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    19 views38 pages

    Woodworking Shopnotes 001 - Shop Built Router T

    Uploaded by

    Steve
    Shopnotes1

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
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    of 38
    7 1 ee TO ON Mapes oi So =o wea ale Sie} @ Shop-Built Router Table e Table Saw Accessories | | e Tips for Accurate Crosscutting ¢ Elu Router Review Lo ES Issue 1 January 1992 ‘orron Doral B. Peschke sorromeat omecron Douglas L. Hicks awuame eorron Terry J.Strohman assistanr eorron Richard §. Peters ‘conrrnumme enrrons Gordon Gaippe Philip A.Tetten ‘Tin Robertson consanvetcineeron Tel Krall asst anv omecton Cary Christensen nuusmuron Kurt Sobultz ‘conmnurive nis. Chris Glowaekt Robert H. Whitmer vestenoimecron Ken Munkel vestonen Jan Hale Svee Proroanamen Crayola England ‘stop manner Steve Curtis ‘emeutaron oinseron Lin Bredesen, sunsonrrion aanacen Sandy Baum ‘rmevuanion anatysy Jim Woodson ewasrave sates Kent A. Buelten cconrnouen Pat B, Gray ‘AeoouNerING Linda O'Rourke ooxesrwe Julianne Spears werwor apne. Dou M. Lidster oumsrnarive asst. Cheryl Scott secseriomsr Lari Seibert unome uanrananes Ken Grifith sancerme omeoron Robert Murry tenses wera Losi Arm Gearhart. ieeadetee ‘eomucntsurronr Jonathan Gsbison cvsrouen sence Linda Morro um Batty Jenene Ieydearson Tana ga Harel Hoober ‘ren erent Jem Carson, Sut ‘Girra Steehan Ronald Long Donnie Neve ‘honed ety ae, Had Sere Renmmichnns, pct rc ecmenigicns ius Siew anaes Freep tetrannom Efe meanest Hone ete at an re Ronranaar SRT fhepremiere issueofanew magazine sets the stage for all the ideas and stories tobe told in the years to come. This first issue of ShopNotes ‘was born of a trait common to all, woodworkers ... we like to tall: about our shops, the tools we use, the techniques, and the way things work. ‘That's what you'll find in Shop- Notes. The whole idea is to have 8 magazine that’s dedicated en- tirely to your shop. If you like ‘working in your shop, even when you're not building @ particular project, maybe just puttering around, this magazine ought to appeal to you. IDEAS, When we first started talking about the idea of this new magazine, we were in the Wood- smith shop. (Woodsmith is a-ma- gazine for woodworkers that has plans for building furniture and small projects, and the tech- niques that go along with them.) ‘As we looked around the shop, we hegan talking about all the tips, shop projects, and new ideas that could be in ShopNotes. ROUTER TABLE. For example, in this issue we're featuring an all-new design for a router table. ‘This all started with the router table shown in Woodsmeith almost 10 years ago. ‘We've built. a lot of projects on thatold table, and we've had alot of ideas for improving the origi- nal design. ‘The new Router Table is pre- sented ina way so you can choose the parts of the table that work best for you. Build just the table top with ‘the phenotic insert, or build the ShopNotes new fence with the T-slot for adding accessories, (If you don't build anything else, the fence is worth looking at.) ‘As a bonus in this premiere issue, we've also added a special plans section for an enclosed router table cabinet. JIGS AND ACCESSORIES. The ‘one area that probably has the most interest, for woodworkers are the special jigs and nccesso- ‘ries that help you get the most ‘out of your tools, In this issue we're showing three accessories for your table saw. And in future issues we will show jigs for your band saw, drill press, radial arm saw, router, and all the other tools in your shop. TOOLS. As we began talking about tools themselves, it started a little controversy. How should ‘we approach tool reviews? ‘We didn’t want to list all the routers, for example, on the market a with chart comparing their features. This approach makes it tough to get a sense for ny one tool and how it operates. ‘So we decided to select one tool in this issue, (the Elu Plunge Rout- er) and concentrate on it witha full- fledged discussion about: what we Tike and don’t like. Thisin-depth ap- ‘proach should tell you exaetly what we think about: the tool. ‘TECHNIQUES. And, finally, in every issue we want to highlight ‘2 particular woodworking tech- nique. This time it’s a collection of ideas and tips on how to get the best performance when crosscut- ting on the table saw. ‘THE FUTURE, I hope you enjoy thispremiere issue of ShopNotes. T'm looking forward to its future. bes e ian. ‘tT e Contents Jigs and Accessories ____4 Three table saw accessories: Small-Piece Clamp, Push Block, and Table Saw Jointing. Elu Plunge Router ___ 10 The Elu #3398 plunge routs put lo tho test and comes out a real winner. Crosecutting ___—_—— 72 Problems involved with crosscutting on the table saw and helpful ties on solving them. Table Saw Cabinet __ 14 This simple cabinet mounts to the side of a table saw providing storage for blades, a rip fence, various acces- sories, and even a miter gauge. Router Table __" 16 This router table is loaded with options starting with a very simple base. (As a special bonus we've included a set of plans for an enclosed router cabinet.) Router Table Top ____________ 18 The sandwich construction of the top provides a heavy, vibration-free work surface. And allows a smooth surface for the miter gauge slot and the removable insert plate. Router Table Fence = 22 Sliding faces allow you to vary the bit opening to fit the bit you're using. The T-slot makes attaching accessories quick and easy. Fence Accessories ___ 26 A bit guard, free-hand guard, adjustable featherboard, and shop vacuum attachment make the router table safer and easier to use. Shop Solutions = _ 28 Five shop-tested tips: A Spring-Loaded Sanding Block. A Woodscrew Tip. Sawhorse Tray. Pipe Clamp Rack. And a Magnetic Tool Bar. Bookikeviews i 30 A look at The Workshop Book by Scott Landis. Sources =, Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for the projects in this issue. ‘ShopNotes Table Saw Cabinet — page Ls Router Table Fence page 22 3 Re es) Small-Piece Clamp e Reeetytestattncaze ject that required cutting A several small pieces on the table Cutting small ey. Rather than take any pieces safely 1 chances, I made a clamp jig that easy when YOU attaches to my miter gauge. use this simple The idea of the jig is that two clamp that at- “rms” hold the workpieces se- aches to your curely and keep my fingers away from the blade. miler gauge “The clamp consists of three pieces: a back jaw, a front jaw, and an adjustable spreader that connects the two jaws, see Fig. 1. spreader from %"-thiek hard- wing nut, see Fig. 2. Serew a A slot ent in the spreader allows wood, see Fig. 1. hanger bolt into the end of the you to adjust the distance be- SPREADER.Thespreaderhasa back jaw, eee Fig. 2a. (To insert tween the jaws so you can cut slotin one end tomake the camp the hanger bolt, refer to tip in different size pieces. adjustable. To cut this slot, first margin on the opposite page.) ‘Acarriage bolt and wing nutat drill a" hole214" from the end, After the bolt is installed, the other end provide the damp- see Detail in Fig. 1. Then make thread on a washer and wing nut. ing pressure. When the mut is two parallel euts up to the hole When you tighten the wing nut, tightened down on the bolt, it withabandsaworsabresaw. it pinches the spreader, locking pinches the two jaws together After the slot is cut, drill coun-_ one end of the front jaw in place. e like a vise to hold the workpiece tersunkshankholes at one end of ATTACHING THECLAMP. To at- in place as you make a cut. the spreader, and screw it tothe tach the clamp to the miter cond of the front;jaw, see Fig.2. gauge, first locate the holes for CONSTRUCTION HANGERBOLT Theslotted end the serews. T began work on the clamp by ofthe spreader fits over ahanger _Set the miter gauge at 90°, and cutting the two jaws and the bolt andis tightened down with a place the back jaw against the 1 ae waster — Maree GAUGE } warns caRRINGE BOLT ERONTJAW Bahaz Ie ‘SPREADER DETAIL ACK JAW, Senza frat 5p Dal sior Spb © t le ‘SPREADER, counerstina Sensi ‘SHANEHOLE, - i ul 4 ‘ShopNotes No.1 miter gauge, see Fig. 3. Then [7 slide the clamp over so the end touches the saw blade. Now mark. the position of the two serew qi holes in the back jav, and drill 4 {8 pilot holes. ‘A carriage bolt is used to close the jaws around the workpiece at BAR AW vencien ron aw the right end of the clamp. Mark the position of the bolt on the sexsve rmweovsceeW— tty parr back jaw, see Fig. 3. Then hanger bolt, eounterbore a hole to accept the thread two nuts head of the bolt, see Fig. 4a. Fi- onthe shaft and sally dria" through th tighten ther to- jaws for the carriage bol Now screw the damp to the pee > a Se miter gauge, insert the carriage torent ae Se sorew the bolt in bolt and washer, and tighten the wing mut, see Fig. 4. USING THE CLAMP ‘Touse the damp, loosen the wing nut on the spreader (at the left nd of the elamp), and adjust the jaws to the width of your work- [2 piece. Then tighten the nut. ‘Next, insert the workpiece be- tween the jaws at the right end of the clamp, and tighten the wing mut on the carriage bolt. ‘Note: When clamping pieces wider than 1°, the top edge of the Jaws may tip in, ‘To prevent this, ‘cut a spacer the same width as the workpiece, and insert: it be- tween the top edges of the jaws, A. couhreeeone eave Miter Cuts When you tilt the miter gauge to 45°, the end of along the miter gauge until the front corner of the clampistoo faraway the back jaw just touches from the blade to safely the edge of the blade, see hhold ana support a small drawing at right. ‘workpiece. With the clamp in this So, you need to re- position, mark new loca- position the clamp on the tions of the screw holes, miter gauge for 45° anddrillpilot holes.'Then miter cuts, screw the clamp to the ‘Todothis, unscrew the ‘lamp and tilt the miter gauge to 45". ‘Then slide the damp miter gange. ‘Now turn on the sav, and trim off the back omer of the back jaw. ‘TOP VIEW REPOSITION CLAM FoMare ao* curs Nove: rene cau TOORIGNAL POSTON oR e0"cure No.1 ShopNotes OT Push Block ° P= blocks get chewed up. But this one solves that by making the parts that get chewed up replaceable. Yet, you can reuse the handle (the part that takes the time to make). ‘A good push block is probably one of the most important acces sories for your table saw. Tt should be designed to solve com- mon problems when ripping. (See box on next page.) This push block has three parts: a replaceable main body (a serap piece of 2x4), a Masonite heel that hooks over the end of the workpiece, and 2 handle. HANDLE. The handle is the key tothe whole system, so it’s worth making a good one. I cut the handle out of a serap piece of 2x4, but any 16" thick stock will do. Start by cutting the handle blank 8%" wide by 9" long. Now, lay out the shape shown in Fig. 1 on the blank. Then cut the handle toshape on a band saw, and round over the sharp edges by filing them smooth. The handle is at- tached tothe 2x4 body and the heel with a drywall serew, Drill a shank hole for this screw at a slight angle (about 5°) so when the serow is tightened down it will pull the main body and heel tight into the notch in the handle, see Fig. 1a BODY AND HEEL. When the handle is complete, the next step is to cut out the body and the ‘Masonite heel. oO for the push block is cut from a piece of scrap 2x4. Just lay out the shepe and cut the handlleto size. ‘2 DRYWALL Nore: ~ NOTCHED SECON ee, (e384 MASONITE) CUTTING DIAGRAM, The handle > Ze HANDLE BLANK ShopNotes. S$ AND ACCESSORIES For the body, cut a serap piece [5 | —— nse of 2x4 Tlong. ‘The heel is ext acento fromapieceof'4'-thideMusonite so it's the same width (or even slightly less) than the body, anc extends 1" below the bottom edge ofthe body, see Fig. 1a. Shop'Tp: Since the body and heel will get chewed wp, it's a good idea to cut several ofthese | —__- pieces and keep them on hand for replacements, és ASSEMBLY. To assemble the push block, set the parts on aflat surface and clamp them together, ‘SECOND: DRIVE IN SCREW AND REMOVE CLAMPS a. see Fig. 2. Then screw them to- ; REhowe cone, gether with a drywall serew. a ‘AND BODY Shopllip: I used a drywall serew because it doesn’t need a pilot hole. This is especially handy when it comes time to re- place the heel and body. When the body and heel get chewed up, you don’t have to re- 2 < place them, see Fig. 3. Instead, race Ss |e = just flip both parts, clamp and Tee Cree a ae derew them together see Fig. 2a. |, alae eras: . Using a Push Block A This push block is very helpful & To prevent a workpiece from pull-_& The angled handle provides a when ripping thin strips. The body ing away from the rip fence, center comfortable grip — and force in two keeps the thin strip steady, while the the push block between the blade directions. It allows you to push heel pushes the thin strip through the _andfence, andapplygentlepressure straight ahead and press the work- saw blade without kickback. foward the fence during the cut. —_piece down (to prevent chattering). No.1 ShopNotes i" JIGS AND ACCESSORIES Table Saw Jointing ° Via ercs ca ‘mentioned that there was a way aie Your ee atietateo rie iene table sau into & wood on the table saw. It works jointer isn't as dif- on the same principle asa jointer, ficult as you just adapted to the table saw. might think—if ~ On a jointer, a workpiece is you build this See pe ene is set sigh er e Special fete. Canter knives. As n worcpiccs ia pushed over the knives, they cut the wood and joint the edge. ‘An outfeed table is set lush with the Inives to epport the [7 TE ‘SOMETE workpiece and prevent the AST p= pot Ee) Inives from taking too deep ent. ‘You ean use this same principle to convert your table saw into a simple jointer. Note: This Sjointer” takes off 14" per pass. ‘The seeret is converting your ip fence into the infeed and outfeed tables, see photo above, Converting your rip fenee for jointing is easy. All it takes is a CLAMP JOINTER PENCE ‘strip of 4'thick plywood and a Torn ree piece of Masonite, PLYWOOD. Start by ripping a strip of plywood 4"-wide. To make it easier to joint long pieces, cut the plywood 12" longer than the length of your rip fence and tem- porarily clamp the plywood to your fenee. MASONITE, Next.apiece of Ma- sonite is glued to one end of the plywood to become the outfeed side, see Fig. 1. (Note: used 16" Masonite since its thickness is a. the same as most carbide-tipped saw blades.) one ‘To determine the length of the sagem Masonite, measure from the back end of the plywood strip to the center of the saw blade. This posi tions the front of the strip directly over the center of the bblacle —which provides the maxi- 8 ShopNotes No.1 JIGS AND ACCESSORIE mum eut and exposes the min- imum amount of blade, see Fig. 2. Now cut a 4".wide strip of Ma- sonite to length and glue it to the plywood strip, refer to Fig. 1. ‘CUT RECESS. The next step is to cut a recess in the plywood fence for the saw blade. To do this, first clamp the plywood fence to yourrip fence. Then slide the rip fence over so it bntts up against the blade. Lower the A try square can be used to quickly align the table saw jotnter with the blade. blade and move the fenee to the left-am additional 16", see Fig. 2. Now turn on the saw and slowly raise the blade up into the Masonite to a height of 2" (this allows you to joint wood 2" thiek). To prevent the blade from. pinching against the plywood fence, lower the blade, move the fence over an additional Ye", and raise the blade again, see Fig. 3 ADSUST FENCE. After you've cut the relief in the plywood (and whenever you use this “jointer” fence), you'll need to adjust the position of the fence so the face of the Masonite s flush with thesaw blade, see Fig. 4. But before you do this, first check to make sure the rip fenee is square to the saw table, ‘Then, place the blade of the try square against the face of the Mi- sonite, and adjust the fericeso the square just touches the outside edges of the teeth on the saw blade, see Fig. 4a, Note: If after you've adjusted the fence, you find that the work- piece pivots in towards the fence, the blade may be sticking out too far, see Fig. 5.Or, ifthe workpiece 1 catches on the Masonite, the blade is in too far, see Fig. 6. In either case, re-adjust the fence. Using the Jointer To joint an edge with the table saw jointer, slide edge of the workpiece along the “jointer” fence applying even pressure to both the infeed and outfeedsides, see Fig. 1. As you finish a pass, apply pressure to only the starr coutfeed side —or the workpiece PE may pivot in toward the blade, Meoumetvarcs TOP VIEW see Fig. 2. If you're jointing a long, warped piece, you may want: to take off the high points on the ‘ends (or'in the center) to prevent the workpiece from pivoting around the rip fence. This can be vic done by starting at the sections pea ‘with high points. Then, joint the piece slong its full length, No.1 ShopNotes, 9 The top-of the- Tine Blu 8888 plunge router is loaded with special features, Elu Plunge you were toppay almost At the slowest speed, the $800 for a router, you'd Elu motor is quieter than expect something special my kitchen blender. P've be- With the Elu_ variable ‘ome hooked on the slow- speed, electronic plunge speed option on the Blu. router, you get it. Even when working with Plunge routers aren’t t hardwoods, I rarely turn new. Eu, a Swiss manufac- i the speed up past the Level, turer, built the first. one in 3 setting (16,000 RPM), and 1951. (Black and Decker frequently Fuse the Level 1 purchased Elu in 1984, but 5 setting. (8,000 RPM). the El line of tools is still 1 like the slowest speed manufactured in Switzer- with bits that make partial land.) It wasn’t until the eats (like a round-over bit). 1980's that. plunge routers oa Its quieter, and T've ex- beeame popular in the U.S. perienced no compromise in ‘FEATURES. So what docs cutting performance. aplungerouterdo that a con- ‘The biggest advantage to ventional router eanit? Just the slower speed though is, what the name says —it al the bit doesn’t heat up like ows you to plunge a bit into the contoured plate positioned right it would in a conventional router workpiece. This plunge feature is by the fingers of your lefl hand, turning at 22,000 Rest. By using great for routing stopped dadoes, and can be reached without let- only the speed necessary to make mortises, and surface designs. ting go of the handle, the cut, the chance of buming the ‘The important thing in making Now, with just slight down- wood or the bit is reduced. aplunge cut is forthe bit to enter ward pressure, push the motor BLECTRONIC CONTROL. As and exit the workpiece at exactly housing downthe guide rods until soon as you turn on the router, 90°. Theslightest amount ofside- it reaches a pre-selected depth. the electronic circuitry takes to-side play can ruinthe cut. This Then lock the plunge lock lever over, and the motor smoothly ac- “sloppy” plunging aetion is a that’s within easy reach of the celerates up to speed. This “soft problem on some plunge routers, fingers of your right hand and start” feature eliminates the However, the Elu makes start routing. wrist-twisting torque you'd ex plunge cuts with the precision of After completing the ent, re- pect from a big, 244 h.p. motor. aSwiss watch. Theguiderodsare lease the lock lever. The motor After the motor reaches oper- made out of case hardened steel housing travel backup theguide ating speed, it won't bog down in andare turned totighttolerances rods — keeping the spinning bit the middle of a heavy cut. In- (the same toleranees specified for safely above the workpiece until stead, the speed is electronically most router bits). youturn therouter off. That's the increased to maintain the RPM at. ‘The rods slide in 2"-Jong bush- beauty of using the Ela plunge the level you selected, like the 1g8 made of phosphor bronze (an router — you feel in control. cruise control on a car. expensive material that isselfu- brieating and has incredible wear MOTOR OEPTH ADJUSTIRENT resistance). By comparison, some One of the advantages that the One thing that’s always bugged plunge routers have bushings Eluhasover a standard router is me about ronters is setting the only on one side, or use a pair of its variablespeedmotor.Itallows bit height. You have to loosen the ylon bushings. you to select a speed from 8,000 motor housing to adjust the bit to USING THEROUTER. You can't to 20,000 RPM. The idea of a vari- the exact height you want. When really appreciate theengineering able speed motor is to be able to you retighten it, the height of the ofthe Elu until you take ifoffthe match the turning speed to the bit changes just a fraction, and shelf and use it. Grasp the han- material and the size of bit you're you need toset the heightall over les. Flip the “on” switch—it'sa using, And — it's quiet. ‘again. Sound familian? 10 ShopNotes No.1 TT ‘The Blw’s depth setting system eliminates all that witha series of progressively finer adjustments. ‘The heart of the system consists ofa depth stop bar and a turret, see photo below. ‘The stop bar is adjusted by a rack and pinion gear: This stop bar determines the depth of ent when it contacts one of the three serews on the turret. (The three serews allow you to preset three different depths.) The turret fea- ture is particularly useful when making 2 ent, lke a dado, in pro- gressively deeper increments. ‘The point is when you set the depth stop bar and turret, you canbe sure that the bit will cut to that exact: depth — and you can return to any setting, exactly. ‘To.add to the precision, there's ‘8 magnified seale with a hairline indicator. And finally, a micro-ad- juster on the end of the depth ‘Stop rod allows you to fine tune the depth of cut. ‘All of these depth setting fea- tures are fine in the freehand ronting position, but how do they work when the routeris mounted upside down in a router table? AA three position turret and a ‘magnified hainine indicator allow for precise depth settings. No. 1 ‘Making micro-adjustments on some table-mounted plunge routers can be a frustrating ex- perience. It's almost impossihle to get a good grip on the height adjustment nut. Elu has solved this problem by using an extension knob. Unfor- tunately, you have to pay extra (about $20) to get this option. COLLET SYSTEM The Elis plunge mechanism, variable speed motor, and depth adjustments work great. But it’s the collet system that impresses me the most. Ifyou've ever had a bit slip out of the collet and ruin a project, you'll appreciate how the Blu system works. COLLET. First of all, the Blu collet is 196" long. It grips a full ‘one inch of the shank of a bit. (Other routers have collets that grip as little as V4" of the shank.) But there’s more to the holding power of the Elu collet than just. a long grip. There are six slits that run almost the entire length of the collet (compared to two or three in some collets). These slits create “fingers” that exert uni- form pressure around the shank of the bit as the collet nut is tightened. ‘COLLET NUT. The collet-nut is, also designed differently than other routers. The collet. snaps into a retaining ring in the collet nut. Then the nut and the eollet assembly are screwed to the end of the spindle shaft. The benefit, of this comes when you remove the bit. As you loosen the nut the collet is pulled loose from the bit. ‘The only problem is, if you for- get to snap the collet all the way into the nut before tightening it, you'llend up using a pair of pliers to remove the bit and collet from the shaft. But if you snap the two pieces together, you won't have to worry about 2 slipping collet, One final thing I liked about the Elu's collet system—the way ShopNotes the bit is tightened. With many routers, you're always fighting with two wrenches. On the Blu, youpressa buttontoengageapin that locks the spindle shaft. So you only need one wrench to loosen or tighten the collet mut, ‘The Elu collet system is about as good as you can get, except you only geta 14" collet (for bits with Yp'-diameter shanks) when you buy the router, If you want a 4" collet, it's a $30 option. ‘SPINDLE A With the Elu collet system, loosening the nut pulls the collet ree from the router bit. The closer you look at the Ela 8888, the more you realize this tool was designed by people who understand woodworking. Details count. Like the fact that the base is designed to ac- cept standard guide bushings from Black & Decker — and also from Porter Cable. Even little things like spring- mounted knobs make a differ ence. (The springs prevent the mobs from vibrating loose while you're routing.) The list goes on, but the point ismade. They were really thinking ‘when they engineered this tool Bottom line, is it worth $8002 Well, if you admire a nearly perfect router, the Blu 3838 ie as close as you can get. u Safety Note: Always unplug ‘your table saw before making adjustments, To check your blade, first mark atooth. Then, place @ square in the slot and adjust it so the end of the square touches the side of the marked tooth. Next, slide the square and ro- tate the blade backward until the marked tooth aligns with the square. tft just touches, the slot and blade are aligned. To check your miter gauge, first loosen the locking knob. Then, use a try square and set the head 90" to the saw blade and tighten the knob. Ee takes crosscutting on the table saw for granted. Afterall, it should beessy tomake 90° cuts with a miter gauge — but making perfect crosseuts can be quite a challenge. ADJUSTMENTS: ‘The frustrating thing about making precise crosseuts is there isn’t usually just one problem. SAW BLADE, An often overlooked problem is that your saw blade may not be parallel to the miter gauge slots. A quick way to check this sto use combination square and the procedurein the top two photos below. By using this method, you can check the blade’s alignment. If the blade is not parallel to the miter slot, the table saw trunnion needs to be adjusted. (The trunnion is the assembly that holds the saw arbor to the bottom of the table.) Normally all you need to do is loosen the bolts that hold the trunnion 12 ‘ShopNotes and tap the trunnion in the direction needed. MITER GAUGE. A more common problem is the swiveling head of the miter gauge isn't exactly 90° to the miter gauge slot — usually because the ‘graduations on most miter gauges aren't accurate. ‘They're really only good for rough positioning. ‘To get amore accurate setting, loosen the locking knob and use a try square to set the miter gauge {90°to the saw blade, see bottom photo at left. DYNAMIC TESTING. However, even this is not as reliable as you might think. To get an accurate setting, you should make a dynamic test. Everything we've done up to this point has been a static test or adjustment. In other words, we haver’t turned on the saw to make a cut. ‘The only way to be sure that you're getting: per- fect, erosseuts is to do a dynamic test. One method Tuse to make a dynamie test is shown in Fig. 1. Set your miter gauge as close as you ean to 90° with a try square. Then make a crosscut on a piece of scrap (the wider, the better). After making the cut, flip one section over, and buttthe ends together. Ifthere’s a gap, the miter gauge is not set at 90°. GAP INDICATES MITER €AUGE( NOTSET ATO" 4A Fig. 1. To check that your miter gauge is 90° to the blade, crosscuta piece of scrap. Flip one piece over and butt the cut ends together. Ifthere’s.a gap the miter gauge needs to be adjusted. No. 1 ‘STANDARD PROCEDURES Once you're sure your table saw and miter gange are set up accurately, there are two simple proce- dures to help ensure clean, accurate crosseuts. MAKING A CLEAN CUT. First, always crosscut with the good side of the board face up. This way any tear-out will be on the side that won't be seen, Second, youcan ruin a perfect crosscut by pulling the board back along the side of the saw teeth after making a eut. Instead, slide the workpiece away from the blade after the cut. Then you can pull the miter gauge and workpiece back. AUXILIARY FENCE AND STOP BLOCK One of the most important things you can do to make better erosscuts is to use an auxiliary fence. ‘This is nothing more than an extension fence (I use a strip of 34" hardwood) attached to the face of the miter gauge, see Fig. 2, (Most miter gauges have slots or pre-drilled holes for screwing on a fence.) ‘An auxiliary fence improves the quality of the crosseut in two ways. SUPPORT. It provides extra support for the ‘workpiece, preventing it from pivoting during the cut. This is particularly helpful on long, wide pieces that tend to drag on the table surface. WANDER. Even more important, an auxiliary fence can prevent the tendency of a spinning saw holade to pull the workpiece into the blade causing a bad cut. (Thisis sometimes called wander, or creep.) ‘One common way to prevent wander is to glue a strip of sandpaper to the face of the auxiliary fence. ‘The sandpaper provides extra “grip” and keeps the workpiece from slipping. ‘The way I prefer to prevent. wander is to clamp a stop block to the fence, see Fig. 3. To counter the pull of the blade, I push the workpiece in the op- posite direction — tight against the block, while making the eut. ‘TEAR-OUT. One otherbenefit ofan auxiliary fence is that it ean help reduce tear-out on the back edge 4A Fig. 2. To provide support along the length of a Jong board when crosscutting, screw an auxiliary fence to your miter gauge. This prevents the board from dragging or swivelling during the cut No. 1 —-€LOR 10 RiP FENCE of the workpiece. Just extend the fence goit'sin the path of the blade, see Fig. 2. This way the fence supports both the workpiece and the waste piece, reducing the chance of the grain tearing out. REPETITIVE CUTS. Besides improving the qual- ity of the cut, using an auxiliary fence with a stop block ean also make quick work of eutting several pieces to the same length. Instead of marking each piece with a pencil (and hoping all the marks and euts are accurate), Tuse a two-cut procedure with an auxiliary fence. ‘The first cut is made with the stop block posi- tioned so the piece is cut slightly (about Ys") longer ‘than the finished length you want. (This makessure that this end of each piece is perfectly square.) ‘Then, just reset the stop block, flip each piece end-for-énd, and cut it to final length. By using the same set-up (and pushing against the stop block), you ensure they're all exactly the same length. ‘Note: One minor problem ean foul this up. Be sure to cut a sawdust relief on the bottom corner of the stop block to prevent any sawdust from building up ‘between the stop block and the workpiece. SHORT PIECES. When I need several short pieces all the same length, I clamp a clearanee block to the rip fence to use as a length gauge, see Fig. 4. Its okay to use the rip fence along with the miter gauge as long as the block provides enough clear- ance 80 the cut-off ean’t bind between the blade and fence. Italso helps if the auxiliary fence extends to support the eut-off piece and pushes it all the way through and heyond the saw blade (so the cut-offs dor’t stop right next to the saw blade). ShopNotes 13 << Fig. 3. Clamp a stop block to the fence to crossscut pieces to the same length, << Fig. 4. To cut short pieces, ‘clamp a clear- ance block to the rip fence and push the piece through with an aura To prevent saw dust from build- ing up between the workpiece and the stop block, cut a saw dust relief on the bottom corner. ‘This space-saving cabinet gives you away to store your table saw accessories so they're right at your finger tips. Saw Cabinet oes this sound fa- miliar? You'rejust getting ready to rip a board and there's no convenient place to store the miter gauge. And when you're trying tocrosscut, the rip fence isin the way. To store the miter gauge and rip fence lose at hand, T built a cabinet. that hangs on the side of my table saw, taking advantage of the unused space below the table extension, FEATURES, The cabi net has a door which effectively doubles the storage space — al- lowing yon to store the arbor wrench, saw blades, and otherac- cessories inside. The miter gange hangs in a quick-aecess holder on the door. ‘And there's a channel on top of the cabinet for the rip fence. CONSTRUCTION ‘To build the cabinet, I started by cutting the back (A) and the door blank (B) from %-thick ply- wood, sce Fig. 1. Tent both pieces 1516" wide by 23" long darge enough to store 10"dia. saw blades side-by-side). ‘ToporroM. The door and the hack are joined together with the top and bottom (C, D). Cut both of these pieces to the same length as the back and 416" wide, see Fig. 1. Note: The 446" width will necommodate most saw fences — but: you can change the width to fit your fence. After the topand bot- tom are ent to size, serew them to the back piece (A), see Fig. 1. END PIBCE, To mount the door, an end (E) is eut to fit between the top and bottom pieces, see Fig. 2. ‘To provide more holding power for the hinge screws, I eut this piece from %'- thick hardwood (not plywood). ‘The width of this piece has to allow for the hinge. So measure the width of the bottom (41") 4 #0 x 18" Fr Ate PATE orron r _ Ee BORK | cenexmirex cavce aie é ‘iden on voor EXPLODED VIEW 14 PACK ROUND ovER ow ‘shopNotes T ae (CROSS SECTION oo No.1 and subtract the thickness of the hinge. Then screw the end be- tween the top (C)and bottom (D). DOOR BLANK. Before the door ‘can be mounted, the door blank (B) is ripped into two pieces. One piece becomes the door. The ‘other piece is serewed to the top © to complete the channel for the rip fence, see Fig. 1 BLADE HOLDERS. Before in- stalling the door, I laid out and drilled holes for angled dowels that: hold the blades inside the cabinet, see Cross Section in Fig. 1. MOUNT DOOR. When you're ready to monnt the door to the cabinet, et a piano hinge the sume Tength as the door. Then serew the hinge to the door,see Fig. 2, Next, serew the other flap of the hinge tothe end (K). Finally, add amag- netic catch, see Fig. 1. MOUNT THE CABINET. If the angle of the legs on your table saw interferes with mounting the cabinet, add a couple of spacer blocks. Counterbore holes in the blocks, and bolt them to the side of the saw, see Fig. 3. Now all that’s left is to serew the cabinet tothe blocks. Ceo nacrness l ince ‘ornince sucks ENDEKLE tee oeckw BOLT spaces Blocks 70 SECOND: ‘ScREW CABINET "Towers Miter Gauge Holder 4A quick-access holder mounted to the cabinet for your miter gauge. Itallows you to slide the miter gauge in place — even, with an auxiliary fence attached. is No.1 One of the most awkward things to store is a miter gauge — espe- cially when it has an auxiliary fence attached to Storing it becomes even more of problem if you want easy and quick aceess when you need it. Our solution is this simple quick-access holder that: mounts to the front of the eabinet door. TABLE SAN L (CROSS SECTION a HOLDER. The holder is just a bracket with a tapered notch. ‘To make it, eut a serap piece of 2x4 8'long. Then, rip it to a width of 2", see drawing below. ‘Next, lay out the tapered notch and eut it out with a sabre saw or on a band saw. Also, drill two countersunk shank holes. ‘When mounting the holder to the door, tilt it ata slight angle to keepthe miter gauge fromsliding off the front (open) end. verthe years I've kept alist ofall the features I wanted on a router table. ‘This new table is desigmed with those fea- tures, but also with flexibility so you can use only the parts you want — the new open base or the cabinet, thenew top with an insert plate, or the fence with a T-slot for accessories. THE BASE. We started out building an enclosed base cabinet that has everything... bit storage on the doors, a removable sawdust bin, an accessory storage area, and the best feature, it's quiet (the ‘enclosed cabinet dampens most of the router noise.) ‘The plans for this cabinet are in the special pull-out. Build the cabinet (above) or the open frame (left), then add the top and fence. Or build the adjustable fence to fit your own router table. section included with this issue. Or, you ean opt for the easy-to-build open frame (plans on next page). ‘rE TOP. As for the top, I thought three features, were essential. First, I wanted an insert plate to hold the router: This way the router can be lifted out ofthe top to change bits, orremoved completely for free-hand routing. [also wanted heavy top (to ‘dampen vibration), and a miter slot. FENCE, If you don’t build any other part of this router table, consider building the fence. It has a ‘Plot on the face that’s designed to accept a variety of accessories (refer to pages 26 and 27). And the clamping system is designed to attach to any table, A The router is mounted to a remov- able insert plate so it can be lifted out for changing bits or free-hand routing. 16 A The fence has a T-slot for attaching various accessories, and sliding faces allow for diferent sized router bits. ‘ShopNotes: A channel can be routed to accept your miter gauge. This is particularly ‘handy for routing the ends of boards. No.1 FEATURE PROJECT Open-Frame Base EXPLODED VIEW CUTTING PETAL STRETCHERS: Note Le ie ol cur Daboee Pans 4 OPEN-FRAME BASE ‘This open-frame base is sturdy and easy to build. The entire base is built out of 24's, But before T started, I cleaned them upalittle by ripping Vs" off both edges, re- ducing the width to 3", see Cut- ting Detail above. END FRAMES. The base has two end frames that consist of twvo legs and two rails. ‘THE LEGS. Each leg is made from two 2x4’s cut to length and, then sandwiched together, see Exploded View. To provide mor- tises for the rails, I pre-cut wide dadoesin each leg piece before glu ing them together. (This simplified the joinery.) ASSEMBLY, After the dadoes are cut in the leg pieces, glue the legs and rails together to com plete the end frames, see Fig. 1. STRETCHERS. Next, the end frames are joined together with three stretchers (Note: ‘To pro- vide acess to the router, there isn’t a top stretcher between the front legs.) ‘The stretchers are fastened to the frames with lag bolts. But since the bolts are threaded into end grain, there's a trick to strengthening this joint. drilled a hole near the end of the stretcher and giued in dowels before screwing in the lag bolts, see Fig. 2. sense ‘owe. ShopNotes You can provide extra holding power when screwing into end. grain by in- serting a dowel. The dowel pro- vides oross-grain strength. eT Ts Router Table Top Ine heart of this router table is the top. It has three im- portant features: the removable insert plate, the miter gangeslot, and its weight. REMOVABLE INSERT. The i sert plate is a piece of ¥4"-thick phenolic plastic (you could also use Masonite) that fits in a recessed opening in the table. ‘The idea is to screw the router to the bottom of the plate. Then you can simply lift the ronter out of the table to change hardwood, and covered with bits, or to dofreehand routing. mica on both sides. For- CHNIQUE. The only tricky THE CORE. The core of the part to adding an insert plate to router table top is a sandwich of the top is routing out the recess, two layers of Masonite glued on It has to fit exactly. (The tech- top of a 34* plywood base. ‘The nique we used is to rout the idea here is to make a heavy top recess with a pattern bit ina (to dampen vibration). ‘Also, router, refer to pages 20.and21.) when the recess (for the insert plate) and the miter gauge slot eee a are routed in the surface of the ‘The top consists of a core of ply- top, the two layers of Masonite ‘wood and Masonite, edged with provide smooth, hard edges. EXPLODED VIEW Lawnvare ROUTER BABE TABLETOP Sax Wax ate D FelBk, Edging (2) 4x 1x80 - F Insert Pate ()" Vax 77a x1P%s Ince: made from phenolic | Vax 22 rgh.x29 rah. E Laminate(2) — 25¥2 rgh.x Ste rah. Bebapeeiitenin "Saree ESetsd 18 ‘ShopNotes No.1 Ge T began making the core sec- @ sion tycatting 2 base (4) to size from 4" plywood, see Fig. 1 Design Note: After the edging is installed, the finished dimen- sions of the top will be 23" x 30". MASONITE PIECES. After the plywood is cut to size, the next step is to eut two pieces of 14" thiek Masonite (B) and glue them cn top of the plywood base with contact cement. ‘The trick here is getting the edges of the Masonite to align with the plywood. ‘TRIM FLUSH. ‘To solve this problem, T cut, the Masonite pieces slightly larger than the plywood. Then Ironted the edges of the Masonite flush with the edges of the plywood by using a flush trim bit, see Fig. 1a. Shop Note: used a flush trim bit with a bearing on the top, rofer to Fig. 1a. IU also the bit I used to rout the recess for the & insert plate and the miter gauge slot, refer to pages 20 and 21. EDGING. After routing the edges of the Masonite, this whole core section is then edged with hardwood, used %"-thiek maple edging (C, D). First, rip the edging to match the thickness of the top. Then cut it to length, see Fig. 2. Now, glue and elamp the edg- ing pieces flush with the edges of the top, see Fig. 2a. SOFTEN CORNERS. When the glueisdry, sand orfilearadius on ‘each corner, see Fig. 2b. LAMINATE. The last step is to gine Formica laminate (B) to both sides of the core. Design Note: To prevent one side of the top from expanding ‘and contracting differently than the other, it’s important to glue laminate to both sides, see Fig. 8. Here again, I cut the laminate oversize, then trimmed it... but this time with a chamfer bit to chamfer the edge of the topat the same time, see Fig. 88, No.1 cont or contact Sunraces, ‘SECOND: RST Corroremno re aon ontacn come BoM SURFACES ShopNotes 19 Insert Plate ate opting 9 3] e ‘ next step is to make the remova- ble insert plate. T used a piece of Ve'-thiek phenolic plastie, but V4" Masonite will also work ‘THE INSERT PLATE. First, cut | peur ano the insert plate (F) toits finished | cousrersinx size, vee Fig. 4.(Iyouplan touse | MONTNC a large router, make the plate | arc about 1" wider than the handles ‘on the router, see page 31.) ‘After eutting the plate to size, use the base from your router as a template to locate and drill mounting holes and the center hole in the insert. Also dri two finger holesin the plate, see Fig. 4. Next, sand or file 2/4" radius on the comers of the insert. (This equals the radius of the pattern Dit used to rout the recess, later) Finally, chamferall the edges, see Fig. 4a. LAYOUT OPENING. After the insert plate is complete, [ used it as a template for laying out the ‘opening in the top. Position the the cut lines. Then use a sabre place the plate over the opening, plate 6" from the front edge ofthe saw to cut ont the opening. so it aligns with the outline pre- | top so it’s centered side-to-side, ‘THE LAP. ‘The next step is to viously drawn on the top. and trace around it, see Fig.5. "rout the lip forthe insert plate to. Now place guide strips around Now the problem is to rout a sit on. The secret to getting the the insert plate, see Fig. 7. These recess that has a lip around it to outline of the lip to perfectly strips will guide a pattern bit to Dre om, a [ringer HOLES hold up the plate. match the plate is to use the plate _ rout the lipped recess. So, draw cut lines for the lip itself as a set-up guide for posi. ‘The pattern bit I used has cut- 4" in from the outline, see Vig. 6. tioning the guide strips. ter length of 1". So, to provide a Now, drill a hole in each corner of GUIDE STRIPS. To do this, surface for the bearing to ride Guidestrips |Z] upsets | seme aceernmnee peer gape oli caus zeros Gun ore — “Nocenenro rout arecess wake Cube Stars in the top that’s exactly the size of the PATTER insert plate. cupesrer ) cose SECTION ye mener TRICKNESS sun reewoon. OrnoEer 20 ShopNotes No.1 ETT against, the guide strips need to depth to match the exact thick- be 1" thiek, see Fig. 7. ness of the insert plate. ‘The strips should be 8" wide to To do this, mount the pattern support the router. And two of bit in the router. Then place the | the strips should long enough to insert plate on top of a guide strip, match the width of the top. see Fig.8. Set the router on top of ) (They're used later for routing the insert plate and lower the bit | themiter slat, refer to Fig. 10.)__untiitborely touches the top. ‘After sticking the guide strips Remove the insert plate and 4 Usinga patter bitin routers a quick down with double-sided carpet rout out the recess lip, see Fig.9. way ioroulthe recessed lip in the top. The | tape, lift the insert plate out. ‘To improve the air flow to the bearing on the pattem bit rides against DEPTHOFCUE Beforerouting router, out achamfer onthe bot- guide strips and cuts a recess exactly the the lip you need to set the bit tom ofthe opening, see Fig. 9a. same size as the insert plate. cor eaun. Ye cHAMPER nour clockwise ‘AROUND BorTOX ‘AROUND THE CUDE STRAPS eo EDGE OF OPENING, snout Just TOUCH THE TABLE © Viter Gauge Slot ‘After completing the recess lip inside edge of the miter gauge the slot, use a procedure similar for the insert plate, there's only slot, see Fig. 10a. to that shown in Figs. 8 and 9. one thing left to doon the toep— Now to position the other Place the miter gauge bar on ront the miter gauge slot. guide strip, hold the miter gange top of the guide strip, and the GUIDE STRIPS. Using double- snugly between the two strips, router on top of the bar. Then sided carpet tape, position one of see Fig. 10. lower the bit to barely touch the the guide strips 4" fromthe front ROUT THE SLOT. To set the table top. Now remove the miter ‘edge ofthe top. This willformthe depth of the pattern bit to rout gaugeand ronttheslot, see Fig. 11 aus Gauee tO Aven CUE No.1 ‘ShopNotes aL FEATURE PROJECT Router Table Fence e _ ete hhether you build any to accept so you can adjust the opening to other part of this router T-shaped nuts fit the router bit you're using. table, the fence is worth looking that slide in and let you add a CLAMPING SYSTEM. The fence at.Ithasthreeuniquefeatures— variety of accessories, includinga is also designed to adapt to any aT-slot for accessories, a pair of guard, and a featherboard. (For table (even one you already own). sliding faces, and aspecial clamp- more on this, see page 26.) ‘The built-in clamp heads on each igsystem. SLIDING FACES. The faces on end (that secure the fence to the ‘ESLOT The slot is designed the front of the fence slide open table) can easily be adapted to fit almost any table top, roves BUILDING THE FENCE gy 9 ‘The fence is made up of four sec- tions. The split base (A) serves as, a platform for adding the top bar (with the T-lot), the sliding faces, and the clamp heads. ‘The base is eventually cut in half to fit around the router bit, refer to the Exploded View. But it starts out as a long strip that consists of two pieces, a bottom. piece, and a top piece with four ‘dadoes cut init, see Fig. 1. ‘The idea is to sandwich these two pieces together to form a EXPLODED VIEW PLASTIC KNOB het 6" THREADED KNOB = ¥ base with four slots. (Knobs pass oun = sal ‘through the slots to hold the slid- woOescREN > ing faces in place, refer to Ex- ploded View.) To determine the length of these base pieces, measure the length of the router table top (@0*) and add 6*. This allows" on ‘each end for the clamp heads. ‘After the two base pieces are gu Torrom HowredvS Re rOsmon cut tolength, eat dadoes(sots)in QD —_PCTTOM Si AIGRMENT Sex the top piece, Spacing the dadoes ‘equally from the ends, see Fig. 1. ShopNotes No.1 FEATURE PROJECT ‘SUING Faces ASSEMBLY. Now gine the two [> base pieces together. Since glued surfaces tend to slide as they're clamped together, [used a simple ‘technique to keep them aligned, First, align the edges of both pieces and dry-clamp them to- |p. gether. Then screw the pieces to- ial % E gether with a couple of wood screws, see Fig. 1. Nowremovetheclamps, apply | yj. glue, and serew the pieces back ce matically realign the pieces and | 1 He (Caer keep them from sliding as the together. The screws will auto- lamps are tightened. ‘SLIDING FACES 45° BEVEL ON ONE EACH FACETS ONE HALE PEND OF each THE LENCTH OF THEDAGE FACE £0¢E FOR BUST REG _ get as close as possible to the of the base. Then use an awl to router bit, I beveled one end of scribe the position of the slots on ‘Later, the base will be cut into each piece. I also routed a small the back of the fees, see Fig. 3. two sections (to create an open- chamferalong the bottom edge of With the slots locsted, you can ing for the router bit). But for both faces. This chamfer serves dill holes for the threaded in- now leave itas one piece and add asareliefforsawdust, see Fig.2. serts. Center the holes between the sliding faces (B). THREADED INSERTS. Theslid- the scribed lines.and nearthe end Each sliding faceis one halfthe ing faces are almost complete — of each slot closest to the bevel, length of the base (18"). And the all that’s left is to install the see Fig. 4. width (height) of each faceis Vie" threaded inserts. Note: The hole needed for most less than the height of the base, ‘The problem is making sure 946° LD. threaded inserts is 94". see Fig.2. This creates clearance the threaded inserts align with deep. Be careful not to drill too so the sliding faces won't bind the slots in the base. ‘To do this, deep, see Fig. 4a. against the top bar. hold thesliding facesintheclosed _ Finally, install the threaded in- ‘Toallow the sliding faces (B)to position and flush to the bottom serts in the faces, see box below. _ sore stor wocanon iro rack veri avn 7 DRILL TO FIT ora. Hour sehlb mene. EN or race PreK oe —= No. 1 ShopNotes 23 TUT Top Bar __ ‘The base of the fence is just a platform for adding the top bar (and the clamps). The top bar (C) has a T-slot which is actually a system foradding all the accesso- rries shown on pages 26 and 27. MAKE THE BAR. The first step 10 cut two piecesito size to make the bar, see Fig. 5. The length of each piece is the same length as the base (A) (86°). And the width of each piece 214") equals the width of the base, plus the sliding face (B) pieces, refer to Fig. 6a. CUT THE SLOT After cutting the pieces to size, the next step is, to make the Tslot. Cutting the Telot is a two-step operation. ‘Start by cutting a 3" by 2%" ‘groove in the face of each piece, see Step 1 in Fig. 5. Then turn each piece on edge and trim ¥4" off the end of the “tongue” formed by the groove, see Step 2 in Fig. 5. GLUE-UP. By gluing these two pieces together, a T-slotis formed in the top bar, see Fig. 6a. seTHice — 5 | *éroce Sue Here again I used the serew and giue technique (mentioned on the previous page) to glue these pieces together. To keep the heads of the screws from showing, serew ther in from the bottom face of the top bar: AIGN PIECES sunrace 6 SSH AN Babar ShopNotes [Je —orco stave Nore: iontiesce cura Orme sckewa FROM —2aW BLADE: GLU OP BAR TO BASE. The next step isto glue the top har (C) to the base (A). To help align the pieces, tem- porarily attach the sliding face pieces (B) to the base (A) with Anobs (or bolts), see Fig. 6a. | ‘Then, tomake sure that the top bar and the base are flush and ‘square, clamp them together (no glue yet) on a flat surface (I used my saw table), see Fig. 6. ‘Once again, use the serew and ‘glue technique, this time serew- ing from the bottom of the base into the top bar: ‘After the glue has dried, re- move the screws and the sliding face pieces you temporarily at- tached to the base. BIT OPENING. Now that the base is attached to the top bar, the next step is to cut an opening. for the router bit. The opening is 4" wide, and centered on the length of the fence, see Fig. 7. T cut the opening on the table saw by setting a dado blade slightly less than the height of the base, see Fig. 7a. Then I made ‘repeated passes to waste out the stock for the bit opening. No.1 Clamp System : @ The fence is almost complete, all [g PLASTICRNOB — i. PLAeNe KNOB (ORWWG NUT that's lef is the clamp systern. CLAMP SYSTEM. What makes ‘this clamp system work is a car ROUTER TABLE TOP riage bolt that passes through the clamp head and up through the fence. By tightening a knob (or we ‘wing nut) on the bolt, the clamp saatoare head pinches against the bottom oe of the table top, holding the fence in place, see Fig, Ba HE CLAMP HEAD. Each ae, clamp head consists of two eines, my pieces — a spacer that's slightly “or ee 2 thinner than the top, and an arm Re ae eae that extends under the table top. = ‘The clamp heads are “hinged” to the fence with Masonite the same width as the router side-to-side on the table top. splines, see Fig. 8. The only re- fence base (A) (134"), see Fig.9. ‘Then measure the amount of quirement is to cut matching SPACERS. Next, determine the overhang on each side (3") and kerfs in the spacer and the fence. thickness of the spacers (E) by subtract 14" for clearance (21"). ‘To cut these Kerfs safely, I measuring the thickness of your Now cut two spacers () to glued the spacers to a long arm router table top. Then, for clear- these dimensions, and giue them blank first. (Later, I cut the arm ance, subtract 14". (Thisereates ato the arm blank (D), see Fig. 9 blank in half to make two clamp space sothe arm canpinchagainst SPLINE HINGES, The next step heads, see Fig. 9.) the table top, see Fig. 8.) isto cut kerf for the 14" Masonite ‘ARM BLANK. To make the arm To determine the length of the splines, see Fig. 9. blank(D), eutans"-long blankto spacers, eenter the fence from ‘Toalign the pieces, use the rip ______feneeon the table saw to position Gurceracers | Kerfs in the bottom of the fence, and then, without changing the set-up, cut kerf in the spacers. Now, cut Masonite splines 44" ‘wider than the combined depth of the kerf’ (14°). And finally, before ceatting the blank in half, I cut bevels on the ends (for appear nec), see Fig. 9. CARRIAGE BOLTS, ‘These ‘lamp heads are attached to the fence with carriage bolts. ‘The easiest way to get the holes BULLE roe to align in these two pieces is to S fasten the clamp heads to the fence with earpet tape, and drill through both picees, see Fig. 10. Shop'Tip: If your dvill bit isn’t Jong enough, drill as far as you can, remove the clamp heads and complete the hole, see Fig. 10. FINISH. Before assembling the fence, 1 applied two coats of tung oil finish to keep the wood parts from getting soiled. No.1 ShopNotes 25 TRC Fence Accessories e Router Bit Guard For safety, you should include ‘Tomakethe guard, first eutthe a bit guard on the router table. back to size, and eut two Ys" slots ed to attach to for adjusting the height. ‘Tmuts and The shield iseut from 4"-thiek threaded knobs. Plexiglas, and screwed to the ‘The guard is made of two back. This whole assembly is piecessa 14"-thickhardwood bock simply attached to the fence with piece, and a Plexiglas shield. threaded knobs, see Fig. 2. THseADeD| pr vente, 5 ripictas Guard for Freehand Routing When you want todo freehand And two 45° notches are eut in routing, you need a guard that the sides, see Fig. 1. ‘extends out from the fence. This To install the guard, turn the one is made fromasingle piece of fence over and pinch the sliding \Y4'-thick Plexiglas, see Fig. 1. faces against the guard, see Fig. Tostabilize the guard, twosets 2. Then install the serews, of notches are cut. Two straight ‘To remove the guard, simply notches are cut:on the back edge. open the faces and pull it out. \\ counrensin ‘SHANK HOLE 2] sae ea 4 - SCREWINTO ‘ Ad ba iti sree” e 26 ShopNotes No.1 Le saqondoys TN alyid 39v4—— Ska, ie g yt Baste Jai Son a je aii aay BE waenen Zi ZZ | “smanes 2tp SueIYyaN YSU wNNDeA Unof Os aye}d aoeF ay} SPauOD pue (FurUEdo 31q 29;NOT paw somed ay} oxourar ‘pays ax fou ergy “Smaros ax SunyTEyS argjeq soot apis ayy rapun somutod quel ‘sayy punoxe a8 of, aout ot YE OF SpUDY pUE WAROP pootoy st quoUNpENE umNNDEA ayy JO wOFIOG ayy ‘smazos om ur uraup aunok sy WarTHOwd aout 4 Jo yor oy 0 OME NE O4y AIS org) pue reqyaHoy Smad oy anys) -@ By aos “ns 4 La 8044 Ur 9[0q © [Ep MON “aI TON Caqqea 24 pure aouiay ony ssureie {USN I oF qwoUNpENE ayy smote sty.) @ ty 08 ‘Sa9e1d apis ou ypTeUr 07 Sapa woo pire doy ay uo pafeaod pre opts. oG SAT “onTUOsENL i, Way apond 2onf exer XON "HIV" dO. T “Big 898 S018 PIU. wo sooend apis packeysrepusUcEt 1x9 ano quounpoerne ous PHIG AL, “onoyd aas ‘oeaddoys a0 07 ‘yy ano) aouey ayy Jo 3eq OMT 07 Smads qn) UHOISAS WORPATIOD J80p pung-oF-AsHo We SIH qualUYyoeqyqy WUNNseA, ‘Stoisno no “eg Mtg 99s “wes iq 10 mes arqes YAH IOS at ho $no “WOR, “paBOgTOKNITDR OK, Jo a8pe woyog ayy MAY dn MZ ‘sofoy. Se TEND ‘Props ou eeu ay, “909g a1p3 0 prEOGaN Ay aM uqyoeyy Joy sops 0x4 ae OY St dogs 980] 2], SLOTS BALL stofiuy gr sonny SMG) "#99 poouds Aenbe pp yet ‘os 81 guy apeq ayy AUD eg “Buy 098 no HSI, WAT & orwUE O} aT asTEx PUE,OE ©} aperg aves ofa otf IN MON “gay 0s ‘offre coq an0k OF aouay Arexypane ey @ youre S108 AU 943 480 GY, SUADNIA HAL T BL aas ‘og 3k ato spua yyoq, WAI 9pows PNT, wo coord “410M 9ho “OUO SNyY OREAK QT, yn quo ,STSUOD e Oy OIG ayy ysuresie 349 sprog Butdooy, soy Tydyey st prEoquoKEay VM pieoqiaygea IFT Shop Solutions Sanding Block CENTER HOLES on trtenNeSs. ‘oF BLOC we + F different twist, a sanding block that uses a belt from a belt sander: (I made mine to fit a 8° x21" belt, but it can be modified to fit any belt.) The sanding block is actually estto drill these holes before cut- ting off the heel) ‘To help tension the belt, I rounded over the edges of the heel and beveled the other end, see Fig.2. Finally, cut off the heel and gine the dowels into it. ‘To use the block, slide springs on the dowels and insert the dowels into the body. Then com- press the springs and slip on a sanding belt. When you need a fresh surface, squeeze the block together and rotate the belt. two pieces, abody and aheel with . springs in between, see photo. Dowels are glued into the heel to hold the springs in place. When the heel and body are squeezed together, a sanding belt: ean be slipped ‘over the block. The springs push the pieces apart to tension the belt, refer to Fig. 2 ‘To make a sanding block for a 3" x21" belt, cut a 2x4 blank the same width as the belt (8*) and £884" long. Then, drill the holes for the dowels, see Fig. 1. (It's easi- NOTE: SANDING BOGE Sue roms 20 BELT FENCE When screwing » two pieces of wood together. the threads can pull up the grain between the pieces. This pre- vents the pieces from being drawn tightly together. Sometimes the threads of a serew can raise the wood fibers between two pieces, causing 2 ap, see photo at left ‘Typically, youcen avoid this by “pocket” for the raised fibers. It's easy to do this by countersinking the inside face of ether the shank hole or the pilot hole see Figs. 1 and 2. Note: The only drawback clamping the pieces together. But to countersinking the pilot hole is what if you can’t damp them? —_it reduces the holding surface for One ‘solution is to create a the serew threads. 1 ree IRAN nro || “counrersinik: ShopNotes No. 1 Sawhorse Tray ar tray detween the tege of a sawhorse isa good idea. The only problem is if you add a tray, you wor’t be able to stack your saw~ horses on top of each other. But here's a way to have your tray and stack it, too — make a fold-up tray, see drawing at right. Tt works like this:a pair of 3"-long roundhead screws act as pivot points on each end of the tray, see Detail in drawing at right. The otherside of the tray is supported byalight weight chainsuspended from the top rail ‘The tricky part is making sure the tray will clear the top rail when one sawhorse is stacked on top of another. ‘The way to solve the problem is to locate the pivot point of the tray halfway up the leg. Then to find the overall width of the tray, measure the distance between the pivot point and the top rail, and subtract 1" for clearance. Pipe Clamp Rack | cans surrorr ALLOWe SANMORSES ‘rostace NOTE: SPACER BLOCK ONLY NEEDED IPSAWOROE NAG INNER GUSSET was et iG me orscen ae Tanne | Mec“ sunto may Gusset [WASHER ponte: MASONITE! ‘ano we It’s hard to imagine a rack for pipe clamps that's easier to make than this, [’smade from length of 2x4 and broom handle clips from a hardware store. [screwed the clips to the 2x4 spacing them 3" apart, see draw- ing. Then screw the 2x4 to the vwall. The pipe clamps snap in the lips and the heads of the clamps rest on the 2x4. Drill Press Magnet mWhen using the drill press it seems that 'malways looking for a misplaced bit, countersink, or chuck key. But 2 trip to the local hardware store solved all that. T purchased a 12"long mag- netic tool bar (its just a long bar magnet). The tool bar holds itselt to the metal head of the drill press, And keeps my drill bits and sngcessories handy, see photo. No.1 ShopNotes Finding golutions to problems is a part of woodworking, If you'd like to share solutions to problems you've, faced, send them to: ShopNotes, Attn: Shop Solutions 2200 Grand ‘Ave., Des Moines, IA 50812, > Well pay upotr publication up to '$200 depending on the published length. Please ‘send an explanation. along withiz photo orsketch. 29 EIT Book Review o new book, The Workshop tem that compresses sawclust outfeed table for the table saw. ook by Seott Landis, just into brickets that are bumed to And the table of his overam came neross my desk. Naturally, heat the shop. router also adjusts to the same 1 was curious to get a close-up height if he needs more suppert. view of all the professional and __SPAGE-SAVING IDEAS DETAILS. Clustering, work: sur- home workshops that Landis vis- If lack of space isa problem (are faces to gel the maxirann use of ited while working on his book. there any shops where it isn't?), space ancl tools may seem lke a ANIDEAROOK. The Workshop youmight geta few pointersfrom minor detail, But it details ke Book is erammed with hundreds Aldren Watson, Watsonset uphis these that make a shop work. Tt of practical and ereative ideas for shop in a laundry room. Ob- alo the kind of attention to detail tool and lumber storage, shop- viously limited made tools, jigs and safety acces- in the number sories, shop location, and layout, of power tools Some ‘of the ideas can be lifted he ean have, he right out of the book. Others can manages with be adapted to fit your situation, just a fold-out One story I found particularly benchtop, a interesting was about Mark band saw with Duginske, a woodworker from infeed/outfeed Wisconsin, Duginske found a supports, and- creative solution to the space still has ade- limitations of single car garage quate storage shop. Hesliced the garageinhalf, space forall hs rolled one half to a concrete pad, tools and jigs, § F< ‘and then filled in the open space Landis. de- A Detailedplans like theseereused throughout the with walls, windows, and a roof. seribes lots of book. Along with large color photographs of uncique ‘A RANGE OF IDEAS. Maybe working shops shops and space-saving solutions, ‘what makes Landis! book s0 ap- that have been pealing is there are usable ideas shoehorned into closets, attics, that Landis shows. throughout for a whole range of wood- and pantries. The important thing The Workshop Book. workers. For example, Landis isthesespace-savingshops fferin- Landis has included over a describes dust. formation that you ean use in your dozen color floor plans of shops. EES collection sys ownshep,nomatter what size. Everything is Inbeled: the loca- SM) ters that range tion of machinery, tools, storage, from a Sears SHOP LATOUT and sharpening areas, Youll also shop vacaum,to While most of us don't have lots find large, full color photographs ashop-builtsys- ofsshop space, we ean ear some- throughout the book that show tem costing thing from the more fortunate enough detail so you ean model $250, to a very woodworkers whodo, Take alook your own ideas after them. elaborate sys at Kelly Mehler’s shop in Berea, ‘The only problem is it may be Kentucky. He has re difficult to build some ofthe shop claimed 3200 square projects since they're not shown feet fromanoldanto inastep-hy-step fashion. But this dealership. {san “Idea” book, not. “how-to” RSs ‘Withallof manual. Ifyou're looking for atour Se that space, of great. shops, and lots of ideas, oS it's hard to ‘The Workshop Book will fit the bill imagine anyone (Photos reprinted from The qm - having to wary about Workshop Boot hy Scot Landis, QQ) shop layout. But Mehler ©1991 by ‘The ‘Taunton Press. does, His bench doubles as an Used with permission.) 30 ShopNotes No.1 Sources ShopNotes Project Supplies is offering a variety of hardware kits and manufactured items for the Router Table, ‘We've also put together a list of ‘other mail order sources that carry ‘the same or similar items, ROUTER TABLE TOP ‘The fellowing items are available from ShopNotes Project Supplies for the Router able Top. FORMICA. Two sheets of white For- mica forthe top, oversized to trim to final size (24" x 32"). ‘BO18-105 Form nnn $26.95 “The metal mounting brackets used to attach the tap to the hase, (4) needed. {6801-110 Mounting Bracket with serows “$.35en, INSERT. The 14" thiek phenolic in- sert for the Router Table Top comes pre-drilled with a 144" opening for the bit, and two 1” finger holes. The corners are rounded and the edges chamfered. This insert is 734" wide (deep) and 1154" long and will fit ‘most routers. 4502-229 Phenolic Insert for Router Tible... $15.95 OVERSIZED BLANK. Were also offering an oversized phenolic blank for use with Jarger routers. Note: ‘This blank is not died, or routed. ‘You must cat it to shape ‘4502-245 11" x 15" Phenolic Blank. $18.95 ROUTER TABLE FENCE A Mit is available that contains all of ‘the hardware (but not the wood) for the router table fence. The kit in- cludes the following hardware: ‘*(2)34"x 6" Carriage Bolts, (2) %"Star Knobs, 92)" Washers (4) %e" LD. Threaded Inserts (4) %e x24! Star Knobs #92) %e"x 1" Star Knobs (6) Se" Washers $2) %e" Tot Nuts {6801-200 Router Table Fence Hardware Kit. $18.95 CABINET KIT Ifyou want to build the enclosed cab- ‘inet shown in the special plans in- serted in this seve, hardware tis available, The lit includes: #2) 144" x82" Piano Hinges #@) D-handle Pulls (2) Magnetic Catches *(4) Mounting Brackets 94) 6" x U6! Lag Serews ‘6801-150 Cabinet Kit. ACCESSORIES ‘The Accessories shown on pages 26 and 27 are also available 2s manufac- tured versions. BIT GUARD. This is a one-piece guard made from Y4"thick optie orange Plexiglas. Slots are eut and sbent toarightangle-(Note:It'yon don't order Fence Kit 6801-200, the Bit Guard requires Attachment Kit 6801-250) 4502-206 Bit GUAM nnn $15.95 FEATHERBOARD. We're offering a featherboard. made from 34°thick polycarbonate. (Note: If you don't tander “Fence Kit 6801200, the $14.95 featherboard requires Attachment Kit 6801-250) ‘4502-525 Featherboard. FREEHAND GUARD. This guard is made from optie oramge Plexiglas ‘with flame polished erlges. Mounting serevis are included. 6801-220 Frechd. Guard ..$15.95 DUST HOOD. The dust collection ‘hood is made from black ABS plastic and fits a 214" shop-vac hose. 6801-230 Dust Hood. ‘AYTACHMENT KIT ‘Special Kit for attaching Guard and Featherboard, includes @2)'Tslot nuts, and @) threaded knobs and washers. (6801-250 Attachment Kit. $9.95 COMPLETE ROUTER TABLE KIT ‘A kit is available that includes all of the hardware needed to build the ‘Top, Fence, and Cabinet Caminate not included). Also includes the four accesories, see Accessories heading, However, no wood is included. {6801-300 Complete Kit....899.00 ‘FLU ROUTER ‘Tho motel #8338 router ean be found at Elu dealers and from some of the ‘mailorder sourees listed below. ‘THE WORKSHOP BOOK ‘This book is availahle through Taun- ‘ton Press and several of the mail order catalogs listed below. ‘The Workshop Book ‘by Scott Landisisalsoavailablethrough Shop- Notes Project Supplies. 2004-155 Workshop Book..$84.95 12.95 Similar hardware and supplies may be found in the {following catalogs. Please call each company for a cata- BY MAIL BY PHONE Jog or for ordering information. To onder by mail, use the For fastest service use our Cometastiaae Sere Bae Woodworkers’ | form enclosed with a current Toll Free order line. Open Slouating Dictets ‘ror Phenolic 612-426-2100 issue.The order form includes Monday through Friday, 8:00, Mighapaardwace Wiliams To! Pastetolnootwo | information on handling and AMto}:00 PM Central ime. S00-241-0748 ‘810-788-0007 Bde, Workstop | shipping charges, and sales _ Before calling, have your (Bln 3328, faset Mote The ‘Workshop Book, Book ‘tax. Send your mail order to: VISA, MasterCard, or Dis- el Hania Inert Meerat"" Woodwarers Supply cover Card ready. ‘Tmunton Prees Wooders® "800-645-229 oo sus S386 esas 118 rary, The Work- ShopNotes eae aire ad eee Project Supplies 1-800-444-7527 Took Crib ‘The Woodsmith Store totes: P.O. Box 842 e S18 ‘owe? Note: Pree bjt to change asa than ‘re Weritep Boot | Des Moines, TA 50304 after Apri 1, 1998, No.1 ‘ShopNotes 31 outer tables are one of the ‘most. valuable tools in the ‘workshop... but they have twodrawbacks. They're noisy, and they create alot of sawdust. As we were working on the new Router Table chown in ShopNotes No. 1, vwe built. an enclosed base to solve both of these shortcomings. CLEAN AND QUIET. It's amazing: how much an enclosed base qui- ets down a router. The noise re- duction makes it a lot_more comfortable to work around. And by adding a removable dust box inside, you substantially reduce the dust and chip mess. The only problem with enclos- ing a router in a eabinet is heat. ‘Toallow for cool air flow through the cabinet, we cut vents in the side and the back. BIT HOLDERS. Enclosing a router base to reduce noise and sawelust is great, but my favorite feature of this cabinet is some- thing you won't see until you open the doors. Serewed to the insides of the doors are a set of unique router bit holders that ‘won't fill with dust and chips. SUPPLIES. I used one sheet of maple plywood for the ease (yon could also use birch), and maple for the trim. ShopNotes Project ‘Supplies has a complete hard- ware kit for this cabinet, see ‘Sources on page3I of issue No. 1. A Supplement to ShopNotes i Cop 1682 Weodsmth Copeaion 2200 Gan ere, Des Mois, 812 LIORTT TTT EXPLODED VEW a EDEING ‘CABINET A Sides 2) Yply-141%6 x35 Beac(t) py 23%0x55 “ c © Shelf (1) Ya ply -14546 x 22% o D Bottom (1) “Sa ply -14°%a x 20% E Edging (1) ig ta 22% rie aire seciasee Toate F Making (@) tex 918 “ ; G Spacer(1) "axle 23 ena (280.F2) acer (1) hexS'-23% retro (200. | PegeacDy iia. oes |) epee peppy Sy 1 Sides (@) 11ex3%%-16°%6 ‘seta 0-48" (TWO BOARDS @ 25 80. Fr) DUST BOX {SHEET (48"%.969 OF Se-mHICK MAPLE MLYWOOD 4 FL/Bck. (2) % ply-5 x22 K Sides (2) Ya ply-5x 14 = L Bottom (1) apy 13¥2x21 ’ DOORS ’ x x M Deore 2) apy 1140 x31% “ N Edging (2) Vox -31% x © Astragal (1) Sex 7-319 ° fa P BitHics. (6) 9% 156-10 | ‘SUPPLIES *(2)D-Handle pull +(2) Mag. catch *(2) 36" Piano hinge (4) Mt Bracket _| #4) 868 114" Lag screw C) ROUTER TABLE CABINET CASE : : ‘The'ronter cabinet is a plywood case with hardwood trim around the base and at the corners. CASE. The cast consists of five base pieces: two sides, a shelf, a back, and a bottom. The doars are added later. (The top is shown in ShopNotes No. 1, page 18.) Start by cutting. two sides (A) . from ‘%4* plywood, see Fig. 1. edging strip (H) can be glued on ‘Then, tojoin theshelf'and bottom to cover the plywood edge. to the sides, ent 4"deep dsdoes VENTILATION. To prevent ‘heat, tomateh the thickness of the ply- from building up inside the eabi- wood jon‘re using, see Fig. J. net, euta notch at tha top of each ‘The next step is to eut. a baék side(A), and eut.a slotin the back (B),ashelf(C),anda bottom (D), (B),see Figs. 1a and 1b. After “see Fig, 1.'The shelf (C) is cut 4" cutting the vents, glue and screw: narrower than the bottom so an the case together, see Fig, 2. 1] pomenns —\| |2 _ Cone | curnoren Fora | ge aa Se ie l, eS caretoniy (SeREW SHELF Pea ‘eairnon. | GLUE AND acEW] |__ ate rio ‘case TOOETMER __ After the case'is assembled, work can begin on the base. The base _ consists of four picees (H, 1) that are ferewed to the bottom of the case, see Fig, 3. SPACER. Before’ ett the base Pieces to length, T glued and serewed a spacer (G) to the bot- tom front of the eae, see Fi ‘Thisstripisnecessary so the base will protiude uniformly around the ease after the cabinet. doors are attached, see Exploded View. BASE PIECES. After the spacer is serewed to the case, ent the base pieces (H, 1) From % stock (1Me" actual thickness) 344" wide and to rough length, see Fig. 8, ‘Then rout a Vs" round-over on. the top edge of each piece. Next, miter the ends to fit around the ‘pottom of thé cabinet; and, glue and clamp the base pieces in place. “Withi-the clamps still in place, drill shank holes and serew. the base picees to the cabinet, LEVELERS: To compensate for in Exploded View on{yiage 1. ‘uneven floors, {added four shop- I drilled %4"-dia. eounterbores made levelers to:the front and s0 I could use a socket wrench to backbase fieces. Thelevelersare install and adjust. the levelers. simply Jag screws that fit in Then I drilled pilot holes for: the counterbored holes, see Detail lag screws. THIRST: scxew 7 SECOND: S| Sacer se cnee 1 MITER BASE ||) Pests tore uf TO case oe rns tian 22 HOLES FOR ScREWS PoFRONT _ > strips along their length, and at- CER ‘The molding strips (F) that [7 cover the plywood corners are cut from 116"-thick hardwood. ‘To determine théir length, measure froin the top of the hase (D).fo the ‘top of the sides (8114"). Then cut four molding strips 3” wide and to the measured length, see Fig. 4. Next, rout a 2° round-over on ._ three comers of each strip, see Fig, 4b. Then’ remove the last | corner by cutting a large rabbet, see Figs. 4b and 5. ‘ +» RTTACH MOLDING: The two _ strips for the-back can be glued and serewed in place, seo Fig. 4a. But'the two molding strips om the front actually wrap. around the doors. I simply ripped the tachéd one strip to the cabinet | sides, see Fig. 6. (The corner sec- Screw MoLOING STRIPS. “GLUE AND SCREW MOLOING mE TOBACK CORNERS - > tion is glued to the door later.) : 8 pried S| “Execs” ‘A, Lue ano Sone) oa * MOLDING STRIP acess oF bern Boo Sere Mowpie ry ‘To catch sawdust and chips that, fall through the router bit hole i, ‘the fable top, Tadded-a dust box that slides into the shelf in the "cabinet, refer to Exploded View. ® ‘Tobuilthebox,cntafronéand ‘ack (J) and two sides (K) from ¥'-thiek plywood, see Fig. 7. To join the front and back to the: ‘sides, cut rabbets on the ends of » the front and back, see Pig. Ta. Next, to hold the bottom-in ~ place, ent a groove near the bot- ‘tom of each piece, see Fig. Tb. Finally ent.a bottom (L) to it, then ue and nail the box together. Eee a : With the dist box complete, the ” nextstepistomiake the dodrs.Leut them from 94"-thiek plywood and covered the inside edges with edg- ‘ng strips, and the ontside edges ‘with the door molding strips-set. aside earlier: ‘To determine the width of the doors, first measure across the front: of the cabinet from ouiside cedge-to-edge, and divide this in ‘half, Then subtract, 16" for the edging strip and Vic" for the een ter gap (11%e", in my ease). ‘To determine the door length, ‘measure from the top of the base (GD to the top of the sides and subtracts" for clearance 61%). Now ent two doors (1) tosize,seeFig.8.- ‘ADD TRIM. ‘Then cut two 4" thiek edgizgs (N) and:gine them to the inside edges of each door. Alko ghie and sexew the coor “moldings (set aside eavlier)to the ontside edges, see Fig. 8b. - ‘ASTRAGAL, ‘To prevent dust- from eseaping and to minimize noige, added an astragal (0).t0 the back of one door, see Fig. 9. __MARDWARE. Before mounting the doors, attach the handles, see Fig. 10.°Then motint the doors with two piano hinges cut to'the same length-as the doors. Screw » ‘one hinge flap to a door and the, other tothe cabinet side, see Fig. 11. For clearanee, insert a tem porary spacer under each door before serewing them to the side, Finally, screw magnetic catches and strike plates to the doors, & oor Moupme leetasive camer) 9 10} epge MAGHENE cAToH eDgING: CORT BITHOLOER : i -After the doors are mounted, I ORILLHOLES. Next, drill ager~ 45°. To do this, position the rip added router bit hoklers inside es of holes the sume size as the fence én yourtablesav tarcut the. each. door. ‘These are, simple shanks of your router bits. Note: “holder 154" wide, sce Fig. 14a, holders, but designed so they If your fouter bits don't slide, Once the ‘holders are ripped, won't get clogged with sawdust, easily in and out of the holes, en- serew them to the doors, posi- ‘The holes are drilléd all the Jarge the holes slightly with’ a tioning each holder 334" apart way'through the holder so saw- dowel wrapped-with sandpaper. and Ye" in from the inside edge, dust falls through. To keep the Itsalsocasierto drillandcoun- see Fig. 15. bits in place, the holders are cu tersink the two screw holes used CABINET TOP, Aside from the at an fngle so the bit stops to mount the holders before cut- wiring (see the .section below) against the door, see Fig. 15a. ting the holder at. zm angle, see and mounting’ the router table * GUT BLANK. To make each bit Fig, 14, * + top, the cabinet is complete. To holder (P), start by cutting a10"- RIP BLANK. After the holes are “mount the top, I used the same long blank rom §4'-thick hard- drilled, the next step is to bevel mounting brackets shown on wood,seeFig.14. |. rip the holder.along its length at page 18 of ShopNotes No.1. , 14 | FUSE re RE |S

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