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WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM SUMMER 2014 34 Workshop Jigs and Fixtures Regardless of what machine you need to use, there's probably a shop-made jig or fixture that can make it more versatile or accurate and safer to use. In this section, we'll show ‘you how to build five reader favorites for your table saw, band saw, drill press and belt sander, All the details you need are included. Benchtop Fixtura for the Belt Sander, Shop-Made Band Saw Fence... [Miter Gauge Clamping Jig TABLE OF CONTENTS Workshop Projects Projects that focus on shop improvement are both fun to build and a great way to enhance your day-to-day woodworking experience. Here are five options to help you: extend the productivity of your portable planer and benchtop mortiser; reduce the airbome dust during sanding while also adding a rolling shop table; store both your full-size sheet goods and cutoffs conveniently; and create nifty turned screwdrivers with bit storage. Downdraft Sanding Cart. Mortising Machine Stand..... Turned Multi-bit Screwdrivers... Uhimate Planer Cart ‘Swing-out Panel Storage su.Workshop Techniques There's always more to learn as an active ‘woodworker, and this section wil give you food for thought plus useful techniques to try. How to Make Doors 12 Shop Uses for Magnets. (Power Planers... Lumber from Your Local Sawmill 62-65 66-68 Q&A and Readers’ Tricks a &A ricks of the Trad@ Soc ack nye ee . 90 WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM WORKSHOP PROJECTS & TECHNIQUES: SUMMER 2014 Chris Marshall Special Projects Editor Rob Johnstone Publisher Joanna Werch Takes Editor Jeff Jacobson Senior Art Director Joe Fahey Associate Art Director Dan Cary Senior Web Producer ‘Matthew Hocking Internet Production ‘Ann Rockler Jackson Founder Mary Tzimokas Circulation Director Laura White Fulfilment Manager Kelly Rosaaen Circulation Manager DVERTISING SALES Alyssa Tauer Advertising Director Note: Lay out 7 18 Base Front and Back Panels (2) 3/4" x 9" x 37! ie eerie ae 19 Lower Shelf (1) BA" x12" x ST focaton then ts “Wo Lower Shelf) Sa 12H x STA pee roe 20 Handle (1) T Dia. x 147" Dowel au, BI Divider (1) ‘B/4" x BE X19" Note: The crawer spacer and cider ar fush tothe cawer opening. 22 Lower Stretchers (2) S/4" x 8 31 23 Casters (2) 5" Plate Casters WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM SUMMER 2014 35Sandpaper Cutting Jig (Front View) Note: Drawer spacer (piece 33) location is shown in drawing on page 35. Drawer Front teste and Back fs i (Front View) es The storage drawer and sandpaper cutting jig are bonus features on this cart, as isthe aluminum-covered top (at right), which provides a useful working surface. DOWNDRAFT CART HARD-TO-FIND HARDWARE, 36 DOWNDRAFT SANDING CART “Sandpaper Cutter TXWXL 24 Base (1) (25 Side Trim (2) 26 Bottom Trim (1) 27 Front Bottom Trim (1) 28 Hacksaw Blade (1) Drawer 29 Drawer Sides (2) '30 Drawer Front and Back (2) 31 Drawer Bottom (1) 1A" x 12° x 13%" 32 Drawer Face (1) 3/4" x7" x 142" ‘33 Drawer Spacer (1) 3/8" x3" x 13%" 34 Drawer Slides (2) Blum 12" ‘95 Drawer Pull (1) ‘Wooden inset ‘mount them “back to back” on both faces of the tall end panel with bolts, nuts and washers, Drill some pilot holes on the inside faces of the cart ends to prepare for attaching the vacuum chamber. Slide it down into position, Lift the cart up onto a bench, and drive countersunk screws through the pilot holes to attach the vacuum chamber to the cart Now cut a length of flexible dust collector hose to fit between the dust port on the bottom of the vacuum chamber and the one on the inside face of the cart’s tall end. Secure it with tubing clamps. ‘Two things remain: first, glue a thin sheet of aluminum to the cart's top using contact adhesive. Trim it to fit with a carbide chamfering bit in a router. Sand off any sharp edges when you are done and your cart is ready for the last step — finishing with a wwipe-on varnish. 2 Frank Grant is a professional ‘woodworker fom Minneapolisis Introducing Our New Fusion 40 with a Large 40"x 28" Engraving Area It will change what you expect from a laser. Se ed See * Large viewing door with LED lighting Se en Sere UTE Desktop systems starting at $7,995 To request a brochure, DVD, and samples, contact us at: SS eee eee ee “4 a PST aD ss TIES 800.505.1281 (( WAGNER SuMMeR 2014 37Mortising Machine Stand THIS EASY-TO-BUILD CUSTOM BASE UNIT GIVES YOUR MORTISER THE CROWNING TOUCHES IT DESERVES. Sveaey , ey + The author used just wo iting handles, but four (two per side) Insal the drawer slide hardware before assembling the sides, would be useful if you have a heauy mortser needing two people divider and back panel an the base, The roller tracks would be 10 carty i Use a Forstner bit, then a jigsaw to create the cutouts. much harder to instal after you've undertaken the assembly. yenchtop mortisers can be the waste in between. Head to screw this whole subassembly a bit underwhelming, so your drum or spindle sander to the base. Center it between this project is designed to give to smooth the curves and cut- the handle cutouts and square it your mortiser a helping hand. It outs. Soften the remaining sharp _up carefully first, Fasten the top features a pair of pullout support edges with a 1/4" roundover bit. panel in place. arms that extend the machine's Follow the Material List — Now attach two plywood “wingspan” up to about 4 ft. The dimensions on the next page to machine bases (pieces 7) to drawer box adds storage and cut the top, sides, divider and the top: they serve as spacers raises the tool almost 9" off the back panel (pieces 2 through under the machine that allow bench for easier viewing. Cutout 5) to size. Finish-sand your car- the dovetailed support exten- handles offer comfortable lifting cass parts now, then screw the sions to slide freely in and out. points, too. It's the souped-up drawer slides (pieces 6) to the Notice in the Drawings that the base your mortiser really needs. ide faces of the side panels “inside” edge of each machine and to both faces of the center base piece is beveled at 7° to Assembling the Carcass divider. Be careful to position match the dovetailed extensions. Start by cutting your base ( these roller tracks 3/4" back — Fasten the front base strip flush 1) to size and laying out the from the front edges of the pan- with the carcass's front edge; the corner radii and handle cutouts els in order to make room for rear base is inset 3%" or where according to the Drawings on the inset drawer faces. Once the needed to suit the size of your page 40, Trim the corners round slide hardware is in place, attach __mortiser’s base casting. with a jigsaw or band saw. Bore the back panel to the divider two 1/'-diameter through holes with countersunk screws, add Making the Sliding Arms for the ends ofeach handle, then the side panels so they cover Each sliding arm consists of a T= standard features on connect them by sawing away the ends of the back panel, and bi The author made a simple ripping jig to secure each dovetail Arrange two groups of four dovetailed extensions against extension strip for cutting its second beveled ede. Tooole ‘the machine bases with their bevels alternating and engaged. ciamps make for quick changeovers and keep fingers a safe Fasten four strips to the carcass top to create “tracks” for distance from the blade the other four strips that slide WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM SUMMER 2014 39Dovetail Elevation Assembly (End View! This detance may vary Pieces 7 and 9 are SQ ah Ope bewiedat”. mt 3 Back edge Base {Top View) 1 Base (1) x 2014" x 25" 2 Top (1) 20" x2 3 Sides @ ‘4 Divider (1) 5 Back (1) 6 Drawer Slides (2 pr) 7 Machine Bases (2) @ Dovetail Extensions (8) 10_Drawer Fronts, Backs () 11 Drawer Sidés (8) 12. Drawer Bottoms ) 13. Drawer Faces (2) 14 Drawer Pulls 2) MORTISING MACHINE STAND HARD-TO-FIND HARDWARE * Adjust the thickness of these pieces to match your mortise’ base casting thickness, as this may vary with the model 40 MORTISING MACHINE STANDcea EDGE BANDERS ‘+ For PVC, Veneer, Melamine and ‘ABS applications . ‘For both straight or contoured panels + Beveled edges from 90 ~ 75 ° + Automatic glue application without pre-adhesive needed A TRADITION OF INNOVATION™ Soon OPTIONAL, #6769 2OI4 accessories ‘+ Maximum with to 45mm’ “i : ‘+ Up to 25mm minimum inside radius. WWW.OLIVERMACHINERY.NET | INFO@OLIVERMACHINERY.NET | 600-559-5065 _ ‘Viatt new customer forum: www.ollvermachinery.boarde.net “Jotvenmacniery — G)Www.raceBock.coM/OLIVERMACHINERY Yl) WwW. Christian J Hummul > \ Ao ‘SHARPENING Company DA) SHARPENER. + Carving Tools inves “with Tormek, | can finally teach _y + Carving Burs students to efficiently sharpen «Basswood + Tupelo + Patterns ‘their tools. Anyone can learn how to achieve a superb couting edge in 10 saconds! oe Paints Fantastic system.” Eyes +Feet lena Jucas + Woodburning Professional Woodturner (County Garow, sland WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM Summer 2014 41The drawer box corners are assembled with simple rabbet-and-dado joints cut with @ 1/4"-wide dado blade on the table saw (see inset thick workpiece support (piece 8) that matches the height of your mortiser's base casting. These attach to pairs of dovetail exten- sions (pieces 9). Four more dove- tail extensions fasten to the car- cass top and serve as tracks for the arms to slide in and out. The Exploded View Drawing makes this part arrangement more clear. Prepare the two workpiece supports by laminating thinner stock or from single pieces of thicker material. The safest way to bevel-ip the dovetailed edges of the eight extension strips is as follows: start with 20'-long sticks of 1!é" or wider stock, and bevelip one edge of each to 7°. Then, make a simple sled-style ripping jig with togele clamps as shown in the bottom left photo on page 39 to rip the second dovetailed edges safely. Fashion the top piece of your jig with a 7° bevel along one edge that forms a complementary fit with the beveled edges of the strips, Once they're sawn and sand- ed smooth, set two groups of four dovetail extensions against the machine bases with all of their bevels interlocking. Now, counting the dovetail extensions from the front of the project, fas- ten the second, fourth, fifth and seventh strips to the carcass top with 1%" countersunk screws. The remaining loose strips should slide with a bit of friction 42 MORTISING MACHINE STAND Pockets for recessed pulls in the drawer faces are easy 10 rmake: trace the pull shape, remove most of the waste with a Forsiner bit, then refine the shape with a tim router outfitted with a smal straight or spiral bit. but not force between the fixed dovetailed “tracks.” Attach one workpiece support to the ends of the first and sixth sliding exten sions; position it so its front end is flush with the front of the drawer box, Align and screw the other workpiece support to the third and eighth extensions, Finishing Up with Drawers The drawer boxes are simple to make: 1/4" x 1/4" rabbet tongues on the ends of the draw: er fronts and backs (pieces 10) fit into corresponding dadoes cut in the drawer sides (piec: es 11). Next, cut 1/4" grooves along the bottom inside faces of all of these parts to fit the drawer bottoms (pieces 12). Sand the box parts up to 180-grit, and glue them together. Then install the remaining drawer hardware and test the action of the drawer boxes in their openings. Now cut two drawer faces (pieces 13) from some leftover project plywood to fit the drawer box openings. Size them to leave 1/16" of clearance all around. I installed the recessed drawer pulls (pieces 14) by tracing their shape onto the drawer faces, boring out most of the waste with a large Forstner bit and then cleaning up the rest of the waste with a trim router. Finish-sand the drawer faces, and glue the pulls into place. Mount the faces to the drawer boxes with screws, All that’s left to do is to apply a durable topcoat, bolt your mor- tiser to the machine bases and add a task light. I hope you'll agree that this shop-built stand will help you get the most from your trusty mortiser, 2 Gris Marshal is senior eoitor of Woodworker's Journal“Step-by-Step to a Perfect Finish” Our NEW DVD features Michael Dresdner, the nation’s foremost finishing expert, and JoAnne Liebeler, television's favorite home improvement expert. Te SS ont hom #46512... 829.89 3 ca ‘hether you're a beginner or an experienced ye dl finisher, you'll find a wealth of must-have information in this DVD. It's based on Michael's comprehet step-by-step pro in an easy-to-understand and entertaining format. It’s everything you need to know to get a perfect finish every time! CALL (mention code ) Order online at: ROCKLER’ @ RUSTFOLEUM Only the 18-38 has those Exceptional SuperMax Features! © Indexed alignitiant Setting © Easy height adjustments © Extra:nide conveyor © Drum wil never go “butof alonment © More space for easy ‘access to abrasive wrap Only *4,399 including open stand! Check wn your neal cea proreereoehad ida thin 2 1 ieee + Innovative design + Power feeds the wood + Dovetaiis & Finger Joints + Mortises & Tenons + Rabbets, Dados & Grooves + Lap & Bridle Joints Call 513.233.9019 Create beautiful wood joints with unmatched precision and take your productivity to new heights eae ee WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM Looking for Moisture Meters Lignomat offers pin and pinless meters on Shrinking ea peri Gay 2-Year Warranty! PPP creck ote Web-site lignomat.com 800-227-2105 SUMMER 2014 43Turned Multi-bit Screwdrivers THESE VERSATILE SHOP-MADE SCREWDRIVERS HAVE A SECRET MAGNETIZED BIT COMPARTMENT. ntil_now, woodworkers Getting Started Turning who have wanted to use You'll need a hardwood blank — the Handle a multiplebit screwdriver of your choice, a screwdriver To make the handle, had to settle for a store-bought bit holder, a rareearth magnet, I mounted the blank version, That's not such a cool a screw and a photocopy of the between centers with the live option for people who take pride full-size template found on the cup center (tailstock) secured in working with wood! So, [came last page of this article. in the starter hole and the other up with a hollow-body design First off, use a drill press to end driven by a spur drive cen- (with a pressfit cap) using a bore a hole for the bit holder ter on the headstock (Figure 2). bit holder. My screwdriver con- on one end of your blank (in Again, you may choose a scroll sists of four parts: the cap, the my case, the hole was 1%" deep chuck instead of a spur drive handle, the bit holder and a and 17/64" in diameter), as seen center to hold your stock if that's locking mechanism for the cap. in Figure 1. Alternatively, you your normal or preferred setup. Its compartment can hold up could mount the blank on the With the lathe set at about to eight 1"-screw bits or four lathe in a scroll chuck and bore 1,600 rpm, I used a roughing 2t-screw bits. the hole using a drill chuck; is gouge to true the blank to your choice. You're now ready to 1#"-diameter cylinder. Then I ‘begin turning —first the handle slowed down the lathe, laid the and then the cap. template on the tookrest against the cylinder and scribed a circle around the blank at the three 3° bitholderis the contour points for the handle: key to this project. 7/8", 14" and 1" Figure 3). 44 TURNED MULTI-81T SCREWDRIVERSFigure 1: Dilla center hole to fit the bit holder shank. Figure 2: Mount the blank between centers, To help locate the handle's tool on the handle, one near the transitions, I made gauging cuts top and one near the bottom. at the contour points with a part- ing tool Turning the Cap At the tailstock end, I used The cap has both a dome-shaped a parting tool to form a 3/8" top and a 3/4"-diameter tenon, by 7/8" diameter tenon (Figure I laid the template on the took 4). Next, Lused a spindle detail rest to guide me and, on the gouge to shape the body of the headstock end, scribed a circle handle, checking the contour around the blank for the 3/4" dimensions with a pair of outside and 1" dimensions. With the calipers. I blended the contours lathe reset at about 1,600 rpm, into each other for a smooth [used a parting tool to cut a transition along the handle — 3/4"-diameter tenon into the cap (Figure 5). Stopping the lathe, (Figure 6). After the tenon was Tran my hand over the length of formed, I switched to a spindle the handle to detect any high or gouge and shaped the cap's top low spots which I then smoothed into a dome profile (Figure 7). out. Just for decoration, T cut Now it was time to finish-sand shallow grooves with a parting the handle and the cap (avoid Figure 4 Cut the tenon to size. WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM SUMMER 2014 45Figure 5: Shape the handle Figure 6: Cut a tenon on the cap. = sanding the cap’s tenon). I set the speed to below 1,000 rpm and worked from 150- to 180- to 220-grit papers. After the sand- ing was done, I made a deep groove on the top of the cap with a thin parting tool, leaving about 1/4" diameter of material there (Figure 8). [ then parted off the whole cap from the handle. Hollowing the Handle Figure 7: Shape the cap top imto.a dome. After marking a center point on 46 the top of the handle, I chucked - a 3/4" diameter Forstner bit into the drill press and bored a 2if'deep, 3/4'-diameter hole, forming the compartment in the handle (Figure 9). (Again, you can do this with a drill chuck and scroll chuck on the lathe.) T checked for a good fit of the cap in the hole, light-sanding to resize the inside edge of the hole if necessary. After I was happy with the fit, I used a fine- Figure 8 Make @ deep cut between the cap and the waste, TuRNED MULTI tooth handsaw to saw the cap free of the waste stock (Figure BIT SCREWDRIVERS Figure 9: Hollow the handle to create the screwver bit compartment. 10). [ lightly sanded the freshly cut area to remove all the saw marks, | take pride in the work T do and like to sign it in some way, so T hammered my initial “M" on the cap top with a punch stamp. Making and Installing the Cap Lock ‘The press4it cap alone might fail due to repeated use or changes in temperature and humidity. 1 addressed that concern with a slick magnetic “lock” that con- sists of a 1/10" x 3/8"diameter rare-earth magnet and a 2%" #6 wood screw. First, on the drill press, I bored a 3/32" deep x 3/8"-diameter hole, centered on the underside ofthe cap (Figure 11) and epoxy- glued the magnet in the hole. Next, I drilled a 1/2"deep x 1/8'-diameter pilot hole at the bottom of the compartment. As a last step, using a bench grinder, T ground the screw head down toFigure 11: Dil a shallow hole fn the underside af the cap for recessing a magnet. Figure 10: Saw off the cap, Figure 12: Grind the head of ‘rom the waste the #6 x 214" screw down ‘to about 3/16" diameter. about 3/16" in diameter to provide passage for the screw bits to go into and out of the compartment (Figure 12). ‘To complete the locking mechanism, I drove the screw into the pilot hole until the screw was about 3/8" (the height of the cap’s tenon) below the top of the compartment opening. I adjusted the screw up or down so the magnet was in contact with the screw when the cap was replaced. Finally, I testfitted the bit holder shank into the hole and, after making sure there was no ‘wood dustin the hole, | epoxy-glued the bit holder shank into the handle, Finishing I rubbed a few coats of low-luster oil finish (for example, mineral oil or boiled linseed oil) on the handle and cap top, leaving both the cap’s tenon and the compartment unfinished. To make it a multé-bit tool, I simply put several 1" screw bits into the compartment. The cool thing is, the steel bits usually come out attached to the cap’s magnet, making it easy to select the proper bit for the task at hand. ‘This is a fun and easy evening shop project, and now you won't have to settle for one of those store-bought plastichandle screwdrivers! Caries Mak; a businessperson by day in Alberta, Canad, was frst bitten by the woodworking bug about a decade ago and has since become a hobbyist woodworker, tipster teacher and writer WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM g = é a 3 + 3 Each square = 1/4" Boring for Bit Holder | — Boring for Screw | — Boring for Magnet Hardwood Blank: 2" x 2" x 7" Woodworker's Journal grants permission for readers to photocopy this Fullsize Pattern for personel use SUMMER 2 014 47Planer Cart DESIGNED TO BE UNIVERSAL, WITH SUPPORT SURFACES ON THREE SIDES, THIS MOBILE CART IS A BENCHTOP PLANER’S PERFECT COMPANION. benchtop thickness planer is an effective and economical way to surface your stock, but very few manufacturers provide a work- stand with it. Our planer cart is sized to fit most benchtop plan- ers on the market. It features two tipup wings on either side that 48 PLANER CART rest on pivoting supports when needed and hinge down flat when. you're done. It's a handy place to park lumber when processing it! For really heavy loads, we've provided drop-down braces on the ends of the supports with locking hardware. Behind the cart, an outfeed table pulls out Tip-up wings on either side offer surfaces for staging your workpieces, while the cart’ pullout table provides ‘outfeed support during planing passes. on fullextension drawer slides. It provides nearly four feet of “helping hand,” with a bal-bear- ing roller to catch the stock as it exits the machine. No more sprinting around the planer to grab boards at the end of each pass. You can extend the table all the way for really long stock,Bal-bearing Roller Hardware Storage Shelf — swiveling, Locking Casters Fullemension Slide Hardware Hollow Base Can be Filed with Weight for Added Stability or retract it some to suit shorter material. A lower shelf will stow even more lumber or other shop sundries, and the cart rolls into position or out of the way on swiveling and locking casters. Pretty cool, huh? I built the one you see here from the better part of three 5! x 51 sheets of Baltic birch plywood. If that isn’t available, two 4! x 8! sheets of cabinetgrade plywood will be sufficient, but you'll have to band the exposed edges of the parts with veneer edge tape. Assembling the Carcass Let's get this cart project rolling by cutting the base and sides to size (pieces 1 and 2). Notice in the Drawings that the bot- tom edges of the side panels are rabbeted to fit over the long edges of the base. To set up for Pullout Table Provides Ample Fold-down wings for Staging Workpieces 4% 46" Overall Table Size cutting those rabbets, install a wide dado blade in your saw, and clamp a sacrificial fence to the rip fence so you can bury part of the blade in it, Raise the blade for a 3/8"-deep cut, and adjust the fence so the blade’s cutting width matches the thickness of your project plywood. Make a test cut to check your settings, then mill each rabbet on the side panels. I also used a pair of featherboards clamped to my rip fence to press these workpieces down flat against the saw table — even expensive Baltic birch ply can have bows or twists in it that could make your rabbet cuts inconsistently deep. Switch from your dadoing setup back to the standard blade so you can cut the three ends, shelf supports and crosspiece (pieces 3 through 5) next. Leave WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM 4 Outfeed Support Sturdy Pivoting Wing Supports Extendable Locking Braces the supports and crosspiece overly long at the moment, but go ahead and crosscut the end pieces to final length. Make sure that their length exactly matches the distance between the sides and base when you hold those three parts in position — there's no place to hide sloppy butt join- ery with gaps here. Before you can get down to some assembly, load the dado blade back in the saw and set its width carefully for cutting dadoes across the shelf supports to house the crosspiece. Plow them 3/8" deep and centered on the part lengths. ‘Tote all of your carcass parts over to the workbench for a thor- ough sanding up to 150- or 180- grit. Its much easier to smooth these surfaces now while every- thing still lies flat and open. Summer 2014 49‘Three end pieces and an interlocking crosspiece help to stiffen the car's carcass, The cart needs to be sturdy because there may be a significant amount of weight to support in the lumber being planed Adjustable extension braces slide along “Firacks using shallow tongues cut at the table saw (center). Secure the braces fon the Track using knobs and Fbolts installed in a hole bored through each brace tbottom) 50 PLANER CART The wing supports arvculate by way of continuous “piano” hinges mounted to the car sides. Drive a screw into every hinge leaf hole to strengthen these connections. Once the dust clears, you can fasten the side panels to the base with glue and countersunk wood screws. I first tacked the sides ‘0 place with a few brads, then followed behind with screws. Slip two ends into position on the base, and locate the third end piece at the top rear corner of the sides to help the car- cass resist racking, Secure these parts with more screws. ‘The shelf supports come next, Check their length against the actual distance between the installed ends, and trim as needed. Glue and nail them to the side panels. Now install the crosspiece in its dadoes in the shelf supports, cutting it to final length for a snug fit. I brushed a little glue into the dadoes first, slid the crosspiece home and drove brads at an angle and into the supports to pin the cross. piece permanently, Complete the carcass by easing its sharp edges with a 1/8" roundover bit in your trim router, or use a file or sanding block. Skip the top edges of the sides and the top edges of the end pieces — the top panel and bottom shelf will cover them, Cut and position the top panel (piece 6) so its edges overhang the side panels evenly. Drive countersunk screws down into the cart sides to secure it. Building the Wing Assemblies Both of the tipup wings have wing supports (pieces 7) that pivot out from the cart on contin uous hinges (pieces 9). Cut and sand these support panels, and grab a hacksaw to cut lengths of hinges to suit them, I laid out my hinge cuts first to make sure the endmost holes in the hinge eaves were evenly spaced from both ends. Fasten a hinge to one edge of each support, drivingShelf Support Exploded View short screws into every hole; orient the xnuckles of the hinges flush with the face of the plywood. Notice in the photos that the lever knob hardware holding the extendable braces up or down mounts on the aluminum Titrack (Pieces 8). Mark two strips of Ttrack to length. You can cutit quickly and accurately at the miter saw or table saw, but be sure to wear eye protection to protect against metal shavings. Ease the sharp corners of the tracks with a file, then screw them to the other long edges of the supports. You're ready to mount the supports to the carcass at this point, Just center the supports front to back on the side panels and flush with the top and bottom edges. Screw them in place. You can face the hinge knuckles forward or backward, depending on how you want the supports to fold up; either way works fine, but arrange both supports to fold in the same direction for convenience. I made both braces (pieces 10) from a wide piece of scrap maple. Use a dado blade to trim a centered tongue along both edges of the workpiece to fit into the ‘Track channels, These tongues need only be about 1/16" long — any longer, and the ‘Tholts won't tighten properly inside the tracks. Adjust the width of the tongues a tad narrower than necessary so the braces will WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM Brace (End View) be : r a veel (19) G MATERIAL LIST TxWxL 3/4" x 23)" x 40" ‘B/A" x 2814" x aK 4 Base (1) 2 Sides (2) 3 Ends (3) ‘4 Shelf Supports @) 5 Crosspiece (1) 6 Top (1) 7 Wing Supports (2) 8 Flack (2) 9 Support Hinges (2) 10 Braces 2) 41_Lever Knobs (@) 42. Tholts (2) 43 Wings (2) 414 Wing Hinges @) We" x 40 in. Continuous SAB" x 1" BA" x10" x 40" 15 Casters (4) 3 Dia. SwiveVLock [aNar ker. aan HARD-TO-FIND HARDWARE Summer 2014 51Continuous hinges are quite pliable but should be installed straight and true to swivel properly. lamp each wing to your bench to give the hinges a flat surface to rest on as you drive the attachment screws, PG ‘The authar used a long shim to space each drawer slide eveniy inside the cart during installation. While the project was inverted, he also bolted the lacking casters into place fon the bottom. Detach the “drawer side” sections of the slide hardware, and fasten them to the outfeed table cleats so the bottom edges of these parts are flush. Reattach the slides 10 hang the table in the cart 52) PLANER CART slide smoothly up and down in the track channels. Rip both braces free and cut them to final length. Now head to the drill press to bore a 5/16" centered hole through each brace, 74" from one end, for the T-bolts. Step to your router table to knock off the long edges and bottom corners of the braces with a 1/8" roundo- ver bit, and sand them smooth. Install the bolt hardware, and slide the braces into place on the support tracks. ‘The two wings (pieces 13) start out as square-cornered panels, but I rounded the two outside corners with 1" radii to make them more “leg friendly” on the final proj- ect. Here again, the wings pivot on long hinges (piec- ¢s 14), hacksawed to length. [fastened those in place with the wings clamped flat on my bench and the hinges folded open to an “L” shape, with the knuckles facing inward. It kept the hinge hardware flat and aligned, while providing ‘me good backup support when Grilling pilot holes and driving all of those little screws! When it comes to hanging the wings, those fancy new pivoting sup- ports and braces won't help you yet. Fold them out of the way. Instead, you'll need to ask a helper to hold the wing hinge leaves against the top panel edges while you drive a screw at each end and one in the center. Check to make sure the wings will be flush with the top panel when tipped up. Then install the rest of the hinge screws. Support and Casters Get some help to flip the project upside down on your bench... [found that to be the casiest way to install the rath- er heavy fullextension drawer slides (pieces 16). But first, grab a length of rope or a ratcheting tie-down to hold the wings closed for now. When you study the Drawings, you'll see that the outfeed table must be posi tioned low enough to close up inside the cart and accommo- date for the height of the roller hardware — the top curve of the roller has to be even with or slightly lower than workpieces exiting your planer. All of this considered, I determined that my slides could be located 1" down from the top inside face of the cart top. Then, I could shim the roller up as needed to suit my planer’s bed height. So, [used a long 1”-wide spac- cer to align each slide on the le panels while I drove the attachment screws (photo cen- ter, left). Position the ends of the slide housings flush with the back (outfeed) end of the cart when fully closed. ‘Once the slides are attached and ready to go, install the lock- ing casters (pieces 15) to the cart bottom. I positioned mine 1/2" in from the outside cor- ners and drove 1/4" x 3/4" lag screws with washers to secure them. Flip the cart upright again. Head back to the table saw to cut the outfeed table and a pair of cleats (pieces 17 and 18) to size. Round the outer corners of the table panelMATERIAL LIST Exploded View TxWxL 16 Drawer Slides (2) Full-extension, 28° 47_Outfeed Table (1) 8/4" x 2218" x 31 18 Table Cleats (2) Ba KAW XS: 19 Roller Assembly (1) 17 Roller 20 Roller Shim (1) 1 21_Bottom Shelf (1 x 221%" x 40" with 1" radii, and ease its edges lightly graze the top of the roller as you've done previously. as they leave the planer. Adjust, Finish-sand these parts before the shim thickness, if needed. fastening the cleats underneath the table panel so their rear ends The Final Details are even with its back edge. Given this project’s low stance Space the cleats accurately and the weight of the plywood, apart so they'll align with the the cart is very stable already. slides. Screw the “drawer side” But since I anticipate need- sections of the slides to the to plane really thick and cleats. Adjust the front ends of long stock now and again, these parts flush. Tadded 50 Ibs. of mortar sand to STERN 8 Once your outfced table is the base. With this ballast, I may $i\feed table upto the bed (top) installed, pull it out all the way, not even need to lock the casters Subtract the roller assembly height and position the roller (piece 19) __for typical jobs. Then T cut the to find the shim thickness, Install the near its end. Set your planer on bottom shelf (piece 21) to size, shim, then the roller bracket inset) the cart, and shift it so its infeed sanded it and screwed it to the table, when lowered for use, is shelf supports and crosspiece. about even with the front (infeed) ‘Fill’ the screw counterbores end of the project. Now use a with wood plugs, and chisel long level, resting on the planer them flush. Now apply finish bed, to help measure the height to all of the bare wood. Finally, between the planer bed and out- drill holes for the bolts you'll feed table surface, Subtract the need to secure your planer to height of the roller, and you'll — the “deck.” [ used carriage bolts, know the thickness you need to. which allowed enough clearance make the shim (piece 20) that for the outfeed table beneath, 1 will bring the roller up to final fastened them from above with alignment (photos, right). Make washers and nyloninsert tock the shim and screw it to the nuts. Here’s a project that’s outfeed table, 1/2" from the end. already getting a workout each ‘bag oF two of washed sand will help Fasten the roller housing to it, time I process new lumbs and chp inthe rallen Verty that PP veep this project stationary during laning sessions, especialy you alsa the height is correct using the Cris Marshal is seniar editor of {ple Aree pe poten ane level again, Workpieces should Woodworker's Journal to seal in the "ballast" underneath. Place a straightedge fon the planers bed, and measure the WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM SUMMER 2014 53A pivoting design (op), pea holders (center and locking push-action “brakes” bottom) make storing your sheet goods supply ‘conveniant and secure, Swing-out Panel Storage IN JUST UNDER FIVE FEET OF WALL SPACE, THIS PIVOTING CART CAN STOW LOTS OF FULL-SIZE SHEET GOODS AND CUTOFFS. to manage, especially in a other option: standing them on Well, we think this roltout smallshop setting. They're end or edge. Still, that doesn't organizer takes a few big steps cumbersome, space-hogging solve the problem of how to pick __in the right direction, Made from and usually end up stacked ina from the back of the pile for the 5 x St. sheets of Baltic birch ragtag pile against a wall. Most piece you need without unstack- plywood, it’s just big enough to home shops don't have room to ing everything. And there’s fit 48!-wide material. The cart's store 4 x 8 panels horizontally always the danger of a heavy back side holds full sheets, like a lumberyard or home cen- stack of sheets toppling over. and two pegs fit into a series of Sts goods can be hard — ter can, so we resort to the only What's a woodworker to do? 54 SWING-OUT PANEL STORAGEGet started on this project by plowing grooves in the side panels for the divider (top left ‘A Tew pocket screws in the receiver's sie pieces (top center wll make this subassembly easier 1 tack into place on it side panel Dil bolt holes in the endsPblocking (top right before assembling the receiver —— \With the side panel and receiver ‘machined, fasten them together with glue and pocket screws (eft, then reinforce this joint from the dadoed side of the panel with more screws. Nex, find the centerpoint forthe cap’ pivot bolt hole by clamping it to the recewver ‘temporary and pricking the cap with the tip of a 1/2" brad-point bit ight. holes in the cart walls to keep shown in the Drawings on the — erend, centering the blocking on them safely upright. The front next page. Set these parts aside the faces of the ends. While the bin stores loose cutoffs. When it glue dries, drill several pocket comes time to load or unload the ‘eiver” portion of the screw bores into one face of each big stuff, just roll the cart out on pivot mechanism consists of two receiver side; pocket screws will its pivot and two casters and flip sides, two ends and blocking hold the completed receiver in down a couple of toggle clamp pieces (pieces 4 through 6). place as it is attached to the “brakes” to park it. But take Follow the Material List to cut side panel, Before assembling note: your shop ceiling should them to size, and glue and clamp the receiver parts with glue and beatleast nine fect high to stand apiece of blocking toeach receiv- screws, step to your drill press {ull sheets upright on this cart. Preparing the Cart Parts Once the receiver Get this project underway by subassembiys cutting panels for the divider completes, you and two sides (pieces 1 and 2) to assemble the size and rounding over their top sides and dvier corners with 1" radii. Then head by spreading glue to your table saw to plow 1/4" nthe groaves end deep grooves down the length of Puling the ints the sides, 6" from one edge (the [oae¥ierw"h long pieces must mirror each other). S20" Set the dado width to match the — fhesgeone thickness of your plywood stock 3: a time. Once for a snug fit. Next, cut a bottom the giue dries, panel (piece 3), and lay out and reinforce these cut the angles on one end as joints with screws WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM SUMMER 2014 55‘Side and Peg Holder Bottom (Top View) (Inside View) SW ate Cap 4 tied t AEH PANEL STORAGE HARD-TO-FIND HARDWARE y ne So 1 Dia. N3) MATERIAL LIST | TxWxL TxwxLl 4. Divider (1) 3/4" x53" x60" 42 Bracket Braces (2) 3/4" x AY" x 35%" 2 Sides (2) ‘B/4" x 147" x54" 19 Carriage Bolt Assemblies (@ pr) 6/16" Dia. x 4" 3 Bottom (1) 3/4" x14" x58" 14 Bolts, Washers, Lock Nuts @) 1/2" Dia. x5* 4 Receiver Sides 2) 9/4" x4" x81" 15 Fender Washers (4) 2" Dia. 5 Receiver Ends (2) 3/4" x4 x4" 16 Casters Q) 4 Dia., Fixed 6 Blocking (2) 3/4" x2 x4 17 Lag Screws @) 3/8" Dia. x6" 7 Cap (1) 3/4" x4" x14" 18 Peg Holders (2) 3/4 x 6" x6" 8 Bin Face (1) 3/4" x24" x54" 19 Pegs @) 1" Dia. x6" {9 Bottom Trim (1) 3/4" x3" x54" 20 Ghains and Screw Eyes (2) 12° Lengths (Hobby Chain) 10 Pivot Arms (2) TA x3%" x 10K 24 Brakes (2) Push-action Clamps La.) 114 Bracket Back (1) TE" x BIA" x 32%" BP Toggle Feet @) “Toggle lamp Feet (Lg) 56 SWING-oU T PANEL STORAGEBefore moving on tothe prot arms, ease and drill 1/2"-diameter centered trim piece. It'll help prevent the tap edges of the bin face and bottom holes through the ends/block- these edges of the cart fromm pieces and screw them int place. ing for pivot bolts. splintering during use. Install Now check the Drawings for them with screws so they over- locating the receiver on the lap the cart bottom and sides. “un-dadoed” face of one of the cart’ side panels. The side panel Making the Pivoting Bracket you choose determines which Find some 1¥'thick, sturdy storage bin of the unit will be stock for making the pivot arms against the wall. Center the and bracket back (pieces 10 and receiver on the panel's width, and 11). There's no special trick to drive the pocket screws home forming the pivot arms: cut one to “tack” the receiver in place. end toa 1%" radius with a jigsaw Reinforce this joint with 2"coun- or band saw, and mill a pair of tersunk wood screws. Be liberal 3/4".deep, 4%"Jong notches into with the screws: they'll help the both edges of each arm to house receiver support the bulk of the a pair of plywood braces (pieces cart’s weight and storage load. 12). You also need to drill 5/8" Wrap up work on the receiver by holes for the pivot bolts; note cutting the cap (piece 7) to shape, _ that they are 1/16" larger than. marking and boring a 1/2" hole the rest of the pivot holes to through its center and fastening allow some “play” in the mecha- Machine the pwot ams by daring stop blocks it to the side panel 1%" above _ nism. It’llhelp the cart shift up or to your miter gauge fence to set the endmost. the receiver to accommodate a down slightly at the pivot to roll cuts for miling pairs of notches in them (inset pivot arm. over an uneven shop floor. above). nce they're machined, temporary Before you cut the bracket assemble them on the receiver with pairs of Assembling the Cart back and braces to length, tem- fender washers and bolts (below inset). Then You're nearly ready for some — porarily install the arms on the 70U ‘wist-stye handle Some marfacturers, ke Festool, offer accessories that wil convert @ power planer into a smal jointer slide and lock the fence in place to the desired rabbet width, then plane along the workpiece edge until you reach the depth you want. Ever taper workpieces on a jointer by making a series of ever-longer cuts? You can do that with a power planer, too. Make a short pass over the end of a workpiece, then a longer second pass, a third pass that’s longer still, and so on. The last cut runs the length of the workpiece to make a single smooth cut, resulting in a fast- and-easy taper. If you've ever tried to hang a door in an exist: ing frame that’s not square, you'll quickly come to appreciate WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM a planer’s tapering abi Finally, it should come as no surprise that a tool based almost exactly on a jointer can also joint boards. To this end, sever- al manufacturers offer adapters to simplify this task. Most are bench-mounted bases that sup- port the planer securely in an inverted position, What to Look For When shopping for a power plan- er, the most obvious factors are power and price, For most indoor woodworkers who need a power planer only occasionally, a 5- or 6amp machine is a good target. If you have plans to construct a large deck, garage or home addi- SUMMER 2014 73poate tion, consider a heftier machine. Likewise, a smaller unit like the Ryobi cordless (with its 2" cut and a weight of only 5 Ibs.) might be your best bet for light work. Your preferences and the tasks to which you'll set a planer should dictate other factors, but here's a good list to consider: * Blades: Always opt for carbide blades when available, they last a lot longer than HSS, especially for extensive heav duty use. And, of course, machines that sport double edged blades give twice the use. * Chip direction: Some ‘The cutterhead on a pawer planer is virtually identical to that on a jointer. At right is the cutterhead on the Makita KP0BI0; above, the cutterhead on my 6” Delta jointr. 74 POWER PLANERS da To keep the cutterhead and = Ue fom concn inde sand eto J tsp P machines give you no choice, and shoot chips one direction For the most versati pick a machine that allows you to select left or right chip direction (which determines either dust bag or hose location) according to the job. Ifyou don't plan to a bag or dust hose, a model with a chip chute that can be angled away from you is a good pick. * Accessories: All planers come with a basic selection of necessary tools for blade chang: ing and a guide/fence, but exam- ine those fences carefully before buying. The larger and longer the fence is, the more control it gives; conversely, a tooshort fence is worthless. Multiple cut- terheads, angled guides, dust control add-ons, rabbeting and jointing adapters are all plusses, even if optional * Depth scale: The easier to read at a glance, the better: Note that Festool planers have a metric depth scale, which may require some omthe-ly calcu- lating. * Tool storage: When I'm king of the world, Il decree that all necessary adjustment tools must be stored right on the machine itself, Till that day comes, though, few manu- offer on-board storage. that have it are far more renient. * Cord length: A too-short cord will constantly tangle and snag, so the longer the cord, the better. Currently, Makita and Festool are the leaders here with cords that should be an example to the others.Safety and Maintenance Power planers are deceptive. ‘They're compact, not that loud, and don't feel like they want to leap screaming out of your hands while using them like, say, a router can, In fact, some are as easy to handle as a power drill, However, remember that they have a cutter running at a very high speed that is always exposed. That cutter should be foremost in your mind at all times. Always allow the cutter to come up to speed before cutting, and always engage the workpiece smoothly both hands on the machine; never use a power planer one-handed. Although a planer's builtin kickstand keeps the cutterhead off the worksur- face when not in use, it's be to let it power down completely before setting it down, Avoid over-reaching; if the workpiece is long, walk the planer along the cut. Keep your work area free of obstacles, and be especially mindful of where the cord is at all times. Watch those chips! It’s always best to attach the machine's collector bag or a dust collector hose during Ifyou don't, always pay attentior to where the chips will go. You can easily ngly large wave of chips flying five to eight feet away when planing — especially when doing deeper cuts, When using an attached bag, empty it often. Those bags fill surprisingly fast, and chips in back up into the cutterhead. If chips start flying out of the bottom of the machine as you're planing, you've got either a full www. wooow bag or a chip blockage in the machine. Either way, stop and fix it Finally, keep those blades sharp. Dull blades slow you down, give inferior cuts and overtax the tool. Check them often. Sharp blades produce large, welkformed chips and 0 if you notice creased amounts of fine dust — or the planer bogging down, of course — it's time to change or sharpen those blades. ‘Add. Hamler is woodworking author and fomer editor of Woodshop News. ORKERSJOURNAL.COM ‘Some high-end planers ke the Festool HLBSOE, offer quick-change optional heads for specific types of “molding” cuts Being able to store necessary tools on the planer itself, as on the Rackwell RKS259K, isa handy feature to look for. ‘You can even add texture! With an ‘optional undulating head installed in the Festool HLB5DE, you can create a rustic raugi-hewn lookin lumber for beams ‘and other architectural member SUMMER 2014 75Lumber from Your Local Sawmill SMALL SAWMILLS CAN OFFER A GREAT SOURCE OF UNIQUE LUMBER CLOSE TO HOME. ne of the great things Ora our craft is that, unlike money, lumber really does grow on trees. And as trees grow all across the United States, there are also people turning those trees into lumber from Alaska to Florida and most places in between, Some of those lumber oper- ations are small mom-and-pop mills slicing up local lumber and selling it to all comers. Recently, the Journal visited a couple of oneman operations near our Minnesota headquarters and got some insight into their world. ‘Ted Solberg and Steve Timm have sawmills about 30 miles apart, and both are family busi- nesses. Ted, now in his mid 70s, started sawing wood back in 76 LUMBER FROM YouR LOCAL SAWMILL 1974, Steve Timm's dad, Russ, began reclaiming lumber in the 1970s and started up his own mill in 1981, Steve took over in the 1990s. Curiously, both of them made their own mills from scratch, and the product they produce is topnotch. ‘The direction of their busi- nes ightly different. Steve ‘Timm has a focus on post and ‘Ted Solberg (top) starts acut ona red oak log ‘on his sawmil The $5,000 bade makes short work ofthe cut At eft, his som is ready to grab the board and stack it on a cart. Hs, grandson (right) uns the cutoff saw and sends the leftovers to the scrap pile. On the next page is the solar kiln Ted built to dey his lumber‘beam construction in addition sell their stock to individual to the regular task of making — woodworkers. The only chal boards from logs. He also does lenge they run into when sell custom sawing of brackets and ing to John Q. Public is that corbels, mostly sold to home sometimes we don't understand construction contractors. Post that these folks are making a and beam construction requires living from their efforts. Bargain mortise-and-enon joinery, so hunters that are looking to see Russ Timm built his own mortis- if there is any “scrap wood” ing machine (photo, below right) lying around will be disappoint- and cleverly used corded electric ed. Both of these operations sell drills as his stepper motors. every piece of wood they mill... Ted, on the other hand, decid- right down to the sawdust, which ed to add lumber drying to his _ is used as horse bedding. process and built a large solar With that said, neither mill is kiln. It dries wood efficiently by locked into selling wood as a heating the air between an enve- commodity, so they sell thick- lope of plastic sheets. When the nesses and cuts of wood that air gets hotter, it also loses mois- commercial mills would not find ture, helping to dry the wood profitable — which makes their even faster, Both Ted and Steve product especially interesting to will do custom sawing ifa person the woodworking community. cutting architectural has some logs that they want So look around for a local saw- components lke the cut into lumber. The price is — mill in your neck of the woods. large corel at rght somuch a board foot, plus a fee ‘They will likely have stock that The saw moves on for any saw teeth that may be will strike your fancy, and the 2h artcuated arm ‘broken in the process. field trip to the mill is worth 2% the wood remains Like almost all small lumber- the effort. stationary Timms shop-made mortsing sian gance Wie? aie eeoe Ee ZP_siachine boon) s wed to assist in pos owners, they are happy to and beam construcion Steve Timm stands at ‘an talian band saw SuMMER 2014 77 WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COMin FEATHERBOARDS CAN IMPROVE MACHINING ACCURACY AND PROVIDE A HELPFUL THIRD HAND WHILE KEEPING YOUR FI ome safety devices, like shop glasses and » hearing protection, are “no brainers.” Noise and flying debris give you good reason to have your head gear in place. But the value of other safety widgets, like featherboards, bears repeating now and again. That's because at time: it might just seem faster or easier to use your hands to steady a quick cut instead of setting up a featherboard or two. Why bother? Well, deep down we all know the answer: those quick “don't need to overthink this” operations are exactly where accidents and machining errors happen, Why take chances? That's the better question, but occasionally we still roll the dice. Maybe you don't use featherboards for other reasons. Sometimes the typical featherboard thick- ness gets in the way of the operation you're trying tomake. Or, you can’t quite figure out how to mount a featherboard to a machine table surface unless there's a miter- or T-slot close by. I've expe- ‘Whether you are ripping, table routing, band sawing or surfacing stock, featherboards such as magnetized bases, riser blocks and narrow can come to your aid Feat profiles add versatility and improve convenience, NGERS SAFE. ed these setup limitations many times. When the design of the featherboard limits its function, we may be inclined to let it sit in the drawer instead of using it for better protec- tion and workpiece control. Whatever the case, featherboards should be part of machine use. Improved product designs can address all of our excuses for not using them more often, keep us safer and improve general accuracy. ‘They aren't just for table saws either. Here are 10 oper- ations. made safer with featherboards,Springy feathers help reduce the chances for kickback ding nipping by preventing ‘workpieces rom moving backward 1. Setting Up Basic Rip Cuts Typical featherboards are stone-simple devices, real ly. Most consist of a plastic or wood base with a row of flexible “feathers” along the edge. The springy resistance created by pressing these feathers against a workpiece allows it to hold wood down against a table or “i and against a fence. The feath- ers are angled in one direction to keep workpieces moving through a cut, and they resist backward motion. ‘These characteristics can benefit you when setting up rip cuts on the table saw. It's the most basic and widely used appli cation of featherboards, so I'l give it first position on the list. A featherboard helps to counter- act the rotational force created by a spinning saw blade, not only in a kickback situation but also during any rip cut. At the same time, a featherboard placed on the infeed side of the blade holds stock tight against the rip fence. That way you can use your hands for pushing without also needing to press the workpiece laterally. Bench Dog's Feather-Loc* ($16.79), shown above, is a good representation of the common style. It mounts in the saws miter slot and has an expanding miter bar that locks the device in place. Feather-Loc is also designed with one feather a tad shorter than the rest. During setup, once the short feather touches the wood, you know the rest are properly tensioned so you can tighten the lock knobs. It’s quite helpful. 2. Ripping Narrow Material Safely When ripping workpieces nar- rower than about 8", a push stick is sensible to keep your fingers clear of the blade. As stock gets even narrower and lighter, it’s a good idea to install a feath- erboard over it to keep the wood pressed down firmly. But, what happens when the work- piece becomes too narrow to keep a push stick engaged next to the featherboard? Short of discarding the wood (sometimes the safer solu- tion), consider installing a pair of FeatherBow Junior® feather- boards (around $7.50 ea.) over your workpiece. Their narrow 3/8" profile can help you keep a push stick in control through- out the cut. FeatherBow Juniors come with bolts and knobs to attach to an auxiliary fence face WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM OR otersc featherboatd for basic rip cus (above. Thin featherboards secure stock for “pping narrow strips (below. Narrow profile featherboards can help you keep a push stick in control of narrow rip cut, while pressing the workpiece down securely. SumMER 2014 79Internal magnets allow Grip-Tite featherboards to ‘uide wider workpieces, such as sheet goods, regardless of proximity to miter sots Guiding wide sheet goods (above), these Grip-Tites are particularly {An accessory metal fence facing enables Gnp-Tites to clamp over @ workpiece vertically, offering quick, robust hold-down support ing. You choose between a single feather or a bow on the other end to create the downward force. 3. Guiding Large Sheet Goods Cutting wide or long sheet stock panels to size can be a tricky operation. They're often heavy, bulky and force you to stand a distance from the saw to begin the cut. These factors compromise your control GripTite featherboards ($40 to $60 ea.) can really come in handy for oversized panel work. Inside the base are focused magnets that clamp them down to steel or castiron worksurfaces with at least 40 pounds of foree. You can place Grip-Tites anywhere ona metal machine table independently of miter slots or even vertically on a metal fence facing. Flexible fins on both sides and a top hold-down act as the pressure feathers here. GripTite also offers a sandpaper-covered Roller Guide™ that fastens behind the left fin to serve as a feed roller. When the Grip- Tite is installed vertically on a fence, the roller directs workpieces against the fence to keep them tracking. properly. Allin all, magnetic GripTites are very helpful “third hands.” 80 10 WAYS TO USE FEATHERBOARDS 4. Keeping Flexible Stock from Fluttering Thin materials, such as hardboard or plastic lami- nate, present a whole differ- ent problem than thicker, heavier sheet goods. While they're relatively light: weight, thin sheets are still bulky and prone to sagging as you are feeding them into acut. If dealing with the loos- eygoosey nature of these flexible materials isn’t bad enough, the leading edge can [ift off the saw table when it engages the blade. ‘That can lead to a costly mishap and ruined cut. ‘The challenge is to pro- vide a means of holding the stock down against the table. Any featherboard that can be installed on your saw’s rip fence can help pre- vent fluttering from occur: ring, provided the fence is within a couple of fect or so of the blade. Grip'Tite’s RollerGuides could help here, too, by pulling sheet- stock against the fence. Whatever featherboard you use, raise the back of the sheet a little higher than the front when feeding it along for even better flutter control 5. Rabbeting and Dadoing A spinning saw blade’s rota: tional force resists your effort to feed workpieces through a cut. Dado bladescompound that resistance. The wider and taller you set the blade, the more feed pressure you need to apply to remove material. For these operations, you should installa featherboard alongside the cut to keep work- pieces secured against the fence and moving forward. Since rabbeting or dadoing are almost always joint making tasks, the dimensions of the cut- away area are important. So it’s prudent to install a holddown over the workpiece as well as beside it. A featherboard placed here will ensure a consistent cut- ting depth all along the work- piece by keeping stock pressed down firmly. How do you satisfy the need for both hold-in and hold-down support? Well, you could install two individual featherboards, but Magswitch’s Pro Featherboard (right, $66.99) with Vertical Featherboard Attachment (619.99) provides both in one ‘A.combination of hold-n and nold-down restraint ensures safer ‘operation and more accurate results with a dado blade, + 19-year proven program + At Rank with the BBB Visit our website for mare information OF 1800BunkBed Delalled project plans| with full size draw- Ings & text to guide crafters supplies lan #24 $14.95 0 aa Ste a ESL Prune estar eer Chan erreurs Playacar) your exact size in any arn Pe il Cheeta) rial Ee ees Pat tre paca [ ecm | ree mertcd PRRs Payee’ FUSION | WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM www.RADARCARVE.NET: Wood Carving Duplicators Thousands of uses! 505-948-0571 TX Intoral Expanding Collets rrr Chuck or a drill chuck, they prea se aera y) one etd 5 py ea See THE BEALL TOOL Co. oat SumMeR 2014 81mote safely. Push stick contol is crucial when profiling narrow strips on the router ‘able. Featherboards snould nat abstruct the push stick’ path device. The Pro's base contains 6. Routing Thin a pair of strong 30mm magnets Stock Safely that engage or release a work — When routing an edge profile to surface by flipping two rotating create a narrow strip of mold- knobs. The optional top feather- ing, the best approach is to mill board fastens to it with extension it on wider stock, then rip the arms, and it has a second set of — molding free. But, you may not knobs that adjust it to the work- always have that option. Ifyou've piece height (up to about 2"), only got a narrow strip of stock ‘This could be particularly help» to begin with, Woodhaven’s ful if your table saw or router 240K Hold-down and Hold.in Kit table fence doesn't have a T-slot ($29.99) can help. These feath- channel that allows for installing erboards are made of flexible, the upper featherboard. high-density plastic with three Securing stock when rabbeting ‘or dadoing (page 81), the Magswitch Fro provides two-n-one support. Woodhaven’ thin featherboards (eft) guide narrow workpieces feathers molded at a 4° angle away from the base. Setting the correct operating pressure is easy: just compress the feathers until they're parallel with the workpiece. The narrow profile of the plastic (@/8") can give you the clearance you need to keep a push stick engaged when routing that thin stock. The hold- down featherboard includes an aluminum extrusion with T-slot bolts and knobs for mounting it to a router table fence, The FEATHERBOARD MOUNTING OPTIONS There's nothing wrong with making your own featherboards from scrap, The challenge is figuring aut how to mount them securely ta your ‘machine surfaces or router table. Here are two alternatives: Rockler sells a Miter Slot Hardware Kit for $7.99. You get two expanding bars, bolts and star knobs to install featherboards ‘the conventional way. Another solution is Magswitch’s MagJigs. They're self-contained 30mm or 40mm magnets ($20 to $38 each) with ‘a maunting bracket and knob that turns the ‘magnet an and off, Attach them to featherboards When needed and then swap them over to any other table-mounted jig you make, 82 10 WAYS TO USE FEATHERBOARDS Several aftermarket ‘alternatives are available for attaching shop-made featherboards.LIFETIME WARRANTY 500 Stores Nationwide How does Harbor Freight sell great quality ‘tools at the lowest prices? We buy direct from the same factories who supply the expensive brands and pass the savings onto you. I's just that simple! Come in and see for yourselt wy over 25 million satisfied customers and leading automotive and consumer magazines oop talking about our great quality and unbeatable prices. Visit one of our 500 Stores Nationwide and use this 20% OM Coupon on ‘ne of over 7,000 products”, plus pick up Free 1"x25 Ft. Tape Measure, a $6.99 v + We Will Bat Any Competitor’ Price ‘eromet re ar Of Purchase + No Hassle Return Policy + 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed PSUS CUE MEL wae = SLinnig CONFOUND ‘CONTRALPAEUMAT ati son a sgiuuaue tae ( OOF” ITER SAW Sesarnae ‘AIR COMPRESSOR ona = pe 2 ate TU ee im an Onan aaee a 2.5 HP 12" PLANER RRESS*” 29 PIECE TITANIUM, ae NITRIDE COATED in DRILL BIT SET lal “i drilfmaster iii} ae cor, ses EIGHT DRAWER ine ‘WOOD TOOL CHEST " ee “a . elo nua nuit Py unin & ‘ne PRESTR a TN | tex once sn. Pay curcnoon ESTE CHICAGOBELECTRIC op = corm as oi BENCHTOP ROUTER TABLE ‘5° RANDOM ORBITAL; H 1-3/4 HP ROUTER ALM SANDER ‘ALUMI 410", 12 SPEED ‘SANDING SPONGES - BencH MOUNT ez) DRILL PRESS @ ons an a aoe muggy gi Sj wen NEN LE to sen You Buy Tools AnywhereRockler Double Featherboard Kit creates a high-rise featherboard to keep panels planted against the fence during panel raising. 3 Want to mill an accurate sliding dovetail? The optimum setup should involve two featherboards, since this isa trapped bit technique Riser blocks suppor taller stock when panel raising (top let. Tandem featherboards hold stock when routing with ‘rapped bits (below lft) holdin has an expanding bar and large easy-to-use wing knobs for securing the featherboard in a iter slot. 7. Supporting Tall Stock When Panel Raising Panelraising with a vertical bit on the router table is another scenario where featherboards ‘can improve accuracy. You need some means of hold-in pressure to keep the panel pressed fully against the fence. If the panel veers away from the fence, the cutter won't remove all of the material it’s supposed to, The trouble with typical 3/4"- thick featherboards is that they aren't tall enough to pro- vide adequate support higher on the fence where you really need it. Solution? Rockler and some other featherboard prod- ucts come with wide riser blocks or a stack of washers to cle vate a featherboard’s stance. For instance, Rockler’s Table Featherboard ($19.99), which mounts in a miter slot, is also sold as a Double Featherboard Kit (632.99). The kit includes two risers, long bolts and knobs that raise a second featherboard over the main Table Featherboard The combined height provides two areas of holdin support to reach to the top of 3'all rout er table fences. Once installed, your holdin support is assured. 84 10 WAYS TO USE FEATHERBOARDS 8 Routing with Trapped Bits With typical profiling router bits such as ogees, coves or cham- fers, if a workpiece moves away from the fence, there's no real harm done. You make another pass to remove what you missed. Same goes if you don't get the stock pressed down quite as tightly to the table as necessary. Cleanup passes fix the problem. ‘That's not the case with some bits, such as dovetails or T-slot cutters. Here, if the workpiece moves either away from the fence or up and off the table, the cut is ruined. That's because the bit is trapped inside the work: piece where its entire profile is impacting the cut. In these situations, a pair of featherboards is essential — one over the top and one alon; the workpiece. Kreg offers a convenient pairing with its True- FLEX™ Featherboard Twin Pack ($35). One featherboard has ‘T-slot hardware to apply down- ward pressure over a router table fence. The other featherboard has a pair of miter bars with a unique wedge lock that expands them for a tight grip. I find these particularly easy to tighten in place when compared with some other miter bar styles. And, with the two mounting options both provided, you're prepared for any tool setup.l THE COMPLETE COLLECTION FINALLY! Today’s Woodworker is back! ECTION Wie compLere COLL his brand-new CD includes every single project, technique, triok and finishing article that ever appeared in Today's Woodworker magazine — the predecessor to Woodworker's Journal. The Today's Woodworker Complete Collection features over 200 project plans wih complete step-by-step directions, elevation drawings and photos. Order today and qualify for Item #48689 . . . $23:99 Call 800-610-0883 and mention code WJ1484 or visit us at shipping WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM MOLDERS 7 YEAR WARRANTY ‘Straight + Curve © Elites! Get the BEST. The most complete catalog for woodworkers + Featuring over 10,000 items + Innovative jigs and tools + Router accessories + Rare hardwood + Turning supplies Get your FREE catalog today at Rete eu Eg Ree tee SUMMER 2014 85(right) or edgeqointing wide boards (below! is easier with =~ e magnetic featherboards. 3 9. Facejointing Long Stock 20mm magnets that lock secure: Featherboards may seem unnec- _ ly to a short jointer fence. Once essary for surfacing, but think they are switched on, you can of how handy another set of back up from the jointer as need- hands would be when you have ed and still keep the stock face to faceoint a board that’s 8 or pressed down over the cutters. 10 ft. Iong. Tt can be challenging While these are fairly spendy to keep a face pressed down items, they have both left- and flat to the jointer tables when rightfacing rows of feathers. you're also contending with a So you can use them on your really long board, especially band saw, table saw, shaper and if i's also heavy. Magswitch’s other metal-topped machine Universal Featherboards ($49.99 applications, too. Mago’ Unies eatherboords ea) could be just the shop helper caer wen ° ree i you need. The base hasanarrow 10. Edgejointing ssaham esate tanmn profile and features a pair of Wide Stock ORE Cor Ta og Now consider those really wide boards you can’t bear to rip into narrower pieces. Jointer fences top featherboard in line with the are short, which doesn’t provide top of the jointer fence. It’s ideal much vertical supportforaboard for this job. that’s 10! or more wide. How do So you may ask, do we need all you know the face is smugagainst of these featherboard products? the fence when a wide board is Not really, but knowing your on edge and you're guiding it options can lead you to particu- by hand? It’s hard to be sure. lar solutions that will make your worked through this challenge machining tasks. safer, more by using four interlocking riser accurate and maybe even more blocks included in Magswitch’s enjoyable. P Vertical Featherboard kit to cre- ate a taller featherboard. When Chris Marsalis sonia eltr of doublestacked, they position the Woodvaker’s Jounal. Here's helpful way to keep wide boards from tipping when Bench Dap: 800-786-8902, ww benchdog.com ‘edge-jointing: install FeatherBaow: 860-209-5786, wewufeatherbow.com ‘tall magnetic Grip-Tite: 800-475-0233; wow grip-tite.com 147-9638; varav.kregtool.com 303-468-0662; www magswitch.com.au Rockler 800-279-4441; wwwwrackler.com Woodhaven: 800-344-6887; wwwwaodhaven.com featherboard on the infeed table. 86 10 WAYS TO USE FEATHERBOARDSWeb Addresses for Companies in this Issue ADVERTISER, Web Address ADVERTISER 1-800-BunkBed ne 1800bunkt com/y Norton Abrasives ‘American Fabric Filler Co wiwcamericantabricite-com (Olver Machinery Armor Crafts nwa armorptans com (Osbome Wood Products, In Bainbridge Manufacturing, Inc vc hainbridgornig.com PanelPro Beall Tol Compan) ne beattool.cam Piacad Tin Dasions by Brive vo brivaxcom/WWs (Country Accents Cabinets Quick wovaecabinersquik com Powormaté Chery Tee Toys nvaccharytrostoys.com adarcarva Christan J Hummol Co) vvachurmal com Reacy2Rout No Shark nwwractercom Flkon Porter Tools (Cook Woods nc cookwo0ds com Rockler Woodworking Cooks Saw MFB, LLC) neaccookssawe.com and Hardware The Craftsman Gallery nacht com ‘Supertax Tools Fplog Lasad 81 wnna-eploglasercomAwy “Tormek Fuji Spray Equipment vn fujisoray com Wagner Meters Gator Finishing nwa gatotnishing com Willams & Hussey Harbor Freight Tools unwa-harborteight.com Machine Compan) onomat wovaclignomatcom, Woodworkers Source nec moisturoproblems. info WORKSHOP JUST SPRAY IT!! Mini-Mite 3 T-Series” fr » Powerful 3-Stage Turbine Motor » Produces a High Quality Finish ‘Sleek Ergonomic Design Equipped withT-Series” Spray Gun » Portable System for All Fine-Finishing 24 Month Limited Warranty www.fujispray.com or 1-800-650-0930 UNIQUE SOLUTIONS You! 7lOak, maple, cherry & 90 MORE 100% Cre ee Se _Yeww americantabriefilter.com 800-367-3501 WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM Pa Na Web Adress 11 weawnortonzansumer cam 41 wrawotvermachinery. 3,87 wwawoodencomponents com 87 wavpanefprocom enw pierectin com wean: pavsermatic cam uvavsodarcorve net wa soctercom enw skontots com wean ocklorcom va. supermaxtools cam wean tormek com wea wvagnermeterscom wvauiliamsnfussey com wens. 10?woods com wvanorkshopvars.com Cera Ne Capt ee ts Ce K EET TET eee tee SuMMER 2014 87&A Readers’ Tricks Our editors often provide answers to shop-related questions from our readers. Here's a sampling of some from our archives. Readers also send in their favorite shop-related tricks. See page 90, where we share a few. Questions & ANSWEFS serene Tricks of the Trade ead shank Thread Gimiet Anatomy of a Screw wall or deck screws, which have enough purchase to hold fast. straight shanks; tapered-shank — To ease screw insertion, make screws (aka. regular cabinet’ sure to lubricate each screw by making screws) tend to wedge rubbing a little paraffin into the the MDF apart, causing it to threads. To prevent screws from split. Ido recommend that you stripping out, drive them only I have been building some stick to deck screws, as drywall about 9/10 of the way in with a shop cabinets using MDF. I screws are made of more brit- powered drill/driver, then finish am partial to drywall and deck tle steel and can actually snap seating them by hand with a screws, but [ have noticed a ten- if your assembly is subjected regular screwdriver. It may take dency for the MDF to split apart to even a moderate amount of a few tries until you learn the even though I drill pilot holes for stress. The next thing to con- feel of how tight you can set a the threads and a clearance hole sider is the diameter of the pilot screw without stripping it out. for the serew body. What am I hole you drill for the screw. It I also recommend that you use doing wrong? It's heartbreaking needs to be large enough to pass more screws along an edge than to have parts split apart during the shank of the screw easily, yet you normally might, say eight the assembly. Please help! be small enough for the screw’s or 10 instead of six. This will James E Duermeier threads to cut into the MDF and give your assembly strength. If ‘owisourg Tomessee hold tight. To prevent splitting, all else fails, a nearly surefire an edge-drilled MDF pilot hole way to prevent splitting is to A\Mediumadensity fiberboard likely needs to be slightly larger apply a clamp to the MDF part (MDF) is a little less dense and in diameter than one you'd drill (the one you're driving screws strong in its center than at its when screwing together soft. into edgewise) before dri faces, Hence, screws tend to split woods or other sheet goods. A screws into it. This is easily done or strip out in their hole, But little trial and error is called for with a handscrew (see the photo you can successfully screw into here: If 1/8" dia. is too small and above), and is especially effec: an MDF edge, as long as you the MDF splits, a 7/64"-dia. hole tive for preventing splits due to take certain precautions. You're might prevent splitting while screws near the end of a panel. on the right track by using dry- allowing the screw threads just — Sandor Nogyszalenezy 88 QUESTIONS & ANSWERSQriet purchased a new #4 hand plane, and it came coated with thick oil as a preservative against rust. The instructions said to remove the oil with mineral spir- its, [ now have the plane stored in its case (not airtight), into which I have put two small packs of silica to absorb any moisture. Td like to hang the plane on my pegboard with my other tools in my basement shop, but I'm con- cerned that since I've removed all the protective oil, it will rust. ‘What should I use to protect the polished surfaces? Thomas Belknap ‘Wenham, Massachusetts Arron oxide (aka. “rust’) is the result of oxygen and water vapor from the air chemically combin- ing with iron, Unlike other met- als, rust provides no protection to the subsurface metal, and corro- sion will continue until the iron, oxygen or water vapor is deplet- ed. The drier the environment, the less rusting will bea problem. Because we open and close any storage container frequently, desiceants, such as silica gel, are of limited value. A much better solution is a dehumidifier — a great investment in any shop! Anything we can do to prevent contact between water vapor and oxygen in the atmosphere and tools will thwart rust. Water- displacing oil is very effective and the basis of gun oil. Gun cil in a spray can is a good scheme for storage from a week to years. Our sweat is salty, and salt is a catalyst for the rust ing process. After a hard work session, wipe down iron surfaces and oil them, Paste wax is also very effective, but you ‘want a paste wax for fur- niture and not a cleaning type A variety automotive wax. [keep a block of of options can keep paraffin on my bench to rub fre- water vopor and oxygen away quently on my planes during use 0m your plane — and rust at bay because they slide with much less friction. An old shop trick is to cut a block of wood slightly EMC is calculated with a com- larger than the plane and glue a bination of the ambient relative piece of short pile carpet to it. humidity and temperature. For Soak the carpet with mineral oil example, with a relative humid- and, by storing the plane base- ity of 50% and average temp down, this carpet is always oiled of 70°, the calculated EMC is and ready to go. around 9.2%, but RH tends to —finie Conover go up in the evening when it cools off. No doubt, air drying is slower, but you could get close. Iwould liketo try cuttingsome If the items you make will ofmy own lumber fromadowned be outside, then just letting the tree in my yard. It would be so lumber acclimate (air dry) will cool to make a project from do the job for you. You need to But here is my problem: I would sticker the lumber in layers with need to air dry the lumber. But an air gap between each layer, what is “dry wood” and how dry and, of course, some airflow is dry enough? How do I know will help. when it’s ready? I suppose thisis If the lumber gets made into a what you would need a moisture piece at, let’s say, 12%, and then meter for? gets put into a very dry, indoor Andy Smithson winter environment, the piece Port Hueneme, Caiforia could shrink and crack. And yes, a moisture meter is, of course, a Au the items you are going to. valuable tool in helping to evalu- make will be inside the house, ate these applications 6% to 10% moisture is pretty stan- —Fon Smith dard, but it likely will be difficult Wagner Electronics to get to that level only by air drying alone, because your average — Equilibrium ‘Moisture Content (EMC) in your region is prob- ably higher than that. In recent years, moisture meters have made their way into home shops. ‘They can tell you when your shop-made lumber is dry enough to be used WWW. WOODWORKERSJOURNAL.COM enTricks of the Trade Rightsizing a Dowel Hole When a dowel is slightly under- sized for the hole you've drilled C4 . for it, a scrap piece of fabric is Tight-quarters Sander fa great way to shore up the fit. Here's a quick too! for sanding inside corners and other unreach- Spread glue on a small piece of able areas: apply a piece of sticky-backed (PSA) sandpaper to the fabric and the dowel. Place the blade of a putty knife. The blade’s edges will help you sand flush fabric over the dowel hole, and into corners, and its thin profile fits into narrow spots. Peel off the tap or push the dowel down into spent paper when you're done. place. Trim off the excess fabric | before the glue dries. Extend a spent eraser by squeezing the pencil ferrule, Eraser Squeeze Clean Swipe Solution for Hardware Marking If most of your shop pencils ['vetriedvariouswaystomark furniture or cabinet doorsand drawers for have erasers that have been — hardwarelocationsbeforeinstallingit, butthisismy favoritemethod. lusea worn flat with use, there's a finetip marker that's made to be erasable. Hither a “wet-erase” or way to get a little more life from “dry-erase” marker will work well. The beauty of the marker is that the what's still left. Just squeeze the color shows up on a finished or painted surface, but you can simply ‘metal ferrule with a pair of pliers wipe it off if you make a mistake or need to reposition your marking to compress the buried eraser, holes for other reasons. Of course, the markers only work on furniture extending it above the ferrule parts or cabinets that already have a finish applied. The ink won't wipe again for added use. off of raw wood. 90 TRICKS OF THE TRADEWho has time to clean up? We do. Get back fo your projects sooner with our hard working, long lasting vacs in your shop. MS gear UC aes Be e088 OM pe pe aYOU BUILTIT, ci NOW LETS ' FINISHIT. GO WITH Si THE GATOR... YOU'LL BE GLAD YOU DID. RU sass MMMM soe sanding wood, metal, fiberglass, and painted surfaces. i) aCe Econ sek ay OO esd wvaiable at LIUE'S) and Paricipating Hardware stores.