--l

Tablesaw ligs
Thin- S t r ipRippi n gJ i g
F e e ls a f e rs i z i n gt i n y p i e c e s .

Four-SidedTaperingJig
Shape table legs fast.

10 Dead-On90' Crosscut Sled

Squareboards easilyon your tablesaw.

12 Jig
Rais ed- P anel
Createthree styles of doors.

16 Corner-RabbetingJig
Dress up miteredframes with face keys.

18 S pline- Cut t ingJ i g

Giveframe corners a new look.

Router Iigs
20 Two-PartDado Jig
Rout dadoes for perfect-fittingshelves.

22 M ult i- HoleDow e l i n gJ i g
Positiondowels for even sPactng.

24 Two Pushsticks
With these projects,it's all about safety.

26 RouterTrammel
F o r a c c u r a t ec i r c l e s ,y o u ' l ln e e d t h i s j i g ,
\.--..-
29 Flus h- T r im m in g F e n c e
on plywoodpanels
Put a professronaledge

32 M or t is ingJ ig
Rout dead-on lz"-wide mortises.

33 K ey hole- Rout i nJgi g

H a n g i n gp r c t u r ef r a m e sj u s t g o t e a s i e r .

33 Jig
P anel- Rout ing
C u t s u p e r - s i m p l ep a n e l sf r o m M D F .

34 Circle-CuttingTrammel
T h i n k b i g , p e r f e c tc i r c l e sw i t h t h i s j i g .

35 Router-TablePush Pad
R i g h t - a n g l es u p p o r tt o m t n i m i z et e a r o u t .
35 #
36 Dovetail-KeyJig
Cut dovetailkeys with ease. More Iigs
38 Router-PlaningJig 47 Ba ndsawMul ti -Ji g
This surfacingjig tames wild grain.
Make your 14" bandsaw do more.

Drill-Press Iigs 51 AlignableBandsaw Fence

U s e t h i s . a n d r i o c u t s w i l l n e v e rw a n d e r .

40 Drill-PressTable 52 C i r cl e-C utti ngGui de

Transformyour drill press into a shop star. Make perfect disks at your bandsaw.

45 S anding- Dr umD u s t C o l l e c to r 54 Ji g
Bi s cui t-Joi nter
Removefine dust at the source. Cut slots in 3/+"materialeffortlesslv.

Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

Homemade Tools
57 Hand Plane
This littleshaverfits your hand like a glove.

61 HeightGauge
Set the precise saw blade height every time.

62 MarkingGauge
toolforproject
Relyonthisclassic layouts.
64 Dead-BlowMallet Workcenters & Supports
Coax parts togetherwith this tool.

68 Marking Knife 108 RollingWorkshop Storage

Scribed lineshave never looked cleaner. Mobilizeyour storage and organization.

72 SandingBlock 1O9 Tapes-to-goWall-HungDispensers

Prepprojects
withthisshopmade Readyto roll when you need them.
beauty.
74 Centerfinder/Trammel 11O Rock-SolidWorkbench
Simplifythe layoutof circlesor arcs. Build this basic workbench in a weekend.

111 WorkbenchUpgrades
Shop Organizers Sixadd-ons yourbench's
increase versatility.
115 Outfeed Table
78 Tool-CabinetSystem Ina supporting
role,thistableshines
Find lots of drawers, shelves,and dividers,
118 3-in-1Work Support
79 Mitersaw Work Station Trythesesaferwaysto machine
longstock.
Expandyour tool's horizons.
124 Right-AngleSupport
80 Sheet-GoodsRack Clamping
squares gOo
ensure glue-ups.
Buildhorizontalstoragefor bulky plywood.
126 Portable FinishingCenter
81 Wall Gabinet Usethisplastic
tentfordust-free
finishing.
Tidyupyourshopwiththissolution.
128 Portable Workstation Upgrades
82 Drill/DriverOrganizer Expand
clamping
workstations
theeasyway.
Multitieredbox bdngs order to your bits.

85 Storage Tray
yourwall-hung
Tucktoolsbeneath cabinets.
88 ClamshellCabinetDoors
yourspacefortoolsandhardware.
Double
89 Quick Clamp Rack
yourclamps
Corral atthisstation.
92 Lumber Storage
yourwoodforgood.
Organize
96 Lathe-StandRetrofit
Create
storage yourlathe.
beneath
98 Utility Cabinet System
Whipyourgarage orshopintoshape.
1O7 RevolvingStorage
platform
Lazy-Susan expands
storage.

woodmagazine.com
 i a;l-i ! tl
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!! lJlJt!! IJJ.,l.iJ.l
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I JDdl
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I llrl-rrrll-/l/',
t! t)-l U I U) , J-l-l-l-l! D-l L

Editor-in-ChiefBILLKRIER
Managing EditorMARLEN KEMMET
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Publication
WriterCARL V0SS
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CL0SNER
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Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers
 sk seasonedwoodworkersabout
the benefitsof stocking a shop
with a variety of hardworking
jigs. They'll likely tell you that
somejigs get used again and again, while
others gather dust. We guarantee that
these six jigs will be worth your invest-
ment in time and materials.
'fitirt*S
;riti
woodmagazine.com
For example,afteryou takean eveningor
two to build the sledon page 10,we predict
that you'll constantlyuse the crosscutsled
for repetitivecuts.Thefour-sidedtaperingjig
andspline-cutting jig provideyou with more
specialized techniques.
We constructed mostof theseshophelp-
ers from Baltic birch plywood and hard
maple. If you pref-er,you can substitute
medium-densityfiberboard (MDF) for
plywood and anotherdensehardwoodfor
maple.SeeSources on pctgeI I for help
in buyingthe inexpensive hardwareitems
you'll needfor thejigs in this chapter.
Seepage 6l for a simple height gauge
that complements thesetablesawjigs.
 .,@
**'s u**rx$.a*e'g"'
F"*ms .:
jfr,qth;x;nrus*$
rmnr-t#*tri \ ...,
\.
s$"8#k* y*a* f***$ r'x't#r.*ie
\
h $s3p'xn-r
*m ru:'ffmn;* g**n q"4
t*ruypd*r*:es,

o n r e t i n r e sy o u n e e d t o r i p s e v e r a l e a c h c u t . b L r tt h a t ' s t e c l i o u sa n c l i t r a c c u - Cut two pieces of rnaple to size fbr

thin strips of wood to eclr-ral thick-
ness to serve as ed-uin-u.veneer.
o r b e n c l i n gs t o c k . S l i c i n e o f f t h i n
stock on the f'enceside of the blacle.I'urw-
ever. could prove Lrnsal'e. That's becartse
it beconres awkwarcl to use your blacle
guarci and pr-rshstickwhen yoll cLlt close
to the I'ence.Tlie solLrtion:Run the wicle
portion ol- yoLrr workpiece between the
f'encearrclblacle.cLrttin_s tl'restrips on thc
sicleol'the blade opposite the f'ence.YoLr
c o u l c l a c c o n i p l i s ht h i s b y n r e a s u r i n - fuo r '
r a t e . T h i s t h i n - s t r i p r i p p i n - t. j i - l c l o e st h e
job saf-ely.accurately.anclcluickly.
Ref'erto Sources or.l/)rr,ga11 lbr harcl-
ware firr this prolect.
F:!r':s9..
klaxsEd
9*ts*$rs*
CLrt a piece of 7i" plywoocl to the
c l i n r e n s i o n ss h o w n t i r l t h e b a s e o n
yrgc 7. Cut a clitcloon the bottclrn sicleof
the base lbr the guicle bar. where sl.town.
Now. cut the y'+"clacloon the top side ol'
t h e b a s el u r t h e s l i d i n e b a r .
the nriter-slot-guidebar (acliustthe di-
r l e n s i o n s s h c l w ni f n e c e s s a r yt o f i t y o u r
t a b l e s a w ' ss l o t s )a n d t h e s l i c l i n - b
s a r .C c t t -
ter tl'remiter-skrt-uuiclebar in the bottont
c l a d o .a n d g h - r ei t i n p l a c e . D r i l l a p a i r o f
/r," holes in tl'resliclin-gbar. where shown.
scrollsawthe nraterialbetweenthetl. attcl
sn.rooththe insicleof the slot with a file.
Set the jig in yor.rr tablesit\/'s lel.t
niiter--eau-{e slot. Place the sliclingbar
in tl-recladowith its lelt enclfh"rshwith the
base.Slide the ji-s tbrward. and mark the

tr
To make a cursor, scribe a line across
t h e a c r y l i ci n d i c a t o rw i t h a s h a r p k n i f e
a n d a s q u a r e .C o l o r t h e s c r i b e dl i n e w i t h
a permanentmarker.Wipe off the excess
i n k w i t h a c l o t h , l e a v i n ga f i n e l i n e .
S i z ey o u r t h i n - s t r i pr i p p i n gj i g t o s u i t y o u r
t a b l e s a w ,s o t h a t a 1 " s c r e w i n t h e g u i d e
b a r c a n c o n t a c tt h e b l a d e .l n s t a l l a z e r o -
clearancethroat plate to preventthe
s a w n s t r i p f r o m f a l l i n gi n t o t h e s a w .
R e m o v et h e j i g b e f o r em a k i n gt h e c u t s o
the workpiece doesn't bind betweenthe
rip fence and the screw head. Replacethe
j i g i n t h e s l o t w i t h o u t m a k i n ga n y a d j u s t -
ments to set up the next cut.

h
B e s t - E v e rW o o d w o r k i n gJ i g s , H o m e m a d eT o o l s ,& S h o p O r g a n i z e r s 2 0 0 8
 Four-armknob with t/+"insert
I
EXPLODED
VIEW -J /
#8 x 1" brassF.H.
G./
--
w

i .'- t/q"llal washer 5/0" slot

#8 x3/q"F.H. wood screw\

@r --1--.
.!
I Yse"
shank hote,
lNDrcAroR Z t ii .'"o'o!l"r:tottn
2'-^fi1
S L I D I N GB A R

Cursorline s/+" dado

1t/sz"deap
t/+x 11/zx 2" clear acrylic 1tl2"sectionof steel rule

1/zx3/q x 9"

/+" hole, countersunk I

on bottomside i '/2

MITER-SLOT
GUIDEBAR
s cer e w- - - - - - - -
t / + - 2 x0 1 1 / z ' F . H . m a c h i n

point wherea left-leaningsawbladetooth
- touchesthe bar. Make a secondmark t/2"
closer to the base.Removethe bar, and
crosscutit at the secondmark.
7/e+"pilot hole in the slid-
',rl Drill a
tfing
bar, centeredon the end you just
cut. Drive a brass screw halfway into
the wood. (We used brass to avoid any
chance of damaging a tablesaw blade.)
You'll turn this screw in or out to fine-
tune your jig's basic "zero" setting,or to
adjustit for a blade of different thickness
or with a different tooth set.
fiFrom the bottom sideof the assembly,
Udrill andcountersinka Vq"holethrough
the miter-slotguide bar and basefor the
machinescrewthatholdstheplasticknob.
Sandall of the wood parts to 180grit, and
apply three coatsof clear finish.
ftMake a mark 1" from the left end of
uthe sliding bar. Cut the first lr/2" from
an inexpensivesteelrule, align its left end
with the mark, and attachit with epoxy.
JCut a piece of t/q" acrylic to the
f dimensions shown for the indicaror.
Drill and countersink the two mount-
ing holes, and scribe and mark a cur-
sor line. as shown in Photo A. Attach
the indicatorto the base,and add the knob.
Now, cut some strips
To cut a thin strip with the jig, place its
guide bar in the left-handmiter gaugeslot
on your tablesaw.Loosenthe knob, set the
cursorto zero (the bottom end of the rule),
and retightenthe knob. Slide thejig so that
the brassscrewheadis besidethe sawblade.
Turn the screwin or out with a screwdriver
until the head lightly contactsa leftlean-
ing tooth. Pull the jig toward you, loosen
the knob, setthe cursorfor the desiredstrip
thickness,and retightenthe knob.
Position your workpiece againstthe rip
fence,and move the fenceto bring the left
edge of the workpieceagainstthe screw
head, as shown in Photo B. Lock the
fence,setthejig out of the way, and you're
readyto cut a strip, as shownin Photo G.
After completingthe cut, clean up the
workpieceon the jointer. Replacethe jig
in the slot. Then unlock the rip fence,
move it to bring the jointed edge against
the screwhead,lock the rip fence,remove
the jig, and saw anotherstrip. Repeatthe
process as many times as necessaryto
produceall of the strips that you needfor
your project..F
Writtenby Jim Pollock with Jeff Mertz
and Kevin Boyle
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson

woodmagazine.com
Four-$ided
Tapering
Jig
Here'sa slick way to taper
four sidesof a table leg-all
with one simplejig.

ou can taperone sideof a table leg the groove,with eachhole centeredin the bottom edgeof the blank. Next, drrll a Vq"
without much head-scratching, grooveandVz"from theend.Cut a 3" piece hole centeredin the groove2Vz"ftom the
but taperingall four sidesequally from each end to make two hold-down rabbetedend. Glue in the 3t/2" gurdebar
presentsmoreof a challenge.With bases.Next, glue one guide bar piece in piece, making it flush with the rabbeted
thisjig, however,youcancutall four tapers the grooveon eachhold-downbase.After end. After the glue dries, drill a t/q"hole
without changingyour setup.You simply the gluedries,drill a t/q"holethrougheach through the blank, using the previously
rotateyour workpiecebetweencuts. assembly,using the previously drilled drilled hole as a guide.Trim the blank to
Locatethehold-downsto suitthelength holesas guides. 3/i' rn length.Sandandfinish the assembly.
of your workpiece.(The pivot block can t/qx2xl2" to
;fi Cut a maple blank to
afmake fiAssemble the hold-downsas shown.
sit at eitherendof thejig.) If your tablesaw the pivot block.(We begin with t#For the pivot block, file or grind one
hasa 10"blade,youcanhandleworkpieces an oversizedpieceto assuresafetyduring edge of the washer flat, as shown on
up to 2" thick. the cutting process.)Cut a rabbeton one Drawing 1a, and then assemblethe nut,
Refer to Sources on page I I for hard- end of the blank, where shownon Draw- screw,and washeras shown. Adjustable
ware for this project. ing la. Now, drill two holesto form the up or down in the slot, this screw serves
ends of the adjustmentslot, remove the as an indexingpin. Once setfor a partic-
Buildthe jig materialbetweenthe holeswith a coping ular workpiece, it guaranteesthat every
zA" ply- cut in the sequenceis an equal distance
@ For the base.cut a piece of saw or scrollsaw,and clean up the slot
& wood to the size shownon Drawing with a file. Cut aVq"sroovecenteredon the from the centerof the workpiece.
1, then cut a pieceof t/q"hardboardto the
samedimensions.
s/s"dadoes3Ao"deepin one face
ffiCut
&of the plywood, where dimensioned.
Glue the hardboard to the dadoed face
with yellow glue. Now, clamp the as-
sembly between two scrapsof plywood
to ensure even pressure.After the glue
dries, removethe clamps,set your dado
blade for a t/+"-widecut, put an auxiliary
fenceon your miter gauge,and cut a slot
throughthe hardboard,centeredovereach
plywood dado,as shownin Photo A.
r/qx3/8x12",
ffiCut a piece of maple to
ffi1fen cut two 3" pieces and one 3t/2"
piecefrom this blank for the guide bars.
For the hold-downbases,cut a piece of
7+"plywood to lv2xl2". Cut a t/q"groove After cutting dadoes in the plywood base, Diagonal lines on the end of the workpiece
glue the hardboard to the dadoed face. locate the hole that fits onto the indexing
down the center of one face of this ply- Mount the two outside blades of a dado pin. Draw the cutline for the final shape,
wood,wheredimensioned on thedrawing. set in your tablesaw,and cut slots through and extend the lines to the edges to help
Drill two /+" holesnear oppositeendsof the hardboard centered over each dado. you position the workpiece on the jig.

8 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

IexeloDED vtEW
Four-armknob
Plasticknob wilh th" inseft
@''-'" flal washer
H'LD
Dow.
L/-'t/+"

tr;,lrilL. ",,
1/z'
7z J*/
4-

s/qx1|/zx'3" plywood
)>-@

343/s'

tZ" slots
1/q"deep,
centeredover
Te"dadoes
1/+x 3" panhead
machine screw

l/qx 12 x 36" hardboard

7e"dadoes
s/o"deep BASE 3/+x 12 x 36" plywood

3411/ta"

Tap into tapering
To taper a leg, cut your workpieceto its
finished length,then rip it to the square
dimensionsthat you want for the unta-
peredsectionat the upperend.Draw a line
on all four facesto mark wherethe taper
will begin. Drill a t/q" centeringhole 3/s"
deepat the centerofthe bottom end, and
lE PtvorBLocK
31/2"
This jig alsoservesanotherpurpose,as " rabbets/ro"deep
shownin Photo D. When you needto cut a
singletaper,mark its start and stoppoints
on the end and edge of your workpiece.
Remove the indexing pin from the end
block, andnestthe endof the workpiecein
the notch.Align the marks with the edge 3/1"

add cut lines to show the final dimen- of thejig, andclamp.Placeyourhold-downs

sionsof that end, as shownin Photo B. againstthe workpiece.Tighten the pivot e/sz"slot
Draw cut lines on the face connecting block in place,and make the cut. i ' t/+"washer,
the leg-bottom marks with the taper- th" gloove filedto allow
start marks. This helps you visualize the i 3/a x 31/2" 3/6" deep, nut to engage
final shape,andservesasa safetyreminder IDE BAR centered the rabbet
as you pushthejig acrossthe saw.
Mount the leg-centeringhole on the
indexingpin. Slide the pivot block until
the plannedoutsideface of the leg aligns
with the edgeof the jig. Thrn the knob to
lock the pivot block in place. Now, near
the upper end of the leg, align the taper-
start cutline with the edgeof thejig. Slide
the hold-downblocks againstthe leg, and
tightenthe nylon nut on eachoneto setthe
block's position.Tighten the top knob on
eachhold-downto clampthe leg in place.
Raise the saw blade t/q" abovethe leg.
Butt the jig to the fence,move the fence
until the saw blade just clears the left
side of the jig, and then make the cut, as
shown in Photo C. To make each of the
three remaining cuts, loosen the hold-
down knobs, rotate the leg one-quarter Hold the taper jig tightly against the The width and adjustability of the taper
tablesaw rip fence as you cut. Before jig allow you to handle a wide range of
turn clockwise(asviewedfrom the pivot- starting each pass, make certain that angle cuts. Here,with the jig flipped end-
ing end),reclamp,and cut. your left hand is well away from the line. for-end, we're shaping a simple leg.

woodmagazine.com

Dead-0ng0o
Sled
Crosscut
Whenyou build this sled,Your
accuracy and efficiencyat the
tablesawwill soar.
ieliable tablesaw miter gauge
t
handles a lot of crosscutting
tl
but not all. It rides in just
fltutks,.
a rone slot, and suPPortsthe work-
pieceon just one sideof the blade,allow-
ing for slop. This problem disappears,
however,with an accuratecrosscutsled.
Our designis both inexpensiveand sim-
ple to build. Plus, it includes reliable,
adjustablestopsfor repeatablecuts.From
the momentyou put this jig to useat your
tablesaw, you'll discover that making
right-anglecuts is easierand safer.
Build a real workhorse
rf Selecta flat pieceof 3/q"plywood, and
I cut the platform to the dimensions
shownon Drawing 1.
f)Cut two 72x3x30"maplepiecesforthe
&fence, and cut a s/a"groove%e" deep
in the face of one piece, where shown
on Drawing 1a. Glue the two blanks
together,keepingthe edgesflush and the
groove on the interior of the lamination.
Two pennies shim the miter-slot guide
bars slightly above the tablesaw surface.
Place a couple of these stacks in each
miter-gaugeslot, and set the bars on top.
10
After the glue dries, cut a Vq"groovecen-
teredon the s/s"groove.Then, cut a rabbet
along the front of the bottom edge and a
t/2"groovecenteredalong the top edge.
flFrom 3/+"maple, cut the blade guard
Usides and end.Glue and screwthe end
to the sides.Now, screwthe blade guard
to the fence,whereshownon Drawing 1.
f, Cut the front rail from:/+" maple.Use
rfa jigsaw to cut a notch, where shown,
for the blade to passthrough. Attach the
front rail and the fence to the platform
with screws.
frCut, sand, and finish two toP blade
tfguard supports.Using a fine-toothed
tablesawblade, cut a piece of Vq"clear
acrylic to size for the blade guard cover.
Attach the cover to the supportsand the
front rail.
3/q"maple stock, cut two strips
ftFrom
[Jto serveas miter-slotguide bars. Set
your tablesawrip fence 8%" to the right
of the blade, and lower the blade below
the table'ssurface.(Note: Make sureyour
Keepingthe rightend of the platform against
the rip fence, set the sled assembly on
the guides. Press down firmly to stick the
bars to the platform.
Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers
"f
fence is parallel to the miter gauge slot
before proceeding.)Apply double-faced
tape to the top of each guide bar, and at-
tach the bars to the platform, as shownin
Photos A and B. Remove the assemblY
from the saw,and permanentlyattachthe
bars with screws.
JCut a piece for the stopblock,and cut
f a dado in the back, where shown.Cut
a guide bar, and glue it into the dado.
Drill a shankhole through the block and
bar, where shown.Now, cut a pieceof Vq"
acrylic plasticto sizefor the stopblockin-
dicator.SeeDrawing 1b. Drill, saw,and
file smooththe slot, where shown.Make
a cursorline, as shownin Photo A.
QRemove the top bladeguard, sandthe
l0iig, and apply three coats of finish.
Reattachthebladeguard,assembleandin-
stall the stopblock,placethe crosscutsled
on your tablesaw,and make a cut from
the front edge through the fence. Use a
rule to setthe stopblock4" from the kerf.
Mark the centerof the stopblock on its top
Hold the workpiece firmly against the
fence as you make a cut. Keep your hands
outside the blade guard, and don't cut
through its end.
2008
 E exploDEDvrEW
# 8 x s / q "F . H .
wood screw -TT TOP BLADEGUARD
?t
?

1/qx31/qx223/q"
3/qx3/qx161/q" clearacrylic
supports

7ax1Bx30"

1/qx1 x13/q"
plywood
# 8 x 1 1 / z 'F . H .
wood screw
6eAa
tl

1 BLADEGUARD
( clearacrylic
# 8 x 1 1 / z 'F . H .
3" wood screw

Self-adhesive
measuringrule
43/q"
31/q'

1x3x30" sAax3/qx18"
PLATFORM
miter-slot guide bars
3/qX11/+X215/ta"
stopblock l/qX1/2X11/q" i

guidebar
[-., ,/L
# 8 x 1 1 / z 'F . H . t/q" dado t/q" deep
I
7/a"from top edge
wood screw #8 x 1/2"F.H.wood screw

end,align the 4" line on the self-adhesive

measuringtapewith thatmark,andattach @ rerucE
sEcloN vtEW l[ rNorcAToR
DETATL
the tapein the fencegroove.Usetin snips 1/2"gloove %0" deep
to cut off the portion of the tape extend- (to fit measuring rule)
ing beyondthe left end of the fence.Place
L\I _t L
the indicatoron the stopblock,align the
cursorwith the tape's4" line, and attach
T lttzu"
'/a"
_-_l'
li , I
the indicatorto the block with a screw. %"Tf-j\#" 1"

Now, let's go sledding

1/q"groove/
5/6"deep | | \'
I t I u/r"grooue
_1
If a workpiece fits between the fence
t/s" 76filgl--/y'
I | | s/o" deep Scorea line on the acrylicwith a knife,
1 |
and the front rail, you can cut it on your /e" deep - and color it with a permanentmarker.
V,r;.-
crosscutsled,as shownin Photo C. Use
the stop block to cut multiple pieces to
the samelength,providedthatlengthfalls Sources
within the stopblock'srange.Removethe Forthejigsonpages5-13,weusedthese Sources:
stopblockwhencutting piecesthat extend Stainless
steel
ruleno.06K20.06, each;
$1.95
beyond that range. When you install a four-armplastic
knobno.00M55.30,$1.90each.
CallLee
blade of a different thickness or with Valley
at800-871-8158,orgotoleevalley.com.
a different tooth set than the one used to Hold-down
no.145831, (boltandknob);
$4.99 self-
calibrate your stopblock, check the set- adhesive
rule,no.08Y42, CallWoodcraft
$9.99. at
ting with a rule, and adjustthe cursor.lF orgotowoodcraft.com.
800-225-1153,

woodmagazine.com 11
 ,ci

---=\-
-
.---

aisedpanelshave long been a sign
of fine craftsnranship-perhaps
beciluse they appear difficult to
make. But as yoLr'llsee here, that
rreed not be the case. On puge 14, we'll
show yoLr:.rsimple method for Lrsingthis
jig to cut panelswith a tablesarw.
Combine scrap material with a f'ew
harclwareitems and yor.r'llhave a jig des-
Witlrthis *ne jig, tined lbr a lif'etime of service. See puge
11. lbr a hardware soLlrcefor the knobs.
ysili*#n build thr**
psputar styles of Start with the basics
Cr,rt two pieces of iA" MDF to the
donr pffin:els
for your d i n - r e n s i o n si n t h e M a t e r i a l s L i s t
next *abinet project. to nrake the upright (A) and base (B).
S c r o l l s a w o r b a n d s a wt h e l % " r a d i i o t t
the two cornel'sof (B). cuttin-uoutsidethe
l i n e . T h e n s a n c tl o t h e l i n e .
Using yor.rr dado blade. cut two '/-r"
dadoes /-r"deep in the top of the base.
whereshownon Drawing 1.
Afteradding an auxiliary f-enceto yoLlr
saw tablesaw rip f-ence.cut it rabbet
%" wide and t/t" deep along the bottom
ed-qeof the upright (A). where shown on
Drawing 1.
Next. drill %r," l'rolesin the upri-eht
(A) and at the ends of the slot loca-
tions in the base.Lay or.rtthe sidesof the
slots, and scrollsaw ther.r-t to shapewith a
# 1 2 b l a d e .C u t t w o b r a c e s( C ) . a s d i m e n -
s i o n e do r r D r a w i n g 2 .
Drill y'::" pilot holes, and then glue
and screw the ji-e together using
#8xlth" brass screws. where shown.
T i p : U s e b r a s ss c l e w s u r t y t i t l e y o u r j i - e ' s
screw holes are close to the saw blade.

{n
tz Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008
 Now, add the extras
{ Cut the guide strip (D) ts fit your
I miter-gauge slot in depth and width.
Trim the pieceto 28" long, and drill coun-
tersunk t/+"holes centeredon the strip 3"
from each end. Attach the guide strip to
the baseusing the hardware shown.
QCut the upright stops (E) to size, and
&drlll the hole and counterbore hole,
where shown on Drawing 2. Securethe
stopsto the ends of upright (A).
{tCut the clamping bar (F) to size, and
tJdrill %0" holes, where shown. Lay
out and shapethe clamping bar curve, as
shown on Drawing 1, using a bandsaw.
Sandsmooth.
;l Next, attach the clamping bar to
'?the
jig using the hardware shown.
Tip: If you havetrouble finding extra-long
machine screws, cut two pieces of all-
thread. Then secure the four-arm knobs
to the screwsusing 5-minute epoxy.
fRemove the hardware and the clamp-
tJing bar and guide strip, and sand all
parts to 150 grit. Now apply two coats of
finish, sanding between coats with 180-
grit abrasive.
a piece of adhesive-backed
fiCut
Yl2}-grit sandpaper,and apply it to
the jig face, as shown on Drawing 1.
Then, reassemblethe jig. lF

-T
I
8"

3u
-l
|- s/q" rabbel
V+" deep
111/2'

I
7Yz"

E EXPLODEDVIEW
#8 x 1tl2"brass
L
1Y4tr F.H. wood screw
L s/sz"
Curveon this edge -J -1 pilothole
/+-2Ox4Y2'F.H. ' 1Va"
machinescrew 4 x 24"aonesivbt-r=--- /q" dado
backed 120-grit t/a" deep

tA'flatwasher

*:ffi
/q-2Oknite thread insert

Vq" tabbel't/a" deep

/a" holes,countersunk
on bottom face

upright
B base /q" 11Y2" 28" MDF 1 r/c-2Ox 2" F.H. machinescrew
C braces {c' 7Y2" 111h" MDF 2
D guidestrip Va" {to 28"

E upright
stops /e" Vl' 8u

F clamping
bar Yi' 1{eu 29'
LocatepreviousWOODmagazine
tilaterlalakey: MDF-medium-densityfiberboard,
M-maple.
projectarticlesat
Sppfbo: #8x1Y2",#8x1"brass flatheadwoodscrews;
wood m a gazine.com /i ndex
l+-20x2" (21,V+20x4t/t
flathead machine screws (2);
Vq-20low-arm knobs(4);/+"flatwashers(81;llzx%|
compression (2);V+20
springs knifethreadinserts(2);
4"adhesive-backed 120-gritsandpaper.

woodmagazine.com 13
Howto Sut
Panels
Rai$ed
Cu$tom
Cut raisedpanels THREEPOPULARPANELSTYLES
with a tablesaw
For the woodworker who doesn'thave a BACK-CUT PROUD
PLAIN-BEVEL
router table or the budget for expensive PANEL PANEL PANEL
raised-panelbits, cutting raised panels
on the tablesawis an effective alterna-
tive. This methoddoeshaveonedrawback:
You'll needto investtime andelbowgrease
into finish-sandingthe panelbevels.
To solve the challenge of supporting
panelssafelywhile cutting bevels,build
the panel-cutting jig shownon page 12.

Preparethe panels
Before cutting the door panels to size, Te"rabbet
matchthe wood tonesand arrangethe grain t/+"deep
patternsfor best appearance.For example,
centerthe cathedral(inverseV) patternon Shoulder
1vq'
narrow single-boardpanels.When gluing
)
up wider panels,use piecescut from the
sameboardfor consistent grain andcolor.
Next, decide which style of panel you
want. The drawing at right showsthree s/a"raisedpanels
popular styles:a plain-bevelpanel, one
that'sflush with the frame (calleda back-
cut panel), or a proud panel (with the
panel raised abovethe frame). All will
give panelsa custom look. Glue up the PROS PROS PROS
stockneededto make your panelblanks. . contemporarylook . shoulderdetail . can decorateshoulder
. easy-to-sandbevels catchesthe eye with profilerouterbits
Then,cut your panelsto finishedsize.
Note: To minimize wood movement,we coNs coNs coNs
. no paneldetailto . bevelsare a bit more . bevelsare a bit more
suggestusing boards no wider than 5"
catch the eye difficultto sand difficultto sand
when gluing up your panels.

Mark the bevels

Looking at the endof the panelblank,lay
out the desiredbevelusinga slidingbevel
square.Also, if your panelneedsa tongue
and rabbetlay them out, at this time.
To cut a raisedpanelwith shoulders(the
squarelip on the face of the panel),first
adjust the tablesaw'sfence 1/+" from the
blade.Cut a saw kerf t/e"deep(34o"deep
if making proud panels)and I3/q"from all
four edgesand ends of the panel'sface,
as shownin Drawing 3. This kerf will
determinethe shoulderlocation.
Set up the jig for
smooth, accuratecuts
For yourjig to functionwell, it must slide
parallelto the saw bladewith its upright
at a right angleto the saw'stabletop.With
eitherbladeor upright out of alignment,
scoringand burning will occur.
The following set-up procedure as-
sumes that your miter-gaugeslot aligns
parallel with your sawblade.If not, make
that adjustment.
With a steelrule, measurethe distance
from the saw blade to the jig's upright.
Move the jig sideto sideas neededso the
distancebetweenthe saw blade and the
jig is the sameas the panel'stongue(and
rabbet)thickness.When the uprightis the
correct distancefrom the blade,and par-
allel to the blade,tighten down the knobs
in the guide strip. Now, adjust the blade
bevel,asshownin the photooppositetop.
Let's cut a raised panel
Clamp your panel into the jig, exterior
faceout, andcut the bevels.Panelscanbe
cut in four passesthroughthe saw.First,
cut acrossthe endgrain to reducechip-out.
Then cut the bevels on the panel edges.
Move through the blade at a consistent
speed,slowingdown only if the sawstrains.
Note: If your saw bogs down in the cut,
you may need to use a thin-kerf blade or
mal<ethe cut in successivelydeeperpasses.
Sand the panel bevels
Remove any saw marks with 100-grit
sandpaperand a hardwood block. Then
finish-sandthe bevelswith 150-and220-
grit sandpaper.Take care when sanding
not to removethe ridge at the intersection
of the bevels.Stain the panelsbeforeyou
assemblethe door.i
Written by Pat Lowry
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson

14 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

"l
 E pnruelKERFS
DEFINESHOULDERS

To adiust the blade to match your bevel, place the panel into the jig with the exterior face
out. To adjust the angle and height of the saw blade,sight down the blade,and align it with
the layout marks, as shown above. Clamp a test piece into the jig and run it through.
Readjustthe settings until the angle and bevel thickness are accurate.

Add detail to your raised panels

After raisingthe panelon yourtablesaw,use a 7a"round-nose
bit in yourroutertableto detailthesquareshoulderon the face
of the panel.Set the bit 1%"from the fence,as shown below.
Then rout the detail,startingwith the end grainfirst,followed
by the edgegrain.

f W rcbbet,/t dery

FINISHED
CONTOUR

A 7a"round-nose bit creates a distinct panel.

woodmagazine.com 15
Corner-
Rabbeting
Jig Variations on a Theme
Experimentwith differentcombinationsof
speciesforframes,keys,and decorativepins,
Dress up miteredpicture frames with or try some of the looksshownbelow.
face keys, and you'llopen up a world of Potentialkey combinationsinclude:
creativepossibilities. I Walnutand mahogany
keyson mahogany

nce you masterthe precisionneededto make tight miter joints, you're

ready to explorewaysto embellishthem with face keys of contrasting
woods that break up the predictableappearanceof a standardframe.
This sophisticatedlook is simple to create.For starters,you can
make both the key stock and cornerrabbetson the tablesawwhereyou cut the
miters. For an easy-to-makejig that steadiesa mitered frame at the correct 2 Walnutkeysand
angle for cutting corner rabbetson both faces, see the drawing below. The cherrypinson cherry
sampleframe corners,shownat right, usereadily available3/q"-thickstockcut
2" wide.

EXPLODED
VIEW
cherrypinson cherry

--:{
{ tr
l' f--

11"
r 4 Cherrykeysand
maplepinson maple

I Placelowerscrewsabovemaximum
heightof tablesawblade.
#8x2" brass F.H.wood screw
45" suppoft
bevels
Mahoganykeys
on maple

Assemble the corner rabbeting jig so the support bevels and the bot-
tom edge of the backing rest flat on your tablesaw. Place the lower pair
of screws at least !Vz" above the lower edge of the backing and base to
avoid accidental contact with the tablesaw blade.

16 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 Let's make a face-
keyed miter joint
In preparation,build a corner rabbeting
jig using 3/qxl" supports and a piece of
MDF overlay plywood, t/q" Baltic birch
plywood, or MDF. You'll also need as-
sembled frames plus scrapwood frame
cornersfor practice.
To make key stock that works with the
2"-wideframepartsshown,resawa pieceof
/+" stockthat's4W'wideby roughly8" long
to createtwo 2"-wide piecesof key stock.
The blank can be a singlepieceof wood or
an edge-gluedcombinationof woods.Raise
your saw blade to 2" and set your fenceto
To cut the key stock, leave a bridge about
Vz"wide between the saw kerfs. Later,
you can remove the bridge with a band-
saw or handsaw.
How to further
decoratethis joint
Face keys alone offer you dozens of
wood combinations,but your imagina-
tion needn'tstop there.Adding dowelsor
plugsto the keys,as shownat right, gives
them evenmore character.
Begin by marking the locationsof the
plugson the keys,as shownin Photo D.
We placedthese:/s"plugsVz"fromthe long
edgeof the key, spacingthem 1" apartand
equal distancesfrom the shorteredgesof
the keys. For your plugs, use either the
frame wood speciesor introduce a third
speciesto thejoints.
Theseplugsextendthroughthe key and
into the frame without emergingthrough
the faceon the other side.Orient the grain
of theplugswith thatof thekeysto allow for
woodmagazine.com
cut a slot the distancefrom the face of the
blank slightly thicker than your saw kerf
will cut in your frames.Usea featherboard
and pushstickfor added control. Flip the
piece end for end and cut a secondslot, as
shownin Photo A, leavinga Vz"bridge in
the middle to connectthe key stock to the
blank. Then, by hand or on a bandsaw,cut
the key stockfree from the blank.
Gut the corner rabbets
Set your tablesawblade height to 2" for
cornerson 2"-widestock.Make test cuts
in scrapmiters to fine-tune your cutting
depth and position. Secure the mitered
frame in the jig, and set the fence so the
blade will cut a kerf-deeprabbetinto the
Before gluing and clamping, plane the
face keys to about t/az"thicker than the
depth of the key rabbets in the frame
stock. Then, glue and clamp.
wood movement.Glue and seatthe plugs,
leaving about %" abovethe surface.Re-
move the excesswith a flush-cuttins saw.
Space the plugs an equal distance from
the miter joint line. Plug locations can be
adjusted to suit your key and frame sizes.
workpiececorner,as shownoppositetop.
By cutting the rabbet on the frame face
pressedtight againstthe jig, you'll mini-
mize tear-out.For keys on both sidesof
the frame, rotatethe workpieceand make
a secondcut.
Attach the keys
If necessaryafter sawing the keys,plane
them to just thicker than the depthof your
rabbet. Glue and clamp the key stock to
the corners on the front, back, or both
facesof thq.frame,as shownin Photo B.
Bandsawthe excesskey stockfrom the
edgesof the frame, as shownin Photo C.
Flush-sandthe edgesand facesof the keys
with the edgesand facesof the frame.
To saw keys flush with the frame, remove
excess key stock with a bandsaw. Then,
sand the face and edges flush using a
random-orbit sander.
as shownin Photo E. Finish by sanding
the plugs flush with the frame'sface. t
Writtenby Bob Wilson
When using a flush-cutting saw to remove
plug stock above the key, cut parallel to
the direction of the key grain.
17
Spline- T

GuttingJig n

A slighttilt of a saw blade

givesyourcornersplines
a wholenewlook.
VIEW
EXPLODED

T
gu

/*
L/'t''\
#8 x 2" F.H.wood screws

7se"shank hole,countersunk
on back face
45'bevels

Rip splinestockfrom theedgeof a board cutting saw or use a dovetail saw fol-
I t doesn'ttake much work to put a new
of contrastingstock,asshownin Photo B. lowed by a chisel.Sandflush.
! spinon traditionalsplinedmiterjoints.
Match its thicknessto the kerf-usually By varying the number and placement
I Justinstall thesplinesatanangle,aswe
I did above on a maple-and-walnutlet- %". Then, cut individual splinesfrom the of the corner splines, you can come up
ter tray, and you get eye-catchingresults. strips, making them slightly longer than with other designs.You might try differ-
First, makethe simplespline-cuttingjig the slots.Spreadyellow glueon thesplines, ent sawblade angles,too. al
for your tablesaw shown above. Then, slip them into place, and let the glue dry. Photographs:Hetherington Photography
mark three evenly spacedspline locations Trim them off at the surfacewith a flush- lllustration:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
on a piece of scrap the samewidth as the
tray side.
Install a blade in your tablesaw that
producesthe flattestpossiblekerf bottom.
(We used an outsideblade from our dado
set.)Tilt the blade to 15o,and raise it so
it extendsabout halfway into the mitered
corner. Set your jig against the tablesaw
rip fence, place your marked scrap in the
jig, and adjustthe fence to cut a test slot.
Now make the other slots,readjustingthe
fence betweencuts.
When you're satisfied with the design,
place clear packing tape around the work-
piece corners to reduce chip-out. Hold
the workpiece firmly in the jig, and cut
as shown in Photo A. Cut the top slot in
Double-check the orientation of your work- To cut splinestock,usethe thin-strip
each corner, adjust the fence, cut all four piece before cutting. Here we're holding rippingjig (seethe how-todetails,begin-
middle slots, adjust again, and cut the the bottom of the tray to the left, so the ning on page5) to cut splinestock.
bottom slots. Removethe tape. slots will point downward. Repositionthe fencebetweencuts.

18 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 vrEW
I exeloDED
PatWarner's
Two-Part
DadoJig #8 x 1Y4'F.H.wood screw

We introducethis
chapterwith jigs from
three router experts.
7/aq"pilol hole t/2" deep
Readon to appreciate
why they're sold on
these shop helpers.
I n addition to writing four router ultimately be placed in the dado. Here's
I books, Pat Warner has designedspe- one key to a snugdado: Go through each
I cialty router bits. Additions include sandingstepyou plan to follow until your
I inexpenseivedisposable single-flute samplepiecereachesits finishedthickness.
mortising bits and pattern bits (straight For this example,we're cutting a dado
bits with shankbearings). in the side of a cabinet for a shelf. Po-
sition the two-part jig where you plan to
Why you need this jig cut the dado; then snug the sandedshelf
'Accuracy in routing requiresattentionto scrapbetweenthe parts, as shown in the
detail-and not much sophistication,"Pat photo opposite top. Next, clamp both
notes.This Californian's simplejig helps parts firmly in place at the edgesaway
match dado width to shelf thickness. from the gap to keep the clampsfrom in-
Using Pat'stwo-part jig, we set up to cut terfering with the router.
c
a dadoin lesstime than it takesto equip a After removing the sample (savethis
6 tablesawwith a dado set. piece for future reference),setyour router
o cutting depthequalto the thicknessof the
How to build Pat'sjig
E
o-
o jig parts plus the depth of cut you want.
You'll need to assembletwo of the jigs Then rout a dado using a pattern-cut-
3
i
shown above. (We cut two pairs of jigs, ting bit (also sold as a shank-bearing
6
o
one from t/+"-thick plywood and another guided trimmer). The bearing of this bit
o
usingmedium-densityfiberboard(MDF). rides along the edge of the jig parts and
(L
If you plan to make dadoes10" or longer, producesa crisp, squaredado, as shown
build additionalpairs with the top pieces in the drawing oppositefar top.
at least 12" long or more. "Be surethe cutter isn't larger than the
bearing,"Pat cautions,"or elseyou'll tear
Put the two-part jig to use up the edgesof your jig parts." Q
Before you begin cutting dadoes,you'll
need a sample of the stock that will

20 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 Two-partjig

Workpiece

Firstpass Secondpass

l!onoo JtcstDE
vlEW

KIR'FFr+,n
;*q;'#,t$sxag'
'**aas
" #Eafl
To avoi d teari ng out the edge of your
w orkpi eceas you fi ni s h your cut , as
show n bel ow , cl ampa sacr if icialpiece
of scrapwoodto the edge of your work.
H ereareothertacti csP atr ecom m ends
to reducetear-out:
. Good material.Routing straight-grained,
properl yseasonedhar dwoodr educes
tear-out.Interesting grainpatterns,includ-
ingbird's-eye andquiltedmaple,havevisual
appeal,butcreatemorerouting challenges.
. Well-prepared stock.Wherever possible,
A f t e r l o c a t i n gt h e d a d o p o s i t i o n ,p l a c e a p i e c e o f f i n i s h - s a n d e ds c r a p b e t w e e n
el i mi nate
cups and bows in your st ock
t h e j i g ' s t w o p a r t s .T h e n c l a m p t h e p a r t s t o t h e w o r k p i e c e . beforeyou get to the routingsteps.
. Sharpen cutters. Well-honedbits pro-
ducel esstear-out.
. Li ght cuts. l f you cut deepert han 7e"
w i th one pass,you' reapt t o int r oduce
tear-outto yourproject;7e"is ideal.
. Feed rate.You'llworsentear-outwitha
fastfeed rate.
. Climb-cutting.Youcan reducetear-out
witha climbcut (cuttingwiththe rotation
of the bi t i nsteadof againstit ) . Light
cuts and addedsafetyproceduresare
a must.See the noteson page24.
. C ut end grai nfi rst. B ec auseendgr ain
is moreapt to tear out, rout it first.Then
routedgegrainandcleanup anytear-out.

!:

I:{-*
I

tr
l f t h e d a d o i s t o o s n u g ( s o m e t i m e sc a u s e d b y a p a t t e r n - c u t t i n gb i t t h a t ' s
s m a l l e rt h a n t h e b e a r i n g ) s, h i m o u t t h e s h e l f s c r a p w i t h a s h e e t o r t w o o f
p a p e r ,a d j u s t t h e j i g p a r t s ,a n d r o u t a g a i n .

woodmagazine.com
ll
PatrickSpielmanns
Multi-Hole
Doweling
Jig
Patrick was one of
North Americansmost
prolific woodworking
authors,producing
severalbooks on
routers and router
tips. This jig was one Patrick Spielman's doweling jig makes quick work of doweling tasks, including the face
frame joinery (end to edge grainl above. The 7a"guide-bushing hole is compatible with
of his favorites. and 7a"dowel pins. The positioning block ensures quick, accurate alignment of
T4",s/16",
the stock. lllustrations, opposite,show routing dowel-pin holes in the railand stile.

atrick Spielman of Fish Creek, satile.The adjustable,removablestopwill

Wisconsin, authored more than
75 woodworking books. His orig-
inal Router Handbook sold more
than a million copies, and his revised
New Router Handbook remains one of
Sterling Publishing's best-selling titles.
Before he died in 2005, Patrick sharedhis
popular multi-hole doweling jig
Why you need this jig
In addition to positioning dowelsfor most
doweling joints (we found the jig particu-
larly useful for face-framejoinery), this is
a greatjig for aligning.shelf-supportpins.
"The dowel joint makes a lot of sense
to me," Patrick said.Dowels provide extra
mechanical strength when joining end to
edge grain. Plus, they're quicker to make
than hand-cut dovetails.
"The dowel joint is pptty much fool-
poof, and with this jig, you can take the
joint further and have the dowels come
through the other side."
The 2" counterbored slots in the
sh"-thickplasticjig make Patrick'sjig ver-
help you precisely position face stock.
How to build Patricknsiig
Follow Drawing 1 and 1a, opposite top,
to build the jig. Lay out and drill the 5/s"
holes as accuratelyaspossiblein the plas-
tic. (We used a drill pressfor this step.)
For a source for the knob on this
project, seeleevalley.com.
Put the iig to use
With a guide bushing in your
router, dowel holesalwaysline
up regardless of how accu-
rately you spacedthe /s" holes
for your doweling jig. For this
type of plunge routing, use
upcut spiral bits like the one
shown at left.
To position the jig and router
to makeidentically spaceddowel
holes in face frame stiles and
. rails, see the two illustrations
opposite.*
Upcutspiralrouterbit

22 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

I exeloDED
vrEW llslor DETATL
7a"counterboredslot 7a"counterboredslot
s/0"deep with a /10"deep with a
't/q" t/a"slot centeredinside
slol centeredinside

e
EI

Te" hole

e/a"acrylic

1" counterbore
e/+"deep with a
t/q"hole centeredinside
t/q" T-nul

\@ )4
1,/"" L,
Two-pleceguide bushings easily attach
to your router's base.
7+"counterbore
t/a"deep with a
t/q"hole /a" slot
centered
inside _ab
(/'@
1" long
r /+" SAE washer

1/q"f -nut

E cuTTrNGHOLES
ONST|LE E cuTTrNGHOLES
ONRA|L

Originallydesigned for doweling,this jig

also helps you make evenly spaced holes
for shelf pins. To avoid goofs, tape over
hofes you won't use, as shown above.
(Spacing of 1Vc-2"between holes works
well in most applications.)

The plastic world problemswithguidebushingsbeingtoo longfor the bits.Plus,

With more than 35 yearsof routerexperience,Patrickde-
signedmanyjigs incorporating plastic.We builthis jig from
s/e"polycarbonate becauseit's readilyavailableat hardware
stores and home centers. However,Patrick preterredt/2"
polycarbonate, a thicknessthat'stougherto find.
"lf you can find 1/2"
plastic,"Patricksaid, "you havefewer
thickerplasticmakesit easierto routadjustableslots."
"l avoidacrylicplasticbecauseit's brittle,"Patrickadded.
"l'vehadfewerproblemswithpolycarbonate plasticcracking
or breakingarounda holeor nearthe edge."
We found our local polycarbonate supplierunder"plas-
tics"in the phonedirectory.

woodmagazine.com 23
CarolReedns
2
Pushsticks
3I | ;fi#J,',,:i:;:
3.',T'l::
ffi
I taught router and woodworking
I technique for more than 20
years. This Phoenix-arearesident also
demonstratesher talents at woodworking
and home and garden shows. Her first
book, Router Joinery Workshop, was
publishedin 2003.
Why you need these iigs
"I like to call thesepushsticksmy 'success
devices'," Carol says."The real reason
to usepushsticksis that,not only will you
be safer,you'll reduceburn marks and er-
rors.Overall,you'll enjoymore success."
How to build Carol'sjigs
Follow Drawings 1, 2, and 3 to cut the
piecesfor Carol'stwo routertable accesso-
ries.Createa templateof the handledesign,
Carol says,and then "make an armload of
thesedarn things.That way, you won't feel
bad whenyou chewup oneof yourjigs."
Put the pushsticks to use With the aid of a feather board, Garol
When paired with a featherboard, Carol's
narrow-stockpushstick helps you control
Reed's pushstick for narrow stock keeps
workpieces flat against the router table.
small pieces,as shownin Photo A. The
vertical pushstick,Photo B, supportsthe
endsof tall pieces.
"I usethis handledesignat my tablesaw
andjointer, too," Carol advises.After you
chew up the soleand heel,sendit through
the jointer and attachnew pieces.
'And don't think of just '1A"-thick
material. I have safely routed with
7s"pushsticksand a little heel."l
Written by Carl Voss
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
Carol's vertical pushstick, with a replace-
able t/+"plywood heel, helps you press tall
pieces firmly againstthe router table fence.
t/a"round-overs l--n*,,
t,
,,ft )tr*
1/ntl

41
We made our handles from easily
worked and inexpensive MDF. To
assemblethe vertical pushstickused for
routing the ends of long stock, glue and
i
11/q"
\ \t\

L
l
ss>=-_._= 5"
':ll
I il?"
l ijill
-clampthe baseto the MDF upright piece.
After applying glue to the handle,rub it I-t\+_
-lr,U 1/2"
l-r
3/q" r
3/a"

acrossthe upright and clamp it in place. iIilj

N__\_ +
Glue on the heel last.
To makethe pushstickfor narrow stock,
glue the base to the handle and clamp
8s/q'____----l
I 30" bevelon handle I
| 2'/r',
;
)'t*

until dry. For safety,do not usemetal fas-

tenersto hold the piecestogether. PUSHSTTcK @ vemcAL-srocK
ll runnnow-srocK PUSHSTTcK

Glimb-cut safely
Caroladviseswoodworkers to approachclimb-cutting with
addedcaution.(Althoughthis methodof clockwisecutting
with a handheldrouterproducesless splinteringthan the
traditionalcounter-clockwisedirection,the routertends to
pull itselfaway from the operator.)
With climb-cutting,you
can removeburnmarksor cleanup tear-out,makingonly a
%+"plSS with a handheldrouter.
"But I don'tadvocateany climb-cutting at a routertable,"
Caroladds."Thinkof it thisway:A routertablewas designed
to cut wood narrowerthan the handheldrouterbase. lf you
introducewood to the backsideof a cutterat a routertable,
you essentially dropyourstockontoa movingsidewalk.And
if you'retryingto controla smallpiece,wherewill your fin-
gersgo? Rightintothe bit."
"For safety, I encourageall my studentsto draw big bit
rotationarrowswith a Sharpiemarkeron their routerbases
and motors."The arrowsprovidea constantand readilyvis-
iblereminderof whichdirectionthe bit is turning.

24 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 p nnruolEFULL-stzE
PATTERN

woodmagazine.com 25
 Router
Trammel
Gut perfect circles
from 15"to 48" in
diameterwith this
shop-madeaccessory.
R
Say goodbye to rough and irregular
edges the next time you cut a circle or
ring. And, using the trammel's extended
base for added stability (rightl, you can
Build your own trammel detail an edge or rabbet the back of a
cabinet without fear of the router tipping.
{ Cut a piece of Vz"Baltic birch ply-
I wood to 6x9t/+"for the extendedbase
(A). Cut a centered /a" groove t/q" deep plrnnunaEL
ARM /e" groove't/q" deeP
alongoneend,whereshownon Drawings 1
and4. Use a table-mountedrouter with a t/2" hole s/ro"dggp,
t/e"round-overon bottom \
edge,excepton groovedend \
slot cutter or a tablesawwith azero-clear- z on bottom face /2" recess 17t/2" long
--l s/ro"hole
s/re"deep, centered \ s/ro"hole--l 1t/'" 1)
anceinsert to cut the groove. 11/z'7
ttt
\
f)Spray-adhere the full-size base pat-
Gtern onto the blank, aligning the /s"
groove with the groove location marked
J 3"
on the pattern.Bandsawand sandthe ex-
tendedbase(A) to shape.
1/zu

tl
13/. ^tl 13/q'
_l
flRemove thebaseplate from yourrouter,
9and position the plate on the paperpat-
tern adheredto the extendedbase.Align
thebaseplate holeswith thecenteringlineson to the router. Then drill or scrollsaw the Form the trammel arm
thepattern.Mark thescrew-holecenterpoints, router-bit clearance hole. { From r/2"Balttc birch plywood, cut a
as shownin Photo A. Tracethe router-bit bottom il piece to 3x20" for the trammel arm
fiRout a %" round-over along the
clearancehole onto the extendedbase. dedse of the extended base. where shown. (B). Cut a centered %" groove t/+" deep
and countersink the marked Note:-Do not round over the end of the along one end of the arm, where shown
/lDrill
ttholes for attachinsthe extendedbase base with the groove. on Drawing 2.
f)On the top face of the arm, mark the
4centerpoints, and drill a pair of s/ta"
holes through the arm, where dimen-
BASE
EexreruDED sionedon Drawing 2. Connectthe hole
perimeters for the slot (to be cut later)
t/q-20lapered knob
with a straightedgeand pencil.
3zle"long
t/q" tlal washer
tl On thebottomface of the trammel arm
tJ(B), usea Forstnerbit to drill a vz"hole
sAa"deep,whereshownon Drawing 2.
t/e"groove ATo form the trammel-arm recess,
't/q"
deep, Clinstall at/2" straightbit into your table-
centered Locationof @
mounted router. Raise the bit sAo"above
Router-bit
clearancehole the surfaceof the table.Positionthe fence
so the bit centersover the t/2"hole drilled
in the previousstep.Mark start and stop
referencelines I t/2"from the centerof the
straightbit on the router fence.
To markthe base hole centerpoints,transfer
the screw-holelocationsfrom your router fiBring the trammelarm (B) up to the left
t/q-20x 11h' F.H baseplate onto the extended base, posi- dstart line on the routerfence,and slowly
t/e"round-over t/2 plywood
machinescrew tioning them over the centering lines. lower it onto the bit. as shownin Photo B.

26 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 -.- 5/te-18three-armknob

6 #Bx1/2"F.H.woodscrew pexeloDEDvrEW E PIVOTPIN

5/ro"flat --- i
CUTTINGDETAIL
washer \s CENTERPOINT
Ti ADJUSTMENTPLATE

l+-20 tapered knob

3zla"long
#8 x s/e"F.H.
TRAMMELARM wood screw \
7se"shank hole,
161/z' countersunk
s/'ra"llal washer
-l.- z/oa"
pilot hole
groundto fit 1
Ta"deep
@rnnuMELARM
t/2" feCeSS \
t/a" hole
s/ro"hexnut to --4 20" END SECTIONVIEW
fit /2" ICSS
Holesfor mounting
PIVOTPIN
s/ro"hexheadbolt
.H s/ro"slot
t/e"round-overon
bottom edge,
on bottomside
@
to yourrouter,countersunk sAa"tlal
washer
Three-armknob

5/ro"slot
2" longwith head excepton groovedend
hacksawedoff 1/a"grooves'
1/4"deep,centered
5/ro"hexnut
Carefully rout a s/rc"-deep
recessuntil the l/q"hole, countersunk
trailing end reachesthe right stop line on on bottomface Pivotpin 12"recess
the fence.Lift the trammel arm off the bit. 5/6"deep
fiScrollsaw the %0"-wide slot previ- /s" round-over
Lfously marked on the top face of the
trammel arm (B). Rout a %" round-over EXTENDEDBASE
along lhe bottom edges of the trammel
arm excepr on the grooved end, where arm (B), where shown on Drawing 3. adjustmentplate with attachedpivot pin
indicatedon Drawing 2. Slidethe extendedbase(A) overthe spline until the distancefrom the inside cutting
(C) in the trammel arm. Drill and coun- edge of the straight bit to the center of
Join the extended base to tersink the Vq"hole through the baseand the pivot pin equals the desired ra-
the trammel arm connector plate for the knob machine dius of the circle. Now, drop the pivot
{ From %" hardboard, cut the spline screw. where indicated on the extended pin into the centered hole and begin
I tCl to size. Glue the spline into the basepattern.This ensuresholealignment routing in a counterclockwise direc-
groovedend of the trammel arm. and a tight fit betweenthe two pieces. tion, as shownoppositetop.
f)Cut the connectorplate (D) to size For a sourcefor the knobs on this and
&from V4" hardboard. Drill the two Add the centerpoint other projects,seeleevalley.com. I
countersunkmountingholesand glue and adjustment plale Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz
screwthe connectorplate to the trammel { Cut the guidebars(E) and (F) to size. lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
I Drill the holesshownon Drawing 3.
Screwthe three piecestogether.
l) Grind oppositeedgesoff a2" long s7ru"
Atlat washerso it fits into the t/2"-wide
trammel-arm recess.Hacksaw the head
off a sAe"hexheadbolt, where shown on
Drawing 3a. Thread a s/re"hexnut onto extendedbase 1/2" 6" 91h" Ply 1
the bolt. Assemblethe adjustmentplate trammelarm 1/2" 3" Ply 1
to the trammel arm (B) in the configura- spline t/a t/2 HB1
tion shownon Drawing 3b. D plate 1/+" 3"
connector HB1
E guidebars 1/2" 1/z' 2u Ply 2
Puttingthe trammelto work
Using trammel pointsor a largecompass, F %" 2"
idjulifr-diiidute a" HB 1.
mark the centerpointand requiredradius
Materialskey:Ply-plywood, HB-hardboard.
on your workpiece. Cut the workpiece
Supplies:Spray adhesive,#8x7e" flatheadwoodscrews
about %" oversize with a handheldjig-
tr %"straight
%" straightbit
bit (2),#8xt/2"
flatheadwoodscrews (4),1h-20x1Vr" flathead
saw.This leaveslessmaterial to rout and machine screw,t/a"flatwasher,
t/a-20tapered knob,
Align the end of the trammel arm (B) with the
improves the quality of the cut. At the %0"hexhead bolt2"longwithnut,%0"flatwashers (2),
start line on the router fence and carefully
lower it onto the straight bit. Rout the recess previouslymarkedcenterpointdrill a5/ro" %o-18 three-armknob.
until the trailing end reachesthe stop line. hole 3/s"deep. Position the centerpoint, Bits:/s"round-over, router
%"straight bits;t/z'Forstner bit.

woodmagazine.com 27
 @ eneruDED FULL-srzE
BASE PATTERN

28 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

Flush-
Trimming
Fence
Usethis simplerouter-
table setup to put
a finishededge on
plywoodpanels.
hile buildinga child'sdresser, ing, and clamp the fencedown. Hold the
projectbuilderChuckHedlund
lEsrDEsEcfloNvtEW
edgedplywood firmly againstthe fence
had to do a lot of flush as you make each pass,and the edging
trimming on the solid-wood comesout perfectlyflush everytime. ?
edgingthat dressesup the plywood pan-
Writtenby David Stone
els. He neededa foolproof way to get P r o j e c td e s i g n :G h u c k H e d l u n d
the job done. A handheldrouter with a l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n eL e M o i n e : L o r n a J o h n s o n
flush-trimbit would work, but it's easyto
accidentallytip the routerand gougethe
edging and plywood. Chuck solved the
problem with the router-table-mounted IexeloDED vtEW
fenceshownin the photo,aboveright.
Made of 3/+"plywood, the fence sits
perpendicularto the table, as shown in
Drawings 1 and 1a.The loweredgeof the
fenceis mountedl" abovethe router-table

fl
surface,so it accommodates edgingup to
/+" thick.
Note: All stockis
To build the project, cut its identi- 3/+"plywood
cally sizedfenceand baseto 173/+" wide.
11s/q'i

I
Measurethe top of your routertableto de-
terminethe length.Cut matchingnotches
in the baseand fence,positionedto align ji Insidewidth
j i matcheslong leg
with the bit hole in your table.Two tri- F i i of trianqulardrace.
I il t
angular braceshold the base and fence
together.The cleatsat eachend helpposi-
tion the assemblyon your routertable.
Chuck also added a supportpanel to ?'/"'{
4l
the bracesthat stiffensthe entire assem-
bly. A hole cut into the supportacceptsa
shop-vacuum hoseto collectchips. Widthof
To usethe fence,install a flush-trimbit routertable
in your table-mountedrouter.Align the # 8 x 1 1 / z 'F . H . 1 x 1" notches,
wood screws centered
fenceface flush with the bit's pilot bear-
3/ax 11/zx 16" CLEAT sits flushwith front
edge of base.
woodmagazine.com
 ,.**ar^.**{j

Plunge-Routing
Basics
With a plungerouter,the motor-and-bit
Learn the essentials,and then put your know- mechanismslides up and down on two
how into practice with the jigs on pages 32-34. spring-loadedpostsattachedto the base.
First, you presetthe cutting depth, then
releasea lock that raisesthe motor and
lunge routersdate back to 1949, What does a plunqe router bit to a non-cuttingheight. Positionthe
when they were first introduced have going for it?- router over the cut, switch on the motor,
in Germany by Elu, a company Its forte is making cuts on the interior and pushit straightdown until it contacts
now owned by Black & Decker. surface(orfield) of a workpiecefor such a depth-stop.Lock the plunge,make the
It wasn'tuntil the early-S0s,
though,that tasksas mortising,stoppeddadoes,inlay, cut, releasethe lock, and the motor and
plunge routersbecamewidely available and sign-routing.To makefield cutswith bit againspringup. You canevenreadjust
in North America.Today,manufacturers a fixed-basemachineyou needto tilt the the depth without turning off the router,
offer more modelsof plungeroutersthan spinningbit into and out of the cut, a which you'll find useful for making
their fixed-basebrethren. tricky and sometimesdicey maneuver. multiplepasseson deepcuts.

30 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 .Enatorny of a Plunge Router
Althoughthey can performmanyof the sameduties,ptungerouterslook distincily
different than fixed-base routers. Beyond the motor, collet, and handles-
parts common to both styles-a plunge router also has the following:

PLUNGE TOCK
Trippinga lever,or squeezing
or twistinga handle,locksthe
bit'sdepthafterit has penetrated
MrcRo-ADJUST
the work-piece.Releaseing
Thisfeaturefine-tunes
thecutting
the lock lifts the bit at the end
depthwithmicrometer accuracy.
of the cut.
Plunqe routers have
their ups and downs
Plungeroutersmake short work of some PIJUNGE RODS
A pairof spring-
tricky cuts, but don't toss out your fixed- loadedsteel rods
basedrouterjust yet. Here'swhy: attachedto the
subbaseguide
Plunge pros: the motor up and
down, perfectly
. A plunge router is safer than a fixed-
perpendicular to
base model becauseits bit protrudes the base.
only when cutting.
. Plunge routers typically offer more
power-up to 15 amps-and most have
variable-speedcontrol, which fixed-
basemachinesgenerallydo not. These
are major considerationsif you plan to
table-mountyour router and work with
large bits, suchas panel-raisers.
. For a table-mountedrouter, the plunge
router's depth-adjustmentknobs control
the bit-height changes more precisely.
To take advantageof this feature, you
may needto extendyour router'sheight-
adjustmentknob. Many manufacturers
include knob extensions with their
plungerouters,or you can buy an exten-
sionfor $20 or so.
;
Plunge cons:
. Plunge routers cost and weigh more
rI'
than fixed-baseroutersand offer no ad-
vantageon edge cuts. If you anticipate
making mostly edge cuts, you may be
better off purchasinga lighter and less
expensivefixed-basetool.
. Not all plunge routers work well sus-
pended upside down under a router
table. Falling sawdust can gum up
unshieldedplunge-posts,which you'll
needto cleanperiodically.
. When mounted in a table, adjusting DEPTH ADIUSTMENT ROD AND SCALE:
the bit depth of some models is an. TURRET STOPS Not all plungeroutersoffera depth-of-cut
awkward, two-handedoperation.With For a projectthat requires scale, but all have an adjustablerod that helps
progressivedeepercuts, you halt the plungeat a precisepresetdepth.
others,removingthe plungemechanism
such as deep mortises,you With most plungerouters,yotJ"zero"the tool
springs,which makesit easierto raise a can presetthe steps on a by lockingit at the work surface.Then you set
table-mountedrouter,requiresdisman- turret.Rotatingthe turret an adjustablecursorto "0" on the scale.The
tling the machine's motor housing-a enablesyou to quicklystep scale tells you the depth of the dado, mortise,
procedurewe don't recommend. from one depth to the next. or othercut you'llbe making.

woodmagazine.com
31
Four qreat wavs
to plu-ngeright in
To put a plungerouterthroughits paces,
you'll need the correct bit for the job at
hand (manufacturersoffer hundreds for
different shapesand sizes of cuts), and
some type of guide (straightedge,tem-
plate, or jig). In many casesyou'll also
needguide bushings,which fit into your
router'sbaseplate, to follow the guide.
You can spend good money for ac-
cessoryjigs, but you can constructyour
own for next to nothing.So we askedour
talented staff to come up with jigs for
four popularplunge-routingtasks.

Mortising Jig,awnsnu t/a"threaded rod

he trick to cutting mortisesin ta-
\
\Q4r ffi A.3/,,lnnn t 1/4"wing nut

ble legsis to preciselypositionthe

1/+"flalwasner-Zf
mortise on each leg and to make
each mortise exactly the same
length.Build the mortisingjig, as shown
in the drawingat right, and you'll be able
to cut identical Vz"-wrdemortises time
aftertime.
To set up a cut, mark the l,engthand 11/q'

centerlineof the mortise on your work-

piece. Clamp the workpieceto the jig's
baseso the mortiseis centeredin the slot
1/zx 9s/ax 9" plywood
on the sliding top plate. Lock the plate
into placewith the wing nuts.The thread-
ed rod acts as a stop,and allows you to
adjust the length of the mortise-from t / 2 x 6 1 / qx 1 1 " p l y w o o d
th."to 2t/+".Once you've locked in these I
settings,you can quickly transferthe jig 1 / z x 1 x6 % "p l y w o o d g-- #8 x 1 1/q"F.H.
V wood screw
from one workpieceto the next.
Now, fit your router with a /+" guide -
bushingand a /:" straightor spiral-flute 1"
bit. (For the cleanestcuts,use an up-cut
spiral for solid wood; a down-cut spiral
with plywood and veneers.)Insert the
guidebushingin thejig's slot,turn on the 7
21/q"
power,plunge,lock, and guide the rout-
sAe"shank hole,
er from one end of the slot to the other.
countersunk
Deep mortiseswill require two or more ,/
passes-no sweat,thanksto your plunge .< o 1/zx 3s/qx 1 1" plywood
21/q
router'sturret stops.$

%" plywood

EXPLODEDVIEW

32 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

Keyhole-
Routing
Jig
Panel-Routing
Jig
routerremovesstock,so how can it
raise a panel?Actually, plunging
with a bearingless bit into the
ield of a flat panel createsthe
illusion of frame-and-panel construc-
tion. This techniqueis limited to making
raisedpanelswith medium-densityfiber-
board (MDF), which you plan to paint.
woodmagazine.com
sturdy way to hang items, such
as picture and mirror frames,
shelves, and plaques, keyhole
slots can spell trouble if they
aren't exactlythe samedistancefrom the
top of the project. You can go nuts offset-
ting the wall hangersto compensatefor
the misalignment.
The keyhole-routing jig below, de-
vised by WOODo magazinereader Don
Thomas and modified by reader Luther
Lengthof router
base + 3gle"
11/2" I
R
EXPLODED
VIEW
MovABLE
sroP litgl',i^:?'
The Panel-Routing Guides, shown
below, amount to a simple frame with
splined corners that let you adjust it to
a variety of panel sizes. Cleats on the
back of the frame capturethe panel.And
to keep the router from tipping toward
the field and ruining the cut, we taped
a small disc the same thickness as the
t/6'y t5/16X 3/+"
#8x 1"F.H.
wood screw
t/a"slots
t/z" deep
3/qx3/q x 30" cleat
7/a+"pilol hole t/2" deep
Williamson, consistsof a frame that fits
your router'sbase.The routerrides on the
rabbetson eachrail.
With the help of a movable stop, you
can bore slots 6%", 7Vq",or 8" from the
top of the frame. After setting the stop,
center and clamp the jig to one of the ver-
tical frame pieces,place the router at the
near end of thejig, plungewith a keyhole
bit. slide it to the far end. then back out of
the cut. Repeatthe processon the other
sAa
,:
3/qu
th" hole,
countersunk
1Y2"
guides to one corner of the router's base
with double-facedtape.
We madethesecuts with a plunge-ogee
bit, but you also could use a bearingless
ovolo or plunge bead bit. You also can
create bevels and coves up to lVz" wide
with bigger,3V2"raised-panelcutters,but
theseare bestusedin a router table.|l
t/e"slots
lz" deep
3/+x 3/qx 24" cleat
l/sy1sA6X3Vq"
hardboardspline
EXPLODEDVIEW
33
Circle-
Cutting
Trammel
ere we offer two ways to help
your plunge router get around.
For routing larger circles and
arcs,build and outfit your router
with the Circle-CuttingTrammel,shown *=.::;;#
below,that cutscirclesup to aboutJ2" in
diameter.The jig's two steel rods slide
into the subbase, as shownat right.
Set the radius of your arc or circle by
measuringfrom the cutting edge of the
bit to the centerpin on the jig, and lock
in the radiususing the threadedknobs.
Insert the pin into a predrilledhole at
the center of the workpiece, and use
the trammellike a giant cornpass. With
thicker or harder stock, you rnay need
to make this cut in severalprogressively
deeperpasses.
Leery aboutdrilling a centerhole that
might mar your project?Here'san easy
solution:Drill and cut from the back or
undersideof the workpiece.rF
W r i t t e nb y J i m H u f n a g e l w i t hD a v i d C a m p b e l l 1/a"rod 1s/q" long, EXPLODEDVIEW
T e c h n i c acl o n s u l t a n tJ: a m e s R . D o w n i n g g r o u n d to a point
l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n eL e M o i n e ;L o r n a J o h n s o n
\
%" plasticknob ll +
\/ Et

i&
: H
i H

Sources
LocatepreviousWOADmaqazine 1/q" hole source,
Fora hardware
...-----------_<r. seepage11.
router articlesat
\,vri( tifir.}{g r.'i{}ei
'
j''"
5/e"

34 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 RiiiitHr-Table
PushPad
ot only does this
simple guide keep
stock perfectly
squareto the rout-
er fence, it also supports
the back edgeof the routed
stockto minimize tear-out.
Plus, it keeps your hands
safelyaway from the spin-
ning bit.
To build it, cut the piec-
es to the sizesand shapes
noted on the drawing.Cut
several extra supports so
you can replace them as
the inside end gets routed
away. For a comfortable
grip, rout the edges of
the handle with a V4"
round-over.
Screw,but do not glue,
the support to the base.
Then, screw the handle
to the base. Sufficiently
countersink the screws
securingthe handleto the
base so they don't scratch
or catchon the top of your
routertable.lF

Projectdesign:Tom Clark

HANDLE 1
3"

t/+"round-overs )

EXPLODEDVIEW
<.>
s/sz"
shank hole,countersunk
on bottomside,with a
7/aq"pilolholee/+" deep in handle

Findmoreshopproiectplansat:
woodmagazine.com/freeplans

(
#8x11/z"F.H.
wood screw

woodmagazine.com
35
Douetail-
KeyJig
Perhapsno otherioint
has more strength
or better looks than
a cornerjoined by
through dovetails.
But here'sa simpler { The jig below mountsto a miter gauge The miter slot-to-routerbit spacingon
joinery processthat * that slidesin the miter slot of a router your table may affect the exactplacement
table. Built to the length shown,on most of the screws.Be sureto put them where
comes pretty close. router tables it will handle boxes with the routerbit will not cut into them.
With just a router sidesup to about24" wrde.You can tailor
the length to better suit your router table.
. ;Mark the locationwherethe shankof
:..,thedovetailbit will passthroughthejig
table and a home- Note: If your table has a plunge router, in the following steps.First usea 1"-wide
madeiig, you can it may be impossibleto raise the bit high
enough to make a full-depth cut. AIso,
dadoset.asshownin Drawing 2, to remove
the stockin this areaof the jig; this will
crank out terrific box the shorter shanks on smaller bits may allow the bit to passthroughthejig. Make
prevent the bit from cutting high enough. this cut through only the "V" portion of
corners like the one In that case,you may have to make the the jig-do not cut through the vertical
aboveright. jig froml/2" plywood. piece that mounts to the miter gauge.

IexeloDED vrEW
STOPBLOCK
DETAIL t/a"sawdust relief
rabbetst/a"deep

3/qx21/2x6"
stopblock

'r'aI ,. 1
3/qx 31/qx 24'r plywood

#10 R.H.or P.H.woodscrews 3/qx3x24"

#8 x 11/2"
F.H.wood screws plywood

36 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008


You also could make this cut by sawinga
seriesof kerfs with a handsawand chisel-
ing out the waste.
Mount a dovetail bit in your table-
mounted router. We used an tt/re"-
diameterbit with an 8ocutter angleand a
/2" shank for the dovetails shown oppo-
site top in the t/+"-thickcornerstock.Most
dovetailbits will work, and you may want
to considerusing smallerbits for thinner
stock.Raise the bit so it will cur to the
correct approximatedepth through your
workpiecesitting in the jig.
jig throughthe spinningbit,
QPass the
\Jas shown in Drawing 3. The bit's
shankshouldpreventthe bit from passing
through the back sideof the jig.
,fi Assemble a mitered corner from
*fscrap
stock of the same thickness
as the wood used in your box. Use this
test piece to fine-tune the height of the
routerbit. On the inside of the "V," mark
the centerof the dovetailcut. as shownin
Drawing 4.
frOn a piece of paper that's as long as
rJyour box corners,lay out the position
of the dovetails.You can spacethe dove-
tails evenly or unevenly, but it usually
looks bestto havea symmetricalarrange-
ment.For our box, we put one dovetail in
the exact center,with equal spacingbe-
tween the dovetails.The spacebetween
the end dovetailsand the endsof the cor-
ner equal half of the spacebetweenthe
dovetails.Mark the dovetail centers.
Position your layout on the inside of
the jig's "V," as shown in Drawing 5,
woodmagazine.com
with the centerof the right-mostdovetail
aligned with the center mark on the jig.
Positionand clamp the block at the end of
the paperlayout.
jig, butt it against
ftPlace your box in the
\rthe stop, turn on the router, and pass
the V portion of the jig through the bit as
shownin Drawing 6.Aftermakingthecut,
lift the workpieceoff the jig and pull the
jig back through the bit. Do not leavethe
box in thejig whenyou pull thejig back-
doing so may enlarge the dovetail cut.
Make this cut on eachof the box corners
(four total cuts).
JRotate the box 180o so its bottom
f facesin the oppositedirection it faced
in the previousstep.Butt the box against
the stop, and again cut each of the four
cornersas shownin Drawing 7. Rotating
the box in this fashionensuressymmetri-
cal spacing.Move the clampedstopblock
as necessaryto make the remaining cuts.
QMeasure the depthof the dovetailcuts,
\Jas shownin Drawing 8. Your dovetail
key stock should be l/ro"thicker than the
depth of the dovetail cut. Rip this stock
so it's t/ro" wider than the widest part of
the dovetail cut.
Ousing the samedovetail bit as before,
Vadjust it t/td" higher than the thick-
ness of your dovetail-key stock. Adjust
the fence on your router table so the bit
just barely cuts into the key stock at table
height, as shownin Drawing 9.
Passthe stock along the bit. At the end
of the cut you will get a small amount of
snipe.You'll cut this off later.
JE
{ flRotate the key stock end for end,
| \Jkeeping the sameface down. Rout
the other edge,as shownin Drawing 10.
Test the fit of this stock in the dovetail
cuts. (Slide the unsniped portion of the
stock into the dovetail cut.) The stock
should be slightly too wide. Adjust the
fencejust a hair and recut the stock. Do
this until the stockfits tightly in the dove-
tail cuts.Cut off the snipedends.
{ { Cut the key stock into lengths
I I about W" longer than the dovetail
cuts. Apply glue to the dovetail cuts and
slide the keys into them, leaving about
Vs" extra key length at both ends of the
.
dovetailcuts.
After the glue sets,saw off the excess.
key stock, as shown in Drawing 11. A
special flush-cutting handsaw works
well, or you can usea typical handsawif
you protect the box with a sheetof card
stockas shown.Q
Writtenby Bill Krier with Chuck Hedlund
lllustrations:Brian Jensen; Roxanne LeMoine
37
Router-
Planing
Jig
How Craig Bentzley
Gorralswild grain

3J li,J'T' .,]',,lllx
[,T:-l:,i'l'-'
I with some wild wood." says
I craftsman Claig Bentzley of
Chalfbnt. Pennsylvania.After more than
30 years of buildin-efurniture and restor-
ing antiques, Craig's amassed a pile of
curly. crotch, quilted, and spalted stock.
Like -tems in the rough, these boards are
destined to become door panels. table-
tops. or other eye-catchin-sparts in his
mllselrm-quality work. "Fi-uuredstock is
tricky." l-resays. "Most production shops
will toss theseboards becausethey're to<r
much work." Though it takes time. tam-
ing wild stock can be rewarding. "Once
yoLr see what yor"r'reworking with. you
won't mind the extra tirne." he says.

Tametear-outwith
jig
a router-planing
Typically, wild-,grained boards are
cupped. twisted. or bowed. To flatten
thenr, Crai,e pref'ers usin-e hand planes,
but this piece of crotch walnut, rigltt, ta-
pered from one end to the other, required
a dift-erent tact. "l could have hancl-
planed one f'acein less time than it took
to bLrildthe.iig. But now that it's bLrilt.the
router works twice as fast." he says.The
ii,e's rails can be sized to sr.rrf-ace hoarcls
or lzirninationsseveralf'eetwide or lon-t.
There are seven parts to Crai-e'sjiS-
c
o
c
c
two sides. two handles. a base. and two -
N

rails. To build it. cr-rtthe parts to the di- r!

E
o
m e n s i o n ss h o w n i n D r a w i n g 1 . a n d t h e n 6
o
o
d r i l l a n d c o u n t e r s i n kt h e s c r e w h o l e s i n 6
E

the t/+"-thickacrylic base so the screw

L

Craig Bentzley'ssuper-simpleplaning jig cuts through all types of tough stock

heads won't hit the rails and there's without tear-out. And while most jointers max out at 6 or 8"-wide,this jig can flatten
enou-uhthread to attach yoLlrroLlter.Drill b o a r d su p t o 1 7 " w i d e .

38 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

and countersink the remaining screw
holes for attaching the base to the sides
and the sides to the handles. Bore the
centeredhole for routerbit clearance,and
the starterholesfor the handle openings.
Cut the handle openings,dado the sides
where shown, and then glue and screw
thejig together.
Note that the rails are simply made
from 3/q"scrap plywood. Cut them so
they standabout Vq"taller and at least6"
longer than your workpiece. (The extra
length preventsyour router from taking
a nosedive at the end of the cut. Also,
the inside rail or spacer allows you to
rout beyond the edge of the workpiece.)
You can use any flat-bottomed bit. but
Craig recommendsa ltA" diameter dish-
carving bit that routs a wide path. The
bit's radiused edges also help transition
into the next pass.
How to put the router-
planingjig to work
Craig begins the planing processby first
securing the workpiece to his bench
and and attaching his router to the jig's
acrylic base. To hold the workpiece in
place and to preventit from rocking, he
uses a combination of wedges,hot-melt
glue (to temporarily weld the rails to the
workpiece), and bench dogs (to secure
everything to the bench). Next, he sets
his router bit to make a light cut, and
with the tool turned on, he runs the jig
over the face of the workpiece,as shown
opposite. The bit will cut the same
regardlessof the way the grain is run-
ning, so you can make your passesback
and forth or acrossthe board. He makes
successivelydeeperpasses,if needed,to
flatten the workpiece.
This jig also doublesas a no-tear-out
thicknesser. Once Craig surfaces one
face, he removes the wedges,flips the
board over, and surfacesthe other side.
Becausethe bit cuts the wood at a dif-
ferent angle than planer knives, it won't
tear the stock.Leavethe board aboutVro"
extra thick for sandinsrouter tracks. lF

4 tips forwildwood
. Learnto readroughwood.Unusual
tear-outfrom the sawmillmight
ll exploDEDvtEW suggestbird's-eyeor curlyfigure.
R=1" HANDLES
. Tamethetwistfirst.Flattenoneface
usinga plane,jointer,or a plan-
1tla"starter ing jig. At this point,minortear-
43/q"

lqx7 x 36" clearacrylic
7se"shank hole,countersunk
on bottomface
L board with a 50/50 mixture of
DY"?'-/
i hole out is okay;you'reonly trying to
establisha flat referencesurface.
. Adjustyourmachinesto cut light-
Router ly. Set yourjointerand planerto
mountingholes 3/a" dado
th" deep makesuper-light cuts,especially
on the first pass.To improvethe
cut, feed the board at an angle.
You can try misting down the
fabric softener and water-a
mixture that helps expand and
soften fibers so they cut rather
thantearout.
. When all else fails, scrape or
sand. A scraperplane,such as
the one shown below, is faster
# 8 x 1 1 / z 'F . H .
wood screws than sanding, and leaves a
smoothersurface.

l! eruosEcloN vtEW ROUTER

HANDLE
ACRYLICBASE

Fitting in somewhere between a

smoothing plane and a belt sandern
OUTSIDERAIL a scraping plane does the best job
of cleaning up curly stock. Being the
STRIGHTBIT easiest plane to master, it requires
no set-up and leaves a smoother
I N S I D ER A I L finished surface than a router.

woodmagazine.com 39
40 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008
 Ithoughindispensablein a wood- 6"----8"
working shop,most drill presses
come equippedwith a table more Enuxn-rARYTABLE
suitedto metalworking.This add- EXPLODEDVIEW
on table with fence sets things straight,
supplying everything the cast-iron table
on your drill presslacks.

Start with the table

{ For the base (A), cut two l4Vzx29vz"
I piecesof t/2"plywood.(We usedBaltic 141/z'
birch plywood for its flatnessand absence
of voids.You also can use regularbirch
plywood or medium-densityfiberboard.) on centerpointof
Glue and clamp the piecestogether,keep- I chuck Centerpointof
141/2" chuck
ing their ends and edges flush, where
shownon Drawing 1.
f)From t/+"temperedhardboard,cut the
ltap sides (B), top front (C), and top
back(D) to the sizeslistedin the Materi-
g/sz"pilot hole
als List. Mark thez/s"-radius finger notch
on the front edgeof part D, where shown
on Drawing 1. Cut and sandit to shape. 4Y2'
[The notch makes it easy to remove the 291/z'
insert (E).1Now spreadglue on the backs
of the hardboardtop parts, and glue and
clampthem to the l"-thick plywoodbase,
as shownin Photo A. 7+"mini-track
#6x1/2"F.H.woodscrew 29t/z"long
QDraw the 3t/q"-radius cutoutat the rear
\Jof the table,whereshownon Drawing 1.
Bandsawor jigsaw and sandit to shape.
ATo locate the 3Vzx3Vz"cttout in the
'Tadd-on table base,install a Ve"bit in
the drill-press chuck, center your metal
drill-press table under the bit, and lock
the table in place. Position the add-on
table to centerthe bit in the recessfor the
insert(E) createdby partsB, C, and D. If
the metal drill-press table protrudesbe-
yond the front edge of the add-on table,
slide the add-on table forward until the
two are flush. Clamp the add-ontable in
place. Now drill a %" hole all the way
through the base(A). Removethe add-on
table, and turn it upsidedown. Mark the
3Vzx3Vz"cutout centeredon the Vs"hole.
Then drill 3/s"holes at the corners, and
cut the opening with a jigsaw. Now cut
the insert (E) to the size listed.
With glue applied to their bottom surfaces, position top parts B, C, and D on the 1"-thick
f,For a drill press with slots through base (A). To keep them from shifting, tape the top parts to each other and to the base with
tJits metal table, cut the groove for the masking tape. Then clamp the top and base between 7+"-thickcauls and 2x3 bearers.
mini-track in the bottom of the add-on
tablewhereshownon Drawing 1.
For a drill press without slots in its
ftTurn the table over, and cut dadoes Now, make the fence .
metal table,drill two V+"mountingholes. \Jfor the top mini-tracks, where shown { Cut the base blank (F), face blanlc
Locate the holes about halfway between on Drawing 2. (The dadoesare centered I (G), lower rear blank (H), and upper
the center of the table and its rear edge on thejoint lines betweenthe parts B and rear blank (I) to size. Install a :/a" dado
and as far apart as possible.Then clamp the parts C and D.) blade in your tablesaw,and position the
the add-on table in place as before, and fenceto cut centeredgroovesin the thick-
tracethe hole locationson its bottom. Cut Note: To add under-table dust collection ness of parts H and I, where shown on
the groovefor the mini-track so it passes for the sanding-drum setup shown in the Drawings 3 and 4. Then cut %0"-deep
over the hole locations. photo, near left, see page 46. groovesin theseparts, and mark the face

woodmagazine.com 41
 t/+"F.H. bolt
knob |t/z" long E EXPLODEDVIEW
FEN.E EXTENST.N .4-arm
74"press-ln /+" SAE washer
fs,threaded insert

that was against the saw

sttG_ Ta"steel rod
14/2" long
fence. When cutting the
top and bottom grooves
*rm'-'*W
v tU-jJX -'"14r/;,long

in the lower rear blank. MICRO-ADJUSTABLE

STOPBLOCK
keep the marked face
against the fence for both cuts. Now
without changingthe setup,cut a mating HOLD-DOWN %" hexheadbolt
ASSEMBLY FENCE
groovein the baseblank. |Vz" long EXTENSION
a)Glue and clamp the face blank (G) to
Athe base blank (F), where shown on
Drawing 4. Make sure the face blank is
squareto the base blank. With the glue
dry, glue and clamp the lower rear blank
(H) and upper rear blank (I) in place, as 7+"mini-track
14V2"long 4t/2"(See Step 5
on page 41.)

1/q"hole or existingslot
-: =-.-.:
TABLE
DRILL-PRESS

taperedhandleknob

shown in Photo B. Before

With their marked faces against the back
of the face blank (G), glue the lower rear
blank (H) and the upper rear blank (l) to
each other and to the base blank (F) and
face blank (G). Apply clamping pressure
in two directions.
the glue dries, run a length of
7s" steel rod in and out of the
squareholesto clear awayany excessglue.
{!Cut a3/q"groove3/e"deepfor the mini-
9track in the fence face (G), where
shown on Drawing 4. Then cut a VsxVB"
sawdust-relief rabbet along the bottom
edge of the fence face.
/lTrim one end of the assembledfence
rtblank
square,and then cut it into three
pieces,where shownon Drawing 3, mak-
ing a 22V2"-longfence and two 3Vz"-long
extensions.Cut off the baseportions of the
extensions,where shown on Drawing 4.

Tiros on usinct
thieaded ins-erts
Shop fixtures and jigs often requirethe
installationof variousclampingor adjust-
ment knobs.That'swhen you'll reachfor
threadedinserts.Commonlyavailablein
sizes from #8-32 (a #8 screw body with
32 threadsper inch)to 3/a"-16 (as/a"screw
body with 16 threadsper inch),there are
two basic types: thread-inand press-in,
shown at near right.
Use thread-ininserts in softer woods
and plywoodwhere their coarse outside
threadscut easily into the surrounding epoxy the insert in place.To protectthe blockof wood. For applicationsin which
wood. Simply drill a hole sized for the internal threads from epoxy, cover the the clampingactiontendsto push the in-
bodyof the insert,and screwit intoplace. end of the insert,as shown above right. sert out of the wood, such as the knobs
ln very hard woods, such as white oak Press-ininserts,with their barbedexte- that tightendown on the drill-pressfence
and maple,or whenthe insertis closeto riors,work well in hard or soft woods and extensionrods,drilla hole that engages
the edge of a part and screwingit in may plywood.Drill a hole sized for the body just the tips of the insertbarbsand epoxy
splitthe wood, drill a hole slightlylarger of the insert,and press it into place with the insertin place.
than the outside thread diameter,and a clampor tap it in with a hammerand a

42 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 g FENCEEXPLODEDVtEW

Chuckkey

Y
3/s"grooves
s/0"deep,

7e" groove
s/0" deep
3Aa"trom
front edge

Holesizedto fit
..2 drillchuck key

# 6 x 1 / 2 "F . H . (- 7sz"pilothole
wood screw Te"deep
/a" rabbet Trim basesfrom
both extensions.

ffiBending a fairing strip to join their Note: The mini-track has a

ruFendpoints and centerpoints, mark the small flange along one out-
centered radius cutouts on the top of the
fence and the back of its base (F), where
side edge, where shown on ErerucesEcTtoN
vtEW
Drawing 4. To make certain
shown on Drawing 3. Bandsaw or jig- the track in the fence aligns 7/'ra"hole
saw, and sand them to shape. Then drill e/6" deep
with the track in the exten-
/-+"holes for the bolts that hold the fence sions, orient the flange in
to the table and a hole for the drill-press the same direction in all
chuck key in the f-encebase, where shown three parts.
in Drawing 3. *$Cut four l4t/z"-longpiec- 7e" grooves /io" deep,
centered
ta#les of 3/s"steel rod with a
ftTo install press-inthreaded inserts in
Vthe fence portion of part l, drlll1/a" hacksaw.Using SO-gritsand- 7a"grooves3/6"deep,
centered
holes to intersect the top square hole in paper, rough up 3V2."at one Mini-track
the fence, where shown on Drawings end of each rod, and epoxy
3 and 4. Spread epoxy in the holes, and these ends into the square
press the inserts in place. When the holes in the fence extensions.
epoxy cures, ream out any excess that To hold the rods parallel
Trim the fence
may have dripped into the extension rod while the epoxy cures, in- t,/e"deep extensionshere.
holes with a 7s" drill bit. For more infor- sert their other ends into the
mation on using threaded inserts, see the square holes in the fence.
sidebar,opltosite.
^ft To make knobs for lock-
%ine the fence extensions
I iI:i':;l "-iiii: etS$gf1^6L]5q' in place,refer to Drawing 2, and thread the fencebasewith the bolts,drop on flat
t t " i g i . * r 6 ^ - : r;:. r i t r i , F f E ! { ; e 7r/z."-long
flathead bolts partway into a washers,andfastenthe fencewith four-arm
{ Cover the bottoms of the grooves pair of four-armknobs.Apply epoxy un- knobs.Then, slide the extensionrods into
& and dadoes for the mini-track in the der the heads,and then seatthe bolts in the fence,andthreadin the lockingknobs.
table and fence with masking tape. Now the knobs.
apply a clear finish to all parts. (We used
ffi,At shown on Drawing 2, slide the -edffiffirTfrLi.iris [;r$*$**tmpfuf;u*re,
two coats of satin polyurethane, sanding q#heads of two hexheadbolts into the
between coats with 220-grit sandpaper.) S To form the body (J), cut two pieces
auxiliary table bottom mini-track.Posi- F of /+" stockto 2x21/s", and glue them
When the final coat of finish dries. remove tion the auxiliarytableon the drill-press togetherface-to-face,keepingtheir ends
the masking tape. table,droppingthe bolts into the slotsor and edgesflush. With the glue dry, cut a
QUsing the countersunk holes in the holes.Add washersand threadon the ta- t/+"dado3/t(,"deepcenteredin the back of
ffimini-track as guides, drill pilot holes peredhandleknobs. the body,whereshownon Drawing 5.
into the mating table and fence parts. Note: The taperedhandle knobsfor this
(The mini-track supplied with the hard-
ffiCut the pad (K) to size, and adhere
jig accept about t/u" of bolt length. You f it with double-facedtape ro rhe right
ware kit listed in Sources on page 44 may need to trim the 2"-long hexhead side of the body (J) in the configurarion
comes cut to the needed lengths.) Apply bolts to accommodatethe thickness of shownon Drawing 5. Chuck a t/2"Forst-
epoxy to the bottoms of the grooves and your drill-press table. ner bit in your drill press,and drill a 3/t"-
dadoes, and screw and clamp the mini-
ffiSlide hexheadbolts into the auxiliary deep counterborein the left side of the
track in place. {#table topmini-tracks. Align rheholesin body, where dimensionedand as shown

woodmagazine.com
43
 tZ" counterbore7e"deep with a
r/+"hole centeredinside EsropeLocK
r/+"lock nut epoxied g/+"counterbore7e"deep
intonartQ "1 t/a" hexhead bolt 2" long
.-l th,, dado
'f:.tt?33'
in Photo C. Now, without moving the I
parts,changeto a t/q"bit, and drill a hole, A_/ \sb@ o/e,,
deep
7a"counterbore
centeredin the counterbore,all the way b-O._-\4
throughboth parts. 1 r/a"roundhead
4-arm I hnlt 4tl2"
bolt 41/c" long
lono,
QSeparate the pad (K) from the body
trr(J). Using a 3/q"Forstnerbit, drill 3/s"-
knobs
P@
( ( /a" sAE
27/e"

deep counterboresin the body and pad, @' \ \--washer

t/a"lock nut
centered on the /+" holes, where shown \ {l
on Drawing 5. tto centerthe Forstnerbit, /a" SAE washer l"t,?'
H
3/q'
insert piecesof V+"dowel in the holesbe- s/4tr1"/4
/q" SAE washer
fore drilling. Now, centeringa t7/oq" bit in
the t/q"dado in the back of the body, drill
a hole through the body, where shown. Epoxy a four-arm knob onto the end JAssemble the hold-downclampsin the
of the roundheadbolt. Slide a hex- f configuration shown on Drawing 2.
lllEpoxy a lock nut in the Vz"counter-
'tbore in the body (J). Then cut the headbolt through the stop body (J) from Slide the hexheadsof their bolts into the
guide bar (L) to size,and glue and clamp the back. and add a washerand four-arm mini-track. Now yolr woodworking drill
it in the dado in the back of the body, knob at the front, as shown on Draw- pressis ready for action.Q
flush with its right edge,where shownon ing 5. To use the stopblock,first adjust Written by Jan Svec
Drawing 5. it to leave Vz" between the pad (K) and Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz
the body. Slide the guide bar and the bolt lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
EApply a clear finish to the parts.With
9the finish dry, slip a /+" SAE washer hexheadinto the mini-track, using a ruler
onto the roundheadbolt, and insert it in the or tape measureto position the stopblock
holein the pad (K). (A /+" SAE washerhas closeto the desireddistancefrom the drill
an outside diameter of s/t".)Slip another bit. Clamp it in place by tightening the
washeronto the bolt. and then thread on a front knob. Now fine-tunethe distanceto base lu 141/z' 29Y2" LP
lock nut. Tighten the lock nut so it firmly the bit by turning the end knob. Because B topsides 1/q" 1O/a' 14Y2" H
holds the pad, but still allows the bolt to the clamping knob and guide bar (L) are 1/t"
C topfront 3Y4" 83/4" H
turn. Now assemblethe pad and the body centeredin the stopblockbody, you can
D topback 1/+" 5%" 83A" H
(J), as shownin Photo D, driving the bolt use it on either side of the drill-press
until the pad contactsthe body. chuck by simply turning it over.

baseblank
G faceblank Yz" 3u 32'
H lowerrearblank 3A" 1Y2" 32'
upperrearblank s/t" 3/+"

'1Y2"
body 2" 2'1/8" LM 1

K pad 3/+" '1Y2" 27/eu M

L guidebar 1/4, 3/s, 11/d' M

plywood,
Materialskey:LP-laminated H-tempered
M-maple,
hardboard, LM-laminated maple.
With the pad (K) down and the dadoed back With the pad (K) mounted on the bolt with tape,
Supplies:Masking tape,
double{aced t/"dowel,
epoxy.
of the body (J) against the fence, clamp washers and a lock nut, slide the bolt into bits.
dadoset:/2"and/+"Forstner
Bladesandbits:Stack
the parts in place, and drill a 72"counter- the stop body (J), and drive it into the
bore3/e"deep in the side of the body. lock nut epoxied in the body. Sources
Hardwarekit. #6xlz" flatheadwoodscrews (12);
2912"
7a"mini-track: long(1),14y2' long(2),22Y2" long(1),
andSlz" long(2);t/a"press'inthreadedinserts (2);%"
steelrod1412"long(4);%"flathead bolls11/2" long(2);%"
roundhead boll4lz"long(1);t/+"hexhead bolts:1/i' long
Cutting (2),2"long(3);%"SAEflatwashers (5);t/i' locknuts(2);
Diagram four-armknobs(6);tapered handleknobs (2);1/q" lDxl1h"
ODlender washers (2);hold-down assemblies (2).Kitno
ADP-1, $64.95 plusshipping. Schlabaugh & Sons Wood-
1/2x24 x 30" Baltic birch plywood(2 needed) 1/rx 24 x 48" Hardboard working,800-346-9663, schsons.com.
*Resawand plane Sheetgoodskit. TwoVzxl4Tzx29Vz" pieces ofBaltic
birchplywood andone1/rx15Vqx31{s" pieceoftempered
to the thicknesses
listedin the hardboard,Kitno.LP-6, $25.95plusshipping. Telephone
g/+x51/zx 96" Maple (4 bd. ft.) MaterialsList. number andWebaddress listedabove.

44 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 ,, 7i//),
,/,1
/./,//

hether you acld sancling-clrurl Note: If'vour tuble doe.sn'thuve a cutout

ch-rstcollection to the adcl-on untl ittsert, drill -y's"('ortter ltole .s, urtcl.jig-
clrill-press table. clr to solre .\ovt'u cutoltt. Tltett rout o-t/t" rubbet t/t"
's
other table. hele the low- cleeptround it.serlge.s.fbru t/t"-tltic'k insert.
down on how to do it. Before applying Change to a-%"rabbetin_e bit. and rout a
t h e f i n i s h a n c l i n s t a l l i n gt h e t n i n i - t r a c k . /s"-cleep rabbet along the edges of the
Iay orrt t 2t/:"-wiclestoppeclchannel that centef cLrtoLttancl the channel. ils shou,n
intersectsthe 3t/:x3t/:" cutout in tl-reta- in Photo B. Stop the rabbet wherc dinten-
ble. w,lrereshown in clrawin_9 belrnr. (Ltty sioned beknr. Cr-rttwo %" hardboard covers
out tlie channel to tl'reright or lefi of the to fit the rabbeteclopenin-us,anclglue and
centercLltolrt,depenclin-u ctnthe rnostcon- c l a r n p t h e r l i n p l a c e .A p p l y a f i n i s h . a n d
venient location for youl shop vactrurl.) i n s t a l l t h e n t i n i - t r a c k .U s i n - ut h e l - r o l e si n
Then aclhere scrapwc-rocl -luicles to the the shop-vacLlLlm dust port as _quides. drill
t a b l e w i t h c l o L r b l e - l a c e tcal p e . a l i g n i n g screw holes. anclfhsten it in place. IF
t h e n r w i t h t h e l a y o L r tl i n e s . N o w r o u t a
y'ir"-cleep channel. as sho\.1,n in Photo A. /
.$*r*x:*e
l"lustB*ri"Plastic
$2.50.LeeValley.
dustportn0.03J61.10,
shop-vacuum
orgoto
Call800-871-8158
tr
Using a pattern bit guided by scrapwood
leevalley.com. guides,rout a 2t/2"-widestoppedchannel
%" deep in the bottom of the table.
21/ex 41/qx 41/q"hardboard
Sandradiusto matchrabbetedcorners.

Leavethesecornerssouare.
1/ax 31h x 81/2"hardboard

Sandradiusto match
rabbetedcorners.
@ dustport
Shop-vacuum

3t/zx 3t/2"cutoul #6 x 1/2"panhead

SCTEW

#6 flatwasher Stop line

%" rabbeta--5
Va' deep \

EXPLODEDVIEW
(Bottomside shown)
3'ya tr /
Rout a 7s"rabbet /a" deep along the edges
-widestoppedchannel
21/2" of the 31/2x31/2"
cutout and the edges of
s/e"deep,centeredon the
the 2t/2"-widechannel,stopping 3" from
3t/zx 3t/2"cutout its end.

woodmagazine.com
45
 Bandsaw
Multi-Jig
ls your bandsaw
the versatile
precisiontool you
want it to be?

rt,
'$e'
$i")
,<'
-'--:**=\

e'vejust the solutionfor you.

Thejig tableincreases the size
"rilHfi,-;
*m$i.lj of your bandsaw table, and
the guidessteadythe bladeat
tabletop height to minimize any blade
wander and increase accuracy. Next, add
the easy-to-alignfence, shown on page 51.
Finally, the circle-cuting guide attach-
ment, shown on page 52, allows you to
cut disc after disc with amazing accuracy
and consistency without ever drilling a
hole in your workpiece.

de@
woodmagazine.com 47

Using the front table as a guide, use a center punch to mark the hole locations on the
metal bandsaw table.
Note: This jig was designedto fit most
14" bandsawtables.If your metal band-
saw table measuresmore than 10" in
front of or behind the blade, you'll need
to increase the depth (front to back) of
thejig. If your metal table measuresmore
than 9" on eithersideof the blade,you'll
'need
to increasethe width of thejig table.
For larger bandsaw tables, the distance
betweenthe guides (E) must be 1/t"more
than the width of your metal table plus
the length of the protrusion of the metal
alignmentpin.
Start with the two-part
plywood table
.l Cut the two tables(A) to the size lisr
I ed in the Materials List. (Due to its
stabilityand strength,we used7+"[8mm
actuall Baltic birch plywood.)Mark and
cut a 7+" radius on two cornersof each
table,whereshownon Drawing 2.
f)Using a /+" spline cutter in a router
&table or a dadobladein your tablesaw,
cut a V+"grooves/r," deep,centeredalong
the insideedgeof eachtable(A).
48
ff Placethe front table(A) on your metal
tJbandsaw table, and center the table
side-to-sidefrom the blade. Now, stand
in front of your bandsaw,and move the
tabletowardyou until it is l7+"in front of
the centerof the bandsawblade.Clamp
the tablein place.
/lLook under the metal table on your
'Tbandsaw, and locate any protruding
websor brackets.Then, locateand mark
the centerpointsfor a pair of Vq"holeson
the front table,beingcarefulnot to locate
the holesdirectly overany websor brack-
ets on the bottom sideof the metal table.
Hold a drill with a r/q"hrgh-speedtwist
bit in it directly over the markedcenter-
points,and make sure the drill can be
positionedso the bit is perpendicularto
the table.If the top of the bandsawgets
in the way, move the hole centerpoints
forward,againbeingcarefulnot to locate
them over any webs or bracketson the
bottom sideof the metaltable.
fRemove the front table sectionfrom
Uyour bandsawjig, and form a pair of
counterboredslotsin it, where indicated
on the FrontTableportionof Drawing 2.
Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
The slotsallow you to adjustthe woodjig
tableon the metalbandsawtable.
ftReposition and clamp the front table
Lt(A) to your bandsawtable l3/+"in front
of the centerof the blade. As shown in
Photo A, usea centerpunchto mark the
centerof the slot locationsonto the metal
table. Removethe front wood table, and
drill a t3/r,+"
holethroughyour metalband-
saw table at eachmarkedcenterpoint.
ATup the holes in the metal bandsaw
f tablewith a r/+-20tap.
Next, add the spacers
and bladeguides
Cut the spacers(B) and bladeguides
{
I (C) to size.
flUsine your tablesawor router table,
hori i tonguealong both edgesof
eachspacerto fit snugbut slidesmoothly
in the mating groovesin the front and
rear tables(A).
flForm a t/v,"-notchl3A" long in each
tJbfade guide, where shown opposite
on Drawing 1a.
I Drill the holes,and screw the blade
rtguides
(C) to the spacers(B). Note
that you will have a mirror-imagerighr
hand and leflhand spacer/guide.Sand
the top and bottom of the blade guides
flush with the spacersif necessary.
Gut and secure the
clamp blocks and guides
{ Cut the clamp blocks (D) to size.
I Mark and drill the sAz"holes.where
shownon Drawing 2.
ff Drill a pair of 3/e"holesin eachclamp
4block throush which the all-thread
rod will pass.
{lCut two piecesof 7s" all-threadrod
\Jto 23r/z"lons.
./f Screw the ilocks to the bottom side
tof the front and rear tables(A), where
shownon Drawing 2.
 IE SPNCER/GUIDE
(Right-hand
spacer/guide
shown)

s/sz"hole, countersunk

\ f.--t-
#8 x 11/z'F.H. 31/z'
wood screws

ry"J
W1s/q"rabbel t/a" deep
7/a+"pilol holes g/+"deep

tZ" rabbetstA" deeptop and bottom

E To form the guides (E), rip four 7s"-

t lthick stripsfrom the edgeof 3/q"stock
l9t/s" long. Using the Groove detail ac-
companyingDrawing 1 for reference, cut
a 3/s"groove3/to"deep,centeredalongone
E EXPLODEDVIEW
edgeof eachstrip.
ftDry-clamp two of the strips together 1/a"groove5/6"deep,centeredalongedge
\lgroove-to-groove. Slide a pieceof 3/s" SPACER/GUIDE (left-handone shown;
guideis not shown in drawing)
right-handed
all-threadrod into the opening created
by the mating grooves.The rod should 1/a-20x 1" panhead
fit snugly yet slide back and forth in the machinesbrew \ REARTABLE
opening.Enlargethe grooveif necessary. (holesin bandsaw \
Then, glue and clamp the two strips to-
tabletappedto fit)
I
gether to make each guide (E). Run the t/zx1" slot
t/q" deep with a e/e"SAE flat
all-threadrod through the squareopen- t/a" slot
washer and nut
ing in each laminated guide to remove 7a" long,
any glue squeeze-out. Wait l0 minutes, centered
inside
and repeatthe reamingprocess.
J Sand each guide (E) smooth.Then,
f aritt t/16"pilot holes through each t/q" groove
3/e"hole

guide 3Az"from the edges,where shown s/ro"deep,

on Drawing 1. Later, you'll drive nails centered \
along edge , lf
| #B x 1 1/q"F.H,
throughtheseholesto securethe guides I I wood screw
to the bottom of the rear table (A). Note: Guides(E)
are gluedand nailed
to reartable (A). 4 1 1 / q x" 1 6 f i n i s h n a i l
s/sz"trom outside edge
Drill%e"pilot hole first.

7a"all-threadrod Te" hole

23t/z"long

78"SAE flat

3/+' 101/q'
washerand nut

I
tl
\
)
#8 x 11/q"F . H . '
".+-ff f(
.)r\/ (t
wood sc rew s/sz"
B spacerguides 3/a' 4" 9i/q" BP tl hole,
countersunk
C bladeguides 3/n" s/q" 31/z' I\/
LCI'
on bottomside \ Ta".grOOveJ
) [

D clampblocks 3/+" 11/4' 20"

E guides 3/q' 3/qu 197/a'
Findmoregreatjigsat
Materials key:BP-birchplywood,
B-birch. w ood magazi ne.com/ji gs
Supplies:#8x1r/q"
flatheadwoodscrews(8),#8x1t/z'
flathead
woodscrews (4),1/+'x16
finish
nails,
7e"
all{hread long(2),%'SAEflatwashers
rod231/z" and
nuts(4),1/q-20x1"
panhead machine
screws(2).

woodmagazine.com 49
 (B,
QPosition thetables(A) andspacers
fJCl upsidedown on your workbench,
with the spacersbetweenthe tables as
shownin Photo B. Slide the all-thread
rod through the clamp blocks (D) and
guides(E) to align the pieces.Leavea t/+"
gap at the front end of eachguide (E) and
next to one clamp block (D). Glue and *.,
nail the guidesto just the rear table (A).

Here's how to set

the blade guides
Using a pair of panheadmachinescrews,
attachthejig to your bandsaw.Adjustthe
wood tablesand guides so the blade is tr
With the tables and spacers upside down, slide the all-threadrod through the clamp
positionedbetweenthe blade guides,as b l o c k s a n d g u i d e s t o a l i g n t h e p i e c e s .N a i l t h e g u i d e s i n p l a c e .
shown on Drawing 3 below. The blade
guides(C) shouldbejust nextto the blade
without touchingit.
Note:If youplanto buildthe Circle-Cutting @ennrsvrEW R=3/a"

Guide (page52),the trammelpoint must

be exactlyperpendicular to the bandsaw
r _ 20'

blade'stooth tips or the circles attempted r/4

;,,
won't be perfectly sized. I
| '/4

For changingtheblade,simplyremove (l
the nuts and washersfrom thefront end I
\ Locationof @
of the front table,and slide the rear table 101
(A) off the metal bandsawtable. Change of @
LocatioH
I 7- nrn$nare
blades,and reconnectthe rear table.lF
1/q"groove 5/6" deep,'
oneose
cdn{ereo @-
7
_-/t--
EleLnoeLocATtoN ., 1/zx 1" slots /+" deep
t/a" slot s/q"long, J
with a 7a" slot 7a" long,
centered inside centered inside (for

---t
.---\ --\--
'
*'1,, 0
4I-l @ --l *2
2I |.- FRONTTABLE
Gulletof blade .Dimensionas
shouldalmosttouch ',,r.- Localion of
edge of notch.
determined in the @ @- 10
howto copyto provide
t/a" gap
necessaryclearance i 1/o"gal
whendrillingthrough Location
of@
the tableintothe metal i i-- 1 I
bandsawtable. i ---z \ I
\ 11/q"
s/|,

R=3/a

7ez"holes,countersunkon bottomside

t"
l-a
] ]l
5/e"

20'

50 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

Straight-Shooting make surethe headis at a90" angleto the
non-taperededge.
Once you haveall the parts assembled,

Alignable positionthe fenceon your bandsawtable.

Tighten the3/s"handleto securethe fence
in place.

Bandsaw
Test-rip on a piece of scrap, and al-
ternately loosen one machine screw and
tightenthe other until the fenceis parallel
to the cutting track of the blade. For ex-

Fence ample,if the bladewandersin (towardthe

andsawblades don't always track
straight, especially when you're
making long rip cuts. The blade
can wander off its intendedpath
and ruin your work. The folks at bandsaw
blade-manufacturer Lenox gaveus a litany
of causes:Toolow blade tension,a differ-
ence in sharpnessor tooth set on one side
of your blade,poorly alignedbladeguides,
evena buildupof sawdustbetweentheblade
and the wheel. To make ripping stock on
your bandsawan accuratetask, build this
alignablefenceto useon your table,or with
our precisionbandsawjig on page48.
Begin by cuttingthe piecesand assem-
bling themasshownon Drawingl below.
The body (A) tapersalong one edge.Cut
the body so the widestportion is centered
on your bandsawblade.When gluing and
screwingthe fence head (C) to the body,
fence),bring the infeed end slightly clos-
er to the body by turning out the outfeed
screwand turning in the infeed screw.If
it goes out from the fence, do the oppo-
site. Loosen and tighten the screws the
sameamount so as not to bow the fence.
On shorterripping cuts, suchas when
cutting shoulderson a tenon,blade travel
usually isn't a problem.For theseopera-
tions, remove the entire assembly and
rotateit so the untaperededgeof the body
is closestto the blade.|l
ProjectDesign:Chuck Hedlund
l l l u s t r a t i o n sK: i m D o w n i n g ; L o r n a J o h n s o n
Photography:Hetherington Photography

IEBODY DETATL
#6 x 3/n"panheadsheet-metalscrews -----l--.-
Note: Do not screw the aluminumplate tight againstthe
beveledend of gApbetr,ieeniheplateand @.
@. Leaveat/sz"

@ nluHltrrrruM
PLATE t\
I exeloDED
vtEW t/ex 1t/ax 21/q"aluminum '7e"
lock nut

2
. .11/a"
@ aoov
lt
/),t
11/zx 11/2"birch

Taper stafts at center of

lTse"groove
bandsawblade.Blockis
taperedafterlaminating.
.tf
13/32"
1 \ l * n . ,ru , ,
t3/ez"deep
(Cut it before
laminating Width of bandsaw
#10-32x 11/2"
R.H.
F
\.,,,'
t72\
i\-_ and tapering.) lable + 1t/2" machinescrew
#10-32threadedinsert

3/e"hole 1V+" deep FENCE

3/qx11/2" birch,lengthequals
width of bandsawtable + 1r/2"

7a"all{hreadrod
263/e"long 1t/q" 7e" hole tA" deep, IE ALUMINUMPLATEDETAIL
with a 3/ro"hole /e" shankholes

,,? 1t/2"
centered inside

--.->r/
@ rrrrrceHEAD
33/a
s/qx 1Y2"birch
\a- 2V4"
11/2" 13/sz"hole,
centered
7sz"shank holes,countersunkon bottomside. over groove
Requiresa7/aq"pilotholes/q"deep drilledinto
bottomof fence'boOV@ Locatescrews
to avoid groove.
F- 11/q"--4

woodmagazine.com 51
 Multi-Jig
Bandsaw
Circle-Cutting
Guide t/ax3/a"
{ Crosscut two pieces of flat insertsquareinto the
I steelto 18" long. Cut two piecesto slidingtrammel.
t/sxlxl7/rc"for the stop. See Drawing 1 'f Hacksaw the
for reference.Drill and tap the holes in f heads off two
the stoppieceswhereshown. tA" hexhead bolts
flCut the arms (A) to sizefrom %" solid with smooth upper
Astock (we usedbirch). shanks. Cut to 3/1"
t/q-20machine screw,
(B)
QCut the arm spacers and sliding long to form the two 7+"-longtrammel { flUsing the
Utrammel (C) to sizeplus 12"in length pointslike thoseshownin Drawing 1a. I usecure the stopto the steelstockso
from t/2"stock. (lAssemble (dry-fit)the flat steel into the stopwill slideon the flat steelstock.
t/+" rabbet t/+" deep along the Llthe groove in the arms (A), and po- { { Cut the tranrmeldisc (D) to shape,
1/lCut a
t?bottom outsideedgeof eacharm (A), sition parts B and C betweenthe steel tr I anddrill a %:" holein its center.For
where shown below. Tesrfit the newly stock.The trammel (C) must slide back useof thisjig, seeDrawing 2. dP
createdtenon on eacharm into the mat- and forth on the flat steel. Sand the
ing slotsin the table.Seepages47-50. groovesin the trammelif necessaryuntil
3/s"deep, centered it slidesfreely.
fiCut a %" groove
tJalons the inside edee of each arm flEpoxy the steelstockinto the grooves
(A) and along the extrallong blanks for {fin the arms (A). Immediatelvremove 'lg"

the arm spacers(B) and sliding trammel any excess epoxy. Later, position the B* arm soacers 1/z' 11/z' 11/z'
(C), whereshownin Drawing 1a. Check spacers (B) and sliding trammel (C)
C* slidinotrammel t/2" 11/z' 11/z'
that the t/sx3Axl8"flat steel stock slides betweenthe two assemblies, keepingthe
D trammeldisc 3%" diam. H
smoothlywithout slop in the groovesin ends of the spacersflush with the end
parts A, B, and C. Then, crosscutthe of the arms. Epoxy the spacersin place; withan* oversize
-Cutpartsmarked Trimto
inlength.
the trammel must be le.ftfree to slide finished totheinstructions.
sizeaccording
partsB and C to lengthfrom the 12"-long
blankswhereshownin Drawing 1. on the steel stock Rub a bit of paraffin Materials key:B-birch,
H-hardboard.
on the bars if necessaryso the trammel Supplies:l/axs/t" 36"long,%x1" flatsteel
flalsteel
frDrill a'ls" hole,centered,in the slid- 3tl2"long,t/+threaded hexhead
inserl:2-th-20x2" bolts
Lling trammel(C). Drive at/+"threaded slidessmoothly.
(fortrammel 1/q-20x1/2"
points), machine
flathead screw
(trimmedtou/ro'long).

vrEW
I exeloDED DETATL
l! suotNc TRAMMEL
Use 1/a-20hexhead Grindtop
s/0"chamferon inboardbottomend of arms boltswith headscut half of bbtt
offto formpins,. pont.
\ ziJi
1/q-20
F.H. machinescrew
trimmedto z/ro"long
rJ\ ("-
Inboardend
,.n'19 =\$\l-"
of guide ../ "';['fr,i1"o Vl
Saw a screw
driverslot in
bottomends
of trammel
t/q" hole. centered points.
and countersunk t/q" rabbel 7e"hole,
t/e"flat steel t/q" deep centered
1 " w i d e x 1 z l r o "l o n g t/e" grooves
r7oq"
hole,tappedfor machinescrew 7a" deep,
centered on
TRAMMEL
@ slrorr.rc edge of stock

1/+"rabbel /a" flat steel t/e" grooves 3/8"deep

t/+"deep - 3/q"wide x 18" long

52 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 BesbEver
YardFigurePlans ;# ri'
"4i
B usrrucrHE ctRCLE-
C U T T I N GG U I D E ,*"
GUIDE
CIRCLE-CUTTING
,':. ,
::. ,:.i',
*, :1i+1

STOP SLtDtNG f..4?f i i ;i h it "

TRAMMEL :t:

and PIN
...F:t..

Set stop to achieve

radiusof circleto HeavenlyWindsAngels
be cut. PlanOFS-I003 513.95 PlanOFS-I080 513.95

Removethe right-hand spacerguide,and

guide.
replaceit withthe circle-cutting
Positionand securethe slidingtrammel
so the distancefromthe centerof the pin
to the bladeis eoualto the radiusof the
circlevou wantto cut.

Sittin'Pretty Santa Sleigh

PlanOFS-I060 513.95 PlanOFS-I011 513.95

.ti

.ri

SLIDING
TRAMMEL

s i n g d o u b l e - f a c e dt a p e , a d h e r e t h e
trammeldisc to the bottomcenterof the
stock.Positionit ontothe oin.
Sleekand StylishReindeer All-StarLuminaria
PlanOFS-I068 513.95 PlanOFS-I049 59.95

dru
AngelicChorus JumboTransferPaper
Startwith the edge of the stockagainst
the blade.Turnthe saw on, and slowly PlanOFS-I019 513.95 TS-1010 S9.9s
rotatethe stock intothe blade.At the
sametime,slowlypushthe stock Seemorethan1,000 plans
otherwoodworking at:
(mountedto the discand slidingtrammel)
towardthe bladeuntiltheslidingtrammel
comesin contactwiththe stop.Bladewill
ne.com
woodmagazi /plans
beginto cut a perfectcircleat this point. Add53(5+H)
perorderto havethesefull-sized
patterns to you.Calltoll-fiee:
mailed
l-888'636-4478
woodmagazine.com haveyourcreditcardavailable.
Please
Accurate-
Alignment
Biscuit-
Jig
Joiner
Mountyour biscuit
joinerto this handyiig,
and step up to a new
levelof precisionand
conveniencewhen
cutting slots in
3/a"-thickmaterial.

Start with the base

.fl From /+" plywood,cut the base(A) to
I the finished size of 18x233/+". From
t/q"temperedhardboard,cut the top (B)
to l8t/+x24".
flUsing a dado bladein your tablesaw,
&cut a 7s"groovet/s"deepin the top of
the base,whereshownon Drawing 1 and
dimensioned on Drawing 2. Edge-to-edge joint Beveled-edge joint
f}Ar shown in Photo A, use scrap With the jig clamped to your work- Hold the part against the fixed fences
Vl/1" plywood for a platen,cauls, and bench, position the workpiece against with the beveled edge in the 3/sx3/e"
the fixed fences. Align the marks, and groove. This offsets the slot toward the
spacers,to adherethe oversizetop (B) to inside face.
cut the slot.
the base (A) with yellow woodworking
glue. Centerthe top with an equal over-
hang on all edges.After the glue dries,
trim the top flush with the baseusing a
flush-trimbit in your router.
a{ Refit vour tablesawwith a t/+" dado
G*utua..'Then cut a r/+"-deep groovein
the top (B) centeredover the 7s" groove
in the base (A), where dimensionedon
Drawing 2. (This forms a T-slot for the
alignment-guide toilet bolt, whereshown
on Drawing 1.)Now changeto a /g" dado
blade, and cut a 3/a"-deep groove in the
base/top,where dimensionedon Draw-
90o corner joint 45o corner joint
ing2. (This grooveholdspartsin position
For a 90" joint, place the workpiece To cut a slot in a 45' mitered end, posi-
whenplungingslotsin bevelededges.) against the square edge of the 90'/45' tion the workpiece against the angled
'/+" plywood, cut the brackets alignment guide. Position the guide to edge of the guide. Flip the guide to cut
ffiFrom
sJ(C), fences(D), and cleats(E) to the alignthe cut. the other end.
sizeslistedin theMaterialsList. Position

54 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

the fences against the brackets, where
shown,with the ends and bottoms flush.
Drill mountingholes,and drive the screws.
ftClamp the fence assemblies(C/D)
\Jin position on the base/top (A/B),
where shown on Drawings 1 and 2,
with the front face of the fences flush
with the back edge of the r/a"groove. To
keep the fences aligned, clamp a scrap
piece of 3/q"plywood as a straightedge
to the front of the fences. Check that
your biscuitjoiner fits in the openingbe-
- )'-
90"/45"
ALIGNMENG T UIDE
tween the fences with the biscuit-joiner
fence flush against the straightedge.
If your joiner has a dust-collectionport,
make sure you have sufficient clearance
for the hose attachment.If needed,trim
the fenceassembliesto fit the joiner, and
then remove the joiner.
Twith the straightedgeclampedto the
f fences,glue and clamp the fencesto
the top (B). Drill mountingholesrhrough
the brackets (C) into the base/top, and
drive the screws.Removethe straightedge.
Glue and clamp the top (B), centered,
to the base (A), using a plywood platen
and cauls to evenly distribute the
clamping pressure.
Four-armknob
tt
-.-- 1/+"flat washer
1/.tt 4l^+..,^^1^^.

gY
ia

#8 x 11/z'F.H. wood screw

t/n"grooves
s/o"dgep
5Y4'

FENCE
t- 7oz"shank hole,
ASSEMBLY
2', countersunk
th-2o x2r/q" loilel bolt --- I F- r #8 x 11/z'F.H. wood screw

l /
|,.--r/uo" pilot hole s/q"deep

VIEW
EEXPLODED -----------___
/
19"

a PARTSV|EW
R=/2"

#8 x 11/z'F.H. i 7gz"shank hole,countersunk

wood screws--4 on bottom face

r" grOOVe
3/. " deep fc
\ p"tr @"no r
des

-f4

--* T-
"--*:*-** 3{e"
*****-f-
-N
D
woodmagazine.com
 -l

ClPosition the cleats (E) on the bot-

{Oto- of the base (A), where shown
on Drawings I and 2. (The cleatsposi-
tion the jig againstthe front edgeof your
workbench.)Drill mounting holes, and
drive the screws.
fiDraw t/2" radii on the corners of the
Ybase/top and brackets (C). Cut and
sandthe radii smooth.
I nUsing a Forstnerbit, drill l" holes
I llJ(for hanging the jig) through the Position your biscuit joiner on the jig, and clamp it to the straightedge.Then mark the
base/top,where dimensionedon Draw- centerpoints of the joiner-base mounting holes (shown at right).
ing 2. Use a backerto preventtear-out.

Add the alignmentguide
{ From-/+" plywood, cut the guide (F)
I to size. Then cut a V+" gtoove 3/ro"
deep on both faces of the guide, where
dimensionedon Drawing 2. Now drill
a t/q"hole through the guide, centeredin
the groove,where dimensioned.
6Mark the 45' angle on the guide.
lBandsaw or jigsaw to the line, and
sandthe edgesmooth.
4lTo form the long and short guide
tJbars (G, H), plane or resaw a piece
of t/qx2xl6" hardwood (we used maple)
to W" thick to glide smoothly in the Vq"
groovein the top (B). Rip a 7a"-widestrip
from the piece. Then crosscuttwo 5Vz"-
long bars and two 2V+"-longbars from
the piece.Glue the bars in place in the
guide (F), leaving a l" spacebetween
them,whereshownon Drawing 1. After
the glue dries,trim the endsof the short
guide bars flush with the angled edge of
the guide using a fine-tooth saw.
Finishup, and rig the iig
{ Finish-sandthe base assemblyand
I alignmentguide,andremovethe dust.
Apply three coats of satin polyurethane,
sandingto 220 grit betweencoats.
fJTo mountyour biscuitjoiner, reclamp
Athe straightedgeto the fences.Then
positionthe joiner on the jig, and mark
centerpointsfor the joiner-base mount-
ing holes on the top (B), as shown in
Photos B and C. (Due to the tight space
with somejoiners, you may need to use
a nail insteadof an awl to mark the cen-
terpoints.)Drill shank holes through the
base/topassembly,and countersinkthem
on the bottom face. (The screws must
not protrude from the base.)Fastenthe
joiner to the assemblywith suitablehard-
ware. (To mount our Porter-CableModel
557 joiner, we drilled 3/ro"shank holes
through the base assemblyand secured
the unit with 3Aex2Vz" flathead machine
screwsand3/te"flat washersand nuts.)
Note: If your biscuitjoiner doesnot have
mounting holes, check if it has a remov-
able baseplate attached with machine
screws. If so, drill holes in the iig base
assembly matching the baseplate hole
pattern, and mount the unit using the
samesize machinescrewsexceptI" lon-
ger to account for the thicknessof the
base assembly.If your joiner does not
have a removablebaseplate,you'll need
to drill holes through the baseplate.
r/q-20x2va"
{! Finally,installa toiletbolt,
l)V4" flat washer.and four-arm knob on
the alignment guide, where shown on
Drawing 1. Then slide the guide onto
the base assembly,engaging the toilet-
bolt headin the T-groove,and tighten the
knob. Now clamp the jig to your work-
bench,and plungeaway!lF

base
B* top 1/+' 18" 233h" TH 1
Gutting Diagram C brackets 3/c" 51/+u 8?/8" BP 2

D fences 3/t' 2' 87/a' BP 2

cleats

guide 3/q' 11" 11" BP

G* longguidebars 1/+u 3/a' 51/z' H

H* shortguidebars 3/e" 21/+" H

-Parts
initially Seetheinstructions.
cutoversize.
Materialskey:BP-birch plywood,
TH-tempered
3/qx24x 48" Birchplywood 1/ax 24 x 24" Temperedhardboard
hardboard,
H-hardwood.
Supplies:#8x1%" flathead wood
screws (16),
G
Pj Writtenby Owen Duvall
toiletbolt,t/q"flatwasher,
1A-20x21/q" knob.
four-arm
3/qx31/2x24"Hardwood(.7 bd.ft.) Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz Bladesandbits:Dado-blade router
set,flush{rim bit,
*Planeor resawto the thicknesslistedin the MaterialsList. lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine bit.
1"Forstner

56 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

Hand
Plane First, let's make the parts
.f Cut a maple blank to ItAx2r/zxl4"
I (enough material for two block
planes,and long enoughto run through
top face with spray adhesiveor rubber
cement.Cut the core blanks (A and B),
and the wedgeblock (C) to shapewith a
bandsaw,staying just outside the lines.
After assemblingthis a thickness planer). If you don't have Sandthe parts to shapeusing a stationary
lzA"-thickmaple (8/4 stock),laminatethe sandingbelt or disc set absolutelysquare
little gem,Voumay be blank from thinner piecesof maple.Pre- to its table. On your tablesaw,trim the
temptedto place it in parean identicalsizedscrapblank.
f)Plane both blanks to Itt/ro" thick,
wedgeblock (C) to 1/s" thick. Setit aside.
/lFromt/q" padauk,cut two plane sides
a displaycase.But lkeepine all sidesof eachblank square rt(D) to 2t/zx6t/2".Cut the Side full-
go aheadand put it to each other. Set aside the scrap blank
for now.
size pattern (Drawing 5) found on page
60 along its bottom edge. Next, adhere
to work. This sturdy ff Crosscutthe mapleblank to 6Vz"long, it to one of the side pieces,being careful
planewill do wonders \land adherethe FrontCoreBlank, Rear
Core Blank, and Wedge Block full-size
to precisely align the bottom edge of
the pattern with the bottom edge of the
in your shop. patterns(Drawing 6) on page 60 to the sidepiece.

woodmagazine.com 57
 ll eoov ASSEMBLY

Now, shape up the body

{ UsingDrawing 1 as a guide,position
I parts A, B, and D on a flat surface,
such as the top of your tablesaw.Place
waxedpaperunderneaththe parts.
fiGlue andclampthe front andrearcore
4blanks (A and B) to the side(D) with
the applied pattern.Be careful to align
the part bottoms,and leavea t/tr,"space
betweenthe front and rear core blanks.
After the glue dries, glue and clamp the
othersideto the coreblanks.
flCut thescrapblankto 5" longandinsert
\Jthis piece(unglued)intotheopenthroat
of the planeassembly. It shouldfit snugly,
but loosely enough so you can remove
it later.The scrapservesasa chip breaker
for the cutting and drilling that follows.
,1| Next, cut the assembly to length,
rtusing Drawing 5 as a guide.Cut the
curvedportionswith a bandsaw.Sandthe
edges,ends, and bottom with 100-grit
abrasive.Take care to keep the bottom
flat and squareto the sides.

A few final touches

and you'llbe planing
{ Place a t/t" brt in your drill press, and
I set its table squareto the bit. Drill the
t/,+"hole at the location marked on Draw-
ing 5 through the assembly.(SeePhoto A
atright.) Drill therTo+"holes,where shown
on the pattern, through the assembly.
Remove the pattern and scrap blank.
f)Cut five pieces of /+"-diameterbrass
&rod to 2j/rt" long. Near the ends of one
of the brass rods, reduce the diarneterjust
slightly (by about r,/o+") with light sand-
ing. Insert this rod into the t/+"hole, with-
draw it about t/2",apply epoxy to both rod
ends, and reinsert. Apply epoxy to the
remaining holes and insert the other brass
rods. The rods should protrude evenly on
both sides of the plane. Afier the epoxy
cures, use a stationary sander to flush
the ends of the five brass rods with both
plane sides.
'1/t"core-box bit in a router
{lSet up a
Vtable, as shown on Drawing 2. Place
the bottom of the plane against the router
fence with either end against the righr
side stopblock. Lower the plane onto the
spinningbit, holdingit firmly againstthe
f-ence andtable,and slidethe planeto the
left until it contactsthe other stopblock.
Lift the planestraightup and off the bit.
Rotatethe plane end for end and repeat
this routingprocedureto cut a rnatching
fin-eerrecessin the othersideof the plane
body,as shownon Drawing 3.
,{ Round the edges of the wedge
-?block
(C) and the plane sides (D)
with a %" round-overbit, where indi-
cated on Drawing 4. Sand smooththe
areasyoujust routedin the lasttwo steps.
E F i n i s h-sand the enti re pl ane w i th
t l a s u ccessi on of 150- and 220-gri t The scrap blank preventsthe side stock
abrasives. We appliedtwo coatsof Olyrn- from tearing out when you drill lhe'r/q"
pic InteriorAntiqueOil Finish.lP holes for the brass rods.

58 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

E noureR-TABLEsETUpFoR FTNGER
REcESS vtEW
ElstDE

Fingerrecess,routedwith a
7a"core-boxbit t/e"deep

T"rja -;s'*" I
stoPblock
#.)}-;--t"

4 exeloDEDvrEW
t/e"round-overs
A- rearcoreblan( 1i1/1d'11/2" 37/a"
B* frontcoreblank lttAd' 1t/''a" 2Vd' M
C* wedgeblock 1s/d' 1%d' 31sAd' M
@ D sides 1/;' 2t/e" 6"
WEDGEBLOCK
-Cutpartsmarkedwithan* oversized,
Trimtofinished
sizeaccording
totheinstructions,

s
Materialskey:M-maple, P-padauk,
Supplies:t/a"
brassrod12"long,
epoxy,oilfinish.
round-over
Sources
BLADE @ Pfaneblade.Hockls/sx4r/2"
blade,item04835,$36.99.
SIDE Woodcraft, toorderorgoto
800-225-1153
woodcraft.com,
Woodandbrassrod.Enough t/" padauk,
1ttl0"maple,
/+" brass rods 2slo" long /+"brassrod,andscraplo makeoneplane.KitLP-15,
$9.95plusshipping.
SchlabaughandSonsWoodwork-
170+"
holes,drilled ing,call800-346-9663,
schsons.com.
afterassembly
@
REAR
CORE
BLANK Writtenby Bill KrierwithJim Downing
ProjectDesign:PaulHamler
lllustrations:
Kim Downing;LornaJohnson

1/q"hole, drilled
after assembly

Fingerrecess
@
FRONTCORE BLANK

No round-over t/a"round-overs,
outsideedge only

ri:"'ffii"v
&
170+"
holes,drilledafterassembly

woodmagazine.com 59
 E SIDEFULL-SIZE
PATTERN

61/2"

Waste is shaded.
21/z'

/ XiiJ?sSll|:i\\
t+\
tr \ _/ -/
+
sB= /'-r'
----r (2 needed) rl
/-l-\*-=\ /
,-*h
vv\ztz/a+"holes, drilled
^q
,%o"r)1"r,
dritted
after assembly
after assembly

'irl8 ---+l
PATTERNS
FULL-SIZE
E cone BLANKSANDWEDGE-BLOCK

WEDGEBLOCK
FRONTCORE
BLANK

60 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

0uick-and-Easy
Height
Gauge
Raiseyour cutting
accuracyto new levels.
et the cutting depth of tablesaw
bladeseasilyusingthis adjustable
gauge. To ensure accuracy, we
outfitted it with a steel rule. See
Source belowfor the parts.
Start by cutting the body to size from
34" maple,as shownon Drawing 1. Plow
a t3/tz"-deep groove,sizedto fit your rule,
in one face of the body, where shown.
Next, set your dado blade to V+",and
cut the combinedrabbetandgroovein the
body for the slidingbar.To do this, place
the gaugebody on edge (ungroovedface
againstthe fence).Cut the rabbet/groove
in three passes,with the last one at Is/s",
whereshownon Drawing 1a.
Drill and countersinkthe screw hole.
Then sandand finish the body. @ roe vrEW
Usea copingsawor scrollsawto shape
the t/+"acrylic sliding bar to the dimen- -T
sions shown.Createthe adjustmentslot 3/a"

by drilling a pair of s/re"holes, where I

shown,and cutting out the material be-
tweenthem.Smooththe edgesof the slot
and the outeredgesof the bar usinga fine 1/qx1"F.H.
file. Buff the outer edgesif you want to
make them super smooth. Now, scribe r_-----]
f-- 2,'
machine screw

I exeloDEDvrEW
a cursor line on the back face, where
shown, using the method describedin
I
1s/a @
)

Photo A, page 6.
Attach the steelrule in the grooveus-
ing double-facedtape. Placethe bottom t/q"hole, countersunk
end of the rule t/+"from the bottom of the on back side
1/q"tlal washer
body.Then install the slidingbar.
To usethe gauge,setthe cursorline to \
I
a -6..
the desiredheight. Hold the sliding bar
in its groovewhile adjustingthe gaugeto
keep the bar squarewith the base.Place
&@
-m
wd\
the body on the tablesawtop besidethe ET\
blade,as shown in the photo, and raise
\I

Four-armknob
the bladeto setthe height.? wilh t/q"insert
l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n eL e M o i n e ' 5/6"

L
adjustment
Source Sliding bar
11/z'
Hardware.Stainlesssteelruleno.06K20.06,
$1.95;
1t/2" plastic
four-atm knob(t/+-20threads)
no.00M55.30
$1.90each.
CallLeeValley orgoto
at800-871-8158,
leevalley.com. l/q x 21/ax 7" clear acrvlic

woodmagazine.com 61
$implebut
Effective
Marking
Gauge
ln a short evenitrg,
you can turn a few
scraps of wood into
an accurate,easy-to-
use layouttool.
a't tough to beat a marking gaugefor mensioned.Using chisels,a flat file, and
l
I creatingcrisp,repeatable layoutlines. a round file, expandthe hole, and shape
I Consistingof a beam,a sliding fence it into an opening that fits the beam and
I held in placeby a small wedge,and a wedge.Note that one side of the opening
scribingpoint, this time-testedtool sets tapersto matchthe wedge(Drawing 1b).
up quickly. (To learn how to use it, see Be sure to test-fit the beam and wedge
"Get More From Your Marking Gauge," periodicallyas you shapethe opening.
opposite.) To protectthe marking gauge,top it off
To build one, start by cutting the beam with a coupleof coatsof oil finish. ?
to the size shown on Drawing 1. Then,
to create the thumbnail profile on one
edge,chuck a Vz"round-overbit in your
table-mountedrouter, and rout the par-
fial round-overusingjust a portion of the I exeroDED
vrEW
bit. Now drill a hole near one end to
receivea 6d finish nail. Insert the
nail, allowing the point to proj- FENCE
ect t/s".Cut off the head leaving PATTERN
@ rerucEFULL-srzE
%" exposedon that end, as well.
Sharpenboth ends to create the
scribingpin. I
$";
Make the wedgeby tracing the 5/a"
full-size pattern (Drawing 1b)
onto a piece of s/ex4x2" stock, T--
I
running the wood's grain length-
wise. (An oversizepieceis saferto han- th'

dle asyou shapethe wedge.)Bandsawthe

\ *
wedgeto shape,and then sand it smooth t\
so it slideseasily againstthe beam and L
t/q"
t
./"."t> ... )
3/^r

along the inside edgeof the fence.

To createthe fence,first cut it to shape
using Drawing 1a as a guide.Next, bore
r 1/z" parlial
rouno-over

a 3/a"hole through the fence where di- E WEDGEFULL.SIZEPATTERN

62 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
GetMore along the beam to
set the required
marking distance
FromYour to the pin. A lock-
ing device, such as

Marking a thumbscrew or
wedge, secures the
fence to the beam
at the set position.

Gauge
hen it comes to marking cut-
lines and laying out joints, it's
hard to beat the simplicity and
accuracy of a marking gauge.
To uncover the fundamentals of m4rking
gauge setup and use, we consulted re-
nowned master craftsman Frank Klausz.
Here's how Frank gets the most from his
favorite layout tool.
What a marking gauge
can do for you
A marking gauge provides a fast and
accurateway to mark lines parallel to the
edgeof a workpiece, either with the grain
or acrossit. A marking gauge'sadvantage
over a pencil is that its pin, which Frank
sharpensto a knife edge,producesa very
fine mark that does not broaden, and it
scores the workpiece for chiseling and
saw cuts (preventing splintering). Here
are a number of ways you can use one:
. Mark the centerof boardsfor resawing.
. Mark stock edgesfor joining.
. Lay out lines for cutting joints, such as
dovetail or mortise and tenon.
Thegauge'sparts
The basic marking gaugeconsistsof four
parts: an 8- to l2"-long beam, afence,a
Somegaugeshavea
removable marking
pin, which makes
it easy to sharpen
the pin or replaceit.
Also. the beams of
some gaugesare ruled to allow for direct . Proiection: For bestcontrol, adjustthe
setting of the marking dimensionwithout pin so it projectsVra"from the beam.
the needfor measuring. . Angle: Because a gauge works best
One type of marking gauge, a mor- when you pull it toward you, angle the
tising gauge (photo above), has a single point about 5o away from the fence, as
marking pin for general layout and an- shownon Drawing 1b.The angledpin
other pair of pins on the opposite side of will draw the fence againstthe edge of
the beamfor easymortiselayout.Onepin the stock when marking.
is fixed and the other slidesin the beam
to set the mortise width.
@ erruANGLE
DETATL
Let's get to the point FENCE
For a marking gauge to work correctly, GAUGE Knifeedge angled
Frank notes, you need to focus your (BOTTOM away from fence
attention on its smallest part-the mark- vrEW)
ing pin-and make sureit hasthe correct ][-]oi,.""tion
shape,projection,and angle. l l l gauge
ot
Jl I
. Shape: Most new marking pins havea
I lP'tt
conical point, which will tear wood fi- tl
v-7
bers rather than slice through them. To
prevent this, sharpenthe pin to a knife
edge,as shownon Drawing 1a. Tips for using a gauge
. Becausethe fencefollows the stock's
edges,make sure they are straight and
@ errusHAPEDETATL smooth for accuratemarking.
Grindor file tip to a knife . After securing the fence, recheck the
edge and buff smooth.
t '',\' settingto be sureit hasn'tchanged.
Practice marking on scrap first to
verify the setting.

[|E
fencelocking device,and a marking pin, . Position the fence
as shownon Drawing 1. The fenceslides againstthe stock's
edge,and apply light
LOCKING
THUMBSCREW pressureto keep it
ll exeloDEDvtEW flush. Rotatethe beam
so the pin is at an angle
BEAM
8-12"long SIDEVIEW ENDVIEW to the stock (as in the
photo above), then
lightly drag the gauge
to make your mark. i

FrankKlausz,of Pluckemin,
N.J.,worksout of his
unpretentiouslynamed
1 116"
"Frank'sCabinetShop."

woodmagazine.com 63
Heirloom
Persuader
Dead-Blow
Mallet
hether coaxing together the
closely fitted dovetails of a
drawer,finger joints of a box,
or mortise-and-tenon joints of
a cabinetdoor, you'll appreciatethe con-
centrated no-rebound striking power of
this handsomemallet. Filled with about
5 ouncesof looseleadshotand facedwith
thick leatherpads,it packsa wallop with-
out leaving a mark. You can make the
mallet from shopscraps,or seeSources
for the necessarysupplies.
Make a laminatedhandle
For the handle sides (A), cut two
{
I t/sxIt/qxlg" morado blanks. (For an
explanationof our wood choices,seethe
sidebarfar right.) Then for the handle
core(B),headcapandbase(C),faces(D),
andfiller (E) cut oneVzx3x12"ashblank.
From this blank, cut a lrAxSs/s"piece for
the core and set the rest aside.Glue and
ciamp the core betweenthe sides,keep-
ing the edgesand one end flush.
f)Joint one edge of the handle (A/B)
Znusn and sqriareto the face and rip
it to lsAz" wide. Then joint /zz" from
the sawn edge for a finished width of
1%".Make a copy of the Handle pattern
(Drawing 4) on page 67. Adhereit to the
handlewith sprayadhesive,where shown
on Drawing 1. Install a zA" dado blade
in your tablesaw,and cut IVz"rabbets%"
deep, where shown on the pattern. Now
with the pattern facing up, bandsawand
sandthe handleto shape.
QChuck a /s" round-overbit into your
tJtable-mounted router,attachan aux-
iliary extensionto the miter gauge,and
finish rounding the end of the handle,as
shownin Photo A. Then movethe router-
table fenceawayfrom the bit and rout the
64
Why you need a dead-blow mallet
The head of this malletcontainsloose lead shot for controlledimpactwithout
bounce-back. As the malletstrikesthe work surface,the shot movesforwardim-
mediatelybehindthe blowto dampenthe reboundand solidlytransmitthe force.
It'sthe idealtoolfor assembling And becauseit puts
two tightlyfittingworkpieces.
moreweightbehinda shortswing,a dead-blowmalletworksgreatin closequarters.
T o s e e morehandtool si n thi sseri es,go to w oodmagazi ne.com/han dt ools.
handle edges,where shown on the pat- shownon Drawing 2. Chuck a Vq"round-
tern, and as shownin Photos B and C in over bit in your table-mountedrouter and
the sidebar,oppositeaboveright. rout the outsideedgesof the blank. Now
cut the dadoes,checkthe fit of the handle,
Form the head parts and then crosscutthe parts from the blank.
{ Retrieve the t/2"-thickash, and cut a
I t/qxg" blank for the cap and base(C).
Make a copy of the Cap and Base pat-
terns (Drawing 5), adherethem to the
blank with spray adhesive,and form the
end rabbets,as shown in Photo D. Then
flip the blank over and cut the dadoesin
the tops of the parts. Now cut the parts
from the waste, and bandsawand sand
the curved edges. For filling the head
with lead shot after the mallet is assem-
bled, drill a s/rc"hole in the cap, centered
in the dado,whereshownon Drawing 2.
f)For the faces (D) and filler (E),
lcut three t/z.xlVs"pieces from the
t/2"-thickash.
QFor the cheeks(F), planea3/qxlt/zxl2" To accommodate the handle offset,
9morado blank to s/e"thick. Lay out the place a spacer betweenthe handle and
4"-long cheeksat each end of the blank the miter-gaugeextension,and round
andthecentered\tla"dadoesW' deep,where over the end.
Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 Safe freehand routing
with a starter pin
Whenthe shapeof a part,suchas the mallet
handle,preventsyou fromsupportingit withthe
router-table fencewhilerouting,you depend
on the bit pilotbearingto guidethe piece.
But you'llhaveto routawaysome material
beforethe partcontactsthebearing,and the
bit can suddenlygraband pullthe partfrom
your grasp.To preventthis, some router-table
insertsare equippedwithstarterpins,or you
can simplyforma pointon a pieceof stockand
clamp it to the routertable,as shownat right.
Eitherway,beforeengagingthe bit,placethe Handfe held / @
away from the bit
partfirmlyagainstthe pin or point,as shownin
PhotoB. Then pivotthe parton the starterpin
or pointand easeit intothe bit untilit contacts
the pilotbearing,as shownin PhotoC. Now
routalongthe part length. EI

I HnruoLE
ASSEMBLv

lr

"/:;-t
,/2

':--
3/a"

I
I

1t/2" rabbels t/e" deep

B exeloDEDvtEW To cut the end rabbets, back the cuts

with a miter-gaugeextension. Position
t/+"round-overs the blank for the cap and base (C) with
a stopblock, and cut the rabbets.
Forma t/ro"dome
on the faces
^rl
o \
I
afterassembly. Choosincr wood
G-
for your rnallet
1tle"dado Tropicalhardwoods,because of their stability
t/q" deep and density,have beenfavoredby toolmakersfor
generations.Rosewood,long a favorite,meets
3/8"round-overs these utilitarianrequirements with the addedad-
vantageof unsurpassed beauty.But withgenuine
rosewoodlogged nearlyto extinction,hardwood
dealerssubstituteotherlook-alike tropicalspecies.
For outsidepartsof this malletwe used morado,
sometimescalledBolivianrosewood.
s/ro"hole, For the core of the handleand head,we chose
centered ash.Baseballbatsand hammerhandlestradition-

?9; (#7Vz)
shot

3Aax2 x 2" leather

trimmedflushwith the
mallethead afterassembly
ally use wood speciessuch as hickoryand ash,
knownfor their resilience. A handleas short as
this one doesn'trequiremuch resilience, but the
ash contrastsnicelywith the moradofor a pleas-
ing appearancethat matchesother tools in the
Collector'sSeries.lf youwish,youcanconstructyour
malletfrom any contrastinghardwoodscraps.

woodmagazine.com
65
Insert a t/2"-thickspacer between the handle Applyglueto the baseandcap (C)and Apply glue to the base and cap (C),faces
sides (A).Apply glue to the dado in one cheek the faces(D),positionthem,andseatthe (D), and side (A). With the base, cap, and
(F),then glue and clamp it to the handle. facesin the baseand cap rabbets. faces seated,clamp the cheek (F) in place.

Assembleand applyfinish
{ Glue and clamp the headparts to the
I handle,as shownin Photos E, F, and
G. With the glue dry, file and sanda t/re"
dome on the faces of the mallet head,
whereshownon Drawing 3.
t)With the mallet upright, use a funnel
Ato fill the head with .095"-diameter
(#7Vr)lead shot. While filling the head,
tap the side to settle the shot so you can
pour in as much as possible.Then glue
the filler (E) in place, where shown on
Drawing 2. Sandthe filler to match the
curve of the cap (C).
ffCut two 2x2" pieces of %0"-thick
\Jleather for face pads. Sandthe rough
p uallET FAcEDoME
back of the leather with 80-grit sandpa-
per, gettingit as smoothaspossible.Then FOP V|EW
useordinary woodworkingglue to adhere 146"- 3/tax2x2"
the pads to the slightly domed mallet --l'r- leather trimmed
flushwith the
faces.as describedand shown below in mallethead
the Shop Tip. afterassembly
,1t|With the glue dry, use a utility knife
rfto
trim the leatherflush with the mal-
let head. Then finish-sand the mallet,
smoothingthe edgesof the leatherpads
as you sand.Apply a clear finish to the
mallet, including the edgesand facesof
the leatherpads.(We appliedthree coats
of Minwax Antique Oil Finish.) Now
show off the newestaddition to your fine
tool collectionto your friends.dF

Materials List

Foarn pads ensure a croodbond 3/su |1/au 10"

on sliitrtty curved iurfaces

To applyeven pressurewhen gluingthe leatherpads
to the domed malletfaces,line your benchvise jaws C* capandbase
with rigid-foaminsulation.Spreadglue on the mallet D* faces 1/2" 1/2" 11/a'
facesand applythe oversizeleatherpads.Positionthe
E* filler 1/2" 3/a, 11/a'
malletand pads betweenthe foam. Then tightenthe
F* cheeks s/au 1t/zu 4"
vise,slightlycrushingthe foam to make it conformto
the domedsurfaces. -Parts
initially
cutoversize.
Seetheinstructions.
Materialskey:M-morado,A-ash.
Gutting Diagram Supplies:Spray adhesive.
Bladesandbits:Stackdadoset,/s"andt/a"round-over
router
bits.
Sources
Woodandsupplies. Morado andashplanedtothickness
forthepartslistedabove,3Aax2x4"pieceofleather,
5 oz.
3/qx31/z
x 24" Morado(.7 bd. tt.) of.095" (#7r/z\lead
shot.Kitno.W165-M,$16.00.
*Planeor resawto the thicknesseslistedin the MaterialsList.
Heritage Building
Specialties.
Call800-524-4184,
or
gotoheritagewood.com.
Leadshot..095'(#71/z)leadshotno.9030K23, $32.02
plusS&Hfora 5-lb.package. McMaster-Carr.
Call
Writtenby Jan Svec with Kevin Boyle
609-223-4200, orgotomcmaster.com. Youalsomay
Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz check localgundealerswhocarryreloading supplies.
l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n eL e M o i n e :L o r n a J o h n s o n
3 / q x 3 1 / zx 1 2 " A s h ( . 3 b d . f t . )

66 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 a

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woodmagazine.com I
67
 -t

1\
tr-a

*i'
R

,\.\:.,

Fine-Line ith the flat back of its blade

againsta straightedge,you can
steelbar you will use for the blade.Then
cut the core to the size listed on the

Marking
use this marking knife to lay
down cutlines with pinpoint
accuracy.When not in use,a hiddenmag-
net keepsthe bladesheathsafelyin place.
Materials List. Set asidethe remaining
piece for the accent strip (C). Make a
copy of the Core patternon Drawing 2,
and adhereit to the part with sprayadhe-

Knife This fine tool is one you'll be pleasedto

use and proud to show. For the special
materialsneededto make this markine
knife, seeSource on the next page.
For accurate layout, Make a laminatedblank
{ From a -'1AxIxI2" piece of stock (we
nothing beats a crisp I used maple), resaw and plane a 3/te"-
scribed line. thick piece for the core (A). Check the
thickness against the %o"-thick tool-
sive.Use a Forstnerbit to drill a t/q"hole,
whereshown,andthenscrollsawtheknife
blade cutout. (The V+"semicircle makes
room for excessepoxy when mounting
the knife blade.)Check the width of the
slot with the /a"-wide tool-steelbar.
4)From a t/+xlxl2" piece of stock (we
Zused, bubinga),resawand plane a Vq"-
thick piece for the top and bottom lami-
nations(B). Then cut the laminationsto

68 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 -l

Photo A. Checkthe fit

of the 3/to"-thick stock
left from making the
core (A). Then rip a
shz"-wide strip from
the edge of the left-
ovet 3/te" stock, and
glue and clamp it in
the groove. Sand the
strip flush.
To ensureperfectlymatchedgrainfrom AF;p*y the magnet
handleto sheath,gluethe knifeup as a Tin the 3/e"hole in
singleblank,andthencut it intotwo pieces. the top lamination (B),
and let it cure. Remove
any excessepoxy with
size.Use a Forstnerbit to drill a:/s" hole a chisel. To keep track
Vs"deepfor the magnetin the top lami- of the magnet end,
nation,wheredimensionedon Drawing 1, make a mark over Cut a %e"groove 7e"deep in the top lamination (B) in two passes.
below. Make sure the magnet does not the magnet on the top Turn the part end-for-end between passes to center the cut.
protrudebeyondthe surface. surfaceof the lamina-
fllnstall a zero-clearanceinsert in tion. Now spreadglue
tJyour tablesaw,and cut a 3/ra"groove sparingly on both faces of the core (A),
I/a" deepcentered in the top lamination keeping the glue away from the edge of
(B) for the accentstrip (C), as shownin the centercutout.Clamp the core and the A. core Vta" 1u 55/e' M

top and bottom laminations(B) together, D* top and bottom

b' fifriiiiiions-"' 1/
1/4" 1u Ss/au B
keepingthe edgesand endsflush.
C" accentstrip 1/8, 3/16,, Ss/a" M

Shapeand finish the knife -Partsinitially

cutoversize.Seetheinstructions.
Make a copy of the Side View pat- Materialskey:M-maple,
{ B-bubinga.
I tern on Drawing 2, and adhereit to Supplies:Spray adhesive,epoxy.
the edge of the laminated blank, orient- Bitsandaccessories'. r/q"and%"Forstner
bits,
ing the sheathend of the patternwith the t/+"round-overrouter
bit,%"-diameter
sandinq
drum.
magnetend of the blank. Use a s/e"-diam- Source
eter sandingdrum and stopblockto form Hardwarekit. %' rare-earth
magnet t/e"thick,%ox7sx6"
the finger recesses,as shownin Photo B. barofW-1toolsteel.Kitno.300-BLD,$2.75plusS&H.
Removethe pattern. Add$2.50foreachadditionalkit.Schlabaugh andSons,
72014thSt.,Kalona, lA 52247. Call
800-346-9663, orgotoschsons,com.

3/ro"groove
I exeloDEDvtEW Woodkit.One%ox1x12" pieceof
mapleandonet/+x1x12" pieceof
Fingerrecess bubinga, kitno.LP-Z$3.50 plusS&H.
Schlabaugh andSons,seeabove.

4'" 3/taX3/aX31/2"
W-1 toolsteel

-3/6" rare-earth
magnet t/s"thick

Formorehomemade
handtoolsvisit:
woodmagazine.com/handtools

Fingerrecess.
!

woodmagazine,com
69

Adjusta notchedscrapwoodfenceso
1/ta"
of the drum protrudes,then sand
the fingerrecesses.
f)Make a copy of the Top View pat-
Zrcrn bn Drawing 2, and adhereit to
the laminatedblank with sprayadhesive.
Saw and sand the handle edge profiles,
and sandthe end arcs.Removethe pattern.
{lChuck a W" round-over bit in your
tJtable-mounted router,and rout all the
edges.Finish-sandthe laminatedblank.
ATo separatethe sheathfrom the han-
'ldle. cut the blank where indicatedon
the Top View pattern (Drawing 2). To
preventchipping when cutting the blank,
seethe shop Tip at right.
3/tox3/ex6"
bar of grade W-l
fFrom a
tJtool steel.make a blade.as instructed
on page 71. Clamp the blade in a vise be-
tween two piecesof scrapwood,and cut it
to 3Vz"long with a hacksaw.Wrap mask-
ing tapearoundthe bladeto mark the lVz"
length that will protrudefrom the handle.
Install the blade in the handle.as shown
in Photos C and D. Removeany excess
epoxy with acetone.
E rut-t--sze
PATTERNS @
CORE
1" FULL-SIZE
PATTERN
I
1u HANDLE
I \
@ ToPvtEW
FULL-SIZEPATTERN
70
Using a thin stick, apply a small amount of
epoxy to the inside of the handle opening.
Withthe bladepointbearingon a scrapblock,
pushthe handledownto the maskingtape.
AApply a clear finish. (We wiped on
\lthree coats of Watco Natural Danish
Oil Finish, following the instructionson
the can.) With the finish dry, align the
accent strip, and slide the sheath onto
the blade..F
Writtenby Jan Svec with Chuck Hedlund
Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz
lllustration:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
TOPVIEW
.)1 /^tl
'/a
@ SHEATH
Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers
Prevent chipping
in critical cuts
When separatingthe markingknife
sheathfrom the handle,you get only
one chance to make a perfect cut.
Chip-outwill be impossibleto hide,
To guaranteesuccess,installa fine-
tooth blade and a zero-clearance
insert in your tablesaw.Then, to
back the cut, attach an extension
to the miter gauge. Wrap masking
tape around the blank centered2"
from the magnetend, and mark the
cutline.Then to keep the crosscut
perfectlysquare,wrap maskingtape
around the blank near both ends.
Align the cutlinewith the blade and
clampa stopblockto the extensionto
preventthe blankfromshiftingduring
the cut. Apply double-facedtape to
the extensionand stickthe blankto it.
Now makethe cut, as shownbelow.
s/0" maple
r/+"bubinga
,,, \
/
Cut hereafterassembly
and routinground-overs. I
,
2008
 Making
A Blade
with right steel,you can makea
Withthe ri
keen,durablebladein your own shop.
aking a custom blade for a hand tool, such as the marking
knife on page 6B, might seem out of reach, until you dis-
cover grade W-1 tool steel. (SeeSource below.) You can cut
this metal with a hacksaw,shapeit with a grinder, and then
harden the cutting edgeby heating it with a propane torch and quench-
ing it in cold water. (First heat the steelto a red glow, and then keep it at
a red glow for two minutes for each Vre"of thickness.)That's it! Using a
3/tox3/sx6" bar of W-l tool steel for the marking knife blade, here'show
to shapeand sharpenthe blade shown in the drawing, below lrft. S

BLADEANGLES

{a'

To grind the point, mark 60' guidelines
on your grinder tool rest, and position it
perpendicular to a 100-grit grinding wheel.
Mark a centerline on the too!-steel bar with
an awl. Grind the V point, cooling the bar
with water as needed.
To grind the bevels, tilt the tool rest to a
45'angle, and start grinding one bevel.
Check the angle with a protractor, and
adjust the tool rest as necessary. Then
grind bevels on both sides of the point,
forming sharp edges.

Usinga propanetorch, hoatebout 1%"ot
lho gFund end of the bar, mrylng lhe flame
back and forth untll lhe entlre 1/." length
glows ld. NovYcontinuelo heat the stel,
keeplng ll glowing rd lor sir minutes,
After leeplng the tlp glowing rd lor the
nded tlme, lmmediatsly plunge the bar
in cold wrter. Then run the steel under cold
uraGr until it is cool enough to handls. The
tip is now hardenedand till hold an edge.
Placing220-grtt,then 320-grit,and fina y
OO-gdt weftry sampaper on a n* surtace,_
honethe beneb, and polish th @, botfom;
and sld6s ot the bar.Euff to a Uf-gtrtnnistr
with a buffrng s'hesl and Tripoli c;mpound.

Source
Iod3h|.Wa|erhad8ninggnadeW.1too|sbg|a/ai|ab|einrds,ialb8rs,andEuaresin3'|engths.PIic8fiom$1.32b$170.Toviswa||sizsandpdc
typelv.1bo|gtee|inlheseaIchwind0,'Forthmaddngknifeonpage68,y0ucanodga946,t'{r36'l|atbaIo'gradMbo|slee|no.8895K
callMcMaslr-Can
at609-223-4200.

woodmagazine.com, 71
Sanding
Block
lf evera sandingblock
was a work of art, this
is it. Suppleto the
touch and easyon the
eyes,it will serveyou
well for manyyears
to come.
his idea comes from WOODa
magazine reader M.C. "Morrie"
Patten of Mesa, Arizona, who
makeshis laminationslongenough
to yield at leasttwo sandingblocks at a
time. That way,they'reeasierto machine,
and he hasseveralto presentto his wood-
working buddies.We were so impressed
with Morrie's idea, we decidedto make
a couple of these beautiesfor our own
shop,and sharehis ideawith you.

Makingthe sanding
block 6ases
{ Rip and crosscuta pieceof 3A"maple
I to 2t/+x10"long, enoughfor two bases
(A). Now,joint, resaw,or hand-planethe
mapleto s/s"thickness.
f)Rip two strips of walnut t/q" thick
Efrom the edge of a piece of 3A"stock. the walnuttop andbottompiecesto a fin-
Crosscuteachto 10" for the sides(B). ishedthicknessof Vq"each.Now,joint or
{tGlue and clamp one walnut strip to plane the edgesuntil the palm grip fits
tJeach edgeof the maplebase,with the snugly between the protruding walnut
bottom edgesflush. Scrapeoff any glue sidesof the base.(Later, you'll sand the
squeeze-out. palm grip to finishedwidth.)
;f Crosscut two 4t/2"-longbases from
rttne f Crosscut the palm-grip lamination
t.Jinto
iamrnauon. two 4t/2"lengths.

The palm grips come next Drillinq the bolt and

{ Startby cuttingonepieceof
3/+"maple
I (C) and one pieceof t/q"walnut (D) to
2t/+x10"long. Using a bandsawor table-
saw,resawthe walnutinto two piecesjust
under7s"thick each.
f)Glue andclampthe maplebetweenthe
I two piecesof walnut, making sure
that all edgesalign exactly.
Remove the clamps, and scrape off
any excess glue. Then, joint or plane
wing riut holes
{ Mark diagonalson the top of each
I palm grip to locateits center,and po-
sition the palm grip in the basewith the
endsflush.Clamp the palm grip andbase
to your drill-presstable, and drill a /rs"
guide hole through both pieces,[Photo
Al. (For this and the following steps,we
machinedboth sandingblock piecesat
once.)

72 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 fSeparate the two pieces,and, using a ll exeloDED
vtEW
Eflat-bortomed bit, drill a lVq,'holeVz',
deep into the top of the palm grip, cen- t/+"wing nul
teredover the guide hole. (SeeDrawings PALMGRIP
1 and 2 for hole size details.)Then, drill rA" fenderwasher
and counterborea 3/q"hole 3/t', deep cen_
tered over the guide hole on the bottom 1t/q" hole 1/2"deep
sideof the base.
t/+"hole through the baseand t/2"round-overs
{lDrill a
Va s/o" hole through the palm grip,
centering both holes on the guide hole. Sandcorners
Countersink the Vq"hole on the bottom smooth.
sideof the base.
lllPlane or sand Vro" off each side (not
'?the ends)of the palm grip for a 2Va,
41/2'
finishedwidth.
f,Clamp the base, bottom up, in a
t/woodworker's vise. Thread a Vqxlv2,,
machine screw through the hole, and
tighten the palm grip to the base with a
wing nut. Epoxy the screw in the hole in
the base.Cut a 3/+"mapleplug, and epoxy
it over the headof the screw.
ftDetach the base from rhe palm grip,
t/and sandthe plug flush with the base.
Sandthe basesmooth.
TFit your table-mountedrouter with a
I Vz" round-over bit, and rout the top
edgesof the palm grip. Finally, sandthe
palm grip to fit comfortablyin your hand.
flYou may want to cut and glue a piece
\Jof felt to the bottom of one or all of
the sanding blocks for sanding pieces
with slight contours. Trim the edges of
the felt flush with the base.

Finalassembly
{ Fit a fender washerin the hole in the
I palm grip. Then, apply the finish of
@ eruosEcloN
your choiceto the baseand palm grip.
DTo use,slip rhepalm grip overif,"bolt
f.on the base,and just start the wing
nut. Quarter a standardsheetof sandpa_ base
tA1"9ap
per, and tuck the sides under the palm B* sides Y4' Vc' 41/2' W 2
grip. Now, tighten the wing nut to hold C* palmgrip Vt" 2yB" 41/2" M I
the sandpaperfirmly in position.dl D* palmgrip lAu 21/e" 41/2' W 2
.Partsinitially
Writtenby Marlen Kemmet cutoversize.
Seeinstructions.
ProjectDesign:M.C.,,Morrie" patten MaterialskeylM-maple, W-walnut.
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson Supplies: r/qxlyz"
tlalhead
machinescrewwithfender 3/q"hole s/e"deep filled with a
Photographs:Bob Calmer
washer andwingnut,epoxy,felt(optional),
finish. 3/q"-diam.maple plug

woodmagazine.com
0n-the-Mark
Centerfinderl
Trammel
Here'sone simplejig that
does the work of two. Use it
to locatethe center of round
stock, or use the increment
holesto mark differentsizes
of circlesand arcs.
utthe trammelbody to the sizeand pilot holesinto the wood body. Screwthe
shapeshown on Drawing 1 from two piecestogether.
32"stock.Using a hacksaw,cross-
cut a piece of %x1" aluminum Usingthe tool
bar stock to 12" in length for the blade. To find the centerof round stock,suchas
Mark the screw-holecenterpointsand in- the bowl blank shown above, rotate the
crement hole centerpointson the blade, body of the tool around the diameter of
where dimensioned on Drawing 1a. the stock and mark a pair of roughly per-
y-Blade,
Using your drill press,drill three coun- pendicularintersectinglines as shown.
tersunk screw holes through the blade. The intersectionmarks the centerpoint.
Then drill the increment holes and the To use as a trammel, fit an awl, nail,
pivothole.Drilling throughthealuminum or other pointed object through the pivot
will create rough surfaces,so sand the hole in the body and blade.Using one of
aluminum smooth with 220-grit sandpaper. the previouslydrilled incrementholesin

*'.j
Use a squareto position the blade per- the bar, rotate the tool around the tram-
pendicular to the end of the body at the mel pivot point to mark a circle or arc, as
-apex
of the V-shapednotch. Using the shown at rigfu. tl
screw holes in the blade as guides, drill Projectdesign:Bob Settich

I exeloDED
vrEW
7ez"shankhole,
countersunk
t/ax1x12"
aluminumbar
t/a"pivot holes

Tsz"pilot
J
3/q" '/16

I increment
holes

74 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2006

 -l

q,

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t i l l t l ' c( ) l i l ' L l l \ e .r r . i , : i t r ' t l t i r C tlIIi',
:lttrlr trl' \l O()l) I l u g l L z i p c t ' c t r t l c 1r.L p r l tn
'H: *t-
S c a t tl c n o o r l r i o r l . c r ' \ , l t r l l , I . c l r \\ ltcn 14
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\ \ c l r r l i r c t l . h i s ( ) l t c - ei l r ! l l
-',. l-
Iool.ccl nt()l'c likc l \t()r'ittc . :,.'i!:
,,:- .:.:
t h c l r l t r r t oa t r r q l t t ) . t l t l l t l t ,i,trll!
r t o r ' l ' s l t o l - ll l L r t t r l ' t c r l :irtrle ,,,,..:irclttl. .nrt,
,t

I
r u t ( l l o r I c s s t h a i t S 1 . 0 ( X ) \. \ c t l ' t u t \ l i ) r ' n r c t l
\1ur'l''sslttlp rntrl lr ntorlcl oi cl'l'iererre,r
'lir .i:*
thut c\ cn hc bllclr l'ccoqnizcrl. lre d,i
c o n t p l i s h t h r s l c a t . r i c L r s c t lI ' i r c b l : i e *.r.. t

( ) r ' r i r l l i z u t r o n l rpl l i n e i l t l c s ( : c c
7 r r r , q717, | t o
{t'
{ . t ,
l ) u t t h i r r g s i n o r t l c r ' . \ o r i . c c l r r i l t p c t lr i i t l t
t h c i t l c l r s l i r u r r t lh c l c . r o u e u n r l o t l t c : l r r r r c .

woodmagazine.com
75
 fil;
First,an overview
of what we did
To best show you the improvementsto
Mark's shop, here's a diagram of the -*_**fthF*

floor plan and photosthat say it all. Use

the projectdrawingsshownthroughoutto
t-*l
build the key components.
3*",
, _*-
H E=-
=*r---
E-;-

l lA

i:_
i ti--.
1:l
I f-rFd Project 2: MrrERsAwwoRI{ srf,,TroNMore
rhan32
square feet of countertop, not including the mitersaw platform,
were added to Mark's shop. As you can see from the photos,
none of the space, either above or below the countertop, is
Project l: vunsA-cnB
sYsrEM wasted. Most mitersaws benefit when they have a permanent
This customizablecabinet system, dubbed home with plenty of work support on either side. Our mitersaw
the "Versa-cab" (see page 78lor the plan), platform, supported by neighboring Versa-cab base cabinets,
works as a wall or base cabinet. The is deceptivelysimple to build and effective in function.
cabinet's 1S%"-deeptop serves as a shelf (See page 79tor the plan.)
for tool cases.

Mobile
belVdisc
sander

Versa-cab

Mobile

Project 3: snnErcooDsRAcr{ Sheet-goodsrack

A long but shallow rack allows Mark to store
full-sizedand partial sheet goods in spite of
the shop's limited ceiling height of 7' 9". (See Dowelstorage
page 80tor the plan.) lt includes a hinged
containment stretcher for easy material
removal. We even threw in extra storage Mobite FLOOR PLAN
for dowel rods that come in the form of two tool
spaced sections of heavy-dutycarpet tubing. cabinet
Lumber
rack

Mobilerouter
table under
Mobile bench
bandsaw

Mobiletool cabinet
underbench

Drill
press
MOBITE BASESThree HTC mobile bases
added to the larger power tools significantly
improved Mark's workshop mobility. Overheaddoor
htcproductsinc.com or call 800-624-2027

76 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008


I new tool purchase.The "Versa-cab"(see the prqviouspage)
Project 4 : wALL cr,BrNEr/opENsHELvEs
Two simple wall cabinets perched above the new counter-
tops make a huge differencein the small shop's available
storage space. Becausesurface mounted conduit prevent-
ed us from mounting the cabinets together,we used the op-
portunity to add adjustable shelving between the two. As a
final touch, shop brushes find a handy home on the cabinet
side. (See page 8l lor construction details.)
U cally improvesworkflow,providingobstruction-free
IT.U,RGE POWER TOOL RECESSLeaving space underneath
the countertops allowed us to store and protect Mark's g,'
jointer.The space is large enough to alternateas a tempo-
rary home for the tablesaw as well.
LUIVIBERR.H,CKTriton's sturdy lumber rack, mounted
above the countertop, leaves Mark plenty of room for .,cur-
rent project" material and those special boards set aside
for an heirfoom to come. (rockler.com or call gOO-279-4441)
woodmagazine.com
-l
5 Ba_sigprinciples of
worksh6p organization
Mobility-This makesa small shop work like a large one. To
create mobility,mobile bases were added to Mark'stablesaw,
8" jointer,and 14" bandsaw.(The router,belt/discsander,and
planeralreadyhadwheels.)Whenthe countertops and mitersaw
stationalongone wallwereadded,resultingrecessesservedto
house Mark'slargejointerand roll-aroundcabinets.After two
days,his shop had only threewheellesstools (the workbench,
mitersawstation,and drillpress).
Flexibility-Needs changefrom projectto projectand with each
offersthe maximumin flexibility.
Bothshelvesand drawerscan
be quicklyrelocatedto meetchangingstorageneeds.The Triton
lumber rack system (below /eff) has movablearms. The large
tool recessin the corneraccommodates either Mark'smobile
jointeror his mobiletablesaw.
Accessibility-Organization means litile if you can't get to
thingseasily.To createaccessibility,
we openedup Mark'sfloor
spaceby creatingsensiblehomesfor allthe largetools.(Seethe
shop diagram oppositebelow.)The open floor space dramati-
partsof Mark'sshop.
accessto all
Durability-There'sno pointin doingthe workif it'snot goingto
last.Forthe shop'sworksurfaces,birchplywoodwas usedwith
hardwoodedgestrips;forthecabinetry, 3/a'MDF withheavy-duty
hardware.Mobile bases, made of welded steel for maximum
strengthand durability,made movinglarge,heavytools easy.
For protectionof the bare wood surfacesof Mark'scountertops
and cabinets,he'llneedto applyat leasttwo coatsof oil-based
polyurethane to ensurelastingmaterialstability.
Affordability-ln additionto makingsure that the shop com-
ponentslast,purchasing them at a low or reasonable
pricealso
provedimportant.(See"Wherethe moneywent"on page g/.) In
Mark'sshop,all the materialsfor the cabinetryand countertop
costlessthan$440for fivecabinets,multipledrawersand shelv-
ing, and more than 32 squarefeet of countertop.Lessthan g40
was spenton the plywoodholder.
BI
'S''o" '"
. I
For a grid and tooltemplates to begin planning your shop, see
w o o dm a g a z ni e . c o m / s h o p l a y o u t .
77
 I vensA-cAB t/a"groove7e"deep 3/q"trom back edge
e/q"rabbel s/a"deep

I
7 Yz" t/+"dadoes
1/4"deep
41/z'

81/2"

121/z'

Proiect I: "Versa-cab"
tool cabinet system
IL 12t/2"-2
<-.--_---<->=
l-
\r
7+"dadoes
Te"deep

s/q" rabbel
This simple cabinetdesign,Drawing 1, 7e" deep
offers the ultimate in versatility, hence \.. t/q" gloove 7e" deep
-. thu.from bottom edge
the name. It accommodates multiple
drawers. shelves.or vertical dividers- 7+"rabbets
or a mix of all three. Placeit vertically
as a base cabinet on the floor or mount
it vertically or horizontally on the wall.
Becausethe dividers lay loosely in their
\
th" gtoove 7e" deep
.,ttN
slots, the layout of each cabinet can be
3/q"trom back edge 'to".l
quickly reconfigured to meet changing
needs.The cabinetsize makesoptimum
use of a sheet of medium-densityfiber-
board (MDF), and the spacing between When routing the Vq" wide, 3/e"deep
the dividers proves ideal for medium- groovesfor the cabinetbacksand drawer
A sides 3/q' 153/q' 381/+" MDF 2
size drawersand many smallertools,tool bottoms,make certain the Vq"hardboard
cases,and other items. fits somewhatlooselyinto the grooves.If B topandbottom 3/q' 153/q"121/z' MDF 2
Overall, the cabinet measures(when the fit is too tight, the remaining lip may C centerdividers 3/q' 143A"121/2'MDF 2
vertical) 153/4"deep, 13V4"wide, and split awayfrom the MDF. As you assem- D back 1/q, 121/2, 371/2' HB 1
38V4"high. At its most basic,it hasthree ble the cabinet carcaseand the drawer E partitions 1/q"123Aa"143/q" HB 6
equal compartmentsof lltAxlllAxl4zA". boxes, glue the Vc" hardboard into the drawerfront
E*
' 3/4tt 311/16tt1178" MDF 2
The individual spaces,with dividers in- groovesfor extra strength. andback
stalled. are33/q"wide. We found that onceall the parts are cut G* drawersides 3/4tt311/16tt 14' MDF 2
and routed,and assumingyou havea fin- H* drawerbottomsth' 107/e" 14' HB 1
ish nailer, each cabinet, including three - Quantity
foronedrawer.
drawerboxes,can be assembledin about Materials fiberboard,
key;MDF-medium-density
an hour. HB-hardboard.

Assemble the Versa-cabby gluing and

fitting the center dividers (C) and the cabi-
net back (D) into the sides (A). Glue and
nail the dividers and cabinet ends, square
the cabinet,and then nailthrough the back
into the dividers to stiffen the cabinet.
For wall installation,add a horizontalcleat inside the cabinet and to its back securing
it to the sides. Then drive screws through the cleat and back and into the wall studs.
To increase the versatility of the partitions, add a dowel for storing circular saw blades
of 10" or less.

78 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 @ nltrrensAwwoRKsrATtoN
#8 x 11/2"F.H.wood screw BENCH

Note: *Dependingon the hightof

mitersawlable,3t/+"lo 4". 6d finishnail

# B x 1 1 / z 'F . H .
wood screw
J
#8x11/q"F.H.
wood screw (-
6d finishnail

26V+'
.L
_
|
PLATFORMASSEMBLY
6d finishnail

4"
E N DS U P P O R T
=\
I
3/2" \-

VERSA-CAB

I
'tr"F
3/qu 27' 72'

i C
frontedging s/qu 2Y4'
sideedging
72'
PO
3/+' 2Y4" 273/q" PO
1
2
D wallcleat 3/q" 2Y4" 72' PO 1
As base cabinets supporting the mitersaw work station, E mitersaw e
%u 26" 26y4' Bp
" ;iatfb;ni' 1
the flexible Versa-cabs accommodate multiple
drawers, shelves, and vertical dividers. The division Ft
'' PW::Y ' gt/r" 26t/^,
suppons "/r'
of space within the cabinets allows for storage of
smaller tools and other items. The space behind edging 3/q" 2y4" 271/z' PO
G platform 1
BASE
the cabinets provides room to run the dust collector H* topcleats 11/2" 2" 15o/+' P
hose out of the way and to the jointer. f* bottomcleat 11/z' 1Vq' 15a/+' P
J* frontbasetrim 3/c" 1y2" 14s/q' P
K* sidebasetrim 3/q' 11/z' 15s/q' P
Proiect 2z Mitersaw wall studs to support the back of the endsupport
work station countertopand the outsideend of the left crossrails
3/q" 3Yz' 26'
As with most workshops, the mitersaw countertop.If you don't carry the coun- M outerlegs 3/q' 3Y2' 41"
servesas one of the busiesttools in Mark's tertop all the way to the corner,build the N longleg fillers 3/a' 31/z' 30"
shop, and it needed a permanent home. end supportshownin Drawing 2. Either 0 shortlegfillers 3/q" 31/2' 4u
Mark neededadditional work surfaceand solutionwill provide firm support. . Quantity
foronecabinet.
storagecapacity.Theseneedswere met by Mark's shop had an unevenand sloped I 3y4-4',
depending
onmitersaw
tableheight,
installing a mitersawwork stationalongthe concretefloor that required a little extra Materials plywood,
key:BP-birch pO-poprar..
P-pine,
18'right-handwall (lookingin from rhega- effort when setting the base cabinets.To
rage doorway).The mitersawwork station solvethe problem,the position of the base
was centeredon the wall to allow maxi- cabinetswaslocated,andthenmeasuredup level line was drawn from this mark. We
mum cutting lengthto the left or right. from the highestspoton the floor. The top lengthenedthe level line acrossthe entire
Two Versa-cabs(see Drawing 1), in- of the wall cleat was positioned41" from wall with a chalk line andusedthe mark to
stalled as base cabinets, support the this high spot to allow the Versa-cabbase installthe wall cleats.Becauseof this floor
countertopson either side of the miter- cabinetsto fit underneaththe countertop, variation, the height of the end supports
saw. Wall cleats (D) were screwedinto as shownin Drawing 2. Next, a 48"-long wasadjusteduntil level with the line.

woodmagazine.com
79
 With the countertopsinstalled but not
attached to the base cabinets, the base
cabinets were positioned and leveled to
maintain 27W' between the sides of the
cabinets.This spacing left a 3/q"gap be-
tween the side of the basecabinet and the
countertop side edging (C). The gap left
spaceto maneuverthe mitersaw platform
support (F) into the correct position. We
then attachedthe countertopsto the base
cabinetsthrough the upper top cleats(H).
We placed a long straightedgeacross
both countertopsto act as a guide while
leveling and plumbing the basecabinets.
In this case,one of the bottom cleats(I)
was shaved,and we added cedar shims
where neededto even up cabinets.Nails
were driven through the cabinet bottom To align the top surface otifre mitersaw Set the depth of the front of the mitersaw
to hold the bottom furring strips in place. with the top surface of the adjacent work- platform first by sliding the platform supports
We securedthe bottom of the cabinetsto surface top, we used a combination square (F) behind the countertop edging (C).Glamp
and measured down from Mark's mitersaw the platform supports to the neighboring
the floor by applying concrete-compat- cabinet sides. Setthe depth of the platform's
table; as shown. We then trimmed the width
ible siliconeto the trim parts (J,K) before of the platform supports (F) to that mea- back, and screw it in place at that loca-
nailing them in place. The end result: a surement, less /r". This measurementgap tion.
perfectly level countertop. provides adjustability for the platform Return to the front, recheck the depth,
positioning without sacrificing strength. and
finish screwing the platform in place.

p sHeer-cooDs
RAcK

L
sYz'
r
R=3"
#8 x 3" F.H.wood screws
centeredover wall studs
7Y4" # 1 2x s / a "
Door hook and eye screw F.H.screw
The lower (containment) stretcher (B) of
the sheet goods rack is held in place by
a 6" strap hinge bolted to the rack's side
and a "hook and eye" at the other end.

Proieet 3: Sheet-goodsrack
Shopsneed a place to store sheetgoods,
including sheetgood scraps.Mark's shop
is no exception.However,the limited ceil-
ing height (7'-9") of Mark's garage shop
required some special considerations.To
meet that need, we built a rack for hori-
zontal storagewith enoughspaceinside for
97"-longsheetsof MDF. (SeeDrawing 3) The trough at the bottom of the rack
Because the wall-mounted cabine- contains the materials in a defined and
try above the holder prevents placing generousspace.The rear stretcherat the sides 48"
full sheetsin the holder by lifting them top allows you to firmly mount the rack B sUetchers 3/q' 3Y2' 99"
over the lower containment stretcher, to wall studs.To add versatility, we also C botbm 3/q" 53/q' 97Y2" P
we designeda "swing-out" containment mountedtwo shortsectionsof heavy-duty Materialkey:
P-pine.
stretcher(B) that improvesthe accessibil- cardboard carpet tubing (shown in the
ity of the rack and reducesthe amount of photo above left) to the side for contain-
lifting necessaryto storesheets. ing dowelsand other thin-strip material.

80 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 s/+" rabbel Ta" deep
Wallstud t/+"groove Floller catch strike
7a"deep 12',-..*
#B x 3" F.H. 3/q"trom
wood screws back edge A
tF\,
I ls'
l--ot
!-o-\.
I 0i"
I
J
@ wnu- cABINET Roller 3 JU
..\
J"
Rollercatch
catches
o o
V
Va"hole
30"
strike Shelfpin
7e"deep
{- 111V6" ---

Rr
t/e"round-overalong
outsideedges
223/a"
291A', 1/q"gfoove
s/e"degp
3/+"tfom \:
back edge
'r"l-\
Full-overlayhinge

2314',

sides 3/"n 12" 30" MDF

Two wall cabinets were mounted 18"
above the countertop beside the miter-
saw work station. The 18" space between
the cabinets allows them to support
adjustable shelving for added storage.
Where the money went
All in all, the workover at Mark's workshop was limited to a budget of 91,000,
making the changes affordable. There was even cash left over. Here's what
we had to buy to put things in order:
Bandsawmobilebase
Jointermobilebase
Tablesawmobilebase
7+"medium-density fiberboard(MDF)(5 sheets)
t/+"hardboard (4 sheets)
3/q"birch plywood(3 sheets)
3/q"poplarand pine
Tritonlumberrack
Assortedhardware
TOTAL
B topandbottom 3/q' 12" 231/q' MDF 2
C back Y4' 23Y4' 29Y4' HB 1
Proiect 4= Wall cabinet D doors 3/4" 1115/16" 30" MDF 2
Most shopsrequire at least some degree 3/+" 10Y4" 223/a' MDF
E* shelves 2
of protectedstoragewhere dust can't en-
F* shelfedging 3/qu 11/2" 223/a' PO 2
ter. This basic wall cabinet meets that
needsimply, affordably,and quickly. G wallcleat 3/q" 4u 22V2' PO 1
Cut the parts shown in Drawing 4 to .Optional
shelf
andshelf quantiity,
edging depending
onneed.
size. If making a pair of cabinets that Materials
key:MDF-medium-density
fiberboard,
support shelving in between,first deter- HB-hardboard,
PO-poplar.
mine which cabinetsideswill supportthe
shelving.On thesesides,drill the holesfor shelf pin on either side. Next, drrll Vq"
the shelf pins all the way through, where holes 3/a"deepon the interior faces of the
shown. This way, the holes can house a opposingcabinetsides.
Assemblethe cabinetcarcaseand dry-
fit the Vq"back in place to ensurethat it's
not so tight as to risk splitting off the lip
behind. Then glue the Vc"backing into the
V+" groove,and glue and nail the sides,
top, and bottom together.To easeassem-
bly and hanging, align and pre-drill the
hinge holesfor the doors,but don't mount
$106 the doors until after hanging the cabinet.
106 Install the cleat on the cabinet by using
80 glue and nailing into the endsof the cleat
and into the cabinetsides.
142 Using 3" deck screws, we installed
47 the cabinetsto wall studs.where shown.
108 checkingfor level..l
76 Written by Mike Satterwhite
Projectdesign:Kevin Boyle
82 lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
Photographs:Richard McNamee
84
$831

woodmagazine.com 81
 o a c h i e v cn r i l x i n r L u h n o l c l i n gp o w e r
w h e n u s i n g s c r c w s .c l r i l l i n - gt h e
c o r r e c t p i l o t - a n c ls h a n k - h o l es i z e s
arc a nrust. Ancl. knowitt.' whitt
c o m b i n a t i o n p i k r t / c o u n t e r s i n k[ r i t t o L r s c
lirr cach sclcw sizc-can be a "bit" conl'Lrs-
i n - 9 .T h e n t h e r c ' st h e p r o b l e n rw e a l l l l c e
o 1 'k e e p i n - uo L r r n r a n v c l r i l l i n g [ r i t s . p l u g
c L r t t e r sa . n c l c l r i v i n c b i t s o r s i u r i z c c l .T o
s o l v e t h e s e c l i l e nr n a s . b L r i l c l
t h i s s u p c r o r g a n i z e c lp r o j e c t . I exeloDED vrEW
YoLr'llevertfincl a cokrr-coclccl
:/a"round-over #6 x 9'r' F.H.
chalt to nrakc sclccting thc WOOO SCTEW
c o r r e c t b i t a n o - b r a i n e r 'E. x t r a routedafter ass{,\y,-,--
# B x 7 + "F . H . WOOOSCTEW
t i e r sp r o v i r l ep l e n t l ,o l ' r o o t nl i r r
# 1 0 x s / + "F . H . w o o d s c r e w
a l l t h c b i t s y o u ' l l n c c c lt o c l r i v c ,z
a w i c l ea s s o r t n r e not l ' s c r e w s . #12 x 3/+"F.H.woodscrew
Tir bLrilcl(nrc. LrscDrawing 1
a n c l t h e l ' L r l l - s i z ep a t t e r n s o r r 111ha

Drawing 2 <tt't1tugt,,lJ to cr-rt 7e"round-over

t/i'
lriecesA-F to size. Use di -/,' ------]'r
-\i
( A )
h a r c l b o a r cf bl r t h e s i c l e s l n c l
- y ' +s" o l i c l s t o c k l i r r e v e r y l hi n c
3/sz p i l o th o l e '
1 . / o r 'a i a a n

e l s e .F u r t h c t i c r s ( F ) . c u t a ) r r " - 1e/ta

thick pieceol' stock to lxl(r".

M : . r r k t h e h o l e c c n t c r l ) o i n t \ See Drawing 2 3/ta" hole,-
for hole locations.
ancl kcrl' locations lirr cross- countersunk
@ # Bx % F . H .
cutting the piecesto len-gth. woodscrew
D r i l l t h e h o l e s . b e v e l - r i pt h e
bottonr ecl-ue with a pair of'-l-5" % solid
c u t s . t h e n c r o s s c l r t h c 't i e r s t o 45" stock
l ' i n i s h e clle n g t h . W h e r t l r s s e n r - 1 \.v
round-over
b l i n g t h e p n r . j e c t .a l l o w t h e routedafterassembly

82 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 w00n
MAGAZINE
Guideto pilot holes,countersinks,
plug cutters, and drivers
For wood screws of this size

Use the following accessories and hole sizes

Hardwood pilot-hole size

5/64" I e/gz"

Softwood pilot-hole size

Ira" | 5/a+"

lid to rotate on the two #8xz/+"flathead
screws.We sandedthe edge of the lid to
rotatesmoothlybetweenthe sides(A).
Use model airplane gloss-enamel
paint or nail polish to mark portions of
the bits to match the color-codedchart.
Cut out the color chart above or make a
color photocopyof it. Using spray adhe-
sive, adherethe chart to the inside of the
box, where shown in the photo opposite.
Then, when you need to drill a hole, note
the size of the screwon the chart. If you're
not sure, match its head size to the tier
of screwspermanently mounted in part
E. Match the color on the chart for that
particular size to the color codedbit. aF
Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz

woodmagazine.com
 TIERSFULL.SIZE
@ ruu--srzEPATTERNS TOP.VIEWPATTERN
2"--f..<- 3/4x---->)-<- 3/4"-l Vsz" h1le | ,/a" hOle | .t ,,
y1" deen4fa1"deep\,i
,-|, 4|\ -T--
W,,,noJ'*"oF@
BITS
SELF-CENTERING

+-o++ NK BITS
PILOT/COUNTERSI
COMBINATION
s/ro"hol e 1" deep

PLUGCUTTERS

SQUAREDRIVERS

rl
V\ 4.@ i:;33';_-S
DRIVERS
PHILLIPS

r|, r|,@
t];t t]z i:.!3';----Q
SLOTTEDDRIVERS

@
FULL-SIZE
PATTERN

LID FRONT

Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 Drop-Down
ToolTray
ere'sa great way to squeezea lot
of tool-storagespaceinto a small
area. The storage tray shown
here holds nine measuringand
marking tools and quickly folds up into
an often-unusedspace.You couldjust as
easilycustomizeyour tray to hold chisels,
screwdrivers, wrenches,or othertools.
To build thetray,youmustfirst measure
the undersideof thecabinet.The lengthof
the tray shouldequalthe insidemeasure-
mentbetweenthe two sidesof the cabinet
minus t/s"for clearance.The width of the
tray mustequalthe measurement from the
wall to the insideedgeof the cabinetface
frame minus the thicknessof the wall
cleatand minus Vs"for clearance.
For accuratepositioning,center and
screw the wooden latch to the bottom
edge of the cabinet face frame after you
have installed the tray. Then, hold the
tray in the closedposition,and drill the
hole for the dowel through the latch and
into the front rail of the tray.Finally, cut
tool-holdingblocksand glue them to the
tray bottom to prevent your tools from
sliding around.lF
P r o j e c tD e s i g n :R . B . H i m e s
Photograph:John Hetherington
l l l u s t r a t i o:nR o x a n n eL e M o i n e

woodmagazine.com 85
 --_-. .r:.T...l.

ffiffi t-
F-*

a '

ffi:r

h e n e w s i s s h o c k i n - gb r " rttr u e : O L t t '

s h o l - rusr e i n c l L t t t ecr r i s i s .M o s t a r c
s o s t u l ' l ' e dw i t h t o o l s a n c l s u p p l i e s
that littlc spacerenrainslirr projects.
'fakc.
lirr exanrple.Jerry Mertetts' sliop in
F o r s y t h . M i s s o L r r i .H i s p l a c c s l i o w e c la l l
t h e s y n r p t o n r so l ' a s i c k s l t o l t . v i s i b l e 'i n
the "be lirrc" photos ancl floilr plan. Dur-
i n g o u r - l t 3 - h o L rvri s i t . w e c u r e c lh i s s h o p
w i t h s i n r p l es o l r , r t i o ntsh a t y o u c a l t L t s et o
work over your wilrk space.

E v e r ys h o p w a l l w a s f i l l e d w i t h a n o v e r l o a do f d i s o r g a n i z e dh o o k s a n d h a n g i n gi t e m s .

BEFORE AFTER
CornerA Gorner D GornerA GornerD
FTf------l'r . ::t:
I F n^lna6d

1 Window Storage
I Countertop with snerves
ooen storage below
J I
Mitersaw

ffi
SAW
u *o\
Radial-arm-

'\"
-.'1-.--l

''
Mitersaw
-t'-)
!r\I
Radial-arm
SAW
Dust
fr-ll
collectorr_r.--ll
c^{l I

w)
\nt
tRt Chair 7 fi--l
ql_- ,1
It td| l ll Dust!-/ n\ t-1 trTr t6-ll
liltl
I I i l t c J collectorll|trl t.r-__7i
Spindle lnl c Spindle t-i
sander lyl 5 ll.-r
Ul sander il Rolling

rL/--\- ' } |
I ll-r
L!l IltE
ti
R o u t e rt a b l e| | I H I
GARAGE
JT
Portable
Planer
toolbox

I (-oj ) l LqP
[
BelVdisc
sanoer
Y9raPn
prnsI
I
u BelVdisc
sanoer
Tablesaw
and extension
wino with
route-rtable
Tablesaw
llgs
on wal.
r-
r----- 1-
:r--- 1-
I r-r} il| I|l._rT il|
Vacuum
under
/ table
Mortiser Portable
\<D Planer

LI .tl

!'
)'
Lathe l
a Lathe
HI
FI
Dust 6l
Plywood b Plywood
t"t collectorTool storage CD _oi
ol
storage
Clamshell
tI t"r fli I _-JL ano
T-----n^ (Jl
t"l srorage
Drill
I L__jSparrs Foot c! t-f, press
|
ft "'l l,.ll
l\-/l
loct<erlocker
\-
Lumber
rack Et cabinet Lumber
racK

CornerB Gorner
G CornerB Gorner
G
Before the workover began, Jerry's shop was crowded and inefficient.Atterward,the shop is effectivelyartanged and the walls hold
cabinets instead ol dust-coveredDackaqesand tools.

86 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

 New prefab cabinet
l
- l
e '.i.
TheSicknesst
.
...:
:,::i...:-j:: t:;l-;.1-';,,'i
Like rnost shops, Jerry's evolved over
time. As new tools and jigs entered,they
were positioned wherever they'd fit.
The Gure: Rearni*r-Beti{'4r*
'rr,r::rc
thg tfie k
We relocated Jerry's tools and sr-rpplies
where they belong, instead of wherever
space allowed. The "after" floor plirn,
lefi, shows that tools tbr breaking down
boards-radial-arm saw. jointer, and
planer-reside on one end of the shop.
Tools for machining parts, handwork,
and assemblylive on the other end. Jerry
now has easy accessto everything.
woodmagazine.com
\,
,, , The Sickness: F;*iterinex
i'*l-rs"*h
stur.ege
Jerry's storagefbr finishing suppliescon-
sisted of a set of simple shelves (see Cor-
ner A-Be.fore photo). They swallowed
stain and finish cans, and gobbled up
loads of dust and clutter.
The Cure: A r";*tuT
tne;acle:
{: I tr\,J t{.} t i} r.",-rlJ i r} q} |
Two t/2"-plywood doors hinged to a face
frame made of scrap stock put this prob-
lem under wraps. Secured by wood turn
buttons, the doors keep dust out, and cans
in (see Corner A-A.fier photo).
The Sickness: La*k ert
enc*e:sed
stsrage
Perforated hardboard off-ers versatile
storage; but in Jerry's shop, this storage
system was hooked on clutter. One wall
was packed with hooks that held most
anything you could think of, much in
its original packaging (see Corner A-
BeJitre photo).
The Cure: Fr*fah fr#hia.rt:;xr,,
cr*#t'"sfi r{uick s*ir,ltior:r
To provide storage,we hung four ready-
to-assernbleprefab cabinets purchased
at a home center(seeCornersA and B-
lfter photos).Theseunitsinstallquickly
and-at $50 and$75apiecedependingon
size-prove economicalwhen compared
to buildingyour own cabinets.
87
 Wall hooks
hold often-
used items.

I
7
Mbreprefab
cauills

Tfhe bandsaw
ihas a home!

.R:81
The Sickness: A sinqle
cabinet gets crammeE-full
Jerry had built one four-doorwall cabinet
(seeCorner B-Before photo).It proved
suitablefor holding jars of screwsand a Jerry's shop now sports a clean countertop and loads of enclosed cabinet space.
few supplies.But at only about 4" deep, Using a combination of shop-built and store-bought units allows easy customization.
it couldn't acceptmuch else.This cabi-
net location near the benchproved ideal,
though, for turning the cabinet into a CLAMSHELLCABINETDOORS(two options)
home for hardwareand hand tools. Door skin tZ" birch
Door skin 1/z"bitch plywood # 1 6x 1 "
wire brad
The Cure: Deepshop-built # 1 6 x 1 " w i r eb r a d Door tops 3/q"pine,
doors hold more 31/2"wide
We turned this space-impairedcabinet
into a storagesuperstarby equipping it
with clamshelldoors. (Seethe drawing,
right, andCorner B-After photo).Inside
one pair, perforatedhardboardoffers ef-
fectivehangingstorage.Another option: Dooredges
g/q"pine
Add shelvesinsidethe doors.Jerry plans
3t/z" wide
to load this cabinet with more hardware
and handtools.
#6x 1"F.H.
wood screw
The Sickness: Toolshave
no placeto call home
When we arrived in Jerry's shop, we
found the bandsawand drill pressshoved
into a corner due to lack of open floor
space (see Corner C-Before photo).
Both machineshad to be pulled out into
the room for use.
At least those tools could be used.
Jerry'sbenchtoptools that residedon his
# 1 6x 1 "
long built-in counter (seeCornersA and wire brad
B-Before photos) had gotten so buried
that they were tough to evenfind.
t/z" plywood
spacer
The Gure: Reclaimed Door bottom /a" perforated
areas give tools space 7/a+"
pilot hole 7a"deep
s/q"pine
3/2" wide
hardboard
Pushingthe bench and tablesawtogether 7se"shank hole.countersunk
and removingunnecessary items,suchas F.H.wood screw
x 11/2"

88 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008

You can never have enough clamps, or rack
space to hold them. The drill press, which
was crammed into a corner, now can be
used anytime and is surrounded by plenty
of work space.

a foot locker, extra scrapbins, and loads
of lumber cut-offs, freed up about 20
percentmore floor spacein Jerry'sshop.
This meansthe bandsawand drill oress
now get their own cornerswherethey're
easy to use but out of the way. (Seethe
After floor plan.) We even brought the
portableplanerin from the garage.
Solvingthe on-wall storageissuesover
the long counter also made more usable
spaceavailablefor Jerry'sbenchtoptools.
The Sickness: Jiqs and
woodworkingclarips
sit in the wrohg carhps
As shown in the Corner C-Before pho-
to, Jerry built his shop with an 8'-wide
doorway leading into his garage. He
neverused half of the opening,though,
and simply coveredit with clear plastic.
He hung a few tablesawjigs on the wall
(in a locationnot handy to the saw),and
parkeda rolling toolbox in front of it.
constructedthe sameway.The difference At least the tablesaw became a conve-
lies in the size and spacingof the slots. nient tabletopand workbench-meaning
One rack holds pipe clamps, the other it easilygot buried!
keepsrapid-actionbar clamps.
The Gure: Makinq the saw
The Sickne$s: An unmov- mobile cuts out h5ssle
able tablesawdoublesas Mounting a universalmobile baseunder
a dumpingground the saw allows Jerry to move this heavy
Jerry's3-hp cabinetsaw with a 52" fence machine by himself if the need arises.
earns its keep at the center of the shop. That way he can positionit for cutting big
But positioning it there effectively chops boardsor get it out of the way altogether
the workspaceinto two separaterooms. to increasefloor space.
Pipe-clampslot
EASY.TO.BUILD TOP
CLAMP RACK 1/zx 41/2"plywood
Rapid-action
bar clampslots
#16x1"
wire nails

The Gure: Wall racks

cradleclamps CLEAT
Enclosinghalf of the doorway with a 4'- s/+x3Yz"pine
wide wall givesthe shopa finished look
and provides the backdrop for a bevy
of clamp racks (see Corner C-After 7se"shank hole,
photo). The clamps used to hang on the countersunk Secureto studswith
opposite end of the shop,a long way from #8 x2/2" F.H.wood screw.
Jerry'sworkbench.
We moved what clamp racks he had, SUPPORT
t/zx 41/zx 8" pine
plusbuilt a few more,like the onesshown
in the drawing at right. Both styles are

woodmagazine.com 89
The Sickness: A router
table wastes space
In the Corner D-Before photo, you'll
see that clamps consumed one wall
on the infeed side of Jerry's tablesaw.
Someof the longer clampsforced him to
position his router table away from the
wall in the alreadyinadequatefloor space.
The Gure: An all-in-one
sawingand,routingstation
worKswongers
We got rid of the stand-alonetable and
replaced it with a router-table-equipped
extensionwing for the tablesaw.This full-
function tableatethe biggestsinglechunk
of our budget (detailed in "Where the
moneywent" atbottomright),butupgrad-
ed both Jerry's tablesawand his routing
capabilitiesin additionto openingup space.
Of course, we didn't let the spacewe
created go to waste. We parked Jerry's
rolling tool box along the newly cleared
wall where it interfered least with other
shoptools. Then we surroundedthe tool-
box with Jerry'smany tablesawjigs. They
now hang on screwswhere they belong,
on the infeed side of the saw whereJerry
can reach them easily as he works (see
Corner D-After photo).
Adjusting the new mobile base makes Jerry's massive tablesaw moveable.
90
-:
\
Long clamps behind the router table gobbled up valuablefloor space in Jerry's shop.
Jerry had only a narrow path between his tablesaw, foreground, and his radial-arm saw.
The final diagnosis Jerry has learned that anyone can
So, did our cures rid Jerry's shop of its get his or her workshop organized. It
sickness?Here's what Jerry had to say: just takes forethought,a few well-spent
"I knew that I wasn'tvery organized,but dollars,and a little help from his wood-
I didn't realize what a difference more working friends.JF
storageand mobility could make.I find it
Writtenby David Stone with Kevin Boyle,
hard to believehow much better the shop Chuck Hedlund, and Jeff Mertz
functions, and so does everyone who Photographs:Gayle Harper, In-SightPhotography
comesby to seemy workshopworkover."
Where the
nroney went
We set out to make major improve-
ments without spending more than
$1,000.You can see that had we not
needed two big-ticket items-the
router table and tablesaw mobile
base-we could have cut our budget
in half.Here'showwe spentour money,
roundedto the nearestdollar.
Tablesawmobilebase $ 180
Routertableextension
for tablesaw $ s+z
Cabinets
(three24x30",one 24x36") $ 216
Universal 4" lockingcasters $ 28
'mobile
base
Sheetgoods $ 95
Lumber $80
Hardwareand supplies $42
TOTAL $ 988
Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 flsI.t-4'b
i

'q
Ditching the freestandingrouter table
made space for a tool box. The dust col-
lector tucks tight to the wall and turns on
by remote control.

i\\
' - . '\ Seemoreshopproiectplansat
Router-table \,r/oodrr agazine.{0 m ish r:pi*oi s
extension wing

An integratedrouter table makes the tablesaw multi-tasf. Senlor Oesign Editor Kevin
Boyle makes sure it sits flush with the saw table.

woodmagazine.com
91
Triple-Threat
for
Storage
Lumber,
ScraFS,
andSheetGoods
Buildone or all three of these
easy-to-makeprojects to keep
your shop organized.

StorageSolution1:
Adjustable board bunks
{ To make each rack, start by cutting
I two piecesof Vz"plywood to the sizes
shown on Drawing 1 to create the side
plates for the board bunk.
l)From an 8'-long 2x4 cut a piece 40"
6\ong. Rip about Vz" from one edge.
Then rip the other edge to achieve the
frnal2Vz" width.
flFrom the ripped stock, cut the divid-
\Jers to length, as shown, making sure
to miter both ends at 5". (Note that the lllCut a spacer2\3/te"-widefrom a scrap
'Tof
bottom divider is 4Vs" long.) The work- 2x4 stock, and use this as a spacer
piece is longer than you'll need, but to align the dividers. Now glue and screw
this allows you to work around knots to the dividers to the plates,where shown.
make the dividers as strongas possible.
7a"hole
e/e"lag screw
5" long

t/+"round-overs
DIVIDER

S ID E
PLATE
...@
{

3"

213/ra
7ez"shankhole,
countersunk

Make as many of these adjustable racks ds you need

to store boards flat and out of the way. Wall-mount
them over studs.
#8 x 1" F.H.wood screw

92 Best-EverWoodworkingJigs, HomemadeTools,& ShopOrganizers 2008

 Trt make the arms. rip a secondpiece
of 2x4 to 2.3A"wicle. Again, avoid
sections with knots to ensure maxinrum
strength. (We ntade four arms for each
rack assembll,.)Miter one end of each arm
at 5o. Then roLlt /+" round-overs on the
ed-uesancl ends where shown. Don't rout
the mitered end. Sandall the parts through the studsareexposed-no drywall-then
15O-grit,and apply a clear finish if desired. makethe pilot holes2r/2"-deep.)
To mount the rack assembly, locate Screw the rack assemblyonto the
yourwalls studs,andthendrill.%" holes studsusing3/sx5"lag screws,spacing
throu-ehfburof the dividers,as shown.Use them every 16" or 24". Slip in the arms,
t h e s e h o l e tso m a r k y o u r w a l l ,a n d t h e n d r i l l and add your prized lumberstock.
/+" pilot holes 2" deep into the studs. (lf

1/+x3/qx141/2"
edgebanding
p scnaPsoRrER
l------.--.-.,0*,,
1/qx 3/q x 141/2" 1/qx3/ax193/q"
edge banding edge banding

SHELVES

0
7sz"shankhole,
countersunk

/' 6
Corral your cutoffs with this handy
mobile cart. lt lets you organizeyour \
panhead screw
stock by length so you'll always know
exactly what you have at a glance.

$to rage Solution 2:
$ h e i 6 , - - ' . : , , : : : i , , c; ',;;- . i - r, 'i ,
Be-sin by cLrttin-uthe plywood sides.
shelves. and dividers to the sizes
shown on Drawing 2.
Rip stock (we used poplar) to size to
create the edge bandin-e.Then apply
the ed-uebanding. where shown. This will
dress up the project while protectin-rthe
plywood ed-qesfrom nicks.
Place both side pieces face to face and
drill shank holes for the #8x2" screws
Install four 3" swivel casters to the
bottom corners of the cart, where
that will hold the cart rogether.Also drill shown. To do this, turn the cabinet upside
shank and pilot holes, and then assemble down, place a caster at each corner, mark
each of the divider cubbies. and drill the holes. and screw the casters
Sand the parts through 15O-grit,and in place.
apply two coats of clear finish to all
the cart's pieces.
Now assemblethe cart. We used screws
only-no glue-to allow tweaking
the fit of each piece.

woodmagazine.com
93
 g SHEETGOODS s/sz"hole,
STORAGECART countersunk #B x 2" F.H.
wood screw
3/q"boll2" long -T 71

1/zX3/qX4B1/q" --w i*
i
e/qx1x261/q"
edgebanding
.-+a
{_ \ 1/zx3/qx 481/a"

T
1/zX3/qX261/a" edgebanding
edgebanding
1/qx3/qx96"
edgebanding

SHELF

I9 6"
s/ax1x48"
cleats

1/ax3/ax16"
edgebanding

3" swivel
caster
Sheet goods never store easily,and they )
take up a lot of shop space.This tall cart
allows you to store full sheets, half sheets,
and cutoffs in a small area.Though size-
able, it rolls around with little effort. We've s/qx 1 x 26t/q" edge banding
even included wall-mountingbracketsyou
can add if your shop floor is rough or out of
level.lf your ceiling is less than 9', take
a pass on this project.
@ wnll MoUNTTNG
DETATL @ cnsrER DETATL

StorageSolution3:
Upstanding sheet
storage cart
Note: For structural strength, we used
-t/t" plywood;
five sheets suffice for the
project shown. If you intend to finish
or paint the project, you'll find it easier
to simply apply it to the full sheets be-
fore you begin cutting and assembly. We
applied two coats of water-based finish
using a paint pad, taking care to not coat
the plywood edges.
Cut the top, bottom, back, and shelves
to the sizes shown on Drawing 3.
Next, cut edge banding (we used pop-
lar) to the sizes shown in the drawing.
Note that the edge banding on the front
edge of the top and bottom extends these
plywood parts by 1", whereas the edge
banding on the front edges of the top,
1" hole
bottom,sides,divider,and shelvesextend
the plywood parts by t/r". This ensures
alignment.Noq cut the shelfcleatsto size.
Apply edging,where shown,and the
samefinish or paint usedon the ply-
wood parts.Attach the shelf cleatsusing
#8xt/+"screws.
Assemblethecart using#8x2" screws,
as shown.You may want a friend to
help move the configurationand steady
1/z'F.H.
SCTEW
Note: 4 needed
the large pieces. We found it easiestto tn-
stall the shelvesbetween one side and the
divider, and then add the back, top and
bottom, and final side. When done, in-
stall 3" swivel casters,where shown. t
BoardBunks:Jeff Mertz
Projectdesigns:
ScrapSorter,SheetGoodsStorage Cart:Jerry
Lenz, Elizabeth, Colo.
l l l u s t r a t i o n s :R o x a n n e L e M o i n e

94 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 , \ ' o l c . ' ( ) t t t ' t l t ' t t t i t t 1 4 tst t t t l I n ( ' ( t \ L t t ' ( n t ( n ! \
t t t ' c f l t t ' t t t l r t o t 'l t t u t L ' i( t n ( l l t ' t t n t ( 'l t t t c t l i r , t
( u t ( ) l ) ( n - . \ l t r r t t ln, r i t l . s i - c t ll t r t l t L ' .I l t t ' : i , t '
r t l l l t c l t i t ' t ' t ' st t t ' t ' t l c , lr l l 1 1r ' r l i ' . fr t' ' t , t t tr r t o t l
c l l t t n t o t f t ' 1 .l ' l t t t \ ( ' t t t ( ( t : t u ' t '. t r t t u ' l i t l l t L '
. \ l ( t n ( lr t t t t l l t t o l . s .t t t t t l t t t l f t t s l t r tt t t t ' t l i t t g l . t .

( ' r i t t l r c I r r t t t l t t r t o Liil i t t t c i n t ' r t i r r ' l :

( \ . l J ) t o s r z c "r t l t i , t l e. , l t o ur ] o n D r a w -
i r r g 1 . . t l l l r t i L l g lt ri r e o p g 1 1 i 1 r11. 1o1t t r ' l l t t l t i
: t l t t t t i\ \ l l \ t r r t l ) c , / r l i t l r\i\lc. n t i l r l ar i t t t l l . L I r i t '
I r ' ([ i t t l t t r l t r lti ) l ' r ' i r \ ri t' ) . , , t t \ l lL t \ ' r ; r , l l .
I - l t -or t t t l u t c l t l r i I I t i t c t t l t i i r r r : i i ,i l r ' .
-[ircn.
g l r r e" r l o u c l . l r r t t l c l i t t t t l r t l r e
c ( ) l ' n c l ' . j o i n t se" h c e l ' t i r t l o t ' s ( l L r . u ' cl -. i t t c l "
tlrill ; " l r , r l c rt h i ' t i t t g l ith c u o o r l c n l t ' r . t t t t . '
l u n t li n c t l r l s l l n t l l i r l b o l t i r r r t l r e l n r t t t c i o
thc lathc'.llrnri

96 r o o d w o r k i n gJ i g s , H o m e r n a d eT o o l s ,& S h o p O r g a n r z e r s 2 0 0 8
B e s t - E v eW
 Cut the door panel (C) to size from
3/+"birch plywood.
, Miter-cutthe bandingstrips(D, E) to
size from 3/q"stock.Rout %0" cham-
fers along the mating edgesof C, D, and
E, whereshownon Drawing 2.
*-*Cut or rout %" grooves t/q"deepalong
'z*#themating edgesof the bandingstrips
(D, E) and plywood door panel (C). Cut
splinesto the sizeslisted on Drawing 1.
Next, glue, spline, and clamp the cham-
feredbandingstripsto the plywood panel.
On the insideface of the door panel,
iadd a solid-woodtool holder(F) to fit
your turning tools,as shownon Drawing
1. The holesin the holdershouldbe about
t/to"larger than the diameterof the metal
ferruleon your turning-toolhandles.Add
otherholdersas needed.
'i Finish-sandthe pieces.Mask the ply-
.i wooddoor panel.Now,finish the solid-
wood banding (D, E) and frame (A, B)
with a clearfinish. Later,maskthe sealed
wood, and paint the plywood door panel.
QUse a pieceof lVz"continuoushinge
Llto securethe bottom of the door pan-
el to the top edge of the bottom frame
member (A). Bolt the frame to the stand.
Finally, to keep the door from opening
too far, usean I l" lengthof chainto con-
nect the door to the frame. i
Writtenby Marlen Kemmet
P r o j e c tD e s i g n J: i m B o e l l i n g
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
Photographs:Hopkins Associate

I eXeIODED VIEW (Viewedfrom back side of door)

1lax7lrc x 28"
spline

11/2"

Closed door hides tool storage.

$ ffi
11/q'
1/a"grooves
1/+"deep
#8 x 5/e"R.H.
wood screw for
mountinqchain
to pari@
[| rnorurvtEW
\1rlr"

Headstock

1/ro"
chamferson parts@, @, anO@.

/2"wirepull

1/+"carriaqe
bolt 1" lon"g
secunno
framet6'
stand.

Plywood

Hinged door (open) viewed from top

of lathe

woodmagazine.com 97
AUersatile
for
Solution
yourBasement
orGarage
Utility
Cabinet ['lffiffi
System
Not impressedwith the
particleboardutility
cabinetsavailableat
your local home
center?Neitherwere
we. So we designeda
sturdy,easy-to-build
set of cabinets.Build
one or more of the
componentsto suit your
clutter-controlneeds.

Build the cabinet cornbination that flts your space and storage needs

II
861/q'
I
861/q"
I
861A',

II
98
l_ L L
Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 I f your garageor basementis the final
I pocket of disorganizedresistancein
I yout home,then assemblethis SWAT
I teamof storagesolutions.Made of du-
rable medium-densityfiberboard(MDF),
thesecabinetsfeaturerigid hardwoodface
frames and, for added hanging options,
perforated-hardboardbacks. Better yet,
the systemis chock full of featuresthat'll
help you speedthroughthe construction:
. Shop-madeguides make drilling hard- Position the stiles (A, B, C) with a stop- Clamp a stile (A, B, C) and rail (D, E) to a
block, and drill countersunk screw holes flat surface, aligning them with a stopblock.
ware mountingholesfast and accurate. s/a"ltom the ends. Reposition the stop- Drill pilot holes into the rail, and drive the
. Butt-joint construction makes for fast bfock, and drill holes 1s/o"lrom the ends. screws. Repeat for the other three corners.
but sturdyjoinery.
. Screw-togetherassemblyallows you to determined in the rnce FRAMES
I Tsz"shankhotes,
countersunk
prefinish all the parts with a paint roller. previous step. Then
. Special drawer side/slide hardware sketch in the combi- l-9,/o'
makesbuilding the drawersa breeze. nation of wall/base L,rrr"on part@
. Self-closinghingeseliminatethe need and tall cabinetsthat 19e/a" for tall cabinet Vtor tall cabinet

"H
for door catches. 6r/2"tor base cabinet . | 9t/e',onpart@
fits your needs.Now
And whenit's setuptime,levelersacces- I for base cabin-et
count the number of
T'."
24t/q" tol
siblefrom insidethe baseand tall cabinets each type of cabinet 86t/c" tor
Holesin tall cabinetonly
give you perfectno-hasslealignment. and generatea cutting
7sz"shankholes.
list by filling in the countersunk
Planyour installation blankson the Materi- with mating
Measurethe lengthof wall in the area 7o+"pilotholes
{ als List on page 104. 1" deepintorails
I whereyou wish to setup your storage
system.Make sure there is room for the Gut the
I7z/+"depthof the tall and basecabinets. case parts
Eachwall/basecabinetpair and eachtall { From t/q" thick poplar, cut the stiles
cabinetrequire30" of wall length.To find I (A, B, C), top andcenterrails (D), bot-
the total numberof 30" modulesyou can tom rails (E), edging (F), and back rails
fill with a combinationof wall/baseand (G) to the sizeslisted on the Materials
tall cabinets,divide the total length of List. Mark the part letter on the end of
availablewall in inchesby 30, and round eachpiece,and stackthe parts in order.
your answerdown to the next whole num- flReferring to Drawing1, drill counter-
ber. For instance,if your wall measures 6sunk 7:2" shankholescenteredin the
103",dividing 103" by 30" equals3.43 edgesof the stiles (A, B, C) for fasten-
modules.Roundingthis down to a whole ing the top and bottom rails, as shownin
modulegivesyou three30" modules.The Photo A. Then drill countersunkshank
90" cabinetarrangement,shownopposite holesin the stiles(B, C) for fasteningthe
page,bottomright, would fit in this space centerrails of the tall and basecabinets.
QMeasure the exact sizes of the as-
with 13" left over. Assemblethe stiles and top and bottom iJsembled face frames. and then from
.*)Make a sketchof the wall area,divid- rails, as shownin Photo B. Then adb the 3/+"medium density fiberboard (MDF),
&ing it into the numberof 30" modules centerrails. wheredimensioned. cut the sides(H, I, J); narrow tops and

I
86Y4'

woodmagazine.com
L 99
 bottoms (K); and wide tops, bottoms, and
E cAsEsrDES fixed shelves(L) to size.
Make surethe sidesare the samelength
as the mating stiles and the length of the
tops, bottoms, and fixed shelvesis equal
to the overall width of the face frames.
Then cut the adjustable shelves (M, N),
doors (O, P), and drawer fronts (T) to
size. Mark the part letter on the end of
each piece, and stack the parts in order.
For the length of the backsplash(X), add
up the total width of the base cabinets
in your storage system, and cut a piece
of 3/q"MDF to the width listed and the
length det6rmined.
/lCount the number of base and tall
Tcabinets in your storagesystem.Des-
51V4"
ignate this number of parts L as bottoms,
and use a Vi' Forstner bit to drill leveler
accessholes,where shown on Drawing 2.
f,Measure the actual thickness of the
rJperforated hardboard for the backs
(Q, R, S), and cut 3/a"-deep groovesin the
sides(H,I, J), whereshownon Drawing 3.
fiGlue and clamp the edging (F) to
lJthe adjustableshelves(M, N), where
shown on Drawings 4, 5, and 6. When
the glue dries, sandthe edging flush with
the shelves. Then sand any saw marks
from the edgesof all the MDF parts. Now
rout %" round-oversalong the front edges
of the edging, the front edgesof the sides
(H, tr,J), and all edgesof the doors (O, P)
and drawer fronts (T).
r/From V+" perforated hardboard, cut
I the backs (Q, R, S) to size. Cut the
tool board face (Z) to width and to the
samelength as the backsplash(X).

F- 11
lvt
V+"gloove
I t/+"groove
a: ,;;i::i
7a"deep
lt" groove Vq"tfom
7a"deep back edge - backedge
4q" trom on insideface
on insideface
back edge
on inside s/sz"shank holes,
face countersunk

31/2" I)Yo'

?
lr
?l+
t
2"/o'

TALL CABINETSIDE BASE CABINETSIDE WALL CABINETSIDE

6 SHELFSTANDARDS
TOPVIEW
#8 x 2" F.H.
E WALL CABINETEXPLODEDVIEW wood screw
'f..:ffi;fT Shelf standard
20" long

Shelf -- Shelf t/e"round

standardEi ,standard
t/a"round-overs
#8 x 2 "
F.H.wood
1"I V /screw
l(
I

251/2' 11/2",

{ Shelfsupport

/2" overlayself- z%+"pilot hole

/
#8 x 2" F.H. 7ee"shank hole,
wood screw
::::-\r.
)
closinghinge lrh" deep
s/sz"shank hole,
countersunk 111Vt'
,l
S" chromewire pull countersunk *gx 21/2,F.H.woodscrew #8x2" F.H.woodscrew

100 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 7/aq"pilol hole 1t,/q"deep x 2" F.H.
$ rnu cABtNEr '4 wood screw
EXPLODED
VIEW Shelfstandard20" long

1 /
2Yz'

/
861/q"
3" chrome
wirepulls Shelf 841/z'
support

g/o" hole

#8 x3/q"
panhead
screw

13/q'

Shelfstandards t/z"
leveler
60" long
access hole
s/sz"
shank hole,
countersunk
\__ #8 x 2" F.H.
i )\ri 3/e-16x 2r/2" leveler \
wooo screw
Izv' 7sz"shank hole,
13slo'\ #8x2/2" F.H.woodscrew 3/ro"hole,countersunk countersunk
t/a"round-overs 10-24x 11/q"
F.H.machinescrew

--15s/+'7
7/aq"pilol hole 1t/q" deep *-28%"
t/aq" pilol hole 1t/a" deep
14" drawerslide
@ ense cABINET
EXeLoDED
vtEW

7sz"shank hole.
11s/q' countersunk

t
'/4

t/z" leveler #8x 2" F.H.

12"overlayself- wood
access hole
'closing
hinge
l-
\
13slo'-\i -i
-13-flilil,"il1
,_/'r)8.
, , Levefer
ler bracket/
bracket/ fL,
23/+" s/e-16X 2t/2"-/ / 17e/+'
leveler
10-24 x 1t/q"F.H.
3Aa"hole,countersunk machinescrew

woodmagazine.com
 and
With the back (Q) captured in the side (H)
grooves,clamp the top (K) in place,flush with
the tops of the sides, and the bottom (K)
in pface, 13/q"
lrom the bottoms of the sides.
Finishand assemble
.'riTo'seal the edgesof the MDF parts
* before painting, see the Shop Tip,
below.Now prime and paint all the parts
exceptthe backrails (G). (We rolled on an
exterior acrylic latex primer followed by
two coats of exterior acrylic latex semi-
gloss paint. A short-naproller gives the
surfacesa subtleflaw-hiding texture.)
:f't.gApplymaskingtapeto the outsidefaces
.rtof thesides(H,I, J),andmark screw-hole
locations,wheredimensionedon Drawing
3. Make sure the sidesare mirror images.
Then apply maskingtape to the faceframe
rails (D, E), andmark screw-hole locations,
whereshownon Drawing 1.
Seal MDF edcr- es
quicklv and
e-ffectively
The rawedgesof MDFpartswillsoak
up many coats of primerbeforethey
are readyfor a finishcoat of paint.To
avoid repeatedprimer applications,
mix three parts woodworkingglue
with one part waterand seal the edg-
es, as shown below.When dry, sand
the edgessmoothwith220-9ritsand-
paper.Apply a singlecoat of primer,
and you'rereadyfor the finishcoat.
102
Alignthe top edgesof the rails(D,E)with
the top surfacesof the top and bottom(K).
Drillcountersunkscrewholeswheremarked
on the sidesand rails,anddrivethe screws.
ftFor a wall cabinet,assemblethe back
#(Q), sides (H), and top and bottom
(K), as shownin Photo C. Now add the
face frame (A/D/E), as shown in Photo
D. Assemblethe basecabinetin the same
manner. For the tall cabinet, insert and
align the fixed shelf (L), as shown in
Photo E. Then drill countersunkscrew
holes, where marked on the sides, and
rails and drive the screws.
,{ Turn the cabinetsfacedown,andposi-
*Ttion the back rails (G) where shown
I ontl curDES
lq x 31/qx 41/2"hardboard
LEVELER
GUIDE
o,@
guide
Hold the levelerdrilling guide cleat
against the bottom end of the side and
align the guide edge with the side front
edge. Drillthe holes. Repeatat the rear
and other side.
Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
Placea 21"-longspacerbetweenthe tall
cabinettop andfixedshelf(L)at the back.
Usea squareto alignthetop surfaceof the
shelfandtop edgeof the centerrail(D).
on Drawings 4, 5, and 6. Drill counter-
sunk screw holes through the sides and
into the rails. and drive the screws.Then
on all the cabinets, drill countersunk
screw holes through the back rails and
into the tops and bottoms(K, L). On the
tall cabinet,drill and screwthe back rail
to the fixed shelf(L). Then turn the cabi-
net over.and drill and screwthe back (R)
to the backrails.
ffiTo mount the levelerson the baseand
b",,ttallcabinetsand the pulls on all the
Y4 OTOOVeS
F--t3/n'
vd"deep
_ft--l
11/2"
t
I
J
7u
11/z'
s/ro"hole
P U L LG U I D E
tAx3x53/q" hardboard
With a plywood scrap underneath the door
to prevent chipout, position the drilling
guide with the short cleat against the end
of the door and the long cleat against the
e d g e ,a n d d r i l l t h e h o l e s .
Insert1"-widespacersbetweenthe shelf Tape a 2r/q"-longspacer to the stile with one Set your combination square lo23/c".Holding
standardsand the stile (A)and back(Q). end against the top, center, or bottom rail. the square againstthe top and bottom edges
Withthe endsof the standardsagainstthe Hold the hinge against the spacer,and drill of the door, and the hinges against the
bottom(K),nailthestandardsin place. pilot holes, centered in the hinge slots. guide, drill pilot holes. Then, drive the screws.

doors,makethe drilling guidesshownon

Drawing7. Then drill holesin the cabinet
sides,as shown in Photo F. Countersink
the holeson the outsidefaces.Drill holes
in the doors,as shownin PhotoG. (Drill
the holesat any corner.They will be prop-
erly orientedwhen installing the hinges.)
Fastenthe levelersto the caseswith #10-
24xlV+" flathead machine screws.lock
washers,andnuts.Do not installthe pulls
at this time.
' For the wall cabinet,trim the top ends
, Holdthe bottom/backassembly(V/W)in Withthe locationsof the bottomfront
{#of four 24"-longshelfstandardsto 20". yourvise.Removethe optionalalignment cornersof the drawerbox markedon
Referringto Drawing 4a, fastenthe stan- tabsfromthe drawerside/slides,
andclamp maskingtape,alignthe drawerbox
dards to the sides(H) with special shelf themin place.Drillpilotholes,and drive assemblywith the marks,and markthe
standardnails, as shown in Photo H. For the screws. bracket-holelocations.
the basecabinet install 24" standards.For
thetall cabinet,install60"standards in the through the back and into the bottom; mark the bottom front cornerlocationsof
lowercompartmentand trim24" standards and drive the screws.Mount the drawer the drawerbox on the tape,where shown
to 20" for the uppercompartment. side/slidesto the bottom/back assemblv. on Drawing 8. Mark bracket mounting-
pPosition the top and bottom hinges as shownin Photo K. screw locations,as shown in Photo L.
f for each door on the stiles (A, B, C) flSnap the righr and left-handdrawer- Removethe drawer box, drill pilot holes,
and drill pilot holes,as shownin Photol. \Jfront brackets onto the side/slides. and remove the tape. Reposition the
Positionthe top and bottom hingeson the Apply masking tape to the front (T) and drawerbox. and drive the screws.
doorswith the previouslydrilled pull holes
at the bottomsof the wall cabinetand tall
cabinetshortdoors(O) and the topsof the S OnnWER(viewedfrom the back)
basecabinetshortdoors (O) and tall cabi-
net long doors(P).Now mountthe hinges, Left-handdrawer-front bracket
as shown in Photo J. Then on each long
door,centera third hinge,drill pilot holes, 3" chrome
wire pull 261/z'
and screwthem in place.
'/a
1 / l l

Make base cabinetdrawers round-overs

'-* Laminatetwo piecesof t/q-thickstock,
f and cut the cleats(U) to size.Placea
71/z
T
2"-wide spacerbetweenthe basecabinet t/2"selt-
top (L) and the cleat,and clamp the cleat adhesive ,r)o"nn""d screw
bumper
in place.Drill countersunkscrew holes
7ez"pilothole /a"deep
through the side (J) and into rhe cleat.
Then drive the screws. #8 x 11/q'F.H. wood screw
131/q --
*rpFrom %" plywood, cut the drawerbot- {
&tom (V) and back (W) to size.Clamp
7sz"shank hole.countersunk
the back to the bottom, where shown on \ i

Drawing 8;drill countersunkscrewholes # 6 x V z "panheadI screwI 14" metaldrawerside/slide

woodmagazine.com
103
 Add a top and tool board
Howto complete List.
theMateilals { To make the lVz"-thick top (Y), cut two
Step1Working offyourplanningsketch,countthenumber I pieces of 3/q"MDF to the width listed and
ofeach wall,
tall,andbase Enter
cabinet. thenumbers in to match the length of the backsplash(X). Glue
alltheopenwhiteboxes intheverticalcolumnsmarked
Column 1under theappropriatecase. and screwthe piecestogetherwith the edgesand
Step2 Addthenumbers ineachhorizontalrowand enter ends flush. Sand the front edge smooth.Rout a
thesumintheooenboxinColumn 2. o
3/s"round-over along the top front edge and a Vt"
Step3 Multiply
thenumber inColumn 2 bythenumber
inColumn 3 andentertheresultinColumn 4.Thisisthe E
ct
round-overalong the bottom front edge, where
o
number oleachpartneeded. Forthetotalnumber oftop shown on Drawing 9. Apply two coatsof semi-
o)
andcenterrails(D);shelfedging(F);backrails(G);wide e
tops,bottoms,andfixed (L);andwideshelves
shelves (N), (rt glosspolyurethaneto the front edge,sandingbe-
t(E
addthenumbers inthetworowsofColumn 4 andenter e tweencoatswithZ2o-grit sandpaper.Then apply
thesuminColumn 4a. o two additionalcoatsto the entire top, once again
L

Materials (D
.ct
E
sandingbetweencoats.
z,
f)Clamp the backsplash(X) to the rear edgeof
Athe top, flush at the bottom and ends. Drill
A wallstiles 3/i, 11/2, 241h' P
countersunkscrewholesthrough the backsplash
B tallstiles 3/t, 11/2" 861h', P and into the top, where shown on Drawing 9.
C basestiles 3/q, 11/2' 323/+' P Drive the screws.
D toprails Vc" 2' 25Y2' P QCut vertical spacers(AA) for the endsof the
D center
rails 3/q" 2' 251/2" P Uface (Z), and then enoughto spacethem 30"
3/q' 2Y2' center-to-centerin between.Cut the horizontal
E bottomrails 251/2" P
3/+u 1Y2'
spacers(BB) to the samelength as the face. Re-
F shelfedging 28"
trieve the face, and keeping the ends and edges
F shelfedging 3/+u 11/z' 28'
flush, glue and clamp the spacersto the face,
G backrails 3/q" 21/2' 28Yd' P where shownon Drawing 9.
G backrails 3/q" 21/2' 281/2' P

H wallsides 3/q' 119/q' 24Y4" MDF

3/+u 17s/q' 86Ya" MDF
Sources
I tallsides WallCabinet:t/2"self-adhesive bumpers (1);3"chrome wirepulls
J basesides 3/+, 173/q' 323/+" MDF (2)i,/2"
overlayself-closing hinges (2pr,);24"shelfstandards (4);
narrowtopsand s/q" gs/4" 2g1/2" MDF shelfsupports(1);shelfstandard nails(1).Order kitno.KlT0'1053,
$20.49 Woodworke/s Hardware. Call800-383-0130, orgoto
L ylqq 3/qu 153/+' 281/2" MDF wwhardware.com.
widefixed Tallcabinet:t/2"self-adhesive bumpers (1);3"chrome wirepulls
'1 shelves
3/+, 153/q' 281/2" MDF
(4li3/e-16x21/2"
|eve|ers (4);|eve|er brackets (4lr;t/2"
ouerlay
M narrowshelves 3/q' 83/4' 28' MDF hinges
self-closing (5pr.);24" shelfstandards (4);60"shelfstan-
N wideshelves 3h' 143/q" 28" MDF dards(4);shelfsupports (1);shelfstandard nails(2),Orderkitno.
N wideshelves 3/4' 149/q' 28' MDF KlT01051,$49,51 Woodworke/s Hardw are,seeabove.
BaseCabinet: /2"self-adhesive bumpers (1);3"chrome wire
0 shortdoors 3/q" 133/1a"203/+" MDF
pulls(3);3/a-16x2t/zi
levelers (4);levelerbrackets (4);t/2"
overlay
P longdoors 3/q" 133/ra" 61" MDF hinges
self-closing (2pr.\;24" shelfstandards (4);shelfsupports
0 wallbacks 1/q' 29Y4' 24Y4" PH (1);shelfstandardnails(1);14"drawer sides/slides (1pr.);
left-hand
th" 291A" 84Y2" drawer frontbracket (1);righlhand drawer frontbracket (1).Order
fi tallbacks PH
kitno.K1T01052, $46.85 Woodworke/s Hardware, seeabove.
S basebacks Y4u 29Y4" 31" Totalsystem:Enough ofthehardware listedabove lo buildtwo
ofeachcabinet. Order kitno.K1T01054, $169.
T fronts 3/+u 71/2, 261/2' MDF Woodworker's Hardware, seeabove.
U cleats 11/2' 2" 15Vq" LP forquantities
Note:Shipping otherthanthosegivenabove
willbe
V bottoms Yd' 131/q" 243/a" BP forthetotalcostofthehardware
calculated andinmostcaseswill
belessthanthesumoftheindividual prices
cabinet given,
W backs 1/2" 45/e' 24a/a' BP

X backsplash 3/+' 51/q' MDF

Y top 11/2' 17' tLM
Findmore
plansat
shelvingand bookcase
Z tace 1/4u 24'
woodmagazine.com/shelvi ng
M verticalspacers 3/+u 11/z' 21'
BB lglrgJlal 3/qu 1Y2'

f Dimension
varies,
seetheinstructions. and#8x%"
Supplies:#6xtl2" panhead screws;
tt Numberofpartsvaries,
seetheinstructions. #8x11/2"
#8x11/t", , #8x2",and#8x21/2"
flathead
Materialskey:P-poplar,
MDF-medium-density woodscrews;#10-24x11/q"
flatheadmachine
fiberboard,
PH-perforated
hardboard,
LP-laminated #10-24
screws; nuts;#10lockwashers.
poplar, plywood,
BP-birch LMDF-laminated
medium- Bladesandbits: Stackdadoset.t/2"Forstner
bit,
densitv
fiberboard. 1/s" round-over
and3/a" router
bits.
f,l wonxBENcH
AND TOOL
BOARD BASECABINETCUTTINGDIAGRAM

s/ax 48 x 96" Medium-densitv

fiberboard

96" Poplar(4 bd. ft.)

3/qx31/2x96" Poplar(2.7 bd. tt.\

a/,, #8x 2" F.H.

"fo,/wood
screw
7a"round-over 7 e z "s h a n k h o l e , @
countersunk
1/2x24 x 48" Birch
on back face
/8" round-over tt plywood
i7/aq"pilol hole 11/4"deep

1/ax 48 x 48" Perforated

hardboard
#B x 1 1/q"F.H. wood screw

WALL CABINETCUTTINGDIAGRAM TALLCABINETCUTTINGDIAGRAM

o
o
s/ax 48 x 96" Medium-densitv
fiberboard 1/qx48x48" s/qx 48 x 96" Medium-density
fiberboard s/qx48 x 48"
Perforated Medium-density
hardboard fiberboard
3 / q x 5 1 / zx 9 6 " P o p l a r ( b d . f t . )

WORKBENCHAND TOOL BOARD

CUTTINGDIAGRAM
Note: The Cutting
Diagramsshown 1/qx48 x 96" Perforated hardboard
representthe
materialsneededto
b u i l de a c hc a b i n e t
i n d i v i d u a l lF
y .o r
moreefficientuse
of material,use
thesediagramsas
s/qx 48 x 96" Medium-density
fiberboard g u i d e sa n d m a k ea
c o m b i n e dd i a g r a m
for all the cabinets
s/qx 48 x 96" Medium-densitv
fiberboard
y o u p l a nt o b u i l d .

3 / q x 5 1 / zx 9 6 " P o p l a r ( 4 b d . f t . )

1/+x 48 x 96" Perforatedhardboard

3 / q x 7 l / qx 9 6 " P o p l a r ( 5 . 3 b d . f t . )

3/qx 51/zx 96" Poplar (4 bd.

woodmagazine.com 105
Set up the system
Many garages(like the one shownhere)
havea protruding concretecurb at the
bottom of one or more walls. Tall and
basecabinetssitting directly on the
floor cannotbe pushedtightly against
the wall. For a solutionto this problem,
seethe Shop Tip, bottom.The six steps,
below, show how to setup the storage
systemshownon page 98. Usethese
instructionsas a guide for settingup
your own cabinetconfiguration.Now
straightenout your garage,throw out the
junk, and storethe good stuff in your
new cabinets.|l
Writtenby Jan Svec with Chuck Hedlund
Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson

Tool board

Step 1 Check the floor for levelwhere you
will place the cabinets. Position blocking
under the front levelers.Start at the high end
and level the first tall cabinet. Drill holes,
and screw the cabinet to the wall studs.
Step 2 Add the base cabinets, aligning the
bottoms and front edges with the tall cabinet.
Screw them to the wall. Position the worktop,
inserting 7c"shims behind it. Drill holes,
and screw the worktop to the base cabinets.
Step 3 Removethe shims, and rest the
tool board on the top edge of the back-
splash. Drill countersunk screw holes
through the tool board and into the wall
studs. Screw the tool board to the wall.

i .,:,:,
t ::::;:
| ,:,::

Step 4 Rest the first wall cabinet on the top
edge of the toolboard tight against the tall
cabinet. Drill holes through the cabinet
-back and drive the screws. Position the
second cabinet, and screw it to the wall.
Step 5 Add the second tall cabinet, align
it, and screw it to the wall. Mark and cut a
trim board to fit between the floor and the
bottoms of the cabinets. Drill holes through
the trim board and screw it to the blocking.
Step 6 Retrievethe hinge spacer,and using
it to position each bottom hinge, hang the
doors. On the tall doors, flip the center hinge
leaf onto the stile, drill pilot holes, and drive
the screws.Installtheshelvesand drawers.

Hopping the curb gains inches

In most garages,every squareinch of floor space counts.lf
your garagehas a low curb at the perimeterpreventingyour
storagesystemcabinetsfrombeingpushedtightlyagainstthe
wall,hoggingup valuableinches,here'sa way to get overit.
Select a combinationof dimensionlumber thicknesses 1" composite
decking
(pressure-treated on the bottom)that comes close to the trim board
heightof the curb.Cut the piecesto the combinedlengthof
the cabinets,and screwthemtogether.Withthe cabinetrear #8 x 2" F.H.
wood screw
levelerson the curb,positionthe dimension-lumber blocking
underthe front levelers,where shown at right.When all the
cabinetsare in place,screwa pieceof compositedeckingto
the blockingto hide it and the gap betweenthe blockingand
the cabinets.

106 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 r-!

Reuoluing
Storage
With this three-sided
kiosk, you can
transform an 18x18"
space into the
equivalent of 4x6' of
tool storage board.
The secret? Your tools
revolve on a lazy-
Susanbearing.
Here's how Louis Grivetti of Latonia,
Kentucky, squeezeda lot of storageinto a
small amount of floor spacein his shop:a
rotating tool kiosk.
Start by ripping the perforated hard-
board to width, joining the three pieces
with plastic cable ties, as shown at right,
then cutting and fitting the triangular
plywood top and bottom. Don't attach the
ends to the sidesjust yet, though.
Drill a 1" hole in the center of each tri-
angle, and attach a 3" lazy-Susanbearing
(part no. 28951, Rockler Woodworking
-and
Hardware, 800-279-4441or rockler.
com) to the bottom. Centerar;/ro" holeVz"
deep in the plywood floor anchor. Posi-
'
tion the bottom's 1" hole overthe anchor's
hole, and attach the other side of the lazy-
Susan bearing to the floor anchor. You'll
need to drill an accesshole in the bottom
to drive the screwsinto the floor anchor.
Using construction adhesive, cement
the floor anchor.to the floor at least 18"
from the wall, and let it cure. Attach tlte
top and bottorn triangles inside the per-
forated-hardboardsides with screws,run '
a length of 3/q"conduit through the holes,
thenslip the conduit into the anchor hole
as you standup the kiosk. When the con-
duit is plumb, secure it to a ceiling joist
with a conduit strap.Finally, hang storage
hooks in the peg holes, and your tools on
the hooks. .l .

woodmagazine.com ' , 107

 .i

Rolling
Storage
Workshop
"This unit was designedand built to bring
order out of the chaosin my workshop,"ex-
plainedreaderBernardMonneauof Calgary,
Alberta, in his letter to us. We liked his idea
of mixing plastictubs and shelvesso much,
we built one for theWOODo magazineshop
and invite you to constructone for your work
areaas well.
The design centers around plastic stor-
age tubs of the type sold in home centers
and large discount stores.Our unit houses
RubbermaidRoughneckStorageTote 3-gal-
lon/I1.3-litercontainers.Adjust the project
dimensionsaccordingly if you use a differ-
ent sizetub.
The entire project, minus the optional
shelvesand cleats.is built out of two sheets
of MDF (3/+"birch plywood would also work
well). See the Cutting Diagram for optimal
sheet-goods usage.
To build the project, cut the parts to the
sizesnotedon the drawing below.Rout a %"
round-over along the one exposededge of
eachIVzxlVz"cleatand along the top edgeof
each3/qx3/q" cleat where shown.(The round-
over on the interior cleats allows the tubs
to slide easier.)Then, drill the countersunk
mounting holesthrough all parts where not-
ed. Glue and screwthe two dividersbetween
the two sides.Next, attach the top, bottom,
centerpartitions,and cleats.Mount the in-
terior support cleats allowing just an inch
or two of clearance,top to bottom, between
containers.Attach the casters.|l
\

1t/2x11/2x323/q"
#8 x2" F.H.wood screw cleat

l G

\t
'r --< As an option, use
10V2x16"shelves in
place of some or
t/e"round-over
71h" all of the tubs.
i
t #8 x 2" F.H.
,'f
/---f-

wood screw
71/4'

*Dimension
willdepend
uponthe size
of your tubs.
Gutting
t/a"round-overs
Diagram

#8x11/4'F.H.
CENTER wood screw #8 x 2" F.H.
PARTITIO wood screw

1t/zx1lzx32s/q"
cleat
e/tx 49 x 97"Medium-density
fiberboard
(MDF)(2 needed)
outsidecreats
I
323/+'
1 1 / 2 x 3 1 / 2 x 7 2 "P i n e ( 4 b d . f t . )
/s" round-over Insidecleats
*261h',
i # 8x 2 " F . H . 3 / + x 5 1 / zx 9 6 " P i n e ( 4 b d . f t . )
4" fixedcaster i,/- woodscrews lnside cleats
I

3 / q x 3 1 / z x9 6 " P i n e ( 2 . 7 b d . f t . )

108 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

Tapes-to-go
Wall-hung
Dispensers
Hang them at a
convenientheight,
and lift off only the
dispensersyou need.
tart by determining how
many rolls of tape you use
in your shop.Then, create EXPLODED VIEW #8 x 1" F.H.woodscrew Hacksawbladecrosscut
to widthof tape plus s/ro"
a dispenserfor each,as di- 1/zu
t)
mensionedin the drawingat right.
Note that the interior width of WALL MOUNT
>/-- #19xt/2"wirenaiL
-I -+a
eachdispenseris %0"wider than
#8 x 2" F.H.
the roll of tapeit holds.Createthe wood screw
discs to be glued to the sidesof centeredover stud
the dispenserby tracingthe inside r/qx 1s/a"diam.
opening of each roll of tape onto or 2z/a"diam.
Vq" hardboard, and cutting them
round on a bandsawor scrollsaw
or cuttingthemwith a circlecutter. 3q:"1
ll
,n"n^ritb6lr,
In our shop,all of our rolls of tape
usedeither a l3/s"or 27/s"diameter
-f ll
I f I
#8xs/a"F.H.--/ 3aAa,,
disc (%" smallerthan the taperoll wood screw I
insidediarneter). s/'rax sAa F--^^"^-. I
Whenassembling eachdispens- ! rabbet

er, don't _elueone of the sidesin

place.To load a new roll of tape, # 8 x e / q "F . H .
simply remove the two screws wood screws
from one side to gain access.A
Removableside,allowing
piece of hacksawblade servesas accessto add or replacetape.
a cutter.
Now,build the wall mountasdi-
mensioned. Attach the wall mount
in placeusing fastenersappropri- DISPENSER
ate to your shop wall. To hang a INSERTING A DISPENSER
dispenserfrom the wall mount, SECTIONVIEW
lift the front end of the dispenser
while insertingthe top edgeof the Drywall
back into the rabbetedcleat of the WALL Rabbetedcleat
wall mount, where shownat right. STUD,
The projectis designedso you can
pull tape from a dispenserseated Seemore
in the wall mount or removethe shopprojectplansat
dispenserfrom the mount and set wood magazine.com/shoptools
it on your workbench.cF

WALL MOUNT
Projectdesign:Jeff Mertz

woodmagazine.com 109
Rock-Solid
Workbench
Build this sturdy workhorsein
a weekend,and add features
as you needthem.
Begin with the base s/e-16x4" F.H. machinescrew
Start by selectingclean, straight dimen-
sional lumber (2x2s,2x4s and 2x6s) for ?9:-- 13/q'
thebase.You'llneedtwo 2x2s8' long,five
2x4s 8' long, and two 2x6s 8' long. The
drier the stock you can select, the less
Spacerand jaw faces cut per manufacturer's
chance of troublesome warpage. If the
stock is wet, let it dry as long as possible Vise
in your shop before machining. Rip and #8 x 3" F.H.
crosscutall the parts to the sizes listed wood screw
in the Materials List. When cutting the %0"shank hole
pieces to width, we ripped both edges
to remove the round-overs found on all
dimensionallumber.
If you plan on using the workbench
#8 x 1sla"F.H.
behind your tablesawas an outfeed table, wood screw
adjust the overall height dimensions so
that the tabletop sits about 1/+"lower than
your tablesawtop.
Also, we built our workbenchfor some-
one about5' 10" tall to work comfonably. If
you'd like your workbenchshorteror taller, #8 x 3" F.H.
adjust leg parts I and K accordingly. wood screw
Using the drawing at right for reference, 17n"..4,/
glue and screw the base together.Cut the ........-
lower shelf (E) to fit in the opening, drill
the mounting holes,and screwit in place.

Add the sturdy top nrGIr.fr

wood screws/
You can laminzite stock to form the top, ?
or do as we did and purchasea solid-core / #B x 2yz" F.H. wood screw
40 ,. /)tr E U ..,^^l
#8 x 3" F.H.wood screw
door. Slightly damageddoors often can
be purchased at a substantial discount
from home centersand other outlets. Us-
ing the previously drilled shank holes in
the cleats(H), securethe top to the base. Project Design: Jeff Mertz

110 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 B
lowerrails 1Y2' 3u
lowerendrails 1Y2' 3" 19" C
57" C 2 Howto Upgrade
6

E
lo,W shelflong 1yz, 1y2, 57, C

O lo,weJ
shelfshort 11/2"1/2, 1g,, C

lowershelf 3/q" 16" 57' SG

2

2
1
YourWorkbench
F upper
rails 1Yz" 5" 57' C 2
G upper
endrails 1Y2' 5" 19" C 2 Fewworkshopitems hold as much raw
H crosscleats 1Y2' 3" 16" C 2 potentialas your bench.Here'show to
legs 1Y2' 3u 321/z' C
J lowerdividers 1y2' 3" 6"
4
tap into its full usefulness.
K upperdividers 1Yz' 3" 181/2"C
ike a tablesaw without a dado blade, holes into the top for bench dogs to in-
Materialskey:C-choice ofspruce,pine,
orfir;SG-choice sliding cutoff table, or other helpful creasethe vise'sholdingcapacity.
ofsheetgoods (WeusedMDF). add-ons, a bare-bones workbench is a That still leftplentyof waysto makeour
Suppfiesr#8x1%"flathead
woodscrews, #8x2lz" flathead workshop staple that becomes several bench more accommodating,versatile,
woodscrews, #8x3"flatheadwoodscrews, #12x21/z
panhead 3/a-16x4" times more helpful after you accessorizeit. and solid. After all, workbenchesearn
woodscrews, flathead
machine screws,
%"flatwashers,3/e"
locknuts.
So you can understandwhy we couldn't let their place at the heart of your shop
Hardware:G9851 ShopFoxQuick-Release Vise, g"jaw. our basicworkbench,shownopposite,stay becausethey'remultipurposetoolsfor ev-
$69.95,CallGrizzly
Industrial,
800-523-4777,orgoto basicfor long. erythingfrom grippinga delicatecarving
grizzly.com. For starters,we supplemented the base to providing a level slab for assembling
with a hefty, solid-coredoor top and an af- furniture.With theseadd-ons,you'll make
Seemore shop project plans at fordable9" quick-release vise. We drilled your benchreadyfor nearlyanything.
wtrod ma gazi ne "corn /shoptoo Is

Six-pack of upgrades
1 50 poundsof addedweight
p. 112
for stability,
2 Threetooltotes,p. 113
3 Threewidedrawersfor
i,.-.-*,,i,i)4 toolsand plans,p. 115
rb
4 Paperrollholderfor
protecting the top,p. 116
5 Surgeprotectorpower
slrip,p. 116
6 Glue-upclampholder,p. 117

{'}

woodmagazine.com
111
-,

Upgrade1: Test-fit the shelf bottom to ensure a

leak-free fit. Then drill and countersink
Add weight for stability screw holes. Run a thick bead of glue
Maybe you've been there: With a work- along the top of the cleats,lay the shelf
piece clamped in your vise, you muscle bottom within the frame, and secure it
a plane down a board edge, causingthe with #8x1/s" wood screws. Allow the
benchto go for a little walk. glue to dry beforeturning the benchback
Workbenches, unlike woodworkers, on its legs.
can't be too weighty when push comes
to shove.True, the MDF lower shelf and
solid-core benchtop add heft, but more
weight means more stability. For the
price of a 50-pound bag of sand and a The cavity
second piece of 3/q"MDF cut to 16x57", beneath the
shelf holds a
you can turn a bantambench baseinto a
50-pound bag
heavyweight. of sand to keep
The cleatsinsidethe lowerrail that sup- the bench from
port the shelf also bracethe secondMDF becoming
sheet holding your ballast in place. To top-heavy.
make thejob easier,removethe benchtop
before you turn the frame upside down.
Then pour the sandinto the shallow tray
formed by the shelf and lower rail cleats,
as shownat right. Spreadthe sandevenly,
keepingit off the tops of the cleats.

Pick a benchtop that meets your needs

Becauseot its hardnessand weight,a shop-mademaple benchtop in a freshpiece.A 3o"-wide
beforsdropping topcan't
butcher-blocktop is the ultimatework surface, but.lt's be madefroma single48x96'sheet,whichcostusaboutS23
also costly and time-consumingto make.Hereare some locally,butyoucanusetheleftover piecesfromtwosheetsto
sturdy, time-saving options: makethe 16x57"lowershelfand a cap for addingsandto an-
chorthe bench.An advantageof this materialis that it provides
Sofid-core door. The door used atop the bench opposite a dead-flatsurfaceand plentyof much-neededweight.How-
has a 1t/2"medium-densityfiberboard(MDF)core between ever,it doesn'thaveplywood'sresistanceto breaking,especially
t/a"lauanskins.With pinetrim stripson the sides,thoughnot if weightis appliedto the overhangingareasof the benchtop.
the ends,the door is 30" wide by 80" long.Doorssavetime
becausethey comecut to sizeand readyto finish.We bought Plywood. Glue two V+"-thick piecestogether,and trim the
this one at a homecenterfor $43. Youalsocan find discount- edgessquarewith the surface.Then add trim stripsand a
ed returnsand secondsat lumberyards and millworkstores. temperedhardboardtop, as with the MDF.You'llneedtwo
sheetsof plywoodto makethis top. One 4x8' sheetol s/q"BC
Medium-densityfiberboard. Gluetogethertwo piecesoI e/+' pine plywoodcost us $25. Plywoodis a durablechoice,but
MDF,and trimthe edgesflush.To avoiddamagingthe edges, is not as consistentlyflat as MDF.
gluemapletrim
stripsto allfour. Manufactured
By makingthe trim butcher block.
stripst/+"higherthan Wantthe butcher-
the top surfaceof blocklookwithout
the panels,you can the work? Buy i
lay a sheet of 1/4" prefabricatedmaple
temperedhardboard top. A 17+x30x96"
atopthe MDF to top, no. G9916,that
createa durable, can be trimmed
easy-to-replace work to fit this benchis
surface.Drilla1" $249.95,plusship-
holeintothe MDF ping, from Grizzly
to pushthe hard- Industrial, 800-523-
boardawayfrom the 4777 or grizzly.com.

112 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 't,"'l
\
\''
\\
\'\
\ -\\
Upgrade2:
Tooltotes that stow or go
If a project can't come to your tools, take
your tools to the project in theseeasy-on,
easy-off tool lotes.
Buildthe tool tote case
From -/-r"MDF, cut the top and bot-
tom (A), sides(B), and back (C) to the
dimensionson the Materials List on Trrrge
114.(The tool totes share the same size
cases as the drawers on poge 115.)If you
plan to build both, savetime now by dou-
bling the number of tops, bottoms, sides,
and backs that you cut.)
Cut two pieces of lth" square stock
to a length of 26t/s,"for the cleats (D)
to hang the case from the workbench
woodmagazine.com
*c-*
b"--
Temporary
support blocks I
- \ l
\-......--
frame. Next, make
the dividers (E) and
retainers (F) from /-+"
hardboard. Use hard-
board that's smooth
on two sides,or sub-
stitute /+" MDF.
Cut t/1" grooves
3/8" deep, where
shown in the top and bottom (A).
From a scrap of 3/t" MDF, cut a strip Attach the cleats (D) to the top of
that's-/-r"wide by 18".Cut a /+" groove the tool tote case, where shown on the
3/s"deep along one f-aceto use as a guide. drawing on page I14.
Place the guide on the top edge of the Glue and screw the case together. We
dividers (E) to serve as a3A" spacer.Now, finished the case and totes with Watco
glue and clarnp on the retainers(F) to the Danish Oil. When attachingthe caseto the
dividers, where shown. Glue the retainers bench, use blocks like those shown above
(F) to the cabinet sides(B), aligning rhem to support the case while driving screws
flush on each end and flush on the top edges. through the bench and into the cleats.
113
 Tool Totes and Gase
Materials List

bottomitop 1g',
e/eo 10%0" 18'lla" MDF
TOOLTOTEAND CASE
B sides 2

C back 3/tu 1o/ra" 26Va" MDF 1

D cleats 1y2' 11/zu26Va" c 2 l--26/r"

E dividers Y4u 1O1Vta"18Vq" HB 2 #8x2" F.H.wood screw
retainers 18Y4" HB

G tooltoteends
H tooltotesides 4" 18Y4" C 6

I tooltotehandles 1"diam. 173/q' B 3

J tmlbte botbms Y4u 7u 17Y4" HB 3
K gluedivider
tQuantity
4' 6V2" C 1t
l-----'
#8x2" F.H.wood screw
willvarywithyourgluestorage needs.
tatedals key:MDF-medium densityfiberboard;
HB-hardboard; B-birch;
C-choice pine,orfir.
ofspruce,
Suppfie: #8x11
/2",#8x2", fIatheadwoodscrews,
#8x2t/2"
BhdesA Bils:Stackdadoset,2Yz" and%"drillbits 1O1Aa"
Haldwalg3t/cx2" catd-tramepu|ls(01A57,65)(3),
$S.00 I
each;LeeValleyat800-871-8158,orleevalley.com. I
TOOLTOTE )

1"hole

1" hofe Vz"deep

1Y2'
7+"rabbets
Vz" deep

f4 -.- i
II
\T #8 x 2" F.H.

3/ro"hole \ #8 x 11/2"F.H.woodscrew
(
4u
v 7gz"shank hole.countersunk
t/+"grooves l+" deep
th" lrom bottom edge

On to the tool totes
3/c"-thickpine, cut the tool tote
{ From
I ends (G) and sides(H) to the dimen-
sions in the Materials List above. Cut
W' grooves /+" deep and /q" from the'
bottom edge of the sidesand ends to hold
the drawer bottoms (J) as shown on the
drawing above. Cut the bottoms to size.
f)Cut 3/q"-widerabbets W' deepon each
knd,of the sides.For the tote to fit the'
case, its width should be Ve" narrower
than the case opening, and the sides
shouldbe Vro"lessthan the openingsbe-
tween the casebottom (A) and the lower
edgesof the drawer retainers (F).
{lDrill a l"-diameterhole,whereshown,
9for the handle (I) on each of the tote
ends. Now, glue and screw the tool totes
together,as shown in the drawing.
llFor the optional glue dividers (K), cut
tttre number desiredto the dimensions
shown. and drill holes to fit the bottles.
(The 2W-diameter holes fit the diameter
of common 16-ounceglue bottles.) At-
tach the glue dividers, where shown.
fSand all parts to 150 grit, and apply
rJtwo coats of Watco Danish Oil. Then
drill two %e" holes, where shown, and
attachthe pulls, where shownabove.

114 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 Upgrade3:
Stacking.drawersfor
specrarsrorage
These stacking drawers store tools you
need to protect but still use every day,
measuring instruments and chisels to
name a few.

Build a tool drawer case

{ Cut 3/+"MDF to the dimensionsgiven
I in the Materials List to makethe top
and bottom (A), sides(B), and back (C).
ffCut V+"grooves3/s"deep on the sides
A(g),where shownon the drawingbelow.
t/q"hardboardglides (D) ro
{lNow cut
\Jsize. Glueandclampthe drawerglides
to the sides(B) so that the endsare flush.
,{ Next, glue and screwthe casetogeth-
-?er, as shownon the drawing.
f,Attach the cleats(E) to the top of the Assemblethe three drawers Allow the drawer bottom to float loose
Vcase. as shown.
{ From 3/q"pine, cut the drawer fronts within the slots.
I and backs (F) and sides (G) to size.
/ Sand all parts to 150 grit, and apply
Three-Drawer Gase Cut a V+"gtoove V+"deep,where shown. 'ftwo coatsof WatcoDanishOil finish.
Materials List f)Cut3/q" rabbets/2" deepon both endsof
fiDrill two 3/ro"holes into the fronts
&the dr awersides.Dr iIl sAz"countersunk \r(F), and attachthe drawerpulls.
pilot holesz/i' fromthe edgeswhereshown.
bottom/tops lftAttach the completedcaseto the un-
{lCut the drawer bottoms (H) from V+" \Jderside of the bench rails using 2/2"
B sides 3/c,' 1O|Aa" 1g1/q" MDF 2 \Jhardboard. Glue and screwthe draw- wood screws,similar to the way the tool
C back 3/n"10Va" 26Va MDF 1 ers together, as shown in the drawing. tote casewas installed on page 113.
D glides 1/tu 11/a' 18ya" HB 4

cleats 11/z' 1/z' 26Va' C

#8x2" F.H.woodscrew
dnawer
fronWbacks 31/s' 24y4'
\ -l
G drawersides 3/c" 31/a" 18Tn" C 6
s/sz"
shank
hole,count"rrunt
H drawerbottoms 1/a" 17/c' 23s/c' HB 3
.Partsinitially
cutoversize.
Seetheinstructions.
Materialskey:MDF-medium densityfiberboard,
HB-hardboard, C-choice
ofspruce,pine,orfir, CASE
Suppfies:#8x11/2",
#8x2",#8x2lz"
flalheadwoodscrews.
Blades& Bits:Stackdadoset. t/aq" pilol hole 1th" deep F= r l- #8 x 2" F.H.wood screw
Hardware: 3r/qx2" pulls(01A57.65)
card-frame (3),$S.OO !--
each;callLeeValleyat800-871.8158,
orgoto 26Ve'
leevalley.com. ,.rF
THREE.DRAWER
CASE
-t
Ta"rabbets I
t/z" deep I
1Olra"

t 7sz"shankhole.
J
31/a'
t1 181A',
DRAWER -\ #8 x 2" F.H.
wood screw

l
#8 x 11/z'F.H. wood screw
241/4' 1s/ta"l
___tt-I
Card{ramepull t/+"grooves t/+"deePt/q"lrom bottom edge

woodmagazine.com
115
Upgrade4: Wbrkbench extras
Add benchtop protection In addition to workbench accessories
you make, there's a host of helpful
Seeking a way to protect your bench dur-
ing finishing work? Add the 30"-wide items you can buy. Check these out:
paper roll holder, shown at right, to the Bench dogs. No mortisingis required
undersideof your overhangingbenchtop. with the 7a"brass bench dogs shown
The only part you need to make is a below.Simply drills/+"holesfor them to
block to mount the metal roll holder (see sit in.A springclipholdsthemin place,
Sources) to the bench.We cut ours from and plasticpadsare availablefor deli-
aZxB with the factory edgesremoved, as cate work.Adjustablebenchdogs,as
shown on the drawing below. After sand- shownbelow,provideclampingpower
ing the block to 150 grit, apply two coats used with or withoutthe benchvise.
of Watco Danish Oil. Hold-downs, These providevertical
Now, center the roll holder on the clamping pressure to secure work-
mounting block, and attach it using piecesanywhereon the benchwhere
#&xIW' panhead screws. Drill counter- there'sas/+"hole.
sunk pilot holes in the mounting block. lYheels. Our bench lacks wheels
Then center and attach the paper roll because we wanted a solid stance
holder to the bench. Expect the mount- morethan mobility.Wheretightspace
ing block to extendabout 1" pastthe edge requires a movable bench, opt for
of the workbench on the front and back. lockingcasterswith a 150-poundca-
Insert the paper roll as directed in the pacity (each)and rubber4"-diameter
manufacturer'sinstructions. tiresthat grip the floor.

PAPERROLL HOLDER

7sz"shank hole.countersunk
on bottomface
MOUNTING
BLOCK
#8x2lz" F.H.woodscrew.mounted
to bottomof bench
Sources
Vise.ShopFoxquickrelease,9"vise,#G9851,
$69.95
CallGrizzlylndustrial,
800-523-4777; grizzly,com,
Benchdogs,holddom acoesfofies,. 4{a"
(#05G 04.02,$26.70/pai
r) and2Va"(#05G04.04,
ROLL HOLDER round
bench dogs;adjustablebench
$21.70/pai0
dogs(#05G10.02, $31.50;#05G10.03,$38,50);
#8 x 11/4"panhead screw
hold-down, (#05G14.01,
$69.00);benchdogpads,
(#05G04.10, LeeValley
$2.80/pai0, at800-871-
8158; leevalley.com.
Paperroll holdetandpaper,30"Butcher Paper
Upgrade5: Most power strips have mounting holes
Dispenser (18100-A500-30,
rollof50#butcher
$31,95)
paper(190318,
and30"x800'
from
$32.95),
Plug into convenience in the back panel. Select sheet-metal POSpaper.com, 877-469-7655.
When you add a heavy-duty power cen- screwsto fit these holes. We positioned
ter to your workbench, you eliminate the our metal-casedpower strip so it could be
inconvenienceanddangeroftripping over lifted free for replacement.
multiple extensioncords on the floor. Carefully route the cord under the
Selecta power strip with a metal case bench to avoid the drawers, if added, or
for impact resistanceand a cord long possibledamagecausedwhile you work
enoughto reach a wall outlet in the least at the bench.
traveled part of your shop. Most model's Periodicallycheckthe power strip out-
surge-blockingability protects the elec- lets and cord for wear or damage.Always
tronics in today's battery chargers,and plug three-prong cords into grounded
numerous outlets accommodatemultiple three-prongwall outlets.Follow any local
tools and a rechargeror two. electrical code restrictionsthat may apply.

116 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 Upgrade6: The glue-up station's
Turn vour bench sliding railsupports
clamps close to the work-
into a glue-up station piece, allowing you to size
Nobody enjoysscrapingglue globs off a clamp lengths to suit
workbench. Save time and hassleswith the project.
this pipe clamp glue-up table designed
specifically to fit our 30x80" door. The
hardboardbase catchesthe drips, while
the rack steadies up to eight clamps
spaced6" apart.Holes in the baseallow
you to hangit on a wall betweenglue-ups.
We designedthis glue table to lse 3/q"
pipe clampslike thoseshownat right.To
hold other types of clamps, modify the
shapeof the notchesaccordingly.

Build the glue-up station

{ From 2x4s andtA" hardboard,cut the
I parts to the sizeslisted in the Mate-
riafs List and drawings below. Rip both
edges of the 2x4s to remove the factory
edgesand squarethe stock.
f)To make the notchesin the fixed rail
Zfelshown in the Parts View, first drill PARTSVIEW
a seriesof lVz"holes 3A"fromthe top edge Cut out the glide supports (D), as
of the workpiece. We set up a fence and shown. Then cut two pieces of 3/q" D=11Aa
drilled them on the drill pressfor greater dowel to 28W' long for the guide bars (E).
consistency.Turn the holes into notches,
JCut a piece of Vq"hardboard to the
as shown,using a jigsaw or handsaw. I dimensions indicated to make the 23/q'

{lTo house the dowels, drill a pair of
Vy4" holes 3/+"deep in the fixed rail,
where shown. Drill t/e" holes through
the slidingrail (B).
and cut notches in the sliding
/lDrill
"frail (B) using the dimensionsshown.
f,Cut the glides (C) from Vq"hardboard,
t/and round over the edges.Glue them to
theloweredgeof theslidingclampsupport,
centeringthem under the dowel holes.
base(F). Drill two 1" holes,whereshown, t
to hang the rack on the wall. k-- 6,'
flSand woodenparts to 150 grit. Finish
||Jthem wittr nvo coatsofWatcoDanishOil.
QAssemble the unit as shown, taking
r/care to avoidgluing the sliding clamp
supportto the dowels.al
Written by Bob Wilson
Project design: Jeff Mertz
lllustrations:Roxanne LeMoine; Lorna Johnson
s/c"hole e/+"deep on inside face

PORTABLE
GLUE-UPSTATION

Glue-Up Station
Materiils List
ik
l) 1 1/2' t/s"round-overs fixedrail
B sliding
rail 1Y2' 23/au 48'

to fit your C glides V4u 1Y2' 1Y2' HB 2

clamp bars., D glidesupporb 1Y2" 2' 4', c2
E guide bars 3/q"diam. 28y2' P
F base Y4u 30" 48" HB 1
,r.--*-
Materials key:HB-hardboard, p-poplar, C-choiceof
spruce, pine,orfir.
Supplies: #8x1",flathead
woodscrews.
Location
oi@ Blades& Bits: t/s"round.over bil;1t/2",1",7/8",
and3/4,,
drillbits.
#8 x 1" F.H.wood screw-l

woodmagazine.com
117
 3-in-1Work
Support FI PLATTORM TOP
El Great as an assem-
b l y o r f i n i s h i n gs t a n d ,
this top is alsoa handy
place to stack parts
while machining.

r{

E 39""'"13;
when you need to
i

: support the end of

L a long workpiece
on your drill press
or mitersaw.
t''
1
{

Eil ROLLER TOP

El Adjust this top's
height to catch the
outfeed from your
tablesaw or planer.
{rPti:-
:
\
-
v
,b'

I
118 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008
 E SPACER
JIG

hetheryou're machining long uprights'edges,whereshownin Step 2.

stock or simply looking for a
place to rest your workpiece,
you'll find this versatilestand
ready to help. With adjustableheight and
interchangeableglide, roller, and plat-
form tops, it's a perfect match for any
numberof tasks.
First,build a sturdy base
-r Cut four t/qx2vax29"piecesof stock,
i and glue and clamp them togetherin
pairs to form two lVz"-thtckblanksfor the
uprights(A). Joint and trim rhem to rhe
size listed in the Materials List. Install
a dado blade in your tablesaw,and plow
groovesin the uprights,whereshownon
Drawing 1, Step 1. Cut the fillers (B) to
size, and glue and clamp them in piace,
where shown. The fillers' and the up-
rights' bottomendsare flush.
,."iwith the dadobladein your tablesaw, blies (A,B,C) aside.
-,L*form the dadoesand rabbetsin the
I uenrcnr
2" rabbets
1/2"deep
11s/a'
I spacerat the rails' centers,
I whereshownon Drawing 4.
I +*Frighton your workbench.
Now form the half-lapsanddrill the hole,
where shownin Step 3.
t/qx4t/axI6va"pieces of
QCut four
LIstock, and glue and clamp them to-
gether in pairs to form two lr/2"-thick
blanks for the feet (C). Joint and trim
them to size. Make four photocop-
ies of the Foot pattern on Drawing
5, page 122, and cut them out along
the lines. Tape the half-patternstogether
to form the whole foot. (Half of eachpat-
tern will be facedown.)Adherethe patterns
to the foot blankswith sprayadhesive.
,d Form half-laps, where indicated on
t*the pattern, to mate with the laps at
the bottoms of the uprights. Now band-
sawand sandthe feetto the patternlines.
Clampingthe spacerjig to the railshelps
Removethe patterns.Glue and clamp the you accuratelypositionthe endspacers.
feet to the uprights.When the glue dries,
sandthejoints smooth.Setthe leg assem-
end on one edgeof the extensions,where
t/qx4v2.x96" shown on Drawing 4a. Chuck a 3/4"
ffiPlane two
to#boardsto t/z"thick. From straightbit in your table-mountedrouter,
one, cut the six rails (D) to and in %" increments,rout the stopped
size. Set the other board grooves,as shown in Photo B. Square
aside for the top supports the endsof the grooveswith a chisel.
5/ro"hole
(G). From l"-thick stock,cut -+\Drill the s/ro"hole, where shown on
the spacers(E) to size.Make di*Drawing 4a.Bandsawand sandthe
the spacer jig, shown on roundedcorners.(The bottomshaveonly
Drawing 2. Glue and clamp one rounded corner.) Cut two pieces of
spacersto eachend of three aluminum mini-track (a type of T-track)
rails, as shownin Photo A. to length, drill screw pilot holes, and
Then glue and clamp a third screwthe tracksin place.Seethe Source
on page 120 for our mini-track supplier.
lftStand the two legs up-
*pRetrieve your previously planed Vz"
q#stock and cut the top supports(G) to
size.Drill counterbores

t
near the endsof
Spread glue in the lower threesupports,whereshownon Drawing
dadoesin one edge of each 4b. Tapea secondsupportto the onesjust
z', upright,and slip in one rail/ counterbored,and, centering the bit in
the counterbore,drill s/to"holes through
1" grooVe 1.- spacers assembly. Spread
glue in the dadoesin the up- the paired supports.Mark the radius on
rights' other edges and on the corners,as shown,and bandsawand
the spacers,and clampa sec-
ond rail in place, as shown
2" dadoes on Drawing 4. Repeatthis
t/2"deep
31/z' process for the other two
lap on rail/spacer/rail assemblies.
I outside
Make surethe rails' endsare
L face
flush with the uprights' out-
z',
sidefacesand that the whole
lt- assembly is square.
I 31/z'
31/d'
{ 31/z'
Add extensions
t and tops
{ - t#.-
{ From l" stock,cut the ex-
1

STEP 1 STEP2 STEP 2 Mark the bit location on your fence. Stop
E tensions(F) to size.Mark routing when the stop line on the exten-
Insideface Outside
face Outsideface
a stop line for the groove's sion aligns with the mark on the fence.

woodmagazine.com 119
sandthe corners.To ensureperfecthole
alignment,keep the pairs togetherun- s BEI,'ELDETAIL
til you are ready to glue them to their
respectivetops.
,rg Cut the tops(H) to size.Install a dado
ktFblade in vour tablesaw.and cut the
centeredgroou"r, as shown in Drawing
4c for the glide top and Drawing 4 for the
roller top. Cut a strip of %"-thickUHMW
plastic to fit the glide top's groove width
and length. Adhere it in the groove with
double-facedtape. See the Source for
our UHMW supplier.
ffiTilt your tablesawbladeto l5o.Clamp
qJthe glide top to a tAx5t/qx36"carrier
board, and cut the bevels,as shown on A carrier board stabilizesthe glide top
for bevel-ripping.
Drawing 3 and in Photo C. The glide
strip's protruding edges are beveled in
this operation.Standthe glide top on end,
clampit to the carrierboard,andbevelthe
ends,as shownin Photo D. Repeatwith clampthe glide top to them,centeredand
the roller top. Sandthe bevelssmooth. equally overhangingthe ends. Remove
ffiSlide the extensions(F) into the the clamped assembly before the glue
Ubase. and securethem with bolts and dries,cleanup any excessglue,and setit
T-knobs,as shownon Drawing 4. Select aside.Repeatwith the roller top.
a pair of top supports(G) and install the ffCut the panel
(I) to size, and miter-
T-nuts. Fasten the supports to the ex- f cut the ends (J) and sides(K) to fit
tensionswith studdedT-knobs.See the aroundit, as shownon Drawing 4. Glue
Source for our T-knob supplier. Apply andclampthe endsandsidesto the panel.
glue to the top edgesof the supports,and Fastenthe last pair of top supportsto the
panel using the sameprocedureas with
the glide and roller tops.

Time to disassemble,
A. uprights 11/2" 2" 283/+'
finish,and reassemble
{ Removethe extensions from the base,
B fillers 1/+u 1u 31/z' M I and the mini-track from the exten-
C* feet 11/z' 4" 16" LM 2 sions.Removeall the T-knobsand bolts. Usethe samecarrierboardto safely
D rails 1/z' 2' 28' M Leavethe T:nutsandUHMW strip in place. bevelthe ends.
E spacers 1" z', dlFinish-sand all the parts and as- them into the base, securingthem with
F extensions 1" 11/2" 247/e M
4semblies to 220 grit. Remove the bolts, washers,and T:knobs.Drill screw
1/z' 2' sandingdust, apply two coats of poly- pilot holes, and fasten the ball-bearing
G topsupports 27' M
urethane, sanding between coats with rollers in place,as shownon Drawing 4.
H tops 1" 53/q' 28' M
22}-gritsandpaper.(We wipedon General Mount your choiceof topsto the extensions
I panel 3/+" 141/2" 28' BP 1
FinishesArmour Seal,following the di- with studdedT-knobsand washers.|l
J ends 3/q' 1|/zu 16" M rectionson the can.)
Writtenby Jan Svec with Kevin Boyle
K sides 3/+, 11/z' 291/2" M {}When the finish dries, reinstall the ProjectDesign:Kevin Boyle
-Parts
initially
cutoversize. Vmini-track in the extensions. and slide l l l u s t r a t i o n sR: o x a n n eL e M o i n e ; L o r n a J o h n s o n
Materialskey:LM-laminated maple,
M-maple,
plywood.
BP-birch
Suppfies:t/a'flatwashers (4),r1o" (6),
T-nuts
yqxle/q"
hexhead bolts(2),sprayadhesive, Gutting Diagram
double-faced
tape, finish.
Source
Hardware. 48"aluminunmini{rackw/tape,
no.145825, T-knobs
$19.99; M /r" insert,
no.85J95,
e/qx7t/cx 96" Maple(5.3 bd. ft.) .Plane or resawto the thicknesseslistedin the MaterialsList.
$1.19 wl t/qx2"
(2);T-knobs stud,no.27R16,$1.19 (2);
t/sx4x48"UHMW plastic,
no.124225, $8.99;s7"'
ball-bear-
ingrollers no.07809,
M screws, $2.99(9).
AvailablefromWoodcraft.
Call800-225-1153.oroo
s / q x S t / zx 9 6 " M a p l e ( 4 b d . f t . )
towoodcraft.com.

120 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 1/ax2x 28" UHMWplastic 2" groove
G L I D ET O P t % 0 "d e e p

2" groove t/o" deep

_-<s
<; ROLLERTOP

7+" counterbore
1/q"tlal washer
/e" deep,
with a s/ro"hole [| exeloDEDvtEW
centered inside

1/qx 2" T-knob

PLATFORMTOP

Aluminummini-track
21t/+" long

J
'/+"hexheadbolt
r
1s/q"long

E EXTENSION
EE TOPSUPPORT

11/z'
F
TF'{6
r I J f.A\-l
I
35/a'

t v-)z-lg #4 x't/2" I
F.H.woodI
screw
Ta" counterbore
t/a" deep, with a
s/ro"hole
centered inside

EE cLtDETOP

1 7 / a l,r l 1 " l r l
1/zu' 1/2" 1/qx 2" T-knob

3/qx 41/zx 96" Maple (9.3 bd. ft.)

3/4x 41/2x 96" Maple (3.3 bd. ft.)

n
lll s/q"groove

tri
Aluminum %" deep
mini-track on insideface
211/4"
long

'l
x71/qx 96" Maple (6.7 bd. tt.)(S/4stock) 3/qx 141/z x 28" Birchplywood

woodmagazine.com
121
 HALF-PATTERN
S roor FULL-stzE

o
(.)
(E
o-*
(s(D
T'o
EE
NO

122 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
Auxiliary
Table
Forbig-time
cuttingsupport
aul Anthony, a WOOD@maga-
zine reader from Pigelsville,
Pennsylvania, relieson this handy
table to help him rip long boards,
as shown near right He also usesit to
rough-cutlarge sheetsof plywood,far
right. To cut sheetgoods,Paul pulls the
table away from his saw,attachesa cut-
ting guide to the panel and makes the
first cut with his circular saw.Next, he
removesthe waste,slidesthe panel over
to the tablesaw,and trims it to size.When
not usedfor cutting, the table servesas a
surfacefor project assembly.
How to make the sturdv -
auxiliaryoutfeed table
To constructPaul'sauxiliary table,first
measure the height of your tablesaw
ll auxr-tARYTABLE
Miter-gaugeslots routedafterassembly
g/+"melamine-
1/qx3/q x 44" trim
Pocketscrews
1/2"
381/a'
woodmagazine.com
Havinga big outfeedtableat the far end of
yoursawis the bestwayto keepcontrolover
longboardsor sheetgoodsduringthe cut.
and use that as a guide to determinethe
total height of the table that includes
the melaminetop, legs,and lag screws.
(SeeDrawing 1.)You'll want to keepthe
table's height just below the saw table
so you can adjust up to it with the lag
screws.Paul attachedthe aprons to the
2x2" legs using mortise-and-tenonjoin-
ery (seeDrawing 1a) to combatthe stress
encounteredwhen the table is dragged
aroundthe shopto fill different needs.
l/q x 3/cx 49t/q" lrim
Lengthequals
tablesaw
height
minus17a".
II
I
J
Pullingthe tableawayfrom the saw
transformsPaul'soutfeedtable into
a plywoodcrosscuttingstation.
After cuttingthe partsto size,mill the
tenonson the tablesaw.Cut the mortises
with your mortiser or drill press.Tesrfit
the aprons and legs, and then measure
the center rail to fit and cut the biscuit
slots,whereshown.Next,drill the pocket
screw holes for attaching the top. After
cutting and drilling the parts, glue and
clamp the apronsto the legs.
To make the top, cut the 7+"melamine-
coatedparticleboardto size,then cut and
attach the edging with glue. Screw the
top to the rails; then flip the table over
and insert the lag-screwlevelers.Adjust
the table height so it's about Vq"below
the height of your saw.Finally, mark the
location of your saw's miter gaugeslots
onto the tabletopand rout thesegrooves
so the top doesn'tinterferewith the travel
of your miter gaugeor any jigs that use
theseslots.al
IE MORTTSE-AN
D-TENONDETAT
L
123
Subassemblygluing of this nightslanduses L-shapedclampingsquaresto ensure90' angles.Risels hold your assemblyotf the
workbench,allowingspacetor clamps.

Right-Angle
Support RIGHT-ANGLE
SUPPORT

Foryour next glue-up,follow 1" holefor l .

Makefrom
3/a"plywood.
this script for perfectlyaligned, 113/+"
..,,
hanging | ....
a f t e ru s e , I 45"
rock-solidassemblies. "'--,/,
r-:a I
I I
Tt/r" z" I yo,,
hether your next woodwork-
ing task is a major production
or just a l0-minute skit, every
project that gets rave reviews
includes successfulglue-ups as part of
the script. The clamping squaresshown Acclirnation is key to precise glue-ups
aboveand detailedin the drawing at right Whenyou'regluingand clampingyourpartassemblies, firstreadyyourstock.Only
will ensure90oangles. by workingwithstraight,stablestockcanyou precisely alignpartsin a glue-up.
Before cutting and assembly,be sure to properlyacclimateyour stock to the
Planningthe production humidityand temperature of yourshop.Here'showto proceed.
Preparingto glue up milled stockelimi- Stage 1: Allowroughstockto acclimatein yourshopfor 24 hoursbeforemilling.Aim
nates unpleasant,last-minutesurprises. moisturecontent.Then millpiecesto roughdimensions.
for a 6- to 11-percent
Use this scriptto ensuresuccess: Stage 2: Afterthe initialmilling,givethe stockanother24 hoursto acclimateagain.
Gather the necessaryclamps for the Followingthis secondrest, inspectyour piecesto see if you'll need to flattenor
project.(In most edge-to-edge glue-ups, otherwiseadjustyour stock beforeassembly.When satisfied,mark up your stock
figureabout10"spacingbetweenclamps.) accordingto the specification in your plans,set up your tools,and machineyour
Need more? Borrow or buy clamps as workpiecesto size.
neededto provide full bonding..F

124 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008
 eploy this handy tent any time

Portable you want to wipe or brush on

a finish without having to shut
down work in the rest of your
shop.The plasticcoveringlets in plenty

Finishing of light and zips shutovera simpleframe

made of polyvinyl-chloride(PVC) pipe
and fittings to protectyour projectas the

Center finish dries.Bestof all, you canbuild one

in an afternoonwith about$80 worth of
materialsavailablefrom a homecenter.

Here'show:
Applyfinishesin a Cut 34" inside-diameterPVC pipe
to the lengthsshownin Drawing 1.
dust-freeenclosure Next, dry-assemblethe frame using the
TOTE THE CENTER WITH EASE
that sets up or tears PVC and fittings as in Drawing 1a.
Using a straightedge and utility knife
Store the center on your lumber rack
or stand it in a corner, then carry it to
down in just 5 minutes. or scissors,cut the one-piecetent top your location.

126 Best-EverWoodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools,& Shop Organizers 2008

 Doorflaps5' x 7'6"
4-milplasticsheeting Clearpackingtape strip
goes here
Clearpackingtape strip T o p a n d s i d e s6 ' x 1 9 ' 6 "
goes here 4-milplasticsheeting

Backer

E exploDEDvtEW
,.i*Sr&l}*ir& ,,.,
Zippers come stitched to a one-piece
backer with adhesiveapplied.Just stick
the zipper in place, open it, and cut Tarp zippers
through the backer.

and sides to size from a single piece of

1 0 x 2 5 ' 4 - m i l p l a s t i c s h e e t i n g .D r a p e t h i s
@ conNERDETATL
piece over the frame, tuck the ends under
the stretchers, and temporarily secure it tuck the flap over the upper crossbar.
/+\
to the fl'arne with masking tape. Now adhereeachzipperto the tent sides. llilrll
From a second sheet of 4-mil plastic Using clearpackingtape,securethe PVC reducingE
sheeting,cut the two door flaps to size. flap at the top of each door to the adapter F
3/4tt lO 1/ztt -,' i
Mount a pair of self-adhesivetarp zip- tent top. Then unzipeachzipperand cut i

pers to each door. To do this, lay each throughthe backerwith a utility knit-e.
door on a flat surface. Peel one side ofthe Removeany tapeyou usedto temporarily
protective paper off the zipper, as shown hold the tenf assemblyto the frame and
in the photo above. Position the zipper so you'refinished.
the open end is flush with one end of the
door and the zipper aligns with the edge Note: This finishing center is not de-
Supplies:
%"inside-diameter PVCpipe,10{eetlong(10);
of the door. Rub the backing to ensure signedfor use as a spray booth. Use it 3/q'PVC
side-outletelbows (8);3/o'to
1/z'PVCadapters
that the adhesivemakes full contact with only when applying brush-on or wipe-on (8);10x25'4-mil
plastic sheeting(1);10x12'4-mil
plastic
the door. Note that the zippers are shorter finishes, and always keepone door open (1);tarpzippers (a).(Wefound
sheeting thetarpzippers
than the doors, which leaves a flap about when working inside. Zip the doors shut atTheHome Depot.lf youdon'tfindthemlocally,
contact
8" long at the top of each door. to keepdust out as thefinish dries.lF themanufaclurerat800-531-8573 ortaroline.com.
Once you have all four zippers ad-
hered to the doors, position them on
the PVC frame. Align the lower edge of
each door with the lower crossbar and

N
I
Putthiscenterto work .r
\.
anywhere youneedto
protecta projectwhile
l.v
lil\
thefinishdries.
,71 ,t:\,
l,l
iil
iit
.,,a.a
r',oi7lr \-,
h:.+-rt $1
ROIL OUT THE PLASTIC TENT ERECT THE FRAME IN A FLASH ZTP TT AND GRAB A BRUSH
Lay out the tent and remove the Assemble the frame by sliding the Arrange the tent over the frame, and
frame. The corner fittings stay attached pipes into the corner assemblies. zip down the doors to completethe setup.
to the stretchers.

woodmagazine.com 127
 !l

for
Upgrades
Workstation
Portable-Glamping
lf you own a Black
& DeckerWorkmate,
or anotherbrand of
portable-clamping
workstation,you know
how handythey can
be. Now, make yours
even more useful with
these shop-made
accessories.
Fixture steps
up to lend b hand
Al Finch, a WOODo magazine reader
from Baltimore, Maryland, expandedthe
versatilityof his portable-clampingwork-
station with a T-shapedfixture to support
workpieces.By adjusting the height of
the fixture, he can use it to supportlong
stock at his tablesaw,radial-arm saw,and
router table. 3/qx3x l2" plywood
To instantly adjust to the proper height
7a"holes spaced 2" aparl
for eachtool, Al addedhardboard"steps,"
where shown above right. Each step sets
the correct height for a different tool. Now
when Al needsto supporta long or wide
workpiece, he simply clamps the fixture
between the jaws of the workstation,
resting it on the appropriatesteps,and the
height is spot-onevery time.

Extend vour
workstalion's reach
While refinishing an old dresser,Dennis
Petersonof Lewiston,Idaho,removedthe
top to scrape off the paint. The problem
he encounteredwas how to hold the top
during the scraping process.Clamping
it to his workbench meant moving the
clampspart way through the job, and his
portable-clamping workstation doesn't his own dogsout of hardwoodscrapsand
open wide enoughfor the dressertop. 3/q" dowels, but you could modify the
To give the workstation's jaws added design to use your workstation's own
capacity,Dennis made a setof four clamp plastic dogs. The extensionsadd 20" of
extensions,whereshownatright. He made clamping capacityto his workstation.tF

128 Best-Ever Woodworking Jigs, Homemade Tools, & Shop Organizers 2008