Fine Woodworking - Guide for Cabinet and Furniture Construction

Assembling Cases

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Excerpted from The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction

Assembling CasesGet it right the first time with the right tools and the proper clamps and clamping technique

by Andy Rae

When you're ready to assemble your furniture, you usually have only one shot to get it right. Once the glue is spread, there's no turning back. Glue up a cabinet out of square, and you'll pay dearly later in the construction process because your error will accumulate so that fitting subsequent parts becomes a nightmare. To get it right the first time, it's vital to have the right assembly tools on hand and to use the proper clamps and clamping technique. After all, who hasn't glued together what was a perfectly fitted miter, only to find the joint slipping out of alignment as you placed pressure on the joint? Learning and practicing the correct approach to assembly will save you untold hours of frustration.

The dry runOne of the best techniques I've come to learn about assembly (and learned it the hard way, meaning I had to make many mistakes first) is to always -- and I mean always -- do a dry run of any assembly. This means assembling all the parts without glue. Make sure you use all the necessary clamps you'll need and check to see that you can confidently close all the joints. In effect, you're practicing the entire assembly sequence.

And 9 times out of 10, you'll discover during a dry run that something is missing or you need more clamps in a specific area to bring an assembly together. Or perhaps you'll need to rethink the glue-up process and break the assembly sequence down into smaller, more manageable parts. It may take more time, but investing in a dry run is well worth avoiding the horror of applying glue, only to find that you can't quite put the parts together as planned.

Assembly tools and jigsThere are innumerable jigs and tricks used in assembly. All are aimed at making the process of putting together multiple parts easier, more accurate, and ultimately less frustrating. There's nothing worse than spreading glue only to find you don't have the right tools or setup ready to go. Here are some essential assembly aids that make glue-ups go a lot smoother.

Reading square with a pinch rodIt's vital to square up a case or opening immediately after assembly--before the glue dries. One way to check for square is to read the diagonal measurements from outside corner to outside corner with a tape measure. When the two measurements are equal, the opening is square. But clamps

Pinch Rod

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The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery

In full-color photo essays, expert woodworker Gary Rogowski show you how to make every practical woodworking joint

Essentials of Woodworking

Six books of recent articles from Fine Woodworking in an attractive slipcase set

Boxes, Carcases and Drawers

39 vintage articles from Fine Woodworking on choosing, making and using every kind of carcase joint

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Assembling Cases

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An adjustable pinch rod allows you to compare inside diagonals quickly and to any depth. If they match, the case must be square.

often get in the way, it's practically impossible to get a reading on the back of the case, and reading the outside corners won't tell you whether the inside of a deep case is square. A more accurate method is to use a pinch rod.

Pinch Rod

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A

traditional pinch rod is simply two sticks, sharpened at one end, that you pinch, or hold together, in the center. The modified version shown at right adds clamping heads that make things a little easier and more precise. Set the rod to the length of one of the diagonals; then check the opposite diagonal inside the case. Push the sticks into the case to read the entire depth. Keep adjusting the rod (and the case) until the rod fits equally between both diagonals.

A squared-up board cut to the width of the inside provides an easy way to square up a case.

A box full of shim materials comes in handy during glue-up.

Squaring a case with a boardAs an aid to assembling a case square, cut a piece of plywood to the exact width of the case opening, making sure adjacent edges are square. Before you clamp the case joints, clamp the board inside the case, lining up one edge of the board with the case sides. Voila! No more twisted or out-of-square openings.

Shims and blocks align partsIt's a good idea to keep on hand a variety of shims and blocks in varying thicknesses, from playing cards, squares of plastic laminate, and strips of leather to 1/4-in.-, 1/2-in.-, and 3/4-in.-thick blocks of wood. These spacers help align or position parts during glue-up, and they're great for protecting the surface of your work. In the photo at right, small squares of MDF align the clamp heads over the center of the joint, while plastic shims prevent the pipes from dinging the surface.

Riser blocks raise the workGluing up assemblies often means having to get underneath the work to attach clamps or other parts. The simplest answer is to raise the entire assembly on blocks of wood. But finding stock thick enough can be a pain. Just as strong, and easier to make, are sets of riser blocks made from 3/4-in. plywood glued


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Assembling Cases

Simple plywood risers elevate the work for easy clamping.

and nailed together. Blocks about 5 in. high by 2 ft. long are sufficient for almost all your glue-ups.

A piece of tape comes in handy as a third hand when positioning clamping cauls.

Clamping caulsLike blocks, cauls made from scrap material can prevent dings in your work. More important, cauls distribute more clamping pressure across a joint, allowing you to use far fewer clamps when gluing up. For broad gluing surfaces, use bowed clamping cauls.

For narrow joints, scrap plywood or leftover sticks of wood work fine. The trick to getting the cauls to stay where you want them until you add the clamps is to tape them temporarily in place.

A wedge-shaped block helps seat dovetails in their sockets.

Dovetail tapping wedgeIn many cases, you don't need to bother clamping dovetail joints, especially on small box constructions, such as a drawer. To assemble and fully seat the joints without damaging the pins, tap over the joint with a wedged-shaped block of dense wood. The shape of the block allows you to position it over the joint regardless of the size of the tail. [ next ]

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Assembling Cases (page 2)

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Excerpted from The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction

Assembling a caseFor most cabinets, there's a basic assembly sequence that will guarantee success -- or at least a more comfortable heart rate. The trick is always to begin assembly from the insides out. In most instances, this means assembling any interior dividers or partitions to the top and bottom of the case. If the case is wide, clamp one side of the work while it sits face down on the bench (A). Then flip the assembly over and clamp the opposite side (B).

Tackle the outside of the case, often the sides or ends of a cabinet, after you've clamped all the interior assemblies. Depending on the type of clamps you use and the design of the cabinet, you might have to wait for the glue to dry on the interior parts before clamping the outside of the case. When possible, use long-reach clamps, because they can reach over existing clamps and let you clamp the entire case in one assembly session (C).

Clamping cornersCorner joints constitute most of the casework in furniture -- including small boxes and drawers--and it's necessary to find an effective way to clamp across what is typically a wide surface. Like edge work, the answer is to use cauls to help distribute clamping pressure.

When joints protrude at the corners, such as in through dovetails or box joints, use notched cauls to bring the corner together (A). Make the notch cuts on the bandsaw or table saw. The blocks gain purchase and don't interfere with closing the joint, and they center over the joint to avoid bowing the sides.

Miter joints have a way of not closing at the most inappropriate times. To get good purchase on what is often a very slippery joint, there are several clamping

Pinch Rods

Dead-blow mallet

The Complete Illustrated Guide to Joinery

In full-color photo essays, expert woodworker Gary Rogowski show you how to make every practical woodworking joint

Essentials of Woodworking

Six books of recent articles from Fine Woodworking in an attractive slipcase set

Boxes, Carcases and Drawers

39 vintage articles from Fine Woodworking on choosing, making and using every kind of carcase joint

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strategies. The tried-and-true method is to clamp all four corners of a mitered frame at once with bar clamps. The deep throats of Bessey K-body clamps make it easy to get over and under the joint (B). Tighten each clamp a little at a time, like tightening the lug nuts on a car wheel. Make sure to check the frame for square before letting the glue dry.

The block-and-rod frame system shown here (from Lee Valley Tools) gives you very precise control when closing four miters at a time, and it doesn't require lots of clamping force (C). Like the bar clamp approach, tighten each corner a little at a time to align the miters.

One of the simplest ways to close the joint is to clamp shopmade blocks to the frame before assembly. Cut out the blocks on the bandsaw so that the clamping surfaces are parallel to each other when the frame is assembled (D).

A picture framer's vise is handy for closing one miter at a time (E). This is useful when you're nailing or screwing the joint, since you can assemble the frame one piece at a time.

Web clamps allow you to glue up all four corners at once, and they work well on both flat frames and boxes (F). You can use heavy-duty web clamps for large cases, but plan on having several on hand to close the joints.

Clamping difficult parts






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If your pipe clamps are too short, you can extend them with metal pipe joiners, available at plumbing-supply stores. Make sure at least one of your pipes is threaded on both ends so it can accept both the threaded joiner and the clamp head (A).

Another effective way to grip long work is to join two clamp heads together. Shims center the clamping pressure over the joints, and rubber pads slipped over the clamp heads prevent the work from being marred (B).

Get a grip on difficult pieces, such as a panel, by securing it with a wooden handscrew (C). A bar clamp holds the handscrew to the bench, leaving your hands free for more important tasks. [ previous ]

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Andy Rae has been woodworking for over two decades. He worked with George Nakashima and Frank Klausz before founding his own woodworking business. In 1990, the New Jersey State Council on the Arts granted him a fellowship for his furniture designs. Rae wrote over 100 articles for American Woodworker magazine during his six-year tenure and served as senior editor until 1998. He currently works in the western North Carolina mountains, making furniture as well as teaching and writing about woodworking.

Photos: Andy Rae; Drawing: Mario Ferro

Excerpted from The Complete Illustrated Guide to Furniture & Cabinet Construction, pp. 88-94























Getting an Edge with Waterstones, Oilstones, and Sandpaper

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From the pages of Fine Woodworking Magazine

Getting an Edge with Waterstones, Oilstones, and SandpaperDifferent woodworkers use different sharpening methods

by Jefferson Kolle

Many years ago, as the new, inexperienced guy on the carpentry crew, I was in charge of lugging giant piles of plywood from one side of the job site to the other. "I went to college for this?" I used to ask myself. There was a guy on the crew, Mark Fortenberry, who had the sharpest tools. He made finish work look effortless -- smooth, fluid, precise. Every morning he'd pour coffee from his stainless-steel thermos and sharpen the tools he needed for the day. Different-colored stones were unwrapped from an oily towel; a little can of three-in-one oil appeared; and Mark would sharpen.

Knowing I would need to acquire tools and skills if I ever wanted to do anything other than get intimate with sheet after sheet of rough plywood, I bought a block plane and a roll of chisels, the same plane and chisels that Mark had. But there was something wrong with my tools -- maybe they were defective. The problem was they were dull. "Dull as a hoe," Mark said.

Eventually I got lots of tools: tools I used everyday, tools I didn't really need, tools I never used. And I got my grandfather's two sharpening stones -- oily, black things, one with a big chip out of the corner. Often when I tried to sharpen something, I think I made it duller. (What's duller than a hoe? A hoe handle, maybe.) The whole process mystified me. I decided that electricity would remove the mystery of sharpening, so I bought a powered waterstone made by Makita (www.makita.com).

It's a great tool: The platterlike, 7-in., 1,000-grit stone moves at fewer than 600 rpm, and water drips onto its surface from a plastic reservoir. The tool comes with a honing guide and an attachment for holding planer or jointer blades. It couldn't be more jerk-proof. Fill the reservoir with water, turn on the tool and hold the blade against the stone. The motor thrums along quietly, reassuringly, telling you that now, finally, you are going to get truly sharp tools. And I did. For the first time since Mark sharpened some of my stuff, my plane irons and chisel blades would shave hair off my forearm.

Eventually I went into business for myself, restoring houses, building an occasional piece of furniture, and the Makita never failed me. I got to the point where I stopped using the honing guide. Instead, I held blades freehand against the turning

The Complete Guide to Sharpening

Tool expert Leonard Lee shows you the most effective ways to sharpen your tools -- from chisels to drill bits -- so they cut better and stay sharp longer

Sandpaper Sharpening

In this video, Michael Dunbar demonstrates sandpaper sharpening. Sharpening a blade takes only minutes, and it all happens without special gauges or messy lubricants.

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stone, and after a while I wore a trough in the stone, which made it harder and harder to get a flat edge. If the machine has a fault, it is that it is messy. Water gets flung around, especially when you're trying to true the back of a blade. Every time I sharpened, my shirt would get soaked right at my belt line, and I would have to mop water off the workbench when I was through.

I got a catalog recently that devoted seven pages to sharpening stuff. Waterstones, oilstones, synthetic stones, diamond stones, electric-powered stones, jigs for this, jigs for that, rouges, powders, potions. I'm sure they all work. There are a zillion ways to sharpen steel -- I know a woman who sharpens her kitchen knives on the unglazed bottom rim of a dinner plate -- but what works for one person might not work for another. For two days, I drove around New England, visiting three woodworkers, talking to them about their methods of getting an edge.

Waterstones and the art of sharpeningScott Schmidt has a shop in The Button Factory, a warehouse of artists and craftsmen in Portsmouth, N.H. Schmidt was schooled at North Bennet Street, and he uses Japanese waterstones. "The way I was taught," he said.

At the end of his shop, there is a bench dedicated to sharpening. In more than 20 years of woodworking, Schmidt has used up one waterstone, and he is halfway through another. All sharpening stones are sacrificial -- they wear away as steel is rubbed over them -- but waterstones are softer than most, and it is the gritty slurry that's created as the stone erodes that works with the stone itself to provide the sharpening medium.

Schmidt soaks his stones in a grungy, water-filled plastic basin -- the type of container a deli might use to store coleslaw or potato salad. The basin lives under his bench, and he pawed through it, pulled out a dripping stone and set it on the benchtop, wiping off the water with his hand. On top of his bench is a piece of rubber rug padding that keeps the stone from moving. He set the stone on the pad, and before touching steel to stone, he spritzed the stone with a water bottle. "I think of sharpening as a process of constantly flattening the stone, keeping it flat by using its whole surface," he said. "You can't make a blade flat with an unflat stone."

The natural tendency, one that Schmidt takes pains to avoid, is to work a blade onto one spot in the center of the waterstone, creating a declivity -- in effect, unflattening the stone. When a stone's surface needs redoing, he flattens it on a concrete block.

Schmidt sharpened one of his favorite chisels while I was at his shop. For a new tool or one with a badly damaged edge, he'll first work the blade on an electric grinder before going to his waterstones. For a long time he used a magnifying glass to







To flatten a waterstone, rub it on a concrete block. A little water and a little rubbing on a concrete block will true an unflat waterstone. The concrete abrades the stone quickly; true a stone only when it really needs it.

inspect the edges he'd honed, but familiarity with his tools has enabled him to forego this practice. He told me that it's easier to sharpen a tool he uses a lot. "If you know the way a certain tool cuts, you know the way that tool will take an edge. A large part of both processes, cutting and cutting an edge, is done by feel." He does not use a protractor or angle gauge; rather, it's a matter of touch and sight.

Scott Schmidt works a blade across a waterstone in four directions. He repeats the process with stones of 1,200, 2,400 and 6,000 grit.

He started on the back of the chisel using a 1,200-grit waterstone, working the steel back and forth along the length of the stone and mixing up a slurry of water and abraded stone particles. He often stopped and checked the chisel's surface, tilting the tool to look at the shiny areas and the dull spots. "I can feel that this stone has a little high spot on this end," he said, concentrating his efforts in that area. "When the stone is perfectly flat, you can feel sort of an even suction between the wide surface of the chisel's back and the stone. If there's a high spot on the stone, the steel grates a little bit, sounds rougher."

When the chisel's back had a uniform shininess -- no dull spots to be seen in the steel -- Schmidt turned to the bevel. As he did on the back of the chisel, he started the bevel by working it back and forth along the length of the stone for several minutes. Then Schmidt changed tack. Another spritz or two with the water bottle, and he was working again, this time pushing the blade back and forth along the width of the stone. And then he switched again, running the blade in a series of diagonal strokes, crisscrossing the stone from one corner to the other. The slurry built up in little waves. He spritzed again and changed his stance so that he could work the steel from the opposite corner, this time making Xs of slurry. By the time he was finished, the bevel had been worked across the stone in four directions: back and forth along the length; back and forth across the width; and diagonally across the stone in two directions.

He felt the edge with his fingernail. A thin, wire edge had developed, which he removed with several strokes on the



chisel's back. When Schmidt was finished, he repeated the process on both the back and bevel, using a finer, 2,400-grit stone and then, finally, a 6,000-grit stone. After five minutes on each stone, the chisel was razor sharp. The back and bevel shone like mirrors.

Oilstones, kerosene and a little diamond pasteAfter a hard right turn at the end of a Vermont dirt road, I arrived at the shop of Garrett Hack. Hack is a father, a farmer and a woodworker, in no particular order. He is somewhat of a traditionalist, and it shows in the architecture of his slate-roofed brick shop and in the furniture he makes. But there's also a contemporary side to Hack. A Federal-style chest he made has an outrageous band of checkerboard inlay, and the bright-green trim and certain interior details of his shop belie a man who is not a slave to history. Hack's sharpening methods parallel his architecture; he favors traditional oilstones, but he occasionally uses a new product -- diamond paste -- to get a keen edge in hard steel.

Spread on his benchtop was an array of planes, ready to be sharpened. Hack removed the iron from an old Stanley No. 3. "I just got this," he said, giving the plane a critical eye. "The back of the iron has probably never been flattened. It needs to be lapped." For the quick removal of steel, Hack will use a diamond stone with an aggressive grit. Because it is messy -- he uses a lot of water with the diamond stone, constantly dousing the surface -- he usually works outside on the shop's granite steps. The diamond stone is also good for removing small nicks in a blade's bevel.

Any oil will do, but Garrett Hack likes kerosene for his oilstones. A quick drizzle of kerosene keeps the stones from clogging with abraded metal. When sharpening, Hack's stones are held stationary in a cleated wooden frame.

Hack dipped the diamond stone into a water bucket and worked the back of the plane bade against the stone in slow figure eights. After a while, he held the steel up to the light. The shine on the blade was uneven, meaning the back of the blade still needed work. "Lapping the back of a blade takes some time, but once it's lapped flat, you should never have to do it again."

Hack stores his sharpening paraphernalia in a drawer built into the underside of his workbench. The drawer is full of oilstones, each in its own wood box. And there are tiny plastic jars of



diamond paste in different grits and an oil can filled with kerosene. He reached in the drawer and removed a small, trapezoid-shaped wooden frame. The frame, spotted and stained with oil, had a cleat on the bottom. When Hack rested the cleat against the edge of his bench, it was apparent that it was made to hold his sharpening stones at about 30°. "It's a comfortable work angle," he said.

Exerting firm, even pressure on the blade, Hack moves the steel in a figure-eight pattern around the surface of the stone. A good grip on the blade allows him to move the steel off the edge of the stone without tipping, and thus he can use the whole stone.

After the blade had been lapped, Hack, like Schmidt, started his sharpening on the back of the plane's iron. He squirted a few drops of kerosene on the stone, telling me that there are all sorts of honing oils available. "But anything will work," he said. "I heard of a guy who uses olive oil." He hunched over the first stone -- a manmade India oilstone -- again working the steel in slow, lazy figure eights, moving around the whole surface of the stone. After some time, the back of the blade had an even, slightly dull shine. Hack then turned his attention to the bevel. He held the front of the blade flat on the stone and rocked the blade up onto the bevel, starting again with the figure-eight pattern. When the bevel had an even shine, just like the blade's back, he switched to a finer-grit stone -- a hard, black Arkansas stone -- and repeated the entire process.

A dab of 4-micron diamond paste is Hack's secret weapon for getting a good edge. He mixes the paste with a little kerosene and smears it around on his hard, black Arkansas stone.

Hack's secret weapon is 4-micron diamond paste (which is the abrasive equivalent of a 4,000-grit waterstone). He picked up a sliver of wood from the shop floor and scooped out a half pea of paste. "It doesn't take a lot," he said. "Even this is probably too much." He wiped the paste onto the fine stone, smearing it around with the wood sliver, mixing it in with the kerosene. And again he started on the back of the iron, working the steel, checking it in the light, until he was sure of the evenness of the shine. Same thing for the bevel.

When he was finished he checked the sharpness of the blade by using it to pare the end grain of a scrap of soft pine. "Why not hardwood?" I asked.



"Almost anything will cut hardwood," he said. "But only a truly sharp blade will cleanly cut the end grain of pine without tearing some of the fibers and leaving a ragged edge. If it's really sharp, the blade will sever all of the wood fibers evenly, leaving a cut on the end grain that looks almost burnished."

To true his oilstones, Hack uses gritty silicon-carbide powder mixed with a little water. Hack mixes the paste on plate glass and works a stone in a circle. Later, he checks the flatness of the stone with a straightedge.

Hack flattens his stones with gritty silicon-carbide powder, water and a scrap of plate glass. "It's pretty messy," he said. "Sometimes I do it outside." It's also pretty simple: Hack sprinkled some powder on the glass, added a little water and worked the face of the stone in big circles. When he thought the stone was flat, he held it up to the light and checked it with a straightedge. "Needs a little more right here in the center."

Again he worked the stone against the paste-smeared glass. He checked it one more time and could see no light coming through between the stone and the straightedge. Satisfied, he wiped off the stones and the little can of kerosene, and everything went back into the drawer, except for the oily rag, which he hung off the corner of the bench to dry.

Plate glass and sandpaperEven before Mike Dunbar opened The Windsor Institute where he instructs 600 students a year in the craft of making Windsor chairs, he was a teacher, albeit an itinerant one. He traveled all over the country, going to woodworking shows and giving demonstrations at woodworking stores. He packed a lot of stuff for his trips: chair parts and tools. It was a hassle to find a way to sharpen tools on the road; either he had to bring all of his oils and stones or rely on the store to provide them. Most good inventions are born of necessity; Dunbar's so-called scary-sharp method of getting an edge with plate glass and sandpaper is no exception.

"Sharpening tools doesn't earn any money for a woodworker," Dunbar said. "I like to get my tools sharp and then get to work. Using glass and sandpaper is an extremely fast way to get an excellent edge." Along the back wall of Dunbar's shop is a dark-green, built-in cabinet, and right on the edge of the cabinet's countertop sat a dirty piece of 3/8-in.-thick plate glass about 8


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in. by 40 in. Next to the glass were three rolls of adhesive-backed sandpaper.

Mike Dunbar sharpens his tools with sandpaper stuck to 3/8-in.-thick plate glass. Working steel across three grits of paper, 80, 120 and 320, cuts an edge in no time. Another plus: plate glass never needs flattening. When the sandpaper gets dull, scrape it off the glass with a razor blade and stick on a new piece.

Dunbar grabbed a razor-blade window scraper and gouged off the three strips of spent paper from the plate glass (the glass is held on the bench with a couple of wood strips). "We sharpen a lot of tools here, and we go through a lot of sandpaper." He went over to a wall-mounted rack of the school's tools -- planes, chisels, gouges and drawknives -- and grabbed an almost-new, 1-1/2-in. chisel. All of the school's shop tools are spray-painted bright green. "If they're painted, they don't walk," he said. He looked at the edge of the chisel and noticed two big nicks in the blade. I asked him if he would not ordinarily grind out the nicks from the student-abused blade. "I'm telling you," he said, "this method is really fast."

He cut three strips of sandpaper from the 4-in.-wide rolls, one each of 80 grit, 120 grit and 320 grit, and adhered them to the glass. Holding the chisel handle in one hand and using the palm of his other hand on the top side of the chisel, he started to rub the tool back and forth along the length of paper, checking occasionally the evenness of the shine on the back of the blade.

Felt-tipped marker shows a blade's low spots. When lapping, Dunbar colors the back of a blade. After working the blade across the sandpaper, the ink is removed from all but the low spots on the blade.

When the back was even with scratches from the 80-grit paper, he colored the back of the chisel with a red, felt-tipped marker. "The marker works like machinist's chalk," he said. "If there are any low spots on the blade, the marker won't get removed when I rub the blade on the sandpaper." He worked the blade against the paper again, and when he held it up to the light, only a faint trace of red showed in the center. Dunbar decided



the back was flat enough and told me that future sharpening will make the blade truly flat. Then he switched to the bevel, or bezel, as Dunbar calls it. "Check your dictionary," he told me. I made a mental note.

Dunbar held the front of the chisel on the sheet of 80-grit paper and rocked the blade forward until it rested on the bevel. "Simple," he said. "You don't need a honing guide or anything like that. Just rock the blade until you can feel the beveled surface resting on the paper." With one hand on the handle and the other putting pressure on the back of the chisel, he worked the blade side to side along the length of the 80-grit sheet. A forward-and-back motion or a figure-eight pattern would tear the sandpaper.

He worked the blade for a minute or two and then asked me if I wanted to try it. I told him that I felt like Huck Finn being fooled by Tom Sawyer when Tom convinced Huck that it was fun to paint a fence. "No one believes how easy and fast this is," Dunbar said, "until they try it." I looked at the blade and saw the nicks. I worked the bevel against the sandpaper the way he showed me. After a minute I looked at the blade again; the nicks were almost gone. He looked at me looking at the blade. I smiled, and he raised an eyebrow, knowing he'd won another convert.

After a little more work, Dunbar had removed the rest of the nicks. Total time to remove the nicks in the blade was about five minutes. Then he switched to the 120-grit paper but not before sweeping away the filings with a mason's brush. "Keeps the paper from clogging, and you don't want to get coarser grit on the finer-grit paper." When all of the scratches from the 80-grit paper had been supplanted by the 120-grit scratches, he swept the filings and moved onto the 320-grit sheet.

Rougher grit holds finer-grit paper in place. For the keenest edges, Dunbar uses fine-grit sandpaper without adhesive backing. Tools sharpened with 2,000-grit paper are truly scary sharp.

The sequence was the same: He worked the chisel on the 320-grit paper until there was an evenness of scratches, brushed off the paper and moved to the next-finer grit. After working the chisel, Dunbar placed a piece of 600-grit wet-or-dry paper right on top of the 320-grit sheet. The roughness of one paper holds the finer-grit paper in place. For most tools he feels that 600 grit gives a sharp enough edge; for the keenest edges he will go from 600 grit to 1,000 grit and sometimes all the way up to 2,000-grit paper. A blade honed on 2,000 grit shines like chromium.

Unlike using oilstones, waterstones or powered stones, with Dunbar's method you don't have to worry about flattening the stones. The plate glass is always flat, and when the sandpaper gets dull, you scrape it off and stick on another piece.

As I drove home, I thought of my Makita electric sharpening



stone lost in the garage of my ex-wife's house. I thought of Schmidt and Hack and how well their sharpening methods worked for them. (Different strokes for different folks?) And then I thought of the glass store near work, and I decided to stop in and get myself a piece of 3/8-in.-thick plate glass. Tom Sawyer wins again.

Jefferson Kolle is a former managing editor of Fine Woodworking.

Photos: Jefferson Kolle; drawings: Bob La Pointe

From Fine Woodworking #140, pp. 56-61Purchase back issues




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Getting an Edge with Waterstones, Oilstones, and SandpaperDifferent woodworkers use different sharpening methods

by Jefferson Kolle

Many years ago, as the new, inexperienced guy on the carpentry crew, I was in charge of lugging giant piles of plywood from one side of the job site to the other. "I went to college for this?" I used to ask myself. There was a guy on the crew, Mark Fortenberry, who had the sharpest tools. He made finish work look effortless -- smooth, fluid, precise. Every morning he'd pour coffee from his stainless-steel thermos and sharpen the tools he needed for the day. Different-colored stones were unwrapped from an oily towel; a little can of three-in-one oil appeared; and Mark would sharpen.

Knowing I would need to acquire tools and skills if I ever wanted to do anything other than get intimate with sheet after sheet of rough plywood, I bought a block plane and a roll of chisels, the same plane and chisels that Mark had. But there was something wrong with my tools -- maybe they were defective. The problem was they were dull. "Dull as a hoe," Mark said.

Eventually I got lots of tools: tools I used everyday, tools I didn't really need, tools I never used. And I got my grandfather's two sharpening stones -- oily, black things, one with a big chip out of the corner. Often when I tried to sharpen something, I think I made it duller. (What's duller than a hoe? A hoe handle, maybe.) The whole process mystified me. I decided that electricity would remove the mystery of sharpening, so I bought a powered waterstone made by Makita (www.makita.com).

It's a great tool: The platterlike, 7-in., 1,000-grit stone moves at fewer than 600 rpm, and water drips onto its surface from a plastic reservoir. The tool comes with a honing guide and an attachment for holding planer or jointer blades. It couldn't be more jerk-proof. Fill the reservoir with water, turn on the tool and hold the blade against the stone. The motor thrums along quietly, reassuringly, telling you that now, finally, you are going to get truly sharp tools. And I did. For the first time since Mark sharpened some of my stuff, my plane irons and chisel blades would shave hair off my forearm.

Eventually I went into business for myself, restoring houses, building an occasional piece of furniture, and the Makita never failed me. I got to the point where I stopped using the honing guide. Instead, I held blades freehand against the turning


Tool expert Leonard Lee shows you the most effective ways to sharpen your tools -- from chisels to drill bits -- so they cut better and stay sharp longer

Sandpaper Sharpening

In this video, Michael Dunbar demonstrates sandpaper sharpening. Sharpening a blade takes only minutes, and it all happens without special gauges or messy lubricants.




























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stone, and after a while I wore a trough in the stone, which made it harder and harder to get a flat edge. If the machine has a fault, it is that it is messy. Water gets flung around, especially when you're trying to true the back of a blade. Every time I sharpened, my shirt would get soaked right at my belt line, and I would have to mop water off the workbench when I was through.

I got a catalog recently that devoted seven pages to sharpening stuff. Waterstones, oilstones, synthetic stones, diamond stones, electric-powered stones, jigs for this, jigs for that, rouges, powders, potions. I'm sure they all work. There are a zillion ways to sharpen steel -- I know a woman who sharpens her kitchen knives on the unglazed bottom rim of a dinner plate -- but what works for one person might not work for another. For two days, I drove around New England, visiting three woodworkers, talking to them about their methods of getting an edge.

Waterstones and the art of sharpeningScott Schmidt has a shop in The Button Factory, a warehouse of artists and craftsmen in Portsmouth, N.H. Schmidt was schooled at North Bennet Street, and he uses Japanese waterstones. "The way I was taught," he said.

At the end of his shop, there is a bench dedicated to sharpening. In more than 20 years of woodworking, Schmidt has used up one waterstone, and he is halfway through another. All sharpening stones are sacrificial -- they wear away as steel is rubbed over them -- but waterstones are softer than most, and it is the gritty slurry that's created as the stone erodes that works with the stone itself to provide the sharpening medium.

Schmidt soaks his stones in a grungy, water-filled plastic basin -- the type of container a deli might use to store coleslaw or potato salad. The basin lives under his bench, and he pawed through it, pulled out a dripping stone and set it on the benchtop, wiping off the water with his hand. On top of his bench is a piece of rubber rug padding that keeps the stone from moving. He set the stone on the pad, and before touching steel to stone, he spritzed the stone with a water bottle. "I think of sharpening as a process of constantly flattening the stone, keeping it flat by using its whole surface," he said. "You can't make a blade flat with an unflat stone."

The natural tendency, one that Schmidt takes pains to avoid, is to work a blade onto one spot in the center of the waterstone, creating a declivity -- in effect, unflattening the stone. When a stone's surface needs redoing, he flattens it on a concrete block.

Schmidt sharpened one of his favorite chisels while I was at his shop. For a new tool or one with a badly damaged edge, he'll first work the blade on an electric grinder before going to his waterstones. For a long time he used a magnifying glass to







To flatten a waterstone, rub it on a concrete block. A little water and a little rubbing on a concrete block will true an unflat waterstone. The concrete abrades the stone quickly; true a stone only when it really needs it.

inspect the edges he'd honed, but familiarity with his tools has enabled him to forego this practice. He told me that it's easier to sharpen a tool he uses a lot. "If you know the way a certain tool cuts, you know the way that tool will take an edge. A large part of both processes, cutting and cutting an edge, is done by feel." He does not use a protractor or angle gauge; rather, it's a matter of touch and sight.

Scott Schmidt works a blade across a waterstone in four directions. He repeats the process with stones of 1,200, 2,400 and 6,000 grit.

He started on the back of the chisel using a 1,200-grit waterstone, working the steel back and forth along the length of the stone and mixing up a slurry of water and abraded stone particles. He often stopped and checked the chisel's surface, tilting the tool to look at the shiny areas and the dull spots. "I can feel that this stone has a little high spot on this end," he said, concentrating his efforts in that area. "When the stone is perfectly flat, you can feel sort of an even suction between the wide surface of the chisel's back and the stone. If there's a high spot on the stone, the steel grates a little bit, sounds rougher."

When the chisel's back had a uniform shininess -- no dull spots to be seen in the steel -- Schmidt turned to the bevel. As he did on the back of the chisel, he started the bevel by working it back and forth along the length of the stone for several minutes. Then Schmidt changed tack. Another spritz or two with the water bottle, and he was working again, this time pushing the blade back and forth along the width of the stone. And then he switched again, running the blade in a series of diagonal strokes, crisscrossing the stone from one corner to the other. The slurry built up in little waves. He spritzed again and changed his stance so that he could work the steel from the opposite corner, this time making Xs of slurry. By the time he was finished, the bevel had been worked across the stone in four directions: back and forth along the length; back and forth across the width; and diagonally across the stone in two directions.

He felt the edge with his fingernail. A thin, wire edge had developed, which he removed with several strokes on the



chisel's back. When Schmidt was finished, he repeated the process on both the back and bevel, using a finer, 2,400-grit stone and then, finally, a 6,000-grit stone. After five minutes on each stone, the chisel was razor sharp. The back and bevel shone like mirrors.

Oilstones, kerosene and a little diamond pasteAfter a hard right turn at the end of a Vermont dirt road, I arrived at the shop of Garrett Hack. Hack is a father, a farmer and a woodworker, in no particular order. He is somewhat of a traditionalist, and it shows in the architecture of his slate-roofed brick shop and in the furniture he makes. But there's also a contemporary side to Hack. A Federal-style chest he made has an outrageous band of checkerboard inlay, and the bright-green trim and certain interior details of his shop belie a man who is not a slave to history. Hack's sharpening methods parallel his architecture; he favors traditional oilstones, but he occasionally uses a new product -- diamond paste -- to get a keen edge in hard steel.

Spread on his benchtop was an array of planes, ready to be sharpened. Hack removed the iron from an old Stanley No. 3. "I just got this," he said, giving the plane a critical eye. "The back of the iron has probably never been flattened. It needs to be lapped." For the quick removal of steel, Hack will use a diamond stone with an aggressive grit. Because it is messy -- he uses a lot of water with the diamond stone, constantly dousing the surface -- he usually works outside on the shop's granite steps. The diamond stone is also good for removing small nicks in a blade's bevel.

Any oil will do, but Garrett Hack likes kerosene for his oilstones. A quick drizzle of kerosene keeps the stones from clogging with abraded metal. When sharpening, Hack's stones are held stationary in a cleated wooden frame.

Hack dipped the diamond stone into a water bucket and worked the back of the plane bade against the stone in slow figure eights. After a while, he held the steel up to the light. The shine on the blade was uneven, meaning the back of the blade still needed work. "Lapping the back of a blade takes some time, but once it's lapped flat, you should never have to do it again."

Hack stores his sharpening paraphernalia in a drawer built into the underside of his workbench. The drawer is full of oilstones, each in its own wood box. And there are tiny plastic jars of



diamond paste in different grits and an oil can filled with kerosene. He reached in the drawer and removed a small, trapezoid-shaped wooden frame. The frame, spotted and stained with oil, had a cleat on the bottom. When Hack rested the cleat against the edge of his bench, it was apparent that it was made to hold his sharpening stones at about 30°. "It's a comfortable work angle," he said.

Exerting firm, even pressure on the blade, Hack moves the steel in a figure-eight pattern around the surface of the stone. A good grip on the blade allows him to move the steel off the edge of the stone without tipping, and thus he can use the whole stone.

After the blade had been lapped, Hack, like Schmidt, started his sharpening on the back of the plane's iron. He squirted a few drops of kerosene on the stone, telling me that there are all sorts of honing oils available. "But anything will work," he said. "I heard of a guy who uses olive oil." He hunched over the first stone -- a manmade India oilstone -- again working the steel in slow, lazy figure eights, moving around the whole surface of the stone. After some time, the back of the blade had an even, slightly dull shine. Hack then turned his attention to the bevel. He held the front of the blade flat on the stone and rocked the blade up onto the bevel, starting again with the figure-eight pattern. When the bevel had an even shine, just like the blade's back, he switched to a finer-grit stone -- a hard, black Arkansas stone -- and repeated the entire process.

A dab of 4-micron diamond paste is Hack's secret weapon for getting a good edge. He mixes the paste with a little kerosene and smears it around on his hard, black Arkansas stone.

Hack's secret weapon is 4-micron diamond paste (which is the abrasive equivalent of a 4,000-grit waterstone). He picked up a sliver of wood from the shop floor and scooped out a half pea of paste. "It doesn't take a lot," he said. "Even this is probably too much." He wiped the paste onto the fine stone, smearing it around with the wood sliver, mixing it in with the kerosene. And again he started on the back of the iron, working the steel, checking it in the light, until he was sure of the evenness of the shine. Same thing for the bevel.

When he was finished he checked the sharpness of the blade by using it to pare the end grain of a scrap of soft pine. "Why not hardwood?" I asked.



"Almost anything will cut hardwood," he said. "But only a truly sharp blade will cleanly cut the end grain of pine without tearing some of the fibers and leaving a ragged edge. If it's really sharp, the blade will sever all of the wood fibers evenly, leaving a cut on the end grain that looks almost burnished."

To true his oilstones, Hack uses gritty silicon-carbide powder mixed with a little water. Hack mixes the paste on plate glass and works a stone in a circle. Later, he checks the flatness of the stone with a straightedge.

Hack flattens his stones with gritty silicon-carbide powder, water and a scrap of plate glass. "It's pretty messy," he said. "Sometimes I do it outside." It's also pretty simple: Hack sprinkled some powder on the glass, added a little water and worked the face of the stone in big circles. When he thought the stone was flat, he held it up to the light and checked it with a straightedge. "Needs a little more right here in the center."

Again he worked the stone against the paste-smeared glass. He checked it one more time and could see no light coming through between the stone and the straightedge. Satisfied, he wiped off the stones and the little can of kerosene, and everything went back into the drawer, except for the oily rag, which he hung off the corner of the bench to dry.

Plate glass and sandpaperEven before Mike Dunbar opened The Windsor Institute where he instructs 600 students a year in the craft of making Windsor chairs, he was a teacher, albeit an itinerant one. He traveled all over the country, going to woodworking shows and giving demonstrations at woodworking stores. He packed a lot of stuff for his trips: chair parts and tools. It was a hassle to find a way to sharpen tools on the road; either he had to bring all of his oils and stones or rely on the store to provide them. Most good inventions are born of necessity; Dunbar's so-called scary-sharp method of getting an edge with plate glass and sandpaper is no exception.

"Sharpening tools doesn't earn any money for a woodworker," Dunbar said. "I like to get my tools sharp and then get to work. Using glass and sandpaper is an extremely fast way to get an excellent edge." Along the back wall of Dunbar's shop is a dark-green, built-in cabinet, and right on the edge of the cabinet's countertop sat a dirty piece of 3/8-in.-thick plate glass about 8


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in. by 40 in. Next to the glass were three rolls of adhesive-backed sandpaper.

Mike Dunbar sharpens his tools with sandpaper stuck to 3/8-in.-thick plate glass. Working steel across three grits of paper, 80, 120 and 320, cuts an edge in no time. Another plus: plate glass never needs flattening. When the sandpaper gets dull, scrape it off the glass with a razor blade and stick on a new piece.

Dunbar grabbed a razor-blade window scraper and gouged off the three strips of spent paper from the plate glass (the glass is held on the bench with a couple of wood strips). "We sharpen a lot of tools here, and we go through a lot of sandpaper." He went over to a wall-mounted rack of the school's tools -- planes, chisels, gouges and drawknives -- and grabbed an almost-new, 1-1/2-in. chisel. All of the school's shop tools are spray-painted bright green. "If they're painted, they don't walk," he said. He looked at the edge of the chisel and noticed two big nicks in the blade. I asked him if he would not ordinarily grind out the nicks from the student-abused blade. "I'm telling you," he said, "this method is really fast."

He cut three strips of sandpaper from the 4-in.-wide rolls, one each of 80 grit, 120 grit and 320 grit, and adhered them to the glass. Holding the chisel handle in one hand and using the palm of his other hand on the top side of the chisel, he started to rub the tool back and forth along the length of paper, checking occasionally the evenness of the shine on the back of the blade.

Felt-tipped marker shows a blade's low spots. When lapping, Dunbar colors the back of a blade. After working the blade across the sandpaper, the ink is removed from all but the low spots on the blade.

When the back was even with scratches from the 80-grit paper, he colored the back of the chisel with a red, felt-tipped marker. "The marker works like machinist's chalk," he said. "If there are any low spots on the blade, the marker won't get removed when I rub the blade on the sandpaper." He worked the blade against the paper again, and when he held it up to the light, only a faint trace of red showed in the center. Dunbar decided



the back was flat enough and told me that future sharpening will make the blade truly flat. Then he switched to the bevel, or bezel, as Dunbar calls it. "Check your dictionary," he told me. I made a mental note.

Dunbar held the front of the chisel on the sheet of 80-grit paper and rocked the blade forward until it rested on the bevel. "Simple," he said. "You don't need a honing guide or anything like that. Just rock the blade until you can feel the beveled surface resting on the paper." With one hand on the handle and the other putting pressure on the back of the chisel, he worked the blade side to side along the length of the 80-grit sheet. A forward-and-back motion or a figure-eight pattern would tear the sandpaper.

He worked the blade for a minute or two and then asked me if I wanted to try it. I told him that I felt like Huck Finn being fooled by Tom Sawyer when Tom convinced Huck that it was fun to paint a fence. "No one believes how easy and fast this is," Dunbar said, "until they try it." I looked at the blade and saw the nicks. I worked the bevel against the sandpaper the way he showed me. After a minute I looked at the blade again; the nicks were almost gone. He looked at me looking at the blade. I smiled, and he raised an eyebrow, knowing he'd won another convert.

After a little more work, Dunbar had removed the rest of the nicks. Total time to remove the nicks in the blade was about five minutes. Then he switched to the 120-grit paper but not before sweeping away the filings with a mason's brush. "Keeps the paper from clogging, and you don't want to get coarser grit on the finer-grit paper." When all of the scratches from the 80-grit paper had been supplanted by the 120-grit scratches, he swept the filings and moved onto the 320-grit sheet.

Rougher grit holds finer-grit paper in place. For the keenest edges, Dunbar uses fine-grit sandpaper without adhesive backing. Tools sharpened with 2,000-grit paper are truly scary sharp.

The sequence was the same: He worked the chisel on the 320-grit paper until there was an evenness of scratches, brushed off the paper and moved to the next-finer grit. After working the chisel, Dunbar placed a piece of 600-grit wet-or-dry paper right on top of the 320-grit sheet. The roughness of one paper holds the finer-grit paper in place. For most tools he feels that 600 grit gives a sharp enough edge; for the keenest edges he will go from 600 grit to 1,000 grit and sometimes all the way up to 2,000-grit paper. A blade honed on 2,000 grit shines like chromium.

Unlike using oilstones, waterstones or powered stones, with Dunbar's method you don't have to worry about flattening the stones. The plate glass is always flat, and when the sandpaper gets dull, you scrape it off and stick on another piece.

As I drove home, I thought of my Makita electric sharpening



stone lost in the garage of my ex-wife's house. I thought of Schmidt and Hack and how well their sharpening methods worked for them. (Different strokes for different folks?) And then I thought of the glass store near work, and I decided to stop in and get myself a piece of 3/8-in.-thick plate glass. Tom Sawyer wins again.

Jefferson Kolle is a former managing editor of Fine Woodworking.

Photos: Jefferson Kolle; drawings: Bob La Pointe






















Three Reliable Ways to Taper a Leg

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Three Reliable Ways to Taper a LegTapers can be cut quickly and accurately with a bandsaw, a thickness planer or a tablesaw

by Gary Rogowski

Table or desk legs that have been tapered top to bottom have a grace and delicacy that square legs just don't seem to have. Shaker furnituremakers exploited this leg style, and so have many others. Although legs may be tapered all the way around, more often than not I cut tapers on two adjoining faces of a leg. The process can be both quick and reliable.

Roughing out tapers is best done by machine; either a bandsaw or a tablesaw is a good choice. Tapers also can be cut by mounting leg blanks on a jig that's passed through a thickness planer, a process that requires very little cleanup. Cleaning up the cuts also can be accomplished in a number of ways--on a jointer, with a router and a flush-trimming bit, or with a handplane.

How much taper a leg gets and which faces are tapered are personal choices best made with plenty of experimentation.

Tapering on the bandsaw

Bandsawn tapers are safe and simple. Feed the leg blank slowly with one hand, steering as you go, and use the other hand to help guide the cut. Cut to the waste side of the line.

By far, the simplest and safest way to cut a taper is to draw lines on two adjacent faces of each leg and cut just to the waste side of the lines on a bandsaw, making straight cuts.

The cut is not that difficult to make if your bandsaw is properly tuned and the blade is sharp. Mark out the taper on a milled leg blank, striking a line from the widest point, where the taper starts, to its narrowest point at the foot. If there's a flat near the top of the leg where an apron will intersect it, strike a line across the face of the leg where the taper begins or just slightly below it. The idea is to leave enough material on the leg so it can be cleaned up without making the leg too thin.

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If the leg shape is one you might reproduce often, consider making a template of 1/4-in.-thick hardboard or medium-density fiberboard. The next time you need to lay out this taper, it will take just a few seconds.

It's easier to sight down the layout line if you lower your head a bit as you make the cut. Use two hands to help guide the leg through the blade, feed slowly and try to compensate for any drift before you wander from the line. With practice, it becomes quite easy to cut a straight line on the bandsaw. But be careful to keep your fingers out of the way. It's easy to run your thumb into a bandsaw blade.

Tapering with a thickness planer

All four legs of a table can be tapered at once. The author's planer jig is made from a piece of 3/4-in.-thick plywood and three angled strips of wood to support the legs. Stops at either end of the plywood keep the legs in place.

A thickness planer isn't the first tool that comes to mind for cutting tapers. But a planer will do an absolutely consistent job of tapering leg stock if you use the proper jig--one with a simple carriage that supports the legs at an angle and has stops at either end. The only real drawback is that it's fairly slow.

I made my jig from a piece of scrap plywood several inches longer than the length of the legs. To get the taper I wanted, I drew the taper on one of the legs, placed the leg on the plywood base of the jig and raised one end until the taper line was parallel with the plywood. I measured this height near one end of the plywood, cut a support piece to fit there and glued it on. I added a stop just behind it. The narrow end of the legs butt against this stop.

Tapered sled jig


The next step is to cut angled pieces that will support the legs and prevent them from flexing under the pressure of the feed rollers in the planer. With these supports glued to the plywood base, I added another stop at the front end of the jig to capture the legs securely--I didn't want the stock moving around beneath the cutterhead.

The best thing about this method of tapering legs is that all the legs for a project can be done at the same time. Take light passes, especially at first, to minimize deflection of the stock. Also, make sure the legs don't rock on the support pieces. If they do, you'll see some vicious sniping.

Tablesaw tapering The most commonly used tool for cutting tapers is the tablesaw--and why not? It's fast and, if the saw is well-tuned, very little cleanup is needed. You can either make a dedicated jig every time you need a different taper, or you can use a hinged, universal tapering jig to cut many different tapers. I prefer using dedicated jigs because I often reproduce designs. With a dedicated jig, I'm assured of getting the same results every time.







Tablesawn tapers are fast and accurate. A dedicated jig like this one produces consistent results but is limited to a single angle and leg length.

The base of the jig is a straight, flat piece of plywood just a few inches longer than the leg stock. I cut it so its sides are parallel and its ends are square. Then I screw a back stop to one end to catch the wide part of the taper. A front stop, near the other end of the jig, captures the leg and cants it from the plywood at the correct angle for the desired taper.

Tablesaw jig


To set up for the cut,

measure from the inside edge of the jig to the widest part of the taper--either the corner of the leg if it's a full-length taper or a few inches shy of the corner if you want to leave a flat section on the leg for an apron. Use this measurement to set the distance from blade to fence. Keep the jig firmly against the fence, and feed steadily as you make the cut, running the narrow end of the leg into the blade first. For the second taper on a leg, rotate the leg blank 90° clockwise in the jig. By rotating the leg this way, a square, untapered face will rest on the tablesaw.

Three ways to clean up the cuts Some cleanup is almost always required after you've cut the basic tapers. Even a planer can leave mill marks. Here are three simple methods for cleaning tapers.

The jointer cleans up tapers quickly. A few light passes over the jointer should clean up any mill marks or other surface irregularities left after roughing out a leg by machine.

Jointer: This tool does a great job of cleaning up sawmarks. I generally go straight from the bandsaw to the jointer. I set the infeed table for a light cut and use a push stick.

To avoid tearout, you should cut with the grain. That usually means the narrow end of the leg is last to go over the cutterhead. Inspect the taper first, though, checking for grain direction as well as for any high spots that may need to be taken down by hand before you joint the whole



length of the taper.

Check, too, to see if one end or another needs more wood removed. You may be able to take slightly more off one end than another by varying the amount of hand pressure you apply. Make sure the tapers are well marked so you can tell when you're finished. Feed slowly to minimize cutterhead marks.

Template routing ensures consistent results. Both bottom-bearing bits (shown) and top-bearing bits work. Double-faced tape secures the template to the legs.

Router: A flush-trimming bit mounted in a router table is another quick way of cleaning up tapers, especially if you don't have a jointer. This technique also guarantees that all the tapers are precisely the same. Both top-bearing and bottom-bearing bits will do the job, and you can use the same templates here that you used to lay out tapers for the bandsaw. Double-faced tape works well to attach the template to each leg. For a production run, a jig with attached toggle clamps is better and faster.

When a bottom-bearing bit is used in a router table, you will have to make a tapered template for the second taper so the router bearing (which is at a fixed height) has something to ride on. You'll need thicker stock for this template.

Cut and clean up the first taper. Then mark the second taper on the template stock by placing it on the tapered leg and setting them both on a flat surface, like a bench or jointer bed. On the template stock, mark a line that's parallel with the bench or bed. Then cut and clean this second side. The template is ready for use.

Make sure the tapers have been cut close to the template shape; there shouldn't be more than 1/16 in. of wood to clean up with the router. Set the height of the bit so that the bearing rides firmly against the template. Start the cut back just a little from the end of the leg. Work from the widest part of the taper to the narrowest. Rout the full length, and finish up with one smoothing pass.

A handplane cleans tapers efficiently. A plane leaves a surface that's ready for finish, but take care to plane with the grain to avoid tearout.

Handplane: On wood that's not particularly gnarly, a well-tuned handplane can be used to clean up tapers straight off the bandsaw, planer or tablesaw. A plane also is a good choice for tapers that have been cleaned up with a jointer or router but still need a little more polishing.

Generally, you'll want to plane downhill (from the wide part of the taper down to the narrow), but you should check the grain direction of each face you're planing to be sure. The grain may surprise you. Make sure your stop or bench dog won't interfere with the plane at the end of its stroke. Mark a line



across your stock at the start of the taper, and take lighter passes as you approach it.

Gary Rogowski designs and builds furniture in Portland, Ore., and is a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking.

Photos: Vincent Laurence; drawings: Jim Richey

From Fine Woodworking #128, pp. 60-63 Purchase back issues





















Bench-Chisel Techniques

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Bench-Chisel TechniquesUsed correctly, a simple set of chisels covers all of your chopping and paring needs

by Garrett Hack

A few thousand years ago someone clever hammered out a hunk of bronze into a narrow blade, fitted a handle to one end, sharpened the other against a stone and produced a chisel. Generations of craftsmen since have tweaked the design: Tough steel replaced soft bronze, the shape and length of the blade were modified to suit various tasks, but in essence, chisels have not changed much. They are still simple in form and, when used effectively, one of the most useful tools in the shop (see The versatile chisel).

Every week catalogs arrive, full of a dizzying array of different chisels: long, fine-bladed paring chisels; stout mortise chisels; heavy and wide framing chisels; stubby butt chisels; intriguing Japanese chisels; and many sets of bench chisels. Few other classic hand tools are still available in such variety. Unless you work entirely by hand, all you really need is a good set of what I call bench chisels or, as some prefer, firmer chisels. These are chisels with blades about 4 in. to 6 in. long, in a wide range of widths from about 1/8 in. to 2 in. and with a wooden or plastic handle.

The only substantial differences between sets of bench chisels are the quality of the steel and the shapes of the blades. The blades on my everyday set of Swedish bench chisels are slightly tapered in length and beveled along the long sides. Tapering the blade yields a tool stout enough for the hard work of chopping a mortise yet light enough to pare one-handed. A blade with flat sides is stronger than one with beveled sides and is less expensive to manufacture. But a beveled blade can reach into tighter places, such as for cutting small dovetails.

Prepare the chisel As with many other tools, the performance of a chisel is determined by how well it is tuned. The back of the chisel -- the unbeveled side -- must be dead flat for at least 3/4 in., and preferably 1 in. to 2 in., behind the cutting edge. This flat plane guides and controls the cut: A curved back will rock and provide little control.

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At least the first 3/4 in., and preferably the first 1 in. to 2 in., of the chisel's back should be perfectly flat. The back guides and controls the cut and ensures a fine edge.

Another common problem is a slight rounding of the cutting edge on the back side. The back might still be flat except for this tiny back-bevel. Sloppy technique, not keeping the back absolutely flat on a sharpening stone while honing, creates this sort of rounding. The result is a chisel that will not cut while resting on its back because the rounded edge is in the air. A chisel with a rounded edge must be angled forward slightly, thus losing the back as a source of control. Flattening the back of a bench chisel right to the cutting edge is tedious but important. Work through the range of grits until you get a bright polish on your finest stone.

Once you have flattened the back, choose a cutting bevel angle based on the type of work you do. The finer the bevel, the more easily the tool slices through wood fibers. A fine bevel, 15° to 20°, is a little delicate, but it works for a chisel reserved for light paring cuts in softwoods. To chop tough end grain, a stouter 30° to 35° bevel would hold up better. For everyday bench work I aim for a 25° bevel whose width is about twice the thickness of the chisel. This is a compromise between ease of cutting and the durability of the edge.

After hollow-grinding a 25° bevel on the grinder, the author hones the bevel on a medium and then a fine oilstone. The author guides the chisel freehand, but a honing guide can help until you master the technique.

Lightly hollow-grinding the bevel every three to four sharpenings speeds the honing process by reducing the area of steel in contact with the stone. I use a grooved block of wood that holds the chisel handle, set at a distance from the wheel to achieve the desired bevel angle. I then hone the edge on a medium India stone and a fine black Arkansas stone using kerosene as a lubricant. I try to hone at a consistent 25° bevel with little or no microbevel along the cutting edge. The only exception is when I need a slightly tougher cutting edge for an extremely hard wood, such as rosewood, where I raise the tool handle to hone a microbevel of 30°. For a final strop I use some 0- to 2-micron diamond paste smeared on a piece of Baltic birch plywood. I prefer this to a leather strop, which being softer and more uneven, increases the risk of rounding over the bevel.

How to tell if your chisel is sharp It's worth repeating that a chisel must be very sharp to work well. A dull edge takes far more power to drive through the fibers and, more importantly, is harder to control. Everyone has a special way to test the sharpness of an edge: dragging it against a fingernail, shaving arm hair or plucking the edge with a finger. The problem is that these tests are all a bit subjective.

I test the sharpness of a chisel by paring a block of end-grain







The tuned chisel should be flat on the back and have a narrow band of honed steel along the cutting edge, with a slightly concave ground surface just behind.

If you can leave a clean cut on pine end grain, your chisel is ready for action.

white pine and then looking at both the shaving and the cut surface. Because softwood fibers are weak and easily torn from the surface, only a really sharp edge will cut a thin and whole shaving. Looking at the end grain, ideally it should be uniformly polished. But more likely there will be light flecks in the surface where fibers were torn away, or it will exhibit fine tracks where tiny nicks in the chisel's cutting edge scraped across the wood.

Next lay the chisel with the back flat on one of the long-grain sides of your block. If you can pare a shaving without lifting the chisel, the back and cutting edge are flat. If you have to lift the chisel to get it to cut, the back or cutting edge is rounded.

Proper technique ensures good results For most of us, the days of working with hand tools alone are long gone. Whereas chisels would once have been our primary tools for cutting all manner of joints, today we typically use them more often to adjust joints cut on a machine.

Chiseling tasks can be simplified to chopping, paring or some combination of the two. Cutting end grain, such as excavating a mortise, is chopping. A mallet usually delivers the driving force, so everything works best when you chop vertically, down against your bench, preferably directly over a leg. Paring is often a hand-powered operation, using the chisel horizontally or vertically to slice away a thin shaving. This can be against the end grain or along the grain. I also pare with the chisel in one hand and use my thumb as a lever, much the same way you would use a knife.



With experience you will be able to hold the chisel at the correct angle merely by sighting across and down it (left). A square set on end acts as a guide when squaring up the end of a mortise (right).

Chopping to a line vertically -- Cutting with a chisel held plumb is an acquired skill. Finding the right angle is easiest when you are only slightly above the work and looking across the chisel. Sighting against a square set on end helps, as does good light shining toward the work and you. Holding the chisel plumb greatly speeds any chopping task. If this is hard for you, or if you have to cut an angled mortise, saw a waste block to this angle and clamp it in place to guide your chisel. For heavy chopping, driving a chisel with a mallet allows you to concentrate all of your efforts on directing the tool.

Light cuts yield more accurate results. Think about the cutting edge sinking into the wood. The back is trying to guide the chisel plumb while the beveled side of the cutting edge presses the chisel against the back. With a light cut this pressure breaks out the chip and holds the back right to the line. Try to chop too large a chip, especially in softwood, and the pressure will push your chisel beyond your line. Take little bites, waste up to your line, and then take a final light cut right on the line. Because I have a good selection of chisel sizes, I waste as much wood as I can with a chisel narrower than the mortise. The final cut is with a chisel snug in the mortise and right on the line.

Paring to a line vertically -- Paring end grain gives you a whole new appreciation for the toughness of wood. Good paring takes both muscle and a feel for controlling the cut. A sharp chisel and a light cut give you the best chance for doing accurate work.

After you have removed the bulk of the waste using a mallet, switch to a light paring cut right on the line. This provides greater accuracy and control and allows you to undercut slightly. Also, it's just plain quicker than reaching for the mallet each time after moving the work. Work around all four sides of a tenon to establish the shoulder line and to give you something to sight against when paring. Position your body above the work for paring the final shaving or two, using the weight of your upper body to drive the chisel and both hands to guide it.

Lightly chopping all the way around defines the shoulder of a tenon (left) before a final paring with hand power (right).

Paring to a line horizontally -- Given a choice, I prefer the control of a plane to shave a surface. But there are plenty of times when I don't have the right plane close at hand or when



it's simply quicker to pare a few shavings with a chisel. Long and thin-bladed (for flexibility) paring chisels are the tools of choice here, but a well-tuned bench chisel will work almost as well.

For maximum control when paring, I find it's best to have one hand on the chisel handle and the other as close to the work, or cutting edge, as practical. This way you can raise or lower the handle slightly to control the depth of cut, while the hand close to the cutting edge holds the chisel steady and helps guide the cut. This hand also acts as a brake, smoothing out the pressure delivered by the hand on the handle. The smoothest and easiest cuts are made with a slight shearing action, slicing both forward and sideways.

When cutting horizontally, the smoothest cuts are made with a slight shearing action, cutting both forward and sideways. The need for a perfectly flat chisel back is apparent when fitting a tenon.

Using the chisel as you would a penknife allows you to make delicate cuts such as slicing end grain or beveling a tenon.

Paring while using the thumb as a lever -- Holding the chisel like a penknife or a potato peeler, with the blade cutting toward you, takes some getting used to. Once mastered, this technique allows for fine controlled cuts, even in end grain. I use it to pare the end of a table leg, to shorten a tenon and to chamfer its ends.

Cutting bevel-side down -- When paring the bottom of a groove, the flat back of a chisel can no longer be used as a guide, and the natural inclination of the chisel is to dig in. Turn the chisel upside down and use the bevel to guide the cut, raising or lowering the handle to adjust the depth of the cut. This method is useful to deepen a mortise or dado (or shape a curved one) or to smooth the bottom of a recess for an inlay.

As with all tools, there are many paths to accurate and satisfying results. Sharpen a few chisels and practice these basic techniques. Some of them might not feel comfortable at first, but everyday use at your bench is the surest way to master them.

Garrett Hack is a furniture maker in Thetford Center, Vermont.

Photos: Mark Schofield and Michael Pekovich




Making Sense of Sandpaper

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Making Sense of SandpaperKnowing how it works is the first step in choosing the right abrasive

by Strother Purdy

Years ago at a garage sale, I bought a pile of no-name sandpaper for just pennies a sheet. I got it home. I sanded with it, but nothing came off the wood. Sanding harder, the grit came off the paper. It didn't even burn very well in my wood stove.

Sanding is necessary drudge work, improved only by spending less time doing it. As I learned, you can't go right buying cheap stuff, but it's still easy to go wrong with the best sandpaper that's available. Not long ago, for example, I tried to take the finish off some maple flooring. Even though I was armed with premium-grade, 50-grit aluminum-oxide belts, the work took far too long. It wasn't that the belts were bad. I was simply using the wrong abrasive for the job. A 36-grit ceramic belt would have cut my sanding time substantially.

The key to choosing the right sandpaper is knowing how the many different kinds of sandpaper work. Each component, not just the grit, contributes to the sandpaper's performance, determining how quickly it works, how long it lasts and how smooth the results will be. If you know how the components work together, you'll be able to choose your sandpaper wisely, and use it efficiently. Then you won't waste time sanding or end up burning the stuff in your wood stove.

Sandpaper is a cutting toolWhat sandpaper does to wood is really no different from what a saw, a plane or a chisel does. They all have sharp points or edges that cut wood fibers. Sandpaper's cutting is simply on a much smaller scale. The only substantial difference between sandpaper and other cutting tools is that sandpaper can't be sharpened.

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Sandpaper is made of abrasive minerals, adhesive and a cloth, paper or polyester backing. The abrasive minerals are bonded to the backing by two coats of adhesive; first the make coat bonds them to the backing; then the size coat locks them in position.

Look at sandpaper up close, and you'll see that the sharp tips of the abrasive grains look like small, irregularly shaped sawteeth . The grains are supported by a cloth or paper backing and two adhesive bonds, much the way that sawteeth are supported by the sawblade. As sandpaper is pushed across wood, the abrasive grains dig into the surface and cut out minute shavings, which are called swarf in industry jargon. To the naked eye, these shavings look like fine dust. Magnified, they look like the shavings produced by saws or other cutting tools.

Even the spaces between the abrasive grains serve an important role. They work the way gullets on sawblades do, giving the shavings a place to go. This is why sandpaper designed for wood has what's called an open coat, where only 40% to 70% of the backing is covered with abrasive. The spaces in an open coat are hard to see in fine grits but are very obvious in coarse grades.

Closed-coat sandpaper, where the backing is entirely covered with abrasive, is not appropriate for sanding wood because the swarf has no place to go and quickly clogs the paper. Closed-coat sandpaper is more appropriate on other materials such as steel and glass because the particles of swarf are much smaller.

Some sandpaper is advertised as non-loading, or stearated. These papers are covered with a substance called zinc stearate -- soap, really -- which helps keep the sandpaper from clogging with swarf. Stearated papers are only useful for sanding finishes and resinous woods. Wood resin and most finishes will become molten from the heat generated by sanding, even hand-sanding. In this state, these substances are very sticky, and given the chance, they will firmly glue themselves to the sandpaper. Stearates work by attaching to the molten swarf, making it slippery, not sticky, and preventing it from bonding to the sandpaper.

Methods for sanding efficientlySanding a rough surface smooth in preparation for a finish seems a pretty straightforward proposition. For a board fresh out of the





planer, woodworkers know to start with a coarse paper, perhaps 80-grit or 100-grit, and progress incrementally without skipping a grade up to the finer grits. At each step, you simply erase the scratches you made previously with finer and smaller scratches until, at 180-grit or 220-grit, the scratches are too small to see or feel. But there are a fair number of opinions on how to do this most efficiently.

Don't skip grits, usually -- Skipping a grit to save time and sandpaper is a common temptation, but not a good idea when working with hardwoods. You can remove the scratches left by 120-grit sandpaper with 180-grit, but it will take you far more work than if you use 150-grit first. You will also wear out more 180-grit sandpaper, so you don't really save any materials. When sanding maple, for instance, skipping two grits between 80 and 180 will probably double the total sanding time. This, however, is not as true with woods such as pine. Soft woods take much less work overall to sand smooth. Skipping a grit will increase the work negligibly and may save you some materials.

Sand bare wood to 180- or 220-grit -- For sanding bare wood, 180-grit will generally give you a surface that looks and feels perfectly smooth and is ready for a finish of some kind. Sanding the surface with a finer grit is only necessary if you're going to use a water-based finish. These finishes will pick up and telegraph the smallest scratches. Sanding the wood to 220-grit or finer will prepare the surface better. However, it's not always wise to sand to a finer grit. You will waste your time if you can't tell the difference, and you may create problems in finishing. Maple sanded to 400-grit will not take a pigmented stain, for example. Pigments work by lodging themselves into nooks and crannies on the surface; without them, they will have no place to stick.

Sand faster across the grain -- How many times have you been told never to sand across the grain? True enough. The scratches are much more obvious, look terrible and are hard to remove with the next finer grit. But what holds true for planing wood is also true for sanding. You will plane and sand faster and more easily when the direction of your cuts is between 45° and 60° to the grain, because the wood-fiber bundles offer the least resistance to the cutting edges. Cross-grain scratches are harder to remove simply because they are deeper.

Use a combination of cross-grain and with-grain sanding to get the smoothest surface in the fastest manner. First make passes at 45° to 60° to both the left and the right, making an X-pattern on the workpiece. Then, with the same grit, sand with the grain to remove the cross-grain scratches. Do this with each grit when belt-sanding and hand-sanding. The non-linear sanding action of random-orbit and orbital sanders can't take advantage of the wood's grain properties. When I use my orbital, I just sand with the grain.

Choosing from the four abrasive mineralsFour common abrasive minerals are aluminum oxide, silicon carbide, ceramics and garnet (see Four abrasive minerals). Except for garnet, they are all manufactured, designed if you will, for different cutting properties. Harder and sharper minerals cut deeper scratches and, consequently, sand the wood faster. But these deep scratches leave a coarse finish, whether you sand with or across the grain.

Softer minerals within the same grit size will cut far more slowly but leave a smoother finish. For example, if you sand a board on one side with a 120-grit ceramic, the hardest abrasive mineral, and the other side with 120-grit garnet, the softest, you will be able to feel a distinct difference between the surfaces. It will seem as if you sanded the two sides with different grit sizes.



It's easy to rate each mineral's hardness and sharpness, but it's not as simple to prescribe specific uses beyond generalizations. There are many other factors that influence the appropriateness of a sandpaper for a job.

Some fine points about grading scalesIf you don't mind that we have two measurement systems, the U.S. Customary (foot, gallon) and the International (meter, liter), then you won't mind that we have three major abrasive grit-grading systems. In North America, the Coated Abrasives Manufacturers Institute (CAMI) regulates the U.S. Standard Scale. CAMI-graded sandpapers simply have numbers, such as 320, printed on them. The Europeans have the P-scale, regulated by the Federation of European Producers Association (FEPA). These abrasives are identifiable by the letter P in front of the grit size, such as P320. Finally, to make sure everyone is really confused, there is a totally different micron grading system. This system is identified by the Greek letter mu, as in 30µ.

The three systems grade particle size to different tolerances but by the same methods. From the coarsest grits up to about 220, particles are graded through a series of wire mesh screens. The smaller grit sizes are graded through an air- or water-flotation process that separates particles by weight.

The chart is helpful in comparing grits of the three grading systems, but it doesn't tell the whole story. Abrasives on the P-scale are graded to tighter tolerances than CAMI-graded abrasives. This means that the CAMI-scale tolerates a wider range of grain sizes within the definition of 180-grit than the P-scale. Tolerances are even tighter for micron grading. P-graded and micron-graded abrasives give more consistent cuts with fewer stray scratches from outsized minerals.

Micron-graded abrasives on polyester films are about three times as expensive as paper products and probably not worth it for sanding wood. I have a hard time telling the difference between wood sanded with a 100µ finishing film abrasive and standard 120-grit sandpaper. But for polishing a high-gloss finish, I find micron-graded abrasives make a substantial difference.

The supporting role of backings and bondsThe backing's stiffness and flatness influence the quality and speed of the sandpaper's cut. For the most part, manufacturers choose adhesives and backings to augment the characteristics of a particular abrasive grit. You will have a hard time finding an aggressive abrasive mineral, for example, on a backing suited to a smooth cut.

Soft backings on sanding tools won't support the sandpaper and make it cut more slowly.

The stiffer the paper, the less the abrasive minerals will deflect while cutting. They will cut deeper and, consequently, faster. Soft backings and bonds will allow the abrasives to deflect more, giving light scratches and a smooth finish. You must even consider what's behind the backing. Wrapping the sandpaper around a block of wood will allow a faster cut than sanding with the paper against the palm of your hand. For instance, an easy way to speed up your orbital sander is by exchanging the soft pad for a stiff one. The other consideration is the flatness of the backing, which has nothing to do with its stiffness. Flat backings position the minerals on a more even level so they cut at a more consistent depth, resulting in



fewer stray scratches and a smoother surface.

Cloth is the stiffest but least-flat backing. It will produce the coarsest and fastest cut. Cloth comes in two grades, a heavy X and a light J. Paper is not as stiff as cloth but it's flatter. It comes in grades A, C, D, E and F (lightest to heaviest). A-weight paper that has been waterproofed is approximately equivalent to a B-weight paper, if one existed. Polyester films, including Mylar, look and feel like plastic. They are extremely flat and pretty stiff. They will give the most consistently even cut and at a faster rate than paper.

The adhesive and backing on a random-orbit sanding pad can crack if the disc is folded like ordinary sandpaper.

The backings for hand sheets and belts are designed to flex around curves without breaking. This is not true for sanding discs for random-orbit sanders. They are designed to remain perfectly flat, and if used like a hand sheet, the adhesive will crack off in large sections. This is called knife-edging because the mineral and adhesive, separated from the backing, form knife-like edges that dig into and mark the work.

Adhesive bonds on modern sandpaper are almost exclusively urea- or phenolic-formaldehyde resins. Both are heat-resistant, waterproof and stiff. Hide glue is sometimes used in conjunction with a resin on paper sheets. It is not waterproof or heat-resistant, but hide glue is cheap and very flexible.

When this article was written, Strother Purdy was an assistant editor of Fine Woodworking.

Photos: Strother Purdy; drawing: Tim Langenderfer






















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Axminster Universal Vertical Whetstone Grinder

The Axminster Universal Wetstone Grinder is an effective and economically-priced sharpening machine, perfect for maintaining a super-sharp edge on a whole range of turning, carving and general woodworking tools. It is equipped with two aluminium oxide grinding wheels, a 5", high speed one for small dry grinding jobs and a 10" diameter 220 grit one which runs at low speed in a water bath to put a really fine finish on the edge without any risk of burning. The built-in grinding rest, which can be adjusted to the ideal grinding angle for all your tools, carries an adjustable bevel guide for the accurate grinding of skew chisels. There are two optional extras available for the machine: firstly a 10" diameter 800 grit Japanese waterstone for getting the ultimate polished edge on the tools and secondly, a precision grinding jig from O'Donnell Sharpening Systems. This jig, comprises the O'Donnell sharpening jig, an adaptor to fix the jig securely onto the grinder and full instructions on setting-up and use. A full description can be found in the "Grinding Jigs" section.

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APTCDPWS Axminster Universal Vertical Whetstone Grinder £143.35

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DELTA 23655 230V BENCH GRINDER V/S 6IN, Bench Grinder from Tool-Up UK

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DELTA 23655 230V BENCH GRINDER V/S 6IN

DELTA 23655 150MM BENCH GRINDER WITH LAMP

This variable speed Bench Grinder has a 300W, 220-240V, 2000-3450 RPM induction motor, flexible lamp, tool rests with drill bit sharpening guide, eye shields, spark deflectors, grinding and white friable sharpening wheels, diamond wheel dresser, adjustment wrench and instruction manual.

Features Include :

- Adjustment wrench and diamond wheel dresser.- White friable wheel for sharpening.- Powerful 300W induction motor for long lasting, smoothperformance.- Cast iron base which minimises operating vibration.- Variable speeds (2000-3450 RPM) for grinding or sharpening.- Flexible gooseneck lamp for a clear view of grinding wheelsand workpiece.- Adjustable tool rests to compensate for wheel wear; includesdrill bit sharpening guide.

Specifications :

Motor : 300W, 220-240V, 50 HZ., 2000-3450 RPM.Shaft Diameter : 13 mm (1/2). Wheels : Diameter - 152 mm (6).Face - 19 mm (3/4).Hole - 13 mm (1/2).

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DELTA 23655 230V BENCH GRINDER V/S 6IN, Bench Grinder from Tool-Up UK

Motor Control : No load push button switch.Weight : 9 kg.

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DELTA 23655 230V BENCH GRINDER V/S 6IN

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Vineyard Table


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Excerpted from Dining Tables Vineyard Table Complete plans for a trestle table with a twist by Kim Carleton Graves

Open or download the 16-page PDF file below for the complete chapter on making this Vineyard Table. (Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF files.)

VineyardTable.pdf

(Download should take approximately 2 minutes on a

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The vineyard table is almost as old a design as the trestle table, dating back 300 years or more. Some sources claim these tables were used by grape pickers in French vineyards for working lunches, while others say they were used in wineries for wine tastings. Both stories may be true, since the tables fold easily for storage and transportation. The central "harp" spins around on one set of dowels and the tabletop flips on a second set of dowels to create a remarkably compact package. Neal White of San Jose, California, designed and built this table as a second table for family gatherings at his house. He found it too useful to stow away between occasions, and it's taken up permanent residence in his living room. On the vineyard table, hinges replace joints between the legs and cleats, and the tabletop is held level by a beautiful harp-shaped support. I love the look of the figured white oak in this table, but the original tables were made by carpenters from whatever woods were available locally. Like all trestle tables, this one is easily modified to suit the builder's taste and talents. Vineyard tabletops are typically round or elliptical, but you can make the top for this table in almost any size or shape as long as the width clears the feet when the table is flipped. Furniture maker Kim Carleton Graves has been designing and building high-end custom furniture for ten years. His article on duplicating spindles appeared in the May/June 2000 issue of Fine Woodworking (#142). He lives in Brooklyn, New York.

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This is an excerpt from the book

Dining Tablesby Kim Carleton Graves

Copyright 2001 by The Taunton Presswww.taunton.com

The vineyard table is almost as

old a design as the trestle table,

dating back 300 years or more. Some

sources claim these tables were used

by grape pickers in French vineyards

for working lunches, while others say

they were used in wineries for wine

tastings. Both stories may be true, since

the tables fold easily for storage and

transportation. The central “harp”

spins around on one set of dowels and

the tabletop flips on a second set of

dowels to create a remarkably compact

package.

Neal White of San Jose, California,

designed and built this table as a

second table for family gatherings at

his house. He found it too useful to

stow away between occasions, and it’s

Vineyard Table

taken up permanent residence in his

living room.

The vineyard table is similar to

the trestle table on p. 40 except that

hinges have replaced the joints between

the legs and cleats, and the tabletop is

held level by a beautiful harp-shaped

support.

I love the look of the figured white

oak in this table, but the original tables

were made by carpenters from whatever

woods were available locally.

Like all trestle tables, this one is

easily modified to suit the builder’s

taste and talents. Vineyard tabletops are

typically round or elliptical, but you can

make the top for this table in almost

any size or shape as long as the width

clears the feet when the table is flipped.

5 7

Top

CleatHarp

Leg

Dowel

Stretcher

Footpad

Foot

5 8 V I N E Y A R D T A B L E

Vineyard TableTHE VINEYARD TABLE is similar to a trestle table in construction, except that the cleats are hinged instead of joined tothe legs, allowing the tabletop to flip down or be removed for storage and transportation. The harp-shaped structurepivots outward to support the tabletop when the tabletop is set up for use.

2215/16"

191/2"

2"

41/2" V I N E Y A R D T A B L E 5 9

33/16"

33/16"

31/2"

2"

23/4"

23/4" 33/4"

2"

47/16"

17/8"

R 13/8"

11/2"

3/4" dia.

3/4" dia.

1/2"

32"

27"

25"1"

16"

27"

21/2 "

21/2 "

23/4 "

11/2 "

1/2 "

221/2 "

11/4 "

1"

1"

2"

END VIEW SIDE VIEW

HARP

The most challenging task is to fit thepieces together so that the tabletop opens andcloses easily and remains level when open.Since every table is slightly different, adjust-ments to the dowels and leveling blocksshould be made dynamically.

Making the Parts

Preparing the stockThe critical dimensions in this table are thelengths of the legs, the widths of the feet, andthe lengths of the stretchers. If these aren’tequal, the trestle won’t be square. In addition,the width of the tabletop must clear the feetwhen the table is flipped up for storage. Theshape of the tabletop determines how muchclearance you have. Rectangular tables haveabout 45 in. of clearance, while round tableshave nearly 49 in. because the curved shapeclears the feet.

1. Begin with 8/4 rough stock for the feet andfootpads and 6/4 rough stock for all otherparts. Although 5/4 might work, you wouldrisk not being able to get all the parts out.2. Crosscut the trestle parts 2 in. oversize inlength. Face-joint and edge-joint the boardsand plane them to finished 1-in. thickness,then rip the parts to finished width. 3. Cut all tabletop boards to the same length.When cutting to rough length, leave them sev-eral inches oversize. Face-joint and edge theboards, then rip them to width and plane tofinished thickness.

Making the tabletop 1. Glue up boards for the tabletop in a rectan-gular shape, arranging and aligning the boardsto get the best match for color and grain.Clamp the tabletop, using plenty of clamps(see the sidebar on the facing page), and allowthe glue to cure overnight.

The elaborate pattern-cutting techniquesdescribed for other projects in this

book can be used for this table. However,since vineyard tables are traditionally simple,carpenter-made furniture, I’ve chosen to stickto basic tools and techniques. A jigsaw, copingsaw, or bandsaw is all you need to cut out theparts; scrapers, planes, and sandpaper can beused to sculpt them to final shape.

Mortise-and-tenon joints hold the legs andstretchers together, but the lap joint, a verybasic joint, is used for the harp pieces, anddoweled hinges are used for the moving parts.Another new but simple technique introducedhere is drawing the ellipse for the tabletop.


Building the Table Step-by-Step

CUT LIST FOR VINEYARD TABLE

Tab letop and Leg Assembly

1 Tabletop 60 in. x 46 in. x 1 in.

2 Legs 27 in. x 31⁄2 in. x 1 in.

2 Feet 25 in. x 23⁄4 in. x 11⁄2 in.

4 Footpads1 5 in. x 1 in. x 11⁄2 in.

2 Stretchers 221⁄2 in. x 21⁄2 in. x 1 in.

2 Cleats 32 in. x 33⁄16 in. x 1 in.

2 Harp legs 2215⁄16 in. x 41⁄2 in. x 1 in.

1 Harp cross bar 191⁄2 in. x 2 in. x 1 in.

2 Leveling blocks1 5 in. x 13⁄8 in. x 2 in.

Hardware

2 Hardwood wooden dowels2 3⁄4 in. diameter x 3 in.

2 Hardwood wooden dowels2 1⁄2 in. diameter x 3 in.

4 Steel wood screws 11⁄2 in. by #101The leveling blocks and footpads can be cut from the foot cutoffs.2See Sources of Supply on p. 183.

2. After the glue cures, remove the clamps and place the tabletop upside down on yourworkbench.3. Draw an ellipse on the underside of thetabletop as described in the sidebar on p. 62,and cut out the ellipse using a jigsaw or cop-ing saw.4. Finish shaping the ellipse with a belt sanderheld against the edge or a sanding block with80-grit sandpaper.

Making the feet 1. Cut the feet to final length.2. Mark out the 1⁄2-in. mortises with a mortis-ing gauge, making sure the mortise is centeredon the foot, and cut them out with a mortisingmachine or chisel.3. Glue the footpads to the feet and allow theglue to cure overnight (see photo A).

V I N E Y A R D T A B L E 6 1

How Many Clamps?

The object of clamping is to put pressure on all of the

surfaces being glued. Imagine clamp pressure as radiating

45 degrees on either side from the point of application.

If the clamps are spaced too far apart, as shown in illustra-

tion “a” below, there may be little or no pressure at some

points on the glueline. Moving the outer clamps toward the

center, as shown in “b,” solves the problem in the middle

but creates new low-pressure areas near the edges. Some

woodworkers recommend springing the boards so they

meet at the ends but gap slightly in the center. The board

acts as a combination spring and caul, closing the gaps.

I prefer using enough clamps to provide pressure at all

points on the gluelines, as shown in “c.” In this example,

I needed five clamps to get enough pressure. With a panel

the same size and narrower boards, I would have needed

even more clamps.

No pressure

area

a b c

Low pressure

area

Good pressure

Overlap pressure

Not enough pressure

Good overlap pressure

in all areas

45° 45°


Drawing an Ellipse

Every ellipse has two foci, or focus points.

The sum of the distances to the two foci

is equal from any point on the ellipse.

Following this definition, you can lay out

an ellipse with two nails, a pencil, and a

piece of string. By varying the position

of the nails and the length of the string,

you can generate an infinite number

of ellipses.

To generate the ellipse for this table,

draw a 381⁄2-in. line on the underside of

the tabletop, centered along the long axis.

Place a small finishing nail at each end of

the line to mark the foci. Next, draw a line

crossing the center of the first line at right

angles. Mark a point 23 in. along this line—

this will be the end of the table’s short axis.

Take a piece of string about 100 in. long,

tie it in a loop, and put the loop around the

nails. Adjust the position of the knot so that

a pencil held against the taut string will hit

the point you’ve marked. (The loop of string,

once adjusted, should measure 981⁄2 in.)

Finally, draw the ellipse.

Hold the pencil here.As the pencil moves, the ellipse is formed.

String

Put small finishing nails at the two foci.

191/4"

46"

23"

60"

191/4"

90°

4. Enlarge the illustration below to full size orcreate a pattern of your own, then trace it ontothe feet.5. Using a bandsaw or coping saw, cut out thefeet, then plane, scrape, or sand the edgessmooth.

Making the legs 1. Cut both legs to final length.2. Mark out the mortises for the top and bot-tom stretchers, then cut these with a mortisingmachine or mortising chisel.3. At the top of each leg, lay out a 31⁄2-in.square. Draw diagonals between the corners to find the center of the square. Use a compassto draw a half-circle at the top of each leg (see photo B). 4. Mark the shoulders of the bottom tenons and use a table saw to establish theshoulder line.5. Using a tenon jig and the table saw, removethe tenon cheeks. Sneak up on the final widthso the tenons will fit snugly into the mortisesof the feet without binding.


Photo A: Clampacross the joints toregister the sides ofthe footpads withthe sides of the feet.

1 in. = 1 square

Foot

Cleat

Harp leg

PATTERNS FOR CURVED PARTS

6. Use a bandsaw or coping saw to cut out thehalf-circle.7. Sand the half-circle to shape using a sand-ing block with 80-grit paper. 8. Drill out a 3⁄4-in. dowel hole at the markedcenter, using a Forstner bit as shown in photo C (see Sources of Supply on p. 183).Don’t use a paddle or high-speed bit for thishole—you won’t get clean or accurate results.

Making the stretchers1. Cut the two stretchers to length.2. Find the center of the top edge for bothstretchers, then drill 1⁄2-in. holes 1 in. deep at both spots to accept the pivot dowels on the harp.3. Mark the shoulders on one end of a stretcher. Set a stop on your miter gauge, and cut the shoulders for all four tenons onyour table saw.4. Using a tenon jig, cut the tenons. Thetenons should fit snugly into the leg mortises.You don’t want a loose fit here, so sneak up on the fit until it’s just right.


Photo B: Mark the outside circlebefore drilling thepivot hole.

Photo C: Forstnerbits leave clean entryholes even in difficultwood. Back up theexit hole with a pieceof scrap so the exit is clean.


Using a Mortising Chisel

A mortising chisel is thicker than an ordinary chisel;

the extra thickness allows the chisel to self-jig once the

mortise is started. It also absorbs the stresses of mortising.

You can order the chisels, and the wooden mallet used

with them, by mail from specialty tool catalogs (see

Sources of Supply on p. 183).

Body positioning is the trick to successful use of a

mortising chisel. Just as you tune woodworking machinery,

you must also train your body to use hand tools.

Start by laying out the mortise with a marking gauge,

combination square, and marking knife. The knife lines

are important because they delineate the top and bottom

of the mortise. Clamp the workpiece to your bench so that

it’s on your right side if you’re right-handed or on your left

side if you’re left-handed. Position the chisel at the far end

of the mortise with the bevel facing you, and hold it

with your nondominant hand. Align your body with the

workpiece (see the top photo). If you do this correctly, the

chisel will be vertical.

Holding the wooden mallet in your dominant hand,

hit the chisel hard with a single whack. Don’t be shy and

tap-tap-tap on the chisel. The chisel should cut 1⁄8 in.

or more into the wood with each blow. Next, reposition

the chisel 1⁄8 in. closer to you and whack it again.

Pry the chisel toward you, and the chip between

the first and second cut will come out (see the bottom

photo). Keep working down the mortise until you get to

the near end.

Reverse the chisel so the bevel faces away from you,

then cut the other shoulder of the mortise square. Now

reverse the chisel to its original position and go back

to the far end of the mortise. Continue the mortising

operation until the mortise is deep enough. The width

of the chisel acts to jig the tool in the mortise that’s

already cut. If you position your body correctly, and you

aren’t shy about whacking the chisel, hand-mortising

can be very fast and accurate.

Making the harp The harp is assembled with lap joints that areglued but not screwed or pinned together.Cutting them can be complicated because theyare angled, but if you follow the sequence youwon’t have any trouble. As always, cut thejoinery while the workpieces are still square,then cut out the shapes.

1. Practice this joint on scrap wood first. Put adado set on your table saw, and using twopieces of scrap the same thickness as the harppieces, mark half the width on each of them.Raise the dado set so it just meets the half-width line, and make two cuts in the scrapusing a miter gauge (see photo E). Test thejoint, adjusting the height of the dado set untilyou achieve a perfect fit. Adjusting heightdynamically is much more accurate than try-ing to measure. Now that the scrap joint fits,you’re ready to cut your money joints. 2. Cut the two harp legs to length. 3. Rotate your miter gauge counterclockwise,setting it to a heavy 61 degrees. Set a stopblock on the miter gauge, and cut the shoul-der of the lap joint for the top joint on oneleg. Repeat the process for the second leg, then

Making the cleats 1. Mark the positions for the pivot holes.2. Mark the positions for the 13⁄8-in. radius circles.3. Either enlarge the illustration on p. 63 tofull size or make up your own shape, thenmark the pattern onto the cleats.4. With a 3⁄4-in. Forstner bit, drill out the pivot holes.5. Saw out the pattern using a bandsaw orcoping saw, getting as close as you dare to the line. Mill up to your lines using planes,scrapers, and sanding blocks with 80-gritsandpaper.6. Mark for and drill the four tabletop attach-ment screw holes on the cleat bottoms. Firstdrill the plug recesses 3⁄8 in. in diameter by 1⁄4 in. deep and 3 in. from each cleat end.Through the center of each recess, drill a hole1⁄8 in. in diameter all the way through the cleat,“wobbling out” the bottom slightly to allowfor seasonal wood movement (see the illustra-tion above). 7. Using a 3⁄8-in. plug cutter as shown in photo D, make four plugs from scrap.


Tip: For the harplegs, the two lapjoints are on thesame side. The twohalves of the harpare identical.

1/8" through hole (”wobbled out“for wood movement)

3/8" hole by 1/4" deep (plugged after installing screw)

SCREW HOLES FOR ATTACHING CLEATS TO TABLETOP

Photo D: If you cut your own plugs, you can match thegrain direction and make the plugs almost invisible. Clamp the stock to the drill-press table so the workpiecedoesn’t spin.

remove the stop block and cut out the wasteon both top joints.4. Rotate your miter gauge clockwise, settingit to a heavy 57 degrees. Set a stop block onthe miter gauge, and cut the shoulder of thelap joint for the bottom joint. Repeat for thesecond harp leg, then remove the stop blockand cut out the waste on both joints.5. Glue the two harp legs together whilethey’re still square.6. Now that the bottom joint is finished, markout and cut the harp shape. Enlarge the illus-tration on p. 63 to full size or make your owndesign and trace it onto the workpiece. Cutout the design using a bandsaw or coping saw.7. Make sure the shoulders of the two top lapsare perpendicular. Set the fence on your tablesaw so you just slightly trim the front shoul-der, then flip the harp and trim the other leg(see photo F).8. Measure across the top of the legs of theharp and cut the cross bar to final length. 9. The measurement for the two laps on thecross bar probably won’t be identical, sincebandsawing out the harp is not an accuratemethod of making symmetrical parts, so take ameasurement for one of the shoulders fromone leg of the harp using a combination


Photo E: Cut the joint slightlythick, then turn the practice pieceover to see the dif-ference between the blade and theremaining work.

Glue up the workpieces while they're still square. That way you can glue up across the joint, using the nibs to hold the clamps. The lines of the harpare purely decorative, so don't worry about making them exact. Your only concern is to fit the top bar accurately between the legs. Do this by trial.

HARP LAYOUT

square. Transfer it to one end of the cross bar,then repeat the procedure and transfer themeasurement to the other end of the cross bar.10. Set a stop on your miter gauge so that one shoulder on the cross bar is correctly positioned. Cut the shoulder using the dadoset (see photo G). Reset the stop for the sec-ond shoulder, then turn the workpiece aroundand upside down so that the cut you justmade faces up, and cut the second shoulder.Remove the stop and cut out the waste on the two joints.11. Mark the center of the bottom edge of thecross bar and drill a 1⁄2-in. hole there. Fit thathole with a 3-in. by 1⁄2-in. hardwood dowel andglue it in place. Fit the cross bar to the harpleg assembly with the dowel facing down andglue and clamp it.12. When the glue is dry, cut off the two topnibs using a handsaw. Sand the top flush withan 80-grit sanding block.


Tip: Once you’vedrilled the hole forthe dowel, the crossbar is no longersymmetrical.

Photo F: Run the harp against the fence andcut the top shoulders square.

Photo G: Fitting thebar into the openingbetween the legs istricky. It’s easiest tocut both shouldersuntil the bar just fits.Use paper shims tomicroadjust the stop.

Tip: Be sure to cutthe two lap jointson opposite sides ofthe harp cross bar.

13. To cut the bottom of the harp, run the toprail of the harp against the table-saw fence,cutting off the bottom. This ensures that thebottom is parallel with the top (see photo H). 14. Turn the harp upside down and find thecenter of the harp bottom. Drill a 1⁄2-in. holeinto the bottom and fit that hole with another3-in. by 1⁄2-in. hardwood dowel. Glue thedowel into place.

Assembling and Finishing Up

Sanding Sand the legs, feet, stretchers, cleats, tabletop,and harp to 220 grit, using a random-orbitsander on the flat surfaces and sanding blockson the curves. Start with a belt sander on thetabletop, using a 150-grit belt, then finish upwith the random-orbit sander. Break all of theedges using a sanding block so the edges arecomfortable to touch.

Assembling the trestle The top stretcher must be inserted through theharp before the trestle assembly is glued up. Ifyou forget, you won’t be able to get the harpon. As usual, doing a dry glue-up will preventproblems from arising when you’re gluing for real.

1. Assemble both leg structures dry to makesure everything fits together properly. Usewaxed paper between the leg and glue blocksso the blocks don’t stick to the leg, and dry-clamp the assembly to make sure you haveeverything in order.2. Spread PVA glue into the foot mortises onone leg structure and then onto the tenons on the leg. Insert the tenons, then clamp thestructure, making sure all the joints are tight.Repeat for the other leg structure. 3. Measure for square across the diagonals andcorrect any deviation.4. Spread glue into the four leg mortises andonto the stretcher tenons. Insert the stretcher


Photo H: Afteryou’ve glued thecross bar to the harpand cut off the nibs,run the cross baragainst the fence tocut the harp bottom.This ensures that thebottom is parallel to the cross bar.

Tip: Make sure the pivot holes on the stretchers are facing up.

Attaching the cleats to the tabletop With the trestle complete, you can fit thecleats to the underside of the tabletop. It iseasier and faster to do this dynamically than to try to measure them.

1. Set the trestle on the floor, and insert a 3-in. by 3⁄4-in. hardwood dowel through thehole in one of the cleats and into one of thelegs. The dowel should stand slightly proud ofthe surfaces. Cut it to correct length using ahandsaw, and chamfer the edges of the dowelsslightly using sandpaper or a chisel to makethem easy to insert. The dowels should besized to go in and out of the holes with fingerpressure. Sand them to size if needed.

tenons into one of the leg structures and ham-mer them home using a dead-blow hammer. 5. Place the harp, which is already assembled,through the top stretcher.6. Insert the tenons into the second leg andclamp the structure, using clamp blocks onboth sides of the exposed mortise to get goodclamp pressure. Make sure the trestle sitssquare on a flat surface. If it doesn’t, adjust the clamp pressure.7. Remove excess glue and allow the glue tocure overnight.8. Remove the clamps and, using a sharp chisel, chamfer the edges of the exposedtenons, which should show about 1⁄4 in. oneach side of the legs.


3/4"11/8"

13/8"

The thickness will vary depending upon the individual table.

1"

5’’

2’’

Countersunk screw holes

LEVELING BLOCKS

2. Attach the other cleat to the other leg.3. Turn the tabletop upside down onto yourworkbench, then put the trestle, with cleatsattached, upside down on the overturnedtabletop. Prop up the trestle so it doesn’t fallover. Center the trestle on the top.4. Predrill for screws and screw the cleats into the top, using 11⁄2-in. by #10 steel wood screws.5. Pull out the pivot dowels and remove thetrestle. Glue 3⁄8-in. wooden plugs into the screwholes. When the glue is dry, cut off the plugs,then level using a sharp chisel followed bysanding.

Adjusting the harp The harp should pivot on the dowels in theirholes, rather than resting on the stretchers.You can accomplish this by adjusting thelength of the dowels so that when they areseated in their holes they raise the harp slightly above the stretchers.

1. Mount the harp into the holes in thestretchers.2. Measure the distance between the harp and the stretchers and subtract 1⁄8 in. The correct dowel length between harp andstretchers is 1⁄8 in., so you’re cutting off theextra dowel length, leaving only the 1⁄8 in. 3. After taking the harp out of the holes, cut off the amount you calculated from both dowels. 4. Remount the harp. The harp should now be riding 1⁄8 in. above the stretchers.5. If the harp doesn’t swing freely, sand thedowels with 80-grit sandpaper on a sandingblock until it does.

Leveling the table The final step is to install the leveling blocksand level the tabletop in relation to the trestle.Rough dimensions for the leveling blocks aregiven in the illustration on the facing page,but the final dimensions should be calculateddynamically from the finished table.

1. Remount the trestle on the tabletop, whichshould still be upside down. 2. Pivot the harp so it is perpendicular to thelegs, and use shims to level the trestle untilthe two legs of the harp are equidistant fromthe bottom of the table. Measure that “levelingdistance,” which corresponds to the 1-in.measurement shown in the illustration on thefacing page. If your measured leveling distanceis greater than 1 in., add the difference to thethickness of the leveling block. If it is less than1 in., subtract that difference. 3. Make two leveling blocks at the calculatedthickness. Bandsaw out the slopes and sandthem smooth with 80-grit paper and a sand-ing block.4. To test the fit, flip the tabletop level, pivotthe harp open, and put the blocks into place.The blocks will be held in place for themoment by the pressure between the tabletopand harp. If the block is too thin, add a pieceof veneer or cardboard between it and thetable; if it’s too thick, plane off the bottom.5. Position the blocks and predrill for the two screws, making sure to countersink theheads. Then glue and screw the blocks to thebottom of the table with 11⁄2-in. by #10 steelwood screws.

Finishing Traditionally, vineyard tables were often unfinished, though some had oilcloth coversheld on with a strip of wood tacked to theedge. (If you see nail holes around the edge of an antique vineyard table, you’ll know what they were for.) A tung oil finish givesthis table a natural look while still protectingit from the elements. If you’ve made the tablefrom scrap or multiple species of wood, you might want to paint it. Milk paint (seeSources of Supply on p. 183) followed by oilwill create a period look. See appendix 1 onpp. 178–179 for details.


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Shopmade Marking Gauge

Simple but clever design makes this wide-fenced tool accurate and easy to use — by John Nesset

Bandsaw Tune-Up

In just a few steps you and make an old bandsaw run like new — by John White

Steel Wool vs. Abrasive Pads

Even with the advent of synthetics, there still is a place for old-fashioned steel wool — by Jeff Jewitt

Turbine HVLP Sprayers Keep Getting Better

We take a look at several high-volume, low-pressure turbine sprayers that sell for under $500 — by Chris A. Minick

Low-Angle Block Planes

A veteran woodworker reviews two of the eight models currently available — by Chris Gochnour

Cabinet-Saw Test

A review of 10 heavy-duty cabinet saws from Europe, North America and Taiwan — by Niall Barrett and Lon Schleining

Shop on the Go

A travel kit of carefully chosen tools keeps a veteran cabinetmaker at work away from home — by Mario Rodriguez

Micro-Adjustable Router Fence

Joiner's fence lets you creep up on a perfect fit — by Pat Warner

Dovetail Jig Review

Router jigs have their place, but don't expect them to duplicate hand-cut joints — by Gary Rogowski

Midsized Plunge Routers

A hands-on review of eight routers in the 2-hp class — by Tom Begnal


Contractor Saw Tune-up Adjust a saw for perfect rips and crosscuts — with Roland Johnson

Tablesaw Tapering Jig Adjustability, safety, and ease of use are key elements of this shopmade sled — with Richard Beebe

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An Adjustable Circle-Cutting Jig for Routers

You can cut perfect circles up to 72 inches in diameter with this jig made from plywood — with Yeung Chan

A Planer Sled for Milling Lumber

Use your thickness planer in place of a jointer to flatten wide boards — with Keith Rust

Listening to Tools

The sounds your tools make can tell you a lot about how they're working — with John White A Safer Tablesaw

As one company prepares to take its safety-centered cabinet saw to the mass market, here's a look back at an early demonstration of the technology — by the editors of Fine Woodworking Cove Angle Calculator

A few quick keystrokes yield tablesaw-blade and fence-angle settings — by Stuart Sabol Black & Decker Acquires Pentair's Tools Division

Both buyer and seller stress a positive outlook on the pending sale — by William Duckworth World Wide Woodworking

An online portfolio can provide a virtual window into your woodshop — by Darrell Peart Transatlantic Planing

Editor takes a course with David Charlesworth in a remote English village — by Mark Schofield A Revolution in Turning Technology

Modern tools cut through conventional wisdom, opening up the craft — by Howard Lewin Why a Combination Machine Works for Me

A veteran woodworker explains what changed his mind about combination machines and why he's still happy with his seven years later — by Tony O'Malley Squaring Up a Square

An edged needle file is all you need for tuning up a combination square — by Steve Latta Making Three-Phase Machines Work in a One-Phase Shop

Most heavy machinery is designed to be run on three-phase electrical power, but a number of options are available to get the tools running in your one-phase home shop — by John White A Classic Bowsaw (online exclusive)

This low-tech tool still has appeal — by Tom Begnal Craftsman Mini-T Compact Drill (online exclusive)

In tight spots, it might just be the ticket — by Tom Begnal














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King Heiple's Shop-Built Jig

Build your own sharpening jig with these plans by Fine Woodworking author King Heiple A Tool for Perfect Mortises

This router template is quick to make and easy to use for accurate mortises every time — by Gary Rogowski Clamp-It Assembly Square (online exclusive)

Clamped to a case, it helps keep the "right" in right angles — by Tom Begnal Radius Cutting with a Router Template (online exclusive)

Gadget helps round over square corners — by Tom Begnal Micro-Adjustable Router Fence: Parts List (online extra)

A parts list for readers who want to build the fence described in Pat Warner's "Micro-Adjustable Router Fence" in the September/October 2000 issue of Fine Woodworking magazine. — by Pat Warner SawStop Finger-Saver Update (online exclusive)

Safer tablesaws and bandsaws might soon be an option — by Tom Begnal Cordless Brad-Nailer from Porter-Cable (online exclusive)

Mini-compressor maximizes convenience — by Tom Begnal Jumbo Clamp Pad (online exclusive)

Aftermarket add-on is simple and effective — by Tom Begnal Bosch Improves Dust Collection on Random-Orbit Sanders (online exclusive)

Unique microfilter keeps fine dust out of the air — by Tom Begnal Miller's Reproduction Plane (online exclusive)

There's nothing plain about this plane — by Tom Begnal Parts for Chisel Plane

A complete parts list for the wooden chisel plane featured in Norm Pollack's article in the March/April 2001 issue of Fine Woodworking (#148) Using Card Scrapers

The scraper can replace a stack of sandpaper — by Phil Lowe The Peerless Tool Chest of H. O. Studley

This masterful tool chest stands as an extraordinary example of 19th-century craftsmanship — by Lon Schleining Why Tablesaw Blades Get Dull

Identifying the common culprits can help you postpone your next trip to the resharpening shop — by Tom Begnal Setting Bandsaw Blade Tension

Learn to set your bandsaw's tension to ensure cuts that are straight and even — by Lonnie Bird Fixed-Base Routers

An introduction to a popular and useful tool — by Pat Warner








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Router-Bit Matchup

We put 17 brands of straight bits to the test — by Anatole Burkin Routers for Router Tables

Choose a fixed-base model over a plunge router — by Patrick Warner Jigsaws

In this excerpt from his new book, Power Tools, Sandor Nagyszalanczy examines a variety of jigsaws and their accessories — by Sandor Nagyszalanczy





























Making an End Table


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From the pages of Fine Woodworking Magazine Making an End Table The beauty of this Arts-and-Crafts design is in the details by Stephen Lamont About 10 years ago, I began to tire of my job as a corporate pilot. The work was challenging and enjoyable, but the time away from home put a strain on my family. The job was becoming more technical, too. Temperamentally, I've always been more of a craftsman than a technician.

This end table is solidly constructed and meticulously detailed. It should last generations.

After considerable soul-searching, I decided to become a furnituremaker. I wanted a solid foundation of basic skills, so I went to England where I trained with Chris Faulkner. He emphasized developing hand-tool skills and building simple, comfortable furniture that asked to be used--a basic tenet of the British Arts-and-Crafts movement. My preferences to this day are for this kind of furniture and for the use of hand tools whenever their use will make a difference. About two years ago, I designed and built this end table. Although it's an original design, many details come from other pieces of furniture in the British Arts-and-Crafts tradition. The joinery is mortise-and-tenon and dovetail throughout.

Joinery Details Carving a Lamb's Tongue

Tables Anthony Guidice presents plans and instructions for building ten classic tables Dining Tables From Kim Carleton Graves, plans and instructions for building nine tables Traditional Furniture Projects 25 articles from Fine Woodworking magazine on the construction of fine period pieces






























Making an End Table

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The construction of the table can be divided into five main steps: stock preparation and panel glue-up; making the front and rear leg assemblies; connecting these two assemblies (including making the shelf and its frame); making and fitting the drawer; and making and attaching the top. Stock selection, preparation and layout I milled all the stock for this table to within 1/16 in. of final thickness and width. I also glued up the tabletop, the shelf and the drawer bottom right away to give them time to move a bit before planing them to final thickness. This helps ensure they'll stay flat in the finished piece. With these three panels in clamps, I dimensioned the rest of the parts to a hair over final thickness. I finish-planed them by hand just before marking out any joinery.

Keeping track of the legs is easier when they're numbered on top, clockwise from the front left. This system helps prevent layout errors.

Making the front and rear assemblies Layout began with the legs. I numbered them clockwise around the perimeter, beginning with the left front as I faced the piece, writing the numbers on the tops of the legs. This system tells me where each leg goes, which end of a leg is up and which face is which. Dovetailing the top rail into the front legs -- The dovetails that connect the top rail to the front legs taper slightly top to bottom. I used the narrower bottom of the dovetail to lay out the sockets in the legs. The slight taper ensures a snug fit. Don't make the dovetails too large, or you'll weaken the legs.
















Making an End Table

Scribing the socket from the bottom of the slightly tapered dovetail ensures a good fit in the leg.

A hand screw prevents a leg from splitting if the top-rail dovetail is too big. The fit should be snug but not tight.

After I marked, cut and chopped out the sockets, I tested the fit of these dovetails. By using clamping pads and hand screws across the joint, I eliminated the possibility of splitting the leg. The dovetail should fit snugly but not tightly. Pare the socket, if necessary, until you have a good fit. Tapering and mortising the legs -- I tapered the two inside faces of each leg, beginning 4-1/2 in. down from the top. I removed most of the waste on the jointer and finished the job with a handplane. The tapers must be flat. To avoid planing over a penciled reference line at the top of the taper, I drew hash marks across it. With each stroke of the plane, the lines got shorter. That let me know how close I was getting. I cut the mortises for this table on a hollow-chisel mortiser. It's quick, and it keeps all the mortises consistent. I made


Making an End Table

sure all mortises that could be cut with one setting were done at the same time, even if I didn't need the components right away.

Joinery details


Tenoning the aprons and drawer rail -- I tenoned the sides, back and lower drawer rail on the tablesaw, using a double-blade tenoning setup. It takes a little time to get the cut right, but once a test piece fits, tenoning takes just a few minutes. After I cut the tenon cheeks on the tablesaw, I bandsawed just shy of the tenon shoulders and then pared to the line. One wide apron tenon would have meant a very long mortise, weakening the leg. Instead, I divided the wide tenon into two small tenons separated by a stub tenon. That left plenty of glue-surface area without a big hole in the leg. Mortising for runners, kickers and buttons -- The drawer rides on runners that are mortised into the lower front rail and the back apron. Similarly, the kickers at the tops of the side aprons, which prevent the drawer from drooping when open, are mortised into the top front rail and the back apron. I cut the 1/4-in.-wide mortises for the runner and kicker tenons on the back edge of both drawer rails and on the back apron. There are eight mortises for the drawer runners and kickers. Another seven mortises of the same size are for the buttons that attach the top to the table's base--three on the back apron and two on each kicker. I also cut grooves for the dust panel at this time. The 1/4-in.-thick panel is set into the frame of the table just below the drawer. It's a nice touch, even if it's not needed structurally. I cut the grooves for the panel into the bottom of the back apron and into the back of the drawer rail. (I cut the dust-panel grooves in the drawer runners later.) Then I made a test-fit with a scrap of the same 1/4-in. cherry plywood used for the panel.


Making an End Table

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Building a Humidor Maintaining tropical humidity in a box takes precise joinery and Spanish cedar — by Rick Allyn


Building a Sleigh Bed

Sensuous curves and well-chosen details enhance a simple design — by Chris Becksvoort Building Fireplace Mantels: Simple Federal Mantel Plans for a project that shows elegant proportion, restraint, and balance...and it can be built in a weekend — by Mario Rodriguez Vineyard Table

Complete plans for a trestle table with a twist — by Kim Carleton Graves Making an End Table

The beauty of this Arts-and-Crafts design is in the details — by Stephen Lamont In the Modern Style: A Stylish Credenza

Symmetry and subtle shadow lines give this maple and yellow satinwood office credenza a dynamic visual rhythm — by Patrick Warner

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Building Fireplace Mantels: Simple Federal Mantel


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Excerpted from Building Fireplace Mantels Building Fireplace Mantels: Simple Federal Mantel Plans for a project that shows elegant proportion, restraint, and balance...and it can be built in a weekend by Mario Rodriguez

Open or download the 15-page PDF file below for a Simple Federal Mantel. (Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF files.) SimpleFederalMantel.pdf


56K modem)

The building of fireplace mantels is fast becoming one of the most popular home renovation projects in the country. The attractive and distinctive fireplace mantels in this book will inspire you to build your own. Ten projects reflect all the popular home styles from Colonial to Arts and Crafts and Contemporary. In this excerpt, Mario Rodriguez provides complete plans for building a federal mantel, a common style in 19th-century farmhouses. Rodriguez takes you through the steps of choosing the materials, priming the parts, installation, and painting. The mantel is structurally straightforward and can easily be built in a weekend. Mario Rodriguez, a professional woodworker for 20 years, teaches woodworking at Fashion Institute of Technology. A contributing editor of Fine Woodworking magazine, he is the author of Traditional Woodwork. Photos: Bruce Buck and Mario Rodriguez; drawings: Ron Carboni From Building Fireplace Mantels, pp. 50-63

Dining Tables Plans and complete instructions for building nine tables Chests of Drawers Plans and instructions for seven classic chests of drawers Built-In Furniture Design solutions and strategies for creating functional, delightful built-ins









































Building Fireplace Mantels: Simple Federal Mantel

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Fireplace Mantelsby Mario Rodriguez

Copyright 2002 by The Taunton Press

www.taunton.com

This mantel is typical of those

found in many rural farm-

houses in the early 19th century.

Almost always made of wood and

painted, the style was taken directly

from classical architecture and imitated

the design of basic shelter: columns

supporting a beam and roof. The simple

moldings and joinery indicate that it

could have been built by a local carpen-

ter instead of by a furniture joiner. But

its simplicity doesn’t diminish its appeal

in any way. The mantel’s flat relief and

plain treatment perfectly frame the

Federal-period hearth opening and pro-

vide a focal point for the display of

family possessions and a backdrop for

social gatherings and important events.

The mantel’s design shows elegant pro-

portion, restraint, and balance. And the

simple moldings cast bold shadows that

highlight its timeless appeal.

The federal mantel is structurally

straightforward and can easily be built

in a weekend. Three boards joined

together with biscuits form the founda-

tion, which is fastened to the wall.

Plinth blocks (doubled-up 1-by stock)

support the plain vertical pilasters,

which support the horizontal archi-

trave. Add a few moldings and the

mantel shelf, and you’re ready to paint.

Simple FederalMantel

5 1

5 2 S I M P L E F E D E R A L M A N T E L

Simple Federal MantelPROVING THAT SIMPLICITY DOESN’T PRECLUDE ELEGANCE, this mantel design is anchored by ideal propor-tions and perfect symmetry with the brick firebox opening it adorns. Built with readily available materials andmoldings, it’s easy to build as well.

52"

3⁄4"

79"3⁄4“ x 3⁄4" cove molding

111⁄2"

71"

1"

8"

12"

111⁄2"

311⁄2"71⁄4"pilaster

9" plinth

Foundation boards

31"Firebox opening

Architrave

3⁄4" x 51⁄4" mantel shelf

42"

3⁄4" x 11⁄4"side cap

FRONT VIEW

Begin by preassembling the foundationboard and laminating the plinth blocks,

you can move directly to installation. I choseto preassemble some of the molding ele-ments as well.

The FoundationBoardThe foundation board is the backdrop of themantel. It provides a flat surface for the mantelproper, and bridges any gaps or irregularitiesbetween the masonry and the adjacent wallsurface, while exposing only the neatest brick-work. The mantel foundation was designed

with the lintel section fitting between thecolumns. That way the mantel parts wouldoverlap the foundation joints, making thewhole construction stronger.1. Cut the two columns and lintel that willform the foundation. The firebox opening inthis project is 32 in. high by 42 in. across, andan even course of bricks is left exposed aroundthe sides and top. Using a 14-in.-wide lintel(horizontal section) and 101⁄2-in.-wide columns(vertical sections) produced the balanced pro-portions that form the basis for the mantel’sdesign. You should adjust these dimensionsbased on the size of your firebox opening.

S I M P L E F E D E R A L M A N T E L 5 3

Building the Mantel Step-by-Step

Choosing Materials

During the 19th century, pine was abundant

and readily available, and carpenters used it

for most interior trim, including fireplace man-

tels. So a meticulous reproduction would

require large, wide boards of clear pine.

However, the use of solid pine for this project

would present problems (besides price) for the

modern woodworker that 19th-century car-

penters weren’t concerned with.

At that time houses weren’t insulated, so

warm and cold air passed through the struc-

ture freely. In a particular room, it wasn’t

unusual to experience surprising differences

in temperature. With a fire blazing in the

hearth, the warmest spot in the room would

have been a seat in front of it, while other

areas of the same room might be as much as

15º colder. These conditions surely played

havoc with human comfort but spared furnish-

ings and interior woodwork from drastic

changes in temperature and humidity. In a

modern ultra-insulated home, wood is sub-

jected to extremes of temperature and relative

humidity created by efficient central heating

and air-conditioning. The use of wide, solid

boards and true period construction methods

in a modern home would probably cause

unsightly checking and splitting. Miters would

likely open up, and flat sections would cup.

A better approach for today’s woodworker

would be to construct this mantel using

lumbercore plywood instead of solid wood.

I used 3⁄4-in. lumbercore plywood for every-

thing except the plinth blocks and the mold-

ings. (See chapter 1, pp. 9–12, for a detailed

discussion of materials.)

more stable block, plus it made good use of scrap material I had on hand.1. Cut the plinth block pieces slightly oversize.2. Saw or rout two grooves into the back faceof each piece, about 11⁄2 in. from the edges.3. Fit a spline into each groove, and glue themating surfaces together.

Cutting the parts to size1. Arrange the main mantel parts (pilasters,architrave, and plinths) on the foundation.2. Center the parts and cut them to length.3. Cut biscuit joints to align the top of thepilasters to the architrave.4. Cut the plinth blocks to size. (Dependingon the condition of the hearth, you may wantto leave the plinth blocks a little long so theycan be scribed to the hearth at installation.)

Selecting the moldingsI purchased stock moldings from the localbuilding supplier. The simple profiles I neededwere readily available, in quantity. By choosing

2. Lay out and cut biscuit joints to connectthe lintel to the columns—three or four #2 bis-cuits should do the job.3. Glue up the foundation assembly, makingsure the columns are square to the lintel.When the assembly is dry, remove the clamps;but before moving it, attach two support battens across the front. The battens reinforcethe joints, maintain the dimensions of thefoundation opening, and keep it flat duringinstallation.

The Plinth,Pilasters, andArchitrave

Laminating the plinth blocksThe plinth blocks at the base of the pilastersare made with two pieces of 3⁄4-in.-thick solidpine laminated face-to-face. The net 11⁄2-in.thickness is needed to support the pilaster andthe plinth molding. You could use a chunk of2-by stock, but the approach here resulted in a


Tip: You’d thinkpieces of moldingstock at a lumberstore are all identi-cal. But if there arepieces from differentbatches, there couldbe slight differences,which will result inmiters that don’tline up perfectly. Toavoid this, I try tocut all my miteredpieces from thesame length of stockso there’s no doubtthat the profile isthe same on all the pieces.

Join the foundationboards with a coupleof biscuit slots.

available profiles instead of choosing special-order profiles, I could pick through the inven-tory and select the straightest and cleanestmaterial.

There were three distinct profiles I needed:a large and simple cove for the cornice mold-ing, an ogee with fillet for the torus molding(at the base of the pilaster), and a large ogeewith quirk (space or reveal) for the capitalmolding. These last two moldings are bothsold typically as “base cap” profiles.

Priming the partsTo achieve an attractive painted surface, thewood components must be carefully prepared.This involves filling any holes and dents andrepairing cracks. I do some of this after instal-lation, but it’s easier to do a first go-over now.Also, on this mantel I primed the moldingsbefore cutting and fitting them to the mantel.1. Fill any holes, dents, split seams, tearout,or cracks in your material with a water-basedwood filler. On lumbercore plywood, I usuallyapply filler on the exposed edges, paying par-


Laminating twopieces yields a morestable plinth block. Apair of splines keepsthe pieces from slid-ing around whenclamping up.

The flexible blade on a good-quality putty knife will fill any voids in thematerial and not further mar the surface.

It can be applied with either a brush or aroller. The primer fills and levels the wood andraises the grain slightly.4. When the primer dries, look for any flawsthat might have been missed the first timearound, and fill them. Apply a second thinnedcoat of primer, and when dry sand again with150-grit to 180-grit paper. Now the surface isready for paint.

Installing the Mantel

Anchoring the foundationUnless your walls are flat and plumb and youcan determine the location of the studsbehind, attach furring strips to the wall first,then attach the foundation to the strips. Thatway the principal method of attachment, nomatter what you choose, will eventually behidden by the mantel parts. In this case thebrick masonry surrounding the opening was 1⁄2 in. higher than the surrounding plaster wall.In order to make up this difference and givemyself a tiny margin, I cut my furring strips to5⁄8-in. thickness.

ticular attention to the finger joints where thesolid material was spliced.2. When the filler is dry, I use a medium-grit(120 to 150) sandpaper to remove any excessand then level the surface.3. Clean off the filled and sanded boards witha tack rag, then apply a water-based paintprimer. For a fluid coating that lays downnicely, I thinned the primer about 20 percent.


Use a large half-sheet sander or a sandingblock to level any primed surfaces. Breaksquare edges slightly but don’t round themover too much.

Tip: If a water-basedfiller dries up, youcan easily rehydrateit with a little tapwater. You can evenchange the consis-tency if you prefer a thinner filler.

The finger joints, visible on the edges of the lumbercore, should befilled and sanded before you attach the parts to the mantel.

All moldings should be filled, primed, and sanded for the best appearance.

1. Attach furring strips to the wall. The fur-ring strips can be secured with lead anchors,masonry screws, or cut nails.2. Position the foundation against the wall,and center it on the opening.3. Check the foundation for plumb and level,then screw it to the furring strips with #8wood screws. Locate the fasteners so they’ll becovered over by the other mantel parts later.

Building up the mantel With the foundation securely in place, you canapply the next layer of mantel parts. Workingfrom the bottom up may seem more logical,but I worked from the top down and scribedthe plinth blocks to the floor last.1. Attach the architrave to the foundation with11⁄4-in. screws. Make sure the top edge is even


Furring strips, shimmed plumb as needed and attached to the wall surface, provide good solid support for the foundation. Use the appropriate fastener based on the wall material.

This detail shows the capital molding that caps the pilasters.

Position the braced foundation against thefurring strips. Make sure it’s plumb and lev-eled, then screw it to the strips with #8 by 11⁄2-in. wood screws.

with the foundation board and that the spacesat the ends are equal.2. Position the pilasters under the architrave,and add the biscuits and glue to reinforce thejoint. Secure the pilasters to the foundationwith 11⁄4-in. screws. Locate the screws at thebottom and top of the pilasters, where they’llbe covered over with the capital and torusmoldings.3. Fit the plinth blocks. Once the pilasters arein place, measure the remaining space for theplinth blocks. On both sides of this mantelthere was a small discrepancy between thewood floor and the slightly raised brick of thehearth. So I scribed the ends of the plinths tofit, made the cut with a jigsaw, and attachedthem to the foundation with countersunk trim screws.


Trim screwsplaced behind

capital molding band

FoundationArchitrave/pilasterseam is concealed

Capitalmolding

Pilaster

ARCHITRAVE-PILASTER JOINT

The capital band (molding set at the top of the pilasters) is placedover the trim screws attaching the pilaster to the foundation.

With the architrave in place, set the pilasters,using biscuits for alignment and added strength.


Mantelfoundation

Laminatedplinth block

Torusmolding

Pilaster

Furringstrips

PLINTH

The torus band (molding set at the bottom of the pilasters) creates a pleasing transitionfrom the plinth block to the pilaster and helps to visually anchor the mantel.

Blocking for the cove moldingIn order to provide a stable bed for the cornicemolding, I made up some blocks to be placedalong the top edge of the frieze and under themantel shelf. The 45-degree face of these blockssupported the cornice molding at a consistentangle and ensured that the miters would lineup properly. To support the small return sec-tions of the cornice, I added a small piece ofwood to the back of the angled blocking.1. Saw the cove blocking from a piece of 2-bystock. Make sure the angle of the blocking


After the plinthblocks are scribed tothe hearth, screwthem to the founda-tion with trim screws.

21⁄4" cove molding

3⁄4" x 51⁄4" mantel shelf 3⁄4" lumbercore plywood

Furringstrip

Wall

Foundation

Architrave

Cove blocking

DETAIL OF CORNICE/ARCHITRAVE

The cornice blocks, set under the mantel shelf and screwed to the architrave,provide support for the cornice molding. Together the blocking and cornicesupport the mantel shelf.


A small block is glued to the angled cove blocking. This supports thecornice molding return piece.

Screw angled cornice blocks along the topedge of the architrave.

Preassembled Molding Bands

On any project, moldings attract my attention. I always look to see

whether the profile matches up and wraps around the corner

cleanly. And of course, I like to see tight miters. If you’re laying

down the molding as you go, this is sometimes difficult to

achieve. To make the job easier, I often build my bands first and

then attach them to the mantel.

By mitering, gluing, and nailing the bands together first, you

can coax tight joints at the corners, allow them to dry, and then

fill and sand them. All of this critical work is a lot easier if you

can freely adjust the molding band. In addition, once the band

is dry, it will flex slightly and conform to its position on the

mantel—while the miter remains tight. And the constructed band

will stay in place with fewer nails than if it were laid up one piece

at a time.

I cut the sections on a miter saw to within 1⁄32 in., then I plane

them to fit with a low-angle block plane. When I’m satisfied with

the fit, I glue the miters and nail them together with a pin nailer. I

use a fixed block as a guide to assemble the pieces.

A preassembled band of molding can be gentlycoaxed into place—while the miter remains tight.

face matches the angle of the cove moldingyou’re using.2. Attach the cove blocking through predrilledholes with trim-head screws.

The Moldings andMantel ShelfThe conventional approach to installing mold-ings is to work your way around the mantelfrom one side to the other, fitting one piece tothe next. (For an alternate approach, see “Pre-assembled Molding Bands” on p. 61.)

The mantel shelfIn the 18th and 19th centuries, woodwork wasattached to the studs, then the walls were plas-tered, with the woodwork acting as a gauge orstop. The finish coat of plaster was thenbrought up to the woodwork. This methodproduced an interesting junction where thewoodwork and plaster met that was soft andeasy on the eye. But today’s woodworkers andfinish carpenters scribe their work to conformto the walls.1. Set a compass to the width of the widestgap between the straight edge of the shelf andthe wall.2. With the pin leg of the compass restingagainst the wall and the pencil leg on the man-tel shelf, pull the compass along the wall andshelf. This will result in a pencil line on theshelf that will mimic the wall surface.3. Cut along the pencil line, then use a planeor rasp for final fitting.

The cove moldingI cut the cove molding on a miter saw outfit-ted with a special support carriage to hold themolding at the correct angle.1. Cut the cove molding to fit.2. Nail the cove to the cove blocks and mantelshelf with finish nails. Add some glue to themiters to help hold the joints closed.3. When cutting the short return miter, makethe 45-degree cut on a longer piece, then makethe square cut to release the return from thelonger stock.


This detail shows the plinth with the torus molding.

After setting the legs of the compass to the widest gapbetween the mantel shelf and the wall, drag the compassalong the length of the shelf. Here the mantel shelf is stilloversize, so the scribed amount is a full inch larger thanthe widest gap.

The capital and torus moldings1. Cut and fit these moldings around thepilasters.2. Use a finish nailer for the long pieces and apin nailer (or just glue) for the short returns.3. Cut the side cap molding, and nail it to theedge of the foundation board. If necessary,scribe it to fit cleanly against the wall.

Painting the Mantel

Final preparationsWith the mantel primed, sanded, and installed,there might be small gaps where the varioussections of the mantel meet. Although they don’tappear unsightly now, these gaps will standout later and will work against a clean andunified appearance when the mantel is painted.1. Fill any exposed screw or nail holes with putty.2. Use a high-quality water-based caulk(Phenoseal® brand takes paint beautifully) inan applicator gun to apply a small continuousbead anywhere there is a gap. Within minutesof applying the caulk, wipe away any excesswith a damp rag.

Applying finish coatsI used a water-based latex paint for the finalcoating of the mantel. For a project like this, Idon’t think oil-based paint offers any greatadvantages. I wanted a smooth surface withjust a hint of brush marks that would imitatethe finish on period woodwork.

The secret to a good job is to take yourtime, so I decided to apply the paint in severallight coats. A thin coat levels nicely and driesmore quickly and completely than a singleheavy coat. I thinned out the paint about 20 percent and used a good-quality 2-in. syn-thetic brush. I started on the edges, then didthe inside corners, and finished up with thelarge flat areas. Wait until each coat is thor-oughly dry before proceeding with the nextcoat. The whole mantel required three coats of paint and a couple of 15-minute touchupsessions.


The finish coat of paintshould be applied in several thin layers. Athin coat of paint willlevel out nicely and dryquickly.

Nail on the capital molding with a pin nailer. Don’t try to nail the miteror the wood may split.



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From the pages of Fine Woodworking Magazine Building a Sleigh Bed Sensuous curves and well-chosen details enhance a simple design by Chris Becksvoort

Photo: Dennis Griggs

I've been building furniture full-time for 21 years and have made more than 1,000 pieces, including dozens of beds. But until recently I had never built a sleigh bed. So when a friend and long-time customer asked me to build one for her, I had some research to do. The nicest one I found was designed and built by William Turner and featured in FWW #91 (pp. 46-51). To my eye, it was all a sleigh bed should be. It had classic lines, style, grace. The only problem was that it took 1,200 hours to build. My client's budget dictated that the bed be built in less than 100 hours. So I had to capture the essence of a sleigh bed, but build it efficiently.

Plan for the sleigh bed


The design work was left to me, with just a few stipulations: The bed was to be queen size, and both headboard and footboard were to be 54 in. high. I worked out several sketches for the post profiles, finally settling on this

one. Along with twin bands of cove-and-bead molding that ring the bed and rosettes at the top of each post, this profile gave the bed the classic look I wanted. I saved time on this bed by using flat panels for the headboard and footboard, rather than coopering a curved panel or using a tambour. Also, instead of carving the rosettes, I turned them (see Turning rosettes). It took less than an hour and a half. The bed is a very simple construction. The headboard and footboard assemblies are joined to a pair of thick rails with knockdown fasteners. These assemblies are each made up of two posts into which are tenoned a turned crest rail and a flat lower rail. A single large panel floats in grooves in both posts and in the crest and lower rails.

A template speeds fabrication of posts The crest rails had to be 61-1/2 in. long, but my lathe's capacity is only 39 in. So I farmed them out to a local millwork shop where I used to work. While I was at the shop, I ordered eight 8-ft.-long pieces of cove-and-bead molding.

Turning rosettes

The Shaker Legacy An extensive visual tour of more than 140 classic Shaker pieces Beds Nine attractive bed projects accessible to woodworkers of any skill level Beds and Bedroom Furniture From Fine Woodworking magazine, 23 articles on bedroom furniture in a variety of styles Fine Woodworking on Chairs and Beds From Fine Woodworking's classic black-and-white era, 33 articles on chairs, stools, rockers, sofas, cribs and beds










































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Bandsaw the post profile. Stay outside of the line; what remains can be routed or sanded. An outfeed table attached to the author's bandsaw makes maneuvering the large blank much easier.

I glued up the posts and rails from 8/4 stock (about 120 bd. ft., including waste) and then planed the eight planks to a bit more than 1-1/2 in. thick. I bandsawed a pattern from 3/8-in. plywood and carefully sanded the edges so that all the curves were smooth and fair. I transferred the post profile to the blanks and then bandsawed the posts, staying about 1/16 in. back from the line. I bored 3/32-in. holes through the centers of all four crest circles and all four foot circles on the drill press. These holes were essential in indexing both the pattern and the rosette and in drilling the crest-rail mortise hole. On the finished bed, the top holes were covered by the crest rail and rosettes; the holes in the feet were plugged.

Use a flush-cutting, bearing-guided bit and a template to rout the profile. Rout with the grain to avoid tearout. For sections where you can't rout with the grain, flip the post over, and reattach the template to the other side. Rounded areas at top and bottom are smoothed on a sander.

With the shape of the posts roughly bandsawn, it was time to template rout the posts to final shape -- that is, attach the pattern to the posts and follow the template with a router and a flush-cutting, bearing-guided bit. Sounds good in theory, but there were a few problems. First, as with planing, you shouldn't rout into the grain. That meant having to make all downhill cuts on one side, switch the pattern to the other side of each post, and make the downhill cuts from that side. I penciled arrows onto the wood to indicate stop and start points for the bit. I also discovered that a 1-1/2-in. flush-cutting bit starts to burn after only a few minutes of chewing its way through 1-1/2-in.-thick cherry. After seeing this on the first leg, I changed tactics. I sanded all the convex curves I could reach, including the crest and foot circles, using a stationary disc sander and a belt sander with an 80-grit belt. For the straight portion of each post, where the side rail meets the post, I ran the post over the jointer. As a result, the router had only half as much work, and the bit burned a lot less. On tight, inside corners, where the circles meet the curves, I used chisels, gouges and files to get a neat transition. Then the real fun started. All the edges of all four posts had to be sanded to 320-grit. I used a belt sander and a block plane here and there, but for the most part, it was burned fingertips. Incidentally, the 80-grit disc sander marks were easier to sand out than the router burns. Laying out and cutting mortises The next step was to decide which side of each post was going to be the face. I marked the faces with a pencil and then drilled a 1/2-in.-deep, 2-in.-wide hole on the inside center of each of the crest-rail circles. These holes matched








the tenons turned on the ends of the two crest rails.

Joinery details


I then laid out the mortises for the lower head and foot rails. I offset the mortises to give more strength to the outside wall of the mortise. This gave me 1/2 in. of wood from the outside of the post to the mortise, a 3/4-in.-wide mortise, and still allowed the rail to have a 1/4-in.-wide shoulder on the inside. I routed the mortises using a fixture that has two parallel fences with pieces connecting them. The distance between the fences is the diameter of the router base. For ease of operation, I used two routers. The first, with a 5/8-in.-dia. bit, made three passes to achieve the mortise's full 1-1/4 in. depth. With the second router, I used a 3/4-in.-dia. bit to take the mortise to its full width. When all four mortises were routed, it was time to cut the end rails to length. Because this is a queen-size bed, I allowed 60-1/2 in. between the posts. With the addition of a 1-1/4-in. tenon on either end, that brought the total rail length to 63 in. I cut the rails to length and then cut the tenons (remember, they're offset -- a 1/2-in. shoulder on the outside and a 1/4-in. shoulder on the inside), leaving 1-1/2-in. shoulders at the top and bottom for an overall tenon width of 9 in. I rounded the ends of the tenons with a knife, so they would conform to the routed mortises in the posts. Then I dry-fitted the rails in the mortises. Be sure that the rails are flush with or slightly in from the posts. It's much easier to take a little off the back of the post than it is to sand down the whole rail. Build a box to groove the crest rail -- I needed to cut 3/4-in.-wide by 1-1/2-in.-deep grooves at 10° along the entire length of both round crest rails to accept the headboard and footboard panels. This required some creative thinking. My solution was to drill centered 1/2-in.-deep by 2-in.-dia. mortises in two 4-in.-sq. end caps and slip the caps over the tenons on the crest rail. I set the whole thing flat on the tablesaw and outfeed table and connected the end caps with two pieces of scrap -- one on the side to run against the fence and another on the top to keep the jig from racking. Screws through the end caps keep the crest rail from rotating while being cut. Remember to keep screws away from the area being grooved. I laid out the location of the groove on the end cap, put the 3/4-in. dado set on the saw and adjusted its height and angle. I set the fence to align with the marking on the end cap and ran the entire unit through the blade. Only one end cap had to be removed to repeat the operation with the second crest rail. With the dado in place and already tilted, I cut the identical groove in the tops of the head and foot rails. Remember that head and foot panels tilt out from the bottom rails and, unlike the crest rails, cannot be reversed. Think before you cut.



A two-sided box with end caps holds the crest rail at a fixed angle to the blade and provides a flat surface to run against the fence.

Tenons on the ends of the crest rail fit snugly in mortises in the end caps, which are screwed to the crest rail and to the two sides of the box.

Sized stick provides layout lines for head- and footboard panels -- The next trick is to lay out the grooves for the headboard and footboard panels on the inside faces of the posts. To do this, I used a stick to align the grooves that were already in the crest and lower rails. I set one of the posts face down on a pair of low sawhorses and placed both the lower rail and crest rail in position. The top outside edge of the lower rail should meet the junction of the curved and the flat back sections of the post. This is essential if the molding is to align all the way around the bed. I placed a straight stick, precisely 3/4 in. wide and about 29 in. long, into the crest rail groove and turned the crest rail until I could drop the stick into the groove in the bottom rail. Perfect alignment. I marked the post on both sides of the stick, then removed it. Without shifting the crest rail, I marked inside the grooves so I'd know where to stop the groove.

A piece of scrap as long as the space between the fences aligns the routing fixture. Marks indicating the width of the bit are lined up with the groove lines near both ends of the fixture. Then the fixture is clamped to the post.

I routed all four posts, using the same router fixture as before. To position the fixture, I cut a scrap so it fit perfectly between the two fences, marked a 3/4-in.-wide section at its center and moved the fixture around until the marking on the scrap matched the marking on the post at both ends of the groove. As before, I took two passes with a 5/8-in.-dia. bit and a final cleanup pass with a 3/4-in.-dia. bit for each 1/2-in.-deep groove. I squared the ends of the grooves with a chisel. Now the headboard and footboard assemblies can be dry-fitted. I cut the headboard and footboard panels to size (28-1/2 in. by 61-1/2 in.) and sanded both sides of both panels to 320-grit. Because the whole unit is so large and unwieldy, I first dry-fitted each edge of the panels in its respective groove and then dry-assembled the entire unit. I disassembled it, finished sanding the posts and eased all the sharp edges with a block plane. Sizing side rails and adding hardware To determine the length of the side rails, I laid one foot post



and one head post down so the inside faces of the end rails would be 80-1/2 in. apart (enough space around a standard queen-size mattress or box spring for sheets and covers). The distance from the inside face of the end rail to the inner edge of the post was 5-1/4 in., so I subtracted twice that from 80-1/2 in. and cut the side rails 70 in. long. Hardware for a bed this large proved to be difficult to find. I finally located some heavy-duty, zinc-plated knockdown bed fasteners in the Whitechapel catalog (800-468-5534). I ordered eight pairs, two for each rail end, because this is such a heavy bed.

To lay out mortises for bed fastener hardware, clamp all four legs together with their feet flush, and use a marking knife to get a crisp line.

To mark out the bed fastener locations, I clamped all four posts together with feet flush at the bottom. This ensured that all eight mortises would line up precisely. For accuracy, I used a knife to make the scribe lines. Then I transferred those lines to the ends of the side rails and marked the top edge so that the rails couldn't be flipped upside down. The rails took the pin part of the fasteners; the slotted plates were fitted to the posts. I did all the mortising on a horizontal mortiser, transferring the scribe lines from a bedpost to the fence of the mortising table. Then I set my stops and proceeded to cut. Because the bed hardware was about 7/8 in. wide, I used a 1/2-in. bit. I flipped the posts and rails over to make two overlapping cuts, which ensured a centered cut. Next I squared the ends of all 16 shallow mortises with a chisel and marked and mortised the deeper slots to accept the rail pins. The routing and inlaying could be done with a router and jig. Before attaching the hardware, I checked mating pieces for a fit. I noticed about 1/32 in. of side-to-side play -- very little really, but for this situation, still too much. The hardware had to align the rails perfectly flush with the posts so the moldings would line up. To remedy this situation, I took a metal punch and pounded a dimple on either side of the slots. It worked perfectly. Absolutely no play. With the hardware in shape, I drilled pilot holes in all the posts and rails and screwed all the bed fasteners into place. Before gluing anything, I dry-fitted the entire bed to be sure that everything was in order and that the rails were interchangeable. Then I disassembled the bed and sanded all the parts to 320-grit. Gluing up the head- and footboard assemblies I set one post flat on a piece of carpet on the floor and another on a sawhorse within reach. I spread glue into the two round mortises for the crest rail and the two long mortises for the lower rail. Then I set the headboard panel into position, leaving a 1/2-in. gap at both the top and bottom of the groove. The headboard and footboard panels are not glued in; they must be free to expand and contract with seasonal changes in humidity. Holding the panel with one hand, I first slid the crest rail and then the lower rail into their mortises. Then I lowered the opposite post onto the lower rail and manipulated the crest rail into position. Before pounding the post home, I made sure that the



headboard was centered in its groove. I pounded the post home, laid the unit gently down on its back and clamped it. To make sure the panel's edges wouldn't be exposed when it contracted in the winter, I drilled counterbored holes into the posts at midpoint along the groove. I screwed the panels in place and plugged the holes. This ensured that the headboard panel would remain centered between the rails and that they would expand evenly top to bottom. Once both head- and footboard units were assembled, I pinned the tenons of the lower rails and screwed the crest rails through the posts with 2-in. drywall screws, just off center, to reinforce the mortise-and-tenon joint. Finally, I sanded the posts flush with the lower rails where they meet. Molding and rosettes finish the bed Before attaching the two bands of molding, I made sure that the rails were firmly seated all the way down in the hangers. It would be embarrassing to have the molding glued on only to have one section of the rail drop 1/4 in. when the box spring was set in place. Attaching the molding is pretty straightforward, but a few hints are in order. I did the top of the end rails first because it's the most difficult to attach. I fit, mitered, drilled brad holes about 8 in. apart along the center and glued and attached the molding with brads. The molding here is virtually impossible to clamp. The short pieces of molding across the grain of the posts needed special attention because the post will change slightly in width. My posts were at about 11% moisture content. To allow for some shrinkage, I left about a 3/32-in. gap between this short piece and the side-rail molding. I tacked down this short strip with a brad at either end and one in the middle, and glued about two-thirds of the way from the miter to the end. The side rail moldings were cut to precisely the same length as the rails and glued using spring clamps and bits of molding cutoffs turned upside down to spread the clamping pressure. The procedure was the same for the lower band of molding. To support the box spring, I marked and routed mortises for short (1-1/4 in. wide) sections of 1/4-in.-thick, 4-in. steel angle iron I had cut for that purpose. I screwed those brackets directly to the side rails. The crowning touch was attaching the turned rosettes. I drilled a 3/32-in. hole into the center of the back of the rosette, tacked in a snipped off piece of 6d finishing nail to center the rosette with the post hole, and glued and clamped the rosette. The bed was finished with three coats of Tried and True varnish oil (available from Garrett Wade; 800-221-2942; www.garrettwade.com). This is the only pure linseed oil on the market, with no additives or driers. It requires a good deal of elbow grease to wipe off, but the build and depth of shine is worth it. For the record, the bed was completed in 96 hours. Chris Becksvoort is a professional furniture maker in New Gloucester, Maine, a contributing editor to Fine Woodworking and the author of The Shaker Legacy. Photos except where noted: Vincent Laurence; drawings: Heather Lambert From Fine Woodworking #124, pp. 54-61 Purchase back issues


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Children's Furniture Projects: Child's Rocker


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Excerpted from Children's Furniture Projects Children's Furniture Projects: Child's Rocker Plans for a sturdy plywood chair that can be disassembled and stored flat by Jeff Miller

Open or download the 17-page PDF file below for a Child's Rocker. (Requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print PDF files.)

ChildsRocker.pdf


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Kids are always in motion. It's not easy to get them even to sit down in a chair. But this rocker lets them work off energy while staying in one place. And rocking can be just as soothing for children as it tends to be for adults. Kids love it. Children's Furniture Projects provides a mix of projects that has something for woodworkers of all skill levels. The ten projects -- ranging from this excerpt to a fanciful rocking dinosaur to sturdy children's beds -- are designed to help make the children's room as well furnished as any other room in the house. Jeff Miller, winner of the 1998 Stanley Award for Chairmaking & Design, is also the author of Beds. A professional furniture maker and father of two, he also designs children's furniture. Photos: Tanya Tucker; drawings: Melanie Powell From Children's Furniture Projects, pp. 90-105

Making Heirloom Toys Plans and instructions for building 22 sophisticated projects Tremendous Toy Trucks Plans and instructions for building a dump truck, a tow truck, a flatbed, a semi, a cement truck, a logging truck, and more















































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Children’s Furniture Projectsby Jeff Miller

Copyright 2002 by The Taunton Press

www.taunton.com

✦ 91

IDS ARE ALWAYS IN MOTION. It’s not

easy to get them even to sit down in a

chair. But this rocker lets them work off energy while

staying in one place. And rocking can be just as

soothing for children as it tends to be for adults.

Kids love it.

The construction is a combination of the typical

and the unusual; although there are simple dadoes

routed in the plywood panels to align the parts,

everything is held together with 1⁄4-in. threaded rods

and cap nuts. This makes it sturdy enough to with-

stand the typical amount of abuse that kids will

dish out but also easy to knock down and store (or

ship) flat.

There are lots of ways to finish this rocker to get

different results. I’ve gone with interesting colors as

well as a basic oil-and-wax finish. But that doesn’t

mean you can’t come up with your own design

scheme, or just let the child decorate it the way he

or she wishes.

CHILD’S ROCKER

K

92 ✦ C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R

CHILD’S ROCKER

Side panel

Side panel

Decorative cutout

Back panel

Dado for seat panel

1/4-20 threaded rod

Cap nuts

Strut

Seat panel

THE ROCKER IS MADE OF FIVE SHAPED pieces of plywood. Shallow dadoes in the plywood sides andback locate the parts in the proper positions, and the whole thing is held together with two threaded rodstensioned with cap nuts.

C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R ✦ 93

1"

17/16"

Oval cutout, 51/4" x 31/4", edges rounded over

Dado for back of seat panel, 3/4" x 1/8" deep

23"

Sides bevelled

153/8"

153/8"

Top and bottom edges rounded over

Slot cutout, 3/4" x12", edges rounded over

35/8"

All parts 3/4" plywood.

181/2"

Fit to rocker to determine exact length(approx.121/2").

Back edge bevelled

Top

Front edge rounded

Ends beveled

21/4"

Approx. 17"

Fit to rocker to determine exact length.

Four edges rounded

BACK PANEL

ALTERNATE BACK PANEL

SEAT PANEL

STRUT

THE FIRST STEP in making the rockeris to make up a jig for locating thedadoes for the seat, the back, and the

strut on the side panels. Because the rela-tionship of the seat parts to the curve of therocker is so important, you’ll also use theside panel jig to define the shape and loca-tion of the rocker relative to the dadoes andthus to the seat and back of the rocker.

Making the Side-Panel JigMake the jig for the side panels out of apiece of 3⁄4-in. by 25-in. by 32-in. plywood(see “Side-Panel Dado Jig”).1. Draw a reference line 15 in. from (andparallel to) one of the long edges of the ply-wood. I measured from the left edge, andthat’s what is shown here. You will referenceoff of this edge when routing the actual sidepanels. Mark it now as your reference edge.


CUT LIST FOR PANEL BED

2 Side panels 3⁄4" x 16" x 26"*

1 Seat panel 3⁄4" x 121⁄2" x 181⁄2"

1 Back panel 3⁄4" x 153⁄8" x 241⁄8"

1 Strut 3⁄4" x 21⁄4" x 17"

Hardware

1 Threaded rod 1⁄4-20 x 36" long**

4 Cap nuts 1⁄4-20***

Miscellaneous

Scrap wood for interim jig 1⁄2"–3⁄4" x 8" x 18"

Plywood for side panel jig 3⁄4" x 25" x 32"

*All parts are Baltic birch plywood or equivalent.**Cut into two pieces based on measurements from completed chair.***Also called connector nuts; typically used with connector bolts.

CUT LIST FOR CHILD’S ROCKER

1 square = 1"

The Side-Panel Pattern


3/4" plywood

10"15"

30" radius

Reference line

32"

25"

8"

90°

2"

33/4"

89/16"37/16"3/8"

43/16"

5"

811/16"

131/4"

51/8"

23/8"

Straight for 31/2"

Side-Panel Dado Jig


The interim jig is built up to have

a 7⁄8-in.-wide by 121⁄2-in.-long slot

down the middle of it. The jig is

then used with a flush-trimming

bit to cut the slots in the side

panel jig.

1. Cut apart a board roughly 18 in. long by 8 in. wide by 1⁄2 in.to 3⁄4 in. thick into two 37⁄16-in.-wide strips and one strip exactly7⁄8 in. wide.

2. Crosscut the 7⁄8-in.- wide stripinto three parts; one 121⁄2 in. long,and two about 25⁄8 in. long. Setaside the 121⁄2-in.-long strip; it willbe used later when routing theshort slot for the strut.

3. Glue the two 25⁄8-in. pieces inbetween the two 37⁄16-in.- widestrips, with the ends of both shortand long pieces flush. This shouldleave a 7⁄8-in. by 121⁄2-in. slot in the middle.

4. Plane the faces of the jigsmooth once the glue has dried.

MAKING THE INTERIM SLOT J IG

Save for filler strip.

18"

37/16"37/16"

7/8"

121/2"

25/8"

25/8"

Making a jig to makeanother jig may seemlike a lot of trouble, butthe interim jig helpsget the slots in the sidepanel jig located andsized correctly.

2. Next, mark out the curve of the rocker.The rocker is mostly an arc of a circle with a30-in. radius. Mark the center point of thearc on the reference line, about 1 in. downfrom the top of the plywood. Using a scrapof 1⁄4-in. plywood or a long thin scrap ofwood, make up a “compass” by drilling onehole for a nail and another hole, 30 in. away,for a pencil point. Scribe the arc across thebottom of the plywood.3. The back of the rocker will end about 1⁄8 in. away from the left edge of the plywoodafter it gets rounded over. The front of therocker extends all the way to the other sideof the plywood.4. Flatten out the back 31⁄2 in. of the rockerto make it harder to tip the chair over. Mea-sure down 3⁄8 in. from the arc along the backedge of the jig, then draw a 31⁄2-in.-longstraight line from this point to the arc ofthe rocker.5. Now you’re ready to locate the dadoes forthe seat, back, and strut. Measure over fromthe reference line and up from the arc of therocker to locate the various points shown in“Side-Panel Dado Jig” on p. 95 that willdefine the locations the dadoes. Make sureall of the lines are perpendicular or parallelto the reference line.6. The dadoes themselves will be 3⁄4 in. wide,but because you are making a jig that will be used with a 5⁄8-in. guide bushing and a 1⁄2-in. router bit, the slots in the jig must be 1⁄8 in. bigger. Mark out parallel lines for theslots, 7⁄8 in. apart, based on the referencepoints you just created. Mark the ends ofthe slots as well.7. The best way to proceed now is to make avery simple jig to help you rout the slots.You’ll use this interim jig to cut the 7⁄8-in.-wide slots (see “Making the Interim Slot Jig”).8. Lay the interim jig over one of themarked slot locations on the side-panel jigand clamp it into place. Use a flush-trimmingbit in a router to cut the slot all the waythrough the side-panel jig. Make sure to do this with the jig either propped up offthe bench or hanging over the edge so youdon’t rout into the benchtop.

9. Don’t worry about the length of the slotfor the back of the rocker; it can extend upabove where the side panel will end. But youcan cut down the 121⁄2-in.-long piece you setaside when making the interim jig to use asa filler when routing the dado for the strut


Fit in a filler strip to leave a smaller opening (for the strut dado).

Interim slot jig

23/8"

Using the Filler Strip

PHOTO A: A filler strip can be inserted in the interim dado jig to rout the short slot for the strut.

underneath the seat. This dado should beexactly 21⁄4 in. long; cut the filler strip so itwill make a slot that is 23⁄8 in. long in theside-panel jig—1⁄8 in. will be lost when yourout the dadoes (see Photo A on p. 97 and“Using the Filler Strip” on p. 97).10. Locate and drill two holes which youwill use to transfer the positions of the cap-nut holes (see “Cap-Nut Locations”).11. Now cut and smooth the shape of therocker that you marked originally. I sawedthe shape on the bandsaw and sanded thecurve smooth and fair. The jig is now fin-ished. Time to move on to making the rocker.

Making the Side Panels1. Cut the side panel blanks to rough size asgiven in the cut list.2. Clamp a panel blank underneath theside-panel jig so that it is flush with the ref-erence edge of the jig. The bottom of theblank should be sticking out beyond the jigabout 1 in.3. Rout the dadoes using a router with a 5⁄8-in. guide bushing and a 1⁄2-in. straight bit.The dadoes should all be the same: 3⁄16 in. to1⁄4 in. deep. While the boards are still clamped


PHOTO B: The dadoes in the side panelsare easy to rout, and they come out inexactly the right place if you use thedado jig.

3/8" x 3/4" strips of plywood to align the pieces

Shaped side

Unshaped blank

Transferring the Shape

21/4"

1"

1"

Cap-nut holes

1"

Cap-Nut Locations

together, mark the curve of the rocker andthe cap-nut hole locations onto the blank(see Photo B).4. Now flip the side-panel jig over andclamp it with the same reference edge flushwith the edge of the other side-panel blank.Rout the dadoes on this blank. You do notneed to mark the rocker curve on this blank,since you will later transfer over the shape of the first panel.5. Draw a grid of 1-in. squares on the routedside of the first side panel blank.6. Create the shape of the upper part of theside panel by working square by square from“The Side-Panel Pattern” on p. 94 until youare satisfied with the overall look.7. Cut the side panel to shape and smoothcarefully to the lines. The rocker should besmooth and even, with no bumps or flats.8. Now transfer the shape over to the otherside-panel blank. Use a couple of narrowrippings of 3⁄4-in. plywood fit into the corre-sponding dadoes to align the two halvesbefore drawing the lines (see “Transferringthe Shape”). This will ensure symmetry to the sides. Cut and smooth the second side panel.9. Round over the edges of both panels with a 1⁄4-in. roundover bit.10. Drill the two 11⁄32-in. holes for the capnuts in each side panel at the locationsmarked from the side-panel jig.

Making the Seat1. Cut the seat blank to dimensions given in the cut list. Measure 19⁄16 in. in from bothsides of the blank to get the dimensions ofthe back of the seat. Then draw lines fromthese marks to the front corners.2. Bandsaw the sides of the seat to the lines.3. Rout the front edge, both top and bot-tom, with a 1⁄4-in. roundover bit.4. The back edge of the seat needs a bevel,but this must wait until you are working on the back.

Making the BackBoth sides of the back are beveled at thesame angle as the seat taper. The back also

has a dado for the back edge of the seat toslip into as well as some decorative shaping.1. Set the bevel angle for the back on thetable saw using the seat itself as a guide (seePhoto C).2. Bevel only one edge of the back for now.3. You need to determine the location ofthe dado that will accept the back edge ofthe seat. The first step is to round over thebottom edges of the back with a 1⁄4-in.roundover bit.4. Hold up the back with the beveled edgein the back dado of the appropriate sidepanel (the back should lean toward the backof the chair). Slide the back to the bottom ofthe dado. Now mark where the seat dadointersects the back (see Photo D on p. 100).This marks the location of the seat dado inthe back panel.5. Cut the dado in the back for the seat.Although this dado should be angled, thesaw blade on my table saw tilts the wrongway, and it seemed rather cumbersome toset up the cut. So I cut the dado with theblade at 90 degrees and checked the fit ofthe seat in the dado. No problem. It hardlymatters at all that the angle isn’t there. And itis easier.6. Hold the back up in the same side panelas before. Take the seat and hold it up in


PHOTO C: The seat can be used to set the angle of the tablesaw blade for all of the bevel cuts on the rocker.

place as well. Take note of how much woodmust be removed from the back edge of theseat so it will fit into place, then mark theback edge.7. Cut the back edge of the seat with theblade reset to the angle of the seat taper (usethe seat as your angle reference once again).Set up for the cut carefully so that the top ofthe seat ends up longer than the bottom.8. Now you need the exact width of theback. Hold the seat up in the dado in theback. Align the beveled edge of the backwith the edge of the seat. Mark the oppositeside. Cut the bevel on this side of the back.Be sure that the bevel angles the correct way.The back panel tapers toward the rear; theedges are not parallel.

100 ✦ C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R

Dummy strut, 12"- to 14"-long piece of plywood cut to fit in slot and beveled at the seat angle on one side

Seat panel

Side panel

Back panel

Ruler

Measure from bottom of slot in side panel to edge of dummy strut.

Determining Strut Length

PHOTO D: Locatethe dado in theback panel withthe panel held in position on the side panel.The dado goeswhere the seatdado intersectsthe back.

Tension from the rods and cap nuts holdsthe seat and back panels securely in the sidepanels (see “The Threaded Rods” on p. 103).The only complication to this otherwisesimple solution is that the rocker side panelsare not parallel. The holes (with shallowcounterbores) for the connector nuts needto be drilled at an angle so that they can betightened onto the threaded rods. Theprocess starts with drilling these holes.

Drilling the angled holesThe first step in drilling the angled holes isto make a simple angled drilling platform(see “Making the Angled Drilling Platform”on p. 102).1. The seat angle provides the angle neededfor the drilling platform. Make two identicalwedges for the platform out of a piece ofwood, roughly 1 in. thick by 3 in. wide by 11 in. long. Align the front edge of the seatpanel with the end of this wedge blank andtrace the angle of the side of the seat panelonto the blank.2. Cut a wedge out of the blank, smooth thesawn edge, and use this wedge to mark out asecond wedge. Cut and smooth this wedgeto match the first.3. Screw a 12-in.-square piece of 3⁄4-in.-thickplywood to the two wedges.

9. Mark and cut the curves on the top andbottom of the back. Both of these curves arethe same: a 30-in. radius. You can use thebottom of one of the side panels as a patternto mark them out.10. Rout an oval or a slot in the back panelfor decoration. Note that the oval makes avery convenient handle for dragging thechair around. I made up a jig for the ovalcutout from a scrap of plywood with a 53⁄8-in. by 33⁄8-in. oval cut in it. The slot canbe cut with the interim jig you made earlier.Cut either decoration with a router with a 5⁄8-in. guide bushing and a 1⁄2-in. straight bit.

Making the StrutThe strut makes it possible to assemble therocker with a threaded rod and cap nuts. Itis simple to make.1. Cut a strip of plywood to the dimensionsgiven in the cut list.2. You’ll have to clamp all of the other partsof the rocker together to determine the exactlength of the strut. Clamp across the back ofthe chair above the seat. Then measure thedistance from the front of the slot on oneside to the front of the slot on the other. A12-in. ruler and a 6-in. ruler used togethercan get the length. You can also make up adummy strut from a 13⁄4-in. by 12-in.- to 14-in.-long scrap of plywood with the seatangle cut on one end. Fit it into one of thestrut slots and measure from the end of thispiece to the bottom of the dado opposite.Add the two lengths to get the measurement(see “Determining Strut Length”).3. With the saw still tilted (or reset to the seatangle), cut the ends of the strut at the sameangle used for cutting the sides of the back.4. Round over the long edges of the strutwith a 1⁄4-in. roundover bit.

Putting It All TogetherThere is no glue used on this chair. Instead,the chair is held together with two lengths of threaded rod and four cap nuts (seePhoto E). The cap nuts are usually used inconjunction with connector bolts, but theywork perfectly well with 1⁄4-20 threaded rod.

C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R ✦ 101

PHOTO E: This combination of hardware used to hold therocker together is unconventional, but I found it all at my local hardware store.

102 ✦ C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R

Wedge blank

Mark this angle onto wedge blank.

Align these edges.

Seat panel

Cut apart.

Match second wedge to first.

12"

12"

11"

11"

2"

Plywood base,11" x 11"

Plywood top,12" x 12"

Wedge

To use, position front edge of side panel uphill and drill into outside face.

Making the Angled Drilling Platform

SIDE VIEW

4. Attaching a piece of plywood to the under-side of the wedges will make it easier to clampthe angled platform to the drill-press table.5. Clamp the angled platform to the drill-press table with the angle running sideways.6. On the outside of each of the side panelsdraw a line through the two marks for thecap-nut holes. This line should remain par-allel to the edge of the angled platform whendrilling the holes in a side.7. Drill a shallow 3⁄4-in. counterbore for theflange of each of the cap nuts first. Drill onlyuntil you have a complete hole; it will still bevery shallow on one side. Then drill a 9mmor a 3⁄8-in. hole through the center of thecounterbore for the body of each of the nuts(see Photo F).

C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R ✦ 103

PHOTO F: Withthe angled plat-form clamped inplace on the drillpress, it’s easy todrill the holes forthe cap nuts atthe proper angle.Note that the linethrough the cap-nut holes is paral-lel to the edge ofthe angled plat-form and that thefront of the sidepanel is uphill.

Capnuts

Use an angled platform to drill angled holes in the side panels to accommodate the cap nuts.

Side panel

Threaded rods

The Threaded Rods

Cutting the threaded rod to length1. Put the rocker together. You may want anassistant or a clamp or two to help holdthings together while you measure for thethreaded rod (see Photos G and H).2. Thread one of the cap nuts all the wayonto the end of the rod, and insert it into ahole on one side and then through the holein the other side. Mark where the rod comesout of the hole, flush with the bottom of thecounterbore (see Photo I).3. Cut the rod 1⁄4 in. shorter than the lengthyou marked. File the rough edges and checkto be sure you can thread the nut onto thecut end.4. Repeat the same process for the other setof holes, using the remaining section of rod.5. Now assemble the chair with the threadedrod in place.

104 ✦ C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R

PHOTOS G AND H: Assembling the rocker can be frustratingwithout help. It makes sense to do it on a blanket or a pieceof cardboard in case something slips apart.

PHOTO I: Slip the threaded rod withone of the cap nuts all the way throughthe holes in one side and mark where therod comes out the counterbore on theother side panel of the rocker.

6. Tighten the cap nuts (see Photo J). Therocker should hold together tightly (if not,check to see if you need to cut a little moreoff of the threaded rods). You can test thechair now if you want.

FinishingI chose an oil-and-wax finish for a naturallook on one of the rockers and brightlycolored paint for the other. Lacquer or shel-lac is also a good option, although paint,lacquer, or shellac on the bottoms of therockers will probably rub off as the chair isdragged around. Sand all parts thoroughly,especially the edges, before applying anyfinish. Wait for the finish to dry completelybefore reassembling the rocker. Then put it into use.

C H I L D ’ S R O C K E R ✦ 105

PHOTO J: Tighten up the cap nuts with a pair of Allen wrenches.

TIPIt’s easy to cutthreaded rod witha hacksaw. It’s alsovery easy to man-gle the threads sothey are unusable.Remember thatyou need goodthreads on only thelast 1⁄2 in. of eitherend of the rod.Clamp somewhereelse when you’recutting.

Fine Woodworking - Guide for Cabinet and Furniture Construction

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