VOL. 16 NOTES FROM THE SHOP NO. 94 · managing editor of ShopNotes. Nancy Johnson is our Shipping...
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VOL. 16 NOTES FROM THE SHOP NO. 94
Transcript of VOL. 16 NOTES FROM THE SHOP NO. 94 · managing editor of ShopNotes. Nancy Johnson is our Shipping...
VOL. 16 NOTES FROM THE SHOP NO. 94
No. 94 August, 1994
EditorExecutive EditorManaging Editor
Assistant Editors
Creative DirectorArt Director
Senior Illustrators
Illustrators
PhotographerElectronic Graphics
Design DirectorSenior Designers
Shop ManagerShop Asst./Facilities
Circulation DirectorSubscription Manager
Circulation AnalystNewsstand Sales
Donald B. PeschkeDouglas L HicksTerry J. StrohmanJames M. DolanJonathan GarbisonMark A. Williams
Ted KralicekRod StoakesDavid KreylingCinda ShambaughDirk Ver SteegMark HigdonCrayola EnglandChris GlowackiKen MunkelJan Hale SvecKent WelshSteve CurtisSteve Johnson
Liz BredesonSandy BaumRod CainKentA-Buckton
PUBLISHING SERVICESAs.s-oc. Editor: Gordon Gaippe • Graphic Artist-Cheryl L Cynor
CORPORATE SERVICESController: Robin Hutchinson • Accou »i: Laura' ITiomas• Bookkeeping: Julie Grecnlee • Production Mgr.: CarolQuijano • Info. Serv. Mgr.: Joyce Moore • /?/«•. Pub.Coord.: Douglas M. Lidster • A/iplic. Spue.: LindaMorrow • Sup. Asst: Nick Thielen • Adtttin. Assis-tants: Cheryl A. Scott, Julia Fish * Receptionist:Jeanne Johnson • Build. Maint.: Ken Griffith
WOODSMITH MAIL ORDERMarketing Dir.: Robert Murry • Art Dir.: Cindy Jack-son • Fulfillment Mgr.: Valerie Wiese •CatalogProd. Mgr.: Bob Baker • Inv. Control/Prod. Mgr.:Mark Mattiussi • Prog. Supplies: Linda Jones • Tech.Support: Jeff Janes •Recept: Cynthia Kerman
CUSTOMER SERVICESupr.: Jennie Enos *Cust. Serv. Reps.: Jennifer Mur-phy, Joy Krause, Sara Kono, Anna Cox, Kristi An-drews, Lonnie Algreen, Karla Cronin
SHIPPING DEPARTMENTSupr.: Nancy Johnson • Fulfillment: Gloria Sheehan,Donnie McVey, Chuck Carlson, Sylvia Carey
WOODSMITH STOREManager: Dave Larson • Assistant Manager: PaulSchneider»Sa/,es Staff: Wendell Stone, Pat Lowery• Office Manager: Vicki Edwards
Woodsmith® (ISSN 0164-4114) is published bimonthly(Feb., Apr., June, Aug., Oct., Dec.) by Woodsmith Corp.,2200 Grand, Des Moines, IA 50312.Woodsmith® is a registered trademark of Woodsmith Corp.Copyright© 1994 Woodsmith Corporation. All rights reserved.Subscriptions: Single copy: $3.95. One year subscription (6issues), 819.95. Two years (12 issues), $35.95. (Canada/For-eign add $5 per year, U.S. funds.)Second Class Postage Paid at Des Moines, IA and at addi-tional offices.Postmaster: Send change of address lo \Vt>txlx)»i.tlt, Box10718, Des Moines, IA 50350.Subscription Questions? Call l-SOO-333-5075, 8:00 amto 5:00 pm, Central Time, weekdays.
E D I T O R ' S C O L U M N
SawdustOne of the things I enjoy about
woodworking is being able to trysomething different. A new technique, anew tool, or a new project
A good example of this is the featureproject in this issue — the Entry Door, seephoto below right.
ENTRY DOOR. I've been intrigued withthe idea of building a raised panel entrydoor for some time. But I kept putting itoff. I just wasn't sure it was the "right kind"of project for the magazine.
Well, I finally decided to go ahead andgive it a try. I'm glad I did.
The Entry Door featuresbasic mortise and tenon join-ery and can be built with com-mon woodworking tools. Allyou need is a table saw,router table, and a drill press.And a unique method for in-stalling the raised panelsmakes assembly easy.
But as I said before, thisisn't a typical woodworkingproject. For one thing, a doorhas to be made to fit an open-ing. And the size of the open-ing will vary from house tohouse. The other thing is, ifyou're going to build yourown door you should be ableto change the look of it tomatch your house.
So we took a slightly differ-ent approach in the way this article is pre-sented. Beginning on page 23 we show thebasic design considerations for building adoor. Along with step-by-step instructionsfor the joinery and assembly.
The idea here is for you to take this in-formation and use it to create a door thatfits your needs. We've even included somedifferent door designs to get you started.
One more thing. Since this is a differenttype of project for us, we'd like to hearwhat you think. Just jot your thoughtsdown and send them to: Woodsmith Pub-lishing, Attn: Terry Strohman, 2200 GrandAve., Des Moines, IA 50312.
LAWN SIGN. The idea for the Lawn Signcame up when I visited a friend. He had re-cently moved to a new house and invitedme to stop by.
As I was driving down the street, I no-
ticed several houses had small addresssigns in the front lawn. Unfortunately, myfriend didn't have a sign in his lawn so ittook me a while to find his house.
I suggested he get a lawn sign with hishouse number on it In fact it would beeasy to make your own.
He thought it was a great idea. But hesaid if / thought it was so easy why didn't /make one. I had nothing planned thatweekend so decided to give it a try.
The sign had to be quick and easy tobuild (I only had two days). But I wanted to
make it look as if the numbershad been carved by hand.
The end result is the LawnSign shown on page 16. Thesign is built with commonconstruction lumber and sim-ple joinery. And to give it ahand-carved look I used arouter and a core box bit.
CORNER CABINET. The ideafor the Corner Cabinet,shown on page 6, also cameup while visiting my friend'shouse. You see, his newhouse was actually an oldhouse. The kind that has allsorts of built-in storage. Butwhat I liked best was thebuilt-in corner cabinet in oneof the bedrooms. It seemedlike the perfect storage solu-tion — maximum storage in a
minimum amount of space.Our version isn't built in, but it does of-
fer plenty of storage options for an unusedcorner of a bedroom.
CHANGES. Once again we've made somechanges. Doug Hicks is now ExecutiveEditor. Our new Managing Editor, TerryStrohman, isn't really new. He's been themanaging editor of ShopNotes. NancyJohnson is our Shipping Supervisor. MarkMattiussi is our new Inventory ControlManager. And Pat Lowery has joined ourstore sales staff.
MISTAKE. It doesn't happen very often,but we do make mistakes. In the last issuethere are some errors in the plans for theGarden Bench and the Wall Storage Sys-tem. If you plan on building one of theseprojects please call us at 1-800444-7527.We'll send a correction sheet right away.
Woodsmith No. 94
A L O O K I N S I D E
ContentsFEATURES
Corner Cabinet 6This project is a closet, a dresser, and a bookshelf all in one.But best of all, it provides useful storage for the least-usedplace in a room — a corner.
Lawn Sign 16This classic-looking Sign makes an attractive and practicaladdition to any lawn. And it can be built in just a weekend.
Routing Signs 19Create the look of a hand-carved sign with a core box bit anda router. A few tips and the right technique make it easy.
Edging Plywood 20We show three different methods for using hardwood to coverthe edges of plywood. Plus tips on gluing, clamping, andtrimming the edges flush.
Entry Door 23No tricky joints, no special tools. This Door is built withbasic mortise and tenon joinery. And a unique design forthe raised panels makes them easy to build and install.
Reader's Jig 30In this issue we feature a unique design for a flush-trim jig.It mounts to a router for trimming edging on plywood.
DEPARTMENTS
Tips & Techniques 4Shop Notes 14Talking Shop 22Sources 31
Corner Cabinet page 6
Lawn Sign
Routing Signs
page 16
page 19
Entry Door page 23
No. 94 Woodsmith
F R O M F E L L O W W O O D W O R K E R S
Tips & TechniquesROUND TENONS ON SQUARE STOCK• When a spindle broke on oneof my dining room chairs, I hadto come up with a way to cut around tenon on a square work-piece. To do that, I made thissimple U-shaped jig that at-taches to the miter gauge on myrouter table, refer to Fig. 2.
The jig has a back and two
support blocks, see Fig. 1. Thesupport blocks have large holesthat suspend the workpieceover a straight bit.
These holes don't have to fitthe workpiece exactly. The jigstill works if they're slightlyoversize, (about Vw")
To set up the jig, install the
1Miter Gauge
Back
#8x1V2" FhWoodscrews
SupportBlock
spindle in the support blocks,see Fig. 2. With the router bitlowered, center the spindle overthe bit Put two stop blocks inthe miter slot to keep the mitergauge from moving. Next, to es-tablish the length of the tenon,position the fence (or clamp astop block) behind the bit
To use the jig, raise the bit andmake several light cuts to formthe tenon. Slowly turn the work-piece counterclockwise into thebit for best results, see Fig. 2.
Repeat the process until thetenon is complete.
Robert C. NoelleMiddletown, New York
NOTE: Center workpieceover router bit
Turn workpiececounterclockwise
CHECKING MITERS• The normal way for checkinga mitered corner for square is tobutt the miters together andplace a try square on the outsideof the corner. I don't. Mainly be-cause I find it difficult to hold thesquare with one hand whilekeeping the mitered work-pieces tight in the other.
For me, if s easiest to hold the
workpieces together edge-to-edge and place the square in themitered corner, see drawing.
This also allows me to placethe mitered pieces over theedge of my bench so I can get amore accurate reading whenchecking thinner stock.
Bob BryceFairport, New York
Gaps indicate needfor adjustment
Try square
CLEAN YOUR SANDER• To remove pitch buildup fromsanding belts, I use a gumeraser. But occasionally, theeraser won't remove all of thepitch. So to complete the job, Iuse a card file, see drawing.
The metal bristles on a cardfile are stiff enough to get at thetoughest buildup. But it won'tdamage the belt.
To clean asanding belt with a
card file, gently rub the file backand forth over the belt Then ro-tate the belt by hand to exposeadditional buildup.
John LucasGainesboro, Tennessee
NOTE: Unplug sanderbefore cleaning
Card file Gently brush beltto remove buildup
Woodsmith No.94
SANDER DUST COLLECTOR• When I use my bench sanderit creates a lot of sawdust in ahurry. Dust covers everythingafter just a few minutes. A dustcollector would be nice. But Idon't have enough space ormoney for one.
So I use my shop vacuum fora dust collector. I turn the utilitynozzle upside down and attach itto the base of the sander. A
"bungee cord" holds everythingin place, see drawing below.
The vacuum gets most of thedust as it comes of f the belt Andthe bungee cord makes it easyto remove the nozzle for otherjobs. Plus the price was right—I already had the vacuum andthe bungee cord.
Ted WarnerMerrett Island, Florida
Use BungeeCord to
attach nozzleto sander
housing
Utility nozzlefrom Shop— Vacuum
CHEAP BRUSHES• I do a lot of finishing. And Iused to go through quite a fewfoam brushes. But I found thateven though a single foambrush is inexpensive, you rarelyneed just one—and they do addup. To cut down on the cost offinishing my projects, I'vestarted using short lengths ofpaint rollers instead.
I buy medium-nap rollers invalue packs of five from my localhardware store. Then I cut theminto 2" lengths using the bandsaw, see drawing.
Each of my "roller brushes"holds stain and finish well, be-cause of the thick nap on theroller. And there's minimal drip-ping. They last longer and applya more uniform coat of stainthan a foam brush. And best ofall, they cost about half as much.
Greg ForsterWaterloo, Iowa
A Cut sections from a paintroller to use like a brush forapplying paint or stains.
EDGE TRIMMER• I built the mortising tablefrom Woodsmith No. 67. It's agood tool for cutting mortisesquickly and accurately. But witha simple modification, it will alsotrim edging flush on plywood.
First, insert a flush trim bit inthe router. Then, to allow clear-ance for the over-size edgingstrip, raise the bed of the table
with a piece of 3/4M-thick ply-wood, see drawing.
Once the plywood is carpettaped to the table, raise or lowerthe bit so the bearing is flushwith the plywood, see detail.Then rout the edging flush, seedrawing below.
Bruce WrennApex, North Carolina
Carpet tapeAuxiliary Bed tomortising table
QUICK TIPS
IMPROVED TRACKING• If you're having trouble withthe tracking on your belt sander,try cleaning the drive drum onthe sander. You'd be surprisedat how much sawdust and pitchcan accumulate on the drum.And you might be equally sur-prised how much better it willtrack once it's cleaned.
Ron WestColumbus, Ohio
PANTYHOSE FILTER• The filter on my shop vacuumseems like it's always cloggedup with sawdust. So to help keepthe filter from clogging quicklyand to make it easier to clean, Islip two pair of old panty hoseover the filter.
To do this, first cut and dis-card the lower leg portions fromeach panty hose Oust below thecrotch). Then tie a knot at each
leg opening and stretch thewaistband over the filter. A largerubber band stretched over thefilter keeps both pair of pantyhose from slipping off.
Albert SandovalHavelock, North Carolina
SUBMIT YOUR TIPS
If you would like to sharean original shop-tested tip,send it to Woodsmith, Tipsand Techniques, 2200 GrandAvenue, Des Moines, Iowa50312. Or if it's easier for you,FAX it to us at 515-282-6741.
If we publish it, we willsend you $30 to $150, depend-ing on the published length.Include a brief explanationand sketch (or photo). Anddon't worry, we'll rewrite thetip and redraw the art if nec-essary. Also, please include adaytime phone number.
No. 94 Woodsmith
S T O R A G E P R O J E C T
Corner CabinetShelves, closets and drawers. This project combines all three to add
a maximum amount of storage in a minimum amount of space.
After you've lived in a house longenough, you begin to experience the
same problem — storage space. Therenever seems to be enough. So to help solvethat problem, I decided to build a cabinet.But not just any cabinet I wanted one thatwould take up very little floor space. Andstill provide a lot of room for storage.
This Corner Cabinet is the result It's astraightforward project to build — just twoplywood cases with shelves, doors, anddrawers. And mostly basic joinery (rabbetsand dadoes).
Both cases are connected to make a cabi-net that fits perfectly in the corner of a room.
PRACTICAL. Although the Cabinet is prettybasic, there are a couple things that make itunique. First, if s designed to be disassem-bled. So after it's been completed in theshop, it can be taken apart and easily movedto a room where if s needed.
Then later, when the Cabinet is neededsomewhere else (like a dorm room or apart-ment) it can be taken apart again. And thistime set back up differently — with thebookshelf and closet cases reversed.
VERSATILE. Another thing I like aboutthis project is the versatility. Depending onyour storage needs, you can "customize"the insides of the cabi-net any way you want
FINISH. Just to ex-periment we built twoCorner Cabinets andfinished each differ-ently. One version re-ceived a traditionaltreatment of wipingvarnish, see the mainphoto. But for a com-pletely different look,the second Cabinetwas finished with pas-tel stains. For more onthis, see page 13.
Woodsmith No. 94
EXPLODED VIEW
CUTTING DIAGRAM1/2" x 6V2" x 84" Red Oak (3 boards @ 3.8 Sq. Ft ea.)
CC CC BB BB ,3/4" x &/2" x 96" Red Oak (5.7 Bd. Ft.)
MATERIALS
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:313/4"x313/4"x75V2"
A Closet Case Sides (2)B Closet Case Top/Btm. (2)C Shelf Case Sides (2)D Shelf Case Top/Btm. (2)E Closet Divider (1)F Divider Edging (1)G Vertical Edging (4)H Horizontal Edging (4)I Case Backs (2)J Beveled Edging (2)K Platform Cleats (4)L Platforms (2)M Platform Edging (2)N Inside Trim Strip (1)O Kickboard Facing (1)P Kickboard Cleats (4)Q Ft. Glue Blocks (2)R Bk. Glue Block (1)S Shelves (4)T Shelf Edging (4)U Backing Cleats (3)V Top Molding (3)W Closet Door (1)X Center Door (1)Y Door Sides Edging (4)
3/4 ply-303/4x70^3/4 ply - 303/4 x 18V23/4 ply- 11V4X701/23/4 ply- 11 V4x 181/̂3 /4p ly -29V4X 181/23/4 X 3/4 - 1 81/2
3/4 X 11/4-70V^
3/4 X 3/4 - 1 8
3/4 ply- 181/2x69V23/4 X 1 1/4-701/2
3 / 4 x 1 ^ - 1 2 (rgh)3/4 ply - 8 x 16 (rgh)3/ 4x3/4- 14 (rgh)3/4 x 2 - 663/4 ply - 4 x 72 (rgh)3/4 p ly -2 x 20 (rgh)3 /4X2 -3V4
3/4X3 /4 -31 /4
3/4 ply- 101/2X 1715/i63 / 4 X 1 - 1715/16
3/4 p ly -2x24(rgh)3/4 x 1 - 24 (rgh)3/4 ply- 171/8x475/&3/4 ply- 127/sx685/83/8 x 3/4 - 72 (rgh)
Z Door Top/Btm. Edging (2) Vfe x 3/4 - 96 (rgh)3 / 4 X 1 1 / 2 - 2
1 /2X6V8- 17
1/2 x 61/8-24
1/4-1 6V2 X23V2
3/4 ply- 17V8X611/16
AA Door Stops (2)BB Drawer Front/Backs (6)CC Drawer Sides (6)DD Drawer Bottoms (3)EE False Fronts (3)
SUPPLIES(6) #8 x 21/4" Fh Woodscrews( 1 1 1 ) # 8 x 2 " Fh Woodscrews(8) #8 x 13/4" Fh Woodscrews(14) #8 x 11/2" Fh Woodscrews(38) #8 x 11/4" Fh Woodscrews(8) # 8 x 1 " Fh Woodscrews(3 pr.) 11/2" Wraparound Hinges(3 pr.) 24" Full-Extension Drawer Slides(4) Magnetic Catches(1) Adjustable Leg Leveler(1 set) Closet Pole Sockets(1) 1V4"-dia. Red Oak Dowel (18")(1)V4"-dia. Red Oak Dowel (18")(1) 1/2"-dia. Red Oak Dowel (36")
G
G
— J
-- * . . '
H — ̂__ ^ — - j-j
K :, , , , , , , , ,4m.K %%
AA
3/4" x 5'/2" x 96" Red Oak (3.7 Bd. Ft) Also Need:48"x 48" sheet ofJ/4"-thick Masonite
for Drawer Bottoms
x 48" x 96" Red Oak Plywood (2 sheets)
A
C
B
D
o V/////
2f>
3/4" x 48" x 96" Red Oak Plywood
I
S
I
S S S
E
-U—
IV/,
7ZZZZZZZ
3A" x 48" x 96" Red Oak Plywood
No. 94 Woodsmith
CASESAt the heart of this project are two large ply-wood cases. One case forms a closet compart-ment the other becomes a shelf compartment.
To make the cases, I started by cuttingthe sides (A) and top/bottom (B) for thecloset compartment
Then I cut the sides (C) and top/bottom(D) for the shelf compartment.
RABBETS. The primary joinery on bothboxes consists of a rabbet along three edgesof each piece. This is for joining the top andbottom to the sides and also for acceptingthe plywood backs (added later).
First, I used a dado blade in the table sawto cut a rabbet on the back, top, and bottomedges of each compartment side, see Detaila at right And also a rabbet along the backedge of the compartment top and bottom.
Note: Cut the rabbets W deep, and wideenough to fit the 34" plywood pieces.
DADO. After cutting the rabbets for thecompartment backs, I set aside the parts forthe shelf compartment Then set up and cuta V4"-deep dado across the inside face of thecloset compartment sides, see Detail b.These are for a plywood divider.
DIVIDER. Now the shelf compartment canbe glued and screwed together. But beforeassembling the closet compartment, thecloset divider (E) must first be cut to fit be-tween the dadoes.
Note: The divider is cut to width so if sflush with the inside edge of the rabbetsalong the back edge of the closet sides, seeDetail b. And inset 3/4M from the front edgeof the sides, see Detail c.
With the divider in place in the dadoes,the closet compartment can be glued andscrewed together, see drawing above.
EDGINGWhen building projects from plywood, Iusually try to hide the edges of the plywood.To do this, I used several hardwood edgingstrips. All these strips (F, G, and H) are cutfrom %"-thick stock. But their widths andlengths vary, refer to Materials List, page 7.
Design Note: The vertical edging strips(G) are wider than the thickness of the ply-wood, see Figs. Ib and Ic. Thaf s becausethey act as filler strips between the Cabinetand the walls when the entire assembly isplaced in a corner.
After cutting the vertical edging strips tolength, I cut the divider edging strips (F)and horizontal edging strips (H) to length.These are ripped to match the thickness ofthe plywood top and bottom pieces.
Now, all the edging strips can be-attachedwith glue and clamps. Assembly Note: Istarted with the strip for the divider, thenmoved on to the vertical strips, and finallythe horizontals, see Figs, la, Ib, and Ic.
SHELF CASETOP/BOTTOM
(3/4"x111/4"Xl81/2")
CLOSET CASETOP/BOTTOM
(3A"x303A"x 18V2")
C.Divider is
inset %" toallow forEdging
InstallDividerflush withshoulderof rabbet
SHELF & CLOSET CASETOP/BOTTOM
CLOSET DIVIDER
FIRST:Attach
Divider Edgingon ClosetDivider
F
NOTE:All Edging
is gluedand clamped
in place
SECOND:AttachVertical Edging
THIRD:Cut and attachHorizontalEdging
HORIZONTALEDGING JHORIZONTAL
EDGING
Woodsmlth No. 94
BACKThe next thing to do is to cut two plywoodcase backs (I) to fit into the rabbets cut ear-lier, see Fig. 2. After the backs are cut, theycan be installed in the cabinets, see Fig. 2a.
Before screwing the two assemblies to-gether, first decide on which side of thecloset you prefer to attach the shelf com-partment, see Options box at right
Note the location of the screws that areinstalled from inside the closet compart-ment, see Options box and drawing at left.
After that, when the two boxes (the shelfcompartment and the closet compartment)are screwed together, the whole thing be-gins to look like a cabinet
CENTER COMPARTMENT
NOTE:Backs areglued andscrewedinto rabbets
OPTIONS
sIc
t rW
ShelfCase
:rew^>cat/on ,
T1SJ/2"
AClosetCase
ClosetCase
ShelfCase
A With this Corner Cabinet, the shelf casecan be connected to either side of the closetcase. It takes three pair of #8 xl1/^ Fh wood-screws installed from inside the closet.
PLATFORM
Here's the most interesting (and unique)part of the whole project It's building thecenter compartment that "bridges" thefronts of the closet and shelf cases.
This center compartment is added for tworeasons. First, it visually ties together thetwo plywood cases. And second, it createsanother storage compartment
BEVELED EDGING STRIPS. I started thecenter unit by ripping a pair of beveled edg-ing strips (J), see Fig. 4. These attach to thevertical edging strips on either side of the tri-angular opening, refer to Figs. 3 and 5. Theirpurpose is to frame in the opening and pro-vide a surface for hanging a door.
The edging strips are cut in a two-stepprocess to form a notch, see Fig. 4. Thisnotch "hooks" onto the vertical edgingstrips, see Fig. 3.
Now, the edging strips can be screwed in
place (seven screws in each), see Fig. 3a.Note: I didn't glue on the strips in case I
decided later to reverse the closet and shelfcases, refer to Options, above.
TOP & BOTTOM CLEATS. The second partof the center unit are two pair of cleats (K),see Fig. 5. And, like the beveled edgingstrips, these cleats are cut to fit the triangu-lar opening (but with a simpler cut).
TOP & BOTTOM PLATFORMS. After Cuttingfour cleats to fit inside the triangular open-ing, the next thing to do is cut two plat-forms (L) to rest on the cleats, see Fig. 6.
EDGING STRIPS. After the platforms arescrewed in place, cut and attach a pair ofplatform edging strips (M), see Fig. 7.
INSIDE TRIM STRIP. The last thing to do isto cut and install a long beveled trim strip(N) over the inside corner of the centercompartment, see Fig. 8.
EDGING
PLATFORM
~<$) CLEAT
NOTE:Smallshoulderon Edging
Note graindirection
acrossPlatform
No. 94 Woodsmith
BASEAfter completing the center unit, I moved onto the base of the cabinet The base servestwo purposes: First it elevates the cabinetoff the floor so you don't stub your toe everytime you walk up to the cabinet. (That's whya cabinet base is often called a "kickboard.")
The kickboard base also gives the cabineta neater appearance. When it's lifted off thefloor, the cabinet assembly will clear thebaseboard that runs into the corner.
The base consists of two assemblies thatare attached separately to the bottom of thecabinet, see Fig. 9 and drawing at right. Bothare "L"-shaped assemblies, with a plywoodfacing strip attached to a cleat see Fig. 9a.
PLYWOOD FACINGS. I started the base byfirst ripping a length of plywood to serve asa blank for the kickboard facings (O). Ripthis to width so when it's attached, the cabi-net will clear the height of the baseboard,see Fig. 9a. (For my SV^'-high baseboard,the facing is 4" wide.)
Then, cut a groove along the inside edgeto accept a kickboard cleat, see Fig. 9a. Nowthe blank can be cut into five oversize strips.
CLEAT. To secure the facings to the cabi-net, I next cut four kickboard cleats (P) toa rough length of 20". (Three will be usedaround the front of the cabinet, and one willbe use for the back corner, see Fig. 9.)
Then, cut a rabbet along one edge to forma tongue that fits into the groove in the fac-ing strips, see Fig. 9a.
Now the cleats can be glued to the facingsto form the "L"-shaped kickboard brackets,see Fig. 9a.
GLUE BLOCKS. Before mitering and at-taching the brackets to the cabinet, I first cuta pair of glue blocks (Q) for the front of thekickboard assembly, see Fig. 10. These addstrength to the miter joints and also help toalign the pieces when they're installed.
There's also a small glue block (R) usedto reinforce the kickboard assembly thatgoes on the back of the cabinet, see Fig. 11.
LEG LEVELER
INSTALLATION. Now the kickboard sec-tions can be mitered to length to fit underthe cabinet, see Fig. 9. Then they can bescrewed in place. Note: I installed one sec-tion at a time. Then added a glue block be-fore installing the next section, see Fig. 10.
LEG LEVELER. If a leg leveler is needed,now is the best time to install one. It's a pieceof hardware that attaches to the inside of thefront section of kickboard. Our leveler hasa threaded "leg" that screws up and down inthe bracket to raise or lower the front of thecabinet, see box below.
BackKickboardAssembly
FrontKickboardAssembly
KICKBOARDFACING
FRONT CORNERGLUEBLOCK
QmxV/4" FhWoodscrew
BACK CORNER^GLUEBLOCK®
NOTE:Back KickboardAssembly shouldalign with backcorner of Cabinet
LegLeveler FRONTCORNER
QtiGLUE BLOCK
#8x 1" FhWoodscrew
NOTE: Glue Blocksare installed duringassembly ofKickboard units
Front KickboardAssembly is inset 3"from front of Cabinet
BACK CORNERGLUE BLOCK
R
KICKBOARD^FACING *rKICKBOARD
FACING 1/4"O
#8xV/4" FhWoodscrewKICKBOARD CLEAT
The Corner Cabinet can be placed in anyright-angle corner. But if the floor is car-peted, there can be a problem. Actually, theproblem isn't the carpet but the tackingstrips along the wall i< u dcr the carpet. Thesewill tend to tip the Cabinet forward, awayfrom the wall.
The best way to tip the Cabinet back intothe corner is to raise the front A leg leveleris what I used. ((See page 31 for sources.)
The bracket for the leveler is installed onthe back side of the front kickboard facingstrip, see drawing. Then, a hole through theplatform allows the lever to be adjusted.
NOTE: Usescrewdriver toraise or lowerfront of Cabinet
10 Woodsmith No. 94
SHELVES & MOLDINGAfter the cabinet base was installed, Istarted on the shelf system. But instead ofbuying shelf support pins, I used removabledowel pins to support the shelves.
PIN HOLES. The first thing to do is drill aseries of holes for the V^'-dia. shelf supportpins, see Fig. 12 and the drawing at right
Shop Note: To make aligning these holeseasier and more accurate, I used a long stripof pegboard as a guide while marking anddrilling the holes.
For the most adjustability, there are 23pairs of holes spaced 2" apart on either sideof the shelf compartment, see Fig. 12.
SHELVES. After the holes have beendrilled, I made four adjustable shelves (S).(You can make any number.) When cuttingthe shelves to length, cut them Vie" shorterthan the width of the opening, see Fig. 13.
As far as the width (depth) of the shelves,cut them so that when they're installed theyfit flush to the front edge of the cabinet aftera 3/4' '-thick edging strip has been attachedto the front, see Fig. 13 and drawing at right.
After cutting the shelves to size, I cut a
groove along the sides of each shelf to ac-commodate the shelf pins, see Fig. 13a.
SHELF EDGING. Next, I cut an edgingstrip (T) to fit on the front edge of eachshelf, see Fig. 13. Note: The edging stripsare 3/4M thick and 1" wide.
Then, rout a decorative profile on thefront of each edging strip, see Fig. 14. (Seepage 31 for sources of a corner beading bit.)
Now the edging strips can be glued to thefront of each shelf. Then, before installingthe shelves, cut four W-long dowel pins tosupport each shelf.
TOP MOLDING. To finish off the cabinet Iadded molding around the top. Like thefront kickboard assembly, the molding ontop consists of three sections. Each has abacking cleat (II) and a top molding strip(V), see Figs. 15 and 15a. The backing cleatsare 2"-wide plywood pieces cut 24" long.
The molding strips are made just like theshelf edging (T) cut earlier. The only differ-ence is their lengths. (I cut each of the mold-ing pieces to a rough length of 24".)
Next, rout the front face of each strip to
match the profile of the shelf edging, seeFigs. 14a and 15a.
Now the edging strips can be glued to thebacking cleats. Then each oversize piececan be mitered to fit around the top of thecabinet and screwed in place, see Fig. 16.
Design Note: When attaching the mold-ing, it should overhang the front of the cabi-net by W, see Fig. 15a. Also, the outsideends of the molding should align with theoutside edge of each vertical edging strip.
Router TableFence „
NOTE:Drill %"holes,3/a"-deep
Note grain" direction
on Shelf Profile isrouted intwo passes
SHELF EDGINGNOTE:Holes aredrilledonly inShelf Case
CornerBeading Bit;SHELF GROOVE DETAIL
CROSS SECTIONFIRST:Miter and screwmolding to CenterCompartment
XSxlWFhWoodscrew
BACKING CLEAT
2
7"-*.
NOTE: Mitermolding piecesto fit aroundtop of Cabinet SECOND:
Miter and screwmolding to Shelfand Closet Cases
BACKINGCLEAT
U
#8xlV4"FhWoodscrew NOTE:
Top MoldingoverhansCabinet
No. 94 Woodsmith 11
DOORS & DRAWERSAfter installing the shelves I moved on to thedoors. There's one for the closet compart-ment and one for the center unit, see draw-ing at right Both doors can be cut from onesheet of %" plywood. Hardwood edging isadded to cover the exposed plies.
DOORSTo make the doors, the first step is to deter-mine the size of the plywood pieces. To dothis, measure the length and width of theopenings. Then subtract the thickness ofthe edging strips (cut next). And, to allow fora Vie" gap around the doors, subtract Vs"from the length and the width.
In my case, I cut the closet door (W)17 W wide and 47%" long. The center door(X) is cut 12%" wide and 685/fc" long.
EDGING STRIPS. After both door panelshave been cut to size, the door edging stripscan be cut. The edging strips (Y) on thesides of the doors are the same width as theedging strips (Z) for the top and bottom ofthe doors, see Fig. 17. But note that the topand bottom strips are thinner, see Fig. 17a.
After all four edging strips have been cutand glued onto the door, they can be
17
SIDE EDGING
TOP/BOTTOM^EDGING W
NOTE: Width of allEdging shouldmatch thicknessof plywood Doors
nr
trimmed flush, see Edging Plywood on p. 20.Then, I routed a decorative profile on the
front of the (thicker) side strips only, seeFig. 18. It's the same bit used for the shelfedging and molding strips, refer to Fig. 14a.
INSTALL DOORS. After the doors are com-plete, the next step is to install them. To dothis, I used brass-plated offset hinges, seeFig. 19. Note: Each door has three hinges,and the middle hinge is centered on thelength of the door.
DOOR STOPS. After installing the doors, Imade a pair of door stops (AA) for the dooron the center unit, see Fig. 20. These are justshort blocks of wood with a miter cut acrossone end to fit behind the bevel strips.
The stops also provide a mounting sur-face for a pair of magnetic catches. I at-tached these next, see Fig. 20a.
Then I installed a pair of magnetic catchesfor the closet door, see Fig. 21. Since thesecan mount directly to the closet side, nostops are needed.
To complete the inside of the closet, Iadded a pair of closet pole sockets, see Fig.21. And a 1 V^'-dia. dowel for the closet pole.
DOOR PULLS. The last thing to do to the
NOTE:Rout onlyoutsideface ofEdging
doors is add door pulls. For these, I decidedto make my own, see box on the facing page.
Then the pulls can be attached to thedoor, centered on the length, see Fig. 22.Shop Note: Drill the pilot holes the fulllength of the screws to prevent splitting outthe dowel handle, see Fig. 22a.
Hinge is surface mountedon Cabinet Edging
Cutmortise
3/32" deepon Edging
22<*=***:
^'#8x1%"'Fh Wood-screw
ll ]
;'i i'iP
ri
2*1
•̂ .
S/iop-Maofe.̂ .-̂ Door Pull
^
^'/2" DOI/
roundov
I
I
n (See Box onrr fac/ng page)
\/e/ w/t/i '/i"sr bot/i ends
J A/OTF- Drill
pilot hole- full length
of screw )
12 Woodsmith No. 94
DRAWERSAfter the doors are complete, work can be-gin on the drawers. I built three of them, allthe same size, from V2"-thick oak.
DRAWER PARTS. When measuring for thedrawer parts, take into account the lengthof the drawer slides (the ones I used are 24"long). Also, my drawer slides call for Vfc"clearance on the sides of the drawers.
Then cut the drawer front/backs (BB)and sides (CC) to finished size, see Fig. 23.For the drawer bottoms (DD) I used W-thick tempered Masonite, see Fig. 23a.
DRAWER SLIDES. After the drawers areglued up, the drawer slides can be attached.
To do this, I first installed the cabinet half ofthe slides in the cabinet, spaced at equal in-tervals. Then I attached the drawer half ofthe hardware in the same position on eachof the drawers.
FALSE FRONTS. After the drawers were in-stalled, I cut plywood false fronts (EE), seeFig. 24. These pieces are sized so that afterthe edging is applied there's a Vie" gap allaround, see Fig. 24a. (In my case, the falsefronts are all 17W wide and G^ie" long.)
DRAWER PULLS. After attaching the falsefronts, the next thing to do is to add thedrawer pulls, see Figs. 25 and box at right
Finally, the cabinet can be finished. Forone option see the box below. Q
NOTE: All Drawerparts (except Bottom^are W-thick red oak
(DJ>,DRAWER BOTTOM161/2'x23'/2"1/4"-thick Masonite
Cut groove%" deep
to fit DrawerBottom
I
SHOP-MADE PULLA shop-made door or drawer pull can bemade in less time than it takes to go tothe hardware store. And they're less ex-pensive, too. The pulls for the CornerCabinet are made like the bar for hang-ing a towel. A length of dowel fits intoholes in a pair of brackets. The bracketsare cut from an oversize blank withrounded-over ends, see below.
V2"-dia. NOTE:Oak Dowel See below foris 6V4" long making Bracket
BRACKET *"
PULL BRACKET-
Use %" round-overbit to rout radiuson ends of blank
V2"-dia.hole
#8x1" FhWoodscrew
3/4"-thick plywood
n 5
I
v H
' /' i/ )
jjn
LJ
SIDEVIEW
Vl6"
FALSEFRONT
}
25
DRAWER PULL(See Box above)
a. #8x2V4"FhWoodscrew
COLOR STAIN
There are a variety of ways to finish a projectas versatile as the Corner Cabinet. For oneversion of the Cabinet I simply applied aclear wiping varnish, see main photo onpage 6. But for the other I decided to addsome color. Paint was out because I didn'twant to mask the grain in the oak plywood.So I used a "new" type of stain — pastelwood stain, see photo.
The brand of stain I used (Minwax, seepage 31) comes in several colors. Aftersome experimenting on pieces of scrap ply-wood, I decided on Slate Blue pastel. But Ithought using all blue might be too much.
So I used a lighter color of the same stainfor variety. (The color I chose is called Win-ter White.) I applied this to the molding atthe top of the Cabinet, and also to thedoor/drawer pulls and drawer sides, seephoto on the back cover.
USING PASTEL STAINS. Pastel stains arelike ordinary wood stains, except with differ-ent color pigments. They're applied likestain, too. Simply wipe on with a brush, thenwipe off any excess with a clean rag.
I found that two coats of each color looksbest Then, to protect the surface, I appliedtwo coats of General Finishes' wiping varnish.
No. 94 Woodsmith 13
S O M E T I P S F R O M O U R S H O P
Shop NotesROUTING THIN STRIPS• The Entry Door on page 23has raised panels held in placewith narrow strips of molding.Ripping the narrow strips wasn'ta problem. But to get the deco-rative look I wanted, the stripsall had to be routed.
Routing thin strips of wood isalways tricky on the router ta-ble. And the molding strips onthe door have two edges thatneed to be routed. A narrow rab-bet along one edge and a round-over along an adjacent edge, seeDetail in drawing.
There are actually two chal-lenges to routing these strips.First, because they're thin andlong, the strips can pull awayfrom the router table fence or liftoff the table. (Thin strips tend tobehave like noodles.)
The second challenge is more
important — routing the stripssafely. The problem is, thinstrips of wood aren't much of abarrier between your fingersand the router bit
The best way to rout thinstrips accurately and safely is to
have complete control over theworkpiece as it's fed across therouter bit. So I create a "tunnel"that traps the thin strip andholds it where I want it
To do this, I use a featherboardon top for a hold-down. And an
edge guide to keep the piecefrom rolling and tight againstthe fence. Then, feed the piece us-ing a push stick, see drawing.
Note: For the best control, Irouted the roundover after rout-ing the rabbet, see Detail a.
Featherboard clampedto fence on outfeed sideof router bit
4x4 "COLLAR"• The Lawn Sign on page 16 hasa pair of decorative grooves cutaround the top of the posts. Iused a table saw to do this. Butwe also came up with a way tocut the grooves using a router.It involves a two-part "collar"that clamps around a 4x4, seephotos at right
A standard 4x4 measures 3-V2" square, so the jig has to bebuilt to fit tightly around it Bymaking it with two separateparts ("jaws"), the jig can beloosened for slipping onto a 4x4.Then tightened with a pair ofwing nuts, see drawing.
MAKING THE JIG. I built the jigfrom some scrap cut to a lengthof 5", see drawing. But to fitaround a 4x4 and still be adjust-able, all four parts of the jig areripped to a different width.
Before the jaws are assem-bled, cut a notch in the two wid-est pieces. Note: The notchesmust match the diameter of thehanger bolts added next
Then, to secure the halves ofthe jig around a workpiece, I in-stalled a pair of hanger bolts thatalign with the notches cut ear-lier, see drawing.
Now, the two parts of each jawcan be glued and screwed to-gether to form the collar.
USING THE JIG. There are onlya couple things to keep in mindwhen using the jig. First, makea pencil mark on the post wherethe grooves will be routed. Thenplace the jig on the post andlightly tighten the wing nuts.
Next, position the jig androuter so the router bit alignswith the pencil mark.
Now the wing nuts can betightened and the groove can berouted, see first photo.
ANOTHER USE. It turns out thejig can also be used for cutting a4x4 to length. Just clamp the jigin position and use it as a guidefor your circular saw, see rightphoto above. Different tool,same procedure.
A This shop-mode collar guidesa router and helps produce per-fect grooves around a 4x4 post.
A The same jig can be used forcutting a post to length. The re-sult is a smooth, flat end.
#8xFh Woodscrew
14 Woodsmith No. 94
ROUND EDGES ON TENONS• Fitting a tenon to a mortise isusually a simple matter. Typi-cally, I would round over theedges of the tenon with a rasp.(To fit the rounded corners of amortise cut on the drill press.)
But when building the EntryDoor I was faced with a lot of ten-ons, which meant a lot of workwith a rasp. There had to be amore efficient method.
So, to save time and make iteasier, I used the router table todo most of the hard work.
To do this, I start with the firsttwo edges of the tenon, see Fig.1. These are rounded over byrouting from right to left in theusual manner, see Fig. 1.
Note: The round-over bitmust be raised above the level ofthe router table. And to avoid
damaging the shoulders of thetenon, stop routing beforereaching the base of the tenon.
For the other two edges of thetenon, the procedure changes.The base of the tenon must befirst plunged into the bit just in
front of the shoulder, see Fig. 2.Then simply rout from right toleft just as you did before.
Finally, come back and cleanup all the "unrounded" cornersof each tenon with a chisel, seephoto at right.
A A chisel completes the job ofthe router when rounding overthe sharp corners of a tenon.
NOTE:Last two edgesmust be plungedinto bit
SAFETY NOTE:Router bit guard
removed for clarity
• To hold the panels in the En-try Door on page 23, lusedmi-tered molding strips. But get-ting small miter joints to fit per-fectly takes some time. Here area few tips that make the jobquicker and more accurate.
MEASURE DIRECT. When themiter gauge is set to exactly 45°,I cut a miter on one end, see first
drawing below. But the criticalcut is the second miter that pro-duces the finished length of themolding strip.
To mark the finished length Idon't measure the opening asyou might expect. Instead I findit's more accurate to place thestrip in the opening and mark di-rectly on the strip, see drawing.
PRESS FIT. Installing the mold-ing strips in the opening can alsobe a challenge. Actually, it's thelast strip that tends to be a prob-lem — it often has to be jammedinto the opening between thetwo adjacent strips.
So to avoid damaging the mi-tered ends, I insert the last twostrips with a "press fit" motion,
see second drawing. This en-sures a tight fit with no damage.
UNDERCUT. If the last strip re-fuses to fit into the opening, Idon't automatically cut itshorter. Instead, I undercut thebottom inside end of the strip us-ing a sharp chisel, see thirddrawing. This usually helps thestrip fit in the opening.
Marklengthof moldingstrip
For tightest fit,last two strips arepressed into place
Undercut bottominside corner
Measure Direct. Whenfitting small stripsof molding, it's always more accurate to takea direct measurement than it is to use a tape.
Press Fit. If the last strip of molding is cutto fit perfectly, it may be difficult to insert.Instead, insert the last two at the same time.
Undercut. A strip that fits too tight may notbe too long. Rather than cut it shorter, firstuse a chisel to "relieve" the end of the miter.
No. 94 Woodsmith 15
W E E K E N D P R O J E C T
Lawn SignAddress numbers on your house
can be difficult to see. Here's a signthat puts them out in the open.
You don't think much about the numbers on your house untilpeople say they got lost trying to find you. The problem is,
house numbers are usually too small or hidden by an overgrownbush. So I designed a Lawn Sign that sits out in the open. This way,your house number can be "planted" where it's easier to see.
Note: Check that local ordinances allow yard signs before begin-ning to build this project.
The Lawn Sign has a routed sign panel that "floats" between twoposts and two rails. It isn't glued or nailed so it can expand or con-tract with seasonal changes in humidity.
But the best part of the Sign are the "raised" numbers. To givethem a hand-carved look, I used my favorite carving tool — arouter. Set up with a core box bit, the router is a great tool forquickly carving away the background of the numbers. And it leavesa "rough" background just like a gouge would.
To make the sign durable, I used cedar for all the wood parts.Cedar has relatively straight grain which make it easy to rout thenumbers. Plus, it's readily available and the cost is reasonable.
POSTS. The first step in building the sign is to make the posts(A). To do this, I cut an 8-foot-long 4x4 in half, producing posts justunder 48" long. The post can be cut to length later. Just make themlong enough for the spot where the sign will be located. (The bot-tom of our sign in the photo is about 8" off the ground.)
EXPLODED VIEW
GROOVES. Next, decorative grooves are added near the top ofeach post. The key to making the grooves look right is to get themaligned all around the post
To do this, I clamped a block to the table saw fence. This acts asa stop block for aligning the post to the blade before each cut, seeFig. 1. Then clamp the post to the miter gauge to make sure it
CROSS SECTIONRAIL©
%" x 6"Lag Bolt
%" FlatWasher
NOTE: Trim posts todesired length beforeinstalling sign
(A)POST
RAIL
SIGNPANEL
- 3/ax6"Lag Bolt
3/s" Washer
POST
MATERIALSWOOD PARTSA Posts (2)B Rails (2)C Sign Board
3V2x31 /2-477 /81 1 / 2 x3 -181 V2 x 7 -18
SUPPLIES• (4)3 /8x6" Lag Bolts• (4) 3/8 Flat Washers
16 Woodsmith No. 94
doesn't move during the cut. (See ShopNotes on page 14 for an alternate techniqueand jig to cut these grooves using a router.)
BEVEL THE POST. After the grooves havebeen cut, four bevels are cut across the topof the post, see Fig. 2. These make the toplook like a flat pyramid. I added the bevelsfor two reasons. They give the posts a fin-ished look on top, and help it shed water.
Before cutting the bevels, measure V^ upfrom the top groove and mark the locationon all four sides. The trick to making thepyramid shape is to cut all the sides the
same size. Youll know that the bevels haveall been cut equal if the pyramid ends upwith a sharp point on top.
To get the sharp point, you need to pre-vent the post from moving during each cut.After the post is aligned with the blade,clamp it to the miter gauge to hold it in place,see Fig. 2. Then cut the bevel.
MORTISES. After the posts are beveled,the next step is to cut a shallow mortise ineach post to hold the sign panel and rails. Iused a Forstner bit in the drill press to re-move most of the waste, see Fig. 3. Then
square up the sides and ends of the mortisewith a chisel.
MOUNTING HOLES. Now, flip the post overand drill two counterbored shank holesthrough the post Drill the holes so they arecentered on the mortise. These holes will beused later to attach the rails that hold thesign, see post detail.
DECORATIVE COVE. Finally, I routed acove on all four edges of the posts, see Figs.5 and 5a. First draw a "stop line" around thepost near the top. Then use a 3/s" cove bit torout the coves, stopping at the line.
Square upmortise with a
hand chisel
NOTE:Clamp postto miter gauge
Drill 1" xV2"-deep counterbore
CREATING A PATTERNThe secret to a good-looking Lawn Sign isthe placement of the numbers. The woodparts of the project can be cut and assem-bled perfectly. But if the numbers aren'tplaced well, the sign may look like graffitti.
To create the pattern, start by cuttingout the numbers you need from the list be-low. (If you prefer a different look, manyart supply stores and pattern books havesets of numbers in other typefaces.)
BASELINE. When cutting out the num-bers, be sure to include the baseline thenumber rests on. These baselines will beused to keep the numbers in a straightline. What may look unusual here, is forthe numbers to "appear" to be straight thebottoms of the rounded numbers actuallysit below the baseline.
SPACING. Now adjust the space be-tween the numbers until the pattern looks
proportional. The space between the num-bers won't be the same. That's becauserounded numbers (the 2,3, 5,6, 8,9, and0) need less space between them thanstraight numbers (the 1,4, and 7).
When the numbers are laid out, tapethem to the paper to keep them from shift-ing. Then enlarge the pattern on a photo-copier so the numbers are 4" tall. See page31 to order a full-size pattern of numbers.
No. 94 Woodsmith 17
SIGN PANEL & RAILSWhen the pattern is complete, work can be-gin on the sign panel and supporting rails.
SIGN PANEL. I started with an oversizeblank to make the sign panel (B). If s three2x4's edge-glued together then cut to fin-ished size, see Fig. 6.
The sign panel will move with humiditychanges. To allow movement, I cut grooveson the top and bottom edges to accept thetongues on the rails, see Fig. 6a.
Then I cut tenons on the ends to fit themortises in the posts, see Fig. 6b.
Next, cut two kerfs across the front of the
panel, see Fig. 7a. They'll help to center thepattern on the blank.
Finally, attach the pattern with spray ad-hesive or rubber cement, see Fig. 7. Thenthe sign can be routed. (See the next pageon routing signs.)
RAILS. With the panel complete, the nextstep is to make the rails (C). The rails sup-port the panel between the posts. Tenons onthe ends fit the mortises and tongues on theedges fit the grooves.
First, cut the rails to finished size, see Fig.8. Then cut the tenons and tongues. Sneak
up on the thickness so they'll fit snug. Fi-nally, rip a double bevel (it looks like a smallroof) on the remaining wide edge of the rail.
DECORATIVE BEVELS. To make the signpanel stand out from the rails, I cut an Vg"bevel that "accents" the edges and keepsthem from splintering, see Fig. 9.
DRY ASSEMBLY. Finally, I was ready to as-semble the sign.
But first, dry clamp it together to markthe pilot hole location, see Fig. 10. Then,bolt the sign together and find a good spoton your lawn to plant it. Q
SECOND:Attach pattern to sign panel
with spray adhesive
BSIGN
PANELV/i" x7" - 18" Long
FIRST:Cut %"- deepsaw kerfs
RAILV/2X3" -18" Long
Lag Bolt —^
FINISHING THE SIGNEven though the sign is made withweather resistant wood, it still needs to beprotected from the elements.
To protect the panel and posts, I usedan exterior wood stain. In my case Sher-win Williams' Exterior Semi-transparentStain. It's formulated to prevent the natu-ral checking that occurs when wood is ex-posed to the sun, and to help resist rot andwater damage.
I used a stain with a light gray tint andapplied two coats to the wood. The secondcoat is optional — only if there's lapmarks that need to be covered.
After the stain has dried, I decided topaint the sign panel to add a little accentand make it more visible. So I used a whiteexterior paint (you can use latex or oil).
But I didn't want to paint the wholepanel white. Instead, I painted only thefaces of the numbers and borders (seephoto at right). I left the backgroundaround the numbers gray.
The easiest way to do that is to use afoam brush. It's stiffer than a bristlebrush, so it doesn't sag over the sides ofthe numbers. Use a light touch, and loadthe brush sparingly to prevent paint runs.
18 Woodsmith No. 94
W O O D W O R K I N G T E C H N I Q U E
Routing SignsA sign with hand-carved numbers is what Iwanted. But I didn't want all the work. So Iused a router with a core box bit.
The secret to making the sign "look"hand-carved is the router bit It imitates thelook of a hand gouge. The bumps andgrooves it leaves behind look a lot like thekind a hand gouge would make.
TRACING NUMBERS. The first step to rout-ing a sign is gluing a pattern of the numbersto the wood (refer to page 18 for attachingpatterns).
Then I used a sharp knife to cut the out-line of the number in the wood, see Fig. 1.The knife cut does two things. It keeps thewood from splintering when routing up nextto the pattern lines. And it adds better defi-nition to the outline of the number.
Finally, after the outlines have been cut,remove the background paper from aroundthe numbers, see Fig. la.
SETUP. The next step is to set up therouter for making signs.
I started with the router base. The firstthing I do is replace the base with an over-size acrylic one, see photo. This lets me seethe pattern lines better and the larger sizesupports the router as the waste (the back-ground) is "carved" away.
Next, 111 install the router bit. The size ofthe bit is important It has to be smallenough to fit the curves and corners of thenumbers when removing the waste. (In mycase, I used a VV'-dia. core box bit)
ROUTING TIPS. Probably the most impor-tant thing I did when it came time to rout thesign, was to take the time to practice on apiece of scrap. I wanted to get a feel for howslowly to feed the bit when routing at the full5/i6" depth.
When routing the numbers for the actualsign, I found it helpful to rest my forearmson the workbench, see Fig. 2. This gives you
Trace around numberswith a sharp knife
more control of the router. Not to mentionmaking it easier on your back.
And when routing close to the patternlines, feed the bit slowly to nibble away atthe wood, see Figs. 2a & 3. When possible,I routed around the numbers in a clockwisedirection. That way the bit was less likely tosplinter the edges.
Finally, for a "hand-carved" look, it's im-
portant to vary the way you remove thewaste. Don't try to make all of the cuts com-pletely straight. Let the router wander a lit-tle to make wavy looking bumps and ridges.
When the sign is complete, I used sand-paper to slightly round the edges of thenumbers. This gives the sign a more fin-ished look, and it keeps the edges from get-ting snagged and splintering out. Q
Start routingfrom the
middle of panel
Rest forearms onbench for support
Nibble at thewood when close
to numbers
Rout inclockwise
direction aroundnumbers on
final pass
No. 94 Woodsmith 19
W O O D W O R K I N G T E C H N I Q U E
Edging PlywoodThere's no trick to attaching hardwood edging to plywood. But there are some
basic techniques you can use to get better results and make the job easier.
Plywood is a great material. Ifs stable(won't expand and contract), readily avail-able, and relatively inexpensive comparedto hardwood. The only drawback is theedges aren't very attractive.
So what 111 do most of the time to dealwith this problem is use a piece of hardwoodto cover the edges. That's because I canmake the edging right in my shop. Butthere's more to applying edging than cut-ting strips from a board.
Generally, I'll follow the same basic stepswhenever I attach edging to plywood. First,I figure out the way itll be attached to theplywood. Then I plan the best way to glueand clamp it And finally, I decide on the easi-est way to finish the edging so if s flush withthe plywood.
ATTACHING EDGINGThere are three different methods I use forattaching edging to plywood. I'll glue it di-rectly to the plywood, cut a tongue andgroove in the pieces, or use a spline to keepthe pieces aligned.
GLUE ON. By far the simplest (and quick-est) method of installing edging is to glue itdirectly to the plywood, see Fig. 1. Ill cut theedging oversize so that it stands a littleproud (about M}2" on either side of the ply-wood). This way I can trim the edging flushto the plywood. But there's one problem.
When the plywood pieces are long, it canbe a challenge to keep the edging in posi-tion. It wants to slide and squirm around un-til you get the clamps tightened. And if the
edging drops below the plywood face as theglue dries, you can't trim the plywood flushwith the edging.
One way to get around this problem is tonail the edging in place. (Note: Drill holesfor the nails to prevent splitting.),
TONGUE & GROOVE. Another way to keepthings aligned is to attach the edging with atongue and groove joint, see Fig. 2. A tonguecut on the plywood edge fits snugly into agroove cut in the edging.
The length of the tongue doesn't have tobe very long (or the groove very deep) tokeep things aligned. But here again, theedging should stand proud of the plywood
so the edges can be trimmed flush.SPLINE & GROOVE. Sometimes 111 use a
spline to attach edging, see Fig. 3. Groovesare cut in the plywood and edging. Then aspline is made to fit the grooves.
The thing to keep mind is, it's difficult tocut a gi x>ove on the edge of plywood with atable saw. Especially when working withlarge pieces. To solve this problem 111 use aslot cutter in my router to cut the grooves.
The material that works best for splinesis Masonite. Its uniform thickness makes iteasier to fit the spline in the grooves. Andonce again, the edging should be oversizeso it can be trimmed flush later.
Use router anda slot cutter to cutgroove in plywood
Cut groove to fittongue onplywood
NOTE: Edging is cutoversize and willbe trimmed flush
Edge Glue. The quickest and easiest way tohide a plywood edge is to glue a piece of solidedging directly to it.
Tongue & Groove. A tongm on the ply-wood mates with a groove in the edging tokeep long pieces of edging aligned.
Spline & Groove. Often I'll me a splineon large pieces of plywood to keep the edgingand plywood aligned with each other.
20 Woodsmith No. 94
GLUING & CLAMPINGThe secret to doing a good job of edging ply-wood is to apply even clamping pressure tothe pieces. Keeping even pressure elimi-nates the gaps that crop up while the gluedries. Here are a few tips I've found helpful.
GLUING. When gluing edging on ply-wood, use yellow glue. It has a shorter work-ing time, so it sets up quickly and keeps theedging from sliding around.
I also use a small brush to spread the glueon both the plywood and the edging. It helpsto get a uniform coat for good adhesion. ButI don't use a foam brush—it always snags onthe plywood edges. Instead, I use an inex-pensive bristle brush. It carries a lot of glueand spreads it evenly. And if s reusable after
it's rinsed out with water.Usually I'll apply two coats of glue to the
plywood edge. The end grain on the ply-wood absorbs glue likea sponge. I'll let thefirst coat soak in ancfthen quickly comeback with another light coat
CLAMPING. After the glue is applied, theedging gets clamped in place. Clamping is anumbers game. The more clamps you canuse, the less chance for gaps. Ideally, I'd puta clamp everj^four to six inches. Unfortu-nately, that would take a lot of clamps forsome of our larger projects.
But there are other ways to clamp edgingwithout having a wall full of clamps. Onemethod uses a board with a slight bow
across the length, see Fig. 4. By clampingeach end, the board applies pressure to theedging located between the clamps.
Another method uses a board andwedges, see Fig. 5. Wedges are pushed un-der the board to apply pressure to the edg-ing. It's a good way to put pressure on a stub-born area that you can't get to stick.
But what if your clamps are too short?This is often the case when gluing edgingto the top or bottom of a long panel. In thatsituation there's another little trick.
I like to clamp a short board across thewidth of the panel, see Fig. 6. This acts likean anchor so I can use shorter clamps andstill get good results.
Adjust spacing ofwedges to applyeven pressure Use spacer to
elevate workpiece
Convex Board. A convex board appliesclamping pressure along the full length of theedging with just two clamps.
Double Wedges. Two wedges used togetherexert equal pressure on the edging. Use extrapairs at stubborn spots so edging will stick.
Clamp Anchor. If your longest clamps aretoo sfiort, clamp a board to the plywood as ananchor and use shorter clamps.
FINISHING UPThe last step to finishing off the edging isto trim it flush with the face of the plywood.This is the point when the edging starts toblend with the plywood.
BLOCK PLANE. If there's only a smallamount of edging that needs to be trimmed,111 start by using a block plane, see Fig. 7. Itremoves most of the wood to get the edgingclose to the plywood. Note: I find it helps tohold the plane at an angle as you make your
cut. This produces a cut with a slicing actionand reduces the chance of tearout
SCRAPER. To get the edging flush withthe plywood, sometimes if s just as fast touse a cabinet scraper. I use just the end ofthe scraper and push or pull it along theedge, see Fig. 8. Try to keep the scraperlevel so you don't gouge the plywood.
FLUSH TRIM BIT. If there's a lot of edgingto trim, the quickest way is to use a router
and flush trim bit, see Fig. 9. The flush trimbit leaves a nice clean edge. But the onlyproblem is trying to keep the router fromtipping. A simple solution is to clamp a wideboard to the plywood for more support.
Note: Refer to page 30 for a reader jig thatalso trims edging flush.
Finally, I lightly sand the edging to cleanup any marks and to make sure the edgingis flush over its entire length. Q
A piece of tapecan be usedto protect theplywood
Hold scraper soindex finger can
be used as a guide
Block Plane. To help prevent tearout, holdthe block plane at an angle to make a shear-ing cut along the edging.
Scraper. To keep the scraper from gougingthe plywood use your index finger as a guide.And hold it level to keep the edging square.
Flush Trim Bit. Tlie quickest way to trima lot of edging is with a flush trim bit. Clampa board to one side for more router support.
No. 94 Woodsmith 21
C O M M E N T S A N D Q U E S T I O N S
Talking ShopZERO-CLEARANCE INSERTS• A zero-clearance insert in thetable saw prevents narrow orthin workpieces from tippinginto the blade opening. And formost cuts, it's safer to use and pro-duces cleaner cuts with lesschipout than the "factory" insert.
But a zero-clearance insertcan also prevent the saw bladefrom being tilted very far, seeDetail a. Because the openinghas "zero clearance" on eitherside of the blade, it will bindagainst a blade that's tilted.
If you try to turn on a tablesaw with the blade bindingagainst the insert, you couldcause damage to the insert, theblade, or yourself. (I've seen a
saw blade bent this way.)UNDERCUT. There is a way to
modify a shop-made zero-clear-ance insert to allow the blade totilt It's by "relieving" the bottomof the opening, see Detail b. To
do this, run the insert over a V-groove bit in the router table.
This will allow the blade to tilt(slightly). But to tilt the blademore than about 20°, the insertshould be replaced with one that
has a wider opening.Safety Note: Whenever I
change blades, inserts, or the sawblade angle, I make a point ofchecking that the blade spinsfreely before turning on the saw.
V
Zero-clearancetable
saw Insert
Narrowbladeopeningcauses tiltedbladeto bind
Undercutblade openingso bladecan tilt
PLASTIC RESIN GLUE• When building the Entry Dooron page 23,1 decided to use plasticresin glue for the joints. A couplethings make plastic resin glue agood choice for an outdoor pro-ject. First, if s highly water resis-tant The Door can get rained onor snowed on, go through sum-mers and winters, and still theglue will hold.
And second, plastic resin is in-expensive and available at manyhardware stores. It costs aboutthe same as yellow wood-worker's glue. (For more infor-mation see Sources, page 31.)
Strength under wet situationsisn't the only thing that makesthis glue different from yellowglues. Plastic resin glues comein powder form and must bemixed with water before using.
Note: When mixed to the cor-rect consistency the glue shouldbe like a heavy frosting, seephoto above right
For mixing, I use a plasticmedicine cup (a measuringspoon will also work) to get thecorrect amounts of powder andwater. And a scrap stick of woodto stir it all together.
QUANTITY. Too often if s aguessing game trying to esti-mate the amount of glue thatshould be mixed up for any pro-ject So, to be on the safe side, Ialways mix more than I think I'llneed. This way, I won't run outof glue after the third tenon on afour-tenon assembly.
Note: I bought 16 ounces ofWeldwood brand plastic resinglue, but eight ounces wouldhave been enough for the Door.
WORKING TIME. Because themixture begins to set up fast(from five to fifteen minutes),the glue must be appliedquickly. To do this, I use thestick to spread the glue evenlyon the workpiece.
And to allow the glue to drycompletey, it's a good idea toleave the assembly clamped forat least twelve hours.
Finally, be sure to clean upany squeeze-out right away with
POLYURETHANE GLUEAbout the time the Entry Doorwas nearing completion, I heardabout a new type of outdoor glue."Holds up even after being inwater for hours. Stronger thanthe wood itself. Sands and scrapeseasily. No mixing required."
It sounded too good to betrue. So I sent away for sam-ples of the two brands nowavailable, see photo at left. (Re-fer to page 31 for sources ofboth Excel and Gorilla Glue.)
It turns out this new glue —
a wet rag. Be-cause if s plastic, the stuff can bea real pain to scrape or sand lateron. Any residue will repel a coatof finish like a vinyl raincoat.
polyurethane glue — isn't newat all. Woodworkers in Europehave been using it for years.
I decided to do some test-ing. I found that polyurethaneglue goes on easily and holdsup well. (Both brands are prac-tically identical.) And scrapingsqueeze-out wasn't a problem.
Unfortuately, like many"new" products, the cost ishigh. But for my next outdoorproject 111 be sure to keeppolyurethane glue in mind.
22 Woodsmith No. 94
F E A T U R E P R O J E C T
Raised PanelEntry Door
A well-designed door has a strongframe and panels that fit as tight in
winter as they do in summer.
I 've wanted to build an entry door for a long time — abouteight years. Thaf s how long if s been since we renovated
the carriage house that sits behind our office building.During this renovation, I got to watch Ken Munkel build
and install seven solid oak doors. A couple things really im-pressed me about Ken's work. He built custom doors the oldfashioned way using simple, strong joinery. And he could doit without a lot of fancy (i.e. expensive) woodworking tools.Basically, just a table saw, router, and drill press.
I was so impressed by Ken's craftsmanship that I hired himto design projects for Woodsmith. Of course, I also wantedhim to show me how to build a door. But somehow, we've bothstayed too busy to find the time.
Recently, there's been another "home improvement pro-ject" going on around here — we've been adding on to ouroffice building. One project scheduled was an updated entryway. And I got to thinking it would be a good time to designmy own Entry Door.
FRAME. A well-designed entry door must have a strongframe. But many doors these days get their strength fromdowels or even lag bolts. Instead, this door is built with largemortises and tenons, see left photo below. This traditionaljoint doesn't need dowels. It's already plenty strong.
PANELS. There's another important design consideration.A door also has to protect against the weather. The panels
and
should fit tight in theframes to create a good seal.The problem is panels expandshrink from season to season.
With traditional raised panels, dry winter air will cause thepanel to shrink. This can loosen the seal between the paneland the frame and let cold air into the house.
With this door, we paid special attention to the panels.They've been designed so they can expand and contract with-out affecting the seal, refer to page 26. And best of all, they'renot any harder to make. In fact, this door is easier to assemblethan a more traditional frame and panel door.
INSTALLING THE DOOR. Even when the door is complete,you're still not done with the project. The door also needs tobe hung in place. To help with this, we've included an articleto show you how, refer to page 28.
Frame. While many doors use joinery thatmust be reinforced until dowels, the frame onthis door is joined uuith simple but strongmortise and tenon.
Panels. After tfie frame has been glued up,the panels are secured unth strips of mold-ing. And unlike traditional panels, thesepanels mil keep a tight seal.
Installation. Tlie last step to installationisthe easiest — adding the handle and deadbolt. But before this can happen, the door hasto be trimmed to size and hung in place.
No. 94 Woodsmith 23
DESIGNING THE DOORBuilding a frame and panel door shouldn'tbe intimidating. It's the same joinery usedto build an inset cabinet door — only on alarger scale. And I found that designing anentry door isn't difficult either. If you followa few guidelines, see Fig. 1.
DOOR COMPONENTS. Basically, all frameand panel entry doors have the same com-ponents. There's an outer frame with topand bottom rails and vertical stiles, see Fig.1. And an inner frame that includes the innerrails and vertical mullions. These frameshold the panels in place.
OUTER FRAME. The design for the outerframe stays pretty much the same from doorto door. These pieces are wider than the in-ner frame pieces to give the door strengthand rigidity. It also has to accommodatehardware such as the handleset and hinges.
INNER FRAME. But while the outer framestays the same, the inner frame design ismore flexible. The number and size of thepanels can change. And there are a numberof window options too, see box below.
DESIGN DETAILS. For this Entry Door, westarted by selecting the type of wood. Ma-hogany, redwood, or ponderosa pine are allgood choices. But we decided on white oak.If s strong and stands up well to the weather.
Another design detail we wanted to in-clude was a small window. It's simply alarger version of a peep hole. Adding a win-dow meant the door would have three pan-els across the width. (We wanted the win-
i
DESIGNTOP RAIL GUIDELINES
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INNER RAIL may bewide or narrbw. If italigns with the handleit should be'roughly thesame width as the stiles.
f/i/vtLS may oe wiae ornarrow. But jwider panelswill expand "&nd contractmore than rjarrow ones.
DOORHANDLES are
the bottom of the door.
'' ^BOTTiroughof the
JM RAIL should bety twice the width>tiles.
WQI£:\ Most ) entry doorsare 1 W thiqk. But whenreplacing a door, matchits thickness.
advantage. Narrow panels expand and con- the bottom. As for the width, I built it right careful about making the frame smaller, es-tract less than wider panels. at 36". You want to avoid trimming the long pecially the stiles, see Guidelines in Fig. 1.)
DOOR SIZE. Since a door has to fit its open- edges of the door if you can help it MAJOR CHANGES. If your opening won'ting, it can't be built just any size. Our door MINOR CHANGES. If your opening holds a hold a 36" x 80" door, you'll need to makeis 36" x 80" to fit a standard opening. standard door, there may still be a few minor some more changes. Start with the overall
But like any inset door, this door starts changes. Measure the opening and simply dimensions and work from there.out a little oversize. I added 1" to the length add any extra width or length to the outer within the guidelines shown inof the door with most of the "extra" being at frame. (But
Just keepFig. 1, and
if your opening is smaller, be you shouldn't have any problems.
DESIGN OPTIONS.The look of a frame and panel door is easyto change. Just rearrange the inside pieces '(the inner rails, mullions, and panels). Thedoor will still be strong because the outerframe provides most of the strength.
Glass allows a number of design options.A big panel can "open up" the look of a door(Example A). Smaller ones just let in light(B) . But if you want the most security and rprivacy, don't use any glass at all (C and D) .
Another thing to consider is the positionof the inner rail. When it lines up with thelockset or handleset, if s called a lock rail (A,B, and C). This is mostly visual. If the lockrail were close to the lockset but not aligned,
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it would look out of place.
24 Woodsmith No. 94
DOOR FRAMEWith typical frame and panel joinery, the
frame holds the panels in grooves. Thismeans that all the pieces have to be assem-bled at the same time.
We took a different approach. The framecan be built and assembled before makingthe panels. So you don't have to mess withthe panels when gluing up the frame.
MORTISE & TENON. To hold the doorframe together, we decided to rely on com-mon mortise and tenon joints, see Fig. 2. It'sall pretty straightforward — except for thebottom rail. It has double tenons.
BOTTOM RAIL. The bottom rail is made ex-tra wide to add strength and rigidity to theframe, see Fig. 2d. Joining the bottom rail tothe stiles would require wide mortises (andtenons). But with mortises this wide, thesides are too weak and tend to bow out Sowhen drilling the mortises in each stile, Idrilled double mortises instead, see Fig. 3.
DEEP MORTISES. Like everything elsewith this door, the mortise and tenons comein large sizes. In fact the mortises in thestiles are 3/i" wide and SVg" deep.
Note: Drilling the mortises in the doorframe requires an extra-long Forstner bit,see page 31 for sources. (A long brad pointwould also work.)
ROUNDED TENONS. Usually after clean-ing the mortises, I square the ends with achisel. But squaring end grain on deep mor-tises isn't easy, especially with white oak.And doing eighteen would have been a realchore. So instead, I rounded the tenons tofit the mortises, see details in Fig. 2.
While rounding the tenons is easier,there are still a lot of them to do. This ispretty slow going with a file or rasp. So Icame up with a shortcut on the router table,see page 15.
ASSEMBLY. When assembling the frame,if s got to end up both square and flat Thiswill be much easier if the surface you'reworking on is flat too. I used an old solid coredoor, but a sheet of plywood will also work.
-33%"-JK
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NOTE:All frame pieces
are 13k" thick
NOTE:To roundtenons,
seepage 15. BOTTOM RAIL
TWO STAGES. This door frame is large andheavy, and there are a lot of joints to fit to-gether. So I assembled it in two stages.
First, I glued the rails and mullions andclamped them together, see Fig. 4. (I usedplastic resin glue, refer to page 22.) Iclamped these frame pieces in sections be-cause I didn't have clamps long enough.
But I was concerned that the tenonsmight not line up with the mortises in thestiles. So to avoid this, I added the stiles"dry" to the first assembly to hold the railsin place, see Fig. 4.
When the first assembly was dry, I re-moved the stiles, added glue, and clampedthe stiles back in place.
NOTE:Drill endsof mortise
first
Drill all mortises Va" deeperthan length of tenon
Use Stiles to keep innerframe pieces aligned
NOTE:Do not glue Stiles in
place at this time
No. 94 Woodsmith 25
PANEL ASSEMBLYWhile the frame is drying, work can beginon the panels. These panels were our big-gest design challenge. The trick was to getthe joint between each frame and panel tightenough to keep out cold air and moisture.But not too tight — the wood still has to beable to expand and contract
With frame and panel joinery, the panelssit in grooves in the frame. They "float" inthese grooves so the wood can expand andcontract with changes in humidity. Unfortu-nately, as the wood moves, the fit betweenthe panel and the frame can widen or nar-row, see near box at right
PANELSInstead of a beveled border around eachpanel, this Entry Door has raised panelswith flat borders, see far box at right. Thisway, the panels can fit tight against themolding and still be tight as the wood ex-pands and contracts.
BACK-TO-BACK. There's another differ-ence. Most raised panels are made from asingle piece of wood or a glued-up panel. Butwe made our panels out of two pieces in-stead of just one. Let me explain.
Rather than a lV£"-thick panel, two 34"panels are set back-to-back. This allows thepanels to move independent of each other.The outside panel can expand or contract ata different rate than the inside one.
TWO SETS OF PANELS. What you end upmaking are two sets of identical panels. Soinstead of eight panels to build, there aresixteen. (There are actually nine panelopenings, but I put a piece of glass in thecenter opening, see box on page 27.)
MAKING THE PANELS. A raised panel witha flat border is simple to make. First, cut thepanel blanks to fit the openings in the frame,see Fig. 5.1 made mine Vie" shorter and Vs"narrower to allow for expansion and con-traction, see Fig. 5a.
The next step is to cut the flat borderaround one side of each panel. To do this, Iused a dado blade and cut the border in aseries of passes, see Fig. 6.
PANEL SHRINKAGE
TraditionalBeveled Panel
As Panel shrinks,it doesn't fit tight
in the Frame
Back-to-BackPanels can shrink-^at different rates \
\ x
Y
Jy> i
-•/A ///Direction r— f>
_J Of ^L—shrinkage tl^>
^y:]\ \\1 ~~^f \
Even after shrinking,flat Panels still fit tight
A When a door is first built, a beveledpanel may fit tight in the frame. But asthe panel shrinks, a gap can develop.
A The panels on this door aren't beveledat all. So no matter how much the panelsshrink, the seal will still be tight.
Cut Panels toallow for
expansion,see Detail a.
Finally, chamfer the shoulders of theraised field on each panel, see Fig. 7.
MOLDINGTo hold the panels in place, I used smallstrips of molding on each side of the back-to-back panels. But the inside and outsidestrips are applied differently. The inside isglued and nailed to the frame. But the out-side is just nailed.
DRAINAGE SOLUTIONS. If WC would haveglued both strips, any moisture that seepedbehind the strips would have been trapped.
This way, water can drain out beneath theoutside molding strip.
This is an improvement over panels thatare set in grooves. As a panel shrinks, watercan seep into the groove. And once it'sthere, if s trapped.
Our panels were designed to stay tight inthe first place. But in case water does get in,we provide a way for it to drain out
MAKING THE MOLDING. The Strips ofmolding are made in three steps, see Fig. 8a.First, the strips are cut to size. Then a shoul-der is routed on one corner. (This shoulder
Cut border inseries of passes Set Blade
to 45°and chamfer
shoulderPanel Blank
(Face side down)
26 Woodsmith No. 94
provides a decorative relief to hide the jointline between the frame and the moldingstrips.) The last step is to round over theother corner.
Safety Note: Since the molding strips areonly Vz" x %", there's not much wood tohold on to. To keep my fingers safe, I usedsome special setups when working with themolding strips, see page 14.
Shop Tip: The last thing you want to hap-pen is to come up short on molding. Somake plenty of extra. When installing thestrips, start with the longest panel opening.If a piece ends up too short, you can use itin a smaller opening later.
Now the panels and molding strips areready to be set in the frame. Each piece isattached a particular way depending onwhether if s on the inside or the outside.Start with the inside of the door facing up.
INSIDE MOLDING. The inside molding isinstalled first. The molding strips are mi-tered at each end, and getting them to fittight can be tricky. For tips on mitering thinstrips, see page 15.
First I glued and nailed the inside stripsin place, see Fig. 8. To do this, I used Frank-lin's Titebond II. If s not completely water-proof like plastic resin, but it's water resis-tant and much easier to use. Also to avoidsplitting the strips when nailing them inplace, if s a good idea to predrill the holesfor the brads.
The challenge here is getting the stripsflush with the inside face of the frame. Mysolution was to set them on spacer blocks,see Fig. 8b. (Just be sure you don't glue ornail the strips to the spacer blocks.)
PANELS. Once the inside strips are com-plete, the panels can be installed, see Fig. 9.I wanted to create a good seal between theinside and outside of the door. But the pan-els still needed to be able to move.
To create a flexible seal, I used siliconizedacrylic caulk. But a bead of caulk needs
8 Miter ends, then glueand nail Inside
Molding to frame«*• s— Inside
Molding
SpacerBlock
9Apply caulk
around
NOTE:Outside ofDoor face up
Nail Panelsat top
and bottomcenters only
Chamferaroundedge ofpanel
10
Miter and nailoutside Moldingto Frame T
NOTE:Do notglue OutsideMolding
some room. So I cut a chamfer around theinside edge of the inside panel, see Fig. 9a.Next, I flipped the door over and ran a beadof caulk along the inside corner of the mold-ing strip, see Fig. 9. Then I set the inside andoutside panels in place.
Now, tack each panel in place at the cen-ter, see Fig. 9. Do this at the top and bottom
only. This keeps the panels centered but stillallows them to expand and contract at thesides. (Be sure to predrill the holes.)
OUTSIDE MOLDING. The last step is to nailthe outside molding in place, see Fig. 10.These pieces are not glued. They're justnailed in place. This way, water can drain outunderneath the molding. Q
GLASS PANELFor the glass panel in the door, I used an in-sulated pane to prevent heat loss. An insu-lated pane is simply two pieces of glass thatsandwich an aluminum channel, see draw-ing. This type of pane must be special or-dered at a local glass store.
Note: Since insulated panes are seldomsquare and can't be cut, I ordered my pane%" smaller than the opening in the frame.This insures the glass will fit
The glass pane I ordered was made ofsafety glass. Instead of breaking into large,jagged pieces, it shatters into small, harm-
less pieces. (Code restrictions requiresafety glass for any entry door.)
The glass panel is installed pretty muchlike the wood panels. There are only a cou-ple differences.
First, the glass needs a little cushioning.And it can't be just nailed in place. So to po-sition the panel, I surrounded it with somesmall rubber spacers. (I bought them whenordering the glass.)
Also, to create a good seal, I applied thesiliconized acrylic caulk to both the insideand the outside of the glass, see drawing.
Rubber Spacerpositions Glassin Frame
No. 94 Woodsmith 27
T E C H N I Q U E
Installing anEntry Door
When installing any inset cabinet door, thegoal is to end up with a consistent gap be-tween the door and the cabinet An entrydoor is the same. But an entry door is quitea bit larger, and the opening it fits in is likelyto be out of square.
To make the job more manageable, Ibreak it into three steps. First, I trim thedoor to fit the opening. Then I mount thehinges and hang the door. And finally, I addthe handle and lock.
FITTING THE DOORThere's more than one way to fit a door toits opening. If an old door is being replaced,then use it as a template, see box on nextpage. If there isn't a door to copy, then workfrom the existing jamb, see Fig. 1. (Thejamb is the wooden frame around the door.)Either way the goal is to find out where thedoor needs to be trimmed so it fits properly.
READING THE JAMB. To find how muchneeds to be trimmed from the door, youneed to "read the jamb," see Fig. 1. This in-volves a couple things. Measuring the widthand height of the opening at several loca-tions. And checking to see just how plumband square the jamb really is (or isn't).
SETTING THE GAP. With this information,the door can be cut to fit the jamb. But you
don't want an exact fit. On the top,bottom, and handle side, I shoot forabout an V$" gap. But the side withthe hinges is a little different
I think hinges look best if they'remortised flush. So I hold the leavesof the hinge parallel and measurethe gap between them, refer to Fig.5a. This gap becomes the gap onthe hinge side of the door.
CUTTING TO WIDTH. When layingout the final size of the door, I workon the width first. I built the door to the cor-rect width, so there shouldn't be much totrim off (if any).
BEVELING THE EDGE. But even if the dooris the perfect width, I'll still cut a bevel onthe handle edge, see Figs. 2 and 4. Withouta bevel, the outside corner of the door willrub against the jamb as it closes. But a 5-7°bevel allows just enough clearance. And thegap at the inside corner is still only an Vfe".
Note: If you find the door needs a lot ofmaterial trimmed off its width, remove anequal amount from both sides. This willkeep the stiles even.
There are several ways to trim a door. Ahand plane will trim and bevel the long edgecleanly but requires a sharp blade and somehard work. A circular saw and a straight
edge will also work, see Fig. 4. To get a rela-tively clean cut, use a sharp, thin kerf blade.
TRIMMING THE TOP. When the width hasbeen established, check the top edge. If thejamb isn't square, trim the door just enoughso it'll match the jamb. Otherwise, leave italone. (When crosscutting, score the cutfirst to reduce chipout.) Remember, thegoal is a consistent gap all around the door.
CUTTING TO LENGTH. Now that three ofthe sides fit the opening, the last step is tocrosscut the door to length. I do this at thebottom, where I "built in" an extra 1".
Note: I bevel the bottom edge of the doorjust like the handle edge, see Fig. 3. A bevelhelps the bottom fit tight against theweather-stripping, while keeping the Vs"gap on the inside face.
1THIRD:Trim top of Doorto match opening
FOURTH:Cut doorto length
SECOND:Trim and bevel
f- edge of Door
FIRST:Measurewidth and heightof opening atseveral locations
0 CROSS SECTION
Inside of ^Door \
T
./'""^5 to 7° /Bevel /•'VL
Ctnn -^
,
\ Doorjamb
\
3Jamb
*.
Stop-*•
Door
if
strippingJ5 to 7°Bevel
r^^Threshold J ̂
CROSS SECTION
28 Woodsmith No. 94
MOUNTING THE HINGESAfter the door is trimmed to fit the opening,if s time to add the hinges. I mount them tothe door first, then work on the jamb.
Door hinges are located 5-7" from the topand 7-11" from the bottom, see Fig. 5. Themiddle hinge is centered between them.
To hold a door this heavy, I used 4x4 ballbearing hinges. The ball bearings allow thedoor to open and close smoothly.
POSmoNiNG THE HINGES. Set the hingeon the door so the leaf is set back V±" fromthe outside face, see Fig. 5a. Trace aroundthe hinge. Then rout out the mortise andsquare up the corners with a chisel.
To locate the hinges on the jamb, youcould just measure them out But to be safe,set the door in place and shim the top andbottom to create an V$" gap, see Fig. 6. Thentransfer the position of the mortises to thejamb, and rout and square the mortises.
5/
5tc
Cenbefw
fopbotthint
(.
7tc
^L7"
terreen&
omjes
1^-
77 "
-T(*'
(
\^
HI [ED B
CROSS SECTION
*=^r ^Hingeleaves aremortised
flush J
All that's left is to mount the hinges andhang the door. But it's important to get theholes for the hinges perfectly centered. Todo this, I used a Vix bit, see Fig. 7.
ADDING THE HANDLESETThe last step is to mount the handleset Thisinvolves drilling holes for the cylinders andlatches. And cutting shallow mortises forthe plates. Note: You may need to purchasesome special hole saws, see page 31.
Follow the instructions and use the tem-plates that come with the handleset. Butdon't try to drill the holes for the latch anddead bolt cylinders all the way through thedoor, see Fig. 8 — at least not in one pass.When the mandrel bit cuts through, stopand finish the hole from the other side. Thisway you won't tear out either face.
Also, mount the latch and dead bolt firstand use them to position the strike platemortises in the jamb, see Fig. 9. Q
A Our handleset included a handle latchand dead bolt. Installation involved drill-ing holes and cutting shallow mortises.
Use shims to square updoor in opening
Vix bitcenterspilotholesfor
hinges
Vix bitin hand drill
Transferhingemortisepositionsto jamb
8
Stop drilling whenbit comes through.Then complete hofrom opposite side
vhen>ugh.e holeside
<J
0
0
fa. CROSS SECTION ^(TOP VIEW)
Mandrel bit
2_L_; '
WHOV 1 1
l̂eSaw
Transfercenter oflatch to jamb
REPLACING AN OLD DOORThe easiest way to fit a door toits jamb is to use the existingdoor. The old door serves as atemplate to mark the new one.
But before you remove theold door, take a good look at howit fits. Is it rubbing against thejamb anywhere? Are the gapsaround the door consistent?Write any changes on the dooritself, so you'll remember whentrimming the new door.
Now set the old door on thenew one. Transfer the overallsize to the new door, makingany adjustments you noted.Also match the bevels on theside and bottom of the door.
You can also use the olddoor to mark the position ofthe hinges. But the handle,dead bolt, and latch platesshould be marked from thejamb after the door is hung.
Olddoor
New door
NOTE:Set old dooron top of new Doorand use as template
No. 94 Woodsmith 29
R E A D E R S JJ_
FlushTrim JigHere's a jig that you can use to trim plywood
edging perfectly flush every time.A quick way to trim edging flush on plywoodis to use a router and a flush trim bit But it'sa problem keeping the router steady as youmake your cut There's not much of a sur-face for the router to balance on. So if you'renot careful, the bit might gouge the wood.
We had a lot of edging that needed to betrimmed flush on our Corner Cabinet (seepage 6). Thaf s why we got excited when wereceived this jig design from Steven Woodof Cheshire, Connecticut It lets youquickly trim the edging flush.
The reason I liked Steve's design is be-cause it uses a vertical guide that mountsunder the router, see photo. The guide sta-bilizes the router and keeps the bit perpen-dicular to the edging at the same time.
THE PARTS. The jig design is simple. Anauxiliary base (A) replaces your routerbase. Attached to this is the vertical guide(B) and guide support (C) with a handle(D) added for support, see Fig. 1.
I used my existing router base as a tem-plate for marking the mounting holes on theauxiliary base. Drill and counterbore theseholes a little oversize, see Fig. la. This wayyou can shift the router on the jig if you need
to make adjustments later on.I cut both parts of the guide (B and C)
from the same board. But one piece is 1 V£"shorter than the other. When glued to-gether, it forms a "step" for bit clearance.
Next, I cut the handle from V thickstock and screwed it to the guide support,see Fig. Ib.
ASSEMBLY. When assembling the jig, theimportant thing is to align the guide with thebearing on the bit. That way the guide sta-bilizes the router at the same time the bit istrimming the edging flush.
First, align the guide with the bearing asclosely as possible and draw a line to markthe location, see Figs. 2 and 2a. Then re-move the base from the router.
Because the jig has to be turned over be-fore you can install the screws, use double-sided carpet tape to keep the guide in place,see Fig. 3. Then attach the guide to the basewith three #8 x 1" screws, see Fig. 4.
If adjustments to the jig are needed,loosen the mounting screws that hold onthe base. Shift the router base in the over-sized holes until the flush trim bit cuts theedging flush with the plywood. G
A The handle on the jig holds the routersteady while trimming the edging flushalong the length of the plywood.
FEATURE YOUR JIGIf you've built an original jig and wouldlike to see it featured on this page, sendyour idea to Woodsmith, Reader's Jig,2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312.
If we publish it, well send you $100and a full set of Woodsmith back issues,with binders. (This set retails for over$300.) Include a sketch (or photo) andexplain how it's used. And please includea daytime phone number.
AlignGuidefaceflushwith
bearingDrill
clearancehole
- - for bit
Use squareto align bearing
with GuideHandle flush with^\top of Guide Support
Clampand drill
countersunkshank holes
NOTE:Remove
Basefrom
router
GUIDE SUPPORT
ScrewBase toHandle
and GuideSupport
Chamfer edgesof Handle
AlignGuide Supportwith mark on Base rape
GUIDE(3/4" X 53/4" X 5V2")
30 Woodsmith No. 94
P R O J E C T S U P P L I E S
SourcesCORNER CABINET
A complete hardware kit for theCorner Cabinet, shown on page6, is available from WoodsmithProject Supplies. This kit has allthe woodscrews you'll need plusthe following hardware:• (3 pr.) 1V&" Wraparound
Hinges• (3 pr.) 24"-long Full-extension
Drawer Slides• (4) Magnetic Catches• (1) Adjustable Leg Leveler• (1) W-Dia. Oak Dowel• (1) V2"-Dia. Oak Dowel• (1) W-Dia. Oak Dowel• (1 pr.) Closet Pole SocketsW94-794-100 CornerCabinet Hardware Kit $89.95
Note: Most of the hardwarelisted above is also availablefrom the mail order sources be-low. The adjustable leg levelerand closet pole sockets are avail-able at local home centers andhardware stores.
ROUTER BIT. To shape theedging on the Corner Cabinet,we used a corner beading bit.This router bit isn't as commonas other bits, but it is availablethrough the mail order sourceslisted below.
FINISH. We built two versionsof the Corner Cabinet, see page13. One was left unstained. Theother was stained with Min-wax's Slate Blue and WinterWhite Pastel stains, available at
local paint and hardware storesBoth Corner Cabinets were
finished with two coats of Gen-eral Finishes' Royal Finish. Thiswiping varnish is available fromWoodsmith Project Suppliesand the sources listed below.W94-4003-602 Royal FinishTop Coat (Satin). ...$11.95 quarl
LAWN SIGNTo create a pattern for routingthe numbers for the Lawn Signyou can enlarge the numberswith a photocopier to 4"-tall, seepage 17. Or you can order full-size patterns available fromWoodsmith Project Supplies.W94-800-5252 Lawn SignPatterns $3.5C
Note: I also found a clearrouter base to be helpful whenrouting the numbers, seesources below.
ENTRY DOORTo build the Entry Door, shownon page 23, you'll need somespecial tools and hardware.
TOOLS. To drill the deep mor-tises, you'll need a long Forst-ner bit, see sources below. (Abrad point bit will also work.)Also, most handlesets will re-quire lV2"-dia. and 2i/8"-dia.hole saws. These are availableat local hardware stores.
HARDWARE. To install theDoor, we used 4x4 ball-bearinghinges. Our handleset, which
WOODSMITH PROJECT SUPPLIESORDER BY MAIL
To order by mail, use the or-der form that comes with thecurrent issue. The order formincludes information on salestax as well as shipping andhandling charges.
If the mail order form is notavailable, please call our TollFree number at the right formore information on specificcharges and any applicablesales tax.
ORDER BY PHONEFor fastest service use our TollFree order line. Open Mondaythrough Friday, 7 AM to 7 PMCentral Time.
Before calling, please haveyour VISA, MasterCard, orDiscover Card ready.
1-800-444-7527
Note: Prices subject tochange after October, 1994
includes the handle and deadbolt, was made by Weiser. Bothare available at home centers ora local locksmith.
GLASS. If you include a glasspanel in your Door, it will needto be safety glass, see page 27.(Our panel was also insulated.)
t It can be ordered through a lo-cal glass store. And whileyou're there, pick up some rub-ber blocks for setting the glassin the door frame.
FINISH. There are a numberof finishes to apply to an entrydoor. A door that will be pro-tected by a porch or awning canget by with a water repel-lent/preservative. This finishlooks "natural" and is easy toapply and maintain. We gaveour Entry Door two liberalcoats of General Finishes' Out-door Oil, see sources below.
A door exposed to direct sunand rain needs more protection.Here you have to make a deci-sion between paint and spar var-nish. Paint lasts longer. Spar var-nish looks better, but it alsoneeds to be recoated or refin-ished more often.
WATERPROOF GLUESAn entry door requires a strong,waterproof glue. On page 20, wetalked about a couple differenttypes of glues: plastic resin glueand a new breed of glues madefrom polyurethane.
Plastic Resin glue, such asDAP's Weldwood Plastic Resin,is inexpensive — about $8 for1 Ib. of powder. And it's com-monly available in hardwarestores and home centers.
There are two polyurethaneglues currently available: Exceland Gorilla Glue. They're a bitmore expensive than plasticresin. Excel is $16.95 for 25.4 oz.Gorilla Glue is $19.95 for 18 oz.Both are available through mailorder sources, see below.
HINGE BITSWhen drilling pilot holes forhinges, it's easy to drill themoff-center. This can throwthehinge out of alignment whenyou screw it in place. Whilebuilding the Corner Cabinetand Entry Door, I avoidedthis by using Vix bits to auto-matically center the pilotholes for the door hinges.
Vix bits are availablethrough quite a few mail or-der sources, see box below.Woodsmith Project Suppliesis also offering two sizes ofVix bits. One for Nos. 5 and6 woodscrews. Another forNos. 8, 9, and 10 screws.W94- 1505-505 Nos. 5and 6 Vix Bit $8.95W94- 1505-509 Nos. 8, 9,and 10 Vix Bit $9.95
MAIL ORDER SOURCESSimilar hardware and supplies may be found in the following
catalogs. Please call each company for a catalog or information.AmBelCorp. Trendlines The Woodworkers' Store
800-779-3935 800-767-9999 800-279-4441Excel Glue Router Base, Vix Bits Cabinet Hardware,
Constantine's Woodcraft J^S^aT800-223-8087 800-225-1153 W^i S?/TRouter Base, Plastic Router Base, Vix Bits, ff08^ fg**i ™
m>Resin Glue, Vix Bits Long Forstner Bit
General Finishes Woodhaven W<^?£e^?upply
800-783-6050 800-344-6657General Finishes Router Base, Vix Bits, Catenet Hardware
The Gorilla Group Comer Beading Bit800-966-3458Gorilla Glue
No. 94 Woodsmith 31
A L A S T L O O K
Final DetailsLawn Sign
A Unique design and some simple techniques.That's all it takes to turn construction lumberinto a distinctive Lawn Sign. See page 16.
Raised Panel Entry Door
A On page 23 we show how to build a customdoor in a home workshop. A few tools andsome basic techniques are all that's needed.
Corner Cabinet
A This Cabinet is a practical project with a unique design, see page 6.Several compartments offer solutions to a variety of storage problems.
; i
A Contrasting colors of stain ere- A Shop-made drawer pulls areate an interesting effect. Without easy to make, and they're an attrac-hiding the grain of the wood. tive way to complete the Cabinet.
32 Woodsmith No. 94
Sneak Preview
Micro-Adjustable inincrements of '/g/' for
perfect fitting joints
Adjustable width key allowscutting box joint slots -from3/ " j. /3/ "Yjt to '7/6
Wee're offering you a special earlyopportunity to order our all-new BoxJoint Jig to be featured in the fallWoodsmith Shop Catalog. As a partof this special offer we'll forward yourorder to you right away. Chances areyou'll have yours in the shop beforeanyone else even sees it.
With an adjustable key slot and areplaceable backing strip this is the Imost accurate way to create box joints.
The Box Joint Jig attached to your mitergauge makes it foolproof to set up andcreate perfect fitting box joints on yourrouter table or table saw. The micro-adjustfeature allows you to "dial-in" perfectfitting joints by adjusting the key positionin increments of less than Vfo". One of theknobs lets you to match the key to theblade, and the second to set the spacingbetween the pins. The settings can easilybe locked in with two knobs on the rear ofthe jig. With the position of the key lockedthe jig won't "creep" while you're work-ing, no matter how many drawers or boxesyou're making.
The hefty solid aluminum body gives^y^r^prhntrty^tr^^ ourworkpiece whether you're planning touse it with your router table or tablesaw. The unique plastic replaceable
backing str ipbacks upyourworkpiece toeliminate chip-out. Completedetailed instruc-tions for attach-ing the Box Joint Jig to your miter gaugeand tips for creating perfect box joints areincluded.
Aluminum Box Joint JigC7-4502-658 $79.95Replacement Backing StripsC7-4502-657 $9.95ea
SpecificationsOverall Dimensions: 17"x WFence: Clear Anodized Aluminum AlloyBacking Strip: UHMW PlasticComes fully assembled and ready to use.Micro Adjust Function: One full rotation ofthe knob moves the key Vy£.
Create Expert BoxJoints Using OurBox Joint Jig
Apairofknobs adjusts thejigto the desired sizeand spacing of the pins and slots. One knobmatches the key to the blade, and the secondknob sets the spacing between the pins.
The adjustable-width key positions the work-piece so the slots are ait a uniform distanceapart. Tliis creates a series of pins and slots thatfit together like fingers in a glove.
To prevent the key on the Box Joint Jig from''creeping" once itj\jidimted aj2aiL_QfL_plastic knobs locks it securely in place. Theresult is perfect fitting box joints.
