Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Today's Woodworker - 01 - Jan-Feb 1989
Today's Woodworker - 01 - Jan-Feb 1989
WOODWORKER
PROJ E C T S , T I P S AND TE C H N I Q UE S
6 The Rolling Tool Center 2 Today's Wood
/ly Annette Weir and Gary Morin
A brief look at Teak, one of the most
If you're like most home woodworkers,
beaut iful woods around.
you've got a problem with space. The 3 On the level
auth ors' tool chest and cart design is
A new magazine' Why now: why us'
aimed at solving that prob lem once
\\ fhat 's next... and a few more
and for all.
Questi ons and answers.
4 Today's Shop
Roger Cliffe offers ten tips for
buying used tools.
5 What's InStore
12 ARotating End Table
Insight s int o some IIt'Wjigs. handy
/ly Greg Kossow
workshop kno bs and Vix bits.
Reduce living room clutte r with this
17 Calendar
popular rotating end table design.
Events of interest to woodworkers
everywhe re .
18 Tricks of the Trade
Ti ps and techniques from our
readers and friends.
\(j
Family Bookshelf 19 Yesterday's Woodworker
r TODAY'S WOOD
Teak (tectona grandis)
One of the world 's premi ere natural resources, tru e teak
is harvested in commercial volumes in India, java, Bur-
ma. Thail and, Laos, Cambodia. Vietn am and the East
Indies. Plantation s have also been es tablished in Latin
America and Africa. Th ailand continues to produce the
most desired teak - a fact not lost on that country 's gov-
ern ment, which imposed expor t res trictions in the early
19805. Teak is expens ive: there is a limit to supply levels
and harvest cost s are the highest of any wood fiber.
Teak trees attain a height of 70-100 feet with a circumfer-
ence of 5 12 feet. The weight of a mature tree is s o
immense that harvesters typically make a cut around
each tree into the heartwood and let it die over a period
of 2-3 years before felling. The tree is then ligh t enough
to be moved by elephant and float ed to market.
Th e wood has an oily surface and an odd odo r, (not
unlike old shoe leather), as the result of very high con-
centrations of silica. Woodworkers often find the wood
has a dulling effect on their stee l hand tools, not found
whe n using most other woods. Teak can be satisfac-
to rily finished and glued, but s pecial products have
been designed just for teak to aid in quality bonding.
When surfaced. teak reacts to steel and on occasion
can take on a wide var iety of colors, typically
called speckk-bull-a yellow. orange,
brown and black pattern. Over time,
however. the wood will turn to
the deep rich brown color that
has made it a favorite among
woodworkers for years. .
Richard O. Jones
January/February, 1989
Volume I, Number 1
lARRYN. STOIAKEN
Edilur
NANCY EGGEllT
Pruduction Manager
JOIl NKEl.L1I1ER
ATI Director
.. ON THE LEVEL
ANew Magazine With A
34 Year History
j EFFjACOnSOI(
Tecbnitat lllustratnr
(;ORIJON HANSOl(
CopyEd itor
ASNjACKSOK
Publishtr
JIMERNER
Director 0/MaTkfting
VAl. E. (;ERS"ll NG
Circulation Manage r
NORTON ROCKLER
RICKWll m :
PAULTHOMS
VERN RURNS
JACK1I00,\ lIl ER(;
Editorial Advisors
ROGERW. CUFFE
JOIlN GOFF
j EllHY'I: TERIIAI<K
Contributing Editors
11)f)I\Y'SWOODWORKER JI\II:/F1':8l ~
1st cut @ iI-_ ---i
;=J
19 I $
I Side View
Drawer construction lor this project i nvoln s theuse of li pL.n- d:-d7.":d":o-c-o":rn-.- ' :-jo"'" ln"'ts-."'Wh::::-.-n-c-u"'"tt"" in-g-'
dadoson1ft" plywood. the key measurement is between the boltom o' the dado and the outside
surface. (see " A" . above). This Is dueto thevarying thicknesses l ound with plJWood.
Thewalnut chelt handles are coyedon their
undersideusinganaUl iliaryfenceonthe table
saw, set al a 2S angle to the saw blade.
End View
Elevation
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26"
237,11" --
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323,1
53'8"
I
IL
,
,
,
,
Sub Top (I)
Top (1)
Dividers (8) 4
3
2
5
7
8
9
10
11
12
Shell Banding (12)
Mitered Base (4)
Base Nailers (4)
Sub Base (1)
Legs (2)
Veneer Top (8)
118' 314 , ' ~ . (Hardwood)
314 x 2 ~ . , 18 (Hardwood)
314 x 314 x 15.12 (Hardwood)
314' 16.12 x 16.12 (Plywood)
314 x 2 , 15 (Hardwood)
8518 Right Angle Triangles (Veneer)
13 Lazy Susan Bearing ( 1) 12"x 5l16
TOI>AY'S \\'OOnWORKER JA.:'1/Jolm1!lS!1
I
II
A framing square Is used to Insure that all four sides 01the two
major sub-assemblies are plumb and even.
Spring cla mps and scrap wood are used on three si des wh ile the
fou rth Is dr illed and toenail ed.
III
,---- ---,
Using nailers on the Inside 01 the base assembly (to support the
sub base) reduces the number 01 nail holes on exposed pieces.
When you're ready to attach the state. nail the two outer pieces of
each set first, us ing a square to main tain nice clean lines.
D
EI
TODA'''SWt) ( )I )\ \ '() RKER JAN/FEB1989
..
B
I
By Rick White
Finishing
Consideri ng the nature of a sliding dove-
tail, I reco mmend that all surfaces bethor-
oughly sealed with a finish. finishing will
inhibit swelli ng of the sliding dovetail com-
ponents during periods of high humidity.
In addition, if yuu are planning to stai n the
project prior to finishing, I recommend
using an oil-based slain.
Wall Mounti ng
Taper co nnectors provide strong, con-
ceale-d joints for wall mountings. To install
them, first rout a groove in the backside of
each wall bracke t slightly wider than the
taper connectors bei ng used. l 11C de pth of
the b'TOOVe should equal the taper counce-
Second. rout two dovetail grooves on the
shelf underside to serve as tracks for the
wall brackets. the wall brackets
will eventually be anchored into wall studs,
positioning these two tracks depends corn-
pletcly on the exact location of the studs
on your selected wall.
Finally, dovetail pins should be cut in the
bookends and brackets to travel within
their respec tive tracks {see 1) .
The sli ding dovetails for the bookend
track 111 11 St have a relatively tight fit to hold
books fir mly upright .
Sliding Dovetails
This design features sliding dovetails for
both the bookends and brackets. Three
dovetail J{Tooves are cut in the shelf, and
pins an' cut in the bookends and brackets.
First. cut one dovetail groove from end
to en d on t he top side of the shelf. This
groove serves as the track for the dove-
tailed bookends. a nd should be locat ed
about 3 1/ 2" from till' back.
hard..... ood strips on both ends and the
front of the panel. Cut t he hardwood for
the two shelf brackets and two bookends
to size , (NOTE: Use a minimum of 3/4
lt
stock for the brackets to accommodate the
width of the ta pe r connectors to be
attached later.)
Now make cardboard template-50 for the
shelf pa nel . wall bracket an d booke nd
design. Trace the patt ern s from the tern-
plates ontu t he respective pieces, whic h
ran be cut with a band saw or scroll saw.
(NOTI';: to keep your pallern symetrica l.
fold your paper, draw OIl one hall, and cut
prior tn unfolding.) Use a roundover bit in
your router to soften the sharp edges ere-
ated from the initial cutting.
The author's sli ding dovetail bookshelf mounts conveniently In an,
rooma. the house. Theweight 01 the books locks the bookendsinto
place. assuring a safe resting place '01 all famil y reference books.
Preparing Materials
The sizes un the materials list (Sit page
/ 7) are for an average size shelf. You can
easily customize th is shelf by us ing a larg-
er or smaller plywood panel for the basic
piece. CuI the primary shelf plywood pa nel
to size and then clamp and glue the 2"
Sliding dovetails accommodate changing
family needs.
FAMILY
BOOKSHELF
M
}' search for the family die-
tionary one night turned
into an exhausting hunt.
Everyone in the house. it
seemed, had a different
place to leave it once they were finished.
After checking about five potential hiding
places. I finally found it tucked away in my
son's room. Clearly, it was time to dt sig
nate a sinJ.dt plarr- for stori ng thi s and oth-
er commonly used hou sehold books.
A cen trally located wall shelf hand y to
all fami ly mem be rs . wou ld be a perfect
solution . I wanted a shelf that would keep
books erect. but wasn't too thrilled over
the idea of heavy bookends on a wall
mounted shelf. The answer to my needs
was a shelf with built -in sliding' bookends
that could easily accommodate an ever-
changing number of books.
JAN/F..:H 1989 TOllAY'S WOODWORKER
I' OLlSII ElJ I'ERJ:ELTION: TIlE ART
OF TURNEDWOOD 80\\1.5
Tlu- collcrtiun of Edward (Bud) Jacobson
will be on display in Madison. Georgia
until March 26th.
('onCk1: Madison-Morgan Center, 4.'/4
So. Main si, Madi son, GA .'/0650.
WOOIlWORKING WOIUJl SHOW
The woodworking Associ ation elf Nor th
America will hold their "Woodworking:
Worl d Show" this year at th e locations
listed below. Shows include free semi-
nars, demonstratio ns an d sail'S:
u.C, (Feb . IH-20); l lou stun.
TX (March :1-5): Buffalu, NY (ApriI T9):
Toledo. 0 11 (April 14 16); Bos'n". MA
(April
Cnntal'C WANA, POHex 706. I 'lymouth
Nil 03264. (603) 536-3876.
FLORIDA STATE FAIR
WOOOTl JRl"ERS
The Florida West Coast woodtum ers will
cosponsor a turn ing:compet ition in
Tampa, Florida fro m Feb. 3-19th.
((Xltat Larry Hasiak, 42 7 f.'. LakeDr,
Land O' lnkrs, FL 31639.
(813) 996-3211.
ACC CRAFT FAIRS
Ame rica n e mf! Enterprises will ho ld
their cra ft fairs this year at the following
locat ions: Baltimore, MD (Feb 17-19) ; St.
Paul. (March :JI-ApriI 2): New York,
NY (May -1-7): Springfield. (luue
25) ; San Francisco. CA (Augus l 11-13).
('OOt' k1: American Craft Enterprises,
l nc.. Box to.Ne Paltz.Nv: 1256 /.
19J4) 25.' ;,(1039.
WOOIlTIi RNING:
Th e Arrowmont Sc hool of Arts a nd Crafts
will conduct four, one- week wood turning
worksh ops. fro m Feb. 27-t\itard l 2-1 in
Gatlinburg. TN.
Con1<k1: ArroU'ItlOHt, Schoo! Of Arts and
Craft s. Bos567, Gatti nbnrg. TN 37738.
(615) .
PROFF$ SIO NAL CRAl-T S11J DlES
Th e worcester Center for Crafts will be
holding- special classes th rou g hout th e
yea r with famous woodworkers .
Cont-w:t: lVorcrstrr Center for Crafts. 25
Sagamore Road, Hvrcester, AlA01605.
15OS) 753-8183.
TAGE FRi ll WORKSIIOI'
Th e Nor thwest ( iu ild of Fine woodwork-
e rs and T he Ce nte r For Wood t' n Boats
present s a Tagr- Fried Lect ure and Work-
shut), fr om April l -l-lfi.
Con tk1: 711e Centerfor IHwdrn Boats
1010 VallrySt.. Seattle, 1114 98103.
(206) 382-2628.
CALENDAR
Groove
Taper connectors (below) are an excell ent
option for hanging heavy objecls on a
wall . To get a nush mounting, router a
groove on Ihe back 01each wall bracket
pis so that the taper connectors come
tocethor.
From here tilt' pieces dovetail together
n ic el y. Sli de the shelf onto the b r ac ket s
and the bookends onto the shelf. To pre-
vent the who le she ll from sliding off th e
bra cke ts wh e n pulling off th e dictionar y, I
recommend securing the shelf onto the
brackets by drilling a hole in each end of
the shelf to p leading into its r e spe ct ive
bra cke t. Inse r ting a brad in each hole safe-
ly secures the s helf.
.------
Rick White, a professional woodwo rker,
sert'es 011 the edit orial advisory board of
Todny's Wnndzm rkrr.
Arouter table makes cuttingthe dovetails for this
project easier.
tor ts de pth to ach ieve a flus h mounting
(see figu re 2 ). Fasten half of each taper
connector into the brack et groove'. posi-
tinning the d osed end of the hardware'just
below the dovetail pill on the bracket, Fas-
ten the companion piece s of eac h taper
connect or into the wall. making sure the
hardware is ancho red into the studs and
prope rly aligned t o rec eive the shelf brack-
ets. Now simply slide on the shelf brac k-
MATERIAL LIST
T xWx L
1 She ll (1) 314 x9 x32 ", (plywood)
2 She ll Ends (2) 3/4 x 2 x 11 (har dwood)
3 SheIt Front (1) 3/4 x 2 x 361.'2 (hardwood)
4 Wall Brackets (2) 3/4 x 6 x 8 (hardwood)
5 Bookends (2) 3/4 x 4112 )( 5 (hardwood)
6 Taper Connectors (2) 4" (hardware)
D
The proj ects for the next issue of Today's Woodworker are already shapi ng up.
but we want you to know that we're saving space in the departments for reader's
reactions and ideas. How can you get involved? Here's four ways:
C7 If you have a reaction to this issue's contents (project s too easy. too hard...)
drop a "Letter to the Editor, "cia Today's Woodworker, Rogers. Minnesota
55374-0044.
;'"l Have a "Trick of the Trade" you'd like to share? Send us a description and a
rough skelch (we'lf redraw it). If we use your idea. we'lf pay $30.00.
;'"l Have a new 1001 (or an old favorite) that you think warrants ment ion in Today's
Shop? Let us hear about it.
o Have you ever used a photo from a catalog as the basis for a project? Send
us a color slide of the piece and the appropriate page from the catalog. Add a
brief description of the project and, if we use it in our "REPROs " department.
we'If pay you $100.00.
S hould I use a dye or a stain? Thi s is
a question asked at every level of fin-
ishing and an area that is often mis-
leading. First nf all, what is a stain and
what is a dye? According to the 1825
issue of the Cabinetmaker's Guide:
"Staining differs from the process of
dyeing inasmuch as it penetrates just
below the sur face of the wood. instead
of colouring its su bs tance through-
out.
'111t> stains covered ill thi s ar ticle are
oil based. but the ideas presented hold
tr ue for most solvent base stains as
well. First of all, a stain has three com-
ponents; a carrier, a binder, and a pig-
ment. The carrier is the solution that
makes the stain a liquid - typically
mineral spirits. Nex t is the binder,
which makes it stick to the surfa ce.
Th e most commonly us ed substance
here would be oil modi fied alkyds .
IA1st but not least is the pigment, or
the color. This could be any so lid
mat erial that can be reduced into a
powder. For example, you could take
some dirt out of your garden, gri nd it
finel y (pigme nt) . add a litt le wat er
(car rier), then add a little yellow glue
(binder) and you have created a stain.
Probab ly a pr etty ugly stain. bu t a
stain nonetheless
Chemical companies spend millions
of dollars each year to produce quality
NEXT ISSUE
products at a reasonable price, so it
would not be practical or cost-efficient
to make your own.
Dyes are soluble in water, alcohol
and oil. an d are usu all y cl assified
according to solubility as well as color.
A dye will act ually be carried into the
pores of the wood by the carrier. and
when th e solvent evapora tes it will
leave the color behi nd. Water soluble
colors are known for their light fast-
ness and clarity, alcohol soluble colors
for their quick dryi ng and penetration.
and oil solubles for their penetrat ion
and ease of application.
Just to confuse the issue, there are a
few products that ar e a little mislead-
ing, such as the non-grai n rai sing
(NGR) stains. Th ese usually consist of
alcohol and dye but an' called stains
for marketi ng pu rposes. Th ere ar e
also some produ ct s that cons ist of
both dyes and stai ns. They have an oil
carrier and use an oil dye/pigmented
oil staincombination.
When a student asks me whether 10
use a dye or stain. Illy answer depends
on the piece in question. If it's a refin-
ished piece, I typically reco mmend a
stain - for two reasons. Th e first Is
based on the conservatory aspect of
woodworking. Remember. the design-
er of the piece chose a par ticular type
of stain or dye, whet her it was all that
was availab le or all that the person
could afford . We need to ob se rve
what was original on the piece of fur-
niture and it is our job as finishers to
tr y to preser ve our her itage. The sec-
ond reason I would choose stain for
the piece involves application. A stain
will apply a lot easier, and the clari ty
of the stains today is greatly improved
over yes ter year, Dyes are not readily
s uggeste d for a refini s hed pi ece
beca use the pores are 1I0t necessa rily
ope n to accept the dye.
On the oth er hand. alcohol dyes
work great for touch-up. Say you have
a pi ece of wa lnu t th at has bee n
stained and the sap wood appears
light. A mixture of dye with alcohol
and 10 percent water applied over the
finish in the light spot will darken it
nicely. If water is not used, the alcohol
will bite too quickly and there will be
very little control. I want 10 stress that
thi s procedure is used only over the
fi nish.
Now if the piece in quest ion is the
stude nt's own creation, I tell him to
put on whateve r he wants - it's his-
piece. and who's to say the choice is
wro ng. On my own pieces I usually
prefer a dye because of the clarity and
the depth achi eved with this material.
Last but not least, always remember
that dye s are per manent. as the result
of their ability to penetration. They
are impossible to remove completely,
eve n with sanding. While there are
some products available that claim 10
remove dye s, I have not experi mented
with them enough to see how well
they work. If they live up to the manu-
facturer 's claims, this could be a great
mile st on e for the wood fini shing
indust ry.
Until we meet again, remember, the
proje c t is nev er done unt il it 's
finished!