unfnished.
In the end, this chest has a
clean, contemporary look with
classic proportions. Changing
the material may have disguised
its origin, but the strength of the
design shines through. Good
design, after all, is timeless. PW
I
f you take a look at all the new tools that
are now sporting laser-guidance devices
(disregarding laser levels well come back
to those shortly) youll notice that in general
the tools are designed for the do-it-yourselfer
category, not the professional. Do the profes-
sional woodworkers know something that
everyone should know? We think so.
Are LASERS
Just A Gimmick?
Lasers are popping up on all sorts of tools.
Are they useful or just clever marketing?
We investigate.
I reviewed all the woodworking tools avail-
able online and found the following tools
equipped with lasers for a variety of prom-
ised benefts: drill presses, miter saws (a lot
of miter saws), jigsaws, table saws (OK, its an
accessory), levels (an unbelievable number
of levels), drills, circular saws, band saws and
even a scrollsaw.
Dont get me wrong, lasers are really cool
and if I fnd a tool with a laser on it, I want to
give it a try. But the reality is, many of these
tools dont beneft in performance from the
addition of a laser, though their sales might
beneft because of lack of knowledge.
So where did all these lasers come from?
The frst tools to add a laser were levels. This
was a commercial application for an instal-
lation problem and it worked well. Installers
hanging drywall, construction workers sight-
ing walls, ceilings and more beneft daily from
an accurate, level line that doesnt have to be
erased. Since that successful inception, the
technology has become so affordable that there
are laser levels popping up for home use at a
great price. Good for us, because these can be
handy tools to have in the toolbox!
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
But before you run out and buy one, I do
want to point out something that may escape
your attention when youre being blinded by
the ruby light in the checkout line: Profes-
sional laser levels will generate an accurate
line up to 100' and maintain a +/
1
64" level
of accuracy. Ill buy that, but itll cost me $200.
A consumer laser costing about $40 will give
a +/
1
8" accuracy at 14'. I think you get the

point. Its not the lasers fault, its the levelling
platform that is built around the laser itself. It
still comes back to the accuracy of the bubble
level used to set up the laser. So shop with
knowledge about what youre buying.
by David Thiel
Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-
2690 ext. 1255 or david.thiel@fwpubs.com.
B
eyond levels, what other tools benefit
from the addition of light amplifcation
by stimulated emission of radiation?
Miter Saws
Once lasers started getting really affordable,
they began appearing on miter saws. Is this a
good idea or bad?
Well, its generally good, but it might not
be the best thing for you. Using a miter saw
has always posed the diffculty of lining
up the blade with your mark on the board.
You get used to bringing the non-spinning
blade down to the work to check your cut.
Then you bring the blade back up, start the
motor and make your cut. By adding a laser
that can tell you exactly where your cut will
be on the board without bringing the blade
down, you cut your time in half. So laser miter
saws are good.
That is, unless the laser mark isnt accurate,
you cant remember which side of the blade it
indicates, it moves during the cut, it cant be
adjusted or it requires the blade to be spinning
at speed before you can position your board.
All of these are diffculties that have arisen
on the many models of miter saws now sport-
ing lasers. Not all of them are bad, but if you
dont trust your clever laser, then you end up
aligning the board with the laser, still testing
the mark by bringing the blade to the wood
and then making the cut. Now youve added
a third step to the two-step process.
Two companies, Delta (800-223-7278 or
deltawoodworking.com) and Porter-Cable
(800-487-8665 or portercable.com), have saws
that use twin laser emitters that put parallel
lines on the work indicating both sides of the
blade, so theres no question where the cut will
occur. The laser is switched independent of
the motor and can be used without the blade
spinning. Both laser lines are adjustable to
compensate for misalignment or when using
a thinner blade. If you cant pop for the dual
laser, fnd a single laser that adjusts easily and
works without requiring a spinning blade.
Youll need to decide if your work will ben-
eft from a laser miter saw, but look at one that
offers beneft rather than sizzle.
Drill Presses
The frst time someone told me that Craftsman
(800-549-4505 or craftsman.com) had a drill
press with a laser guide, I started to laugh, then
stopped. Just like a miter saw, the drill press
requires bringing the cutting tool to the work
to align the cut. So the idea of a laser to guide
the way does make sense on a drill press.
Craftsman isnt the only one offering a
laser-guided drill press these days. Some manu-
facturers offer integral lasers and others are
aftermarket accessories. All give you a set of
crosshairs to identify the center of the bit,
rather than a single straight line.
The caveat with the drill press lasers is mak-
ing sure they can be easily adjusted if theyre
off-calibration. The concept itself is sound, as
long as it can be accurately adjusted. So laser
drill presses arent a gimmick.
Table Saws
Ive been making cuts on table saws for 25 years
and Ive developed my own method for align-
ing the blade with my cut mark. I know when
to squint at the blade and from what position
with darn-good results.
But I also know that its pretty easy to be
off by
1
8" if youre not squinting just right. So

Woodline (800-472-6950 or woodline.com)
is now offering a laser that can be mounted to
the ceiling above your table saw that will throw
a nice red line across your work right where
the blade will cut a neat concept.
Problems? Well, you need to make
sure that your ceiling is stable enough
to support a laser without wiggling and
jumping. You also need to make sure you set
it up perfectly and that your table saw wont
move (even
1
32") or your line will be off. That

pretty much rules out contractor-style table
saws. This is a pretty new idea, and if they can
figure out some of the little details, it does make
sense. Id also recommend that manufacturers
consider the dual-laser option on the table saw,
so you know which side is waste.
Circular Saws
This one I like and Im glad to see it. Granted,
Im a woodworker, and the circular saw is more
of a construction tool. But I use one on many
occasions to get sheets of plywood down to
a manageable size for my table saw. And Ive
never been able to use the silly notch in the
base plate to align the blade accurately with
my cut line. Maybe Im not leaning far enough
to one side or the other, but Im always missing
the mark by
1
8" or so.
By adding a simple laser to the front end
of a circular saw, suddenly I know where that
blade is going to cut. And thats an empower-
ing feeling! Could it be better? Sure! Give me
dual-laser lines so Im sure to cut on the right
side of my line.
MITER
SAW
DRILL
PRESS
CIRCULAR SAW
GOOD idea
T
his is the side of the street where market-
ing has taken the drivers seat and reason
has been bound with duct tape and tossed in
the trunk. Just because you can put a laser on
a tool doesnt mean you should.
And even if youre a woodworker who uses
your scrollsaw for straight work, why do you
need a laser to follow the line? Its right there
on the board in front of you where the blade
is touching it.
Putting a laser on a scrollsaw is redundant
at best and just silly in our opinion.
Band Saws
Putting a laser on a band saw is a debatable
concept as to whether its a useful idea, but I
think Ill argue against it.
While band saws are capable of cutting
a straight line, and they do get used for that
purpose, there are physical forces involved that
make it unlikely to be useful to add a laser.
Because band saw blades have a drift ten-
dency (the blade pulls at an angle making it
necessary to angle the board on the table to
make a straight cut), its hard to even orient
a rip fence on a band saw to make a straight
cut. Some fences adjust for the drift of the
blade and any laser would have to have the
same capability.
Even if you can adjust the laser for drift
every time you change the blade, it sounds
like a lot more work than its worth. Its a nice
try, but no, its a gimmick.
Drills
I sat through a manufacturers demonstra-
tion on adding a laser to a corded drill. The
thing looked like a tumor stuck on the top of
the drill and I spent a few minutes trying to
fgure out why this was a good thing to add to
a drill. They spent more than a few minutes
trying to convince me it was a good idea. I
still dont get it.
The drill/laser essentially throws two
perpendicular lines ending at the drill point.
Company offcials argued that it would allow
you square projects, and assist in horizontal
and vertical drilling.
It would be one thing if the laser would indi-
cate if the drill is being held in a perpendicular
attitude to the work surface. This would be
quite helpful. Unfortunately thats not what
the drills laser did.
Nope, Im not buying it. Figure out how to
make the laser show perpendicular accuracy
and Ill move it out of the gimmick column.
Conclusion
While I cant guess how many more tools will
arrive on the market with lasers attached, Im
willing to predict that many of them wont last
through the frst sales season.
Im also willing to predict that the tools
that do make sense will stick around. Its your
job to control those shopping urges until
you consider the applications for a new
laser tool. If you need a laser just to
own a laser, buy a laser pointer
... theyre cheaper. PW
Jigsaws
Dont get me wrong, I love a jigsaw. I dont
know what Id do without one. But I need one
so that I can cut curved and circular patterns
in wood. Theres no portable power tool that
can, as effciently, cut out a reindeer for the
front yard or the scrollwork for a hutch.
But these projects make my point for me;
Theyre curved. Sure, you can try to cut a
straight line with a jigsaw, but its likely to look
more like an undulation than an underline.
So what good is shining a crease-straight
laser line on the board if the saw isnt
capable of following it anyway?
Chalk one up for the marketing
team in this category. Sure theyll
sell a bunch of them, but theyre
better off putting a light on the
front of the jigsaw (which they have,
thank you) than a laser.
Scrollsaws
Ack! If a jigsaw isnt an appropriate use for
a laser, how in the world is a scrollsaw
even conscionable? A straight line
is the opposite of what this saw is
designed to cut! And unlike a jig-
saw, scrollsaws use thin enough blades
that you can actually track a decent straight
line, even if it is only 1" long.
just a GIMMICK
JIGSAW
SCROLLSAW
DRILL
Te NEWEST TOOLS
O
nce a year the woodworking tool manufacturers roll out their
newest and brightest offerings for the press and the public.
This years showcase event was the Association of Wood-
working and Furnishings Suppliers (AWFS) show in Las Vegas.
We had the chance to look at some great tools and machinery, and
even kick the tires on a few of them. Unfortunately not all of these tools
and accessories are ready for market yet, so we (and you) will have to
wait a little longer to fnd out how they perform in a shop.
In fact, sometimes a tool will briefy pop up its head at one of these
shows and then disappear to be redesigned, so if all these tools arent
available by the end of the year, thats sometimes the reason why.
But we can share our excitement about a few of the most impressive
tools and machines that were on display this year. Hope this whets
your tool-buying appetite! David Thiel, senior editor
We spend a fair amount of time explaining to
readers how its possible for Grizzly Industrial
(800-523-4777 or grizzly.com) to sell quality
machines at a low price. Its cutting out the
middle man and working closely with the
manufacturer. But many woodworkers still
dont believe the machines can be quality
because of the affordable pricing. Now Griz-
zlys making it harder to convince everyone
by cutting prices yet again.
Whats most remarkable about this latest
move from Grizzly is that it comes
when many manufacturers have
been squeezed by increases in the
cost of raw materials (steel and
iron) and rising energy costs. Somehow, Griz-
zly has managed to keep many prices steady
and even introduce new machines at enviable
prices. All should be available now, except for
the lathe. (Look for it in January 2006.)
10" x 84" Spiral Cutterhead Jointer (G0480)
3-horsepower motor, top-mount switch, four-
knife cutterhead and handwheels for $1,895.
8" x 75" Jointer (G0586) 2-hp motor,
top-mount switch, four-knife cutterhead and
hand wheels for $625.
6" x 46" Mobile Jointer (G0452) 1-hp
motor, pedestal-mounted switch, three-knife
cutterhead and an integral mobile base for
just $325.
15" Mobile Planer (G0453) 3-hp, under-
mount motor, cast-iron infeed and outfeed
tables, integral mobile base and two speed
feeds (16 and 30 fpm) for $750.
Heavy-Duty Wood Lathe (G0456) 2-hp
electronic variable-speed motor with digi-
from the
Las Vegas
AWFS
Show
tal readout, 43" between centers and a 20"
swing over the bed, built-in 12" disc sander
for $1,395.
14" Industrial Band Saw (G0457) 2-hp
motor, cast-iron wheels, 10" resaw capacity,
steel storage cabinet and dual-height resaw
fence for $795. DT
Despite Rising Materials Costs, Grizzly Claws Down its Prices
Powermatic Rethinks Mortisers, Builds a Retro Table Saw
The WMH Tool Group (Powermatic and
Jet) outdid themselves this year, offering the
widest range of new products. Two available
this fall from Powermatic (800-274-6848 or
powermatic.com) made us take notice.
Being carefully billed as not a replace-
ment for the venerable Model 66 cabinet saw,
the new PM2000 10" Cabinet Saw has many
features that will make a 66-user happy.
The new left-tilt saw will be available with
either a 3-hp or 5-hp motor, a full cabinet,
beefy trunnion design (though different than
the trunnion design on the 66) and a qual-
ity Accu-Fence system that is much like the
beloved Biesemeyer system.
But the newest features are what really
caught our eye. The saw has a fully integrated
mobile base that disappears when not needed.
Its operated by one of the handwheels used for
moving the saws arbor (very cool). The blade
guard is a signifcant improvement, too. It
moves up and down with the arbor like a Euro-
pean-style guard. At the show, Powermatic was
not showing the saw with a European-style
riving knife, however, which we would like to
see. A riving knife would allow through cuts
while protecting against kickback. Stay tuned
to see how the market responds.
Other nice tweaks include a large cast-iron
table, an arbor lock that allows one-wrench
blade changing and a shrouded blade for
improved dust collection. Add a slick retro
design and the 3-hp PM2000 with a 50" fence
is expected to retail for about $2,299 and
should be available in early November.
And this isnt the only new table saw from
Powermatic. Look for even more info later.
Powermatic has also upgraded its bench
mortiser (Model 701) to address many of the
shortcomings of mortisers on the market
today. The hold-down on the 701, always a
weak spot on many other benchtop machines,
looks like a winner. Hold-downs rarely actu-
ally hold anything down for long. They tend
to work loose and come up off their post after a
few mortises. Other problems with hold-downs
include the fact that they never seem to be
able to work well with narrow stock or really
tall stock. The 701s hold-down is an L-shaped
fork that can be turned upside down to handle
narrow stuff. And, most importantly, it has a
large hand-tightened threaded nut on top that
keeps the hold-down locked down.
Another nice feature that youve never
seen before is a built-in spacer that allows you
to set the tools chisel the proper distance away
from the auger bit. Usually you have to use a
dime to set the spacing, or guess, or just burn
up your bit. The 701 has two little integrated
spacers that slide in and out to help set the
chisel quickly and properly.
We also liked the stop on the machine.
Some, but not all machines, have a stop that
tends to slip, usually ending up in you boring
a nice mortise in your machines table. The
701s stop rides on the same dovetailed channel
that the head moves on. We put all our weight
on it and couldnt make it slip.
The machine is powered by a
3
4-hp, 1,725
rpm motor, has a reversible handle for use on
the left side or right side of the machine, a
rack-and-pinion fence for quick adjustments
and a nice tool holder that will even accom-
modate your machines sharpening cones.
Look for it to price at $399.
DT and Christopher Schwarz
IIJIWIII :!'WIII
1-800-968-4250 pw.panopIycorp.co
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We deI i ver har d t o f i nd har dwood pI y wood and veneer
s t r ai ght t o your door.
0hoose f r o t he above 6 s t andar d speci es i n a var i et y
of cor es and t hi cknes ses.
0t her speci es avai I abI e upon r eques t .
JessEm Mast-R-Slide 7500
This is an accessory weve been waiting years for someone to make a
sliding table that attaches to a standard table saw without extension
legs and an engineering degree.
JessEm Tool Co.s (866-272-7492 or jessem.com) new sliding table
(available now) is sized to help with many of the crosscutting applica-
tions on a table saw that a miter gauge even a quality aftermarket
model cant handle. Yes, there have been sliding tables available for
years, but they required a single location for the saw because every time
you moved things, the leg system needed to be readjusted to match.
Other systems that avoided the foor problem included a guide bar that
extended into the operators area that added, shall we say, a hazard.
The Mast-R-Slide offers three positions for its crosscut fence. The
middle position is designed for mitered cuts. The front and rear posi-
tions allow the user to crosscut up to a 36"-wide panel thats secured
either at the front or back.
The fence telescopes out to handle long stock, with a closed capac-
ity of 28" and an extended position that will cut a maximum length of
48" using the included fip-stop excellent! Many sliding tables and
aftermarket miter gauges are either too short to be useful or too long
for everyday operations. The JessEm has the best of both worlds: long
enough for daily use and the ability to get longer when you need it.
Even more important, the design of the fence locks in at 90 to the
blade and stays there, even after you remove and replace the fence.
One of our major long-running frustrations with sliding tables is the
constant testing and retesting required whenever you re-attach the
fence after removing it for ripping operations.
The JessEm solves this problem by offering fxed attachment points
for the fence when it is in the forward and rear positions. Other sliding
table units rely on a system where you pivot the fence and then rest
it against a stop to square it to the blade. And the stop is not always
reliable hence the test cuts.
You may consider the $540 a little steep, but if youve ever wrestled
with this problem youll be more than willing to pay the price.
DT
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Fires 1/4 thru 9/16 PowerShot
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Model# 5700
UNITED STATES: 271 Mayhill Street, Saddle Brook, NJ 07663
CANADA: Jardel Distributors, Inc. 6505 Metropolitan Blvd. East, Montreal, Quebec H1P 1X9
UNITED KINGDOM: Unit 5, ZK Park, 23 Commerce Way, Croydon CR0 4ZS Surrey
2005 ARROW FASTENER COMPANY, INC.
Festool Drill Designed
for Forever
For many woodworkers, cordless drills are dis-
posable. You buy one every few years (usually
the one on sale) and use it until the batteries
or the motors brushes give out. But what if
someone made a drill designed for a lifetime?
We think Festool may have done just that.
Festool (888-337-8600 or festoolusa.com),
has added a new lightweight 12-volt drill to its
product line. Lightweight is good on its own
3 lbs., 13.4 oz. with a 3.0 Amp hours (Ah)
NiMh battery is better. And while the tools
stats and balance are nice, whats really amaz-
ing is whats inside. The motor that drives this
little powerhouse is brushless. When engineers
tested the drills longevity they put it up against
other premium drills. After about 60,000
screws, most of the other drills needed their
brushes changed. After about 120,000 screws
the other drills were pretty much cooked. But
the Festool didnt show any signs of wear after
250,000 screws. Ditto for 500,000 screws. And
when they opened up the motor after 750,000
screws, they still couldnt fnd signs of wear,
according to Festool offcials.
The drill uses the familiar Festool Centro-
tec chuck and the quality features we expect
from Festool. The C12 is now available in
three battery systems. The 1.3 Ah NiCad will
price at $345; the 2.4 Ah NiCad prices at $365
and the 3.0 Ah NiMh goes for $395. Thats
an expensive drill, but if you spend $75 every
couple years on a new drill anyway, the math
might make sense. DT & CS
Ash .............................. 4/4 Select 2.40 ........................................... $ 85.00
Basswood ................... 4/4 Select 1.95 ........................................... $ 72.00
Birch ............................ 4/4 Select 2.75 ........................................... $ 89.00
Butternut ..................... 4/4 1C 2.30 ........................................... $ 77.00
Cherry ......................... 4/4 Select 4.90 ........................................... $110.00
Hickory - Pecan .......... 4/4 Select 2.85 ........................................... $ 89.00
Mahogany (Genuine) .. 4/4 Select 3.90 ........................................... $100.00
Maple (Hard) ............... 4/4 Select 3.15 ........................................... $ 96.00
Maple (Soft) ................ 4/4 Select 2.30 ........................................... $ 79.00
Poplar ......................... 4/4 Select 1.75 ........................................... $ 72.00
Red Oak ...................... 4/4 Select 2.50 ........................................... $ 88.00
Walnut ......................... 4/4 Select 4.00 ........................................... $100.00
White Oak ................... 4/4 Select 2.50 ........................................... $ 88.00
Cedar (Aromatic Red) . 4/4 1C+Btr. 1.80 ........................................... $ 72.00
Cypress ....................... 4/4 Select 2.40 ........................................... $ 80.00
White Pine ................... 4/4 F.G. 1.20 ........................................... $ 62.00
Yellow Pine ................. 4/4 Clear 2.00 ........................................... $ 74.00
UPS
Specials
Send $1.00 For Lumber Catalog
Prices Subject to Change Without Notice
Above prices are for 100 quantities of kilndried rough
lumber sold by the Bd. Ft. FOB Mayodan, NC. Call for
quantity discounts. Other sizes and grades available.
Above prices are 20 bd. ft. bundles of clear kilndried
lumber 3"-10" wide 3 -7 long (Random widths &
lengths) Surfaced 2 sides or rough. Delivered UPS
prepaid in the Continental U.S.
*NOW AVAILABLE*
4/4 Log Run Walnut
100 bd. ft. $160
STEVE H. WALL
LUMBER CO.
BOX 287
MAYODAN, N.C. 27027
336-427-0637
1-800-633-4062
FAX 336-427-7588
Email: wood@walllumber.com
Website: www.walllumber.com
STEVE WALL LUMBER CO.
Quality Hardwoods and Woodworking machinery For The Craftsman
and Educational Institutions
Also Available
Exotic Lumber
Custom Made Raised
Panel Cabinet Doors
S
E
E
O
U
R
C
A
T
A
L
O
G

O
N
T
H
E

W
E
B
!
For years Freud (800-334-4107 or freudtools.
com) has been quietly offering a small selec-
tion of well-priced power tools for woodwork-
ers. This year, however, the company has
decided to make some noise by introducing
a more complete line of routers that will, of
course, accept all the Freud router bits.
The new line includes two new rout-
ers, a 3
1
4-hp, variable-speed plunge (the

FT3000VCE, priced at $289) and a 2
1
4-hp,
variable-speed fxed-base model (the FT1700,
$189). Plus, Freuds redressed single-speed,
3
1
4-hp plunge router has been redesignated

the FT2200VCE ($189).
The 15-amp FT3000VCE is the only
plunge router of this size that offers through-
the-base height adjustment of the bit, making
it very handy for router-table work without
the extra expense of a router lift. The tool
also features variable speed with electronic
feedback to maintain torque under load. The
electronics include a soft-start feature that is a
real beneft in a router of this size. Plus theres
a rack-and-pinion plunge mechanism and a
detachable dust-collection port.
The FT1700 fixed-base router offers
through-the-base height adjustment for con-
venient router-table use. The tool also features
variable speed and a spindle lock. (Release
date: October 2006). DT
New Freud Routers Include a Fixed-base Tool
Wood to Dye For
Were still coming up with ideas for what you
would do with this product (in fact you cant
buy it yet), but its just such a fun and kooky
idea we wanted to share it with you.
The company, TS Woods (tswoods.com),
is named after Tom Frink and his son Shawn.
Their business is adding color to living trees.
The trees will accept color from the base of
the tree to the tips of the leaves or needles.
All the parts of the tree can be used and the
process is nontoxic, colorfast and takes only
a few weeks to complete on a live tree.
Tom colored his frst aspen grove in 1964
and for the past 40 years the father and son
pair have successfully colored more than 35
different varieties of trees.
The process introduces colored patterns
and striations in the wood unlike what youd
get when dying the wood after the tree has
been felled. Its pretty cool. DT
Gorilla Glue is the versatile,
interior/exterior adhesive
ideal for most household
fixes and building projects:
furniture repair, crafts,
woodworking, and general
repairs around the house.
Bonds wood, stone,
metal, ceramic & more!
Incredibly strong and
100% waterproof.
REQUEST YOUR FREE
INFORMATION KIT!
www.gorillaglue.com
1-800-966-3458
And Even More
COOL STUFF ...
Bosch BLUECORE Batteries
Bosch (877-267-2499 or boschtools.com)
has added cooling rods to an upgraded battery
line that pull heat away from the cells during
charging. This offers a 50 percent increase in
battery cycles. The new batteries are available
in 9.6-, 12-, 14.4-, 18- and 24-volt platforms.
The BLUECORE technology should be avail-
able on all Bosch tools by early 2006.
Kreg Pocket Jig Upgrade
Kreg (800-447-8638 or kregtool.com), has
taken an already good product and improved
it. The companys new K3 system now offers
front-side clamping (no fumbling to lock
pieces in place), an adjustable drilling sys-
tem with milled-steel sleeves to allow unlim-
ited material thickness and extend the life of
the jig, a stop to make duplicate pieces easily
without measuring each time, and dust col-
lection to keep the jig clear of debris. The
system is available now with both a mountable
and portable guide block for $150 or with the
mountable-only guide block for $80.
DeWalts Revamped Miter Saws
DeWalt (800-433-9258 or dewalt.com) has
reworked its line of 12" compound and sliding
compound miters saws, improving accuracy
and capacity. A redesigned and machined base
fence support system keeps the fence square
to the table and offers a 16" crosscut capabil-
ity. Hard-wired lasers add accuracy without
the need for batteries and can be operated
without the blade spinning. The saws have
just become available and range from $329
to $659. PW DT
Log on to the Tormek website www.tormek.us
for full details of the TORMEK System.
You will also nd the entire TORMEK hand-
book, which contains the basics of edge tool
sharpening and detailed instructions how to
sharpen all your woodworking tools as well as
knives and scissors.
U.S.A. 1-800-5-Tormek
Canada 1-877-2-Tormek
Have you discovered the TORMEK way of sharpening?
Now with Micro Adjust for precision edge angle setting.
GREAT WOODSHOPS
A School
Built To
Thrive
and Last
A passion for creativity
lies at the heart of this
woodworking institution.
I
ts 3 p.m. on a February afternoon when
Peter Korn gathers a class at the Center for
Furniture Craftsmanship around his work-
bench and launches into a 90-minute lecture
on dovetailing. His students are in the frst
few days of a 12-week course and theyre just
settling in. Korn is disarmingly at ease as he
unravels the mysteries of this fundamental-
but-all-important woodworking joint. By the
time the students are fnished, theyll have the
foundation for what Korn hopes will be a new
way of looking at the world of woodworking.
Were in the Workshop Building, a 4,200-
square-foot shop that includes a bench room,
classroom and a machine room. Its one of four
separate buildings clustered on an 11
1
2-acre
parcel land parcel near the Oyster River in
Rockport, Maine. Nearby are three others:
the Satterlee Building, devoted to students
in the Centers Nine-month Comprehen-
sive program; the Gallery Building, which
houses administrative offces, a library and
a high-ceilinged gallery; and the 5,400-
square-foot Thomas Miller Jackson Build-
ing for woodturning and a Studio Fellowship
Program. The buildings are low, clapboard
structures connected by graveled paths that
in winter are just tromped-down snow. The
by Scott Gibson
Scott Gibson, author of The Workshop,
(Taunton Press) is a writer and woodworker
in Steep Falls, Maine.
Korn limits his teaching to basic woodwork-
ing, and while he works for the board as the
schools executive director, he is no longer the
owner. And thats just the way he likes it.
Courses for Every Skill Level
Korn has overseen a steady expansion of both
shop space and course offerings, but it all began
modestly. After six years as the woodworking
program director at Anderson Ranch, an arts
center and school outside Aspen, Colo., Korn
wanted to start his own school, one founded
on a different philosophical bent. After sev-
eral scouting trips to Maine, Korn bought a
farmhouse not too far from the schools cur-
rent location, and in 1993 he began teaching
classes in a shop behind the house.
It was a tough beginning for the school,
Korn says. He taught a total of nine two-week
courses to six students at a time. Korn rented
out three of the houses four bedrooms to stu-
dents. Thats how we made ends meet, he
says. That only lasted one year.
By the following year, he had rented a larger
space in West Rockport and brought in others
to help him teach. Class size expanded from
six to a dozen. By the next year, Korn had
invited such furniture luminaries as James
workshops have been designed with a quintes-
sential New England austerity and painted a
classic barn red. In all, there are 17,500 square
feet of studio and gallery space devoted to one
thing: creativity.
Most people, when they design a building
or a campus, think about what it looks like
to the person driving in, Korn says, but our
frst criterion was what its like for a student
in the classroom. So we oriented all the build-
ings down toward the meadow and the river,
and when you drive up to the school youre
driving into the backs of the buildings with
all the parking. We discounted the visitors
experience but we really enhanced the stu-
dents experience.
Its a level of detail that seems characteris-
tic of the schools approach. Korn is clearly the
mastermind here, but this furniture maker-
turned-educator will be the frst person to tell
you the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship
is not about him. The school is a non-proft
institution with an active board of directors.
Peter Korn, executive director of the Center for Furniture Craftsmanship in Rockport, Maine, manages day-
to-day operation of the school but also is a regular visitor to the classroom.
93
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Krenov and Alan Peters to come in and run
their own courses. Then came the move to
the schools current location and construc-
tion of the original workshop building. By
1999, the Center had become nonproft and
two years later it embarked on a $2.4 million
fund-raising effort that led to the construc-
tion of three new buildings. Shop spaces are
comfortable and well-lit. There are separate
bench and machine rooms, and the shops are
well stocked with professional-quality tools.
Theres plenty of elbow room for students.
Korn continues to teach a basic woodwork-
ing course, but there are others to share the
load: two full-time administrators and two
full-time instructors. That doesnt include
the many outside instructors who come in
to teach specific courses. The school runs
29 one- and two-week courses annually that
this year will handle about 300 students in
all. Topics run all the way from Really Basic
Woodworking, to design, sculptural furni-
ture, veneering, hand-tool skills, turning,
fnishing and carving. The instructor list is a
Whos Who of contemporary furniture mak-
ers: Jere Osgood, Kevin Rodel, Ted Blachly,
Garrett Hack, John Fox, Jacques Vesery, Ste-
phen Gleasner, Chris Pye and many others of
the same caliber.
In addition, the school runs three 12-week
courses per year for a dozen students at a time
plus a single Nine-month Comprehensive pro-
gram designed for 15 students. The Center
also has separate facilities for its Studio Fel-
lowship program, aimed at giving more estab-
lished furniture makers, turners and carvers
Here you can see the grounds of the
Center for Furniture Craftsmanship
(above), the Messler Gallery (left)
and the Fine Woodworking Library
(below).
an encouraging, stimulating environment
for the exploration of new work. The Fellows
stay anywhere from a month to a year. They
have around-the-clock access to the free stu-
dio space as well as faculty members who act
as mentors. In return, they help maintain the
Center and pitch in to teach classes.
Short courses run June through Octo-
ber, so winter months are somewhat quieter.
But the overlapping nature of the Centers
schedule means there is a diversity of students
and work, just about all the time. On this
day, students who have just started their 12-
week program are learning basic skills. But
in the next building over, students in the
nine-month program are turning out work
in a variety of disciplines under the direction
of full-time instructor David Upfll-Brown.
One student is cutting half-blind dovetails
for drawers in a small cabinet while another
assembles the interlocking bent-laminated
pieces of a small table. Machine rooms offer
table saws, shapers, planers and jointers, spin-
dle and disc sanders, mortising machines
in short, anything they need to turn out
top-quality work. Maintaining machines is
part of the curriculum.
Korn is no longer in the boarding house
business, either. Students rent cottages, apart-
ments and houses in the area while they attend
classes. In winter, thats not much of a problem
Maines Midcoast region, while beautiful at
any time of the year, is not much of a tour-
ist destination when the weather turns cold. Above is the bench room for students in the Nine-month Comprehensive program.
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GREAT WOODSHOPS
But in summer, students are competing with
the tourists and summer people who clog the
regions roads and snap up available rentals.
Somehow, they manage.
A Furniture Maker Turns Teacher
Korns background proved pivotal in deciding
what kind of school he wanted to start. A his-
tory major at the University of Pennsylvania
in Philadelphia, Korn couldnt wait to get out
of school (wherever real life was, I was sure it
wasnt in college) and ended up as a carpenter
on Nantucket Island. He might have stayed
in the business had he not built a cradle for
someone, his frst piece of furniture. It was
like Paul on the road to Damascus, he says.
It just changed my life. There was nothing
else that I thought about for years after but
making furniture.
He bounced around, moving from Nan-
tucket to Maryland to New York City to Long
Island, then back to Philadelphia, all the while
making furniture and all the while being
really, really, really poor. He started teach-
ing furniture design part-time in Philadelphia
and in 1981 ran the woodworking program
at Anderson Ranch for the summer. He was
offered the post full-time, but declined, in part
because there was no heat in the woodshop.
Korn stuck with furniture making. There
was never enough work and in 1986, with
heat now installed at Anderson Ranch, he
accepted the oft-offered full-time post and
moved to Colorado. I was ready to give up
my furniture-making career because unlike
at the beginning, when I never thought about
recently re-released. But he was also beginning
to part company with the Anderson Ranch
approach and was nurturing plans to open
his own school.
Anderson Ranch is an incredible place,
he tells me over lunch at a small caf just up
the road from the Center. It really is amaz-
ing, but the focus out there from my point
of view is on fne arts. In terms of a view of
whats important, it seems like the real focus
out there is whats on the current cutting edge
of art, whats hot, whats trendy and certainly
on whats non-traditional. As a person whos
interested in building and teaching people
how to build useful, beautiful, really well-
made things, I found that I was under a cer-
tain amount of pressure.
Korn took his own path, believing that
the creative process itself offered personal
rewards that had nothing to do with what
the rest of the world viewed as art and did not
hinge on whether a woodworker was profes-
sional or amateur. I felt like the type of work
that myself or you or many people who design
and build really excellent furniture make was
disrespected as something not really quite
worth doing. I think that when you choose
to design and build a fne piece of furniture
what youre doing at bottom is an act of self-
exploration. You dont build it because you
need a piece of furniture.
What a creative fne furniture maker is
doing is as much of an exploration of who
they want to become and what a human being
ought to be as what any creative fne artist is
doing, he says. Its just a different medium
with different constraints. And believing that,
I wanted to start a school that would honor
the human value of designing and building
fne furniture.
A School is More Than One Person
Korn will be 54 years old at the end of the year,
and he seems to have no regrets about giv-
ing up sole control of the school he founded.
For one thing, hes working only six days a
week instead of seven. More important, turn-
ing non-proft has a number of advantages,
not least among them a board of directors
that Korn says brings energy, experience and
knowledge to the table.
Im not indispensable, which has been
my goal for a long time, Korn says. Back in
the early days, Korn was the school. If I had
money, I was really tired of being poor, Korn
says. He stayed for six years.
Korn discovered he liked running a wood-
working school, and his life was blossoming in
other ways. He volunteered for offcial writing
duties at Anderson Ranch and then wrote a
column about woodworking for the Chicago
Tribune for a year. Later, he would publish two
books about woodworking, one of which was
Blair Hawley of Morris, Conn., works at a hollow-
chisel mortiser in the well-equipped machine
room for the Satterlee Building, home of the
Nine-month Comprehensive program.
Andrew Bradford
of Bangor,
Maine, a student
in the Centers
Nine-month
Comprehensive
program, works
on a set of drawers
at his bench in the
Satterlee Building.
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Rouler lable
Saudiug lable
Scrollsaw
Sauder
workbeuch
Miler saw
Spiudle
sauder
0rill
press
0rill
press
0usl
colleclor
Luuber slorage wiug
Lalhe
workbeuch
10" Jable saw
(3hp)
20" Baud saw
Shaper
10" Jable saw
(3hp)
12" oiuler
13" Plauer
15" Plauer
hollowchisel
uorliser
8" oiuler
14" Baud saw
Slol
uorliser
MACHINE ROOM LAYOUT
died or left, the school would have closed.
Now I dont own the school. Theres a board of
directors that has responsibility for it. Theyre
committed to keeping it going. If I get hit by
a bus, theyll hire a new director. We have
enough permanent staff that all the knowl-
edge of how to run the school is not in my
head anymore.
There are, he adds, other important advan-
tages to being a non-proft organization. Fund
raising has enabled the school to pay for its
buildings and equipment with donations and
also defrays a small portion of its annual over-
head, so that it can provide a more affordable
education, Korn says, which is not an oppor-
tunity that a privately owned school has. Our
bottom line is the quality of the education we
provide, he says.
For more information about the Center for
Furniture Craftsmanship, visit woodschool.
org or call 207-594-5611. PW
The machine room at the Satterlee Building houses just about anything youd need to make furniture,
from a 20" band saw and a 5-horsepower shaper to drill presses and a 12" jointer.
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ADHESIVES
EpoxyHeads 91 119 epoxyheads.com
Franklin International 43 125 titebond.com
Gorilla Glue 90 129 gorillaglue.com
BITS, BLADES & CUTTERS
Amana Tool 29 103 amanatool.com
CMT 39 111 cmtusa.com
Forrest 27 124 stores.yahoo.com/forrestman
Freud 13, 19 126, 127 freudtools.com
Infnity Tools 16 133 infnitytools.com
Routerbits.com 98 161 routerbits.com
Woodline USA 10 173 woodline.com
BOOKS
Astragal Press 99 106 astragalpress.com
Woodworkers Book Club 31-32 woodworkersbookclub.com
Woodworkers Library 98 176 woodworkerslibrary.com
FASTENERS
Arrow Fasteners 89 105 arrowfasteners.com
McFeelys 103 144 mcfeelys.com
Miller Dowel 39 145 millerdowel.com
Red Top Screws 99 158 redtopscrews.com
FINISHES & SUPPLIES
Critter Spray Systems 57 113 wwdc.com/critter
FURNITURE & PROJECT PARTS
Adams Wood Products 57 100 adamswoodproducts.com
Architectual Products 98 104 archpro.com
Exotic Wood Elegance 98 120 exoticwoodelegance.com
Osborne Wood Products 97 151 osbornewood.com
HAND TOOLS
Adjustable Clamp 16 101 adjustableclamp.com
Bobs Rule 16 110 bobsrule.com
Fine Tool Journal 99 123 fnetoolj.com
Japan Woodworker 43 134 thejapanwoodworker.com
Lee Valley 39 140 leevalley.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 43 141 lie-nielsen.com
Mannys Woodworkers Place 98 143 mannyswoodbooks.com
Robert Larson 97 159 rlarson.com
Tools for Working Wood 97 164 toolsforworkingwood.com
Traditional Woodworker 98 166 traditionalwoodworker.com
Wood Artistry 99 171 woodartistry.com
HARDWARE
Ball & Ball 57 108 ballandball-us.com
Whitechapel Ltd. 37 169 whitechapel-ltd.com
Woodworkers Hardware 88 175 wwhardware.com
KITS & PLANS
Craftsman Plans 99 craftsmanplans.com
Pygmy Boats 99 156 pygmyboats.com
Texas Knifemaker 98 163 texasknife.com
U-Bild.com 98 167 u-bild.com
MISCELLANEOUS
Dakota Alert 99 114 dakotaalert.com
POWER TOOLS
DeWalt 7, 115, dewalt.com
17, 25 116, 117
Fein Power Tools 31 121 feinus.com
Festool USA 2 122 festool-usa.com
General Mfg. 43 128 general.ca
Grizzly Industrial C2-1 131 grizzly.com
Jet Tools 22, 23 135, 136 jettools.com
Makita USA C4 142 makitatools.com
Oneway 57 150 oneway.on.ca
Porter-Cable Corp. 4-5, 21 154, 155 portercable.com
RB Industries 39 157 rbiwoodtools.com
Sears Craftsman C3 162 craftsman.com
Wilke Machinery 37 170 wilkemach.com
Woodstock International 11 174 woodstockinternational.com
POWER TOOL ACCESSORIES
Beall Tool 99 109 bealltool.com
Craftsman Gallery 99 112 thecraftsmangallery.com
Jointech 103 137 jointech.com
PRODUCT INDEX
Keller & Company 37 138 kellerdovetail.com
Kreg Tool 29 139 kregtool.com
Leigh Industries 16 leighjigs.com
Mule Cabinetmaker 37 146 mulecab.com
Mystic Works 98 147 featherbow.com
SAWMILLS & KILNS
Granberg International 98 130 granberg.com
Norwood Industries 98 148 norwoodindustries.com
SHOP ACCESSORIES
Airware America 98 102 airwareamerica.com
Diefenback Benches 98 118 workbenches.com
Oneida Air Systems 29 149 oneida-air.com
Tormek USA 91 165 sharptoolsusa.com
TURNING SUPPLIES
Augums Pen Works 98 107 augumspenworks.com
Packard Woodworks 99 152 packardwoodworks.com
WOOD & VENEERS
Panoply 88 153 panoplycorp.com
Wall Lumber 89 168 walllumber.com
Woodfnder 99 woodfnder.com
Woodworkers Source 98 177 woodworkerssource.com
WOODWORKING CATALOGS
Hartville Tool 37 132 hartvilletool.com
Rockler 57 160 rockler.com
Woodcraft 14-15 172 woodcraft.com
Woodworkers Supply 29 178 woodworker.com
WOODWORKING SHOWS
Woodworks Shows 8-9 woodworksevents.com

PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS

PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
ADVERTISER INDEX
ADVERTISER PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
Adams Wood Products 57 100 adamswoodproducts.com
Adjustable Clamp 16 101 adjustableclamp.com
Airware America 98 102 airwareamerica.com
Amana Tool 29 103 amanatool.com
Architectual Products 98 104 archpro.com
Arrow Fasteners 89 105 arrowfasteners.com
Astragal Press 99 106 astragalpress.com
Augums Pen Works 98 107 augumspenworks.com
Ball & Ball 57 108 ballandball-us.com
Beall Tool 99 109 bealltool.com
Bobs Rule 16 110 bobsrule.com
CMT 39 111 cmtusa.com
Craftsman Gallery 99 112 thecraftsmangallery.com
Craftsman Plans 99 craftsmanplans.com
Critter Spray Systems 57 113 wwdc.com/critter
Dakota Alert 99 114 dakotaalert.com
DeWalt 7, 115, dewalt.com
17, 25 116, 117
Diefenback Benches 98 118 workbenches.com
EpoxyHeads 91 119 epoxyheads.com
Exotic Wood Elegance 98 120 exoticwoodelegance.com
Fein Power Tools 31 121 feinus.com
Festool USA 2 122 festool-usa.com
Fine Tool Journal 99 123 fnetoolj.com
Forrest 27 124 stores.yahoo.com/forrestman
Franklin International 43 125 titebond.com
Freud 13, 19 126, 127 freudtools.com
General Mfg. 43 128 general.ca
Gorilla Glue 90 129 gorillaglue.com
Granberg International 98 130 granberg.com
Grizzly Industrial C2-1 131 grizzly.com
Hartville Tool 37 132 hartvilletool.com
Infnity Tools 16 133 infnitytools.com
Japan Woodworker 43 134 thejapanwoodworker.com
Jet Tools 22, 23 135, 136 jettools.com
Jointech 103 137 jointech.com
Keller & Company 37 138 kellerdovetail.com
Kreg Tool 29 139 kregtool.com
Lee Valley 39 140 leevalley.com
Leigh Industries 16 leighjigs.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 43 141 lie-nielsen.com
Makita USA C4 142 makitatools.com
Mannys Woodworkers Place 98 143 mannyswoodbooks.com
McFeelys 103 144 mcfeelys.com
Miller Dowel 39 145 millerdowel.com
Mule Cabinetmaker 37 146 mulecab.com
Mystic Works 98 147 featherbow.com
Norwood Industries 98 148 norwoodindustries.com
Oneida Air Systems 29 149 oneida-air.com
Oneway 57 150 oneway.on.ca
Osborne Wood Products 97 151 osbornewood.com
Packard Woodworks 99 152 packardwoodworks.com
Panoply 88 153 panoplycorp.com
Porter-Cable Corp. 4-5, 21 154, 155 portercable.com
Pygmy Boats 99 156 pygmyboats.com
RB Industries 39 157 rbiwoodtools.com
Red Top Screws 99 158 redtopscrews.com
Robert Larson 97 159 rlarson.com
Rockler 57 160 rockler.com
Routerbits.com 98 161 routerbits.com
Sears Craftsman C3 162 craftsman.com
Texas Knifemaker 98 163 texasknife.com
Tools for Working Wood 97 164 toolsforworkingwood.com
Tormek USA 91 165 sharptoolsusa.com
Traditional Woodworker 98 166 traditionalwoodworker.com
U-Bild.com 98 167 u-bild.com
Wall Lumber 89 168 walllumber.com
Whitechapel Ltd. 37 169 whitechapel-ltd.com
Wilke Machinery 37 170 wilkemach.com
Wood Artistry 99 171 woodartistry.com
Woodcraft 14-15 172 woodcraft.com
Woodfnder 99 woodfnder.com
Woodline USA 10 173 woodline.com
Woodstock International 11 174 woodstockinternational.com
Woodworkers Book Club 31-32 woodworkersbookclub.com
Woodworkers Hardware 88 175 wwhardware.com
Woodworkers Library 98 176 woodworkerslibrary.com
Woodworkers Source 98 177 woodworkerssource.com
Woodworkers Supply 29 178 woodworker.com
Woodworks Shows 8-9 woodworksevents.com
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H
ere at chez Hylton, our kitchen cabinetry
includes a mix of raised-panel doors and
glazed doors. Most things are hidden, but some
handmade pottery, a few family heirlooms and
lots of knickknacks are displayed behind glass.
We dont actually use these things a lot, but
we like to see them all the time.
The ambitious hobby woodworker, han-
kering to redo the kitchen cabinetry or to build
custom cabinetry for the family room, might
want this mix of paneled and glazed doors.
But how do you actually do it? The cope-and-
stick bits discussed in our August 2005 issue
produce a
1
4"-wide groove suitable for a panel,

but thats too wide for glass.
A cursory scan of bit catalogs suggests that
bits scaled for window sashes are readily avail-
able, but not for cabinetry. Cabinetry-scale
sets are available, but they tend to be special-
application cutters. The explanation is that
you can use most cope-and-stick sets to pro-
duce frames that will house glass rather than
wooden panels. The bit manufacturers just
dont document how you do it, but I will.
At the same time, I want to tell you about
the capabilities of those special-application
cutters. All work in the same fundamental
way, like cope-and-stick bits, but some actually
help you produce frames with mortise-and-
tenon joinery.
Using Cabinetry Cope-and-stick Bits
To transform a cope-and-stick joint for a
wooden panel into one that will accommo-
date a pane of glass, you need a rabbet instead
of a groove. A simple alteration to the cope
bit and an extra step at the table saw make
this easy to accomplish.
To replace the groove-sized stub tenon
with a rabbet-flling block, you just remove
the slot cutter from the coping bit. You can
do this with most two-bit sets and with bits
that are reversible assemblies.
Loosen and remove the arbor nut from
the bit, and pull off the slotter. Its easy to do
with the bit secured in the router collet, so
you can keep the bit from turning when you
attack the arbor nut with your wrench. Use
a sleeve-type spacer or stack of washers to
take up the vacated space on the arbor and
replace the nut. Leave the bearing in place.
And thats all it takes.
A couple additional notes here: You have
to have an assembled bit, meaning one with
a slot cutter and bearing that are held on a
stem with a hex-shaped arbor nut. If you have
a solid bit that has cutting edges that insepa-
rably combine the profle and the slotter, you
are out of luck. The same is true if you have
a stacked bit with both coping and sticking
cutters on a single shank.
The spacer you add must have an inside
diameter matching the stem and an outside
diameter that is the same as or smaller than the
bits pilot bearing. It can be a steel or bronze
bushing, a nylon sleeve, or a stack of washers
so long as it fts the stem, is smaller than the
bearing, and flls the gap between the bearing
and the end of the threads on the stem.
Set the modifed cope bit in your router
Building
Glazed Doors
Most cope-and-stick bits can
produce frames that will house
glass as well as wood panels.
Heres how to do it.
by Bill Hylton
Bill is the author of several books about
furniture construction and router operations.
His most recent book is Bill Hyltons Power Tool
Joinery (Popular Woodworking Books).
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

t
h
e

a
u
t
h
o
r
The same bits
and techniques
used for frame-
and-panel doors
can also be used
to make glazed
door assemblies.
Special bits and
bit sets broaden
the spectrum
from single-pane
to divided-light
applications.
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
table, adjust the height, position the fence
and cope those rails. The cut will be noth-
ing more than the negative of the profle no
stub tenon.
The sticking cuts are made with the stan-
dard bit no alterations needed. Set the bit
and fence, then make the cuts. After these
cuts are completed, go to the table saw and
rip the back shoulder from the panel groove,
transforming it into a rabbet. Be careful not
to make the rabbet deeper than the groove.
You wont get a tight joint.
Assembly follows. To secure the glass, you
can use glazing compound or slender wooden
strips that you glue in place or fasten with
brads. The upshot is that the same bits you
use for frame and raised-panel cabinetry work
can be your primary cutters for frame and glass
pane cabinetry work.
Dividing the Frame
If you want to divide the framed area, you can
make the divider strips with the same bits.
Though they are often called sash bars, the
vertical divider is a mullion, the horizontal
divider a muntin. If you halve the opening,
either vertically or horizontally, the divider
obviously will be full-length. But if you divide
the space both vertically and horizontally,
either the mullion or the muntin will need
to be broken. The structure will be stronger
if you segment the longer piece, but you can
break up either one.
Because these parts are usually quite slen-
der, you should adjust your procedures. Do
as much work as you can with wide stock.
And before you stick a sash bar thats been
reduced to its final width, make yourself a
custom pusher, as shown below. The pusher
To adapt your cope-and-stick set, remove the
slot cutter from the cope bit. You may need to
use small washers or a sleeve-type spacer to ll a
gap between the bearing and the threads on the
arbor. Amana provides a ush-trimming cutter
with its cope-and-stick sets for just this purpose.
Machine the rails and stiles with the sticking bit
unaltered. Then rip each piece on the table saw
to open the panel groove, transforming it into a
rabbet that will accept glass.
The mating pieces t together nicely. The sticking
prole nestles into the cope, and the butt of the
rail seats tight against the shoulder of the rabbet.
To stick the paral-
lel edge of the sash
bar, tuck it into a
shop-made pusher.
The pusher holds
the strip in proper
alignment through-
out the cut, and it
keeps your ngers
away from the
cutting zone.
keeps your hands clear of the bit.
If you need two muntins and three mul-
lions, for example, crosscut one wide blank for
the muntins and one for the mullions. Cope
the ends of these pieces and stick both long
edges. Rip one mullion from the blank, then
stick that blanks new edge. Rip the second
and third mullions from that blank and the
muntins from the muntin blank. Then use
the pusher to hold the slender parts as you
stick the second edge of each piece.
To assemble the divided frame, you apply
glue to the coped muntin and mullion ends
as well as the rail ends. Press the coped ends
into the sticking on the stiles (and rails and
mullions and muntins).
Even a simple frame can be vexing to glue
up. Add mullions and muntins, and there are
many more parts to hold in alignment. Having
Assembling a sash frame is easy. Its aligning the
sash bars and keeping them square thats vexing.
Assembly panes, pieces of plywood or hard-
board cut to the dimensions of the glass panes,
are a boon here. As the frame is pieced together,
set the panes in place. They keep the narrow sash
bars in alignment, even as you apply clamps.
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
a panel to keep the parts in basic alignment
is a big help. Trying to assemble the frame
around glass panes is hazardous, so make your-
self temporary panes out of hardboard. Nip
off the corners off these panes so they dont
get glued to the frame.
Clamp the assembly until the glue sets.
Apply a fnish, install the glass and the unit
is completed.
Making a divided glazed frame with modi-
fed cabinetry bits has two drawbacks: aesthet-
ics and joinery strength. The latter is relatively
easy to deal with by reinforcing the joints with
dowels or loose tenons. The former you either
accept or you switch to specialized cutters.
The aesthetic issue is the proportion of
the sticking profle. When the assembly has a
wood panel, half the frame thickness must be
allocated to the panel groove, leaving only
3
8"
for the profle depth. Moreover, the conven-
tion with cope-and-stick cutters is to have the
profle width match the panel groove depth,
which is
3
8". This looks fne, even when the

assembly is divided with intermediate rails
and a mullion. And when it frames a single
glass pane, it looks fne.
But divide the frame for several panes,
and the visual appeal fades. The mullions
and muntins are too wide. Bear in mind that
aesthetics is pretty individual, and you may
be perfectly happy with what you get.
Reinforcing the Joints
Glass is heavy, and a door with a half-dozen
or more panes needs to be assembled with
strong, enduring joinery.
One solution is to reinforce the joints with
dowels, or mortises and loose tenons. In some
circumstances, dowels can be added to a joint
after it has been glued and assembled. Drill
through the edge of the stile into the joint,
then drive a dowel into the hole.
Introducing mortise-and-loose-tenon
joints to the construction is manageable if
you have a plunge router, an edge guide, and
a suitable workholder. Back in our April 2004
issue, I explained how I rout mortises for loose
tenons, and that system works well in this
application. Before making the frame as out-
lined above, rout mortises in both the rails and
stiles. Plane down scraps of the working stock
to make loose tenons. You can reinforce the
sash-bar joinery with dowels. Use the router
mortising setup to bore holes for the dowels.
Having these joints not only strengthens the
frame, it makes it easier to assemble.
A few bit manufacturers have bits intended
specifcally for divided-light frames. The bits
are designed to integrate traditional mortise-
and-tenon joinery with cope-and-stick profl-
ing (see photo above).
Freuds set has two bits. The cope bit pro-
duces a
3
16"-long stub tenon at the same time

that it forms the cope. In that, its just like a
cabinetry cope cutter. But the sticking cutter
doesnt plow a groove to accommodate the
stub tenons. You have to cut mortises for them.
In addition, you must trim the tenons by hand
unless you are content to have them match
the full width of the rail or sash bar.
My experience is that its best to make the
router cuts with the bits frst. The sticking
cut leaves a fat between the profle and the
rabbet, making it easy to align the mortises.
Lay out the extents of each mortise and cut
them with a hollow-chisel mortiser. Finally,
trim the stub tenons to ft.
CMTs set, designed by Lonnie Bird, has
three bits: an inverted-head cope cutter, a
beading bit to produce the sticking profle, and
a regular rabbeting bit. The big advantage with
this system is that you can make tenons longer
than
3
16". This gives you stronger joints every-

where except between mullions and muntins.
But there are operational differences that make
this a more time-consuming system.
Freuds divided-light bit set simpli-
es cutting the prole and rabbets
for cabinetry frames on both rails
and stiles, muntins and mullions.
But the cut congurations force you
into mortise-and-tenon joinery that
makes the frame stronger. Without
cutting mortises for the stub tenons
formed in the cope cut, you cant
join the cope and the stick.
The expeditious approach is to
rout the copes and the stick-
ing on all the parts. The stub
tenons formed by the cope cut
extend from edge to edge, and
the sticking cut doesnt shorten
them. On the rails, trim them
back with a chisel (left). Leave
them full-width on the mullions
and muntins. Use the tenons to
lay out the mortises on the at
between the prole and the rab-
bet. Then cut the mortises with
a hollow-chisel mortiser (right).
The tenons are stubby, so cut the
mortises only
1
4" deep.
Sticking bit Coping bit
Tenon
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One swell result of
mortise-and-tenon
joinery in a divided-
light frame is that the
many parts align posi-
tively during assembly.
None of the skinny
mullions and muntins
slide out of position as
you work, because their
tenons are seated in
mortises.
After laying out and cutting the mortises
and tenons, by whatever means you prefer, do
the copes. You adjust the cope-bit height by
raising it until it just skims the tenon. Instead
of the standard router table fence, use a strip
of
1
4"-thick plywood with a bit cutout in the

center as a fence. This low fence can guide
the shoulder without obstructing the tenon.
Position the fence, then cope the rails, and
the muntin and mullion blanks.
Follow up this operation with the two-
step sticking cuts, and you should be ready to
assemble the frame.
An added benefit of either of these bit
sets is that the profle is proportioned to the
application. It is narrower than the sticking
profle on standard cabinetry cope-and-stick
cutters, and it is placed somewhat deeper on
the stock. Thus muntins and mullions cut
using the bits are narrow, and the assembled
frame looks right.
Unfortunately, if you want to orchestrate
a project with both wood-paneled and glazed
doors, you wont fnd companion cutters for
making the wood-paneled doors. PW
Human Moisture Meter
You, too, can determine
moisture content simply
by feeling a board.
M
urphy had never bought lumber from
us before. He watched his boards care-
fully as they were loaded onto his truck.
They look good, he said. He picked up
a board and caressed the surface. Yeah, this
is really dry, about 7 percent. I can tell just by
feeling it. The loaders smirked. Later they
were rubbing boards, guessing moisture con-
tents and laughing.
Its true, I told them. You can tell the
moisture content by feel when youve han-
dled enough lumber. Ill prove it. I picked
up a board from an air-drying pile, hefted it
and felt the surface. I estimate 16 percent.
I stuck the moisture meter in the board. It
read 17
1
2 percent. They quit laughing.

Since then Ive performed an exhaustive
scientifc study on at least a half-dozen sam-
ples from 4/4 red oak to 16/4 basswood and
found my accuracy to vary by 1 to 5 percent
of the actual moisture content. That com-
pares favorably with some cheap moisture
meters. While I wouldnt adjust a kiln sched-
ule based on the feel of the lumber, neither
would I depend solely on a moisture meter.
Accurately guessing moisture content is
a useful skill. Because lumber expands and
contracts, knowing moisture content is crit-
ical to avoiding problems. Experience helps.
Ive handled more than a million board feet
of lumber, dried hundreds of kiln loads and
held thousands of kiln samples of known
moisture content. While holding a sample
and before a number magically pops into my
head, I believe a number of factors subcon-
sciously combine to form an estimate:
Weight: During drying, a board can
lose a third to half its weight. You can esti-
mate weight pretty closely with practice.
Distortion: Wood remains dimension-
by Peter Sieling
Peter owns Garreson Lumber Co., a hardwood
supplier in Bath, New York.
the stock. I turned it over and hefted it. It felt
heavier and looked darker than most wal-
nut. Crotch or stump-fgured wood is usually
very dense.
Beautiful fgure here, I said, trying to
stall and extract a bit more information.
Pain to work with though. Elis face
looked like a poker players.
How long has it been drying? I asked.
I aint saying nothing.
I hadnt planned to risk my reputation as
a sane lumber dealer on my gift of divining
moisture content. A number formed in my
head. Finally I blurted out, 12 percent. I
jabbed the meter pins into the stock.
The needle rested at 12 on the dot.
Whether it was clairvoyance, mystic intu-
ition or luck, Eli was impressed. I was relieved
but not surprised. Twelve percent is pretty
standard for any thoroughly air-dried lumber
in this region.
That was my last public performance.
I dont need people coming to me for palm
readings, healing or to locate underground
veins of water. But I wonder what other hid-
den gifts a person might possess. I think Ill
try fnding metal embedded in saw logs. PW
ally stable as it dries until about 30 percent.
Below 30 percent it begins to cup and twist.
The more distortion, the drier the lumber.
Temperature: As water evaporates, it
absorbs heat. A damp board feels cooler.
History: The longer a board dries, the
lower the moisture content.
Weather: The warmer and drier the
air is, the faster wood dries. The cooler or
damper the air is, the slower it dries. Below
40, drying nearly stops.
Brittleness: As lumber dries it hardens,
stiffens and becomes more brittle. Kiln-dried
lumber feels rougher or more abrasive than
air dried because the fbers are stiffer.
A few months later, Eli came to pick up
an order. He also wanted to know the mois-
ture content of a piece of lumber he owned.
Well, sure, I can stick the meter in it for
you, but I can tell the moisture content just
by feel, I said. It was a dumb thing to say.
Suddenly random conversations stopped.
Id like to see that, Eli said, handing me
I
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What are some tips mentioned for estimating moisture content of lumber?

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