T I P S • T O O L S • T E C H N I Q U E S

Vol. 8 Issue 45

Benchtop
Rou ter
Table

Uniqu e New Design

uu Folds Up for Compact Storage
uu Fence Doubles as Handle

uu Accurate Miter Gauge Track

Socket Set Storage Boxes Custom Fit Dadoes

Lumber Cart Router Table Mounting Plates
www.shopnotes.com
 E D I T O R ' S N O T E

Issue 45
PUBLISHER
EDITOR
May 1999
Donald B. Peschke
Tim Robertson
®

Cutoffs
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
ASSISTANT EDITOR
ART DIRECTOR
SR. GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Tom Begnal
Bryan Nelson
Cary Christensen
Kurt Schultz
O ver the years, we’ve built a
number of different tools for our
shop. But the one that gets used most
to one side of the box. At the same time,
he reached into a hole in front of the
box, opened a door, and swung it under-
SENIOR ILLUSTRATORS Roger Reiland often is the router table that was fea- neath the wing.
Mark Higdon tured in the very first issue of ShopNotes. After repeating the process on the
CREATIVE RESOURCES That’s a long time ago (over seven other side, one thing became clear. This
Creative Dir.: Ted Kralicek • Project Developer: Ken years). So why bring it up now? It has to was no small router table. In fact, the
Munkel • Sr. Project Designer: Kevin Boyle • Project
Coordinator: Kent Welsh • Shop Mgr.: Steve Curtis • Shop
do with a conversation I had recently table had a “wingspan” that appeared to
Craftsman: Steve Johnson • Sr. Photographer: Crayola with a friend of mine. be a yard long. (Okay, it was only 32"
England • Photographer: Roderick Kennedy
He stopped by the shop recently long.) Even so, that’s still 2" longer than
BOOKS
Executive Editor: Douglas L. Hicks • Art Director: Steve
while I was using the router table to our original router table.
Lueder • Sr. Graphic Designers: Chris Glowacki, Cheryl make some strips of molding. And he I have to admit, the table is impres-
L. Simpson • Asst. Editors: Joe Irwin, Craig Ruegsegger
mentioned that he’d always admired its sive. It’s a beefy, 1"-thick slab that pro-
CIRCULATION
Sub. Serv. Dir.: Sandy Baum • New Bus. Dir.: Glenda Battles
large table top and adjustable fence. vides a rock-solid worksurface. (Take a
• Circ. Marketing Analyst: Kris Schlemmer • Creative But what surprised me is that he had look at the photo of the extended table
Mgr.: Melinda Haffner • Renewal Mgr.: Paige Rogers •
Billing Mgr.: Rebecca Cunningham • Prom. Mgr.: Rick never actually built the router table. on the back cover.)
Junkins • New Bus. Mgr.: Todd L. Bierle • Asst. Sub. Mgr.: The base cabinet it was mounted FENCE. I was also
Joy Krause
CORPORATE SERVICES
on would have taken up too curious about the fence.
Vice President of Planning & Finance: Jon Macarthy • much room in his shop. Since it doubled as a
Controller: Robin Hutchinson • Sr. Accountant: Laura (Sound familiar?) handle, it was
Thomas • Accounts Payable: Mary Schultz • Accounts
Receivable: Margo Petrus • Production Director: Well, that got me unusual looking.
George Chmielarz • Electronic Publishing: Douglas M.
Lidster • Network Administrator: Chris Schwanebeck
to thinking. Why But what I really
• Production Assistant: Susan Rueve • Pre-Press not build another wanted to know is
Image Specialist: Troy Clark, Minniette Bieghler • New
Media Manager: Gordon C. Gaippe • Multimedia Art router table? One how it compared
Director: Eugene Pedersen • E-Commerce Analyst: that didn’t take up with my old fence.
Carol Schoeppler • Web Site Editor: Holly Kilborn •
Human Resources Assistant: Kirsten Koele • Office any floor space. (That fence had
Manager: Julia Fish • Receptionist: Jeanne Johnson •
Building Maintenance: Ken Griffith • Special Projects
What I had in spoiled me just a bit.)
Director: Saville H. Inman mind was a small router It didn’t take long to find
MAIL ORDER
table that clamped to a bench. Yet out. The fence is the same thickness (1")
Operations Dir.: Bob Baker • Cust. Serv. Mgr.: Jennie Enos it would still incorporate all the features as the table, so it has a nice, solid feel. It
• Warehouse Supr.: Nancy Johnson • Buyer: Linda Jones
• Admin. Asst: Nancy Downey • Tech. Rep.: Matthew
of our full-sized router table. In other slides smoothly across the table. And a
TeRonde • Cust. Serv. Reps.: Anna Cox, Adam Best, words, a small router table that could simple, built-in clamp locks it in place.
Tammy Truckenbrod, Deborah Rich, April Revell, David
Gaumer • Warehouse: Sylvia Carey, Dan Spidle, Eric handle large jobs. Just one more thing about the fence,
Tullis, Sheryl Knox It sounded like an interesting chal- and then I’ll stop. To change the size of
WOODSMITH STORE lenge. And we kicked the idea around the opening around the router bit, there
Manager: Dave Larson • Assistant Manager: Paul with Ken (our project developer). The are two faces in the fence that slide back
Schneider • Sales Staff: Pat Lowry, Wendell Stone, Jim
Barnett, Kathy Smith, Larry Morrison • Office more we talked, the more excited we got and forth. Moving these faces as close to
Manager: Vicki Edwards about it. So we decided to build a proto- the bit as possible prevents a workpiece
type of the new router table. from tipping into the opening.
ShopNotes® (ISSN 1062-9696) is published bimonthly
(Jan., March, May, July, Sept., Nov.) by August Home Not long after that, Ken showed up DELUXE VERSION. As you can see,
Publishing, 2200 Grand, Des Moines, IA 50312.
ShopNotes® is a registered trademark of August Home carrying a small, compact box that I’m excited about our new router table.
Publishing ©Copyright 1999 by August Home
Publishing. All rights reserved.
looked like a plywood suitcase, see We even built a deluxe version. It uses
Subscriptions: Single copy: $4.99. One year subscription
(6 issues), $21.94. Canada/Foreign add $6 per year.
photo above. “What do you think?” he the same basic design, but it has several
Periodicals Postage Paid at Des Moines, IA and at addi- asked as he set the box down. additional features that make it even
tional mailing offices.
Postmaster: Send change of address to ShopNotes, P.O. Then, with a gleam in his eye, he pro- more versatile. (For more about this
Box 37103, Boone, IA 50037-2103.
Subscription Questions? Write to: ShopNotes Customer ceeded to raise a “wing” that was hinged deluxe router table, refer to page 16.)
Service, P.O. Box 842, Des Moines, IA 50304-9961. Or call
1-800-333-5854, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, Central Time, week-
days. FAX 515-283-0447
E-Mail: ShopNotes@shopnotes.com
Internet: http://www.shopnotes.com
PRINTED IN U.S.A.

2 ShopNotes No. 45
 I S S U E F O R T Y - F I V E

Contents
Features

Socket Set Storage Boxes ———————— 6 Socket Set Boxes page 6

Keep the tools in your socket sets organized with these
handy storage boxes. You can customize each box to suit
your needs. There’s even a case to hold the boxes.

Custom Fit Dadoes ————————————— 10

Two simple methods to cut an accurate, tight-fitting dado
joint — without using a dado blade.

Lumber Cart —————————————————— 12

This shop-built cart provides plenty of storage for scrap
pieces of wood and sheet materials. Plus, the top of the
cart doubles as a convenient worksurface.
Custom Fit Dadoes page 10

Benchtop Router Table —————————— 16

Take a close look at this space-saving router table. It
features a large table, an adjustable fence, and three
different accessories. Yet it folds up into a compact box.

Mounting Plates ——————————————— 28

Building a router table? To make it easy to change bits,
attach your router to a removable mounting plate. We offer
some practical suggestions on which one to buy.

Dovetail Jigs —————————————————— 30

You can rout professional-looking dovetail joints every Lumber Cart page 12
time with these two commercial dovetail jigs.

Departments

Readers’ Tips —————————————————— 4

Our readers offer their own shop-tested tips dealing
with some of the most common woodworking problems.

Sources ————————————————————— 31
Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for the
projects in this issue. Router Table page 16

No. 45 ShopNotes 3
 T I P S A N D T E C H N I Q U E S

Readers’ Tips
Edge-Gluing Tip ——————————————

n When edge gluing a solid wood

panel, the boards always seem to
shift up or down. So I often end up
with a small “step” at the joint line. so I used 13/4"-square stock, see workbench or the shop floor.
To create a flat panel, I clamp drawing. Mine are cut long enough Before using the pressure bars,
pressure bars across the boards, see to accept panels up to 36" wide. you’ll want to apply a coat of paste
photo. The pressure bars are A few extra holes along one end wax to their inside faces. This pre-
squeezed together by tightening allow me to move the bolts closer vents them from getting perma-
wing nuts on the carriage bolts that together when gluing narrow nently glued to the boards.
extend through the bars. panels. And each hole is counter- John Lynch
The bars need to be pretty stiff, bored so the bars can sit flat on my Boston, Massachusetts

Quick-Release Featherboard —————————————————

n I often use a magnetic

featherboard when I’m rip-
ping stock on the table saw.
As you might expect, the
magnet grips pretty tightly.
So it’s not an easy task to lift
the featherboard off the
saw table.
But I recently came up
with an almost effortless
way to remove the feather-
board. All that’s needed is a
hardwood disk to use as a “cam”, see When you want to remove the
photo. To create a lever for the cam, I featherboard, just pivot the disk
simply glued a dowel into the edge of about a quarter of a turn. That rotates
the disk, see drawing. the disk below the bottom edge of the
The cam pivots on a short screw. featherboard, see photo. This raises
But the screw isn’t located in the the featherboard and breaks the
center of the disk. Instead, it’s offset magnet’s grip on the saw table.
slightly, see Side View. It’s this offset Bob Wickstrom
that makes the cam work. Overland Park, Kansas

4 ShopNotes No. 45
 T I P S A N D T E C H N I Q U E S

Quick Tips ———————————————————————————————————

{ When Alan Smith of Utica, NY { To reduce vibration in her scroll { To make an inexpensive “pull” for
uses a rasp, he slips a rubber saw, Martha Dawson of Squaw a small shop drawer, John Hershey
finger guard on the end to protect Valley, CA cuts pieces from an old of Mena, AR simply cuts a slot with a
his fingers from the sharp teeth. mouse pad to put under the saw. plate joiner and glues in a biscuit.

Repairing Tenons ————————————————————————————

n Chairs get lots of tough use, so

it’s not uncommon to see spindles a.
and rungs with broken tenons, see
drawing. Rather than try to salvage
a badly broken one, I often find it
easier to simply cut off the entire
tenon, see detail ‘a.’ After drilling a
hole in the end and gluing in a b.
dowel, I just trim the “tenon” to
length, see detail ‘b.’
Kevin Boyle
Des Moines, Iowa

Fitting Dovetails—————————————————————————————
n When cutting dovetails, I like To make it easier to fit the pieces Then sand the inside face of the
my initial fit to be a bit tight. It’s together, chisel a chamfer on the pins until they fit into the tails just
always easier to relieve a tight joint inside of each tail, see photo at left. right, see photo at right.
than try to deal with a loose one. To You’ll want to start the chamfers Al Woods
“fine tune” a joint that’s too tight, I just short of the end, otherwise they San Jose, California
use a couple of tricks. show when you join the pieces.
Send in Your Shop Tips
To share your original shop tips to prob-
lems you’ve faced, send them to:
ShopNotes, Attn.: Readers’ Tips, 2200
Grand Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50312.
(Or if it’s easier, FAX them to us at:
515-282-6741.)
We’ll pay up to $200 depending on
the published length. Please include a
daytime phone number so we can call
you if we have any questions.

No. 45 ShopNotes 5
 S H O P P R O J E C T

Socket Set
Storage
Boxes
Keep all your
I ’ve had a socket set for years. Actually, I have three
socket sets — each with a different size ratchet (1/4",
3/8", and 1/2"). At one time, each set had its own case. But

those flimsy plastic cases fell apart a long time ago. So I’d
socket sets
just toss the sockets in a drawer. I know, it wasn’t the best
organized by solution. The sockets rattled around like BB’s in a tin can.
customizing And rummaging around the drawer to find the correct
these simple size socket was a pain.
storage boxes. Because of that, I decided to buy a case to hold the
loose tools — one of those fitted cases with a space for
each piece in the set. There was just one problem. The
only cases I could find already had a full set of tools, and
I certainly didn’t need any more. CASE. In addition to organizing my socket sets, I also
CUSTOM BOXES. The solution was simple. I made my wanted a place to put the storage boxes. So I built a ply-
own storage boxes, see photo above. The nice thing wood case to hold them.
about these boxes is they’re customized to fit the
sockets, ratchets, and extension bars that go with that BUILDING THE BOXES
set. (There’s one box for each set). Each of the boxes is made using a simple, two-step
PEGS. To keep things organized, each socket fits on a method: build an enclosed box, then cut it apart.
wood peg. When you’re cleaning up, the pegs make it ENCLOSED BOX. To determine the size of the box,
easy to see if one of the sockets is missing. Once you plan the inside dimensions to accept your largest size
close the lid, a piece of foam keeps the sockets from socket set. The box shown in the Exploded View below
falling off the pegs — even if the box gets turned upside is long enough to hold my 1/2" ratchet and also eight
down. So the next time the box is opened, the sockets are metric and fractional sockets.
lined up and ready to use. Since the boxes are bound to get knocked around, I

b.

a.

6 ShopNotes No. 45
 S H O P P R O J E C T

used 3/8"-thick hardwood (maple) 1

for the front/back (A) and sides (B). a.
These pieces are ripped to final width.
But I cut them extra-long to start.
To accept a top and bottom
(added later), you’ll need to cut two
grooves in each piece, see detail ‘b’
on page 6. Then just miter each piece
to final length and cut splines to
strengthen the joint, see box below.
b.
TOP/BOTTOM. Now you can turn
your attention to the top and bottom
(C). These are pieces of 1/2" plywood
(birch) that are cut slightly smaller
(1/8") than the distance between the
bottom of the grooves.
The top and bottom are rabbeted
on all four edges. This forms a This provides clearance for the the box, see Fig. 1a. Then cut
tongue that fits the grooves cut ear- splines. Also, some posterboard through the front and back only.
lier. The idea is to cut the rabbets shims will produce a uniform gap Before cutting the sides of the box,
wide enough so there’s a slight around the top and bottom. lower the blade so it won’t cut all the
(1/16") “shadow line” all the way CUT BOX APART. After gluing up way through, see Fig. 1b. This will
around the top and bottom, see the box and trimming the splines leave a thin membrane that keeps the
detail ‘a.’ (I cut 3/16"-wide rabbets.) flush, you can cut the lid from the box intact and prevents it from
GLUE-UP. Before gluing up the box. A table saw makes quick work “pinching” the blade. To separate the
box, don’t forget to “nip” the corners of this, see Fig. 1. Start by raising the lid, cut the membrane with a hand
of the top and bottom at an angle. blade to cut through the thickness of saw and sand the edges smooth.

Splined Miter Joints

Adding a spline to a miter joint accomplishes two things. First, it so the grain runs perpendic-
produces a stronger glue joint than the end grain surfaces of the ular to the joint line.
miters. Second, it prevents the miters from slipping out of align- An easy way to make the
ment when they’re clamped together. splines is to use a scrap from
CUT KERFS. The splines fit in kerfs in the mitered ends of the the project you’re working
pieces, see photo. To cut the kerfs, tilt the saw blade to 45° and on and cut it on the table saw.
attach an auxiliary fence to the rip fence, see Fig. 1. Then, with Start by setting the rip
the long tip of the miter riding against the auxiliary fence, use fence so the blade will cut a spline of the desired thickness, see
the miter gauge to push the workpiece through the blade. Fig. 2. Then raise the blade 1/8" higher than the width (length)
SPLINES. The next step is to cut thin, hardwood splines to fit of the spline and cut several kerfs. After repositioning the fence
the kerfs. One thing to be aware of here is the grain direction of and lowering the blade so it just cuts into the kerf, it’s a simple
the spline. To produce a strong joint, the splines should be cut matter to trim each spline from the block, see Fig. 3.

1 2 3

ShopNotes 7
 S H O P P R O J E C T

Customizing the Boxes ——————————————————————

After cutting the storage boxes
apart, they’re basically complete —
at least on the outside. Now it’s time
to customize the inside of the boxes.
HINGES. To simplify things when
“fitting out” the boxes, start by
installing the hinges that hold them
together. (I used a continuous hinge.)
Each hinge is recessed in a shallow
notch in the box and lid, see drawing.
An easy way to cut these notches
{ Three 1/4" hardboard is to use a table-mounted router and
spacers raise the a straight bit. You’ll want to adjust
1/4" sockets just the height of the bit to equal half the
enough to compress thickness of the knuckle on the
the foam in the lid. hinge, see Figs. 2 and 2a. This will
allow the lid to close completely.
Another thing to be aware of is
that the notches don’t extend through
the sides of the box. Instead, they’re
“stopped” short to keep the notch
(and hinge) from showing. This
requires making a stopped cut. 2. Now gently lower the lid onto the DIVIDERS. Now you can turn your
To establish the beginning and spinning bit and push it forward until attention to the inside of the box. It’s
end of this cut, clamp a pair of stop it contacts the other stop block. divided into individual compartments
blocks to the fence, see Fig. 2. The This removes the bulk of the waste, by thin strips of hardwood. A long
idea is to locate the blocks so the but there’s still a sliver of material at divider (D) separates the sockets from
{The 3/8" sockets are
notch will be about 1/4" shorter than each end of the notch. Paring away the ratchet and extension bars. And a
taller, so all you’ll
the length of the hinge. (It’s cut to the waste with a chisel is all it takes short divider (E) creates a handy place
need is a pair of
1/4" spacers. final length later.) to square up the end, see Fig. 2b. for small items. Note: My 1/2" ratchet
ROUT NOTCH. Once the router LATCHES. After screwing the is nearly as long as the box, so I
table is set up, it only takes a minute hinges in place, I added a draw latch didn’t add a short divider to that box.
to rout the notch. Just hold the lid (or to keep the lid on each box closed. SOCKET TRAYS. After gluing the
box) at a slight angle and set it The latch is simply mounted to the dividers in place, the next step is to
against the back stop block, see Fig. front of the box with screws. add a socket tray (F) to each box, see
Fig. 3. The tray is a strip of 1/4" hard-
2 board with two rows of wood pegs —
one to hold metric sockets, and the
other for fractional size sockets.
PEGS. The pegs are short dowels
that fit into the drive end of the
{ A single, 1/8" strip
sockets. To create a snug fit, the
of hardboard builds
diameter of the dowels matches the
up the 1/2" sockets
size of the square openings in the
high enough to
sockets. (This means using 1/4"
“dent” the foam.
dowels for a 1/4" socket set, 3/8" for a
3/8" set, and so on.)
a. b. When it comes to determining the
length of the pegs, things get a bit
trickier. That’s because the pegs
extend all the way through the drive
end of the large size sockets in a set,
see End View in Fig. 3. But they
“bottom out” in the smaller sockets.

8 ShopNotes No. 45
 S H O P P R O J E C T

So to ensure that all the sockets sit 3

flat on the tray, cut the pegs to length
to fit the smallest socket in the set.
The pegs fit in holes drilled in the
socket tray. To determine the loca-
tion of these holes, simply arrange
the sockets on the tray. There’s
nothing critical here. Just be sure
the sockets won’t extend past the
edge of the tray. (I located the cen-
terpoints of the holes 1/2" in from the
edge.) Also, check that there’s
enough finger room between the
sockets so you can grab them easily.
SPACERS. After drilling the holes
and gluing in the pegs, I added a
system of hardboard spacers (G), The foam makes the sockets stay put 1/4"-thick closed-cell foam that
see Fig. 3. Together with a piece of — even if the box gets turned upside resists tearing. (For a source of
foam installed in the lid, the spacers down. Note: Depending on the size closed-cell foam, see page 31.)
keep the sockets from falling off the of your socket sets, you’ll need to use The foam is simply cut to fit in the
pegs when the box is closed. a different number (or thickness) of lid and pressed into place. While I
The way this works is simple. The spacers, see margin on page 8. was at it, I also put foam in the
spacers “build up” the height of the FOAM. All that’s left to complete bottom of each small compartment
tray so the sockets compress the foam. the boxes is to add the foam. I used to keep tools from rattling.

The Case ————————————————————————————————————

The storage boxes keep all my

socket sets organized. But I also
wanted a place to put the boxes. So I
built a simple plywood case to hold
them, see photo above.
DEEP REACH. One nice thing about
this case is it has several large,
curved notches in front. These notches
let you reach deep inside the case to openings are sized so the boxes fit to accept the top and bottom (I). And
get a firm grip on the boxes. (The flush with the front of the case. a pair of dadoes in each side hold the
boxes are quite heavy when full of There’s 1/4" of clearance above each shelves (J). You’ll also need to rabbet
tools.) This makes it easy to remove box and 1/16" on each side. the sides, top, and bottom for the
a box or slide it back into the case. BUILDING THE CASE. To make back (K) of the case, see Back View.
Besides the notches, there’s some the case, start by cutting the sides After cutting and sanding the
additional clearance built into the (H) to final size, see drawing above. curved notches, it’s just a matter of
openings for the boxes. And the The sides are rabbeted at each end gluing up the case.

No. 45 ShopNotes 9
 T E C H N I Q U E

Custom Fitting
Dado Joints
R ecently, a friend of mine was
building a project that was
assembled with dado joints. He’s just
my dado blade out to be sharpened.
So instead, I showed him a couple of
simple methods for cutting dadoes
methods is they produce perfect-
fitting dado joints — not too tight,
and not too loose.
getting started in woodworking, and that don’t require using a dado blade The secret is to use a simple
he doesn’t have a dado blade. So he — one on the table saw, and the system of spacers to establish the
stopped by to borrow mine. other with a hand-held router. width of the dado. These spacers
As luck would have it, I’d just sent The best thing about both of these ensure a “custom fit” joint.

Table Saw Method

Here’s a quick way to cut a dado on a
table saw. It only requires a combina-
tion saw blade and two spacers.The
spacers are used to establish the two
sides of the dado. Then the material
between the sides is wasted out.
SPACER THICKNESS. The key to
making this work is the thickness of
the spacers. The first spacer matches
the thickness of the workpiece that
{ To sand the fits into the dado. (A scrap piece
bottom of a dado from the project works fine.) And the FIRST SIDE. To cut the first side aligns with the near side of the
flat, use a block second spacer equals the thickness of the dado, start by clamping one dado, see Fig. 1a. After locking the
that’s slightly of the blade. (I use a piece of 1/8" spacer (the scrap from the project) fence in place, butt the workpiece
thinner than the hardboard with a single strip of to the rip fence, see Fig. 1. Then against the spacer and use the miter
width of the dado. masking tape.) position the fence so the saw blade gauge to push it through the blade.
SECOND SIDE. The second side of
1 the dado is cut with the rip fence in
the same exact position. Only this
time, you’ll need to replace the first
spacer with the one that matches the
thickness of the blade, see photo
above. With this spacer clamped in
place, it’s just a matter of making a
second pass, see Fig. 1b.
REMOVE WASTE. All that’s left to
complete the dado is to remove the
rest of the waste. To do this, just
“nibble” away the waste by making as
many passes as needed, see Fig. 1b.
RIDGES. One thing you’ll notice
about a combination blade is it leaves
ridges on the bottom of the dado. If
the end of the dado is going to be
covered up, you can just leave the
ridges. But if it’s exposed, you may
want to sand the bottom of the dado
flat, see margin at left.

10 ShopNotes No. 45
 T E C H N I Q U E

Routing Dadoes
Sometimes a workpiece is too large
or awkward to handle on the table
saw. In that case, it’s best to clamp it to
a bench and rout the dadoes using a
hand-held router and straight bit.
As with the table saw, using a
spacer ensures a perfect fit. And a
pair of simple guides produce
straight, accurate cuts, see photo.
GUIDES. Each guide consists of
two parts: a hardboard base that acts
as a routing platform and a wood
fence to guide the router, see Fig. 1.
To rout a dado across the width of a
full sheet of plywood, both pieces are SETUP. Once the guides are com- piece and remove the spacer.
48" long. Also, it’s best to start with plete, positioning them on the work- ROUT DADO. At this point, you’re
an extra-wide base (6" in my case). piece only takes a minute. Start by ready to rout the dado. This is accom-
After gluing on the fence, the next laying out the location of one side of plished by making a series of
step is to trim the base to final width. the dado. Then align the reference shallow, overlapping passes.
The idea here is to use the same edge of one of the guides along that To define one side of the dado
router bit you plan to use when cut- mark and clamp the guide in place, (and remove part of the waste mate-
ting the dadoes. (I used a 1/2" straight see Fig. 2. rial), turn on the router and run it
bit.) This creates two reference edges SPACER. To position the second along the fence of the first guide in
that establish the sides of the dado. guide, there’s no need to lay out the the direction shown in Fig. 3. Note:
One thing to be aware of is the bit other side of the dado. The spacer Don’t forget to orient the mark on
may not be perfectly centered in the takes care of that. (Here again, use a the router base toward the fence.
base of the router. So be sure that scrap that matches the thickness of After routing all the way across
the same side of the base is against the piece that fits in the dado.) Just the workpiece, turn the router so the
the fence when trimming the base set the spacer against the guide that’s mark is oriented toward the fence on
pieces to width. Shop Tip: Make a clamped to the workpiece. Then butt the second guide and then repeat
mark on the router base and keep it the second guide against the spacer. the process. This produces a tight-
in contact with the fence at all times. Now clamp this guide to the work- fitting dado joint every time.

1 2

3
a.

No. 45 ShopNotes 11
 S H O P P R O J E C T

Lumber Cart

BINS FOR STORAGE BAY

LUMBER CUTOFFS FOR SHEET GOODS

L ike most woodworkers, I’ve

always had a hard time throwing
away scrap pieces of material. Short
As nice as it is to have lots of scrap
pieces, they do have a way of piling
up. (And lately, the piles seem to be
pieces organized, I built a simple
cart. This cart lets me see at a glance
exactly which pieces I have. So now,
chunks of wood usually get “squir- getting larger.) This makes finding instead of just accumulating more
reled” away in a corner. And I just the piece I need like looking for scraps, I’ve found myself using more
lean the plywood cutoffs (and other buried treasure without a map. of the material I have on hand.
sheet goods) up against the wall. In order to keep all these scrap The lumber cart is divided into
two sides. The front side has a
number of bins that hold short
lengths of wood, see photo above
left. And sheet goods are stored in a
large “bay” on the opposite side, see
photo above right. To provide access
to either side, there’s a set of heavy-
duty casters mounted to the cart that
make it easy to turn around.
BINS. The bins range in depth
from 12" to 36". The nice thing about
this is it’s like having a built-in
sorting system. Scrap pieces of sim-
ilar lengths are stored in the same
bin. So when you need a piece that’s
a certain length, it’s just a matter of
looking in the appropriate sized bin.
STORAGE BAY. Although the
sheet goods in the storage bay aren’t
arranged by size, it only takes a few
seconds to find the piece you need.
You just “leaf” through the pieces
like a stack of record albums.
WORKSURFACE. One more thing
worth mentioning here is the large

12 ShopNotes No.
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45
 S H O P P R O J E C T

area on top of the cart. It’s a great 1

place to mount a tool or to use as an
extra worksurface.

CONSTRUCTION
There’s nothing complicated about
this lumber cart. It’s made from inex-
pensive material. (I used one and a
half sheets of 3/4" fir plywood with an
‘AC’ grade.) And it’s assembled with
dado and rabbet joints. (There are
two simple techniques for cutting a.
dadoes shown on page 10.)
DADOES. Most of the dadoes are
located in the case divider and the
stiles that are attached to the front of
the case, see the Exploded View on
page 12. In addition to supporting a
set of shelves, the dadoes will make it front stiles. So it needs to be trimmed piece separated earlier from the case
easy to align the parts when assem- to final length. Now it’s tempting to divider. However, you’ll need a second
bling the cart. remove all of this waste by making a piece for the back stiles. Here again,
Although the dadoes are relatively single pass on the table saw. The I started with an extra-wide piece
simple to cut, there are a bunch of only problem is that the dadoes in that’s cut to final length, see Fig. 3.
them (sixteen altogether). So I used the case divider wouldn’t align with There’s no need to cut any dadoes
an old trick to speed up the process. the dadoes in the front stiles. So to in this piece. (There aren’t any
Start with an extra-wide piece ensure proper alignment, I trimmed shelves in the back compartment.)
that’s cut to the final length (341/2") 1/2" off the top and the bottom edge But both pieces are rabbeted at each
of the front stiles, see Fig. 1. After of the case divider, see Fig. 2. end to accept the top and bottom of
cutting the dadoes in this piece (Fig. STILES. Now you can turn your the cart, see Fig. 3a.
1a), it’s separated into two parts — attention to the stiles. To provide Now it’s just a matter of ripping
one for the case divider and the support for the shelves, there are the stiles to width. This completes
other for the front stiles, see Fig. 2. five stiles on the front of the cart, see the back (B) and side stiles (C). But
TRIM CASE DIVIDER. One thing to Exploded View. And four stiles in you’ll still need to crosscut the two
be aware of here is that the case back add rigidity to the cart. upper stiles (D) and lower stile (E) to
divider (A) is 1" shorter than the The front stiles are made from the final length.

2 3

a.

No. 45
37 ShopNotes 00
13
 S H O P P R O J E C T

Bins and Storage Bay ———————————————————————

At this point, the case divider and With the dadoes complete, you’re The shelves (G) are nothing more
stiles are complete. Now you can ready to start assembling the cart. than pieces of 3/4" plywood, see Fig.
turn your attention to the bins in the Working with these large pieces can 5. They’re cut to size so they’re even
front of the case and the storage bay be a juggling act. So I found it best to with the front edges of the top and
in back. do most of the assembly with the bottom. And just like the top and
TOP & BOTTOM. The first step is cart on its side. bottom, the shelves are glued and
to add a plywood top and bottom (F), I started by setting the case divider screwed in place.
see Fig. 4. To create a compartment into the dadoes in the top and bottom ADD FRONT STILES. To support
on each side of the cart, the case to form a large, H-shaped assembly, the shelves, the next step is to attach
divider (A) rests in dadoes cut in the see Fig. 4. Then I glued and screwed the stiles to the front of the cart, see
top and bottom, see Figs. 4 and 4a. I the top and bottom in place. Fig. 6. The side stiles (C) are glued
tend to have more lumber cutoffs SHELVES. To form the separate and screwed flush with the top,
than sheet goods. So this dado is bins, there are four shelves added to bottom, and shelves. And the two
offset to one side. This provides the front side of the cart. Later, upper stiles (D) are spaced evenly
more storage area on the front side dividers are added to “break up” the across the front of the cart. Finally, I
of the cart. bins into different sizes. centered the lower stile (E) on the

4 5

a.

6 7

14 ShopNotes No.
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45
 S H O P P R O J E C T

width of the cart. 8

BIN DIVIDERS. All that’s left to
complete the bins is to add three
dividers to the top three shelves. The
bin dividers (H) are pieces of 3/4" ply-
wood that are sized in width to fit
between the shelves, see Fig. 7. And
they’re cut to length so they slip
between the case divider and the
front stiles.
To position the dividers, I cen-
tered them on the width of the front
stiles. Then I secured them by
screwing through the front stiles and
the back of the case divider.
STORAGE BAY. With the bin
dividers in place, you can complete
the storage bay at the back of the 9
cart. All you need to do here is attach
the back stiles (B), see Fig. 8. I
spaced them evenly across the back
of the cart.
ADD CASTERS. At this point, the
lumber cart is ready for cutoffs and
sheet goods. But for easy access to
both sides for adding (or removing) a.
material, I wanted to be able to move
the cart around.
To make it easy to get at mate-
rials and still be out of the way, I
added four casters to the bottom of
the cart, see Fig. 9. There’s a pair of
fixed casters at one end of the cart
and two swivel casters at the other
end. This makes it easy to turn the place, so I can use the cart as a ners of the bottom, see Fig. 9a.
cart around to get at all four sides. stable worksurface. WORKSURFACE. The large top on
And I can easily push the cart into a To make it easy to reach the the cart makes a great work area.
corner or against a wall for storage. locking lever on the casters, they’re Unfortunately, the exposed plywood
The swivel casters also lock in attached flush with the outside cor- edges have a tendency to splinter
and catch on things. And the sharp
10 corners at the top of each stile can
make it a little uncomfortable to
work around the top of the cart. To
take care of both of these problems,
I added a worksurface, see Fig. 10.
The worksurface (I) is a piece of
3/ " plywood that’s screwed flush
4
with the ends of the cart and the face
a. of the stiles, see Fig. 10. Then, to
cover the exposed edges of the
worksurface, I added some trim
strips (J). These strips are simply
mitered to length and then glued in
place. Finally, to ease the sharp cor-
ners on the strips, I routed a small
chamfer, see Fig. 10a.

No. 45
37 ShopNotes 00
15
 Benchtop F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Router
Table

L et’s face it. Not every shop has room for a large, sta-
tionary router table. That’s the reason I like this
benchtop router table.
the doors and swing them underneath. The doors “click”
into a shop-made catch with a reassuring sound.
FENCE. As much as I like the table, it’s the fence that
Instead of taking up valuable floor space, the router impresses me the most. It adjusts easily and locks down
table simply clamps to a bench, see photo above. And tight. And a pair of sliding faces let you change the size of
once a job is completed, it folds up into a compact box the opening around the bit. The fence even doubles as a
that’s stored neatly out of the way, see inset photo. handle to make it easy to carry the router table.
With the router table folded up, it’s only about as big ALUMINUM TRACK. Another handy thing about this
as a picnic basket. But don’t let its small size fool you. router table is it has an aluminum track that runs along
LARGE TABLE. The “wings” on each side of the router the front edge, see photos below right. Actually, it’s two
table fold out to create a large, flat table, see photos tracks in one. One part acts as a smooth, accurate slot for
below left. To provide support for the wings, just open a miter gauge. The other lets you attach a featherboard.

{ Extension Wings. To set up the router table, simply lift the extension { Dual Track. The aluminum track that runs along the
wing on each side, see photo at left. Then swing the door out to front edge of the router table can be used to guide a
provide sturdy support underneath the wing, see photo at right. miter gauge (left) or to attach a featherboard (right).

16 ShopNotes No. 45
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Hardware
• (50) #4 x 1/2" Fh Woodscrews
• (16) #6 x 3/4" Fh Woodscrews
• (16) #6 x 11/2" Fh Woodscrews
• (4) 1" Wire Brads (18 Gauge)
Materials •
•
(6)
(1)
Mounting Brackets
Magnetic Catch
• (2) 11/2" x 81/2" Cont. Hinges w/Screws
Case Fence • (2) 11/2" x 111/2" Cont. Hinges w/Screws
A Sides (2) 83/4 x 121/2 - 1 Ply. J Back Fence (1) 63/4 x 181/4 - 1/2 Ply. • (2) 1/ "-20 Threaded Rods (11/ " long)
4 8
B Back (1) 83/4 x 151/2 - 1/2 Ply. K Front Fence (1) 5 x 181/4 - 1/2 Ply. • (4) 5/ "-18 x 13/ " Toilet Bolts
16 4
C Bottom (1) 131/4 x 181/2 - 1/2 Ply. L Base (1) 4 x 181/4 - 1/2 Ply. • (6) 5/ " Flat Washers
16
D Doors (2) 83/4 x 715/16 - 1/2 Ply. M Braces (2) 31/2 x 5 - 1 Ply. • (2) 1/ " Flat Washers
4
E Top (1) 131/4 x 16 - 1 Ply. N Sliding Faces (2) 21/2 x 91/8 - 1/2 Ply. • (2) 1/ "-20 Star Knob (thru-hole)
4
F Wings (2) 131/4 x 77/8 - 1 Ply. • (4) 5/ "-18 Star Knob (thru-hole)
16
G Long Supports (2) 1/ x 11/ - 9 Note: All 1"-thick plywood is made by 5/ "-18 Star Knob (1" stud)
4 16 • (2) 16
H Short Supports (2) 1/ x 11/ - 6 face-gluing two pieces of 1/2"-thick stock. 5/ "-18 Threaded Inserts (3/ " long)
4 16 • (3) 16 8
I Door Catches (2) 5/ x 11/ - 131/
16 8 4 • (1) 32"-long Aluminum Dual Track

No. 45 ShopNotes 17
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Case ———————————————————————————————
I began work on the router table by
making the case. In addition to
housing the router, the case
provides a sturdy
mounting plat-
form for the table.
Design Note: We
sized our case to hold a
Porter Cable router (model
690). But depending on your router,
you may need to modify the height of
the case. Just be sure it’s tall enough
that you can adjust the height of the
bit without having the router contact
the bottom of the case.
U-SHAPED ASSEMBLY. The case
starts out as a U-shaped assembly back is a piece of 1/2" plywood that’s table to a workbench.
that consists of two sides and a back, glued and screwed to the sides. DOORS. After attaching the
see Fig. 1. Each side is glued up from BOTTOM. The next step is to add a bottom with glue and screws, I
two oversize pieces of 1/2" plywood. plywood bottom (C), see Fig. 1. The added a pair of doors (D), see
(I used Baltic birch.) bottom is sized to extend an equal drawing above and Fig. 2. Besides
After trimming the sides (A) to amount past the sides and front of enclosing the front of the case, the
final size, you’ll need to rabbet the the case. (It’s flush at the back.) This doors have another (more impor-
back, inside edge of each one to provides several clamping surfaces tant) job. When you swing the doors
accept the back (B), see Fig. 1a. The that allow you to secure the router open, they hold up the “wings” of the
router table.
1 To create a continuous, flat sur-
face, the wings need to be supported
at the same height as the center part
of the table. This center part rests on
a. the sides (A) and back (B) of the
case. So making the doors the same
height (width) as these pieces will
prevent the wings from sagging.
Of course, this means that the
doors will fit quite tightly in the
opening when the top is added later.
But that’s okay. In fact, the goal is to
size the doors so they’ll just barely
scrape against the top and bottom.
To do this, I made both doors
2 from a single blank of 1/2" plywood,
see Fig. 2. As I mentioned, it’s ripped
to width to match the height of the
sides. And it’s cut to length to match
the distance from the outside face of
one side to the other. (Later, when
the blank is cut apart, this will leave
an 1/8" gap between the doors.)
FINGER RECESSES. But first, it’s
best to make the finger recesses that
are used to open the doors. This is
a. just a matter of drilling a centered
hole in the blank and crosscutting it

18 ShopNotes No.
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45
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

into two equal pieces.

INSTALL DOORS. All that’s left to
complete the case is to install the
doors. They’re held in place with a
pair of continuous (piano) hinges,
see Fig. 2a. One thing to be aware of
here is that the hinges are located
1/4" below the top of the door and
a.
side. This provides clearance that
keeps the wings from binding
against the hinge.

THE TABLE
Once the hinges are screwed in
place, you can turn your attention to
the table. Basically it consists of
three parts: a top (E) and two wings 3
(F), see drawing on page 18.
GLUE UP BLANK. Here again, it’s
easiest to make all three parts from
one blank. To create a thick, sturdy
table, I glued up two pieces of 1/2"
plywood, see drawing above right.
PLASTIC LAMINATE. But regard-
less of its thickness, the surface of
the table will still get worn from
sliding workpieces across it. So to
produce a durable surface, it’s a
good idea to glue a piece of plastic
laminate to the top of the blank.
While I was at it, I added another mounting strip makes it easy to that case, you may want to rout a slot
piece of plastic laminate to the bottom attach a featherboard. Just slip the in the blank for a miter gauge. Or
of the blank. Laminating both sides head of a toilet bolt into the T-slot and just plan on using a squared-up block
helps keep the table from warping. secure the featherboard with a knob. to push the workpiece past the bit.
TRACK SYSTEM. After trimming the Editor’s Note: This track system is INSTALL TRACK. There’s nothing
laminate flush, I added an aluminum a product called Dual Track that has complicated about installing the track.
track system. This system consists of been specially manufactured for The L-shaped piece fits in a rabbet
two parts: a wide, L-shaped piece, ShopNotes. It’s available as part of a that’s cut in the edge of the blank, see
and a narrow mounting strip with a T- complete hardware kit for the router detail ‘a’ in drawing above. Then, to
shaped slot, see margin. table, refer to Sources on page 31. position the narrow strip, I used the
Together, these parts form a slot Of course, you can build the router bar on the miter gauge as a spacer.
for the miter gauge. And the table without using the track at all. In Shop Tip: Wrapping a single layer of { This aluminum
paper around the bar will ensure a track system forms a
smooth, sliding fit. slot to accurately
4 guide a miter gauge.
CROSSCUT BLANK. After attaching
the narrow strip with screws, it’s Plus the track makes
time to crosscut the blank to form it easy to attach a
the three table pieces, see Fig. 4. A featherboard to the
table saw and a miter gauge router table.
with an auxiliary fence make
quick work of this. And as
long as you use a carbide-
tipped saw blade, there’s no need
to worry about cutting through the
aluminum track. Aluminum is quite
soft, and it cuts easily.

No. 45
37 ShopNotes 00
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 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Mounting Plate ——————————————————————————————

One nice thing about this router cut an opening that
table is it makes it a snap to change allows it to fit nice and
bits. That’s because the router is snug. To do this, I made
screwed to a mounting plate that fits a hardboard template,
into an opening in the table, see photo. see Steps 1 through 3
To provide easy access to the below. The basic idea
router, just lift the mounting plate out here is to cut an opening
of the opening. Then change the bit in the template so the mounting the router table, see Steps 4 and 5.
and drop the mounting plate back in. plate fits it like a picture in a frame. SUPPORT STRIPS. With the
Note: I used a mounting plate from CUT OPENING. Once you’re satis- opening completed, it’s just a matter
Woodhaven. (For more information fied with the fit, the time spent of adding several hardwood strips to
about mounting plates, see page 28.) making the template pays off. By support the mounting plate, see Step
TEMPLATE. Regardless of the using it as a guide, you can cut an 6. Then simply attach the router to
mounting plate, the challenge is to identical opening in the top (E) of the mounting plate, see Step 7.

Step 1
To make the template, start by
cutting a 1/4" hardboard blank to
the same size as the top (E) of the
table. Then center the mounting plate
on the blank and surround it with
hardboard guide strips. The strips
are simply butted against the plate
and secured with carpet tape.

Step 2
After removing the mounting plate,
the next step is to cut a rough
opening in the template. To do this,
drill a hole in each corner that just
grazes the edges of the guide
strips, see detail. Then remove the
bulk of the waste with a sabre saw
by cutting inside the strips.

Step 3
Now flip the template over so the
guide strips are on the bottom and
clean up the rest of the waste with a
handheld router and flush trim bit.
To avoid changing the radius of the
corners, stop routing just short of
the corner holes. This leaves a ridge
that’s easily sanded smooth.

20 ShopNotes No. 45
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Step 4
Now you can use the template as
a guide to cut the opening in the
table top (E). After carpet-taping
the template flush with the top,
drill holes in the corners as before.
Then cut the opening to rough
size, staying about 1/8" to the inside
edge of the template, see detail.

Step 5
At this point, it’s just a matter of
trimming the edges of the opening
flush with the template. Here again,
a handheld router and flush trim
bit make quick work of this. Just
flip the top so the template is on
the bottom. Then clean up the waste
by routing in the direction shown.

Step 6
Once the opening is complete,
you’ll need to add thin, hardwood
strips to provide support for the
mounting plate. To ensure that the
mounting plate is flush with the top,
place both parts face down on a flat
surface. Then butt the strips against
the plate and glue them to the top.

Step 7
All that’s left is to attach the router
to the mounting plate. This requires
drilling holes for the machine
screws that hold it in place. An
easy way to locate the holes for
the screws is to use the existing
base on your router. (I used carpet
tape to keep the base from shifting.)

No. 45 ShopNotes 21
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Assembly ———————————————————————————————————

Assembling the table is a fairly from front to back, you’ll need to cut in a wide, shallow recess.
straightforward process. But getting two slots that extend about halfway To cut the narrow part of each slot
all three parts to form a continuous, across the table, see drawing above. in a single pass, I mounted a dado
flat surface does require some care. Later, these slots accept a pair of blade in the table saw, see Fig. 5a.
ADJUSTMENT SLOTS. Before you toilet bolts. So each one is shaped The blade will leave an arc at the end
get started though, there’s still some like an upside-down ‘T.’ The narrow of the slot. But that’s okay, as long as
work to do on the top (center) of the part of each slot accepts the shank of it’s on the bottom of the table.
table. To make the fence adjustable the bolt. And the head of the bolt fits This means you’ll need to mark
the end of the slot on the top of the
5 workpiece and then cut up to the line,
see Fig. 5. To reduce the chance of
kickback, turn off the saw and let the
blade stop spinning before sliding
the top back across the saw table.
To cut the narrow part of the slot
a. in the opposite end, you could flip
the workpiece over and use the same
setup. But then the arc would be cut
in the top surface of the table. So I
moved the fence to the opposite side
of the blade to cut this slot.
RECESS. Now you’re ready to cut
the shallow recess for the head of the
6 bolt. The procedure is the same. Only
here, I used a 5/8"-wide dado blade and
set it for an 1/8"-deep cut, see Fig. 6a.
Since the blade won’t extend all
the way through the top, it won’t be
visible. So you’ll need a reference
a. mark to establish the end of the
recess. A pencil mark on the rip
fence that indicates the top (center)
of the blade will work fine, see Fig. 6.
Now just turn on the saw and
push the workpiece forward until
the end of the slot aligns with the

22 ShopNotes No. 45
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

mark. As before, move the fence to 7

the opposite side of the blade to cut
the other recess.
MOUNT TOP. Once the adjustment
slots are completed, you can mount
the top. It’s attached with
six metal brackets, see
the drawing on page 22. a.
After positioning the top
flush with the sides and
back, the brackets are just
screwed in place. I also added a
magnetic catch and two strike plates
to keep the doors closed.
ATTACH WINGS. The next step is to
attach the wings. As with the doors,
they’re hinged to the case. But first, has to be long enough to span all sides. Note: I used carpet tape to
you’ll want to make sure the alu- three pieces.) Then turn the case and keep the hinges from shifting.
minum track in the wings aligns with wings upside down on a flat surface After carefully marking the cen-
the track in the top. Also, it’s impor- and clamp them together, see Fig. 7. terpoints of the mounting holes, you
tant that the top surface of all three Now it’s just a matter of marking can unclamp the wings and drill the
pieces is perfectly flush. the location of the pilot holes for the pilot holes. Then just screw the
The best way I found to accom- mounting screws. To provide clear- hinges to the wings and sides.
plish both things is to cut a scrap to ance for the doors, the hinges are set CATCHES. To complete the table, I
fit snug in the track, see Fig. 7a. (It back 1" from the front edge of the added a wood catch (I) to each wing,
see Fig. 8. It’s a thin strip of hard-
8 wood that “locks” the door in the
open position. This prevents the door
from swinging out from under the
wing if it accidentally gets bumped.
FINGERS. To make this work, a
kerf in each catch forms two “fin-
gers” that flex like an old-fashioned
clothespin. The lower finger tapers
a. toward the end, and it has a small
notch in the bottom edge, see Fig.
8a. This way, as you swing the door
open, it contacts the tapered end of
the catch and lifts up the lower finger.
To secure the door, just open it a bit
further. The lower finger drops down,
and the notch “captures” the door.
Before attaching the catches,
9 you’ll need to trim the end of the
upper finger. This allows the miter
gauge to slide in and out of the track.
Now glue and screw the catches to
a. the wings. Just be sure not to apply
glue to the lower finger.
ADJUSTMENT SCREWS. At this
point, it’s a good idea to flip up the { An adjustment
wings, open the doors, and check the screw lets you
table to make sure it’s flat and level. “tweak” the wings
If necessary, you can install an to create a flat,
adjustment screw in the bottom of level worksurface.
each wing, see Fig. 9 and margin.

No. 45 ShopNotes 23
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Fence————————————————————————————————————————
The most unique
thing about this
router table is that
the fence doubles as
a handle. But there’s
more to it than that.
A simple clamping
system is used to
lock the fence in
place quickly and
accurately. There’s
also an adjustable
opening to accom-
{ The two adjustment modate different sized router bits.
slots make it easy The fence consists of three main
to slide the fence parts: a tall, thick body with angled
on and off the corners, a fence support that provides
router table. rigidity, and two sliding faces to adjust
the size of the bit opening, see drawing. To support the weight of the pieces together right away. Instead, I
router table and the router, the body worked on one at a time. This made
BODY needs to be sturdy and strong. So it’s it easier to “build in” a recess for the
Besides acting as the handle, the body made up of two pieces of 1/2"-thick two sliding faces.
of the fence houses the sliding faces. plywood. But I didn’t glue these BACK FENCE. I began by cutting
the back fence (J) piece to final size,
10 see Fig. 10. A wide notch in the
a. bottom edge of this piece forms an
opening that prevents the bit from
a. chewing up the fence.
In addition to the notch, you also
need to cut a pair of L-shaped slots,
see Fig. 10a. The long part of each
slot lets you adjust the sliding face.
And later, the “leg” makes it possible
to attach the sliding faces to the fence.
A quick way to cut these slots is to
first drill a series of overlapping
holes. Then just clean up the ridges
with a chisel.
FRONT FENCE. Now you’re ready
11 to start on the front fence (K), see
Fig. 11. It’s the same length as the
back, but it’s narrower. The differ-
a. ence in widths forms the recess for
the sliding faces. Cutting a rabbet in
the bottom edge of this piece creates
a lip that holds the sliding faces in
the recess, see Fig. 11a.
GLUE-UP. The next step is to glue
up the front and back fence pieces.
This presents a bit of a problem. If
the pieces slip out of alignment, the
sliding faces will bind in the recess.
To prevent this, I used a simple trick.
Start by first screwing the pieces

24 ShopNotes No. 45
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

together (no glue) so the top edges 12

and ends are flush, see Fig. 11. Note:
Install the screws in the waste areas
of the two upper corners. Now sepa-
rate the pieces, apply glue, and rein-
stall the screws. This keeps the pieces
from shifting around as you clamp up
the assembly.
THREADED INSERTS. All that’s
left to complete the body is to install
three threaded inserts, see Fig. 11a.
These inserts are used when
attaching accessories like a bit guard
or featherboard.
HANDHOLD. Now you can turn
your attention to the handhold. It’s a 13
long, wide slot at the top of the body,
see Fig. 12. The ends of the hand-
hold are established by drilling two
large holes, and a sabre saw makes
quick work of removing the rest of
the waste. After smoothing the
rough spots with a file, I routed a a.
roundover on all the edges to pro-
vide a comfortable grip.
To “slim down” the profile of the
fence (and reduce its overall weight),
it’s also a good time to cut the upper
corners of the body at an angle. Here
again, sand the rough surfaces
smooth and round over the edges.

FENCE SUPPORT
To provide accurate results, the fence
needs to be square to the table. And BASE. The foundation of the fence BRACES. Next, to hold the fence
since this fence is used to carry the support is a 1/2" plywood base (L), square to the base, I added two trian-
router table around, I wanted to make see Fig. 13. As with the back fence gular braces (M). Each brace is made
sure it stayed square. So I added a (J), cutting a large notch in the base by gluing up two pieces of 1/2" ply-
sturdy fence support. provides clearance for the router bit. wood. The braces are held in place
with glue and screws. But to simplify
14 the assembly, I first glued and nailed
the back fence (J) flush with the front
edge of the base, see Fig. 13a.
MOUNTING HOLES. There’s one
more thing to do. That’s to drill two
mounting holes for the toilet bolts
that are used to secure the fence to
a. the table, see Figs. 14 and 14a.
To locate these holes, position the
fence flush with the back edge of the
table. Then, after checking that
there’s an equal overhang on each
side, center the holes on the T-slots
in the table. Now it’s just a matter of
drilling the holes and installing the
bolts and lock knobs.

No. 45 25
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Sliding Faces ————————————————————————————————

15 a. b.

All that’s left to complete the fence is sliding faces thicker than the front off on the table saw, see Fig. 16.
to add two sliding faces, see photo. fence piece. As a result, there would BEVEL ENDS. After applying the
Each of the sliding faces (N) starts be a slight “step” between the faces laminate, you can cut a bevel on the
out as a piece of 1/2" plywood, see and body of the fence. inside end of each face, see detail ‘a’
drawing above. To create a durable The solution is simple. Just use above. The bevels provide clearance
surface, both sides are covered with two layers of laminate as a “gauge” for large bits, so you can reduce the
plastic laminate. But don’t apply the and mark the amount of material to size of the opening even more.
laminate yet. This would make the remove, see Fig. 16a. Then slice it CUT RABBET. In addition to the
bevels, you’ll also need to rabbet the
16 top edge of each sliding face, see
a. detail ‘b.’ This forms a lip that fits
{ To quickly adjust under the lip in the front fence (K).
the fence opening Together, they form an interlocking
for different size (sliding) joint that keeps the faces
bits, just move the nice and flat against the fence.
sliding faces in or DUST RELIEF. The bottom edge of
out as needed. the sliding faces is also rabbeted. It’s
just a small rabbet that provides some
dust relief at the bottom of the fence.
THREADED ROD. Now all that’s
left is to add a short, threaded rod to
each sliding face. These rods pass
through the L-shaped slots in the
fence. Tightening a knob on the end
17 of each rod locks the face in place.
a. It’s easy to lay out the location of
the rods. Just slide each face into the
fence so the ends are flush, see Fig.
17. (It should be snug along the top
edge.) After marking around the
slot, drill a hole in the end and glue in
the rod with epoxy, see Fig. 17a.
To install the sliding face, insert
the rod in the short “leg” of the slot.
Then lift up on the face (so the top
edge engages the fence), slide it over,
and thread on a knob.

26 ShopNotes No. 45
 F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

Accessories —————————————————————————————————
18 19
After completing the router table,
one of the first improvements I made
was to add three simple accessories.
All three of these accessories can
easily be made in a couple of hours,
see photos below left. Or, if you
prefer, durable plastic accessories
are available as part of our hardware
kit, see the photos below right and
Sources on page 31.
FEATHERBOARD. One nice thing 20
about the featherboard is it can be
attached to either the fence or the alu-
minum track. To keep a workpiece
flat on a table, mount the feather-
board to the fence with knobs that
thread into the inserts. Or secure it to
the track with toilet bolts and knobs to
hold the work against the fence.
The featherboard is a piece of 1/2"-
thick hardwood with mitered ends
and a pair of adjustment slots, see
Fig. 18. To cut the slots that form the Note: You’ll need to use the middle attaches to the back of the fence and
fingers, I tilted the blade on the table insert for the featherboard. connects to a shop vacuum. It’s made
saw and clamped the featherboard to The guard consists of a hardwood up of two triangular sides and a face
an auxiliary fence on the miter gauge. back and a shield made from 1/4" poly- plate with a hole cut to fit the vacuum
ROUTER BIT GUARD. For safety, carbonate plastic, see Fig. 19. After hose, see Fig. 20. After beveling the
you should include a bit guard on the cutting two adjustment slots in the face plate to fit against the fence and
router table. This guard is designed back, the shield is screwed in place. table, it’s simply glued to the sides.
to attach to the fence with knobs that VACUUM ATTACHMENT. Finally, I Gluing the attachment to the fence
thread into the two outer inserts. added a dust collection system that holds it securely in place.

{ Shop-Made Accessories. A few scrap pieces of material { Plastic Accessories. A plastic featherboard (left) and bit
is all it takes to make a featherboard (left), router bit guard guard (upper right) use the same mounting system. The
(upper right), and a vacuum attachment (lower right). vacuum attachment (lower right) is screwed to the fence.

No. 45 ShopNotes 27
 S E L E C T I N G T O O L S

Router Table
Mounting Plates
Selecting the
A ttaching a router to a sepa-
rate mounting plate and
then inserting that plate into an
opening in the top of a router
right mounting
table just makes sense. To
plate can make change bits, all you have to do is
a big difference in pull the plate out of the opening
the performance of — the router comes right with it.
your router table. This saves a lot of fiddling
around under the table with collet
wrenches. And, you can leave the
plate attached and still use it as a
base for hand-held routing.
Although you can make your
own mounting plate, there are a
number of commercial ver-
sions available. And over
the last few years, several improvements have unbreakable. Since you can see through the plate, it’s
been made to them. So we decided to use one handy when using the router in a hand-held operation.
of these mounting plates in the benchtop The only drawback to polycarbonate is it flexes just a
router table that’s featured on page 16. little. Over time, this may cause the mounting plate to
While we were in the process of selecting sag (especially with a heavy router suspended from it).
a mounting plate, several questions came up. That’s why I prefer a phenolic plate. Note: Eagle America
What type of material should it be made of? also sells a 3/8"-thick phenolic plate.
Which accessories do you need? And what REINFORCED PLASTIC. The mounting plate from
accounts for the differences in price? To find out, we Woodworker’s Supply is also made of plastic. This plate is
took a look at five commonly available mounting plates, reinforced underneath by a number of plastic “webs.”
see the photos at left and in the margin on page 29. But even so, it’s still slightly dished out in the center.
FLAT & RIGID. To produce a consistent depth of cut, Another thing to note about this plate is it has a series
Woodhaven it’s important for a mounting plate to be as flat as pos- of slots radiating from the center, see photo below left.
Part No. 147 sible. (There is one exception to this, but more about that These slots let you mount any size (or model) of router.
800-344-6657
$49.99 later.) Also, the mounting plate has to be rigid enough so Even so, I’d just as soon drill the mounting holes myself.
it won’t sag with the weight of the router. Drilling the holes is easy. The trick is locating them so
PHENOLIC. To accomplish both things, the mounting the bit is centered in the opening. The Rousseau
plates from Woodhaven and Rousseau are made of 3/8"- mounting plate is the only one to take that into consider-
thick phenolic. This is a strong, durable plastic that pro-
vides plenty of support for the router.
Although both plates are made of the same
material, there is one difference between
them. The Woodhaven mounting plate is as
flat as a piece of glass. But the Rousseau plate
is molded with a slight crown in the center.
Wait a minute, I thought it was supposed to be flat?
This is where the exception comes in. The high point
(crown) is next to the router bit. So even if your router
table isn’t perfectly flat, you’ll still get consistent results.
Rousseau POLYCARBONATE. In addition to the phenolic plates, { Mounting Systems. Slots in a plate (left) act as a
Part No. RM 3509
800-635-3416 we also purchased a 3/8"-thick polycarbonate plate from universal mounting system for a router. But the rings
$39 Eagle America. This is a clear, plastic plate that’s virtually (right) make it easier to center the bit in the opening.

28 ShopNotes No. 45
 S E L E C T I N G T O O L S

ation. You simply remove the base of the router and posi- size openings. (This includes a blank which can be cus-
tion it inside one of the concentric rings molded into the tomized for a different sized bit.)
bottom. (See lower right photo on page 28.) There’s no blank with the Rousseau mounting plate.
ALUMINUM. The final mounting plate (from the But the two inserts that “nest” together allow you to
Rockler company) isn’t plastic at all. It’s a rigid piece of make three different size openings.
1/4"-thick aluminum. Besides providing solid support, You’ll be limited to two different size openings with
the metal plate is 1/8" thinner than the plastic plates. This the Rockler and Woodworker’s Supply mounting
provides an extra 1/8" of height adjustment for the bit. plates. (They each come with only one insert.)
For all practical purposes, this plate is machined dead Additional inserts cost about five dollars each.
flat. (It’s within .003" of being perfectly flat.) Then a thin,
protective (anodized) coating is applied that prevents the PINS, BUSHINGS & LEVELERS
aluminum from leaving black marks on a workpiece. Although it’s probably not going to make or break your
decision as to which mounting plate to buy, another thing
INSERTS to keep in mind is whether there are any “extras.”
There’s more to these mounting plates than just holding STARTING PIN. Take a starting pin for instance. It Eagle America
the router in the table. They also keep a workpiece from comes in handy when routing an irregular-shaped piece Part No. 415-0590
800-872-2511
tipping into the opening around the bit. with a piloted bit, see photo below left. $59.99
The key to making this work is a system of disk-shaped That’s because the bit has a tendency to grab the
inserts that let you enlarge (or reduce) the size of the workpiece at the beginning of a cut. Holding the work-
opening. You simply select an insert with a hole that’s piece against a starting pin provides more control. Note:
slightly larger than the bit. Then fit the insert into the The Woodhaven, Rousseau and Eagle America are the
mounting plate to “close” the opening around the bit. only mounting plates that include a starting pin.
SNAP-IN INSERTS. This is easy with the inserts in the GUIDE BUSHINGS. If you do a lot of template
Woodhaven and Rousseau mounting plates — they just routing, you’ll also want to check whether
snap into place. At first, I was a little skeptical that these the insert accepts a guide bushing, see
inserts would stay put. But both of them fit nice and snug. photo below right. The only way to do this
Also, the inserts are perfectly flush with the top surface with the mounting plate from Woodworker’s
of the mounting plate. So I don’t have to worry about any Supply is to buy an adapter set which costs an addi-
“catches” as I’m sliding a workpiece across the router table. tional $17.95. With all the others, you can install a stan-
SCREW-IN INSERTS. The inserts in the Eagle America, dard-size guide bushing in the smallest insert.
Rockler, and Woodworker’s Supply mounting plates are LEVELING SCREWS. One final note. You may need to
held in place with machine screws. This works fine, but level the mounting plate in the router table. That’s when Woodworker’s
messing around with the tiny screws is a nuisance. the leveling screws installed in the Rockler and Eagle Supply
Here again, the Eagle America insert fit perfectly flush. America mounting plates come in handy. Part No. 126-490
But the Rockler and Woodworker’s Supply inserts are 800-645-9292
recessed just a hair. It’s not enough to cause a problem. CONCLUSIONS $19.95
(And it’s better than sticking up above the mounting plate.) Okay, so which mounting plate would I use? It’s a toss-up
HOW MANY INSERTS? To provide a fair comparison, between the Woodhaven and Rousseau. They’re strong,
it’s also worth taking a look at the number of inserts that rigid plates. And the snap-in inserts are a plus. My only
come with each mounting plate. quibble is the Rousseau inserts fit so tightly, I have to
The Woodhaven and Eagle America mounting plates reach under the table and tap them out with a dowel.
each come with three inserts which create four different The phenolic plate from Eagle America is also a
good choice (not the poly-
carbonate plate). But at
$59.99, it’s the most expen-
sive. And the only additional
features it has are the leveling
screws. That’s not enough to justify
the cost for me.
I’d be satisfied with the Rockler Rockler
mounting plate too. But it bothers me Part No. 35265
to have to pay for additional inserts. 800-279-4441
$39.99
The only mounting plate I’d steer
{ Starting Pin. Using a starting pin { Guide Bushing. If you do a lot of clear of is the one from Woodworker’s
prevents the bit from grabbing the template routing, it’s handy if the Supply. You get what you pay for with
workpiece at the beginning of a cut. insert accepts a guide bushing. this inexpensive mounting plate.

No. 45 ShopNotes 29
 T O O L S O F T H E T R A D E

Dovetail Jigs

A. Leigh Jig. It’s hard to beat the versatility of this jig. B. Katie Jig. Sometimes simple is best. This Katie Jig
The unique design of the fingers lets you rout through- allows you to rout through-dovetail joints quickly and
dovetails, half-blind dovetails, and sliding-dovetails. accurately without the usual trial and error process.

It’s easy to rout

I n ShopNotes No. 43, we featured a
shop-made dovetail jig that allows
you to cut through-dovetail joints
sides with a straight bit (and guide
bushing) produces the wedge-shaped
pins. Note: Both router bits are
the size of the guide forks. (These
need to be purchased separately.)
After clamping the workpiece
perfect-fitting with a handheld router. As a follow- included with the jig. against the jig, the pins are formed
through-dovetail up, we also took a close look at two ADJUSTABILITY. Another thing by routing around the tapered ends
manufactured dovetail jigs: the Leigh that’s worth mentioning about the of the guide forks with a bearing-
joints with either
Dovetail Jig (see photo A above) and Leigh jig is the fingers are totally guided straight bit. Then, using the
one of these the Katie Jig System, see photo B. adjustable. By repositioning the fin- exact same setup, the mating tails
commercial jigs. gers, you can vary both the size and are created by routing around the
LEIGH JIG the spacing of the dovetails. notch in the opposite ends of the
At a glance, the Leigh Jig looks a bit VERSATILE. Besides being easy to guide forks with a bearing-guided
complicated. And I admit, the first time adjust, the Leigh Jig is as versatile as dovetail bit. Note: Both router bits
I used the jig, it took me an hour and it gets. In addition to through-dove- are included with the jig.
a half to set up. But I was impressed tail joints, it allows you to rout half- Okay, so that’s the theory. And I
with the tight-fitting dovetails it pro- blind dovetails and sliding-dovetails routed the pins and tails without a
duced. And once I got the hang of it, as well. Depending on the type of hitch. But the real test still remained.
things speeded up considerably. dovetail, you can rout workpieces that How well would they fit together?
The basic principle of this jig is range in thickness from 5/32" to 11/2". Here, I was pleasantly surprised.
simple. A workpiece is clamped ver- The dovetails fit perfectly — exactly as
tically under a bar. (It accepts pieces KATIE JIG promised. And the jig hadn’t required
up to 24" wide.) Then, to cut the tails The second dovetail jig I used is any fiddling around whatsoever. All
and pins of the dovetail joint, you rout called the Katie Jig. This one really in all, it’s an impressive tool.
around a set of finger-shaped templates. intrigued me. That’s because I’d
One side of each finger is straight. heard it was designed to cut perfect
With a dovetail bit mounted in the dovetail joints straight out of the box.
Sources
router (and a guide bushing in the SETUP. Well, I was just a bit skep- Leigh Dovetail Jig
base), the straight side is used when tical. But with its easy setup, the Phone: 800-663-8932
Fax: 604-464-7404
routing the tails, see photo A. Katie Jig was off to a great start. To
To make the pins, it’s just a matter establish the spacing of the dove- Katie Jig System
of flipping the fingers around. This tails, all that’s needed is to position a Phone: 317-881-8601
Fax: 312-453-0667
way, the opposite (tapered) side of set of aluminum guide forks along e-mail: thampton@indy.net
each finger projects over the work- the top of the jig. Note: You can adjust web site: http://www.katiejig.com
piece. Routing around these tapered the size of the dovetails by changing

30 ShopNotes No. 45
 Sources
PRODUCT INFORMATION

{ Deluxe Router Table { Basic Router Table

The Benchtop Router Table featured on page 16 is perfect for a This Router Table uses the same basic design as the Deluxe ver-
small shop. But it’s also a great addition for any shop where sion. But in order to simplify construction (and reduce the
space is limited. overall cost), there are a few minor differences.
Setting up the router table is easy. Just flip up the wings and For example, the table and sliding faces on the fence aren’t
swing out the doors to provide rock-solid support underneath. covered with plastic laminate. And the accessories are made
With its adjustable fence and a built-in clamping system, you using only scrap pieces of material.
can make fast, accurate setups. And when you fold up the table, Another difference is the mounting plate. It’s a 1/4"-thick phe-
the fence doubles as a handle. nolic plate that comes pre-drilled with a hole for the router bit
ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a complete kit with and two finger holes.
all the hardware you need to build the Router Table. Finally, we didn’t install the Dual Track on this router table.
The kit includes the aluminum Dual Track and a 3/8"-thick So the featherboard is attached with knobs that thread into
phenolic mounting plate made by Woodhaven. In addition, inserts installed in the table.
there’s also a featherboard, router bit guard, and a vacuum We’re also offering a kit for the Basic Router Table. It
attachment made from durable plastic. All you need to supply is includes all the hardware you need as well as the mounting
the plywood and plastic laminate. plate and the knobs and inserts for the featherboard.
DELUXE ROUTER TABLE KIT BASIC ROUTER TABLE KIT
6845-125..............................................$156.95 6845-100................................................$26.95

< Socket Box Hardware Dual Track System >

The Socket Set Storage Boxes (page 6) The Dual Track system in our
provide a handy way to keep sockets, Deluxe Router Table consists of
ratchets, and accessories organized. two, 32"-long pieces of alu-
A foam lining in each box keeps minum. Together, they create a
sockets from rattling around. We used a slot for a miter gauge and they
sheet of closed-cell foam from
McMaster Carr (Part No. 9349K9). The
provide a way to attach accessories.
Dual Track is available as a separate 800-347-5105
TO PLACE AN ORDER CALL

latches (Part No. 1889A34) are also item from ShopNotes Project Supplies.
available from McMaster-Carr. To order,
DUAL TRACK SYSTEM
you can call 630-833-0300.
7213-220....................$26.95
(KEY CODE: SN 45)

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Select “Woodworking” from the Welcome Page menu. www.shopnotes.com

No. 45 ShopNotes 31
 Scenes from the Shop

With its “wings” extended and doors swung open for change bits. And an adjustable fence doubles as a handle
support, this benchtop router table features a large, sturdy to make the router table portable. You can build this basic
worksurface. A removable mounting plate makes it easy to model or the “deluxe” version on page 16.

Whether you’re working under the car or doing a job around the house, this simple storage
box makes it easy to keep track of all the tools and accessories in a socket set. It’s one of
three boxes that we customized to fit different sized socket sets. (Plans begin on page 6.)