Popular Woodworking 2003-10 No. 136

When you buy one of our new X
5
tools, it's almost like putting money back in your pocket. Because all X
5
tools come with your choice of one of 4 free tools or a cash rebate. Youll also get over $2000 in savings with
Deltas X-treme Savings Book, up to $500 in free accessories and a best in class 5-year warranty. And with
a deal this good, your dream can become a reality. Call 1-800-438-2486 (US) or 1-800-463-3582 (Canada).
Your achievement. Our tools.
IF YOUVE BEEN DREAMING OF A DELTA
THIS DEAL IS YOUR WAKE UP CALL.
INTRODUCING DELTA X
5
TOOLS
Just look for the Delta tools specially marked with X
5
.
VISIT DELTAMACHINERY.COM FOR A FREE X
5
CATALOG.
CIRCLE NO. 113 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.
38
popwood.com 3
Popular Woodworking (ISSN 0884-8823, USPS 752-250) is
published seven times a year in February, April, June,
August, October, November and December by F&W
Publications Inc. Editorial and advertising ofces are locat-
ed at 4700 E. Galbraith Road., Cincinnati, OH 45236; tel.:
513-531-2222. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and
artwork should include ample postage on a self-addressed,
stamped envelope (SASE); otherwise they will not be
returned. Subscription rates: A years subscription (7 issues)
is $28; outside of U.S add $7/year Canada Publications
Mail Agreement No. 40025316. Canadian return address:
2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON N8Y 1V2 Copyright 2003 by
Popular Woodworking. Periodicals postage paid at
Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing ofces. Postmaster:
Send all address changes to Popular Woodworking, P.O.
Box 5369, Harlan, IA 51593 Canada GST Reg. # R122594716
Produced and printed in the U.S.A.
contents
30
IN EVERY ISSUE
20 Shop-made Squaring Sticks
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Two cleverly machined sticks will conrm that an
assembly is square. Also: Build a better blast gate;
promote household peace with a doorbell.
28 Jets JBM-5 Mortiser
ENDURANCE TEST
With a few small tune-ups, this benchtop
machine can handle any boring task.
30 DeWalts New Planer
TOOL TEST
This planer has it all including a
three-knife cutterhead. Also tested: new
chipbreakers, very inexpensive clamps
and an 8" dado stack for $50.
34 The Magic Trammel Jig
INGENIOUS JIGS
You dont have to go around and around
looking for ways to rout precise circles or
ovals just build this simple device.
By Nick Engler
38 Right Time for Splines
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
Learn how to make one of the best joints
to align miters the simple spline.
By Bill Hylton
49 Fixed-base Routers
WOODWORKING ESSENTIALS
Get a complete course in routers with our seven-part
series on this remarkably versatile power tool. In the
rst installment, we give you everything you need to
know about xed-base routers, the workhorse of the
modern shop. First of seven chapters.
By Nick Engler
86 Back-roads Bodger
GREAT WOODSHOPS
Endeavoring to keep traditional chairmaking alive,
Don Weber traded California sun for an old general
store in Paint Lick, Ky., and couldnt be happier.
34
20
86
continued on page 6
42 Shaker Trestle Table
Without sacricing the perfect lines and
proportions of Shaker furniture, weve
devised a clever way to make this trestle
table astoundingly rock-solid.
By Glen Huey
58 10 Tricks for
Tight Joints
Close the gap on your substandard joints
with these tips that our editors picked
up after decades in the shop.
DEPARTMENTS
10 Out on a Limb
New Feature
Examines Routers
12 Letters
Mail from readers
18 Q & A
We answer readers
most difcult questions
92 From the Bench
Bench Gouges
by Don McConnell
98 Flexner on
Finishing
Using Aerosol Sprays
by Bob Flexner
101 Caption
the Cartoon
Win Clamp-n-Spread
clamps from Penn
State Industries
104 Out of the
Woodwork
The Haunted Jointer
by Peter Sieling
ON THE COVER
Dados, dowels and
glue make this stout
German Work Box a
great project for begin-
ners and ideal roll-
around storage for the
small shop.
Cover photo by Al Parrish
64
POPULAR WOODWORKING October 2003 6
72
64 German Work Box
Simple to build, mobile and packed with
storage, this toolbox stores your tools and
keeps the ones youre using at the ready.
72 Handsaws:
East vs. West
Japanese pullsaws have eclipsed the traditional
Western handsaw in the American shop. Is this
because the pullsaw is better? We nd out.
78 Russian Nesting Dolls
In the sheds behind every house in one small
Russian village, there are wooden shavings piled
chest-high, remnants of hundreds of matryoshki.
By Rett Ertl
84 12 BEST Tool Values
Some tools are so useful theyre worth far more
than you paid for them. Here is our editors list
of their favorites, from a marking knife to a
monster table saw.
42
xx
PROJECTS, TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
58
78
continued from page 3
Your woodwork gets undivided attention. Inspired creations usually do. And Delta is proud to help by
making the best tools for the job. Any job. So get a tool known for innovative design and reliability. Get a Delta.
For a full-line catalog call 800- 438- 2486 (US), 800- 463- 3582 (Canada), or visit deltamachinery.com.
October 2003, Vol. 23, No. 5
popwood.com
Editorial Ofces 513-531-2690
Editor & Publisher Steve Shanesy
ext. 1238 [email protected]
Executive Editor Christopher Schwarz
Art Director Linda Watts
Senior Editor David Thiel
Associate Editor Kara Gebhart
Associate Editor Michael A. Rabkin
Project Illustrator John Hutchinson
Photographer Al Parrish
Contributing Editors
Nick Engler
Bob Flexner
Glen Huey
Don McConnell
Troy Sexton
Magazine Group Head David Hoguet
Executive Vice President Magazine Advertising
Jim Gleim
CIRCULATION
Lynn Kruetzkamp, Group Circulation Manager
Jennifer Mullert, Circulation Manager
PRODUCTION
Barbara Schmitz, Vice President
Vicki Whitford, Production Supervisor
ADVERTISING
Advertising Director Don Schroder
331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104
Tel. 610-821-4425; Fax 610-821-7884
[email protected]
Marketplace/Classied Advertising Sales
Barbara J. Gasper
6552 Kings Highway S., Zionsville, PA 18092
Tel./Fax 610-967-1330
[email protected]
Advertising Production Coordinator
Debbie Thomas, Tel. 513-531-2690 ext. 1219
[email protected]
SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: Subscription inquiries,
orders and address changes can be made at
popwood.com (click on Subscriber Services).
Or by mail: Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 5369,
Harlan, IA 51593. Or call 800-888-6880 or 515-280-1721.
Include your address with all inquiries.
Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery.
NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION: Curtis Circulation Co.,
730 River Rd., New Milford, NJ 07646
ATTENTION RETAILERS:
To carry Popular Woodworking in your store, call Steve Hudziak at
800-894-4656 or write Magazine Retail Sales, Steve Hudziak,
P.O. Box 5014, Iola, WI 54945-5014.
Back issues are available for $7 ($9 Canada; $11 other foreign).
Send check or money order to: Popular Woodworking Back Issues,
F&W Publications Products, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI 54990. Or
call 800-258-0929. Please specify publication, month and year.
30
E-mail:
[email protected]
Euro Anti-Kickback Design
Super-Slick Non-Stick Finish
Super Low Prices
Visit us
at our
Web site:
GREAT ROUTER BITS AND SHAPER CUTTERS
BEST SELECTION / BEST PRICE!
ORDER TOLL FREE
1-800-472-6950
WOODLINE USA P.O. BOX 298 TEMECULA, CA 92593
INDIVIDUAL BITS ALSO AVAILABLE ALL MAJOR CREDIT CARDS
SAME DAY SHIPPING
ALL WOODLINE USA
SETS ARE PACKAGED IN
BEAUTIFUL WOOD BOXES
QUALITY Guaranteed
PREMIUM
CARBIDE
FREE CATALOG
See our great selection of
Bits and Cutters
1-800-472-6950
6 Piece CABINET DOOR SET
1/2" Shank Router Bits
2-pc Rail & Stile (Roman Ogee) Drawer Lock
3 1/4" D Panel Raiser (Ogee) Door Lip Glue Joint
WL-2020-1 $175 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
119set
9 Piece MASTER DADO SET
Includes Undersize for Plywood, Standard for Hardwood and
Oversize for Melamine or Veneered Materials, In 3 Popular
Sizes: 1/4", 1/2" and 3/4".
WL-2030 $89 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
39 set
MOUNTED LASER CUTTING GUIDE
Quality made. Precision cutting accuracy. Economical
battery operated. (included) Versatile, easily mounts
to your chop saw, compound miter saw, radial
arm saw, or drill press.
Quality Precise Economical Versatile
WL-LAZ $69 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
39
LASER
CUTTING
GUIDE
LASER
CUTTING
GUIDE
WOODLINE USA's NEWEST PRODUCT
Fits All Chop Saws.
Laser marks
precise blade cut.
8 Piece PICTURE FRAME SET
Perfect for making great looking picture frames. Bits can be
combined to form complex mouldings or simple
decorative frames.
WL-2008 $189 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
75 set
15 Piece 1/2"
SHANK SET
Includes:
Chamfer Cove =
1/2"R, 3/8"R, 1/4"R
Roundover =
1/2"R, 3/8"R, 1/4"R
Roman Ogee = 1/4"R
Straight Bits = 3/4", 1/2", 1/4"
1/2" Dovetail 1/2" Roundover 1"CL Flush Trim Rabbet Bit
WL-2022 for 1/2" or WL-2021 for 1/4"SHANK SET
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
59each set
5 Piece DOVETAIL SET
14 3/4" 14 5/8"
8 1/2" 14 1/2"
14 3/8"
WL-2017
$30 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
19 set
5 Piece MOULDING SET
1/2" Shank Router Bits WL-2011 $175 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
99 set
Includes:
5 Straight Bits
6 Roundovers
3 Dovetails
3 Core Box
3 Cove Bits
2 Flush Trim, 1 Panel Bit
2 Roman Ogee, 2 Slot Cutters, 1 "V" Groove
1 Chamfer and 1 Bevel Trim Bit SUPER BUY
WL-2010 OUR PRICE ONLY
$
109set
PROFESSIONAL SET
Piece
30
3 Piece CABINET DOOR SET
2-pc Roman Ogee Rail & Stile 3 1/4" Panel Raiser
WL-2019-1 $129 VALUE
OUR PRICE ONLY
$
69 set
Other
Profiles
Available.
ASK
ANY FINE WOODWORKER AND HE WILL TELL YOU THIS:
SEE OUR EVER EXPANDING LINE OF MACHINERY
AT AN AUTHORIZED QUALITY DEALER.
QUALITY MACHINES PRODUCE QUALITY RESULTS.
THAT IS WHY WE DESIGN OUR MACHINES TO THE MOST STRINGENT STANDARDS,
TRIPLE CHECK EACH ONE FOR QUALITY ASSURANCE AND
BACK EVERY MACHINE WITH A FULL TWO-YEAR WARRANTY!
- 1 HP, 110V motor
- Precision ground cast iron tables
- Extra large cast iron fence
- Simple fence adjustment
- Post mounted control switch
- Silky-smooth handwheel table adjustment
- Powder coated paint
- Approx. shipping weight: 300 lbs.
SHOP FOX
6" JOINTER
This outstanding machine combines innovative features with time-
tested favorites to give the discriminating craftsman the quality,
convenience and performance standards he demands. Here are
just a few of the outstanding features that puts our 6" Jointer in a
class of its own:
SHOP FOX
2 HP SHAPER
SHOPFOX.BIZ SHOPFOX.BIZ
1-800-840-8420 1-800-840-8420
CALL FOR THE LOCATION OF A DEALER NEAR YOU!
s a l e s @ w o o d s t o c k i n t e r n a t i o n a l . c o m
VISIT OUR WEBSITE FOR MORE SHOP FOX
PRODUCTS
SHOP FOX
is a registered
trademark of
Woodstock
International, Inc.
- 2 HP, 110/220V, single-phase motor
- Large precision ground cast iron table
- All ball bearing construction
- Heavy-duty miter gauge
-
1
2" and
3
4" spindles included
- 3" spindle travel
- Cabinet stand with powder coated paint
- Approx. shipping weight: 270 lbs.
We designed this shaper for maximum performance. With 25% more power
and 40% more weight than other shapers in its price range, you can use
larger cutters or stack multiple cutters to save time. By stacking multiple
cutters you simply raise or lower the spindle for the next profile, greatly
reducing time for tooling changes. Combine this feature with the ones listed
below and you have the best shaper value on the market!
5
1
3
2
0
3
6
5
8
3" SPINDLE TRAVEL!
CONVENIENT PEDESTAL
MOUNTED CONTROLS!
W1679
W1674
Shown with D2057 Adjustable Mobile Base (not included)
OUT ON A LIMB
T
urn to the center of this issue and
youll nd a section thats new
and different from anything
youve ever seen in Popular
Woodworking, or any other
woodworking magazine for
that matter.
Woodworking Essentials
takes a basic subject and ex-
plores it in great detail during
the course of several issues. Were
starting with the router, a funda-
mental woodworking tool in most
shops. Woodworking Essentials
starts with the premise that while
individual articles on a subject are
fine, certain subjects are so im-
portant that they require a more textbook
approach to be truly meaningful.
This special section isnt just for novice
woodworkers, though. Youll nd elements
designed to fill in knowledge gaps of more
advanced woodworkers, too. And everyone
will benefit from the jig project included
in each installment.
Before this all-encompassing series on
routers ends, were going to cover everything
you need to know about bits, jigs, techniques,
tables, pro tricks, joinery and advanced rout-
ing. And should you wish to organize the se-
ries in a three-ring binder, weve printed hole
locations that fit a binder perfectly. When
you have the complete series, youll have
one of the best books on routers ever.
Welcome Don McConnell
Id also like to introduce you to Don
McConnell, our newest contributing editor.
Don, who writes our From the Bench col-
umn on hand tools, is an amazing source of
knowledge about traditional woodworking
techniques, tools and the history of the trade.
Don started as an apprentice in the cab-
inet shop at The Ohio Village and has worked
as a professional builder for 26 years. Despite
the power-tool bias of most shops, Don has
New Feature Examines
Routers in Greater Depth
Steve Shanesy
Editor & Publisher
David Thiel
Senior Editor
Specialties: Projects,
new products and tools,
tricks of the trade
513-531-2690 ext. 1255
[email protected]
Christopher Schwarz
Executive Editor
Specialties: Hand-tool
techniques, building projects
and author liaison
513-531-2690 ext. 1407
[email protected]
SAFETY NOTE
Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers
place safety devices on their equipment for a
reason. In certain photos you see in Popular
Woodworking, these have been removed to
provide clarity. In some cases well use an
awkward body position so you can better see
whats being demonstrated. Dont copy us.
Think about each procedure youre going to
perform beforehand. Safety First!
Steve Shanesy
Editor & Publisher
Specialties: Projects,
techniques, article and
project selection
513-531-2690 ext. 1238
[email protected]
Our Privacy Promise to You
We make portions of our customer list available to
carefully screened companies that offer products and
services we believe you may enjoy. If you do not want
to receive offers and/or information, please let us
know by contacting us at:
List Manager, F & W Publications,
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236
Linda Watts
Art Director
Specialties: Magazine and
cover design, photo direction
513-531-2690 ext. 1396
[email protected]
Kara Gebhart
Associate Editor
Specialties: Special issues,
author liaison, copy editing
513-531-2690 ext. 1348
[email protected]
Michael A. Rabkin
Associate Editor
Specialties: Web site,
author liaison, copy editing
513-531-2690 ext. 1327
[email protected]
CONTACT
INFORMATION
made his living using hand tools
for the vast majority of that time.
His column seeks to introduce
present-day woodworkers
to the world of hand work,
which often can be as effi-
cient and accurate as work
done with power tools. Often
he will show you how to prop-
erly use a tool that has frustrated
woodworkers in the past. Or, as
in this issue, Don shows you the
wonders of a traditional tool youve
probably never even thought about
picking up, even though its best
suited for the job at hand.
Whats Your Shop Worth?
On a side note, whether you know it or not,
you probably own a small fortune in tools
and equipment. But have you tallied up just
how much everything is worth or would cost
to replace? More importantly, does your
spouse, family or insurance agent know?
In the event of a disaster, its a good bet
a standard homeowners policy wont come
close to paying for equipment losses. Coverage
varies from company to company, even state
to state, so its best to check with your agent.
And heaven forbid you meet an untimely
demise without a family member knowing
the realistic value of the tools, especially col-
lectible ones.Theres been more than one
spouse eeced by a greedy soul.
However, as a matter of self-preservation
(or just to promote marital harmony), you
might want to put that list of equipment and
its value in a sealed envelope thats to be
opened only after your passing. PW
Crosscuts With Other Blades
A Freud LU85R Crosscut
N
O
M
O
R
E SA
N
D
I
N
G
The Psychology of Woodworking
Red saw blades are a registered trademark of Freud TMM, Inc. (U.S.) 1-800-472-7307 (CANADA) 1-800-263-7016
TM
N
o
n
-St
i
c
k
C
o
a t i
n
g
No More Sanding Required! No need to sand burns,
swirls or chipped edges anymoreget it right the first time with the
LU85R. These blades feature new anti-vibration slots that practically
eliminate vibration and sideways movement of the cutting edge,
preventing splintering, chipping and tear-out. Finally, a precise,
accurate, flawless cut that saves you time and money.
A Polished Finish! A feature that makes this blade so
exceptional is the unique side grind of each alternate top bevel (ATB)
tooth. This grind enables the blade to actually polish the material as it
cuts. Also, not all carbides are created equal. After years of testing,
Freud developed a specially formulated blend of carbide that
maximizes hardness and impact strength to maintain a sharp cutting
edge cut after cut...after cut.
Longer Life! Freuds Perma-SHIELD Permanent Coating
reduces friction, heat build-up, gumming, rust and chemical
corrosion to minimize blade drag and extend blade life. This unique
coating keeps the blade cool and straight, preventing premature
blade wear and ensuring a super-accurate cut.
Choose the Ultimate Cutoff Blade (sizes range from 8" -15") for projects that
require consistent high-quality crosscuts in hard and soft woods. Whether youre
a production shop or a custom woodworker, use Freud saw blades to help make
your work exceptional.
For a Freud dealer near you, go to - www.FreudTools.com
The Industry's leading crosscutting blade just got better.
Freuds LU85R Ultimate Crosscutting Blades now feature laser-cut anti-vibration
slots for a flawless glass-smooth finish.
LETTERS
When Mounting Your Saw Blade,
Make Sure You Know Front from Back
In regards to your article The 16 Dumbest
Woodworking Mistakes (August 2003),
heres another one to watch out for: mount-
ing a saw blade backwards on your table, ra-
dial arm, miter or circular saw.
After using a masonry blade to cut some
at stone with my old 12" radial-arm saw, I
remounted the saw blade and tried to cross-
cut a piece. The blade entered the cut, then
stalled and started to smoke. Puzzled about
why a sharp blade refused to cut, I removed
it, looked over the perfectly sharp teeth and
remounted it on the saw.
Same result. Then I looked again: The
teeth were backwards! Now thats dumb.
Reversing the blade solved the problem,
and that old blade is still cutting clean.
Barney Howard
Sisters, Oregon
Its Not Really Dumb if You
Have Learned Your Lesson
Im afraid I dont agree with the title of your
article The 16 Dumbest Woodworking
Mistakes. In my opinion, there are only two
types of dumb mistakes: Those you dont
learn from, and those you knew you were
making but went ahead with anyway because
it took too long to do things the right way.
Most accidents come from the second type.
A better headline would have been 16
Common Mistakes You Can Avoid.
Michael R. Turner
Renton, Washington
Endurance Test Doesnt Give
Fair Account of Tools Values
I have been a faithful reader of your mag-
azine because I greatly enjoy the articles by
your senior editors and contributing edi-
tors. My skills are not up to the projects of
Glen Huey and Troy Sexton, but I read their
articles to get ideas.
WRITE TO US
Popular Woodworking welcomes letters from
readers with comments about the magazine
or woodworking in general. We try to
respond to all correspondence. Published
letters may be edited for length or style. All
letters become the property of Popular
Woodworking. How to send your letter:
E-mail: [email protected]
Fax: 513-891-7196
Mail carrier:
Letters Popular Woodworking
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
Dumb Mistakes Can
Strike Us All, Right?
However, when you venture into prod-
uct endorsement by way of your Endurance
Test, you raise my suspicions about your ob-
jectivity and lack of a comparative basis
for your endorsement. The June 2003 issue
with the testimonials to Titebond II and
Bessey Tradesmen Clamps is a good exam-
ple. They add nothing to the overall quali-
ty of your magazine and, in fact, detract from
it. Who cares what you use in your shop when
there is no comparison test? You probably
got the product for free or, if you bought the
product, the cost is a business expense.
Moreover, the statement in the clamp
section that you get what you pay for is not
a helpful rule of thumb. I do not have un-
limited funds at my disposal I need to know
what product will get the job done at the
lowest price. I do not ordinarily make wood-
en objects to sit outside, nor do I build a small
volume of projects a year, so I would like to
know what the bond strength and open time
are for Titebond as well as its competitors.
The clamp section of the test report
was more of the same. I believe that Besseys
are overpriced. My belief, if erroneous, could
have been corrected and my knowledge
continued on page 14
The MultiMaster Super Case
The new metal FEIPN MultiMaster
Super Case has plenty of room to
carry a selection of accessories and
sandpaper. Contains:
Felt Polishing Pad Rasp
133 E-Cut blade Grout blade
Convex blade Mini E-Cut set
MultiMaster Tile Kit
Now you can remove cracked or
chipped ceramic tile or old grout
The Multi-Master Tile Kit contains a
Thin Carbide Blade, Normal Carbide
Blade, Thick Carbide Blade, Carbide
Rasp and 127 E-Cut Blade.
Call 1-800-441-9878 or visit
www.feinus.com now!
Fein
Get off to
a great
start
mantles
molding
cabinets
Turn your MultiMaster
into a profile sander.
windows
knobs
chair rails
furniture
dentils
frames
Congratulations. Your MultiMaster just became a profile
sander. Not just a profile sander, the very best profile
sander available anywhere. And you thought the
MultiMaster was already the most versatile power
tool you could own.
The FEIN MultiMaster Profile Sanding kit far outper-
forms any of the dedicated profile sanders now on
the market. It sands 300 to 500% times faster, with
no vibration to hurt your wrist or mar the finish.
The FEIN MultiMaster Profile Sanding
kit contains a holder, six inserts that
mold to form fit your profile, and 5
sheets each of 80, 120 and 180
grit sandpaper. It fits every
MultiMaster ever made. See it at your favorite dealer
mid-August. What a great add-on!
Call 1-800-441-9878 for more details and a dealer
near you, or visit us at www.feinus.com.
Fein
Fi ni s hi ng
i s j us t
t he begi nni ng Flat V-Shaped Trapezoidal Concave Small Convex Large Convex
baseboards
stair rails
crown molding
countertops
LETTERS
increased if you had informed me that the
Bessey Tradesmen 12" clamp with 4" throat,
1" x
5
16" bar and clamping strength of
800 pounds at $23.99 competes with an econ-
omy model 12" with 5" throat, 1
3
8" x
5
16"
bar and a load limit of 1,200 pounds at $15.95.
I ask (rhetorically) if you get what you pay
for, what are you getting in the 12" Bessey
4" throat that justies the
3
8" smaller bar size
and the $8 higher price?
What you do well in evaluating tools is
perhaps best shown by the 12-volt cordless
drill comparison in your February 2003 issue.
Here, I can understand the basis for your rec-
ommendations. Get rid of those Endurance
Test reports another report like the June
issue and you will be turning off readers.
Lester McAuliffe
via the Internet
Editors note: The reports in the Endurance
Test were never designed to report on com-
parative data with other products in the same
category. They are, in fact, designed to report
on the one thing we cannot compare in a direct
test comparison such as the drill test you men-
tion. The drill test may give you the informa-
tion you need about the performance of a new,
out-of-the-box product, but it cannot give
you any insight as to the likely longevity that
tool may have in use in your shop (or mine).
When I think back about the tools weve re-
viewed in our Endurance Test column, they are
all woodworking classics that have literally stood
the ultimate test the test of time.
These are products that any woodworker
could buy with confidence. It may be that not
every woodworker can afford some of them, but
that is not necessarily our biggest concern in this
instance. They are still good tools and, Id go so
far as to say, the best in their class.
I am not trying to change your mind about
how tools should be tested. Im just trying to
show you why we think Endurance Test has a
valid position in our article lineup.
Steve Shanesy, editor & publisher
Beginner Could Have Used More
Denitions in Lumber Glossary
As a beginning woodworker, I enjoy the tips,
tricks and general information in your mag-
azine very much. I would, however, like to
comment on the Lusting for Lumber arti-
cles that appeared in August 2003.
CORRECTION
Popular Woodworking corrects all signicant
errors. For a list of corrections to the
magazine, or to report one, please visit our
web site at popwood.com and click on
Magazine Extras.
In the Saw Blade Box (June 2003), the
3
4"-wide x
1
2"-deep rabbet should be cut on
two short edges and one long edge of the
top and bottom of the box, not on two long
edges and one short edge.
I enjoyed the Sticker Shock story about
the man getting a great deal when the clerk
didnt know the difference between dressed
and undressed lumber. Well, to tell you the
truth, I dont know the difference either. It
would have been nice if you told the differ-
ence, especially because there was a glossary
accompanying the article.
Also, in that glossary, the denition for
dimensional lumber states that a 1 x 4 will
typically measure
3
4" x 3
1
4". Shouldnt the
larger dimension be 3
3
4"?
Finally, and I know this is a real nit-pick,
the definition for air-dried lumber states
that it reduces the moisture content to about
12 percent to 15 percent. It would have been
nice, just for information, if the definition
of the kiln-dried lumber also would have
listed the moisture content.
Lane Wallace
Knoxville, Tennessee
Editors note: Youve got some good questions.
Dressed lumber has been planed down and
is presumably ready to use, while undressed
is in the rough right from the sawmill. We should
have included that in the articles glossary.
As to the actual width of a 1 x 4, I was being
generous when I said it was 3
1
4". Most 1 x 4s
in my neck of the woods are more like 3
1
8" wide.
As to kiln-dried lumber, the final moisture
content depends on the region of the country and
where the lumber is stored. It can be anywhere
from 7 percent to 12 percent on average. Thanks
for pointing that out. PW
Christopher Schwarz, executive editor
BUILD YOUR OWN KITCHEN CABINETS
2
ND
EDITION
by Danny Proulx
Superbly detailed, this fully updated guide walks you through all
the stages of planning, design, construction and installation of
kitchen cabinets.
#70626-K $24.99 pb
BUILDING THE PERFECT
TOOL CHEST
by Jim Stack
Get clear and easy-to-follow
instructions for building 15
tool chests. Each practical and
stylish design is adaptable to
individual needs and provides a
convenient place to store all of
a woodworkers tools.
#70598-K $24.99 pb
PRECISION TRIM
CARPENTRY
by Rick Williams
Save money and gain satisfaction
as you learn to craft your own
precision trim carpentry. Projects
include trimming a door, installing
windows and wainscot panels,
hanging drywall, patching
Sheetrock and more!
#70584-K $24.99 pb
ORDER FORM
Please enter number of copies next to desired selection(s):
___ Build Your Own Kitchen Cabinets, 2
nd
Edition
(#70626-K) $24.99
___ Building Woodshop Workstations (#70585-K) $24.99
___ Building the Perfect Tool Chest (#70598-K) $24.99
___ Precision Trim Carpentry (#70584-K) $24.99
SUBTOTAL: $____________
In the U.S., please add $3.95 shipping and handling for the first book, $1.95
for each additional book. In OH, NY, CO, MA and MI add applicable state
tax. In Canada, add US$5.00 for the first book, US$3.00 for each additional
book, and 7% GST. Payment in U.S. funds must accompany order.
TOTAL: $____________
Check or money order enclosed - or -
Charge my VISA MasterCard AmEx Exp.______
Acct.# ____________________________________________
Signature _________________________________________
Name ____________________________________________
Address___________________________________________
City______________________________________________
State/Prov._________________ZIP/PC__________________
ZAJ03PW
Send to: Popular Woodworking Books
PO Box 9274
Central Islip, NY 11722-9274
For more information or to order by Credit Card visit
www.popularwoodworking.com/store
or call toll free 1-800-448-0915
BUILDING WOODSHOP WORKSTATIONS
by Danny Proulx
Whether youre fighting cramped quarters or looking to be
more organized, youll want these 11 detailed plans for building
completely self-contained units for every tool and accessory in
your shop.
#70585-K $24.99 pb
Build it yourself
with help from Popular Woodworking Books!
These selections are available at your favorite bookseller,
or direct from the publisher using the Order Form to the right.
NEW NEW
NEW
NEW
Place Kreg Jig AD here
CIRCLE NO. 129 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD. CIRCLE NO. 118 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.
Q & A
I have only one problem with your arti-
cle. You said to use wax on your planes sole.
This will affect the finish when you try to
stain the wood. It seems to me that it would
seal the wood (like when glue runs out and
is wiped off). If wax gets into the grain it will
cause nish problems. Is this really the case?
Howi Torgersen
New Port Richey, Florida
With beginners, I completely agree that a ran-
dom-orbit sander will produce the best results
with the least amount of practice. But in the
hands of an experienced user, a sharp smooth-
ing plane cannot be beat.
Heres why: When I sand solid wood (and I
do sand on occasion), I start with #100 grit,
then move up to #150 and then #220. According
to most manufacturers Ive talked to about ran-
dom-orbit sanders, you should move the tool
slowly, about a foot every 10 seconds. And it
takes three or four passes to get the scratch
pattern completely even maybe more at the
lowest grit. So to sand a piece of wood 6" wide
and 12" long, it should take about two minutes,
not counting the time to change sandpaper.
With a smoothing plane, I can plane a board
that size in about 15 swipes. When Im done,
the surface is better than #220 grit by far.
As for parafn wax, woodworkers have been
using it for generations on their planes without
nishing problems. Parafn is petroleum distil-
late, the solid form of mineral spirits, which does
not interfere with nishing. Ive never had a stain
that wouldnt penetrate the wood because of the
parafn, or a topcoat that wouldnt stick. PW
Christopher Schwarz, executive editor
A Lesson in Saw Blade Anatomy
Can you explain the difference between a
crosscut and a ripping blade? Of course, I
know the difference between crosscutting
and ripping, but I cant seem to figure out
how the saw blades are different.
Also, as far as teeth go, what is the ad-
vantage of fewer teeth? I dont have a lot of
blades, so I have invested primarily in qual-
ity nish blades. I have the blades my saws
came with and I use them on less important
cuts to preserve my expensive blades. When
those wear out, should I buy more blades with
fewer teeth? I havent seen a downside to the
nish blades, and I dont get much tear-out.
Brian Dickerson
Mound, Minnesota
A crosscut blade has teeth oriented in an
alternate-top bevel (ATB) pattern. ATBs
have the teeth points beveled to the outside of the
blade, alternating sides with every other tooth.
This pattern is designed to slice wood fibers
like a knife, separating them cleanly. A rip blade
has teeth with at tops (rakers)to plow through
the wood like a chisel, pulling with the direction
Choose the Right
Tooth for the Job
WRITE TO US
Every day we get questions from readers on
all subjects about their woodworking. Some
are letters; many are e-mail messages. We
are more than happy to share our wood-
working experience with you by answering
your questions or adding some clarity to
whatever aspect of your craft you are unsure
about. In addition to the hundreds we
answer privately every month, we want to
share the best questions here with readers.
Send your questions via e-mail to
[email protected], or by mail to:
Popular Woodworking, Q&A, 4700
E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n

b
y

H
a
y
e
s

S
h
a
n
e
s
y
of the bers and making a clean cut. A true rip
blade is less common today because many wood-
workers opt for a combination blade with both
ATB and raker teeth, usually in sets of ve with
the raker tooth preceding the four ATB teeth.
The best number of teeth will depend on how
the wood is being cut. A blade designed for cross-
cutting needs between 60 and 80 teeth. A rip-
ping blade works with the grain and the cutting
action requires less work, so fewer teeth (be-
tween 24 to 36) are needed. Also, the contin-
uous bers removed by a rip blade require large
gullets to remove the waste.
In the best of all worlds, we recommend a
good 40- or 50-tooth combination blade, a good
24-tooth rip blade and a good 80-tooth crosscut
blade for the best variety and performance.
David Thiel, senior editor
How is a Smoothing Plane More
Efcient Than a Random-orbit Sander?
I read your article Use a Smoothing Plane
Instead of Sandpaper (June 2003) and still
believe sandpaper in a random-orbit sander
is the least amount of time and effort. However,
the concept of smoothing planes is great.
Flat tooth levers out
the grain like a chisel
Edges score grain like a
knife for smooth cuts
Incorporates both
styles of teeth
Rip tooth Alternate-top bevel
for crosscutting
Combination teeth
CORDLESS
DRILL SERIES
MAIL-IN REBATE
$
20Rebate
BUY 12V
GET
MFORCE
DRILL SERIES
18V, 14.4V, 12V
1-800-4MAKITA
MAKITATOOLS.COM
PERFORMANCE
Two-Piece D-31 motor with dual
ball bearings for longer motor life
DURABILI T Y
All metal gear transmission
creates efficient power
POWER
Shift-Lock
Drive System instantly

shifts from drill to driver
RUN TIME
2.6Ah (Ni-MH) batteries outlast
Ni-Cd with no memory effect
SHIFT TO
FULL POWER.
$
30Rebate
BUY 14.4V
GET
$
40Rebate
BUY 18V
GET
$
50Rebate
BUY 18V
Combo Kit
GET
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
THE WINNER:
One of the best ways I have found to
check the squareness of an assembly
is to compare its diagonal measure-
ments to make sure they match.
The quickest and most ac-
curate way to do this is to
use squaring sticks.
You can easily make
your own squaring sticks
from straight-grained scrap
as shown. Simply saw a mating tongue and
groove into the edges of two
3
4"-square sticks.
This joint keeps the sticks aligned in use.
The 40 miters at the ends allow easy inser-
tion into case and frame corners. When com-
paring diagonals, use a small clamp to hold
the sticks in lengthwise position. Then, using
the same set of sticks, measure the other di-
agonal. If the assembly is square, the length
should be the same. I make pairs in various
lengths to suit differently sized projects.
Roger Winers
St. Paul, Minnesota
Shop-made
Squaring Sticks
Each issue we publish useful woodworking tips from our readers.
Next issues winner will win a Grizzly G1014Z, 6" x 48" belt/ 9"disc
sander, which has quick release for fast belt changes and a conven-
ient, single-knob tracking control system. The G1014Z offers a
3
4-horsepower (10 amp) motor, shielded bearings, a cast-iron table
and body, a 2" dust port and an A-frame stand.
Runners-up each receive a check for $75.
When submitting a trick you must include your complete mailing
address and a daytime phone number. You can send your trick by
e-mail to [email protected], or mail it to:
Tricks of the Trade
Popular Woodworking
4700 E. Galbraith Road
Cincinnati, OH 45236
CASH AND PRIZES FOR YOUR
TRICKS AND TIPS!
Tongue and
groove keep
sticks aligned
Each stick is cut at 40
Spring clamp holds sticks together
3
4" square sticks
(length based
on need)
Compiled by Paul Anthony
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

b
y

M
a
t
t

B
a
n
t
l
y
For more information or
to order by Credit Card visit
www.popularwoodworking.com/store/books
or call toll free 1-800-221-5831
Creating strong, durable joints has never been
easier with the biscuit joiner. And now you can use
this practical technique to creating wonderful new
pieces of furniture for your home!
With 12 projects, including a bookcase, nightstand,
chest of drawers, and entertainment center, you'll
discover the value of the biscuit joiner for stylish,
durable, and functional furniture. Best of all, you'll
be amazed at how quickly you can turn your home
into an artful display of your crafts!
Order your copy of The Biscuit Joiner Project
Book today!
#70531-K/$26.99/128 pgs/pb/200 color
illustrations
Available at your favorite bookseller or directly
from the publisher using the Order Form below.
Build
Furniture
That Lasts!
YES! Please send me ____ copy(ies) of
The Biscuit Joiner Project Book
(#70531-K) $26.99 each
SUBTOTAL: $ __________
In the U.S. please add $3.95 shipping and handling for the rst book,
$1.95 for each additional book. In OH, NY, CO and MI, please add
applicable state tax. In Canada, add US$5.00 shipping and handling for
the rst book, US$3.00 for each additional book, and 7% GST. Payment
in U.S. funds must accompany order.
TOTAL: $ __________
ICheck or money order enclosed -or-
ICharge my IVISA IMC IAmEx
Acct.#______________________________
Expiration date ________________________
Signature____________________________
Name______________________________
Address_____________________________
City________________________________
State/Prov._____________ZIP/PC__________
Send to: Popular Woodworking Books
PO Box 9274
Central Islip, NY 11722-9274
ZAJ03PB
ORDER FORM
YES!
Ash, Cherry, Hard Maple, Red Oak,
White Oak, Walnut, Sycamore,
Mahogany, Hickory, and Birch.
Also, many Exotic Species in Stock.
WEST PENN HARDWOODS, INC.
(888) 636-WOOD (9663)
www.westpennhardwoods.com
We now have
Curly Bubinga, Curly Makore
& other gured exotics
QUARTERSAWN HARDWOODS
&
HIGHLY FIGURED LUMBER
N
EW
463 W. Lincoln Highway (Rt. 30)
Exton, PA 19341
610-363-7330 Fax: 610-363-7639
1-800-257-3711
www.ballandball-us.com
Since 1933, Ball and Ball has
been manufacturing the
highest quality repro-
duction furniture hard-
ware, builders hardware,
lighting xtures, and re-
place accessories available.
B
RASS & IRONHARDWARE
Finest Quality Reproduction
Call for our 108-page catalog available for $7.00.
(catalog cost refunded on rst order)
Gorilla Brand Premium Glue is the all
purpose, interior/exterior glue ideal for
most repair and bonding needs. Its
great for indoor/outdoor
furniture repair, woodworking
projects, as well as general
repairs around the house.
Bonds wood, stone, metal,
ceramic and more!
Incredibly strong and
100% waterproof.
for retailers near you:
www.gorillaglue.com
1-800-966-3458
Arrow Fastener Co., Inc., 271 Mayhill Street, Saddle Brook, New Jersey 07663
Canada: Jardel Distributors, Inc., 6505 Metropolitan Blvd. East, Montreal, Quebec H1P 1X9
United Kingdom: Arrow Fastener (U.K.) Ltd., Unit 5 ZK Park, 23 Commerce Way, Croydon CR0 4ZS, Surrey
www.arrowfastener.com Rev.1002
DRIVES 4 SIZES
OF NAILS WITH
NOEFFORT
ET200
1
1
/
4
LONG
DRIVES 4
DIFFERENT SIZE
BRAD NAILS UP TO
New Heavy Duty
Nail Driving
Power with
Built-in 10 Cord.
Available at home centers, lumber yards
and hardware stores, wherever ne tools are sold.
Comfortable
Ergonomic
Styling with
Cushioned
Non-Slip
Grip.
Trigger and
Surface
Safety Locks.
Non-Marring
Bumper.
Putting Your Junk Mail to Work
Ive nally found a great use for those pesky plastic cards shaped like
credit cards that come in the mail. I just wrap a piece of self-stick
sandpaper around one and use it as a sanding block. The thin edges
allow for sanding right up to corners and protrusions, as the card
will slip into grooves and other tight areas. You can make as many
different grit cards as you like, cutting them into any suitable shape
if necessary. They work like a charm.
Nathan Dixon
Fort Faireld, Maine
File Your Tool Rest for Smoother Turning
When turning smooth, owing proles on lathework, scratches or
dings in the tool rest can interrupt the motion of the tool, creat-
ing flaws on the workpiece. Whenever I notice that my skews or
gouges are starting to catch on the tool rest, I smooth its edge
with a 10" mill le to remove any roughness. Then, to really make
things go easily, I rub some paraffin on the edge of the tool rest
and on the shanks of my turning tools. Its amazing how much a lit-
tle lubrication can aid smoother cutting.
Kenneth Burton
New Tripoli, Pennsylvania
Flattening a Cupped Board
Often the best way to deal with a severely cupped board is to rip
it, dress the pieces straight, at and square, then edge-join them to-
gether again. The usual approach is to rip the board down the
center into two pieces. But if the board is atsawn as most are
this method yields an unattractive grain pattern in the reglued board.
A better approach is to rip the board through the straight-grained
areas near the edges of the board. Although this involves a bit more
work, the resulting joint lines in the straight-grained areas will not
be nearly as noticeable.
John Franks
Santa Monica, California
Rip through
straight grain areas
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
ROUTER & TABLE SAW SYSTEMS
Combination Router & Table Saw Fences
Micro Adjustable, Accurate to 1/1000 of an inch
Router Tables, Table Saw Extension and
Floating Infeed/Outfeed Tables
Available in Solid Phenolic or Melamine
Complete Table Saw Upgrade Systems
Available for virtually all Cabinet & Contractor Saws
True Zero Clearance Miter/Cutoff Sled
Micro-Adjustable, Positive Detents Every 1/2 Degree
Table Mounted Router Lift System
Raise & Lower a Router with 1/1000 of an inch precision
And Much More...
FREE CATALOG!
ULTRA-PRECISION WOODWORKING SYSTEMS
CALL TODAY!
1-800-619-1288
www.jointech.com
A
M
ERICA
N
W
O
O
D W
O
R
K
E
R
' '
Jointech Routing Center
Router Table
Systems Available
Voted Best New Tool by
Popular Woodworking!
Jointech, Inc. is an official
dealer for products made by:
FREE CATALOG!
I think of Woodcraft
Im Bill Carroll,
call me & Ill show
you how you can
own a Woodcraft
franchise
Bring your woodworking skill, your love of
tools, and your expertise and well show you how
you can turn your passion for woodworking into
your lifes work.
800 344-3348
1177 Rosemar Road
P.O. Box 1686
Parkersburg, WV 26102-1686 Dept.F03PW06Q
or e-mail:
[email protected]
When I
think about
owning my own business
popwood.com 23
Biscuits to Guide Your Work
When laying out biscuit joints, sometimes the size and position of
the slots can be crucial. When joining frames, for example, a slot
thats too long can break through the edge of a rail. As a layout aid,
I keep several reference biscuits in a container near my bench.
On each biscuit, I mark its size (#0, #10 or #20) and the length of
its slot using a permanent marker. I also ring its perimeter in red
marker to prevent accidentally using it during a hurried glue-up.
Craig Bentzley
Chalfont, Pennsylvania
A Perfect Putty Knife
I work in a busy cabinet shop where we use
brad nailers all day long and then have to
putty the holes. Ive learned that applying
putty using a small applicator prevents smear-
ing it all over the workpiece, so I made my
own putty knife from a
5
16"-diameter alu-
minum craft knife. I ground a dull blade into
a mini-spatula shape, which makes a nice
exible applicator. I also led the end of the
handle into a screwdriver-like shape to pry
open the lids of the putty cans.
Dominic DeBlasio
Kintnersville, Pennsylvania
Stop the Screaming from Upstairs
The noise level in my basement shop often makes it difcult to hear
my wife calling me from upstairs. Needless to say, this does not pro-
mote peace and tranquility in our house. I resolved the problem by
purchasing a wireless doorbell for about $15 from a local home cen-
ter. Plugged into one of my shops electrical outlets, its plenty loud
for me to hear over the machines. Now, instead of having to yell
down the stairs, my wife simply presses the button that she keeps
in a kitchen drawer. Should the default bell tune happen to match
that of your existing front doorbell, it can easily be changed to a
unique spouse alert tune.
Joseph Shidle
Palatine, Illinois
Grind off tip
of knife
blade into
mini spatula
File end of
knife handle
into a
screwdriver
shape
C
raftsm
en around the w
orld
have discovered the secret of
better quality w
ork. The R
azor
Saw
cuts by pulling and w
ill
give a cleaner, m
ore accurate
cut in half the tim
e.
Purchase a R
AZO
R
SAW
now
and w
e w
ill include our 100
page catalog of the w
orlds
nest w
oodw
orking tools.
O
r
send $2.00 for a tw
o year sub-
scription to our C
atalog.
www.japanwoodworker.com
Dept PW
Build a Better Blast Gate
I have an 11,000 cubic-feet-per-minute dust
collector and have tried various types of blast
gates for my system. The plastic gates tend
to get jammed with chips, and the gaps in
metal gates tend to reduce system suction.
This led me to build my own gates, which
Ive used for about a year with great success.
The gates are simple to make. Use the
same type of wood for the panels and slide,
orienting the grain in the same direction to
ensure the pieces expand and contract across
the grain at the same rate. (You could make
the entire gate from plywood to eliminate
any potential wood-movement problems.)
The end caps overhang the faces of the
panels
1
4" to allow easy grabbing. I attached
each 4"-diameter section of PVC pipe to its
panel from the inside with a couple of screws,
then caulked around the perimeter. When
you are assembling the top and bottom to
the panels, rst sandwich the slide between
the panels, along with four pieces of paper.
Removing the paper after assembly will cre-
ate a small gap to allow easy sliding. I also
waxed the slide to minimize friction.
Jerry Darby
Odessa, Texas
Crosscutting dowels, tubes or other cylin-
drical work can be dicey because round stock
tends to spin out of control when the blade
makes contact. For a safer approach, I mount
the work in a shop-made cradle that consists
of two beveled lengths of wood attached to
a platform. To make the cradle, set your table-
saw blade at 45 and rip the beveled pieces
from the edges of a wide, thick board. Then
glue or screw the pieces to the plywood plat-
form, aligning their ends with one squared
end of the panel. You can now clamp or screw
the jig to your miter-saw table or table-saw
crosscut sled. To use the jig, hold the round
stock rmly in the cradle and make the cut
slowly and steadily to prevent spinning. For
extra friction, you can glue sandpaper to the
bearing faces of the beveled pieces.
Andy Rae
Asheville, North Carolina
Front view
Closed
Top and bottom
3
4" x 2
1
4" x 6"
End cap (2)
3
4" x 2
3
4" x 6
1
2"
Slide
3
4" x 4
31
32" x 12"
Panel (2)
3
4" x 5" x 6"
Caulk ring seals
PVC pipe to panel
PVC pipe (2)
4" dia. x 3
1
2"
Open
A Cradle for Crosscutting Cylinders
Beveled pieces form
a 90 angle
Miter saw table
Plywood platform
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
W
e have really outdone ourselves this time! For under
$
800 dollars, this
8" jointer delivers a 2 HP motor, a 4 blade cutterhead for super smooth
finishes, an extra long 75" bed, handwheel controlled table adjustments and
a 4" dust port. If you are a demanding woodworker then you must put this one
at the top of your list. We guarantee you wont be disappointed!
W
ith 18 different models, no one comes close to Grizzly in size and
selection of jointers! From a compact bench-top model to the
massive 20" model with spiral cutterhead, you would be hard pressed
to find a jointing application that a Grizzly jointer cant perform.
2 Overseas quality control offices staffed
with qualified Grizzly engineers.
Most orders shipped within 24 hours.
Receive a FREE GIFT
with every online order!
(Limited time offer)
MEDIA CODE
AD1856
CUSTOMER SERVICE: (570) 546-9663 FAX: 1-800-438-5901
24 Hour ordering by phone or online
Our huge parts department is stocked
with over a million parts at all times.
FEATURES:
POWERFUL 2 HP 110/220V,
SINGLE-PHASE MOTOR
8" X 75" PRECISION GROUND
CAST IRON TABLE INCLUDES
5" EXTENSIONS (PRECISION
GROUND AND FITTED AT FACTORY)
BEDS SLIDE ON DOVETAIL WAYS
4 BLADE CUTTERHEAD
CUTTERHEAD DIAMETER: 3"
MAX. WIDTH OF CUT: 8"
MAX. DEPTH OF CUT:
1
2"
22,000 CUTS PER MINUTE
HEAVY-DUTY CENTER MOUNTED FENCE
APPROX. SHIPPING WEIGHT: 461 LBS.
3 SHOWROOM LOCATIONS: BELLINGHAM, WA SPRINGFIELD, MO MUNCY, PA 3 SHOWROOM LOCATIONS: BELLINGHAM, WA SPRINGFIELD, MO MUNCY, PA
493702658
PAIR OF SAFETY
PUSH BLOCKS
DUST HOOD INCLUDED
RABBETING LEDGE
HANDWHEELS FOR
PRECISE CONTROL
4 BLADE CUTTERHEAD
FOR FINER FINISHES
PRECISION GROUND CAST IRON
BED & FENCE
MAGNETIC SWITCH
POWDER COATED,
ONE PIECE
CABINET STAND WITH
BUILT-IN DUST CHUTE
75" BED THE LONGEST
ON THE MARKET!
FREE FREE
$
795
00
MODEL G0500
INTRODUCTORY
PRICE
$
795
00
POWERFUL 2 HP MOTOR
WITH TWIN BELT DRIVE
G7314
SHOP FOX
THIS PATENTED BASE IS THE MOST STABLE

ON THE MARKET WITH OUTRIGGER-TYPE
SUPPORTS. ADJUSTS FROM 19" X 20
1
2"
TO 29
1
2" SQUARE. 600 LB. CAPACITY.
REG.
$
69
95
$
49.95
WHEN PURCHASED WITH THIS JOINTER
SPECIAL OPTION
HEAVY-DUTY
MOBILE BASE
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Cold Glue-ups Feel the Heat
In the winter, my shop can get too cold for
glue to cure properly. Under those circum-
stances, I enclose my assembled project in a
warm box made from
1
2"-thick, foil-faced
rigid insulation. The interior of the box is
heated using lamps or a portable electric
heater. When not in use, I stash the at pan-
els away with my plywood sheets.
Available at most home supply stores,
these 4' x 8' foil-faced sheets of lightweight
foam insulation can be made into a box of
almost any size simply by cutting the pieces
with a utility knife and then taping them
together. To create the walls for small- or
medium-sized boxes, you can score one face
of a sheet, then snap it toward you from the
unscored side to create a folding hinge at a
corner. Leave one corner of the box unat-
tached to create an access door. For the roof
of the box, just lay a piece of insulation
on top of the walls.
Hang a cheap thermostat inside the box
to monitor the temperature. A thermo-
statically controlled portable heater can be
used to maintain the interior temperature at
about 70. For heat, you can use a high-
Top is placed on
walls of box
Box is made from
1
2" foil-faced insulation
Heat lamp or
portable heater
Score and snap
to create corners
Routing Dados with Shims
Routing dados and grooves across boards typ-
ically involves making two passes with a
straight router bit while guiding the router
against a straightedge. The problem is that
resetting the guide for the second cut is time-
consuming and leads to errors in the width
of the cut. A quicker and more accurate ap-
proach is to make the second cut by placing
a shim of the proper thickness against the
body of a T-square clamped against the work-
piece, as shown at right.
Percy Blandford
Stratford-upon-Avon, England
For rst cut, router
is against fence
Shim spaces out router,
making dado wider
wattage commercial work lamp or simply a
few portable lights clamped to a holder. Be
sure to place the heater or lights a safe dis-
tance from the workpiece and box walls. PW
Charles Chinaski
Hollywood, Florida
FR STYLE
QUEEN ANNE
LEGS
TM
L
P.O. Box 728, Dept. PW17
Morristown, TN 37815-0728
Phone 423-587-2942 Fax 423-586-2188
www.adamswoodproducts.com
FREE
COLOR
CATALOG
LTD., LP.
A0851
A
C
R
0
8
404
CHAIR
KITS
A0556
913
LEGS
BUN LEGS
FINIALS
A
M
D
0
8
CHAIR LEGS
113
REEDED
BASE
W/206 LEG
By American Craftsmen
STOCK ITEMS
NO MINIMUM ORDERS
OR
WE WILL MAKE PRODUCTION RUNS OF YOUR PART
Professional Series
Band Saw
Blades
Professional Series
Band Saw Blades
N
e
w
!
Super hard edge tempered
back band saw blades.
For use by professional
woodworkers and
craftsmen in industrial,
woodworking, and furniture
manufacturing applications.
The most efcient, long lasting
blades with induction hardened
teeth for cutting wood, plastic, and
non-ferrous metal.
TM
OLSON
Manufacturers of Fine Quality Saw Blades Since 1918

Visit Your Olson Dealer and
Ask for the New All Pro Blades.
Dealer Inquiries Welcome!
Call: 203.792.8622
THE OLSON SAW COMPANY
16 Stony Hill Road, Bethel, CT 06801 www.olsonsaw.com
THE KIT INCLUDES:
Doweling jig & clamp
3 brad point drill bits
of 1/4, 5/16, 3/8 dia.
3 hardened steel drill bushings
Starter supply of wood dowels
One tube of wood glue
SIMPL PROD. Inc.
21 Bertel Avenue
Mt.Vernon, NY 10550
Web Site: woodjigs.com
E-Mail: [email protected]
Doweling made simple!
TM
DOWL
SIMPL
READY
FOR EDGE
DOWELING
DOWL SIMPL READY FOR
RIGHT ANGLE DOWELING
$
1
9
95
SUGG
RET
NOW
SOLD ONLY THRU DEALERS, SEND FOR LIST
The First Choice of
Craftsmen in 90 Countries
Around the World.
Available across North America where ne tools are sold.
besseyclamps.com
VI SI T THE
NEW
WEBSI TE AT . . .
ENDURANCE TEST
Jets JBM-5 Mortiser
ABOUT OUR ENDURANCE TESTS
Every tool featured in this column has survived
at least two years of heavy use by the Popular
Woodworking staff.
With a few small tune-ups, this benchtop machine
can handle just about any boring task.
W
ith a couple of exceptions, Ive used
almost every benchtop mortiser on
the market. After cutting hundreds of joints
in a wide variety of hardwoods, I concluded
that with the benchtop machines, the fast-
speed mortisers are less likely to stall in use.
(For a full report, check out Mortiser
Slug-fest in the August 2001 issue of Popular
Woodworking, available at popwood.com.)
When I began that test of mortisers, I had
Jets JBM-5 slow-speed benchtop machine
in my shop at home. After concluding the
test, I had the option of buying one of the
fast-speed machines. But I didnt.
Heres why: The Jet has yet to fail me and
it is hands-down my favorite slow-speed mor-
tiser. The Jet has proven itself accurate, re-
liable and gutsy enough for demanding jobs,
such as cutting 64 deep mortises in a Morris
chair. And while it does stall on occasion,
sharp tooling, a proper setup and some slick
wax have reduced my downtime signicantly.
Out of the box, the Jet is a good machine.
But with a few tune-ups you can make the
Jet (or any other mortiser) perform better.
The first order of business with the Jet
is to square the table and fence to the chis-
el. Of the three JBM-5s Ive used, all need-
ed this minor tweak. The table should be a
perfect 90 to the chisel, and the fence should
be parallel to the chisel. To square the table,
shim beneath it using masking tape at the
front, rear or sides until everything is per-
fect. Then check the relationship between
the chisel and the fence. If its not perfect,
add a thin wooden facing to the fence and
shim that. Only one of the three JBM-5s re-
quired this adjustment.
Next you should modify the Jets hold-
down. This is the weakest part of all bench-
top mortisers. The hold-downs slip, so when
you pull the chisel out of the work, the hold-
down forks or the post that holds the forks
ies off and your work is lifted off the table.
There are two modifications. The easy
one is to secure the post in the fence. Its held
in with a set screw, which is not good enough.
Mark on the post where the set screw hits it
and grind a V-shaped notch in the post at
that location. That will ensure the post never
leaves the fence unless you want it to.
The more involved modication replaces
the entire post with a metric (usually 14mm)
bolt that has threads on one end. Hacksaw
the head off. Grind a notch in the unthreaded
part of the bolts shaft, as described above.
Then use a nut to secure the hold-down forks
at the top. This works brilliantly.
Finally, learn to sharpen your tooling. An
auger bit le ($10 from Highland Hardware:
800-872-4466 or tools-for-woodworking.com)
will keep the auger bit in shape. And a cone-
shaped sharpening stone will surely keep the
inside utes of the chisel honed.
When setting up the tooling, be mindful
of the gap between the auger and the chis-
el. Its like the mouth of a handplane. A large
gap allows bigger chips (which can stall the
motor). For the Jet JBM-5, I like a
1
16" gap.
Grind a notch in the hold-downs post, and your hold-
down is less likely to go ying.
SPECIFICATIONS
JET Tools JBM-5 Benchtop Mortiser
Street price: $200 to $250
Motor:
1
2 horsepower, 1,725 rpm
Max chisel width:
1
2"
Max space under holddown: 3
5
8"
Chisels included:
1
4",
3
8",
1
2"
Bushings included:
5
8",
3
4"
Nice features: You can change most of the
settings without tools. The machine is
durable, accurate and powerful enough.
Recommended modications: Alter the
hold-down post, shim the table to square.
For more information: Contact JET Tools at
800-274-6848 or jettools.com.
With these basic modifications, youll
nd theres little that the JBM-5 cannot han-
dle. Just about everything I build needs mor-
tise-and-tenon work: chairs, face frames and
raised-panel doors to name a few. And I cant
envision ever replacing it, no matter what
comes down the pike next. PW
Christopher Schwarz
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
Notch
in post
TOOL TEST
L
et me get this out of the way right at the
start because I rarely say this: I cant nd
any feature missing (and have little to com-
plain about) on this planer. DeWalt has done
a nice job making a user-friendly, ergonom-
ically intelligent high-quality planer.
Lets start with the features:
Three double-sided disposable knives
that are easily changed and can be adjust-
ed laterally to avoid nicks;
Two-speed feed rate (96 or 179 cuts
per inch) for a better nish on the nal pass;
Four-post chain-driven cutterhead
height-adjustment system that is under spring
tension to give you snipe-free planing (yes,
really!) without a head lock;
Fan-assisted chip ejection system to
keep chips out of the knives and rollers.
Then theres the other smart stuff:
Single oversized table;
Material removal scale;
Well-designed depth stop (six settings);
Single on-board tool for all adjustments
and maintenance.
OK, my one complaint:
The universal motor still is
pretty loud (98 decibels).
But beyond the noise level,
the DW735 was a pleasure
to test. Right out of the box
I was able to produce snipe-
free work taking
1
8"cuts in
both maple and pine boards.
The cutterheads height
adjustment is smooth, re-
quiring little effort. All of
the scales were easy to read
and understand. Changing blades (or ad-
justing to avoid a nick) is easy thanks to an
on-board tool, providing easy and ample ac-
cess to the cutterhead.
While this planer has a lot going for it,
its also the highest-priced one (substantially
higher than many) in the category at $479.
That said, wed say the thought and engi-
neering that went into this machine more
than compensates for the price.
David Thiel
SPECIFICATIONS
DeWalt DW735 13" Planer
Street price: $479
Motor: 15-amp universal, 10,000 rpm
Knives: 3, M2 laminated, 2-sided, disposable
Cuts-per-inch: Two speeds: 96 or 179
Speeds: 14 or 26 feet per minute
Table size: 13" x 19
3
4"
Weight: 92 lbs.
Performance:
Price range: $$$$$
DeWalt: 800-4dewalt (800-433-9257) or
dewalt.com
SPECIFICATIONS
Aftermarket Chipbreakers
Street price: $20-$25
Width: 1
3
4", 2", 2
3
8"
Thickness: Both are about .136"
Performance:
Price range: $
Hock Tools: 888-282-5233 or hocktools.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks: 800-327-2520
or lie-nielsen.com
DeWalts DW735 13" Planer Pricey, but
Complete with All the Bells and Whistles
No matter how much you fine-tune your
Bailey-style plane, there is one part that will
almost always give you ts. Im talking about,
of course, the planes chipbreaker.
Screwed to your planes iron, the chip-
breaker is supposed to reduce tear-out and
clear shavings from the planes mouth. If its
not mated perfectly to the iron, however,
it will cause more problems than it solves.
For years, Clifton in England has offered
a heavy two-piece chipbreaker that has al-
ways performed well. Now two more manu-
facturers have come out with less expensive
heavy-duty chipbreakers that solve all the
problems of the wimpy stock ones.
In my humble opinion, these chipbreak-
ers are as important an upgrade as an after-
market plane iron.
Hock Tools and Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
now sell thick, well-made chipbreakers that
stiffen your cutting iron (to reduce chatter)
and give you an airtight t against your irons
cutting edge. Both brands of chipbreakers
are available in the common sizes to t vin-
tage and new Stanley planes, as well as
Lie-Nielsen planes.
The two versions are a bit different in the
details, but they both work exceptionally
well, so I cannot recommend one over the
other. In the photo at right you can see a
stock chipbreaker (right), the Lie-Nielsen
(center) and the Hock.
After months of using both, I have found
that these chipbreakers make the most dif-
ference in smoothing planes, where every
bit of extra performance is important. So
start by upgrading your #3, #4 and #4
1
2 planes.
At press time, the Hock version was avail-
able in three sizes (1
3
4", 2" and 2
3
8") for $20
each. The Lie-Nielsen chipbreakers are avail-
able in two sizes individually or as an op-
tional upgrade when you buy a bench plane.
The 2" sells for $20; the 2
3
8" is $25.
Christopher Schwarz
Aftermarket Chipbreakers an Amazing Upgrade
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
Joining Tradition With Today
Leigh Industries Ltd., PO Box 357
Port Coquitlam, BC Canada V3C 4K6
Toll free 1-800-663-8932 Tel. 604 464-2700
Fax 604 464-7404 Web www.leighjigs.com
The Leigh Dovetail Jig has it all. Hobbyist or professional, the Leigh D4 Dovetail Jig will ensure you
create your best work. Versatility, precision and superb value make the Leigh Dovetail Jig better than the rest. Rout through and
half-blind dovetails up to 24" wide in boards up to 1
1
/2
"
thick, with infinitely variable spacing of pins and tails all on one jig.
Plus, rout sliding and angled dovetails easily with the D4. And create decorative Isoloc joints, finger joints, and multiple mortise
&tenons effortlessly with Leigh attachments and our exceptional user guides! Make routing easier with Leigh. Call toll free now!
Call For Your FREE Leigh Catalog Today! 1-800-663-8932
If you are in a
woodworking
business...
this could be the
most valuable tool
in your office
sm
.
Please call
1-800-645-9292
for your 532 page
catalog.
FREE
to woodworking
businesses.
visit us at woodworker.com
POCKITJIG KIT
Complete, ready to make joints!
OUR KIT INCLUDES -
Pocket Jig with Clamp
3/8 Step Drill Bit
Stop Collar for Drill
Hex Wrench for Collar
Square Drive Screws
6 Square Drive Bit
SIMPL PROD. Inc.
21 Bertel Avenue
Mt. Vernon, NY 10550
Web Site: woodjigs.com
E-Mail: [email protected]
TM
POCKITJIG KIT
ONLY
SOLD ONLY THRU DEALERS, SEND FOR LIST
SUGG
RET
$
3
9
95
Energy
Efficient
Garage
Heaters
Work in shirt-sleeve comfort when its doggoned cold?
Dont let winter hound you out of your garage. Stay on the trail of your
pet projects with a Hot Dawg
.
Four natural-or-propane-gas sizes to heat from one to five-stall
garages, new or old.
For a free brochure and your nearest Hot Dawg source, fetch your
phone and call toll-free
800-700-7324
www.modine.com
TOOL TEST
PENN STATE CLAMPS ARE
A GREAT BARGAIN
You can never have enough clamps, but you
can go broke buying as many as you want.
Penn State Industries has a new clamp in a
popular style at what should be a popular
price. The Clamp-n-Spread is a one-handed
clamp thats similar to some now sold in
Sears stores. The major difference is the Sears
clamps have a second spring-loaded lever to
open the jaws of the clamps bit-by-bit
one-handed. The Penn State clamps offer a
release button that simply allows the clamp-
ing jaw to slide open on the bar. Oh, and the
Penn State clamps are half the price!
One-handed clamps arent for panel
glue-ups or case construction, but when you
need to clamp a jig to your bench or
temporarily hold some pieces in place, a
one-handed clamp is a joy. Everyone should
have about four of them on their bench.
Theyll also function as spreaders by relocat-
ing the xed head.
The 12" Clamp-n-Spread clamps cost
$9.95 each and the 24" versions are $13.95
apiece. Theyre a steal. Penn State also sells
one-handed clamps that have a threaded
jaw pad for more clamping power. Called the
PSI Power Spreader, these are the same price
as the Clamp-n-Spread. DT
Performance:
Price range: $ $ $ $ $
Penn State Industries: 800-377-7297 or
pennstateind.com
TOOL RATINGS
Performance is rated on a one-to-ve scale. You
wont see a low rating (one or two) because
we dont publicize inferior tools. Five indicates
the leader in the category. Five dollar signs
indicates highest price in the category; three
indicates an average price. If you have tool
questions, call me at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255,
e-mail [email protected], or visit our web
site at popwood.com to sign up for our free
e-mail newsletter.
David Thiel, senior editor
The Vario-Pro contour sanding form helps reduce the frus-
tration woodworkers encounter when sanding odd shapes.
The Vario-Pro sander uses 40 spring-loaded
1
32"-thick
plastic forming plates (1
1
4" x 3
3
8" total surface area) to form
against the prole to sand. Once you achieve the right con-
tour, twist an allen wrench to lock the forming plates in po-
sition. Then wrap hook-and-loop sandpaper over the sole,
sticking it to two hook-and-loop pads on the side of the tool.
Its faster and more effective than custom sanding blocks.
In fact, the Vario-Pros only limitation comes from the thick-
ness of your sandpaper, which cant easily form to the most in-
tricate contours. If you sand a lot of moulding, this is a good
investment. The Vario-Pro costs $30; packs of tted paper (3
1
2"
x 4") in #100 to #220 grits cost $20 per 100 sheets. DT
SPECIFICATIONS
Klingspor Vario-Pro
Street price: $30
Performance:
Price range: $$$$$
Klingspor: 800-228-0000
or woodworkingshop.com
Vario-Pro Sander Follows Any Contour
Avenger now sells a stack dado set that costs
much less than half of what you would pay
for a premium set ($125 to $250). But, as Im
sure youre wondering, how well does it cut?
What surprised me is the Avenger has more
carbide teeth than many bargain sets with
six-tooth, full-body chippers rather than the
typical two-tooth wing chippers. Despite that,
the cut wasnt perfect and had a slightly irregular
bottom. The outside bevel teeth left fine score
grooves below the bottom of the channel. In cross-
cut dados, there was very little tear-out. So while
we cant recommend these sets for fine-furniture
through-dado work, as a work-a-day dado set the
Avengers performed well at a good price. DT
SPECIFICATIONS
Avenger Stack Dado Sets
Street price: 6" x 20T - $40
8" x 30T - $50
Chippers: 4-
1
8", 1-
1
16" & 1-
3
32"
Shims: 2-.010", 2-.020", 2-0.05"
Performance:
Price range: $$
Avenger Products: 702-293-7510
or avengerproducts.com
Avenger Economy Dado Sets
While a clamping tool guide isnt a new idea,
E. Emerson Tool Co. has done a nice job of re-
ning the tool and adding useful accessories.
The basic edge guide/clamp works quite well.
It locks quickly and positively against your panel
with three increasing pressure positions. Inch
and centimeter scales built into the guide allow
easy setup for stop blocks, or just for orienting
your work. The guides also make great fences for drill press-
es and band saws, clamping right to your machines table.
The accessories that attach to the guides T-slot track
simplify a lot of common operations. You can add a jig
for drilling pocket holes, stop blocks that are micro-
adjustable, sliding router guide plates, featherboards and
circular saw guide plates. DT
SPECIFICATIONS
All-In-One Guide
Street price: 24" - $29
36" - $31
50" - $38
Performance:
Price range: $$$
All-In-One: 562-945-6759
or allinoneclamp.com
All-In-One Straight-edge Guide
CUT. GLOAT. REPEAT.
INTRODUCING OUR TWINLASER MITER SAW
For precision and speed, nothing can touch our new TwinLaserCompound Miter Saw. Because the TwinLaser
system shows the exact line of cut on either side of the blade kerf, at any angle, with or without the blade in
motion. Its even bright enough for outdoor use. You might have even seen it on New Yankee Workshop with
Norm Abram. Call 800-438-2486 (US), 800-463-3582 (Canada) or visit deltamachinery.com for a free catalog.
INGENIOUS JIGS
T
he trick to learning to cut precise, pro-
fessional-looking circular and oval shapes
is to achieve a fair curve. This is a curve
with no bumps, divots or abrupt changes
in direction the curve must appear to be a
single, owing line.
While you can achieve a fair curve with
a band saw and a belt sander, the best tool
in your shop for making a fair curve is your
router. With the aid of a trammel jig, you
can rout circles and ovals more precisely than
you can by laying them out and cutting them
with any other tool in your shop.
The Magic Trammel Jig
Rout precise circles and ovals without having to follow a line.
by Nick Engler
Nick Engler, author of more than 50 books on
woodworking, has built a replica of the 1903
Wright Flyer, the rst true airplane.
Making the Trammel Jig
The trammel jig consists of three parts:
a single xed pivot for routing circles;
a plywood plate with two movable piv-
ots for routing ovals;
a long beam with a mounting plate
on one end to hold the router and swing it
around the two pivots.
As shown, the beam is 32" long with pivot
holes spaced every
1
2". This lets you rout cir-
cles up to 60" in diameter and ovals up to
48" long. For larger workpieces, all you have
to do is make a longer beam.
At one end of the beam, attach a router
mounting plate and drill holes to mount your
router. Remember, the holes must be coun-
terbored or countersunk so the head of the
mounting screws do not protrude.
The circle pivot block is a square block
with a pilot hole in the center of one face.
The oval pivot block has two dovetail slots
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

T
i
m

G
r
o
n
d
i
n
Routing an oval with a double trammel setup.
The resulting curve is perfectly fair.
popwood.com 35
that cross at right angles in the middle of the
block. To cut these slots accurately, rst rout
ordinary grooves with a straight bit to re-
move most of the stock. Then use a dovetail
bit to create the angled shape. Cut the slid-
ing pivot blocks to t the dovetail slots, mak-
ing them small enough to slide easily.
Depending on the size of the ovals you
want to rout, you may have to adjust the size
of the oval pivot block. I made mine 8" in
diameter this works well for a variety of
small- and medium-sized ovals. To determine
if this will work for you, subtract the minor
axis of the oval (its width) from the major
axis (its length). Add 1" to prevent the slid-
ing pivots from slipping out of the slots, and
thats the minimum diameter of the pivot.
Cutting a Circle
To rout a circle, position the circle pivot
block in the center of your workpiece (shown
at right) and attach it with double-faced car-
pet tape (so you wont have to drive a screw
or a nail into your work and mar the surface).
Sliding
pivot block
Mounting plate
1
4" x 7" x 8"

1
4"
3
4"
2"
1
2" spacing
32"
3
4" wide x
1
2" deep
dovetail slot
3
16" diameter
typical
1" diameter
Oval pivot block
(double trammel)
Router base
location
Variable
(major axis minus
minor axis plus 1")
Trim corners
for clearance
Beam
#10 x
3
4" long
round head wood screw
and flat washer
(3 required)
Spacer
1
2" x 1" x 2"

Circle pivot block
3
4" x 2" x 2"

Sliding pivot
1
2" x
3
4" x 2"
(bevel to match
dovetail slots)
When you mark the
center of the circle on
your work, draw a
large crosshair.
Fasten the circle pivot
block to the work
with carpet tape,
aligning the corners
with the arms of the
crosshairs. This will
center the block
precisely. Attach the
beam to the block
and rout your circle.
Mount a straight bit in your router and
attach the router to the beam. Drive a round-
head screw through the beam and into the
center of the pivot block.
The distance from the screw to the edge
of the bit should be equal to the radius of the
circle you want to cut. You can adjust this
radius either by varying the diameter of
the bit or drilling new holes in the beam.
Swing the router and the beam around
the pivot clockwise, cutting your circle. Make
the circle using several passes, routing no
Beam and
mounting plate
Oval pivot block
Carpet tape
Circle pivot block
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n

b
y

M
a
r
y

J
a
n
e

F
a
v
o
r
i
t
e
INGENIOUS JIGS
deeper than
1
8" with each pass until you have
cut through the wood.
Cutting an Oval
To rout an oval, you must swing the router
around two movable pivots in an arrange-
ment called a double trammel. The pivots
slide back and forth in their dovetail slots;
one controls the length of the oval while the
other controls the width.
Start by marking the center of the oval
on your workpiece. Draw two lines at right
angles that intersect at this point, then mark
the length of the oval along one line and its
width along the other.
Attach the oval pivot block to the work-
piece with carpet tape, centering the slots
over the lines you have drawn. Attach the
router to the beam and align the beam with
the major axis (length) of the oval.
Center the minor pivot (which is the
pivot that moves along the minor axis, or
width) and fasten the beam to it with a round-
head wood screw.
Next, swing the beam 90, aligning it
with the minor axis. Position the router so
the bit is even with the mark for the minor
axis, center the major pivot and attach the
beam with a screw. The beam should not be
fastened too tightly to either pivot.
To check your setup, swing the router
once around the pivot block with the power
off. The bit should pass over the end of the
major and minor axes.
Once this is done, turn on your router,
adjust the depth of cut for a shallow bite and
swing the router around the pivots. As you
rout, pull gently outward. The slight tension
will take any play out of the mechanical sys-
tem, helping to create a smooth, precise oval.
Rout in multiple passes, cutting just a little
deeper with each pass. PW
To rout an oval,
position the minor
pivot over the center
of the oval where the
two slots cross.
Position the router so the inside cutting edge of the bit (the edge nearest the center) is even with one end of the
major axis, then attach the beam to the pivot by driving a roundhead screw through one of the predrilled holes.
If none of the holes are aligned over the pivot, you must use a different diameter router bit or drill a new hole.
Repeat, centering the major pivot and aligning the
inside cutting edge of the router bit with the mark for
the minor axis. Note that the minor pivot has slid to
the opposite side of the pivot block from the router.
Minor pivot
Major axis
Square Drive Beats
Driver Bit Slippage
Hardened Steel for Extra Strength
Deep Thread for Super Grip
Over 750 Sizes & Styles
Square Drive
Screws
SQUARE DRIVE SCREWS
PO Box 11169 Lynchburg VA 24506
www.mcfeelys.com or 1-800-443-7937
ea.
For Our New Catalog or a Dealer Nearest You
CALL 1-800-445-0077
Visit our website at
www.amanatool.com
Finally, a slot cutter with nothing to lose.
No shims, no spacers.
Nothing to take apart, just dial it,
lock it, cut it.
Easily makes perfect grooves
for todays undersized plywood.
Perfect for edge (T) molding
installation.
Available in two sizes:
#55500
For 1/8"-1/4" wide slots, 1/2" deep
#55510
For 1/4"-1/2" wide slots, 1/2" deep
Carbide tipped for long life.
Special
Introductory
Price
List Price $149
95
ea.
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
I
f you want to increase a joints strength
and simplify its assembly, I suggest adding
a spline. Its an enhancement that is often
advocated for edge joints, but it is most ap-
propriate in a miter joint. The process is pret-
ty simple: You cut the grooves in the mating
surfaces of the joint and as you assemble the
joint you insert a spline, which bridges the
seam and links the two pieces.
The drawings below show the most com-
mon varieties. In the through spline, the
grooves are cut from edge to edge and the
ends are visible in the assembled joint. In
the blind spline, the grooves end short of ei-
Splined
Joints
Learn how to make one
of the best tools to align
your edges and joints
the spline.
by Bill Hylton
Bill Hylton is the author of several books on
router woodworking and furniture making. Hell be
giving seminars on power-tool joinery at select
WoodWorks 2003 shows.
ther edge, making the spline totally con-
cealed in the assembled joint. A stopped
spline is the compromise: visible at one end,
concealed at the other.
Spline Materials
Because the nature of the spline can have
an impact on the method you use to cut the
grooves, you should think about whether
you want to use solid wood or plywood.
Plywood is strong, because of its criss-
crossing plies, and it is stable, meaning you
can use it without worries about grain ori-
entation. The primary reservation I have
about plywood is with its thickness. Its sur-
prisingly difcult to cut a closely tted groove
for
1
4" plywood, which we all know aint
1
4".
At the table saw, two passes with the same
setup and with each side against the rip fence
gives you a centered groove for an edge-to-
edge joint. And you can use the two cuts to
customize the groove width. But when your
narrowest cut is
1
4", as it is with a dado cut-
ter, the plywoods thickness is a concern. Even
cutting with a
7
32" router bit doesnt produce
a good t. A spline thats poorly tted can re-
sult in misalignment and a joint thats weak.
Solid wood splines are extra work, but
you can customize the thickness to suit stan-
dard, easily-cut groove widths
1
8",
3
16" or
even
1
4". Moreover, if the spline is going
to be visible, you can use either the working
stock, so it nearly disappears, or a contrast-
ing stock, so its more of an accent.
Another thing to be wary of is the grain
direction in the spline. The grain in the spline
should run parallel to the grain in the mat-
ing parts, unless youre using it in a miter.
Then the splines grain should run perpen-
dicular to the joint seam.
Cutting the Grooves
The primary tools for cutting the grooves are
the table saw and the router, either hand-
held or table-mounted. Boil down all the
joint variations and you discover that you
have two basic cuts: 1) into square edges and
2) into beveled edges. When you cut into
square edges the setup steps are pretty rou-
tine for both the table saw and the router.
A shop-made angle sled allows you to cut bevels and spline grooves on the table saw without tilting the blade.
Clamp the work to the sleds sloping fence and guide the sled along the saws rip fence to make the cut.
Through
spline
Blind
spline
Spline
1
/
64" clearance
1
/
8"
5
/
8"
Splined edge-to-edge joints
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

t
h
e

a
u
t
h
o
r
popwood.com 39
First, select a cutter. At the table saw,
ask yourself if a pass with the standard blade
(typically producing a
1
8" kerf) will be ad-
equate. Do you switch to the dado cutter,
with a minimum kerf-width of
1
4"? Can you
make successive passes with a careful setup
to produce a kerf width between
1
8" and
1
4"?
At the router table, select either a straight
bit or slot cutter, then choose the appro-
priate dimension of cutter.
Set the cutter. With your cutter se-
lected and installed, you next have to adjust
its height. Raise the saw blade or the straight
bit to the depth you want for the spline groove.
For the slot cutter, raise it to position the
groove; the depth is controlled by the fence.
Appropriate depths vary with the orien-
tation. In a square edge, you can cut
1
2" or
more deep. Limit a cut into a face to about
one-third of the boards thickness. Edge-
miters and end-miters should be limited so
that you dont weaken the stock. In
3
4" ma-
terial, a
3
8"-deep slot is ne.
Set the fence. The fence guides the
work and establishes where the cut will be.
(The exception is when you use a slot cut-
ter, as I just mentioned.) Position the fence,
then check the settings with a test cut.
Establish a reference face. Mark each
workpiece to ensure you are using the same
face on each piece to index the cut. Otherwise,
youll have misaligned slots.
Make the cuts. Through-cuts are
straightforward, regardless of which tool
youre using. The table saw cuts to full depth
in a single pass, as does the slot cutter. With
a straight bit, limit the bite to about
1
8" per
pass and plan on making two or three pass-
es to complete a groove.
Stopped cuts and blind cuts should not
be done on the table saw. They can be done
much more easily on the router table with ei-
ther a straight bit or a slot cutter. Mark the
starting and stopping points on the fence,
align the end of the workpiece with the mark
on the outfeed side and plunge it onto the
cutter. Feed right to left until the trailing end
lines up with the mark on the infeed side,
then lift or pivot the work off the cutter.
End slots. Slotting the end of a work-
piece can be very simple. A tall facing clamped
to the router tables fence can support the
work for a straight-bit cut. Use a push block
to keep the workpiece square as you slide it
along the fence. If youre using a slot cutter,
the work rests at on the tabletop. Thats a
big benet. On the table saw, you can use a
tenoning jig to guide the cut.
Regardless of your approach, its a good
idea to use a zero-clearance insert around
the cutter. You dont want the work to catch
on the cutter opening, whether that open-
ing is in the fence or the tabletop.
A at miter is square-edged, though be-
cause of the angle you probably dont think
of it that way. The pitch of the piece proba-
bly will prevent you from using a tenoning
Blind slots for splines can be cut on the router table
with a slot cutter. Remove the bearing from the cutter
assembly so a zero-clearance facing clamped to the
fence doesnt rob you of too much cut capacity. Starting
and stopping points are marked with blue tape.
Use an angled
push block to
back up a
through-cut in a
at miter. A tall
fence facing
helps steady the
work, and a zero-
clearance auxil-
iary tabletop (an
1
8" hardboard
covering for the
tabletop) pre-
vents catching
the work on the
bit opening.
Push block
Stop position
Start position
Angled fence
Braces
Base
1"
7"
8"
11
1
/
4"
6"
16"
1
5
/
8"
5
1
/
4"
Angle sled for table saw
Rear view
Prole
Exploded view
All parts are
3
4" stock
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
jig, but you can mount a tall facing to your
rip fence and use a push block, making the
cut the same way you would on a router table
with a straight bit.
With a at miter, your push blocks lead-
ing edge needs to be angled exactly like the
miter. Your piece will be leaning forward when
you slot one end, leaning back when you slot
the other. Use the same push block for both
cuts and just roll it over between cuts.
Stopped-end & blind-end cuts. Because
an end slot is likely to be short even when it
is through, making it stopped or blind pres-
ents real maneuvering challenges, regard-
less of the tool you use. This is a good place
to use a biscuit or two.
Grooving Bevels
The starting point for a successful splined
miter joint whether an edge miter or an
end miter is making accurate 45 bevels
on the stock. After cutting all these, lay out
the spline groove on one piece. To avoid
weakening the tips of the bevels, you want
to locate the spline slot very close to the
joints inside corner. This allows you to make
a
3
8"-deep cut without weakening the stock.
Decide how wide your slot will be. The
spline doesnt need to be very thick, and in
most instances a single saw kerf is satisfacto-
ry. If you want the spline thicker, youll have
to either use your dado cutter or kerf each
piece, then reset the fence to widen the kerf.
With an edge miter, place the fence so
the blade tilts away. Feed the stock along it
with the sharp edge of the bevel against the
fence. With an end miter, use the miter gauge
With the work sandwiched face-to-face, you can
guide a trim router along one bevel while the slot
cutter grooves the other bevel. Use an oversized
bearing, positioned as shown, to limit the depth of
the cut.
to guide the stock. (The rip fence can safe-
ly be used to position the work for this cut.)
Router Grooving
Splined joinery isnt the exclusive province
of stationary tools. With a router and slot
cutter, you can cut the grooves for most every
splined joint. A few can be done with a straight
bit and an edge guide.
With a slot cutter, the router sets on
the face of the workpiece while the cutter
works the edge. To alter the cut depth with
a slotter, just switch bearings. Installed in a
small router, a slot cutter can groove ends
and flat miters. Even edge miters and end
miters can be grooved with this setup. Clamp
two workpieces face to face so the bevels
angle to the outside. Rest the router on one
bevel and the slotter cuts a groove in the ad-
jacent one, as shown in the photo at right.
Assembly
Fitting the splines comes next. Plywood
splines are easy you just cut them to width
and length. If the spline is stopped or blind,
the ends usually must be rounded to t.
A wood spline has to be measured for
thickness, then ripped and crosscut to t. Its
ends sometimes must be shaped. For an end
miter or at miter, the splines grain should
be perpendicular to the joints seam. Crosscut
strips of a long blank and glue them side-by-
side in the slot in one part, then assemble
the joint. Assembly is usually uncomplicat-
ed. Just spread the glue, insert the spline,
close the joint and apply clamps.
The real payoff comes in assembling a
miter joint. Typically, miters are difficult
to get into alignment and, as clamps are ap-
plied, to keep in alignment. That is seldom
the case when the miter is splined. The
spline prevents the faces of the bevels from
slipping and sliding, and you can apply
clamps without extra alignment blocks or
glued-on, tacked-on, clamped-on cleats for
the clamps to grip.
Ease-of-assembly is the whole point of
the spline, and it really works. PW
A stopped cut in a at miter
involves tipping the work-
piece back and aligning it
over the bit before plunging
and feeding to the stop
mark. Lay out the extents of
the slot on the pieces
reference face and align
them with marks trans-
ferred onto the tabletop
from the bit to control the
length of the cut.
Place spline close to
inner corner to limit
weakening of case sides
Diagonally splined end miter
Start
Bearing
Stop
Quality Blades for
Americas Craftsmen
Serious woodworkers demand perfection.
Thats why so many of them choose Forrest
saw blades.
Forrest quality is legendary. Our
proprietary manufacturing process,
hand straightening, and unique grade of
C-4 micrograin carbide give you smooth,
quiet cuts without splintering, scratching,
or tearouts. In fact, independent tests rate
our blades as #1 for rip cuts and crosscuts.
Forrest saw blades are simply the best that
money can buy. Theyre made in the USA by
the same family-owned business thats been
producing and sharpening them for over 55
years. And theyre backed by a 30-day money
back guarantee. Its no wonder that serious
woodworkers give them such high praise!
Your blades are without question the
best by miles, and I have tried them all.
Bob JensenFridley, MN
These are the finest blades I have ever
owned and you should be proud of your
quality product.
Patrick T. HankardSouth Windsor, CT
[Forrest blades] cut true, with no vibra-
tion. I was a carpenter by trade for over
60 years and continue to be an active
woodworker. So, I can say with confi-
dence that Forrest blades are the best.
Carl StudeBurbank, CA
The message is clear. If youre looking for
quality, performance, and value, it pays to
choose Forrest blades every time.
Our Most Popular Blades:
Woodworker II This
award-winning, all purpose
blade is the finest of its
type. It turns big jobs into
easy-to-handle ones.
Dado-King The worlds
finest multi-tooth dado set.
It works effectively in all
directionswith the grain
or across it.
Chop Master Produces
perfect miters every time
with no bottom splinters.
You get smooth edges on
all types of wood.
Woodworker I Great for
table and radial saws. It
trims and crosscuts all
woods up to 2" and is
ideal for plywood.
Duraline Hi A/T Our best
blade for birch and oak ply
veneers. It also delivers a
clean cut on melamine and
vinyl over particle board.
Forrest blades come in a wide variety of
sizes and are available for practically
every application. Call or send for our
complete list of products.
Three Convenient
Ways To Order
We back our blades with a 30-day money
back guarantee. So, choose the method
most convenient for you and order today:
Visit one of our fine-quality dealers
or retailers.
Call us toll free at 1-800-733-7111.
(In NJ, 973-473-5236) Ask about special
discounts, free shipping on orders over
$275, and discounts for blade sharpening.
Contact our internet store:
www.stores.yahoo.com/forrestman
Code PW
2003 Forrest Manufacturing
A classic design with extra stability and an antique nish.
Shaker Trestle Table
Photos by Al Parrish
popwood.com 43
I
ve built a number of trestle
tables in the Shaker style over
the years, usually following
the style of an original table from
one Shaker collection or anoth-
er. But when I decided to do a
trestle table for Popular Wood-
working readers, I took a second
look at some of the designs and
decided I could add a feature and
come up with a stronger table
without sacrificing the simple
Shaker lines.
The one shown here is a stan-
dard two-pedestal table with a
single stretcher tying the bases
together. One of the concerns
Ive always had with this design
was the stability of the joint at
the stretcher. Anyone who has
been to a family dinner at my
house knows that a sturdy table
is important when everyone starts
Half a Foot, not Six Inches
Construction on the base begins
with the feet blanks. The feet ac-
tually are two half-feet that you
face-glue together. This allows
you to conserve lumber (no sense
trying to nd 3" x 3" wood for a
painted base) and you can make
the mortise for the leg post be-
fore gluing the halves together.
Mill out the two halves for each
foot, then clamp the pairs together
and lay out the two notches that
will form the 1
1
2" x 2
1
4" mortise
for the post tenon.
There are many ways to re-
move the waste material from the
notches, but Im a table-saw guy,
so thats where I headed. Use your
miter gauge and make repeated
passes across the blade to nib-
ble away the waste area on all four
pieces, as shown above.
With the notches cut, its time
to make the halves a whole. When
gluing the two halves together,
the last thing you want are the
pieces to creep, or slide on the
glue, which will cause misalign-
ment. My solution is to mount a
1" section of a #6 nish nail into
one half by drilling a small hole
and gluing in the nail piece with
the point out. As you glue the
two halves, align the two sec-
tions and press them together.
The nails bite into the wood
and prevent creeping. Go ahead
and clamp the pieces securely
and set them aside to dry.
While the feet could be left
at at the oor, its not as attrac-
tive as shaping them to leave
pads at either end. It also helps
the table to sit flat on uneven
floors. To form the pads, clamp
the two assembled feet together
with the bottoms facing the same
direction. Mark the pads on the
feet according to the illustrations,
then drill a
3
8" hole at the tran-
sition point at either end. The
hole itself will create the small
radius for the transition. After
making the two holes per foot,
head to the band saw to cut away
the portion between the radius
cuts to nish the pad shapes.
Some simple shaping using a
couple of saws will give the feet
an even more graceful look. First
cut a 7 bevel on the ends of the
feet using the table saw. Next,
make a mark
3
4" down from the
top edge at the ends of each foot.
Make another mark 10
1
2" in to-
Nibbling away the
mortise locations
on the leg halves
can be accom-
plished with a at-
tooth rip blade or
a dado stack.
by Glen Huey
Glen Huey builds custom furniture in his shop in Middletown, Ohio, for Malcolm L.
Huey & Son. He is a contributing editor for Popular Woodworking and is the author
of Fine Furniture for a Lifetime. You can see more of his work at hueyfurniture.com.
hungrily reaching for platters of
food. To solve the stability con-
cern I doubled-up the hardware
from another sturdy piece of fur-
niture the bed. By using a pair
of bed bolts at each joint, this
table becomes amazingly stout.
Save Money on Wood
If youve seen my other furniture
(hueyfurniture.com), you know
Im addicted to figured maple.
Though theyve tried to get me
into treatment, I havent yet ac-
cepted that I have a problem.
But when it came to choos-
ing the wood for this table, even
I had to admit that with such a
simple piece, adding busy gure
to the base would be gilding the
lily. So I saved the good stuff for
the top and chose to use painted
poplar to build the base.
S
t
e
p

p
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

t
h
e

a
u
t
h
o
r
ward the mortise at the top of the
leg. Connect the two marks and
you have the slope for the top of
each foot. Head to the band saw
and cut the slopes. To nish the
feet, sand the surfaces and round
all the edges with a
3
16" radius bit
in your router.
Going Vertical
The next step is the 2
7
8" x 2
7
8"
posts. As with the feet, theres a
good chance youll need to glue
up thinner pieces to form the posts.
Once assembled and milled
to the size given in the cutting
list, its time to form the tenons
to match the mortises in the feet.
Start cutting the tenons by rst
dening the shoulder on the table
saw with the posts at on the saws
table. Then reset the table saw
NO. I TEM DI MENSI ONS ( I NCHES) MATERI AL
T W L
4 Feet halves 1
11
16 3 30 Poplar
2 Cross braces 1
1
2 4 30 Poplar
2 Posts 2
7
8 2
7
8 29
3
8 Poplar
1 Center brace 1
1
2 2 28 Poplar
1 Stretcher 1
1
2 6 43
1
4 Poplar
1 Top
7
8 36 71 Cherry
2 Breadboard ends
7
8 1
1
2 38* Cherry
10 Top fasteners
3
4
7
8 2
1
4 Cherry
*Finished size is 36" long.
SHAKER TRESTLE TABLE
After gluing the
halves together, I
rst drilled two
3
8" holes to dene
the foot pad and
then connected
the dots. The rest
was simple band
saw work.
and run the posts upright to form
the cheeks. Cut two cheeks, then
adjust the fence and cut the other
two. Make the tenons slightly
oversize and then trim them to
achieve a snug t.
At the tops of the posts, cut
out a notch the width of the post
to hold the cross braces. Lay out
this notch using the photos above
to locate them. Note that the
notches arent centered in the
posts rather, theyre offset by
1
4" to one side. An easy method
to remove the 4" of waste is to
hog the majority out with a band
saw, then chisel away the re-
maining waste. To nish off the
posts, use a chamfer bit in your
router to make decorative cuts
on each edge, stopping
7
8" from
the joinery at each end.
Visible Means of Support
The part of the leg that actually
supports the top is the cross brace.
Mill the stock for the cross braces,
then use the table saw to nibble
away the shallow notches (as you
did on the feet halves) on the two
opposing sides of each brace. These
notches will t into the 4"-deep
With the post cut
to shape, the rst
step in forming the
tenon is to dene
the shoulder on all
four sides. The
miter gauge
(hidden behind the
work) on my saw
works well, while
the rip fence
allows you to set
the shoulder
location.
I use a high-sided
shop-made
tenoning jig to cut
the cheeks on the
tenon. You could
also nibble away
the waste la the
foot mortise if you
dont have, or
want to build, a
tenoning jig.
The top of the post is notched 4" deep,
so the table saw wont cut it (pun
intended). The band saw will and I use
staggered cuts to remove much of the
wood, then chisel out the excess. Notice
the notch isnt centered on the post, but
offset by
1
4" to one side.
notches at the tops of the leg posts,
so test the fit to make sure its
snug, but not too tight.
While the cross braces are
mostly hidden under the table-
top, they can be seen at times and
therefore theres no sense leav-
ing them square and chunky. Use
the pattern (at right) to trace
3
8" hole
Mortise for post
1"
3
4"
4"
popwood.com 45
L
6"
8" 2"r.
2"
3
1
/
4"
36"
69"
72"
42"
30"
3"
4"
36"
30"
3
1
/
4"
30
5
/
8"
2
1
/
2"
6
1
/
2"
2
1
/
2"
6
1
/
2"
2
1
/
2"
6
1
/
2"
2
1
/
2"
1
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
/
2"
1
1
/
2"
1
1
/
2"
2
7
/
8" 2
7
/
8"
1
1
/
2"
1
11
/
16" 1
11
/
16"
2
7
/
8"
7
/
8"
29
3
/
8"
1
1
/
2"
1
1
/
2"
2
7
/
8"
3
/
4" 1"
3
/
16"
1
1
/
8"
3
/
16"
28"
Outline of top
5
/
16" thick
breadboard tenons
See joinery detail
at right
Cleat half-lapped
into stretcher
Breadboard ends -
two required
1"t. x 6"l. x
5
/
8"w.
tenons both ends
Bed bolts
Cross brace
Foot
1"
4"
1" grid
7
10
1
/
2"
3
/
4"
3
/
8"
4
1
/
2"
2
5
/
8"
1
1
/
8"
2
1
/
4"w. x
3
/
4"d.
notch one side
1
1
/
8"
2
7
/
8"w. x
3
/
16"d. notch
both sides
1
7
/
16"
15"
Outline of post
1
7
/
16"
1
1
/
2" x 2
1
/
4"
x 2
5
/
8"l. tenon
1"t. x 6"l.
x
5
/
8"w. tenon
2
1
/
4"w. x
3
/
4"d.
notch in half-
foot
1
1
/
2"
3"
Bed bolt
1
/
2"x
3
/
4"x 2"deep mortise top
and bottom for bed-bolt nut
1
1
/
2"
Stretcher
Post
Top
Cross brace
Post
Chamfer
7
/
8"
7
/
8"
Plan - top removed
Prole
Cross-brace layout
Half-foot layout Section through post
Post top
w/cross-brace detail
Elevation
or mark the curved shape on the
pieces themselves. Then use the
band saw to cut out the shape on
the braces, cutting wide of the
line and then smoothing the curve
with sandpaper.
Now glue the foot and cross
brace to each post. To add a bit
more strength after the glue has
dried, drill two
7
16" holes (on op-
posite sides of the leg) in each
joint and pin the joint with dow-
els. Make sure to stagger the pins
on each side so they dont run
into each other. Using a knife or
sandpaper, taper one end of each
With the cross braces glued to the posts, they are pegged in position. Clamp them
tight and check for square between the post and brace. Note that the pegs are at
opposite corners of the joint. This allows room for the mortise (in the next step).
Heres the mortise for the stretcher. I removed most of the waste with a Forstner bit,
then chiseled the mortise square.
peg a bit to make it easier to in-
sert in its hole. After tapping the
dowels in place, cut the extra
length nearly ush to the leg sur-
face and sand it smooth.
Bridging the Gap
With the ends assembled its time
to attach the stretcher to tie every-
thing together. This is the joint
where you need all the strength
you can muster. As I mentioned
earlier, I used bed bolts here, but
I started with the traditional
method of cutting mortises in the
legs and tenons on both ends of
the stretcher. Start by cutting the
1" x 6"-long x
5
8"-deep mortises
on the thicker side of each as-
sembly. I used a Forstner bit to
make most of the mortise (see
below) then chiseled out the waste
to square everything up, but you
could use a router with a straight
bit. To create the short tenons on
the stretcher, I used a rabbeting
bit in a router to cut rabbets on
opposite faces of the stretcher.
If you havent used bed bolts
before, theyre essentially heavy-
duty bolts that screw into a square
nut buried in a mortise in the other
piece. After cutting the rabbets
on the stretcher, make two
1
2" x
3
4" x 2"-deep mortises at each end
of the stretcher, one in the top
edge and one in the bottom edge,
to hold the bed-bolt nuts.
To add more stability to the
table, a third center brace is half-
lapped into the center top of the
stretcher. Mill the stock for this
part and use one of the nished
cross braces as a pattern to shape
the center brace. Next, use the
illustration to lay out the deco-
rative cut on the bottom edge of
the stretcher. Then use the table
Sculpting a shape on the cross braces isnt necessary to keep the table sturdy, but it
does keep it from looking clunky. After transferring the pattern onto the brace, I cut
wide of the line on the band saw, then used a spindle sander to smooth the shape.
Getting the holes for the bed bolts straight is important. And the best tool for that
task is the drill press. The two
7
16" holes are located in 1
1
2" from the top and
bottom edges of the mortise.
Double-wide #20 biscuit slots in
the braces work well to hold the
wooden top fasteners (shown in the
inset photo).
saw and miter gauge to cut the
half-lap joint for the center brace.
This piece is attached with glue
and a 2" wood screw, but dont
attach it until youre done in-
stalling the bed bolts.
Use a drill press to make the
holes in the trestle legs for the
bed bolts. The holes are
7
16" in
diameter and are in the center of
the stretcher mortises, 1
1
2" from
both the top edge and bottom
edge of the mortise. To nish mak-
ing the hole for the bed bolt, slip
a stretcher tenon into the end
section, clamping the two pieces
rmly. Use a long
7
16" drill bit to
nish the hole through the end
of the stretcher and into the mor-
tise area created for the bed-bolt
nut. The straight hole at the drill
press acts as a guide to drill the
remainder of the hole straight.
Clean out any waste from the
hole, place the nuts into the mor-
tises, slide the bolt into the hole,
and attach it to the nut. Tighten
the connection with a wrench.
Holding the Top in Place
I use wooden clips to hold the top
in place on the base. The clips
have a rabbet cut on one end that
slips into slots cut into the cross
braces on the base. I use a biscuit
cutter set to make a cut for a #20
biscuit and start the slot
1
2" down
from the top of the brace. Because
the tenon on the clip is almost
1
4" thick, make two cuts with the
biscuit joiner, lowering the cut-
ter to finish the cut at
1
4" wide.
Place two slots on each inside of
the cross braces and one on ei-
ther side of the center brace.
Rather than trying to cut rab-
bets on the ends of the little wood-
en clips, start with a 5"-6" wide
popwood.com 47
After clamping the stretcher between the
legs and drilling the bed bolt holes into the
stretcher I simply dropped the nut into the
previously cut mortises and bolted the base
together.
SUPPLIES
Ball and Ball
800-257-3711 or
ballandball.com
4 6" bed bolts
#U60-076, $5.15 each
Horton Brasses
800-754-9127 or
horton-brasses.com
4 6" bed bolts
#H-73, $3.50 each
Olde Century Colors
800-222-3092 or
oldecenturycolors.com
1 pint of lamp black acrylic
latex paint
#2022 (waterbase) or
#1022 (oil-based), $9.40
Rockler
800-279-4441 or rockler.com
1 pint of Sam Maloof
Oil/Wax Finish
#58669, $10.99
10 #8 x 1
1
4" slotted screws
Prices correct as of publication deadline.
piece of wood that is 4
5
8" long
and
3
4" thick. Cut a
1
2" x
1
2" rab-
bet along the end grain leaving
a
1
4" tongue. Then rip the piece
into
7
8"-wide strips and crosscut
the ends to 2
1
4"-long pieces.
Pre-drill clearance holes in
the wooden clips youve just made
to accept a #8 x 1
1
4" wood screw.
With a Cherry on Top
Again, trying to avoid admitting
I have a curly maple addiction, I
chose cherry for the top. Cut and
glue the slab to the nished size
given in the cutting list.
Appropriately, the Shakers
used breadboard ends (traditionally
called a clamp) on their tops to
hide the end grain and to help
keep the top at. The breadboard
requires a tongue on each end of
the top for the breadboard to t
over. I created the
5
16"-thick x
1"-long tongue on the top using
a straightedge to guide my router
and a
3
4" pattern bit.
Use a marking gauge at each
edge to locate the tongue depth
and align the straightedge to the
mark. Set your bit to cut just be-
hind the mark on the bottom side
and just covering the mark on
the top side to ensure the bread-
boards will t snugly against the
tabletop on the top side.
After the tongue is made, draw
another line on it
1
2" from the
end, running the entire width of
the top. At four equally spaced
locations on the tongue, mark lo-
cations for the 2
1
2"-wide tenons.
Trim the tongue around the
tenons, leaving them extending
the full 1". This is where the bread-
boards and top will be pinned.
Cut the two breadboard ends
and plow the
1
2"-deep groove the
length of the ends for the tongue.
Then lay out the areas that match
up with the extended tongues and
cut the
1
2"-deep mortises in the
bottom of the grooves.
Fit the breadboard ends to the
top and clamp. At each extend-
ed tongue, drill a
1
4" hole for the
PAINTING THE BASE
A simple coat of paint on the base may sufce for
many, but it looked too new and shiny for my taste, so
I added an antique nish to the piece.
Begin by staining the piece and applying two
coats of shellac. Sand the nish.
Next, mix Olde Century Colors lampblack acrylic
paint with ne sawdust particles and paint the mix-
ture onto the base. As the paint dries, wipe with a very
wet rag. The wiping will remove paint and dislodge
some of the sawdust pieces leaving a worn surface.
Once the paint is dry, apply a coat of Maloofs
Oil/Wax nish. Simply brush it on and wipe with a
clean rag. This step provides a dull sheen to the paint,
adding the look of years of polish.
pin. Use a scrap piece on the un-
derside to prevent blowout.
Remove the ends and elongate
the holes to accommodate wood
movement. Apply glue to only
the middle 4" of the tongue, re-
install the ends, then drive the
pins into the holes and apply glue
to only the top edge of the hole.
Trim the pins and the extra length
of the breadboards ush.
Finishing Touches
Sand the top with #150 grit sand-
paper and rout the edges, top and
bottom, with a 316" roundover
bit. Final sand to #180 grit and
apply three to four coats of an
oil/varnish blend following the
product directions, then add a
top coat of furniture wax.
After following the instruc-
tions in Painting the Base below
to paint and age your base, attach
the top to the base with the wood-
en clips and #8 x 1
1
4" wood screws.
You and your table are now
ready for years of family dinners
with no concerns about sliding
the ham or vegetables onto the
oor because of a banquet table
thats less than sturdy. PW
After marking and cutting the tenons on the breadboard tongue, use the nished
tenons to locate the mortises in the already-grooved breadboard ends.
A simple coat of paint looks too new and shiny
for a traditional Shaker piece of furniture.
Here Ive wiped the piece with a very wet cloth as
the paint dried, which removed some of the paint,
creating an antique nish.
Mortise location
Tenon
Breadboard end
Tenon
Mortise location
With the top milled to size, mark a
5
16"-thick x 1"-wide tongue on each end with
your marking gauge. Then use a straightedge and a
3
4" pattern bit to shape the
tongue on both sides of the top.
Straightedge
Partially completed tongue
WOODWORKING
BY NICK ENGLER
T
he router is perhaps the most
versatile tool in your shop. You
can rout not only decorative
shapes, but also many joints.
Reduced to its simplest form, the
router is a motor and a shaft with means
of holding interchangeable bits. Once
you understand that, using the router
becomes a much simpler task. But first,
you should know what all those other
parts are, and why theyre there.
Types of Routers
When you look for a portable router,
you will find that they can generally be
classified into four categories:
The Basic Router
Sometimes called a fixed-base router,
this is just a motor mounted on a base.
Most offer
1
2- to 1
1
2-horsepower motors,
carving or engraving tool (such as a
Dremel) that can be mounted in a
router base accessory. It usually has
interchangeable collets for
1
16" or
1
8"
shanks. The small size lets you rout
inlays, cut mortises for small hardware,
make delicate joints or do other jobs
where a standard-size router would be
too clumsy or difficult to balance.
The Plunge Router
This does all the things that the basic
router can do, plus it makes plunge
cuts. Its motor is mounted on two
spring-loaded slides above the base,
which let you position the motor above
the work, push the bit into the wood
and begin cutting. The plunge router
excels at cutting joints, such as mortises.
[Editors Note: We will focus more on the
plunge router in Chapter Two.]
and their collets will accept router bits
with
1
4" or
1
2" shanks. The bases are

usually 6" in diameter. This is the router
we will be discussing here.
The Laminate Trimmer
A scaled-down version of the basic
router, this has a smaller motor and
base. It has a
1
4" collet and is used for

trimming laminates and veneers, and is
especially handy when you are balanc-
ing the tool on thin or narrow work-
pieces. Its also useful for chores that
require finesse, as opposed to strength.
Some laminate trimmers come with
interchangeable bases that let you work
in tight areas or will allow you to rout at
an angle, which no full-size router can.
The Rotary Tool
This lets you use very small bits and
accessories for more delicate work. Its a
Fixed-base Router
1
C H A P T E R
PRO TIP:
Back-routing (climb-cutting)
Occasionally you must back-rout a piece to
reduce tear-out on figured wood. This
means you cut with the bits rotation,
instead of against it. Its much more
difficult to control your work this way,
so be sure to take shallow cuts and feed
very slowly. Keep the router and the work
steady, making sure you dont let the
bit chatter.
ESSENTIALS
around the shank, locking the bit.
Generally, the more segments on a
collet the better, because these make the
collet more flexible so it can get a better
grip on the bit shank, as you can see in
the drawing at right. Routers with multi-
ple-segment collets tend to be a bit more
expensive, but the potential headaches
they eliminate are well worth it.
Some routers have split arbors, rather
than collets. Either way, the same rule
applies: the more segments, the better.
Collets come in three standard sizes
1
4",
3
8" and
1
2", which is the measure of

the inside diameter. Most router bits
have
1
4" and
1
2" shanks. If you want to

take full advantage of all the bits avail-
able, you should look for a router with
interchangeable collets.
Some routers have only
1
2" collets,
but come with split bushing so you can
adapt them to hold
1
4" and
3
8" bits. This

Router Features and Capabilities
No matter what kind of router you opt
for, there are several features you need to
understand that are important in the
operation of the tool:
Collet
Although it might seem small and
insignificant, the collet is crucial a
poorly designed one might let the bit
slip, ruining the cut. To compensate,
many woodworkers overtighten the
collet, which only aggravates the prob-
lem. Overtightening makes the bits hard
to mount and dismount, and can cause
excessive wear on your tool.
To avoid this, make sure you get a
router with a good collet. You can judge
if a collet will give you problems by
learning how it works. A collet is a split
or segmented collar at the end of the
arbor that holds the shank of the bit.
Tightening a nut squeezes the collar
PRO TIP:
The Need for Speed
Despite a popular misconception, speed
controllers will not harm universal mo-
tors (the type of motor found in all
routers and most hand-held power
tools). However, they can ruin induction
motors. If you buy an in-line speed
controller, be sure you use it for your
portable power tools only.
GREAT TIP:
A Better Bit Goes a Long Way
You should put as much, if not more,
care and consideration into choosing
bits as you would the machines that run
them. After all, its not the router that
does the actual cutting its the bit. A
mediocre router outfitted with a
better-than-normal bit will cut a lot better
than the worlds greatest router with a
mediocre bit.
GREAT TRICK:
Offset Baseplates Keep Your
Router from Tipping Over
Even with half of the router base in
contact with the wood surface, it can be
difficult to keep the tool from tipping.
When you must hang the router over an
edge, as when routing an edge detail,
make sure you attach an offset baseplate
to the routers base. Keep the offset
portion of the plate over a solid surface
and press down on it as you work, there-
by steadying the tool.
TIPS & TRICKS
The bulk of the router is its motor. An arbor protrudes from the bottom of this, and the end of
the arbor is fitted with a collet to hold a bit in place. These three pieces are mounted in a base,
which incorporates a depth-adjustment ring to raise or lower the motor, and a height clamp
to secure it in position these clamps differ for the plunge router, as youll see in the next chap-
ter. A router also has handles so it can be guided, with a nearby on/off switch. This entire
assembly rests on a removable plastic base plate or sole.
Motor
Handle
Height clamp
On/off
switch
Switch
lock
Handle
Depth-adjustment ring
Base
Arbor
Collet
Base plate
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

b
y

M
a
r
y

J
a
n
e

F
a
v
o
r
i
t
e
Photo courtesy of Patrick Warner, patwarner.com
is OK, but not as desirable as inter-
changeable collets.
Power
The type of woodworking you want to
do with the router will determine the
horsepower you need. If you just want to
make a few occasional mouldings and
joints, a 1-horsepower router should be
more than sufficient. On the other hand,
if you expect to do a lot of routing or if
you want to use bits with large flute
diameters, you should look at 2- or
3-horsepower models.
Speed
Most single-speed routers operate
between 20,000 and 30,000 rpm. This is
adequate for bits with flute diameters of
2" or less. But larger bits should run at
slower speeds; otherwise theyll overheat
and burn the wood.
If you intend to use large bits often, it
might be wise to invest in a variable-
speed tool or a method of altering the
speed, such as a rheostat or an electronic
speed controller. Rheostats reduce the
line voltage, which lowers both the
speed and the available torque the
ability of your router to do serious work.
Electronic speed controllers, on the
other hand, have a feedback mechanism
that boosts the available torque at low
speeds, which means the tool is less
likely to quit when the going gets tough.
Height Adjustment
Most basic routers can be raised or
lowered up to 2". If you think youll need
more movement than this, youll want to
look at the plunge router. But whichever
router you choose, consider the ease and
accuracy with which you can change the
height. Because youll be changing the
height quite often, youll want to make it
as easy as possible on yourself.
On some basic routers, the motor
housings are threaded in the base so you
can screw them up or down. This allows
you to make minute height changes
accurately. But in some respects, this
arrangement is a pain in the neck.
Because some on/off switches revolve
with the motor, you never quite know
where the switch is. And if you mount
the router to a table or a stationary jig,
the cord can quickly become twisted.
Switches mounted on handles or
heights that adjust without spinning the
motor remove this concern.
Configuration
For this, you just have to ask yourself
how the router feels to you:
Is it too heavy or too light when you
are holding it and working with it?
Can you reach all the controls with-
out taking your hands off the handles?
Is it well-balanced or does it seem
top-heavy and ready to tip?
Collets with just 2-3 segments (left) dont
squeeze router bit shanks evenly. In fact, they
make contact at just a few points. Collets with
multiple segments (right) are more flexible
and make contact all the way around the
shank, which helps keep the bit from slipping.
Router bases come in a variety of sizes and
shapes. The round base found on many basic
routers (left) is useful for most operations, but
may be slightly inaccurate when following a
straightedge. If the base isnt perfectly round
or perfectly centered on the router bit, turning
the base (riding against the straightedge)
during operation can change the distance
from the bit. The D-shaped plunge router base
(middle) has one straight side so you can
accurately follow both straight and curved
templates without concern of changing the
distance to the bit. The laminate trimmer
(right) has a square base with rounded cor-
ners, so you can follow straight and curved
templates no matter how you turn it. You can
buy an accessory base for the fixed-base
router that has a straightedge, too.
Does the shape of the base help you
see what youre cutting or is your work-
piece hidden by the base or baseplate?
Will the size/shape of the base help or
hinder your work?
Three segments -
three contact
points
Multiple
segments - many
contact points
popwood.com 51
Make several test cuts to check your
setup; if a job requires several different
setups, make sure you have enough test
pieces at each subsequent stage to carry
you through the entire procedure.
Remove only a small amount of

stock with any single pass. Set your
depth of cut to take shallow cuts, usually
1
8" or
1
4" deep. The illustration below

explains this concept in more detail.
Keep the router moving as steadily

as you can while you cut. If you pause in
the middle or move too slowly, friction
will cause the bit to heat up and burn the
wood. However, if you feed the router
too quickly, it will leave scallops or mill
marks in your piece.
Cut against the rotation of the bit

whenever possible, as shown in the
drawing at right. If you use a fence or a
straightedge, use the rotation to help
keep the work (or the router) against it.
Routing Rules
The first step in using any tool is to make
sure it is properly aligned and adjusted.
For the router, there are only two
things you need to check. If youre using
it as a portable tool, check the depth of
cut (the distance the bit protrudes be-
neath the sole) and the position of the
guide (if there is one). If your router is
mounted in a jig, check the depth of cut
(the distance the bit protrudes past the
mounting plate) and the position of the
fence (if there is one).
Once youve adjusted your router,
youll need to keep a couple of things in
mind as you work:
Before you turn the router on, make
sure the bit is properly mounted and the
collet is secure. When changing the bits,
know that you might have to clean dust
out of the collet. A dirty collet wont
grip router bit shanks as well.
PRO TIP:
The Bigger They Are,
the Harder They Work
The larger the diameter of the bit, the
more the router has to work to turn it.
Just because you can fit a 3
1
2"-diameter
panel-raising bit in your 1
1
2-horsepower
router doesnt mean the motor has the
proper torque to use that bit efficiently. If
the router isnt equipped to handle the
torque load for that size bit, the motor
could heat up and burn out.
GREAT TIP:
A Bit of Help for the Collet
To help position a bit in a collet, stretch
a rubber O-ring around the shank to
serve as a depth indicator. When the bit
is inserted, the O-ring will prevent the bit
from dropping down too far in the collet.
GREAT TRICK:
Platforms Help with Mortises
If you are routing a large mortise or
removing stock from the interior of a
board, your router could become in-
creasingly difficult to balance as you cut
away more of the supporting surface.
This is even more of a problem with
smaller-base routers such as a laminate
trimmer. To compensate for this, use a
platform (attached to the router base as
a sub-base) to form an oversized router
sole this will span the gap between the
sides of the recess and keep the router
from tipping or dropping into the gap.
GREAT TIP:
Bottom-cleaning Bit Will
Improve Your Planing
If you do a lot of planing with your
router, invest in a bottom-cleaning bit.
Normally used to smooth the bottoms of
mortises, its available in diameters up to
1
1
2" and cuts a wider swath than an

ordinary straight bit.
TIPS & TRICKS
The shank of the bit must be
inserted far enough into the
collet for the collet to get a solid
grip. If possible, the entire length
of the collet should contact the
shank. However, dont insert the
bit so far that the collet closes
around the transition fillet the
portion of the bit where the
shank ends and the flutes begin.
If the bit is positioned incorrect-
ly inserted either too far or not
enough the collet may not grip
the shank securely and the bit
may creep out of the collet when
you rout.
Never hog the cut
when using a router
the tool is designed to
remove only small
amounts of stock at
any one time. If you
need to make a deep
cut, rout your piece in
several passes, cutting
just
1
8" to
1
4" deeper
with each pass.
Generally, the harder
the wood, the less you
should remove with
any one pass.
Bit
Transition fillet
Collet
Collet
closes
around
fillet
Right Wrong
Third pass
Second pass
First pass
Whenever possible, cut against the rotation of
the router bit this will help control the
router. If you rout with the rotation, the router
or the workpiece will try to pull itself out of
your hands. To make sure youre routing
against the rotation, just remember that the
bit rotates clockwise when the router is used
right-side up. To rout the inside of a piece,
move the router clockwise within the perime-
ter; when routing the outside, move it coun-
terclockwise. Treat fences and straightedges
as if they were the outside of a workpiece
envision yourself cutting counterclockwise
around these guides.
There is one application for routing with
the rotational direction. This is known as
climb-cutting or back-routing. While this
action demands better control of the router by
the operator, climb-cutting can reduce tear-
out when routing highly figured or irregularly
grained woods. You must be very comfortable
with router use before attempting this.
If your project re-
quires you to rout
across the end grain,
clamp a scrap to the
edge of the board
where the bit will
exit. This will prevent
splintering and
tear-out. If routing all
four edges of a
board, start with a
cross-grain edge so
the long-grain pass
will remove any
tear-out.
Take note of the wood grain direc-

tion and rout with the grain as much as
possible. When you must rout across the
grain, back up the wood where the bit
will exit. This prevents the bit from
tearing and chipping the wood.
Guiding the Router
In addition to those rules, here are some
extra tips on guiding the router. You can
use these whether youre routing
hand-held or with a jig:
Always hold the router firmly with

both hands. Be prepared for the initial
jerk when you start it up that annoying
momentary wrench can be difficult to
control on some of the more-powerful
routers. You may want to buy a router
with a soft-start motor to eliminate
this unnerving tendency but we think
that once you start using your router
more often, youll get used to this and
become more comfortable.
A router motor, like any other

spinning body, generates lots of centrifu-
gal force, which is the force that draws a
rotating body away from the center of
rotation, caused by the inertia of the
body. Because of this, your router will
resist any effort to cut in a straight line.
As you push it along, it will want to drift
to one side or the other, so you have to
exert some force against your guide or
edge to keep it tracking correctly.
Make sure the router base is proper-

ly supported. When used hand-held,
routers are top-heavy. If the workpiece is
too narrow, it may be hard to balance the
router. A good tip to help you with this is
to clamp a wide scrap piece to the work
(doubling its thickness in many cases) to
provide additional support.
Its not usually a good idea to rout

Router base
Feed
freehand (with the router unguided).
The cuts wont be very accurate, and the
router will try to pull itself all over the
workpiece. There are four things you can
use to help you guide the router while
you cut a piloted bit, which has a ball
bearing guide or bushing to guide the
cut; a guide collar, which attaches to the
routers base and follows a surface with
the bit protruding through it; an edge
guide, which is really just a small fence
that attaches to the routers base; or a
straightedge clamped to your workpiece.
Tear-out on
scrap wood
popwood.com 53
Using a Straightedge or Fence
The difference between a straightedge
and a fence is all in how you hold the
router. A straightedge guides a hand-
held router over the work, while a fence
guides the work over a table-mounted
router. [Editors Note: We will focus on the
router table in Chapter Three of this series.]
Whether using a straightedge or a
fence, keep whatever is moving pressed
firmly against it. Feed the work or the
router slowly and steadily do not pause
or speed up if you can help it.
Here are other things to remember:
Make sure the straightedge or the

fence is straight and flat. Otherwise, the
cuts wont be accurate.
Always read the warp or bow in a

board before routing (see illustrations at
right). Keep the convex surface against
the fence or straightedge as you cut it.
If the router sole is circular, paint a

spot on the edge of the base plate. Keep
the spot turned toward you and away
from the straightedge as you rout. The
bit is never perfectly centered in the base
plate. If you allow the router to turn as
you follow the straightedge, the cut will
not be perfectly straight.
A Gauge will Help
When guiding the router with a straight-
edge, make a gauge to help position the
straightedge when setting up the cut. To
make a gauge the proper width (the
distance from the router bit to the base
edge), stick a thin piece of hardboard to
a scrap piece with double-faced carpet
tape, flushing one long edge of both
pieces. Position your straightedge against
the flushed edges. Mount the bit you
plan to use in the router and rout along
the straightedge and through the hard-
board. The strip of hardboard now func-
tions as your gauge.
Then just lay out the cut you want to
make on the work. Position the straight-
edge on the work parallel to the edge of
the cut and offset it the width of the
gauge by using your gauge piece to guide
you. Secure the straightedge to the work
and make the cut, keeping the router
firmly against the straightedge.
TIPS & TRICKS
GREAT TIP:
Loose Tenons for Easy Joints
Instead of cutting perfectly fit mortise-
and-tenon joinery on your workpieces,
all you have to do is rout two matching
mortises then make a loose tenon to
complete the joint. A single loose tenon
(easily fit to both mortises) bridges the
two mortises. As long as you get a good
fit, this joint will be as strong as a tradi-
tional mortise-and-tenon joint.
GREAT TRICK:
Keep That Piece
Clamped Down Tight
Whenever youre routing something,
make sure that either your workpiece or
your router is stable and secure they
cant both move. If you choose to move
the router across the work, clamp the
work to your bench. If a clamp interferes
with the operation, rout up to it and turn
the router off. Then move the clamp to
an area on the workpiece that youve
already cut and resume routing.
GREAT TRICK:
Back Up Your Work When
Utilizing a Miter Gauge
Tear-out when routing in end grain can
be a real problem. In a router table, when
using a miter gauge to rout across the
woods grain, always use a piece of
scrap placed behind the work piece to
prevent tear-out.
If you turn the concave side toward the fence,
the cut will be narrower toward the middle of
the board than it will be at the ends.
If your workpiece is warped or bowed even
slightly keep the convex side of the bow
against the fence or straightedge as you cut.
The width of the cut will remain the same
from one end of the board to the other.
Convex side
Cut
remains
even
Width of
cut varies
Fence
Bit
Concave side
Yes
No
A BIT OF ADVICE
Straight Bit
The most basic groove-
forming bit will give you
clean grooves and dados.
Diameters range from
1
16" to 1
3
4".
kind thats available. The flutes of most
carbide cutting tools are tipped or faced
with carbide, while the bulk of the tool is
HSS. Carbide is brittle and wont be as
sharp as HSS, but it lasts up to 15 times
longer than HSS bits.
Custom Router Bits
If you find yourself looking for a specific
kind of router bit and cant seem to find
it anywhere in your woodworking supply
store or catalogs, check this out you
can have custom router bits made to
your specifications. These are a little
more expensive, but if you use them
continually, they could be worth the
money.
Some places where custom bits are
available include:
Freeborn Tool Co.:

800-523-8988 or freeborntool.com
Router Bits Online:

800-821-8378 or routerbitsonline.com
True Cuts:
800-CNC-BITS or truecut.net
Whiteside Machine Co.:

800-225-3982 or whitesiderouterbits.com
Carbide Specialties Inc.:

800-678-3313 or carbidespecialties.com
North American Products:

800-634-TOOL or www.naptools.com
Selecting Bits
There are an enormous number of router
bits available, many more than can be
shown here. But all these cutting acces-
sories can be organized into four simple
categories: decorative, used to cut mold-
ed shapes; joinery, used to make wood-
working joints [Editors Note: We will
focus more on joinery and joinery bits in
Chapter Four of this series]; trimming/
cutting, used to trim or cut various ma-
terials; and utility, used to do all three
of these tasks.
The cutting edges of the bits are
called flutes. Most router bits have two
symmetrical flutes, although there are
some with just one.
When selecting which bit to use,
know that you have a range of diameters
to choose from. Router bits vary from a
diameter of
1
16" up to 3
1
4". Some bits,

particularly straight bits, are available
with different types of flutes for cutting
various materials.
When it comes to the material the bit
is made from, almost all bits these days
are made out of tungsten carbide. A few
years back, most bits were made out of
high-speed steel (HSS), which was
cheaper and easier to make. But now,
tungsten carbide is pretty much the only
Most unpiloted router bits have either top-cut or point-cut flutes flat or pointed cutting edges
on the ends of the flutes as well as the sides. This feature lets you cut downward into the stock
to make grooves, mortises and other cuts in the interior of a workpiece. For example, a point-cut
beading bit (far right) lets you cut quarter-round and half-round shapes in the surface of a piece,
not just on the arrises and corners. Rabbet Bit
An often-used bit for
edge-forming.
Change the bear-
ing size to vary the
width of the rab-
bet. The carbide
height is usually
1
2", with the various
bearings making rabbets possible from
5
16" to
1
2" wide.
Chamfer Bit
If you prefer a less-rounded appearance
but still want to soften the edges, a
chamfer bit is the way
to go. Commonly
available in 15,
30 and 45
bevels.
A router bit consists of a cylindrical
shank (usually
1
4" or
1
2" in diameter) and
one or more flutes or cutting wings,
usually comprised of a piece of carbide
brazed to the metal body of the bit.
Throughout this series, we will be pro-
viding a closer look at a many of the
most common (and some specialized)
bits that you can use with your router.
Roundover Bit
This is a great bit for
quickly changing the
appearance of any
project. Depending
on the radius of the
roundover used (
3
16",
1
4" and
3
8" are common), a sharp edge
can be softened or almost entirely
rounded over. Add a smaller bearing, and
the roundover bit becomes a beading bit.
popwood.com 55
Chapter 2
Plunge Router
A look at versatile plunge
routers and information
about router maintenance.
Chapter 3
The Router Table
Which routers work best in
a table? Plus lots of
table tricks.
Chapter 4
Router Joinery
A great tool for joinery, we
tell you how to rout all
kinds of tight joints.
Chapter 5
Use Your Router
to Build Drawers
An excellent application for
a table or hand-held router.
Chapter 6
Edge & Surface
Treatments
Spice up your projects with
these special edge shapes.
Chapter 7
Advanced
Techniques
We comb our resources to
give you some special tips
and projects to work on.
Everything you need
to know about
the router in one
special section!
For many woodworkers, one of their
first tools is the router, but there
often isnt enough instruction about
how to use it. This series aims to fix
that by giving you everything you
ever wanted to know.
W
hen using a hand-held router to
cut dados, grooves and rabbets,
the part of the setup that eats
most of your time is positioning the edge
guide or straightedge. This T-shaped jig
simplifies that chore just use the short
crossbar to instantly position the longer
straightedge.
T-square Router Guide
Before you can use this jig, you must
cut dados in the crossbar one on
either side of the straightedge. Place
the jig over a large wooden scrap
and butt the crossbar against an
edge. Clamp the jig to the scrap and
cut the dados with a straight bit,
keeping the router pressed against
the straightedge. NOTE: Once you
have cut these dados, you can only
use the jig with that particular router
and that bit. The dados wont line up
with different tools.
Lay out the joints on the workpiece. Place the jig across
the wood, butt the crossbar against an edge or end and
line up one of the dados with the layout lines. Then
clamp the jig to the workpiece and cut the joint using
the straightedge to guide the router, just as you did
when you made the dados in the crossbar.
Chapter 1
Fixed-base Router
An in-depth look at the
basics of router set-up,
rules every woodworker
should know, vital bits to
have in your shop and
loads of tips & tricks.
COMING IN FUTURE ISSUES
JIG JOURNAL
Plan
Elevation
Exploded view
Straightedge
Crossbar
14"
3
4"
3
4"
1
2"
3"
3"
1
1
2"
3
4" x
3
8" dado
#10 x 1
1
4" flat-head wood screws
1
2" x
3
8" dado
30"
Theres Only One
Original.
When It Comes To DH Kilns, When It Comes To DH Kilns,
Whether youre drying 300
board feet or three million,
youll get the performance
and results you need with
the world leader in dehu-
midification lumber drying:
Nyle Dry Kiln Systems.
Nyle kilns cost less to install and
operate than conventional kilns, and
our patented technology gives you
exact control of kiln conditions for
superior drying quality. With a Nyle
system, DH drying is an economical,
high-quality option for even the
largest drying operation.
For FREE facts on a system for your
business, go to:
P.O. Box 1107 Bangor, Maine 04402-1107
Kilns from
300 to 350,000 BF
(207) 989-4335
FAX (207) 989-1101
1-800-777-6953
Nyle DH Kilns
Use 50% to 60% less
energy than conven-
tional kilns
Provide outstanding
drying performance
Give you unbeatable
quality and reliability
www.nyle.com
10TRICKS
FOR
TIGHT
JOINTS
Learn some of our
editors favorite
ways to get seamless,
rock-solid joints.
Y
ouve cut all your pieces
and are putting everything
together when you first
notice it a gap. A dark void
where there should be none.
Dont panic it happens to
the best of us. For whatever rea-
son, there are instances when
your joints just dont t perfect-
ly and you have to decide what
to do: Do you scrap all the time,
energy, money and hard work
youve put into the project and
start over, or do you just let there
be a little gap and move on?
Well, were giving you a third
option. We put our heads together
and have come up with a list of
the best tricks to help you tight-
en your joints. These tips should
help you eliminate those unsightly,
embarrassing gaps and point your
joints in the right direction.
Compression Makes
Dovetails Tight
Hand-cut dovetails are some of
the most challenging joints to t
perfectly. Many woodworkers will
spend hundreds of dollars on router
jigs or woodworking classes to get
an airtight t.
If you decide to hand-cut your
dovetails, there are a few ways to
make sure you get it right.
Because wood is on a cellu-
lar level similar to a bunch of
soda straws glued together, you
can compress it a little bit. Usually,
compression is a bad thing, such
as when you drop a hammer on
your work and it dents. But a lit-
tle bit of compression is good
when dovetailing.
Heres how it works: Cut the
rst half of your joint as you usu-
ally would I usually cut the tails
first. Then use that first half to
knife in the second half of the
joint in this case, the pins.
Next, when you saw your pin
lines, dont saw right up against
the knife line you marked, as most
books tell you. Instead, saw slight-
ly wide. How wide? The whisker
of a gnat would be a good place
to start. Heres how I do it: After
I knife in my joint lines, I run a
pencil over each knife line. Then
I start my saw cut to leave the en-
tire pencil line.
Like all things pertaining to
dovetails, this takes practice. Cut
some sample joints to get a feel
for it and use a magnifying glass
to gauge your progress.
Once you cut your pins, use a
knife to ease the inside edges of
your tails, which will be inside P
h
o
t
o

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
Wood compresses, and you can use that to make your dovetails tighter. Cutting your
pins just slightly wide will force them to compress the tails.
Pin
Waste
Pin
cut wide
popwood.com 59
the joint. When you join your
two pieces, the too-tight pins will
compress the tails and the joint
will be seamless. If you try to com-
press too much, one of your boards
will split as the two boards are
knocked together.
This compression works es-
pecially well with half-blind draw-
er joints where you are joining
a secondary softwood for the sides
(such as poplar) with a hardwood
drawer front (such as oak), be-
cause the softwood compresses
easily. But be careful: This trick
doesnt work when you are try-
ing to join two pieces of dense
exotic wood, which doesnt com-
press much at all.
Christopher Schwarz
Fake Half-blinds for
Dovetail Joints
Half-blind dovetails are trickier
to cut than through-dovetails,
but they dont have to be. I picked
up this trick from dovetailing
maestro Rob Cosman, who has
two excellent videos on dovetails
that are available from Lie-Nielsen
Toolworks (lie-nielsen.com or
800-327-2520).
Through-dovetails are easier to cut than half-blinds. To make life easier (and to stretch your stock of
valuable wood) cut through-dovetails when joining your sides and drawer fronts. Then add
1
4"-thick
veneer to the drawer front.
Use your work-
bench as part of
your clamping
setup when
applying the
veneer to the
drawer. This setup
helps spread
pressure evenly
across this large
surface.
Essentially, you first build a
drawer with the easier through-
dovetails and then glue a
1
4"-
thick piece of veneer over the
drawer front, making them look
like half-blind dovetails.
Usually with drawers you have
1
2"-thick sides and a
3
4"-thick
front. To do what were suggest-
ing, make your drawer front with
1
2"-thick stock, too. Then join
the sides to the front using
through-dovetails.
Then, using your band saw,
resaw a piece of
1
4"-thick veneer
from a piece of really nice gured
wood. Make it a little larger than
the finished size of your drawer
front. Then glue that veneer to
the drawer front, let the glue dry
and trim it ush.
This makes excellent half-
blind dovetails and allows you to
stretch your supply of nicely g-
ured woods for your drawer fronts.
CS
Deeper Mortises Close Gaps
Its easy to get gaps when using a
traditional mortise-and-tenon
joint. Luckily, its also straight-
forward to get rid of them.
If you make your mortises ex-
actly as deep as your tenons are
long, youre asking for trouble.
By doing this, you havent creat-
ed a place for any excess glue to
go, so it will be forced out of the
joint. And if there is even a lit-
tle bit of gunk at the bottom of
your mortise, the joint wont close
tightly no matter what you do.
To x this, make your mortis-
es
1
16" deeper than your tenons
Mortise is
1
/
16" deeper
than tenon is long
Bottom of mortise
Tenon
Veneered front
Making your mortise
a little deeper pre-
vents gaps at the
shoulders.
are long. This trick will save you
time because you dont have to
clean up the bottoms of your mor-
tises as much, and it will prevent
glue from squeezing out if you use
too much in the joint.
CS
Paring Your Shoulders in a
Mortise-and-tenon Joint
Before you assemble your joints,
you should always clamp them
up without glue. That way, you
can disassemble everything and
fine-tune your joints if you find
ugly gaps at this stage. But what
if you cant track down the prob-
lem? Weve found that tuning up
the shoulder of the joint will help
you x a variety of problems and
make sure you dont hurt the
strength of the joint.
First, clamp the tenon in your
benchs vise with the tenon point-
ing straight up. With a sharp chis-
el, pare away the inside of the
shoulder without cutting the out-
side of the shoulder that shows.
Pare away about
1
32" all the way
around and then test the t again.
This should help you solve
problems where your shoulders
are angled a bit because of mis-
cutting. It also helps out when
the tenons mating surface isnt
perfectly square its quite com-
mon to sand or plane that area so
its bellied a bit.
CS
Tighten Mortise-and-tenon
Joints with a Shoulder Plane
A common problem with a mor-
tise-and-tenon joint is that its
easy to make the joint too tight
(so it wont go together) or too
loose (where it will fall apart).
Even expertly machined joints
have this problem because its
tough to hold all your parts with
exactly the same pressure as you
cut them on your table saw or
router table. A
1
128" difference
can make or break this joint.
popwood.com 61
Pare the shoulder
all around the
tenon to help
eliminate gaps in
this joint. Be sure
not to cut the edge
of the shoulder, or
youll make your
gap worse instead
of better.
Dados are a pain
to get sized just
right. So dont
bother sizing the
dado to the
material. Cut the
dado undersized
and then cut a
matching rabbet
on its mate.
Your tenons should slide into
your mortises with hand pressure
only. The fit should be firm but
not forced. To get that every sin-
gle time, I make all my tenons so
they are slightly oversized. Usually
I shoot for a tenon that ts a bit
too tightly but would go togeth-
er with a mallet.
Then I get ready for a dry as-
sembly and use my shoulder plane
to tune up each joint. A good
shoulder plane removes just a cou-
ple thousandths of an inch in a
pass. This allows you to sneak up
on a brilliant t with only ve or
six swipes of the plane. It takes
about 10 seconds per joint.
Be sure to remove the same
amount of material from each
face cheek of the tenon by tak-
ing the same number of passes on
each side of the tenon.
Shoulder planes are available
new from Lie-Nielsen, Clifton,
Stanley and some other custom
plane-makers, such as Shepherd
Tool. You also can find them at
ea markets or on the Internet.
CS
Add Rabbets to Dado Joints
Dados are deceivingly simple: You
just cut a trench in your work that
To get your tenons tting perfectly, learn to use a shoulder plane. This handy tool
will t your tenons in an extraordinarily controlled manner.
Pare here
but not here
A couple of swipes
on each cheek will
tweak your tenons
is exactly the same width as the
thickness of its mating piece.
The problem is getting the
dado sized exactly right so you
dont have an ugly gap at the front
of your joint or along the trench
where the boards meet. Of course,
to precisely size your dados you
can use shims in your dado stack,
buy undersized router bits or cut
your joint in a couple of passes.
Another option is to cut a rab-
bet on the mating piece. Using a
rabbet requires an extra machinery
setup, but it is worth the trouble.
Cut your dado so its width is
1
8"
undersized. For example, if you
were planning on a
3
4"-wide dado,
make a
5
8"-wide dado instead.
Then cut an
1
8"-deep rabbet
on your mating piece that allows
the two pieces to nest together.
You can tweak the size of the rab-
bet to get the joint just right.
Steve Shanesy
Use a Hand Plane for Dados
Another way to get perfect dados
is with the help of a smoothing
plane. If you can sharpen and set
up a plane, this is for you.
First, cut your dado so it is
slightly undersized. Ive found
that the dado made by dado stacks
is always a few thousandths of an
inch less than the width you re-
quire. To cut a slightly undersized
3
4"-wide dado, I merely install all
the chippers for a
3
4" dado. This
has always worked, regardless of
the brand of dado stack (Forrest,
Freud and others).
Then I just plane down the
mating piece on both sides to
sneak up on a perfect fit. Make
sure you set your plane to make
the finest shaving possible, and
this should work for you.
CS
Stop Bridging Your Screws
When Using Butt Joints
There denitely are ways to im-
prove your butt joints if you nd
gaps appearing. Screws and bis-
cuits used correctly can make
the joint tighter and more durable
if you know how to use them.
While dovetails and mortise-
and-tenon joints are excellent
options, we know that a lot of
woodworkers use screws to sim-
ply pull butt joints tight. Theres
nothing wrong with that, but
using the correct screws and tech-
niques will ensure that your joint
actually is tight.
Lots of woodworkers are using
sheet-metal screws and drywall
screws to assemble projects. These
will work, but theres a reason
woodworking screws exist.
The thread-free part of a wood
screw shank (under the screw
head) allows the threads to bite
into the second wood piece, while
the first piece (the one being at-
tached) is able to pull tight against
it. If there are threads over the
entire length of the screw shank,
the threads will bite into the wood
in the attaching piece and will
The trick to a tight butt joint is drilling a
proper clearance hole before you drive
in a sheet-metal screw. The clearance
hole prevents the threads from catching
in the top piece.
Biscuits keep the shelf aligned vertically and the pocket-hole screws help clamp the
middle of the panel. Add some glue, cinch the screws down tight and youre done
its that easy. And heres the best part: No clamps required.
A sharp and tuned
smoothing plane
can reduce your
thickness in small
increments,
allowing you to
sneak up on a
seamless dado
joint.
Clearance
hole
Countersink
Pilot hole
stop the first piece from seating
tight when the screw head reach-
es the wood surface. This is some-
thing called bridging, and youll
never get a tight joint.
Using a standard wood screw
with a partially-threaded shank
will solve this, or you can make
sure the clearance hole in the at-
taching piece is large enough to
keep the threads from catching
in the wood. Either way, your joint
will end up tight and solid.
David Thiel
Improve Butt Joints with
Pocket-hole Screws, Biscuits
We like pocket-hole screws to
build utility cabinets and frames
because no other joint is as fast
or requires as little clamping.
But there is one downside with
pocket-hole screws when you are
joining a shelf, top or bottom to
a side. It can be quite difficult to
hold the shelf in perfect position
as you drive the screws home. If
the piece shifts even the slight-
est bit, youll have a shelf that
is cockeyed with an ugly, obvious
gap on one side.
To get around this, we com-
bine biscuits and pocket-hole
screws to get the best of both
worlds. The extra time the bis-
cuits take is minimal. First, cut
your biscuit slots in your shelf and
side piece. Then cut the pocket
holes in the underside of the shelf.
Put glue and biscuits in the
biscuit slots and put the shelf in
place. Then you can drive the
pocket-hole screws home. Why
do we like this method so much?
Well, there are three reasons:
The biscuits hold the shelf
in place as you drive the screws
so it cannot shift and your case
will be perfectly square.
The pocket-hole screws hold
the shelf and side pieces togeth-
er as the glue dries. This is espe-
cially helpful with the middle part
of the shelf, which is difcult to
clamp if you use only biscuits.
The pocket-hole screws pull the
pieces together across the shelf
without a single clamp.
If you are a cheapskate, you
can remove the screws once the
glue is dry and reuse them.
CS
The Best Way to Clamp
Miters in Casework
Joining your cabinets sides and
face frame with a miter is a classy
way to dress up an ordinary box
and it is a signature of con-
temporary furniture design. But
accomplishing this joint without
an ugly gap somewhere along that
miter is another story.
Many people spend lots of
money on corner clamps and
clamping jigs. Or they construct
convoluted cauls. My solution is
tape. Yes, tape.
I was shown this technique of
cutting straight and clean joints
and taping them together when
I worked in a large production
cabinet shop where time was
money. Ive used this technique
on mitered joints that were 10'
long and it worked awlessly. It
also works great for gluing com-
pound miters.
To cut a clean miter using your
table saw, set the blade to 45 and
clamp an accessory fence to your
saws rip fence. The accessory
fence should be made using a soft-
er wood, such as poplar or pine.
A harder wood will ruin the sharp
tip of your miter. Raise the blade
while it is spinning until it kiss-
es the accessory fence. Now you
can cut your miters.
The real trick to dead-on miters
is how you glue them. As shown
in the photos, tape the outside of
the joint together, spread glue on
the joint and then fold the parts
to assemble things. Band clamps
or more tape will hold the parts
together as they dry. PW
Jim Stack
popwood.com 63
When taping your miters, lay the parts face up so the mitered edges are touching.
Then tape the joint with clear packing tape.
Next fold the assembly and use tape to hold it square until the glue sets.
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
German
Work Box
A fold-out, carry-anything
tool chest on wheels. D
uring a recent trip to Germany, our publisher,
Steve Shanesy, snapped some pictures of a util-
itarian, but also clever, rolling tool cart used
in one of the woodworking shops he visited.
The cart was designed to hold your tools so your
bench or assembly platform remained tidy. It had doors
and drawers on the lower section, plus wings that
opened on top to reveal three tool wells that kept
things orderly and prevented items from falling onto
the floor. When not in use, the cart closed to a nice
size and could even be locked.
The staff agreed that the idea was a good one, but
we decided to put a Popular Woodworking spin on it.
We divided and detailed the lower drawer space some
more and added a tool till inside the center well
with magnetic tool holders.
Plus we made sure the construction was simple.
Mechanical fasteners do all the hard work. You could
easily build this cart with a circular saw, a drill and a
router, making it a great project for beginners or even
a professional cabinetmaker in a production shop.
Affordable Space
While we didnt start out worrying about price, the
nished bill is worth talking about. Using two sheets
of good-quality
3
4" shop-grade plywood and one sheet
of
1
2" Baltic birch ply for the drawers, wood costs came
in at about $125. The necessary hardware (theres a
lot more than you might think imagine) comes in at
less than $150 if you build it exactly as we have. So
By David Thiel & Michael A. Rabkin
Comments or questions? Contact David at 513-531-2690
ext. 1255 or [email protected]. Contact Michael at
513-531-2690 ext. 1327 or [email protected]
NO. LET. I TEM DI MENSI ONS ( I NCHES) MATERI AL
T W L
Case
2 A Sides
3
4 19
1
4 32 Shop plywood
3 B Shelves and bottom
3
4 18
1
2 28
1
2 Shop plywood
1 C Back
3
4 28
1
2 32 Shop plywood
1 D Front
3
4 6
7
8 30 Shop plywood
1 E Divider
3
4 18 18 Shop plywood
2 F Doors
3
4 14
15
16 25 Shop plywood
4 G Wing front and back
3
4 6
15
16 15 Shop plywood
2 H Wing sides
3
4 6
15
16 18
1
2 Shop plywood
2 I Wing sides
3
4 6
3
4 18
1
2 Shop plywood
2 J Wing panels
3
4 13
1
2 18
1
2 Shop plywood
1 K Till support
3
4 5
1
2 28
1
2 Shop plywood
1 L Till lid spacer
3
4
3
4 28
1
4 Maple
1 M Till lid
3
4 10 28
1
4 Shop plywood
2 N Drawer section sides
1
2 12 18 Shop plywood
Drawers
2 O Drawer front and back
1
2 4 15
3
4 Baltic birch
2 P Drawer sides
1
2 4 17
1
2 Baltic birch
2 Q Drawer front and back
1
2 4
1
2 15
3
4 Baltic birch
2 R Drawer sides
1
2 4
1
2 17
1
2 Baltic birch
2 S Drawer front and back
1
2 5 27
1
2 Baltic birch
2 T Drawer sides
1
2 5 17
1
2 Baltic birch
2 U Drawer front and back
1
2 5
1
2 15
3
4 Baltic birch
2 V Drawer sides
1
2 5
1
2 17
1
2 Baltic birch
3 W Drawer bottoms
1
2 16
3
4 18 Baltic birch
1 X Drawer bottom
1
2 17
1
2 27 Baltic birch
GERMAN WORK BOX
for $275, youre still getting a lot
of storage for the price and the
space is arranged to be exactly
what you need, unlike a store-
bought toolbox.
The Basics
While this is a utilitarian work
cart for the shop, we expended a
little extra effort (veneer tape on
the plywood edges and no ex-
posed screw heads) to make it a
more finished-looking project
while maintaining the solid, sim-
ple construction details.
The cart joinery is a collec-
tion of butt joints. We used a new
product on the market, Miller
Dowels, to assemble all the butt
joints. This is a stepped wood
dowel that replaces the screws
and plugs the holes left by the
drill bit at the same time.
The back is
3
4" plywood (ply-
wood offers great gluing strength
on edge because of the long grain
part of the plywood core). This
size back offers excellent stabili-
ty and the opportunity to square-
up the case without worrying
about wood expansion because
of changes in humidity.
On the interior plywood draw-
ers we used simple rabbet joints
to add some extra strength. The
bottoms of three of the drawers
are screwed to the drawer boxes
and stick out past the drawer sides
to serve as effective drawer guides,
emulating the metal drawers used
on the right side of the case.
Begin with the Big Box
First cut the plywood panels to
size according to the cutting list
below. Weve posted an opti-
mization chart at popwood.com
(click on Magazine Extras) to
help you get all the pieces from
your plywood sheets.
To allow the three smaller
drawers to slide in and out of the
case, you need to cut
1
2"-wide x
3
8"-deep dados in the left side of
the case and in the left side of the
center divider. Lay out the dado
locations according to the il-
lustrations then cut them using
either a dado stack in your saw,
repeated cuts with a circular saw,
or with a straight bit, using two
passes to achieve the full depth.
There is
1
2" of space between each
of the drawers and we worked
from the bottom up, leaving a
larger gap above the top drawer
to allow clearance for the door
catches.
Dowels and Glue
As mentioned, we used veneer
tape to dress up the edges of the
plywood. We had been using iron-
on veneer tape for years, but re-
cently discovered a self-adhesive
SOURCES
Lee Valley Tools
800-871-8158 or
leevalley.com
1 set 2"metal drawers (5)
#05K98.25, $23.50
1 set 1" metal drawers (5)
#05K98.10, $19.95
2 gripper mats
#88K18.05, $5.95 ea.
3 12" magnetic bars
#93K75.12, $7.95 ea.
Woodworkers Hardware
800-383-0130 or
wwhardware.com
3 1
1
2" x 48" nickel piano
hinges
#LA11248 14A, $8.98 ea.
2 2
1
2" swivel casters
#JH25 S, $4.16 ea.
2 2
1
2" swivel casters w/brake
#JH25 SB, $4.81 ea.
1 lid stay
#KV0472 R ANO, $2.67
2 4" chrome pull
#UFWP4 SS, $2,60 ea.
4 1" pull screws
#SC832 1SS, $.23 ea.
2 roller catches
#A09714 A2G, $.96 ea.
1 18" 100# full extension slide
#KV8417 B18, $11.45 pr.
Woodcraft
800-535-4482 or
woodcraft.com
2 Miller Dowel 1X walnut
packs (25)
#144735, $6.99 ea.
1 stepped dowel kit 1X
#144570, $27.99
Woodworkers Supply
800-645-9292 or
woodworker.com
1
13
16"x 50' PSA birch edge
tape
#934-960, $13.95
Prices as of publication deadline.
60"
N
H
I
B
3
/
4"
18
1
/
2"
25" 25"
10"
20"
32"
3
/
4"
3
/
4"
15" 30" 15"
A
C
L
K
M
M
F
O
S
Q
28
1
/
4"
6
3
/
4" 6
15
/
16" 6
7
/
8"
1
/
8"
3
/
4"
3
/
4"
18
1
/
2"
6
15
/
16"
18"
6
3
/
4"
6
1
/
2"
3
/
4"
3
/
4"
3
/
4"
U
E
B
W
B
5
1
/
4"
G
J
I
D
G
J
B
C
A
See wing hinge
detail above right
3
/
16"
Piano hinge
4"
4
1
/
2"
5
1
/
2"
5"
popwood.com 67
Cut the drawer
dados in the case
sides prior to
assembly. We used
a router to make
the dados and a
store-bought
guide that clamps
across the ply-
wood to guide the
router. You could
just as easily
clamp a straight
board to the side
to serve as a
guide. Use two
passes on each
dado to achieve
the full depth.
This puts less
strain on the
router and the bit.
7"
1
/
2"
12
1
/
2"
2
1
/
2"
5
1
/
4"
8"
10
3
/
4"
12
3
/
8"
14"
15
3
/
8"
17
1
/
4"
1
/
2"w. x
3
/
8"d.
dados
E N
Plan
Wing hinge detail
Elevation Prole
Drawer dado layout
veneer tape that is much simpler
to use, takes the concern out of
the glue melting evenly and sticks
very well to the work.
After veneering all the ex-
posed edges, sand the interior sur-
faces through #150 grit. Now
youre ready to assemble the case.
Start by clamping the divider
between the upper and middle
shelves, holding the front edges
ush. We used regular #8 x 1
1
4"
screws here because they would
be hidden inside the case. Drill
and countersink
3
16"-diameter
clearance holes through the shelves
and drill
3
32"-diameter pilot holes
in the divider. Add glue and screw
the assembly together.
Next use either screws or Miller
Dowels to attach the back to the
center assembly. Check the spaces
to ensure they are square, then
add the bottom shelf to the back,
The veneer edge tape is easy to use and
quickly adds a nished appearance to
the cabinet. Even though we ended up
painting the exterior, the paint still
applied better to the veneer tape than
on a bare plywood edge. Youll need to
notch the tape with a le at the dado
locations in the left case side.
Screw the divider between the top and
middle shelves by rst drilling a pilot
hole for the screws and countersinking
the athead screws to the shelf surfaces.
Attach the back to the center assembly
using the Miller Dowels. Put glue on the
back edges of the center pieces, then
position the back and clamp it in place.
After using the proprietary stepped drill
bit to make the holes, add glue to the
dowel and then tap it into place in the
hole. Lastly, attach the bottom to the
back with stepped dowels.
Top shelf
Divider
Middle shelf
Back
Bottom
popwood.com 69
holding the back ush to the bot-
tom side of the shelf.
Clamp your center assembly
between the two sides, drill the
appropriate holes, add glue and
assemble the rest of the case. Its
a good idea to trim the dowels
ush to the case side before ip-
ping the case onto that face: Its
more stable and theres less chance
of messing something up.
Add the front piece to the
front edges of the sides, holding
it ush to the top edge. The front
will overlap the top shelf, leav-
ing
1
4" of the shelf edge exposed.
This allows room to attach the
front to the shelf with brad nails.
The exposed edge will act as a
door stop once hinges are installed.
The wings go together like
simple versions of the case. The
side closest to the cabinet on each
wing is
3
16" narrower than the
other. This creates a recess to
house the hinge to mount the
wings to the cabinet.
We recessed the captured pan-
els
1
4" in from the outside edges
to avoid any alignment problems.
Using the stepped dowels, attach
the wing sides to the wing pan-
els. Attach the fronts and backs
to complete the assembly.
Storage Details
Start by adding the till lid to the
back with a length of continuous
(or piano) hinge. Because of the
way the hinge needs to mount in-
side the cabinet (so the wings can
close) we added a
3
4" x
3
4" maple
strip to the back
1
8" down from
the top edge. This allows the till
lid to open to about 110. Mount
the lid to the strip with a length
of piano hinge. Carefully check
it for clearance between the two
sides as it closes.
Next, attach the till support
to the top shelf by screwing into
the support through the shelf.
The support is set back
1
2" from
the front edge of the till lid to
The next step is to attach the rst side (which side doesnt really matter). Carry your
location lines from the back around to the side and use them to lay out the dowel
locations. Add glue, clamp, drill and dowel the joint.
Before attaching the second side, it
makes sense to cut the dowels on
the rst side ush to the surface. I
used a Japanese ush-cutting pull
saw that has teeth with very little set
to them, reducing the chance of
scratching the cabinet side. By
applying pressure on the blade to
keep it at to the cabinet surface, I
further reduced the chance of
scratches. Do a little sanding, then
ip the cabinet over and attach the
second side, then the front.
After attaching the till lid, the wings are ready. The wings are held ush to the front
and are tight against the cabinet side. The recessed wing side is the attachment point
for the piano hinge, allowing the lid to close ush against the top of the cabinet.
allow you to get your ngers under
it to lift the lid. Add some glue
and a couple of stepped dowels
through the sides to hold every-
thing in place.
Now you need to attach the
two wings to the case with more
piano hinge. Clamp the wings to
the case in the open position (ush
to the front) while attaching the
hinges to ensure even and well-
supported wings.
Lastly, attach the doors to the
case (use a piano hinge again).
Till lid
Till support
MILLER DOWELS
Miller Dowels are a clever concept that can make some types of assembly
faster and easier. Essentially, the stepped-dowel idea offers the strength of
a standard dowel with the ease of a tapered dowel. Alignment and splitting
difficulties often associated with standard dowels are reduced, while the
strength offered is actually better than with a standard dowel thanks to the
ribbed design (increasing glue coverage).
These stepped dowels can be used in place of screws (as weve shown
in this project) think of them as self-plugging screws.
Were going to stop short of advocating Miller Dowels as a replacement
for all screws, though. While the strength is good, they still wont pull up an
ill-fitting joint, and if the glue is not allowed to cure before removing the
clamps, there is the potential for the joint opening slightly after removing
the clamps. So proper clamping and glue-curing time is still essential.
Then there is the economic consideration. A pack of 50 dowels (2
3
4" or
3
1
2" long) and the necessary bit cost about $30. Packs of 25 dowels cost
about $7. Thats about 28 cents per dowel versus 4 cents per #20 biscuit or
about 8 cents per premium screw.
All things considered, we like the idea of an all-wood, strong and simple
joint but wed recommend choosing your application carefully.
The dowels are available in birch, red oak, cherry and black walnut,
and more weather-resistant species are on the drawing board. For details,
contact Miller Dowel at 866-WOODPEG (866-966-3734) or millerdowel.com.
To get the doors to seat flush
against the cabinet front, cut a
shallow rabbet (
3
16" deep, the
thickness of the hinge) the width
of the closed hinge on the back
of the door on the hinge side. This
cut can be done with your router
or table saw.
When attaching the doors,
pay careful attention to the height.
Preferably they will be about
1
8"
below the wings when open to
keep things from bumping.
As this would interfere with the
door hinge, we added two draw-
er section sides made of
1
2" Baltic
birch and set them back 1" from
the front of the case. This also
made it possible to cut the dados
in the section sides after the case
was assembled.
The three drawers to the left
use the best of both worlds, fin-
ishing off some of the wood at
hand and avoiding the cost of
more drawer slides by using the
lip and groove concept of the
metal drawers. On all the wood
drawers, a simple 1" hole drilled
in the front serves as an adequate
drawer pull.
Finishing Touches
The last steps are adding a nish
(we opted for two coats of dark
green latex paint on the outside;
the inside was left as-is) and then
some sturdy 2
1
2" casters to the
case and placing and organizing
your tools. The photos will show
you a couple of storage tricks and
items available for sale to help
keep things neat and tidy. PW
experience has shown that low
shelving just collects junk at the
back of the case that you can never
see or reach easily.
Weve used a selection of draw-
er types for this project, both shop-
made and purchased. You can fol-
low our lead or choose whatever
style you prefer.
The lower shop-made draw-
er is simply a Baltic birch box
drawer mounted on full-exten-
sion, 100-lb. drawer slides. This
is a ne heavy-duty drawer joined
at the corners with simple rabbet
joints. We used a
1
2" bottom fit
into a rabbet in the sides. While
we usually would have recom-
mended a
1
4" bottom, we had the
1
2" material and didnt feel like
by buying a whole sheet of
1
4"
for just one drawer.
The store-bought drawers are
metal, lighter-duty drawers of 1"
and 2" depths and have metal
anges that ride on dados cut into
the sides of the case. With these,
the front of the drawer overlaps
the case sides to both hide the
dados and serve as a drawer stop.
Youll also notice that the left-
hand doors hinge covers the dados
for the drawers. Rather than place
the hinge on the outside of the
cabinet (making it too visible),
we opted to simply file out the
hinge to match the dado loca-
tions, as shown below.
Drawer Space
Ultimately youll decide how the
interior space in your cart is used.
Weve used drawers because our
You can see the two sets of dados for the drawers with a few drawers removed.
Also, notice the notched piano hinge to allow the drawers to slide in and out.
Notched
piano hinge
popwood.com 71
This shot of one of the drawers shows the rabbet joinery used.
Also note that the bottom was trimmed slightly in width to
allow the drawer to move more smoothly in the dados.
Pads line the bottoms of
the wing and till sections
to keep tools from
rolling and to help trap
dust. Dividers in the till
section can be cus-
tomized to t the tools
you need. The magnetic
bars on the till lid
provide secure storage
for small ferrous tools.
Small-parts storage is
easily accomplished with
a couple of plastic
storage bins held in
place in one of the metal
drawers with some
hook-and-loop
fasteners.
Rabbet joint
Trimmed to t
by Christopher Schwarz
Comments or questions? Contact Chris at 513-531-2690 ext. 1407
or [email protected]
Japanese Saws
VS.
The Western handsaw, a tool
that cuts on the push stroke and
was the pride of the English-speak-
ing world, isnt the tool most
woodworkers now reach for when
they need a handsaw.
It has been replaced by the
Japanese saw, which cuts on the
pull stroke and once was mocked
by Westerners as backwards.
The numbers tell the story best:
Sixty percent of the saws
sold by Lee Valley Tools are
Japanese-style, says Rob Lee, pres-
ident of Lee Valley, one of the
worlds largest hand-tool catalogs.
Woodcraft Supply Corp.
sells 100 Japanese saws for every
Western saw, says Peter Collins,
a product manager for the large
catalog and retail company.
And Japan Woodworker,
which sold many Western saws
The difference is more than just pushing or pulling.
I
t might shock you to hear this,
but in the last decade or so
more than three centuries of
a Western tool-making tradition
has been undone.
You cannot
push a chain
in a straight line.
But you can pull
a chain in a
straight line.
Pushing a saw
makes no sense.
I can saw upside
down and over
the back of my
head with a
Japanese saw
with no problem.
Harrelson Stanley of
JapaneseTools.com
30 years ago, now sells 1,000
Japanese saws for every Western
saw, says Fred Damsen, the owner.
What caused this shift to
Japanese saws? While some say
its because sawing on the pull
stroke is superior to sawing on
the push stroke, the issue actu-
ally is more complex.
And which saw is best? The
prevailing wisdom says Japanese
saws are superior and easier for
beginners to learn. But if youve
ever worked with a sharp, well-
tuned Western saw, you know this
cant be entirely true.
To answer these questions, we
decided to scrutinize the two types
of saws to learn their true dif-
ferences, beyond the information
in catalogs. Armed with this
knowledge, you can choose a saw
thats right for your woodwork-
ing and your budget. Our jour-
ney begins in ancient Egypt.
The First Handsaws
Modern woodworkers would al-
most immediately recognize the
first known metal saws, which
were excavated in Egypt.
1"
16"
1
32"
10
1
2"
Egyptian handsaw
Teeth
irregular
and set
to one
side
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n

b
y

M
a
t
t

B
a
n
t
l
y
popwood.com 73
They had a long, knife-like
blade, a straight grip and cut on
the pull stroke, like a Japanese
saw. Why the pull stroke?
Early Egyptian saws were made
with a thin sheet of copper (as
thin as 0.03") and had no rigid
spine like the modern backsaw.
(If they had been used) on
the push stroke, the saw would
have buckled and bent, accord-
ing to Geoffrey Killen, author of
numerous books and articles on
Egyptian woodworking and the
head of faculty at the Design and
Technology Department of the
Stratton Upper School and
Community College in England.
What is unusual about these
saws is that all the teeth were set
(meaning they were bent) to one
side of the blade. This makes the
saw difficult to steer, and the
Egyptians had to come up with
ingenious ways of wedging the
saw kerf open during each cut,
according to Killen.
The advent of bronze tools
brought some renements, as did
the iron saws developed by the
Romans. But the basic form was
still a pull saw with a thin blade.
It was the invention of the
frame saw (plus teeth set to both
I continue to use Western-style saws
mostly because they work for me, and I
dont see enough advantage in pull
saws to completely change the way I
work and the appliances I use.
Don McConnell, contributing editor to Popular Woodworking,
professional woodworker and longtime student of traditional woodworking
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
The Western
handsaw, shown
here being used by
Don McConnell
with an overhand
rip grip, cuts on
the push stroke.
Western Saws
ADVANTAGES OF
JAPANESE SAWS:
Thinner kerf removes less wood,
which means less effort.
The inexpensive saws are of
high quality and work very well right
out of the box.
The teeth are generally harder
and can go longer between sharpen-
ings. The best Western saws are 52-54
on the Rockwell C scale. Japanese
saws are 51-58 for the handmade
saws, and 61 and higher for the
machine-made impulse-hardened
saws. While the harder teeth stay
sharp longer, they also are more
brittle and prone to break.
There are many manufacturers
who sell a wide variety of saws with
different teeth congurations (more
than 100 kinds, by Harrelson Stanleys
count) for every woodworking task
and every type of wood.
DISADVANTAGES:
Its almost impossible for a
woodworker to sharpen a Japanese
saw. The teeth are too complex on
handmade saws and too hard on the
impulse-hardened ones. Handmade
saws usually go to Japan for sharpen-
ing. Impulse-hardened saws become
scrapers or go in the garbage.
The crosscut teeth are more
delicate. If you hit a knot or cut
quickly into particularly tough wood,
you could lose a tooth or two.
The saws are easier to ruin.
Because the blade is thin, you can
bend it on the return stroke if you
push too hard and the saw isnt
aligned properly in the kerf.
Japanese saws pull sawdust
toward you, obscuring your line.
Japanese saws made for dimen-
sioning lumber (not joinery) have
shorter blades than full-size Western
handsaws. Depending on the saw, the
pull saw might require more strokes
to do the same work.
Japanese saws are designed to
be used in traditional Japanese
fashion on low benches. When used
in Western fashion, some Japanese
saws are not always as effective as
they should be.
sides of the blade) that allowed
these thin metal blades to be used
on either the push stroke or the
pull stroke much like a mod-
ern coping saw or bowsaw, ac-
cording to The History of
Woodworking Tools (G. Bell &
Sons) by W.L. Goodman.
The frame saw might not have
been invented by the Romans,
but they certainly rened it and
produced a wide variety of them.
This is an important fork in
the road in saw history that af-
fects us to this day. The Japanese
developed pull saws like the
Egyptians, but they never seem
to have developed frame saws,
according to several students of
Japanese history (though a Chinese
frame saw did come into use in
15th century Japan).
So the Japanese, with their
scarce metal resources and their
traditions of working low to the
ground, stuck with the pull saw
and rened it to a high art.
In the West, most of the
European continent stuck with
the bowsaw. But the Dutch and
English took a different path.
In the mid-17th century, wider
steel blades became possible thanks
to water-driven mills, and the
modern handsaw that cuts on the
push stroke was born.
Instead of benches, Japanese craftsmen use low trestles. Sawing a tenon with a
Japanese saw this way is efcient and requires sawing at a less awkward angle than
at a high Western bench. However, you need to be in good shape to work this way.
Heres a tip for
starting a ryoba
saw in a rip cut:
Start the cut with
the crosscut side
(to begin your
kerf) and then
switch to
the rip side.
Fred Damsen, Japan Woodworker
The West Stumbles
The 19th and early 20th centuries
were the golden age of Western
handsaws. There were hundreds
of saw manufacturers, erce com-
petition, high-quality tools and
a very hungry market.
But as the demand for quali-
ty hand tools declined, so did the
number of manufacturers. And
quality slipped dramatically.
Western manufacturers
thought it was OK to ship a saw
that was poorly set, dull and had
a handle that looked like it was
made by a third-grade art stu-
dent, says Thomas Lie-Nielsen,
owner of Lie-Nielsen Toolworks.
You couldnt use the saws right
out of the box. Its no wonder the
Japanese ate their lunch.
When Western saws suitable
for cabinetmaking disappeared
off the shelves, the Japanese saws
picked up the slack.
In Japan, the product lines
have not been cheapened, says
Lee of Lee Valley Tools. Even
products that have been mass pro-
duced have not been cheapened.
So while it was tough to nd
a decent new Western saw at
almost any price, the Japanese
exported saws to the West that
were sharp, straight, perfectly set
and inexpensive. A good Japanese
backsaw still costs only about $40.
So its little wonder that the
Japanese saw now is in many
North American workshops. It
was, in many ways, a simple mat-
ter of economics.
Facts About Japanese Saws
Japanese craftsmen would be quite
curious about the way Westerners
use their saws. For one, we work
on a high bench and clamp our
work when sawing. The Japanese
furniture maker works on a low
sawhorse (6" high or so) and does
not generally have a vise.
(Westerners) tend to clamp
everything, says Harrelson Stanley
of JapaneseTools.com. The
Japanese dont clamp unless they
have to. They do some wedging.
Mostly they saw in toward a solid
object, such as the work, which
is secured by their foot, he says.
A second difference is that
many Westerners use the cross-
cut dozuki saw (a saw with a rigid
spine) for cutting dovetails, which
is primarily a ripping operation.
The Japanese woodworker in-
stead uses a rip-tooth dozuki
(which is uncommon in the West)
or a rip saw without a back, says
Damsen of Japan Woodworker.
Thats because the Japanese phi-
losophy on dovetails and tenons
popwood.com 75
ADVANTAGES OF
WESTERN SAWS:
The teeth are more durable than
those on Japanese saws and are
highly unlikely to break, even under
the worst conditions. The blades
themselves are thicker and less likely
to buckle in use.
They will last you a lifetime. The
teeth can be resharpened many
times. Saws can even be reled by the
user to a different tooth conguration
if their needs change.
With a little practice, you can
sharpen a Western saw with inexpen-
sive and easy-to-obtain tools.
Western dovetail saws that are
properly led for a rip cut will cut
more aggressively than the crosscut-
led dozuki thats commonly used for
dovetails in the United States.
They push the sawdust away
from your cut line.
High-quality secondhand
Western saws are both plentiful and
inexpensive in most parts.
DISADVANTAGES:
High-quality new or restored
Western saws are more expensive
than their Japanese counterparts.
Japanese joinery saws average about
$45; the equivalent quality Western
saw costs $125.
Inexpensive new Western saws
are in general dull and poorly set
compared to similarly priced
Japanese saws. Learning to saw with
these less-expensive tools frustrates
many beginners, swearing them off
Western saws.
While vintage Western saws are
plentiful in most parts of the United
States, you must rst learn to restore
them before putting them to work:
straightening the blades, xing the
teeth and sharpening.
The teeth are softer and require
more frequent sharpening, though it
is a task you can do yourself after a
little education and practice.
In general, the saws are heavier
and have a thicker kerf, so they
require more effort to use.
is, at times, different than the
Western approach.
When they cut dovetails they
dont want the cut too smooth,
he says. They compress the joint
before assembly and let it expand
and lock the joint.
Westerners want a smoother
cut and are willing to sacrice the
speed of a rip tooth. Many Japanese
dovetail saws for the Western
market have some sort of com-
bination tooth, in some cases a
tooth that was designed to cut
plywood that also works quite
well for dovetails, Damsen says.
Types of Japanese Saws
But one thing Japanese and
Western craftsmen share is hav-
ing to choose what type of Japanese
saw to buy: a machine-made saw
or a craftsman-made saw. There
are important differences:
A good-quality machine-
made saw costs about $20-$50.
The price of a craftsman-made
saw averages $150, and the pre-
mium tools are about $250.
Generally, craftsman-made
saws have softer teeth than the
machine-made saws, which are
typically impulse-hardened.
Impulse hardening is a fast, high-
voltage process that hardens only
the teeth. While the machine-
made saws stay sharp longer, they
cannot be resharpened.
Craftsman-made saws can be
resharpened and even customized
to the way you work. But this is
meaningless to Western wood-
workers, says Frank Tashiro, owner
of Tashiro Hardware, which sells
the line of ZETA Saws.
(The sharpener) doesnt know
your work so he does the best he
can, so it doesnt work out, says
Tashiro, who adds that the best
value and performance come from
a Japanese saw with replaceable
impulse-hardened blades.
But replaceable blades rankle
woodworkers who dont believe
in disposable tools.
To counter that, Japanese saw
manufacturers say that once your
impulse-hardened saw becomes
too dull for woodworking, it is
still plenty sharp for work in the
garden as a pruning saw.
You can make a nice scraper
out of the blade, too, Damsen
says of the saws.
Another difference is that
For crosscutting in joinery, the Japanese will use a dozuki (which means shoulder
of a tenon). There are various ways to grip the saw.
Dont choose a tool based on hype.
Theres no reason you should have to
buy something made 10,000 miles away
to cut wood.
Pete Taran, Vintage Saws
many craftsman-made saws are
more delicate because of their
thinner blades. Even the most ro-
bust craftsman-made saw should
not fall into the hands of a be-
ginning woodworker.
Just because you have a $200
saw doesnt mean you will saw
better, says Stanley. Its impor-
tant to practice the technique.
Start with impulse-hardened saws.
Dont get a $250 saw and break
it. As your skills improve you can
use thinner saws.
When using Japanese joinery
saws, most everyone agrees that
you shouldnt be aggressive or saw
at a radical angle. Just a bit of
downward pressure on the pull
stroke is all it takes, and you
shouldnt apply any downward
pressure on the return push.
Facts About Western Saws
No one can deny that Japanese
saws cut very well, but so do
Western saws that are sharp and
properly set. The problem is nd-
ing Western saws suitable for
woodworking. There are still some
manufacturers of full-size Western
saws that do a decent job for
woodworking, including E. Garlick
& Son, Pax, Paragon, Sandvik/
Bahco, Lynx and Augusta. Some
of them also make joinery saws
backsaws with a rigid spine on
the blade. And companies such
as Lie-Nielsen and Adria now
make premium joinery saws that
are the equal of the outstanding
saws of the 19th century.
But by far, the biggest sources
of quality Western saws are flea
markets and auctions. Top-of-
the-line Disston, Simonds and
E.C. Atkins saws can be purchased
for $5-$25. These, however, can
be rusty, dull and bent. If you have
no desire to restore one of these
old saws, there is an alternative.
Pete Taran runs the web site
VintageSaws.com, which is a
sawyers paradise. He takes clas-
sic handsaws and backsaws and
returns them to their former glory
by making them sharp, properly
set and ready to cut. A vintage
highly tuned handsaw or back-
saw will cost between $80 and
$150 at Vintage Saws.
The site also is a treasure trove
of good historical information on
saws. One of Tarans primary goals
is to teach woodworkers how to
sharpen their Western saws, which
is easier than you might think.
He sells the les and saw sets
you need, plus there is a fantas-
tic tutorial on his web site that
explains the process from start to
nish. And if you just want to get
your feet wet, Taran even offers
a saw ling kit to get you started.
The kit comes with a user-grade
saw with freshly cut teeth, a le,
a file handle and complete in-
structions. When youre done,
youll have some more condence
and a saw that cuts very well.
Sharpening a Western saw is
probably one of the biggest stum-
bling blocks for woodworkers.
No one knows how to sharp-
en Western saws, says Graham
Blackburn, author of Traditional
Woodworking Handtools (avail-
able at blackburnbooks.com) and
an instructor at Marc Adams
Woodworking School. I ask the
students to bring in their worst
plane and their worst saw. Once
they sharpen their saws they never
go back to Japanese saws.
But if you dont want to learn
to sharpen, you still can get a ea-
market saw professionally tuned.
We recommend Tom Law of
Smithsburg, Md. We mailed a
dull, unusable Disston backsaw
to Law, who charged us $10 to re-
shape the teeth, $5 to set the teeth
and $10 to sharpen the 14-point
rip saw. That $18 saw now cuts
dovetails like a dream. (See the
Saw Sources box for contact in-
formation. Law also has a tutori-
al video, Hand Saw Sharpening.)
Some students of woodworking history think the push stroke was developed in the
West because we work on high benches, unlike Japanese craftsmen who work near
the oor on low trestles or beams.
Western Rip Teeth Rip teeth work
like chisels, levering out the grain.
Crosscut teeth work like knives, sever-
ing the bers on either side.
Japanese Rip Teeth The length of
the rip teeth are graduated on Japanese
saws. They start small near the handle
and get larger.
My favorite illustration has been
pruning a tree. Imagine standing 30
feet up, hanging onto a trunk about to
remove a branch above you. Would you
rather be pushing or pulling?
Rob Lee, president, Lee Valley Tools
Western Saw Tips
Once sharpened, a Western saw
is easier to use than you might
think. Here are a few tips:
Though it sounds obvious,
use a rip saw for rip cuts, such as
dovetailing. Some dovetail saws
are led for crosscut. They work
OK, but not as well as a rip saw.
Let the saw do the work.
Dont use a lot of downward pres-
sure on the kerf this is surely
the No. 1 problem faced by be-
ginners. The saw will wander and
youll never cut straight.
Dont clench the handle
tightly. Hold the saw with just
enough pressure to keep it under
control. And use only three n-
gers your index finger should
point down the blade.
Worst of Both Worlds?
All this has to make you wonder
why someone hasnt built a saw
that merges the best qualities of
both traditions. Well, a few com-
panies have tried, though noth-
ing has been able to challenge
the dominance of the pure
Japanese-style saw.
And the reason might be il-
lustrated by the experience of one
veteran woodworker.
A few years ago, Blackburn
was poking around a ea market
and discovered a beautiful old
Spear & Jackson backsaw.
The saw had a perfectly shaped
handle, much like the one on the
outstanding Lie-Nielsen dove-
tail saw. But the blade of this Spear
& Jackson was horribly bent. So
Blackburn hung it on his wall.
popwood.com 77
This $18 Disston
#4 backsaw cuts
incredibly well
now that it has
been properly
sharpened. The
handle on vintage
Western saws will
t your hand like a
glove. Later
handles are
uncomfortable to
use and look crude
by comparison.
SAW SOURCES
Adria Woodworking Tools
604-710-5748 or adriatools.com
Premium Western joinery saws
BlackburnBooks.com
Books and videos on traditional
Western woodworking
DisstonianInstitute.com
Detailed information on Disstons
EuropeanHandTools.com
888-222-8331
E. Garlick and Lynx saws
Geoffrey Killens Egyptian Site
geocities.com/gpkillen/
Information on Egyptian wood-
working tools and furniture
Hida Tool
800-443-5512 or hidatool.com
Range of Japanese saws
Japan Woodworker
800-537-7820 or
japanwoodworker.com
Full range of Japanese saws
and some Western saws
JapaneseTools.com
877-692-3684
Range of Japanese tools, including
some hard-to-nd types
Lee Valley Tools
800-871-8158 or leevalley.com
Impulse-hardened Japanese saws
Wide range of Western saws
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
800-327-2520 or lie-nielsen.com
Premium Western joinery saws
Tashiro Hardware
206-328-7641 or
tashirohardware.com
Tom Law
301-824-5223 or 62 W. Water St.,
Smithsburg, Md. 21783
Western saw sharpening
VintageSaws.com
Restored vintage Western hand-
saws and sharpening supplies
Woodcraft Supply Corp.
800-225-1153 or woodcraft.com
and some Western saws
Western Crosscut Teeth You can
see the simpler secondary bevels (called
the "eam") led on every other tooth.
Japanese Crosscut Teeth Note the
long slender teeth and three bevels
led on each tooth. The tips are discol-
ored from impulse-hardening.
I take issue with
Japanese saws
being easier to
use for beginners.
I think its just
the opposite. A
sharp and tuned
Western saw is
much easier to
learn to use.
Thomas Lie-Nielsen,
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks
One day a friend noticed the
saw and offered to send it to Japan
to see if they could straighten it
out. Blackburn agreed. The saw
came back a few months later
straight as an arrow but with one
major and shocking change.
They had led Japanese-style
teeth on the blade. Trying to keep
an open mind, Blackburn gave it
a try. It cuts well, he says, but
it feels wrong to me. So it still
hangs on the wall.
Chalk it up to this: When it
comes to traditional hand-tool
skills, its hard to defy tradition.
Now you just have to decide which
tradition is best for you. PW
Fleam
O
ften, the price of wood in
Polkhovsky Maidan, Russia, is a
few bottles of vodka. Homemade
lathes are built from automotive parts. And
behind almost every house is a shed lled
to the brim with wood shavings. Maidan
is a town full of turners, where men make
a living turning doll blanks and women
make a living painting them.
The Russian nesting doll, called ma-
tryoshka (roughly translated as little moth-
er), is actually many dolls inside each other.
Yet in its relatively short history, the ma-
tryoshka has become a symbol of Russian
folk culture, if not Russia itself.
Town of
Turners
by Rett Ertl
Rett Ertl is co-author of The Art of the Russian
Matryoshka (Vernissage Press) and president of
Boulder, Colo.-based TolsToys Inc. (tolstoys.com),
a company that imports matryoshka dolls and other
Russian folk arts and crafts.
The rst matryoshka was turned in 1899
by Vasilii Zvyozdochkin, a master toy maker.
Within ve years, the city of Sergiev Posad
was producing hundreds of these dolls. Sizes
and shapes were as varied as the artists who
produced them, even including satirical
dolls that represented political gures and
illustrations of fairy tales, as well as the tra-
ditional peasant girl, Matryona, after
which they were named.
In the late 1920s, as Josef Stalin con-
solidated power, artists who worked in small
workshops or their apartments were moved
into factories. There, the only acceptable
subject was the traditional peasant girl.
Essentially all matryoshki that were pro-
duced between 1930 and 1990 depicted
that peasant girl, wearing a scarf and apron,
and decorated with owers. Each city de-
veloped its own traditional look, but none
were allowed to stray from the basic sub-
ject; political subjects were not allowed.
As the Soviet Union collapsed in the
late 80s, different matryoshki appeared.
The first anomaly was the Gorby doll,
poking fun at Mikhail Gorbachev and
his predecessors. Soon thereafter, artists
started branching out, and today there is
no limit to the themes depicted on the dolls.
In the sheds behind
every house in the
small village of
Maidan, Russia, there
are wooden shavings
piled chest-high,
remnants of hundreds
of matryoshki.
This 30-piece doll is only 8" high. Some of the pieces in the second and third rows
are so thin that the black paint bleeds through to the inside of the doll.
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

R
i
c
k

H
i
b
b
e
r
d
Maidan
Often, artists outline the
facial features in pencil
before painting them.
Although Russia has under-
gone much change, the technique
of making matryoshki has bare-
ly varied. Zvyozdochkin would
be able to walk into any ma-
tryoshka workshop today and pick
up right where he left off.
The Raw Material
The ner, hand-turned dolls are
made of linden (also called bass-
wood), a fine-grained, soft, de-
ciduous tree. The softness makes
it easy to work and the ne grain
allows it to keep its shape. Even
when the dolls are imported to a
dry climate, they rarely crack.
Dolls brought to the United States
30 years ago may have faded, but
the wood likely has not cracked.
Birch trees, however, are more
commonly associated with Russia
and are more plentiful and less
expensive than linden. Why, then,
This man begins the process of forming the bottom piece of the doll. When he makes
several of them, he then forms the top piece to t the bottom. Notice the headwear
he uses to keep the sawdust out of his hair.
This is the only ofcial sketch of a
nesting doll I have seen. It shows the
dimensions of the rst three pieces of a
10-piece doll and the rst piece of a
seven-piece doll. I have never seen
anyone actually refer to the sketch.
arent more matryoshki made of
birch? Because birch is too hard
and brittle. If a mistake is made
in turning birch, the piece may
break. The larger dolls have pro-
portionally thinner walls than
the smaller ones, making it even
more likely that birch would crack
if it was used.
Preparing the Wood
Blank matryoshka dolls are pro-
duced in a factory or a backyard
shed. The larger factories are lo-
cated in Semyonov, Kirov and
Nolinsk, and there are as many
as 20 turners (both men and
women) working in a large room.
The majority of village-made
blanks come from Polkhovsky
Maidan (referred to as Maidan).
Before Rick Hibberd (co-author
of The Art of the Russian
Matryoshka) and I went to
Maidan, we asked some people
how to nd the turners. Once in
Maidan, we realized we neednt
have asked. For one thing, there
are only about five streets in
Maidan. More importantly, as far
as we could tell, every house in
Maidan had a shed behind it where
the men turn the nesting doll
blanks.
The lathes in most Maidan
shops are homemade contrap-
tions consisting of a motor, belts
and an axle, all bolted to heavy
hardwood benches. These ma-
chine parts often come from some-
thing that is denitely not a lathe,
perhaps the Lada, an automobile
ubiquitous in Russia the prod-
uct of a Fiat factory built in Russia
in the mid-1970s. The tool rest
that adjusts alongside the work-
piece to support the cutting tool
is held by wooden posts that pen-
etrate the bench and are secured
underneath by wooden wedges.
As the men in Maidan gouge
out the cavities and shape the ex-
terior forms of the dolls on the
lathes, great piles of wood shav-
ings build on the shed oors. One
of the turners we were watch-
ing stood next to a chest-high
pile as his brother-in-law amiably
drew on a Yava cigarette as he
chatted. No one mentioned that
sawdust may be flammable. We
asked several of the turners what
they do with their shavings, and
most just answered, What dif-
ference does it make?
The blanks in Maidan are
turned out at the highly variable
rate of a five-piece set an hour
when there are no other pressing
matters. From the backyard shed,
the blanks are bagged for market,
via a long days bus ride to Moscow.
The ve-piece blank will sell for
the equivalent of about $1. Most
women in Maidan paint sim-
ple, ower-adorned nesting dolls,
but most of the blanks are sold to
independent artists in Moscow.
With the growth in popular-
ity of the matryoshka, Maidan
has become a prosperous village.
There is new stretch of road lead-
ing to the town, located in the
middle of the country. One can
see linden logs standing in the
yards of almost all of the houses,
and almost every house has an
outbuilding where turners work.
There is a peculiarly Russian
advantage to living near the forests,
such as those near Maidan. While
a person from Sergiev Posad would
have to pay full price for the
Maidan logs (and probably a bribe,
too), a resident who lives near
the forests can get them for much
less than the ofcial price often
a few bottles of vodka.
Drier is Better
No matter where the blanks are
made, the process starts in the
forest. After trees are felled, their
popwood.com 81
Most lathe opera-
tors are men;
however, several
older women still
work in the
factories. This
woman, at the
AOFIS factory in
Sergiev Posad, has
been turning dolls
for almost
40 years.
This is one of many backyard lathe sheds in Maidan. The lathe operator builds and maintains his own machinery and keeps his
tools sharp. Sweeping the oor, however, is not a major consideration.
branches are removed. Then the
logs must be dried so that the
nesting dolls made from them do
not crack or warp.
The ideal drying period is three
years, but many Russian produc-
ers use linden that has been dried
for less than a year. Lathe opera-
tors in Maidan strip the bark be-
fore drying. They usually dry the
logs vertically, although hori-
zontal stacks work if they are kept
covered and have plenty of air
circulation. According to the
woodworkers of Maidan, if the
logs are piled correctly and if the
weather is warm and dry, the logs
can dry in one good summer.
One of the secrets of good
blank-making is to use a slightly
more moist log for the top of the
doll, so that when the doll is put
together the top piece shrinks to
t the bottom one.
If the bottom piece is wetter
than the top, it will shrink and
cause the top piece to be too loose,
which is one of the worst defects
a matryoshka doll can have.
Once a log is properly dried,
it is ready to be cut. In small
Sergiev Posad factories, one or
two men pull a log off the pile and
cut it into pieces about 2' long.
They then put the log into a large
hydraulic splitter and the log is
split into about six pieces. Next
they place the split blanks onto
a lathe, where they turn them
into a smooth cylinder, perhaps
4" in diameter and 2' long.
In the larger factories, this
process is more automated. In
Kirov, for example, there is a com-
plete sawmill where the logs are
brought to a dock on a crane and
then rolled onto a conveyor.
Rather than splitting the logs and
then turning them into round
logs, the workers square them off
and then cut the logs into square
pieces roughly 4" by 4", depend-
ing on the width of the blanks
being produced.
Turning the Blanks
Once the rounded or square block
of wood has been processed, the
blanks (often after drying for an-
other few weeks) go to the fine
turner. Unlike the preceding op-
erations, the nal turning process
is manual, regardless of the size
of the factory. In Maidan, where
almost all of the lathe operators
are men, their fathers and grand-
fathers before them were turners.
Elsewhere, many of the lathe op-
erators are women. Interestingly,
most of the women who operate
lathes learned their craft in the
Soviet period. Since democracys
arrival in Russia, women gener-
ally choose to paint.
The turners use gouges to shape
the doll. They insert the round
piece of wood into a spiked jamb
chuck. Using a large, curved gouge,
the operators remove most of the
wood from the inside of the piece
that is to become the bottom half
of the nesting doll. Then they use
a skew or at chisel to create the
rabbeted edge that will form the
joint with the top piece, making
an angle that is just a little sharp-
er than a right angle. The outside
of the bottom piece is next. If it
is the largest doll then it almost
always has a notch near the bot-
tom, creating a base. None of the
inside pieces has a base, so those
pieces are tapered from top to bot-
tom. Finally, a parting tool is used
to create a flat bottom to sepa-
rate it from the rest of the work-
piece. Several pieces are made
from that one 2' length of wood
mounted on the lathe.
Generally, lathe operators will
spend a few hours making bot-
toms of one size and then the next
few hours making tops to t. With
the top blank chucked on the
lathe, the operator takes the bot-
tom of the doll made earlier and
holds it against the spinning wood.
This burns a circle in the bottom
of the top piece and in the lip
of the bottom piece. These burns
are guides for cutting the oppos-
In the Nolinsk factory, a nal sanding is done on a small spindle lathe. The operator
protects her ngers with blue electrical tape.
In the factories,
where aniline
paints are used,
workers coat every
matryoshka piece
with starch so the
paint will not run.
The starch is
applied by hand.
ing rabbeted joint and the cavi-
ty of the top piece. That is why
most matryoshki, when opened,
have a burned strip around the
inside edge.
The only measurement tool
turners commonly use is a caliper
to mark the starting point for the
top. With no templates or pat-
terns, they make the proper curve
on the insides of the pieces so the
next, smaller doll will t into it.
When the inside of the doll is
nished, the turners round off the
top to conform to the curve on
the inside. When the top is round-
ed, turners use the parting tool
to cut the piece off the workpiece.
After a light sanding, turners at-
tach a nished bottom onto the
top piece while it is on the lathe,
and run a chisel up and down the
doll. To form a smooth transition
from top to bottom, a pencil mark
is made across the seam, showing
the artist how to assemble the
two pieces for the best t.
At some factories, the ma-
tryoshki are sent to a finishing
lathe. If the blanks do not fit
together perfectly, this turner will
put the nishing touches on them
until they do.
Larger factories have a few au-
tomatic lathes, used to turn the
inexpensive three- or four-piece
birch wood dolls. They duplicate
a pattern rapidly and consistently,
producing several blanks a minute.
Producers maintain that the larg-
er dolls must be made by hand,
as the mechanical gouges of the
automatic lathes would break a
high percentage of the dolls, even
if they were made from linden.
Painting the Blanks
Next, the blanks are ready to be
painted. In factories, the blanks
are put into trays and carried to
the starch room where they are
rubbed with a liquid starch. The
starch seals or sizes the wood so
that the aniline paint will apply
flat and wont blossom or bleed
into unintended areas. When the
blanks are ready to be painted,
workers carry them on trays to
the painting room. In large fac-
tories, these are large rooms where
about 100 artists work.
As late as 1994 in the Souvenir
factory, one artist painted the
background colors of the doll, an-
other would outline the face and
the apron, a third painted the
face, a fourth added the design
onto the apron, a fth added the
flowers on the scarf and a sixth
painted on the nishing touch-
es. All of the Souvenir artists took
The dolls are lacquered literally by hand this woman dips her hand in the can, then rubs the lacquer
onto the doll. One woman uses diesel fuel to clean the lacquer off her hands at the end of the day.
To paint micro matryoshki, paintbrush bristles are brought
to a very ne point. To hold the small doll, the artist sticks it
onto the end of a disposable syringe needle.
turns the woman who was paint-
ing scarves changed to painting
faces the next day to keep from
getting bored.
In the small Sergiev Posad fac-
tories, the rooms are smaller and
about 10 artists sit and work. If
the artists are painting traditional
dolls, they generally have rows
of dolls in front of them, arranged
with the largest pieces at the back.
They usually paint the background
color rst on each of the 50 pieces.
Then they might add the scarf,
then the owers and so on. Usually,
the face comes last, although
artists say that the order in which
they paint depends upon their
mood: If they were painting a
more individual artistic doll, they
would paint one doll at a time.
One design motif used in sev-
eral factories is the pinwheel-
shaped spiral. It is achieved by
rolling folded cloth tightly, then
dipping it in paint and applying
it, rubber-stamp fashion, onto the
heads or other parts of the dolls.
Sometimes, real rouge makeup is
used for the rosy cheeks.
Lacquering the Dolls
Once the doll is painted, it is taken
to the lacquer room. Even the
largest factories have only a few
lacquerers. The small Sergiev
Posad factories have only one lac-
querer, and even she does not al-
ways stay busy. Most lacquer rooms
consist of a series of shelves, rem-
iniscent of a commercial bakery.
The lacquer person, who almost
always is a woman, takes a paint-
ed matryoshka piece from one
shelf, dips her hand in the lac-
quer and rolls the piece back and
forth between her hands, just as
a child might make a snake out
of modeling clay, and then places
it on the drying shelf.
The women who lacquer dolls
are unconcerned about the effect
the lacquer has on their health.
Asked how the lacquer is cleaned
from her hands at the end of the
day, one woman replied, With
diesel fuel it makes my hands
soft. One woman who lacquers
dolls at Factory No.1 in Krasno-
gvardeiskaya uses sunflower oil
to wash off the bulk of the lac-
quer, and then a special solvent
to get her hands clean.
The lacquer dries for 24 hours,
then the process is repeated. Most
factories apply two or three lay-
ers of lacquer. The layers need to
be thin to avoid accumulations
at the top pieces seam and at the
top of the bottom pieces base.
On ne-art nesting dolls, lac-
quer is generally applied with a
brush, which is less likely to show
THE BOOK
The Art of the Russian
Matryoshka by Rett Ertl and
Rick Hibberd (Vernissage
Press) offers a complete
account of the history,
production, variations and
creators of Russian nesting
dolls. The 240-page book
features 330 photos. To order
the book ($40), go online to
vernissagepress.com. For a
limited time, you can get the
book and the cover doll for
$65.
flaws. A good brush lacquerer,
however, can do only about 10
ve-piece dolls per week, where-
as a bare-handed lacquerer can
easily do up to 10 times as many.
Either way, a good lacquerer using
glossy lacquer produces such a
shiny exterior that some mistake
it for porcelain. Would an auto-
mated process produce the same
effect? Charmingly, no one seems
to have tried to nd out. PW
popwood.com 83
Some tools
are worth
a lot more
than you
paid for them.
VALUES
F
or the last 60 years, master woodwork-
er George Reid has kept the same fold-
ing ruler in his white shop apron.
That ruler has stood by him as he built
some of the most incredible reproductions
of 18th century American furniture imagi-
nable (visit popwood.com for a sample).
And, in return for its loyal service, Reid has
never replaced it, despite the fact that it is
scored in several places from encounters with
his Delta tilting-top table saw.
We all have favorite tools that are worth
far more than we paid for them. Recently we
came up with our all-time favorites. We nar-
rowed our list to things you can buy new
today (or very comparable models) so we
wouldnt force you to hit the ea markets for
your tools. (Prices are current as of publi-
cation deadline.)
Popular Woodworking editorial staff
BEST
12
TOOL
PONY BAND CLAMP
There are many times when clamps with bars or pipes wont work or are
less than ideal. The solution, quite often, is the modest band clamp. On
mitered joints, chairs or boxes, whether square or looking more like a
coopered bucket, these clamps pull joints together with ease, exert equal
pressure and hold the parts in place to boot. For less than $8, you get
the clamp with a 16'-long band and four plastic corners to prevent
the bands from crushing delicate edges.
Adjustable Clamp: 312-666-0640 or www.adjustableclamp.com
SHARK DOWEL/
DETAIL SAW
For quick cutting jobs
and unusual sawing
tasks, this junior-sized,
thin-kerf, $15 Japanese-
style saw is the one to
grab. Whether youre
cutting dowels ush,
trimming stock or tack-
ling a dovetail, this is the
one. Weve even used it
in tight spaces to notch
studs for a pipe. Because
its remarkably sharp
teeth run almost to the
tip, you can saw with
just a
1
2" stroke when
needed. And when you
crumple a few teeth,
dont worry: Just pop in
a new blade ($10) and
go back to work.
Shark Corporation:
800-891-7855 or
sharkcorp.com
LIE-NIELSEN 60
1
2 BLOCK PLANE
Without a doubt, the Lie-Nielsen 60
1
2 is the best block
plane ever manufactured. No antique or new plane can
beat this planes precision, quality and ease of setup. Armed
with this tool, there is little you cannot do. Remove saw
marks from the edges of your boards, trim joints perfectly
ush and slice off translucent shavings of end grain (yes,
end grain) with ease. The plane is heavy, ts perfectly in
your hand and is a bargain at $150. If you own only one
Lie-Nielsen plane (a tough task for some of
us), this is the one.
Lie-Nielsen: 800-327-2520
or lie-nielsen.com
SHINWA 6"PRECISION RULE
To measure accurately and immediately, you need a
good 6" steel rule. The Shinwa has nicely etched
markings in
1
64",
1
32",
1
16" and
1
8" increments and
also has scales on the end of the rule for easy height
set-ups. With a nice satin nish, this is almost
Starrett quality for one-third the price (item
#60N47.01 is only $4.95 at Lee Valley).
Lee Valley: 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com
popwood.com 85
HITACHI 9.6-VOLT CORDLESS DRILL
While we routinely recommend 12-volt cordless drills as adequate for
most woodworking applications, weve also been happily using a
9.6-volt drill in our shop for years. Our Hitachi
3
8" drill (now sold as
model DS9DVF2) offers two variable-
speed settings (0-280 and 0-850
rpm), two 1.3 amp-hour batteries, a
one-hour charger, a ve-position
adjustable clutch, a keyless chuck and a
moveable-head ashlight, all for about $80. This
tool performs! And if you still think you need more
power, check out the DS12DVF2 12-volt. Its about
the same price, but comes with 195 in./lbs. of
torque and a ashlight!
Hitachi: 800-448-2244 or hitachi.com/hpt
GRIZZLY CABINET SAW
If youre looking to spend about $800 on a contractor
saw, dont. Since its release a few years ago, the
G1023S cabinet saw has been
a better deal than any contrac-
tor saw as long as you have
access to 220-volt power. Offering a totally
enclosed, 3-horsepower, fan-cooled motor, two solid
cast-iron wings, a very nice T-style rip fence and a
magnetic safety switch, this saw outperforms any
contractor saw. Regularly priced at $825, you often can
nd it on sale for $795. And this saw now is available in
a variety of models with affordable options such as a
left-tilt or 110-volt motor. Its a great bargain.
Grizzly Industrial: 800-327-2520 or grizzly.com
LEE VALLEY 4" DIAL CALIPER
Nothing beats a dial caliper for zeroing in on the perfect
t for a joint or the perfect thickness when youre at the
planer. But most dial calipers are bigger than you need.
(When was the last time you worked with 6"-thick
stock?) This inexpensive 4" version from Lee Valley
Tools is perfect. It has all the features a woodworker
needs and its small enough to slip into your shop
apron. With a price tag of just $22.50, this is far more
useful than its more expensive 6" cousins. PW
Lee Valley: 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com
MAKITA BO5010 RANDOM-ORBIT SANDER
Random-orbit sanders have changed our lives in the shop, pro-
viding quick good-quality nishes, and no other sander has made
us as happy as the BO5010 from Makita.
Priced about $60, this lightweight
(2.6 lbs.) 2-amp tool removes material
quickly while not reducing your hand to a
shivering wreck. The pad motion utilizes a
pad-control system to maintain a
controlled speed at start-up to reduce
pigtail patterns. The hook-and-loop
5"-diameter pad design makes it
easy to quickly change and reuse
sanding discs, and the through-the-pad
dust collection system is one of the best weve seen. Its been the
sander of choice in the Popular Woodworking shop for six years
and it continues to be the random-orbit sander we prefer.
Makita USA: 800-462-5482 or makita.com
EXCEL MARKING KNIFE
Weve tried dozens of marking knives to nd one that is
long enough and thin enough for marking dovetails.
Most are too short to effectively reach into the joint or
too thick to maneuver. The Excel marking knife with the
companys #102 blade is a perfect $8 solution. The
cutting edge is 1
1
2" long and just 0.03" thick. Dont like
to sharpen? Replacement blades are just $1 each.
Available at many hobby stores.
5-IN-1
SCREWDRIVER
You can nd one of these
handy tools in almost every
home improvement store.
Whether its a 5-in-1 or
15-in-1, for less than $10 youll
have the tips you use most in
one handle. We like the 5-in-1
with #1 and #2 square-drive
tips, a #2 Phillips tip and a
medium straight bit. Remove
one of the tips and its a
1
4"
nut driver! Put one in your car,
your workshop and the x-it
drawer in your house.
Available at many
hardware stores.
TITE-MARK
MARKING GAUGE
If youre satised with your
current marking gauge, you
should never lay your hands on
the Tite-Mark gauge from Glen-
Drake Tool Works. Once you use
this tool, there is no turning
back. The Tite-Mark ($79) is
everything other marking
gauges are not: It scores per-
fect lines and is easily adjusted
in small increments to put a
line exactly where you want it.
Sharpen the cutting blade and
you can even remove waste
from between dovetails pins
and tails. Genius.
Glen-Drake: 707-961-1569
or glen-drake.com
GOOD OLD TOOTHBRUSH
Dont laugh every shop should have at least one. They
are especially good at keeping up equipment, cleaning
accumulated sawdust from tight corners and scrubbing
pitch off saw blades. My cabinetmaking teacher always
carried one in his shop apron. Available in
any bathroom cabinet.
GREAT WOODSHOPS
Back-roads Bodger
Don Weber keeps
traditional chairmaking
alive in an old Kentucky
general store.
residents about everything from bear hunt-
ing and home remedies to ghost stories
and chairmaking. The popular series prompt-
ed the creation of the The Foxre Fund Inc.,
a nonprot educational and literary organ-
ization supporting traditional crafts and skills.
Check out foxre.org.)
In October 1998, Weber made a trip to
teach with the Kentucky Arts Council. While
there, he had some time to drive around the
Kentucky countryside. He slowed down when
he saw a sign that said Paint Lick.
Once big enough to support five general
stores, Paint Lick (an old railroad stop about
40 miles south of Lexington) used to be a
busy place. Today the main street is lined
with a few antiquated buildings and the old-
timers reminisce about the day wild animals
ran loose after a circus train wrecked. Theres
still a post ofce, an auto-repair shop and a
restaurant where almost everyone smokes
including the cooks.
T
he birth of one of Don Webers Welsh
stick chairs begins not in a lumberyard,
but in the bohemian Welshmans small side
yard thats riddled with logs and rough shav-
ings in the tiny town of Paint Lick, Ky.
Weber, whos a bodger (a 19th century
term for a specic kind of British chairmak-
er), carefully places two wedges on the end
of a log and then comes crashing down on
them with an iron-bound mallet called a bee-
tle. The log gently splits in two. He then
rives the wood into billets with a tool called
a froe. Using a side ax, he furiously dresses
the wood, sending chips ying.
Then the pieces of oak (what will become
the Welsh stick chairs leg stock, stretcher
stock and arm material) are taken into the
machine room where they begin their jour-
ney through the shop.
From Mendocino to Paint Lick
Weber was born in New York, raised in Wales
(where he apprenticed as a joiner) and lived
in California for 20 years before moving to
Paint Lick. His rst woodshop in Mendocino,
Calif., was a tiny place alongside a creek.
Eventually the bodger moved his shop to
higher ground, working under whats referred
to in Britain as a bender an outdoor can-
vas structure. Electricity was unnecessary.
While living in California, he worked,
researched and taught traditional wood-
working. His activities required him to trav-
el to Appalachia areas such as eastern
Tennessee and Kentucky where, as Weber
explains, traditional crafts have a pure, di-
rect connection to the crafts of the British
Isles in the 1700s. (Think Eliot Wiggintons
The Foxfire Book series 11 books that
include interviews with older Appalachian
by Kara Gebhart
Comments or questions? Contact Kara at 513-531-
2690 ext. 1348 or [email protected].
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
Weber turns the tenons for his chair legs on a foot-powered lathe. He built this lathe (which he calls his kinetic
sculptor) in 1979.
popwood.com 87
At the end of town is the old Calico and
Brown General Store. It is there that Weber
saw a For Sale sign in the storefront win-
dow. He says he always dreamed of buying
an old store where he could teach, work and
display his pieces in a storefront window.
(For information on Webers class offerings,
visit handcraftwoodworks.com.) So he bought
the entire building, which required rewiring,
replumbing and reinforcement, for $25,000.
A 1,600-square-foot corrugated steel ware-
house, once used for storing feed and seed,
sits at the back of his shop. Now it stores wood.
Behind the warehouse next to Hammock
Alley (named after the towns old blacksmith)
is Webers blacksmith shop.
Thats one of the things that the local
people appreciated, says Weber, who ap-
prenticed with a blacksmith for six years.
Hearing once more the sound of anvils ring
down Hammock Alley.
The bodgers side yard where he splits
his logs is next to his warehouse. His work
ows from the outside in. From the side yard,
the oak is taken to the machine room.
Even Bodgers Need a Table Saw
The machine room is a narrow space near
the back of the store. Here he prepares his
wood before it journeys to the hand-tool
room, where its worked on most inten-
sively. (Ninety percent of Webers furniture
is built by hand.) The green oak is resawn
on his 1918 Crescent Manufacturing band
saw, which is shown below. Weber also uses
the band saw to cut out elm seat blanks and
the curve on the oak headpieces.
Webers machine room is much smaller than his hand-tool room. Here he prepares
the wood before beginning his handwork.
Weber is working on making a cover for his 1918 Crescent Manufacturing band
saw. The heavy-gauge mesh wire you see here is part of that cover.
This is Webers hand-tool room. Except for a few drill presses, this room is powered solely by muscle.
The band saw, which Weber purchased
a few years ago for $200, is cover-less, unless
you count the stainless steel heavy-gauge
mesh wire, which Weber says is a portion of
the cover hes in the process of making for
the machine. This band saw is slightly small-
er than the 36" monster he had in California.
There are two lathes in the machine room.
Ones an Oliver, a long-bed lathe that the
bodger uses for faceplate turning. The other
is an Eggles & Smith, a patternmakers lathe,
which Weber purchased in Berkeley, Calif.
The small machine room also holds a 10"
Delta Unisaw, an old horizontal boring ma-
chine and an 8" jointer.
Once the elm and oak are prepared, the
pieces continue their journey to the hand-
tool room for further work.
Weber splits a log outside his shop using an iron-
bound mallet (called a beetle) and wedges.
with a 4th Book for just
NEW!
CHOOSE 3 BOOKS
Join WoodWorkers Book Club and
CHOOSE 3 BOOKS
with a 4th Book for just
MEMBERSHIP SAVINGS CERTIFICATE
Offer good for new members in U.S. and Canada only. In OH, NY, CO, MA and MI, please add applicable state tax. In Canada
provide a street address and remit in U.S. funds; enclose $10.33 s&h and $1.42 GST for a total of $21.74. One membership
per household. Allow 3-4 weeks for delivery. The Club reserves the right to approve all applications and may cancel
membership at any time.
Mail today to: WOODWORKERS BOOK CLUB PO Box 9274 Central Islip, NY 11722-9274
VISA/MasterCard/AmEx Orders Call TOLL FREE 1-800-448-0912
9a.m.-7p.m. M-F 9a.m.-6p.m. Sat EST
Im enclosing $9.99 plus $7.93 shipping & handling, for a total of just $17.92.
Check enclosed (or) Charge my VISA MasterCard AmEx
Acct. # ________________________________________________________Exp.____________________
Signature ____________________________________________________________________________
(REQUIRED OF EVERYONE)
I have read How the Club Works and understand I have NO OBLIGATION to buy any more books.
Name _________________________________________________________________________________
Address _______________________________________________________________________________
City_________________________________State/Prov._________________ZIP/PC_________________
My 1st Book
FREE
my 2nd Book
FREE
Plus my
FREE Gift
and my 3rd Book
FREE
Plus get
a FREE Gift
YES! I want to join WoodWorkers Book Club! Please send me:
Uncover the secrets to getting
exact lengths, perfect angles, and
snug joints every time with this
guide from Popular Woodworking
Editor Steve Shanesy.
A $3.95 value,
yours FREE
with membership!
$9.99
# # # # 8 0 3 6 0 1
(PLEASE PRINT)
How the Club Works
FREE CLUB NEWS About every 4 weeks
(14 times per year), youll receive the
NEWS, featuring a Main Selection and
100 or more of the newest and best
woodworking instruction books.
EASY ORDERING Simply return your
Selection Card or visit the website by
the specified date, indicating whether
you want the Main Selection and/or
any additional books. After this joining
offer, if you prepay for your selection(s),
shipping and handling is FREE! (If you
dont have time to respond, well send
the Main Selection automatically.)
RETURN PRIVILEGE If the NEWS is
delayed and you ever receive the Main
Selection without having 10 days to
notify us, you may return the selection
at Club expense.
NO-OBLIGATION MEMBERSHIP You
have no obligation to buy any more
books; youre just agreeing to try the
Club for 9 months. After that, you may
cancel at any time. Each time you buy a
book, your membership will be renewed
for 6 months from the purchase date.
PO Box 9274
Central Islip, NY
11722-9274
Call TOLL FREE Monday-Saturday,
9a.m.-7p.m. M-F 9a.m.-6p.m. Sat EST
www.WoodWorkersBookClub.com
1-800-448-0912
with my 4th Book
for $9.99
#
$9.99 plus shipping & handling
Join online @ www.WoodWorkersBookClub.com for an even larger book selection!
KAJ03PW
FREE
FREE
GREAT WOODSHOPS
Neanderthal Heaven
The hand-tool room is the largest in the
Welshmans shop; its where the heart of the
general store once was. Although designat-
ed for hand tools only, a few drill presses line
the back wall. Chair spindles and rails spill
out of cardboard boxes, and chopping blocks
abound. A bookcase is lled to the brim with
books on traditional woodworking and a desk
is cluttered with dusty piles of papers. At the
front of the room is a display area where
Weber keeps several nished pieces.
But when entering the hand-tool room
from the machine room, you nd yourself at
the back, next to the kiln. Prepared green
oak that needs to be steamed or dried goes
directly into the steamer or kiln.
Weber built his kiln by covering an old
machine crate in plywood and insulating it
with Styrofoam. The kiln has ventilation
holes in the top and bottom, and inside are
racks meant for holding spindles and stretch-
ers. Two light bulbs provide heat, and a re-
cycled computer fan circulates the warm air.
While some green oak steams and some
dries, Weber begins hollowing the chairs
seat with a tool called an adze, followed by
a curved spokeshave called a travisher. Then
he scrapes the seat with a tool called a chair
devil. The bodger bores holes for the legs,
then grabs his leg stock out of the kiln and
cuts his tapers. Next he mounts the legs on
his foot-powered lathe to turn the tenons.
Weber has several foot-powered lathes.
The one shown on page 86 is patterned after
a 12th century lathe from England with a
16th century bow-drive system, inspired by
Denis Diderot. Weber built this lathe in 1979.
He also has practical lathes, and some prim-
Weber stores his scrapers in a small block of wood.
Spindles and parts of chairs spill out of cardboard
boxes throughout the shop.
itive ones. One of the lathes leaning against
his shop wall consists simply of two posts
buried in the ground with a head stock on
top. Utilizing a long, springy branch for mo-
tion, this lathe is meant to be used outdoors.
Once the tenons are turned, Weber in-
serts the legs into holes on top of the kiln for
further drying. Once dry, he legs up the chair,
meaning he dry-ts the legs and seat togeth-
er. Next, he works on the back spindles (made
from hickory), arms and headpiece with scrap-
ers, spokeshaves and chisels.
Weber dry-ts the chair, knocks it apart
and then works on the legs wedges. He uses
animal-hide glue for nal assembly.
Weber prefers a natural nish because he
tries to keep his chairs as close to the earth
as possible. He rst applies a shellac sanding
sealer and finishes the chair with an oil and
varnish blend, which consists of a natural
resin varnish, tung oil and gum turpentine.
Much of his work takes place on one of
his four shave horses, each based on a dif-
ferent chairmaker. One is a German shave
that once was used in Northern Europe and
Colonial America. Another is an English,
bodger-style shave with a swing-arm horse.
The third is called a pinhorse or an Appalachia
shaving horse, and the fourth is a newer
model he built based on a design by John
Alexander (author of Chair from a Tree).
This shave horse uses three different types
of interchangeable heads.
Worth the Journey
Once a chair is complete, its work order is
taken off a crowded bulletin board. Some or-
ders are for new, hand-crafted chairs while
many are to repair broken ones.
My father always said that if you can
mend a chair, youll never be out of work,
says Weber, who takes the advice to heart.
When the days work is done, the bodger
retires to an apartment hes remodeling above
his shop. Every morning he practices yoga
in the general stores old skating rink. In
warm weather, he tends to his rooftop gar-
den, where he grows vegetables and herbs in
a claw-foot bathtub and 5-gallon buckets.
Whether chairmaking, pounding out
metal or teaching, this bohemian bodger
works tirelessly to keep the early woodland
crafts alive. Making the move from Mendocino
to the tiny town of Paint Lick has helped
him achieve just that. PW
Don Weber will be demonstrating at WoodWorks
shows in Indianapolis; St. Paul, Minn.; Nashville,
Tenn.; Columbus, Ohio; Springeld, Mass.;
and Phoenix beginning this fall. Check out
woodworks2003.com for specic dates.
Don Weber is writing an article on how to build the end table pictured here using hand tools. Be sure to look for
it in an upcoming issue.
N
E
W
!

Joining Tradition With Today
Call For Your Free Leigh FMT Brochure Today! 1-800-663-8932
Leigh Industries Ltd., PO Box 357, Port Coquitlam, BC, Canada V3C 4K6
Tel. 604 464-2700 Fax 604 464-7404 Web www.leighjigs.com
Unique patented guide system Joints from a tiny
1
16" x
3
32" to
1
2" x 5" in stock
up to 3" x 5
1
2" Easy fingertip adjustment of joint tightness, recordable and
repeatable Make angled and compound angled joints Rout perfectly aligned
double, triple and quadruple joints Use virtually any plunge router Uses
1
2" shank
cutters Cam-action speed-clamps Integral dust port for vacuum
Made in the USA by the Adjustable Clamp Co., 425 N. Ashland Ave., Chicago, IL 60622, www.adjustableclamp.com
Whether you are a do-it-yourselfer, a professional
woodworker or somewhere in between, you have a
world full of projects in the home or in the shop that
will be easier and more enjoyable to complete when
you use quality clamps, bench vises and miter
boxes/saws from the Adjustable Clamp Company.
Look for them under the Jorgensen, Adjustable and
Pony brand names wherever ne tools are sold.
Visit our website and register for our
100
TH
Anniversary 100-piece clamp,
miter saw and vise set giveaway.
FROM THE BENCH
T
he task was simple, but I was not satis-
ed with any of the methods that came
immediately to mind.
Id agreed to make repairs on a cherry sec-
retary. Though it was a factory reproduction
in the style of Chippendale, it was a de-
cent piece that had been passed down to the
owner from her grandmother. It had suffered
minor re damage during transport, so most
of the repairs involved cutting out charred
areas and patching with sound cherry.
In this instance, the location and adja-
cent obstructions were going to make any
direct means of isolating and removing the
bulk of the damaged material difcult. There
wasnt room to use a saw, drilling would have
been awkward, and I was concerned that
heavy chopping with a chisel could have un-
desirable consequences. But there was a fair
amount of material to remove.
While continuing to do other work and
turning this over in my mind, I had a nag-
ging feeling that I was overlooking the most
obvious solution. Suddenly, it came to me
I realized I could borrow a low-relief carving
technique, commonly known as ground-
ing, and use a bench gouge and mallet to
quickly and safely remove the bulk of the
material along the cross grain. Final cleanup
then could be achieved with chisels.
Bench Gouges Ideal
for Roughing It
Using these sometimes-
forgotten cabinetmaking
tools let you hog material
out of tight spaces.
by Don McConnell
Don McConnell builds furniture and does ornamental
carving in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Formerly at the
cabinetmakers shop at The Ohio Village, he remains
an avid student of the history of the trade, tools and
shop practices.
Many modern woodworkers consider the bench gouge a tool solely for turning or carving. But the bench gouge
shown here (called a rmer gouge) is designed for furniture making. Here the author uses a gouge and a mallet
to rough out a walnut breadboard tongue (traditionally called a mitered clamping).
In musing over why it had taken me so
long to arrive at such an obvious solution,
I realized that I had been, in effect, wear-
ing blinders regarding the full range of pos-
sible uses for bench gouges.
Not Just for Carving
Id been in the habit of thinking of bench
gouges as specialized tools held in reserve for
special occasions, such as those involving
decorative treatments or some form of shaped
work. While gouges are indispensable in
those situations, I had overlooked their
potential usefulness as roughing tools in a
variety of more mundane situations.
Since then, my bench gouges have seen
much more use. Which, in turn, has given
me a better understanding as to why bench
P
h
o
t
o
s

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
popwood.com 93
gouges were such a vital part of the working
kits of our predecessors. And I know they
can be useful for many woodworkers today.
A bench gouge is seldom the only tool
that will accomplish a given task. But sur-
prisingly it is often the simplest and most di-
rect, especially when access is restricted or
using other tools is problematic. This can be
particularly helpful in situations where the
production of noise and fine sawdust are
an issue. A few examples:
As already discussed, roughing out
where access is restricted or awkward.
Roughing in a stopped dado or hous-
ing. A gouge can establish most of the width
and depth directly, allowing for minimal
cleanup with chisels and a router plane.
Roughing out the tongue of a mitered
clamping, or breadboard end, as shown in the
photo at left. A gouge of appropriate depth
can be used in a self-gauging manner, a sur-
prisingly direct and efcient process.
Finding the Right Gouge
The variety of bench gouges that are avail-
able in catalogs, auctions and flea markets
can be confusing, so I thought it might be
good to outline the basic types and their uses.
The most common bench gouge has tra-
ditionally been referred to as a rmer gouge.
While the specific meaning of this term is a
matter of some discussion, I think the word
firmer was meant to indicate a gouge for
general woodworking. This is distinct from
more specialized carving or turning gouges.
Most often, these tools have the primary
cutting bevel on the outside, which is use-
ful for the roughing type work already dis-
cussed. These either can be driven with a
mallet or pushed by hand.
Some rmer gouges, though, have bevels
on the inside of the blade. These are often
referred to as incannel gouges or scribing
gouges. More difcult to maintain and sharp-
en, these also can be driven, carefully, with
a mallet or pushed by hand. Scribing gouges
are used in situations where the specic cur-
vature of the cutting edge is used to accu-
rately define a feature. An example of this
would be to scribe or cope a joint in sash
work where two mouldings meet (hence the
name, scribing gouge).
Paring gouges are similar to rmers, ex-
cept that they tend to be longer general-
ly, 8" to 10" blades, compared with 5" to 7"
blades more typical of rmers. They also tend
to be more delicate at the cutting edge. These
can have outside or inside bevels, though
the more common configuration is the in-
side bevel. Intended to be pushed by hand,
these can be useful for cleaning up surfaces
of curved or shaped woodwork.
A special type of paring gouge is the
cranked, or bent-shank, gouge. The bent
shank provides extra clearance for the han-
dle off the surface of the material and always
has an inside bevel. These are particularly
useful for the kind of shaped work under-
taken by patternmakers.
With the exception of the cranked gouge,
all these gouges come in either the tang
(shank) or socket forms. For general bench
work, the choice between these two forms
is a matter of personal preference. Both
the tang form and the socket form have
ancient origins, and it might be surprising
to learn that, historically, the socket form
was more expensive because it required more
manufacturing steps.
Yet one more variable is that, at least in
the United States, gouges have often been
available in three different sweeps. Typically,
they were regular, middle and at sweeps.
The term sweep refers to the depth of the
The three types of gouges for cabinetmaking are, from top to bottom, the cranked gouge, the paring gouge and
the rmer gouge. The paring gouge is in socket form, while the other two are in tang forms.
Bench gouges are
available in three
sweeps: (from left)
at, middle and
regular. The regular
sweep is the most
useful for general
work.
FROM THE BENCH
curvature of the cutting edge in proportion
to its width. The greater the curvature, the
quicker the gouge.
Of the bench gouges, the regular sweep
is the quickest and, as the name implies, is
the sweep we think of when considering
gouges in a generic sense. This sweep also is
the most useful, though the middle and at
sweeps have their place. Older bench gouges
at ea markets and auctions seem to remain
overlooked and undervalued, so, with a lit-
tle patience, it is still possible to acquire a
variety of them at reasonable prices.
Sharpening: No Fingernail Grinds
Sharpening a gouge isnt as straightforward
as sharpening a chisel, and this can become
another deterrent to their use.
For general usage, the cutting edge of an
outside bevel gouge needs to be a straight
line when viewed from directly above. Further,
the cutting edge should be at an approxi-
mate right angle to the axis of the tool. A
convex-shaped cutting edge (sometimes re-
ferred to as a ngernail edge) will tend to
stick in the work because it is attempting to
lift the chip before it is severed at the sur-
face. I dont suggest this shape for general
usage. A slightly concave-shaped cutting
edge wont hurt anything, but nothing is
gained from it, either.
If there are any aws with the edge, or if
you are starting with an older gouge that
needs reconditioning, you will need to rst
establish a new edge. Assuming the flaws
arent too bad, you can do this by holding
the gouge upright, vertical to the at face of
your sharpening stone, and abrading the end
until you have produced a straight and clean
(shiny) edge, as shown in the photo at left.
(If the aws are severe enough, you may have
to use a grinding wheel rst.)
The most common advice regarding sharp-
ening bench gouges is to polish the inside
with your slip stone, or abrasive stick, rest-
ing on the surface. My preference, to borrow
an idea from carvers, is to put a small bevel
on the inside of the gouge. One consequence
of this practice, though, is that you may need
to slightly lengthen the outside bevel to main-
tain an appropriate cutting geometry. See
the illustration above.
As to the main, outside bevel, there are
special honing jigs that can be useful for ob-
taining consistency. However, I find that
with some care I can maintain suitable con-
sistency by rolling the gouge in a side-to-side
To establish a new edge (or repair a badly damaged
one) hone a clean edge while holding your gouge on
end on the stone.
Outside bevel only
Small inside bevel
25-30
25-30
included angle
Leading
edge
Square/straight edge Fingernail edge
Leading
edge
Fingernail edge
leaves ragged cut
I
l
l
u
s
t
r
a
t
i
o
n
s

b
y

M
a
t
t

B
a
n
t
l
y
stroke over the stone. Freehand honing can
also be accomplished by honing along the
axis of the gouge, rolling the gouge through
each stroke. I nd it a little more difcult to
obtain consistent results this way.
If I need to grind a new bevel, I nd it use-
ful to carefully use an appropriate grinder
(hand-cranked in my case) and allow the re-
sulting hollow grind to aid the forming of
the new bevel. Inside bevel gouges are more
difcult to maintain.
Any number of strategies have been de-
vised for dealing with these difculties, but
I have taken the course of avoiding incan-
nel gouges that require drastic recondition-
ing and relying on honing the inside bevels
with slip stones as each gouge is needed. PW
Outside & inside bevels
Gouge ground with straight edge Gouge ground with ngernail edge
WATCH FOR SIGNS.
WoodWorks
TM
is on the road again.
L E A R N | S H O P | B E I N S P I R E D
SHOW INFORMATION: WOODWORKSEVENTS.COM 310.917.4408
MEDIA SPONSOR
INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANA
OCT. 10-12
2003
ST. PAUL
MINNESOTA
OCT. 17-19
2003
NASHVILLE
TENNESSEE
OCT. 24-26
2003
FT. WASHINGTON
PENNSYLVANIA
OCT. 31 - NOV. 2
2003
SPRINGFIELD
MASSACHUSETTS
JAN. 16 - 18
2004
COLUMBUS
OHIO
NOV. 21-23
2003
ONTARIO
CALIFORNIA
JAN. 30 - FEB. 1
2004
PHOENIX
ARIZONA
FEB. 6 - FEB. 8
2004
EDUCATION SPONSOR
AMERICAN SYCAMORE
WOODWORKERS RETREAT
PRODUCT INDEX
PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
ADHESIVES
Gorilla Glue 21 122 gorillaglue.com
Polymeric Systems 103 184 epoxysticks.com
BITS, BLADES & CUTTERS
Amana 37 104 amanatool.com
Forrest Mfg. 41 119 stores.yahoo.com/forrestman
Freud 11 120 freudtools.com
Librawood 102 174 librawood.com
Olson 27 138 olsonsaw.com
Ridge Carbide 102 180 ridgecarbidetool.com
Routerbits.com 102 179 routerbits.com
Woodline Arizona 8 161 woodbits.com
BOOKS
Cambium Books 103 186 cambiumbooks.com
Woodworker's Book Club 88-89 woodworkersbookclub.com
FASTENERS
Arrow Fasteners 21 106 arrowfasteners.com
Kreg Tool 17 129 kregtool.com
McFeely's 37 135 mcfeelys.com
Miller Dowel Co. 57 136 millerdowel.com
FINISHES & SUPPLIES
Waterlox 102 175 waterlox.com
FURNITURE & PROJECT PARTS
Adams Wood Products 27 100 adamswoodproducts.com
Osborne Wood Products 97 140 osbornewood.com
HAND TOOLS
Adjustable Clamp 91 102 adjustableclamp.com
American Clamping 27 105 besseyclamps.com
Irwin 4 irwin.com
Japan Woodworker 23 126 thejapanwoodworker.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 23 133 lie-nielsen.com
Tools For Working Wood 102 181 toolsforworkingwood.com
HARDWARE
Ball & Ball 21 108 ballandball-us.com
Whitechapel Ltd. 27 156 whitechapel-ltd.com
Woodworkers Hardware 27 166 wwhardware.com
KITS & PLANS
Shortridge Co. 102 178 shortridgeltd.com
U-bild.com 102 171 u-bild.com
Woodcraft Plans 103 183 woodcraftplans.com
Woodprojects.com 102 177 woodprojects.com
MISCELLANEOUS
Dakota Alert 103 182 dakotaalert.com
POWER TOOL ACCESSORIES
Beall Tool 102 176 bealltool.com
Bench Dog Tools 91 110 benchdog.com
Jointech 22 127 jointech.com
Keller Company 31 128 kellerdovetail.com
Leigh 31, 91 leighjigs.com
Simpl Products 27 148 woodjigs.com
Simpl Products 31 149 woodjigs.com
POWER TOOLS
Ashman Technical 37 107 woodworktools.com
Delta Machinery 2 113 deltamachinery.com
Fein Power Tools 12, 13 116 feinusa.com
Fisch 17 118 fisch-woodworking.com
General Mfg. 23 121 general.ca
Grizzly Industrial C2-1 123 grizzly.com
Grizzly Industrial 25 124 grizzly.com
Laguna Tools C4 130 lagunatools.com
Legacy Woodworking 102 172 legacywoodworking.com
Makita 19 134 makitatools.com
PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
POWER TOOLS
Sears Craftsman C3 146 craftsman.com
Smithy 37 150 smithy.com
Wilke 57 155 wilkemach.com
Woodstock Intl 9 164 woodstockinternational.com
SAWMILLS & KILNS
Nyle 57 137 nyle.com
Wood-Mizer 17 162 woodmizer.com
SHOP ACCESSORIES
Airware America 103 185 airwareamerica.com
Modine 31 101 modine.com
Oneida Air Systems 21 118 oneida-air.com
TURNING SUPPLIES
Packard Woodworks 102 173 packardwoodworks.com
WOOD & VENEERS
Newton Woods 102 walnutwoods.net
Wall Lumber 37 153 walllumber.com
West Penn Hardwoods 21 westpennhardwoods.com
Woodfinder 102 woodfinder.com
WOODWORKING CATALOGS
Rockler 97 144 rockler.com
Woodcraft 22 159 woodcraft.com
Woodcraft 14-15 157 woodcraft.com
Woodcraft-DIY 29 158 woodcraft.com
Woodworkers Choice 102 170 thewoodworkerschoice.com
Woodworker's Supply 21 167 woodworker.com
WOODWORKING SHOWS
Woodworks 2003 100 woodworks2003.com
See something you
want?
Need more
information?
Use the Free Information Card in this issue to receive
free advertiser information.
For faster service, go online at www.popwood.com
and click "FREE INFORMATION" or fax the card to
(585) 321-0043.
Win A Jointech
SmartMiter Sled
When you request information, you're
automatically entered in our drawing to
win a Jointech SmartMiter sled. We've
tested a lot
of aftermar-
ket miter
gauges and
sliding sleds,
but this one
is hands
ADVERTISER INDEX
ADVERTISER PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
Adams Wood Products 27 100 adamswoodproducts.com
Adjustable Clamp 91 102 adjustableclamp.com
Airware America 103 185 airwareamerica.com
Amana 37 104 amanatool.com
American Clamping 27 105 besseyclamps.com
Arrow Fasteners 21 106 arrowfasteners.com
Ashman Technical 37 107 woodworktools.com
Ball & Ball 21 108 ballandball-us.com
Beall Tool 102 176 bealltool.com
Bench Dog Tools 91 110 benchdog.com
Cambium Books 102 186 cambiumbooks.com
Dakota Alert 103 182 dakotaalert.com
Fein Power Tools 12-13 116 feinusa.com
Fisch 17 118 fisch-woodworking.com
Forrest Mfg. 41 119 stores.yahoo.com/forrestman
Freud 11 120 freudtools.com
General Mfg. 23 121 general.ca
Gorilla Glue 21 122 gorillaglue.com
Grizzly Industrial 25 124 grizzly.com
Grizzly Industrial C2, 1 123 grizzly.com
Japan Woodworker 23 126 thejapanwoodworker.com
Jointech 22 127 jointech.com
Keller Company 31 128 kellerdovetail.com
Kreg Tool 17 129 kregtool.com
Laguna Tools C4 130 lagunatools.com
Legacy Woodworking 102 172 legacywoodworking.com
Leigh 31 leighjigs.com
Leigh 91 leighjigs.com
Librawood 102 174 librawood.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 23 133 lie-nielsen.com
Makita 19 134 makitatools.com
McFeely's 37 135 mcfeelys.com
Miller Dowel Co. 57 136 millerdowel.com
Modine 31 101 modine.com
Newton Woods 102 walnutwood.net
Nyle 57 137 nyle.com
Olson Saw Co. 27 138 olsonsaw.com
Oneida Air Systems 31 139 oneida-air.com
Osborne Wood Products 97 140 osbornewood.com
Packard Woodworks 102 173 packardwoodworks.com
Polymeric Systems 103 184 epoxysticks.com
Ridge Carbide 102 180 ridgecarbidetool.com
Rockler 97 144 rockler.com
Routerbits.com 102 179 routerbits.com
Sears Craftsman C3 146 craftsman.com
Shortridge Co. 102 178 shortridgeltd.com
Simp'l Products 27 148 woodjigs.com
Simp'l Products 31 149 woodjigs.com
Smithy 37 150 smithy.com
Tools for Working Wood 102 181 toolsforworkingwood.com
U-bild.com 102 171 u-bild.com
Wall Lumber 37 153 walllumber.com
Waterlox 102 175 waterlox.com
West Penn Hardwoods 21 westpennhardwoods.com
Whitechapel Ltd. 27 156 whitechapel-ltd.com
Wilke 57 155 wilkemach.com
Wood-Mizer 17 162 woodmizer.com
Woodcraft 22 159 woodcraft.com
Woodcraft 14-15 157 woodcraft.com
Woodcraft - DIY 29 158 woodcraft.com
Woodcraft Plans 103 183 woodcraftplans.com
Woodfinder 102 woodfinder.com
Woodline USA 8 161 woodbits.com
Woodprojects.com 102 177 woodprojeccts.com
Woodstock Int'l. 9 164 woodstockinternational.com
Woodworker's Book Club 88-89 woodworkersbookclub.com
Woodworker's Choice 102 170 thewoodworkerschoice.com
Woodworker's Hardware 27 166 wwhardware.com
Woodworker's Supply 31 167 woodworker.com
Woodworks 2003 100 woodworks2003.com
Exceptionally
stable, just
won't tip during
glue-ups!
Pre-drilled holes
to mount pads,
cauls and jigs
A taller
base no more
knuckle knocks...
Call or go online to get your FREE catalog today!
A N D H A R D W A R E W O O D W O R K I N G
Code 14006
1-800-403-9736 -or- rockler.com/go/V4310
This isnt your fathers pipe clamp!
Introducing the innovative
Sure-Foot
pipe clamp.
FLEXNER ON FINISHING
A
erosols make possible the packaging of
various nishing products in conven-
ient, easy-to-use containers. The packaging
raises the price of these products compared
to using them in a spray gun, but the con-
venience of aerosols is so great that its rare
to nd a professional nish shop without a
shelf full of them.
Many amateurs also use aerosols as an
inexpensive substitute to buying a spray
gun inexpensive, at least, as long as the
amount of finishing being done is not too
great. Aerosols are ideal for smaller projects.
Most popular finishes are packaged in
aerosols in sheens ranging from gloss to at.
These include polyurethane, shellac, water-
based nish, lacquer and pre-catalyzed lac-
quer. (Pre-catalyzed lacquer is a fast-drying
nish like lacquer, but its considerably more
durable so its often used to finish kitchen
cabinets and ofce furniture.) Other useful
products, such as sanding sealers, toners and
blush removers, also are packaged in aerosols.
The finishes in aerosols are the same as
those you spray through spray guns except
they are thinned much more to fit easily
through the small hole in the nozzle. You
normally would have to spray at least twice
the number of coats to get the same lm build
you would achieve with a spray gun.
Local paint stores and home centers rarely
stock many aerosols, but you can nd a large
selection at Wood Finishing Supplies
(866-548-1677 or woodnishingsupplies.com).
How to Spray Aerosols
Aerosols have the same application ad-
vantages spray guns have when compared
to brushes: speed and better appearance.
Its faster to spray a finish than it is to brush
it, and spraying produces a more level sur-
face than brushing, which leaves fairly pro-
nounced brush marks.
Spraying with an aerosol is almost iden-
tical to using a spray gun. The most impor-
tant rule is to arrange the object and light-
ing so you can always see a reflection in
the area youre spraying. This way, youll see
if youre spraying properly a fully wet
coat thats not so wet it puddles or runs. With
the help of reected light, you can adjust the
distance you hold the aerosol from your work
and the speed you move it to achieve a good
result. Practice on scrap wood or cardboard
until you feel comfortable.
To help avoid puddles and runs, begin your
spraying a few inches off the surface and con-
tinue spraying past the opposite edge. Keep
the aerosol moving at all times, and avoid
spurting by keeping your nger from partial-
ly covering the hole in the nozzle. If youre
spraying a large at surface such as a table-
top, ensure an even thickness by spraying
your rst pass 50 percent off the front edge
and 50 percent on. Then overlap this pass
entirely with the second and continue over-
lapping each additional pass by 50 percent.
Finally, make your last pass on the back
edge 50 percent off the edge and 50 percent
overlapping the next-to-last pass. This way,
every part of the surface will have received
a double application.
To further ensure an even thickness, per-
form the same routine again, this time by
working perpendicular to the first passes.
Every part of the surface will then have re-
ceived four applications of nish.
Aerosol Spray Finishing
For small or specialty
jobs, spray-can nishing
is a good choice.
by Bob Flexner
Bob Flexner is the author of Understanding Wood
Finishing and a contributing editor
to Popular Woodworking.
When nishing anything bigger than a turning, we recommend you purchase an accessory trigger unit for your
aerosol cans. They are inexpensive (about $5), effective and available at most home center stores.
SOURCE
Woodworkers Supply
800-645-9292 or woodworker.com
Accessory Trigger
# 926775, $4.99
P
h
o
t
o

b
y

A
l

P
a
r
r
i
s
h
popwood.com 99
Toning with Aerosols
Toning is under-appreciated, especially
among those who have never sprayed. It in-
volves applying color to a surface by adding
a pigment or dye colorant to the finish it-
self and spraying it. (Brushing a toner can
create uneven coloring or very noticeable
brush marking). Too much pigment will
muddy the wood like a thin coat of paint,
but dye will add coloring and be almost to-
tally transparent.
Toning can be used to adjust the color-
ing of an entire object after a sealer or nish
has been applied, or it can be used to ad-
just the coloring of just part of an object.
Examples include blending sapwood with
heartwood or a light wood species with a
darker species. Another example is creating
highlighting in some areas, such as the cen-
ters of panels, by spraying toner on the
An aerosol toner (a common brand is shown at left) is
an effective way to match a nish color. The photo
below shows how I used a green toner on the right side
to kill some of the red of the red-dyed mahogany. The
added green makes the piece look more brown.
Not all aerosol nozzles are the same. Some (top) can
be adjusted to change the spray pattern. Others are
xed (below). If you have a choice, choose the
adjustable nozzle.
area around them. Most higher quality fac-
tory furniture has been toned.
Removing Water Rings
One of the most useful functions of an aerosol
is as a blush remover. A blush is the milky-
white coloring that sometimes occurs when
spraying in high humidity. Its also the milky
whiteness of a water ring, and its much eas-
ier to use an aerosol with the right solvent
to remove the ring on-site than it is to take
a table to your shop and use a spray gun.
Water rings are caused by moisture get-
ting into a nish and creating voids that re-
fract light and prevent it from passing through.
The voids usually are near the surface, so
abrading the finish with fine steel wool or
rottenstone and a lubricant usually removes
them. But this disrupts the sheen, causing
the rubbed area to appear different.
A less disrupting method is to mist the
damaged area with the very slow evaporat-
ing lacquer solvent, butyl Cellosolve, which
is contained in aerosol blush removers (avail-
able from woodfinishingsupplies.com).
Remember that youre dissolving the nish,
so dont spray too much or touch the sprayed
area before its thoroughly dry. PW
AEROSOL BREAKDOWN
Whatever liquid an aerosol might contain, the
cans themselves are pretty much the same a
nozzle (made up of a valve and an actuator), a
diptube and a gas to propel the liquid through
the hole in the nozzle.
Before 1978, chlorouorocarbons (CFCs)
were used to propel the liquid, but these have
been eliminated in all but a few exempt items
because of their negative effect on the upper
ozone layer. Most of todays aerosols contain
liqueed petroleum gases (LPGs) such as
propane, isobutane and n-butane.
The nozzle on most aerosols has a simple
cylindrical-shaped actuator that you push
down to activate a cone-shaped spray pattern.
But some others can be adjusted to spray in a
vertical or horizontal fan pattern like a spray
gun. The fan can be adjusted from vertical to
horizontal by using pliers to rotate a small
rectangular disk. These aerosols lay down a
more even nish than the cylinder type.
With both types, you need to shake the can
before using. If the can contains any solid
material, such as pigment or atting agent, it
will contain a ball that youll hear knocking
against the sides as you shake. This ball helps
put the solids into suspension. If you dont
hear this ball knocking around, continue
shaking until you do, and then shake for
another 10-20 seconds.
When nished spraying, clean the diptube
and valve so the nish doesnt dry and clog
them. Do this by turning the can upside down
and spraying until no more liquid comes out.
Nozzle can
be rotated
to change
fan shape
WATCH FOR SIGNS.
WoodWorks
TM
is on the road again.
L E A R N | S H O P | B E I N S P I R E D
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WOODWORKSEVENTS.COM 310.917.4408
WoodWorks is revved-up for a new season of nationwide events designed to please
woodworkers of all skill levels. Shop for the newest tools and supplies you wont find
in retail stores, watch and learn from experts who come from around the world or
be inspired as you wander through exhibition galleries of fine work. WoodWorks is
family-friendly with many free demonstrations and activities for all ages.
Work safely & see you on the Road!
MEDIA SPONSOR
INDIANAPOLIS
INDIANA
OCT. 10-12
2003
ST. PAUL
MINNESOTA
OCT. 17-19
2003
NASHVILLE
TENNESSEE
OCT. 24-26
2003
FT. WASHINGTON
PENNSYLVANIA
OCT. 31 - NOV. 2
2003
SPRINGFIELD
MASSACHUSETTS
JAN. 16 - 18
2004
COLUMBUS
OHIO
NOV. 21-23
2003
ONTARIO
CALIFORNIA
JAN. 30 - FEB. 1
2004
PHOENIX
ARIZONA
FEB. 6 - FEB. 8
2004
EDUCATION SPONSOR
AMERICAN SYCAMORE
WOODWORKERS RETREAT
CAPTION THE CARTOON
Illustrated by Bob Rech
[email protected]
We Now Take E-mail Entries!
Submit your captions for this cartoon by e-mailing them to
[email protected] (be sure to put Cartoon Caption #61
as the subject of your e-mail) with your name, address
and phone number. Or send it to us on a postcard:
Popular Woodworking, Cartoon Caption #61,
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati,
OH 45236 by Nov. 1. Winners will
be chosen by the editorial staff.
This issues winner receives
10-12" and 10-24" PSI Clamp-n-
Spread clamps. These easy-to-use
clamps feature a 3
5
8" throat depth, a comfort cushion pistol grip, a heavy-duty steel
bar, soft-jaw pads and a convenient clamp-release button. The clamp quickly can
convert to a spreader. The set is valued at more than $200! Runners-up each win a
one-year subscription to Popular Woodworking.
#61
Dan Stuepfert, of Hudson, Illinois, is the winner of our Cartoon Contest from the
June issue and recipient of 20 PSI Clamp-n-Spread clamps. The following runners-up
each receive a one-year subscription to Popular Woodworking:
Lets see Harry borrow our tools now ... Curt Slusser, Berwick, Pennsylvania
Duuude! A Swiss army sawhorse! Mark Roth, Davenport, New York
Finally! The ultimate cordless. William Riggs, Palm Harbor, Florida
Reader satisfaction is our #1
concern. If you ever have any
questions, please let us know
right away. Well take care of it.
Steve Shanesy
Editor & Publisher
Customer Service
www.PopularWoodworking.com
4700 E. Galbraith Rd.
Cincinnati, Ohio 45236
Editorial Ofce:
[email protected]
How do I contact customer service?
Visit popularwoodworking.com
and click on the Subscriber Services
button on the left side navigation bar,
write to Popular Woodworking,
P.O. Box 5369, Harlan, IA 51593,
or call 1-800-888-6880.
When does my subscription expire?
The date that appears on your
magazine mailing label above your
name is the date of the last issue
in your subscription.
Will I be put on other mailing lists?
We make our subscriber names
available on a limited basis to other
reputable companies whose products
and services may be of interest to you.
If you prefer not to receive these
mailings, simply send your magazine
label with instructions not to release
your name to: List Manager, F&W
Publications, 4700 E. Galbraith Rd.,
Cincinnati, OH 45236.
Why did I receive a bill after Ive paid?
If you have already mailed your
payment, please disregard any bill
or renewal notice. Our letters probably
got crossed in the mail. (However
if you continue to receive bills or
renewal notices, please let us know.)
Will you replace damaged
or missing issues?
Well replace the damaged or missing
issue, or extend your subscription,
whichever you prefer.
100% Satisfaction Guarantee
If at any time youre less than
satised with Popular Woodworking,
let us know and well refund
your entire subscription amount.
No questions asked.
#59
I know that no self-respecting woodworker is going to buy it,
but well make a killing on these when Fathers Day rolls around!
popwood.com 101
WOODWORKER S MARKETPLACE
F For orr res est Sa t Saw Blades w Blades
10Woodworker II - $97
10 Chopmaster - $109
12 Chopmaster - $123
8 Dado King - $227
www.librawood.com
U- B I L D. COM
On-line catalog pictures hundreds of full-size
woodworking plans at low prices. Free
downloadable mini-plans. All skill levels.
Free shipping. 48-page color catalog $2.00
(refunded on 1st order) call (800) 828-2453.
102 POPULAR WOODWORKING October 2003
Tung Oil Based Wood Finishes Since 1916
Waterlox Tung Oil penetrates No sanding necessary for
adhesion Great for use with Exotics Protects against
moisture, heat/cold, household chemicals Very easy to
apply, maintain & re-coat Hand-crafted
for 4 generations For more information, visit
us at www.waterlox.com, e-mail:
[email protected] call: 1.800.321.0377
Phone: 559-277-8456
E-mail: [email protected]
Web:WalnutWoods.net
Featuring Superior
Black Walnut Burl,
Maple Burl, Madrone
Burl and Red Gum
Burl Veneers
Burl Slabs
Gun Stock Blanks
Turning Wood
www.popwood.com 103
KITS & PLANS
WWW.CHERRYTREE-ONLINE.COM
Clocks, toys, whirligigs, intarsia, feeders & more.
Call 800-848-4363 XPOW013.
HEIRLOOM WORKSHOP COLLECTION. Woodwork-
ing plans for Classic American Home Furnishings.
Free catalog. Send #10 SASE: Tom &Paula
Designs, 805 W. 4th St., Rush City, MN 55069.
CARLYLE LYNCH MEASURED DRAWINGS Museum
and private collection furniture plans by Carlyle
Lynch. Catalog $2. POBox 13007, Arlington, TX
76094; 817-861-1619.
MISCELLANEOUS
POST OFFICE BOX DOOR FRONTS,
#1 $8.50 + S&H. Coin slot plates, etc. to make
banks. SASE for info. Hubbert, POBox 1415,
Fletcher, NC 28732; 828-687-0350.
WEBSITES
TOOLS/HARDWARE SUPERSTORE
Shop wellspent.org, complete any project.
Fast, helpful service from experts. Lowest prices.
Classified rate is $4.25 per word, 15-word minimum. Order must be accompanied by
payment; ads are non-commissionable. Send to: Popular Woodworking, Barbara Gasper,
4700 E. Galbraith Rd., Cincinnati, OH 45236, Phone: 610-967-1330, Fax: 513-531-1843.
CLASSIFIED
ACCESSORIES
FREE Tips on making moldings.
www.moldingknives.com
BOOKS
WE HAVE A WIDE VARIETY of woodworking books
from small projects, to home improvement, to
enhancing your woodworking skills, and more!
To see our full line of books, please visit our Web-
site at www.popularwoodworking.com/store/books!
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES
EASY WORK! EXCELLENT PAY! Assemble Products
At Home. Call Toll Free 1-800-467-5566 Ext.3445.
FINISHING SUPPLIES/EQUIPMENT
SPRAY-ON SUEDE. Line boxes easily. Free
brochure with sample. DonJer, 13142 Murphy
Road, Winnebago, IL 61088; 800-336-6537;
www.donjer.com
HARDWARE
WWW.PROFHDWR.COMAlmost 3000 woodworking
& related products available with our New shop-
ping cart. Professional Hardware.
Looking for some project inspiration? Want to find the perfect power tool to fit your needs
and budget? Need the perfect backyard furniture? Want to turn that awkward space in your
home into a storage area? Then look no further than the Special Issues from the editors of
Popular Woodworking! Inside each, youll find all the information you need: materials
selection and cutting lists, step-by-step plans, exploded drawings, and clear direction.
Storage & Shelving
Outdoor Furniture
Great American Furniture
Woodshop Essentials
Tool Buying Guides
Historic Projects
And more!
Visit www.PopularWoodworking.comfor a full
selection of Popular Woodworking Special Issues, and more!
FREE PLANS CATALOG!
www.WoodcraftPlans.com
THE place to find hundreds of plans.
Call for a catalog: 800.296.6256
www.AirwareAmerica.com
3M Safety Products, including Power Visor,
Airstream, Airmate and BretheEasy respirators.
Trend Airshield, Peltor AM/FM Worktunes & Wing
Little Giant Aluminum Ladders.
www.AirwareAmerica.com
800-328-1792
Special Issues from
Popular Woodworking!
FREE PROJECT PLANS
FREE PROJECT PLANS
FREE PROJECT PLANS
FREE PROJECT PLANS
www.popularwoodworking.com
OUT OF THE WOODWORK
M
ark is a customer who talks more than
he buys at the hardwood supply com-
pany I run. But I never know when one cus-
tomer will send a buyer my way, so I always
allow Mark to use his daily quota of words on
me. A few years ago, Marks visit paid off.
Say, I know where you can get yourself
a free jointer, he said one day.
Oh yeah? I responded cautiously.
Sixteen inch. Its sitting in a parking lot
next to where the old Dundee Boat Co. used
to be. They dragged it out of the building be-
fore it was torn down. Its been sitting there
for more than a year. I think the owner would
be glad to see it xed up and used.
Thats nice. Ill keep it in mind, I said.
Mark leaned forward, lowered his voice
and said, It has a cylindrical head.
I whispered back, Ill take it.
Most old jointers have square heads.
Accidentally stick your nger in one of those
and it will grab and pull your entire arm in
before you know what happened. Cylindrical
heads only remove a salami slice of your n-
ger at a time. Meet any 50 woodworkers and
check their hands. Youll see several reasons
for not using tools with square heads.
We arranged to meet the owner, Frank,
the following Saturday. Mark gently reminded
the elderly gentleman of the condition of
the jointer and what a worthy person I am.
Mark explained how the jointer would have
a new life, perhaps even a classy paint job,
maybe with a racing stripe. We shook hands
on the deal, then I followed Mark and his
dad to the site of the demolished factory in
my 67 Dodge atbed.
In the far corner of the lot stood the mas-
sive, rusted machine with the pitted table
and the wonderful cylindrical head.
As we loaded the truck, Mark lled me
in on the jointers venerable history.
She was bought new by the Hornell
Furniture Co., he said. Frank bought her
when they went out of business in the 40s.
They kept the jointer on the second floor
but before they went out of business the build-
ing was in such bad shape it fell through to
the rst oor and they set her back up right
there where it stayed until they went out
of business. It was too big to move.
After Frank bought it he really didnt
use it much, Mark continued. He was afraid
of it. One of his employees accidentally re-
moved his thumb with it. It was a strange ac-
cident. The company had a committee that
reviewed accidents and recommended ways
of preventing them. When the employee re-
covered, the safety committee gathered
around the jointer and the employee demon-
strated what he was doing when the acci-
dent happened. In the process, he cut his
other thumb off. Frank just shut off the ma-
chine and stored lumber on it.
Thats really strange, I said. I heard of
an identical accident happening at the fur-
niture company near Dansville a few years
ago except it was with a table saw.
I swear its true, Pete. Frank told me.
I believe it, Mark. But you have to admit
it is a curious coincidence, I said as I thanked
Mark and his father for their help and left.
But that story did it actually happen?
Did my jointer enter into the annals of
American Folklore or is it a fact? I proba-
bly will never know. How many other tools
across the country have cut off two thumbs
or fingers or hands? Ive heard the story a
couple of times since then and even ran across
it in a book written in the 1940s.
A few years after this, an older gentleman
shufed in to buy a piece of oak for a shelf.
He didnt turn it this way and that or sight
down the board the way inexperienced wood-
workers do. He just tucked the board under
his arm like a man whos been around lum-
ber most of his life. When he opened his wal-
let, I noticed half his thumb was missing. He
held the wallet in the other hand oddly, as
if his second thumb was missing, but he most-
ly kept his hands in his pockets.
As we chatted I learned that he worked
at the Hornell Furniture Co. when he was
younger. I casually led him back to the join-
ter and asked if he is familiar with the fence
system, which I never quite gured out. He
looked it over without recognition. Nope,
he said. I didnt dare ask if he knew the join-
ters story. You simply cant ask a stranger
personal questions. PW
by Peter Sieling
Peter Sieling runs Garreson Lumber Co., a small
cabinetmaking hardwood supply rm in Bath, N.Y.
The Haunted Jointer
The same accident twice: Is it urban myth
or a very strange fact?
Ours is an age of mobility, so it was only a matter
of time before somebody came up with a table saw
you can take with youprobably somebody who got
sick and tired of trying to rip huge pieces of stock
in his cramped basement workshop.
Introducing the Craftsman
Professional 10" Job Site Table

Saw. When youre planning on
working in one place for a while,
its sturdy yet amazingly light-
weight aluminum legs provide
a solid base for cutting. But
when you need to take your
act on the road, all you have to
do is fold the legs up, tip it up on
its two wheels, and pull it
behind you like a suitcase
its that easy. And because this saw only weighs
about half as much as Craftsmans stationary table
saws, its no big deal to throw it in the back of your
car or pickup. Other professional features include a
24-inch right extension wing, which gives you the
flexibility to rip bigger stock. And its 8-foot-long
cord not only
makes it easy
to reach your power source, its
retractable so it wont trip you up. In fact,
if there is any downside to
this saws por tability at all,
it would be this: the words,
Hey neighbor, can I borrow
your table saw? just became
a reasonable request. Finally,
in case you were wondering,
the Craftsman Professional 10"
Job Site Table Saw is quite a
value at just $399.99. So hop in your
mobile home, or whatever else youre driving these
days, and head for a Sears or Sears Hardware
Store near you. You can also order it by phone
(mobile, if you prefer) at 1-800-437-9686. Or get it
online (say, from your laptop?) at craftsman.com.
2003 Sears Brands, LLC
MOBILE HOMES. MOBILE PHONES.
AND NOW, MOBILE TABLE SAWS.
MOBILE HOMES. MOBILE PHONES.
AND NOW, MOBILE TABLE SAWS.
When you cant bring the
work to the saw, just bring
the saw to the work.
800.234.1976
w w w . l a g u n a t o o l s . c o m
Simply the best!

Popular Woodworking 2003-10 No. 136

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Popular Woodworking 2003-10 No. 136

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Popular Woodworking 2003-10 No. 136

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

What tools are being promoted in the document?

What tools are being promoted in the document?

What additional benefits or services are being offered with the purchase?

What additional benefits or services are being offered with the purchase?

When you buy one of our new X

Drive System instantly

THIS PATENTED BASE IS THE MOST STABLE

Manufacturers of Fine Quality Saw Blades Since 1918

4" x 7" x 8"

2" x 1" x 2"

4" x 2" x 2"

2" shanks. The bases are

4" collet and is used for

2", which is the measure of

2" shanks. If you want to

8" bits. This

Remove only a small amount of

4" deep. The illustration below

Keep the router moving as steadily

Cut against the rotation of the bit

2" and cuts a wider swath than an

Take note of the wood grain direc-

Always hold the router firmly with

A router motor, like any other

Make sure the router base is proper-

Its not usually a good idea to rout

Make sure the straightedge or the

Always read the warp or bow in a

If the router sole is circular, paint a

Freeborn Tool Co.:

Router Bits Online:

Whiteside Machine Co.:

Carbide Specialties Inc.:

North American Products:

4". Some bits,

Professional 10" Job Site Table

You might also like