HALL TREE

© 2015 August Home Publishing Co.

 r
Designe
Project

Entryway
Hall Tree
This stylish project is the
perfect storage solution for
any hall or entryway. You’ll
find places to stash your
umbrellas, coats, and more.

Let’s face it: The home’s entryway tends

to be a magnet for all kinds of clutter.
Shoes, umbrellas, hats, and coats get
dropped and picked up in this area con-
stantly. And if you don’t have a good
method for organizing these items, it can
quickly turn into an unsightly mess.
The elegant hall tree you see here is a
great solution to this problem. With a set
of hooks, shelves, and a bottom bin for
storing umbrellas, it’s the perfect spot to
deposit or collect these items when you
arrive at the entry door. It even has a piv-
oting mirror for a quick check before you
head out the door.
ANGLED DESIGN. The unique look centers
around the compound-beveled legs,
which angle inward from the bottom of
the hall tree toward the top. This lightens
the look of the hall tree and makes for a
more pleasing design.
To simplify the construction process,
I eliminated any tricky joinery and
instead relied on dowels, corner blocks,
and screws to bring everything together.
Of course, the angled design of the tree
presents a few interesting challenges, but
you’ll find all the information you need
on the following pages. The end result is
a project that’s fun to build and is sure to
add some useful storage to your home.

1 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Construction Overview / OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 16 ⁄ 9
16"W x 68"H x 169⁄16"D

Hooks on three
Top panel is sides offer plenty
beveled slightly of coat storage
for a pleasing look
Screws secure
all panels to
rails Hardwood splines
reinforce the
mitered frame

Corner blocks Mirror frame is

connect shelf mitered to match
assemblies angle of legs
Mirror fittings
allow mirror to legs
to pivot

Ends of shelf
and slat rails
are beveled
to match
angle of legs
Shelf notches
cut at an angle
to match legs

Inserts fit in grooves

in rails and are
notched to accept
the slats

Shelves and top Legs feature a 2°

are glued-up compound bevel
solid-wood at top and bottom
Slat rails joined panels
to legs with
dowels { The mirror pivots back and forth on swivel
Refer to page 11
for hardware hardware for easy angle adjustments, and
sources and the middle shelf makes a great catch-all
finishing
information area for items you need to grab on the
way out the door.

2 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 %/16"-dia.
TOP VIEW
1%/8
NOTE: Top and bottom Leg
have a 2° compound
bevel NOTE: Drill holes

Start with legs %/16"-dia.

holes
for mirror on
#/4 1%/8
front legs only

& SHELVES
(for a. %/16"-dia.
mirror) 12&/8 TOP VIEW

!#/64"-dia. 1%/8Leg
holes
(for #/8"-dia.
The legs are a good place to start on the screws) 1%/8
hall tree. They’re made from 8/4 oak that’s 90°
jointed and planed to thickness and width. A !#/16
%/16"-dia.
In the completed hall tree, the legs A
A 1%/8
have 2° compound bevels on the ends.
Leg !#/16
This allows them to tilt inward, as shown
b. #/8"-dia.
at right. I recommend labeling the inside- #/8"-dia.
TOP VIEW
holes
and outside-facing corners of each leg. (for
67!/4 dowels)
Also mark the “front” legs (for the mir- !#/16
ror) and back legs for clarity. A
COMPOUND BEVELS. The easiest way to cut LEG
92° Leg !#/16 #/8"-dia.
the compound bevel on the table saw is
to make a “cradle” with a V-groove in it to TOP VIEW
hold the leg at an angle (drawing, below
!#/16
left). This way, you can tilt the blade 2° 25!/2
37#/4 c.
45°
and pass the bottom end over the blade.
With the bottom trimmed at 2°, mea- Leg 1 !#/16
sure along the edge of the leg and mark 1%/8

the location for mitering the top end. You 92° Leg TOP VIEW
can make this cut with the same table saw !#/64"-dia.
setup by flipping the leg end for end. Now
6#/4 45°
use the first leg to lay out the cuts on the TOP VIEW
1
other three legs and repeat the process. 3#/4
DRILL HOLES. The next steps involve drill-
Leg
ing a series of holes in each leg. There are
three holes on the inside-facing corner !#/64"-dia.
to accept screws that secure the shelves. sure with the bottom or top of the leg, set action in the lower right drawings. The 45°
And two holes on the two inside faces of it parallel with the edge, and then measure details for building them TOPare 1
found
VIEW on
each leg hold dowels for the slat rails. and mark the hole locations. page 10. (You’ll need to extend your hole
As detailed in the drawings above, the The holes need to be parallel with the layout lines around the legsLeg
to use the jigs.
dimensions for laying out the holes follow floor to make it easier to assemble the hall Use a protractor or bevel gauge for this.)
!#/64"-dia.
the 2° angle of the leg. This makes layout tree. That requires guides with 2° faces to The final holes to drill in the front two
fairly simple, as you just align a tape mea- drill the holes. You can see the guides in legs accept the mirror fitting
TOPhardware.
VIEW

How-To: MAKE THE LEGS

V-block NOTE: Transfer hole Drilling guide
layout lines around (page 10)
legs to align guides
a. 2°

Leg
#/8"-dia.
Drilling guide hole
Leg (page 10)

V-block
NOTE: Flip
leg 180° to cut
other end !#/64"-dia.
drill bit

Miter Legs. Set a block with a V-groove against the Drill for Dowels. Use a brad point bit Screw Holes. This corner
miter gauge, tilt the blade 2°, and bevel the end of and this custom guide to drill holes for drilling guide lets you make
the leg. Flip it 180° to bevel the other end. dowels in the legs. holes on the inside corners.

3 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 1#/8

The mirror only needs to pivot a few C a. #8 x 1!/4"

Fh woodscrew
MIDDLE
inches back and forth, so these holes 13#/8 SHELF 13#/8 Shelf
rails Shelf
are perpendicular to the leg faces. I just
drilled them at 90° at the drill press. MIDDLE #/8"
SHELVES. The shelves are glued-up pan- SHELF RAIL !/8 counter-
F E bore
els supported by four rails (drawings, 1!/2
right). The rails align with the notches #/4
E
at the corners of the shelves, and they
FRONT
all feature 88° bevels to match the angle F VIEW 1
3!/4
CORNER
of the legs (detail ‘b’). Corner blocks fas- BLOCK
tened to the rails allow you to screw the E b.
NOTE:
shelves to the legs. Notches cut after E
Shelf
To make the shelves, start by gluing rails are attached
11!/4
to shelves Shelf
up panels for the lower and middle (refer to How-To Shelf rail
rail
shelf. Then cut them to overall final box below)
B
size. Next, cut the rails slightly over- LOWER 2°
SHELF NOTE: Shelf and
size in length, and screw them to the 1#/8 rails cut at 2°
shelves (Figure 1 below). Note that (drawings below)
15#/4 15#/4 D
they’re set in slightly from the edge
of the shelves (detail ‘c’). c. %/16"-dia.
ANGLED CORNERS. With the rails attached, hole
D
you can cut the notches in the corners Shelf
of the shelves. I did this at the table F F Shelf
rail Corner
saw as shown in the two drawings, LOWER block
F
below right. A couple of notes about D
SHELF RAIL !/8
D
this setup: For one, you want to make BOTTOM Shelf
rail
all your cuts with the top of the shelf 13!/2 VIEW
facing forward. In order for this to work, NOTE: All parts are
#/4"-thick hardwood
you need to cut one shoulder of each
notch using the left miter slot (Figure cut them to size, you can drill a hole in
2), and the other shoulder of each notch the center of each block and miter the
using the right miter slot (Figure 3). different sizes, you’ll need to reposition corners at 45°. Then glue and clamp
I also positioned a stop block for the stop block for making the cuts on them in place to the underside of the
each setup. This way, I could simply the different shelves. shelves (detail ‘c’). The shelves don’t
rotate the shelf after each cut to make CORNER BLOCKS. The corner blocks are get installed just yet, so they can be set
the next cut. Since the two shelves are the next order of business. After you to the side for now.

How-To: BUILD THE SHELVES

1 2 a. 3 a.
Shelf Shelf NOTE:
rails 92° Move 92°
#8 x 1!/4" miter gauge
Fh woodscrew TOP
TOP to other miter VIEW
VIEW slot to
complete
notches
a. Aux. L-shaped
stop block L-shaped
fence
!/8 stop block
Shelf assembly
(top forward) Aux.
Shelf assembly fence
BOTTOM (top forward)
Layout line NOTE: Angle
for notch VIEW miter gauge 2°
NOTE: Rotate (detail 'a')
shelf 90° after
each cut

Attach Rails. Leave the rails extra-long, First Cut. To cut one shoulder of each Second Cut. Move the miter gauge to
and screw them to the underside of the notch, hold the shelf on a tall fence, and the right miter slot. Angle it 2° in the
shelf using woodscrews. angle the miter gauge 2° before cutting. other direction to complete each notch.

4 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 SLAT RAIL
G

b. FRONT SECTION
a. VIEW Insert
Rail
END
VIEW
NOTE: Slat rails H
and inserts left SLAT
#/4 long, then RAIL
trimmed to fit INSERT Slats
Rail assembled hall tree
1#/4 (refer to box
on page 6)
I
%/8 SLATS 17!/2

Insert
Slat
H %/8
!/4
Completed
NOTE: Inserts are !/8" slat frames 1!/4
proud of rail surface
when installed
88°
G
END
VIEW NOTE: Rail
!/4

Slat frames & !/2

Waste
Rails are
#/4"-thick,
inserts are
%/8"-thick, and
Insert

ASSEMBLY
The bottom part of the hall tree is enclosed
by four frames. These consist of upper
and lower rails that sandwich five slats.
Once the frames are added to the hall tree,
they form a bin for umbrellas, walking
sticks, or other items.
SLAT RAILS. The slat rails are joined to
the legs with dowels. Of course, getting
dowel holes to line up can be tricky, even
when you’re not dealing with angled
parts. So I incorporated some tips into
the construction process to make sure
everything goes together smoothly.
slats are
!/4"-thick hardwood
Since the shelves are already complete,
the length of the slat rails is dependent
on the space between the legs when the
shelves are added. The key is to tem-
porarily screw the shelves to the legs
in order to determine the length of the
rails (more on that later). For now, you
can size the rails to final thickness and
width and leave them extra-long. You’ll
trim them to length later.
GROOVES. Rather than cut a lot of mor-
tises in the rails to hold the slats, I cre-
ated notched slat inserts. These inserts
fit in grooves cut in the edges of the slat
rails. So the next step is to cut centered
grooves in the rails (Figure 1 below).
SLAT INSERTS. Next, I turned my atten-
tion to the slat inserts. As mentioned
earlier, these have notches to accept
the slats. To simplify making them, I
notched a wide blank (Figure 2) then
ripped individual inserts from the
blank to fit the groove (Figure 3).
There are a couple other things I want
to point out here. Since the inserts fit in
the rails, they’re trimmed down to final
length later on like the rails. For now,
start with an insert blank that’s the same
length as the rail blanks.

How-To: MAKE THE SLAT RAILS

3
1 2
Rip
fence
Slat rail Insert
a. insert blank blank
END 4
!/4 VIEW
Slat
rail

!/2
#/4" dado
blade
Combination
a.
saw blade a. FRONT VIEW %/8 !/4
1!/4 %/8 END
b. VIEW
#/8 %/8
!/4
Grooves in Rails. Set the END
VIEW
rip fence to cut a slightly
off-center groove in the Notch Inserts. Start with a wide and Rip Cut. Trim the individual
rail, then flip the piece long blank for the slat inserts, and cut slat inserts to final width at
end for end to center it. the five notches using a dado blade. the table saw.

5 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 Also, the slats need to be centered How-To: ASSEMBLE THE HALL TREE
in the rails once each assembly is com-
pleted. To accomplish this, I simply 1 Hall tree
(temporarily
Size the Rails.
centered the notches on the blank. Since NOTE: assembled)
Use the dry-fit
cutting each notch requires two passes Center legs and shelves
slat frame Band
over the dado blade, I just laid them out in opening clamp to determine the
carefully before cutting them. After rip- before length of the slat
marking
ping them to width, you can glue them rails. After you
into the grooves in the rails. As for the center the slat
slats, they’re planed to thickness to fit frames, use a
the grooves. Then cut them to final size. pencil to mark the
SIZING THE SLAT RAILS. The next steps ends of the rails
%/8"-thick spacers
involve sizing the slat rails to fit your hall (Figure 2).
tree assembly. Get started by dry-fitting
the slat frames together, and then secure 2 3
each frame with a band clamp. At this Miter gauge
SECOND: aux. fence
point, I temporarily assembled the legs
Transfer
and shelves with the screws. hole locations FIRST: Mark
final length NOTE: Rail layout
Next, position one of the slat frames of rails Miter line
under the hall tree, as shown in Figure and inserts gauge
angled 2°
1. The key here is that the slat rails are
parallel with the shelves, and the middle
slat is centered. Once it’s all set up, there
are two things to do: Mark the ends of the Hole Locations. Also transfer the Bevels. Disassemble the slat frames
rails to indicate their finished length, and dowel locations from the legs to rails. and bevel the slat rails to final length.
transfer the dowel hole locations from the
legs to the rails (Figure 2). Now rotate the 4 6
hall tree and repeat the layout process for
the other three frames. #/8" brad
point bit
You’re ready to complete the work on
the slat frames. Disassemble each one, Align
and bevel the rails (and inserts) to final guide
centerline
length (Figure 3). To drill the dowel holes w/rail
layout Drilling guide
in the ends of the rails, I made one more line (page 10)
drilling guide (Figure 4). The details for a. BOTTOM VIEW
making it are in Shop Notes on page 10. Dowel Holes. Use a drilling guide Leg
STAIN & FINISH. Before you begin assem- (page 10) to drill the holes for the
bling the hall tree, take a moment to dowels in the ends of the slat rails.
50mm
stain and finish all the components. hex screw
The details on the stain and finish I 5 Corner
used are on page 11. block
HALL TREE ASSEMBLY. Now you can break
out the glue and clamps and get down
to business, as shown in Figure 5. I
joined the pairs of legs together with
slat frames first, and then added the b.
other two frames to bring the entire
hall tree assembly together.
SECOND: Bring the
ADD THE SHELVES. The final step is to pairs together w/two
Allen
add the two shelves (Figure 6). These more slat frames NOTE: Slide wrench
should slip right into position from FIRST: Glue
and clamp
a. 1
shelves into
position
below and stop sliding up when two pairs #/8" x 1!/4" from below
of legs to dowel 50mm hex
they’re in place. After making sure the slat frames screw
shelves are level with the floor, install-
ing them is a simple matter of driving Assembly. Glue and clamp the slat Add Shelves. Slip the shelves into
screws through the corner blocks and frames between a pair of legs. Then position from below, and install
into the holes you drilled in the corner join the pairs to one another. them with the hex screws.
of each leg (Figures 6a and 6b).

6 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 14
a.
14 SIDE VIEW

Add the J
TOP PANEL Leg
Top

Top

TOP & MIRROR

rail
NOTE: All
TOP RAIL parts made #/8"-dia.
Corner K from #/4"-thick counter-
blocks hardwood bore
2!/4
At this stage, your hall tree is nearing
completion. All that’s left are a top panel K 88°
and mirror to finish things up.
TOP. Like the shelves beneath it, the top K
assembly is a solid-wood panel with rails NOTE: Top rails
3 beveled to fit legs,
and corner blocks fastened to the under- K as shown below
side. But since the top isn’t notched at the
corners like the shelves, you’ll go about b. TOP SECTION
building it a little differently. VIEW
The top features a bevel that eases the 3!/4 50mm
hex
edge and lends a stylish look to the hall #8 x 1!/4" Fh screw
woodscrew
tree. After gluing up the top panel and Corner
cutting it square, I added the bevel as block
shown in Figure 1 below. c. Top
rail
Leg92°
TOP RAILS & CORNER BLOCKS. Since the rest #/8
Top
of the hall tree is all put together at this
stage, it’s best to use the assembled %/8 Measure length
project as the guide for both sizing the Corner of of
therails,
hall then bevel
tree. You’ll need to pull the
NOTE: Top is block
top rails and installing them on the centered legs slightly apart to fit it in place. Secure
over legs Top
top panel. It’s easy to do this by turn- rail it to the legs with screws and then add
FRONT
ing everything upside down, as shown SECTION VIEW the coat hooks (drawing, next page).
in Figure 2 below. First, you can center MIRROR. The mirror has a mitered, rab-
the top on the four legs, and mark their beted frame that’s mounted between
positions. While you’re at it, measure to cut the corner blocks to final size and two legs of the hall tree. A pair of fittings
for the length of the top rails. drill the holes in the centers. allow the frame to pivot back and forth.
With the rail dimensions established, TOP IT OFF. Align the rails with the pencil Since the mirror frame needs to match
head to the table saw and bevel the top marks you made and drive in screws to the taper of the hall tree frame, it doesn’t
rails to final length to fit between the secure them (refer to Figure 3 below and have 45° miters at the corners. The angles
legs. This involves angling the miter detail ‘a’ above). Glue the corner blocks are shown in the drawings on the opposite
gauge slightly and trimming them at 92°, to the underside of the top and rails. page, but it’s worth making test cuts and
just as you did with the slat rails on the After applying stain and finish, you checking the fit of the frame in the com-
previous page. Now is also a good time can slip the top panel in place at the top pleted assembly before ordering glass.

How-To: INSTALL THE TOP PANEL

3
1 Top
panel
2 SECOND:
Mark 92°
Tall position
aux. of legs
fence
Measure length
Tilt of rails, then bevel
blade 30° a. BOTTOM VIEW

a.
#/8 END FIRST:
Center (/16 Install w/#8 x
VIEW hall tree 1!/4" Fh screws
assembly
on underside Leg layout
lines
of top panel

Bevel. Tilt the table saw blade and Layout. Position the top panel upside down, Rails. After beveling the top rails
pass the top along a tall auxiliary rip and center the assembled hall tree on it. Mark to fit (top drawing), screw them in
fence to bevel the ends and edges. where the legs meet the top. place on the top panel (bottom).

7 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 Cut hardwood a.
First, you’ll want to cut longer blanks splines to
NOTE: Mirror fit, then trim
to width for the mirror rails and stiles. frame parts and sand flush
are #/4"-thick w/frame
Then rabbet the frame parts (detail ‘b’). x 1!/2"-wide 1#/4
UPPER
After cutting the miters, drill holes hardwood MIRROR RAIL Top
L rail
in the stiles to accept threaded
inserts (detail ‘a’). Later on, these
inserts accept the fittings for secur-
1#/4 8!/2 FRONT
ing the mirror. Once you install the SECTION
inserts, it’s time to glue and clamp VIEW
Coat M
the mirror frame together. hook NOTE: Drill
#/8"-dia.
You’ll notice that the mitered corners hole and
Mirror install
have splines glued into kerfs. These rein- fitting 46°
w/insert miters insert
force the frame and lend a decorative M before
19!/2 frame
touch. You’ll find the techniques I used assembly
!/8" 9#/4
for adding the splines in Shop Notes on mirror
Mirror
page 9. Once that’s done, you’re ready to fitting
stain and finish the mirror frame. w/insert

I had the mirror cut to fit my frame 44°

miters
at a local glass shop. To secure the
N
mirror, I added some posterboard and LOWER
installed offset clips in counterbored !/16" M MIRROR
posterboard MIRROR
9&/8 RAIL
holes (details ‘b’ and ‘c’). STILE
Now bring the frame into position, b.
END SECTION VIEW
and thread the mirror fittings through
%/8"-dia. !/8" offset
the legs and into the threaded inserts clip
c. %/8"-dia. hole
in the mirror stiles to secure it. Your hole #/16
for clip
hall tree is now ready to be moved into #/16
place. It’s sure to be a useful addition 2!/2 Chisel M
Mirror
corner
to your home’s entryway. square !/4

#/8
Materials, Supplies & Cutting Diagram M BACK
VIEW

A Legs (4) 15 ⁄8 x 15 ⁄8 - 70 rgh. H Slat Rail Inserts (8) 5

⁄8 x 1⁄4 - 14 rgh. • (24) #8 x 11⁄4" Fh Woodscrews
3
B Lower Shelf (1) ⁄4 x 153 ⁄4 - 153 ⁄4 I Slats (20) 1
⁄4 x 11⁄4 - 171⁄2 • (12) 50mm Hex Screws
3
C Middle Shelf (1) ⁄4 x 133 ⁄8 - 133 ⁄8 J Top Panel (1) 3
⁄4 x 14 - 14 • (16) 3 ⁄8"-dia. x 11⁄4" Dowels
D Lower Shelf Rails (4) ⁄4 x 11⁄2 - 131⁄2 rgh.
3 K Top Rails (4) 3
⁄4 x 3 - 9 rgh. • (6) Bronze Coat Hooks
E Middle Shelf Rails (4) 3⁄4 x 11⁄2 - 111⁄4 rgh. L Upper Mirror Rail (1) 3
⁄4 x 11⁄2 - 81⁄2 • (2) Mirror Swivel Fittings
3⁄ x 11⁄ - 31⁄ 3⁄ x 11⁄ - 97⁄ • (1) 1⁄8"-thick Mirror (see below)
F Corner Blocks (12) 4 2 4 M Lower Mirror Rail (1) 4 2 8
G Slat Rails (8) 3 ⁄4 x 13 ⁄4 - 14 rgh. N Mirror Stiles (2) 3⁄ x 11⁄ - 191⁄ • (1) 1⁄16"-thick Posterboard
4 2 2
• (4) 1⁄8" Offset Clips
1#/4" x 4" - 84" Red Oak (Two Boards @ 4.7 Bd. Ft. each)
6#/8
A

#/4"x 6" - 96" Red Oak (4 Bd. Ft.)

B B B C C C
Mirror

#/4"x 5!/2" - 96" Red Oak (3.7 Bd. Ft.)

J J J D D E E
G G G 17!/8

#/4"x 6" - 96" Red Oak (4 Bd. Ft.)

K K K K G G G G
F F F F F F N N NOTE: Cut
L M G posterboard
H to match
Parts 'H' planed to %/8" thick mirror
!/4"x 6" - 96" Red Oak (4 Sq. Ft.)
I I I I I
tt

I I I I I
7!/2

8 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 Shop
Notes
Splined Miter Jig
The hall tree features a mirror frame
joined with miters at the corners. I a. b.
wanted the mirror to hold up over Frame END
VIEW
time, so I reinforced the miter joints with stile
Cleat
hardwood splines. Frame
Adding the splines requires cutting 1
kerfs in the corners of the frame after
it’s assembled. To do that quickly and
accurately, I built the table saw spline jig SIDE VIEW
shown in the photo at right.
JIG DETAILS. The jig assembly is pretty
straightforward. It features a tall front the mirror frame is actually mitered at width of the spacers. You may need
fence to support the frame during the 44° and 46°, but that’s okay. The differ- to adjust this dimension to fit your rip
cut, and spacers and a back fence that ence in the kerf lengths is so slight that fence. You want the assembly to slide
are sized to straddle the table saw’s rip it’s difficult to notice.) smoothly without binding but also
fence. A cleat cut at 45° holds the frame BUILDING THE JIG. As you’re cutting out without racking from side to side.
at the proper position while you cut the parts for your jig (refer to the draw- Once the parts are cut, you can cut the
the kerfs. (On page 8, you’ll note that ings below), pay close attention to the dadoes in the fence parts. Then put it
all together with glue and screws. Just
make sure to position the screws in the
NOTE: Size spacers
so jig straddles
45° a. cleat high enough up so they won’t
Front
your rip fence with
fence come in contact with the saw blade.
a smooth, sliding fit Cleat
CUTTING THE KERFS. Since the mitered
17!/2 #8 x 1!/4" Fh Back
woodscrew fence END frame for this project doesn’t have per-
VIEW fect 45° miters, the key to making the
Spacer
Front cuts is to always have the frame stiles
fence (the long edges) against the cleat as
12!/2 !/4
Back you’re cutting the kerfs. It’s also a good
fence 12
8 Spacers
idea to clamp it in position, so it doesn’t
Spacer 2!/2 shift while you’re cutting (photo above).
Other than that, it’s a matter of set-
ting the blade height (detail ‘a’) and then
Cleat
2!/2 adjusting the rip fence to center the kerf
NOTE: Locate
screws in cleat NOTE: Cleat is #/4"-thick
3%/8
(detail ‘b’). After you cut a kerf, flip the
out of path hardwood. Other parts
of blade are #/4" plywood frame and repeat the process. Then add
the splines, as explained on page 8.

9 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
Dowel Hole Drilling Guides 1 a. FRONT VIEW
The beveled legs of the hall tree present
some interesting challenges. For example,
though the legs and slat rails meet at a 2° Drilling Fence
angle, they are joined with dowels that are guide
installed parallel with the floor. This simpli- 4
fies construction of the hall tree, but it makes NOTE: Guide
drilling the holes a bit of a head-scratcher. is 1%/8"-thick
88°
hardwood.
ANGLED DRILLING GUIDES. The solution to this Fence is
88° !/4" hardboard
problem is shown in the two drawings at #/8"-dia. 2
hole
right. Figure 1 shows the thicker drilling 3
guide for drilling dowel holes in the legs. It
features a 2° bevel on one side of the guide 2°
Use this
block, so it helps you setupdrill toholes that TOP
are
VIEW 2 a.
parallel with the floor. cut first END VIEW
shoulder Drilling #/8"-dia.
The second guide (Figure 2) is for drill- guide
Fence hole 2
ing holes in the slat rails. It’s similar but
made from thinner stock to match the slat
rails. With both guides, you simply drill 1%/8 88°
centered holes at the drill press before bev- NOTE: Guide
is #/4"-thick
eling one side of the block at 88°. Then glue hardwood. Fence 4
is !/4" hardboard
the blocks to a hardboard fence. Refer to
pages 3 and 6 to use the guides.

Corner Drilling Guide

There’s one other drilling guide needed
to build the hall tree, and this one is a bit
more complicated than the other two.
It’s used to drill holes in the corners of
the legs that are needed to secure the
shelves and top with screws.
As you can see in the drawings on the
right, the guide is just a block with 45°
miter cut on one corner and a notch cut
on the opposite corner to fit over the
leg. Of course, because the legs taper
upward at 2°, each face of this notch
also needs to be cut at 2° in order to drill
holes that are parallel with the floor.
I started by trimming the 45° corner
on a longer piece and then crosscutting
the guide square. Then it’s time to cut the
tapered notch. The setup is very similar
to how you’ll cut the shelves in the hall
tree project itself. Figure 1 below pro-
4
a.
TOP VIEW
4 45°
!#/64"-dia.
hole
1#/4
2!/2
88°
1#/8
vides the details. The key is to support the block during these cuts to keep your
the block with a miter gauge auxiliary hands safely away from the blade.
fence and tilt the miter gauge 2° to cut one Once the notch is completed, you can
shoulder of the notch (detail ‘a’). Then, drill the centered hole in the guide as
move the miter gauge to the other miter shown in Figure 2 below. The details of
slot, angle the gauge 2° in the opposite using the guide to drill holes in the legs
direction, and complete the notch (detail of the hall tree are shown in a drawing
‘b’). Just make sure to use a clamp to hold at the bottom of page 3.

1 2
2° a.
1#/8 Use this TOP
setup to VIEW
cut first
shoulder a.
Stop
block Drilling Fence
guide b.
!#/64"-dia. Drilling
drill bit guide
END
NOTE: Top Switch VIEW
of guide 2° miter slots
facing forward and rotate
gauge to
complete
notch

10 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.
 MAIL Project Sources
ORDER • Lee Valley
SOURCES 50mm Hex Screws. . . . 00W65.03
Woodsmith Store Bronze Hooks . . . . . . . . 00W86.51
800-444-7527 Mirror Fittings. . . . . . . . 00K62.01
• Grignon’s Art and Frame
General Finishes 1⁄ " Offset Clips. . . . . . . . . . 1311G
8
800-783-6050
generalfinishes.com
The mirror glass was purchased
Grignon’s Art from a local glass shop. The hall
and Frame tree was stained with General Fin-
207-487-2754 ishes’ Pecan oil stain and sprayed
grignonsart.com
with two coats of lacquer.
Lee Valley Manufacturers and retailers
800.871.8158 will periodically redesign or
leevalley.com discontinue some of their items.
So you’ll want to gather all the
hardware, supplies, and tools
you need before you get started.
It’s easy to adjust dimensions or
drill different-sized holes to suit
your hardware.

11 WoodsmithPlans.com WS21916 ©2015 August Home Publishing Co. All Rights Reserved.