Easy To Build Frames Boxes and Accesories

from the Editors of
Step-by-Step
weekend Video Workshop

See Page 100
WOOD

OODWWORKING
Weekend Woodworking: Easy-to-Build Boxes, Frames & Accessories
Easy
asy-T
-Too-B
-Build
uild
Boxes, Frames & Accessories
Time-Saving Shop Tips

WoodsmithSpecials.com
to build better projects faster
Shop-Tested Techniques
for top-notch results every time
Quick & Easy, High-Style Projects
perfect results guaranteed
WeekendWoodworking_001.indd 1 6/15/2011 9:14:46 AM

WEEKEND WOODWORKING
weekend keepsake
W OODWORKING boxes
President & Publisher: Donald B. Peschke
Editor: Terry J. Strohman
Managing Editors: Vincent Ancona, Bryan Nelson

Senior Editors: Ted Raife, Phil Huber
Associate Editors: Dennis Perkins, Randall A. Maxey
Assistant Editors: Carol Beronich, Catherine Seiser,
James Bruton
Editorial Intern: Brianna Nelson
Executive Art Director: Todd Lambirth

Art Directors: Cary Christensen, Doug Flint
Senior Graphic Designers: Jamie Downing, Bob Zimmerman,
Randy Shebeck
Senior Illustrators: David Kreyling, Dirk Ver Steeg,
Harlan V. Clark, Peter J. Larson, David Kallemyn
Graphic Designer: Shelley Cronin 4
Graphic Design Intern: Megan Hann
Creative Director: Ted Kralicek Curved-Lid Treasure Box 6

Senior Project Designers: Ken Munkel, Kent Welsh, Start with some basic techniques, add a
Chris Fitch, James R. Downing
few twists, and end up with a stylish box.
Project Designer/Builder: John Doyle
Shop Craftsmen: Steve Curtis, Steve Johnson
Senior Photographers: Crayola England, Dennis Kennedy Quilt-Top Collectors Box 12

Associate Style Director: Rebecca Cunningham
Theres no stitching required just a few
Senior Electronic Image Specialist: Allan Ruhnke
Production Assistant: Minniette Johnson days of straightforward woodworking.
Video Director/Editor: Mark Hayes, Nate Gruca
Single Copy Sales: Lisa Trom, Sandy Baum

A Pair of Keepsake Boxes 18
New Media Manager: Gordon Gaippe Make a simple box exceptional with
either a ribbon handle or a laminated top.
Weekend Woodworking is published by
August Home Publishing Company,
2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312.
Canada Post Agreement 40038201.
Canada BN 84597 5473 RT.
Three Routed Gift Boxes 26
Copyright 2011 August Home Publishing. These three distinctive boxes can be built
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in using one easy router technique.
any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including
information storage and retrieval devices or systems, without
prior written permission from the publisher, except that brief
passages may be quoted for reviews.
Woodsmith and ShopNotes are registered

trademarks of August Home Publishing Co.
SHOP SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
For subscription information about
Woodsmith or ShopNotes, visit us online at: Using hand or power tools improperly can result in serious injury
Woodsmith.com or call (800) 333-5075 or death. Do not operate any tool until you read the manual and
ShopNotes.com or call (800) 333-5854 understand how to operate the tool safely. Always use all appro-
priate safety equipment as well as the guards that come with
your tools and equipment and read the manuals that accompany
A Supplement to August Home Publications
them. In some of the illustrations in this book, the guards and
safety equipment have been removed only to provide a better
view of the operation. Do not attempt any procedure without
using all appropriate safety equipment or without ensuring that
all guards are in place. August Home Publishing Company assumes
no responsibility for any injury, damage, or loss suffered as a result
2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312 of your use of the material, plans, or illustrations contained in
this book.
Printed in U.S.A.
2 WEEKEND WOODWORKING
WeekendWoodworking_002.indd 2 4/20/2011 12:33:17 PM

picture decorative tips &
frames accessories techniques
34 54 76
Mitered Frame & Easel 36 Six-Candle Centerpiece 56 Template Routing 80
This beautiful frame is sure to put a Simple construction and attention to
favorite family photo in the best light. details make this project a winner.
Routing Large Holes 85
Picture Frame Moldings 40 Holiday Centerpiece 60

With a few router bits and scrap wood, This decoration has a festive look, plus Cutting Circles 86
its easy to create unique frame moldings. an optional rotating, musical base.
Picture-Perfect Miters 88
Mitered Half-Lap Frame 44 Wall Mirror 66
Heres a joint that combines the elegance Traditional joinery and simple details are
of a miter and the strength of a half lap. featured in this Craftsman-style mirror. Mitered Half Laps 92
Classic Picture Frames 46 Letter Bin 70

These three gorgeous frame profiles Organize your mail within the lattice
require just a table saw and a router. compartments of this compact wall unit.
contents
WoodsmithSpecials.com 3

Keepsake
Boxes
A small box presents good opportunities to
experiment with new techniques. When you
pay close attention to the details, the results are
sure to be impressive.
CURVED-LID TREASURE BOX ...........6
QUILT-TOP COLLECTORS BOX .......12
A PAIR OF KEEPSAKE BOXES .........18
THREE ROUTED GIFT BOXES..........26

XXXXXX XXXX XX
BOXES
Curved-Lid Treasure Box

The curved lid and ebonized sides of this attractive box show
off the highly figured wood and your woodworking skills.
Its tough to point out the best a couple of hinges and the inside
thing about this treasure box. For compartment is lined with felt.
starters, it has a broad contoured In addition to adding up to a
lid and matching front and back beautiful box, youll find that these
panels, which show off the beauty features present some woodwork-
of the wood. Since the project is ing challenges, as well.
so small, splurging for highly fig- For the joinery, I kept things sim-
ured, expensive wood really wont ple dowel joints for the sides and
end up costing much. The bold tongue and groove for the bottom.
ebonized sides add an interest- And Ill show you a sure-fire way
With its felt-lined compartment and sleek design, this treasure ing design element, too. And for to line up the holes for the dowels
box will be at home in just about any setting. practicality, the lid is attached with using a shop-made jig.

a. !/4
SIDE VIEW
NOTE: All parts made 10 !/2 !/4" rad.
from !/2"-thick hardwood
5!/4 A
BACK !/4"-dia. x !/4"-
2 deep dowel
2 A pin hole
B
FRONT
BOTTOM
BOTTOM B
A 1
FRONT 10
!/4
Dowel pin holes are drilled !/4
before assembly. See page 84 !/2
for a simple jig to do this
Ease three edges
with sandpaper
Assembling the Front, Back & Bottom

At the heart of the treasure box is Then, once youve cut the groove, DOWEL JOINTS. Now youre ready
the basic case, formed by the front, you can set the back aside. to drill a few holes for the dowel
back, and bottom. Later, youll Next, youll rout a cove along joints. To keep the holes properly
attach the sides with dowel joints the top edge of the front. This cove positioned, I used a simple, shop-
and finally, the hinged lid. But (and another youll make later on made jig. You can find out how to
these curved pieces rely on having the front of the lid) will form the make the jig yourself in Techniques
a square case. So, you can begin by recess to open the lid. on page 84. When using the jig, I
cutting the front, back, and side BOTTOM. After youve completed put a piece of tape on the drill bit to
pieces to size from 12"-thick stock. the front and back, the next thing mark the depth of the hole, as you
FRONT & BACK. The drawings below to do is make the bottom. Theres see in the right illustration below.
give you an overview of the steps not much to do here. Rabbets on ASSEMBLY. The assembly is pretty
for shaping the front and back. the front and back edges create straightforward, just apply a little
Both pieces have a groove on the tongues that fit into the grooves glue on the edges of the bottom
inside face that will hold the bot- in the front and back pieces. Once and in the groove on the front and
tom. I started by cutting this groove again, I turned to the table saw and back. Then, use a couple of clamps
at the table saw using a dado blade. a dado blade to make these cuts. to hold everything together.
How-To: Make the Front & Back

Push NOTE: See
block page 84 for
more on jig Use tape
A
as depth A
Dado gauge
blade A !/4" brad
point bit
!/2" core box bit
a. END a.
!/4 VIEW a. END VIEW
!/4 !/4 A
A A
Tape !/4
!/4 !/4
SECTION
Jig
VIEW
Start with the Groove. Using a dado blade Rout the Cove. At the router table, use a Drill for Dowels. A simple, shop-made
on the table saw and a push block for safety, core box bit to rout the cove profile on the drilling jig makes it easy to line up the holes
cut the groove that will hold the bottom. top edge of the front. for the dowel joints.

#/4
FULL-SIZE LID PATTERN

5#/4
Use full-size pattern as 9!%/16

guide for creating curve
on top surface of lid
a. SIDE SECTION
VIEW
C LID
!/4" rad. Cove on front edge
of lid acts as !/4
finger recess !/4" rad.
C LID
Back Front
1
@#/32
#/4
NOTE: Cut mortises b. SIDE SECTION
VIEW
1 to fit hinge leaf
C LID
Hinge
mortise
NOTE: Lid is made from #/32
#/4"-thick hardwood
Back #/32
Shaping the Lid

After completing the front, back, SHAPING THE LID. After cutting a spray adhesive. This gave me a
and bottom assembly, its time to blank for the lid and planing it visual reference and made shaping
move on to the lid. (You may be square and flat, I started working the piece much easier.
tempted to start on the sides, but on shaping it at the table saw. The Using the pattern as a guide,
the assembly goes much smoother illustrations in the box below show raise the table saw blade, and tilt
if you add them last.) Though you the basic process. it to match the lower part of the
shaping the lid looks complicated, As you can see, I copied the full- curved layout line. Make a cut on
its not too tough to do if you break size pattern (above) and glued it on both edges to remove the waste.
it down into a few simple steps. both edges of the blank with some Now take another look at the
pattern, and reset the fence and the
How-To: Make the Curved Lid

angle of the blade to make a second
cut. This time, remove the waste a
little higher up on the blank. Note:
Be sure to use a tall auxiliary fence
Use pattern as to make these cuts safely.
guide to rough A LITTLE HAND WORK. Now its time
a. END C LID
cut with plane
to reach for your block plane and
VIEW
refine the shape. Start by setting
Lid Tall the blade to take very thin shav-
blank Aux. auxiliary
fence ings. Then you can knock down
fence
the high spots by taking long
a. END
VIEW
strokes from end to end. Skewing
the blade helps you get smoother
Plane to waste
side of line, cuts. Check your progress often by
Tilt blade
and cut to then sand comparing the layout lines on the
waste side smooth
pattern to the workpiece.
of pattern
SAND TO FINAL SHAPE. I finished up by
Angle Cut. With the pattern attached for reference, tilt the Planing a Curve. Using a block hand sanding the lid. I started with
saw blade to stay just outside the line. Once its lined up, you plane, take even strokes from end to 100-grit paper and quickly moved
can easily nibble off the corners from both edges. end and remove the high spots. through the grits to 220. Once
youre happy with the curve of the

top of the lid, you can move on to
shaping the underside.
Shop Tip
ADD THE COVES. To shape the under-
side of the lid, youll need to head Auxiliary miter
fence Auxiliary miter
back to the router table. With the fence C
same core box bit setup you used Layout lines
earlier to shape the front, you can Back
cut the matching cove on the front a. #/4" dado

a.
edge of the lid. The illustrations #/4" dado END VIEW blade END VIEW
below also show how to reset the blade
Back @#/32 1 #/32
fence to cut two grooves to form #/32
#/4 1
the curved shape inside the lid. C
Finally, with a dado blade on the

table saw set to match the depth of
the grooves, you can remove the Hinge Mortises. First, youll want to set the height of the dado blade to match the thickness of
rest of the waste between the two the hinge leaf. Make the first cut on the layout line. Then, slide the box over to the other layout
routed grooves. I used the miter mark to complete the cut. Use the rip fence as a stop for the second cut.
gauge with an auxiliary fence to
guide these cuts. Its also a good
idea to set the rip fence to limit the sure the mortises match the leaf
outside edge of the cut and prevent both in width and depth of cut. MATERIALS, SUPPLIES &
cutting into the cove profile (far There are a lot of ways to cut CUTTING DIAGRAM
right drawing, below). hinge mortises, but the easiest way 1 x 2 - 10
A Front/Back (2) 2
PLANE & SCRAPE. To clean up the saw in this case is at the table saw. Using B Bottom (1) 12 x 514 - 10
marks left by the dado blade, use a the dado blade, you can quickly cut C Lid (1) 3 x 53 - 915
4 4 16
block plane and card scraper. This perfect mortises in both the case D Sides (2) 3 x 3 - 6
4
combination makes short work and the lid. The illustration above (1 pr.) 114" x 1" x 332" Hinges w/Screws
of the saw marks on the flat part shows the details. (1) 14"- dia. Hardwood Dowel
of the bottom. Then, finish up by The thing to keep in mind when
doing a little hand sanding. using this method is to make sure !/2" x 5!/2" - 36" Hard Maple (1.4 Bd. Ft.)
HINGE MORTISES. With the lid shaped the blade is set to the correct height. A A
B
and sanded smooth, its time to You may want to make a few test
#/4" x 6!/2" - 24" Hard Maple (1.1 Bd. Ft.)
add the hinge mortises. Youll want cuts to sneak up on the fit. And
to have your hinges on hand before youll need to shift the fence over C D D
ALSO NEEDED:
you do this. Then you can make 1 " when cutting the lid mortises.
32
Posterboard, felt
How-To: Complete the Lid Rip fence

acts as Aux.
stop miter fence
C LID C LID
C LID Waste
Dado
!/2"-dia. core blade
!/2"-dia. core
box bit box bit
a. END VIEW
a. END VIEW a. END VIEW
!/4 !/2 5
C
C !/2
!/4 Waste !/4 C
!/4
Waste
Routing the Outside Cove. With only Inside Coves. Then, reset the fence to Remove the Waste. At the table saw, use a dado
half of the bit exposed, rout the cove expose the full bit, and rout a 14"-deep blade to remove the waste between the grooves. The
profile on the front of the lid. groove 12" in from both edges. rip fence acts as a stop.

NOTE: Sides are made from a. TOP VIEW !/32
Lid (open)
#/4"-thick hardwood with Dowel
grain running vertically
Sand chamfer on
Lid ends of dowels !/8 Back
D !/4 Hinge
D
1" brass
hinge b. #/4
%/16 !/4
D Lid
!/2" rad.
Front FRONT
SECTION Dowels
3 !/4"-dia. x !/2" VIEW
D dowels
SIDE #/16 Felt-covered
board
Bottom
#/8
6
Add felt-covered posterboard
to the bottom of box assembly c.
Adding the Sides & Final Assembly 1" brass

hinge
#4 x " Fh
brass
woodscrew
Once youve completed the lid and START WITH FLAT STOCK. The sides
base, the next step is to make the have a tapered and curved profile,
Back
sides. But before you begin, I want as you can see in the pattern in the
to point out the grain orientation. left margin. But before you start to
As you can see in the drawing work on the shape, youll need to the bottom. Once the locations are
above, youll want to be sure the mark the positions of the dowel marked, use the drill press to drill
grain runs vertically. This way, not holes using dowel centers. the matching holes.
only will the sides match the bot- The box at the bottom of the page SHAPING THE SIDES. Now youre ready
tom, but theyll expand and con- shows you how to do this. To help to shape the sides. Once again, the
tract at the same rate, preventing determine the reveals, I positioned full-size pattern will help you dur-
splitting due to seasonal changes. spacers behind the back and below ing the next few steps.
#/4
How-To: Drill Matching Dowel Holes

!/8"-thick !/4"
spacer brad point
bit
Fixed
block
Side Tape on bit
3 acts as depth
blank Dowel
centers gauge
Side blank
Pattern attached
to both ends a. Tape
!/4
#/16"-thick
spacer SECTION VIEW
Marking Holes. Using spacers to position the case, add Drilling the Dowel Holes. With the positions marked,
FULL-SIZE dowel centers in the holes in the front, back, and bottom. use the drill press to make sure the holes are perfectly
SIDE Then, mark the hole locations on the sides. straight and will fit the case properly.
PATTERN

I started by clipping off the cor-
ner at the table saw, as shown in
Shop Tip
the box at the bottom of the page.
Then I moved to the router table
for the next step.
Using a larger (1"-dia.) core box
bit, set the fence to rout a channel
to form the top curve. After that,
its back to the table saw to make a
taper cut. As you can see in the right
illustration in the box, I attached
the piece to a taller carrier board
to make the cut safer.
FINAL SHAPING & SANDING. At this
point, all you need to do is some After the sides have received a final sanding, Then, with a disposable foam brush, you can
sanding to smooth out the curves start ebonizing by using the dropper to spread spread the ink across the surface and work it
and the taper. And since the sides a liberal amount of ink on the surface. into the grain as much as possible.
are going to be ebonized, I decided
to pre-raise the grain by wiping on
a little water. After a few minutes, I the ends of the case to avoid get- dried, I finished the box by adding
sanded the pieces again with 220- ting dye on them. It could prevent a few coats of spray lacquer.
grit sandpaper. This way, the fibers the glue from bonding properly. After the clear finish has cured,
wont swell as much when I apply ASSEMBLY. The nice thing about you need to add the hinges and
the ink to ebonize the pieces. using dowel joints is that it makes attach the lid. Since youve already
EBONIZING. I used India ink to ebon- aligning the assembly a breeze. All cut the mortises, this step is also
ize the sides, as shown in the box you need to do is add a little bit of pretty straightforward. (You can
above. You could use dye, if you glue to the dowels and along the find out more about the hinges in
prefer, but Ive had better results edge of the case and clamp the Sources on page 98.) I drilled pilot
with the colorfast ink. box. I used softwood blocks on the holes for the brass screws to make
Since I had to color the sides sep- clamps to avoid marring the ebon- installing them easier.
arately, I decided to dye the case ized sides. And you dont need A FELT LINER. Finally, attach felt to
and lid before assembly, as well. much pressure on the clamps either posterboard with spray adhesive.
A cherry dye really brings out the just enough to keep the sides Then, cut it to fit in the bottom. Its
figure of the curly maple. Just tape tight to the case. When the glue a nice finishing touch for any box.
Shaping the Sides Attach

workpiece
to carrier board
with double-sided
Push D SIDE tape for
block safety Tilt blade to
match pattern
With blade
1"-dia. core
tilted slightly,
box bit
cut to outside
of pattern END a.
a. a. END VIEW VIEW End
END VIEW #/4
Cut to waste !/4 Cut to
side of pattern waste
side of
Pattern pattern
Cutting the Top Angle. With the pattern Core Box Groove. Use the pattern to set Taper Cut. After attaching the blank to a
on the blank, tilt the blade to match the the bit height and fence position. Then carrier board for safety, tilt the blade to match
angle and cut away the corner. rout the groove in the blank. the pattern (3) and cut the taper.

XXXXXX XXXX XX
BOXES
Quilt-Top Collectors Box

Small blocks of contrasting woods arranged on the lid of the box mimic
the intricate pattern of a quilt. You can choose from three patterns.
Inspired by Early American quilts, maple and walnut for the pinwheel
the lids of these keepsake boxes and star box lids.
attract a lot of attention. Plus, they Building the box is pretty easy
present a good change of pace from because the bottom and lid are
other woodworking projects. built as one and then cut apart
The tumbling block pattern later. Arranging the pattern in the
on the box in the main photo and recessed top takes some time and
the star and pinwheel lids in the patience, but its well worth the
photo on the left are all replicas of effort when the box is complete.
centuries-old, hand-pieced quilts. Once the intricate patterns on
G
GO
O The quilted effect is created by your boxes are on display, theyre
Online
nline
2 assembling small wood blocks into
a geometric pattern. Each shaped
sure to elicit questions about how
you built them. You can tell the
Extras piece is cut from a different type curious that its a lot like putting
of wood and laid into a recess in the together a jigsaw puzzle. With a
You can find
details and pat- lid so that the grain adds depth and little time and careful fitting of
terns for these distinction to the pattern. I used the pieces, its not that difficult to
two quilt-like
patterns at mahogany, walnut, and maple create beautiful boxes that remind
WoodsmithSpecials.com for the tumbling block lid and you of your grandmas quilts.

Inside
lid groove
a. END SECTION
VIEW
Top panel groove
!/2
NOTE: See detail a B
for groove locations !/4
A SIDE
!/4
1!/4 1!/4
NOTE: Grooves and
#/4 roundovers cut on
3&/8 long blank Lid is cut free from box !/4
after assembly
Bottom panel groove
!/4 Saw
Miter pieces to length Inside
face kerf
after cutting grooves
and rounding over
edges Outside
face 2!/2
B
9!(/32 A
FRONT/BACK !/4 !/4
!/4
13 NOTE: Front, back, and
Outside lid sides are !/2"-thick !/4
groove hardwood
NOTE: Dimensions shown !/8"roundover

are for tumbling
Making the Sides blocks pattern
b.
!/4
TOP VIEW
Although all three of the boxes are ROUNDOVERS. Now youre ready to with hardboard splines
different sizes, the construction is rout the roundovers on the edges of that fit in stopped slots. &/16 A B
the same. The box is a basic splined the blank. Theres no more to this I built a simple jig to
miter assembly with recessed pan- task than setting up a roundover at help rout the slots, as !/8
els on the top and bottom set into your router table (detail a). described on page 78.
grooves. Roundovers soften the END MITERS. For the box to be When youre finished
edges of the box. square, the opposite sides need to building the jig, refer to the box
To ensure a perfect-fitting lid, be the same length. A good way to below for details on using it.
youll assemble the box as a single ensure this is to use a stop block To complete the assembly of
unit, and then cut the lid free later. with your miter gauge while you the box, youll need to cut the top
LID GROOVES. To build the box, start miter the pieces to length. and bottom panels and the splines.
with an extra-long (48") blank. After SLOTS & SPLINES. The miter joints Then, youll be on your way to fit-
the blank is cut to initial width, that join the box are reinforced ting the quilted top.
you can turn your attention to the
Shop Tip: Routing the Slots

grooves that hold the top and bot-
tom panels. Since the panels are cut
from plywood, youll want to size a. SIDE SECTION
the grooves to match. In order to &/16
get a snug fit for the plywood pan- When it came time to use the jig
FIRST: Lower !/4
els, I used a standard blade in the (from page 78) to rout the stopped
workpiece straight
table saw to sneak up on the per- slots for the splines, I set up two down onto bit
fect width for the panel grooves. stop blocks on the router table. 1
SECOND: Slide
SEPARATING GROOVES. As you can see To cut the slots on one side of workpiece
against stop
in detail a, there are two more the box miters, position the stop to rout slot b. FRONT VIEW
grooves on the opposite faces of blocks as shown in detail b on 2
Stop block
the blank. These are cut now so the right. Plunge the mitered end
that when the lid is separated later, straight down on the bit, and then 5
theyll form mating rabbets to hold let it rest on the support as you 1!%/16
the lid on the box. I located the two guide it over the bit. 3!/16
grooves 18" apart so that I could For the opposite ends, just mir-
use a standard saw blade to sepa- ror the same setup. Youll move this !/8"-dia. straight bit
rate the two sections. Ill explain piece in the opposite direction.
more about this later.

NOTE: Glue panels NOTE: Round over
in grooves to Splines reinforce ends of splines to
reinforce the box mitered box ends fit slots
Stopped slots
hold splines C
TOP PANEL
(9!/16" x 12!/2" - !/4" Ply.)
Gluing up the Box C

a. CROSS SECTION
Theres nothing compli- BOTTOM PANEL

cated about the box assem- Waste
C
bly. It just takes some glue
and a pair of band clamps.
D
SPLINES. But first youll need to
SPLINE
cut the splines and the top and
D
bottom panels. I cut the splines A
SPLINE C
from 18" hardboard. The panels are (!/2" x 1!/4" - B
1 " plywood (main drawing). !/8" Hdbd.)
4
ASSEMBLY. When the splines are
cut, glue them into the slots in the
mitered ends. Then glue the ply- when you cut the ends. You can wood I chose to use in the pattern.
wood into the upper and lower see how this is done by taking a Various sizes and shapes of blocks
inside grooves, and clamp it. look at the How-To box below. are needed. I found it more effi-
CUT THE LID FREE. After the glue is With the top free, you can clean cient to cut all the shapes first and
dry on the box, your next step is to up the bottom rabbet with a shoul- then fit them into the top.
cut the lid free. Its a pretty simple der plane or straight router bit SLED. The blocks in the pattern are
process, since you cut the grooves (right drawing below). fairly small. In order to cut these
in the blank earlier. With a stan- safely, I built a simple sled. Its
dard saw blade in the table saw, CREATING THE PATTERN just a 14" hardboard base glued to
set the fence to cut a kerf on the After youve completed the basic an auxiliary miter gauge fence. A
waste line, as shown in detail a. box, you can turn your attention strip of adhesive-backed sandpa-
Youll find it easier to control to the most interesting part of the per keeps the workpiece in place.
the box if you cut the long sides project the quilt pattern. The miter gauge is set at different
first. Once these cuts are complete, All the blocks in the pattern angles to the blade. You can see
tape spacers in the kerf to prevent are 112" wide, so I cut extra-long what I mean in the How-To box on
the box from pinching the blade blanks from the three types of the opposite page.
How-To: Cut the Lid Free

a. END VIEW
a. Spacer a. END VIEW
FIRST: Cut
long sides
1!/4
Tape Fence
Box
1!/4 bottom !/4
END
Standard
VIEW !/4
saw
blade
Spacer keeps
box from
pinching blade !/4"-dia. straight bit
First Cut. To free the lid from the box, the Second Cut. Before you make the cuts on Clean Up. The lid should fit snug, but not
first cuts are made on the long sides. Align the short sides of the box, tape spacers in too tight. Use a straight bit to fine-tune the
the saw blade next to the outer groove. the long sides to hold the lid firmly. rabbet for a perfect fit.

Note grain direction of blocks
How-To: Cut Blocks
Miter
gauge
set at
a. TOP VIEW
Stop
30 block Fence
H 1!/2
Stop
block
b. TOP VIEW
1!/2"-wide Fence
blank
I 1%/16
Sandpaper
attached to Stop
sled keeps blank block
from slipping
NOTE: H
Blocks are 1!/2 Mitered Blocks. The diamond and parallelogram blocks
DIAMOND
!/4" thick are cut with the miter gauge set at 30. Note the rip fence
G
CORNER 1!/2 setting is different for the two cuts.
BLOCK
1@#/32
a. TOP VIEW
F
1!/2 Waste
SHORT BORDER
1!/2
I
5!(/32
PARALLELOGRAM
Miter
E gauge set Triangle
1!/2 at 30
TOP/BOTTOM BORDER
9
Triangle Blocks. The equilateral triangles are cut from
diamonds. Be sure to mark the centerpoint and cut on the
BORDER BLOCKS. Your first task is four walnut diamonds. But its a waste side. A pencil helps hold the small pieces.
to cut the pieces that make up the good idea to cut a few extras. With
outer border. I cut the square cor- the diamonds complete, I turned
ner blocks to length first, using my attention to the parallelograms. Miter
a. TOP VIEW
the miter gauge and a stop block PARALLELOGRAMS. Youll need to gauge set Waste
at 60
clamped on my rip fence. Then I reposition the rip fence to cut the
cut the side pieces to length. parallelograms from the contrast-
TUMBLING BLOCKS. The inner field of ing wood species. These blocks are Half
the pattern is made up of alternat- slightly shorter than the diamonds, diamond
ing rows of diamond-shaped and as shown in detail b of the top
parallelogram-shaped blocks. The right drawing. There are an equal Half Diamond Blocks. The half diamonds are cut with
two shapes are cut with the miter number of walnut and mahogany the miter gauge set at 60. You may need to reposition
gauge at the same setting. Youll blocks six of each. But again, I the sled on your miter gauge for this cut.
arrive at the two different shapes cut some extras to have on hand.
by moving the rip fence to cut each PARTIAL BLOCKS. If you take a look at
one at a different length, as shown the main drawing, youll see that
a. TOP
Miter Waste VIEW
in the How-To box at right. the edges of the pattern are com- gauge
DIAMONDS. To cut the blanks into pleted with partial blocks. These set at 90
diamond shapes, I mitered one little blocks are cut down from
end of the blank and then clamped whole diamond blocks, as shown
Quarter
a stop block to my rip fence. This in the lower three drawings on the diamond
ensures that all the blocks are cut to right. Five of the diamonds are cut
the same size (detail a in the top lengthwise, two are cut crosswise, Quarter Diamond Blocks. The quarter diamond blocks
drawing in the box). The pattern and two more are cut to a quarter are cut from half diamonds. Only one block can be cut
calls for 10 maple diamonds and of the original shape. from each diamond. The rest is waste.

G
SIDE
FIRST: Fit BORDER
border blocks
around outside
of recessed F
panel
LONG BORDER
Installing the Blocks

H
CORNER
BLOCK
Note grain direction
Once you have the blocks cut to during layout
size, you can fit the quilt pattern

SECOND: Lay diamonds
together. This process will take point-to-point across the field
some patience, so be prepared to
spend some time completing it. I
ASSEMBLE THE BLOCKS. The hallmark
of a well-pieced quilt pattern is
one where the corners of the pat-
tern line up perfectly. Thats your
goal as you fit the pattern blocks.
THIRD: Fit top
But dont worry if you have hair- row of blocks
line spaces between the pieces. In above diamonds 3
7
fact its better if you give each piece
2 6
a tiny bit of wiggle room. Once 5 13 5
4 12 17
youre finished fitting the blocks, 3 11 23
16
1 2 10 22 8
youll add a roundover on all the 1 9
15 21
edges. This roundover will help 8 20 25
14 19 7
blend any gaps into shadow lines. 4 18 24
THE BORDER. I fit the outside border
blocks before the inside blocks for FIFTH: Fill in
6 bottom rows
two reasons. First, all the cuts are FOURTH: Fit
square, so its an easy fit. The outer parallelogram blocks NOTE: Number blocks
between diamond rows after theyre fit
blocks also give the inner blocks
something to butt against while
youre fitting them in the lid. using a shooting board and a block FIT THE BLOCKS. As you begin to fit
When you have the border blocks plane, as shown in the How-To the inner blocks together, you may
cut to size, check to make sure that box below. If you dont have a notice that some pieces are a little
each block fits. If any of the pieces shooting board, youll find a sim- long. You can trim these pieces to
are too large, you can trim them ple plan for one on page 78. fit on the shooting board, too. Like
before, make light passes on two
edges of the block and then check
How-To: Shooting Board the fit. Be sure to pay attention to
the direction of the grain.
I started by connecting the points
on the top row of maple diamonds.
Shooting If the blocks shift around too much,
board you can place a small piece of dou-
ble-sided tape on the bottom. After
I had them laid out, I fit the walnut
blocks across the top of the box.
Trim both
ends of the Next up, I fit a row of walnut and
block mahogany parallelogram blocks.
Block plane Then I finished out the maple and
fit the last row of walnut/mahog-
Shooting Board. A shooting board is used to trim the blocks to fit. Its any. All thats left are the half dia-
especially effective when trimming end grain. You can find out more about mond blocks across the bottom.
the shooting board in Techniques on page 78. As you fit each row of blocks, you
may find that you have to make

1 Drill hole large
enough for bearing
a few more passes on the shoot-

ing board to get the pieces to fit.
Double-sided
tape
a. SIDE SECTION
VIEW
But dont give it a second thought. !/8"
You wont be able to see the differ- roundover Workpiece
bit
ence when the blocks are in place.
Raise
After the blocks are fit into place, bit up
its a good idea to number each one through
Jig is two hole
before you take them out to rout pieces of !/4"
the roundovers on the edges. hardboard glued
together
ROUNDOVERS. I used the jig shown
in Figure 1 along with a 18" round-
over bit to rout the edges on the
router table. The jig is just two
2 FIRST: Refit blocks
after routing
roundovers
pieces of 14" hardboard glued
together. I drilled a hole in the cen-
ter slightly larger than the bearing
of my roundover bit. The edge of
the top layer of hardboard should
be flush with the bearing on the
bit. Then after attaching the jig to
my router table with some double- SECOND: Sand off
sided tape, I slowly raised the bit pencil marks and glue
blocks in place
up through the hole to create a
zero-clearance opening.
The pieces youre routing are
small, but theres not much of the
3 Adhesive-backed felt
bit exposed between the layers

of the jig, so its safe to guide the
blocks past the bit by hand. I also
found it works best to rout the end J
grain first and then rout the long LINER
grain. I did this to clean up any (8(/16" x 12"-
!/8" Hdbd.)
minor tearout on the corners.
GLUE UP. When youve finished Cut hardboard to size,
routing the blocks, refit them in then attach felt and trim
off excess
order. Then, remove them one at
a time and lightly sand away the
pencil marks. After you add a drop
of glue to the back, press the block
MATERIALS, SUPPLIES & CUTTING DIAGRAM
down in place and move on to the A Box Front/Back (2) 1 x 37 - 13 H Diamonds (14) 1 x 11 - 123 *
2 8 4 2 32
B Box Sides (2) 1 x 37 - 919 I Parallelograms (12) 1 x 11 - 11 *
next one in the sequence. 2 8 32 4 2 2
FINISH. Once the glue is dry, add C Top/Bot. Panels (2) 14 ply. - 91 16 x 121 2 J Liner (1) 1 hdbd. - 89 x 12
8 16
D Splines (4) 1 hdbd. - 1 x 11 (1) Adhesive-Backed Felt
the finish and a liner. Theres more 8 2 4
E Front/Back Borders (2) 1 x 11 - 9
information about the finish I used 4 2 * measured across one edge
F Side Borders (2) 1 x 11 - 519
4 2 32
in Sources on page 98. And to line 1 x 11 - 11
G Corner Blocks (4) 4 2 2 !/4"x 4"- 24" Walnut (0.7 Sq. Ft.)
the bottom of the box, I used some
adhesive-backed felt. For a perfect H
G I
fit, cut a piece of 18" hardboard to fit !/4"x 4"- 24" Mahogany (0.7 Sq. Ft.)
!/4"x 4"- 24" Maple (0.7 Sq. Ft.)
inside the box. Then attach the felt E E F
to the hardboard, trim the edges, F
I H
and slip it in place (Figure 3). !/2"x 4"- 48" Mahogany (1.3 Sq. Ft.)
Completing a box with an intri-
cate pattern like this is an exercise B B A A
in patience. But when youre fin-

ALSO NEEDED: 24" x 24" sheet of !/4" birch plywood
ished, the box is sure to gain high 24" x 24" sheet of !/8" hardboard
marks from admirers.

XXXXXX XXXX XX
BOXES
A Pair of Keepsake Boxes

These imaginative designs not only make wonderful gifts, theyre also
a great way to build your woodworking skills.
I think of building boxes as a fun- consider the smaller scale of a box Boxes are also perfect projects
damental woodworking skill. After and the added scrutiny a small proj- for using up small pieces of special
all, the techniques used to build ect receives from the viewer, your or exotic wood. You probably have
a box are also key to many larger woodworking skills, and attention plenty of these cutoffs left over
furniture projects. And when you to detail, will be put to the test. from larger projects.
Here are two box designs that
are excellent skill builders. In both
designs, the basic box is built using
splined miters. They also both use
the same technique for creating a
lipped, fitted lid. The ribbon box
shown here features an interesting
inlay and handle. The box on page
24 features an imaginative way to
use Baltic birch plywood.
These boxes are sure to make
great gifts. But you could also use
The ribbon box, named for the handle and inlay on the sides, is made from ash one as the wrapping for an even
with a handle of lacewood and wenge for a pleasing contrast. more special present.

CONSTRUCTION DETAILS
OVERALL DIMENSIONS:
81316" L x 514" W x 4132" H Curved handle and
ribbon inlay on
sides are laminated
from contrasting woods
Upper groove houses
tongue on top panel
Inside groove forms

lid and is routed Rabbet on edges
before assembly of top panel
forms tongue
Lower groove holds

bottom panel
Bottom and lid are Groove routed after

lined with felt on assembly separates
posterboard lid from box
Slots for splines cut

on the table saw using
a shop-made jig.
Refer to page 79
for details
Felt glued to
bottom panel
Matching hardwood provides soft surface
Shallow dado splines reinforce for underside of box
for inlay cut mitered corners
at router table
A small gap (!/32") between

top panel and the body of the Edge of box and
box leaves room for seasonal lid are chamfered
wood movement for smooth closing
1 Routed before Two-step routing

assembly technique used to
form perfect-fitting
2 lipped lid
Routed after
assembly
SIDE SECTION VIEW FRONT SECTION VIEW

(before lid separation) (after lid separation)

C TOP
NOTE: Lid is cut B SIDE
from box after 8#/8
4&/8
assembly &/16
1
BACK Spline
A !/8 blanks
5!/4
1 2 3#/8
D 1&/16
D
&/16
B 8#/4 A
FRONT
2
8#/4
B
C BOTTOM
a. B
FRONT
SECTION VIEW
%/32
!/8 !/32 C
2!/8 D &/32
SPLINES
1 %/32
b. !/32 !/32 c.
#/8 B
B
NOTE: Splines are cut from !/8"-thick !!/32 C D
hardwood strips. All other parts
are made from %/16"-thick hardwood !/8 A
%/32
FRONT SECTION
!/32 VIEW
1 Spline waste
(after separation)
!/4 Sand slight
Building the Box

chamfer
TOP VIEW
As I explained earlier, the basic lid from the box. This procedure is grooves for the top and the bottom
construction of both boxes is very explained in the step-by-step draw- in all four pieces. The box below
similar. The differences mostly ings on the opposite page. shows this process.
center around the way the top and FRONT, BACK & SIDES. The front, back, Now you can move to the router
bottom panels fit into the front, and sides all require 516"-thick table and install a 38"-dia. straight
back, and sides. Ill cover the con- hardwood. I started with 12"-thick bit. I routed the lid groove with a
struction of the ribbon box first. stock, and then I planed it to final straight bit because it provides a
For both boxes, a key technique thickness. After cutting the pieces smoother finished cut than a dado
is the method used to separate the to width and rough length, I cut the blade. Later, youll rout a groove
on the outside of the box to form
the mating bottom half. But for
How-To: Cut & Rout Grooves now, you just need to miter all four
workpieces to final length.
TOP & BOTTOM. The top and bottom
A B are rabbeted to fit into the grooves
A B you cut earlier. You can start by
Rip
fence cutting them to final size. Then,
#/8" cut the rabbets for a snug fit in the
straight grooves. As you test the fit, note
a. END VIEW bit a. END VIEW
&/32 A B that the top and bottom are slightly
!/8 #/4 #/8 recessed and that there is a small
%/32 gap to allow for wood movement
%/32 A B (details a and b).
ASSEMBLY. The step-by-step illus-
trations on the opposite page
Upper & Lower Grooves. Cut the grooves Inside Lid Groove. At the router table, install walk you through the process of
for the top and bottom panels using a a straight bit and rout the groove that will form assembling the box and complet-
standard blade in the table saw. the shoulder of the lid. ing the details. As you can see in
Figure 1, I taped the miter joints to

1 2
keep things in place while I added
clamping pressure. A band clamp
Band
is perfect for this application, but clamps
regular clamps will work fine, as Playing card shims
center top and Spline-
well. Its also a good idea to label bottom in case cutting
jig
the top edge of the box so youll be Tape mitered Zero-
able to orient it properly later. corners clearance
insert NOTE: See
To reinforce the miter joints, I Techniques,
page 79 for
added splines in each corner. A more on this jig
simple jig for the table saw makes
short work of cutting the slots. Assembly. Assemble the miter joints with glue, Slots for Splines. The box needs to be at a 45
(Refer to Techniques on page 79 tape, and band clamps. Cut strips of playing angle while cutting the slots for the splines. I used
for details on the jig.) You can cut cards to use as shims to maintain an even gap. this simple, shop-made jig for accuracy.
the top and bottom slot by flipping
the workpiece in the jig, keeping
the spacing even. The middle slot
3 Spline
4
Keep blade flat
is not centered on the sides as you Flush-cut against surface
Push block saw for clean cut
might expect. Instead, its offset
to allow for the groove youll rout a. Push END VIEW
later when you separate the lid. !/8
block
After gluing the splines in the
slots, trim the ears off the ends. NOTE: Cut strips
to fall on outside #/8
A flush-cut saw is the ideal tool for of blade
this task (Figure 4). Then plane or
sand the surface smooth. Ripping Thin Strips. With the slots cut, you can Trimming the Splines. A Japanese flush-cut
ROUT THE CHANNEL. Now its time to rip several 18"-thick strips for the splines. Use a saw works great for trimming the waste from the
head over to the router table and push block to safely hold the blank. splines. Then, plane or sand the surface.
rout the channel for the handle
and inlays (Figure 5). Start with the
sides first, then rout the top edge.
5 Box bottom 6
Make a couple test cuts with
a straight bit to dial in the 132" bit
height. Then, set the fence and make
1
a. Leave thin
membrane
your first cut. Next, flip the box END VIEW a. Case
side-for-side and make another cut. 2!/8 1 side
This technique ensures the channel !/32
is centered on the box. Move the
#/8" straight #/8" straight SECTION
fence and rout away the remaining bit bit VIEW
waste until youve cut a 1"-wide
channel in both sides, including the Routing the Channel. Rout the channel for the Separating the Lid. To separate the lid from the
top edges of the sides. inlay on the sides first, and then rout the top edge rest of the box, set the router bit height just a hair
SEPARATING THE LID. At this point, of the sides to hold the end of the handle. lower than half the stock thickness.
youre ready to rout the groove
that will separate the lid. As you
can see in Figure 6, youll need to
7 8
set the bit just a hair below final Utility knife Sanding block cleans
up both surfaces of
depth to avoid cutting all the way the shoulders
through. Then, simply place the a.
SECTION
top against the fence to rout all four VIEW
sides. This technique will leave the Case side
lid attached to the box while you
complete the cut. Use a utility knife Top
to cut through the thin membrane
and separate the lid (Figure 7). Final Trim. There should be a very thin strip Sanding. To easily clean up the shoulders for a
Finally, fine-tune the fit of the lid remaining after youve routed the groove. Simply good fit, simply wrap a piece of 220-grit sandpaper
with a sanding block (Figure 8). cut through this with a utility knife. over a square-sided block.

HANDLE
CENTER
!/8 #/4 a.
F SIDE SECTION VIEW
E
8!!/16 E 1
#!/32 1!/32 E
F
HANDLE 8!#/16 HANDLE !/2
FACING F CENTER
Round over lower F HANDLE
E edge of handle with FACING F
light sanding
!/32
2
Top
Posterboard
F
Felt
F
E Felt mounted
on posterboard
on box bottom
and top c. FRONT SECTION
VIEW E
b.
!/16 Box side E !/32
Felt-covered
E posterboard
F 1 mounted in lid
F F
TOP SECTION
VIEW
Adding the Ribbon Handle

With the basic box assembled and might look difficult to laminate, two 18"-thick pieces for the facing.
sanded, its time to turn your atten- but dont worry, youll simply cut Just keep in mind that the thick-
tion to the handle. For this box, I all the pieces from a single, larger ness of the finished blank needs
made a ribbon handle that runs laminated blank. to match the channel you routed
across the top with a matching GLUE UP THE LAMINATED BLANK. The earlier. Its a good idea to glue up
inlay going down both sides. As lacewood and wenge combined an oversized blank (about 16" long)
you can see in the main drawing with the gentle curve in the handle so you can trim it to final size after
above, the handle is a lamination really give the box a distinctive cleaning up the glue squeezeout.
of two different hardwoods. look. You may want to experiment Start by cutting the handle pieces
While the ribbon handle is glued with different woods from your to size. Then, glue them together,
directly to the top, the ends of the own scrap pile to find a combina- adding a piece of tape along one
handle and the side ribbons fit tion that complements the stock edge. The tape helps prevent the
into the channels on the sides. The you used for the box. Youll need pieces from shifting under clamp-
thin strips that run down the sides a 34"-thick piece for the center and ing pressure. Another benefit is
FULL-SIZE HANDLE PATTERN
One square = !/4"

45
1!/4 Waste area
!/16 Waste area
4!!/32

that it forces most of the glue to
squeeze out on the opposite edge.
How-To: Make the Laminated Handle
That makes cleaning it up much
easier. Its also a good idea to use
a caul on both sides of the blank
1 Clean up glue 2
squeezeout Leave 4!/4"
when you add the clamps. with block plane extra for
end pieces
CUTTING THE HANDLE. Once the glue
has dried, youll need to clean up Layout
Pattern lines
the laminated blank. You can use
a block plane to smooth the edge
you taped earlier (Figure 1). Then
head to the table saw and trim the NOTE: Make two pattern
Laminated ribbon
opposite edge square and parallel. handle blank copies. Cut and trace for
mirrored pattern end
Next, make a copy of the pattern
on the opposite page and attach it Cleaning up the Blank. After removing the tape Cut the Miters. With the pattern glued to
to the blank with spray adhesive. from the edge of the blank, a couple of passes with the blank, you should have no trouble lining
The pattern makes it easy to cut a block plane will clean up the edge. up the miter cuts on each end.
the blank to shape and position
the miter cuts on each end. I cut
the miters first to guarantee a good
3 4
fit for the joints where the handle
will meet the side strips. It would Use a 2"-dia.
sanding drum
be very difficult to accurately miter Cut to waste to smooth
the thin pieces separately. side of pattern the curve
Once youve mitered the ends,
use the pattern to cut out the shape
of the handle. I cut it out at the
band saw and cleaned up the sur-
faces using a sanding drum (Fig- Cutting the Curved Handle. Cut the handle to rough Drum Sanding. A sanding drum makes
ures 3 and 4). I also rounded over shape at the band saw, making sure to keep the cut on short work of smoothing the saw marks
the sharp edges by hand sanding to the waste side of the layout line. and shaping the handle.
provide a more comfortable grip.
The cutoff from the handle blank
is used to make the side ribbons.
5 6
TOP VIEW
Figure 5 shows how you can get all 1!/32
four pieces from the blank, using Excess blank for
the mitered ends to mate with the box side inlays
2
handle. After cutting them out, !/16
!/16
youll need to sand or scrape them NOTE: Glue
2 1!/32
to remove the saw marks and then handle to top
and sides
cut them to final length.
All that remains to complete the Cutting Side Inlays. Using the excess from Assembly. Since the inlays fit in the channel you
box is to glue the pieces in place the laminated blank, rip the thin strips for the routed earlier, assembly is just a matter of adding
(Figure 6) and then install the felt- side inlays at the band saw. glue and gentle clamping pressure.
covered posterboard lining.

A Front/Back (2) 5 x 33 - 83
16 8 4
B Sides (2) 5 x 33 - 51 !/2"x 5!/2"- 48"Ash (1.8 Sq. Ft.)
16 8 4
C Top/Bottom (2) 5 x 47 - 83
16 8 8 A A B B
D Splines (12) 1 x 3 - 1 C C
8 8
E Handle Blank Center (1) 3 x 11 - 16 rgh.
4 4
F Handle Blank Facing (2) 1 x 11 - 16 rgh.
8 4
D
NOTE: A, B, and C are planed to %/16" thick
(2) Posterboard Backing (Cut to Fit)
(3) Black Felt (Cut to Fit) ALSO NEEDED: Stock for handle blank (parts E & F)

5 !/4
!/16" rad.
top edges
a. !/4
G HANDLE 9" rad. SIDE
#/4" Ply. TOP !/16" SECTION
C !/8 !/16" chamfer
rad. VIEW
%/32 5
1!/2 1
G
8
F
E C
C B Bottom of !/2
%/8 handle TOP
NOTE: Posterboard 3!!/16 flush with
Tabs are bottom of top
cut from !/8" Felt
hardboard Felt on posterboard
8&/16
E
LONG A
TAB
#3 x #/8" Fh
F
b. SECTION VIEW
SHORT
woodscrew TAB !/16" chamfer
A C
FRONT D
TOP !/16"
B SPLINES gap
Felt SIDE
BOTTOM
C Posterboard !/8 F
!/8 Box side

E &/16
F
NOTE:
NOTE: Top and Bottom
bottom are glued shown at c. Felt
up out of eight !/2"-wide finished Posterboard Box side
strips of #/4"Baltic birch width after
plywood Felt trimming
F
&/16 4!/2 NOTE: See pages
20 and 21 for how to C !/16"
build the basic box BOTTOM gap
!/16" chamfer
Making the Laminated-Top Box Felt SECTION VIEW
The laminated-top box is very handle is inserted into a slot (detail START WITH THE BOX. You can refer
similar to the ribbon box. The only a above). While it looks tricky, this back to page 20 to get started on the
differences are in the materials and is actually pretty easy to do after box. The only difference is that the
installation of the top and bottom. gluing up the laminations. sides of the box are glued up with-
The unusual, striped look of the The last major difference is the out the top and bottom in place.
top and bottom comes from cutting way the top and bottom panels Since the top and bottom arent
strips of Baltic birch plywood and are attached to the box. I used tabs there to provide any additional
laminating them together on edge. made from 18" hardboard to make support, its a good idea to take
Baltic birch works well because it the connection (details b and c). extra care to keep things square.
has very thin plies and few voids.
Youll also notice the differ-
ent handle on this box. The top is
dished out and a contrasting wood A Front/Back (2) 5 x 33 - 83
16 8 4
B Sides (2) 5 x 33 - 51
16 8 4
C Top/Bottom (2) 1 x 41 - 8*
2 2
D Spline Blank (1) 1 x 3 - 12 rgh.
8 8
E Long Tabs (2) 18 hdbd. - 58 x 8716
F Short Tabs (2) 1 hdbd. - 5 x 311
8 8 16
G Handle (1) 1 x 1 - 5
4
(16) #3 x 38" Brass Fh Woodscrews
(2) Posterboard Backing (Cut to Fit)
(3) Black Felt (Cut to Fit)
!/2"x 4"- 36"Padauk (1.0 Sq. Ft.)

ALSO NEEDED: One 12"x
A A B B 12"sheet of #/4"Baltic birch
This design plywood, one 12" x 12"
D sheet of !/8"hardboard, one
incorporates padauk, NOTE: A and B are planed to %/16" thick !/4" - 1"x 5" wenge blank
Baltic birch plywood, and wenge.

One square = !/4"
Waste area
TOP & BOTTOM LAMINATIONS. After
assembling the box, move on to
How-To: Make 1 FULL-SIZE
laminating the top and bottom. To
make the bottom, cut eight 12"-wide
strips of 34" Baltic birch plywood
the Top & Bottom HANDLE PATTERN
2!/2
and glue them together on edge.

Trim an equal amount off each side
so the final width is 412". (Eight
1 2
strips are used to keep the glueup
symmetrical while accounting for Cut to waste NOTE: 150-grit
the fact that plywood is less than side of line sanding sleeve
3 " thick.) Then sand the surfaces. Middle leaves a smooth
4 top strip surface on the
When making the top, there lamination plywood
are a few extra steps. Youll have

to take the two middle strips to Cutting the Curved Recess. At the band saw, Drum Sanding. Next, you can use a sanding drum
the band saw and cut the shallow cut the curve that forms the dished out recess for to guarantee a very smooth surface for the curve in
curve in both pieces (Figure 1). A the handle. Remember to cut to the waste side. the edge grain of the plywood.
quick touch-up on a sanding drum
smooths the curved surfaces.
Now you can glue up four strips
3 4
Aux.
to form each half of the top. Just be miter 1!/2
fence 5 !/2" C TOP
sure to keep the dished out piece
straight
on the edge. Then take both halves a. END VIEW bit a. C
END
VIEW
to the table saw and install a dado &/16 !/8
!/8
blade. Using a miter gauge, cut the #/4" dado
1 "-deep notch in each piece to form blade
8
the mortise for the handle (Figure
3). After completing the cuts, glue Cutting the Notch. With an auxiliary fence on the miter Routing Rabbet. After gluing up the
up the halves and trim off the edges gauge, use a dado blade to cut the shallow notches in each top and trimming it to size, you can rout
like you did with the bottom. piece that will house the boxs handle. a rabbet on all four edges.
RABBETS. There are a couple more
things to do to complete the top and
bottom. First, rout a rabbet around
5 C
6
the inside face of both pieces. This
E #3 x #/8" Fh
rabbet fits over the hardboard tabs
in the box. Also rout a chamfer on
a. END
woodscrew
Chamfer C VIEW
both pieces (Figure 5). Now you bit
!/16
can install the hardboard tabs and NOTE: Rout F
attach the top and bottom with chamfer on
ends first
screws. I countersunk the screw
holes for a flush fit (Figure 6). Chamfer the Edges. Routing a chamfer around Attaching the Top & Bottom. Drill countersunk
ADD THE HANDLE. At this point youre the top not only eases the edges, but also provides screw holes in the tabs before you install them in
ready to work on the handle. Start an attractive, decorative detail. the grooves in the box.
by planing a blank for a tight fit in
the lid slot. Then use the pattern at
the upper right to lay out the shape
7 NOTE: Attach
pattern with
8 HANDLE
G
spray adhesive
of the handle and cut it out at the
band saw. I also eased the top edges
with a light sanding. Finally, add a
Handle
little glue in the slot and install the slot
handle. Once again, I lined the box C
TOP
with felt on posterboard.
These designs represent two ways Cutting the Handle. With the pattern glued to Installing the Handle. After sanding the handle
to build an attractive box. Best of all, the blank, you can now cut out the handle. Just smooth and rounding over the top edges, all you
the techniques can be used for deco- be sure to cut to the waste side of the line. have left to do is glue it into the slot.
rative boxes of all shapes and sizes.

XXXXXX XXXX XX
BOXES
Three Routed Gift Boxes

What do these three beautiful boxes have in common? Each of them
is created using a simple template routing technique.
Im always on the lookout for small, on the opposite page and the secret- pointers and learn more about this
simple projects to build as gifts for compartment box on page 30) are technique, read the article begin-
friends and family. And the three made from either a single block ning on page 80.
unique boxes shown in the photo of wood or a glued-up blank. The In the box projects that follow,
above are perfect examples. case of the third box, the dresser- youll see just some of the ways
What makes them perfect? For top valet on page 32, is joined by you can use templates to carve out
one, they dont require a lot of time screws and has a small drawer the inside of a box or to create the
or material to make. You could with a simple locking rabbet. shallow recesses of a tray.
probably make them all from Best of all, these boxes present So dust off your router and build
pieces of wood leftover from some an opportunity to try your hand at one or all three of these boxes.
of your previous projects. a different kind of template rout- Youll end up with something spe-
All three boxes feature simple ing technique. With a template, cial to keep for yourself or give as
construction and joinery. In fact, youre not limited to square or a gift. At the same time, youll be
two of the boxes (the jewelry box straightline shapes. To get a few honing a new skill.

Oval Jewelry Box
The first of the boxes, the jew-
elry box, is the most unusual of
the three. With its oval shape and
wing-like lids, it also seems more
complex, but there isnt anything
too tricky about building it.
There are only four parts to the
jewelry box. The body is made of
one piece of 112"-thick hardwood.
A pair of bean-shaped compart-
ments are routed in it to hold the
jewelry. Two matching swivel lids
enclose the compartments, and a
center divider serves as a lid stop.
MAKING THE TEMPLATE. The secret to a
free-form project that doesnt have
straight lines or square shapes is
to use a router and templates. Use
the pattern on page 29 as a guide
for making the template. The final
shape of the box is oval, but both
the template and the box blank start
as oversized rectangular shapes.
One reason to do this is that
the oversized template provides a
broad, flat surface for the router to ROUTING WITH THE TEMPLATE. Once the These holes will hold steel pins that
ride on. The second is that its eas- recesses have been drilled to rough serve as hinges for the lid.
ier to secure the rectangular blank shape, you can rout out the com- Now, although the body of the
in the face vise on the workbench. partments, taking shallow passes, box isnt quite finished at this point,
After attaching the template to as shown in Figure 1. you can remove the template. Then,
the box blank, youll first need to DRILLING PIN HOLES. The last thing to set the body aside while you work
drill out most of the waste with a do is to drill a pair of 14"-dia. holes on the lids. When the lids are done,
Forstner bit in the drill press. Doing through the template and into the the body will be cut to match the
it this way is faster than routing. box, as you see in Figures 2 and 2a. lids for a seamless look.
1 2
a. a.

SHAPING THE LIDS Leaving this extra space allows bottom of each lid, as in the draw-
With the recesses in the body of the for the saw kerfs when cutting out ing in the left margin. Then, cut a
jewelry box complete, I turned my the lids and still leaves you enough piece of 14"-dia. steel rod to fit in
attention to the two lids. After the wiggle room to shape the divider the lid and box (about 34"), and glue
lids have been cut and routed, the for a close fit later on. And to keep the pins into the lids with epoxy.
rest of the box will be shaped and the parts from getting turned SHAPING THE DIVIDER. Once the glue
sanded smooth. around while shaping, I used an has dried, youll need to grab the
MAKING THE LID TEMPLATE. But before old carpenters trick and marked a box body for the shaping and fit-
you make the lids, theres one more triangle on the top of the board. ting of the divider. To do this, start
template to make. The second tem- MAKING THE LIDS. At this point, the by attaching the lids with double-
plate guides you through the cut- lids can be cut out from the blank sided tape. The tape keeps the lids
ting and fitting of the lids. The same on the band saw. (Remember to from moving around while you fit
template is used to shape both lids save the center for the divider.) Cut the divider to the space between
so that they end up identical. just to the waste side of the line. them, as illustrated in Figure 5.
To make the template, enlarge Next, attach the lid template with When fitting the divider, be sure
the pattern on the opposite page double-sided tape and trim the lid the orientation triangle lines up.
and glue it to a piece of 14" hard- to final shape with a flush-trim bit The space between the lids defines
board. Cut the template to rough installed in the router table, as you the exact size of the divider.
shape on the band saw and sand to can see in Figures 4 and 4a. To fit the divider, I used a drum
the layout lines. Then, drill out the Using the template as a guide, sander mounted in the drill press
1 "-dia. hinge pin hole. drill a 14"-dia. stopped hole in the (Figure 5a). Its a good idea to test
4
LAYING OUT LIDS & DIVIDER. The lids
and center divider of the box are all
cut from the same piece of 12"-thick
3
stock so that the grain will flow
across all three parts after theyre
shaped and attached to the box. So
to lay out the parts, youll need to
start with an oversized blank.
Now set the lid template in place
Use the templates on the blank and trace the outline.
as a guide for Then, rotate the template 180 to
drilling holes for trace the other lid. Just be sure to
the steel hinge leave at least 58" between each lid
pins for the lids. for the divider, as in Figure 3.
4 5
a.
a. b.

6 a.
the fit often while shaping the
divider. What youre looking for is a
snug fit. At each end of the divider,
I sanded a relief (Figure 5b). This
lets the lids open and close freely
without binding. When youre sat-
isfied with the fit, you can ease the
top edges with some sandpaper
and glue the divider in place.
CUTTING OUT THE BOX. Now that the
lids and divider are complete, the
body of the box can be cut from the
7 a.
oversized blank. To do this, trace
the outline of the lids on the body.
Then, remove the lids and rough
cut the body on the band saw.
SANDING THE BODY FLUSH. Once the
body has been cut out, it still needs
some fine-tuning. Attach the lids
GO
GO
2
with double-sided tape, and sand
the body flush with the lids using a
drum sander, as shown in Figure 6. Online
nline
Now it might seem that this is the soften the sharp top edges of each Although the box looks great just Extras
perfect job for a flush-trim bit in the lid with sandpaper. Second, rout a as it is, there are a few other details
router table, but its not. The reason slight (14") roundover on the bot- that you could add. I stained the To download a
full-size paern
is that with so much end grain on tom of the box, as in Figure 6a. lids a contrasting color. Then, I for the jewelry
box and lids,
the box, routing could cause a lot ADDING FEET. The last thing to add applied flocking to the inside of go to:
of tearout and burning. to the box are a few brass feet. The the compartments to match the lid WoodsmithSpecials.com
There are just a couple of things feet are glued into holes drilled in stain. For step-by-step instructions
left to do on the box. The first is to the bottom, as in Figures 7 and 7a. on how to do this, turn to page 84.
Oval Box Template Patterns

9
NOTE:
Enlarge both
template
patterns 215%
6

Flip this box over to uncover a second compartment hidden
in the base. A pair of rare-earth magnets attached to the
bottom keep this little hiding place a secret.
Secret-Compartment Box This box is hiding something

two things actually. To see what
I mean, take a look at the photos
FIGURE above. First of all, youll notice
1 the vertical grain in the body of
the box. This hides the end grain
under the top and bottom. The
a. other thing this box is hiding is
a compartment in the bottom, as
you can see in the right photo.
MAKING THE BODY. The body of the
box is just a large, glued-up block
of wood. For contrast, I added a
few strips of a darker-colored wood
(padauk), as shown in Figure 1, but
you can use whatever you like.
To make the body, I started with
a sandwich of smaller pieces of
wood turned on end. As I men-
tioned before, the end grain will be
hidden by the lid and bottom.
ROUTING THE COMPARTMENTS. Both the
top and bottom compartments are
routed using the same template.
To make the template, use the half-
pattern shown on the opposite
page. The only thing thats differ-
ent between each compartment is
the depth, as you can see in Figure
1a. For more on template routing,
turn to Techniques on page 80.
Whats unusual about routing
the compartments for this box is

that youre cutting into end grain.
The hard end grain causes more
2
stress on the bit. So I like to make
shallow cuts and move the router a
little slower than normal.
TOP & BOTTOM. The top and bottom
are identical. Theyre made from
1 "-thick stock and each one has a
2
3 " cove routed on all four edges.
8
To keep the top and bottom cen-
tered on the box, there are 18"-thick
indexing plates on the inside face of
each piece, as shown in Figure 2.
The indexing plates have a
3 a.
radius cut on each corner and are
long enough to just slip into the
compartments. And theyre cut a
bit narrower than the openings to
allow for seasonal movement.
But before shaping the plates,
I planed them to final thickness.
The problem is, thin stock can be
damaged by the planer. To support
the pieces, I taped them to a ply-
wood carrier (photo below). a small cup pressed into a hole at as in Figure 3a, and install a pair of
KEEPING A SECRET. To create the secret each end of the base (Figure 2). special countersink washers. The
compartment, attach a pair of rare- For the magnets to work, they holes and counterbores are cen-
earth magnets to the bottom to lock need something to grab. Drill a tered on the thickness of the box
it in place. Each magnet is held in counterbore at each end of the box, walls, as shown in Figure 3.
Box Template Pattern
When planing the stock for the indexing plates used

for the top and bottom, attach the stock to a 34"
plywood carrier with double-sided tape. The plywood
supports the thin stock as its planed.

Dresser-Top Valet
The last of the routed boxes is a To make the shallow wells in I used a tongue and dado joint
dresser-top valet. Its a basic case the top, I used a special tray bit in to connect the sides and back of the
with straightforward construction. a router guided by a template. Use case. To make the joint, cut a dado
But whats different is the top of the pattern on the opposite page to near the back of each side piece
the case. If you take a look at the make the template. You can learn and a mating tongue at each end of
photo above, you can see that three more about template routing by the back (Figure 1a). Then glue the
shallow wells routed on the top reading the article on page 80. sides and back together.
are perfect for holding all sorts of MAKING THE CASE SIDES. The sides and BOX ASSEMBLY. I was looking for a
odds and ends. back are cut to size from 12"-thick simple way to attach the top and
TOP & BOTTOM. The top and bottom stock. Then youll rout a bullnose bottom to the sides of the case. The
of the case are glued-up panels profile on each end of the sides to trouble is that this is a cross-grain
with a bullnose routed on all four match the top and bottom, as you joint. And theres no way glue will
edges, as shown in Figure 1b. can see in Figures 1 and 1b. stand up to seasonal movement.
FIGURE
1 a. b.
c.

FIGURE
The solution to this problem is to
use long screws to pin the top and
2
bottom to the sides, as in Figure
1. The holes in the sides are over-
sized, which allows the sides to
move independently from the top
and bottom, as shown in Figure 1c.
To complete the case, screw small (!/4" Ply.)
wood feet to the bottom (Figure 1c).
To make them, I routed the bull-
nose on an oversized blank first,
and then cut them to final size.
BUILDING A SIMPLE DRAWER c.

With the case complete, you can
begin working on the drawer. As a. b. !/4" Ply.
you can see in Figure 2, its just a bottom
basic drawer with tongue and dado

and locking rabbet joinery.
The tongue and dado is easy
enough to make. Cut the joint just
like the one that joins the side and
back of the case (Figure 2b).
CUTTING A LOCKING RABBET. I used a After cutting the joinery, the next FINAL ASSEMBLY. Size the 14" plywood
locking rabbet to join the front and thing I did was cut a 14" groove drawer bottom to fit in the grooves
sides of the drawer (Figure 2a). This along the bottom edge of each of in the drawer parts, as shown in
creates a stronger joint for the front. the parts. This groove will hold the Figure 2. Then all thats left to com-
But you could also use a drawer last piece of the box, a 14" plywood plete the valet is to screw a pair of
joint bit in the router table. bottom, as shown in Figure 2c. brass knobs to the drawer front.
Valet Tray Template Pattern

Picture
Frames
Proudly display your most cherished photos or
artwork in these hand-crafted frames. Weve
provided detailed instructions that guarantee
theyll be picture-perfect.
MITERED FRAME & EASEL .............36
PICTURE FRAME MOLDINGS .........40
MITERED HALF-LAP FRAME...........44
CLASSIC PICTURE FRAMES ............46

XXXXXX XXXX XX
FRAMES
Mitered
Frame & Easel
Your favorite art or photograph will look great in this
easy-to-build frame resting on a classic, adjustable easel.
Treasured photographs and art- base with a support and clamp There are several size options for
work deserve a distinctive place added to hold the frame in place. this project one for 8x10 photos
in any home. And this frame and The individual components are and one for 5x7 photos. Ive fea-
easel combination makes a great chamfered to add to the form and tured the 8x10 frame throughout
place to display those gems. character of the easel. this article, but Ive also included
This project is pretty simple The frame is built by gluing the the dimensions for a 5x7 version in
to build. Theres no complicated facing to a backer board and then the cutting diagram on page 39.
joinery because both the base and adding trim around the edges. I You can also build a set for an
the frame are built up from three made the facing and the trim out 11x14 photo or piece of art. The
separate components. The easel is of contrasting woods and cham- cutting diagram and materials list
nothing more than a three-tiered fered the edges to add character. are at WoodsmithSpecials.com.

NOTE: Dimensions BACKER NOTE: Glass and poster- Posterboard
shown are for SIDE board are 8" x10"
8x10 frame B
Building the Frame 1

Miter joints
join trim
12
A
8 Glass
Building the frame for the frame

and easel duo is pretty straight- 2
forward. To keep it simple, I elimi-
nated the need for splines on the
mitered corners by gluing the fac-
E
ing to a backer and then mitering
the trim around the assembly. The D
trim has a rabbeted edge that fits FACING BACKER

SIDE TOP /
tight against the facing and backer. BOTTOM B
Turn button
BACKER & FACING. The backer and the A
facing are sandwiched together. NOTE: D

Backer is !/4"
The backer is 14" narrower than the hardboard
Facing Backer 14
facing. That way, when they are
glued together, they form a rabbet
Trim a. 2!/4 14
to hold the glass and the photo- Rabbet holds

graph or artwork in the frame. facing and
backer assembly
The backer pieces are cut to size
C
and fit with butt joints (main draw- FACING
ing). The facing has mitered joints TOP / BOTTOM
Chamfer
and a chamfer on the inside edge. is cut on Trim is glued
router table to facing and
I cut the facing to width and rough backer
length and then routed the cham- NOTE: Facing
NOTE: Trim is made
E
is #/8"-thick Facing and
fered edge (How-To box below). from %/8"-thick stock hardwood backer are glued
TRIM together to create
The facing can be mitered to length rabbeted opening
NOTE: for photo and glass
and glued together onto the backer, Trim pieces are mitered
as shown in detail a. to fit around frame
TRIM. The rabbeted trim fits
Poster-
around the facing and backer and workpiece to width for all four To finish up, add a
DETAILS. board
has a chamfer on the inside front sides of the trim. You can rout the piece of glass to the open-
edge (main drawing). Again, its chamfer on one edge of the working. I cut a piece of poster-
easiest to do this work before the piece and then cut the rabbet on board to back the photo Photo
Glass
pieces are cut to length, as shown the table saw. Finally, just miter the (detail b). Turn buttons Facing and Trim
in the two right drawings in the pieces to length and glue them to will keep the backing and backer
box below. I ripped an extra-long the backer and facing edges. your photographs in place.
b. (assembled)
How-To: Shape the Frame Components

a. END a. END Push
a. END
Push
block
VIEW VIEW !/4 VIEW
block Aux. Previously
fence routed
!/8 chamfer
!/4 Facing !/4 %/8
blank Trim
E
C D
E
Fence Fence Trim Auxiliary
blank fence Dado
Cut chamfer on NOTE: Rout chamfer blade
outside edge on inside edge
Facing Chamfer. Youll find that its easiest to Chamfer. To make the trim for the frame, you Rabbet. Cut the rabbet on the inside edge of the
rout the chamfer on the facing blanks before can start by routing a chamfer on the outside trim on the table saw using a dado blade buried
mitering the pieces to length. edge of an extra-long blank. in an auxiliary fence.

#10 -24 x 2" brass machine
a. CLAMP TOP VIEW
#/16
1!/4 screw with head cut off
(/32 (/32
b. To define the shoulder, I cut a
!/4 1 "-deep
4!/2
SIDE 16 kerf in three sides of the
Washer SECTION top face. Then, I set the saw blade
1!/2 VIEW
!/8" Thumb at 45 and cut the chamfer on the
chamfer nut edges of the bottom.
K
STOP J RISER & TOP. The riser in the center
CLAMP
(!/4"x !/4"-10!/2") VERTICAL 1 of the base is a rectangular work-
NOTE: SUPPORT K
I Top and vertical support 1
piece cut to size with the edges
are #/8"-thick hardwood
left square. The top piece has a 14"
TOP
H chamfer on the bottom edge. After
!/8" this workpiece is cut to size, you
chamfer 20
11 J can rout the chamfer.
BEGIN ASSEMBLY. Once you have the
Three 3!/2
workpieces three base pieces cut and shaped,
are stacked and H you can glue them up. Assemble
glued G
the pieces so theyre centered from
10!/2 RISER
3!/4 side to side but flush at the back
#6 x 1" edge. A few cut-off brads inserted
NOTE: Riser brass Fh G 1%/16
and bottom are woodscrew in both faces of the riser will help
#/4"-thick Fasten support F
hold the bottom and top in place as
hardwood #/8
to base with
F glue and screws you apply the clamps for glueup.
BOTTOM H After the glue dries, you can cut
12
Large chamfer c. SIDE SECTION VIEW the notch on the back of the base
cut on table saw !/4 3!/2 for the vertical support.
(see box below) !/4 I H
STOP. A stop on the front of the base
!/8 keeps the frame from slipping off.
#/4 3!/4
GO
GO !/16 G Its a narrow piece with trimmed
2 #/16 F
corners and chamfers along the
edges. Because the finished piece
Online
nline
Extras Adding the Easel 4
is so small, I cut the profiles on an
extra-wide blank. Just miter the
For informaon The easel consists of a base and a the easel. A dado in the back of the corners first. Then, take the work-
on building a
frame and easel vertical support that holds a sliding base holds the vertical support. piece over to the router table to rout
for an 11x14 lock to secure the frame in position. BOTTOM. The bottom of the base the chamfers on the edges. Finally,
photograph,
go to: The base is assembled from three has a wide chamfer with a shoul- rip the stop free from the waste.
WoodsmithSpecials.com hardwood blocks each with a der at the top. Cut the shoulder VERTICAL SUPPORT. At this point, the
different edge profile. This adds and the chamfer on the table saw. vertical support for the frame is
weight and an intricate profile to The How-To box shows the steps. ripped to width to fit the notch you
How-To: Shaping the Base

F a. #/16 1
BOTTOM END
BOTTOM VIEW
a. END VIEW
F !/2 a. END VIEW
!/2
!/2 45
!/16
!/4
NOTE: Notch is
Tilt blade centered on
45 width of base
First. To shape the chamfer on the table Second. To complete the chamfer, you need Notch. The notch in the base that holds the
saw, I started by cutting a kerf 12" from the to tilt the blade 45 and raise it to meet the vertical support should be cut after the three
edge on three sides of the workpiece. kerf. Then, cut off the waste. layers of the base are glued up.

cut earlier. The miters on the top Youll need to drill a hole
corners of the support are cut on through the middle of the tongue
the table saw. After that, its just a on the clamp to hold the screw that
matter of cutting the slot to hold the attaches it to the support.
clamp and drilling pilot holes for This may seem like it could
the mounting screws in the back. be a challenge, but take a MATERIALS, SUPPLIES &
The slot in the support can be look at the photo below for CUTTING DIAGRAM
made on the router table. For more an easy way to do this. 8x10 Size 5x7 Size
A Backer Top/Bottom (2) 1 hdbd. - 2 x 8 1hdbd. - 2 x 5
information, you can turn to page FINISH ASSEMBLY. The clamp 4 4
B Backer Side (2) 1 hdbd. - 2 x 14 1hdbd. - 2 x 11
95. Two screws hold the support to is fitted with a cut-off 10- 4 4
C Facing Top/Bottom (2) 3 x 21 - 12 3x 214 - 9
the base, as shown in detail b. 24 brass machine screw. 8 4 8
D Facing Side (2) 3 x 21 - 14 3x 214 - 11
FRAME CLAMP. The frame clamp is Cut the screw to 112". A 8 4 8
E Trim (1) 5 x 1 - 60 rgh. 5x 1 - 48 rgh.
8 8
also a small piece with several short bit of epoxy on the end of 3 x 4 - 12 3
F Base Bottom (1) 4 x 312 - 9
4
cuts and chamfers, so again, its the screw holds it in place 3
G Base Riser (1) 4 x 314 - 1012 3x 234 - 712
4
easier to work with an oversized in the clamp. Then, add a H Base Top (1) 3 x 31 - 11 3x3-8
8 2 8
blank. I cut the blank to width this washer and a brass thumb I Frame Stop (1) 1 x 1 - 101
4 4 2
1x 14 - 712
4
time and then cut a bevel on the nut (main drawing). J Vertical Support (1) 3 x 1 - 20
8
3x 1 - 17
8
end of the piece. Once youve com- FINAL DETAILS. The easel is K Clamp (1) 3 x 1 - 11 3x 1 - 112
4 2 4
pleted this, youll need to go back designed to hold the frame (4) 78" Brass Turn Buttons w/Screws
to the router table to rout the cham- either horizontally or verti- (2) #6 x 1" Brass Fh Woodscrews
fers on the edges. Then you can cut cally, depending on your (1) 10-24 x 2" Brass Machine Screw
9 "-deep notches at the back of the
32 photo or artwork. All you (1) #10 Brass Flat Washer
clamp to form a tongue. Finally, cut need to do now is to decide (1) #10 Brass Thumb Nut
the clamp free. Theres more infor- which of your photos or For 8 x 10 Size
mation in the How-To box below. artwork to display. !/2" x 3" x 60" Curly Maple (1.3 Sq. Ft.) NOTE: Plane to #/8"thick
C C D D
#/4" x 5!/2" x 60" Poplar (2.3 Bd. Ft.) I J

F G H
K E
NOTE: Parts E, H, I, and J are planed to thickness

For 5 x 7 Size ALSO NEEDED:
!/2" x 3" x 48" Curly Maple (1 Sq. Ft.) NOTE: Plane to #/8"thick One 12"x24"
sheet !/4"
C C D D hardboard
for the 8x10
#/4" x 5!/2" x 48" Poplar (1.8 Bd. Ft.) I J frame and a
12"x12" sheet
F G H !/4" hardboard
K E for the 5x7
frame
Since the clamp is a small piece and needs to be drilled precisely, secure NOTE: Parts E, H, I, and J are planed to thickness
it to the drill press table using a handscrew.
How-To: Making the Frame Clamp

Auxiliary
Auxiliary Chamfer miter fence
miter fence bit
#/8
K #/8
1!/4
a. a. Fence END K a. END VIEW
VIEW 1!/4 Waste
Bearing !/4
K K
Cut (/32"-
Rout !/8" K
deep notch K
NOTE: Set TOP chamfer on
VIEW on both sides
miter gauge edges of blank
45
Beveled Front. First, locate the bevel on the Chamfers. The chamfers on the edges are cut Tongue. The final steps are to cut the
front of the clamp by marking a point 38" from on the router table. Use a miter gauge for the notch to form the tongue on the clamp,
the bottom of the workpiece. end and angled chamfers. and then cut it free from the blank.

XXXXXX XXXX XX
FRAMES
Picture Frame Moldings

Making your own picture frame moldings doesnt require much time or
expensive equipment just a router table and a few scraps of wood.
Considering how quick picture MITERING. Making a frame is essen- one more point thats worth men-
frames are to build, they sure are tially a two-step process. First you tioning. All of the frames included
rewarding. With the simple ideas have to make the frame molding. in this article are shown with a
and instructions provided here, Thats what is shown on the next 3 "-deep rabbet on the back. This
8
your finished frames will look few pages. Then once you have the rabbet is designed to hold a piece
every bit as nice as ones that youd molding in hand, you have to miter of glass, a photograph, and a card-
find in a frame shop. And since you the pieces and put them together in board backer. If youre planning
can build them out of scraps, the a frame. And to help you with that on displaying a relatively thick
cost will be next to nothing. process, Ive included a separate work of art, or you want to use mat
Each of the moldings on the next article on cutting picture-perfect boards, take a moment to figure out
few pages can be made with just miter joints, which you can find in whether youll need to increase the
a few common router bits. (Youll Techniques on page 88. depth of the rabbet. Keep in mind
need a router table and a table saw RABBETS. Before you get started that this may mean using thicker
to rip the stock to width.) making all sorts of frames, I have stock for the frame.

Accent Strip Frame
An easy way to dress up an oth-
erwise ordinary-looking frame is
to use a contrasting wood as an
accent. In the frame in the far right
photo, a mushroom-shaped accent
strip is glued into a groove that is
routed down the center.
The main part of this frame is
just a piece of 34"-thick stock with
an 18" cove routed along each edge,
as you can see in Step 1. Then, a
groove for the accent strip and a
rabbet for the glass and picture are
routed (Steps 2 and 3).
The accent strip is just a 38"-
thick piece of bullnose molding
with a tenon that fits into the
groove in the frame. This tenon is
a hair shorter than the depth of the
1 Using a 14"-dia. core box
bit, rout a 18" cove along
both edges of the frame blank.
2 Hold the frame blank tight
against the fence, and rout
a groove down the center.
3 Before starting the accent
strip, rout a rabbet in the
frame for the glass and picture.
groove to prevent it from bottom-
ing out and creating a gap where
the accent strip and frame meet.
Because the accent strip is so
small and narrow, it would be dif-
ficult (and possibly dangerous) to
rout the profile after youve cut the
blank to size. To solve this problem,
you just need to rout the profile on
the edge of a wider piece of stock,
and then rip the inlay strip to size
(Steps 4 through 6).
4 To add a bullnose profile
to the strip, round over
both edges of a wide blank.
5 Two passes with a straight
bit create the shoulders of
the tenon on the accent strip.
6 At the table saw, cut the
accent strip from the blank
and glue it to the frame.
Wide Accent Strip

For a larger frame, the width of
both the frame and the accent
strip is increased. And to vary the
appearance and lighten the look of
the frame, two sizes of coves are
routed along the edges of the frame
(Steps 1 and 2).
Placing the larger cove on the
1 After cutting the frame
blank to width, rout a 12"
cove along the outside edge.
2 On the inside edge of the
blank, rout a 14" cove,
with a core box bit or a cove bit.
outside edge of the molding gives
the frame more of a three-dimen-
sional look. This makes it appear
less massive and cumbersome
without sacrificing strength.
Here again, the groove for the
accent strip is routed with a straight
bit. But this time, the groove is
centered between the two coves.
Its not centered on the workpiece
(Step 3). Keep this in mind when
setting your router table fence.
3 The groove for the accent
strip is centered between the
two coves, not the blank.
4 Before starting the accent
strip, rout a rabbet in the
5 Shape the edges of the
strip on a wide blank
before cutting the piece free.

Single Bead Profile
When making a piece of furniture, I and a cove along the other (Steps
often use built-up molding. This 1 and 2). The roundover creates a
is just two or more simple pieces of shadow line that helps set off the
molding that are stacked together bead molding, making it stand out
to create a wider profile. a little more. Then, rout the rab-
The same technique can also be bet for the glass and picture on the
used to make picture frame mold- inside bottom edge (Step 3).
ings. But instead of stacking the To make the bead molding, rout
pieces one on top of the other, you an 18" roundover along both sides
simply stack them side by side. of a 14"-thick blank (Step 4).
In this case, I added a simple Finally, you can simply glue the
bead molding alongside a cove bead molding to the cove molding.
molding. I used walnut for both The trick here is to keep both pieces
the bead and cove moldings (lower flush along the bottom. To do this,
photo at left), but you could use it helps to have a nice flat surface to
two types of wood for contrast. work on during the glueup. (I used
To make the coved piece, rout a the top of my table saw protected
stepped roundover along one edge with wax paper.)
!/8"
roundover
1 The first step is to create a

small, stepped roundover on
the outside edge of the frame.
2 The 14" radius cove can
be made with a core box
bit or a cove bit with a bearing.
3 Before starting on the bead
molding, rout a rabbet in the
4 The bead molding is made by
routing a roundover along two
edges of a thin strip.
Double Bead Profile

For a larger picture frame, heres roundover with a
a wider molding profile that uses shoulder along the
two beads one on the inside and top edges of the
another one on the outside of the blank (Step 1).
frame. The moldings sandwich a The bead mold-
flat piece of wood that makes up ing for this frame
the main portion of the frame. is identical to the
Because of its simple, sym- molding used in
metrical design, this frame is very the frame above. I chose cherry this After youre done gluing the
straightforward in construction. It time to create a contrast between the beads to the side of the frame, you
A rubber float starts as a single blank, cut to width. beads and main part of the frame can rout a rabbet for the glass and
(used for grouting (I used ash.) Then, rout a small (upper photo at top of page). picture, as shown in Step 3.
ceramic tile) makes
a great push block
for routing profiles !/8" roundover
bit
on narrow stock.
1 Rout a small roundover along

both the inside and outside
edges of the main frame piece.
2 To create the bead molding for
the frame, rout a 18" roundover
on both sides of a 14"-thick blank.
3 After gluing the bead molding
to the edges of the frame, rout
a rabbet along the inside edge.

Veneered Frame
Building up a frame out of differ- For the lower frame shown at right,
ent species of wood is one way I used a figured mahogany veneer
to create a molding profile with a on a maple frame.
two-tone effect. Another way To make trimming the veneer
is to veneer the surface of a blank easier, glue it to an oversized blank.
before you rout the edges. Routing After the glue is dry, rip the blank
the edges not only creates a profile, down to its finished width. Then,
it exposes the wood underneath rout the coves along the edges of
the veneer to highlight the profile. the veneered side (Step 1).
The key is to select a veneer and To complete the frame, just rout
wood that look good together but a rabbet along the bottom edge for
arent too close in appearance. the glass and picture (Step 2).
1 First, veneer the face of a wide

blank and rip it to width. Then,
rout a small cove along both edges.
2 After routing the coves, flip the
piece over and rout a rabbet in
the frame for the glass and picture.
Two-Piece Veneered Frame

The veneering technique described To begin, you simply veneer a This piece is veneered and cut to
for the frame above doesnt have to blank and cut it to width. Then, cut width. Rout a roundover along the
be used exclusively on flat frames. a cove along one edge and a rab- outer top edge and a cove along
For a frame with more depth, just bet along another edge for the glass the inside top edge (Steps 3 and 4).
veneer two pieces of wood of dif- and picture (Steps 1 and 2). Then, rout a rabbet on the inside of
ferent thicknesses, and then fit The second piece of the frame the workpiece to allow it to fit over
them together (upper right photo). fits around the outside of the first. the first piece (Step 5).
Maple Veneer
1 After veneering a 34"-thick frame

blank and ripping it to width,
rout a small cove along one edge.
2 Once youve routed the cove, flip
the piece over and rout a rabbet
in the frame for the glass and picture.
3 For the second piece, rout a

stepped roundover on one edge of
a veneered, 118"-thick blank.
4 On the opposite edge of the
blank, rout a small cove profile,
using a 12"-dia. core box bit.
5 Finally, cut a shallow rabbet along
the inside edge to allow the piece
to fit over the first frame piece.

Mitered Half-Lap Frame
Want to try your hand
XXXXXX XXXX XX
at making mitered
half laps? This custom
frame provides the
perfect opportunity
to give it a go.
FRAMES
Heres another frame that you can

easily complete in an evening and
still show off your woodworking
skills. You can customize its look
and its size, but what I like best
about this frame is that its a perfect
opportunity to try your hand at a
miter joint that you may not be too
familiar with: a mitered half lap.
Why use a mitered half lap when
a simple miter joint will do? The
answer is strength. Mitered half together with mitered half laps. customized frame options shown
laps will ensure that this picture Then, the inner and outer edges in the box on the opposite page.
frame will hold together for years, are covered up with some simple FRAME. Start by cutting the rails
even if it should get dropped or trim. To provide a pleasing con- and stiles to length. (I sized my
knocked around a bit. trast between the main section of frame to hold an 8x10 photo.) Then,
If you take a look at Figure 1, the frame and the trim, I used two cut the mitered half-lap joints on
youll see that the main section types of wood (oak and mahog- the ends, just as you see in Figure
of the frame is made up of a pair any). Or if you want even more 1a. (For more on making this joint,
of rails and stiles that are joined contrast, take a look at some of the see the article on page 92.)
1
FIGURE
C 12(/16 Outside a. STILE
B RAIL
trim covers A
end grain
on frame
NOTE: Frame
is sized for 12!/16
8x10 photo
10%/16
OUTSIDE
TRIM Mitered half lap
C RAIL (for more, see page 92)
A
C
b. #/4 #/8
D C
8%/16 INSIDE B !/2
10!/16 TRIM
10(/16 B
SIDE
SECTION
STILE VIEW
1
NOTE: For more NOTE: Rails
on cutting and stiles NOTE: For
mitered half laps, are !/2"thick more on
see page 92 C making trim,
D see page 97
!!/32
A

2 Inside trim D
NOTE: See page creates
After youve cut all the mitered 97 for more on rabbet
C
half-lap joints, glue the rails and cutting trim for picture
and glass
stiles up into a frame. The impor-
tant thing here is to make sure that
the frame is glued up square. This Outside
will make things a lot easier when trim
covers
it comes to adding the trim later. exposed
end grain
TRIM PIECES. I didnt add the trim
just because it looked good. These
pieces serve a couple of other pur-
poses. The outside trim covers the
3 Turn button
NOTE: Frame
Frame upside down
exposed end grain of the mitered easel a. SECTION VIEW
half laps (Figure 2). And the inside
trim creates a rabbeted opening to Trim easel
to fit frame
hold the glass, the picture, and the Brad
mat backing (Figure 1b).
A router table and a table saw are
Glass Turn button may
all you need to make the trim. (For Photo and need to be bent
more, see page 97.) After mitering posterboard down to hold firmly
spacer
the trim pieces, glue them in place
around the frame.
When it comes to mitering the can see in Figure 3, the photo gets the leg will be too short and the
trim pieces, there arent really any sandwiched between a piece of frame will lean back too far. So
secrets. Its just a matter of trial and glass and a posterboard mat. Then instead, I purchased an 11" x 14"
error. But I found it easiest to work I added an easel back. The easel easel back and cut the mat down to
my way around the frame one back is nothing more than a piece fit in the opening. (Easel backs are
piece at a time. This way you can of heavy posterboard mat with a available at art stores.)
test the fit of each corner. hinged, necktie-shaped leg that Finally, to hold everything in
EASEL BACK. With the frame com- props up the frame like a kick- place, all you need to do is add
plete, the last step is to add the stand on a bicycle. Shop Note: four brass turn buttons to the back
photograph (or picture). As you If you buy an 8" x 10" easel back, of the frame, as in Figure 3a.
Customizing Your Frame

Aside from using different types of drawing below. (I used hardwood for
wood, you can also use veneer or plas- the blank, but you may also decide
tic laminate on the main section of the to use 12" MDF.) After applying the
frame to dramatically change its look, veneer (or plastic laminate) to one side
as shown in the photo at right. of the blank, the rails and stiles for the
Instead of veneering the individual frame can be cut to size. Then, the rest
frame pieces, I started with a single, of the frame is built just like the one
oversized blank, as you can see in the shown in the main article.
Veneer
or laminate
Customized Contrast. To
Individual make the frame on the bottom, I used a
pieces cut walnut burl veneer on the main section surrounded
Oversized from blank
blank by cherry trim. The frame on the top is made with
plastic laminate and maple trim.

Classic
Picture
XXXXXX XXXX XX
Frames
FRAMES
At first glance, it may be hard to believe that

these frames were made in a home workshop.
But all you need is a table saw and a router.
Ive shown you a number of frames frames. Id strongly suggest that CUT COVES. To cut the cove, set up a
that vary in design, but none of you have your print, artwork, or pair of fences on your table saw at
them are quite like the ones you whatever else youre framing mat- a 30 angle to the blade, just as you
see in the photograph above. Most ted and ready to go before you see in Figure 1. You want to posi-
of the frames that youve seen so make any cuts. This way, you can tion the fences so the cove will be
far were built up from small, nar- make sure that your print and the roughly centered on the blank. The
row moldings and various routed piece of glass will fit perfectly in blade should be square (90) to the
profiles. However, these frames all the opening of your frame table for this particular cove. Cut
feature wide, sweeping coves that the cove in multiple passes, taking
really set them off. But even more CRAFTSMAN-STYLE OAK FRAME shallow (116") cuts, until the cove
interesting than how they look is The first frame is probably the reaches a width of 178". You can see
how these coves are made. The simplest, since its flat and doesnt what I mean in Figure 1b.
process may surprise you. require any compound miters. I When youve finished cutting the
No, I didnt use a router. Instead decided to make my frame out of coves, trim the workpieces down
I used my table saw to hollow out quarter-sawn white oak, but just to their final width. The thing to
the coves. By pushing the work- about any wood will do. watch here is that the shoulders on
piece over the saw at an angle, you Start by cutting the 34"-thick either side of the cove correspond
can create a wide variety of coves. blanks for the frame to rough size. with those shown in Figure 2.
And if this technique sounds a bit I made my blanks 4" wide
odd or unfamiliar, dont worry. Ill and about 9 to 10" longer
walk you through it step by step so than my matted print. This
youll feel like a pro. way, you can trim the frame
MOUNTING. Theres one other piece pieces to exact width and
of advice to consider before head- miter them to length after
ing to the shop to start on these creating the profile.
1 a. b.

CHAMFER. Take a look at the small
profile drawing of the molding on
2 3
the opposite page. Youll notice that
the top inside edge is chamfered.
As you can see in Figure 3, I made
this chamfer on the router table.
At the router table, you can cut
a rabbet on the back side that will
hold the glass and picture. Simply
change over to a straight bit and
flip the workpiece over (Figure 4).
SAND COVES. Before going any fur-
4 5
ther, youll probably want to sand
the coves smooth. This can be done
with a custom-made foam sand-
ing block, just like you see in the Sanding Block.
photo in the margin at the right. A small block
(For more information on this, of rigid foam
see page 96.) I started with 80-grit insulation can be
sandpaper to remove the roughest used to make a
marks and then worked through
100-, 120-, and 150-grit papers.
6 7 custom sanding
block. Turn to
MITER PIECES. Once all the sanding page 96 to see
is done, miter the pieces to length, how its done.
as shown in Figure 5. There are a
couple of things to be aware of
here. First, you obviously want
the miters to fit together nicely. So
spend some time setting up and
checking your miter gauge. Once the glue is dry, reinforce does it help to dress up the frame a
Second, you want to make sure each corner of the frame with a bit, but it also covers the nail holes
that youre cutting the pieces to couple of 4d finish nails (Figure 7). that you just made.
the correct length so that when the But to avoid breaking the glue joint To help position the trim, a shal-
frame is assembled, your glass and when hammering in the nails, drill low rabbet is routed on the inside
print fit in the opening in the back. a small hole for each nail first. edge (Figure 9). Then, the trim
ASSEMBLY. If you take a look at Fig- TRIM. To complete the frame, pieces are mitered to length and
ure 6, youll see how to glue up I added a trim piece all around glued to the outside of the frame,
the mitered frame pieces. The trick the outside of the frame. This is as in Figure 10. To help position
here is to keep all the miters tight. just a strip of wood that has been the molding around the frame, I
Use a band clamp to hold the frame rounded over on its two top edges, mitered the end of a small scrap of
square while the glue sets up. like in Figure 8 below. Not only the molding (Figure 10a).
8 9 10
a. a.
a.

1
CLASSIC WALNUT FRAME a.
After making the Craftsman-style
frame, I wanted to try something a
little more challenging. So I experi-
mented by combining a couple of
different coves to create a more
complex profile, as shown in the
molding profile drawing below.
But thats not all. One of the
coves used on this frame is asym-
metrical its deeper at one side
2 3
than the other. This is cut by pass-
ing the workpiece over the blade at
an angle and tilting the blade.
COVES. As you can see in Figures
1 and 1a, the first thing I did was
cut a shallow cove down the center
(roughly) of a 34"-thick, 412"-wide
blank. Then, to make it easier to
positon the second cove, you can
a. a.
trim one side of the blank, leaving
a 1"-wide shoulder (Figure 2).
Taking a
look at Figure
3, youll see
that the sec-
ond cove is After cutting the other cove, trim of the molding. These bevels meet
cut by setting the other edge of the blank, leaving at a 90angle, as shown in Figures 6
the fences at a 38"-wide shoulder (Figure 4). and 7. Once these bevels are cut, the
15 and tilting To create the rounded edge of workpieces can be sanded smooth.
the blade 30. the molding, use a 38" roundover BEAD MOLDING. After sanding, start
But when you bit on the router table (Figure 5). making the bead molding that will
go to position Rout a roundover on one side of get applied to the inside edge of
the fences for these coves, youll the piece, and then flip the blank the frame. A rabbet on the edge of
have to pay more attention. In over and rout along the other side this molding will hold the picture
order to get the second cove to line to complete the full roundover. when the frame is assembled.
up with the first cove, youll need In order to create a flat spot for Because it would be difficult (as
to position the first fence 1" away the frame to rest against the wall, well as unsafe) to cut a rabbet on
from the leading edge of the blade, you need to rip a couple of bevels such a small piece of molding, I
as shown in Figure 3a. along the square (unrounded) edge like to use a little trick. I start with
4 5
6 7

8 9
an extra-wide blank. First, I rout
roundovers on all four edges of the
blank, as shown in Figure 8. Then
I use a dado blade to cut a couple
of grooves 516" from each edge of a.
the blank, as you see in Figure 9.
a.
Once this is done, all you have to
do is flip the blank over, switch to a
regular saw blade, and rip the bead
molding free (Figure 9a).
When it came to gluing the
frame pieces and the bead molding a sled to hold it in position while You can see this jig being used in
together, I ran into a snag. Because cutting the miters. This is shown in Figure 12 and read more about
of the profile of the frame molding, Figure 11 and in the box below. how to make it on page 96.
its difficult to clamp up the bead ASSEMBLY. With all the compound Once the glue has dried, drill
molding and frame pieces. So I had miters cut, assembly of the frame some small pilot holes and rein-
to make a special clamping jig to is the next step. Because of the force each corner of the frame with
hold the pieces together. You can angles and the profile of this frame, a couple of 4d finish nails (Figure
see this jig in Figure 10. clamping it up poses a challenge. A 12a). Just be careful to position the
COMPOUND MITERS. After attaching band clamp alone tends to pull the nails so they dont blow out of
the bead to the molding, miter the miter joints apart as its tightened. the front or back face of the frame.
frame pieces to length. However, To support the corners and keep After applying a finish to the
its a little bit different than the the joints tightly closed, I made frame, just fill the nail holes in the
previous one. Since the molding a simple clamping jig from some corners of the frame with a little
doesnt sit flat, youll have to make scrap wood and a few dowels. wood filler (or wood putty).
10 11 12
a.
Compound Miters on a Table Saw

An easy way to cut a com-
pound miter on a table saw is
to leave the blade at 90 and
tilt the workpiece. The trick is to
hold the workpiece at the same
angle that it will be when the
picture frame is assembled.
To do this, all you need is a sled
made out of plywood and hard- a.
board (drawing at right). The sled
Some of the frame moldings attaches to your miter gauge. A
shown here dont sit flat, so fit- lip on the sled helps to hold the
ting the pieces together involves workpiece in the proper position
cutting compound miters. while cutting the miters.

ELEGANT CHERRY FRAME
After making the first two frames,
1 2
I turned things around a bit. First,
I designed this frame so the outer
edge rests flat against the wall (as
opposed to the inner edge). This
makes the center of the frame look
like its rising out from the wall.
Second, I built this frame for a
mirror. Now, this doesnt make any
difference in the construction of the
frame. But it goes to show that you
dont have to be framing art work
to try your hand at these frames.
a. a.
MIRROR. Instead of special order-
ing the mirror from a glass shop,
I purchased the beveled mirror at
a local home improvement center
for about $30.
Then, I built
the frame to
fit around it.
This frames So youll have to tilt the blade as all four edges. These bevels arent
bead mold- well as set up angled fences to difficult to make its simply a
ings also set guide the workpiece (Figure 1). matter of tilting the saw blade 30
it apart. But Position the fences at a 45 angle to and positioning the fence for each
before we the blade, and tilt the blade 45. cut. The important thing is to rip
get into how After youve cut the cove, youll the bevels in a specific sequence.
to make the need to trim the workpiece to its This way, the workpiece has at
bead mold- final width. But more important least one flat surface to rest against
ings, lets take a look at making the than the overall width is the width the fence (or the table) during each
main section of the frame. of the shoulders on either side of cut. Follow the sequence in Figures
COVE. The frame has a wide, the cove. They should match the 3 through 6. In order to rip the last
shallow cove, which youll see is dimensions shown in Figure 2a. bevel in Figure 6, youll need to
slightly asymmetrical if you look at The last step to complete the move your rip fence over to the
the profile drawing in the margin. cove molding is to rip bevels along opposite side of the saw blade.
3 4 5

BEAD MOLDING. With all the bevels
ripped and the pieces sanded, the
7 8
next thing youll need to do is cre-
ate the large bead molding thats
attached to the inside edge of the
frame. Youll need to step over to
the router table to make this piece.
Look at Figure 7 and see how the
bead is created with a roundover
bit, leaving a slight shoulder on
one edge. Then, notice how a rab-
a. a.
bet is routed along the opposite
edge in Figure 8. This allows the
bead molding to seat against the
inside edge of the frame.
After the large bead molding
is completed, glue it to the frame
pieces. Because the rabbet in the
bead molding helps to position it
on the edge of the frame, you just the inside of the frame to hold the After youve carefully mitered
need to find a way to hold it in mirror, I added a spacer. This is the frame pieces, you can glue
place while the glue dries. I used just a small, rectangular piece that them together using a band clamp
rubber bands. Then, to concentrate is glued to the inside corner of and a simple clamping jig, just like
the clamping pressure where I the bead molding and edge of the you see in Figure 12. (For more
wanted it, I inserted a length of 1"- frame (Figures 10 and 10a). details on the clamping jig, turn
dia. dowel underneath the rubber MITER FRAME. Once the glue is dry, to page 96.) Once the glue is dry,
bands, just like you see in Figure 9. you can miter the frame pieces to youll need to reinforce the corners
At this point, youre probably length. Here again, youll need to with 4d finish nails. I drilled the
eager to miter the frame pieces, construct a sled to hold the frame holes for the nails first to prevent
but theres still one more step to molding while cutting the com- them from splitting the wood of
complete. To create a rabbet on pound miters (Figure 11). the frame (Figure 12a).
9 10
a.
11 12
a.

13
CHERRY FRAME (CONT.) a.
At this point, the frame is almost
complete. You just need to add a
small bead molding around the
edge of the frame. Not only does
this soften the edges of the frame,
but it also covers up the finish nails
used to reinforce the corners.
BEAD MOLDING. Theres nothing out
of the ordinary when it comes to
making the bead molding. Look-
14
ing at Figure 13, you can see that
I started with an extra-wide, 14"-
thick blank. Using an 18" round-
over bit, round over all four edges
of the blank. Then, switch over to
a.
the table saw and rip the moldings
from the blank. Youll want to be
sure to use a push block when cut-
ting the moldings.
Miter the bead molding to length
to fit around the frame. To help fit
the molding, miter the end of a ASSEMBLY. After youve mitered the directly on the bead molding, place
scrap piece of bead molding and bead moldings to length, you can 3 "-thickspacer strips underneath
4
clamp it to one corner of the frame. glue them to the outside edges of the frame to elevate it.
This gives you something to butt the frame. To hold them in place, Once the glue is dry, spray on
the molding up against as you fit simply clamp across the frame, as a few coats of lacquer. Or you can
each piece. Take a look at Figure shown in Figure 14. But in order try an alternative finish like the
10a on page 47 for an example. to center the clamping pressure ones in the box below.
Finishing Alternatives
The bead moldings that are applied But if youre going to try some- One other thing. Whether you use
to the cherry frame shown in the thing like this, its best to plan out the paint, stain, or simply a clear, natural
lower left photo offer a great oppor- look you want at the beginning. This finish, you might want to try using a
tunity to customize the look of your way, you can paint or stain the visible spray type of finish. Brushing or wip-
picture frame. By simply staining or portions of the trim before applying ing on an even coat of finish in all the
painting them a different color than them to the main portion of the pic- corners and crevices of the frame can
the main portion of the frame, you ture frame. Keep in mind that youll be a challenge. Spray finishes (like
can achieve a dramatic, interesting, want to mask off the glue surfaces lacquer or spray paint) make it a lot
and eye-pleasing effect. before you paint the trim pieces. easier to apply even coats.
Subtle Contrast. For the cherry frame shown above, the High Contrast. I painted the visible portions of the bead
trim moldings are finished natural while the main portion moldings black before applying them to the main part of this
of the frame is stained. frame creating a pleasing two-tone effect.

Mounting & Hanging
Before you build your picture frame, its a the same thing with simple turn buttons, knot that is
good idea to get your print or artwork mat- like the ones in the drawing below. used to fasten
ted. This will make it easier when it comes Dust Cover. To protect the print, the wire to the
to mitering the frame pieces to length. You add a dust cover to the back of the ring. After pull-
can read more about that in the box below. frame. This is just a piece of brown kraft ing the knot tight,
Youll want to sandwich the print between paper that is attached to the frame with wrap the end of the
a mat board (with a window cut out of double-sided tape. Once this is in place, wire around itself to prevent it from unrav-
the center) and a piece of foam core. Foam add rubber bumpers to prevent the frame eling, just like you see in Figure 2. Then, to
core is a polystyrene backing material that from damaging the wall surface. prevent the wire from scratching or mark-
cushions the artwork and helps protect it Hanging the Picture Frame. When it ing up the wall, I like to wrap the ends with
from damage. I purchased both of these comes to hanging a picture frame (or any floral stem wrap (available at craft stores) or
from a local frame shop. (If youre not other item), its important to make sure the masking tape, as illustrated in Figure 3.
familiar with mat-cutting techniques, order hardware youre using is strong enough Two-Point Hanging System. Youll
the mat and foam core cut to size.) to support the weight of the object youre need to use two picture hooks to hang the
Mounting the Print. After youve built hanging. Since these frames are fairly picture frame. This distributes the load so
your frame, you can take it to a frame shop heavy, I used heavy-duty picture wire and all the weight isnt on a single hook. Plus,
and have your print professionally mounted. two 50 lb. picture hooks for each frame. it makes it a lot easier to level the picture
Or you can do what I did and simply pur- (You should be able to find these items at once its on the wall. Just install the hooks
chase the materials and do the mounting most hardware stores.) about 6" apart on the wall. If you have
yourself. Although professional framers use The picture wire is secured to the frame plastered walls, its best if one of the hooks
special tools and fasteners to secure the with a couple of D-rings, as shown in Figure is driven into a stud. But this isnt necessary
glass and artwork into a frame, you can do 1. In this figure, you can also see the special if your walls are made of drywall.
1 2 3
Cutting To Size allow for a 116" clearance-gap between of the rabbeted opening at the back of the
the edges of the artwork and the frame. frame. So when marking the frame pieces
When Im making a frame for a door, I usu- This way, even if your glass or mat board before cutting them to length, be sure
ally build the frame first and then cut the is cut a little oversized, everything should to place your layout marks on the inside
panel or glass to fit the opening. But that still fit in the opening. edge of the rabbet, not on the edge of the
isnt a logical way to work when it comes to Second, remember that what youre try- frame. If you dont, youll end up with a
framing artwork. Id strongly suggest that ing to do is match the artwork with the size frame that is too large for your artwork.
you have the item you wish to frame on
hand before mitering your frame pieces. By
doing this, you can easily use the object as
1 a.
a gauge or guide for marking the lengths
of your frame pieces, as in Figure 1.
There are a couple of things youll want
to take into consideration when sizing
your workpieces. First, its a good idea to

Decorative
Accessories
These woodworking projects not only offer
beautiful and practical decorations for your
home, but they also help you build a set of
techniques you can apply to future projects.
SIX-CANDLE CENTERPIECE ............56
HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE .................60
WALL MIRROR ...............................66
LETTER BIN ....................................70

ACCESSORIES
Six-Candle Centerpiece
You can build this candle stand in just a few hours using pieces from
the scrap bin and a few simple table saw techniques.
P-BY-STE
TE
P
S
This high-style candle centerpiece will be a welcome Dont get me wrong, making this centerpiece
addition to your home. I played up the already eye- doesnt involve any complicated joinery or construc-
P
catching design by combining a few prized pieces of tion techniques. But its the kind of project where even
VI D
HO
EO figured and exotic wood Id been saving: a nice piece the smallest details like sanding the end grain of
W KS
SEE O R 00 of maple and some shorter cutoffs of cocobolo. Also, the feet until its almost polished are very notice-
PAGE 1 I was careful to pay close attention to the joinery, fin- able. And spending a little extra time sanding the fin-
ish, and other details, since a centerpiece like this is ish between coats to get a perfectly smooth surface
sure to invite close inspection. will also make a big difference.

Making the Feet
A notable thing about this project is
its simplicity. Its just a base drilled
to accept glass candle holders with
contrasting hardwood feet.
As you can see in the drawings
at right, each foot has a 112"-wide
dado, which youll need to cut in
two passes at the table saw (details
c and d). Later, you can plane the
blank for the base to fit the dadoes.
CUT THE DADOES. To make the dado
a. b.
cuts in the feet, I started with a cou-
ple of long blanks (detail b). This
way, youll have plenty to hold on
to when using the miter gauge to
guide the workpiece.
I attached an auxiliary fence to
the miter gauge to support the cuts.
I also glued a piece of sandpaper to
the face of the fence to prevent the
blanks from creeping out of posi- c. d.
tion. Then, with the dado blade
set to 34" wide, you can make the
first cut using a 34" spacer block
clamped to the rip fence.
Now its just a matter of rotating
the blank end-for-end and repeat-
ing the cut on the other end. Then,
remove the spacer block to make
the second cut. This method guar- cut the bevel on the ends and cut Then, I set the angle to 10 to make
antees an evenly matched set of the feet to length (box below.) the bevel cut on each end. Finally,
dadoes, exactly 112" wide. I started by installing a sharp you can return the blade to 90 and
COMPLETING THE FEET. With the dado combination blade on the table saw use a stop block on your auxiliary
cuts complete, all you need to do is to get the smoothest cut possible. fence to cut the feet to length.
How-To: Cut the Feet
Bevel the Ends. With an auxiliary fence on the miter gauge and a strip Cut to Length. Now reset the blade to 90 and clamp a stop
of sandpaper on the face to prevent the piece from slipping, cut a 10 block to the fence to mark the finished length. The stop block will
bevel on each end of the oversized blank. guarantee that the feet are cut to the same length.

b.
Its a good idea to

buy the glass candle
holders for the project
before you begin. This a. c.
way, you can size the
holes for a perfect fit.
Making the Base

the centerline of the blank. Then, the box below to see the steps for
I marked the location of the holes making these wide dado cuts.
and drilled them using a 2"-dia. Using an auxiliary fence on the
Now turn your attention to the base Forstner bit. If your candles are a miter gauge and a spacer on the rip
of the centerpiece. Youll start with different size, or you dont have fence, you can make the first cut on
a solid blank, drill holes for the a large Forstner bit, refer to Tech- the edge of the blank. Then, rotate
candles, make the joinery and bevel niques on page 85 for an alterna- it to cut the opposite edge. Youll
cuts, and then rip it in half to add tive method using a router. need to lay the piece flat to cut the
the decorative gap. Two stretchers WIDE DADOES. With the holes drilled, bottom dado. Finally, just remove
in dadoes on the bottom of the base youll need to move to the table the spacer block and repeat the cuts
tie the two halves together. saw with a dado blade installed on the opposite end of the blank to
DRILL THE HOLES. After jointing and and set up to make a 34"-wide cut. match the 112" width of the feet.
planing the blank square, the next I used the same setup to cut the THE BEVEL CUTS. Now youre ready
step is to drill the six holes for the wrap-around dado on the stand to make the bevel cuts on the ends
candles. To get started, I marked as I used for the feet. Take a look at and sides of the blank. After tilting
How-To: Make a Wide Wrap-Around Dado
Dado the Edges. With a spacer on the table saws rip fence and an Cut the Bottom Dado. After cutting both edges, lay the base flat
auxiliary fence on the miter gauge, set the rip fence to cut the first and cut the bottom dado. To finish the cuts, remove the spacer
(outside) dadoes in both edges. from the rip fence and repeat the procedure.

the blade on the table saw 10,
I made the cuts on each end. To
make the cuts on the sides, youll
use the same blade tilt setting. Just
set the rip fence and rip the match-
ing bevel on each side of the base.
SPLIT THE BASE. With the joinery cut,
the holes drilled, and the sides and
ends beveled, all you need to do is
rip the base down the center. You b.
already have the centerline estab-
lished from drilling the candle
holes, so you just need to return the
saw blade to 90 and make the cut.
THE STRETCHERS. Screw two hard- a.
wood stretchers to both halves of
the base to hold them together.
They fit into the dadoes on the
bottom of the base. You can cut
them to size at the table saw. After
that, youll need to drill and coun-
tersink holes for the screws before MATERIALS, SUPPLIES &
moving on to assembly. end grain on the base and legs all CUTTING DIAGRAM
ASSEMBLY. With all of the parts the way to 320 grit. This yields a
completed, the assembly process smooth finish and brings out the
should go pretty smoothly. You interesting end grain patterns. To
can start out by cutting a 18"-thick complement the smooth surface, I
spacer to place between the two chose to spray the piece with lac-
halves of the base to hold them quer. It dries quickly and builds up
apart. Then, after screwing the a nice finish in a hurry.
stretchers in place, I fit the legs to The result is a striking piece A Feet (4) 112 x 112 - 312
the base with glue and clamps. thats at home in just about any set- B Base (1) 112 x 5 - 23
SAND & FINISH. As I said earlier, ting. Whether you decide to place C Stretchers (2) 112 x 12 - 4
this is a project that needs a really it on your dining room table or on (4) #8 x 1" Fh Woodscrews
thorough sanding and a flawless the fireplace mantel, this center- (6) Glass Votive Candle Cups w/Candles
finish. I took extra care to sand the piece is sure to look great.
Shop Tip: Flat Feet
A good way to sand the bottoms of the feet involves

sticking some adhesive-backed, 120-grit sandpaper
to a flat surface, like your table saw.

Holiday Centerpiece
This seasonal project is as much fun to make as it is to display. And
ACCESSORIES
for even more entertainment, add a music box movement.

If holiday gift ideas are on your mind as you for this centerpiece, I decided it might be nice
peruse this book, then this festive center- to add a musical movement to the base, as
piece may jump out at you. The unique form youll see on page 64.
makes it interesting to work on. And the To create enough space for the movement,
charming finished product is perfect to give I had to come up with a way to make a thick,
as a gift or display in your own home. hollow base (photo below). I could have
SCROLL SAW. At first glance, you might think done this on a lathe, by turning a profile on
this project requires a scroll saw. But actu- a single, thick blank and then hollowing out
ally, the tree is designed so there arent any the middle. But instead, I used a router to cre-
cuts in the middle of a workpiece. In other ate three rings of wood, each with a differ-
words, all the cuts youll need to make ent profile routed on the edge. When glued
for the tree begin and end on the edge together, they make a thick base, with a hole
of the workpiece. This means that in the middle for the movement. For more on
you can use a scroll saw, a band making these rings, turn to page 86.
saw, or even a coping saw to TREE. Whether you plan to build the stan-
cut out the pieces of the tree. dard base or the musical version, the tree is
And since trees are naturally exactly the same. Essentially, its made up of
random in shape and size, you eight branches and a trunk that fit into a
dont have to worry about fol- round platform. I began with the branches.
lowing a pattern exactly. Nev- Instead of making all the branches identical,
ertheless, I supplied a couple I created two different patterns and made four
of patterns as guidelines. of each. The goal here is to give the tree a little
MUSIC BOX MOVEMENT. After variety. But by cutting all four branches of the
building the prototype same pattern at once, I also saved some time.
An optional base for the centerpiece can be made

to hold a music box movement (page 64). When
the music box is wound up, the tree revolves
slowly while the music plays.

Branch Pattern
NOTE: Enlarge 200%
The branches are made out of

1 "-thick Baltic birch plywood. I
8
cut four blanks for the branches,
making them large enough to fit
two branches on each blank. Then,
I taped the blanks together with
double-sided tape (Figure 1).
To lay out the branch patterns,
you can start by enlarging the pat-
terns at right by 200%. Then, after
cutting out each pattern, just affix
them to the top blank using a spray
adhesive or rubber cement. (Youll
have to place one of the patterns
face down in order to get them
both on the same blank.)
DRILLING HOLES. Before beginning to
cut the branches out, I drilled the
1 " holes that will be used to hang
8
the ornaments once the centerpiece
is completed (Figure 2). Note that
there are five holes on the first pat-
tern and seven on the second.
CUTTING OUT THE BRANCHES. With the
holes for the ornaments drilled, you
can cut out the branches (Figure 3).
Just follow the outlines of the pat-
tern to remove the waste areas.
Once youve cut away all the
waste areas, remove the tape and
separate the branches. Now youre
ready to start making the trunk and
platform that holds the branches.
1 2

a.
TREE TRUNK. Making the trunk of
the tree is a snap. Its nothing more
than a 38"-dia. dowel cut 18" longer
than the branches, as you see in
the drawing at right. (I made mine
12".) Then I drilled an 18"-dia. hole
1 " deep on one end of the trunk
2
for a finial that will be added later
(detail a). But for now, just set the
trunk and branches aside while
you work on the platform.
PLATFORM. Youll use a round plat-
form to mount the branches and
trunk. This is simply a piece of 12"-
thick cherry stock and in a sense, it
serves as the root system of the
tree. There are four 14"-deep, inter-
secting kerfs to hold the branches
and a hole to hold the trunk.
Although the finished platform
is round, start with a square blank.
This makes it easier to cut the inter-
secting kerfs. Before beginning on
the kerfs, however, drill a 38"-dia.
hole 38" deep in the exact center of
the blank for the trunk (Figure 4).
4
Next, I cut kerfs for the branches a.
by making four passes on the table
saw (Figure 5a). The first two passes
are centered on the width and
length of the blank. Then, using a
miter gauge and stop block, I cut
diagonal kerfs from corner to cor-
ner across the blank (Figure 5).
CUTTING A CIRCLE. Usually, I use a
band saw for cutting circles. But I
wanted the edge of the platform
5
to be nice and smooth, so I used a a.
router table and a simple jig (Fig-
ures 6 and 6a). A pivot point on the
jig lets you turn the blank in a per-
fect circle, trimming off each corner.
(For more on this, see page 86.)
ASSEMBLY. After the platform is fin-
ished, you can move on to assem-
bly. Start by gluing the trunk of the
tree into the hole in the platform.
Then glue the branches into the
6
kerfs and to the trunk of the tree a.
(Figure 7). Just make sure to alter-
nate the two branch patterns as
you go along (Figure 7a).
BASE. The platform serves its pur-
pose by holding the branches and
trunk of the tree. But to spruce
up the tree, I added a 34"-thick base

with an ogee profile under the plat-
form (Figure 7). Note: If you want
7
to make the optional musical base,
see the instructions on page 64.
Like the platform, the base also
starts off as a square cherry blank
(712" x 712"). But after cutting it to
its round shape on the router table,
I routed an ogee profile around the
a.
edge (Figures 8 and 8a).
Once youve finished routing the
ogee profile, the base can be glued
to the platform. To help keep the
two pieces aligned while gluing
them up, I drove some small brads
partially into the base and snipped
their heads off so that about 18" of
the brad remained (Figure 7). The
brads prevent the tree and plat-
form from sliding out of position
as you glue up the pieces.
FINIAL. No tree is complete with-
out a decoration at the top. In this
8 a.
case, I used a store-bought finial.
It was easy enough to buy a larger
finial and cut it down to 178".
To attach the finial, mark the
centerpoint on the bottom with a
scratch awl (Figure 9). Then, drill
an 18"-dia. hole 12" deep in the
finial (Figure 10). Now glue the
finial to the top of the trunk, using
an 18" dowel to strengthen the joint
9 10
(drawing at top of opposite page).
FINISH. To avoid the challenge of
brushing finish onto the branches,
use a spray lacquer. I also added
felt pads to the bottom of the base
and made ornaments to hang on
the branches, see the box below.
Shop-Made Ornaments
To make ornaments for the tree, I
used brass wire and wood beads
(available at craft or hobby stores,
refer to sources on page 98).
Start by painting the beads (Step
1). Then, you can cut the wire and
bend it into long S-shaped hooks
(Step 2). Finally, you just need to
glue the hooks into the holes in the
1 The beads are painted with a
spray enamel. Stringing the
beads on a dowel first makes it
2 In order to make the hooks
for the ornaments, simply
cut the wire into 2"-long pieces
3 A small bend at the end
of the wire wedges into
the hole in the bead. A drop of
beads (Step 3). easier to paint them. and bend them into shape. glue holds the wire in place.

Optional Base
Although it might look difficult,
the base for the music box move-
ment is really straightforward. Its a. b.
just three wood rings, each with
a different profile routed on the
edge. When theyre glued together,
one on top of the other, the rings
create a built-up molding in the
shape of a large donut. Then a ply-
wood bottom is added to conceal
1 !/4" Hdbd.
backer
a.
the hole of the donut.
RINGS. To make the rings, start by
cutting a square blank for each one.
Cut the blanks for the top and mid-
dle rings from 34"-thick stock, but
use 12"-thick material for the blank
for the bottom ring. Each blank is
1 " larger than the finished diame-
4
ter of the ring, see drawing above.
Its important that the blanks are
flat. If you cant find any flat, wide I had to come up with a way of when you glue the rings together,
boards, its better to glue up the holding on to both the ring and the theyll create a built-up molding.
blanks from narrow stock. center of the blank once the two I routed a Roman ogee profile
Cutting the rings from the blanks pieces were cut free. To do this, I on the top ring, as shown in Fig-
requires making a smooth, circular used double-sided tape to fasten ure 8a on the previous page. Then,
cut on both the inside and the out- a backer board to the top of the I routed a 12" roundover with a
side of the ring. To do this, use the blank to keep the pieces together shoulder on the edge of the middle
same jig you used for the platform. (Figure 1). When cutting the ring ring (detail a above). Finally, rout
(For more on this, see page 86.) free, make sure you dont cut all a 14" cove on the underside of the
The outside of each ring is routed the way through the backer board. bottom ring (detail b above).
the same way as the platform. But PROFILES. After cutting the three BOTTOM. Theres one other detail
cutting the inside diameters of the rings, rout the outside edge of each to take care of before gluing up the
rings requires a different approach. with a different profile. This way, rings. A rabbet has to be routed on
2 3
(!/4" Ply.)
a. a.

the bottom ring to receive a 14"-
thick plywood bottom. I did this
4
on a router table, using a rabbet bit
a.
(Figures 2 and 2a). The rabbet is cut
slightly deeper than the thickness
of the bottom so that the base will
rest flat on the bottom ring instead
of the plywood bottom (Figure 3a).
After cutting the rabbet, I cut
the 14"-thick plywood bottom to fit
in the recessed opening (Figure 3
and 3a). To do this, I used the same
method as I did making the rings.
ASSEMBLY. Keeping the rings
aligned while gluing them up
5
can be a bit tricky. To make things
easier, assemble the base in stages,
starting with the bottom and mid-
dle rings. Next, add the top ring
and then the bottom. For a better
appearance, assemble the rings so
the grain runs in one direction.
MUSIC BOX MOVEMENT. The move-
ment I used for this centerpiece
conveniently comes with a plas-
tic turntable (Figure 4a). The tree
is attached to the turntable so the a.
movement is wound by turning
the tree. Then, as the music plays,
the whole tree revolves slowly.
Attaching the turntable to the
bottom of the tree is easy. Its just
a matter of applying a bead of sili-
cone sealant to the bottom of the
platform and centering the turn-
table on the platform (Figure 4).
Positioning and gluing the move- MATERIALS, SUPPLIES & CUTTING DIAGRAM
ment to the bottom of the base is 1 ply. - 57 x 135
A Branch Blank (4) 8 8 8
more involved. If it isnt positioned B Trunk (1) 3 x 12 dowel
8
correctly when its glued to the C Platform (1) 1 x 6 dia.
2
base, the tree and the base wont D Base/Top Ring (1) 3 x 71 dia.
4 4
align while the tree is turning. E Middle Ring (1) *34 x 812 dia.
To solve this problem, thread the F Bottom Ring (1) *12 x 834 dia.
music box onto the turntable before G Bottom (1) *14 ply. - 534 dia.
gluing it down to the base (Fig- *Required only for optional base
ure 5a). Then, add a thick layer of
silicone to the bottom of the move- (1) 18" x 1" Hardwood Dowel
ment and glue it to the bottom of (1) 278" x 1116"-dia. Finial
(4) 34"-dia. Felt Discs
the base, making sure to center the
(48) 12"-dia. Round Wood Beads
tree over the base.
8' of 20-gauge Brass Wire
To prevent the tree from rubbing (1) Musical Movement w/Turntable
on the top of the base while turning
(and to make sure it sits level), slip
a few pennies between the plat-
form and the top ring of the base
while the glue sets up (Figure 5a).

ACCESSORIES
Craftsman-Style
Wall Mirror
A stylish design and plenty of wood-
working details make this mirror a
hit in the shop and the home.
A wall mirror is a welcome addition to any room. It
adds depth in a small space, like a hallway, or it can
provide a nice accent in a larger setting. Not only is
this design attractive, but its easy to build, as well.
As you can see in the photo, the basic mirror frame
is pretty straightforward. But a handful of details
add character and make the mirror a more interest-
ing piece. For example, a narrow shelf supported by
sturdy corbels offers the perfect place to display small
items. And the decorative cove moldings between the
corbels and on the top give the mirror a more refined
look. All in all, its a great weekend project.

A Stiles (2) 3 x 21 - 341 J Interior Frame Rails (3) 1 x 1 - 12
4 2 2 4 4
B Top Rail (1) 3 x 21 - 131 K Interior Frame Muntins (3) 1 x 1 - 4
4 2 2 4 4
C Bottom Rail (1) 3 x 71 - 131 L Back Panel (1) 1 hdbd. - 12 x 24
4 2 2 4
D Cap (1) 3 x 2 - 20 (2) #8 x 114" Fh Woodscrews
4
E Upper Cove Molding (1) 3 x 3 - 24 rgh. (6) Brass Turn Buttons w/Screws
4 4
F Shelf (1) 3 x 3 - 16 (1) 117 8" x 237 8" Mirror
4
G Corbels (3) 3 x 13 - 21 (1) 6" Frame Hanger
4 4 4
H Lower Cove Molding (1) 3 x 2 - 18 rgh. (2) 12"-dia. Bumpers
4
I Interior Frame Stiles (2) 1 x 1 - 24
4 4
#/4" x 7!/2" - 96" Oak (5 Bd. Ft.)

A A
E B D F H C
J I J J I K K K G G G

B
TOP
RAIL
a. END
VIEW #/4
!/2
12
Starting the Frame

B 1!/2 B 2!/2
13!/2 !/2
The frame needs to provide a solid A FRONT

foundation to carry the weight of SECTION
STILE VIEW
the mirror and the shelf. So I chose !/4 2!/2
A
mortise and tenon joinery to make
sure it was up to the task. Because
the bottom rail is extra wide, I b. !/4
used a double tenon to join this A
A
piece to the stiles.
NOTE: All parts #/4
STILES. I like to cut the mortises are made 34!/2
from #/4"-thick FRONT
first and then match the tenons to hardwood SECTION VIEW
them for a snug fit, so I started with 2
C
the stiles. After cutting them to
size, lay out the mortise locations
and drill out most of the waste at C
7!/2 2 #/4
2&/8
the drill press with a Forstner bit. %/32"-dia.
Then, clean up the sides and cor- 4 hole,
countersunk
ners with a sharp chisel. 1 2 from back
BOTTOM side
RAILS. Next, youll cut the rails to RAIL
size and get to work on the tenons. C
NOTE: Drill #/4
As you can see in the drawing at screw holes 1!/4
before assembly !/2
right, the top rail is straight with END
VIEW
a single tenon on each end. The
bottom rail, however, not only fea-
tures double tenons, but a gentle
curve on the lower edge, as well. Once youve finished cutting below shows how to do it. After
I cut the tenons first, while the and fitting the tenons, turn your cutting the curve on the band saw,
workpiece was still square. The attention to the curve on the bot- clean up the edge with a sanding
box below shows an easy way to tom rail. For this, I laid out the drum. Then, drill the counter-
turn one wide tenon into the dou- curve using a string and a piece sunk screw holes for the shelf and
ble tenon youll need here. of hardboard. The right drawing assemble the frame with glue.
How-To: Construction Details

!/8"Hdbd.
Tall auxiliary
a. Set dado blade
Pare away the waste strip
with light cuts
fence helps height to just
support below the
workpiece shoulder
Aux. C
fence
!/2
Notch holds
C
knotted end
of string
Double Tenon. After youre done cutting the cheeks and Cleaning Up. A sharp chisel is all Layout. Use string to bend a narrow strip
shoulders, use the miter gauge and an auxiliary fence to nibble you need to clean up the space of hardboard to the desired curve, and then
away the waste to form the double tenon. between the tenons. trace the edge with a pencil.

UPPER
Adding the Details

MOLDING
CAP D
20 E
As I mentioned earlier, its the dec-

orative details that really make this
mirror stand out. After the glue
dries on the assembled frame, you
can get started on those details.
NOTE: All pieces
START WITH THE CAP. First, add the E
are made from b. CROSS
hardwood cap that sits atop the #/4"-thick stock SECTION
frame. You can just cut it to final Extra-wide
blank
size and attach it with glue.
COVE MOLDING. The next step is to !/2"cove bit #/4
make the cove molding that fits a. 2

E
under the cap. This molding pro-
vides a transition from the frame D
to the cap. To make the molding,
I started with a wide blank and E
routed the profile on the edge
(detail b). Then I moved to the SIDE
table saw and ripped the piece of SECTION
VIEW LOWER
molding to final width. COVE
When youve completed the SHELF MOLDING
F H
molding, miter the pieces to final
length. The main drawing and
detail a show how the molding
fits, including the small returns on
each end. Techniques, on page 87,
#8 x 1!/4" Fh
has a few tips for this. woodscrew
SHELF. At this point, youre ready G
3
to add the shelf. Once again, its
simply a matter of cutting the shelf G
4#/4
to final size and attaching it to the H CORBEL
bottom rail. In addition to glue,
I used screws to ensure a strong
joint (detail d).
CORBELS & MOLDING. The small cor- c.
To learn how bels and cove molding under the
to make cove shelf add yet another decorative 2!/8 #/4 3&/8 SIDE VIEW
molding on the touch. To make the corbels, all you
table saw, turn need to do is cut the blocks to size
H H H H
to page 87. and then cut out the rounded pro- G G G
file at the band saw. After a quick 16
cleanup with a sanding drum, you
can attach them with glue.
Now you can turn your atten- INTERIOR FRAME. With the shelf #8 x 1!/4" Fh d.
woodscrew
tion to the lower cove molding. and molding completed, the last
2!/4
This molding is a little different step is to install the interior frame
than the simpler molding I used and muntins. While the muntins F
on the cap. For details on making are purely decorative, the inte-
the molding on the table saw, turn rior frame serves to hold the mir-
H !/2
to Techniques on page 87. After ror in place. The half-lap joinery 1#/4 G
SIDE
completing the cove molding, cut will keep all the frame pieces and SECTION
the two center pieces to fit between muntins locked together. VIEW
the corbels. Then you can add the The first step in making the inte- 1 1!/4" rad.
mitered end pieces and returns. rior frame is to rip your stock into

NOTE: Size back
panel to fit opening
a.
1 " x 1 " strips. In addition to using
4 4 J Back
a sturdy push block, I also made MUNTIN panel
K J
sure to install a zero-clearance 3#/4
!/8
insert on my table saw to safely K K !/4
make the narrow rip cuts. While
youre at it, its also a good idea to !/4
!/4
cut an extra piece to use for setting
up the saw for the half-lap cuts. J I
Now you can cut the rails and 12
stiles to length. For this, I took the

time to fit each piece carefully. You J
b.
can make sure of a good fit by 24 INTERIOR
starting a little long and sneaking FRAME J
RAIL
up on the final length, dry fitting I
each piece in the frame as you go. Add glue
INTERIOR
Once you have all the pieces FRAME to both 4
STILE surfaces
cut to length, install a dado blade of joint
I
in the table saw and cut the half
laps. The box below shows you J
K
how to get a good fit here, as well.
When youre done, dry assemble Mirror
the pieces to make sure they all fit J (11&/8"x 23&/8")
together well. Now, glue the pieces
in place, starting with the rails and
c. SIDE SECTION
VIEW
stiles. Then add the muntins.
ADD THE MIRROR & HARDWARE. There
are just a few things left to com-
plete the mirror. I stained and
finished everything first. Then Wall
Hanger
youll need to cut the hardboard NOTE: Interior
back to final size and fit the mirror frame pieces are
!/4"-thick hardwood.
in place. I secured the back using Back is !/4" hardboard
turn buttons and screws. Finally,
attach the hanger and bumpers on Bumper Turn button
the back and youre done.
How-To: Make & Install the Interior Frame

a. FRONT VIEW b. FRONT VIEW
Interior frame
Stop Auxiliary Auxiliary
block fence fence
!/4 Interior
frame
Aux. fence stile
Stop
block
#/8"-thick
Set blade spacer block
height Interior frame sits
!/4"- wide to !/8" !/8" below front
dado blade edge of frame
Half Laps. With an auxiliary fence and a dado blade installed, use a test piece to Attach the Frame. After dry fitting the interior
sneak up on the proper blade height (half the thickness of the workpiece). Then frame, use spacer blocks to position the pieces.
add a stop block to make sure the half-lap cuts are in the correct positions. Then, you just need to add glue and clamps.

ACCESSORIES
Letter Bin
Lattice panels and gentle curves give this
project an attractive design.
Theres something about lattice panels that Ive always found intriguing.
I dont know if its the evenly spaced, grid-like design or the way the
pieces lock together like building blocks. But making lattice pan-
els with half-lap joints is something that every woodworker
should try at least once. And this mail bin is the perfect
project for that. Its great looking, yet small and simple
enough to build in a weekend.

b.
Making the BACK
VIEW
Case Frame a.
A
TOP/BOTTOM
RAILS 1%/8
This project can be broken into two
major sections the case and the
dividers. The case is made of two #/8
(/16
rails, two sides, and a plywood
back. I made the rails and sides
first, as shown at right. TOP !/4
c.
VIEW !/4
Cut the sides and rails from 12"-
thick stock. Start by cutting the B
blanks to overall size. But hold off 4

cutting the curves on these pieces
until all the joinery is completed.
JOINERY. The first thing youll need
d.
to do in making the joinery for the
case frame is to cut a rabbet on the
inside edge of each piece. These
rabbets, dimensioned in details
c and d, will hold the plywood
back thats added later.
Once youve cut the rabbets, you
can make the notches in the ends
of each piece that lock all the parts
together. Using a dado blade on my ARCS. With the joinery completed, To do this, I simply used a 38"-
table saw, I cut the long notches on the next step is to lay out and cut rad. roundover bit in my router
the two side pieces first (detail a). the arcs on each piece. The box table, but I only raised the bit 316".
After that, I cut shorter notches below shows you how to go about You can see how this is done in the
on the ends of the upper and lower doing this. I used a jig saw for this third drawing in the box below.
rails, as you can see in detail b. task, but you could also use a band At this point, the work on the
I also drilled countersunk shank saw if you have one. frame pieces is complete. But before
holes at the ends of each rail for BULLNOSE PROFILE. The last step is you begin to assemble the case,
the screws that will be used later to to rout a bullnose profile on the youll want to make the dividers.
hold all the pieces together. exposed edges of all four pieces. And thats the next step.
How-To: Shape the Rails & Sides

NOTE:
Cut arcs
with jig saw,
!/4"Hdbd. then sand
bow smooth
String a.
RAIL
NOTE: See
Trace arc drawing
onto above for arc Cut to
workpiece dimensions waste side
A of layout line
1%/8 on side pieces
RAIL
Draw. Using a bow made out of a piece of Cut. Clamp the workpiece to the edge of Rout. To create a bullnose on the edge of
string and a strip of hardboard, trace the shape your bench and cut the arc with a jig saw. the workpiece, use a 38" roundover bit raisied
3
of the arc onto each blank. Then, you can sand the edge smooth. 16". Then, sand away the flat spot.

b. c.
a.
d.
Building the Dividers

The dividers are the focal point of with half laps. You can find all the Before gluing up the frames, drill
the project. Each one is made of a information youll need to make a hole in each frame stile for a dowel
mitered frame surrounding a lat- the half laps in detail b above and that will be added later (detail c).
tice panel. A spacer fits between the on the opposite page. After gluing up the pieces around
divider and the back of the case. FRAMES. After gluing up the lat- the lattice panels, rout a bullnose
BACK. Before making the dividers, tice panels, begin on the frames. profile all around each frame.
dry-assemble the case pieces and The box below will show you how SPACERS. To create a contact point
cut a piece of 14" plywood for the this is done. The frame pieces are for each divider to be mounted to
back. Drill the holes for the screws grooved to hold the panel and then the back of the case, add spacers to
for attaching the dividers. But dont mitered to length. One thing to note the dividers. These are simply bev-
assemble anything just yet. when trimming the rails to length eled strips of hardwood glued to
DIVIDERS. To make the dividers, is that the dividers are sized to fit the back of the dividers, as shown
start with the lattice panels. These between the case sides with an 18" in details c and d. Now youre
are made of 14"-thick strips, joined clearance gap on either side. just about ready for assembly.
How-To: Make a Mitered Frame

!/4"-dia.
bit
Drill hole in
frame stile
for dowel
Cut Groove. With a 14"-wide Miter to Length. A stop block Drill Hole. A 14"-dia. hole is Rout Profile. Once the frame
dado blade, you can cut a centered can be used to miter the matching drilled in each frame stile for a is assembled, rout a bullnose
groove on the frame pieces. pieces to identical length. dowel pin thats added later. profile around the edges.

How-To: Interlocking Pieces. Half-lap joints allow the vertical
and horizontal strips to interlock, creating a flat lattice panel.
Lattice Panels
The lattice panels used in the divid-
ers are made of individual strips of
1 Raise blade
in small
wood joined with half laps. Rather increments
until sliver is
a.
than trying to work with a bunch removed
of small, narrow pieces, I found it #/4"
dado
easier to cut the dadoes in a wide blade
blank and then rip the individual
strips to width. This also ensures
that all the joints will line up.
BLADE HEIGHT. For the joined pieces NOTE: Test piece
is same
to fit flush, the dado blade needs to thickness as
workpieces
be raised to a height that is exactly
half the thickness of the stock. To
do this, I like to use a scrap piece Set Blade Height. Raise the dado blade to just as a test piece, make a cut on each side. Raise
of stock as a test piece, like you see a hair less than half the thickness of your frame the blade and repeat the process until the blade
in Figure 1. The idea is to make a stock. Then, using a piece of the frame stock removes the thin sliver of wood.
couple of test cuts, and then raise
the blade a little at a time until you
sneak up on the exact height.
2 3
AUXILIARY FENCE. With the dado blade
ready to go, turn your attention to
the miter gauge. I attached an aux-
iliary fence to reduce tearout. This
also gives you a place to lay out the
location of the dado blade, making
it easier to line up the workpiece a.
with the blade (Figure 2).
LAYOUT. The next step is to lay
out the joints on your workpiece.
To help keep track of the cuts, I
marked the waste sections with an
X (Figure 3). Once you have all Index Lines. Make a cut in the auxiliary fence Make Cuts. After laying out the half laps on
the joints laid out, its just a matter attached to your miter gauge, and then extend the your workpiece, start cutting the dadoes by
of lining up the workpiece with the edges of the cut with pencil lines. lining up your marks with the index lines.
marks on your miter gauge fence
and making a cut.
Then, slide the workpiece down
4 5
to the second set of lines and repeat
the process. The thing to keep in
mind here is to hold the workpiece
down on the table saw with consis-
tent pressure as it passes over the
blade. This will ensure that all the
dadoes end up the same depth.
CUT STRIPS TO SIZE. After cutting
all the dadoes, rip the strips to
width. Since the strips are so nar- 6
row, I used a push block like you
see in Figure 4. Then, you can cut Cut Strips from Blank. After cutting all the dadoes, Cut to Length. The short, vertical strips can be
the individual pieces to length, as rip the strips to width. A push block keeps your cut to length from longer strips. A block of wood
shown in Figure 5. hands away from the blade. helps hold the workpiece down.

a.
SIDE SECTION VIEW
Putting it all Together

At this point, the main compo- KEYHOLE HANGERS. Theres one other you can go ahead and screw the
nents of the letter bin are complete; detail to mention before beginning keyhole hangers in place.
all that remains is the assembly. the assembly. The letter bin mounts ASSEMBLY. With the preliminary
But before getting started on this, to the wall with keyhole hangers. details out of the way, you can
I want to talk a little about finish- These hangers are mortised into finally begin the actual assembly
ing. Because of all the openings in the upper rail, and its a lot easier process. In the drawing above,
the lattice panels, its a good idea to to make these mortises now, rather youll notice that the dividers are
finish the individual components than after the case is assembled. sandwiched between the sides
before assembling them. I just (For more on making the mortises, of the case and screwed from the
masked off any glue surfaces and turn to Techniques on page 97.) back. The dividers are also pinned
then applied a clear lacquer finish. Once the mortises are finished, to the sides with dowels.
How-To: Assemble the Bin
Layout Lines. Draw layout lines on Glue Rails to Back. Glue the back into the Add Dividers. Place the dividers on the layout
the case back to locate and center the rabbets in the case rails, keeping it centered lines and use double-sided tape to hold them in
positions of the two upper dividers. between the ends of the rails. place. Then, screw them to the case back.

The trick here is locating the a.
holes for the dowels in the sides
so that they line up with the dowel
holes in the dividers. The box
below should give you a good idea
of how this is done, but Ill walk
you through the process, as well.
LAYOUT LINES. To start, draw a cou-
ple of layout lines on the case back
to indicate the location of the two
upper dividers. These layout lines
should be positioned just above
the screw holes that are already
drilled in the back. MATERIALS, SUPPLIES & CUTTING DIAGRAM
Next, glue the case rails to the A Case Rails (2) 1 x 3 - 121 I Long Vertical Slats (7) 1 x 34 - 634
2 8 4
B Case Sides (2) 1 x 4 - 18 J Narrow Spacers (2) 1 x 34 - 914
back panel. Once the glue is dry, 2 2
C Back (1) 1 ply. - 111 x 15 K Wide Spacer (1) 1 x 11 - 91
you can attach the dividers to the 4 2 2 4 4
D Frame Rails (6) 1 x 3 - 103
back of the case. To do this, simply 2 4 4
E Small Frame Stiles (4) 1 x 3 - 31 (9) #6 x 34" Fh Woodscrews
use some small pieces of double- 2 4 4
F Large Frame Stiles (2) 1 x 3 - 73 (4) #8 x 114" Fh Woodscrews
2 4 4
sided tape to hold each divider in 1 x 3 - 93
G Horizontal Slats (9) 4 4 4 (6) 14"-dia. Dowels (78" long)
place on the back panel. 1 x 3 - 21
H Short Vertical Slats (14) 4 4 4 (2) Keyhole Hangers w/Screws
The spacers on the two upper
dividers should line up with the ALSO NEEDED:
layout lines you drew earlier. And One - 24" x 48"sheet !/4" Maple plywood
the lower divider should rest on !/2" x 8!/2" - 74" Maple (4.4 Sq. Ft.) NOTE: Parts G & H cut from oversized blank
the top edge of the lower case rail. B A C
G&H D E
F
When everything is set, screw the A
B I J
dividers in place from the back, as
you see in the Side Section View on
the opposite page.
DOWEL HOLES. Youve already locations to the sides of the case, as With the holes drilled in the case
drilled the holes for the dowels in shown in the box below. sides, you can complete the assem-
the edges of the divider frames. After transferring the hole loca- bly. Start by installing the dowels
Now, your goal is to drill align- tions to the sides of the case, you in the dividers. Then, glue the case
ing holes in the sides of the case. can drill the 14"-dia. holes for the sides to the case back and rails.
An easy way to do this is to use dowels, just like you see in detail Finally, screw the rails to the case
dowel centers to transfer the hole a on the opposite page. sides to complete the project.
a.
!/4"-dia.
dowel
center
Add Lower Divider. The lower divider is simply Transfer Hole Locations. Place dowel centers in the holes in the edges of the
positioned so it rests on the top edge of the lower dividers. Then, carefully bring the sides into position and press them firmly against the
rail. Then, it is also screwed in place. dividers. The dowel centers will leave a mark at each hole location.

Tips &
Techniques
Heres a collection of helpful tips and shop-
tested techniques to make the projects in this
book easier to complete successfully. You can
be condent every project will turn out great.
TEMPLATE ROUTING......................80
ROUTING LARGE HOLES ................85
CUTTING CIRCLES..........................86
PICTURE-PERFECT MITERS.............88
MITERED HALF LAPS......................92
...and more!

in the base. To do this, youll use pairs of holes in the base for the
Shooting Board the stops as guides to drill the holes 30/60 stop (Figure 1).
in the base of the shooting board. DOWEL PINS. Finally, to complete
To fine-tune the fit of the blocks in Start by drilling a pair of 14"-dia. the shooting board, glue a couple
the lid of the quilt-top box on page holes in each stop. (The exact loca- of 14"-dia. dowel pins into the holes
12, you may need to shave small tion isnt important just locate a in each stop (detail a).
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
amounts of material from the edges hole near each end.) Next, clamp a
and ends of the blocks. stop to the base so that the end is !/4"-dia.
dowel
I found that the best way to do flush with the edge of the rabbet.
this is to use a sharp block plane Use the holes in the stop as a
Stops are
and a shooting board, like the one guide to drill the holes !/2"-thick
30/60 hardwood
shown at right. A fence on the in the base. Also stop
shooting board backs up the block drill two Base is glued
and holds it at the proper angle up from two
layers of
while you plane the edge. !/2" MDF
90
The base of the shooting board stop 10
is glued up out of two layers of 12" a. Dowel pin
(!/4" dia. x 1")
MDF. The top layer is narrower than
8
the bottom layer to create a rabbet Stop 12
for your block plane to ride along.
STOPS. To hold the various shapes SIDE SECTION Base
of blocks, I made two removable, VIEW
hardwood stops for the shooting
board a 90 stop and a stop with
30 and 60 ends.
1 TOP VIEW 2 TOP VIEW
Use stop as
A low-angle block plane Each stop is template to drill
is ideal for trimming holes in base
secured to the
end grain. Turn stop
shooting board around to
drill second Repeat process
with a pair of Position for 90 stop
set of
dowel pins. The stop so holes
end is flush
thing to keep with rabbet
in mind is that the 30 60 90
dowel pins in the stops end end stop
must line up with the holes
Routing Stopped Slots

To rout the stopped slots for the stop the slots. I used the router SUPPORT BLOCK. To support the
splines on the quilt-top box, I used table setup shown below. workpieces at the correct angle
a 18"-dia. straight bit in the router AUXILIARY TOP. Start by locking the while routing the slots, I beveled
table. The trick here is holding the fence 716" away from the bit. To the end of a glued-up block at 45
mitered workpieces at a 45 angle create a zero-clearance opening, I and taped it to the auxiliary top.
and knowing where to start and attached a 14" hardboard auxiliary (You can use one of the sides of the
top to my router table box to position the block.)
Aux. top with double-sided tape. STOP BLOCKS. The length of each slot
(!/4" Hdbd.)
Then, I raised the spin- is controlled by a couple of stop
Support
block Raise bit ning bit up through it. blocks clamped to the fence. In
Double- through order to rout the slots, youll need
aux. top
sided tape
a. Stop to slowly lower the workpiece
block straight down onto the spinning
Workpiece
Support &/16
bit. Then, slide the workpiece from
block Fence side to side until it contacts the stop
Support block
is glued up from blocks. Youll have to reposition
!/2"-thick stock Aux. top
and mitered at 45 CROSS SECTION the stop blocks for the slots on the
opposite ends of the workpieces.

Support 3#/8
a.
Splined Miters
#8 x 1!/4"
SIDE VIEW Fh woodscrew
The two keepsake boxes on page !/2

18 are both assembled with miter
8
joints. To strengthen these joints, NOTE: 2
I added splines. The splines cre- 4
Locate
Auxiliary
screws above
ate additional gluing surface and height of saw fence
help prevent the miter joints from blade 45 45
NOTE: Jig is built out
opening up over time. 6 of #/4" plywood
The hardwood splines are glued Support
12 NOTE: Glue and
into kerfs cut across the miter screw fence to supports
joints. Fortunately, these can be
cut easily on the table saw using
a simple jig, like the one shown at
right. The jig is nothing more than NOTE:
an auxiliary fence with a couple of Flip box
to cut
supports that cradle the box at a outside
45 angle as you cut the kerfs. kerfs b. c. Support
SIDE
The jig simply rides against END VIEW
SECTION
the rip fence of your table saw, as VIEW
Box side
shown in the drawing at right. This Box
way, you can use the rip fence to
!/8
position the kerfs on the box. You
can cut the two outside kerfs using #/8
NOTE: Use
the same rip fence setup simply by rip blade &/16 &/16
flipping the box between cuts. To for flat-
bottomed 1&/16 Aux. fence
cut the middle kerf, youll have to kerf
reposition the fence.
Planing Thin Stock

If you have a table saw and a Fortunately, theres an easy an auxiliary bed to my planer. As
planer, resawing lumber into solution to this dilemma. I start by shown in Figure 2, this is simply
thinner stock is usually a pretty resawing the lumber to a thickness a piece of plywood covered with
straightforward task. But the rib- of about 316" on the table saw. As plastic laminate. A cleat on the end
bon-handle box featured on page you can see in Figure 1, a notched hooks over the planer bed.
18 requires parts that are cut from push block will guide the blank The auxiliary bed supports the
fairly thin stock (just 18" thick). safely past the blade. workpiece as it passes through the
And many planers arent designed To safely plane the workpiece planer and raises it high enough to
to handle stock this thin. to the desired thickness, I added contact the planer knives.
1 Push
2 Stock slides
block
easier on
laminate
Splitter #/16 a. surface
Push
block
Feed
END VIEW direction
NOTE: Use
push block to Flip blank
guide blank end for Cleat
through saw end for Size jig to match
second width of planer bed
pass

TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Template Routing:
Perfect Every Time
With a template and a special router bit, you can carve boxes and
trays in just about any shape.
Typically, most router work is done of MDF to the shape of your final tray bit (box on opposite page). This
on the outside or end of a work- product (the template). The tem- bit has a large bearing mounted on
piece like cutting joints or shap- plate is then attached to the work- the shank above the cutting head.
ing an edge. But it works just as piece. A bearing on the router bit The bearing touches the template
well to carve out the inside. follows the edge of the template as and guides the bit. Now with a
Thats what Im doing with the it carves out the workpiece. big bit like this, youll want to take
box in the photo above. The best Templates are great for making several passes (more on this later).
part is the amount of time you save. copies of a project later on. You can So the template needs to be thick
With a chisel and carving gouges quickly make as many as you want enough to touch the bearing for the
this would take hours. With a router, without extra setup or hassle. first cuts and when the bit is low-
youre done in a few minutes. SELECTING TEMPLATE STOCK. Before you ered to its final depth.
The problem is its too difficult to start routing, youll need to have You have a few options for the
control the router freehand and get the right template. Making a good template stock: plywood, solid
a consistent depth, perfect shapes, template begins with selecting the wood, or MDF. As I mentioned
and a smooth, even surface. The right template material. What you earlier, I like to use MDF. The main
solution is to guide the router. To use depends a lot on the type of reason is that its flat and stable.
do that, I used a template. router bit that you plan to use. Unlike solid wood, MDF isnt going
The way a template works is For routing out the interior of to expand or contract with the sea-
simple: You start by cutting a piece the gift boxes on page 26, I used a sons. That way, if I want to use the

1
template again in the future, I can
be sure Ill get the same results.
Another thing MDF has going for
it is its easy to work with. It holds
details very well. Since its made
from wood fibers, there wont be
any voids like plywood. This also
makes sanding easy and fast.
Finally, its pretty cheap. So you
dont have to worry about making
mistakes. While this sounds like
a miracle product, I should warn
you there is a downside. MDF can
be messy. Cutting, sanding, and
routing create a lot of fine dust.
MAKING TEMPLATES. Now youre
ready to make the template. I start
with a paper pattern showing the a jig saw or scroll saw. But before The radius of the corners should be
template layout. The pattern is sawing, I take the opportunity to equal to or greater than the radius
then glued to the MDF blank with drill out the corners with a Forstner of the bit youll be using.
spray adhesive, as in Figure 1. bit that matches the radius exactly, The second step is smoothing. I
Shaping a template is a two-part as in Figure 2. This way I dont have used a drum sander to slowly sneak
process of rough cutting the shape to try to perfectly shape the radius up on the layout lines (Figure 3).
and then smoothing the profile. by sanding. This also gives you a Once thats complete, youre ready
Most of the waste is removed with starter hole for doing the cutting. to put your template to work.
2 3
Tool Closeup: Bowl & Tray Bit

The bit I used for the boxes on page surface that needs very little sanding
26 is called a tray or dishing bit. At first when youre done.
glance, it looks like a core box bit with Because of its large size, its a good
a bearing. But there are a few differ- idea to take light cuts with the bit. And
ences. For one, its a pretty large bit with the top-mounted bearing, thick
with a diameter of 114". Second, the template stock is a must.
end of the bit is flat instead of rounded Tray bits are available in several sizes.
like a core box bit. This means that the This one is from Whiteside and costs
bit can rout a flat bottom in a recess about $20. To find out where to get
much easier. The result is a smooth one, refer to page 98.

Using Templates
Working with a router template is I have to apply mineral spirits to Second, watch how deep you
pretty straightforward and simple. the edges to soften the adhesive drill into the workpiece. Dont let
But there are a few things you can enough to pry them apart. the lead spur of the Forstner bit
do to get the best results. DRILLING TO SAVE TIME. Now you penetrate deeper than youll end
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
ATTACHING THE TEMPLATE. Once you could just pick up the router and up routing. This will leave dimples
have a completed router tem- plunge into the workpiece, mak- all over the bottom of the recess.
plate, youll need a way to attach ing a lot of passes with the router Finally, be careful near the cor-
it securely to the workpiece. Here until you reach the final depth. But ners and along the edges of the
again, you have a few options. theres a quicker and easier way to recess. If the holes are drilled too
For the best results, I like to use remove most of the waste. deep, the straight-sided drill bit
double-sided tape because its easy Attach the template to the work- can cut down beyond where the
to use. It wont get in the way of my piece and take this assembly over rounded router bit can reach. Fig-
work, and it doesnt leave a mark to the drill press. Next, as illus- ure 4a shows how you can avoid
like clamps or screws would. trated in Figure 4, you can drill out these problems by leaving extra
But be careful, there are two most of the waste with a Forstner room at the edges and stopping the
types of tape out there. Theres bit by making overlapping holes. cutting edge of the drill bit about
a thin type of tape that looks like There are a few things to keep 3 " above the bottom of the hole.
16
scotch tape. But youll want to in mind as you drill. See what Im
stay away from this stuff. It doesnt talking about in Figures 4 and 5. ROUTER SETUP
stick to wood very well and you AVOIDING PROBLEMS. First, because With most of the waste removed,
might find the template slipping any damage to the template will you can secure the template and
and sliding as you rout. be transferred to the workpiece workpiece to your workbench in a
The good stuff is often labeled by the router bit, keep the drill bit vise or with clamps. And after all
carpet tape and is cloth-backed away from the edge of the template the prep work, youll find that rout-
for extra strength. Cut it to fit (about 18"). To patch small dings in ing is really just a cleanup step.
around the edges and openings in the template, use wood filler and CHOOSING A ROUTER. The type of
the template. It holds very well. In sand it smooth. This will leave router that you use will influence
fact, it grabs so well that to separate plenty of room to clean up the drill how you go about routing. For
the template from the workpiece, marks and leave a smooth surface. the boxes, I found that a fixed base
4 a.
5 a.

router works just fine. But a plunge But since youre using a template,
router would be a great choice, as theres nothing for you to worry
well. Youll be able to take advan- about. The template keeps you cut-
tage of its ability to quickly change ting in the right place.
the depth settings. A plunge router One last thing, because of the
will also let you keep the base size of the tray bit, youll want
in full contact with the template to take a series of shallow passes
before the bit starts cutting. rather than trying to get by with
Another thing to consider is the just one or two heavy passes.
size of the router base compared to While youre routing, listen to the
the openings in the template. If the sound of the router. It should keep
openings are large, you may want its high-pitched whine. If the pitch After drilling
to attach an auxiliary base to your drops considerably, you need to of the openings, I work my way out most of
router so that the router cant tip slow down or take a lighter cut. around the compartment from the the waste, the
into the opening and damage either center to the edge. To do this, move routing step will
the template or the workpiece. ROUTING WITH THE TEMPLATE the router around the opening clean up the
CONTROLLING DUST. There are a few To begin routing with the template, clockwise, as illustrated in Figures recess in just a
other things to note when rout- place the router on the template 7 and 7a. Finish up the first pass few minutes.
ing. The first is dust and chips. As and set the bit for a shallow cut with the bearing of the bit in full
you can see in the photo at right, (18"), as you can see in Figure 6. Set contact with the template. Then,
the router kicks up a snowstorm an edge of the router base on the after this pass, you can set it for a
of dust. So youll want to be sure template and turn it on. Then, tilt deeper cut and make another pass.
to wear a dust mask in addition to the router into the template open- On the final pass, youll be clean-
your safety glasses. And if you can, ing. Just make sure that the cutting ing up any remaining drill bit
a better option is to also connect edge of the bit wont come in con- marks on the bottom of the com-
your router to a shop vacuum. tact with the edge of the template. partment, as shown in Figure 6a.
When youre routing deeper DIRECTION OF ROUTING. Once the Once youre done routing, all thats
recesses, you may notice its a router base is flat on the template, left is to remove any burn marks
little hard to see whats going on. with the bit in the middle of one with some sandpaper.
6 a.
7 a.

Suede-Tex Application
To dress up the oval jewelry box in
the article on page 26, I wanted to
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
line the compartments.

You could line the recesses with
felt. But with all the curves and the
rounded bottom, that would be a
tough job to say the least.
Another way is to use Suede-Tex,
which gives the same look of felt.
It is actually a two-part flocking
made of a pigmented undercoat
adhesive and tiny fibers. Its avail-
able in a variety of colors (refer to
page 98 for sources).
Its best to apply Suede-Tex after
applying finish to the project. Oth-
erwise, you could contaminate the
flocking. Start by brushing on a
thick coat of adhesive (I like to use
a glue brush). Then, while its still
wet, you can blow on the fibers.
To get an even covering, dont be
afraid to apply too much. You can
1 After sanding the inside and fin-
ishing the outside of the box,
brush a thick base coat of the paint-
2 While the adhesive is still wet,
apply the flocking fibers with
the shaker applicator. After the adhe-
reuse any excess later. like adhesive to all the inside surfaces. sive dries, brush out any excess fibers.
a.
8 Dowel Jig
When you get ready to assemble
These !/4" Hdbd. the curved-lid treasure box fea-
holes used tured on page 6, youll need to drill
for drilling some holes for the dowel joinery.
two holes
in ends of
The problem is that it can be dif-
!/4"-dia.
box bottom hole
ficult to drill straight holes in the
end grain of a workpiece. To make
This hole used
Box this task easier, I built this simple
only for drilling
bottom hole in ends of drilling jig to position and drill the
8 box front and back holes for the dowels.
As you see at left, the jig has a
base made out of 14" hardboard.
Hardwood strips are attached to
4!/4 Box front/back
the bottom and front edges to serve
as stops for the workpieces.
1!/2 Before attaching the vertical stop,
I drilled holes through the edge of it
1 at my drill press. These holes guide
the bit for the holes in the front,
1
back, and bottom of the box.
Workpiece is And when I used the jig, I
tight against
both fences wrapped the drill bit with tape,
!/2 when drilling marking the depths of the holes.

Routing Large Holes Circle cutter
Creating clean holes for the six- can be set to
candle centerpiece on page 56 match diameter
of candle
could be a challenge if you dont holder
have a set of large-diameter Forst-
ner bits. A good option is to make
a template that allows you to rout
the hole with a pattern bit in a
hand-held router, sizing the holes
to fit the glass candleholders.
TEMPLATE. To make the template,
23
cut a piece of hardboard to match
9%/8
the size of the base, and mark
the centers of the holes accord- 5&/8
2!/8
ing to the plan. (If the holders are !/4" Hdbd.
tapered, be sure to use the upper
measurement for the holes.) After
you have the holes laid out, take
the piece over to the drill press to
cut the holes with a circle cutter.
ROUTING THE BASE. After cutting the
holes in the template, attach it to the
base using a few pieces of double- A circle cutter
sided tape in the corners. Now Start routing in the middle of until youve routed out all the waste lets you cut any
youre ready to cut the holes with the holes and keep making wider material and are left with smooth size hole.
a router. I used a pattern bit with a sweeps until you reach the edge of holes for the candleholders. Keep
short cutting length so I could take the template holes. Then remove in mind that youll need to leave at
small amounts of material with the template and lower the bit least a 14" of material in the bottom
each pass around the template. about a 14". Continue doing this of the holes to support the holders.
a.
1!/4
A pattern bit
with a 12" cutting
depth will take a
small amount of
Rout out waste in END VIEW material with
a series of passes
each pass of
the router.

Cutting Circles with a Router
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
I generally use a band saw for cut- middle of the ring blank
ting circles. But making the rings to allow it to slip over the
for the base of the holiday center- pivot pin. Tip: You can use
piece (page 60) calls for cutting a a nail the same size as the
circle on the inside as well as the pivot pin to drill the hole.
outside of a workpiece. To do this, I The next step is to set up
used a router table and a basic jig. the jig. This is just a mat-
The jig is just a piece of 14"-thick ter of placing the jig on the
hardboard with a small nail driven router table so the distance
through one side. The nail serves between the bit and the
as a pivot point to guide the ring pivot pin equals the radius
blanks in a perfect circle, as you can of the ring. Then clamp the
see in the photo at right. jig to your router table.
OUTSIDE CIRCLES. I cut the outside (Since the outer diam-
circles of the rings first. To do this, eter of each ring is different,
start by making a small hole in the youll have to reposition the
jig for each ring.)
Backer
board Starting with the bit
(!/4"Hdbd.) raised about an 18", lower the blank is trapped. This means theres a
over the pivot pin and the rotating danger of kickback.
Double-
sided bit. Then turn the blank counter- To avoid this, I attached the blank
tape clockwise a complete revolution. to a backer board with double-
Ring
Now just repeat the process, sided tape before routing the ring
blank raising the bit between passes until (left drawing). The backer board
youve cut through the blank, as holds both the ring and the waste
Jig base you see in Figures 1 and 1a. securely even after making the final
(!/4"Hdbd.) INSIDE CIRCLES. When cutting the router pass (Figures 2 and 2a).
Pivot outside of the rings, the waste Note: Just make sure you dont
point
!/4"straight
simply falls away from the bit. But rout all the way through the backer
bit when cutting the inside, the waste board when making the final pass.
1 2
Clamp
Waste
Cut circle
in multiple Use double-
passes, raising bit sided tape to
in !/8" increments secure blank to
backer board
!/4" straight bit
a. a. NOTE: Do not
rout through
Clamp Backer board backer board
NOTE:
Turn jig to
blank router
counter- table
clockwise Ring
!/4" straight bit Pivot point

Cove Molding
Although you might think the After cutting the cove and sand- Set fences at
cove molding used for the mirror ing away any saw marks, youll 30 angle to blade
on page 66 was made on a router need to make a series of beveled
table or shaper, its actually made rip cuts along all four edges of the
entirely on the table saw. blank. This will allow the molding
You start by cutting a shallow to fit against the shelf and mirror
cove on one face of a blank. To do frame at an angle. All the cuts are
this, lay out the cove on the end of made with the blade tilted 45. You NOTE:
Take light
a blank (detail a at right). Then can see the sequence of cuts I used passes and use
push blocks when
clamp a pair of fences to the top of in Figures 1 and 1a. cutting cove
your table saw at a 30 angle to the The last step is to cut the small
blade (main drawing at right). rabbet, or fillet, along the bottom a. 2#/8
Cut the cove by making mul- edge. I did this in two steps. First,
tiple passes over the blade, raising cut a wide rabbet, as shown in Fig- %/8
%/16
the blade no more than 116" after ure 2. Then, turn the workpiece
each pass. Note: Make sure to use over and position the fence to trim END VIEW !/4
push pads or a push block. the edge, as in Figure 3.
1 Push a. STEP ONE STEP THREE

2 !/8
END
VIEW
block
!/4
45 #/8
#/16
STEP TWO STEP FOUR

Waste
falls away 3 END !/8 Waste
from blade !/4 VIEW
#/16
Tilt blade
45
Cutting Mitered Returns

The wall mirror (page 66) calls To make the task a little easier, This way, when you cut the
for mitered moldings with short heres a simple trick. Start by return to length, rather than fly-
returns on the ends. Trying to cut mitering the end of the molding or ing away, it remains attached to
these pieces on a miter saw or table blank. Now, instead of completely the rest of the molding by a thin
saw can be a challenge. When you cutting the return off the end of bridge. A utility knife can then
cut the return off the end of a lon- the blank, lower your saw blade be used to cut the return free from
ger piece, it usually zings across so its about 132" below the height the rest of the molding, as illus-
the shop, often getting lost. of the molding (Figure 1). trated in Figure 2.
1 2
a. Set height of blade
to just below thickness
of workpiece
Complete cut
END with a
VIEW utility knife

TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Picture-Perfect Miters
Cutting and assembling miters can be a hassle. But with a careful setup
and some fine-tuning, you can create perfect, tight-fitting frames.
A miter joint isnt very difficult or complicated. Its just Making a project with perfect-fitting miter joints is
two 45 angles that fit together to form a right angle. really a matter of following a sequence of steps. And
To make one, you adjust your miter gauge to 45 and setting up your equipment properly is the first step.
make a cut on the end of two workpieces. You might TABLE SAW TUNE-UP. Its important to start with a well-
have to tweak the miter gauge, the saw blade, or both. tuned table saw. So, if you havent tuned up your saw
But all in all, its not too challenging to get the two in a while, now is a good time to do so.
pieces to fit together in a nice, tight joint. First off, the saw blade must be parallel to the miter
Its another story, however, when youre dealing gauge slots. If its not, youll need to realign the trun-
with more than one miter joint for a project like the nions of your saw. (Refer to your table saw manual for
picture frames on page 40. Thats because if just one tune-up procedures on your specific table saw.)
of the miters is off, it will throw the other three out of Youll also want to inspect the fit of the miter gauge
whack, as well. In this case, fitting the miters is every in the miter gauge slot. It should slide freely without
bit as important as cutting them. any side-to-side movement.

a.
1 2
b. a. b.
After taking care of any play in the miter gauge, each workpiece firmly against the miter gauge while
check the saw blade to make sure its set at exactly 90 making the cut to prevent it from slipping.
to the saw table. A good way to do this is illustrated in To miter the opposite end of each piece, you need to
Figure 1. You can simply make a test cut in a piece of move the miter gauge to the slot on the other side of
scrap, flip the cut-off piece over, and check for a gap your saw blade, and readjust it to the opposite 45 set-
between the two pieces. ting, as shown in Figure 4. (Dont forget to make test
If you have a good crosscut blade, youll want to use cuts again on a few scrap pieces.)
it. A crosscut blade will leave a smooth cut with a mini- To make sure the opposing frame pieces end up the
mal amount of splintering. But if you dont own one, a same length, I use a stop block to position the pieces
sharp combination blade should work fine. when making the second miter cut, as in Figure 4.
AUXILIARY FENCE. When cutting miters, I like to attach Note: If the end of the stop block is also mitered, it
an auxiliary fence to the face of my miter gauge. This will provide better support (Figure 4a).
does two things. First, it helps back up the cut to
prevent chipout. Second, it gives you plenty of sup-
port making it easier to hold the workpiece while
3 Use the head of a
pushing it through the saw blade. And to prevent the combination square
workpiece from creeping while making the cut, I to set the miter
like to add a strip of adhesive-backed sandpaper to gauge to 45.
the face of the miter gauge for a little extra gripping
power, as shown in Figure 1a.
When setting my miter gauge to 45, I dont rely on
the markings on the miter gauge. Instead, I use my
combination square. By simply removing the gradu-
ated rule from the head of the square, you can easily
check the angle of the miter gauge in relation to the
saw blade, as shown in the margin photo.
TEST CUTS. Although the combination square is pretty
4 a.
accurate, the real proof is in the pudding. So before
cutting any of my frame stock, I like to do one final
check by making a couple of test cuts. If the two test
pieces fit together in a perfect right angle, youre ready
to move on to your frame pieces. If not, you need to
do a little fine-tuning of your miter gauge and make
another pair of test cuts (Figure 2).
CUTTING THE MITERS. After the test cuts are done, youre
ready to start cutting the miters on the actual work-
pieces. The first thing to do is miter one end of each
frame piece, as shown in Figure 3. Make sure you hold

5
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
ASSEMBLE THE PIECES take your time and make sure the pieces fit together
Once all of your frame pieces are mitered to finished perfectly before you begin gluing.
length, your tendency may be to hurry and glue up DRY-FITTING. The first step in assembling a frame is dry-
the pieces in order to finish the frame. But patience is fitting. This gives you a chance to correct any slight
the key here youll get much better results if you imperfections in the fit of the joints.
I like to dry fit the frame on a nice, flat surface, using
6 tape to hold the corners together (Figure 5). You can
use a square to check the frame, but dont be too con-
NOTE: cerned with getting a perfectly square frame. Its more
Fasten block Use hand
to base with pressure to important to examine the fit of each joint individually.
woodscrew hold joint
until glue TRIMMING. If the joints arent tight, you may have to
sets pare away material from the ends of the workpieces
with a chisel until the two pieces come together. It helps
to create a small hollow on the face of the miters by
Square
block undercutting the surface a bit (photo, opposite page).
Trim just a small amount and keep checking the
Jig fit as you go along. Dont rush the fitting stage of the
base
assembly this is your main opportunity to work
NOTE: Frame with the pieces until youre satisfied. Once all the joints
Apply a is glued fit together, youre ready to start gluing up the frame.
couple coats together in
of wax to jig two sections When it comes to gluing up picture frames, there are
a lot of commercial clamps that allow you to assemble
the entire frame at once. However, Ive found I get bet-
7 ter results by working on just one corner at a time. It
takes a little longer, but it allows me to focus my atten-
tion on a single joint, rather than on all four at once.
Another advantage is that you dont need to go out
and buy any special clamps.
a. SMALL FRAMES
For gluing up small frames, I use something better
than clamps my hands. This allows me to hold the
pieces together and apply just the right amount of
pressure exactly where its needed while the glue sets
up. (This usually takes about five minutes if youre
working with yellow glue.)
The only problem with holding the pieces by hand
is that they tend to slip. To help overcome this, I use

a simple jig. Its nothing more than a square block of
wood screwed to a piece of plywood, like you see in
8
Figure 6. This block is a handy backstop and provides
a way to hold the pieces square.
I like to start assembling my frame pieces by gluing
up one corner. Then, while the glue is drying on that
corner, I glue up the opposite corner.
Once these joints are dry, the two halves of the frame
can be glued together. Here again, I work on just one
corner at a time. When you get down to the last corner,
however, youll need a way to get glue into the joint. a.
In this case, a thin piece of cardboard (or an old play-
ing card) can be used to spread the glue on the mitered
faces of the workpieces, as shown in Figures 7 and 7a.
LARGE FRAMES
I use a different approach when it comes to assembling
larger frames. I still work on just one corner at a time,
but because of the extra weight of the materials, I like
to nail the joints, as well as glue them. quite fit together. Instead of trimming it with chisel, I
The only drawback to this approach is that its dif- use an old carpenters trick. I simply saw through the
ficult to hold the pieces together while youre driving joint with a backsaw (Figure 9). Then I glue the pieces
in the nail. To solve this, I clamp the pieces to a flat together and nail the joint. The completed frame is
surface (like a workbench), as you see in Figure 8. well-fit, sturdy, and picture-perfect.
I start by clamping the first piece down along the
edge of my bench. Note: To avoid damaging the pro-
file of the molding, you can try using clamp pads
made out of some scrap pieces of foam insulation.
With the first piece clamped securely, I apply the glue
and clamp the second piece in place.
Once both pieces are clamped securely to the bench,
you can drill a pilot hole and drive in a finish nail. Nail-
ing not only strengthens the joint, but it also allows
you to move on to the next corner of the frame without
waiting for the glue to completely set up.
The two halves of the picture frame are glued
together one corner at a time. And just like a small
frame, youll need to fit each joint individually before To ensure a tight-fitting miter, it may be necessary to
gluing and nailing. But sometimes the last joint doesnt undercut the face of each piece slightly.
9 a.
b.
Saw across miter

joint to eliminate gap

TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Mitered Half Laps

A mitered frame looks great, but often needs to be reinforced for
strength. Heres a half-lap hybrid thats both attractive and strong.
Mitered frames simply look great.
Thats because the end grain is
hidden inside the joint. But the
miters (and therefore the frames)
are only as strong as the glue that
holds them. And the end grain
doesnt make a good glue joint.
One solution I like to use for this
problem is a mitered half lap. From
the front and sides, it looks just like
a miter, as you can see in the mar-
gin drawing on the opposite page.
(A little end grain is visible on the
top and bottom.) But with lots of
face-grain glue surface, the joint
has the strength of a half lap.
A mitered half lap does require a
little more work than your typical
miter joint. And thats because the
rails and stiles are cut differently
(unlike the typical procedure for a
miter or a half-lap joint).
I like to start with the rails.
(Theyre the horizontal pieces of
the frame, while the stiles run ver-
tically.) This way, the end grain
shows up on the top (and bottom)
of the frame (drawing on opposite
page). But you could easily switch
the procedure so the end grain ends
1 2
up on each side of the frame.
Rip
Regardless of which pieces you Frame fence
start with, the first thing to do is cut Test fit after piece
cutting half laps
them all to finished size. (Be sure to Dado
cut test pieces the same thickness a. Faces of pieces blade
should be flush
and width as the workpieces.) For-
tunately, cutting the rails and stiles
Use frame
to length is as straightforward as piece to
it gets they both match the fin- position fence
ished size of the frame.

Cutting the Rails
To cut the mitered half laps on the
rails, there are two steps to com-
plete. First, a standard half lap is
cut across each end. Then the half
laps are mitered. But before you
begin, its a good idea to label the
outside face of each piece. This
way, youll be able to keep every-
thing organized as you work. A mitered half lap hides the end
HALF-LAP SETUP. Like any half lap,
grain along the sides of the frame. The joint
the dado blade needs to be raised to not only looks good, its incredibly strong, as well.
half the thickness of the workpiece.
To do this, I lay out a centerline on
the edge of a piece and then raise
3 NOTE: Mark outside
face with X Aux. a. END VIEW
fence
the blade up to this mark. Then to
Width of
make sure the setting is correct, I mating piece
check it on a pair of test pieces by Rail
making a single pass across one Rail

end of each piece and then slipping
them together (Figure 1).
After slipping the pieces together, Make multiple Dado Stile
passes until waste blade
check to see that the faces are flush.
is removed
If theyre not, youll need to tweak
the height of the blade and make
another pass on each piece. CUT HALF LAPS. Now youre ready over the dado blade, as shown in
Once the height of the blade is to cut the half laps on the rails. For Figures 3 and 3a. Starting the
set, the next step is to set the rip these cuts, the outside face should Note: A dado blade can leave mitered half
fence. Positioning the rip fence be facing up. To prevent chipout ridges on the cheek of the half lap. laps on the rails
accurately ensures the half-lap cuts along the back of each rail, I added I clean up the face by sliding the places the end
will end up the same width as the an auxiliary fence to my miter workpiece back and forth across grain at the top
frame pieces (Figure 2). Here again, gauge. Cutting the half lap is just a the blade while slowly pushing the and bottom of
make a test cut to check the setup. matter of making multiple passes piece forward (Figures 4 and 4a). the frame.
4 5 6
NOTE: NOTE:
Slowly move Do not adjust Stop block
piece back dado blade will need to
and forth be reset
Aux.
fence Flip rail
over Rotate
NOTE:
Rail Clamp stop miter gauge
block to to opposite
aux. fence 45 setting
a. END VIEW a. a.
Slide rail back
back and forth
to clean cheek TOP
VIEW TOP
VIEW
Miter Stop block
is cut Miter is
cut from positions
from rails for
shoulder corner to
Dado shoulder identical cuts
to corner
blade

CUT MITERS. Now that the half laps blade is already set to cut just high cut the opposite end of each rail
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
are cut on the rails, the second step enough, all you have to do is flip (Figure 6). Note: I had to reposition
is to miter the ends. The goal here is the rail over and sneak up on the the auxiliary fence to support the
to cut a miter from the outside cor- miter (Figure 5). The side benefit is workpiece and readjust the stop
ner of the piece to the shoulder of the dado blade will be ready to go block to cut the opposite ends.
the half lap, as shown in the photo later when its time to cut the half The procedure here is the same,
on the previous page. laps on the stiles. Note: To ensure and when youre done, itll be time
This is nothing more than a typi- the rails are cut identically, I like to to work on the stiles. But remem-
cal 45 miter but the nice thing is clamp a stop block to the fence. ber, you dont want to change the
you dont have to remove the dado After you miter one end, youll dado blade height. Its already set
blade to make the cut. Since the need to rotate the miter gauge to for making the first cut in the stiles.
Cutting the Stiles

Now that the rails are complete, its the outside side of the workpiece miter gauge to cut the opposite
time to cut the mitered half laps on must be facing down, as noted in end of the piece. You can see what
the stiles, as you see at left. The nice Figure 9a. And to avoid chipping I mean in Figures 10 and 10a. As
thing about this is the stiles are less out the tip of the half lap, its best for the rip fence dont worry
work than the rails. to remove the waste near the tip about readjusting it. Even though
For starters, instead of the two before making the final cut. the workpiece is oriented differ-
steps you had to complete for the After cutting one end of each ently at this point, the width of the
rails, making the stiles is a one-step stile, youll need to rotate the cut is still the same.
process. Plus, most of the set-up
work is already complete the
height of the dado blade is set and
7 8
the miter gauge is at 45.
LAYOUT. Before making any cuts,
take a little time to lay out the loca- Stile
tion of the miter cut on one of the Square
pieces. This way, you can use it to Rail
complete the set-up work. To do
this, simply lay one of the rails Stile
on top of the stile and transfer its Use rail to lay Transfer layout
width, as illustrated in Figure 7. out width of line to edges
half lap on stile of stile
Then its a simple matter to transfer
the layout line around the edges of
the piece, like you see in Figure 8.
RIP FENCE. Now youre ready to cut
the miter. Since the half lap isnt cut
9
all the way through the workpiece,
A couple of passes you dont have to worry about a
Trim in
two passes
a. TOP
VIEW
across the end of the waste piece kicking back at you. Rip
fence
stile is all it takes to So you can use the rip fence as a NOTE: Good
complete a mitered stop, as in Figure 9. Positioning side faces
down
half-lap joint. the fence is just a matter of shav- Set rip fence
to align
ing away a little at a time until layout Stile
you reach the layout line. line with
dado blade
Although there really isnt any-
thing tricky about this procedure,

10
NOTE:
Do not
readjust
rip fence
a.
TOP
VIEW ASSEMBLING THE FRAME
With the stiles cut, youre ready
to assemble your picture frame.
Stile
Rotate miter gauge The nice thing is that the assembly
NOTE:
to opposite 45 miter Readjust is more like a half-lap joint than a
to cut opposite aux. fence
end of stile miter joint. As long as the miters are
tight, all you need to worry about
is clamping the faces together, as
11 NOTE: Use wax paper
to keep frame from
you can see in Figure 11.
To keep things from slipping
sticking to platform
during glueup around, I used a plywood platform
#/4" plywood cut to match the size of the frame.
assembly platform
(I put some spacers underneath to
allow room for the clamps.)
Frame A clamp at each corner of the
frame is really all you should need.
But if youre having trouble with
Clamp across
the miters staying tight, you can
faces of half-lap joints also use a clamp across the rails to
help pull things together.
Easel Slot
1!/4
The project featured on page 36
involves building an easel to hold a
1 2
picture frame. In order to accommo-
date different sizes of frames, the easel
is designed with an adjustable clamp. #/16
The clamp simply slides in a slot in the
vertical riser, as illustrated on page 38.
Youll find that this slot is quite easy to
4!/2
create using a 316" straight bit at the
router table.
Lower
Since the vertical riser is 38"-thick workpiece
Start onto bit at
hardwood, I decided that it would be start line and
Stop Raise bit
best to rout the slot in two passes, rais- rout to stop line
and repeat
ing the height of the bit in between. procedure to
complete slot
Begin the process by drawing stop
and start lines on the fence of your
router table, as you see in Figure 1.
Then with the bit raised about half
way, lower the workpiece onto the bit #/16" a. Raise bit for a.
straight bit second pass
at the start line and rout to the stop
line. To complete the slot, simply raise
the bit so it will go all the way through
the workpiece, and once again, rout END END
VIEW VIEW
from the start line to the stop line. This
is shown in Figure 2.

Compound Miter
Assembly Jig
Workpieces with compound miters
are usually attached one piece at a
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
time either nailed to a wall or

as molding around a cabinet. But
the project on page 46 is different
because youre creating a frame.
When gluing a mitered frame
together, I often reach for my band
clamps. With compound miters,
however, the band clamps need a to fold in on themselves if the four dowels. (One is shown in the
little help. As you apply the clamp- clamping pressure is directed too drawing.) The key when assem-
ing pressure, the frame pieces tend high. So as you can see in the photo bling each part of the jig is to use
above, I came up with this clamp- a framing square to make sure the
ing corner jig to help keep the dowels will hold the frame pieces
frame together during assembly. square, as you see in detail a.
The assembly jig consists of When gluing and clamping the
four rectangular scraps, each with frames, the band clamp fits against
the bottom of the dowels, and the
a. dowels capture the top of the
frame. This centers the pressure and
keeps the frame from falling apart.
If the frame pieces want to creep
up as youre tightening the clamps,
theres a simple solution. Just wrap
a couple of rubber bands around
the dowels, as shown above.
Cove Sanding Block

The best sanding block is one that matches the (An alternative is to use a hand saw and file to
shape to be sanded. So when it came time to create the rough shape.)
smooth the large coves on the picture frames on Then to smooth out the shape, place some
page 46, I made some custom sanding blocks adhesive-backed sandpaper across the work-
from 112"-thick foam insulation board. piece with the cove and rub the block across the
Create the Sanding Block. To do this, I sandpaper, as in the right photo below.
butted the foam block against the molding and Sand the Cove. To use the sanding block,
traced the profile, as in the left photo below. remove the sandpaper from the workpiece and
Next, I roughed out the profile on the band stick a new piece on the curved face of the
saw, as you can see in the center photo below. sanding block (photo at right).
Transfer the Profile. First trace the Rough Cut the Profile. Next, use a Sand the Foam. Smooth the profile
outline of the cove onto a small block band saw (or hand saw and file) to by rubbing it across a piece of
of thick foam insulation board. cut the profile to rough shape. sandpaper stuck to the workpiece.

Relieve back
edge with sandpaper
Edge Trimming a Frame Outer

All you really need to make the on all four edges of the blank to To cut the trim to size, replace trim
trim used on the mitered half-lap create the profile, as you see in the dado blade with a regular saw Frame
frame on page 44 is a router table Figure 1. Youll need to use a fence blade and flip the blank over. Set Inner
trim
and a table saw. But trying to rout on the router table for this step. the rip fence to cut the inside trim
a profile and cut a rabbet on such RABBETS. As you can see in the first, just as you see in Figure 3.
small pieces can be a little scary. drawing at right, both trim pieces Youll definitely want to use a push
OVERSIZED BLANK. The solution is to are rabbeted to fit around the frame. block to prevent the workpiece
start with an oversized blank. This To create these rabbets, I cut a cou- from getting pinched in between
way, you can safely rout the profile ple of grooves in the blank with a the fence and the saw blade. Both the outside
on the blank and then cut the trim. dado blade (Figure 2). Just make To cut the outer trim free from and inside edges of
To make the trim, start with a 38"- sure that you leave some material the blank, just flip the blank end for the frame on page
thick blank thats at least 2" wide. in between the two grooves to help end and reposition the rip fence, as 44 are wrapped
The first step is to rout a roundover support the workpiece. illustrated in Figure 4. with trim.
1 !/4" roundover
bit raised #/16"
2 Cut two 3 4 Push
Push #/4"- wide block
grooves in Push
Make blank at block block
blank #/4
least 2" wide Waste
!/8 !/8 !!/32
Dado
!/16 blade Leave waste
in between
grooves
Keyhole Hanger
For the letter bin on page 70, I recess drilled in the center pro- hanger. For the deeper part of
needed to come up with a strong, vides plenty of clearance for the the mortise, its a good idea to drill
invisible way to hang it on a wall. screw in the wall. a series of holes in the center that Keyhole hangers sit
Keyhole hangers fit the bill. To make the mortise, you can start are roughly 38" deep. in a shallow mortise
To install the hangers, I used the by laying out a centerline and trac- Now, all you need to do is clean cut in the workpiece.
procedures shown below to drill a ing the shape of the hanger. Then, up the sides of the mortise with a A deeper, stepped
stepped mortise. The shallow ends with a bit that matches the width chisel and install the hanger with mortise provides
of the mortise allow the hanger to of the hanger, drill a few shallow, a couple of screws. Then, youre clearance for the
sit flush when installed. A deeper overlapping holes the length of the ready to hang the bin. head of a screw.
1 2 3
a. a.

Weekend Woodworking Sources
Most of the materials and supplies on page 26 is the special bowl and CANDLE CENTERPIECE
MAIL youll need for projects in this book tray router bit. The bit that I used The candle centerpiece on page
ORDER
SOURCES are available at hardware stores or came from Whiteside Machine Co. 56 will give you the chance to use
home centers. For specific products (1376B). Other companies offer small, prized pieces of figured or
Woodsmith Store or hard-to-find items, take a look at similar bits that would work just exotic wood and show off your
800-444-7527 the sources listed here. as well. Just be sure that the one joinery skills, too. I purchased the
I should also mention that man- you purchase has a bearing on the glass candleholders and votive
Rockler
800-279-4441 ufacturers and retailers periodi- shank for template routing. candles at Michaels.
rockler.com cally redesign or discontinue items. Also, each of the unique boxes
So, youll want to gather all the requires a few special items. HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE
Cherry Tree hardware you need before you get JEWELRY BOX. For the jewelry box To build the holiday centerpiece
800-848-4363
cherrytreetoys.com started. Its easy to adjust dimen- on page 27, I used brass feet (71795) featured on page 60, youll need
sions or drill different sized holes and Suede-Tex supplies from Rock- quite a few odds and ends. Bal-
General Finishes to suit your hardware. ler. Youll need a bag of fibers tic birch, 20-gauge brass wire, 34"
800-783-6050 (73148), a can of adhesive (73106), felt discs, and 38" x 12" dowel can
generalnishes.com
CURVED-LID TREASURE BOX and a mini-flocker (28035). be purchased at your local craft,
Hangman Products The only hardware youll need to SECRET-COMPARTMENT BOX. You can hobby, or woodworking stores. If
818-610-0487 complete the box on page 6 is a pair purchase the rare-earth mag- you have trouble finding 12" birch
hangman- of brass hinges. I used the 114" x 1" nets (99K31.01), magnet cups beads, check out Cherry Tree. And
products.com
x 332" Precision Box Hinge (PB-405) (99K32.51), and special washers Lee Valley carries small finials.
Horton Brasses, Inc. from Horton Brasses Inc. (99K32.61) for the box on page 30 MUSICAL MOVEMENT. If youd like
800-754-9127 I dyed the maple using the fol- from Lee Valley. Paduak lumber can your centerpiece to rotate and
horton-brasses.com lowing mixture of TransTint dye be ordered from Rockler. play music, then you can build
(available from Rockler): 1 qt. of VALET BOX. The valet box on page the optional base and add a musi-
Lee Valley
800-871-8158 water, 6 tsp. Orange, and 4 tsp. Red- 32 just requires two 58"-dia. brass cal movement (and a turntable), as
leevalley.com dish Brown. I followed with spray knobs from Woodcraft (150529). shown on page 64. Single-melody
lacquer finish. To ebonize the sides, movements are available at many
Michaels I used India ink from an art sup- FRAME & EASEL retailers, including Cherry Tree.
michaels.com
800-642-4235 ply store. You can find posterboard To build the picture frame on
and felt at most craft stores. page 36, all youll need are some CRAFTSMAN WALL MIRROR
Rust-Oleum brass-plated turn buttons. These The Craftsman-style wall mir-
800-323-3584 QUILT-TOP COLLECTORS BOX are available from Rockler (27912). ror on page 66 requires just a few
rustoleum.com
Aside from the wood, all youll The brass knurled thumb nut, ma- hardware items. The brass turn
Whiteside need to complete the quilt-top chine screw, and washer used for buttons (27912) can be purchased
Machine Co. boxes on page 12 is adhesive- the clamp on the easel can be ob- from Rockler. And the mount-
800-225-3982 backed felt, which is available tained from a local hardware store ing bracket came from Hangman
whiteside-
routerbits.com at most craft stores. To finish the or home center. When it came to Products. To finish the wall mir-
boxes, I applied a coat of General finishing, I used General Finishes ror, I applied a coat of Rust-Oleum
Woodcraft Finishes Seal-A-Cell, followed by a Gel Stain (Java) on the easel and the Varathane Early American stain fol-
800-225-1153 couple coats of spray lacquer. frame trim. To bring out the figure lowed by two coats of lacquer.
woodcraft.com
of the curly maple, I wiped a coat
KEEPSAKE BOXES of General Finishes Seal-A-Cell onto LETTER BIN
You can visit a local craft store to the frame facing. Then I applied a The letter bin shown on page 70
pick up adhesive-backed felt for couple coats of spray lacquer. is a great way to keep your mail
lining the keepsake boxes shown organized. And building it wont
in the article on page 18. MITERED HALF-LAP FRAME require any unusual hardware. In
You can find easel backs similar to fact, other than the screws, the only
THREE ROUTED GIFT BOXES the one shown on page 44 at most other hardware youll need is a pair
The main item youll need when frame or craft stores. I purchased of keyhole hangers to hang the bin
making one (or all three) of the an 11" x 14" back and cut it to fit my on the wall. The ones I used came
routed boxes featured in the article frame opening. from Rockler (28837).

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Weekend Woodworking_p100.indd 1 6/15/2011 9:18:54 AM

Easy To Build Frames Boxes and Accesories

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Easy To Build Frames Boxes and Accesories

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from the Editors of

weekend Video Workshop

Time-Saving Shop Tips

to build better projects faster

WeekendWoodworking_001.indd 1 6/15/2011 9:14:46 AM

Editor: Terry J. Strohman

Managing Editors: Vincent Ancona, Bryan Nelson

Executive Art Director: Todd Lambirth

Creative Director: Ted Kralicek Curved-Lid Treasure Box 6

Senior Photographers: Crayola England, Dennis Kennedy Quilt-Top Collectors Box 12

Single Copy Sales: Lisa Trom, Sandy Baum

Woodsmith and ShopNotes are registered

WeekendWoodworking_002.indd 2 4/20/2011 12:33:17 PM

Picture Frame Moldings 40 Holiday Centerpiece 60

Classic Picture Frames 46 Letter Bin 70

WeekendWoodworking_002.indd 3 4/20/2011 12:34:11 PM

experiment with new techniques. When you

pay close attention to the details, the results are

CURVED-LID TREASURE BOX ...........6

QUILT-TOP COLLECTORS BOX .......12

A PAIR OF KEEPSAKE BOXES .........18

THREE ROUTED GIFT BOXES..........26

WeekendWoodworking_004.indd 5 4/20/2011 12:35:18 PM

Curved-Lid Treasure Box

WeekendWoodworking_006.indd 6 4/20/2011 12:35:46 PM

Assembling the Front, Back & Bottom

How-To: Make the Front & Back

WeekendWoodworking_006.indd 7 6/8/2011 12:10:36 PM

FULL-SIZE LID PATTERN

Use full-size pattern as 9!%/16

Shaping the Lid

How-To: Make the Curved Lid

WeekendWoodworking_008.indd 8 4/20/2011 12:42:43 PM

cut the matching cove on the front a. #/4" dado

Finally, with a dado blade on the

How-To: Complete the Lid Rip fence

WeekendWoodworking_008.indd 9 4/20/2011 12:46:07 PM

Adding the Sides & Final Assembly 1" brass

How-To: Drill Matching Dowel Holes

WeekendWoodworking_010.indd 10 4/20/2011 12:47:48 PM

Shaping the Sides Attach

WeekendWoodworking_010.indd 11 4/20/2011 12:48:16 PM

Quilt-Top Collectors Box

WeekendWoodworking_012.indd 12 6/8/2011 1:52:46 PM

NOTE: Dimensions shown !/8"roundover

Making the Sides blocks pattern

Shop Tip: Routing the Slots

WeekendWoodworking_012.indd 13 4/20/2011 1:10:36 PM

Gluing up the Box C

Theres nothing compli- BOTTOM PANEL

How-To: Cut the Lid Free

WeekendWoodworking_014.indd 14 4/20/2011 1:27:09 PM

WeekendWoodworking_014.indd 15 6/8/2011 12:09:34 PM

Installing the Blocks

size, you can fit the quilt pattern

WeekendWoodworking_016.indd 16 4/20/2011 1:32:47 PM

a few more passes on the shoot-

bit exposed between the layers

in patience. But when youre fin-

WeekendWoodworking_016.indd 17 4/20/2011 1:33:04 PM

A Pair of Keepsake Boxes

WeekendWoodworking_018.indd 18 6/22/2011 2:34:03 PM

Inside groove forms