Wood Magazine 150 2003

September 2003, lssue 150
10 on-wallsaw-bladerack
44 scrollsawnbears puzzle
Useourfull-sizepatternsandyourscrapwood
to bringthischarmingfamilyto life.
52 bird's-eye maple occasional table
58 liqhted showcase
fourvaluable
Le-arn techniques
whilebuilding
thishandsome displaycabinet.
sliding-door
70 turned keepsakebox
86 cook's kitchen combo
Make one or both of these problemsolvers
that includethe oven-tested pizza peel and
matchingspatterproof cookbook holder, p.88
1 2 wipe-on finishes
Discoverthe secretsfor topcoatingprojects
usingtheseoil and varnishproducts.
38 glass-smooth polyurethanefinish
40 fancy flutes in five steps
42 just-rightjoinery:haunchedtenons
54 two ways to make perfectcircles
80 how to win overwood movement
Discovernine strategiesfor keepingprojects
intact when wood exoandsand contracts.
66 display lighting lowdown

Beforebuildinganotherdisplaycabinet,
checkout theseillumination
options.
74 precisiontune-uptools
Alignthecutters, fences,andgaugesof
poil,ertoolsfor tjetterworkshdprdsults.
92 dado set showdown
Cutcrispdadoes,grooves,
andrabbets
withoneof these15shop-tested
models.
96 5 shop-provenproducts
1 6 reqionalwoods
woodwhereyoulive.
Fintra newwoodworking
26 laseredenhancements
Let light cut and engraveyour next project.
46 hollywood spin
Learnalongwith actorWilliamH. Macy as he
turnsthin-walledbowls with a pro.
4 editor'sangle
6 soundang board
20 shoptips
30 askWOOD
35 short cuts
36 wood words
112 what'saheadin our next issue
Visit our Web site at u/rn/vv.rnzooclonline.corn for free vvoodrnrorking plans, tips, shop tours, and more.
Better llomes and Gardenso
WffiMM.
editortsanste September 2003. Vol.20,No.4 o lssue
BILL
Editor-in-Chief
Executive
KRIER
JIMHARROLD
Editor
l'lo.150
ManagingEditorMARLEN KEMMET
EditorDAVID
Features ST0NE
ProductsEditorDAVE CAMPBELL
solvincl woo dworkinct's Proiects
Projects
EditorJANSVEC
Editor0WEN DUVALL
deeiest my5teries
Techniques
EditorJIMP0LLOCK
Design
Senior EditorKEVIN
B0Y[E
DesignEditorJEFF MERTZ
MasterCraftsman CHUCK HEDLUND
Manager
Production/0ffice MARGARET GL0Sl{ER
Administrative
Assistant
SHERYL MUNY0N
Of course,many solutionscreatenew L0RNA
lllustrators J0HNS0N, R0XANNE LeMOlllE,
Woodworking,by its nature,is a TIMCAHILL, MIKE MITTERMEIER
journeyof discovery.We start mini-mysteries.For example,how do you TechnicalConsultants
JEFF HALL,GARRY SMITH,
mount the curio cabinet'sthreemechani- JOHIICEBUHAR
with a stack of boards,followa cal slidesperfectlyparallelto eachother?
Craftsman
Contributing JIMHEAVEY
Proofreaders
JIMSANDERS. BARBARA KLEIN
plan,and learna greatmany And wheredo you find a supplierwilling ArtDirector
KARL EHLERS
thingsas we transformthat rough to sell threeslides?MasterCraftsman Associate
ArtDirectorGREG SELTERS
ArtDirectorCHERYL
Assistant A. CIBULA
stock into somethingbeautiful, Chuck Hedlundand ProjectsEditor Owen Publisher
MARK
HAGEN
Duvall solvedboth questions. Advertising 333N.Michigan
0tfice: Ave., 1500,
Suite
functional,and appreciated. Chicago,lL60601Phone:312853-2890 Fax312580-7906
Mystery 2.What's the besttypeof light-
Makingthis issueot WOOD ingfor a cabinet?Until now, the answer
SalesandMarketingAssistantilElLtE
M0RRIS
AccountExecutiveR0l'lG0LMINAS
was much likethat, as we tackled was "Who knows?" That's why Projects Direct
Response ManagerCAR0LYN DAKIS
DirectResponse Representative
Sales SAI{DYR0B|1{S0N
a numberof woodworking Editor JanSvectook it upon himself to THORNBURGH
AccountExecutiveJOHN
quandaries.Hereare just a few. testnine cabinetlights.As you'll seeon Detroit,
Phone: Fax:
248/356-1'149 248/356-8930
page 66, Janfound big differencesin the AccountExecutivePATT0MLINS0N
Northeast.
Phone:212/551-7043 Fax: 192
2121551-7
ike you. our staffenjoysa wood- performanceof the variousproducts. Soulheast:Lagomarsino,Dempsey Inc.
& Dennis,
!
I 1 working challenge,one that really Considerhis article a must-readbefore 2951 PiedmontRd.,NE,Suite
100, Atlanta,
GA30305
Phone:404/261-5400Fax4041261-5404
rI getsthe creativejuices flowing. you buy anothercabinetlight. E.SMITH
GroupMarketingDirector
CATHY
Take for examplethe following: Mystery 3. Whatcan you do with all of Senior
Marketing Manager
Services ALEXATIDER D.CLARKSOI'I
Phone: -7090
212/551 Fax:21U551-7192
Mystery 1. How do you designa full- thosewood scrapsthat build up in your
SeniorPromotion Designer
SABAH DIBELLA
sizecurio cabinetwith an unobstructed shop?To help out, we've developeda
GroupPublisher STEPHEN B.LEVll,lS0N
view and easyaccessto its contents?For new column called"ScrapwoodProjects." Associate
BusinessDirectorCRAIGFEAR
SeniorDesignEditor Kevin Boyle, the Seethe first installmenton page 44. g 0perations
Advertisin ManagerPAT HENDERSH0TT
answerwas a sliding,full-view glassdoor, Mystery 4.What do Hollywood starsdo Consumer MarketingDirectorJULIEMARTII{
Vice Director
PresidenVPublishing WILLIAMR.REED
as shownon page 58. when they're not makingmovies?Okay,
PUBLISHING
MEREDITH GROUP
so maybethis isn't a woodwork- PresidentSTEPHENM. LACY
ing mystery,but we nevertheless GroupPresident
Magazine JERRYKAPLAN
GroupSalesMICHAELBROWNSTEIN
thoughtit would be fun to visit ETLEN
Services
Creative DETATHOUDER
with actorWilliam H. Macy, who Manufacturing
BRUCEHEST0l,l
ConsumerMarketing
KARLA JEFFRIES
freely admitsto going into his
andAdministration
Finance MAXRUNCIMAN
workshopat times and not com- /Aleredfth
ing out for 12 hours.So, Features T CORPORATION
T.KERR,
WILLIAM andChief
Chairman Executive
0fficer
Editor Dave Stone,turning wiz - E.T.
InMemoriam lll (1933-2003)
Meredith
Phil Brennion,and I spenta day oCopyrightMeredithCorporation2003
All rightsreserved.Printedin the U.S.A.
with Macy in his shop.See Better Homes and Gardensa WOODa magazine(ISSN-0743-
Dave's reporton page 46. 894X) is publishedseventimesa yearin March,May, June/July,
September,October, November, and December by Meredith
I've alwaysbeena big fan of Corporation,1716LocustSt., Des Moines,IA 50309-3023.For
subscription questions call 800/374-9663. Letters to Editor:
Macy's movies,so I'm happyto WOOD magazine,1716 Locust St., GA-310, Des Moines, IA
50309-3023,or woodmail@mdp.com.Periodicalspostagepaid
reportthat in personhe's a at Des Moines, Iowa, and additional mailing offices. Better
humorous,down-to-earth,family- Homes and Gardens trademark registered in Canada and
Australia. Marca Registrada en M6xico. ONE-YEAR SUB-
man kind of guy. In otherwords, SCRIPTION PRICES; U.S. and its possessions, $28; Canada,
$41; other countries,$49. CanadaPost PublicationsMail Sales
just anotherwoodworker,much hoduct AsreementNo.40069223. CanadianBN 123482887
Rr. CNNAOIAN RETURN ADDRESS: Better Homes and
like vou and me. GardensWOOD magazine,ZT4EdnaStreet, Windsor, Ontario,
N8Y lV2. POSTMASTER: Send addresschangesto Better
Making shavings:From left, me, Phil Brennion,William -r) , An | / , Homesand GardensWOOD magazine,P.O.Box 37439,Boone,
rA 50037-0439.
!';,Y"?ix Djw J<^rotJ to
8il"i,:,1i"Fff"1"?:3'li"sl'!"#lf?:'.n""":""0' ^lPr
4 WOOD mag.rln. SePtember 2003
soundin boardforletters,
Ourbulletin andtimelyupdates
comments,
board
Another roundof woodworkingwitticisrns fli:"Ftg["J,H,
from tlthe rookiett iaI rikedrherooks
ofrheArrs
&crans
ramD
At the end of hisfirstyearas a wood- r Sawdustis no longera novelty. in issue148so muchthatI madetwo,
worker,Scoff Spencerof Rochester, r A measurement ol1/ta"soundssmall andorderedthe hardware kitsto com-
N.Y, sharedhis insighfson the hobby butlooksreallybigon furniture. pletethem.I builtminejustlikeyours,
in rssue145,page r I learna newwordwithevery exceptthatI putsomeleftoverveneeron
6. Now at the end woodworking technique. twofacesof eachpostso l'd havequar-
of hissecondyear, r A beltsanderequipped with60-grit tersawngrainshowing on allfourfaces.
Scoff rbst/ learning papercancreatea divotfasterthana Ourfrontroomis full of Gustav
the insand outsof golfclub. Stickleyreproductionpieces,andthe
woodworking.We r All tapemeasures are not
definitely lampslookliketheybelongthere.I am
got a kickout of his createdequal. verypleasedwiththe waytheyturned
/afestobseruations, r Obtaining sometoolsis worth out,andwantedto let you know.I
and thoughtthat incurring the wrathof my spouse. RonWarman,Topeka,
Kan.
you would,too. r Manywoodworkers willtolerate
Herethey are: criticismof theirhandtools,but
mostget prettydefensive about
r Advising another theirtablesaw.
Woodworker Scott
Spencer develops
"newbie"increases r On average,everyotherp@ectI
my knowledge
his skillsdesigning of completeis for the shopor storageof
and buildingproj-woodworking, butnot woodworking referencematerial.
ects for his family.
necessarily theirs. r I canproducea curvein a perfectly
r Fivecheaptable- straightboardby runningit acrossa
sawbladescostaboutthe sameas perfectly tunedjointer.
onegoodblade,buttheysuredon't r I spendthe vastmajorityof my time
cutas well. in theshopeitherrubbingmy chinor
r Fivecheaptablesawbladescosta scratching my head..
lot moreto sharpenthanonegood r Sometimes I peekintothe shopjust
blade,andtheystilldon'tcutas well. to lookat thetools.
r My secondtablesawshouldhave r Threesheetsof cheapsandpaper
beenmy firsttablesaw. lastaboutas longas onegoodsheet.
r I need"downtime" after"relaxing" r Thereis no"paybacK' for kickback.
in theshop. r Murphymusthavebeena wood-
r Youcanmoreeasilyjustifythe cost workerbeforehe becamea lawmaker.
of a dustcollectorif youfactorin the r I go through"postpaftum depression"
savingson tissues. whena projectis done.
r Editorial
questionsandfeedback: Boone,
lA 50037-0439.Please
encloseyour send$5 per
issuesaresoldout.Forreprints,
Sende-mailtowoodmail@mdp.com; call address issue.
labelfroma recentmagazine article(nophoneorders),
including
thearticle
800/374-9663andpressoption
2;orwriteto nameandissuenumber, to:W00D Article
W00D magazine,1716LocustSt.,GA-310, r Tofind pastarticles: Reprint Service,
P.0.Box349,Kalona,lA
DesMoines,lA50309-3023. Goto ourcontinuouslyupdated
onlineindex 52247;makecheckor moneyorderpayable
at woodmagazine.com/index. to W00Dmagazine.
r Subscriptionassistance:
Tonotifyusofanaddress
change, orto r Toorderpastissuesandarticles: r Updatesto previously publishedprojects:
' gethelpwithyoursubscription,
goto Orderpastissuesof W00Dmagazine Fora completelistingof knownchanges
calI
woodmagazine.com/service; andournewsstand specials
at in dimensions
andbuying-guide sources
800/374-9663andpress
option1;or woodstore.woodmall.com,or bycalling fromissue1 through today,goto
writeto:W00D magazine,
P.0.Box37439, 800/346-9663.Beawarethatmanyearly woodmagazine.com/editorial.
WOOD magazine September 2003

great ideas for your shop
protect-and-serve
bladerack
Keep your blades sharp, safe, and ready
for action with this wall-mounted system.
#8 x 11/2"F.H.wood screw
s/sz"
shank hole.
countersunk
his accommodat-
ing holder keeps
saw blades easily
accessible, separated,and
protectedfrom damage.In
additionto storageslotsfor
Sand off
standardblades,it also sharp
makesroom for a com- points.
plete8" stacked-dado set.
Dowel pinsprovidea
placefor dadoshims,a
bladestabilizer,wrench-
es,andthroatplates.The 291/2"
rack handlesbladesfrom
Jt/+"to 10"in diameter. 7sz"shank hole,
Startby cuttingthe countersunk \ .
tAxTt/2x29r/2" on backface,
backto 3/e"flom edge,
size.(If you want to store with a mating
moreblades,add 2" to 7sz"pilothole
in Side
the lengthfor each addi- 1/2" hole
tionalslot.)Now drill the
screwanddowelholes.
Next, cut the t/qx3x29v2"sides.Using double-faced t/2" dowel
23/4"long
tape,temporarilyjoin themtogetherface-to-face. This lets
you lay out andmachineboth piecesidentically.
Drill a t/z"hole throughboth sidesto hold the dowels
you'll addlater.Lay out andcut the radiusedcorners.
Mark the locationsof the t/+"starterholesfor the slots,
andthenmark the slot locations.Drill the starterholes,
andcut the slotsusinga bandsawor jigsaw.Cut just
insidethe lines,andthensandthe slotssmoothusinga r/2"dowel2s/+"long
pieceof t/s"hardboardwrappedin 100-gritsandpaper.
Also sandoff the sharppointson eachslot,whereshown.
To completethe rack,screwthe sidesto the back,and Note: Back and Sidesare made
glue in the dowels.Add a coatof clearfinish,andmount trom 3/d"birchplywood.
the holderto the wall by driving 3" screwsinto a stud.+
10 WOOD rnagazine September 2003

finishing school
wrpe-olt
finishes
an easy way to a
great-looking topcoat
Iilo createa surfacefree of runs, sags,

I and brushmarks,considerwipe-on
I finishes.Onceyou get comfortable
with them,you may nevercleana brush
again.Here's what you needto know.
Understandthe breed oiUvarnishblend or a

When you shopfor thesefinishes,you'll wrping varnish. A sim-
find only a few labeledas "wipe-on." ple test below left,will
Examplesinclude Minwar Wipe-On Poly tell you.
and Wipe-On Arm-R-Seal from General If you're shoppingfor
Finishes.But other productsapply the a finish, check the label.
sameway, thoughyou'd neverknow it It won't likely say what
without closely examining the label. type it is, but clues This maple board shows clearly Danish oil's naturalamber
Many of theseothersbear namesthat exist. OiUvarnishblends tone, and the results of adding pigments with the oil.
imply they are oils, such as Watco Danish are labeled "finish"
Oil Finish, Minwax Antique Oil, and Deft most of the time. Also, the "Danish" oils Greatethe perfect color
Deftoil. None of thesefinishes, however, are all oiUvarnishblends. Many times, of course,you'll want to
is 100 percentpure oil. The words "wipe-on" or itvarnish" often accenfuatewood's natural color. Wipe-on
No matterhow they're named,you'll identiff a wiping varnish, as doesthe finishes impan a wann amber tone that
find by readingthe label that all of these presenceof mineral spirits as an ingredi- brings vibrancy to the grain, as seenin
productswipe on, and all do contain either ent or as the recommendedsolvent. the photos top andbelow. The wood's
tung or linseed oil. They combine oil with color doeschangeslightly, but in a
other ingredientsto createeither an Preservea naturd feel familiar, inviting way.
"oiVvarnish blend" or a "wiping varnish." Most woodworkers sfiive to maintain To add color to the wood, use an oiUvar-
Read "Wipe out confusion," on page 14, wood's natural texture. OiVvarnishblends nish blend premixed with pigments,such
to learn how they're blended. do this especiallywell becausetheir oils asWatco DanishOil, as shown,above.
penetratethe wood fibers. In fact, blends Or, make a custom color by adding an oil-
Identify what you have look and feel almost like a pure-oil finish. basestain to an untinted finish.
Before you use a wipe-on finish, you need A wiping varnish builds to a thicker, Continuedonpage14
to determinewhether the product is an glossierfilm. This will mask the wood's
natural texture if you build up enough
coats(more than about six), but also gives
the wood agrcater amountof protection
againstdamageand moisture.
Note: Beware of pure-oil products, such

as raw tung oil or raw linseedoil. They
give wood a naturalfeel, but never dry,
and can remain taclq for weelcsand even
Pourp few drops of the finish in question months.Pure tung oil may turn white if
onto a piece of glass, and then let it dry Bringwalnutinstantlyto
overnight. lf the finish wrinkles, left, it's an
you apply too many coats. Boiled linseed
color and eye-popping grain by applying a
oif/varnish blend. A smooth surface, right, oil containsmetallic driers, but doesn't coat of wipe-on finish. On large surfaces,
indicates a wiping varnish. build well with successiveapplications. a foam brush works better than a rag.
12 \llOOD rnaEazlne September 2003

finishing school ..,;..,
Bare wood 1 coat of wiping varnish 3 coatsOfwiplngvarniglr
Add layers to build luster

Applying wipe-on finishesis easy.For
either ty'pe,start by saturatin-e
the bare
wood using a ra_qor, on large surfaces,a
fbarn bmsh. Let the finish stand.and
check iifter a few minutes fbr areasthat
have dried. Recoat where neededto Applyingthe first coat of wipe-onfinish bringswood to life,but don't be disappointedwhen
dampen the entire surface. it dries and goes flat. Adding another coat or two builds sheen and color.
With an oil/varnish blend, wipe off any
excessflnish after aboLrtl5 rninLrtes. If you're using a wiping varnish, start by very thin coats.That meansthey require
Check in a couple of houls and wipe off saturatingthe surf-ace. as previously dis- many applications to create a surface that
any finish that bleedsor,rtof the pores.Let cussed.Spreadany excessfinish evenly, will stand up to wear and tear.
tlre llnish dry for 12 to 24 hours. and then let it dry (usually 6 to l0 hours) For tabletops,dining chairs,floors. or
Recoat an oil/varnish blend only after rather than wiping it off. Lightly roughen other heavily used surfaces,opt fbr a
the flrst coat dries thoroughly, and stop the finish using 220-grit sandpaper,0000 brushed-or sprayed-onvamish, such as
addin_ecoats when anotherapplication no steelwool, or a fine syntheticsteelwool polyurethane.You'll get a thick, durable
lon,gerimproves the sheen(the shininess pad. Then add two to three more coats film in just two or three coats.lF
of the surface).Usually two or threecoats (sandingbetweencoats).stoppingwhen
Writtenby DavidStone
will do. you achievethe sheenyou desire.
End grain requiresspecialattention
To ensureconsistentcolor on all sur- when using wipe-on finishes.Becausethe rlTr-^ ^"a confusion
IU
rr
lltF
-I'Y
rtlll
vEt
faces, sand end grain through pores are open, end grain can soak up
two finer grits than you rnore finish, causing it to take on a darker
You'llcommonlyfindfourtypesof
use on face and wipe-onfinishes.Here'sa lookat
color than edge and face -Qrain.Prevent
- edge grain. eachone:
this by sandin,eend _urainto a finer grit r Raw linseed oil: One of the
than you use on the other surfaces,as ol destw oodfi ni shesaround ,r aw
shown. 1eli. linseedoil offerslittleprotection
becauseit remainssoft aftercuring,
Sanded to Whenygu shoUldnot whichtakesseveraldays.Adding
150 grit use a ri'ipe-onfinish metallicdrierscreates"boiled"
"&'*.. A wipe-on flnish isn't ideal fbr every situ- l i nseedoi l ,w hi chcuresi n abouta
ation. Oil/varnish blends look -ereat,but day, but impartsno more protection.
r Raw tung oil: This finishoffersa
offer little protectionagainstscratches,
naturallook,some water resistance,
dents.and moisture.Wiping varnishes
and darkensthe wood less severely
Sandedto combat dama-{ebetter,but build up in than l i nseedoi l .Tungoi l curesin a
220 grit
coupleof days but remainssoft.
Tungoi l remai nsa w oodw or ker s'
favorite,but performsbest when
usedas an i ngredi ent i n varnish( see
Make a horne brew the note,below),or when blended
W i ths o m anyw i pe-onfi ni shesto w i thvarni sh.
c h o o s efrom,you' l lprobabl yfi ndone r Oil,/varnish blends: This is a mix-
y o u l i k e ri ghtoff the shel f.B ut you ture of conventional varnishand pure
c a n e a s i l ymakeyourow n. oil.The oil reducesthe glossiness of
T o m a k ean oi l /varni sh bl end,mi x the sheen,and makesthe finish
e q u a lp a r tsof oi l -basevarni sh,tung easierto applythanvarnish,thanks
o r b o i l e dl i nseedoi l ,and mi neral to the slowerdryingtime of the oil.
spirits,as shown,left.You can alter r Wiping varnish: This type is sim-
th e m i x tu reto sui tyour need.More pl y conventi onal varni shthi nnedwit h
o i l i n c re asespenetrati on and col or, mi neralspi ri tsfor easyappl icat ion.
a n d s l o w sdryi ng.A ddi ti onal mi neral
spiritsspeedsdryingand decreases Note: Varnishand wiping varnish
th e th i c k n essof the fi l m.Increase contain oil, but only as an ingredient.
the quantityof varnishto createa Varnish combines oil (tung, linseed,
th i c k e rfi l m . or safflower)with natural or synthetic
M a k i n ga w i pi ngvarni shi s even resins,such as polyurethane.
Combineyour ingredientsin a glassjar, s i m p l e r.J u stmi x conventi onal Heating the mixture causes the oil
working in a well-ventilatedarea. Keep varnishwith an equalamountof and resin to combine chemically,
your mixture stirred as you use it. mi n e rasl pi ri ts. creatinga new substance:varnish.
14 WOOD magazine September 2003

wide world of wood
regiond
woods
Too often, we rely on com-
monly available woods to
build projects when great
local species may grow as
close as our own backyard!
ant to makeyour next project

really unique?Insteadof rely-
ing on commonspecies,such
as oak or pine, look aroundyour neck of f Baldcypress
the woods.You'll find many species,both Hackberry
hardwoodsand softwoods,that offer great I Hickory
woodworkingproperties.To locatethem, I Mesquite
inquire at local sawmillsand tree ser- n Pecan
vices,or sffoll aroundyour property. irl:li,ir,li
Sycamore
I Yellowcedar
If you find a tree or 1og,but don't have
a way to saw it, call Wood-Mizer at
800/553-0182,orsendan e-mailthrough
its Web site:www.woodmizer.com. cypress-boards milled from fallen old- sapwoodand heartwoodthat's light
You'll be suppliedwith the nameof growth logs that havebeensalvagedfrom brown with dark brown and yellow streaks.
someonein your areawho can bring a rivers and swamps. The wood's coarsebut straightgrain
portablesawmill to the log's location. If you're building outdoorprojects, sometimesexhibitscross-grainrays.
We huntedup severaluncommonbut cypressis a greatchoice,thanksto its nat- It machinesand carveswell, glueseffec-
worthy regionalwoodsyou might want to ural resistanceto decay.It offers superb tively, finisheseasilyto an attractive
try. Many more exist,of coqrse,but, for workability, too. And don't overlookthe color. and takesstainwell.
now, we'll leavethat discoveryup to you. wood for furniture.It hasa prominentbut
appealinggrain, and featuresa beautiful
yellow to medium-browncolor. In its
range,cypresscarriesa reasonableprice.
Like many nut-bearingtrees,hickory and

pecan(Carya spp.)draw their reputations
Along the Gulf Coast,up the Eastern more from the food they producethan
Seaboard,and throughthe Mississippi from their wood. Theseclosecousins,
River valley, the baldcypress(Taxodium Growing acrossmuch of the eastern which arerelativesof the walnut, though,
distichum)thrives,with treesreaching United Statesand southeastern Canada, producesimilar-appearinglumber that is
heightsof more than 100'.Their broad, the hackberry(Celtisoccidentalis)grows renownedfor its excellentstrength,elas-
buttressedtrunksproducegreatquantities to about50'tall, with a 2-3'trunk. It ticity, and toughness.Both woodsfeature
of lumber.Someoutletsevenstocksinker yields a pale-yellowto greenish-yellow Continuedonpage18
wide world of wood
straightand coarsegrain.A medium-

brown hue markshickory, while pecan
sportsa lightertone.
Two typesof hickory grow in a broad
rangeacrossthe easternUnited States,
while pecansgrow in the lower Midwest
andSouth,throughTexas.All varieties
cangrow to around100'tall.Some From the Atlantic coastwestward
pecansproduce6'-diametertrunks. into Nebraska,sycamore(Platanus
Of the two, hickory ranksas a top occidentalis)treesare common.They
choicefor makersof woodenhandles, vary in sizefrom 60'to 120',with
and,increasingly,for cabinetmakers. shaggy-barked trunksup to 5' across.
Pecantreesundergofar lesscommercial The wood haslong beena favorite for
milling becausethey hold morevalueas producingbutcherblocks,andfinds its
producersof nuts. way into boxesand baskets,too. Its tan to
Thesewoodsdull tools,so keepan eye medium-browncolor and irregulargrain
on your cuttingedgesandresharpen as give it an attractiveappearance.While it
necessary to maintaincleancuts.Patience hassometendencyto tear out, the wood
and effort yield rewards,though,of beau- turnsreasonablywell. Woodworkersare
tiful color and a lustrousshine. beginningto discoverthis wood's beauty,
especiallythe eye-catching quartersawn
variety,which they snatchup for showy
partsof someprojects.
Unlessyou hail from Texasor the

Southwest,you may know mesquite
(Prosopisglandulosa)only as a wood
that flavorsyour charcoal-grilled food. Also known as Alaskacedar,this wood
In fact, this scragglytree,which rarely (Chamnecyparisnootkntensis)grows in
reachesbeyond20-50'tall, bears the Pacific Northwest,from Oregon
beautifulwood. throughBritish Columbia,and into
Naturally durablemesquitehaslong Alaska.The treesreach80-100'tall. often
beenusedfor fencepostsandevenraii- with no branchesfor 30'or more.Though
roadties.In recentyears,though,wood- a softwood,it is hardanddense,with
workershavebeguntakingnotice.Cocoa- tight ringsindicativeof its slow growth.
brown huescolor mesquiteheartwood;the Little of the wood getsharvestedlive-
sapwoodis creamyyellow. Coarse,inter- most of the supplycomesfrom deadfalls
lockinggrainfilled with blackflecks and driftwood.
accentuates thesecolors,producinga rus- Native Americansof the region under-
tic but refinedlook. stoodyellow cedar'svalue,usingit to
Most mesquiteboardsare shortand nar- producemanythings,includingstrong,
row, and oftenbearbark inclusionsand lightweight,anddecay-resistant canoe
worrn infestations. Theseareas,though, paddles.Today, instrumentmakersand
providecharacter, accordingto some boatbuilders prizethe wood.Yellow
woodworkers,who fill themwith black cedar'scolor rangesfrom creamywhite
epoxy ratherthan cut them out. The wood to sulfuryellow, with occasionaldark
canbe stubbornto machine,but glues streaks.The wood machinesbeautifullv,
well; finishesto a high shine;and takeson gluesand stainswell, anddevelopsa
a deep,mellow look over time. satinvsheen.JF

sho youworkfaster,
Helping smafter,
andsafer
ti
So,you think it's a
strugglegetting
things donein
yoar shop?Joe
Hurst-Wajszczuk's
Tvrrostepsto perfect-sizedadoes shopsharesa
lf youusea stacked single20-amp
dadoseton yourtable- circuit with three
sawor radial-arm saw, other garagesin his townhousecom-
youknowthenuisance: plex. Not only that,but this is the third
Youinstallwhatyou garagehe's occupiedsincemovingto
hopeis theperfect the complexa few yearsago."My
combination of blades, neighborskept complainingaboutall
chippers, andshims. the noise,"Joechuckles.In spiteof the
Then,on yourtestcut, hassles, he seemslike a happyguy,
youfindthefit isn'tquite and a pretty cleverwoodworkerif his
rightwiththemating Top ShopTip, at left,is an indication.
workpiece so youhave
to do it alloveragain-
perhaps severaltimes-to
geta perfectfit. Here's
howto getan accurate dadothe second
time,everytime. trackof theshimsthatyouremovefrom
First,stackthebladesandchippers to thestack.Insertsomeof thoseshims
getcloseto therightwidthwithout going between theworkpiece andonewallof
over.Next,insertenough dadoshimsto thetestdado,as shownabove,untilyou
ensure thatyou'llmakean oversize
cut. geta satisfactoryfit.
Then,cuta testdadoin scrapwood. Finally,
reassemble thestackedset,this For submittingthis issue'sTop Shop Tip,
Now,testthefit withthe matingwork- timewithout theshimsthatyouusedto Joe Hurst-Wajszczukwins a Freud
router-table kit that includes a 3-hp
pieceor a scrapof thesamethickness. "tightenup"thetestcut.Thedadoesyou router and fence. Way to go, Joe!
(Thefit shouldbe loose.) Remove the cutnowwillfit theworkpiece perfectly.
dadosetfromyoursaw,keeping close -Joe Hurst-Waj
uczuk, Westm
inster, Colo.
A woolty tip from Down Under

Beforeapplyinga French-polish finishto top with 000 wire (steel)wool.Although
a gate-legdrop-leaftable,I buffedthe I blastedoff the leftoverbits of wire wool Describehow you've solveda work-
with compressedair, I wantedto be shopdilemma,andyou'll earn$75 if it
absolutelysure I'd removedit all before appearshere.And, if your tip garners
applyingthe finish. Top ShopTip honors,you'll alsowin
So, I founda big magnetfroman old a tool prizeworth at least$250.
radiospeakerand wavedit over the Sendyour besttips,alongwith
tablejust a few millimeters abovethe photosor illusffationsand your day-
surface.To my surprise,the magnet time telephonenumber,to: Shop Tips,
pulledheapsof wirebitsoff the tabletop WOODaMagazine,lT16 Locust St.,
that couldhaveruinedmy finish. GA-310,Des Moines,IA 50309-
-Syd Rostron,
Perth,
Australia 3023.You alsocan e-mail tips to
Editor's note: You'll spendlesstimepick- shoptips@woodmagazine.com,or
ing steel-woolfibers off the tnagnettf you post them on the Top ShopTip forum
usea releasing-canistermngnetlike the at www.woodonline.com.
oneshownin the drawing. Pulling the han- Becausewe try to publish only origi-
dle on top of the canisterreleasesthefibers nal tips,pleasesendyour tips only to
so theysimplydrop off.You'llfind sucha WOOD magazine.Sorry, but
mngnetat homecentersfor about$10. submittedmaterialscan't be returned.
Continuedon page 22

shop tips
Quick-changesystem for benchtoptools

Benchtop realestatein my shopis at a www.mcfeelys.com), the
andinstalled sAax11h"
premium, so I can'taffordto dedicate Youalsocanbuythestudded
inserts. studdedT-knob
permanent spaceto toolsthatI use T-knobs (partno.JKD-3114)from
sAe"-18brass
infrequently, suchas a grinder, mortiser, McFeely's threaded insert
or belVdisc sander.Yet,whenI do use -scottwarnecke,
Findlay,hhio
thosetools,I wantthemsecurely mount-
ed for safety.So,I cameup witha
quick-change systemthataddresses
bothconcerns.
I firstfounda commonmounting-board
sizethatworkswithallof mybenchtop
tools,andthencuta g/+"thick pieceof ply-
woodforeachtool.Ononeof these
boards,I test-fiteachtoolto determine the
bestlocations forthethreemounting slots,
anduseda s/a"straight bitto routtheslots
leading to eachlocation in eachboard.
Next,usingoneof theslottedmount-
ingboardsas a guide,I markedthe
locations forthe mounting holeson my
benchtop, drilledholesfor each5/ro"-18
brassthreaded insert(partno.3607-8l
fromMcFeely's, 800/443-7937 or
Setwithcoveprofile: . Setwithogeeprofile:
800.515.11 800.520.11
Youdon'thaveto makeyourlivingworkingwith woodto demandprofessional performance 800.517.11

andqualityfromyourtools.AndwithCMT's value-packedSommerfeldCabinetmaking and Ogeeprofile:
800.521.11
Raised PanelSets,youcanput thefinestrouterbitsin yourshopno matterhowyoumake
famousorange* bits,with super-
Teflono-coated Allsetsinclude
yourliving!ThesesetsincludeCMT's a RaisedPanel
sharp,super-durablemicrograin carbideedges,perfectly shanks
balanced andbodies, and BitwithBackCutter
complete instructions
that let youstart
on your projectright Visit
away. a CMT todayfor
Distributor
greatdealson the world'sfinestrouterbits,andlearnfirsthandwhatsetsCMTapartfromthe crowd!
*the orange color on tool surfaces is a registered trademark of CMT Utensili,S.p.A. Circle No. 180
World's longesthook rule
Hookrules(precision rulerswitha hookon oneendsimilarto
tape)makeit easyto measureaccurately
a retractable from
theendor edgeof a workpiece. However, I'venotseena
hookrulethatwillworkacrossa 48"sheetof plywood, so I
mademyown.
I pluggedoneendol a 4' lengthof aluminum squaretubing
witha blockof woodandattached a fenderwasher,as shown
below.I thenapplieda pairof self-adhesive measuring tapes
to thesidesof thetube:onereadsfromleftto right,andthe
otherfromrightto left.($10each,partnos.08Y41and08Y42,
fromWoodcraft. Call8001225-1153,or visit
www.woodcraft.com.)
My newsuper-long hookruleis absolutely flatandmakesa
greatstraightedgefor layingoutlongcuts,slots,anddadoes
-HarryDubeE,Alexandria,
Va.
Installa 2"-long
hardwood block
into end of tubing
We offer many build-it-yourself kis:

buckboard bench, irish mail handcar,
wheelbarrows,halltree,sleigh,baker'scart,
garden cart, & park bench. All kits come
with completehardware,deuiled
instructions and full size patterns.
Items shown:
1901 Buckboard Wagon
Measures xI8" Tall
36"x16'
Build your I90I wagon with these
authentic looking plastic wagon wheels,
which are very.sturdyand look geat.
Buckboard Bench
x normalseatheight
42'(long)x 22"(wide)
Measures
Authentic reproduction seatstwo adults
comfortably Great for indoors or on the
patio.
Antique Wheelbarrow
Measures 56"(long) x 29"Tall
x 24"(wide)
Build this nostalgic Antique Wheelbarrow,
for use in your baclcyardor a displaypiece.
. All ltems ShippedUPS
. All Items US currency required
. Indiana Salesadd 60losalestax
Many More ltans Availnble!
Call for Catalog: 800-847 -4947
The Roudebush Company
PO Box 3,f8
Continued on page 24 Star Ciry IN 46985
Wheelbarro'w
Visa& Mastercard
Accepted
www.woodonline.com 23 $59'00*...^,
u) '
*($,5.00
sluPPing'
For radial arm moldins
* Architectural
Round
winddw moldings
and oval picture frameE
tips
"
Perfect dados
Louvers
Mortise and Tenon
Milline soft metals Man on a mission-
Pin roiltine
And a coaXialmounted table router
style mission
Oneof thefactorsthatdi stinguishes a
qual i typi eceof mi ssi on furnit urfer om
anotheri s thej oi ntbetw ee n t he slat sand
you' dcuta gr oovein t he
rai l s.Typi cal l y,
rai l s,theni nstalthel sl atsi n t hegr oove
w i thspacersi n betw een, thensandlike
eri c'ing: the di ckens to fl ushthe spacer tso t he
UpperRadial Arm Mill Router rails.The resultoftenisn'tverypretty.
and table top: $750, with Butit doesn'thaveto be thatway.lf you
table but no elevator $850. followthethree-step process shown
sam eas abov e w i th th e ta b l e
router elevator: 1,095.
il;&r*tl
,t
below,you'llfindyourself
enj oyi ng
sandinglessand
furnit urm
mi ssi on
bui l di ng e or e.
-Michael Hendncks ColoradoSDrinqs,Colo
;
t{
'
Dry-fitslats.and
then glue
'*'*'#.I er.f I rqcr scor'p.corn jin spacers.
I
i-,"--
Potents
Perding
Spacers protrude
7re"above rail.
Better Homesand Gardens "'$o'
w0l|n
from the editors of
@
magazine
;;
t]ty'l--.r-*--
-,
**+
.
-,-.:i,..\:. WAYWARD WITCH PLAN
4 8 t a l l O F S - 1 0 6$51, 3 . 9 5
j
WACKY WITCH PLAN GHOSTLYGATHERINGPLAN
4 7 " t a l l O F S - 1 0 5$51, 3 . 9 5 3 2 t a l l O F S - 1 0 5$71, 3 . 9 5

Detailed woodworking plans tested in the WOOD'magazine shop. WD1 50
Have a Coke and a dust shield
My routerdidn'tcome with a dust shieldaroundthe base,so
everyhandheldroutingoperationcreatedablizzardof chips
on my clothes.When I sat downwith a soft drinkto pondera
solution,I suddenlyfound it rightbeforemy eyes.
I sliceda 2"-widestripof clearplasticfrom nearthe bottom
of the 2-litersoda bottle,cut it to coverthe openingin my
router.and securedit to the machinewith a stout rubber
band,as shown.(lt helpsif you first makea paperpattern,
especiallyif you haveto fit the new "window"aroundhandles
or otherobstructions.)
-RussellDieter.
0mer.Mich.
Raised-p-anelcleanup
cuts made easy
When routingraisedpanelsusinga
ust-Free Sanding
large-diameter bit, you'llcut saferand
cleanerif you removethe bulk of the
Eliminate hazardous dust
wastein one roughingpass,then make
a dead-oncleanupcut. Typically,you do
BEFORE it becomes airborne
this by movingthe fenceback or raising
the bit betweencuts,but here'sa sim-
pler way that even workswith curvedor
arch-toppedpanels.
Usinga startingpin in your routertable
and the bearingthat comeswith your
raised-panel bit, perfectthe cuttingdepth
in scrapwood.Now,withoutchanging
anythingelse,replacethe bearingwith a
slightlylargerbearingand makethe
roughingcut on yourworkpiece.
Reinstallthe originalbearingand make Dust produced by sanding is
yourfinalcleanupcut.
-WarrenJohnson, immediatly sucked away through
Matthews,
N.C.
holes located in the sandpaper, the bottom of the sanding
pad, AND around the outside edge of the pad (a FEIN
exclusive). The extracted dust is contained by a powerful
vacuum.
UnbeatableFinishes
When you sand with normal sanders, your sander ends up
riding on a bed of dust and broken abrasive.With the FEIN
Sanding System, this "bed" of dust doesn't exist.Your paper
cuts faster, cleaner, and lasts up to 1O times longer.
AutomaticVacuum
When you turn your FEIN sander on, the vacuum starts.
When you switch your sander off, the vacuum stops.....auto-
matically.The FEIN Turbo ll Vacuum is built to handle large
amounts of super-finedust.
Sgganewooo EF r
...shoptip dailyat
tlJtljtll|.tll,oodlnauati1|B.col||/tips
www.woodonline.com
WFCIN
lI designerts notebook
I Iightup yor-lrprojectswittr
I enharrcmnts
You've probably Even obiects as small
as drawer pulls can
seen laser- undergo customized
engraved or laser- laser-engraving.
cut wood in gtft

shops and on signs, company's laser engraver.The end
resule dead-onreplicas of the pat- Laser-cut marquetryin con-
have you ever consid- trasting woods helped create this veneer
ternedport, as shown below ffi.
ered including such laser On other occasions,Joshhad Mike
assembly, making it idealfor adhering to
box lids or tabletops.
work into your projects? engravean heirloom crib and wood pulls
The good news is you don't (left) to give drawershe had made a dis- Now that vou know about
have to ornman e),cpensive tinctive, personalizedlook. For him, con- it, what do you do with it?
tacting laser-engravingand -cutting had Applications for laser-cuttingand laser-
Iaser to do so, becomea habit. engravingrun the gamut from adorning
small objectsto embellishing cabinet
Work for hire
Wffiffi'T,ffitrt'H#
doors (dependingon the machine'scapac-
Becauseowning a low-end laser-engrav- ity), and everything in benveen.For tips
ing machinelike the one in'T.[o ordinary on achieving stellar results,see"Laser
ing his joy over incorporating laser- copiet'' (page 28) will set you back pointers" on page 28.
engravingand laser-cuttinginto his arsenal $14,000or more,we thoughtwe'd look As demonsfratedby the examplessprin-
of woodworking wizardry.Josh'sbusiness, into Josh's approachof conffacting cus- Hed throughoutthis article, laser work
The Wood Worls, specializesin architec- tomized laser piecework.We quickly dis- excelsat both decoratingand personaliz-
nral design and restoration.When faced coveredthat you can find laser-engraving ing woodworking. Among this bounty of
with the task of recreating50 identical and -cutting serviceswidely available in accentwork are adding words in a desired
applique's for a high-Victorian home in every state.We found 38 in Iowa alone.
Denison,Iowa,Joshconftactedwith a (Go online to ARA.org, and click'I-ocate
businessfriend, Mike Driscoll of Lamars, a dealet''to contactthe laser engraver As a test, we
had this photo
IowA to cut out the applique's using his nearestyou.) Most, but not all, iut and laser-engraved
engravewood, as well as other materials on red alder.
such as glass,plastic, and metal. The precise like-
We also found the cost for a single ness and 3-D
shading make
engravingor cutout quite reasonable. for a unique,
According to Mike, "An 8x10" engrav- pleasing keep-
ing from a cleanly renderedillusfration, sake plaque.
or a4x6" photo, which we would scan
into ttre laser engraveqruns $30."
laser-cut blank (above) and duplicate part
Laser-cuttingcostsdependon the
number of piecesrequired; the thick-
nessof the wood and overall dimensions
of the pieces;and the innicacy of the
design,especiallyif it needsadditional
setuptime. Mike's chargefor ar/qx3xl2"
Rather than scrollsaw 50 identical applique' applique', such as the Victorian samples,
pieces for a home restoration, Josh Brower
saved time by having them laser-cut. He runs $5, with the price per piece dropping
carved the new pieces to match the originals. with increasedvolume.
WOOD rnagazlne September 2003

designerts notebook
typeface;preciseduplicationof graphic When you meetwith a laser-engraving

images(eitherillustrationsor photos);the service,provideyour workpieces,which
creationof fancyinlaysandapplique's canbe a lengthof solidwood,an edge-
(onlays);andthe cuttingof marquetry joined panel,a miteredframe,a lid, or
pieces,boxjoints, scrollsawpatterns,and someotherpieceof woodworking.
super-accurateroutertemplates. Machines Discussyour designinterest,which may
with an optionalrotary attachmentcan includeimagesyou bring,artworkthe No ordinary copier
alsocut andengravecylindricalobjects, servicemay alreadyhaveon hand,or Likea copymachine,a laserengraver,
suchasturnedpensandvessels. somethingentirelynew that you develop above,duplicates a graphicimagein
together.Finally,settleon a price and wood,acrylic,plastic,leather,and other
productiondeadline,and wait with antici- materialsby eithercuttingor engravingit
pationfor the finishedproduct.Chances witha laserbeam.The basicmodel
are,you'll comeawayimpressed.i shownhere,Epilog'sLegend24TT,can
engraveor cut an areaup lo 12x24".
(MoreexpensiveLegendmodelsgo up to
20x32".)Graphicimages,clipart,CAD
files,or photosarefirstscannedintoa
Windows-based computerconnectedto
the laserengraver.Softwareallowsthe
operatorto sizeand locatethe imageon
the workpieceusinggridcoordinates.
Adjustments madeto the powerand
speedof the laserbeam,alongwiththe
contrastsin the image,determinethe
depthof the cuttingand engraving. For
A photo keepsake box lid becomes more Laser engravings-both small and shal- moreon thismachine, call888/4EP|LOG,
meaningful with an attractive, laser- low, and large and deep-adorn this
engraved palm tree and place name.
or visitwww.epiloglaser.com.
raised-paneldoor.
Laserpointers can cut stockup to /a" thick,whereasa r Considera laserover a scrollsawfor

Readyto incorporatelaser engravingsin 1O0-watt lasercan cut stockup to t/2".The complexpatterncutting. lt executes
your projects?Keep theseimportantpoint- slowerthe cut dueto thickness, the cleaner,moreaccurateduplications, mak-
ersin mind: greaterlikelihood the woodwillcatchfire. ing it idealforelaboratefiligreeworkand
r Tight and light-grainedwoods work An air-assistpump,an accessoryon some puzzledesigns.
best. Commonengravingwoodsinclude machines,helpscoolthecuttingarea, r Laser-cutwood, unless later painted,
redalder,cherry,birch,mapl6,and some- therebylimitingthisproblemsignificantly. will showa burnresiduealongthe edges.
timeswalnut,an exceptionto the rule. I Ensurethat the graphiccontentyou Youcan removeit by sandingif youfindit
Avoidengravingor cuttingcommonply- supply yourprofessional engraveris an undesirable, butthiscan be a lot of work.
woodsbecauseof voidsand the reactions uncluttered, well-c6mposed illustration
or You alsocan lightenan edgewitha water-
of someglueswhenlaser-heated. photo.Clipaftworksfine,thoughthe best dampenedcloth.To avoidsootfrom
r When planningan engraving,takeinto resultscomefrompen-and-ink drawings smudgingsurrounding woodsurfacesdur-
accountthe wood-grain patternsandjoint becauseof theirhighcontrast.In many ingcuttingoperations, yourengravercan
linesof theworkpiece,workingaroundthem cases,the engraverswillhavein-house maskoverthe workareausingwet news-
so theydon'tdetractfromthe end result. imagesthattheirowngraphicdesigners paperor easy-release paintedstape.ln
r The maximumthicknessof wood cut developedfor clientuse.Bothhigh-con- addition,he canfocusthe engrave/slens
with a laser beamdependson the trastblack-and-white photosandcolor to reducethe laser-beam linethickness,
wattageof the engraver.A 25-wattlaser photosreproduce well.Withcolorphotos, resultingin moreefficientcuttingand less
however,imagesare convertedto a gray- burning. A finerlinealsocanprovideyou
scalelikenesspriorto engraving.lt's in withtighter-fittingpuzzlepartsor precision
gray-scaling wherea professional clockgears.
This seashore- engravercan createsubtlecontrastsand r Considerusing coloredwood fillers,
motif picture depthfor a 3-D lookin someprojects. suchas acrylicpaint,particularly withdark
frame consists r Laserresolution,measuredin dpi woodslikewalnut,to enhancean engrav-
of a slab of (dots per square inch), affectsthe ingandto createa differentlook.
wood and a
laser-engraved engravedimage'sdetaillevel.Go withlow
r Apply clear finishesto the workpiece
and -cut dpifor a grainier,moretexturedlook;high priorto turningit overto a professional
opening and dpi,for finerdetail.Bothhavetheirplace. engraver.Thiseliminates the problemof
place name. Low-endengraversrangefrom 150to sootgettingintothe finish.Lacqueryields
1,200dpi,givingyoua widechoice. the bestresults.
WOOD rnagazine September 2003

askwood
toyourquestions
Answers fromletters,
e-mails,
andW00D0NLINEo
Grain holds the

key to flat panels
f| . I needto glueupanoaktable
! . top,andwantto makesureit
notonlylooksgood,butalsostays
flat.ShouldI usethewidestboardsI
canfind?Andwillit lookbefterif
they'reallthesamewidth?
-SteveDee,Durhan,
N.C.
tr . fr" keyto aflat.stable

oak
al rpanel, Steve,is not the width of
the boards, but the orientation of their
grain. In the photo at right" you seetwo
6" white oak boards.To build a table-
top, you would rip them as indicated,
and use only the pieceswith straight
'3rift" grain,
which tends to be stable.
If you have a wide board that's all rift
grain, rip it into 4" widths to relieve any No matter how carefully you select lumberi you often need to rip a board to get the most
internal tension.If the piecesremain rea- out of it. To build a tabletop that will never w?rp, use only the straight-grain portions.
sonably straighqjoint the sawn edges,
and glue them togetheragain. As you prepare to glue up your table- grain, such as cherry, maple, or walnut,
The areaswith more random markings top, take time to match thg grain and the appearanceof the face grain is likely
contain flat grain, also identifiable by arcs color of your boardsas closely as possi- to be your main concern.However, it's
in the end grain. It's much more likely to ble. When you make the joints nearly worth checking out the end grain for
wary in a wide panel, but you can use it invisible, differencesin board width vertical lines, especiallyif you're build-
for smaller parts without problems.The don't affect the tabletop's appearance. ing a hinged chest lid or some other
narrower the part, the less you have to When you're using a speciesthat kind of panel that won't be capturedin a
worry about wood movement. rarely offers large areasof straight face frame or held flat bv fasteners.
When pieces slip, After spreadingthe glue, rub the two

cut baik on glue-' piecestogether quickly and firmly. This
A .I've beentryingto gluesmall speedsthe glue to its tacky stage,and pro-
!f r pieces of wood, and theyalways duces a bond strong enoughto hold small
slideoutof position asltry to clamp piecesin position as you proceed.
them.HowcanI makethemstayput? Now, use masking tape,rubber bands,
-Larry Tl<aczy4, Mich. or clamps to add light pressureto the joint.
Charlofte,
Avoid screw-typeclamps,which can twist
. Larry, the key to this problem is a small piece out of alignment as you
[
al r to use the minimum amount of tighten the screw.
glue to do the job. Apply yellow glue to
both.of the mating surfaces,but only a
thin coat. It doesn't take much glue to You can get a good bond on a small, easi-
ly controlled area with just enough glue to
provide adhesion,and excessglue creates coat both surfaces. You'll see little or no
a cushion that allows the wood to slide. squeeze-out from this joint. Continued on page 32

YouncARAcE WOOO
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v e n e e r.l ' ve neverheardof such a
t h i n g .W h a ti s i t , a n d h o w i s i t u s e d ?
-Dave Frndley.0rnaha.lleb
RUSFOLEUM' S l t o r i n a l l ' r g 1 r it r l r r c r r c c r s i r u
i n l r c t i o n .[ ) l r rc . \ o t i c c t l t c o 1 ' 1 '
stoppingrust is iust the startl" set handlc. l'inctccth u ith littlc rct. lntl
I ' c rc t ' s i b l c b l l d c . , \ i i t i r r l t t l t o s c I ' c l t i r r c : .
Nopurchase neces$ary,ContestisopenAugust1* 0ctober
15,2003, l u n c vl t t L t h t t r c u h l t n c l r t t l o l i i r i ' r l u l , i n t
tolegalU.S.residents
ages 18andover.Enter Cut rreneei' ot-i a itier;e i):' ta''a:l sc ]/oLl
online
at epoxyshield.com,
rustoleum.com,homedepot,com, s t r l t i g l r tc L t t si n a n , r t h i n \ c n c c t ' - \( ) u don't oaill a..:le yo i i a 1171; 1;rir6,.g-',.:', ilvh e n i.ne
'--.1.1''..;r.:,-;ei
ormailentries, fint andlastname,
including dateofbirth, n r i g l r lb r r r . I l c i r o n l r r r r c t l rsl t n r i g h t teetlr ct-i trre ed!:e or t.l-re i.ii,ri!.
addres(including
zipcode);telephone colorphoto-
number, fe in OVe Tl: a_':lC "a.)r,,,,:,.. r'it \, e i S.- i I 1,.i: I:_,Cje a tf Cl
c c l g r ' .s L r c ha s t h c r - u l c s l t o u r i l t c r c . i t r
graph ofyourgarage
of theinterior anda description,
in300 r e a t t a C hi ' : r i i , . . { ; . ' r i r ' : '
wordsorless,ofyourideal/ultimate
garage k c c p i t ( ) l t c ( ) u l ' \ c . \ ' e n ee r \ r r \ \ \ i i t . c l n ( ) r ' c
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byWednesday, 0ctober15,2003,Void u ' h c n c L r t t i n qr r i t h l h c l n r i n . l-rLrr
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Forofiicial
contest
rules
visitepoxyshield,com
or You can do it. JZ ;,AJ(1CI rj' aq1 t :.t'.. be.'2Or.l3
homedepolcom, We can hclp,
ask wood
fncludes an extra 10n'x 72 Remove auxiliary fence

tooth carbide blade,a $59.99
after using
f| .I'd liketo installan auxiliary
Y . fenceon my tablesaw for rab-
beting.HowshouldI makethefence, Thisauxiliaryfenceshowsmarksleft by vari-
andcanI leaveit therepermanently? oustypesof operations. Youmightchoose
-ScottLarson,Nashville,Tenn. to makea newfenceeachtime you needto
cut rabbetsat a differentdepth.
tr . Scott,vse3A"plywood,medium- iary fencein placewith clamps,making

ff r densitvfiberboard.or a flaL certainthey won't interferewith the rab-
straightpiecetf h*d*ood for an auxil- betingoperation.
iary fence.Cut it slightly longerthanyour Install a dado setin your tablesaw,and
tablesaw'srip fence,and aboutthe same lower it below the table.Mark the
height.Drill and counterboretwo holesin planneddepthof your rabbetson the
the auxiliary fence,matchingthem to auxiliary fence,then adjustthe fenceto
existingholesin your rip fenceor locat- cut the rabbetwidth. Double-checkto
ing them to eachside of the blade and make surethat the dadosetwon't contact
centeredon the auxiliaryfence'sheight. your rip fence.Now, turn on the saw,and
Add a T-nut in eachhole on the outer graduallyraisethe dadosetinto the aux-
face.Ifyour rip fencedoesn'thave iliary fenceuntil the cut reachesyour
mountingholes,drill a pair to matchyour mark. You're readyto rabbet.
auxiliaryfenceholes.Mount the auxiliary Don't leavethe auxiliaryfencein place
fencewith hexheadbolts. or usethreaded permanently,though.The recesses left
rod and wing nuts.If you don't want to behindarelikely to snagworkpiecesas
drill into your rip fence,hold the auxil- they slidealongthe fence.
Southern vellow pine

can be haid to find
f| . Howdo you knowif you're
***** . buYingSouthern YellowPine
Top quality product. Could not have !
asked for anything better! The laser sight
(that'swhatI wantfor someindoor
makes cutting parts for my ppjects so proiects)or anotherkindof pine?I've
much easien foundthatmosthomecentersdon't
-An Amazon.com
labelthe ditferentspecies.
customer from Wilkes-Barre,PA -GaryThurm, lowa
Readlyn,
New lasercut guidedelivershighly
accuratecuts [ . Gary, the photo at right should
New high flip fence design for fl r help you identify Southernyel-
extra support low pine when you find it. Also look for
Frontalbevel scale makes reading the initials "SYP" stampedon the
angles boardsor on paperlabels. Strongly contrasting grain lines and a yellow
Soft-start,belt-driven,12-ampmotor However,you might haveto find a tone make it easy to identify Southernyellow
reducesvibrationfor superiorresults pine, as you can see here.
new outlet to get what you want. In
mostpartsof the U.S.,the only
"We taill match our competitors Southernyellow pine carriedat home
priceplus beat it by 10% of the centersis pressure-treated. That's the lf you'relookingforananswerto a woodworking
dffirence. Find out rnoreat
green-coloredwood intendedfor out- question, writeto AskW00D,1716LocustSt.,
u wu).ttmdzon.com/pri ce-match.
door use.Contactlumber outletsthat GA-310, DesMoines, lA 50309-3023 or sendus
Call for your FREE Tool Crib catalog catermore to woodworkers,and ask if ane-mailat askwood@mdp.com. Forimmediate
feedback fromyourfellowwoodworkers, postyour
1-800-635-5140 they carry untreatedSouthernyellow. question ononeof ourwoodworking forumsat
Or visit www.southernpine.com, and www.woodonline.com.
click on the "Where to buv" button.

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world
woodworking ee. &
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lor 1/4"SHANK
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QUALITY
woodvvords
A qurckgrfde to must-knorm
terms
usedthroughoutIA0CD@
magazne
Board foot: The standardunit of i I{erf: The slot or openingproducedin a Squeeze-out: The smallbeadof glue
measurefor hardwoodlumber.Because i workpieceby a sawbladeasit cuts thatgetspushedout ofajoint under
hardwoodsoften sell in randomwidths . throughthe material.A standardtablesaw clampingpressure. Removethis glueby
andlengths,a boardfoot measures thick- ; bladecutsa %"-widekerf. wiping it away,beingcarefulnot to spread
ness,width, andlengthto determinethe I it, beforethe glue dries.Or, scrapeit off
total volumeof wood in the board.One i usinga chiselor otherbladeafterthe glue
boardfoot is a piece lxl2xl2". Use the . skinsover.
following formula to calculatethe board j
foot measurement of any pieceof lumber: i Throat: Most often,the openingin a
: tablesaw.bandsaw.or routertablewhere
T"XW"X L" = boardfeet i the bit or bladeprotrudes.The throatis
144 i usuallycoveredby a removablepiece
Flush-trim router bit: A straightbit j calleda throatplateor tableinsert.
with a bearingmountedat the tip, as ,
shown,rigbt. Typical useincludes , Zero-clearance insert: A throatplate,
trimmingworkpieces-wood or plastic I usedin a tablesaw,with an openingcut by
laminate,for instance-to conform to a raisinga spinningbladeor dadoset
i
templateor substrate. : throughit. Becausethe openingmatches
n
H
Simpll
I[l
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the cutting width of the blade,it
reduceschip-outby providing maxi-
mum workpiecesupport.It alsopre-
ventssmall piecesfrom droppinginto
the throatopening.
Counterbore: A stoppedhole in a
workpiecethat allows you to seta screw-
headbelow the surfaceof the wood. You
canplug the counterboreto hide the head.
Countersink: A shallow,conicalhole
in a workpiecethat matchesthe shape
of a flatheadscrewhead.When used
without a counterbore,it positionsthe
headflush with the surroundingsurface.
Shank hole: A hole drilled in a work- Pilot hole: A hole drilled in a work-
pieceto receivethe unthreadedportion of piece to receive the threadedportion of a
a wood screw'sshank.The hole is just screw.The pilot hole is just slightly
slightly largerthan the shankdiameter. smallerthan the screw'sthreaddiameter.
SAWING
Grosscut: A cut acrossthe wood grain. STOCKTO
Rip: A cut parallel to the wood grain.
Resaw: Slicing a length of wood

with the blade running parallel to the
workpiece facesto createthinner pieces.
Usuallv doneon a tablesawor bandsaw.
Dado: A square-cornered channelcut

acrossthe wood grain,typically using a Groove
dadosetor a straightrouterbit.
Groove: A square-cornered channel

similar to a dado,but cut parallelto the
wood grain.
Rabbet: An L-shapedchannelcut along

the edgeor end of a workpiece,typically
using a rabbetingbit or dado set.
www.woodonline.com 37
project builderstalk shop
O,nnw hgft,
t0RtE55.
A
-easystepstoa
smootll-os-glass
finish
YOU tAN givegouroutdoor metal Parlay the right products and
furnitureandarcessories atrulg a little persistence into lustrous results.
distincivelookwithHust-0leum
Stops-Hust aerosol paints.
Therhip
resistanreandcolorretention gou've
rometoexpect fromHust-0leum lothingshowsoff a pieceof high- and shining a light acrossthe surfaceat a
are
nowavailable inexciting
finishes surh ly figured stock, such as the top low angle.Sprayon a fourttr coat of gloss
asMetalli:, Hammered,Satin and of the occasionaltable on page polyurethanefrom an aerosolcan,uni-
S2,betterthan a high-glossfinish. Here's formly wetting the whole surface.L,etthe
Textured.0ont needto repaint the
how we achievesuper-smoothresultsin finish cure for a week.
furniture?Trgit onoutdoorlightfixtures.
the WOODomagazineshop. .,1| Removeany dust moteswith 1,500-
ln fac!Rust-0leum workswonders
Egnt sandpaper. Make a pad with a soft
onwoo4conrrete or masonrg.And nor tight-grained woods, such as the
I cotton rag, and buff the surfaceto a high
lememher, Bust-0leum paints are I mapleshownin this project,sandthe sheenwith 3M Finesse-ittr Finishing
alwags athome proierts,
oninterior too. surfaceto 220 grit, and you're ready to Material (available at auto-paintsupply
apply the finish. An open-grainedwood, stores,or buy it online at www.proper-
. - suchas oak, ash,walnut, or mahogany, autocare.com/3mfiniimacpo.htrnl). ll
requiresthe use of a matching-colorpaste
HOW T0 paintpreviouslg painted grain filler. Pack the grain by working the
metaland/orpartiallg rustedsurfares: filler crossgrain with a wide putty knife.
l. Sand orwirebrushto remoye all Let the filler dry, and then sandthe
looserustand/orrhipping paint. surfaceto220 gdrt.
2. Rinse anddrgthoroughlg. Aclean, make polyurethanefinish flow out
Dro
drgsurface isessential. E smoothlvwithout brushmarks.add
3. Primerustedareas with three tablerpoon, of paint thinner io
Hust-0leurf HustgMetalPrimer. one quafi of high-glossfinish.
Forallotherareas, primewith Do not usefast-drying
polyurethane.Brush on
Fust-Oleum' fl eanMetalPrimer.
Forlightlgrusted areas, threecoats,sandingwith
Uoutan
useHust-0leum FustHeformer" 220-gnt sandpaper
whithneutralizes rustandcreates betweencoats.
asurfacethatcanbetoproated. the third
QSanO
4. Pain[andtakeprideingour lJcoat of finish i
improvement! with320-,400-,
andthen600-gnt
Visitwww.rustoleum.rom for informationonthe sandpaper.
entireportfolio
of Bust-0leum paints
top.qualitg Removethe sand-
. andsurfa:e:oatings. ing dust. Inspectthe
surfacefor flaws by
ilRUSTOtEt
frtr wiping it with thinner,
s t o p p i n gr u s t i s i u s t t h e s t a r t : '
CircleNo. 115 38 WOOD magazlne September 2003
workshop savvy
fancy First, set the depth of your cut. To do flf Mark the ends of your planned flutes on
flutes,
{
I this, extend the blade of a combination ltne workpiece. Place a rule on the
square lte", and lock it in place. With the router base, and measure from the bit to
router in its plunge mode, hold the blade the edge of the base. Measuringto the
end on the router base, and adjust the bit leading edge tells you how far to set your
to make contact with the square's head. stopblock from the top mark. Measuringto
simple l-
Now, set the router's depth stop. the trailing edge determinesthe distance
from the bottom mark to your startblock. lf
your router's base is round, these measure-
ments will be equal. Place the workpiece at
the edge of your workbench, and clamp
setup the blocks and workpiece in place.
Add an impressive detail

to your finest work, using
a router and these tips.
rlOn a piece of scnapthe same width as )Cut a wood spacer to match the gap
-lbetween
he curio cabinet on page 58 offers tJyourworkpiece, lay out and markthe marks on your scrap template
a prime exampleof the classic locations of your flutes. Now, set your routefs (Vz"tor the curio cabinet).Glamp the router
edge-guide fence to make the firct flute. The to your workbench. Loosen the edge-guide
look you can createwith parallel, fence, and slip the spacer between it and
distance from the fence to the bit's center
round-bottomedgroovescalledflutes. equals the distance from the scrap edge to the workbench. Tighten the fence, remove
Becausethesegroovesdo not exit at the the nearestmark (Ta"forthe curio cabinet). the spacer,unclamp the router,and then
Test the setting by routing into the scrap double-check the setting on your scrap.
endsof the workpiece,we call them piece, as shown. \A/henit's centered on the Rout the second flute on your workpiece.
"stopped"flutes.As a designelement, mark, rout the first flute in your wod<piece.(lf Repeat this step for each flute, using the
they set your work apart from the ordi- your rcute/s base is round,and your block- same spacer. (lf your router has a round
to-flute distances are equal, you can flip your base, and you cut two flutes in Step 3, flip
nary, yet they're not difficult to make,as the workpiece after cutting this third flute,
workpiece around, and rout the flute nearcst
you'll soondiscover. the opposite edge.) and rout the fourth one.)
Successfulfluting startswith careful
planningand layout. For a stile23/q"wide,
like thosein our curio cabinet,we useda
Vc" core-boxbit to make four flutes
approximatelyV+"wide and Vre"deep,
leaving V+"of flat surfacebetweenflutes,
and a Vz"borderalong eachedge.Pieces
of different dimensionsmight call for
more or fewer, wider or niurowerflutes.
Whateverthe plan, keep the flat intervals
equalto or lessthan the flute width. Draw
full-scalesampleson paperto arrive at a
handsomedesign.
For bestresultswith stoppedflutes,
you'll needa plungerouter so you can
smoothlylower and raisethe bit at the
beginningand end of eachflute. You'll
alsoneedan adjustableedgeguide.Keep fWhen you rout a flute, butt the router base against the startblock, plunge to the preset
iJdepth, and immediatelymove the router forward. Rout untilthe base contacts the stop-
eachsetof stoppedflutes alignedat the block, and immediatelyallow the plunge mechanismto pop up. Quick entry and exit pre-
endswith a startblockand a stopblock.i vents hard-to-removeburn marks on the wood.

just-rightjoinery
haunched
tenons
Strengthenand simplify rail-and-stile
frameworkwith this easyvariationon
the classicmortiseand tenon.
|! t ou can go a long way

f with the basicmortise-and-
Itenon joint, but sometimesa
variationcomesin handy.The
curio cabineton page5& for
example,featureshaunched
tenonson the top and bottom
rails. With a haunchedtenon,you
can cut a groovethe lengthof
eachstile's insideedge,then auto-
matically fill the exposedend of
the groovewith the haunchas you
assemblethejoint. A haunched
tenonlooks like a standardtenon, a Ghoose your method for forming mortises- rlf Mount a dado set on your tablesaw and
I a drill press equipped with a standard twist lraise its height lo th". Make a test cut on
but addsa shoulderthat extends bit or a hollow chisel attachment,a plunge both faces of a scrap piece, and test the fit in
to the edgeof the rail, as shownin router and centeringjig, or a mortising one of your mortises. Set your rip fence so that
the drawing above,right. machine (our choice).When using this tool, the distance from the fence to the left side of
Making the tenonis simple.All bore at each end of the mortise layout with a the dado set equals the depth of the mortise
you needis a tablesawand dado /+" hollow chisel bit, then bore a series of as measuredfrom the stile edge, minus %0".
holes in between, leaving a wall between With an auxiliaryfence on your miter gauge,
set,asshownhere. adjacent holes. Finally,bore out the walls. make passes on each face to form the tenon.
First, cut the rails and stilesto
their final dimensions.with the
rail lengthincluding the planned
tenons.Plow a VqxrA"centered
groovealong the insideedgeof
eachpart to receivea panel.
Now, lay out a mortiseto be cut
into the grooveon the stile.
Locatethe mortise /+" from the
end of the stile, and makeits
length Vz"less than the width of
the rail; our mortisesmeasured
2Vt" long. We madethe curio
cabinetmortiseslt3/to"deepto
receive132"tenons,allowing %e" rltMove the rip fence /a" closer to the dado
of extra spacefor glue. Eachmor- tJset and lock it in place. Place the rail
tise is t/+"wide, matchingthe against the miter gauge with the grooved edge
groovein the stile.Now, you're up. Make a series of passes to form the ATest the joint's fit by checking for gaps at
haunched shoulder of the tenon. You should be rlthe visible joint lines.Then, apply glue to all
ready to form both parts of a able to butt the end of the workpiece against of the mating surfaces. Place the panel in the
haunchedtenonjoint following the rip fence for the final pass, but test the fit grooves as you slide the four joints of your
the stepsshownat right. before making that pass. frame together, and clamp the assembly. i

scra rrvood
scrollsM
bearspuzzle
Ttris group jnst loves
hangrng atound.
!n no time at all, you can make this bearsand theirbody

I adorable, four-piece display puzzle details to shape,as
lfrom scrapsof any type of iA"- shown in Photo A"
thick wood. (We used poplar.) Wee using ano.1 crown-
ones will have "bear-rels" of fun tooth blade. To form
putting it together, and showing it off the inside details,drill
on a dresseror shelf. You can even Vte"blade start holes
involve kids in the scrollsawing, paint- where needed,insert
ing, or both. the blade through the holes,and cut. the paint dry, usea small artist's
tWith
QRemove the patterns,and sandthe Erbrush to paint the bears' facesand
Gut out the bears 9parts to 220 git. noseswith connastingcolors, where
I Make nvo copiesof the bearpattem shown on the patternand as shown in
I on theWOOD PATTERNS@ inserr Add the colors Photo B. We usedWinsor & Newton
Cut the patterns,where shown,to separale
I nime andpaint the bears.We first used acrylic artists' paints,choosingRaw
the large goup of bears,which have a I Rust-Oleumgray sprayprimer.Then Siermafor the large bean' faces,and
horizontalgrain direction,from the dan- we sprayedon Rust-Oleumquickdying Ivory Blackfor all of the bears'noses.A
gling bear,which hasa vertical grain AmericanAccentssatin-finishpaintsin two-ouncenrbe of paint sells for about $3
direction.Using sprayadhesive,attachthe thesecolors:HeirloomWhiteforthe three at art supply stores.i
pattemsto your stoch aligning theirgrain- smallbears,CanyonBlackfon the large
direction arows with the wood's gain. bearon the left, andNutmeg.forthe lmge Written by Owen Dwall with Kevin Boyfe
jlformthe bears' eyesby drilling3/32" bearon the right, as shownin the photo Project design: Lee Gatrke
Erholes whereshown.Scrollsawthe above.Apply two coatsof paint to all parts.
Scrollsaw down the center of the pattem lines to separate the Using an artist's brush, paint the bears'faces and noses with
bears and create their face, arm, and leg details. acrylic paint. Apply additional coats as needed.
44 WOOD rnagazire September 2003
erforming in the movie Fargo turned his first thin-walled, translucent
changedWilliam H. Macy's life. bowl (the one in the photo, /e/r). Now
For starters,his role in the film stay tuned for the tips and techniques
earnedhim an Academy Award nomi- that helpedhim along the way.
nation in 1996,and establishedhim as
one of Hollywood's premier character Settincrthe staqe: Choose
actors. In addition, while filming in the riiht woofand tools
Minnesota,Macy began woodturning. Turning a translucentbowl requires a
He took lessonsfrom a local turner,and specialpiece of stock.It has to be light
evenboughta latheand had it shippedto colored, tough enough to turn super-
the setso that he could practicehis new thin, and have charactermarksto give it
hobby betweenscenes. visual interest. When Brennion pulled
What sparkedhis decisionto turn? "I a gnarly, sap-oozing, bug-infested,
havethe mind of a chimpanzee. Turning S"-diameterhunk of ponderosapine,
fits the attentionspan,"Macy sayswith right, from a plasticbag, we questioned
a laugh.Then, more seriously,he adds, whetherthis was it. But with this wood,
"I've alwaysbeennutsaboutcontainers. ugly was only bark deep.
And bowls are practical.I just love giv- The piece came from a tree killed by
ing them away, knowing they'll be bark beetles.These nasty little buggers
used."He saysthat "peoplejust like the are wreaking havoc throughout the
shapeof bowls, the tactile sensationof West, as they feed on the cambium (the
This log didn't look like much at first, but
holding them. They pick them up, rub live-wood layer just below the bark) of stripping away the bark revealed the
them,and smile." trees weakenedby drought. When the makings of a beautifulbowl: ponderosa
Once we learnedof Macy's passion beetlesmove out, fungussetsin, creating pine infestedwith bark beetles.
for turning, we thought it would be fun the radiatingdark blue streaks.
to let you sharea day in his shop as he Even if you can't find a unique work- Note: This blank is longer than neces-
takesa lessonfrom a masterwoodturn- piecelike this one,you cancreatea bowl sary for the task. Our intrepid turners
er. So we traveledwith woodworking that the light shinesthrough,too. Choose used the extra to experiment with turning
wiz Phil Brennion to the actor's resi- a light-coloredwood, suchas soft maple. a hollow vessel after completing the
dencein suburbanLos Angeles.By the And make sureit's green,not dried, so it bowl. To create a bowl similar to this
end of the day, Macy successfully will carveaway cleanly. one, a blank about 6" long works nicely.
Gnftsrnart William H. Iltacy

Occtrpatioll3 Actor
SpeCialti€S3 Portrayingintriguingcharactersand turning "useful" bowls.
Most Notable Roles: Jerry Lundegaardin "Fargo,"which garneredan
AcademyAward nominationfor Best SupportingActor; Bill Porterin "Door to Door,"
a role that earnedhim a ScreenActors GuildAward. He cowrotethat movie.
ShOp SpeCS: His 24x24' shop sits above a 2-car garage,with a Powermatic
Model4224latheas its star.Othertools play supportingroles,helpingto prepare
turningstock. Macy outfittedhis Vermontshop with an identicallathe.
Woodworking Back$roun& His father was a woodworker,and built the
family'shome, so tools have alwaysbeen around.He becameintriguedby the
woodturner'sclose connectionwith the wood, gave it a try and got hooked.
Most Used Tools: His lathe,turningtools,and sharpeningsystem.
FavOfitg WOO* Hophornbeam,which is durable,attractive,and easy to find
near his Vermontcabin;and walnutbecauseof its beautifulcolor.
FiniSh Of GhOiG€3 BehlenSalad Bowl Finish;it's easy to apply and replenish.
BeSt AdviCe3 "Learn how to sharpenyour tools, and understandhow they and
your lathe work. And always be careful-safety is key. I find it valuablein my line of
work to have all of my fingers and few scars."
wrvw.woodonline.com 47
For turning tools, you needjust two: a
:/s" bowl gouge and a 3Ae"patting tool,
well-sharpenedfor delicate work. See Iieep tem sharpened
the Shop Tip, right, for Brennion's
insight on this subject. Phil Brennionsays it simply:'Turning
Turning a thin-walled bowl also toolsare like a woodturnefssandpaper.
requires a block of time (Macy needed You wouldn'tkeep sandingwith wom-out
about 3 hours to learn the process).Once paper,but turnerswill avoid sharpeningto
'preserve'thetool. Frankly,turningtools
you start turning, Brennion advises, 0ry
to complete the bowl without stopping. are disposable.They have long flutesthat
Why? The green wood, especially as it let you keep regrindingthe tip. When it's
gets thinned down, will dry out quickly, too shortto use, buy anotherone."High-
and will likely crack or warp if left unat- speed-steelturningtools sell for as little
tended. "If you have to stop," he says, as $3O-$40each, and can last for years.
"gather up your shavings, put them in a His best advice:'Grind a consistentbevel
plastic bag, and place the bag over the from side to side on the tool, and remove
workpiece. Squeezeout the air and tape projectionsthat can catch in the wood.
the bag tightly closed.This helps equal- Make it easy by usinga sharpeningjig."
ize moisture and may prevent spliffing."
How to becorne a star of thin-rrrall furning

Sceneone:
Preparethe blank
Afterremoving the bark and brushing off
the workpiece, Macy mounted it on the
lathe between centers. He turned it by
hand to ensure that it was balanced and
securely held. Then, he turned the blank
round using a bowl gouge,Drawing1 and
Photo A. (This tool's small profile
reducesthe likelihood of it catching in an
out-of-round workpiece. If your piece is
fairly round, you could use a 3/q"roagh-
ing gouge to speedup this task.)
Next, using the bowl gouge then a part-
ing tool, he trued the endsof the blank by
paring away the wood down to the drive
centers,Photo B.
Then, Brennion and Macy removed
the blank from the lathe, and secured a
faceplate to one end using panhead
sheet-metalscrews,centeredon the pith. With the lathe's speed at about 500 rpm
and the tool rest about 2" below center-
(In this case,the short tenon fit within a line, Macy trues the blank using a gouge.
hole centeredin the faceplate.)Here, the
two took extra care to ensure that the Clean up entire length
faceplatewas well-secured. of blank.
Next, Macy mounted the faceplate
onto the lathe, and supportedthe opposite
end of the blank
with the tailstock.
Then he trued the
blank again to E rnuerHEBLANK
make sure it spun
smoothly between
the centers. Squareends of blank@ Macy shows the results of flattening the
\
using a partingtool,
o @
ends of the blank with a parting tool. This
smoothes the ends and prcpares the piece
Truerestof blankin steps, for faceplate-mounting. The tenon at the
workingfromcentertowardends. center can be chiseled away if necessary.
48 WOODmagazine September2003
E ronu rHEourERPRoFILE
Scenetwo:
Rough out the bowl
Creating a translucent bowl,
Brennion advises,requires a lot
of surface area for the light to
shine through. A conical shape
with relatively flat,walls and *10 panhGll
a nilTow baseworks well. Sheet-metalscrew
To create this shape,
Brennion had Macy crank
the lathe's spindle speed up
to about 1,000 rpm; Formreliefcut@
,then,
using the bowl gouge,begin to openup
shaping a cone, Drawing 2 workingroom'
and PhotoG. He didn't worry,
at this time, about creatingthe exact out- bowl had, when complete, a base about
Stopping periodically to check the con-
side profile. And he left a sturdy baseto 2" in diameter.Brennion advisedthat he tour, Macy begins shaping the bowl
support the lateral pressure that he leave about 3" at the center until almost between centers. The tool rest sits per-
would put on the blank as he turned. His done turning. pendicular to the tool's cutting direction.
Scenethree:
Shapethe inside contour
To turn the interior of the bowl, Macy
backedthe tailstock out of the way, and
made sure the blank was still securedto
the faceplate. Positioning the tool rest
parallel to the end of the blank, he bored
into ttre centerusing the gouge,Drawing3.
(Or, you can mount a drill chuck in the
tailstock and createthe hole using a drill
bit.) "Bore to the full depth of the bowl
now," Brennion advised, "before the
bowl gets thin and fragile."
Turning a thin-walled bowl in end
grain, Brennion says, requires working
in a way different than normal. "You
typically work from the outer rim toward
the center when flargrain turning, When
turning the interior of this type of bowl,
though, you work from the center out-
ward," Photo D. This offers better con-
trol, he says, and lessensthe risk that The bowl's interior begins taking shape
as Macy mimics the contour of the
you'll accidentallyshoveyour tool right exterior. The tool rest sits close to the
through the bowl's thin wall if you slip. rim, and about IVz" below center. Macy moves the tool rest as necessary
Brennion recommendedcaution as the to keep it roughly parallel to the bowl's
surface. He positions the tool rest at
bowl walls got thinner. Green wood can Any thin or thick areas will set up ten-
centerline for outside cuts, and about 1"
warp as it thins, which can push the rim sion in the wood that could split it apart. below centerline on the interior.
slightly out of round. Light cuts and a Our turners used two methodsto deter-
sharptool help ensureconfrol. mine when they'd reached the proper
After rough-shapingthe inside, Macy wall thickness.First, they held a small
E ronu rHEINNER
PRoFTLE
again worked the outside of the bowl, lamp in front of the bowl, and
Photo E. With that shape finalized, he checked from the back side for
made his remaining cuts only in the light coming through. Second,they
interior. Brennion notes that this mini- used their hands to feel the wall of Q eoreto fulldepth
of bowl.
mizes warping of the thinning walls. the spinning bowl. Feeling the
To create the translucent effect, thickness proves more accurate Form inside profile,
Brennion says,the bowl wall needsto be than looking, and less risky than workingfrom center
no greaterthan3/re"thick, and consistent. measuringwith wing dividers. toward rim.
wwrv.woodonline.com 49
Meet our cast of woodturning characters
Evenif you don'trecognize WilliamH. Macy's ed,"Macysays.Hangingout in hisshopwas
name,you'llknowhisface.Withmorethan70 likespendingthe daywithanywoodworking
movieandtelevisionroles,he'sas prolificas buddy.(Seethe "Craftsman Profile,"page47,
he is versatile.But histalentsdon'tstopwith to learnmoreaboutthe man.)
acting.He ownsa cabinin Vermontthathe Youcantellimmediately that Macyis a true
hasworkedon extensively, includingbuilding woodworker. He'seagerto learn,happyto
hisown shop."l boughta bookcalledHow to share,andgenerous withwhathe builds."l've
Builda Building,andjustdid it,"he says."l'll turnedhundredsof bowls,"he says,"and
go theresometimesandturnfor days."Macy givenalmostall of themaway."In fact,to show
haruestssomewoodfromhis propeftythere, us his handiwork, he hadto scroungearound
and scourslocalmillsfor goodstock. to finda dozenor so bowls.
Whenhe recentlybuilthis Craftsman.inspired MentoringMacythatdaywas woodturning
homein the HollywoodHills,the shopwas a starPhilBrennion.He serueson the boardof
. big priority.lt offershima placeto escapethe the AmericanAssociation of Woodturners;
rigorsof hiscareer.Asidefromthe $3,500 teachesturningat YavapaiCollegein Prescott,
lathe,histools-a contractor's saw,drillpress, Arizona;givesseminars;and sellshisworksin
mitersaw, and a coupleof grinders- are galleries.We regularly tap Philforadviceon
similarto thosefoundin mosthomeshops. turningafticles,for assistancewithpro.yect
Moviestarsoftenhavethe reputation for designs,and recentlyto testmid-sizelathes
beingaloofand self-important, but notWilliam (seeissue147).
H. Macy.Thiscouldverywellbe the most Macy'sfriendandfellowwoodworker Charlie
down-to-earth guy in Hollywood."l spent20 Huliendroppedby,too,to join in showingoff
yearson stagepayingmy dues,I marriedvery the shophe helpedMacybuild,andto takein
well[hiswife,FelicityHuffman,is an actor,too], Phil'sadvice.Seethe photoof the wholegang
and I haveyoungkids.Theykeepyou ground- on page 4.
Scenefour: as lacquer or polyurethane,don't offer

E panrrHe
S_an{,fi_nish,and make the sameeffect. BOWLFREE
the fiiral cut Thoughthe wood starledout greenand
OnceMacy shapedthe bowl from baseto wet, the heat generatedwhile turning
rim, he sandedit smooth,startingwith madeit dry enoughto acceptthe oil. Had
12O-gritpaper,andworking through220, he left the bowl unfinished.it might have
Drawing 4 and Photo F. Hand-sanding crackedand warpedin just minutes.
works fine, but Macy uses a "sanding Finally, Macy cut the bowl free usinga
drill" to speedthe process. partingtool. After sandingand finishing
To bring out the wood's translucence, the undersideof the base,he inspectedit
Macy wiped on a generouscoat of underthe warm L.A. sun.?
Danish Oil finish. Photo G. This finish
Written by David Stone
soaksthroughthe wood and'helpstrans- Photographs:Michael E. Garland @eartbowloff blank.
mit the light. Film-buildingfinishes,such
Final sanding removes any ridges left by Oil finish brings the almost-completebowl to life, highlightingthe contrast between dark
tools, and preparesthe bowl for finishing. and light,and adding an amber glow.

table
withuncommon
goodlooks
This 22"-diameter table in
bid's-eye mapleand
cherryhasall the right
stuff:appealing
design,traditional
joinery and ease
of construction.
Onewarning:lt'll look
so good you won't want
to put anythingon it.
For the board feet of lumber

and other items neededto build
this project, see page 55.
t's not often that you can make a

great-looking piece of furniture,
such as this table, in just one week-
end (plus maybe a couple weekday
eveninghoursto apply the finish). And if
you've been saving a specialhighly fig-
ured board for the right project, you'll
find the top of this table the perfect place
to show it off.
Mortise and bandsaw

four shapelylegs
I Cut four leg blanks (A) to the size
I noted on the Materials List. Lay out
the mortise locations, whbre shown on
Drawing 1. Chuck a3/s" brad-point bit in
your drill press,adjust the fence to center
the legs' thickness on the bit, and form
the mortises by drilling overlapping
holes. Square the ends of the mortises
and smooth the sideswith a chisel.
)Wa/r.;e four copies of the leg partial
Et pattern on the WOOD PATTERNSa
insert. Adhere the patterns with spray
adhesiveto the leg blanks,where shown.
Complete the leg layouts as in Photo A.
Bandsaw and sand the legs to shape.
Rout %" round-overson the bottom ends
of the legs.

7+"counterbore
/a" deep with a
z/o+"pilot hole 3/+"
Ta"deep centered
inside(upper
stretchersonly)
Iuc
'/r':l1 11/2"-
!-l
flfl1
2"
I-
p exeloDED
vrEW
3/a" 1/a"rol)
mortises
1" deep
Hr
Desktop
Cut 1"-deep notches in parts B. Then

raise the blade and cut 2"-deep notches
in parts G. To prevent chip-out, back the
cuts with an auxiliary extension.
) rrr,l Form two pairs of
interlockitg stretchers
I Cut the stretchers(B, C) to size,
I and then cut their centered,inter-
locking notches, where shown on
Drawing2 andas shown in Photo B. The
parts shouldmake a snugfit without hav-
ing to be forced together.Their top and
bottom edgesshould be flush.
t with the dado blade still in your
tr tablesaw. form the tenons on the
ends of the stretchers(B, C). Before cut-
ting the parts,make test cuts in scrapthe
samethicknessas the stretchers.
2On the upper stretchers(B, C) only,
tJmark the centersof the counterbores
for the desktop fasteners,where shown
on Drawings 2 and 3. Drill the counter-
bores and centeredpilot holes.
qDwavs to ilrake
6peffect circles Radiusof tabletopminus/e"
(10%")=-
Disc-soild the norkpiece

with this qtrick-and-easyjig ,.. s/qx16x24"
i/r- #8x 1"F.H' scraP
Here'sa circle-sanding jig you can make in no time flat. Distancefrom edoe f wo6o screw
of sander table to-the s/cx3 x 16"cleat
First,screw togetherthe jig, shown in the drawingaI right, disc minus t/e" l\
from a couplepiecesof particleboard or plywood.Then -#8
7 s e "s h a n k h o l e . x 1 1 / + ' F . H .w o o d s c r e w
followthe three steps shown in the photos,below. countersunk
on bottomface
Positionthe jig on your disc sander's Fastenthe oversizebandsawntop (D) to Switch on the sander. Pivot the jig until
tablewith the cleatcontactingthe table's the jig's basewith a #8x1tla"
flathead the cleat contacts the sander's table
right-handcorner,but about2" away wood screw.The top overhangsthe along its full length. Rotate the top
from its left-handcorner.With a single edgeof the basethat facesthe sanding against the disc. Keep the jig's base and
clamp,securethe jig's baseto the table. disc by aboutt/+". cleat tight against the sander's table.
rl Vtart theendsandcentersof the stetch- trueing the top, drill a 7/u" pTlothole Vz"
t!.rs'
arcs.Bend a thin snip'of wood to deepat the centerof the bottom face. See
connecteachsetofthreepoints,anddrawthe the sidebar,above, for two quick and
arcs.Bandsawand sandto the lines. simple methodsfor trimming the top to a
f Interlock the upperand lower pairs of perfect circle. Use the procedure that
tJstretchers (B, C). The upperstretcher bestsuitsyour availabletools.
pair has the desktop fastener counter- f Rout /s" round-oversalongthe top's
bores.Drill pilot and countersunkshank Aupper and lower edges.Finish-sand
holeswherethe partsinterlock, shownon the edgesand both faces.
Drawing3, and drive the screws.
fispreading glue in their mortises, finish and assemble
lJclamp the legs to the interlocked I Examine the top and legs/stretchers
stretcherpairs. With the glue dry, sand I assemblv.and resandanv areasthat
the leg-to-stretcherjoints smooth, and needit. If you wish, apply a stainto the
then finish-sand all parts to 220 git. legs/stretchersassembly,and let it dry.
Easeall the edgeswith a sandingblock. (We usedZAR no. 116Cherry.)
Add the top

I Edge-join an oversizeblank for the
I top (D). Using a compass,draw an Withthe top upsidedownon a pad,
centerthe legs/stretchers assemblyon
ll"-radius circle on the blank's bottom it. Usingthe holesin the desktop
face. Bandsawthe top about %" outside fastenersas guides,drill pilot holesin
the circle. To provide a pivot point for the top, and drivethe screws.

l*----=-''
-/o
,r, or try a scrapwoodroutertrammel /t. \
lf you don't have a disc/beltsander,a simpletrammelfor your plungerouterdoes

the trick.Becauseusinga straightflute bit may causetear-outin two quadrants,
where shown in the drawingat right,trim the circle in a seriesof 1/8"-deep
Avoidchatterby usinga 1/2"-shank
cuts.
bit.To trim the circlewithouttear-outin a
singlepass,use a t/2"upcutspiralflute bit.
'JL,#
$
To makethe trammel,drilla 1" hole at one end of a 16"-longpieceof 3/4"
particleboard that is wide enoughto accommodate your router'sbase.Screw
the routerto the particleboard with the bit centeredin the hole.Now followthe
three steps below.
Measuringfrom the edgeof the router To provide clearance for the router bit, Screw the trammel to the center of the
bit, markthe radiusof the circleon the stick three scrap blocks to your work- bottom face of the top with a #8x1th"
trammel.Drilla s/ez"
countersunkhole bench with double-faced tape, then flathead wood screw. Plunge the bit into
for a #8 flatheadwood screwon the stick the top (D) to the blocks with more the top's edge, and rout. Raise the bit
mark,centeredon the trammel'swidth. double-faced tape, top face down. before switching off the router.
I Appty a clearfinish. flMe brushednvo Writtenby Jan SvecwithGhuckHedlund

Cr coats of satin polyurethaneon the Projectdesign:KevinBoyle
RoxanneLeMoine
lllustrations:
legs and stretchers,sanding between
coats with 220-grit sandpaper.)For
instructionson applyinga flawlessgloss Cutting Diagrarn
finish to the top, seepage 38.
Q elace the desktop fastenersin the
Ucounterbores in the top stretchers(B,
C), and screwthem in place. 3/qx71/q
x 96" Cherry (5.3bd. ft.)
Fasten the legs/stretchersassembly
tl,[
to thetop.asshownin PhotoC. Give
your project a final dusting,carry it into
the living room, and enjoy your beautiful 3/qx71/+
x 96" Bird's-eyemaple (5.3bd. ft.)
new occasionaltable.Jl
Materials key: C'-cherry, El\tf-edge-joined
maple.
bird's-eye
Supplies: Spray #8x%"
adhesive, wood
flathead
screws,#8x1s/q" woodscrews.
flathead
Segmoreoo. 28', Blades and bits: Stack dadoset,/a"round'over
A legblanks 3/^' ,Jf 4
router drillbit.
bit,%"brad-point
B stretchers 3/qu 3u 147/a' C
,..furnitureplans at Buying Guide
C stretchers 3/tu 3u 18/s'
Hardware. Desktop no.866-826,
fasteners $5.99
D-top ./4 22"diam. EM fora package Supply,
of 10.CallWoodworke/s
.i;CIlxiilt!'::iti
http:/lwoodstorn.woodmalf l:'i;.htnli -Part
initiallv See
cutoversize. theinstructions. orgotowoodworker.com,
800/645-9292
55
-J I
S il 9 ty !-'lse
i-.';:,;i . j',,,,.,', ' I : :- il1..=Li:el'i:t.1"-h"i*l;

r;.0'::,,1.f.'i::.,].1,le.s::"1*,i:,1"i::
i.;.;:1.':::i r,'",l".i.l,il
i.:i'i:l'; ii;,:li:l'.j r:::rc',r]
t,i- 1.,i
onij.i'rl,
' '
f-i : :.!.";; ; Tl; I :',:
i" -1. f i:"i. i llj,:i.j;s Ifi u f: .
i:li,fiti
A s,li #"1;L{:,ie-i';';"r rt:i*}u*:+,*

sE
fi '[::li ;:i {:::1,.t;,ilY.
i:i.i"";
For the boardfeet of lumber

a n d o t h e r i t e m s n e e d e dt o b u i l d
this project,see page 65.
h i s s p a c i o L r cs a b i n e t . n r e a s u r r r r g
I 8 x 3 7 x 8 3 " . i n c l u c l e sa l i r l l - v i c w .
slidin_c glasscloor:alr cusy-to-nrake
built-Lrp cro\\'n: ancl halogcn rrce^cltt
l i g h t sw ' i t ht l r r e eo l r t l l u tl e v e l s .O f c o u r s e .
t h c r e ' sa l o t o 1 ' g l a s si n t h i s p r o j e c t .a n c li t
will rLrn )/oLl a little rllgre than $200.
Lights anclhardw'areadcl$80. AlthoLrgh
we bLrilt this onc l}onr nraho-gan),. yoll
c o t r l c lL r s ca n y n r . r n r b corf ' l c s s - e x p c n s i r c
woods. inclLrdin-g oak. BLrt.keep irt rlirrd
that a conrparable storc-trou-thtpiece
u i l l r L r n1 , o uS l . - 5 ( Xt)o $ 1 . 2 0 0 . S a v i n g s
asicle.n() allr(rlLrr.lt ol' nroncy ciut replacc
t h e s a t i s l l i c t i t t l )t , o L t ' l l g c t b y ' b L r i l c l i n * c
this bcliuty ;'ourself.

7sz"shankhole,countersunkon backface
#8 x 11/+"F.H.wood screw 361/2"---1
15/a"
--rr l,
1/ex 353/ax 402/a"mirror
73/q'
t/z" rabbet t/a x 13t/z x 39tla" glass
1/2"deep
351/2"
>'/'
t/2" rabbet
t/z" deeP 1 1/2"
Removeinsidelip
283/q" of groovesafter
assembly, forminga
t/c"rabbett/2"deep.
TENoN
E sroe-nAlL DETATL
l/a x 131/zx 287e" glass Pattern
E cnerNer Reversedpattern
-]
21/z'
Note: Thisarticle describeshow to build and bottom rails (E), and on both edges
the curio cabinet with a right-sliding of the middle rails (D), where shownon J
door. To build it with a left-slidingdoor, Drawings 1 and 2. Raise the blade to 13s/e"
-l11/q'
switchthepositionsof thewideand naruow lV+", and cut a groove centeredalong

stiles (A, B) at thefront of the cabinet; one edgeof the top rails (C).
reversethe orientation of the cabinet's ffi Using a 2"-wide scrap,cut and test-
full-extension slides; and attach the #fit a Vq"tenon in a stile's groove.
door edge (DD| shown on Drawing 7, When satisfied,cut the tenons on the
on the oppositeside of the door. endsof the rails (C, D, E), wheredimen-
sionedon Drawing2.
Startwith the sides ffi
'%on
Make four copies of the end pattern
(A), narrow stile the WOODPATTERNSo insert.
ffi Cut the wide stiles
& (B), top rails (C), middle rails (D), Cut out the shadedpart of the patterns
and bottom rails (E) to the sizeslisted in for the top rails (C). Using spray adhe-
the Materials List. sive, attachthe patternsto the endsof the
t/q" groove V+"deep centered rails, aligning them with the tenons'
ffi Cut a
ffi* along one edge of the stiles (A, B) shoulders.(Flip the pattern over at one
A better way to drill with
perforated hardboard jigs
Using1/q"perloratedhardboardand a
nib-cutting 7+"self-centering bit providesan accu-
rateway to drillshelf-support holes
whileprotecting the hardboard's holes
l/txlqx131/a"
from enlargingfromwear.First,usinga
v
for part@
stopblock 34"bit,drillholescenteredoverthe
th x th x 3112"
;
for part@)
stopblock hardboardjig's t/a"holes.(Forthe curio
cabinet,drilleveryotherholefor 2"
spacing,whereshownon the drawing, t4" self-centeringbit
below,and tape overthe unneeded
holesto guardagainstdrillingerror.)Next,withthe jig clampedin position, switch
to the self-centering retractable
bit,insertthe bit's7e"-diameter sleevein a hole,
and drillthe t/+"hole,as shownin the photo,above.You can findthe bit at Lee
A V+xV+"stopblockclampedagainstthe Valley.Call800/871-8158, or go to www.leevalley.com.
lt sellsfor under$7.
outsidelip of the top rail'sgroovestops
the rabbetingbit belowthe rail. Bottom
endof eachrail.) Usinga %"-thickwood

fairing strip 16" long, lay out the rails'
curvedbottom,wheredimensioned, con-
necting the patterns.Bandsawand sand Holesdrilledto 7e"to receive Cut off jig here for drilling 1/q"pefioraled
to the lines. self-centering bit sleeve holesin bottomof cabinet. hardboard
ffi Mark the locationof the middle rails
'ly'(D) on the stiles (A, B), where
dimensionedon Drawing 1. Glue and 163/q"
clamp the stiles and rails (C, D, E) t/c"-thick stock.
ft From
'r;',#cut
#20 biscuitslots
together,checkingfor square.When the the shelf trim
glue dries, sand the side assembliesto (H) to size. Next, glue
220 gnl the trim to the top of the
ii;i, Form tA" rabbets 1/2"deep for the center and bottom 1 1/q"
,r1,;.,rglasS
I
and glassstops(EE) in the side s h e l v e s ' e dgi ng (G),
assemblies, whereshownon Drawings1
and 3, by removing the inside lip of the
assemblies't,/qx't/+"
aligning their back
edgesso the trim over- II
1- Removeinsidelip
,/o'igroove
1t/+"deep
receives
'l
grooves.Climb-cut hangsthe edgings'front of grooveafter glass.
the lip to eliminatetear-out.To stop the by '/t". assembly,forming
at/q" rabbet1/2"
deep.
rabbetsbelow the top rails (C), cut a lG Mark lines across
t/+xt/+"stopblockto fit betweenthe stiles. 'o'lfl,lthe
length of each ['
Clamp the stopblockto eachtop rail and sideassembly's rails(C.
z', I _-1/4"
hole 7e"deep
F
Ii
rout, as shown in Photo A. Squarethe D, E), where dimen- -:? -
| ,/a
rabbets'cornerswith a chisel.
r+n;ll"Cut
a Vz" rabbetVz"deep along the
sionedon Drawing1, to
locate the horizontal
r1
ol
.iti*back inside edge of each side's rear centers of the mating i-l
- 1/2"rabbel
t/p" deep
stile (A) to receive the back (I), where biscuit slots. Mark the
shownon Drawings1 and3. vertical centerlinesof
the biscuitsacrossthese E nrcHrsrDE
ASSEMBLY
Add the shelves linesat the samedimen-
and
'"ii
back sions as for the shelves,measuring from i:';riVlaksa hole-drillingjig, as shownin
Cut the shelves (F) to size. Mark the rabbeted edge of the rear stiles (A).
.;ji,centerlines on the top of the t/+"- Plunge the slots. holes over one shelf-supportcenterline
thick shelves for the #20 biscuit slots ,# Glue, biscuit, and clamp the side in the top of the cabinet,andpositionits
centered in the shelves' ends, where rl.$land shelving assemblies together, bottomend againstthe middle shelf(F).
dimensioned. Now, plunge the slots. checking for square. Clamp the jig to the stile. Now, drill
;,'.'iiCut the shelf edging (G) to srze. .i.'.-'Setthe cabinet on one side on a the shelf-supportholes, repeatingthe
'1,,'rllarge,
',ii".;Now,glue and clamp the edging to flat surface. Mark centerlines processfor the other stilesin the top of
the shelves, aligning their top edges and for the /+" shelf-support holes along the the cabinet. Then, cut the jig where
ends. In the top shelf, drrll t/2" holes for stiles (A, B), where dimensioned on shown,and drill the holesin the bottom
wires, where dimensioned on Drawing 1. Drawings 3 and 4. of the cabinet.

#4 x 1/2"panhead screw
Pluginto 120Voutlet. Transformer
,f #4 x e/+"panhead screw
2-prong Powerblock 28" full-extension
slide
Dimmermodule
t;,Jniiu,"no,")
pad ii part
dimmerii
ti _.-.-"'
ii ,.-
i : t'--:.{..:-.::..
'::--
i: .....-.i.{:::-t
28" full-
ii
ii extension
ii slides
iiii
#8 x 1 1/c'F.H. wood screw
vrEW
E exploDED
f,[Position the cabinet facedown on Snout a3/+"bullnosealongthe outside ffiCut the front skirt (M) and side
[Jyour work surface.Cut the back (I) fuedge of the trim pieces, where q# skirts (N) to size,miter-cuttingtheir
to fit in the rabbeted opening. Drill shown.(We did this by routing a pair of ends, where shown on Drawing 5.
mounting holes through the back, where round-oversusing a 3/s"rotJnd-overbit.) Make six copies of the end pattern,but
shown on Drawing 1. Locate the holes frMark a centerlineacrossthe trims' do not cut offthe patterns'shadedarea.
3/8" from the back's top and bottom t#miter joints for the #20 biscuit slots. Attach the patternsto the skirts' ends.
edges and Vq"from its sides. Drive the Plungethe slots, centeringthem on the Lay out the curve on each skirt's bot-
screws.Drill a Vz"hole for wires through trims' thickness. tom, where dimensionedon Drawing 5,
the back where shown, countersinking ,rf; Gtue and clamp the trim to the base connecting the patterns.Bandsaw and
*f;panel,
its edges. insertingthe biscuits in the sandthe curvesto the lines.
slots in the trim's miter joints. Sand ffiMark centerlineson the outsideface
Build a sturdy base the trim flush to the panel. Now, drill Q#of the skirts at the mitered corners
I Cut and miter-cutthe basepanel (J), mountingholesthroughthe top and bot- for #20 biscuit slots.Plungethe slots in
I front trim (K), and side trim (L) to tom of the trim, where dimensionedon the skirts' ends, where shown, offset-
size,where shownon Drawing5. Drawings4a and 5. ting them toward the skirts' inside face
61
#8 x 11/2'F.H.wood
screwJ
'%Hrnore,lO S
>
vilereo
\ ends
#20 biscuit
=_{
l/ lrii'"\"'%. s/oz"shank hole,
countersunk on
3/au
bottomface
bullnose
7oe"shank hole.
\ countersunk
#8 x 11/cF
' . H . 'y.r' # 8 x 11/q"F.H.
wood,sc1ery shank hole, wood screw #8 x 1s/q"F.H:
mounleo9I countersunk
--l|.!ai on bottom wood
a 25'angle is; ingre
7/u" pilot hole 7+" deep #20 biscuit
Miteredend
Genter and clamp the base assembly to

the cabinet's bottom. Drive the screws
to ensure the slot cutter does not go (short) edges measure exactly 32" in through the holes in the trim (K, L).
through the outside face. length. Cut the side parts Q, S, IJ, W,
f Glue and biscuit the skirts together. and Y so their back edges measure
t Then, glue and clamp the skirt exactly 15V2".
assemblyto the base paneVtrim assem- Afuy out the parts, and mark center-
'lhnes
bly (J/IVL), aligning their back edges across the mitered joints for
and centering the skirt assemblyend to #20 biscuit slots.Plungethe slots,adjust-
end. Using the shankholes in the trim as ing your biscuitjoiner's fenceas needed
guides, drill pilot holes into the skirts. to centerthe slot on the part's thickness.
Drive the screws.
ftGlue and clamp part.P to the cabi-
Qneferring to Drawing 5, cut four tri- tJnet's top, centeringit end to end and
lJangular corner blocks (O) to the size placing itl5Vz" from the cabinet'sback.
shown.Drill mounting holesthrough the Drill mounting holes where shown on
blocks, where dimensioned. Glue, Drawing6, and drive the screws.Glue,
clamp, and screw the blocks to the skirts biscuit, and clamp side parts Q to the
and basepanel (J), where shown,center- top. Drill the mounting holes,and drive
ing the front blocks on the skirts' width. the screws.
{lPlace the cabinet on its back. Attach ftUsing the same method, install the Alignthe backedgesof the crown'spartsas
#the base assemblvto the cabinet as tlfremaining crown parts R through Y, you assembleit. Offseteachpart'sscrcw
shownin PhotoB. as shown in Photo C. locationsto avoidstrikingthe screwsbelow.
Grown the cabinet Add a door with a view needed,and cut the flutes, where dimen-
I Cut the crown parts (P through Y) to I Cut the stiles(Z)to sizebut4" longer sionedon Drawing7a.
I sizebut I " longer than listed. I than listed. Make marks on a face of
,{}Using your router table, rout the 3/q" QTrim the bottom of each stile (Z)
each stile 4V+"from the bottom and57/e" V2V4" below the ends of the flutes.
(rbullnose on parts P and Q, the Vz" from the top to identify the flutes' length. Then, trim the top of the stiles to their
round-overon parts T, U, X, and Y, and Now, chuck a Vq"rotrndnosebit in your finished length of 74Vs".
t\te Vz" cove on parts V and W, where handheldrouter. Attach an edgeguide to lllCutthe top, middle, and bottom rails
shownon Drawing6. 't1AA,
the router. Clamp stopblocksto the ends BB, CC) to size.Next, cut V+"
{l Miter-cut the endsof the parts to rhe of the stiles where appropriatefor your groovesin the rails, and stiles(Z),wherc
tfdimensions shown, making sure router to stop the flutes at the marks.For shown on Drawings7 and 8.
you have left and right (minor image) more on this, seepage 40. EIn the groovesin stilesZ,\ay out the
pieces for the side parts. Cut the front Adjust the router bit to ctrt a tAo"- {V4" mortises lt3/ro" deep. Drill out
parts P, R, T, V, and X so their back deep flute. Adjust the edge guide as the mortises using a Vq"brad-point bit

7se"shankhole,countersunk
#8 x 11/q"F.H.wood screws
41/2" rAr 7/at" pilot hole 72" deep
t/z"round-over
37/a"
1/z"cove 1
biscuit
E cnowru
33Aa
---.-\
1/2"round-over
2eAa'l
3"
---'>----\
7+"bullnose
s/a"bullnose
Miteredends tZ" moftise 1tslro"deep
,/4
1/ax317/a
x 39/a" gla---'--- 317/a"
in your drill press.Squarethe ends of
II
37/a"
\ vt-
the mortises and straightentheir sides \ | -_----1
with a chisel.(For an easierway to form Flutes

the mortises,and for help on forming
the mating door-rail tenonsin the next P
step,seethe articleon page 42.)
$;Cut the t/+"tenonson the endsof the
rL$rails (AA, BB, CC), where dimen-
sionedon DrawingSonpage64. Notethat
thetenonsfor thetop rail (AA) andbottom 38"
I
rail (CC) arehaunched(notched).
ffilr4ake two copiesof the end pattern,
.& and cut out the shadedpart. Attach
them to the ends of the top rail (AA). I Removeinside
lip of grooves
afterassembly,
forminga
th" rabbel
741/a"
Ll.-
1/2"deep.
Mark the arch on the rail where dimen-
sioned.Bandsawand sandto the line. 311/z'
i s*Dry-assemblethe stiles(Z) and rails
%,.F(AA,BB, CC). Whon the parts fit t'
rI
togethercorrectly,glue and clamp them
together, checking for square. Later,
sandthe assembleddoor smooth.
t/2"
ffinr in Photo A, rout Vq" rabbets
rFdeep for the glassin the door's back, 1/ax317/ex28t/2"
whereshownon DrawingT,byremoving glass
the inside lip of its Wxt/q" grooves.
28s/a"
Squarethe rabbets'corners.
iffi ffiCut the door edge (DD) to size. #16 x 3/+"brad
& %#crue and clamp it to the back of )
the door where shown, flush with the
outsideedgeof the stile (Z). 1/+"groove
t/q" deep 131
.r'rrl-Y 7
Install the door Yq )/2e/q"
tZ" mortise1tslro"deep
ffi Using a helper, place the cabinet
& faceup on sawhorses.Separatethe
FLUTINGDETAIL
cabinet slide and matching door slide
parts of the full-extension slides by Removeinside
pressingthe slide releasetab shown in lip of groovesafter
Photo E on page 64. Screwthe cabinet
E ooon assembly,forminga
t/+"rabbet 1/2"deep.
slides (the larger pieces) to the shelf t/r0"-deepflute
63
@ ooon-RAtL
TENoN
DETATL
11/2'
Reversedpattern
21h' tA" groove|th" deep,

t/a"grooves
centeredalongbottomedge
l+" deep
11h" tA" groove
t/q" deep
1/q'
Mark the center of the slide's horizontal
-- slotted hole on the door's edge on mask-
ing tape. Measurethe distance to the first
13/a'
verticalslotted hole.
/1
13/q'
edging(G), whereshownon Drawing 4. Positionthe squareagainstthe door's

Position the lower two slides tight bottom. and set it to the bottom
againstthe shelf trim (H) and front stile slide's centerlinemarked on the door's
(A). Positionthe top slide flush with the edge. Transfer the centerline acrossthe
bottom edge of the shelf edging and tape on the bottom rail (CC). Repeatthis
tight againstthe front stile. processto mark the centerlineon the top
?fo locatethe door slides,reassemble rail (AA). To mark the middle rail (BB),
&rthem to the cabinetslides,and fully measure the distance from the door's
close them. Position the door faceup on bottom to the middle slide's centerline
the cabinet with its bottom flush against on the door's edge.Mark this dimension
the front trim (K). Measurethe reveal at on the middle rail at both ends,and draw
the top of the door. Now, adjustthe door the centerline. (This ensuresthe center
so approximatelyone-third of the reveal slide will be parallel to the top and bor- With the slide aligned with the marked
is at the top and two-thirds is at the bottom slides.) lines,drill pilot holes through the slide's
horizontalslotted holes using a self-
tom. (The reveals will equalize after
ftseparate the door slides from the centering bit. Drive the screws.
mounting the door and setting the cabi- tfcabinet slides. Align the slides on
net upright.) the door, drill pilot holes, and drive the
QSnae the door open4", and clampit supplied screws,as shown in Photo E.
tJin place. Make sure the slides Install the door, as shown in Photo F.
remain fully closed. Mark each slide's
f Standthe cabinetupright. Check that
centerlineon the door's edge,as shown 4 the door opensand closessmoothly.
in Photo D. On one slide, measurethe To adjust a slide, loosen its mounting
distancefrom the outsideface of the front screws,repositionit asneeded,and tighr
stile (A) to the center of the first verti- en the screws. When you're satisfied
cal slotted hole. Set an adjustable with the door's operation,place the cab-
squareto this dimension.You'll use it inet faceup on the sawhorses.Remove
as a marking gauge to locate the slides the door, and place it inside face up on
on the door. your workbench. Drill pilot holes cen-
f Next, place the door inside face up tered in the slides' round holes. One by
"f on your workbench. To mark the one, transfer the screwsfrom the slotted
locations of the door slides, apply 2"- holes to the round holes to permanently
wide masking tape acrossthe width of securethe slides.Remove the slides and
the door, aligning the tape with the top the masking tape from the door. Usinga helpe6alignthe door'sand cabi-
edges of the rails (AA, BB, CC).
f,lfo make the glass stop blanks (EE), net'sslides,and slidethe doorin place.
Position the preset adjustable square Afplane a lzxlV+x48" pieceof stockto
against the door's marked edge, and 3/s"thick. On your tablesaw,rip sixteen fit the openingsin the cabinet'ssidesand
draw a line parallel to the edge across sAo"-widestripsfrom the stock.Planethe door, where dimensionedon Drawings1
the tape on each rail. strips' width to Vq".Cut the glassstopsto and 7. Set the stopsaside.

Put on a fitting finish
S Sandany areason the cabinet 3 / q x 7 1 / +x 9 6 " M a h o g a n y ( 5 . 3 b d . f t . ) A widestiles 2', 741/i'
& and door that needit. Remove 3/t,
B narrowstile 1s/a',741/t" M
the dust. 3/q'
C toprails 3e/c' 13%' M
4,8'Apptya stainif you wish. (We 3 / q x 7 1 / qx 9 6 " M a h o g a n y ( 5 . 3 b d . f t . )
,ileuss6 ZAR Oil-Based Wood D middlerails Vt' 21/q' 135/a' M
E bottom
rarls sh, 2t/q' 13s/a' M
Stain#118 Dark Mahogany.)To
F shelves 3/q, 151/2',351/2', MP
ensure adequateadhesionof the e / a x 7 1 / qx 9 6 " M a h o g a n y ( 5 . 3 b d . f t . )
G shelfedging 3/q'
mirrors, stain (and finish) only a 17/a" 3512' M
lt/2"-wtde strip aroundthe mirror H shelftrim 1/q' 1Va' 351/z' M

3 / a x 7 1 / qx 9 6 " M a h o g a n y ( 5 . 3 b d .
mounting areason the cabinet's back 1/z' 361/z'741/q' BP
back (I).
*E Apply three coats of a clear 3/t'
3 / q x 7 1 / +x 9 6 " M a h o g a n y ( 5 . 3 b d . f t . ) J basepanel 151/z' 32' MDF
q,F-finish,sanding to 320 grit
K fronttrim 3/tu 3', 38"
between coats and removing the L sidetrim 3/qu 3" 181/2' M
dust. (We sprayedon DEFT Satin 3/q'
M frontskirl 41/z' 37'
LacquerClear Wood Finish.)
N sideskirls 3/q' 41/z' 18"
Add the lighting 3/+x91/+

x 96" Mahogany(6.7bd. ft.) 0 corner
blocks 3/qu 41/2, 4t/z'
ft Surface-mounta pair of halo-

& gen lights under the top and 1 / 2 x 7 1 / qx 4 8 " M a h o g a n y ( 1 . 3 b d . f t . ) front
P- bullnose
middle shelves(F), as directedin Q- bullnose sides a/.tl
3' 181/2' M
the manufacturer'sinstructions. R- flatfront 3/q' ZsAa"371a" M
Route the wires from the upper S- flatsides 3/q' 2sAa"181Aa" M
lights through the Vz"holes in the T. middle front 1/z' 33/ro" 383/e" M
top shelf. Feed the wires from U' middle sides 1/z' 33/re"
181/ro" M
the lower lights through the Vz" 3/t,
V* covefront 37/8' 393/q' M
hole in the back (I). 3/qu
W'covesides 37/s, 193/a' M
$Referring to Drawing4, screw X- capfront 3/tu 41/z' 41'
&*the transformer,dimmer mod-
Y- capsides 3/qu 41/z' 20'
ule, and a power block to the top of 1/zx 48 x 96" Birch plywood
*Planeor resawto the
the cabinet.On the back sideof the
thicknesseslistedin Z. stiles 3/qu
cabinet,screwanotherpower block the MaterialsList.
23/4" 741/s', M
to the center of the back (I) 21" AA toprail 3/q' 33/4' 35" M
from the cabinet'stop. Connectthe BB middlerail 3/q' 21/q' 35" M
lights' and transformer's wires to CC bottomrail 3/q' 21/4' 35' M
the powerblocks,whereshown. DD dooredge 3/e' 3/q' 741/s' M
ffiPlug the wire from the touch
adpad dimmer into the dimmer o EE-glassstopblanks%" 3/eu 48'
-Parts cutoversize.
initially Seetheinshuctions.
M 16
module. Using cloth-backed, s / q x 4 8 x 4 8 " s/nx24 x 48" Materials key: M-mahogany, MP-mahogany
double-facedtape,mount the pad Mahogany plywood Medium-density fiberboard plywood, BP-birch plywood, MDF-medium-density
in a convenientplace, such as on fiberboard.
the cabinet'sback or inside the cabinet r'T-SReinstall the door slides and the Suppf ies: Spray adhesive;#20biscuits #8x1t/r',
under the middle shelf. +"ddoor. Set the cabinet upright, and and#8x1s/a"
#8x11/2", flatheadwoodscrews; #4x1/2"and
move it to its final location.Install shelf panhead
#4xslq" screws; #16xs/q"brads; mirror mastic;
ffi frim the transformer'spower cord,
*'.ffiattach gIass(2);r/svltt/2vt$r/6'
1/Bx131/2x285/s" g|ass(2);
its plug, and insert it into the supportsand glass shelves.Use a suit- glass(1);t/svJlt/svJ?t/s"
1/8x317/sx281/2" glass(1);
dimmer module'sreceptacle,as directed able glass thickness to safely support t/sv!$s/svl$t/s"
mirror(1);%x35%x40%" mirror (1);
in the manufacturer' s instructions. your displayitems.For the 35V8"spanof 16x35/e"glass forshelves , ot 1/2"
(3),/+",3/a" thicktosuit
the shelves,the maximum load ratings load-supporlneeds; cloth-backed, double-faced tape.
Install the glass per squarefoot are: 5.3 pounds for t/+" Bfades and bits: Dado-blade set;t/q"andt/2" rab'
glass;17.5poundsfor /g" glass;and32.6 beting,%"andt/2"round-over, t/a"roundnose , and1/2"
ffi Placethe cabineton its back. Apply coverouter bits;/+"brad-pointdrillbit.
*& mirror mastic (from your local glass poundsfor t/2"glass.
shop) to the back of the mirrors, and .-$ Plug the module'spower cord into a Buying Guide
--"H Hardware.Halogen four20-
lightset,includes
pressthem onto the cabinet's back (I). 120V outlet. Placeyour collectibles
withbrassfinish,
wattlights andtwo
transformer,
Let the masticcure for 24 hours. on the shelves, press the three-level powerblocks; touchpaddimmer;
three-level 2'dual
ffi Install the glassand glassstops(EE) touchpad dimmer to setthe desiredlight connectorcable;/n"shelfsupports,polishedbrass,
.ffiwinthecabinet'ssidesanddoor.Attach level, and enjoy the beautifuldisplay.cF coated
white-vinyl (12);28"full-extension
slides
the stopswith #16x3A"brads.To prevent (3).Kitno.K1T0903,$79,95 ppd.Pricereflectsa
Writtenby Owen Duvall with Chuck Hedlund discounttor W00Damagazine readers.
splitting the stops, drill holes in them Projectdesign:Kevin Boyle Woodworker's Hardware. Call800/383-0130,or go
usinga brad with its headsnippedoff. lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine to www.wwhardware.com.
www.woodonline.corn 65
hendesigningthe curio cabinetonpage58, we tit it wittl As you pore over the variousfixtures,note that we arrangedthem
low-voltage halogen "pucK' lights, available in pre- in the order of brightness,with the brightestfirst in our chart.When
U U packagedkits at hardware stores and home centers makingyour choice,keepin mind that all recessedfxtures requirean
everywhere.But" as the chm below shows,there are many other open-topcabinet,wittr the minimum overheadclearancelistedin the
choices.Usethis informationto chooseyour nextlightingpnrduct.See chart.Thesefixturesareidealwhencrown moldingcreatesarecessat
page68 for a fist of sources. the top of the cabinet,hiding the elecnicalcomponentsfrom view.
Lightlixture
witr bulb
$23 $20.50 r 2-light,
$24.50
r 3-light,
$35
Installation Twoversions, bothrecess-mount Recess-mount,flafteadscrews Surface-mount

withtim: ffirough
thetrimring,
r Flatheadscrewsthroughthe 4%e"-diameter hole
trimring,3tl2"-diameter
hole
r Clip-in,
37+"-diameter
hole
Minimumoverfieaddearance 4 4" Nonerequired

Minimum cabirctdimensions 12x12x18" 12x12x12" 12x12x12"
perfixtureorbulb
Electical Maximum ofsixfixtures
maybe Maximum ofsixfixtures
maybe Twoorthreelightsin a singlehousing
configuration linked
together. linked
together. witha higillowintensity
switch
Bulbwatb 50w 50w 25W

Bulblih 500hours 2,000hours 2,000hours
Beplacement
bulbcmt $12.50 $5.50 $6.25
tlliringsystem Modular Modular Plug-inor hard-wire
Accessolim D2,03,DEPS,RS,SS D2,D3,DF,PS,RS,SS None
(toffiotel---seep&8,
Commenb Although be bulbforthisfixtureisthemost Slightly lessbrightfian fixtureno.1,this Thissurface-mountedhalogen fixture

expensive to replace,
it throwsthebrightest fixturehrowsa softe[morediffuselight. doesn'tneeda transformer.
Useit where
lightfte longest distance.Thisisthebest for improved lightingof objecb,mounthe thecabinet's
designhidesit fromview.
fixtureto usefora talldisplaycasethatcan fixturetowardthefrontof thecabinet. and Thetwo-positionswitchgivesyoua choice
belit only
onlvfrom top.
thetoo. aim slightlytoward fie back. of brightness
levels.

Also, recess-mounting12-volt halogenpuck lights requiresthat ttre Lightfixture
mountinghole be boredthroughthe cabinet'stop for ventilation.
No, you don't have to be an elecnicianto install theselights. The LIGHTFIXTURE
SETUP
fixnres eitherplug directly into an outlet,or gangtogethervia "mod-
(
ula/'wiring. kr this case,eachcomponent has a short cord or cords I
with molded-onconnectors.Simply mount the fixture, plug the con- I Blue matboard
30"
nectorstogether,add your choice of modular swirchesor difilmers,
andthenplug the whole systeminto a wall outlet.
To sort out the choices,we purchasedthe various cabinetlights
availablethroughcatalogsandlocal retailen. Then we photographed
their lighting pattemsagainsta darkbackground.The drawings,right,
showhow tlre lights were setup for comparison.Q
Continuedon page 68
Lightfixture
Gost r 3-lightset,$26,25 r Bracket-mount,notrim,$12 $17

bulb r 4-lightset,$44 r Screw-mount orclip-in,
r Extralights,$7 withtrim,$15
lnstallation atrans-
bothrequire
Twooptions, Threeversions,allrecessed: flathead
Recess-mount, screws
bythe r Bracket-mount,
thatmustbeconcealed
former nolrim,3Vz"- throughaflange byatrim
covered
cabinet's
design, mounted: diameter
orremotely hole -diameter
ring,Zz/e" hole
r Surface-mount r Flatheadscrews throughthe
r Recess-mount
ina S5mm-diametertrimring,3%"-diameter hole
hole r Clip-in hole
withtrim,3sl+"-diameter
Minimumoverhead
dearance holeforrecess-mounting 4"
Through 4"
cabirctdimensions 12x12x12"
Minimum 12x12x18" 12x12x12"
perfixilrcorbulb
Electical r 60Wtransformer, ofthree Maximum
maximum maybe
ofsixfixtures Maximum maybe
ofsixfixtures
configuration 20Worsix10Wlights linked
together. linked
together.
r 120W marimum
transformer, ofsix
10Wlighb
20Wortwelve
Bulbwath 10w20w 40w 40w
Bulblite 4.000hours 500hours 500hours
Replacement
bulbcost $2.70 $3.25 $3.25
tMdngsysbm Modular Modular Modular
Accessodes D3BPS D2,D3,DF,PS,RS,SS D2,D3,DF,PS,RS,SS
(ftdrobl)
Commenb Somepuck-type fixtures with

areavailable Thisfixturecombines a wideangleof light A compact versionof fixtureno.2,this
xenonbulbs.Thesebulbscosttwiceas witt gooddownward
dis;tibntion projection.modelusesthesame40-wattbulbasno.
muchto replace
asordinary but
halogens, Availablewifi orwithouttim. Thetim 5.Withitsopenhousing, it leakssomelight
ligl
theycreateabout10 percentlessheatand versionmounbthesameasfixtureno.1; upward.Thecabinetdesignmustshield I tfris
tt
lastmorethantwiceaslong. he no-timversion mounbsimilarto no.7. enantliqht
lightfromview
Notes:
1. (CS)6' powercordwitha rollswitch Sources
(D2)Two-stagedimmer switch(off,high,low) RocklerWoodworking andHardware.
(D3)Three-stagetouchdimmer (connectto cabinethardware fortouchoperation) tora catalog,
Call800/279-4441 877f62-5537tor
(D3P)Three-stagetouchdimmer (suppliedwitha touchpad,orconnect to cabinet
hardware
fortouchoperation) thelocation
ofthenearestretail
store.
orooto
(DF)Full-range
dimmer switchwitha stemfor7c"-thick material www.rockler.com.
(EX)Fixture-to{ixture
extensioncord
(PS)Pushon/push offswitchwitha stemforg/a"-thick material Woodworker'sHardware.
Call800/383-0130
fora
(RS)Two-circuit
rotary switch(off,1$circuit
on,2nd circuiton,bothcircuits
on) orgotowww,wwhardware,com.
catalog,
(SS)Spring-loadedswitch(onwhenreleased) Woodworker'sSupply.
Call800/645-9292
tora
orgotowww.woodworker.com.
catalog,
Lightfixture
Lightpattern
+
I
I
uerticat I
Surface
T"
I
I
_l_
+
Horizontalg!,,
Cost Double,
$11.50 10" $13.50
, 10",$25
withbulb Single,
$7.25 20" $17.75
, 20",$30.75
30",$24 30",$36.50
Installation Recess-mount
withbracket,
notrim, Surface-mount
2t/2"-diameter
hole
Minimumoverhead
clearance Nonerequired
Minimumcabinetdimensions 12"width,
22"width,
32"width
perfixturcor bulb
Electical 10'powercordwitha rollswitch Linkmultiple
configuration fixtures
uptoa
totalof300W
Bulbwatb 6W12W1BW
Bulblift 40.000
hours
Replacement
bulbcost Replace fixture.
entire
Wiringsysbm Modular
Accessodes CS,EX
(foomob1)
Gommenb Witha smallermounting holethantheno- Thegranddaddy of allcabinet

lighb,this lntendedforexposed mounting,thisfixture
trimversionoffixtureno.5.thisistheleast surface-mounted fixturecomesin double- is moreanaccent thana display light,and
conspicuousmodelinthegroup. lt mounts andsingle-bulbversions.Thefixture's worksbestforlighting a singleshelf.
You
fromthetopwitha plasticring-shaped openconstruction requires
cabinet
design mustreplace theentirefixturewhenthe
bracketthatscrewsin place, suitable
to hideit. individual
bulbsstaftto burnout.

double-take
bo*
wsah
t
A foolproof technique makes
fitting the lid to the base a snap.
urn this beautifulbox from any wood

J|f
you have on hand.The three exam-
I
- ples shown here (from top): cherry
walnut,and hackberry.Althoughit appearsto
be a Southwest-stylevessel-thanks to
ffffi:iltH;:Tt;:
nJ,rt
jewelryand othersmallit"r.-'l'o ffi
illusion
isfurtherassisted
ov,ntl ffi @
orativegrooves;the center one conceals
the joint betweenthe lid and base.
I Createthe templates
Make a copy of the six templates on the
WOOD PATTERNSainsert, and adhere
them with spray adhesive to %" tem-
pered hardboard. Bandsaw or scrollsaw,
and sand the templatesto shape.
2 True the blank, iffid

bore a hole --
@Ce"n up the entirelengthof the blank.
Find the center of a 4x4x5" bowl blank
by drawing diagonalson one end. Use a
compass to draw a 3"-diameter circle
around the center. Screw your 3" face- @ aore a 7a"hole t/2" deep.
plate to the blank, centered in the circle,
and then mount the blank on your lathe. i<--
Use your roughing gouge to turn it to a
33/q"-diameter cylinder. True the blank's
end with your spindle gouge.
@true uptheend.
Install a drill chuck in the lathe tailstoch
and chuckin a3/q"ForstnerbTt.Borea3/q" 'l
hole Vz"deepin the blank's end.
Tools:7+" roughinggouge, 7a"spindlegouge, True the ends

{{{
@ o
7q" Forstner bit. to 3/+" diameter. True the rest of the blank in steps.
lbol r.rt Roughinggouga,center;sdndle
gouge,slightlybdqv c€nter.
spee&: Roughinggouge,60Hm lpm
spindlegouge,800-l,200rpm;Forstn€r
3 Rouqh-shapeand
partihe Hd
Align the top mark on the Lid Rough
Template with the blank's end, and
mark the critical diameterSon the blank,
as shown in Photo A. Then to avoid
accidently hitting them with your turn-
ing tools, mark a safety line /+" beyond
the tips of the faceplate screws. With
your paning tool, make gauging cuts to
the diameters indicated on the tem-
plate, checking your cuts with outside
calipers. Make overlapping cuts to
clean out the Vz"-widegroove that sep-
Part off the lid.@
aratesthe lid from the base.
Use your spindle gouge to form the
Rough-shapethe lid.
lid's rough profile, checking it with
the template. Part the lid from the blank
with your pafting tool, where indicated
on the template, and as shown in Photo
B, leaving aVt"-long tenon on the lid.
Align the templatewhere indicated,and mark
the locationsof the criticaldiameterson the blank.
Iools: Partingtool,7e"spindlegouge.
Tool rest: Partingtool,center;gouge,
slightlybelowcenter.
Speed:80f1,200rpm.
l@ nr",rr"t"tull-l t
" - Make gaugingcuts to the diametersshown
line /q" beyondthe tip6 @
of the faceplatescrews. on the template.Clean out the lz" groove. 71
@ Invertthe lid and
mount it on the dowel.
I
Tv,"
@ tnserta %" dowet

1zAe"long. /
the lid,
True the end, @ leaving a t/e"
leavingthe tenon. Apply double-facedtape. lip at the edge.
base blank. Invert the lid, and mount it

4 Hollow the tid on the dowel's protruding end, as shown
finish, a fast-drying friction finish you
apply with the lathe running at slow
True the end of the baseblank with your in Photo C. Make certain the lid's top is speed. See the Buying Guide for our
spindle gouge,leaving the tenon formed firmly seated against the base blank's source for the finish. Remove the lid,
by the portion of the Vz"-wide groove end. Use your spindle gouge to hollow dowel, and double-faced tape from the
remaining after parting the lid. With a the inside of the lid, leaving a t/s"-thick baseblank.
Forstner bit in the tailstock-mounted lip at the perimeter. Check the profile
chuck, bore a 3/c"hole 1" deep in the with the Lid Inside Template. Tools:7e"spindlegouge,9z+" Forstnerbit.
blank. Insert a 3/q"dowel ltAe" Iong in Sand the inside of the lid, and apply a Tool rest: Slightlybelowcenter.
the hole. Apply double-facedtape to the Speeds:Gouge,80f1,200 rpm;Forstner
clear finish. We used Mark VI poly-oil bit,500rpm.
@ nougn-shape
the outside.
5 Form the base Align the top of the template
Align the top of the Base Rough Outside Template with the base here, and mark the locations
blank's shoulder, and mark the critical diameters.Then, make gaug- of the criticaldiameters.
ing cuts with your parting tool and outside calipers to the diameters
indicatedon the template.Make overlappingcuts to clean ovta3/a"-
wide groove at the base's bottom. Form a recessfor the lid's lip, @SanOtheinside,
anoapptyilnlsn.
aligning your parting tool's edge with the edge of the base's tenon,
where shown on the Lid RecessDetail, and as shown in Photo D.
Hollow the base with your spindle gouge, checking it with the
Base Inside Template. Smooth the interior with a roundnosescraper,
as shown in Photo E, and check the lid's fit on the base. The fit
should be snug, but not forced. Use your spindle gouge to form the
base's rough outside profile, as shown in Photo F. Check the profile
with the Base Rough OutsideTemplate.Sandthe inside of the base,
and apply the finish.
Tools:Partingtool,7e"spindlegouge,/2" roundnose scraper.

Iool rest: Partingtool,center;gougeandscraper,slightlybelowcenter.
Speed:800-1,200 rpm.

-t
How to tighten a loose lid

for smooth turning
When your box is complete,you'll
want the lid to fit looselyenoughso
it won't stick in the base.But to turn
the outsideprofile,the lid mustfit
snuglyand stay on. lf your fit is a
littlelooseat that stage,simply
sandwicha layer or two of tissue
betweenthe lid and base.
@ Crt the three decorativegrooves.
@Uount the lid on the base,holding

^ it in placewith a live center.
Live center
@ Cteanuptheshape,
blending
thelidandbase.
about t/td" ftom the surface with your ing it to make the box look like a hollow
6 Refine the shape, spindle gouge. Smoothly blend both vessel.Use the toe of your skewchiselto
and cut the guo-oves base and lid together.Check the profile cut groovesjust wide enoughto remove
Install a live centerin the lathe tailstock, with the FinalOutsideTemplate. the pencil lines,as shownin Photo H.
and fit the lid on the base,holding it in Mark the locations of the decorative
place with the live center.To remedy a grooves with a sharp pencil. The center Tools:Te"spindlegouge,skewchisel.
loose fit, see the Shop Tip, top right. groovealignswith thejoint betweenthe Toolrest: Gouge,slightlybelowcenter;
skew,slightlyabovecenter.
Clean up the outside profile, removing lid and base.as shown in Photo G. hid- Speed:1,200-1,600 rpm.
Remove the masking

7 Form the lidts recess, tape, sand the box to 320 Partfrom the waste.
finish, and part grit, and apply the finish. Tape the lid to the base.
Move the tailstock and live center out With the finish dry, paint IC
of the way. Securethe lid to the base the top recess with flat H Paintto the
with maskingtape.Use your:/s" spindle black acrylic craft paint. wry4ry lid of the rim.
gougeto form a recessin the top of the
lid, as shown in Photo l. Check the pro-
To remove any errant
M
paint, dampena clean rag ----R. Hollowthe lid.
file with the Lid RecessTemplate. with water, and wipe the
;
rim of the recess while
you tum the lathe by hand.
@ Remouethe tape,sand,
Remove the lid, and use and applythe finishes.
your parting tool to part
the base from the waste. To make sure Writtenby Jan Svec with Jeff MerE
your box sits flat, angle the cut slightly Projectdesign:Phil Brcnnion
lllustrations:
Roxanne LeMoine
into the base'sbottom. where shown on
the FinalOutsideTemplate.Finally, pare
away the "nub" at the center with your Buying Guide
Turning blanks. Setoffour4x4x5" Keepsake
gouge.Now, display your "hollow ves- Boxblanks, oneeachofwalnut,
cherry, hackberry,
and
sel," and watch its admirers' surpriseas $27ppd.lowaresidents
butternut, addsales tax.Senda
they discoverits secret.lF check ormoneyordertoJohnson
WoodProducts,
34897CrystalRd,,Strawberry
Point,lA 52076.Foraddi-
Tools:7a"spindlegouge,partingtool. tionalinformation,
call563/933-6504.
Toolrest: Gouge,slightlybelowcenter; Cfear finish. MarkVlpoly-oilfinishno.123201,
partingtool,center. $9.95foronepint.CallPackard
Woodworks, 800/683-
Speed:800-1,200rpm. 8876,orshoponlineatwww.oackardwoodworks.com.
www.woodonline,com 73
well-tunedcutting tool practicallysingsas it
Gettop-notchresultsfromyour slicesand sawsits way throughthe wood.
However,tools suchas your tablesaw,radial-arm
saw,planer,andjointer needregularmaintenanceand
pou/ertoolsby keepingthem tweakingto keepthem running at that peakperformance.
Without periodic tune-ups,tools don't cut up to snuff,
properlyati$red andrtmningtrue. putting your safetyand the quality of your workmanship
at risk.
A handful of manufacturerssell accessories specifically
\ltle'lltell youhormandshowyou designedto help align your power tools properly.To see
how accurateand easyto usethey really are,we gathered
whichgaugesdo thejob best, fourteensuchdeviceswith pricesrangingfrom $10 to
$330,andput themto the test.

Ihne-upstqlsandthegaugesthatdidthembest
uning up your power tools
shouldbe a hassle-freeexperi-
enceas long as you adjustthe
right things in the right order.(Owning
the right tune-uptool helps,of course,
too.) Here are the stepsto take when
tuning up your tablesaw,radial-armsaw,
mitersaw,jointer, and planer.
tset Ute0' bcvel
Crsbp. This ensures
that your tablesaw
bladecuts square
edges.After settingthe
stop,adjustthe bevel
cursorto read0o.
2set tre 45obenel
tu pieceburning andkickback,we suggest
settingit dead-on.Dado setscut cleaner
with the fencesetparallel.
ASqtreUtebrce
lrfru b tte tailebp.
The leastcritical of the
tablesawtasks,it mat-
ters most when ripping
@
Becausethe methodsof making the lrsbp. Likewise, stockon edge(for
actual adjustmentsvary from machine you want to make sure example,grooving frame parts to accept
to machine,consultyour owner's manu- you can quickly and a panel).
als for specifics.(For more detail about accuratelyhit this com-
tuning up power tools, seeWOODa mon angle.
Squarctfiemibr
ffi
magazineissues82 and 91. Or visit
www.woodmagazine.com/tooltuneup to
'f^rl gaugeald blade. TS-Aligner and MasterGageClassic
both rankedhigh here,as you might
download our tool tune-up seminars.) If the miter gaugeisn't
expectfrom gaugescosting$330
For safety's sake,make sureyou unplug squareto the blade,
and $260 respectively.Opt for the
any tool before performing a tune-up. your crosscuts won't
MasterGageand spendsomeof your
be, either.
leftover money on a machinist's45o
Tuning your tablesaw
ffiff
f Panllel the dpftnce angleblock and you're set.On the
I Parallel [te Hade rJand mibrslot
value side,just couplethe A-Line-It
I and mibr slot e Despitethe widespread
Basic kit with a 45odrafting triangle
poorly alignedblade practiceof seffing a
(about$5 from an office-supply
hasto work harder.and fence slightly more
store),and you'll get good tune-ups
can causeburning and open(.015-.030")at
for under$65.
dangerouskickback. the back of the table to preventwork-
Continuedon page 76
The aligrunent-gauge lineup
Whatit does: Whatit does:

Helps alignvarious Performseveryalignment
machinery compo- wetestedonfivemajor
nenb,suchas powertools,usingacces-
blades,fences, sorieshat comewitr it.
andmitergauges, to Highpoinb:
makethemsquare or I Custom{its to yourtable-
parallel. saw'smiterslotwith
Highpoinb:
I Themagnetic
ofthismachined
medium-density
back #/ threeball-bearing
belowib base.
I Dialindicator
vertically
guides
mounts
or horizontally.
fiberboard(MDF) i Dialindicatorridesup
blockfixesit firmlyin anddownonparallel
placeonthetabletop. steelbarsforprecise
I Thekeffinthecutout holdsa bandsaw blade youadjust
stillwhile blade-heightmeasurements.
theguides. I Comes witha machinist's
squareanda gauge rod(theshinycircle
i Lowcost. shownunderthedial-indicatorcarriageinthephoto,
oppositepagdto
Lowpoinb: quicklycalibratethegaugeforsetting
a 45"bevel
angle.
? lt'snotperfect (wemeasured .002"outofsquare ontheshortside), Lowpoinb:
butplentyaccurate forrightingcrosscutsona mitersaw andsquaring I Guide bearings mustberemoved foruseonjointer',
planer,
andmitersaw,
a mitergauge. whichisa bitofa nuisance.Theyalsomustcomeoffforradial-arm saw
? Thelackofa miter-slot guidebarmakes AccuE-Zinconsistent for useunless youbuytheoptional RS-Aligner ($175).
accessory
paralleling
a tablesaw bladeto themiterslot. ? Relatively
expensive.
www.woodonline.corn 75
Make vour 0obevel stop and dial in the bevel-scale pieces.On a jointer, it's more critical than
mitersaw right cursorto the 0o mark. on a tablesawas a slight inaccuracymulti-
I Squarc[te ftncc 2Set ilre45=beud plies itself over and over when you're
I andblade t stop. Lay ttre motor edge-gluinga wide panel.
Perfectlysquarecross- and blade over to the 2lerd tte fmfrues
b
cuts starthere.With teft45", and adjustthe rr[te ouftd table.Ir
your saw'sfurntable stop and bevel scaleif the knives are settoo
firrnly locked in its 0" necessary.On dual- low, your workpiece
miter detent,make surethe fenceis per- bevel machines,repeatfor the right side. catcheson the oufeed
fectly squareto the blade and adjustthe table; too high, and the
fenceor head(motor and blade)if not. outfeedtable won't properly supportthe
|Sq* [te blade workpiece,resultingin a curvedcut. The
fru.Utetabl@. Aligning Jpur cutterheadneedn't be perfectly parallel to
Non-compound JOLiler IUSI SO the oufeed table as long asthe knives are.
mitersawsmay or may I ruhn fie tables
r'@planar.tt
not accommodatethis I That's
tune-uptask,which fancy talk for making
MasterGageClassicand Oneway's
ensuresthat the blade ffavels straight surethe infeed and out-
Multi-Gauge both performed very
down through your workpiece.Adjust the feed tablesare parallel well here with the nod going to
on both the long and
Multi-Gaugebecauseit costsonly
short dimensions.A long snaightedge
$75 (comparedto MasterGage's
Simpleis beuerwhenit comesto miter- helps with the lengthwisealignment;
$260 price tag). For setting knives
sawalignments.With TS-AlignerJr. almost any dial-indicatorgaugecan do the
alone,though, we love the Jointer
gaugecalibrated
Lite' s angle-attachment short dimension.
Pal becauseit actually holds the
usingan accuratesquarefrom your shop, 2Sq*iltefrnce knives at the correct height, virtually
yourmitersawwill bereadyto roll in no lrbttetabl@. guaranteeingperfect alignment.
time.And theLite helpsyou setvirtually This adjusftnenttask
anybevelor miter angleaccurately. ensurescrisp, square
Nothingelsecomescloseat anyprice. edgeson your work- Continued on page 78
Whatit does: Ittlhatit does:

Every alignmenthsk Measures parallelism
of
wetested,bntsome componenb, suchas
alignmenb require
a fences andblades to
45'angleblock(such miterslob.
asfte headof a Highpoints:
combination quare) I Checks thetwomost
fiat yousupply. common tablesaw
Highpoinb: alignmenb: blade
and
I Perpendicular "knife ripfenceparalleltofte
edge"proved per- miterslot.
fectlysquare low poinb:
whefierreferenced fromfie topor bottom edge. ? Limited intune-uptasks
I Theexpand-to-fit guidedismounb
miter-slot quickly
fornonslotted it performs.
tabletops,suchasftoseona mitersaw, jointelplaner,
anddrillpres.
I Dialindicatorraises,lowers,
andeasilyswitches fromhorizontal
to
verticalformeasuremenh suchasbladeheight.
Lowpoinb:
? 45"angleblock,required forsettingbevelstops,doesn't
come youropinion
Sharc
withgauge. of these tools in
Morcpoinb: our Tune-UpTools
) Theupscale MasteGage Pro($460,nottested) sebbevelangles wihout forum at
a conversiontable.
l|Utlutlu.||U00dma$azinB.c0m/tuneto
77
Strive for planer perfection j)Parialld kniues to
I Parallelthe cut- frthe cutterhead.It
I terheadandtable. thecutterheadis paral- Get a setof Mini PlanerPalsfor set-
A misaligned
cutter- lel to the table,but the ting knivesin your portableplaner,
headmakesboards knivesaren'tparallelto and thenuseany one of the dial-
thinner on one edge thecutterhead,you'll indicatorgaugesthat help you setthe
than the other. And. still end up with wedge-shaped boards. cutterheadparallelaccordingto the
becauseeverymethodof aligningthe You could combineStepsI and 2, and chart,opposite.Ifyou havea station-
knives-from self-aligningknivesto just setthe knivesparallelto the table;but ary planer,the price goesway up for
springs,jackscrews,andthree-legged it's awfully hardto tightenthe gib bolts the full-sizePlanerPals,so you may
gauges----onlysetsthe knivesparallelto while holdingthe knivesin placeasthey want to just stick with the three-legged
the cutterhead,
this alignmentis critical. hangfrom the bottomof the cutterhead. gaugethat camewith your machine.
MasterGageClassicperformed at the top of the classin making it a tool you'll usemore often thanjust at
nearly every measurement it's capableof doing, so we tune-uptime. It sellsfor $120 lessthan MasterGage
namedit the Top Tool. Our only knock is that it can't Classic,making it, too, a Top Value. TS-Aligner Jr.
help you set the 45o bevel stop on your tablesaw,but an Deluxe is accurateand easyto use,but lost points
inexpensivedrafting triangle can help with that. The overall becauseit must be calibratedwith an accu-
samecould be saidof the A-Line-It Basic,which per- rate squareand, for most non-tablesawuses,you
formed well at making things parallel, but needsthe help have to remove the guide bearingsor base.
of a triangleto set things at 45" and 90o.It costsonly For tools with cutterheads,Jointer Pal and Planer
$60, so it's one of our Top Values. Pals do only one thing-help you set knives. But
On the other hand,TS-Aligner Jr. Deluxe helps setnot they do it so well, and for so little cost, we couldn't
only the 45o stop,but also any bevel anglein between, help but name them Top Values.|l
The aligrurrent-gauge lineup (continued)

Helps to square Strong magnets hold
machine compo- thejigto a jointer's
out-
nents, andexcels feedtable, andthe
atjointer setup, kniveslevelto the
Highpoinb: table,whileyoutighten
I Accurately thegibbolts.
machined: Cast-iron Highpoinb:
gauge is lessthan l Setsknives so
.001"offfrom accurately,youcantoss
peffectlysquare and outyourjointer's
parallel,
andonpar jackscrews, springs,
withthemost andknife-setting
expensive toolsin gauge.
thistest. Morepoinb:
Lowpoinb: ) Thispolycarbonate version
workswithhigh-speed
steelknives
4-8"
{} Without guide,youhaveonlythelengthof thegaugeinstead
a miter-slot Iong;otherJointerPalmodelsgoupto 16"long,andalsoworkwith
ofthelength miterslottocheckparallelism.
ofthetablesaw's carbideknives.

I
I
# l9l
'slFl'{/it
PERFORMANCEGRADES (1)
TABLESAW (2) PLAI
i t, rA6A-*
ffi{s/f
lPI Hl,
r, lF, lsl,
Ftr '/f/rn
-u{t/d
il$ff
rQ./(
ffiffikX"'7"#"'%T7,4
f/selila-lislF51""'-
/d
/o*
ao L8! !/o/ v
r/h/ts
P/"'.{
./<r\
af s"n o"P IEIE /."P
ACCU E-Z MagneticAlgnmentJrg I B B I 90D US $ 1 0
TS-Aligner B B-" B.** B** B-" 1 yr. US 330
EDWARD J. g** | g** B+** 1 y r . US
TS-AIignerJr. Deluxe B-* B-** B+** B-** B** B+* 140
BENNETT CO.
TS-AIigner
Jr. Lite B* B** B-** IB*** B** B*l 1 yr. US 70
IN-LINE A-Line-lt Basic B-* B+ B" B* 1 yr. US 60
INDUSTRIES B* 'l yr. US 140
A-Line-lt Complete B-* B+ B*
MASTERGAGE
SuperBar I I B" B* L I F E US 70
ONEWAY Multi-Gauge I I 2yr- CA 75
Jointer Pal I 1 yr. US 30
WOODSTOCK 1 yr- US 30
Mini Planer Pals
INTERNATIONAL
Rotocator 1 vr. US 1 0 0
1.n A blank cell means tool cannot perform this task. o Requiressliding gauge along an accuratesquare. 7 . (90D) 90 days
(**) Requiresslidinggauge along an accuratesquare, (LIFE) Lifetimewarranty
I Excellent
and guide bearingsmust be removed. against factory defects.
tr Good
(") Guide bearingsmay need to be removed. (CA) Canada
T Average 5.
(**) Requiresaccurate90" square (not included), (US) United States
and guide bearingsmust be removed.
2 . (*) Requiresaccurate90" square (not included). 9. Pricescurrentat time of article's
("*) Requiresaccurate45" angle gauge (not included). productionand do not include
(.) Requiresaccurate90o square (not included), shipping,where applicable.
and guide bearingsor guide must be removed.
(-) Guide bearingsmust be removed. (**) Requiresaccufate45" angle gauge (not included).
(**) Requiresaccurate90" square (not included), (***) Requiresaccurate90" square (not included).
and guide bearingsmust be removed.

totheJointer
Similar Measures distancesup
Pal,magnebholda to 1" withdial-indicator
planerknifeparallel
to precision,forchecking
thecutterhead while cutterhead-to-table
youtighten thegibbolts. parallelisminjointers
Highpoinb: andplaners.
t AswithJointer Pal, Highpoinb:
knivesisa
setting I Dialindicatorandits
no-muss, no-fuss stylusrotateontheface
operation. ofthebaseto lockinat
Lowpoinb: 90' angles to measure
l} Youstillneeda dial up,down, orsideways.
indicatorto ensure Lowpoinb:
thatthecutterheadis parallel
tothetable. ? Withnomiter-slot bar
Morepoinb: andnosquare
) For15-20"planers, you'llneedfull-size Pals($160perpail
Planer reference edges is limitedinthetune-uptasksit can
orfaces,Rotocator
moreforthecarbide-knife versions). perform (seechart).
Writtenby Dave Campbellwith Garry Smith
www.woodonline.corn
hornrtowinover
I *;:*iJ'
TOP: Install fastenersthat
ffi* s
allow a wide top
to move freely. I
& I
t
'/^,,
g TRIMM0[DlllG:
-
Discover a clever.
classy method for
DOORS: attachingmolding
Learn to control without restraining
solid-wood the cabinet side.
panels in frame-
and-panel
construction.
'" --/'-
---,"-'n"' J//-
------.'
DRAWERS:
Honor tradition DRAWER
DMDERS:
with a solid-wood Create drawer
bottom, and size supportsthat allow
the parts to for expansionand
avoid sticking. contraction of
solid-wood sides.
i:
80 September 2003
FI]IISHPROTEGTIOII: Buildprojectsthatlastfor generations
Avoid warping through proper
finishapplication.
withtime-testedjoinerytechniques.
ood never stops moving.Your projects shrink in
dry conditions, swell when the air turns humid,
and always wilt. As moisture passesinto and out
of the wood's cells, the changes cause enough movement to
create gaps in joints, warped panels, and splits along grain
lines.You can't stop this motion, but you CAI{ plan for it to
prevent damage.You just need the right building techniques.
Strategy 1:
Buy smart, then acclimate
your project stock
Tgnot. the minuscule change in Boardsthat are riftsawn or quartersawn
ldimension along the grain; a board move less than flatsawn ones, as you
hardly changesin length.The thickness can see in the "How much will it
of a board stays steady, too. Instead, move?" chart on page 84. Somepopular
focus on movementacrossthe grain. species,suchas cherry,maple,and wal-
The width of a boardchangesradically nut, rarely appearas quartersawnstock.
as it goes from fresh-cut to room-dry. When working with them,you'll proba-
For this reason,stick with kiln-dried or bly choose your stock on the basis of
thoroughly air-dried lumber for your face-grainappearance.
projects, and you reduce your wood The chart also gives you an idea of
movementconcernstremendously. how much movement you can expect
Once you find your lumber source, from the most common woodworking
spendplenty of time on stock selection. woods commerciallyavailable.
Look at the end grain to classify each When you take your stockhome,let it
board, as illustratedin the drawing on sit for a few days, stackedwith stickers
page 84. When using oak, choosequar- (wood spacers)between the boards,
tersawn or riftsawn (where the grain beforeyou use it. That delay allows the
lines run somewhatperpendicularto the wood to adjust to the humidity in your
board's face), unless you want figure workshop,so partswon't changedimen-
that appears only on flatsawn stock. sionsafter you cut them to size.
BASEMOLDIIIG:
Keep moldingjoints intact Strategy 2=
with a time-testedtrick.
Planjoints to avoidstress
S'(. lf lways follow the cardinal rule of joint so that the grain runs in the same
fLsolid-wood construction-when direction on both pieces. Cross-grain
it's necessaryto glue togetherpiecesthat assembliesconstantly pull in different
measuremore than 3" wide, designthe directions,weakeningthejoint.
81
*-. i
Strategy 3: l.'J,.-i'.
Allow tops
to move freely
IIJ wide, solid-woodtop needslots of
llroom to move. If it's restrained,
ugly splitseventuallyoccur.The top also
requiresa sturdyconnectionto the cabi-
net becauseyou just know that people
will usethe top to pick up and move the
entirepiece.
Solve both problems with clips that
engagea groove near the upper end of
the cabinetand are screwedinto the top.
Make your own from hardwood,or buy sidesbefore assembly.Locate them Vq" Finally, glue the top to the cabinet
metal ones, such as those canied by from the end if you're using the metal front, and install two clips along each
Woodcraft. Ask for item 27N10, a clips. If you make your own clips, use end,usingpanheadscrewsthat penetrate
bag of 10 fasteners,for $1.99. Call -7+"stock to make blanks lt/+x3/+"
. Cut a more than halfway into the top. When
800/225-1153 to placean order,or visit Vqx3/s" tongueat one end of eachblank. the top shrinks or expands,the front
www.woodcraft.com. Note thatyou'll needto makethe carcase overhang remains constant, the top
Use a router or tablesawto cut %"- slots t/+"wide if you chooseto use this remainsin contactwith the sides,andthe
wide, z/s"-deepslots inside the cabinet styleof expansionclip. clips slidein the slots.
Strategy 4= slidessmoothlyinto the molding groove.

Now, form the tenonon your workpiece.
glue to the front tenonsectiononly. Slide
the molding into placefrom the rear.The
Usesliding dorrctails Rip the tenon away from the work-
piece with your tablesaw.Cut the tenon
tenon sectionsallow movement of the
cabinetside,while keepingthe molding
to grip moldings to a length 1" lessthan the width of the in place.
cabinetside,and mark it into 3" sections.
W};w;'tlril?ifl
:?Ji":
IT;
without considering wood movement
Working from the wide face of the
tenon, drill and countersinktwo screw
holes in the front section,skip the next
becauseit sits on a rail with grain run- section,drill two holesin.the third sec-
ning in the samedirection.But molding tion, and continueto alternate.Now, use
acrossthe grain of a solid-woodsidehas a handsawto cut halfway through each I
to allow that sideto slide beneathit. of the sectionlines from the narrow face
To counterthis challenge,usea sliding of the tenon.
dovetail. (Refer to issue 148, page 90, Insertthe tenoninto the groovein your
for detailson making sliding dovetails.) molding, leaving the front section
Mount a 3/a"dovetail bit in a table- exposed.With the tenon held back 1"
mounted router, and raise it Vq" above from the front of the cabinet,clamp the
the table. Set the fence to centerthe bit moldingflush with the top of the cabinet.
on your molding, or locate it slightly Drive 3/q" flathead screws
toward the thickestpart. Rout a groove through the front sectionand
in the back sideof the molding. into the cabinet side.
Next, make a matching tenon that Unclampthe molding, slideit
you'll fasten to the carcase.To begin, backto exposethe next screw
selecta workpiecelongerthan the width holes,reclamp,and add those
of the carcase,and about as wide as the screws. Continue until you
height of your router-tablefence. Use complete the tenon installa-
scrap of equal thicknessto set up the tion. Carefully saw the restof
operation.With the dovetail bit projecr the way throughyour section
ing slightly out from the fence, rout lines,as shownin the circled
along one edgeof the scrap,flip it edge drawing, to remove the sec-
for edge,and rout the oppositeedge to tions that contain no screws.
produce a dovetail tenon. Adjust the You're left with perfectly
fence and rout as neededuntil the tenon alignedtenonsections.Apply
€lUing dovetail
82 t tenon and qroove
h
I
\ I
Strategy 5:
Employ the classic
molding trick, too
!f you want a quicker way to attach
l m o l d i n g . a s c o m p a r e dt o t h e s l i d i n g
dovetail approach, Llsescrews and slots.
From inside the cabinet, drill a standard
shank hole for the screw nearestthe cab-
inet front. For each of the other screws.
rout a slot through the cabinet side, about
an inch long and slightly wider than the
shank of the screw. If you pref'er, you
can drill a series of overlapping holes,
and clean out the remaining waste with a
chisel. Tcmporarily clamp the molding
in place. From inside the cabinet, drill a
pilot hole through the cabinet side and
into the molding at the center of each
slot. When you permanently attach the
molding, apply glue on the mitered end,
and on the front third of the molding.
The joint will rernain intact while the
rear two-thirds of the molding allows
movement in the cabinet side.
Strategy 6: /2" spot of glue at center of groove
Add class with

floating panels
Ftut.-and-Panel components look
t fine with flat plywood panels, but
solid wood allows yoll to shape a raised
field on each panel for a more refined
appearance.However, yoLl have to allow
room inside the grooves for panel move-
ment. Here, cut a '%" groove into the
inside edge of each fiame member. Size
the panel to allow for a t/s" gap inside the
groove on each side and t,/rr,"at top and
bottom. Shape the raised panel with at
least -7g"of f-lat surface along each edge
to allow for movement.
Loose panels in a door tend to rattle
when you close the door. To elirninate
that problem, glue a %" spot at the cen-
ter of the panel, top and bottom. during
assembly. This step holds the panel in a
fixed position while still allowing expan-
sion and contraction to each side. For
more details about building a raised-
panel door, see "Raised-panel doors
made easy" in issue 144, page 42.
wrvrv. wo o donl ine. c o rn 83

Strategy 7=
Divide and support the drawers
without damaging the sides
\Zou canavoid expensivemetaldraw- To install each web
I er slides by buildins web frames frame, apply glue to the
that supportthe irur""r, *lit" also serv- front 3" of the dovetail
ing as visual dividers. However, you grooves. Slide the web
face the challengeof running the web frame into the dadoesfrom
frames acrossthe grain of the cabinet the rear of the cabinetuntil
side, where movement occurs. To fix it's flush at the front. The
this,let dovetailsprovidea solution. dovetail holds the assem-
Using a dovetail bit and your router, bly firmly in place, glue
start at the back edge of each side, and keeps the front flush, and
cut dovetaildadoesstopped1" from the the ungluedportion allows
front edge.For each drawer except the the cabinetside to expand
bottom one,build a mortise-and-tenoned and contract.To make the
web frame wrth t/+" stock. Make it as drawer slide smoothly,
wide as the insidewidth of the cabinet apply self-adhesivestrips
plus the depthsof the dovetail grooves. of ultra-high molecular
Cut a sliding dovetailtenonon eachside weight (UHMW) plasticto
of this frame. It's better to make this the web frame for the
joint ever so slightly loose rather than drawersidesto ride on. (A
too tight, to avoid assemblyproblems. Ijt/z' roll of UHMW costs
Trim off the front lt/q" of eachdovetail $5.99 from Woodcraft.
tenon. The extra spaceprovides a spot Call 8001225-1153,and
for glue to pool, easingassembly. orderitem 16L64.)
Howmuchwitlit morrc?
ffi;;;
:?:#'jni,lti:h$l|fl
ilj+JTfffi
ff#Tr
(inches)
Width at14percent
moisture
content at6 percent
Width moisture
content perunit*
Change
Quartersawn Flatsawn Ouaftersawn Flatsawn
Ash, white 12 11.84 11.74 .0017 .0027
Birch,yellow 12 11.75 1 1. 6 4 .0026 .0034
Cedan western red 12 1 1. 8 9 11.77 .0011 .0023
Cherryblack 12 11.88 11.76 .0013 .0025
Mahogany 12 11.83 11.77 .0017 .0024
Maple,sugar 12 11.84 11.66 .0017 .0035
Oak, red 12 11.85 11.65 .0016 .0037
Oak, white 12 11.83 11.65 .0018 .0037
Pine, ponderosa 12 11.87 11.79 .0013 .0022
Teak 12 11.9 11.82 .001 .0019
Walnut,black 12 11.82 11.74 .0019 .o027
*Multiply perunit"bywidthof boardto findouthowmuchit will shrinkor swellper1 percent
"change changein moisture
content.
Source:U.S. ForestService'sForestProducts Laboratorv
Quartersawn Flatsawn
On the left, you see the vertical lines of quartersawn grain; on the right, tlat grain. For a general guideline, assume that flat grain will shrink
and swell about twice as much as quartersawn grain in response to changes in moisture conteni.

Strategy 8:
Payattentionto the drawer details, inside and out
lf solid-wood bottom is a tradition- mark it flush with the back end of drawer parts. If you live in a climate
I'ilal featureof a well-madedrawer. each drawer side. Remove it from the of extremes,and you're building dur-
Here's how to make and install a bot- drawer assembly, and cut it to this ing a cold, dry winter, leave enough
tom that won't push the rest of the dimensionon the tablesaw. room for expansion during the hot,
drawer apart. Rout through slots at the back edge humid summer.
Resaw and plane stock to t/q"thick- of the bottom. as shown in the draw-
ness, and edge-glue the boards to ing. Make them 1" long and slightly
make an oversizepanel for the drawer
bottom. Cut a VqxV4"groove on the
wider than the shank of the screw.
Slide the drawer bottom into its Strategy 9:
inside of the drawer front and sides,
Vq" from the bottom edge. The back
grooves,and drive screwsthrough the
slots and into the bottom edge of the
Control the motion
sits in dadoescut into the sides, and drawer back. Tighten the screws,and with proper finish
its bottom edge aligns with the top of back them off one-quarter turn to
the groove. allow the bottom to move. One more frrlnce your project is complete,apply
Plan for the grain of your drawer note about solid-wood drawers:If you Vfinish to slow down the movement
bottom to run from side to side so that don't allow room for maximum of water vapor into and out of the wood.
wood expansionwon't force the sides expansionof the drawer sides, front, Apply an equal number of coats to all
apart. Trim the drawer bottom panel and back, you'll wish you had during surfacesto equalizethat movement.Q
to fit into the drawer side grooves humid weather. Swelling wood can
with t/ro"to spareon each side. Now, make the drawer stick. Also consider Written by Jim Pollock with Kevin Boyle
seatit in the drawer front groove, and currentconditionswhen you size your lllustrations:Mike Mittermeier
pizzapeel
Its long handle gnrarantees safe handling.
IT'S A WNNER! Before prcsenting this

proiect to you, design editor Jeff MerE
sought input and approval fiorn the Better
Homes and Gadenso test kitchen staff of
home economists.
l|[t o design the world's best pirra TERNSo insert. Adhere it to one end of Keep the paddle halves centered on the
Ipeel we enlisted the help of the the handle blank with spray adhesive. thickness of the handle.
- experts in the world's best Drill the Vz" hole. Chamfer around the
llWittr the glue dry, belt-sand the pad-
kitchen-the same home economists hole on both faces of the handle with a 5tdle portion of the handle flush with
who test all of the recipesthat go into the chamfer bit in a handheldrouter. the paddle halves. Mark the 6"-radius
Better Homcs and Gardens New Cook-
2Ut" a combinationsquarcor a marking arcs at the top of the paddle, where
book. (See photo top ight.) These chefs tlgauge to extendthe pattemlines down shown, and bandsaw and sand them to
liked the end result so much, they had us the handle, marking the :/+"-wide shaft, the lines.
make a secondpeel to leave,with them. shown in the Front View on Drauring2.
QClamp the peel to a plywood carrier
Draw the Vz" rudii where the handle tfboard. Raise yow tablesaw blade to
This pizzapeeland the cookbookholder
on page 88 wrap up our maple-and-cfierry widens ftom3/+" to2". its maximum heighf and tilt it 5o.Position
kitchenaccessories.Seeissue147tor a Turn the handle blank on its edge. the fence to leave a Vs" flat edge on the
matchingpastryboardand rollingpin, and Mark lines in 3/re"from each face on the paddle, where shown on Drawing 2, and
issue148for a chef's bookshelf. bottom 14" of the blank where it narows cut the taper, as shown in Photo A.
to 3/8"to match the thickness of the pad-
Form the paddle dle halves (A), shown in the Side View
and handl-e blanks on Drawing 2.
3/+{2Vtoxl4"maple boards
I Plane su AWirh the handle blank on its edg",
'lbandsaw
Ito3/8" thick forthe paddlehalves(A). close to the marked lines on
Joint Vzz"off each edge of all six pieces the paddle portion. Turn the blank flat,
for a finished width of 2". Edge-join trvo and bandsaw close to the lines on the
sets of three boards each, using a water- upperportion of the handle,including the
resistantglue. (We used Titebond tr.) To handle end. Sandto the pattern lines only
help keep the paddle flat, alternate the on the handle's upper portion.
grain orientation of adjacent boards, as
shownon Drawing1. Setthehalvesaside. Sssem$e and shape
jl Cut a s/c{2vtax32" pieceof cherry for the peel
Erthe handle (B). Joint the edges for a t/sx6x14" paddle
I Retrieve the two For a safe, stable cut when forming the
finished width of 2". Make a copy of the I halves (A), and edge-join them to the end taper, clamp the peel to a 7a"-thick
handle end pattern on the WOOD PAT- handle @), where shown on Drawing 2. plywood canier board.

I
lcxlVzx 96'Maple *Plane or resaw to the thicknesslisted in the MaterialsList.
A paddle
halves {s' 6' 14' EM 2
B*handle {c' 2' 32' C
-Partinitially
{tx3r/zx 36" Cherry oRENTATToN
II enruru Seetheinstructions.
cutoversize.
maple,
Materials key: EM-edge-joined Gcherry.
glue,sprayadhesive,
Su pp Iies : Water-resistant
12'lengthof leather
bootlace.
Bitsr Chamfer bil W aNW oundoverrouter
router bib.
2" Buying Guide
1u Finishes
Finish. General SaladBowlFinishno.
125374, or no.125375,
$9.S0/pint; Visit
$13.99/quail.
I
yourlocalWoodcraft or goto
store,call800/225-1153,
www.woodcraft.com.
I vtEWS
E rnonr ANDsrDE
I
17',
Sand transition
after assembly. R=Vz"
t/e"round-over
5'taper
--tl-- Ease edged

' ,/"" 6"------l*2o-.j-- 6t
after cutting
taper.
SIDEVIEW FRONTVIEW
lltvtarkthe 2"-radius arcs at the bottom f,smooth the ransitions from the pad- flCut a 12" length of leather bootlace
tof the paddle, and bandsawand sand \fdle's tapered end to its flat surface tffor a hanging loop. Thread it through
to the lines. and from the paddle to the handle with the hole in the head, and tie a knot. For a
fChuck a V4"round-over bit in your your random-orbit sanderand a 100-grit suggestionon testing yotx pizzapeel, see
fJhandheld router, and rout the han- disc. Finish-sandthe peel to22O git. the sidebar,above.Q
dle's edges, stopping at the Vz" radli lfFinish the peel with a food-safe
where the handle mergeswith the paddle. I finish. (We applied four coats of Written by Jan Svec
Project design: Je'ff Merf
Switch to a Vs" round-over bit, and rout General Finishes Salad Bowl Finish, fol- lllustrations: Roxanne LeMoine
the paddle'stop and side edges. lowing the instructions on the can.)
wvw.woodonliae.corn 87
Justsay"no" to spatters,and "yes" to easyreadingi.
For the board feet of lumber Start with the back Rout a tA" partial round-over along
and other items needed to build and base the back's top and side edges,where
this project, see page 90. Edge-join t/z"-thick stock to fbrm an shown on Drawing 1, using the setup
llxlJth" blank for the back (A). Trim shown on Drawing 1a.
our favorite chef will appreciate it to the size listed in the Materials List. Cut the base (B) to the size listed.
this holder's heavy, tempered- Bevel-rip the bottorn edge of the back Photocopy the full-size base patterns
glass shield that wipes clean at 20o, where shown on Drawing 1. on the WOOD PATTERNSa inserr.
and holds pages open fbr viewing. Its Lay out the back's curved top, where Attach thern to the base's ends using
3"-wide base holds any cookbook, even dimensioned, using a /s"-thick wood spray adhesive. Now, bevel-rip the
the large ring-binder types. And, after fairing strip 20" long. Mark the %" radii edges,cutting them in the sequenceindi-
the meal's prepared,the holder folds up at the top corners. Bandsaw the top to cated. Peel off the patterns, and sand the
for storage. shape,and sand smooth. part smooth.

SETUP
ROUND.OVER
PARTIAL
vlEW
ll exPloDED
#6 x 11/c'F.H.wood screw s/ro"counterbore

deepwitha countersunk
" shank holecenteredinside
t/a"dowel2" long,
trimmedflush
81/q"
afterassembly
1Os/a" t/c"temperedglass
with polishededges
97/a'
a*
s/ro"-diam. adhesive-backed
rubberbumper
R=s/a"
th" dowel
17a"long ---a
th" par\ialround-oversalong
front and back edges,
no round-overalong
:%
w
bottomedge
#6x11/q'F.H.
wood screw
>
%o+" shank hole.countersunk
on back side with a 143/q" 1/q"gtoove
7sz"oilot hole 20' bevel s/t" deep,
s/q"ileep in parl@ centered
1t/q" deep
1/a"hole
/+" dowel2" long,
trimmedflush
afterassembly 143/+'
-6Y 6
rubberbumper/
5/ro"-diam.adhesive-backed
I r/q"hole 1slro"deep
From a t/q" bkch dowel, cut four 2"-

Cut the hinge brackets (C) to size. l[ sroevtEW
Face-jointhe hinge brackets(they'll long pieces.Drill /+" holes IV+" deep
becomemirror-imageparts)usingdouble- in the base,where shown on Drawing1,
facedtape.Copy the hingebracketpattern using the holes in the brackets (C) as
on the insert, and attachit to one face of guides.Gluethe dowelsin theholes.Later,
thejoined brackets.Bandsawthe marked trim the dowels,and sandthem flush.
radii; then, angle-cutthe brackets' 20o On thebacksideof the back(A), mark
end. Drill /+" holes through the brackets centerpointsfor the three screws for
at the marked centerpoints.Rout a V4" attachingit to the base(B), wheredimen-
partial round-overalong the edge on the sionedon Drawings1 and lb.
outside face of each bracket. Separate Cut a 3/qxt3Aoxl5"piece for use as a
the brackets,and sandsmooth. drill guide. Clamp the baseftringe
Glue and clamp the hinge brackets brackets assembly(B/C) to your work-
(C) to the base(B), aligningtheir top bench. Position the back (A) where #6 x 11h"F.H.
and angledback edges. shown.Usine the drill euideas shownin wood screw
wrvrv. wo o donl ine. c orn 89

Restingyour bit on the drill guide, drill into the back (A), While holding the glass holder (F)tight againstthe base (B), drill
stopping before the bit's countersink contacts the guide. the lt' holes in the ends of the glass holder.
Photo A, drill 3/zz"holes in the back at the ffi Mark the location for the leg assem- ffi When the finish dries, reassemble
-Tffi
marked centerpoints.Remove the guide, bly (D/E) on the back side of the back &* the leg brackets(D) and leg (E), and
and complete the pilot and countersunk (A), where dimensionedon Drawings1 screw the assembly to the back (A).
shankholes. Glue and screw the back to and lb. Place the assemblyin position. Apply adhesive-backedrubber bumpers
the baseand brackets. Using the shankholes in the leg brackets to the boftom of the leg and hinge brack-
(D) as guides,drill pilot holesin the back. ets(C), whereshownon Drawing1.
Now. the leq assemblv' Remove the leg assembly, separatethe 'S Reposition the glass holder (F)
and iylass h-older parts,and setthem aside. dbetween the hinge brackets (c) on
I Cut the leg brackets(D) to size.Face- ffi Cut the glassholder (D to size. Cut a the spacers.Insert all but Vz"of the 13/q"-
I join the parts with double-facedtape. q*F't/+"groove t/+" de,epcenteredalongthe long dowelsinto the holes.Apply glue to
Copy the leg bracketpatternon the insert, top edge of the holder, where shown on the two exposed, finished dowel ends,
and attach it to one face of the joined Drawing 1. Rout a V+" patfral round-over and drive them flush with the brackets.
brackets.Bandsaw the Vz"radii, and sand alongall edgesof the holder.Sandsmooth. gVqxl[z/q"piece of
,r$ Finally, order a
'*ffiV4"
smooth.Drill a Vq"hole throughthe brack- tAxl/2x3" spac-
ffi From scrap,cut two tempered glass with radiused
ets, and drill mounting holes centeredon $*$ers. With the spacerspositioned as corners and polished edges. See
the brackets'edgeswhereshown.Separate shown in Photo B, placethe glassholder Drawing 1. Apply a small bead of clear
the parts,and sandsmooth. (F) betweenthe hinge brackets(C) with silicone caulk in the glass holder's
*)Cutthe leg (E) to size.Copy the leg its back face tight againstthe top beveled groove to within 2" of each end, and
&r pattern on the insert, and attach it to edgeof the base(B). Using the holes in insert the glass.Lightly clamp the glass
the leg. Angle-cut the leg's bottom at the hinge brackets as guides, drill V4" to keep it tight againstthe groove's bot-
20o.Bandsawthe leg's top to shape,and holes lsAo" deepin the ends of the glass tom. Let the silicone cure for 24 hours.
sandsmooth.Drill the l/+"hole. holder. Cut two V+" birch dowels 17+" Then, get cooking! tl
QCut a V+"birch dowel 2" long, and long for attachingthe glassholder.
Written by Owen Duvall
tJglue it centeredin the leg's hole.
Projectdesign: Jeff MerE
When the glue dries, slide the leg brack- finish up lllustrations:Mike Mittermeier
ets (D) onto the endsof the dowel in the
ff Finish-sand the project. Then, apply
orientation shown on Drawing 1. While & two coats of a clear finish (we used
holding the bracketstight againstthe leg, satin polyurethane)to all parts, including
trim and sandthe endsof the dowel flush one end of eachof the l3/q"-Iongdowels.
with the brackets. Sandbenveencoatsto220 gnt. A-back 10Vs'16Vr'
B base vq' 31/2' 14V+', M
C hingebrackets Y2u 114' 4{a'
Gutting Diagrarn D legbrackets 1u 5u
E leg 1u 8V4' M
F glassholder Vc' 1lq' 14V+' C
-Partinitially
cutoversize.
Seetheinstructions.
VqxSlz x 60" Maple(2.5bd. ft.) *Planeor resawto the thickness Materials key: EM-edge-joined maple, M-maple,
listed in the MaterialsList. C+herry.
Supplies: Spray adhesive;
double-facedtape;
%"birchdowel16"long;#6x1t/"flathead woodscrews
(7);silicone t/+"tempered
caulk; glass,
9/+x14la";
s/+x 31/2x 24" Cherry (.7 bd. ft.) %0"-diameter adhesive-backed
rubberbumpers (3).
Blades and bits: Dado-blade set,/r" round-over
routerbit.
&doset
shodffin
We cut a guartermile of dadoesand
! groovesto findthe bestof the bestof 15sets,
en a woodworking project Here'swhat to look for
calls for a dado, groove, or Woodworkers demand four key perfor-
p, rabbet,a dado setis frequent-

ly your best option. Although a router
and straight bit will also do the job,
mance characteristicsfrom their dado
sets: clean edges, square shoulders,
ridge-freebottoms,and minimal scoring
you'll often find that they require multi- (V-shapedgroovesin the cornersof the
ple passesto achievethe necessarywidth dadocreatedwhen the outsidebladescut
or depth,with eachadditionalpassinvit- deeperthan the chippers).However,per-
ing error. On the other hand,with a dado fection in all of the areas is rarely
set installed in your tablesaw,you can required.Dependingon how you use a
cut most slots precisely with only one dado set, you might be able to save
passusing your saw's rip fence instead money by purchasingone that performs
*,,$u$I of settingup a straightedge.

But, with dadosetsrangingfrom $30 to
$300, how do you know which one is
bestin only the ways you're most likely
to use it. So, for example,if you work
mostly in solid woods, don't pay the
right for the work you do?To find out, we extra money for the setsthat cut well in
put a pile of carbide-toothedsets-both plywoods and laminates.
stackedand adjustable-to the test. We To help you sort it all out, we'll show
quickly learnedthat nearly all adjustable the four primary dado uses, the critical
sets(sometimescalled "wobble" blades) performancecharacteristicsfor eachuse,
simply don't make cuts cleanenoughfor and tell you which sets tested best for
cabinet-gradewoodworking. (See "How thatjob. And, as always,we'll give you
a 'wobbler' works," opposite.) So, we our picks for Top Tool as well as Top
eliminatedthosemodels,leaving us with Value-the set that gives good grooves
the final 15 we ratedfor this article. at a greatprice.
About our test

We used each dado set on a 3-hp
tablesaw-with the fence set perfect-
ly parallelto the blade-to make a 11ri. I
ll
t ,, I
seriesof with- and cross-graincuts t , t .!\*
t. i:
in solid red oak, pine,oak-veneered
plywood,and melamine-coated parti-
cleboard.Then, we repeatedthe
cuts usinga zero-clearanceinsertin
the saw's throat plate to see how
that would affect performance.(ln
every case, the qualityof the cut
youropinion
Share improveddramaticallywith an
of these sets in insert.)Finally,we stackedup the
our Dado Sets outsidebladesand appropriatechip-
pers (withoutshims)to make t/a"-,
forum at 1/2"-,and s/+"-widedadoes,and then
agazin
www.w00dm e.nuffii [|atirres made the cuts to see how close
each measuredto thosedimensions.
The top 4 dado uses and How a *wobblertt works
Insteadof having
the sefs that excel in each two outsideblades
and mul ti pl echi p-
pers,a wobbler
Shetf dadoes in Tenons has just one or two
plyrood or melamine Square shouldersand clean edges are blades.That blade
Getting a clean edge is the top priority key to first-rate tenons.Scoring in the sits cockeyedon
for these cuts. The outer veneers on cornersmeanslittle. becausethe cut sur- the saw arbor,so it
today'splywoodsare thinnerthan ever, face will be completelyhiddenwith the cuts a side-to-side
joint assembled.(Some woodworkers path as it spins.
making them more brittle and subjectto
The distance
severetear-out,especiallywhen cutting argue that a little scoring is actually a
betweenthe
acrossthe grain. Brittlenessalso factors good thing here, as it providesa place extremesof the
in with melamine-coatedparticleboard, for excessglue.) bladepath,shownabove,is the width
which tendsto chip out badly when cut Ridges on a tenon can be a bit more of the dado. ln our tests,we found
with a dado set having fewer than 46 problematic, creating less surface area these designs-with one exception,
teethper outsideblade. for adhesionwithin the joint. But in the notedbelow-inadequatefor quality
Lesscritical is the depthof the scoring WOODa magazineshop we like to cut woodworking,becausethey leavetat-
grooves.In most cases,solid-woodedge tenonsjust a hair oversize,then sand terededgeson plywoodand ridgesin
bandingwill hide any imperfections. them to a good fit. This processlessens the bottomof the dado.
The top sets for dadoing plywood: the importanceof flat-bottomeddadoes. That's not to say that adjustablesets
don't have a placein your shop.For
CMT 230.024.08and Freud SD608. The Freud SD508 and Lee Valley
instance,most are inexpensive-inthe
Two other dado sets cut more-difficult 15W01.04proved best in the test for
$25-$40 range.And, they work fine for
melamine cleanly: Amana 658040 and tenoning. noncritical applications, such as tenon-
the identicalLee Valley 15W02.02.Both ing for fence railsor half-lapsin con-
are speciallydesignedfor the task. structionmaterials.Save your expen-
sive dado set for precisionwork,and
use an adjustableor other low-costset
for roughwork.
(Freud'sSD608"Dial-A-Width" dado
set is shimless,yes, but does not qual-
ify as a wobbler.Rotatinga hub on the
outsideblademerelypushesthat
bladestraightout, .004"per click,
much like insertingan actualshim
betweenchippers.)
Half-lap joints.
Arguably, half-lap joints provide the More findinqs
Rabbets and dadoes ultimatetest of a dado set becausewith- from our tesTs
in solid stock out squareshoulders,flat bottoms, and r More than half of the testedsetshave
With no brittle veneerto be concerned cleanedges,the joint looks bad at best, chipperswith four or more teeth. (Two
about, you can achieve clean edgesin and lacks strengthat worst. Rippledbot- teeth per chipper used to be standard.)
solid wood with most of the testedsets. toms mean less gluing surface and, Thesesetsbalancebetterwhen morethan
However, because most rabbets and unlike with tenons,sandingisn't a good one chipper is installed. On two-tooth
dadoes(and box-joint fingers, for that solution.Scoring groovesshow up on chippers, distribute the chipper teeth
matter) in solid stock remain visible on both exposededgesof the joint, so you evenly aroundthe hub when using more
the finished project, flat bottoms and can't hide them. Two sets did well thanone chipper.
shallowscoringcuts take on high signif- enough in our testing to get a recom- r When we stackedup the setsto cntV+"-,
icance.The ForrestDado King and the mendation for this joint: the Forrest V2"-, and 3/q"-wtdedadoes, we were
FreudSD508 set the nod for this task. Dado King and the Freud SD508. surprisedto learnthat most of them made
those cuts oversize.For example,two
outside blades (%" each) and two %"
chippers should yield a t/2" dado, but
about half of the dado sets made cuts
wider than that. (Seethe chart at the end
of this article.) It's simple to add a shim
or two to widen an undersizecut. but a
nuisanceto removea chipperanduselots
of shims.
r Six of the tested sets include a 3/32"
chipperto more readily cut dadoesto fit
93
dado set s.howdown
plywood, which is typically r/rz"thinner r We looked only at 8" dado setsfor this it there. Some woodworkers like to set
than its statedthickness.You just substi- article.But, the 1"-depthcapacityof a 6" the back of their fence a little farther
tute this specialchipper for aVa" chipper set may be plenty for the kind of work from the blade to reduce the likelihood
in your stack. Again, it's quicker (and you do, and many manufacturersalso of kickback, but we have found that the
cleaner)than addinE3/zz"of shims. offer 6" versions of the sets we tested. practice contributes to poor cuts with a
r If mishandled,steelshimscan become Although you can't assumeequal results dado set.
inaccurate-a carelessbend will never with the smaller-diameterblades,we've
flatten out completely.Plastic shims and found over the yearsthat a companythat $erets w_hatwetd buy
Freud's tempered-steelshimsresist such makesa quality 8" setalso makesa qual- for our shop
accidental damage. Forrest's magnetic ity 6" set. As you might expect, the Without question, Forrest's Dado King
shims stay in place on the blade or chip- smaller setscost a little less,too. ruled in nearly every category of our
per without fear of dropping them into r Make sure your saw's rip fence is set tests,so we namedit our Top Tool. But,
the saw while installing the set. perfectly parallel to the blade, and keep at $260 for the set. it doesn't fit into
$i
.251,.510,.755
sY$l-ilATrC
NOTES:1.(B) Brass (N/A) Shimlessdesign 2. Red numbersindicate S.! Excellent

(C) Cardstock (P) Plastic undersizecuts, which can be
(M) Magnetic Cr) Tempered
' steel shimmedto the full width.Oversize tr Good
(N) None provided cuts requireremovinga chipper Average -ffi ruottestedin solidwood,as manufacturer
and adding lots of shims. I
recommends useonlvin melamine.
every woodworker's budget. Freud's
SD508 costs $60 less and delivered
comparableresults,but didn't do as well
when crosscuttingoak plywood without
a zero-clearanceinsert.
Freud's SD208 and Delta's 35-535
earned Top Value honors. Both did a
good job in most cuts, but have some
shortcomings, as you can see in the
chart. At $95 and $100, respectively,
neither will bust your budget.l
Written by Dave Gampbellwith George Granseth
Delta
35-535
A#MENTS
L IS $1s0 6"/ $120
Thick carbide teeth witl withstand many sharpenings so this set should last a lifetime. The pin that holds the
outer blade in the plasfc storage case-broke off early in our tests, and the chipperc sometimes stic'k in
the lid when opening.
PHONE,WEB SITE
80ot4/,5-0077,
www.amanatool.com
A oood choice for melamine, and a smooth running set. Flat{round cfiipperc left ridgefree bottoms, but high
L ts 190 beiel anole and neoative hook anqle of outside blades will dtill quickly. lfs identical to the Lee Valley
tSWOz.&, wtrich is'recommendedfor use only in melamine,so we didn't test it in solid wood.
This copv of the Systi-Matic37160 sells lor less than hall the price and performed half as well.
L CH 100 Cardbo'aidstoragr!box with foam inserts won't hold up with repeated use. Thicknessesare marked on
the shimg-a nice touch. 805/983-0039,
A zero.clearance insert helped this inexpensive set achieve pretty clean edges, even in oak plywood. While
www.avengerproducts.com
L CH 50 6"/ $40 not suitable lor most woodworkingtasks, it's a good "second"set for rough work. Same storage box as
Avenger 10026. Thicknessesare marked on shims.
The onlv set in the test with a Teflon coatino to rcduce heat buildup. This set crrts deaner than most across oak
88€/268-2487,
L IT 190 6'/ $180 ptywod and in melamine, but we'd still use a zeroc{earance ids€rt. Tw}piece storage case proved clumsy- www.crntusa.com
"Permanent shims on both outsideblades detachedfrom the bladesafter only a few uses. The smallestcarbide 800/438-2486,
2 yr. NZ 100 6"/ $90 teeth in the test means you won't get many trips to the shapener before it's time to replacethe set. www.deltamachinery.com
The Too Tool in qrr tests. this set clrts at or near tfie bp of the pack in every material. All three slackeGwithout- 800n39-7111,
sOD,LUS 260 6"/ $245 sfrims iuts were undersiie, whicfr we like. Magnetic shims w6rk well with minimal tuss, but only go :01q'qt
smallest. The high bevel angle and negative rake angle of the outside blades will cause them to dull quiddy. stores.yahoo.comfionestrnan
This set doesn't come with a y3a'chipper, but all three stacked-without-shimscuts were undersize,which we
L IT 95 6"/ $85 prefer. An inexpensiveset best suited for solid woods. Shims aren't marked or color-coded.
A middle-pricedset that cuts flat-bottomeddadoes with little scol4S in the comers. ExcellentstoraSg_gage 8001472-7307,
L IT 200 6"/ $185 provides ieady access to both blades and chippers. lt cuts too wide at the %' stack, but the includedVaa'
bhipper minimizesshimming. Shims are neither marked nor color-coded. www.freudtools.com
Similarperformance.wiseto the Freud SD508. Insteadof shims,you adjust the width of the set by rotatinga hub
L IT 300 6'/ $290 in the cbnter, and each click widens the cut by .004'. However, stacked to its t%e'capacity, the nut on our
trablesaw's1tle'iong arbor grabbed fewer than half of the threads.
Althouoh it undemerlormed the CMT set in mosl materials, the two s€ts look as though they were made in the 800/531-5559,
L IT 180 6'/ $1l10 same 6tant (excdpt for the absence of the Teflon coating on the Jesada). A middling set for a middling prkr. wwwjesada.com
gOD,L I S Appears identicalto the Amana 658030-AK,but fared worse in oak plywood. Foam-linedcase provides better
1 4 0 6 ' / $ 1 1 5 protectionto blades and cutters than the Amana case.
800/871-8158,
www.leevalley.com
gOD,L I S Not tested in solid wood, becausethe manufacturerre@mmendsit only for melamine,and it did a fine job
150 in that material. ldenticalto Amana 658040 but with a nicer case'
For 91fl), we eleect better perfonnance and shims, and somehing more substantial than a cadboard storag€
1 yr. US 130 6'/ $120 box wilh foam.
8@/42&0035,
performance in most materials, especially when used with a zero-cleararrce insett. But it wasn't as good
www.systimatic.com
1 yt. US 2N 10'/$280 Solid
as thi Freud SD508 that costs $40 less and includes a 96a'chipp€r and $ims.
4. ZC=Zeroclearance 5. (3OD) SGday retum policy. 6. (CH) China (NZ) NewZealand 7. Prices current at time of
(90D) 90day retum PolicY. (lS) lsrael (US) United States article's production and
(L) Lifetime warranty (lT) ltaly do not includeshipping,
where applicable.
against factory defects
95
shop-proven products
These warespassed
woodworking ourshoptrials
Spindlesanderfor under a hundred bucks

Ryobi continuesits rollout of low-priced vibration. It seemsodd to me, though,
woodworkingtools wittr the OSS50La that the OSS500'spower switch is on the
benchtoposcillating spindle sanderpriced sameend of the machineas the short side
at $99. (If you're not up to speedon these of the table. I had to either reacharound
tools,the sandingdrum spinswhile also the spindle when sandinglarge work-
moving straight up and down. This action pieces,or furn the sanderaroundand
slows sawdustloadingon the drum and fumble behind it for the power switch.
reducesworkpiece burning.) The sandercomeswith drums. abra-
Internally,the OSS500closelyresem- sives,and throat insertsfor six diameters
bles Ryobi's previousspindlesander (%" through3"), with on-tool storagepro-
(OSS450).In fact, the machinespecsout vided for all. A standard2Vz"vacuum
exactlythe same:s/s"vefiical sffoke,58 hosefits nicely on the OSS500'sdust
oscillationsper minute,and a somewhat port, and with a vac connectedI captured
whiny 3.5-ampuniversalmotor. To test 95 percentof the dust the tool generated.
power,I sandedinto 3"-thick red oak, I've had an OSS450in my high-school
pushing pretty hard, and boggeddown the woodshopfor aboutsix years,and it's i Ryobi0SS500oscillating
motor. Working with3/+"material,though, held up pretty well despitethe abuse i spindlesander
I had no ftouble sandingcleanlyto a line. adolescentwoodworkerscan dish out. I i Performance *****
On the outside,Ryobi switched from suspectthe OSS500will last at leastthat i
MDF to cast iron for the tabletop,nearly long given its new heavy-dutytable.
! nyouiTechnotogies
doubling its weight and helping dampen -TestedbyJeffHall i 800/525-2579,
www.ryobitoots.com
Southparvsrejoice over Ridgid drill press €WF "

kt's face it lrft-handed woodworkers
often are left behind by the engineerswho Ridgid0P1550drill press
designpower tools. Mitersaws,circular Performance *****
saws,and drill pressesall require a sEong Price Sf00
right arm for easyoperation.
Ridgid
Ridgid engineershave helpedcorrect 866/539-1
710,www.ridgidwoodworking.com
that injusticewith the DP155G-a drill
presswith a quill-feed handle that can be
switchedto the left-hand side. It takes more powerfirl thanks to the poly-vee belt
about 20 minutes to make the move, and drive that didn't slip a lick in my tests.
althoughthejob isn't complicated,you'll And, with 12 speedsranging
probablyonly do it when you first assem- from 250 to 3,100rpm, you
ble the tool. can choosethe best speedfor
Regardlessof which side of the plate virtually any bit or material. tr$
you bat from, you'll find lots of other When I first pulled the
nice toucheson this 15", l2-speeddrill DP1550out of the box, I was
press.For example,a column-mounted disappointedto seea dial-style
parts hay storesindividual bits in holes depth stop on this machine.
from %" to sh" @y Vtu"increments),and (Generally speaking,I prefer #
still has room for a tape measure,sanding threaded-roddepthstops.)But
drum, or other small accessories. You this dial stop proved rock solid J
won't needto put the chuck key there, and reliable, slipping only #{
though,becauseit hasits own home: about .008" after drilling one
clippedto the sideof the head. hundredholes.
Featuresalonedon't drive this drill -Tested by Jeff Hall
press.The DPl550's /z-hp motor seems Continued on page 99
ShopStropa keen addition to your shop

A well-honedchiselis purejoy to use,and a whole lot saferthan ttrl the QUiltn oJ prg/''fium
oslandqloneoslml norhircs
a dull one.With a ShopSrop in your drill press,you can quick-
in lESf FrcOnSPACE...
ly touch up already sharptools, and clean up thosewith dinged ard aI IOWERC0gft
or raggedcutting edges. . EquolorBETIER QUAI|TY
The ShopSrop configurationI tested(#1) consistsof a 4" shop
fi.onone{uncfionequipmenf.
leather-coveredwheel (shown in use in the photo below) on a . COSTS 1ESSthonbuying
hex shank,three aluminum discs, and three grits of adhesive- severol moihines.
one-funcion
o l0 ilOSI-USED10013 lll l:
backedsandingdiscsthat mount to the aluminumdiscs.Slip an
toble lothe,
sow, drillpress,
rouler,
abrasive-covereddisc over the shank,chuck the wheel into your more!
sonder,
drill press,setthe drill-pressspeedto about800 rpm, and you're . Rodr solirl, 2XlimsilORE
ready to roll. ilISS|YE tfi-on
ofterromhmodrines.
To grind out somebad dings on a chisel,I startedwith the . Stoteo[thsorl
EEGfnOilrc
SPEED conhoh,powerfulD(molor.
150-gdtabrasivedisc, steppingup a grit wheneverI achieveda o Perfecl
forbothH0tE & PROIESSIOllllwoodworkers.
wire-edgeburr on the back of the chisel. Each changein grit e 30-Doy RlSl( IREEBuy-Bock 0ffer& Indu$ry-Leoding
Wononlies.
required removing the Shop Snop wheel, and replacing the abra-
sive disc. Still, by the time I got down to the leather-covered
wheel itself, I'd put a mirror edgeon the chisel. Only about five
minuteshad elapsed.
Without any kind of tool guide, you're on your own for
achievinga specificsharpeningangle,so the ShopSrop isn't a l-800-476-4849
0rth'n
Moil
to:ffi/ Dept.
W000,P0.Box Ann
| 517, Ml48106-1517
Afior,
-
precisiontool. But I E Vfg RUSH meollthedetoik
ontheHIGH ohemolive
ATF0RDABLE
QUAIITY, SPAG
forTIGHT wood
shopsl
found it put a quick
edgeon all of the chis- ShopStropSharpening System
els in my shop without Performance *****
my having to buy (or Price $30,#1(complete system) -3t--i:J
Circle No. 1766
find a place to store) a $20,#2(honingsYstem)
bench gnnder. Rack& Machine
Pacific
-TestedbyGarry Smith 877|220-2699, www.bigleg.com
"Furniture Medic furnishedthe tools neededto build my own business. With continuous
training plus time-savingtools, products and processes,I masteredwood repair as well as
on-site restoration.Their comprehensivebusinesssupport and softrirare- and strong
marketingmaterials- haveallowed me to Srow my businessbeyond my expectations"'
) Variety of customers includingoffces, hotels,restaurants,homeowners,moving

and storagecompanies,and insurancecompanies
) Over 600 franchisesworldwide
) Recognizedas the #l brand for on-site fumiture repair and restoration for a decade
) Division ofThe ServiceMasterCompany,ranked amongthe Fortune 500
Check out our toolbox!

Call l -800-RUN-YOURS or
Continued on page 100 visit furnituremedicfranchise.com
www.woodonline.com
No-drill screws:No splitting? No kidding
Predrilling screwholesis a time-consum- (shownin the insetphoto)plows just red oak, I drove severalscrewswithin /+"
ing but necessarytask.SplitStopHigh- enoughbreathingroom for the shank. ofthe end ofthe board,and experienced
PerformanceWood Screwscan be driven This featureimprovesthe screw'sdraw- only one minor split. In medium-density
without a pilot hole, without splitting your down capability,especiallyon slightly fiberboard(MDF), a materialnotorious
preciousstock. cuppedor bowed lumber. for splitting,they split lessthan regular
Like otherself-tappingscrews,SplitStop's I drove a dozenl*6x2" SplitStopscrews wood screwswithout predrilledpilot
tip cuts threadsas it bores into the wood. very nearthe end of a pieceof pine in less holes,but aboutas often as wood screws
In addition, knurling on the shank, than 4" of space,without a singlesplit. In with pilot holes.
SplitStopscrewscomein threevarieties:
MACroBrite and StainlessSteel(with a
lifetime corrosionwarrantyfor outdoorappli-
cations),andZinc-Yellow for interioruse.
-TestedbyJeffHall
SplitStopHigh-Performance
WoodScrews
Price 155ct.Zinc-Yellow
$6.70, #6x17s";
ct.MACroBdte
$8.00,85 #8x2r/2"
(othersizesalsoavailable)
TitanMetalWerks
888/578-3273
www.splitstop.com,
Continuedon page 103

WOODmagazine September2003
8116 H i ghw ay123 N orth. Toccoa,GA 30577

Call for a catalog:1-800-746-3233
Order line: 1-800-849-8876 . Espafrol:1-877-445-6034
email: turn@alltel.net
www.osbornewood.com
ConvertibledrilVdrirrcr
getsyou into tight spaces
As a professionalwoodworkerfor morethan30 years,I wouldn't
be without my cordlessdrill.I alsoknow its limitations,andwork-
ing insidea cabinetinstallingdrawerslidesandhingesis where
the tool's bulkinessshowsits shortcomings. It's for peoplelike me
thatFestool'sTDDI2FX l2-volt cordlessdrill wasdesignedto get
us into, andout of, thosesifuations.
At first blush,it lookslike an ordinarycordlessdrill. But the
three-jawchuck popsoff to reveala t/+"hex drive that shortens
the tool by nearly 2t/2",(Dnver bits with /+" hex shanksare
availablealmosteverywhere-that's the industrystandardfor
quick-release drill bits andaccessories.)
Other space-saving featuresinclude an optionalrighrangle
chuck (for working insidenarrowcabinets)that acceptshex-
drive bits or the three-jawchuck,and an offset chuck (for using
hex-drivebits closeto obstructions, suchas a shelfl.Both attach-
mentssnaponto the body of the drill in placeof the three-jaw
chuck,and of the two, I liked the offset chuck better.In right-
Thisisn't your father'spipeclamp!
anglemode,the Introducingthe innovative
Festool TDD12FX cordlessdrill TDD12FXis still t4ool
code
Performance ****-'i bulkierthana dedicat-
Sure-Foot" pipe clamp .
ed right-angledrill.
chuck,$70;otfsefchuck,
right-angle $70
I drove and Call or go onlineto get your FREEcatalogtoday!
FestoolUSA removed220lt/q"
www.festool-usa.com
BB8/337-8600,
screwson a single
chargeof the 1.7-
GOMPAMEE
amp-hourNiCd bat-
tery.The fast 15-
minute charger
toppedoff that battery
long beforeI usedup
the chargein the sec-
ond battery.
Make no mistake:
Festool'sTDDl2FX
Solloctllust!
Leeson U.S.Motors
Industrial
is a well-crafted
Europeantool, and 1.15S.F.- FClassttlotorltUindings
you'll pay a premium 1.5- 20hpSystems
for that quality.But if
you buy one accesso- Captures of testmaterial
99.9o/o
behrleen0,2-2,0 microns
@
ry chuck and figure 11FPMfacevelocity
what it would cost
you for two dedicated Made
WidePloabforeasycleaning.
tools, it makesmore forwooddust
speciffcally
economicsense.
-Testedby HeavyGauge/
Upto 2x the MetalGaugeof lmPorts
Granseth
George
lnclineFanWheellSuPer
Backward
Efficient/ NoVlbration
Wetesthundreds butonlythosethatearnat least

oftoolsandaccessories, Quiet- Silencer
included
on
w/FilterCartridge
threestarsforperformance makethefinalcutandappear inthissection.
Qur
thisissueinclude:
testers woodworking
high-school teacherJeff machin-
Hall, 1:*3-!:-?H:s
whoheads
Granseth,
istGarrySmith;andGeorge millwork
thearchitectural luclory
Eul $nru!
Dlnclund
ata community
department Allareavidwoodworkers'i
college.
*bneida
l' Inc.1001
AirSystems, NY13204
St Syracuse,
W,Fayette i
Circle No. 2039
vtrhatts ahead
Don'tmissthe0ctober
issue
of W00D'magazine
onsaleSeptember
2
Here it comes: Idea Shop 5

2-tn-l mobile
workcenter
At the heartof ldea
Shop5 is thiseasy-to-
builddual-cabinet base
withbuilt-industcol-
lectionfor its tablesaw
androuter,a shared
fencesystem,andstor-
agefor yoursaw
blades, routerbits,and
otheraccessories.
Flip-top
toolbase
Allof thefloorcabinetsand
toolbasesin ldeaShop5 start
withthesamecasedesign.
Simplybuildthatcase,teamit
withidentical cases,and
adaptit in waysthatsuityour
Makethemostof yourworkshop
space needs, choosing froma range
Interested
in making to yourwork-
someimprovements of options.Inthisproject,you
shop?Thencomealongaswe converta one-stallgarageintoa adda pivoting topthatholdsa
full-function
workshop.
You'llfindtonsof ideasfor building
multipurpose
tool woodworking machine.lt's
basesandwallcabinetsfrominexpensive materials.
Everything
is mobile,
and perfectfor heavy,occasionally
adaptsto serveyourwoodworking needstodayandinthefuture. usedbenchtop tools.
I}Iore Proiectsf Toolsr and Techrriqrres
2 quick-and-easy
projects Badboytablesaws
Readyto stepupto a saw
Builda three-columned Traditional
thathasthegutsto cut any
holderfora Galileo
ther- display
case workpiecewithpowerand 4 must-have tablesaw jigs
mometer,or an out-of- Lights,
style,andstorage- precision,
timeaftertime? Getmaximum useandaccuracyoutofyourtablesaw
withthese
this-world
child'smobile, thisexquisite
wall-hung
in notimeflat.
Wetestandratetoday's shop-made
helpers. a pocket-size
Build gauge,
height jig,
taper
cabinet
hasit all. mostpopular3-hpmodels. thin-strip
ripper,
orcrosscut
sledwithadjustable
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Wood Magazine 150 2003

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Wood Magazine 150 2003

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September 2003, lssue 150

66 display lighting lowdown

WOOD magazine September 2003

10 WOOD rnagazine September 2003

Iilo createa surfacefree of runs, sags,

Understandthe breed oiUvarnishblend or a

Note: Beware of pure-oil products, such

12 \llOOD rnaEazlne September 2003

Add layers to build luster

14 WOOD magazine September 2003

ant to makeyour next project

Like many nut-bearingtrees,hickory and

straightand coarsegrain.A medium-

Unlessyou hail from Texasor the

18 WOOD rnagazine September 2003

A woolty tip from Down Under

20 WOOD magazine September 2003

Quick-changesystem for benchtoptools

WOOD magazine September 2003

Youdon'thaveto makeyourlivingworkingwith woodto demandprofessional performance 800.517.11

We offer many build-it-yourself kis:

Better Homesand Gardens "'$o'

24 WOOD magazine September 2003

cut wood in gtft

WOOD rnagazlne September 2003

typeface;preciseduplicationof graphic When you meetwith a laser-engraving

Laserpointers can cut stockup to /a" thick,whereasa r Considera laserover a scrollsawfor

WOOD rnagazine September 2003

Grain holds the

tr . fr" keyto aflat.stable

When pieces slip, After spreadingthe glue, rub the two

WOOD rnagazine September 2003

of yourgarage.Thewinnerwill receive s t n i t c i n t l r c t . s n r o o t l r .l r n t l r c l r r l r l i l ' n c u

fncludes an extra 10n'x 72 Remove auxiliary fence

tr . Scott,vse3A"plywood,medium- iary fencein placewith clamps,making

Southern vellow pine

34 WOOD rnagazine September 2003

36 WOOD magazine September 2003

Rip: A cut parallel to the wood grain.

Resaw: Slicing a length of wood

Dado: A square-cornered channelcut

Groove: A square-cornered channel

Rabbet: An L-shapedchannelcut along

setup the blocks and workpiece in place.

Add an impressive detail

40 WOOD magazine September 2003

|! t ou can go a long way

42 WOOD rnagazine September 2003

!n no time at all, you can make this bearsand theirbody

Gnftsrnart William H. Iltacy

How to becorne a star of thin-rrrall furning

Scenefour: as lacquer or polyurethane,don't offer

50 WOOD rnagazine September 2003

For the board feet of lumber

t's not often that you can make a

Mortise and bandsaw

WOOD rnagazine September 2003

Cut 1"-deep notches in parts B. Then

Disc-soild the norkpiece

Add the top

A s,li #"1;L{:,ie-i';';"r rt:i}u:+,*