ShopNotes #100 - Ultimate Router Table

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Cordless Tool StationKeep your cordless drills, chargers, and othertools organized in this easy-to-build, wall-mounted station. The handy drawer provrdes

even more storaoe for all vour accessories.

DepartmentsReaders' Tipsrouter workshop

Rabbeting on the Router Table IPerfect rabbets? You beL Here's what youneed to know to do it on the router table.

materials & harrdware

3 Solutions for Wax ProtectionThe secret to protecting surfaces and makingyour shop tools work better is just a matter ofchoosing and ustng the ilght wax.

jigs & accessories

Router Insert PlatesThe insert plate you select may well determinehow well your router table works. Learn the insand outs of what makes a qood insert plate.

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ContentsFeaturesdream shop project

Ultimate Router TableThis router table might just be the last oneyou'll ever need to build. lt's loaded withstorage, has a built-in dust collectron system,and moves easrly. Plus, the fence has amicro-adjust for "dialing in" accuracy.

best-buih jigs & finturcs

Precision Mortising TableTake your mortistng machine to the next levelwith this shop-built table. A dual sliding rodsystem allows for prectse positioning andeffortless mortisinq.

hands-on technique

Easy Shop-Made DowelsYou may never need to buy dowels again.With this srmple step-by-step process, yot)can make your own dowels in minutes.

weekend workshop

t,

EHffirs

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Tool Station

ShopNotes No. 100

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Cutoffs: t

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hands"on tedrnique

Shop-tested tips and techniques to solve yourwoodworking problems.

ne hundred issues. There was a

time when some people around

here wondered whether we'd make it past

ten. WeIl,we all knowwoodworkers are a cre-

ative bunch. As a result, there are always new

tools, techniques, and tips for getting more

out of your shop. So I don't think we'lI have a

problem filting another hundred issues.

Our first issue featured a great router

table. You can see it in the cover photo

below. In fact, it still sees daily use in our

shop. And since then, we've built at least

a dozen more. With all that experience in

hand, I think our latest version is the best

yet. It has built-in casters, a top-notch dust

collection system, and more than ample

storage. But what really raises the bar is the

fence. Need to replace the fence face? No

problem. Add on a featherboard? Easy. And

the handy micro-adjust and built-in guide

system make tweaking the fence position a

snap. All in all, it's a one-of-a-kind table.

But this issue has a lot more to offer.

You'll also find a shop-built table for your

mortising machine that makes creating a

precise mortise a sure thing. And to keep

a handle on your cordless tools, there's a

wall-mounted station you

can build in a weekend.

So take a look and stick

around for the next

hundred issues.

tuThis symbol lets you

know there's more infor-mation available online atwrvw.ShopNob.com

3

Shop Short Cuts

Creating Custom Tcol StorageProtect your fine tools with a custom-fit, lineddrawer insert. All it takes is an afternoon.

mastering dre table savv

Dado Blade Essentials

great gear

Get more from your table saw with a dadoblade and a few simple tips.

Tcp-Notch Pocket Hole Jig

QaA

Sou rces

46

Pocket hole joinery is quick and reliable. Learnhow the Kreg K3 makes it even easier.

Mortising Table

The Secrets to Flat StockStarting with flat stock is essential for successfulwoodworking. We'll show you how to do it right.

page 30

www.ShopNotes.com

Readers

NOTE: FRAME19 CON9TRUCTEDWITHl7zxllhOTOCK

Fpsry$Ydur Shop

vThe first,s tat ionarysection is bolted to the back ofthe table'saw and is wide enoughto clear tlre saw's motor. The sec-ond folding section is attadredwith hinges to the first section.This hinged section has foldinglegs for support when the table isextended. The legs are also adjust-able for easy leveling. When not inuse, just lift the table up slightly,

fold the legs rn, then lower thetable down out of the way.

All of the materials I used tomake this ouffeed table are easyto find and inexpensive. The roll-ers are made from L%" wC pipe(inside diameter) with wood plugsglued into the end of the pipe. AUz"-dia- dowel runs through thepipe and wood plugs.

To support the rollers, I built aframe and legs using l%'Lsquarestock. The legs are attadred to theframe with hinges. The bottom ofeadr leg has a V4" T-nut to accom-modate a carriage bolt that acts asa leg leveler (drawing above).

I mounted the frame a littlelower than the miter slots on mysaw so I could still use the mitergauge. Now when I'm cuttinglarge sheets of plywood or longboards, I've got a handy helper.And when I need the floor space/I can fold it out of the way.

Anty HortonGladwin, Michigan

ShopNotes No. 100

v

glDE VIEW [EGeFoLoED) ALr6N RoLLERS

NoTE: Hf NoED LEos srAGoEREo '{[ill9lfl?:

TO NE9f TOGETHER WHEN FOLDED

gCREWED TOTO? OF LEG

T-NUTAND CARRIAOEOOfiIN 9OTTOM OF LEO

Hinged Outfeed TableI was thinking of buying an out-feed table for my table saw, butdecided to build one instead. Myrequirements were that it had tofold down out of the way whennot in use, but still support a longworkpiece while tippitg it on thetable saw. I carne up with a simple'to-build, two-piece design that fillsboth needs, as you can see in thephotos below. The drawing aboveshows how itgoes together.

Handy Grill LightJust like clamps, you can never haveenough light in the shop - especiallyat a tool or workstation. Adding sometask lighting to your drill press or bandsaw helps out a lot. It's much easier tosee a layout line as you work.

I recently came upon a portable,battery-operated grill light,like you seebelow. It can be purchased for around$20 wherever grill supplies are sold. Itmakes a great task light for the shop.The base can be mounted using eitherthe screw clamp or the magnets. Andit operates with batteries, so there's no

3 AAAbatteries

inside

Screwclamp

Magnets

power cord to get in the way. Plus, itsenergy-efficient LEDs shed a nice, brightlight right where it's needed.

Steae ShultzChandler, Arizona

Submit Your Tipslf you have an original shop tip, we would l ike to hear from you and considerpub l ish ing your t ip in one or more o f our pub l i ca t ions . Jus t go on l ine toour web si te at www.ShopNotes.com and cl ick on the l ink, "SUBMIT A Tlp. 'Oryou can mail yourtip to: ShopNofes TipsforYour Shop, 22OO Grand Avenue,Des Moines, lA 50312. Please include your name, address, and dayt imephone number ( in case we have any quest ions).We wi l l pay up to $200 i f we publ ish your t ip.

The Winner!Congratulations to Amy Horton of Gladwin,Michigan. Her two-piece, hinged outfeed table(shown on the opposite page) makes it easy to cutlong stock and plpruood on the table saw. Her tipwas selected as winner of the Porter-Cablerouter, just like the one shown at right.

To find out how you could win a Porter-Cable route4 check out the informationabove. Your tip just might be a winner.

www.ShopNotes.com

lssue 100 July/August 2008

PUBIISHER Donald B. Peschke

EDITOR Terry J. StrohmanMANAGING EDITOR Bryan Nelson

SENIOR EDITOR Phil HuberASSISTANT EDITOR Randall A. Maxey

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Vincent Ancona,Ted Raife, Dennis Perkins, Carol Beronich

EDITORIAL INTERN Catherine Seiser

EXECUTIVE ART DIRECTOR Todd LambirthART DIRECTOR Cary Christensen

SENIOR GRAPHIC DESIGNER Jamie DowningSENIOR ILTUSTRATORS David Kreyling, Dirk Ver Steeg,

Harlan V. Clark, Peter J. Larson, David Kallemvn

GRAPHIC DESIGNER Shelley Cronin

CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted KralicekSENIOR PROJECT DESIGNERS Ken Munkel,Kent Welsh, Chris Fitch, James R. Downing

PROJECT DESIGNER/BUlIDER John Doyle, Mike DonovanSHOP CRAFTSMEN Steve Curtis, Steve Johnson

SR. PHOTOGRAPHERS Crayola England, Dennis KennedyASSOCIATE STYTE DIRECTOR Rebecca Cunningham

ELECTRONIC IMAGE SPECIAL|ST Allan RuhnkeVIDEOGRAPI{ER Mark Haves

ShopNotes@ (ISSN 1062-9696) is published bimonthly (Jan., March, May, July,Sept., Nov.) by August Home Publishing,H0Grand Ave., Des Moines,IA50Bl2.

ShopNotes@ is a registered trademark ofAugust Home PublishingOCopyright 2008 by August Home Publishing. All rights reservetl.

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NOTE: ALL PARTgEXCE?T RUNNER AND gTOPMADE FROM 3/+" TLYWOOD

Resaw JigBeing able to resaw thick stockinto thinner stock or veneersadds a lot of design potentialto your projects. And a bandsaw is a great tool for resaw-ing. But I always had troublemaking straight, smooth cutsat a consistent thickness.

To help with this, I use theresaw jig you see here. It keepsthe workpiece firmly againstthe fence to prevent wander-ing so I can concentrate onfeeding the workpiece.

6A1E(21/2" x7')

RUNNER(3/6" x3/4" - 61/2")

To anchor the jig to the table, Iused two magnetic "switches"(made by MagSuitch). Aspring-loaded roller on anadjustable gurde block acts as afeatherboard to hold the work-piece agairst the fence. Andthe runner and stop properlyposition the jig relative to theblade. \lVith this setup, it's nowa simple task to resaw stockinto any thickness veneer.

Tom RoesslerAppleton, Wisconsin

GUIDE BLOCK(212",x7')

ROLLERCN|CH wl9CREW9

5/16" x 2"sLOT

1/+" WASHER

V+"'ZO KNOO

5Aa"'OlA. HOLE wl3/+"-WIDE xV+"'DEE?

COUNTERBORE

5IZE 9TO? TO TO9ITION ROLLERAT LEADINO EDAE OF gLAOE

MAGNETSWITCH

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S I Z E H O L ETO FIT

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A Sophie Huber of Des Moines, lowa,finds a paint can opener is the perfecttool for cleaning chips and debris out of amortise. All it takes is a few strokes of a fileto sharoen the end of the hook.

l Connecting the odd-shaped dust ports on small hand tools to your dustcollector hose is just a matter of making custom-fit adapters. Glenn Leesof Croton, Ohio, traces the outline of the fitting on a piece of MDF thencuts out the connector for each part, fine-tuning the fit. By gluing the twoparts together, this technique guarantees a leak-free adapter.

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CUT LINE-r

POgITION ROLLER IN LINEWITH LEA9ING EOGE OF 9LAOE

ShopNotes No. 100

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Miter SquarosUsing leftover plastic from a project,I made a coupleof miter squares for laying out cuts on workpieces.Thuy both feature 90o and 45o ends. I use one for leftmiters and the other for right miters. They're as accu-rate as the commercial squares and I can make themin a range of sizes. The ones you see here don't takemuch time at all to make. I keep several around theshop so they're always within reach.

To get started, you'll need a small, hardwood stripto make the "fence" of the square. Then attach theplastic along one edge of the strip (right photos). Istart with an extra-long piece so I can trim it to size.You can use a miter saw or your table saw to cut the90o and 45" ends of the square. (Use clamps to holdthe workpiece safely as you make the cut.)

s/ro"-dia. dowel cut to tength

I touched up the cut edges with220-grit sandpaper. They're easy tomake and fit nicely i. *y apron pocket.

Peter SherrillF or estaille, W is consin

Eraser Push SticksItVhen cutting thin stock into narrow strips, conven-tional push sticks are often too bulky and obscure myview of the cut. And they just don't offer the fine con-trol needed to make these delicate cuts safely.

In this situation, I fit ordinary pencil erasers on theends of dowels instead. The friction of the erasers pro-vides plenty of grip to control the stock. This makesit easy to keep it tightly pressed against the table andthe rip fence. And since the dowels can be cut to anylength, I can easily adapt them for any kind of cut.Best of all, they keep my hands well out of harm'sway. You'll find this technique also works well forcutting.small parts using a crosscut sled.

Ron AltierWest Lafayette, Ohio

" ."-**il[,

/Pencil erasers

make a non-slip tipHardwood knobs

make great handles

I WayneWilson of Tallmadge, Ohio turnedan inexpensive nail apron into a roll-upstorage pouch for his spade bits. With a littlehelp from a sewing machine, he created acustom-sized pocket for each bit.

www.ShopNotes.com

l You can use a shot of hot-melt glueto seal the ends of caulking tubes.Jacob Schamfurger of Swartz Creek,Michigan, finds itb a quickwayto preventthe contents from drying out.

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I;&],U,UgJQ,--Learn a few straightfonruard tips and techniques for

I rabbets made with the straightbit.But even when using the rabbet-ing bit, the fence provides supportfor the workpiece as you approachthe bit and during the cut.

Featherboard. Another advan-tage of the fence is it allows me touse a featherboard (or two). Thisprevents the workpiece from rid-irg .tp on the bit and ensures therabbet depthis consistent. With thefeatherboard in place, I can concen-trate on the feed rate and holdingthe workpiece against the fence.

R(|UTI]IG TECH]IIOUEAt this point, you're pretty muchready to tum on the router and cutthe rabbet. I'll start by going overthe general process. Then later oryI'll cover a couple of variations onthe rabbeting theme.

Edge Rabbets. The most com-mon type of rabbet you'll makeis along the edge of a workpiece.Here, the enemy is chipout. The

Use the fenceand 3/q"-dia.

straight bit forcustom rabbets

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creating smooth, crisp rabbets in a short time.Nearly every project I build has arabbet or two in it somewhere. It'sa versatile detail that can be usedto create a recess for a cabinet backor glass door panels, or to assem-ble a drawer or case.

I often fum to the router table toget the job done because it createsa clean, flat-bottom rabbet everytime. This is particularly importantif the rabbet is going to be visible.

\A/hen you think about it, rout-i^g a rabbet on the router table

Rabbeting bit has more massto reduce vibration

lnterchangeablebearings allow for

varying the sizeof the rabbets

isn't much different than routing aprofile along the edge of a work-piece. It's just a square profile.

You cdn cut rabbets with eitherof the two bits shown below. Andthe tips and techniques you seehere will work for both bits.

Straight Bit. For years, I usedan ordinary straight bit. I prefer a3/s"-dia. bit with a 72" shank. Thiswide bit lets me tackle most rab-bets - even custom widths.

Rabbeting Bit Set. The othertype of bit you see in the photo isa rabbeting bit set. The bearing onthe bit makes it easy to set it up fora specific-size rabbet.

Set the Fence. Getting eitherbit set up is a pretty simple affair.You can see the basic setup in thephoto above and the drawing onthe facing page. One thing I wantto point out is that I use the fence

for just about every rabbet. Theonly exceptions are for curvedparts and inside frames.

The reason is control. Of simplest way to prevent it is to

course, the fence is required for use the right technique. In fact,

ShopNotes No. 100

FIRgT 9KIMPA99 PREVENTg

CHIPOUT ON9 H O U L D E R

5ET OITTO FINAL HEIGHT

it's mostly a matter of taking yourtime. Don't be in a hurry to routthe rabbet all at once. Unless therabbet is small (7a" wide or less),it's a good idea to do the job inseveral, shallow passes.

You can go about this in twoways. One option is to set the fencefor final width and then adjust thebit height between passes. In thesecond way, you set the bit to thefinal height and adjust the fence.

Personally, I prefer the secondmethod. Adjusting the bit heightbetween passes may result in a"stepped" cut. Plus, I can avoid alot of stooping and reaching underthe table to adjust the bit height.

Start Light, End Light. Justbecause the rabbet is created in sev-eral passes doesn't mean that thepasses need to be identical. I use

each of the passes toaccomplish a specificgoal. For example, themost corunon placefor chipout to occur ison the shoulder of thecut (drawing at left).To keep it from hap-pening, the first pass isa shallow, scoring cutthat's about lta" wide.

The job of the nextfew passes is to hog

out the waste. Since appearanceisn't important, these cuts can belarger, but no more than 7+".

For the final pass, I switch backto a light cut. The low-stress cutguarantees that the inside edge ofthe rabbetwillbe clean and smooth(upper margin photo). Plus, it letsme sneak up on the final size of therabbet if I'm trying to match it tofit another workpiece.

This technique will work for mostrabbets. But there are two othertypes of rabbets I want to highlight.

End Rabbets. The first of these isa rabbet at the end of a workpiece.If the piece is narrow, it can be dif-ficult to keep it square to the bit.And the unsupported back edgeof the workpiece can chip out.

Thankfully, there's an easy solu-tion - a backer board (right photo).

The backer board gives the work-piece a wider bearing face, and itbacks up the cut.

The Right Order. If youneed to rout a rabbet on boththe end and the long edge ofa workpiece, it's best torout the end rabbet first.This way, any chipoutwill be routed away whenthe long edges are cut.

Inside Rabbet. Anothercommon type of rabbet you canmake is on the inside of a frame.In the box below, you can find outhow to get the job done.

As you can see, cutting rabbetson the router table is a greatoption for some tasks. Andwith the right approach, youcan be sure to get perfectresults every time.'A

< Support. Thebacker boardkeeps the work-piece square to thebit and preventschipout.

qtter ossernbly:lnside fi Frume

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For some projects, it works better to create a rabbetafter assembly, like creating a recess in a door for aglass panel. This is definitely a job for a rabbeting bit.Here the bearing controls the width, so you'll need toadjust the height to take multiple passes. And the leftphoto shows you the proper direction for routing.

L Bearing. The beailng sels fhewidth of the rabbet. But it can'tget into the tight corners.

L Square Up. Over at the work-bench, use a wide chisel to f inishoff the rabbet in the corner,

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www.ShopNotes.com

WTlpsspecs

paint l|linffitshop secrets

Learn how ordinary waxescan make your shop

tools run smoother, workbetter, and last longer.

I've always thought of wax as afumiture and floor polish. It wasonly when a friend showed mehow wax makes driving screwseasier that I started to consider it ashop "tool." It tums out there are

quite a few shop uses for wax.But not all waxes are ideal

I keep three types inmy shop: paraffin,

paste, and beeswax.While any one of them will work

for the ideas shown here, I'vefound some are better than oth-ers in certain cases. And thev're all

inexpensive, so you won't spendmuch to get just what you need.

PARAFFINParaffin (canning) wax is a solidbar that's slippery and forms amedium hard film. You'llfind it atmost grocery stores.

Threaded Adjusters. Besidesmaking screws easier to drive, Iuse abit of wax on adjustment rodslike the threads on a workbenchvise (left photo below). Then runthe vise in and out a couple timesto work the wax in and you'llquickly notice a difference.

< Easy Operation.Rub wax on thethreads of yourbench vise forsmooth movement.

> Less Etfort.Scribble some waxon the sole of yourhand plane and it

will glide acrossa workpiece.

Hand Tools. Other than keep-ing blades sharp, applying somewax may be the easiest thing tohelp cutting tools work better.M*y old-time woodworkers kepta chunk of wax nearby as theyused their hand planes and saws.

A few "scribbles" of wax on thebottom of a hand plane makes itslide easily across a workpiece, asin the right photo below.

PASTE WAXAnother wax you'll find it *yshop is paste wax. It's acfually ablend of several types of waxes.

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I

ShopNotes No. 100

F

easy to "pop"dried glue offthe top. d.

" - \

-,4 -* 'n -1 : iF

"*':r-- :'rG: Forms. A coat of paste waxkeeps glue from sticking to abending form for lamrnattons.

squeezeout from sticking to forms,as in the upper right photo.

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The third wax in my shop is bees-wax. It forms the softest film ofthe three. A little goes a long way,though. Too much beeswax canfeel tacky rather than siick. So it'sa good idea to buff it out u'e.ll.

Finish. V\rhen dissolved in equalrrolumes boiled linseed oil and min-eral spirits, beeswax makes a greatr,r,orkbench finish. To apply it, firstwipe on a wet coat. After letting itsoak in for a few minutes, buff itout to a soft sheen. The finish sealsthe bench from spills and makes it

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There's nctthing complicated about applying a coatof paste wax to tooi tables or jigs in your shop. Thethree-step process is shown in the photos below.

The wax layer provides long-lasting protection.But the more use the tool gets, the faster the waxwill wear away. Any time you notice a workpiece"dragging," it's a good signal to add another coatof wax. The new coat softens any remaining waxand blends it into the new layer.

Wipe It On. Use a cloth to lay down an evenlayer of wax across the enttre surface. To makebuffing out easter, only apply a thrn coat.

Waiting is Easy. As the solvents evaporate,the wax turns to a dull f tlm You'll find thrs usuallvtakes 15 - 20 minutes.

,ri Wax Off. With a clean, soft cloth, buff the waxto a smooth polish. For best results, turn the ragoften so it doesn't load up with wax.

ffimmfwffiw

\3

e Smooth Sliding. Wax the bot-tom of crosscu[ s/eds and othersliding jigs for better control

They're mixed with solvents ina creamy consistency. Once it'sbuffed out, it forms a hard film.

Rust Prevention. In my base-ment shop, it doesn't take longfor rust to gain a foothold. Thank-fully, a thin coat of paste wax on allmy cast iron and steel tables andfences does the trick. The box atright shor.t's how to apply it.

Smooth Sliding. As a bonus,the r,r'ax provides a slick surfacethat allows workpieces to slideeasilrr I also apply a coat to thebottom of sliding jigs (upper leftphoto). Don't worry about the waxcausing finishing problems. A slip-per.V, buffed out coat won't learre aresidue on vollr pr:ojects.

Glue Barrier. One final usefor paste l,r'e'rx is to prevent glue

ffiHome Brew. Protect yoqrworkbtench with an easylo-apptywax and oilfinish.

'

www.ShopNotes.com 11

ccessones

A quality insert plate provides better results t,at the router table, Heres what to look for.

I've built a lot of projects in myshop with nothing more than atable saw and a router table. Andmy first router table was just apiece of plywood mounted on a2x4 stand, with the router boltedto the bottom of the plywood.

Since then, I've upgraded to abetter tabletop with an insert plate.An insert plate makes access to therouter easier. No more stooping orbending over to reach the router.

Plus, I can just pop the router outof the table to change the bit or usethe router hand-held.

FEATUNESAs you'll see on the next fewpages, there's more to an insertplate than just a piece of plasticor aluminum. Thking the time todetermine which features youneed can make your routing easierand more accurate.

cI

L Multi-Use. The small Veritasplate stays attached to yourrouter for hand-held or table use.

L Solid Sfeel. This Veritas insertprovides a large, flat surface foraccurate results everv time.

Size. The main considerationfor an insert plate is the size. Andthere are a couple of things to thinkabout. The first is the size of theopening in the router table. Andthe other is the size of your router.The plate should be large enoughto let you remove the router fromthe table without a lot of hassle.

But there's a trade-off. Largerplates can increase the tendencyof the plate to sag over time, espe-cially with larger routers. So usethe smallest plate that will fit yourrouter. (The chart on page 15 showssome plates grouped by size.)

Flatness. The next considerationwhen choosing an insert is its flat-ness. That is, how flat it is to startwith and whether it will stay flatover time. If you mount a heavyrouter in your table, you don'twant the weight of the router to

ShopNotes No. 100

cause the insert to sag. This canreally cause problems with thequality of cut as you rout. You caneasily check your insert plate forflatress by using a straightedge, asshown at the bottom of the page.

Shapes. The most common andreadily available insert plates arerectangular. They're easy to installand available in a variety of mate-rials (right margin).

Orr the other hand, Veritas hastaken a different approach withthe round plates you see on theopposite page.The one in the mainphoto has a couple of features Ilike. First, because it's steel, theplate can be machined perfectlyflat - and it will stay that way.And the router clamping mecha-nism on the bottom makes it easyto remove the routerforhand-helduse without fussing with screws.

Multi-Purpose Baseplate. Likesome smalleq, rrectangular inserb,the small Veritas plate shown at thebottom of the opposite page can stayon your router. This makes it easy touse in a table andhand-held.

Pre-Drilled. Most insert platesare pre-drilled to fit your router.But if you can't find one with theproper hole pattem, it's easy todrill (photo at right).

MATERIALSAs I mentioned, there are a fewmaterials to choose from.

Aluminum. Aluminum is astrong, yet lightrveight mate-rial that can be machined flat.It's a top-seller for that reason.

Aluminum stays flat over time,even with the heaviest routers. It'smy first choice for an insert plate.

Phenolic. Another popularmaterial is phenolic. It has gaineda reputation for being a flat, stablematerial. And that's usually true.For most manufactured phenolicinserts, you get a flat plate to beginwith. But it pays to check themwith a straightedge. Some plates(and blanks) can be slightly bowedwhen you buy them.

Acrylic. You may see acrylicinsert plates and baseplates asyou shop. Acrylic is an economi-cal choice, but for a router table, itmav not be the best choice. It cansag noticeably over time.

Thickness. Along with thematerial, you need to consider thethickness of the insert. I wouldchoose a thicker plate over a thin-ner one for more sag resistance.

With your choices narrowed, thefeatures on the next two pages willhelp you make a final decision.

) Aluminum.Strong and

flat, yetlightweight,

aluminum is agreat choice.

> Molded.This injection-

moldedphenolic plateby Rousseau

is well-designed.

> Pre-Drilled.High-pressure

phenolic is adense materialand pre-drilled

plates areeasy to install.q;

. ' { . l i ' f i. i . l : ; C i ?

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L Drill Your Own. Use yourrouter's baseplate as a templatefor drilling any insert.

> Blank.You can cut

and drill yourown insert

from a sheetof inexpensive

phenolic.

> Acrylic.Although it'sinexpensive,

this plastictends to sag

under theweight of a

large routerand scratches

fairly easily,

ttii".',l ,i...,,,,r,-

< Flatness. Use a straightedgeto check for gaps that can causeproblems when routing.


L Under.Kreg's levelers

adjust fromunderneath

the insertplate with set

SCTEWS.

IEUEIERS. Aside from beingdead flat, the feature you needmost in an insert plate is a way tolevel it with the top of your routertable. It's important that the insertis flush on all sides to keep a work-piece from catching as you rout.

As you can see in the photosabove, there are a number of mech-anisms used. Th"y range from a

L A Quick Twist. The Veritasmagnetic levelers work with anyinsert and are easy to adjust.

simple set screw threaded into theplate (right photo) to after-marketlevelers (left trvo photos). If yourplate doesn't include levelers, youcan choose one of these solutions.

It pays to check the insert plateperiodically to make sure it's flushwith the top of your table. Use astraightedge to check for gaps. Icheck from side-to-side and front-

L Easy-Access Leveling. Themost convenient adjustments aremade from above the table.

to-back across the entire width andlength of the plate.

Then you can make smalladjustments, checking for flush-ness. Your fingertips work great todetect any variations. And you c€lnuse a scrap piece, sliding it acrossthe table to make sure it doesn'tcatch on the insert. Once that'sdone, you're ready to go.

|I{SERI RlilGS. Insert rings, or"reducer" rings as you see here, aresized to reduce the gap betweenthe bit and the insert plate. Th"yhelp keep the workpiece from slip-ping into the gap around the bit.

Insert tit gs usually come insets, and you need to use the onesdesigned for your insert plate. As

you can see here, how they'reinstalled in the plate

can vary. Someare fastenedwith screwsiwhile others

snap or twist in.

L Snap-ln. The simplest insertrings quickly snap into theopening of the insert plate.

L Screws & Levelers. Someinsert rings include a method forleveling them with the plate.

A Sefs.Some inserts

come with ringsor you can buy

them separately.These lock intothe plate with aspecial wrench.

$TART|]{G Plll. rhere are timeswhen you need to rout odd-shaped pieces on the router tableand aren't able to use the fence.Routing the edge of a curvedworkpiece is a good example.

Some insert plates include astarting pin, like you see at right.It gives you a way to control theworkpiece as you gurde it againstthe bearing on the bit. Without astarting pin, the bit has a tendencyto grab the workpiece.

t4

?ifiE{ etter control,;Wn routingfreehand by using

ShopNotes No. 100

\t

BIT HEIGHT ADJUSIMEITT. with more and morerouter manufacfurers including above-the-tableheight adjustment on their routers, the insert plateyou use needs to accommodate this feature. In mostcases, all that's needed is a hole in the plate thatallows the adjustment tool to reach the router's heightadjustment mechanism (photo below). If you'd liketo accomplish the same thing for your router thatdoesn't have this feature, /ou can take a look at routerlift mechanisms as discussed in the box below. A

8" x 1 1" - 1/+u Aluminum w/Rings, Pin ($60). . ' .81hu x i1V+. - %" Alum. w/Rlngs, Fin ($t95)

9" x 12u -3/a'Phenolic w/Rings, Pin ($50), t , , ,

gl x lp" - ?s', phenolic w/Rings, pin WS-l

9" x 12" -3/Bu Acrylic w/Rings, Pin ($30)

^ . : : . r , ::

9n x 12o - %. PhenolicwlRings, Pin ($Efl : ,

9" x 12" - 1/+" Aluminum w/Rings, Pin ($65). ' " . .

91/+' x 11U4- - %' Phenolic w/Rings, Pih W

91/4" x 113/4'- 3/e" Alum. w/Rings, Pin ($100), i ' '

. r :

9V+" x 11V+'- 7e" Pfienolic #Rings, Pin ($SS)

g1/+" x 113/+'- 3/s" Phenolic w/Rings, Pin ($fO1

g1/+" x 117+" - 7e" Alum-,#Hings, Pin 'f.S65)

9"-dia. x 7+" Phenolic MPin ($lO1

12"-dia. x3Aa" Steel w/Rings, Levelers ($17A,

Bockler

BcnGh lhg a

Hartuille Tool

Bsusseau

Router Table llepot

ttltGs

tuttcs

Woodpeckers

Woodpeckerc

ffoodhaucn

l0eg. :

Jessfm

Ueritas

Ueritas

v router litts:Souped - U p I nsert PlotesIt used to be the only way youcould change the height of the bitin your router table was to duckundemeath and fight with yourrouter's height adjustment. Thenalong carne a variety of router lifts(like the oneby I essErn shown here)which eliminated this problem.

A router lift mechanism ismounted under the insert platein your router table. It allows youto adjust the bit height and evenchange bits from above the table.It's a great solution for an olderrouter without a built-in, above-the-table height adjustrnent.

Arouter lift typically includes aninsert plate for your router table.hr some cases, you may need toenlarge your router table's open-ing for a proper fit. Once the plateis installed and level, you're all setto start routing.

www.ShopNotes.com

Above-thelableheight adjustmentis quick and easy

I

Want accurate joinery,flatter panels, and easierassemblies? lt all starts with this simple technique.

Putting a square edge on a boardis the first thing most woodwork-ers think of when using a jointer.But there's another job it does thatI think is even more important -

flattening the face of a board.Actually, it's the first thing I

do with lumber that comes intomy shop. The process I use isn'tcomplicated and ooly takes afew minutes. But by followingthese steps, you'll establish a flat

reference face for cutting parts tosize, getting square edges, and cut-ting accurate joinery.

THE BASIC TECH]IIOUEYoucangeta goodidea of thetech-nique in the drawing and detailbelow. Btrt there are a few pointsthat deserve some mention.

Grain Direction. First, youwant to pay attention to the graindirection of the board. To prevent

tearout, the grain on the edge oftheboard should runup and awayfrom the jointer table. You can seethis in detail 'a.' Asecond way toavoid tearout is to take light cuts(about %2" -lhe").

Pressure. Theru as you movethe board across the cutterhead,you want to concentrate pressureon the outfeed table with your lefthand. Your right hand only servesto push the workpiece forward.

Problems. This basic techniqueworks great on relatively flatboards. But as you look over aboard before jointing, you're likelyto see one or more problems.

The board might be cupped,bowed, or twisted. To tackle theseissues, you'll need to make someadjustments to the technique. Youcan also make things easier byreading the box on the next page.

CUPPEII BI|ARIISOne of the problems you'll findis a board that's cupped across itswidth. This is the simplest prob-lem to take care of.

For starters, joint the work-piece with the cup facing down,as shown in the photo above.

?l?Jc .H3F;5[?F,8,FACE MovrNo erRAroHr

PUgH FORWARPWITH RI@HT HAND

UgE HAND-OVER.HAN9a' 5FE5"r",OVER

16 ShopNotes No. 100

BOWEOaaARD JOrNrwtrH HoLLow etDE DowN

APPLY DOWNWARD FORCE

INFEEDTAOLE

TWI9TED A??Ly DowNwARD FoRcEaOARD oN coRNERe roucHrNG

JOINTER TAOLE

JOINTER CUTS ONO?POSITEEOOE1

The edges give the board a solidstance. Then, as you joint the face,apply just enoughpressure to keepthe board moving. Too much pres-sure can press the cup flat. \Atrhenyou let go, it will spring back andyou'll still have a cupped board.

BI|WED BOARDSAnother conunon problem you'llfind is a board that's curved alongits length. This is called bow.

Like a cupped board, you wantto work with the hollow side down.But getting a flat face here requiresa slightly different approach.

Pressure on the End. The ideais to remove material only at theends where the board is touchingthe jointeq, as shown in the leftdrawing above. It's even easier inthis situation to press the board flatas you move it across the jointer.So it's important to only applypressure on the ends.

Starter Chamfer. Sometimesa bowed board will catch on theoutfeed table at the start of the cut.To prevent this, I make a shallowchamfer on the leading edge asshown in the left drawing above.

TWISTEI! BI|ARDSTWist is another problem you mayfind with lumber. And it seemsIike the most challenging to dealwith since only two comers of the

www.ShopNotes.com

workpiece are in contact with thejointer tables at the start of the cut.

The key here is applying pres-sure only at the corners (rightdrawing). Steady progress willbring the other comers and moresurface area into contact with thejointer. At this point,I usually find

that the board is either cupped orbowed as well. So you'll need totake the steps I mentioned earlier.

The ultimate reward for yourefforts is a smooth, flat face. Buteven more importantly, it puts youon the right path !o projects that fitand look better. A

OOWED EOARD (s,DEvrErg

CUTTIN@ LONO BOARDg gHORTER WILLYIELD THICKER ?IECE9 AFTER JOINTING

T

t l l

cut ports to size:Reduce WqsteIf a long, wide board has a lot of cup orbow in it, you could spend a bit of time- and waste a lot of wood - trying toflatten the face. To save both time andmaterial, it's a better idea to break downboards into smaller blanks. You can seehow this works in the drawings here.

C,rp. In the case of cupped boards, rip-ping the board into narrower pieces canalmost eliminate the curve. And you'llend up with thicker stock, too. I find it'sa good idea to rip cupped boards at theband saw to avoid a possible kickbacksituation at the table saw.

Bow. The lower drawing shows howmuch material you'd need to joint andplane away before getting a long boardthat's perfectly flat. Here agaru by cross-cutting it into shorter lengths, you can endup saving more of the original thickness.

CU??ED FOARP (END yrElv)

RIPPINo CU??ED gOARO1TO ROUGH 5IZEREgULTg IN A REPUCTION OF WASTE

L7

To download a freecutting diagram for the

Router Table, go to:www.ShopNotes.com

MaterialsA Sides (a) 15hx 30 - % MDFB Backs (2 ) 8Vzx29h -3AUOrC Tops (2) SVzxMVz-3/cUOrD Bot toms (2) 8Vzx173As-3 lcVOfE Doors (2) 9 x29/c-3tc t/rOrF Shetves (4) 7Yex14-Ycl/rOfc Base Sides (4) Shx1sh -3AUOr

H Base Fronts (2) SVc x 9 - 34 t./rOfI Cleats (1) %x% - 84 rgh.J Corner Blocks (2) lVzx3Vz - SVaK Sides (2) 13Vzx1Sy2-34MDFL Back (1) 13 x15Vz-3AUOrM Top,/Bottom (2) 13 x14h - Tc uofN Edging (2) t4 x34 - BO Long Side (1) 2Vzx813/ro-t/cl / 'OfP Short Side (l) 2Vz x 5131e - 34 t/rOf

a Long Back (1 ) 2hx19h -s tqUOrR Sho r t Back (1 ) 2Vzx14Yq-Y4UOrS End (1 ) ZVzxaVz - tAUOrT Bottom (1) gelaxz} -Y4 Hdbd.U Blast Gate (1) 334 x33/q -V+UaAa.

V Support Plate (1) Yc x 6 - 13W Drawer Fronts,/Backs (6) Vzx 4 - 10X Drawer Sides (6) Vz x 4 - 13Y Drawer Bottoms (3) 1OVzx12y2-y4 Hdbd.Z False Fronts (3) 41Vsx12%-3/4t / r ) fAA Table Core ('l) 24 x36 -IY2MDFBB Table Skins (2) 24 x36 - Ptastic LaminateCC Table Extension Core (1) 9Vzx11-1y2MDFDD Table Extension Skins (2) 9Vzx11- Plas. Lam.EE Suppor t Arm (1) 3Ax1Vz-12

FF Fence Base (1) 9Zzx21-YqUOfGG Fence Runners (2) V+ xs/to - 4YqHH Fence Sides (2) 2 x 8 - 3/c |/rOfl f FenceBack (1 ) 2x3 -YqUOftJ Fence Cap (1) 4Vz x 8 - Vn AcrylicKK Fence Fronts (2) Yc x3 - 28LL Fence Top (1) 34x1Ve - ZA

Hardware. (24) #6 x1V2Fh Woodscrews. (64)#8 xl/4Fh Woodscrews. (22't#8 xlVzFh Woodscrews. (4)#8 x 2 Fh Woodscrews. (2)4" Fixed Casters. (8)7s"-16 x1Yz" Carriage Bolts. (10)7a" Flat Washers. (10)7s"-16 Hex Nuts. (2)3/s"-16 Leg Levelers. (213/s"-16 T-Nuts. (2)!/a"-16 Acorn Nuts. (16)h"-dia. Shelf pins

. (5)4" Drawer./Door Putls w,/Screws

. (211V2" x 30" Piano Hinges w,/Screws

. (2) Magnetic Catches w./Screws

. (9)#8 xs/s" Fh Woodscrews

. (1) 2Tz" Dust Port

. (8)1/e" Flat Washers

www.ShopNotes.com

MICRO.ADJUgTERLETg YOU FINE-TUNE

FENCE POgITION

6LA9T GATE CONTROLgDU9T COLLECTION

THROUGH FENCE ORUNPER TA6LE

FENCE FACE CAN9E CU5TOMIZED TO

MATCH OIT 5IZE

9UILT.IN DUgT9Y9TEM

COLLECT5 CHI?gFROM 6ELOW

THETAOLEWHEN FENCE I9

REMOVED

. (8)1/4"-20 Hex Lock Nuts

. (811/4"-20 x 2" Carriage Bolts

. (6)#8 x l" Fh Woodscrews

. (3pr.)12" Full-Ext. Drawer Slides w,/Screws, (2)1Y2" Hinges w,/Screws. ( l)78"-16 x4y2" Fh Machine Screw. (2)%"-16 Nylon Lock Nuts. (2) Leg Levelers w,/Nylon Inserts. (4)h"-2o T-Nuts. (+)h"-2Q x112" Fh Machine Screws. (5)#6 x5/6" Fh Woodscrews. (2)r/4"-20 x 17a" Hex Bolts. (2)h"-2O Locking Levers. (1)h"-20 Coupling Nut. (1)Micro-Adjuster. (2)48" MiniT-Track w,/Screws. (1) 36" Aluminum Miter Track w./Screws. (1) Power Switch

FLI?-U? TAOLEEXTENDg CA?ACIIY

OF TAOLE AND FENCE

PIVOTING ARM5U770RT9

TAaLEEXTEN9ION

?OWERSWITCHTROVtOE9

HANDY ACCE55TO ROUTERCONTROL

NOTE:JOINERY

REINFORCEDWITH gCREWg

FOR EAgYA99EMBLY

LAROE CAgTERgMAKE MOYINGTHE

ROUTER TAOLEEA9Y_ JU5T TILT AND GO

LEO LEVELERg KEEPTAOLE gTEADY ONUNEVEN FLOOR9

Exploded View DetailsOVERALL DIMEN9ION9: 55'D x56"W x4OeAa"H

DUgT AND CHIP9 ARECHANNELED THROUOHFENCE ANP TAFLE FOR

EAgY COLLECTION

THREEDRAWER9

APD AMPLEgTORAOEFORBITS.

J I O 9 , A N DACCE?90RtE5

NOTE: RAooErJOINERY AND

INEXPEN9IVE MDF9AVE5 TIME AND

MONEY

19

#6xllh" FhwooDgcRw,l

side storage

TowersThe base is divided into severalsections: two towers, two bases,and a drawer cabinet. This keepsthe consbrrction straighfforward.Orrce the sections are complete,they are bolted together.

The base has two main func-tions. Fryt, ifs meant to provideample support for the tabletop.To do that, it's designed in an "H"shape. This rigid assembly absorbsvibration and helps k""p the topfrom saggng.

The second function of the baseis to provide handy storage space.It doesn't take long to acquire quitea collection of router bits, jigs, andaccessories. Now you can organizethem in one location.

Make it Mobile. As I melr-tioned before, the router table isbuilt mostly out of MDF. Ard ttratmeans ifsheavy. So I added apairof heavyduty casters that allowsthe router table tobe rolled aroundyour shop easily.

ruTTERSI began by building the two sidetowers, as in Figure L. They are

20

really iust simple MDF boxes.Before you cut the parts to size,there are two things I want to pointout. The first is the shape of thebottom piece.'It's designed to proj-ect from the back. This will placethe casters in just the right spot toroll the tabh aroundwithoutittip-ping over (Bottom View).

The second thing is that the backis shorter ttran the sides. This is

NOTBPRE.PRILLHOLEg FORCAgTER6(Fr6uRE 4)

because the back resb on the bot-tom, as illustrated in Figurre 1.a.

Joinery. The construction of thetowers is pret$ simple -iust rab-bet joinb reinforced with screws.You'll find the specifics in Fig-ules Lb and lc. This means youwon't need to use a lot of clarrpsor spend time waiting for glue todry. Atable saw with a dado blademakes quickwork of the task.

\-l

v'

NOTB ALL PAKTS AREMADE FROMC4" MDF

oorrow vtEw

NO|E: TowER oooRsAND 9HELT/E9 AREMADE FROMV+" MDF

)

29.9.R\-H DooR

b' W ro?'fftii*oooR

ShopNotes No. 100

I installed the screws throughthe top and bottom to hide thescrew heads, as shown in Figures1b and 1c. This puts the screwholes close to the edge. To avoidsplitting the sides, you'll want totake care to drill accurately sizedpilot and shank holes.

Before assembling the towers, Ialso took the time to drill holes forshelf pins and a connector pieceyou'll make later. Since the tow-ers are narrow it's easier to do thisnow as in Figure 1.

Doors. The next pieces to makeare the doors (Figure 2). They'renothing more than MDF panels.Th"y have a roundover on eachlong edge and a shallow rabbet onone edge to accommodate a pianohinge, as shown in Figure 2b.

Shelves. Inside the towers, Iadded a set of shelves (Figure 2).They're just cut to fit from MDFand rest on the pins.

BA$ESEach tower sits on a short basesection. The base conceals a casterand a leg leveler, as illustrated inFigure 4. The fixed caster makesmoving the router table a snap.And the leveler allows the routertable to remain wobble-free onuneven shop floors.

The construction of the basetakes a slightly different approachthan the tower. Instead of rabbets,the base is assembled with glue,screws, and cleats, as in Figure3. The cleats also make it easy toattach the base to the tower.

Thper. The base sides have aslight taper cut along the bottomedge, as you can see in Figure 3.This detail provides clearance

NOTE: cLEAre AREMADE FROM s/+"-THICKHARDWOOD, BA1E ?ARTaARE MADE FROMs/+" MDF

when you tilt the router table backand move it around the shop.

Cleats. After cutting the basepieces to size, you can make thecleats, as shown in Figures 3a,3band 3c. Since access is tight, it's agood idea to pre-drill the screwholes for attaching the cleats to thebase and tower. Then attach thecleats to each base piece before glu-ing the whole assembly together.At this point, you can attach thebases to the towers (Figure 3).

Leg Leveler. I also made a cor-ner block for each base unit, as inFigure 4. The comer block holds aleg leveler. These non-skid levelerskeep the MDF bases from touch-ing the floor where they could getdinged up or absorb moisture.

Once you have the comer blockscrewed and glued in place, markand drill an access hole in thetower bottom so you can adjustthe leveler from above, as in Figure1. To adjust the height easily witha socket wrench, an acom nut isglued on the end of the leveler withepoxy, as illustrated in Figure 4.

Casters. All that's left is to attachthe casters to the tower bottom.These are held in place with car-riage bolts, washers, and nuts.

f ! C l t J R E

CORNER OLOCK

CLEAtrS

#O x1 l+"Fh gCREW

n-I

I

{

CLEAT(7/+" x 4lz")

BA9E S\OE

CORNER 6LOCK

a. -\

CLEATO FA9E FRONT

FRONTvtEwl

Y{

hrE r l

BA5EIe tDE I

1i"I

V

-r coRNER 9LOCKd. CRO1? SECTION

3/o"'16T.NUT #B x1la" Fh

wooo9cREwSU5ED TO ATTACHCORNER 6LOCK

3/o"'16 x5"N O N - 5 K I DLEYELER

0

Vg"ACORN

NUT

CRO95 $ECTION

Z -=-N

' /-', \(o , ) l\ v / / .

*-\---%

www.ShopNotes.com 2l

DRAWEROASE OACK(13" x15lz")

#6x lVz" Fh

completing

The BaseTirrning the individual towersinto a rock-solid base is the goalof the next stage of construction.Tlo do this, the towers are joinedtogether by a center drawer caseand a hardwood support plate.And you'll also create part of thedust collection system.

DRATI'ER GASEThe first thing to do is build thedrawer case. As you can see inFigure 5, it's made the same wayas the towers - with rabbets andscrews. But there are some differ-ences I want to point out.

]oinery. The main difference isthe rabbets are cut into the top andbottom and screwed together fromthe sides, as in Figures 5a and 5b.

Here again, the idea is to hidethe screw heads when the towersare attached on either side. I alsodrilled holes in the case sides forattaching the case to the towers, asshown in Figure 5.

I

9HORT 9IDE(2V2" x51s/to")

Edging. Another difference isthe edging applied to the top andbottom of the case. It creates arecessed opening that the drawerfronts will fit into later on, as youcan see in Figure 5c.

To make the rounded edging,I started by routing a roundover

OLA9T GNE(59/a" x3s/+")

NOIE: cur NorcH ToFIT AROUND DUST

COLLECTION BOX

16

)

N0fE: cnsrEIOEg, EACK, TOB ANDOOTIOM AREo/+" M9EEDGING 196/+"-THICK

HARDWOOD

on an extra-wide blank. The wideblank is safer and easier to con-trol. Then I ripped the edging towidth at the table saw. Finally, it'sattached to the case after assembly.

Now, you'll set aside the drawercase for the time being to work onpart of the dust collection system.You'll need to have it built beforethe base can be assembled.

DUST GOTTEGTIOI{Orre of the things that sets thisrouter table apart from most isn'treadily apparent - the dust collec-tion system. With a single connec-tion point, the table collects .hiptand dust from either the fence oraround the router motor. The keyto this is the simple L-shaped boxyou see in Figure 6.

The box wraps around one ofthe towers so that it's easy to accessthe dust port for attaching a shopvacuurn or dust collector hose.

Simple Construction. I beganby making the box pieces. You'llnotice that dadoes in the long andshort side are sized to hold a 7+"hardboard blast gate (Figure 6b).Then I routed a chamfer on theleading edges to soften them andto act as a ftrnnel to direct chipsfrom below the table into the box.

NOTEg otcKs AND erDEe AREMADE FROMa/+" MOF.5U??ORT .PLATE l9s/+" -THICK HARPWOOD.BOX6OT|OM AND BLAgT GATEAREV+" HARDEOARP

LON6 FACK(212" x19V+")

PRE.DRILL(FIGUREn

#O x6/o"Fh gCREW

gHORT OACK(2V2" x1&/+")

5tDE ytEW

' b. FRONT ytEW

r - } | 3 /+ f t -,,#[M

LON6 gIDE(212" x ?13/to")

b.. . | -' (v

@

1{@

I\I

t' 4 %

#8x11/+" FhWOOO9CREW


Assembling the box begins withthe two L-shaped corner assem-blies. The important thing hereis that the assemblies are square.Then you can cut and add the end.The last piece to add is the bottom.This is a piece of hardboard with ahole drilled in it to attach a plasticdust port, as in Figure 6a.

ltVhen the box is assembled, youcan make a blast gate to fit thefront opening (Figure 6).

Support Plate. To center the boxunder the table, I added a supportplate, as shown in Figure 6. It's sizedto match the width of the drawercase and has a centered notch thatfits around the dustbox.

Assembly. At this point, you'reready to assemble the base sec-tions. Figure 7 shows you how thepieces go together. I used clamps tokeep the drawer case aligned witheach tower. Then it's just a mat-ter of using the mounting holes inthe drawer case as a guide to drillmatching holes in each toweq, asshown tn7a. The drawer case cannow be bolted to the towers withcarriage bolts, washers, and nuts.

The next step is to attadr the sup-port plate at the top of the towers. It'smounted with screws (Figure 7b).Then you can fit the dust box intothe opening and screw it to the lefttower with a screw from the back.

NOTE: DRrvE ecREwAT AN6LE TO ATTACH

0u5T oox

#8 x11/+" FhWOODgCREW

th" HEX5TOP NUT

W/ WAgHER

NOTE: ATTAcH DRAwER cAeEFLUgH WITH BACK AND9OTIOM OF TOWERCA'E

details in Figure 8a. Then aftercutting a groove for the drawerbottom, they can be glued up.

The drawers slide on full-extension slides. Just be sur€ toattach the slides at the bottom of thedrawer. This way, theyll miss thehardware used to assemble the case.

Once the drawers are in place,you can cut and attach the falsefronts. I sized them for an 1/e" gapon all edges (Figure 8b).

F I ( ' U R E# b x 2 " F h

wooDScREw9

NRAWI R$All that's left to complete the baseis to make the drawers that fit inthe center case. And combinedwith the side towers, it provides alot of versatile storage options.

As you can see in Figure 8,the three drawers are identical.To keep things simple, they'reassembled with tongue and dadojoinery. This is an easy joint to cutat the table saw. You can find the

NOTE: DRAwER FRoNre.OACK9, AND 9IDEg AREY2"'THICK HARDWOOD,FAL9E FRONT9 AREs/+" MDF

DRAWER gIPE(4" x 13")

DRAWER FRONT

T#r viHw

(1O/2" x121/2" - 1/+" Hdba.)

DRAWER FALgE FRONT(41tAa" x 123/+")

DRAWER

23www.ShopNotes.com

laminated

TabletopNow that the base is complete,you can tum your attention tothe top and fence. The tabletop iswhere all the action takes place.The router is mounted to an insertplate in the middle. And the fenceis positioned using a set of T-tracksin the top. There's even an alumi-num miter track that lets you use amiter gauge or other accessories.

Flip-Up Extension. This tablealso has a unique feafure - asmall table extension at the back, asshown in Figure L0. This small flip-up table provides mol€ capacityto position the fence farther awayfrom the bit. And it drops downwhen I don't need it.

In building this section of therouter table you have a few goals.First, the tabletop should be as flatand smooth as possible. In addi-tion, the table should be rigid tosupport the weight of the routerwithout sagglng over time. Finally,I also wanted a good way to helpcontrol the dust and chips gener-ated by the router.

]l.:ij*nfi FTGURE

tur"n"1*I" 5/a"MlNl T-TRACK

Multi-Layer Top. To accom-plish these goals, I started by mak-ing the top and extension. You cansee how it's made in Figures 9 and10. In a nutshell, each table is afour-layer sandwich.

In the middle are two layers of7+" MDF. This creates a flat, rigidbase. And the MDF helps to absorbvibration from the router forcleaner cuts. I started by cuttingthe pieces of MDF to size and thengluing them together, as shown

TAOLE EXTEN9IONeKrNe (2)

-ryerTlY"" RAglUg

lYz"H|NGE

TAOLE EXTEN9IONCORES

NOfE: REFER To sHo? eHoRTcuT9 (?AGEZA)TO CUT

OPENINO FOROLA9T GATE

in Figure 9. The key when doingthis is to keep the assembly flat. Ibonded the two layers with spraycontact cement. It works fast and Idon't have to mess with clamps.

Laminate on the Outside. Alayer of plastic laminate on thetop and bottom completes thesandwich and provides a smooth,

L Blast Gate Flush. ln thisposition, dust and chips arecollected from below the table.

L Flip It Up. Slip the gate into thenotches vertically to allow the fenceto collect debris above the table.

SIDE V|EWDownload astep-by-step

article to installa router insertplate as wellas plans forthe optional

door and backpanel. Go toour website:

ShopNotes.com

CUT ANP FILEY2" OFF TAOLE

ENP OF MINIT-TRACK

FILE 9MALLCHAMFER9

1" MITERTRACK

{, ffic/o" Fh MACHINE 9,CREW

(9EEFIGURE12)

TOP YIEW r- MrNrr-rRAcK

c. FACK ytEWb. n'*3,5 sH,|fi.''9tDE vrEW


v

durable worksurface. When thelaminate is inplace,fortcan trim itflush with edges of the MDF usinga router and flush trim bit.

Miter Groove. With the topglued up, you're ready to startadding a few details. One of thethings to add is a miter slot for amiter gauge. The groove is sized tohold an aluminum miter track, asshown in Figures L0 and 10a.

TWo Openings. Next, you'llneed to create a pair of openings.The smaller opening is used tochannel dust and .hipt to a shopvacuurn. The larger opening holdsa router insert plate.

I started with the smaller open-ing. And you can leam how it'smade on page 29. As for the open-ing for the insert plate, I used atemplate that came with the plate.Don't worrlzr if you don't have atemplate, there's a step-by-steparticle for this on our website:www.ShopNotes.com.

T:-Tladc There's one other itemto add to the top - the miniT:track used to position the fence.But before making the grooves forthe T-track, I attached the tableextension to the top *ith hingm.

Ahand-held router is perfect formaking the grooves. Howeveq, thewide grooves in the table need toline up with the narrow groovesin the fence you'll build later.

The secret to perfect alignment isto use a template. You can readmore about it on page 29.

The T-track can then be cut tofit. Each piece is trimmed back atthe fncnt end, as shown in the leftmargin on the opposite page. Thisnotdr creates a space for the hexbole in the fmce to engage in theT:'track when you set it in place.

Attach the Thble. At this point,you can screw the top to the base(Figur€ L1.). The important thing

here is to align the notches in thetop with the dust box (Figure 11a).You'll also need to make a mortisein the dustbox to accommodate thehi^g", as inFigure 1,1b.

The final additions to the top arethe supportarm and power switch(Figure 12). The arm holds theextension level with the tabletop.Apair of leg levelers allows you tofine-tune the extension so that it'slevel with the top. The switch issimply screwed to the side tower.

f Design Option.A back panel anda door muffle thesound of the router.You can find planson our website.

NOIE: PLANERUNNERg TO FIT INgIDE

fo-adjustable

FenceAt this point, the heavy work ofbuilding the router table is com-plete. All that remains is the fence.I know a few woodworkers whoonly use a straight board with anotch for a router table fmce. Andwhile thatworks,Iwanted to adda few more features.

As I said before, the fence is alsoa cmcial part of the dust collectionsystem built into the router table.A drannel in the back dfuects .hiptinto the dustbox (photo above).

Secon4I added a T-track to thefence face. This allows me to attachbit guards, featherboards, or stopblocks. The face of this fence is asingle, flat piece. This one-piecedesign isnlt likely to go out of align-ment or catch on the workpiece assplit fences sometimes do.

Micro-Adiuster. A ttrird featureI want to hightight is the micro-adjuster you see in the inset photoat right. And I can't tell how muchhassle this saves in making fine

MINI T.TRACK

NOfE: FLANK teMADE FROM9/+" MgF

STEP 2z AseEMeLEOA9ECOM?ONENTS

RUNNER(Aa" xTV+")

NO|E: outDEerRrPMDTHI5 CUf TO FIT MINI T.TRACK(MARGTN DETATL AAOyE)

26

V+"LEIG,RLOCK KNOg

L Fine Tuning. This micro-adjuster makes it easy to preciselytweak the fence setting.

adjustnents to the fence position.It eliminates the "tap-and-hope"method I'd been using for years.

From the Bottom Up. To makethe fence, I started with the base.After cutting it to overall size, Irouted grooves inthebottom udg"to hold hardwood runners, €lsshown in the upper portion of Fig-ure 13. These runners will guidethe fence in the T-track mountedinto the tabletop.

To rout the grooves, I usedthe same template I used for theT-track grooves. But this time Iinstalled a guide bushing with aY+"Aia. straight bit. You can findthe details on page 29.

Cut to Shape. Once this is done,it's time for some shaping. Thereare several details to take care ofon the base. The first is cutting theferrce base to its final "delta-wing"shape. I did this at the band sawand thm filed the edges smooth. Aroundover along the back softensthe top edges, as illustrated in thelower portion of Figure L3.

RUNNERPAo" x41a

MtcRo-ADJUgTER

IN9XALL FENGE BA9EAND MICRO.ADJUgTER

INTOT.TRAGKTO I.OCATE NUT

\V+" x11+"HEX HEAD EOLT ShopNotes No. 100

|-|

FENCE CAP(4V2" x O" -_Yl' ACKYIIC)

\l

Next, I cut a small notch in one IE**side to accommodate the micro-adjust mechanism for the fence.This is detailed in Figure L3a. Toprovide better access to the micro-adjusteq, there's a wide chamferon the back side of the fence base(Figwe 13b). This canbe done witha hand saw and a file.

A Cutout The next step is tomake a cutoutfor the dustand chipcollection. Here again, I tumed totheband saw to do the job.

There are also a couple holesdrilled in the top for the lockinghandles that secure the fence.

Runnenr. Then you can makesome runners to fit the groovesin the bottom of the base and theT-track. The trouble is the groovein the top of the T-track is slightlywider than the 74" grooves in thebase. To make the runners, startbyplaning a wide piece of hardwoodto fit the T-track Qeftmargin ontheopposite page). Then you can cut ashallow rabbet on eadr side to fitthe groove in the fence base. Aimfor a smooth sliding fit wittr noplay. Therg rip the runneffi to size.

Moo-Adiwter. Vvith the nm-ners glued rn, you can set the fencein place to irutall the mirc-adjuster.The adjuster thrcads into a cou-pling nut in the base. And for it to

FENCE gIDE(2'x8" I

NO|E: FENcE9ACK AND 9.IDES

MADE FROM7+" MDF

FENCE BACK(2" x9"')

FRONTTOP(7+" xlVa" - 28")

work smoothly, needsto be ulip"d perfectly. Thankfutty,there's an easy way to do this.

You can see how it's done inFig-ure 1-3c. Drill an oversize hole in the

"dge of the fence base. Then thread

the coupling nut on the micro-adjuster. I "buftered" the outside ofthe nut with some epolry and thenlocked the adjuster into the T-track,pressing the nut into the hole. Thiskeeps everything inuntil the eporyhardens.

Dust Channel. Next, I assem-bled the sides and back of thefence. The back edge is rounded tomatch the base @gure 1 ).

#Ox11h" FhwoopacREw

The chute is attached to thebasewith glue and screws. The top ofthechuteis a piece of acrylic andisattached with scnews (Figue laa).

Front of the Fence. All thafsleft to complete the fence is thettuee-piece front section. Figurc 15has all the details on how it goestogether. The front face is attachedwith madrine screws. This wayyou can make several faces toaccoilunodate different size bib.

At last, you're ready to drcpyour router into place and fire itup. Then you can mioy the resultsof your efforts with srr_rooth, accu-rate cuts every time. 6

FENCE FAgEA99EMELY

FENCE FRONT(/+" x9" - 2O")

lo" xVo"DUgT RELIEF

NOTCHENTIRE LENoTH

V+"THREADED

T.NUT.r

NOIEI MAKE ExrRAFENCE FACEg WITHDIFFERENT 5IZENOTCHE9 V+" x11'h" Fh

MACHINE9CREW

NOTE: FENcE FRoNTg ANDFENCE TOP ARE V*"-tHlCK HARDWOOD

L Handy Storage. You can lockthe fence to the extension and foldit away when you don't need it.

a.-+ls/or

EACK VIEW

MINI T.TRACKWITH ffREWg

#O xlV+" FhwooDscREw


ultimate

Router Table49" x 97"- #/4" MDF

A

A

A

1!/2" x 3!/2" - 96"

G G G G F F F FH H

B B C C

EEDD

49" x 97"- #/4" MDF

K

AA AAFF

K L M M Z Z CC CC

V

#/4" x 7!/2"- 120" HARDWOODI I N

#/4" x 8!/2"- 84" HARDWOOD

O

W

X X X X

W W W W W

P Q R S HH HH II

EE

KK MM

LLJ J J J

GG

X X

!/4" x 24"- 48" Hrbd.

Y

Y

Y T

U

Materials & Hardware

ShopNotes No. 100, Page 1 of 2 ©2008 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.

A Sides(2) 151/4x30-3/4MDFB Backs(2) 81/2x291/4-3/4MDFC Tops(2) 81/2x141/2-3/4MDFD Bottoms(1) 81/2x173/16-3/4MDFE Doors(2) 9x293/4-3/4MDFF Shelves(4) 73/8x14-3/4MDFG BaseSides(4) 51/4x151/4-3/4MDFH BaseFronts(2) 51/4x9-3/4MDFI Cleats(1) 3/4x3/4-84rgh.J CornerBlocks(2) 11/2x31/2-51/8

K Sides(2) 131/2x151/2-3/4MDFL Back(1) 13x151/2-3/4MDFM Top/Bottom(2) 13x141/4-3/4MDFN Edging(2) 3/4x3/4-13O LongSide(1) 21/2x813/16-3/4MDFP ShortSide(1) 21/2x513/16-3/4MDFQ LongBack(1) 21/2x191/4-3/4MDFR ShortBack(1) 21/2x143/4-3/4MDFS End(1) 21/2x41/2-3/4MDFT Bottom(1) 99/16x20-1/4Hdbd.U BlastGate(1) 33/4x33/4-1/4Hdbd.V SupportPlate(1) 3/4x6-13W DrawerFronts/Backs(6) 1/2x4-10X DrawerSides(6) 1/2x4-13Y DrawerBottoms(3) 10x121/2-1/4Hdbd.Z FalseFronts(3) 411/16x123/4-3/4MDFAA TableCore(1) 24x36-11/2MDFBB TableSkins(2) 24x36-Plas.Lam.CC TableExtensionCore(1) 91/2x11-11/2MDFDD TableExtensionSkins(2)91/2x11-Plas.Lam.EE SupportArm(1) 3/4x11/2-12FF FenceBase(1) 91/2x21-3/4MDFGGFenceRunners(2) 1/4x1/4-43/4

HH FenceSides(2) 2x8-3/4MDFII FenceBack(2) 2x3-3/4MDFJJ FenceCap(2) 41/2x8-1/4AcrylicKK FenceFronts(2) 3/4x3-28LL FenceTop(1) 3/4x11/8-28

•(24)#6x11/2FhWoodscrews•(64)#8x11/4FhWoodscrews•(22)#8x11/2FhWoodscrews•(4)#8x2FhWoodscrews•(2)4"RigidCasters•(1)3⁄8"-16x11⁄2"CarriageBolts•(10)3⁄8"FlatWashers•(2)3⁄8"-16HexNuts•(2)3⁄8"-16LegLevelers•(2)3⁄8"-16T-Nuts•(2)3⁄8"-16AcornNuts•(16)1⁄4"-dia.ShelfPins•(5)4"Drawer/DoorPullsw/Screws•(2)11/2"x30ContinuousHingesw/Screws•(2)MagneticCatchesw/Screws•(9)#8x5/8"FhWoodscrews•(2)#8x31/2"FhWoodscrews•(1)21/2"DustPort•(8)1⁄4"-20x2CarriageBolts•(8)1⁄4"FlatWashers•(8)1⁄4"-20HexNuts•(6)#8x1FhWoodscrews•(3)12"Full-Ext.DrawerSlidesw/Screws•(2)11⁄2"Hingesw/Screws•(1)3⁄8"-16x41⁄2"FhMachineScrew•(2)3⁄8"-16NylonLockNuts•(2)LegLevelersw/nyloninserts•(4)1⁄4"-20T-Nuts•(4)1⁄4"-20x11⁄2"FhMachineScrews•(5)#6x5/8"FhWoodscrews•(2)1⁄4"-20x11⁄4"HexBolts•(2)1⁄4"-20LockingLevers•(1)1⁄4"-20CouplingNut•(1)Micro-Adjuster•(2)48"MiniT-trackw/Screws•(1)36"AluminumMiterTrackw/Screws•(1)PowerSwitch

49" x 97"- #/4" MDF

A

A

A

1!/2" x 3!/2" - 96"

G G G G F F F FH H

B B C C

EEDD

49" x 97"- #/4" MDF

K

AA AAFF

K L M M Z Z CC CC

V

#/4" x 7!/2"- 120" HARDWOODI I N

#/4" x 8!/2"- 84" HARDWOOD

O

W

X X X X

W W W W W

P Q R S HH HH II

EE

KK MM

LLJ J J J

GG

X X

!/4" x 24"- 48" Hrbd.

Y

Y

Y T

U

ShopNotes No. 100, Page 2 iof 2 ©2008 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.

A Sides(2) 151/4x30-3/4MDFB Backs(2) 81/2x291/4-3/4MDFC Tops(2) 81/2x141/2-3/4MDFD Bottoms(1) 81/2x173/16-3/4MDFE Doors(2) 9x293/4-3/4MDFF Shelves(4) 73/8x14-3/4MDFG BaseSides(4) 51/4x151/4-3/4MDFH BaseFronts(2) 51/4x9-3/4MDFI Cleats(1) 3/4x3/4-84rgh.J CornerBlocks(2) 11/2x31/2-51/8

K Sides(2) 131/2x151/2-3/4MDFL Back(1) 13x151/2-3/4MDFM Top/Bottom(2) 13x141/4-3/4MDFN Edging(2) 3/4x3/4-13O LongSide(1) 21/2x813/16-3/4MDFP ShortSide(1) 21/2x513/16-3/4MDFQ LongBack(1) 21/2x191/4-3/4MDFR ShortBack(1) 21/2x143/4-3/4MDFS End(1) 21/2x41/2-3/4MDFT Bottom(1) 99/16x20-1/4Hdbd.U BlastGate(1) 33/4x33/4-1/4Hdbd.V SupportPlate(1) 3/4x6-13W DrawerFronts/Backs(6) 1/2x4-10X DrawerSides(6) 1/2x4-13Y DrawerBottoms(3) 10x121/2-1/4Hdbd.Z FalseFronts(3) 411/16x123/4-3/4MDFAA TableCore(1) 24x36-11/2MDFBB TableSkins(2) 24x36-Plas.Lam.CC TableExtensionCore(1) 91/2x11-11/2MDFDD TableExtensionSkins(2)91/2x11-Plas.Lam.EE SupportArm(1) 3/4x11/2-12FF FenceBase(1) 91/2x21-3/4MDFGGFenceRunners(2) 1/4x1/4-43/4

HH FenceSides(2) 2x8-3/4MDFII FenceBack(2) 2x3-3/4MDFJJ FenceCap(2) 41/2x8-1/4AcrylicKK FenceFronts(2) 3/4x3-28LL FenceTop(1) 3/4x11/8-28

•(24)#6x11/2FhWoodscrews•(64)#8x11/4FhWoodscrews•(22)#8x11/2FhWoodscrews•(4)#8x2FhWoodscrews•(2)4"RigidCasters•(1)3⁄8"-16x11⁄2"CarriageBolts•(10)3⁄8"FlatWashers•(2)3⁄8"-16HexNuts•(2)3⁄8"-16LegLevelers•(2)3⁄8"-16T-Nuts•(2)3⁄8"-16AcornNuts•(16)1⁄4"-dia.ShelfPins•(5)4"Drawer/DoorPullsw/Screws•(2)11/2"x30ContinuousHingesw/Screws•(2)MagneticCatchesw/Screws•(9)#8x5/8"FhWoodscrews•(2)#8x31/2"FhWoodscrews•(1)21/2"DustPort•(8)1⁄4"-20x2CarriageBolts•(8)1⁄4"FlatWashers•(8)1⁄4"-20HexNuts•(6)#8x1FhWoodscrews•(3)12"Full-Ext.DrawerSlidesw/Screws•(2)11⁄2"Hingesw/Screws•(1)3⁄8"-16x41⁄2"FhMachineScrew•(2)3⁄8"-16NylonLockNuts•(2)LegLevelersw/nyloninserts•(4)1⁄4"-20T-Nuts•(4)1⁄4"-20x11⁄2"FhMachineScrews•(5)#6x5/8"FhWoodscrews•(2)1⁄4"-20x11⁄4"HexBolts•(2)1⁄4"-20LockingLevers•(1)1⁄4"-20CouplingNut•(1)Micro-Adjuster•(2)48"MiniT-trackw/Screws•(1)36"AluminumMiterTrackw/Screws•(1)PowerSwitch

Cutting Diagram

t

ShopShortGutsReducing Rod DiomelerFitting the hand wheels onthe mor-tising table on page 30 rcqufues somework at the grinder. Tic fit the handwheel the end of theAcrne ftreadedrcd needs to be reduced to\5" Ata.

To do this, I made a stop blockand support stand,like you see inthe photo above. The stop blockclamps to the grinder's tool rest.It limits the length of the smallerdiameter and forms a clean, squareshoulder on the end of the rod.

The support stand is a simpleplywood assembly that clamps tothe bench. The key here is mak-ing surre the bed and "fence" ofthe stand are squarc to the wheel.This keeps the tenon diameterconsistent and helps you utilize

the entire surface of the wheel.And the stand should be sized toposition the rod at the centerline ofthe grinding wheel.

To reduce the diameter of therod, fum it as you move it back

and forth. You'll have to adjust theposition of the stand as you grindto keep the rod square to the wheel.Finally, check the fit in the handwheel as you go.It should fit snugagainstthe shoulder of the tenon.

GRIND 6HAFTPIAMF]ERTOFIT

INgIDE T,IAN9. 1^/?|EEL

Cutting o Romped DodoThe toggle clamp for securing aworkpiece on the mortising table(pugu 30) sits in a ramped dado.To make this cut, I used a pair ofthin spacer blocks.

Fasten the two spacer blocksto the front edge of the plywoodblank with double.sided tape.Thenallyouneed to doismake a few passes overthe dadoblade withthefront edge of the work-piece against the fence.

9PACER(c/+x5"'Ve" Hdbd.)

ShopNotes No. 100

Routing Grooves for FenceThe T-track in the router tableneeds to be perfectly alignedwith the runners in the fence foreverything to operate smoothly.To accomplish this, I tumed to thetemplate shown in the drawingbelow and a hand-held router.

TAaLEGROOVE,a

NOTE: TEMPLATEMADE FROM3/+"'lHlCKHARDWOOP

91DE5(5" x2@/*")

Table Grooves. After attach-ing the template to the table andextension, I used a3/+"-dia. pattembit to rout the T-track grooves, asyou c€u:r see in the detail 'a.' It's agood idea to rout the grooves inseveral, shallow passes.

END9(3" x6Vz")

r ATTACHTEMPLATE TO TAELE

NO[E: TEMPLATE MADEFROM s/+" -f HIC K HARPWOO P

slide invertically so dust and chipscan be pulled through the fenceopening. A hand saw and chiselmake quick work of this task. Theimportant thing here is to matchthe width of the notch to the thick-ness of the blast gate.

-lI

I!i --',I!

Mqking the Blqst Gote PocketA simple blast gate and opening inthe router tabletop (page 18) allowyou to control how dust and chipsare channeled to a shop vacuurn.And you'll find creating the open-ing is a simple process.

Template. I started by laying outthe location of the opening as youcan see in the drawing at right. Tocreate a clean, accurate opening, Imade a simple template to guide arouter and pattem bit.

The template is made by wrap-ping some hardwood scrapsaround the blast gate you madeearlier. I attached the template tothe top with double-sided tape.

After setting the bit depth tomatdr the thickness of the blastgate, rout around the inside edge ofthe template (Step 1). Then to pro-vide a finger hole for removing theblast gate, use a Forstner bit to drilla shallow counterbone along thebackedge (Step 2).

Opening. In Steps 3 and 4, youcan see how the opening is made.After drilling some starter holes,

you c€ul cut out the waste with ajig saw. I cleaned up the cut edgewith a file and some sandpaper.

Notches. Other details to add tothe opening are a pair of notchesat the front of the opening (Step 5).The notches allow the blast gate to

9TEPl: orur urTEMPLATE AROUNDOLAgT GAfEFOR A

?ERFEC'r FIT

ATTACH TEMPLATETO TAgLE WITH

oouvLe-gtoEo rA?E

Fence Grooves. Tlo rout thegrooves in the fence base, I useda 3/4" O.D. guide bushing and a7a" straight bit, as in detail 'b.'

The bushing guarantees that thegrooves in the fence are centeredover the grcoves in the tabletop. A

gAMETHICKNEgg A9

OLA9T G^f,E

9TEP 5: psr-uFOUR gTARTER HOLEg

glE? 4z cur ou'rOPENING WTH JIG gAT,V

IN9TALL 3/+" O.O.GUIDE BU9HING

www.ShopNotes.com

AND EXTENgIONWITH DOUELE-gIDED

29

4

I \A/hen a projectcalls for a lot of mortises, nothingbeatsthe power of a mortising machine. The only draw-back to a mortiser is that repositioning the workpieceto drill the overlapping "holes" can be a hassle.

The sliding mortising table you see above makesmortising a breeze. First, the long, steel hold-downand toggle clamp anchor the workpiece. Then justtum a hand wheel to move the large table from frontto back to accurately position the mortise. Finally, tumanother hand wheel to move the table side-to-side tomove the workpiecebetween drilling operations. Theend result is a clean, straight mortise. Best of all, itonly takes some simple hardware to accomplish thesetasks. And it all adds up to one shop accessory you'llwonder how you ever got along without.


Exploded ViewDetailsOI/ERALL DIMEN9ION9:23Te"D x3r2"W xl?lz"H (wlo moralear)

HEA!^/-DUTY gTEELHOLD-DOWN KEE?5

WORKPIECE FROM LIFTIN6DURINO MORTI9INO

OPERATION

gTAR KNOBg LOCKCLAMP BA5E IN

PO9TTTON

KNOFg LOCKHOLD.DOWN

AOAIN9TWORKPIECE

CLAMP CAN EEREPO9ITIONED TO

ACCOMMOOATEA RANOE OF

WORKPIECE 5IZE9

-;\

V) TOOGLE CLAMPLOCKS WORKPIECE

9ECURELYAGAINgT FENCE

RAMP ENgUREgDOWNWARD

CLAMPINGPRE99URE ON

WORKPIECE

LARGE. LAMINATECOVEREDTAOLE

?ROVIOE9 AMPLE5U??ORT FOR THE

WORKPIECE

MORTISINGMACHINE I9 OOLTEOTO PLATFORM OAEE

9TEEL OUIDERODg AND BRONZE

EU9HIN@g MAKE FOREFFORTLES9TA9LE

OPERATION

ACME THREADEPROD ENgURE9 5MOOTH,?RECI9ETABLEMOVEMENT

+\ JAM NUTg ADJUgT\ To ELIMINATE-.--

ARCKLASHFOR gMOOTHOPERATION

ROD ENDg ARE.TURNED" ON AGRINDER TO FIT

HAND WHEEL

9IDE HAND WHEEL|'/OVESTAOLESloETO S \OE

FRONT HANDWHEEL MOVE5

TAOLE IN AND OUT

?LYWOODAND HARPWOOD

CONgTRUCTION PROVIDEgLONO-LAgTINO gERVICE

NOTE: roooLE cLAMPNOT gHOWN FOR CLARITY

{'')

filJ

ACME THREAOED ROO ENOAOEgNUTg FIXEP IN END TIECE5TO

<:--r r:i). i ,

-n-nil

9tDE vrEW

www.ShopNotes.com

MOVETA9LEFRONT YIEW

31

assembling thenv ^ a - , qDaSe

If you take a look at the photo onthe right, you can see what's at theheart of the sliding table. It mightlook a little complicated, but it'sreally preffy simple. A base sup-ports a floating carriage thatmovesfront to back. That carriage thensupports the tabletop (to be addedlater) that moves from side to side.This movement in two directionsis what makes the table so usefulfor drilling mortises.

Rods and Bushings. \Atrhatmakes all this work is the Acmethreaded shaft and steel guiderods. Hand wheels tum thethreaded rods inside nuts in thebase and carriage. The guide rodsslide inside bronze bushings tohelp the carriage move smoothly.

You'll start by cutting all the basepieces to size. Theru it's just a mat-ter of drilling holes for the bushings,

i.i;rq-ror+t FTGURE: -a::{.-:i :t'"]'fi j1:;

L Rods and Wheels. Smooth, steel guide rods and threaded shaftsallow the carriage assembly to move in two directions. The handwheels control the front-to-back and side-to-side movement.

#O x1Vz" FhWOODSCREW

goid" rods, and threaded rod. Tohelp with assembly, the over-sized holes and counterbores pro-vide some extra space for epoxypaste and aligning everything forsmooth operation. All the rods,bushings, and nuts are insertedlater, after you've finished build-ing the carriage assembly.

3/+" l .D. x7/o" O,D, x1"BRONZE

F U 9 H I N O

3/ta"-OlA. x'1"9PRINO

POWEL PIN

HANP WHEELwl1/2" OORE

5/+" FLN|WAgHER

Base Assembly. Figure L showshow the base is put together, andthat's where you'll start. First, theidentical front and back pieces aredrilled to hold the two guide rodsand the threaded rod. After this,you can attach the front and backto the bottom. The next step is tocut the guide rods to length andtemporarily slip them into place.

Threaded Rods. I need to pointout that the table mechanism usestwo threaded rods. There's onehere in the base, and another in thecarriage assembly. Each threadedrod is ground down in diameterat one end to fit the hand wheel,like you see illustrated in Figure1. Shop Short Cuts on page 28 willhelp with this process.

With that done, add the handwheel by drilling a hole for thespring pin that locks it in place.Before moving on, slip a bronzebushing into the front and tem-porarily insert the hand wheelassembly into the base.

The Carriage. Building the car-riage is similar to the base. Figure 2shows the details. After cutting thefront, back, and sides to size, drillthe holes and counterbores. Finally,attach them to the carriage bottomand each other with screws.

Fitting and Tuning. This is thepoint where I gathered up all theparts needed for the assembly.Once you start gluing things in

ShopNotes No. 100

3/+" FLAf, WA9HER,ACME NUT,

LOCK WAgHER.ACME NUT

5/+"-OlA, x16lz"ETEELROD

IOA9E OOTTOM

(1O" x16lz - s/+" ?ly,)

3/+"-6 x195/o"ACME

THREADED ROD NOTE: REFER To sHo? eHoRTcuT? fAaE 20) rOR FTTTTNO

ROD TO HAND WHEEL

h NorE: rNerALL ro? AFrERPr cARRtAoE t9 INoTALLED (?AGE3o)FRONT YIEW A.

OEFOREFINAL

32

CARRIAGE OOTTOM CARRIAGE BACK(1" xZc/i - 141/+")

CARRIAGE 9IDE(1" x35/o" - 1OY2")

place, you don't want to have tohunt for anything.

Putting It Together. L:r Figure2, you can see how the rods passthrough the base and carriage. TheAcme rod threads into the twonuts in the carriage, so you'll needto tap them in place first. You canslip the bushings onto the rodsand insert the rods into the baseand carriage assemblies. To helpposition the bushings and provideclearance over the base for the car-riage, as detailed in the box below.

Seating the Threads. Ifthe threaded rod doesn't tumsmoothly within the nuts, youmay need to "seat" the threads ofthe rear nut on the rod so the rodspins smoothly. To do this, gentlytap the end of the threaded roduntil it turns without binding.

Epoxy and Patience. Nowyou're to the point of setting thebushings and nuts with epoxypaste. Finally, you can add thewashers and nuts at the end of thethreaded rod. You'll start on thetable assembly next.

(101/2" x 16Y4" - 5/+" ?ly.)

3/+"'6 ACMENUT

#B x11/2" FhwooDScREw

NOTE:IN9TALLACME NUTgINTO CARRIAOEFRONT & BACK WITHLIOHT HAMMER TAP5.9EATTHE NUT9 ONTOrHE THREADED ROD BYGENTLY TAPPINO END OF RODUNTIL ROD 5PIN9 gMOOTHLY

F I ( 3 U R E

# b x 2 " F hwoo99cREw

3/+" l ,D. x7/a" O.D. x 1"ORONZE

6USHING

3/+"'6 ACMENUT

DRILL 9HANKHOLE FOR

gCREW ANDDRILL THROUOH

STEEL ROD

1Ih

F-l-F'..l

IHtFdl _ l - . 1

|<-n/':-

l , A"/4

|

CARRIAGE FRONT(1" x23/i - 141/+")

1" -DIA. HOLE- WITH 1l+"-DlA. x

3/o"-DEE? COUNTEREORE

Settin the RodsThe key to smooth operation ofthe carriage is in the alignment ofall the components. That'swhere the oversized holesand epoxy paste come in. Theholes allow some "wiggleroom" for adjustment duringthe assembly process.

You'll want to be careful tokeep epoxy off the rods. (I lightlyoiled them to help with this.) Mixup a small amount of slow-set,two-part epoxy paste then placesome on the bushings and slidethem into place. (I also packedsome epoxy around each of thenuts to lock them in position.)

After the epoxy cured overnight,I found that I had a little tweakingto do to get the carriage to slidesmoothly. You can use emery clothto smooth out any burrs on therods or lightly ream out the bush-ings, if necessary.

www.ShopNotes.com

OA9EA99EMFLY

CARRIAGEA99EMFLY

FRONZEEU9HINGg

1/a" 9?ACER ELEVATE9CARRIAOE FOR?RO?ER

CLEARANCE AND ALIGN9GUIDE RODg ANP

BU9HINGg FOR gMOOTHOPERATION

+:r,: ; : ; FTGURE;.1,: _1i_**.;li'..,-g:

# 8 x 3 " F hwooD9cREw

HAND WHEELwl1/2" OORE

c/rc"-DlA, x1"9PRINO

POWEL PIN

s/+" FLAfrWA9HER

CARRIAOEA99EMELY

OA9EA99EMELY

5/+" FLy';f WA9HER,ACME NUT,

LOCK WASHER,ACME NUT

for the screws used to pin them inplace. Then hoist your mortisingmachine on top so you can workon the proper table height.

Thble Height Adjustment.The final adjustment you need tomake is sizing the table ends so thetabletop rests flat against the tableof the mortising machine. The boxat the bottom of the next page willhelp you with this task.

Smooth Operation. By nowall of the mechanics of the slidingtable are done and fully functional.You should be able to tum each ofthe hand wheels to move the car-riage assembly in two directions:side-to-side and front-to-back.

Materials & Hardware

3/+"'6 x29Vo"ACME

THREADED ROD

adding the tablqtop,/ Ends

With the carriage operatingsmoothly, the next step is to addthe mechanism that controls thetable's side-to-side movement.This consists of the two table endsand the same type of hardwarethat was used on the base.

Custom Fit. The table ends arecustom sized to provide the rightclearance over your mortisingmachine's table (box at bottom

of opposite page). So leave themextra-wide for now

Alignment. When drilling theholes for the rods in the table ends,I referenced and measured fromthe bottom edge. This allows fortweaking of the height later.

Follow the same procedure asbefore for setting the rods, bush-ings, and nuts. If you take a look atthe top of the opposite page, youcan see how I used spacer blocksto align the table ends and rods.

After the epoxy cures, it's time toenclose the carriage assembly withthe base top (Figure 3). Note thatyou'llneed to pre-drill through theends of the guide rods in the base

s/+"-DlA. x16lz"9TEELROD

# O x 2 " F hwooD9cREw

5/+" l .O. x7/e" O.D. x 1"-LONGFRONZE BUgHINO

TAFLE END(1" x 41/+" rgh. '131/o")

A Base Bottom (l)B Base Front/Back (2)C Base Top (l)D Carriage Bottom (1)E Carriage Sides (2)F Carriage Front./Back (2)G Table Ends (2)H Tabtetop (1)I Fence Faces (2)J Braces (2)K Clamp Base (1)

18 x l6Vz-3/cPly .1 x33/q - 14

14 x l6Vz-3/aPly .lOVzxt6Vc -t/qPly.

1x35/a-1OY21x23/4, - 14%

1x 4Vq rgh. - 137a14Vqx27 - t /aPly .

5 x22 -3/+Ply.

1 x 2 - 33VzxlO -3/aPly.

. (1) %"-Dia. x72" 1018 Steel Rodo (1lt7o"-5 x 72" Acme Threaded Rod. (41t70" Flat Washers. (8)370"-5 Acme Nuts. ( '10)%"-l .D.x 74" Oiled Bronze Bushings. (21 3Vs" -O.D., V2" -Bore Hand Wheels. (21Zh"-dia. Star Knobs with %"-16 Insert. (21274"-dia. Star Knobs with %"-16 x l7z" Stud. (1)Toggle Clamp with %0"-18 Plunger. (1)Toggle Clamp Plunger w./Neoprene Cap. (2)t46"-dia. x l" Spring Dowel Pin

. (8134"-16 T-Nuts

. (4) #14 x %" Ph Self-Tapping Screws

. (4l3h" Flat Washers

. (2lYa"-16 x 2" Hex Head Cap Screws

. (30)#8 xlVz" Fh Woodscrews

. (8)#8 x 2" Fh Woodscrews


. (1| \Vt" x1y2" - 22 SteelAngle (76" Thick)


Ali the Carria e RodsninThe spacers you see at right posi-tion the table ends in line with theguide rods and threaded shaft. Thetable ends also support the rodsand bushings to position themwithin the holes.

Start by installing the nuts forthe threaded rod. You'll needto seat the nuts as before, bytapping on the end of the rod.Here agarn, use epoxy paste tolock the nuts in place before set-ting the guide rod bushings. Andjust like the base, there's a bushingin the table support on the handwheel side (details'a' and'b').

After the epoxy is fully set andcured, go ahead and attach the topwith screws. Note: Longer screwswill pass through the holes in theguide rods to pin them in place.Bolt your mortising machine inplace and take a look at the boxbelow. It will show you how to fitthe table ends that will support thetable, fence, and clamp assembly.

E?ACER ALI@N9TAFLE END

WITH CARRIAGE

OUIDERODS gLI?THROU6H EU9HINGSAND ARE FRICTION FIT

INTO TAFLE END9

ACMETHREADED

ROD

NO[E: cur s?AcEqeroALION HOLE9IN TAFLE

ENDg WITH HOLEg INCARRIAOE 9IDE9

Settin the Table ClearanceWith the mortising machine inplace, use a straightedge to deter-mine the final height of the tableends. The drawing at right showsyou how to do this.

The goal is to have the tableends flush with your mortisingmachine's table. This way, thedownward force of drilling out amortise will be transferred directlyto your mortising machine's table.

The shaightedge will help youd.etermine how much to trim off ofthe table ends. Thke your time hereand sneak up on the final fit (detail'a'). Mine ended up at 47s" wide.

Keep theheight of the table ends withthe straightedge until theyend up flush with the tableof the mortising madrine.This way, when it's time toatiach the table, it will benice and flat. Finally, youcan fasten the table ends tothe guide rods.

9ECOND: ueE A9TRAI6HTEDGETOCHECK HEIGHT OF

TABLE ENDgRELATIVE TOgURFACE OFMORTI9IN6

MACHINE TABLE

OAEEA99EMBLY

FIR9T; FASrENMORTI9ING

MACHINE IN PLACEWITH LAG gCREWg

AND WAgHERg

THIRDT TRIM HEI6HT oFTAgLE ENDg TO 9IT

FLU9H WITH gURFACE OFMORTIgIN6 MACHINE

CAKRIAGEA99EMOLY

FOURTH: eEvELTWO CORNERgOF TABLE END

www.ShopNotes.com

(DETAIL'a')

NOTE: ALL tNelDE ANp ouretDECORNER9 AREYz" RADIU9

a.l % 6 l < -

/ , r _

Lf irg-fitk- 'JVo

LAMINATEooTH 9toE9

5/o"'16T.NUT

Yz" RADIU9

install ing_an_d aligning the

TablefopBuilding the tabletop caps off thesliding table. The top is plywoodwith plastic laminate on both sidesfor added durability. It features asturdy workpiece clamping mech-anism you'll build later. Finally, afence with a metal hold-down willfinish off the tabletop.

Forming the Top. The top startsas an oversized plywood blankcovered with laminate. To cut

rHri+EHIl Ft<lURE

H;il#t

the top to shape, as illustrated inFigure 1, I drilled out the insidecomers and used the band saw tofinish the rough shaping. A sand-ing drum makes quick work ofsmoothing all of the edges.

Now you can work on drillingthe holes for mounting the fenceand attaching the top to the tableends. On the underside, you needto drill shallow counterbored holesfor the T-nuts and install them, asyou can see in Figure 4a.

MAKIIIG THE FEI{CELooking at Figure 5, you can seehow the fence assembly is puttogether. It consists of a thick ply-wood face with braces on the back.The braces help keep the fencesquare to the table. The long, metalhold-down is fabricated from apiece of steel angle.

STAR KNOE M3/a"-16 INgERT

To make the fence, I first gluedtwo plywood blanks together. Thismakes a strong and sturdy supportfor the hold-down. Like the table-top, cut the fence to shape and thensand it smooth. Then make a quickpass over the table saw blade tocreate the small dust relief notch,like you see in Figure 5a.

Slots and Braces. The two ver-tical slots on the fence are used toadjust the steel hold-down tightlyto the workpiece. You can roughout the slots by drilling overlap-pingholes with a Forsbrerbitat thedrill press. A little filing and sand-ing will make the slots smooth.

The two braces on the backhelp keep the fence stable andsquare as you're using the mortis-ing machine. There's a lot of forcewhen retracting the bit and youdon't want the fence to move.

Figure 5 gives you the dimen-sions you need for making thebraces. After cutting them to shape,

-t r-

bs/+

_tT

,:

14-" I ftXT,llIF 75/+__________D

TO? VIEW Or-.--)\FENCE FACE9

(5" x22" -3/+" ?ly.)

1lz" x1Vz" - 22"9TEEL AN6LE

(7a" THICK)

COUNTERgINKFOR#gWOOD9CREW

a. groEyrEw

ffi':iff&i)'1/o,, xVo,, l CDl O l U\ ' ?ib#"DUsr I i:'l i- I -\----NorcH

eerrer l iJ i l i .J i l / \ EVGE

e

^ t - a

o

I

o

__ _\_

oo

- F

@

ShopNotes No. 100

I simply glued them in place onthe back side of the fence.

Metal Hold-Down. Now it'stime to do a little metalworkingto make the hold-down. I useda hack saw to cut the steel angleto length and cut each end of thenotched opening, as shown inFigure 5. Then I drilled a series ofholes along the back of the notchand bent the waste to break it free.A file or grinder is all you need tosmooth the ragged edges. Afterdrilling the bolt holes, primer andan enamel topcoat finish it off.

Fence Alignment. With thefence complete, it's time to attachit to the tabletop. The goal is tomake sure the fence stays alignedwith the mortising bit as you movethe table from side to side. The boxbelow shows you what I mean.

Clamp Base. The last additionto the tabletop is the clamp base(Figure 6). The unique thi.g aboutit is the angled dado for the toggleclamp. This "rarrrp" allows theclamp to apply downward force tothe workpiece, holding it securelyagainst the table and fence whiledrilling mortises. You can see the

llfiuRE

TOOOLE CLAM?w/AUXILIARYPLUNOER TIP(\--

#14 x5/o"?hwoooscREw

t\V

4;

gTAR KNOBwl3/o"-16 x1Vz"

s iuo " 'Ao

s/o" FLAT WAOHER

NOTE: ro curRAME REFER TO5HO? 9HORTCUTg ON ?AGE26

technique I used to cut the ramp inShop Short Cuts on page 28.

Now, step over to the drill pressand drill the two holes for thestudded knobs that lock the baseto the tabletop. Finally, shape thebase and attach the toggle clamp.

Put it to Use. It won't take youlong to realize how fast and accu-rate it is to drill mortises. To putthe table to use, first make sure the

workpiece is securely clamped inplace. Then use the hand wheels toposition the workpiece under thebit. As you drill, just crank the sidehand wheel to lengthen the mor-tise. The resulting clean, straightmortises make for strong andsturdy joint for your projecti. A

Y2"'RADlUg

FIR$T:FAgTEN

XABLEAT ONE

CORNERWITH ONE

gCREW (gEEDETAIL'a')

Ali nrn the FenceFor accurate mortises, it's impor-tant that the fence is aligned withthe bit from one end of the table tothe other. If the fence is out of align-ment, the mortise will "creep" offin one direction as you continue tomake the cuts to lengthen it.

To align the fence (and table),fasten the tabletop to a tableend with a single screw atone corner (detail'a'). Afterinstalling a mortising chiselin the machine, lower it until italmost touches the table. Now usethe front hand wheel to move thefence against the bit. Then use theside hand wheel to run the tableside-to-side while checking forgaps between the bit and fence.Once the bit is flush with the fenceall the way across, you can fastenthe tabletop down with screws.

THIRD: vovrTAOLE SIDETO ?IDEWITH HAND WHEELANP ADJUgT TAOLEPO5ITION TO ALI€N

NOTE: DrerANcEEETWEEN EIT ANPFENCE SHOULO OETHE gAME AT $OTHENPg OF TAaLE

FOURTH:FAgTEN TAELEWITH REMAININ69CREW5

ol^ 4-

o o

@o o

l "l1K_R - \ .

, l+ Y

;o

www.ShopNotes.com

FENCE WITH FIT

37

ry\q

( F l-, \'l 9J:,,

I

V Variety.Don't settle for

off-the-shelfdowels. Make

your own inminutes in all

sizes and kindsof woods.

With this simple technique you can make dowels inarange of sizes and whatever material you need.

Lr the past using dowels i. u ptoj-ect meant a long wait after orderingthem through the mail. Or I'd haveto make u ttip to the hardware storeand go through the not-quite-roundand a bit-less-than-straight assort-ment. And that's assuming theyeven had dowels that matched thematerial I'd selected for my project.

Well, I don't do that any more.Lrstead, I make my own at therouter table, like the ones shown atleft. The process is simple, it's just

a matter of starting with a squarepiece of stock and using a round-over bit to rout all four edges.

Now you may ask, why gothrough all the work? Well, therearc a couple good reasons. First, youdon't have to worryr about finding

the right size. And by making yourown dowels, you canbuild a projectout of any wood you want insteadof settling for what's "in-stock."

Note: The tedrnique shown hereworks for 7a"dia. and larger dowels.If you try to make smaller dowelsthis way, the workpiece may have atendency to vibrate too much dur-ing the cuf resulting in an unevensurface and diameter variation.

START WITH A SIIUABE BTANKThe first step to making a dowelis to make sure the workpiece youstart with is perfectly straight andsquare, like you see in Figure 1. For

example, to end up with a3/s"-dia.dowel, you'll need to start with ablank that's 74" square.

The other thing to mention aboutthese blanks is that I make themabout 5" longer than the finishedlength of the dowel. The reason for

this is so you can leave the ends of

A Test the Setup. To verifY thefence and bit setup, make yourcuts on the end of a test piece.

9ECOND:PLANE REMAININ@FACE TTHICKNE99)AND EDGE TwIgTH)TO IDENTICAL9IZE.

NOTE: currtNGEDOEMUgT OEFLU9H WITHFENCE ANDTAOLE

ShopNotes No. 100

NOTE: ROTATEWORKPIECECOUNTER.CLOCKWI9EAFTER EACH ?A'55

9ECOND:gLIDE WORKPIECE-FIRST;

REPEAT PROCEgg ONOTHER THREE EDGEg

(DETAIL 'a ' )

the blank square to prevent it fromrolling as the last edge is routed.

SET UP THE RIIUTER TABTEThe first step in setting up therouter table is to install the rightbit.And that's easy. It's a roundoverbit that equals half the diameter ofthe completed dowel. (For a 3/4"-

dia. dowel, you'll need to use a7s"-radius roundover bit.)

Setting the Bit. With the bitinstalled, the key to routing a per-fect dowel is setting the cuttingedge of the bit flush with both thetop of the router table and the fence(Figure 1a). If the fence isn't alignedor the bit is too high or low you'llend up with small shoulders orlarge flat spots on the dowel - andthis translates into a bit of sanding.

To position the fence, I find it eas-iest to use a straightedge to checkthat the bearing of the bit alignswith the router table fence. And ina similar manner,I use the straight-edge to check that the cutting edgeat the end of the bit aligns with thetop of the router table.

Test Cut. Once that's complete,you can check your setup by rout-ing the end of a test piece, as in theright photo on the opposite page.

ilAKT THE Il(lWETWith the bit and fence set correctly,you're ready to round the edgesof your blank. To do this, set oneend of the blank against the fenceand pivot the other end into thebit about 2" from the left end, asin Figure 2. Then push the stock to

.)r'

the left, stopping about 2" from theopposite end. (Start and stop lines ,."".,,on the fence helps with this.) *p,{'

Rotate & Rout. Now -/{

rotate the work-piece 90o and rout ,

ii ,,,,..1:ll

the adjacent side .i. .' -,

'.;,

(Figure 2a). Repeat : ., ,/'this process on the t,

,* *o;/ I The Basics.

other two edges. i,,-" Starting with aThen cut the dowel square blankto finished length. Note: If your (top), round overrouter table and fence won't pro- all four edgesvide support for a long dowel, (center) andcheck out the box below. then trim off the

No matter how carefully you set ends to create aup the bit, there may be small, flat dowel (bottom).edges to sand. But this shouldn'tbe too big a job. And in the end,you'll end up with a customdowel, readv for use. A

ouxilisry fence forLong Dowel$The only limitation to the length of dowel you can makeis the width of your router table and the length of thefence. Th.y work together to provide the supportyou need to safely rout a workpiece. To make longerdowels, all you need to do is "extend" the support. Ido this with the auxiliary fence shown at right.

The auxiliary fence is just a long strip of 7a" MDFattached to a7/4" hardboard base that's clamped to therouter table. A hole in the center of the base and acircular notch in the fence provide clearance for therouter bit. And adding a dust hookup for a shopvacuum helps control the dust and chips.

www.ShopNotes.com

l l

MEM

&ffiffi

i!i i

This compact station keeps

t

cordless tools, chargers, andaccessories within arms reach.

My cordless drill is a must-have tool.As a matter of fact,I have a couple ofthem, along with a cordless jig saw.Add in the drargers and the usualdrilling accessories and it doesn'ttake long before this collection endsrp ull over the shop To help keepeverything organized, I built the toolstation shown in the photo above.

It's nothing more than an openplywood tower resting on a

drawer. The key is that the towerdesign allows quick and easyaccess to both your drills and char-gers. And to keep all your drill-ing accessories close by, there's ahandy storage drawer. Inside thedrawer is a shallow slidin1 traythat keeps often-used small itemsfrom getting lost. All in all, it's aneasy-to-build project you'll findyourself using every day.

40

L Storage & More. Full-extension drawer slidesprovide complete access to allthe contents anda sliding tray keeps small items handy.

ShopNotes No. 100

SIZE HOLETO FIT DRILL

CHUCKstart with the

TowerThere really isn't all that much tobuilding this tool station. As youcan see in Figure 1, the tower isnothing more than a narrow ply-wood top with a pair of angledholes drilled in it to accept thechuck of your drill. The top is con-nected to an angled charger plat-form by two identical sides.

Simple butt joinery glue, andsome screws hold the towertogether. But it's the drills andchargers you own that determinethe overall size of the station. Sothat's where you'll want to start.

Size the Platform. The plat-form shown will accept mostsizes and styles of chargers. Butif you need a little extra room,simply increase the width of theplatform and adjust the overallsize of the station to match.

After beveling the front and backedges at20", cut a groove near thefront edge for a strip of 7/4" hard-board. This strip acts as a stop tokeep the chargers in place as theyrest on the platform. Once the stopis glued in place, you can tum yourattention to the sides of the tower.

Shape the Sides. Foreasieraccessto the chargers, the front edge of

StoE

,v2/l zn+.f,

NOTE: ALL PARTSEXCETT STOP ARE 3/a" ?LYWOOD

each side is tapered. And along thelower back edge you'll need to cuta notch. This notch provides clear-ance for the back of the drawerassembly that's added later.

At this point, you can screw theplatform to the sides, angling it asshown in the Side View.

Add the Top. All it takes to com-plete the tower is to add the top.After cutting it to final size, you candrill the holes to fit your chucks.

To position the drills for easyaccess, I drilled these holes at aslight angle. For a simple way to

1 " x 1 "OEVEL

6Vr_1

SIDE vrEW

locate the chuck holes accurately,take a look at Figxe2.

Then, after knocking off thefront comers of the top, you canscrew it in place. Finally, a set ofhook and loop straps secures eachcharger to the platform, as shownin the photo below

91DE

9TO?'""1*. i\ l{{4

- { , ' )y4-/'

5TO?

-T

FIR9T: rLr DRILL?RE55TAOLE2O",THEN UgE SAUARETO ALIGN TOAUXITIARYTABLE

a.NOTE: pnuu

9TARTERHOLE WITHYB"-DlA.6lT

b.NOTE:

DRILL CHUCKHOLE WITH

2"-DIA. HOLE9AW

THIRD: REPLAcE BITWITH HOLE oAW ANDCUT CHUCK OPENING(DETATL 'b ' )

www.ShopNotes.com

A Safe & Secure. Standard hookand loop straps (with screws andwashers) keep the chargers inplace yet easy to remove.

41

adding versatile

StorageThe tower is all you need to holdthe chargers and drills. But tomake the station more versatile, Iadded a handy drawer assembly.

Besides making it easy to mountthe station to a wall, the top partof the assembly creates quick andeasy access "shelves" on each sideof the tower. Finally, the drawerand tray provide valuable storagefor all your drilling accessories.

BUILDING IHE CASEThe drawer case is basically a ply-wood box consisting of an uppershelf, a bottom, two sides and aback, as in Figure 4. The first stepis to make the shelf and bottom, asdimensioned in Figure 3.

To provide access for the chargercords to feed down to an outlet,cut a centered notch in the backedge of these two pieces (Figure3). Once the notches are cut, youcan center the tower on the top

ij. tr ,- f ; FtGUREr: ..-*

..:ti.',,

NOTE: TOP ANDOOTIOM ARE MADEFROM3/+" ?LYWOOD

and screw it in place with the backedge of the shelf flush with thenotches in the sides. You need toattach the shelf at this point sincethere won't be enough room to doit once the case is assembled.

Adding the Sides. The nextstep is to cut the sides of the caseto final size. You can see in Fig-ure 4 that the top front cornersare trimmed off to ease the sharpedge. And the sides extend abovethe shelf to create a lip.

To ensure a solid case and makeassembly a simple task, the shellbottom, back, and sides are loined

with rabbets and dadoes, like yousee in Figure 4. After cutting therabbets and dadoes, all that's leftbefore assembling the case is to cutthe back to final width and length.

Keep in mind that the backextends above th" top of the case tofit in the notdres in the tower sides.Here again, I eased the two uppercomers. Then, for mounting the caseto the wall later, I ddlled a pair ofcountersunk screw holes in the back,as illustrated in Figurc 4.

Locating the Slides. Beforeassembling the case, there's onelast thing to do. You want to addthe full-extension drawer slides.Here again, doing this now meansyou won't have to work insidethe tight confines of the case onceeverything is assembled.

The case part of the slide isattached so it's flush with thefront edge of the case side. Andthe lower edge aligns with the topof the rabbet along the bottom ofthe side, as illustrated in Figure 4b.Finally, assemble the drawer casewith glue and screws.

DRAWER & TRAYWith the main case complete, youcan furn your attention to thedrawer that fits inside. Along withthe tray you'll add later, it pro-vides plenty of storage for all theaccessories that go along with justabout any drilling task.

Basic Construction. As youcan see in Figure 5, the drawer ispretty simple to build. It's a front

NOTE: cAeE etDEe ANDBACK ARE MADE FROMs/+" TLY\NOOO

#8 x1Tz" Fhwoo0ScREw

3/+" x3/+"aEVE-L

A'' FULL-EXTENgIONDRAWER gLIDE

42

CA9E 9IDE(1O" x 61/+")

ShopNotes No. 100

and back connected by a pair ofsides. Rabbets reinforced withscrews are all you need here.

To provide clearance behindthe drawer for the charger powercords, the sides areT/4" shorter thanthe inside depth of the case. Afterallowing for the drawer slides andthe rabbets in the sides, you cancut all the parts to size.

Before assembling the drawe4you'll need to add grooves in all theparts for the 1/a" hardboard bottom.And near the top of the front andback, you'll need to cut a secondgroove to accept the hardboard run-ners that support the sliding tray.

Assembly. Finally, drill counter-sunk screw holes for mounting thefalse front later. C)-rce all that's com-plete, glue and screw the drawertogether. Finally, add the runners

position the slide so there's 7s" clear-ance below the drawer once it'sinstalled, as in Figure 5a.

The Sliding Tiay. With thedrawer complete, you're ready togo ahead and build the sliding traythat rests on the runners inside.The tray is just a front, back, bot-tom, and pair of sides joined withsimple glued butt joints.

The sides of the tray are sized sothey just slip into place between thedrawer front and back. After cut-ting grooves for the bottomz /oucan glue up the tray.

Add the False Front. All that'sleft to complete the tool station is to

TRAY RUNNER(1/2" x 2O/2")

F I { ] U I T *

TRAY 91DE(1%" x O" )

NOTE: nrrDRAWER ANDTRAY PART9,EXCE?T9OT1OM9 AND TRAY RUNNERgAREl/2" ?LYWOOD. BOTTOM5 ANDTRAY RUNNER9 ARE 1/a" HARD9OARD

a,PRE.DRILL9CREWHOLES FORATTACHINGrN L:? E

FRONT

s tpH \

slip the drawer into place and addthe false front. The false front pro-vides a clean look to the station bycovering up the drawer slides andfront edges of the case.

Making the false front is just amatter of cutting it to final size (Fig-ure 6). I found it easiest to align thefalse front by using double-sidedtape and pressing the false front inplace with all the edges flush.

After attaching a pull and thenscrewing the false front in place,you can mount the station to awall and get your drilling accesso-ries stored in one place. A

TOWERA Platform (1)B stop (1)c Sides {2)D rop (1)E Shelf/Bottom (2)F Case Sides (2)c Back (1)

9 U B X 1 4 - 3 4 e l y .

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9 3 A x T O - % e t y .

6Vzx24 -34P ly .

9y4X23 -% rty.10 X 6U4-34e l y .

7 x23 -34e ty .

DRAWER & TRAYH Front,zBack (2) 3Vzx2034 -Vzety.

I S ides (2) 3Vzx9 -Vzety .

J Bo t t om (1 ) 8Vzx21h -VcAaAa .K Tray Runners (2) Vzx2OVz-hUaAa.L Tray Front,/Back (2) thx5 -Vzety.

M Tray Sides (2) lVc x 8 -Yzety.

N Tray Bottom (1) sVzxTVz -h1aAa.

O False Front (1) 5hx24 -34ety .

. (15)#8 x1Vz" Fh Woodscrews




. (1 Pr.)8" Full-Extension Drawer Slides w,/Screws

. (1)3" Drawer Pullw,/Screws

. (1) Hook & Loop Strap (36" Long)

. (4) #8 Washers (to attach straps)

. (4)#8 xVz" Ph Woodscrews (to attach straps)

TRAY OOTTOM(51/2" xV/2")

#6 x1" FhwooD9cREw

SIPHvrHws

Materials& Hardware

43

=''/4

FRONT(7Vz" x2O5/+")

DRAWER

NOTE:LOCNTE FAL9EFRONT WITHDOUOLE.SIDEDTAPE, THENATTACH FROMI N g I D E W H#6 x1" FhwoooScREwS

19 MADE FROM3/+" ?LYWOOD

www.ShopNotes.com

creotingGustomTool St

Y SfarfArranglng. After

determiningthe position of

each tool, tracearound them

to createlayout lines.

Fine tools deserve equally finestorage and protection. Unfortu-nately, they often get tossed intothe drawer of a tool box and endup getting banged around as youopen and close the drawer.

To solve this problem, I made cus.tom inserts to fit the drawers in mytoolbor like the one you see above.For added protectiorg they're cov-ered with fiocking, a spray-on fiber.

START WITH IHE I,AYOUTThe first step in making an insertis deciding which hand tools youwant to store and where. Thentake some time to lay them out in acompact, convenient arrangement.

I find it easiest to lay out the toolpositions on the insert after cuttingit to size from Vt" hardboard. Youcan see this inthe leftphotobelow.

Provide Clearance. As youwork, be sure to leave "elbowroom" between each tool to makeremoval'easy. Orrce the layout issef trace around the oubide ofeadr tool Qower left photo).

Some tools will require an open-ing identical to the tool a dialcaliper for example. While othersonlyneed an opening for thebodyof the tool, like my squarcs. Theblade can simply rest on the top ofthe insert. And don't worry aboutbeitg accurate fracing

L Remove the Waste. After drill-ing clearance holes, cut along thelayout lines to remove the waste.

around the edges of the tool. You'llget around to fine-tuning fte fit lab.

Remove the Waste. The goal atthis point is to md up with a pat-

'V

tern to goid" you as you removemost of the waste with a rr,oll sawor jig saw (center photo below).Note: Drilling access holes thatoverlap the layout lines providesan area for your fingers to get agood grip ot the tool.

FHE-TUlllllG IllE HTAfter removing most of the waste,you're ready to fine-tune the fit.So now's the time to dig out a setof files and some sandpaper to fiteach tool perfectly.

Protect your tools in style by making afittedand lined insert for any tool drawer.

I

L Customize the Fit. Files andsandpaper make quick work offitting each tool in the insert.

ShopNotes No. 100

V

L Adding the Base.To provide a solid base for the insert, cut a pieceof 1/a' hardboard to match and then gtue it in ptace.

< Support.Gluing inthin strips ofveneer willhelp supporta tool so itresfs level.

< Add Belief.Drilling a reliefhole in thebase providesclearancefor any partof a tool thatextends belowthe main body.

Take YourTime. This is where thecustom look comes ir; so take yourtime fitting each tool (lower rightphoto on the opposite page).Workaround each opening and removematerial until the tool slips in placewith a slight gap (lho" overall). Thisprovides room for the adhesive andflocking you'll add later.

Add the Base. Once you're happywith the fif use sandpaper to easethe sharp edges around the perim-eter of each tool. A rounded edgewill help hold the flocking betteronce it's applied. Finally, to form a

solid bottom, I like to add a 7s" hard-board- base (upper leftphoto).

Small Details. You're almostready to spray on the flocking. Butfirst you may want to customize acouple of the tool areas, as in thetwo photos at right.

SPRAY OI{ THE FT(|CKIIIGNow comes the part that makesall your work look professional -

adding the flocking. You can checkout the box below for more on theflocking process. The main thi.gto keep in mind is to be generous

with the flocking. Only so muchwill stick and you can always col-lect the excess and reuse it.

The end result is a custom insertto store and protect all your preci-sion hand tools (main photo). Justdrop the insert in the drawer andslip each tool into its new home. A

lining the insert:FlockingOnce you've shaped each openingto match a tool, all the hard workis done. Now you get to tum thatordinary piece of hardboard into aform-fitting insert.

To do that, you'llneed to applythe flocking. Flocking is nothingmore than fine rayon fibers. Toattach them to the insert, you spraythem into an oil-based, enamelpaint that acts as €u:r adhesive.

For the best results, start byapplying a coat or two of sealer(upper right photo). Then afterbrushing on the adhesive (lowerright photo), simply spray ona heavy coat of fibers (far rightphoto) and let it dry thoroughly.

www.ShopNotes.com

>Seal theSurtace.

To preventabsorption ofthe adhesive,

spray on acouple of coats

of lacquer.

> Apply theAdhesive. A"wet" coat ofadhesive is

necessary forthe fibers to

stick properly.

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Clean tl'te Flange. Fr[c:h ;tric! :1rr;neoi l [ l i t . et r i :or c i / 'C, r l l -e.J JJ , ' r 'AC' , - l i /? le

ct;i []enlove: ihe gltirtk vtr!!-t a L.rass iri i isi i

Spread the Shims" ii, r1\/otct!/i:rtls

i l i i l i 6 . a ' c i o ( , . . i v ' ' i i c , ' ' , - , j : i i ) - t ( ) i ' t . :

! i : , t ; ' t [ t \ t o i , l l i ] l l s i t l O ' ) a : l c , ' t . . l l i o l ,

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\-/

hr order to take advantage of thesebenefits, it's a good idea to take alook at how a dado blade works.

IIAIII| SIASI( UP CIO$EThe basic function of a dado bladeis to cut an extra-wide kerf. Andalthough it's called a dado blade,it's actually a set of blades. Bymixing and matching the differ-entpieces of the set, you cancreatekerfs ranging from 1/+" up to 13/to"

wide. You can see the parts of onemodel in the photo at right.

Scoring Blades. On the outsideof eadr dado stack are a pair ofscoring blades. The beveled teethare ground to cleanly cut the leftand right edges of the dado (insetphoto on the opposite page).

Chippers. For dadoes widerthmtl4" ,you'll need to install at leastone chipper. \dith only a few teethon eadr blade, they're designed forheavy stock removal. The dripperscome in different widths to create awide range of dado sizes.

Shims. The final component ofthe dado set doesn't even seemlike it belongs at first. The thinshims act as spacers to fine-tunethe width of the dado.

ITSTATTIIIG A DAOI| BTADENow that you know how the partswork together to create'a dado,you can install it on your saw andget started. One of the keys to greatresults with a dado blade is getting

Scoring blades defineedges of dado

Shims come in severalthicknesses to tweak

width of dado

Note: lnstall dado insertplate in table saw before

using dado blade

it set up right in your table saw.And with all the parts, it's easy toget tripped rp the first few times.In thebox along thebottom, you'llfind a gurde for getting it right.

Keep It Clean. Before gettingstarted, I look over the blades andsaw arbor for any built-up pitchand clean it off. Pitch on the bladesincreases friction and slows thecutting action. And a dirty arborcan "shim" the blade to cut a widerkerf than you want.

Combine one or more chippersto create common dado sizes

Chippers removebulk of waste

Washer canbe removed toaccommodate

wide setups

Nut shouldfully threadonto arbor

Note: Outside faceof scoring blades

are marked

Placemenl As you set eadrbladein place, nestle the teeth in the gul-lets of the blades on either side. Thisprevenb the teeth from dripping orchanging the width of the dado.

Note: A full-width dado stackmay not fit on some saws. Onlyuse a wide setup if the nut can befully threaded on the arbor.

hr a short time, using a dadoblade will become second nafure.And you'll wonder how you evergot iong without orr". d

\-/ t lnstetl tt'€ Chipperc. Stagger E Conileb Ar€ H. lnstall the othet A Attur N,tL The nn should tu y= the chippers so the carbide teeth { scoring blade and double check V thread onto arbor. Forwide setups,won't contact adjacent blades.

www.ShopNotes.com

you may need to exclude the washer.the setup for proper installation.

47

Geart tprectslon

PocketHoles

The Kreg K3takespocket hole joineryto the next level.

For quick, sturdy, and foolproofjoinery I often tum to pocketscrews. Drilling a couple of holesand driving in the screws results ina rock-solid joint suitable for every-thing from assembling a solid-woodface frame (uppermarginphoto on

Benchtop base unit attachedto a shop-made base makes

setup quick and easy

opposite puge) to large plywoodcabinet components.

The K3 System. The Kreg TbolContpanyhasbeen a leader inpockethole joinery for years, but that hasn'tprevented them from continuallyimproving their products. You can

Snap-on shroud ensures dustand chip-free operation

see their latest effort below, the Kreg

ligK3 Mnster System.\tVhat makes this latest pocket

hole jig different is new capabili-ties. Plus, a number of added fea-tures simply make drilling pocketholes more convenient.

Dealing with Dust. For starters,one of thebiggest "upgrades" i.-y

I

Add-on T-trackallows quick positioning

of materialsupport sfops

Front side clamp lever providesunobstructed access for

clamping any size workpiece

Adjustment.The guide blockadjusts to matchthe thickness of

the workpiece.

Adjustable sfops do doubleduty to support a workpiece

or provide accurate,positioning

Fixed supportincluded with system

< DepthSetting.Depth collarsetup is easywith the built-in guide. ShopNotes No. 100

{

opinion is the dust collection shroudwhich attaches to the base unit(upper photo on opposite page). Itremoves the bulk of the dust and.hipr that result from drilling apocket hole. So there's no need towony about a messy buildup thatcuu:l cause problems as you positionthe workpiece in the jig.

Easy Clamping. Another nicechange is the method used toclamp the workpiece in place. Onolder Kreg models, you securedthe workpiece in place by using aclamp that operated from the backof the pocket hole jig.

That wasn't a problem with anarrow workpiece. But trying toclamp a large cabinet side or backin place meant reaching awk-wardly around the panel. With thenew K3 system, there's a front sideclamp lever that's easily accessible.Note: If you deal with long work-pieces or need a portable solution,take a look at a different clampingoption in the box below.

Adjustable Guide Block. Thethird big improvement relates toproperly locating the pocket holeas the workpiece thickness varies.Instead of spacer blocks, this new

jiguses abrass indexpin to quicklyand eas-ily secure the guide blockin place to match the mate-rial thickness you're workingwith. You can see the thicknesssettings etched into one edge of thegurde block in the photo at the bot-tom of the opposite page.

More Upgrades. That coversthe basics,but Kreg went a bit fur-ther in improving the overall easeof use. Thke a look at the materialsupport stops in the main photoand the photo at left.

These accessories (one comeswith the Kreg lig K3 Master System)accomplish two things. First, theysupport long or wide workpiecesperfectly level with the base unit.And second, the built-in stopensures accurate, repetitive drill-ing of identical workpieces.

Finally, Kreg added a built-indepth stop positioning gurde(inset photo at bottom of oppositepage).This makes setting the stopon the drill bit to match the mate-rial thickness a snap.

As you c€u1 see, the l(reg TooICompany has made some greatimprovements to the process ofdrilling pocket holes. For com-plete ordering information, fum toSourcesonpage5l. A

"-f,g.c

"f--

L %.-. r,..-

%,

L Support Sfops. The stops are used to support tong or wide work-pieces or for drilling pocket holes at identical spots, as shown here.They slide along the Tlrack and lock securely in place.

L Rock Solid.Driving a pairof screws intothe pocketholes is all ittakes to createa sturdy joint.

toking pocket holesPortqble IA/hile the benchtop unit will han-

dle most of the pocket hole tasksyou'll run across, there are times

when you mayneed to deal witha long workpiece, apartially assembled

project, or even drillpocket holes away from the shop.

To make this easy, the Kreg K3features a portable base (photo atright) that accepts the drill guideblock. With the addition of a faceclamp, you can drill pocket holesanywhere you c€u:r clamp the unitsecurely (photo at left). Or if neces-sary/ you can use the guide blockby itself by screwing it in place.

l

The drillguide block(top) slipsinto theportablebase unit(bottom)

and adjustsfor materialthickness

just like thebenchtop

base

www.ShopNotes.com

from

Our Readers

seffing up clFeather'

boatdI know that using a feathuboard can help meget better results at the table saw. But how ilo Iknow it's in the right place anil set up propuly?

Chris BmdaGilbert,lowa

t A featherboard is a great way tosafely get consistent results formany jobs at the table saw. Andproper setup is the key.

Ripping Operations. Where youplace the featherboard depends onthe task at hand. The most conunonuse for a featherboard is tohold theworkpiece firmly against the fenceduring a ripping operatiory likeyou see in the photo above.

As you set up the featherboard,ifs important to avoid pinddngthe waste piece against the saw

L Ripping Right. Position thefeatherboard just ahead of the sawblade to prevent kickback.

blade at the'end of the cut. Thiscould result in kickback. To avoidthis, you'll want to be sure to posi-tion the featherboard just ahead ofthe blade,(main photo above).

The Right Pressure. The nextstep is to make sure the feather-board provides the correct pres-sure. The goal is to force the work-piece against the fence, yet stillallow it to slide smoothly.

Tlo help with the setup, thefirst finger on some commercialfeatherboards is slight$ shorterthan the others. You simply set thefeatherboard against the workpieceso this firgo just contacts theedge. As the workpiece slides pastthe rest of the fingers, they gentlybend to provide the right amountof pressure (inset photo above).

Note: For a featherboard with-out a setup fug"t, simply adjustthe featherboard so all the fingershave a slightbend as shown.

< furfect RabHs. A featherboarddirectly over the blade keeps theworkpiece against the table.

L Setting a Featherboard. Whena featherboard is sef correctly, thefingers flex just a bit.

Cutting Rabbets. Cutting a rab-bet along the edge of a workpieceis another corunon operationwhere a featherboard really h"ht.It ensures that the entire rabbetis cut to a consistent depth andresults in a great-fitting joint.

For this task, it's okay to locatethe featherboard direcfly above thesaw blade, as in the photo at left.The goal here is to force the work-piece flat against the table duringthe cut instead of the fence. Hereagain, the process forthe correct pressure is the sarne.

Note: For some rip fencesr /ou'llneed to clamp the outfeed end ofthe fence securely to the table toprevent it from raising up as youcut the rabbet. 6

ShopNotes No. 100

i

Sourcesv

Most of the materials and sup-plies you'll need for the projectsare available at a hardware store orhome center. For specific productsor hard-to-find items, take a look atthe sources listedbelow. You'll findeach part number undemeath thecompany nilne. See the right mar-grn for contact informatio". A

R0UTER lllSERT PTATES @.12)You'll find a variety of insert platesat most woodworking suppliers.The information for the tw o Veritasround plates is shown below:

o Lee ValleySteel Insert Plate. .05J38.01Base Platelnsert Plate. . .05125.01

R0UTER TABIE @.r s)o Woodcraft

lessEm RoUFR-Lift FX . . .145372Rousseau Safety Switch, . .141938

. RocklerMagneticCatches ...2655912" Drawer Slides . .32466

. Reid SupplyLeuelers . . . . GL-1204" Door Pulls . .VPH-3545FenceHandles. .. RST-170

. Lee Valley4" Rigid Casters .00K20.02Dust Port Adapter. . . . . .03161.10

. Woodsmith StoreKreg Micro-Adjuster . . . . . 618033KregMini-Trak. .,.273732Kreg Miter Track . .273735

Laminate: Wilsonart "North Sea"(D90-60)

Painh Benjamin-Moore Regal Egg-shell ("Rnspberry kufle" 2080-L0).The gray paint color is custom-tintedto match the laminate.

M0RTlSlllc TABTE @.so)o Enco

3/q" Steel Rods. . .240-22463/4" Acme Rod . . .408-02263/q" FIat Washers .240-06323/q" AcmeNuts . .407-22063/4" Bronze Bushings. . . .325-7516

o Reid SupplyHandWheels ...ICL-1550Studded Knobs . .DK-1202Knobs w/Inserts , DK-7196TbggleClamp .... TC-609Clamp Plunger fip . . TC-225208

o Lee ValleyGlue Syringe

C0RD1[SS T00t STAn0il ip.no). Rockler

8" Drau)er Sl ides . . . .97809

o Lee Valley8" Drlu)er Slides 02K42.08

o WoodcraftHook €t Loop Strap. 834590

GUST0M I00L STIIRAGE @.42)Rockler carries all the supplies youneed for creating custom drawerinserts for your tools. If you'veonly got a few drawers you want toflock, you can use the Mini-Flockerapplicator (see below). For largerprojects, you might want to con-sider the Air-Assisted Flocking Gun.It works with your compressor fora smooth, even application.

. RocklerMini-Flocker Applicator. . . .28035Air-AssistedGun . . . .32222

You can also order flocking mate-rials from Donler Products. Th"yhave a variety of interesting colorsand types from which to choose.

lffiEG P0GIGI HlltE JIG 1p.ea1. Rockler

Kreg K3 Master System. . . .28212

. Woodsmith StoreKreg K3 Master System. . .618045

illAllORDER

SOURCESWoodsmith Storeaoo-444-7527

Rockler800-279-4441

rockler.com

Bench Dog Tools800-786-8902benchdog.com

Don,Ier Products800-336-6537

donjer.com

Enco800-873-3626use-enco.com

Hartville Tool800-345-2396

hartvilletool.com

JessEm Tool866-272-7492

jessem.com

IftegTool Company800-447-8638kregtool.com

ke Valley800-871-8158leevalley.com

MI-]CS800-533-9298

mlcswoodworking.com

Reid Supply Companyaoo-253-o42rreidsupply.com

Rousseau Company800-635-3416

rousseauco.com

Router Table Depot800-643-87r6

routertabledepolcom

Woodcraft800-225-r153woodcraft.com

Woodhaven800-344-6657

woodhaven.com

Woodpeckers800-752-072:cwoodpeck.com

$ffi.{frf,wIE!!EE

\ \tnr ( lr Pir i ! . t t , l iFi. &lcchniqut\ I ()r \ i rur Sh('p

v

I

$$$s'l i i l f i r r{ N 5 t Ss x: i

$$

51

H/AIRDBOUNDVOIUMES$IFG

dIhrs sef includes seyen hordbound volumes of ShopNotes(volumes.g thgugh l5). Each volume includes a yearof rssues,plus o toble of contents and o hondv index.Buy them for $29.95 eoch. Or get the whole sevenvolume seffor $157.25 ond SAYE OWjR $5O

-"r!!:f::,t, i"f7,selti ns o ne vol u me F REE'

Go fo www.ShopNotes.comor coll | -8oo- 444-7527 Toilqy to order yours!

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ShopNotes #100 - Ultimate Router Table

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Transcript of ShopNotes #100 - Ultimate Router Table