An Overview Of How To Lay Out The Cuts
Once you've collected the tools to do the job, it's time to start laying out the cuts. There are three basic variations on the dovetail joint through dovetail, half-blind, and mitered (or full-blind). Although much of the process is very similar for all three variations, we're limiting this article to through dovetails. Half blind dovetails (which are used mainly in drawer construction) will be covered in the next issue. And mitered dovetails won't be covered at all because they have extremely...
Cutting Lap Joints in Wood
Conceptually, cutting laps is a lot like cutting rabbets and dadoes. Don't reach for the rabbeting bit, though. Laps are usually much wider than cuts we typically think of as dadoes and rabbets. In some cases, a lol wider, and therein lies whatever nib there is. But I'll get to that. Because of their similarity to dadoes and rabbets, the techniques for routing laps mimic those for cutting dadoes and rabbets. You use some variety of straight bit straight, shear-cut. spiral, what have you.
Maximizing Precision: Best Router Bit for Mortise Cutting
When it comes to creating precise, clean mortises, choosing the right router bit is crucial. Mortise-and-tenon joints are commonly used in woodworking for their strength and durability, but the quality of the joint largely depends on the accuracy and sharpness of the router bit used. In this section, we'll discuss the key features you should look for when selecting the best router bit for mortises.
Best Shop Broom & Brush: A Comprehensive Guide for Messy Tasks
A well-equipped workspace is essential for maintaining cleanliness and efficiency. One indispensable tool in any shop is the best shop broom. This broom can transform your work area, providing a clean, safe, and organized environment. To select the perfect shop broom, consider the following key features.
Kerf Spacing
The spacing between kerfs or the width of the ribs not only will affect the maximum radius that you can bend, but also how smooth the bent piece will look. The reason kerf spacing is linked to the smoothness of the bend has to do with a problem that's unique to kerf-bending called flats, see photo above. What is a flat, and how can I minimize this problem Flats are caused by the difference in flexibility between the thick ribs and the thin webs.
Tenons Made Easy: How Jigs Can Simplify Your Woodworking
A tenon jig is an indispensable tool for woodworking enthusiasts and professionals, as it simplifies the process of creating accurate and consistent mortise and tenon joints. These joints are crucial for constructing sturdy and long-lasting furniture, doors, and frames. In conclusion, selecting the best tenon jig is crucial for any woodworking project that requires precise mortise and tenon joints. By considering key features such as compatibility, adjustability, durability, and ease of use, users can ensure they are choosing the best tool for their needs.
Best Pocket Hole Screws for Effective Joinery: Expert Picks
When it comes to woodworking and DIY projects, pocket hole screws play a crucial role in ensuring strong and seamless joints. There are a variety of factors to consider while choosing the best pocket hole screws for your project. In summary, the best pocket hole screws are a combination of the right material, head type, thread type, length, and drive type. By carefully considering these factors, you'll be able to achieve strong and durable joints for your woodworking projects.
Best Wide Belt Sander For Small Shop
Selecting the best wide belt sander for your small shop can be a daunting task. To make it easier, consider these key factors when looking for the perfect tool. By carefully considering these factors, you can find the best wide belt sander for your small shop that will not only save you time and effort but also deliver excellent results for your woodworking projects.
Router Bit Profiles Every Woodworker Should Know
In routing decorative treatments, the tricks are less in the doing, and more in the planning and bit selection. There arc a great many decorative profile bits available, and in many cases, even most cases, you can make a single pass with a bit to create the embellishment your project requires. Once in a while, though, you need to make passes with two or more cutters to get the contour you want.
Circle Cutting 101: Router Bit Recommendations
When it comes to woodworking, cutting perfect circles can be a challenging task. However, by choosing the best router bit for cutting circles, you can achieve professional results with ease. In this brief guide, we will discuss the crucial factors to consider when selecting the right router bit for your circle-cutting needs.
Roof Sheathing 101: Choosing the Best Plywood for the Job
Roof sheathing is a critical component in a building's construction process. It provides structural support, protects the building from external elements, and serves as a base for the final roof covering. Selecting the best plywood for roof sheathing is essential to ensure the longevity and durability of your roof. In this article, we will discuss some of the key factors to consider when choosing the best plywood for your roof sheathing project.
Top Tablesaw Outfeed Tables with Knock-Down Bases
By combining these crucial elements, the best tablesaw outfeed table will enhance your woodworking experience and ensure precise cuts every time. With safety as a top priority, a well-designed outfeed table reduces the risk of kickback and injury while handling large workpieces. So, invest in a high-quality tablesaw outfeed table to elevate your woodworking projects and maintain a safe, efficient workshop.
Rejuvenate Old Finishes: Best Shellac Amalgamator Guide
The Best Shellac Amalgamator is a game-changer in the world of woodworking and finishing. This innovative device is designed to combine the excellent qualities of traditional shellac with modern-day convenience. Shellac, a natural resin extracted from the secretion of lac bugs, has been used for centuries to create protective and aesthetically pleasing finishes on wood surfaces.
From Tradition to Modernity: Best Tool Chests for Carpenters
In the early 1600s, English adventurers and would-be colonists sailed into the Chesapeake Bay area of the New World to settle what would soon become Jamestown, Virginia. Even during the earliest landings, it's a good bet that wooden boxes full of building tools were among the first items to be set down upon these fresh, exciting shores.
Kerf Bending Wood
Of all the ways to bend wood into a gentle curve, I think kerf bending is the easiest. It doesn't use special equipment as steam bending does, or a lot of forms and clamps as with bent laminations. It's just a matter of cutting a series of grooves (kerfs) to relieve the back of the curve.
Top 5 Scroll Saws for Woodworking Enthusiasts
Finding the best scroll saw for all types of wood can be a game-changer for any woodworking enthusiast or professional. A high-quality scroll saw can provide the precision and control needed for intricate cuts and detailed projects. In this article, we will discuss the key features to look for in a scroll saw that can handle a variety of wood types.
Achieving a Professional Lacquer Finish: The Best Brushes to Use
Every woodworker's ideal finish is one that goes on easily, dries quickly to create a smooth, durable build, and looks great when the job is done. And this sounds like it could be an advertisement for a hand-rubbed brushed lacquer finish. But don't lacquers have to be sprayed Not a brushing lacquer. A quick, rubbed-out brushing lacquer finish will give you all the advantages of a sprayed lacquer without the need for spray equipment and the hassles that go with it.
Expert Tips for Finishing and Maintaining Cedar Wood
QI'm making a cigar box from Spanish cedar and need some information. Do the oils In the wood make it difficult to glue Will glue hinder the enhancement and aging process of the cigars Can I use oil and wax on the outside of the box to finish the wood7 Jack Babtels Harlingen, Texas A Spanish cedar, which isn't a cedar, but a deciduous tree it loses its leaves in the mahogany family, has a lot of natural oils. These oils are what give the wood its wonderful aroma, but they can also prevent most...
Master Wood Joinery: Best Drill Bits & Accurate Drilling Tips
When working on woodworking projects, one of the essential tasks is drilling deep and accurate holes in the wood. Choosing the best drill bit for this purpose will ensure clean, precise holes while preventing damage to the wood. There are several factors to consider when selecting the ideal drill bit for deep holes in wood.
Modular Bookcase
Classic looks, functionality, and plenty of custom options make this bookcase at home in any setting. I've built a lot of bookcases, usually designed for a specific room or space. The problem with this approach comes when you move or rearrange your home they often look out of place in the new location. This time, 1 wanted something flexible enough to complement any room in the house. Thaf s the beauty of this bookcase you can customize it for any space. The modular design allows you to build a...
Edge Jointing
Edge jointing is where a jointer earns its keep. This might involve straightening an edge prior to ripping, removing saw marks, or jointing a straight, square edge on a board for a panel glueup. The process is pretty straightforward, You run the edge of the board along the bed and over the cutterhead using the fence for support. As the board passes over the cutterhead, it smoothly slices away a small amount of material. The outfeed table then seamlessly picks up the freshly cut edge. It's...
Haunched Tenons
A taller tenon is more resistant to twisting and to racking in one direction across the width of the tenon. If the entire tenon were to come all the way through to the top of a leg or a door stile, though, the tenon would have little resistance to racking in the other direction in line with the tenon, and the leg or stile would have a greater tendency to split along the grain. The haunch serves to increase the strength of the joint, and in the case of the Parsons table in the accompanying...
Ornamental Turning Plans
Hen a friend, and customer, asked me if I might be interested in building a few bird-houses for him, my first reaction was Not really. But, he persisted. He wasn't after just any old birdhouse. He wanted me to reproduce a turned birdhouse that he had bought from an antique dealer. It wasn't until he brought this antique beauty out for me to see, that I changed my tune. It had a coopered body, a laminated roof and base, and spindle-turned finials. Decades of weather only added to its beauty....
Carving A Trifid Foot
STEP 1 Cut a cardboard footprint pal-tern sea drawing with the carving gouge you plan to use in this case a lAt4n.-wide, 5 gouge. Trace the pattern on the end grain of the leg. STEP 2 Carve from the top edge of the foot toward your pattern line. Make your cuts parallel to the handsawn edges of the feet. STEP 1 Cut a cardboard footprint pal-tern sea drawing with the carving gouge you plan to use in this case a lAt4n.-wide, 5 gouge. Trace the pattern on the end grain of the leg. STEP 2 Carve from...
Richard Raffan
Is a turner and author in New South Walts, Australia. Final cuts. Wedge the base onto a jam chuck to expose its lower half After initial shaping with a gouge, refine the sides with a skew (left). Work the underside first with a gouge (center), then with a skew (right). Hold the skew flat on the rest. AMERICAN WOODWORKER A APRIl 19 9 6 3 9 Splayed Legs Are a Snap With Loose-Te he simple bar stool gets a bum rap. This unassum-ing piece of furniture has great practicality. It waits patiently under...
Reverse Ogee And Astragal Draw
When routing any molding, work with a broad piece of stock if at all possible. The extra width gives you something to hold on to, something for hold-downs to bear on. And because the cut is backed up by the excess stock, the wide stock is less likely to break up as you rout it. After completing the profile, rip it from the stock. Don't riskdam-aging your profile by trapping it between the saw blade and the rip fence. Instead, orient the good edge so it will be to the left of the blade, as shown...
Plant Stand
The simple lines and the straight-forward joinery borrow heavily from traditional Craftsman-style furniture. But that doesnt mean it won t fit in today's home. In fact us a perfect place for a desk phone. I've always admired the idea behind the Craftsman-style furniture that was made in the early 1900's and Featured very little ornamentation. But, often it looks heavy and out-of-place, especially when surrounded by other styles of furniture. That's why, when I built this plant stand, 1 trimmed...
The Half Dovetail Rabbet
As an alternative to more familiar case comer joints such as rabbets and lock miters, Pat Warner, a router wizard from California, developed this router-cut comer joint. Simple to make with a router, the joint comes together neatly and squarely. It is more resistant to racking than a conventional rabbet joint. Warner prefers to work with hand-held routers, and his technique for cutting the joint reflects his preference. 1 think it's easier to do the cuts on the router table or the horizontal...
Tongueand Groove Joints
The tongue-and-groove joint is the older brother of the splined edge joint. Instead of a separate spline, you have a solid spline that's an integral part of the board. Like the splined edge joint, the tonguc-and-groove joint is used where surface loading might be considerable in tabletops and the like. It's also a traditional joint used in breadboard constructions. The most familiar uses these days may be in the carpentry realm tongue-and-groove siding, paneling, and flooring. Here the joint...
Jumping Jack Santa and His Helpers
Traditional ' Jumping Jack ' figures are quick and to make thick material. HOW TO MAKE THE SANTA amp HELPERS -JUMPING JACIT TOYS Adhere the pattern 10 the wood with sprav glue Saw onh on the outline uf the pan ems 1 gt nl 1 h diameter holes at the dots cm the pattern of the arms and legs 1 gt rill J 'Kv diameter holes at the s or i the patterns Nate freicnt jyieniblv paint all the parrs as desired, then re drill hales to Also before as amp cnibly loop string through the amis and legs as shown...
Colonial Dry Sink
The Early American dry sink is one of the most popular antiques for home workshop reproduction. There were a great many variations built through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, but they all basically served to store buckets of water drawn from the well. The upper sink compartment was usually lined with zinc to provide a watertight basin. This particular example is a large or double sink. The paneled ends and doors and the small counter with drawer are design features that help to make...
Frank Klausz
Is a third-generation master cabinetmaker and a contributing editor of AW. AMERICAN WOO D WORKER DFCt M UK 1 H 7 7 Mike Stanton was in college on a golf scholarship when he began to miss woodworking. So I went down to Sears, pulled out my charge card, and bought a As the June 12 deadline for this years Excellence Awards approached, we were concerned about the small number of entries. Then a flood of envelopes arrived. Looking through this barrage of beautiful and varied work was a tremendous...
Making short fillets
Wake a supported entry, then continue to slide the tool into the corner to complete the fillet. Rolling a bead with the point of the beading tool. Rolling a bead with the point of the beading tool. When I am making one of a project, or a small run, I always cut two or three extra blanks, all exactly the same size. What this does is allow me not to worry about making mistakes, and that greatly reduces the chance of making a mistake. And if there is more than one stage in the turning process, I...
Revolving Tool Station
Vtr never met .1 home woodworker yet who had loo much space 11 the workshop. Maybe dial explains why they're always looking for ways to use the space that is available as efficiently as possible. One of the most useful, space-saving ideas I've come up with is this Revolving Tool Station. Basically, it's a rotating tool sland that provides easy access to a number of benchtop tools in a small amount of space. tool station.This station has a footprint that only takes up about eleven square feet of...
Between centres
Centres are usually fitted into the lathe by means of morse tapers, which can be quickly and easily fitted, then removed with a knock-out bar. The traditional drive centre has four prongs or 'dogs' with a fine centre-locating point. This centre point should protrude about 'Ain 3mm beyond the prongs, to locate the drive centrally, and have a fine point so that it penetrates the wood easily, allowing the wood to be pushed positively onto t he prongs. Production turners would use an even longer...
Homemade chucks
One of the pleasures of turning is the challenge of making your own chucks, allowing you to be inventive and save money. If you come up with something good, there could also be commercial prospects. Most forms of home-made chuck are adaptations of existing chucking methods. The jam chuck is one of my favourites. I use a small one to hold solid fruit so that I can finish turning the bottom. It is a 20' tapered cup. with a wall thickness of about ' in 6mm so that there is some give as the fruit...
Tool rest position
Turn the hand brake and make sure that the turning material docs not hit the tool rest. Position the tool rest with approximately space in between the material and the tool rest see Photo 2.13 . If the space between the material and the tool rest is too wide, the turning tool can get caught and he ripped right out of your hand see Photo 2.14 . The height of the tool rest is critical, especially since you want to cut tlsc surface of the wood with the besrt possible results. 1 he tool rest should...
The Old Clock On The Wall Says Its Time
This Schoolhouse Clock is built from just two oak boards 6-feet long. That's not what I would call a lot of lumber. However, these boards must be cut up into 32 small pieces just the right size and shape , and carefully joined together, I think that's the most intriguing thing about clock-building. It doesn't require a lot of wood . . . but it does require a lot of woodworking skill. joinery. Joinery is probably the most important aspect of this clock. Almost evenr joint is on display, so it...
Methods For Miters
Utting accurate miters may not be as easy as it first appears, but if you follow these few tips, it isn't very hard. On the tablesaw, miters can be cut by changing the angle of either the saw blade or the miter gauge. Use whichever method will allow you to keep the widest part of the board in contact with the saw table. Follow the same principle when deciding how to set the angle on a radial arm saw the widest part of the stock should rest on the saw's table. The Dubby is a sliding cutoff box...
By John A Nelson
The two Regulator clocks were offered in the 1901 catalog of the Ansonia Clock Co. iter all these years, I still remember looking at the schoolhouse clock. It was usually about halfway through spelling class. The clock hung up front, next to the portrait of George Washington, the one with what looks like clouds around his shoulders. I day-dreamed about those clouds for hours, then lost in my dreams, I'd notice the clock. It was never late enough. The original oak clock, on which I based my...
Scroll saw pattern Hxq
The long snout of of the Spinosaurus dragon v as believed to have been used to catch fish. The Spinosaurus was a scavenger that used its alligator shaped mouth also to eat the soft flesh of freshly killed, rotting animal carcasses Many prehistoric dinosaurs had sails on their back similar to the Spinosaurus Since many dinosaurs were cold blooded the sails were used to regulate their body temperature When the outside temperature cooled down it was believed the sail may have been used to catch...
Cookbook Rack
This cookbook rack is designed with features that make it as functional as it is attractive. But its still simple enough to be built in a weeJ lt end. oming up with ideas for design-'ing a cookbook rack wasn't difficult. I just had to mention that we were building one, and I was flooded with plenty of suggesdons. Make it small enough to be able to sit on my counter .but big enough to hold my favorite cookbooks. And a small drawer for recipe cards would be especially handy. Also, can you come up...
Locking Dovetail
There Are No Locks to this Three-Key'd Box This box started as a menral woodworking project on a flight from New York to San Francisco. The puzzle for me was to come up with a design that wouldn't need a lot of measuring or fancy hardware, or require a lengthy glue-up. By the time my plane landed, 1 was ready to try my idea on some real wood. Though I didn't make this puzzle box with the intent of selling it, it has become a furniture show favorite. It's amusing to watch people try to figure it...
Bending Jigs
I started work on the hall tree by building the three bending jigs. (Note laying out these jigs may be the most difficult part of this whole project. Although we're showing drawings for these jigs on this page, you may want to order the full-size patterns and detailed instructions from Woodsmith Project Supplies, see page 31.) leg bending jig. The leg bending jig consists of three pieces a base, a fixed form, and a pivoting pressure block, see Fig. 1. The fixed form is attached to the base but...
Hutch Table
The constant struggle for survival through the early years of English settlement in the New World left little time for construction of anything other than the most rudimentary pieces of furniture. A table, chair, several stools, and a variety of chests and cupboards were, for the most part, all these early settlers had. Within a generation with the influx of skilled craftsmen, houses evolved from simple one-room dwellings to structures of more imposing design and dimensions. As living space...
Mortising Made Easy
Well show you how this jig and an ordinary fixed-base router can give you mortises in minutes. Clamp the workpiece to the jig, then position the stops. That's all it takes to set up this jig for routing mortises in just about any workpiece. w outing mortises with JL this jig couldn't be simpler. It's just a matter of clamping the work-piece in the jig and setting the stops. But to get the best results, it's a good idea to have a few test pieces on hand. This way you can...
A retro table with sleek lines and soft edges
With the resurgence of the mid-century Modern style in furniture, I thought I'd have some fun with this classic little coffee table. I used teak because it was the wood of choice for the Danish Modern style in the 1960s and 1970s. The same can be said for the round tapered legs and the soft, rounded edges and corners on the top. The impressive, curved, solid-wood edging on the table looks more difficult to make than it is see Curved Corner Edging, page 73 . After the top is done, building the...
Best Framing Nailer Review: NuMax SFR2190 VS Freeman P4FRFNCB
Why is it there's never time to do something right, one of my friends once complained to his employees, but there's always time to do it over His point, of course, was that he would rather have them spend extra time on the fundamentals of a job, rather than having to go back later, tearing down what has already been built just to fix what has already been done.
Build Your Own Router Carver Jig
The versatility of the router hits been enhanced by the development of ingenious jigs for cutting traditional joints. Although the initial adjustment is time-consuming, once these jigs are set, even complicated dovetail joints can be cut in a fraction of the time it takes to make them bv hand. The description here serves its a guide to cutting through dovetails on a jig that features individually adjustable fingers that guide the router cutter. The setting of the finger assembly governs the...
Adjustable Finger Jig
At the upper end of the flexibility-complexity group you'll find the Leigh jig. which has loose fingers that you can adjust. The fingers slide across the jig and back on two steel rods. The fingers can be arranged in an almost infinite number of patterns and spacings. This actually is a template system, though glorified somewhat by the fact that each set of fingers has a side for guiding the cutting of pins and one for guiding the cutting of tails. You can set the jig to produce wide tails,...
Finish Hardware
I applied finish to the trunk before attaching the hardware. Note Don't finish the cedar lining or youll mask its aroma. finish. To get the look of an aged oak trunk, I mixed a custom stain. To do this, start with a pint of boiled linseed oil, then add IV2 tbsp. of burnt umber artists' oil color from an art supply store. (The two oils need a thorough mixing for the oil color to dissolve.) After applying the stain. I wiped on two coats of General Finishes' Royal Finish (satin), see Sources, page...
Center Stretcher
FIG. 4 CHAIR SPINDLES, LEGS, STRETCHERS AND BOW Scribe layout line for center stretcher socket. FIG. 4 CHAIR SPINDLES, LEGS, STRETCHERS AND BOW Scribe layout line for center stretcher socket. Scribe layout line for side stretcher socket. Taper starts. Cut Vn-In. groove with scratch tool drill at very acute angles such as where the outside pairs of spindles meet the bow. You can also use a spade bit or brad-point bit in a variable-speed electric drill. Never put a spoon bit or a reamer in an...
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Subscription Manager
SUBSCRIPTION PROBLEMS & ADDRESS CHANGES P.O. Box 7591 Red Oak, IA 51591 (800)666-3111 DEALER INQUIRIES WELCOME Sdl amfjucan Woodworker in your store, risk-free. Call (800) 845*050 for details. Amuuiam WutMnruau* (ISSN K VWI8) is puM hed six limes a year in January. Starch. Mar. July. September, and November by Rodde I'm Inc 33 E. Minor St-, ftnmaus, PA 18098. (215) 967-5171. 1993 by Kodak Proa. Inc. j.l. Kodak-. Founder. Ardath Rodalc. Chairman of the Board Robcn Teufel. President of Kodak Pres...
Raising Panels On The Tablesaw
The usual technique for raised panels on the tablesaw involves running the panel vertically across an angled blade, while supported by a high auxiliary fence. I prefer to use a jig that enables me to keep my hands well-away from the high, unguarded blade, while the workpiece itself is securely clamped and supported. The jig is made of Va-in. plywood, and like the tenoning jig, it should ride smoothly but snugly over the tablesaw fence see photo . It should be approximately 20 in. long and 12...
By Michael Dunbar
Today, this type of Windsor is often called a hoop back or bow back, but the man who made it knew it as an oval-back chair. This Windsor side chair includes a tailpiece, which projects from the back of the seat to hold two extra bracing spindles. These parts can be omitted from the design, but they make the chair much stronger by reinforcing the bow against the sitters weight. Windsor chairs were traditionally made from rived green wood. That is, the pieces for the bent back, spindles, legs and...
Body Of Shave
Frank Klausz uses Iiis thumbs and forefingers to direct pressure to the front sole of the * > okcsliavc on Initli push stroke (right) and pull stroke (left). tangs with cap knobs to lock in the depth setting.) A variation on the traditional wooden shave is the Japanese spokcshavc. which uses a narrow, planelike blade set in tapered grooves as in Japanese planes (see aw 34). Metal and wooden shaves are designed for essentially the same work, but there are some differences between them. One is...
Building A Steam Box
Mine is a piece of 4-in. dia. schedule 40 PVC pipe. Steam comes from two kettles connected to the pipe with flexible hoses. The heat source for my steam box is a propane-fired camp stove. Electric hot plates usually won't generate the volume of steam required. Set up your box as shown in the drawing. The PVC pipe takes less time to heat up than a wooden steam box. AID. DHU hole in bottom to drain condensation. I chose to start with those for the end stretchers....
Typical Problems And How To Avoid Them
The cause is simple but subtle loss of bevel support below the cutting edge. It can occur at anytime when you first contact the wood, midway in a cut or at the conclusion of the cut. The solution is to keep the bevel in contact with the wood at all times. Just like using a hand plane or running a board over a jointer, chipping or tear-out can be a significant problem when planing with a skew (Photo 9). Some woods are naturally more chippy -such as red oak or...
Stopped Rabbets
A stopped rabbet, of course, is one that does not extend the full length of an edge. It can be stopped at one Of both ends. Here's a list of techniques for beginning and ending stopped rabbets using a hand-held router Mark the beginning and ending points on the work. Make the cut between the two marks, visually aligning the bit with the starting mark to begin, and stopping the cut when the ending mark is reached. The accuracy of this approach depends upon the clarity of your vision and the...
Routing An Edge Joint
The first step in preparing any edge joint is to joint the edges of the mating boards. Suffice it to say here that this is an operation you can do easily with the router. Details arc found in Jointing with a Router on page 188. But you can joint most boards more quickly and accurately on the jointer, and there's no reason why you shouldn't use the jointer if you can. But a router can help you do a special job of the fundamental woodworking task of edge-joining two or more boards to make a wide...
Through dowels
One of the simplest ways to reinforce a butt joint or a mortlse-and-tenon joint, for that matter Is with through dowels. After the joint Is assembled and the glue has dried, simply drill dowel holes through the joint, using a drill press or a portable driii with a drilling guide. Then, apply glue to the ends of pieces of doweling and drive dowels through the holes with a mallet. Tip Bevel the leading end of each dowel first with sandpaper. Leave about Vfc to 4 in. of the dowel protruding past...
Four Wood Weather Vanes
Weather vanes are always fascinating, particularly the fanciful designs of the eighteenth century. Several of the examples shown here can be found in an excellent book. The Pine Furniture of Early New England. by Russell H. Kettell. If you're not concerned with wind direction, these vanes make striking wall decorations, either painted and antiqued or stained and varnished. Many vane plans call for mounting and pivoting devices that require metalworking skills. We have tried to keep things...
Knuckle Joint
The pivoting wooden brackets that support the lightweight drop leaves of small tables are sometimes fixed to the side rails with metal butt hinges. However, they are traditionally made with stout, integral knuckle joints that are not only stronger but also more sympathetic to a finely made piece. The fixed part of each bracket is screwed to the side rail of the table. Set a cutting gauge to the thickness of the wood, and scribe a line all round both halves of the bracket, parallel with the...
Rabbeting with a straight bit
Many woodworkers prefer to make rabbet cuts with a straight bit rather than a piloted router bit for a couple of reasons piloted bits have a tendency to jump and wtii foiiow any imperfections in the edge of the board they also wtii cut rabbets of only a set depth (even piloted rabbet bits with Interchangeable bearings are hilled to four set depths). By using a jig ike the one shown to the left, you increase the bearing surface, preventing jump-outs, and you can adjust the relationship of the...
Oak Cabinets Stepbystep
PHOTO A Cut x -in.-deep rabbets in the top and bottom of the side paneis for the upper cabinet, and cut x -ln.-deep rabbets in the top and bottom of the side paneis for the iower cabinet Also cut > -in.-deep rabbets in the ends of the top and bottom panels for the iower cabinet. Use a router and straight bit to make the cuts. Clamp pieces of -in.-thick scrap on each side of the workpiece, and clamp a straightedge cutting guide for the router to follow. PHOTO B Cut notches in the ends of the...
Woodworking Cramps
Interlocking woodworking joints are designed to ensure optimum contact area between components, so that they bond well with adhesive. A well-cut joint requires the minimum of clamping pressure, the main purpose of using cramps being to help assemble the workpiece and hold the parts together while the glue sets. It is always useful to have plenty of cramps available, but pairs of each type in a couple of sizes should suffice. Complete sets of cramps are relatively expensive, but you can acquire...
Mitered Bridle Joint
A table saw and a simple, shop-made jig are all you need to make strong, tight-fitting miter joints. The key to a strong mitered bridle joint is getting a snug fit on the mating parts. For this reason, I like to cut the slot first and then sneak up on the thickness of the tenon. To cut the slots, you'll need a way to support the workpiece on end. You can use either a shop-made or commercial tenoning jig on the table saw Figure 1 . I use a dado blade for A or larger slots. Slots for Vs-thick...
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse
A segmented version of North Carolina's Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest and one of the most famous lighthouses in America, 3 Vf ash T x 141 2 for plaque W clear pine 4 W x 13 W Sawtooth hanger 1. Copy two Lighthouse patterns from pages 141-142. Apply one to ash for plaque. Cutting the other pattern horizontally with scissors, separate the main center tower section from the top and bottom. Apply the patterns for the top, center and bottom sections to clear pine in their respective...
How To Make Sliding Vee Miters
This a series of pointing cuts, as in a chamfer, on alternate sides of the vee. As general procedure with 1 Draw three lines on the wood Min (6mm) apart to represent the vee. Then intermediate lines not more than ' icin (1mm) apart. 2 Line up the chisel square to the axis, raise the point (about 2CT-30'), then, firmly and slowly, push the point into the wood. This does not produce a shaving, it just creates space for the further cuts. 3 For a narrow vee, swing just to the next mark on one side,...
Straight Vs Angled Finish Nailer Know the Difference and Uses
In the last 25 years, carpenters and woodworkers have seen a lot of changes in the tools that help them do their jobs. The advancement of nail guns is one of the tools that have undergone dramatic changes. 25 years ago the majority of carpenters and woodworkers were still using a handheld hammer to drive nails into position. Nail guns had been invented, but they were costly, and most people could not afford to own one. Today the nail guns are more affordable, and they are also more advanced.
Fre Product Information
To receive literature from any of the companies listed below, send in the attached Reader Service Card. Circle the numbers which correspond to the information you wish to receive, place stamp on postcard and just drop in the mail. Also, you may send requests to American Woodworker, Reader Service Management Department. P.O. Box 5337, Pittsfield. MA 01203-5337. A&l Abrasive Accuset Tool Adams Wood Adjustable Amana Amazon.com 12. 16. 120. 123 7. 8. 9. 10 American Machine & Research 110 Atlanta...
American Woodworker
Build an Early American Classic Fit for Feasts or Family Repasts Table manners. Traditional proportions and details, along with an artificially aged milk-paint finish on the base, give this tavern table the appearance of a fine antique. I've always had an appreciation for archirccturc and furniture from before the Industrial Revolution, when woodworkers turned out crisp details and fine proportions using hand tools alone. When I moved from the West Coast to northern Vermont in 1979, my goal was...
Large Table
NOTE Shape legs before cutting mortises NOTE Use dimensions above to lay out profile on template blanks Mark stopping point for short legs on templates NOTE Templates are 'A' plywood, backer and end blocks are solid wood Position of end block adjusts to length of leg NOTE Use dimensions above to lay out profile on template blanks Mark stopping point for short legs on templates NOTE Templates are 'A' plywood, backer and end blocks are solid wood Position of end block adjusts to length of leg and...
Tips Techniques
These shelf brackets lock in the up position and are released by pressing the levers inside the horizontal arms of the brackets. In my small, basement shop, there just isn't enough room for a permanent outfeed table for my cabinet saw. I needed a table that I could set up and take down quickly, but was still strong and sturdy. I found the solution while roaming around in my local home improvement center the folding shelf brackets you see in the photo at left. As the drawings below show, I...
Compressionfit Detail
Compressing end rain on short wall of mortise V - x IVHN. THROUGH MORTISE FOR SHITAGE KAMA JOINT FIG. 1 JAPANESE SAW HORSE Douglas fir. Choose the straightest and most consis tent pieces you can, usually a clear grade or tight-knot Cut the sawfiorses' leg tenons carefully, letting the saw kerf take half the layout line. The Japanese saw cuts on the pull stroke, making K easy to hold the work by hand. Cut the sawfiorses' leg tenons carefully, letting the saw kerf take half the layout line. The...
Machinecut Mortises
If you plan to cut a number of joints, it is well worth setting up a machine tool to make your production easier and faster. A drill press or a power drill in a bench stand can be used to remove most of the waste before finishing the job by hand, or - better still - you can fit a special mortising attachment to the drill press. Clamp a wooden fence to the base of the drill press, and adjust it to centre the point of the drill bit on the mortise. Set the tool's depth stop to drill to the base of...
Gossip Bench
Contemporary function coupled with Early American styling make this little gossip bench a most attractive piece. As the photograph shows, the small cabinet will hold a telephone and several directories. The drawer is handy for a personal directory, pencils, and paper. The bench was built of nominal 2 x 6 construction-grade pine (1 x actual), white pine, and 3 pine shelving, with a small amount of red oak used for the spindles. Pine can be used for the turnings, but care and sharp tools are...
Mortise And Tenon
F you'd like to make something more than sample joints as you practice cutting mortises and tenons, you might try the trestle table shown here. The trestle legs are assembled with wedged, through tenons and are joined to the stretcher by a knock-down, keyed tenon. The slab top is merely screwed to the trestles. Slots for the outer screws allow for it to expand and contract with changes in humidity. The design is loosely based on several Shaker tables I've seen. I tried to keep things simple and...
Sharpening A Hollow Mortising Chisel
Ask five people how to sharpen hollow chisels and you'll get five different answers. Here's one way that works well for me. Buy a small cone-shaped grinding wheel and check that the tip matches the hollow chisel. To get a picture of the interior geometry, press the end of the chisel into modeling clay (or Play-Doh*). To sharpen the chisel, reduce the speed of the drill press to near 500 rpm, and put the grinding wheel in the chuck. Holding the hollow chisel vertically, press the business end up...
Aeolian Harp
The word Aeolian derives from Aeolus, the ancient Greek god of winds, but the principle of the wind harp goes back as far as King David and the Old Testament. Basically, the harp consists of an oblong, hollow box over which strings are stretched and tuned to a single tone. When placed in a current of air, the harp produces full chords made up of the harmonics of the single tone. In a slight breeze, the harp gives off a droning hum, but as the wind increases in velocity, higher tones of the...
Shop Built Slot Mortiser
With This Jig, You Can Use Your Plunge Router to Cut Mortises bout a year ago, faced with the need to cut hundreds of mortises, I went shopping for a machine to do the job. I discovered that I had neither the moncv nor the space for a commercially made slot mortiser. After thinking it all over and listing my requirements and desires, I realized that I could better satisfy my needs by simply designing and building my own slot mortiser. The resulting mechanism consists of a plunge router mounted...
Feed Direction And Rate
Every time I pick up a router, it seems I have to pause to figure out the proper direction of feed that is, which direction to move the router. feed direction. It's easy to get confused because direction of feed is often used to describe the direction the workpiece is fed into the machine such as on a jointer or router table . However, with a portable hand-held router, the machine is fed into the workpiece. The rule is When routing an outside edge, move the router counterclockwise, see Fig. 1....
Circular Saw Blade For Plastic? Consider These Things Before Purchasing
If you're planning to make minor renovations around your house and have the need to cut plastic, you might wonder what's the best way to get the job done. There are plenty of methods to cut plastic, but one of the cleanest ways is to use your circular saw. Be aware that not every blade is suitable. Therefore we will provide you a full overview of what to look out for when purchasing a circular saw blade that cuts plastic.
Basic Workshop and Tools
First, let me say that the majority of woodturners do not all have workshops like Norm Abrams from the New Yankee Workshop and every new tool that has ever been manufactured. We make due with what we have, which usually necessitates sharing a garage with our car, a shed with our lawn mower, or a basement filled with our spouse's possessions. All of this space is room in which our spouses have graciously allowed us to make some dust If space is at a premium, start out with a smaller lathe and...
Insert The Strongback
Its edge should be set 3 4 in. back so it acts as a stop for the doors. complete all seven pieces at the same fence setting, then trim off 1 8 in. from the rear doors, so they'll close easily. Mount the drawer hardware on the plywood sides before you assemble the box, using the locator jig, shown in Photo 4. The jig shown consists of a piece of plywood with a cleat at one end. The top of the slide should sit tight against the bottom end of the plywood jig. Saw...
Routing Secrets
They Never Te You in Your Router's Instructions The simple truth is that mast woodworkers use only a fraction of their routers' capabilities. ROUTING AND SHAPING shows you how to TRIPLE THE VERSATILITY OF YOUR ROUTER Once you discover these professional secrets, you'll have the power to cut perfect dadoes, grooves and rabbets with your router Making ornamental legs will be a cinch You'll be routing perfect circles making (lawless mortise-and-tenon joints routing boxes from solid wood and more...
Bowl Making With Router
Before getting to the specifics of router-turning a dowel, let ox- mention the jig's capacities. The jig shown in the plans will accommodate a blank that is 4 inches square. Under the best conditions, this will yield a 4-inch-diameter dowel. If you trim a blank to an oc agon before mounting it in the jig. you can produce a dowel around 5, a inches in diameter, max. Of course, you can enlarge the jig if you need an even larger round. To turn a smaller-diameter dowel, you should raise the turning...
Eave Projection
The eave overhang gives some protection to the side wall and connects the roof and wall. Soffits are usually closed in with pre-finished metal or vinyl panels or 1 4 in. 6 mm sanded plywood nailed at 6 in. 150 mm on centre along the edges and 12 in. 300 mm at intermediate supports. The exterior finish is then butted up to the underside of the soffit. A fascia board added as a finished covering for the rafter header usually extends about 1 2 in. 12 mm below the soffit covering to form a drip...
Beam And Joist Installation
The simplest method of beam and joist framing is to have the joists on top of the beam Fig. 31 , in which case the top of the beam is level with the top of the sill plate Fig. 30 . This method is used where the basement must have adequate headroom below the beam. Where more clearance under a wood joist is desired, joists may be supported by joist hangers or other structural connectors attached to the beam. In lieu of joist hangers, the National Building Code allows joists to be supported on...
Collapsible Band Saw Basket Stepbystep
Start this project with a 10-in,-wide oak panel that is at least 13 in. long. The panel must be knot-free with straight grain and no signs of splitting. You may find surfaced, -in. stock at your local lumberyard that is wide enough to miike this project from a single length of board. However, gluing up a couple of narrower hoards is just fine, too, O If you glue up your pane with multiple boards, joint the long edges of each board to flatten and smooth them. Yoult want to glue up the boards...
HowTo Stretcher Joinery
Auxiliary fence attached to miter gauge Auxiliary fence attached to miter gauge Mortises. The mortises that hold the draw bolt keys are formed by cutting matching dadoes in each stretcher half. Mortises. The mortises that hold the draw bolt keys are formed by cutting matching dadoes in each stretcher half. Bolt Groove. A centered groove cut on the inside face of each stretcher half creates the holes for the draw bolts. Bolt Groove. A centered groove cut on the inside face of each stretcher half...
Finger Joint Boxes
Just as most craftsmen consider mortises and tenons the best choice for connecting rails to stiles, legs to aprons, and for other frame joinery, they favor interlocking joints for assembling the sides of boxes, drawers, and chests what is commonly referred to as box joinety. There is an important difference between these two types of joinery Mortises and tenons join boards whose wood grain is oriented to shrink and swell in different directions. Interlocking joints, on the other hand, connect...
Breezeway Boot Bench Stepbystep
PHOTO A Assemble the front and back panels by attaching pairs of long cleats to groups of five slats. Use spacers between the slats to hold them apart V2 in. Attach the cleats to the spacers with countersunk screws. PHOTO B Nail the cedar bottom slats to the top edges of the long and short cleats to form the bench bottom. Separate the slats with V2-in.-thick spacers as you fasten the slats in place. O Make the front and back slats. Cut the ten slats to length from 1x6 white oak stock, and sand...
Sharpening Tools
In sharpeni ng, Just remember one simple rule a sharp tool is a good tool and a dull too I is an awful tool As an instructor, one of the first questions I get asked by novice turners is, How often should I sharpen my turning tools As that question is being asked and answered, I sometimes hear other students brag by saying, hardly ever sharpen my tools or I didn't know you had to sharpen them that often. As a general rule, you should sharpen your tools as soon as they get dull. Dull tools can...
Breadboard Ends
58 american woodworker june 1995 end caps with a tonguc-and-groovc joint. See Fig 2. Glue is applied only to the center section of the joint. This keeps the parts locked together, yet allows the center panel to expand and contract freely on both sides of the fixed center area. In humid seasons, the center piece will be wider than the caps in dry seasons it will be narrower. Rarely will there be perfect alignment along the edge. For this reason, some woodworkers like to break the corners at the...
Core Staves
BOTTOM RAIL 1-3 4 x11x 29-1 4 BOTTOM RAIL 1-3 4 x11x 29-1 4 The key to this project is a new router bit set designed expressly for French doors see Router Bit Set for Making French Doors, page 47 .This set features specialized bits that allow making rails and muntins with long tenons, for strong and sturdy mortise and tenon joints. You'll also need a router table equipped with a mid-size router at least 2-1 4 hp with variable speed control, a tablesaw.a bandsaw, a jointer and a planer.To make a...
Joining An Octagon
When you're cutting miters for an octagonal eight-sided frame the chance for error increases dramatically. Each piece for the frame requires two cuts at 22'A for a total of 16 mitered cuts at this angle. If your setting is off just ' i-degree. the combined gap would be about Vi. If the joints are off, you could recut all the miters, and probably wind up even farther off in the other direction. Instead, some minor adjustments can be made during assembly. First, 1 glue pieces together to form two...
Boardandbatten Door
In a solid wood board-and-batten door, the boards are screwed or clench-nailed to the battens, so both elements contribute equally to the structure. The diagonal brace is what stops the door from sagging into a parallelogram. (See Fig. 6.) The boards can be any width or mixture of widths, and they can be left square-edged, chamfered, beaded, or simply sanded to a small radius. The boards can be shiplapped or joined with a tongue and groove, or with a loose tongue to block light and maintain...
MDF Faux Panel Doors
Rout raised panel look-alikes in minutes. by Ralph e. suiiivan RAISED PANEL DOORS made with traditional stile and rail joinery are my first choice for cabinets. But I don't always use them. For example, cabinets for the shop or laundry room usually don't require fine woodworking. But that doesn't mean they can't have good-looking doors, especially if the doors can be made in minutes, instead of hours. Here's how to turn a piece of MDF into a door that mimics its traditional counterpart without...
How To Cut A Secret Mitred Dovetail
Holding the pin member on end, align its inside face with the shoulder line marked across the tail member. Scribe around the pins to mark the shape of the tails. Square parallel lines across the end grain to mark the tips of the tails. Cut the tails and mitres as described for the pins, and mitre the lap in the same way. A mitred dovetail, which is typically used when both components are the same thickness, requires careful marking and cutting. Since it is...
Eccentrichuck
If you'd like to have some real fun at the lathe, Sorby's Eccentri-Chuck lets you create wild off-center turnings. See photo, below. The chuck allows the workpiece axis to be eccenlrk ally offset from I he lathe axis. You can set the amount of eccentricity by simply loosening two Allen screws, moving the work on the chuck's offset base and then retightening. How did he do that Sorby's The offset is clearly new Eccentri-Chuck turns marked in increments tric ky creations by offsetting on the...
English Woodworking Hybrid Table Saw Lathe
Presto-change-o A rough hunk of wood becomes a thing of beauty, right before your eyes. With a lathe, you can turn gigantic bowls or tiny tops, 7-it. bedposts or 5-in. pens. Knowing what you want to turn is the most important factor when you choose a lathe. Wood lathes are categorized by overall size and by their turning capacities. Micro lathes weigh less than 30 lb. Heavyweight stationary lathes can weigh more than 1,000 lb. Spindle capacity indicates the maximum...
Wood Routing Bowl
X I7V4. uuii 12 x 45 cm Turn lt l Hiion pine Ph yo l gt y Ken HAtton SHTh x 9V5w x 2Wd 10 x 24 x 5 cm Red iwk with segmented multi-band ItwiCo liy K.il ft Migu-ird Ma epuan, 3amwweMHbi asTopcKHM nftWOM rh x I2'w X SV'j'd 18 X 30 X 14 fin Sheoak.curved with power t lt H Ls Photo by Steven Blakney 'he tim decoiotion or this piece was inspired by the modievol illuminated 'he tim decoiotion or this piece was inspired by the modievol illuminated MaTepnan, 3awwweHHbiii as ropcKWM npaBOM iVTh x SW'w x...
Chemical Ebonizing
A sure-fire recipe for turning any wood deep black. remember the old ad slogan, better living through chemistry When it comes to turning wood black a process called ebonizing I prefer the chemical approach, which uses solutions made from vinegar, steel wool and tannic acid. Watching them transform an ordinary wood, such as the yellow poplar I'm using here, is magical. Other methods of ebonizing dye, ink and paint use pigments, which can obscure the wood's grain. The chemical technique leaves an...
Jewelry Box Stepbystep
The box and lid sides and ends are res awn and cut from one piece of maple to give a four-corner grain match two sides have continuous grain and two are butt- or end-matched . A prominent grain pattern will show off the lour-way match better than an all-over pattern like bird's-eye, hut a bit of figure or curl to the wood will add a richness that is welcome in just about any woodworking project. O Cut the lid panel to size, according to the dimensions given in the Cutting List, page 206. 0...
Jointer Adjustments
If you do everything right and still don't get a straight, square edge or perfectly flat surface, the cause of your frustration might simply be a jointer that needs adjustment. PARALLEL TABLES. When you can't get a perfectly straight edge, it could be that the infeed and outfeed tables aren't in die same parallel plane. Check for this by leveling the tables and then placing a long straightedge across them upper right drawing . If the straightedge shows a gap in the middle or at the ends, you'll...
Flattening And Thicknessing By Hand
With the stock wedged to prevent rocking and secured between bench dogs, author flattens one side of a rough board. With the stock wedged to prevent rocking and secured between bench dogs, author flattens one side of a rough board. Apart from stubbornness, there are some sound reasons for hand-planing a board flat and to a desired thickness. Not having a jointer or planer is, of course, the most obvious. But sometimes your stock may be too wide for your jointer, or too thick for the planer....
Arches Cross Beams
Now that the side assemblies of the garden arbor are complete, it's time to connect these assemblies at the front and back with arches and cross beams, see drawing. ARCHES. To keep things simple, I made each arch out of two pieces. There are a number of ways to do this, but to make all the pieces identical and keep the waste to a minimum, I made a template. ARCH TEMPLATE. The arch template starts out as a square hardboard blank 26 x 24 , see Fig. 4. This will create a 26-tall arch that will be...