Woodworking for Your Home

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4 T a b l e o f C o n t e n t s

W o o d w o r k i n gF o r Yo u r H o m e

F a l l 2 0 0 9

8 Reader Questions,Answered

12 New Woodworkers’ Top 10 Tools

18 Bathroom Vanity

26 Classic Kitchen Island

32 Shop-built Passage Door

40 Fireplace Mantel

Table ofContents

SIP.WYH.004 8/20/09 10:03 AM


48 Build A Bedroom Shelf

56 Cabinet Shell Game

64 Outdoor Swing & Arbor

70 Reject, Restore or Refinish

74 Tricks Of The Trade

SIP.WYH.005 8/20/09 10:03 AM

6 I n t r o d u c t i o n

Fall 2009woodworkersjournal.com

Chris Marshall Special Projects Editor

Larry N. Stoiaken PublisherRob Johnstone Editor in ChiefJoanna Werch Takes Senior EditorJeff Jacobson Senior Art DirectorJoe Fahey Associate Art DirectorMatthew Becker Content Coordinator

Ann Rockler Jackson Founder and CEOMary Tzimokas Circulation DirectorKelly Rosaaen Circulation ManagerLaura White Fulfillment ManagerDana Severson Advertising DirectorAlyssa Tauer Advertising Operations

Advertising SalesJ.F. Van Gilder Company12740 Hillcrest Plaza Dr., Suite 295,Dallas, Texas 75230David Beckler [email protected] Smith [email protected] Van Gilder [email protected]: (972) 392-1892Fax: (972) 392-1893

Subscription Inquiries(800) 765-4119 or www.woodworkersjournal.comWrite Woodworker’s Journal, P.O. Box 8572, Red Oak, IA 51591-1572.E-mail: [email protected] Include mailing label for renewals and address changes. For gift subscriptions, please include your name and address in addition toyour gift recipient’s name and address.

Back Issues & ReprintsWoodworker’s Journal or Today’s Woodworkerwww.woodworkersjournal.com

Woodworking for Your Home is published by Rockler Press Inc., 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. Single copy price, $5.99. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Printed in the USA.

Web Site:www.woodworkersjournal.com©2009 Rockler Press Inc., Printed in USA.

M a k e t h el e a p f r o mD I Y e r t ow o o d w o r k e r !

Most woodworkers I know

are active do-it-yourselfers

— but the opposite isn’t

always true. Even so, the skills

you’ve learned from projects like hanging doors, installing trim or

framing a new deck aren’t all that different from so called “pure”

woodworking skills. That’s why we put this special issue together ...

to help you complete the transition from DIYer to woodworker.

With just a few new tools and some skills you probably didn’t know

you already have, you’ll be ready to build wonderful projects that

might actually stay with you next time you move! To get you started,

Special Projects Editor Chris Marshall rounded up seven of our best

home-themed projects from the archives, including a stunning

Bathroom Vanity (page 18), bullet-proof Torsion Box Shelves (page 48)

and a clever way to wrap a cabinet around utility shelves (page 56). Bill

Hylton will even teach you how to make six-panel doors on page 32.

And if you’re feeling ready to take

the plunge, check out our feature

story on page 12. We’ve covered the

top ten essential tools for every home

woodworking shop. Long-time contrib-

utor Michael Dresdner concludes things

with a guide for evaluating finishes

that need a little first aid (page 70).

So, read up, and let’s get a great

home woodworking project started!

Ian Kirby, an expert in torsion box construction,makes super-strong shelves on page 48.

Introduction

SIP.WYH.006 8/20/09 10:07 AM

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SIP.WYH.007 8/24/09 11:47 AM

8 R e a d e r Q u e s t i o n s , A n s w e r e d

Reader Questions, Answered

QWe recently retired tocentral Texas where it’seither hot and humid or

cold and humid. A 12' x 16' shedcould make a small workshop. Imake small items but need spacefor tool storage. I also need tostore a walk-behind lawn mower,wheelbarrow and garden tools.

Aside from the space problem,I’m concerned about dust clogging an air-conditioner filteror exploding from a gas or electric heater. Flammable

fumes, too, are a concern.Maybe I want more than I canhave, but if you can suggest waysto solve these problems, you’llhave my vote for president.

R. R. IhrigWhitney, Texas

A If nominated, I will not run;if elected, I will not serve ...but thanks for your vote of

support! It sounds like you are will-ing to put some time and moneyinto creating an efficient and func-tional shop space. And you aredoing it in the right way by plan-ning to avoid problems before youbegin. My favorite book on thissubject remains Scott Landis’s The Workshop Book, published byTaunton Press.

To your questions about dustand flammable fumes, commonsense is the key in dealing withboth. Sufficient dust collection(both point-source dust extrac-tion and ambient air filtration) isa great investment. New optionsfor both enter the market contin-ually. In a small space, finishingwith hazardous fumes can bestbe dealt with by avoiding themaltogether. With the large selec-

The Workshop Book, by Scott Landis,has our editor’s endorsement as a greatguide to planning your shop layout.

tion of shellac and waterbasedfinishes on the market, not tomention products like wipe-onpolyurethane, I would be sur-prised if you would need toresort to spraying lacquer or thelike. I would avoid a heating sys-tem that uses an open flame, butI am aware of hundreds of shopsthat use woodburning stoves toheat them. I wouldn’t ... and, infact, when I run for office, thatwill be part of my policy state-ment: I’m strongly against openflames in the workshop.

— Rob Johnstone

Q I am making a gardengate out of red cedar.The gate is 3' x 4' high,

but I think the surface is too flatand needs a textural element. I thought that a V-groove in the center and one every 3" expanding outward wouldbreak up the surface to give itmore visual interest. Do youknow of a jig design or anotherway to keep my router’s V-grooves straight and the linesparallel to each other?

Donald KennedyEast Hampton, New York

R e a d e r s r e g u l a r l y s u b m i t q u e s t i o n sa b o u t w o o d w o r k i n g t o t h e m a g a z i n e .W e d o o u r b e s t t o a n s w e r t h e m — o rf i n d o t h e r e x p e r t s w h o c a n . h e r e a r et h o s e r e s p o n s e s .

SIP.WYH.008 8/13/09 11:53 AM


Hardwoodedge guide

1/4" Hardboardtemplate

Stop

T-bolt

T-slot track

A If you have a router tablebig enough for this proj-ect, that would be the

ideal solution. Barring that, thenext best answer is a straight-edge jig like the one I built for theJune 2000 issue of the Journal(see illustration above).

The heart of the jig is a verystraight, jointed plywood fence,which is sealed along its tworipped edges with strips of solidhardwood banding. A groove isthen plowed in the top, to housean aluminum T-slot track.

Your router runs along

the fence of the jig, and thatguides a straight bit along ahardboard template attached tothe bottom of the fence.

If you want to customize yourjig, you can index the end offyour first groove to your 3" spac-ing. Sandwich the gate on theboard, and put a marker to usefor indexing off a slot. Then con-tinue down the gate, routing inall your V-grooves.

— Rick White

A router’s baseplaterides against theedge of this jig toensure a perfectlystraight cut. Ahardwood templatemarks the bit’s path.

SIP.WYH.009 8/20/09 10:52 AM

Aligning wood banding to plywood is onegood use for biscuits, but they’re not idealfor high shear-strength applications.

10 R e a d e r Q u e s t i o n s , A n s w e r e d

QNo matter what kind ofportable drill I use orsolutions I try, I can’t

seem to get keyless chucks tight.The drill bit slips inside the chuckwhenever it meets a certainamount of resistance. Is theresome secret to securing the drillbit inside the keyless chuck?Some sort of temporary adhesiveor slip-resistant coating that Ishould use? Looking forward toany solutions you might have.

Alexander BoveChestnut Hill, Massachusetts

AAlthough I know of no“miracle coatings” thatprevent bit slippage, I can

think of several things to minimizethe problem. Since keylesschucks with smooth plastic outershells are difficult to grasp andtighten, you can improve your gripand increase bit-tightening torqueby wearing gloves with anti-slipcoated palms. To improve yourchuck’s hold on larger-diametertwist bits, try using flat-ground-shank bits (see photo, above).

It’s also important to consideryour technique: Are you applying

A chuck’s three jaws seat on the flat part ofDeWalt’s Pilot Point bits, so the bit can’t slip.

too much pressure as you drill,causing the bit to slip? Try a littleless downward force, especiallywhen the bit is just about to breakthrough the underside of the mate-rial. This is most important whenboring through thin sheet metal.When drilling thick materials,such as wood or plastic, make sureto pull the bit out occasionally, toclear chips that can create enoughresistance to hang the bit up.

— Sandor Nagyszalanczy

Q I recently had to repair anexterior wood storm doorand thought it was a per-

fect excuse to try a biscuit joiner. Idisassembled the door and foundthat it was held together withhardwood dowels. After replacingthe dowels, I was wondering ifthere is any rule of thumb as towhen to use dowels or biscuits.

Tom ChadwickGlen Rock, New Jersey

AAre you trying to rein-force the joint or simplyalign the parts? Because

of the deep penetration you canget with long dowels, they’ll pro-vide more joint shear strengththan biscuits. My primary appli-cation for biscuits is as align-ment aids. However, dowels canbe much fussier to work with.You can’t beat the side-to-sideadjustability and ease of installa-tion with biscuits.

A second consideration is thesize of the parts you’re assem-bling. Even the #0 biscuit — thesmallest conventional size —needs a slot about 2" long. Thiswon’t work on a face frame with11⁄ 2"-wide rails. The more recentface frame biscuits, and otherspecialty sizes, can help solve

AThose moveable hooksseem a little odd until youconsider that the hook

has a thickness. If you’re pullingthe tape to measure off a board’send, the hook’s thickness does-n’t matter — it’s situated on theother side of “zero” and oppositeof what you’re measuring. But, ifyou push the tape into a corner,the thickness of the hook wouldadd to the sum of your measure-ment if it didn’t move. Every“inside” measurement would beoff by the hook’s thickness. So, ahook is designed to move thesame distance as its thickness toaccount for both inside and out-side measurements. To keep itaccurate, remember your shopteacher’s advice ... don’t let itslam home.

— Chris Marshall

this problem, provided you’vegot a machine that can cut thesmaller slots they require.

— George Vondriska

QWhy is there always alittle bit of “play” ina retractable tape

measure’s end hook?Arthur MendelRichmond,California

Tip movementallows for the

thickness of themetal hook.

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12 N e w W o o d w o r k e r s ’ T o p 1 0 T o o l s

Let’s say you’re a long-timeDIYer who wants to get intowoodworking, but your col-

lection of “woodworking” toolsamounts to the jig saw, drill andcircular saw you’ve had sincecollege. What do you buy next?That’s a sensible question, and I can help answer it. Here are my top 10 picks for tools everynew woodworker should own.Eventually you may decide totrade up as your skills improve,but these tools will serve youwell without costing a bundle.

1. Rolling Table SawA table saw will take you fartherthan your circular saw ever will,and it’s a better initial investmentthan a miter saw. You can rip,crosscut or cut angles on every-thing from plywood to purple-heart — safely and accurately.Plus, you can add dadoes, rabbetsand box joints to your projects.

A 10" saw mounted on a col-lapsible wheel stand is a goodway to go. That way, you can useyour saw in the garage, base-ment or even outside and take itwith you wherever you need togo. It’s the most practical stylefor the DIYer/woodworker andquite affordable. Concerning fea-tures, look for a rip fence that

Today’s crop ofrolling table sawsoffer excellentportability andsome of the bestnew safetyfeatures.

locks down solidly, a riving knifethat moves with the blade and anarbor shaft long enough to

accept a dado blade. The bladeguard should install easily andoffer a clear view of the cuttingaction. Make sure the stand hasdurable wheels or pneumatictires and sets up without hassle.

2. Benchtop Drill PressA 1/3 or 1/2hp benchtop drillpress is all the machine mostwoodworkers really need — andyou can buy a good one for lessthan $200. Obviously, you’ll beable to drill perfectly straight,smooth holes with a drill press,but it also works well for hoggingout mortises or smoothingcurves with sanding drums. Pickone with a 1/2"-capacity chuckand a pulley system that makes itsimple to change speeds. Orinvest in electronic variable speedcontrol. A large, cast-iron table isan essential feature, especially ifthe edges are flat, so you canclamp jigs or workpieces to it.

A benchtop drill press will bore straight,smooth holes, plus make a goodmortiser and drum sander.

T h e s e c o r e t o o l s w i l l g e t y o u rw o o d w o r k i n g o f f t o a s t r o n g s t a r t .

By Chris Marshall

New Woodworkers’ Top 10 Tools

SIP.WYH.012 8/20/09 10:17 AM

machine-cut dovetails and otherjoinery. Plunge routers are moreversatile than fixed-based stylesif you can only afford one tool,but consider spending a littlemore for a combo kit. It’s a greatvalue. You’ll get an interchange-able motor that fits into a fixedbase (ideal for a router table)and a plunge base. Choose a unitwith variable speed, electronicfeedback and collets for 1/4"-and 1/2"-shank bits.

You can cut curves, rip, crosscut andeven do some light-duty resawing withan inexpensive 9" band saw.


3. Benchtop Band SawA 9" band saw (around $150) willdo a much cleaner job of curvecutting than a jig saw can, plus itcan navigate intricate scrollingwork. You can also use a band sawfor ripping, crosscutting and mod-erate resawing. Buy a machinewith a large, cast-iron work tableand built-in worklight. Ball-bear-ing blade guides are a plus, butsolid guides work just fine, too.

4. Plunge Router or Multi-base Router KitNo woodshop is complete with-out a router, especially a mid-sizemachine (11⁄ 2 to 21⁄ 4 hp). Here’sthe tool you need for templatework or creating eye-catchingprofiles on the edges of yourparts. It’s also your ticket to

Whether you choose a full-size, mid-size,trim router or combo kit, you’ll find it tobe indispensable for shaping and joinery.

SIP.WYH.013 8/20/09 10:17 AM

The woodworking industry is filled with all sorts of clamps, andyou’ll need a small army of them for your project pursuits.

14 N e w W o o d w o r k e r s ’ T o p 1 0 T o o l s

5. Brad Nailer/Compressor KitThere’s nothing wrong withhammering nails, but an 18-gauge brad nailer (the preferredgauge for woodworking) willhelp get the job done more effi-ciently and easily. Just load astrip of nails (5/8" to 2", depend-ing on the gun), aim and squeezethe trigger. You’ll drive and setthe nail instantly. Buying the gunas an all-in-one kit with a smallcompressor gets you up and run-ning for about $250, and you canuse the same compressor withlarger finish or framing nailersfor other DIY projects. Perfect!

6. Hand Plane DuoIan Kirby, our hand-tool expert,recommends two hand planes forwoodworking: a #41⁄2 smoothingplane and a #07 jointer plane. Thefirst will do a nice job of flatteningand polishing board faces andgeneral cleanup tasks. The sec-ond is useful for truing up stockand flattening edges when gluingup panels. It’s a thrifty option tobuying a stationary jointer.

7. Clamps, Clamps, ClampsThere’s just no way aroundamassing an army of clamps.From locking down jigs to gener-

Hand-tool expert Ian Kirby recommends a smoothing plane for general cleanup andpolishing work, plus a longer jointer plane for flattening and truing edges.

al project glue-ups and partsassembly, you’ll reach for clampsall the time. A helpful setincludes C-clamps, quick-actionclamps, short and long barclamps, pipe clamps and webclamps. Build your collection asyou need them, and buy qualitybrands right from the start.Good clamps sure aren’t cheap,but they’ll hold up their end ofthe bargain like an old friend …and you can never have toomany of those.

8. Pocket Hole JigOne of the fastest and easiestways to join wood is with pocketscrews. If you can drill holes anddrive screws, you can make pan-els, face frames, miter joints andcabinet boxes with these uniquejigs and a stepped drill bit.Pocket screw joints are an effec-tive alternative to more time-con-suming or complex joinery suchas mortise and tenons, and theirstrength has earned the respectof the pros. Very handy indeed.

A quick wayto bring theconveniencepneumaticnailing to yourwoodworkingprojects is to buy an 18-gaugebrad nailerand smallcompressor as an all-in-one kit.

SIP.WYH.014 8/20/09 10:17 AM


Dust and chip control takes many forms.Here, an inexpensive two-port cover fromRockler turns a five-gallon bucket into areceptacle for heavier chips and debris. Ashop vacuum powers the setup whilecapturing the finer dust.

Pocket-hole jigs enable you to drill steeply pitched holes intoone workpiece, then easily join it to another with screws.

Power sharpeners make it easy for you to keep chisels, planeirons, drill bits and turning tools in tiptop cutting condition.

9. Dust and Debris CollectorWood chips, shavings and saw-dust make a big mess and con-taminate your airspace. Thedebris piles up really fast withsome machines, so you’ve got tokeep it under control. Whetherthe solution for your shop is avacuum, a dedicated dust collec-tor or one of several inexpensiveaccessories that convert yourvac into a higher-volume two-stage collector (see photo,

above), make sure it can handlethe amount of dirt yourmachines make. You may needmore than one machine to tackleit all. A dust mask should also bepart of this overall plan to protectyour long-term health.

10. Sharpening SystemDull chisels, plane irons andturning tools just don’t cut it.Whether you decide to use oil- orwater stones, a piece of plate

glass and sandpaper or an all-in-one power sharpening system,you’ll need to adopt a strategy formaintaining sharp edges. Goodnews is, there are several powersharpeners, such as the WorkSharp (see photo, bottom right),that simplify the process withouta big learning curve. Sharpeningstones work well, too — andthey’re cheap — but masteringthem takes lots of practice.

SIP.WYH.015 8/20/09 10:18 AM

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18 B a t h r o o m V a n i t y

B a t h r o o m v a n i t i e s a r e c h a n g i n gf r o m b a s i c s t o r a g e u n i t s t h a t h o l du p a s i n k t o e l e g a n t p i e c e s o ff u r n i t u r e . O u r a u t h o r ’ s o f f e r i n gh a s t o n s o f u l t r a - p r a c t i c a l s t o r a g ei n a v e r y h a n d s o m e b i t o f c a s e w o r k .

By Angie Kopacek

Bathroom Vanity

Most of the vanities I’ve built have been pretty traditional in concept and execution.Nice enough to look at, but all about

function. So when the Journal contacted me aboutbuilding a vanity with a decidedly modern slant, I jumped at the chance. But don’t worry; this cabinet will hold all of your morning’s must-haveaccessories and more.

Building the CaseGet started by cutting out pieces 1 through 4 fromhardwood plywood. Although this project can be built with solid wood, I opted for plywood to minimize the number of expansion and humidityissues this piece will face in a bathroom setting. Togive the case a clean look, I used lock miter joints(see the sidebar on page 23) on the case and draw-ers. I suggest that you cut the dadoes for thedividers into the top and bottom of the case beforethe lock miter joints are cut, as it’s easier to use thetable saw fence on a square end. (See the Drawingson page 21 for construction details.) After you’veset up for the lock miters, cut one side, then spinthe piece 180˚ and cut the other side. The lockmiter profile is next. Install a tall, sacrificial fence(with a small notch for the router bit) on yourrouter table for extra support on these pieces. Usedouble- sided, pressure-sensitive tape to attach it toyour fence. I cut the long top and bottom pieces vertically. It may seem counterintuitive, but the

length is easier to handle vertically as it’s not tryingto tilt off the table.

The next step is assembly. To make things easierduring finishing, sand the inside of the case and thedividers before you assemble. And to make cleanupeasier, do a test assembly. Use blue tape to mask offthe joints. It will make your post-assembly cleanupeasy — just peel off the tape!

After the glue has dried, it’s time to edge-band thefront of the case and form rabbets on the back ofthe case for the backs, using a handheld router out-fitted with a rabbet bit.

Shaping the LegsStart with 8/4 stock for the legs (pieces 5). Mill theboards to 13⁄ 4" thick. Lumber selection is importanthere. When looking for this stock, try to find grainthat curves a bit at the end and cut your legs follow-

MORE ON THE WEBwww.woodworkersjournal.com

For a downloadable and printable cutting diagram that describesthe best way to cut up your plywood pieces for this project, goto our website (listed above) and click on the “More On TheWeb” button. Search for “Bathroom vanity” and you'll also findthe author’s recommended router bits and Forstner bit to helpyou machine the parts.

SIP.WYH.018 8/20/09 11:05 AM



SIP.WYH.019 8/13/09 11:55 AM


By creating a template from 1/4" MDF, our author wasable to use it both to mark the legs’ shape on the stockand as a guide while template routing (above). Cut outthe legs on the band saw (left). Then attach thetemplate to the leg blank with double-sided tape.

ing the curve of the grain. Toensure that your legs are all thesame, create a leg template andflush-trim the legs to the tem-plate, as shown in the bottomright photo.

Round tenons need to beformed at the end of each leg tosupport the vanity top. The easi-est way to cut a round tenon on asquare leg is to use a jig attachedto your table saw’s miter gauge,as shown on page 22. To test thesetup, find some scrap and use a1" Forstner bit to make a test

hole. As you cut the tenons, testthem for fit in your scrap pieceand adjust the blade height asnecessary.

Next, the case needs to begrooved to accept the legs. Makea plywood jig to evenly space thelegs 3" from the front and backof the case. Clamp the jig down,then set a leg into place. Use ascrap piece of plywood to sand-wich that leg, clamp it in place,then lift the leg out. You nowhave a spot sized exactly for theleg. (See the bottom photo on

page 22.) Use a pattern bit set tocut 3/8" deep to rout the groovefor the leg. You’ll also need tonotch the legs, as shown in theDrawings. Use a dado blade andmiter gauge to cut these notch-es. Once the machining is done,you can glue the legs to the case.

Constructing the TopThe top (piece 6) is built up fromtwo pieces of bamboo plywoodlaminated together. Rough-cutthe bamboo plywood slightlyoversize so you have some roomto trim the top to a final size aftergluing. Titebond® III works wellwith bamboo and stands up towet conditions. Since the top isfairly wide, use clamping cauls inthe middle of the lamination toensure good pressure.

When the glue has cured, trimthe top to size and form a smallreveal around the edge (right atthe glue line) to add a little visu-al interest.

SIP.WYH.020 8/20/09 11:05 AM

Leg(FrontViews)

3/4" 3/4"

1/4"

155/8" 155/8"151/4"

11/2"11/2"

5

5

5

1/2"

5/16"

11/2"

25/8"

7/8"

13/4"

1"

291/16"

4"

Rabbet: 1/2" deepby 1/4" wide

The two backs(pieces 20) aresecured into thetwo outercompartments only.

Centercompartment has no back.

3/8"-deepgroove

3

13/4"

3" 3"

7 8 9

1/4"

1/4"

1/4"

Case Side(Side View)

Drawer Sides(Top and Inside Views)

Case Assembly(Back View)

Corner Detail(Front View)


T x W x L1 Case Top (1) 3/4" x 193⁄4" x 48"

2 Bottom (1) 3/4" x 193⁄4" x 48"

3 Sides (2) 3/4" x 193⁄4" x 23"

4 Dividers (2) 3/4" x 191⁄4" x 22"

5 Legs (4) 13⁄4" x 25⁄ 8" x 291⁄16"

6 Countertop (2) 3/4" x 201⁄2" x 521⁄2"

7 Top Drawer Sides (2) 1/2" x 18" x 41⁄ 4"

8 Middle Drawer Sides (2) 1/2" x 18" x 65⁄ 8"

9 Bottom Drawer Sides (2) 1/2" x 18" x 91⁄ 4"

10 Top Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2" x 137⁄8" x 41⁄ 4"

11 Middle Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2" x 137⁄8" x 65⁄ 8"

12 Bottom Drawer Front/Back (2) 1/2" x 137⁄8" x 91⁄ 4"

13 Drawer Bottoms (3) 1/4" x 133⁄8" x 171⁄2"

14 Door/Drawer Blank (1) 3/4" x 23" x 477⁄8"

15 Left Door* (1) 3/4" x 23" x 157⁄8"

16 Middle Door* (1) 3/4" x 23" x 157⁄8"

17 Top Drawer Face* (1) 3/4" x 53⁄ 8" x 157⁄8"

18 Middle Drawer Face* (1) 3/4" x 7" x 157⁄8"

19 Bottom Drawer Face* (1) 3/4" x 103⁄8" x 157⁄8"

20 Cabinet Backs (2) 1/2" x 16" x 22"

m a t e r i a l l i s tT x W x L

* Pieces 15 -19 are cut from the drawer/door blank, piece 14.

Countertop(Side and Top Views)

6

6

1

23

3

4 47 10

5

5

5

6

6

9

912

13

15

16

17

18

19

20

20

Set the base onthe underside ofthe countertop tolocate the roundleg mortises.

Use a V-bit tocut this reveal.

Exploded View

SIP.WYH.021 8/20/09 11:07 AM

The author used the jig featured in“Jigs & Fixtures” in our February 2007issue. You can use a standard sawblade to nibble the stock away or puta dado blade in your table saw. Eitherway, adjust the cut until you create atenon that matches the ElevationDrawings on page 21. The mortises onthe underside of the countertop canbe easily formed using a Forstner bit.


Now, it’s time to mark out the mortises for the leg tenons.To do so, I set the case upsidedown on the top, centered it and markedthe tenonsdirectly onthe under-side of the

lock miter bits, wide pieces aremuch easier to control. Cutting18" and 137⁄ 8" lengths and largewidths on your plywood drawerpieces not only allows for greaterstability when cutting the lockmiter profile, but it also enablesyou to cut off any areas that havea miscut snipe profile. Rout the18" side pieces vertically(against the tall fence) and the137⁄ 8" pieces horizontally. Oncethe lock-miter profile is milled,rip the drawer parts (pieces 7 to12) to width on the table saw.

Cut the drawer bottoms(pieces 13) from 1/4" plywood.

top. For now, there will be a 3/4"overhang on the front; the doorsand drawer faces will bring itflush later.

Use the same 1" Forstner bit to drill the mortises for the legs into the top. Don’t drill too deeply!

Making the DrawersIt’s back to the lock miter bit forthe drawer boxes. When using

The author uses clamped-onguides to help control therouter as she cuts grooveson the side of the carcass.These grooves will capturethe legs.

SIP.WYH.022 8/13/09 11:56 AM


Doors, Drawers, and Other HardwareHardware installation meansyou’re almost done! First on thelist is the laundry hamper insidethe left-hand space. It’s a snug fit.Mount the hamper to the floor ofthe case, as close to the non-hinge side as possible to allowspace for the hinge. Next, mountthe doors. Use full-overlayhinges for the left-hand door andhalf-overlay hinges for the centerdoor. Use a scrap piece for thedoor and attach the hinges to thecase with double-sided tape totest the clearance for the laundrybasket. Install the hinges asshown in the Drawings and alignthe doors with the edges of thecase and each other after thehinges are mounted.

Now it’s time to mark the loca-tion of the drawer slides (see the

door, middle door and the draw-er faces on the plywood. Once allthe pieces are cut, this will helpkeep them from becoming a jig-saw puzzle! Set the table sawfence to 157⁄ 8" and cut off the left-hand door, then spin the piece180˚ and cut off the drawer faceblank. The remaining piece isthe middle door.

Edge-banding will be mucheasier if you band the long sidesof each of these pieces now.Then, score the doors and thedrawer face blank with the samesetup to create perfectlymatched faux “drawer fronts” onyour doors. Next, raise the bladeand cut the drawer faces apart.Then, you can finish banding thedoors and drawers. Finally, cutout the backs (pieces 20) and getready to move on to the hard-ware installation.

These bits make great joints in plywood, but they canbe challenging to set up for a perfect fit. That’sbecause there are two factors involved in propersetup: the bit height and the fence position. The bestmethod is to first set the bit height correctly, thenadjust the fence position.

To begin the process, install the bit so the heightand fence setting create approximately the same sizediagonal on the outer edge of the cut. It likely won’tbe perfect, but it will be a good starting point. Usingstock of the same thickness as you will in your proj-ect, run two pieces through horizontally. Flip onepiece 180˚ and test-fit them. If they’re flush, your bitheight is set correctly. If not, adjust the bit height anddo another test. You’ll only need to adjust the heightby half of the distance that the fit was off. Whenyou’ve got it right, move on to adjusting the fence.

Start by running the test stock vertically against the face of the fence. Once your vertical pieces fittogether flush, your router table should be correctlyset. Do one last test joint to be sure, then rout yourproject pieces with confidence!

T w o S t e p s t o S e t t i n g U p a L o c k M i t e r B i t

Lock miter bits create strong, accurate and attractive miterjoints. As with any miter joint cut, setting it up accurately isthe key to success. Our author offers a simple two-stepprocess for getting it right.

Plow the grooves for the drawerbottoms in the fronts, backs andsides with a dado blade. Test thefit. Don’t worry about stoppingthe grooves, as the lock miterwill hide the corner. Beforeassembly, sand the insides of thedrawers and both faces of thedrawer bottoms. If you plan onfinishing the inside of the drawers, tape the grooves andcorners and finish. Then assem-ble the drawers and check themfor square by measuring thediagonals — they should match.

Cutting the Door andDrawer FacesThe door and drawer faces (pieces14 through 19) are made from onepiece of plywood. This way, thegrain flows smoothly across theentire face of the vanity.

Start by marking the left-hand

SIP.WYH.023 8/20/09 11:07 AM


This vanity makes use of exciting hardware to organizeits storage (rockler.com). The author found thewashbowl and faucet at Rensup.com.

Drawings). I usually center thedrawer slide on the drawer body.Rockler’s Jig It® (rockler.com)works well for drilling inside thecase; use a Vix bit for drilling thepilot holes.

Once the drawers are hung,you’ll attach the drawer faces.Use double-sided tape to attachthem temporarily. I’ve found thatcreating 1/8" spacers helps withpositioning. After the drawerfaces are mounted, you’ll createa grid to assist with positioningthe drawer pulls. Mark the cen-ter of the right-hand edge ofeach drawer face, then mark thecenter of the left-hand side ofeach section of the left-handdoor. Draw a line between thetwo points. This represents theline on which the drawer han-dles will be mounted. Check thedistance between the lines at var-

ious points to ensure they areparallel. Do the same for the ver-tical center of the doors anddrawer faces. Now, create a jigfor drilling the pull holes. Take ascrap of plywood or MDF at least10" long and 3" wide. Mark thecenter of each side and draw aline, forming a cross on thepiece. Mark a point 37⁄ 8" from thecenter on each side of the longline. These points are your pullholes. Drill through these andinstall a pull on the jig to checkyour spacing. Once your spacingis set, line the cross lines on thejig up with the cross lines on theface of the door section or draw-er face. You’re now centered fordrilling. When you’ve got thehandles attached, all that’s left isthe cosmetics organizer in thetop drawer and a rack for theinside of the center door. The

rack can be centered on the doorand the cosmetics organizerneeds to be trimmed to fit.Although the cosmetics organiz-er instructions recommend saw-ing the organizer to size, I hadgreat success simply scoring theplastic several times and careful-ly snapping off the waste. A lightsanding will remove the roughedge, and you are ready to finish!

Finishing UpI wanted to use polyurethane for protection and moistureresistance and an oil-based finishto bring out the luster in thecherry. General Finishes’ GelTopcoat fit the bill nicely. The wipe-on formula made iteasy to apply on the vertical surfaces without drips or runs,and it creates a lovely sheen.

SIP.WYH.024 8/20/09 11:16 AM

For a store near you or free catalog visit Rockler.com 1-877-ROCKLER

No Clamping RequiredRockler’s new Bench Cookies are revolutionizing the workshop, allowing for stable routing, sanding and carving

without traditional clamps. The secret? Non-marring rubber pads that grip both the bench and your

workpiece for solid holds and simple setup. Plus, we’ve designed the Bench Cookie to double as a project

support. It elevates your work for complete access to every edge for easy finishing and edge work.

Sturdy, simple and gauranteed to help you Create with Confidence.

SIP.WYH.025 8/24/09 11:41 AM

The legs are a glued-up hollow construction. Because the plan was to paint the base,our author used yellow poplar, a stable wood that accepts paint well.

26 C l a s s i c K i t c h e n I s l a n d

T h i s p r o j e c t i s r e m i n i s c e n t o f a no l d - f a s h i o n e d b u t c h e r ’ s t a b l e , b u ti t ’ s m u c h e a s i e r t o c o n s t r u c t , t h a n k st o a c l e v e r , b u i l t - u p m a p l e t o p .

By Rob Johnstone

Classic Kitchen Island

In editor in chief RobJohnstone’s kitchen, this islandserves three helpful purposes:

it’s a worksurface, a storage cen-ter for utensils and even a sup-plemental breakfast bar whenthe need arises. Here’s how tobuild this handy project for yourhome’s resident chef.

cabinet shop to have it sandedsmooth and flat on a wide beltsander. You can flatten it yourselfwith a plane or handheld beltsander ... but he was in a hurry.

Once the top is flat, smoothand trimmed to size, glue the topedges (pieces 3) in place, whichprovides an illusion of thickness.Add to the illusion by making theend caps (pieces 4). Cut them tosize and then plow a stoppedgroove on their inside faces (asshown in the Drawings on page29). Now slice biscuit slots into the top to match the groovesyou just plowed. The biscuitsmust not stick out farther thanthe depth of the endcap grooves,or you’ll have a big problem.Glue the biscuits in place, andmake sure there are no excessglue drops to harden and get inthe way.

Put the top onto the plywoodcore: there needs to be a gap ofat least 3/16" between the coreand the sides of the top, but thebiscuited ends of the top mustmatch the core exactly. Put theendcaps onto the top with thebiscuits nestled in their grooves.DO NOT GLUE THIS PIECE

Making the Wrap-around TopTo achieve the butcher blocklook and strength, Rob began bycutting two pieces of birch ply-wood (pieces 1) and glued andscrewed them together to formthe core. Next, he selectedattractively figured hard maplelumber to glue up for the top(piece 2). Even though Rob pur-chased 3/4" S-4-S lumber, he stilltook the time to make sure theedges were dead straight with apass on the jointer. After Robglued up the top, he took it to a

SIP.WYH.026 8/20/09 11:20 AM


SIP.WYH.027 8/13/09 12:11 PM


Drawer Cavity(Section View)

NOTE: Beforeyou mount the

lower leg blocks,test fit the

assembled baseto find their exact

locations.

9

11

3/4" x 3/8"groove is 3/8"

up from thebottom edge.

5

610

5

5

6

6

7

7

8

8

9

11

12

13

13

14

15

25

24

751/4"

3/4"

3/8"

3/4"

11/8"

3/4"

51/4"

131/2"17/8"51/4"

Front(Inside View)

Waste

8

3/4"145/8"

3/8" deep

Front edge

Side (Top and Inside View)

9

3/4"

25/8"51/4"

51/4"131/2"

3/4"

3/8"

Long Divider(Top and Inside View)

Base Exploded View

T x W x L1 Core (2) 3/4" x 401⁄8" x 521⁄2"2 Top (1) 3/4" x 401⁄2" x 521⁄2"

3 Top Edges (2) 3/4" x 21⁄ 4" x 521⁄2"

4 End Caps (2) 3/4" x 21⁄ 4" x 42"

m a t e r i a l l i s tTop Assembly

SIP.WYH.028 8/13/09 12:11 PM


T x W x L5 Leg Staves (8) 3/4" x 3 3⁄ 4" x 33"

6 Leg Fillers (8) 3/4" x 21⁄ 4" x 33"

7 Front and Back (2) 3/4" x 9" x 411⁄4"

8 Sides (2) 3/4" x 9" x 231⁄4"

9 Long Divider (1) 3/4" x 77⁄ 8" x 441⁄4"

10 Short Dividers (6) 3/4" x 81⁄ 4" x 161⁄2"

T x W x L11 Bottom (1) 3/4" x 167⁄8" x 39"

12 Shelf (1) 3/4" x 30" x 48"

13 Shelf Trim (1) 3/4" x 3/4" x 170"

14 Leg Blocks (12) 3/4" x 21⁄ 4" x 21⁄ 4"

15 Drawer Slides (10) 3/8" x 3/4" x 161⁄2"

m a t e r i a l l i s t – Base Assembly

ON! Drill counterbored screwholes through the endcaps andscrew them to the core. Thisallows the laminated top toexpand and contract with season-al humidity without fracturing.Plug the screw holes, sand the topsmooth, and set it aside for a bit.

Building the Basic BaseThere is nothing tricky aboutconstructing the base unit. Beginby creating the legs from thestaves and fillers (pieces 5 and 6).Cut them to size, then glue andclamp together. Their hollowconstruction will come in handylater. Once the glue has cured,sand them smooth and trim themexactly to length on the tablesaw. Go ahead and cut off thefeet, and set them aside. Now use

the table saw to reveal the littledecorative dado around the bar-rel of the leg. (See the ElevationDrawing on the next page forthese details.) Use a router in arouter table to plow the groovesinto the upper faces of the legs.Square up the ends of thegrooves so they are ready for thefront, back and sides (pieces 7and 8). Finally, use your routerand a large chamfering bit toform the decorative leg bevels.

Cut the remaining sheet stockparts (pieces 9, 10, 11 and 12) tosize. There are a number ofdadoes and grooves to be cut intothese pieces. Form them all onthe table saw with a dado headinstalled. Again, the ElevationDrawings will specify the details.

Cut openings for the drawers in

the face of the front after you formthe dadoes and groove in its backface. Miter the shelf trim (piece13) around the shelf (glue and fin-ish nail it securely), and cut theleg blocks (pieces 14) and drawerslides (pieces 15) to size, but setthem aside for the time being.

Now it’s time to assemble thebase. Rob glued and clamped ittogether on his work table withthe legs pointed up in the air.That helped him align the upperedges of all the dividers, front,back and sides evenly. If you planto paint this unit as Rob did, a fin-ish nail here and there is nocause for worry. You might wantto hold off on attaching the feetuntil you get it into your kitchen:that way it will clear a 30" door.(Rob found this out the hard

TopExplodedView

EndcapDetail

4

12

11

The top (piece 2) is 3/8"wider than the core (but

exactly the same length),thus leaving a 3/16" gap at

each edge to allow forseasonal wood movement.

1

2

3

3

4

4

14

14

Top, Core and Endcap (Section View)

SIP.WYH.029 8/20/09 4:29 PM


3/4"

93/4"

181/2"

4"

11/2"

1/8"

3/4"

3/8"

3/4"

9"

5/8"

DrawerExploded View

20

20

21

21

22

22 20

23

21

24 23

1

Drawer Corner Detail

The 3/4" grooves for theslides are 3/16" deep,

centered on the drawersand dividers.

Drawer Slide Locations

If you choose to use hanging wicker baskets, you mayneed to re-machine their hangers to match the insetDrawing at right.

5/16"

3/8"

Remove

5/8"

14

143/4"

21/4"

Leg Block Locations(Bottom View, Core)

TIP: To locate the topleg blocks, flip the topover and position thebase on it, using the

measurements at lowerright as a guide. Mark

the position, account forthe thickness of the legstock, and temporarily

screw the blocks inplace. Verify the fit

before securing theblocks with glue and

screws.

1⁄4"

1⁄4"

45˚chamfer

T x W x L16 Drawer Sides (8) 1/2" x 51⁄ 4" x 153⁄4"

17 Drawer Fronts and Backs (8) 1/2" x 51⁄ 4" x 43⁄ 4"

18 Drawer Bottoms (4) 1/4" x 43⁄ 4" x 151⁄4"

19 Drawer Faces (4) 3/4" x 51⁄ 4" x 51⁄ 4"

20 Large Drawer Sides (2) 1/2" x 51⁄ 4" x 153⁄4"

21 Large Drawer Front and Back (2) 1/2" x 51⁄ 4" x 131⁄4"

22 Large Drawer Bottom (1) 1/4" x 131⁄2" x 151⁄4"

23 Large Drawer Face (1) 3/4" x 51⁄ 4" x 131⁄2"

24 Drawer Pulls (5) 2" Dia.

25 Spacers (5) Trim to fit

26 Baskets (2) Wicker, optional

m a t e r i a l l i s t – Drawers

way!) Once the glue has cured,go ahead and glue the drawerslides in place to complete thebase assembly.

Assembling the DrawersThe simple corner joints on thesedrawers call for a bit of productionwoodworking. Rob machined allthe drawer parts (pieces 16through 23) at once and tookadvantage of each setup on thetable saw to do all similar pieces atthe same time. Dry-fit the drawersto test their joinery and to seehow they fit into the base. Whenyou’re satisfied, glue and clampthem up, then mount the drawerpulls (pieces 24) to the drawerfaces before you mount the facesto the drawers with screws.

With drawer constructionbehind you, sand them smoothand put two coats of clear finishon the drawers, inside and out.

SIP.WYH.030 8/20/09 11:24 AM


Before laminating the top, establishstraight, square edges by jointing thehard maple stock.

Form the island’sfeet by cutting them off the glued-up legs. Most of themachining on thisproject can becompleted on agood table saw.

Finishing UpUse the drawer spacers (pieces25) to adjust the drawer registra-tion. Rob painted the base unitwith white oil-based enamel so itwould be easy to clean. As for thetop, sand it to 600 grit, raise thegrain with water and sand againwith 600. Follow that up with sev-eral coats of butcher block oil.

Move the island to where youwant to use it before you attachthe top and feet (see notes onElevation Drawing). Apply con-struction adhesive around thetop of the legs to secure the top.

Add some sliding baskets tostore spuds and onions downbelow, if you like. With that done,the only thing left is to screw thelegs to the floor and get ready tostart cooking. This project willdelight your guests, no matterhow good a chef you are.

Our new oil-free finish nailers are

engineered to help you achieve the level of

craftsmanship you were always capable of.

They offer precision-driven features such

as dry-fire lockout, dial-a-depth technology,

swivel fittings, patented profile tips … even

an integrated pencil sharpener.

For nearly 40 years, Stanley-Bostitch

has designed its products to be the most

reliable & durable pneumatic tools available.

Maybe that’s why more finish carpenters

and serious woodworkers rely on Stanley-

Bostitch products more than any other

major brand* SX1838K18 Gauge Finish Stapler

BT1855K18 Gauge Brad Nailer

FN1664K16 Gauge Finish Nailer

*Based on third-party survey in U.S. and Canada asking for the brands of finish

products used in the previous 12 months.

www.bostitch.com© 2009 The Stanley Works

SIP.WYH.031 8/20/09 11:32 AM

http://www.bostitch.com

32 S h o p - B u i l t P a s s a g e D o o r

Shop-built Passage Door

A b i g r o u t e r a n d t h e r i g h t s e t o fb i t s a r e a l l t h e “ s h a p e r ” y o u n e e d t om a k e t h e s e h a n d s o m e s i x - p a n e l d o o r s .

By Bill Hylton

Until my wife saw the resultsof these doors, they werejust another project for the

shop. But now, well, she has addednew custom doors for our bath-room, bedrooms and closets to her ever-expanding “honey-do” list.

It doesn’t take a shaper and cut-ters to make these six-paneldoors; just some router bitsdesigned specifically for formingcope-and-stick joinery on verythick stock. One set is fromInfinity, the other from Freud.Either set will enable you to millbasic cope-and-stick joinery fortraditional frame-and-panel doorson the router table. The Freudset can take you beyond just thecope-and-stick, as I’ll explain inthe sidebar on page 36.

Building with Loose TenonsCope-and-stick joinery is fine forcabinet doors, but it’s quite a leapfrom an 18" x 30" door madefrom 3/4" stock to one that’s 30"x 80" and 13⁄4" thick. Although theFreud bits are designed specifi-cally to cut rails with integraltenons, I decided to go withloose-tenon construction instead.

A mortise-and-loose-tenon jointis made by cutting mortises intoboth mating parts and using a sep-

arate strip as a tenon to link them.I’ve used this form of mortise-and-tenon many times, and in my opin-ion, it has a lot of advantages.

First, you can cut the mortiseswith a commonplace plungerouter. Fitted with an edge guideand a long up-spiral bit, I use therouter with a shop-made mortis-ing fixture. It’s efficient becausethere’s only one major setup formortising. The loose tenons are

a snap to mass-produce and easyto fit to their mortises.

Here’s an additional benefit:The joinery allows trial assem-blies at several stages, helpingyou to sidestep mistakes. In this project, you can dry-assem-ble the door parts and clampthem after the cope-and-stickjoints have been routed and the panels raised. Then you can lay out and cut the

mortises. It virtuallyguarantees the jointswill align and the assem-bly will be square.

Panel dimensions gaveme pause briefly. TheInfinity bits produce a1/2"-wide panel grooveand matching stub tenonwhen set up for 13⁄ 4"stock, while the Freudbits produce a 5/8"groove/stub tenon.Making sample panelsproved that I couldachieve the appearance Iwanted with eithertongue thickness. A 1/2"tongue requires a 11⁄4"-thick panel; the 5/8"tongue, a slightly heftier13⁄8"-thick panel.

Top rail

Frieze panel

Frieze rail

Middle panel

Stile

Lock rail

Bottom panel

Mullion

Sticking

Bottom rail

Door Parts

SIP.WYH.032 8/13/09 12:15 PM


SIP.WYH.033 8/13/09 12:15 PM


A 13⁄8"-thick panel with a 5/8"-thicktongue compared to a 11⁄4"-thick panelwith a 1/2"-thick tongue. The former,prepared with the Freud bits, must bemilled from 8/4 lumber. The latter, scaledfor Infinity bits, is milled from 6/4 stock.

Minimize chipping by staging thesticking cuts. Follow a shallow first passwith a not-quite-full-depth cut. A finalcleanup pass leaves you with a virtuallychip-free finish.

The cope cut forms the reverse of thesticking profile — the cope — on eitherside of a stub tenon. Cross-grain cuttingcauses splinters, but the followingsticking cut removes them.

Freud Infinity

Choosing MaterialsShop doors are utilitarian, so I chose poplar. For each door, Ibought three 10"-wide 8/4boards, which yielded all theframe parts and the panels. ThenI built one door. While the processwent more or less as expected, itexposed a couple of shortcom-ings. When I built the seconddoor, the process was smoother,and I think the second door is def-initely stronger than the first.

Starting with Cope andStick CutsThree operations are primary tobuilding these doors: Routingcopes on the ends of rails andmullions, routing the sticking andraising the panels. Prepare yourstock first, following the dimen-sions shown in the Material Liston the next page. You can cut allthe parts to final size, but I sug-gest leaving the stiles overly longfor now. Because you don’t haveto account for the tenons, partlengths are easy to figure out.

The cope cut forms the nega-tive of the sticking profile (thecope) on either side of a stubtenon. It is the first cut you make.Because it’s a cross-grain cut, it’s

vertical styles will work. Make ashallow first pass, a deeper secondpass and clean up with a final pass.At each cutting-depth setting, routall four edges of both sides of eachpanel. Then adjust the setup for adeeper cut and repeat.

As you work your way aroundeach panel, always begin witha cross-grain cut. You’ll get somesplintering as the bit emergesfrom the ends, but the followinglong-grain cut will eliminate it.

You’re now at a point whereyou can dry-assemble the doorto see how it looks. And it looksgood, right?

Making the Loose-Tenon JointsWith the door assembled, clamp itexactly as you expect to in the finalglue-up. If you’ve opted to leavethe stiles long, align them so theyextend beyond the rails at eachend by a couple of inches. Checkthe assembly for squareness.

Now lay out the mortise loca-

likely to cause splintering as thebit emerges from the wood. Thesticking cut that follows the copecut will remove any splinters pro-duced by the cope cut.

Install the cope bit in your routertable and set the height. Make atest cut and measure the shouldersof the cut; they should be equal inwidth. Then cope the ends of therails and mullions in a single pass.

Now switch over to the stick-ing bit. Use a coped piece togauge the bit’s height, aligningthe bit’s slot-cutter with the stubtenon. The sticking cut formsthe panel groove and the decora-tive profile on both edges simul-taneously. Make this cut alongboth edges of the mullions andthe frieze and lock rails, but onlyrout the inside edge of the topand bottom rails and the stiles.

Raising PanelsThe next step is to raise the pan-els. Use whatever panel-raising bityou have — either horizontal or

“I built the first door, and procedural surprisesand histrionics aside, the result was good. Butexperience is a good teacher. Slight changesin layout, joint dimensions and parts labeling

improved the whole construction process, andthe second door is decidedly stronger.”

SIP.WYH.034 8/20/09 11:35 AM


80"

30"

41/2"

7 5/8"

41/2"217/8"

41/2"

91/2"

24"

24"

81/2"

91/8"

31/2"

21/4"

23/4"

NOTE: These dimensions are based on the useof Infinity bits. If you use Freud bits, rails andmullions must be slightly longer.

*Work with pieces 4" to 6" longer than final length; trim excess after assembly.

If you use Freud bits, the panels must be 13⁄ 8" thick; start with 8/4 stock.

11

10

10

10

2

3

4

5

6

7

7

8

9 9

99

11

12

11

11

11

Shop Door Elevation(Front View)

DoorExploded View

Rout 3/4" x 2 1⁄ 2" x 3" mortises instile edges andrail ends.

Rout 3/4" x 2" x3" mortises instile edges andlock rail ends.Glue centertenon only.Middle mortise iscentered acrosswidth of lock rail.

Glue the uppertenon only, sowood movementis directed downfrom that point.

Center the 3/4" x 2 1⁄ 2" x 2"mortise acrosswidth of rail ormullion.

T x W x L1 Stiles* (2) 13⁄4" x 41⁄ 2" x 80" 8/4 poplar

2 Top Rail (1) 13⁄4" x 41⁄ 2" x 217⁄8" 8/4 poplar

3 Frieze Rail (1) 13⁄4" x 41⁄ 2" x 217⁄8" 8/4 poplar

4 Lock Rail (1) 13⁄4" x 91⁄ 8" x 217⁄8" 8/4 poplar

5 Bottom Rail (1) 13⁄4" x 81⁄ 2" x 217⁄8" 8/4 poplar

6 Frieze Mullion (1) 13⁄4" x 41⁄ 2" x 75⁄8" 8/4 poplar

T x W x L7 Mullions (2) 13⁄4" x 41⁄ 2" x 24" 8/4 poplar

8 Frieze Panels (2) 11⁄4" x 91⁄ 8" x 75⁄8"

9 Middle/bottom Panels (4) 11⁄4" x 91⁄ 8" x 24"

10 Loose Tenons (8) 3/4" x 21⁄ 2" x 57⁄8" Scraps

11 Loose Tenons (6) 3/4" x 21⁄ 2" x 4" Scraps

12 Loose Tenons (6) 3/4" x 2" x 57⁄ 8" Scraps

m a t e r i a l l i s t

SIP.WYH.035 8/20/09 11:37 AM

Two pioneers of passage- and entry-door router bits


The same mortising block also sets upthe edge mortises in the stiles. You’llneed to support the long free end witha workstand.

By clamping the rails and mullionsvertically in the mortising block, you canmill mortises in the ends accurately witha handheld plunge router (note theattached edge guide).

Infinity was first to market anarchitectural door set. Basically,they’re pumped-up cope-and-stick bits designed to machinestock up to a full 13⁄ 4" thick in onepass. Until they appeared, rout-ing architectural door partsrequired multiple passes with“doctored” cabinetry bits. Whatthese specialty router bits do isno less than what shaper cuttershave done for decades. With

Infinity’s bit set, as with allshaper cutters intended for thesame job, making strong joints isan entirely separate undertakingfrom milling the basic cope-and-stick connection.

Freud’s router-bit set, on theother hand, takes joint strengthone step further. Its innovativecope cutter enables you to forman integral tenon as long as youwant. After an initial cut that

Infinity’s two bits are a bare pair. A 1/4"slotter to use when working 13⁄8"-thickstock is included, but there are noinstructions for setting up or using the bits.

When you breakdown Freud’scoping bit, thebottom profilecutter can mill anintegral tenon ofany length byshifting the fence.

forms both copes and a stubtenon, you break down the bit byunscrewing an arbor holding aprofile cutter and the pilot bear-ing. What you’re left with is aninverted-head, pilot-free bit, stillset for the cut. Additional passes,controlled by the fence position,extend the cope cut farther andfarther into the rail withouttouching the tenon, which getslonger and longer.

After forming all the tenons,you rout the sticking cuts. On

tions. Twenty loose tenons holdthe door together (see theElevation Drawing on the previ-ous page). Some will argue thatall you need are tenons at therails and stiles and that thosebetween the rails and mullionsare superfluous. I won’t dispute

you label those, too). Now set up your mortising fix-

ture. Years ago I designed andbuilt a mortising block (see tint boxon page 38) for routing mortiseswith a plunge router and edgeguide. Plans for this shop-built fix-ture are in two of my books, BillHylton’s Power Tool Joinery (F&W

that contention, but the shorttenons joining the rails and mul-lions provide positive alignmentduring assembly, and to me, thatis a BIG benefit. Taken together,all the joints provide strength.

For each pair of mortises, lay outthe centerline, scribing a singlepencil line along the rail and acrossthe stile or along the mullion andacross the rail. The lines will helpyou return the parts to this exactalignment during the tenon fittingand during final assembly. Thiscenterline is all you need to regis-ter the part on the router mortis-ing block fixture that I’ll describenext. The mortising setup will con-trol the position and size of the cut.

Label each joint with a letter ora number. The big value herecomes later, when you fit theindividual tenons (I suggest that

SIP.WYH.036 8/13/09 12:16 PM


Rout the radiused edges of the tenons first;then refine their fit if needed by taking offa few shavings with a block plane.

wide rails, like the lock andbottom rails, you divide thetenon on the band saw, leavinga stub tenon between tenonsegments. The panel groovecut by the Freud bits is 1/16"deeper than the sticking profile, so you don’t have tocut too close to the shouldersof the copes.

How you cut the mortises isup to you, though Freud’sextensive instructions includesuggestions for that proce-dure and every other step of adoor project.

Expect more door-makingbit options to come from thesetwo companies in the future.Considering the cost savingsof buying a set of router bitsinstead of a stationary shaperand cutters, these bits are abargain at any price! And, theywork great.

Twenty loose tenons — shown here onthe surface of an assembled door — holdthe door together. Positive alignmentduring assembly is a primary benefit ofthe short tenons joining the rails andmullions. The long tenons joining therails and stiles provide strength.

Publications) and the newlyrevised edition of Woodworkingwith the Router (Reader’s DigestBooks). Simple yet versatile andsturdy, it’s basically a big block Iclamp at the edge of the work-bench. Here’s how it works:

• The workpiece is clamped tothe face of the block, so the edgeor end to be mortised is flush withthe block’s top surface. It has inter-changeable, adjustable workrests— one horizontal, one vertical —with toggle clamps to support andsecure the workpiece.

• The plunge router rests on thetop surface with the bit positionedover the workpiece. The top sur-face must be perpendicular to theface, of course. A registration lineacross the top is critical: It repre-sents the center of the mortise,and you’ll align the workpiece to it.

• The router’s edge guiderides along the block’s backedge (it’s actually captured in atrack). The guide’s setting con-trols the position of the mortise.It also ensures the mortise isparallel to the workfaces.

• Adjustable blocks screwed tothe block’s top crowd the router,which limits the length of cut andestablishes the mortise length.

• The router governs thedepth of the mortise through itsplunge setting, but you’ll need along bit. To achieve the deepdoor mortises, I used a DeWaltDW625 plunge router and aLeigh 1/2" up-spiral bit (180CL),which has 3"-long cutting edgesand an overall length of morethan 4". If you don’t have thisrouter, you’ll need one with aplunge range that exceeds 3".Even on my DeWalt, I had toremove the “height-stop thumb-wheel” from the threaded rod onthe right front of the router toallow the motor to rise 5/8" high-er on the posts.

Here’s an inventory of the 40mortises you need to cut for eachdoor: 16 are 3/4" wide, 21⁄2" longand 3" deep; 12 are 3/4" wide,21⁄2" long and 2" deep; 12 are 3/4"wide, 2" long and 3" deep. I didthem all with one basic setup.

Cutting the MortisesBegin setting up by laying out amortise on a sticked scrap of theworking stock. Mark the center,and measure and mark 11⁄ 4" toeither side of the center line.Clamp the scrap to the block,aligning the center line with theregistration line. Install the 1/2"bit in the router and adjust theplunge depth to 3". Fit the edgeguide loosely in place. Set therouter onto the block. Adjust theedge guide to center the bit inthe scrap’s panel groove. Move

the router to one mortise endmark and set the first stop, thenshift it to the other end and setthe second stop. You’re now allset up to rout the mortises.

A couple of tweaks, described

SIP.WYH.037 8/20/09 11:42 AM

Mortising Block


below, allow you to rout thoseshallower mortises and shortermortises without touching thisbasic setup. You switch from edgemortises to end mortises simplyby changing workrests.

Always put the workpiece facewith the layout lines against themortise block face. That way, allthe mortises will be a consistentdistance from that face andthey’ll all align. Likewise, alwaysline up the mortise center line onthe workpiece with the registra-tion line on the block.

The biggest difference betweenrouting these mortises and thosefor cabinet doors or table legs isthe size and weight of the work-pieces. I used a telescoping standto support the outboard ends ofthe stiles. I had to forgo the verti-cal workrest and use regularclamps to secure the lock andbottom rails for mortising.

Here are some tricks I used inrouting the mortises, which tookabout an hour altogether to mill:

• Routing 3/4"-wide mortiseswith a 1/2" diameter bit: Usestop collars on the edge-guideshafts/rods to enable you tomove the router 1/4" fore and aftalong the rods. Collars (one oneach rod) between the router and

center the bit in the panelgroove. Lock the edge guide.Measure 1/8" along the rodsfrom the guide and position andtighten the collars. (I used a1/8"-thick gauge bar heldagainst the edge guide, then slidthe collar against it and tight-ened the collar.) Set each of thefour collars this way.

• Use the router’s plunge-stopturret to govern the two differentmortise depths. Use the loweststep on the turret for the deepestmortises. When routing the shal-lower mortises, rotate the turretto a higher step to reduce theplunge depth by 3/4" to 1".

• Use spacers between therouter and the mortising-blockstops when routing the short mor-tises for the lock rail. The baselinesetup allows the router to move 1"to the left and 1" to the right of theregistration line. With a 1/2"-diam-eter bit in the router, the result ofthat travel is a 21⁄2"-long cut.

Notice that the lock-rail mortis-es are only 2" long. So stick a1/4"-thick shim (I used 1/4"-thickMDF) to each stop with carpettape. This reduces the router’stravel by 1/2", thus shorteningthe mortise an equal amount oneither side of the registration line.

the guide set the fore position;collars on the outboard side ofthe guide set the aft position.

I set the guide against therouter-side collars first and rout-ed a 1/2"-wide mortise to the fulldepth. Then I shifted the routerforward and re-routed the mor-tise, widening it 1/4". Remember,the guide is trapped in the mortis-ing block’s guide track, so it can’tmove fore or aft, only side to side.

The first step in setting up is tofit the stop collars on the edgeguide rods. Slide one on eachrod, mount the guide, then addthe second pair of collars. Leavethem loose.

Clamp a workpiece to theblock and position the router to

Seat the lock-rail to the middle mullionjoint by applying a clamp momentarily. Acoped scrap is valuable as a clamp block toprotect the sticked edge of the lock rail.

For routing all manner of mortises, just a block of woodwith square and true edges can hold the work and guidethe tool.

The router rides back and forth on top, limited by theadjustable stops. Its edge guide tracks along the back edge (see photo, top left on page 36).

The bit diameter establishes the mortise width, whilethe router’s plunge function controls the depth.

This vertical holderwith toggle

clamps securesrails and mullions

for endmortising.

A horizontalholder with

toggle clampssecures stiles

for edgemortising.

SIP.WYH.038 8/20/09 11:43 AM

Making the TenonsComplete this joinery work bymaking the loose tenons. I mademine from scrap poplar stock.Plane stock to fit a typical mor-tise. Rip strips to match the twodifferent mortise widths. On therouter table, round the tenonedges to match the mortises,then crosscut the tenons tolength. As you dry-assemble thedoor, pare individual tenons witha block plane as necessary torefine their fit in the mortises.

Assembling the DoorAssembling the entire door with-out glue is an essential preludeto the final glue-up. Take timenow to resolve fit, alignment andclamping issues. You shouldhave labeled the joints as youlaid them out. Now label the indi-vidual loose tenons so you don’tmix them up or misorient anyduring final assembly.

Midway through the assembly,I applied two long clamps — onealong the underside, the otheralong the topside — to pull allthe rail-and-mullion joints tight.Position the “underside” clampfirst and flank it with long boardsto support the door parts (seephotos, this page).

As you assemble a joint, useyour penciled mortise layoutmarks to align the parts. Makesure they really do line up. If themarks don’t align, disassemblethe joint and whittle the edges ofthe loose tenon with a blockplane to create a little extra play.

The lock and bottom rails havemultiple tenons joining them toeach stile. Only one tenon is actu-ally glued to both the rail andstile. The theory is that gluing allthe tenons hampers expansionand contraction of the wide rails,and this could cause them to splitwhen humidity is low for a pro-

tracted period. Gluing one tenonholds the joint closed, while theunglued tenon(s) maintain align-ment, preventing the rail fromcupping or twisting.

During final assembly, I glued allthe loose tenons to the rails, but Iglued only the center lock-railtenon and the upper bottom-railtenon to the stiles. In preparing forfinal assembly, I pared the edges ofthe tenons that wouldn’t be gluedto the stiles to provide a modicumof clearance for wood movement. Iapplied a clamp temporarily to indi-vidual joints to seat them. I workedout which clamp I’d use at eachjuncture during the dry assembly.

Other Final Assembly Notes Assemble the mullions and railsin top-down (or bottom-up)sequence. Insert the panels —don’t glue them, of course — asyou progress: It helps keep theparts in alignment.

Install the first stile. As before,apply clamps briefly to pull thejoints tight and seat the stileagainst the ends of the rails.Install the second stile. At thispoint, remove the two top-to-bot-tom clamps so you can applyclamps across the door. Installone so it’s lined up with the lowerportion of the bottom rail, a sec-ond with the lower portion of thelock rail and a third with thefrieze rail. Turn the door over andapply clamps aligned with the toprail and the upper portions of thelock and bottom rails.

After the glue has set, use astraightedge and a circular saw totrim the top and bottom ends ofthe door to remove the stileextensions, establish the finalheight and square up thedoor overall.

Voila! Great doors with-out a shaper!

Continue the assembly process, slippingpanels into their grooves to help holdthe rails and mullions in position. Makesure the mortise layout marksare aligned. Then finish up by installing the stiles.

Start your dry or final assembly of themullions and rails by working from thetop of the door down or the bottom up.Insert the loose tenons and installclamps above and below the assemblyto close the joints.

w w w . w o o d w o r k e r s j o u r n a l . c o m F a l l 2 0 0 9 39

SIP.WYH.039 8/20/09 11:42 AM

40 F i r e p l a c e M a n t e l

Fireplace Mantel

A c l e a n a n d s i m p l e d e s i g n b u i l t f r o m r i f t s a w n w h i t e o a k m a k e s t h i sM i s s i o n - s t y l e m a n t e l t h e h i g h l i g h to f t h e r o o m .

By Bruce Kieffer

This fine piece was built as acommission for a friend ofmy wife’s. The only parame-

ter given to me at the onset was:“We like Mission furniture.”Wow, that leaves the field virtual-ly wide open! Some woodwork-ers might cringe when offeredso little guidance, but I don’t feelthat way. Even now, after nearly30 years of building custom fur-niture, I’m very much humbledwhen a client puts that muchfaith in my abilities.

As for the design, well, I couldhave taken a simpler road and nottapered the columns, but I didn’tlike that look, and the challengesof making them tapered and thenfitting them to the wall and brickwere too tempting to pass up. Icould have saved some time, too,by not making the mantel entire-ly of solid wood, but I worriedthat plywood might cheapen itsappearance. So, there’s where Istarted, mostly with some (self-imposed) lofty goals. Here’s howI achieved them.

Design ChallengesThree design aspects neededaddressing: First, the mantelneeded to be be a simple designbut not too understated. Second,

The author’s design depended on anelegance of shape and proportion ratherthan superfluous applied moldings.

being made completely of solidwood, the design needed toallow for wood movement. Andthird, since the mantel was notgoing to be stained, I had to fig-ure out how to match the woodcolor and grain so it all blendedwell together.

In terms of design, I felt a well-crafted, simple style would standup to the test of time, so I resistedadding superfluous moldings typical on commercially mademantels. I went to my client’shome, cleared the area aroundthe fireplace, sat down and staredat the raw wall. Quickly, I realized

that there isn’t really a whole lotof stuff that makes up a mantel.There’s a shelf and somethingthat supports the shelf. That’s it!Add Mission styling to that, and Ithink you can see where I startedmy design process.

I made rough sketches exploring different shapes andelements. I noted every meas-urement, including window sizesand locations, as well as the sizeof the room. These days, before Isaw any wood, I first build myprojects on a computer using aCAD program. Since I work in3D, I can see how a finishedpiece looks before it’s built. Allthe problems are worked out inadvance. It’s an invaluable tool inany woodworker’s arsenal, andthere are many CAD programsto choose from these days.

Wood Movement: Managingwood movement requires a cer-tain amount of compromise, butnot allowing for it will surely leadto disaster. My main problemwas the center arch rail (piece15). It’s 9" wide! I don’t care thatriftsawn white oak is stable: I livein Minnesota; it’s going toexpand and contract. To managethe arch rail’s movement, Iscrewed it to the columns so the

SIP.WYH.040 8/20/09 11:44 AM


This mantel was designed to fit a specific fireplace. Should you choose tobuild a version for your home, you will need to adjust dimensions to fityour circumstances and fireplace.

SIP.WYH.041 8/13/09 12:25 PM

MDF mockups of the bases and columnsare scribed and then used as templatesfor the oak pieces. The author used ascribe tool to mark the scribe line, thenscrewed his level to the centerline of thecolumn to easily adjust it plumb (straightup and down).


The author added a fill section madefrom scrap wood to the clampedassembly to turn it into a rectangleshape. Band clamps can then apply theproper pressure.

bottom screws held it tight andthe rest of the screws, whichwere set in elongated holes, let itmove. All the movement is hid-den by the mantel shelf.

Other screwed-together con-nections are handled in a similarfashion. For attaching the columnmoldings (pieces 12, 13 and 14), Idecided that since they weresmall and not load-bearing, gluingthem in place would be sufficient.My experience has shown methat yellow glue will be flexibleenough to handle the movementwithout releasing those moldings.

Wood Matching: I knew thatachieving the perfectly matchedlook I wanted would be a challenge. To ensure my results,I bought lots of extra wood, and I very carefully picked the piecesI used.

The column faces (pieces 9)are symmetrically shaped, so Idecided I could get away with ajoint on the centerline. I used

of my mantel pieces, the calcula-tions I made went like this: the fireplace brick was set onaverage 33⁄ 8" proud of the wall;therefore, my column outsideswere that much wider than thecolumn insides. I added another2" to the overall column depth toaccommodate the 3/4"-thick col-umn faces, plus a 1/4" spacebetween the backs of those facesand the arch rail, plus the 3/4"thickness of the arch rail, plusone more 1/4" for clearancebetween the back of the arch railand the fireplace brick.

The overall height I used was theheight to the top of the bricks,which was 463⁄4", plus 1/4" for agap for shims under the mountingcleat, plus 3/4" for the mountingcleat, plus 11⁄4" for the thickness ofthe top (piece 21). I set the depth ofthe top at 8" and its length at 77".

Don’t Let the FittingProcess Give You a Fit!Installing a mantel like this to anexisting wall requires a lot of fit-ting. There are many ways toapproach the task, but themethod I prefer is to make full-size mockups of the affectedpieces, scribe and fit them, disas-semble them and use the scribedshapes as templates for my actual pieces. I made full-sized

very straight-grained rift oak andmade sure the color was an exactmatch. The arch rail, on theother hand, is not symmetricalalong its width. I figured that anyedge-glued joint on it wouldscream out like a sore thumb.Finding a good piece of riftsawnoak that’s 9" wide is nearlyimpossible. In all of the wood Ibought, I only had two candi-dates. Both told me what Ialready knew: Wide riftsawnboards change to quartersawnon one edge. I had to live withthis, so I chose my best one.

When it came to the 21⁄2"-thickmantel shelf, I was faced with aneven greater problem. The thick-est white oak I could find locallywas 8/4 (2"-thick roughsawn). Iknew I would have to face-gluepieces together to achieve mydesired thickness. To hide thejoint, I bought a wide 6/4 board(11⁄2" thick) and devised a resawand book-match scheme. I select-ed a plainsawn board because theedges are typically riftsawn. In thatway, the front edge of my mantelshelf would match the rest of thewood. I’ll explain this detail later.

Construction OverviewThe bases and arch rail arescrewed to the columns, thecolumns are screwed to the man-tel shelf and then the arch rail isscrewed to the back of thesubtop (piece 24). Then theentire assembly is set over thebricks. I placed blue maskingtape on the wall around thebases and above the rear edge ofthe mantel shelf. These “marks”became the relative referencelines I used to determine whereto set the base and shelf mount-ing cleats (pieces 7 and 25). Iused 2" screws to anchor thebase mounting cleats to thewood floor and concrete anchorsto mount the mantel shelf-mounting cleat to the brick.

To determine the dimensions

SIP.WYH.042 8/20/09 11:45 AM

4" 63/4"

1/4"

Arch Rail Location(Front and Inside Views)

CL


9

6"

411/2"2.76°

7 1/4"

3/4"1/2" 1/2"

3/4"

10"

Exploded View

Column Detail(Back View)

1

4

95/8"

1

2

3

45 6

5/

17

13

142.76°

2.76°

Face Elevation(Front View)

11

8"

1/4"

Base Subassembly(Top View)

Side Moldings(End View)

Column Cleats(End View)

Cleat Location(Side View)

T x W x L1 Base Faces (2) 3/4" x 5" x 111⁄4"

2 Base Outsides (2) 3/4" x 5" x 6"

3 Base Insides (2) 3/4" x 5" x 23⁄ 8"

4 Cleats/Face (2) 3/4" x 3/4" x 81⁄ 4"

5 Cleats/Outsides (2) 3/4" x 3/4" x 51⁄ 4"

6 Cleats/Insides (2) 3/4" x 3/4" x 15⁄ 8"

7 Base Mounting Cleats (2) 11⁄ 2" x 11⁄ 2" x 93⁄ 4"

8 Mounting Screws (12) #8 x 2"

9 Column Faces (2) 3/4" x 10" x 411⁄2"

10 Column Outsides (2) 3/4" x 45⁄ 8" x 415⁄8"

11 Column Insides (2) 3/4" x 1" x 415⁄8"

12 Moldings/Face (2) 3/4" x 1" x 8"

13 Moldings/Outsides (2) 13/16" x 1" x 53⁄ 8"

T x W x L14 Moldings/Insides (2) 13/16" x 1" x 1"

15 Arch Rail (1) 3/4" x 9" x 62"

16 Inserts (2) 1/2" x 3" x 3"

17 Top Cleats (2) 3/4" x 13/16" x 43⁄ 8"

18 Flathead Screws (14) #6 x 11⁄ 4"

19 Pocket Screws (2) #6 x 11⁄ 4"

20 Washerhead Screws (9) #6 x 11⁄ 4"

21 Top (1) 11⁄ 4" x 8" x 77"

22 Subtop Edging (1) 11⁄ 4" x 1/4" x 77"

23 End Blocks (2) 11⁄ 4" x 73⁄ 4" x 41⁄ 4"

24 Subtop (1) 11⁄ 4" x 33⁄ 8" x 681⁄2"

25 Shelf-mounting Cleat (1) 3/4" x 2" x 68"

26 Concrete Fasteners (4) #6 x 2"


1

10

2

3456

7

8

8

9

9

11

1213

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

2223

24

25 26

8

18

SIP.WYH.043 8/20/09 12:22 PM


Chop the holes square using a 3/4"chisel. Do the ends first, then the sides.This order makes cleaner holes.

Rout the 1/2"-deep “insert” recesses in the backs of column faces. A band-sawn 1/2"MDF template and a top-bearing pattern bit are the tools to use.

Remove most of the waste from the squareholes by drilling 3/4"-dia. x 3/8"-deepholes. Use a Forstner bit and drill press.

column and base mockups byscrewing 1/4" MDF sides to3/4" MDF faces and base tops.I screwed the columns to thebases so I could scribe them tothe wall, brick and floor as units(see photo, page 42).

With the help of a longstraightedge, I checked the flat-ness of the brick facade and thatof the surrounding walls. It allseemed to be flat within a halfinch, so that’s how much extra Iadded to the side depths of mymockups. I roughly scribed thebases to the floor, and then Iscribed the column outsides sothey were tight to the walls andthe insides so they flowedsmoothly along the fronts of thebricks. I didn’t try to follow the

Building the ColumnsEdge-glue pieces together tomake the faces (pieces 9). Cutthese pieces to 10" x 411⁄2". Drawcenterlines down the width, andthen draw the tapered shapes, thesquare holes and face moldinglocations (see the Drawings onpage 43). Drill out most of thesquare hole waste (see photo, bot-tom left), then chop the holessquare (see photo bottom right).Cut the inserts (pieces 16) to sizeand rout their 1/2"-deep recesses(see photo, top left). Cut the col-umn-faces’ tapered shapes. Drillthe pocket screw holes in thebacks of the column faces for thescrews that join the columns tothe underside of the mantel shelf.

Cut the narrow and wide col-umn sides (pieces 10 and 11) towidth and 1" oversized in length.Bevel the ends of the sides andtrim their lengths until they fiton the column faces. The bevelangle is 2.76°. I told you I didthis stuff with a CAD program!Get as close to that as you can; itdoesn’t have to be perfect.

Lay out and cut the notches inthe column insides for the archrail. It’s okay to cut the notchbottoms square, since when thecolumn insides are tilted as they

bricks precisely. When I wasdone with the sides, I finishedscribing the bases to the floorand made any necessarytouchups to the column sides.

Using my long straightedgeagain, I checked to see that thefaces and tops of my columnswere in the same planes. I alsochecked the level across the col-umn tops to make sure the man-tel shelf would rest level. I made afew more adjustments, and then Iscribed a template for the shapeof the rear edge of the mantelshelf. I noted the spread betweenthe columns at the top. I neededthat information later in my shopwhen I attached the arch rail.

Still, after all that prep work, Iwas not convinced it would fit per-fectly. So, later, I took the complet-ed but unfinished mantel andassembled it on site to test the fit.I did need to make a few moreadjustments, but they were minor.

Building Up from the FloorIf you were to build this exact man-tel, here’s what you’d do: Cutpieces 1 through 7 to size andmiter the front ends of pieces 1, 2and 3. Glue and clamp together themitered front corners of each base.I used band clamps and added a fillsection to make the shape a rectan-gle, and therefore easy to clamp(see the photo on page 42). Drillthe screw holes in the cleats(pieces 4 through 7). Glue andclamp the oak cleats to the bases.

SIP.WYH.044 8/20/09 11:46 AM


Draw the arch rail’s long, sweepingcurve. A 3/8" x 3/4" birch batten hasthe right tension to create a smoothcurve. Clamp blocks hold the batten endpoints and center height.

The author used tiny-headed Torx drivescrews, driven in so their heads wereflush, to attach the mantel to themounting cleats.

21

21

23 23 22

24

21 23

22

Second cuts(create pieces 23)

First cut (creates piece 22)

Matching the GrainThis technique matches the top’s edge and end grain. The front edge and ends are sawn off the oversized piece 21. Thenthey’re flipped over and glued to the edge and ends of the subtop (piece 24), and to the underside of the top (piece 21).

Mantel Top Blank

are, the bottom of the arch railwill rest tight to the outside highside of the notch. Assemble thecolumn faces and sides. Makeand attach the moldings andcleats (pieces 12 through 14 and17 — see Drawings on page 43).

Making the Arch Rail andMantel ShelfChoose the wood for your arch railcarefully. It’s the most prominentpiece of the mantel and the mostdifficult to find as one solid piece.Cut it to size. Knowing the spreadbetween the columns at their topswill allow you to do a setup in yourshop. Then the arch rail can be setin its notches and the curve endsmarked. You can also locate thearch rail-to-column screw hole

locations, then lay out and cut therail’s curve (see photo, bottomleft, and the Drawings on page 43).Drill the screw holes. All exceptthe two bottoms are elongated oroversized.

Thin-to-thick TrickHere’s how to make the mantelshelf look like it’s made fromwell-matched wood (see theDrawings above). NOTE: the fol-lowing dimensions assume 1/8"saw kerfs and no other waste.Start with a 11⁄ 4" x 83⁄ 8" x 853⁄ 4"piece of plainsawn white oak. Ripa 1/4" strip off the edge with thestraightest grain. Trim 41⁄ 4" offeach end of that strip to makethe subtop edging (piece 22).Crosscut one 41⁄ 4"-long piece offeach end of the main piece and,using a band saw, rip those shortpieces so they’re 73⁄ 4" wide tomake the end blocks (pieces 23).What remains is the mantel top(piece 1). Make the subtop(piece 24). You may need toadjust its width. When all isassembled, its back edge mustalign with the back edge of thearch rail notches cut on the col-umn insides. Glue the piecestogether as shown in theDrawings, above.

Finishing and InstallationAs I said earlier, it’s best to makea final test fit now that you haveall the parts made but not fin-ished. Once you’re happy with

that, final-sand all the parts andapply your finish. I stained myinserts with ebony stain so theywere a warm black color.I finished everything with a 25percent sheen “water white” cat-alyzed varnish. You could getessentially the same look usinga waterbased varnish.

For many reasons, I nevermake my installations perma-nent. Here, I decided to use “yellow” trimhead Torx drivescrews made by GRK Fasteners.An alternative would be readilyavailable black trimhead drywallscrews countersunk and filled.

Although I was not surprised,when I stepped back and looked atthe new mantel, I was pleased thatit looked “natural” and added anice bit of warmth to the room.

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48 B u i l d A B e d r o o m S h e l f

Build a Bedroom Shelf

B u i l d a s h e l f t h a t i s s o s t r o n g i ts e e m s t o b e a n o p t i c a l i l l u s i o n ! Y o u c a n p u t t o r s i o n b o x t e c h n o l o g yt o w o r k i n a p r a c t i c a l s e t t i n g .

By Ian Kirby

L ike a large plank of solidwood, a single torsion box isof limited use. In the case of

the large plank, we usually cut itinto smaller pieces, which arethen joined together in someway to make the desired object.

Not so with a T-box (torsionbox). It differs from the largeplank in two important ways. First,we can make it to any length,width and — most significant of all

— thickness we want. Second,because it is a structural compo-nent, we can use it in ways that areimpossible with a plank. There arevirtually no boundaries to how wecan design and engineer ways toexploit its strengths: we are notbound by wood movement, graindirection or surface finish.

A Practice ShelfAs an example of what the T-boxhas to offer, here’s how to use aT-box to make one or moreshelves on a wall with no appar-ent means of support. This is aquick and easy project for yourfirst keeper T-box. It should finda useful place in your shop

SIP.WYH.048 8/13/09 1:00 PM


SIP.WYH.049 8/20/09 11:48 AM


Critical Path for Wall Shelf1. Cut the skins to

dimension and square.

2. Cut the core parts andspacer blocks.

3. Assemble the core.

4. Position the core onone skin.

5. Position the core on the second skin.

6. Glue the box.

7. Clamp the box.

8. Refine the edges.

9. Lip the edges.

10. Attach the ledger to the wall.

11. Glue the shelf to theledger.

How Strong Can These Little Boxes Be?

has MDF skin and core — noneed to lip it: radius the edgesand it’s ready to paint. Next up isthe same design, painted. Thirdup has an oak-faced plywoodskin with oak lipping. The topone is leather-covered, which isfinished with an oak lippingglued on at each end. The T-boxis an important option for anyonewho is seri-ous aboutdesigningand buildingfurniture.

Q: Just how strong is a wall-hung T-box shelf?

A: Very strong, as evidenced by thetest rig shown here (below right)under load (weight unspecified!).

When the glue has cured, you have a very robust, non-adjustable shelf. I suggest that when you decide to sellyour house, promote it as “SHELF —with house attached!”

Over the years, I’ve demonstratedmaking T-boxes many times, as youcan see by the various examplesshown here. In the photo at left youcan see a shelf that is ready to glue up.In the stack of shelves, the bottom one

The author has, through the benefit of time and experience,perfected the torsion box as a component of fine furnituremaking. Its unique qualities are such that every woodworkershould be willing and able to put them to use.

or garage. However, this is notjust an ordinary shelf, but onesturdy enough to sit on! Andafter you’ve made your startershelf, you can step up to build alovely bedroom shelf.

Ledgers: The T-boxConnectorThe key to its design is the openpocket at the back of the shelf and the separate core piece,called a ledger, which is screwedto the wall. Indeed, this pocket-and-ledger system is almost auniversal method of joining T-boxes into larger structures.Once familiar with how it works,

you’re well on your way to creat-ing complex furniture from mul-tiple single boxes.

The width of the ledger is thesame as the core, but it’s three orfour times thicker to increase theglue surface and provide suffi-cient material to bolt firmly to thewall. Use hardwood for strength.My preference is maple.

In Praise of Lag ScrewsI’ve learned that only lag screwsattach the ledger to studs in thewall with the necessary rigidity.Earlier experience with regularwood screws up to #14 gaugerevealed that the screws would

flex and bend when force wasapplied to the front edge of the T-box. I use 3/8" x 4" lag screws.An added bonus is that driving alag screw into a wall with awrench is much simpler thanputting in a heavy-gauge screwwith a driver.

SIP.WYH.050 8/20/09 11:49 AM


Ledger Attachment (Section View)

241/2"

91/4"

403/4"

103/8"

15/32" Hole 3/8" x 4" Lag screw

1/4" Skin

1/2" Core 1/2"Sheetrock

2x4Wall stud

Mapleledger

9/32" Hole

Shelf Exploded

View

Practice Shelf Core Layout(Top View)

The locatorblocks, (pieces 8),are used not only tolocate the skin onto theassembled core during glue-up, but also to force the coreinto “square.” If the front and backmembers of the core have a bend,you can adjust that during steps 4 and 5of the Critical Path (see tint box, facing page)by using locator blocks — they are simply hot-glued in place. They are not traditional glue blocks,as they do not join components of the shelf together.

11⁄8" Counterbore

Serious Shelf Core Layout

(Top View)

T x W x L1 Plywood Skins (2) 1/4" x 9" x 24"2 Softwood End Frames (2) 3/8" x 13⁄ 8" x 9"3 Softwood Front & Inside Frames (2) 3/8" x 13⁄ 8" x 231⁄4"4 Softwood Cores (5) 3/8" x 13⁄ 8" x 71⁄ 8"5 Maple Ledger (1) 13⁄ 8" x 1" x 23"6 Ash Lipping* (1) 1/4" x 17⁄ 8" x 241⁄2"7 Ash Lipping* (2) 1/4" x 17⁄ 8" x 9"8 Locator Blocks** (8) 1/2" x 11⁄ 4" x 11⁄ 4"9 Lag screws (2) plus washers 3/8" x 4"*Cut the lipping long and trim to fit. **8 minimum, more if needed.

m a t e r i a l l i s t – Practice Shelf

T x W x L1 Ash-faced Plywood Skins (2) 1/4" x 10" x 40"2 Plywood End Frames (2) 1/2" x 2" x 10"3 Plywood Front and

Inside Frames (2) 1/2" x 2" x 39"4 Plywood Core (9) 1/2" x 2" x 71⁄ 2"5 Maple Ledger (1) 13⁄ 8" x 2" x 381⁄2"6 Ash Lipping* (1) 3/8" x 21⁄ 2" x 403⁄4"7 Ash Lipping* (2) 3/8" x 21⁄ 2" x 10"8 Locator Blocks** (8) 1/2" x 11⁄ 4" x 11⁄ 4"9 Lag screws (3) plus Washers 3/8" x 4"*Cut the lipping long and trim to fit. **8 minimum, more if needed.

m a t e r i a l l i s tSerious Shelf

1

1

2

3

3

4

4

4

4

59

6

7

8

8

SIP.WYH.051 8/13/09 1:01 PM

A critical measurement: make sure the core clearance hole isthe same size or slightly larger than the core of the lag screw.

Attach the ledger and confirm that it’s level. If you make theshank clearance hole 13/32", it provides enough room to movethe ledger just a fraction to get it level.

Three holes are required to attach the ledger: 1) a counterbore for the washer and head; 2) a shank holethrough the ledger; 3) a core clearance hole in the wall. The photo shows a mocked-up wall with 1/2" MDF playing the role of sheetrock.

Ledger

2x4 Stud Wall

“Sheetrock”

1

2

3


A Serious ShelfThe length of this shelf captures three studs. It’smade using 1/4" ash-faced plywood skins with 1/2"plywood core stock. The ledger is maple held inplace with 3/8" x 4" lag screws. The shelf is lippedwith 3/8" solid ash. The edges are crisp but withthe sharp edge removed. The stark white of the ashveneer was turned only slightly to a softer hue bythree coats of salad bowl finish.

Drilling the HolesYou’ll need three installation holes: a core clearancehole in the wall and a counterbore and shank holein the ledger. In the case of a 3/8" x 4" lag screw,the core clearance hole is 9/32" diameter by 4"deep. Don’t try to put a 3/8" x 4" lag screw into astud without the correct clearance hole for thecore. If you use a smaller diameter, the strength ittakes to turn the wrench is being absorbed by thefriction between core and clearance hole. You wantthe friction to be between the helical thread and thewood tissue.

In the absence of an electronic stud finder, youcan locate stud centers by probing with fine drillholes within the area that will be covered by theledger. Since light switches are usually nailed ontostuds, that’s a good place to start if one is near tohand. Plot the studs, drill the core clearance holes,then transfer their location to the ledger.

Drill the counterbore 11⁄ 8" diameter by 3/8" deep.A spade bit in a drill press with the workpiececlamped in place works well. In theory, the shankhole is 3/8", but in practice it should be a bit largerto accommodate any leveling adjustment (seeLedger Attachment Drawing, page 51) that may berequired when attaching the ledger to the wall.Now glue the shelf to the ledger using the instruc-tions on the next page, and you’ve got an amazing,beautiful and immensely strong shelf. You’re readyto pile on your favorite books, sculpture or what-ever your heart desires.

SIP.WYH.052 8/13/09 1:02 PM


After the ledger is properly attached, rollglue on the top and bottom of the ledger. A thin, but full-coverage, coating is required.

Clamp two battens on opposite sides of the pocket area. To extend pressure from the ends of the shelf to the middle, center a piece of foldedcardstock top and bottom under the battens (the cardstock is too small to be seen in these photos). Check that the shelf is level front to back.

Roll glue on the skin of the pocket and wetall the contact areas. No glue is applied tothe front of the ledger or to the core.

After you have attached the ledger to the wall, securing the shelf to the ledger is

relatively easy, but not without peril. Because youare gluing the shelf to the wall (the ledger is now apart of the wall), it is something that you have to docorrectly the first time... or live with imperfectresults. (Once attached, you can remove the shelf,but you will destroy it in the process.) Get all therequired tools and supplies gathered close at handbefore you begin. It is a process that, with a smallshelf, you can complete alone — but an extra set ofhands makes it much easier.

Carefully position the shelf on the ledger. Timeis a factor here. Be sure to have gathered allyour clamps, levels, etc., before you begin.

G l u i n g , C l a m p i n ga n d L e v e l i n g T h e S h e l f

6If it’s sloping up, bring the topclamping battenforward about1/4" until it’slevel. If it’ssloping down,clamp a block tothe front of thebox, loosen thebatten clamps,level the box,and clamp it toa vertical bar.Retighten the batten clamps.

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56 C a b i n e t S h e l l G a m e

Cabinet Shell Game

H o w d o y o u t u r n a “ g o t t a - d o - i t ” h o m ei m p r o v e m e n t p r o j e c t f r o m a t a s k i n t oa t r e a t ? M a k e i t i n t o a “ w a n n a - d o - i t ”w o o d w o r k i n g p r o j e c t !

By Rob Johnstone

T here are many ways to skin a cat, or so I am told,having never actually tried to de-fur a feline. Butwhen it comes to doing chores around the

house, I discovered long ago that there is one way tochange many of those traditionally tedious tasks frommenial to magical — I simply employ my woodwork-ing skills to fix the problem at hand. A great exampleof this is the simple cabinet shell that I built for my1906-vintage house. With thechildren leaving home, it wasstarting to feel like the righttime to “downsize.” One ofthe trickier roadblocks to get-ting our home ready for mar-ket was a large and unsightlyset of shelves in a back room.Our realtor quickly identifiedit as something that neededto be either upgraded orremoved. The spot was reallyquite handy for storage, sosheetrocking over the areaseemed a shame, but themess on the shelves wasindeed distracting andseemed to be a magnet thatattracted other strange oddsand ends without a betterhome. When I hit on theidea of building a cabinet“shell” over the existingshelves, it struck me as justthe right ticket.

Making it Really WorthwhileWhen I do this sort of project, one goal I have is todesign and build it in a way that takes advantage ofmy skills. The basic DIY style of woodworking cancertainly improve a home, but take it up a notch andyou can both increase market value and leave behindsomething of lasting value. For this simple cabinet, Ichose quartersawn red oak to match some nearby

cabinets and added a coupleof ornamental details thatmatched existing features inmy home: keystone-shapedplinths or chevrons. Somedetails are subtle, such asthose in the center doorstiles. I chose to make thecumulative width of the twocenter door stiles the samemeasurement as the widthof each outer door stile. Inthis nearly square cabinet,this feature helps the projectlook more rectangular, as dothe chevrons (forming abowtie area for mountingthe pulls), placed low oneach stile. I made the twocenter rails from a singlepiece of stock (see photosequence on page 58) so thegrain pattern in the woodflows from one to the other.The chevron motif is also

The “before” shelves, overflowing with family games,were useful but unsightly. I decided that a woodworkingproject was the only way to cure this homespun eyesore.

Before

SIP.WYH.056 8/20/09 11:51 AM


After

SIP.WYH.057 8/13/09 12:43 PM


Form the groove for the1/4" plywood door panels in the stiles before cuttingthem apart. Then you can rip the resulting pieces apart.All this machining can takeplace on your table saw.

repeated in the built-up crown. And the crown wasformed by slicing a single piece of superbly figuredquartersawn red oak into strips. I marked them so asto keep their orientation consistent with the order inwhich I ripped them from the board. When I assem-bled the crown I kept that orientation — and, if youlook closely — once again the figure flows smoothlyfrom one strip to the next. By building it in segments,I was able to “remove” horizontal sections of thecrown and, in turn, build in the center chevron. Noneof these details are visually overwhelming or even dif-ficult to make, but they add up to help an ultra-simplecabinet look very stylish (if I do say so myself).

Starting with a Simple CaseThe case of this cabinet could hardly be morestraightforward: two sides, a top and bottom, and ashelf (pieces 1 to 3). I formed 1/8"-deep dadoes(see Elevation Drawings, facing page) to locate andhold the cross members while I glued and brad-nailed them together. The shelf, piece 3, was madefrom red-oak veneered plywood with a strip of solidoak glued to the front edge; its 123⁄ 4" depth madethis the practical way to move forward.

One comment here about stock selection: Before Imade a single piece of this cabinet, I spent a good longwhile sorting through piles of lumber in order to selectgreat-looking quartersawn red oak with pronouncedrays or flecks. Stock selection is the easiest single stepyou can take to move a project from boring to beauti-ful. In this case, the time invested paid big dividends.

Creating Detail-rich DoorsThe entire cabinet front is covered by matching full-

overlay doors. Because I was attaching thecase of the cabinet to an existing shelf assem-bly, a face frame was not only not required,but would in fact add unneeded complica-tions. For this reason, I used European stylehinges to mount the doors (see the sidebaron pages 60 and 61). The prospect of mount-ing these hinges either brings tears of joy orfear to the eyes of woodworkers, dependingon whether they have installed them before.

The center stiles of this cabinet’s full-overlay doors add shape and styleto an otherwise uninteresting andutilitarian project.

With the aid of a template, I marked out the chevron detail forthe center stiles. Note that both stiles are made from one pieceof stock. The kerf in the center of this piece is essential foraccurate layout.

Stock selection is the easiest single stepyou can take to move any project you

build from boring to beautiful.

SIP.WYH.058 8/13/09 12:44 PM


The mortises for the floating tenons were formed using Festool’sDomino machine. A few of their dominoes, along with the rail’s stubtenons, created easy-to-assemble and sturdy corner joints for thedoor’s stiles and rails.

T x W x L1 Sides (2) 3/4" x 5" x 467⁄8"2 Top/Bottom (2) 3/4" x 5" x 413⁄4"3 Center Shelf (1) 3/4" x 123⁄4" x 413⁄4"4 Center Door Stiles* (2) 3/4" x 31⁄ 2" x 475 Outer Door Stiles (2) 3/4" x 21⁄ 2" x 476 Door Rails (4) 3/4" x 21⁄ 2" x 183⁄16"7 Door Panels (2) 1/4" x 183⁄16" x 421⁄2"8 Crown Base Strip (1) 1/2" x 2" x 55"9 Lower Crown Strip (1) 1/2" x 11⁄ 8" x 58"

10 Upper Crown Strip (1) 3/4" x 11⁄ 8" x 58"11 Crown Blocks **(11) See Elevation Drawing

* Cut from one piece of stock 3/4" x 61⁄ 8" x 47".** Form these blocks from the appropriate layers of crown

strip stock. See Elevation Drawings to determine sizes.


1/2"

3/4"

1/2"1/2" 3/8"

3/8"41/4"27/8"

21/2" 3" 15°

4

21/2"

11/4"

93/8"

55/8"

1/4"11/2"

1/2"

1/8"

21/2"11/8"15°

Crown Molding Assembly(End View)

Crown MoldingAssembly(Front View)

Center DoorStiles(Front and end Views)

The center door stiles aremachined from one pieceof stock.

56

1

1

10

2

2

3

4 5

6

6

7

8

8

9

11

11

Stile and RailJoinery Detail

Exploded View

The cross members arecaptured in 1/8"-deepdadoes and rabbets.

Note: Grooves onouter door stiles andrails are 1/4" deep, buton the center stilesthey are 11⁄2" deep. Cut prior to machiningthe chevrons.

The center shelf (piece 3)was designed to fit into anexisting wall opening.

SIP.WYH.059 8/13/09 1:45 PM


This crown is built up from stock cut from one piece ofexceptionally beautiful lumber. Although a bit complicated inconcept, it is very easy to build.

Many woodworkers find European-style hinges tobe confusing and even a little frightening. One rea-son may be that they don’t look anything like “real”hinges — at all! And while that is true, I have found

them to be not only easy to use, but also forgiv-

A drill press is great for drillingthe cup holes for the hinges.When you drill the pilot holesfor the cup hinge screws, besure to use a square to keepeverything properly aligned.

Confused By European Hinges?

I turned to pocket-hole joinery to secure this cabinet shell to anexisting set of storage shelves: a simple and effective solution.

The lion’s share of the work building these doorsinvolves making the center stiles (pieces 4)described earlier. I started with a select piece ofstock that was the width of both the door stile andchevron detail, plus a saw kerf. I cut the piece tolength and then plowed a shallow kerf exactly downthe center of the piece to aid in marking out the var-ious stile details. I made a hardboard template with15˚ angles to mark the chevrons. With the layoutcomplete, I plowed grooves into each edge of theboard (see photo, page 58) to accept the door pan-els. Then I ripped the stiles apart. I used the hard-

board template to set my saw blade at a 15˚ angleand cut out the chevrons using a miter gauge outfit-ted with a backer board. Staying on the table saw, Iripped close to the chevron layout lines and thenfinished up the tight corner cut on the band saw.

I followed that step up by making the rails andthe two remaining outer stiles (pieces 5 and 6). I’mtalking basic bread-and-butter woodworking here:The parts were cut to size, I plowed the grooves toaccept the door panels and then raised the stubtenons on the rails (using a miter gauge on the tablesaw) to fit the panel grooves on the stiles. While thesestub tenons held the door frame in perfect alignment,they were too small to hold the doors together. That’swhy I decided to add floating tenons (see photo, pre-vious page). With them, the door frame machiningwas complete and the joinery sufficiently strong.

All that remained in constructing the door was tocut the plywood panels (pieces 7) to size, do onefinal dry fit of all the parts and then glue and clampit all together. I set the doors aside while the gluecured and moved on to the crown subassembly.

SIP.WYH.060 8/20/09 11:52 AM


I recommend a story stick tomark out the locations for themounting plates. Then I use oneof Rockler’s Jig-It systems to drillthe holes for the mounting plate.

ing in their nature. Simply stated, their designershave built a superior amount of adjustability into theirfunction. The first thing you need to know aboutthese hinges is that the cup part goes in the door andthe mounting plate goes on the cabinet wall. (When I

A Crown with FlareThis built-up crown sub-assem-bly flares out from the cabinetat the same 15˚ that I usedwhen creating the chevronmotif. It looks a bit complicat-ed, but is actually really a snapto build. First, I ripped theslices of stock as I describedearlier. Each layer of the crownis built from progressivelythicker pieces for a more dra-matic visual effect. After all ofthe strips were cut, I reset thetable saw blade at 15˚ and cutthe “show” face of each strip. Iselected the “show” face of theboard that had the most dra-matic figure to the wood.

Before I put the crowntogether, I made the crown base strip (piece 8). Thispiece has an 1/8"-deep by 3/8" wide rabbet on its edge that creates a reveal (shadow line) under thecrown. This line is further emphasized by the line atthe top edge of the doors —another subtle but impor-tant detail. Once the pieces were cut, I simply miteredthe long crown strips (pieces 9 and 10) — starting withthe crown base strip — around the perimeter of thecabinet top. I kept the beveled face of each strip flushto the outside of the crown to create its 15˚ flare. The

chevron details (with theirown 15˚ ends) and the cornerblocks (pieces 11) were gluedand pin-nailed in place in asequential process that wentquickly. After the glue cured,it was time to do a bit of sand-ing and hang the doors. One of the great advantagesof European hinges is the fact that they are adjustable.This was especially importantwith this project because youwant the center stiles to fittogether evenly.

Finishing and MountingI stained the cabinet tomatch my trim and moldingand applied three coats of

wipe-on polyurethane before mounting it. I decidedearly on that pocket-hole joints would be the bestway to attach this shell to the existing shelf unit.The screws pulled the cabinet carcass tight to theshelves, and I was able to keep the whole assemblysquare. I then mounted the door pulls.

Now, when I stroll through that back room, I feela sense of satisfaction rather than distress and dis-traction. Not bad for a couple of days in the shop.

With the former mess of board games now hiddenbehind the large doors, this shell of a cabinet turned oneof our home’s major eyesores into an attractive feature.

first saw this hinge system, my brain toldme it should be the other way around.)With full-overlay doors like these, theeasiest way to locate the hinges is to usea story stick to transfer exact location toboth door and carcass. Check the direc-

tions for your hinges; for the ones I selected, the cupholes were located 7/8" in from the edge of the door.It’s very important to be sure that the cup hinge sec-tion is mounted squarely in the door, so I use a squarewhile drilling the screw holes to keep everythingproperly aligned. I always reach for Rockler’s Jig-It®

system to drill the holes for the mounting plate — itmakes the task easy as pie. Once the plate and hingeare mounted, you just clip the two together, and the

door is hung. Not quite right? Not to worry: you can adjustthe position of the door on the cabinet by screwing theadjustment screws (see hinge directions). Using thosescrews, the door can be moved right and left or up and down(and in and out to boot!). Not confusing at all.

SIP.WYH.061 8/20/09 11:53 AM

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Figure 1:Drill out yourmortises witha 11⁄ 8" Forstnerbit, using afence to keepthe holesaligned in the center ofthe piece.

Figure 2: Square up the mortiseswith a sharp chisel. The sides of thedrilled holes serve as a visual guide.

Figure 3: Cutthe tenons tothickness with a stacked dadoblade, workingfrom both sidesof the workpieceto keep thetenon centered.

64 O u t d o o r S w i n g & A r b o r

Outdoor Swing & Arbor

M a d e o f l u m b e r y a r d c e d a r , t h i s p i e c ei s a s s t u r d y a s i t i s c o m f o r t a b l e .M o r t i s e - a n d - t e n o n j o i n e r y a d d ss t a b i l i t y a n d s t y l e t o t h i s f u n -t o - m a k e b a c k y a r d p r o j e c t .

By Jim Piaszynski

W hat could be more relaxing than to whileaway the summer hours on a cozy porchswing? If you don’t have a porch, don’t

despair; you can build a swing that hangs from itsown freestanding arbor and make it the centerpieceof your patio or yard. I built my first patio swing formy mother-in-law, and my wife’s sister liked it somuch, I ended up building another one. Now, youguessed it ... my wife wants one!

I made this swing of Western red cedar, an attractiveand widely available wood that holds up well in the ele-ments. I avoided the cheaper alternative — pressure-treated lumber — because of aesthetics and concernsabout the toxic chemicals they use to preserve it.

The swing is very sturdy and gives you a sense oftimber framing when you build it. Making mortise-and-tenon joints in 4 x 4 stock is really fun and greatpractice. The finished product is a showpiece that iscomfortable to sit in. The overhanging roof beamslend visual balance to the design and offer a perfectplace to hang flower baskets and such.

This project is large but easy to build, consistingalmost entirely of simple mortise-and-tenon joints(see the Drawings, pages 66 through 68) heldtogether with boatbuilder’s epoxy and polyurethaneadhesives. The only metal fasteners are the deckscrews that secure the canopy boards and the sidecross braces to the arbor. My total investment formaterials was close to $500, including finishing sup-plies and hanging hardware.

SIP.WYH.064 8/20/09 11:54 AM


SIP.WYH.065 8/13/09 12:33 PM

1/4"

1/4"

21/2"

3"

11/8"

5

5

Rear Seat Elevation(Top and Front Views)

4

5

6

41/2"

11/8"

Swing Seat Subassembly (Top View)


4

46

1/4"

21/4"

11/8"

3"

1/4"

21/2"

11/8"

2

2

13/4"

Rear Rails(Front and Top Views)

7

3/4"3/8"

5/8"

51/2"

Back Slat(Front and

Side Views)

Front and Side Seat Rails (Back and Top Views)

3

1/4"

3"

Upright(Side View)

Arm Rest(Top andSide Views)

9

1/4"

1/4"

5/8"

3"10

6

T x W x L1 Rear Stiles (2) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 26"

2 Rear Rails (2) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 64"

3 Front Uprights (2) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 14"4 Front Seat Rail (1) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 631⁄2"5 Rear Seat Rail (1) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 64"6 Seat Side Rails (2) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 22"7 Back Slats (9) 11⁄ 2" x 51⁄ 2" x 121⁄4"8 Seat Slats (3) 11⁄ 2" x 51⁄ 2" x 66"9 Arm Rests (2) 11⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 22"

10 Swing Support Beams (2) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 50"11 Dowels (12) 1/2" Dia. x 3"

m a t e r i a l l i s t – Swing

Swing Support Beam(Side View)

103/4"

31/2"4"

SwingHangerSystem

500 lb.-testgalvanizedchain

Lap link

1/2" Eye bolt

SwingExploded View

1

1

10

2

2

3

3

4

56

67

8

9

9

11

SIP.WYH.066 8/13/09 12:33 PM


1

2

2

277

5/8"

1/2"

33/4"

201/2"

143/4"15/16" 1"

91/4"

15/16"

1

3

6

9

3/4"

213/8"

11/2"

1/4"

13/4"

11"

151/4"

10∞

91/2"

93/4"

31/2"

11/2"

Swing Back Subassembly (Front View) Swing Elevation(Side View)

Rear Rail(Section View)

Note that the tenonshoulders on thearm rests and seat side rails are angled at 10˚.

Machining the Swing ComponentsYou can build this swing with just a few commonpower tools — a miter saw to cut pieces to length, atable saw with a dado blade to cut the tenons and aForstner bit in a drill press to rough out the mortis-es. You’ll also need a sharp chisel to square up themortises, and a router will help you form the mor-tises in the seat rails for the back slats.

It’s important to remember that this is a rustic out-door project, not a fancy piece of furniture. I designedit to use standard construction lumber sizes withoutsignificant modification. When you lay out your parts,select pieces with as few knots and other defects aspossible for the back and bottom rails of the swingitself. These are the most critical weight-bearing parts.

I used a miter saw to cut my stock to length. TheMaterial List includes an allowance for the tenonsin the total length of the pieces.

After you’ve cut the lumber to length (pieces 1through 10), you’re almost ready to cut the tenons. Butfirst, to make sure you end up with just the right tenonthicknesses, you’ll need tomake up a test mortise, so youcan check and adjust the fit ofthe first tenon. In fact, it’s bestto make a test mortise for eachsize mortise and tenon in theproject. (There will be five,counting those that accept theback slats.)

Most of the mortises in thisproject are large and deep (seeFigure 1, page 64), so routersand hollow-chisel mortisersaren’t effective options. I use a time-honored, two-stepmethod: First, I drill out mostof the waste with a 11⁄ 8"Forstner bit in my drill press,using a fence to center themortise on the stock and keepthe holes in perfect alignment;then I square up the corners

with a sharp chisel. The sides of the holes act as avisual gauge for chiseling (see Figure 2, page 64).The mortises that enter the front face of the rearstiles (pieces 1) are angled at 10˚. For that reason theshoulders of the complimentary tenons need to beangled to match. Refer to the Elevation Drawings forconstruction details. To drill the angled through mor-tises in the backrest uprights, I tilted my drill presstable to 10˚. If your table doesn’t tilt, you can build awedge-shaped auxiliary table that will do the trick.

With your test mortises in hand, step to the tablesaw and set up your dado blade for sawing thetenons. Cutting from both sides of the stockassures that your tenons will be centered and exact-ly the right thickness. One caution: If there’s anyvariation in the thickness of your 4 x 4s, it’s a goodidea to plane them to uniform thickness beforetenoning, or your tenon thicknesses will also vary.

When you’ve got the first tenon right, cut all ofthem using your miter gauge (see Figure 3, page64) to keep the shoulders square. For the angled

shoulders (where the swingseat meets the back) set yourmiter gauge to 10˚.

After you’ve cut the tenons tothickness, use the same dadomethod to cut them to height(see Drawings). Also, note thatthe tenons that meet in theuprights at the front corners ofthe swing seat must be mitered.

The final step before assem-bly is to mortise the back railsand cut the full-width tenonson the back slats to match. I used a 3/4" router bit to routthe 5/8"-deep mortises, then I chiseled the ends square. I positioned the mortises, so the faces of the slats wouldbe set back about 1/8" fromthe faces of the rails, justbehind their edge roundovers.

The author made good use of water-resistant(epoxy and polyurethane) adhesives while buildingthis project. To secure the seat slats, the authorused 1/2"-diameter hardwood dowels andadhesive to peg the boards in place.

SIP.WYH.067 8/13/09 12:34 PM

12

18

14

1617

14

CL

293/4"

35"

1"

Arbor Elevation(End View)

1/4"

1/4"

21/2"

3"

11/8"

1412

1412

Arbor Tenons(Side and Top Views)

T x W x L12 Posts (4) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 811⁄2"13 Top Rails (2) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 120"14 Side Rails (4) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 40"15 Front and Rear Cross Braces (4) 31⁄ 2" x 31⁄ 2" x 28"16 Long Side Cross Braces (8) 7/8" x 21⁄ 2" x 293⁄4"17 Short Side Cross Braces (8) 7/8" x 21⁄ 2" x 223⁄4"18 Canopy Boards (8) 7/8" 51⁄ 2" x 46"19 Dowels (8) 3/8" Dia. x 3"20 Mahogany Plugs (32) 3/8" Dia.

m a t e r i a l l i s t – Arbor


12

13

18 10

1528"

24"

151/2"

461/2"

31/2"

1611/16"

ArborExploded View

Arbor Elevation(Front View)

15

31/2"

28"

Mark a line bisecting the center of the side rails (pieces 14). Locate the mitered ends of the long side cross braces to just touchthe center line. The short cross braces are held1" away from the long braces.

Create theseangled half-lapjoints on yourtable saw using adado blade andmiter gauge.

For the arbor’s modified “timber frameconstruction” the author used polyurethaneadhesive to secure the joints.

Front and RearCross Braces

(Inside View)

Use stainless-steelscrews to avoiddiscoloration of the cedar.

12

12

13

13

14

14

15

15

16

16

17

17

18

18

19

20

SIP.WYH.068 8/13/09 12:34 PM

It’s important toremember thatthis is a rusticoutdoor project,not a fancypiece offurniture. It wasdesigned toaccommodatestandardconstructionlumber sizeswithoutsignificantmodification.


Assembling the Swing At this point, you’re ready to glue everything up. Iused polyurethane adhesive for the arbor and dow-els and epoxy for the swing joints.

Start by assembling the swing back. Insert theslats (don’t use glue here) between the two backrails and then glue on the uprights at either end,checking for square. Glue up the seat assembly sep-arately (pieces 3 through 6) and follow up by gluingthis subassembly to the back. Add the arm rests andpeg them to the tops of the uprights. I used 1/2"-diameter mahogany dowels (pieces 11) for a nicecolor contrast, strength and weather resistance.

The seat slats aren’t glued down. Just position themand dowel them into place. (Notch the front slat to fit.)One nice thing about this design is that the swing can bemounted to the ceiling of a porch (with caution to besure it is strong enough; be sure to hit a joist), so noarbor is needed. But most of us will want to put theswing out in our yard. If that’s what you plan to do, thearbor is your next task at hand.

Building the ArborCut your lumber (pieces 12 through 18) to lengthusing a miter saw as before. Use the same drillingand chopping technique to create mortises in themajor structural members (pieces 12 and 13).Form the corresponding tenons to fit, and you’reready to start assembly. Glue and clamp each end ofthe arbor using polyurethane glue. Cedar is soft, souse clamping cauls to avoid marring your wood.Make sure the ends are square. After the glue hascured, lay the long top rails (pieces 13) on a levelsurface and glue and insert the side subassembliesinto their mortises. Use temporary supportsclamped to the rails and subassemblies to ensurethat they are square as the glue dries. Now useyour dado blade and miter gauge to notch out theangled lap joints on the front and rear cross braces(pieces 15). With the whole unit still upside down,attach the braces with dowels and polyurethaneglue. Allow the glue to cure. Now get a buddy tohelp you turn the whole shebang right-side-up.

The side cross braces (pieces 16 and 17) areattached next. Mark a center line on the outside faceof the side rails (see Elevation Drawings). This willhelp you fit the long cross braces accurately. Drillpilot holes in the ends of the braces for the deckscrews (stainless steel are best), and counterbore toaccept the mahogany plugs (piece 20). Secure themas shown in the Drawings. The last construction step

is to attach the canopy boards (pieces 18). Again Iused stainless-steel deck screws to secure these ...the stainless-steel screws will not discolor the cedaras it weathers.

Hanging the SwingTechnically, this swing is more of a glider, becauseit is suspended on four separate chains. (My idea ofa “swing” has just two main vertical chains.)

I used inexpensive, 500 lb.-test galvanized chain,but you could easily get away with 350 lb.-testdepending on your uses. The chain is attached tothe swing and the support beams (pieces 10) abovewith 1/2" eye bolts and lap links.

The support beams are notched to fit over the toprails, but they aren’t permanently attached. I leftthem movable, so I could easily remove the swingfrom the arbor without undoing the chains.

The final step is to sand and stain everything,then sit back and relax in your comfortable newswing and arbor. I used deck sealer to bring out thewet look of the wood with minimal tinting. Like anypiece of outdoor wooden furniture, this project willhave to be cleaned each year and have its sealer“freshened up” every few years. But for now, that’sall in the future and summer is nigh.

SIP.WYH.069 8/13/09 12:34 PM

70 R e j e c t , R e s t o r e o r R e f i n i s h

Reject, Restore or Refinish

Y o u h a v e m a n y o p t i o n s f o r r e s c u i n gf u r n i t u r e w i t h p o o r f i n i s h e s . S t a r tw i t h o u r e x p e r t ’ s s a g e a d v i c e .

By Michael Dresdner

There’s not much value in a perfect finishif your piece is suffering advancedstructural problems. The bottom line: Is itworth the effort to save a pig in a poke?

Chances are, there are somepieces around your housewhose finish could benefit

from some attention. You’ll needto decide first whether or not theyare worth salvaging at all, andthen choose between two options:saving and restoring the finish, orstripping it off and refinishing.

Rejecting Some AltogetherIn most cases, it is not anabysmal finish that will deteryou, but rather advanced struc-tural problems. Peeled veneer,missing parts or poorly repairedjoinery make some pieces notworth the effort to save, even if

they were refinished. Almost all finishes will come off,

though not necessarily easily.Watch out for thick, plastic-look-ing clear coats, like those used fordecoupage and some bar tops.They will resist most chemicalstrippers, and sanding them offmay result in more damage thanthe job is worth. Milk paint, adurable, traditional coating, is alsoimpervious to most strippers, butit can be removed with either lyeor special milk paint strippers.

Restoring a FinishMany pieces, including mostkitchen cabinets, are clear finishes

over stain. If the finish is intactand not peeling, and there are nohuge bare areas, you can usuallyrestore what is there. That caninclude cleaning, removing whiterings, rubbing out minor scratch-es, touching up serious ones, fill-ing dings or even adding extrafinish. You may have to do someor all of these steps, pretty muchin that order.

• Cleaning Up: Clean the fin-ish first. Use mild soap and waterfor gentle cleaning, or graduateto trisodium phosphate (TSP) toremove old wax and greasy orheavy dirt. In tough cases, usefine (#0000) steel wool to helpdislodge the dirt. You’d be sur-prised how often a good cleaningis all that is needed, in whichcase you can go directly to “Rub”(next page) to restore the sheen.

• White Rings: White ringscaused by water marks oftencome out when you clean the sur-face and remove old wax. If theydon’t, simply wipe them with acotton cloth dampened withdenatured alcohol. The clothshould be damp, not soaked.Damp means “about as wet as ahealthy dog’s nose.” Alcohol may

SIP.WYH.070 8/20/09 10:21 AM


If your finish is in decent shape, try using#0000 steel wool dipped into paste wax,and rub back and forth in the direction of the grain.

degloss the finish, in which case,move on to the next step.

• Rub: If the finish is in goodshape but has merely lost some ofits sheen to minor surfacescratches, rub it. For a satin lus-ter, use #0000 steel wool dippedinto paste wax and rub back andforth in the direction of the grainto impart a series of fine, uniformscratches. Wipe off the excesswax immediately, or let it dry andbuff it off for a slightly shinier sur-face. For gloss finishes, use rub-bing and polishing compoundsfrom the automotive store.

• Touchup: Now that it’sclean, you’ll see all the little nicksand scratches where color ismissing. Your local woodworkingspecialty or hardware store willstock several different brands oftouchup markers in a range ofwood colors. They look like nor-mal felt-tip markers, and theywork the same way. Simply colorin the light sections of scratchesor edges where the finish hasrubbed through. It’s a good ideato buy several colors close towhat you think you will need, anduse whatever matches best,including combinations.

In the same section of the store,you’ll also find wax fill sticks thatlook like crayons in woodtone col-ors. Use them to fill in small dingsand nicks. Rub the crayon over the

defect until it fills up, then scrapeoff the excess with the edge of acredit card to leave a smooth, flat surface.

French Polishing The classic way to rejuvenate aclear finish on a fine antique iswith French polish. Describingboth the finish and the methodof applying it, French polishinvolves applying thin coats ofshellac with a cloth pad. Behlen(sold in many wood specialtystores) and Mohawk (sold onlineand through distributors) offerseveral versions of pre-mixed,ready-to-use French polishunder names like Qualasole™,Rapid Pad, Lacover®, and Lac

French. This beautiful shellacfinish is great for fairly gentlewear, but on the down side, it isneither heat- nor alcohol-resist-ant. Additionally, it does takesome skill and practice to get anice surface.

If you don’t yet have the skill,you might try Bulls Eye™French Polish from Zinsser. It isa traditional, clear wiping finishthat goes on in one step. I’ve hadgood success with it.

OvercoatingFinishes that are wearing thin canbe recoated to add another layer(or two) of protection and manymore years of wear. Almost any finish can be recoated with more ofthe same, but if you don’t knowwhat is on already, there are stillseveral safe options.

After cleaning, lightly sand thesurface with 320-grit sandpaper.Avoid sanding through the color,or you’ll have extra touchup todo. Zinsser SealCoat™ is a goodfirst step, as it will bond to anyfinish. Any coating, includingwaterbased ones, can go over it.Apply one coat as a clear primer,or add several to give you a clas-sic shellac finish. Oil-basedpolyurethane can also go overany finish, including SealCoat,and is more durable. Painting isanother option.

White rings from water marks often willdisappear when youclean the surface andremove the old wax. If they don’t, dampen a cotton cloth withdenatured alcohol and gently wipe thearea. If it works, you’rerepairing a shellac finish.

SIP.WYH.071 8/26/09 2:39 PM

If French polishing is new to you, help is on the way. BullsEye™ French Polish, a one-step clear wiping finish, will makethe job much easier for a newbie.

72 R e j e c t , R e s t o r e o r R e f i n i s h

RefinishingWhen all else fails, refinish, but first make sure it’sappropriate. If you suspect you have a valuableantique, have a conservator or appraiser look at it.Stripping very old pieces can detract substantiallyfrom their value. But painted yard-sale windfalls andbattered, but sturdy, household pieces have a newlife awaiting them once the stripper does its job.

I find it easiest to remove many layers of oldpaint by using a combination of methods. Startwith a heat gun to get the bulk of the gunk offquickly and easily, then graduate to a semi-pastepaint remover to get the remainders out of thecorners and moldings. For thin, single coats ofpaint or clear finishes, go straight to the chemicalstripper. Either method is easier and safer thantrying to sand off a finish, which will destroy pati-na, leave previously stained wood mottled andmay cause you to abrade through thin veneers.

One word of warning is in order, and that wordis “lead.” Until 1978, lead was commonly used inhouse paint. If you suspect the piece is oldenough to have lead-based paint on it, DO NOTsand the finish, and DO NOT use a heat gun onit. Chemical stripping is safer, but make sure the

stripping gunk is allowed to harden and drybefore disposing of it. For guidelines on remov-ing lead paint safely, see HUD’s Office of LeadHazard Control (www.hud.gov/offices/lead).

Sometimes, removing layers of old paintreveals beautiful wood underneath. Then again,you might find that your article of furniture ismade from mismatched lumber never meant tosport a clear finish, and even staining won’t hideits piebald appearance. Don’t worry; you canalways resort to repainting it, and this timearound you can choose a color you really like.

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American Steel Span 16 www.steelspan.com

Arrow Fastener 17 www.arrowfastener.com

Badger Hardwoods of

Wisconsin 62 www.badgerwood.com

Bench Dog Tools 54 www.benchdog.com

CNC Shark 75 www.rockler.com

Central Boiler 73 www.centralboiler.com

Cook’s Saw MFG, L.L.C. 46 www.cookssaw.com

Dakota Alert, Inc. 73 www.dakotaalert.com

Dakota County Technical College 54 www.woodfinishing.org

Donjer Products Corp 54 www.donjer.com

Dowelmax 73 www.dowelmax.com

Dura-GRIT 54 www.duragrit.com/wj

Ebac Lumber Dryers 54 www.ebacusa.com

Epilog Laser 16 www.epiloglaser.com/wwj.htm

Eureka Woodworks 47,73 www.eureka-business.com

Furniture Medic 16 furnituremedicfranchise.com

General Tools & Instruments 11 www.generaltools.com

Lignomat 73 www.lignomat.com

Mortise Pal 73 www.mortisepal.com

Page ADVERTISER No. Web Address

Old Masters 3 www.oldmasters.biz

Oneida Air Systems, Inc. 63 www.oneida-air.com

Osborne Wood Products, Inc. 3,62 www.woodencomponents.com

Premier Bathrooms, Inc. 62 www.premier-bathrooms.com

Red Hill Corporation 73 www.supergrit.com

Rikon Power Tools 46 www.rikontools.com

Rockler Woodworking & Hardware 25 www.rockler.com

Routerbits.com, Inc. 73 www.routerbits.com

Ryobi Technologies 76 www.freetek4tool.com/wwjrn

Skil Power Tools 2 www.skiltools.com

Sommerfeld’s Tools for Wood 3 www.sommerfeldtools.com

Stanley-Bostitch 31 www.bostitch.com

System Three Resins, Inc. 46 www.systemthree.com

U-bild Woodworking Plans 54 www.u-bild.com

West Penn Hardwoods 62 www.westpennhardwoods.com

Western Dovetail Inc. 7 www.westerndovetail.com

Win Ryobi Tool Line Sweepstakes 47 woodworkersjournal.com/ezine

Woodfinder 62 www.woodfinder.com

Wood-Mizer 16 www.sawboards.com

Wood-Mizer Blades 46 www.woodmizerblades.com

Woodworkers Source 62 www.101woods.com

SIP.WYH.072 8/26/09 2:23 PM

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http://www.badgerwood.com

http://www.benchdog.com

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http://www.eureka-business.com

http://www.generaltools.com

http://www.lignomat.com

http://www.mortisepal.com

http://www.oldmasters.biz

http://www.oneida-air.com

http://www.woodencomponents.com

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http://www.supergrit.com

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http://www.rockler.com

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http://www.skiltools.com

http://www.sommerfeldtools.com

http://www.bostitch.com

http://www.systemthree.com

http://www.u-bild.com

http://www.westpennhardwoods.com

http://www.westerndovetail.com

http://www.woodfinder.com

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MARKETPLACEMARKETPLACEOver

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SIP.WYH.073 8/26/09 3:53 PM

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http://www.dakotaalert.com

Routed down to 3/4"

Tricks Of The Trade

Install clamp padsupside down to keepthem from slipping off.

Pencil Sharpener ShaperOne reader discovered thatthe rotary cutters in pencilsharpeners have manyuses around theshop. Takeout the cutter,mount it on a shaftand use it in an elec-tric drill for shapingwood and other odd jobs. If the cutter needs sharpening,lay it flat on an oilstone or a piece of emery cloth and letit run at slow speed for a minute or two.

A pencilsharpener’s rotarycutter mountedand ready to cut.

Retrofitting Thick Cabinet Doors for Euro-style HingesWhile retrofitting an old cabinet with new cup hinges, one reader ran into aproblem. The original doors were 1" thick rather than 3/4". Instead of buyingother hinges to accommodate the thicker doors, he devised a method thatallowed him to use standard 32mm cup hinges. He routed out an area a littlelarger than the cup and screw flange, thus making the area where the hinge ismounted 3/4" thick. Then the hinge cups could be installed as usual.

Shop-made Logs from ShavingsA benchtop planer produces more shavingsthan you might know what to do with. If youhave a fireplace, here’s a way to turn them into“logs.” Lay a sheet of newspaper on yourbench, pile on the shavings and roll it into atight sausage. Tape the newspaper shut, andyour “log” is ready for burning.

Sawing Thin Metal Here’s a way to saw thin sheet metal more easily:clamp it in a vise between two pieces of ply-wood or Masonite™. You can then saw throughthe wood-and-metal sandwich with a hacksaw.Stiff backing keeps the metal from distorting.

Just Flip for a Better GripQuick-Grip clamps are handy in the shop,except for one pesky problem: the rubber padstend to creep off the jaws when tighteneddown. There’s an easy fix: slide the pads off,flip them around and slip them onto the jawsfrom below. Now, the closed end of the pad willprevent it from sliding up and off. You can runa bead of hot-melt glue along the open end, justfor good measure. Those pads will stay put.

Brad BraceletSmall brads can betricky to pick up andeasily to spill or loseas you are working.Here’s one solution:tape a length of flexi-ble magnetic striparound your wrist, thensprinkle brads on themagnet and go to work.Now those little nails arealways close at hand and spill-proof.

Flexible magnetic striptaped to wrist

Epoxy Mixing Cups are just a Soda Can AwayTo mix up small quantities of a two-part epoxy, try usingthe dish-shaped hollow at the bottom of an aluminum beverage can. The cans are easy to hold when applying theglue, and they’re plentiful.

1"

74 T r i c k s O f T h e T r a d e

SIP.WYH.074 8/20/09 10:26 AM

SIP.WYH.076 8/24/09 11:44 AM Page 76

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SIP.WYH.075 8/20/09 4:07 PM Page 75

Woodworking for Your Home

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