NO.

54

NOTES FROM THE SHOP

$3.50

Sawdust
Dec:emOer; 1987

EdIIo< 00n.Id B. Pesdtke

0es9> Oirflt1Ol Ted Kra'icek

""_E<ito<S

OouglasLHicks
Douglas M. Udster

I'I'()jt!d 0059'""

Ken Munkel

T~

IlII4lIIIDlS
David Kteyling
cary Christensen
RodStoakes
Chris Glowacid

Cusbner SeMoo Sandy Baum, Mgt.

Vk:IIy Robinson

Jadtie Stroud
PatKoob
~Oper_

Ken MIne<

AdI,IiIiSt'aII"'Asa1 Cheryl Scott

&-.gMal1lenancl Archie Krause

The \Voodsmith Store

Operel...". Steve Krohmet
Marltellng MaMgfW Steve Oozlet

AdrnnoslrolN9_

Christel Mine<

Slot. ManageB
$I t..ous. MO Jon Belvte
San Nil IClSOO. CA Michael DeHaven
005 MoInes. II. Kent Welsh
WOODSMfTH (ISSN 0164-41141 IS publIShed bimonIhIy (Febluary Ajri. June "".
gust, OcIober, December) by v.oodsmI:h
Publishing Co. 2200 Grand Ave. De
MoInes. IA 50312
Woodsmlth IS a regIStered trademark of
WoocIsm,(h Publlsh,ngCo.
Copyright 1988 by WoodSmith Publishing
Co At, Rights ReselVed
Subscrlptions: One year (61SSU9S) 512.95.
Two Years (12~)
$22.95. Canada and
Foragn add $2 per year. U.S. funds only.
SIngle copy pnce, $3 SO.
Second
Postage Paid al Des
MooI8S IOwa
Postm.ster: Send Change of address
notICe 10 INoodsIl1iIh f'ubIosIwlg Co, 2200
Grand Ave Des MoInes IA50312.
BACK ISSUES: All back issues of
II\bod$rnoIh are SIll avaolabie. For a I\'ee
bookIaI descnbJng the con!en1s and pnces 0(
all back l$SU9S. Just send us your name and
address 10 the address above.
SAMPLE COPY: We w,n be happy 10send a
'ree sample copy of ~
10anyone
you think wouldenjOy II. Just send ushlS/her

C'."

name and address.

AIIOUTTHIS ISl'E. U~uaJly al tlw beginning of a projt'<"1one (Ifthe primary con.,id

"",00114 '" 110", It'Sguing to look. \Ve spend
""ru.ld era ble ume maklng"ure the properti',"" look ngill. und aU Ihe d",ign detaili
work tol(elh('r
Onee Ih,' ,h'''llll i, finali,.ed. the next
consideration I,J"ln~ry - how do you join
all th .. pil'<.'. l"lwllll'r U, make them look
the WilY you inlended'
Tho of th" projc'Cl.< in this issue tthe
C..,untry Bench and the Mkrowa .....Cart)
lM.'jIlUIlnth. .....verse of IhL' "'''IU""..,. The
d""gDS "r th_ pruj<.'Ct.>.nlrl>t from the
bel.'IlUI1II~.deptnded j(f't"dl deal on the
JOI~r')'
~\nd ,,'hat seems mw-l curiou...... L..,;
the J01net) .. e ch<>oe (or eaeh proje"'" is
<~I)....
Ia~.bul rentun.., apan.
Bolh 1''''~0'rt.8 use knoek-down joUlI.".
Th~ Cuunl~ a..nrh uses oneof the oId_
".I'>',OIIll (a I"'yen m"rtl,;e and tenon).
,,1UIe lhe M";",,,,u,,' Can u.""" a modem
version (J;;urul"'an ",nn""tor bolts).
1'h.u"' ofknock .. I"" n hardware is gain.
Inl( 8:'1113n('('. It" not so much a re fiection
or our ,ul",rmobih S(J('icty that requires
portable furnnu ... II. il i"",t and timeS3\'lng nulJlufu('t'lnllg procedure,
Much "f Ih,. harwllre come~ from
~;ur",", - "art,cularly l\'e,'1 Germany.
\\'t!'\'l i:M"4.'ngl"lttnJ,t tn(ln- int~n>!'t-tt-'(Iln it.
and .. nee .\"";1&1>'1It) In the l .S. L' g~ttmg

f:K,tt~r.,,~ ",11 p ...>bahly inclwjp it in mn....

prujects IIIthe fulu,,'
The other ""Ie o( the coin '" the old
fashlonerl v.a) t(. rn.a.Iu- Jmodc:-dO\\'1\ join!. ...
- a k~yed mortISe and ...nun. \\ith all due
"'I1'.rn to the
"n<! eflkle""r of U5in~

,,><'ed

ffilKJE'rn

('C)nnecto~. f "'ould
tim.' lAl 11...., a chisel and

knock-()u" n

",lh"r tak. Ihl'

hand tool. to makl' morti.., and tenon
joint..-;, It'~~,
Int m(J~ (un,
PRI('E INC'IIF.ASE. For the pa,<t n,"~
yeai'll. ~vcr .incI 1I"X)(/slIIitl,began, we
have kevtlhe Hubliption plil'C!the same. I
""PJXl.o;ethaI. in it.>t'lf, i.<an8(.'COmpll'lhment.
Over t ....... ye:'r-. WI' wert' able to beat
intlatuln hy lw'<"Orning n'l41re efficient in the
way. w, <hrllhlngl'.
But II,.. cumblne" .. ffret., o( incrca.'C> in
the .... t ,,( ,,,,,r. "nnlAng. po>tage. and JUA
about .. \(~'thlng..L", ha., (urred 11.< to rai.",
the subscnpt.", pnce.
TIle 11(''' .ul...'npt".,., pnce o( 11,,,Jd.,,,,1I
.. $t!.9a fur un. y..ar (si. b...;ue:;). or ~).!t;
(or t"" y ....... Ct.. ,
L<:<tJe.
}QI' ... t"'''''1f/ .. ,I*'"pliD" ""Ill tWl lx' CJ{-

'v~

.r... I<'tfb~tJ/U'lmrc IN,.,...,.,.....

losn. "'ON R'''~'ntlyone o( our eom-

petnors uh .... hu,", uf nOOd magazine)

inlruri ....... 1 a 11('" l'ul~""'lion (orwoodYi1lrk
ers. Ir.CIllk,II~\ I kuIII(N.t"",ri.:illg Proj('('t.~.

u.uulJ),. I w"ulol ""I'laud any new publication bt'l!3U",llhlnk it'. important to have
II> much choil'I'""~ variety"" possible. The
<liff""n.~.lkIW'~llll(lbtiroti<>ns
provide. a
"'t..-aJth (j( new lnform:lllc,n kJld KJE"3S.
Th<' prohl"m wuh lhl...ne\\ publication is
thaI u... ,jilT....."""" an:-n\ as great as they
Mou~lhe '1\1U... .~lh3th&p"'}
ect. for .. ,... I..or!ten one that'~24 ~
lonl('. printed In t ..0 eolers {brown arid
hla<:kl, uses a """",.I"rM paper, '" threehole puodled Cor~'t'
in a binder. ba.,
prolI'<lJ\ e eover; "loUbli.4<-din Des MoiJle,;.
1(1\\8

six limes ..

~t'ar.~MI

contains no

arI,,rt"mg
11.~'I!thut lI<>tInd (.mili:.r? \\'cU, it', at....
tlw fonnlll th... ,'<1,10"" of 11'_1 chose (or
their new IlUbli(,llll,n.And lh3t'>lhe probI.m. If you " ....",,1 maiting piece that
delillecllhi.'I new publication. do you think
it "u1I1,1 ~:tu"" ".of" .. on?
\\'e are CUlT<.'lItly involved ill a lawsuit to
""'''' er thut qUI...tiun. I don'tlike lawlluit,;.
But ...nrn it'" II ""Itt,... of principle and
ctluo<. I (....1 obli~'lIU-'I" ta!. a .tand.
Hu',\,,\ ,,r.at'J', rtllt \\ ht'thf':r ( like it or not.
The I""lokm is the t'OJ1l'u.<Ion it cau._to aU

vooodw<>rl ..... E,,~one

ba., the light
"""". "hat heIAik'" buyu\!<.

lb

1\" J'l'('('I\'M ... \~raI rvLel arid leIter<

in"" """It", ..ho Aid they had lM.
......ron(u....,rt Il) the m,wUlg pi..... fur !hi>

lie"

publico:x,n Th") " ......n\ -un. ,,""ther it

"a:- at:1ua11\,

{IJI'"

\,,,..,m-,,

II}

or

nut~or if

\\i"wI...", tl, ~ ll~J""llli.Jlillgit,

Al.n~ "'t.<. I wanu,lto mention all ofthu.
"" lhat you'd lu..... whal. jlUilig on.

subject.
1brri(' Noll h.", been the mallager of our
.tOl~ in::;'", ,,'rllnci...'O (Berkeley). Califor
NKW FA(.:.:S 011 10 3 lij(hlcr

nia sint'\' hl..,t Rt'lllf'imbel'. She signetl

on

IIwn 10 h,11'1101("1th~ ",ore up and TWlning

tn II.., nt'" 1'K'....llc.ln, tlntl te)Jook for a perma ..
nt'ntrrnu~l(t'r

Terri. did an oul>'tandml! job. And nov.

,he' ..... Iumlng to I...r ....atjob - making
ru.<tom (unIlIU,,'. (An aniclp about her an
Q()U\t"aU c:-abirw:,t ILprliloan::-din Fi", l,,"lfJd",,,*,"11 MayUuoo l!<'<i.)
~tichadl1t H~\n 4, just joined us &sour
1M'" ,',.... """",<;(,r I \ e bot,n inlpn.'s.<ed by
the enthu""" m ;.nol
Micliael i.put.
\Jnl( D'lI' th,' """'. \\e.,. aU ad to wekome

"""rg)'

\\'."ill cononu. to fulfill aU of the L,,,,,," him 3<' lhe nUUlllj.~r,,( lh~ 1I'Ood.""Ii'1< store
onyour cummt .ub.cnl,tion at the prite YI)U in !)(Ork,ley.l'aJif"rnilI.
oliginally paid 110" ever. when your subNEXT MAIIJNG. 'lb!. "",t i",me of Wood
llOipUnn oonll.'"due (or renewal. the new
(N... flo'' "III IlE' mailed during the
plioo ..iII",,,, Inlo effect.
w~k of AprIl I. 1!)IqI.

",mil.

WOODSM'TH

____
T_~s&Techmgu_e_s
__

ROUTER TA81.EGUAJU)

Here's a quick way toodd a removable guard

to your router table fence. It'.simply a piece
of clear V," plastic that fits in 3 saw kerf CU~

into the face of th~ f~nce. .

1b cut the kerf, set the table saw rip fence

1'I.-away from the blade and then lower the
blade below the table Next center the router table fence aver the saw blade and clamp
it 10the rip fence.
Now turn on the saw and mi.", the blade
up into the wood until ilS about 0/." above the

saw table, (Sill<:ethe blade is circular. the

kerf will be semi -eireular, )
Next cut the baek edit" of a piece of V,
plastic to mateh the arc of the kerf. (Youron
probably lind a scrap of pL"lSticthis size at a
local glass shop.) Then round the front edge
SOthaL 3.' you push a workpieee along lhe
fence. the guard keep" your finger.<away
from the bit.

until the excess paper around the edge; L< hole on Ihe top plate, m_'UI'C the distante
free, but not enoogh to disturb the wood.
from the front edit" of your workbench 10the
nearedjle of an~'cloghole. Then transfer this
Eliwbetll Vai",1
dimcno;ion 10 th~ LOp plate, The distance
MIIIH'()('t>ille.[ ..diollll
from the notch to the near edge of the dowel
,hould equal this dimension. Once this is laid
8ENeH EDGEVISE ClAMPS
out, drill. hole for the dowel and glue it in
plaee,
AJ\.er seeing the commercially-available
bench edjle vise clamps made from metal in
~'inally. 1j!lued a thin oork facing in tbe
IV(,",hml;tlt No. 50, I decided to make a $CI. Mtclt to prot.ect the workpiece. Then make
with some scraps of hardwood. They're a the second edge clamp" mirror opposite of
convement way to hold drawers, frames,
the til>;l.
nod panels alongside the bench while pinning
Rod'I('YC. lIa!(IJ~lIti
and sanding.
Blmd""oon. NSW, ,luslmllo
SOCl(rT TEMPlATE

l've noticed that

often recommend in
11"JO(lsmitil10use a coin as a handy template
to rnw'k 11 comer thllt'" 10 00 rountk>doff. (A
quarter = about '11' radius, a nickel = about
1/1', radius, a penny = about ''iradius. and a
dime about 'I'", radius.]

EQUAL
TO- DIStANCE

IflWUN
RtONT ll>G<
Of

"NOt

AND EOCf
Of DOG ttOQ

.oac

CORKfAONG

To secure the guard. first mount a

threaded insert into the top of the fence.
'Thencutoffa bolt that fits the insert and add
a nul. and wing nut to one end. (Or use ~
thumb serew) Finall,); SCnlW the bolt down
through the insert and through a hole in the
pla.<tieguard.

The clamps an! ens)' to make, but they

00\''' to be mad. in a mirrored set, and
custom made (or your .pt'Cift<: bench.
1b make a clamp, start by cutting 8 6"x 6"
"<JIlIU'C block out of.lJ-I (or .j stock. Then.
cut a 2' x 2" notch out o( one corner,
Next. CUl a 2" x 4" bloek out of ,V4 (or V.-)
!<UXk,and glue it I.() the bottom of the lop
block so it's Oush with the edge ami aligned
with the notch. To make it easier to bring a
workpiece into the clamp. I cut lin angle olT
the front comer of the noteh.

t1S1t Sugiya mo

R""ding. Coli/orllia
DUSTl'ROOf

)(00

PICTURE fRAMES

~r
framing a picture, 1 lake the extra
step of making the baek of the frame
dustproofby covering it with brown IJOIJl('r.
(A brown grocery bag works fine.)
1b do lhis, cut the paper a little larger than
the frame baek. Then run a film of yellow
woodglue around the back edge of the frame
and press Lbepaper down smooth.
Now with a damp sponge or a spray
mister, moisten Lb. paper well and keep it
face up unt.ilthe paper nod glue dries. ~'hen
it's dry. the paper shrinks up drum tight.
After the glue is completely dry, hold 3
sandingbloek ata,ISangfe 10the back of the
frame .'lad :;and through the paper. Sand
WOODSMITH

l've found another convenient item -lhe

sockets from my socket wrench set, The
small increments between the different
sockets yi"kl a large vOl'it'ty of l'lldii I.U
choose from, Just ",.Id Lb. outside of the
><Jekel at the corner with one hOlMIalld draw
around it with the other.
Note: The measurement stamped On the
outside oCthe socket refers 10the boll or nut
it will __ pt. not the r"dilL<or dironeler of
the socket it..~lf.
RQoc.t C"lema'll
Asltelrille, Norllt

Col'(J/;""

SEND IN YOU' IDEAS

nyou'd like 10share e woocIWo<l<tng "I' wllllothOf

Now Lheclamp tan be customized to your
bench. Measw1! II dog h!)lelo rletermine the
diameter or 3 dowel that will fit down into
the holes. (A '>I.'-dia. dowel is the largest the
WoodsmitJ, bencll will QIWpt.) Then cut the
dowel 5" long.
1b detennine the 10000lion of the dowel

readers of Woodsmlth, send yoo, Idea 10:

Woodsmlth. Tips ,\ TecI1nlques. 2200 Grand
Ave.. Des Moines. Iowa 50312.
We pay. minomum01$10 for tips, .odSIS or
more for spedal lecMlqoes (1It81a'8 a<:C<Ij)Ced

IorpU!)lldlrion).Please give a """",Isla.explana

tIon 01 your idea. " a skarCII is needed send It

aIon9j

wel.lfdraw a new 008.

Microwave Cart

\<'" proilabI> ..tiUIdn\ I:Ut'M by r....t unprl'S""on,bul u....de<lj:nofthis nutTO".. \,'aut ..

stl1lO1cl~ inftuen<eolby mrn..mporary Eum~'IUI.Ie;j.....Sotu..../axq
~:un'P"ant<\ut!
BUIlhc
houseldl fumilW't' and III....
~ .y,t<>m.; being .~
b) <tomrnt'rciaI

""*

~
~l"$
par\.nllrI)' In \\O:.t
German>:
or lb(. runllt""" ,.~'", ""'11. IlK,,,, III
<1roI1g trend toward tb< "'"' or krM",h~~
.., n

It', not aI"''3~'HOnW<~lhe ,....".

more portable. Th~u.~ of knork down eennorton< has oo.,.,rDe a ba.'1< JOInN,'ll'<llIIM,tJe
>nneruR'S

- 0.... that', tIIlining """1>11'1<"In lhe tI :-;

a"i

well,
In mo.l projl'C'lS, thl'''' an' a ",&M"ly or

joint..~that coolt! bt> ",;eel. Fur e'aml,I~, 0"

Wi; cart you haVI' " tho;", 1)( m,I.hc.l. (or
jt)inin~ tbe the .hpl".,. "fth. Cl.rt 10thc'.id"
f'r.uneto. You Cf.ulfl USf" rTwu1.i:lt' rul(1 ll'ntJn
joints. or dowels, or ml,('h:lnit-a1knock-down
CQIlnectOrs.

\V. chose the F.ul'Opron k,\CX'kdown eonneetors. ThPRl' connl'<'lm" Ill'(' InW'nioll")'
.. mple. They eonslst 0(" <t,nnC'ct~r holt thnt
~Wl\ into a cross (Ii)w(:tl, (1"hl14 i~
~hfJ'~'nIn
Fig. IS.) AUYOIIhavc'lu 110lei il\llUl)lthl'm ..
drill two inl~l'l't'('ting hili,>;;- \\ hich '" eertainlya lot """i.r th;mlJllCkjng~ mort;,..,_1
tenon joint, and p",b..bly "~'IC'rlruen
u.o;ingdowel .

&.,Jd,,,, Ihc. ;11'1 that th.\ "'" be

knocked do" ... (' -.cmbl,,1 .;.n .Ii.......
sembk-<!..;th

I'lL ).

1'-'

C'Uflfl<-ct<.'"

have o~ other r.....

tlu"' 1-l'II13nfTIt
joints lack. ~y CM he llJ:hl~l,,/j If
the joint berrotnl"S IcKJl'K.' C)\-lor tlJrk" ((.r
.., ~ relativp humid.t)' d"IfI!:''S "lth
~

""",-.on,).

A". ,,;th ~nyth1llg.t", th,." ~

trade-ofT~ to eongldt-r. I'...nmsnllnt
jotnL .. (like m.,rti.__~attff tt'nr)fll.r ,111\\"
<!lsI are not \;"ibk Cunlt1'll )'UU WaIll
them to be). BUI thc.. knuck~lu'" n ........
nedOl'>' "'~ u.<E'l1"""

",th

~.

",l1lVl

head
3 "",agl)nal _"'01 r"r
tigluelllDl( \\ ith un Allen wft'lI(h 11>;lt
~ho\\$ on the 1l'UI'fart:. t \UtI em S(_"(' tht:
head:; of these
fl<'('t"... 111 tbe 1""'1<1thl'y're on the r
tho, .~. rr,m,.", IThL'.

,.f

MATlRIA1S LIST

in ru.elf. i....
a (~]~1"J1n~''R-llll.,.tIC.n.
THf SIDE'RAMlS

or~. I coulcln'

u....,.. knock ....l(\\ n"'I"III('('

tors for e\,i'f')' j",nl on thi.~fUJ1. TIll'fnl

jllm\.>;I had 10 make w ,,'(lh. 01\(" lei.!'''" the
piece> for the .i<k fntll\{'1!. I <h,.... m.. rt .....
and tennnj(lintl< (buI dow~'" cuuld bt> 10;(>(1).
CUTSTIU!S. Th~ (I'lIm... con,,"1 ,,( tWII

s(;I"" (vert al P'(!C(!.)Hnd thrt~, rllil. (huri

0wt0I1~

CIITTlNG DIAGRAM

2CTd.2.V
....w.~ ..
h

FromeSh"'(4,
Ftame.ul.(6)
C hom Sh.., 10." ,.,

At

'I 2....,.43'/,
'*',

,~,.

3.....11
..2S~

lit 2

D IockSfttHICJils(4)

'''''_.3-".15\.

E sn.K~tI(S2)
, nom. Hond'-t (2)

'y. 1'"" 17Y..

't',. x 1~ 20

G OoorHond&e(',

'31,

H DoorSion(13)
I Door kttom .til tl)

'VI.xl'V,.-10

1'h-26R~

't. x ,y,. 26 Rough

WOOOSMITH

lil"St rut the four stiles (Al out of 4/4 stock

('.' actual thickness) to a width of 2\l,'

IlGUU I

2",2"f--IO"-~

and a length of 43'At,see Fig. 1. Then mark

I rlr-

out the location of the mortises used to join

the rails (8) to the stiles (A).
LAY Otrr MORTISES. When marking the
position of the mortises, I laid out the
measurements on the fan of one of the
sb1esfirst, see ~1J:.1.
AD three mortises are 2" wide. The ones
on the top and bottom of the stile are positioned : from the ends, The mortises for
the middle rail are positioned UV:from the
top of the stile, see Fig. I.
Th ensure that the mortises are marked
out on aU four stiles in exa<:t1y the same
position. clamp the four stiles together ....
Fig. 2. Alter they're clamped together,
square lines across the edges of all four
pieces, using the marks on the face of the
fIrStstile for the reference points.
cor MORTISES. Now it's just matter of
cuuing ""wide mortises centered on the
the stock, see Mortise Detail in Fig. 4. (I
did this on a drill press by drilling overlappin!! holes with a ",. mortise biL) Then
clean up the eheeks of the mortises with a
chisel. (See lVood",nith No. 26 (or more on
mortise and tenon join!.s,)
C\JT RAIt.s. Alter the mortises are cut, 1
cut ouLthe six rails (B) for the side frames.
These pieces are 3%' wide by 1T'long, see
Fig. 3.
Shop Note: The length of the rails ae
counts for the 15' needed between the
stiles of the side frame - this is the
shoulder-to- shoulder dimension on the
rails, see Fig. 3. Then 2" is added to
account for the 1'.long tenons on each end.
C\JT'reNONS. AIter the rails are cut to
~i?.e, tenons are cut on each end to fit the
mortises in the stiles, see Fig. 4. I cut the
tenons by making overlapping cuts on the
ends of the rails. These cuts, in effect, are
like cutting wide rabbets on the ends of the
rails, (Again, see Woobmilh No. 26 for

_.

FRAME RAILS @

'";

_r_::~

~I-r----:~

TlIf,I. tENON
to H1' MORTISE
OWS11lE",

--_/

~
@
FRAME
RAIL

MOImSE

PJAIL
Ali

MOImSES I"
EPQHTtUO
ON THICKNESS

OfS1OCll

more on mortise and tenon joinery.)

ROLI':S FOR SHELP. Before assembling
the frame, I drilled a series of holes for
mounting the adjustable shelf. (In the
photo, thL. shelf is the second one up from
the bottom of the eabinet.)
The adjustable shelf is mounted with
right-angle shelf support pins, refer to Fig.
15. These pins require 1I'.ma. holes 011the
inside faces of all four stiles.
'll> mark the location oflhese holes, dryassemble the frames first, see Fig. 5. Then
layout the location of the holes on the
inside edges of the four stiles. see ~'ig. 1.
The holes are ~. from the inside edge and

.'..
-

,
SlOE FRAME

ASSEMBIl

2"apart oncenter,

ASSEMBLE SlOE I'RAMt:S. Afler the

boles are drilled on the inside edges of the
four stiles, the side frames can be assembled. Glue and clamp the mortise and tenon
joints together. making suo c the frame"
are square, see Fig. 5.

WOODSMITH

lIGUlE.

mPI

TMlSHUVS

r
SHElf SlATS
111SlAlSfIISHBfl

d
,.'
~

P\AC(

FRONT

1ONG<It
ON .....

-SHElf

f'-__ ro LAY OUT

IIAlL

"" fIIG'
OIOIlOOVl

(4 "EelS)

_I

~:_-..JF'
EOC

_ ..

.....--."'.

__.

CUT IWO P'fta$ OF o.

PI.'IWOOO 10...... ,
ASSMIIY

AGUJE 10

NOTE: DlIll BOlH fHDS Of

f'.ItONTt'IACtC
SHtlIlAIlS EXCfPr
AU

--j ,.

SItEII'
.... lS

I
WMJIOOH
... 0 Of IW. RUSH

Wmi IOIlOM mGt

IIAIIS roo
ADJUSTAIIIf

,r--.lrn---,
",'

SHElF

The two side frames are held together by

four she!"C$-and all four shelve", start out
l!XlIctlylbe same "'ll!t'
RAILS. To make the shelves. cut the
front ralls CC) 2' wide and the back rails CO)
3Y.: wide. Then all 16 rails are cut to a
rough length of 26"".
SLATS.Also cut ALOWof 52 slats (E) (1:1
for each shelO out of 414 stock I""'... wide
by 17V."long. (This length was determined
so when the slats arejoined to lhe rail s. the
rails will be the proper distance apart LObe
centered on the stiles of the side frame.
refer LOFig. 14.)
'roNGUE AND GROOVE.The slats art'
joined to the rails with tongue and groove
joints. Begin by CUlling rabbets on the
end. of the slats to leave Yo"x 'Io"tonl,,,,es,
see Step 1 in Fig. 7. (I cut a V.groove in a
scrap and cut the tongues LOfit.)
I.AYOUT GROOVES.Aft.er the tongues
are cut. they can be used to lay out the
positicn of the grooves on the front rail.
(C). Hold a slat on tho rail so the tongue
rests on the top edge, as shown in Step 2 in
Fig. 7. Then mark across the botLOmedge
of the sial to indicate the top edge of the
groove. (\Vhen the groove is cut with this
procedure. the LOpface of the slat will be
Hush with the top edge of the front rail.)
CUTGROOVES.Mer the mark i< made.
position the bollom ffigr of the front rail
agaln.'!t the fenee of the table saw and ndju.1.
the rcnce:;otheo"t~i". of0'1,"-wide dadcset
eets on the marked line. _Step
I in Fi~.!l.
'!'hen eut V'--\\;c)cgroove.' on all the front
rail~(C).
Leave the fente in the same position and
cut the grooves on the back rails (O), making
sure theboucm edge of the rail L~again.tthe
fence, see Step 2 in Fig. 8.
TRIM RAILS TO SIZE. Now the rails t-an
be trimmed to final length. To do this, dryassemble the slats between the mils. I
used pennies to get even spacing between
the slats, see Fig. 9. (To keep the pennies
in place, cut a couple of pieces of
plywood ..< an assembly platform.)
Now clamp the ~helf together and mark
the end ufLhe rails so they're Oush witb the
outside slats. see Fig. 9. Then cut all rails
to the same len~h .

'I.

HOleS FOR CONNECTORS

Before ussembllng the shelves. two interoecting holes arc drilled in the ends of the
rail. for lhe knoek-down eonneetor bolts and
the cross dowels,
DlllUJ1';G JIG. To drill lbe holes in the
ends of the rnils [or the bolt. I made a
simple drilling guide. Rip II4"long scrap of
414 stoek 2" wide, and then cut orr a length
about 1'1," long. see Vig. 10. Then drill a
'I,"-dia. hole centered on the width and
thickness of this pieee, Now glue this piece
LOlhe remaining strop.
WOODSMlTH

DRIU, HOLF-S.Align the jig with the

/xINo'"
of a rail and clamp il ill place.
Then drill a 'A"-dia. hoi. 2'1..' deep iJito the
end, see Fig. 10.
HOI.ES FOR CROSSDOWELS.!IIeXL.an
intersecting hole is drill ..d on the bottom
edge of each rail for the cross dowel.
Agaill. mak... small d.illilll(j'l( III< shewn in
Fig. U. and use it to drill holes centered
IV,' from the ends. (Shop Note: Since
these C'J~ dowels an- metric. the closest
standard size i< '
bUI ''0,' "' oka),)

NOn,

AGlJU12

"'0'

AU.

SIAn""'"

A .. ROUNOOWItONAU.

11

ADJUSTA&I.fSHElF

routtEDG6

OO~T

ItOUHOOYU

ASstM8~E SHLVI$

The 1""1step before a..embling the shelves

b to round over all (our o.dges of the .tal.,
"ith a 'I.' rnuncl~\'er bit, _ Fig. 12. Also,
round OVer all four edges of the back ruiJ,;
(D). but only Ihn.><! edges of the front ruiJ,;

CCl, see End

USSHOUS

IN ENOOf SHElE UN"

to lAY outHOUS 101

View in ~'Jg.12.

..........

AS.<;EIII81.\. Now three of lhl'shelves can

be assembled. (The adjustable $belf needs

a few more steps.) To assemble the Lhl'('('
shelves. plal'C Lh. ~~'LSon th .. plywood

asse mbly platform (spaee them evenly

with pennies) and clamp t.ltit; assembly
together, see Fig. 12.Then glue and clamp
the rails to the ends of the slats.
ADJUSTABlE SHet.f: Before the adjustable sbelf can be assembled it needs three
more steps. First, the Iront and back rails
have to be trimmed down by 1'- to allow fur
the thickness of the shelf support pins,
refer to l:lhelfSupport Detail in Fig. IS.
Alter tho I"'.w,; tU'C trimmed down, I
rounded over the ends, see }'ij(. I:t F'inall~'.
since the rails are trimmed down in length.
also trim I,"' off the two outside slats so
the spacmg comes out right.
You ean assemble lhe adjustable shelf
now, but I waited until the whole cart was
assembled to make sure the udjustable
shelf would lit without binding;

A3UR IS

SHElf SUPI'ORT

IliJAI!

HOLES fOR CONNECTORS

To gel the basic carl assembled vdth the

knock-down connectors. another ""lit'>' of
holes is drilled in the side (mmt'll.
I.M' OUTHOLeS.To layout tht>seholes.

first draw lines on the ends of the sh"lfraiJ,;

centered on the hol.s for th... connector
bolts, see Fig. 14. Then I~ylh(.helf on Ih
ide frame so the shelf rails are centered on
the stiles of the side frame. Now extent!
the eentertlnes (Into the face of the side
frame $liles,""" Fij(. 11.
After the eenterlines (Ire marked, also
mark cross lines I' from the bouom, 2V!
from the lop, and 13' ,. from the top. see
~ig.14.Then I used" Portulign to drill '/.dia. holes through the .1.110s.
AS!U:MBI.Y. To tLssemble the shelves to
the side frames, slide a connector bolt
through the hole in the side Ji-u= and
screw il Into the eros.' dowel in the shelf
rail. see Cross Section in Fil(. 15. (lr the
holes don't match up elUlrtiy, enlarge lh.
hole in th~ rail. )
\VOODSMITH

ADJUST
AILE
SlIW

IIOT1OMSlI Ell'

NOli:

....aooHOOVEIt
ON AU lOGES Of
flAME EXCUT TOO

OlIOS'

oowa

THE HANDLES

At this point the basic cart is assembled and

coukI be used "as is.' But I added some
handles on the top edges of the side frames
to make it easier to move around.
CUT STOCK. To make the handles (F) rip
two pieces of 414 stock 1W' wide by 21"
long. see Fig. 16. IVhile I was at it, ( also
made another handle (G) 26" long for the
drop down door. Also, cut one extra piece
as a test pieceROUT PROFILE. Now use the test pieee
to determine the position of the finger
groove on the handle. Icut this groove on
the router table using a -diameter core
box bit. see Step J in Fig. 17. Adjust the
fence on the router table so when the bit is
at a height of y.' the groove is right on the
outside surface of the side frame (or door
frame), "'fer to Figs. 16 and 19.
After determining the position of the
groove, cut it on all of the handles. Then
switch to a ~. round-over bit to round the
top corner of the handle, see Step 2 in fig.
17. And finally. round over the bottom edge
of the finger lip with a y.,' round-over bit.
see Step 3 in ~'ig. 17.
MOIJNT HANOLES. After the fingt'r lip~
are routed. CUL the handles (F) to final
length to match the width of the side
fra~. Then attach the handles with glue
and three screws, counterboring the holes
and filling them with plugs, see Fig. 18.

I... IW

IlOOt!
HANO!.E

NOTE: CUTIWQU IOHG.

TIIM UHGlH 10 RT

*'

OOOItSLAT

1(,.

DROP DOWN DOOR

DOOR
BOTTOM
RAIL

(j)

NOn:

ROIJTDt

SETUPiDGf

GUIDE

DG

OUIOI' ON IIOUIU

10CUt A UNIfORM

IIOOIt

IOIOOt AAOUNI> INSIDE

0611OO1t

;.#~

_ CUT I'V<ST1C
>w.IIWt
f'-0~ 10AT IECfSS

As an option.! added a drop down door. The

oonstraction ofthis door is virtually identical
to that of the shelves.
RAn.s. Instead of front and back rail.
however. the door has a handle (which has
alreadybeen outland a narrow bottomrail,
see Pig. 19. Cut the bottom rail (I) to a
width of 'Y,.' and to a rough lenb<thof2(;".
SLATS.Next. 13 slats (H) can be cut
1'0/,. wide. As for the length. you have to
do SOme arithmetic. The slats are cut to
length SO the overall door height is equal to
v.: more than the measurement from the
top of the middle shelf to the top ofthe lop
shelf. see Pig. 18.
So. the slats are cut to this length mhtll$
the thickness of the handle (''l,.'). minus the
width of the bottom rail ("Y",. plus the
oombined length of the tongues (\!o"), see
Fig. HI.(On our carl, this came to ur.)
CUT TONGues ON SLATS. After cutting
the slats to length. cut rabbets on the ends
to leave Y'" x y.' centered tongues (""fer to
Pig. 7). As on the shelves, use the tongue
to determine the position for the grooves
on the handle (G) and the bottom rail (I).
Then cut the grooves.
CUT TO LENGTH. Now the handle and
rail can be cut to final length. This length is
the distance between the side frames less
~. for clear-moe, see Fig. 18. (This is the
same length as the adjustable shelf.)

WOODS~{lTH

TRill! SLATS. After cutting the handle

and rail to length, dry-assemble the door

using pennies as spacers between the :;l.~tI;,
see Fig. 19. Now trim the ouutide two slats
to mateh the length of the handle and rail.
ASSEMBLY.As on the shelves, round
over the edges of the slats. Then gu ahead
and assemble the door.
PLASTIC LAMINATE INSERT

Since the inside faee Qfthedoor is thesurCace

that will be used as a work !1Uraee. (refer to
photo on page 4), I decided to add plastic
laminate (Fonnica) to tJW; face.
ROUTRECESS. TO install the laminate, I
routed a recess on the inside !'ace of the
door. Use a router with an edge guide to
rout a border around the inside face of the
door. see Fig. 20. Adjust the guide to the
thickness of the handle and the rail so the
bit cuts the recess right on the shoulder
line (where the slats meet the handle and
the rail. see Cross Section in Fig. 20.)
Next, remove the edge guide and rout
out the center section to form a recess for
the plastic laminate. see Fig. 21.
[NSTALL LAMINATE. Cut the plastic
laminate t.o size to fit in the recess. Then
apply contact cement and press the taminate in place, see Fig. 22.
MOUNT DOOR HINGE

Now that the door is complete. it can be

mounted to the middle shelf with a piano
hinge. The trick is to mount the hinge so the
knuckle is dow" - not in Ihe way when the
door is lowered. see Fig. 24
RABBET FOR HINCES. The first step L<to
cut a rabbet along the top edge of the
middle shelf for the hinge. [did this on the
router table, see Figs. 23 and 24.
COUJ\'TERSINKS. The only problem with
mounting the binge is that half the countersinks are on the "TOng side of'the hinge for
this mounting technique. So, I drilled new
countersinks and then screwed the hinge in
the rabbet, see F'ig. 25.
RABBET ON DOOR.BeCoremounting the
door to the other flap ofthe hinge, you have
10 lICcount for two measurements, When
the door is mounted, the top edge of the
handJe should be flush with the lop shelf,
see Fig. 26. And you have to account for
the thickness of the hinge.
Trim off the bottom edge of the door rail
(I) taking these two measurements into
consideration. Then rout the rabbet on the
bottom edge for the hinge, see Fig. 27.
MOUNT DOOR.Finally, center tbe door in
the opening and mount it to the hinge.
screwing up from the bottom, see Fig. 28.
UD SUPPORTANDCASTEI\S. TO support
the lid when it's lowered, I added lid supports to both sides of (he door. see Fig. 29.
I also added casters to the bottom of the
bottom shelf, see Fig. 30.
FRUSH. The last step is to finish the cart.
I used Mjnwa.~Antique Oil.
WOODSMlTH

""""'-f

"""'-::rf,

1tOISf.._.
_ON
rop(l)(;
Of....,..

'"40

J>

"'(11

~,..c:0
.......... .

f'O

DETAIl

S((

100..

~d~~/9/
l

_C>

'"

~~/j
an

~-

~v
'?'

Z .

1'IClUIf2A

I.~

lAIIItT
DEPnllO

llt!CICI'US
Of~'

MOUHlHINGE

so ICHtJQQ1IS

SNUG to..om
Of SHEIl

\\.

RGU.E26

IIOOH'"

=~

'"

"

.:.

ooot
HEIGHT

roo.... "

MWIJt($

_rooOF

ClOSS

S>lWlO

SECDON

~~

IOTlOMOf

HING,

(SlDE"'lW)

~~~./
.=
/' /-7.: ~
~II

~~

~
ooot

.~
~

IIAU<T

_SI4W

:vj_

_2.

,-Qff=.J'

},

1011I>M1WI

DOClt

....

CROSS

S,!"

~.f,

IOTlOM

~L
~~

!?'
~

~.~

MI....

;',1

DETAIL

(_,tou.....
,~.

r--

0...
Hl_

:~',~~r'lUSMAU
~

I'IlOlHOUS

fORSCUWS

~
flCWIt.30

._

- ;?:;? ...
-=. -;, I

,,'

.. stANCE

_"0
"'UD.'

8OIlOMVlEW

2"-.;

'1,

lY,~lI;l'h~

~,
"

CAm.

':;:,...

-t

....

~.

"-I

~~'

~.

PV.l't

~\~

DETAI~

""':~

'-,~

I'IYDlING

..... US

)/
~

-[:

;-:::' ,._

OfCAml

~~
~
CAstEll ~

:0./

--;-,..

Coun~Bench
-------------------------OLD FASHIONED JOINERY

This e'OUntlj' bench uff~1>'an inten!Sl.ing

chall.nge - it', 3."""mbled "ilbout Mil!<,
"<'FeW'>, dowels, or \K.'. YOumight CXIJe<:l
it
LObe a bit wobbly, but once it.. assembled it

,t.;md, up liI<e a pie<:<; ur granite,

The.;trength Uo;;in lbe keyed mortis<: and

t...non joints. ''.'hen the tapered key' are
pusbed throul('h mortises and tapped in
Light, the seat. $helf, and stretchers arc h.l~
firmly between the two ends.
ENDS

I beg-dIl work on lb. bench by edgegluing

LWOblanks for the end pi ec"" CAl from ~'4
stock (''II,." actual thickness) to rouj('h
widlb of 12V~and length ofZIV.
cer-ro SIZE, Once the blanks an> dry and
planed or sanded fiat, trim them to a
finished \\;dlh of 12 and square up the
ends, see. I-'ig. I.(Leave lhe blanks a little
more than 23" long. The final length will be
23" after the arched top is cut.)
CENTERLINE.Next, LOmake it easier to
locate all of the cuts in Lheend pieces, I laid
out a centerline down the comillete length
of each blank.
THROUCHMORTISES. After the eentertine is marked on the blank$,lay out and
cut lhroughmurti:les from ooth oides 01
the blank, see Fig. I. (For a eomptete
explanation on culling 8 keyed mortise and
tenon joint, see the article on page 1:1.)
JIG. 1'0 help ":let out" th~ mortises. I
built a simple jig. see ~'Ig. 2. SLnrl with a
eouple of pieces of scrap that are the same
thickness as the stock used for the >;IMeh
cr. (In my esse. ,v,,,.)
~~dge.glue the piece.. lIclween side
boards to create a "window" in the center
that's the length ()f the mortise (1I'l').
No,,', cUL one of the .ide boards So the
distanee from the window to the t,lge of
the side board equals the di.-um<f from thp
morti se to the edge of the end h,Ulk. (Thu.

distance \\as5t1l/ .... in mv case.)

Next, glue a fence onthe uutsid ... odgc to
hook over the edge of the blank. To usc the
jig, damp it ill place on the end blank and
""t OUlthe mortise> with a chisel, see Fig.
a. Then turn the blank over, book the fence

Tt':NONS. Next. cut !'"..long tenon!' centered on the ends of "~,'h -treteher t..
match the mortise, see Fij1. ~.

KEYMOIl1'ISF.$.Af'terthe tenons are cut.

chisel an angled key mortise through each
u'n()n ",' explained on p:~ 14 and 15. Be
sure lo lay but the cUlt;. so vnt" mortise
angles from the front.and the other mortise
angles [rom lb. back. set>.Fig. )\.
fIGURE I

KEYS.

mllrt; s~

Now push tho tenons through the

j'l

lh.:. \'Jlfl

pj~~:->
and ttlt t.:lllCn-t1

keys (Cllo fil the key mortises. After the

keys fit tightly in the mortises, cut the

key. a"'ong. see Fig. 7.
Rh.),. Nate: ~"inct'then.' rna' be iJ\e'llL.u~
teneies [rom one angted mortise tu unother,
1cut each individua! kev to match each kev
mortise and then Inbele.t them.
.
WIOJ'KOf-SMa.

EQUAlS

THtcKNfSS Of STroOtll

r:S"lO
80...,

T
23' .~

.r

over the same edge. and set out the matching mortise on the other fac-e.
AiWr sellin!!, out the mom""", work
from both faces to cut them all the way

through the blank.

STRETCHERS

Once all of the nloltL<ESare cut in the e",1

pieces, cut two stretchers (S) from .1'-1 stock
to a fini.-.ltedwidth of2'!,' arullength of27%",

10

Fig. 6.

\VOODSM1TH

SlAT AND SHELF

0_ the '" ) > "'" <Ill, ""rk can be):m m the

_101 "",I >helflF.).
l'l.art bYf,I~j."
IlK>",'al and .hdf from "4 stock to a IWcl>
ftongthof21'
'and I"OUh "ldths of II (.... 41)

and r (,htlf).

(UTTOSll.;. Aft~1'IIHhlanl;,; ...., planed

flr Mnd,.1 Ral. cut thl .. -at Ifr ....1de and th,

~ht>1(6'""",. "",. Fig. t;.

To d"(,'m.in, the Il"gth of the seat 811<1

.h~I(. measun- Ih,' .houl<l",,t.,.shouldpr
..1i.UIIIN' of th, .t";;lcher (23'h' in myea.;e)
and ndd 'Ie' ("I' thl"
k,ng lonp:u"" that
will I,, vut (I" ch end. see Fig. 6.

V"

STOPPED DADOES

"'I<>J1I!IK"$,.n the enct<ofthe""'" and >!wl(

fit 11110st'1>pM dad .."" rouk-<i on Ow in.<itI,'
f.....,.(II"'."'I"""""'.II' ... orthitlO<Jl<'nda
f... (,tra nunu,. at lhi., pwll to ""termine
",hieh fan of Iht>""" P'''to <Ill 0-

ato""..1daol."",

111

'0" ~

\.

SEAl
lDCi(GWf_

4<,

.1$10(1(

........

:;.f----~-l>~--'-r/-j-i

KIY
C

If lhe end I.,....'~ "". <Ilpped ,...1<I'pril1.a

J(RP,,,U oh,," ""1",,(,, Lhe In-,i<ler,.:., BIKI

IIHeel.". of Ih. ",'at, 'Ill pI'P'fnllhi>, r:...,
t.ht ('U11c.'U\'(,' ,.I(I~tow ,\nltJo.e '",-r'tlf ~I'-iK.
7 Tlll'n llH k(y ...ill r..rce Lhe end pi_."
light il"t:li~l tht nut.....ultJ l"flR\-~of the seat,

AGUila

flGUlft

(NO ........

-,~,.
.",,"ooAllOiS

No" you ('111' tleurmine the local ion of the

IOf) of tho ......" id,' .loVPI'II dadoes.

.J...

'-

TCJflu thUt. la~'

tlu! seat sideways on top(Jf
II", .In'tchtl' (RJ and al!IDJl.,tthe end VJ('("t'

(AI._ Fig" Thenu, se a ehlsel to scribe a

~h<.rt h", onto the .ncl Va...
-e righl at the
"'1'0(1'" ",.t......Ilewl in ~ll!.s. :-:0" do
the ~me ..n Ihl' other end and above
ht>I((f.) at 1Iulhel"l<.
'.AHII'TTU OADOE:>.Xext. use a pencil
I.. e\I .... 1 t ....".. tn:lJ'k" ....,.,..... the bnanl.
Th"n 1.1) 0111 thl' bou .. m of thO'dad_
"".

..

y...;

-.

Of""

....., .,'
j

JHtCI('*U Of SfAJ

'fl1iCXN(\S Of SHIU

I""

..::>

....

."
NO~aH1t.s_

do" II (nlm lh('l"p lint. see Fig. 9.

NOI., m"rk the "ntb of the dadoes so the

eli.Ic.1.!4ttl .. I(.n~ an~J the shelf dado ",
r;1~Icing. l 'emer lx,lh on th(' \\ i\lt h.
C;UT~lIt: OAooI:8. To cut the dad oe s, I

1--'_I'I(TOt[l--l~

:-o4.'lll

!y,.;

,.

..OCAT.:')AllOt:S. Onep the inside and

'.llt."ifll 111"~:01
UN: clecidl'fl. tA.mI~r..uilyns....
"","11" Ih,' -tretchers to the end pieces.

sl"rt(~1 hy drillitl" .".. lia, stop holes

dCI'I) "I ..".:h (tld. ",,~ Filt. 10.

.-0

OAlIOtS ON W'tOTM
Of (NO I&.AHJl

_'0

N(Xl. "ttl\lnt .1 t~" ~lrJ,ight bit in tho

router ann ,K)slljIUllhf' hit in oneoflhe stop
holt'S. Nf)" huhl the router in the same
'lI(~Jti(Jnit \\ Jill. "unnt! nlUting aM mark
.:t IJartlal iIln- to lr~k'atE" the cin-umfcl"t'llC."(>

"rth,b:Lq'.ftee.'lg.1fl,OothesamC-3tthe(.Jtht.r"l(~f) h.,lt.

Thtn. u"lng thl'SC!' tWl, a.n:s. align 3

.traight b";lnl a.' a f~ncr and clamp it III
pial"'. Til ,,>lit Ihe dado. I"\lel' the route~
b.ll" ". d~p (",... Iktail AI, pIal:e th~ btt
in C,Ot" tht. :ootl1J' holc:-. and roUl to tht'
l.lh,1' hul,. (ShuI' N"te; Hold the rout,'r
S<>C\lnlJy l,,rf.)nl1.lmlng on the po\\'er.)
CLEAN OUT~NI)S Th .. 1",,1.ll'p 011 th"
dildo<'" I~I" Aquar,' up the enlL; \\;lh a

t,r

ehi:;{I...... 1l1'l,,11R in Fig. 10.

\V()()OSMITIi

II

AGUI '2

CUT (NO PIKS

After the stopped dadoes were routed. I cut

one end picscoe (AI to final MaJ'" and then
used that piece III IllY out the other end.
PRonLf;. 10 layout the arch profile on
the top. strike a ~. radius are with the
compass poant 011 the eenterline 19"up from
the bottom end. This will make the end
pi_(A) 23"' lontr.!lee Fig. 11.
Theil set the point of the compass on the
right edge of the blank 3~' up from the
stopped dado. see Fig. II. Open up the
compass until the pencil end meets the 4
are already drawn and strike another arc,
Repeat on tile Jeft edge.
10 form the feet. strike a 4' radius art
with the compass point on the centerline
right at the bottom edge. see Fig. ll.
1f.ANDLf;. AJWr the top and bottom profilesare cut. cut out tbe handle slot. 10 do
this. start by dnlling two .. end holes. see
Fig. 12. Then cut the SIOl with u sabre saw
and file it smooth. see Fig. 13.

ROUTfDGfS

Ne.'L. rout a bullnose pnjJile on all uf the

exposed edges and in the handle slot. To do
this, mount a W round-over bit in thett~
and lower it
below the router bas see
Pig. 17. Then ront both edges oJ
tile
pieeoes except the stretchers.
Iah;o filed a $light chamfer on the bottom
edges ofthe feet to prevent splintering as it's
dragged across the floor.
I finished the bench with two coats of
Watco Danish Oil (Golden Oak) and then [or
more protection added two coats of lung oil.
see Sources. page 24. Finally, J put the
pieces together and tapped home the keys.

-.7
1-----.7'----1

_Of

RGUa.E 14

TONGUES ON SEAT AND SHElf

After the handle slots were cut, Twent back

to working on theIleat and shelf. 10 lock
these pieces into the end pieces, J cut rabbetson each end to produce tongues that will
Iiiinto the stopped dadoes.
ssr THE SA": Begin by setting the rip
fence as a stop so the outside edge of tile
blade is Vi' from the fence. see Fig. 14. 1'hi$
will create a '1 long tongue. (The dadoes
were routed '.. 0" deep. This insures that the
shoulder of the tongue wiU seat firmly
against the inside race of the end piece
without 'bottoming out: see Fig. 15.)
Now raise the blade high enoogh to produce a tongue to lit the dado, see Fig. 14.
(Shop Note: J sneaked up on this height on 8
lest scrap of the same thickne..<s.)
Once the 6t is ecrreet. cut the rabbet with
8 couple passes over the blade u.<ing the
miter gauge III guide the workpie<Je.
NOTCH ENDS. Arter the tongue is cUL to
thickness, it has to be trimmed to fil the
stopped dado. see Fig. 16. When trimming
the tongue to size, I found it easiest. to
rough cut it with a back M"'. Then trim it to
fit the dado \\;th a chisel.

.9'"

_lU'fI'NCI

CIJIIWIn

1Ct<G<JE

EQUAlSv.~

..

~~.

1------H--j'I-..l.'.... IRTSOADO
II

I
_

RGUiE IS

-_-_ .

.$W

MATfRlALS LIST
Ovtt'OU Oi:mens.iona: 27~
'!#II;It lY d. 23P h

(2)
I S~cht"(2)

1<.-,. (..)

11(,. x 12 2.'3:
'VI... 2'14. .. 27Yt
v." "'... '3:

Sect (',......

l~.X

A nck
C

E 5"'K(I)-

".1'

12

'Vo 614

1tom th
Itom

E~I
- E~I

10 ..24

p~ of 4/4__
..of 414stock.

CUTTING DIAGRAM
ut't ...

I
~

lI:

:J'It" .. rr (TWOtIOAIDS)

..

...

..
A

I,

I>

I'D

WOOOSMITH

Keyed Mortise and Tenon

THE ORIGINAL KNOCK-DOWN JOINT
When building the country beneh
shown on page 10,1 used wbatmaybe
one of the first knock-down joints the keyed mortise and tenon, (Sometimes iL's called a "tusk t.enon joint
since the tenon runs through the mortise and sticks out the otherside like a
tusk.) Since the pieces are locked
without glue, it's one of the original

knock-down connectors,
That's one of the things I like about

this joint - it's great for knocl<-down

furniture. In feudal til1le$ the heavy
trestle tables often included keyed
mortise and tenons, Once the banquet
was over, the furniture could be
knotked down for stol'age or moved
along as hi. lordship traveled the
countryside,

Another thing I like about this joint

is that. iLcan be "adjusted" to accommodate humidity changes, \Vhen the

wood shrinks the key can be tapped in

to tighten thejoint,

DESIGN CONSIDERAnONS

Int's built oorreetly, thisjoint is very strong.

Strength in this case means that. lbe joint.
will hold the stretcher (tenon) to the uprighl
(mortised piece) I<'Wwut mdcing. 10 help
re;iSl racking, the tapered key forces the
upright agam,,'t the shoulders of tbe tenon.
The amoun; of raclting the shoulders will
resist depends on the shoulders' size and
design.
On 8 largY!project ""cll os a trestle table.
the Lenonis made with four shoulders. That
is, shoulders are ~t on the toplbottom and
the frontlback of the stretcher to help disperse the racking pressure and to prevent.
cru..hinj! the wood. On a "mall project such
as the country bench. a tenon with shoulders
only on two edge! is adequate to eliminate
the racking.

Before using the jOint in a project, it's a

good idea to make a practice joint. I decided
to make a pmctice joint with two shoulders
(on the 10pibolLom) similar to the one on the
country beoch,
THROUGH MORTISE

The lin'i,.Lepin makingthejoinL is to cut the

mortise (rectangular hole).
MORTISE SIZE. The width of the mortise
equals the thicknessofthe Lenon. Since the
joint for the bench has Moulders only On
the top and bottom edges.the tenon should
be exactly the same thickness as the
stretcher ("V..,. Therefore, the morti se is
cut to this width.
The length (height) of the mortise has to
allow for the shoulders on the lOP and
bottom edges. Subtract the combined

depth of both shoulde .... ('I'. plu.'

%")

(rom

tbe width of the Lenon (2Y'). On the

bench this made the mortise I V'long (high).
Once the .ize is detennined, lay
out the mortise on both sides of the
pieee orstock using a sbarp pencil, see
Step!.
SET OUT BORDERS. Next, "set
out- the borders of the mortise with
a chisel. Hold the chisel perpendicular to the workpiece with the bevel
facing toward the center ofLh~ mortise, see Step 1. (To make a jig for
setting out the mortise, see page 10.)
Now with the chisel's edge just in
fronl of the pencil line, very lightly
tap the chisel with a mallet. (Leave
the penclliine intact. If the mortise
is a bair small. YO\. can make it larger
Ister.)
After working all the way around
the mortise with light taps. clean out
the chips and go around again until
you're about V../ deep.
Next, tum the workpiece over ami use
the same procedure to set out the borders
on the opposite raee.
BORE OUT WASTE. Once the mortise'.
borrler is defined. bore out the majority of
the waste from the center; see Step 2.
Start by boring hoies at each end of the
mortise about Y,,,!Tomthe end lines, Then
bore overlapping hoi.., to clean out the
waste.

CLEANOUT WASTE. After boring. again

use the chisel w clean out the rest. of the
waste. see Step 3.
\Vhen cleaning out the waste. do it
tittle bit at a time and work [rom bot" faces.
Start by paring off the ridges between the
drilled holes. Then pare away the inside
ends and edges until you reach the border
lines. Finally. clean out the corners W make
sure they're square.

BI1rt
IUith a bit UIIJl.;'
Clean
ridg&s betllJeClIlwl.e.~IVOrking
Start by Ia.yi"g ou: IIwrfi&
both
3
1
.idtUI 0[ l('Oritpiece wilh a pencil, Theil
2
lIu171lIIorti se wid/h.. To prelJ<llll cJdpfrom both faces of U,e ft'Orkpie. TMII
Ihrough
sel ow U~ border by mJJ.irill!l lap.' lI'ilh ping, bert unlil bit poi!
fKI" awa.y lip the barder lilies all
UlUy
Oil

I;''' leJl$

OUll(ttSt-e

rolllt8

chisel. Repeal.". oppiJIIiUJ/ace.

WOODSMITH

back, lIum barefrom oilier sid e.

01<1

IQ

lilt

oround. und squa.re tIP the cqrners.

13

Sfitl'CHU

nNON
After the rnurtt...... cW'mI'<lout. 8 t~... n can
be cut on tht> ~ndof Ill<>J<tr('lch~rto ""'Ich
I the mo..w.e. 1 "art,,1 by laYIng '~Il tht
M<Julden<, ..... SI4-p I
SHOULDER.T~ d, Ilmrt' (n.m the ,nd co(
the !'I:n'tcht'r 10 tll<>.houl.ar hr.'
on I", 0 lhinK": the thlCklll'S.'"f the u"nJtl>I
(mortised) piece and the lenjtlh of the
.ask" (The 'u,k" IS t""l ",,11 .. fthl It'n""
t.hat comes out the olher 61d,' )
n.e ll1>k .hould >lK'k ooll"nll {'nol,l~ht(l
$t!lablc m", b/fUI, Jrnt]/u Q lilt}. i'~
Own Jq.lk of llunJJer I",. alJd rul aIIo" room (or the muller kc) mort...,."
Itdrit ol rJId of (,:sf pll.... TArn Jllp "",*- pi"" " to '1'," br!I,mdtht> kry mcoru... ,..(er
10Step 19 (n.e morelcngth
1tll<>k,'y
TN" and holrk CJlA'T fflgr

~I-~~

d,,,,,n<I'

..., oIrrlrhn- /0
4 LAI/ oal ..'ldlll t,flnwn
5
u.tg1"
m4kAlIIII)rt

1M t./r. rt.'lI<'1' of

_,...,1 po

Q[/nIQJt tqNdU

dnirrd 1<"ftgIlJ c{ prolflUiu fJ"/1<$k

pi... 1M
"

lx,....
nt )

moru",.lhc.~rt~j
For the <OWIlr)"Jx.nr:h. lhe Ul'nJtl>I ~.. I
pi"""" are '+"." lhid<. I want"d tbe tusk lco
,;tick out I I" (rom thl. Iace of tl", "1'MI1M
C11tat':\ ~- r(~rthe kt)' I'rus 11,.- lM')f,rtr' rllr
~h,
I So I ad~('"thl...,14>R\'II,,'ran"
then laid <Alltil.<' :Jl<.ukltrIu", :!' (n.m th,
of the 'tI\'LC"'r. 0<'" SI"I' I

,m"TP.NON WIOTH N,Xl, lay Itut th, w,dth

of the tenon to match th, 1"lljtlh of th,

mortise. This iJil (Ion(>by markin~ lW(. 1'li~ll'
lines, lea\'ing a t('n~tn I J "inll t~.'1"'('('n
the lines,

6 ""y fittlllg tnt' "I,d

tIl

thl' If'~t IJ'f'Cf 1/'0

I)" tI",rl,>t' Th .1,1.h",l/t/ '" lin"'. l]

;{Slt/l(lli!lht. miNI Illf /(""'ld",Jllfli"ltll'I",,,1
(,,1 Q 1iI1/~dlll"'I'

l'o..~lliOrtril' Je"cc a~stop o olltsid, of

hl,ulr ,,II nil(lllt'ti ,,-tIl, NIQllldff 1,'1'
T/II'I' IIInk, rrytMlrti
or,'r II.. blad,
IIll/ill'lld
t~f"In (.rl"..,.I.ils }""11('I."

1""""'"

1'(' Step

I.

Cl1T T~NON SlIouun:R,;

Al\rr th, 1("
non ,\:8.... laid out, 1cut lh(~Wl10n ~hl)ul(l(~l'"l'

on the ",hIe '"'". 'Il, dn llull. "<'I tI... >ll"

blade heigh I so it'" " liUI.lp .. lhanllw "i"1'
lines you've marked on th, ,trctch~r.
Before cutting the tenon >hu"klc'" nIl the
artual \\'flrkp~, tl'~ U )tlKMii,h'" t(, t'rn"(_'k
eut the depth of rut wuh u l,'t I,i',<~-tlu,t'~
the same "idth ...' Ihe .tn:teher.
d.. thi'.
make ,. C'OIlplt' of CUI.' riJlbt III th, ('MI. II<'\'
Sthp 5. Thton turn tht J,j~t.,t.(,,'('r arwl ('1.11 a

n,

notch QIl the (lllwr ~J:("

No\\ lr)' fittin~ UK" tf'St 1'1"" lnt() tilt
l1')I:'rtJ*. ~"e ~I,.i It "1Uvn,oot)I,\' ll(l~)(1
hilt, If .... """'" th.. b!ad. i1gltl y .u.1n'I""'t
It,3 II\;,II('I' ..f
ul",n I"" r.n;1)
until tlw ",non 6", lil!hl II110th. m..nL...
Sint1: ) wn.- lW1u:nc the Plt'('( 11\ t'r lilMI

"'""""'1lIl

...yIr nd.,.-. kfI

8byt '"t./r.~a dUI('II"b/wk 1\u!f,.
9
"ri< 01 an m'lll~
1M "',,,," TMI< ~Jrl'..ta rdtghl <"'lm[a
1''' IT

"'IC

10

Si'l) ill f,'lkl" llrroll!lh tAt: ""mJ$td

plur unltl lit houldrn a,... I gol

R//OlrlJfltll~bJck

arou,.,d IIJ, <>td3 "flirt

kno.

tndr. TIfi"Rgnw,.JLI

....llml'

"" It'll""JllUh .';I~

Ikrf" nl.uk.
(1__

.... s AMn
0f06 WlDTMOf nNON

...... SII.

_r""fUNf
101lfI'OSITf""

10

Ajlt.,xrn/JtllU tltt 1111t' u,ill,,, ('II,~,I,

lay Ollt nil 111I1(('rt'III1,lIt 'It bttC'k

from III, ,,-,il.d /i".. TI"" .Y,I/II .. II"

Itltdt'1Y1llli Ill' {J'fllt tI,II~, Iltt (""H","I

14

N,d,.

N,'.rl, lay tI,,1,hr key mllrli~. Thr

11j'ro,,' "Iy.' Vc
fill

("tt.

'I. til[,..",1 o[liteII"derS"I. liui'.S art i'." UJXlrl (Iud Ct"'

1('n'tJ (,,, tl'l uoi,Uh o(I),t tNlon,

,'U,

<UttinRofl'botl> ,.. l<e$o(lilt' """"'."'"

hlad('

a <litt amounll for,:<aI1ljlIe.

ngthe

, ",U

artu:illy maJa. tht ",non >maJkorby I"",

th..l amounl (Yo :'l.
After the bbtle Il<!lgbt.. ,,,m...
'l. II<'ttht
rip felln' a<a .top '" til<!shookh'r till<' a11~'1\.1
..ith the ,,,,Isid~of the blad<,.f<'e ~"I' 'j To
I cut the actual ", ..
""tk.- n" ...." .. ,
pa.....
_ o\'er the bbtl, unlll the .",1 .. r "".
tenon h,t.w .nd 0[1"" nl' f.nc~
I
PARE OFF R'DGEs. ThIS "n"'1Iu,,'
..f
makin.: a :o.fn(>"s(If ,)a.,'t'~cn.lt~ a nluJ;:h
~ur(ru.~on lht' si,le:-of tht l('Jl(ln, 1'\) ,-It'jln
up thi. surface. anti It"t IKrf,...'t fit. I~I",
off the rid",,,,, with a chi....l. ".,.
1\,

rkpi."".

St."

CHAMFER ENDS:, Thl'n--:'ti (Uk' m,)nlhlflJ.[

to t1uon the ~nd or th, woon. Chi.,,<,I'''IlI11

chamf .... around lhl' ~nd lo hdl' ,ntidl' it
into the morli;e. S('~ SII'" II. I'fhls hlI,,,,
prevent chipout a. IhcI,non comts Ollttho
lr~ck .ide of thr mnrtilll'.1

WOO[)SMITH

KEY MORTISE

The keyed mortise and ",non joint hnl! ,.TI('

-K.c,)difference ever a n~lar murti...~,
&11(1
(.eOOIL Si1K'e n', glu~ ." used, th,' key Cur
wedge. pin) i.~a m(_.l('h-.tnit'91 ntl' ..ln." I)r pre-

venting the tenon from pullUlg out of too

mortise.
I.AYOUT.To accurately lay out tOO location of th( "key" morti"... fir..'l <lip the
tenon into the mortise and scribe chisel
line on one side of'the tr-non, see Step 9.
N ex t, layout an "undoreut" line. see
Step 10. This undercut line ,,;11actually be
back ",Ihin too mortise, Its purpose L<to
.UO\\ enough space for the wedgt"-shaped
key to draw th.. two pie<:(!> of the jt,int
tightly together \lithoul ooltomingouL.
Now the rest ofLhelu:y mo~can be laid
out. Fin-t. layout the front of lh. k"y
mortise 'I.- from the unden:ut line, see Step
11. Then lay out tbe side lines. >'0 the
distance between the side lines equals the
thi<kne,;.<of the tapered key. Ciused a ,
thirk ke~~)
CLEAN OUT WA&'TE.Once the key mol"
use ill laid out. it's IImatter offotlewing the
Slime procedures shewn in Swp.< Z ,mil 310
clean out the waste, see Step 12.
ANCU:O MORTISE. At thi< point. all four
sides of the mortise are perpendicular to
the tenon. Th allo\\ the wl-dl'shal>l!rl key
to pull the joint tighl, Ih. front .ide of the
mortise has 10 be angled to the same un!tle
as the taper on the key.:;ee Steps 1;1and 14.

I""

X'(Isf,' oul
QJlglt: the fron! t-dpt ~r1/", k."
12 8(Irr'llt
13 TomtJrli,<e.
k.y mmn. mill, a hrod point IIr
Mart by laying val (lJ"r/
(J(t/lt! C~tltf!TtJJ'tllt'

Ffirsf'rler bit. 7'(,nl ritoll (I"l the

1(-itJ, (I rlli::rl n..; ~/'''~II;11,'\11'/1 J.

~Il(frlibf'

li". 'Ii ....1)I./nl'l1/ ojtht

IJlllu "' ..

oft},r

/t"""

"'Clrli."Jr

ttl,
fI}JCII'Jlg ,JPI

CHrsa

10
thr
of th
uut {<tJJ<'"d
_lip
14
15 1bintlall',lmt;j:(,
tise, se! duse! point
offsttl;,(('.
Th'('I' IltH,J au rtraThf."tl parr
au a~tgltanti!
nt'J, '''''{lII/l1uk lind,.,. thr
tl),d ",rk
l"r,J

aUfll,vl.(ro,,1

IIIor-

~.,IJ.

(I

ICI/""

ClII

dDlf?1 CII

,(tv,,1

Q( tilt'

flluri;}>;t"

YUII

(JtI,JlJt(tr

Altil

fellllJ'

fiat' hi n Iloled

/M.I.'it-

)uarli.'tl' (1-1' 0011, Rtdt~.~.

TAPERmKEY

AfWr
mornse is complete. a tapered k.}
can be cut t.o fit the 1OO1'ti:;e. The triek is
culting the taper on the front of the key so it
perfecU, matches lh~ nllgl~ chisele<!on the
front of the mortise.
MAlIKlNG "lIE TAPER. I've found that
it':: easiest to do this en an extra-long blank
that's the same thickness as the width of
the mortise
Then the actual mortise
can be USI..oO to transfer the allgle to the
UlY n ~(nriflhlt'f/gf' ,)17U:oI"." 1/1('I,illlm
TtlP II"'I'II/g ttl/H'rnl ktp uuo lilt, k<y
e"tl'lllonl! 11lank,see Steps 15 and 16.
",ari i~'euntil th )oiut i,., t ;yl", The
and
ron"reJ
t/lr
1It"'l'il
marks
to
AIter the an!tl~ is marked Oil the blank,
",,,rk
and
trim 1>Jf Ihe ,,,d. of II" key 80 i/:.
the tapered key can be cut sli!!htl)' over- "tntl II ttIJ}f"t'It'1I1 TIll'" ru! .ligIIIJ}J O't/~;(ll'
(-cutmd 0,,1,,(' tenon.
siu-. (I did this on band saw.1Theil hand tll(' (,',t, filltf plallt: IIp (/I/lt',lilltll '(fIX r.
plane the front of the key sneaking up all
lhe final taper. Keep W$ting too fil tllId
planing until there isn't a gal' bel ween Ihe
tapered face of the key and the mortise on
either side (If the Lenon.
cur TO IXNCTH. Since the k('Yblank i~
longer than the finished key, mark and CUt
both ends so the key i~ centered un the
tellon. see SLep 17.
/,

(,v,,.

16

17

v
"".,

CHAMfERS

--

-<---._ -:

" /A\"':/';_"=:;:;;;;;;;l,"""-l

Th prevent chipping during "-,Imbly and IA>

lire"" up the joint. I med a clwnf.r 1U'(lulltl
the mortL<;e, see Step IS.
To p,."IJCllt rJllpPll1Y. hold ajilt aIm.
a"gll! a)ldfil~a 1/,." ('hw,,''er all)l( ltd
Finally. (Ire;s up th. joint by cutting a
mailllll,"1i.,r.JIIlltc.(cI(,{' Mil,
.Ught chamfer around the knon alMIkey. see Ih~t(/gegoJllt~
(mig (/)o.,1jil, lilt k.y l)(arliSt )
Step 19.

18

WOODSMITH

19 To

jOillt. ,"I (I '/,.'

cllnl,,!rr l1rt)It"d ull tllf (III/side
.~I"AA<If lilt 1('>1(111"lid "" tI,t' e.rpost1/I!I/.gt'
drt$S It/) ,hf

"lid, III/,<iJ{lhtlapem/ k"l

15

Drill Press Cabinet

A BORING HOME
If you asked a group of woodworkers to Iisl
loo topthreepowertools, I'll beta drill press
would appear somewhere on almost every
list. (It's third on mine - right behlnd the
table saw and rooter table.)
The doill press earned its position in my
shop because it does a lot more than bore
straight holes.
My drill press is aL"O a mortising machine.
With drum sanders, its used to smooth
curved edges. And, it's even a turning tool
when [ want to make a small knob or reduce
the diameter of a short dowel without having
to set up the lathe.
I use il with so many differenl accessories,
it's hard to name them aU without sorting
through them, And that's where tbe problem begins- Not even counting the various
sets of boring bits, J have 80 mueh stuff for
my dnll press that it's in small boxes seattered allover the shop. That's what made me
decide the driU press deserved a storage
cabinet of its own.
When planning the cabinet. I built it to be
al a height to put the driU press table at a
comfortable working height. The cabinet
shown here l~ designed ror the small driU
presses sold by Sears and Delta. You may
want to alter the height of the cabinet if you
have a larger bench-model drill press (like
Delta's 14" bench model).

"

CUTOUT MIlTS

I started by laying OUlthe parts on a single

sbeet or plywood, see the CUlling Diagram,
Then I planned the cutting sequence.
PLYWOODPARTS.Begin by first cutling
the sheet in half lengthwise, then into
manageable pieces, Tb do this ...rely on 8
table saw Lakes two people. Sin('(l J was
working alone, I used II portable circular
saw with the plywood propped up on 2x4s
on the Ooor.Then cutall the $maU pieces.

....

MATERIALS LIST
Ovetotl Oimem.JoM: 34~"h .14'11'"
A

Sld<ro (2)

T<,>/60.h... (2)

CtlmNG DIAGRAM
'III

.lOV." d

v. x 1974 - 14

CAdj._(I)
0_""812)

.a,r. lit 17~-22~

E _

".4.19th

Sld<ro (2)

f Ooon (2)

G o.w. "'laic (2)

H o.w.S_(2)
I o.w.801(II
J Cob_(11
K Come<B1od.s(4)
L CIoss ..... (I)

Medgings.ripl
N lo"-'ng _OIl)

l6

"

" 197/11.30

Y 4-23

v lOY, - 21

v $%.

2'1

v...SYt,.19

V 21.1.
Y. x 23'4" 2811.
1YtxlY1.3'A
IVI6.223
V.a~
'Vi 6.23

"".PO"WOOO
.... X96-

OOlIAfOI .....

(AI1OWS 4OCS ....

ID l'"lIIGH)

NOT,/MJU
LENGTHWlsr

CUT"1ST

AlSONfEO:

0Hf1lOAJO
'V..X7V.-48
ONrlOAlO

0Hf1'lK

(f)

lAXlAX4t

WOODSMITH

t)

CASE JOINERY

Al\er cul1ing all the plywood pieces to size.

the rabbet joints for the case can be made.
RABBETSWES. The fitsl S('t of rabheLllis
on the top and bottom ends of both side
pieces (A), to join the sides to the t.op and
bottom (B), see Detail A, Fig. I.
BACK RABBETS. The second set of rabbets is cut on the inside rear edge of all four
casepieces (A and 8). Thh; rabbet is v." by
to hold the back, see DeLaiI B, Fig. I.

iI.

ASSEMlIlE CASE

'T'he next step isjoining the case parts. 'lb do

this, I used glue and some f8Slenets rarely
$E'enin lVood..milh - nails,
NAlts ASCLA.'lfPS. [ generally object

~--------2~~------~
e

SIDE

(em lWO"EaS)

"

>;

."

""
:

to

nails, but tbey have their place on plywood

projects. They're handier than clamps for

pulling joints tight and holding parts together while the glue is drying.
PRgnR~
The trick to using nail. for
pulling joints tight is to predrive them
before the pieces are positioned for assembly. That is, the nails are driven at an angle
with the points poking out about V,.". Then
glue is spread on the joints and the pieces
are aligned. see Fig. 2.
A~the pieces are pressed together, the
points bite into the wood. Because the nails
are angled, they draw the joinllogether.
BACK. After the glue is dry on lhe four
corners of the cabinet, the back can be cut
from \4" Ma..lnite :;0 it fits into the back
rabbet, see F'ig. 3. (l usually cut the back lo
exact size to fit in the rabbets so it squares
the case. Buton this cabinet [cut the back
about
smaJl in both dimensions in order
to use a trick to align the doors.)
To mount the back. drill 'Y,. shank boles
spaced 6" apart for No.6 X"""screws, Then
place the back in the rabbets so there's
about a
space around all edges, Now
drill a pilot hole Cor one screw in the center
of each
and screw in the four screws
to give the case some rigidity.
Shop Note: Don't apply glue or use more
than four screws at this point. Shiflingthe
C'ase in relation to the back is the key to
getling the doors square later.
CROSS BRACE.With the back holding
the ease square, a cross brace CL)can be
added to divide the section Cor the drawer
and the doors, see Fig. 4. Cut the brace to
length to fit between the sides. (Take this
measurement at the top in ease the ply.
wood sides are buckled or bowed.)
BRACEPOSmON. The brace is6'1." [rom
the top of the cabinet. Also. it's set back '!IiI"
[rom the front
of the sides. (After the
%thick trim strips are added. the brace
will be 0/." from the front to allow Cor the
'Y,"thickdoors. see Fig. S.)
'TRIM STRIPS- The last step is to rip 0/.".

fl

'tsi)E

FIGURE!

CROSS SECTlON
(lOP VIEW)

I ' ' ,

I-~~--=--Il
~~
:::t

V'"

CIOSSIWCf-'

J...... ..
,t'

eDGe

v..

TlIIM

./

,-L...v.'

IV."

'I

__j_

....

edge

.c.
,_'-:-- [- V
~

"i::-- I

edge

!.J~:r7t,:~::iter~~g~~ed

on the

-..:::

l~ 1:..

NAIl

.
-

f:---=::::i::~f

~t

~V-""_I)'

~w~OO~o~sM~lrn~~~~----~======~~~~~~~~'/
<,

17

FIGUlt7

LF=======!

't-t--r----2r----i'

1 ._r--.-..--,--..----:-i~

..-"'"_
1-~
1
-~

, 1_..

i'

RSN~

PlAn

...__ V~'-iL~~:=I-.-''',-=--=-~t,-----,-.,-".---i-'1

';-

,I
:1

'I

AGUUI

-rr-~j----"""

....

ROUtE 9

,,

....

, .....

..,

A'HoI

>

,,'

I'.
LH.

1--1..... -

DOOR

DOORS

After !he ba:;lc case ~,complete, CUta reinforcing plate (N) from 414 stock to fit snugly
between the sides, see Fig. 7. (This adds
suppon $(J the LOpd(Jesn't sag.)
Now the decrs ean be made. Todetennine
the width of the door panel" total up all or
the parts and spaces that fit between the
5ides. This includes the two hinges. four '!I.'
thick bim sbip:<. and a gap between the
doon<,_ Fig. 7. Then cut two plywood cloor
panels (F) to make up the difference.
To determine the heighl of the door
pane!';, measure from th" top ooge or the
CJ'OO<, braee to the in."de of the bottom. Then
subtraet '.... Io,s,' for dearanee anti ',' for lhe
two +. thick trim strips).
TRP.IISTRIPS. AfWr lh. door panels are
cut to :,i7.t!, ,.,.. tbick trim strips aN' adoptl
to cover the edges .see Fig. 1:1.
IUNCES. Th mount the doors. I used
centinuous hinges, see Fig. 9. Be!,,,n by
euuing' tho hinge' t<i length to mnteh the
height.of'the doors. Then screw the hinges
to the doors.
MOUNT OOORS.Next, the deNll'S can he
mounted. Th gel them aligned with equal
space at the bottom. place a Yo' -thiek piece
oC scrap under the hinge, see r'ig. 10.
ALICN D()()RS. Now the rase is squared
to align the tops of the doors. This is why
tho! back wasn't mounted permanently earU(!T
To do this. remove ~he back and apply
glue in the rabbet. Then put the bsek in
place and .lilthtly ti~ten the four screws.
Now, force the C"ASe one way or another
until the tC!i)S of the doors line up. Then
snug the four screws down tight. and drill
pilot holes for the remaining screws and
tighten them in place.
CATCH. Next, the catch is installed .
Begin by mounting the magnetie part to
the bottom of the cross b...aee, see tig. 11.
\Vith the rru;gnet holding lhe pIM e. close
the door on the plate. Two dimples "~II be
left in lhe door to mark the position where
the plate should be screwed to lhe door.

If.

DRAWER

ftGUlll0

-18

After the doors are mounted, the drawer ean

be made. The height of the plywood drawer
front IG) is determined by measuring the
distanee betwee n the tOl)O:
of the doors and
the bottom of the top, Then subtract J". IY.o
for the two 1oI."thlc:k biro strips plus Yo"Cor
clearance top and bouom.)
DETRMII\' W1I)'1'H.The width of the
drawer is determined by the sliding hardware. Sine'. the hardware we used (see
S<!UIYCS, page 241 called fOT "". clearance
on eachside, I made the d...awer 1'1ess than
the spate between the sides, see Pig. 12.
DRAWER BACK. Cut the back of the
d ra wer (GI to the same size as the fronl.
(Later it wiU be trimmed down to allo\\
clearance under the reinforcement pieee.)
WOOOSMITH

SIDES.Now the drawer sides (Hl can L<cut LO size. Rip them LO the same width as
the front. and to a length of 19"

_,1

.,,-

DRAWER JOINERY

The drawers are joined with thtsame l'imple

rabbet join"" used on the ca.~.
I'RONTIIlACK RABBETS. The rabbets on
the front and back are 'I." bS lI.". see Fill.
IS. When gluing the joint. ~ther.
use
the same angled nail triek used Lu pulilhe
joinL.light, !Ie(' Joint Detail in }'ig. 13.
BOTTOM DADO. Aller rabbeting the
ends of the front and back. make a Yo" by
Yo" groove "'. up from the bottom of the
front and $ide pieces to hold the ~1a.,oniLe
bottom, see Bouern Detail in Fig. 13.
C(.&ARANCE. The last step bofore assembling the drawers i~
cutting -Y,. from
thp top of t he sides and back to allow
clearance for the reinforcement plate
(mounted under the lop). see Fig. 13.Then
nail and glue the drawer tugelh~.
TRIM eecrxc. \Vhen the glue dries. the
trim can be applied. Begin by putting the
shorter trim pieces that conceal the the
gaps for the drawer slides, see Pig. 14.
Next, trim the "nil. of these short pieces
Ou"" with the top and bottom edges. Then
apply the lop and bottom strips,
SLIDING HAlU)WAR&. With the drawer
complete. lb. sliding hardware can be Installed. Begin by mounting the inner drawer ),'Ilide;;to the "ides of the drawer so the
mounting holes are I~ up from the drawer bottom, see Fig. 14. Then mount the
outer drawer guide to lhe side of the
cabinet with its mounting buies aligned
'0/,. above the cross brace. see Fig. 15.
Shop Note: To center the drawer. use the
vertical screw slots for initial """itioning.
Next, adjust lhe bnrdwart' up or down
until the drawer is centered. Then put in
the screws througf the round screw hole.s,

",.

--t

.",'

-+1"

1--__

12-

--

fIGURE 13

JOINT

DETAlt

-riff SO?
~

flOHT')~

14 ~.l ,,I"'~' - ':fa,

R.H.INNER

DAAWER~

0'

BASE

AlWr the cabinet is .....sembled . base is

made. This base i.< a plywood frame with

mitered corners, see Fig. 16.

CORNf;R RI,ocKS- 1'0 reinforce the corners of the ba.se, 11'.: x 1'1:," - avo" corner
block!' are used. Before gluing them in
place, a ~," hole is bored through the center
for the leveling mechanism.
LEVELING MECHANISM. I made a leveling mechanism for the base to keep the
cabinet from wobbling on the shop Door.
This mechanism oon..igL~of carriage bolts
that thread through T-nuts in the bottoms
oflhe COrnerbtocks, see Detail in Fire. 16.
To make the mechanism a<!.iustablefrom
above. I used a hacksaw to cuI a screwdriver slot in the ends of the bolts. Next. I
bored 'h" holes through the bouom of the
cabinet LO line up with the bolts.
Alter the ba.-;eis fastened to the cabinet.
lbe whole cabinet can be leveled through
the holes in the cabinet bottom, gee Detail.
WOOOSMITH

RGUIf 16

0IU1 HOlES"'" BOTtOM

Of.CAaiNtftNUNEwmf
HOt.ES 1M COflHIl &I..OQ(S

J,:,, ....

:'"

....
BACK@

19

Drill Press Table & Fence

If there's one feature !.hat transforms a drill

press into a real woodworiling 1.001. it"s an
auxiliary driIJ press table. An auxiliary table
provides 3 mucl1 larger work sarfaee than
the cast iron surface that's part of the driIJ
press itself.

But most important., i~

allows the dnll
prel<l to be equipped with an indispen.'!able
~ry
- an a(ljustable fence. And once
you use a driIJ press ,,1th an auxiliary table
and a(ljustable fence. YOll11wonder bow you
ever got aJong~
them.
TAiLE

Before getting to the fence. Ibuilt the basic

table. The surface of the t.ableismade oflwo
layers of~' plywood. The top layer should
be &., large as possible. \Ve made ours lPh'
by36",:;eeF'ig. L Then the ends were cutoff
at a 45 angle for the fence locldng mechanism. refer to Fig. 12.
COLUMN CUTOUT. The width of the top
surface of the table is limited by the drill
press column. To make the table as wide as
possible. the top piece is made oversized
and then a section is CUt out for the column.
Note: The size of~his cutout should be as
small as possible, but be sure to leave room
for the are of any locking levers or adjusting cranks on your particular drill press.
BOTTOM lJIYER. Next. a boUom layer is
cut. The purpose of the boltom layer is to
add rigidity to the whole table. The width
of the boltom layer is determined by the
distance from the front of the top layer to
the column cutout. see Fig. 2. I made the
length 4' less than the top layer so there
would be 8 Z'overhang on each end.

1==='1"'.

20

cvrNOrCHlO~
IMIS ..... HANDIIS ON DIIl1 PH5$. COlUMN

._

,O'

LATOt

2'1,.-

ll'"

c.:J

'IAOIUS
DRIU.-'''lfOU

JH EAat CCj!NE1t

1+-0'

t~'
",4" DEft R:ECW

.
curIO",

QrfOSAT
36'

'*=J4",*e , p;;;;p:u;:< !"iif

_ 1C~

.;s:::gS;::siiQ

4,P

DETAIL

DRILLING SURfACE

One of the great features of this table is

replaceable drilling surface made from 1'0'
Ma.'50nite.This surface slides in a J"CCel;S to
provide a clean, fiat surface to support the
work as the bit breaks through.
REPLACEABLE SURFACE RECESS. To
make a recess for the surface, begin by
making two II,'-deep kerfs centered on the
length of the table about 6' apart. see
Detail. Fig. 3. After cutting the kerfs.
switch to a router with a 11>'straight bit to
clean out tbe waste between the kerfs.
CENTER CI1l'OUT.Aft.er routing the recess, [ made a cutout that goes through
both layers of the table. see Fig. 4. The
main purpose oftbis hole is to allow a drum
sander to be mounted so its end is below
the surface of the auxiliary table,
1b make this cutout. fust. layout a 1\1:'
square centered below the driU chuck,
Next. bore I" holes through both layers of
plywood at the comers oflhe square. Then
cut out the waste between the boles.

CUT lOP

ROM ,:;powooo

IOTIOMlAYB
TOPlAYlR

an ~..MASONITE

10AT
UClSS_

-- '~"WOODSMITH

After finishing the cutom, I made up a supply of

replaceable surfaces to fil in the recess oul
of Yo" Masonite. see Fig. 5.
Note: ( keep a ('Iithick block to put in
the cutout under the M<l.wnitefor support
when doing hell,,)' drilling(murtising).
MOUNTING BOLES. Tomount the table. I
bored holes for Y," carriage bolts, see Fig.
6. Th positionthe holes,set the table un the
drill press with the cutout centered under
lhe drill chuck. Next, trace the mountin)!
slots on the bottom orthe table.
After boring the holes lllroUghfrom the
bottom. CAlunterborethe top surface lnside the recess $0 the beads ofthe carriage
bolts are below the surtace, see Detail.
REPLACEABLE SURPACE.

I~.::;:. 4l:~

WOODSMlTH

_,.-

~,
:

........

:s.,-

1'-"

~~

. '-

sr r r r r r
~

....

FlOUt! 7

.,

CHAWOEDGU

FENCE

DEfAI~

'L:/' ..

Fig. 6.

The taW. makes the drill press more rune

tiona] than ever. Th make il even more
useful, I addeda rullyadjustAblefence,
GLUE UP. The fence is made from three
2Y.:"-\\tjcle pie-ces or ry,.- stock, see Fig. 7.
(Before gluing up the pieces, notch the LOll
piece for the drill chuck.see Detail.) When
the glue dries. tip the workpiecedown to 2"
wide to make clean, square OOg"".Then
cut it 10" length that's 6"longer than the
table. ('Ihis allow" a" al each end for the
locking mechanism, see Fig. 10.)
LOCKING ME:CHANISM. The locking
mechanism consists uf IWO blod<,<\\;Ih
their ends cut al an angle that clamp onto
the ends of the table, refer to Fig. 12. The
blocks art' ripped to the width of the tence
(2") and cut to a ruugh length or 41'1'.Then
each block is "hinged" on a spline or II.
Ma.wnite.
HING. '1b make the hinge. cut II 11.".
deep. '1,,"widekerf across the bottom of
lhe rence Yo" in frum each end. See Fig. 9.
Next. make II kerf across eachblock. Then
eut a v..\\;de ~lrip or ~L.l8Onite
10 6t into
the kerfs. (Since the Strip is v..' wide anti
the kerfs are v.." deep, the block will be
held v.: from the fence.refer 10 Fig. 12.)
MAJlK CUTOF.: Th mark the angled end
of the blocks, clamp the fence centered on
the table so it overhangs the front about
halfits width. see Fig. 10. Next, insert the
spline into the kerf in the block, and then
stide th~ block along lhe kerf in the fence
until if. OUAA with the front of the table,
Now,wilh a uniform ~. gap between the
renee and lhe block, trace the angle of the
edge oflhe table on the block. Then cut off
the waste leaving the line $0 the block is a
little longfor clamping,see Fig. II.
To mount Ihe block. bore a ~. hole
through the fenceand lhe block2' fromthe
end for a v..' carriage bolt. see Fig. 12.
~1nnlly.glue the splines into the blocks
and the rence. 'Whenthe wing nut is tightened, it pinchesthe angled end ofthe block
against the angled end of the table to lock
the fencein place.

",,"X,"
c.uitlAGl
IIO!JS

....

CUTNOta.

~r~

............... ~
"'" ~

NOTCHoeTAll
,.,.

D611WO

I _j_

::: "O~

1I.-.DEEPHOICl<
lOt 001' 1WI!f

::--

---c

-..., ::;..

..

41':

,J...f:) (.J ~.'

t I-r....j ,

!I

"""'1",

CROSS $CIKlN

~~

0
0IUC1<

i"T ,

,"=f'

l-t~'

'f--

~~.l'f"

..

_~

~"

'"

"~:r
~y

J.

CWIPING

~'7..
/t:i: .'><~ ~ r

~:.a..
.ru ..
~OI

'!-J,

>;,

',,'

a.AaAHCE HOTCH

, - fOOt .....

...~

f()I CHUCK

CtEAl.A.NCt IlFORE
Gt1.IING u, SToa

EtO
~~lOtAW
so 11' OV'ftlHA1'fGS
BY tw1ITS WJ011t

~~

;= ~

._ i-'"

;?

~
tAIlE CHAMIta
0Hf0 ClA.WING 1l.0000S

_"

\~
AGUIt 12
~~

(":tjfI
.

<,

..

V~

,; $1'tJ"~FOIl" D
_ .... 01....,

~'7"'-~

Z, ,'.'
I ["'~ }-oJ v

UNE

~~~

f:-'-::

.. '"

'
MASoNm-

, ..' j(1t.,~
CAARW;'''''' ,/

~E

WtHUNUT

ANOWASHR

~7

'".:

:Ja

,~

-1--.-1
21

Drill Bit Holders

SPADE BIT RACK

AJI er IinillhUlIl tho drill p""" eabinet 1_
P"IC\' 16), I t~IDI I'IICkI<J bold a JS-piece
<load.' hit ""I on the ",.ide of one of the
""h,nt'l 01,.,1'11.
'Tho. ""'k is de!tigned I<J keep
.. Ith. ",~I<II,"facing (1) the front.
rtrr TO NIZ.:.Slart by C'lIltinll3 piece of
I' lhlck stock (a 2><1works finel to I Y.."
wi,le """ II' long. se~ drawing. (This
length jg n littl,' 1.ss than the II ~"wid
..
door on Ihe dnll pl'\'>' cabinet.)
1'0.\1. eut a
chamfer on each front end
to mak" reom fur the 01ourof the c:abincllo
C'~_...,thout llu ....,k hillin!! tho oth er
door
DRlIJ. HOLFs After th~ dwnfers "'"
<III, dnll scn"", "f bol.,> centered on the
,,'I4Ilh t.o lI<'<t 1'1 IlK
bll>. The hole
Iocallon.<.h"" n rn lh~ drawing allow for
\I,' bE-I" "'n each bll.
On my 'I,,"I~ bit FN. the shanks for IYIO<'I
o(the bit> an- '." diameter SO I drilled "."
hol(s, lIuI Ih~ 1wo smallestbits (",,,' and
WQuidfall lhrOUj(h a '1',. hole in the
rock. go I drill"d smaller hoi"" for these
two bil~
GROOVt;.To keep the biL~ from $pinning
areund on the raek lind the "paddles" (acinI!

toward Ih,,' f","I. CUi I'.,.ide groove

'V,. from th back ,'111(1'. see the Cross

~ction
8~VKI. 10 make II c:..sier to get the bits

on and oUI. I CUI 15" bevel on the fronl

t-d1(1' o( Ihi.I(I'.)"' .,." Crt"'" Section.

SC"KEWIIOI.ES. )1;.'1. drill countersunk

t,,"

~wh"lc.
for th,
scr"w~ that hang
the rae k on th" ,1I.or.Thc holes are ',." in
di~l.I'r and IV,,'rrum each end.
Finally, ~no" lh,' ruck 10the inside of
the door wilh No. Hx 2' rh woodserews.

-----11.--

'Y"

_.,

'f

t IV.,. l' ".....

0.' . ~. '. '''.~t,..'',Vt' ........

Cll.QSS

.pad"

\1,',

1
....
1.

_"

MDDI.IS AU Hl\D"

AUC"""""T

5ECIlOtl

,,"'..l

GIt()(M

'I

'.

~./

CtOAMIII

.... 2'"

WO<>OSClrw

&of: 'l.-HOU
NolO COUNIUSIHlt

I
.'"

,~

j_

...

I.fVR
-

!.,

FORSTNER BIT BOX

'Jlo- tlnO """'" caWld ha., a big dr..wer 10
hold biUII""~,
bot I didn' want to

thro .. m) ..xl"'nm\....FOI"'t_ bit., into the

dra".r unprot,'<Ied. ;0;., I.lJt!Ot a few lIIIOuw. .,,01mad. a bo, to ~l ~
bits. The
sz., IIf tlK' h<" tI. 1*""" on the number and
~iztI)(blt.s U'I !tl....r Ji.(l.
C;1.l!t:.~p(.::'TER. Start by gluing up a
C'ent~rblock fro", oy.' ,t.oCk. '6r my sixbil
.cl. I u...~1thrt ..pi('(','s that meaoul't'd 31,"
wide ond 1'<10'
long. (The width .bould be

Yo Wider than Ihe ovcl'lllllength of your

lall(,.l hit )
OADO.After the ~Iu....llrie. and the ends
"'" .qll9l"\'<l ur', l'Ut a );11'"", dado (""teh)
ac"""lh~ topofthl' hlnck lealing ~"-";de
.hool.!.", on both cnd,.
dra"ing. The
,J"pth "f the 01;111.. ""-, to be II hair de<:per
than lhe h<..'1J1iht
of lh~ head and <enter
puint emyour ~-:<t ~''''''''tncr bit.
DRILl. HOI.,. !'O\\, locate and drill tbe
bit hol(1I In the dado. Sine>.' my 1arge;1 bli
has a 11.. " ,liamN"r ,hank. I drilled the
h")('II .. ,lh. Mo' brad IMOint
bit.
To I'"",'nt "" .. du,t from building up 10
th ....""Ilom nf th. hole.. I drilJecllhe b(l)~
for lh"I!lJ')("r bitA all !.he way !.hrough lhe
bottom .fthl' bl(lck. To pre\'ent the smaller
bit. (~- and 10'''<) from falling through lh.
hol~.. I nnly drilled ..~ deep as the

"'*

ngth nth

... ,.,. ...-r b" shank, Then I

UD The ("'31 1'...... 10make i.the lid. It".

finWll'rl dnlhng lhmug!!" ith a.maller bu.

:-ID"~ Xext, rut out two -ddes from ~.
.Iock that are ~. "idrr than tilt eenter
block. but the l;ar,,," len!!th.
Then l'U1. Y,"" .. I" WI""" for the lid on
the i""id.
(If
.ide piece. Locate
the bottom "(th,, j.."I'(HI\'" even with the lOp

cut from ~~I

....
k loth, "'"'" wnlllba. the
block. A.. f, r tbe ....idth. <lit it just a hair
k....
, lhall th~ d~,t.~""'
bet wee n the bouoms

f",.., ,."h

oflh<- "houlclpI'l' on lh, ..,mter block.

No" I!lu,' tho .ides t(l the block keeping
the end.. Ou.h lind lh( 1(1'1,,)1'(,5 ev~with
the tllP of lh(' ~hnuldpts.

..!tll<- I(MI<>I e....

S(I" eu t nobbE-l>..n hoth "Ig"" of the lid
to ,re.'t~,nll\l('" that "ill lit into the
{,,'llM,,'("" in lhf.' ,..td ..~,
I\OUNO OVKK tl)(:t;S Th ... hl.<l thing I
did """ .lid" th, lid into place and then
round (I"'r th" ,,111(". of lhe box with a "'."
1"ound-ovt'r Ilil.

00 0
,,0

'I.

zz

\VOODSMlTH

 ____~T:~a~lk~i~ngSho~_
AN OPEN FORUM FORCOMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

CHANGINGA srr
Often Iwish someone would make large drill
bits in 32nd or 64th ineh increments, 'J'h(,re
are times when I need to drill a hole that's
jUSLa hair under or over a standard-size bit.
Sometime;; Ineed to match a metricsized
hole and don't want to buy an expen.<ive
metric bit and only use it onee.
This was a problem we had a "'hile ago in
IVOOIImilhNo. 50. when we were deciding
what vise to U!;C on lhe workbench. Most
readily-available front vises are made in
Europe and have metric-sized guide rods.
IC. im})<lrtantthat the hoies drilled through
the vise fare block for the guide rods be the
~.racJsize of the rod.s,
EXPANSIQN BITS. One solution to the
problem is to buy an expansion (expansive)
bit such as one of those made by Irwin.
These bits are adjustable to any size. but I
feellhey have two drawbacks. First, they
are made fcr very slewspeeds-c-usually te
be used in hand-powered brace. (Note:
Irwin also makes an expansive bit for drill
presses, but cautions it', to be used at the
.1()II'tSl JlOI'.<ible
speed. J
The second problem is the cost. They're
priced from $15 to $25. That'. a lat of money
for a tool that you will rarely use.
A DIF'-ERENT SOI.UTION. I found
another solution to the problem. First, I
buy an inexpensive (SI.liO W $.1.00) spade
bit that's the next size la1'l(et than the hole
needed, These bns are usually sold in 1',,"
increments. (For more about spade bits.
see Woodsmilil No. 52.)
Then file 01I the roll"" of lhp bit ju.,t untO
you reach the size needed. For example. I
""",nOy filed a !'-diameter Sf Jade bit into
one that drills a hole exactly ''0/,.,

"ote: Since the edge of a spade bit is

.lightly tapered from the end W Ole shank.
the bit i; shank will II0t be perpendicular W
the edge oft.hc block.
Since you have to lake an equal amount off
both edges, the bit should only saiek out one
half the amoent you want to decrease lh~
bit. This can be a 1!Ct'II.'t",all (1"'Oll"i. Ifyou
w'lll1t to decrease the bit 11,.". vou have to let
the edge of the bit stick over' the end of the
block onl.I' ,/,..... (That', I... , than the lhick
ness of a playing card. Three playin!!:cards
equal about 'I".)
Once the bit is clamped in position LaP in.
nail:l.' an indexi,,!!:pin ril\'ht under where the
hit !lointjoill!' the paddl!'. _ drav.ing.

lfind tlud all (""f/)ty coff~1!M)I ltfith it.~

/lOlytthylcn< coI'er make . a g"od dirl!!

$O{''t~111!;IQrnge ('Q11tuil1er.

R. L. ,Ifam,tte
Penjl<Id..Vell' lark
You'", ri!(ht. From time to time I have used
gla.<:< jlU'$ to !<Lol"e ~lven'" - but it', not a
good prsetiee. It's especially dangerous in a
basement workshop where fume. released
from the solvent when a gta..; jar breaks can
be ignited by a ga.. pllotlight..
Anotherreader wrote to mention that this
IS the main reason why it'$ iUel(al in most
place!' tl) seIJ solvents in gill.<S eentainers.
A TIl!. Wm. V. riel Solar of \V lmont.

Illinois saw our-suggestion

to t>sea dish for

cleaning out brushes and offered another

idea He euts the bottoms (ItT two-liter
"Iastic :lOft drink bottles and uses them
Instead of cleaning them out aft"r was hinl!
brushes. just throw them oway.
PLASH I'OINTS. Another comment eoneeming this article was made by Zati$ L
Murph~', n chemist ror a solvent ('(Imp"ny.
He complimented us on the article bul felt
we should have elCplailled Ihe importance
of understanding flash points, He says, A

Nest. hold a smooth mill file flat and fil"

the edge of the bit ju.<;f.until it'. perfectly
Oush with the end onhe block. This can be a
difficult thing 1.0 see. so I keep bru$hing my
thumb across th dge of the bit to feel if the
bit and block are flush,
Aller the edge of the bit b 0....
<11. unelamp
the bit and turn il over so the other edge
face. up and the in.'ide corner rests against
the Indexing n.'lil. Now clamp it down light
and file the other edge unlil it'$ flush with tho
end of thp block.
Onee both edll"" are filed. test it by
drilling a hole.
One more thing. Don \ forget to mark the
bit insome special manner or the ne.x1.time

you grab your I" bit. you might be surprised

that it" drilling.
bole.

Oru;h point is defined as that temperature

at which a liquid or volatile solid gi"Cs orr a
vapor sufficient to form an ignitabl mixlure wil h air near Utesurface of'the liquid ."
The mOSl dangerous ~OIV(IIL..;are those

with flash points at or below room temperature. These are .Ia."ilied as "nanun:<ble'
or "extremely lIammable. Naphtha. 1Il0"t
alcohols. some lacquer thinners. and
acetone all fall intI) these categories.
Zat.L<PXlllalru<."There are th~ requirements for a fire: (I) fuel (solvent). (2)
oxygen. and (31 an ignition source. Since
the first two \\,11 alway. be p re sent, the
third must be eliminated. It's impertam te
watch out for hidden ignition sources too,
sueh as electrical motors and switches
which may generate sparks.'
CHEMICAl.tNfORMATION

Y."

To do til;';, Cdamp the bit to the side of a

blockofwood so the edge of the bit sticks out
slightly over the end of the block. see dJ1lwing. The end of the block will be used .. a
stop })<lintwhen filing.
WOODS~UTH

About the time the last Issue went to press

"I! leamt>d about an org-al1ization that can
SOLVINT fOLLOW-UP
help find ""!>-emergency information about
J" \~'o<KI~/rit}'I,fo )..I gOtf S''{Jf1Cstoo kec-pi-1tg solv(.. \!! and chemkals. It'$ the Chemical
dfrly soItJf!,,1 iu (J Ulass"fayotlllalSf: j4r.
Referral Cenwr run by the Chemical ManuI'm :til"" IJOI/'"" a 101"~I"" (IIld mtm' f"",;uren; A-<SOciation.
ca.Y,/ill arm/TId IIIA' .hop Iho'll alii. bllllL1lh
The C<>nLCr
;,;a ref('1Tl,1Rl'T\'ice onl)\ That
aillhose metaJ loo/s allli 10llg boorrb bring
is. they won\ be able to answer your quesm(ll~'Ifarol/nd I ,,,,,"ld "mTll aoolll any Lion.<but can put you in touch ,,;tb the
glo......co>tlain.... being k>llxked off a b,mcJ. speci6cchemicnJ manufacturer wOO~. The
alia broke". AIII/IJufII yOIl h<l!Jea _I fi.,., lUll free phone number is ~2Ji2.S2l)I). Call
ha::ard as 11),,/1 n' a problem will, cl<!ni.lg between 9 a.m. and 6 p. m. (EST) on Monday
"I'a lIIe~.Il/llJ;ncu,drs broken gla ...,.
through Fliday.

23

Sources
MICROWAVE CART

COUNTRY BENCH

Dani.h Oil. be sure the llani.<h Oil b C(l1II'

pletely dry and any oil that has seeped back
out of the peres has been wiped llat.)

The country bench 00el;11't need any hardware, but we did use a little different finishDRILLPRESS CABINET
ing procedure than usual We built the bench
out of red oak and wanted to stain it to Riveit \Ve're offering the hardware for the drill
a "country" look. NGrmnlly we WGuIduse 3 press cabinet as a kit (S('(! box below). You
stain like Minwax Golden Oak. But the probably can IIIso find all.fthc har-dware ata
sample board we made Wling this oolor of local hardware store 01' bome eenten
\V('built ourdrill press cabinet u,ing birch
Min'vax came out with a slightly brownish
der.)Joi>l1 COImet:lor8Q/t.,(l2neE'ded), 2'Y," cast. We were looking for more of a yellow
plywood and oak drawer pulls to match the
table saw cabinet in n'004"'tlilJ, No. 47. \Ye
long, 1'.-20 thread. statuary broJl1.t' fullih. golden Wile.
al."" used a brass piano hinge to match the
Order No. D6623. $.55 each, $6.00 per 12.
About this time, Ken. our Project Dc,';;P"
('rosa Dot,...Is (12 needed), ',.,.."
(16 nun) long. es; mentioned tbat he had been refinishing
tool cabinet in Woodsmill. No. 42. This
bard w.",.., add. a nice touch. but isn't DeC('S.
''IIo.(IOmmJdlameter, 5t 'Y,2" thread bolts, some oak woodwork at home and was using
Order No. 06618, $.2:1each. $2.62 per 12 'Vat.cu [)anSh Oil (Golden Oak color) lIS a oary. The impo.'lant thing i.<that !.he drawer
slides. pUlis. magneti catch, and binges fit
Pi,,Styr, Shelf S"/II/(Iri3 (.Il. brass plated.
stain. The color almost perfodly matched
fit
bole. Order No. 09100. S. IS each.
the natural golden color that oak develops the cabinet,
The hardware we used art' as folio,,",;:
1'.,10 Hillge. II'".' x $", brass plated.
over a number of years.
Order No. D2900-llI, $3.76 each. 1'1";11
We took his advice and wed \Vak'ODani..<h Dra.... Slu/f, 18"length, 'I.' side clearanee
Wh",,1 Ca.ottm; (4), plate type. 'Z' wheel. 211,' Oil Golden Oak on the bench. trs available
required, rated for 7;; pound load. made by
Knape & Yogt Mig. Co. No. 1300.\Ve found
overall height, black. Order No. CIII3,
from The Woodworke rs Store (see the
$9.95 per set of 4. Lid SlIppori. (l pair). 6'
address above), Order No. PI635. $6.1& a tbeseslides locallycostabout :!-S.50to $7.003
set. Oak Drawer PIIII~ (a), 3'~'
center borlong, brass plated, Order No. D1205. S:3.!Iii pint. $B.asaquart..
ing.
P;(11l()
flill{lCS
(2),
with
screws,
1Y1"
per pair.
The Watoo Danish Oil gave us the color we
wide, 24' long. brass. ,lfag)leti( Cate, with
Note about Udsupports: The lid supports
wanted. but it didn't provide the surface
from The \Voodwarken;' Store are lSlightly protection we thought would be __ led. To 2 strike pL11e$. (Note: Youcould fllso use two
longer than tbe ones in our kit (which are give the bench more IlIlIWrand protection,
separate catches, one for each door.) Pi,,
from Drainenl Manufacturing Co., No. we added two lop coats of tung oil. (Note: Stliit Shell S"pporis 0). T-N"t.~ (lI. to 3(;10Ila).\Voare sho"~ng the mounting proee- Before adding any other finish on tOi' of eept y,,' bolts. Carnage 8u11. (4), '1!0'x ;r.
dure for the Brainerd supports in the draw- f------------------------------i
ing on page 9. If you use The \Voodworkers'
Store !IUJlperLNo.DIi05l, you will have to
drill the holes for the lid support '.," farther f------------------------------i
away from the piano hinge.
OIUI.I.PRESS CABINET
MlCROWAVli CART
JOtNJ' CONNECTORS. There are a number of other mail order sourcesthat you can WoodB>nitJ, is offering a kit of hardware for ~I'ood.mitl. is ah!o offering IIkit of hardware
order the knock-dcwn joint connectors
the microwave eart.shewn in thi~is..rue.
.. This for the drill press eabinet, This kit includes:
(lpair)DrawerSIides.I8"long,
v.,idc
kit
includes:
from:
clearance required, I"d!.e<1for 75 pound
MEISEL IlAROWAR.E SPECIA1.TlES. P.O.
(12) Joint Connector Bolts, 2'1!0','1,20
thread,
load. 1'hel!e are Knape eli VogtNo. 1300
Box 208, Mound. MN 65.364:8()(J.4419870
(12) Cross Dowels, 0/,,: long, I~' diamslides.
(Note: $25.00 minimum order. Catalog:
eter. tont y.2()thread bolts above.
(3) Drawer Pulls, (}.Ik, 311{ center bor$1.00). Joml Cmrnllri'tr /Jolts, 2'Y'long.
Order No. 70!lO.$2.29 per 10. Cros.lJ<J,,'(01
mg.
(4) Pin-Style Shelf Supports, brass
plated. fit y," hole.
(2) Piano H mg.", 111.' 1< 2.1", brass
Nul.., Order No. 70'.:!fl.~1.!Iiiper 10.
plated. with :;C:NlW$.
(1) Piano Hinge, 11',.' J< 30". brass
TRENDt.JNt:S. :'175 Beacham 51., Box
6447, Chelsea, AlA 0'215(); 8OO.;l<13-3248
(1) Magnetic Catch, with 2 strike
plated, with
plates.
(Catalog: $2.00) Cl'088 Dot.'t/ J(I;1I1 .'1"'8.
(l IxUl')Lid Supports, one right-hand.
includes steel cross dowels, ZY, bolts. and
one left-haad, brass plated. These are
(4) Pin-Style Shelf Supports. brass
Brainerd
No.
lOS;;fid
supports,
plated, fit "'. hole.
AUen wrench for til(htellinK. Order N".
MHD2M. $1>.9.. per pack (appro", 50 sets
(4) 'J'v,;n \Vhecl Casters, plate type. 2"
(4) TN"",. to ac:eep! 510'~
bolts.
wheels,
2'h'
overall
height.
blaek,

(.1]
Carri..'lge
Bolts.
...
x
3".
per paek),
The toW priee (we pay the postage) f~r this '!'he total price (we pay the postage) for lhis
WOODCRAfT SUPPI.Y CORP, -t I Atlantic
kit is $24.95, {lowa "",idlmU; add 4'3; "ale:;
Ave.. Dept. \YS, Post Omce 80' 4()()O. kit i., $24.9:). (1011'8 ..... ident..<add I~ sale;
w.x.)Plice good through 12i31188.
laX.) Price good through 12.'31J88.
Woburn,
MA 018$8, 800225-1153
'lb
order
the
bardll'l.Irekit,juSl
write
your
Thorde .. !.he kit,ju't writeyourorderon a
(Cat.a)0lf. f'rtle). Cros.. D'lKd~.
Order Nu.
06Kl5. $4.9i) Plod for bag of 2,';. (',,,,"~Ior urder on a piece of parer. Microwave c.'Irt piece of paper: DriU J>re;s C-abinet Hard
BoIl (Note: The bb.ck oxide finkh on the;"
HardwarE' Kit N54A. Send it \\;U, your nnnW', "'tu'C Kit '#&18. &!nd it with your name,
bolts is ditTerent from the bronze fini.<hon addl'eSll, and payment (11<> charge t'Al-ds or address. and payment (no cl1arge cards or
the boIt..~from the other sources. And these phone order.;. please) to: Mierawa\'e Cart phone orders, please) to: Drill I're;.< Cabinet
boIL. are longer - 3~' long. They will Hard\\ are Kit, P.O. Box 1(13.10,Des Moin"". Hardware Kit,P.O. Bo" l(Xl5(t nMom.,;.
require 8 ,lightly d""per hole.). Order N'o. IA 50006. Please all"" 4 10 G week..< for lA 500()(;. Plea..<eallow 4 10 6 weeks for
06K55, $6.90 ppd for bag of25.
deliVer):
delivelj'.
\Ve're offering the bardWtlre for the microwave cart .IS a kit (see box below), Or you
ean order the J)lIl1.ti from the following mail
order sources:
TBE WooOWORKEBS' S1'ORE,2il'lOi Industrial Boulevard, Rogers. MN ~374;
612428-2199 (Catalog: $2.00. NGte: Add
$2.50 handling and insurance to your or-

II,

PROJECT KITS

1ICI'Il"".

24

WOODSMlffi