Jewelry Cabinet * Coffee Table Bird Feeder » Plate Shelf ¢ Cabriole Legs Vol. 18 /No. 106 Stay Jewelry Cabinet© Shop Craftsman: Pg Diora Ger Sar ate BOOKS eertve Eller: Douglas L Mihs * Snior Graphic Design: Cais Govact ‘CIRCULATION ‘radon Dia: Ss Du Bis + Sarton Monge: ‘Sandy Bata Renee! Monae PuigeRogers Asa ‘ise al ig ae Greene» Asn Sarton: Sykes «Asoc Gath DesgnDirecbr Sse 13 Grape Designer Chor Srapron CORPORATE SERVICES. ‘We Pst of lung and Finance Jon Maca © Chatter Rois Mecham» Sr Arion Lr Troma * Prodan Dis George Chile» Bacon Pbiing Diag Let «Pasion rns «Pacer Monaco Crd Guo» Become Comencatons. Cora: Gordon C-Gsigpes Netw Admontatr A. Barner Prof Desepnnt Dit: Jogce Mowe + orn. sted: Illa Tish * fecptonste Jeaane Jotnsoa, Sher iby » Builtng Mate: Ken Gith \WOODSMTTH MAIL ORDER Operations Director: Bob Baber © tir: Cindy Searing * Hetero Noncgr- Nate Matis» Catone Soe igs: Jeni Boe * Nat Sole Manage: Sen A Burleen + Mire Spy Nancy Jha « Bee: ada fe 4 Seton: Oper: Tammy An «Team Leader Kara, ales Tee. Suppose Dive Stone + Cnt Sirs Rape Teenier Murphy, Anan Cox, Kid Ancrewn, Margo etus Melon Cluck Carson, ya Cay, Lay Prine, Seo Giltan, Cathy Steines ‘WOODSMITH STORE Menage Ds aren Aiden Monogr Pal Seiler «Seles StftPatLowr, Jerome lier» Ofc Manager ‘Yen Eanes es isos “Aas Wome Fang Comp es oe: meee Oats aE en aa Fett inne Pi Des Mars 1d ost Sendtuse nai Wai on 12 ee, coeds He sarc SCA i ns aka noe gute PitedinUSA, EDITOR’ COLUMN SAWDUST 62... ae Isee a piece of Queen Anne furniture. Not only that, I've always been Soa pone Eien ee linet once ae coffee table (bage 20) incorporate sev- eral elements of traditional Queen Anne design: delicate moldings, scal- loped cutouts, and gently curved shapes — the most striking of which are the graceful S-shaped legs. ier fea tiole leg is one of the hallmarks of Queen Anne furniture, Butits origins: can be traced back to the time of the pharaohs, when craftsman would carve ‘nimsHike shapes into their designs. ‘Then, just before the turn of the eee Ses Sete were typically very intricate and Included ornate carvings. Next the English picked upon the ‘idea and began incorporating a sim- plified version into their furniture. But ‘itwas American craftsman that really oo eee he ie Anne siyle furniture. cin time to design the Queen Anne siyle ‘Woodsmith projectsinthisissue, we started with thelegs. Then we designed the restof the project around them. To keep things from getting too ‘complicated, we used the same basic cabriole leg for both the jewelry cab- inet and the coffee table. And we chose avery simple style ofleg that doesn't involve any carving. Instead, you just ccutthe basic shape outon a band saw: and then finish shaping the leg with a resp, file, and some sandpaper. OTHERPROJECTS. Of course, if Queen Anne furniture doesn't interest you, you're not out of luck. We have two other great projects in this issue. ‘There's a striking copper-oofed bird feeder shown on page 24 and a trad- tional oak plate she'f on page 32, NeW FACES. We've added three new: faces since last issue. First, Lark Gilmer has joined us as Photography Director: Second, Ted Wong, Jr. willbe helping outs Project Designer. And finally, Vince Ancona has joined the staf.as Assistant Ealitor 408 OPENINGS. August Home Pub- lishing is continuing to grow. And were looking to fill several editorial positions on a new magazine, ‘deal candidates should have pre- vious publishing experience. And all applicants must have excellent writ ing skills and experience in. home improvement and woodworking. If you'd like to apply, please send your letter and resume to: J.W. Moore, August Home Publishing, 2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. No. 106CONTENTS Features Jewelry Cabinet .. “This classic Queen Anne-stye cabinet features graceful cabricle legs and L-shaped doors. Inside, there are nine small pull-out rowers that prove plenty of storage space. Cabriole Legs .. 14 “Diese beautiful selpcd lp re bul using common wooden ing tools and techniques. The design is basic, and the procedure is covered with simple, step-by-step instructions. Coffee Table “The classic Queen Anne design of this coffee table combines an ‘ual top, scalloped aprons, and cabriole las Bird Feeder... This feeder has several unique feacures, including shingled walls cand a copper roof. Bu don't let any of that fool you — there's nothing ricky about building his project, Staining End Grain When staining a project, eny exposed end grain uswlly darkens significantly. Here are three solutions for getting an even color. Plate Shelf... 32 [We borroweel ene of td deen ema for cs pla ca fro anchiteccure: dentil molding, buile-up crown molding, and a rail ‘made with factory-made spindles Departments Tips & Techniques Shop Notes .. Talking Shop Reader's Jig . Sources. No, 106 ‘WoodsmithFROM FELLOW WOODWORKERS Tips & TECHNIQUES Drilling Jig ‘When installing shelf pins ina cabinet, portant to keep the holes aligned, Beco shen ee felescorecly edie ‘will sometimes slip while Salinger Me erie tk i Jem, I made ajig that guides my illbiee geste latte were ‘The jig is just a piece of letdoinio igre attached to a cleat made ice ein See Sagem the end of the hardboardis arow of evenly spaced "A" dia, holes, see Fig. 1. To we the ig ps the cleat against the edge« the cabinet and drill your first hole. Insert a dowel into theholeto hold the ie {in place and dill the restot the holes, moving the jig Quick Drawer Slides Ifyou havean older drawer that binds on its wooden, drawer slides, try using ‘metal thumb iacksforinex: pensive drawer glides, see drawing below. Just place them on the | Insure hurbeacts at rot | Gferower opening nd an Sotom ordioner lead bearing surfacesin the cabinet, see detail'’ Iuse ‘wo onthe cabinetfrontrall and two on the drawer bot- tom at the back, Mark Cordes Shovexiew, Minsots ‘and dowel from hole to hole asoften as needed. To drill holesat the rear ‘ofa cabinet after the back Stopping Insert Rattle ‘The metal insert on table saw used to rattle ‘whenever the sai was run- ning. To eliminate this, [ simply puta small, (choco- ate-chip size) drop of silt ‘cone on cach of the cast is installed, just fip the jig lover, see Fig. 2 ‘Choes Shere Berdley, Califor iron “ears” down in the recessed opening, see raving and detail below. ‘The silicone cushions the insertand quiets the rate. LaryHénmen Union Cry, Michigan Woodsmith No. 106exe, in ae T but my own outfeed roller from a piece of PVC Fipsent adel ec phot. Start by cutting the dowel slightly longer than Drill Press Fence Drilling long pieces of stock. on a drill press can be a challenge. To make the job a ‘go easier, I made an extra Jong fence from a 4! ong ae 4 a SIDE View the pipe, se drawing. ‘Then make a support frame out of some scraps of wood, see drawing. ‘Now place the pipe over -wooddare bolted (othe bot- ‘om of the fence to support the workpiece, Then just bolt the fence to the slots inthe table piece fang in War > eauple of neces of 2s Oho Y = ‘ sengnesti so bottom of fence the dowel and with both pieces positioned between the support frame, drive a screw into each en Finally, clamp the sup- port to a sawhorse so the top of the roller is aligned with the table oa your sav, ‘Willem Neuen Mifort, Comecticut Quick Tips FORMICA SANDING BLOCK Sanding the curve of an are with a flat sanding: block is difficur. But a piece of plate laminate with selfadhesive sand paper on one side will lec to follow most curves. And its stiff enough to sand down high spots. Jason Carrick Hal Moon Bes. Cliorma Pressure sensitive edhc- sive (FSA) sanding disks ‘work gret, but the adhe- sive tends to dry out when it exposed tothe air. But if you just hold the nad over alight barb Woodsmith for a minute oF so, the hheat from the bulb will reactivate the adhesive Rich Wickes Lymwood, Washirgion CUSHIONED BAR cAMP For a clamp pad that ‘doesn't constantly fall off the clamp, try using a pieoe of plastic tubing. Its ‘inexpensive and available atmosthardware stores, Just cut offa1"ong piece land make a slitin one wall like a button hole. ‘Thenslipthe tubing over the clamp jaw.FEATUR' PROJECT JEWELRY CABINET 7 Cabriole legs and a slender design give this jewelry cae acclassic look. But beneath the fancy exterior are basic woodworking techniques. Y ‘ears ago, jewelry was often one ofthe most valuable things a family owned. So itwas only natural to store these preciousitems in a special case or box— something ‘out ofthe ordinary. That's what we had in mind when we designed this jewelry cabinet ‘We started by designing cabriole legs and gracefully curved aprons to give the base ofthe jewelry cabinet an elegant look. Then atthe top and bottom of the case we included buiitup moldings. But I think the most inter: esting feature ofthis project isthe doors, DOORS, The doors are uulike any Ive ever seen on @ jewelry cabinet. They're Lshaped, so they wrap around thefront and sides ofthe case. And since they/re attached atthe back ofthe case, you don't see any hinges. “These doors look as beautiful when they're open as ‘when they're closed They fold out ike wingson each side) of the case, revealing storage areas for necklaces and a stacked set of shallow drawers, DRAWERS. The drawers themselvesalso have some neat features, They can be removes from the case so you can find small items quickly, se photo below. And we show You how to build « special padded insert to hold rings ‘Youmightthink that all these extra detils require aot of special skills or equipment. But tis entire projectis built with ordinary woodworking construction methods. Even the cabriole legs are straightforward to make. ‘Tohelp you out, we're providing.a separate step-by-step article on building the legs. (It starts on page 14) Ap you're sll not convinced, you can buy pre-made cabriole legs from a couple of different sources (see page 35) > Padiled drawer inserts safolyhold rings orearvings. And brass drawer pulls ard specially-designed brass necllace pegs _ive the jewelry cabmetan elegant look. 6 ‘Woodsmith No. 106Construction Details ‘OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 18" Wx 12"D x 40%"H Panel ascemoies ‘emeds trom Es plyaed uth ose soll wood edging ‘rons see pave. ave assembled ‘nth morse arc tenon eine. No. 106. ‘Woodemith aCase ‘This jewelry cabinet is constructed intwo parts. A storage case contain ing nine éravers sits upon a base with cabrile legs, Iuilt the case fret, j then sized the base to fit. BACK PANEL. stared with the back: | @) of the case, see exploded viev. ‘This fsa piece of $4'thick plywood cu io size and edged with 34x 4" solid wood case edging (B) and | then trimmed fish, see detail‘ ‘Then I cuttwo 1f"wide grooves on the inside face of the pancl to hold the side panels, see detail‘. SMEPANES.Withthebackpanelcom- | plete, cut two piywood sides (C). But before edging the sides, Tut a seriesof dadoes on the inside edges, ‘These 4" x1" dadoes will hold the drawer guides. In order forthe daw ers to slide in and out without bind: ing, each pair of guides mustline up exactly when the case is assembled. “To evenly space the dadoes forthe ‘guides, used an indexing jig. But fence to my miter gauge. cover tho indexing pin. Now you can first started by cuting thetop dado Arter adjusting the fonce so the cu the rest of the dadoes just like ‘oneach side 1'¢"fromtheend,see indexing pin is 1%4¢" trom the you would cut dentil molding, see Fig. L Then acideda'4"indexing pin blade, place the side panel against Fig. 2 (or refer to the dentil molé- i toanawsliary fence andattached the the fence so that the first dado fits ing jig on page 18). 8 Woodsmith No. 106| | | | | | | | o With the dedoes cut, added case ‘edging (B)to the front edges of the sideppanels, see exploded view Then ‘oneach hack edge, Ieutatonue that ‘it snug in the grooves already cut in the back panel, see Fig. 3. DRAWER GUIDES. Before assembling the sides and back, [added drawer guides (D) othe dadloesin the sides, see detail t”on page & These guides are simply thin strips of wood that support and guide the drawers. ‘Tomake the guides, Iplaned down ‘blank to%e" thick, eutitto length, ‘and then ripped 2A!wide strips, see Fig. 4 Use a push block to keep the ‘guides from geiting pinched between the saw blade and the fence, The guides are glued into the dadoes. Then usinga sanding block, I sanded a slight chamfer on the edges ofthe guidestohelp the draw: ers operate smoothly, see detail SDE & BACK ASSEMEL. With thezuldes inplace thesiklesand back pane'scan bbeglued together, see exploded view above right, Note: To keep the side panels squaretothebockwhengluing them up, used 2 squaring block. NER PANELS. The top ancl bottom panelsare both made up ofan inner and outer layer of edged plywood, see exoloded view. ‘The inner panels (E)are made of 14" plywood and edged on all four sides with®A"*wide inner panel edg: ing (F, G), see exploded view. This edging is mitered at the corners and sghued in place."Then a cove isrouted om one side, see Fig. 5. ‘Attach the inner panels tothe case with screws, making sure to screw Into the solid wood edging on the sides end back, see details‘ and ‘OUTER PANELS, The outer panels GH) are built the same as the inner panels, with two exceptions. The outer panel edging (I, J) is 194" wide, see Fig. 6 The wider edging not only looks better, but it will hoké screws moresecurely when the case is attached to the base ‘Another difference is that Irouted ¥4"roundover on the outside edges and then af! roundover on the inside edges, see Figs. 6a and éb. Then the outer panels are simply glued in place, see Figs. 7 and Za. ‘No. 106 NOTE Atach jng to panels SelaZredting oieDrawers & Doors With the cabinet case completed, 1 began making the set of nine drawers that fitinside, Since all the drawersare the same size, you can quickly build them in an assembly line fashion. “To start with cutall the drawer fronts (K), backs (L), and sides ©) wo size from 1f"-thick stock, see Fig. 8. Note: The drawers are sized to allow for a Vis" clearance gap around each drawer. (Mine were 2" tall and 7/4! wide) Rabbets cat on each end of the front piece hold the sides and also serve as drawer stops, see Fig. 82 And each side piece receivesarabbet at one end to hold a back piece, see Fig. 8b. Then, to allow the drawers to ride on the drawer guides, cut a centered groove along the length of each side piece, see Fig, 8. After cutting the rabbets and side. grooves, I added an 14!"-wide groove fora draver bottomto allthe drawer pieces,see Fig. 8c. Now dryassemble thedrawersand cut the bottoms (N) tosize from 14thick hardboard. Then. ‘glue and clamp the drawers (inckid- jing the bottoms) together. Once the glue had dried, I added 4 few finishing touches to the draw ers, First, | routed a ‘4" chamfer ‘around the inside to soften the sharp edges, see Fig. 9. Then using a chis- ‘el, I created a “bird's mouth” open- ing at the end of the grooves to make. it easier to insert the drawers onto the drawer guides, see Fig. 10. DOORS. With the drawers complet ed, the case is ready for the doors, referto Fig. 4 Each doorismadeun = a tS, Liners. I lined some of the drawers uithvel- Custom Foam Inserts. Tmade foam inserts ‘with fabric. Press the fabric into the kerfs with. set-covered pieces of paterbomed. Moune the forrings by cating herfsin blocks of rigid insu asmeduedge andl ape iin place. Then care» fabric with ape and sprey adhesive, Tein (biscboard). Then Tcovered the blocks fully slip he inser nw the drawer, 10 Woodsmith No. 106oftwo pieces ofpiywood joined toged- erinan Lshape. This way, the doors ‘swing open allowing complete access tonecklaces and otherjewelry hang ing from the sides ofthe case. I started on the doors by cutting side panels (0) and front panels. @® )tofinishedsize,see Fig. 1. Then tohidethe edges, lcutand glued door edging (Q) tothe panels. ‘The front panels are edged on all foursides Butibreside pnelsare only ‘edged onthree. Then the side panels axe glued the frontpanel. [used sxquare to help glue them together in aperfectright angle, soe Fig Mla ‘Thento complete the doors drew layout lines and used a hand-held router to rout stopped changers ‘onthe outside corners, see Fig. 12 anoiNe DOORS. Finally, I complet cathe case ofthe jewelry cabinet by banging the doors with?! butt hinges, see Fig. 13. These are mortised into the case back butare simply sceewed to theinsde face ofthe doors, When hung correctly the doors should be centeredtop to bottom, and the sides should end up fush with the molded edging on the top and Dettom ofthe case. MAGNETIC CATCH RAILS. To Keep the doors closed, Lused magnetic catch- es These catches are installed ina pair of rails (R) made out of hick stock, see Fig. 14. The rails fit Detween the side panels ofthe case, Isized mine to create a 43" gap Detweentherailsand the drawers GA" innrycase).Beforegluingtheminplacs, drilled bvo*¥fa"holesforthecatches. Fig. L4b. To adjust the doors in or Tused C-clamps to install the out, [ used a trick with O-rings as catches in the holes, sce Fig. 14a. spacers under the eatch plates, see ‘Then I installed the catch plates, Fig: 1db, For more on this, see Shop aligning them with the catches, see Notes on page 19.2 Base With the ease complete Turned my attention to building the base. There's. nothing too unusual about the con- ‘struction of the base: just four cabri- ole legs joined by aprons. UGS. To make the base, I started with the cabriole legs (S), sec exploded view The interesting thing aout cabrilo leas is that they loke a lot more complicated to build than they actly are For this project, I kept the legs basic. All you need is a band saw, a drum sander, and some rasps or files —no carving and very little shaping are required. Referto page 14 forstep- by.step instructions. Orifyou prefer, you can bay completed legs with all the work done foryon, see naze 3 ‘The legs are mortised to receive ‘he?4"onetenons tat wll becaton the aprons, see detail ‘a’ above left. ‘APRONS. Once you have the legs read hay can beconnestd withside aprons (U) and front/back aprons: (Wp seedetais‘c and‘! [started by cating these piesesto frished size “The case will be attached tothe base later with metal fable top fas teners, To accommorats these fas teners, [ cut a !4"-wide groove 34" deep on the inside face of all the pieces, see detail ‘Aer cuting the greaves, tenons are cit tot the mortises cat inthe cabriole legs. These tenons can be cutquickly wih «dado bladeand ane illary feace set up on the table saw. FROME. The next step isto dry sesemblethobaseandlayoutthe deo. oraiverofleson the aprons see Fi 15. Theimportantthingto remember when faving out these poles that ‘theyhayeto match upwith thecurves on thetransition blocks ofthe cabriole legs, see Fig. 15, ‘The side aprons have a simple cen- tered radius, co Fig. 160. This cen bedranm right ontheaorons, cutoat with aband saw, and sanded smooth For the front and back aprons, | madea hardboard template that'slaid ‘out using a grid pattern, see Fig, 150, (Wor full-size patterns, see page 35.) After tracing the pattern onto the front and backaprons, cut theprofile with akand saw and sand it smooth Zshaped wble — op istener|the same as you did with the sides. ASSENLY With the aprons complete, you can glue and clamp the base ‘gether Just check to make sure the ‘base remains square ater tightening the clamps. nes the glue dries, set the case oon the base and center it front io ack and side to side, see Fig. 16. Then install table top fasteners in the ‘groovesand attach the other endsto the case bottom with screws. FFNISH & HARDWARE. To complete the jewelry cabinet, Iappleda finish (wo ‘coats of varnish rubbed outto a high sheen) and installed the door and drawer hardware, see exploded view. To finish off the cabinet and give itan extra touch of elegance, [used brass hardware. I mounted brass “teardrop” pulls on the cabinet doors, see detail ‘a’, The drawers each received a simple bress knob, see detail ‘b’ Finally added specially designed ‘brass pegs on the case ides to ang snodlaces and bracelets see detal'¢ ‘Theserequireshallowholesandalit ‘epoxy to hold them in place ue A Back Panel (1) B Case Edging (4) © Side Panels 2) D Guides (18) MATERIALS ply. -11 x 20% Yax3e- 20%. ply. -6 x20% VaxIe- 5h E InnerPanels(@2) %a ply. -7%x 13% F In. Panel Edging (4) %x%4- 16 r9h. G In, Panel Edging (4) %4x%4- 10 r9h, E H OuterPanels (2) %hy.-7% 13 ea 1, Panel Edaing 4) %4 x 14-17 rah. i,’ 3.0, Panel Edging (8) %4x 194-11 rah. K Due frontsis) —ex2-7% o SUPPLIES L Dwr Backs(®) ex2-7% VA) +9) 42 Brass Knobs wiStuds M Dwr Sides (18) ¥x2- 556 is Z + (6) #8 x A" Rh Woodscrews N Dwr Bottoms (9) Yehrd. bd. - Sex 794 Yy, + (pr) 2° x 138 Baletioped Hinges (© Door Sd Panels (2) ply -6%9x 185 ee ey, + (4) %e--dia. Magnetic Catches P Doorfr Panes (2) %ply.-916x 18% VW), w/Stikes @ Door Edging Yay 16 fh. it + (2) 34tal Teardrop pulls with 1"= R Catch Rails (2) Var%e-8 LG dia. Back Plates Bast | Z + (2) #3-32 x 1" Brass Rh Machine S Cabriole Legs (a) 3x3- 17% : y Soot 1 ‘anstion Blocks (@) 2%x2%5- 11h ||| | Pe) (0) 2 sbaped table Top Fasteners U SdeAprons@) | -%n4-8 ares ZG), + (8)? Ridoer 0-09 V Fr/Bk Aprons (2) Yexd-14 UW + (10) #8 K 1% Fh Woodscrens ZZ ee + (@ 1h" Brass Necklace Pegs No. 106 Woodsmith 8WOODWORKING TECHNIQUE CABRIOLE LEGS Cabriole legs may look like sculpture, but you don’t need to be an abriole legs lool more like sculp- ture than woodworking. And while ‘some designs can get fancy, I kept these cabriole legs pretty basic. All you need to dois follow the steps. TURNING BIANHS. Cabriole legs start ‘outas thic, square blanks. Ty avoid Jointlines, [used sold stockto make the legs. The problem isfinding stock that’ thick enough. fo get blanks this size, I use "x. ‘3"turning squares. buy them extra Jong, so I can also cut the transition blocks irom the blank. Turaing ‘squares ofien come rough cut, 0 you ‘may need to square them up before you can begin on the legs. PATTERNS. Once you have square ‘urning blanks, thenext step isto cre- ate patternsfor theleg. (made mine outof ig" hardboard.) There are two Rater tiepaten poston to plate so back edge of comer post Ifyou rout in the oppo- site direction (backrout- jing), the feed direction is the same as the direction: thebitisrotating Sothe bit pullsitselfforward.as it digs into the workpiece. Onaroutertable, thiscan be disastrous. The router can actually pull the work: piece (and your fingers) rightinto the router bit. For this reason, [avoid back routing on aroutertable Backrouting with a hand- +held router isanother story. Since the workpiece is bitrotston clamped down to a bench, the bit tends to pull the router forward (instead of the workpiece). This makes it difficult to control the router, But you dont have toworry about your fingers coming into contact with the bit like you do ona router table. So even though it's ait te tricky, there are fimes when Ibackroutto get bet ter results. Take the top of the coffee table shown on page2), forexample. END GRAN. Because ofthe oval shape of the top, its impossible to avoid rout. ing across end grain. In this case, if you rout around the top in the nor- ‘mal direction, you run the risk of ripping out large splinters of wood as you push the router bit past the end grein, see Fig. 1. But by backrouting the top the router bitpullsitself into the grain rather than pushing against, see Fig 2.S0 Lwas ableto backrout around the entire edge of the top withoutany tearout But even with a hand- hheld router, backrouting can be risky. So I usually like to take a few extra safety precautions. SAFETY, First, I always maintain firm griponthe routerincaseltkicksback. ‘And clamp the workieve down tomybenchso thatit doesai shifter go fying Start offby practicing on some serappiceos of wood to get a feel for how the router reacts, At first, the router will fel like a dog naleash thats justsptted cat. Iwill havea tender to kick back from the workpiece and to skid along the edge. But keeping your elbows fucked into your body and your arms and wrists Tocicedin placeshould give ‘you a little more control. Finally, [ take several very light cuts when back- routing instead of trying to make the cut in a single deep pass. Then, after I've removed all the mistera,[ ‘maka final pass withthe routerin the normal drec- tion, This removes any chatter marks left behind by the backrouting. OY Bcerouting rempues material "rom frane edge ofa, Since backedge ‘Saready cut ‘ang wood cantplinter No. 108 ‘Woodstiiith 29a 2 WOODWORKING TECHNIQUE STAINING END GRAIN When finishing a project, end grain can create some unique problems. Here are some quick solutions we've come up with in our shop. I here's one finishing problem that docar't get a whole alot of atten- tion: end grain, Often ater taining, the end grain wil look much darker than the face grain Maybe the reason why this prob- Jem doesn get much attention s that woodworkers have just learned to “five withit” Sil, therearea few steps ‘you can take that will prevent this from heppening. Butitheipstolnow ‘hy it happensin the first place. OPEN PORES. End grain naturally Ioksalite different than face grain. But it also acts different too. The reason for this is simple. The end of aboardis madeup of open poresthat ‘work ikea bunch of straws. Whatever is put on the surface of the board ‘won'tpenetrate very quickly Buteny liquid substance (lke glue or sin) applieto the open ends willbe pulled deep into the wood STAINING END GRAIN, Applying a stain reetesareal problem for end grain Again, the opea pores suck up the stain ikeakid ata soda fountain. But that's only part of the explanation; afterall, end grain sucks up clear fin- ishes just as deep as stains, What 4 gel sain is justo dick stain. Its thickness A Afier it's wiped off, you can see thatthe lim- makes the tain differents thatitisnt clear. And the deeper the stain gots pulled inio the wood, the darker the color at the surface will The result isendsthat are noticeably darkerthan the face of apiece. Getting the end grain to match the rest of the project isa maiter of stop- ping the stain from penetrating so deep. That way, the end grain and face grain end up with roughly tho lis de amount i¢ penetrates, s0 I vsually lwed penetraion of a gel sain means te endl ‘work ie into the pores wich a brush, ‘gain is the same cobras the face grain. Woodsmith, same amount of etain. Fortunately, thoreareanumber of waysto do this. GEL STAINS ‘When you're staining a project with alotofexposedend grain, the easiest way to getaconsistent coloristo use agelstain.A ge! stain isikeany other usta litle thicker. So instead of spilling over the surface of a workpiece, a gel stain will just sit there, ikea glob of pudding, LUMTED PENETRATION. Because a gel stain is thick, itwon't penetrate very ‘deep into the wood, winether its face grain or end grain, see photosat Itt. ‘The result is that the end grain and the foce grain end up with an even, consistent color You might think that gel stains are allalike; magical formula that some finishing expert concocted. But while all gel stains are definitely thicker than regular liquid stains, they/re not all tue same. Whea it comes to end stain, the biggest difference is their No. 106thickness, [ve used some stains that were the consistency of thick cream. FP Others were lke a thick paste. ‘Remembes, whatyou wants stain that’s not going to seep into the end ‘grain, So when choosing a gel stain, just keep in mind that a thick stain ‘ill fend to penetrate less and give ee DRAWBACKS. Of course. sel arene answer in every sitvation. Sick ‘ 5 ! ‘There are timeswhen I want the stain A When staining end grain, a regular stain will A One solution wo evening owt the end grain is ; to penetrate as deep as possible. soak deep ino the pores ofthe wood, dark xo sand it finer than the rex of the board j When have apiece offigured wood, ening he ends much more than the face. Hore, I sanded the ond grain 10 600 art like bird’s eye maple, Im not going to sea gel stain becauseTwantto high- table on page 20, the sizin with the lem. The finish penetrates just as light the figure of the wood. The gel_ color I liked happened to be a traci- deep, andin fact, you may notice that slain isntnecessarily going th “hide” —tionaloitbase san. The problem was the endl grain gets sightly darker. the grain. Butitwillevenout the color the table was curved. In act, tistable That's because oll and varnish tend 10 more than Twantit to. threw me more than onecurve, add an amber tint to the wood any- ‘The other time Tdon' ase a gel For one thing, the cabriole legs way. But ve never thought this wes stain ie when I cant find the exact haveendgrainatthetop ofthelmees very notccable, so Thaver't gone to color I want. Here, I usually end up and the feet. But there's no “hard” the trouble of caning it any finer. ‘choosing a traditional (iquid) oil or comer wheretheend grainstarts and _Aboutthe only thing you willnotce wwaterbase stain, so Itake adifferent the edge grain stops. So instead of about putting a clear finish on end | tack to handle the end grain. sanding finer, fd recommend using grains that it cries outa lat quicker. ‘wood conditioner, see helow. So | sometimes end up applying an = LIQUID STAINS Butthe ovaltopwasadifferentmat- extra coatof nish, ‘When Ivork with atraditionalliquid ter. Wood conditionerapplied to this Onefinal note: I've talked to woot ins stain, Tusually gctamore even color narrow edge would seep intothe face workers who sand ail end grain to iéldoalitlecstrasandingontheend grain. I didn’t want light stroake 600 grit, even if they’rejust applying grain —to 600 gritinstead of 220, see aroundthe edie ofthetable,solwent a clear finish with no stan, They do i photos above. Thereasonthisworks _backtothesancing sokitionand sand- this because the end gran looks and isbecauseyou'reburnishingtheend ed the whole edge to 60Ggrit. feels so much better after it's been grain, The pore openings are being ‘sanded so ine, But [think thisis alot ’ polishedso they'resmallerand don't TOP coars ofunnecessary work. After you build soak in as much stain, ‘When it’s time to apply atop coat, end up a film of nish oa the wood, you ‘CURVED SURFACES. With the coffee grain salt nearly as much of a prob won't be able to tell a difference. 1 WOOD CONDITIONER ‘Whatcan bealiticconfusingabout When staining, these arees of _tioner is applied underneath the end grain isthatitisntjustlimited end grain can end up as dark bloteh- stain, it imits and evens out the tothe ends ofaboard, Itcan show es, see the left half of the board —stain’s penetration, see the right ; uponthe face ofsome boards too, above. But youcan avoid this. _halfof the board above, “Thisis especially true of woods One sohition Loften use is to. When taining the cabriole legs, , like pine, cherry, and maple that. applyawond conditioner (orwash one way to ensure an even coloris © tendtohavevild, wary grain. When oad before staining. Thisisuswally to brushaheavy coat of wood com thegrain turnsup toward theface justasolvent that evaporatesslow- —ditoner onthe entire leg. After et ofaboard, youend up withasmall ly Glthough ican also be @ very —tingit seta few minutes, wipe off patch of end grain, ‘hin finish), Because the condi- any excess and apply the stain, No. 106 ‘Woodsmith, 312 PLATE SHELF The base of this oak plate shelf features a couple different architectural style moldings. And on top, there’s a simple galley rail with spindles. I is oak plate shelf doesn't require dificultjoinery. Instead, it features a couple different types of architec traksivle moldings thatare mitered together, refer to drawing below left. ForStarters, there’ a layer of dere ‘molding. While this molding is “buried” in the middle, its the key to building the base of ‘the cheli Butmore onthis ater. Just above the dentil molding, there's also a layer of thick crown molding, This molding isnt difficult to make either. Its builtup in layers, $0 to create the profile, all you need area couple of commen router bits. page 18. Once the deat blocks are sides, see drawing below left. DEMTLWOLDING. The base ofthe shelf cut, the blankccan be mitered tocre- To cradle the molding, Ieut arab- is buik around thedentilmolding,so ate a three-sided frame. > around al our sides ofthe bottom, Imadeitfirst, see Fig. 1 ButI didnt S4St BOTTOM, The dentil molding will see Fig. 1b The rabbetis sized so the vyorry about cutting it toan exact hegived togetheratthe sametimeit’s molting pieces ft together and are dimension, That's because itsmare gluedto the bottom. So Tcutthe 4 dush atthe back edge. Important io end up with afulldentil thick bottom (B) to size so the den- Now, before gluing the molding to block at each corner, see Fig. 1a. tl overhangs it %4" atthe front and the bottom, [routed af" roundover. (Later, I sized the other base pieces {o this piece of molding) ‘Allthe deniil molding (A) starts a. Misra —® pet on | out as a single ¥p"thick blank, see c ‘osch ond Fig. 1 Then to cut the dentil blocks, oe Luised a simple shop-madte jig, see SE ‘Woodsmith No. 106om the front and ends, see Fig. Le. ‘QOWN MOLDING. The next piece to add is the crown molding (C), see Fig, 2. Acwally, this molding is ovo *flthick pieces ghied together. Note: The idea here is to make these rieces look like onethick blank, 0 youll want to choose your stock carefully, refer to page 19. But before youlaminate the pieces, firstroutaprofilconeach, sec Fig 2a. On the top pisee, routed a A" cove, leaving Mt shoulder on the top. The bottom pieve gets a 14" roundaver with a 1" shoulder on the bottom. Next, gue the two pieces of molt: ing together. And when the glue is dry, miter the blank so the bottom: shoulder extends 4" beyond the den- tilmolding, sce Fig. 2b. StL With the baso complete you can concentrate on the shelf: The shelf (D)isai/"thick blank cutto fi ished size of 614" x 36", see Fig. 3. ‘Then to hold the plates, Trouted two 4¢-deep groovesin the shelf, see Fig Sa Plus, ackled a thumbnail pro- fileto the frontand side edges with « Yl round over bit, see Fig. 3b. SHULFRALL Next, [added a shetf rail (@), see Fig. 4 After cutting itto size from 14!-thick sock, [routed anoth ‘er thumbnail profile on all ts edges. Butthistime, Iused 236" round-over bit see Fig, 4a ‘To join the rail to the shelf, pur chased 1'Z"long galley spindles @* overall), see Figs. 4 and 4b. Simply sill 3". holes "dee for the tenons These holes start from each end and are spaced 2! apart. ‘After giuing the rail and spindles in place, | drilled countersunk pilot Ihoks in the shelf (yo on each end and one in the middle), see Figs. 5 and Sa, Youllineed these for screwing Ditontepordendl mie overhang. ‘on frontedve the top shetfto the base. (Gluing the shelf wouldn't allow the wood to ‘expand)) Later, these holes can be plugged, trimmed, and sanded flash. HANGING CLEAT. Finally, to hang the shel, lused a hanging cleat (F) Its just a ¥#"thick blank ripped In two with the blade set at 45, see Fig. 6 ‘Screw the wider piece tothe walland _glue the other inside the shel AY nore:AVS} ae sing a dreular saw to make an accurate square oF mitered cross cut can be a real challenge. But recently, William Hale, of DeSoto, Illinois, sent us an idea for a jig that converts 2 cirewlar saw into a sliding miter saw, se photo. The jig consisis of a long carriage that guides the saw through the cut. A fence and plywood table allow the carriage to be adjusted to differeat angles for miter cuts, ‘CARRIAGE Since the carriage is the heart of the jg, it’s built iret. To guide thesaw, maka pair ofrails from two ¥shick pieces of maple. Then to supportthe sawin the carriage, glue 2¥pslawide pieces of thick hard- board to the bottom ofeach ral, see the drawing below. ‘The rails aro connected at both ends by a couple of spacer blocks screwed to the top of the rails. The length of these blocks depends on the width ofyour saw base. I cutmine so the saw slides easily between the rails with minimal side-to-side play ‘Thea on one end of the bottom of sll the rails, add a 19A"-thick support block. Itifts the carriage so you can slidea workpiece underneath, (also ccut a notch in the support block so you canlock the carriage at any angle ‘with aclamp), INC & TALE, With the carriage built, you're ready to make the fence. The fence is mace from two pieces of9" thick stock glued together: To keep the carriage evel, it'scutto the same height (199 as the support block. ‘The tableisa74"shick piece of ply- | ? J 15" rexel bole ‘wood with an are cut on one edge, see detail ‘2’. Simply give and screw the fence to the table, PIVOT. A bolt attaches the carriage to the fence and allows it to pivot to any angle. To determine the pivot pint, position the carriageso thesaw blade is centered on the table and fence, Then, drill a 1A"-dia. hole ‘through oneo’ the carriagerailsand the fence, A hexchead bol, washers, ‘and anutcan be used to hold thecar- riage in place while using the jig.SOURCES Wondsmith Project Supplies offers hardware kits and supplies for some of the projects shown in this issue. Supplies for these projects are also available at your local hardware store or through the mail order sources at right. inet are included in the kit listed above. But if you ‘wish, you can purchase the patterns separately. 8005-223 Jewelry Cabinet Patterns $3.50 CABRIOLE LEGS We kept our cabriole legs as simple as possible. But JEWELRY CABINET there area few things you A complete hardware kit will need to make them. for the jewelry cabinet on TURNING BLANKS. We cut paxeGis currentlyavailable _ our cabriole legs rom turn from Woodsmith Project ing blanks. These 3 x3" ‘Supplies. The kit includes blanks often come rough, all the screws you'll need, so you mayhave to square plus the following: them up before you can @ pair) 2" x 196! Brass begin, see the mail order Balktipped Hinges sources listed at right. O'4"x 8 Brass TOOLS. There isa’ much Knobs withStuds shaping to do on these legs, @)'Ae'-dia. Magnetic but what ile shaping there Catches with Strikes is willgo easier with agood @U'4'tal Drop Pulls cabinet or patternmaker’s with I"dia. Backs _raspand a halfround wood (@1 Pong Brass file, see sources at right ‘Necklace Feys PRE-MADE LEGS. You can @Table Top Fasteners build both of the cabriole (@*Ae!-dia. O-ings leg projects in this issue without having to build the legs We designed the pro- Asctoffullsize patterns jects so you can buy pre- of the cabriole legs, rails, _madelegs, see the sources and stretchers for the cab- listed at right. WOODSMITH PROJECT SUPPLIES ‘To order a hardware kit from Woadsmitk Project ‘Suptlies or fora copy of our HoodsmithShop catalog, use our Tol Free orlerline 'sopen Monday through, Friday, fromm 7AM to 7PM Ceatral Time. Before calling, please have your VISA, MasterCard, ‘0r Discover Card ready. ‘If you would like to mail your order in, call the ‘umber below for more information concerning ship- ping charges as well as any applicable sales tax. 1-800-444-7527 [Note Prices subject 10 change after October 1996 No. 106, COFFEE TABLE §——_plus the following: ‘Toduikltheooffeetable.the (1 bag) Square Cedar only hardware youll need Shingles aresome Zstapedtabletop (1 bag) Fish Seale fasteners,avalablefromthe Cedar Shingles sourceslisted atright. @12"x 191 Smooth However, weused aspe Copper Sheets ial profil bit to rout the edge. It's made by Frend and is called a “Table Top 2 #161" Brass Escutcheon pins (24 #17.x*A! Copper Classical Bold Bit” andthe Tacks Freud product numberis — (1)'4"dia. x 194" Quick 9011, see the mail order Release Pin sourcesat right. (OLA LD. Washer Likethe Jewelry Cabinet, @)14"x6"- 12" thereisakoasctafllsize Plexiglas patternsavzilableforthe cot 70106-200 Rird Feeder fee table. These patterns Include the cabriole legs, therailsand stretchers, and aquarter pattern forthe top. 8005-224 Cofice Table Patterns $3.50 Hardware Kit. $49.95 ea Note: The cedar shingles ‘and copper sheets needed for this project are also available through the sources aright. We found the rest of the hardware at BIRD FEEDER = local hardware store “This bird feeder, shown on ‘age 24, requires auteabit ‘ofhardware that you dont use often on a woodwork ing project. Woodsmith Project Supbliesiscurrenthy fering aitforthe feeder. “Thekitdoesnotincude the ripe or flanges, but it does ‘ncluceall the woodserews, Wood Net™ compuree suenn BOARD FOR WOODWORKERS ‘© More than 50 Project Plans to Download ‘© Step-by-Step “How-to” Articles: ‘s Woodworking & Finishing Forums -e Back Issue Indexes for Woodsmith & ShopNotes @ For PC or Mac ¢ Download FREE Plans on First Call Sian Wewveserenie To log on to WoodNet, set your communication pro- gram to Scatabis, 1p bi nop fal duplex and ANSI terminal emulation. Then call 1-515-245-9663. Questions? Call us at: 515-282-7000 2173, MF 9.5. PLATE SHELF ‘To build the plate shelf on page 82, the only “hard- ware” you'l need are some spindles for the rail on top. (Our spindles were 14a, plustenons.) These orsin- ilar spindles are reacily aval. able, see sources at right ‘Wooglsmith MAIL ORDER SOURCES Similar project supplies and hardware may ‘be ordered from the following ‘companies: Adanes Wood Products (015-587-2012 Cari eps, (Chor Troe Taps 200.848.4368 Bin fier larhoor, Spinal Woaterat 800.225.1153 Rape fen, Caritas Tae top fateners Spires Wocdsmite Store 30085-5084 ornyetina barter, Fup les, Tab p fatonere, Bir der hare ‘pnd Wondworkens Sore 00278-4441 ex entin arava, Ramee, Teble op foster, Pertng Moni, ines Woodierka’s Sepply 800.615.9202 aupa & fle, Cbvisle a, rend rater, Tibet ptoners ndsSUBS Look EN ae " ‘A Coffee Table. The elegent and formal desi ofthis coffe table features en oul top, graceful cabrole legs, and sclloped aprons. Step-by-step insructons start en page 20. “Jewelry Cabinet. The L-shaped doors om tis eabi- net open to reveal nine small drawers. Plus, there's > ‘room to hang necklaces. See page 6 for instructions. w ‘A Plate Shelf. This eass-to-buil shes spore byahidden owopiece moaning sysiem, For more ‘on how to build cis project,see page 32. “4 Bird Feeder. les the dais that make this roject unique cedar ‘shingles, a copper roof, and a quick-release pin that allous the feeder to drop down for easy fil- ing. Step-by-step plans begin on page 24.