TIPS*TOOLS*TECHNIQUES Issue 11 ) = Power Miter Saw Station =Random-Orbit Sanders | =Sharpening without Stones =Shop-Made Hand PlaneAssit tr Carden. Cape Graphic Designr: Raber White Conte Paul B, Gay » Accounting: Leura ‘homes «Boohepingdisne Spears ff. ‘Series Manages Nore lente Pub, Coordinator: Dough M Litters Administ: tice Aste: Chey] Sot da VicheReeption- ja deanna Joes Hl. Mint ‘Ken Gein _ Marketing Director Robert Marry ~ataeg Art Director: City alae» Catalog Products “Manager: Bob Baker «Projet Suprise on Tchnce! Support del deat (Operator Linda MorowsReirist Keri Le _Meager: Valeo Wies » Spervisor: Seoie Bans Customer Serie Represenaivsslen- ssfor Merply, dey Jenson, Sore Keno, Ani lanshay, Ana Cox, Chis Lo ‘Superior Jerry Casson «Pulfllrent Gloria ‘Stecton Deng; Chk Cirker SinCeney ‘So i a Wee a Geechee isa Seen ne Re Cor. 8 Ow sr acten Si gperti ns a Co Se ea Fer Ee Mn Anta ‘Retna Send begs oldest Sit, Dox Babee ioe ta seas min Gers? Ca FADES Fata pes Clr fm wet PRINTEDINUSA, ‘e purchased a portable mi- ter saw for the shop several ryearsago. Andithas proven to be a very popular tool around here. Infact, our miter saw is so popular that, it never seems to be in the shop. Some- ‘one is always using it for some project at his house. One reason our miter saw is so popu- larisitcanbe easily moved to wherever itts needed. But the size of the saw also creates « problem. Since the table and fence of the savy are relatively short, it. ‘canbe difficult to work with long pieces of stock, What we wanted wasaway to extend tho length of the table and fence and still keep the saw portable. After trying, several different approaches we finally came up with the Portable Miter Saw Station shown on page 16. MITER SAW STATION.'The miter sta- tion features two extension wings that, safely support long workpieces. We even came up with a way to extend the saw fence and add astiding stop system. But the thing I like best about the ‘Miter Saw Station is the way it works when it’s not being used. “To make the station portable, the ex- tension wings can be tucked under the saw. The fenee system can be knocked down and stored. There are even han- dle cutouts to make it easy to carry. TAND PLANE. Another project ‘that, P've been wanting to tackle for a long. timeisashop-made hand plane. SoT got. together with our designers and ex- plained what T had in mind — a small ‘wood bodied plane that worked well, looked good, and was easy to build. ‘The trickiest part to building a plane is coming up with a way to hold the blade securely in place. Typically, thisis done with a wedge-shaped piece of wood. But it can take alot of fitting and adjustment to get the wedge to hold the blade securely. ShopNotes So we decided to take a different ap- proach. Instead of using a wedge to secure the blade, we simply screwed. the blade in place. For more on this, see the article on page 10. Normally, I would tell you more bout what’s in the rest of this issue. But the last couple of days around here haven't been exactly normal, ‘THE FLOOD. AsI write this, we're in the middle of a real erisis. The city of Des Moines is suffering the worst flood fon record. We don't have running water. Our Customer Service and Pro- ject Supplies Offices were flooded. And ‘water is lapping atthe door of our ware- house. Not the best of times. ‘The strange thing is, I feel lucky. No ‘one that. works here was hurt or lost. Thome to the flood waters. Wo wore able to save most of the ‘equipment and supplies from our Cus- tomer Service and Project Supplies of- fices. Since the publishing offices didn't receive any major damage, we're mov- ing Customer Serviee and Project Sup- plies to this building. Right now things are abit chaotic, s0 if you ell please be patient. Wo'll handle your questions and ‘orders as quickly as possible, ‘The flood has also made me realize how lucky I am to work with such a great group of people. When the flood waters started to rise, I didr’t even have to ask for help. ‘The word just got around. Before I knew it, we had erews of people pitch- ing in to move computer equipment. to higher ground. It was good thing, be- cause within a few hours everything ‘was under water. ‘As the water started to go down, people spent days sloshing through mud and debris to remove the rest of tthe office equipment and records.'To all those people who spent so much of their ‘own time and effort to help, I can't ‘thankyou enough. fo No. 11ISSUE NUMBER ELEVEN e Contents Drill Press Table Counterweight 4 > All it takes is finger pressure to move your drill press table ~~, ‘once you've instal this simple counierveight. Eeepote septa tush ipa. Clarnpikack. == 6) a Keep your pipe clamps organizecand rightat hand with this easy to bulla wall mounted rack. Radial Arm Saw Return______.7 ‘Make your racial. w safer to use with this accessory. . Itretums the blade afer each cut and Keeps there, ay Random-Orbit Sanders____8 A look at randor-orbit sanders. What makes them different, how they work, and techniques for sanding. Hand Plane _ ae) There's nothing complicated about making your own € hand plane. Especially when you start with a special blade set and build the plane around it. Portable Miter Saw Station___ 16 You can make your power miter saw safer and more accu- rate fo use with this work station. A unique design offers ‘support for long stock, yet knocks down easily for storage. Hand Plane page 10 Sharpening with Sandpaper 24 You can achieve a razor sharp ecige on your hand tools wih this quick and inexpensive technique. ne ts" Ses SIGRORGLTDaRS Shop Solutions ______ 28 ‘Seven Shop-Tested Tips: Frame and Panel Jig, Sanding Belt Storage Rack, Tip for Clamping Edging, Plugging Mortises, Pee! and Stick Veneer Tip, No-slip Water- stones, and a Guide for Power Sanding. Plywood Grades __________ 30 What the various grades of hardwood plywood mean. And how to use them to your advantage. @ Sources S. __ ees 31 Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for the projects in this issue. No.1 ShopNotes 8PEM Drill Press Table ° _Counterweight W-: havea drill pressin the [|] yp T T shop that’s a solid, well- Teta built tool. But. there's one nag- ging problem. The table drops Tike a rock when you loosen the | clamp that holds it in place. To | wrSce keep it from sliding down the col- umn, you have to support the ‘weight of the table each time you ‘make a height adjustment. ‘To make it easy to raise and lower the table, I added a simple counterweight system, see photo. ‘This system balances the weight. ‘of the table so a small amount of wexze Reser ae weer —| sureis enough to : ositionitat the | x desired height. | Locrnu? Acounter- _ COLLAR. Once Pasettled on the weight system ‘eaofusinga counterweight, the ee catered omer at aa 3 to attach it to the drill press. To | es20 to raise and do this, added awood “collar” at, | rerre lower the table the top of the column. onadrill press. — Thecollarisa piece of %"-thick stock that fits around the column, | 55, s4+rn see Fig.l. Itsupportsapulley that | woopecxew allows the counterweight to travel ‘smoothly up and down as you ad- Just the table height, (The pulleys Just a plastic wheel for a sliding glass door that I picked up at the Tocal hardware store.) With the pulley in hand, the nextstepistosizethecollar(a) | Hardware lproce Thewidthotthecatne | 2 @2)14¢xoH" Hox Bote © (2) 952" Gimp-On Gps is BY, see Fig, 2a. But the length | ° (447 Washers © 32"-Dia. Wire Cable (4ft.) ‘may vary depending on your mo- | ° (2) ¥4" Hex Nuts © ()2"x20" PVC Pipe tor and mounting brackets. (in | * (2) 12" Sliding Glass Door © (3) #8 x94" Fh Woodscrews e this wan 7) Wheel (For Pulley) © Lead Shot to Match Weight of erro ore © (atx Ze" Hex Bote Dril reve Table LAYOUT HOLE. After cutting the collar to length, you can lay | ° (1) 44" Lock Nut 4 ShopNotes No.1Seas COLLAR DETAIL to measure the diameter of the hill press column, BLANK INTO TWO) Faun rece, ‘out the hole for the drill press cut to fit inside the bottom of the form a loop, see Fig. 5. column, ‘To do this, measure the pipe and screwed in place. ‘To attach the other end to the diameter ofthe columnandtrans- WIRE CABLE. All that’s left is counterweight, a bolt is passed feracircle ofthissizetothecollar, to connect the counterweight to through # hole in the pipe and see tip in margin and Fig.2a. "the table by runninga wire eable another loop in the eable. Note: ‘To avoid binding the pulley over the pulley. [slipped one end Filing a notch in the bolt keeps ‘when the collar is tightened, I between thecolumnand the table the wire from sliding side to side, @ rived a ie-ide-tiearance”strip clamp, andusedacrimponclipto _referto Fig. ta. own the center, see Fig. 2.‘Then it’s just a matter of eutting the [3] jc. Doe: | [4 caved openings for the eolumn, ora. rence ‘The collar is held together with iL ee bolts. The tricks to align the holes ; Bours. = ‘e for the bolts in both pieces. "To do | || errs CFs this, I clamped a fence and stop to ~~ ae a the drill press table, and then . ee drilled the holes see Figs. Sand 4. L-codag ir ‘ATTACH COLLAR. Thenextstep istoattach the collarby bolting the pee A ‘two halves together with the pul- ley in between. Tightening hex nuts on the ends of the bolts locks a the collar place. couNTeRWEIGHT. Now you [5 can add the counterweight. To ee raise and lower the table without, | yaeecasue exerting a lot of pressure, it | needs to be roughly equal to the | ,orfwur weight of the table. ‘What you use for a weight isn't critical. ‘The important thing is it’s compact enough so it doesn't 8 bump into the column. I used a length of 2" PVC pipe filled with lead shot, refer to Fig. a, To hold the shot, a serap piece of wood is, No. UL ‘ShopNotes 5CI Pipe Clamp Rack jipe clamps are one of those %"-thick hardwood, vee Fig. 1. tools that when you need Next, to prevent camps from An easy to them, nothing else will do. But slipping out of the rack, the top is build rack that When they're not being used, tilted ata slight angle. To allow it organizes your Where do youstore them? to fit tight against the wall, the : ‘One solution is this Clamp back edge is beveled, see Fig, 1a. Pipe clamps Rack, see photo. It mounts tothe NOTCH ‘There are two things and keeps them wall to organize your clamps and to consider when you're ready to right at hand. keep them right at hand. cut the notches: the diameter of ‘Tor Toprovidea‘shelf*forthe the pipe, and size of the clamp clamps, I started by making the heads. In order for the clamps to top (A). Bach clamp fitsin anoteh — slide easily in and out of the rack, cut in the front edge. ‘The only the notches are sized Yf larger problem with this is there's no than the diameter ofthe pipe. (In support for the short sections be-_ my case, this is 146") tween thenotches. And withuse, _Itsalso important to space the heavy clamps ean break these off. notches far enough apart to pre- ‘To strengthen the top, I glued _ vent the clamp heads fromhitting strip of Masonite to a piece of each other. For my %" pipe clamps, 1 spaced the notches 3° apart, see Fig. Ib. ‘Afterthenotchesarecut, there's ‘one more thing to do. To prevent ‘the edges from splintering when sliding clampsinand out, I routed slight chamfer on both faces of the top (A), see Fig. 1a. BACK. With the top complete, ‘the next step is to make the back (B). To tilt. the top slightly, the top edge is beveled at-a 5° angle, see Fig. 1a.'Then the top and back are glued and serewed together. ‘MOUNT RACK. All that’s left is ‘tomount the rack in a handy loca- tion. Because of the weight of the clamps, [used lag serews and fas- ‘ened them into wall studs, 1 Yeenace mAsoniTe — (ror aver) > sox2tth RRL OA. counreRsoRe. e-Deer No.1a ® Radial Arm Saw Return ine thing I've noticed about keeps the blade from inching for- of the saw, see Fig. 2. ‘The collar ‘the blade on my radial arm ward. As you pull the blade to- starts out as a S4"-thick piece of Make your saw isit has atendeney to creep ward you to make a ent, the hardwood (I used maple). RCC ICITn sce forward when thesawisrunning. tension that's produced draws the To fitit to the saw, you'll need i ‘The thought of the blade acci- blade back toitsstarting point. to measure the diameter of the Safer to use dentally catching the edge of a Thetrickistogetaspringthat's column and mark a cirele of this ih @ scrop of workpiece and “walking” across strong enough toreturn the blade, size on the collar, see detailin Fig. wood and a few the top is downright seary. So I yet not sostifit'shard topull. To 2.'Then, after ripping it down the pieces of huilt a simple return to hold the do this, I measured the total center, the curved openings can hardware. bladein back ofthe fence until I'm travel of the blade. (In my case, be cut. Before attaching the col- ready to make a ent. this was 17°) Then I bought a lar, Tdrilled a hole for an eye bolt SPRING. Whatmakes theretum spring at thehardware store that that secures one end of the spring. ‘work is a spring that attaches to extended easily to this distance. ATTACH COLLAR. The collar is the column of the saw and the COLLAR. To anchor the spring, held together with bolts. (For a @ caringe, soo Fig. 1.'The spring Taddedacollar(A) tothe column tip on aligning and driling, the holes for these bolts, refer to Figs. 8 and 4 on page 5.) Next, pineh the collar tight around the column by installing the bolts and tightening nuts on the ends. INSTALL HARDWARE.'To com plete the return, I attached the eye bolt with two hex nuts. One end of the spring is attached to the “eye”, and the other to an S- hook which fits over the knob that locks the blade in the rip position. ‘COLLAR DETAIL veo. on Nour val aE eae rs ; © (Marx tien Hex Bolte #4) Ve Woohere = * © (4) Ya" Hex Nuts ae © (Vex te" Soe Eye Bolt © (50x 4%" Spring © 46x" S-Hook No. 11 ShopNotes arere Ty Random-Orbit Sanders PISTOL-GRIP Random-orbit sanders remove stock quickly without creat- ing cross-grain scratches. We random-orbit sanders first appeared in the wood- working eatalogs afew years back, was a bit skeptical. Did I really need another sander? After all, ve built a lot of projects with Just a belt and finish sander. Eventually, I gave in to curios- ity and bought one. And Pm glad T did. ‘The random-orbit sander removed material a lot faster ‘than my finish sander. And unlike my belt sander, I could sand in any direction without. creating ‘eross-grain seratches, DRIVE SYSTEM. So how can a rrandom-orbit sander do all this? It has to do with the drive system. A. shafl. rotates a counter. weighted disk. This disk carries an off-eenter bearing. And attached to the bearing is a pad that holds sandpaper. In operation, the off- set between the shaft. and disk creates hoth rotary and orbital motions, see Drawing at right. ‘The amount of offset ranges from o" to5¢o" depending onthe ‘manufacturer. Generally, larger offsets offer a more aggressive 8 PALM-GRIP sanding action —but ean he more difficult to control. ‘THREE STYLES Although the motion ofall andorn- orbit sanders is similar, there are ‘three distinet styles: pistolerip, palm-grip, and right-angle. PISTOL GRIP. Pistol-grip sand- ‘ers (also called in-line) have their motors directly above the sand- ing disk, see Drawing. above. Sinee the drive motion is trans- ferred directly to the disk, these sanders are very quiet. And ‘the “pistol” style grip makes these sanders the easiest to control — even with one hand. But putting the motor above the disk does have its drawbacks. A tall mo- torhousing makesit dificult to sand inside eramped eabi- nets or drawers. There's also a tendeney to tip or tilt duing sanding which ean eause the disk to gouge the workpiece. PALM-GRIP. Palin-grip random- orbit sanders most closely resem- ShopNotes ae CRS? le RIGHT-ANGLE ble a finish sander, see above. They're small, lightweight, and intended for one-handed use. But as with the pistol-grip style (where the motor is above the disk), these sanders are tall and have a tendency to tilt. RIGHPANGLE. The right-an- ele style sander is basically a right-angle grinder with a ran- dom-orbit head, see above. 2) o> ry NOTE: RANDOM OFFSET EXAGGERATED FOR CLARITY No.1‘Though néisy, these sanders @ perry’ have arg, powerful motors. Which makes them very aggressive — almost like a belt sander. This means they take off stock quickly and are excellent for rough shaping and sanding. ‘The only drawback to this a gressive sanding style is it makes a right-angle sander harder to control. Forbest results, always use two hands. One on the body, and the other on the bicycle-style grip that comes with the sander. SANDPAPER OPTIONS Inaddition tothe different styles, there are also a couple of options for attaching sandpaper to the pad: pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), and hook and loop (hook PSA. A disk backed with apres- sure-sensitive adhesive is the ‘The first time I used a random orbit sander the sanding disk skipped over the work surface like a flat stone on a calm pond. Lwassure there was something, wrong, But there wast’t. The random orbit motion just takes some getting used to. STAREUP.The first notice able differenee is how you start up. To reduce the chance of gouging the work when the disk first makes contact, these sanders are best started while ‘n contact with the workpiece. ‘And you should always start, the sander with the disk flat, and in full contact with the sur face (and keep it that way). PRESSURE. Another peculi- arity of these sanders is they don't respond to pressure like other sanders where additional pressure results in a mote ag- sressive sanding action, ‘When you press down on a simplest method of attaching:sand- ‘Paper, see photoat right. Just press ‘he disk on the pad and start sand- ing. Since the disk is stuck reetly to the pad, I've found I get better feedback when sanding — itseasier to “feel” the surface P’'m sanding. And when it's worn out, ppeel it off and throw it away. HOOK & L00P. With the hook and loop system, disks ean be re- ‘moved! and remounted many times, sce photo at right. In addition to this, there’ another advantage. A.wide range of optional disks are also available (such as buffing and polishing pads). You can even stick a piece of Scotch-Brite di- rectly on the disk (or a felt pad) and do some nice finish sanding. ‘The only disadvantage to hook and loop is (depending on the souree), the disks may cost. you ‘more than PSA. random-orbit sander (partieu- larly the pistol and palm-grip styles), you decrease the sand- ing action. Additional pressure actually slows down the free- wheeling disk and results in less sanding. P've found that light to moderate pressure pro- duces the best results. Larr ore. When you're fin ished sanding, some manufac- turers suggest you let the sander stop on the workpiece. But P've noticed the disk hops around when I do this and seratches the surface. So in- stead, I turn the sander off and lift it straight up and off, ‘Step 1: Start-Up. Place sander on surface with disk flat and turn it on. ‘Step 2: Sanding. As yousand, Keep disk flat and use even pressure. ‘Step 3: Finished. Lift sander up to prevent disk from gouging surface. No. 11 ‘ShopNotes PSA. Pressure sensitive adhesive backed disks pro vide the best “fee!” of the work sur- face. And when the disk wears out, just peel it off anc throw it away, “ 8 ‘cnr 5 LS Sepyeee TO - SAV AOL FOU 68 NOTE: ccxew surronrs — fOxO= a 3] Motormoncron” woobecsewate wing FUG Wi TOP OF CASE After completing the case, I APTACH'THEWINGS In orderto allow you to use the same knobs added a pair of wings to support mock down and set up the wings to secure the wing in either the Tong workpieces, see Fig. 4. ‘quickly, they're held in place with open or stored position. The tricky Lp. But before work can begin threaded knobs (or thumbscrews) part is aligning these holes with on the wings, you'll need to glue and Tsnuts, (For hardware sourees, the ones you drilled in the sup- a hardwood lip (G) across each see page 31.) The threaded knobs ports (F)."To do this, [used dowel endofthe case, see Fig.4."Thislip passthrough theholesyoudrilled centers, see Figs. 5 and 6, covers the edge of the plywood earlier in the supports (F) and After drilling the holes, install bottom (B) and helps to support thread into T-nuts, see Fig. 4a, the ‘Enuts. Finally, position the the wings. ‘two sets of holes in each wing wings and thread in the knobs. ‘WINGS. With the lips glued in place, you can make the wings. Each wing consists of an end, two supports, and a table, see Fig. 4. ‘The first step is to make the cends.‘To prevent a workpiece from catching on the wings, it's impor~ tant that the ends (H) be flush ‘with the top of the ease. The height of the ends (H) is the dis- tance from the top ofthe lip tothe top of the case (in my ease, 6"). ‘To complete the ends (H), I cut a handle hole in each to make it easy to move the saw, see Fig. 4, SUPPORTS & TABLE. Attached toeach end (H) are two table sup- ports (I) and a table (J), see Fig. 4. To sive the table so the wings will fit inside the ease, measure hetween the supports (F) and subtract 14" for clearance (10%"). ‘Then rabbet the edges and glue ‘and serew the wings together. | cece manos | jeans No, 11The Fence Rails ize TOCASE ANDWANGS | Once the wings are complete, the lems, I added a pair of shop-built is made up of three parts: a base, station is ready to use. But T've rails, see Fig. 7. They feature a back, and face, see Fig. 8. ‘The never been satisfied with the built-in slot for a stop system base (K) provides a foundation short fences on my miter sew. It’s added Iater. And just like the for the back. And two mounting awkward to position and hold a wings, the rails attach to the case holes drilled in each piece allow Jong workpiece. And for repeat with threaded knobs. This way you to attach the rails to the ease cuts, there's nothing to clamp a they ean be easily removed (and later, see Figs. 7 and 8, stop block to. stored, see page 21). Each back (L) supports the ‘To solve both of these prob- THREE PARTS, Each fence rail workpiece and is grooved for the stop system added later, see Fig. 8. After each groove is cut, a back is glued to a hase to form an “L,” see Fig. 8 For accurate cuts, it's impor- tant that the back is 90° to the hhase. So before you glue these pieces up, dry clamp them and check for square. Note: Make sure to glue on each base (K)tocreatearightand a left fence rail. (The end of each base with the mounting hole should face in toward the saw, see Figs. 7 and 8) FACE. The next. step is to add the face pieces. Bach face (M) is cut. from ¥4" thie Masonite and isgluedontopofthegrooveineach back, see Fig. 8. Note: After gluing onthe faces, sand or rout a chamfer on the bottom front edge for sawdust relief, see Fig. 8 ‘rSLO%. Finally, to create the “P” and provide a rock-solid way tolock the stop system in place, a slot is ent in each face, see Figs. 9 and 9a, FREORL Two 8) sytourmoncues (= INEACH RAL, = No. 11Mounting the Rails @ drerthe tence rails are fished, they can be attached to the ease. Just like the wings, the rails are held inplace with threaded knobs and Tnuts, see Fig. 10. ‘The tricky partis mounting the rails 60 they're in line with the miter saw fence. To do this, I ‘usealongstraightedge (in Eg my ease, a four foot level) to position the rails, see Fig, 10, MOUNTING HOLES. To locate the holes for the -muts, camp the straightedge to the saw fence, and the fence rail to the wing, see Fig, 10. Then hold the other end of the rail in place and 10] DRILL HOLES THROUGH HOLES + FENCE BASE ANDINTO CASE AND WINGS To make it easy 10 reposition the rails, mark a reference drill through the holes in the fence base and into the case and wings, see Fig, 10a. Note: ‘To make it easy to re- align the rails whenever they're removed, see margin tip at right. ‘(ENUTS. All that’s left is to add 'T-muts and threaded knobs and serew the rails in place. POSTION RAILS INLINE ling on the table. Storing the Fence Rails ‘To make it-as convenient as possible to lift and move the Miter Saw Sta- tion, the rails ean be mounted out of the way on the rear of the case, see Drawing. They're held in place with ‘the same knobs used to mount them on top of the case, see Drawing. ‘THIRD HOLE. To bolt both rail ends to the case, you'll need to drill a third ‘4'-dia, mounting hole in each fence rail, see Drawing. Then, to locate the matching holes in the case for the T-nuts, just hold each rail up against the case. And drill throughthe holein each endoftherail and into the side, see Drawing and Cross Section, MOUNT RAILS. Finally, to secure the fence rails, insert the T-nuts and serew the rails to the case with the threaded knobs, see Drawing. JAD EUTS AND ATTACH RALS TH FHOM END OF RAL No. 11 ShopNotes 21[aS as SE The Stop System _ u — With the fence rails mounted, ‘work can begin on the stop sys- ‘tem. To allow you to make quick and acenrate repeat.cuts, the stop system slides in the T-slot in the fence rails, see Fig. UL. ‘THREEPARESThe only prob- Jem is there isn't a ‘slot in the miter saw fence, In order to use the stop close to the saw blade, the stopismade up of three parts: a clamp block, a length of steel rod, and a sliding stop. This way you can extend the stop out over Next, aholeisdrilledthelength Stop. Next, [ added a stop (P) the table of the miter saw, see of the block to accept a steel rod, to the end of the tod, see Fig. 13. photo above. see Fig. 12 and margin tip atleft. Safety Note: To keep your hands CLAMP BLOCK. I started work ‘To help prevent. the clamp away from the blade, the stop by making the clamp block (N), block from twisting and binding doesn’t extend all the way to the see Fig. 12. The clamping action asitslides backand forth, I gted blade — it stops 6" away from it. is provided bya toilet bolt (avail- a 4"-thick Masonite cap (0) to ‘To strengthen the stop, I glued able at most hardware stores). It the top of the block, see Fig. 12, a Masonite face (Q) to one end, see passes through the block and fits THREADED INSEIvE Inuse,the Fig. 13. And for sawdust relief, I in the'T-slot in the fence rail, see steel rod is locked in place with a sanded a chamfer on all edges. Fig. lla, Tightening a plastic threaded knob (or thumbscrew). Finally, epoxy the steel rod in ob (or wing nut) on the end of Itrunsthroughathreaded insert the stop. When its dry, slide it the bolt pinches the bolt in the inthe clamp body to pinchtherod into the clamp body and attach slot and locks the stop in place. in the hole, see Figs. 12 and 12a, the stop system to the fence rail, To prevent the steel rod from binding, use @ dowel wrapped with sandpaper to enlarge the hole. 135} OF rAcE FoR 22, ‘ShopNotes No. 11Using the Stop —___ Closed For the majority of cuts I make, ‘butt the stop (P) up against the clamp block (N) and lock it in place, see Draw Now toset the stop fora repeat cut, first loosen the plastie knob ‘onthe lamp block. Then slide the entire assembly for the desired cut and lock it in place. Extended ‘To cut shorter workpieces, the stop near the end of the rail and lock it in place, see Drawing. ‘Then loosen the threaded knob on top of the clamp block and ex- tend the stop (P) out for the de- sired ent. Safety Note: The stop should always be at least 6" away from the blade. FIRST: BUTT S1OF UF AGAINST CLAMP BLOCK SECOND: PoBImoN ABSENOLY FOR DESIRED CUT FiReT: ‘SECOND: FOSIMON STOP SYSTEM NEAR END OF RAL K Optional Stop for Long Stock longer than the fence rails, diameter steel rod. ‘To make repeat cuts on stock Note: Since I wanted to store I the stop in the ease and still get added an optional stop,seephoto. the maximum extension, the It's similar to the fence system steel rod is eut 22" long. except it fits under the left wing. MOUNT Stor. To mount the as- ‘The optional stop consists of a _sembled stop, position it under rod clamp (R) and a two-piece the wing soit butts up against the stop, see Figs. land 2."These two face of the fence rail. Then glue parts are connected with a 5g'- and screw the clamp block to the wing table (J), refer to Fig. 1 (eta et 2, 0% Sern Cena BLOCK FACE ins) HaMreR EDGES| ‘OF BLOCK FACE No. 11Sharpening ° with Sandpaper Silicon carbide sandpaper provides a quick and inexpensive way to gel a razor sharp edge on a chisel or plane iron. Orting ve learned over either wet or dry. I prefer touse [| ‘the yeurs is there's more it “wel”by spraying water on the than one way to get a job done sandpaper. (I mist it with a spray | @rmgeose right. Take sharpening a chisel or bottle.) This floats the flings away] 'NTEFSECTON ne plane iron for example. Lately, and keeps the paper from clogging } Rb eve, ve been experimenting with a up. And since it has a waterproof WA slightly “offbeat” technique that. hacking, the paper won't fall apart doesnt even require a sharpening, as you're sharpening. eo stone. Yetit producesasharp edge THE EDGE. Whether you use inamatter of minutes. the paper wet or dry, the thing to SANDPAPER. The key to this keep in mind as you're sharpen- thick glass, see box below. But the system is an inexpensive (yet ef ings the geometry of the cutting bed of a jointer or a table saw fective) abrasive that’s available edge. It's formed by the intersee- would also work. Note: If you're at most hardware stores — Wet tion of two surfaces — the back using the paper “wet,” be sure to or Dry silicon carbide sandpaper. andthe bevel, see Fig. 1."Tocreate use a lubricant like WD-40 to pre- ‘What makesit such a good choice a sharp edge, the secret is to vent rust. for sharpening is the particles of make hoth of these surfaces as silicon carbide that are bonded to smooth and flat as possible. FLATTEN THE BACK the paper. They're extremely hard GLASS.’The only way to ensure Although flattening the back re- and sharp, sothey cut. quickly. a perfectly flat back (or bevel) is quires a little elbow grease, the Another advantage to silicon to work off a surface that you nice thing about it is you only carbide paper is it can be used know is flat. T use a piece of Y4"- need to do it one time, Once it's Sharpening Platform A piece of glass provides an ideal surface for flattening the back or bevel of a blade, But it has a tendency to stide back and forth as you're sharpening. ‘Tohold the glassin place, Tuse simple sharpening platform, see Drawing. Thisisjustaserap piece of plywood with Masonite cleats attached at each end of the glass, Another advantage of the platform isit keeps metal flings from spreading out onto your work area, Spero PLrWooD ‘scxew cueats 10 PLYWOOD TOREEF GLASS FROM SLIDING (erick MASON) A ‘ShopNotes No. 11flat, you just need to concentrate ‘on the Bevel the next time you sharpen the blade. ‘So why bother with the back at all? Because even with a brand new chisel, it may not. be per- fectly Mat. Ifthe back has alight hollow, you end up with a “dished” cutting edge, see Fig. 2 A crown on the back results in a aA *HoWOW IN Back RESULTS IN cRoWN on BACK FLATTEN BACK T0 Ger ‘STRAIGHT CUTTING EDGE curved edge. ‘To elimninate these problems, I start with apiece of 240 grit sand- “APraY Fite DOWNWARD RESEURE OVER BEVEL paper and workon about a I"-long area behind the cutting edge. Note: Spraying some water on the glass before positioning the paper creates a surface tension that helps keep the paper from sliding back and forth. ‘When flattening the back, the idea is to apply pressure over the beveled end of the blade and make firm, even strokes across the sandpaper, see Fig. 3. As the KEEP BACK FLAT) on cuss To lay the ground- work for @ sharp eee ‘AND FORTH ACROBS SANDPAPER ‘edge, the back of the blade is pol- ished to a mirror ‘smooth finish. sanding progresses, you'll begin to see a shiny surface develop on the cutting edge of the blade. the back of the blade. When it ex- RANGE OF GRITS. To remove ish. tends clear across the blade, the these seratches, I polish the back grits back is flat, with a progression of finer grits. POLISH BACK. Even when the back is flat, it still needs some work, That's because the coarse grit paper leaves large seratches behind. Each of these scratches forms a tiny nick where it meets Squaring the Edge After flattening the back, I make itahabit to cheek that the eutting edge is square to the sides. ‘This is especially important when sharpening @ plane iron. That's because most planes are designed to hold a blade with an ecige that’s 90° to the sides. Fortunately, there’s nothing complicated about reshaping the edge. Start by squaring a line across the back of the blade, see Drawing. Note: ‘To keep the line from rubbing off, I use a fine tip No. 11 [move on to 400 grit next, and then follow it up with 800 and 1,000 grit sandpaper. able edge, I like to continue pol- ishing with 1,500 and 2,000 grit one ‘While this produces a service- the paper to get a mirror smooth fin- (I found these extra fine is of sandpaper at an auto body parts store.) SQUARE THE EDGE. Once the ack is flat and smooth, there's more thing to do hefore you begin work on the bevel. That's to check that the edgeis square, see box below. ermanent marker. Ifa lot of material needs to be removed to square up the edge, I make a few light passes across the high corner with a file. But if the edgeis reasonably close, Tuse slightly different approach. Basically, the idea here is to square up the edge and flatten the bevel at the same time. This is just a matter of applying more pressure to the high comer as you're sharpening. (For more on this technique, refer to page 26.) SQUARE LINE ACROSS ShopNotesflabbening)thebeve| = Once the back is flat and you've [4 [OgRE BLADE polished it to a smooth finish, cote berAy you're halfway to a sharp edge. Now you ean concentrate on the bevel. The goal here is to make the surface of the bevel as flat and smooth as the back. CONSISTENT ANGLE.The key to getting a smooth, flat bevel is to hold the chisel (or plane iron) ataconsistent angleto thesharp- ening surface. The problem is it’s difficult to hold the blade at the correct angle as you sharpenit. [5 HONING GUIDE. To solve this, aru rnegoune I mount the blade in a honing = ‘guide, see Fig. 4. There are sev- ral different. styles of honing, ‘guides available. The one Iprefer touse is nothing more than aroll- ing clamp that holds the blade at the desired angle: (For informa- ‘tion on this guide, see box below.) FLATTEN THE BEVEL. With the blade mounted in the honing guide, you're ready to flatten the edge, I “rough shape” the piece of fine grit sandpaper i al the bevel. Here again, the idea bevel with a piece of 180 grit pa-_ that's needed. is to use silicon carbide paper per. Butformostwork,thisisjust EVEN PRESSURE. Regardless and proceed from a coarse to a too coarse. of the grit, the important thing is fine grit. The trick is knowing Forexample,ifT'msharpening to apply even pressure on the where to start. 1a brand new chisel for the first blade. To keep the honing guide ‘GRITS, Basically, this requires time, Il start with a piece of 240 from rocking side to side, [ place matching the grit tothe condition grit paper. Or, if ’m just touching my thumbs behind the guide and of the bevel. To remove a nick in up an edge, a few strokes on a press my fingertips down on the SO ENTIRE GURENCE OF ‘Bein 1 On Lage. ROLL HONING GUIDE BACK AND FORTH "REROSS SANOPAPER ‘This honing guide solves the big- gest problem of getting-aperfectly flat bevel —holding the chisel or plane iron at-a consistent angle, ‘To secure the blade, there are two pairs of adjustable jaws: a ‘wide set for plane irons, and a nar~ row set for chisels, see Drawing. Regardless of which set of jaws ‘you're using, the angle ofthe bevel ‘epends on how far the blade pro- ‘Then just tighten the serew that, By holding a chisel (orplane iron) at a consis- jects infront of the guide. Imateh locks the jaws, and apply pres- tent angle to the sharpening surface, this the existing: angle by positioning sure to the blade as you roll the honing guide ensures that the bevel remains the blade in the jaws so the entire guide across the sharpening sur- flat as you're sharpening. surface of the bevel is flat. face. (For sources, see page 31.) 26 ‘ShopNotes No. 11ack of the blade right over the evel, see Fig. 5. Now it’s simply matter of rolling the guide back and forth across the sandpaper. ‘As you're sharpening, its a ‘200d idea to check your progress frequently. You're looking for ‘two things here: a square eutting ‘edge and a small metal “hook” or ‘burr that forms when the back meets the surface of the bevel, see Fig. 6a, SQUARE. The edge is easy to cheek for square. T either use a small try square or eompare the ‘edge to the line drawn across the back of the blade earlier, refer to ‘box on page 25. If one corner is higher than the other, just. con- tinue sharpening and apply more pressure over the high eorner. BURR. Another good indieator of your progress is the burt. Sinee its too small to see, youl need to feel it-by drawing your finger up the back of the blade, eee Fig. 6. @s seis Note: Dont pai your ine ‘ger along the edge. The idea is to keep sharpening until there's a nnice even burr across the entire width of the blade. REMOVE BURR. When you can feel a burr across the hack of the lade, the next step is to remove it with a piece of sandpaper. ‘To To create a razor sharp edge, the bevel is flattened so it's perfectly smooth and flat avoid putting deep scratches in the back, I switch to the final srit paper that was used to polish the back. Now, without taking the blade out of the honing guide, alter- nately stroke the back and the bevel across the sandpaper, see Fig. 7. This bends the burr back and forth until it breaks off. POLISH BEVEL. All that's left to produce a razor sharp edge is to continue polishing the bevel using progressively finer grits of paper. As before, check the edge for square, and remove the burr at each stage before going on to the next grit. Ue Sometimes all I need to do is touch up the edge of a chisel or plane iron. Rather than go through the entire sharpening process, [use a “touch-up” paddle. This is just a piece of hardood with fine grit silicon carbide sand- paper glued on, see Drawing. (I use a spray adhesive like 3M's Spray Mount) Theidea hereistorest the bevel flat on the paddle, Then pull the @_ vise toward you 2 couple of times. This creates a very fine burr that’s easily removed. PULL BLADE TOWhED YOU. No.1 ‘ShopNotesie mi Shop Solutions e. Frame and Fanel Jig Gluing up a frame and panel door s0 it ends up perfectly square can be difficult. The pieces always seem to slip out of square during giue-up. ‘To get. around this, I built a simple jig that provides an accu: rate reference when gluing up panels, see photo. ‘The jig consists of a plywood base and two cleats, see Drawing. ‘To provide an aecurate reference, it’s important that the cleats are serewed to hase so they're 90° to each other: ‘To use the jig, start by placing each clamp directly over (and parallel to) the rails of the frame. ‘Then, adjust the pressure and po- sition of the clamps until the frame-sits square inthe jig, Note: ‘To prevent any ghie squeeze-out from sticking to the jig, I brushed on several coats of polyurethane finish to the base and cleats. Screw nist cLeAT Lonnie R. Baster Murfreesboro, Tennessee 1 used to store my sanding belts in a drawer, But every time I ont A vexce needed to change a belt, I ended Soler up emptying out the entire drawer to find the one T wanted. ‘To avoid this, T made a wall mounted storage rack for my sanding belts, see Drawing. ‘The rack consists of a 34" thick base with dowels, seeDrawing. The dowels are spaced far enough apart so the belts hang ‘without: touching each other: And to take up the least amount, of space, I mounted the rack at 45°. Lionel Fishman Los Angeles, California 28 ShopNotes No.1eae ae See Clamping Edging oe... Sa cently when I needed to glue edg- ingto the ends of along table.The problem was the table was longer than my pipe clamps. So I came up with this simple technique that uses C-clampsand wedges to hold the edging in place while the glue dries, see Drawing, ‘To do this, first attach the C- lamps to the edge of the table top. (To ensure a good glue joint, space the clamps evenly about 6" apart.) And to get the proper clamping pressure on the joint line, tap a small wedge between the edging and each clamp until the edging is tight. Spike Lacombe Pakrwinp, Nevada Bditor’s Note: This also works for attaching counter top edging. Plugging Mortises m Recently I was working on a project that had a series of slats that fit in mortises. Because of the way the project was de- signed, it was easier to apply the finish before assembling all the pieces. The trick was keeping the finish out: of the mortises — 1 ‘wanted good glue joints later on, e ‘To do this, I plugged each mor- Quick Tips Occasionally, I use adhesive- backed veneer. In the past, Td Just press the veneer down on the ‘workpiece and roll it out until the air bubbles were gone. But some- times after afew days the veneer ‘would bubble back up. ‘The sur- face was too porous for the ve- neer to stick. ‘To prevent this, I first seal the Sanding Guide ____ J tise temporarily with foam caulk- ing rod, see photo. (The caulking rod L used was slightly wider than the mortises.) After the finish Gries, just remove the foam rod, Attwenty foot length of 3e"-dia, caulking rod purchased from my local hardware store cost $2.50. Gail Jeager Rochester, New York workpiece with a coat of varnish. ‘The varnish helps fill in the po- rrous surface. And this provides a smoother work surface for the veneer to stick to. ‘After the varnish is completely dry, just apply the veneer as you normally would, Gus Klubat Williamstown, New Jersey mo prevent a power sander (particularly a belt sander) from tilting near the edge of a work piece and rounding it over, I place another board that's the same thickness up against the work- piece, see Drawing. This way, the sander rides across the edge in- stead of rounding it over. Kent Hester Kremmling, Colorado ShopNotes To prevent waterstone from sliding around on the workbench ‘when sharpening a chisel or plane fron, place it on a damp cloth. The cloth sticks to the workbench and the waterstonestayson the cloth. James Moon East Point, Georgia Editor’s Note: A few damp pa- per towels also works well. |. If you'd like’ to share your original — Solutions to. problems you've faced, _ send them to: ShopNotes, Attn: Shop _ Solutions, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des “Moines, [A 50812. (Or if it’s eiser, FAX them tous at: 515-282-6741.) We'll pay up to.$200 depending on "the published length. Please include ‘8 daytime phone number so we ean call you if we have questions. 29Could you explain the coding system that's used to grade hard- ‘wood plywood? What does it all ‘mean? J.B Swain Sudbury, Massachusetts ‘Hardwood plywood is graded us- You can use the ingatwopartletter-number code different grades (suchas 4-2), This code indicat of plywood to your advantage. the appearance of the outer plies so you can compare “apples to ap- ples” when shopping for plywood. ‘The letter indicates the qualit of the face veneer: And the num- her describes the back veneer. (Note: The grade describes ap- pearance only — it doesn. indi cate core type or strength.) [FACE VENEERS. The grades for face veneers range from AA to E. ‘The highestin quality is AA, wit virtually no defects. All the way down to E which is the poorest. and allows the largest amount of defects (such as knots, holes, and splits). Note: D and E grade ply- ‘woods are typically used only for shipping erates and pallets. BACK VENEERS, The system that’s used to describe the back UT Plywood Grades veneer is similar to t's the selection of he face veneers at the ‘what's used to grade the factory that determines the grade of every face. The only difference sheet of hardwood plywood you buy. isthat numbersareused instead of letters. A “I” indicates best quality, and a4” the poorest. Once you understand the grading system for plywood, you can use it to your advantage. ‘USE-LOWER GRADES, One trick that I've learned isto only pay for what I need. For example, say you're build- ing table that has a plywood top — don't buy A-1 plywood. Since only one side of the plywood will show, you don't need two good sides, Instead, save 20% to 30% and buy a sheet of AB or B-4. REJECE BACK. Or if you're go- {ng to build a cabinet and use ply- ‘wood for the back, you can save money by buying a sheet. of “re- Jeet back? or “good one side.” This non-official designation is often used to deseribe thin (usually Mi'- thiek or less) plywood. It’s typically used on imported plywood that hasn't been graded to USS. standards, The hack ve~ neer is usually very low quality, ‘and can even be a different spe- ées than the fice veneer —but it, usually costs 30% to 40% less than a sheet of Ad. ‘SHOP GRADE. Another “grade” which doesn't appear in the offi- ial rale book is “shop” grade. A sheet of shop grade plywood is basically a factory second and is priced accordingly. In many eases, a high quality panel is down-graded to shop grade for a very small defect, (uch asasplitin the fice veneer In other panels there may be a larger flaw. But in every case, there’s always a defect. Over the years, I've saved alot of money by buying shop grade plywood. (It typically costs 20% to 80% less than the higher grades.) Tt takes a little more time poking around the stacks of plywood at the lumber store, but that’s okay, I enjoy it. ‘What Gratle is that Plywood? Unlike softwood plywood, hard wood plywood is generally not stamped to show it’s grade. ‘Why? Because the ink used for the stamp would stain the veneer. ‘And the edge of the plywood is usually too thin. Note: Some com- panies stamp the edge of their thicker plywood, see photo. you need a particular grade, you'll have toask forit—and rely (on your supplier. 30 ‘ShopNotesea es SS TS | e Sources »Notes Project Suppliesis of- Hand Plane. The kit includes a fereg some of the hardware and 14¢"-wide Hock plane blade set, ‘SHARPENING splea Seonea sutead eeleaa| ier enalmciaetaae toe) vd saat ie nipeper maa ir ped inci erp 8 eS eae ‘We've also put togetheralistof hardwood. scribes a method of sharpening other mail order sources that $11-6811-100 Hand Plane that uses silicon carbide sandpa- have the same or similar hard- —_ Hardware Kit... $26.50 per instead of water or oil stones. saa Sete — WATER SAW STATION angstrom 20 03000 ‘HAND PLANE ‘The Miter Saw Station featured Most hardware stores carry Using a hand plane that you've on page 16 will make your miter silicon carbide paper up to 600 made yourself is satisfying and saw safer and more accurate to grit. The finer grits (up to 2000) rewarding. And the simple de- use — without sacrificing any can be found at most auto body sign of the hand plane shown on portability. shops and supply stores. If you page 10 makes it easy to build A unique design allows a pair can't find this sandpaper locally, ‘your own, ‘of extension wings to knock- see the mail order sources below. down and slip into the station for storage. Fence rails help position RANDON!-ORBIT SANDERS ong stock and are slotted to ac- ‘The article on random-orbit Sais aon agaen atin oe keene EEE stlcares SarOgeineeal cal) ar ae NEA accurate repeat cuts. ent from other sanders, and de- . ‘ShopNotes Project Supplies is scribes how they work. offering a hardware kit for the They're more aggressive than Miter Saw Station, ‘The kit in- an orbital (finishing) sander, And ‘Theheartofthe planeisablade cludesall the hardware neededto you don’t have to worry about oot niece te Hots deal te ead EL ae cee photo above. The set is made up supply is 34"-thick hardwood and you sand aeross grain (or joint ‘ofathick blade for improved sta- plywood. Note: You'llalsoneed to _lines)like youdo withabelt sander. bility, and a matching chipbreaker supply the correct size mounting Random-orbit sanders can be a URDU Us Dedsec ate a aa Gataincnl pre ell ata eae eae emieacer Se ew Saeed Ee ere eae oar SiupNats Prec Supine "SLLOSILSO0 iat Saw Sta fink haa lactose the aor offering a hardware kit for the tion Hardware Kit $28.95 der sources listed below. MAIL ORDER SOURCES ORDER INFORMATION Similar hardware and supplies may be found in the a following catalogs. Please call each compan fora catalog BY RAIL BY PRONE or for ordering information. ‘To onder by mail, use the For fastest service use our Consatiods Japan Wedworhor Woodcraft fonler form that comes with ‘Toll Pree order Une. Open "00-22-87 "0-57-7590 | “So0-295-1169 the current, issue. The order Monday through Friday, 7:00 HosgGnis Ren, Hock Plow Blata, mayne Rowim- | form ines information on AM to 7400 PM Central Time. Sacer Sanding Catone ete aati a re meer 01 TonionOnit Sond oyGuds, Ronin. | Ifthemailorderformisnot cover Card ready. Toning vies 1210.0md rm 800, 1000, and 1200 Orbit Saere available, please call the toll ‘ saint senivr™ Greene Wondworkers Supely | foe mumber at the right for 4-800-444-7527 oe eget" | Ganges and ay’ erable Nae Pries lect toe Ontit Sanders ' sales tax. after Newember 1, 1998.Often referred to as a “transitional” plane, this Stanley ferred (over all-metal planes) for the better “feel” it No.38 features cast iron frame withan accurate blade provided when planing. And to protect their invest setting mechanism. And a wooden sole that many pre- ment, the ouner often stamped their name on one end.