ShopNotes Issue 62

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Issue 62 March 2002

PUBLISHER DonaldB.Pescbke EDITOR Temy J. Strohman

ASOCIATE EDITPRS Bryan Nelson Vincent Ancona

CONTRIBUTING WITORS Soel Hess Craig Ruegsegger

ART DIRECTOR Cary Christensen OR. ORAPHIC DESIGNER K u ~ $ehd& SENIOR ILLUSTRATORS Roger Reiland

Mark Higdon

Creahveth~~~tor TedKr&eek.Brql"f Deuslopm-KenMunkei . Sr Meet D s s t g ~ l a Kent Welsh, Ryan &m&. Pmject Deswer Ghns Fltch Shop Ov@mm Stwe Stestee J o ~ n . S e n z m P ~ CnsolaE"gIsnd

~ & y w - Assbaa Edt ta~ Crag Ruegsegger AS; Edzfme. JoelA Hess,JosephE I-

Suborb?$& Dimdm Sandy B a r n . Nclv Bvsinsss Dir: Wayde J. . . G i ? W % MbeilbeilWng 4av.a Kris Scbl-er. Ass- an. MarkdirtgAnalyst Paulanemteis . R w m l M ~ n a g c PaigeRogers. SS Crroshic DB&m~ss Mark Hayes, Rohii Friend . Billing & CoUdions A@: Rebecca C d g h m - M d W &motion Mm: Ri& Jwha Em&AnaEyst-PatnckWdsh

CORWRITI senvtcEI ~ E o f F i ~ i ~ i : M n r y s e h e " ~ . C ~ 1 I 1 : R o b i n H ~ ~ o n o n S % A@:LauraThmnas~.4cckPa~ie,W~.~.WW Maw Petarm Pmd Dir: Geolge Chmieian. Elemonir h b . &.:D~W~~Ne~aQmimi:CnsSe6~10)ebeek~I!C. M&Tooh.:RobOooX-Pm-Zrs-~rs-~rslmogs~nal~TmyClark, Mimbttte Jobson. q m @ M ~ : N p e n e C m u . NBwMediaMgr: Conion C.Gap.Multimedia&D(r:EmgegePdersers- Web Srnnr Admix: Cml Seho'pplu Web Content h!nq:.Dguid BrimSueMMoe- Wab~GraBIe~1mpmpPmf-Dsu.Di%: M i d d e l . a R. Asst: Ki.gten Raele. Re&@&t Jeanne J~hn8ohn8o.MailRomnClmn:L~uWebber

WAIL ORDEI apamtluwDir~tu/:BobBdaier .GuatomerServicsMvrdMnie E ~ W . Warehausa~vr-NananyJ~hnhnhn-~ind~c~~~baJm~~ Ad~<inAs8t.:NsncyDoumey -TechR$p.:JohnAudette- Cu8t S m TsamLeadsr Tawny %&enbrod. S7 Cwi. S m Reg*.: h a c o g DebmhRieh. &LSw.Repa:ApdRweU,Yalelie Riley,EddieArthw* W44house;SyliiaCarey, ShqlKnon

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Sho~Notas@(ISSNlWB696)i96pub~ahedbimonthlyWwWW~, &y, July, Sept, N o 4 by AugustHoie PubMhg, 2 M O Grand, Des Bohes IAEQ312. ~ h o p ~ o ~ i s a m g t i ~ t r a d e m s r k ~ f ~ ~ U p u t H o r n e ~ u b ~ 8 h i n g O C o m ht2002byAugustHomePnbX%~ngg~right66ed ~ ~ ~ e r i p R ~ m ~ ~ ~ e e e p y : ~ ~ ~ ~ . ~ n O n y B v ~ o b ~ o i p t i ~ n ~ ~ i ~ u e s ~ , $27.95. Canad#International add816 per year, U.S.Amds. ppriodmelsPostagpPaiddiDes Moines,IAsndaDadditiondrna- ingo8ices. Partmaster:Send~hsngeofaddresamShopNo~~.P.O.Btmx87108, Bwne IASW37aloa. s ~ ~ ~ ~ u c s t i i n s ? Wnte t ~ S h o p N o t o t Custpmtwne Senice, F.0. Bm 842, Oes Moinq IA 56104-8961. Or call l-%Q4455864, 8:WamtOSQOptg, CentralTima,weekdsy~.FAX515-28a-aMT E-Mail: Sho~Notes@~hhmotts,css

H ave you ever stopped in the Clamping Station - Another middle of building a project project in this issue started out as a

and heard a small voice say, "If only simple wish, '1 wish I didn't have to this joint would fit better," or "I wish clear my bench to glueup a panel." this jii was easier to use?" When this The answer to that wish is the happens I've found it's a good idea to Wall-Mounted Clamping Station on pay attention to that voice. page 24. Not only did we reclaim

The reason is simple. Quite often workbench space, but we did away the inspiration for a new project with having to wrestle with individual comes about when you're wishing clamps - the clamps are built-in. for a better, safer, or more efficient To top it off, the entire projed way of building a project. only uses common materials and a

The Box Joint J i i (page 4) is the minimum amount of hardware. end result of listening to that voice and then malrine small vet s i m - - - cant improvements.

First, to get aprecise fit we wanted to eliminate any rackjng in the jii. Second, we wanted to reduce the amount of set-up time involved when making different size box joints.

Box Joint Jig - Our new Box Joint Jig has an easy-tobuild, dual-runner system, which prevents racking and any sideto-side movement.

Butwhat I like best about this jig is what you don't have to do - readjust it. A system of replaceable fences means that setup is now a one-time deal - no matter what size box joint you're making.

One h a 1 note. We're looking for an editor to join us here at August Home Publishimg. If you're enthusi- astic about woodworking or home improvement and enjoy working as part of a team, we'd like to hear from you. Send a cover letter and a resume highlighting your experi- ence to M. Siel, 2200 Grand Ave.,

e Des Moines, IA 50312. Email: [email protected].

Internet. http//m&opn~tete team

PRINTED IN U.S.A.

ShopNotes No. 62

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Contents --. +**-~yc%% :.:; rt<pc. .

+ + - ..,- - , : -.~, .:. Features . J EaA /3oxJoint JQ 6

Unlike most box joint jigs, this one uses runners In both miter slots to make an extremely smooth-working jig. And replaceable fences allow you to make different size boxjoints without having to "retune" the fit

Making Box Joints 10 - You can't help but appreciate the craftsmanship ofprecision box joints. Learn how easy it is to make them with our simple step-by-step approach

Carpenter's Too1box 14 W~th its classic lines, solid wood construction, andstrong box joinis, this carpenter's toolbox will be around to use (and admire) for generations to come. It also features a removable tray for organizing smail tools and hardware.

1 Great Glue-Ups Therek more to creat~na a wide, soi~d-wood panel than lust gluing a bunch of boards together: Learn the step-by-step process we use to glue up panels that lookgreat andstay flat.

Clamping Station u

24 ~arpenter's ~oolbox page 1h - Glue up a panel without taking up valuable bench space?And withoutpipe clamps? This shop-built station makes itpossible.

Departments Readers* Tips 4

Shop-tested tips to solve common woodworking problems.

Shop Talk 32 We share the 'kecrets" used in our shop for creating a smooth, even profile with a router bit and a hand-held route,:

Too1 Chest 34 i Unconventional design, great results. Find out about an I unusual bit that cuts perfect countersinks in wood or metal.

Mail-order sources and supplies to help you complete the projects featured in this issue.

I Clam@w Station page 2h

Readers' Tips Toggle Bolt Hold-Downs W My portable workbench gets pressed into service as a stand for several of my benchtop tools. But instead of breaking out the clamps every time I want to attach a tool to the workbench, I came up with a shopmade hold-down. It's faster and easier to use than clams. and it can I - . be made from a few pieces of com-

monly available hardware and a wood doweL

The holddowns are made using a '/4" toggle

bolt, a washer, and a wing nut, see detail drawing at right

INSERT TOGGLE BOLT THROUGH

WORKBENCH

The toggle bolt has a couple of I lnJ+ A Hold-Downs. The wings that fold up, allowing it be toggle bolts used for inserted through the holes in the top

these shop-made of the workbench. Once the wings hold-downs can be pass through the hole, they sp*g

found at a local open. To keep the toggle bolts cen- base on which the tool is mounted. hardware store tered in the holes of the workbench, All you have to do is tighten the wing

I made some spacers for the bolts by nuts to hold the tool down to the top drilling 1/4'Cdia. holes through short of the workbench. leagvls of3/~"dia. dowel stock Durn Crazg

The bolts pass through a plywood Nomod, Massachusetts

Pegboard Bit Holder W I built the Sliding-Door Wall decided to put it to good use by Cabinet in issue No. 59, Since I had making a router bit holder for one of some pegboard left over from the drawers of the cabinet The bit making the back of the cabiiet, I bolder can also sit on top ofashelf or

workbench for easier accqs. To make the holder, I simply cut a

couple of pieces of the pegboard to fit inside the drawer. Then I glued a pair of spacers in between the pegboard layers, taking care to keep the holes lined up, see drawing at right Fmally, I glued a piece of '/8" hardboard to the bottom.

Theholesin thepegboard arejust the right size for my '/4"-dia. router bits, seedetaildrawing at right

Daborah Vogt D~wglas, Alaska

BENCH

W PEGBOARD

BITS TO KEEP PEGBOARD LAYERS ALIGNED DURING ASBEMBLY

I-- Quick Tips .-m

A ;" RTTp l l l Y p v r l ~ ~ ~ ~ , Robert - ucotfReichert, ofPittsburgh, PA, uses 1 ," yu~~n lyad ju~ th i~ou f feedro l l~ Jon Phardel, of Ortonville, MI, uses Velcro to short lengths of rain gutter material to Philips, of Fridley, MN, marks the arm to attach the pencils to his drill press and make convenient shelves for holding indicate the correct height for the different other power tools around the shop. spray paint and other aerosol cans. power tools in his shop.

Squaring Box Corners for Gluing Whenever I'm assembling a box

or drawer, I feel like I need two pairs of hands - one to hold the assembly square and another to apply the clamps. To make things a little easier, 1 came up with some squaring blocks to help hold the pieces square while I clamp them together.

I made my squaring blocks out of plywood. The base is just a square piece of 3/4" plywood. I b e top layer is actually made up of three separate pieces of plywood, see detail drawing at &ht The trick is to glue these three pieces down squarely to the base so that the space in between them matches the thichess of the workpieces you are clamping up.

PLACE ONE SQUARING BLOCK

UNDER EACH CORNERBEFORE ADDING CLAMPS

To use the squaring blocks, simply place one UL. each corner of the assembly before clamping the pieces together.

WORKPIECE BEING GLUED

Las Vegas, N& TOTHEBLOCKS

Paint Can Lid W Whenever I use a can of paint or finish, the liquid always runsfrom my brush into the groove around the rim of the can, making a mess when 1 replace the lid. To prevent this from happening, I cut a "donut" out of 1/4"

hardboard and simply taped it down to the top of the can, see photo.

The donut keeps the ikish out of the groove of the can and also pre vides a convenient place to wipe off the excess finish from my brush.

Melvin Ksssler L z h , Michigan

THICKNESS OF ="LA y,",";

i lUE r OLOCKS

TO TOP OF BASE

(%" PLYWOOD)

Si n up to receive ; 1, a 8, eshopUp!q j : email WHY week : . .~.. _,: :.:.~_i . .,

Send in Your Shop Tips If you have a unique shop tip, we'd like to consider featuring it in one or more of our print or electronic publications.

We'll pay up to $200 for a tip we pub- lish. Just write down the tip and mail it to ShopNotes, At& Readers' Tips, 2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. Or FAX it to 515282-6741, or send us an e-mail at [email protected]. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number in case we '---re any questions.

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No. 62 ShopNotes

A ccuracy. Tbds the key to success for just about any jig, but

Perfect box joints partidarb for a box joint jig. So enevy the.? Wfi when we were coming up with the

this jig, now design for this box joint jig, we tried elhimte as many of the variables as

it' *"iblev possible that could reduce accuracy And we did this by trying to '1,uild id' as much of the accuracy as pos sible from the start.

Take the runner system, for example. Most box joint jigs are

simply attached to a miter gauge. If there is any slop in yow miter gauge bar, it can throw off the accuracy of the jig. But instead of using a miter gauge, this jig fits directly into the miter gauge slots of your table saw, see l& photo below.The sides of the jig serve as runners. And since the jig travels in both slots, there isn't any chance of racking.

Some box joint jigs use an adjustable index key to space the fin-

gers of the box joints. The problem with this is that you have to finetuue the adjustment every time you want to switch to a different size of box joint. Instead, this jig uses a system

i% of removable fences with separate keys for different sizes of box joints, A simple stop on the end of the jig allows you to return each fence to the exact position it was in the last time you used it, see rightphoto.

Carriage - These removable

A Two are Better Than One. The sides Having two runners gives the jig more A Stop. A screw in the end of the of this jig form runners that ride in the stability and offers less possibility for fence contacts a hardboard stop miter gauge slots of your table saw. error due to racking of the jig. for accurate set-up every time.

6 ShopNotes No. 62

started by making this assembly. As you can see in Flgure 1, there

areoniythreepartstothe A

caniage of the jig - a b m , a pair of sides, and a k e d fence. Making the sides (A) is straightfor- ward.Theyare cutto size out of V4" Baltic birch ply-

is tapered and then a termnlr wewholes are drilled in each one (Figure 3).

Base -Making the base requires

can see in Flgure 2 that the base (B) is nothing more than two layers of plywood. But it has to be sized to fit in between the miter gauge slots of your table saw. And since this dis tance will vary from saw to saw, you'll have to custom fit the base.

Imademy base by cutting the two lay& to width first. Then I cut them a hair longer than the distance between my miterslob. ms allows you to sneak up on the hnal length.)

screwed together. Just make sure that you locate the screws close to the ends of the base, so that they won't be in the ~ a t h of the saw blade.

To deter&; the h a 1 length of ,

the base, Iset iton my table saw and to have the fit be aliffletoo snug than pass. Once you are satisfied with the clamped the sides in place, just like too loose, since you can always sand & the sides can be glued and you see in Figure 4. This allows you down the sides a liffle after the car- screwed to the base. This is also to test the fit ofthe jig. on your table riage is assembled. done with the help of the table saw. saw. YOU want the carriage to slide My base was a little too longto After applying the glue, simply freely, but there shouldn't be any begin with, so I trimmed off a hair at clamp the base in between the two sideteside pl;rg in the yip. Its better a time and tested the fit after each sides, making sure that all the pieces

are flush at the front. me sides should be resting on the bottom of the miter gauge slots.) Then drive a few screws through the holes in the sides and into the base.

Fred Fence - Thefixed fanet (C) provides a means of attaching the removablefencesthatyouwill be making later. If you take a look at F i e 1, you'll see that its just a piece of 3/4" p1ywood. A hole is dritled at each end of the fence for the carriage bolts that will be used to attach the removable fences to the jig. The fixed fence is then screwed to the front of the carriage.

No. 62 ShopNotes 7

SIDEVIEW ' (CrtOS5 SECTION)

FENCE ?-ATE -I'~--

I

I THICKNESS I

%"HARDBOAI I

The second part of this jig is the fence. Or maybe I should say "fences." Thafs because you11 want to build a separate fence for each

- = II size of box joint that you want to L Replaceable make. But this isn't as much work

Inserf. A hardboard as it may sound like. Except for the backing insert can size of the index key, the fences are

identical, so you all you have to do is make multiple parts for each one.

If you take a look at the box on the opposite page, you11 see that I made a total of five different fences for the iive most common sizes of box joints I use ('/8l1, l/p1l, 3/811, l/2!! and 3/4"'.

The fence consists of two main

parts - a fence plate and a carrier plate, see Figure 5. The f m e pEate (D) starts off as nothing more than a piece of 3/411 plywood, cut to size. A shallow dado is cut in the front of this piece to hold a replaceable backing insert that will be added later.

In order to position this dado, I i. be easily replaced installed a V4" dado bladein my table as it gets chewed saw. Then the fence plate is placed

againat the carriage of the jig, making sure the two are flush on the ends. With a pencil, mark the laca- tion of the dado blade on the edge of the fence plate F i e 6).

Then with the jig removed from the table saw, cnt a dado that is l/dl wider on each side of the markings (FYlgure €a). By using the rip fence as a stop, I was able to cutthe samesize dado on all five of the fence plates I was making.

Once the fence plates were finished, I made the carrier plates.The carrier plate (E) is an important part of the jig. It not only sup~orts the workpiece while the box joints are being cut, it also holds an index key that is used to space the box joints. This key will be fitted into a shallow slot in the carrier plate.

As you can see in Figure 7, I cut the slot for the key on my table saw, a using the jig to back up the carrier plate. The width of the slot (and the key) has to match the width of the

8 ShopNotes No. 62

kerf cut by your saw blade or dado blade. I made the slot for the '/*'I

index key with a regular (I/# kerf) saw blade. Then I switched to astack dado setto make the slots on the rest of the carlier plates.

In order to position each slot, all you have to do is slide the carrier plate to the left so that the end extends past the left side of the &xed fence, as shown in Figure 7. The amount of this offset should be twice the width of the slot you're cutting. In other words, l/4" for a 1/8" slot, l/2"

for a l/4" slot, and so on. After cutting the slot for the key,

the carrier plate is screwed to the bottom of the fence nlate so the two are flush on the ends. main, make sure to keep the screws out of the path of the blade.)

Mounting Holes - Carriage bolts, washers, and knobs are used to attach the removable fence assembly to the carriage of the jig. But in order to do this, you need to drill a countersunk mounting hole at each end of the fence. This is done in several steps. In F l e 8, you can see how I used a brad point bit to transfer the hole locations from the carriage to the removable fence.

To drill the counterbored holes, I started by drilling a small ?/16"-

Index Key and Stop - Once the fenceis mounted to the carriage, you can add the final touches. First, a hardwood indm key (G) is cut to fit the slot in the carrier plate and glued in place F i r e 10). Then a stop (If) is made out of fxo small pieces of hardboard and screwed to the end of the 6xed fence on the carriage, as you see in F i e 11. A screw in the end of the fence plate contacts the stop and provides a means of h e - tuning the fence setting. @or more on tuningthe jig to cut boxjoints, see the article on page 10.) 6 r,

dia.) pilot hole through each end of the fence, right where I had marked the centerpoints on the back of the fence (Figure 9). Then I used a Forstner bit to make the counterbore on the front of the fence (Fgure 9a). Finally, I finished by enlarging the through hole with a 1/4"dii. bit m e 9b).

Backing Insert - The b a c ~ n g insert (F) is cut from '/a'' hardboard. (Make up some extras to have as re- placements.) The insert is attached to the fence with a single screw through the center Figure 10).

. the^^^ uis jig miqwe is its 1

- use of removable fences. lastpad

' having to readjust the : fence and index key

whenyouwanttomake I

d' INDEX KEY

(SEE FIGURE6 4b AND 7a)

ShopNotes 9

Making Box

Joints Perfect fitting box joints on your table saw - we'll

show you how.

B ox joints have a lot of things going for them. They're strong. They don't require a lot of special

skills or equipment And they lookgreat. With theirrows . :

of evenly-spaced pins, box joints have a traditional, almost old-fashioned appeal, making them perfect for a

e classic CarpentefsToolbox on page 14. Interlocking Fmgers - Box joints --

' are made up of alternating pins and slots, see drawing at left. The pins on mating pieces interlock like tiny &I- gem. This creates a lot of good, hce ,.. - - grain glue surface and makes for a stronger joint. But for the optimum joint, you still need a snug, accurate fit jig, you can build the one on page 6.) between the pins and the slots. Of course, adjusting the jig is where the challenge lies.

The trick to getting a good fit with Most box joint jigs use an index key to determine the - ' box joints is precision and consistency. size a d spacing of the slots and pins. The process is The width of the pins has to match the fairly simple. You cut the k t slot in the workpiece, place

width of the slots. And each pin has to be same size that slot over the index key to cut the second slot, and as the next one. The best way to achiwe this is to use a then keep working your way down until you've got a jig. Once the jig is adjusted properly, cutting the joints is complete row of evenly-spaced slots and pins. almost automatic. (3 you don't already have a box joint But in order to get a perfect fit, you have to spend a

little bit of time adjustingthe position of the index key in relationship to the blade of your saw. And the best way to do this is to cut some box joints on a couple of test pieces before moving on to your adual workpieces.

Setting Up the Jig - The first step to setting up the jig is to install your saw blade. Whether you are using a dado blade or a single saw blade (for '/8" box joints), the width of the blade needs to match the width of the index key on your jig. If

2 To set the height of the bIdde, set it doesnPt, you'll have to shim your 'a one of your workpieces on the jig dado blade to make it match

and raise the blade so it is slightly Before you can use the jig for ('132'7 higherthan the workpiece. the k t time, you need to make

10 ShopNotes NO. 62

an initial cut through the carrier plate and backing insert To position this cut, see Step 1.

To set the height of the blade, I use a piece of the same stock that I cut my workpieces from (Step 2). The blade should be slightly (about %$I) higher than the thickness of your workpieces. This way, the pins will stand a little proud, and you can sand them down flush with the sides.

Test Pieces - Rather than diving right in and cutting the box joints on my workpieces, I like to start with a couple of test pieces. But ifs important that these test pieces be the same thickness and width as your actual workpieces.

Why? Because if your jig is off just a hair, you probably won't notice it if you only cut one or two slots as a test But a small error can add up to a big one over the width of the workpiece. And the onlyway to determine this is to make your test pieces the g same width as your workpieces.

Make Test Cuts - Cut the box joints on the ends of the test pieces, as shown in Steps 3 and 4. Once you are done, try fitting the pieces together and compare the results with the drawings in the box below.

If the pieces fit together perfectly on the h t attempt, great You're ready to move on to your actual workpieces. But chances are that you will have to make an adjustment to your jig by moving the fence (or the index key). On our jig, this is just a matter of loosening the knobs on

3 Set the first test piece against the To cut the first slot on the second key and cut a slot. To cut re- 4 test piece, butt it up against the

mainingsbts, move thepieceoverso bottom edge of the first test piece. theslotyou just cutstraddles the key Then cut the rest of the slots.

a

5 Check the fit of the joints (see 'a'). If they are too tight, shift the box below). If they are too loose, index key closer to the blade (see

shift the fence andlor index key fur- detail 'b7. Then make more test cuts ther away from the blade (see detail to check the new setting.

the back and nudging the fence over each adjustment, make another a hit, as shown in Step 5. series of test cuts. Repeat this

The difference between a perfect- process as many times as necessary fitting joint and one that is too tight until you're satided with the fit or too loose is only a few thou- Then you can tighten the knobs sandths of an inch, so move the down and adjust the screw on the fence in very small increments. After end of the fence to contact the stop.

No. 62 ShopNates 11

butting the Box + I I

lough adjusting the jig for .~rfedtestfit is usually the most

challenging and timeconsuming part of the process, there are still

CUT OVERSIZE some things to watch out for when it BLANKS TO WIDTH

comes time to cut the box joints in h AFTER BOX JOINTS MAKLNG

your actual workpieces. Foriunately, WASTE

there are a few simple precautions you can take to ensure success.

B

r B 4 6

Visual Appeal - When building are extra wide B 4 with box joints, I typically shoot for and then trim them visual accuracy rather than dimen- down after the box joints are sional accuracy. For instance, the a& see Step 6. This way, I always toolbox on page 14 is supposed to be end up with a full pin (or slot). i 8" tall (before the lid is cut om. But Of course, there are times when a Iabel Pieces - Another thing I whether it ends up exactly this workpiece has to be a specsc like to do is label the front, back, and height or not, the important thing is dimension, like when building a side pieces and number the joints so that there's a full pin (or slot) at the drawer. But even in these cases I still I can cut the joints in sequence, see top and bottom of each piece. start with an oversize piece. I simply drawing above and Step 4 below.

k - W i d e Pieces -To do this, trim the pieces so the pin (or slot) is Consistent Pressure - When I typically start with workpieces that thesamesizeatthetopandbottom. cutting the box joints (see the steps

i:

pj. c!

I

To begin, set the bottom of the first 1 workplece against the key and 2 slot straddles the key and cut a 3 . . end fllp the p~ece . end-for-end, Now move the piece so the fint After all the slots are cut on one

hold i t tightly against the fence and second notch. Repeat this process keeping the waste edge on the same carrier plate. Then cut the fint slot. until all the slots on this end are cut. side. Then cut the slots on this side.

Now rotate the fim piece so the Now slide the slot you just cut in 5 Before assembling the box, rip waste IS outs,de and the firstslot the mating piece up tight to the 6 the waste edge off each piece so

fitroverthe key Butt thematingpiece key Continue this procedure until there's a full pin and slot on the top against the fib9 and cut the first slot. the box joints are cut on all pieces. and bottom of the piece.

ShopNotes No. 62

below), you still have to think about consistency. Even shifting the pres sure slightly can affect the fit of the box joints. So I hold the jig with both hands and perform each pass in exactly the same manner.

Unfortunately, even if your box joints fit perfectly, you may run into another problem - chipout.

Chipout - Our jig takes care of JOINTED END ONLY

A 0 GLUE ON ALL . . . - - . . . . -

this problem, but there are a few 1 other things you can do to minimize i t First, make sure your blade is First, Itry to avoid slopping glue sharp. And don't push the pieces all over the box joints so that I won't through the blade too quickly. If have a big mess to clean up later. To you're getting a lot of chipout, try help with this, I tape the inside edges Also, to get the glue on quickly, I slipping a scrap piece of hardboard of the pieces Figure 1). This way, use a small "acid" brush (available at behind the workpiece so that each any glue squeeze-out can be care most hardware stores). You don't cut is backed up completely. fully peeled away later. want much glue though. Even a little

Smooth Assembly -Aftercutting Time Savers - To buy myself bit creates a strong hold. the slots on all your pieces, you're more time, I use white glue instead When it comes to clamping up the ready to assemble the box. Here's of yellow glue. White glue sets up boxjoints, there are acouple of other

~ a & & ~~~;proj~up2fl?$ox if? tJa@ hpdmt.to: & G- .&&~m.k. 3 j*. can rte & 'W t?k&y: ,&at yo* WgSenty of s@'a;:t3w,$$@&pe@ : Because the ends ol the bax clamps-on hand. Keep in mind that don't require much pres'

e*. &e %&Best me&. B;lr & i + @ o ~ t % f f ~ ~ a @ ~ g

No, 62 ShopNotes

Toolbox A classic-looking toolbox that's , !

i* loaded with features. .."

<.*+"

0 ver the years, I've run across a lot of old car- pentds toolboxes that look similar to the one you

see here. But there's something different about this toolbox Most of the old toolboxes I've seen were quickly slapped together with nails and butt joints. And over time, the boards had shrunk or cupped and pulled loose from the nails. You won't have that problem with this toolbox. That's because the corners are joined with interlocking box joints. The individual 6ngers of the box joints provide a large amount of gluing surface, resulting in a much slronner ioint that holds UD over lime. - .

But the box joints aren't the only reason to build this toolbox. It's also loaded with other handy features. To start with, it's the perfect size for toting around an assortment of your favorite band tools. A sliding tray at the top of the box has compartments for nails and fas- teners. The underside of the lid is fitted with a holder for a band saw. And aleather handle on top of the lid makes it easier to carry the toolbox around from job to job.

If for some reason you don't want to use box joints, there's an easy alternative. We've provided details on our website for building

the toolbox with rabbet joints and nails instead of box joints, see photo on opposite page. While not quite as strong as box joints, rabbets offer more strength and glue surface than butt joints. And to give the box an old- h e look, we used copper nails with square beads.

Wood - A lot of the older toolboxes I've seen were made out of pine, probably because it was readily a d - able and cheap. But I decided to go with Douglas &

instead. Ifs a little bit harder than

C pine and takes on a nice, warm color over time.

14 ShopNotes No. 62

I F E A T U R E P R O J E C T

. . .. - . . . . IN GROOM IN LOWER FRAME

1 Matarials & Hardware 11 A Front/&lck (2) Yzx el/+ (rgh.) - 28 K Tray Bottom (1) 5'18 x 14% - '4 Hdbd. B Ends (2) l/2 x 81/q (rgh.) - 8 L Tray Dividers (2) % x 2% - 5'/a C Tray Runners (2) V4 x 27 -I/, Hdbd. M Tray Handle (1) % x 3% - 6% D Lid 5$0p (1) x 21f/,6 - 84 (tyh.) E Baee Molding (1) % x 13/4 - 84 (rgh.) (2) 5mall Brass Trunk Hinges F B o m m enel ( 1 ) 6 % ~ 26% - '/n Hdbd. . (1) Leatherliunk Handle G id ~ 0 l d 1 n ~ (1 j ' 3/4 x 19/4 - 06 i2) Brass-Plated Draw Catch- H LId Fgnel(1) 3 / 4 ~ 6f/8 - 261% (18) #6 x %'I BWS Fh Woodscmws I Tray Fmnt/Baok (2) % x 5 (rgh.) - 15 (6) #8 x 3/q" Brass Rh Woodscrews J Tray End4 (2) %x3(tyh.)-6.78

NO. 62 ShopNotes 15

surround~ng the bottom of the

toolbox creates a base and supports

the bottom panel

Whenever I build a box with a 'P-DEEP GROOM

hinged lid, I usually 6nd it easier to TRAY

glue up the sides of the box first and RUNNERS

BACK then cut the lid from the box. This Z8U - toolbox is no exception. It starts out ~ ' " T H ~ K 5TOC"'

as a four-sided box that gets cut into f . two sections: a case and a lid.

Blsmbs - I started by gluing up some '/211-thick blanks for the fiwzt and back (4 and the ends (B). There's a couple of things to keep in mind here. Fit, make sure that the blanks are extra wide. (I made my blanks about 8l/a" wide to start with.)

Second, make up a couple of extra blanks to use as test piecesfor setting up your box joint jig. These test blanks should be the same thick- END ness and width as your workpieces. pv," rqh x 8" -

M -THIC STOCK) Once you have the blanks cut to

length, you can cut the box joints lc) . The iingers of the box the next step is to cut a groove on the

jointsare1/4"widebyWlong. (Refer inside face of the front and back totheboxjointjigarticleonpage6and pieces, as shown in Figure 1. These the techniquearticleonpage 12.) grooves are for a couple of tray rm-

After cutting all the box joints, you ners that will be added later. Make can trim the pieces to iinal width. sure the grooves are positioned in The exad width of these pieces will between two pins. This way, you vary depending on the width and won't see them from the outside spacing of your box joints. The once the case is assembled. important thing is that you have 16 Assembly - After cutting the pins and 16 notches on each piece. grooves, you can glue up the case.

Once the pieces are cut to width, Once the glue is dry, the box joints

can be sanded smooth so that they are flush with the sides of the box.

Cutting Iid from Case -To cut the lid from the case, I used my table saw to cut through each side of the

box. But if I simply cut the lid off with a single cut on each side, the box joints on the lid wouldn't match up with the box joints on the case.

The trick is to cut out a narrow section of the box behueen the case and lid - a section equal to the height of a full pin and a full notch. To do this, I6rst set my rip fence to make a cut through the front and back of the box, about 5l/2"frornthe bottom, see Figure 2a. Then, I lowered my saw blade so it was about 1/3211 lower than the thickness of my stock and made a scoring cut on each end, shown in Flgures 2 and 2b.

After this was done, I moved the rip fence over for a second set of cuts using the same techiique. Then a utility knife can be used to cut through the remaining material on the ends of the box that connects the lid to the case iJ3gure 3). Tray Runners -With the lid set

aside for the time being, you can tinish up the work on the case. To start with, a couple of l/n" hardboard h y runners (Cj are glued into the grooves in the front and back, as shown in Flgure 4.

lid Stops -Next, you11 need to make up some lid stqp (D) for the inside of the box These create a lip around the inside of the box opening, aligning the lid when it is closed. These stops are cut from l/41t-

thick stock that has been rounded

m.- LID 5TOP (CUTTO FIT)

A

%" ROUNDOVER

,RAY RUNNER (%" x 2T' -

W HARDBOARD)

GLUE RUNNERS INTO GROOVES IN CASE FRONT A N D BACK ONLY

NOTE: LID STOP IS %THICK

AND MITERED TO LENGTH

over on two edges. They are mitered to length and glued in place around the inside of the box.

Base -The base of the tool box is a little unusual. It's really a frame made up of four pieces of molding. The case fits into a groove cut in this molding. And a hardboard panel completes the base of the toolbox

To make this base, start by creating the base m o l d i ~ (Ej. This is a three-step process. After cutting the blanks to size, rout an ogee along one edge, as you see in Figures 6

and 6a. Then cut a groove to match the thickness of the walls of the case, as shown in Figure 6b. Fially, cut a rabbet to hold a hardboard bottom F~gure 64. Once this is done, the molding pieces are mitered to fit around the bottom of the case. Then the frame can be glued together around the case.

After the glue on the frame has dried, you can cut a piece of '/a1' hardboard for the bottm panel IF). This is simply glued into the opening in the base molding frame.

No. 62 ShopNotes 17

Lid and Tray -

F A Lid. The lid of the

toolbox features a soiid-wood panel

that "floats" in a mitered frame.

With the lower half of the toolbox tin- ished, you can now turn your attention to completing the lid

The lid is built much like the bottom of the toolbox. It features a ) mitered frame surrounding a

solid wood panel. To allow the )anel to expand and contract with .hanges in humidity, the panel floats" in a groove that is cut on he inside edges of the frame. You .an see what I'm talkhg about in Agures 7 and 7a.

I started by making the lid moldzng (G) for the frame. After cutting a couple of blanks for the molding, an ogee profile is routed along one edge (Figure 8a). Then a roundover is routed along two other edges @gure 8b).

To allow the frame pieces to fit over the lid section of the box, a %'!-wide groove is cut on the face of each blank. To do this, I switched over to the table saw and used a dado blade, as you can see in Fig. &. Then a 1/4"-wide groove is cut on the edge of each blank to hold the lid panel (Figure ad).

Once all the profiles and grooves have been cut, you can start mitering the individual frame pieces to fit over

A Saw Storage. Mount- ed fo the Inslde of the l ~ d , a custom-f~tted wood block and turn- button secures the saw handle And a leather 'pocket" holds the end of the saw blade

AROUND LID

the lid section frame, less '/16" on all four sides. (l that you set aside earlier. Just cut the made my panel 6l/a'I x 261/a".) miters so that the frame pieces fit After cutting the panel to size, around the case, but don't glue the you11 need to cut a groove along frame together just yet You still each edge to create atongue that fits need to make the panel. in the groove of the h e pieces, as

Panel - The lid panel (H) is you can see in Figures 7aand 9a glued up from solid, 3/4"-thick stock Before assembling the lid frame It's sized to fit in the grooves of the and panel, a chamfer is routed along

18 ShopNotes No. 62

the top edges of the panel. Then the frame and panel can be glued up around the lid. Note: I used just a drop of glue on each end of the panel when gluing it to the frame. Tbis holds the frame in place while still allowing for wood movement

Hardware - To complete the toolbox, all that's left is to add the binges, catches, and handle. Before attaching these items, however, I "aged" the hardware by placing it in a special darkening solution (see page 35 for more information).

If you want to store a hand saw in the lid, you can add a convenient holder and leather "pocket" to the underside of the lid. See the photos in the margin on opposite page.

Tray-Nowthatthetoolboxiscom- plete, you can build the tray that fits inside it. Like the toolbox, the tray is also joined with box joints. Start by cutting out blanks for the t m y frmt/back (I) and the tray ends (J). These pieces should be cut a little wide so they can be trimmed to size aftertheboxjointsarecut (Figure 10).

After cutting the box joints ont he tray pieces, a couple of dadoes are cut on the inside hce of the front and back to hold a pair of dividers, as shown in Figure 10. Then a rabbet is cut along the

bottom edges of all four tray pieces can cut a pair of t m y dividers (L) for a bottom ( F i i e lob). and a tray hamile (Mi, which you

Bottom - After you've glued up can see in F i e 10. A dado iscutin the four sides of the tray, you can cut each tray divider to hold the tray a piece of hardboard to serve as the handle. Then a notch is cut on each tmw b o t h (Kl. This is cut to fit in end of the handle to allow it to fit into - the opening in the bottom of the tray thedadoesinthedividers ( F i i e 11). and simply glued in place. To make the opening in the handle,

With the bottom attached, you acouple of holes are drilled as shown in F i e 12 andthewaste inbetween them is cut out with a jig saw or scroll saw. Then the upper corners of the handle are radiused and sanded smooth @ a r e 12a). When this is done, the inside of the handle opening and the top edges of the handle are rounded I

over on a router table, refer to Figure 10. Then the dividers and handle are glued into the tray.

To complete tray, some small wood plugs are glued into the ends of the tray to conceal the rabbet for the tray bottom ( F i l e 10d). Finally, all the outside edges of the tray are rounded over. 8

Take the mystery out of

gluing up a solid wood

panel by following a

simple step-by- step process.

Great Glue. aglued-up panel seems

like such a simple process. Just take a bunch of narrower boards and glue them together into the size you need. But as you may have guessed (or experienced yourself), there's a lot more to i t

Ending up with a panel that's not only great-looking but starts out and stays flat, isn't just luck. It's a delib erate stepby-step process that starts long before you squeeze out that first bead of glue.

SELECTING & ARRANGING BOARDS

Making a panel starts with selecting the boards youll be gluing together. And unless you have a large supply of lumber in your shop, seleding the boards starts with a trip to the store. I go through-a mental checklist as you look at each board. Fist, make sure the boards don't exhibit any warp Oie cup, twist, or bow). There's no point in starting out with problems that might show up later in your panel.

Color - Once I have apile of suit- able boards, the next t h i I look for are boards that are close. in color. There's notbing worse than a panel where one board stands out from all the others because it's lighter or darker th-- the rest.

Grain - Now that the boards are matched, youll want to take some t h e to study the surface grain of each board. This way, you can visu- alize the overall grain pattern the panel will have once the boards are glued together.

What I look for here is to match the grain that runs along the edge of each board so one curve flows into another, like the photo at the lower left shows. Or straight-grained lines on one board match those on the h?ard next to it (right DO-"' -'-

A A,opearance. To get a good-looking, wide panel, it's best to avoid drawing attention to a joint line. To do this, arrange boards so curved patterns merge (left) and straight- grained boards are positioned to create an "invisible" joint (right).

way, the boards will "melt" together to form a panel that looks like a single, wide board.

The one tbing you don't want to do is rush this process. Spend some time turning the individual boards over. I even like to tlip them end for end. This way, I'll be sure to "see" all the possibiities.

Wood Movement - 16ke most woodworkers, I try to alternate the end grain of adjacent boards as I make up the panel. The thought is that this will minimize anv chance of the wood moving and the panel cup ping after it's been glued up.

But to be honest if it comes down to making a choice between alternating the boards or not I select the best color and grain match ht. This way, I know I11 end up with panel thaOs looks good. And as for flatness, I haven't noticed much of a problem.

What's more important to me is how the e&e grain matches. As you can see in Figure la, I do my best to orient the edge grain so each board is going in the same direction.

20 ShopNotes No. 62

The reason is simple. When you glue up a panel, youll probably have to do alittle smoothing. And whether you use a hand plane or planer to do this, having the grain going in the same direction on all the boards will minimize any tendency for chipout on the face of the panel.

CUT TO ROUGH SRE Once dl the boards are selected you're ready to cut them to rough size. I like to cut the boards 2" to 3" longer than the final lengtb of my panel. This way, I don't have to worry about keeping dl the ends perfectly flush as I glue them up.

With the boards cut to length, you're ready to size them to rough width. As you do this, you% need to keep a couple things in mind.

Fit, you want to leave enough extra material to prepare the edges of each board. And second, the overall width of the panel should be about 1" wider than required. This way, you'll have a little "cushion" when it comes time to trim the panel to h a 1 size. To account for both these things, I leave an extra 3/d1 or SO on each board.

At this point, you've spent a good deal of time getting t h i i just right

CUT BOARDS AT REFORM PANEL - LEAST 2" - 3' LONGER THAN FINISHED LENGTH OF PANEL

N O E COMBINEDWDTH OF BOARDS IS I" WIDER THAN FINISHED WIDTH OF PANEL

You sure don't want to throw out all that hard work by gluing up the boards in the wrong order.

A good way to avoid this problem is to take a minute to draw a large T" across the face of the panel with a piece of chalk like you see in Figure 1 above. This way, reassem- bling the pane1 is just a matter of reforming the '"Y."

PREPARE EDGES At this point, you're almost ready to thii about gluing up the panel. But fist, youll need to be sure that the

boards will form a strong glue joint. For that, the edges of each board need to be smooth and s-ht But to ensure the panel isflat, each edge need to be square to the face. To pre pare these edges, you can use either a jointer or a table saw, as yon can see in the box below.

Regardless of the method yon choose, its important to set the machine up correctly. When using a jointer, I make sure the f a c e is exactly 90" to the table. And when I%n using a table saw, I double check that the blade is 90" to the table.

FOR BEST El

A big step towards making a flat panel JOINT IN LIC SMOOTH PP

is ensuring the edges of each workpiece are square to the face.

Jointer - My first choice for doing this is to use a jointer F i e 1). A join& takes a uniform amonntoff each workpihe. I slowly feed the workpiece with the gmi~ @7gure la). After a few light passes, the workpiece has a smooth edge thafs ready to be glued.

Table Saw - Another method for jointing edgesis to use a table saw and a good combination blade. To do this, I use a d o u b l a t method. Start by ripping the boards straight (Figure 2). Then repeat the cut but only remove about half the thickness of the saw - blade (Figure 2a). This second cut results in avery smooth surface.

No. 62 ShopNotes

Gluing & Clamping With the boards carefully

A M P 5 selected and arranged, the BOTTOM *

FLAT PANEL vanel is poine to look meat And wi th allthe edge; pre pared smooth, straight, and square, the boards will fit together just as good as they look. Now's the time to net your work area and clamps

' ' A br'stle ready to glue up the panel. brush is a quick and easy way to spread

Work Area - One thing I've CHECK i -, learned over the years is that if you FLATNESS

a smooth, even layer want a 8at panel, you need to give WITH 5TRAlGHEDGE

of glue along the edge of a board.

yourself plenty of room to work So take the time to clear off vour workbench (or even the shop floor).

Clamps - When gluing up a panel, I've always used pipe clamps. But other types of clamps will work just as well.

C Regardless of the type of clamps you use, the key is to have the right number on hand. You'll need enough to space them evenly across the

A clamp in^. A thin panel about 6" to 8" apart

bead ofglue DRY BUN jndicates good With everything at hand, you might

pressure along the joint 11ne.

be ready to grab the glue bottle and go to work But instead of pressing ahead at full speed, its agood idea to make a "dry run" first

A dry run is a simple process of clamping up the panel- without the glue. This gives you a chance to pin- point any problems and resolve them - before its too late.

Start by laying out a few pipe clamps on your worksurface and setting the boards in place To help dis tribute the pressure more evenly and prevent the panel from cupping, I like to alternate the clamps on the top and bottom of the panel ( F i e 2).

Tighten Clamps - Now you can tiphten the clamps just enough so any gaps between the boards disappear. 'Ibis shouldn't take a lot of pressure. Just a little e x h turn on the clamp once its snug should be enough.

Now's the time to give the panel a good going over. For me that means getting down and sighting along the top surface (a straight- edge often helps here). What you're looking for is to see whether

Oc~asionally I'll need a little help to keep the boards in a panel aligned. WS when I turn to splines or bis 1 d t s to keep the outside mtrfaces of the boards as flash aspossible.

" ?b cutasktforaspline, I u s e a hand-held xouter and a slot cutter -

P l l r ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Figures 1 md la). ButifIdyneed alittle help here andtherewith alignment I'll u w a biscuit joiner to cut slots for s o m e b i i t s @&me 2).

Regardless of the method you use, if the ends of the panel will be $=; exposed, be sure to start and stop

BJWUK- the slotfor the spline or biscuit 211 - 3" short of the ends of each board.

22 ShopNotes No. 62

the surfaces align with each other. If the boards aren't too far out of

alignment (?/16") you can clamp or tap any boards back into alignment

2a and 2b). But sometimes that's not enough. That's when I turn to splines or biscuits for a little help (see the box on the opposite page).

Besides surface alignment, I also check a few other t h i s . For more on this, take a look at the box below.

GLUING UP THE BOARDS With a dry run under your belt and any problems taken care of, you're ready to start gluing up the panel.

Glue - To speed things along, I squeeze out a bead of glue on one edge only of each board and brush it to an even fi, as you can see in the upper margin photo on the opposite page. Note: I like to use yellow glue when making panels.

What you want here is the "wet" look. If the glue looks dull and flat, squeeze on a bit more and spread the glue back along the edge.

and creating black marks on the panel. Tighten Clamps - Nowit's just a

matter of tightening the pipe clamps. I like to start at the center and work toward the ends, alternating between the top and bottom clamps. But don't overdo it here. You only wantto apply enough pressure so there's an even bead of glue along the jointline (bottom margin photo on opposite page).

Align Boards - Here again, if you aren't using splines or biscuits, check the surface of the panel with a simightedge. Then tap (or clamp) any boardsflush (Figures2a and 2b).

Excess Glue - At this point, I zlsed to wipe away the excess glue with a damp cloth. But this often forced the glue into the pores - causing finishing problems later.

Dry damping a panel is a great way to dis. cover problems befbre you start appbjfig any glue. Here are a few things I cheek for.

Artaagement - One of the &st thi verify is that the arrangement of the boar correct, A quick Eheck for the "V'' makes it easy ta see if any boards are out of order. Joint Iines - Then I check the joint lines.

One thing you might notice is a gap at the adsof the boards because of snipe, as shown in detaa 'a' To solve this problem, it's best to tune up your jointer and rejoint the edges.

And if I've used a .table saw to square up the edges, I check them for saw marks, like the onesin detail %.'An edge with saw marks isn't smooth and can result in a weak due ioint. - . Here again, you11 want to retrim the edges.

lJ1Bt &Flush - F d y , check that the panel is flat and the surfaces are fIush (details 'c' and 'd7. Here again, squaring the edges will remove any cup. And if the surfaces aren't flush, you ran clamp the ends or tap them down againstthe pipe clamps.If you need some extra help, see the box on the opposite page.

OF e GAP

What I like to do now is wait a couple hours until the glue sets up. This allows you take the clamps off and use a scraper to "pop" the glue off the surface (see photo above).

Even though the excess glue is removed, the glue in the joints needs to cure completely before you can work with the panel. But you don't want to lay it flat on a bench or floor to dry. Smce air isn't free to circulate evenly around both sides of the panel, it could end up cupping.

Instead, set the panel on one end and lean it against a d so it's as straight up and down as possible. This keeps the panel flat and allows the glue to fully cure from both sides. 6

gr - 7 - FKE55UKE LAN RAISE BOAR05 OFFPIPE

EDGES ARENT E I c.

w

. ~ . . . . v--

No. 62 ShopNotes 23

- S H O P P R O J E C T

Wall-Mounted

Clamping Station

Gluing up a panel is a breeze with this space-saving

clamping station that mounts to the wall of your shop.

C lamping up a panel is a series of challenges. The first is

clearing your bench to create a large enough area to work. The next challenge is setting up the pipe clamps to do the job. And finally, to reclaim your bench, you need to wrestle the panel (and clamps) off the bench a n d h d a alate to set itwhile it dries.

Clamping Station - To meet these challenges head-on, I built this I wall-mounted clamping station. It comb'mes the glue-up area, clamps, and drying area into a s k l e loca- . - - tion. So there's no need to worry in the Exploded View on the oppe about cleaning off aworkbench when site page, the lower clamp bar is it comes time to glue up a panel. positioned to accommodate the

You won't have to run around overall width of the panel. looking for pipe clamps either - the Once you've placed the glued up "clamps" are built in. As you can see boards in the station, simply tighten

& Multiple Panels. This wall-mounted shown above) is just as easy. Just clamping station isn'tjust for large panels. readjust the lower barand then tighten the Gluing up smaller panels (like the pair clamp heads individually for each panel.

24 ShopNotes

the handwheels across the top of the clamping station. F d y , you won't have to lug the clamped up assembly away from your bench and h d a place to "store" it until it drys. You simply walk away and wait for the assembly to dry right on the station.

Cost - Although the clamping station is large in size, building it won't cost you an ann and a leg. The mediumdensity fiberboard (MDF), plywood, maple, and few pieces of hardware cost much less than an equivalent set of pipe clamps.

As a matter of fact, many of the parts could be made using scraps you probably already have in your shop - reducing the cost even more.

One last thing, don't get the idea that this clamping station is just for large panels. It works just as well for gluing up smaller panels, as shown in the photo at left

No. 62

I clamp dad support d~ P/atfmrn I 1 (12) #B x I%" Fh Sheet I Materials

. . A ~ & e r Rail (I) 1'/2 x 3 - 46'/2 0 Upper Rail (1) 3/4x3-46% C Kail Spacer6 (7) % x 3 - 3 D Back (1) 4 0 ~ 4 0 - ~ h M D F E Bmces (4) 11 x485/10-~1+ MDF F Mounting Rails (2) 6 x 46 - 3/4 MCF

Y&l Raitd & Clamp Bar G Vertioai Rails (7) '/4 x ?fz - 413/4

1 Hardware

L Bar Face (1) 5/0 x la/& - 48

Clamp Had# & HandwhmIe M Bases (6) 6'46 x 6 - 3/a Ply. N Clamp Bodies (6 ) 5% x 4 - 2% Ply. 0 Retaining Strips (6) 2'/4 x 5% - 3/4 P(y. P Handwheek (6) 7 x 7 (yh.) -314 Ply. Q a m p Head Face+ (6) 5/s x 1% - 5"h6

H Guide 5t1ips (12) V4x 3/4 - 12 Note: You'll need (1) sheet of Medium- 3 / 4 ~ 4 - 4 0 Densiw Fiberboard (MDFJ, approx;mately 16

J Clamp Bar Guides (6) '/4 x 1% - 0 bd. ft. of 8/4"-thi~k hardwood, and (1) 2'x 4' K 6ar Stiffener (1) 3/4x2-4B piece of3/6 plywood for this project.

Metd Screws (107)#0 x l f l i 'Fh She&

h&%d SG~EWS (65) #0 x Z1/2" Fh She&

Metal Screws * (6) 3/." O.D. x 5/0" LD. x 1"-Long

Bronze Bushings (24) 5/s'' Hex Nuts f l 6 ) 5/fi"Flat Washers - i6 j 9 2 N U ~ S

(3) '/+"x 9%" Quick Release Pine (6) 5/s"-D;a. x ISu-Lon#

ALEthrnd Steel Rods

No. 62 ShopNotes 25

To provide 6rm support as clamping pressure is applied, I started by building a rock-solid frame for the clamping heads at the top of the station. This frame is then attached to a large platform, as shown in Figure 1.

Clamp Head Support - The clamp head support is built like a miniature wall with short "studs"

sandwiched between long rails at the top and bottom ( F i e lb). This W e is then mountedto the top of a large panel that forms the foundation of the clamping station v i e 1).

The h t step is to make the rails for the clamp head support To prevent the lower rail from bending as pressure is applied, its a piece of

extra thick hardwood (I1/$"'. Now the easiest way to make this rail would be to use a piece of 11/~"-thick stock But you can also glue up the lower rail (A) from two layers of 3/41'-thick stock (FIgwe 1).

While the glue dries on the lower rail, you can size the uppwmil(B) to the same width and length from 3/4"-

thick stock p i e 1). Holes -The next step is to drill a

series of holes through both rails. These holes provide a way to anchor the threaded rods that make up part of the clamp heads.

To prevent the clamp heads from binding as you adjust them its important for the holes to align with each other. So its a good idea to drill all the holes at the same time. To do this, I used a few pieces of carpet tape to hold the two rails together, as youcansee inF ie2 .

Start by drilling a deep counterbore in the bottom of the lawer rail v i e 2a). This counterbore will accept a large hex nut that the threaded rod feeds into, allowing the I) clamp head to adjust up and down (Figures l a and lb).

Once thats complete, all tbat's left

26 ShopNotes No. 62

to do is drill a smaller through hole m hoth pieces. To prevent wear on 0 . the sides of the holes in the upper rails, these holes are sued to accept bronze bushings (Rlgure 1).

After drilling the holes, you can SCREWS

cut the rail spacers (C) to h a 1 sue and screw the clamp head support together (Figure ib). Finally, glue the hex nuts in place with epoxy and press the bushings into the top rail.

Platform - With the clamp head support complete, you're ready work on the platform. The first step here is to cut the back (Dl to size. It's nothing more than a 48"-square piece of 3/4" MDF.

Attaching the clamp head support to the hack is just a matter of screwing it in place (Rgure la). To ensure the screws are located prop erly, take some time to lay out each location. M e r clamping the support to the hack drill the pilot holes and then screw the support in place.

Braces - Now you're ready to @ complete the rest of the platform. To

keep the hack rigid as clamping pressure is applied, its attached to a of rails (Fi~gures 3a and 3h). Here again, they're attached to the set of hraces V i e 3). These Now that the notches are cut, you hraces with sheet metal screws. braces (E) are tapered pieces of 3/4" can screw the hraces to the hack. Mount Platform - Now's agood MDF. The taper positions the back at Smce the screws will he going into time to attach the platform to the a slight angle to make it easier to the edge of the MDF, I like to use wall. This solves a couple problems. keep workpieces in place as you glue sheet metal screws. First, you don't have to worry up a panel (13gures 3a and 3h). Unlike a tapered wood screw, the about moving around a heavier

Because of their size, I found it eas- shanks of sheet metal screws are assembly later. And second, it posi. iest to cut the hraces using a circular straight. So they're less likely to split tions the clamping station at just the saw and straight edge (Figure 4). the edge of the MDF. right height for adding the After cutting the braces to sue, you11 Mounting Rails - Once the remaining parts. need to cut apair of notches along the hraces are screwed in place, you can Even so, the clamping station still hack edge of each one to accept apair cut the mounting rails (F) to size. weighs quite a bit So you2 probabl)

want a little help from 2

friend when you're ready tc mount it to the wall. And tc make the whole procesr easier, I screwed a cleat to A Cleat Support A the wall (see margin). temporary cleat

I attached the cleat so makes it easy to the top edge was about 16" keep the clamping

. * ~ . . from the floor. This puts the station level when handwheels (added later) you attach it at a comfortable height. to the wall.

Fimally, be sure to screw through the mounting rails into at least three studs at hoth the top and bottom.

ShopNotes 27

I S H O P P R O J E C T

Clamp Bar

A Clamp Bar A @ u s M . A

simple quick-release pin holds the clamp bar in posftion once it's been adlusted to

match the size of the panel befng glued up.

you're ready to start adding the vertical rails that support the workpieces and guide the clamp heads and clamp bar (Figure 5).

Vertical Rails -The

I &aI rails (G) are long strips of 3/4"-thick hardwood that raise the workpieces off the back of the

clamping station. This way, the they're aligned with the damping pressure.

To allow the clamp bar to adjust up and down, three rails have holes drilled in them to accept quick release pins. To enswe the clamp bar is even across the platform, these holes need to be in h e with each other. Here again, I held all three rails together with a few pieces of carpet tape and drilled the holes (Figure 6). Then to allow the pins to slide easily in place, I chamfered the outside edges of each hole v i e 6a).

Once the holes are drilled, you're almost ready to screw the rails in place. But first, you11 need to add some short hardwood strips to the top of each rail, as you can see in Figure 7. Theseguide sfnps (0 will keep the clamp heads against the back as they move up and down.

After cutting the guide strips to length (12'3, attaching them is just a

CLAM BAR

- -VERTICAL RAILS

(MAKE SEVEN)

matter of gluing and mewing them in place, as you can see in Figures 7, 7a, and 7b. Note: The two vertical rails on the outside only have a single guide strip attached to the inside face Figure 7a).

Now that the guides strips are attached, you can glue and screwthe vertical rails to the back The rails fit tight against the bottom ofthe clamp

head support at the top and they're spaced evenly across the back, as illustrated in Flgures 7a and 7b.

Clamp Bar - At this point you can turn your attention to the adjustable clamp bar shown in F i e 8. The clamp bar is made from three separate pieces of hardwood attached to three pairs of guides. These pieces work together to form a rigid beam that prevents the bar from flexing as the clamp heads apply pressure.

Bar Rail - I started by cum the bar rail (0 to final size from a wide piece of 3/4"-tbick hardwood. Then I cut a set of guides to size, as shown in F i e 8.

These bar guides (I) are identical pieces of 3/4"-thick hardwood with a single hole drilled near one end @ i e s 8 and &). These holes allow you to use a quick-release pin to position the bar at different heights along the vertical raiI.

28 ShopNotes No. 62

S H O P P R O J E C T

Assembly - Once the holes are drilled (and chamfered on each side as shown in F i e 6a), you can attach them to the bar rail. The trick is attaching the guides so they don't "pinch" too tight against the vertical rails. What you're looking for here is a smooth, slidiifit that doesn't b i d as you move the rail up and down.

The solution is fairly simple. All you need to do is assemble the guides and bar rail right on the platform. To do this, start by "pinning" each pair of guides in place. Then slip a strip of paper between each guide and the vertical rail. This provides just enough "play" to allow the guides to slide easily.

Now all you need to do is clamp the guides against the rails. Then Besides stiffening the rail, it also saw blade and making simply screw the bar rail in place so provides support for the bar face a long rip cut, as illuo it's centered across the platform and that's added next. The barface (L) is h-ated in Figure 8a. flush with the bottom edge of each a piece of 5/~"-thkk hardwood that All that's left to bar guide, as illustrated in Figure 8c. rests on top of both the rail and stiff- complete the clamp

Bar Stiffener - To provide addi- ener (Figure 8c). bar is to attach the bar tional strength and "beef up" the You'll notice that the bar face is face. Since the clamp face can be clamp bar, I added an extra strip of slightly beveled ( F i e 8c). This marred by the workpieces as you hardwood. As you can see in Figures bevel forces the workpieces flat apply clamping pressure, I didn't 8 and 8b, the bar stifinw (K) is against the vertical rails as clamping glue it in place. Instead, it's attached nothing more than a piece of 3/41" pressnre isapplied. with a few screws, as you can see in thick hardwood that's glued and Cutting a smooth, even bevel on a Figure 8. This way, you can replace it screwed to the face of the bar rail. long strip is just a matter of tilting the easily it necessary.

No. 62 ShopNotes 29

Clamp Heads - At this point all thats left to complete the clamping station is to add the six clamp heads shown in Figure 10 and the margin. As you adjust them with a shopmade handwheel, the clamp heads apply pressure smoothly and evenly against the workpieces that make up the panel.

As you can see in Figure 10, each clamp head consists of four basic parts alongwith a few pieces of hardware. Note: I purchased all the hardware from a local home center.

Clamp Head - The clamp head starts out as base (M) of 3/4tt plywood that's sized to fit between the vertical rails. It's important that the base slide easily, so I sized each piece to provide '/16" clearance overall.

The next step is to add the body of the clamp. Here again, the clamp body (N) is made from 3/411 plywood. But this time it's glued up from three layers. I found it easiest to start with long strips of plywood and glue them

A Clamp Heads. up into an extra-long (30") blank Individual clamp After rounding over the two top

heads are used to edges, all yon need to do is cut each applypressure body to size by "slicing" off short

evenly across the top (4") sections v i e 11). edge of the panel. To complete the body, chill a small

counterbore in one edge, as illus trated in the Front View shown in P i e 10. As you can see, this counterbore provides room for the end of the clamp rod (added later).

Once each counterbore is corn plete, you're ready to position it on the base. This is just a matter of

FRONTYIEW

CLAMP BODY

NOTE: DO ~ o ' r AmACH CLAMP HEAD FACE UNnL LATER, SEE FIG. 19b

gluing and screwing it to the base so it's centered sidetc-side and 1 i flush with the bottom edge. Just be sure the hole for the threaded rod faces up.

Retainihg Strip - To hold the clamp head to the threaded rod, I added a retainingstrip (0) along the top edge of each base, as you can see in Figure 10. This piece is just a narrow strip of 3/4't plywood. A hole drilled through it allows the clamp head rod to pass through.

Smce it can be tricky to add the hardware with the retaining strip attached to the base, I found it best to do that lirst. So I threaded a pair of

hex nuts on the end of the rod until there was about a '/2" of thread showing. Then I locked them in place by "jamming" the nuts together.

Now you can slip the rod through the retaining strip. Before attaching the strip to the base, slip a washer over the end of the rod and fit it into the counterbore in the body (see Front View in Fignre 10). Then you can glue and screw the strip to the base so it's centered sidebside and flush with the top edge.

Handwheel - At this point you can set the clamp heads aside and work on the handwheels. The handwheels make it easy to apply pressure with the clamp heads.

L

HANDWHEEL LAYOUT

30 ShopNotes No. 62

After repeating this process for 1 each clamp head, all that's left to do head face is only screwed in place. you're ready to glue up a panel. is add the clamp headface (Q). Iike And it's centered side-to-aide on the There's nothing tricky here. It's a theclamp bar v i e 8a), amatching clamp body and rests against the simple stepbystep process, as you bevel cut along the face v i e 3b) guides ( F ' i e s 13aand 13b). can see below. After tightening the forces the panel down against the Glue Up A Panel - Now that last clamp head, all you need to do is vertical rails. Here again, the clamp the clamping station is complete, wait for the panel to dm&

* 1 A Apply Wax. Toprevent glue (and the A Add Glue. After adpsting the lower A CIamp. With the workp~eces in place, panel) from sticking to the station, rub clamp bar, apply glue to each applypressure evenly across the panel paraffin wax on the vertical rails. workpiece and stack to form panel. by tightening each clamp head.

No. 62 ShopNotes 3

Shop I Want I%& to make your hand- f held rout& &able-fiee?

Tty the shop-tested tips below.

- A . ,

routing direction (no matter piece, as shown in the Routing what I'm routing) is some- Frames drawing. th i i I have with me all the And if you need to move the time - my right hand. Take router along a fence to rout a groove a look at the detail at left, or dado, itworks just aswell (Routing and you11 see what I mean. with a Fence drawing). But instead

Start by making an 'L' of your thumb pointing to the workpiece, it will point to the fence. Here again, your finger will point in the proper direction to move the router.

Breaking the Rules - This method works for most situations.

But like most rules you've prob ably learned, this one is made

to be broken. Sometimeswrong is "right" For more on this, take a

look at the box on the opposite page. Preventing Chipout - Even

you're routing in the "righf CLOCKWISE KS AGAINST FENCE direction, you'll inevitably run across

I f you asked me or just about any But put a router in our hands, and other woodworker to run a it seems like we always have to

workpiece through the jointer or pause a second or two to figure out table saw, we wouldn't have to give the proper feed direction - that is, it a second thought which direction we should move the

When it comes to working with a router along the workpiece. stationary machine, the feed direc- Since the router isn't stationary, tion of the workpiece comes natu- you can move it along the workpiece rally. There's a distinct front and either left or right So how do you go back to most machines, and there- about figuring out whafs "right?" fore, the feed direction is automatic. Right Hand is "Right" - The - simplest method I've found

land Orientation Detail 1 for determininn the orooer

with the thumb and forefinger of your right hand so the knuckles face up. Then with your 'U "in hand," all you need to do is point your thumb towards the edge of the workpiece you're routing. A quick look at the direction your linger points tells you which way you need to move the router along the workpiece.

What's really nice is this method works whether you're routing the inside (clockwise direction) or outside counterc clock wise^ of a work-

ShopNotes No. 62

one of the more kustrathg prob I) lems in woodworking- chipout. It's happened to me more times than I care to remember. And if you look at the left drawing in Figure 1 below, it's eaeasp see why this happens.

As yau rout along the edge, the bit has the support of the uncut profle to prevent the wood from chipping out-untilthe hiit exits the cut atthe end of the workniece. This h a m s

I stiu get splintering at the end of the pass. But once I rout the profle along the sides of the workpiece (which are edge grain and rout more smoothly), the chipped-out areas "disappear," as you can see in the right drawing of F i e 1.

Support Scrap - That sounds great But what if you're not routing all the way around a workpiece? For instance, I tcpically don't rout the

most often when you're r&ting back edge of&p where it's goingto across theendgrain of a workpiece. be againsta wall. wood against the edge that isn't

hrds First - So what's the solu- If thafsthe case, there's still a way going to be routed, as shown in tion? The one I like to use is to raut to prevent chipout All you need to F i e 2 above. the ends of the worlpiece$&. Sure, do is temporarily clamp a scrap of The scrap backs up the wood

STEP1 ROUTING ACROSS END GRAIN SPLINTERS CORNER

fibers at the corners if the workpiece. So when the end grain is routed, any chipout will end up on the scrap- not on the workpiece,

However, when routing end grain, it's still a good idea to minimize chipout. So don't set the bit for a full depth cut Instead, take a series of shallow Dasses. 6nishinrr UD with a

1 very light finalpass. &- '

Illhaveto yon can make the rest of the cuts to

SowPlatexactl~~is ~ u t w f i e n I h a v e t o r o u t a p ~ e the name implies, ontheedge d a n odacj rc le . Since

EIereagain,ym'fi want

wood normal diction.

&&el- thelasttbbg I want to w#l bo& and skip along the edge, d up with 2s chipout So iostead of making the router cult to control. ukhg in the normal dbeetion, I To m b h k this problem, 1 Eke to - F

~ ~ u t and make a very shallow, a e tight passes and keep a h n Newer on cut v i e I). slip, Then I take a final cut in the the workpiece

This lightly &scores" the edge of proper M o n to clean up the edge.

No. 62

Tool I

Chest

r mum v v u r n arrruoth countersinks ~n son metal, like brass or the aluminum shown above, are a snap with a Weldon countersink

Looking to put a new twis' I

on countersinking? Try a Weldon countersink bit.

ne of the things that sets a 0 goodproject apartfiom agreat one is the details. And one of the less obvious details is drilliog the wun-

tersink for the head of a screw. Asmooth, even counter-

sink not only looks better, butit allows the head of the m t o seatrn. So its less likely to project above Design - So what makes these This makes a WeMon bit the per-

the surface or lookoffset countersinks so diierent? The main fect choice for counteminking - in the counterink, difference is that a traditional coun- whether you are working in wood or That's a problem I've tersink hit is 'fluted." These flutes metal (lower left photo). And I seem

had with most of the countersinks remove material by "ieaming" out to be working with both materials a I've used in the past They tended to small chis. The problem is they lot more often these days.

* leave behind a rough, uneven sur- tend to "chatter," leaving a wavy sur- Note: I&e most other counter- face in the workpiece. face. This prevents the head of the sink bits, you will need to drill the

Weldon Countersinks - But screw from fully seating. pilot hole for the screw before cut- that all changed when I discovered a But instead of flutes, the Weldon ting the countersink. set of countersinks made by the bits have an angled hole drilled Weldon countersinks come in var- Weldon company. The cutting edge through the middle of the bit (see ious sizes and styles depending on works like a miniature plane to drawing below). Drilling this hole the type and size of screw you're smoothly remove the waste as it through the sideof the bit resultsin a using. And they also come in da- cuts the countersink. single cutting edge. And since fering cutting angles. (For wood-

there's only one cutting edge, youget % super-smooth countersink with curly shavings and chips, much like a hand plane (see the photo above).

BITS ARE AVAILABLE IN VARYING ANGLE' -"Y

screws, you'll need the 82" angle.) Price - Depending on your

needs, you can buy a single countersink for as little as $8.00. But if you use a number of different screw sizes like I do, a three or four-piece set is a better value. I paid $30.00 for a four-piece set that will handle countersinks for #4 to #10 size screws. (See margin for photo and smces.)

As you may have guessed, I'm a big fan of Weldon countersinks. They're easy to use and cut flawless countersinks in both wood and metal. So if you're looking to make your woodworking a "cut above" the rest, add a set of Weldon countersink hits toyour tool collecfion.8

34 ShopNotes No. 62

a Carpenter's Toolbox To give the Carpenter's Toolbox (page 14) a classic look, I used some trunk h i e s are ll/s" wide and 2" darkening process begin. I only kept traditional trunk hardware, as you long. One thing to keep in mind with the hardware in the mixture for afew can see in the photo at the upper all these parts is that you11 need to minutes to get the look I was after, right. This type of hardware is avail- supply your own screws. You'll need When you have the look you wanf able from a number of different six #8 x 3/4" Rh brass woodscrews remove the hardware and rinse it off sources. I ordered mine from Lee Valley Took, but the margin at right lists other sources as well.

The 1/41'-thi~k leather trunk handle is S3/4I' long and comes with a nail to secure the handle inside the brass loops. The draw catches are

A Aginghtudware. ~ i v i n ~ the brass an aged look requires time - or a little help with a brass darkening solution (refer to margin for sources).

for the handle and a total of eighteen #6 x '/2" Fh brass woodscrews for the draw catches and binges.

Aging Hardware - Regardless of where you get your hardware, ifs going to come with a bright brass 6nish. To "tarnish" the brass and give it more of an aged look, I k n e d to an antiquing solution that darkens brass. (A couple somes are listed in the margin at right.)

' . Before using the darkening solu- ' 'tion, be sure to read the instructions

thoroughly. S ice they're mildly cor- rosive it's a good idea to cover your work area with apiece of plastic. And be sure to wear safety goggles and rubber gloves.

In order for the the solution to work, you'll bave to remove the pro tedive coating from the hardware first. To do thaf simply soak the hardware in lacquer thinner.

At this point, aging the hardware is just a matter of dipping it in the solu-

with water to stop the process. Then to preserve the 'look," I sprayed on a few thii coats of lacquer (Def).

Leather - If you like the look of the leather trunk handle you can use it as is. But I decided to "age" it too. No need for a fancy solution here. I simply picked up some shoe polish (brown) at the grocery store, wiped it on, and then buffed it out

O W U N E EXTRAS You don't have to build the Carpenter's Toolbox with box joints. We've also designed another version that uses simple rabbet joints. You can find more information about this version at our web site at www.ShopNotes.com.

Or you can bave the information mailed to you. Just send a stamped, self-addressed #I0 envelope to:

ShopNotes Drawings PO. Box 842 Des Moines, 1.4 50304

MAll ORDER

SOURCES Constantine's 954561-1716

wwa.consVmtine8.com Toolbox Hardware

Lee V d e y Tools 800-871-8158

m . 1 e d e y . c o m lbolbox H a m a r e ,

StainIessStd Canisters

RockIer 800-279-4441 Illlrw.mlrler.com

Toolbox Hardware

VanDyke's Restorers 800-558-1234

m.vmdykes.eom Brass Darkening

Solution

Woodsmith Store 800-835-5084

Brass Darkening Solution

Hardware Canisters As I was looking through catalogs to fying "snap." So you don't have to k d just the right hardware for the worry about knocking a lid off and Carpenter's Toolbox, I ran across spilling the contents on the floor (or these handy storage canisters. inside your toolbox).

They're made from stainless steel, Each canister is Z3/s" in diameter so they're pretty tough. And the lids and 33/s" tall -perfect for storing all have a piece of clear plastic sorts of small pieces of hard- on top. So you don't have to ware (or other small items). remove the lid to see I ordered these canisters what's inside - a qnick from Lee kl ley Tools. glance is all it takes. Besides these canis

And unlike a lot of small ters, they also have @ containers where a wide assortment

fits loosely, the lid on this of other storage con- canister pops on for and off with a satis-

8 "o*e-=- B$ns,-,.8riMo1% = over l o o v ~ M w r ~ ~ ~ a *

~ ~ f o r W o o & o ~ l d n g ~ ~ ~ ~ & ~ & %itch.aWoodmrking %~pTbuts&@e~y

4 Pr0JectFkw Yon Cl~ckon ~ubwnber Services ot GWDoWoad *Atmyour www.shopno~.com urmuntstulus

* hueyourmaiing aremoiIoddr~s

LinksO Other Poy your bill w~~~~~~~~ Oxder%~Xotes (&

*Tell us if you've m~rred on i w e

No. 62 ShopNotes

.- I-.

A Here's an opportunity to build your own antique toolbox. With its traditional-l~ok- ing box joints and aged brass hardware, this classic toolbox is the perfect place to house your favorite hand tools. It's just the right size to set on a workbench or carry to a jobsite. Plus a convenient, lift-out tray makes a handy tote for hardware or smaller tools. Complete plans for this project begin on page 14.

Cutting Diagram

Materials

Clamp Head Support & Platform A Lower Rail (1) 11/2 x 3 - 461/2B Upper Rail (1) 3/4 x 3 - 461/2C Rail Spacers (7) 3/4 x 3 - 3D Back (1) 48 x 48 - 3/4 MDFE Braces (4) 11 x 465/16 - 3/4 MDFF Mounting Rails (2) 6 x 48 - 3/4 MDF

Vertical Rails & Clamp BarG Vertical Rails (7) 3/4 x 11/2 - 413/4H Guide Strips (12) 3/4 x 3/4 - 12I Bar Rail (1) 3/4 x 4 - 48J Clamp Bar Guides (6) 3/4 x 11/2 - 8K Bar Stiffener (1) 3/4 x 2 - 48L Bar Face (1) 3/4 x 13/4 - 48

Clamp Heads & HandwheelM Base (6) 611/16 x 6 - 3/4 Ply.N Clamp Body (6) 53/16 x 4 - 21/4 Ply.O Retaining Strip (6) 21/4 x 53/16 - 3/4 Ply.P Hand Wheel (6) 7 x 7 (rgh.) - 3/4 Ply.Q Clamp Head Face (6) 3/4 x 11/2 - 511/16

Note: You’ll need (1) sheet of Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF),approximately 16 bd. ft. of 3/4"-thick hardwood, and (1) 2' x 4' piece of3/4" plywood for this project.

®

Clamping Station

Administrator

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E E E E F F

D

48" 96" - MDFx #/4"

C C C C C C CAB

BX 7 - 96"#/4" !/2"

N N N N N N N N NN N N N N N N N N

P P P P P P

M M MM M M

O

24" 48" - MDFx #/4"

LK

J

I

Q

X 7 - 96"#/4" !/2"

HG

GX 7 - 96"#/4" !/2"

Administrator

Page 2 of 2 ShopNotes No. 62 ©2002 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.

TRAY IS DIVIDEDINTO HANDY STORAGE

COMPARTMENTS

EXPLODED VIEWOVERALL DIMENSIONS:28 W x 8 D x 9 H#/4" #/4" !/4"

LID PANEL“FLOATS” IN

FRAME

CASE SITSIN GROOVE INLOWER FRAME

TRAYRIDES

ONRUNNERS

LID STOPSKEEP LIDALIGNED

SOLID WOODFRAME SURROUNDSHARDBOARD PANEL

LEATHERHANDLE

BRASS-PLATEDDRAW CATCH

CASE OF TOOLBOXIS CONSTRUCTEDOUT OF "-THICK

DOUGLAS FIR!/2

SLIDINGTRAY

END VIEW(CROSS SECTION)

This version of the Carpenter’stoolbox is constructed with rabbetjoints and nails instead of box joints.In order to keep the overall dimen-sions the same, the ends of the boxand the ends of the tray are slightlyshorter on this version than on thebox-jointed version. (Refer to thematerial list.)

The nails we used are copper,rose-head boat nails from Lee Valley(1-800-871-8158). Because thesenails are copper, they are rather softand bend easily. So we found it nec-essary to drill holes for the nailsbefore hammering them in place.

Materials & HardwareA Case Front/Back (2) 1/2 x 81/4 (rgh.) - 28B Case Ends (2) 1/2 x 81/4 (rgh.) - 71/2C Tray Runners (2) 3/4 x 27 - 1/4 Hdbd.D Lid Stop (1) 1/4 x 211/16 - 72E Base Molding (1) 3/4 x 13/4 - 96F Bottom Panel (1) 61/4 x 261/4 - 1/4 Hdbd.G Lid Molding (1) 3/4 x 13/4 - 96H Lid Panel (1) 3/4 x 61/8 - 261/8I Tray Front/Back (2) 1/2 x 23/4 - 15J Tray Ends (2) 1/2 x 23/4 - 57/8

K Tray Dividers (2) 1/2 x 21/2 - 57/8L Tray Handle (1) 1/2 x 31/2 - 83/4M Tray Bottom (1) 57/8 x 141/2 - 1/4 Hdbd.

• (2) Small Brass Trunk Hinges• (1) Leather Trunk Handle• (2) Brass Plated Draw Catches• (18) #6 x 1/2" Brass Fh Woodscrews• (6) #8 x 3/4" Brass Rh Woodscrews• (30) #13 x 11/2" Copper Rose-Head Boat Nails

TOP VIEW

!/4"

!/2"

CASEEND

CASE FRONT

SIDE VIEW

CASEEND

CASEBACK

BOTTOMPANEL

BASEMOLDING

a.

b.

Administrator

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ShopNotes Issue 62

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