NO.

66

NOTES FROM THE SHOP

$3.95

VVM.ILLSHELF........__.
1iI~:HOW TO CUT
DOVETAILS

-_

.__~_<or;~
...__~ __..... -....
,~_::~~~

__ 0

No. 66

EDITOR'S

December 1989

COLUMN

Sawdust
EdItor Donald B. Peschke
DeSlgO Director Ted Kralicek
MaoagingEdtlo' Douglas l. Hicks
AssiSlanlEdtlots Douglas M. Lidster
Kent A. Buckton
Terry J. Sll'ohman
PrOJeCI Designer Ken Munkel
Ted\nOCaJ IlIuslratOfSDavid Kreyling
Cary Christensen
RodStoakes
Chris Glowacki
Cuslomerservee Linda Morrow, Mgr.
Lisa Thompson
PtoJeCI SUWllos Leslie Ann Gearhart
Controller Paul E. Gray
Compu\erOperat""'S Ken Miner
AdministrativeAssts. Cheryl Scott
SandyBaum
Souroebool< Jean Carey
_ing
ShOws Steve Curtis
BuildingMaintenance Archie Krause

WOODSMITH STORES
GeneralManager Steve Krohmer
Marl<eung Manager Steve Dotier
Slote Managers:
St.louiS. MO Jon Behrle
Be<1<e!eY. CA Michael DeHaven
DOS Moines. IA Kent Welsh
WOODSMITH (ISSN 0164-4114) is publistled bimonthly (Februal)'. April, June,
AuguSl, October.
December)
by
Woodsmith Publishing Co., 2200 Gland
Ave .. Des Motnes,IAS0312.
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Woodsrt.h Publishing Co.
'~,Copyright 1989 by Woodsmilh Publish
ing Co. AllRlghls Reserved.
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SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS? Call BOO4350715 tiL reSIdents: 800-8920753).
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SAMPLE COPY: We willsend a Iree sampie copy of Woodsmilh 10 anyone. Just
send VS his/her name and address.

ne oflhe most popular projects we've drawers, But it'salso ajoim that manywoodever shown in ~Vooc1s"tit" is the workers tend to shy away from. Too compliEuropean-style workbench featured about cared. Requires 100 much precision.
three years ago (in 1I'0000lilli No. 50). Irs
Okay, let's face it. ii a joint requires using
quite a bench. And probably exactly what hand tools (like a back saw and asetofsharp
most woodworkers have in mind as the cen- chisels). more than likely we'lI find a differter of their shop,
entjoinl, ... Ora different way to make iL
But that bench is quite an undertaking to
Iryou don'l want to U$<1 hand toolsto make
build. Don't get me wrong, Ithink it's well dovetails, your options are limited. There
worth the effort. Rut it's certainly not a are several dovetail jigs on the market that
weekend project.
cut through doveradswith a router. But they
We wanted 10 come up with another lend 10 be expensive,
bench. One U,at was easy to build. sturdy,
Another way is to use a band saw.That's
and would serve you well over the yearsthe basis for the technique shown in Ihis
even ifit isn'taclassic European-stylebench. issue. Aculally. it all started wilh a friend of
Every time we sat down 10 design this mine, Mark Duginske. For many years
simple bench. we ran into the problem of Mark has been a representative of mCA
design overload. It's a problem common La machinery, He works at many of the woodmany projects. Once you gel started. you working shows across the countryand gives
want to add a feature, and add a feature, and seminars 00 worldngwith a band saw.
add a feature. Soon thesimple bench iscomPeriodically Mark stops by our shop to
plicalcd. We finally decided to limit Ibe de- talk about a new technique he's developed
sign by Slitting three basic criterla.
for the band saw. The one I found most inFirst.the base (legs) had 10 be buill cut of triguing was his method for cuuing
easy-to-obtaiu construclion lumber. (We dovetails.
built the base out orlir 2x4s).
The basic technique involves using two
Second. Uwjoinery used for the base had jigs. one 10 cut the tails and one to CUi the
to be basic, not something like wedged mor- pins (lhe two interlocking partsof a dovetail
lise and tenens, 0A'e used very simple ver- joint).!n general. it'seasy 10gel rnyattention
sions oflap joints and butt jQints.)
with .almost any jig, bUL Mark's technique
And third, the lOP had to be easy to con- and jigs are particularly interesting.
struct and nOI too expensive. (We chose a
When cutting dovetails. jigs make it easy
solid-core door. but you CQuiduse IWO layers to make repealed. accurate cutsat the angle
of plywood)
needed (or bOtll paris of the dovetail joint.
What we wound up with is a good solid
However. that's not what got my attention
bench that can be builtin a weekend and will about Mark's technique. The jig he devised
probably lasta lifetime. Butiyou havea little noronlysets the angle. butalso sets thespacing ofe.eh cut. Ily spacing. I mean aligning
time left over. YOIl can add afew features.
Firsf on our lisl was a set of drawers. You the cut to a precise point. And in the case of
can add tile three simple drawers shown in dovetalls, spacing isequaily as criticalas the
this Issue. Or.you canbuild a moreelaborate angle.
storage unit like tile one on the European
TIle spacing is usually determined by
style bench. In fact the base WlIS sized for making a pencil line. BUL pencil lines are not
this storage unit if you want to add it later. very precise. So. how does Mark solve the
(Refer to Woo(bnnjtit No. 50.)
problem of precise alignment? With spacer
As for vises. we've Iisted a group of vises blocks, Nothing new, but in combination
that could be used on this bench, see with the angte jigs. they produce accurate
Sources on page 24. 'These are basic wood- cutsoverand over again. with no guesswork.
working vises that mountto the front of the
IVhalab()ulalllhe othertechniques Mark
bench. You could gel a Iiltle more function told us about? Il'eli. he decided 10 write.
out of the bench by adding a dog row and a book. 1'116 Band Saw Handbook. II just
tail vise at the end of the bench.
came out and Mark is pretty excited about it
OGVF;rAII.s. Just as a good workbench is - a three-month project that took twO years
the cornerstone of a shop.there.are certain 10complete. 0 know how he feels.) lt'sfilled
joints thai are hallmarks of woodworking. wilh bis experience of many years of work
The one that comes to mind first is the jng with band saws.
dovetailjoinL
NE>.'TtS$u.1l1enext.issue of 1ood8millt
This classic joint is great for all sorts of (No. 67) win be mailed during' the week of
cabinetwork, and particularly for making February 12. 1990.
W,xxlsmilh

No. 66

F_R_O.:..__M
__

I--

r:

F___:.E_L=---=L_O.:..__W
__ W

D W

R K E R S

Tips & Techniques

SIMPLER RESAWING

ROUTER TABLE/WORKBENCH

In lVoodsllIith :>:0, 63 you

showed two techniques for resawing' thick boards into Ihin
lumber: one for the labl,' saw
and the other for the band "'w.1
use a hybrid method that combines both of these techniques.

edge, or Ih,' board with CUIS IvO'found yet another use for my
about 11.," ekep, see inset draw- 1V000Is,mlh router table: I use il
ing. Then. to flnish resawing ,'S 3 workbench 10 t~mlx>r(lrily
Ihe board all tht' way through, I hold benchtoprools like I,'Tilld,'rs
switch 10 the band saw. S<'(' and scroll saws. (M y shop is
drawing. TIw scored cui lines small. and I don't have
on each t'CiR<'of the board act Ihe space to permanemlv mount these
.'guidl'S
for
the
band
tools Onit bench.)
CUT '.saw blade.
.... ON
Try 10 nil down the
F'ir~l. mount each
1OTl4,(NOS
side of the scored line tool onto its own
'u< closely as possible,
Since the kerfleft by ba",,~ for all LIte tools
base.I size. To
tlu- table saw blade is wood
one uniform
wider Ihan the band make each base, I cut
saw blade, this gives ~."thkk plywood
,
youa-guide-tomake
Ih.. '-3Jl1(' width as the
lOp of the router lable
Ih,' final ClIL
\\,ilh this method, a (On my table. this is
This technique works well with resawing guide on the band saw 30".) Then I drilled
boards of almost any width. bUI is not needed since the scored two \1.4" holes in the
rl'lIlIy irs useful when resawing lines help control blade d,ifl. plywood. t;y~"in from '--''''''_
boards that an' 100 wide 10 CUI Thisresults ill boardsof uniform each edge. (11",,,", holea must
all the way thrnugh on the thickness which means there alilln with the carriage bolts Ihal
table saw.
will be less final planing needed,
hold the router table rente.)
To use Ibis method, I first SCi
EdSiloff'er Each bench lOP 1001 is Ihen
upth .. table saw 10 <core the IWO
RfK'/,p"tlr. J/innnotll
bohed 10 its plywood base
To mounl the 100110 1i1c""'itT
table "workbench." reme",,' the
frl1!'c and Castenthe plywood base

10the tableu<ingthe"""" cania!tC

bolts. washers, nnd wing mas thai
bold IIw f"ll~"
""'l'dmwing,
Jul/ll "mIO>1
\ jry/lllioIJC<ltie. I'irginia

,----===;;;-;=;----,

1t:~~*~r-n~~~;r=~
r

made~~~.rl?~~~

_:=~l_~~~~~~~
l__

SANDING STRAP

When I'm sanding rounded objccts or working on the lathe, I

use a special sanding <trap .. ith
dowel handles.
To make the sanding strap.
start by laying down a 21" lengTh
ofdUl'! tape-sticky side up. Now
pUI a couple of dowelhandles on
top of the tape alKlUl3" from earn

,'OO.'11cn fold Ihc ends oflhc tape

over the dowels and Slick the
I:IIIC down onto ilsclf to hold the

handles in plnce, sec drawing,

After securing lhe handles,
set a strip of sandpaper on lOP of
the sticky surface of the tape.
Trim the (~Il:("of the sandpaper
10 the width oCthe duct tape.
To use the sanding strap.
simply l(rnSp the dowel handles
and work the strap back and
forth over th~object.

GLUE BRUSH

Ilt-rt"sa solution 10thc' problem

of applying glue 10 'mall surfaces such as gro()\'es, rabbets
and dadoes - without S(tlling
glue on surfaces that are to be
stained and finished.
I've found that a pcnti~;lylt
Jolin BiUe/ Iypc'\mler eraser (tile kind willI
St4I~" 1.10l/d.New York Illl' bristles on one end) make. a
pcri<~glue brush. TIll' bristk-s
can)' an ample amount of glue
yN are.til! enough 10~ ... "d lilt'
glue t'Vt'niyinto tight spat.."- And
'i_lh"boi~"",syntl,..tic,lh<:y
al\' easily washed dean aIIer """.

Also Ihe eraser ea~ily rt-

lXCl$S AlTtR
ST'(lONG
SANoP......
fO lAPI
t~

00WI"t..

SI'2-lQHG

movc' ullwanled

pt'ncll nonrks

len on surfaces to be finish,'Cl. It's

more abrasive than a regular eraser so il removes line,; Clukkly
and it'st'aSier than sanding.
RII8R~1IAbbott
I'orl TOllmse'ld. 11'11811 ;nllime

No. 66

W (){xlsm i[h

.......

..L..u..ll._.J

8diwr'8 Nou

rr yo"r router

I<lble is no! lire' Wood.mith dr.~;gJt.Y01(

('(j

II

unacn

bf'~I(ltlOp

1001. bi! ;'1.'011"'9 0 11(';' of T1(/(/$ [rum 111#" 41"dt'nfide Of Ihl'

labl' or tl, rt'a(l, (I insert froll~
the lop, TI" II bolt th pi!I"'OOd
bo8r in platf.

SHOP BRUSH
I keep 3 brush in my shop commocly used by a draftsman, The
bristles on this bn,sh are longer

and softer than most shop

brushes so il cleans up sawdust
around equipment and down in
cracks and <'On1C',!I(~aNily.
Drafting brushes are available
at art supply stores for aboutS5,
Sit"I'r French
H(~/'4st4_r\~e,( }'(lrk

SIND IN YOURnps
If you'd lil<~10 ~hare a tip
with others, 't'nd in your idea
to \VOOdsll'ith, 'iii'" & TechniquCts,2200 Grand Ave .Des
~oiJl("'. Iowa ,>0:112.
W~ pay Sl5 ror acce","d
tips. !,Iea", >-cndan ~planalion and a ,kelch if nCt'C!ed
(...e11 draw il nt'" on<'),

Sf-lOP

PROJECT

Workbench
Construction lumbe1' and a weekend's work can produce the
most used tool in the shop", a workbench, This one features a base made
of 2x4's and a solid,core door for a cop,

n 1 wanted

was a simple workbench, A bench

Cora more versatile bench,

JOISRY The end frames of the bench are assembled with lap join IS, Rill. instead of cutting lap
joints in the traditional way. I built thern up by laminaring 2x4's together, The uprillhl~ are stacked (laminab-d) in a way 10create "notches" for the crosspieces
(braces). refer to the Exploded Vi!'w,
This brought up thequestion oftlle besrway 10 laminair Ihe 2)(4's together. I( you have enough clamps.
you can glue and claml) them together, Or. you can
weekend I began thinking Some drawers sure would glue. and then nail them together. (Here I'd use finish
be handy, $0 I added Ihree drawers that are [oiaed nails.) Or. glue and screw them together,
together with router-cut dov~tails, Ialso added a slid,
There was another question about how to join the
ingtray in one drawer to keep things organized,
rails (horizontal pieces) to the leW', Ichose a draw-bolt
Since I couldn't fit cV~I'}'hing into the drawers. I 'Y'tem that allows you to knock down the bench if you
added a ,bel( und"I'II<'ath, Then a woodworking vise ever need to move it in the Cuture,
was the linaltouch. The point is this project can be
"SII. To protect the bench and keep glue from
simple or involved, The basic bench can be pUI to' ,ticking to it. I finished the bench with two coats of
gether in a weekend. Oryou can add storage and a vise General Finishes Two-Step OiVu....thane finish.

that was sturdy, had a Iatgt> wock surface, and

didn't costa 101,And I wanted 10build it in a weekend,
So Salurday morning Iwem to the local lumberyard
and by Sunday night m)' basic bench was complete,
The base of the bench is made out of fir 2x4's, The top
isa solid-coredoor. Lumberyard. and building centers
oflen have slighLly danlllltcd doors al a discount. Or,
you could make the to!>out of two piecesof:\l4" Iltywood,
The basic bench worked greal. but by the next

t'

Woodsmith

No. 66

EXPLODED

SUPPLIES

VIEW
OVERAll

r:

8ASIC 8ENCH

DIMENSIONS:

341/4"H X 30" W x 80" L

(9)2><4S.96'-IOO9
(I) 1'1'.'x30' X 80' soli<;1-core

qo:>r(or laminate 2 sheets

of t.' plywood 10gefher to
get a I ......
1hlCktop)
(l)piece%'plywood,24'X
46' (i6%' x48' for shelf.U$E)
scrap for cleQl$)
(6)%'x~'hexbotts

BENCH TOP

SIDE BRACE

(20) 'b!!' woshers

(6) %' rlUls

(4)%' x 4' logbolts
(16) ~8 x 1V.' flathead
woodsctews
(100)'!l x 2y., woodsctews
Of 8d flnlshnolls

VISE
(OPTIONAL)

FRONT/BACK
CLEAT

DRAWERS
(4) 1.6's, 96'~ong

BOnOM
SHELF

rn '1'.')(S'l.f-96{hordWlOOd
10<drower guide system)
0) piece Yd' plywood, 48 x
48' (tor drower and Iroy
bottoms)
(18) 18x l'llotheod wood-

LEG

RAIL

SCJ9WS

(20) _8 x PI,' rtothead

wcooscrews

"--

-SIDE
BRACE
UPPER LEG
FILLER

MATERIALS

CUnlNG

8ASICBENCH
A
8
C
o
E
f

G
H
I

Legs(4)
Sidesrcces (4)
Upper leg FIllers(4)
Lowel Leg FilltlJs(4)
SideBroce Fillers(4)
FrnI{BockRo,~(8)
6enchTop(l)
BotlomShe~(I)
SideCleols(2)
Frnt.!Bock Cleots (2)

1'II x 3"" - 32 'i>

1......
x 31-'.1
23
I ~ x 3'i> - 21
1'h ~3'1) -A'i>
, ......
x 3\-!1-16
l\-!Ix3y.,48%
1:vax 3O,80
:v.Ply - IMtXA8
iII,Ply -l~x 16
'lid Ply - 1'i>x A2

DRAWERS'
Drower Guide, (6)
'\I, x 2""6 - 22'12
Dlower Stops(3)
% x l - 14~
Dlawer Frt./Bc~,.(6) "'. x 41'. - 14y.,
Drawer $Ides(6)
:V. x 4% - 2011.
o Orower Bottoms(3) It. Ply. - 131,7x 20111
P falSeFronts(3)
'11 4'1'. 16
Q Orower ilIJnners(6)
22'i~
R TraySpfir.es(2)
It, Xy.,- 19'.'.1
S Tr<lySldes(2)
Y.lx 1'1'.-9'1.
T TrayFrnl ./ Bocks(2) 'I)X 10/.,- 12~
U TrayBottam(t)
'I4Ply.-9%x 12%
'Material tor three drowers and one Iray
K
l
M
N

v..

No. 66

.-v.,

(8).8 x A' flo1heod wood

LOWER
LEG
FILLER

screws
(3) drewa<pulls wI screws

OPTIONAL
(I) ,"oodworking liGe(see
seorees on page 24 for

~... x 4'"aoLT
ANDWA.$HER

more Infomotlon on vises}

DIAGRAM

BASIC BENCH
2 x 4 96" (ON! GOARD)

I
2

e
x4

96" (FOUIt, BOARDS)

I
2

x q 96"

(FOUR BOARDS)

DRAWERS

1 x 6 7~" {TWO BOARDSl

t)72 .,.~ "'7%: Zti:22~2?ttzJ. ~~

I

x 6 96- (ONE 80ARD,

1 x 6 96" {ONE80ARO,

I.

II

"

:
'.1:';./1"

44

~
)114

:J;~'ACTUAL'
x5'/~. 96" (3.1 80.

P
fOR GUIDESAND RUNNfRS

ALSO A'QUIRES~ONE PIECE0,. ~ .." PI.Y.~24" x 48'1, ONt PIKE OF

Ii." PlY.~ 43"

x 48:"

ONI SOUD-COR. DOOR OR TWO SHIlTS Of ),',," PLYWOOD fOR TOP

Woodsmitb

END FRAMES
The first

step in
building the bench
is 10 build the two
end frames.
To
make each frame.
begin by culling IWo
1e,!S (A) to a length
of 321,2". (NoI.:This
gives you an overall
bench helllht of abouI34\!,t" when the top is
on.) TIle l~nJlth of the legs can be varied to
fit your helllht.
UUIIJ)tNC:11lE FIIi\MF.~. Wilh the legseul
to length, CUI the tW(I side braces (8) 23"

long,l>('t' ~iR.
L l.aylWo legs (A) side-by-side
and pol>ilion one side brace (8) 4~ upfrom
the bottom ends. Then place the other brace
flush to UI('IOPof the 1"1(", see Fig. 1.
Once the pi(.'<.'e' are in place, lay oul the
S('I'l'W locations. see ,,'!g. 2. Then. drill and
countersink IS" shank holes in the side
brae.... (R). set' Fill. 2a. Now glue and screw
the side braces to tJw legs using No. 8x 21,2"
wood >'Crt'WS. see Pig. 2a.
ill'rACU

rus

To

I'II,I.F.R PIEr-ES.

strengthen the cnd frames Iadded upper

(C) and lower It'I( fillers (0). and two side
brace fiUe.... (E).!We Fig. 3.
SIDE

LEG

Ailer I trimmed the filler pieces 10 fit. I

clamped the piec~ in position while Iglued
and screwed UICmin place. see Fig, 3.
BOLTlIo~.A11 that's leftl"complete!he
end frames is 10 drill and eoumerbore the
boles for the bolls ulat connect the r311s.
refer 10 FIR. 7. 'These holes are 1~"down
from the lop edRe of the side braces. and
centered on the width of the legs. see Fig. 4.
OIlC~ lb,' holt' locations have been
mark("cl,l'ountt'rl)nn) 11!clia.holes. :v,," deep
on (he r)"t~i<il'(ace of'fhe end frames, Then

drill ?lm"<lia. holes centered in the counterbores. sec Fig. 4".

SlotNAt.

~.'

lRACE

O.

GWflMlN

SCHW TOGmtD.

"..

fO.SOU".,

DRill AND COUHTASlNK ~

SHANK HOU IN
SlOE BRAClS ONLY

TO OUTSiDe OF UOS

A')

/~.

..

CHICt(
(NO '1lA/I\l

ItDllltActS 'lUSH

/'
2'"

DRI111IHA.
COUNTIRaou., \_ .. 0("

(NOFRAMf
OUTS1D1_

FACI

SlOE

UPPER
LEG FtWR

lRACE

@-

FIWR

LOWER

LEG FIIiER

RAILS
~

I\.(ler the cnd frames

arc built, I made the
four rails (F) that
run across the front

",il~
....

and back of the

bench. Each rail is
made from two 2x4's
laminated together .

NOTt:
TOTAl Of fOUR

1tAAS"(DlD

BlOW TH RAIL.''-

To mak(each rail. start by cutting rwo2x4's

10 a roujlh I~nglh of 50". After the rail pieces
are CUI10 rough length, glue them together
to form a 3" x 3~'rail blank, see Fig. 5.
ShOI)NOle: Rathcrthan using clamps. and
then waitinR for thp Rlue to dry. 1 screwed
the rails lOANher with 2~"longS('rews. Ill!
sureto drill shank holes and countersink the

holes before scl'ewing the pieces together. length (If 4s:l<.".sec Fig. 5. (Note; 1lle only
see Fig. 5.
reason (or thls particular length is so the
TNIM'ro U-:NG'TII.After gluing together all Tool Cabinet shown in W(}o<ismitil No. 50
four rails. I trimmed them to a finished would fil between the end (rames.)

FRONT IIIACK

RAIL
.8

2''11''

WOOOSCRfWS

Woodsmith

...._

SCREW ItAIl$ TQOmtO:

fltOM INSIDE'Act

No. 66

RAIL CONNECTORS
The rails are connected to the end frames
with a draw-bolt system. This system not
only allows the joint to be tightened if it becomes loose. it's also easy to make and jlues
together quickly.
POCKET HOJ.-ES.The first step is \0 mark
the location of the pocket holes On the rails.
The hole. are centered On the face of the
rails and located 1:V4" in from each end. see
Fig.6a. Now. drill a 1"-ilia. hole, 2" deep at Ole
marked location. Then. to provide a flat surface for Olewasher and nut to draw against.
square up the edge of the hole nearest the
end of the rail, see Pig. 6.
END HOLES. Once the pocket holes have
been squared up, 1 drilled 1/16"-dia.holes
centered 00 the ends of the rails. see Fig. 6a.
These holes are positioned in Ole center oC

SHOP TIP

the Oat side oC the pocket hole.

BOLT TOGF.TRER. Now the roils can be
bolted to the end frames. JUSI insert" :VS" x
~" hex head machine bolt with a washer.
Push the bolt through the countersunk hole
ill the end frame and into the.hole in lhe end
of the rail, see Fig. 7.
Then slip a washer and nut in Inc pocket
hole and tightenlhe boltholding the nul with
an open end wrench. (See the tip al right for
a trick I used to start lhl:' nuts.) If the mils
won't draw up light against the end frames,
you may wanllO use the undercutting technique shown in Shop NOles 011 page 11.
Design Note: To keep Ihe pocket holes
from showing.I positioned the rails so these
holes (aced in toward the center oC the
bench. see Exploded View on page 5.

To help start the nu! (in the pork.l hoI.)

on the end of the machine bolt. 1 attached

tit. nut to a small scrap of wood

with a

piece of double-sided carpet tape.

-:-=DOUIU.$II)(O
CARPfT1APf

OAA.

ItA'L

9
RAIL

NOTE,
FACt POCKET
HOW10WARD

fiRST:

CINUIt OF arnCH

DRILL.1I)IA.
POCKET HOLE 1" DEEP

a.

'ir--l-------l
,'1'.' t-

AND WASHER

>,' .4'
SOlfAND

WASHER

SECOND:
SQUARf UP

[OGOF POCKET
KOlI WITH CHlsn

.___

.._____

lNDFRAME

CTHIRD:
DRILL'II.
HOLE, CNTfR(D

ON (NDS OF RIJ~5

TOP AND SHELF

After the base has
been boIled together, all that's left
is to auach the top
(G) and bottom
shelf (H). I used a

J%".U,ick solid-core
door as a top. BUI
you could 'laminate
two pieces oC +'4" plywood together instead.
AttACH OlliE TOP. To attach the top (G).
turn the top and the base upside down and
center the base on the top. Then mark and
drill the mounting holes on the bottom side
of the toprails, see Fig. 8. Now attach thetop
with %" x 4" lag screws and washers.
WSTIIIJ.SHEt..F. Finally. cut a :v.l" plywood
shelf (H) to width to fit between the rails. (1
used a 4$"long piece 10 fit between the end
Crameswhich are 4~" apan.) I,lse someleft
over plywood to make 1t11"wideshelf cleats
(1)). Then altach the shelf cleats :\'4" down
rrom the tQPinside edge of the bottom rails
and side braces, see Fig. 9a. Note: Don't
cover the pocket holes when attaching the
cleats so YOIIcan gel to the draw bolts.

No. 66

k;;;::

'\ Jl, I~

8ENCH

.<;
a.
,"CIA.

COUNTtIlBORf,
~ DEEP

TOP

--

J B _~
StDE

LAG S(~rw

0--

FRONT/BACK
CLEAT

~.'

CLEAT

a,

1r--~-nJ.-_--..j

.ax

UG

SHtLF')

WOOD

\. . -:.._;.

l'I.'

DRILLAND-

PI.lOTHOUl

COUNTtRSINK

~ SHANK
8EN(HTOP

"

PLYWOOD

111)"

SCRtw

tAIL

ANDWASHU

Woodsmirn

SHELF

...

-.

~f,'(

Of
:1." X 4"

BOttOM

~.~

aonOM
4'

CUT SKELFTO
_r'ITBETWUN
RAILS

HOl,EINTO

CWT

RAIL

~
..--'

-- -..::
. ____
~

;~:

1"

~,

--,

I,

..=-I."j.:~

.1.

FRONT/BACK
CLtAT

DRAWER GUIDES
Afterthc basic bench was built. Iadded n set
of drawers.The (""I.lep here is 10 buikl and

10

install the drawer jlUides (K). For durabilily. I used hard maple 10 make the llUid('$,
bUIyou could make them out of pine (same

as the drawers).
Ctrr GLJIOJ;.~
1'0 SIZE. There arc a total of
six drawer ,!(tlides made from :V4"thick
stock. However. the two center guides are
laminated together. see Fig. 10. To make
things easier. 1 glut-d up the two center
llUides to a rough width of tv,". Then I
trimmed the center guides along wilh the
two side guides 10a finished v.idth of2Wu;"
and cut them 22Itl"long. see Fig. 10.
C~'TTHE GR()OVK~. Once the guides are
CUI 10 size. grOOV('S are cut to accept the
drawer runners. see ~ig.10.I CUI these W

deep grooves with a :v." dado blade,

To cut the groove -s, fir.;! position the table
saw fence 7-1<" from the blade. Then. 10gel
the t~I&"wide groove centered on Ihe
guides. I made IwO passes. hll'ninl( the
pieces end-for-end after each pass.
\101:;-',. THE GIIIlES. After the grooves

DRAWER
GUIDE

11

LliGS
I _

lOP IUUl

MOUNT OUIO(S
FlUSH TO JiIIIONT
OFTOf' RAIL

have been cut, drill and countersink shank

holesallbelocation,.hownmFtg.IO.
Then
position the Sld~ llUides so they're nush
against the top fronl rail (F) and screw them
10 the legs (A) with NO.8 x lV4" nnUlcad

wood screws. see I'ill. II.

lVith the<id~ guidps in place. position the
center guides -;0 the three drawer openings
are equal. see Fig. 11. Once they're in place.
screw the cenier !,'Uides 10the lOP nUl, with

12

TOP IAII.

.h.:
ou,W(IS

No. 8x 4" woodscrews. see Fig. 12.

DRAWER STOI'S.

Fig. 13. After building the drawers. screw

the stops in position so the back of the
drawers hil the slops before the dra ..(r's
false front hils the "od of the drawer guides.

((Nfl.
OU'OI

SCHIN DAAWU SlOP

IlL

DRAWER
STOP
~'

~.

SHOULD
DAAWU
MOvtFREEL

~inally. I cut drawer

"lOPS (L) 10stol) lit,' back olthe drawer, see

13

,1)( ... ,"

WOOOSCR!WS

TO' RAIl. ON BACk

SIDI!0' e[NCM

aN Glfl()(S

11 ....

WOOOSCIUWS

ALTERNATE DRAWER JOINT

A<an aIIl!mati\'~10u.mg a "'" Yl.1i1
joint lor
the clrav.u-- (,;hov.n onoppositcpagr). you
coulduse adado/rabbet comerjoinl.lfyou
do. the drawer ll'Ont./backs (M) an' cut I"
sborter (13Vi' lOll!!). and the ;;ides (1\~are
cull" longer (2111.1" long).
This joint is made bycutting a l.,"x 1/,"
dado on the drawer sides (N).I~ktl'1'1'
in from each end. see fig. 2. Then. CUI the
mating II," x 114' longue on both "od, 01
the drawer fronl> and backs. SCIIjg 2.
Aftercuning Iht' joints. cut the grooves
tor the drawer bottoms. Also culllr6ove"
in two drawer .i<l,. ror the tray splin,,
Compil'lCtht.. d,..""",..,;by cullinll tht. bot
toms (0) 10 fit 11\('1\ ghJc up Iill' drn....er s,
taekiQgtht:co""""k>I.'cIher.l1ee fig. 1.

,.ONT/ ....C
AUXIUAaY ftNCE

...

ON TAII.1 SAw

IIHI'"
NAlLS

--y
...._
-

RAISE 8lADE
UNTfL TONGUE
,rrsOAOO

~""J

oaoow

,,-

14-Ca
.LADE

Woodsm'th

11
L-

~
~

1,-

No. 66

DRAWERS

- .-

When the drawer

guides are in place,
UICdrawers can be
buill to fit between
the guides. Since
these drawers will
be subjected to a lot
o( weight,
[ buill
them with dovetail
joints, USInga router and the dovetail jig
shown in WOQIl.sw,itll No. 58. (For an alternate joint, see the box on the opposite page.)
To build tbe drawers,start by cutting the
fronts/backs (M) to length, \1)" less than
tbedistance between the drawer guides and
to a width o( 4%". see Fig. 14. Then cut the
sides (N) to the same width and 20V,"long.
Afterthe pieces have beencuuo size. roul
the dovetail Joints on the ends oflhe pieces.
BOTmM GROOVE. Before assembling the
drawer. cut it If.''-dccp groove for the ply
wood bottom (0). see Fig. IS. The width of
the groove is determined bythe thickness of
the plywood. On our case this was '4".)
TRAY GROOVE. To provide additional
storage. I added a tray to one Of the drawers.
referto Fig. 17.To make. ledge for the tray
to slide on. cuta groove 2"down (rOI11the top
edge of the drawer sides. see Fig. 15.
After the tray grOOveis cut. assemble the
drawers.Then cut the V4" x 1'2" tray splines
(R) to fit in the grooves and glue them in

14

DRAWER

FRONT/BACK

CENTEA:DRAwtR

HANDLE ON
FAUf;FRONT

FALSE
FRONT
J

...

141,..,-

i=' DRAWER FRONT /BACK

PI>

_,

20V."-

DRAWER 510 @

4~
.
.

(SIX RlQUUlIOI

($'X OECW'IIO)

16

lS

FALSE fRONT

CtNTtRIO ON
wroTH OF DRAWIR

18xl-

WOOOSCctEWS

place, sec Pig. 14.

FAl.sE FRONTS.TI.e next step is to cut and
attach the false fronts (P). Once the fronts

are cut. drill and countersink four mounting

holes. see Fig. 15. Then position the fronts
flush to the bottom of the drawer and
centered on thewidtb, and screw them to the
drawers. see Fig; 16.
RllNN~. All that's left 10 complete the
drawers is to cut the 22W'loog hardwood

(
ORAWlA

drawer runners (Q) and mount them so

O,ey slide in the drawer guides. see Fig. 16.

I_."X 4~"
HARDWOOD
RUNNER

fALSE

fRONT flUSH
WJTHaOnOM

O'DRAWlR

FRONT/lA.CK

TRAY
lt's always aggravating when small tools get
lost in the bottom of a large drawer. 1i> keep
OIlS from happening. I builta shallow sliding
tray for OnC of uie drawers.
111 SJDS. 11.e first step in buDding the
tray is to cut the "'i'thick. l:v.."v.ide tray
sides (S) to length. see Fig. 17.11lcn cut the
front and back
pieces \-Il" smaller than
the inside ofthe drawer. On our lray this was
12lfs".see fig. 17.
Once the tray pieces are cut to length.
the ends can be dovetailed together. (If
you use the alternate jOiOl shown on the
opposite page. t.he length ofthe pieces will
be different.) Also cut grooves for the ply
wood bottom (see Fig. 17a.) and assemble
the tray.

17

o.

-~,,,.
r-

No. 66

,
I

.'

~<~....

12'...

T~Y

FRONT/BACK

Woodsmith

--"
TRAY SIDE

PlWOOO TRAY

aonOM

SOME

TIP

FRO

SHOP

OUR

Shop Notes
JIG FOR DOVETAILS
When it came time 10 make
the dovetails for the Wall Shelf
(shown on page 111).1buill 3 jig
to hold the stock so I could accuralely align my chisel tochop out
the waste sections.
UUlLf) "fH JIG. The jig COD'
sists of a base with.a guide fence
bolted on top. see Fig.2.1 started
bycUlting the base and theguide
fence the same size. see Fig. 1.
(lip: I used double-sided carpel

fence hastotrimmed back so the

front edge is exactly in line with
the base line.
t"ROl>T STOP. After the gui<le
fence is trimmed back. add a
stop to the front ofthe base. see
Fig. 2. 1 extended this front stop
belowthc base so I'd havealipto
clamp in a vise. see photo.
60I:r ITTOGRTHeR. All thal's
left is to attach two fY16"
carriage
bohs, nuts. washers. and a
couple of wing nuts. see "ig. 2. (I
used large plastic wing nuts. sec
Sources, page 24.)

to hold the pieces logether

while CUlling.)
While thepieces are still taped
USING 1ll JIG. Aner complettogether. drill counierbored
boles for the bolts that hold the ing the jig. I got down to the fun
pieces together. see Fig. 1.
part: chopping out the dovetails.
FI>CE.When using this jig.
To use the jig. slide your workthe workpiece issandwiched be- piece under the fence and push
tween the base and the guide il tit:hl against the front stop.
fence. see photo. Rut in order to Make sure the front edge of the.
align the chisel to chop down on l,'llide fence is directly above the
lbe base line of Ihe waste sec- scribed base line. then tighten
lions (r~ferto Fig. 3). the guide down the fence. see Fig. 3.
tape

To chop out the waste sec-

guide felice again. but tilt the

tions. placethechlsel Ratagainst

the fence and chop straight
down. see Fig. 3. Next, hold the
bevel side of the chisel upon the
front edge of the workpiece.
Now gently tap out a layer of the
waste section, see Fig. 4.
\Ir\'l)SNCt]I". To make the next
cut. hold the chisel against the

handle of the chisel toward you

to undercut the shoulder
slightly. see Pig. 5. (Undercutting helps the joint pull 10gether.)
When you've undercut halfway through the stock. turn the

GUIDE
FENCE

piece over and start chopping

from the other side to finish.

PLA5nC KNOB
ORwtNGNUT

s;.'6" X 3"
CARRlAGE SOlT

_l ,

3-'4

.,,"

NUT
ANOWASHER

1/."OEtP
2'/4" _,

,
l_pIA.

cou_

.....

/"

~'''DlA.
HOU'

,
FRONT
STOP

.8

x ',,,,"FH

WOOOSCRtw-

eHD' OUT WAST'

II1'WtlN fAILS

-....

<,

DON'T
UN.DlRCur
IIYQNO I.A5T _
TAJl. OR UNDt!RC~
WIllSHOW

10

Woodsmith

-,.... -~

'fi'

No. 66

UNDERCUnlNG
Sometimes irs diffiCultto gel the ends of lite rails. see Fog. 2.
lighl joint line when you but! Then I chopped straighl down
one piece into another. (Like at- on this border line WiUIa chisel
taching the rails to lite leg$ on to score lite line lils".cJeep.
the Workbench shown on page
CHOP our WAS'l'1:. Once tile
4.) TIle problem is both surfaces border line is defined. the waste
need 10 be perfi,etly Ilat [or the can be chiseled away.To do this.
joiotto pull completely together,
tJNOl>RCUTI'TNG. To avoid

r:

use a technique
called l<'I1ilerclttWrg. This is
simply cutting 0111 a recess on
the end of the rails until a small
shoulder remains around the
perimeter.
Since only lite
shoulder touches the adjoining
piece. ifs much easier to pull the
joint tight, see Fig. J.
UNDERClrrIlNGTIIE ENOS.To
undercut the rails on the Work
bench. I laid OUI a l4"wide
border around the perimeter of
problems.

hold lite chisel with lite bevel

facing against theend of lite rail.

This kt.-ell" the chisel from digging in too deeply. see Fig. 2.
1'0 keep the shoulder from
breaking off. start the chisel at
the borderline, paring away lite

end grain as you work toward

the centerofthe recess, see fig.
2a. After the end of the rail bas
been undercut. attach lite rail to
the leg. As you lighten the drawboll. the joint should pull to-

gether without gaps.

liO

a.

WASlII'It

START

......

FROMTRl

~
HIlC.IOLY

Our5ID! IDGl

)'j

WORI<ING

~,..-li:-

TOW"'D'_~"",
CtHTlR

--..,PlACE
BEVIl.
OF CHlsn
AGAINST
WORKPIct

TOI)RMNl
GOUGING

SAWDUST RELIEF
.Jigs and fences are great tor
aligning and guiding work-

pieces. For example. em a table

saw ifl need tocui several pieces
to the same length. I attach a
simple fence 10lite miter gauge.
see llig. 1.Then r clamp a stop
block to the fence.
Okay. it's an easy procedure
that's almost foo~proC)(Almost.
There's one little problem that

can really mess thingsup-s-sawdust or wcodchips.

Asyou're working, sawdust is

bound to accumulate along the
edgeof the fence or atthe end of
the stop block. Unless you caretully clean it.out, itwill gradually
build up to the point that il will
throw offyourcuL
REUF CI1AMFER. There's an
easy way to-prevent this. Imake
it a practice to cut a chamfer on
the bottom edge of fen~.esand
Stops. The chamfer gives the
sawdust

somewhere

to go

wilboulhaYing 10brush it out of

Ole way all lite lime.
On the.end of a slop block, fot

creates chips of wood inaddition

to sawdust (like a router table or
drill press). Imake lite chamfer
example. I CUt off tile bottom even larger. see Fig. 2.
comer. You can rut off as much
DOVETAil. SPACERS. Relief
as li4"-as long as trs less than chamfersare useful on otherjigs
Ole thickness of the workpiece as well. When Icut the dovetails
that will be pushed up against it, on lite band saw (see pages 12 10
I also chamfer off lite bottom 17).il was important to keep tile
front edge of lite fence about ),;tl' spacer blocks tight against each
high to leave space for sawdust other. So I cut chamfers On the
to aocumulate.
bottom edges of the blocks to
On other equipment that keep sawdust from building up.

Rcurtl
fENcE

awEF

WORKI'rEa

- (HAMffR

WOOD

'-CHiPS

No. 66

Woodsmith

II

WOO

W 0 R KIN

TECHNIQUE

Bandsawn Dovetails
A

bout 8 year ago, Mark

I)uginske. a woodworker
(rom \Vausau. Wiscon~in.
dropped by our shop one fall altcmoon. He wanted to share
with us one of his methods for
cutting dovetail joints.
When I first saw :\,lark',
"""pie dovetailjoint, Ithought il
was CuI by hand - or maybe
withanexpensiverouterjig

lhe hard part-cutting to aline

- and allows Oleto COllcentralt'
on the final fitofthejoinL
'lotI': Before going on. I
should explain that what we're
presennng bere is ~Iark's basic
5ystem. V{e modified th e 'Y"
rem and some of the jig'
sli)l'hUy.TorcadMark,oriJ(inal
approach. pick up a copy of his
new book, "Band Saw lIand
book" published by Sterling
Publishing.

such

as the I",igh jig. The joint was cut

so both the pins and tails were
exposed (called a through
dovetail [oint) - and it fit to-

TAILS AND PINS

A through dovetail joint con-

gether perfectly.

:\'Iark', system uses a band

sa" and two jigs - ODeto hold
the board to cut the tails and one
to cut the pins. (These are the
two interconnecting parts of a
dovemil, see drawing below.)

band saw. the pieces can't be too wide. On

my 12" band saw. I (ound that the workSPACER BLOCK SYSTIM
pieces.couldn't be much wider than llY'.!".
The bn~is of the system is a series of spacer
Plt.F.PAAA1'10N
'IMt-:. Another disadvanblocks, When culling 011 the band snw, the tage is the time it takes to build the necesbhxk~~pac.:t'the tail 311(l pill (.;\Il:i ~u the two sary jigs. If you only want (0 CUI dovetail
pi.'<.'C,will interlock perfectly. Ttl vary the jointsforOlIP projc<:t.this system may not be
width otthe pinsor tails, all you have to do is worth it. You will have to spend a couple of
vary the width of the block s. Using this <y". hours building jigs before you can get
tern you can create an infinite varidy uf tail Slatted CUtlingjoint,. Uut i(you expect to be
and pin panerns,
ClJo..,\.'l'mAL CtTS. The sy stem solves what I consider to be
PIN '"
".l<'T1ON
Ille most difficult part of cutling
OFsntlNOTH
through dovetails with hand
1/
tools - the initial cuts. They
have to IK:straight, square. and
to a consistent depth. (For more
00I1CT1ON
on dovetail thcory and how to L'UI
OfWIIGHT
a dovetail joint by hand. see
1I'"oo'"11th No. 19.)
1,A\Ot"MT'1E. There'sanother
advantaRc to this system. You
don't have to spend a lot of time
accurately laying out each joint.
I usually layout the fin;t joint so
I don't get confused. But then all the other cutting dovetails Onother projects in the fujoillts (In a drawer (or example) can be cut ture.I think the time it takes 10 build the jigs
u"illl( thesameprocedureand tlwy willnil be is well spent.
And. though this system is accurate and
exactly the same. This means the parts foo'
tlexible,
it's not the (astest way to cut
thedrawers will be interchangeable (side (or
dovetails. Even after building the jigs.
side. front for back).
"lOnl U\lrTATlO:>.As...ith any dovetai~
there's some set-up time and handwork ining system. there are limitations to this volved. The band saw doesn't do it all.
method. The most obvious has to do with the
H...."DWOItK. But that's what I like most
maximum width of the workpieces, Since about this 5)'>1<'111. I find the handwori< that
some of the cutting is done with thl' work- comes with chol>pinJt out a dovetail joint
I>iec" bctlt'Crll the blade and the arm ufthe especially satisfying. 'n,is syslem eliminates

12

sislsof two halves: the tail. and

the pins. At first it can be a liul('
confusing what is what.
The tails look like a dove's
tail (hencethenameoflhejninl)
wh ..n viewed from the side of a drawer (or
the "id~ of the \VaIIShclfshown onpage 18).
The Jlillxlook like rectangles (sort of like a
box joint) when viewed from the irolll or
back of the drawer,
To add to the confusion, when viewed
(rom the ends o( the boards. the tails look
like pins (u,ually tallones).and the pins look
like little tail" This all may sound confusing
now. but it "ill clear uponceyouve cut afew
dovetail joints.
DIRECTION OF STRhSGTII.

Okay. which boardgetathe tail.

811dwhich board gels the pillS?
And does it make any dlfferencc? A dovetail joint i. 11111
c/t(ullcally strong in only OOl<'
direction.
If the joint is cut on 8 drawer,
the pms should be cut ,)II the
drawer fronL see the drawing.
Then the mechanical strength of
the joint holds the drawer II~
getherasit'spuljed open. On the
Wall Shelf, the pins arc cut on
the top 10 hold up the weight IIf
the whol~ cabinet, and the bottom til Iwlp
support the drawers,

LAYOUT
L.1yingout a dove!ail joint - tbe site and
placement of the tails and pins - is worth
some time and thought. If the layout isn't on
the plan. it's best to draw the tallsand pinson
paper. Th('II. once you get a layout you like.
it can be trnnsf erred to the workpieces,
wurm OF PIN \'S. TAIL It's a matter o( in
dividual preference, but l prefer th.. pins to

r:

band saw. Ifound it easiest to build the jigs

3ta$0' angle (or 10' off90j:lbis worksoul
to a ratio of about l:S:V. les strong enough
for most applications and looks nice.
SYMMIl'nUGAL
lAYOlJf.There's one more
lhing 10 consider when laying out dovetails
that will be cut using this band saw technique. The layout has 10 be symmetrical.
That is. one half of the layout has 10 be a
mirrored image of UIC other half. AsIQog as

be narrower than [he tails. Generally. I like

the widest part of the tails 10 be about four
times as wide as the narrowest pan. of the
pins. (This can vary for appearance though.)
ANGLES. TIle anglesofthe dovetails is also
a mailer of personal (visual) preference
within limits. The general rule is that the
angle should be somewhere between 1:5
(78~') and1:8(83').
'When sel;ting up 10 CUi dovetails On the

the layout is symmetrical, you can still vary

the width of the individual tails by varying
the width of the spacer blocks.

REi\DYTOcur, After you've decided on

the layout. you can transfer it to one end of
the board Lbatwin have the tails (see the next
page). '(ben you're ready to start cutting
your first dovetail join!. (WeU. almost. You
still have 10 make the jigs. The first one is
explained below.)

AUXILIARY BAND SAW TABLE

You can cut dovetails on your band saw with
only two jigs - the [ail jig- (shown on page
l4) andthepinjig (shown on page 16). But I
found it difficull to balance these jigs and a
long workpiece on my Sears band saw. It
only has a 1211." x 14" table.
To solve this problem. I built a 24" x 24"
auxiliary table (rom a piece of :V." plywood,
see Pig. L lt sits directly On top of the band
saw table. refer to Fig. 4.. (J found this bigger
table useful for other projects as well)
,\l)1) llUN"'E!l. To hold the auxiliary table
in position on the band saw. J glued a 11.1"
thick hardwood runner 10 il1(' bottom of the
plywood, see Fig.!. CUi the runner to width
to match the miter gauge slot on your band
saw, Then position iLSOthe ed~eoftheallxiliary lable will clear the arm on the band saw.
NEWSlOTS.Aflerlherunnerwasauached,
I cut a slor In the auxiliary table directly over
the runner. see rig. La.This slot (dado) is
used to guide a runner that's on the bottom
of the tailjig. Since I wanted to use my miter
gauge in this slot for other jobs. I cut it Ihe

AUXIUARY BAND
SAW TABLE

same size as the slot in my band saw table,

Next. to hold and guide the pin jig. I cut a
second slot (groove) the same si2e and at
rightangles to the first slot, see Fig. L
RLlliE sior, IVilh the slots cut, set the
auxiliary table 011 the band saw and push it
into the blade until an I I"Iong slot is CUI in
the plywood. see Fig. 1.
Both jigs require a stop block. To mount
this block. 1 widened the blade slot to 14"
wide. (Since the runner was already at
tached, I had to turn the plywood upside
down to cut the wider slot on lhe table saw.)
Sl'OI' SUlCK.The stop block stops jigs and
workpieccs that ride on the auxiliary table.
To make the stop. glue a 2W x 3"block of
lVi' stock to the top of a piece (,f plywood.
see Pigs. I and 2. Glue the block alone end
of the plywood. and then cut the ends of the
block and plywood of( flush. (I also
chamfered Ole bouom edge as a sawdust relief, For more on this, see page I J.)
To keep the sliding SLOPblock square on
thetable.cuta 14"widegroove In the bottom

_...-m,p BLOCK

_,

1'1")"

1/._ MASONITE

V/

.UNN
,l,
lONG FrTS IN

~I

SLADE SLot

"

'\ [,

...

of the plywood and glue in a \14" Masonite

runner. see Fi!,!. 2. The runner slides in the
blade slot on the auxiliary table,
111RNllt;CKLES:Jlleauxiliary tableis held
down to the band saw table with a coupl e of
turnbuckles, To make the turnbuckles, first
resaw spacer blocks just a hair thinner than
the thlckne ss of the band saw table, see Fig,
3. (These spacer blocks will be positioned SO
they just clear the outside edges of the band
saw table. see Hg. 4.)
After resowing, drill a counterbored hole
in the spacer block to accept a 0/16" carriage
boll. Now insert the boll into the hole. and
then screw the spacer block 10 the bottom of
the plywood table. see Fig. 3. The carriage
boll head should be captured in the counterbore belwe.m the block and the plywood.
Thelurnbucklesarerectnngularpiecesof
"." plywood with a !.$" hole <.101100 O{f-(;CII~
ter, see Fig. L To ughwn the turnbuckles.
you can use a ul' wing nul ora plastic knob.
(We're offering the knobs through
~'oodsmi!b Proiect Supplies, see page 24.)

r-

1
21n"

' !.I
"

STOP BLOCK

'1',.

s",.'" X 2\1,,CARRIAGE

BOLT

8ANDSAW

TAII.

r:

T1CtCKNES5

Sl.IGim.Y LI$$
THANBANO
SAWTAIlf

,..--~-:.._---.

KNOB Oil
"","

WING NUT

TUAN4UCKLE

POsmON RUNNER

IN MITER GAUGE SLOT

SECURE JIG

~NoaOR-5JI." WING NUT

No. 66

TO EOGEOF
8ANO SAW TAW
W1TH TURt'<I&UCKl..S

13

WOODWORKING

TECHNIQUE

Dovetails: The Tails

B

efore you begin bandsawilll( dovetail s, there are a

(,w things to do.The workpieees
have to be prepared. the band
1'<1W tuned up, and a tail jill'built.
.TOCK PUPARATION
To begin, it's importantlhat any
stock to be joined is nat and
planed to a uniform thickness.
SClt .\RI-1' zses, After you're
sure the boards are nal. ntXt square up the
ends o( the workpieces and cut them to
finished size. Then mark the base lines to
correspond to the lhicknv,soflh. matching
board, see Step 1 on th~ opposite page.

there's security in seeing the

cuts beinz made where they're
supposed to be.)
SPACER RJ.oCKS. Next, cui
"pacer blocks (rom ~" stock
[hat match tile distances from
the corner ofone tail to the same
corner on the next ~,iI.
see Step
3. This means there will always
be one more tail than the number of spacer blocks,
STOP
FENCE
AND BLOCK. Thcn position
1),\sE. Start by cullinII'a :v.' plywood base
IS" wide and 24" long. see ~ig. 1.
the workpiece on the tailjig and clampdown
RUNNER. Next, cut a runner to fit in the t1w stop fence. see Steps4 and 5. Next. push
miter gauge slot in tile plywood auxiliary thcjill into the blade llntil the blade touches
table. see Fig. Ia, Position tile runner in a the scribed base line and clamp down the
dado on the bottom of the base so the base stop block. see Slep 6.
BAND SAW TUNE UP
clears the band saw arm when the runner is
Safety Note: On Step 4 we're showing the
After the stock is prepared. you should in th~ miter gauge sloL
band saw's guide post high above the work'pend a few minutes ch..,.;king that. your
t'RO!'o'TFENCE. After the runner isglued in. piece. That's okay when the saw is turned
band saw is tuned up ..., the cuts will be I SCn:'WL-d a fence on top of the base to hold off.but always lo....erthe guard right over the
straight and true. (For information on tuning th.. workpiece at al0' angle to the blade. To workpiece before turninz on the power.
position tile fence, I used my table saw's
up a band saw. see lVood3111itli No. 51.)
crrmxs. Now irs a matter of adding the
BtAl}F..To cut dovetails, I use a V." blade miter gauge. see Fig. 2.
spa""r blocks one at a tiOIC (in alphabetical
S1~)P
FENCF~
TIle last pan to make is astop order) and making cut s. set' Cutting
with six teeth per inch. Be sure the blade is
f,nce.lt's a pieceof~." stock with a squared- s...quence at far right. Then flip the board
sharp and tensioned correctly.
8lADE GUIDES. 'I11\: rnc.,sl Important thing
oO'holecutin it (ora c-clamp, see Fig. 3.
ovcrand make the second sequence ofruts.
Shop Note: Usually you will be joining
to check is the location of the blade (side)
CUft1HG
PIlOCIDUU
guides - both above and below the table.
both ends of a board with dovetails. To
These hold the blade in line (ora straight cut The procedure (or cutting the tails is shown simplify the explanation of the rutting
and should be a hair away from the blade. in the drawings on the opposite page. sequence, we're showing only one end.
Before you cutdovetallson a project. I'd rec- Once you're familiarwith the sequence. you
(For more information. M'<' page 23.)
ommend working through the whole can flip the board end-lor-end and edge-forTAIL IIG
process-e- tails and pins - on 'Orne scrap. edge before adding each spacer block.
Once the saw is tuned up, you can begin
1,AYOUT. I S\3n by laying out all the tails,
CUlM OUT WASTE. After both sides of the
building the tail jig. This jig holds the work- see Step 2. (This isn't really 11t'Ct'SS3J'Y since tail. are cut, chip out the waste areas bepiece at the COlTeCtposition while cutting.
the spacer blocks position the cuts. But tween the tails. see Steps 7 and 8.

AOJUSJ..... U

TAtl JIG

STOPftN(~~." x , .. x: 15- )

.-

PLYWOOO

'RONTflNet

,It" 241.

~-4.lIC

10

sn_
GAUOI FOR 10

(1tIADS 10' ON
50MfMITfA

OAUOfSI

~". PlYWOOD

U.

AOJUSTABU
STOP FENCE

f-

,-

11,,- ..

lAS'
""-DIA.

_ .....

HOUFOI--_
C-ClAMP HEAD

IUNNtl

14

SGUMI ..

CUT TO m SlOT

~XIUAlY

'JAiU

f.! ~

3"

>,"

r
_J_

.; '" ~
No. 66

BY

S T E P

STEP

CUnlNG SEQUENCE
BEVEL
SQUARf

FIRST:
CUTIS-MADE
W_SPACllI

alOCKS

Make .ure bQ(llYl/&rwi/.,;s tru and

For
1 ~I!ds
2
are sqUa1C.Tic"" set tI,e?l",rksize Q"d $po.ci'~golt,ltil~
l-ej'cr(J11Ce1.1.lhettctttti'll{/,

Jlla l'k

SECOND:
cur lS MAJ)E WrrH

the

"'I t""endol

SP,"ClR BLOCK ~A)

IN PlACE.

fng!}n uge10 111i.cknes.olb(HJ:rdlurt/l.pin. the bo(n'll'I,ritl, a pencil and bevel gauge.

Mark the bILs.line em /lothJlLCesand edges. Ttien.murk 100Si.e eeetions ,uiill a,l .4 X. ff

(OUALS

WID'"

OfON

SPACEIt

"I.(LcI,

Sflltcer block. met"",)'e jt'()l)t upper

wit comerofon
/-

the ,,,i,ttl!

To dete,min.

left conw"ol
t/U1""",UQil.Then Clttblock to Oi2e.
tailloupper

Now mount the wiljig 011lite band

4 saw.
Next, 86/ workpiece Ott the jig

(wd alig" tne fir8t tui/with the blade (see

SieyJfi). Then. ch,t.mp troWII tlte stop j8'ICIJ.

SlOP
mlCO

NOTE:
STOP CUT
At BASI:

WAST.

aA$l

UN.! <,

, .r\-

T..,'

8AND$AW

aLAn!

Utll

FUP WO.I(PI(CE OVER

OON'TMOVE
STOP flfilet:

--.....

TAl'

X
_

'-

REPEAT PROC!DUR

",OVE,. SIARl1NO

-'CUTTO

wmiOUr A SPAcR

WASTE.S,OE

BLOCK. THEN ADO

SPACERS IN-SAMJ!
SIQUENC,

OF LAYOUT UNE

Forlhefirsicui, aHgnbl'rde witli line

N .. ~t.clamp tile 8107) block trottol, W
011the fi"st, tail. left drawing. Then
the tU(xil;(ll'Y table will. u Cctamp.
pI,sh Utejig( and,t,'()l'kpiece) ill/<) bwde MW TlwnfolloUl the cltlting sequence in 00,. (1/
Nght. Beuoeen cuts, add the ~po.c.,blocks.
stop at sc,ibed base
"i{Jhid,,uving.

N"".

PA!t-OUT

RlMAtNlNO
WASTE

r:

out wo,stehetweenfhetaU., I
fi'inaUy. 1'O/(g" ctu area Olll.itie tltt
7 1'0eno
8
u8etlwhase
sl1own01l
laslta il.JI/a' over;rize. Th"" scere tile
shoulder with a wille chisel (left) and pate
lirt,ejig

pa{/B10.

IVOl'k/rombotlt sUbis oltlUl boa''d nlW ">I,

de'rC"t toward the cellw' (seepag810).

No. 66

ont the waste with a tta)"YJWcitisel (right).

Woodsmith

l5

WOODWORKING

TECHNIQUE

Dovetails: The Pins

A

fteryou'vc fini'h<'d chopping nul the waste areas

between the tails, the next step is
10 cutthe pins on the other board
to fit in those areas. The chatIC!1geis gelling all of the pins to
fit perfectly - nOI too tight or
1(10 loose.

to keep Il,.. CUI(rom going 100

deep. SCI' Step 4. (Note: '11<' pln
jig doesn't move towards the
blade like the tail jig. TI", work

piece slide, forward on the jill.)

PIN JIG
To cut the pins. there's one last
jig 10 make -thr pin jig. Itholds the workpiece at an angle Ihal matches the tail angle.
CIJT1WO !<Ql ~Rt;S. The jig is madt from
two square. of "," plywood wJlh anllled
wedges between them. see Fig. L I started
by CUlling the two squares 12" x 12".
RUNNER. Next. cut a 20"-lon,ll runner Lo
auach to the bottom of the jig. see Fig. L. This
runner fits in th. groovecuLacros'th, auxiliary table (po;rptondicularto the blade)
To bold the runner, CUI a V,"-dt'<'P dado
centered on the bottom of one of the pi).
wood squares. Now glue the runner into the
dado so ao 8"-10Ilg t ongue stick s out one e nd.
see Fig. 1.
t"f:NCF_ After tilt>runner is glued 011. the
oexlSlep is to glue a fence along one ,'<Ige of
the 'lop plywood square. see F'lg. la. This
(ence keeps til(' workpicceand all the spacer
blocks in position.
WEOOJ;:S_
In. lasl pieces to cut "I'(> the
12"-long wedges, <oe Fig. 1. I cut till''''' off
the ends of a piece of plywood, see Fi~.
2.
Shop Note: To cut a tighl-fitting dovetail
joint the pinangk" must be the sam, the
tail angtes, The ""si<'51"'ay 10 make sure
thcy're the same is to SC'Ithe miter gauge off
the tail jig. refer back to Fig. 2 on 11Illle14.

.>

'UKt:nIFCl""_ :\ow ir~ju'" a

mailer of making all of Ihc'
angled CIIIS using the same
spacer blocks as when clllling
the tails, st" Cutting Sequencv

AS.~~"Ill.\.

Once the weol!(" are CUI.glue

Box.
'I'll!.' JIG AROII~II.Nleral! of the cuts iU\.

them between the IWO plywood squares to

create thcang1edjig.s<'(" Fog. I.

nL"I" in one direction. tum the jig around

and align the blade cl<-arlyin the "asle arc a,
SC'l' Step 5. Then "'Jwat the process of
LAYING OUT THI PINS
adding spacer blockaand making cuts. After
Ntcr Ihe pin jil( is built, you're finally ready the cut, are complete. chop out the w.~It'
10 start I II('I.slstep-Iayingout
and cutting between the pin, as you did with th'lails.
the pins,
TRI" TO FIT. 111e most important SII'P is
Start by setting the markinz gauge to th.. the next one. Cht'Ck how the pins and tails fil
thicknc,,,ol the board for the tails and mark logelhcr. see Step 6.Then. if nec~.lap
base lin(" on both.fares.
Ihc' pin jig Over to trim aliltle more off Ihe
the
tails
in
the
"d(', of all the pin" see Slep 7_(:-':olc:II',
'WO\ <:I 'I' I.JNES.l\CXI,use
first board 10mark the cui Iines for the pins ('asy 10 take 100 big of " CUI.so jusl burdy
on the second board, sec $1ep I on the 01>' move Ihejig.) Comlnue sneakingupand cutposite lX'gt. (Shop Tip: Clan 'ping a smal! tinllllnul the fit i<perfect.
backer board nlO!1gthe ba". line helps hold
USIMBLY
the p;ett, in position.)
Then, to keep E'I<-er)'lhingstraight I mark :\0" comes the fun pan. Tap the joint 10the w",tr areas (the areas where the tail> Rl'lhcr and check the final fiL see SI,p s_
will fit into) with an "X ",
WI",,, the joint filSpr(merly, it can be glued
up 10finish the proj<'clyou're working on.
CUnlNGTHIP INS
"":-'I)'IINGl P. Once the joint is together,
y()U
can
mount
Nler Ihr layout is complete,
the end grain ofth(' pins and tails may stick
the pinjill on the band saw. 't' Step2. Then above the face ofth" board s, orbe recessed,
align the jig <0 the blade <'U Is in the waste If Iht end grain <'kk, abcvethe surtace. fik'
area.righl ,,"..-110thelin" rnarking thatarea, Ihe pins or tails flush. If it's recessed. UM' a
planvto shave the fac'eof the boards down 10
see SICI13.
SET ''TO!' Hl.(lCK. Next.se I the slop block
the end grain oflh(' pins and tails.

..

', '".,'(Ne[

I'

"

a,
~/".. Pl YWOOO,
12" a 12"

PIN JIG

_-

10WfDG(

<,

;I ""H.
._ ,.,"

_MUS1

c t--'
I

COMI TO A POINf

T
....10

annvo

lOIH1lCAI."
WIOOU

.
.

ft

)0

..

,..,_.l
-,./..

=.

..

snMIJU
GAUGlA!

16

Woodsmith

10"

No.66

--....

S T E P

B Y ST Er

.......

CUnlNG SEQUENCE
......, ... w

-..0-,....

FIRST:
MAKE r:JlST
curwnUOU'T
"'ACIlt

no

8ACKIL.
IOARD

AUGN
W'rTH
FIRST PIN ANO CLAMP IN H.ACl
PIN
IIOAID

MAKtCUT

/Jul/JillS,/i"Hi nuirk: IxUfe line

Imllt/a.','x. 7'111'/1 holdlail board., ..
the f'nd ('./'/1/'" /xHtl,1 (tlld "~(lt~
cut lines
'l'u

k II iff". l/n rk 11:'fJ."tlp(l Y'eas1(~ith

AOD $PAC(lt
(A) AND

1 ">I IflU

,(1111,(I

SECOND:

4'('8....

,ll0lft,1 !Ji), ji{! and uorkpiece (Olt,t

2 .~;d,t

Ill

(JU

IXlutl

HIIUl

41ign jig

110

btatl If'ill rill i " 11'(,slt;)1('.(1ttJfi,.~t ,)fIt (.I((!P

S/(1) ,I), 1"'t'11 el ", J) (J'llt ''''lfl'lli'

l"

0/jig.

F-AelMOCHI

ora.cnoN

NO

<""""IftO

110"""
UNI
k

I'OSITIOH
StOP'LOa(

IoOCUfSfOPS

L.._""-'__

AT"'5I! UN.

of/he blade i>l ,'1)/,,4

3 Noffllll'
1111'
(U)111UIIii'
rill ill th ".,Ale

I'0silioll
I ion 10
lallOl<l line. Ttie blade
.I"mld
area so tne lUI/aut
liuf' ;.'tjlt~IIH,'~IU
"1t((1'~(L"

l\'Oltl/JItHlt If'O,,A'/Jiocl' into blad and

t(tcll' It I (III' lH(b'(l line. Theu C/(tll11'
~/t)/) blfU'k (Iud mak cut HllUlC')l
i" CllfJ ~"" XI"I'It' "('t' uI tel)} U/ bu.r (III riglll,
WOJtKPUct WITH

.... IOUD

0UT$l0f'.leI snu u'

f

TURN JfGSO
ANGU'ACU
0<>P0Sfl't

DIRlCTlON

SfCOND:
ADOSPACOt
8lOCKSANO

fAIL lOUD

5n

pitt jig 4tOll1ld $0

1I(llefare. 0lil'".it.c (1i1'I'rlilm. Then

,Vl'J,'I. IIII'll tht'

a/i(lll blml<' II/lilli/Hide 1/1(' layolll line, bitt

c:/e-(r rill

i'lilltl'

1('tIH/('111"('(1.
(~/(l t~tPd()UJ'l)'lg.

('(""IJ/t'till{]

rltlli'lg SCq?tCll(.(t,
rll(III (JI,I umstc ""('(1. the CIlCkuou:
A./1I'"

MAKICUTS
INlHE SAME
$(QUNCE

ASAIO~

YOi' CRII
11';1(l 1'1' it mor ,ifft Il/'1)i "~,l~l!e Step 7.
pi'll . m/ 1il ..[it, (ff//I'!(""'OOli{/1it

GtNnYTAP
- JOIHT

TOOmu.

To fn", oj! juxt (l },(I;r more, keep tile

I"" jigr/ JJJIJ('d to ttir luilill ryllJbl~
a",lto pOll'jig toith "''' 11<'1.l' 011 'Mllld be
(1.11/('
to ",01,(' if n I illlt'lllitllouJ u.ncla)l11)i'1lg.

No. 66

IIiR areas
8 ).fln1I1I'(I",pi .filil1<i, into
tlu joint
/(1

tU'('fU

{'{1{I)1

1'1"('IfNI("('

(t

r(Ltl

I:",,, IHI<ki7l9

t.tJ.PfIW (U[I('(""'"

"d

to prt'tJftllt

Wu<xhmith

beb

board for

SIH itti)lg.

17

r-

F__E_A__T_U__R_E P_R
__O~J~E_C
__T

Wall Shelf
This is the perfect opportunity LO try out bandsawn dovetails.
Even if you don't build the shelf, check out the unique hidden hanging
system that holds the shelf on an)' walL.

hiS wall ,heir is a ).'!"Catway to try out the tech-

nique o( cutling dovetails on a band saw (see

page 12). The (our sldes or the shelf. as well as the
drawers. are all joined .. ith dovetails.
A ....ord about dovclail' OO\"tails arc an age-old joi".
"ry technique. Yet. the)' "'-em rightat home on contemporary furniture, \spedally those pieces with very
simple lines tbat allow the-dovetails to be accented, The
wallshellisan ideal cnndidaie lor dovetails, Thejoinery
provides a nice touch or decoration - and it's a subtle
way to show 0(( your crartsmanshil).
rns DRAWERS. I alse used dovetails to make the
three drawers that fil in this wall shelf. However, wilh
the drawers closed. what you see on the front o( thr
drawer doesn't look lik. a devetail-e- it looks more like
a box joint (see the photo above). You have to open tht
drawer to see the characteristic dovetail shape on the
drawer's sides,

18

IIANGINGS\'STE.\t.
Bcsldesdovetails. this shelf offers
another interesting challenge - hanging it on the wall
once it's done. Of cOUJ'S('. i(you U1'(' M"TeWs
or any type
o( anchor devices. you11want to drivethem into wall
'tuds. :-'otaneasytask. Even ifyou can locate the studs.
Ih"re',onlya slim chaneethey'll be in the right location
lor hanging the shelf.
Instead. I mounted the sh~lfb)' hanging it On a long
cleat that is in tum mounted to Ole wall.The nice pari
is thai the screws can IX' Ic)t'n"''' anywhere along the
I""gtlt 01the cleat. Then the whole system is hidden
from view SO you don't see nny serewheadsor even thf'
cleat, (For more on the hanl(ing 'y,wm, see page 21.)
WOOD ANDFlNlSlt.The shell shown here is made
(rom red oak and finished with IWO coals of
\kCloskcy's Heirloom EJlRShdl Varnish, The combination of oak and a matte finish enhances the contemporary look of the shelf desillll.

No. 66

EXPLODED VIEW
OVERAll DIMENSIONS:
16'" H x 36" l x 81/16" D

'--/--,36"====--_--.1

WAll ClEAT ,~G:r---.

@
SIDE
BACK E
DRAWER
SIDE

,'I--",

DRAWER STOP ..

@ CENTER SHElf

DRAWER
FRONTS
BACKS

/-

DRAWER
BOTTOM

SIDE LAYOUT

I:-:::

....

.:

, ..
1

Y .

//

DRAWER LAYOUT

/1

7/
,

'/

'"

"

"'.1--,"--1",.1--,0- ",.1.-,.- 'I'

.".L,-_ ",.!--,o---j.." _'"_

CUnlNG
~ .." IIC8'1."

WOOD PARTS

DRAWERS

SHELF
A Srdas(2)
8 TOp(1)
C BottomO)
D C~,,'arShelf (1)
E Bock(l)
HANGER SYSTEM
F Wall Hongar(\)
G Woll Claol 0)

H Dr.Frts/Bocks(6) ~)(2'~6-1 11".

No. 66

'!r.I x 2'I" - 34 'll

\12.'1'4-34\12
\12 x 1!.8-34'a

, ..-..J'IA"

21~(I"

MATERIALS AND SUPPLIES

'1'4.8\,\. -36
'1'. x 8'1,. 35

'0- "'.,

/.

8\'__
."

'1'. x 8'11. 16
:VA x 2''\1,. - 36

;:;
y

/.

I Or.Sldas(6)
~x2''1',.-7%
J Or. BottOfT\$(3) %pIy.x7'1a-Il:V,.
k Drower Slop (1) *-. 0/1., 34'~

SUPPLIES

-l." x

DIAGRAM

72 (4.1 ad. ft,1

I
at."

:
12. (4.1 ad.Ft.)
0

~"x 8V.. -72 (4.1 Id.ft.)

!:. I ,HI!

Lwu~ff.MffjJ
-K

8.2BoClfdll.-lr.-fhlckook
4 1 Boo,d ft. ~"'hiok ook
12' x 24' place Vo' plywood

McCloskey's EggshellVoml$h

'ORAWfRS REQUIRE 121' )It 24" PIECEOF II.," PLYWOOD

Woodsmirh

,H,

IH,

k/j6#}'~
19

SIDES
I started building the about I" fmm th" trom edge of both side
'" wlIU>hcllbymaking piecesso it doe...n't -,hew,
the IWO sides (A)
To cut Ih~
,toppt-.i dadoes. mourn a V4"
CUI these pieces
straight bil in the router tabte and SCI it tocut
81.t";,, wid<.- (Ioaccour "10"-dl"'p. I'o,ilion the f~nce 3'"," from the
modale the dovetail bil. SC(' !-ill. 2
layout) and to a
Sincctlusis ablind cut (Ihe bitisunderthe
lenglh of 16". sec workpiece and YOII can't -ee where it is). I
fig. I. (The angled put " r('f~I't'nce mark on the router table
fronl "dll~ Ol(lhe.c side pieces will be CUIoff fence allh. t(nwrohhe bit. S~llg. 2.Then
1"I~r.) If y')1! don't have Oal, wide board s. Iplltunullwr mark on the workpiece I" from
build UI) 1111' width by cdllL'lllliingsomc nar- Ow front edge III indicate the stopping point
rower pi('C(s.
forth dado. ".,' Fig. 2.
STOPI>~:1l o.vno. Before cutting the
ROtmNGTil E tl.\I)()P_'\.To rounhe dado in
dovetail joint s, Irouted a stopped dado for the side piece f"r the righl side of the shell.
the center .hell (D). This dado is stopped lay the piec... down on the rourer table and

1 urr

SIDE

RIGHT SIDE

..

,-

MAJtKClNtt.

or 1fTON '(NC!,.----

....

fIIONT

'IIONT

IOGI

lOG

@\
\

$to....,

-'I1

l7".!~

t'r

BOrrOM 0' DADO

16'

n.n.n.n.n
~

8'.')."-":

TOP, BOnOM,

.~
,

SHElf

20

( ..... K $TAIIlNQ""NT

INSIDE
'ACI

DOWN

DO\~T.\lI$. ' v ith the pieces cui to size.

-- ..,
'::>
__- :r---3_::__

CINTER

(Clh."_.

~ :~l:~:f,s~~ize:.s.

___

from the

f"
3'.

you ran lay out th, dovetailjoints. I followed

the layout ,hown on pagE' 191a~;ng out the
tails on the ,id~ pi,.."." (A) and lite pins On
lite lOP(8) and bonom (e) pieces.
(e) 10
To cut the dovctaib. I used the band saw
C\ T TO SIZE. Stu1 technique ,hO"11 on pages 1210 17.There's
by ripping the top only one 'I'I1II11problem. TI,e angle hasn't
(8) to a width of been cui off the front <-.igeofth e sides pieces
21'1'16", S('C Fig. 1Then rip the bottom (C) yet. refer to Fig. 1. Bill I found h easlestto lay
to match Ihe width oi the side pieces (Sllt6" out and cut the lails all the way across the
wide). A, for length, cut bOlh pieces to a side pieces to pn'vent confusion. (Youdon't
uniform h'nglh ,,(36".
have to chop them nil out, Just chop out the

-...r&:.-

3\\'3)'

AND SHELF

After the dadoes arc

routed in the side
pieces (A). you can
CUIthe lOP (B) and

left.!;('e Fig. 3.
Shop NOll':Allhough you can accomplish
lite same Ihi'l!! by roUlinll from len to right.
I would" 'I recommend doingitlhal way. The
rotation of the bit can pull the workpiece

.t

f. '"

Howe ver. for lite piece on the left side. you

hav .. 10 make plunl:~ CUI. Tum on the
router and ,Iuwly lower Ilw workpiece omo
the lumiJlg bil. You have to lower it so the
reference marks allgu when the piece is Oal
on the table. Then push the workpiece
across the router labl~ moving from right 10

'IIOM'
,F EDGf

,.-

'-

.....K

stOP POINT

push il through Ilw slraighl bit, SlOpping

when the two Iderencc marks are aligned.
see Fig. 2.

TOP

(!'}-

an SKILF 1,,-

lOHOO THAH
ltC'SHOULDfRTOoSHOUUKI

,..-OlMUtSlOH ON IOTrOM "IC'

three

,"1I~t(.
areas

on thr side pieces for the

pins on the lOPpieee.)

ce--"ThR

~HU.J'.All<'r th"

dovetail joints

are CUI.you can bellin work on the center

shel(O). Slarl bycuttingth e shelfthe same

width (81.tt6")as the sid,,,, (A). see Fig. 4.

To determine the length of the center
shelf. dry.,,,,,,bl, Ihe 101>.bouom and
sides.Then me ..sun- the inside distance between thc,id(s. (In mycase.this wns34 \02".)
Then add \02" for Ih~ V."long tongues on
each end ofthe center shelf and cuuheshelf
10Ienlltlt (:15"long).
em" TONGuss. To make the
,
longlll's:ltthe
ends oruie center
:.;
5
Itt.'"
,Iwl(.(cut rabbetson the topand
FINCE
bouam faces of Ihe shelf wiUI.
~
.L ,
d3do blade. S<'e Fig. 5. Sneak up
.
on the height ofthe blade lIOtiI
'-li
tit" 10nltU.. fils snugly into the
L
dado in Ih(' ,id~ pieces W.
TRIll TO~GlE. Since tbe
dadoes on the side pieces are
slOPped. you hav( 10 trim the
lonllUf' back. ~ Fig. 6. To do
II,;". score the fronl edge with a
chisel. nnd Ihen pare back the
lonltU(' just tikI' you did when
CUTBACK
TONGUE TO FIT
culling lilt' dovttails (refer to
5lOPptO DADO
StCl18 on page 15).

:.

:'I. ,

No. 66

ASSEMBLY
AI this point all the joinery is complete. All
thatremains is to mark and ("t,t the angles:ofr
the fronl edge of the side pieces (A).
MARK ENDS. To mark the angles. first dry-

assemble all of'the pieces. Then rnarkapoint

X where the bouom edge of the lOppiece (8)
mceisthe side pieces (A), see Fig. 7. Mark a
point Y where the lOPedge ofthl' center shelf

(D) meets the side pieces. Now. disassemble the pieces and draw a tine between
the marks.

crrr OFP ANGLE. Once Ihe angles are

marked, clIljustshyoflhe line with the band

saw. see 1'111.
8. Then plane to the line with
hand plane.

7
DRY ASSEMBU!

AS.~EAIllLY. Now

the wall

shelf

can be

glued and clamped, see F;ig.9. (Don't overtighten or the lOPpiece might bow.)
ct.IN!JP JOINTS. Aftcr Uleglue dries. remove the clamps and cheek the joints. Ifthe
pins and (ails stick above UIC surface of the
boards. plane or sand them off flush, If
they're slightly recessed, use a plane 10
shave the boards down to !he pins and tails.

un CI.MIP,NG PADS~

UNIT, lHEN

MARKANGlD
-

POtNIX

UHE fROM THE

BOnOMIDGE
OF THE lOP

PI,'c: TO ~E
aNTtA. SHUI'

MAR.
60TH SIDES

NOTE:
POINTY

CHICK
CORNERS

tHE
TO l141 UNit /1

FORSQUAR,

INVISIBLE HANGER
'To mountthe shelf to Ole wall,
I used a hidden hanging system. IIconsists of two beveled
strips that interlock. and permits the mounting screws 10be

1'0 aecomodate the hidden lockinlf strips - a hanger and a ot the back piece (E). Face the
strips. first cut a 2Vz"wide wall cleat, To make tbe hanger bevel toward the back piece,
groove in the back face of the

shelCback (1)).1 CUI the groove

by making repeat passes overs
located anywhere (so they can dado blade, see Fig. 2.
screw into the wall studs).
Then cutthis piece 2V."wide
U"cK.Slarl by cutting a shelf lOproduce an Lshaped piece,
back (E) to a rough width of3" see Fig. 3.
and to length to fit between the
HANGER. The shelf actually
-shelf sides (A).seeFig.!.
hangs on two 1i2'lthick mter-

NOTE: GLUEHANGER
FLUSHWlTH 8ACK

(1-). cut a piece about 2" wide

and the same length as the
back (34 W'). Then bevel-rip
ofia :.",wide strip, see Fig. 4.
('I..E.~T.Now follow the same
procedure 10 make the ll1l"wide wall cleat (G). see fig. 5_
i\$$&~rt..Y.Next, glue the
hanger (F) to tlte lOPback face
BACK

PIECE

WALL MOUNTING.

CUTBACK
TO ftNAl

TO CUT GROOVE

./10,.(8). :

Next,

screw the cleat (G) LO the wall

stugs. Then set the shelf over
the cleat so ti,e beveled strips
interlock. see Fig. Ia.

R.PATPA$SES

(00 OFTO'

see fig.la.
Once lhe glue dries. glue
this unit under the top (B) Of
th!>wall shelf. see Iig. I.

WIDTH

BACK

J_ -

'1',"

\.2"

'

-r
-t
I

No. 66

Woodsmith

WALL
HANGER

WALL

CLEAT

10-.

f4-.'II....

b-r

\SET.lAOE
AT 30'

~/@
"

SlT BLADE
AT 30'

21

DRAWERS
After building the
basic wall shelf, I
=~ built three drawers
i
to fitth. opening between the center
shelf and the bottom. The three
'-Ir':
,<;
drawers arc simply
open boxes with
through dovetail corner joints.
CUT Tut PIECES. Start building the
drawers by cutting lhe ltz"thick drawer
fronts/backs(H) and drawersidesfl) to a
widdl lIu;" less than the height of the opening. In my case. I cut these pieces 2':Y16"

10

t~

\1

.~

wide. see Fig. 10.

As (or length. cut the sides (I) 7%" long.

To determine the length of the fronts/backs
(H). measure theinsideopening

BOTTOM

(1t4. PLYWOOD)

on Ul" shelf

(34 \.'2") and subtract :Vl$" (to allow space be-

tween (he drawers). Then, to determine the

length of uu. front/back piece. divide by

three (11'1\&").
1)0Vh'T,ULS. After cutting the drawer
pieces to size. I cut the dovetails following
the Drawer Layout shown on page 19.To use
the band saw method described on pages 12
through 17, you only need one Iijlu;"-wide
spacer block. (Note.The \l'z" thicknessofthe
drawer parts doesn't effect the basic procedure tor cutling the dovetails. just the location ofthe base lines.)
FL'IGER IIOU!. After cutting the dovetail
joints, layout and bandsaw an off-set 1114"
radius finger hole on the top edge of each

11

Nowcuuhe drawer

drawer front. see Fig. U, Then. 10make it

smooth torfingers, filedown the i".icleedge
of the hole. see Fig. 11a.
Now glue and assemble the drawers, and
check for square.
IlRA\WR sorroa. The drawer bottom
(J) fits in a rabbet routed in the bottom edges
OCUlI!drawer, see Fig.12a. To do Ulis. mount
a :V8" rabbetbit on the router table and move
the assembled drawer around the hit tn
clockwise direction. see Fig. 12. (Note: The
depth of the rabbet should be<llighUy deeper
than the thickness ofthe plywood bcuom.)

12

O. CROSS SECTtON

bouoms

from V.I' ply'

wood (it's usually a little less than 14" thick).

and round the corners to fit in the rabbets.
see Fig. 13.Then glue the bottoms in place.
CllAlI1I'll. Wlth the drawer bottoms in
place.I softened all the edges of the drawers
witll a illS" chamfer. see Fig. 14.
DAAWER SJ'Or. TIle last step is to add the
drawer stop (1<). see Fig. 15. II's simplya

:V." x lho;" strip glued to (he sheltbouom

(C)

at the back of the opening. Position the strip

$0 the drawers stop abOUI 14;" back from the
front edge of the shelf. see Fig. ISa.
O.

ROUT

CROSS

.OUT

""alIT

11\."

SECTION

1l<AN
TMICKNESS
OF

CHAM"'

INSlor U)GE
Of FINGfJl
HOlE
111....

UlMUS

14

13

O.

,
,(,

CROSS SECTtON .
I

"

NOTE:
cl!AMu'
INSIDE

toG"

CHAMFER

art

$TOP OftA,WlA_
'......
F~M FRONTEOGf

,'

"-

'- .......

t:
,

APPlTGWfTO
UJ.an\lOGE.

22

Woodsmit:h

No. 66

COMMENTS

AND

QUE

S T I 0 N_S

---l

Talking Shop
SOflWOOD PLYWOOD

PLYWOOD FOR JIGS

OI1~question Ihal comes up

Irpqlwnlly is what material 10

use to make jillt'. Mo~1olthcjigs
in our shop arc made out (If I>ly
wood. Plywood is lIat. consistent
in thickness, and dimensionally
stablc- ideal lor jigsSOt'IWOOO l'ln\'ooo.
Almost
everyone has serne softwood (fir
or pine) plywood left over (rom a
building proj~'C1.It's so readily
available and IIIc)(J)Cnsive.that
it's tcOlplinll to use it forjigs.
But solt\\ood 1.lywoodhas so
many voids in the inner plies

(layers) thai the edges aren't

very smooth. On a jig you want
smooth (>dgcslor workpieces to
"In against

Of

to act as stops.

A second problem is thai the

lace veneers art' onen covered
with knots. defects, and raised
grain. ft'~ difficull to push a
workpiece over such a surface.
IO\ROWO()UPLYWOOO.The al-

ternative i. It) use plywood with

a harder ''ICeveneer, ~ost oflhe
jilt' I've built arc made (rom :v."
birch or maple plywwd. Both of
these art' clean and relalively
Vl)id~. BUIthey can be expensive, t: "less you have some
scrap lelt over from a project. it's
expensive 10buy il just {orjigs.
Currenuy, alot'al homeeemer
sells 4" birch plywood {or
$34.99 (I sheet as opposed 10
$18.99 {orso(twood plywood.
IIAI.Tll KIRCII. You might
have noticed that the jigs shown

In this

issue

arc

made from

special kind of hardwood ply

wood - Baltic Birch {rom the

Soviet Union. This is what I consider a "Cadillac' Jnat~rial 10"
building jigs. (Belore going on,
let me say that these jigs do not
have to be built (rom Baltic
Birch. Any plywood will work.)
Baltic Bin:h plywood" built
up of many thin (about ....16
thick), consistent layer, o(
veneer The l&nm-thick (about
4") Baltic Birch is made up 01
thirteen lay"", versus seven L1Y'
ers for ",."-thick Am~rican plywood. see photo. This makes I"~
edges clean enough to use as a
finished edge on some projects.
The white birch (ace veneers
are slightly less than ....,,;', thick.
butconsiderably thickerthan on
American hardwood plywood.
This allows lor some additiennl

ApplePly" (hence the name).

ApplePly consists 01 ....In"
thick core veneers 01 western
red alder (nol apple). For the
lace veneers. States Industries
offers jusl about any domestic
hardwood (most commonly
maple and birch) in typical ~ ..
(or less) thickness.
DIMES$IOSS.
Since Baltic

sanding on the surface,

wli(l clear veneers. This makes

"Baltic Birch is a unique product consisting olone piece (ace

and inner plies," explains Mark
Aquino. of AIlk-d lnternational,
the sole importer of Baltic Birch
since 1967. "It's virtually voidfree. You won't hit a se-a 01 or
knot, and the multi-ply e dlte
gives it a decorative appeal"
APPLEP~Y.Aboul four yea!'<
ago Stale'! Induslri e , of ~;ugt'ne,
Oregon started manulacluring
an American version of Ilaltic
Birch called ApplePly.
Bill Powell. Markel Development Manager explains Ihat
since they were COnlllClingwith
Bailie Birch they would scu their
product to be "as Amt'rican as

the edges clean and the panels

strong and stiff (especially alter
dadoes arc cut in them). They
also hold screws better than
standard plywood..
The large number of layers
also creates a few disadvantaRes. \\'hen you get thai many
layers in a panel. you mighl get
some movement (warp) in the
panel. I've had problems with
both o( these prodUClSwarping,
especially in thinner thicknesses. (But nOI much more
than is typical of any thin standard hardwood plywood.)
In the manufacluring process
il lakes a long time to lay up all
those layers. so Ihe price is

BIRCHPLYWOOD

--,.,.,.-,,!
~

... ..(..;..,.r-_"'-d

Birch is imported. its dimen-

sions are metric. Thicknesses

range (rom 3mm (aboul ~') 10

180101 (about :V.'). And the

sheet siT.<'is unusual to Amcricans - 5 feet by 5 reel. All'
pie Ply's dimensions arc familiar
- v.,". ~g,It, lit. !g", and if .."
thicknessesand 4 x8footshccls.
PROS ANI) CONS.The advanl'llre ofbolh products is the large
number of thin laminations 01

APPlEPl Y PLYWOOD

~~.~
Pi''''_
'~""~lo.""

M.L*IW_ ~

Ib"")l")l:il

hight'r .Locally. a :V,"-thicksheet

(Sll x 511.) of Baltic Birch sells
lor $57.60 ($2.30 a SQ. fl). A
'hl'<'l (.I (I. x II (l) of AppIePly
seus lor $68.00 ($2.12 a SQ. ft.).
11,i. compares to $1.09 a SQ. ft.
ror standard birch plywood.
AVAILAllILiTY. Baltic Birch
and Aplllcl'ly aren't available at
every lumber yard. But both are
diSiribuled nationwide and can
be found 31 $OIlIP retail outlets.
For more on obtaining Baltic
Birch or ApplePly, see page 24.

BAND SAW SIDE GUIDES

\VIlen "'Itillj! up the band saw phenolic plastic laminate mate10cut dnVClail. (pax.", 1210 17), rial To CUi down on lriction. the
the 010,1 importanl step is get- blocksareimprcgnalcd "ith dry
ting the >ide ltUides adjusledjust graphite lubricanl'.
a hair away (rol11the blade.
The advanl3l!e of using Cool
COOLIlIAX KS.Mark J)uginske
Blocks is thai you can adjusl
recommends
replacing Ibe them so they lightly louch tllC
standard side g\lides wiU, "Cool blade. 11wn, when you tum on
BI(Jck~."1'wSl' art made from a Ihe saw. the blade opens up

No. 66

very Slight canal through the quickly. So you need to readjust

blocks, and the blade can 'I move them periodkally. (You can revt'ry far Outof line. (Thecana! is surfart' them with a fileor sandcut since the blade is thicker at paper.) To gel Ihc accuracy I
Ihe weld. and the band saw's wanled (or Ihe dovetails, I adwheels might beoutolround.)
jU.led IhcltUidesaboul every 15
ADJUSThtNT.Onc problem IlliJlllt(S of Ctllting tinlC.
we've noliced with ule Cool
For infomuuion on ordering
CooII~I()cks.see
page 24.
Blocks is they telld to wear

WCl<xhmich

23

PROJECT

SUPPLIES

Sources
as two Cambridge vises. (See
box below for catalog sources of
'Vhon \\'0 finished the Work- these and other vises.)
bench (shown on page 4), we
Basically you want a vise that
started looking for a good cast has fairly large jaws (7" wide or
iron woodworking vise to mount larger) 10 hold lumber either
IAl the front afthe bench.
vertically 01' hori1.ontally.
One of the best-known names
Some models come with a
in vises is Record. These vises quick-release feature that adds
are made in England and have a only a small amount to the cost
sound reputation for quality.
butsure makesworkingwitb the
In addition to Record vises, vise a 101 easier.

WORKBENCH VISE

Although there ar... number

two other manufacturers have
entered the market in the U.S. of vises that are Well suited for
One is Cambridge Tool Com- the Workbench. we chose two
pany ofCanada which also offers vises to make available from

a fuU line o vises (similar to

those made by Record). And recently Iorgensea (tamousforhs
line of clamps) has introduced a woodworkingvisc.
''Ie looked at the
vises available from
these three cornpa-

nics, 8S well as some

"generic" vises (probably from Taiwan or
China) that are
offered by some catalog companiesWe narrowed our choices
down 10 vises that faUinto a midsize and price range.
We would suggest a vise like
the Record #520 which has
heavy-duly cast jaws and steel
guide rods. 111e Jorgensen vise
also falls in this category as well

To order by mall, usc the form

on theprotectivccover ola currenl issue or write YOllrorder
on a piece of paper. and send it
wilh your check or money
order. (Please include $1.50
shipping charge with each
order.) lA residems add 4%
sales (ax. Send order to:
WoodsmithProjectSupplies
P.O. Box 10350

Des Moine.,lA 50306

24

COOL BLOCKS

In Talking Shop. page 23. we

talked aboutrcplacing the guide
blocks on your band saw with

Cool Blocks,
These graphite impregnated.
phenolic laminated blocks are
available to fit a number of differenl band saws. They arc sold in
sets of four: two for till.' upper
and two (or me lower guides.
Cool Blocks are available
from the Garrett Wade catalog.
see the address below.

WING NUTS
'Ving nuta are great for making
any sort oijig that bas a rnoveable section or fence you have to
adjust and re-tighten.
We found some large plastic
BALTIC BIRCH
wing nuts with brass threads.
AND APPLIPLY
These nuts are almost 3" in
In Talking Shop. page 23. we diameter. which makes working
ia Iked about two unique ply- with them ajOy. (They're shown
wood products, Baltic Bin;h and on the base line holding jig on
ApplePly.
r)agc 10.)
1'0 find a local dislriblilor or
WinllNuts
dealer for Baltic Birch. you can You can order large wing nuts
A good basic vise for the call Allied International toll free from Woodsmith Project SupWorkb~nch is the one shown at at (800)343-9074.
plies. TIle brass threaded insert
right in photo above. It has cast
To find a local distributor or in each nut is sized fora !Y\~"dia.
iron jaw~ that are 7" wide by 3" dealer for ApplePly, you can call boh. Packaged in a $<)t of four.
high and open to 314" (between Stales Industries toll free at 766-210 Large Wing Nuts,
Ute two hard maple jaw faces in- (800)537-0419.
Package of Four ..........". $5.95
chided with the vise).
Woodsmith Project Supplies,
Both vises are made by Cambridge Tool of Canada.

Basic Vise
766-103 Basic Vise .... $64.95

ORDER INFORMATION
BY MAIL

If you're looking for more

than jU"t a basic vise, I'd choose
one that has a quick-release
mechanism. like the One shown
on the left in the phOLO. To
loosen me frorujaw .jusrgive me
handle a halflum counter-clockwise and you can slide the front
jaw all uie way in or out.
The jaws on this vise are 7" x
3" and open to 7Y4" (between the
hard maple jaw faces included).
It also has a solid brass pop-up
dog in the top ofthc Ironrjaw,
Instructions for mounting are
provided by Cambridge. Mounting hardware is not included.
(Allyou need is four bolts.)
Quick-Release Vise
.766- t01 Large Visewith
Quick-Release
$79.95

BY PHONE
For faster service use our Toll
Free order line. Phone orders
can be placed Monday througb
Friday. 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Central Standard TIme.
Before calling. have yow'
VISA-orMasterCard ready.

ALTERNATE CATALOG SOURCES

Simi/Ill' harduare and "I!pplies lay bejomld
i.1t {hejollmb'ng cataiO(ls. However 81yll1-~
(1"ulsife$ m,.y "Ul7!f>1.e4lie''Cj'tY 1.0 elIcll ra/Q~oujoro1'lkril!g j,lj()rlll.(tti.o'L
Garrett Wade Tools
t61 Ave.of the Americas

Woodworker's Supply
5004 Alameda Place N.I>.

New York. NY 10013

Vi~6I!.Cool Block.
Grl:aly Imports, Inc,

Albuquerque. NM 87J 13
\'islJJI
\VoodcraftSupply

P.OBox 2069

P.O. Box 1686

Bellingham, WA 98227

Parkersburg, WV 26102

Vwes

18004447002
Allolf)4 IQ6 "",,;k.[ordelit'ltr'l/.
,\'(J/e: Pnr.,'.J$ ~l(bjetJt.(J rhaf~!Jt'
(lfii"t Sir/Jhflfll;qr. JhfH>.

Shopsmith
393) lrnage Drive
Dayton, OH 45414
Vises

Woodsmith

Vise8

Woodworkers' Store
21801lnduslrial Boulevard
Rogers. MN 55374

Vises,AJ,piePlli

No. 66