VOL. 15 NOTES FROM THE ROMTHESHOP | ~__NO.90 — ‘PLUS: ® "COUNTRY QUILT RACKNo. 90 December, 1993 EDETOR’S COLUMN i i { Mstrators Disk VerSteeg Electronic Graphics Chris Ghvacki ‘Design Direcior Ken Munkel ‘Senior Designers Jan Hale Sree Kent Wels Aten ter Gordon Gaye St Graphic Ato Feber Wisner» drape ari Chey or ‘Bakery je Gronee © Pfe Ser Maire Meet dc Card: Dat appt. Seite Marow © Ain ‘hve Ck Sm a Fb foo ‘Fenmen + Bld Matt Ron Cet Arce WOODSMITH MAIL ORDER Marketing ir Raber Mary irl ck ‘= Coteoy Pret, Mp Rb Ber» Projet ‘Sepp Maoccee Teri Seppo junc Bees eon Co Sa be to Radi, a Spice 1-900-959.5078, 8200 PRED USA, Sawdust hich comes frst, the mortise or the tenon? Thats the trendly “chicken or egg” debate that’s beea going ‘on around here the last couple weeks. Tye always argued that you should cut ‘mortise first on 1 mortise and tenon joint. Then cut the tenon to ft the mortise. It seems to me is easier to shave a tenon smaller than it isto chop 4 mortise larger. (its hard to see what you're doing inside a dark mortise) Okay, that’s my pbilosophy. And it's pretty much what were showing inthe ar ticle on how to make a through mortise ‘and tenon joint starting on page 13, ‘BOOKCASE. But back to the debate — here's how it started. | wanted to build a (Crafsman style Bookcase. I's an opportu: ‘nity to use through mertise and tenon joints, But Ken, our design director, and Steve, ‘ur shop manager, convinced me that for this project the tenons should be cut first. ‘Their reasoning makes sense. The sides ‘of the Bookcase are frame and panel units, First there's a groove that’s cut in the — frame pieces to hold the panel. Then the tenons are cut to fit the grooves. Finally the mortises are cut to fitthe tenons. ANOTUERNG, This method seemed the easiest way 10 ay Broach cutting the joi. But Ken wanted to make it even easier. So he came up with a jig that ean be used to cut a clean, through ‘mortise to match a texcn perfe ‘The wholeicca behind the jigis to adjust it so it fis lke a saddle over the tenon. ‘Thea the jig can be sipped off and used to lay out and cut the matching mortise. It's kind of an “inside-out” approsch to cutting a mortise and tenon joint. And its all perfectly logical. But it stil goes aga ‘my basic “mortise frst” philosophy. The debate continues. (ANEW INDEX ‘We haven't printed an index to the back is- sues of Woodsmith in almost two years. And readers haver't heen shy about re ‘minding me ofthat fact. So we decided to update and completely rework the index. It’s logical to start with the tenons. But it goes against my “mortise first” philosophy. But this time we did an even more thor ough job. Were printing the index in 248 gage booklet and. calling i Projects, Plans, & Tecknigues Not only does it indude an index to every project and aril in al the back fe sues of Woudamith (Nos. 110 9). But also very back issue of our other magazine, ShopNotes (Nos 14011). There are even descriptions of the hardware fits available to build the projects And the booklet ree. “To receive a copy of Projects, Plans, & Technayus, mai in the card thats bound in this seve. If the card is missing, you can get a copy by writing to: Woods, P.O, Box 812, Des Moines, 1A 50309061 (lease allow Gt 8 weeks for delivery, We've had a slight population explosion around here lately. Robin Hutchinson has joined us as financial controller. Mark Hige don has joined the Woodemith team as an iMsstrator. Chery! Cynor is a new graphic artist for our Pub- lishing Services. de- partment, ‘Steve Johnson has moved from his po- sition with The Woodsmith Store to become our assis: tant shop and fect tes coamsaet, Tae ing Steve's place at the store ic Pal Scheelter whe formerly worked for Shopsmith. Finally, Stephanie Hagen and Kristi Andrews have become fulltime customer service representatives. Not only has the number of employees grown, but the Woodsmith extended fam- iy has also grown. First, Jon and Ladoana Garbison had a baby boy (ake). Then Bob and Deb Whitmer also had a boy (Ryan). ‘And most recently, my administrative 3s sistant, Julia Fish, and her husband, Dave, hhad a girl nna}, Julia assures me shel be beck soon (real soon, Tope). ‘But if you really want fo hear a story, ack Jeanne Johnson, our receptionist, about her new grandson, Jacob, (No one gets as excited asa frstaime grandma) ‘Al this talk about babies. Hmm . it ‘gets me thinking again about that chicken Grea debe < jo @ ‘Woodsmith,A LOOK INSIDE Contents : From our readers: two pages of Tips & Techniques || 4] creat ideas for solving common woodworking problems. 7 A spring-loaded rod removes easily Quilt Rack I for wircitda fren haere of « eal Anda shelf holds plates in a groove. Through Mortise Jig | [10] S2metimes is best to cut a deroush cand tenon joint “inside out.” A special jig solves the problem of cutting the mortiae to fit the tenon perfectly. rs A through mortise end tenon joint is (Through Mortise Joint | [13 | Sn and looks good too, Here are the steps for cutting both parts of the joint. While building the projects in this Shop Notes 16) issue, we came up with a few tips iad techniques of our own. 18) 1270 2 method for smoothing pan- els using two common tools: a hana seraper and a belt sander. Plus, some belt sanding tips. Smoothing Panels Like many Craftsman-style pieces, Craftsman Bookcase | |20) jj." Bookcase has clean, simple lines with decorative joinery. It's also built in the Craftsman tradition, requir. ing both machine tools and handiwork: 3 Fi] Hardware and supplies needed for J the projecta in this wwoue, Craftsman Bookease page 20 No. 90 Woodsmith 3FROM MITER GAUGE SET-UP BOARD iy, Lused "thick plywood for Doth paris) ‘Tomake the setup board, iret cut a groove down the center of the base to fit the bar on your miter gauge. (The bar should speed up the process and stil ensure accuracy, | made amiter sauge set-up board, ‘The setup board consists of base and a backing board, see FELLOW WOODWORKERS Tips & Techniques slide freely — but withoutsiop.) Next, drill and screw the backing board to the base, lac- ing it exactly 90° to the groove, see Fig. 1. (While youre ati Gril a hole near the top so the board ean be hung on the wall) With the miter gauge un- locked, first slide it into the ‘groove, up against the backing board, sce Fig. 2. Then lock the miter gauge in place. Bob Parker Chilliwack, British Cobumbia 2 | TEMPORARY WORK TABLE MWith 4 small shop, I often down in no time at al. And it need an extra work surface for takes up very lite space when assembly orfinishing. So to get stored. Also, when setting. up it. [make a temporary work ta thetableon an uneven floor. the bie out of four pipe camps and clampsallow me to make slight “¥¢thick plywood. see drawing. leveling adjustments, The nice thing about this ta Peter N. Williams Dleisitcanbeset up and broken Cone Christi, Texas FLEXIBLE CURVE WEvery once in awhile I need talay out acurve or duplicate an existing one. The best tool Ive found for this is flexible curve. But instead of buying one, mmademy own by sliding alength of plumber’ solder into a piece ofvinyl tubing, see drawing. ‘Tomake i easierto insert the solder, the inside diameter of tie tibing must be slightly larger than the diameter of the solder. Also, it helps to soak the tubing in hot soapy water before sliding in the solder. T made my flexible curve about 18" long. Any longer and it becomes difficult to elide the solder into the tubing, Winston Plummer Tampa, Florida Editor's Note: When wwe tried Winston’ tip, it worked great! Locally,aten footlengthof dia. vinyl tubing (commonty wed for aquarium pumps) cost sig. And a four ounce roll of plumber’ solder cost $2. WoodsmithOccasionally | lamp a jg or featherbeard othe top of my ta ble saw, see drawing. But some times the support ibs on the un desde ofthe saw makeithardto position the amps. To solve this, I puta litle “meat on my ribs’ —Iglued fllerblockstothe underside ofthe top, see detail The key here is to make the filler blocks the same height as the ribs. This way the bottom of the table is perfectly at. ‘After the blocks are cut to fit between the ribs, glue and lamp themin place. (used con- tact cement so the blocks could bbe removed iter if necessary) ‘Mark Palmer Richland, Washington iLike to make my own plugs First, drill the plugs with the with a plug cutter. To get them plug. cutter. see Fig. 1. Then toa uniform length, I cut them place a strip of masking tape fon the band saw, referto Fig.2. over the plugs But occasionally when band Once they've been cut_to ‘sawing theypopoutand getlost length, peel off the tape, see Fig. onthe flooroftheshop.Toaveid 2, The plugs will sickto the tape, this, Tkeep the plugsin place by not bounce around the floor. applying, masking tape before Emuless J. Depre cutting them to length. Eunice, Louisiana ml WT siain quite afew of my pro jects, Needless to say, T have ‘many containers of staia in my shop. To keep track of them all, I make some reference boards to help me “catalog” how each stain looks when applied to di ferent woods. “The reference boards are eut fromthe woods! usemostoften. On each board, I section off a ‘umber of individual areas by cating shallow kerfswith thet2- blesaw, see photo. Next, I apply each stain be- tween the kerf, being careful to ‘mark the back ofthe board with the name of the stain orany spe- cial finishing instructions. (ace the stain dries, Leven go ‘0 far as to apply the finish coat ‘over the stain sample) "Now when I want 2 new pro- jectto match the finishona prev- viows project. just refer to the reference boars, Jolos Radewahn Milwaukee, Wisconsin Mla Woodsmith No. 87, you works best for me) recommended staining’ the After sanding. wipe on a lib- Model Fire Truck with anifine eral amount of dye, working it dye. Bat when using dyes on into the wood. Then wipe away woods with “wild gral the excess. Taple, Birch, and pine), the One more thing Tve even hal stain can blotch. Awhile back,1 good results with tistechnique ‘came across a technique that when using oilbased stain. Jim Grady Spring Valley, California helps reduce blotching. Before dying wood thatmight ‘bea problem, I seal it with shop- made sizing liquid. (Sing is a thin, pasty liquid used asa filer It seals up end grain that’s ex osed on the face ofa board.) ‘The sizing I use consists of four parts water and one part yellow woodworker's glue. After mixing the solution together, ‘brush on one coat. Since the sizing liquid water-based solution, the grain sillraice. So after itdriee, lightly sand the raised grain with 220 grit sandpaper. (One or two, asses with the palm sander Woodsmith .WEEKEND PROJECT Quilt Rack Alot ofthe quits Ive sen ae hung just for display. But sometimes a quik ac tually getsausd And that vas one ofthe main chak lenges we faced when we set down, 10 design this Quit Rack. ‘On. some quilt racks the rod for holding the quit fs permanendy ae tached, But or conven ience, wanted the qui holding rod on this Quit Rack to be removable, (Almost ike the toilet pe Derholderin a restroom) Byinstllingaspringintheend oftherod, iteanbe si toward aneen¢ then pulled out for hanging up a quit, see inset photo at fight S0 2 person doesa't have to Sraggle {othread the quilt between the topoftherod and the botiom ofthe shel. Tasted, the quit can be folded exactly where you wan't then the rods through the fold. This way, the quilt stays folded when the rod is placed back: inthe rack. ‘WOOD. This Quilt Rack is made entirely ‘out of red oak, So, wity not use some other ‘kind of wood? The answer, again, has to do with the dowel rod. To keep the rod in scale with the reat ofthe rack, the rodis 1V4"in di- ameter, But dowel rod that large isnt easy to, find in many types of wood. However, itirread- ily available in red oak, 90 built the entire project from oak. (Referto page 31 for some sources of 14)" dia. oak dowel and the other hardware | 10 ‘build the Quilt Rack) FinIsit In order to ssive the Quilt Rack more of an aged ap pearance, 1 stained the wood with a coat of Minwasx Goklen Oak, ‘Then, to protect the wood, [applied two coats ofan oli/arethane mixture (General Finishes’ Tuo Step Sealacel). EXPLODED VIEW ‘SPINDLE cay, SHEL ‘OVERALL DIMENSIONS: ‘SO3e"L x 10"D x 1055"H © Shot boskets) — 34x9%4-9i5 DbockRald) —— Saxsiana7ia E Gay Spinces (16) See Patien F Dowel) 14 Dia.~47%4 Gee p92 3) forsspplos needed) MATERIALS CUTTING DIAGRAM A spot) Sex 10-50% f B GoteyRotcy Max Nig~721 6 i is‘SHELF I started baling the Quilt Rack by fst ‘making the sell t's along board thatcor- fects the sides (rackets) and serves as 2 protective “ror” for the quit. ‘UTTO Suz. Fist, edgegiue two pieces 9f 94" sick fr the shelf blank, see Fig. 1 (Ges hard to find fat, wide pieees of tock) ‘Then cut the shelf (A) to finished size ‘GROOVE & DADOES. Next, to create. a trough for éspiaving plaies, | routed a stopped groove along the top ofthe shelfto war the back ee, see Fig. 1a Note: Reerto page 16formore onrouting stopp grooves and dadoes ‘Aer routing the groove on top of the shelL.the nea stepisto rout stopped dadoes ‘nthe etiam sidefarjoiningtheshelfto the shelf brackets, see Fig. 2 EDGE PROMLE. Finally, routed adecora- tive edge around the front and sides ofthe shell sce Fig, Note: By raising the round- over bit abore the table, 2 i shouller fs created as an accent, see Fig. 3 GALLEY RAIL After completingthe shel, started workon the galley ral. This is a U-shaped “fence” that extends around the top of he shelf “The galley rails connected tothe shelf “witha series of sixteensmall galley spindles, see photo onthe facing page. These can be purchased (see Sources on page’) orthey an be turned on the lathe, see the FullSize Pattern on the facing page. ‘CUTTO SIZE. Fist, cut three pieces to fin- ished width for the front and side sections ofthe galley rail (B), see Figs. and 4a. Design Note: etthe galley rll from 9 thick stock so it woulda’ look too thi relation tothe rest ofthe proiect. EDGE PROMLE. With the three pieces of salle rail ripped to finished wieth, {routed decorative profile onal four edges ofeach bieve, see Fig. 4a. Note: These shoulders are anly Ye" not Ya" Hhe on the shell ‘CUTMITERS. Now the three rail pieces ‘can be mitered to fit around the top of the ‘helt The front rice is mitered tothe same Aengihvasthe shelf,and these pieces to the ‘same anidth as the shell, see Fig. 4. But they're not giued together yet SPINDLE HOLES. Next, | marked the pos: tioa ofthe licks forthe spindles on the top Side ofthe shelf, see Fig. 4. Then | used a ‘try square totransfer the marks to the bot- tom side ofthe rail pieces, see Fig. 5. ‘Now, the shallow holes can be drilled in the top of the shelf, sce Fig. 8. Finally. [drilled al the holes on the three ‘ail pieces excep the holes that go into the Imiters, see Fig. 7. Its easier to drill these two holes after the rail has been glued up into a"U" shape, see Fig. 8 No.90 Woodsmith‘There needs tobe someway tosupportthe TONGUES. Before cuting the profile of shelfand also the quilt hanging rod. That's the shelf brackets, I used the table saw to the job of the shel! brackets, They're func- cut a short tongue across the top edge of tional pieces that are also decorative. ‘each bracket, see Fig. 10. Note:Sneak upon ‘CUTTOSHZE. Tomaketheshelf brackets the thickness of the tongue unil it fits (©, first cut two rectangular blanks to smugly in the dado on the shelf, rough size, see Fig 0. Note:Teuttheblanks After the tongues are cut, iim the front 0 the grain would run vertically on the as end of each tongue so the tongues are hid- sembled rack. den whea the rack isassembled, ee Fig. 11 [BRACKET PATTERN. Next.to keep trackof DOWELMORTISES. The dowel rod that thetopend ofthe brackets, laid outthepat- holds the quit fits in a mortise in each ofthe tern an the face of each blank This can be shelf brackets, see Fig. 12. (To drill these done by drawing the pattem directly on 1¥4*dlia. mortises, see page 17.) teach piece, Butto allow for making another Design Nate: One mortise is deeper than Quilt rack in the future, madea template. the other to permit inserting and removing “Todothis,freteutapiece of Ys" Matonite the rod, see Fig. 12a and photo on page 6. _Alterrouting the decorative profile onthe othe same width andlength asthe finished EDGE PROFILE. Now ive shelf brackets shelf brackets, there's one litle area that bracket, sce pattern. Then draw the profile canbe cutto shape. Then rout around-over needs some work. At the inside curves on ‘on the face of the Masonite and cut out the along the curved edge, see Fig. 13. The cach bracket, | used a small chise! to square pattern, Sandtheproflesmooth,thentrans- round-over has a 4" shoulder just lke the _upthe routed profile so itmatches the band- {fer the profileto each blank, see Fig.9. edge of the sheif, refer to Fig. 3a. sawn profi, see Fig. 19a. BACK RAIL “Togive the Quilt Rackmore of finished ap- pearance, added strip of wocdto the bark Of the rack also helps Ge together the Shelf and the shelf rackets) ‘CUETO size. First cut the back rail (D) to length tot betwoen the shel brackets, see Fig. 16 Asfor the width ofthe ral, eat ithe same asthe distance from the bottom ofthe shelf tothe center of the mortise fr the dowel rod. ROUTPROMLE. Finally, rout one more ‘decorative profile. Thistine dong thelower ‘outside edge ofthe rail see Fig. Ma. 8 Woodsmith No. 90ASSEMBLY When it comes time to assemble the parts of the Quit Rack, you need about four hrands. But using several clarps-and follow. ing a certain sequence works ust as well DDRVASSEMBLE. Fst, dry assemble the shelf on the brackets withthe Back ral ia between, refer to Fig 1.Thon temporarily clamp the pars in place, ste Fig 15. ‘Now, dil a counterbore for & wooden plug ito the side of each shelf bracket ‘Then, dailashark bok through the bracket and 3 pilot hole into thera, see Fig. 15a. ‘GILES SCREW. Next, [disassembled the pieces and started gluing them back to Resher. Fist glue the tonguesoa the brack: ‘es into the dadocs in the shel. “Then, install the back ral with glue along the upper edge ofthe ral and woodserews into the ends. (Don’ put give onthe ends) ally camp everythngin place and pug the screw holes when the glue has dried. ‘ADD SPINDLES & GALLEY RAL-The last part ofthe assembly process involves sie Jag the galley spindles (B) into the mor tises ontopor the shelf see Figs. 16 anc 16a. Then, glue the U-shaped galley rail onto the tops ofthe spindles DOWEL ROD & HANGER PLATES ‘The heart ofthis projects a spring loaded rod for hanging a quilt. But in order for the rod io work properly, the dowel rust be cut to the correct length — long enough so it won't drop out of the holes, but not so long that icant he removed Cure puis. To determine the correct Tength of the dowel rod (F), measure be- ‘tween the brackets and ald 4", see Fig. 17. ‘This way, when the dowel i bottom out in the shallow (V4"deep) hole and fit¥4"into the deeper @/s") hove in the ‘bracket on the opposite sie. ‘After cuting the rod to length (474" in ‘my case), drill a %4"dia. mortise centered fon one end for a 3'Jong compression ‘pring, see Fig. 17a. ‘Shop Note: To locate the center of this bole, Tusedacompass set to one-half the di- ameter (theradius) ofthedowel, see Fig. 18. ‘The point on the compass will leave a small hole indicating the center of the dowel. TANGER PLATES. After gluing the spring in the mortise (used epoxy). all tha is to attach @ pair of hanger plates to the back ofthe rack, see Fig. 19. ‘Shop Note: A shallow hole ia the edge of, the shelf will permit the head ofthe mount ing screw (i the wal) to slp in behind the hhanger plate, see Fig. 192| JiGS & FIXTURES Through Mortise Jig W's not unusual to design a jig to help in building-a project, But is not often the jie gets designed at the sarne ti Is being designed. Let me project would feature tenon joints. That's ftsman style. But thes nary through mortise and te ‘ons — they're designed to be almost §" wide. For theraila the bottom ofthe Book we ide frames) nd a through tenon —especialy awide — requires 3 perlectfiting mortise. ‘So as the plans for the Bookcase evolved, my approach to cutting the joint did too. INSIDE OUT, Inthe past Ivealmostalways cut the mortise first, then eut the tenon to fitthe mortise, But for this project | knew the joint would have to be eut inside out.” And there was a good reason — it had to do with the shop made plywood pane! th fits inthe side frame, reler to the ph on pages 22 and The best procedure was to first ext a sroove for te panel, then cut the tenon 10 match the groove, And finally “deepen” the sroove to create a through mortise for the tenon. Because the mortise iseut ss, it will have to fit the tenon perfectly Here's where the Mertise Jig comes in handy, Ithelps when laying out the mortise ‘and when cutting it to fit the tenon. bbe mortised. An through mortise the traditional C After roughing out the mortise with «drill press (tet photo, bore), at tack the jig to guide 6. chisel for cleaning up the martse (right) id the inside jaws indicate __MaRDWARE, Except for the block of hard- SUDINGJAWS. This jg iS simpler than it thethickness ofthe completed tenon. (The wood, everything needed to build this fig looks, I's basically two scts of adjustable next two pages describe how to build, set_can be found ata local hardware store, see Jaws, The outside jaws ft on the piece to up, and use the ig) the Supplies ist below. EXPLODED VIEW 10 Woodsmith, No.9BUILDING THE JIG ‘As complicated as it looks at first, this mor tsing igs realy ae sme ol (And iso to use) ‘The fig Starts out as one block of hard ‘wood (used hard maple) that's ripped into four strips forthe two Sets ofjaws. ‘Then the jg is assembled with two car lage bolts and nuts (or arjustability) and two steel rads (to keep the jaws aligned and prevent them from twisting) HARENVODD HACK. TO build the jig, 1 started with ablock of wood that was 2"t0 4" longer than the morse o beet see Fig. 1 “This way, the ig doven't have to be moved after it's clamped to the workpiece. ‘ter cutting the block to size, dil four holes through the block for the carriage bolts and sicel rods, see Fig. 1a. KER & RIP. The two outside pieces ofthe jigare L-shaped for clamping onto the sides, ‘of the piece to be mortised. To cut the rab- iets that erete the “Le start by ripping a pair of sallow kerfs along the bottom side ‘fhe Bock, se Fg. Then, rip the block in hall, see Fig. 3. Note: To end up with two identicabaize feces, run each half of the block between the fence and the Dlde, ee COMPLETE RABRETS. Here's when the two outside pieces of the fig Become L- shaped. I's done by ripping another callow Kerf that itersecss with the frst ker, see Figs. 4 and 4. Note: Save the sql tis that get cut away from the “LS They're used next to make the ise par ofjaws. TONGUES, Next I cut a short tongue on the ends ofthe to inside jas, see Fig. 9. ‘Te tongucs create are for the hex tuts that lock ll four jaws together. se the photo below: Shop Note: Forthe cheek cuts, Iused the band sa, but ahand saw or tencning fig in the table saw would also work. For the shoulderats used the table saw se Fig. ‘Alter the longues are eat on both iaside Jaws, thefigis ready to be assembled. FINAL ASSEMBLY Before assembling the jig | applied a ight cat of tang oil to the wood parts. Then | gathered upal the necessary hardware re fer tothe Supplies bex onthe facing page ‘Assemble the fg by firs joining the four Jaws — separated by hex nuts — with the two carriage bolts, see photo and the Ex: ploded View. Note: The top edges ofall four Jaws should be tush. ‘Secure the lst jw with a par of wing ate, Note Hex nuts are nov needed on the inside ofthis piece, see photo, Now the sleel rads are driven into the other holes. (They slide easier if you wax {hem frst) Then the jezisready to housed No. 90 Woodsmnith uSETTING UP THE JIG Before the jr can be used to cut a mortise itneeds tobe adjusted to ft the tenon. So the tenons forthe project should already he cut Note: For reference, I nuimbered each ofthe jaws, see Fig a Tve found Gata through mordse fs uss ally cuton athick piece (sch a leg), and the matching tenon is usually cut on athin- ter piece (uch a6 a strecher), see Fig. 7 and the Bookcase on paze 20 "To get around the diferences in thick ness. started out by cutting a spacer that takes the jg hiak” both pieces are the Same thickness. (A spacer Ist needed if the two pieces are the sare thickness) ‘CUTSPACKR. To makeaspecer, frsteut a strip of wood the same length as the jg “Then ri it othe thickness equals the de- sized setback of te ral fom the post, see Fig. 7at right ‘ADJUST 270 1, Now, adjustments can be sin on the jig. Fit, place the cheeks ofthe tenon beiween the middle two jaws. Then slide the spacer Gi one's being used) be tween the jaw abeled"I"and the face ofthe tenoned picce, see Fig. ‘Now, tur the hex nuts alongside piece “Fun the spacers sandwiched between the workpiece andthe ig, see Fig. 8a-This, halfof the ic is now set ANMIST3102. Now the inside jaws can be tightened around the enon. Thisis done by turing the auts alongside jaw “3” ste Figs. 9 and Sa, annust 470. Next, the jig can be ad- usted to the thickness of the mortised jece.Firstpul the tenoned piece out of the Jig: Don't tura any nuts) Then set the. ‘over the piece to be mortised, " Now tighten the outside jaw (4") against ‘he right side ofthe workpiece, see Fig, 10a, 10 workpiece. draw two Hines ince the ig to Indicate te sidesof the mortise see Fag 1. ‘Then remove the ig rom the workpiewe by Joosening the wing aus only Now, using a try square, draw two more lines to indicate the tep and botiom of the tortie, sce Fig 1a. Then tansler these ‘marks around 0 the opposite (back) side ofthe workpiece. These are for reference while drilling fom the back side DRILL OUT WASTE. To cut a mortise, pre ferto rough it out on the drill press first see Fig 12. Note: Useadrilbitsmallerthan the desired width of the mortise. And for the cleanest mortise, dill halfway through from both sides of the piece. CUEANUPEDGES. Now the jig can be placed back on the face side of the work piece and the wing nuts retightened. ‘Then uce a charp, wide chisel to chop the ‘outside edges of the mortise in a clean, siraight line, see Fig. 13. (Hold the back of the chisel tight to the jaws ofthejig) Again, ‘work from both sides ofthe piece. ‘Then, when the mortise has been com. pletely cleaned out, remove the ig and chisel the sides ofthe mortiseto a lighttaper, see Fig. 13a. (Chisel from the “out” side face.) By slightly enlarging the inside of the ‘mortise, the tenon can be inserted more easily. Yet the exposed end of the tenon ‘Should stil ithe mortise perfectly. No. 90WOODWORKING TECHNILQUE Through Mortise & Tenon One ofihestrongest joints youll find on a project isa mortise and tenon. And a through mortise and {enon joimt not only gives you a strong joint, but a ‘ecorative look, ‘When the tenon is, glued into the mortise, the two fit together lke the handle in the head of hammer, see photo, The fend grain on the tenon is ‘8 decorative contrast (0 thelong grainon the sides ofthe mortise. PERFECTT. The main reason for ghing a long, {tenon into an open mortise isuswally appearance. And for the best appearance, the parts ofthe joint have to be cut perfecty. If there are any gaps where the tenon comes out ofthe mortise it will be appar cent — Dut it probably won't be the look you were expecting. That's why I follow a Special sequence when cutting a through ‘mortise and tenon joint. SEQUENCE. Does that mean a through mortise and tenon joint is made differently than atraftional blind motise and tenon? Notexactly. The mortise is usually cut first, then the tenoa is ext to fit the mortise. So far, no difference. But because the ft ofthe joint is so important, [take a couple extra steps, see Culting the Mortise, and Cutting, the Tenon oa the fellowing pages. ‘Note: Sometimes there's 004 reason to reverse the sequence and cut the tenon first. The Bookcase on page 20 is an exam- HOW THE JOINT WORKS ‘There's more to a through mortise and tenon joint than one pieve of wood sticking through another. Ifthe parts ft together properly the joint is strongin several diree- tions. Aud i. wil look good, too, ‘The load-bearing strength of the joint comes from the botiom edge of the tenon resting in the bottom of the mortise, see rawing, It's what supports a panel in a frame or atop on a table. “Theshoulders aroundthetenon give the joint resistance to racking and tvieting. ‘They can also hide imperfections around the inside edge of the mortise. Probably the strongest part ofa through ‘mortise and tenon joint isthe it between the ‘cheeks of the tenon and the cheeks of the ‘mortise. When properly glued, the bond be- tween the checks ofthe two pieces will pro- ‘duce a joint tha’s practically unbreakable, ‘Not only's this 2 strong joint, but itooks ‘R00d, too, Especially ifthe exposed end of the tenon completely fills the mortise. ple) In this situation, a Special through mortising Jeecomenin handy cos the aicle on paze 10 ‘OPMONS. Like an ord nary moctse and teron joint, through mortise om joint as some ns. For one, the legs ‘hen thicker than he ral See photo at let and the drawing below at this is mostly a de siqn decision — the parts be the ‘And how far beyond the Jeg should the tenon stick ‘out teould be fash othe ‘outside of the lex (right in photo) or stand a Tite proud with chamfered eiges eft in photo) Again, i's mostly adesign decision. Finally a throagh mortiseand tenon joint fs often pinned with small wood pegs through the checks of the tenon (lft in photo), In the pas this was done toleck the tenon in the mortise to create a stronger Joint But withthe improved glues available today, the pegs are mosily for appearance. (See page 15 for more on installing pegs.) No.90 Wooddsmith, 3CUTTING THE MORTISE The key to cuting a perieet through mor. tise is uniformity, The opening where the tenon comes through must have periectly straight edges to fit. tight around the tencn. Here are a couple tips— and a guide — to make cuting a per fect mortise easier Lavourenps. I start by laying out (marking) the mortise on the outside face ofthe workpiece, see Fig. 1. To do this, first Use ary square and a sharp pencil to draw a Tine indicating the top and bottom edges ‘of the mortise. (The exact location of these ‘marks will depend on the specifications of the particular project) 'Now. use a square to extend these lt ‘around the workpiece to the opposite (in- Side) face. MARKSIDES. Nex, I mark the ides ofthe rmertise. And for the most accuracy on the sides, I don't use a peel. Instead, I make the marks using a chisel, a mallet, and a shopmade guide block, see Fig. 1. (Again, ‘make the marks onthe fce of the workpiece ‘where the end of the tenon will show.) ‘The guide block I use is simply a squaredup block of wood with a shallow rabbet cut along one edge. As simple as it is, the guide block is surprisingly hell. First, when is clamped around one edge ‘of the workpiece. the guide biock helps to ‘mark a perfectly straight line forthe sides ff the mortise And after the mortise has ‘been roughed out witha dri bit, the guide block helps hold a chisel straight up and ‘down for cleaning up the mortise ‘Note: This can aleo be done with the ‘Through Mortise Jig shown on page 10. SETTING OUT. There's a tide Luse to help ‘ensure crisp, clean edges on a throught mor- tise, The trick iscalled “setting out” ‘To set out a mortise, first chop straight down on the chisel holding the back of the chisel tight to the guide block, see Fig. After marking the perimeter of the mor- tise. remove the guide block and make a second wngled chisel cut that intersects with the first, see Fig. 2 ‘Then remove all the Title threesided slivers from the edges ofthe mortise. ‘Now you should be able to see the crisp, straight outline of a perfect through mor tise. All ha’ Tet isto clean out the waste inside the marks OREHOLES. At this point the mortise could be chopped out by hand, Butitsaves ‘lt of time (especially for deep mortises) to rough out most of the waste using the dil press ee Fe 3. To rough out the mortise, 1 use a Forsiner bit sare than the with ofthe tortie and dil a series of overlapping holes between the score marks. ‘Shop Note: For the cleanest. mortise, bore hafay through from onesie of the ‘workpiece, then fish roughing. out the ‘mortise from the other side, see Fig. CHISEL CLEAN. The overlapping holes willleave a serie of ripples” onthe checks. Of the mortise. To remove these ropes and also complete the mortise — [use a Chisel to pare the sides of the mortise, see Fig 5. (Again, work rom both sides) “The guide block comes in handy here, too. Itkeeps the chisel ight onthe cut Tine 25 you cleanup the sides ofthe mortise Finally to insert the tenon ture easly, “Back cut the mortise slightly, see Fig. a. Pirst mark the ends ofthe mortise using a try square and pencil. Then makea guide lock for marking the sides with a chisel After scoring the sides with a. chisel, “set “ut” the mortise by chizoling a slight bevel inside the score lines. Set out the ends too. Rough out the mortise by drilling a series of holes inside th sore linee. Usea Forster Dit smailer than the width ofthe mortise. Finish roughing out the mortive from the ‘opposite side of the workpiece. But keep the same face ofthe piece egrainut the fones. Complete the mortise by chiseling the Sides of the mortise smooth and flat, Use the guide block to hoop the chisel straight ‘up and dosen and cutting i a straight line, ‘After cutting frm both sides of the mortise, ‘chinel a alight hevel from the good face. Woodsmith No. 90CUTTING THE — Ate any, shape or tre. Butthere's only one thing that counts — how well it fits in a ‘One ofthe easiest ways to cut a tenon is to use a dado blade in the table saw, And to help set up the saw just right, I start by cut ting a tenon on a test piece. (Use a piece of thicknese and width as the actual workpiece.) TESTTHICKNESS To begin the tenon, raise the dado blade and make a shallow the end ofthe test piece, see Fig. p the piece and make a second pass on the opposite side. Shop Note: For the most control — and the cleanest ext — I cut tenons using the miter gauge wih an auxiliary fence at tached. This helps prevent chipout as the blade exits the workpiece. Now check the test ‘completed mortises, see Fig. 2. The iiea to sneak up on the the end cf this sho perfectly — not too tight and aot too loose. ‘CUT CuEEKS. When the thickness of the tenons se, the tenon can be cut to length, see Fig 3. To do this, lagain use the mer ‘gauge and auxiliary fence. But this time with the rip fence as 2 stop. Postion the rip fence so the distance be- Begin cutting the tenon. on atest piece. By adjusting the height of the dado blade, you fan sneak npon the thickness ofthe tenon. Test the ft ofthe tenom tx a mortise on the vearkpiece. If the tenan ia too tight, raise the height of the dado blade and cut ogeain. When the blade is adjusted for the correct thickness, cut the tenon io the desired length. Use the rip fence as a stop block teen the outside ofthe dado blade and the fence equals the desired length of the tenon Now, cut the tenon by: making several pasecs ever the dado blade foreach cheek. ‘CUTSHOULDERS. The fst thing 10 40 15 Now the tonon can be cut to the desired tite, Dom t move the fence but the height of the dado blade may need to be adjusted, ‘cutthe tenon tothe desired width. Luse the same fence setup as for cutting the checks, except the workpiece Is blade standing on edge, sce Fig. 4. This pro- duces a tenon with equabsize shoulders. Itused tobe that along tenon needed to be pinned in a mortise But these days, with Improved wood glues, peg doesn't have to do anything but look good, Careful work is the key to good looks helps to think of a peg in a hole as tenoa in 2 mortise. So the procedure is ‘Similar to cuting a tenon to ft a mortise. Lay out the mortise on the outside (Good) face of the stle, see Fig. 1. Then dill inside the marks to consistent depth (@epending on the projec), Nest, use a chisel to square up the cor ners of the mortise, se Fig, 2 “To make the pegs, cut along strip to size ‘so it’s about 4" thicker than the width of the mortise. Then cut the pegs from the Strip, see Fig. 3 ‘Finally sand the buried end of each peg to a slight taper, and glue the pegs in the ‘mortises, (See page 17 for a tip on this) | | | ADDING DECORATIVE PEGS | | | No. 90 WoodsmithSOME TIPS FROM (OU R SO P Shop Notes STOPPED GROOVES & DADOES Whether youre using ahand. held router or router table rout ing stopped grooves and daoes canbe tic, tal has todo with Pestioning the stop blocks. ‘With ether method, its portant thatthe stp Block be the corret location. I its not the groove won'tend up where itshould HANDED ROUTER. The Fist stepingetiinganaccurate setup for hand routing sto layout the groove right on the workpiece Now the stops can be positioned “To do this, first messure the distance between the edge of the routers base plate and the ‘nearest edge ofthe bit “Then using this measurement, position the stop near the layout lines that indicate the end of the groove. Now clamp the stop ‘lock in place. see Fig. 1. To guide the router along the length of the groove, clamp a fence to the workpiece. (Clamp the fence parallel to the layout lines, using the same measure- meat as before) "Now the stopped groove can be routed. Set the dept of dhe bit and tilt the router into the workpiece, When hand routing, ‘move the router in the normal left-to-right direction 'ROUTERTADLE, The setup for routing stopped grooves, ant dadoes on the router table is ba- Sically the same as itis for a handheld router. Except, the distance between the stop block and the far side ofthe bit deter- the Teng ofthe groove, ‘see Fig. ‘When using the router table, ‘move the workpiece in the nor. ial right-to-left direction. So depending on which end of the ‘workpiece you're routing, it may benecessary to lowerthe work. Biece into the bit, see Fig. 2. “To rout the other end of the workpiece. reposition the stop tothe other side ofthe bit. Then push the workpiece into the bit SCRAPING & SANDING CORNERS Normally [ike using a hand ‘seraper and sanding block for ‘seraping and sanding. But ican bbe hard to get right devin into-a ‘comer with a scraper or typical sanding block. Instead, when I need to serape and sand corners, I wse two tools shaped for the job. RoR BLADE. To scrape out a comer, I use a razor blade froma uiilty kale, see Fig, 1. It scrap ‘works great for scraping aay glue smudges. And it also ‘comes in handy when Ineed to cutaway dried beads of glue. “Touse the razor blade, hold it ‘alan angle and push or pull it with the grain of the wood — just ke « hand scraper. When . always. push or pull the Blade in the direction i’san- sled. (This way, it won't cut into the workpiece: BEVELED BLOCK To sand comer, | make a sanding block with beveled ends and beveled Sides, see Fig; 2. The pointed tends and sides allow me to get he sandpaper right wp against ‘Also, when I need to bear down ‘on the sandpaper, the ‘sanding block can be raised slchy and pushed the co. No.90WForsiner bits are ideal for Arilling large lav bottom mor tises. But it can be hard to ustify their cost if theyre not used uch. Another way to drill a largemortiseistousea hole saw and a straight router bit. ‘CUrHOLE, For the Quilt Rack shown on page 6, I needed to dail! 144"ia. shallow mortises LARGE MORTISES for the quit hanging rod. So L Aniled the mortisesin two steps, ‘The first step was to outline” themortise with a 1¥4"lia. hole saw, see Fig. 1. Thea, once the mortise was established, it was ready to be cleaned out ‘CLEAN HOLE. Toclean out the ‘mortise, I used my hand-held router with a 4" straight bit. Set the router bic tothe same depth a the hole saw, sce Fig. Then clean out the waste, Staying within the circle cut by thehote saw "Abit of acvice though, Prac tice an a piece of serap before routing the actual workpiece: You seant fo mae sure you have a feel for routing within the ice. ie DEPTH STOP When pinning a mortise and tenon joint, usually set the pez flush with the frame. But for the Bookcase (page 20), 1 wanted the peg to match the through tenons. They stick out 48" bee yond the face of the frame, “To set the peps consistently witha ruler would have been dif Feult.Iewould have heen easy to ‘setthe pegs too,deep. To set the pegs accurately, ! made adepth Stop from a 4"thick serap of hardwood, sce drawing. DRILLHOLE. To make adepth stop, dell a fole in the scrap block the same depth you want to set the pegs. Once a peg is ‘giued in place, set the stop over the peg, sce detail. Then tap the Stop lightly with a hammer untit ithottoms out against the frame. PANEL TEAR-OUT When making framed panels, grooves are normaly cut in the frame to fit the panel. Bat just because a groove is cu 0 fit a panel doesnt necessarily mean itll go together easly “TWISTS OR BOWS. Ifthe panel or frame is twisted or bowed sen you're iting them it can be dificult geting them to- agether. I theyre out of align ‘ment too much, the pane! cout tear outtheedges ofthe groove, see drawing. KOUNDOVEREDGES To avid this, rst round over the edges ‘of the panel with a sanding block. This narrows the panel just enough so when the panels stalled it won'thang up on the frame. And this: reduces the chance for tear out Woodsmith 7WOODWORKING TECHNIQUE Smoothing Panels In Woodamith No. 86, we featured an article on gluing-up panels. During the development of that article, a number of us got into a lively dis- enssionon different ways to smootha panel after the glue dries. Phil Totten, one of our assistant editors, uses a rather unique method for smoothing a panel. His panels always seem to end up smooth and fairly flat. So Pve asked him to describe his teciinique in this article. —Don When my comorkers found out L use a hhand scraper and portable belt sander to flatten and smooth gluechup panels, they told me it couldn’ be done. When it comes tohand tools, they felta hand plane was the only tool that could be used for fattening. technically they're correct, A hand scraper can't really atten apanel. scraper is normally reserved for finish work — in place of sandpaper. I's not designed to flat- ten a glued-up pane A flat panel has a level or even surface ‘over the entie panel A senooth pane! has a surface that’s ree of defects —it isn't nec- ‘essarly perfectly at. But with practice (and a lot of patience), Ive been able to scrape and sand gluedup ‘enough for most of my projects. And most people would be hard pressed to tel ‘whether they're fat or just Smooth, (For my thoughts o fattening a panel with 2 hand plane, see the small box on the next page.) SANDER ORSCRAPER? The trick to deter- mining whether to start smoothing with a scraper or abelt sander sto"read"the panel ‘panels smooth and fairly flat. They're flat fret. But before I do this, 1 serape off any dried give along each joint line 2 wth a sharp paint scraper. Note: If you're using a paint seraper 4 for this, the corners ofthe blade : should be rounded over to avoid gouging the pane Once the dried glue is re. ‘moved, I begin reading the sur- face ofthe panel. ‘Mark Panel. As you've locating the high ‘and low arvas, mark theme with a pencil ‘Now the pase is ready to be smoothed, READING APANEL First, [look over the entire sur- face of the panel. If | notice a bump or a low spot (such as planer chipout created at the Sawnil or lumberyard), 1 rub rnyhandoverittodetermine the Size of the defect, see Fig. 1 ‘Then Iscribbieoverany areas that fel rough with pencil see Fig. 2 After te panelis marked, it'Sready tobe smoothed. If the marked areas are higher or deeper than 14s’, of the pane! has at ofchipout, use the belt sander. ‘fthe panel was glueduprea- —— sonably fat, I go right to the ‘Scrape Panel. As youve flattening the hand scraper. CReasonabiy’ fit ‘marized areas, feather” them out by work- to me means the high and low ing from all four sides of the panel. spots are no higher or deeper Read Panel. Tho first stop to smoothing a panel isto orate the areas that need smoothing. To do this, rub your hand overthe pene! to foelthe highaond lowareas. ‘Check Areas: Prior to scraping, check to ser how ‘much material ts going to be removed. To do this, T place a hand sereper on edge over the marked area. 18 ‘Woodsmith, No. 90than 42", with einimal chipout throughout the panel) HAND SCRAPER ‘When a hand scraper is sharp, its easy to ‘control — and it can remove ‘quickly. The shavings should curl right off. Just as they do fora sharp hand plane. SCRAPING TECHNIQUE. When starting out ith the scraper, first placeiton edge on the marked area thai needs o besmoothed, see Fig. 2. The gap under the scraper will give ‘you an appreximate idea of how much ma- terial nceds to be removed, ‘When scraping, it the biade in the dire: tion you're seraping, sex Fig. 4. Generally push the scraper sway irom me. But I'l oe- sionally pullittowards me fit feels more ‘comfortable. (t all depends on where Tm ‘Standing inrelation to theareal'm working.) ‘Ako, | skew the blade st 245° angle to the grain ofthe wood, see Fig. 4. Thisproduces ‘more ofa sticingaction — the scraper slices ‘off the wood fibers cleanly, rather than rip- ping or pulling them out. And when I want to remove a lot of material quickly, Il flex the scraper in the ceater with my thumbs while pushing it across the panel AAs I'm scraping, I don't usually stand in ‘one place. Instead, I work my way around all four sides ofthe panel, seraping from differ- ‘ent directions. (But | never hold the scraper parallel to the grain) This allows me 10 “eather” out the high and low spots. ‘HECK PROGRESS OFTEN, Whenever Un smoothing a panel (obeiher its with the scraper or belt sander), Tm eoatiouously ‘Stopping to check my progress Every 150r 2) seconds Il top and feel the panel. 1 can't overstate how important his sin get ting the pane! smooth and Mt iE Gnd an area that needs more work, 1 zo back over it unis fat. Then I move fn, The important thing here to avoid ‘overworking an area. You dont want to re ‘move too much material. ‘Aer yuie stished withthe flatness of the panel it’s ready tobe nissan BELT SANDER ‘Okay, so when do I use a belt sander? IM use one if there's a lot of material to re- ‘move, or a Tot of chipout. ‘GRAIN DIRECTION. When using the belt ‘sander (with a 100 to 120 grit belt) Igener- ally sand with the grain (by following the tips described in the box below). But if there's 2 lot of material to remove, sand ata 45° angle tothe grain. Justkeep in mind that you'l remove more ‘material fasier by angling the sander. You'll also end up with scratches that are more no- ticeable. So if you've sanded at an angle, ‘sand the area one more time with the grain to-clean up any scratches. DONTOVERSAND. Once all the ridges, cchipout, and planer marks have been re- moved, stop sanding. Don't try to do too TIPS FOR USING A ie ‘There are times when usingabelt sander on is appropriate. When Tuse a ghoed-ap ey etben s Toremove, erthe pasel has alot of chipoat ‘LEVELJOINT LINES. But before break out my belt sander, l always firet cheek the joie lines on a glued-up panel. If the joint are stair-stepped the least bit, [ will knock off the sharp lone at ie A ‘inet ard) scrapes see Fg ‘If the ridges on the joint lines arent “knocked off, "the belt sander could gouge egal ‘Ser Stspex on ave. Afr Tve made sure the oint fines are somewhat flat before ‘elt sanding, the most important re Lfok pavel wi the brung [aways pce ‘panel with the belt running. | always the sander on the panel before turning on the power, see Fig.2. ‘This way, the sander starts out fat on the panel If running sander is set down on a ‘panel, and it doesit hit the surface ofthe PLANE OR SCRAPE? much with the belt sander. A belt sander is a workhorse; i's not meant to be used as a finish sander. FINISH BY SCRAPING. Then, to complete the smoothing process, scrape the belt ‘sanded areas one more time with the hand scraper. This way any scratches missed (or caused) by the belt sander are removed FINISH SAND. Once the pane is smooth, Sinish-sand it with my palm sander or ran- dom orbit sander (with 180 grit sandpaper. Finally, just before applying the finish, i ‘sand the entire project witha sanding block, using 220 grit sandpaper. as t's cussing over each joltline, WoodsmithCraftsman Bookcase OM PROJECT You can build this Bookcase the same way the original Crafesman-style furniture was design d to be built — with a combination of machinery and handwork I his Bookcase is a good example of ismansiyle furniture. Sturd the “common man” in mind. Out with the or. nate — furniture should besimple and func hink that’s what | like mest about this cherry Bookease. I's built in the same tra: dition. The heavy and repetitive tasks (hr ct and driling) tenons, squ or dividers) jul handwork, And the whole p No. 90EXPLODED VIEW ‘OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 59°H x 48"W x 14"D PANELS ‘To build this Craftsman Bookcase, I started ‘by making the framed side units. When making a framed panel, I generally use ply ‘ood for the pane, Unlike solid wood, py ‘wood isnit drastically affected by seasonal plywood panels with two good sides, (Both the inside as well as the oulside of each ppanel can be seen.) But finding 49" cherry ‘plywood with two good faces isn't easy. And 1s quite expensive. Instead, [cut two piccesof cherry phy ‘wood to make each panel.see Fig. 1, Then these side panels (A) can be set back-to- back so there are two good sides. Note: All —pmemmey iT it ae | WG Es, (if Ld bef 7 the plywood pieces for this project can beet from one 4x8 sheet of" plywood. But there's still 2 problem. Most 4° hardwood. plywood isn't ¥4" thick. The plywood I used wae a hair over 3. So to get the pancls loser to 49" thick hey don't need to be exact), sandwiched a Wlthick piece of Masonite between the panels esa side panel core (B), sce Fig.1 ‘and the photo on page 22 One other point. The three layers for ‘each panel could be giued together: But you don’t have to. The frames built around the panels will hold them fogether just fine. No. 90 Woodsmith aSIDE UNITS Now, a frame can be ‘built round each side panel. The pane! fits {ntoagroove cut in all four pieces of the frame, see photo. First, | cut all the pieces for both side frames osize, sce Fig 2. The posts (©) are cut from. 19¢"thick stack. The top (D) and bottom side rails ® recat from Mahick stock. ‘GROOVES PORSDE PANELS. The grooves in the posts and ralls must match the thick ‘ness of the panel, And the grooves should bbecentered on each piece excel. ‘Shop Note: Since the posts and rails are ferent thicknesses, cach requires ts own setup on the table saw 10 cut the grooves. Here, you have two options. Ether eset the fence. Or keep the fence in the same pos tion, but clamp a shim to it, refer to Fig 5. (Qfyou use a shim. make it before setting up tocut any ofthe grooves) ‘To find the thickness ofthe shim, figure the difference between the thickness ofthe postsandrails@4"inmy case). Then, divide this number by two, My shimended up 34" thick, sce Fig. SETUP GKOOvES, To setup the cutfor the ‘grooves, firs | mounted a 34" dado blade in the table saw and raised it, see Fig. 3. ‘Then I set the fence s0 the blade was sligitly attcenter on the piece. Teut the groovein two pases, fipping the board between each pass see Figs. and 4 (his centers the groove exactly on the workpiece) Note: Be sure to use a scrap Piece to test the setup. ‘Once the groove is cut, check the width ofthegroove with the panes. youneed to, adjust the fence ad make another test cut Bat remember any adjustment tothe fence will be doubled when you ip the pi the second pass. ‘CUTGROOVES. When the test piece fits sug around the panels, cut the groores on the four posts, see Figs 3 and 4 ‘Neat eat the grooves inthe top and bot tom side als, see Fig. 5. Again. youl have to change the seup. Fier reset the Fence. Grail the shim you made carer, see Shop ‘Note above and Fig. 5 Tas les loprs of tae poe event dood tpt iat premdiaet Grech heres hale Ue le 2 post arate ‘SeleneTENONS Like a lot of Craftsman style furniture, this Bookcase has mortises and through tenons. ‘These demand careful handwork, but you actually get to see the joints. (For more on this joint, see page 13.) usually start with the mortises. But this time, I worked backwards. The tenons are cut fist to fit the grooves (already cut in the posts). Like a mortise, the grooves act as a ‘gauge for sizing the tenons, see photo. TMOTENONS. There are [wo different length tenons on each ofthe rails, see Fig. 6. On the front end isa long tenon that fits all the way through the front posts. But the tenon in back is shorter. It stope short in a typical lind) mortise. see Figs. Zand 8. Each tenom is cut in two steps. First cut thecheek afthetenoa,see Step 1. Note: Use ‘a scrap piece and test the thickness of the tenons with the grooves inthe posts ‘The grooves forthe wide panels are wavd to ‘Next, set the piece on edge and cut the size the tenoms, Then a shop-made jig fits tenon to width, see Step 2 the mortises tothe tenons, ae page 10. 6 st MORTISES Afterall the tenons are cut on the rails, t's time to cut the mortises in the posts to ac ‘cept the tenons. Again there are two types of mortises — through and blind. Allthe mortises are the same width asthe grooves for the panels. This makes te Setup easy. Justposition the post soa"dia. dril bit is centered in the groove. Then chimp # fence to the drill press table so its ‘against the pos.. To clean up the mortises, uit the jig shown on page 10) BLIND MOKNISES. Atter laying. owt each ‘mortise, Ldriled the blind ones in the back Dost first, see Fig. 9. (Drillthem 143" deep. ‘This allows li! for excess ghac) TAKOUGH MORTSES. When the mortises inthe back posts are complete, drill the mor Uses through the front posts. Shop Note: To prevent chipout onthefacesof the postsand inside the grooves, dri hese mortises half- ‘way through from both sides, [MORTISES FORAPEON. There's one more setof mortises iocat.An apronjoinsthe two front posts at the bottom. It requires a %e"- deep mortise on the inside edge of both front posts, se Figs. 9 and 9x, No.90 WoodsmithRAILS & APRON Before the side units f] | can be put together, there must be some ‘way to connect them ‘So [cutout the pieces that connect the units. “Then cut rabbets and satching tongues. ‘currosm. Begin ty cutting two back rails (F) and a front rail G)to size from 7" thickstock, see Fig, 10-Then eut outa front apron (H1). (Note: ‘The width ofthis apron should match the mortises in the posts — the apron doesnt have atopor betiom shoulder, see Fig. 15a.) TRARRETS. To hold these pieces, I rab- beted some ofthe side unit pieces. Each top rail (D) is rabbeted on the top inside edge tohhold the frontal sce Figs. 10b and 11. Then thetwo back posts (©) are rabbeted ‘on the back inside edges to hold the back tall and the back panel (add late), see Figs, 10s and 12 + The bock rails (F) also hold the back ppanel in place, reer 10 Fig. 20a. So, I rab- ‘beted the back inside edges of these rails 100, ee Fig. 13. ‘Shop Note: All these pieces don't end up identical — they're actually mirrored. So ‘when cutting the rabbets, be sure fo mark and rabbet the correct edge ofeach piece. TONGUES. The next step was {0 cut tongues on the pieces that will ennect the side units, see Fig. 10. Rabbet both ends of the two back rails (F) and the frontrail (), see Figs. 15 and 14. The remaining tongues should fi the rabbets you just finished cate ‘ingin the side pieces. After these rabbets are cut, the front ral ‘needistobe notched atthe frontcorners. sxe Fig. 14, This notch allowsthe front ral to ft around the front posts, see Fig. 10. When in place, the ral should set back 1” from the front. This allows the ral to act as a stop for the doors (added later). [RABBETAPRON. The last piece to rabbet isthe front apron (HD. see Fig. 15. Again, youre creating tongues on the ends. But this time, they fit the mortises inthe posts ‘The apron alsohasagentiearc on the bot tom thal can belaid out and cut at thistime, sec Fig. 15 aes 13] 4 & eee! 12) w metro ees © uu ‘Woodsmith No. 90=a ' CASE ASSEMBLY ‘The Bookcase is almost ready to be assem led, But first, [added some small details, ‘The first step is to fill the grooves atthe bottom ofthe posts, see Fig. 16, The top of the pasts will be covered by the case top later) To do this, I cut a plug (1) to ft each ‘groove. Note: Make sureyou donttcoverthe mortises already cut in the posts, ‘CHAMPERS, The next step isto rout 21" chamfer on the botioms ofall the posts, see Fig. 17. This has two benefits. It gives the posis.a finished look, and it also minimizes |_| chipout if the Bookcase is ever dragged across the floor. ‘Another thing I did was to chamfer the ends ofa the tenons, This dresses up" the through tenons, giving them afinished lock And onthe tenons that tthe blind mortises, the chamfer allows room for excess give. SANDING BLOCK. Thete are a number of ways to chanifer the tenons, but I made simple sanding block that chamfers both edges atthe same time, see Fig. 18. Ltn + mo ‘To make the block, I cut a groove in a piece of scrap wit the dado blade set 34" ‘deep. The width should equal thethickess ofthe tenon minus 44. (This will create a ‘4s chamfer on both sides ofthe tenon, see Fig. 18e) Next, I tied the blade 45° and beveled both sides of the groove To use the sanding block, stick adhesive backed sandpaper on the beveled edges. ‘Then saad the tenoas, see photo. Check them often to make sure the chamfers are ‘consistent After the tenon “bottoms out" on the block, sand the top and bottom ends to ‘match, using a regular sanding block. ASSEMRIESIDEUNTTS, To assemble the case, began by gluingup the side units, see Fig. 19. (Foratip on this, see page 17) Aer both side units are as- tenons can be pinned, see Fig 194 and the box on page 15, Firs dill ‘and equare up the holes. Next, cut pegs J) tofit them. Then glue the pegs in place so they stand proud 4", see the tip on page 17. ‘To “trees up” the through tenons, the ends ‘are chamfered. A simple sanding block helps keep the chamfere consiatent ASSEMBLETHE CASE. To connect the two side units, glue the frost apron (HD between | them and dry assemble all the other rails, | see Fig. 20, After the front apron dries, re- move each of the rails and drill shank holes ‘and pilot holes. Thea serew them back in place, refer to Figs. 100 and 20a. ‘After the case is assembled, I cut a back. ppanel (K) to Git.in the rabbetsin the back of the case, see Fig. 2. 18 No.90 Woodsmith 15CASE TOP The basic ease is now complete. The next ‘epis to add the top and bottom. Begin by ‘gluing up enough "thick stock to make both panels see Figs. 21 and 24, (You could also giue up the adjustable shelves at this ‘time, refer to Fig. 34 on page 29.) Now, cut the ease top (L) "ionger and 2 wider than the case, see Fig. 21. Then ‘outa chamferon the topand bottom edges (except the back), see Fig. 213. In the front, the case top is screwed di rectly tothe front ral refer to Fig. 23a. But ‘before the top can be attached to the case, there needs to be a way to secure it at the ‘back, The answer is a simple cleat. ‘CLEKT. First, cut the eleat (M) to fit be. tween the back posts, see Fig. 22, (Make ‘two — youll use one for the bottom shelf later) Then dail two sets of counterbored ‘shank holes in the top cleat, see Fig. 222 ‘One set will bused to attach the cleat flush ‘with the top edge of the back ral, The other will secure the top. A M'swide top will expand and contract ite abit with seasonal changes in humid- ity. So rather than fight it, decided t allow the panel some freedom to move. The easy y todo thisis todril oversize shank holes: inthe frome rail This way, the case top stays flush withthe back ofthe case, butitean stil expand toward the front without spitting. BOTTOM The bottom ofthe case involves abit more ‘work than the tp. Begin by cutting the case bottom (N) to ft between the side panels A), see Figs. 24 and 25, NOTCHES. To fit the bottom around the posts, each corner must be notched, see Fig. 2. The notches atthe front corners are 34" wider than the posts, see Fig. 24. “The notches a the back are only 1" wide, see Fig. 24. This creates a tiny gap so the ‘bottom can expand toward the back. Shop Note: Because these notches willbe visible, its important to get a clean eut, To do this | first scored them with an Xacto kknife. Then T used the miter gauge with an ausiliary fence and cut them with the panel ‘sanding on edge. ‘GROOVE. When the ease bottom fits be tween the posts, the next step is (0 cut a ‘groove onitsbottom facet fit over the front apron, see Figs, 24a and 25a. Then, rout a ccharater around the front edge ‘cust, Just like the case 1p, the bottom also requires a cleat (MD, see Figs. 22 and 5. But there are two differences. Firs, the Cleat isa’ flush with the back rail. Its screwed I down tom ew. se Fig 28 t - 3 so, because the case toitom wil ex | PRONE ine ‘and and contract atthe back of the case, “Sonn the shank holes inthe cleat should be ever: sssonomey cross SecTION ‘Sze dlow fr movement, see Fig 5 TTT 26 Woodksmith No.90After the Bookease thas a top and bottom, Yyou might want to add the shelves next. Butit looks best if the tp shelf hides behind the dividers in the doors. So it makes sense to ‘build the doors first, then add the shelves. FRUIES To begin, cut I'thick door stiles (O) and the upper (P)and lower door rails (Q) tof the case ‘opening, see Fig. 26. Note: The final size of ‘both doors should aliow a Ye" gap between the caseand the deors on all four sides ‘The door frames are joined together with mortise and tenons, see Figs. 26a and b. After each door frameis assembled rab boeted the back, inside edge to hold the hss, see Fig’ 27. Note: After routing, square up the corners with a chisel. DOOR DIVIDERS. All the dividers in the doors are more for appearance than any: thing ele. That's because the glass foreach ‘door isinstalled in one larze piece — sot in- dividual panes, refer to Fig. 22. “To make the dividers, cut the Y"shick horizontal (R) and long vertical dividers () to fit between the rabbets in the door frames, sex Figs. 28 and 29. Then cut the short vertical dividers (1) to ize ALE LAPS. The dividers are joined tothe door fame and to each ather with hal Taps, see Figs. 28a and b. So firs, I rabbeted the tends ofallthe pieces, Note: Just rabbet one ced ofthe short vertical dividers. ‘Next, I cut hal! las in the horizontal i viders, see Fig. 28b. Then I cut the mating half laps in the vertical pieces. (These half laps are on the face opposite the rabbet) DIMDERASSEMBLY. Now, glue the divi: ‘ers together. Then set the assembly in the rabbets in the door frame and mark the ko ‘cation of each divider, sce Fig. 29. ‘Togetthedivider assembly lush withthe fronts of the doors, youll need to cut shal low mortises in the rabbets, see Fig. 22a ‘When the dividers fit in the door, they can De giued in place, see Fi. 29. ‘Pegs. To complete the doors, pin each tenon with two daor pegs (U), see Fig, 25. Note: These are shorter than the pegs Q) in the sides, but they sill stand proud 4" WoodsmithINSTALLING THE DOORS At this point. the doors should ft with a Yap" gap between the case and each door. The doors still need fo be trimmed though =I did't allow for any gap between them yet. [found easier tomountthe doors first and then trim them, MOUNT HINGES. The hinges 1 used cre. ated ae" gap whensmortised and mounted flash with the posts and the doors. (For Sources, see page 31.) ‘To mount the hinges, fret lay out theirlo cations on the posts and the doors, see Fig 30, Then rout out most of the waste, and Clean up the shoulders with a chisel Afr dilingpilot holes install the hinges ‘and mount the doors, see Fig. 0b. ‘TRIM DOORS. Now the center stiles of each door can be trimmed. Ta do this, de- termine how much nceds to be trimmed to create a ie" gap. Then to keep the doors identical, I removed them and planed the ‘same amount off each doar. (lused 2 hand plane, butaoiater will also work.) [ADD CATCHES. Next See Figs. 30 and 30. Since any door can have a tenidency to twis, Installed double- ball catches at both the top and bottom of each door, see Fig. 30, REMOVE DOORS. To add the door pulls and the glass, [found it easiest to remove thedoors onceagain. Butfirs,I marked the et) ‘Stickley’s furniture company made allofits Next, routa cove around the blank using ‘own hardware. While Ididn't make my own a Vé"dia. core box bit, see Fig. 3. hinges or door caches eid make the door pulls forthe Bookease, The pullsare cut from an extraiong blank of Withic cherry, sce Fig. 1. They're Shaped at the ends ofthe blak.) The extra fength makes the blank easy to work with and keeps your fingers out of harm's way. The frst step to shaping the pulls i to rout chamfer around exch end of the lank sex Fig 2, ‘Now, before cutting each pull trom the blank, form a tenonto fitthe mortises inthe doors. refer to Fig. 3ia on next page, Be- ‘cause the tenon isin the middie ofthe blank ‘and not atthe end, thiscutlooks litle odd. But it's not hard. Just cut or rout dadoes around the blank, see Fig. 4 Note; With the tenon inthe middle ofthe ‘lank, i's impossible to testts ft inthe mer- tise. Soto ensure a good fi, cut a tenon on piece of Srap wood totes the setup. All that’s left now is to ‘sand the pulls smooth and cut ‘them from the blank. Then glue them into the mortises, refer to Fig. 3a. 3 4 Woodsmith, No. 90position ofthe horizontal dividers on the in- Side faces of the comer posts, see Fig. 20 Later, these marks will show you where 10 position the top shelf) ADD DOORPULLS, At this point I added the door pulls. To dothis, iret Ieutamortice in each door, see Fig. 312. Then I made own door pulls (V) (refer to the box on page 28) and gived them into the mortises. ‘GLASS STOPS. All thats left to add to the doorsis the glass. Of course you dont want toadd the glass unt after the case has been finished, but now is a good time to eut the lass stops (W). Before ripping the 4x glass stops to size, | first chamfered on: see Fig, “This way, there's a lat face to nail the 5g-iong wire brads into, The glase stope are initered at the cor ners, see Fig. 82. This makes ita litle tougher if you have to remove the stops later, but miters look better than butt joins, SHELVES & STANDARDS You're almost done — the shelves are all that are left. They rest on spoon style shelf pins that fit into shelf standards. cut four 5¢"thick shelf standards (09) to fit henween the top and bottom side 3. Note: Add 2" for the rab- ton the ends. bets that wil be Now, cuta14ong rabbet on both ends of each standard, see Fig. 33a, Set the stand- aris in place and mark the positon of the top shelf see Fig. 34. (t should Fine up be- hind the horizontal door dividers) SHELE PINIOLES. Before attaching the standards tothe sides, dill the holes forthe shelf pins, sce Fig. 39. (You can drill add: tional holes if you want. This will allow you toadjst the shelves later.) SHELVES. For the shelves (¥), glue up three "thick shelf blanks and cut them to fit between the comer posts. see Fig. M. Fi nally, chamfer the topand bottomedgesand set the shelves in place ‘To protect the Bookcase, I brushed on four coats of General Finishes’ Royal Finish (Gat). (Por sources, sce page $1) Ths ‘may sound like a lot of work, but itisnt. The ij oredane tues eae oper ‘TL usually brush on Royal Finish with a foam brush, but you can also wipe iton with arag. Just apply a generous amount of the Tish othe Bookcase, working insectioas. Tn pe of he xc wth 3 San ‘wipe with the graia). I also lightly cates, 0 gitsandpeper coats with (Steel wool wll also work.) fA ws CZ _{ ‘While the finish on this Bookease isn't an authentic Craftsman finish, 1 did follow Stickey’s technique in one way. I waxed the Bookcase after the finish had set afew days (to give ittime to fully cure). [applied several coats ofa paste wax that was a mixture of carnauba wax and bees: wan, (For sources, see page 31) ‘Toapply the wax, wipeonathin layer with ‘cotton cloth and let it dry for afew min ‘utes. (Several thin coats are ezsie to apply than one thick one) Then buffit toa shine ‘witha sof. clean cloth, ‘After applying ax onrethane fois to the Bookente, Hwee i tad lus 08 well as another thin lager of protection, No, 90 Woodsmith‘A Side Fone) Va ply- Pex athe BB Side PonoiCores (2) Ia-Shex dah © Posisio War a o8 D TopSido Rois) 1314-1154 & Bottom scam @ 1x9/2-1155 F Bock Rale(2) Sa Sle -aTle G Front onc) Sexge-a2r H FrontApen(h) Sax 8%4-41ls 1 Pugs-Possi@) Sux Jo- 24s 4 Pogs-Sides(12) Sax 3-1%s N CossBotiem a) xINa-4TV4 © Doorsties(@ — 1x2"740-51%4 Upper Door Rots @) 1314-191 Q LoworDoor Rokk) 1x5- 104 R Hotuontel Dividers @) fax 1-157 $ Long Ver. Obiders 32 x) 4A K BockPone (1) apy-A11 x49 -X ShofStoncarcs@ 94x 1-451 1. Case Top (1) e144, Y shoves) V1 4076 M Gioats 2) Tx1- a0, Cut tom Wnick Masonite CUTTING DIAGRAM Li ee ULL LLL [ALSO NEED: One 4x8 Sheet 14" Plywood, plus One 2x4 Sheet 1a" Masonite ‘Woodsmith No. 90PROJECT SUPPLIES Sources uurRack A.complete hardware kit for the Quilt Rack, shown on page 65s available from Wooddsmath Projet Supplies, see photo. The oak dowel athe galley spies are Inch, but you! have 10 supply the rest ofthe wood. ‘Note: If you're buying hard- ware from other sourees, keep these things in mind, First any galley spindles you purchase will probably be slightly different than the ones shown here and on page 6. ‘That's okay. Just make sure the holes you drill match the di ameter and leagth ofthe tenons ‘on your galley spindles ‘Also, the hardware, the gal ley spindles, andthe cak dowel are listed separately in the Mall Order Sources below. Note: Al though the compression spring used for the Quit Rack isn ail able throu any ofthese ca logs, springs ike these are ust ally available trosgh local hard ware stores, W90-790-100 Quitt Rack Hardware Kit nen oe $11.95 (1) Red Oak Dowel Tig? x 48° + (16) Red Oak Galley Spindles, ex 114" (overall length) + 2) Red Oak Plugs, Dia * ©) Brase plated Hanger Plates wth Screws + () Compression Spring, eDia x3 Long CRAFTSMAN BOOKCASE Woodsmith Project Supplies also has 2 complete hardware kit avallable for the Craftsman Bookcase shown on page 20. This Kit does not include the wood or the glass. 'W90-790-200 Bookcase Hoard ware Kit anon $50.95 © pai) Brass Bal pped Hinges, 244" (long) x 2" (open width) * brass Double Bal Caches with Serews + (12) 46x 1" Fh Woodscrews = (23) #8x 104" Rh Woodscrews © (8) #6 x 96" Fh Woodscrews, + (100) 54? Wire Brads ¢ stained the Quilt Rack with ras Golden Oak. Minwaxx products are available through ‘many retail stores and the cata- logs listed below. For both of the projects in this issue, we used a General Finishes oi/arethane finish as cers are RC 38-42) This makes them much harder, which means less sharpening and longer lasting edges. “The set consiss of two differ cent straight scrapers ((25" and 135" thick) and a gooseneck ut scape (90% thc) {isnt sharp, youl end up with ‘atop coat. These are available sawdust, not paperthin.shav- from Woodsmith Project Sup- ings. To get ascraper sharp, you pilize and the catalogs below. need a mil ile and a burisher. W90-4003-601 Sealacell Both are available throug Sealer (Clear)....S11.95 quart Woodemith Project Supplies W90-4003-602 Royal Finish and the catalogs listed below. ‘Top Coat Satin) ..$11.95 quart If you'd like help with the ‘WAXES. To give the Bookcase sharpening process, Wood. another layer of protection, we sinith No. 39 has plans for a applied several thin coatsof paste shop-made sharpening jig and wax, see the sources below. instructions for using a scraper. ‘There are many diferent brands W90-39 Woodsith fpaste wax avalable, but we pre= {fer one that contains carnauba. A cabinet (hand) scraper is a Penile eecbintwowe dive sralabis Eom Wood. ‘or panels. (See the article on smith Project Supplies sa new ‘page 18) But i’s also great for Scraper Sharpening Jig that we removing burn marks on an designed ourselves. Made from cerige or ripplesleft bya planer. extruded aluminum, itincldesa ‘We've recently developed mull fle and burnisher. And it ‘our own 3-piece scraper sel. comes with stepbystep instruc ‘What makes these scrapers ditions to guide you through the ferentisthe steel Each is made sharpening process. from tempered steel with a WO0-5008-150 Scraper hhardness of C50. (Mostscrap- Sharpening Jig. $29.95 MAIL ORDER SOURCES Similar hardware and supplies may be fou in the following catalogs. Plense call each company for a catalog or information.i LAST ab '0'O & Final Details Quilt Rack Through Mortise Jig TA removable dowel vod makes it easy to hang up or take own a quilt. The shelf above the dowel features a decorative ‘galley rail. To build the project, see the article on page 6 Craftsman Bookcase KX Tinrough yrtoe and tenon jovats maa fit perfectly. That's the job of this shop-made jig, S00 the article beginning om page 10. 1 The doors on this Crafisman-style Bookcase are easy to, ‘make — the partitions are applied on top of a single pisce of lass. Step-by-step instructions forthe project begin on page 20. A Fine deiaits, such os chamfered through tenons and pegs, add an authentic decor (ive touch tothe Bookcase. (See page 13.) ‘Woodsmith