I I
IR TAI
a
'EASY TAB'LESAW g STORAGE SOLUTI9NS Pg. 44
PERFECT 4 WITH ONE;
STROPPING FOR A
UNLIN. '''5 EXTRA
I
L&mdeyovmgacdaS saw by bu~ld~ng thls custom m&cm& IMtha large worksurface, laads d m ,&st o o l k t m , and a handy WI,muWrWI,p 1 be able to handle any prqiect PluP, Ummb an opbonal table for extra
-
Want a new /oakforyour shop cab~netsand pm~ects?Withlust a /file trme and some scrap
worWIop
Her - .Duty Workbench
I
ONLlNt
"", EXTRA.
This workbench has it all -a rock-solid base.
rout consistent flutes quickly.
One-Bit Jdnevy
Page8
Creating a rail and stile joint doesn?have to be a lot of work. We'll show you how with a slot-cutter bit and one fence seffino~
Here's what youneed to know to get the best results when you use plastic laminate on your projects, shop jigs, and fixtures.
Looking to get less tearout and smoother cuts with your jointer? A spiral cutterhead might be the answer you're looking for:
j
I
t'smnO.Whenitcomestomakingshop pmjeds, I like using MDF (mediumdensity fibehard). It's flat, durable, and best of all inexpensive. Right now, a full& sheet goes for about $20 (or less) at the local home centers. In this issue,we're featuring two propcts that take advantage of thisversatile m a w For startem, check out the workbench in the photo at left. Here the idea was to design an easytc-build bench that used a minimum of materials and hardware. Now, with just three sheets of MDF, some2x6's, and a handful of hardware, you can build a rocksolid workbench in a weekend -allfororless$lOOinmaterials. Ihedfierprriectinhisissuethatmakguseof MDF is the Table Saw W o r W on page 16. In this case,we took advantage of another property ofMDF-i!ssmoothsu*ace.%smakesitgrrat forpaintingorforuseasasbstratekpplastic laminate. On page 10,we've even induded some tips forapplying laminate. FREE TIPS spealdng of tips, if you BYEMAIL haven't already signed up
1
&tips, I invite YOU to do
receive a woodworking but you'll also have the opportunity to give us your input on what kind of projerrs and artides you'd like to see.Plus, fmm time to time,you'llget updatesandsneakon what's appearhgin fuw issues of Sh0pNok.s.
'O
ONLINE ; EXTRAS 1
-~-~.~-a
Readers
Tips for Your Shop
'
Table Saw Fence Tool Caddy fence cumbination square. I I dr&d
4
~ ~ B r y a n N e h o n . V * r e n t ~ lSSOaUt EWOM Rwl Huber. Ted W e
fexs mdma3reapass(drawingat light). E E C U W Ml DIREOMI mmcnmCatyC SENm WlSRITMI RogCTfmlad WlSRI7015 Davd Wlemyn. Peter 1 L a m
CREAllW DIREOMI Ted K r k & SEllWI I M ) mDESIGNERS Ken Munkel, K e n t M . ChmFitch mom3 Mike Donovan,
lomDwle SHOP QIRSIYIEN Steve CuNs. Steve Johnson
EUCmOw MU9 rrwrunAhn Ruhnke Cralg Ruqlregger,Mark Hayes
Submit Your Tips If you haw an original shop tip, we would like to hear from you and cof@W publishing your tip in one or more of our publiions. Just write down your tip end mail it to: ShopNotes, Tips for Your Shop, 2200 Grand Avanue. f h Moines, lows 50312. Pleare include your name, addr6ss. and drytkne phone number (in care we have any questions). Ifyou would like. you can FAX It to us at 6152824741 or simply send us am emaif message at: s h o p n ~ h o p n o t e a c o m .We will pay up to $200 W we publish your tip.
Congratulations to Tom Slatkv of Lena, Wisconsin. Him tip on building a sandpaper organizer was selected as winner of the Pom-Cabk router just liketheone shown atthe right The organizer stores difkmnt grits of Mbital sandpaper in a way that keeps them Rat and ready for use. To find out how y w could win a PorterCable muter check out tha information abowr.Vourtip just might be a winner www.ShopNotes.com
tI0wII)llllCWUlt MR WBKRPllOK3, PSDRESS CHANGES
ORwmONSmONSmORCA
SIDE PIECE
lbedowek6t&hdesdrilled near the ends of each side. s'tI a gmdideatomtmdoftbothd of the side piecea This keeps the powerdfiumgeningtangledor
Ssimpkhandwlisagmtway to store a iwg p o w cad. To wind upthecd,youjust"pedal"the reel like a bicycle (photo above). Oncethecordiswrappedup,it hold a W p e r cord.)
support to wrap the cad around, dowel is fhrsh with the side) the dowetsactas hmdkS to make it After the dowels to the easytodupthecad. side, I slipped a short length of wc
RetracZaMe Chuck Key I'm always misphdng the chuck keytomydriU~SoIfasoened it to a n9mdabk kqr drain that's attachedtothecdumnofthedrill press (photoat right). The key chain is held in place w i a~hose damp. And it's amnededtothechuclrkey~ashort dowel to give you more herage, Ahokdrilledinoneendofthe ddameptsthehandleofthe chuckkey.(Iusedepoxytohold it in place.) Afta saewirrg an eye hookintheoppdteend,youcan
I
pipeovereahone.'Ihepipespins M y on the handles which makes iteasytowindupthecord@mtthe pipes %6"s"shorterthanthehmdkS.) Nexftop~~ntthepieQsof
I EachtimeIehimgedmdpaperon my random d i a l sander,it meant searrhinptofindtheri&disk.And whenI foundone, it was oftenbent a led up. So I built the sandpaper m&anizershown at righa The otgpnks lets me s k m
ALIGNMENT
lt~w
It takes up very little space and keepsthethedisksoat Tobuildtheorganizeqcuth raadpktesfrom3/r"~.'Ihen use a hand saw to cut an alignment locating the Y$-dia. ttuough holes mark on the edge of each.plate. in each plate that accept the alignNext, d d %"-dia. holes in the ment dowels. As you can see m top plate CTop View below). You the drawing at left, there are three can then use it as a template for in each plate. F i i y dri W-dia. holes in the plates for each of the dowels to slide thmugh To use the opnker, place sandpaperonthebottomplate.Next,line upthesawkerfontheedgeofthe secold phte with the bottom plate and stide the second plate wer the dowels.Then continue to add sandpaper and plates until it's W. Tom SIntky
Lma,Wlsmnsrn
se your slot-cutting bit to make stub tenon and groove joints. ple doors with usuauy turn to
It only takes a little set-up time The Right Width. One of the to cut the grooves ( i i photo things that can keep you from above).And a simple, " s y - W d getting a good fit wth a plywood stub muter sled helps you form the stub panel is the h c h e s s can vary. a tenom, as you can see in the main . photo above. Here's what youneed more o h than no to h o w to get some extra use out of that slot-cutting bit in your collike you aee in he photo below. lection of muter bits. slightly nanuwer than the ness of my plywood. This 1 ~ R E m o o v E sneakup on a tight fit. For Ifinditeasiertomakethe wth Y4" plywood, I11 use groove first then size the cuts a %$'-wide slot stubtenomto fit. But there are a couple of d\allenges with m t i n g a groove ' for a @. ?he first challenge is getting a snug fit Thepaneloftenendsup too loose or too light in the groove. Next, adjust the fence gIoow.*mrrrMw the muter table to set the depth is getting the groove entend on the workpiece. lhegoodnewsiswiththe about setting the depth A F . . . . . .. . . . . . . . right setup, an ordinary and grooves are easy to set up on your router table using a slot-cu#ing bit.
1
I
MTSE15 N A R W R
m 5s DEPTH OF GltOOK
locationofthefence.Iliketomake the grwves about deep. Rout Gmoves First Once everything is set up, you can make some test &. Then, you can ve?ify the depth of the groove is what you want and is nmghly c e n W on the~oftheworlcpiece. N&,IUflipthethetgtendfor-end and make another pass. This automatically centers the grooveonthethicknessofthepiece, a s i n E i 1 . Now youcancheck the fit of the panel. You may need to tweak the height of the bit and make some more test cuts until you get a good fit. Then mut a groove onalltherailsandstiles.
fence for the depth of the groove. Thismeans youcanomcentrateon sizing the stub tenons. Adjust Bit Height To do this, youcanusethegroovemaworkpiece as a set-up gauge. I adjusted theheightofthebitsothatthetop ofthecuttingedgewasjustshyof theshoulderofthegmove,asyou canseemFigure2 Use a Sled To form the tenon, you1 be muting the end grain But one of the pmblems with mutingendgrainisthelikelihood of tearout That's why I like to backupthecutwithaxuutersled (see box below). Amther benefit isitahhelpsholdthewmkpiece squaretothe fare. h w PIf you look at the
bottomtwodrawhgsontheright, youllseethatImakethedleekSof the tenon m two passes per side.
That's because the slot-wing bitisn'twideenoughtofonnthe cheeksof the kmomm one pass. Ihefirstpass is a light cut made with the worlprioce "elevated" on a% ", hardboaFd platform (Figwe 3). Next, flip the workpiece and q e a t the cut on the other side. Now,mtate the sled 180" and make a second pass on each side with the w o r k p i i mting on the muter table, as shown in F i p 4. One you get the hang of it, it Now that you have the p v e s doesn't take much time at a l l to cut, you can set up to cut the stub make stub tenons and grooves. tenonsonthemilstofitwhat'snice Plus, you've found anothe~use for is you've akady debmnkd the that s l o t c u bit ~ 8 length of the tenon by setting the
Routing Stub Tenons:
Applying an attractive,durable surtacl ;nit that difficult. A few tips make it even easier.
save some mollPy atd a p p $ Y
depedingrnthelookyou~ youcanalsolaminatetheedgea A B w m bnrhrt.. use Todothis,~'Uwantto~with less 6wpnsive theedges@gw2).lhisway,the backer laminate lminateonthefopwill~~~lapthe on the back side edges after !xbmhg, leaving a less to help prevent m l e ioint line @mue3). Plus, less~toEB~chrnthe* I A -Glue. Foi best adhesion, A Jdolhr. Use a mller over the apply two coats of contact cement entire surface to apply pressure to the laminate and the substrate. and eliminate air pockets. Right Size. It's a good idea to cut the laminate a bit larger than thef4ubshte(about%"-wonall sides). llis way, it's easier to glue
downandyoucantrimitflush with a muter later.
*
wme AftacuHingthelaminatetosize,it's readytobe@uedtothesub@te. Wood glue works he, but if you'm @uinglaq3edreers,Ifindomtact canatworksbestToenswethe shun@ bond, I apply two coals toboththebackofthelaminateand the SUtBtrate, leiting each coat dry bef0re"sticldng"thelaminatetothe f4ubshte (photoabove). Youllneedtobecarehlatthis
point,sinceonceyouputthekminate and &ate together, you
Tmmm
TlledythingfeItistotrimthe edges A muter or laminate!xhmer withacdkb@pdflushtrimbit c a n ' t r m v e t h e a I u s e 0 l d ~ works well. But I like to use a bwblinds (main photo on oppdie eled bit to get a little ''mftw'' edge ksyoudothis,you?Ineedto page)tokeepthelaminatefrom makingoonbrtlha\sta&gatone besuretokeepfirebearingofthe e d , I r e w n r o l h e ~ c n e b y o n e bitde;m.Gluecanbuildupwhile mutingandfreeTeupthebar@ whileprrssingthelaminateFinaNy,weaJ-der,likeyousee caue.ingittospinahgwiththebit inthephobaLlom,overthethesu Thiscanscratchthelaminate,like T h i s a p p I p s ~ a n d l E m o ~ e 8youseeinthephobatright a i r ~ i c u a ~ Another ~ . way to dean up the Onethinpyoullneedtocorder edgesistouseafine-cutflatfile. i s o n c e y o u g l u e t h e ~ t e t o o ~You can find these files at most &, that side of the w o r m home centers or laminate retailers. wiubelessafleaedbyhutnidity Just be sure to file into the laminate than the otkr side. This can cause as shownin the photo below. Don't pull the file along the edge or you thewm~tomnp. S o i f t h e s l l b 6 h a ~ i s t h i n o r may chip the laminate. That's ~ts'tI just that easy to add can'tbedtoantnderhling skudue, you may want to apply a smaoth, durable surface to any ~ t e t o b o t h s i d e a I f t h e f a c e jigor&ttm.Onceyoutryit e to use it i s l ' t ~ t o b e v i s i b l e , y o u c a n look for m o ~ ways
-
I
-
A Filing Edges. Downward and outward strokes of a flat mill file makesmooth edges
A -ng
-.
TO prevent scoring of the laminate, check the bear~ng of the muter bit frequently for glue buildup.
Smoother cuts and easier blade changes make a spiral cutterhead worth the effort. Starling with flat, square stock a chopping cut While this design makes building a pmject a lot is easy to manufacture, it may not easier. That's why a jointer is a give the best mulls And even "must-have"piece of equipment. with this simpk design, dranging But a joirder has some limita- knives can be a chore. tions. It can tear out rather than Spiral D e s i i To address these slice wood &as, espechlly when shortcomings, mmanufacturets have working with figma! woods. developed ~ l a c e r n e n i cutterThe p d e m is, on a mven- heads using a spiraldesign, placing ti& pintercutmiwad,thela-ives knives or cutters angled amund are s q w to the board, creating the cylinder. The advantage of this
approach is it produces a shearing, rather than a chopping cut. It's the same idea as skewing your block plane to make a smoother cut. The good news is, &-market spiral cutterheads are now available for most 6'and 8" jointers. In addition to the spiral design, each of the manufacturers incorprates indexed knives for hasslefree leplawnent But that's where thesimilariti9end.Whenit comes to spiraldesign,each company has taken a different approach. Bask Spiral Design. The first approach, by Sunhzll, is a "hue spiral" design. That is, each of the three high-speed steel knives fits in an angled p v e in the cutterhead. The photos at the top of this page show the design. To wrap amund the spiral, the knives are thin and very flexible. Nevertheless, they hold up well in most woodworking applications. The downside is, if you get a nick in the blades you11 need to replace a l l three. Since the knives are indexed, you can't shift them to either side as you would with a conventional cutterhead. Staggered Blades. The other hvo designs shown hem take a diff e m t approach. Instead of long blades, they use a series of small insert cutters attached to the cutterhead with a countersunk screw.
tes No. 89
(I .
Cutters are in line with t h ~
Cutters are pamllel to the axrs of the drum
inserts are held into place with a screw in a countersunk M e
Each insert has fwr cutting edges and an indexing mark
The im&s overlap each other between mws to pmvide a continuous cut. You can see what I'm talking about in the photos above. One big advantage to thistypeof design is each insert has four cutting edges. So if you nick a cutter you only need to rotate the dama@ edge a quarter to expose a fresh edge. A m n d benefit is the inserts are made from carbide, giving you a Lmgerlasting cutting edge. Plus,it's also suitable for worldng with MDF or plywood. "V" Pattern The first example, from Wwdtek, pitions six rnws of cutters in a "V" shape on the cylinder. While this arrangement produces a smoother cut than a
-
conventional cutlerhead (there is a shearing effect due to the spud pattern) it still positions the cutting edge square to the board. Shelk The thin4 optioni n c o p rates the best of both worlds. The Shelix head from Byd Twls has six mws of insert blades, also slightly offset for a continuous cutting action. But unlike the Wwdtek, the cutting edges follow a spiral patternaroundtheadsofthecutter head. 'Ihe d i f f m is noticeable. It produces the smooth, shearing cut of a true spiral blade and has the durability that only carbide cutten can pmvide. Cost. Of couISe, all thesebenefits come at a price. The Sunhill spiral
Replacement: There's no reason to be intimidated by the thought of upgrading the cutterhead of your jointer. The upgrade isn't h a d and it doesl't take too long. The inst~ctions that came with the diffem~tcutkdwads were all very detailed and easy to understand. But it's still a good idea to have the manual for y m jointer handy in case you need a httle mae information The drawing at right gives you an idea of what's mvolved. First,you'll need to remove the blade and pulley guards, and the fence assembly. Then you'll have to lower the infeed and outfeed tables to remove the pulley and bolts, and finally the cutbemead ~tself. Again, your manual will have the best information. All h t remains is to q l a c e the head and put all back bgether. After you've the height of t infeed and outfeed tables, youOUU be up and runnmg
head is a great value at $149 for a 6'jointer. Replacement knives cost $18.95 for a set of three. The Wwdtekand Byrdheadseach sell for more than twice that ($320), but the carbide inserts mean you'll get longer life from the blades. Replacement inserb for either of these heads run about $27 for a box of 10. But remember you'll need fowr boxes to Ieplace the entire set. Refer to page 51 for sourrrs. If you feel like you could be gettingbetter mults from yourpiter, one of these replacements may be the answer. And don't wony about changjng out a cutterhead. As you can see in the box below, the PICcess isn't all that difficult d
Shop Short Cuts Building a Large BencMop A lage workbench like the one on page 30 prewnts a couple challenges -building the layered top and thm adding the edglng. Layering the lbp. The trick with the top is keeping ail the layers flush with each other as vou due
themup.Todothia,Iusedsaews to keep everything afigned and act as "clamps." Plus, working in stages makes things lesshectic. Istartedbycuttingtheqtwo layers to final size. Then, after damping them together with the edges flush, I prr-drilled all the holes for thescrews. With the scrrw holes complete, you can separate the two layers and spread on some glue. A slow-
-
dEGONh CUT E W E
AND FKLER THEN GLUE AND
acmsmsizE,
9cREwTOGrmER
T H l m GLUE
AND BQtmEDGE STRIPSAND FILLER WKS
m mr LAYERS
set glue works best here.Then it's just a matter of "clamping" the two layers togetherusing the m w s . To build up the other layers, I followed a similar process. F i t , I glued up and installed the two long stripsalong the outside edges of the top. Then, I sized a filler block to fit in between,gluing and scrrwing them in place. Be sure to stagger the screws to avoid interfering with the mews in the top. Add the Edging. At this point, you're w d y to add theedging. My problem was none ofthe clamps I had spanned the length of the top. If you have pipe couplers, you can simply "make"longer clamps. For my top, I hied something different (photo above). Instead, I comected the clamps in series to create "longer" clamps that mched from one end to the other.
ShopNotes No. 89
1
Clearance for a Table Saw Motor im'tdiffsculttowrapatopd ctor's table saw (page 16). cams when you blade to 45O. In many cases, any surface that extends past the back edge will prwent the motor from tilting. The problem could be the thickness of the top or wen the aprons and cleats used to build it. To solve this problem, you'll need to pmvide space for the motor (or other pa&+, as in thep hm at right.
Onceyouhavethebapinplace, simply tilt the saw blade, che&ingfor any inkrfameas you go. ThefirsttfiingIhadtodowascuta notchinthecleat runningalong tfie back edge of my table. With the notch cut out, a little m e tilting shaved me I had a small problen where the q a c k m on my motor contaaed tfre W tom &of the table.Drillitrg a shallow counledme provided the needed ctearancethem
a
@radird Q n m m l n r r D
I
Edse wifh T.Molding T-molding ran really dress up and probecttkkigeofashoppropa
lookistowrapthenudding~ d&cmnersofthe*to aeateasrramlessedge. The problem is the spine on the backside of the molding. It makes ithardtobendamundtightcurves, likethetopofthew~tacn page 16. To provide flearance, you1 need to make a muple relief
r .
: Take a contractor's saw, a router, a feGv sheetsic%MDF, and a handful of hardware and turn.it 'into ,.his super workcenter. . ' ~.
.
For me, the most satisfying shop rip fence).As you can see, the table proj& ~IEthe ones I know I'll put of the saw is surrounded by a huge to use day in and day out. And if worksurface that makes crosscutthere was ever a project that fit this ting or ripping workpieces (large bill, it's the table saw workcenter or small) a breeze. Off to the right, youll find a you see in the photo above. This project has a long List of fea- large and stable router table with tures. The workcenter is designed all the extras - dropin insert, around a standard contractor's saw. miter gauge slot, and an easy-toAnd it will accommodatejust about adjust fence. And basically. the any saw on the market. (Ours is a en& lower part of the workcenter Delta, with a heavy-duty Biesemeyer is dedicated to valuable storage.
Now you might think that a pmject with this many highhghts wouldbedifficult,time-consuming, and expensive to build. Not so. A combination of modular casework, simple but sturdy joinery, and inexpensive m a t e d keeps both the work and the cost to a minimum. And believe it or not, you can make a good thing even better by adding the outfeed stand on page 26 to the workcenter. ShopNotes No. 89
building the
Cabinet
-
As you can see here, your firstjob is to build the main cabinet that supports the table saw and muter table. Take a look at the drawing at right and you'll see that the cabinet mnsistsof a stack of four,~ M D P casesfastened to a 10% continuous base. You'll find that this simple, modular~lymakesthework go fast and easy without saa bit of &m&. The best plan is to tackle the rases first, thenbuild the sturdybase to fit them. GeltlngStarted Other than size and a fewimpcatantinteriordetails, the four case6 -arr built identidy.
YouVfindthebiggestdiffmme inthecasethatsupporbthetable saw, so I saved it for last. E9yJo~My@w=to b,,ildtheeages~~,,~t&to F i p 2a shows W the case in tfur two keep the j o i i as stn@tforwad as pos4ile.So take a quick look at sides am abbeted Bo W the .@p shehrrs you'll add later. Sefond F i 2 and 3 below,and you'll andbdtan And t h e n i f p b k a t notice that thae three cases have ; see how the two *age casg see that thei * ' se&b of colgltersunk s a w hole: F i p3a, andthemtertabkcaseamput top,andbottomamallrabWto onthesidesandbotbms(Fipm: and 3). When the timecomes, thes together. BasbUy, once the parts capmethebackpanel. am cut to size, all you'll have to do AFew Details. Beforegluingthe holes will be used to fasten tfu tocompletethejoheryisinstalla casestogetk,themamawupteof rasestagetherandtothebase. dado blade on the table saw and interior detailsto takecue of. First, There's one last thing. To be cer t;llnthewo~terwasgwdm . ... ~ ~ . ~ ......~ ~ .. .~~ ~ . . . . ~.~~ ~, ~
..
.
--
.
~
~
~~
,
1
stable when set in place, I planned toaddlevekstothecomersofthe base. This means you2 need a m Wthe levelers to adjust them For thispurpW2,Idrilled~holes intheroutertablecaseandtheleft storage case (and later the base). Now, the casesare ready for glue and damps.And once the assembly is completed, all the outside edges of the cases are rounded over. Table Saw Case. I had one quinment for the table saw case that made building it a bit more involved -dust collection. Figure 4 at right shows how it works. As youcansee,thetopofthecasehas a large cutout I did this by drilling holes at the comers and then emwing the waste with a jig saw. Divider. Wow the cutout, an angled divider funnels the dust to the back of the case. It's held in place by a pair of angled cleats. It works best to add the di* after the case is assembled. F i t , cutthepartstosizeandthensaew thedeatsandthedividertogether. Then you can slide the assembly into the case from the fmnt, and fastmitinplacehabove. Finally, rather than cut a dust port directly into the back panel, I opted for a large cutout, covexed with a separate dust port panel. This will give you better arress to the dust chamber when needed
TheBase.Onceallfourcasesare complete, you can build the base that connects them. Like the cases, it's pretty basic, but W s one point I should mention up front Thebaseissizedtoholdthefour casesandtheendpanelsthatsup port the top, along with the overlay doors and drawers. When e v q thing is in place, the goal is an even W meal all the way around. You start the base by building a sturdy frame from "ripped down" two-by stodc ( F i i 5). The only detail you11 need to worry about is a saw kerf nmning around the inside painreter. This @a extra support to the levelers you11 add ( P i 5a). I relied on womkmvs toassembktheframe.
-c€NrERw 4--mHOLE FOR DUST COLLECrOI
/
1 TABLESA
rnJOINERY* lDCHIICAtmAND mwER uehs
-
mltovr*mNOOKfmlrU
AFlERAB6EMWY
-
ausT PORT PANEL (10 r 12)
Once led, And h e , you can wrap it with an MDF skirt you just want to make sure you get andtop.TheslrLtpiecesarebutted everythhg aligned pperly Pirst, atthemmtavandthetopiscutto Isetthecasesinplaceonthebase fitinsidethe~Witfithisdone,I and fastened them bogetkr. The drilledanadjuatmentholeineach fourcasmshoutdbe&hacross comerandthaninstalledthelev- thefmnt(thiswi1lbethesideofthe elers Finally, I muted a mundover router table case). Now, when you onthetopedgesandthecomers. fastenthecasestothebase,simply Put It AU to get he^ Now you're leave an even, 1%" &back on each readytoscrewallthecasesandthe endandaaossthefmnt BIDE WEW
-
SKIRT END
I (y*.W
6
BASE FRAMERAIL (3x10)
At this point the cases and the base are p ' i into one assembly but one of the major feahm of the work-its genestorage -stillnee&mareworkThethree fmnt cases h p l y need doors and shelves. But I had other ideas for the muter table case, Hem, easy aaea to my evergrowing collection of muter bib and accesmries was my number one goal. Acouple of deep drawem are theanswer. Simple Doom. I took on the A Easy InstaIIatlon. easier fhalEwg@ of making the These no-mort~se
qu~ckand easy job.
overlaydc-mIirst.Asyoucanseein actually, I found that they were Figure 6, I cwtainly didn't get bey pretty easy to install. here. I started by cutting panels of h a r e a couple of helpful tips MDF to overlap the opmings in the I can share with you. F i t , these casesby%"onaUsides.Andthen hingesatedesignedtobeusedon after rolmding the sharp comers, I both inset and overlay doors. For muted a mudover on the outside the overlay d m here, you want to edges. 0 t h than adding the hard- attach thehingeplate with thelong ware, you're done. arm to the case (Figure 6b). This Mounting the Doors. To install will give you the right "swing." the doors, I turned to some selfSeumd, the hinges have slotted closing.mmortjse hinges. As you mew h o b for horizontal adjustcan see in the margin photo at left, ment, but not much in the way of they look a little intimidaw but verticad adjwbrmt. So to help me get the vertical position conect, I drew m m p m d h g centerlines for the hinge plate on both the door and case.This way you can simply centa themiddle mpw hole of the hinge plate on this line. Dotails. A couple m a details and youcanmoveontothedrawers for the muter table case. You won't need catcheson the doors, but you will need pulls. I o r d e d some durable, hard plastic pulls for this job. 'Ihey simply sapw to the face of the door. And finally, I cut a couple of MDF shelves to size for the two storage cases (Figure64. The Drawus. The two drawers I built for the muter table case are Likavise,no~.Asyoucansee in Figure 7, they're just sturdy boxes with false, overlay fmnts. ShopNotes No. 89
m
a the
g
4
The table saw and m t e r table topiswiu?rethewmkwiUaet dOne.~o~wa~loo~fomr&to startingonthispartofthe+ A Quick Look First, I11 give you a general overview. Take a ~at%ue8below,andyou11 seethat&b,pcon&softwo main sedims. Bach is made UD of a daubof MDF w i t i Get Statted. I started by gluing plastic laminate on bath sides. up an twelayer, MDP ~ S e c t i a r s w r a p a K n l n d t h e paraelforeachtopDpThea back of the saw table. And a gap behreapplyingthe laminate,you11 between then prwides a space want to cut the sedions to finalsize rOr the splitter and blade guard. and shape. The less oppommity to It can be 6Iled with a "pop out" chipthelaminate,thebetta inrwnt (Figure 10). Pinally the top You d y have two pbs h e . is attached to the saw table by way First,cutting each ueclia~to amaR O f ~ a n g E e b d t e d t o t h e size, then making the L A q @ saw tabk (Figure 8s).111 cover the cutouts that allow the Sectiars to rest of the details along the way. wrap amund the saw table. A New Base. B h getting Iwasabktodosmneofthiswork st&, I took my saw off its stand at my table saw.But the large size andmovedittoifsnewhomeon of the right seaionand the workcder cabjllet.This way, p-ted a problem l k whenthetopisrertdytoinstaU, is to first mu& cut the everythhgwiUbeinphce. size and then use a router with a
.,
straightbit insbllk. a edge to trim them accurately.
Thentic Lamhate. Now can apply the plastic laminate trim it flushYou% to apply a backer
d" abcul keament latet Take a look at the arMe on pap 10 for mom infor-
matian r m worldmg with laminate. MiterGaupSlotaYoullMtia mP@e 8, that the miter gauge
8bgBwtedintothetop.Sincethis
b~fmdearance,Imted~~~ siPeslotsanddidn'twonyabout h t . Lhremorethingand thetopsedimsmreadytoinstalL In'cnderforthetoptofitoverthe ~. ahmnlnuin angle and snug to the ..: , Miiparfir to mt a .&.q,&bet L &pdcutauts(FiguRs&and8b). :-You% also need to c ~ u n h b m for -theheadSofthebo1ts,,butthiscan wait until the angle is installed. Side Panels. B e h e installing the new top, the cabinet below needs me mmadditioa In F i g m - . 9 you% see how three MDF side
-
panelsmsaewedtothecabinerto -
helpsupportthetop-onemthe left end and one on e i k side of the router table case.
Sa
It's important that the panels support the top level with the saw table. F i 9a shows how to find the height of the panels. Justmeasurefmmthetopofthebasetothe top of the saw table and then subttact the thickness of thenew top. New Top. Once the side panels are in place, you can takethe extension wings and fence off the saw and switch tot he new to^. The aluminum angle used to attachthetopisfastenedtothesaw table using the bolts and W d e d holes that held the extension m. To allow easv adiustment of the Light of the a&e, drilled the bolt holes oversize.F@E 9b shows how to adjust the angle for a flush fit of the top. Once the aluminum angle is attached and adjusted, the LE two topsectionscanbesetinplace 51DE PANEL (ns** *) and mewed down. FinaI Details. All that's left are a few loose ends (Figure 10). First comes the splitter insert that fiUs Top Cleat The back edge of the the gap at the back of the top. It's insert rests on a long deat that's sizedtofitsnuglyinitspocketand w e d tothe underside ofthe top haslaminateonbothsides.Iadded ( F i w 1%). lhis cleat's main p&a finger hole to m o v e it and a cleat is to wnnect the top &ons keeps it in place (ma@n photo). and keep them flat and true.
i
@kl
6
:.
www.ShopNotes.com
You'll notice that the cleat has a goalsize notch cut into it. This provides clearance for -themotor when the blade is tilted to 45O. Turn to Shop Shortcuts on page 14 for more details on this. T-Molding. The last item is the top edging. For this I turned to easy-to-install and chipproof, plastic T-molding. But before on &,decide whether you plan on building the outfeed stand on page 26. If so,hold off and install all the T-molding at once. Installation. 'Ihe first thing todoisroundallthemmersof the top so the molding will bend around them. The T-molding is held in place by a flange that fits a slot in the edges of the top (F@R 10a). So muting this narrow, centered slot is the next job.You can mark the ends of the rip fence rail and stop the slots there. Installing the T-molding on the top is as easy as pressing or lightly tapping it into place. You'll find the simple kchniqw I used to the comers in Shop Shortcutson page 14.
23
A Splrtter Insert. Removal of the "pop out" insert makes way for installatton of the spl~nerand blade guard.
Witfithe top in plaoe on the workcenter, your table saw is back in business.Sonowyoucarsetyour Bights al compleling the muter table. This canes down to three - instilling the phenolic insert plate in the top, adding a miter track, and finally, building and installing the fence. Insert PLte. To me, an insert plate isn't an extra, it's a must. It gnwve and then acrewed the track saves a huge amount of effort on in place, =.shown in F i 11. bit changes and gemrally makes TheFqce.NowdthaVsleftisa using the muter table easier. So I fence.Take a bok at Figure 12, and added a heavyduty insert plate yoult see the practical answer. ?he with "popout"collars, like you see fence I built is simply a hardwood in F i 11 and the photo on the base and face -ed togeher in n e x t p a g e k y o u y o u U a l s o f i n dan"L"shape.Fourbraceskeepit thepmdumforfiItingtheinsert sq&andlargecutoutsprovide Miter Rack. After instahg the plenty of bit dearance. insert, adding the duminum miter Smooth, easy adjustment is track is next up. To do this, I simply important, and this job is handled muted an appqx&ely sized by a pair of slots in the fence bnw
and studded knobs that s a w into T-nuts installed in the top (Figures 12a and 1%). For a wider adjustment range, I installed three s& of T-nuts, as shown in Figure 11 and lla. As you on see, the T-nuts am countersunk on the underside of thetop.Youllwanttodothisafh
dAllingtheahankholes. W s it. Your new wmkcenter is d y toga But before putting it hande ldh tebeast, you might want to check wttheoutteed stand on page 26. TABLE FENCE PARTS ARE MADE FROM %'-THICK
OR INSERT La
ShopNotes No. 89
optional
Outfeed ,
I
.
fmted r a m Ani -a "bonu6" is that ttre top can do double-dutyas c m a u c t b an extra worbsutk~
ShopNotes No.89
S i Panels. Once the case and base am b l e d , you can add
MDF with laminaie on both sides and T-moldingon the edges. Remember that one long edge of the top butts against the back edge of the main top. So these two mrnersamleft~quareandthere'sm
1-
thetwotopsto@ec,asshbwnin Figure 14a.Hexbolts, washers, and
left to build are a pair of drawem forthedeepsideofthecabinet and a shelf for the shallow side. The drawers, shown m F i 15 and 1% below, should lodr pretty familk. In fact, they'rcidenlid
f
yz
a x l e -
A
% l J
BASE FRAME BIDE
Why buy pulls when you can make your own? All it 2kes is a little shop time and a step-by-step approacl
ShopNotwr No. 89
I
you move to the table saw, cut the pull loose, and repciat the p-. You'll want to check out the box below to mount tkw p\llls
as dxwnin the upper and middle drawings. nnmdtheendsof the brackets on the h a d saw before drilling the holes for he tenons and finafly cutting the lhetenonsmthe
ends of the dowel are made by rotating the dowel over the table saw blade
8
::
#
-+
Threaded
aluminum angle and buffing it out. The next step is to drill and countersink a pair of m m h n g holes for some woodscrews in one face of the angle (upper drawing). The %''-dia.dowel that pmvides a grip iskerfed to fit over the angle. The lower drawin%shows how a block with a "stop&d" hole holds the dowel while you runit through the saw. Finish up by glwng the dowel in pk--. 2, -7Xy
d
&:
-
sturdy m wobbling allowed And it must have&large,flat work-
a@eamdc-&dbarhtt\atwiU
The seaet bo ttie work&n&
of standuptoheavyuseThisconlheknchwm'ttakeabtoftime.
~"tw~stalcatdthetep, ~y,asgOOdastfiis~is, shelf, and end pan& ave mr& youcanmakeitevenmorevmde from~.Idvreethesemateri& byaddingabolt.01woafw~ builtoutofmaterialstt\atyoucan h t h e i r s h d h s , h c o e t , a n d visethat's.eqtoinsiaUaswell. one trip to your barl heme CWUR.
years of hard-workingsewice
Expl-
W I w Details
END ASSEMWE6 ARE WILT 6Y
'WIUpnW LEGS
AMUND MDF rAqEl.6
W E FRAME 16 OF w 6 r LUMBER
FACE FRAME OYERLAPS END M e E M W E 5 TO
. - - -%"
MW PANEL6
WLDeKS FlX RAIL5
RACKING W000(iCllEWB
AND C U E HOLDCLEAT
IgtBUSIK)Nw
I
CHAMFER
eomw
W O O ~ E W S
m
MW PANEL END LEG ASSEMIKY
1
row
I
!hetwoed~liesactasthe bench's legs. This does two thingx Fi,it gives thebench a rigidbase, and second, thepinery is simple. A~~ofEigwe2shows that the each end assembly is
made up of a pair of comer posts anaeaedbyanMDPpanel.Each "po6t" amsists of two idenlid pan~I.To make the pmk, all you
hawtodoisJineuptheparbalong the edgm and glue them bgether. When the glue is dry, the mmm postswillttrenbereadyforthe MDPpinels@gcm2a).Addingthe panels is a gmd way to emwe the assemblies stay square and stable.
32
berhtopandbwerHinpIlre. After cuttingthe cleats to eize, I
I MOTCH
MTTOiv
6HELF AROUNF
CORNER
POST
fid~beforemoavfngmto,tk
bmchtop. Thc bot&ki W:Ih (Figure 3a). Then. you can athrh the sklf by installing m
UuoughtheJeatsintotheW
adding the AU the effort put into building strung base fa the w o r m would be wasted if it didn't have a study, flatbenchtop to match If youtakealodtatFigure4,youcan seehoWIdidtb. The~ttfiingtonoteisthatthe top is made from "two-by"stock and MDP. Why MDF? For starters, it pmvidea a smooth, flat swfam. Second, it's heavy, which adds to the stirbility of the workbench. -top provides the extra thickAnd ~~MDP Mis II affordable. Y, neas right where it's needed the Layax As you can see in Figure most for orping workpieces or 4,fatrlayersofMDFa1edto adding acsmies. create a thfdc top. But not all the Benchtop AMembb. Just like l a ~ ~ h r l t p i e c e s o f M D ~ , h o WIbuiltthebaseinsedions,Ialso wet. Only the two top layers are assembled the benchtop in secmsiae.lhetaMOatwolayersare !ions. The top two layers wen2 made frompieces of MDF. cut to size and then glued and Byusingpiees,Iwasableto screwedbogether.lnthesameway, get these extra 'laps" fmm a the bottom two layas (&led singlesheetofMDF.Irstahgk fmm p h ) w e cumpletad. Once piecesjustalmgtheedgesofthe that's done, you can awmble the
tridc
entire benchtop. The only
hereiskeepiialltheedge?flush ToseehowIdidthis,tumtoShop ShortC~onpage14. Edging. MDP edge?aren't all that d u r a b l e . % t o ~ t h e ~ ofthebewhbpandtogivethe wallren*lamorefinishedlook.I attadred edging made from "twoby"~asmFigures4and4a. AndtopmvideadeaRfinished
hok,thisedgingiswmppedammd the top with micomers.
mauklfER *ANDBorlQM
OF-
! ............................ :..
This jia 1
)aim router
Fluting Jig Fluted legs or him pieces can add a dassic look to a project. But the challenge is making flutes that are shairrht and evenly spaced. To solve those problems, I maze this flutingjig(shown above). It's dkgned to fit a palm muter or laminate trimmer. As you can see, the jig is pmtty simple. It's just a baseplate made from a piece of acrylic. A set of hardwooh spacers makes 6 easy to position the flutes evenly a m m a workpiece, see inset photo. And using the jig with my palm router makes it easy to handle.
I like this jig because it's versatile. What I mean is you can make the spacers wider or narrower to adjust the spacing of the flutes (more on that later). This is &e of those simple projects that you can put together in an evening.But it's a handy jig youll use for years to come to add appeal to your projects.
I
-I
Jig+A ++ L
r
(CR lamjMte trimmer).
*cut-
jig m ~ r t c .
the fhebaseplakto size,I muted desandasetofspacus.lhese s let you reposiblon the den and spacers for mutthehtes.Idrilledthe Iholesforthes~first n a couple of passes h a W-dia. straight bit shedtheslots(Pii1). f Now you can use your &outer's baseplate as a ternate to maithe-
Y -.
-t--
I
Ae l0cdW. men, drill dcounWthehdeaAhoh? w will create a nice center hole t the bit. After you attach the uter, scribe a centerline on the stkmdthebaeepkinline Iththecenterdtheozdlet lpasr Guides and Sprcla The a,G?egukl@a~theV-=
p:ldlidenticalexceptfor~
WL You can make them from yarsceinFigurr2
cutting the blank to
b i t ~ ~ h r v i tno g d j w t the depthofthebit
~ i s y o u c a n ~ ~ d r p a c ersofvaryingwidths,&pmding
using the
Flutitla Jic Once you have the muter securrly
mounted to the jag baseplate, you can set up for your first cut. Position Edge Guides. The first thing you need to do is determine the p i t i o n of the two edge guides. Oneof them will ride along the edge of the workpiece when routing the first flute. To do this, loosen the saews and arrange the edge guides and spacers as shown in I %1and la. Now you can align the centerline of the jig with the centerlineof the first flute and slide the spacsrs and edge guides against the workpiece (Figure 1). lighten Edge Guides. As you canseeintheFigurela,thissandwiches the workpiece between both edge guides and all the spacers. Once the jig is aligned, you can tighten the two edge guides in place. What you're looking for is a smooth sliding fit of the jig dong the workpiece without any sidetoside play or b i i . The last thing to do befote you startmutingistosetthedepthof
f
the router bit. This will determhe cutting the first flute. Start at one the depth and width of the flutes. end of the workpiece and move the jig in a continuous motion to ROUTING THE FLUTES the +te end for a smooth cut. Spacing. Now, the spacers On some projects, you want the flutes to continue all the way to the make it easy to mut the rest of end of the workpiece, as shown the f l u b accurately. Just flip the in the photo above. Since the jig jig upside down and slide one of is already set up, you can start them to the opposite side, like you
SLIDE ONE SPACER
ShopNotes No. 89
.
IlJsnot uncmnmon to get bum-
workpiece (upper right
' ' M m twice - cut one." I've followed thoee words of wisdom ever since I began woodworking. But over the yeam, I've leamed a kw other things that have helped
me get accurate and consistart d t s time after time. Onthenextfew pages you'll find a dozen ideas that a~ sure to be useful in any shop. Some involve
Etched vs. Stamped I It's hard to lrass uo a Lwmin, but when it comes to
I
I
usL\g the right tool, while others
fmwunkchnique.Andnomatter what. kind of propcts you build, you ean put most of them to work in yaur shop right away.
-
0fthebig;pest . between highquality meamingtmlsan=d modelsistheuseofetched 1 ' ( 1 ( 1 1 1 1 ' linesrather than stamped marks. The practical benefit of etched lines is that they'= fine^ aUowine m o definition ~ between small mea-
normal lighting.'Ihese tools usually cost a little more, awtend all fhe way to gre edge d the rub,malvng fhem easier to read than t bstvnped lines of the lower c ~ e . but they're worth the i n v e m t .
r One Tape per Project Ks tough to beat a tape measure for ease of use and convenience. I have several in my shop. But I've leamed that using difbent tapeson a project can lead to serious measurement errors. The problem is tapes can differ in their readings for a couple of mawns. First, if the hook on the end is bent or damaged, it can throw off the stiuting point of the measurement Second, the tapes themdves can be printed with small deviatim in the measuring marks. But if you slick to one tape measure thmughout a project, you'll be sure to get consistent d 6 . ShopNotes No. 89
-". .- .
...-
SlRAlGMEDGEOFA ' KMRD ANDDRAWA PERPENDICULAR LWE
,--
I
/-
.A
--
/-'
4 Center Punch.
Strike the inside wmer with a center punch to open the /ags or outside (see inset) to dose them.
how to debmnhe whether square is actually ysquare.
of a board or the width of a dado with a tape measure, then you know it's a challenge to get a m a t e mults. Even with a good steel rule, it's still tough. For these measuremen6, I reach
foracaliper.Acaliperisdesignedfor that kind of job -and it's far more precise than most woodwo~king tools. But not just any caliper will yield easy-to-read mults. Because I use fractional meammnents in
mypmjeas,Ipdertouseafrac tional, rather than decimal,caliper. A fractional caliper has marks in W increments. So you don't have to "do the math" to find the dimension you'= looking for.
The shorterjaws on a cahpPsr are used for ins~demeasurements. such as the w'dth ofa dab.
..,
1 1darking Knife itc comes to lay in gout marks for
cutting joinery, a pend line is often too thick. For precision work, I reach for a sharp marking knife. Not only does the knife lay down a fine line, but the mark is durable and won't smudge or fade as you handle the piece. Another benefit for joinerywork is the line also provide a handy "groove"for placing a chisel or saw blade. That's especially useful if you'= squaring up the side of a mortise after drilling out the waste. The line keeps your cuts square.
www.ShopNoksmm
it comes to laying out hole I When locatiolw~,I reach for an awl. It's
1
possibility of the bit wandering off the mark and scratching the surrounding stock. It also guarantees a more precise hole location than if you had just made an 'x' on the stock with your pendl Another nice thing is the mark will survive sanding.So you can preserve the layout if you prefinish the part
gpedally handy if you're drilling the holes with a hand drill rather than at the drill press. The awl leaves a small indentation which sews as a starter for a drill bit. By placing the tip of the drill bit in the awl mark, you avoid the
e
!Usea Drill Bit for Precise Setup Settinnthe6areofvourmutertable toan&ct~'fmmthebitcan be a mal chore. Howwer, sincedrill bits are predsely machined to a +dbwer,youcanusethem as fehble measrning tools -just like a set d bass set-up blocks.
For Instwce. if vou need a dado %"fromtheed&dfaboard,justlay a %"&. drill bit betweenthe fence and thecutting edgeof arouter bit Thisguaranteesthedadowillbe where you need it w i h t a lot d fussy mtnunning in tight spaces.
I b Mark M
y wim a ~trai&edge
I
It may sound like splitting hairs, but the way you hold your pendl or marking knifeagainstastraightedge as you make a mark can make a big difference.If you want to put a line on an exact measmment, you'll need to be sure the tip of your pencil or knife is not angled away from the edge of the square or rule, -.-.. as in- t*~ he far leftphoto. :, :'.,
,.,*.
A simple way to ensure consistent layout marks is to hold the point against the straightedge, as shown in the photo at left. Another rule of thumb is to pull the wemil Ward vou. rather than straighttry push it al& edge. Pushing the tip can cause it to catch on the grain of the wood and jump away hum the line.
the
.,
.~.*,.-* ;.
.
::
as the drawer handles @UH-50) were ordered from Reid Tool. In order to wmplete the muter table, you'll need a few other items. Thephenolicmterplate(147)came from Wwdhawn. And I picked up the dust collection port (7l5115) at i h . ~M s m i t h S ~ . . A m u t e .table r dust collection port (35317) is also available from Redder. You'll also need a miter gauge track for the muter table. The Rousseau (0048)miter gauge track came from the Mike's Tools. To give the top of the workcenter a nice finished edge, youU need to install some T-molding. I ordered the l W black T-molding (3%) from T-Molding.com. You can find contact information in the margin at right
It includes a molding head, Alien wrench, and four sets of cutters. I ordered mine from Mike's Tab, but they're also available through Amazon.com and Woodworker's Supply. You'll find contact information in the margin.
SHOP-MADE WUS
The drawer pulls shown on page 28 are easy to make and can save you some money. But you might need a few pieces of hardware in SPIRAL CURERHEADS order to mount them. - Spiral cutterheads, like those Screws and threaded inserDi are shown in the article on page 12, available at hardware and woodare a great way to upgrade your working stores. But when I'm not jointer. The Sunh~ll and Byrd sure of the length of the ECEW IU Shelrr cutterheads came from need,Iuseasegmented,breakaway Sunhill Machinery. I ordered the screw (35535) from Rockler. The Wwdtek Staggered Cutterhead from rib-type, pressin threaded inserts Wwdwo~ker'sSupply. (5645) can be found at W w d h . WoRWBENMl The split-typ b d e d insertsare You can find almost all of the ma* TABLE SAW WORKCENTER Much of the hardware you'll need rials needed to build the work- available at Wwdwo~ker'sSupply. to build the table saw workcenter bench on page 30 at your local STROPPING on page 16 can be found at your hardware store or l W a r d . Stropping can be a great final step local hardware store or home But the vise I used to complete the improvement center. But them are project is a 9" quick-release wood to achieving a razor-sharp edge on your tools.But to do this you'll a few items you'll need to order to vise (22876) from Redder. need to use a good strop. be able to wkplete the project You can find leather strops at The wmer levelers(31217)for the MOUIINGHEADS woodworking stom and many cabinet. sorine him& " .QEE4.5~ for A moldine head and cutter set, like hardware stores.The leatherhcming the doors, and 16' Amride drawer the one in the article on page 46, can addversatilityto your table saw.The strop (22698) and the power strop slides (32482) all came from R&. The 51$' x 2" star knobs (DK-685) one featud is a molding head and (20703)shownon theoppositepage for the muter table fence as well cutter set (34-813) made by Delta. came from Rockler. &
)
T
.."
MA1L ORDER SOURCES
raidlooLaw
IkauarH a w K w b Mike's Tmla 7145588360
-mm asUo Mddrng H a d and CaaarW R-u MUer GwP-eamPb 8008159292
-.-
rhw M d d m g H a d ca*lOnttrrwwmmak Sloggnadc-
T-Mokkg.~~m
.,
w6Mz2-5815 tWd&.mm
-T Us,Pbmlic Gorp. -17
slrricAqlc Sket a x " , !
D.IsoMdhgHadd
mkvsd Slbm-
-.
BM)-928-U21
sw#hdldSyml~~z
Spml-
Irev.orp 800871-8158 kmkY.-
Qum(rRadmdHsotsr
.And the bcli/t-&wter @We
