MwAAet

- Wooden Joiner's Storage Bin Sys,,,,,

- Hand-Cut Mortises Radial Arm Saw Fenc -
 EDITOR Donald B. Peschke
EDITORIM

~ ~ ~ T EDITORS
A N T
DIRECTOR
u r n r a t l a EDITOR
Douglas L. Hicks
Teny J. Strahman
Richard S. Peters
Tim Robertson
T here's an interesting
dilemma about having a
well-equipped shop. If
yon had everything you always
wanted for your shop.. where.
wealth of ideas and different ap-
proaches to everyday problems.
For example, I've always l i e d
working with cabinet scrapers.
(It's a small piece of thin steel
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted Kralicek would you put it all? used to scrape a surface smooth,
=ST. ART DIRECTOR C q Christensen Shop storage always seems to rather than using sandpaper.)
ILLUST~UTOR Kurt Sehultz be at the top of every wood- I used a very traditional
C O N m l W T l N G ILLUS. C h i s G10~aCld worker's wish list. method for formingthe edge with
Robert H. Whitmer
DESIGN DIRFCTOR Ken Munkel
It's no different in our shop. All a mill file first, then honing with
DESIGNER Jan Hale Svec
too frequently I hear the cry, a stone, and finally rolling the
PHOTWIRAPHER Crayola England
where are the No. 8 screws? edge with a burnisher.
~llw
M-GEa Steve Curtis
Screws, like a million other s u p Oneday I was grumblingahout
plies are usually in the small box this long process, especially the
cmcuunon DIREC~OR Liz Bredeson
they came in, and that's missing. second step (honingwith a stone).
M ~ O E RPhyllk
~~SC~IF-TION Jessen
Okay, I know you can get plas- So I decided to skip that step. I t
CIRCUUTHIN Jim Woodson
AMMYST
tic bins or one of those cases with worked great.
~ E W ~ ~ T A N D S A L EKent
S k Buckton dozens of small plastic drawers. As I was talking about my new-
- ~~p
We even have some in our shop. found method, Ken Munkel (our
CONTROLLER Paul E. Gray
But deep down, I've always design director) told me about
ACCOUNTlNa Linda O'Rourke
wanted to replace them with the method he uses that involves
BWIEEPING Julianne Spears
some nice wooden boxes. More reshaping the edge of scraper to
NETVORKAWIN. Douglas M. Lidster than that, I wanted a shop make it even faster to sharpen.
MNIST~UTIVE AST. Cheryl Scott
storage system. Now one of my favorite tools is
RECEPTIONIST Lori Seibert
Ideally, this system would even easier to use.
solve three nagging problems. NEW FEMWRE. In this issue,
W I L D I N 0 MAmMrElunca Ken G a t h
First, the boxes would be quick we're introducing a new feature,
MARKETIMO DIRECTOR Robert MUW
and easy to build. (Nobody likes the Hardware Store. The idea is
WOP SUPPLIES ART DIR. Cindy JackSon
to spend a lot of time building to present information on in-
w n o V E R S E R V ~ EYQR Laura MeNelly
storage boxes.) dividual pieces of hardware, par-
PWECT SUPPLIES Leslie Ann Gearhart
Second, I wanted boxes that ticularly how to install them. This
Linda Jones were transportable. That is, I first time out, the Soss Invisible
TECHNICAL S U P ~ R T Jonathan Garbison wanted to carry individual boxes hinge gets the attention.
SVSTUIS OPEIUTOR Linda Morrow to wherever I was working. 100,000 SUBSCRIBERS. One last
RECEPTIOV~T Keli Lee Third, I wanted an easy way to note. When we introduced Shop-
CUSTOMER SERVICE get a label on the box that was big Notes, we had no idea how it
Jennie Enos (Supr.), Joy Johnson, Tammi enough so I could read it, and would be received.
Juhl, Marci NeLson, Doug Neathery, Jeff easy to change whenever I Well, the response has been
Janes, Sara Johnson, Chris Lo
needed to. phenomenal. We already have
SUIPPIIP D W R W E N l
Jan Svec (our project designer) over 100,000 new subscribers in
Jeny Carson (Supr.), GlcoiaSheehan,Ronald
Long, Donnie McVey, Chuck Carhn came up with exactly the design the first two months.
I was looking for (page 16). It I want to thank you for giving
sure has helped organize our us a try.And a special thanks to
shop. those who wrote to us with your
r,ArL=" "1 u.o.2. NEW IDEAS. One of the advan- comments, praise, concerns, and
ShopNotes is atndemarkofWoodsrnith Cmpratiii.
BCopyright 1992 by Woodsmith Cmparation. All tages of working with a whole well-wishes.
staff of woodworkers is the I hope you enjoy this issue.
r-7 f

ShopNotes No. 5
 I S S U E N U M B E R TWO 1

contents
Drill h s s Caddy 4
This handy Drill Press Caddy provides instant access
to your bits and accessories.

fbdial Arm 5aw Fence 7

A versatile Radial Arm Saw Fence along with two shop-
made fence accessories:a stop block and a hold-down.

Cornbustibles
How to prevent spontaneous combustion from occuring
in your shop. Also, tips on safe disposal of finishing
.
suoolies
, and materials.

Hand Scrapem 12
Two methods for sharpening a scraper let you create a
cutting burr in just a few minutes. (We've also included
a burnishing jig to make it even fastec)
Hand Scrapers

%rage System 16
This wall-mounted storage system features a variety of
shop-made bins. The d~fferent-sizedbins allow you to
customize the system to meet your storage needs.

Joiner's Mallet 22
Laminated construction is combined with lead weights
to create a mallet with excellent balance and heft.

Hand-Cut Mortises 26
The right tools coupled with a simple technique willhave Storage System page 16
you cutting mortises by hand in no time.

Shop 5olutions 28
Five shop-tested tips: A Countersink and Bit Organizer,
Framing Square Stop, Finishing Stand-Offs, Radial Arm
Saw Depth Stop, And an Idea for Gluing-Up.

505s Hinges 30
A brief histox applications, and tips on installation.

50urce5 31
Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for
the projects in this issue. J o i w ' s Mallet page 22
 Drill R
,,; Cadzj a
The trags of this
storage
S toring drill bits is always a
problem. Putting them in a
drawer or cabinet keeps them
clean and organized. But they're
Out and not handy, especially if you're
provide instant using a floor-model drillpress. A
access @ !-lour tray mounted to the drill press is
drill bits and convenient, but you run the risk
other acceso&s, of sweeping away the smaller
drill bits along with the shavings.
To solve this problem, I com-
bined the benefits of the enclosed
drawer with the convenience of a
column-mounted tray - the re-
sult is the shop-made Drill Press
Caddy shown in the photo. variety of accessories, see photo. cut to size, the next step is to
The design is very simple, it's The only unusual thing is the make the hacks and sides. To
just a pair of trays sandwiched *ant of each tray is made from keep the trays as light as
between a top and a base. Using ll/zM-thickstock. This provides possible, I cut the backs (B) and
* : a carriage bolt as a pivot, the extra strength for the caniage sides (C) from %"-thick stock, see
trays swing open to provide bolt that passes through the Fig. 1.
. konts of the trays as a pivot pin. RABBETS. Next, the ends of
.. .~. ,... ,:...-: +access to bits and accessories.
~~
.
-.
THE TRAYS
FRONTS. The first step is to the sides (C) are rabbeted to ac- C
make the ll/zt'-thick f m t s (A). cept the fronts and backs. All the
To build the caddy, start by The length of both fronts is the rabbets are 1/4"-deep, but since
making the two trays. The upper same (51/zN),the only difference the front and hack are different
tray is shallow and holds a is the width (height) of these thicknesses, the widths of the
variety of bits. The bottom tray is pieces, see Fig. 1. rabbets are also different, see
deeper and is sized to hold a BACKSSIDES. the fronts Figs. 2 and 3.

GLUE AND

I
BACK
CORNER
DETAIL

HOLE. S E E FIG. Sa

4 ShopNotes No. 2
--
 JIGS A

I GROOVE. With the rabbets

complete, cut a l/s"-deep groove
on the inside face of the fronts,
backs, and sides to hold the '/st'
Masonite bottoms, see Fig. la
To determine the size of the LAY
bottom, dry damp a tray tc+ OUT
ZIRCLE
gether. Then measure the inside TO FIT
length and width and add 1/4" to YOUR
DRILL
each dimension. Next, cut two PRESS
bottom (D)to size and glue up :OLUMN

the trays, see Fig. 1.

LAY OUT CIRCLES,
TOP COVER & BASE - 'FIT . - -.IP.
. . . YO, SEE
I DRILL PRESS COLUMN
After you've glued up the trays,
work can begin on the top cover
ALIGN CLAMP
(EJ and base (F). Start by edge-
gluing enough 3/4"-thick stock to
form two blanks, see Fig. 4.
The length of the top cover and
base is the same as the length of
the trays (11").But to d o w the
caddy to fit around the drill press
column, the top cover and base
are cut 41/2" wider than the trays
(101/2"), see Fig. 4.
NOTCHES. A section of the top
cover becomes the clamp used to
hold the caddy to the drill press
column. To make this clamp, first
lay out a circle on both blanks.
Then rip the top cover and base
through the center of the circle
(to a width of 8"),see Fig. 4.
Now cut out the half-circle
notches with a sabre saw. Then
trim the cut-off section of the top
cover to form the elamppiece(G),
see Fig. 5.
MOUNTING HOLES
The only thing left is to drill the
holes for attaching the damp to
the top cover with lag screws. To
make sure that these holes are
aligned, lay out the hole locations
on both the top cover and clamp
at the same time, see Fig. 6.
I used an auxiliary fence on the
drill press table to support the
workpiece, see Fig. 7. With the
feucein place, drill two 1/4" shank
holes through the clamp. Then,
drill two 3/16" pilot holes in the
top cover, see Fig. 8.
 The top cover, trays, and base are
joined with a long carriage bolt
that serves as a pivot pin for the
trays to swing out.
PIVOT HOLES. To make sure all
the holes for the carriage bolt
align in all the pieces, I used a
simple positioning jig. It's just a
pair of cleats clamped to the drill
press table, see Figs. 9 and 10.
To position the cleats, first
mark the location of the hole on
one of the trays, see Fig. 9a. Then
position a drill hit directly over
the mark and clamp the cleats
along the front and side of the
tray, see Fig. 9.
Next, drill a hole in both trays.
Then without moving the cleats,
drill a hole through the top cover
and base, see Fig. 10.
STOPBLOCK To keep the trays
aligned when they're closed and
A carriage bolt to tie the top cover and base to-
passes through gether, I added a s t q block (H).
th.e caddy. And a This block is cut from 1%"-
lock nut keeps the thick stock, and its length is the
bolt tight while al- same as the combined height of
lowing the trays the trays (4l/2"), To determine
the width of the block, subtract
topivot. the width of the trays from the
width of the top cover (29, see
Fig. 11.
CJ3AMFER EDGES. Before a 5
sembly, I routed an l/s" chamfer
on all the parts. Then I wiped on
two coats of tung oil finish.
ASSENIBLX. Once the finish is
dry,bolt the top cover, trays, and
hase together with a Vg"carriage
bolt and a lock nut, see Fig. 11.
Then position the stop (H) and
screw it in place, see Fig. 11.
M O m G THE CADDY. All
that's left is to mount the caddy
to your drill press colunm by at-
taching the clamp (G) to the top
cover (E) with a pair of 4"-long
lag screws, see Fig. 12.
Note: If your drill press has a
''toothed rack" for raising and
lowering the table, mount the
clamp above the retaining ring,
see Fig. 12.
.-.
7 ~

ShopNotes
I @ Radial Arm---
Fr- -
A T-slotfor mount
ing accessories
and a replaceable

Fence 1
insert ~ombineto
make th&a ver-
satilefence sys-
temfor your
T his radial arm saw fence has
a couple of features that set
it apart from standard fences.
radial arm saw.

First of all, a T-slot is cut in the

top edge of the fence for attach-
ing a hold-down and stop block.
(For more on these accessories,
refer to page 9. Sources for the
hardware are listed on page 31.)
This fence is also designed with
a replaceable insert where the
saw blade cuts through the fence,
see Fig. 1. When the insert gets
cut up, it can be replaced without
making a whole new fence.
BLANXS.The fence starts out

* as two 40"long blanks, see Fig. 1.

Each blank is made of two pieces
of 3/q1'-thickstock glued together.
(I used maple.)
To determine the width
(height) of the blanks for the
fence, first measure the thickness
of your table (1"in my case), and
then add 2", see Fig. 1. Now rip
the pieces to this width and cut
them 40" long.
CLIT T-SLOT. After you've cut
the four pieces to size, the next
step is to cut the T-slot. This is a on edge, and trim 1/4" off the keep the T-slots aligned, see tip
twwstep process. "tongue" formed by the groove. at right.)
Start by cutting a 3/8" x 3/a" GLUE-W. Now you can glue P O ~ T O N G U EWhen
. the glue
groove in the face of each piece, and clamp together the two is dry,the next step is to form the
see Fig. 2. Then turn each piece halves to form the two blanks. (To tongue that fits into the radial
arm saw table. To do this, cut a
rabbet on both sides of each
blank, see Fig. 2.
FIRST:
7
MAKE CUTS FOR T-SL( I cut the rabbets to leave a 3/4"-
IN BOTH PIECES
thick tongue, the same thickness
-5ECOND: as the original fence. And I sized
GLUE BOTH PIECES
TOGETHER the height of the tongue to equal A wuxed wood
THIRD: the 1"thickness of my saw table, ' k e ~klm " keer,
7-RABBETS
CUT see Fig. 1. they-slotalig&d
DUST RELIEF. TOprovide a re-
lief for sawdust, I chamfered the
d u w g glue-up.
DUSTRELIEF
ON FRONT FACE front bottom edge of the two
blanks, see Fig. 2.

No. 2 ShopNotes 7
 After completing the fences,
work can begin on the insert. The
insert is trimmed off the right
fence, refer to Fig. 1on page 7.
The length of the insert is sized
so the blade will pass through the
insert instead of the fence when
making 45' and 90" miter cuts,
see Fig. 3.
SIZE INSERT. To determine
this length, set the blade for a 90"
cut, and raise the blade above the
fence. Then position the end of
the right fence2"to the kj£of the
'
blade, and mark the path of the Then, to allow the blade to insert to the front table.
blade on the fence, see Fig. 3. pivot to 45' without scraping the Now replace the spacer board
Next, pivot the blade to 45", back of the insert, I cut a chamfer and rear table, and tighten the
and then mark this path. Now on the top back edge, see Fig. 4 a table clamps, see Fig. 5% Finally, r,:.%.
measure 2"to the right of the end INSTALLFENCE. The last step cut a kerf in the insert for 90' fig
of the blade's 45' line of travel, is to install the fence. To do this, cuts, 45' miters, and 45' bevels. <%@
and cut the insert to this length. remove the back table and spacer To do this, lower the blade so it I-':>
(I added 2" on both ends to sup- board, see Fig. 5. Then position scores the table, and make cuts. . .:
port the sides of the kerf.) the left end of the insert 2" to the OPTIONAL INSERTS. Depend-
TRIM INSERT. TO allow clear- left of blade. Next, butt the ends ing on the type of cuts you make -:.
ance behind the fence for the of the fences against the insert. with your saw, you may want to -I:>.+&
blade, youneed to trim theinsert. To secure the fence, I drilled keep a 'library" of inserts. I use a
At 90", the blade on my saw al-
most touches the top back edge of
countersunk shank holes in the separate insert for cutting
"tongues" of the right and left dadoes and odd-angled miters.
0
the insert. To keep kom acciden- fences and screwed them to the And to ensure smooth ripping, I
tally cutting the insert, I trimmed kont table. Note: To make re- save one insert that doesn't have
off the T-slot, see Fig. 4a. placement easier, don't screw the any kerfs cut in it at all.

7
TRIM OFF T-SLM7

ShopNotes NO. 2
e FenceAccc - x'

T o secure pieces when cutting,

I made a hold-down that attaches
to the T-slot in the fence, see
photo above.
When cutting short pieces, the
hold-down is a real finger-saver.
And when cutting long boards, it
keeps the waste end from lifting
off the table.
The hold-down consists of two
pieces: a sum& block and an ad-
justing arm, see drawing. The insert holds a carriage bolt cut a slot in the arm.
0)i To make the hold-down, first with a wing nut on the end to Finally, add a support block to
cut the arm and support bloek to tighten the head of the bolt down keep the hold-down from rocking
size from '/$"'thick hardwood, on the workpiece, see photo. when tightened. Glue the support
see drawing. Then drill a hole in To make the hold-down ad- block to the arm. Then attach the
the arm for a threaded insert. justable for different widths, I hardware, see Sources, page 31.

stop Block -
"stop" that positions a board on
the saw table.
I cut both of these pieces from
l/z"-thick hardwood to a width of
21/4". When cutting the stop (ver-
tical) piece to length, I cut it
slightly less than the height of the
fence to keep it from rubbing on
the table top.
W For crosscutting boards to The top piece has a %"-wide
identical lengths, a stop block is open-ended slot to accept the
very handy. Just like the hold- shank of the threaded knob.
down, the stop block locks into To prevent sawdust from
the T-slot of the fence by tighten- building up between the end of a
ing a threaded knob into a T-nut, workpiece and the stop, I cut a
see "O~O above. small chamfer on the bottom
The stop block is pretty basic. corners of the stop, see drawing.
It's just two pieces of hardwood GLUE-UP. Finally, glue the two
I
glued together in an L-shape, see pieces together, and attach the 5TOP I 5
SLIGHTLY LE55 THAN 5AWDU5T
drawing. The vertical piece is the stop block to the fence. HEIGHTOF FENCE RELIEF
 Combustibles
Fire in the shop is
something most
woodworkers
don't want to
think about. But
proper use and
d?3posal of com-
bustibles can re-
duce the risk.

L ike a lot of woodworkers, we the morning after the fire.

have a t least a dozen differ- METAL WASTE CAN. First of
ent cans of finishes and solvents all, we bought an airtight, self-
SrunlANEbua ZOMBUSTION
He said the f i e in our shop was a)
on a shelf in our shop. closing, metal waste can (the kind caused by spontaneous combus-
And like almost everyone, you see in gas stations and ma- tion - one of the leading causes
we've read the warnings over and chine shops). of workshop fires.
over about how combustible and FIRE EXTINGUISHER Then we HEAT SOURCE. So how does a
flammable some of the products hung a fire extinguisher by the fire start inapile of used finishing
are. Still, I never really believed shop door. We bought a ten pound supplies? When the solids in oil
a fire could happen in our shop. I "ABC" type extinguisher that's finishes combine with the oxygen
was wrong. charged with a dry chemical for in the air, they form a polymer -
One weekend, one of the guys use on either wood, flammable a plastic-like substance.
had just finished wiping a last liquid, or electrical fires. This reaction does two things.
coat of tung oil on a desk he was SMOKE ALARM. Finally, we First, it creates a hard, lasting
making. Just before closing up picked up a smoke alarm from the finish on the project you're work-
the shop for the night, he tossed hardware store and mounted it ing on. Second, i t gives off heat.
a few of the rags he'd been using on the ceiling of the shop. SOLVENTSEVAPORATE.At the
into a plastic trash can. But even after we had installed same time as this chemical reac-
The next morning, the shop these safety devices, I still felt a tion is occurring, the solvents in
was filled with black smoke. All little uneasy. What about another the finish are evaporating. If
that remained of the trash can fire like the one we'd had - one enough heat builds up from the
was a few charred fragments. that breaks out when there's no reaction before the solvents have
Fortunately, the fire had burned one in the shop? For this kind of evaporated, the solvents can
itself out on the concrete floor fire, a11 our safety devices were reach an ignition temperature
before spreading to the rest of like a band-aid on a broken arm. and spontaneous combustion oc-
the shop. The only way to prevent curs. (For some solvents this
another fire was to find a safe temperature is as low as 250" .)
SAFETY DEVICES way to get rid of the used finish-
It's a little like closing the barn ing supplies that piled up around FIRE TRIANGLE
door after the cow's gone, but we the shop. I decided to do it right The key to preventing spon-
started installing safety devices and called our local f i e marshal. taneous combustion is to remove

10 ShopNotes No. 2
one of the three parts of the fire
triangle: fuel, oxygen, or heat.
The obvious question that arises
is which one?
FUEL. Unless you use water-
based finishes, you'll have the
potential of spontaneous combns-
tion with any finish that has nat-
ural oils as one of its ingredients
(linseed oil, tung oil, gels, and
wipe-on finishes).
The problem extends
to rags, brushes, steel The best (and easiest) solution
wool, and other supplies pve found i s to spread out oil-
used to finish the project.
What about finishing
supplies that have been
soaked with finishes such as shel-
lacs or lacquers? There's no
danger of spontaneous combus-
tion, because the solids in these
finishes don't react with the oxy-
gen in the air. As a result, no heat
is generated.
But there is a chance that the
vapors from the solvents can
cause a flash f i e while you're ap-
plying these finishes. This ex-
plains the warnings to extinguish
pilot lights or open flames when
using these products.
OXYGEN. Removing the oxy-
gen seems like the next best bet.
Several companies manufacture
self-sealing, heavy-gauge
. - - metal
waste cans that are designed to
seal out the air from the shop.
Even if the rags ignite (there's
still air inside the can), the fire
snuffs itself out from lack of oxy-
gen. At least that's the theory.
The problem is if the rags do
ignite, the waste can may get hot
enough to ignite other nearby
combustibles, like wall paneling
or the sawdust on yourshop floor.
To prevent this from happen-
ing, a warning is stencilled on the
can that reads, "empty every
night." The question is where do
you dump the contents so you
don't just transfer the problem?
HEAT. Since eliminating the
fuel or oxygen isn't always a
workable solution, removing the
No. 2
heat is the only other alternative.
The problem is that it's im-
possible to remove the heat.
Why? Because once the finish has
soaked into a rag or brush, the
finish solids begin to react. This
reaction generates heat. Always.
Doesn't the temperature in-
crease cause the solvents to ig-
nite? Not if' the heat from the
rags On a concretefloor.
reaction can escape. The danger
ofspontaneous combustionarises
when the heat is allowed to build
up in a confined area.
SOLUTIONS
To make a long story short, there
are several ways to prevent the
heat build-up from reaching an
ignition temperature.
WATER BATH. One way is to
limit the amount of heat huild-up
by soaking the used finish sup-
plies in a water-bath.
This solves the prohlem, at
least temporarily. With the rags
immersed in the water, there's no
heat build-up.
But once i o u remove the rags
from the water, the moisture
evaporates and the finish solids
continue to react and generate
heat. Plus, you've just created
several gallons of contaminated
water to get rid of.
BURN RAGS. In addition to the
water bath, the label on linseed
oil (one of the most reactive of
finish products) suggests burning
the rags. If local ordinances allow
you to incinerate waste, this
could be a workable answer.
SPREAD OUT RAGS. But the
best (and easiest) solution I've
found is to spread out the rags on
a concrete floor, or hang them on
a nail or clothesline. (Be sure
they're away from kids and pets.)
ShopNotes
This allows the combustible
solvents in the rags to evaporate.
At the same time, it permits the
finish solids to react without the
confinement that causes heat to
build up.
DISCARn W S . When all the
solvents have evaporated andthe
solids have finished reacting, the
rags will be dry and stiff. At this
- point, they're not a f i e
hazard, and you can
sa,lydiscard them along
with the rest ofthe trash.
To see if this was a
problem, I called the
Iowa Department of
Natural Resources.
They said waste that has been
contaminated with petroleum-
based solvents must pass the
"paint filter test."
To pass this test, the waste
must he solid enough so it doesn't
drip through a filter that's about
as heavy as a coffee filter.
Obviously, the dry, stiff rags
pass the test. The solvents are
the worst pollutants, and they
will have already evaporated. At
this point, discarding the rags is
no different than throwing away
a painted board.
LIQUID WASTE
But what ifyou want to throw out
something that won't pass the
paint filter test, like a half can of
used lacquer thinner?
Pouring the liquid on the
ground can pipe the contami-
nants directly to your drinking
water supply.
And if everyone flushed these
solvents down the sewer, the
water treatment plants would
soon be overloaded.
KITTY LITTER. Instead, you
can mix the liquid with an absorb-
ent, non-combustible material
like kitty litter and set it outside
away from pets and kids. After
the solvent has evaporated, pack-
age up the solid, and throw it
away with the rest of the trash.
11
 Hand
Using and sharpening a scraper
doesn't have to be a mystery. It's
easy with the right technique.

~
A hand scraper is the sim-
plest of tools - it's just a SHARPENING
thin piece of rectangular steel. For years I used the traditional
sharpening process much faster.
(For instructions on this two-
step method, see the next page.)
I
However, when it's sharpened method to sharpen a scraper to BEVELED EDGE. Just when 1
and used correctly it can produce create the cutting bun: This in-
amazing results. A scraper can volves three steps. First, f i e the
quickly remove burns and planer edge of the scraper square to
marks on a workpiece (seephotos both sides. Then the edge is
below). It's alsogreat for smooth- honed smoothwith an oil or water
was feeling confident that I had
found the way to sharpen a
scraper, Ken Munkel (our design
director) showed me another
method he's beenusing for years.
~
ing out figured grain and burls.
M E BURR
stone. Finally, a burnisher isused
to form the bun: (A burnisher is
a hardened steel rod that's fitted
WithKen's method, the edge of
the scraper is beveled before it's
burnished. This makesit easierto
e
How can a flat piece of steel be an into a handle, refer to Fig. 3.)
effective cutting tool? The key is NO STONE. After wearing a
"roll" the edge and create the
burr. And the angle of the burr
I
the "burr" you put on its edge. groove in my stone and cleaning lets you hold the scraper in a
This burr resembles a small hook up messy honing oil for years, I more vertical position (which
and runs along the length of the decided to skip the second step- some find more comfortable). I
scraper, see drawing in the mar- I stopped honing the edge of the The problem with this method
I
gin on the opposite page. scraper with a stone. is the burr doesn't have as much
By holding a scraper at an Grated, using the stone to steel to support; it. Which means
angle and pushing or pulling it hone the edge creates a slightly the burr tends to dull quicker.
across a workpiece, this burr cuts sharper burr - but only for the Also, this method limits you to
a micro-thim shaving much like a first couple of strokes of the one cutting edge on each side in-
hand plane. (For tips on using a scraper. Then things even out. stead of two. (For more on Ken's
scraper, see page 15.) And not using a stone makes the sharpeningmethod, seepage 14.)

A Burn Marks. A handscraperis the A Planer Marks. Handscrapers can

tool I reach for most often to remove be used to quickly remove the ridges
stubborn burn and saw marks. or marks left by a planer.
A Highly-Figured Grain. Smoothing
highly-figured grain and burls is one
area where a scraper has no equal.
*
12 ShopNotes No. 2
 TECHNIQUE

Bevel Edge
I have to admit that I was a bit
skeptical when Ken first showed
me his sharpening method. But
then I watched him sharpen a
scraper in just a few minutes.
And when he used it to cut deli-
cate shavings, I was impressed.
BEVEL TEE EDGE.Ken st&
by filing a bevel on the edge of the
Aburriseasierto scraper. The trick is to hold the
file at about 45' and use iirm
roll on a beveled strokes to create the bevel, see
edge than on a Fig. 4. (Note: The angle isn't criti-
square edge. I"ne cal as long as it's consistent and
acute angle you file the edge to a point.) ARer
creates a burr the bevel is fled, flip the scraper
that's sharp, but over and remove the wire edge.
BURNISH THE EDGE. TO re-
fiagile. move the marks from filing, take
a few light strokes with the
burnisher held at the same angle
as the bevel, see Step 1in Fig. 5.
Then roll the burr with the
burnisher held at about 15'to the
bevel, see Step 2 in Fig. 5. Note:
Smce it's very easy to roll a burr
on a beveled edge, check the burr
after making a single stroke.

14 ShopNotes No. 2
Using a Scraper I
No matter which method of
sharpening you prefer, it also re- Don't be misled by
quires a little finesse to get a the name. A prop-
scraper to cut shavings rather
than just scrape up sawdust. It's erly shavened
just a matter of flexing the swaper cuts a
scraper into a slight bow while shaving rather
pushing or pullimg it across the than scraping up
workpiece, see Fig. 6. sawdust.
The how prevents the sharp
corners of the scraper from dig-
ging into the workpiece, see Fig.
6a. And it also allows you to take
a "feathered cut" - one that's
slightly deeper in the center. This
is particularly useful on wide
boards where cuts overlap.
PUSH OR PULL
Whether youpushorpullis really
SCRAPER 15HELD
a matter of personal preference.
Pushing a scraper allows you to
use your body weight which helps
remove stock quickly. And some
people find it easier to keep the
scraper flexed to a uniforn bow
when they push a scraper.
But I've found that pullimg a
scraper offers more control of the
cut. That's because you can pull
the burr gradually into the sur- TOP VIEW
face of the workpiece. Granted, it
doesn't remove the stock as
quickly,but I'd rather take a shal- SKEWING PREVENTS
low cut and be in control. -SCRAPER FROM
RIDING UP
A N D DOWN
FIND THE ANGLE PLANER M A R K S

What matters the most is finding

the angle where the scraper will
produce delicate shavings in-
stead of dust. And finding this
angle is simply a matter of trial
and error.
The angle that youuse will de-
pend on the burr on your scraper.
Sincethe burrs are formed differ-
ently, a scraper with square
edges is held lower to the work-
piece than one with beveled
edges, see Fig. 7.
Note: Whenever you reshar-
pen a scraper, you'll need to find
the new holding angle where it
will produce shavings.
I
that's smooth but uneven.
SKEWING THE SCRAPER Skewingthe scraper cuts down
One last trick that I use is to the peaks and leaves a smooth,
"skew" the scraper to the work- even surface. The skewed angle
piece. This works especially well also creates less friction when
when removing planer marks, you're scraping. Which means a
see Fig. 8. cooler cut with less effort. And
If you hold the scraper parallel skewing a scraper helps prevent
to the planer marks, it tends to the burr &om clogging up with
ride up and down the marks like shavings. The shavings curl and
a roller coaster, leaving a surface slide out the end of the scraper.

No. 2 ShopNotes 15
 Inexpensive and easy
to make, this wall-mounted
storage system features
removable bins so you
can take them wherever
you need them.

S torage that moves -that's the idea behind this

storage system. Take a bin, hook it into strips
mounted to the wall, or carry it right to your work-
site. It couldn't be easier.
But the first question I had was, how am I going
to cut all those pieces? The secret to making the
storage bindis to set up an"assemb1y line" to cut
all of the same-size parts at one time. To keep the
total parts to a minimum for the basic system, I
limited myself to two bin sizes.
ACCESSORIES.We designed this system so you
can add accessories. We built a portable canier to
hold several storage bins. Then we added at001 bin
to the carrier, see photo below. Another option is to
convert the bins for specialized uses, like to hold
rolls of masking tape. (See pages 20-21 for more.)

A The back of each bin '7ocks" into a A Use this carrierto takebinsand tools A This tape dispenser is another
wall-mounted rail. To remove the bin wherever they're needed. When not in handy accessory. It'sjusta storage bin
simply lift the front up and pull it out. use it fits in the rails on the wall. with a few modifications.

16 ShopNotes No. 2
 Bottoms, Backs, and Sides
Before making the bins, you have
to determine how many bins of
each size you want. For every
large bin I wanted, it takes about
a 16"-long strip of plywood, and
for every smallbin about a 9 "-long
, . strip, see Exploded View at right.

I
I
,
-
P L ~ PIECES. D After cut-
ting all the strips you need for the
bins, each long strip is cut into a
. back (A), bottom (B), and the op-
.. tional dividers (C), while each
. short strip is cut into a back (A)
and bottom (Dl.
SIDES. I stacked up all of these
- (. plywood pieces, and then moved
1' onto the sides (E, F). The sides
I are cut from blanks of 1/8"-thick
Masonite, see Fig. 1.
First, cut enough blanks to size.
Then the blanks are cut into two stop block and hold-down, see tip position the stop to cut the cor-
pieces to form the tapered sides. box at right. The stop blockhold- rect width (3" for the large bins,
The tricky part is cutting the down is clamped to an auxiliary 2"for the small bins) at the short
sides exactly the same size while fence that's screwed to the miter end of the side piece, see Step 1
:)r keeping your fingers away from
the saw blade.
gauge, see Fig. 2.
CUT THE SIDES. To cut the
in Fig. 2. Cut one side piece off
the blank, then rotate the blank
STOP BLOCK. To solve this
problem, I made a combination

1 LARGE BIN BLANK

9 1 1 k

T
nation stop block

cut a shallow rab-

F/#
bet in a 234. For a

1 on a strip of sand

SMALL BIN BLANK

+ 5v*--4
NOTE:
CUTBIDES FROM
%" M A 5 0 N I l E

No. 2 ShopNotes 17
 Bin Fronts
The onlv other niece needed for
e
the bin: is the'front (G, H). (I
To help organ&e used pine for the fronts, but any
my storage bins, I 3/4"-thick stock will do.)
CUT STRIPS.The fronts are cut
cut a from strips Chat are 2" wide for
'lot in ' f the small bins. or 3" wide for the
each binfor a large bins, s e e ~ i3.~ .
label. DETERMINELENGTH.After the
ships are ripped to the correct
width, cut the fronts to finished
length. To determine the length
of the fronts, measure the width
of a bin bottom (3l/2"). Then add
the combined thicknesses of both
side pieces (V4"). (In my case, the
fronts are 33/4" long.)
CUT TO LENGTEL To cut all the
fronts to the same length, I
clamped an L-shaped stop block
to the table saw rip fence, see Fig.
4. This provides clearance so the
cut-off won't bind between the
rip fence and the saw blade.
RABBETING. After the fronts the thickness of the sides (l/sl'), CHAMFERING. I cut a small
are cut to length, they're rab- see Fig. 5a. chamfer on the four outside edges 1)-
beted to accept the sides and the Note: To support the pieces of the binfronts. I also chamfered I
bm bottom, see Fig. 3. To do this, while cutting the rabbets, I use a the top inside edge, see Fig. 3.
attach an auxiliary fence to the large push block, see Fig, 5. CkRD H O w m Finally, I
table saw rip fence. Then set a Next, reposition the fence and muted a dovetailed slot across
dado blade to cut a rabbet l/z" rmt another rabbet wide enough the front of the bin to hold a card-
deep and wide enough to match to fit over the bottom, see Fig. 5b. board label, see Fig. 6.

18 ShopNotes No. 2
 FEAT

Assembk
'e When all the parts are complete,
you're ready to assemble them to
make the bins.
II Assembly is really very easy -
the pieces are just glued and
I nailed together. The only thing
you might want to do is to make
a couple of spacer blocks to help
center the dividers in the large
bins, see Fig. 7.
Note: If you're assembling
quite afew bins, the assemblyjig
shown below is a real time saver.
RAILS
The bins are mounted to rails
made from lengths of 2x4 stock,
ripped ll/zt'-wide. The length of
the rails is determined by the
number of bins you want.
To form the retaininglipforthe
bins, cut a rabbet in the bottom
back edge of each rail,see Fig. 8a.
After the rabbets are cut, screw ' LEVEL BOTTO

-@ the rails to the wall, spacing them

45/s1'apart. Here again, a spacer
block is handy, see Fig. 8.

No. 2
 Storage Bin
Carrier
.This carrier provides a con-
venient way to hold up to eight
bms at once. Or you can make an
extra-large tool bin to fit on one
Use th& handy
to trans- side, see photo at right.
The carrier consists of three
'Ort
Of main parts: a center divider, a
your base, and the rails, see Fig. 1.
bins and some DIVIDER. The first step is to
took to the make the 1/2" plywood di2rtdm.
worksite. The length of the divider deter-
mines the number ofbins you can
eany. I made the divider long
enough to hold up to four bins on
each side (153/4").
After determining the length,
cut the divider to shape, see Fig.
2. Then drill and cut out the
handle opening.
BASE. After the divider is
-
oomplete, the nexc
step is to make the base. Cut the
1/2" plywood base to the same
length as the divider (153/4").
Then rip the base to a finished
width of 4%".
After the base is cut to size, cut
anl/$"'deepgroovedown the een-
ter to hold the divider, see Fig. 1.
W.Before assembling the
carrier, cut two 15V4"-longmls
&om 2x4 stock Then rabbet the
znside edge of each railto hold the
GLUE AND SCREW
BASE TO DIVIDER
ShopNotes
a
ks,
r
bins. Formoreon this, seepage 19.
Now, assemble the carrier,
and glue and nail on a couple of
end caps made &om 1/53" Ma-
sonite, see Fig. 1.
TOOL BIN
You can add a tool bin to fit the
carrier, or to hang on the wall
strips. The tool bin is made just
like alarge storage bin, except it
has a longer back, bottom, and
front, see Fig. 3.
I.
No. 2
- -
[Tape This tape dis-

Dispenser penser will hold a

.The storage bins lend them-
selves to all sorts of adaptations.
One of the fnst modifications we
made was to turn a large bin into
a tape dispenser.
CONSTRUCTION. TOmake the
taoe disoenser. start bv cuttinna-
pfywooi back piece," two Ma-
sonite side pieces, and the solid
woodfiont to size, see Fig. 1. (To
provide clearance for standard
rolls of tape, there is no bottom in
the bin.)
When rabbeting the front
piece, you only need rabbets for
the sides. There's no need to rab-
bet the bottom edge (because
there is no bottom). Also, you
don't have to rout the card slot on
the front.
I
couple rolls of
tape. And it hangs
on the walljust
like the storage
bins.
penser have an angled slot cut in slots. To do this, clamp an a&i-
them for a dowel that holds the ary fence and a support jig to the
tape in place, see Fig. 1. table saw rip fence, see Fig. 2.
I used a coping saw to cut the BLOCK Next, cut a center
slot, see Fig. 1.Then I glued and block from a square piece of
nailed the dispenser together. stock, see Fig. 3. Then chamfer
CENTER DOWEL. The rolls of the corners until it fits tight in-
tape are held in the bin with a side a roll of tape, and drill a hole
block and a dowel, see Fig. 3. to mount the dowel.
Thedowelis cut tolengthsoit's Finally, to make it easy to tear
the same length as the outside off the tape, screw a length of
width of the dispenser (33/4"). hacksaw blade to the front of the
Then a tenonis cut on each end dispenser, see Fig. 3.

STANDARD 9"
ROLL OF TAPE

CUT ANGLED SLOT

1M"-THICK STOCK

No. 2 -
. .. ShopNotes
. . . .
~ ~ ~

~ ~
. ,-
 here's somethingvery satis-
fying about using a tool that
The secret $0 th& you've crafted yourself. And this
Joiner's Mallet is no exception.
'
well balanced
the two
'@ock'ets"in the
Every time I pick it up I enjoy its
heft and balance, especially the
way the handle fits my hand.
laminated ]wad. That's something you just can't
These pockets are get from a store-bought tool.
drilled in the core The heft of this mallet comes
pkes and then from two round "pockets" in the
head filled with lead sinkers, see
'ILed dth lead drawing at left. 'Ib prevent the
wezghts. mallet head from marring the sur-
face of a workpiece, I glued leather
pieces onto both ends. (For sources
ofweightsand leather,seepage 3 1.)
@oIdmUeT@H
The first step is to make the head
of the mallet. The head consists of
two core pieces (A) and two sides
(331, see drawing at left. The core
pieces are drilled to make the
"pockets" and shaped to form the
tapered mortise for the handle.
COREBUNETomaket h e m
pieces (A), start by cutting a
21/4"-wide core blank from 3/411-
thick stock, see Fig. 1. (I used
hard maple.) I cut the blank extra
long so I could safely drill the
pockets and cut the short: core
pieces to length.

DRILL 1%" DIA. HOLE

BEWRE REMO'ANG
WASTE

CORE PIECES ARE CUT

FROM ONE BLANK
WASTE

22 ShopNotes No. 2
 * POCKETS. With the blank cut
to rough size, lay out hole loca-
tions on both ends of the blank,
see Fig. la. Then, drill the 11/2"-
SECOND:
-

dia. pocket holes at each end.

CORE PIECES. Once the holes
are drilled, the next step is to cut
the corepiecesto length. These are
cut at a slight angle (2')to form a RED
tapered mortise for the handle, see 15E

Fig. la To do this, set your miter

gauge at 2' and cut the core pieces
off the blank, see Fig. 1.
SIDES. With the core pieces cut
TOP VlEW
to length, work can begin on the
1/zU-thicksides (B). (Here again I
used hard maple.) Each side is cut
the same width as the core pieces
(21/4") and 5%" long, see Fig. 1.
GLUE-UP. Once the sides are
cut, the mallet head can be glued
up. To do this, first glue the two
core pieces to one side piece, see
Fig. 2. Note: Make sure the core
pieces form a tapered mortise, .? .. .
see Fig. 2. . .

@ Thenext stepis to fill the pock-

ets with lead weight. see Fig. 3. I place, see Fig. 3. mallet head, see Fig. 6. . ..
~

used small lead fishing sinkeysfor SHAPE HEAD. The next step is LEATHER Finally, I glued a . ~

.
to shape the head. I curved the
~~

this (310 size split-shot). This size leather face to both ends of the
~

makes it easy to pack them tight
in the pockets.
To keep the sinkers from rat-
tling, pour in some quick-set
epoxy. Then, when the epoxy is
dry, glue the remaining side in
sides ofthe mallet by first cutting
a bevel on all four comers, see
Fig. 4. Then use a sanding block
to shape the sides to a smooth
curve, see Fig. 5. Next, sand a
slight "crown" on both ends of the
mallet head. Using contact ce- ~ . .~ . .~
ment, apply two coats t o an over-
size piece of leather and to the
ends of the mallet. Then press
~,
the leather in place and trim off .. .
' .
the excess, see Fig. 7. . ~

1 tf
GLUE OMRSUED
LEATHER FACE
TO BOTH ENDS

END VlEW
SMOOTH OUTSIDES

No. 2 ShopNotes 23
I
 Mallet Handle
FRONT VIEW 51DE VIEW
I used a piece of straight-grained
walnut for the handle (but any
hardwood will do). The overall
length of the handle (C) is 12".
The width and thickness is deter-
mined by the size of the mortise
in the mallet head.
HANDLE BLANK. To determine
the size of the handle blank, first
measure the mortise at the bot-
NOTE:
USE JIG TO CUT
tmz(narrowest part) of the head.
Then to allow for l/s" shoulders
on all four sides, add 1/4" to each
measurement and cut the blank
to these dimensions. (In my case,
theblankis 1"thickand 11/4"wide.)
CUT TENON.After the hlank is
cut to size, the next step is to cut
the tenon leaving i/s" shoulders.
To do this, I used the table saw
-
ShopNotes
and a simple jig to support the
blank, see Fig. 8.
The jig is just a scrap of 2x4
that's cut in two and screwed to-
gether to form a cross, see Fig. 8.
It rides on both the rip fence and
the table top to support the cut.
WELIGEKERFS. With the tenon
cut, the next step is to cut the
kerfs for the wedges that hold the
head in place, see Fig. 9. To pre-
vent the handle from splitting,
cut the kerfs l/s" less than the
length of the tenon (21/st').
Position the rip fence so the
1"-widetenon will he divided into
three equal parts, see Fig. 9.
SHAPE HANDLE.Now that the
kerfs are cut, the handle can be
shaped to fit your hand, see the
drawings at upper left. To do this,
I use a file to get the handle to
rough shape, see Fig. 10. Then
use a scraper or sandpaper to re-
move the file marks.
No. 2
 FINE TOOLS

Wedges and Assembly

a CUTWEDGES 50
THEY FALL AWAY

Now that you've completed the the mortise (2") and push the
handle. work can begin on the blank alonethe fence. see Fig. 11.
wedges that hold th; handle in To cut ;he wedges to leigth, Once the wedges are cut, the mal-
0 the mallet head. (and prevent the wedges from
binding against the blade), posi-
let can be assembled. To do this,
first apply glue to the handle
WEDGES tion the rip fence so the wedges tenon and slide it into the head,
I chose maple for the wedges fall off to the lee of the blade, see see Fig. 14.
and oriented the grain to run par- Fig. 12. (Note: The wedges are Then, apply glue to the wedges
allel to the sides of the wedge, see cut 14,"-longer than the kerf in and drive them into the handle.
Fig. 11. Orienting the grain like the handle. This allows you to The trickhereis todrivethemboth
this helps to prevent the wedges trim them off for a perfect fit.) in at the same time. To do this, I
from breaking off when they're Once the wedges are cut to fit plated a scrap block over both
driven into the handle, refer to the kerfs, you'll need to trim wedges to tap them in together.
Fig. 14.
To hold the head securely in
place, the wedges are tapered. saw to cut the wedges to width, with the head,
The narrow end of the wedge is see Fig. 13.
cut to match the width of the kerf
in the handle. This ensures the
wedges won't bottom out in the
kerfs before the handle is tight in
the mallet head.
SET-UP. To cut these small
wedges safely, I use a two-step
process and an oversized blank.
To do this, start by positioning
the rip fence on your table saw.
Adjust the rip fence so the dis-
tance between the blade and the
fence is the same as the width of
the kerf in the handle. Then, tilt
the blade to match the taper of

No. 2 ShopNotes 25
 TECHNIQUE

Cutting mortises by hand isfast and

easy. The secret is combining the right
tools with a simple technique.

to be cut, I like to do it by hand. standard beveledge chisel to cut

There's no substitute for the feel
of a chisel as it slices cleanly
through apiece of wood. And cut-
ting mortises by hand is surpris-
ingly quick and easy.
MORTISE CHISELS
The secret to cutting mortises
quieWy and easily is the mortise
chiseL A mortise chisel is shaped
differently than a standard chisel.
It has an extra strong blade
and a stout handle to take the
blows of a mallet, see drawing at
left. Many mortise chisels also
Mhe chiSekare have a leather "shock-absorber"
*@&d by a that'sinserted between the blade
mortises, but you'd have to take
very light cuts and there would
always be the risk of breaking or
bending the blade.)
CHISEL SIZES.Mortise chisels
are commonly availablein 1/16" or
lmm increments. They can be
purchased individually or in sets
(see Sources,page 31).
A set of these chisels is expen-
sive, so I'd suggest you start with
a 1/4" or 8mm chisel. This is the
size I use most often to cut a 1/4"
mortise in 3/q1'-thickstock.
And this follows the general
rule for sizing a mortise and
tenon joint - the width of the
LAY OUT WORnSE
In order to cut a mortise by hand,
first you need-to lay out the mor-
tise. You can do this with apencil,
but I like to use a mortise gauge.
A mortise gauge is similar to a
marking gauge except it has two
pins instead of one, see drawings
below. The pins on the gauge
score the surface of the wood.
Andscoringthewoodhelpsguide
the mortise chisel during the first
few c u b .
To use the gauge, first adjust
the pins to match themortise,see

I
S h t bhde. h'Sorne and the handle. mortisk should be equal to about step 1. Then, center the pins on
even have a leatkr To prevent the blade h m one-third of the thickness of the the workpiece and mark the mor-
sorb^ n bending when levering out the workpiece. tise, see Steps 2 and 3.

a
I
Step 1: Set the pins of the mortise Step 2: Next, adjust the gauge so the Step 3: Now press the fence against
gauge to correspond with the width of pins are centered on the thickness of the edge of the workpiece. Then push
the blade of your mortise chisel. Then, the workpiece. Then, tighten the screw orpull thegaugeso thepinsscorelines
lock the pins in this position. to lock the beam in place. to mark the cheeks of the morfise.

ShopNotes No. 2
 Cutting Morti5e5 5t+y5tep
PUSH CHISEL
Once the mortise is laid out, the DOWN BY HAND
next step is to secure the work- TO REMOVE
piece. I prefer to elamp the work-
piece on the top of the bench
(over a leg if possible).
A RADIP. The secret of hand
cutting a mortise is to ereate a
"ramp" inside the mortise.
To prevent mushing the ends
of the mortise when cleaning it
out, start the ramp l/s" in h m
each end of the marked mortise.
Then begin cutting the ramp
down toward one end of the mor-
tise, see Steps 1and 2. Step 1. With the flat of the chisel Step 2. With the bevel down,
Once the full depth is reached, toward the end of mortise, use a remove a chip. Toprevent crush-
remove the remaining waste, see mallet to drive the chisel verti- ingthe ends of the mortise, leave
Steps 3 to 5. cally into the wood about 94: %"at each end of the mortise.
USE CHISEL
VERTICALLY TO
REMOVE WASTE SQUARE UP ENDS
OF MORTISE
tape on the chisel
REMOVE Va" MORllSE END to act as a depth
SECTIONS
-. gauge.

s t e p 3. To clean out the remain- Step 4. Conttnue In rnrs manner Step 5. Finally, to complete the
ing waste, holdthechiselwith the for the entire length of the mor- mortise, pare away the h b e c -
bevel toward the low end of the tise. Taking 98" cuts and prying tion that you lefi at each end of
ramp andchiselout '/s"sections. out the waste. the mortise.

CUT RAMP TOWARDS FLIP WORKPIECE AND

No. 2 ShopNotes 27
 Shop Solutions
Countemink and Bit Oganizer

HWhen drilling a hole for a wood-

screw I use two Merent size bits SHANK HOLES
to drillashank hole and pilot hole.
I drill the shank hole with a bit
fitted with a countersink. To keep
the screw threads from catching
in the hole, I use a slightly larger
hit than the screw diameter.
The pilot hole is W e d in the
adjoiningpiece and is sized so the
screw threads will dig in.
The problem is remembering
which set of bits goes with which
screw. So I built an orgaaizer
with a cutaway view of the coun-
tersunk shank holes to tell me at
a glance which bits to use with
the common screw sizes (A%, #8,
#lo, and #12), see photo above.
To make the organizer,fist cut
a 2x4 scrap longeenough to hold one more hole to hold the Allen sides of the pilot holes, see Fig. 2.
the bits, see Fig. 1.Then, drill the wrench that adjusts the counter- Finally, to produce the cuta-
correct size pilot holes down the sinks.) Next drill corresponding way view, rip the front edge off
center of the piece. (I also drilled countersunk shank holes on both the block, see Fig. 3.

HAlot of projedsrequire drilling and stop block arrangement, and

holespositionedinthe sameplace
on a number of pieces. But seb
ting up a fence and stop block to
position a workpiece can take a
bit of time.
Aquickwaytodothisistoclamp
a framing square to the drill press
table, see drawing at leR. The in-
side corner of the framing square
substitutes for the typical fence
I
it's a perfect 90".
To use the square, first plaee
the drill bit over the hole to be
drilled. Then position the framing
square around the corner of the
workpiece, and clamp the square
to the table.
To locate the holes on the re
a
maining pieces, just slide each
pieceintothe corner of the square.

No. 2
 Finishing Stand-0%
a
.Here's an easy way to keep
smallprojeetsup off the bench (or
I floor) while finishing.
Start by sharpening both ends
of 1/4" dowel cuboffs in a pencil
sharpener.Then punch one end of
1 each dowel into a piece of scrap
foam insulation and rest the pro- UNCH SHARPENED
ject on the other end. I use poly- DOWEL E N D INTO

styrene (blue or pink) insulation.

(This is often used around the
foundations of new houses.) Be-
sides holding the dowels, the in-
sulation protects your bench
from accidental spills and drips.

RadialArm Saw Depth Stop

.To prevent the blade of my
radial ann saw from cutting too
deeply into the table, I clamped a
depth stop to the column of the
saw, see drawing at right. When
the blade is lowered, the stop hits
the column casting which stops
the blade's downward travel.
The depth stopisjust apiece of
woodattached to the columnwith
a hose clamp I picked up at the
local hardware store, see Fig. 2b.
To determine the length of the
stop, adjust the blade so it scores
the surface ofthe table, see Fig. 2 a
Then cut a piece of scrap wood
to fit between the column cast-
ings. Now fit the hose clamp
around the column, insert the
stop, and tighten the clamp down.

Glue-Up Tip
.When gluing up a project, I
used to lay wax paper between
my pipe clamps and the wood to
keep the glue off my clamps. The fad
se& t,& SrsopH*,
problem was the wax paper kept at* Shgi golutions, &o G&
sliding off the clamps. Ave., Dm Meines,IA Wt;llZ.
Now, I simply run a strip of
masking tape along the length of

d the pipe clamp. Any glue that

squeezes out is easily removed
along with the tape.
 R ecently I was installinga set
of Soss Invisible Hinges on
a cabinet door. Everyone who
came in the shop picked up one of
the hmges and spent several
minutes just opening and closing
it, admiringthe action. Then they
started to ask questions.
Although I've worked with
Soss hinges for years, I didn't
know much about their origin or
history. To find out more, I called
Neil Marko of the Universal In-
dustrial Produds Company that
mannfactnres Soss hinges.
Neil told me the hinges have
been around since 1903. Joseph
Soss got the idea for a concealed
hinge after tripping on a hinge
To install a Soss hinge, position the e%ate~&hM
%anplatethat comes &h the hinge t,hdriB pregsta61e, see Fig. 2. Now the mt@
on the doox and *frame, and m k the d d i holes br the &xp mortise to s~~~
s ~ 1.
k e l e s f o p . t l t e r n d ~ eFig. house the be$ of fhe hinge.
Then align the centerpofake to the Ne&~a~haEl~~ym&iseforthe
that projected from the deck of a
ship. Before the ship docked. he
had designed and built a J
type for an invisible hinge.
USES. Originally, Soss' best
customers were automakers who ,The l a r n i ~ links
, ~ ~ of~ ~this
installed the hinges on car doors. Soss Invisible Hinge slide inside
Today, the hinges are used on the body. This conceals the
projects from small music boxes hinge when it's closed.
to 500-pound doors.
HINGE MECHANISM. The key that arises with this hinge is how
to this hinge is the "knuckle" do you cut the mortises?
mechanism. It's a set of boomer- Granted, these are no ordinary
ang-shaped links connected by a mortises. The flange of the hinge
riveted hinge pin, see drawing fits in a long, shallow mortise,
below. As the hinge closes, the while the central body mounts
links fold inside the body of the into a deep mortise. When the
hinge -and disappear. hinge is screwed in place, it
MORTIGE. The first question should fit like a nut in a shell.
Cutting a mortise to the close
tolerances required is a chal-
lenge. I usually use aForstner bit
to drill a series of holes to create
the two-tier mortise, as shown in
1.
the box below.
TEMPLATE.Fortunately, loeat-
ing the mortise holes is relatively
easy because each pair of Soss
hinges comes with a template to
position the hinge.
a d elampaEemto mmfingAanp, see Pig,5 @ lleeess
&mge blew bba -~
d e t d above,)
&se&chiselto clean up the
cheeks &he mortise to fit the hinge-
ShopNotes No. 2
i
 Sources
( m ~ h o p ~ o t e~sh o l ,supplies is through ShopNotes Shop Sup- in the mallet head. Then I
offering some of the hardware plies. These items are also avail- covered the ends of the mallet
and supplies needed for the pro- able from some of the other mail head with leather.
jects in this issue. order sources listed below. Shop Supplies is offering a kit
I We've alsoput together alist of SCRAPER Scrapers come in a that includes:
other mail order sources that wide variety of sizes and areman- 12 oz. of lead shot
have the same or similar hard- ufactured by several companies. (1) 6 oz. piece of leather (large
I ware and supplies. We are offering a rectangular enough for both ends of the
scraper that is made by Sandvik. mallet).
WUL ARM SAW FENCE This scraper is made of Swedish S6802-200Mallet Kit ......
$2.95
There's a hardware kit available steel and comes with a special
for the Stop Block and the Hold- sleeve to protect the edges. ROUTER BITS
Down that we used on the Radial 56006-163Scraper.........$7.95 On a couple of the projects in this
Arm Saw Fence, see page 9. SMOOTE MILL FILE. Before issue (Drill Press Caddy, Storage
These kits contain hardware you can get a scraper to work Bin System) we used a chamfer
only (no wood). properly, the edges need to filed. bit to rout the edge.
STOP BLOCK HARDWARE KIT. I use a 10"-smoothmill file. We also used a dovetail bit to
(1) TSlot Nut S5001-10310" Smooth Mill rout a label slot on the front of the
(1) 5/16'r X 1"staf Knob File w/Handle....................$8.95 storage bins.
*(I) 5/16"Washer BURNISHER After filing the These bits are high quality car-
'. 56802-100Stop Block Hard- edge of the scraper,a burnisheris hide tipped and are available
ware Kit .............................. $4.95 used to compact the steel and to through Sh.op Supplies and
HOLDDOWN HARDWARE KIT. roll the cutting burr. Burnishers several of the sources listed below.
1 This kt contains all of the hard- come in several different shapes. 51514-170Chamfer Bit
ware listed above plus: The type you use is a matter of V4"shank..........................$21.95
(1)l/q"x 3"Carriage Bolt personal taste. I prefer a round S1512-175 Chamfer Bit
*(I) 1/4" Plastic Wmg-Nut burnisher and that's what Shop- 1/2"shank..........................$23.95
*(I) 1/4"I.D. Threaded Insert Supplies is offering. 51514-550Dovetail Bit
*(I) 1/4" Hex Head Nut 55006-105Burnisher $9.95 ...... 1/4"shank..........................$15.95
56802-150Hold-Down Hard-
ware Kit.............................. $7.95 JOIERI M A W SOSS HINGES
To get the right balance and heft These special invisible hinges are
SCRAPERS in the shopmade Joiner's Mallet available through some of the
The following items are availahle (shown on 22), I put lead weight mail order catalogs listed below.

ORDER INFORMATION
Similar hardware and supplies may be found ilz the
following catalogs. Please call each companyfor a cata- BY MAIL BY PHONE
log or for ordering i n f m t i o n . To order by mail, use the For fastest service use our
Constantine's Woodrrafk Woodbasen form enclosed with a current Toll Free order line. Open
800223-8087 800-225-1153 800344-1153
Sass Hi-, Smpos, Smpm, h n i s h , RmdmBits issue.The order formineludes Monday through Friday, 8s0
Bwnishsrs, Router RouterBits,SossHinges -dyha* information on handling and AMto 5:OO PM Centd The.
Bits Thew-' 817651-9770 shipping charges, and sales Before calling, have your
Highlaod Hardware S m Leak tax. Send your mail order to: VISA, MsterCard, or Dis
8002414748 612428-2199 Oarret Wade
Router Bits e7 h m i s h 8002214942
cover Card ready.
Iknd-Lines Router Bits, R i
f
sM
, Scrapers, B u r n i s h , ShopNotes
' 800-767-9999 ~w-N@SassH+wa llouter~its Project Supplies 1-800-4467527
RmUwBits W ~ SUP* W
Shopsmith ~ ~
BUCS 800-645-9292 800543-7586
P.O. Box 842 Nota Prim8 subject to c h w e
80M33-9298 SmP? Router Smpm, B ~ c m i s h , Des Moines, IA 50304 aftsr Jum 1,1992.
Route7 Bits Rarter Bits

No. 2 ShopNotes 31
 Scenes Erpm the Shop
This selffeeding post drill was the prtedeeessw to wheel on fh top turning the bit whileforcing it duwn into
today's modern drill press. A s the handle is t w e d , the the ~ ~ eFor ea quick
. rdurn, the ratchet on tup
arm on the right side of the drill engages the cogged swings out of fh way so the wheel can be turned by h a d