Enhance Your Home!

SUMMER
2015

HOME ACCENT
PROJECTS
Page
68

u s i vely Build a Slab-top Table

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Exc on the ! Page

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60

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Page
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Knife Block
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52 Flag Case Floor Lamp
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www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 3

 Table of Contents

Home Accent
Projects
This collection of 16 projects offers great
opportunity to add style to your home while
you expand your woodworking skills. All of
them offer good cause to build something
unique rather than limit yourself to the usual
Hardwood Mosaic Frame,
mass-market options. Why settle for less
page 64 when you can make something special!

Southwestern Entry Bench ................6-15

A Hall Mirror for Beginners ..............16-18
Mahogany Serving Tray ....................20-24
White Oak Trivet .................................26-28
White Oak Trivet, Fine Tool Display Case ......................30-33
page 26
Elegant Floor Lamp.............................34-40
Deco Bar Stool in a Weekend .........42-46
Scroll-Sawn Flared Bowl ..................48-51
Memorial Flag Case ...........................52-55
Bedroom Valet ....................................56-59
Slab Top Sofa Table ...........................60-63
Hardwood Mosaic Frame .................64-67
A Kitchen Workstation ......................68-71
Scroll-Sawn Picture Frame ..............72-74
Simple Knife Block .............................76-77
Tambour-Top Folding Table .............78-89
Tricks of the Trade .................................. 90
Deco Bar Stool, Elegant Floor Lamp,
page 42 page 34

4 Ta b l e o f C o n t e n t s
 Scroll Sawn
Flared Bowl,
page 48

Memorial Flag Case, Home Accent Projects:

page 52
Summer 2015
Chris Marshall Special Projects Editor

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Southwestern
Entry Bench, Kelly Rosaaen Circulation Manager
page 6
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Serving Tray,
page 20

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 5

Southwestern Entry Bench
Although its elements and material
are derived from the Southwestern
United States,
this rugged
mesquite entry
bench will still
be at home
in virtually
any locale.

6 Southwestern Entry Bench

W
hen I was contemplating
the design for this Entry
Bench, my inspiration was
influenced by a building called Hopi
House. Designed by Mary Colter
in 1905, it was her first of several
commissions that have since become
icons of American Southwestern
architecture, greatly influenced by
the living history of the region and
the many ancient dwelling sites that
have stood for thousands of years in
the American Southwest.
Having had the privilege of walk-
ing amongst some of these places, I
found it easy to see why Ms. Colter
was so enamored. I’ve had an affin-
ity for all things Southwestern since
my earliest days as a woodworker.
Whatever your discipline, the land-
scape, the light, the nature and the
people of this vast area are sure to
inspire anyone with an eye and a
mind toward creative pursuits.
This “chair-table” style of furniture
seemed to really catch on in Spanish
Colonial times, and examples can be
seen in photographs of some of the
buildings that Mary Colter designed.
When Woodworker’s Journal’s
publisher, Rob Johnstone, chose
mesquite lumber for this
bench, I couldn’t have
been happier.

With a unique selection of velvet mesquite

in hand, author Frank Grant began the
challenging process of harvesting bench pieces
from this special lumber. While it’s not a
difficult species to work, the checks, flaws and
limb incursions present challenges not found
in your run-of-the-mill lumberyard stock.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 7

 Built 6ROLGO\... to Last a /LIHWLPH
Mesquite, a tree native to the
Southwest and known for its
dark, grainy and tough wood, is
perfect for this style. Mesquite
art and furniture can be found in
fine craft galleries from Santa Fe
to Scottsdale.
When the wood arrived from
the sawmill, the first thing I did
was spread all the planks out on
the floor of the shop and careful-
ly study what lay before me. Two
of the planks were thicker than
the rest; these would become
the post and rail components.
The rest would be divvied up for
the panels, stiles and top. I chose
some leftover longleaf pine for
the floor of the chest simply to
conserve the precious mesquite
and give the project a nice pine
aroma inside.
8 Southwestern Entry Bench
Mesquite is gnarly wood con-
taining many cracks, voids,
waney bark edges with streaks
of sapwood and a distinct inter-
locking grain. To help map it all
out, I took some scrap 1/4" MDF
and lauan plywood, cut them to
rough component sizes and laid
them out on the planks to deter-
mine grain direction and optimal
visual interest while avoiding the
largest of the natural defects in
the wood. I then traced around
these with a black marker before
harvesting the parts. I used a
combination of circular saw,
reciprocating saw and ultimate-
ly the band saw, to break the
exceptionally heavy planks down
to a manageable size for hoisting
around in the shop.
After a quick visit to the chiro-
practor, I proceeded to size and
square all the components, using
the jointer and thickness planer.
I then made “story” sticks out
of the aforementioned templates,
for posterity, and to keep as a
reference in case I need to build
more benches in the future. (I
do this with nearly everything I
make: hey, you never know, and
they look so cool hanging in the
shop.) These story sticks are
exact profiles of the components,
with markings to transfer joinery
details to the set-off components.
(Set-off means squared, sized
and cut to length.)
I laid out the joinery next,
then set the tenon components
aside to focus on the mortising. I
always do the mortising first: it’s
easier to make tenons fit mortis-
es than vice versa. I bored holes
with the drill press using 11⁄8" and
3/8" Forstner bits, the latter for
getting closer into the corners.
I proceeded to
chop these roughed-
out mortises square
with a selection of
sharp chisels, mostly
a 1" and a 1/2" par-
ing chisel and a 3/8"
mortising chisel for
the tougher corners.
Once the holes were
more refined, I went
in with my 1" chis-
el again, carefully
paring the walls and
making sure every-
thing was nice and
straight, to help
eliminate hang-ups
during assembly.
HARVESTING THE PARTS
Determining where specific parts of a
project will be cut from a piece of wood
is known as “harvesting” the parts. It
is a very important task in any project
— but it becomes critical when you’re
working with lumber that has extreme
characteristics like mesquite.
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 Bottom Long Rail Top Support Rail
(Top and Inside Views) 5
/8" 3/4" 3
(End and Side View)
/4" 3
/4"
1" 93/4" 21/2"
Floor Groove 7° 7
/8"
9
/16" 21/4"
11
11 1"
1
/8" /16" 3
/8" 1" R.
11/8" 7
3
/16"
1
/2" 1
/16" Dia.
/2" 1
Outside Face
Panel
Groove 21/2"
Top Face
9
/16"
1
/4"
11/8"
9
/16"
Floor Groove
11
Note: Some hidden lines on the leg and stile
and rail drawings are not shown to avoid the
confusion of overlapping mortises and tenons.
11
Panel Edge Profile
(Section View)
11/2" 2
1
/4" 11/4" R.
12 3
/4"
9
/16" Back Leg
6 8 7
/16" Dia.
2 /4" 1 Pivot
Exploded View
(Inside View)

5
10 12

7 9 3 115/16

6
5 5 7
10
9
8
10
Right
4 Back
8
8 Leg
6
9 7

1
/4"
Material /LVW 5
Right
1

3
/2" 4
/8"
TxWx3 Front
 Top (1) 11 À 4" x 20" x 42" Leg Box Floor
 Box Lid (1) 1" x 113À 8" x 313À 8" (Section View)
 Lid Support Cleats (2) 1" x 1" x 111À 2"
Short Rails
 Box Floor (1) 3/4" x 32" x 12" (Inside and Top Views)
 Long Rails (4) 23À 16" x 21 À 4" x 361 À 2" 1
/4" 1"
5
 Short Rails (4) 23À 16" x 21 À 4" x 161 À 2" /8" 1
/4"
1"
 Legs (4) 21 À 4" x 21 À 4" x 18" 5
/8"
 Stiles (6) 11 À 2" x 2" x 133À 4" 1" Floor Groove
 3HYNL7HULSZ  ͇_ 1 À 4" x 10"
21/2" 3
/8" 1
/8"
 :THSS7HULSZ  ͇_1 À 2 ͇_ 1 À 4" 5
/8" 11
/16" 1
 Top Support Rails (2) 1" x 3" x 17" /4"
1"
1
 Pivot Pegs (2) (carve to fit) 3/8" x 3/8" x 21 À 2" 9
/16" /2" 13
/16"
3
/16"
Outside Face Panel Groove
10 Southwestern Entry Bench
 Right Front Leg
(Inside and Back Views)
Left front leg must be a mirror image.
5
/8"
3
1 /4"
35/16" 11/8" 23/4" Cutting Tenons, If you work nice and slow,
9
/16" 1"
5
Raising Panels you’ll end up with accurate cuts.
/8"
Now for the tenons. I occasionally Pat yourself on the back before

Outside Face
11/8" 1"
Front Face
5
/8" cut tenons on the band saw, espe- cutting the shoulders on the
cially if there are not too many of table saw. You could also make
them. I use the same setting on the shoulder cuts first, before
the marking gauge for the tenons revealing your samurai skills on
3
/8" and the mortises, and the same the band saw. Either way works
3
/8"
7 7 philosophy as if I were cutting well, in my opinion.
7 11/8" them with a hand saw. I split the At this point, I put a 1/4"
/8"
1
/4" 1
/4"
line with the saw blade and go straight bit in the router table
nice and slow. Take your time on and cut all the housings (dadoes)
1
/4" 3/8" 5
1
/4"
this, and follow your line with as for the box floor, as well as for
/8"
1
much surgical precision as you what I find to be among the most
1 /8" 1"
5
/8" can muster. (Do some test cuts harrowing of woodworking oper-
3" 3" in scrap.) Oh, and this may seem ations: panel raising!
9
/16" 1"
29/16" 2"
11/8" odd, but I choose not to use the To raise the panels, I used
fence; I do a better job freehand. a large profile cutter — one
Right Back Legs
(Inside and Front Views)
Left back leg must be a mirror image.
5
/8" Using the same methodology as he would use with hand
tools, the author turned to the band saw to cut out the
13/4" various tenons required for the entry bench.
11/8" 23/4"
35/16"
9
/16" 1"
5
/8"
11/8" 1"
5
/8"

7
/8" 11/8"
1 1
/4" /4"
Outside Face

3 3
/8" /8"
Rear Face

7 7

1
/8" /4"
1
3 /4" 5
/8"
11/8" 1"
5
/8"
3" 3"
9
/16" 1"
1
1 /8" 29/16" 2"

Stiles
(Outside and Side Views)

21/2" 21/2" 11
/16"
1" 1
1
/4" /2"

3
3 /4"
/8"
1
3
/8" /4"
Outside Face

8 8

1"

1
/8"

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 11

 Preparing for $VVHPEO\
that cuts above and below the
material. The smaller of the two
profiles appears on the outside
faces of the panels, adding a nice
visual detail to the heavy-looking
post-and-rail assemblies.
I don’t have a 7½hp, 3-phase
shaper in the shop, but I do
have a 2hp router with a 1/2"
collet that will accept the large,
scary panel bit. Knowing this is
an underpowered arrangement,
I took the time to build a new
fence out of some glued-up 3/4"
MDF and screwed it to the table
in a semipermanent fashion.
This made it virtually incapable
of shifting, in the event my bit
would kick back like an ornery
mule in the desert. I then routed
a slot in the tabletop to accept
the miter gauge from my table
saw, furthering my intention to
keep all my fingers in place for
the next project. After a number
of test cuts in various woods,
When chopping out the mortises on a drill press, the author used different diameters
of Forstner bits to hog out the waste.
12 Southwestern Entry Bench
including our precious mes-
quite, and a prayer for addition-
al reinforcement, I started in
carefully, moving VERY slowly.
The prayers, the planning ...
ever ything worked out well.
I’m using the same two fingers
to type this stor y as all the
others I’ve written, and yes, I
feel grateful. Before final fitting
and surfacing, I cut the saddles
into the front legs for the rails
that will support the top in the
“down” position. I then formed
a radius on the back legs where
the rails and top will pivot,
which turns this entr y bench
into a “chair-table.”
Smoothing the Surfaces
I’m luckier than I am smart,
so I was able to hand plane a
fair amount of the exposed sur-
faces, including all the panels,
posts and stile assemblies. The
long rails were the toughest, but
I managed to get the machine
marks out before finishing with
fine sandpaper.
I like hand planing because it’s
less noisy, less hazardous (little
or no dust), and it’s a good upper-
body workout. Mesquite works
surprisingly well with hand tools
in spite of its idiosyncrasies.
After the finish surfacing, I
whittled the edges of all the
components using a small draw-
knife, a technique I learned from
my days as a cabin carpenter
in the far reaches of northern
Minnesota. I think it’s a wonder-
ful rustic touch that adds texture
and visual interest.
I had glued and clamped the
pine floor together a day earlier,
and at this point I broke it out.
After re-sharpening my #5 bench
plane, I hand-planed the floor
smooth (easy sailing!) before
cutting a 1/4" tongue all around
on the table saw. The tongue
allows plenty of room for wood
movement inside the chest. I left
this wood bare, hoping to coax
out some of that good pine scent
for the inside of the case.
Before final assembly, I gave
everything a coat of wax-free
shellac, as is my style. I’m a big
fan of shellac: it may be the most
beautiful natural finish out there,
and it’s nontoxic to boot.
A couple of humid and ulti-
mately rainy days caused things
to swell up on me a bit, so I
had to re-fit all the joints before
final assembly. The way I figure,
bringing lumber from a place
that sees less rain in 10 years
than we might get in Minnesota
in a good month, this is to be
expected. Just don’t try to force
it; mesquite isn’t forgiving like
that. If you don’t break the
wood, you’ll break your hammer
beating on it or throw out your
shoulder in the effort.
www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 13

Nothing beats a sharp chisel when
it comes to cleaning up and paring
a mortise square. Form the mortises
first, then the tenons.
Beginning the Assembly
First, I assembled the ends of
the case, then I drilled and
chopped the mortises to
accept the long front and back
assemblies. This way, I eliminat-
ed the tearout you could get from
drilling and chopping through
existing holes in the posts.
After all this horsing around,
I assembled the long sides,
added the floor and brought all
the assemblies together, using
customar y and prodigious
amounts of glue. After getting
it all clamped up real good, I
turned on the air conditioner to
hopefully lessen the effects of
the steamy summer humidity we
were experiencing here in “trop-
ical” Minnesota. I let the project
sit overnight, to give the glue
plenty of time to set up and cure.
The next morning, I removed
the clamps, which revealed a stur-
dy little piece of furniture. I added
a ledge of two 1" x 3/4" x 13⁄8"
mesquite cleats to support the
box lid, which is simply a straight,
thick mesquite board, planed and
drawknifed at the edges.
14 Southwestern Entry Bench
The Final 'HWDLOV
Routing Sliding Dovetails
With the carcass completed, it
was time to make the top. I set
aside two planks early on for this
component. After surfacing a
straight, square mating edge on
each, I chose two more boards
to serve as the top support rails.
These sit within the saddles cut
into the legs. They have a pivot
point at the back, drilled through
and pinned to the legs with a
couple of simple whittled pegs.
I attached the top support
boards to the top planks, 2½" shy
of the leading and trailing edges
of the top, using a simple sliding
dovetail arrangement (see the
Drawings). After laying out my
system on the underside of the
top, I clamped the two planks
together nice and flat before add-
ing a straight board to use as a
fence to guide my plunge router.
Then I took three deepening
passes with a 1/2" straight bit
until I reached a depth of 5/8".
I switched to a dovetail bit to
shape both sides of the hous-
ings, taking one pass for each
cheek. To cut the mating dove-
tails into the top edges of the top
supports, I chucked the same
dovetail bit into a router table
The chips flew during the panel-raising process. The author anchored a shop-made
fence to the router table with screws. The large-diameter panel-raising bit had a back
cutter that formed a clean shadow line around the face of the panels.
(see photo at right, next page)
and made a few passes on scrap
wood to dial in the fit. Once
everything was set, I routed the
two supports.
Here’s how I assembled the
top: I fitted the rails onto one
plank before sliding the other
plank into place. I glued only
the edge joint between the top
boards. (It should slide on the
dovetailed supports as needed
to allow for wood movement.)
Once the glue cured, I scraped
off the excess and took my draw-
knife to the edges. A light scuff
sanding with 220-grit cleaned up
the surfaces, followed by a top-
coat of shellac.
Carving Out the Details
At this point, I decided a bit
of relief carving might be in
order. After much head-scratch-
ing and a number of studies in
scrap wood, I made up a simple
design to carve into the pan-
els. Whenever I carve, I always
do lots of studies in scrap to
determine exactly what I’m
trying to accomplish with the
design before committing to the
“money” wood.
I used MDF story sticks to
The lid supports have a dovetailed
edge, which is captured by the two
sections of the top assembly.

transfer reference marks to the

chest panels. It took just two tools 7o &DUve or Not 
— a #41 swan-neck V-gouge and
a mallet — to cut the cross-grain We understand that carving is not something every woodworker
and then long-grain relief lines. would choose to do. It is, however, a traditional element in this type of
Mesquite carves surprisingly Southwestern furniture. Carving also is one of Frank Grant’s signature
well and holds nice, crisp details. design motifs, so it just made sense to include it in our design. But if
carving is just not your cup of tea, don’t let that keep you from making
Just be careful in those cross-
this fun and practical project. To prove the point, we asked Frank to
grain areas that are close togeth- make a second entry bench out of mesquite, identical to the first, but
er, to avoid a potential chip of without the carving. As you can see in the photo above, the beauty of
wood breaking free. If this hap- the wood and the construction elements
pens (and you can find the chip), of the bench are sufficient to make
simply glue it back in place, like this a beautiful project without the
a real woodcarver would do. Go carving. Even so, simple relief carving
nice and slow with the gouge is within reach of most woodworkers.
and mallet; you’ll maintain lots of If you try it out, it just may show up in
control that way. As you go along, your work on a regular basis.
make minute adjustments to the
angle of your gouge, in order
to maintain appropriate depth
without digging too deeply or
cutting so shallow that you lose
your cut. Carving simple lines
like these effectively should only
require one pass, but if you need
to make another one to refine
certain areas, read the grain and
“work” each side of the cut to
avoid unsightly tearout.
A few swipes of shellac in the
carving lines completed the proj-
ect. And there you have it. You
won’t find a much sturdier piece
of furniture or a tougher wood
from which to build it. It’s gor-
geous, too, just like the great
American Southwest.

Frank Grant is a professional woodworker

and a frequent contributor to
Woodworker’s Journal.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 15

A Hall Mirror for Beginners
A few sticks of wood,
a plate mirror and a
T
his mirror differs from
handful of other odds the usual style because
the glass is mounted on
and ends transforms the front of the frame instead
of being set in a groove or
bare wall into rabbet in back. This means you
beautiful accent. don’t have to miter the corners
of the frame at 45˚— often a sore
trial for the novice woodworker.
Instead, the glass is held
in place by small, L-shaped
wooden retainers fastened to
the stiles with brass screws. As
a result, this is a great project
for beginners … it looks good
and can be completed in a week-
end with simple hand tools.

Choosing the Shape and Size

Follow the Material List dimen-
sions on the facing page to build
the mirror shown here. A square
frame is one possibility, but if
you go for a rectangular frame,
we suggest making the width
about two thirds of the length.
We also strongly suggest using
1/4" plate glass, not the thinner
variety, because it’s dead flat and
thus a more faithful reflector.
Have the glass cut to size and
all four edges polished smooth.
To prevent moisture from being
absorbed and marring the reflec-
tive surface, be sure to carefully
seal all four edges with clear nail
polish or lacquer.
The frame shown here is made
of 3/4" reclaimed mahogany.
Darker woods like mahogany or
walnut seem to define the glass
better than lighter woods.
Cut the four lap joints on the
stiles and rails (pieces 1 and 2) as
shown in the Technical Drawings
(see page 18), making a 1/4" off-
The author used lap-jointed corners secured with copper
set to match the thickness of the
nails and set off by decorative copper diamonds —
materials he had on hand.
glass (piece 3). If you’re a new

16 A Hall Mirror for Beginners

 Material /LVW
woodworker without a full shop, TxWx3
you can cut these joints by hand,  Rails (2) 3/4" x 21À2" x 14"
but if you have access to a shop,  Stiles (2) 3/4" x 11À2" x 19 3À8"
these lap joints are easy to cut on  Mirror (1) 1/4" Cut to fit
a table saw.  Retainers (4) 1/2" x 3/8" x 7/8"
 Back (1) 1/8" x 131À2" x 18"
Fastening the Corners
 Strap Hangers (2) Steel
Fasten the four corners with
rivets — copper nails peened  Decorative Accents (4) Optional
over saucer-shaped copper wash-
ers — and cut the decorative
diamonds out of copper sheet Mirror
metal: these are nautical supplies Exploded View
our author had handy. You could
1
come up with a different metal
motif, reinforce the lap joints with
wood pegs or simply glue the lap
joints and countersink a small 7
screw from the back. Shape the
gentle curve of the rails after
you’ve joined the frame. Next,
form the retainers (pieces 4) out
of the same wood as the frame.
It’s not strictly necessary to put
a back (piece 5) on this frame,
but it makes for a more finished
3
job and protects the back of the
reflecting surface from being 2
accidentally scratched. If you
do this, use 1/8" plywood held For more details,
6 see the Technical
in place with countersunk 1/2"-
long, #6 brass flathead screws so Drawings on the
5 next page.
they won’t mar the wall.

Finishing Up
Topcoat the project with your
favorite clear finish. Finally, hav-
ing come this far, be sure to use
quality strap hangers (pieces 6),
available at hardware stores, to 4
properly support the weight of
the mirror. Now you have it ... a
quick project that shows off your
best — woodworking — side!

Simon Watts is a professional

woodworker and a frequent contributor
to Woodworker’s Journal.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 17

 Technical 'UDZLQJV
5 (Top View)
2

4
(Side View) (Front View)
11/2"

1
21/16"
1

2
Frame
4 4 Assembly
3 Section
View
2
2
5

5
3
151/4"
2
1

4 1
3
1
20 /4"

21/4"

1
/4"

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1 1 21/2"

3
/4"

1
/4"
14"
Retainer Full Size
(Top View) (End View) (Side View)

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4 /2"
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/4"
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/16"

18 A Hall Mirror for Beginners



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Summer 2015 19
Mahogany Serving Tray
Our author turns to the distant past
for a little design inspiration.

W
hile today’s wood-
workers have plenty
of 19th and 20th cen-
tury motifs to look to for design
inspiration, for this project I
turned to the distant past. Curule
chairs were popular during
the medieval period, but they
actually can be traced even
further back than that, to the
dynasties of ancient Egypt.
They’re familiar enough, with
their knuckle-jointed “X” shaped
bases, but the design element
doesn’t seem to find a lot of
application in today’s furniture. I
wasn’t particularly interested in
making a curule chair, but I did
want to incorporate the “X” shape
into a serving table I was making
for my mother. With design in
hand, I headed to contributing
editor Rick White’s shop, where
Brad Becker, his trusty assistant,
was waiting to help me through
the construction stage.
Brad and I settled on
mahogany for this project. It’s
a great species for a beginner,
essentially knot-free and easy to
mill and finish. It’s beautiful, too.

Getting Started
I built my tray first and then
moved on to the base. An over-
riding concern of mine was that
the legs must be true and at This tray table’s simple and elegant lines
perfect right angles to the base are a study in positive and negative space.
and floor. A slight skew in or The “X” shaped leg joinery’s history is
out would result in a spindly, traceable to the ancient Egyptians.

20 Mahogany Serving Tray


awkward look. If I constructed
the tray first, I reasoned, I could
always adjust the base rails to
push the legs out or pull them in.
The first thing to do is cut the
tray’s stiles and end rails (piec-
es 1 and 2) to width but a bit
long. These pieces get a rabbet
along their top edges, so use a
straight bit in your router table
or a dado blade in your table
saw to form them, as shown in
the Elevation Drawings on page
23. Once the rabbets are milled,
miter the parts to length and
lay out for the match-
ing notches on the
inside of each stile
that will accept
the two sup-
www.woodworkersjournal.com
After the tray stiles and rails are cut to width and rabbeted,
they can be mitered to length.
port rails (pieces 3). I cut them
by hand ... setting up to make
these cuts with a router seemed
a waste of time, and I was look-
ing for a little action with hand
tools anyway. Now grab your
biscuit joiner and cut slots to
help beef up the miter joints.
This table may be handling a
good amount of weight, so I
wanted to ensure that the joinery
would be as strong as possible.
Dry-fit the frame to make sure
that you’ve got clean miters. At
this point, you can go ahead
and shape the support rails (see
the Drawings) and form the ten-
ons at their ends. When they’re
ready, dry-assemble your tray
again, for a final look. The tops of
the support rails should be per-
fectly flush with the bottoms of
the rabbets on the end rails and
stiles. When everything matches
up, go ahead and glue up these
pieces and set them aside.
Shaping Handles and Rim
While the glue is drying, cut
and shape the handles and form
the miters on their ends, as well
as on the ends of the back rim
(pieces 4 and 5). These pieces all
get a soft roundover and plenty
of time under the sandpaper, as
they are the showiest part of the
project and will be reflected by
the mirrored top. When they’re
ready to install, drill pilot holes
from the bottom of the frame,
three for each handle and five for
the rim. Again, you don’t want
to short this piece on strength
— you might be carrying some
pretty precious cargo on it! Form
the miters at the corners of the
rim and handles and glue them
up. Once the glue dries, you can
screw the assembly in place on
top of the frame — just be sure
to keep the rim flush with the
back and the handles 1/2" shy
of each end.
Biscuits are a great way to strengthen
and align miter joints. They fit just
under the tray’s rabbet.
Summer 2015 21

Before moving on to assem-
bling the base, I recommend cre-
ating a cardboard template for
your mirrored top. I used full
1/4" mirror for mine, and it’s
not cheap (and it doesn’t sand or
plane well, either!). Take the tem-
plate to your glass shop and let
them create the top from it rather
than from a set of measurements.
Achieving the X Factor
The legs (pieces 6) are creat-
ed using a template. No method
ensures uniformity better, and
as I mentioned earlier, perfectly
even and matching legs are a real
key to the success of this project.
I spent a good deal of time
refining my template, lightly
sanding it until it was true and
smooth all around. Then, as
you can see in the sequence of
photos on page 24, it’s a simple
matter of transferring the shape
to your stock, cutting the stock
slightly oversized on the band
saw and then applying your tem-
plate. I used one small screw
at the middle (which I knew
would later be hidden by the
stretcher tenon) and turned to
double-sided tape for the ends.
One word of caution: once you
start the final pass with your
flush-cutting bit, stay away from
the ends. End grain will fracture
if you try to cut across it in this
manner. Brad and I agreed that
the best approach is to leave a
little stock at each end and use a
disk sander (while the template
is still attached) to bring the
stock flush to the template at
each end. Sand your legs and
lay them aside for now; you’ll
22 Mahogany Serving Tray
Leg Pattern
The turned tenons on both ends
of the stretcher need to be long
enough to engage both legs, on
each side of the table, as you
assemble the project.
want all your base pieces ready
to go before you assemble any Note: This is
of them. a pattern for the
template. Cut
Turning the Stretcher your stock a little
I toyed around with using square long so you can
sand (instead of
stock for the stretcher (piece rout) the ends
7), but this idea never made it to length.
off the drawing board. Clearly,
this tray calls for a round base
stretcher — and anyway, this
was a great chance to get an
hour or two in on the lathe, one
of my favorite tools!
Start by locating the cen-
ters on the ends of your turn-
ing blank. Then machine your
square stock into an octago- Stretcher
nal profile by cutting off the Tenon
corners on your table saw. Mount Location
this blank between centers and
use a gouge to rough out a cylin-
drical shape. I used a skew to
bring the blank down to about 1"
Note: The legs
in diameter. Now find the center must mirror each
(from end to end), and from other to ensure
there lay out your tenon shoul- that you get one
ders and relieve them down to pair of outside
and one pair
5/8" in diameter. (Note: It’s criti-
of inside legs.
cal that the length from shoulder
to shoulder exactly match the
length of the shorter stile (piece
9) above it, otherwise you’ll end
up with a pigeon-toed table.)
The stretcher tenons will end up
being 1¼" long, but when you’re
turning, you’ll want to allow a lit-
tle extra for paring off. Gradually
create an arc that starts with the
1" diameter in the center of the
piece and gracefully reduces to
3/4" at each shoulder. Sand the
stretcher all the way through 320
grit (not the tenons!) while it’s
still on the lathe, and then trim
the tenons to length. Each square equals one inch.
8 9
Base
Subassembly 1
10
4"
(Top View) 3
/4"
43/4" 53/4" 3
/4"

Tray Stile
5 (Top View)

Tray Support
Mortise 11
Detail 4

3
1 2
1

Support Rail and Tray Stile

(Side View)
3
3
/4" 1
/4"
/4"
8 1 1
/4"
1
/4"
3
Exploded View 9
10
3
/4" 11/4"
Slight chamfer

Tray Handle
Location
7 (Front View)

1
/2" 4
Material /LVW 5
TxWx3
 Tray Stiles (2) 3/4" x 21 À 4" x 32" 6
 Tray End Rails (2) 3/4" x 21 À 4" x 16" 1
 Tray Support Rails (2) 3/4" x 11 À 4" x 13" 5
/8"
 Tray Handles (2) 3/4" x 23 À 8" x 155 À 8"
11/4"
 Back Rim (1) 3/4" x 1" x 31" 3
/4"
 Legs* (4) 3/4" x 6" x 35"
6 Stretcher
 Stretcher (1) 1" x 1" x 301 À 2"
(Side View)
 Long Base Stile (1) 3/4" x 13 À 4" x 291 À 2"
Short Base Stile (1) 3/4" x 13 À 4" x 28"
 Base Rails (2) 3/4" x 13 À 4" x 101 À 2"
 Mirror (1) 1/4" x 13" x 19" 14"

 Nylon Glides (4) 5/8" Diameter

*These dimensions represent the size of the leg blank.

12
Each square equals one inch.

11/4" Dia.
4 7
CL
1"

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 23


Creating the Tray Support
The next step is to mill the stock
for the tray support (pieces 8,
9 and 10). You’ll notice that the
stiles are different lengths, due
to the offset created by the rel-
ative position of the legs. Cut
these pieces to size, use the
Elevation Drawings to locate
your dowel holes, and glue this
subassembly together, making
sure to stay square
as you do.
24 Mahogany Serving Tray
Since there are only four mortises to chop,
lay them out and cut them by hand. The
support rail’s top edge must align perfectly
with the rabbet on the tray stiles and rails.
Bringing it Together
The first assembly step is to
bring the sets of legs together.
You’ll be drilling right through
two inner legs, but on the other
two you’ll limit your depth to
1/2". Remember, these legs mir-
ror each other, so be sure to Use the scaled drawing (page 22) to
lay everything out before you create a fair and true template of the
start drilling. Next, locate and tray leg. The next step (in preparation
drill the dowel holes (I used for template routing) is to transfer
the shape to the hardwood leg blank.
a doweling jig and dowel-
centers to make this task a
bit easier) at the tops of the
legs and pilot holes for the
glides at their bottoms. With
the machining done, you can
dr y-assemble the legs, the
stretcher and the base subas-
sembly. Check to ensure that all
is square and proceed to your
final glue-up.
Finishing Up
Take the leg blank to your band saw
Test-fit the mirror (piece 11)
and cut within 1/16" of the line you
and tap the glides (pieces 12) in marked onto the blank. Don’t cut
place. After sanding everything into the line; you need to leave some
up to 320 grit, I applied a custom material for the router bit to remove.
stain I concocted by mixing (half This will ensure uniform legs.
and half) Zar’s® Rosewood Stain
with Carbon Black Woodburst®.
Next, I applied a coat of
sanding sealer and two coats
of lacquer, with a light 320
sanding between each coat. The
final step is to drop (carefully!)
the mirror into place.
Brad was right: mahogany is a
joy to work with, and it’s a fitting
detail to a project my mother will
enjoy for years to come.
Lili Jackson is a professional
woodworker and a frequent contributor
to Woodworker’s Journal.
Use double-sided tape and one screw at
the tenon mortise location to attach the
template to a roughed-out leg. A flush-
trimming bit shapes the legs. Note: Don’t
attempt to rout across the end grain on
the legs. Use a disk sander to do the final
shaping on the ends of the legs.
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Summer 2015 25
White Oak Trivet
This lovely oak leaf pattern is complex
enough to make the project fun, but
simple enough so that you don’t have
to invest hours to complete it.
A
trivet is a practical, and
in this case pretty, gift
project that is always well
received. Whenever holiday
dinners are at hand, trivets are
sure to be in demand. This oak
leaf design is right in line with
fall or winter festivities, so plan
to make several. They will get
noticed and requested!
Step 1: The first order of
business is to photocopy the
full-size pattern found on the
next page.
Note: The circular dotted lines
on the four outside oak leaves
indicate the locations of self-
adhesive felt dots, used as feet.
These are optional.
26 White Oak Trivet
Step 2: Now select your wood. As Step 5: In each section of the
a matter of fact, this little project pattern where stock must be
can be made from any hardwood removed, drill a small hole. It
species that you would like. We must be large enough in diame-
chose white oak for our exam- ter to accept the scroll saw blade.
ple here. The stock can be any-
where from 3/8" to 1/2" thick,
and it should be straight-grained.
Quartersawn lumber would be a
perfect selection.
Step 3: Before you start cutting
out the various shapes, sand the
wood smooth — top and bottom.
Step 4: Secure the pattern to
the wood. We recommend spray
adhesive, but there are various
methods that would work very
well. Feel free to use your favorite. Photo 1
 Full-size SDWWHUQ

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 27

 Photo 2
Step 6: Using a scroll saw, care-
fully cut along the dark outlines
on the pattern (Photo 1). Light
directional pressure is all that is
required — allow the saw to do
the work.
Step 7: Move from the
outside aspects of the trivet to
the inner sections.
Step 8: When all the cutting
is done, remove the remaining
Photo 3
paper pattern material (Photo 2).
Wiping the piece with mineral
spirits will help to remove any
leftover spray adhesive.
Step 9: Using various sanding
methods (Photo 3), remove any
visible saw marks that remain.
Step 10: When the sanding
is complete, wipe on a coat of
polyurethane, thinned to
about 50 percent of its regular
TODAY’S


viscosity. Be sure to work
the finish into all the various
nooks and crannies in the trivet.
Allow the finish to cure and then
apply a second coat.
Step 11: After the second coat
of poly has cured, attach the self-
adhesive felt dots as indicated.
Your trivet is now ready for the
countertop or table!

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28 White Oak Trivet

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www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 29

Fine Tool Display Case
Display your
prized tools in
this easy-to-
build weekend
project.

30 Fine Tool Display Case

M
y dad was a woodworker,
so I guess you could say
he was my first real shop
teacher. Well, when he decided
to hang up his tool apron for
good, he passed along his prized
collection of Clifton shoulder
planes to me. I love them dearly,
and I built this little display cab-
inet to keep them in sight as a
constant reminder of those good
times with Dad in his shop.
Whether you build your cabi-
net for tools, collectibles or even
spices, you’ll have it wrapped
up with less than a day’s effort,
easy. The joinery is simple —
mostly butt joints and screws
— but you’ll need cope-and-stick
bits to build the door. So, grab a
few boards of your prettiest wal-
nut and let’s get to work!
Starting with the Case
Joint and plane your stock for
the case sides (pieces 1), top and
bottom (pieces 2), and cut these
parts to the sizes in the Material
List on the next page. Notice
that I used full 1"-thick stock for
the sides (and for the door, too).
It gives this cabinet some nice
stature and the door a real solid
feeling when you open it up.
Set up your router table with
a 1/4" straight bit, and mill
the back panel grooves along
the inside faces of all four case
parts, as shown in the photo at
right. They’re 1/4" in from the
back edges. Rout the back panel grooves along the
You’ll need to drill some shelf four case parts at the router table with a
pin holes in the case sides next. 1/4" straight bit chucked in your router.
I used my Jig-It® shelving jig
from Rockler for this job, but you back panel (piece 3), and cut it
could use a piece of pegboard to size. Then fit the back panel
as a drilling template instead, if into its grooves in the case
you like. Just make sure your parts to check that everything
shelf pin diameters match the will go together as it should.
drill bit you use. The top and bottom are narrow-
Choose a nice piece of er than the sides, so the door
walnut veneer plywood for the will fit “inset” style. Give the

Rout the door rails and stiles on overly

wide stock for safety’s VDNH

Mill the cope and stick joints for the
door frame starting with the rails. First
mill the cope profile across the ends of
a 6"- to 8"-wide workpiece, using a
guard to shroud the bit.
The rails and stiles receive sticking cuts
next along the edges (stiles are shown
here). Wide stock keeps your hands
safer and allows you to mill both stiles at
once on one workpiece.
Once the cope and stick joints are
routed, turn to your table saw to rip the
rails and stiles free. The combined rail
workpiece is shown here.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 31

Case Side Cope-and-Stick Tool Cabinet 8
(Inside View)
1
Detail Exploded View
/4"
5
2" 1
/4" 2

21/2"
4
Hinge
location 7

5
9
Bore holes
5
for the shelf
supports 3
1
1

10

6 9
7
1

Locate the holes

for the shelf
supports to suit
your display
cabinet’s specific
needs.
2
4

Material /LVW
 Case Sides (2)
 Case Top and Bottom (2) 3/4" x 47À 8" x 187À 8"
 Back Panel (1)
 Door Rails (2)
 Door Stiles (2)
 Glass (1)
 Hinges (2)
 Cap/base (2)
Shelves (2)
 Porcelain Knob (1)
parts a good sanding up to 180-
grit — it’s always easier to sand
before assembly! Use glue and
pairs of 2" screws to fasten the
corner joints, as shown at right.
Drill counterbored holes so you
can cover the heads with plugs.
Building the Door
Here’s where things can get
tricky. Cope-and-stick bits are the
right choice for the door joints,
TxWx3
1" x 6" x 23"
1/4" x 193À 8" x 22"
1" x 13À 4" x 161À 8"
1" x 13À 4" x 227À 8"
Cut to fit
21À 2" Brass
3/4" x 71À 2" x 23"
1/2" x 4" x 183À 4"
White, 1" Dia.
but they’re fussy to set up and
easy to confuse if you’re not care-
ful. Take my advice and make up
some test pieces so you can tame
these rascals before you shape
your workpieces.
Joint and plane a couple of
6"- to 8"-wide pieces of stock for
the rails and stiles (pieces 4 and
5). Keep them wide — this way
you can rout both edges of each
piece to produce the rails and
8
stiles, as shown in the photos on
the previous page. This method
is efficient and keeps your fin-
gers a safe distance from those
big cutters. A couple of rip cuts
will separate the rails and stiles
later and bring them to final
width. You can crosscut the rail
and stile workpieces to final
length now.
The best order for milling the
rail and stile joints is to start
with the rails, then do the stiles.
Install your cope bit in the
router table and set the bit
depth properly. Make sure the
bit will create a sturdy lip on
the back of the rails to support
the glass. Rout the cope cuts on
the ends of the rail workpiece,
backing up the wood with your
miter gauge. Since these cope

32 Fine Tool Display Case

There’s no fancy finery to the case’s corner joints (left); they’re just screwed and plugged butt joints at all four corners. The author
even chose to use screws to secure the cope and stick joints on the door (right). The rails and stiles are machined and test-fitted
prior to assembly.
cuts run across the grain, the
sticking cuts that follow will
remove any corner tearout.
Now that the cope cuts are
done, switch to your sticking bit.
Use the coped profile on the rails
to help you dial in the height of
the sticking bit carefully. I used a
one-piece cope-and-stick bit, and
let me just say, these bits can still
be brain teasers even after build-
ing hundreds of doors like I have.
Mill the sticking profile along
both edges of the wide rail
and stile workpieces. Once the
dust clears, take these parts to
your table saw and rip the rails
and stiles to final width.
For the glass, I recommend
1/8"-thick tempered safety glass.
You may need to fill the rest
of the groove with a couple of
dabs of clear caulk to keep the
glass from rattling.
Dry-fit the door parts together,
then drill a pair of counterbored
holes through each stile for 2½"
wood screws to lock these joints,
as shown above (right). You’ll
hide them with wood plugs, too.
Some folks might squawk about
using screws here, but they’ll
make rock-solid joints in the end.
www.woodworkersjournal.com
Hanging the Door Pull off and disassemble the
Mount the door on the case with door, and apply a few coats of
a pair of 2½" brass butt hinges. Danish oil to the whole project.
Chisel the hinge mortises care- Mask off the glue joint areas on
fully by hand; you’ll want to keep the ends of the stiles and rails
your mallet as far away as possi- before you finish. Then glue up
ble from that glass when cutting the door joints, rehang it and add
the door mortises. Add a button your shelving. Now, find a good
catch and a porcelain knob, and spot on the shop wall to hang this
check the door’s swing in the project and start searching for
case opening. those prized hand tools!
Keep making sawdust!
Adding the Cap, Base
and Shelves Scott Phillips is a television
The last construction step is to woodworking host.
make the cap, base and shelves
(pieces 8 and 9). I routed a dou-
ble-flute profile around the front
and ends on one face of my cap
and base to dress these parts
up. Fasten the cap and base to
the case with a few 1¼" flathead
wood screws driven into counter-
bored holes from inside. Plug the
screw heads.
Hang the door
with a pair
of 2½" brass
butt hinges. A
bullet catch and
porcelain knob
finish it up.
Summer 2015 33
 Elegant Floor Lamp
Here’s a stylish, solid and
affordable accent light
that’s also easy to make.
The flowing shape of the lamp’s feet provides
an elegant base for this floor lamp. The
author shaped the feet on a band saw and
then created the details with a spokeshave.
34 Elegant Floor Lamp
I
needed a floor lamp for an
old house in Nova Scotia —
one that would not wobble on
100-year-old floors. The result is
about as simple as you can get
— three feet (to accommodate
a floor that might be sagging
from age) firmly attached to a
hexagonal stem with 3/8" dowel
pins. And while my lamp is truly
simple in every regard, it is also
attractive and very useful.
Since it’s impractical to drill
48"-long holes, I made the stem
in two halves, after cutting a
shallow groove down the center
of each piece. Ideally, if you have
the stock on hand, you should
cut a 2"-thick section in half,
rout or saw the slot for the wir-
ing, then glue it back together.
This makes an almost invisible
joint, and you’ll have the added
benefit that it is much easier
to plane if the two halves have
a consistent grain pattern.
Any reasonably stable hard-
wood will do for this project, as
strength and durability are not
crucial considerations. I’d sug-
gest matching the wood to the
environment that the lamp will
be used in — it’s one of the ben-
efits of building your own furni-
ture. In this case, I used mahog-
any since I had some narrow 1"
boards that could be ripped in
half and then glued up. It’s also a
reasonably affable wood to plane
by hand — my preferred method
of machining wood.
Getting Started
It may be hard for some wood-
workers to believe, but I don’t
have a router — nor a dado blade
for the table saw — in my Nova
Scotia workshop, so I just made
three or four adjacent cuts with
a regular rip blade to form the
matching grooves in the stem.
How you form the long channel
is up to you, but it needs to be
sized to take a six-inch length of
3/8" threaded tubing — which
is a standard size for most bulb
sockets. I recommend getting
your hardware before you begin
the project; it will avoid unpleas- The author formed the opening for the threaded tube and lamp wire by making
ant surprises down the road if multiple cuts on his table saw (top photos). A dado set would work well, as
you can test-fit the parts as you would a router — he had neither. Lay the threaded tubing in place before gluing
make them. up the stem. Leave enough of the tube projecting so there is room for the shade
Put the tube in place when support (or “harp”), a second retaining nut and the bulb holder. The author
you clamp up the stem, but it’s used epoxy as his adhesive, but any good quality wood glue would work as well.
important to leave enough of
the tube projecting so you can
secure the shade support (called
a harp) with a second nut as well
as the bulb socket. If you look
closely at the photos (center
left), it is clear that I used epoxy
to glue the two pieces togeth-
er. The reason is that I mostly
build boats in my Nova Scotia
shop, and that is the adhesive Glue up the stem
halves flat on the
I had on hand. You could use
workbench. It will
any good quality woodworking
take multiple clamps
glue to make the stem. To glue to get good pressure
the metal tube in place, tech- along the length of
nically epoxy or polyurethane the stem to create
glue would be best, but even a tight seam. Keep
white glue will likely hold the the faces of the joint
tube well enough. To avoid glue aligned, too.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 35

 2

1 1

1
Foot Location 1
(Side View)
The lamp’s feet are attached to the
stem using glue and 3/8"-diameter 1
dowels. Dowel points are useful to
transfer the locations of the dowel
holes to the stem. Stem Detail
4
3

Material /LVW
3
1 /4" TxWx3
 Stem Blanks (2) 13/16" x 15À 8" x 48"
 Threaded Rod (1) 3/8" x 6"
81/2"
 Foot Blanks (3) 5/8" x 45À8" x 11"
 Dowels (6) 3/8" x 11À2"
squeeze-out from blocking the
internal passage, lay a piece of Stem Layout
thick string in the channel, work (End View)
it back and forth to pick up the 15/8"
glue, then pull it clear.
3
/8"
Six Sides from Four 13
/16"
After the stem is glued up, 1 1
machine or plane it to an exact 3
/16"
square and drive temporary Exploded View
B B
plugs in the square hole at one 1
A
end. Lay out an accurate hexa-
gon by first drawing a circle and
then, using the same compass
setting, divide the circumference
30°
into six equal segments. Join
the segments with straight lines, To form this hexagon, first draw
making the hexagon symmet- a 15⁄8"-diameter circle on your
rical about the glue line. You’ll 3 stock or template from point A.
Next, strike two more arcs from
find this faint line a convenient points B, to establish your other
guide when planing the stem to four “corners.” Connect the
3 corners with a straightedge
its finished size. Set a marking to create your hexagon.
gauge and scribe lines along the
length of the stem to indicate the
four flats.
I recommend making a
half-template in thin cardboard 4
3/8" hole
so you can check the shape of 3 for wire
the stem at various points while
shaping it to a hexagon. Plane
these flats by hand, but if you’re
using some “spiteful” wood
(such as red oak), set a table saw

36 Elegant Floor Lamp

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 blade to 30 degrees and rough
them out that way (see bottom
left photo, this page).
Finish with a low-angle block
plane and scraper or, if the grain
is really difficult, a disc sander
will do a quick job.

Cutting the Feet

Cut out the three feet on the
band saw, making sure that the
grain runs parallel to the long
It is an easy process to use a compass to strike lines that will give you the hexagon. axis, not across it — see the
Bisect the square exactly in half and draw one full circle and then two half circles as Drawings on page 36 and the
shown. Where the lines intersect, you’ll have the corners of the hexagon. photo, below, for details. After
cleaning up the curved edges
with a spokeshave and sand-
paper block, mark the position
of the 3/8" dowels, a pair for
each foot. Use a doweling jig
so you can be sure the holes
are centered. A quick, accurate
way to transfer the centers of
each hole to alternate faces of
the stem is to use 3/8" dowel-
ing points. Clearly mark which
If you are using a hand plane to form the hexagon, you’ll need to mark the sides of foot goes where with a letter
the stem with a marking gauge (photo at right). If you choose to cut the 30-degree or number, as they are unlikely
faces on the table saw, you will need to rip the two opposing surfaces flat as shown in to be interchangeable.
the photo at left.

When cutting the hexagon on the table saw, you will need to Form the lamp’s feet using a band saw. Orient the grain so that
cut the four remaining angles from the two faces that were it runs the length of the foot. This will add strength and avoid
ripped previously. That means flipping the stem end for end. short-grain failure. Refine the shape of the foot later with a
spokeshave and sander.

38 Elegant Floor Lamp

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www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 39

 Foot Pattern
11"
ain
Gr
It is important to test-fit all the parts.
The author located the dowel holes on
the stem by pre-drilling holes in the feet
and then using dowel points to transfer
their positions.
To clamp the feet securely, place one
in the vise, apply glue to the dowels
and the stem, then clamp the stem
down against the foot. This makes an
otherwise awkward process much easier.
40 Elegant Floor Lamp
45/8"
Each square = 1”
Before gluing on the feet, try
running the electric wire up the
channel inside the stem to see
that it is clear. If it’s blocked
by glue squeeze-out (and you
don’t have a super-long drill bit),
straighten a heavy-duty wire
clothes hanger, beat one end flat
and grind it to a spade-shaped
point. Chuck it in an electric drill
and run it down the hole, work-
ing from both ends alternately,
until clear. Drill a 3/8" hole diag-
onally for the wire to exit at the
base of the lamp. The closer to
the floor, the less chance of peo-
ple tripping over it.
Clamping up the feet is awk-
ward because of the shape. I
found it best to clamp a foot firm-
ly in a bench vise with the dowel
pins facing up, as shown in the
photo at bottom left. I then used
a small bar clamp to force the
stem down until it was a snug fit.
I left it clamped long enough for
the glue to set, then did the same
with the next one. When done,
you’ll need to clear the channel #12 lamp cord about right.
of glue and projecting dowels When you’ve got the wiring
with a 3/8" bit. With that done, I done, set it up near a comfortable
used three coats of Danish oil to chair and find a good book — or
finish the piece. woodworking magazine — and
The shade in the photo mea- enjoy the light and the read!
sures 13" from top to bottom,
9" in diameter tapering to 13", Simon Watts is a professional
and came from IKEA. It cost less woodworker and a frequent contributor
than $15. You’ll find 12 feet of to Woodworker’s Journal.
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www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 41

Deco Bar Stool in a Weekend
The juxtaposition of black lacquered
pine and stunning bird’s-eye maple
adds contrast and elegance to this
sturdy bar Stool.

C
uriously, I don’t actually
have a bar in my house,
but I am planning to add
one soon. So when a really nice
stash of bird’s-eye maple caught
my eye, I knew that I needed
to buy it and use it to make my
stools. In addition to the maple, I
used clear pine for the seat sec-
tions and foot rails, lacquering
them black for a dramatic look.

Kicking it Off
I chose to use Domino loose ten-
ons for the majority of the join-
ery on these stools. But if you
don’t own that tool, any loose
tenon process (except dowels)
will serve you very well.
Because I was designing
the bar stools essentially from
scratch, my first work in the shop
was building a full-sized mock-up
from my rough sketches. From
there, I picked through my pile
of bird’s-eye to find lumber with
the best figure and color. Once
you’ve surfaced it flat and square
(and be careful — it is prone to
tearout), rip stock for the leg
sections to width.
I can’t overemphasize how
important it is to properly pre-
pare the leg stock. When you
start to cut the miters that create
the shape of the legs, if your
stock is at all wonky, it will make
the rest of your work much hard-
er. And speaking of the miter
cuts that are to come — they, too,
have to be dead-on accurate.

42 Deco Bar Stool in a Weekend

Loose Tenon 2SWLRQV
Tremendously useful and structurally sound when done well, the technique of using a loose
tenon is not a new one. But in recent years, making the loose tenon joints has gotten even
easier, albeit in some cases more expensive. This project is made using the Domino XL loose
tenon system. It is on the expensive end of the spectrum, but it is also super easy to use.
Other less expensive systems include the examples below. All of these alternatives will
produce sturdy joints for your bar stool, so choose the option that suits you best.

Shop-made
Dowels beadLOCK ® Dominos loose tenons

Building the Leg Assemblies
With the stock properly pre-
pared, I headed to my miter
saw to cut the leg sections to
length. Because I had a full-size
mock-up, I was able to set up the
saw from those measurements
— you can look to the Material
List on page 44 for those details.
Cut and miter pieces 1 through 3
to length.
Next, mark the locations of
the loose tenons at the mitered
joints between the lower and
center leg components. Form
the mortises and test the fit.
(If you are making your own
loose tenons, there are a couple
of extra steps to take here.) If
the joints fit properly, glue and
clamp them together. Wet both
surfaces of the miter joint with a
thin coat of glue, and be sure to
get glue in the mortises. I found
I only needed one clamp to close
the joint completely.
While the glue cures, go ahead
and make the crossover (pieces
4) pieces. These short lengths
of wood not only join each sep-
arate leg subassembly together,
but they also form the joint that
secures them both into a single
unit; see the Drawings for details.
When you’ve cut the crossover
pieces to length, mark a center
line and cut the through mortise
as shown in the Drawings. Then
drill a 1/4"-diameter hole for a
dowel, centered, on one edge of
each piece.
You can now go back and take
the lower leg subassemblies out
of their clamps and mark and cut
the joints that will allow you to
glue the upper leg pieces to the
these assemblies (see photos at
right). When that’s done, glue the
upper leg sections in place and
set them aside to dry.
When those components are
ready, take them out of their
clamps and mark the radii on
the mitered corners as shown
in the Drawings. Cut the curved
shapes — I used a handheld jig-
saw, but a band saw would work
well — and then sand the saw
marks smooth. The pieces are The mitered legs are made and glued up in
now ready for the next step in sections. Here, the lower leg and crosspiece
have been glued together. The author is
the assembly process.
marking the loose tenon location for the
As I’ve already mentioned, the
upper leg and lower section subassembly joint.
crossover pieces are key to join-
ing the leg subassemblies — and
this leads to a moderately compli-
cated glue-up process. Start out
by locating the crossover pieces
between two of the glued-up leg
subassemblies, as shown in the
Elevation Drawings on the next
page. Mark the mortise locations
for the loose tenons in the legs
off of the center lines on the
crossover pieces, and cut the
mortises. When that is done and
you’ve tested the fit of the join-
ery, glue and clamp the pieces
together. (Take note of the dowel Cutting the mortise for the thick and strong
hole orientation!) For our pur- Domino loose tenons is a matter of lining
poses, we’ll call this the primary up the machine to a line. The adjustable
leg assembly glue-up. horizontal fence on the machine locates the
Lay the loose leg pieces flat mortise in the center of the stock.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 43

 8

5
8
4
6

After the leg subassembly has been glued up, the loose tenon
mortises are cut into the ends of the legs. Transfer their locations
3 4 to the seat subassembly and cut the matching openings.
3

5 2"

4
4 Primary Leg 3"
Subassembly
6 (Front View) 6
3"
5 7 9

1 The top of
1 The location of the the upper
2 crossover pieces secondary
shown here is crossover
2 7 for the primary block must 11"
subassembly glue-up. 3 align here.
The placement of
5 the crossover piece
on the secondary
Exploded View glue-up is marked
out by using the The bottom
primary subassembly of the lower
1 to establish the secondary
3
/8" R. secondary crossover crossover
block locations. block must
Footrest 1" align here.
7
(End View)
9
1"

91/2"
3"

Material /LVW 1" 7 3

/4"
4
3
TxWx3 /4"
 Lower Legs (4) 1" x 3" x 9"
2
 Center Legs (4) 1" x 3" x 91À2"
1" R.
 Upper Legs (4) 1" x 3" x 20"
 Crossover Pieces (4) 1" x 3" x 2"
 Short Dominos (10) 8mm x 80mm 9"

 Long Dominos (4) 8mm x 120mm

 Footrests (4) 1" x 1" x 123À4" 1
 Seats (3) 1 À4" x 13 À2" x 13 À2"
1 1 1

Dowels (2) 1/4" diameter x 1"

 Lazy Susan (1) 4" (optional)

3"
44 Deco Bar Stool in a Weekend
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The author used a 1/2"-thick MDF template and a handheld router
outfitted with a pattern-routing bit to make identical seat components.
Later, the edges of the appropriate pieces were rounded over.
on a work surface in their cor-
rect orientation with the cross-
over blocks between the upper
leg segments (these pieces
will become the secondary leg
assembly). Square up the top
ends of the legs to each other
and then grab the primary leg
assembly and place it right on
top of the parts on the work sur-
face. Now, here is the important
part: slide the crossover pieces
of the secondary leg assembly so
that their edges (the ones with
the dowel holes) align perfectly
to the crossover pieces on the
primary leg assembly. Carefully
remove the primary leg assem-
bly and mark the locations of
the crossover pieces of the sec-
ondary assembly using the cen-
ter lines you scribed on them
earlier. At this point, it’s time to
cut the mortises and dry-fit the
secondary leg assembly to be
sure that it fits together properly.
Putting the Legs Together
One small oddity of this project
is that the completed leg assem-
bly needs to be put together
with the parts standing upright
(see photo at right). Gather the
remaining parts together for a
test fit (pieces 5, 6 and 9) and
practice assembling and clamp-
ing the pieces together without
glue. The order of assembly is
this: put the dowels into their
holes in the primary assembly.
Push the crossover blocks of the
secondary assembly onto those
dowels. Slide the loose tenons
into one of the secondary leg
46 Deco Bar Stool in a Weekend
The author’s coworkers thought that the seat should swivel and spin,
so he added a lazy Susan to the last layer of the seat sandwich. The
recess needs to be slightly less deep than the bearing’s thickness.
assembly leg segments and then (pieces 7), priming and lacquer-
through their crossover blocks. ing it black like the seats. After
Push the remaining leg segments mitering each footrest to fit, I
onto the loose tenons, and clamp nailed it in place. A little black
them together. Once you’ve done lacquer over the nail holes made
this a time or two without glue, them disappear.
do it for real. When the glue When I brought my first stool
dries, sand the assembly, break to the office to show my staff,
the edges with sandpaper and cut they all agreed that I should
the mortises at the ends of the have made the seat spin like the
legs (see photo, page 44). Now stools at a lunch counter. So I
you are ready to make the seat. made the second one with a lazy
Susan between the uppermost
Sitting Pretty seat layers. I have to admit it
I made the seat components works pretty well, but my rear
(pieces 8) out of clear pine, but end still prefers the solid seat
any paintable lumber would concept. That’s a design choice
work. To make three identical you can decide for yourself.
pieces for each stool, I used a
template and a pattern-routing Rob Johnstone is publisher of
bit as shown in the left photo Woodworker’s Journal.
above. Next, the appropriate
edges were rounded over, and
then the parts were glued and
screwed together. I spray-primed
the seats, then used gloss black
lacquer for the final finish.
When it was dry, I transfered
the mortise location from the
leg assembly, and cut the match-
ing mortises. Then I glued the
seat in place and applied a few
protective coats of Watco®
Danish Oil, Natural,
to the legs.
The last step was
to make a long length
of the footrest stock
Gluing the two leg subassemblies
together is not hard, but it must
be done in a specific order. A
no-glue test run is a must.
 MY CHOICE OF SHARPENER.

I sharpen my tools
– not shorten them.
I have been a Tormek user for more than
15 years. Once you have a recipe for the
shape to suit your needs, it only takes
seconds to get the perfect cutting edge.
You are in perfect control and no
unnecessary steel is removed. www.tormek.com
Don’t miss the inspiring
Sharp tools mean more efficient
working, a better finish,
less sanding ... and more fun! video from our visit to
Nick’s workshop!
Nick Agar
WOODTURNING ARTIST
Devon, UK

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www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 47

How to Make a Scroll-Sawn, Flared Bowl
Most folks think of the lathe when
considering a wooden bowl...
Not this author!

This unfinished scroll-sawn bowl (above)

evokes segmented turning, but it’s not
round. Once sanded and finished (below
left) it looks as if it was formed from a
large piece of wood.

L
aminated bowls are usual-
ly round, lathe-turned and
made from large blanks. This
rectangular bowl, with colorful
stripes, is made on a scroll saw
from a blank that is only 3/4"
thick. The wood is cut into rings
at a steep angle. When stacked
and glued, the rings create the
illusion that the bowl was made
from a single, heavy blank. The
technique, from start to finish,
is actually simpler than it seems.

Cutting the Rings

Start by gluing up the strips
of wood in the following order:
walnut, padauk, maple, padauk
and walnut. Once the glue-up is
dry, sand it just until smooth and
then draw a line down the center
of the maple strip.
Attach the pattern (page 51)
with repositionable adhesive,
aligning the center of the pat-

48 How to Make a Scroll-Sawn, Flared Bowl

tern with the line on your wood.
Designate one face of the blank
as the “top” and label each ring
as you cut it so you can reas-
semble the rings properly as you
glue them up.
To cut the first ring, I tilted
the saw table to a 35˚ angle, left
side down. Using a #9 saw blade,
I cut along the outer line of the
pattern in a clockwise direction,
which means I fed the wood in a
counterclockwise direction. After gluing up the blank from which the bowl will be made, the first step is to
Next, I used an awl to mark the accurately mark a line down the center of the middle lamination.
entry hole where shown on the
pattern, and I drilled the hole at
a 25˚ angle using a #54 drill bit, a
25˚ angle guide and a rotary tool.
The hole must be drilled toward
the blank’s center or the wood
will not sit flat on the saw table.
To complete the first ring, I tilt-
ed the saw table to 25˚, left side
down, inserted the blade into the
entry hole, and cut clockwise on
the inner line. Using different
cutting angles created the out-
ward flare and reduced the ring
width to 3/8"— an ideal thick-
ness for bowls of this type.
After cutting the ring, I
removed the pattern and placed
the cut ring on the blank, align-
ing the stripes and tops. Holding
the ring in place, I traced around
its inner edge on the blank to
create the cutting line for the
second ring.
I drilled the next entry hole
at 28˚, facing the center of the
blank, on a straight section of
the line I just drew, tilted the
saw table to 28˚, left side down,
and cut out the second ring in a
clockwise direction.
I placed the second ring on
For each angle needed, cut a small piece of hardwood at that angle. Smooth it on a
the blank, aligning the tops, and sander with a tilting table set to the same angle. Write the size of the angle on the
traced the inner edge, to create guide (middle left photo). In the middle right photo, the author is drilling the first entry
the cutting line for the third ring. hole using a guide. Bottom photo, she’s making the first scroll saw cut.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 49

 The third ring was cut at a 28˚
angle, the same way as the sec-
ond. The remaining piece — the
base — was set aside until later.

Gluing the Rings

The best gluing sequence
is to glue the rings first, sand
their inside faces, then glue on
the base. If you try to glue up
everything at once, you’ll find
it impossible to sand the lower
ring without gouging the base.
It’s also important to be sure
that there are no spaces between

Back-to-back drill marks can make sanding difficult by

exaggerating the amount of wood removed. To easily
avoid this problem, stagger your entry holes along the
length of the cuts (inset at left).

The second cut advances in the same manner as the first,

cutting counterclockwise (photo, below). The author uses
a #9 saw blade for this work. Using clear packing tape
(inset, left) on the surface, seen on the left side of the
piece of wood, lubricates the blade, preventing burning.
Note the burned edge where the tape stops.

Flatten the rings as shown above.

Checking their fit with a flashlight is
a quick and easy way to determine if
they are ready for glue-up.

Using melamine clamping cauls (properly

sized pieces of sheetstock) helped apply
uniform and sufficient pressure during
glue-up.

50 How to Make a Scroll-Sawn, Flared Bowl

The author used different methods to
speed the sanding process: a 1" drum
sander (above), an inflatable ball sander,
and more.
the rings, since that will result
in unattractive gaps and dark
lines. The easiest way to locate
those spaces is to shine a light
behind them, and the best way
to remove them is to sand the
rings with 120-grit sandpaper,
attached by temporary adhesive
to a perfectly flat surface, like a
granite tile.
I used clamps and two boards
to glue the rings together, mak-
ing sure to keep the stripes
aligned. If you’re concerned
about slippage, glue up two rings
first, then add the third after the
first two are dry.
Sanding Inside the Rings
When the rings were ready, I
sanded the inner surface, start-
ing with a coarse (60-grit) paper.
This rough sanding removed
blade and drill marks, smoothed
the ridges between the rings,
and accentuated the flare on the
upper rim. Once completed, I
sanded progressively to 320 grit
to create a smooth inner surface.
I used a detail sander and long
inflatable drum for the flat sur-
faces, and an inflatable ball for
the corners and upper edges.
Gluing on the Base
I applied glue and clamped the
rings and base for about five
minutes. Then, since it’s difficult
to remove dried glue at the interi-
or joint line without gouging the
base and sides, I removed the
clamps. Using a toothpick and a
www.woodworkersjournal.com
It is far easier to sand the glued-up
ring subassembly before the bottom is
glued in place. Here, the author uses a
sanding spindle.
damp paper towel, I cleaned up
the squeeze-out, re-clamped the
bowl and let it dry.
Completing the Bowl
The creative part — final sanding
the outside of the bowl — came
next. I used a detail sander for
leveling the flat areas and a flex-
ible pad sander for shaping the
upper and lower edges. Coarser
grits were used for shaping, fol-
Pattern for the First Cuts
11/2"
11/2" 53/4"
1
/2"
First Ring
The Key to Making <our Own 'HVLJQV
The “trick” employed to make this type of
bowl is that the angle at which the rings are
cut allows for sequential layers to be formed
from a single glued-up blank. This works well
because various species of wood laminated
together in the blank will align nicely as
each layer is added. You can make bowls of
various shapes and sizes with this technique.
When shaping the lower edge, inverting
the bowl gives better visibility and helps
prevent sanding away too much wood.
lowed by increasingly finer grits
until the outside was smooth and
passed the “finger test.”
To finish, I used several coats
of shellac, rubbed down well
with 0000 steel wool. It produces
a bowl that is attractive, food-safe
and ready to use, give as a gift
or sell with pride.
Carole Rothman is the author of Wooden
Bowls from the Scroll Saw (Fox Chapel).
81/4" 1
/2"
Material /LVW
 _ À  _ ^HSU\[
 _ _ WHKH\R
 _ _ THWSL
áHUKáZOVWTHKL
HUNSLN\PKLZ
Blank
The initial cut on your glued-up
bowl blank. Note the inside
and outside edge relationship.
Because of the angle of the
cuts, the remaining stock
will match the cut-out ring.
Summer 2015 51
Memorial Flag Case
Those bottom corners may look
impossible, but a simple tenoning jig
a n d t a b l e s a w s e t u p m a k e t h e w o r k e a s y.

52 Memorial Flag Case

I
t’s tradition to drape an
American flag over the casket
of a deceased U.S. forces vet-
eran. Prior to burial, the flag is
removed, folded into a triangle
and presented, “on behalf of a
grateful Nation,” to the deceased
veteran’s next of kin. I know
this firsthand because my father
recently passed away, and our
family was given his burial flag.
My mother asked me to make
her “a really nice case” for Dad’s
flag. I responded without hes-
itation: “I’d be honored.” And
even though this is an easy thing
to build, I still put my heart
into making it perfect, knowing
how proud my father would have
been with the results.
When my brother got wind of
my making Dad’s flag case, he
asked if I would make one for
his father-in-law’s flag as well. So
I made two out of walnut, and I
used one board for each case. I
ended up with one case having all
dark and figured wood, and the
other having all lighter, straight-
grained wood. Both are beautiful!
Getting the Fit Right
I did a little research and found
out that these flags are called
burial or internment flags. When
open, they measure 5' x 9½'.
When folded, the height from
the bottom center to the peak
is approximately 10½", and the
length across the bottom is twice
the height, thus 21" long. Those
were also the inside dimensions
www.woodworkersjournal.com
given for “store-bought” cases.
My flags seemed a bit larger
than that, so I made a quick
hot-glued-together mock-
up to assure myself of the fit.
I didn’t bother with the 22½°
mitered ends yet; instead,
I just mitered the bottom ends of
the sides at 45° and set them flat
on a square-cut bottom.
My flags fit really snug in the
mockup, so I made another, this
time 1/2" taller. To my surprise,
that was too big! One more mock-
up, this time just 1/4" taller than
the first, and fit was perfect. The
final inside dimensions of my
flag case became 21½" across the
bottom, with a 10¾" peak.
Cutting the Steep
22½° Miters
In the meantime, while I was
making my mock-ups, I’m think-
ing to myself… “How the heck
am I going to cut those steep bot-
tom miters?” After much experi-
mentation, the solution hit me. If
I set my table saw blade to 22½°,
and hold the workpieces upright,
I can cut the angle I need. Now,
what better tool is there to hold
the pieces upright other than a
tenoning jig! I tested the setup,
and it worked great. The only
drawback was that with my saw
blade raised to its maximum Using a band saw (top photo), trim away
of 3", the widest front molding most of the 22½° mitered joint waste.
I could cut was 11⁄8". You’ll need Then make the final cuts using a table
to check your maximum blade saw and tenoning jig. Rough-cutting the
height and shrink the width of joints first eliminates the risk of creating
your front moldings as needed. nasty flying projectiles.
Summer 2015 53

2 1
5
7
1 3
Side
(Front View)
2 45°
22.5°
3
15 /16"
Bottom
(Front View)
211/2"
22.5°
1
Building the Main Case
The main case consists of the bot-
tom (piece 1) and the sides (piec-
es 2). Cut the sides to the dimen-
sions given in the Materials List,
adding one inch to the length.
Using a miter saw, cut the top
corner 45° mitered ends, then
cut the sides to their finished
lengths. Cut the bottom to its
finished size. Set a bevel gauge
to 22½° and mark the bottom-to-
side joints. Remove most of the
waste with your band saw.
Now for the tenoning jig and
table saw setup. Make sure your
tenoning jig table and fence are
aligned 90° to your saw’s table,
and that the saw’s blade is tilted to
22½°. As you can see in the photo
on the previous page, I placed
a 3/4"-thick spacer between
54 Memorial Flag Case
Side and Molding
Subassembly
4 (Section View)
/4" Chamfer
2 3
1
/2" /4"
1
/4" 1
/4" Chamfer
4
6
Material /LVW
TxWx3
 Bottom (1) 3/4" x 3" x 251 À 8"
 Sides (2) 3/4" x 3" x 17 3 À 4"
 Front Bottom Molding (1) 1/2" x 11 À 8" x 251 À 8"
 Front Side Moldings (2) 1/2" x 11 À 8" x 17 3 À 4"
 Back (1) 1/4" x 1115 À 16" x 2315 À 16"
 Glass (1) Cut to fit the case
 Flathead Screws (10) #6 x 3/4" Steel or brass
22.5°
the workpiece and the tenon-
ing jig’s table to keep the saw
blade far away from the jig, and
I screwed a backer board to the
tenoning jig’s fence to reduce
tearout at the rear of the cuts.
I used a 1/8"-thick riser board,
which rests on the saw’s table
behind the blade and to the side of
the tenoning jig. When you clamp
your workpieces in the tenoning
jig, you do so with them on top of
the riser board, so the jig holds
everything 1/8" off of the saw’s
table, and the wood can’t bind
against the table as you saw.
Use scrap wood to test your Rout the back rabbets on the sides and
table saw setup. Adjust the bottom. Do this procedure by making
blade-to-tenoning jig distance several passes, increasing the depth of
so the cut makes a point on cut after each pass. This will reduce the
chance of tearout.
the end of the workpiece with-
out reducing its length. Cut the
 Rout the front outside chamfers using a
chamfer bit and router table. Do this after
the front molding frame is attached and
sanded flush with the case.

Band clamps are a fast and sure way to clamp together the
bottom and sides of this complex shape. Place pieces of
cardboard under the bands at the corner joints to keep the
glue from smearing and the bands from binding.

ends of two scraps and check the Use a router table

combined angle to verify that it’s
exactly 45°. Make any necessary
adjustments, then finish-cut the
22½° miters.
Rout the rabbets for the back
on the rear edges of the sides
and bottom and then clamp the
main case pieces together using
band clamps. Make sure the top
edges are flush at the corners.
Making the Front
Molding Frame
Make the front moldings (piec-
es 3 and 4) the same way you
made the case sides and bottom.
Cut the moldings 1/32" longer,
so when attached to the main
case, their edges will overhang
slightly. Covering the molding
end faces with masking tape
prior to cutting the 22½° miters
greatly reduces tearout.
and chamfer bit
to rout the mold-
ing inside cham-
fers. Finish-sand
the chamfers and
inside edges. Glue and
band-clamp the moldings
together to make the frame.
After that cures, glue and clamp
the frame to the main case.
Finishing Up
You’re just about done ... but
there are a few more steps. Start
by sanding the frame edges flush
with the main case. Next, rout
the frame outside chamfers and
complete your finish sanding of
the whole case. The final con-
struction step is to make the
back (piece 5), testing the fit
as you go, to ensure a nice,
tight fit. Finally, finish the case
with three coats
of clear stain spray
lacquer. Take the case
to your local glass supplier and
have them fit the glass (piece 6).
Set the glass in the case and affix
it with a few dollops of clear sil-
icon or hot glue. Add protective
felt dots to the bottom, insert
your flag, and attach the back. I
can tell you right now, once you
build one, there are probably a
couple more in your future!
Bruce Kieffer is a professional
woodworker and a frequent contributor
to Woodworker’s Journal.

(KQ\Z[PUNKPTLUZPVUZMVYIODJ VL]HV
While it’s true that internment flags are all the same size,
there are plenty of folks out there with a flag that
isn’t flying anymore, but still has some special
meaning to a family. Rather than fold it up in a
box, a flag case like the one built here can This simple
formula will
become the perfect honored resting place X help you build a
for a treasured family heirloom. The case to fit your
special flag.
Elevation Drawing at right shows
you the formula to use to decide on
your box dimensions. Remember, 2X
start with scrap wood and test the The inside measurements are X and 2X
fit of your folded flag. (e.g., if X =10¼", then 2X = 20½")

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 55

Bedroom Valet
Even this simply
made piece of
furniture required
significant design
work.

Y
ou can see from the layout drawing below
that the room this piece was designed for is
small. It was once my library and drafting
studio. It’s now a sitting room and guest bedroom.
As a sitting room, it’s a quiet getaway in which to sit
and read or watch a television program in which no
one else has any interest. As a bedroom, it’s small
but quite accommodating. The settee folds out to
a comfortable bed; the cupboard will take care of
hanging clothes and the folding things which go on
shelves. The small white open shelves will hold a
host of small stuff. OK as far as it goes, but imagine
yourself arriving at a friend’s house or a hotel for
a few days with typical luggage: a carry-on case
and a couple of bags. What you need is someplace
to set it all down and start unpacking. Later on, at
shower time or bedtime, where do you put fresh
and discarded clothes? So there is the kernel of
the design problem. Hotels have those fold-out
luggage stands, but that solves only part of the
problem. Two other factors figure in the design

Cupboard

Settee
Shelves

Valet

Entry

Television

Making efficient use of a small space is most likely to happen

with intention. Here, the valet helps to make a small bedroom
more functional.

56 B e d r o o m Va l e t
parameters. The first one, space,
is fairly self-evident. The second
was a personal consideration — it
had to be a “quick make,” as I
didn’t have a lot of time to build it.
You can see the outcome. It
fits into a small footprint and it
goes vertical from there. The
platform is the height of a chair
seat, and it looks chunky and
utilitarian enough so that it’s an
invitation to dump a case on it
without doing any damage.
The first shelf is high enough
and narrow so that, with a bit of
care, your head won’t connect
with it as you sit to put on your
socks. The middle shelf has a
hanging rail, and the top shelf
is wide enough to get anything
you don’t immediately need out
of the way. On a personal note,
I must admit to putting socks
on whilst seated. With two “new
knees,” it’s easier that way. A
seat height of 16½" is good for
me, but after I had cut the legs, I
realized that it’s a bit too low for
taller people; hence, the 1"-tall
white feet. They are a quarter
of an inch smaller in width and
length than the leg, so they sit
back an eighth of an inch all
around. Two screws and a dab of
glue hold them in place.
Even if I hadn’t had a change of
mind and added them to change
the seat height, those rectangu-
lar legs meeting the floor with no
accommodating detail to form a
www.woodworkersjournal.com
“foot” would, generally, look very
primitive. The block “extensions”
would have looked perfectly well
without paint, or I could have run
a shallow saw kerf or two around
them. You need something that
says, “I’m a foot that terminates
this leg.” Nature does it in all
sorts of ways.
Making the Piece
Even though the wood is called
soft maple, it’s plenty hard enough
to absorb knocks, so that was my
wood of choice. You may recall
one of the design parameters was
that it had to be a “quick make.”
Machine-made all the way! I used
a jointer, thicknesser and miter
saw to achieve accurate dimen-
sions of the parts. A radiussing
bit on a router table took care of
all the edges. Lamello biscuits
join the shelves to shelf supports,
and Domino loose tenons take
care of major joinery. All the sur-
faces were “cleaned up” with a
hand plane and then finished with
Rubio® Monocote oil finish prior
to assembly.
The white parts were hand-
brushed with a white gloss
paint. It’s a matter of choice
which parts you paint.
The Way It Is Starting with a “back of a napkin”
In the last section of this article, concept sketch, the author began
I’m going to take a step back to exploring ideas that would answer the
examine what went on in making design questions established by the size
this piece, because I believe it’s of the room and functionality required.
Summer 2015 57
 Upper Back Lower Front
Upright Assembly
(Front View) 5" (Front View)
6
6 5
8 15
/16"
11
18" 5
6
13
/16"

6 5
1

9 231/8"
Top Shelf 12
(Top View) 6 7 Front Leg
(Front View)
5
6 /16"
5
2 /8" 11
/16"
10
11
1
1
/4" 7 Exploded View
30"

1 2
1
157/16"

8
5 7
14
15
13
3
13 16 1"
16
4 2
15
3 Front Leg
Material /LVW
Assembly TxWx3
15
(Section View)  Back Uprights (2) 11À2" x 25À 8" x 82"
15  Front Legs (2) 11À2" x 25À 8" x 161À8"
2  Seat Cross Rails (2) 11À4" x 3" x 213À4"
25/8" Flush
 Seat Cleats (2) 11À8" x 11À 8" x 213À4"
4
3 2  Middle Cross Pieces (3) 11À16" x 23À 16" x 213À4"
16  Top Shelf Supports (4) 11À16" x 23À 16" x 131À4"
 Bottom Shelf Supports (2) 11À16" x 23À 16" x 6"
 Top Shelf (1) 3/4" x 161À8" x 221À4"
the beginning of a radical change in small
Middle Shelf (1) 3/4" x 135À8" x 221À4"
shop woodworking.
The expression I used was, “machine-made  Bottom Shelf (1) 3/4" x 85À8" x 221À4"
all the way,” and so the preparation of the parts  Shelf Lipping (2) 3/4" x 1" x 235À8"
was done using machines, found in most every  Hanging Rail (2) 7/8" x 7/8" x 23"
workshop. However, the joinery I used is not  Seat Slats (6) 11À16" x 23À 16" x 17"
common, and the machine I used is not found  Center Seat Slat (1) 11À16" x 23À 16" x 18"
in every workshop. That said, history tells  Outer Seat Slats (4) 11À16" x 19À 16" x 18"
us that it is just a matter of time before a  Feet (4) 11À4" x 23À 8" x 1"

58 B e d r o o m Va l e t

Festool Domino type machine
is in common use, and then we
will be at a watershed in small
shop woodworking.
Experience tells me that most
ever yone wanting to learn
woodworking believes that if
they can learn to make joints,
especially dovetails, then they
have the keys to the craft. Their
premise is not entirely true, of
course, but understandable. I’ll
develop the point with a quick
roundup of joinery.
The three joints we use in
making solid wood furniture are
butt joints, with which we make
wide boards from narrow boards;
dovetails, which are used to join
wide boards at the corners to
form boxes; and mortise-and-ten-
ons, used to join stiles and rails
to make frames for panels, as in
doors or frame-and-panel case
goods, and to join legs to rails to
make chairs and tables.
The mortise-and-tenon, simply
described, is a square peg in a
square hole. It is the most com-
plex joint to design, as well as the
most used of the three joints. Its
marking, cutting and chopping
take time and skill to execute. To
mark it out, you need a marking
knife, a try square, a marking
gauge and a mortise gauge.
For years, tool makers who
have tried to mechanize most
things have put the mor-
tise-and-tenon joint off machine
www.woodworkersjournal.com
The collection of hand tools at the far left have been replaced in this project with the
tools in the far right photo ... could this presage a sea change in furniture making?
limits for the most part. While do so. Now, using the Domino,
such machines have long been there is no doubt in my mind
in use in industry, an afford- that you can make the piece
able, dedicated mortise-and- perfectly well; as well as I can,
tenon machine has not been in fact. Marking out requires a
successfully reduced for use in pencil and a plastic square.
the small shop. Cutting the 24 slots takes at
An alternative to the mor- most a half hour — done.
tise-and-tenon joint is the loose Having offered my opinion
tenon joint. In this joint, a mor- that this machine will change
tise is made in both pieces. The your furniture making, the
mortises are exactly the same supposition hangs on the
size, and into them goes a third courage and the creativity of
piece made to fit the mortises: woodworkers in small shops to
hence the name “loose tenon.” realize its potential.
The joint has to be made by
machine, and a machine system Ian Kirby is a master woodworker and a
has been used by industry for regular contributor to Woodworker’s Journal.
many years with a tool called a
slot mortiser. But no tool maker
had come out with an affordable
slot mortiser for the small shop.
Recently, Festool came out with
the Domino machine. It’s a hand-
held machine which comes in
two sizes, with a variety of cut-
ters, meaning the system can be
used in typical mortise-and-tenon
joint situations. It’s versatile, it’s
simple, and it’s accurate. It, argu-
ably, undoes the case for making
the mortise and tenon by hand
using traditional tools. In short,
this tool changes the face of fur-
niture making in the small shop.
Let’s see how that plays out
in the case of this valet, first by
hand and then by Domino. Once
the parts are prepared and we
are ready to make the joints, the
time it would take to mark and
make the 12 mortises and the
12 tenons would be measured
in hours, if you had the skill to
Summer 2015 59
Slab Top Sofa Table
At just over 3" thick, this lumber
provided our author with a workout
and a hefty piece of furniture at
the end of the process.
W
orking with thick waney
stock was a treat that I
had never experienced
before. So, when some 3"-thick
ash came my way from a local
sawyer, I jumped at the chance to
build this sofa table.
Preparing the Stock
I selected the best-looking sec-
tion of the lumber to be the
tabletop and cut it roughly to
length. Because this table has
waney edges and is made with
60 S l a b To p S o f a Ta b l e
extra-thick stock, the width and
thickness of your top may vary
a bit from the dimensions found
in the Material List on page 62.
I decided that if I left the bark
on the edges of the tabletop, my
dusting time would increase sig-
nificantly, so instead, I chose to
remove most of the bark, leaving
behind the underbark. That rem-
nant provided a color change on
the edges that helped to define
the top. Using a drawknife, I was
able to slice the bark away in
very short order. Then I moved
on to flattening and smoothing
the top and bottom faces of the
tabletop. As you might expect,
the ash lumber was sold to me
in a rough state, right off the
saw. At 17" wide, the width of the
piece exceeded the capabilities
of my planer and jointer. This left
me in a bit of a pickle, but after
a moment’s thought, I picked up
my #07 hand plane and got busy
flattening the tabletop. I planed
at a diagonal to the grain, and
found this method to be quite
effective at getting a flat, smooth
surface quickly. The faces were
not mirror smooth, but they
were suitable for sanding when
I got done planing.
Next, I moved on to the legs.
These pieces were narrow
enough that I could rip them
roughly to width and put them
across my jointer, then through
the planer, to get them ready
to be cut to exact size. I used a The first step in
template to mark out the legs. making this table was
to take the bark off
They have a taper that gives the
the waney edges with
table a sense of style. I thought of
a drawknife, as shown
the look as “Eastern” as in Japan above.
or China; my staff identified it
as “Western” as in Montana or
Wyoming ... such it is with beau-
ty and the beholder. Then, the author chose
Despite the fact that the legs to flatten and smooth
are less massive than the top, the top and bottom
they are indeed some big chunks faces with a #07 hand
of wood, so I joined them to the plane, as shown at
left. The wood was
table using loose tenons. And
rough-cut lumber right
because I own a Festool Domino
off the saw.
XL, I used it for this project. That
said, you could use any loose-ten-
on method to attach the legs
to the top. Or you could use a
more traditional mortise-and-ten-
on technique: chop mortises into
the underside of the tabletop,
and raise tenons on the tops of
the legs. You’d just need to add
the length of the tenons to the
overall length of the legs.

Dealing with Defects To get identical leg sizes

One challenge came to the fore
as I was making the legs. There
were several large knots that I
could not avoid, and they had
material in them that I needed to
remove. (The knot fibers were
loose and the void looked bad.)
To address the knotholes, I decid-
ed to fill them with Bondo®, col-
ored to match other solid knots
in the wood. I used universal
colorant to mix the exact shade
that I needed. One important
point: if you look at the photo on
and shapes (above, left),
the author used a template
to mark them out.
Some knotholes were
unavoidable, so Bondo
dyed with universal
colorant (above, right) was
used to fill the voids.
The author chose Festool’s
Domino XL loose tenon
system (right) to
create his mortises.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 61

 Table Leg
(Side View) (Side View)
1
61/2"

1"
41/2"
1 2

Exploded View
2 2
5 27" 2 27"

12"
2

2 93/8"
Table
5 3 (Bottom View)

1"
4 The Dominos used
Center Line
17"
on pieces 3 and 4 95/8" 1
are cut in half. 1 /8"

54"

Material /LVW
 Top (1)*
 Legs (4)
 Stretchers (2)
 Faux Stretcher Ends (4)
 Dominos (12)
*The width and thickness of the top may ]HYy a bit due
to the material that you will MPUK available to `V\
the previous page, you can clear-
ly see that I applied some shellac
around the holes that were to
be filled. That shellac sealed the
grain so that I did not get an
unwanted halo of black Bondo
squeezed into the open-grained
ash. After I applied the Bondo,
it cured quickly and I sanded it
smooth. Sanding also removed
the shellac. With that done, I
was able to lay out the mortise
locations on the ends of the legs
and then cut them center line and strike lines for
TxWx3
as shown in the the outside edge of the legs. (See
3" x 17" x 54"
bottom photo, pre- the Drawings above for details.)
21À2" x 93À8" x 27"
vious page. Then measure the offset from
13À4" x 3" x 371À 2" the center line and use the jig to
13À4" x 3" x 33À4" Leg Placement mark parallel lines to the center
14 x 100mm To accurately line. The intersection of those
locate the legs on lines locates the exact corner of
the underside of the leg. Trace around the leg,
the tabletop, I first take off the mortise locations,
struck a line down the center of and you can chop the mortises
the table. I worked from a center into the bottom of the table.
line because the tabletop’s edges There is an intentional quirk to
were not straight and I couldn’t the design of this table: while the
accurately measure from them. I legs are connected to each other
used a simple shop-made layout by the lower stretchers, they
tool for the next steps. It is just a are not joined to one another
rectangular piece of 1/2" MDF by aprons under the top. This is
that has an accurately formed because the tabletop is so thick;
45-degree cut on it. As shown it is more than strong enough to
in the photo sequence on the resist the forces that may have
top of the next page, align the cupped a top of less hefty dimen-
mitered edge of the jig to the sions. (And seasonal expansion

62 S l a b To p S o f a Ta b l e
After striking a center line down the length of the tabletop, the author made a layout jig with a 45˚ angle formed on one end.
Using the center line, he located the positions for the table legs as shown in the photo sequence above. After tracing around
the legs and taking off the mortise locations, our editor cut the mortises for the Domino loose tenons. Any loose-tenon system
(or even traditional mortise-and-tenon joints) would work well for attaching these legs.
and contraction will not be hin-
dered.)With the legs and tabletop
prepared, put the tabletop
upside down on a work surface
and test-fit the legs to the top.
The stretchers, which come
next, fit between the legs and are
joined to the inner faces of the
legs with loose tenons. (See the
Drawings for details.) Located on
the outer face of the legs are faux
tenon ends. They are attached so
it looks as if the stretchers pierce
the legs. As a way to further this
illusion, cut the material for the
stretchers long enough so that
you can cut the faux tenon ends
off of either end of the prepared
stock. That way, the grain pat-
tern and colors will look as if
they flow right through the legs.
While I used the Domino tool
to attach the stretchers to the
legs, a pair of dowels on the
joining faces of the pieces would
work just fine, too. After you
have machined the joinery on
the stretchers, dry-fit and clamp
everything together. I used a
band clamp around the stretch-
ers and faux tenon ends, but I
did not clamp the legs down to
the tabletop. Their weight and
gravity were sufficient to form a
solid glue joint.
There’s one more trick you may
still need to pull out of your sleeve
before you start sanding. If you,
like me, used wood that is a bit
thicker than 3" for your tabletop,
chances are you did not have a
circular saw blade that was wide
enough to cut through the top
in one pass. So you cut off the
ends in two passes, and likely the
cuts were not perfectly aligned.
www.woodworkersjournal.com
If that is the case, grab a router
and chuck a long flush-trimming
bit into the machine. Then use
the bit to trim flush ends on your
tabletop. With that done, you’re
ready to start sanding. Start
coarse and work up through the
grits, stopping at 180.
Assembly and Finishing
Because I had taken the time to The faux stretcher ends are cut off the
dry-fit the pieces earlier, there stretchers as they are fitted between the
were no surprises during the legs of the table. Keep the ends with
glue-up. I will say this, however: their stretchers.
if I was going to make another
of these tables, I would have a
friend with me in the shop for
the glue-up process. (Did I men-
tion, this table is heavy? Really
heavy!) An extra set of hands
would have made this task much
smoother and easier. The ends
of the legs and the stretcher are
end grain that is being glued
to face grain. Be sure to apply
enough glue to those end-grain Before the final glue-up, it is always a
areas to achieve good results. (A prudent step to dry-fit and clamp the project
little glue squeeze-out here is not together. Glue-up is hard to reverse!
a bad thing — it will not easily
be seen and you’ll know that you
have enough glue coverage.)
After the glue had cured, I
used a chisel to remove the
glue squeeze-out. A bit more
hand-sanding preceded a shellac
finish. I blended amber shellac
and clear shellac, mixed half
and half right out of the cans.
I applied it with a soft brush,
denibbing between coats. The sheer weight of the legs was a
Now find a couple of strong sufficient “clamping force” to form a
teenagers to help you put the solid glue joint between the legs and
table right where you want it! the tabletop. Here, the author tightens
a band clamp, pulling the faux stretcher
ends, stretchers and legs together firmly.
Rob Johnstone is publisher of
A shop helper sure would have been
Woodworker’s Journal. useful during the glue-up process.
Summer 2015 63
Hardwood Mosaic Frame
A unique technique brings beauty
and thriftiness together in a great
home shop project.

P
rofessionally made picture
frames come in two types:
the chintzy-looking cheap
ones, or the really great-looking
expensive ones. I decided that I
would like to build my own and
come up with a really great-look-
ing frame that was inexpensive
(but definitely not cheap!).
This picture frame makes use
of small tiles of hardwood that
are glued to a plywood substrate
underframe. The beauty of this
idea is that the various tiles each
have their own grain pattern con-
tained within their border. The
accumulation of all those tiles and
their differing grain patterns cre-
ates a frame that is geometrically
regular, but texturally diverse.
The effect is quite attractive. As
I place my tiles on the frame, I
take time to enhance that feature
by looking for subtle changes in
hue and figure, and placing them
to create interesting patterns.
You can think of this frame as a
mosaic, with Mother Nature as
the artist.
If the prep work of slicing
many little pieces from other photos within frames courtesy of Keith D. Rickabaugh
small blocks of wood is a degree
of activity that you might want to 10¾" x 16" opening — a standard tiles are placed from all four cor-
cut down on, you can buy 1/4"- size. Proportionally, I decided on ners, working inward. When I
thick hardwood stock in bigger a 3"-wide frame, which allowed got to the middle tile position(s)
pieces, which will make the prep me to use three rows of 1"-wide of each row, the length of those
work go a bit faster. Either meth- tiles. The typical 2" length of the tiles had to be slightly adjusted
od works fine on this frame. tiles evolved from the corner to fit the opening.
detail. I wanted the tiles on one The plywood frame is made of
Early Design Decisions: row to be bisected by the tile 3/8" Baltic birch overlaid with
The frame that is built by the butting in from the next row over 1/4" Baltic birch. The combina-
dimensions found on the (this visual effect is sometimes tion of butt joints, lap joints, glue
Material List on page 67 creates a called bonding). In practice, the and screws makes it bulletproof.

64 Hardwood Mosaic Frame


Begin with the
Underframe
To begin this project,
use your table saw to rip
the plywood stiles and
rails to width and length
(pieces 1 through 4). I
am sure that any good
quality saw blade will
work for you, but I use a
Freud 80-tooth crosscut
blade for all of this work
(even the ripping steps). I find
that it provides a silky-smooth
edge, and that means less sand-
ing for me!
Now grab a 1/4"-thick piece of
hardwood (I used walnut in this
case) and rip enough stock to
create the stile and rail edging
(pieces 5 and 6). Next, glue and
clamp the edging to the front
rails and stiles — you’ll find that
they’re the same length. While
you are waiting for the glue to
dry, head to the table saw to
rip sufficient material to make
the perimeter trim (pieces 7 and
8). The following construction
process is stone simple, but I
recommend that you take a bit of
time to look at the Drawings and
to check out the photos — it’s
very important that you follow
the right sequence.
Once the glue has complete-
ly cured on the front stiles
and rails, take them out of the
clamps, scrape away any excess
glue, and sand them smooth.
Now it is time to put the ply-
wood frame pieces together
with the hardwood edging lin-
www.woodworkersjournal.com
ing the opening in the frame.
The back stiles and rails simply
butt together as do the front
stiles and rails. But the front
stiles and rails overlap the
butt joints in the lower layer,
essentially making a built-up
lap joint. If you are confused
by this, check out the Lap Joint
Detail Drawing on page 67.
I used screws and glue to secure
the plywood pieces one to anoth-
er. Lay out and pre-drill the
through holes in the front stiles
and rails, adding a countersink
to each location. I used 1/2" x #6
screws and I prefer Titebond®
glue. I also used short 23-gauge
pin nails to tack the rails and
stiles together. Then you can
drive the screws home, being
certain that the heads are seated
just a hair below the surface of
the front stiles and rails.
Even though I took exception-
al care to line everything up
accurately, the outside edges did
not align perfectly. So, after the
glue had cured, I trimmed the
long edges just a tiny bit.
The only thing left to do to
The walnut frame shown here
is the size of the picture frame
you will get using the Material
List provided with this project.
The frame on the opposite page
is made with cherry stock and is
a bit larger overall.
the plywood frame sub-
assembly is to glue
a 1/4"-thick border
of hardwood all around
the perimeter, using the
trim that you cut earlier.
Glue and clamp the trim
in place and allow the glue
to cure. Wrap up by sand-
ing the face flat.
I’m betting you’ll notice
early on that one of the
nicer features of this construc-
tion plan is that, because the
front and back stiles and rails
are different widths, when they
are put together, this size differ-
ence creates a perfect rabbet just
behind the front stiles and rails.
It is into this rabbet that your
picture will eventually be placed.
Thin-sliced hardwood lumber overlays
and surrounds a plywood frame. Easy to
build and extremely durable, this method
of building avoids large miter joints,
which can be a challenge to fit perfectly.
Summer 2015 65

Set up a straightedge, as shown above,
to help keep your tiles well aligned. Use
just a dab of glue and clamp the tile
in place, working from the corners in
to the center. A couple of minutes of
clamping is sufficient.
Because any minute error will be
multiplied in this assembly process,
you will need to adjust the size of the
center tile(s) in each row. The space in
the photo above was exaggerated to
demonstrate the challenge.
The tiles are offset so that each one bisects
the one next to it. This pattern is called
bonding and is often seen in masonry
and flooring. The offset is created by the
corner placement of the tiles.
66 Hardwood Mosaic Frame
´<ou can think of this frame
as a mosaic, with Mother
Nature as the DUWLVWµ
Tiling Time
However you decide to make your
tiles, you need to make a whole
bunch of them. The number of
tiles indicated in the Material List
(pieces 9) is an approximate num-
ber. It is actually a few more than
you will need of that specific size,
but in this project making those
few extra pieces just makes sense.
It gives you a better choice of
tiles as you select them for place-
ment. The center tiles (pieces 10)
will need to be adjusted to their
proper length after you have
put all the tiles of that row in
place ... then you will need to
measure the opening. (See the
Note on page 67.)
You may ask: Why can’t I just
divide up the space of a row and
cut all the tiles perfectly sized
so there is no variation? Here’s
the answer: even if you wanted
to work that hard, it’s extreme-
ly difficult to machine pieces
that accurately. The detail that
will come around to devil you is
called accumulated error. Let’s
say that you make your tiles very
uniform, but they are off of their
length measurement by 1/64th
of an inch. While it’s a minute
amount, on the 12 tiles that form
the outside row, that error will
add up to 3/16" in a big hurry!
OK, try even harder and get to
within 1/128th of an inch ... and
you will still miss your mark by
almost 1/8" — so you can see
why it is better to adjust the mid-
dle tiles in each row to fit.
Make certain that your stock
is of uniform thickness before
you start cutting the tiles — this
will save you a major headache
later on. Then cut your tiles to
size. When working with stock
this thin, make every effort to be
extremely safe in all of your cuts.
Use a zero-clearance throatplate,
featherboard and push stick
when appropriate. Despite try-
ing very hard to avoid it, some
of the edges of my tiles became
burned during the cutting pro-
cess. Take note of this discolor-
ation: you can deal with it in the
glue-up stage, but you need to be
aware of the burned sections.
These next steps are going to
take a bit of time. First, sand the
show face of each tile. I simply
turned a 1/4 sheet sander upside
down and held each piece to the
platen. Then chamfer the edges
of the tiles. I used a 1/8" roundo-
ver bit in my router table. I made
a special zero-clearance fence for
this task, to keep it a safe opera-
tion. Use a small push stick, too;
I came up with two pencils taped
together and used the eraser end
to move the tiles.
You’re ready to start gluing
your tiles in place. Start by care-
Adding the back panel (piece 11) and
the hangers (pieces 12) are the last steps
to making this multi-piece picture frame.
 10 Exploded View 8

3
9

5
7
Note: On the 7
frame’s top and
bottom tiling, the
inner and outer
rows have one
custom-sized tile 4
(pieces 10) and
the center row 6 4
has two.
On the frame’s
sides, the inner
and outer rows
10 have two custom- 6
sized tiles and
the center row
has one.

10
5

10 2
1
Lap Joint Detail 3 8

6 4
5

7
2 1 The plywood layers overlap to
form built-up lap joints at
8 the corners. The joints are
secured with glue and screws. Material List ZDOQXW
TxWx3
fully gluing the first few tiles in position, as shown Back Stiles (2) 3/8" x 21 À 2" x 22"
in the top left photo, previous page. Keep filling in, Back Rails (2) 3/8" x 21 À 2" x 113 À 4"
hiding the burned edges as you place them. The Front Rails (2) 1/4" x 21 À 2" x 163 À 4"
exposed inside frame edge should be burn-free. Do Front Stiles (2) 1/4" x 21 À 2" x 16"
some final hand-sanding to smooth all tile surfaces.
Rail Edging (2) 1/4" x 1/2" x 163 À 4"
The Big Finish Stile Edging (2) 1/4" x 1/2" x 16"
I used a can of spray lacquer to finish the picture Long Perimeter Trim (2) 5/8" x 1/4" x 22"
frame — be sure to spray from each side to get cov- Short Perimeter Trim (2) 5/8" x 1/4" x 171 À 4"
erage on the tiny chamfers. I used light coats and Tiles (102) 1/4" x 1" x 2"
de-nibbed with steel wool between applications.  Custom-sized Tiles (18) 1/4" x 1" x 21 À 2"*
When that is done, cut the back panel (piece 11)  Back Panel (1) 1/4" x 113 À 4" x 17"
to fit, and then mount the hangers (pieces 12). Now  Hangers (2) Steel
choose a good spot for your tiled masterpiece! * The custom tiles are cut to length after measuring their
respective openings.
Robert Rockler is a frequent contributor to Woodworker’s Journal. Tile chamfers are formed with a 1/8" roundover bit.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 67

A Kitchen Workstation
This compact “butler’s” workstation
with hardwood top will facilitate
many kitchen food prep tasks.

B
” utler” is a figment of my
imagination when it comes
to who will use this work-
station in my home. There
are no hired servants here.
Nevertheless, a project of this
sort, if space allows for it in your
kitchen, is most useful for many
culinary tasks.
This little kitchen workstation
is easy to build but still rich in
details that make it easy to look
at as well. Start off by making
the glued-up tabletop, frequently
and incorrectly called a butch-
er block, laminated from native
hardwoods of any thickness.
(Butcher blocks are made with
the end grain as the work sur-
face.) In this case, because the
edges of flatsawn material show
as quartersawn when they are
glued up this way, it is a nice
opportunity to put to use all that
material that you kept because it
was too good to burn or throw
away. Even short pieces can be
bonded in, like bricks in a wall.
Glue the five center pieces first.
Once cured, add two pieces to
each side. I used Titebond® III
rolled lightly onto each surface.
Continue to build outward in this
fashion to create the top blank.
Machine and/or hand plane the
top to its dimension. Finish it with
several coats of salad bowl oil.

Building the Legs

The next process to undertake
is constructing the legs. To
get started, here’s the order of

68 A Kitchen Workstation
When making the legs, clamp the two glued pieces together After the glue has cured, plane the two outer faces square
to form an “L” shape. My preference is clamping to the bench. one to the other. This operation not only cleans up any
If necessary, leave a small overhang in the glue-up to avoid mill marks and possible excess glue, but it ensures that the
mill-made shortcomings. assembly will be square.

march: First plane the stock to
thickness but saw it wider than
its finished dimension. Follow
up by planing one edge square
on the narrow pieces. Now you
will glue and clamp the two piec-
es — the narrow and the wide
— together to form one piece for
each leg. Go ahead and plane the
outer faces square to one anoth-
er. With that done, step to your
table saw and cut the two arms of
the “L” to the exact same width.
Before you shape the rail sock-
ets, all that is left is to square
one end of each leg and then cut
it to length.
On the top of the legs, you’ll
need to form a socket (see the
photos below) to accept the top
rail. I used a Forstner bit in my
drill press to remove most of the
waste, and completed the shape
with a variety of chisels.
Making the Leg and Rail Joints
The ends of the top rails are
machined to fit the sockets you
chopped into the legs. The dis-
tance between shoulders of the
simple joint are cut to the length
of the bottom rail. Each top rail is
held in place with 2" #8 screws.
Before you move on, set up fenc-
es on a drill press to position the
5/16"-diameter clearance holes
in the legs for the lag screws that
will hold the bottom rails.
Continue Shaping the Parts
The legs are shaped with a
chamfer all around except
for the top edge, which links
visually with the collar.
The bottom rails have the
same raised detail, formed on
the table saw, on both sides.
The “panels” will be emphasized
with color by painting them.
Assembling the Workstation
Assemble a pair of legs with
the top rail screwed in place.
Next, lag-screw the bottom rail
in place. Once you have two
subassemblies of this kind, join
them with the top rails screwed
in place, then add the bottom
rails. When attaching the top
rails, there is no dovetail effect
on the top joint that would pull
the shoulders tight, so take the
trouble to clamp across the rail.
Place a bottom rail between the
legs to help keep the top joint
properly aligned.
You’ll have to devise a way
of holding the bottom rails so
they can be correctly positioned
and clamped while the pilot holes
for the lag screws are drilled
and the screws inserted. The
solution is a pair of “saddles”
(photos, page 71): you’ll need a

Drill out the majority of the socket Finish forming the sockets by cleaning The shoulders of the top rails must
waste using a 3/4" Forstner bit in a up the shoulder with various widths of match the length of the bottom rails.
drill press. chisel. Check your accuracy (inset). Test the fit.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 69

 4 Top Rails and
Collar and Gusset Leg Detail
Collar and Gusset 6
The rabbeted Subassembly (Top View)
(Section View) aspect of the
7 (Top View)
13
collars are mitered 11/2"
/32" back at 45˚.
3
/4"
5
/8" 7 Rabbet
25/8"
6 19/16" 2
6 4
3
7
/32"
Pieces 2 and 3 are
Exploded View assembled prior to
forming the sockets.

Workstation Elevation
1 (Front View)
1
6
6 6
4
4
4

7 3

2
2
2 3
2
Leg Joint
3 Detail
5

5
5

2
3
3
/4"
Leg
5 (End View)
5 113/16" 3 7
/32"
Because the author envisioned
painting the legs and rails of the
project from the beginning of the
design process, they were made 2
from yellow poplar lumber. 3"

Material /LVW Bottom Rail (Front and End Views)

TxWx3 5
/32" 5
/16" 5
/32"
 Tabletop* (1) 2 5À8" x 22" x 22"
5
 Wide Leg Blanks (4) 13À16" x 3" x 32" /32"
5 5
 Narrow Leg Blanks (4) 1 À16" x 113À16" x 32"
3

 Top Rails (4) 3/4" x 25À8" x 171À2"

 Bottom Rails (4) 13À16" x 4" x 16"
Top Rail (Top View)
 Collars (4) 1 À16" x 21À4" x 175À8"
3
16"
 Corner Gussets (4) 3/8" x 6" x 6"
*Laminated of any thickness and any hardwood species 4
to make up desired dimension.

70 A Kitchen Workstation
When attaching the top rails, close the shoulders tight with a Drill pilot holes for the lag screws. Holding the drill upside down
clamp across the rail. Put a bottom rail between the legs for a makes it easier to align the bit with the clearance hole in the leg.
square assembly.

Cut the parts

Tighten the lag
accurately to
screws until you
length, then
see the washer
assemble with
beginning
glue and a nail
to compress
gun. Make the
the wood. This
saddle about
ultra-simple
1/16" wider than
joint is
the rail for easy
incredibly strong.
removal.

Clamp the To join together

saddles to the the collar pieces,
leg. Hold the glue and nail the
shoulders tight plywood gussets
with a bar clamp. into the rabbets.
Make sure the The collar
bottom edge of subassembly is
the rail contacts key to holding
the saddle on the tabletop to
each side. the leg assembly.

left and a right version. When
making these jigs, the top bar
of the saddle remains across
the gap until the three plywood
pieces that form the U-shape
are secured in place. Then you
can simply cut the top bar scrap
away, as shown in the middle
left photo above.
Making the Collar
There is just one component
left to build. The collar holds
the tabletop above the termi-
nus of the legs while presenting
interesting shapes and shadows
under the natural wood top. Cut
parts to length, miter the inside
corners, and cut the rebates
(rabbets to you Yanks) for the
plywood gussets.
The collar is held in place by
2" #8 screws run up through the
top rails. The top is held in place
by 5/16" x 2" lag screws in over-
size clearance holes fastened
up through the gusset.
Finishing Up with Paint
You could oil, wax or
paint the finished frame.
I used a water-based gloss enam-
el paint, applied in two coats
and sanded lightly after the
first coat to smooth it. To paint
the panels on the bottom rail,
brush from the middle out to
get a clean corner. All the parts
were painted separately prior
to assembly.
When the finish cures
completely, you’re ready to put
this sturdy workstation into
dutiful service!
Ian Kirby is a professional
woodworker and a frequent contributor
to Woodworker’s Journal.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 71

Scroll-Sawn Picture Frame
Surround your favorite 5 x 7
photograph with a unique floral
pattern and catch a few scroll
sawing tips while you’re at it.

72 Scroll-Sawn Picture Frame


E
ven though this photo frame
is just one piece of material,
it features over 260 individ-
ual entry points for a scroll saw
blade! It will take six to eight
hours to complete. We recom-
mend that you use 3/8" Baltic
birch plywood for this elaborate
pattern because it’s far less likely
to chip than regular plywood or
solid wood during cutting.
Step 1: Start the project
by photocopying two copies of
the full-size pattern on page 74,
then mount the patterns on a
piece of 3/8"-thick Baltic birch
plywood using spray adhesive
(Photo 1). You’ll need to trim
the patterns on the marked
centerline to join them together.
Step 2: Now drill entry holes
in all the cutouts (Photo 2).
An old scroll-sawing tip is to
drill tiny holes using a #20
finishing brad held in a small
chuck in a drill press. This will
help you avoid the tearout you
might get using regular drill bits.
Photo 3
www.woodworkersjournal.com
Photo 1
Step 3: A #2 scroll saw blade
with about 20 teeth per inch
is ideal for cutting the frame
pattern (Photo 3). This blade
is so fine that it can make the
smallest turns and never require
you to back out of any cuts. It
also leaves a very smooth edge
that doesn’t need sanding. An old
hand at the scroll saw might only
use one blade for the whole proj-
ect, but it’s always a good idea
to have a few extra blades at the
ready, just in case! After the saw-
ing is completed, soak the frame
in mineral spirits for a few
minutes to loosen the paper pat-
tern, and carefully peel it off.
Wipe away any glue residue.
Step 4: Now rip 1/4" x 1/4"
birch strips to make the rear
framework and sand them
smooth (Photo 4). Miter the ends
of the strips to fit on the back of
the fret-sawn frame, leaving a
5" x 7" opening for mounting
your picture. Spread a little yel-
low glue on each strip and hold
them in place until the glue sets.
Photo 4
Photo 2
Step 5: Once the glue dries,
sand the faces and outside edges
of the frame to 220-grit. This
frame was stained with a fruit-
wood color to give it an older,
antique look. Since brushing on
the stain and finish is challenging
with all of these nooks and cran-
nies, flood the stain on literally
with a sponge and blot away the
excess. When it dries, topcoat
the frame with aerosol lacquer or
shellac. In a well-ventilated area,
apply three coats, making sure to
cover all the surfaces and spray-
ing from many different angles to
reach all the sawn surfaces.
Step 6: Now you can add the
turn buttons (Photo 5) and
picture hanging hardware.
These items, along with glass
and matboard, are available at
local hardware or craft stores.
When the hardware is in place,
complete the frame with your
favorite photograph.
For more details, see the pattern
drawing on the next page.
Photo 5
Summer 2015 73
 full-size SDWWHUQ

Note: the pocket for the

photo and glass is formed
by installing the rear
framework pieces.

Center Line
Rear Framework
(1/4" x 1/4")
5"

31/2"

74 Scroll-Sawn Picture Frame

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Simple Knife Block
Use up some
leftover wood
and save the
edges on your
kitchen knives!
I
f your excuse for not owning a
knife block is this: “Why should
I buy one of those, when I
could make one in a snap?” then
this version will only take you a
day to make (even with breaks
for glue-up), and it works like
a charm. No more need for
procrastination! The steps and
Drawings here will teach you
how to make it, but you will
have to adjust the slot sizes and
placements to accommodate the
knives and accessories you own.
This unit is made of four piec-
es of solid wood. Cut them to
76 Simple Knife Block
length and width and get ready
to cut some slots, using a stan-
dard full-kerf saw blade. This
will leave you with openings
that will fit the vast majority of
knife blades. As you can see in
the Drawings, by matching up
the slots cut into piece 1 with
the slots cut into the thicker
piece 2, you can adjust the size
of the knife openings. Align the
openings by laying out and cut-
ting all of the slots in piece 1
first and then using that piece
to set up the rip fence for each
matching cut in piece 2.
Totally Table Saw
Make piece 3 in the same manner
as piece 1. It holds a set of steak
knives and is an optional feature.
Piece 4 (which is glued together
to make the final roughly tri-
angular “chunk” that forms the
base) is made from three pieces
of 1¾"-thick lumber. To be safe,
use a sled with fences attached on
your table saw (see photo, center
right) to secure them as you cut.
Once you have these three
pieces together, you can add a
notch here for kitchen scissors.
Now it’s time to glue the
 Piece 1 (End View) 3/4" x 91⁄8" x 9 3⁄4"
1
/8"
23/8" 1 1" 1" 3
/4"
/2"

91/8"
Piece 2 (End View) 13⁄4" x 91⁄8" x 9 3⁄4"
3 3
1" /8" /8" 1
/2" 5 5
/8" /8"
3
/8" 13/8" 13/8"
13/4"

Piece 3 (End View) 11⁄2" x 71⁄8" x 6 3⁄4"

1" Here, the author is cutting the slots into

1" 11/2"
5
/8" piece 1. This piece can then be used
to set up the rip fence spacing for the
matching cuts in piece 2.
71/8"
The outer corners have a
Piece 4 (Top and Side Views) 51⁄4" x 41⁄8" x 41⁄8" 3/16" wide, 45˚ chamfer.

Note: The knife slot dimensions and placements

3
are suggestions only. Their size and location
1 /4" will depend on the knife set that you own.

oiled so glue would not stick to

them, to help keep pieces 1 and 2
This 5/8"-deep properly aligned during the glue-
13/8" scissors notch is 51/4"
formed after the three up. Once the clamps are tight,
pieces are assembled. pull the strips out. (Even when
they’re oiled, they might want
to stay stuck!) Now, cut the 45˚
angle onto the bottom ends of the
Make yourself a sled, like the one shown
knife-holding pieces. The glued- above, to safely cut pieces 4. A second
up subassembly of pieces 1 and cut is then made on each piece, as
2 will need to be cut in a two-step illustrated at left.
process on the table saw because
a 10" table saw blade will not slice
First cut through the whole piece on a 45˚
cut. Cut halfway through it, then
These two cuts are flip it to the opposite face to finish
made before the
three pieces are Second the cut. With the blade still set
assembled. cut at 45˚, cut the chamfers onto the
41/8" edges of the knife-holding pieces
33/4"
as shown on the Drawings. Then,
sand your parts smooth, but be
careful not to burn the end grain
as you are doing so.
With that done, glue piece 3 to
41/8" the subassembly (pieces 1 and 2)
with their mitered ends aligned.
knife-holding pieces together. Once the glue dries, do the same
Careful application of your glue thing with piece 4. Scrape off any
is important; you don’t want excess glue and then apply three
globs of it getting into your knife coats of a wipe-on finish. Now,
slots. Alignment is important as load it up, and you can finally To help keep pieces 1 and 2 aligned
well. As you can see in the photo check “knife block” off your long- during the glue-up process, use oiled
(bottom right), we used small range project list. 1/8"-thick pieces of plywood placed
slats of 1/8"-thick plywood, well into the knife slots.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 77

Tambour-Top Folding Table
Attractive enough to be used in your
home, but mobile and tough enough to
travel almost anywhere with you, this
multi-use table makes a great gift project.

78 Ta m b o u r - To p F o l d i n g Ta b l e
A
New York friend of mine,
who was clever but cash-
poor, once moved to a
new apartment by transport-
ing her belongings in a taxi
cab! The method worked, but
it required her to leave all her
lovely furniture behind. This
sparked my woodworker’s brain
into creating a table designed
for the modern nomad: it folds
and rolls up into a compact bun-
dle that’s easily transported —
even in a taxi.
The trick is a flexible top that’s
built like a rolltop desk tambour.
Its canvas backing creates a
smooth and solid surface that’s
flexible enough to roll up like a
carpet. The sidebar on page 80
shows how the “knockdown”
process works. This solid wood
table doesn’t look like a cheap
fold-up unit either, so it’s attrac-
tive enough to use anywhere
around the home ... as a coffee
table, a bedroom side table or
a printer stand in the home
office. Its modest proportions
and small rolled-up size — only
7½" x 4½" x 24" — makes it
practical for taking along on
camping trips and picnics.
www.woodworkersjournal.com
A Note About legs. Mirror opposites are the
Material Selection key here.
Build the project from a sta- Next, mark a 1"-radius quar-
ble, dried wood with clear, even ter-circle on the wide end of
grain. I’ve had good results with each leg, at the edge opposite
Honduras mahogany, white oak, the rabbeted lip. Also mark the
alder and vertical-grain Douglas center point of the radius, which
fir. The stability of the can- is used to drill the leg’s pivot
vas-backed top depends on the hole later. Band-saw the leg tops
straightness of the slats, so avoid to shape, and use a 3/8"-radius
woods with fancy grain that are roundover bit in a router table
prone to warping. to soften the long edges and
Starting with the Legs
Make the table’s legs (pieces 1)
first, by cutting four blanks to
size. Adjust your joiner to cut
a 1/8"-deep rabbet and leave a
lip 1/4" wide along one edge of
each leg (photo at right). This
lip locks into the corner of the
apron skirt, to keep the table
from buckling when the legs are
screwed in place.
After rabbeting, taper each leg
blank on the table saw using
a tapering jig. The taper cuts
should reduce the leg bottoms to
5/8" wide. Orient each leg blank
rabbet-side up in the jig, and With the jointer set to take a 1/8"-
don’t forget to reverse your jig deep cut, get started by rabbeting
for two cuts, so you end up with a 1/4"-wide lip on the edge of each
two right-hand and two left-hand table leg blank.
Summer 2015 79
Breakdown 6WHSV
First, loosen the bolts that attach the legs
to the apron and fold them down.
Now, spin the table around 90˚, and
you’re ready to roll everything together.
Continue rolling the top in from each
side toward the middle.
80 Ta m b o u r - To p F o l d i n g Ta b l e
Next, remove two hinge screws and
fold the short aprons flat against the
long aprons.
Grasp the folded apron/legs of the
table and fold them inward, so the
top starts rolling up.
You’ll end up with a compact folded
bundle (use a fabric tie to keep it
from unrolling).
wide end of the legs. Rout only
the legs’ non-rabbeted sides.
Making the Aprons
To make the table’s apron skirt,
start by cutting a pair of long
and short aprons (pieces 2 and
3) from 5/8"-thick stock. Next,
use a 3/4"-wide dado stack in
your table saw to cut a 1½" wide,
5/8" deep socket in both ends
of each apron. These sockets
will create a hinge between the
apron members so the table can
fold up. To make these socket
cuts accurately, build a jig like
the one shown on page 81 and
attach it to your miter gauge.
Locate the edge of the jig’s fence
exactly 3/4" from the near-edge
of the blade.
Cut each socket in two
passes: Set an apron against the
jig fence and mill half of the
socket. Then, set the other edge
against the fence and complete
the socket cut. Try these cuts on
a test piece, first, to check your
jig’s accuracy. Dado both ends
of all four aprons. Mark one
edge of each apron as the “top
edge,” to help orient subsequent
machining operations.
Adding the Screwdriver
A neat feature of this table is a
screwdriver stored in a recess
on the underside of the apron,
which is held in place by a mag-
net. An offset screwdriver (avail-
able from most hardware stores
or home centers), is inexpensive,
compact and just right for tight-
ening and loosening the table’s
screws when setting or rolling it
 Shape the
Legs and the
Aprons on
<our 7able 6DZ

up. First, mark the outline of the

screwdriver on the inside face of
one of the long aprons. At one
end of the zigzag outline, add a
1/2"-diameter circle for a finger
recess. At the center of the out- Use a simple jig cut from a piece of plywood to taper each leg on your table saw.
line, drill a hole 7/16" deep for
a 1/2" rare-earth magnet (piece
4). Use a trim router fitted with
a 1/4"-diameter straight bit to
rout a 5/16"-deep screwdriver
recess. Install the magnet in its
pocket with cyanoacrylate glue
or epoxy.

Forming the Hinge Knuckles

Wooden hinge knuckles (pieces
5) glued into the sockets in the
long aprons will allow the apron
skirt to fold up. The sockets in
the short aprons fit over these
knuckles. Cut the knuckles from
hardwood for wear-resistance,
even if the rest of the table is
made of softwood. Size them so Turn to a shop-made “high-rise” jig to dado the hinge sockets in the ends
they fit tightly in the sockets. of the aprons.
Round over one edge across
the width of each knuckle
using a 1/4"-radius roundover
bit. Now’s a good time to also
round over one edge of the two
“fingers” (astride the socket) on
both ends of the short aprons.
These rounded corners provide
needed clearance when the skirt
is folded.
Next, glue the knuckles into
the sockets on the long aprons.
Use a bar clamp to seat the
knuckles. They must remain
square to the aprons.
Scrape off any glue squeeze-
out, then fit the short aprons
onto the knuckles, to bring the To keep the assembly screwdriver handy, the author routed a recess on the inside of
skirt together for the first time. an apron and then drilled a small hole for a button magnet to keep it in place.

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 81

If the knuckle-to-socket fit is too
tight at any corner, lightly pare
the socket with a sharp chisel.
Mark the parts of each corner
joint clearly so you can assemble
it the same way later.
Forming the Leg/Apron
Pivot Joints
See the photo series below for
making the leg pivot joints. Set
a leg’s lip firmly against the end
of the apron, with its end 1/8"
below the apron’s top edge.
Clamp the assembly to the drill
press table, and drill a pilot hole
through both parts with a 9/64"
bit. After drilling all four legs and
aprons, countersink the hole on
the outer face of each leg for a
1/4" flathead screw (pieces 6),
then switch to a 17/64" bit and
enlarge the pilot holes through
all four legs to create a clearance
Make <our Drill Press do Double 'XW\
With the leg set in place at the end of
the long apron member, drill a 9/64"
pilot hole through both parts.
82 Ta m b o u r - To p F o l d i n g Ta b l e
After gluing each hinge knuckle into
a socket on the end of a long apron,
use a small try square to make sure
it’s 90˚ to the apron.
hole for the pivoting action.
Next, enlarge the holes in the
aprons for the 1/4" threaded
inserts (pieces 7) that attach the
legs. Use a 25/64" pilot-tipped
bit, which centers perfectly in
the pilot holes. To ensure that
the inserts are driven straight
and true, follow this simple
method. First, cut off the head
of a 2"-long 1/4" bolt, then drive
Remove the leg, and re-drill the apron
hole with a 25/64" bit to enlarge it for
installing a threaded insert.
and lock two nuts (separated by a
washer) together on the threads
about 1/2" from the end. Slip a
9/16" box wrench over the bolt’s
unthreaded end, then chuck that
end into an unplugged drill press.
Slide a washer onto the threaded
end of the bolt and screw on a
threaded insert. Center the pivot
hole under the insert, clamp the
apron, and use the wrench to
twist the insert into the wood
while pressing down with the
drill press quill.
Drilling the Apron
Hinge Holes
Drill the holes for the hinge
screws that join the aprons with
the aprons temporarily assem-
bled. First, mark the location of
the hinge hole, centered on the
bottom edge of each short apron
“finger.” Set the parts “top down”
Use a socket wrench on a cut-off 1/4" bolt
in the (unplugged) drill press to drive the
1/4" threaded insert into the apron hole.
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on the drill press table. Chuck

up a long 5/32" twist drill bit and
center it on the hole mark. Align
and square up the joint parts,
Drill hinge pin holes through the short aprons and join the folding apron assembly clamp the assembly down and
with 8-32 flathead screws threaded into T-nuts. drill the through hole. Repeat
on all four corners, then coun-
tersink each hole for a 8-32 flat-
head screw (pieces 9). Finally,
flip each short apron over and
re-drill its top-edge finger (the
one that’s closest to the canvas)
with a 7/32" bit, to enlarge it for
an 8-32 T-nut (pieces 8).
Before driving the T-nuts,
joint 1/32" of stock from the
top edge of each short apron
piece — NOT the long ones.
This enables the short members
to clear the canvas when they’re
pivoted. Next, on a table saw
fitted with a dado blade, trim
an area 5/8" wide and 1/32"
Use a dado blade to cut a 1/32” recess in the T-nut area at both ends of deep across the knuckles you
each short apron. redrilled for T-nuts. This shallow
recess provides clearance for the
T-nut heads.
Now, you’re ready to insert
the T-nuts into their holes with
a small vise or clamp — there’s
no way to do this with a ham-
mer here. Press them in slowly
and firmly. File any overhang-
ing metal edges flush. Sand the
aprons before assembling them
with screws.

Cutting the Tambour Slats

The first step in making the
table’s unique “roll-up” tambour
top is to cut your slat stock to
24¾" long. Cut a few more slats
Use a small vise to slowly drive the T-nut home into its hole in the apron. than you’ll need to make the top’s
full 18" width, just in case some

84 Ta m b o u r - To p F o l d i n g Ta b l e
 of the slats warp after machining.
Surface the stock down to 1/2"
thick with a planer. To mini-
mize warping, flip each board
over between passes, rather than
removing all the excess from just
one side.
Next, square up the edges of
the 1/2"-thick boards on the
jointer, then rip the slats to final
width. The top requires 10 slats:
two outer slats 3" wide (pieces
10) and eight inner 1½"-wide
slats (pieces 11). If your boards
are wide and you’d like a consis-
tent grain pattern on your table-
top, mark each board with a
“cabinetmaker’s triangle” before
ripping, so you can keep the slats
Accurate
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in order. If any slats warp sig-
nificantly, don’t use them. Even
if this ruins a “matched grain”
pattern on the top, you’ll end up
with a tighter, more stable top.
That’s the more important goal
here for this portable design.
Jigging the Slats for Glue-Up
In preparation for assembling
the tambour top, you’ll need
an alignment and clamping jig.
First, cut a 18¾" x 26½" base
from some scrap plywood. Then,
cut a couple of 1¼" x 20" hold-
down strips from 3/4" stock,
each with a 1/2"-high, 3/8"-wide
rabbeted lip on one edge. The
lip secures the ends of the tam-
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bour slats atop the fixture. Nail
or screw a strip at one end of
the board; the other strip will
be clamped on later. Finally, cut
two clamping strips, each 1/2" x
3/4" x 23".
Set the slats into the jig in
order, sliding one end of each
under the lip of the fixed hold-
down strip. When all the slats are
in place, lightly clamp the loose
hold-down strip. Set the clamp-
ing strips against the long edges
of the outer slats and clamp
the top together. Don’t over-
tighten these — three clamps
and light pressure should be
enough. Check for gaps between
the slats. Unclamp the slats and
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Summer 2015 85
 10

11
10

12
4
3 7 6
8
2
6 7
2
8 5
9
5
6
1 9
3
Exploded View 1 1

1
9
/4"
1
/8"
1
1" R.

Leg Material /LVW

(Side,Top
and Bottom TxWx3
1 
Legs (4) 3/4" x 2" x 151 À 2"
Views)

Long Aprons (2) 5/8" x 3" x 21"
151/2"

Short Aprons (2) 5/8" x 3" x 141 À 4"

Rare-Earth Magnet (1) 1/2" Dia.

Hinge Knuckles (4) 5/8" x 11 À 2" x 11 À 4"
Editor’s Note: This project
is precisely engineered. Leg/Apron Pivot Screws (4) 1/4" x 11 À 4" Flathead

Changes to the design will 
Threaded Inserts (4) 1/4"
likely lead to a table that
does not work right. While I 
T-Nuts (4) 8-32
understand our projects are Apron Hinge Pivot Screws (4) 8-32 x 3" Flathead
often “improved” ... I must
caution that in this case,  Outer Top Slats (2) 1/2" x 3" x 24"
you should stay with our  Inner Top Slats (8) 1/2" x 11 À 2" x 24"
5
dimensions!
/8" — Rob Johnstone  Canvas Backing (1) 15" x 24"
5
3
/4" /8"
2"
Long Apron (Top and Side Views)
Tambour Top Assembly 5
/8"
(Top and End Views)
3
/4"
10 3" 4
11/2" 2 3"
3
/4"
11
21"
11/2"
Short Apron (Top and Side Views) Knuckle
(Top and Side Views)
3
/4" Slight recess 5
/8"
1
1 /2" 3 3"
5
10 3" /8" 11/2"
3
/4" 5
24" 141/4" 11/4"

86 Ta m b o u r - To p F o l d i n g Ta b l e
 plane their edges as necessary
to improve the fit.
After any gaps are corrected,
unclamp and flip the strips over
in order so their other sides
face up. Lightly clamp the assem-
bly once more and recheck for
gaps. At this point, you can
judge which side of the top has
tighter-fitting seams. Orient
the better side down in the jig,
and check for final squareness
before clamping the top for the
next step (resist the urge to glue
those slats together!).
Applying the Canvas Backer
Next comes the canvas back-
ing (piece 12). Cut the canvas
slightly oversize, according to
the Material List, previous page;
you’ll trim it to final size later.
Before gluing, heat up an ordi-
nary household iron to medi-
um-high heat (no steam). Use
a narrow 1/4"-nap foam roller
to apply a thin layer of yellow
carpenter’s glue to both the can-
vas and the slats. After center-
ing the canvas over the slats,
press it down at one end, then
lay it down gradually across the
surface. Use the iron to press
out any wrinkles, starting in the
center and working out toward
the edges. Keep the iron moving
— don’t leave it in a single spot
for very long.
Once the canvas is flat, use the
tip of the iron to heat-set the glue
around the edges. You can now
trim the two long edges of the
canvas: Set the assembled apron
on top, centering it side to side.
Clamp down both long apron
members and cut through the
canvas with a razor knife, using
the inner edge of the apron as
a guide. Remove the apron base
and extend the cuts along each
side of the canvas with a knife
and straightedge. Use a chisel
or small putty knife to scrape
off the strips of excess canvas.
Leave the top in the clamping
fixture for a few hours, to allow
the glue to set fully.

Web Addresses for Companies in this Issue

 7HNL  7HNL
(K]LY[PZLY  5V >LI(KKYLZZ (K]LY[PZLY  5V >LI(KKYLZZ
1-800-BunkBed 25 www.1800bunkbed.com/wj Grizzly Industrial, Inc. 37 www.grizzly.com
3M 19 www.3M.com Grobet USA 25 www.grobetusa.com
Accurate Technology, Inc. 39 www.proscale.com Howard Products, Inc. 37 www.howardproducts.com
American Fabric Filter Co. 25 www.americanfabricfilter.com Lee Valley Tools 41 www.leevalley.com
American Steel Span 37 www.steelspan.com Lignomat 25 www.lignomat.com
Aqua Coat 45 www.aquacoat.com www.moistureproblems.info
Armor Crafts 45 www.armorplans.com Mirka Abrasives, Inc. 91 www.mirkaderos.us
Badger Hardwoods of Osborne Wood Products, Inc. 3, 13, 19 www.woodencomponents.com
Wisconsin, Ltd. 19 www.badgerwood.com Preval 13 www.preval.com
BLOKKZ, Inc. 39 www.blokkz.com Quick Screws 29 www.quickscrews.com
C.F. Struck Corporation 85 www.struckcorp.com/?wj615 Rockler Woodworking
Cherry Tree Toys 28 www.cherrytreetoys.com and Hardware 9, 85 www.rockler.com
Christian J Hummul Co. 41 www.hummul.com Rojek 13 www.rojekusa.com
Cook’s Saw MFG, L.L.C. 41 www.cookssaw.com Sandits 3 www.sandits.com
The Craftsman Gallery 41 www.chipsfly.com SATA Spray Equipment 29 www.satausa.com
CU Woodshop Supply & SENCO 2 www.senco.com
School of Woodworking 39 www.cuwoodshop.com Southeast Tool, Inc. 39 www.southeasttool.com
Easy Wood Tools 37 www.easywoodtools.com SuperMax Tools 92 www.supermaxtools.com
Epilog Laser 3, 25 www.epiloglaser.com/wwj Tormek 47 www.tormek.com
Fuji Spray Equipment 19 www.fujispray.com West Penn Hardwoods 19 www.westpennhardwoods.com
Furniture Medic 29 www.furnituremedicfranchise.com Woodworkers Source 19 www.101woods.com

www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 87

8 Easy Steps to a 7ambour 7DEOHWRS
All it takes is 10 slats of wood, a piece of canvas and a little glue to make the folding table’s ingenious tambour top.
First, cut the top’s 10 slats to size (see Drawing, page 86). After building the tambour clamping jig and trimming the slats
for a tight fit, you’re ready to make the top and mount the apron assembly:

 

Set all the slats into the jig in the correct order, clamp on the Cut out the canvas, then brush or roll a thin coat of yellow glue
end hold-down strip, and clamp the slats lightly together. on the slats and one side of the canvas.

 

Carefully set the canvas onto the slats at one end, then lay it Press the canvas in place using a household iron, set to
down gradually, to avoid trapping any air bubbles. medium-high heat. Keep the iron moving as you work.

 

Center the apron assembly on the tabletop in the jig and score Scrape and pull off the excess canvas along the long edges of the top.
through the canvas along the inside of the long aprons. Trim the canvas’s other edges after trimming the top to final length.

 

Take the top out of the jig and trim both edges on the table With the apron assembled, glue and clamp the long aprons to
saw, first using the miter gauge, then the rip fence. the underside of the completed tambour top.

88 Ta m b o u r - To p F o l d i n g Ta b l e
 Once the glue dries, remove
the top from the clamping fix-
ture, and you’re ready to trim its
ends on the table saw. If neces-
sary, square up one end using
a miter gauge or crosscut sled
to guide the cut. Then, rip the
top to its final 24" length. Use
the straightedge and razor knife
to trim the canvas back about
1/8" to 1/4" from the ends of
the slats. If the canvas unravels a
bit, smear the edge with a dab of
yellow glue to seal in the fibers.
Attaching the Apron
to the Top
You’re finally ready to attach the
apron to the top. With the aprons
assembled, glue only the two
long aprons to the outermost
slats. Use the cut edges of the
canvas to position the assem-
bled apron side to side; center
it lengthwise on the top. Apply
glue to the top-facing edges of
the long aprons before clamping
the aprons down.
When the glue dries, scrape
off any squeeze-out. Now, flip
the assembly over, secure it to
the benchtop, and belt-sand the
top until it’s flat and smooth.
For quickest results, hold the
belt sander at about a 30˚ angle
relative to the grain until the top
is flat and even. Then, sand with
the grain until all the cross-grain
scratches are gone. Do a little
final sanding, and you’re ready
to finish the wood: I recommend
applying a wipe-on polyurethane,
which is easy to control to keep
the canvas clean.
Have Table, Can Travel
Once the finish dries, screw
the legs on, and you’re ready
to put your new table to use.
Or, roll it up and store it where
you can grab it quickly, the next
time you need a handy little
knockdown table. Hopefully,
you’ll need it often!
Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a contributing
editor to Woodworker’s Journal.

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www.woodworkersjournal.com Summer 2015 89

Tricks of the Trade

.45 caliber
cartridge tray
makes a great
1/2" shank
bit holder.

From Bullets to Bit Storage Nail Returns Clamp to Service

Plastic bullet divider trays make excellent router bit holders, says one
of our readers. He uses them both to store his bits and to keep similar
bit styles or sets together. He finds .45 caliber holders perfect for stor-
ing 1/2"-shank bits; .38 caliber carriers are just right for 3/8" shanks,
and either .17 or .22 caliber sizes work well for holding 1/4" bits. If
you’re not a shooter, inquire with a local gun club, gun supplies store
or at a shooting range. Most throw them away, so they could be free.
Kitchen Accessory Makes
for a Quick Finish Mixer
After your kitchen mixer runs its course,
save the beaters. When chucked in a drill,
a beater works well for mixing gel stains,
water- and oil-based paints. You’ll save lots of
time and effort over mixing these liquids by
hand with a stir stick — just make sure you
don’t remove the mixer while the motor is
still running!
The sliding jaw on a reader’s
small bar clamp lost the ability to
engage the bar and became unus-
able. To salvage the clamp, he
drilled a hole all the way through
the jaw and several evenly spaced
holes along the bar. The clamp
could then be used through its
full range again by inserting a
nail through the sliding jaw and
into any of the holes in the bar
that offered the needed capacity.

Label Your Lumber

Some exotic lumber and even
domestics can be difficult to dis-
tinguish on the shelf from other
lumber, especially if you store
your inventory in a poorly lit
area. If you’ve ever run into this
Cork Your Glue Bottle identification problem, use a felt-
Even though we try to be careful, it’s easy to lose the little caps that tip marker to label your lumber
come on some carpenter’s glue bottles. If you do happen to lose one, on the board edges where the
here’s a reader’s simple trick for replacing it. She drills holes in both names are easy to see. This way,
ends of a synthetic wine bottle cork about 1/2" deep. Then, cut the you’ll never be in doubt about
cork in half to make two glue bottle caps. Drill the holes slightly what you have on hand, no mat-
smaller in diameter than your glue bottle’s nozzle, so the new cap will ter how the boards darken or get
fit tightly. The synthetic material is pliable and seals the nozzle well. dusty over time.

90 Tricks of the Trade

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