03 Toddler Cart . Folk Fiddle .

Plant Stand
Included ill thi s issue:
Hourglass. Candle Holder . Shop-Built Sanding Blocks
Cookie Jar Holder . Small Early American Mirror
MarchiApril 1990
 Professional Quality Woodworking
Machines At Affordable Prices
Super 15"Scroll Saw
OnSale ... $1 19.95
(Includes $52 FREE Accessories)
Cut int ricate wood pallerns with
this versati le machine.
FEATURES:
• Parallel rocker armcutting system -
eliminatesblade breakage & sanding.
• E·Z set blade change system -
permenant. easy to use upper arm
blade holders.
• FREE Accessories · 1 dz blades.
extra blade holders. E·Z set system.
Plastic lettering guideset.. $ 52 Value
SPECIFICATIONS:
• Cast iron construction ' 15" throat ·
Motor: 1/8 HP. TEFC. 1650RPM, 110V.
UL Listed' 3/4" stroke ' 2" depth of cut·
Tabletilts to 45° • 43 Lbs.
Item #SAW $119.95 (UPS $10)
Scroll Saw Accessories
Dust Blower
Installs between lower arm and base -
keeps your pattern line visible at all
times. Installation instructions included.
#BKT .... $15.00/Kit (.)
Saw Stand (On Sale)
Suitable for Super 15"
Scroll Saw or #S46
Sander. 37" High -
perfectheight & a
great convenience.
#STD ... (Reg $39)
OnSale .. $26 (UPS$4.00)
N~S
(Free wlpurchase of Saw). Includes
upper & lower case alphabet + numbers
+ free patterns. #LN1 ..... $1 21set (.)
"E·Z Set" Blade Holder System
(Freewlpurchase of Saw). Clamps any
blade(to "000" size) easily into these
pivo ting blade holder s mount ed
permanently onsaw arms. Simplifies
r e-at tachi nq bl ades when making
internal cuts. Simpleinstallation.
Item #RET $1 5/kit (")
Magnifier Lamp
Great for magnifying scroll
work or closeup work
of any kind.
"175%mag
'39" flex arm
• ULapproved
•60WattsIncandescent
Item #SML ...... $29.95 (UPS $3)
Scroll Saw Blades (5")
#BPK - 4dz asst. (2dzPin. 2dz #9) $14(' )
#BPS • 2dz Spiral blades( size #2) $10(')
Super 125 Planer
OnSale ....$339.95
This machine will pay for itself
time and again by planing your
own wood . Finishes wood like
machines many times its price.
FEATURES:
• Portable at65 Ibs • Power feed
·12 1/2"wide HighSpeed Steel Knives
Shipped assembledand ready to run.
SPECIFICATIONS:
Motor: 16Amp, 11 5V. 8000RPM. 2HP'
26.2 fpm auto feedrate ' 16,000
Cuts/min ' Thickness of stock: 3/16" - 6"
• 3/1 6" Max depth of cut " 2 HSS knives
Item#PLA .....$339.95 (UPS $1 5)
Planer Accessories
~
m
p,J;:1or
~ roller stand
,,~& ~-=
Extra Set of 2 Kn ives
HighSpeed steel, 12-1 /2' long.
Item #PKN $25.00/set (.)
Dust Chute
Forvacuumtakeoffof woodchips.
#PDS ..(reg$24). On Sale....$15 (UPS$3)
Planer Stand (Heavy duty)
Drilled for Super 125Planer.27-1 /4"High.
#PST ...(Reg $44), OnSale...$39Iea (UPS$6)
Roller Stand
HTC brand support standwlheavy dutyball
bearing roller. Height adjustsfrom 25" . 44".
#PRS...(reg $40), On Sale...$35(UPS$4)
Ball Bearing Rollers
(Minimumpurchase2rollers). Buildaroller
stand,infeedlouffeedtableetc.with these
13" X2" Heavy Duty rollers. Purchase
includesFREEplans for roller stand shown
above.
Item #BBR......... $6.50Iea($3UPSlorder)
Wood Lathe XL· 40
Reg $299.95 ... On Sale $249,95 (UPS $20)
Includes FREE 8 piece Wood Chisel Set ... $34 Value
• 40" Centers - 16" Swing
Our new XL·40 Wood Lathe surpasses Lathe Accessories
every lathe in its price range with XL·40 Lathe Stand
quality & features you would expect Heavy duty. WI. 25Lbs
from machines many ti mes its price. Size: 28"H X 56"L X 21" W
Item #LST ..... $59/ea (UPS $6)
FEATURES:
Heavy Dutycast iron construction provides 4 Jaw Wood Chuck
smooth turning action ' 40" Centers' 16" This 6" chuck has 4 independent
Swing for turninglarger bowls ' Smooth jaws forholding odd
toolrest movement on 1" solid steel rails " orsquareshaped
"Live" center ontailstock • Motor mounted work. Jawscan
be reversed for
for easy positioning and belt changes ' insidechucking.
Sturdy 52" steel base mounts on table topor #L4J ..$49 (.)
optional stand.
8 Piece Wood
PURCHASE INCLUDES:
• Lathe with Motor& Base" Toolrest Chisel Set
(FREEw/purchase
• 6" Faceplate ' 8 pc wood turningchisel set of XL-40 Lathe).
SPECIFICATIONS: Forged from high
• MOTOR: 1720 RPM. 1/2HP. 8AMP. 110V
carbonsteel.
Includes 3 gouges,
• 3 SPEEDS: 660. 1500.2850 RPM ' Overall 2 skews, 1 round
length - 60" • Weight - 100lbs nose. 1 pa~ing tool
and 1 spearpomt
Item # L40.........On Sale $249.95 (UPS $20) #LCS ...$34 Iset (. )
Two way 4"x6" Sander DC·1 Dust Collector
On Sale ... $109.95 (UPS $8) (Includes $1 5 FREE
(Includes$1 0 FREE Belts & Discs) Hose &Fittings)
On Sale .. $189.95
(UPS $20)
Here's a machine that adds true
versatility to your shop.
Item# De l
FEATURES & SPECIFICATIONS
Uses universally available 6" discs. 4" Keep your shopclean
x 36" belts ' IncludesAssortment Of 3 andsafefrom sawdust with this large
Belts. 4 Discs Of VariousGrits ' Built in capacity, commercial style system.
Dust Collection outlet " Aluminum SPECIFICATIONS:
table: tiltsto allow bevel sandingto 450.
l HP • 110/220V (pre·wired 11 0V) · 610
includes mitre gauge. removablefor CFM air flow ' 2ea 20 gal bags ' 4" inlet ·
use with both disc and belt - Belt Castorsonbase · WT - 75 Ibs
tilts/locks to any position from horizontal
to vertical - QUick release lever for FREE With Purchase ($15 Value)
changing belts ' Single action tracking Dust collection hose ' 4" to 3" rigid
adaptor ' 4" to 2" flex adaptor ' Plansfor
adjustment · Motor 1/3HP. 1720RPM,
115V • Weight - 40Lbs 2 stagesetup ' Sourcesfor accessories
PENN STATE INDUSTRIES - J
2850 Comly Road· Phila , Pa 19154
Order Toll Free 1·800·288-7297 (Ext 90) Information 1-215-676-7609 (ext 15)
Visa, Master, & Discover Card accepted ~a residentsadd6%Sales Tax
When ordering· Add UPS Shipping Charges as noted
( • )Nocharge foraccessories ordered with amachine. add$3 if ordered separately. UPS
chargesare for ContinentalU.S. only(Callforshippingcharges to other locations)
 MARCH/APRIL 1990 VOLUME 14, NUMBER 2

C Q l~' 11' l~ l~' 11' R

Editor an d Publi sher .Ja mes .J. McQuillan
Managing Ed ito r T ho mas G. Begnal DEPARTMENTS
Associate Editors
T ho mas C lark, Davi d F . Pet er s 4 Shop talk
Contributing Ed itor .Jim Barrett
6 Letters
A rt Director Dan T horn to n
Associate Art Director M ichael Ge lla tly
8 Events
Technica l Illu strator Mart in .J. Castag na
Prod uct ion Manager J ane Ma nley
9 Readers ' Infor mation Exchange
Designe rttl raftsman Mark .J. Ziobro
C ircu lation!Promotion 10 Prod uct News
Manager Lyn ne St reeter
Subscrip tio ns II Cabinetmakers 'Supplies
.JoAnne Fin kle, Ma u ree n M ur phy-Gereg
Furn itu re Kit Supp liers
Distribution Pat ri cia Malu m p hy
C omputer Operations 16 Woodwo rki ng Basics
Supervisor Kathy S hoo k Makin g Drawers
Office
Mana ger Pa tricia McLean 20 In The Shop
Assistant Lynda Morr is Using Rou ter Bits in the Drill Press
Administrative Ass itant Marie McQ uilla n
Adve rtising Manager Kimberly Ge lla tly 25 Finishing
Advertising Sa les Finishin g Ou tdoor Proj ects
Dan Rama ge , C a r olyn Ray,
M ich a el C laffey 30 Spec ial Techniques
Patlis/3M Making Curved Instrument Sides
7 161 Nor th C ice ro Avenue
Lin colnwood , IL 60646 42 Gift Shop
Tel. (708) 679-1100
Fa x (708) 679-5926 66 Sho p Ti ps
The \ \'oodw ork er 's J ournal (lSSN 0 199·1892) is pub-
lis hed bi- mo nt hly in Ja nuary. Ma rch , May, July. September FEATURE
and November by The Madr igal Pub lishing Co .. Inc.. P.O.
Box 1629. New Milford. CT 06776 . Telephone: (203)
355-2694.
Copy r ight 1990 by Th e Mad r igal Publishi ng Co .. Inc . No 12 Wood worker Profil e
part of this publication may be reproduced hy any method
without permission from the publ isher.
A Co nversation with Allene and
Seco nd class postage paid at New Milfo rd . CT 06776 and Harold Westm 'er
additional offices.
Subscr iption Rates: In the United Stales and its posses-
sions - One year (6 issues) $ 17.95. Two years ( 12 issues)
$3 1.90. Canada - One year $25 .95 (CAD). Two years
$44 .95 (CAD). Foreign co untries - One year $25 .00
PROJECTS
(USD). Two years $44 .00 (USD).
UJ subscribe. Renew or C1llIfIXe Address: Write to The 32 Santa Fe Bench
Woodwork er 's J our na l, P,O . Box 1629 . New Milford .
CT 06776 . includ ing ma iling label for renewals and
cha nges. For gift subscri pt ions. include your own name and
address as well as those of g ift rec ipients. 38 Sma ll Ea rly American Mirror
Pos tmas ter : Send Cha nge o f Address to T h e Wou d -
wor ker' s Journal , P.O. Box 1629 . New Milford . CT
06776 . 40 Sho p-Built Sanding Block s
Contributions: We welco me co ntributions in the form of
man uscripts. d raw ings and photographs and will be g lad to
conside r such for possi ble publ ication. Contr ibutors should
incl ude a stampe d. se lf-addresse d envelope of suitable size 42 Cookie Jar Holder
with each submiss ion. While we ca nnot ass ume respon sibil-
ity for loss or dam age. all mater ials will be treated with ca re
while in our possession. Payme nt for the use of unso licited 44 Hourglass
materia l will be made upo n acce ptance . Address all
co ntributio ns to: Editor. Th e w oodwork er ' s J ournal ,
P.O. Box 1629. New Milford. CT 06776.
U.S .A . Newsstand Distrib ution by Easter n News Distribu- 46 Cand le Holder
tors. Inc.• 1130 Cleveland Rd .• Sand usky. OH 44870.

48 Toddler Cart
Photo Cred its: 10/11I Kan e/S ilver S un
S tudios, Cove r and 1'1'. 3 . 32 . 38. 42 . 44 . 48 .
5 1.58. R . 1. De Cris toforoc pp. 20 -24 . 51 Folk Fidd le
Cove r phot ographed at The Silo .
New Milford . CT; prop s co urtesy ofJ, Seitz
& Co . . New Preston, CT
58 Plant Stand

March/Ap ril 1990 3

 Wild Wood
Wood as a medium for cr eativity is fascinating stuff. In fact . or band sawn . cut your dovet ail s, miter s or whatever pretty
I think it's also a bit spooky. Lon g after the tree has been felled quickl y and get the boards joined squa rely befo re they sta rt
and cut up . the boards see m to ret ain a mem or y of the stresses actin g craz y. If a board sta rts cupping, you ca n usuall y flatten
impose d on the tree by wind . grav ity. and the ever-c hang ing it by laying a wet cloth along the con cave side and go ing over
cycle of seasons . It' s almost as if the ghos tly tree continues to it with a hot stea m iron. On ce it' s fl atten ed , though , you had
haunt each piec e of its dism embered for m . better do your joiner y pronto before the board sta rts wa rpi ng
Boards will writhe and twi st in a macabre dan ce don e in again.
extre me slow moti on as the y respond to changes in their
As the January/Februar y ' 90 issue was go ing to press
moistur e content. Th en. too . wh en you alter their mass and
early in November. we received the sad news that our
interna l stru cture by ripping them or planin g o ff lar ge amounts.
good friend Henry Diamond had pa ssed awa y at the age
their respon se to thi s " trauma" is imm edi ate twi stin g or
of 93 . A few years ago , we dedicated our 10t h
cupping.
anniversary issue to Henry who had given us much
You can see these thin gs happen ing and I'm convince d that
encouragement and help in the ea rly yea rs of th is
if our hearing were acut e eno ug h . we would also hear our
publication .
board s sighing. creakin g and rumbling like so many min iature
Henry made his mark in thi s world as an arch itect .
humpb ack whales.
arti st . furniture de signer and woodworker. He was a
Like peopl e . so me wood s a re more docile than others.
thorough professional and earn ed a livin g in all of these
having grow n und er placid ci rc ums ta nces . Unfort unately. it' s
disciplines.
not always easy to spo t the ma veri ck s and mania cs in the
It wa s our ver y good fortune to know him . to listen to
lumb eryard pile . Th ese are the boards cut from tortured trees
his wond erful stories and learn from him . We will not be
and when they dr y out or you sta rt messing with them . all sor ts
privi leged to meet his likes again in thi s lifetim e .
of wild thin gs sta rt happening.
If you must use stoc k whi ch has bee n radi call y planed down Ji m M cQuilla/l

DO ITA AIM!
10" HEAVY DUTY INCRA JIG
THE INCREDIBLE TABLESAW MODELG1768
" SHOPHELPER" MODELG1022
REG. $365 0 0
ANTI-KICK DEVICE
2 H.P. DUST
ONLY $49 9 5 SALE PRICE $355 00
COLLECTORS
MODELG1029

INCRAJIG
HANDBOOK &
TEMPLATES

An excellent anti- kic kbac k device

that keeps wo rk firmly up aga inst
F.o ,a Bellingham, WA or Williamsport. PA
the fence . (track optional)

Also Available:
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" ORANGE" SHOPHELPER
FOR RADIAL·ARM SAWS
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PRICE $295 00 MOBILE BASE G1744 " GREEN" SHOPHELPER MOBILE BASE G1739 MODELG1836
F.O.B. Bellingham, WA or Williamsport. PA
ONLY'S915 FOR SHAPERS ONLY'S9M 100 Illustrated pages and 17
Clean up templates w ith hun dreds of
on the job! ASK FOR OUR FREE 1990 CATALOG TODAY! possi bilities.
west of the Mississippi orders East of the Mississip pi orders
Hoses and fittings
1-800-541-5537 1-800-523-4777
ONLY $1795
available
Service - 206-647-oao1 service - 717·326- 3806
90 -10'

4 T he Woodworker' s Journal
 MLCS Ltd.
CONTROL THE SPEED OF YOUR ROUTER - ROUT AT THE
SPEED THAT GIVES THE BEST RESULTS WITH THE WOOD AND BIT YOU ARE USING!
FEATURES: • Less Tear Out • Stops Burning
• Speed Adjustable from Full Speed to 0 RPM • Works withAllRouters 3HP orLess • Feed at ComfortableRate
• Full Horsepower and Torque atAllSpeeds • 120V 15 Amp • BeNer, Safer Results withLarge Diameter Bits
• Go Back and Forth from Any Pre-Set Speed • Gives Your Router aFeature Only Available • Less Wear on Bits
toFull Speed atthe Flip ofaSwitch on Routers Costing Hundreds of Dollars! • Less Noise andSofterStarts atLower Speeds

EASY TO USE - Simply plug in Speed Control and plug your router • Re'duces speed electronically without reducing torque; electronic
into the Speed Control - turn dial for best results. ISpeed Control has feed-back maintains speed by increasing voltage to motor as load
aclipthatcan be worn on your belt orhungon wall orleft loose] increases.

CARBIDE TIPPED ROUTER BITS PROFESSIONAL PRODUCTION QUALITY GUARANTEED

WHEN ORDERING ANY THREE OR MORE DEDUCT $1.00 EACH. ALL PRICES AREPOSTAGE PAID
ITEM BEST CUT ANGL~DEPTIlmDIUS LARGE CurnNG SHANK BEST CUT ANGI.EJ1)EPTIlmDiUS LARGE CUTTING SIlANK PRICE
DESCRIPTION PRICE DESCRIPTION
NO. BEST PRICE CIRCLEDIAMETER IlIA. LENGTH SIZE BEST PRICE CIRCLE DIAMETER IlIA. LENGTH SIZE
11400 11/4' SIa' 1/4' round nose 1/4'
11491 JIlt ~4' ¥I round nose ¥I
#792 11k' 718' lk' rOOild nose If!
~4' round nose ~4'
11/4'
I' rou nose I'
11//
Pil
R

I~' R
~1 6' R
Round Over 1/4' III

~
R ¥I ¥I
over :¥s' R III III III
Round Over III R 1ft lf! I'
Bou!!d llier ~4' R 9 III III 1 ~1s'
Round Over I' R
lW

~
I' 1/4'
:¥s' RabbetiDS ¥I ~ P/4' l\;
lW I' lk'
.!a:- ~~~~L _:JIs.: ~.L 11/4' HIs' I' 1/4'
I~' Slot Cutter ¥I~ P74' lW I' III
1/4' SloICutter :ta' Deep P/4' 'Jf4' Ik' 1/4'
7Jt III 1/4'
¥I. Dovetail 9degee
I' If! 1/4'
III Dovetail 1 4 ~ree
Pis' Ik' 1/4'
~4' 00I'e~1 14ilegroo
~4'
11f4 f/a' 1/4'
Dovetail 1~~~
-'-'fuVetaii-- 8ilegreJl Pil 'Jf4' 1/4'
III Dovelail 8degree W Pil 1/4'
11116' DOVetail googree 7Jt F~' III

PERSPECTIVE VIEW OF PANEL DOOR

(WITH ONE RAil REMOVEDI

To order by Master Charge or VisaCall Toll Free, 7 Day - 24 Hour Order Service
1-800-533-9298 or send check to: MLCS Ltd., P.O. Box 4053JF, Rydal, PA 19046 @1990

March/April 1990 5
I~ ,.;~
....

Your ar ticle on dado head s in the

~.....: :- .~
~
, .... ...
-......; .:-......::~ .,

_...... ~ _

-~================================= =============== ========
Novem ber/Dece mbe r 1989 issu e was a
good one . I ofte n use a wo bb le dado
head and, like man y others, have never
had much luck measuring the di stance
between the farthes t tooth and the rip
fence . However , I recentl y found a way
to do it that' s both simple and acc urate .
First, place a sma ll piece of maskin g
tape on the sa w tabl e in front o f the dado
head . The n, with a piece o f scrap stock
clam ped to the miter gauge, sta rt the
saw and run the scrap stock into the
dado head unt il it touch es ju st eno ug h to
ma rk the full width o f the dad o cut.
Now, slide the miter ga uge back so tha t
the scra p stoc k is on the tape and shut off
the saw. With a penc il , mark the da do
locat ion on the tape . T he marks o n the
tape ca n now be used to measure the
exact d ista nce to the fence.
Ralph Reed
Win ter Haven , Fla .
Letters
T he Shop- Built Spindl e Sande r in the
November/D ecember 1989 issue was
exac tly what I needed for my workshop.
To keep du st to a minimum , I modified
it a bit so that it ca n be hooked up to my
sho p vac uum. I add ed an electr ic plug
for the vac uum, and also a light that
comes on when the sw itch is act ivated.
It works like a cha rm .
Robert L. Buettn er
C ullma n, Ala.
As soo n as I sa w the coaster set in the
September/Oc to ber 1989 issue I thou ght
it would make a goo d C hris tmas pre-
sent. I dug out an assortme nt of veneer s
that I' ve had lyin g aro und for at lea st 25
yea rs and proceeded to make 12 sets. I
used your three pattern s and added two
of my own design s - a desert sce ne and
a lone wo lf bay ing at the moon . I also
adde d a monogram to eac h one using
O ld Eng lish block letters.
Percy F. Hanson, Walhalla , N.D.
Wh ere can I ge t the hardware (tu ning
pins, wire, etc .) that is needed to make
door harps?
C. R. Burns
Ch icago , III.
Door harp hardware is available
[rom Folkcraf t Instrum ents , Box 807,
Winsted, CT 06098 or Meisel Hardware
Specialties, P.O . Box 70, Mound MN
55364 .
I'm lookin g for a cutter for the drill
press that will allow me to make wood en
whee ls. Can yo u help ?
H. Y. Rutledge
San Angelo. Tex.
The Tool Company, 527 1 Raintree
Parkway , Lee's Summit, MO 64082 ,
sells a too l for the drill press that will
make toy whee ls from 13 /8 in. diame ter
to 4/ /2 in . dia me ter. Write or call (816)
53 7-6308 [o r more inform ation.

• Precision Grou nd, Quality Bits • Wood Storage Box Included

• Machined from High-Carbon Steel • 3/a" shanks
• Hardened to HRC 50-52 For a FREE price list of individual Forstner Bits,
and other wood working tools, send you r name
• Reusable Moulded Covers and address to: Dollar ltadlng Corp.
Protect Rims PO Box 964
Ridgefield, CT 06Sn

6 T he Woodworker ' s Journal

============================================================,
I have a supply of pearwood logs and
I'm looking for a way to remove the ba rk
without damagin g the wood. Any sug-
ges tio ns ?
D.G . Millenbruch
Rid gefield. Conn .
If th e trees were f elled in the spring or
summe r, the bark sho uld come off with
little trouble. Th e [ragile layer of cells
fo rme d durin g the gro wing season make
it easy to remove the bark with just a
screwdri ver or othe r wedge-s ha ped
too l.
If: how ever , the tree wasfelled during
the fall or winter, the bark will likely be
sec ure ly fa stened to the underlying
sap woo d, whi ch makes removal rather
difficult . You can try steaming or satu-
rating the bark with boilin g water . If
that doesn 't work, yo u will probably
need to rem o ve it with a saw or
spo keshave.
,------------,
I ELIMINATE STICKING. I
I KEEP SAW BLADES SHARP I
I FOR CLEAN FAST I
CUTTING...
Cleans saws , router bits and
I shaper cutters of p itch , gum , etc.
Packaged in handy aerosol.
I Another Helper!
I SPRAYWAY F-101
I DRY LUBRICANT
Contains no Silicone, Palntable.
I Reduces cutting friction,
Inhibit s resin build-up . . .
I The Woodworker's Lubricant.
I Order from y our distributor o r:
I SPRAYWAY, INC. (Mfr. )
484 Vista Ave . • A dd ison , IL 60101-4468
L--------- - - -- - - -- - - --
(1-708) 628-3000 • (1-800) 332-9000
March/April 1990
W here can I ge t a good se lection of
wi ldfowl carvi ng patte rn s?
Brian Kelly
At lanta. Ga .
Wood Carvers Supply , l nc. , P .O . Box
8928, NO/folk, VA 23503, carries blue-
p rint patterns of wa te rfowl, many of
themfull-size. Write fo r a copy of their
current cata log.
Woodworking Clubs
A new woo dwo rk ing cl ub. tentatively
called the An na po lis Woodworkers
Gui ld, is for mi ng in the Anna po lis,
Mary land. area. If yo u think yo u mig ht
be interested in joining, wri te to Don
Ames , 107 Nort h Linde n Avenue, A n-
napol is, MD 2 140 I , or ca ll him at (30 I)
269-0104 .
Du r ing th e fa ll th rou gh spri ng
mo nt hs, the Wood work ers of Ce ntra l
.=--==-----=.. ~~
==__==-== ,I
,.
To order your PARAGA UG E wting Maste rca rd or VISA
I I • call
I (7day / 24 hour o rder serv i c e )
J or, if you prefer to o rder by check or wo u ld like a fre e b rochure write
ACC USET TOO L CO .. IN C .· P .O . Box 108 8 • Dept. J . Troy. ~ II 48099
- - --
Mi ch ig an re sid ents
Eac h PARA GA U C E is so ld with a no-risk
Ohio (W.O .e.O.) wi ll meet five times
at the Eastland Ca reer Center in Colum-
bus. Our meeti ngs. he ld on Sat urdays,
are all-day demonstrations and lec tures
ope n to those who live in Col umbus a nd
the surround ing co mmu nitie s. We offer
an invitatio n to woodworkers of all skill
level s to jo in us. For more info rmat io n
phone Lou Ga tch. president of the
W.O .e.O. , at (6 14) 866- 73 07.
Readers in the Washi ngton , D.e.
area may be interested in jo ining the
Washin gton Woodworker s Guild. For
de tails write to Ro bert A . Sloan. 1215
N. Ft. Myer Drive. No . 304 . Ar lington ,
VA 22209 .
Walter Naro n is worki ng to start a
local woodworki ng club in Green vi lle,
Ken tucky. For info rmation write to him
at 2 17 West Main Cross, Greenv ille.
KY 42345. ~
Pr oduce fas t a nd professional
results whe n sett ing yo ur pu wer
too l wit h PARA CA UG E.
PARA GAUG E accurately sets
ta b le saws , rad ial a r m saws, hand
S<1\,.'S , drill p resses a n d ro ut er
tab les by p ro vid in g p erfe ctl y
p araU el measurements up to 10
inches in widt h.
If you' re tir ed of setting and
re-scui n g a rip fe nce to obta in
that perfe ct measurement , then
PARAGAUGE was deve loped
j u st for you .
~ -I ~1
~ ~
r
.J " '1
• ', I I
U.S Pate-nt Pending I
1-800-343-6129
1lI11~t ad d -1 9t sta n - sa les
l a x -;";0
:~ O day
C.O.D. orders plcase-.
1t10lWY back gu a ra n u't>.
7

We will gladly list as man y events of interest to woodw orkers as space permits. Listin gs are f ree and may include sho ws. f airs . competi tions,
workshops and demonstrations. The deadl ine is six weeks bef ore publication, March 15 [o rthe Maytlune issue. Please address announcements
to the Events Department. Readers planning on attending events should call ahead if possible. Scheduled dates and locations sometimes change
between publication and the date of the event,
A rizona : The Woodworking Shows. A r i-
zo na. March 9- 11. Veteran s ' Memorial Coli -
se um. Pho eni x . For information call 1-800-
826-8257.
Califo rnia : The Woodworkin g Shows. No .
C a liforn ia. Marc h 16-1 8 , Sa n Jose C iv ic
Auditorium ; Sac ramen to . May 4 -6 . Ca lilor-
nia Ex po and S ta te Fair; So. California . May
11-l3 . Pasade na Co nven tion Ce nter. For
information call 1-800-826-825 7 .
Co lorado: Ander son Ranch Arts C e nte r.
Summer Worksh op s: Basi c Uph ol st ery. Jim
Bar efoot ; Chair Desi gn. Rob ert DeFucci o ;
Euro pea n C a rv ing. Nora Hall: C anoe Build-
ing . Rod King ; Marquetry. Vene er a nd Inla y.
Silas Kopf: Basic Woodwork ing. Pet er Korn :
Rustic Furn iture. Dani el Ma ck ; Furnitu re
Making. S te phe n Proct or ; Furniture . Sam
Mal o o f; A Pers on al A p p roac h. Jam e s
K rcn ov ; Faux Fini sh ing . Rit a Mill er Wagen -
na r. Fo r inform atio n co ntact the ce nter at
P.O. Box 55 9 8 . Snowmass Village . CO
8 1615; (303) 923-3 18 1.
The Woodworking Shows , C ol orado. Mar ch
2-4. Nati on al Western C omp lex . Denver.
For in for ma tion ca ll 1-800-826-825 7 .
Con nect ic u t: Brookfi eld Craft Center, Win -
ter Workshops: March 3-4 , Advanced 18th
Ce ntury Woodworkin g Tec hniq ues . Eug e ne
Land on ; March 10-1 1. Fine Furniture Con-
struc tion. Rob ert March; March 17- 18.
Router Te chniqu e s Work sh op . B ill
Gundling ; March 24-25. 18th Century C a rv-
ing Techniques. Euge ne Landon ; March
3 1-A pr il I . Woodturning, Dennis Elli ott. For
in for mation co ntac t the cent er at P.O . Box
122 . 286 Wh isconi er Road . Bro okfield . CT
06804; (203) 775-4526.
Dela ware: Furn itu re by Wendell Castle. a
re trospec tive ex hibition . March 9- May 13.
Del a war e A rt Mu seum . W ilmingt on . For
info rma tio n ca ll (302) 571 -9590 .
Geo rgia: Th e Woodworking Shows. A t-
lanta. ,To,1:Jrch 23-25, Lakewood Fair grounds.
Atl ant a . For information ca ll 1-800-826 -
82 57 .
Illin ois : Th e Woodworking Shows. C h ica-
go land , April 20 -22 . Odeum, Villa Park . For
information ca ll 1-800-826-8257 .
8 The Woodworker' s Journal
Events
Lo uis ia na : Woodworking World . Th e Baton
Rou ge Show. March 16 -18 . Riverside Cen-
troplex , Baton Rou ge . For information ca ll
1-800-521 -7623 .
Maine: Woodworking Wor ld. The Portland
Show. Apri l 27 -29. Port land Expo Bui ldin g .
Port la nd . For in form ati on ca ll 1-800-521 -
7623 .
M assa c h us etts: The Worces ter Center for
C ra fts : 20th Ann ua l Ma y C ra ft Fair. May
18-20 : Weekend Work shop. April 7-8. De -
s ign and Constr uction with Bent Wood.
Mi ch ael Fortune . For infor matio n cont act the
ce nter at 25 Sagamore Road . Worce ster. MA
0 1605 : (508) 753 -8 183 .
M in nesota: American C ra ft Ex po ' 90. April
6-8. M inneapoli s Con vention Ce nter. For
inf ormati on ca ll 1-800-836- 34 70 .
Missouri: Wood ca rvin g Show a nd Co mpe-
titio n. Kan sas C ity C ha pte r o f the Nati on al
Wood car ver' s Association . Mar ch 9- 11.
Met calf Shopping Ce nte r. Kan sa s C ity, For
inf ormati on call (9 13) 4 32 -89 38.
New Yor k: Wood working World. The Buf-
fa lo Show. April 6-8 . Er ie County Fair-
gro unds . Ha mburg . Fo r informa tion ca ll
1-800-52 1-7623 ,
No r t h C a rolin a : Pe nland Sc hool, Wood
C las ses : April 19 -27 , Wood . C ra ft. Art. Jo hn
Brooks; May 14 -25 . Dynamic Objects. Pau l
Sasso; May 28 -June 8 . Wood Carv ing and
Shaping. Peter Pierobon ; June 11-22. Furni-
tur e Des ign. Phillip Ten nant ; Jun e 25 -Jul y 6 ,
Woodworking. C. R . " Skip" Johnson ; July
9- 20 . Furn iture fro m the Source. Brad Smith;
July 23 - Aug. 8, Furn iture . Lauren McD cr-
mott ; Aug . 13-24 . De si gn in Wood . Leo
Doyl e . Fo r informati on co ntac t: Penl and
Sch ool, Penland . NC 28 765: (704) 765 -
23 59 ,
Internat ion al Hom e Furnishing Markel, A pri l
19-27 . Inte rn atio na l Home Furnish ing Ce n-
ter. Hi gh Point. For regi stration and informa-
tion ca ll (9 19) 889-6 144 .
Co untry Work shops. 1990 C lass es: June
25-3 0. Laddcrba ck C ha ir m a ki ng . Dan
Ma yn er ; July 9-1 3. Scandi navi an Woodcraft,
Wille Sundqvist ; Ju ly 16-20 , Advanced
Scandinavian Woodcraft : July 30 - Aug. 4 .
Windsor C ha irm aking , Peter Murk ett : Aug .
13-1 8. Swi ss Coo pe rage. Drew Lan gsncr :
Sept. 8- 16. A C ra ft Tour of Sw itzerl an d .
Drew Lan gsner. For information co ntact:
Country Workshops. 90 Mill C ree k Road.
Marshall NC 287 4 3; (704) 656-22 80 .
Ohio: The Woodworking Shows. Greater
C leve la nd . Apri l 6- 8 . International Ex po
Center. C leve land. For inform ation ca ll
1-800-826 -8257 .
O k la ho ma: Wood workin g Wo rld . T he
Oklahoma C ity Show. March 9- 11. Myr iad
Exh ib ition Hall, Okl ahoma Ci ty. For more
inf ormati on ca ll 1-800-5 21 -7623 .
Ten nessee: Arrow mo nt Sch ool of Arts and
C ra fts . Spring Worksh op s: Ma rch 5-9 .
Woodturning a nd De si gn . Leo Doyle. Coop-
e ri ng - Tool s a nd Techni qu es. A lan Stirt:
Mar ch 12-16. Bowl a nd Plate Turni ng and
C a rvi ng. A la n St ir t : M arc h 19 - 2 3 .
Woodturning - Arti st ic and Func tional, Ray
Key: March 26 -30 . Woodturning - Art istic
and Fun cti on al, Ray Key. New Forms. New
Fun cti on s, a nation al competiti on . Feb . 24-
Ma y 19. For information ca ll (6 15) 436-
5860 .
Texas: Woodworking World. Th e Hou ston
Show. Marc h 2-4 . Th e Pasadena Conv enti on
Center , Pasadena , For information call 1-
800-5 21 -76 23 .
Uta h: Th e Woodwork ing Shows. Uta h.
Apr il 27-29 . Sa lt Palace. Salt Lake C ity. For
informati on ca ll 1-800-826-8257 .
V irgi n ia: The Woodworking Shows. Metro -
Richmond . March 30 - Ap ril I . Richmon d
Cent re. Richmond . For information call
1-800 -826 -825 7 .
Was hi ng to n DC : 1990 Wash ington Craft
Show. A pril 19-2 2. Smithson ian lnst itution
Department al Aud ito rium, 130 I Con st ituti on
Ave . N. W. Fo r information ca ll (20 2) 357 -
2700 .
Wes t V irgin ia : Au gu st a Heritage Ce nter .
Elkin s. Spring Dulcimer Week. April 23-29.
C hip Carving with L inda Foley. Fo r inform a-
tion call (304 ) 636- 1903 .
 Readers' VISIT THE SHOW NEAR YOU!
Infonnation Exchange • Free Workshops. Door Prize ·
• Hundreds of Products >
• Seminars by Mastercraftsmen • C,o
, ,un,try Shaker~ .< .~ _:!f;\
"" IYard"S,t,ick,S
, ", ',
!~Mij!!!!m~ Pegs ~!'< 4rJ
; ; ; ....... .. ~ #7226 3-112" . S2.00/ 10
Looking for (/II OIl'ner' 01' manual fo r ( /II old #8574 Yardstick . Sl .29/ EA S15.00/ 1OO
band saw ? Need a bearing for a hand -me-
~::OOd • #.7280 2- 1 /2;,si~~9~~~~
down table sall'? Can't find a source of
3mm (1/8")x2' x2 ' #7227 1-3/4 .. S1.lO/ lO
supply for (/II odd piece of hardware ? Maybe #7545 . . .. S4.50/ EA .. S7.60/ 100
our readers Cll/I help. Send along YOllr See t he Widest Var iety of
2-9 Sheets . . . S3.50/ EA Birch Spindles
request and we'll try to list it here - and Woodworki ng Prod ucts Cookie Jar
I .
(9
. ~
#56 5-3/4 " .... S.69/ EA
perhaps one of our readers will 11lI\'e (/II All Under One Roo f!! w/Meta Lid CJ #585 9" . . .. S.99/ EA
/8 633 Plastic Jar 8" ..... Galley ~
answer for .1'0 11. Dill' to space limitations, HUNDRE DS OF ITEMS ! NEW PRODUCTS! ........... S3.79/ EA Spindles ~
11'1"/1 be unable to list all requests, but we'l l Machinery · Power & Hand Tools · Supplies /8635 Metal Lid /51 Birch 1-1/8 "
include as many as 11'1' can . COM ING IN 1990 .... , ., ,Sl .59/ EA S1.65/ 10
• Arizo na • Kansas City 1/ 4" Basswood ~ . S10.00/ 100
Boards #S4 Birch 1-1/2 " .
I' m loo king for a cas t iron tab le saw • Atla nta • Lou isville
/ 7293 3-1/2 "x I6 linear ... Sl .70/ 10
exte nsio n fix my 10 in . Crafts man tab le saw. • Cal gary • Milwaukee teet S13.50/ EA , S15.60/ 100
• Charlotte • No . California
mode l no . 113 .2999 1.
Don DeYollng • Chicag o • Oregon ~~::_~~~d ~ ~~1 0A.Koak 1 -~r50il ci
P.O . Box 127. Friesland, WI 53935 • Cincinna ti • P ittsbu rgh / 8589 1/ 2" x 14" x 36 " S12.00/100
• Cleve la nd • Rich mond S10.95/ EA #S 10AK Oak 1-1/2" . . .
I recentl y acq uired a rol ltop desk w ith • Co lorado • Roch e s te r #8592 1-1/ 8" x 14"x36" . . . . . . .. S2.40/10
, , , ... I . . S12.95/ EA . . S22.00/100
" The G unn-Dcsk , Grand Rapid s. Mich . " • Co lumb us • SI. Lou is
Alter 12·31·89 S14.25/ EA lamp Socket ~
inscrib ed o n the lock esc utc heo n o n the • Connectic ut • Salt Lake City
~ #940 Push Thru Sl .65/ EA
• Da lla s • San Dieg o Birch Candle Cup till) #941 Turn Knob Sl .95/ EA
tam bou r. Th e lock a nd mech an ism. non -
• Delaware Valley • Seattle /CCI 1·1/ 2" S2.90/ 10 J r;;;..
standa rd. are missing. Anyone have a ny • Detroit • So . California S19.00/ 100 Animal Eyes ~ ~ , 'CIt
cl ues they wou ld be willi ng to share '! • India na polis ~ #8681 1-1/8 " S3.50/ 20
la zy ~ #8682 1-1/2 " S4.00/ 20
Ralph Woodward 1-80 0-82 6-8257 or 213 -477 -8521 Susans
Rt 4 , Box 116 , Corne lius, OR 97 113 Call NOW to be placed on mailing list #LC3 3" S.95/ EA Chair Back Spindle 21"
for FREE Bro c h ure & Dis count Coupon s #LC4 4" S1.25/ EA I esl6il:ll=~=~~
. !liit# §>
1
I have a Craftsman 10 in . tab le saw . model Pho ne Hours 8-5 Pacific Time We e kday s #LC6 6" S2.29/ EA #8147 Spindle S2.35/ EA
no . 113.29991. and am desperately in need Metal Pails 2·1/4 " ~
of the dado insert assembly. part no. 9-
29998 .
Ed Ha man
Clipboard
Clips
I L5 3"
e& #8710 Red
S.621EA #8711Galvanized .
Sl .09/ EA

#ST6 6" S.95/ EA Sl .09/ EA

107 Wooden Carriage Dr. Synthetic .
SawTooth ~ Sheep ~_
Hockessin, DE 19707 Hangers Wool 60" Wide ~
I S59 1·5/ 8" . S4.17/ 100 #8904 SheepWool
I need a n ow ner's ma nua l and pa rts list fix S9.95/ YD
Black ~
a Craft sma n t a bl e saw, mode l no . Hammer ~ 12yardsor more . S7.95/ YO

~;;:9H~~':S3/ 16" \i:4)

113.29903 . a nd a Craftsman planer /mo lder. Hinge w/S crews
#1730 S1.6212
mode l no . 306 .23375 1. S7.17/ 10
Harry Howard S.59/ 10
65 1 Welll'l'I"S Chapel Road ~~~~:sPlated ~ #7380 1" x3 /8 " S.79/ 10
Littleton , NC 27850 #910 1" Sl .65/ 10 #7381 1-3/8 "x 1/ 2"
#928 1-1/ 2" S2.59/ 1O S.99/ 10
I need an ow ne r 's manua l a nd parts list lo r Screws lor above #7461 3" x3 /8 "
a Crafts ma n rad ial-arm saw, mode l no . #F1 25 #5 FI. Hd S3.75/ 10
113 .29400 , and for a C rafts ma n table sa w. S2.75/ 100 Brass
mod el no. 103 .24440 . Sanding 8el,~
t .iI.~ Bottle
Fritz Kazlausky Cleaner 8" II Opener
NOW! Plane , Mold , Sand, Saw with
e
#1710 S5.371EA #7641 S3.69/ EA
Grant Comm unity High School
285 East Grand Ave. , Fox Lake , II.. 60020 Infinitely Variable Power-Feed! Plastic Spoke
Wheel 4"
~~:;V5~~~'
#14PBult Color . S7.99/ EA
I' m looking for ow ne r's manu als and parts Putthis versatile power-feed tool to work in yourown shop. #1741. S.90/ EA #7430 Peach Color
See how fast il pa ys for itself! Qui ckl y c o nve rts lo w -cost
lists for two wood lath es. A ny i nfo r ma tio n
will be helpful. T he ma nufac turers a re: l .A .
rough lumber into valuable finished stock. quarter-round.
casing. base mold. longue & groove . . . all popular
Metal Wheels 008 . . . . . . . . . . . . S7.99/ EA
1" Grid Paper ~.
/1 779 1-112" .. S5.99/ 10 #8206 22"x34" .
Fay & Egan g , Ci nci nnati . O hio, mod el no . pattern s . . . even custom designs !
#1780 2" ... .. S8.99/ 10 ........ S.89/ Sheet
132262: Greenfield Tap and Die Co rp . . NEW! Variab le Feed Rate-Now. just a twist of the dial
adjusts your planer from 70 10 over 1000 cuts-per-inch! Send Sl .00 for catalog Dr S5.00 lor catalog plus 8est
Gre enfie ld. Mass. Produces a glass-smooth finish on tricky grain patterns no Selling Plan Package (S14.72 value) Dr order directly
Frank J . Meier Irom this ad by phone Dr mail.
other planer can handle.
3208 Eveningside o-: Apt . II ADD SHIPPING & HANDLING :

Topeka , KS 66614
I have a Craftsman sha per, model no.
113 .23940 . I need an ow ne r' s ma nua l a nd
parts list.
Don Brown
205 Pine willow Court
Friendswood. TX 77546
1I
'~:i:~s~~~:~:~~~~;i;; Mail check or money order and include $4,95
Shipping & handling. MN res. add 6% tax.
. 2908 OAK , KANSAS CITY, MO 64108 I Alaskaand Hawaii send $10.95 p&h. Canada
send $16.95 (U.S.) p&h. We accepl VISA or
\ , ~,~"<~ .,l\ 0 YESI Rush my FREE INFORMATIONKITand
~~ ' . detailsonyour 3D-Day Free TrialGuarantee. I MC on orders over $25.00.
MINIMUM ORDEROF 525.00
I NAME
ADDAESS _
I ORDER TOLL F REE ., Charge Orders Only
1-800-441-9870
I CITY I

Ma rc h/Apri l 1990
.. _--------_ ..
• STAT E
ZIP _ •
ME ISEL HARDWARE SPECIALTIES
P.O. Box 70 J·5 Mound, MN 55364

9
 1/2" Shank Carbide·Tipped Router Bits Moulding Plane Profiles
Product News
To keep our readers up-to-date , this column fe atures brief
descriptions of new tools and supplies on the market. The
product descriptions are pro vided by the manufacturer and are
not a result o] tests or reviews by the editors of Th e
Woodworker's J ournal.

Woodhaven Biscuit & Bit Kit

SPECIAL OFFER: SET OF ALL FOUR BITS
599.95 ORDER ITEM #866.Setoffourquickly
produce classictradilional mouldings. Bits are shown Full Size·2 Flute Carbide TIpped.
Order by VISA I MasterCard, 7 Day/ 24 HourService, Call 1·800·533·9298
(i;)1990 orsendcheck to:MLCS LId.,P.O. Box4053J 0, Rydal, PA 19046
Wood haven ' s Biscuit & Bit Kit allows you to use your router
for biscuit joiner y and has several adva ntages over the standa rd
biscuit machin e . It' s possib le to join board s up to I in.
narrower than a co nventiona l biscu it mach ine allows. A
spec ially design ed slot cutter cuts the joi nt using the router.
Woodh aven' s exclusive com pressed biscuit s a re as wide as a

* SANDPAPER *
NO GIMMICKS - GREAT PRICES
# 20 biscuit, bu t much sho rter. T he bisc uit and bit kit includ es
a 6 rnm slot cutte r. a 6 mm stra ight cutter (for spline jo inery)
100 biscui ts and 10 ft. of spline stock. Th e kit price is $59 .99.
BELTS: GRITS ASSORTED SHEETS: (9 x 11) PRICE For more infor mation co ntact Woodh aven , 5323 W. Kimberly
Road , Davenport , IA 52806 ; (3 I 9) 39 1-2386.
UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED CABINET PAPER
1 x 30 $.69 ea 3 x 24 $ .80 ea 50/pk 100/pk
1 x 42 .69 ea 3 x 27 .83 ea 40·0 $16/pk 530/pk
1 x 44 .69 ea 4 x 2131, .91 ea 50·0 15/pk 27/pk
2Y2 x 16 .73 ea 4 x 24 .94 ea 60·0 14/pk 25/pk
3 x 18 .74 ea 4 x 36 1.14 ea 80·0 13/pk 23/pk
3 x 21 .77 ea 6 x 48 2.98 ea 100 thru 150C 12/pk 21 /pk
3 x 231/, .80 ea 21A x 80 2.47 ea
OTHER SIZES ON REQUEST FINISHING PAPER

NO LOAD PAPER 50/pk 100/pk

80·A $ 9/pk $16/pk
50 /pk 100 /pk 100 thru 280A 8/pk 14/pk
180·A thru 400·A Sl0/pk Sl8/pk
WET/DRY PAPER
PRESSURE SENSITIVE MULE Slid ing Table
50 /pk 100 /pk
220 thru 600A $13 /pk $23 /pk For years the tab le saw has been the workh orse in millions of
ADHESIVE DISCS!
woodw or king shops, and for yea rs the handl ing of la rger
6" $1.06 ea * OTHER ITEMS * *JUMBO CLEANING STICK * panels has been a prob lem . Radi al sa ws, circ ular saws with
8" 1.99 ea *WIDE BELTS $8.80
stra ight edges, plus a wide array of hom e-made jigs have bee n
9" 2.46 ea *ROLLS SEND MAIL ORDERS TO:
used to cut miters, dadoes and sq uare panels. It was these
10" 3.05 ea *FLAP WHEELS ECON-ABRASIVES
12" 4.45 ea * PUMP SLEEVES P. O. BOX B865021 prob lem s tha t prompt ed a woodworker to invent , use and later
man ufacture the MU LE slidi ng tab le . Th is new sliding tab le
15" 6.95 ea PLANO, TX 75086
NATIONAL 1·800·367·4101 bolts on to the le ft-hand side of most tiltin g a rbor tab le sa ws.
*MINIMUM ORDER $25.00 IN TEXAS (214) 377·9779 T he slid ing tab le list pr ice is $3 69 . For more informati on
*MASTERCARD, VISA OR CHECK * TEXAS RES. ADD 6% SALES TAX co ntact M UL E Ca binetmaker Machines, 225 Indu stri al Park -
*SATISFACTION GUARANTEEDIl * SHIPPING CHARGES ADD $4.25
way, Unit 16 , Auro ra , O nt. Canada L4G 3V5; (4 16) 727- 7090.
10 The Woodwor ker' s Journal
 Cabinetmakers' Swing Into
Supplies Spring!
Furniture Kits Suppliers
As a service to our readers, The Wood-
worker's Lournal peri odi call y lists
so urces of supply for var ious wood -
-You Get: 25 -. Size shaker peg s, 25 min i-
shaker pegs, 25 mug rack pegs, 25 tie rack pegs,
plus a unique horse design coat rack plan ,
worki ng produ cts. In this issue we list
beautiful full size tie rack plan, and a full size
suppliers of furniture kits. In most case s mug rack plan.
these kits co me pre-cut, pre-sanded, -But That' s Not All : Patterns for 10 great
items-a hanger for pot holders, note pad
read y to assembl e, and require onl y a holder, napkin holder, muffin server, doughnut
minimu m of tools. In add ition to assem - holder, pretzel holder, cleanser holder, knife
rack, towel bar and spice shelf. Plu s: full size
bly instru ct ion s, some also supply the plans for four cars and garage.
nece ssar y hard war e , sandpape r and You'll also receive, FREE, our wood-
wo rking c atalog ! It's loaded with profes -
glue . Thi s is by no means a co mplete sional power tools, hand tool s, wood parts,
listing and we hop e to includ e additi onal Build this fun addition for your books, plans and lots more.
Order up to/OUT a/these packages. Add
compa nies in future issues. porch or backyard . For complete $2.95 shipping and handlin g for each package.
The Bartley Collection, Ltd . plans and instructions to build r.;::- - - - - - - - - - :::l
1$28.00 Woodworker 's pkg. - Just $9.95/1
3 Airpa rk Dr ive, Dept. 4662 this wonderful Oak Swing, circle I Nam e I
Eas to n, MD 2 160 1 Volume 8 Number 4 on the Back IAddress I
Ca talog free Issue Order Form bound in the ICity State__ Zip I
Antique rep rodu cti on furn iture kits, center of this issue. To Mail Check or
IAd Money Order To I
rangin g from a pipe box to a Sh Tre nd-Lin es, Inc. I
Newp ort C hest and a Queen Anne IEa Box 6447M
Highb oy. IRe
eac
375 Bea cham St. 1
Chelsea, MA
Cohasset Co lonial s ~~ _) _ _ TOTA~ 0 21 ~ _WKJ~
830C X Ship St.
Cohasset , MA 02025
Cata log $3
La rge va riety of co lonial-style
~4MmN,~
~ : Wd ; lI l~
4 POWER-FED
TOOLS IN 1
furni ture and rep rodu ction s.
Plane iMold.Saw. Sand
Craftsman's Corner
P.O . Box A P, Dep t. WJ ~Y7 11
401 2 N.E. 14th St.
Des Moin es, IA 503 02 1-'~~~~1
r _ -.... -< -~ , .

Ca talog free .
Broad ran ge o f solid oak furn iture
and accessory kits, fro m clocks and
magazine rack s to ro ll-top desks,
file cabinets, and tabl es and ch airs. OWN YOUR Now you can use this ONE power-feed shop
to turn rough lumber into moldings, trim,
Shaker Workshop s
P.O. Box 1028WJ OWN flooring, furniture - All popular patterns, Rip-
Plane-Mold & Sand ... separately or in combi-
nation with a single motor. Low Cost ...You
Co nco rd. MA 017 42
Ca talog $ 1 SAWMILL can own this power tool for only $50 DOWN!

Rep rodu ction s o f Shaker furn iture

and acce sso r ies, rangin g from
Four Models To Choose From
SAVE MONEY-
CUT YOUR OWN LUMBER
IgAOy~R~E TRIAL! I
simple oval boxes to chairs, bed s • Remote hydraulic log handling
and tabl es. • Capacities up to 32" in dia. RUSH COUPON TODAYI
by 33 ' long Foley-B elsaw Co.
_
Yield House • Portable-precise -rugged ~ 6301 Equitable Rd .
Route 16 • Efficient-more lumber per log u:MJJ!lt Dept. 9 1526
CALL FOR FREE CATALOG Kansas City. MO 64 120
North Co nway, NH 03860 o YES Pl ease send me complete facts abou t PlANER
Catalog free 1(800)553-0219
In Indiana ca ll: (317) 271- 1542
·MOWER- SAW - SANDER and details abouI3O-Dsy
trial offer .
Antique reproductio ns and co untry ~r:<-:I~ 44-page cata log or use Narne - - - - - - - - - - - -
yo ur MasterCard or VISA
pieces, fro m towel rack s and wa ll to ord er our 50 -minute Address
dem on stration video -$ 10.00 I City - _
she lves to a rmo ires and entertain- Wood· Mlzer Products. Inc. ' Dept . MM1 3
ment ce nters. ~ 8 180 W. 10th s i ., Indianapolis. IN 46214·2 430 State Zip

March/Apri l 1990 II
 PROFI L E
A Conversation With
Allene and Harold
Westover
his sma ll New Hampshir e enterprise, with a wor k
T force of two , has brou ght to life thou sand s o f new
instru me nts.
In fac t, Allen e and the Rev. Harold Westover see m bent on
filling the world with fidd les, harps and banjo s. They do that
with the ir own hand s, as well as the hand s o f the many
stude nts they've had through out their ca reer. They deli ght in
the peal o f note s fro m a new harp. But perh ap s their greates t
joy is passin g the ir trade sec rets along to new ge nerations o f
instru ment makers.
12
Th ey' ve spent abo ut 30 years making instrument s and
teaching others how. But until recentl y, eac h also had their
own ca ree r: Mrs. Westover in education as an a rt teacher and
program dir ector, Mr. Westover in the Episcop al Church as
pastor of flock s from Washington D.C. to Walp ole , New
Hampshir e, where the coup le now lives.
Spending so me time with the Westover s is fun. Mr.
Westover ' s ampl e proportion s and ready laugh enco urage an
easy famili arity, while a tr im Mrs. Westover adds an Aunt
Bca goo d humor and steady bearing to the conversation .
The Woodworker' s Journ al
_ _ _ _ _ _1
Talking to the two for an afternoon , you ca n' t help but catch
their enthus ias m.
"The re are 2,650 of our instruments out there sing ing , and
all those others fro m tho se we have taught , and that they have
tau gh t, " Mr. Westover said .
And an afternoo n with the Westovers is fill ed with a variety
of mu sic. Mr. Westover rela xes by
playin g and co mpos ing songs on a
mod ern instrument , an electric organ.
Mrs . Westover loves to listen to cla ssi-
"There are 2,650 of our
ca l music on the co uple's elaborate instruments out there
so und-system, which has spea kers in the
ce iling. Record albums and music book s
singing, and all those
line o ne who le wall of their apartme nt. others from those we
Pictures and sc ulptures of instru ments
are everywhere . Instrument s are every-
have taught...."
where .
Mr. and Mrs . Westover love to
Harold
wonde r at the ir progeny, to list the
co untries and co ntinents now hom e to
their stringe d childre n, to think of the lives they ' ve cheered
with mu sic, the sa tis faction of those they'v e helped to create
a new instrument. They love to talk about how two of their
fidd les land ed in Russia , or how one happ ened to end up in
China , about the fi ve in Bogota, Columbia , and all the others
in Rom e, Tel Aviv, Sw itzerland. It' s almos t like hearing about
a lar ge family of well -traveled child ren, whose letters hom e
are treasured and reread .
Th ey' ve also written on the subje ct, and helped oth ers
publ ish articles on instrument building. One article they
helped along has hit an es pec ially strong chord, introd ucin g
thou sand s of people to the craft of making small folk harps.
" It's just suc h a grea t thing to think o f that many peopl e
makin g a harp , " Mr. Westover says of the 1,850 folk harps
mad e from plan s they helped publi sh . (Plans for the harp were
publi shed in the March/April 1988 issue of The Woodworker' s
Journal . ) To help people make the harps, the Westovers
agreed to sell so me of the hard-to-find parts for the harp.
Selling the parts kits has allo wed them to keep an approximate
co unt of how many have been built. The Westovers are also
the authors of an articl e on building the Folk Fiddl e that
appears on page 5 1 o f this issue.
Th e Westovers' enthusiasm for building musical instru -
me nts is imm ed iately app arent in a walk through the shop.
Molds for stea m-be nding side s sprout from the walls , stacks
of premium ceda r, maple and walnut line shelve s. Speci al
machin es for taperin g tunin g pegs and shaping fiddle bodies
crop up amo ng the more usual tool s. Another unusual feat ure
is the vise restin g on a pedestal in the middle of open floor
space . Mrs. Westover, who does the carving on the
instr ume nts, likes to be able to move all around the work .
Th e Westovers also have an assortment of gen era l
March /April 1990
woodworking machines, about what you' d expec t to find in a
well-equipped shop. There ' s a drill press, a table sa w, a
jointer, a surface plan er , a small lathe, a belt sa nde r. T hey
aren't expensive industrial-quality tools, but the machines
generall y available to hobb yists. For example, the lath e is a
Craftsman , the surface planer is a small Ryobi port able .
In fact , the instrument making began
as a hobby, first for Mr. Westover , and
then for both o f them . It eventua lly
evolved into a profit able bu siness, but
only after Mrs. Westover got serious ly
involved .
Mr. Westover said that for yea rs he
tried to make money on his instru -
ment s, with out much success. T he
enterprise was always " Daddy' s un-
profitable hobb y," he sa id. But whe n
Westover his wife became fully engaged, the
business sta rted turning a profit. " I
didn 't need a help er, I needed a
keeper," he sa id .
The couple has deve loped a flexible di vision of labor that
allows for their different talents. Mr. Westover does what he
calls the " rough" woodworking, preparing the stoc k, cutting
and shaping the part s, bending the sides . Mr. Westover is also
the authority on music theor y and the instrument designer.
Mrs. Westover take s cha rge of detail s. Her work includes
the car vings for the neck s and head s, the fine work on the
belli es , and the finishin g.
The Westovers make both fanc y co nce rt-grade instrument s
and no-frill s student models. But they co nce ntra te on the
no-frills mod els becau se they see a great need for afford able
instruments that play well. They make a var iety o f fiddl es,
banjos and harps with top -notch materi als and well -de signed
mechanics , but leave o ff much of the decoration . Th e head s
aren't carved and there ' s no fanc y purfling on the so und-
board s. (T he word " fiddle " denotes a va riety of str inge d
instrument s pla yed with a bow, including viol as, ce llos and
violins. Th e word is also frequently used as a syno nym for the
violin.)
" You don't play head and you don 't play purfling. Wh at
you really need is a well -m ade soundboa rd," Mr s. Westover
said . " In other words , students can af ford them . "
Th e Westovers are cur rently working on a co mmission to
make 16 specially designed renai ssanc e violas for the New
York Cit y school system . The rare instrument s ju st are n't
availabl e at a reasonable co st from any othe r so urce .
It' s only been the last several yea rs that the Westovers have
devoted their energie s full-time to instrument makin g. Be fore
that , Mr. West over was part -tim e pastor o f the church, and
had his shop in the vicarage . He still occas ionally preaches at
the church , althou gh he and Mrs. Westover don 't live in the
13
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Mr. Westover said .
The Westovers' interest in building instrument s began at an
early age, for both of them . As a child of 10, Harold decided

QUALITY HARDWOODS one day that a clothes pole prop could serve very well as a
xy lophone base . About the sa me tim e Allene d iscovered that
Clear • Kiln Dried • Surfaced 4 Sides • 3/.1" Thick bamboo makes a fin e flute .
3" to 10" Widths . 2-Ft. to 7-Ft. Lengths
20 Sq. Ft. Packs • Random Widths & Lengths And it wa sn 't too long after that the Westovers discovered
each other as well. At 15, Harold proposed to Allene .
Red Oak-Plain. . . .. . . . . . . . . . $45,00 Ash . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . $49.00
White Oak .... . . . ... . . .. . . $44.00 Basswood ........ ....... . ..... $31 .00 " I proposed to her on the fir st date . She laughed at me. But
Pecan . . . . . . ... . . . .... . . $42.00 Poplar.. .. ........ $27.00 she does n't laugh anymore, " Mr. Westover sa id .
Cherry .. . , . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $59.00 Aromatic Red Cedar (Tight Knots) . .. $32.00
Walnut . .. . . . $60.00 Cypress . . ....... .. ...... $31.00 At the time, they both lived in Columbia , Missouri , hom e to
Hard Maple . .. . . ...... . ... $33.00 Birch.. $43.00
both the Univer sit y of Missouri and Steph en s Colle ge. Th ey
Orders Shipped C.O.D. by UPS. Shipping Charges Add ed. were married about seve n yea rs later, in 1945. And in their 44
Texas Residents Add 7% Sales Tax. years of marriage the Westovers have found new ways to
To Order Call 214-693-4735 or Write to: explore their musical interest wherever they happen to land .
K & S SPECIALTY LUMBER Even duri ng World War II, Mr. Westover found himsel f
P.O. Box 125 - Hill's Lake Road · Carthage, TX75633 involved with musical instrument s. As a volunteer chaplain he
repaired portable field organs in Africa . He explained that the
desert sand sto rms regu larly would clog up the portable organ s.
so his knowledge of instrument s wa s put to use repair ing the
damage.
The work with organs has led to an other of Mr. Westover ' s
spec ialties , the portative or gan . Th e small orga ns are rep rodu c-
tions of an instrument popular in Europe during the ea rly
Renaissance . They are small enoug h to rest on the lap and ar e
played with one hand, while the other hand operat es a s ma ll
bellows. T he keyboard is much like a mod ern pian o. In fact ,
Mr. Westover pointed out that the portati ve orga n keyboar d
was the first to have keys all of the same size . Earli er organs
had keys tha t corresponded to the size of the organ pipe - very
wide keys for the lar ge bass pipe s. and ver y nar row keys for the
tiny trebl e pipes. Mr. Westover said he spent many yea rs
making both portati ve or gans and stringed instruments. Now.
however, he work s more often with str inged instrument s.
although he still takes occasional commissions for the organ s.
Both the Westovers began their ser ious work in stri nged
instrument s at about the same tim e . The co uple was in
Washin gton D.C. , with Mr. Westover newly named assista nt
rector o f St. John ' s. On e o f Mr. Westo ver' s projects there wa s
or gani zin g a sma ll record er ense mble . Record ers arc a simple
medi eval flut e . " I thou ght early mu sic wa s simple enough so
that a lot o f peopl e would be interested , " Mr. Westover said.
M r. Westover decided he needed a particul ar kind of
instrument - a viola da gamba - to ca rry the bass line for the
recorder gro up. Th e instru me nt is like a lar ge violin. with a
ran ge similar 10 a ce llo . Like most o f the instrument s made by
the Westovers, it' s fro m the Renai ssanc e. In his search for the
rare viola da gamba , Mr. Westo ver wound up in the shop of
14 T he Woodworker' s Journ al
 CASCADE TOOLS, INC.
P.O. Box 3110, Bellingham, WA 98227

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Finest Quality Carbide Tipped
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RABBETTING CORNER ROUND

Washin gton D. C. instrument maker Willi s Gault.

Ga ult didn ' t have any of the violas, but suggested that Mr.
Westover bu ild one. When Mr. Westover told Ga ult he didn 't
SIZE PART NO. PRICE
know how, Ga ult replied, " All right , I'll teach you, it's very 1/4" St raigh t C2030 $24.95 SIZE PART NO. PRICE
3/8" St raigh t C203 1 $26.95 1/4" Radius C2059 $24.95
easy . 1/2" St raight C2032 $28.95 3/8 " Radius C2060 $26 .95
" He lied ," Mr. Westover said . 3/4" St raigh t C2033 $32.95 1/2" Radius C2061 $28 .95
1" Stra ig ht C2034 $35.95 3/4" Radius C206 2 $35 .95
So Mr. Westover became a regul ar at Gault ' s shop, spend ing 1·1/2" St raigh t C203 5 $36.95 1" Radius C206 3 $49 .95
2" Stra ig ht C2036 $59.95 1·1/4 " Rad ius C2064 $49 .95
his time absorb ing the craft from a master.
" It was very nice . We 'd build for a wh ile and talk for a FLUTE BEAD
while," Mr. Westover said .
And Mrs. Westover soo n decided to bui ld a viola da ga mba
for herself. She learned so quickly that her first instrument
became famo us on the internationa l co nce rt stage, owned by
SIZE PART NO. PRICE SIZE PART NO. PRICE
Laur a Poll ack . Mrs. Westover ' s treble viola da gamba fea tures 1/4" Flute C2046 $24.95 1/4" Bead C2052 $24 .95
an e laborate ca rve d head . 3/8" Flut e C2047 $26.95 3/8" Bead C2053 $26 .95
1/2" Flut e C2048 $28.95 1/2" Bead C2054 $28 .95
The Westovers started a ca reer that has spa nned 30 yea rs and 3/4" Flute C2049 $32.95 3/4 " Bead C2055 $32.95
1" Flute C2050 $35.95 1" Bead C2056 $35 .95
see n the creation o f thou sand s of instruments. The co uple has
made abo ut 30 different kind s of instrument s. DOUBLE·FLUTED BEADING
114" SHAN K
During those yea rs the Westovers haven 't been afra id to be Straight 1/4" SHANK PART NO. A PRICE
PART NO. D PRICE C1157 1/16 R $11
different. Fo r exa mple, the Folk Fiddle in this issue has a flat C1001 1/4 $6 C1158 1/8 R $11
so undboa rd, or belly, wh ile tradit ional violins have an arched C1002 5/16 $6 C1159 3/16 R $11
C1003 3/8 $6 C1160 1/4 R $12
belly. Mr. Westover said that it' s been established that a fl at C1004 1/2 $8 C1 161 5/16 R $13
C1005 5/8 $10 C1162 3/8 R $15
belly plays j ust as well as the trad ition al variety, and that ton al C1006 3/4 $10 C1163 1/2 R $16
qualit y is affec ted by other factors suc h as the type of wood s C1007 1 $12 1/2" SHANK
1/2" SHANK PART NO. A PRICE
and interior geo me try. PART NO. D PRICE C117 1 1/2 R $16
C1008 1/4 $6 C1 172 3/4 R $20
Th e Westovers have also simplif ied fidd le making by -. D .... C1009 5/16 $6
inco rporating mech anical tunin g machines instead of the C1010
C101 1
3/8
1/2
$6
$8
ROUNDOVER
trad ition al woo de n pegs - which need to fit prec isely into a C1012 1/2 $15 1/4" SHAN K
C1013 5/8 $10 PART NO. A PRICE
tapered mortise - and makin g the pro file more guitar-like than C1014 5/8 $15 C l 174 1/16 R $11
C1015 3/4 $10 C117 5 1/8 R $11
a trad ition al vio lin . T hey also leave off the carv ing and use a C1016 3/4 $15 C1176 3/ 16 R $11
qu ick polyur eth ane finish. All the changes don 't affect the C101 7 1 $12 C1177 1/4 R $12
C1018 1·1/4 $12 C l 178 5/16 R $13
sound that much - altho ugh Mr. Westover is the first to admit C1019 1-3/8 $15 Cl179 3/8 R $15
C1021 1·5/8 $18 C 1180 1/2 R $16
that these folk fidd les aren' t Stradiv ari qual ity. T hey are, 112" SHANK
however , goo d-quality, affordable instruments that stude nts PART NO. A PRICE
DOVETAIL C1187 1/2 R $16
1/4" SHANK
ca n learn on. PART NO. D PRICE
C11 88 5/8 R $20
C1189 3/4 R $20
" What we' ve tr ied to do is cut corners that don ' t affect the Cl067 1/4 $7
C1190 7/8 R $34
Cl 068 318 $7
so und or the durabi lity," Mrs. Westover sa id. C1191 1R $34
Cl069 1/2 $7
C1192 1-1/4 R $40
Cl0 70 9/16 $8
In the proc ess, the Westovers have also helped initiate C1071 3/4 $9
hund reds of peop le into the craft of instru men t makin g. T hey 1/2" SHANK COVE
PART NO. D PRICE 1/4" SHAN K
give four-day worksho ps in the United States and Can ada to C1074 1/2 $7

~
PART NO. A PRICE
C1076 3/4 $9 C1138 1/16 R $12
abou t 15 stude nts at a tim e . And the Westovers ' enthusiasm for C1077 1 $12 Cl139 1/8 R $12
teach ing is such that they insis t each stude nt fini sh an . C1140 3116 R $12

instru ment. T hey ' ll go to almos t any length to make sure that
ROMAN OGEE , C1141
C1142
1/4 R
5/16 R
$13
$14
1/4" SHAN K

~
• C114 3 3/8 R $15
the instrume nt gets don e . I PART NO. A PRICE C1144 1/2 R $16
Sometimes the stude nt leaves witho ut varnis h on the C1153 5/32 R $16 112" SHA N K
Cl154 1/4 R $18 PART NO. A PRICE
instrument, but the piece is compl ete. Mr. Westover said that 1/2" SHAN K C1149 1/2 R $16
C1151 3/4 R $28
thus far only one stude nt has failed to finish an instrument. Th e
Westovers are truly co nfide nt they'll be able to ge t any stude nt
throug h all the ste ps needed to build an instru ment, no matter
how inexperie nced . P.-1 ORDER TOLL FREE [~]
" We know at the beginnin g that all their fea rs about failing . . . 1.800.235.0272 'C3C/
are not going to co me true, " Mr. Westover said . ~
March iApri l 1990 IS
(Q2(3§Woodworking Basics
MAKING DRAWERS
DRAWER
SIDE
:::-=--
/ I~~~"""",,- ~-==------=====---=
--
FLUSH
FRONT
t' s hard to be a woodworker for any
I length of time wi tho ut making
drawers. Wall shelves, tables, toys
and folk-art silhouettes are all great
proj ects, but eventua lly yo u wi ll face
the inev itab le ca binet - and the nee d to
make drawers.
Actually, drawers are n ' t an especially
diffic ult cha llenge . Once you've made
that fir st drawer you 'll pro bably si t back
and ask your se lf why you wa ited so
lon g. And, if you a re wor king o n a
project with several drawers of the sa me
size, you' ll qui ckly discover how we ll-
suited dr awers are to lim ited prod uctio n
runs.
Th e bigg est questio n to be answered
whe n a project req uires drawers is
usually wha t type of dr awer co nstruc-
tion to use. Somctimes the answer is
obvious, such as on a rep rodu ction of a
muse um piece whe re yo u wa nt your
project to be an exact co py of the
or igina l. If the origina l cabinet had
16
DRAWER
BACK
DRAWER
SIDE
dovetailed dra wers, then you 'll want to
use dovet ails for the drawers on your
rep roduction . But more likely you' ll be
building a piece where any of a number
of different drawer construction tech -
niqu es would do.
T he next logical qu estion is wheth er
one type of drawer co nstruction is
super ior to another. Fro m a standpo int
of stre ngth it' s hard to beat dovetail s
(F ig. I). But for many uses a rabbet-
and-dado co nstruction (F ig. 2) is rea-
so nably stro ng. and much eas ier to
ma ke . Anot her very stro ng though a
little uncon vent ional co nstr uction is the
splined-miter (F ig. 3) . You 'lI see thi s
type of drawer on sma ll jewelry boxes.
or in other small cases where an applied
fro nt is then added to the drawer box .
Since a drawer is in most respects j ust a
box . almos t any type of box co nstruc -
tion is also acce ptable for drawers.
Finge r jo ints (F ig. 4 ) a rc abo ut as stro ng
as dove tails. and in so me applica tio ns
T he Woodworker' s Journal
=============================================================-1
the exposed fi nge r joint s on the front F ie, 7
make an interesting design detail. Or
you ca n add an applied face to the
drawer box where an overlay is re-
quired. Th e simple rabbeted and finish-
nailed co nstruction (F ig. 5) is adeq uate
for many applicatio ns where the drawer
is sma ll and wi ll not have much stress
placed on it.
SPLIN ED
Tied up with the question of how to M I TER OVERLAY
build the drawer a re several other co n- OR LIPPED
siderations. Is the drawer inset and flu sh
with the case fro nt (F ig. 6), or doe s it
stand prou d of and overlay the front EIC, 4 FIG! 8
(F ig. 7)? Is the drawer front one piece,
or will it have an applied face (Fig. 8)?
Th e applied face is hand y for drawers
that use co mme rc ial hard ware since it
allows for adjustm ent to a proper fit
regardless of how the drawer hangs.
But , how the dr awer hangs raises
other qu estion s. Will you be using
store -bo ug ht co mmerc ial drawer slides ,
or will you be usin g a drawer frame-and-
guide syste m? If you opt for the com -
mercial ha rd ware , then the draw er box FIG 5
must be sized to allow for the slides
(Fig . 9) . For traditi on al drawer-fram e-
in-carcase con struction , you 'll probably
be usin g dra wer guides on either side ,
unless the draw er s fit directly against
the case sides . If you are using a de sign
where there aren' t any drawer fram es to
suppor t the drawers, and you don 't want P LAIN
RABBET
to use the co mmerc ial hardware, you COMMERCIAL
ca n make your ow n draw er guides/ SLI DE
hangers (F ig. 10) . Th ese shop-made
guides also serve as drawer stops. The
F. IGr 6
guides mount to the case sides and fit
into matchin g grooves cut into the
drawe r sides.
Th ere are other essentials, such as
stock thick ness , how the drawer bott om
is mounted , and where to locate a
drawer stop if one is needed . As for
stock thick ness , in most draw er co n-
structions that do not use an applied
a
face, the drawer front is thicker than the
sides and back. The sides and back are
FLUSH~ ~
usually a seconda ry wood , since a stoc k or plywood , usu ally fits into a repl acement if necessar y. If the drawer
cabi net-q ua lity hardwood would be groove in the sides and front. It can be bottom is also ca ptured in a groove in
wasted where it's not see n. screwed or nai led into the bottom edge the drawer back , then it can not eas ily be
T he drawer bott om , whether so lid o f the draw er back , which allows for replaced .
March /April 1990 17
 Woodworking Basics
Continued
IL..=:::::::::::=======================================================
Drawer sto ps are usu ally located
either above o r be low the d rawer. If yo u
have a solid beve l-edge d d rawer bott o m
that' s about flu sh wi th the bo tto m edges
of the sides and fron t . then yo u' ll wa nt
to mou nt the stop above . Th e drawer
back is sized na rrower to allow fix the
thick nes s of the sto p. More commonly
yo u' ll have a plywood dr awer bo tto m.
Size the sto p th ickness j ust a littl e less
than the distance bet ween the groove for
the drawer bo tto m a nd the bott om edge
of the sides. Size the back so the bo tto m
wi ll screw up into it' s bott om edge . O n
a wide drawer it' s best to use two sto ps,
o ne o n eac h side .
Step-By-Step
W ith so many different dr aw er co n-
structio n techniques, it' s not easy to
se lec t j ust o ne to co nce ntrate o n . Dove-
tai ls and box joi nts are the stro nges t, and
the rabbeted co nst ruc tio n is ce rtai nly the
ea siest. But fro m a sta ndpo int of bot h
stre ngt h and ease of construction, the
rabb et-a nd-dado. c ut on the table saw
using a dado head , is a good co mpro-
mise . It' s co nsiderably stronger than the
plain rabbet. yet o nly req uires a little
more work . Best of all, o nce yo u have
the setups right. thi s method is ideally
suited to produ ction d raw er making,
whic h saves tim e if yo u have a numbe r
of dr awer s to make . Rem embe r. thou gh ,
rabb et-and -dad o co ns truc tio n is best for
small to medium size d dr a wer s. For
larger drawer s - those ove r 30 in. wid e
- you' ll want to use dovetail s o r box
18
joints.
Ou r step-by-s tep wi ll make two dr aw-
ers, o ne that' s go t an ove rla y or lip o n
the fro nt and o ne w ith no ove rlay (F ig.
II ). Th e steps for bo th d rawers a re
identi cal through most o f the process.
Our sample dr awer has a 3/ 4 in. thic k
front , 1/ 2 in . thick sides and bac k, and a
1/ 4 in . thick plywood bott om .
Step I : A fte r cutt ing yo ur stoc k to
len gth and width , set up the table saw
fix the rabbet-and-dado cuts. As shown ,
for a drawer with a 3/ 4 in . thick front and
1/ 2 in. thick s ides and back , yo ur initial
setup w ill be with the dad o head set for
a 1/ 4 in. wid e by 1/ 4 in. deep c ut. Set up
a sto pblock to index the cut . a nd use the
miter gauge to pass the stoc k across the
dado head . T his setup is used to cut the
1/ 4 in. wide by 1/ 4 in. deep grooves on
each e nd of the d rawer sides . T his ste p
app lies to both overlay and no-overl ay
drawe rs.
Step 2 : Usin g the same dad o head
se tting, c ut the 1/ 4 in. by 1/ 4 in. rabb et s
o n the e nds o f the dra wer back . Since
the stoc k is passed thro ug h the dad o
head on e nd, yo u' ll need a ten on jig to
provide the requ ired suppo rt. Ste p 2
app lies to bo th ove rlay and no-overlay
d rawer s.
Step 3: For the no-ove rlay drawer,
raise the dado head to 1/ 2 in. high and
make the 1/2 in . deep dado cut on the
e nds of the drawer fro nt. For the drawer
with ove rlay, reset the dado head cutte r
so that the height includes the overlay
dim en sion . O n the dr awer show n in Fig.
II , since the drawer front has a 1/ 4 in.
overlay, the dad o head height w ill be .1/ 4
in. In pra cti ce, it' s a good idea to set the
dad o head hei ght a tad higher than the
IX
A= /2 NO OVERLAY
~40VE RL A'(
spec ified d istan ce to allow for sandi ng
the e nd g rai n on the flu sh drawer, o r
c utting the bead o n the lipp ed d rawer.
Rem ember , always support the stock
w ith a ten on j ig for cuts made with the
board o n e nd.
STEP 4
STOP
BLOCK
STEP 4
(OV ERL AY)
~
Th e Wood worker s Journal
 Step 4: For a no-ove rlay drawer . a ll
that rem a ins of the drawer joi nery is to
cu t back the ends of the drawer front.
On ce aga in. se t up a stopblock to index
the c ut. and make the cut with the miter
ga uge and dado head as shown. Th e
dado head is not a must here. but since
you' Il need it later for the drawer bott om
grooves . it doesn 't make much se nse to
cha nge to a regul ar sa w blad e and then
change back to the dad o head . If you ar e
making an overlay drawer , you 'll need
to cut back the ends o f the drawer front
and es tablis h the rabbe t to create the lip
on the top and bottom edges. Both cuts
ca n be made with the dado head still se t
for the 1/ 4 in. wide cut. Reset the
stopblock to cut back the ends (S tep 4
Ove rlay) . To c ut the overlay on the top
a nd bottom edges. rem o ve th e
stopblock , reset the dado head height to
1/ 2 in. and locate the a uxiliary fence so it
j ust touch es the dado head . If your dado
head is the typ e that leaves poin ts at the
co rners of the c ut. then co nsider using
the router table instead of the table saw
for the rabbet that esta blishes the lip.
Step 5 : Wheth er you are mak ing the
overlay or no-ove rlay d rawer, th e
groove for the drawer bottom wi ll be the
same . It' s made with the dado head set
for a 1/ 4 in. wide by 1/ 4 in. deep cut.
Locate the a uxi lia ry fence 1/ 4 in. from
the edge of the dado head for all cuts
except on the ove rlay drawer front. To
accom modate the ' /4 in . lip , you' ll need
to move the fence 1/ 2 in. fro m the dado
head. T he optiona l mold ed edge that we
show in Fig. lI on the ove rlay drawer
fro nt is best cut on the router table.
March/April 1990
Tips
However you decid e to make you r
drawer, sizing it for the case into whic h
it will fit is impo rta nt. Too tight a fit.
and youI l find that co me summe r the
drawer will stick . On the other hand . if
you allow too much play and size the
drawer too small. then it will skew
side ways . catching and binding as you
CASES
tr y to close it. So how mu ch pla y should
you allow? On an average-size drawer ,
and
about 1/ 16 to 1/ 32 in . ac ross the width of
the dr awer should suffice . Also. be sure
BINDERS
to size the drawer box a little less than
the height o f the ope ning. Thi s also
help s to avo id bindin g or sticking in Handsome
binders hold
hum id weather. If the case sides are
12 issues,
so lid stoc k. then allow abo ut 1/ 4 in. open flat for
betwee n the back of the drawer and the easy reading,
case back. Without thi s allowance . if the and are
case sides con trac t a bit. the drawer available in
cou ld end up hittin g agai nst the case two sizes:
back . Some cabinets or ches ts use the oversize for
back as a drawer sto p. but a se pa rate
back issues
up through
drawe r sto p is a better option . Jan/Feb 1986;
Traditionally. the most a cabi net- and standard
maker mig ht do to lubricate a drawer size for our
would be an applica tion of paraffin o n more recent
the drawer guid es, fra mes , and on the issues from
bott om edge o f the sides . Today we Mar/Apr 1986 on. $9.95 each
have so me better cho ices. With products or 3 for $27.95. Compact box
like Watco Dani sh Oil, the fini sh ac tu-
cases also come in both sizes.
$7.95 each or 3 for $21.95.
ally make s the wood hard er and more
resistant to wea r. An appl icati on o f the 1- Pie;;; ~d yo~rder with pay~n~:­
o il to the guides. fram es. and to the I JESSE JONES INDUSTRIES, Dept. WWJ
drawer sides will ha rden the woo d and
I 499 East Erie Ave., Philadelphia , PA 19134
reduce wear. I Enc lose d is $ .
Another modern so lution to the pro b- Add $1 per unit Postag e an d Handling .
I Outsid e U.S.A. $2.50 (U.S. c urrency only).
lem of wear is Teflon or plastic tape . I PA resi dents ad d 6% sales tax .
Act ua lly. these tapes can be ei ther Specify size: 0 Standard
(Vol. 10 No.2 - present)
Teflo n. polyole fin or plastic. T hey have o Ove rsize
an adhes ive back ing and are app lied to (Vol. 4 No. 5 - Vol. 10 No. I)
the case or drawer frames at the wea r Please se nd _ _ Bind e rs ; _ _ Cas es
for The Woodworke r'sjoum aJ.
poin ts. Th ey are extre mely stro ng and Binders: I . $9.95 3 · $27.95 6 - $52.95
wear resistant. and sho uld last the life of Cases: I· $7.95 3 - $21.95 6 - $39.95
Name (please Print) _
the project. Teflon and polyolefin tapes
a re manu factured by C HR Indu str ies Street
City _
Inc.. 40 7 Eas t St . , P.O. Box 1911. New
State /Provo _
Haven . CT 06 509 -9988 . Ca ll them at
Zip/Postal Code
(203) 777 -3631 for the nam e of a local
Chazge Orders (Minimum $15): Am Ex, Visa , Me,
distributor. Plastic tape can be orde red DC accepted. Send card name, #, Exp . date .
from Mei sel Hardwar e Spe cialties, P.O . CALL TOLL FREE 7 days, 24 hour s
Box 70 . Mound. MN 553 64 . ~
~~~~ -l
19
 In The Sho~

logical qu estion is, why co nsign

A ro ute r operat ion s to a drill press

whe n a portable router and a
router tabl e might be ava ilable? An
app ropriate answer is that the dri ll press
setup offe rs man y o f the adva ntages of
an overa rm pin ro uter , amo ng them,
eas ier wor k guida nce and more acc uracy
because of grea te r visibility of the work
area .
Case in po int - when forming a
morti se on a ro ute r table, the work
encases the bit and it must be pressed
down ove r the turning cutter or, in the
case of a plunge ro uter, the ope rato r
must reac h und er the table for the
necessar y adjustm ent whil e keep ing the
wor k sec ure . On a drill press, the
workpiece is firmly held as the bit is
lowered to pen etrate . Also , the depth -
stop mech ani sm on a drill press is easier
to use and more clearl y visible than that
on an und er-th e-tabl e router.
Stat istics indi cate that the average
purc hase d rout er has a 1/ 4 in. capacity
whil e the most popul ar drill press design
will handl e ro uter chucks of '/4 in. to 1/2
in. ca paci ty. T his broaden s the asso rt-
ment of ro ute r bits that ca n be used.
A nothe r fac tor, from person al ex peri-
ence anyway, is that there is more
opport unity with a drill press to design
speci al j igs and accessories that lead to
more co nvenie nt work-handling , better
acc uracy, and greater work-scope .
Moreove r, one of the interest ing
face ts of power tool woodw ork ing is
By RJ . De Cristoforo devising mean s of extend ing the ma-
c h ine's use fuln e ss , provi di ng, of
co urse , that unu sual applications are

Using practical and ca n be perfor me d withou t

dam age to the operator or the tool .
Using the drill press as a power so urce
for ro uter bits fa lls into th is ca tegory.

Router Bits Actua lly, the idea is not so far fetc hed
since many manu facturer s offer acces-
sor ies that allow the produ ct to be used
for mu ch more than routine drilling.

in a Drill Press Since ro uter bit s are, essentia lly, side

cutters, a co m mo n question is whether
the applica tio n might harm spindle bear-
ings and so void the tool ' s dri lling
20 The Woodworker ' s Journal
=============================================.J1
acc uracy. In truth , drill presses a re
designed wi th heavy-dut y ball bea ri ngs
- it's d ifficult to find a modern one that
isn 't so equi pped - that are spec if ically
design ed to stand up to radial loading. A
drill press wi th its spindle turning in
sleeve bearings is anothe r story. Here,
radi al stresses sho uld prob abl y be
avoided or , at lea st, minimized . Check -
ing the owner's manual will reveal
whether to go or not , and if there is still
doubt , a ca ll or note to the supplier will
provide the answer.
How abo ut spee ds? We know that
port able routers in which cutting bits a re
normally used. opera te at high spee ds:
10 ,000 rpm and more - revolut ion s not
match ed by a d rill press with, on the
average. a maximum speed that ca n vary
fro m 3,000 to 5,000.
Th ere a re ways to co mpensa te. Give n
a parti cul ar rate of feed (how fast the
work is moved) 10,000 rpm lets the bit's
cutti ng edges pass a spec ific numb er of
times over, say, an inch of the work's
edge. If the bit is spinning at 5 ,000 rpm ,
it see ms reason abl e that redu cing the
feed rate by 50 percent will allow the
cutter to do as mu ch work over the give n
area. So, a slower feed makes up for less
spee d .
It' s tempting , since most drill presses
have step pulleys and belt arrangement s
to provid e various rpm , to think of
pulley changes to step up the maximum
spee d range . Thi s "solution" should not
be attempted without first determining
fro m the manu facturer whether the alter-
atio n is safe for the machin e .
A second fac tor, which has to do with
the horsepower of the too l as well as
spee d, is how much materi al ca n be
removed in a single pass. W ith routine
drill ing , the pert inent factor is simp ly
the diameter of the bit. W ith router bits,
both the de pth and width of the cut co me
into play. Determining the co rrect pro-
cedure involves some operation al judg-
ment. If the motor slows up drastically,
or the belt s slip, or it is difficult to move
the work smoo thly, you a re cutting too
deep or too wide. Warning signs that
M arch/A pril 1990
indicate you are asking too much are operations, but for the various routing
burn mar ks that will appea r on the work chores that can be done. some safety
or the cutte r, and work-chatter that precautions are necessary. My machine
negates a smoo th operation. Th e so lu- is equipped with the see-through safety
tion . of co urse , is to achieve the full cut shield that is detailed in Fig. I. It' s not
by makin g repeat passes. For exa mple, difficult to make and well worth the
when a '/2 in. straight shank bit is bein g effort.
used to form a '/2 in . deep groove . make The shie ld, whic h is adjus tab le verti-
one cut '/4 in . deep, then fini sh the jo b ca lly, locks to a bracket that is secured
after lowerin g the bit an add itiona l '/4 with the sa me bo lt that tighten s the
in . casting for the depth-stop rod on my
The technique may not alwa ys be Delta drill press (Photo 2). A lumi num,
necessary. but whe n need ed it will avoid which is read ily available in 'Ix in . by I
stress ing the machin e and will result in
smoo ther work .
Organizing
Setting up for dri ll press routi ng is not
com plicated, but efficiency and safe ty
ca ll for some special co nside rations. For
one thing. since router bits wor k in a
way that produ ces side thr ust. they
should be gr ipped in a special chuck
used in place of the conve ntiona l three-
ja w unit (Photo I). Delta ca lls the unit a
spindle adap ter, Craftsman ca lls it a
holdin g co llet chuck.
Some operators ignore this ru le. but
it's not a pro fe ssional way to go, and the
repl acement unit doesn't cos t much . T he
Photo 2
accessory, however , is not interch ange-
able amo ng d ifferent machin es, so ob- in. straps , has sufficient strength for the
tain one fro m the maker of your drill part and is easily bent to shape. Check
press. the machine before doing any bending
Th e drill press is probably the least since youl l need to custo mize the
guarded of all power tools. Thi s may not bracket to fit on your drill press. Lexa n,
be a problem during routin e boring a clear plastic , is a good mater ial for the
21
~-==========================================================
In The Shop
Continued
~ :\
~ "' \
5 ?ACe;: ,",0
FIT "P'R.\\..-\..-
'i""RE:$ 5 TA~\....l:-
T A stra ight-s ha nk bit tells its own
sh ield, but if o bta ining some is a
probl em yo u can substitute so me oth er
rigid plast ic. Lexan is avai lable from
Trend Lines. 375 Beacham si ., C he l-
sea . MA 02150 ; 1-800-877-7899 .
A Jig to Ma ke
Routing is done in var ious ways-
straig ht-line work agai nst a fen ce, free-
ha nded ly. miter-gauge fee d , eve n by
pivot-guidi ng for ci rcu lar c uts. To be
prepared efficiently for all phases. it' s a
good idea to make the spec ial tabl e that
is detailed in Fig . 2 . We say " make "
because ready- made o nes a re not ava ila-
ble. The fence, ma de fro m plywood or
pa rt icleboa rd, is a two-part affai r, so it
ca n be used for straig ht-line wor k or
se parated to pro vide ro om for a c utte r.
In use. a C-c1amp at ea ch s ide sec ures
the fences to the ji g-tabl e , and the
asse mb ly to th e dril l-pre ss tabl e .
C lamps a re s ituated behi nd the fe nces so
they don 't inte rfe re w ith operatio ns.
22
Agai n, you ' ll need to c usto mize the j ig
to fit yo ur drill press.
T he co mplete routing setup co ns ists
of the spec ial chuck, the j ig- table a nd
fences. the safe ty shield , and an o n-
hand miter ga uge or on e that yo u buy for
the purpose .
A Word About Router Bits
T he ro uter bits used in a drill press a re
the same as those used in a port able
rout er. But f(JI" woodworker s not used to
router o peratio ns, a review of the types
available is in o rde r. For the purposes o f
this a rticle, rout er bits can be catego-
rized as follows: straight sha nk bits of
various diameters that do not require
pilot s and which a re used for cuts like
grooves, dad oes, mort isin g , and to
so me degree. for rabbeting: all-stee l
profile bits with integral pilot s. alth ou gh
so me a re ava ilable with ball -bearing
pilot s: pro file bits with carbide -tipped
c utt ing edges w ith. usually, ball -bearing
pilot s.
sto ry, form ing a vert ical-s ide U-s hape
with a flat bottom . Pro f ile bits pro duce
decorati ve edges: a mo ng the m , coves ,
ogees , rounded edg es, cha mfe rs, bea d-
and-cove and so o n. part icular width of cut.
An import ant po int is the differe nce Th ese pi lot fact or s apply mostly to
betwee n integ ral and ba ll-bea ri ng pi lots. free ha nd edge- ro uting - those ap plica-
Integ ral pilots turn wit h c utt ing edges at tion s wh ere c ut-w idth is co ntro lled by
the same spee d. T hus. since work piece s the pilot.
bear again st the m to co ntro l c ut-width ,
there ca n be e no ugh fricti on to ca use
At Wor k - Straight-Line Routing
burning o r indenting o f the work -ed ge . T hose w ho use a router table wi ll
Thi s negati ve factor ca n be avoid ed notice that the se tups used he re are
whe n do ing stra ight- line ro uting aga inst essentia lly the sa me . But now the bit is
a fence since fence placem en t can be set o n to p of the work where you ca n easi ly
so the pilot does not bear again st the see what's happ ening a nd co ntrol the
work: o nly the pro file edges w ill make c ut. And now you ca n eas ily start and
co ntact. stop plunge c uts wit h the d rill press
Ball -bearing pilots turn indep end- han dle .
e ntly of the bit' s c utting edges. Th ey Stra ight- line ro uting, whe n the c ut is
turn o nly at the spee d w ith which the away fro m the work ' s edge, is accom-
wor k is moved . Thu s, they ga uge the pli shed by butti ng the j ig 's fences so
c ut-w idth but wit ho ut crea ting fric tion . they offer an unb roken plane . Th e
Many bits of th is design ca n be f itted aux iliar y tab le is s itua ted to pro vide the
w ith ba ll beari ngs of var ious dia meters correc t edge d ista nce (Photo 3) . C utte rs
so yo u ca n c hoose. w ithin limits. a in a dr ill pres s rotate clockwise so work
Th e Woodworker' s Journ al
===========================================================-I
is moved fro m left to right and the ac tio n
of the c utter w ill tend to keep the work
aga ins t the fence . If the work is moved
" w ith" the c utte r's rotati on, the oppos ite
would tend to happen .
Hold the wor k fir mly down o n the
tabl e a nd s nug again st th e fenc e
through out the pass. Situ ate the safety
shield so it bear s lightl y on the work -
piece. In add ition to prot ection , it will
serve, to so me degre e, as a hold -down .
Sha ped edges a re produ ced in a
sim ila r fashi on , but with the fen ces
spaced to pro vid e room for the cutter
( Pho to 4) . A lways situate the fen ces so
the gap is j ust wide eno ugh for the bit in
use . You 'll noti ce that the groove in
wh ich the fences rid e also provides
roo m for the bit's pilot. Thu s, there is
flexibilit y for c utte r-heig ht. and bits
with integr al pilot s ca n be used witho ut
the possib ility of burn mar ks since the
pilot will not co ntac t the work.
March/A pr il 1990
When shaping is don e c ross -g rain, it
is inev itable that som e splintering or
feathering will occ ur at the e nd of the
c ut. Therefore, when shaping two o r
mor e edges, do the cross-grain c uts fir st:
the followin g with -th e-grain cut s will
remove whatever blemi she s have ap-
peared.
Never try to sha pe narrow pieces. If
you need s lim molding, do the work on
stock that is wide enough for safe
handling, then rip off the part you need.
Also, don't hand-feed narrow stoc k
that requires e nd-shaping . It will be
difficult, let alon e hazardou s, to try to
keep the work aga inst the fen ce and to
move it smo othly ac ross the fenc e-gap.
Use a miter gauge : and if the unit ca n be
eq uipped with a hold -down, so mu ch the
bett er (Photo 5 ).
Some Joint Work
Routing techn iques ca n be used to
produ ce an impressive number of joint
form s. Accuracy is, of co urse , imp or-
tant so setups must be o rga nized very
ca refully.
Th ere a re man y lengths and diameters
of rabbeting bits designed for portable way, exce pt that the work p iece is moved
routers that can be used on the dr ill dir ectly into the c utte r. C la mp a thin
press. The o peratio n is straight-line strip of wood to the j ig- fence as a sto p to
work with the ji g-table s ituated for the gau ge the len gth of the morti se ( Pho to
rabbet's width (Photo 6). If the width is 8) .
greater than the cutter's capacity, read - Tenon s for ro und -e nd morti ses mu st
ju st the ji g and mak e an additional pass. be rounded off to suit. o r the mortise-
Round-end mortises can be produced e nds ca n be sq uared by doin g so me hand
accurately and efficientl y with straight- work with a c hise l. You 'll f ind the
shank bit s (Pho to 7). Keep the j ig-fences round ed morti ses save a lot of time ,
butted , and clamp an additional " fe nce" s ince it o nly takes a mo me nt to round
to the tabl e to accommod ate the thick- the ten on s to match .
ness of the stoc k . Thu s yo u have an
Making Dovetails
alley that will insure accurate work-
feed. Str aight bit s are available in Formi ng dovetail s lots is another
various diameter s, so it' s likely ther e practi cal applica tio n . T he procedure is
will be on e to suit the morti se width that simply straight-line rou ting with the
is needed. Since morti ses are usuall y bit' s height above the ta ble adjusted for
deep, achieving full depth will probably correct depth of c ut (Pho to 9) . Re peat
require repeat pas se s. Rem ember that passes won 't wo rk here , so the shape
work is always moved from left to right, must be ac hieved right off. Th e re is a
so that each pass is started at the right so lution , thou gh, if there is a problem .
end of the mortise . First use a stra ight bit o f suitable
Open-end mortises are made the same diam eter to run a g roove do wn the
23
 In The Shop
Continued
IL...::=::::===========================================================-I

movabl e and the pivot can be situated in

i=\A . 3
CI~ CUI.--,A..~ "Rov-nN A £..J..,\~ s.
any of the holes in the pivot guide.
.6.VI'~>":' ~=.\'? L:..LUE =
Exa mple applications are intern al cuts
" '" ~""$E. C>'F
", 3'\.c..... like the groo ves bein g formed in Photo
12. and edge shaping on disks shown in
Phot o 13.

ce nte r line of the c ut. Then. switc h to

the dovetail bit to co mplete the j ob.
For mi ng the matching " pin" is ac-
co mplished as shown in Phot o 10. Th e
jig is set so the bit will form o ne side of
the pin. A second pass is made to
co mp lete the form afte r the wor k has
bee n turned end-for-end. C lamp a sec-
ond fence to the jig so the wo rk ca n be
moved without a wobble. On e of the
passes wi ll be made agai nst the grai n. so
work slowly: allow the bit to cut at its
ow n pace. To be sure of acc uracy. make
tr ial cuts on scrap befo re wo rki ng on
good stock . For run ning doveta ils it's
especially im po rtant that the cuts be
acc urate. so the wo rkpieces don 't bind
du rin g asse mbly.
Make a Circular Rou ting Gu ide
Th e c ircular ro uting guide. detailed in
Fig. 3 and show n in Photo II , is an
24
accessory for the ro uter tabl e . Th e
tech niqu e is simple: workpieces of al-
most any shape are imp aled on the pivot
(a nail ) and rotated slowly again st the
cutle r's dir ection of rotati on . Th ere is
much flexibility in terms of work -size
and cut-radius since the j ig-table is
When you wi sh to avoid a hole
through the stoc k (for the pivot pin ),
drill a blind hole and use a short nail or
cut one to len gth . Using a ba ll-bearing
bit. instead of the ji g, also eliminates the
hole thro ugh the stoc k (Photo 14). But
that only wo rks for ed ge shaping.
Use a very firm gri p wh en doin g this
kind of work since the cutler will
volunteer to turn the work on its own.
Thi s " anti" action will be more obvious
during c ircula r edge-shaping opera-
tion s. Always use the safety shie ld, and
place it on the work to supply some
ho ld-down act ion. ~
The Woodworker' s Journal

Finishing Outdoor Projects
he main challenge to the maker
T of garden furniture and outdoor
wood projects is to protect the
wood from the ravage s of an outdoor
environment - blistering sun, rain and
snow, radical temperature extremes,
decay-causing organisms, and wood-
boring insects. And, how to do this
while creating a pleasing finish. Indoor
furniture will remain more or less
unchanged in appearance and structural
integrity for a hundred years with rela-
tively little surface protection and main-
tenance. But outdoor furniture won 't
last more than a few years without a
wood preservative treatment combined
with a durable exterior surface finish.
This article includes an over view of
the various wood protection produ cts
and fini she s suitable for outdoor furni -
ture and related projects. We've broken
Mar ch/April 1990
Finishing
by Jim Barrett
these down into five general categor ies:
wood preservati ves and water re-
pellents , exterior stains, clear finishes ,
penetrating oils, and exterior paints.
Within each category, there are dozens
of variations, and in the case of stains,
clear finishe s, and paint s, hundreds of
brand-name products which vary in
specific formulations, price, and per-
formance. We reali zed early on that it
would be nearly impossible to test and
report on every product suitable for
outdoor use, so we've opted to describe
the general characteristics and applica-
tion methods of each basic type. Also,
because most paint and finish manufac-
turers tend to distribute their products on
a regional or local basis, products
available in one area won't be available
in another. This being the case, you 'll
need to do some additional homework
based on the products available in your
are a, by writing or calling various
companies for product literature and
specifi c applicati on data. We do men-
tion several nati on ally available prod-
ucts as examples ; the name s and ad-
dresses of the co mpanies a rc listed on
page 29 if you want furthe r information
on the products menti oned .
Why Outdoor Wood Needs Protection
In order to choose the appro pr iate
type of preservative treatment and finish
for your outdoor proj ect, it help s if you
know how weath er affects the woo d and
exactl y what you 'll need to protect the
wood aga inst.
Th e two grea tes t ene m ies o f outdoor
furniture are moisture and sunlight.
Moisture affec ts wood in two ways :
First, when wood gets wet , it expands;
25
 Finishing
Continued
1-==================================================================
whe n it dr ies out. it co ntrac ts. Thi s
co ntinua l process ca uses it to wa rp.
check and split. Unde r co ns ta nt ex po -
sure to severe co nd itio ns. these forces
ca n lite rall y wre nc h yo ur project ap a rt.
Mo isture also foste rs the growth o f
decay-caus ing organisms - mold and
mildew. T hese o rga nis ms secrete e n-
zymes that break dow n the wood f ibers.
resultin g in deca y. Sun and wind dr y o ut
and evapo rate the natural resin s in wood
that prote cted it from moi sture whil e the
tree wa s alive . Sun also bleaches the
woo d surface . turning it gray . In addi -
tio n. woo d left o utdo o rs is mu ch more
susce ptible to woo d- bo r ing insec ts. suc h
as carpe nter ants. termites. a nd the
wood -hungry la r vae of va r ious beetl es
and mo ths .
T he he a rt wood o f red wood . red ceda r
and So uthe rn cy press are o fte n used for
ou tdoor projects because they ' re natu-
ra lly decay res ista nt - to a poi nt. Eve n
these woo ds requi re add itio na l prot ec -
tion agai nst the e leme nts if yo u ex pec t
the project to last more than f ive years o r
so .
No si ng le type o f o utdoor woo d
preserva tive. sealer o r ex te r ior fi nish
will protec t woo d ag a inst all of these
dam agin g effects - at lea st not for very
lon g. In most cases . yo u' ll need to use a
preservative treatment in addit ion to an
ex te rior fini sh . o r a product th at co m-
bine s both . to pr o vide m a ximum
weathe r protecti on and o bta in the de-
si red fini shed appearance . But eve n the
bes t produ cts. or co mb inatio n of them .
wo n' t last forever. Whereas the paint job
o n yo ur house may last 10 to 15 years.
you ca n ex pect to renew the surface
f inish o n o utdoor projects every three to
five years (de pend ing o n local cl ima te)
to mai ntain a protect ive ba rri e r aga inst
the wea ther. Unlike hou se s id ing. which
is often prot ected by a roof ove rha ng.
o utdoor furn itu re. plant er boxes. dec ks.
fe nces . a nd the like. a re o fte n d irectl y
ex posed to the weathe r. Al so . hori zontal
surfaces suc h as bench and tabl e top s.
a re more susc e ptible to the effect s of sun
and moisture than vert ica l surfaces. Of
co urse . you ca n prol on g the life o f yo ur
o utdoor furniture by putting it unde r
26
cover or ind oors durin g the w inter
months whe n it' s not in use .
Wood Preser vati ves &
Wat er Repellen ts
Two basic typ es of products a re used
to prot ect wood prior to fini shing -
wood pr e ser vati ve s a nd water re-
pell ent s. Wood preservatives con ta in
che m ica ls that mak e the wood resistant
to deca y and wood-bor ing insect s. Tra-
d itio na l wood preser vat ives inclu de cre-
oso te. pen tac hloro phe no l (pc nta) an d
co ppe r napth an ate . T he firs t two a re
highly toxi c and sho uld no t be used o n
furnitu re or proj ect s that wi ll come in
co ntac t wit h peop le. plant s. or animals.
Co ppe r nap than ate is non toxi c whe n
dr y. but sta ins the wood gree n.
Note: Man y wood preser vati ves. and
so me paints. stains and othe r o utdoor
f inishes co ntai n mildewcid es and other
che mica ls that have a low toxicit y whe n
dry. In spite of the low toxicit y they ca n
ca use skin irritation. o r ca n be harm fu l
whe n ingested . and therefore are not
suitable for furn iture suc h as cha irs o r
picni c tabl es (or o the r surfaces that may
co me in freq ue nt cont act w ith bar e skin
or wh e re food wi ll be se r ved) . Fo r such
proj ec ts. use a f ina l fi nish whos e label
read s "nontox ic when dry. " If yo u ' re in
do ub t. co ntact the manu facturer for
more informatio n.
Most lumberya rds se ll di mens iona l
lumbe r that has been pressure-treated
with wood pre ser vati ve . Th e lumbe r is
rated e ithe r for gro und contact o r above -
ground use. accord ing to the a mo unt of
preser vati ve infused into the wood . Th e
wood will last 50 yea rs or more o ut-
doors. but limit ed sizes and a n ofte n
un attracti ve surface appea rance make
most pressur e-treat ed lumber un suit ab le
for use in man y o utdoo r furnitu re pro-
jects. A lso . most pressure treated lum-
ber is not rec ommend ed for d irect
contact wi th skin or food product s. and
sho uld never be used for furn itur e. It is
fin e for plant er boxes (j ust don't grow
vege tables in them ) and other project s
where skin co ntact is not likely.
Altho ugh wood preservatives pro tec t
wood agai nst rot and insect attack . the
wood wi ll still absorb mo istu re. making
it subject to warping . check ing and
splitt ing w he n it dri es o ut. Water re-
pell ent s. suc h as Th ompson ' s Wate r
Seal. prot ect the wood by pen etratin g
the surface a nd formin g a barrier aga inst
wate r pen etration . On ce the barrier coa t
is broken. thou gh . the wood undern eath
is subje ct to decay. un less it has been
trea ted with a preservativ e.
Rat her tha n applyi ng a preser vati ve
and wat er re pe llent in a two -step proc-
ess. it' s mu ch e asier to use a one-s tep
wood tre at ment prod uct that co ntains
bo th . suc h as T hompson ' s Wood Protec-
to r o r Seasoni te . Som e wood treatm en t
product s a lso co ntai n ultraviolet abso rb-
ers (U VAs) that retard the grayi ng effect
of sunlight.
If yo u like the look of natural wood.
and wa nt to lea ve the project un fini shed .
you sho uld sti ll prot ect it fro m the
wea the r w ith a wood treat ment. The
woo d w ill eve ntua lly turn dark or ligh t
g ray fro m sun ex pos ure. but you can
slow down th is pro cess by addi ng a
sma ll amo unt of se mi tra nspa ren t o il-
based sta in to the treatm ent . matching
the woo d co lo r as closely as possible . A
clear. ex ter io r pen etratin g oi l f inish . or
clear fini sh suc h as C WF (C lea r Wood
Finish made by the Flood Co mpany)
will provide furthe r protectio n and im-
part a matt e shee n to the wood (see
Penetrati ng O ils. page 28 ).
O therwi se. app ly the wood treatm en t
before painting or sta ining to provid e
add itio na l protecti on . Apply seve ra l
light co ats to a ll surfaces of the furnitu re
o r project . es pec ially to joints prio r to
asse mbly. If the project is a lrea dy
asse mbled . coat a ll exposed surfaces.
letting the liq uid penet rate c racks and
joints to protect e nd g ra in . Fo r even
pen etrat ion. the woo d sho uld be dry and
sanded lightl y to rem ove g laze d surfaces
cause d by milling . So me wood treat -
ment product s leave a waxy buildup o n
the surface if yo u app ly too mu ch .
which preven ts eve n pen etrati on o r
ad hesio n of sta ins and f ini she s. If the
woo d do es not absor b the liqui d within
10-1 5 mi nutes. move the excess to
ano the r area or wi pe it off.
Th e Woodworker' s Journal
=======================================================.1
In so me cases, you' ll need to allow
the woo d to "weather" for one seaso n
(a bo ut six months) before you appl y a
stai n or othe r pen etrating fini sh. Also,
the woo d treatm ent might not be co m-
patibl e with the finish you've chose n.
Read the label instruc tions on the wood
treatm ent and fini sh containers before
you buy them for information on com-
patibility and application detail s. If
you' re still in doubt , co ntact the manu-
facturers of both produ cts.
Once aga in, remember to avoid any
products that include chemica ls that still
have so me toxicit y when dry. If you
have any doubts about the safety o f a
product , it's bett er to use a finish that
you are ce rtai n is safe, rather than take
chances.
Exterior Stains
Two basic types of exter ior stains are
ava ilable - alkyd (oi l-base d) and
acrylic (wa ter-base d) . Generall y speak-
ing, alkyd stai ns provide a deeper , more
even penetrati on than acry lic stains,
making them easier to control, espe -
cially on nonporous woods. Acryl ic
stai ns, on the othe r hand , tend to be
slig htly more durabl e and lon ger-
lastin g, and cleanup is easier. Both
types will require re-appl ication every
two or th ree year s to maintain the
or iginal co lor, depending on the severity
of the climate. In terms of protectin g the
wood itsel f from the damaging effects of
weather, ne ither type has a clear-cut
adva ntage . Th e pigm ent s in both types
protect the wood from the bleaching
effect o f the sun. Som e alkyd and
acrylic stains on the market also co ntain
wood preser vati ves (mildewcides) and
water-proofin g age nts. We recommend
using one of the " preservative stains"
over an ordina ry alk yd or acr ylic stain.
Ex terior stains are available in se mi-
transparent and so lid colors. Semi -
transpa rent stai ns allow some of the
wood grai n and co lor to show; solid
co lor stains co mpletely hide the co lor
and grai n pattern , but not the textur e of
the wood. Sever al manu facturers we
spo ke with adv ised aga inst using solid
co lor stains on outdoo r furn iture such as
March /April 1990
tables, benches and cha irs, becau se the
surface eventually turn s cha lky and the
stain pigment rub s off on skin and
clothing. As with other penetrating
finishes, the wood must be clean and
dry . Sand all surfaces lightly to remov e
glaze d or shiny spots ca used by millin g.
Test the stain on an incon spicuou s
area to see how it reacts with the wood
and to make sure the color you chose is
An outdoor environment can take its
toll .
the one you want. If the stain penetr ates
unevenly , or not at all , the wood is
probably too wet or over-saturated with
a prese rvative or water rep ellent. If you
suspect the latter, allow the wood to
weather outdoors for at least six months,
then apply the stain during the summer
when the wood is completely dr y.
If you 're applying the sta in outd oors,
avoid direct sunlight or wind y condi -
tion s. Apply stain to the end s of boards
fir st , then to the faces . To avoid lap
marks, sta rt at one end o f the surfa ce
and appl y the stain in relatively shor t
strokes, or "takes, " to maint ain a wet
leading edge (the faster the wood ab-
sorbs the stain, the faster you must work
to avoid lap marks ). If the stain is not
bein g completely absorbed by the wood,
brush it out vigorously to prevent
buildup. In other word s, do not soak the
sur face with sta in and leave it. Applying
two thin coats provides better protection
than one thick coat, and assures a more
even co lor.
Sta ins used by them selves ge nera lly
produ ce a flat or matte finis h (so me
oil-based stains may retain a slig htly
oily appearance for seve ral months after
application). For a natu ral o il finish,
you can mix an o il-base d stain with an
exterior penetr atin g oi l finish, such as
Varathane Natural Oil Finish # 66 , or
use an exterior stain/fi nis h, such as
Watco Exter ior Wood Finis h. If you
want a gloss or se mi-g loss finish , you
can cover the stain with a clear finish,
such as spa r varn ish or exte rior po lyur e-
thane . Aga in, check with the manu fac-
turers of both produ cts to make sure the
stain and clear fini sh or pen etratin g oil
you 're using are co mpatible .
Clear Finishes
For many yea rs, exterior marine spa r
varn ish was the only clear surface finish
suitable for outdoo r use . Tod ay you
have two other options - exterior
polyureth anes and exter ior clear latex
(acry lic or vinyl ac ry lic) finis hes .
Spar varn ishes a re a mi xture of
natural oils (incl ud ing tun g oil) and
phenolic resins. Th ey co me in inter ior
and exter ior grades. Ex terior or marine-
grade spa rs are also referred to as
long-oil varni shes, becau se they co nta in
slow-dry ing so lvents that allow deeper
penetration into the wood , providin g
greater protecti on against the eleme nts.
Select a varn ish formulated spec ifica lly
for exter ior or mar ine use.
Th e one drawback to spa r varni shes
and other clear surfaces fini shes is that
they don 't offer as much weather protec-
tion as exterior stains or paints. Ex terior
stains and preser vative-stain s protect the
wood by penetr atin g deep into the wood
fibers ; paint s protect wood by form ing a
thick protecti ve barr ier coat. Spa r var-
nishes provide a relati vely thin bar rier
coat and don 't penet rate as deepl y as
stains. If you ' ve ever used a spar varnish
or polyurethane, only to have it fail afte r
a few month s, you prob ably didn 't appl y
enough - most manu facturer s recom -
mend applying at least three coats to
bare wood . Becau se you have to let spa r
27
 Finishing
Continued
varn ish dry 6 to 24 hours between coats,
the procedure can be tedious, indeed !
We sugges t that you al so treat the wood
with a preservativ e/w ater rep ell ent, or
goo d exter ior preser vati ve/stain before
applying the varn ish. As with other
finishes, make sure product s are co m-
patible. Before appl yin g spa r varn ish,
make sure the surface is clean, dr y, and
free of du st , grade mark s, mildew or
other foreign matter. Fill crac ks and nail
holes with a patching co mpo und or
wood putt y co lored to match the wood.
Sand the surface lightl y to re mo ve rou gh
spots and wipe with a tack cl oth to
remove any sawdust.
Spar varn ish is best applied w ith a
high -qu alit y, fine- br istle varnis h brush.
Coat all surfaces, incl ud ing the ends and
undersides of boa rds. Becau se formula-
tio ns vary, foll ow label dir ecti on s for
specific application instructions. So me
spa r varn ishes require thinning with
mineral spir its before use ; othe rs don ' t.
Most require a light sand ing wi th fine-
gr it paper betw een coats.
Exte rior polyur eth ane fin ishes pro -
vide a dur abl e g loss or se mi-g loss fini sh
for outdoor furn iture, but the sur face
film is generally less flexibl e than that o f
a spa r varn ish. Wood ex pa ns ion and
co ntrac tion ca used by an o utdoo r e nvi-
ronme nt makes the fini sh craze, or
deve lop tiny crac ks . Actua l formul a-
tion s vary between manufacturers, so
some types are less pron e to craz ing than
others. Also , polyurethanes ca n' t be
used over stains or preservati ve treat-
ment s that co ntain waxes, stca rates, or
si lico nes . Th e manu facturer can recom -
me nd an appro pria te stain to use with
their polyurethane. If you do go with a
polyu reth ane, make sure it' s formulated
for exterior usc . Apply at least th ree
coa ts, foll ow ing label directi on s.
C lea r latex fini sh es formul ated fo r
outdoor use are a relati vely recent
develo pme nt. A ltho ug h not as durable
as spa r varn ish or pol yureth ane , thei r
fast dry tim e and water cleanup make
the m much eas ier to use. C lea r latex
dri es to a se m i-g loss or satin fini sh , and
won' t yellow or dar ken as spa r varn ish
and po lyure thane do . However, the
28
finish may take on a cloudy or blushed
appea rance when exposed to high moi s-
ture (ra in, tog, dew) at low tempera -
tures. Th e fini sh turn s clear aga in when
temperatu res rise and the moisture dissi-
pates.
As with the other clear fini shes, apply
at least th ree coats, cover ing all sur-
faces . Fill all crac ks and nail hole s with
a wa ter-base d spac kle or filler tinted to
match the wood. Clea r latex fini shes a re
co mpatible with wat er-b ased stains and
many o il-base d stains.
Co mpa red to ex terior paint s and
stains, clear exter ior fini shes provide
relat ively little prot ection from dama ge
ca used by ultra violet rays . Spar var-
nishes and polyureth anes also have a
tend ency to yellow or darken over a
peri od of time . Som e formulation s con-
tain ultr aviolet absorb ers (U VAs) to
help resist these effec ts. Another prob-
lem with clear surface fini shes is that
becau se th ey require fr equ ent re -
application (every two or three years) ,
the fini sh coa ts tend to build up qui ckl y.
Ultima tely, thi s buildup creates a sur-
face that' s a real hassle to prepar e for
furt her varnis hing or painting.
Unless you' re se t on a gloss or
se mi-g loss clear fini sh, go with a stain,
paint , or penetrating finish lor proj ects
that will rem ain out doors year round .
We recommend spar varn ishes, exte rior
polyureth anes, and simila r clear exteri or
finishes for furniture that will be situ-
ated in a relatively prot ected area, such
as under a porch roof, and can be stored
under cover during the wint er month s.
Penetrating Oils
Most penetratin g o ils used for interior
furn iture, such as tun g o il, Dani sh oil ,
or lem on o il, provide little prote ction for
outdoo r furn iture. If you want a "natu -
ral " oi l finish, se lec t a penetrating fin ish
formulated for outdoor use . Watco Ex-
terior Wood Finish (natural) , Varathane
Natural Oil Finish, Dek s Olj e or CWF
from the Flood Co mpany, ar e several
exa mples. Some of these products ca n
be mixed with stains or tints to produ ce
a stai n/finis h. Usua lly, the penetr atin g
o il itsel f pro vides a ce rta in measur e o f
prot ection again st moisture . Some also
co ntain wood preser vati ves, UVAs, mil-
dewcid es, or water repell ent s, or combi -
nations o f these . You 'll need to do some
hom ework before buyin g a parti cul ar
penetrating o il finish to determine if
addit ional prot ection is requ ired . Follow
manu facturer' s instructi on s for mixing
with sta ins or tint s.
Exterior Pai nts
Th e two most commonly used exte-
rior paint s fo r outdoor projects are alkyd
(o il-base d) and acr ylic or vinyl acry lic
latex (water based ) . Th ey 're available in
fl at , satin or eggs hel l, se mi-gloss and
gloss . We recommend a gloss or semi-
g loss ename l for mo st proj ect s because
it' s eas ier to keep clean and has less
tend enc y to chalk . Th e price and quality
of alkyd and latex exterior paints vary
con siderably, and manufacturers ofte n
ca rry seve ra l line s. We sugges t that you
buy a " pre mi um" grade exterior paint
- the top of the line . As menti oned,
outdo or project s ge nerally take more of
a bea ting than hou se siding , and many
of the less-expen sive "hou se and trim"
paint s j ust wo n' t last. However , seve ral
co ats of a premium-quality house-and-
tr im paint, suc h as those " guaranteed to
last 15 yea rs" will probably hold up fi ve
years or so on a picnic table, plant er
box , or birdhouse exposed directl y to
the e lements.
On e-hundred percent acry lic latex
paints tend to outlast vinyl acr ylic
latexes. Modern synthetic alkyd paints
outlast the o ld-fas hioned linseed -oil
base d alkyds, and have a faster dr yin g
time . Some premium synthetic alkyd
paint s also contain silicone for extra
durability. In terms of performanc e and
dur ability, a top qu alit y paint of either
ty pe (la tex or alk yd) offers simila r
performance and durability.
Th e type of pa int you choose -
acr ylic latex or alkyd - is mostly a
matt er o f personal preferen ce, with one
exce ption. Exterior latex paint s co nta in
plast icizers, used to keep them so ft and
"elastic" after they 're dry. During wa rm
weather, you may notice that the paint
fee ls sticky or tacky. (Vinyl ac ry lic
T he Wood wor ker' s Journa l
==================================================================-1
paints show thi s cha rac teristic more than
pure acrylic pa ints). For thi s reason , you
sho uld not use latex paint s on cha irs,
ben ches, tabl es, or hor izont al surfaces
on which you ' ll be puttin g heavy ob-
jects.
To exte nd the life of any pa int job ,
first apply a high- qu alit y pr imer that' s
co mpa tib le with the paint you' re usi ng .
Surfaces sho uld be dry and free of d irt,
grease, res ins, mild ew, and other for-
e ign matter. Smooth or glazed surfa ces
should be ro ug hened with 150- or
180-grit sa ndpa per to provide " too th"
for good adhes ion. After applying a
Source List
Th e follo wing co mpanies distribute clear exterior fini shes, ex terior stains
and wood preservative produ cts on a nation al basis. As me ntio ned ea rlier,
most paint and va rnis h companies distribute on a reg ional or local basis only,
so you 'll have to choose among brands available in your area .
Behlen's (Mohawk Finishes)
Rt. 30 N. Am sterdam
New York , NY 12010
Phone: (5 18) 843- 1380
Spar Varnish
Deft, Inc.
17451 Von Karmen Ave .
Irvine, CA
Phone: (71 4 ) 474-0400
Interior/ext erior polyurethane
The Flecto Company, Inc.
(Varathane)
1000 45th St. Oakland , CA 94604
Phone: (4 15) 655-2470
Clear and pigm ented polyure-
thanes, " spar-type " exterior var-
nishes (Yarathane No. 92 and 93)
The Flood Company
P.O . Box 399 Hud son , OH 44 236
Phone : (800) 32 1-3444
Clear Wood Finish (CWF). Sea-
sonite , Deckswood wood restorer
good prime r to all surfaces , give the
project two or th ree heavy coa ts of
paint. To ass ure that all surfaces are
fully protected , we prefer to prim e all
pieces and g ive them one coat of pa int
before asse mbl y, then apply two more
fini sh coats afte r asse mbly, letting the
paint fill in cracks and jo ints where
pieces meet.
March/Ap ril 1990
Note: Red wood , red ceda r, knott y
pine and other " bleeding " species may
require an add itional coa t of primer to
sea l them . Latex prim ers are usually
more effec tive than oi l-based primer s
for thi s purpose . Pigme nted shellac al so
works well. A fter applying the primer,
wait 48 hours, check for bleeding, then
apply addit ional coats, if necessary.
Helpful Tips
Selecting Wood: Altho ugh practically
any wood species can be used for ga rde n
furn iture and other outdoor projects,
soft woods suc h as pin e , redwood,
The McClosky Corp.
7600 State Road
Phil adelp hia , PA 191 36
Phone : (2 15) 624 -4400
E r terior stains. spar varnish
Minwax
(Thompson & Formby Corp. )
15 Mercede s Dri ve
Mont vale, NJ 07645
Phone : (20 I) 39 1-02 53
.'Helmsman" spar urethane
Olympic Stain
2233 112th Ave . N.E .
Bellevue , WA 980 04
Phone : (206) 453-1 700
Semi-transparent exterior stains
Thompson & Formby
825 C ross over Lane
Memphi s, TN 38 117
Phon e : (90 I) 685-75 55
Thomp son's Water Sea l, Wood
Protector
ceda r, and fi r are usually preferred
becau se they 're less ex pens ive than
hardwood s and acce pt prese rvatives .
pai nts and stains more read ily. Teak ,
oak and mah ogany have lon g been
popul a r hard wood s for trimm ing boats ,
and make str iking ou tdoor furn iture , as
well. (O pen- pored wood s such as oak
and mah ogan y should be fi lled wit h a
paste wood fill er pri or to sta ining or
fini shing ).
No matte r wh at type of wood you
choose, though , make sure it is co m-
pletely dr y before appl yin g a fini sh . We
suggest using a se lect grade o f kiln -
dri ed or thoroughl y seaso ned lumber for
garden furniture and oth er s ma ll proj-
ects. Although gree n or "'ga rde n grade"
lumb er is ofte n less expensive, and fine
for fences and de cks, it' s usually infe-
rior in qual ity, and co ntai ns a high
percentage of mo istu re and resin s that
can affect the penetrati on o f preserva-
tives and fini shes. Also bew ar e of
lumb er that has been left outdoo rs in the
lumb er yard . Choose dr y pieces. If you
suspect a high moisture co nte nt in the
wood . allow the co mplete d project to
"weather " or dr y out for at least one
month outdoors during sunny weath er
before appl yin g a preser vati ve or fini sh .
Black stai ns o n wood ar e an indica-
tion of mild ew. If these a re present,
you' ll need to rem ove all tra ces to
prevent furt her grow th. Make a so lution
consisting of I qu art chlor ine laundry
bleach. "/3 cup tri sodium phosphate
(TSP), and 1/3 cup powdered laun dry
detergent , mixed with e no ug h hot water
to make one gallo n of so lution. (Do not
mix bleach with det ergent s that contain
ammoni a .) Wearing rubber gloves and
sa fety gogg les, apply with a st iff brist le
bru sh. rin se lightl y with warm water,
and dr y with rags or o ld towe ls. Allow
the wood to dr y co mp lete ly before
applyin g preserv ative or finish .
Fasteners: Use ga lvanized or stain-
less stee l fasten ers and hardware . Ordi-
nary stee l or iron fasten ers w ill not only
ru st , they may discol or so me finis hes.
It' s also a goo d idea to se t all nail s and
cou nter sink screws, so ak the holes with
a wood treatment product (preserva tive/
water repellent ), let dry, then fill with
putty or wood filler before finishing .
Co ated sc rews ar e anothe r option you
may want to con sider. Th ey 're now
recomm end ed for use in pressure treat ed
wood instead of ga lvanized screws,
which have been found to react with
so me of the pressur e treating chemicals.
a
29
~_ZS~-;~ial Technigues
Making Curve4 Instrument Sides
aking curve d instrument ribs.
M or sides, see ms more co m-
plex than it is. All yo u reall y
need is a few tool s, a horne ove n and a
littl e know-how. With tho se ingredi ent s
you can make rib s for the Folk Fidd le on
page 5 1, or for other instruments suc h as
dulcimers and guita rs.
Volum es have been w ritte n o n bend -
ing woo d . Th e process ca n req uire
exac ting calc ulations and use ex pe nsive
eq uipme nt ca pable of ge nera ting la rge
quantities of stearn und er tightl y co n-
trolled co ndi tions. But we have good
news. T he thin wood use d for most
instrumen t ri bs is so flexibl e that you
ca n bend it witho ut e labo rate equip -
men t. A ll yo u need is so me plywood or
pa rt icle boa rd for a mold and an ord ina ry
kitche n range .
Th e syste m used her e wo rks becau se
trad itional stearn-be nd ing techniques de -
pend more on the heat ge ne rated by the
stea m than they do on the moisture
co ntained in the stea m. Th e moi sture in
a stea m box doesn 't penetrate more than
30
a frac tion of an inch into the wood .
T ha t 's esse ntia lly why g ree n woo d
bends eas ier than dr y wood . T he heat
penetrates and heats up the water al-
ready in the wood fib ers. (If the wood is
too dr y, no amo unt of heat or stea m will
so ften it soo n enough for a stea m box to
be effe ctive .)
But instrument sides are so thin that
the wood is bent eas ily by moistening
(not soak ing) the wood . and then heat -
ing it. T he moisture in this case does
penet rate much of the way into the ri bs.
beca use the pieces a re so thin. It also
kee ps the wood from drying out during
the heating .
T he ribs wi ll require two pieces of
hardwood (c herr y. maple . birc h or wa l-
nut are good cho ices) . For the Folk
Fidd le we sta rted with stock '/ 16 in.
thick by 13/16 wide by 20 in. long . Th e For the rib s of another instrument the
woo d should be planed or sa nded techn ique is the sa me ; on ly the pattern
smoot h on all sides before you beg in. and mold thickness vary. For the Folk
Using the grid pattern supplied with the Fiddle. you will need to use plywood or
Folk Fiddle on page 56. co nstr uct a particleboard Il /x to 1'/4 in . thick by II
mold in which to bend the ribs (Fig. I). in. wide by 18 in . lon g. You ca n
The Woodwor ker ' s Journal
========================================~J
lam inate two pieces of particleb oa rd o r
plywood to ge t the thi ck stock . First , r ip
the mold bl ank in hal f. f it the halves
back together and dr aw a fu ll-scale rib
o utline ce nte red in the blan k. You now
have the layout for two hal f-m old s.
Care full y c ut o ut the two sha pes o n
the band saw, savi ng a ll the piec es. G o
slow o n thi s master cut; yo u need to be
acc ura te . Th e n cut the o utside c urve
leaving the tab s at the e nd as show n in
Fig. 1. Drill 1/ 4 in . di ameter hol es in the
. tab s. Al so c ut the insid e notches, which
pro vid e purch ase for the clamps. (No te
that the o uts ide curve and the bolt s used
to hold the asse m bly togeth er a re adde d
to g ive the mold a pro fessional appea r-
ance a nd for easy sto rage .)
With an ove n handy, yo u' re now
read y for bending . Wet o ne rib thor -
oug hly, a nd ca re fully place it bet ween
the two halve s of one side of the mol d .
With two cl amps , slow ly draw the two
piece s of the mold togeth er, with the ri b
blank bet ween them (F ig. 2). Th en
repeat the procedure for the othe r rib .
Then bo th r ibs - mold s, cla m ps and
a ll - sho uld be put into the ove n of yo ur
ki tc he n ran ge , preh eat ed to 200 degrees.
After the ove n has been cooking for 30
m inute s, turn off the heat, but do not
ope n the ove n door for ano ther hal f
hour. At the e nd of the hour, rem ove the
str uc ture from the ove n, and before
o pe ning the mold , trim off the excess ri b
e nds w ith a fin e toothed sa w o r a sha rp
knife. Remove the cl amps and take the
fini sh ed r ib halves o ut of the mold s.
Becau se the r ibs a re so thin , it is
Ma rc h/A pr il 1'1'10
necessary to g lue wood en stri ps calle d
linings a long the insid e o f each rib .
These lin ings sho uld be ' /1 6 in. th ick a nd
1/ 4 in . wide . Bend them in the ove n w ith
the same mold used for the rib s. A lso
use the same time and ove n se tt ings yo u
used for the r ibs. Four 1/4 in. w ide lining
str ips will do the job. But don 't g lue in
the linings until the rib halves a re
joined , and the blo ck s are g lued in .
Make the two end block blank s o f so ft
wood , like pine . For the Folk Fidd le,
each blank sho uld be 1'/2 thi ck by 2 in .
wid e by 13/ 16 in. lon g . (T he g ra in sho uld
run perpendicu lar to the g ra in o f the
rib s.) To j o in the r ib hal ves into o ne
unit , make sure the len gth s a re the sa me ,
and that the e nds a re sq ua re and tru e.
Use masking tap e to hold the e nds
togeth er, taping o nly o n the outs ide, so
as to a llow g lue to be used o n the insid e.
T he tap e sho uld also prevent g lue
ge tti ng th rou gh to the o utside during the
block se tt ing proce ss.
With the r ib hal ves tap ed together,
stac k the rib s up on the e nd block blanks
leavin g the larger portion of each block
insid e , and w ith each block ce ntered
upon the j oin -lin e. With a shar p pen cil,
dr aw the curve o f the rib patt ern upon
the top of the blo ck blank (Fig. 3) .
Ca refu lly ba nd saw alo ng the pe ncil
line, and save bo th halves of each b lock .
Now set the bloc k blanks back in place ,
wi th the inner block be ing g lued to the
inside of the ri b, and the o ute r block
bein g used as a mold w hi le clamps are
applied to hold each e nd block in place
(F ig. 4) . Use w hite o r ye llow g lue .
Afte r o ne hour, remove the clam ps,
di scard the o ute r block s, remove the
tap e , and trim the len gth of the lining
str ips so that they f it al on g the ins ide of
ea ch edge of the ribs. Now, g lue the
linin g str ips in place , using spr ing
Flu .b
~~t> \..\~\"-\c;s
A~t>~S
A-\)'SI-\ y./rn-\
~~s
cl am ps or spri ng clothespins (F ig. 5) .
Note that you ca n slig htly adj us t the
sha pe of the fidd le w he n g lu ing in the
lining strips. If the fiddle rib s ten d to
spr ing bac k a bit afte r bend ing, yo u can
use slight cla m p pres s ure to bring them
back to sha pe w hile g lui ng in the
linings. On ce the g lue dries o n the
linings, the fidd le sha pe w ill be set.
Afte r the g lue dr ies , sa nd the top and
bott om o f the rib asse m bly to make sure
that the r ibs, lining str ips and block s are
flu sh (F ig. 6) . You now have a co m-
plcted se t o f rib s . ~
31
I--======~~~~~===========-I
\ Santa Fe Bench 7

32 The Woodworker' s Journal

 he contemporary Santa Fe style
T of furniture is a blend of the
early Mi ssion , Spanish , and
Arts and Crafts style s. Antiqu es from
the Spani sh and Mis sion periods in the
Southwest are typ ically utilitarian
pieces, built of pine and featurin g
pegged morti se -and -tenon j oin er y.
Much of the contemporary Santa Fe
style carries over this flavor, using
simple joinery and gaily painted sur-
faces to achieve a rou ghly -made ,
folksy, Southwestern look .
Well-de signed, well-constructed fur-
niture in the Santa Fe style can be a
plea sant break from both traditional and
modern furniture styles. Our Santa Fe
style bench , made entirely of pine ,
utili zes the cla ssic pegged , throu gh
mortise-and-tenon joint. Its bri ghtly
painted fini sh makes this a piece that
Mar ch/Apr il 1990
one decorates a room around . Later on
we'll explain how we achieved the
bright turquoise co lor on the bench . For
a more subtle look , you can alwa ys
substitute a natural pine finish for the
painted look .
Since the finish will pretty much
obscure the wood, there ' s no reason to
spend top dollar for your materials. By
carefully selecting boards and framing
stock from your local lumberyard , you
should be able to build the bench for
about $50. T he 11/ 4 in. thick parts can be
obtained from two-by stock, and the
legs (A , B) can be cut from four-by -
fours. You'll need a four-by-four that
measures at least 35/ 8 in. wide to get the
lO-degree angle on the back leg , but if
the four-by -four you get only mea sure s
3 1/2 in. wide, don 't worry. No one but
you will ever know the difference . A
jointer and a surface planer will reduc e
the two-by and four-by stock to the
thicknesses indicated in the Bill of
Material s. Note that the back (F) is
actuall y a single board that' s ripped in
half. A two-by-ten board will yield the
requ ired width. You can purchase 3/ 4 in.
thick pine boards for the sea t (1) .
Take care that the lumb er you buy is
not too wet , or you may exper ience
problem s as it dr ies. You r best bet is to
buy from a yard that stores its material
in barns or sheds, as opposed to outside
wher e it's at the mercy of the eleme nts.
To minimi ze the likelih ood of probl em s
later on , it' s usually a goo d idea to
sticker and dr y the wood ins ide for
several week s before you use it. Run all
the stock through the planer or across
the jo inter to achieve approximate thick-
ness and width , but leaving a little extra .
33
By thicknessin g and then all owin g the
wood to accli mate, you' ll minimize
prob lem s of wood movement that usu -
ally crop up after the wood is cut and
planed. After the stoc k has acclimated ,
you' ll make a fina l clean-up c ut with the
jointer and planer. Actu all y, allow ing
the stock to accli mate is a good tip for
wha teve r stock you buy, be it ha rdwood
or so ftwood, but it' s es pec ially appro -
pri ate for so ftwoo ds th at may ha ve a
high moisture content.
A good place to start the bench
constru ction is with the legs. A s shown
in the detail, the back legs are la id o ut to
avoid any shor t grain . The best wa y to
lay out the back and front legs is to make
a full-s ize template of both , including
all the appropriate mortise locati on s.
Use these templ ates to mark the legs o n
the stoc k, then cut the back leg pro f ile
wit h a band saw , and bore the mort ise
holes. Squ are the mortises using a
chise l. If you have a mortisin g attac h-
me nt for your drill press, yo u' ll save
so me time whe n co mpared to c ho ppi ng
them out by hand . Use the band saw to
c ut the step de tai l o n the top e nd of the
bac k legs.
Next, cut the end rails (C, D), ar m
(E), sea t rails (G, H), and stretc he r (K) .
Note that all teno ns protrude lis in . , so
the ove ra ll len gth of pa rts with ten on s
sho uld include the extra len gth . Wh en
c utting the ten on s, don 't forget to add
the lis in. that the tenon protrudes
through to your setting for the sho ulde r
c uts.
We cut the tenon s o n the tabl e saw,
usin g a miter ga uge and the dad o head .
Before working o n your project stock,
be sure to chec k the blad e height se tting
by f irst cutting a trial ten on o n some
scrap. If your mort ises a rc a co ns iste nt
width , and your stoc k is all the same
thickness, onc set ting sho uld suffice for
all the teno ns exce pt those o n the fro nt
leg and ar m. Since the ten on s a re all 1/ 2
in. wide , a nd they 're all c ut o n 11/ 4 in .
thic k stock, the blad e hei ght se tti ng is J/s
in. Th e key to cutting these ten on s at the
sa me se tti ng is to make ce rta in that all
the 11/ 4 in . th ick stoc k measures the
sa me . Send ing it through the planer at
the same se tting is the usu al way to
achieve co ns istent stock thickness. If
34
two-by-t en board , which measures 11/2
in. thick by 9 1/ 4 in . wide , after thick-
nessin g , rip ping in half, and joi nting
you wo uld have the two halves perfectly
sized . C ut the ten on s on the back ends as
shown in the det ail.
You sho uld now cut the bead detail
that appea rs o n the e nd rail s, back , fro nt
sea t rail , and stretche r. We used a Sea rs
molding head eq uipped with their thr ee-
bead cutte r (the ir part no. 9BT 2352) .
Set up an auxilia ry fence on the table
saw so that only on e of the three 1/ 4 in .
beads is exposed. The rem ainin g porti on
of the cutter sho uld be buried in the
auxiliary fen ce .
Onc e the bead s have been cut, sta rt o n
the va rious c uto uts in the front sea t rail
and back . Make templates fro m our
Bill of Materials
(all dimensions actual) full- sized patt erns of the c utouts; lay out
No. as shown on the front elevatio n, and cut
Part Descript io n Size Req'd. o ut wi th the hand-held jigsaw. Note that
A Back Leg See Detail 2 the half cross o n the fro nt sea t rail is just
B Front Leg F /8 x 2 X 24 3/4' 2 a sho rter vers ion of the cross in the
C End Rail (Top) 1' 14 x 2 X 18' /4' 2 back , but that the pattern for the center
D End Rail (Bottom) 1' 14 x 2 X 18' /4' 2 sunburs t is diffe rent. C lea n up your cut s
E Arm 1' 14 x F /8 X 213/4' 2
wi th a wood f ile .
F Back 1' 14 x 9 x 60' " 1
At th is point yo u ca n assemble the
G Seat Rail (Back) 1' /4 x 3 1/4 X 60' 1
ben ch pa rts. Th er e ' s o nly one way to do
H Seat Rail (Front) 1' /4 x 3 1/4 X 60' 1
I Crosstie 1 114 X 3 x 16'" 2
it. First asse mb le the e nd rail s and arm
J Seat 3/4 x 8, slt s X 59 3/4 2 ont o eac h fro nt leg . Th en add the back
K Stretcher 1 114 x 2 X 59 3/ 8' 1 leg. Mount the back , sea t rails, and
L Cleat 1 x 1 114 X 6 4 stretche r into o ne of the s ide asse mblies,
, Length includes tenons . and then add the oth er side asse mbly .
Width dimension is before back is Note that we included two dowel pins to
ripped in half. keep the halves of the back in register,
... Includes dovetails. and wed ge s on e ithe r end at the th rou gh -
ten on to maintain the lIs in . space
you do n' t have a planer and have to between tho se halves (see back ten on
wor k wi th stoc k that var ies a little in detail). Use a dab of g lue to hold the
th ickness. then co nsider eac h ten on as a wed ges.
se pa rate opera tio n, and set your blade We don 't use g lue on any of the
heigh t to reflec t the stoc k thickn ess. th rou gh mo rt ise-and-ten on joi nts. In-
Allow so me extra len gth for the a rm. stea d , the joi nts a re sec ured wit h pegs.
Note that the ten on o n the back end of Make yo ur ow n pegs fro m scrap. The
the a rm , whe re it fit s th rou gh the back traditiona l me thod is to hand -spl it the
leg , will have a lO-dcgrcc sho ulder, pegs. Sin ce wood sp lits follow the
matching the tO-degrcc tilt of the bac k . gra in , the peg gra in will be a tru e
Th e side sho ulde rs of the ten on a re lon g-gra in. yie ldi ng maximum stre ngt h .
es tablished by an glin g the m iter gauge You ca n use dowel s instea d, but you
10 degr ees, while the top sho ulde r is c ut won 't ge t that nice squa re-ende d de tail
w ith the tabl e saw blad e tilted 10 that our pegs d ispl ay.
degrees. The steps o n the a r m e nds are We ach ieve the sq uare peg ends by
c ut with the band saw. round ing most of the peg len gth . but
On ce all the morti ses and ten on s a re leaving the end that will show sq ua re .
cut, cut the back (F) . If yo u sta rt with a Use a drop o r two of g lue o n the pegs.
Th e Wood worker' s Journ al
 ....- - -1 -- 14 - - -- --I z

March/April 1990 35
 ®

36 The Wood worker' s Journal


cut them off long , and par e them a bit
with the chi sel to simulate wear. Le av-
ing the pegs a little proud of the
surrounding surface lend s the natural
look o f an antique, where the pegs may
have worked out a little over the yea rs.
Th e chamfers on the expo sed ten on ends
are done by hand with a chise l.
Now make the crossties (I) and cleats
(L) . The cleats are j ust blocks, but the
cross ties have dovetail s cut across one-
half their width on eac h en d . T he
dovetails are cut by hand using a
dovetail saw . Cut the dovet ails fir st,
then use them as a template for marking
the dovetail morti ses o n the seat rails.
Th ese morti ses a re cho pped o ut with a
chi sel. Stay inside your line , then fin al
pare as need ed to ge t a good fit. Th e
cross ties are glued at the dovetails, and
the cleat s are glued to the insid e face o f
the top end rails.
Cut the sea t boards to fit, notching
them where they tuck a round the legs.
Secure the sea t with pegs, using the
same techni que described above . Note
that the holes for the end pegs a re d rill ed
at an ang le into the cleats. A fter a fina l
sand ing, you are now ready for our
turqu oise finish. ~

The Finish

O ur painted finish was made with Liquit ex or Aquatec a rtist's ac ryl ics.
They're available at art ist's supply stores.
The first step in the finishing process is an applica tio n of Minw ax
Purit an Pine stain to the bare wood . Next , mix abo ut two pa rts ce rulea n
blue with o ne part thalo blue and one part thalo gree n. perh ap s weighing
your mixture a little toward the gree n side. Add whit e . light ening the
turquoise shade to achi eve your personal preference . T he n thin with
water to a cream co nsistency.
Paint on. and then wipe the turqu oise o ff in sec tions. worki ng
17~ separately on the back. legs. sea t. ar ms, rails and stretcher. Use a damp
spo nge for the wiping off. wipin g away more in the areas that would have
received more wea r. C lea n the sponge regularly in water. Wor k on one
area at a time to avoid having the paint dry before you ca n w ipe it off.
Note that in areas of heavy wear you' ll be wiping clear dow n to the wood .
The next step is to highl ight with a da rker mix ture the cracks. crevices.
jo ints, and bead s whe re the finish would have acc um ulated but not worn
away. To make this darker mixture. add so me brown and black to the
turqu oise, and then a little white as needed to ligh ten . Use a I-inch br ush
to apply the mixture aro und the joints. beads and through-tenons. then
wipe off with a rag to feather the transiti on betwee n the dark mixture and
turqu oise . Your eye will tell you when you've achieved the right balance.
When dry, apply a coat of McCl oskey ' s Heirloom Eggs he ll Varnish .
Rub out with stee l wool when dr y. and apply a second co at. Wh en dry,
rub lightl y on ce more with stee l wool.

March /Apr il J 990 37

 Start by making
Bill of Materials
the backing fram e , (all dimensions actual)
w h ic h is h al f- No.
lapped together to Part Description Size Req'd.
serve as a finn base A Crest ' /4 x 33/8 X 7 1
for th e mit ered B Side Molding 3/4 x 3/4 X 10 1/ 4 2
moldings. Esta blish C Top/Bottom Molding 3/4 x 3/ 4 X 63/ 4 2
the sho ulde r of the D Side Bead ' /8 x ' /8 X10' /2 2
E Top/Bottom Bead ' /8 x ':a x 7 2
half-laps with the
F Backing Stile ' /4 x 1' /1 6 X 10 1/ 2 2
cro s scut on th e
G Backing Rail 1/ 4 x 1' /1 6 X 7 2
tabl e saw with the
H Dovetail Wedge 3/16 x 11/ 4 X 13/ 4' 2
bl ad e se t 118 in . I Mirror Backing 1/8 x 55/8 X9 ' /8 1
high . Th en rem ove J Mirror 1/8 x 55/8 X9 ' /8 1
the wa ste with the , Dimension before taper.
workpiece o n e nd
and supporte d by a ten on j ig.
Next , glue the hal f-lap s together into a si mple fra me . While
the g lue is dr yin g , sta rt o n the molding pieces. Both the lar ge
qu arter -round and the small bead ar e made from stock abo ut 36
in. lo ng . For the qu arte r-round , fir st cut a str ip 3/4 in . th ick by
abo ut 2 in. w ide. Measure in '/4 in . from o ne edge and
es tablish a gro ove 3/ '6 in. deep by '/2 in . wid e w ith a dado head
in the tabl e saw. This forms the rabbet for the mirror. Th en use
a 3/ 4 in . radius rout er bit to c ut the qu arter ro und . Note that
you 'll need a rout e r that takes 1/ 2 in. sha nk rout er bits. W ith the
radiu s and rabb et es tablished se t the table saw fenc e a tad over
3/4 in . from the blad e and rip off the molding. Use a fi ne
sawblade , then sa nd the surface smoo th .
Fo r the small bead , use a 36 in . lon g stri p abo ut 2 in. wide
and 'Ix in . thick . Use sa ndpa pe r o r a block plan e to ro und over
a bead along o ne edge. Th en slice o ff the bead 'Ix in. fro m the
edge . Be ca re ful when cutting o ff the thin bead . Ofte n thin and
nar row stoc k will kick back or be th rown by the table saw. You
sho uld provide a so lid backing for the cut by raisin g the
moving tabl e saw blad e th rou gh a piece of '/2 in. plywood
cl amped to the saw top . The plywood se rves as a tempor ar y
tabl e for the cut.
Th e two molding sec tions a re then miter ed to len gth and
glued to the backing fra me.
Th e cres t sectio n is c ut wit h a scroll sa w and then the tapered
s lots are mo rti sed into the bac k of the cres t and mirror fra me
(Fig. I). Not e that it' s best to ho ld the mirror frame and c res t
togeth er whi le c utting the tape red s lots. Th e wedge s are cut
slightly ove rs ize from 3/ 16 in. thi ck scraps of oak (F ig. 2) . Use
a block plan e to adju st them to fit the s lots. The wedges are
g lued into the mir ror and held o nto the cres t with a fr iction fit.
For the mir ror backing (I). we used 'Ix in. thick pine . You
chi ld's room is the ideal place for thi s sma ll mirror a nd ca n also use thin plywood if yo u wish . A glass shop wi ll c ut the

A frame, whic h look s so mu ch like an antiq ue that it

co uld easi ly fool a deale r. We made o urs from o ld
wood sa lvaged fro m damaged antiq ues . Th e fra me was o nce
the mold ed edge of a dr awer front. You can ge t the sa me effec t
by makin g the piece from " new" wood and di stressin g it.
An interestin g det ail is the dovet ail wedges that hold the
crest o nto the fra me . Th ey we re co mmo n o n these mirror s and
allow you to remove the fragil e c res t for movin g o r storage .
T he mirro r fram e is mah ogany and pin e . Th e crest (A) .
qu arter -round molding ( B and C) and bead (D and E) ar e
mahoga ny. Th e backing fra me (F and G) and mir ror backin g
(I) . arc pine . T he dovet ail ed wed ges (H) a rc oak .
3X
m irror (J) to s ize. Both the mirror and backing a re held in place
with c ut nail s driven into the insid e of the rabb et.
But before mounting the m irror, g ive the fra me and cres t a
goo d sa nd ing up to 220-gr it paper. Fo r a fini sh. we recommend
seve ral coats of o range she llac . For the di str essed look , first
round over any cr isp edges w ith a woo d file o r sa nd pape r. T he n
apply so me well placed marks with va r ious " too ls" such as a
hammer and a pip e. Darken tho se marks by rubbing the fra me
w ith a dark brown pigm ent ed stain, wiping it o n a nd off
qui c kly so it stic ks mostly in the groo ves a nd dent s. W hen
yo u' re satisf ied, apply seve ra l coats o f o ra nge she llac . rub bing
the fini sh down wi th 000 stee l wool between co ats. a
The Woodwork er 's Journ al
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:$\-\ Co.I-\.'\-"'Y 'JIJ\'VE:\"<. PN.';;> \....=N. ~E."R.
, .....S -""- -=-\'N\S\-\E:"\> :5\-=,=-

Making the dovetail wedge is a cut and fit procedure. The tapered slot is scribed
from the full-size pattern and then cut 1/8 in. deep with a dovetail saw and chisel.
Use a chisel to undercut the bevel to about 30 degrees (Fig. 1). Then cut the
wedge a little oversize, and taper and bevel it to fit the slot (Fig. 2).

,-A~ ..:::s:-O\~'
®
~ uN~""- 7Ye ov~

Mar ch/A pri l 1990 39

 alter L. Rochett e of Glendora , Ca liforn ia designed
W these sa nd ing blocks as a low-cost alterna tive to the
store-boug ht variety. T he ste p-by-s te p technique
show n yiel ds thr ee se pa ra te block s - one eac h for coa rse,
medi um , and fi ne sa ndpaper. Th e blocks a re designed to use
eit her the clo th-backed paper from 3 in . wid e belt sa nders or 3
in . wide roll sandpaper, whi ch is more flexibl e and longer
last ing than standard sa ndpa pe r.
For each se t of thr ee block s you ' ll need a piece of stock
abo ut J 1/ 2 in. thick by 9 1/4 in . wide by 5 1/ 2 in. lon g . T he extra
width allows for the saw kerfs whe n you make the ripp ing cuts
later to form the three blocks. If you don 't have th ick stoc k,
STEP I
SOURCE
BLOCK
Step I : Size your so urce block. Take note that the grain
di rec tio n is oriented so the width is 9 1/ 4 in. and the length is
5 1/ 2 in . T his way the grain will be in the pro per d irect ion once
the ind ividu al sa nd ing block s are cut fro m the so urce block .
40
you can face-glu e two 314 in. thick pieces to get the 1112 in.
thickn ess. We made our sa nd ing block s from pine , but almost
any scra p will be fine . Th e lIs in . thi ck co rk shee t that we glued
to the bott om of the sanding block helps gri p the clo th backing
and exte nds the sa ndpaper's life . It also help s the block to
co nfor m to any slight unevenn ess o f the work surface. We
bou ght our cor k at a local lumberya rd , but if you can't find it
locally, a simila r 31 16 in. thick co rk ca n be or de red from Meisel
Hardwa re Spec ialties, P.O . Box 70 , Moun d , Minnesota
55364 . Ord er thei r part no. C3 1. Cost is $.70 for an 8 1/ 2 in. by
II in. sheet.
STEP 2
SOURCE _ _~
BLOCK
CORK
CONTACT
CEMENT
Step 2 : G lue the cork o n w ith co ntac t cement. Regular
adhes ives for woodwo rking do n' t have e no ugh flex, and would
res ult in the cork brea king apart as the sa ndi ng b locks are used .
The Woodworker' s Journal
 SOURCE __
BLOCK.

Step 3 : Raise the blad e on the table saw to a 2 in. height, and Step 4 : Reset the blade to a 3/ 4 in. height , leave the fence in the
set the rip fen ce 3/ 4 in. awa y from the blad e. Make a cut into the same position as Step 3, and make the two crosscuts as show n.
two end-g rain edges, with the cork-faced side of the block Be sure to use a push stick between the blade and fence, as
facing out for both cut s. shown, so the cut -off doesn 't kick back at you.

STEP 5 STEP to
SOURCE
HAND SHAPE BLOCK.
ROUND

Y4 ROUND -OVER
BIT

CORI<.

Step 5 : Use the router table equipped with a 1/ 4 in. radiu s Step 6 : Raise the blad e to 13/4 in. high , and make two ripping
rounding over bit to round the edges as shown. The inside edge cuts to produ ce the thr ee sanding blocks.
ca n be round ed by hand, using a file and so me sandpaper.

STEP 7 HANDLE STEP 8

LOCKING SANDIN6J
KEY BLOCK
FILE

SANDPAPER _ _ -'""""IIli:~~

LOCK INc"
KEY

Step 7: Using scrap, make the sand paper lockin g keys. Th ese
are j ust tapered wedges with sma ll blocks glued in place to
serve as handles. Use a file and sandpaper to round the top
edges of the key handl es. Make two keys for each sanding
block.
March /A pril 1990
Step 8: Round the top edges and final sa nd the blocks. Th en cu t
3 in. wide by to in. lengths of sandpaper and mount on the
blocks. Adjust the taper s on the lock ing keys as needed to hold
the sandpaper securely. No finish is necessa ry. ~
41
 G 1FT S HOP Easy-To-Make Gift Projects
ere ' s a gi ft project yo u ca n
H make o n a qui et Sa turday after-
noon . A ll yo u need is a few
scraps of pine and the cookie ja rs. T he
plas tic cookie jars a re ava ilab le ma il-
o rder if yo u ca n't find them locall y (see
Bill of Materials).
Start by prepa rin g e no ug h stoc k for
the hol der. You 'll need 3/4 in . thic k
stoc k for the sides (A) and lid (D), a nd
112 in . th ick stock for the bo tto m (B),
rails (C) and the handl es (E) .
Next, cut the stock to the s izes listed
in the Bill of Materi als. A lways c ut
larger parts first to minim ize was te .
T he sides a re cut to shape o n a band
saw o r with a hand-held j igsaw. For the
ha ndho ld c uto uts , yo u' ll need a co ping
saw o r a j igsaw. Th e 1/2 in. wide by 3/x
in. deep dad o o n the s ides ca n be cut
wi th a router o r a dad o head in the table
saw. Estab lish the morti se in the s ides
wi th a 1/2 in. di am ete r d rill bit, a nd
sq uare up the morti se w ith a c hise l.
T he th rou gh ten on s o n the rails a re c ut
o n the table sa w. Before c utti ng the
ten on s, it' s bes t to try the procedure wi th
42
Cookie Jar
a piece of sc rap the same thic kness as We gave the hold e r a pickled white
the work piece to insur e a prop er fit.
Set the dad o head blade to it' s wides t
se tting a nd I/x in. high . Pass the wor k-
finish . Bru sh o n a coat of whit e latex
paint a nd w ipe it o ff with a dam p rag
before it dri es. To g ive the piece texture,
piece ove r the dado head usin g the miter leave mor e paint o n the ha rd-to-reach
ga uge for suppor t. To ge t the ten on s a reas at the joi nts. Cove r the paint w ith
per fectly eve n, use a stopblock so eac h a coat of she llac or lacqu er. The lids a re
ten o n is 7/x in. lon g . You' ll have to make paint ed with two coats of yellow spray
two passes for eac h sho ulde r. e name l. ~
Nex t, es tablish the 1/2 in. w ide by 3/x
in . deep dad oes in the lids with the dad o
Bill of Materials
head in the tabl e saw. Th en c ut the (all dimensions actual)
c ircles on a band saw and form the lip No.
wit h a straight cutter in the rout er tabl e. Part Description Size Req'd.
clam ping a V-bloc k to the tabl e as A Side 3/4 x 9 x 10 2
show n in the de tail. B Bottom ' 12 x 9 x 111/ 2 1
The handl es a re sha ped o n the band CRail 1/2 x 3/ 4 X 12 ' /2' 2
saw. a nd screwed and glued in place . D Lid 45/ 8 dia. x 3/4 thick 2
E Handle ' /2 x 11/2 X 45/8 2
Next. sa nd and assemble the holde r.
F Jar as shown" 2
Tape red pegs (G) whittled fro m scrap
G Peg as shown 10
stock hold the mo rt ises a nd ten on s
, Includes length of tenon.
togethe r. a nd are d riven into the dad o .. For a mail-order source for the jars,
joi nts fo r the bott o m . Dr ill a I/x in. write to Meisel Hardware Specialties,
diam ete r hole and put a dab of g lue o n P.O. Box 70, Mound, MN 55365.
Their catalog is free. They sell for
the pegs before dr iving them in . Th e $3.79 each not including postage
e nds of the th rou gh ten on s a re beve led and handling.
with a sha rp chise l.
The Woodwor ker' s Journal
 G IFT S H O P

Yz " ~ DEEP
GROOVE

'}e DEEP
DADO

1 5Q .= ~ I N GH

12~

----
o

IIlz. - - -
12 14 - - - - - - -- C-~_____ 9 - - - - - - _ ,43

March /April 1990

 GIFT SHOP
Q uartz watches beat it hands-
down for acc uracy , and hon estly
now, how many tim es have you
sa id to yourse lf " I wish I had an
hourglass?" But place this hourgl ass on
your desk or co ffee tabl e, and it's a safe
bet that gues ts will inex plica bly reach
out and turn it ove r, and wa tch with
curios ity as the sands o f tim e run out.
Th e hourglass is acc urate to within
abo ut one minute .
Th e woodworking required for thi s
project ca n be co mpleted in an afte r-
noon . It' s a perfect sc rap wood proj ect
for that spec ial cuto ff yo u' ve been
saving. We used birds-eye mapl e for
44
the top and bottom (A) . and cher ry for
the spindles (B) . Th e hou rglass (C) was
orde red fro m Co nsta ntine 's (see Bill of
Material s for orde r ing infor mation) .
Make the top and bottom by cutting
5 1/s in. dia me ter circles out of 1/ 2 in.
thick birds-eyc map le . Layout the
c ircles with a compass. then use the
ba ndsaw or sa ber saw to make the cut.
stay ing ju st outside the line . Round to
the line using the disk sa nder.
Next. agai n usin g the co mpass . mark
a 4 in. d iam eter circle on the top and
bott om . and di vide the c ircle into 120-
degree seg me nts. As shown in the
detail. in order to ge t the 120-degree
seg me nts, pla ce the compass point any-
wh ere on the 4 in. d iameter , transcribe a
2 in. rad ius arc . move the co mpass poin t
over to whe re the a rc intersects the
circl e. and tran scr ibe a second arc .
Repeat this unt il you've formed six
petals. Th e point of eve ry other peta l is
one of the three spindle ce nter points.
You ca n also ge t the ce nter points by
making j ust three arcs. Mark your first
ar c as we did. then mar k an additional
a rc from eac h of the point s where the
first arc inter sect s the circle.
Dr ill the 1/ 4 in. di am eter by 5/ 16 in.
deep spind le tenon hole s, locat ed at
eac h of the center points. Then drill the
1/2 in. diameter by 5/ 10 in. deep holes for
the hourglass ends. Th e edge detail in
the top and bott om is rout ed with a
ball -b ea rin g g uide d 3/ 16 in. radiu s
round-ove r bit. Set the router bit to
es tab lish the 1/ 16 in. deep step.
We used the lath e to turn the spindles.
Cut three turning blank s. eac h measu r-
ing 1/2 in. sq uare by 10 in. long. Use our
full-size spind le patt ern to make a
temp late to chec k your progress. To
make the template, trace the pattern.
then cut it out. Use the cutaway edge as
a ga uge to chec k your lathe work . We
did all the turning work with the gouge,
parting tool and skew. Don't forget to
turn the 1/ 4 in. diameter by 1/ 4 in. long
ten on s on the spindle ends . Note that the
tenon s ar e not quit e as long as the ten on
hole depth . Thi s prevent s the tenon s
from bottoming out. Final sa nd the
spindles w hile they 're still on the lathe .
We finished the wooden part s of our
hourglass with Minwax Coloni al Mapl e
sta in. foll owed by two light coa ts of
orange she llac . and a coa t of Min wax
Antique Oil fini sh . Take care not to get
any of the finish on the tenon s or in the
tenon hol es. A littl e maskin g tape
around the ten on s will protect them . and
short len gth s of 1/ 4 in. d iame ter dowel in
the ten on holes will keep any finish out.
Asse mble the spindles into the bot-
tom. then add the hourglass and fina lly
the top. Don 't use too mu ch glue in the
spindle holes or you' ll be spe nding time
cleanin g off the excess that squeezes
out. A lso. apply onl y light clamp pres-
sure . Th e hourgla ss fits snug ly into the
hold er . and too mu ch cl amp pressure
co uld cra ck the g lass . a
Th e Woodworker' s Journal
 GIFT SHOP

F-- -=-=1 ~t.::j

I I I I

Bill of Materials
(all dimensions actual)
No.
Part Description Size Req'd.
A Top/Bottom 51/ 8 dia. x 1/ 2 thick 2
B Spindle 1/2 dia. x 8 long 3
C Hourglass 3 dia. x 8 high- 1
- Available from Contantine's, 2050
Eastchester Rd., Bronx, NY 10461.
Order part no. OIL 99; cost is $12.95
plus postage and handling.

I I
c= =.:j - - - - - ' - - - - - - i

I - - - - - - Z ------....-1

March/April 1990 45
 GIFT SHOP

By M ich ael M ikut o wsk i Candle Holder

n our pa rt of the co untry . the

I Wisconsin and Minnesota a rea.

there are many var iations o f these
simple ca ndle hold ers. We g ive instru c-
tions for a five-candl e hold er. but you
ca n vary the number o f ca nd les to suit
your taste. Th e holders are design ed to
take '12 in. diameter candles. Th ey ca n
be made from oak, as in the photogr aph ,
or another hardwood such as ash, ch erry
or walnut.

Step 1: Cut a piece of 3/ 4 in . thick

hard wood to the size shown. and pencil
in the layout. Note that eac h piece mu st
be sa nded, so extra materi al is a llowed
on the sec tio ns with saw cuts o n bo th
sides . After sa ndi ng . the legs of the four
L sections sho uld be the sa me width .
Step 2 : Cut out the pieces using a
band saw. a scrol l saw or a han d-held
jigsaw. First crosscut to the line. then
mee t those cuts by cutting with the gra in
or rippin g.
Step 3 : With the pieces cut apa rt. lay
out and dri ll the '/2 in . diam eter by six in.
deep ca ndle holes. Thi s is eas ies t on the
drill press. If you use a hand drill, use a
j ig to make sure the holes are sq ua re.
S tep 4 : Sand all surface s with 180 - to
220-grit paper. Be sure to keep the
inside co rne rs squa re . You ca n c hec k
for sq uare ness by stac king the pieces
togeth er to see if they a re tight. Th e
fi nished dimension s are I in . and '12 in.
as shown.
Step 5 : Turn the hold er ups ide down
and insert thin ca rdboa rd space rs in eac h
slot (posrcrboa rd and file folders work
well). Th e ca rdboa rd sho uld be abo ut
1/ 32 in. thick. Th e ca rdboa rd provides
e nough space to allow the pieces to Use a dri ll press or a jig to keep the dr ill fit snug ly so all the pieces can pivot
pivot freely. bit sq uare to the work. free ly. but are held on by fr iction.
Ste p 6 : Clamp the hold er togeth er so Step 7: Glu e a 4 in. long dowe l into Step 8: Tri m the hold er square on the
that all the pieces are in line and tight. the hole in the top piece . When the g lue table saw. Th en sand out the saw mark s
Drill a 3/ 16 in. diameter hol e through all is dry - an hour or so if you used and break the edges with sa ndpaper.
the pieces as shown, stopping 'Ix in. ye llow g lue - stack the rest o f the Finish the hold er with two or three coa ts
short of go ing through the top piece. pieces in plac e . Th en cut o ff the dowel o f Watco Dani sh O il.
which is now at the bottom o f the stack. flush with the bottom . Th e dowel sho uld
46 T he Woodworker' s Journal
 D¥:I\.-L \\-\E CANt>LE
I-\O\.-E.S Vz..
D\Alv\ETE.'R

boo~ .
~E.'i<:.S
FIT S~\JC:s

bL-UE. \>OWEL \1C:.IM \-\OL\:>ER. sa.v~

IN "P\.-Ac..E. ANC> r\N\S\-\ SA.~t:>

Mar ch /April )'1'10 47

 GIFT S H O P
here ' s a stage most toddlers go
T th rough that' s halfway between
craw ling and walking. Th ey'll
stand up and "cru ise" along on e o bjec t
hold ing on with their hand s and then
head to another within arm's reach . If
they ca n' t reac h ano the r objec t they
revert to crawling. Up to recentl y a
popula r choice for thi s ea rly toddl er
stage was the wheeled bumper car seats
that enabled them to get about usin g
the ir fee t for propul sion . But now
ped iatr icians and child care spec ialists
frown on these . Th e con sen sus is that
they delay normal development.
O ur toddl er ca rt provides j ust the
48
right assist by grving the toddl er a
mobil e crui se platform . It' s a real confi-
dence builder. The cart also provide s
ample storage for the tot who likes to
tote those toys about. We ju st can' t
gua rantee that they'll load the toys back
into the ca rt after play time is through.
All the wooden part s for the toddl er
ca rt - except the axles (E) - can be
cut from a 3/ 4 in. thick by 9 1/ 4 in. wide
by 10 ft. lon g board . We used clear
pine, but a No. 2 pine board with tight
knots would be fin e .
Crosscut your pine board to rough
length for the front (A). back (B), sides
(C) and bott om (D) . Make all the
ripping cut s to es tablish the widths of
parts A through 0, then transfer the grid
pattern to the stoc k and cut the fron t and
back profiles. Both profiles can be cut
with a band sa w, but you' ll need a
j igsaw fo r the handl e cutout. We tilted
the band sa w tabl e 12 degrees for the
front pro file, then used file s to clean up
the cut. Next , tilt the tabl e sa w blade for
a 12-degree ang le, and cro sscut the fro nt
and back to final len gth . Whil e the table
saw blad e is still se t for a 12-degree cut,
crossc ut the bott om to its 15 7/ 8 in.
len gth. Switch to a dado head in the
table saw. Set the dado for a 3/4 in.
width , raise it 1/ 4 in . above the surface of
The Woodworker' s Journal
 GIFT SHOP

1------- e>L,- - - -----I

Bill of Materials
(all dimensions actua l)
No.
Part Descripti o n Size Req'd.
A Front 3/4 x 8 112 X 9 7/ 8 1
B Back 3/4 x 8 112183/ 8
X 1
C Side 3/4 X 9 X 183/ 4 2
o Bottom 3/ 4 X 9 X 157/ 8 1
E Axle 5/8 dia. x 12 long 2
F Whee l 7 dia. x 3/4 thick 4
G Washer 11/16 1.0. X 13/ 4 0 .0. 4

I SQ.- '4JNCH

1+-- - - - 9

"

~ DIA.~ 12-
LONG DOW EL

t--\-----------IB~ -------------1-.....

15~ - - - -- - - -- .....:....l
~'------- 15 - - - -- - - ..I
---

March/A pril 1990 49

 GIFT SHOP

FIGd DISK
SANDER

the saw tabl e and position the fe nce ( 1/ 4

in. away from the blade . Note that the
3/ 4 in. width ass umes that your bott o m is
exac tly 3/4 in. th ick . If it' s not. se t the
dado width equa l to whateve r the thick-
ness is. Now make the dado cuts in the c
sides for the bott om.
Switch back to your reg ular saw
blade, ang le the miter ga uge 12 degrees.
and make the crosscuts that es ta blish the
len gth of the sides. Th en tran sfer the
side grid pattern and cut out the pro file.
By tempor arily screwing the two sides
togeth er , you ca n cut the pro file and
dr ill the axle holes in both sides at o nce .
Thi s will insure acc uracy . Locate the
screws at the assembly sc rew locati on s.
Use a co mpass to lay out the wh eel
(F) circles, and the band saw or j igsaw
to cut j ust outs ide the line . Th en drill the

r:
ax le holes, mount the whee ls o n the jig
show n in Fig. I . and disk sa nd to fina l
di ameter. The jig will enab le you to I%ORYWAL) V
produ ce a per fectly ro und wh eel.
Round over or sa nd to so fte n any
SCREW ~~ ~
lYi", 1.0 x 1740.D.
sharp edges . Th en asse mble the ca rt as WASHE.R
shown with screws and plugs and apply
Minwax Purit an Pine sta in. To paint the
decorati ve te ard rop s hape o n th e
wheels, cut our full-size pattern out of
so me ca rdboa rd, use as a template and
spray paint the teard rop s. Th e wa shers
(G) keep the whee ls fro m chafing
agai nst the sides. Two coats o f ora nge
she llac, followed by a coa t of Min wax
Antique Oi l Fini sh (a pplied be fore the
whee ls are moun ted ) protect the woo d
and lend it a war m glow. ~
50 T he Woodworker ' s Journal

hile making a m~l ~ical il.lstru -
W merit ma y seem frightening at
f irst, rem ember that it is j ust
woodworking , a nd that followin g step-
by-step instructi on s make s it achi eva-
ble .
The Fo lk Fidd le is a bowed inst ru -
ment , like a violin, wi th four strings
tuned in inter vals of a fifth, held o n the
arm or und er the chin. Th e so und is
clear and rin gin g , but not coar se or lou d .
A Little History
Th e story that Nero fiddled whil e
Rom e burned is ce rta inly not tru e,
becau se the fiddl e bow wa sn 't invented
until the Ar ab s made it in the ninth
century A .D. No bow, no fiddl e . Th e
ea rliest fiddles we re g uitars, lutes and
lyres pla yed by a bow - a stick bent to
Ma rch /Apr il 1990
Folk
Fiddle
By Alle ne and Harold Westo ver
stretch horseh air rubbed with pitch o r Ma terials
rosin . Drawing the hai r ove r g ut, s ilk ,
twin e , sin ew, or metal strings makes
them vibrate, producing a mu sical ton e
For the Fo lk Fiddl e we' ve tri ed to
keep the woo ds as simple as possibl e
and still mainta in hi gh standa rds . Th e
as lon g as the bowing continues.
list is st ill len gth y. You 'll need qu arter-
Som e form of the fidd le ex ists a llover
sa wn wes te rn red ce da r for the so und-
the world , thou gh in an astounding
board and bass bar, che rry lor the rib s,
variet y of shapes, so unds and uses. One
mapl e for the neck and bridge, birch
fami ly of fiddle s, ca lled violins , became
plywood for the back , wa lnut for the
the mo st prominent in Italy and Ger-
fin gerb oard a nd tailpiece, bir ch dowe l
man y in the fifteenth and sixtee nth
for the bow, and pin e for the interior
centuries. With man y subtle , bu t impor-
blo ck s. You 'll also need tuning ma-
tant, c hanges the vio lin remains the
chines , violin str ings, horseh air a nd
mo st popular fidd le in the Western
gro mme ts . And wh en yo u're read y to
world . Our Folk Fiddle is deri ved from
pla y the fiddle , you 'll need ros in for the
the vio lin. It has vio lin strings , is played
bow and a chin rest for suppo rt , and
like a vio lin , and sounds very much like
perh aps a book of instruction .
a vio lin . T he flat so undboard and g uita r-
So me of the wood s a re re adil y avail -
like shape are departures from trad i-
able . Th e mapl e , c he r ry , birch plywood
tiona l vio lin de sign , howeve r.
5\
and walnut are available from good
lumberyard s that carry hardwoods. But
the quartersawn cedar and maple must
be pur ch ased from a dealer specializing
in wood s for musical instruments. The
tun ing machin es, bra ss grommets and
bow hair ca n also be hard to find . To
make things easier, we 'v e listed a
supplier for all the parts exce pt bits o f
pine that nearly every woodworker will
have on hand . Folkcraft Instrument s has
agreed to supply all the needed parts, as
well as so me accessor ies that you may
want (see Bill of Materials ). Note,
however, that this is not a kit , ju st the
materials. We stro ng ly recommend the
mater ials package for novice wood -
workers. Preparing the thin stock used
in the fiddl e takes some exper ience and
the proper equipme nt.
The Sound Box
Start by making the sound box . The
so und box as a whol e resonates, ampli-
fies, refines and proj ect s the vibrations
produ ced by the str ings and tran smitted
by the brid ge . The major components
are the rib s (A), which form the sides of
the fiddle, the soundboard (B) , and the
back (C). There are also linin gs (D)
which stiffen the rib s and blo ck s (F and
G) at the top and bottom of the sound
box. Th e rib s, linin gs and blo ck s are
made as a unit and se rve as a foundation
for the rem ainin g components. Th at
procedure is detailed in the Spe cial
Techniques article " Making Mu sical
Instrument Sides" on page 30 . Wh en
don e you' ll have a co mpleted rib assem-
bly.
Also in the sound box are the bas s bar
(H) and so undpost (I) . The bass bar is a
strip glued to the undersid e of the
so undboa rd . The soundpost is a soft-
wood dowel that is pre ssure fitted
between the back and soundboa rd. Both
parts are refin ement s that help resonate
and amplify the so unds.
Th e so undboa rd, or belly , is the mo st
imp ort ant element o f the so und box and
vibrates in sympathy with the strings .
To vibrate e fficiently, the so undboa rd
need s to be glued to a rigid structure
aro und its edge , the rib s. The rib s are
thin, and bent into a complex curve.
T hin linin gs, whi ch can be almost any
wood , are glued insid e the rib s to stiffen
them .
Th e '116 in . thick cherry rib s are mad e
with an oven-be nd ing pro ce ss detailed
52
in Special Techniques. The simplified
bending technique allows novices to
make a set of rib s without steam-
bending equipment. The seemingly
daunting process is no different from
any other woodworking task . It's a
ser ies o f steps that need to be ca rr ied out
with care .
Cutting the Back and Soundboard
First, lay the completed rib assembl y
upon the plywood back blank , and
carefully draw the outline on the ply-
wood, leaving 'Ix in . extra all around .
Then draw the extra shape for the heel of
the neck upon the back . See the full-size
neck pattern for the shape of the heel .
The back lap s onto the heel as shown,
helping to bind the parts togeth er. Then
cut out the shape of the back , leavin g the
extra shape for the heel attached.
Next , make the soundboard . You'll
probably need to edge-glue two piece s;
it' s hard to find the quartersawn ceda r
used here in the full 8 in. width. First
arrange the two soundboard pieces for a
plea sing appearance . The workpi eces
here are straight-g rai ned quartersawn
sections, so you should be able to
achieve a nearl y invisibl e joint. When
you have a satisfactory orientation ,
mark the piece s and carefully joint the
edges. Then glue the two sections
togeth er , takin g care to keep the edges
of the pieces flu sh at the seam . Use
white or yellow glue . When clamping,
you'll need to hold the thin so undboard
workpi eces flat to prevent them from
buckling. After the g lue dries, sand both
sides with 120- to ISO-grit paper. Then
cut out the shape the same way you did
with the back (by drawing around the rib
unit with a pen cil and leavin g a 'Ix in.
allowance all around the perimeter.)
Next, use the full -size pattern to trace
the f soundho le de sign on each side of
the soundboard and cut it out with a
scroll saw , coping saw, or a sha rp knife .
Sand the inside of the f hole with an
emory board .
Completing the Sound Box
Before gluing and clamping the ribs
to the back, make sure that all lining
strips and blo ck s in the rib asse mbly are
flush to the edg e of the rib s, and that the
whole unit is smooth and straig ht. Then
use C-C lamps and whit e or yellow g lue
to attac h the rib assembl y to the back
(Fig. I).
Whil e you' re waiting for the glue to
dr y, cut the bas s bar (H) to the size give n
in the Bill of Materials and glue it to the
inside of the soundboa rd , being very
careful about the ori ent ation . It must be
on the insid e o f the so undboard as
shown in the elevation. Use light pres-
sure with wood -scr ew clamps.
After the glu e is dr y, remove the
clamps from the so undboa rd and dress
the edge of the back flu sh with the ribs.
Use a wood file - ca ref ully - to
rem ove most of the overhang , and fini sh
up with sandpaper. Th en use a plane or
chisel to taper the bass bar as shown.
Th e soundbox is now virtua lly com -
plete , but the so undboa rd isn 't glued in
place until after the neck is glued and
screwed to the sound box.
Making the Neck
Next , layout the neck (E) using the
full-size patterns. We used mapl e for the
neck , but you can also use pine or
anot her softwoo d . Hardwood isn' t nec-
essa ry bec au se the fiddle uses tunin g
machines instead of pegs. Cut the neck
to rou gh sha pe with a band saw. Th en
use a rasp , knife and wood fi les for the
final shaping. Also shape the heel to
conform to the slight curve of the rib
unit. Th en drill for the two flathead
screws that hold the neck onto the
so undbox as shown. Th e screws extend
through the neck block into the heel.
(Note that the screws don 't take wash-
ers. )
Make sure that the neck is in line with
the center line of the so und box . To do
that , draw the mid -lin e on the neck, then
clamp a flexibl e straightedge on the
neck alon g that midline, and see that the
straightedge project s through the cen ters
T he Woodworker' s Journ al
M arch/Ap ri l 1990 S3
 ++

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54 The Woodworker' s Journal
 of the neck block (F) and tail block (G) . If it doesn't , remov e
the screws and make correction on the heel of the neck . When
you are sure that the ang les ar e right, glue the neck onto the
rib s and back, using the sc rews to appl y inward pre ssure and a
clamp to hold the back to the heel. Use whit e or ye llow glue.
After the glue dries, locat e and drill the 1/ 4 in. di am eter holes
for the tunin g machines (0) .

Attaching the Sound board

Onc e the neck joint is dr y, rem ove the clamps and g lue the
soundboard to the rib s, ju st as you g lued the rib s to the back.
Onc e dr y, dre ss off the overhang of the so undboa rd with a
wood file and sandpaper.

T he Fingerboard and Tailpiece

Use the full -size pattern to es tablish the sha pe o f the
fin gerboard (J) and tailpiece (K) , which are made of walnut.
The side view of the fingerb oard sho uld be a wed ge tapering
from 1/4 in. thick on the narrow end to 3/ 8 in . thick on the wid e
end. The tailpiece is 3/ 8 in. thick its entire length . You 'll need
to glue a working handle on the und erside of both the
fingerboard and the tailpi ece. A piece of 3/ 8 in . by 3/4 in. sc rap
should be cut just a little shorte r than each. Gluing sho uld be
done with 5-minute epoxy. Use a sma ll dab of glue on eac h e nd
of the work handle so it ca n be rem oved eas ily aft er sha ping.
Use a stationary belt sande r or a woo d file to shape the
fin gerb oard and tailp iece . Rock the pieces fro m side to side
whil e holding them against the movin g sand ing belt, and
checking them again st the dra wing until the r ight curvature is
achi eved .
After shaping the tops of the finge rboa rd and tailpi ece,
rem ove the temporary work handl es. Use a chise l and mallet.
Then, with a rasp , rem ove so me wood from the und er side of
the wide end of both the fingerb oard and ta ilpi ece , so as to
create a curve concentric to the top curve o f eac h (Fig. 2) .
Th e nut (L) is also walnut , but with the gra in running in the
same direction as the brid ge . Th e nut has the same curve as the
upper end of the fingerboard , but it sticks up 1/ 16 in . abo ve the
fingerboard .

Attaching the Fingerboard

and Tailpiece
Th e fingerboard is now glued to the neck , lea vin g 1/ 8 in. at
the upper end of the flat for the nut , whi ch is then g lued in
plac e . Th e four grooves for strings are space d as shown and
es tablished with a file .
Next , drill thc 3/ 32 in. diameter hole s in the tailpiece for the
strings. Th e grommet s supplied will be a littl e loose in these
holes. Use a dab of ep oxy to hold them in . Th e holes sho uld be
equally space d and abo ut 1/ 4 in. from the wide end . Also, a 3/ 8
in. di am eter hole for the end pin (M) sho uld be drilled 1/ 2 in.
from the narrow end as shown in the top elevation.
A 5/ 16 in . hole for the end pin is drilled in the so und box,
• through the so undboa rd and into the tail block (G), ca refully
centered and 3/ 8 in. from the end of the instrument. Be ca reful
not to drill clear through the back. A piece of ma sking tape on
the drill bit make s a simple depth stop.
A 11/ 4 in. long by 5/ 16 in. diameter ca p sc rew se rves as the
end pin . It should fit snugly in the hol e, but pull out readily. If
it' s too tight redrill with the next larger size . If that see ms too
Mar ch/Ap ril 1990 55
 I

Bill of Materials
(all dimensions actual)
No.
Part Description Size Req'd.
A Ribs '11 6 X 1311 6 X 20 ' r" 2
B Soundboard 3116 x 8 x 13 7/8' 1
C Back 311 6 x 8 x 143/4' 1
D Lining 111 6 X ' /4 x as Req'd' 4
E Neck 11/2 X 13/4 X 9 1/4 1

~
F Neck Block 11/2 X 2 X 1311 6" 1
G Tail Block 11/2 X 2 X 1311 6" 1
H Bass Bar 3116 X ' /2 X 10' 1
I Soundpost 3116 dia . x 13116 long 1
J Fingerboard 3/8 X 11/2 X 73/4' 1 \
K Tailpiece 3/8 X 1' /2 X 3 3/4' 1
L Nut ' /8 X 5116 X 7/8' 1
M End Pin 5116 dia. x 11/4 long 1
cap screw
N Bridge 311 6 x 1" 116 X 2 1/8' 1
o Tuning as shown' 4
Machines
P Dowel 3/8 dia. x 27 long 1
Q Horsehair as req'd' 1
I
I
"
R Bow Pin 3116 dia. x 3/8 long 1
S Frog 1/2 x 3/4 X 21/ 4 1I -- - ~--- ~~ -
• Parts available from Folkcraft In- 1/ '-
struments , P.O. Box 807 , Winsted , f------- "'-
CT 06098 ; (203) 379-9857. The "\ - - -- -
package also includes rosin for the \
bow, a set of violin strings and Ibl \
grom mets for the tailpiece . The l -r-rI
package cos ts $49 .95 postage
paid. Note that this is not a kit, just I~ I
Ji
the raw materials . I
Folkcraft is also offering an addi- I
tional package that includes an
optional tailpiece assembly (tail- J I
I
piece, end pin, tailpiece adjuster/ 1° /
holder) and a finished bridge . This
package costs $1 1.95 postage paid I I
I
I
if ordered with the basic mater ials
package. If ordered separately, add I
$2 for postage and handli ng. I
•• Dimension shown is larger than final I
size. I
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56 T he Wood worker' s Jou rnal
loose, wra p maskin g tape around the
bolt. Th e head of the bolt keeps the
tailpi ece in place, secur ing the strings .
Note that many vio lins use manufac-
tured tailpi eces instead of the custom-
made o ne em ployed here . Folkcraft
Instrument s wi ll supply one as part of
the optio nal package listed in the Bill of
Material s. If you use the manufactured
tailp iece , the attac hment procedure is
so mew hat di fferent than the one g iven
here . It uses a pin that is insert ed around
the co rne r th rou gh the rib s of the violin ,
instead of th rou gh the so undboa rd (see
note o n e levation side view) . The tail-
piece package also includes the pin and
a special wire used to sec ure the tail-
piece to the pin. It also has holes already
dr illed for the str ings .
The Sound Post
Th e so undpos t (I ) , whittled from pine
or cedar, sho uld be 3/ 16 in. diam eter, and
as lon g as necessary to stand between
the so undboa rd and back with nothing
but a littl e ten sion to keep it in place .
Don 't use g lue. Measur e the dist ance
betw een the so undbo ard and the back ,
and add a whiske r to determine the
len gth of the so und post.
To set the so undpos t, you' ll need to
cut a 7 in. len gth of coat -han ger wire.
Hammer o ne en d fl at and file that flat
end to a knife edge . Imp ale the sound-
post up on the knife edge . Th en bend the
wire so that you may lower the post
th rou gh the right fh ole (Fig. 3). Using a
thin stiff tool such as a metal rule , shove
the pos t into place as shown.
The Bridge
Th e brid ge (N) is made of quart er -
saw n maple . It is 3!I 6 in. thick where it
rests upon the so undboard, and taper s to
abo ut 1!I 6 in . thick at the top. Make sure
the gra in run s across the brid ge so the
strings do n' t split it. Establish the
pro file fro m the full-s ize pattern. Note
that the top o f the brid ge is co ncentric to
the curve of the broad end of the
finge rboard . Use a scroll saw or a
co p ing saw to cut the delicate curves.
Use a file for the not ches. Th e feet of the
bri dge sta nd fl at upon the soundboard,
and as ver tica l as possible . (Note that
Fo lkcraft also has fini shed brid ges avail -
able as pa rt of the optiona l package (see
Bill of Mater ials).
The bridge is held in place by the
pressu re of the stri ngs . Don 't use glue.
March/Apri l 1990
Making the Bow
Congratulations, you have a fiddl e !
Any vio lin bow will play it. But you
may want to make your own bow. If so,
obtain a fairly straight 3/ s in . birch
dowel (P). Plane, file , or sand one end
of the dowel so that it tapers to half
thickness at the point and to full thick-
ness 14 in. from the half-round end .
Then cut the dowel to a 27 in. length .
On the flat end , cut a vertical slot 1/ 16 in.
wide and 1/ 4 in. deep to receive one end
of the hor sehair (Q) . On the other end of
the dowel cut another slot 5/ s in . deep, to
receive the other end of the hair. On the
flat end , g lue the bow pin (R) , a short
length of 3/ 16 in. diameter dowel with a
flat side . Lo cate the bow pin about 3/ 8
in. from the end .
To make the frog (5) , fir st cut a piece
of hardwood - we used walnut but any
hardwood will do - to ' /2 in . thick by
11/2 in . wide by 2 1/ 4 in long . On the
end-grain, mark the center of a hole 3/ 4
in . from one side of the block . On the
drill press, bore a 3/ 8 in. diameter hole.
Then rip the frog alon g the center of the
hole and taper the frog as shown.
Horsehair is available from stores that
sell musical supplies , and it may be
eith er bleached white or left natural
horse color. Color makes no difference .
Use onl y half of the amount of hair
supplied . Bind one end of the hair with
very f ine wire (28- 30 gauge steel wire) ,
wrapping it four times a ro und the hank
of ha ir, then twi stin g it tightl y with
pliers, and cutting the twi sted wire off
fairly close. With plier s, flatten the wire
knot. Dip the end of the hair into
powdered rosin , and melt the powd ered
ros in with a match , bein g careful not to
ignite the hair. If necessar y, rep eat the
application of the powdered ros in and
match melting.
The ball on the end o f the hair is now
ready for you to slide the hair through
the longer slot on the thicker end of the
dowel. Comb the hair to remove any
tan gles, and make sure it is straight.
Measure the hair so that it com es j ust to
the other end of the stick, and then bind
that oth er end of the hair w ith the thin
steel wire. Trim the hair I/ S in . beyond
the wire knot. Apply powder ed ros in
and melt with a match as before .
Now, flexin g the stick ge ntly, let the
free end of the hair into the slot on the
thinned end of the bow stick .
After sanding the frog , ge ntly slip it
between the stick and the hai r. (Do n' t
glue it in place; it sho uld be free to slide
on the bow stock .) Apply powd ered
rosin , and then rub the bow hair against
a cake of rosin. Your bow is read y.
Finishing
After fina l sanding, finish the instru-
ment with two coats o f satin polyu re-
thane varnish , sa nd ing lightly between
coats. Follow dir ecti on s on the can for a
smoo th, but not too shiny, fini sh . Fini sh
the frog separately, so it move s freely in
the bow.
When the fini sh is dr y, sc rew the
tunin g machines (0) in place . Th ey fit
snugly in the holes and don't require any
glue . Lace the strings through the hole s
in the tailpi ece , then through the holes in
the shanks of the tuning machines.
Twi st the head s of the tuning machines
until the strings are und er ver y light
ten sion . Plac e the bridge in place , and
tune the strings, bein g ca reful not to
kno ck the brid ge ove r and thu s dam age
the finish on the so und board . Th e
tunin g is from left to right (low to high )
G, D,A , E.
A good book on pla yin g the fiddl e is
Beginning Country Fiddle by Marilyn
Bos (Oak Publication s, New Yor k).
You can ord er it from your mu sic sto re
or bookstore . ~
57
 Pia n t Sta n d

lthough not an exac t copy

A of an or iginal, this plan t

stand was inspired by a
simila r stand in walnut bu ilt about
200 yea rs ag o. We used bird ' s-eye
maple instea d of the wa lnut, and
add ed c ha mfe rs a nd lamb ' s
to ngues to the legs.
By ca reful layout of the various
part s you can make this plant
stand fro m a sing le I in. thick by
6 in. w ide by 6 ft . long board .
You 'll have almost no waste left
over.
Edge-g lue two pieces to get the
width needed for the top (A ).
Wh en dry, cut to 11 1/ 2 in. square .
Then set the miter gauge at 45
degrees, and nip off the four
corners to create an octagon .
Next, tilt the table saw blade to 45

58 The Woodworker' s Journ al

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Mar ch/April 1990 59

 P I ant
degrees, adju st the fence as need ed to
cut the 1/ 2 in. wide 45-deg ree chamfer
on the bott om edges o f the top , and
make the chamfer cut on eac h side o f the
oc tago n.
Next , cut the apro ns (8) and legs (C)
to exact width but rou gh len gth. Set the
miter gauge for a 5-deg ree cut and fin al
tr im the aprons to 10 in . lon g and the
legs to 26 1/ 4 in. long.
Now lay out and cut the mortises in
the legs. Use the drill press to rou gh out
the morti ses, then pare the rem aining
was te with a chisel. You ca n also use the
table saw to rough- in the mortise ,
thou gh you 'll need to use a stopbloc k to
co ntro l the morti se len gth . Unde rcut the
bott om end of eac h mortise to match the
5-degree angle of the aprons, or leave it
sq ua re and cut a 5-degre e wed ge o ff the
end of the tenon instead.
Next , cut the tenon s on the apron
ends . Th e tenon shoulde rs are cut with
the miter gauge set to 5 degrees. Note
that yo u' ll need to reverse the miter
gauge to cut both sho ulders. Your blade
height sho uld be 5/ 16 in . , but cut a test
piece first to check for a good fit in the
mortise before co mmitting your project
stock . Cut the ten on chee ks by running
the aprons across the blade on end,
using a ten on ji g for suppo rt.
Th e half-notches in the aprons are cut
on the band saw. Stay insid e the layout
60
S tan d
F\J\-\-- ~,-z.£ PA.~~~'"
PA.-.' So
Bill of Materials
(all dimensions actual)
No.
Part Description Size Req'd.
A Top 1 X 11 1/ 2 X 11 1/2
B Apron 1 x 5 1/ 2 X 10'
C Leg 1 x 1 X 26' /4
• Length includes tenons
lines and use a file to adju st the notches
for a snug fit. Use our full-size pattern to
lay out the curve (ca lled a C upid's bow)
on the lower edge of the apron s. After
cutting the curve with the band sa w,
par e away the fuzz with a sharp chise l.
Don 't sa nd o ut the chisel mark s; they
add to the old look o f this piece .
The legs a re not a true oc tago n.
Instead, four 1/ 4 in . wide cha mfe rs are
cut, one on each co rne r o f the square
leg. Lay out the chamfers, rough them
in with a drawknife , then final plan e to
the line with a block plan e . Don 't worry
if so me of the birds eyes pop out, or if
the legs look a little roug h. Thi s hand -
worked look co ntr ibutes to the antique
appea rance of this piece . Th e upper end
of the chamfe rs wi ll need to be par ed by
hand , using a chise l.
T he lamb ' s ton gue detail may look
diffi cult , but here ' s an easy way to do it.
Using our full-s ize pattern , make a
template out of a sc rap of paper. Th en
just fold the pattern down the middl e,
cut it out, positi on the templ ate on the
leg co rne r, and mark for the lamb ' s
ton gue as show n. To cut the lamb' s
ton gues. ca refully pare to the line with a
chisel. A half-round fi le can also be
1
used , if you run into so me d ifficult
2
4 grain.
Asse mble a pa ir of legs to eac h apron .
slip the two apro n half-notches together,
and add the top . Note that the top is
position ed so its gra in directio n is on a
diagon al to the apro ns. This minimizes
wood movem ent problem s of the top
relati ve to the aprons. Use glue only on
the leg-to -ap ron mortises and tenon s.
and on the woo de n pegs . The pegs,
whic h are 3/x in . square at the exposed
end, fit into 5/ 16 in. d iameter holes.
Round o ff mo st o f the peg length , but
leave the ends square . Size the peg
length so that you' ll have a little left to
trim , but don ' t cut the pegs off flush .
Use a dovet ail saw to cut them off a little
lon g , then pare the peg end with a chisel
to simulate wear. This techn ique leaves
the peg ends proud of the surface and a
little rounded, as they would appear on
an antique where wood movement had
pushed the pegs out a bit.
T he finish is a Min wax Co lonial Pine
stain, followed by a thinned -out barn
red paint that' s then mostly wiped off
(while still wet) to simulate wear. An
applica tio n of beeswax co mpletes this
piece . mJ
The Woodworker' s Journ al
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Set ol4above. .
. $29.95
$59.95 11 3/4' Mini Shaker Peg I 6.00/100
3/4" x 3" long
2V2" x 4'12" long
$1595
$22.95 I 3 112' Reg. Shaker Peg I 15.00/100
3" x 4 1h ~ long
21/2" x 6" long
$2495
S27.95
I Re9· Candle Cup I 16.00/100
3" x 6" long $2995 t ' Wheel 4.00/100
USEON:
Add S2.5O per order lor shipping,
AVAILABLE WITH:
1 114' Axel Pe95 I 3.501t00
Drillpress, motor. lathe,
combo-tools, radial saw, drills,
'lh" boreWith V2~, 3fa", or lIt ~ shaft
' lh·20 RHthread (except 3/t" x 3")
11 5/8' Sawtooth Henger I 3.00/100
Mfrs . of Cab inet & Furn itu re
' % ~ bo r e( e x C epP/t " x 3"a nd2" x 3") 1 1/2' BirchSpindle 8.25/100
Me Visa,Check orMoney older 10: 1 1 1/2' Oak Spindle I 11.50/100 Hardware for Homes & Ant iques .
SINGLEYSPECIALTY CO. INC. I
Ordets under $25.00add$2.50shipping. Send $3.00 fo r a Ca ta log ue .
PO BOX 508U GREENSBORO. NC 27403 I Over$25.00shippedFREE. Serving Continental U.SA On ~ .
CALL: (919) 852-8581 I American Woodcrafters Supply I
I R.R.Dept. I-A
2, Box 147
24 Page Cetelog
75
I
\ Riceville IA50466 c Of )
WOODWORKERS ,,-515-005-403.1... _ _ ~EE wilh Order../.
Jennings Products has NEW IDEAS to
make your pr oject s more professio nal
lookin g without having to increase your
skill le ve l. O u r s ystem is also an excel-
lent money maker fo r ei ther full or p a rt
time shops . We not only ha ve p r oj e ct There are over 4,000
plans, but plans fo r ji gs a nd fixtu res to
mass produce - PLUS FREE 4 -c o lor
money-saving reasons
brochures to hel p product sa le s. PLUS why woodworkers rely
an in -depth supply o f si lk scree n s espe- on Constantine.
cially designed for o u r wood p rod ucts . 4.000 woodwork lterns - to help
Turn a $ .30 p ie ce of wood i nto a $ 10.00 Build · Hestora- Repair · Refinish
plaque with three silk s cree ns . It o n l y and win your family's applause'
takes a few min utes to m a k e the ji g (from Over 200 differentwoods . . . 150 veneers.
cabinet hardware 96 How-To books . 118 carving
scrap plywood) a nd learn how to screen . tools and chisels 76 inlaydesigns .. . and lots more for
Our products are inexpensi ve an d easy One-Stop, Right-Price shopping witnout leaving home'
to use. Slant-top b readboxes a nd w a ll
c locks, g r ist mill s and b lac k s m ith s hops
r--------------, I
CONSTANTINE Est.1812 Send 116 page
are only a few sam pl es of o ur produc ts I 2044R Eastchester Road catalog I
and sc ree n s. Send for the wh o le story. 4320 W. Bell Drive I Bronx, NY 10461 $1.00 enclosed
IT'S FREE.
J E N N IN G S PRODUCTS
Las Vegas, NV 89118
I Name I
P .O . B o x 11 21 , Dept. WJ · 2
H e nd e rs on vill e , TN 37077· 112 1
871-0722 I
IL
Address
City State _ _ Z1p
I
I
SEND $1.00 FOR CATALOG
~
M arch/April 1990 61
 DOMESTIC AND IMPORTED
VENEERS
Over 140 varieties of Veneers. Complete Line of Tools
lor Veneering. l aminating and MarQuet ry.- Cemenl s
and Glues. Simpl ifie d Veneering In str ucl ions and
price l lst sent l or $1.00 HOMECRAFT V EN EER
901 Woo, Way; l atr obe , Po. 15650
The Classified rate is $2. 00 per 1I'0rd,
payable with order. Minimum ad length
is 15 words, and the deadline date is the
25th of the third month preceding the
issue (4125 fo r the JulylAugust issue).
COli/II each word and initial ; phone
number COUIIIS as one word: state and
zip code count as one word , Send copy
and check to The Woodworker's J our-
nal . Classifie d Department , P.O. Box
1629, NewMilford, CT 06 776 .
Build wit h spa re pa rts and materi al . . 'Conto ur
Doub le Drum Sande r" drum s measur e 31 /~"
x 9" L. $5.00 U.S .; Adj usta ble "Table Saw
Tenon Jig. " $4 .00 U.S .; Instructi o ns. plans.
materia l list incl uded . J & J Ideas. P.O . Box
6864 , Abi lene. T X 79608 . Texas resi de nts
add 8% sa les tax. Out sid e U.S. add $2.00 .
Authentic IOO-year-old wood wor king fi.>rI11U-
las for paint s. varnis hes. stai ns. and o ther
" uld-timcy" so lutio ns. Co pies o f or iginal
notes. Send $7 .00 to Wood So lutions. Box
385 . Saluda. NC 28773; (704)749-433 1.
Log Ca bin Dollhou se Plans. Great project.
I " - I ' standa rd sca le. Ada pta ble to any log
hou se . $5 .00 . Wood work ing Unlimited. 26 1
Cha mp lin Rd.. Gi lboa, NY 12076 .
Yard Cr itter Pattern s! Life-s ize plywood bear
c ub. wood chu c k . fawn , racc oon , fox ,
sk unks. rabbit. + mo re! $7 .00 - Acce nts
(FJ-30). Box 7387, Gonic, NH 03867.
Large se lectio n of wood parts. Free ca ta log.
K & K Woodcraftcrs, RD 4 Box 270A ,
Sco tia , NY 12302 .
Plans for a beauti ful C hippe nda le woode n
wa ll lant ern measuring 20 x 6 x 6 inches.
Fi ne ly det a iled dra w in g s . inst ruc t io ns.
so urces, cos ts. $ 15.50 postp aid . or se nd
$ 1.00 (refunda ble) for brochure. to : Ele-
ment s o f O ld Virginia, Box 767-WJ2 , Wil -
liamsburg , VA 23 187.
62
6 Models 5595.00 - 5695.00
Deluxe 5750.00 - 51200.00 BEARiNG
I ~~~~~~i~
~~' Sidestroke
Sand 38
&- "String
x 6 ' Sanders
& 8'
Available, Kits $45 to $570.
ttess Molor) ~McCa ll Hous e, Dox 1945-C
r () R Lenolr, N. C. 28645 (704) 758-1991
100 Full Size Wood craft Patterns: Wind -
mills. Bird Hou ses. Toys. etc. $4 .50. Cata-
log alone 50c. Hayes Pattern s. 6F Willow
St.. Woburn . MA 01 801.
Woodent oy - patterns. proj ect boo ks. hard -
woo d wheel s, pegs, ca rgo. peop le and more .
Send $ 1.00 lor cata log; $4 .00 fo r ca ta log
plu s 2 pattern s; o r free broc hure . Wooden -
toy, Box 40344- WWJ. G rand Jun ction , CO
8 1504.
Ca rouse l Hor se Carving (11.1 standa rd size
and sma ller) . Boo ks. Blue pri nts. Fo r o rder
info, wri te to: Her itage Arts Press. 33 15
Sacrame nto St ., Sa n Franc isco. CA 94 118.
Picture Frame Molding $ .25 / Iinea r foot.
Samples $ 1.00 . C. Sta nder. FO B 932
Spr ingm ier Place. Pensacola. FL 325 14.
" T he Epoxy Handboo k. " step-by -ste p in-
structions o n how to use epoxy for pictures,
clocks, and plaqu es. plus much more . Send
$7 .95 10 : Epoxy. Box 549A, Keza r Falls,
M E 04047.
Door Ha rp Har d war e - 50 tuning pins
$ 15 .00; 250 pins $52 .50; 500 pins $80.00;
1000 pins $ 120.00. I /~ lb. NO. 2 w ire $8.00 .
Tuning pin wrench $5 .00 . All prices postp aid
wit hin the co ntinenta l USA . Folkcra ft Instru -
men ts. Box 807 1'. Win sted. CT 06098; (203)
379-9857 .
Blu epr int s . . . 82 C lassic Barn s. M in i-
bar ns . Cra fts ho ps , Ga rag es . . . In e x-
pen sive ! Catalog $5 .00 (re fundab le) . As h-
land Barns. 990WJ Butl crcr cck , As hland.
O R 97520.
10 Co untry Kitchen and Wall Hangin g Plans.
Big se lle rs o r idea l g ifts . All 10 plans for
$6 .50 . J.C . Enter prises. Dep t. WI'. 3549
Bro o ks id e Pkw y. S ., Ind ian a pol is . IN
46201 .
JOIN US
W.A.N .A .
Miniature Woodl ath e Design . Ball bea ring
spind le . Stra ightforward co nstruction uses
commo n hard ware. materi als. Details $4 .00 .
Don Sterc hi. 22 14 Lcaland , Bowlin g G reen.
KY 42 10 1.
G rea t Wood working So ftwa re! Superb co m-
puterized ind ex to 9 maj or woodwor king
magazines for IBM compatibl es. Searc h.
list. add , ed it. print. Ove r 3300 refer ences.
Satisfac tio n g ua rantee d. $2 1.95 . Infodex
Services, Dept. 305 . 10609 King Art hurs
Ct.. Richmond , VA 23235. Free Infor ma-
tion .
Stai nless stee l and brass, screws and bo lts.
Sma ll qu antiti es. free ca ta log. Elwick, Dept.
762 . 230 Wood s Lane, Somerdale. NJ
08083 .
Post O ff ice Box Bron ze Doors No. I $5. 00.
No. 2 $6.00. No . 3 $9 .00 eac h. Add $ 1.00
eac h shipping . SASE: Hubbert Woodcrafts.
P.O. Box 141 5 , Fletc her. NC 28732 ; (704)
687-0350 .
Inform ati ve Ca ta log fo r woodworkers.
woodca rvers. upho lstery, an tique res torers .
Many unu sual , hard -to-f ind items. Send
$ 1.00 to Van Dyke ' s, Dep t. 83 , Woon-
socke t. SD 57385 .
Se lling your woo dwo rking ca n be fun if you
let ot hers do the work. Let a vetera n show
yo u how . Refundabl e brochu re $ 1.00 .
G rapevi ne Publ ication s, 39 West Alexis.
Suite 130- 13. Toled o, O H 436 12.
C hair Ca ning Suppli es - ca ne webbi ng.
ru sh , s plint, as h. rawhid e. co rd . Ca ta log
$ 1.00 (refunda ble) . Ca ning Shop (WJ). 926
Gi lman, Ber kel ey, CA 947 10.
Use Your Scrap Wood . Make Shaker furni-
ture mini atu res. Boo k shows how. Free
det ail s/samp le plan . RAI, (W JA). Box 586 .
Alpha retta, GA 30239-0586 .
The Woodworker's Journ al
 Hardwood Lumber . kiln dri ed . lar ge varie ty
of species in seve ral thickn esses and grades .
We also ca rry basswood ca rvi ng stock . curly
and wormy mapl e. steam bend ing woods.
floor ing and panelin g. No min imum order .
size se lection avai lable. Ca ll or se nd stamp
for listing . Garreson Lum ber . Dept. B. RD
3 . Bath . NY 14 810 : (60 7) 566-8 558 .
Musical Instrument Kits - dulcim ers. ham -
mered dulcimers. banjos, mand ol ins. and
more . Co lor bro chure 56c stamp. Folkcraft
Instrument s. Box 807- K. Winsted, CT
06098: (203) 379-98 57 .
Let the Go vern ment financ e your wood -
work ing-related small busine ss. G rants/
loan s to $500. 000 . Free record ed message:
707-449-8600 . (KX9).
Spra y-On Suede Linin g. Finish any projec t
with a soft tou ch . Free brochure, sample
enclosed . DonJer Produ cts. Ilene Co urt
- Bldg . 8R. Bell crnead , NJ 08502; (800 )
336 -6537 .
Modul ar Stor age Syste m for shop. garage.
or as furni ture . Design for thr ee sizes . $5. 00
postpaid . Z . V. Enterprizcs . Box 4977 . Ar-
ca ta. CA 9552 1.
" Good Wood " Penn sylvan ia Hard woods.
O ver 2000 sizes 12 spec ies. 'Is" to 2" thick .
Surfaced . kiln dri ed. Small orde rs welco me .
Free ca ta logue: Cro ffwood Mills. RD # I
Box 14J . Drift wood. PA 15832.
Woodworking Instru ctors & Head Main-
ten anc e. coed resident camp in Massa-
chusetts. Co ntact Marv Lein , Camp Emer-
so n. 5 Brassic Road . Eastchester. NY
10707 : (9 14) 779 -94 06: (800) 955-CA MP.
DIY Plan s for indoor/outd oor furn iture.
wor kbe nch. childre n's toys. rifl e ca binet and
more . Ca talog $ 1.00. LLEWJ . Box 908 .
Co rnvi lle. AZ 86325 .
Sto p using your leftover sc raps for firewood .
Turn them into a profit able seco nd inco me .
Send $7 .50 for exciting new kit to "Sawdust
Magic. " P.O. Box 3 15 . Palm er Lake. CO
80 133.
Yard C ritte r Pattern s ! Life-size plywood
shee p. Iamb , piglet . owl. chickens, ducks,
geese. + more ! $7 .00 - Acce nts (EJ-30).
Box 7387 . Goni c. NH 03 867 .
March/April 1990
My wood working shop makes me $300
weekly. part-tim e. yours ca n too ! Free
detail s. Rick Gund akcr, Dep t. 19 . 8042
Oliver Road . Eric, PA 16509 .
C raft Suppli es: Cloc k movement s. co m-
ponents. plans, epoxy, foil and a rt pr ints.
Sha ker pegs. touch tones, door harp sup-
plies. Bible cloc ks. videos . tran sfer art .
stenci ls - over 1200 items! Whole sale
catalog $3 .00 (credited) . Stccbar, P.O. Box
463-E . Andover, NJ 078 21-0463.
Hardw ood s UPS - Red Oak. Walnut,
C herry. Hard Map le. Custom-made fur-
niture panels. ch air sea t blanks. Send
stamped enve lope for price s. R & E Hard-
wood s, 2 12 Main . Garden City. MO 64747;
(8 16) 862-8333 .
Proven Furniture Plan s: Octagon Gun Ca bi-
net - Co rner Cur io: Pedestal Table -
Cur io. $ 10.00 each . John Hall . Rt. 4 . Box
264 -A . Hot Spr ings. AR 7 1913.
Free Illustrated Catalog of books for wood-
workers : instru ction s. plan s. scale d draw-
ings. pattern s for furniture. toys. house
carpe ntry . duck decoy. bird and figur e
carv ing . chip carv ing. wood sc ulpture. lathe
work . more . Most $4. 00 to $6 .00 . Wr ite
Dover Public ation s. Dept. A 158. 3 1 E. 2nd
Street. Min eola , NY 11501.
Fine Woodworking Program . One year
co urse in furniture and cabinet makin g,
design and drafting . turning . carving, tool
usc . finishin g . and more . Nationall y
Accredited. Finan cial aid available . Free
brochure. Robert o-Venn School o f Luthi-
cry. 40 II S. 16th St . , Phoen ix. AZ 85040 ;
(602) 243 - 1179.
Preservation Ca rpentry - one or two yea r
co urse . Preser ve and restore pre-20th ce n-
tur y buildings. Ca binet & Furn iture Mak ing
- two yea rs. cu stom furniture co nstruction.
Traditi on al styles: hand joiner y and e mbel-
lishm ent. Piano Techn ology - two yea rs.
Tuning. action rep air s. and rebu ildin g. Vio-
lin Makin g and Restoration - thre e yea rs
for makin g; optional fourth year lor repair/
restor ation . Fina nc ial aid for qualified stu-
dent s. Accredited member NATTS. North
Bennet Street School . Box W. 39 North
Benn et Stre et. Boston . MA 0211 3: (6 17)
227-0 155 .
Wood Wh irligigs. Full-size pattern s. in-
structions. Wind-dr iven 13-22 " bee . chip -
munk. dog. coyote . roadrunne r. ca t. so ng-
bird, duck . $3 .25 eac h; any four $ 12.00 ; all
eig ht $23.00 . W. Skov, 3380 So . 4th Ave..
#26 . Yuma . AZ 85365 .
Real Scro ll Saw Patt ern s - not for band -
saws . Seven turn-o f-century an tiq ue ca rs
- Chevro let. Ford . Buick , etc. Full size d .
Unique. very detailed . $7 .00 . Mem or y
Lane. 5367-C Eas t Mount ain Stree t (1-3).
Ston e Mount ain . GA 30083 .
Dulcimer Builder Suppli es. Precision milled
and fine sanded dul cim er and hammered
dulc imer woods . C herry. wa lnut. padu k ,
rosewood . birdseye, and curly maple . Sitka
spruce, W.R . ceda r: re lated hardw are ,
strings and acces sories. 65c stam p for
brochure . Folkcr aft Instrumen ts. Box 807-
W. W insted . CT 06098 : (20 3) 379 -9857 .
Cas ino Table Kits. reg ula tio n size . black-
jack . craps. roulette tables. C R . Box 1686 .
Las Vegas. NV 89 10 1.
300 + Plans - Build shop machines and
accessories. Ca talo g $ 1.00 refu ndable .
Wood -Met (WJ) . 33 14 Shoff. Peor ia. IL
6 1604 .
Custom Turnin g - Have turnings made to
yo u r exac t s pec ifica tio ns . F u r n it u re
reproduction . porch railin gs and stairway
balu sters a spec ialty. For free bro chure se nd
to: River Bend Turnin gs. Box 364 . Dept.
WJ. RD #1, River Road. Well sville. NY
14895 .
$ 150 Daily Wood wor kin g. Unus ua l. easy.
proven . enjoyab le. Send sta mp. Pine Sho p,
897-3 Mammoth . Man chester. NH 03 104.
Make Woode n Toys . wh irligi g s . doll
houses. cloc ks. music boxes. weather instru-
ment s. crafts. furn iture with o ur plan s.
part s. kits. book s. supplies - Ca talog $ 1.00
- (6 14 ) 484 -4363 - Cherry Tree Toys.
Belm ont, OH 437 18-0369 .
Full-Size Profe ssio nal Plans - Catalog
$3 .00 . Over 200 profession ally de signed
plans for buildin g fine furn iture . Furniture
Designs, Inc. . CJ-30. 1827 Elmda le Ave. •
Glenview. IL 60025 .
63
 BACK
ISSUES
To order back issues use the form
bound in the center of this issue .
Vol. 8 No.3 May-J une ' 84
Co untry Vegetab le Bin, Foldi ng Deck Chair .
Shaker Pedesta l Table . Wall Hung Display Cabi -
nets. Wooden Coat Hanger. Toy Car and Trailer.
Paper Towel Holder , Ca rved Hand -Mirror. Wri t-
ing Desk. Carved Walk ing Stick, Lamin ated
Cl ock, Oa k and G lass End Tabl e. Art icles: How to
Lay O ut and Make C ircula r C uts ; Mail O rder
Selling; St ripping Old Finishes; Carvi ng the
Ball-and-Claw Foot.
Vol. 8 No. 4 J uly-Aug '8 4
Wag-on -Wall Clock, Oa k Sw ing. Ca ndy Dis-
penser , Coffee and End Tables, Tugboa t and
Barge, Lazy Susa n, Early American Mi rror.
Co lonial Pipe Box, Sewin g Machine Ca bi net.
Cam Clam p, Hamper . Ar ticles: Wh at Se lls Best" ;
Hom em ade Remover s; Buying a Basic Set of
Hand Tools; Ker f Bendin g; Ca ning and Wood
Finish ing Suppliers.
Vol. 8 No.5 Sept-Oct '8 4
Not Availa ble
Vol. 8 No.6 Nov-Dec ' 84
Stickley Chair, Tool Ca bi net. Shaker Sewi ng
Stand , Lighted Displ ay Pedestal. Teardrop Clock,
Pierced Ti n Cabi net, Toy Hook and Ladd er Fire
Truck , Busy Bee Toy, Co lonial Doll Hou se ,
Kitchen Organ izer, Wine Serve r, G randfath cr
Clock: Part II (Par t I available by reques t),
Articles: Sta rting a Business: Part II; A pplying the
Fin al Finish; The Fundamentals of Wood ; Inlays
and Inse rts ; Gustav Stickley and American Mis-
sio n Furniture .
Vol. 9 No. 1 Jan- Feb '8 5
Early America n Step Tab le, Oa k Barrister ' s
Bookcase, Parqu et Table, Shaker Trestle Tabl e,
Bandsawn Wooden Scoops , Toy Biplan e, Book
Ends , Co ntempo rary Ca ndle Holders , Necktie and
Belt Holder , Keyed Miter Jig, Modular Coffee
Table and Bar , Magazine and Book Rack , Co n-
tem porary Chest of Drawer s, Articles: Toys and
Chi ldren' s Articles: An Outline o f Th e Consume r
Prod uct Safe ty Com mission Standards; Shella c ;
Tru ing and Squar ing Lumber ; The Fin gerj oint
Spline ; Furn iture Kit Suppl iers; T he Shakers;
Special Section: Back Issue Index.
Vol. 9 No.2 Mar-Apr ' 85
Que en A nne Lowboy, Televis ionlVC R Stand,
Early Ameri can Pine Corner Cupboa rd . Toy Tool '
Set, Windspinner, Woodchopp er Whi rligig , Chi-
nese Puzzle, Cut-Off Jig , Blanket Ches t, Shaker
Har vest Tab le , Blacksmith 's Tool Tray, Arti cles:
A Guid e to Photographing Your Work ; Appl ying
She llac and Lacq uer; Sha rpening Plane Blades and
Chise ls; Installing Machin e Woven Cane ; Am er i-
can Queen Ann e , 1715-1755 ; General Woodw ork -
ing Suppl iers.
Vol. 9 No. 3 Ma y-June ' 85
Jacobean Joint Stool , Wall Cabinet with Recessed
Finge r Pulls, Shaker Desk , Kitchen Ca rt, Co nte m-
porary Wall C lock, Colonial Wall Scon ce. Ca rd
64
Box , Towel Bar with Gla ss Shelf, Marbl e Race
Toy, Cradle, Vanit y Mir ror. Miter C lam ping J ig,
Articles: Product Liabilit y: Part I; Restoring an
Antique Mirror Frame; Co ping with Wood Move-
ment ; Makin g Recessed Finger Pulls: T he Jaco-
bean Peri od .
Vol. 9 No. 4 July-Aug '85
Gate-L eg Table, Co mputer Desk , Shaving Horse,
Stamp Dispen ser , Crumb Co llec ting Breadb oard ,
Toy Tru ck s. Early American Wall Shelf, Pivot-
Top Ga me/Co ffee Tab le, Sett le Ben ch , Shaker
Sing le-Drawer Cupboa rd. Fold-u p Workb en ch ,
Arti cles: Produ ct Liabil ity: Part II; Spra y Finish-
ing; Table Saw Basic s; Makin g the Rule Joint ; Th e
W illiam and Mar y Peri od ; Canin g and Wood
Finishing Suppli ers.
Vol. 9 No.5 Sept-Oct '85
Colonial Schoolmas ter's Desk , Conte mporary
Sideboard . Mahogany End Table, Victori an Hall
Tree. C utlery Wall Cabinet, Swing-out Plant
Hanger , Prancing Horse Silhouett e, Block Puzzle.
Iron Caddy, Toy Ironing Board , Ea rly Am erican
Water Bench , Wood en Smooth Plane , Shaker
Sewing Box. Articles: A Craft Fair Visit; How to
Use Stick Shellac ; A G uide to C ircula r Saw
Blades; Makin g Bent Laminations; Co untry Co lo-
nial Furn iture .
Vol. 9 No. 6 Nov-Dcc '8 5
Moravian Chair, Du lcimer , Oak Din ing Tab le.
Shaker Washstand . Marking Gauge , Veneered
Wall Clock. 4 x 4 O ff-Roader, Teddy Bear Puzzle,
Duck Pull-loy . Land scape Cutting Board s. Ea rly
American Tall Clock, Pine Desk O rgani zer,
Articles: Sec rets of Success; Weavin g a Fiber
Rush Seat. Pa rt I; Table Saw Rippin g Problem s
and The ir Solution s; 4-Piece Book Match Venee r-
ing; Pennsylvania Dutch Furniture .
Vol. 10 No. 1 J an -Feb '86
Free standing Shelf System. Chippendale Bache-
lor ' s Chest, Oriental Serving Tray. Coun try
Bench , Ant ique Knife Tray. Tape Dispen ser.
Valent ine Box, Toy Tow Truc k & Ca r. Shaker
Drop -Leaf Table. Shop-Made Bow Saw, Child ' s
Settle Bench . Plate She lves , Articles: On Gctting
Paid for Your Work ; Weaving a Fiber Rush Seat ,
Part II; Table Saw Crossc utting: Techn iques &
Tips ; Rout er-Lathe Fluting: A Shop-Made Ap -
proach ; Chippe ndale Furn iture; Special Section:
Back Issue Index.
Cradle
MLJ'85
Vol. 10 No.2 Mar-A pr '86
Not Availa ble
Vol. 10 No.3 May -J une '86
Victorian W hatn ot Shel f, Co ntemporary Lam p.
Ea rly American Ben ch , Stea m- Bent Clock, Pine
Hutch/Cupboard , Canada Goose Basket , loy
Cra ne. Co ndiment Holder. Shop Workstation ,
Par so ns Table, Shaker Lap Desk, Articles: An
Inter view with Toyma ker C lare Maginley; How to
Flatten a War ped Boa rd ; A Gu ide lor Choosi ng
You r First Rout er ; Sup ported Steam Bending;
Victo rian Peri od .
Vol. 10 No.4 J uly-Aug ' 86
Shaker Slat-Back Side Chair, Wall-Hung Display
Cabin et. , Latticework Plant er , Co untry Bucket
Ben ch. Adi ro ndack Cha ir, Co ffee Mill, Clarndig-
ger ' s Basket , Box of Shapes Toy, Disk Clock ,
Ten on J ig , Diction ar y Stand, Articles: Selecti ng
the Right Proj ect for Produ ction ; More About
Warped Boards; All About Rout er Bits; The
Sliding Dovetai l Jo int ; Furniture Kits Supp liers.
Vol. 10 No.5 Sept-Oct ' 86
Desk with Tam bour Top , Vanity Case , Stoo l,
Coffee Tabl e, Blanket Chest. Morta r and Pestle,
Whal e Fo lk A rt Silh ouett e , Toy Wago n, Cran-
berry Rake, Rout er Bit Box, Shaker Drop-Leaf
Table , Articles: Are Your Prices Co mpetitive" :
Restor ing a Rosewood Cha ir; Basic Rout er Opera-
tio ns; Makin g Tamb our Door s; Ge nera l Wood-
workin g Supplier s.
Vol. 10 No.6 Nov-Dec '86
Early American Hamper, Cube Table, Rabb it Pull
Toy, O ld-T ime Sled Wall Shelf, Casse tte Tape
Hold er , Dog/Cat Bed , Vanit y Mirror. Early
A merican Washstand . Rout er Table, Victor ian
Sleig h, Articles: Wholesale and Discount Sour ces
of Supply; Sandpap er Abrasives; Using the Router
Table ; Th e Mitered Bead Fra me and Panel ; Clock
Part s Suppl iers.
Vol. 11 No. I J a n-Feb '87
Sha ker Blanket Ches t, G lass-Top Dini ng Table.
Dovetail ed Stool. Jewelr y Box , Door Harp, Toy
Firetruc k, Ca nada Go ose Mobil e, Balanci ng Saw-
yer Folk 'loy, Ea rly Am erican Style End Table,
Joint er Push Board, Articl es: Direct Mail Promo-
tion s - Defin ing the Marke t lor Yo ur Work; Old
Wood ; Th e Morti se and Tenon , Part I; Combina-
tion Hand /Router Dovet ailing; Special Section:
Back Issue Index.
Th e Wood wor ker' s Journal
 Vol. II No.2 Ma r-A pr '87
Shaker Sewin g Desk , Garden Bench and Table ,
Mirrored Wall Shel f. Rhombohedron Puzzl e,
Wood Sawye r Wh irligi g, Folk Art Door Stop ,
Kangaro o Pull Toy. Colonial Pine Wall Shelf ,
Co ntemporary Hall Table, Art icles: How to Create
a Direct Mail Prom otion; Types of Finish - An
O ver view ; Th e Mort ise and Tenon . Part II;
Making Bevel-Edged Drawer Bottoms.
Vol. I I No.3 May-J une ' 87
Display Pedes tal. Kitchen Cani ster Set. Ridin g
Biplane. Co nte mpo rary Serv ing Cart . Napkin
Holder. Decorati ve Plant er, Country Vegetable
Bin. Pine Medic ine Ca binet. Shop Drum Sander ,
Vien na Regulator Cloc k. Articles: Penetrating Oil s
and How to Use Th em; Th e Jointer; Vene er. Part I;
Decor ati ve Join er y: Dovetail Key Butt-Miter;
Can ing and Wood Finishin g Suppliers.
Vol. II No.4 July-Aug '87
TV N CR Ca binet. Ea rly Amer ican Style Book -
case . Pine Trash Co ntainer. Sturd y Low-Cos t
Wor kbench . Cou ntry Basket . Desk Calend ar with
Pen & Pencil. Butterfl y Pull Toy. Vanity Mirror
with Drawer . Apoth ecar y Chest, Articles: Shella c;
The Hand Plane; Veneer. Part II; Incised Ca rving;
Hardw oods Suppliers.
Vol. II No. 5 Sept-Oct '87
Pine Woodb ox , Co ntempora ry Love Seat. Two-
Drawer Oak Platform Bed . Snail Pull Toy, Routed
Tri vets, Spice Rack with Chip Carvi ng, Joiner ' s
Tool Chest. Shaker-Styl e Step Stoo l. Turned Shop
Mallets. Ar ticles: French Polishin g Made Easy;
Plane Iron Sharp enin g; Makin g a Splayed Leg
Dr ill Gu idcbl ock; Traditi onal Chip Carv ing; Shop-
Tested : 12 Jigsaws.
Vol. I I No. 6 Nov-Dec ' 87
Cu rio Ca binet , Rockin g Horse , Three-Drawer
Jewelry Chest. Tapering Jig , Rolling Toy. Folk
Art Silhouette. Two Towel Rack s. Early Ameri can
Style Wall Shel f, Co rne r Cupboard . Stack ing
Wine Racks, Articles: On Glue s and Gluin g; Band
Saw Setup; Makin g the Continuous Bracket Foot;
Step-B y-Step To a Flawless Finish On Pine (Or
Any Other Wood ); Hardw are Suppliers.
Vol. 12 No. I Jan- Feb ' 88
Early America n Pierced Tin Cabinet . Contempo-
rar y Co ffee Table. Puss ' n Books Bookend s.
Coo kbook Holder, Wooden Jewelr y, Child ' s Duck
Puzzle , Shaker Wall Clo ck. Stereo Cabinet and
Speakers. Co untry Occa sional Table. Drill Press
Jig. Articles: Edge-Gluing; The Drill Press;
Pierced Tin ; Four Shopmade Finishes; Genera l
Woodworkin g Suppli ers.
Ma rch/April 1990
Vol. 12 No.2 Mar-Apr ' 88 Vol. 13 No. 4 July-Aug '8 9
Folk Harp, Oak & Glass Tier Table. Crystal Country Pie Safe, Shaker Lon g Bench. Fol k-Art
Regu lator Clock . Ear ly American Candlesticks . Sign , Toy Farm Tractor and Wagon , Miniature
Arrow Wall Decoration . Three-Drawer Country Flower Ca rt. Kitchen Ton gs. Pine Wall Cabin et
Wall Box. Key Cabin et , Co ntempora ry Box. with T insel Art , Stack ing Bookshelves. Articles:
Shaker Carrier, Articles: Use and Sharpening of Dealing with Uneven Wood ; T insel Art; Coping
the Hand Scraper; The Lathe ; Basic Setup; with Your Radial-Arm Saw; Brushing Lacqu er;
Quartered Turnin gs; Lacquer; Stationary Tool Tools on Display: A Visit to a Wood working
Suppli ers. Show; Station ar y Equipme nt Suppliers.
Vol. 12 No. 3 May-June '88 Vol. 13 o. 5 Sept-Oct ' 89
Hunt Table. Loon Carving . Early American Dry Oak Globe Stand , Cou ntry Bake-Room Table.
Sink. Contemporary Dresser. Old-Time Pipe Box. Chippendale Sma ll Chest , Stacking Desk Trays,
Antique Knife & Fork Tray , Dutch Tulip Folk -Art Pencil Box, Apple Door stop , Space Shuttle Toy,
Silhou ette. Colonial Salt Box. Bud Vase. Miter Marqu etry Coas ters, Ice Ches t with Ma rbleized
Gau ge Stop. Arti cles: Spindle Turning; Selectin g Top , Articles: The Table Saw : Basic Adj ustme nts;
and Sharpening Lathe Tools ; Recessed Finger Pull Cuttin g Full-Blind Dovetails; Marqu etry: Th e Pad
Step-By-Step ; Type s of Stain ; Clo ck Parts Suppli - Method ; Marbl eizing : Crea ting a Faux- Marble
ers. Finish on Wood ; Mount Leban on Shaker Village:
Vol. 12 No.4 July-Aug '88 A Museum in the Makin g; Tool Review: Shop
Four-Drawer Lamp . Oak Magazine Rack. Occa- Test: Four Portabl e Planers; C lock Part s Sup pliers.
sional Table, Mitered-Corner Box. Heart Stoo l, Vol. 13 No. 6 Nov-Dec ' 89
Decorative Cutt ing Boards . Kids' Piggy Bank , Bed-and -Breakfa st Tra y. Mission Style Trestle
Turned Bowl. Co untry Cupboard . Articles: Fa- Table , Jewelry Box. Kids ' Bob sled , St. Nick laus
cep late Turn ing ; Workshop Layout: Cutt ing Dove- Carvi ng, Carou sel Toy, Box Drum , Dancin g Man
tails on the Table Saw ; Stai ning Basics; Schoo ls Folk Toy, One -Board Towel Rack , Secretary
and Craft Centers. Desk . Arti cles: Morti sing Butt Hinges; Dado
Vol. 12 No.5 Sept-Oct ' 88 Head s; Marquetr y: Th e Empt y Wind ow Method ;
Oak Bookcase Desk , Miter Cutting Jig, Captain's Anilin e Dyes; Lynes Unlimited : Making Toys in a
Clock , Country Coffee Table , Rooster Folk-Art Kansas Chicken Coo p; Hardwood Suppliers.
Silhouette. Harvest Basket. Bird Push Toy. Pencil Vol. 14 No. I J an -Feb ' 90
Post Night stand , 18th-Century Pencil Post Bed, Tavern Table. Mort ise & Teno n Mir ror, Weaver' s
Articles: Why Worry About Wood Movement ": Che st of Drawers. T issue Box Cover. Band -Sawn
Joinin g Ring Segmen ts; Drill Bits and Boring: The Napkin Holder. Grass hoppe r Pu ll Toy. Compact
Hole Story; Filling Open -Grained Woods; Hard- Disc Holder. Sho p-Built Spindle Sande r. Wall-
wood Suppliers. Hung Ironing Board . Articles: C lam ps: One Shop
Vol. 12 No. 6 Nov-Dec '88 Tool You Ca n' t Do Without ; How to Hang Wall
Child's Carousel Lamp , Shaker High Che st. Table Cabinets; Marqu etr y: The Direct Meth od ; Protect-
Saw Cross cut Box. Country Vegetabl e Bin, Whale ing a New Finish: A Guid e to Waxes and Polishes;
Pull Toy. Colonial Wall Sconce , Treet op Christ- Caning and Finishing Suppli ers; Special Sect ion:
mas Orn ament. Classic Pickup Truc k. Contempo- Back Issue Index.
rary Cradle . Articles: Flatteni ng Wide Surfaces
with the Hand Plane ; Making a Cove-Edged
Raised Panel: Core- Box Bit Method ; Polyure - Country Pie Safe
thane ; A Sander For La rge Surfaces ; Caning and
Wood Finishing Sup pliers .
J /A '89
Vol. 13 No. I Jan-Feb '89
Shaker Wall Ca binet, Shop-Built Disk Sande r,
Cherry Table. Pine Wall Clock . Rock and Roll
Toy, Contempora ry Ca ndle sticks. Merganser
Decoy. Child's Table and Chairs, Articles: Buying
Ha rdwood Lumber: What You Need to Know; The
Thickness Planer ; Making Breadboard Ends;
Ebonizing; Hardware Suppliers; Special Section:
Back Issue Index.
Vol. 13 No.2 Mar-Apr ' 89
Oriental Mirror. Adirondack Settee . Country Vil-
lage . 18th-Ce ntury T ilt-Top Table , Toy Fishing
Trawler. Two Tr ivets, Folk-Art Cow, Greek
Revival Birdhouse, Pine Armoire. Articles: Tran s-
ferr ing and Enla rgin g Patterns; Making Tripod
Legs; Three Easy Finishes for Pine ; The Portable
Circular Saw; Schools and Craft Centers.
Vol. 13 No.3 May-June '89
Jewelry Chest, Storage Seats , Table Saw Ga uge.
Oval Extension Table. Nessie Pull Toy. Back
Massager, Decorative Wall Key, Co untry Wall
Shelf. Co ntempora ry Mi rror. Articles: Panel Re-
tainer Disk System ; Understanding Circu lar Saw
Blades; Cutting Box Joints; Non-Toxic Finishes ;
Massachuse tts Wood work er Paul a Ga rbarino ;
Ge nera l Wood workin g Suppliers.
65
ISho~Ti~s~
I' ve found that a littl e rubber ce me nt
ca n be a grea t help o n those occas io ns
whe n you need to sta rt a nut in a
ha rd-to-reach location. Simply place a
little of the ce me nt o n the e nd of yo ur
f inge r and also on o ne fac e of the nut.
-==- . ~
__--..I ~ parts in hard-to -reach plac es. Th ey
A fte r dr yin g for a few sec o nds , the nut
ca n be stuck to the g lue o n yo ur fin ge r.
Th e nut will hold firm ly in place ,
allowi ng you to ge t it into that d iff icult
spot, yet it will pull off w ith little
di fficult y. Once the nut is in place , the
rubber ce me nt w ill easi ly rub off yo ur
finge r. Th e manu facturer ' s lab el says to
avo id freq ue nt or prolon ged skin co ntact
with rubber ce me nt, so you don't wa nt
to use this tip every day.
Howard E. Moody , Uppe r Ja y , N . Y.
Ordinary hou sehold ammoni a w ill
qui ckly di ssolve the pitch that accumu -
lates o n saw blades. Let the blade soa k
for a few minut es, then sc rub the pitch
w ith an o ld toothbrush. Thi s wo rks
almos t as well as ove n cleaner , ye t it' s a
lot cheaper.
Acce nts . . . . . . . . . . 61
Accuset . . . . . . . . . . . 7
American Woodcrafters . . 61
Brown Wood Products . 61
Cascade Tool . . . . . . . 15
Childshop . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Constantine . . . . . . . . . . . 61
Dollar Trading . . . . . . . . . . 6
Econ Abrasives. . . 10
Folcy-Belsaw . . . . II
Furniture Designs. . 61
66
Even a very sma ll blob of dri ed glue
o n the fl at of a tr y sq ua re w ill cause
inacc uracy . Make a point to peri odi call y
inspect yo ur sq ua re and , if nec essar y,
rem ove any glue spots yo u find .
My garage wor ks ho p is crow de d with
woo dworking eq uipme nt. much of it
w ith odd protrusion s suc h as handl es,
adj ustme nt leve rs, or tabl e saw exte n-
sion ba rs. Th ese thin gs are easy to ban g
into , ofte n w ith pain ful result s. To
redu ce the probl em , I cove r these dan -
gero us proje cti on s wi th foa m wa ter pip e
insul ati on, the kind that' s so ld at j ust
abo ut any hard wa re store. I simply c ut
the insulation to len gth (a llow a co uple
of inch es for a c ushion) and s lip it o n the
projecting part. It' s an easy wa y to make
the sho p a safer pi 'I CC to work .
A llan ZO/lIek(dJ: Whittier , Ca /(f.
Light-Duty Clumps
Don 't overl ook the lowly spr ing clothes-
pin when yo u need a light dut y clamp .
Th e wood en jaws can be shaped to fit a
pa rt icular job, which mak e it es pec ially
INDEX TO ADVERTISERS
Gri zzly Imp orts . . . . . . . . . 4
Hom ecr aft Ven eer . . . . . . . 62
Horton Brasses . . . . . . . . . 61
Imp orted European Hardware . . 61
Jennings Product s . . . . 61
Jesse Jon es . . . . . . . . 19
K & S Specialt y Lumber . 14
McC all Hou se . . 62
Meisel Hardware . . . . . 9
Minuteman . . . . . . . 61
MLCS 5 , 10
hand y for mod el work .
Jam es A . Hunter, Tra verse City , Mi ch .
A common bobby pin makes an
exce lle nt c la mp when working o n mod-
e ls or othe r s ma ll jobs. There is e nough
ten sion to hold the parts together and the
rub ber tip s help prevent f ine work fro m
ge tt ing marred .
Howard E . Moody , Uppe r Jay , N . Y.
A hem ostat, used by surgeo ns to
clamp blood vesse ls, makes an exce llent
light -duty woodworking cl amp . It' s also
handy for holding or retrieving small
co me in stra ight or curved versions and
se ll fo r around $5 .00. If not avail able at
your local pharmacy, try a medi cal
supply sho p or a sto re that sells nurses'
uni forms and supplies.
The Woodworker's Journal pays $25 [or reader-
submitted shop {ips {h,1I are publ ished. Send your
ideas (incl uding sketch if necessary} 10: The
Woodworker's Journal, P.O . Box 1629, Nell'
Milford. c r 06776, Atte ntion : Shop Til' Editor,
WI' redraw all sketches , so {hey need 011/.1' he clear
and complete, If .1'011 would like the material
returned , please include a self-addressed stamped
envelope ,
Nova Tool . . . . . . . . 14
Penn State . . . . . . . . .2
Singley 61
Sprayway . . . . . . . 7
Trend-Lines . . . . . II
Turn-O-Carve . . . . . . . . 6\
Winfield Collection 14
Wood ma ster Tools . . . 9
Wood-Mizer . . . . . . . . . . II
Woodworking Shows . . . . . . 9
The Woodwor ker ' s Journ al
 WOODCARVING
, - - - - - -WI TH-
• •- - - - - ,
RICK BUTZ

Country Projects For Woodworkers Contemporary Woodworking Projects

If building the simple, sturdy furniture of
the old cabinetmakers appeals to you,
then you'll want th is collection of the
best country projects from the 1980-84
issues of The Woodworker 's Journal. 85
complete plans range from weekend
projects like Colonial Gandlesticks and
Fireplace Bellows to more challeng ing
projects such as a Shaker Chest of
Drawers, a Stepped-Back Hutch , and an
18th Century Trestle Table. Some plans
are also found in Projects lor
Woodworkers , Volumes 1 and 2.
Paul Levine guides woodworkers of all
skill levels through room-by-room
chapters of coordinated furniture and
accessories. The clean angles, sturdy
joinery and special techn iques are made
easy to master with step-by-step
instructions and illustrat ions. Among the
40 handsome projects are a matching
Love Seat, Chair and Ottoman set, an
Oak Credenza, a Platform Bed, and a
Japanese Shoji Lamp. Children will enjoy
their own table and chair set, puzzles
and a great box of dominoes.

BOOKS FROM
You'll find the order form for these books bound in the cente r of th is issue.

Projects For Woodworkers, Volume 1
Beginning and advanced woodworkers
alike will apprecictte the fu tl range of
styles in furniture, acc~ssories, lamps,
clocks, toys and gifts. Of the 75 projects
selected from the 1980-81 lssues of The
Woodworker 's Journal, plans include a
Cabinetmaker's Workbench , Pine Shaker
Cupboard , Old-time Icebox, a Cobbler's
Bench Coffee Table and a Child's
Victorian Sled. Fully detailed
instructions, illustrations, and photos.
Projects for
Woodworkers , !
75 Project Plans for Furniture ,
Toys , and Accessories .'
Volume I
Projects For Woodworkers, Volume 2
Originally published in the 1982 issues
of The Woodworker 's Journal, all 60
projects were chosen with a wide variety
of styles and skill levels in mind. Each
project is presented with complete
instructions and thorough illustrations.
You'll find household accessories like
the Desk Caddy, Casserole Dish Holder,
and Breakfast Tray easy to build. And
you're sure to enjoy the reward of
completing more involved projects like
the Tambour Desk, Old Danish Chest of
Drawers and Swinging Cradle.
.,;
101 Projects For Woodworkers
For the eager amateur just starting out
or the craftsman with a shop full of
tools , 101 Projects For Woodworkers
features an unparalleled variety of
classic projects for everyone. Included in
this collection of plans from the 1977-80
issues of The Woodworker 's Journa l are
a classic Rolltop Desk, an old-fashioned
Porch Swing, traditional and
contemporary furniture, clocks, mirrors,
home accessories, toys and novelties.
Complete instructions and illustrations.
 M ultipurpose
Projects for Cabinet

Woodworkers , ! 75 Complete
75 Project Plans for Furnitur e,
Toys, and Accessories
Volume I Project Plans
Projects for Woodworkers, Volume 1
Wh eth er you prefer fine antique rep rodu ction s. hand -
so me co ntempora ry design . lon g-term project s. or those
easily co mpleted in an evening. Projects For Wood-
workers , Volume I has so mething for everyo ne , You 'll
find the best of styles in furn iture . clock s. hou seh old
acc ess ories. toys. and ga mes .
For more infor mation on this and other book s from
The Woodworker 's Journal , see page 67 . To orde r use
~~~~~~~~~~=u the hand y orde r form bound in the ce nter of this issue .

Dish Rack lee Box

Next We've got lots more great projects.

Issue . . . Here's just a few .
The Shaker Tall Clock will add timely elegance to your
front hall, the Child 's Cupboard will spice up a play room,
and the push toy wi ll keep the family toymaker happy .
•
Child's
Cupboard

Cat Pu sh Toy

Shaker Tall Clock