Exclusive: n

II

Issue 64

PUBLISHER EDITOR

July 2002

ne thing I enjoy about woodworking is being able to use tools. Hand tools or power tools -it ART DIRECTOR doesn't really matter. But the thing I SR. GRAPHIC DESIGNER like the most is being able to spend SENIOR ILLUSTRATORS some time down in the shop building somethii that takes a hard-working tool and makes it perform even better than it did before. ~ati"eDi~cmTedFhJlcek PmjabDa~loparKenMunkel . I guess that's why I'm so excited 3% Pmject & + $ : ?ant Welsh, Ryan mmiek Pmject &&me C& Fitch Shop Cm,%mn: Steve CWia. Steve about the feature project in this issue Johnam .SBniorPhaDgmphmCrayolaE@nd -it's a shopbuilt jig for making mor+muw m U W i n o n a tises with a plunge router. CmpKEDouglmL.Hieks~A7tD1~1~1mDou&9A.Fht.Sr. Omphic D ~ s i Q w Chas Glowa&i. Gmphie De.%mer~: Vu Now I know making mortises with hWym Jonathan Eike .Aasannte E d k Craig Rueg~egger a plunge router isn't a new idea. h t Edifm JwlkHess Woodworkers have been doing it for CIRCUUITO* Dimdm sandy Baum. N w Buslusl a x : years - for good reason. A plunge Sv6wiasl Wwde J. K W A I C i m d a t i a Mafkstiw &y~t Krh router can be used to cut a perfect, Schlmer.Assac. C i ~ . M ~ ~ ~ t i n g A n o 1 ~ ~ t P ~ u l a M . D ~ M a ~ ~ R ~ M a n a e ~ P s i g e R o ~Grnphi~&+s.M~k ~ersS~ smooth-sided mortise in seconds. &yes, Robin Friend 6il,likg & Ga11BcDWn8 M g r . :Rebeem Gumdwha M"'ll&& prwmam Mm: Rid3 Jw!hs But there's more to maldne mortises hmnotiaAna1yat:Patriekwslslh than getting a quick, clean cut. WRPDRAU WRVICIZ Typically, you want the mortise VPof~~~R.Sch~ch~che.canho1~RabinKBut~n . S z ~ . b ~ ~ - d a h ~ ~ J centered . 9 , m t l y on the thickness of R e m i * Mago Pehus Rod Dir: George Chmie1arz the workpiece. Then you want to be Eieernic PUb. D k Dough M. udater. Sy*mAdmh.: Crid S e h w b e e k . P C M*id Tech.: &but 0. Crpk ..RsPreas able to start and stop the mortisepreI w o SlMciolists %y Ckk Mmnane Johnson .New Msdio cisely in the correct locations. And to M~:Gord~ordnC.Gaipp. MuIWialL-tDli:Eug~:~:Pedersers. Webs~Adniii:CmlSch~pp1e wdbGm&Mps.:Daaid top it all off, you need to be able to Bnggs,4%eM.Moe. WebDdpmI(araBl~ggAof.Dev.DP.:
ASSOCIATE EDITORS

Donald B. Peschke Terry J. Strohman Bryan Nelson Vincent Ancona Cary Christensen Kurt Schnltz Roger Reiland Mark Higdon

Cutoffs
0
repeat this process over and over a g a i n on several workpieces. This new j i gmakes it easy to do all of these t h i i and more. For starters, it prevents any sidebside movement of the router. This means your mortises will be perfectly straight and parallel with the sides of the workpiece. A slidingplatformmakes it easy to center the router bit exactly on the thickness of the workpiece. And a couple of easy-toadjust stops are all it takes to make sure your mortises will be precisely the light length, each and every time. The other thing1like about this j i g is how simple and inexpensive it is to build. All it takes is a few pieces of ulvwood. three small c l m s . some ." !mobs, and a handful of screws. I f you have a plunge router, you11 be amazed at how quickly and accurately you can make mortises. And if you've been thinking about buying a new router, this j i g might be the perfect reason for taking the "plunge."

.
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ShopNotes

No. 64

-1-1-*

il,

contents
Features
Wall-Mounted Drill Press Shelf hinting a H a m m e d Finish

-I
I

Open up space on your workbench by moving your drillpress to this hand%wall-mountedshelf. Thenaddan optionalstorage rack that keeps all your drilling accessories close at hand.

12

One of the best ways to finish MDFIs with paint. Learn how to spray or roll on a 'barnmered" finish in an afternoon and give your shop projects a professional-quality look.

1
n
Dnn

Plunge Router Mortising Jig

14

This shop-mademortising table lets you rout perfect mortises with a hand-heldplunge route,: You can set up the table and make identical mortises time after time in less than a minute.

Hardware 5torage Cabinet

22

All your hardware stored and organized in one spot? With this hardware storaae cabinet and a set ofolastic storaae bins. you'll never have to hunt for hardware again

Shop-Built Drawer Dividers Cabinet Clamping Tips

29

Eliminate cluttered drawers forever with a set of custom dividers you can make in your own shop.

30

Clamping large cabinet projects can be a daunting task especially if you don't have a lot of clamps. We show you how to clamp a large assembly with just a few clamps.

Departments
Readers' Tips Shop Talk Tool Chest 5ources
No. 64
ShopNotes

4 32 34 35

Shop-tested tips to solve common woodworking problems.

When it comes to joining pieces of MDF together; a few tips and techniques will ensure quality results andsolid assemblies.

There's an old saying that good things come in small packages And our featured tool rs a perfect example.

Mail-order sources and supplies to help you complete the projects featured in th~s Issue

Readers' Tips
Cutting Multiple Pieces
- I've made and sold the same wood items for Mteeu years. In order to speed up the production process, I came up with this method for creatitg duplicate parts without having to re-measure every timeI need to make a run of a certain part My tick is to use stop blocks that automatically set up the workp'~ece for the cut I need. I started by making a simple crosscut sled for my table saw. Itls nothing more than a piece of plywood w i t h a fence p d a runner. TneqI drilled a row of evenly-spaced h o l e in the sled, fist in front of the fence, as you see in the drawing. Each stop block is just a block of wood with a couple of dowel pins glued into holes drilled in the block (see drawing in margin). The holess are spaced to match the hole spacing in the sled.

k.1

14"-DIA. DQWEL

1" LONG

I make a custom-sized stop block a certain part, Isimply grab the parfor each part that I create. Then I ticularstop block and mountit to the label the stop block so that I know sled.This way Idwaysknowthat th what part it is for and which holes p i e c e s d b e t h e same size. it fits into on the sled S h M q W&mnn Rolling Meadowsz Ilitn& Whenever Ineed to make more of

Router Circle-Cutting Jig 1

My router didn't come with a circle-cuttingjii, so Ideddedtomake my own out of a few pieces of hardware. I started by making a pivot block &om a small oiece of wood A
PIVOT

to serve as a pivot point

Ahole drilled through thecenter of theblock allows it to sip over alength of 3/8"dia. threaded rod. A couple of nuts and washers securethe block to the threaded rod (see detaX). The end of the rod fitsinto a hole in the base of the router and is held in place with a machine saew. To use the jig, first mark out the threaded rod to match the hedius of router bit into the hole and rout the lowetingthe center of the drcle you want to cut the circle and lock it in place with ~ircleinmultiplepassm~ bit l/n"between each pass. a s h e m . and drill a shallow, lh'cdia hole for the nuts and w Jon T &th the p ~ o pin t of the jii. Then slide To rout the circle, drill a starter the block of the j i g dong the hole onthe edge&&, then lower the Wherlzng,IZlimi2

"(A

ShopNotes

No. 64

A Michael Mata, of Plymouth, MA, A To avoid tripping over power cords, A To make a quick rack forsmall tools or
countersinks a magnet into the end of his hammer handle so he doesn't have to stick his hand into a pocket full of nails.

EmeryAranda, of El Cajon, CA, uses eye bolts and spring-loaded snaps to route the cords overhead.

router bits, Thomas Heyob, of Cornelius. OR, uses small sections of b g g crate" light diffusers for flourescent light fixtures.

Thread-Sizing G a u
Over the years, I've managed to accumulate quite an assortment of nuts, bolts, and fasteners of all sizes. Unfortunately, they all seem to wind up in one big glass jar, making it almost impossible to h d the size that I need. So I hally decided to sort them out To identify all the hardware, I made this conve~ent thread gauge. It's just a block of wood with various sizes of holts. The bolts range I also cut a couple of piecesfrom a in size from #4-40 to 'h"-13. I yardstick and screwed them tothe marked the thread size right next sides of the gauge. A small magnet to each bolt And in front of each on the end of the jii holdsloose nuts, bolt, I drilled a hole that matches washers, etc. And an eye bolt on the the diameter of the fastener. end allows me to hang the gauge up
USE THREAD BOLTS TO SIZE DETERMINE OF NUTS

THREAD SIZES

HOLDS SMALL PIECES

on the wall. Nowwhen I run across a lone bolt, machine screw, oornut, I no longer have to try and guess the length or thread size. Dana Cmig
. o ; :

Your t p e is Ringing
I've always had a problem with tape measures falling off my belt when I move around. The clip on the back of the tape measure just isn't strong enough. So I came up with a solution that works much better. I replaced the standard clip with a clip from a cell phone. (You can purchase these at office supply stores.) This clip locks the tape securely in place on my belt but d lallows me to remove it quickly and easily Attilw Liuechese Cartice, Ontario

--~@

If y w have a unique shop tip, we'd like to considerfeaturing it in one or more of our print or electronicpublications. Welt pay up to $ 2 0 for a tip we publish. Just write down the lip and mail it to SbopNobes, &.: Readers' Tips, ZLOO Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. Or FAX it to 515282-6741, or send us an e-mail at shopnotes@shopnotes.com. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number in case we '--ve any questions.
-..< -

No. 64

ShopNotes

Shelf

SHOP

P R O J E C T

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No. 64

ShopNotes

Shelf
There are two main components to this project - the shelf and an optional storage rack Since the storage rack will sit on top of the shelf, Idecidedtobuildtheshelfiirst AsyoucanseeinPie1,thesbelf starts out as little more than an open frame. When its complete, it will provide a supportbase forthe top of the shelf and also hold a drawer. But for now, you can start by cutting the pieces for this base to sjze from 3/411 MDF (mediumdensity fiberboard). You'll need a pair of sides a sub top (B),and a back (C). Rabbets -The subtop and back are held in place by rabbets cut on the sides of the base. There's nothing unusual about how these rabbets are made - I simply cut them on the table saw using a dado blade. But when laying them out on your workpieces, keep in mind that you will be making a right-hand side and a left-band side. M e r cutting the rabbets, you can lay out the proae on the side pieces, as shown in Figure 1 .Then the prw ble canbe cut and sanded smooth. As you can see i n F i e s l a and lb, the base is assembled with glue,

( a ,

z;zig;:DEEP
IN SIDES FOR BACK AND SUB-TOP

/ ' -

more on using screws with MDF,see the article on page 32.) Note: If you are painting this project, you might want to paint the pieces before assembling them. And if you are using a hammered-finish

read the article on page 1 2 k s t

making the 'top of the shelf. X t s ' just D F fop p a m Z (D)with some an M hardwood eddgiqp glued around the

'

NOTE: TOP PANEL

TOP EDGING IS %*'-THICK HARDWOOD

front and sizes (Figure 2). Before adding the edging, however, I set the top panel on my workbench and positioned my drill press on the panel to ma& out the location oythemounting bolts. The drillpress should be centeredfrom side to side. And the front of the ddl press base should be about an inch away from the front edge of the top panel. Once you've hished marking out a l l the bole locations, you can go ahead and add the top edgieg (E). The edging is mitered and glued in place around the top panet Then the corners are radiused, and the front and side edges arerounded over. As you cansee in Figure 2, the top is screwed to the base from below. Once this is done, the boles you laid out earlier can be drilled through both the top panel and the subtop.T - l i nuts are mounted to the bottom of the subtop for the mounting bolts.

SbopNotes

No. 64

Youll also need to drill a large hole for the cord near the back of the ' shelf, which is shown in P i e 2a. To prevent the edge of this hole from fraying the cord, I rounded over the inside edge of the hole on both the top and the bottom F i e 2a). At tbis point, the shelf can be mounted to the wall studs of your shop with 3"-long lag screws and washers (Flgnres 1and la).

DRAWER 51D

WIAWER
To hold drill bits and other small items, a drawer is mounted below the top of the shelf. The drawer isn't complicated. Its constructed with rabbetjoints and screws. I decided to use 3h"-thick hardwood for the drawwfroni and back (F) and the drawer szdes (GI. Later, a f a k front made out of MDFwiU be added. After cutting the drawer pieces to size, the ends ofthe drawer sides can be rabbeted to hold the drawer front and back. Then a groove can be cut along the inside face of each drawer piece to hold a hardboard drawer bottom. F i , I routed a small roundover on the top, outer edge of each drawer side. After cutting the drawer bottmn (II) to size, the drawer can be assembled. I drilled countersank pilot holes in the drawer sides, and then glued alld screwed them to the drawer front and back Drawer Slides - The drawer travels on fullextension. metal
4" DRAWER PU
<-.*

.. .- ." ,

NOTE: FRONT. BACK. AND SIDE4 OF

(34'x1BL) DRAWER ARE>."-TH CK rlARDW00D FALSE FRONT IS6t.MDF, BOTTOM IS :A' HARDBOARD

DRAWEX FRONT

16" FULL-ENENSION DRAWER SLIDE wISCREW5

drawer slides (see photo below). This allows you to easily reach items at the back of the drawer. And no matter how weighted down the drawer gets w i t h drill bits, it will always open smoothly on the ball-bearing slides. I f you've never installed this type of drawer hardware before, don't worm. It's not di%cult. The drawer

slides wme apart into two pieces. One piece is mewed to the side of the base. The other half is screwed to the side of the drawer, as you can see in Figures 3a and 3b. The slides are positioned flush with the bottom edge of the drawer. 'False Front - After the drawer is mounted in the base, you can add the hkc~sefront (11.This is iust a niece of I&F &at has been roundedover on the front edges. (It also gets painted w i t h the same hammeredm s h paintthat1 used on the base of the shelf) 'Ihe false front is simply screwed to the front of the drawer. Just make sure that it's centered sid6toside in the drawer opening. Drawer P u l l - The last slep to complete the drawer is to add a drawer pull. I just centered this on the front of the drawer and screwed it in place (Figures 3 and 3a).
4 Drawer. The drawerndes on fullextensfon drawer slides, mak~ng it. easy to reach /terns at the back

SHOP

P R O J E C T

I Storage Rack..:
-;

The storage rack is really an optional part of this project - you don't have to build it at all. But I find it to be a handy place to organize all those odd-size accessories right next to the drill press. Like the shelf and drawer, the storage rack is built out of MDF and hardwood. I started by making the two sides (J). These are cut to size from 3/a1'-thickMDF. Then dadoes are cut on the inside face of each side piece to bold the shelves, as shown in Figures 4 and 5. And a rabbet is cut along the back edge for the hack. In addition to the dadoes for the shelves, youll need to drill a shallow hole above each dado, as shown in the margin drawing at left. These holes will hold dowels that serve as rails for the shelves. After all the joinery is complete, the upper, front corner of each side is rounded (radiused), and the outer edges are rounded over. Shop Note: The back and inside edges are not rounded over.

Shelves - There's not much to making the shelves. Each shelf (K) is cut to size from 3/4''thick hardwood. Then the front edges are rounded over. Youll also need to make three shelf rails (L). These rails help to keep small items from vibrating off the shelf when the drill press is running. I simply cut A GuardRail. Like the guard rail on a highway, these rails to length the shelf rails on this storage rack prevent items from some 3/8'1-dia. hard- from falling off the edges of the shelves. wood dowel stock. Hanger Strip -The last piece to will be added to the rack later. make before assembling the rack is Then in F i r e 7, tongues are the hanger strip. This is a narrow being cut on the ends of the hanger piece of wood that runs across the strip to fit in the rabbets that you top of the rack and provides a means cut earlier on the sides of the rack. of attaching it to the wall. The two front edges of the strip are The lmnger ship (MI is cut from rounded over, and then a couple of 3/a"-thi~k hardwood stock In F i e holes are drilled in the hanger strip 6, a rabbet is being cut along one for the screws that will be used to edge to bold a hardboard back that mount the storage rack.
HANGER STRIP

OMR

#6 FINISH WASHER

FRONT VIEW
ShopNotes

NO. 64

Assembly The rack is assembled with glue and screws. Fit, I assembled the sides, shelves, and rails. The rails are simply glued in place. But the shelves are glued and also screwed in place, using woodscrews and h i s h washers @ I I 4b). The hanger strip is glued and screwed to the sides from the back. Back The last piece to add to complete the storage rack is the baelc (N).This is just a piece of '/a1' hardboard that is cut to fit in the rabbeted opening in back of the rack. It gets mewed in place to the back edges of the shelves. Mounting the Rack -The rack just sits on top of the shelf. But to keep it from moving around,it is also fastened to the wall through the hanger strip, using woodscrews and b i s h washers. Once it is screwed in place, you can set your drill press on the shelf and fasten it down with a couple of hex-head bolts and washers. Fish the cord through the large hole in the to^ of the shelf and Now you are all set for your next dn'lling task &

& Tongue DetaiL

Tongues cut on the ends of the hanger strip fit into the rabbets in the sides of the storage rack,

DRAWER
BOtrOM

@3

No. 64

ShopNotes

11

"Hammered"
Finish

Painting a

L
12

some specialtyfinish paints, they are pretty easy to apply. Tbafs because the hammered look is "built-in." Within secondsof applying the paint, you'll start to see the "hammered" appearance taking affect. Preparation - The key to any successful paint job is in the initial preparation of the surface. Although MoF takes paint quite well because it is so smooth, it pays to take a few minutes to sand all the edges to remove any saw blade marks. S a n d i i also removes any "fuzz" or fibers that may be present on the edges of the MDF. Masking Off - The other thing you'll want to do is mask o f f the areas that you don't want painted. This includes any gluing surfaces, like rabbets, grooves, and dadoes. I Sand Edget :e sure the edges of the prefer to use alow-tackmasking tape MDF are smooth by sanding them w~th surfaces, mask off all the dadoes, so that the tape is easy to remove 2)-grit sandpaper and a sanding block. grooves, and rabbets with masking tape. after the painting is finished. ShopNotes

m're probably dready familiar with hammered-finish paints. For years, they have been used on everything from toolboxes to appliances. They give the surface of an object the look of metal that has been lightly ham mered all over (see inset photo). Typically, hammered-iinish paints are used on objects made out of metal. But we wanted to achieve that same "hammered" look on the MDF used to build the drill press shelf on

page 6. This meant that we had to take afew extra stem in preparing the project for paint, as you'll see shortly. Hammered-finish paints come in several colors. And you'll rjnd these in both spray cans and quart cans at hardware stores and home centers. (locally, I paid about $6 for a spray can and $8for a quart of paint.) Hammered-hish paints provide a tough, durable surface -perfect for a shnn environment And unlike

spray
For the most consistent-looking hammered finish, spray paint is the way to go. It's easy to use and minimizes clean up. Before applying the paint, however, I primed all the surfaces. The primer helps to seal the surface of the MDF so it doesn't absorb all the paint This is espe cially important on the edges, which are more porous than the faces. As you can see in Steps 1and 2, I primed the edges first and then the faces. ~ e c a u s e the edges tend to soak up a lot of primer, I applied three coats to these areas, sanding lightly with 400grit sandpaper between each coat. Paint - Once the primer is dry, you can auplvthe uaint Here amin. I started with the edges and-then painted the faces (Steps 3 and 4). In order for the hammered effect to work, you have to put on a fairly "wef' mat of paint This is the only trick to using this paint. Yon have to spray on ahealthy coat, hutyoudon9 want to spray it on so thick that it runs. It's a good idea to practice on a piece of scrap &st. Second Coat - Once the h t coat is dry (10 to 15 minutes), you can spray on a second coat One

Step I. &mg a gray pr~mer, spray the edges of the MDFOrst Apply at least three coats to seal the edqes -

Step 2. Because the faces don't absorb the primer as much as the edges, a sin.qle - coat is fine here.

Step 3. Once the primer is dry, you can spray on the hammered finish paint, starting with the edges.

Step 4. In order for the "hammered finish to work, you have to apply a generous coat of paint.

thing to be aware of when using hammered-6nish paint is that you have a limited "window" of opportunity to r e a a t According to the

directions on the spray can, if you don't apply the second coat within an hour of the first, you should wait 10 days before recoating.

Hammeredanis method is a little more economical, particularly if you have a large swface to cover. The steps involved are the same as in spraying the paint To begin w i t h I primed all the swfaces, rolling on additional coats of primer on the edges. Next, the paint can be applied. To spread the paint out smoothly, I I e to use either a foam roller or a roller with a short nap. Make sure you load the roller up before you start rolling on the paint Just like with the spray pmt, you want to put down a s u b stanhal ' . mat And again, start with the edges and then move on to the faces of the workpiece (Steps 1and

Step I. After priming the workpiece, roll the paint onto the edges first, us~ng a short-nap rolle,:

Step 2. After covering the edges, roll the paint on the faces, making sure to lay down a good, "wet"coat.

2). Once the fist wat is dry, you can apply a second coat Safety Note: As with any paint containii potentially harmful vapors, you should always wear a respirator ShopNotes

when workingwith hammered-finish paints. And make sure you have plenty of ventilation, regardless of whether you are spraying or rolling on the paint. hh

No. 64

13

Plunge Router
I h a w m yuur m ~ t e into r a precision

J hng to ~ d Bat . thn amhg wili t m n s f m o r m an ordijig

nary plunge router into a mortising machine that is capable of turning out per&-6aing mortises in a matter o fm m & . The way it works is &pie. The m~is&mpedrothe&outof , I the j i g , &redly below an opening in the top o f the jig. The router sits on top o f thejig and slides skleto-dde in a aWow r nA pair of adjustable Btqps corral ttre mta and amtmI the length of the mortise. An you have to do is p l m e fhe bit into the w o t & i wand siide tlEe router over unta it hits ttre sbpaifstbat simple. -Not only doff this jig mrk its &O alsoversatike, YOV rn use it to make dl Ws of mw ,!ism- open mortises, miteredmop kbs, even offsetmortises Far more inform&on on se&g u ~and , udng thejig, r&r@page B.

No. 64

OVERALL DIMEN5IONS: lbWxZO"Dx2l"H

EXPLODE0 VlEW

STAR KNOBS ALLOWYOU TO MAKE ADJUSTMENTS BY HAND - NO WRENCH OR SCREWDRIER REQUIRED

ROUTER PLATE SLIDES BACK AND FORM TO POSITION MORTISE ON THICKNESS OF WORKPIECE

ISE ED OPS

RECESS IN PLATE GUIDES ROUTER IN STRAIGHT LINE

LARGE OPENING OFFERS CLEAR VlEW OF WORKPIECE AND MORTISE GUIDE STRIP KEEPS SLIDING PLATE IN PERFECT ALIGNMENT WITH FIXED PLATE

BASE OFJlG CLAMPS TO TOP OF WORKBENCH

NOTCH ALLOWSYOU TO CLAMP A STOP BLOCK TO FRONT OF JIG (REFER TO PAGE 2 0 )

TOGGLE CLAMP HOLD5 WORKPIECE IN PLACE WHILE ROUTING MORTISE

FOR STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUrnONS ON USINGTHE JIG, TURN TO PAGE 20

NOTE:

I
I

YERllCAL MITERED TO OR HOLD WORKPIECEB (REFER TO PAGE 20)

12 x 1 2 - 3/4 Plywood

( 2 ) Star Knobs (with %"x 3/4" threaded stud) (3) Star Knobs (with % ' x l%"threaded stud)

(5) '/+*' was he^

No. 64

ShopNotes

Base
Despite its versatility, this mortising jig isn't really all that complicated to build. It's built almost entirely out of 3h'1 plywood. At the heart of the jig is a box-like base that gets clamped down to the top of your workbench. A plate is attached to the top of the base. This plate has a wide, shallow recess to hold your router. It can be adjusted forward and back to accommodate workpieces of varying thicknesses or to create an offset mortise. Also attached to the plate are a pair of adjustable stops that allow you to automatically control the length of each mortise. Take a look at F i e 1 to get a better idea of what I'm t a l h g about. Base -To build the base of the j i g , I started by cutting a bottmn (A), at o p (B), and two sides (Cl CIom 3h" plywood. The dimensions for these parts are shown in Figure 2. To avoid scraping your knuckles on any sharp corners, the front corners of the base are mitered. Youcan see this in F i e 2 below. And F i e 2a shows the short, rounded notch that is cut at the front of each side piece. m e s e notches allow you to clamp a stop block to the front of the jig for multiple pieces, seep. 20.) The base top is just a square piece of plywood. But it has a shallow groove routed down the center, just
TOP
#8xlWFh

STAR KNOB

as you see in Figures 3 and 3a. This groove will be used to guide the router plate that is added later. Once the groove is routed, a hole is drilled right in the center and a T-nut is installed in the side opposite the groove, see F i e s 2 and 2b. Assembly - The base of the jig is simply screwed and glued together. To do this, I clamped all the pieces together h c without any glue. Then I drilled countersunk pilot holes for all the screws.

Once this was done, I disassembled the base, applied the glue, and installed the screws. Router Plate - Making the router plate (D) involves a few more steps than the base. The plate starts out as a redangular piece of plywood, as shown in F i e 4. Then a llhl'-wide by 7lht1-long slot is cut near the front edge of the plate for the router bit This opening is centered from' side to side on the router plate. I made

WOODSCREW

-E
- 1Yd'
DIA.

a.

ShopNoM

No. 64

II)

this opening by drilling a couple of holes with a Forstner bit and then cutting out the waste in between with a j i g saw. Figure 4a shows the location of this opening. The next step is to create a shallow recess on the top of the plate to hold your router. This recess guides the base of the router in a straight line, giving you nice, straight mortises. In order for the router to slide freely, the recess needs to be smooth and flat. So I decided to make the recess on the router table, routing it in several passes with a flil'-dia.straight bit As you can see in Figure 4b, the trick here is to sue the recess to just fit your router base. And make sure the' recess is centered over the router bit opening. Guide Strip Once the recess for the router is tinisbed, you can rout a groove on the opposite face of the router plate for a guide strip ( F i e 5). Thisgroove is identical to the ,one you made on the base top earher (Figure 3), and it runs right down the center of the router plate. The guide s t e p (E) is just a piece of 1/4" hardboard. It's glued into the groove, flush with the baek edge of the router plate. Note: The guide strip will stop short of the opening in the plate for the router bit After gluing the guide strip in place, you'll need to cut a slot in the router plate to allow it to be adjusted back and forth. I did this by drilling a hole at the end of the slot and then

/
l 6 < A

1
ye" % 1"

PLATE
("'pLwOOD)

GROOVE FOR LGUID STRIP

cutting out the waste on a band saw, as shown in Figure 6. But you could also rout the slot on a router table. Stops-Thelastpiecestobeadded to the base are a pair of stops. Adjustingthestopsinoroutwillallow you to set the length of the mortise. These stops (Fi are made from 'h" hardboard and are sized to fit in the

recess you cut for the router base, as yon see in F i e 7. A slot is cut in each stopto allowittobeadjusted. Each stop is held in place with a knob with a threaded stud.Theknob threads into aT-nut that is mounted in the bottom of the router plate, just as you see in F i e 7. In order to keep theT-nut flush with the surface of the router plate, you'll need to drill a shallow counterbore before drilling the hole for the T-nut You c a n see what I'm talking about by taking a look at F i e 7a. The router plate simply sits on top of the base with the guide strip in the groove on the base top. Then another knob with a threaded stud is used to hold the router plate in position, as shown in Figure la. At this point, the base of the j i g is complete. A l l that is left now is to make the front section of the j i g that holds the workpiie.

Front

Now that the base is complete, you slidiig plate can be turned around the piece. These grooves will be can start making the front section of (SOthe pointed end is up). Or you used to help guide the sliding plate the jig that holds the workpiece. As can rotate the sliding plate 90" in that is added later. you can see in Figure 8, this sedion order to cut a mortise on the end of a Like the grooves in the base, I is made up of two plywood plates. A workpiece. Toggle clamps attached made these grooves on the router fixed plate is screwed directly to the to the slidiig plate are used to hold table @"we 10). The fvst one is front of the j i i base. And a sliding the workpiece in place whiie the centered on the length of the workplate travels up and down (or side to mortise is being routed (seep. 21). piece. Then a second groove is censide) in grooves in the fixed plate. Fied Plate - I made the fixed tered on the width of the piece. To The sliding plate allows you to plate 6rst As shown in F i e 9, the center these grooves, I routed them accommodate different sizes of &ad plate (GI is just a square piece in multiple passes, flipping the workworkpieces. To cut a mortise on the of plywood with a couple of shallow piece between each pass. F i r e 10a end of a mitered workpiece, the grooves that cross in the center of shows a detail of the grooves.

The sliding plate will be held in place with a couple of knobs that thread into T-nuts in the 6xed plate. But in order to provide a range of adjustments for different sizes of workpieces, I installed four pairs of T-nuts in the fixed plate. You can see the locations for these in F i r e 9. After drilling a hole for each T-nut, simply hammer the Tnuts in dace from the back of the fixed pke. m e back of the plate is the side without the grooves.) At this point, the 6xed plate can be attached to the base of the jig. It is simply screwed in place with eight woodscrews. as vou see in F i r e 8. Sliding plate - Like the face plate, the sliding plate (H) also starts out as a square piece of plywood F -i e 11). But the s l i d i i plate is a littJe more involved. To start with, a pair of slots are cut on each end of the plate to allow it to slide up and down (see the photo in the margin). The location of these slots is shown in Fi: 1 1 .,The, important thing to keep m nund IS that the spacing between each pair of slots is the same as the spacingbetween the two rows of T-nuts in the 6xed plate. To cut the slots, I drilled a hole at the end of each slot The I cut away the waste with a band saw. After cutling the slots, a shallow groove is routed down the center of the sliding plate. This groove is identical to the ones you routed on the fixed plate. It will hold a guide strip that will also fit into the grooves in the k e d plate.

E
lh

I
C S h " PLWOOD)

SLIDING PLATE

" 1

...., -. .

To hold mitered workpieces, two of the corners of the sliding plate are mitered at a 45" angle. This is done on a table saw, using the miter gauge and an auxiliary fence, as you see in Figure 12. Clamping a stop block to the auxiliary fence allows you to simply flip the workpiece over to miter the opposite corner. Guide Strip -The guide strip (I) is nothing more than a piece of '/a1' hardboard. It's cut to size and glued into the recess on the sliding plate. Then after the glue is dry, you can

GUIDE STRIP (1" x 12" - IW

HARDBOARD)

I
GLUE GUIDE STRIP INTO GROOVE A N D TRlM FLUSH WlTH MITERED EDGES OF SLIDING PLAE. S E E DETAIL 'a,' TRIM FLUSH
EDGES

sand or t r i m the end of the strip flus1 with the mitered edges of the plate, as shown in Figure 13a. Toggle Clamps -The last step c t complete the sliding plate is to ad1 the toggle clamps, see photo in margin. These clamps are used to hold aworkpiece down to the top of a workbench or other flat snrhce. (For more on toggle clamps, see Sources on page 35.) There are three toggle clamps used on this jig. These are simply screwed to the sliding plate. If you k Adjustable. Slots take a look at F i e 8, you can in the sliding plate see where the clamps are posi- allow you to adjust the jig for different tioned on the plate. After the toggle clamps are size workpieces. installed, the sliding plate can be And a toggle clamp added to the fixed plate. It is held in holds the workpiece place with a pair of star knobs with securely m place. threaded studs and a couple of washers, as you can see in F i e 8. Once the clamp plate is in place, the j i g is ready to be put to work. All you need to do is clamp it down to your workbench. For more informa tion on using the j i g , see page 20.

Using the Jig

Once you try this jig, I t h i i you'll be amazed not only with the results, but at how easy it is to set up and use. There are just a few simple steps. Iayout -The first step is to lay out the mortise on yow workpiece. If you are m a h g identical mortises on identical workpieces, you only need to lay out one mortise -once the stops on the jig are adjusted for the h t mortise, the rest will fall into place automatically. Jig Setup -With the jig clamped to your bench, loosen the two knobs

1
on the front face of the jig and bring the slidingplateuptotrap 1

theworkpieceagainst the router as you see in Step 1. Tighten the knobs and clamp the workpiece to the j i i with thetoggle clamp. Now loosen the knob at the back of _ _ghtning-Fast Mortises. To rout a mortise, aii the jig and adjust the you have to do is plunge the bit into the workpiece router plate so the and move the router over until it hits the stop. opening is centered over the mortiee (see Step 2 and the plunge it into the workpiece about l/q'l. Move the router to the right box shown at left). In Step 3, the stops are being until it contacts the opposite stop. adjusted to control the length of the Now increase the depth of cut and mortise. To do this, place the router repeat the process u n t i l you reach in the recess of the jig so the bit is the f u l l depth of the mortise. Stop Block - Before removing directly over one end of the mortise. Then slide the stop up against the the workpiece rom the jig, you may router base and tighten the knob. want to clamp a stop block to the Now repeat this procedwe for the front of the j i g (see Step 4). If you're stop at the other end ofthe mortise. making multiple mortises on t h e Routing - At this point, you're ends of identical workpieces, this readyto startmortising.The mortise w i l l allow you to slide the next workis made in a series of passes, piece rightinto place. When you're finished routing all removing about I/q" of material at a time. Startwiththe router against the the mortises, you might want to left-hand stop, turn the router on and come back with a chisel and square

?b see if the muter b b n is centered on the thtckof &e s@ck,m e a mortise tn a testpiece of the s m fh~ckness as yrxv wrkpieces,

1ness

SANDWICH WORKPI--BETWEEN SLIDING PLATE A N D TOP OF ROUTER PLATE

N m : CENTER MARKED MORTISE

4 Sandwich

the

workpiece

1between the sliding plate and

the router plate of the jig. Then

tighten down the kn sliding plate and use the toggle clamp to secure the workpiece.

ShopNotes

No. 64

up the ends ofeach mortise to match your tenons. Or 'the shoulders of the feinons can be rounded over later with a rasp or &. One last suggestion. Although you can use an ordinary straight bit for routing mortises, I find that I get better results u@ng aspiral upcut bit (see photo in matgin). With a straight bit, the wood chips tend to pile up inside the mortise, ma& thebit (and the router) work harder. A,spiral upcut bit pulls the chips up and out of the mortise as it cuts, leavingyou with a cleaner mortise.
B

pulls the chips out

STOPBLOCK P051TION6

AdjusP the stops 1 n or out to establish the length of the more Then plunge the bit into the

workpiece and rout the morbse fn A stop block clamped to the multiplepasses,removrngnomore jig makes the setup for duplithan %"ofmaterralat a time. cafe workpieces automatic

&her Features
One of the features of this j i g is that it can be used tomake mortises on the end of a workpiece as well as on the edge. All you have to do is remove the two knobs holding the sliding platein place and rotate it 9 0 : as shown in the fimt photo at right. Rout@ a mortise in the end of a workpiece allows you to create a 'loose" tenon joint In this type of joint, the mating pieces both end up with a mortise. Then a small block of wood (the "tenon? is cut to fit in the mortises and is glued into place. You can also make a mortise on the end of a mitered workpiece, which is great for strengthening mitered frames. All you have to do is t a n the sliding plate m u n d so the pointed end is up. Then set your warkpiece against one of the two mitered edges ofthe plate and clampit in place, see the second photo at right. &

Vertical Workpieces. To routa mortlse on the end of a workpiece, simply rotate the sliding plate 90" to the base.

Mitered Workpleces. For mortfsing mitered workpieces,the sliding plate can be turned upside down.

No. 64

ShopNotes

21

..-

@g&af . %ese:'modern ?
,

conveni~nces -a?e

w w

hard to beat the the cabinet) to fit the Akro-Mils stic bins. But the storage bins I used (refer to Sources problem then becomes, how do you on page 35).Whether you use these organize the organizers? This bins or another type, its best to have project solves that dilemma. them on hand before you start to Drawers & Storage Bins - As size the drawers and cabinet to fit. you can see in the photo above, the Drawer Slides - Plastic storage cabinet is loaded with storage bins aren't the only modern convenspace. Four upper drawers accept a iences in this cabinet. The drawers total of 64 small plastic storage bins. ride on fullextension slides that And the two bottom drawers hold a allow you to access the entire contents of each bin easily. total of 12 larger bins.

'%napped" in a cabinet with an oldfashioned look that showcases the solid woodworking that goes i n t o building it - stub tenon and groove joinery for the frame and panel sides, and lap joints for the kce frame. Option -And if you're looking for a little more woodworking, you can build shopmade dividers for organizing the contents of each drawer (instead of using the storage bins). Details for this begin on page 29.

22

ShopNotes

No. 64

EX1X)DE.OMEW

OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 229MW x 24%-D x 42WH

TOP

SMALL DRAWER 6 PLASTIC HOLDS 1

ON LINE ' 5 EXTRA:

RGE DRAWER DS 6 PLASTIC

, .

LEVELERS PROVIDE SOLID FOOTING ON UNEVEN FLOORS

I

SIDES ARE STUB TENON AND GROOVE FRAMES WITH A PLYWOOD PANEL

Materials
Cab/&
A Side Stiles (4)
B C D 9 1 q x 3% - 41% 51de Rails (4) 3/4 x 3% - 17 Side Panels (2) 17x 34'/4 - '/4 P l y . x1 % - 20% Narrow Fmnt Rails ( 6 ) x 3% - 20% Wide Front Rail (1) Fmnt Stiles (2) 3/4 x 1 1 ' 4 - 41% Vertical Supports (4) l x 3% 9S1/4 Top Supports (2) 3/4 x 3% 209/4 Bottom (I) 20% x 2 3 - % P l y . 1x 24'/+ - 22% TOP(1) Back (1) 20% x 4@/4 - '14 Q.

I
Drawdrs

/ Hardware
*
(24) #B x 1 " Fh Woodscrews (4) #B xl'/2 Fh Woodscrsws (12) #0 xll/z" Fh Woodscrews (4) 5hs"-15 %Nuts (4) 5/s"-10 x 1%" Leveler Glides (10) #6 x 1 " Fh Woodscrews ( 6 f%) 2 2 Drawer Slides w/screws ( 6 ) 4" D m w r Polk w/screws (12) Knobs w/screws (Optional) ( 6 ) Label Holders w/wrewr (Optional)

E
F G

H I
J

L Small F m n t ~ / B s r k s ( 8 ) % x 3% 17% M Small Sldss (6) % x 3% 2 3 N Large Fmnts/Baoks (4) % x 5l/z - 17% 0 Large Sides (4) '/ex 5% 2 3 P Bottoms ( 6 ) 17% x 22% - 'I2 P l y . Q Small False Frts. (4) 3/4 x 4 % - 1S1/4 R Large False Frts. (2) a % x 6% 1S1f4 5 Small Side-to-Side Dvdrs. ((20) '/4 x 3 - 16% T SmaN Frt.-to-Baok Dvdrs. (20) l/4x 3 2 2 U Lrg. Side-to-Side Dvdrs. (10) '/4 x 5 - 163k V Lrg. Frt.-to-Back Dvdrs. (TO) / '+ x 5 22

. ..

-.

NOW: For t h i s project, you.11 need 1sheet of 5/4"plywwd, 1sheet of '/z"plywood, 20 eq. ft. of %"-thick stock, 2 0 bd, ft. o f 3/4''-thi~khardwood. 14 bd. ft.of I'thick harzlwood, and 90 sq. ft.of1/4"-thick stock or hardboard (for t h e optional dividers).

No. 64

Sides & Front

Forming the shell of the cabinet begins with making a pair of frame and panel sides that join to a face frame, as you can see m Flgure 1 These pieces provide the support for adding the top, bottom, and back that are bullt later S t i l e s & Rails I started on the sides by cutting the 3/41'-thi~khardwood srde 1 stiles (R) and rails (B) to , final size F ~ g u r e 1).Then to ensure that the cabinet would rest lirmly on an uneven floor once it was A To form the "feet assembled, I created a "foor at each at the end Of the vde corner at the bottom of the cabinet stfles,slide them To do this, Iclamped the two stiles together and use a together and then used a li/z"dia scrap piece across Forstner bit to create circular the ends for support cutouts on the inside corner of each stile (see upper margin photo and Figure la).

yLgE$$,\L
)/I' RAD.

3r the "feet" on the wide rail, a scrap plece again provides for the drii' bit durinq the cut

Grooves - After shaping the foot of each stile, you're ready to cut the stub tenon and groove joinery that holds the shles and rails I together. As you can see in Figure 2, the groove for this joint needs to be sized to ' accept the l/4" plywood szde 1 (C) So you'll want to be sure to cut the groove first. There are two things to keep in mind here as you cut the groove

WOE

Fist, the groove needs to match the cult as you might think. Instead of actual thickness of the l/4" plywood. using a dado blade set to match the (It's usually a little undersized.) And thickness of the plywood, I simply second, you'll want to make sure the use my regular saw blade. Then to groove is centered on the edge ofthe create a centered groove, I start by rails and stiles. This makes it easier roughly centering the blade on the i t workpiece and making a single pass, to cut the tenons to f Centering the groove isn't as d i i - as illustrated in Figure 2a

ShopNotes

No. 64

To complete the groove, just Bp the workpiece end for end and make 2b). A quick a second pass tsial fit of the panelwill let you know if the groove is wide enough. If it's not, just nudge the fence a bit closer to the blade and make two more passes. Once you have a good fit you can cut the remaininggrooves. Stub Tenon With the grooves complete, you can cut the tenons on the ends of the rails to match (Figure Zc). Once wain, this is just a matter of sneakingup on the Assembly - Now that the tenons are complete, you canglue the stiles, rails, and panelstogether to form the sides. Just be sure to align the lower edge of the bottom rail with the top

fit

1 1

5TRnrGnr

(5EE

,b.

F i r e la). Fortips on ass bling a frame and panel, refer to page 30.
point, you can let the side

c a b i i Like the sides, the face *frame is made up of stiles and rails, as shown in Figure 1. But they're held together by lap joints that create openings for the drawers. Rails I started by cutting the rails (D, E) to h a l sue from 3/4"thick hardwood. Once that's com plete, you can cut rabbets on the ends of each rail to form half of the lap joint ( F i i r e 3). Whafs important here is that the shoulder--toshoulder distance be identical (183/4") on each rail so the size of the drawer openings is consistent ( F i i e 1). At this point you can set the

narrow rails aside and complete a little shaping work on the wide rail O at the bottom of the cabinet. Foot - Like the sides of the cabinet, the front frame has a "foot" on each side. But this time, the foot is cut in the bottom rail. To form the circular part of the cutout, I used a technique similar to the one I used for the sides. You can see this in the lower margin photo on the opposite page. Shape Wide Rail - Completing the foot is just a matter of using a band saw to remove most of the

FOR FRONT FRAME A55EMBLY TIPS. REFERTO PAGE 30

..-.-.

. .. . ..

waste (Figure 4a) and then cleaning up the edge with a straight bit on the router table F m e s 4 and 4b). Stiles - With all the rails complete, you're ready to work on the stiles (F). I found it easiest to start out with an extra-wide (4") workpiece 5). Cutting the lap joints in a single piece ensures they11 be aligned perfectly across each stile. I used the rails to verify the width and depth of each lap joint as I cut them to sue (Figures 5, 5a and 5b). Then I cut the stiles to rinalwidth (13/4"). Assembly - Now that the lap j o i n t s are complete, you're ready to assemble the front frame (Figure 6). (For a few tips and techniques on assembling the frame with just a few clamps, refer to page 30.) As you assemble the frame, you'll notice that the rails don't extend all the way to the edges of the stiles. Don't worry. After the frame is assembled (and the glue is dry), you'll be cutting rabbets that are even with the ends of the rails to accept the sides.

m iic-.i +&:>:.?
+ ,
.
<; 9 ~,
~

' < ' A . . ~F

.3 , , : . ~ . .. . . .-

No. 64

ShopNotes

25

Top, Bottom & Back

Now that the sides and front frame are complete, you're ready to start assembling the cabinet, as shown in the Overview in F i e 7. Attach Sides - However, before you can attach the sides, you11 need to cut a rabbet along the back edge of the front frame v i e 8). There's nothing tricky about cutting the rabbet. I used a dado blade and "buried" it in an auxiliary fence attached to the face of my rip fence ( F i i e 8a). Then it's just a matter of sneaking up on the width of the rabbet so the sides are flushwith the outside of the frame. Assemble Sides & Frame With the rabbet cut in the front frame, you're ready to attach the sides. To make this easy to do with a limited number of clamps, refer to the article on page 30. Rout Roundover - Once the sides are attached, carefully rest the assembly on its "back" and rout a I/? roundover along the front edge, as shown in Figure 9. Besides softening the corner, this also makes the jointline along the side less visible. Vertical Supports Because the cabiet will be very heavy with all the drawers loaded with hardware, it needs to be solid. To ensure this, I added some "backbone" by installing a set of four vertical sup ports, like the ones you see illus trated in Figure 10. These supports will be used later to attach the slides for the drawers. But they also provide a convenient

,
'-4
TOP

FRAME

FROM

7
fi

VERTICAL SUPPORT

BACK

T-NUT

LEVELER

GLIDE
, '

way to attach the top, bottom, and back of the cabinet as well. To ensure the drawer slides line up flush with the inside edge of the drawer openings, the vertical supports (G) are made from 1"-thick stock. And they're cut to length to provide clearance for attaching the top supports and bottom of the

cabinet (Figures 10,10a, and 11). Gluing the front vertical sup ports in place is just a matter of butting them into the corners, as you can see in Figure lob. And the vertical supports at the back of the cabinet are set in to create a "rabbet" for the back of the cabinet, as shown in Figure 10b.

While I was at it, I added a pair of top supports (H) made from 3/4'C thick hardwood (Figure 10). Before screwingthem in place @gure lOa), I drilled a pair of holes in each s u p port for attaching the top. Bottom - With the top supports in place, you can tnm your attention

to the bottom of the cabinet. Besides enclosing the base of the cab'iet, the bottom provides a mounting point holes is used to attach the bottom to for a set of levelers. the supports installed earlier. After cutting the bottom (1) to The other set of holes is part of a size from '/2" plywood, I drilled two shopmade leveling system. S i c e I sets of holes, as you can see in wasn't able to find a set of low-profile F i r e s 7, 11, and lla. One set of levelers that were inexpensive and adjustable, I decided to make my own using a set of T-nuts and glides. That took care of the inexpensive and low profile criteria To make them easily adjustable from i m ' & the cabinet, I cut a slot in the top of each glide (see margin). Once that's complete, drill the holes for the Tnut; tap them in place and then thread in the levelers. Top - There are only a couple things left to complete the cab'iet adding the top and back I concentrated on the top first since it's easier to install without the back attached I tothecab'iet. The top Q) is just a 1"-thickpanel I glued up from several narrower boards (Figure 12). After the glue dries, you can trim the top to final size. Then rout a small roundover (?/a") on all the top and bottom edges except the back, as in F i r e 12a. Finally, screw the top in place so it's centered side to side and flush at the back (Figure 12a). Back All that's left to do is add the back. The back (K) is a piece of l/4" piywood that's sized in width to fit between the sides of the cabinet. And it's cut to length so it'sflush with the lower edge of the bottom. Once the back is cut to size, you can screw it in place Figures 12 and 12a).

, A~ustable Levelers. CuMng a

slot in the top of a glide with a hacksaw creates an adjustable leveler

Drawers

-7
m m
I 4 % "

vliith the basic cab inet complete, you can move on to building the drawers that hold the bis used to organize the hardware (see photo and Figure 13). As I mentioned before, I sized the drawersto accept plastic storageb'is (refer to page 35 for Sources). But if you'd rather make your own organizing system, check out the shop made dividers on the opposite page. Drawers - The drawers are built from '/zl'-thick stock. After planing your stock down to size, you can cut the drawer fiuntshacks (L, N) and sides (M, 0)to the dimensions Shown in F m e 13and the margin. Wbafs important here is to end up with a '/2" space on each side of the drawer forinsWng the hll-extension metal drawer slides @gure 13c).F a extension slides make it easy to reach the entire contents of the drawer. single kerf cut in the ends of each side accept tongues a t on the ends of the fronts and backs F i 13and 13a). Before assembling the drawer, you11 need to cut a l/4"-wide groove along the bottom edge of a l l the drawer pieces to hold the bottom @gure 13b).And since itwill be difficult to do once the drawer is assembled, its best to drill a set of countersunk screw holes in the front for attacb'mg the false fronts.

RABBET ON ALL FOUR EDGES

Now you can cut the drawer b o t h (P, to size b n '/z" &cd. C/z" pbwoodmakesabeavydulybottomfor s u p portingadrawerfddhardware,)AUer cutling a '/dl t o w e m d the edge of thebottomtotittheegroove 13b), you c a n glue up each drawer. Install Drawers - At this point you're ready to add the slides and install the drawers in the cab'iet Just keep in mind that the goal is to position each drawer '/811 above each Illil F . m e 13.3. This orovides the clearance above the drawer for the b'is and hardware. False Fronls A1 thats lefi at this point is to make the false (8, R) shown in F i e 13 and the margin. A rabbet is cut around the edges of the false fronts to create a lip that overlaps the drawer opening Figure 13e and margin). Then a

ha-bullnose is routed around the outside to ease the edges @ m e 13d). Finish - After screwing the false fronts in place, I stained the cabinet with a mix of three tablespoons of Van Dyke brown artist's colors and a quart of linseed oil. Then I topped it off with a few coats of a wipe-on varnish. F d y , I added a pull to each drawer ( E w e 13). But you might also want to consider the brass hardware shown below. &

m t s

Drawer Dividers

You don't need to build an entire cabinet to get organized. Shopbuilt drawer dividers are a great way to organize the contents of any drawer. Divider System - The dividers consist of an interlocking system v i e 1) that can be made from '/a"-thick stock or '/4" hardboard. Regardless of the material, what's important is that all the dividers must be the same Wickness to ensure theylock together securely. Size Dividers -To start, cut the dividers to width (height) to match the distance from the drawer bottom to the top edge of the drawer sides (Rlgure 1).Then for each drawer, cut

fivesidetde (S, U)andfrontdo4mk (T, V dividers to length to match the inside dimensions of the drawers. Auxiliary Fences - Before cutting the joints, I added an auxiliary fence to my miter gauge. Besides providing solid support for the dividers, it prevents chipout on the back side as you make the cut. A second auxiliary fence prevents the blade from "shaving" the rip fence. Then to ensure the joints were cut identically, I stacked all the same length pieces for each drawer together. After clamping them to the auxiliary fence, you can make the cuts as shown in F i e 2.

Cut Joints - After installing a dado blade in your table saw to match the thickness of the dividers, you can cut a notch at each end of the dividers ( E w e 2a). Then after cutting a centered notch in each piece, you can cut a pair of notches on each side of the center notch. Note: I only cut centered notches for the large drawers. Once all the notches are cut, it's just a matter of sliding the dividers together and slipping the assembly into the drawer.Then all that's left to do is gather up all your boxes of hardware and organize each drawer to suit your needs. &

hen it comes time to techniques that follow any time you assemble a large carcase need to assemble a large project (like the Hardware Cabinet on page Preparation - Before you start 22), I never seem to have enough rounding up your clamps, one of the clamps. But the truth is, you don't fist things you'll need is a large, flat always need a lot With just a few surface to work on. If its not, you'll clamps, YOU can use the t i ~ s and have to workthat much harder t w e t

ilEW

WD. A

TOP WEtr

your assembly flat and square. I like to use my workbench, as you can see in Figure 1. It's a natural assembly area But that's not always best for large or tall projects. In that case, I lay down a piece of plywood on mv s h o ~ floor. (I use s b s to even out any low spots in the floor.) Frame & Panel Assembly Typi*, a frame and panel doesn't require alot of clamps. As a matter of fact, two will usually do the trick. And even though clamping it is a simple task, ifs still a good idea to spend a little time dry assembling everything to check for problems. One problem you might notice is that the stiles and rails "pop up" a bit as you apply clamping pressure. To avoid this problem, you'll want to make sure the pressure is centered on the thickness of the workpiece ( F i r e 1).To do this, I use rounded clamping blocks the same thickness as the workpieces ( F i e la). Another area of concern with a frame and panel assembly is ensuring that it ends up square. Checking for this is easy - just measure diagonally kom corner to corner 1). If these dimensions are the s a m e , a the assemblv is sauare. But its not unusual to be a litfle ot Sf that's the

No. 64

case, don'tworry. All it takes to square things up is to shift the clamping e p r e s s u r e slightly (Figure lb). Face Frames Another large assembly that's similar to a frame and panel is a face frame. But instead of apanel, there's usually a few more rails (and therefore joints) making up the assembly. Trying to glue the entire assembly at once often results in running out of both clamps and time. To take the "pressure" off, I only glue one rail at atime. To seehowto do this, take alookat F i e 2. The key is dry assembling the frame. Besides keeping everyt b i i aligned and square, it allows you to remove one rail at a time. This makes it easy to apply glue to the ends of the rail and then slip it back in place. Once you've done that, place apipe clamp across the railand pull the joint tight. Finally, add a clamp across each lap joint to lock the rail in place. At this point, it's a simple matter to remove the pipe clamp and repeat this process, 'leapfrogging"your way down the frame. And don't wony if

you've already done. Then simply start up right where you left OE Bringing It AU Together - The last challenge in assembling a project is bringing all the parts together. As I mentioned before, I dnd it easier to assemble large (or tall) projects on the floor. Besides not having to reach so high above my workbench, I don't have to worry about moving it off my workbench later. Another challenge is trying to
CLAMP SQUARE INSIDE CORNER TO HOLD PIECES

HANDSCREW

WORK SURFACE

%' P ' LYW OOD

hold a number of pieces in position while you work. To give myself a "tbird hand," I used a handscrew as a wide base to bold one (or more) of the pieces in position, as in F i e 3. When you're only assembling a couple parts (like the single side and frame in F i e 31, it's not unusua for the assembly to "pinch togetha To solve this problem, I use a littlt trick that involves making a "framing square from a suap of plywood F w r e 3). Once it's clamped in place, it squares up the side and front frame and holds them in position. With all the problems worked out, all that's left is to start gluing up the assembly. The idea here is to apply glue to the joint (see margin for a handy tip) and thenget the joint tight with as few clamps as possible. Here again, I 'leapfrog" from the bottom of the assembly to the top. Starting with a pipe clamp, I bring the two parts together. Then I use a bar clamp across the two pieces to pull them tightly together. Clamping the rest of the assembly is just a matter of moving the pipe clamp up a bit and repeating the process. (You can do this for the other side once the glue dries.) As you can see, you don't need a shop filledwith clamps to assemble a large project. With the tips and techniques shown here, success is often just a handful of clamps away &

A Cleaner Glue-ups.
You'll have less glue squeeze out on the inside of the cabinet if you only spread the glue to the corner of the rabbet.

a
When it comes to assembling MDF projects, the secret to success is choosing and using the right fastenel:
e of the Urnateriais .re use around the shop a is mediumdensity fiberboard F). It's flat, stable, and a consistent thickness. MDF also machines well for clean, crisp edges and joints. All these great qualities make it sound like the perfect material. But unfortunately,its not quite "perfect" Unlike other materials, MDF doesn't have grain or plies, which tend to help the screws "grab." Thats not to say you can't use screws with MDF. I use them all the time. But I've learned afew tricks wben it comes to using them successfuIly. Screw Type - For years, I assembled projects with traditional woodscrews with straight shanks and tapered threads, like the one shown in the left drawing below. Whether I was using them in solid wood or plywood, they worked great. But I had problems using them with MDF. Sometimes the tapered threads on the woodscrew would split the MDF like a piece of 6rewood. And even if the MDF didn't split, I often had trouble just drawing the two pieces together tightly without stripping out the threads. To solve these problems, I made a couple changes. First, I switched the type of fastener I use. And second, I spend a litkle more time on the technique of drilling and assembling the workpieces.
Sheet Metal Screw - Instead of a traditional woodscrew, I switched to a sheet metal screw (see right drawing below). Although it doesn't look a lot different, I've had more success using them with MDF. The nice thiig about sheet metal screws is they're not tapered. Since the whole shank is straight, it isn't as likely to split the workpiece. And the threads are a little sharper, so they tend to cut into the MDF better. Technique - As you may have guessed, there's more to the process of joining two pieces of MDF than just switching to a different screw. It's also important to drill two holes -a shank hole and a pilot hole. The shank hole is drilled in the top piece, and the pilot hole is drilled in the bottom piece, as illustrated in Figures 1and 3. Drilling the Shank Hole - The key to ddling the shank hole is to size it so the top piece pulls tightly down to the bottom workpiece. For this to work.vou , don't want the screw threads to q d b the lop picxr a1 dl. 1l1ck t thing I do is find a drill bit that matches the outside diameter of the threads, like you see in the detail in F i e 1.This way, the screw will just slip through the hole without any play F i e 1). Countersink - Once you have the shank hole drilled, you can go ahead and countersink it for the head of the screw Fire 2). Just like the shank hole, it's important to properly size the countersink. To determine the correct depth to drill the countersink, turn the screw upside down and fit the head into the countersink.The screw will be flus* with the surface when the head just fitsinto the countersink.

y b ,. ,ecnor
KADITIONAL {OODSCREW]

Tapered woodscrew splits MDF near edges and causes bulging on the face of the workpiece. Shallow countersinks and overdriving screw "lifts" edge of hole. Wood fibers 'pull" away from bottom workpiece and prevent them fromjoining together

Sheet metal screws andproperlysized shank and pilot holes prevent splitting and bulging of workpiece. Longer screws provide extra holding power in MDF. Countersinks at both ends of shank hole allow screw to pull joint together tightly .

32

ShopNotes

No. 64

IEAD OP SCREW

?EE??LLE~

COUNTE~~SINK ON BoTrOM OF SHANK HOLE TO PROVIDE CLEARANCE

'While pm at it, I flip the workpiece over and drill a smaller COUntersjnk where the shank hole exits the top piece. So why countersink somethii you don't see?The main reasan is ifs easy for the h e m in the bottom workpiece to "lift? u p This keeps the top and bottom workpieces from pulling together tightl~5 as you can see in the far left drawing on the opposite page. Drilling a small countemink provides a clearance area for the fibers. Sometimes Pm looking for a tittle differentappeamnceoua&jectthan

plst a plain coun@t&k 'Ihe box below shows a couple optiom I use. DriWag the Pilot Hole %th the wuntemhks complete, all thats lettto do isdrillthe pilothole (Figure 3). This anchors the threads of the screw and prevents spJjtting. There are two important things to r e m e m b e r here. Fwt, the pilot hole needs to be the @ht diameter. .And secon4itneedstobethe right depth. Diameter of Pilot Hole - The pilot hole should be about the same size (or a hair smaller) than the root diameter of the screw.

Herc again. an easy way to dctcrmine the right size bit is to hold it up in front of the screw until you find one that allowe the root to just b a t e show on bothsides o f the bit (Figme 3a). Note: %ce its hard to find a b r d point bit theright size, I like to use a regulartwist bit forpilot holes. With the bit sized, you're ready to d r i l l the pilot hole. To ensure t h e pilot hole is centered properly, I mark t h e location using the same brad point bit I used for the shank hole. All you need to do is hold the two piecesin position (Ilike to clamp timeI can) and give the bit them a little tap or twist to. mark the precise centerpointfor the pilot hole, as shown in.Egure3b. Depth of Pilot Hole - With the pieces stdl held together, YOU qn drillthe pilot hole. How deep should it be? In MDF, I drill thepilot hole iust pa& where the tip ofthe screw will end up @?me 3). This way, I don't have m worry about the end of the screw spliaing the MDF deep in the hole and '%bulging" out the side of the w o w o t k piece. Note: For extra holding power, 2like to use screws that are l/il' - 3/4" longer than I would d y use for solid wood or plywood. F i Assembly - All thats left at this pint is to screw the pipieces together. But there's one last thing. A power d r i l l can easily strip the threads in MDF, ruiningall the work that went into Sjzing everything properly. So in9tead of d r k a the up" the screwfosaperfectfit hh

mi-

screwallthew~homeunderpower, I switch to a wewdriver and "snug

No. 64

ShopNotes

33

T c ~ Chest
oes a woodworker really need another square? Since I've been using the Uniuenal Sqrrere from Bridge City Tools, the answer is yes. P V used ~ a similar-looking tool for a lot of wnstrudiou projects. But unlike that tool, this aluminum square is flawlessly machined and has just the right features that make it a great tool for woodworking. The Basics For starters, the square is machined flat with a cove down the center to form a solid base. So I can rest it light next to the saw blade and verify it's set to SOo. And the matte black finish and white lettering make it very easy to read. (A great feature for my aging eyes.) Height Gauge - But there's more to the Uniuenal Square than just checking a saw blade for 90' (or 459. I can also set the height of

*
'

A V O R I T E

T O O L S

Bridge City Tools

Universal Square
A

Universal is a great description for the capabilities built into this square.

the square you'll find the saw divisions in single degree increments. blade (or a route Centering Rule -The bit) because the outsi %ties don't stop there. edge has a ments (Photo A). So setting the The Univenal Square also makes right height for something like a finding and laying out the center of a dado blade on the fint attempt is a workpiece W e the mortise shown in photo C ) a simple task. piece of cake. Probractor - And when laying Thickness Gauge - Finally, out an angle, I don't have to track photo D shows one of the uses I down my old plastic protractor make most frequently checking (Photo B). Along the angled side of the thickness of stock when it comes out of the planer. The wide base makes it easy to butt against the workpiece so I can easily read the thickness along - the rule next the open slot. Availability - The Uniuenal Square comes in 3", 4",and 6"sizes. So choosing just one might be the biggest problem. m e 6" size is great for guiding a circular saw or jig saw when making a crosscut.) And if you'd like, you can also buy the squares with metric graduations. margin for sources). a (See 1chose the 3It Univenal Square. It has all the features of the two larger squares, but its small size makes it tool to carrv around in I the ~erfect the pocket of your apron. Cost Depending on the size of the Uniumal Square, the cost will range from $33 (3'9 to $56 (6"). At k t , this may seem a bit extravagant. But considering the ~ n i u e n a e Squan takes the place of three or four tools, I t h i n k it's worth it.&

34

ShopNotes

No. 64

Drawer Slides
One of the best ways to increase the so youll get smooth, silent operabon. useable space in a drawer is to install And don't worry about sagging. The themwith fdexknsion drawer slides, slides carry loads ranging from 75 to like the one shown at right. 150 pounds - strong enough for a finshes (white and bright metal) The secret is a system of tele drawer full of tools or hardware. available in lengths ranging from 10" scoping steel "channe1s" that canBrands - We used Accuride to 28" at home centers, through tilever the drawer as you open it. slides with a black finish for our proj- woodworking catalogs,as well as the These channels ride on ball bearings, ects. But youll find other brands and sources listed in the margin.

e m
&o-Mils, IUC. 800-253-2467
wwaaluo-rrnls.com

MIba

Storaoe Bins

Storage Cabinet Hardware & Bins

Besides the drawer slides, there are a few other things youll need for the Hardware Storage Cabinet on page 22. Levelers - For starters, I used leveler glides (Part No. 24257) from Rockler (see margin) to make it easy to level the cabinet. Hardware - For the drawers, I used 4" brass sash puUs (upper left) from a local home center. But if you'd like something different, Van Dyke's bas brass label holders (Part No. CH-02005501) for identifying the contents of each drawer, along with ll'dia. brass knobs (Part No. CH-02002542). Plastic Storage B i n s - When I designed the cabinet drawers, I sized them specifically for the small (Part No. 3@210) and large (Part No. 3 0 230) Akro-Mils storage bins shown below. Other brands may not fit the drawers exactly These bins (or similar ones) are available from home centers and the sources at right

McFeeley's 800-443-7937
mvw.mlrler.com

Drawer Slides, Storage Bins

Roekler 800-279-4441
w..mekler..eom

De-Sta-Co Clamps, Drawer Slides, Leveler Glides, Storage Bins

MeMaster-Carr 630-833-0300
wwa.mcmasteceom

Drawer Slides, Storage Bim, Toggle Clamps

Van Dyke's Restorem
800-558-1234
wwa.uandykee.com

Cabinet Hardware
Woodsmith Store
800-835-5084

Mortising Jig HardwareConsidering the capabities of theP1unge Router MortisingJig (page 14) in this issue, it's surprising how little hardware it actually takes to build i t Clamps - The key to three DeSta-Co woodworking catalogs, and the sources listed in the margin. Knobs - Locking the sliding platforms in place on the Mortising Jig requires knobs with two different length threaded studs. Both of the knobs are available from the Woodsmith store (see margin for number). The part numbers you'll need for ordering them are 1065202 (V") and 1065203 (11/2"). ShopNotes

Mortising Jig Hardware, De-Sta-Co Clamps, Drawer Slides

home

centers,

Cutting Diagram

Plunge Router

Mortising Jig
#/4" PLYWOOD - 48" x 48"

G D

NOTE: A SMALL PIECE OF !/4"-HARDBOARD WILL BE NEEDED FOR ITEMS E F I

Materials
A B C D E F G H I Bottom (1) Top (1) Sides (2) Router Plate (1) Router Plate Guide Strip (1) Stops (2) Fixed Plate (1) Sliding Plate (1) Sliding Plate Guide Strip (1) 16 x 12 -3/4 Plywood 12 x 12 -3/4 Plywood 3 x 12 - 3/4 Plywood 16 x 17 - 3/4 Plywood 1 x 9 - 1/4 Hardboard 41/4 x 41/2 - 1/4 Hardboard 12 x 12 - 3/4 Plywood 12 x 12 - 3/4 Plywood 1 x 12 - 1/4 Hardboard

Page 1 of 1

ShopNotes No. 64

2002 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.

Cutting Diagram Hardware

Storage Cabinet
Materials
Cabinet
A B C D E F G H I J K Side Stiles (4) Side Rails (4) Side Panels (2) Narrow Front Rails (6) Wide Front Rail (1) Front Stiles (2) Vertical Supports (4) Top Supports (2) Bottom (1) Top (1) Back (1)
3/ 31/ - 411/ 4x 2 2 3/ 31/ - 17 4x 2 17 x 341/4 - 1/4 Plywood 3/ x 11/ - 20 3/ 4 2 4 3/ x 31/ - 203/ 4 2 4 3/ x 13/ - 411/ 4 4 2 1 x 31/4 - 391/4 3/ x 31/ - 203/ 4 4 4 203/4 x 23 - 1/2 Plywood 1 x 241/4 - 223/4 203/4 x 403/4 - 1/4 Plywood

Drawers
L Small Fronts/Backs (8) MSmall Sides (8) N Large Fronts/Backs (4) O Large Sides (4) P Bottoms (6) Q Small False Fronts (4) R Large False Fronts (2) S Small Side-to-Side Dividers (20) T Small Front-to-Back Dividers (20) U Large Side-to-Side Dividers (10) V Large Front-to-Back Dividers (10)
1/ x 31/ - 171/ 2 2 4 1/ x 31/ - 23 2 2 1/ x 51/ - 171/ 2 2 4 1/ x 51/ - 23 2 2 171/4 x 221/2 - 1/2 3/ x 43/ - 191/ 4 4 4 3/ x 61/ - 191/ 4 2 4 1/ x 31/ - 171/ 4 2 4 1/ x 3 - 22 4 1/ x 5 - 163/ 4 4 1/ x 5 - 22 4

Plywood

NOTE: Cutting Diagram For Optional Dividers Not Shown

Page 1 of 2

ShopNotes No. 64

2002 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.

#/4" x 8" - 96"

A A
#/4" x 8" - 96"

A A
B B

B B

D R R Q Q H

F E

D H

#/4" x 8" - 96"

#/4" x 6" - 96"

Q
%/4" x 8" - 96"

G
#/4" x 8" - 96"

G J
!/2" x 8" - 96"

J M

J M

J M

M
!/2" x 6" - 96"

O
!/2" x 8" - 96"

O L

O L L

L
!/2" x 6" - 96"

48" x 96" - !/4" PLYWOOD

48" x 96" - !/2" PLYWOOD

Page 2 of 2

ShopNotes No. 64

2002 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.