{',*

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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP
 I
t
WORKSHOPGUIDE I

BASICW()ODWORKING
TO()TS
AI{DACCESSORIES
t
MEASURING ANDMARKING
TOOTS BORING TOOLS TOOLS
STRIKING t
. Tapemeasure . P u s hd r i l l F'4"4 . Woodenmallets(square
. Steelruler . H a n dd r i l l
'sF androundheads) I
. Trysquare . Brace . Rubber mallet
. C o m b i n a t i osnq u a r e . Gimletor screwstarter . Clawhammer I
. Carpenter's square . Electric
drill(cordless r Nailsets
. Straightedge andcorded) . Utilitybar t
. Level r T a c kh a m m e r
. C h a l kl i n e I
. Slidins
bevel SUPPTIES
I
:::'ff:::'a
. Trammel
ry
points
r N a i l s( fi n i s h i n g ,
common,
ring-shank)
box,
v\\-Y\1+ I
o Markinggauge . Brads
FlNlSHlNc
t00LS I
. Cutting
gauge . Screws(flat,
. Mortise
gauge r o u n da , n do v a lh e a d ) . Foambrushes I
. Awl r Sandpaper . Lint-free
cloths
. Dovetail
square . P u m i c es t o n e . HVLPsprayer I
. Steelwool . Paintscraper
. Glues(woodworker's, .
white,contactcement, .
Moldingscraper
Puttyknife
I
epoxy,instant)
. Woodputty I
. M a s k i n tga p e
SAWS . P e n c i l sa n d m a r k e r s
FASTEI{ING TOOLS
I
. Handsaws
(rip,crosscut, . W o o df i n i s h e sa n d . Screwdrivers(offset,
backsaw,
coping, compass, _- appropriate solvents stubby, cabinetmaker's
in
t
flush-cutter)
ref- . H o u s e h o lodi l
. Miter box ['i'.' ''r]'ttP flat-,Phillips-
andsquare- I
o Penetrating oil
with integralsaw
tip varieties)
. Sponges o Nutdrivers
. Hacksaw o Reoq
r Pliers(standardslip-
I
. C i r c u l asr a w
jointtype)
t3r
I
. Sabersaw
r I nno-nnqp nliorc
I
I

. Locking
pliers
. Channel-joint
pliers
t
. Wrenches
(adjustable,
open-end)
I
CUTTING TOOLS
. Chisels (paring, firmer, SMOOTHING TOOTS I
mortise) . Handplanes (block,

:TT,fu
butt,
. Sharpening stone jack,jointer) I
o H o n i nggu i d e . Scrapers
. Gouges (woodcarving set) . Files(flat,half-round, -w
I
. Router andbits round, . Triggerclamps v
triangular)
.Utirityknife . Rasps (patternmaker's) . Q u i c k - a c t i obna rc l a m o s I
@ . Sanding (flat . Barclamps
. H O D D YK N I I C blocks
. Single-edge
razorblade andcontoured) . Pipeclamps t
.
.
.
Scissors
Wirecutters
Tinsnips
:3:ll'::ff:,#
. Orbital
sander
. Springclamps
o Webclamps
. Handscrews
I
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THEARTOFWOODWORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP
 THEART OFWOODVV'ORKING

HOMEWORI$HOP

BOOKS
TIME-LIFE
ALEXANDRIA,VIRGINIA
ST.REMYPRESS
NEWYORK
MONTREAL.
 THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by THECONSULTANTS
ST. REMY PRESS
Jon Arno is a consultant,cabinetmakerand
freelancewriter who livesin Tioy, Michigan.
PUBLISHER KennethWinchester
He alsoconductsseminarson wood identifica-
PRESIDENT PierreLdveill6
tion and earlyAmericanfurniture design.
SeriesEditor PierreHome-Douglas
SeriesArt Director GilesMiller-Mead taught advancedcabinet-
FrancineLemieux
rnakingat Montreal technicalschoolsfor more
SeniorEditors Marc Cassini(Text)
than ten years.A nativeofNew Zealand,he has
HeatherMills (Research)
worked asa restorerof antiquefurniture.
Art Directors Normand Boudreault,Luc Germain,
SolangeLaberge
Designers Jean-GuyDoiron, Michel Gigudre fosephTruini is SeniorEditor of Hone
Mechanixmagazine. A former Shopand Tools
Research Editor Iim McRae
Editor of PopularMechanics,he hasworked as
PictureEditor ChristopherJackson
a cabinetmaker,home improvementcontractor
Writers Andrew Jones,Rob Lutes
and carpenter.
Cont r ibuti ng IIlustrhtors GillesBeauchemin,RollandBergera,
Jean-PierreBourgeois,Michel Blais,
Nicole Chartier,RonaldDurepos,
Philippe Gauvreau,G€rardMariscalchi,
Home Workshop
JacquesPerrault,RobertPaquet, p. cm.-(The Art of Woodworking)
IamesThdrien
Includesindex.
Administrator NatalieWatanabe
Production Manager MichelleTurbide
ISBN0-8094-9920-7 . (trade\
ISBN0-8094-992 1-s oib)
System Coordinator Iean-LucRov
1.Woodshops.
Photographer RobertChariier
2. Woodwork--Equipmentand supplies.
I. Time-Life Books. II. Series
TTI52.H6 1993
Time-Life Booksis a division of Time-Life Inc.,
a wholly ownedsubsidiaryof
684'.08-dc20 92-682r
CIP
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY

For information about any Time-Life book,

TIME-LIFEBOOKS pleasecall l-800-621-7026,or write:
ReaderInformation
President lohn D. Hall Time-Life CustomerService
Vice-President NancyK. Jones
P.O.BoxC-32068
Editor-in-Chief ThomasH. Flaherty
Richmond,Virginia
Directorof Editorial Resources EliseD. futter-Clough
2326t-2068
MarketingDirector ReginaHall @ 1993Time-LifeBooksInc.
EditorialDirector LeeHassig All rights reserved.
ConsultingEditor JohnR. Sullivan No part of this book may be reproducedin
ProductionManager MarleneZack any form or by any electronicor mechanical
means,including information storageand
retrievaldevicesor systems,without prior
written permissionfrom the publisher,except
that briefpassages may be quotedfor reviews.
First printing. Printed in U.S.A.
Publishedsimultaneouslyin Canada.

TIME-LIFE is a trademarkof Time Warner

Inc. U.S.A.
 CONTENTS

6 INTRODUCTION 68 SHOPACCESSORIES
70 A storeof shopaccessories
12 SAFETY 72 Air compressors
L4 Accidentprevention 74 Portablegenerators
15 Working with safefinishes 76 Benchgrinders
16 Fire safety 78 Dust collection
17 Electricalsafety 85 Portabledust collection
18 Personalsafetygear
23 First aid 88 STORAGE
90 Storingwood
28 SHOPTAYOUT 94 Storingtools and supplies
30 Workshopplanning
32 Planningfor stationarytools IIO WORKSURFACES
36 Shoporganization LL2 Work tables
4L Electricalpower 118 Sawhorses
43 Lishtins I25 Work supports
44 FlSors,i"a[s, and ceilings I29 Extensiontables
45 Heatingand ventilation I34 Tool standsand tables

I4O GLOSSARY
46 WORKBENCH
48 Anatomv of a workbench I42 INDEX
50 Buildingthe base
53 Buildingthe top I44 ACKNOWTEDGMENTS
56 Visesand accessories
62 Benchdogsand hold downs
 INTRODUCTION

PeterAxtell talksaboutplanninghis
DREAIVI
WORKSHOP
f startedwoodworkingaround1974nEngland,whereI wasplayingrockmusic
I andneededa hobbyto helpmeunwindfromtherigorsof theroad.My shopat
thetimewasjustbigenoughfor aworkbench, a radialarmsawandnot muchelse.
I rememberconstantlybumping thingsinto thelow ceiling.
WhenmywifeandI movedbackto AmericaI wasofferedajob in alocalwood-
shoprun by a friendof mine.It wastherethat I beganto acquirea feelfor how
a shopshouldbelaid out.Aftera fewyearswith my friendI left andsetup my
ownshopin our three-cargaruge.Isoonlearnedwhatworkedandwhatdidn'g
Whenit cametimeto plana shopfromscratch,Isoughtoutmylocalwoodwqrft-
ing organization, whichturnedout to bea fountainof information.I studi/dlots
of shopsin my areaandaskedhundredsof questions aboutwhatpeoplelikedand
whattheywantedto changein their ownshops.
I sawoneplacein particularthatseemed thebestforjry needsandsettledonthat
asmy model.My budgetallowedme 1,500sqlrgtt.feet, sothat wasonelimit set.
Light-both naturalandartificial-wasamaiorconsideration. I placedmybuilding
andplannedthewindowsto takemaximumadvantage ofthe abundantsunlightin
northernCalifornia.I wasalsodetermined to haveawoodfloor.I quicklyfoundout
thatahardwoodfloorwouldbetooexpensive soI usedl%-inchtongue-and-groove
plywoodandeporypaint,whichhaveheldup verywelloverthelastnineyears.
I figuredout thefloor planon graphpaperandcutout scaledrawingsof all my
machinesaswell asareasfor plywoodstorage,officespace,anda spraybooth.It
is importantto allowenoughspacearoundyourmachines, soI spentconsiderable
time movingsthingsaroundandtestingdifferentscenarios.
Thecrawlspace undermyshophasextraclearance because I choseto run my
dustcollectionpipeunderthefloor,whichhasallowedmeto keepthewholeceiling
spaceclearandairy.Oneof thebestinvestments I madewasin super-insulating
thewholeshop-floors,walls,andceiling,whichhasmadeit easierto keepthe
placewarmin winterandcoolin summer.
I put a lot of thoughtandresearch into my shopandthereisrt'tmuchI would
change exceptfor onething:I wishI hadbuilt it bigger.Butthatis a commoncom-
plaint.It seems thatyoucanneverhavetoo muchspace.

PeterAxtellbuilikfinefurnitureat his
shopin SonomaCounty, Californin.
bUa -- - ---'-
lFr o cnotrsrrxT'cAf€ cttEz'tAllpsE
- - { - F

INTRODUCTION

Martha Collinsdiscusses
SHOPSTORAGE
I makejewelryfrom exoticwoodanddy.d ulne.r. Somepieceshaveasmany
I as800bits of woodin them,combiningthe colorsandtexturesof various
rarewoodswith brightlyhuedveneers. Beingableto find someoffbeatscrew
or fastenerwhenI needit, or knowing where to retrievethat wonderfulsmall
chunkof rosewood that I'vebeensaving for 10 years isrlt a luxury;it's a necessity.
Throughtheyears,I havelearnedthat the strenghof a workshopdependson
proPerorganization andstorage.
"storageareas"in my shop.Theinfeedandoutfeedtablesof
I havefour distinct
myradialarmsawholdscrapwoodandlessfrequently usedtoolsMyjewelrystorage
benchholdsall themachinedandmilledexoticwoodsanddyedveneers. The4-by-
8 outfeedtableon thetablesawhousesavarietyof items:work in progress, exotic
lumber,furniturepads,andleftoversfromthe jewelry-making process.
Themostimportantstorageareais in themainworkbenchandtool chestarea.
Thisistheheartof myshop.I keepwerythingfromscrews andscrewdrivers to planes
andhingesin cabinets closeto thebench.All of thehandand power toolsthatI use
regularlyarekeptin mymainchest,whichis featuredin thephotograph.
Thechestis6 feethighand4 feetwide.In theuppersection, I storewerythingfrom
hammers andonesetof chisels in theleft-handdoorto files,screwdrivers, andplanes
in theright-handsection. Thefivedrawers in thecenterarefilledwith wrenches and
bitsof allkindrspurs, twists,andForstners. I assembled thedrawers with dovetail
joints,a satisfringeffortthatonlyaddsto thepleasure of puttingthingsaway.
Theleft-handdoorin thebottomsectionof thechestholdsall my measuring
andmarkingtools;theright-handdoorhousesa setof pliersalongwith my hand-
saws.Thecubbyholes arehometo my portablepowertools-circular saws,saber
saws, router,sander, cordless drills,pneumatic tools,andsoon.
Thetoolsin my chesthavechanged overtheyears.FifteenyearsagoI hadonly
onecordlesd,rill;nowI havethree.Butmychesthasbeenableto adaptandaccom-
modateall thenewtools-eachwith its ownspecificplace.

Martha Collinsdesigns finejewelryand

and makes
furninne in her worhshopnearSequim,Washington.
Her husband,luthierRichardSchneider,worlcsin
an adjoiningshop.
 INTRODUCTION

LeonardLeeon

THE\ALUEOF
AWORKBENCH
worlshopcanbeanywhere A retiredcarverfriend
youcanfit a solidsurface.
builtasuperb worlshopin thelinendosetofhisaparhnent. Heonlyhadto gpel
the closetdoo5pull out a stool,andgoto work.Everythingheneededwasfitted
into a spaceoflessthan l0 squarefeet.
I built thesmallcherrybenchin thephotographto fit an awkwardalcovein
my officethat measures only 23 by 37 inches.For yearsI hadbeenusingmy
deskasa makeshiftworkbenchand I wasfrustratedby both the lack of any
decentclampingsystemandenoughclearwork surface.The deskis oftenas
clutteredasthebookcase in thebackground.
With theworkbenchin place,I cannow clampwoodfor testingsaws,chisels,
bits,andsoon,withoutknockinga coffeecupto thefloor or spillingpapersevery-
where.Thebenchis alsojust theright h.tght for usinganinspectionmicroscope,
aninvaluable andsuccesses
tool for analyzngfailures in theworld of sharpedges.
Thebenchoccupiesan otherwiseunusablespacenextto a doorway.Sincethe
floor spacenextto it canbe usedonly for foot traffic,thebenchonly addst9
theusibility of my office;it doesnot detractanything.Incidentallythebench
waspulledout of thealcovefor thisphoto.
Moreimportantthanits utility, my benchaddsa wonderfullyrelaxingand
humanizingelement.Likemanypeople,I tire quicklyof administrative detail.
With a workbenchhandy,I cangetup from my desk,wanderoverto thebench
andtinkerwith toolsfor awhile.It islikea mini-vacationin themiddleof theday.
Thehumanizing part comesfrom surrounding yourselfwith thingsyoulike.
I like everythingaboutwoodworking.My officeis filled with old toolsaswell as
booksaboutthiir historyanduse.To adda workbench to thegeneralclutteris
just anotherlayerto thecocoon.Theworldlools muchbetterwhenviewedfrom
anofficewith aworkbenchin it.

LeonardLeeis thepresidentof VeritasToolsand LeeValleyToolsin

Ottawa,Canada,manufacturers and retailersoffine woodworking
hand tools.He is alsothepublisherand executiveeditor ofWoodcuts,
a magazinethatfocuseson thehistoryand techniques of woodworking.
 SAFETY

Tl or mostwoodworkers, the home effects of somewoodspecies. Safety

f worlshopisapeacefirl refuge, where goggles, rubbergloves,anda rubber
craftgivesshapeto creative ideas.It is apronaregoodstandard attirefor any
alsotheplacewhere accidents mayoccur, finishingjob, especially if you are
owingto theverynatureof theactivity. spraying a finishor mixingandapply-
But the likelihoodof mishapcanbe ing causticchemicals.
reducedby a fewsimpleprecautions. Fireis anothershophazard.Smoke
First,aninformedwoodworker isa safe detectors areaninvaluable defence, pro-
woodworker.Readthe owner'smanu- vidingvaluabletime for youto control
alssuppliedwith all your tools.Before theblaze(page16).Keepa fire extin-
startingajob,makesureyouknowhow guisherratedABC in your shopand
to usethe safetyaccessories that are knowhowto useit. Oneof theleading
designedto protectyou from injury causes offireisimproperwiring. Whether
whileworkingwith a tool. youarebuildinga shopfromscratchor
Mostaccidents aretheresultof care- Personalsafetygearis oneinsurance revampingan existingspace,electrical
i lessness or inattention-failure to use a against injury. Here,a woodworker routs safetyshouldbeapriority (page17).
safetyguard when cutting a board on a a groove in a dra"wer
front, wearing safe- No shopshouldbewithouttheper-
tablesaw, face jointing stock with bare ty gJasses,a dust maslgand earmuffs. sonal safetygearillustrated on page18.
hands (rather than with a push block), You can easilymake some safetydevices,
i or usinga routerwithoutsafetygoggles. Referto thesafetytips suchaspushsticks,pushblocls,andfeatherboards (page20).
on page 14for waysof avoidingsomeof the more common But do not become complacent about the security theywill
I
t - accidents in theshop. provide. All thesafety equipment in the world cannot makea
I
Althoughthebig stationarymachines receive most of shop accidentfree. Safety is foremost a matter of attitude-a
I
l _ theattentionfromsafety-conscious woodworkers, thereare confidence in usingthemachines combinedwith a healthy
otherpotentialsources less
ofdangerthat,though apparent, respect for the power these tools wield.
cannotbe ignored.Manyfinishingproducts,particularly Evenwith the besteffortsat prevention,accidents still
thosecontainingsolvents, canbetoxic,althoughtheireffects occur. Bits maybreak, boards split, shavings fly and all too
mayonlybecomeapparentafteryearsof prolonged expo- often find a victim.Being prepared and taking prompt action
sure.Certainspecies of woodcancauseallergicor toxic canhelpminimizefurtherdamage. Takea first-aidcourse,
reactions in somepeople.Page15presents informationon keepawell-stocked first-aid kit on hand in theshop(page 23)
choosingsafefinishingproductsandonthe possible health andbereadyto administer medical aid when necessary.

Thereare manysafetydevicesthat canminimize therisk of usingpower

took. Thetablesan in thisphotofeaturesa plnsticshieldthat coversthe
blade;thesplitterand theanti-kickback panl protectagainstbindingand
kickback.A hold-downdevicepresses theworkpieceflat on the tableand
firmly againstthefence.A pushstickallowsthewoodnorkertofeedthe
stockinto the blndewhile keepingfingerswell anayfrom thecutting edge.

t3
 ACCIDENTPREVENTION

SAFETY
TIPS
GENERAL POWER
TOOTS FINISHING
r Makesureworkshop lighting
andventi- o Wearappropriate safetygear:safety . Donoteai,drink,or smoke
whenusing
lationareadequate. glasses or faceshieldandhearing protec- products.
finishing
tion.lf thereis nodustcollectionsystem,
r Keepchildren, andpetsaway
onlookers, weara dustmask.Forallergenic woods, r Avoidexposure
to organic
solvents
if
fromtheworkarea. suchasebony,usea respirator. youarepregnant
or breast-feeding.
. Concentrate on thejob;do notrushor . Readyourowner'smanualcarefully . Installat leastonesmokedetectoron
takeshortcuts. Neverworkwhenyouare beforeoperating
anytool. theceilingof yourshopabovepotential
tired,stressed,or havebeendrinking firehazards; keepa fullycharged
ABC
alcohol or usingmedicationsthatinduce . Tiebacklonghairandavoidloose-fit- fireextinguisher nearby.
qrowstness. tingclothing.Removeringsandother
jewelrythatcancatchin movingparts. r Neverstoresolvents
or chemicalsin
. Finda comfortable
stance:avoidover- unmarked containers.
Chemical solutions
reaching. . Unpluga toolbeforeperforming
setup shouldalways bestoredin darkglassjars
or installationoperations. to shieldthemfromlight,whichmay
r Keepyourworkareacleanandtidy; change theircomposition.
cluttercanleadto accidents. r Whenever
possible,
clampdownthe
workpiece,
leaving
bothhandsfreeto o Storefinishing
products
in a locked
perform
an operation. cabinet.
HAND
TOOTS
. Keepyourhandswellawayfroma turn- oTopreventeyeinjury,wearsafetygog-
o Usetheappropriate toolforthejob; ingbladeor bit. gles,anddonrubber gloves
whenworking
do nottry to makea tooldo something withcaustic products.
ortoxicfinishing
for whichit wasnotdesigned. . Turnoff a toolif it oroduces
an unfa-
miliarvibrationor noise: havethetool . Donotflushusedsolventsdownthe
r Whenpossible, cut awayfromyour- servicedbeforeresuming operations. theYellow
drain.Consult Pagesto find
selfratherthantowardyourbody. outwhohandles chemicaldisoosalin
o Donotusea toolif anypartof it is yourarea,orcheckwithyourlocalfire
. Keeptoolscleanandsharp. wornor damaged. deoartment.

"fl|"ff'lll""1{l"lll"'llll'1lll'lII
illllll'llll'll|l
lllllltilllllllltrlll
IlIl
1HO?TI?
Disablinga powertool
To preventunaulhorizeduse of a ?ow-
er lool, oliplhe boll of a mini-Vadlock
throuqhoneof the tinee in lhe power
cord pluq.Thelockwillmakeit im?o6-
sibleto plu6in trhetrool.lfyou are
ueinqakeyedlock,slorelhe t
keyeout of vhe way in
a cupboardor draw-
er thal can be
locked.

t4
 WORKINGWITH SAFEFINISHES

I lthougha numberof high-quality extendeduse,manysolventsareknown esareunlikelyto causeharmwhenused

A water-based finisheshavebecome
availablerecently,solvent-basedfinish-
ing productsare still widely used,and
considered superiorfor someapplica-
tions.Thuswoodworkersmustlearnto
protectthemselves againstthe health
hazardsassociatedwith organicsolvents.
Organicsolventscanhavea numberof
healtheffects.Short-termusecanresult
in ailmentsrangingfrom headaches and
nauseato skin and eyeirritation. With
to damagethe centralnervoussystem
or respiratorytract. Someglycolethers
aresuspected ofcausingbirth defects,
whileothersolvents,likemethylenechlo-
ride,havebeenlinkedwith cardiacarrest.
Solventscan be absorbedinto the
bloodstreamin a numberof ways:after
beinginhaled,or ingestedalongwith
food left in the shop,absorbedthrough
the skin,or swallowed whenvaporsset-
tle in saliva.Mostsolvent-based finish-
occasionally, and areonly poisonousif
swallowed.But you still needto be aware
of the combinationand concentration
of organicsolventsin a particularfinish
if you plan to usethe product in large
quantitiesor overan extended periodof
time.Thechart belowliststhe solvents
containedin a varietyof finishingprod-
uctsand assesses the relativetoxicityof
eachone.Be sureto choosethe safest
productfor thejob at hand.

Toxrc
soLvENTs
PRODUCT
FINISHING SOLVENT
filler(paste
Wood andliquid) Petroleum
naphtha,*
mineral spirits,*
acetone,**
methyl
ethylketone,**
methyl
** isobutyl
isopropanol, ketone***
Stains(aniline,
wiping,NGR,gelandglaz- Ethanol,*
mineralspirits,*
toluene,***xylene,*** glycol
methanol,*** ethers***
colorpigments)
ingstains;
Shellacs(whiteandorange) Ethanol,*
methanol***
(spray
Lacquers andbrush,sanding
sealers) Acetone,**
methyl
ethylketone,**
isopropanol,**
methanol,*** glycolethers***
xylene,***
Lacquer
thinner Acetone,**
methyl
ethylketone,** glycol
isopropanol,** ethers,***
toluene***
oils(Danish
Rubbing oil,antique
oil) naphtha,*
VM&P turpentine,**
toluene***
oils(boiled
Drying linseedoil,polymerized
tungoil) Mineral
spirits,*
turpentine**
(tung
Varnishes oilvarnish, sparvarnish,
varnish
stain) Mineral VM&P
spirits,* naphtha*
(polyvarnish,
Polyurethanes urethane
stains) Mineral
spirits,*
toluene***
ishremovers
Lacouer/varn Acetone,**
xylene,*** methyl
methanol,*** isobutyl
ketone,***
toluene***
Waxes(pastewax,furniture
wax) Petroleum naphtha,*turpentine**
* Safestproduct** Mildlyhazardous
product*** Product if possible
to beavoided

Asanyone whohassuffered through
an allergicor irritatingreaction
to
wooddustwilltestify,working with
certainwoodscan ooseserious
healthrisks,Thedustfrommany
species,likeblackcherry, Douglas-
fir,andpine,is known to causerespi-
ratoryailments suchasrhinitis(or
nasalinflammation) andasthma.
Other woods,including oak,ash,and
birch,canirritatetheskinandeyes.
w00Ds
Toxtc
Somespecies, likeebony,South
American mahogany,andWestern
redcedar, containtoxicchemicals
thatcanbe inhaled, ingested,or
absorbed throughcutsandscratch-
es.Although thechemicalsarepre-
sentin minutequantities,
theymay
causeproblems ranging
fromhead-
achesto inegularheartbeat.
Protectyourself
fromdirectexposure
to wooddustby keeping yourshop
cleanandwellventilated. Weara
dustmaskfor cuttingoperations.
Whenhandling a specieswhichyou
knowor suspect maytrigger an aller-
gicreaction, spread a barriercream
onyourskinor wearprotective gear,
including gloves,safetyglasses, and
longsleeves andpants.Referto the
backendpaper for a chartlistinga
varietyof toxicwoodsandtheirpos-
siblehealtheffects.

15

/a onsiderins thenumberof flamma-
\-, Ut.rut.ri"ul,andpotentialignition
sourcesin a woodworkingshop,firepre-
ventionshouldbeoneofyour foremost
safetyconcerns. Sawdust,wood,paint,
andthinnerstendto accumulatel often
theyareneartoolsthat producesparks
andheat.Thecombination canorove
volatile:When vaporizedin a imall
enoughconcentraiionof air, a small
quantityof lacquerthinner,for exam-
ple,canbeignitedby a sparkfrom a tool
andcausea life-threateningexplosion.
FIRESAFETY
The first stepin fire safetyis preven-
tion.All finishingproductsandsolvents,
for example, shouldbestoredawayfrom
heatsourcesin airtight glassor metal
containers, preferably in a fireproofcab-
inet (pageB9).Hangragssoakedwith
flammablechemicals to dry outdoors,
or soakthemin waterandstorethemin
sealedmetalcontainers. Whenworkine
with finishingproducts, keepwindowi
openandthe shopwellventilated.
Bepreparedto dealwitha fireeffec-
tively.Installa smokedetectoron the
shopceilingor a wall,andkeepanABC
fire extinguishernearby.Designa fire
evacuation planthat mapsout two pos-
sibleescape routesfrom eachroom of
thebuildingin whichtheshopis locat-
ed.Ifthe fireinvolvesan electrictool,a
powercord,or an electrical outlet,shut
offthe power.Callthe fire department
immediately, inform themof thenature
of thefire,andtry to extinguish
theblaze
yourself.But if theflamescannotbecon-
tained,or thefireis comingfrom inside
a wall or ceiling,evacuatethebuilding.

PREPARING
AGAINST
FIRE
Installinga smokedetector
Openthecoverof thedetector, holdthebaseonthe
ceilingorwall,andmarkthescrew holes.Borea hole
fora screwanchor at eachmark.Taotheanchors into
theholes and,holding in position,
thedetector drive
a screwintoeachanchorto secure the base(right).
Installa battery
andclosethedetector cover. Testthe
device onceeverymonth.First,press thetestbutton.
Then,blowouta lit matchor candlebelowa vent,
letting
smoke enterit. Replace
thebatteryif thealarm
doesnotsoundforbothtests-orif it emitsa chirping
sound, indicating
thebatteryisweak.

Controllinga fire
Toextinguish a small,contained f ire,useanABC-rat-
eddry-chemical f ireextinguisher, whichis effective
against allthreemajorclasses of fires:burning woodor
othercombustibles (Class
A),oil-orgrease-fed flames
(ClassB),andelectrical blazes (Class C).Position your-
selfa safedistance fromthefirewithyourbackto the
nearest exit.Holding theextinguisher upright,pullthe
lockpinoutof thehandle (insef)and aimthenozzle at
thebaseof theflames. Squeeze thehandle andspray
rna quick,side{o-side motion(/eff)untilthef ireisout.
Watch for"flashback," orrekindling, andbeprepared
to spray again.lf thefirespreads, leavethebuilding.
Dispose of burned wastefollowing theadvice of thef ire
department. Afteruse,havetheextinguisher profes-
sionallyrecharged; replace
it if it is non-rechargeable.

T6
 ELECTRICALSAFETY
lectricityplaysa majorrolein the INSAFELY
PLUGGING
modernwoodworking shop,pow-
eringmachines andtools,lightingfix-
turesandlamps,andheatingsystems.
Electricityis
socommonplace thatit isall
tooeasyto forgetis potentialfor danger.
An electrical shock,evenonethatcan
hardlybefelt,canbedeadly. Forthisrea-
son,theelectricalsystem is strictlyreg-
ulatedbycodes andstandards designed
to protectyoufromfireandshock.
Livingsafelywith electricityalso
requiresfollowingbasicprecautions
designed to preventmishaps. Inspect
plugsfor cracksandpowercordsfor
frayrng,andreplace anywornor dam-
agedpart beforeusinga tool.Never
replaceablownfusewithoneof ahigh-
eramperage. Donotplugathree-prong
pluginto a two-slotoutletby remov-
ingthegroundingprongfroma three-
prongplug.Instead, replace theoutlet
withaGFCI|WA.
Beforeundertaking a repair,shutoff
theoowerattheservice oanel.Towork UsingGFGI outlets
on thesystem, wearrubbergloves and, TheU.S.National Electrical
Coderequires thatanynewoutletin a garage
wherepossible, useonlyonehand,keep- or unfinishedbasement mustbe protected bya ground-fault circuitinter-
ingyourfreehandbehindyourback. rupter(GFCI).A GFCIprotectsa circuit-andyou-by monitoring theflowof
passing
electricity throughit andtrippinginstantly
whenit detects a leakto
ground.lf youneedto replaceanoutletin yourshop,installa GFCI, suchas
theoneshown above,followingthe manufacturer's
directions,or havea quali-
fiedelectrician
dothework.Testtheoutletonceevery monthbypushing the
TESTbutton; theRESET buttonshouldpopout.lf it doesnot,havetheoutlet
Toreactivate
serviced. theoutlet,presstheRESET button.

MINIMUM F(|REXTENSION
WIREGAUGE CORDS
Choosing a wirewiththepropergauge
AMPERAGI MINIMUM F(lR
GAUGE Usinganextension cordwiththewronggauge can
RATII{G
OFTOOL TENGTH
DIFFERE}IT CORDS causea dropin linevoltage, in lossof pow-
resulting
25' 50' 75' er.excessive heat.andtoolburnout. Referto the
chartat leftto determine
theminimum wiregauge
o-2.0 18 18 18 forthetoolandtaskat hand.lf, for instance,your
2,1-3.4 18 18 18 toolhasa 7 -ampmotorandyoulre usinga 75{oot
3.5-5.0 18 18 16 extension cord,theminimum gauge should be 14.
5.1-7.0 18 16 t4 Choose onlyround-jacketed extensioncordslisted
byUnderwriters (UL).
Laboratory
7.I-12,0 18 T4 T2
12.1-16.0 16 I2 10

t7
 PERSONALSAFETYGEAR
-f h. personal safetyequipment
shown
I belowcango a longwaytoward
shieldingyoufrommostdangers in the
workshop. Butcarryingan inventory
of safetygearis not enough;theitems
mustbeproperlyusedto protectyou
frominjury.
Theneedfor someitemsmaynotbe
readilyapparent, althoughthedangers
areveryreal.Fewwoodworkers needto
beremindedof thecuttingpowerof a
spinningsawbladeorjointercutterhead.
Lesswellknownarethelong-termeffects
ofbeingexposed to thesoundgenerated
by powertools.Thecharton thenext
pagelistsa varietyof powertoolsalong
with theirapproximate noiselevelsin
decibels.Thechartalsoindicates the
Iongestrecommendedtime that an
unprotectedpersoncanbe exposedto
variouslevelsbeforeriskingpermanent
hearingloss.
Remember, too,that evenshort-term
exposureto somenoise,while it may
not leadto hearingloss,can dull the
sensesand causea woodworker'salert-
nessto flag-a setupfor an accident.

A PAI{OPIY
OFSAFETY
EOUIPMENT
5afety gogglee
Flexible,moldedplaati" f,:
6o6qleoprotect eyee. lli
Typewith perforated vani \
holeaehieldaaqainat impact
injury and sawduat; type with
baffled vents protecto a7ainot
ahemical apla ehea: nonvented
qoq7leaalbo available.

Faae shield
Clear plaatic ahieldpro- for one-time-uoe protec-
tecta a4ainat. flyinq debria tion aqainet inhaiationof
and eplaahea;featurea duat or miaX featurea a
adjuetable head 4ear cotton or fiber shield with
an adjuotable head atrap
and a metal noee olip
Rubber glovea
Houaeholdrubber
gloveoor dieposable
vinylqloveoprotect
aqainot mild chemicals
Dua l-aaftri dg e res pi rato r
or finishea;neoprenerub-
Frotecta aqainet fumeawhenworkin4
ber aloveashield akin
with chemicalaor aprayinqa finiah.
from cauetic finiahinq Reuaableduat mask
lnterchanqeablefiltera and chemical
Producto cartridqee ehield aqainat opecific haz- Features a neoprenerubber
ards; filter prevents inhalationof dust. or aoft plaatii frame with
Cartridqea purify air and expeltoxina an adjubtable head etrap
th rough exhalation valve and a replaceablecotton
fiber or 7auzefiltec protecte
againet duet and misL
Ear plugs with neakband
Detachablefoam-rubberpluqa compreooed
and inaerted into ear canals providehearinq
protection from high-inteneity power tool
noiae;plaatic neckbandfits around neck

Work gloves
Ear muffs For handlinqrouqh 2afetyglaeeee j I
Cuahionedmuffa with
adiuetable plaatic head
lumbentypically fea-
turee leather or thick \
?;f:lT,if'tr:;i::fT:f
eirap protbct hearinq fabrio palmo and finqer- leneeeproteot eyeb from flyinq
againot hi1h-intenaity tipe with elaaticized or woodchipo and other debris:
noiae from power toola knitted wrists t.ypicallyfeature aide ahielda

t8
 SAFETY

NOISE PR(IDUCED
LEVELS T(|(ILS
BYPOWER

MACHII{E
SOUND *
IEVELS 115

112

1%-Hfrouter I09

2-HF circular eaw

l-HP router
%.-HPradial arm
%-HPioi
%-HFrouter
%-HPband
2-HFahaper
2-HP table aaw
%-HFdrill preao

* Higheet decibel rating

while cutting hardwood
Sound level
Occupational )afety a nd in decibela
Healih Adminiat.rat'ion
(OAHA) atandarda for Maximum
permiaoible noiae expoeure oafe expooure
without heari n4 protec'tion per day (hr)

drillpressis unlikely
Whilea %-horsepower to damage yourhearing-unlessyourunthemachine all day
long-unprotectedexposure produced
to the noise by a 1 %-horsepower
routercanbe dangerous
after only
30 minutes.
Theabove chartshows approximatenoise produced
levels bya variety
of power Keep
tools. in
mindthattoolswithdullcutters generate
or blades morenoise with
thanthose well-sharpened
cutting
edges.

A RESPIRATOR
TESTING
Checkingforairleaks
is onlyasgoodasitssealagainst
A respirator yourface.No
seal,no protection.
Totestyourrespirator,placeit overyour
,.+s\N\\
face,settingthetopstrapoverthecrownof yourhead.Adjust
thesidestrapsfora snugfit. Totesttherespirator,coverthe
,$;
outletvalvewithyourhandandbreathe outgently(right).There
shouldbe noair leakagearound lf air leaksout
thefacepiece.
thestrapsfora tighterfit. Replace
readjust
of therespirator,
thefacepiece whennecessary following
themanufacturer's
instructions, therespirator.
or replace Usetheappropriate fil-
tersforthejobat hand.(lf youhavea beard,usea full-face
maskwithforced-air ventilation.)

{ / fl \ /

I9
 SAFETY

()FPUSHSTICKDESIGNS
A VARIETY

-
12"

'
12"

PUSH STICKS on a radialarmsaw.Whatever design To usea pushstickon a radialarm

Pushsticksforfeeding stockacross youchoose, the notchonthe bottom saw(below), set it againstthetrail-
stationarytooltablescanbe pur- edgemustbedeepenough to support ingendof theworkpiece andfeed
chasedready-made, buttheyare theworkpiece, butshallow enough it intothe blade;at thesametime,
easyto makein the shopusing%- notto contact themachine table.You applysomesidepressure to keep
inchplywood scrapsanda bandsaw canalsochamfer theedges of the thestockflushagainst thefence.
or sabersaw.Thevariations shown handle for a morecomfortable grip. Whenthecut is completed, retract
above canserveasroughguides,but Keepyourpushstickscloseat hand, the pushstickcarefully to prevent
nooneshapeis idealfor everysitua- readyto feedstockwhennecessary. it fromcatching in the blade.
tion.Design a pushstickthatis com-
fortableto holdandsuitedto the
machine andooerationat hand.The
longbaseof a rectangular pushstick
(above,left)or shoe-shaped model
(above,right)allowsyouto apply
firm downward pressure on a work-
piece.Eitherdesign will effectively
keepyourhandsawayfroma blade
or cutterwhilepushing narrow stock
across a sawtable.
Formostcutson a tablesaw,design
a pushstickwitha 45' anglebetween
the handleandthe base(above, cen-
A pushstickfeaturing
fer.). a smaller
angle, withthe handlecloser to the
table,worksbetterfor rippingwood

20

PUSHBTOCK
A PUSHBLOCK FORFACE JOINTING
Thelong,widebaseof thepushblock
shownaboveis idealforsurfacing the
faceof a boardona jointer.Although
pushblocks forsuchjobsareavailable
commercially,youcaneasily fashion
SAFETY
yourown.Referto the illustration for
suggested dimensions, buttailorthe
design to suityourownneeds.
Cutthepieces to size,thengluethe
lip to theunderside of thebase,flush
withoneend.Screw thehandle to the
2I
top,positioning it sothebackis even
withthe endof the base.Drivethe
screws fromtheunderside of the base;
besureto countersink thefasteners to
avoidmarring theworkpiece whenyou
feedit across thejointerknives.Borea
holenearthefrontendof the baseso
youcanhangthe pushblockon the
wallwhenit is notin use.
Tousethepushblock,setthework-
pieceon thejointer's infeedtablea
fewinches fromtheknives, butting
its edgeagainst thefence.Thenlay
thepushblocksquarely ontopof the
stock,centered between itssides,with
thelip overthetrailing endof the
workpiece. Withyourleading hand
on thefrontendof thestockandyour
thumbbraced againstthepushblock,
slowlyfeedtheworkpiece across the
knives(/efil.(Forstockthinnerthan
3/a
inch,useonlythepushblock.) Apply
downward pressure to keepthestock
flatonthetablesandlateral Dressure
to keepit buttedagainst thefence.
 SAFETY

FEATHERBOARDS
Featherboards, alsoknown asfin- FEATHERB()ARDS
gerboards, areusedto keepstock
pressed snuglyagainst thefenceor
tableof a stationary tool.Theyalso 9tandard
serve asanti-kickback devices,since featherboard
thefingers allowa workpiece to
movein onlyonedirection-toward
thebladeor bit.Twobasicdesigns
areshown at right.Themiter-slot
featherboard is attached to a bar
thatisclamped in themiterslotof
a woodworking machine table.The
standard featherboard isclamped
directlyto thetableorfence.
Tomakeeithertype,cuta %-inch-
thickboard 3 to 4 inches wideand
longenough to suitthejobat hand. themiter-slot
type,routa slotdown the underside of thebar.(Acarriage
Cuta 30"-to 45o-miterat theend themiddleof the boardwideenough boltorflat-head machine screwwill
of theboard, thenmarka parallel line for a machinescrew;
alsocuta wood workwell.)Tosetupthefeatherboard,
about5 inches fromthemitered end. barthelength
andwidthof thetable's slipthescrewthrough thebar,fit the
Cuta series of X-inch-wide slotsto miterslot,Borea holeforthescrew barin thetablemiterslot,andusea
themarked lineabout1linchaoart, throughthebar,countersinking
it so washer andwingnutto fastenthe
creating a rowof pliable fingers. For thescrewheadcanbe recessed in featherboard tightlyto thebarso its
f ingersholdtheworkpiece against
thefence.Clamp themiterbarin
placeat thefrontor backof thetable.
Forthestandard featherboard,cut
a notchoutof oneedgeto accom-
modate a supportboard.Tousethe
deviceonthetablesaw(/eftl,clamp
onefeatherboard to thefenceabove
the blade, andplacea second one
halfway between thebladeandthe
frontof thetable.Clampa support
boardperpendicular to thefeather-
boardfor extrapressure to prevent
it fromcreeping outof place.For
thecutshown, feedtheworkpiece
intothebladeuntilyourtrailing fin-
gersreachthefeatherboards. Then,
withthesawstillrunning, moveto
thebackof thetableandpullthe
workpiece pasttheblade.0r, use
a pushstickto complete thecut.

22
 FIRSTAID

ost woodworkingaccidentsarise Beespecially carefrrl-orstopworking- first-aidkit, stockedwiththebasicsup-

from the improperuseof tools ifyouarefatigued. pliesshownbelow,in aneasilyaccessible
and safetyguards,unsafework habits, Accidents canbefalleventhemost spotin yourshop.In theeventofanacci-
and mishandling hazardous materials. woodworker.
carefirl Boards split,blades dent,youwill wantanyone to beableto
Thkethe time to setup properly for a nick,and liquids
splash. Many finishing find it quicklyto administer firstaid.
job, gatheringtogetherthe tools,equip- productscontainchemicals thatemit Keepemergency telephone numbers
ment, and materialsyou need.Always ioxicfumes, causing dizzinessor nau- handy.Techniques for handlingsome
usethe appropriate safetygear.Work sea.Keep in mind the potentialhazards commonshopmishaps areshownon
methodically;never hurry through a job. of anvtool or materialvou use. Storea thefollowingpages.

FIRST.AID
SUPPTIES
Adheaive bandagea
)terile 4auze dreeeinqo
with adheaiveatripa for
protecting acratchea or
minor cuta. Availablein a
widevariety of sizes and
ahapes:gquare,rectan'
qutAr,rouid, butterfty,
and finaerbip
Oauze roller bandage
Otedle roll oecureaqauzedreoa-
inga; faotened with medical tape
or aafety pin, or by knottinq. Avail-
able in lenqtha of 5 to 10 yardo
and widtha of 1 to 4 inchea
Medical tape
)ecurea qauzedreeein7a,1auze
roller bandaqesor eyepada: hypo-
aller4enicfor aenaitiveakin.Avail'
able in lenqthaof 2 %to 10yarda
and in widths of %to 5 inches

Tweezera
Extract eplintera or other emall
objecto lod7ed in akin. Made of
etainlese steel in a variety of
ohapeeand aizea;flat-tipped
type 41/z inchealon7 ie common
Ipeaaa eyrup
For inducin7vomitinq
in a poiaoningvictim.
Caution:Administer
only if advieed by a Triangular bandage
phyeicianor poiaon Multipurpoee cotton banda7ecan be
control center folded to make alin4,pad, or bandaqe;
meaeurea55 incheaacroeo baoeand
36 to 40 incheaalona each aide

Eye irrigator
Filled with water and
ueed to fluah foreiqn
particleo from eye

Hydrogen peroxide
r\r\
Rubbingalaohol For cleaninqwounds Gauze dreeaing \\\)
Alao knownaa beforeapplyinqadheoive )terile pad for coverin7 a Eye pada \-'l
iaopropylalcohol: banda7ee,1auzedreaa' wound;becuredwith medical )terile pado taped over eyee
aterilizea tweezero inga,or qauze roiler tape or qauzeroller bandaqe. to protect them and pre-
and other firat' bandaqea;aommonly Availablein aizes of 2-by-2, vent movement:aelf-aane-
aid equipment availablein 3% aolution 3-W-3 and 4-by-4 inchea oivepatchea alao available

23
 SAFETY

PROVIDING
MINOR
FIRST
AID

//

J
Clearinga pailiclefromtheeye
Holdyouraffected eyeopenwiththeforefinger
andthumbof irrigator
againsttheaffected eye,andtilt backyourhead.Open
onehand.Slowlyrotateyoureye,if necessary,to helpexpose youreyes(above, right)andblinkseveral timesto flushoutthe
the particle.
Gentlywipeawaythe particle usingthetwisted particle.
lf youcannotremove theparticle, seekmedical help
endof a tissuemoistened withwater(above,
left).Or,till an immediately. Caution: Donotremove a particlethat is onthe
withcoolwateranduseit to flushoutthe particle.
eyeirrigator cornea,is embedded, or hasadheredto theeye.
Leanforwardwith botheyesclosedandpressthe rim of the

Flushinga chemicalfiomtheeye
Holding the eyelids
of theaffected eye
apart,flushtheeyethoroughly forat least
15 minutesundera gentleflowof cool
waterfroma faucet(right)or pitcher;tilt
yourheadto onesideto prevent thechem-
icalfrombeingwashed intotheuninjured
eye.lf youareoutdoors, flushthe eye
usinga gardenhose.Gentlycoverboth
eyeswitheyepadsor sterilegauzedress-
ingsandseekmedical helpimmediately.

24
 SAFETY

Pullingouta splinter
Washtheskinaround thesolinter with
soapandwater.(A metalsplinter, even
if youareableto remove it, mayrequire
treatmentfortetanus; seekmedical help,)
To remove thesplinter, a needle
sterilize
andtweezers withrubbing alcohol.Ease
theendof thesplinter outfromunderthe
skinusingtheneedle, thenpullit outwith
the tweezers(right).Cleanthe skinagain
withsoapandwater.lf thesplinter cannot
beremoved. seekmedical attention.

Treating a cut
Wrapthewoundin a cleanclothand
applydirectpressure withyourhandto
stopanybleeding; keepthewoundelevat-
ed. lf theclothbecomes blood-soaked,
wrapanother clothoverit. lf bleeding per-
sistsorthewoundis deeporgaping, seek
medical help.Otherwise,washthewound
withsoapandwater,thenbandage it; for
a narrow, shallowwound, draw itsedges
closedwith a butterflybandage (left).

25
 SAFETY

CONTROTLING
BLEEDING

4@= \,

Applyingdirectpressureto stopbleeding
To helpstopprofuse or rapidbleeding, applydirectpressureto dressingto inspect thewound.lt willbeeasierto maintain
thewoundwitha gauzedressing or a cleanclothand,if possi- steady
pressure if youwrapthewoundwitha rollerbandage
ble,elevatethe injury(above,left).DiecIpressureshouldstop (above, right)toraddeddirectpressure. lf youcannotstop
theflowof bloodandallowit to clot.lf thedressing becomes thebleeding, callformedicalhelp.
blood-soaked,addanother overthefirstone;avoidliftingthe

HANDTING
A SH(ICK
VICTIM
Treating
a shockvictim
Somedegree of shock-either immediate or
delayed-accompanies anyinjury.
Shockcanbe
provoked by lossof blood,pain,or an allergic
reaction.
Signsof shockinclude anxiety orconfu-
sion;coldorclammy skin;weak,iregular breath.
ingor pulse;andlossof consciousness. lf you
suspectan injuryvictimis suffering
fromshock,
immediatelycallforemergency help.lf thevictim
is conscious,placehimon hisbackwithhisfeet
propped up8 to 12 inches abovethelevelof his
head(right).Loosen thevictim'sclothing around
theneck,chest,andwaist.Keepthevictimwarm
witha blanket,butavoidoverheating. Donotgive
thevictimanything to eatordrink.

26
 SAFETY

A VICTIMOFELECTRICAL
TREATING SHOCK
Freeing a victimfroma livecurrent
A person whocontacts a livecurrentmay
experience onlya mildtingling sensation.
Sometimes, however, thevictim'smus-
clescontract involuntarily around the
source. Donottouchthevictimorthe
electrical source. lnstead, immediately
stopthef lowof electricity in thecircuit
at a wallswitchor theservice panel.lf
theelectricity cannot beshutoffimmedi-
ately,usea drywoodimplement, suchas
a broom handle, to knock thevictimfree
of the electrical source(right).CallIor
m e d i c ahle l pi m m e d i a t et lhye, nc h e c k
thevictim's breathing andpulse. lf there
is nobreathing, givemouth-to-mouth resus-
citation; if thereis nopulse, givecardiopul-
monary resuscitatton (CPR) onlyif youare
q u a li e
f d .l f t h ev i c t i mi s b r e a t h i n
agnd
hasnoneckor backinjury, placehimin
the recovery position (below). Ttltthe
victim's headbackfaceto drawhistongue
awayfromhisthroatandkeepthe air-
w a yo p e n K . e e pt h ev i c t i mc a l mu n t i l
heloarrives.

27
 t"tr,,,

{r. -
. ." \\

; r f ,

''a*6*"'n'

\
,9

. G

*-

i
 SHOPIAOI-]T

s they gain experience thebasement or a garage. Each

and accumulatetools. has its pros and cons. A base-
most woodworkerspine for ment ii apt to be damp and
their own specialplace to mayneedto haveits wiring and
practicetheir skills.In their heatingupgraded;access can
fantasies, the workshopis an be hampered by narrow doors,
airy spaceequippedwith a sub- tight stairways,and low ceil-
stantial workbench and an ings;and ventilationmay be
arravof stationarvmachines inadequatefor finishingtasks.
andportabletools.Thereality A garage,on the otherhand,is
for manywoodworkers,how- apt to be cold;it may require
ever,is much more modest. wiring andheating.Thewood-
The typical shopneverseems workermayendup jostlingfor
to haveenoughlight,power,or Even in spaciousshops,tools occasionallyneed to be spacewith a car or two.
elbowroom. movedaround; in small shopl reassigning floor spacemay Still,with a bit of planning
Fewhomes havespacespecif- be a part of everyproject.A wheeledbasecan make a 10- and the proper layout, even
ically designedasa workshop inch tablesaw,like the one pictured here,easyto reposition. theselocationscanbe turned
area.As a result,settingup a to your advantage: A basement
home shopdemandscreativityand flexibility;the taskoften canbeheated andpowered moreeasilythana garage. Onthe
involvesconvertingan arcaoriginallyintendedfor someoth- otherhand,a garage hasalargerdoorthroughwhichto move
er purpose.With carefulplanningand forethought,however, lumberandsheet materials likeplpvood,itsairislesshumid,
a locationthat might appearunsuitablecanbeturnedinto an andthedinof powertoolsandfumesof finishing canbeiso-
efficient,comfortableplaceto work. latedfromlivingspaces.
Althoughsizeis oftenthe first consideration, severalother Thischapter outlinessomebasicprinciples to followwhen
concernsmaybe more important.For example,situatinga designing a newshopor upgrading anexisting one.Topics
shopin a spareroomon themainfloor of a homemayprovide include plannng(pages 30and3l);allowing adequate spacefor
a largeworking area,but noiseand dust from toolswould tools(pages 32-40); andprovidingfor necessities likeheat,
probablyinconvenience othermembersof the family.To suit light,andelectricalpower(pages 41-45).Bylistingyourobjec-
their own needswithout intrudingtoo muchon the people tivesandclosely examining yourwork,youcanapplythese
theylivewith,woodworkers commonlylocate homeshopsin principlesto createa layoutthatsuitsyourownneeds.

Everyhour spentplanningshoplayoutpaysdividendslater
on. Tbdeterminethebestwayto arrangethetoolsplannedfor
theshop,e woodworker placesoverhead-view
silhouettes
of the toolson a scaledrawingof thespace.

29
 WORKSHOPPLANNING

I t is fareasier
to shufflepapercutouts
I of vourtoolson a templatethanit isto
draga tablesawhalfwayicrosstheshop.
Time spentplanningthe layoutof your
shopwill be morethan amplyrewarded
in reducedfrustrationandincreased effi-
ciencywhenyou go to work.
Designinga shopinvolvesjuggling
many interdependent variables,from
localhumidityandtheqpe of work you
do to the heightof the ceilingand the
costof wiring. To help sort them out,
askyourselfasetofquestions, likethose
in the checkliston page31, to help
determinethe kind of shoomostsuit-
ablefor yourneedsandremindyou of
factors that may affect its design.
Remember, too, a basicprinciplefor
anyshop,illustrated
below,thatthelum- Referto the illustratedinventoryof
bershouldtakea relativelystraightpath stationarymachines andtablesstarting
asit is processed-almostasthoughthe on page32asa guideto spaceandlight-
shoowerean assemblv line. ing requirements. Thebestwayto design
A multipurpose stationary
power tool can helpyou make
the most of a crampedwork-
space.The machineat right is
an all-in-one tablesew,drill
press,disk sander,and lathe.
Accessory attachmentsalso
allow it to serveas a band
saw,jigsaw, and jointer.

T()OIPLACEMENT
ANDWORKFLOW
Designing a shoparound
thewoodworking process
F o rm a x i m u e mf fi c i e n c yl a, yO u t h e
t o o l si n y o u rs h o ps ot h a tt h el u m b e r
followsa f aily directroutefromrough
stockto f inished pieces. Thediagram at
leftillustrates a logical workf lowfora
medium-size workshop. At theupper
left-hand corner istheentrance where
lumber isstored onracks. Totherightis
Lumbergtoraqe thestockpreparation area,devoted to the
Dand saw
tablesaw(orradral armsaw), jointer, and

lxH
'€_-J
p l a n ear ;t t h i ss t a t i o nl u, m b ei rs c u tt o
roughlengthandsurfaced.
thenextworkarea,nearthebottom
Theheartof
right-
handcorner of thedrawing, is thework-

Wi,ft bench.

thiscase,
(orshaper),
Radiating outward
aretheshop'sotherstationary
a drillpress, lathe,
fromthebench

andbandsaw.A toolcabinet
tools-in
routertable

is nearby. Moving clockwise, thef inalwork

Izil,",t areaissetasideforassembly
ing.Thisstation
up pieces
features
andshelves fordrying
andf inish-
a tableforgluing
andstor-
ing.Thesprayboothis closeby,butisolat-
edfromtheshopbywallsonthreesides.

30
 SHOP LAYOUT

the layoutis to experimentwith arrang-

ing photocopies of scaledrawingsof illltlltl|ltllllljrlllllllllrlllllljllllllrlllllllllilllllljllllllllrll1
the tools (page35)on a sheetofgraph
paper.Remember that a tool shouldbe 1HO?Tt?
oositionedsothatan access doorisvis-
ible from it. In addition,a workpiece Atable eaw on wheels
kickedbackfrom the tool shouldnot DecauseiI is Lhelarqeot,and
heaviesl woodworkin q Nool
be ableto strikesomeoneworking at
in manyohopo,a Iable
anotherstation. oaw uouallyetaye pul,
Considerdedicatingspaces for spe- whichcan bea drawbackin
cificwoodworkingtasls.A finishingarea a emallohopwhereepaceie
or spraybooth requirespriority in plan- at,a premium. By mounting
ningbecause of light,temperature, and il on wheels,however,you can
ventilationneeds. eaeilyehifl your 6awout of the
Dependingon the extentof your shop waywhenit is not in uee.lfyour
andlocalzoningandbuildingcodes, you sawdid nol comewith a wheeled baee,measure
may needto obtainpermits;consult lhe baseof the moNorhoueinqand havea melalworkin4 ohop
your localbuilding inspectionoffice. builda rollinqbaoelo your epecificaf,ions,
Formaximuftltrlafitau-
verability,the baseehouldhavelhree wheels, includinq
onelhaL
pivoNe.KeepIhe sawfrom movingor tiVpingwheniNie in ueeby
wedqinq two Irianqularwoodehimeunderthe wheelsal lhe
front of the baee.

A SHOPTAYOUT
CHECKLIST

TOGATION TYPE
OFWORK WORK
HABITS
o Whichavailable
areas
in andaround . Whattypeof woodworking
projects
will r Whatroomtemperature
will youneed
yourhomeareappropriate
fora shop? youbedoing? to workcomfortably?
o Howeasyis theaccess
to theseareas? o Whatsizearethe materialsyouwill . Whattypeof lightdo youprefer
needto movein andoutof theshop? forworking?
. ls theelectric for pow-
wiringadequate
eringyourtoolsandlighting? ' Howmuchspacewill bedevoted
to r W i l ly o ub ew o r k i ndgu r i n gd a y l i g h t
lumber
storing andwork-in-progress? h o u r so, r w i l ly o ub e u s i n gt h es h o p
. Howwellaretheareas
heated,
insulat- at night?
ed,andventilated? r Whatstationary
machines, podable
pow-
ertools,andhandtoolswillyouneed? o Whichtoolsdo youexpectto use
r Willshopnoisedisturb
otherareas? mostoften?
. Arethereenoughelectrical
circuits
to
. lf thelocation
is a basement,willthe supplyyourpowerneeds? . Willyoubeworking alonein theshop,or
shopbesharing space witha furnace will it be usedbyanotherworker?Would
roomor laundry room? o Howmanylighting doesyour
fixtures thatperson haveeasyaccess
to theshop?
workreouire?
. l f t h e l o c a t i oins a n o u t b u i l d i nogr o Willyouneedto locktheshopor keep
garage, howmuchspaceistakenup by . Howmanyworkbenches, assembly it off-limits or pets?
to children
cars,bicycles, lawnmowers, andsoon? liketoolcabinets,
tables,andaccessories
willyouneed?
scrapbins,andsawhorses o Howmanyhoursperdaydo youexpect
. Does
thebuilding orgaragehaveany to spendin theshop?
heating, or plumbing?
electricity, . Willlocalseasonal
temperatures
and
humidityaffectyourwork? r ls theflooring
madeof a materialthat
o Howsecureis the buildingor garage is comfortableto standon for longperi-
fromtheft? . Willyoubedoinga lotof f inishing
work? odsof time?

31
 PLANNINGFORSTIIfIONARYTOOLS

TABTE
sAw

LIOHTING
Naeda liqht from
above, to the laft of
and behindblade

LIGHNNA
Needeliqht.from
aboveand to
CLEARANCE the riqht of
Needa enouqh clear- blade;porLable
ance around table for clamp-onli7ht
lon6 boarde;keeplineof can be uaed
work clear. Best loca-
tion ia center of ahop

CLEARANCE
No clearanceneededon throat-
column aide; requirea4 feet of
clearanceon other aideefor lonq
boarda. Keepline of work alear.
RADIAT Can be poeitionedaqainat a
ARMSAW wallor in a corner

LIOHTINO
Needali7ht
ROUTER
TABTE
from aides,
front and
above LIOHTING
Needaliqht
from front
and both
aides

CLEARANCE
Na clearanae need-
ed behindtool; qood
location ia againat
wall.Allowabout 12
feet of clearance
on either eidefor
long boarde
CLEARANCE
Relativelyportable.Allow
at leaat 6 fert of clearance
in front and to the aides
whenin operation;needo
no clearancebehindtable.
Good location ie aqainet
wall: keepline of work
clear so that a kiaked
back workpiecewould
not.atrike another worker

32
 SHOP LAYOUT

SHAPER
DRITL
PRESS
LIGHTING
Needalight from
fronL and aidea
LIOHTING
Liqht muat focua
directly on bit
CLEARANCE
from overhead;
Allowat leaat 6 feet of alear-
portable clamp-on
ance in front and to the sides:
Iiqht can be uaed
no clearanceneededbehindtool.
Good location is aqainat wall;
keeplineof workclear ao that a
CLEARANCE workpiecethat ie kickedback will
No clearanceneeded not atrike another worker
behindtoob qood loca'
tion ia aqainet wall,
AIIow3 feet of clear-
ance on either aide,
and enou4hclearance JOINTEUPTANER
in front for widework

LIOHTINO
Needalightfrom
aboveand front
of tablea
JOINTER

CLEARANCE
Allow3 to 4 feet of clearance
on aidea,more for lonqboarde;
LIGHTINO keeplineof workclear. Good
Needaliqht location ta near lumberatoraqe
from lefL rack for eaey aurfacin4of atock
and rear
of tool

TATHE

LIOHTING
)verhead li4ht
muat focua
directly on work

CLEARANCE
Allow3 feet of clearancein front of
tablea and enouqhclearanceon
CLEARANCE
both aideafor long boarde;keep
Leave3 feet of clearancein front:
lineof workclear. Dest location ie
can be poaitioneda7ainet a wall
behindor to [ef, of table eaw
ainceworkis containedbv tool

33
 SHOP LAYOUT

ASSEMBLYAND LIGHTING
FINISHING
TABTE Needeliqht from
BENCH
GRINDER
aboveand aidea:nat-
Deet.location ia near ural li4ht preferable
lathe aincethe cutting
toola ueed with it require
frequenL4 rindinq. Needa
clearanceand
li4ht on front
only;porEable
clamp-onlight
can be aimed
directly
at whee[ CLEARANCE
Minimalclearance
needed;qood loaa-
tion ie near window

STATIONARY
BEtTSANDER
LIOHTINO
scR0ltsAw Needeliqht from
front and left of tool

CLEARANCE
Allow 5 to 6 feet of clearance to
bhe aidea for lon4 work;leave3 to 4
feet in front of and to either side of
diak aander. Keepline of work clear
LIOHTINO
Li4ht needed
to the riqht. of
blade;portable WORKBENCH
clamp-onlight
can be uoed to
ehinedirectly
on work

LIGHTING
Needali4ht
from above,
CLEARANCE parLicularly
Needa 5 feet of over viaeo
clearanceat front
and eidea;no alear-
ance neededbehind
tool. Oood location
ie a4ainot wall CLEARANCE
Allow 3 feet of clearance
around viaea;can be placed
a4ainet wall if neceoear,

34
 SHOPLAYOUT

DRAWINGS
SCATE TOOTS
OFSTATIOI{ARY

Layingouta wodtshop onpapel

Theillustrationsaboveareoverhead viewsof a dozentypicalstationarytoolsdrawnat a scaleof V+inch
to 1 foot.Tofacilitatethetaskof arrangingyourtoolson theshopfloor,sketchyourworkshop spaceon
scaledgraphpaper.
a sheetof similarly Thenphotocopy thispage,cut outthetoolsyouneed,andarrange
the cutoutsonthegridto determine the bestlayoutfor yourshop.Considerthespaceandlightrequire-
mentsof thetools(pages 32-34)whenassigning spaceto eachone.Alsofactorin yourshop'selectrical
andlightingneeds(pages41-43).Usethe samplelayoutsof a small-,medium-,andlarge-size shop
beginning on page36 asguidelines to getyoustarted.

35
 SHOPORGANIZATION
LAYOUT
OFA SMALL
SH()P
Layingouttheshop
Theillustration
belowshowsonewayof making efficient
useof f r a m i nign t h ec e i l i n cgo u l da l s ob eu s e dt o h o l ds t o c kR. e f e r
thespacein a smallshop-inthiscase,one-halfof a two-car to thekeyin the bottomright-hand corner of the illustration
garage.Thethreestationary
machines chosenareessential
for forthetypeandlocation of electrical outlets andlightfixtures.
mostprojects:thetablesaw,thejointer,
andthebandsaw.The Notethatthereisanoverhead master swrtch (near thebench's
sawandjointeraremounted oncasters sotheycanbemoved if t a i lv i s et)h a tc o n t r o a
l sl lt h r e em a c h i n eAs t. t e n t i oi ns a l s o
necessary.Withthebenchandtablethereis amplespace for paidto feeddirection of eachmachine (represented bythe
handtoolandportable power toolwork.Thestorage space- arrowhead in the key);theaccess doorto theshopis always
perforatedhardboard
andshelving-islocatedalongthewalls; in theuser's fieldof vision. Caution: lf yourshopshares space
a lumberrackis positioned
nearthegarage door.Anyexposed withmotorized equipment youwillnotbeableto spray finishes.
11'

r-)t
\ _ / 1.. .y':,"-n":
. -?r:
^ r c
scrap I
bin I
\ strort
atock atoraqe

thelvinq

e
Worktable

Ferforated hard-
board wall etoraqe

Dand aaw

db db (a)
l l l l v
ll ll )awhoreee e KEY
q_Fq_F
Jointer o 24O V outlet

T
t t
0
o
12OV outlet
Incandescent liqht fixtu re
| | t,mu", o FIuoreecent liqht firtu re

| |
racr o Overheadewitch for power toole
o Direction of feed
tJ

36
 SHOP LAYOUT

tlltllllfillllllffilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllillltllllllllllllllll
1HO?TI?
A s af e att'enti o n-get t er
lf the door to t'heehopis outside
yourfieldofvieionwhenyou are aI
a machine,lhereie the riekIhat'
oomeonemiqhl enLerthe ehoV,t'ap
youon the ehoulder, and etarLleYou,
Io avoidaccident'caueinq ourprioee,
mounf,a liqht bulbaI eyelevelnear
the t ool and wireNheswiLchNothe
doorframeeo thaLthe bulbliqhto
whenlhedooris oVened,Wirinq
ano|herbulbto the bellcircuiLof Nhe
relephone can solvethe problemof
misbina ohone calle:Eaih t'ime th e I
\._.2
bellrinio,rhe bulbwillliqht.

A SHOPDOLTY baseandcornerblocks, cutting

or largeprojects
Towheelworkpieces themfrom3/q-inchplywood to a size
aroundtheshop,usetheshop-built thatsuitsyourneeds,Screwthe
dollvshownbelow.Startwiththe cornerblocksin place,thenfasten

a casterontoeachblock(abovd.
To buildtheshelved section, cut
theskirtsandthe eightpieces for
the legsfrom1-by-3stock;the shelf
from%-inchplywood; andthe toP
from%-inchplywood. Thelegsshould
be longenough for the topto sit at
a comfortable height.Screwthe leg
pieces together, thenattachthe
skirtsto the legs'insidefaces.Fasten
theshelfandthetopto theskirts.
Secure the legsto the basewith
angle brackets.

37
 SHOPLAYOUT

SAVING
SPACE
Setting upa shopin theattic
Atticshopshaveseveral strikesagainst
them:Theyareoftenuninsulated and
theirf loorsarenotdesigned to support
heavy weight. In addition, headroom is
limitedandaccess canpresent problems,
e s p e c i a li lf yy o ua r ew o r k i nwg i t hl o n g
planks orfull sheets of plywood. Butfor
a luthier, carver, orwoodworker whospe-
cializes in smallprojects, an atticcan
bean idealspotfora shop.Asshownin
theillustration at left,nailing sheets of
sheathing-grade plywood to thejoistswill
produce a floorthatis sufficiently sturdy
to holdup a workbench andoneof the
lighter stationary machines, liketheband
saw,Thespaces between thestudsand
rafters anddownneartheeaves-where
theroofandatticf loormeet-areideal
forstoring lumber, tools,andsupplies.

Positioning stationary machines

in a confined space
lf yourworkshop is cramped youmay
haveto forego an idealplacement of
stationary machines to allowyouto
makethemostofyourlimited space.
Consider thedesign of yourmachines
andthefeeddirection youneedto
use;youmaybeableto placetwo
machines closetogether if theyare
matched properly. Thehightableof a
bandsawandthefeeddirection nor-
m a l l yu s e dw i t ht h em a c h i n e f o, r
example, makesit an idealmatch
rna tightspace witha jointer(right).
Thetwocanbe placedclosetogeth-
e r w h i l es t i l lp r o v i d i nagd e q u a t e
spaceto operate eachmachine at
separate times.

38
 SHOPLAYOUT

SH()P
OFA MEDIUM-SIZE
LAYOUT

Settingup a basement shop

T h e m e d i u m - s i zseh o pr e p r e s e n t ebde l o w rackis locatednearthe mainaccessdoorat
s h a r e sm a n yo f t h e f e a t u r e so f t h e s m a l l t h e f o o to f t h e s t a i r sW. i t ht h e e x t r as p a c e ,
shop(page36): the tablesawand jointer- t h i s s h o ph a sr o o mf o r a l a t h e a , d r i l lp r e s s , KEY
olanerareon casters: a masterswitch(thls a n da d u s tc o l l e c t o A r . w o r kt a b l ef o r g l u e - :l 24O V ouLlet
t i m en e a rt h ed o o rc) o n t r o lasl l t h e m a c h i n e s ; u p a n df i n i s h i n gi s p o s i t i o n eadt a w i n d o w rl' 12OV outlet
t h e m a c h i n ea s r ep o s i t i o n esdo u s e r sw i l l w i t h a n e x h a u sfta n .T h ef o c a lp o i n to f t h i s A lncandeacenL lt4hLftxl;ure
s e et h e d o o rn e a rt h e b e n c h ;p e r f o r a t e d s h o pi s t h e t a b l es a w ;i t i s e q u i d i s t a nf rto m O FluoreecenL ltqhLfixt.ure
h a r d b o a radn d s h e l v e sf o r s t o r a g el i n et h e t h e s t o c kp r e p a r a t i oanr e ai n f r o n to f i t , @ OverheadewtLchfor
p e r i m e t eorf t h es h o p( s u p p l i ecsa na l s ob e t h e w o r k b e n ctho o n es i d e ,a n dt h e w o r k powertoolo
s t o r e du n d e rt h e s t a i r s )a; n d t h e l u m b e r t a b l eb e h r n di t . @ Dtrecttonof feed

20'

thelvee
- :o:*".n*- - -? ofr.Er

e Drill prena
e
ilt Sawhoreea
e ?erforated
hardboard

Duai;collector

o
Jointer/
grrrl[)

Lathe

thelvea o
e Eand saw

Windowfan
Lumberrack

39
 SHOP LAYOUT

LAYOUT
OFA LARGE
SH()P

Converting
a two-car garage
Settingupa shopwithallthefeatures shown belowcallsfora shopboasts threeseparate worksurfaces:onein thefinishing
largespace,likea two-car garage.Thisshophasmanyof the room,oneforglue-up nearthedrillpress, anda workbench
characteristics
of thesmaller
shops examined earlier,
withaddi- besidethe tablesaw. A shopof this would
size needan inde-
tionaltoolsandconveniences thatallowit to handlea wider pendentelectricalservice panelto powerallthetools.Tokeep
rangeof projects. At onecorneris a spaciousfinishingroom, thewiringoutof theway,halftheflooris covered witha raised
partitionedfromthe restof theshopandequipped withan 3/rinchplywood floor;asshownon page44,an understructure
fanto exhaust
explosion-proof fumes. Theshopincludes a bath- is laidontheconcrete
of 1-by-2s flooron 12-inchcentersand
roomwitha sinkanda toilet.In addition to themachines fea- the plywoodis nailed Wires
to theboards. are run in conduits
thishasa radialarmsaw,shaper,
turedearlier, andplaner. The undertheplywood between the 1-by-2s.

w -
T- F-t
Mobite
Explooion' l-l -l
proof fan ctampI rl Fr I
rACK
Work (-

$-;
v
Taorc

u: ul
flt--------t
FINI'HINOROOM
6'x|O' Work'l" I ll
u^"n
li I ll
trb*l
IUF

-f--l
\ I
\ Lu"h" O
RAI9EDFLOOR
o l''lll
\J-gtuor
KEY
CONCRETE
FLOOR lllll,*,"*- lIHHltr|l l I ^
(]
0 24O V outlet
0 12OV outlet Ferforated'
o Incand eacent Iiqht fixtu re hardboard
o Fluoreacent liqht fixbure
o Eleatriaal aervice oub-panel Drill
e, Direction of feed Pree6

?lywood
stora4e

ilil Sawhorees
Radial
Disk/belt
aander
o
6v ) -zcraP ptn
o Aeeembly
table

/-\ .----.....--..-.
snetves
fr
O \_/ | lpfl

40
 POWER
ELE,CTRICAL
shouldbe paneldedicatedto the shop.Another
f, lectricpowerrequirement
I ; considered earlyin the process of point to remember:Any woodworking
planning a shop'slayout. Allow for machinethat drawsmorethansixamps
growth.Then,asyou addnewtoolsand shouldbe on a separate (dedicated)cir-
light fixtures,youwill avoidtheheadaches cuit,unlessthetool'smotor is shielded.
of an inadequate system:repeatedtrip- Referto theillustrationon page42 as
ping of circuitbreakersor blowingof fus- a guideto planningthe electricallayout
es,andoctopusadapters funnelingseveral of your shop.As you plan,remember
oowercordsinto oneoutlet. that evensimple electricaljobs, like
If you planto wire your shopto your extendinga circuit or replacingan out-
home'smainservice panel,be surethat let, canbe dangerous. They can also
your electrical supplyhasenoughaddi- causea fairamountof damage-ranging
tional power.You can geta rough idea from burned-outtool motorsto a house
of how manyamperesyour shopwill fire-if theyarecarriedout improperly.
draw from the systemby totalingthe Unlessvou arecualifiedand comfort-
amperage of all thetoolsyou planto use ablewiih the ideaof wiring your shop
and dividing the resultin half.If your to theelectricalsystem,havea qualified
svstem is barely able to handle the electriciando thejob.
demands being'placed on it by your
household, you probably will needto
upgrade your service entrance-in oth- Theworkbenchis a naturalwork
er words, increase the number of amps surfacefor usingportablepower
theservicepanelcandrawfrom theutil- tools.Mountinga powerstripon
ity company.If the shopwill be some oneofthe legsandpluggingit into
distancefrom the main servicepanel,it an outleteliminatestheneedfor a
is a goodideato installa 50-ampsub- separate extensioncordfor everytool.

TIPS
TAYOUT
ETECTRICAT
r Whenplanningtheelectricallayoutfor thatthewiringof yourshopis inade- . Donottoucha metalfaucet,pipe,
yourshop,makesurethatoutletsfor quate.Upgrade thesystemby installing or otherobjectwhenworking
appliance,
powertoolsandlightingfixturesareon newoutlets andwiringthemto a sepa- onyourwiring.
circuits.
seDarate panel.
ratecircuitontheservice
. Neversplicea powercordor an exten-
o Unless yourshophasbrightwindows o Protectanynewoutletin a garage
or sioncord,or removethegrounding prong
or yourlightsareequipped withbattery basement a ground-fault
by installing froma three-prongplug.
backups, includeat leasttwoseparate circuitintenupter(GFCI).
lightingcircuitsin yourelectrical
layout. . Usean extension cordto supplyelec-
In theeventonecircuitis disabled, the . Neverworkon thewiringof theservice tricityto an areaonlytemporarily-not
lightsplugged intotheothercircuitwill panel;
entrancewiresmayremain live aspermanenl wrnng.
stillwork. evenwhenpoweris shutoff at the main
orfuseblock.
circuitbreaker . Neverruna oowercordor an exten-
r Placeoutletscloseto theeventualloca- sioncordundera rug,mat,orcarpet;
tionof thetoolstheywillpower;
distrib- . Makecertainthatanynewcircuits or do notfastenthecordusingtacks,pins,
uteoutletsall aroundtheshooto allow service
sub-panels in yourhome
installed orstaples.
forfuturetoolacquisitions. aregrounded
or outbuilding to themain
panel.Individual
service outletsmust . Neverreplace a blownfusewithoneof
. Avoidlocating onthefloor;they
outlets alsobegrounded. higheramperage; do notusea penny,a
become
willeventually filledwithsaw- washer, fora fuse.
or foilasa substitute
dustandbea firehazard. . Donottakeoff thecoverof theservice
o a nle. o lf a circuitbreaker
tripsor a fuseblows
. Avoidplugging
toolsintooneoutlet repeatedly, checkfora shortcircuit,and
usinganoctopus thiscanover-
adapter; o Never
workonyourwiringin dampor determine whetherthecircuitis over-
loadyourelectrical
system, andis a sign wetconditions. loaded.

4I
 SHOPLAYOUT

ETECTRICAT
TAYOUT
FORA MEDIUM.SIZE
SH(IP
Wiringtheshop
Theillustration at leftshowsoneelectri-
cal layoutfor a medium-size shop.The
shophassixseparate electrical circuits:
fourfortoolsandtwofor lighting. The
basicprincipleto keepin mindis thatno
circuitusing!2-gauge wireshouldcarry
morethan80 percentof its capacity; for
20-ampcircuits, thismeans thecom-
binedamperage of the toolsonthesame
circuitplus25 percent of theratingof the
largestmotormustnotexceed16 amps.In
thisshop,thetablesawandjointerare
orfseparate 240 V circuits; theirpower
cordsaresuspended fromtheceilingwith
twist-typeoutlets,whichkeepthe plugs
in place,Witha combined loadof 15 amps,
the bandsawandthedrillpressareon
thesame120V circuit;the latheis on
another. Additional outletson the 120V
circuitscanbeusedforportable tools.The
incandescent andfluorescent lighting
circuitsareseparate sothatif onefails
theotherwillstillwork.

KEY
rh
\v 24O V outlet
0 12OVoutlet
o Incandeecentliqhtinq firtu re
t FIuoreacentIiqhtinq fixture
o Directionof feed

42
 LIGHTING

] f youfindyourself cuttingoff lineor yourtools.Ideally,thelight fixtureswill rewiringthe system.Simplypaintinga

I cannotproperlyexaminea finish
unlessyou takeyour work outside,the
lightingin yourworkshopmayneedan
upgrade.At best,a poorlylit shopwill
merelybringon fatigue; at worst,it can
contributeto sloppy,imprecise work and
to accidents.
Fluorescentlightsarethemostpop-
ular type of workshoplighting fixture.
Theycasta relativelyshadowless light,
thetubesarelong-lasting, andtheyuse
20 percentto 30 percentlesselectricity
than incandescent lightsof the same
brightness. Manywoodworkers find that
too muchfluorescent light canresultin
fatigueandheadaches, however, andpre-
fer the warmth of incandescent and
tungstenlights,
At a minimum, a shopbiggerthan
120scuarefeetneeds2 wattsof incan-
descentlight or 3/q,
walt of fluorescent
light per squarefoot,As in the electri-
callayoutillustratedon page42, shop
lightsshouldbe circuitsseparate from
bedividedbetween tvvoseDaratecircuits. concretefloor a light coloror covering
Asa ruleof thumb,do notexceed 1600 the ceilingwith whitetileswill allow
wattson one20-ampcircuit.Also,dis- to reflectlight,ratherthan
thesesurfaces
tributelightingfixturesaroundtheshop; absorbit.
mountinga singlefixturein the middle
of the ceilingwill makeit difficult to illu-
minatethe shadowyareasat the edges
ofthe shoo.
If possible,makethe mostof natural
Iight;thereis no bettersubstitute, espe-
ciallyfor hand-tool work and finishing.
Tryingto evaluate planing,sanding,and
finishing jobs underartificiallight can
be frustrating.Both fluorescentand
incandescent light tendto distortor dis-
guisethe surfacetextureof naturaland
finishedwood surfaces. Naturallight,
particularlyfrom the north,hasa soft,
non-glare quality.If yourshophasa win-
dow that facesnorth, placeyour work-
benchunderit.
Keepin mind that upgradingthe
lighting in your shopneednot entail
purchasing expensivefixtures and

llllllllllllllllllllllll
IllIilltllllfillIIIfillfillilllllllllllllllI]I1 A clamp-onlampcanshedall thelight
you needto worksafelyat a tool.
Mountedon a drill press,thislamp's
1HO?Tt? flexibleneckaimsa 4)-watt bulb
worktable.
directlyat themachine's
A benah'dog 1,,,,,\,
lamo oupport l'lllt'+qil'\'-.
" - A " . a-'\ r:--:\
l ----t\
Fora movablesourceof ,/ ."r:r'i
liqhl aI your workbench, / \
aitach A desklampNo {-'- *--"'"'
oneof the benchdoqe.Dore
a holeNheeamediameNer
as the ehafLof Lhe lamp
into the headof
a wooden.do,q +:==::::=--::R-::::-..--=.:
(pa4e62).The -- -------=:*:
li,ahr,
canLhen -:]
b:epoeitioned *.
al any of the - *-<<*.*t3-
ja-. _;
doqholeo alonq -__--
the bench.

43
 FLOORS,
WALLS,AND CEILINGS
Standingin oneplacefor hourson
a concretefloor can strain your feet
and legs.An old pieceof carpetor a
commercialanti-fatigue mat pro-
videsa cushionthat can be easily
movedabout the shop.
most workshopsare set up Iated.If you livein a northernclimate,
Q i":.
\,, In basements or garages, concrete you canincreasethe thermalefficiency
floors are a common feature.Yet for of your shopby coveringits wallswith
anyonewho hasto spendmuch time wood panelingor sheetmaterial,and
standingon concreteor sweepingit filling the gap in betweenstudswith
clean,the materialcan prove both insulation. Woodpanelingin particular
uncomfortable and inconvenient. The creates a warm,comfortable atmosphere.
hard surfaceis particularlytough on Interior wall coveringwill makeyour
toolsthat aredroppedaccidentally. shop quietertoo, sincethe wallswill
Simplypaintinga concretefloor with absorbsomeof the din of vour Dower
a paintmadespecifically for thepulpose tools.fu a bonus,youcanconceal wiring
will keepdown the dust and makethe behindthe walls.Makesurethe base-
surfaceeasierto clean.Adhesivevinyl mentwallsdo not leakbeforecovering
floor tile canbe laid down aswell.Yet themwith insulationandpaneling.
manywoodworkerspreferthe comfort To hide the exposedjoists,ducts,
of a raisedwoodenfloor.A simolefloor and wiring aboveyour head,consider
canbe constructed from sheeisof %- installinga ceiling.A suspended tile ceil-
inch plyruoodlaid atopa grid of 1-by- ing,in whichthetilessit in a framework
2son 12-inchcenters. Not only is this of supportshangingfrom thejoists,is
qpe of flooreasieron thefeet,but wiring onepopularoption.In a largeshop,a
for stationarypowertoolscanbe rout- droppedceilingsuchasthiswill alsohelp
ed underneath the raisedsurfacein %- retainheat.Acousticalceilingtilesare
incholasticor steelconduit. an inexpensive alternative;the tiles are
Unlikethewallsof mosthomes,those attachedto furring stripsthat arenailed
ofseparate workshops seldomareinsu- to thejoists.
lll1
ljlliltfilllll1
lllillllfirlilutllllllltlllilIIlllllllllll1
fiulllt
9HO7Tt?
Making the transition to a raieedfloor
lf parl of yourehophaoa raisedfloor,youcan makea smoolh
lransilion from Nhelowerconcretefloor with eeveralbeveled
2-by-6o laidend-No-end. Cut a rabbeNin oneedqeof each
2-W-6lo accommodate the plywoodfloor and the 1-by-2
qrid undernealh, Thenbevellhe oppoeiteedqe,forminqa ram?
lo f acilitatemovinqit emsfrom onefloort o the oLher.Nailor
screwIhe plywoodtothe 2-by-Oe.
\
*ri.
44
 HEATINGAND VENTILATION

ff eatingisa necessiry for mostshops exhaust.Coil-typeelectricheatersare arerare,theycanbedevastating. A good

I I in North America.Somewood-
workingtasksdemandit; gluingandfin-
ishing in particular require steady
temperatures. Heatingyour shopalso
makesit more comfortableand safe;
numb fingersinvite accidents.
If your shopis somedistancefrom
your home'sfurnace,a separate heating
systemwill be needed.Many wood-
workersswearby wood heaqit hasthe
addedbenefitof consumingscrappieces.
Yetthis meansfrequentlyfeedingthe
stoveand cleaningthe chimney;insur-
ing your shopagainstfire canalsobe a
oroblem.Electricbaseboard units are
moreconvenient, but can contribute to
high utility bills and frequently are
cloggedwith sawdust.
Portablekerosene andpropaneburn-
ersshouldbe avoidedin the shop,since
thev usean oDenflameand emit toxic
alsoa fire hazard.
Whichever heating system you
choose, keepthe areaaroundit freeof
sawdustandplaceit awayfrom the fin-
ishingand wood storageareas.And
remember, anysystemwill be improved
by goodventilation.
Consideryour needto controlhumid-
ity. In shopsin humid climates,too
much moisturemeansan investment
in a dehumidifierto keepwood dry
andtoolsfrom rusting.Shopsin more
arid climatesfacethe oppositedilem-
ma and mayrequirea humidifier.
Finally,everyshoprequiresadequate
ventilation.Airbornesawdustandtoxic
finishingvaporsmaynot be asvisiblea
dangeraskickbackon a tablesawbut
thethreattheyposeisjust asreal.While
fire or explosionsdueto high concen-
trationsof sawdustor finishingvapors
ventilationsystemchanges the air often
enoughto maintainsafelevelsof air-
bornedustandfumes.It shouldinclude
dustcollectionequipmentat eachsta-
tionarypowertool that producessaw-
dust (page7B), and a generalexhaust
setup(below)to removethe dust and
fumesthat remain.
Whilewindowfansor bathroom-tlpe
ventmodelsarefine for generalexhaust
purposes, a finishingbooth or spray
room requiressomethingdifferent:
An explosion-proof tube-axialfan is
recommended. Fansare ratedby the
amountof air thattheymove,measured
in cubicfeetper minute(cfm).Divide
thecubicvolumeofyour shop(itslength
timesits width timesits height)by 6 to
find the ratingneededto changethe air
10timesperhour-the minimumlev-
el for safeventilation.

A SHOP
VENTILATING
Installing a general exhaust setup
lf yourshopdoesnothavewindows or
doors to provide proper cross-ventilation,
install anexhaust setup to cleantheair.
Thesystem shown at leftis a simpleone,
consisting of anairintake at oneendof
theshopconnected to theoutdoors or
yourhome's airducts, andanexplosion-
prooffanmounted in thewallat the
oooosite end.Theintakeis covered with
a f u r n a coer a i r - c o n d i t i o nf i lnt g
e rt o
cleantheincoming air.Theexhaust fan
is placed higher thantheintake, causing
theairthatrisesto bedrawnoutof the
shop.Forbestresults, orienttheexhaust
setupalongthelongest axisof yourshop.

45
 WORKBENCH

heworkbenchis thecorner- Theirbenchwasa largeaffairthat

stoneof thewoodshop, with sporteda laminated top,a system
a historyalmostasold aswood- ofbenchdogholes, anL-shapedtail
workingitself.Examples of primi- vise,and a legvise.The Shaker
tiveworkbenches havebeenfound benchwasnot too differentfrom
datingbackmorethan2,000years. themoderncabinetmaker's bench
Woodworkersin ancientRome picturedon page46.
advanced thebasicdesign,devising Thedesignoftheworkbench has
benches with simplestopsthat changed little sincetheearly19th
allowedthemto secure pieces of Century;onlyits accessories and
wood.Until that time,craftsmen Themakersof thisworkbench capitalized mannerof assembly havebeen
wereforcedto holdtheirwork,cut- on the classiclinesof a centuries-olddesign, altered.In fact,someclaimthatthe
ting or shapingit with onehand creatinga scaled-down benchthat doubles only true innovationhas been
whilechoppingor planingwith the asa living roomtable. inventorRonHickman's ubiquitous
other.Furtherimprovements came Workmaterv.Developed in the
slowly,however, andviseswereonlyaddedcenturies later. 1960s,theWorkmaterv revolutionized thewaymanypeople
With eachrefinementthe workbenchhasassumed an Iookatworksurfaces, because it providedsomeof theclamp-
increasinglyindispensablerolein theworkshop. It islittle sur- ingabilitiesof asandardworkbench withacollapsible, portable
prisethatmanycalltheworkbench themostimportanttoola design.
woodworker canown. AlthoughtheWorkmaterru hasfoundanichein worlshops
A goodworkbench doesnottakeanactiverolein thewood- aroundtheworld,manywoodworkers-bothamateurand
i - j workingprocess-itdoesnot cutwoodor shapeit-but the professional-still opt for nothinglessthana solidmapleor
benchandits accoutrements performanotheressential task: beechbench.Oftentheychoose to buildtheirown,believing
I Theyfreeyourhandsandpositiontheworksoyoucancut, thatthecareandattentionpaidin craftingsucha benchwill
andfinishefficiently.
drill, shape, In thepast,eventhemost- be reflected in theirlaterwork.Thechapterthat follows
r -
L _. usedbenches havefallenshortof theideal.Withitsmassive, sin- showshowto assemble a moderncabinetmaker's workbench,
gle-planktop,theRouboBenchof the 18thCenturywas andhowto installthevisesandaccessories needed to turn an
f -
t _ popularthroughoutEurope, yetit hadno tail viseor bench ordinarybench intoa moreflexibleworkstation.
dogsto holdaworkpiece; instead,thetaskwasdonebya sys- Thedesignof theworkbench shownonthefollowingpages,
temof iron holdfasts andanoptionallegvise.Onehundred andmanyof thedrawings andtechniques, arebased onaplan
yearslater,theAmericanShakers improvedon theRoubo. thatappeared in Woodsmithmagazine.

With its originsrootedin an era without

powertools,thestandardcabinetmaker's
benchnow incorporatesvisesdesigned
for usewith bothpowerand handtools.

47
 l
r-r
ANTATOMY
OFAWORKBENCH f

T h. workbenchshownat right is Faae viee Bench dog hole Arm

I patternedafteratraditionalcabi- Alao knownaa front Holda a bench doq Supporta top; top edqe of
netmaker's bench,andis craftedfrom vioe;jaw aecures work for oecurinq work arm atface-viae end relieved' I
a4ainot bench on benchtop in aame manner as feet.
solidmaple.Thebendrincorporates two Uauallyattached to le6a W - ,
visesconsidered to be standardequip- mortiae-and-tenon iointa - l
ment a faceviseon thefront,left-hand
endof thebench,anda tail visewith
a slidingdog block mountedon the
oppositeend.
Youcanbuildsuc,h aworkbench from
aht suppliedwith materials andinstruc-
tions.Youcanbuytheplansfor abench
andorderthematerials yourself.
Or,you
canfollowtheinstructionspresented in
this chapterandconstructa benchto
suit your needs.Whicheverrouteyou
take,aworkbench is assembledin three
distinctphases:thebase(page50);the
top (page53);andthedampingacces
sories-vises(page56),benchdogs, and
hold-downs(page62).
Thetop surfaceof mostbenchesis
generallybetriveen
33and36inchahigh.
Theheightthat is bestfor you canbe
determinedby measuring the distance
between thefloorandtheinsideofyour
wristwhileyoustanduprightwith your
armsat yoursides.
Finishpur workbench withtwocoats
of apenetrating
oil-basedproduct, such
astungoil. Not onlydo theseproducts
penetratethe surfaceand protectthe
woo4 but thefinishcanberefurbished
simplyby scrubbingit with steelwool Eottom ed6e ia
"relieved"
andrecoating. with a recesa for better
aontact with floory ordinar-
ily attached to the le4 with
mortiae-and -tenon iointa

5tretcher
Frovidealaf,eralatability to
bench;attached to the leg6
in oneof aeveralwayo(paqea
50 and 51)
_l
Attachingtheendcapsof a worl&enchto the l
apronscallsfor a strongand attradivejoinery - t
methodThefingu joint (alsoknownasthebox
joint) and thedovetailjoint shownatw are
traditionalfavorita.

48
-_l
 WORKBENCH

ToP
OfLenlaminal;edfrom a hard
and densewoodauchae mapleor
beech:boardathat makeup top
ehouldbe aelected,prepared,and
7luedup carefullyto provtdea
per-fectly fl at Eurf a ce
Theworkbench at left
improvedthestandard
designby incorporat-
ing a tilting toolchest
underthetop.

Tooltray
Aenahdog
Uaedwith tarl or face viseto
) clamp eLock;made of metal or
wood.Teneionoprinq keepadoq
aL deeiredheiqht;afLer uae,
dog io pueheddownbelowaur-
/ , , face of benchtop

Sliding dog bloak

ConnecLed Lo Lhetail vieeecrew,
Lhtsmovableblockcontatnaa
benchdog that. eecureework
on the benchtop

End cap
Llenarate niere rntt-

era end grain of top

tes -\ pieceand eupporte
tatl vtseacrew

Moveeelidin7do1 blockLo
adjueLclamptn4capaciLx
to len7th of work

49
 BUILDINGTHE BASE
"f h. baseof a workbenchtypically belowshowsa knockdown alternative wantto movethebench.Consequently,
J- consists of two rectangular frames to assembling thebasewith mortise- knockdownhardwaredesignedfor the
connectedby a pair ofstretchers.The and-tenons. purposeis oftenusedto join thestretch-
framesareessentially identical,eachwith Thejointsbetrveenthestretchers
and ersto the legs.The pagesthat follow
a foot,an arm,andtwo legs.Thearm of thelegsneedto besolid,yetsufficient- detailsomeothermethodsof reinforc-
the left-handframeis sometimesabout ly flexibleto betakenapartshouldyou ine knockdownconnections.
3 incheslongerthantheotherarmto pro-
videadditionalsupportfor thefacevise. Bunjoints connecting thelegs
For a benchlike the one shownon of a workbenchto thestretch-
pages 48 and,49,use % maple(l% inch- erscan be reinforcedwith
esthick aftersurfacing).The feet,arms hardwoodknockdow n finings.
and legs are made from two boards Thefittings are insertedinto
apieceface-gluedtogether,and then mortises cut into theends
reducedto the properthicknesson the of thestretchers;matching
jointer and planer.If you wish to build machineboltsand nutsare
the basewith mortise-and-tenons, cut thenusedto securetheioint.
four-shouldered tenonsat theendofthe
legsand rout matchingmortisesin the
feet and arms.Tenonsare alsocut at
the endsof the stretcherswith mortises
requiredin the legs.The illustration

REINF(|RCING
KN(ICKD(IWN
J(|INERY
Using trussrods
Instead of usingmortise-and-tenon
jointsto buildthebase,usebuttjoints
reinforced bytrussrods,asshownat
right.Available in kits,therodscanbe
loosened or tightened afterassembly
to compensate for woodmovement as
a r e s u lot f c h a n g ei sn h u m i d i t yR. o u t
grooves for the rodsintotheedgesof
thestretchers andthe insideedgesof
the legs;the depthandwidthof the
c h a n n esl sh o u l ed o u atlh er o d ' sd i a m e -
ter.Test-assemble the baseandmark
thegroove locations on the legsand
arms.Thenborea holeat eachmark,
m a k i n tgh ed i a m e t eerq u atlo t h a to f
the rods;countersink the holessoyou
candrivethe nutsf lushwiththewood
surface. Assemble the base, f ittingthe
rodsintothegrooves andholes,and
tightening theconnections withwashers
andnuts.Cover thegrooves withsolid @8
woodinlayif youwishto conceal therods.

50
 WORKBENCH

Usingmachine boltsandwoodblocks
To reinforcetheconnection between the
legsandstretchers, gluea woodblock
of the samethickness asthe stockto
eachedgeof the stretchers. Theblocks
will increasethe contactareabetween
the stretchers andthe legs.Oncethe
glueis dry,cut a tenonat theendof each
stretcher anda matching mortisein the
leg.Fit the piecestogetherandboretwo
holesfor machine boltsthroughthe leg
andthetenonin the blocks; countersink
the holes.Makethe connection fast by
fittingthe boltsintothe holes,slipping
onwashers andtighteningthe nuts(right).

Usinglagscrewsanddowels
Another wayto stren$hena mortise-and-
tenonjoint between thestretchersand
legsis shownat left.Cuta 1-inch-diame-
ter hardwood dowelto a lengthequal
Then
to the thicknessof the stretcher.
borea 1-inch-diameter holethroughthe
stretcher aboullVzinchesfromits end.
Alsoborea holefor a lagscrewthrough
the leg,stopping the drillwhenthe bit
reaches the holein thestretcher:coun-
tersinkthe holesothe screwheadwill
sit flushwiththesurface.Fitthestretcher
tenonintothe legmortise, tapthe dowel
intoplacein thestretcher,anddrivethe
screw.Choose a screwthatis longenough
to bitethroughthe dowe,.

51
 WORKBENCH

PREPARING
THEFEET
Relievingthefeet
Onceyouaresatisf iedwiththef it of the
partsof the base,disassemble thestretch-
ersandlegsandrelieve thefeetonthejoin-
ter.Installa clamponthejointer's infeed
tableto holdtheguardoutof thewaydur-
ingtheoperation. Setboththeinfeedand
outfeed tablesfora %o-inch depthof cut,
andclampstopblocks to bothtablesto
guidethebeginning andendof thecut.To
makethefirstpass,lowerthefootontothe
knives, keeping it flushagainst thefence
andthestopblockontheinfeedtable.Feed
thefootacross the knives(/efiluntilit con-
tactsthestopblockon theoutfeed table.
Keepbothhandswellabovethecutterhead.
Makeasmanypasses asnecessaryto com-
pletetherecess, lowering thetables%oinch
at a time,andreadjusting thestopblocks
asnecessary.

Installingadjustablelevelers
To levela workbench onan uneven shop
f loor,installadjustable levelersin the
feet.Eachleveler consists of a T-nut
anda threaded portion witha plastic tip
0nsel.Boretwoholesintothe bottomof
thefootneareachend.Makethehole's
diameter eoualto thatof theT-nutand
its len$hslightlylonger thanthethreaded
section. TaotheT-nutsintotheholes and
screwin the levelers(right).Oncethe
benchis assembled, adjustthelevelers
untilthebenchtoo is level.

52
 BUILDINGTHETOP
neof themostimportantfeatures
of a workbench is a perfectlyflat
top.At onetime,a benchtopcouldbe
built of solidmapleor beechboards
12incheswideand2 inchesthick.But
todaysuchplanksaredifficultto come
by,andbenchtop slabsarebuilt up from
narrowboards, layersof ply,voodsand-
wichedbetweenstripsof hardwood,
or laminatedplywoodstripssheathed
in hardboard. However, edgegluing
solidwoodboardstogetherbutcher-
blockstyle, asshownbelow isthetime-
honoredmethod.
Cut from % stock,theboardsare
gluedtogetherfirst,thenthe slabis
cut to length.To minimizewarping,
arrange thepiecessothattheendgrain
isreversed.Alsomakesurethefacegran
(lFA BENCHT(|P
ANATOMY
End cap
of all theboardsrunsin the samedirec- are bolted to the slab and joined to
tion. Thiswill makeit easierto planethe the aprons by means of dovetail or
top surfaceof theslabsmooth. fingerjoints.
Aftergluingup theslab,prepare the
dog blocks. They are gluedup from
a lengthof% stockandoneof% stock
with thebenchholesdadoed outof the
thicker board. The slidingdog block
for thetail viseis sawnoff beforethe
front rail and fixedblockareglued
together(page 5a).Next,theslab,fixed
dogblock,andrearrail aregluedup
(page55);hardwoodkeysand ply-
woodsplinesareusedto strengthen
theconnections.
Aftertheslidingdogblock,tooltray, Oncethetop of a benchis installed
andapronsareinstalled, thefinalstep on thebase,a straightedgeheldon
involvesattaching the end capsto the edgeacrossthesurfacecanbeused
top.Twoconnections areused:Thecaps to checkit for Jlatness.
9lidin4
do7 block
Front rail
53
 WORKBENCH

PREPARING
THEFIXED
D(|GBTOCK
Guttingthebenchdogholes
Benchdogsarefabricated fromtwoboards,
soit issimple
to cutthedogholesin the
tsenchdoq hole thickerpiecebeforeglue-up.Twosteps
areinvolved.First,cut a rowof evenly
spaced dadoeswideenough to accept
thedogs;anglethefixed-block dadoes
slightly
towardthetailvise,andtheslid-
ing-blockdadoesawayfromthetailvise
sothatthedogswillgriptheworkfirmly
whenclamping pressureisapplied.Next,
clamptheboardto a worksurface and
usea chiselto notchthetopof each
dadoto acceptthedogheads(lefl.fhat
way,thedogscanbepushed downflush
withthebenchsurface whentheyarenot
in use.Nowthetwopartscanbeglued
upto formthefinishedblocks.
@tsenchdo4

A JIGFORDRIttIl{GBENCH DOG HOTES andthe basefroma 1-by-4,After

lf youplanto useroundbench screwing themtogether, boreguide
dogs,youcanusethe shop-made h o l e sa b o u 8t i n c h e a
s p a r at n d
jig shownbelowto boretheirholes 3 inchesfromthe lip, Theholes
afteryouglueup the benchtop. shouldaccommodate thedogsyou
Thejig shouldbeabout10 inches w i l lu s e .
long;the lip is cut troma l-by-2 Tousethejig,clampit to theright
endof thedogblocksothe lip is
against thefrontedgeandtheright-
Kound handguideholeis overtheposition
benchdog
of thefirstdoghole.Usingtheguide
holes,borethef irsttwoholesin
thebench.Foreachsubsequent hole,
remove theclampandslidethejig
to theleftuntiltheright-hand guide
holeis aligned withthe lasthole
bored.Slipa benchdogthrough
the holes, clampthejig andbore
the left-handhole(right).Repeat the
process untilyouarefinished boring
alltheholes,

54
 WORKBENCH

THEBENCHTOP
ASSEMBLING
'l Gluing upthetop
I First, glueupthetopslab.Before glu-
ingupthebenchtop, routgrooves on both
sides of thedogblocks andfrontrail,on
one face of the front apron andbackrail,
and along the edges and ends ofthetop
slab.Cut matching keys and splines. Refer
to the drawing on page 53 forthe size
andplacement of thegrooves, keys, and
splrnes. lf you want to incorporate a tool
trayin yourbench,cut r/z-inch rabbets
intothebottom edges of the backrailand
apron; later in the assembly process you
it
willf a piece of r/z-inch plywood to form
thetray. Set aside the sliding dog block
(withthehardwood keysgluedin place)
andfrontand back aprons, spread glue
on all mating surfaces, and clamp (right),
alternating thebaror pipeclamps onthe
tooandbottom of the work.

r) Attaching theendcaps
L m " e n dc a p sc a nb ea p p l r ewdh i l e
thetailviseis beinginstalled (page 57).
Whenthatisdone,invert thebenchtop
androuta T-shaped recess at eachend,
centered between theedges. Cuttworec-
tangular f ittingsfromscraphardwood so
thattheyfit in thebaseof eachrecess.
Notchonesideof eachfittingto accept
a 7e-inch nut,andplacea fittingandnut
in eachrecess. Settheendcapsin oosi-
tionandmarkwhere theycontact the
recesses. At eachmarkborea holefora
%-inch otgh eb o l t
b o l t c, o u n t e r b o rsi n
heads areflush.Routa groove in each
e n dc a pt o a c c e ptth e p l y w o osdp l i n e ,
androuta r/z-inch rabbetonthe bottom
inside edgeof thebackrailto acceptthe
tooltray.Install thetailviseontheright-
handendcap(page5/). Spread glueon
thecontacting surfaces, fit theendcaps
(\efl, andboltthemin place(inseil.Finally,
fit thefrontandrearaprons andtooltray
a n 0c r a m p .

55
 VISESAND ACCESSORIES

\ / isesarethe toolsthat transform
V the workbenchfrom a simple,flat
surfaceinto a versatile
work station.The
modernwoodworkingbenchincorpo-
rateshvo tlpes of vise:the facevisethat
secures work to the front edgeofthe
bench,andthetail visethatuseswoodor
metalbenchdogsto securework on the
top of the bench.The pagesthat follow
examinewaysof installingboth the tail
vise (page57) and facevise (page58).
Facevisesmadeentirelyof wood are
rare.However,a woodenviseis prefer-
ableto a metaltypebecause wooden
jawscangrip work withoutmarringits
surface.A good compromisecan be
reachedby buyingthe hardwarefor a
metalviseand mountingwoodenface
blocks.Youcanextendthe capacitvof
a faceviseby boringholesin thebench- Thil visesareavailablein two types:
top andsecuringwork betweena bench an enclosed modelthat incorporates a
dog in the vise'sjawsand one inserted slidingdog block (belowandpage57)
in oneof theholes. and one that featuresan L-shaped
block,asin the photo at left. Sometail
visesextendacrossthe entireend ofa
workbenchand havetwo screws;these
areknown asendvises,andtheyextend
the utility ofan alreadyversatiletool.
Sometail vises,like theoneshown
at left,incorporate
an L-shapedshoul-
derblock.Theblockallowswork to be
clampedbetweentherearjaw of the
viseand theendof thebench.

ANATOMY
OFA TAIIVISE

Fixed doq
block

Apron

Vieeflanqe

Viaecollar

-
56
 WORKBENCH

A TAILVISE
INSTALLING
1 Installing thevisehardware
I T o i n s t a al l t a i lv i s eo na b e n c wh ith
a sliding dogblock,position thevisecol-
laragainst theright-hand sideendcap
andoutline theholeforthevtsescrew.
Thenseta support board onthedrillpress
tableandclamptheendcapontopof it.
Fitthedrillpress witha spade bitslightly
larger thanthevisescrewandborea hole
throughthe end cap(nearright),Screw
thevisecollarto theendcapsothetwo
holes lineup.Next, secure thesliding dog
block end-up in handscrews andclamp the
handscrews to a worksurface. Position
thevisef langeontheblockandmark
i t ss c r e wh o l e sB. o r ea p i l o th o l ea t
eachmark,thenscrew theflange to the
block(farright).

r) Assembling thevise
L f ttthesliding dogblockin thebench
sothe hardwood keysin the blockrun
i n t h eg r o o v ei sn t h es i d e so f t h e r a i l .
Thread thevisescrewthrough thevise
collar, test-fit theendcaponthebench-
topandlocktheballjointontheendof
thescrewintotheviseflange.Setthe
frontapronin position against thedog
blocks(/eff)andtestthe movement of
thevisebyturning thescrew. lf theslid-
i n gb l o c kb i n d sr,e m o vteh ee n dc a p ,
d o gb l o c ka, n de a s e
a p r o na, n ds l i d i n g
thef it byparing thekeyswitha chisel.
O n c ey o ua r es a t i si ef dw i t ht h e v i s e ' s
movement, attachtheaprons, endcaps,
and trays following the procedures out-
linod nn neop 55

57
 WORKBENCH

ANATOMY
OFA FACE
VISE

fixea ,,',------l
doq block

Apron

Face block

Faceplate

INSTALTING
A FACE
VISE
1 Preparing thefaceblock
3/a-by-31/z
I Cutan 18-inch-long inch
hardwood support blockandscrewit in
placeunderthe frontleftcornerof the
bench,afterboringa rowof clearance
h o l e sf o rt h e b e n c hd o g sN. e x t b, u i l d
up thefaceblockbygluing twopieces of
7ahardwood together; cut it to a finalsize
of 5-by-18inches. To markandborethe
holesforthevisescrewandguiderods,
marka lineacross thefaceof theface
block;offsetthelinefromthetopedgeby
thethickness ofthebenchtop slab(notthe
frontaprondepth).Nowusethecarriage
as a template: Centeritstop edgeon
thelineandusea brad-point bitto accu-
ratelymarkthe position of thethree
holes(right)andborethem.

58
 WORKBENCH

r) Preparing thebench
L Oncethe holeshavebeendrilled
through thefaceblock,transfer thetr
location to theworkbench apron. Setthe
faceblockandbenchtop on sawhorses
andusebarclamps to holdtheblockin
position against theapron;protect the
stockwithwoodpads.Makesurethetop
edgeof theblockisf lushwiththebench-
topanditsendisf lushwiththeendcap.
Marktheholelocations ontheapronusing
the brad-poinI biI (right).Remove the
f a c eb l o c ka n db o r et h eh o l e st h r o u g h
theapronandbenchdogblock,

Mounting thevise
Attach theviseassembly- theface-
plate,screw, andguiderods-totheface
b l o c kT. u r nt h eb e n c h t oupp s i d de o w n ,
p l a c et h ev i s ec a r r i a goent h eb e n c h ' s
underside, andfeedthevisescrewand
guiderodsthrough theholesin theapron
andintothecarriage. Makepilotholes
ontheunderside of thebench andfasten
thecarriage in place.Next,fastenthe
guiderodbushings to theapron: Remove
t h ev i s ea s s e m b lfyi t, t h eb u s h i n gosn
t h er o d sr, e m o u nt h t ea s s e m b layn, d
outline thebushings' location ontheapron.
Thenremove theviseassembly againand
secure thebenchtop sotheapronis fac-
ingup.Witha router andstraight bit,cut
recesses forthebushings withintheout-
lines(left).Screwthe bushings to the
recesses in theaoronandattachthevise
to thebench. Nowtheworkbench topis
readyto beattached to the base.Laythe
topupside downonthef loor,placethe
basein position, anddrivelagscrews
through thearmsintothetop.

59
 WORKBENCH

JIGSFORIRON.JAWED
BENCH
VISES

Eaeia auxiliaryjaw

Tapered vieejaw

V-grooveviaejaw

Fitting wooden inserts to metaljaws

lf yourbenchis equipped witha metal-
jawedviseliketheoneshown
of page61, fittinginterchangeable
at thetop
aux-
fillfilllll}tlllfillfilllllltlllill}Illtllllllitlllltlllfilltlllilllltll
iliaryjawscanextend thevise's versatil-
ity.Thewooden inserts shownabove will 5HO?TI?
notonlybe lessdamaging to workpieces A quiak-owitahvise
thanmetaljaws,buttheycanalsobe lf you are reluclanlto boll
custom-made forspecial jobs.Eachinsert your benchvioeonlo your
is madefrom r/z-inch-thick solidstock workbench, atlach it
witha rabbeted 1-by-1blockgluedat ineheadtoaT-shaoed
e a c he n dt o h u gt h ee n d so f t h ev i s e basemadeof 5/+-inch
j a w .A l t h o u gah p a i ri s r e q u i r e do ,n l y plywood.Join Ihe \
o n eo f e a c hs a m p l ies i l l u s t r a t eTdh. e twopieceeofthebase\
basicjaw (above, left)willdo moststan- to7etherwith a dado
d a r dc l a m p i njgo b s . T htea p e r e jda w iointand 5crew6.5 ecure
(above, Lheverlical parl of Nhe
center)features a wedge-shaped
b a s ei n e i N h eLr h et a i l o r
stripforholding tapered stockefficiently. face vieeof the bench.
TheV-groove jaw(above, rghf) includes
a stripwrtha groove cut downits middle
for securing cylindrical work.

60
 WORKBENCH

A SLIDING BENCH STOP

lf your"workbench" is a standard
tablewitha benchvisefastened to
oneedge,thejig andfenceshown at
rightcanlendit someversatility. Cut
t h ea u x i l i a rvyi s ej a w sf r o mf - i n c h
stockandthepieces of theT-shaped
visejig from%-inchwood.Youwill
needtwopieces forthejig:a topand
a lip.Routa dadoacross oneauxiliary
jawto accommodate thelipof thevise
jig andanother ontheunderside of
thejig top.Screw theauxiliary jaws
to thevisejaws,making a cutforthe
visescrewif necessary, thenglueand
screwthe lip to thetopof thejig.
Cutthe slidingfencefromr/z-inch-
thickstockandcut twostopped Auxiliary
viaejaw
grooves throughit for Yq-inch carriage
bolts.Tomountthefence,boretwo
holesthrough thetableforthebolts, washers andwingnuts.To usethejig holdtheworkpiece snugly
andclamp
feedtheboltsthrough theholesand andfence,slidethelip intotheauxil- it in placebytightening thevisejaw
thegrooves andfastenthemwith iaryjaw,adjusttheslidingfenceto a n dw i n gn u t s .

VISERACKING
PREVENTING
Using a stepped block
Whensecuring a workpiece at oneend
of a facevise,theotherendof thevise
the
i s l i k e l yt o r a c k - o rt i l t t o w a r d
bench-and cause theworkto slip.To
prevent racking, usea stepped hardwood
b l o c kt o k e e pt h ej a w ss q u a r eC. u ta
series of stepsin onefaceof theblock,
spacing themat equalintervals, suchas
r/zinch.Placethe blockin theopen
endof theviseat thesametimeyouare
securing theworkpiece sothatthevise
is parallel to theedgeof thebench(/eft).

6l
 BENCHDOGSANDHOLD DOVNS
p enchdogsareasimportantasvises
Ll in maximizingthe flexibilityand
utility of a well-designedworkbench.A
setof benchdogsworkslike a second
pair of handsto secureworkpieces for
planing,chiseling,mortising,carving,
or otherwoodworkingtasks.
Althoughthe benchdog lookslike a
deceptivelysimplepeg,it incorporates
designfeaturesthat enableit to hold a
workpiecefirmly without slippingin
its hole. One featureusuallyis a thin
metalspringattachedto one sidethat
presses againsttheinsidewallof thedog
holein theworkbench. Tohelpstrength-
en the grip of benchdogs,the holes
arealsoangledtowardthe viseat 4o.
Benchdogs can be either round
or square.Round dogsare easierto This benchdogfeaturesa threadedscrewthat converts
incorooratein a benchthat doesnot it into a miniature tail vise. Usedin conjunction with
yethJvedogholes;it is simplerto bore other benchdogs,it excekat clamping small or irregu-
holesthan to makesquaredog holes. lar work, like thepanel shown above.
Sinceround dogs can swivel,their
notched,flat headsenablethem to
clamp stockin practicallyany direc- BENCH
DOGS
tion. Thiscanbe a disadvantage: Some
Making a wooden bench dog
woodworkersclaim that round dogs
Benchdogscanbecrafted fromhardwood
tend to slio in their holesmorethan
stock; theoneshown at leftusesanangled
squaredogi, which cannotrotate.
wooden tongue asa spring. Cutthedogto
Benchdogscanbe madeof either
fit theholesin yourworkbench, thenchis-
metalor wood.Metaldogshaveaweight,
el outa dadofromthemiddleof thedog.
strength,andstiffiress thatwoodenones
Sawa shortkerfintothe lowercornerof
cannotmatch.Yetwoodendogshave
thedado,angling thecutsothetongue
their advantages-asanywoodworker
willextend beyond theedgeof thedado,
who hasnickeda planebladeon a met-
Cutthetongue fromhardwood, making it
al dogwill attest.
aboutaslongasthedado,aswideasthe
Benchdogsarenot the only method
doga , n da st h i c ka st h ek e r f G
. l u et h e
ofsecuringstock;benchhooks,carving
tonguein thekerf.
hooks,wedges, andhold downsarealso
usefulfor keepingstockin place.The
followingpagesillustratea numberof
commercial andshop-made optionsto
keepworkpiecesput while you work.

62
 WORKBENCH

Makinga spring-loadedbenchdog
A wooden benchdogcan be madeto fit snugly
byequipping it witha metalspringcutfrom
an oldbandsawor hacksaw blade.Cut your
dogto size,thenchiselouta small recess for
thespring.Thewidthanddepthof the recess
shouldeoualthewidthandthickness of the
butits lengthshouldbeslightly
spring, shorter
thanthatof thespring. Pressthespringinto
therecess;the metalwill bowoutward, hold-
ingthedogfirmlyin itshole.

SHOP-MADE EDGE DOGS bottomof the dog,exceptfor the

Edgedogslikethoseshownat right head.Thisprovides a lipthatwillbutt
areidealfor securing a workpiece againstthe edgeof the bench(/eff).
alongtheedgeof yourbench.They To usetheedgedogs,placethe
featurea rounddowelat oneend left-handdogin a holein thef ixed
thatdropsintoa benchdoghole dogblockandtheright-hand onein
andangledheads thatbuttupagainst thesliding dogblockof thetailvise.
the edgeof the benchandhold Tightentheviseuntiltheworkpiece
the work. is heldin the notches (below).
Startby cuttingthe dogsfrom
hardwood stock.Bothleft-hand and
right-hand dogsareneeded, with
theheads angled in opposing direc-
tions.Borea t/z-inch-diameter hole
through theends,anddrivea 3-inch
lengthof dowelin eachhole.Then
insertthe dowelin a benchdog
holeandanglethedogsoit extends
beyondthe edgeof the table.Mark
a 90' notchfor the headperpen-
dicularto theedgeof thebenchand
3/+"x21/+"x8"
cut it out.To holdtheedgedogin
p l a c ew h e nc l a m p i npgr e s s u ri se
applied, sawa %-inch-slice off the

63
 WORKBENCH

Makingandsettingupcarvingdogs
Usinga standard benchdogasa model,
youcanfashiona pairof customized dogs
thatwill gripa carvedor turnedwork-
piece,orsecureirregular-sizedwork,such
as miteredmolding. To makethese
accessories,cut bevelson eithersideof
the headof a standardbenchdogand
drivea smallscrewor nailintothecen-
ter of the head;snipoff the fastener's
headto forma sharppoint.To usethe
devices, placeonedogin a dogholeof
thebench's fixeddogblockandtheother
in thetailviseor a slidingdogblockhole
(above). Tightenthe visescrewuntil
the pointscontactthe endsof thework-
pieceandholdit securely.

64
 WORKBENCH

ANDBENCH
HOLD-DOWNS STOPS

Using a hold-down clamp

Commercial hold-down clamps canbeusedaloneorwithbenchdogsto secure a
workpiece in placeanywhere ona workbench. Thetypeshown features anadjustable
holdingboltwhichsitsin a counterbored holethrough the benchtop (insef). Touse
theclamp,raisetheboltheadandslideit through thenotchat thebaseof theclamp.
l aamnpd t i g h t e n t h e s c( ar ebw
S e t t h e w o r k p i e c e u n d e r t h ej ac w o v e( l)n. t h e i l l u s t r a -
tion,a woodpadis beingusedto applyequal pressure to bothsiilesof a doorframe.)
To remove theclampfromthebench,slideit off theboltheadandlettheboltdrop
belowthesurface of thetop.

Making andusinga temporary bench stop

A clamped-on benchstopcut from7a-
inchplywood willsecure a workpieceto
thebenchtop withoutthehelpof bench
dogs.Cutthebenchstopto size,then
markouta triangular wedge, typically3
inches shorterthanthestoo.Cutoutthe
wedge andsetit aside.Tousethebench
stop,clampit to thebenchtop andslide
the workpieceintothe notch,
butting one
sideagainst the straightedge
of the noich.
Secure thepiecewiththewedge, tapping
in
it tightly placewith a (/eff).
mallet

65
 WORKBENCH

Installing
a wedgestop
A wedgestopcanalsobe usedto secure
stockon a benchtop (left).Thestopcon-
sistsof a fixedrailanda movable rail
thataresecured bydowelsrestingin a
doublerowof holesboredintothework-
bench.Together witha triangular wedge,
therailskeepa workpiece frommoving.
Cuttherailsandthewedgefrom%-inch
plywood. (Youcanchoose thickerstock
fortherails,depending onthethickness
of yourworkpiece.) Boretwo L/z-inch-
diameter holesin eachrail,thengluea
2-inch-long dowelin eachhole.Bore
tworowsof %-inch-diameter holesin the
workbench for the dowels.To usethe
stop,placethefixedrailat oneendof
the rowof holesandthe movable railthe
appropriate distance awaysothewedge,
whenpositioned between the rails,will
keeptheworkpiece steady.

Making a benchhook
Theshop-built jig shownat rightwillensure
thatthe crosscuts youmakeon thework-
benchwill besquare.Use3/a-inch plywood
for the baseandstripsof 2-by-2stockfor
the lips.Makethe baseat leastas long
asthewidthof yourworkpiece andwide
enough to supportit. Screwthe lipsto
theguide,attaching oneto eachface.
To usethe jig, buttonelip against the
edgeof the benchand pressthe work-
piecefirmlyagainst the other.Alignthe
cuttinglinewiththeedgeof the baseand
makethe cut (inset).

66
 WORKBENCH

Making a flip-up stop

Theflip-upbenchstopshown at rightpro-
videsanother wayto makequickguided
crosscuts on a workbench. Cutthetwo
pieces of thestopfromhardwood. Screw
thepieces to theendof thebenchtop; on
thebenchshown, theinneredgeof the
pivoting pieceis linedupwiththeedge
of thetooltrayto provide a convenient
reference lineforsquaring upa crosscut.
Screw thestationary piecein placewith
twoscrews, andtheflip-uppiecewithone
sothatit canpivot.Whennotin use,the
pivoting pieceshouldlie on edgeatop
thestationary piece.
To usethestop,flip
upthepivoting piece,butttheworkpiece
against it, andmakeyourcrosscut.

Making andusinga miterbench hook

Customize a standard benchhookto
make45" anglemitercutsbyaddrng
kerfsto oneof thelios.Builda bench
hook(page66), thenusea backsaw
to cut twokerfsin thelip at opposing
45'anglesandoneat 90" (/eff).Use
themiterbenchhookasyouwould
a standard benchhook,liningupthe
c u t t i n gl i n eo n t h ew o r k p i e cwei t h
thedesired kerf.

67
 *\.

{: r
t
 SHOPACCE,SSOruES
,-n3 :,jrl?tt 'ill L!!uur-'r''Lrrlq rrLdur rr@ rLu Lv urL
ii-r- r:ne3'jr I'l - I

andyouwill find severi

makethework saferan

importantfor safetyand
,.:,j:,-!1':]:.-,-:.-.:::r.::=::::-Gf---=--_o*=.*.'.-,'j--.-:,.:,-

ishingwork-to
;:i lWw'jffi
,,,#f,i1,ffiil:,H1,,yffi
applylacquer and
-72:i*.ii;*''{ r"-rqrffi
;ilH:.t.:i:,::ii::?,#,:,
of ailments, inclt'ding dermatitis,
varniih *ore smoothlythin with Mostof thewoodchipsandsawdust generated shortness of breath,anddizziness.
abrush.Butwiththeadventofsuch bythisl0-inchtablesawarecapturedbya Recent studies haveshownthat
toolsas pneumatic nailers,com- portable dust system.
collection Ofien neglected long-term inhalationofwooddust
pr.rrotrir. foundmorefrequent- in thepast,dustcollection hasbecome a central is at leasta contributingfactorin
iy, .u.n in smallhomeworkshops. tort"i, of manysafety-conscious woodworkers cancers of thetongue,tonsils'lung,
Air-poweredtools are discussid in planningthelayout of their
shops. *9 b.fnt'
startingonpage72. Whenyouad{ 1otheequation
Geniratorsltoo,arefindingaplace,especiallyamongthose thefireriskandthehazardof a dust-covered.lhop floor,there
woodworkers whotake theirirait awayfrom home and pow-
- are compelling reasons for installing some kind of dustcol-
erlines.Theyareexplored onpageTl'. lection system in yo_urshop. Pages 78 to 87.provide you with
Grinders, canspeed
of course, toolsharpening.More impor- information you will needto setup_ and-maintain both central
tantly,asyouwill seeonpage76,theycanpermityouto mod- andportablesystems. Remember.that designing a centralsys-
ifi'tools
' andreclaimdariraged cuttingedges. temrequires carefrrlattentionlo {etail an{Precise calculation
Airbornedustoncewasionsidered an unavoidable conse- ofyour specific requirements. To be safe,checkyour plansand
quenceofworkingwith wood.Butthe increased emphasison figureswith an engineer before installing thesystem.

Hookedup to a compressor,this air-poweredsander

is compactenoughn holdin onehand.yet it smooths
woodasfficiently asan electricsander.

69
 A STOREOF SHOPACCESSORIES

Planerscancreatea substantial High-volume,Iow-preaeure (HVLP) epray syltem

For applyingataina and finishee. FeaLureeelectric tur-
moundof sawdustin shortorder. binethat ouppliea
auppliealar4e
laraeamount
amount of air at low preaeure
nreaartre
A portabledustcollectorwill keep throuqh air
ir hoae
hogeto epray
aprav 7un;
aun:compared
comoaredtolio ionven-
conven-
mostof thedustfrom thisand tional, compressed-airtype eyateme, HVLFallowa
otherpowertoolsoffthe shop hiqherpercenta1e of fi niah to contact workpiece
Jloorand out of theair.

Multitester
Aleo knownaa volt-ohmmeter,
or VOM.tsatte ry- powered to ol
uaed in troubleahootinaand
repairing electric deviceZ:mea-
eures reeiatanceand AC or DC
voltaqe in a circuit

Air compreaoor
Supplieaatream of highpreeeureair
throuqh hoaeto powera variety of
air-operated toola, auch aa aandere,
epray qune,and drilla; coneumer-
4rade modeleranqe froml/a to 5
nor9ePowerand can qenerate uP to
2OO pounda p€r oquare inch (pei) of
air preeaureand O.3 to 15 cubic feet
of air per minute (cfm).
 SHOPACCESSORIES

Generator
Typically ga aoline' powered,featu ri nq
uo to four 12O-and 24O-volt out-
leta. Motors on congumer'qrade
qeneratoro ranqe batween 3 and B
horaapowerand produce 5OO to 4OOO
watto of output; moet modela weiqh
leaathanlSOpoundoand can befit-
ted with wheelafor eaay portabili$

thop vacuum
Cleanaup duat and liq-
uid apills; hoae can be
attached to individual
tools to collect duat as
it ia produced. Typically
featurea 1%-to 2%-inch'
diameter collection hoae
and 5- to 1O'qallontank;
some modelecan double
aa portable blower

Bench grlnder
Coarse wheel(left) 6quarea, aharpena,and
amootha bladeaand bits; cloth wheel(ri4ht)
poliaheaand cleana.Features a 1/+-tol/z'
'horoepower
electric moton eye ahielda,
adjueiable tool resta, and wheel1uarda
atandard on most modela,Benchtop
grindero ueually bolted to work aurface

Wheeldreeeer
Used to true or reehapabench4rinderwheel.
gtar-wheel dresaer (above) ueea uP to four
ota r- ohapedwheela;diamond-pointdreaser
(below)fiatureal/+'carat diamondaet in
bronze tip and metal shaft

7T
 AIR COMPRESSORS

A n air compressor canbefittedwith Pneumaticdrills,grinders,sanders, Compressed-air power does have

A a larsenumberof toolsandattach-
ments,riaking it a convenientshop
accessory. In someshops,a compressor
can representan alternativeto some
electrictools.Forothers,it canbea valu-
ablesupplement.
andwrenches performat leastaseffec-
tivelyastheirilectric-poweredcoun-
terparts.Sometools, like sprayers,
nailers,andabrasivecleaners,areclear-
ly superiorto the alternatives.
Compressors and the tools they
driveareinherentlysimple:The air is
drawn in, pressurizedby a diaphragm
or one or more pistons,and usually
storedin a tank.Whenthetriggeron an
air-driventool is pressed,
the air travels
througha hoseto powerthe tool.
Because they containno heavyelec-
tric motor, most air tools arelighter,
cheaper,and easierto repairthan their
cousins.Theycannotoverheat,andthere
is no dangerofelectricalshock.
somedrawbacks, chieflythe costof the
compressor itselfandmaintenance. Air
drills and the like must be oileddaily.
And you will investseveralhundreddol-
larsin a compressor that is capableof
driving typicalshoptools.
Someair-powered toolsrequirea siz-
ablevolumeof air,usuallymeasuredin
cubicfeetperminute(cfm);othersneed
a minimum level of air pressurein
poundsper squareinch (psi).When
choosinga compressor, considerthecfrn
or psi requirementsof the air-powered
toolsyou plan to useand buy a com-
pressorwith slightlymorepower.You
never know when you will want to
expandyour tool inventory.

AIR-POWERED
TOOTS
ANDACCESSORIES

Jitterbug sander
)rbital eander capableof pro-
ducina 25OO atrokes oer
minute: weigholeas than 5
pounda.Keauirea6.5 cfm at
'9O
pai; muat be uaed with
tank-mountedcompreeaor
with at leaat 3 horaepower
Drill
3/a-inch
drill that turna bita
at 25OO rpm; wei4heonly
2 %pounde.Kequirea5
cfm at 90 pei; muet be
ueedwith tank-mounted
compresoor with at leaat
'l horeepower

Air-poweredtoolswork bestat a
pressure
specific indicatedin the
owner'smanualfor theparticular
tool.Beforestartinga job, thecom-
pressor'sair regulatorshouldbe
adjustedto thepropersettingfor
thetaskat hand.

9pray gun
Heavy-duty aprayer with
adjuatablefluid and air
controle. Kequiree5.5 cfm
at 40 pai; can be uaed with
any compreoaorwith more
than t horeepower

72
 SHOPACCESSORIES

TIPS
SAFETY
C(|MPRESSOR
o Readyourowner's carefully
manual . Alwayspluga compressor intoa . Allowthecompressorto coolbefore
a compressor
beforeoperating or any groundedoutletof the appropriate performing anymaintenance;
wear
tool.
air-powered amperage. gloves anypartsthatare
to disconnect
stillhot.
r Donotresetanyswitches on
or valves r Relieve
pressureslowlywhendepres-
the compressor; theyhavebeenpreset thetank.
surizing r Turnthecompressor
off beforemovingit.
at safelevelsat thefactory.
o Donotpressthetriggerof an airtool o Donottouchthecompressor while
. Check thehoses,plugs, wires,pipes, whenconnectingit to anairhose. usingit or immediatelyafter;themachine
andtubesof thecompressor, andthe canbecome veryhot.
toolair inletsbeforeeachuse.Donot r Donotremove the beltguardof a belt-
usethecompressor or toolif anypart drivencomoressorwhenthe machine r Drainanymoisture
lromthetankafter
is wornor damaged. is operating. rust;tankpressure
eachuseto prevent
than10 psiwhen
shouldbe nohigher
o Wearsafetyglasses pro-
andhearing . Turnthecompressor off if it produces drainingit.
tectionwhenusingair-powered
tools. noiseorvibration,
an unfamiliar pro-
air pressure,
ducesinsufficient or con- . Replacethetankif it hasanypin
. Donotexceed the pressure
rating sumes excessiveoil;havethemachine holes,rustspots,or weakspots
of an airtoolor accessory. servicedbeforeresuming operations. at welds.

Brad ffniahing nailer

Nailqun for drivinq 3/u-to
1%-inchNo.1Bfinishin7naila:
wei1haleas than 3 pounda.
Narrow nose eets naile with'
out. marrinq workpiece:ma4a-
zine holds up to 11Onaila.
Requireo.2b cfm at 90 paito
drive 10 naile per minute; muet
be used with compreaaorwith
at leaetl/z horaepower

j:i,2";:#:fi;"",.
Presgor Or Connect?

ww
two len4thaof com'
preeeor hooe toqether

Quiak coupler
Uaed with hoae connectora to
attach air tools to compreeeor
hoseor to join lenqthaof com-
preooorhoeetoqether; auto'
Router matically ahuta off air when
%-inchdirect-drive router that turns uncoupledfrom compreeeor
bits at 2O,OOOrpm; wei1hajuat over
1pound. Featuree neoprenerubber qrip
to reduce vibration, Requiree90 poi;
will function with most compreoaore

73
 PORTABLE
GENERATORS
,| heaverage homeandshopissowell Thereareseveral factorsto consider Althoughall modelsfeaturea surgeor
I equippedwith electricfixtures,
out- whenselecting agenerator,
andthechart maximumratingasmuchas25percent
lets,andextension cordsthatit is easy onpage75canhelpgurdeyou.Thegen- higherthan the running value,you
to takefor grantedtheessential rolethat eratormustproduceenoughpowerto shouldrelyon therunningwattage rat-
electricityplaysin our lives.Yeta pow- startandrun thetoolsandanyother ingwhenchoosing a generator. A gen-
er outagecanquicklyremindyou of electrical devicesyoupluginto it. The eratorwith morepowerthanyouneed
thatrole.At sucha time,a portableAC wattageratingslistedon thechartare will run more smoothlyfor longer
generator becomes an indispensable typical.Youshouldreferto theactual stretches
andrequirelessmaintenance.
accessory for yourhome,yourshop,or ratingof your tool,whichis usually Mostgenerators areequipped with
in a remotecabinwherepowerlinesdo printedon thetool body.Ifnot, you oneto four 120-volt
outlets.Manymod-
not reach. cancalculate theratingby multiplying elsalsohavea 240-voltoutletanda12-
AC,or alternating current)genera- thetool'samperage ratingby thevolt- voltDC outputfor charging batteries.
torstypicallyfeaturea gasoline motor age.(Forexample, a 3-amptool oper- Makesurethatanygeneratoryoubuy
that drivesan alternator.Modelsare atingon 120voltswouldhaveawattage is equippedwith an effectivemuffler.
availablewith motorsrangingfrom3 to ratingof 360.) Alsocheckthesizeof thefueltank.The
8 horsepower, producing500to 4000 Thewattageratingof a generator generatorshouldbeableto run for at
wattsof power. refersto itscontinuousrunningwattage. least90minuteson a frrll tank.

Portablegeneratorsare
a handysourceof elec-
tricity duringpower out-
agesor in locationswhere
a conventional electrical
supplyis unavailable.
Ratedat 3500watts,this
modelis ableto drivevir-
tually any electricwork-
shoptoolor appliance.

74
 SHOPACCESSORIES

Choosing a generator
with
POWER
TYPICAT WATTAGE
TOOL RATINGS a suitable
waftage rating
All electric
toolsrequiremorepower to
Tool Watts(Start-up) Watts(Running) startupthanforcontinuous running. The
(%-hp)
Aircompressor 4000 2000 chartat leftgivestypicalpowerrequire-
Tablesaw(10") 4000 1500 mentsfora number of tools.When select-
2500 1200 inga generator,makesureits wattage rat-
Sabersaw
ingis higherthanthestart-up wattage
saw(7%")
Circular 2500 1200 of yourmostpowerful tool.Adda safety
saw(6%")
Circular 2200 1000 margin of about 20 percent to the com-
Beltsander 1500 600 binedrunning wattage of all toolsyou
r200 will plug intothedevice and operate at
('t-hp)
Benchgrinder 1500
thesametime.
Orbitalsander 900 360
Router 900 700
drill(%")
Electric 800 600
drill(%")
Electric 600 350
Powerplane 600 450
drill(%")
Electric 500 250
Random-orbit
sander 500 360
HVLPspraysystem 400 240

TIPS
SAFETY
GENERATOR
. Readyourowner'smanualcarefully e Keepgasandoilonlyin containers . Never wirethegeneratorto theelectri-
a generatot.
beforeoperating designed forfuelstorage
specifically calsystem of yourhomeor shopin an
andclearly
markedFUEL.Keepthe attemptto provide powerduringan out-
o Neverruna generator
indoors;likeany awayfromsources
containers of heat age.Thispractice, knownas"backfeed-
internal engine,it produces
combustion andflames. ing,"is unlav'rful
in someareas, asit
carbonmonoxidefumesthataredeadly poses a riskto anyoneworking onthe
space.
in a confined r Checktheengineoil leveleachtime electricalsystem.
yourefuelthegenerator.
. Donotfill thegenerator's
fueltank . Keepyourhandsandfaceawayfrom
whilethemotoris runningor hot. . Checkthegenerator'sfuelIinesand whenever
carburetor theaircleanerhas
connections if younoticeany
regularly; beenremoved; a suddenbackfire--or
r Addfuelto thefueltankat least10 feet leakage,turnthemachine off andhave of fuelin anengine
explosion cylinder-
fromyourworkareaandanysources of beforeresuming
it serviced operations. cancauseserious burns.
heator flames.Donotfill thetankrightto
thebrim;thefuelcanexpand ahdoverflow. o Neverusea generator witha faulty . Donottouchthegenerator engineor
or damaged exhaust system exhaust pipingwhilethemachine is run-
. Donotsmoke whilefillingthefueltank. ningor immediatelyafterturningit off;
. Groundthegenerator followingthe thesepartscanbecome veryhot.Allow
o Cleanupanygasoroilspillsimmedi- manufacturer's thiswill
instructions; thegeneratorto coolbeforeperforming
ately,wipinguptheareawitha clean divertanystraycurrentfroma shottcir- anymatnlenance.
cloth,or soakingit up withan absorbent cuitto ground, reducing theriskof elec-
material suchascatlitterorvermiculite; tricalshock. r Turnthegenerator
off beforeperforming
avoidusingsawdust, whichiscom- anymaintenanceon it; alsodisconnect
bustible.Placefuel-soaked ragsin sealed . Donotconnect a 240-volttoolor appli- thesparkplugwireandthebattery to pre-
metalcontainers anddispose of themfol- anceto a 120-voltreceptacle. startupof themotor.
ventaccidental
lowinglocalenvironmental regulations.
. Donotoverload thegenerator by plug- r Generatoruseis regulated
byfederal
r Donotremoveanysafetyguards,cov- gingin powertoolsor applianceswith andstatelegislationin someareas;con-
ers,or screensfromthegenerator while higherwattageratingsthanthatof the tacttheappropriate in your
authorities
themachine isoperating. generar0r. community foranyapplicable laws.

7\
 BENCHGRINDERS

f, rom dressing and shapingmetalto cally2950and3600rpm.Somenewer cleaning,and for grindingwith speeds

I squaringandsharpening bits,plane
irons, and chisel blades,the bench
grinderis an invaluableworlshop main-
tenancetool. Grindersare classified
accordingto their wheeldiameter.The5-
to 7-inchbenchtopmodels,with %- to
%-horsepowermotors, are the most
popularhomeworkshopsizes. Theycan
be mountedon a work surfaceor fas-
tenedto a seoarate stand.
Grindingwheelscomein manygrits
and compositions. Medium 36- and
60-grit aluminum oxide wheelswill
handlemost tasksadequately, but you
may need a finer wheel,with either
100 or 120 grit, for delicatesharp-
eningjobs.Buffingwheelsfor polish-
ing metal,and wire wheelsfor remov-
ing rust and cleaningmetal,are also
worth owning.
Most grindersoperateat one speed,
or allow a choiceof two speeds-typi-
modelsoffervariable
speeds,a particu-
larlyvaluable
optionfor polishing
and
A grinderis thebesttoolfor restoring
thecorrectbevelangleon a nickedor
out-of-square chiselblade.Thetip of
theblademustcontactthegrinder
wheelat an angleof 25" to 30".
low enoughto maintainthe temperof
a steeltool.
No grindershouldbe usedwithout
loweringtheguardmountedaboveeach
wheel; the tool should also come
equippedwith adjustable tool restsand
wheelcoverssheathing75percentto 80
percentof the wheels.More expensive
grindersmayhaveotherfeatures,suchas
sparkarresters, a watertray for cooling
tool tips,and exhaustoutlets.
Checkyour grinder wheelsregu-
larly for fracturesand, as the wheel
wears,adjustthe distancebetweenthe
tool restandthegrindingwheelto about
r/tinch.A grindingwheelwill eventual-
ly becomedull and cloggedwith metal
particles,and its edgesmaygo out-of-
square.As shownbelow,a wheeldress-
er is a specialtool that is usedto true
the working faceof a grinding wheel
and squareits edges.

DRESSING
A GRINDER
WHEEL
Truing thewheel
Totruea grinder wheelandsquareits
edges,usea star-wheel dresser or a dia-
mond-point dresser.Forthestar-wheel
dresser, movethegrinder's toolrestaway
fromthewheel.Withtheguardin posi-
tion,switchonthegrinder andbuttthe
tip of thedresser againstthewheel. Then,
withyourindexfingerresting against the
toolrest,movethe dresser side-to-side
across the wheel(right).Forthediamond-
pointdresser, holdthe devicebetween
theindex fingerandthumbof onehand,
set it on thetoolrest,andadvance it
toward thewheeluntilyourindexfinger
contacts thetoolrest(inset).Slidethetip
of thedresser acrossthewheel,pressing
lightlywhilekeeping yourf ingeronthe
toolrest.Foreitherdresser, continue until
theedgesof thewheelaresquare andyou
haveexoosed freshabrasive.

76
 SHOPACCESSORIES

U^

GOUGE.SHARPENING JIG
Thejig shownat rightguarantees
Tool9upport
thatthetip of a gouge willcontact (back)'1"x2"x2'1"
thewheelof yourgrinder at thecor- (bottom)%"x1%"x2'/o"
rectangleto restore the bevelonthe Ouide
c u t t i n ge d g eT. h ed i m e n s i o ni ns (rop)%"x1%"x9"
the illustration will accommodate (atdee)'h"x1u/a"x9"
mosrgouges.
Cutthe baseandthe guidefrom
%-inch plywood. Screwtheguide
together andfastenit to the base
withscrews countersunk fromunder-
neath.Makesuretheopening cre-
atedbytheguideis largeenough to
allowthearmto slidethrough freely.
Cutthe armfrom1-by-2stock
andthetoolsupport from%-inch
plywood. Screwthetwopartsof the
toolsupporttogether, thenfasten

the bottomto thearm,flushwith

oneend.FortheV block,cut a small
woodblockto sizeandsawa 90"
wedge outof oneside.Gluetheblock
to thetoolsupport.
To usethejig, secureit to a work
surface sothearmlinesup directly
underthegrinding wheel.Seatthe
gougehandle in theV blockandslide
thearmsothe beveled edgeof the
gouge sitsflatonthegrinding wheel.
Clampthearmin place. Then,with
thegouge clearof thewheel, switch
onthegrinder andreposition thetool
i n t h ej i g .H o l d i ntgh eg o u g w
e ith
bothhands,rotateit fromside-to-
sidesothe beveled edgerunsacross
thewheel(left).Checkthe cutting
edgeperiodically andstopgrinding
whenthebevelforms.

77
 DUSTCOLLECTION

A dustcollection system hasoneaim: shortandstraightaspossible, andposi- ing throughit. To preventthis, ground

A to capturemosiof thewooddust
createdat eachofyour woodworking
machinesandpreventit from endingup
on the shopfloor, or, worseyet, in the
air.Therearea seriesofvariables
in every
systemthat must be coordinatedto
ensurea strongenoughflow ofair: the
powerof thecollector;the locationand
requirementsof the machinesin the
shop;and the type,size,and layoutof
the duct work.
Thedesignofa centralsystembegins
with a simplebird's-eyeview sketchof
your shop,like the one shownbelow,
arrangingthemachinesandcollectorin
theirpreferredlocations.Then,drawin
a main line runningfrom the collector
throughtheshop.Sketchin branchlines
as needed to accommodateeach
machineandanyobstructions-joists,
beams,or fixtures-that may require
specialrouting.For the bestair flow,
keepthe main line andbranchlinesas
tion themachines thatproducethemost
dust closestto the coilector.Youmay
chooseto run ductingalongthe ceil-
ing of the shop,or, to increasethe
efficiencyof the system,at machine-
tableheightalongthe walls.
Sincein mosthomeshopsonly one
woodworkingmachinewill beproduc-
ing dustat a time,4- or 5-inch-diame-
ter duct is sufficientfor both the main
andbranchlines.Thereareseveralsuit-
abletypesofduct availablefor dustcol-
lectionsystems. Thebestchoiceis metal
duct designed specificallyfor dustcol-
lection.However,manywoodworkers
opt for plasticpipe,typicallyPVC or
ABS.It is easierto sealandassemble (and
disassemble for cleaning),Iessexpen-
sive,and morereadilyavailable.
Because plasticis an insulator,how-
ever,staticbuild-up insidethe pipe can
reachdangerous levelsduringuse-pos-
siblyhighenoughto ignitethedustpass-
all plasticductsby runninga barecopper
groundwire from eachtool, insidethe
duct,to an electricalground.As a safety
precaution,havethe systemchecked
by an electrician. Smooth-wallrubber
hoseandflexibleplastichose,frequent-
ly usedas branchducts to connect
machines to themainline,areotherduct
optionsfor thehomeshop.Mostof these
producsalsorequireelectricalgrounding.
A centraldust collectionsystem
requiresa selectionoffittings to route
andjoin lenghsof ductanddusthoods.
Theinventoryon page79 illustratesthe
elements of a qpical dustcollectionsys-
tem.If you run the mainline alongthe
ceiling,you cansecureit in placewith
wire strapsnailed to furring strips
mountedbetweenthejoists.
Fittingsdirectlyaffectthe efficiency
of thesystem, sochoosethemcarefully.
As a rule,gentlecurvesarebetterthan
sharpturns,souseY fittingsinsteadof

DESIGNING
A SHOPF()REFFICIENT
DUSTC()LTECTION
Layingouta shop
Thediagram at rightillustraies a typicalhomeshop
layout. Thepower toolsanddustcollection system
havebeenarranged formaximum dustcollection effi-
ciency. Withtheexception of thetablesaw,allthe
machines aresituated ontheperimeter oftheworkarea.
Theducting forthecentral dustcollection system runs
close to thewalls.Despite requiring a relatively long
m a i nl i n et,h i sd e s i ganl l o wfso rs h o rbt r a n c lhi n e s
andminimal directional changes-both efficient
arrangements. Thespace takenup bythedustcollec-
tionsystem is minimized byplacing thecollector out
ofthewayin a corner of theshop.Theplaner, proba-
blythe heaviest dustproducer, is positioned closest
to thecollector to reduce strainonthesvstem.

78

Tsfor branchconnections, wherever
possible.A blastgateshouldbelocated
ateachbranchoutletto sealductswhen
theyarenotbeingused,therebyincreas-
ing air flow to the machinein use.
Hoods,whethercommercially madeor
shop-built,shouldbepositioned asclose
aspossible to thesourceof thedust.
Youhavea choiceof methodsfor
connecting ductwork.Manyductsand
fittingscanbefrictionfit andsecured
with adjustable hoseclamps. Ducttape
(lFA DUST
ETEMENTS COTTECTION
SYSTEM
Metal duct
)tanda rd duat aollection
pipe;availablein wideranqe
'of
diametera
Elaet' gate
?ipe fittin7 with
alidin7qate which
ia openedor cloaed
to direat.duat col-
lection air flow to a
partiaular machine
PVCpipe
Plastic pipe for emall ehop
duat, collection system6;
availablein different diame-
tere and wall thiakneasea
SHOPACCESSORIES
canalsoeffectively join plasticpipe,but requirementsof the heaviestdust col-
it is unsightlyandwill decayovertime. lection taskvour svstemmust handle.
A high-quality silicone sealantisproba- This usually'willbi the sum of system
blyabetterchoice for a permanent sys- lossesandthe air volumedemandedby
tem.Toensuresmoothair flow metal the machine most distant from the
ductsshouldbejoinedwithrivets,rather collector.Purchasea collector with
thanscrews or bolts. slightlymore capacity.Systemlosses
Onceyouhavecompleted thelayout are causedby such inefficienciesas
ofyoursystem andselected thetypeof bendsin the line, corrugatedducting,
ductyouwill use,it is timeto calculate leaks, and hoods without flanges.
yourdustcollection needsandselecta Usethechartsandinformationon page
collector.Thisinvolves determining the 80 to sizeand selecta collector.
Reduaer
Connecta duct of different
diametere; alao used to
increaeeauction in oyatem or
ioin a branah line to hood Corrugated fl exible hoae
Kibbedplaatic hose uaed for ahort
runs or to connect machineaf,o
main duct: smooth-aided rubber
or plaatic varietiea aloo available
Splice
Forjoinin6 two ffi
len4tha of duct \--J _ I'
Hoee alamp
9lotted metal band T aonneator
and acrew ueed to Connectetwo ducte
join two len4the of at 90" anqle
duct or hoae
Hood
Duat- capt uri n4 d evicepoai'
tioned cloee to aource and
connected to branch line
Elbow
Att,acheeto duc-t'
to chan1edirec-
!
Y conneator
Joina two ducte at
3Ooor 45" an6le
tion of line
Adaptere
Joina non-atandard hose
and duat to atandard dust
colleotion hoae:also uaed
to abtach collection hoae Floor aweep
to facto ry- ineta lled porte Attached to branch duct of central
on etationarv maohines eyetem to vacuumduat off ahop floor
79
 SHOPACCESSORIES

CATCUTATING
DUST NEEDS
C(|LTECTI(|N
Determining staticpressure loss
Dustcollectors areratedbytheirabilityto (1)EOU|VAIEI{T
TENGTH
0FSYSTEM
EIEMENTS
movea certainnumberof cubicfeetof air per Ductor Fifting Equivalent
Lengh,in Feet
minute(cfm)against a specific staticpres-
Smooth-wall pipe Actuallength
sure.Themostimportant variable to keepin
mindwhenchoosing a dustcollector foryour pipeor hose
Corrugated 1.5x actuallen$h
shopis staticpressure loss,whichis a mea- Unflanged
duct,hose,or hoodconnections 10
sureof thefrictionairencounters asit passes 90" sharpelbow 20
through a duct.Thelonger theducting andthe
90ocurvedelbow 10
morenumerous thesystemrosses, thegreater
the staticDressure loss.To determine the 90" hosebend 10
sizeof collector youneed,calculate thestatic 45' curved
elbow 5
pressure lossforthe heaviest collection task 45" hosebend 5
in theshop.In thediagram on page78, it is
Sidelegof 90" T 20
thejointer.Thefollowing calculations are
based on it. Foryourownshop,youmayneed Sidelegof 45" Y 5
to dothecalculations for a fewmachines-
thosefarthest fromthecollector andat the
endof branchlines-andchoose a collector
based onthehighest resultyouobtain. (2)AIREXHAUST
V0LUME
RE0UIREMENTS
FOR
MACHINES
Startwithchart1 (right,top)to calculate Machine CubicFeetperMinute(CFM)
theequivalent lengthof theductingrunning
Jointer
@-r2') 300
to the machine. In ourexample, thereare
45 straightfeetof smooth4-inch-diameter (upto 12")
Discsander 300
ductandtwo90'curvedelbows. Theequiv- Vertical (upto 6")
beltsander 350
alentlengththerefore is:45 feet+ 20 feet= (up
Bandsaw to 2" blade) 400
65 feet.Thenusechart2(middle) to deter-
Tablesaw(upto 16") 300
mrnerneexnausr reourremenrs rncTmoTrne
machine; forthejointer,it is 300 cfm. Radialarmsaw 350
Finally,usechart3 (bottom)to determine Planer(upto 20") 400
staticpressure lossfordustcollection at the Shaper (%"spindle) 300
machine. choose fromeither thethirdorfourth
Shaper(1"spindle) 500
columnof thechartdepending on whether
the machine is joinedto a main-line duct Lathe 500
(3500feetperminuteof airvelocity, orfpm) Floorsweep 350
ora branch line(4000fpm).Inthisexample, Drillpress 3OO
a 300-cfmmachine connected to a 4-inch-
Jigsaw 300
diameter mainlinehasa staticoressure loss
of .05 inchesperfoot.Thusthestaticpres-
surelossfor thisjointeris: 65 feetx .05
inches/foot = 3.25 inches. Addtwoinches
for unmeasured losseslikeair leaksandthe (3)STATIC
PRESSURE
L(ISS AT3500Al{D21000
PERF00T0FDUCT FPM
valuerisesto 5.25 inches. Theshopon page CFM Ductdiameter 3500 fpm 4000 fpm
78 wouldneeda collector witha 300 cfm
300 4' '05 in/ft '07 in/ft
ratingat 5.25 inchesof staticpressure. A
system20 percentlargerwouldallowfor 350 4u '05 in/ft .07 in/ft
futureexpansion. 400 4' ,05 in/ft .06 in/ft
500 5u .04 in/ft .06 in/ft

80
 SHOPACCESSORIES

DUSTCOLTECTORS

Choosing between single-

andtwo-stage collectors
llltilllllllilt1 llllllllllilllllllllllillllJ
ill llllllllllllllllll IllJ Twobasictypesof dustcollectors
available forhomeworkshops: stngle-
are
and
two-stage machines. In single-stage col-
1HO?TI? leclors(above, /eff),debris-anddust-
l a d e na i ri s d r a w n t h r o u gahn i m p e l l e r ,
Electrioal ewee?6 wherecyclone actiondeposits heavy
lor riqht-anglejointo dustanddebrisintothewastecontain-
lf you uee?VCpipetor yourduet collec-
er below whilethelighter dustrisesto
Lion6yoNem, substit'uhe9O" electrical
ewee?o(far riqht) for convenlional90" t h ed u s tb a g .S i n g l e - s t acgoel l e c t o r s
elbowe(near riqht) to reducefricLion a r er e l a t i v elloyu da n dt h ed u s ta n d
and increaselhe efficiencyof your oye- d e b r i tse n dt o w e a ro u tt h e b a ga n d
tem. Available oupplyhoue'
al elecNrical impeller quickly. In two-stage collectors
ee,Nhesefittin4e feaNurea 24-inch (above, right),Iheimpelleris located
radiuscurve,whichie muchqent'ler a b o v teh e i n l e td u c ts ot h e h e a v i e r
than Ihe 5- to |O-inchradiuscurveof p a r t i c l edsr o pi n t ot h ew a s t ec o n t a i n -
etandardelbowe, er beforeanyair passes through the
i m p e l l earn db a gT. h i si s q u i e t ear ,n d
reduces wearontheimpeller anddust
bag.Two-stage collectors aresomewhat
moredifficultto clean.

81
 SHOPACCESSORIES

DUSTHOODS

Adapter

CollecLion
hoae

Connecting a dustcollection system to toolswithdustports

Usea commercial adapter to attacha collection hoseto a dustportat theother,asshownonthe bandsaw(above,
left).
machine dustport.Theadapter shouldbesizedto friction- Fortheradialarmsaw,a hoseclampis usedfor reinforce-
f i t w i t ht h ec o l l e c t i ohno s ea t o n ee n da n ds l i oo v e trh e menl (above,right).

Hooking a planer upto thesystem

A hoodliketheoneshown at rightcan
becustom-built to caoture mostof the
dustgenerated byyourplaner. Makethe
hoodfromgalvanized sheetmetal,cut-
tingthepieces withtin snips.Leave tabs
wherethepieces overlap sotheycanbe
popriveted together. Makeflanges on
thesidesto imorove thesealanda hole
in thebackforthedustcollection hose;
youwillalsoneedto create a lipalong
thetopto connect to the ledgeof the
planer's chipdischarge chute.Usean
a d a p t et ro j o i nt h eh o o dt o t h eh o s e ,
inseding oneendintheholeinthehood
a n dt h eo t h e e r n di n t h e h o s er;e i n -
forcetheconnection witha hoseclamo.
Fasten thelipof thehoodto theplaner
withsheetmetalscrews.

82
 SHOPACCESSORIES

Connecting a collection
hoodto a router table
fitlrlllllllllttlllllllllllllllllllllllllllfiIllllllllllllllllll]I1
llll A hoodattached
tablewillcollect
to thefenceof a router
mostof thedustpro-
ducedbythetool.Cutthehoodfrom
1HO?TI? l/z-inch plywood, sizingit sothesides
hugtheoutside edges of thefence's
Adapt inq st andard sheet' supportbrackets. Thebottomedgeof
metal ducts as dust,hoode restonthetable;
thebackflange should
Commercial eheet-metal duc|'scan bemodified
s i t o n t h et o p
t h et o pf l a n g es h o u l d
Lo eerveae efficienthoodetor your ohop'e
duet,collecLionoyofem.Someexampleaare edgeof thefence.Before assembling the
shownhere.UeeLin sniosI'o cuNNheducLt'o pieces of thehood,cuta holethrough
a ehapethaNouit6 the tool aI hand.TheducN the backforthecollection hose.Also
shoulAfi1;enuqlyaroundthe chipdiocharqe Vort boreholes forscrews through thesides
or dusNopoutof the machine. )crew iL in Vlace andscrewangleironsto the backso
wibheheet melal screwe. thattheirinside edges areflushwiththe
opening forthehose.Screw the hood
together, thenfit thecollection hose
in theback.Usea hoseclampto secure
thehoseto theangleironsandposition
thehoodonthefencebbove).Screwthe
sidesof thehoodto thefencebrackets.

B3
 SHOPACCESSORIES

Settingupa shop-made sanding station

Toreduce theamount of dustgenerated
bypower sanding,builda portable
thatfitsona tableorworkbench.
stall
Cutthe
lllltl|tllllIl11
back,top,andsidesfrom%-or %-inch
plywood. Taper thetopedges of thesides
to createa comfortable, openworking
space, liketheoneshownabove. Cutan
outletin thebackof thestationfora dust
collectionhoseor branch duct.Assemble
thestation withscrews.Positionthesand-
ingstationsecurely onyourworksurface;
attachthecollector hoseto theoutlet.
Turnonthecollector before youbegin
a sanding operation.
l]illllrllllfiillll1
lllrlllllll}l|llllllllrllllllllril
1HO?TI?
Shop-madeblaotgate
Tofaohionan inexpeneive blael qabefor a
Vlaelic ducl, saw halfway Ihrouqhrhe Vipe.
Cut a 4aIe from plywoodor hardboardto fii
in lhe kerf.)aw a eemicircle in one half of
the qate Ihe sameeizeas lhe ineide
diameter of NhepiVe;lhe olher halt
shouldorolrudefrom the kefr
Lo form a handle.To eealthe
slol when|he machineie in
use,cuL a eleevelrom lhe
eamesizeof pipewilh
a d i a q o n asl l i Lt o a l l o w
iL t o elideoverNhekefr.

84
 DUSTCOLLECTION
PORTABLE
system may drawbacls. Shopvacuums aredesigned
I centraldustcollection
A soundlikeoverkillto thecraftsman to movea smallvolumeof air at high
with asmallhomeshop.Althoughsuch velocitythrougha small-diameter hose.
systems aregenerallymore efficientthan Dust collectors, on the otherhand,
independent collectors, theycanbecost- movea largeamountof air at a lower
ly andconsume considerable space. If speed. A shopvacuum dusthood,there-
yourshop area is restricted, and only fore,shouldbepositioned verycloseto
onemachine will beoperated atatime, thetool.Largerchipswill tendto clog
consider a portable dust collector. vacuumhoses, requiringfrequentclean-
Manytypesof portabledustcollec- ing.And,vacuums powered by univer-
tors are available. Most are strong salmotorstendto wearout quickly.
enoughto power a central system, yet Modelswith induction-type electric
light enoughto be toted around the motorswill lastlonger,but costmore
shop.Ifyou areplanningto setup a thana portabledustcollectorof the
portablecollectionsystem, shoparound sameDower.
for themosttransportable collector that If thereisnodustcollectionsystem-
canhandleyourneeds. Keep in mind Althoughyou canhookup a bandsmu portableor central-in yourshop,try
thatyoumaywantto expandto a cen- system,
to a centraldustcollection themethods describedstartingonpage
tral system later. anothersolutionis to attachit to a 86to controlairbornedust.These meth-
Manyhomewoodworkers will find portableshopvacuum.Thevacuum's odsarealsoeffective supplements to
thatashopvacuum,although ideal, not hosecanoftenbeslippedaroundan collectors that suckup a majorityof
candoasatisfactory jobmostof thetime existingporton themachineusing shopdust,but stillleavesomeparticles
if you arewillingto work aroundthe a simplecommercial reducer. floatingin theair.

DUST
PORTABLE
ANAUXILIARY SYSTEM
C(ILLECTION
Expandinga dustcollecto/scapacity
Youcanmorethandoublethecapacity
of yourportable dustcollector or shop
vacuum byattaching a 55-gallon drumor
a largeplasticbarrelasa mid-stage col-
lector.Installplasticintakeandexhaust
oortsonthedrumasshownat leftand
mounta hoseto the intakeporton the
drumto collect wooddustandchips.The
90" elbowonthe intakeportwillcreatea
cyclone effectinsidethe barrel, forcing
chipsandheavier sawdust against the
wallsof the barrel.Lighter dustwill be
drawnthrough theexhaust portintothe
shopvacuum or dustcollector. Foreasy
assembly anddisassembly, usepipefit-
tingsthatforma frictionfit withthe hose
fromyourvacuum or collector.

85
 SHOPACCESSORIES

CONTROLLING
AIRBORNE
DUST
settinguppositive-pressure ventilation
Tomaintain clearairin a shopwhenyou
aregenerating a greatdealof airborne dust
or chemical fumes,setupa positive-pres-
sureventilation (PPV) system. Openall the
windows in theshopandposition a fanout-
sidethedoorasshownat rightsothatthe
airflowit produces will envelop thedoor-
way.Thestream of airwillfollowthepath
of leastresistance-through thedoorand
shop,andoutthewindows, clearing air-
bornedustandfumesquickly. PPVhas
somelimitations, however. Thesystem will
onlyfunction properly if thewindow open-
ingsarelargeenough to handle a sufficient
volume of air.Also,therestof yourhome
mustbewellsealed off fromtheshoo.A
morepermanent alternative to PPVcanbe
fashioned bymounting anexplosion-proof
exhaust fanin a shopwindow. Setupto
pullairoutof theroom,thefanwillcre-
ate negative pressure, expelling f umes
anddustin larger volumes thanis possi-
blewithPPV.

filllllltlt'lltllt'lll-llll
tIIiltt'Ixl
IItlltll|l'lllt
lllfil'fiI'l||l
1HO?TI?
Vaauumeareeningramp
Forcleaninqdust off Xheohopfloor,builda wedqe-
ehapedecreenin7
aL^a^-) zrqa^qia^
ramVfroml/z-inchplywood.
-^*^ t-^^ 1/^ i--r ^1.,,,,^^-J

Oeforeaeeemblinq Ihe piecee,cut an

inlet porl in Ihe backto fit a dust
collectionhoseand five rowe
of 2-inch-diameLerholes
lhrouqhthe Iop.When
dust and chiVoare 6we\
u? onbothe ramp,emaller
parlicleewillf all throuqh
lhe holeeand conNinue on
Io the colleclor.Largerrefuse
willremainon bhe ramotor
eaeydiopoeal.

86
 SHOPACCESSORIES

shopair
Filtering
Another quickandeasymethod of rtd-
l|Ilillllllllllllll lllilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllltllllll]l} dingtheshopof airborne dustusesa fur-
nacefilteronthebackof a podable room
fan(above). Whenthefanisturnedon,
1HO?Tt? suction willholdthefilterin placeand
draw dust outof theair.Thedustwill
?anty hoee ahop vacuum ftlt'er remain on thefilter,whichcanthenbe
Uoedpanty hoeecan oerveao an brushed off outsideorvacuumed.
inexpeneive lo replace-
alt'ernaLive
ableshopvacuumdust'filNero.Fit
the waieLbandaroundIhe loam
filf,ersleeveon Lhe undereideof
lhe molor houein4of the vacuum
and knotIhe lege.)lide the ret'ain-
inq rinqaroundIhe panty hoset'o
aecureiNin place.

87
 STORAGE,

n'd'ub'laccumula'fesliffi#
rate:Lumber
astonishing
saws,saw
planes,
blades,
clamps,
drills
filt
chisels, frfi*[T"i!,{if.#i-.
h * d * d p o * . ' t o o l s t h a t m u s t b e c o m m e r c i a l s t o r a g e d e v i c e s ' o n t h e . l

convenientlyavailable whenneed- Flammable productslikelacquers, shellacs, market,but you canbuild a tool

ed-and out of the way when not. and paint thinners require sltecialattention. cabinetcustomized to-yourneeds
Addto these the lumber scraps, Storiig these items in a-doubfe-lined, explosion- easily and inexpensively (p^qT:
?!)
locks,hinges,screws, nails,spire priof steet cabinet isonesensible solution. Thedesignshown onpage98ffills
pars,'andlontainershaHill of fin twoneedsin one:a storage cabinet
isher-all sureto be invaluable some dayvery soon-and you that folds down and serves as a-sturdy work surface.Hardware
mayhavethemakingsof a monumental stoiageproblem.- canbesortedin drawers, subdividedinto separate compart-
Adequate workh6p storage should accomilish two goalg: ments or, for greater"i:t!lt y, in glasscontainers. For tools
fooh andmaterialsiliould bi kept within eaiy reach ofeach likeclamps that areused all over theshop, consider awheeled
operation, andthestorage devicesshouldencroachaslittleasrack(page 105)..
pbssibleonworkspace. lio matter what your particular needs, No matter whatdevicesandtechniques y.ou choose,you
youshouldfinda number of ideas
storage thit conserve space
- may find that proper storage not only provides morespace
in thischapter. and conrrenience, but conveys a senseof order and. purpose
tn evaluatingyourownstorage options begin by taklg two that make your shop an even morepleasant and produc-
ryill
inventories:oni'of your toolsand materials and the other of tive place to work.

Whateveritssize,a toolchestcanserveasa cabinetmak-

er'scallingcard.Thisportablecarver'schestkeepstools
organized"safefrom damage,and within easyreach.

89
 STORINGWOOD
p roperlystoredlumberandplyr,vood
I. arenotonlykeptoutofthewaybut
straightand dry, too. For most shops,
this involvesstoringlumber in racls that
hold the wood off the floor. Wood
shrinksand expandsaccordingto the
amount of humidity to which it is
exposed.A wet floor canwarp lumber
and delaminatesomeplywoods.The
lumberracksfeaturedin thissectionare
easyand inexpensiveto build; you
shouldbe ableto find a suitabledesign
and adaptit to your needs.
Ifyou havethe space,you cansetup
an end-loadinglumber rackliketheone
shownon page91.Sucha systemis rel-
ativelyeasyto constructbut youwill need
a walltwicethelengh of yourlumberto
allowfor loadingandunloading.If space
in your shopis at a premium,considera
front-loadingracklike the one shown
below.If versatilityis needed,examine
therackon page92,whichallowsyou to
storeboardsboth horizontallyandver-
tically.AvoidusingZ-shapedbrackets;
theywastetoo muchspace.
Thetypicalshopcanstockhundreds
of poundsof lumbet so it is crucialto
anchoryour rack firmly-to at least
everysecondwall studor floor joist.
Make the most of spacesthat you
would not ordinarilyconsiderasprime
storage areas.Ifyour ceilingis unfin-
ished,nail furring stripsacrossthejoists
for handyshelvingto storeshort stock
and dowels.
Everyitem in a workshopdemands
its own storagemethod.Thedowel
rackat left,builtfrom 3/t-inchply-
wood,1-by-4stockand6-inch-diam-
etercardboardtubes,sortsdffirent
sizesof dowelswhiletakingup a min-
imum offloor space.

A LUMBER
RACK
Storing planks andboards
Thestorage rackat rightfeatures vertical
supports screwed to wallstuds.Cutfrom
2-by-4stock,thesupports buttress shop- o
madewoodbrackets, whichholdupthe
lumber. Youwillneedonesupport at each o
e n do f t h er a c kw
, i t ha n a d d i t i o noanl e
every 32 inches alongthewall.Afterbolt- o
ingthesupports to thestuds,prepare the
brackets bycuttingthesidesfrom%-inch
plywood andthemiddleshelfpiecefrom
2-by-4stock1% inches shorter thanthe
brackets. Anglethetopedgeof thesides
byabout5'so the o
brackets willtilt up
slightly(inset)and o
prevent thelumber
fromfalling offthe o
rack.Screw themid-
dleshelfpiece to
thesides, thenscrew
thebracket io the
vertical supports.

90
 STORAGE

A TUMBER-AND.PTYWOOD RACK Tobuildtherack,firstcuttherails inchesapart.Oncethegridisfixedto

Designed to accommodate both
boardsandplywood panels,therack
shownrestson theshopfloorand
attaches to joistsin the ceiling.
Lumber is loadedontotherails
fromtheend,whileplywood canbe
stacked in thetroughat thefront
andheldin placebythehinged bar.
Referto thecuttinglistfor suggest-
eddimensions.
andstilesfrom2-by-4stock,then
notchthemtogether (rnsef):
Starting
24 inches fromthebottom endof the
stiles,cuta seriesof 3%-inch-wide,
1%-inch-deep dadoes 24 inch-
every
es.Cutrabbets at bothendsof each
railto matchthedadoes inthestiles.
Screw therailsandstilestogether,
thenboltthetopendsof thestiles
to everythirdjoist,making them48
theceilingjoists,screwthecrossbars
to thefrontstiles,centering them
between therails.
Assemble the plywood troughwith
screwsbeforefastening it to the bot-
tomof thefrontstiles.Finally, attach
thehinged barto thetroughlipwith
a butthinge,andcuttwonotches in
thefreeendof the barfor a looped
cordto holdthebarupright.

CUTflNO LI5T
Rails (9): 11/2"x 31/2"x 36"
'l
?tilea (6): 1/2"x 31/2"x 96"
Croeebars (2)t 3,/+"x 3t/2" x 1OB"
Trough
- back 1"x B" x 1OB"
- bottomt 1"x 10" x 1OB"
- lip: 1"x 3" x 1OB"
Hinged bar: 3/c"x 3 1/2"x 65"

9l
 STORAGE

ADJUSTABTE
LUMBER
RACKS

Building
anadjustable piperack
Therackshown above, madeof 4-by-4stockandsteelpipe,is thecrosspieces (inset), making sureall thecrosspieces in
attachedto wallstuds.Thesteel pipesshouldbe roughly 24 thesamehorizontal rowwillbeat thesamelevel.Boreholes
incheslongand% inchin diameter. Theycanbe inserted into i n t ot h eu p r i g h tasn dc r o s s p i e cf eo srt h ep i p e sd; r i l lt h e
anyof the holesdrilledintothe verticalsupports or cross- holes3 inchesdeepand6 inches apart,angling themby
pieces,allowing
lumber to bepiledonthepipesorstacked on about5' sothepipes willtilt up slightly. Boltthe uprights
endbetween them.Beginbycuttingtheuprights to lengthand to thestuds,thencut the crosspieces to lengthandtap
markeachpointon themwhereyouwantto locatea cross- t h e mi n b e t w e etnh e u p r i g h twsi t ha m a l l e tF. i xt h e mi n
piece.Cutdadoes in thesidesof theuprights
to accommodate placewithglueor bydrivingin screws at anangle.

92
 STORAGE

Setting upadjustable lumber shelves

A commercial lumber storage system
i l i l i l i l t t i li i t ti l i l t t r ri l i i t i t it i i l l l i t t r l il l i l l l l i l l i l l l l l l i l l i l i ri l l l liketheoneshownabove consists of
ili i$ llt ii.l ul i$ iil d.ui$ {iJ t$ tti {ti l$ i$ iti i$ i.U
metalstrapping andbrackets thatf it
intoholesin thestrapping. Therack
1HO?TI? is similar to thewooden oneon page
90, butbecause it is metal,thisrack
Anahoringlumber raaka in aonarete cantypically support heavier loads.
einceordinarywoodor eheet melal ecrewedo noN Boltthestrapping directly to thewall
holdwellin concrele,you willneed,d,ifferenf'
faetenere
studs,orto vertical supports fastened
Nhanyouwouldueefor wood.Lead, anchore(top) com-
binedwith laqbolloare ideallor anchorin7t'o concrel'e. to non-exposed studs.Makesurethe
lneertedinto a holedrilledin I'heconcreLe,
Nheanchor s t r a p as r ea l i g n e lda t e r a l tl o
y allow
exVands ae Nheboll io driven youto position eachrowof brackets at
inlo it, qrippinqtrhe
eideeof thesameheight. Formostapplications,
the holetiqhNly.Another attachthe brackets to thestrapping
oVtioniethe eell-LaVpin4 con- about24 to 36 inches apartvertically.
crele ocrew(bottom),lle eer-
ratedlhreadehold
fasL in concreNe.

93
 STORINGTOOLSAND SUPPLIES
Shelvesarean idealtoolstorageoption.Thisshop-built to be elaborate. As shownon pagel0l,
unit featuresgroovesand cleatscustom-cutto hanga
panoplyof took in full viewoyera workbench. veninto a wall canwork just fine.
((
[ placefor everythingand every-
A thing in its place."That time-
worn adageis especially appropriatefor
the homeworkshop.From shelvesand
racksto tool chestsand partitioned
drawers,many deviceswill eliminate
clutterwhilekeepingtoolsand supplies
easilyaccessible. A few methodsare
shownin the followingpages.
For certaintools,particularlyitems
that arevaluableor dangerousenoughto
be out of the reachof children,wall-
mountedboxeslike thoseshownbelow
areideal.For a moretraditionalsystem
ofenclosedstorage, you canbuild a tool
cabinetor cupboardin the shop (page
96).Butnot everystoragedeviceneeds
suspendinga tool from a fastenerdri-

WALL
STORAGE
Installing portable cabinets
Theboxat rightcanbehungsecure-
ly on a shopwallandeasilymovedif
necessary. Buildit from3Z-inch ply-
woodwitha hinged top.To hangthe
cabinet onthewall,cuta 45' angle
beveldownthemiddleof a 1-by-6,
thencrosscut thetwopieces slightly
lessthanthewidthof thebox.Screw
oneof theoieces to thewallasa bat-
ten,withthebevelpointing upand
f a c i n gt h ew a l l ;a n c h oar s m a n y
of thefasteners as oossible in wall
studs.Screwthe otheroieceto the
backof the boxwith its f lat edge
buttingagainst the lip andthebevel
pointing downandfacingthe back. SIDEVIEW
Thetwopiecesinterlock whenthe
boxis hungon thewall(inset).

Wall

tsalten

94
 STORAGE

Adaptingdrawers to holdsmallitems
Theaddition of somesimpletrayscanmakedrawers much
moreefficient storage forsmallitemslike
units,especially
andwashers,
screws whichcanbeeasilylost.Thejarorganizer
shownabovekeepsdifferent-sized jarsin order.Theshelfrais-
esthesmaller jarsto makethemmoreaccessible. Beginby jarsslightlylargerthantheiractual diameters.Holdthedivider
collecting thejars:Findsomelarger onesnearly thesame andtheshelfin placewitha pairof plywood supports(above).
heightasthedrawer andsomesmaller onesabouthalfthat Another usefuldrawerorganizer is theslidingtray(inseil.
fhe
Makethedivider
height. bytrimming ply-
a pieceof 7z-inch trayis a basicboxthatfits insidethedrawer. Thedividersare
woodto f it insidethedrawer. Layoutthejarsontheplywood notched togetherandthensecured nails.Attach
withfinishing
andmarktheiroositions. Usea holesawto cut holesforthe a pairof slidesto thedrawer sidesto support thetray.

95
 STORAGE

Leathereaw etrap

A TOOL CABINET Cutthepieces to size,thenprepare Next,buildthedrawers. Sawthe

Thetoolcabinet shownaboveis thesidesof thecabinet andthedivider pieces to size,usingVq-inch plywood
handyforstoring andorganizing forthedrawers: Routa series of 7+- forthebottom; orientthepanels so
handtools.Although theentireunit by-%-inch dadoes ononefaceof the thegrainof thefaceveneer runsfrom
is portable, thedrawers areremov- sidesandonbothfacesof thedivider. thefrontof thedrawer to theback.
able,making it possibleto carry Makethespacebetween thedadoes Cutthesidesslightly shorter thanthe
around onlythetoolsthatareneed- equalto theheight of thedrawers,plus depthof thecabinet if youarework-
ed.Buildthecabinet fromeither7a- Ya-inchforclearance.Glueupthecab- ingwithlumber, to allowforwood
inchplywood orsolidlumber. The inet,shelf,divider, anddoor,using movement. Makethedrawer front12-
sizeof theboxwilldepend onyour thejointof yourchoice. Thecabinet inchwiderandcut a rabbetalong
needs but40 inches highby30 in theillustration
wasassembled with its bottomedgeto conceal the bot-
inches wideby 15 inches deepis joints.Naila leather
plate,or biscuit, tom,andnotchthetopedgefor a
a goodstarting point.Position
the straoto the insideof thedoorfor handle. Cutdadoes in thesidesfor
divider in thecenter of thecabinet hanging iools,adda woodstripto dividers. Glueup thedrawers; the
sothatthesoaces on bothsidesof prevent smallitemsfromfalling out, bottoms shouldextendbeyond both
it areequal,making thedrawers thenattachthedoorto thecabinet sidesbyVqinchto formslidersthat
interchangeable. withbutthinges. fit in thecabinet dadoes.

96
 STORAGE

A TOOI- CUPBOARD options. Butyoucouldchoose a t h es h e l v e s .

Thecupboard abovefeatures twin method assimpleascounterbored Equiponeor bothdoorswithslot-
doors small,lighttoolslike
forstoring screws concealed underwoodplugs, tedshelves to holdtoolslikechisels
chiselsandscrewdrivers, aswellasa asshownabove. andscrewdrivers. Borea seriesof
largemaincompartment for bigger To helpyouinstalltheshelves, holesslightly smaller thanthetool
tools.Cutthecomponents from32- laythecupboard on its backand handles, thensawa kerffromthe
inchplywood or lumber to theappro- olacethetoolsto bestoredin their edgeof the shelfto the holeto
priaiesize,depending onthenumber designated spots.Position theshelves e n a b l yeo ut o s l i pi n t h e b l a d e .
of toolsyouown;thecupboard shown accordingly andscrewthemin place. Screw theshelves to thedoor.
aboveis 48 inchessouare and5 To keepsupplies fromrollingoff a Hangthedoorsonthecupboard
inches deepwith3-inch-deep doors. shelfor the bottomof the doors, w i t hb u t to r p i a n oh i n g e sU. s e
Next,assemble thecupboard using gluea ledgealongthefrontedge. threebutthinges perdoor.Mount
thejoinery method of yourchoice.A l f y o uw a n t o s u b d i v i daes h e l,f thecupboard to thewallabove your
through jointis oneof the
dovetail screw1-by-1cleatsacrossit or workbench, if desired, byscrewing
strongest andmostvisually pleasing installvertical dividers between it to thewallstuds.

97
 STORAGE

A FOLD-DOWN WORKBENCH of thewaywhenit is notneeded. supportedby foldinglegs.Thecabinet-

ANDTOOL CABINET Mounted on a framethatis anchored benchcan be madeentirelyof %-inch
ldealforsmallworkshops,thestorage to wallstuds,theunitis builtwithan plywood,exceptfor the legsand legrail,
cabinetshownbelowandopposite fea- adjustableshelfanda perforated whichare cut from 2-by-4stock;the
turesa doorthatserves
double-dutyas hardboard backfor organizingand 1-by-3frame;the 1-by-4hingebrace
a sturdyworksurface
thatfoldsup out hanging toolsaswellasa worktable assembly;andthe hardboard back.

o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o a

Frame o o o o o o o o o o

o o o o o o o o o o

o o o
11 o o o o

Fiano o o o o " " " : :

hinge

CUTTINGLI9T
Frame
- Raile(2):3,/+"x21/2"x 48"
- Stilee (2):3/+"x21/2"x 24"
Cabinet
- Back:1/a" x 24" x 48"
- Top:3,/+"x 10"x 48"
- Eottom:3,/+"x 10"x 48"
- 1ides (2):3,/+"x 10"x 221,/2"
- Divider:3,/q"
x 10"x 221,/2"
- thelf 3/+"x 10"x 3O1/2"
Workbenah
- Top:3,/+"x 23 1,/+"
x 48"
- Eenchtoprail:3/+"x 4" x 48"
- Bencht'opatileo: (2):3/+"x 4" x 221/2"
- Hingebrace rails (2):3/+"x 31/2"x 461/2"
- Hingebrace stilea (2):3,/+"x 31/2"x 16"
- Lege(2): 11/2"x 31/2"x 34"
- Legrail: 11/2"
x 3 1/2"x 461/2"

9B
 STORAGE

cabinet. Fittheunitagainst theframe

andusescrews to attachthecabinet
to theframe.
Sawthepartsof theworkbench to
size,thenscrewthehingebracerails
andstilesandthebenchtop railand
stiles to the underside of the bench-
top (above, right). Altach the bench-
tooto thebottom of the cabinet section
witha piano hinge, making sure the
twoedges are perfectly aligned.
Withtheworkbench foldeddown
andheld parallel to thefloor,mea-
s u r et h ed i s t a n cfer o mt h e h i n g e
b r a c er a i lt o t h ef l o o ra n dc u t t h e
legsto fit. Attachthe legsto the
Buildtheunitin threesteps,start- tion,cuttingthepartsto size.Before railwithhinges, thenscrewlevelers
ingwiththeframe,thenmaking the assembling thepieces,boretwoparal- to the bottomof the legsandadjust
cabinet section,andfinallycutting lelrowsof holesonthe insidefaceof themasnecessary to levelthebench-
andattaching theworktableandlegs. onesidepanelandtheopposing face top.Adda foldingmetalbrace to each
Referringto thecuttinglistfor sug- of thedivider.Drilltheholesat l-inch legfor addedsupport, screwing the
gesteddimensions, cut rabbetsin the intervalsabout2 inches in fromthe flat endof the braceto the hinge
framerailsandstiles, thenglueand edges of thepanels. Byinsertingcom- bracestileandtheotherendto the
screwthemtogether. Nexi,screwthe mercially available shelfsupports in outside edgeof the leg.Alsocut a
frameto thestudsin yourshop.Be theholes, theheightof theshelfcan legrailto f it between the legsand
sureto positiontheframesothatthe beadjusted to suityourparticular s c r e wi t i n p l a c eF. i n a l l yi n, s t a lal
worksurface will beat a comfortable needs.Withtheexception of theshelf, hasplock,screwing onepartto the
height, about36 inches
typically off screwthepartstogether, thencutthe topof thecabinetandtheotherpart
thefloor.Nowbuildthecabinet sec- hardboard to sizeandnailit to the to ihe benchtop rail.

99
 STORAGE

SAWSANDBLADES
STORING
Buildinga handsaw storagerack
Thehandsaw storage rackshownat left
saves spacebystoring sawsupright.The
handles fit on oieces of woodthesame
shape astheholeinthehandle. Theblocks
aremounted to a holderthatslidesin
grooves cut in thetopandbottomof the
box.Cutthepartsof theboxto size,then
equipyourtablesawwitha %-inchdado
blade.Toaccommodate theoutsidesaw
holders, cut %-inch-deep grooves 2%
inches fromeachendof thetopandbot-
tom.Sawanother groove oneachpiece
centered between thefirsttwoforthethird
sawholder. Screw thetopandbottomto
thesides, thentackthebackin place.
Baak
1/+"x 9" x 29 3/+u Trace theoutline of theholein eachsaw
handle ona blockof woodandcut outthe
piece. Glueandscrewit to thesawhold-
er,thenscrewa pivoting pieceof woodto
thetooof the blockto serve asa turnbuck-
lethatwillkeepthesawin placewhenit
is beingstored. Usea sabersawor a band
5aw holder sawto cut handles in theholdersto make
1/+"x10"x291/2" it easier
to slidethesawsin andoutof the
box.Place themat staggered heightsso
theydo notinterfere witheachother.The
dimensions shown will makea boxthat
canholdsawthreesaws.lf youwantto
storemoresaws,simplymakethetopand
bottomwiderandspaceadditional
grooves 1% inches apart.

3/+"x8"x29"

Turnbuakle

re
.J- /

I00
 STORAGE

A HANDSAW HOTDER
Builda wall-mounted rackfor hand-
sawswith a fewwoodscraps, dow-
eling,andsomerubberhose.Cut
the basetromr/z-inchplywood
andthedividers from4-by-4stock;
thedividers should be 10 inches
long.Cuta taperat theendof each
4-by-4,asshownat right.Screwa
2-by4alongone edgeof the base,
thenscrewthedividers in place,
leavingaVz-inchgapbetween
them.Thestoppers arecutfrom4-
inchlengthsof l/z-inchdoweland
slightlylargerrubberhose;use
hosewithridgesratherthansmooth
gardenhose.Slipa sawintothe
rackfrombelow, thentugdownon
thehandle. Thestopper willpinch
the bladein place.Markthedow-
el'sposition
andscrewit to the base.

fiIlllljlll lll lll]llllllllllllllllllllillllllllllllltlltllltlttlIlll

)HO? TI?
Hangingportable ?owertoole from the wall
A eim?lebuVeaoilyoverlooked eolutionto t'he
problemof elorinqNoolswherelhey can be
eeenie Nohangbhemfrom Nheohopwall.
Drivea nail,ecrew,or lhreadedeyehook
into lhe wall,makinqsure iNis anchoredf'o
a elud. Loopa lenqlhof nylonropearound
Nhetool handle,lhenhan6t'he ropefrom
Ihe faslener,Leavet'he ropehanqinqfrom
Lhewallwhenyou are uoinqt'helool ae a
reminderNorelurn it to it'e riqhtfulplace
whenyou are finiehed.

101
 STORAGE

0rganizing circular sawblades

Keepyourcircular sawblades visible
andprotected in a custom-made
ageboxliketheoneabove.
stor-
Buildthe
llltlllrllliltlllltlll1
tllllltilllilllillttlllljltrllllllttllllltlllll
boxfromt/z-inch plywood, cuttingit
a fewincheslarger thanyourlargest 9HO7Tt?
bladeandwideenough to holdallyour A aircularsaw bladeaarrier
blades. Makethedivrders outof t/q- Toavoiddamaqin4your circular
inch plywood; f irstcut rectangles 1 eaw blades,or nickin4your-
inchlessthanthesizeof thesides, eelfwhenLhebladesare
t h e ns a wt h e mi n h a l fd i a g o n a l l y . beinqotored or Nranoporl-
Screw theframetogether, thenglue ed,usea commercial blade
andnailthedividers to thebottom carrier.Themodelshown
andback.Leavel/q inchbetween the accommodahee up to 10
dividers. Tokeeptheblades fromrolling bladee,protecNinqthe cuN-
outof thebox,cuta battenfromscrap tinq edqeewiNha plaoLic
rim whileleavinq
Lhebladee
stockandnailit to thedividers near
vieible.WheneNorinqoeveral
thebottom of thebox. bladesal once,oeparate
Nhemwilh cardboard6?acere
lo prevenllhe Neethfrom
makinqconlacN.

r02
 STORAGE

TOOLS
KEEPING ORGANIZED

Storinghandtools
Thetooltrayshownabovekeepsdifferent toolsapartandsim-
ilaronestogether,helping to protectthem while making a need-
ed itemeasyto locate. Thetray has the additional advantage of
being suspended fromoverhead joistsso thatit takesup no valu-
ableworkspace. Startbybolting two2-by-4s to joists,spacing
themto accommodate thetray.Cutoffthe bottom endsof the
Z-by-4s at a convenient height.Next,build the tray,cutting
thesidesfrom%-inchstock,andthebottom and dividers
the
from7+-inch plywood.Cutdadoes forthedividers according to
you
how wishto group your tools,thenscrewthesides together
andto thebottom. Gluethedividers tnthedadoes andscrew
thesidesto the 2-by-4s. Screwthe backto wallstuds,or,
usingleadanchors, to a concrete wall.lf youplanto install
thetrayat anangle, asshown, drivethescrews through wood
Addingtool-tray
dividers wedges placed between thetrayandthewall.
To protecttooledgesin storage
drawers,sawa 2-by-4to a
lengthequalto thespacebetween thedrawer sides.Thencut
dadoes acrossonesideof theboardto holdthetools-inthis
case,narrow dadoesto accommodate file blades(above).

103
 STORAGE

Usinga LazySusan{ype storage cupboard

lf yourworkshop hasan unused corner
-an areaundera counter,
ple,installa commercial
for exam-
LazySusan-
flIlrll1
llljllllrullllllllilllfiIjfiIlfillllljlllllll ljllljlllllllllr
typecupboard to storeworkshop tools
andsupplies. Thedesign of thedevice 1HO?Tt?
makes anyitemonthetrayseasily acces-
sible.Themodelshown above features Amagnetictool mck
a carousel KeepmelalNoolo
withtwotraysthatrevolve
or4anized and
around a metalshaft.Using%-inchply-
accessibleon a
wood,builda cabinet liketheoneshown commercialmaqnel-
above to housethecarousel andsupport ic Noolrack.The
themetalshaftat boththetooandbot- modelshownfea-
tom.Assemble thecarousel followingthe Euresa heavy-duLy
manufacturer'sinstructions. b a rm a q n e N l h a L w i l l
holAany iron-basedlool eecurely-from screwdrivers,
chieels,and hammerolo Lry equareeand ocieeors.To
mountf,herack,screwNhemaqneN lo a woodetrip and
anchorLheotrip Nowalle|uds aboveyour workbehch,

t04
 STORAGE

A MOBITECLAMPRACK limit.Themobileclamprackshown Referto the cuttinglistfor suggest-

Clamos canbea nuisance to store. below a widevariety
stores of clamps. ed dimensions.
Thesheernumber accumulated in Withcasters mounted underthe Startbycutting therails,stiles, and
mostshoos-andtheirawkward base,the rackcanbe rolledto any crosspieces to sizefrom2-by-4stock.
stretcheventhe
sizeandshape--can partof theshopwhereclampsare Thenjointhe pieces together using
mostorganized
storagesystem to the needed, thenstored thewall,
agatnst lapjointsandnotches. Toprepare the
railsforthejoinery, routendrabbets
t h a tw i l lf i t i n t ot h e n o t c h easn d
CUTTINO LIST dadoes cutintothestiles. Therabbets
-Raile (top, bottom, and median) (6): t 3/+"x 31/'2"x 231/2"
" " "
s h o u l db e I 1 / zi n c h e w s i d ea n d3 4
-gtilee (2): 1 / x 3 / x 44 / inchdeep.Next,notchthetopendof
-Croaspiecea (3):11,/2"x 3t/2" x 23t/z
-Eaeai/+" x 23 1/2"x 23'/2" eachstileon threesidesasshown,
-1kirt piecea (4):1/2" x 3t/2" x 23 i/2" thenroutback-to-back dadoes near
t h eb o t t o m e n da n dm i d d l eo f t h e
stiles;makethedadoes 3% inches
wideand3/qinchdeep.Alsocut a
nolch3t/zincheswideand7q inch
deeofromthebottom of eachstile.
Whenyouassemble therailsand
stiles, alignthetwohalves of eachrail
face-to-face andassemble withthe
stile.Screwthe pieces together, dri-
vingthefasteners through thejoints,
Tojointhecrosspieces to therack,
cut3%-inch-wide dadoes in themid-
dleof eachandscrewthemin place.
Themiddlecrosspieces willreston
themedian rail.Thetoppieces will
restontheoutside shoulders of the
notched topof eachstile.
Finish t h er a c kb yc u t t i n gt h e
fourpieces fortheskirtfrom2-by-
4 stockandthe basefroml/rinch
plywood. Sawtwonotches in the
baseandskirtto accommodate the
strles,rabbettheendsof the skiri
pieces, andscrewthemtogether to
forma box.Usescrews to attach
theskirtto thebase.Finally, attach
casters to the underside of theskirt
at eachcornerof therackandfasien
thebaseto thestilesandbottom
rail,driving thescrews fromunder-
neaththe base.

105
 STORAGE

A SHETF FOR CTAMPS

Builtfroml/z-inchplywood, the
shelfshownat rightfeatures a
seriesof notches for supporting
barandpipeclamps alonga shop
wall.Cuttheshelfabout10
inches wideandas longasyou
needforthenumber of clamps
youwishto store.Cutthe notch-
esat 3-inchintervals witha
sabersawandmakethemwide
enough for theclampbarsor
pipes;17+inchesis aboutright
for mostclamos,Thenscrew
shelfbrackets to the underside
of the shelf,centering them
between the notches. Fasten the
shelfto a backingboardof Vz-
inchplywood, thenanchor the
boardto thewallstuds.

llllIIlllt'filt
IIltll'ffiIIllllllllilltfit'IllilIt
filtlllllltttlll
)HO? TI?
?toring alampein a oan
Atraeh canfilhedwitha ehoo-
madelid eeryel as a conveniertl
wayto sLoresmallbar or pipe
clampe.Cul a oieceof 1/z-inchplv-
wooAinto a ciicle oliqhtlyemaiti,
lhan the diameLer of lhe can'orim.
Thenscribea seriesof concenlric
circleson trheplywoodto helpyou
localethe holesfor the clampbare,
1Vacetrhe circlesaboutb inchee
apart and markpoinLeevery3 inch-
ee alonqlhem, Borea f-inch-diame-
ter holethrouqheachpoint, fit, the
pieceof plywoodin the can and drop
the clamoslhrouahlhe holes.

106
 STORAGE

TWOWALIRACKS
FOR
CLAMPS

Making andinstalling theracks

Shopwallsmakeidealstorage areasfor
barandpipeclamps.Forbarclamps
(above,left),nailtwocleatsacrossthe
wallstuds.Position the uppercleat-
madeof plywood-high enough to keep
theclampsoff thefloor;makethe lower
onefromtwo2-by-4snailedtogether so
thattheclamps willtilt towardthewall.
For pipe clamps(above, right),nail
cleatsof 3/q-inchplywoodto the studs
andscrewbroomgrippers to thecleats.
Positionthecleabonthewallsotheclamps
willrestabout1 inchoffthefloor.Then
cut the basefrom 1-by-4stock,and
borea rowof holesintoit at thesame
intervalasthe grippers. Fastenthe
basealongthefloorsothe holesline
upwiththeclamps.

t07
 STORAGE

ITEMS
SMALL
STORING

Mounting glassjarsundera shelf

Screws, nails,andboltscanbestored
in a variety including
of containers,
tennisballcanisters, mason jars,or
pill bottles.
Mounting thecontainers
undera shelf(above) will keepthe
itemsoutin theooenwithoutclutter-
inga worksurface.Fastenthe con-
tainerlidto theshelf.thenscrewthe
container to the lid.

108
STORAGE

A SCRAPBOX
Usea scrapbox to keepfromclut-
teringthe shopfloorwithcut-offs,
shavings, andotherrefuse. The
designshownat leftcanbe built
quicklyfrom%-inchplywood; cast-
ersallowtheunit to berolledwhere
it is needed andmovedoutof the
waywhenit is not.Sawthesides
andbottomto a sizeappropriate to
yourneeds, thencut fourcorner
blocksfrom2-by-2stock.Screw
thefoursidestogether, drivingthe
screws intothecornerblocks. Turn
theboxoverandnailthebottomto
thecornerblocksandsides.Adda
liparound thetopto hidetheply-
woodedges. Finally,
screwcasters
to eachbottomcornerqnda pull
handleat oneend. f'{'

Somestoragedevices, particularly
thosedesigned for smallitems,are
lesstroubleto buy than to build.
Thesystemshownat leftfeatures
openplasticbinsthat canbelined
up or stacked. Thebinsaresus-
pendedfrom plasticstripsthat are
screwed to thewall.

109
 ::}tu

f" -itffi a

r <at
"-r
r l
. l

. :

+.""{hi*.
v'
n{;i4
w
.:.|
.::
' 1
l

H
b+
'--*}*

lre,.*
i3

q s
.,
"''airi+:r:,'Y,e-:
_' ffiSdg**ffft

.f,
 WORKSreS

f t isatruismthatnoworlshopis With its myriaduses,the saw-

I everlargeenough;it is equally horseis alsotheworkhorse of the
true that no woodworkereverhas shop.A sawhorse tan serveasa set
enoughtables,benches, sawhorses, of legsfor a fold-downwork table
stands,or propsto supportwork (page116)or asimplepropfor saw-
in progress. Thetraditionalwork- ing stock.With a fewnotchescut
bench,however usefulor necessary into their crosspieces, horsescan
(supage46),isonlythebeginning. form part of theframefor a shop-
Formanyuses,it is too high,too madegluerack(page Da).Clamped
small,or tooimmobileto behelpfuL to a2-bv-4attached to a commer-
Whenit istimeto marktheele- cialroller,a sawhorse becomes a
mentsof a joint or assemble the custom-builtrollerstand.
manypieces of a chair,a solidwork Outfeedtablesandrollerstands
table,like the library-styletable that hold unwieldypanelsor long
shownonpage113,canserveasthe plankssignificantly expandthever-
commandcenterof your shop, Bettercontrolproduca betterresults, satilityof toolsliketablesaws, band
becoming thefocusof manyoper- Securedto aband smr'soriginaltable,a saws,and drill presses. Setup at
ations.Thisdesignfeatures a spa- shop-madeextensiontablelceeps a large thesamelevelasa machine's table,
cious work surfaceand sturdy hardboardsheetlevelduringa curvedcut. or fractionallybelow it, theseprops
construction. Theonlvdrawback canbeaswelcome asa secondset
is size:onewouldneeda fairlylargeshopto accommodate of hands,enhancing a tool'scapacity to handlelargework-
thistable.Fora smallershopwith crampedquarters,consid- piecesefficientlyandsafely.
erthefoldingtablefeatured on page115.Offeringalmostas Worksurfaces canevenberiggedto compensate for a lack
muchsurfaceareaasthelibrary-styleversion,it canbefold- of firll-sizestationary machines. Thestandshownonpage134
edout of thewayagainstthewallwhenit is not needed. The isdesigned to letyoumountabenchtoptoolat acomfortable
temporarytableillustratedon pagell7 offersyet another workingheight.Thethree-in-one tool tablefeaturedon page
solutionto theconstantconflictbetween spaceandconve- 136cantransforma router,sabersawandelectricdrill into
nience,satisfying boththeneedfor a substantial workingsur- mini-stationary tools.
faceandeaseof storage. Restingon sawhorses,thisplywood Givenaneedandafewpieces ofwood,werywoodworker will
sheettabletopcanbesetupwhenever isrequired, devise
aflatsurface somewayto improvehisor hertools.Theexamples that
thenbedismantled andput awaywhen yourprojectmoveson followaremeresuggestions, forit isimposibletolimittheimag-
to anotherphase. inationwhentheneedarises for improvingtheworlshop.

Thedoor of this storagecabinetfolds downfrom a shop

wall to becomea sturdywork surface.Supportedby solid
lumberlegs,it is an idealwork tablefor light-duty opera-
tionssuchasgluingup and assembling smallcarcases.
For detailson how to built this unit, seepage98.

l1l
 WORKTABLES

{",'or manylightwoodworking chores,

Alnrostas strongas a traditional workbench,this commercial
work table is a versatileworkhorse,especiallywhen paired
with a woodworker'svise.The cabinetand drawersprovide
storagespace,and can be lockedto secLtrevaluobletools.
l" frourrnarkinsout iointsto asseln-
blingpiecesof furniture,a simplework
tablefits thebill aswellasa traditional
woodworker's bench.This sectionfea-
turesseveral tabledesigns.All arequick,
easy, andinexpensive to build.Thetable
shownoppositeis sufficiently largeand
sturdyfor nlostjobsiifspaceisat a pre-
mium, a goodcompromise wouldbe
oneof the fold-upversions shownon
pagesI 15and I 16.Youcanalsoconserve
spaceby incorporating storageshelves,
drawers, or cabinetsin yourdesign.For
assembling carcasesandotherpiecesof
furniture.vou mavfind thelow-to-the-
groundtableon page1l4 handierthan
a standard-height work surface.
Whicheverdesignyou choose,be
carefulof thenailsor screws you useto
constructa table-particularlywhenfas-
teningthe tabletopto the frame.Thke
thetime to countersink or counterbore
screwheadsand setnail headsbelow
thesurfaceto preventthefasteners from
marringyourwork.

Despiteits lightweight,conlpoctdesign,the Black

d* Decker Workntate'- can support loads up to 550
pounds. It okofolds virtually Jlat for easystorage.
A specialpivot designallows the visejaws to be
tmgled,for sectn"ingworkpieceslike the tapered
Iegshown in thephoto.Thisparticular Workmate'''
featuresa storagetray and a top that Jlips up for
verticalclamping.TheWorkntatetMhasa long,
colorfulhistory.By 1968,theprototype,featuring
a patentedfolding H-frante, had beenrejectedby
everymajor tool manufacturerin Britain. Four
yearslater,the inventor of the Workmate'*,
Ron Hickmon, persuadedBlack 6 Deckerin
England to massproducehis invention.Inter-
national distribution rights werenegotiated
thefollowing year.Popularsuccess for the
Worknnte'n' was olntostinmrcdiate:World-
wide salesof the tableare closeto 20
milli on un it s-an d coun ting.

rt2

A LIBRARY-TYPE WORK TABLE
Theall-purpose tableshownbelowis
builtwitha combination of lumber
andplywood. Referto thedimen-
fora work
sionsin the illusiration
surfacethat is 5 feetlong,3 feet
wide,and3 feethigh.
Sawthe legsto lengthfrom4-by-
4 stock,thenprepare themforthe
rails:Cuta two-shoulderedtenonat
thetopendof eachlegwithshoul-
ders3/ainchwide(inset).Next,cut
9ide rail
11/2"x3%"x36"
Leo
3%"x5%"x36"
WORK SURFACES
therails,stretchers,andbraces to
lengthfrom2-by-4s. Sawmitersat
bothendsof thebraces sothatone
endsitsf lushagainst the inside
edgeof the legsandtheotherend
buttsagainst thebottomof therails.
Prepare thefront,back,andside
railsforassembly bybeveling their
endsandcuttingrabbets to accom-
modate thelegtenons(insef). Screw
the stretchersto the rails,spread
glueonthecontacting surfacesof
Tabletop
%"x36"x60"
Front rail
'l
%"x 3%" x 60"
113
the legsandrails,fit the pieces
andscrewtherailsto the
together,
legs.Next,attachthebraces to the
legsandrailswithscrews.
Cutthetabletoo from3Z-inch
plywood andscrewit to the rails.
cuta pieceof %-inchhard-
Finally,
boardto thesamedimensions as
thetopandnailit to the plywood
asa replaceableprotective cover.
Besureto setthenailheadsbelow
thesurface.
Brace
'l%"x 5%"x 12"
 WORKSURFACES

Front and backraila Side rails

11/2"x51/2"x29" 1 1 / 2x" 3 1 / 2 "x ' 1 9 "

. , / % \- -
Erales %
'16"
1 1/2"x 31/2" x
31/2"x31/2"x25"

Building a lowassembly table

Foroperations thatareawkward to
perform ona standard-height table,
usean assembly tableliketheone
shown at left.ldealforjobslikeglu-
ingup carcases, thetablecanbe
builteasily in theshopwitha small
amount of wood.Refer to thedimen-
sionsin the illustration for a work
s u r f a cteh a ti s a b o u t1 2 i n c h e s
l o w etrh a na s t a n d a rt da b l eS. aw
the legsfrom4-by-4stockandthe
railsandbraces from2-by-4s; cut
mitersat theendsof the braces so
theybuttagainst the legsandsit
flushwiththetooof therails.Screw
therailsto thelegs,thenfasten the
braces to the legsandrails(inset).
Next,sawthetabletop from%-inch
plywood; it willoverhang therailsby
about3 inches on all sides.Screw
thetopto therails,countersinking
thefasteners. Cuta replaceable cov-
er fromr/q-inch hardboard andnail
it to thetabletop; setthenailheads
belowthesurface of thecover.

II4
 WORKSURFACES

WORK
STOW.AWAY TABLES

Making andinstalling
a fold-down worktable
Thetableshownaboveincorporates a largeandsturdyworksur- attachthefrontrailsto thesiderails.Adda 45-inch-long top
face,butstill conservesspacebyfoldingup against a wallwhen rearrailandfastentwo l7-inch-longstretchers
between the rear
it is notin use.Thedimensions yielda work
in theillustration railandthetopfrontrailto provideaddedsupportfor thetop.
surface measuring 20 by48 inches. Cutthebracing, legs,rails, Next,screwthetopto the rails,countersinking the fasteners.
andstretchers from2-by-4stockandscrewthe bracingbetween Toallowthetableto folddownwithoutbinding, screwshimsto
thewallstuds(insef); thereshouldbeonebracefor everypairof theendsof the bottomsiderails,thenattachthetableto the
studsalongthetable'slength.Fasten thefrontlegsto theside bracing withbutthinges; usetwohinges foreachoutsidebrace,
railsusingcarriage boltsandlocknuts;placewashers on both Finally,driveaneyeboltintothebottom frontrailanda catch
sidesof the legs.Leave the boltsjustlooseenoughto allowthe intothewallto secure thetablewhenit is foldedup.
legsto pivotwhenthetableis foldedup.Tocomplete theframe,

115
WORKSURFACES

Suppoilinga fold-down
worksurfaceonsawhorses
Rather thanbuildinga framework for a fold-down
worksur-
face,youcanusea panelof %-inchplywood hingedto the
wallandsupported bysawhorses. Thesurfacecanbeof any
size.Beginbysettingthe panelontwosawhorses; oneedge
of thepanelshouldbeflushagainst thewall.Marka point
onthepanelat every wallstud,theninstallbutthinges,
screwing oneleafof eachhingeto a studandtheotherleaf
to thepanelat a pencilmark.Tosecure thepanelwhenit is
foldedup,screwa notched pieceof 2-by-4tothestudclos-
estto themiddleof thepanelat a heightthatwillallowthe
notched endto slipovertheedgeof the panel(inset).

116
WORKSURFACES

Settingupa temporary wolksurface

Consistingof twosawhorses, six2-by-4s
anda plywood panel,the unitshown
aboveis inexpensive andeasyto put
yet it
together, provtdes a largeandsta-
bleworksurface thatcanbesetupand
disassembled quickly.Startbyfitting
the sawhorses withcrosspieces cut from
2-by-6stock,thencut the 2-by-4sto
thesamelengthasthepanel.In three
of theboards, cut a notchabout8 inch-
esfromeachend;thenotches should
beabout2 inchesdeepandaswideas
thethickness of the crosspieces. Cut
matching notches in thetop edgesof
the crosspieces. Centerthe unnotched
edgeof the notchedboardsalongthe
faceof the other2-by-4sandscrew
themtogether to formthreeT-shaped
tabletop supports. Thesawhorse sup-
portscanbe usedto holda largesheet
of plywoodfor ripping,or a permanent
top canbescrewed to the 2-by-4s.

rt7
 SAWHORSES

Q awhorses havecountless usesin the

rJ woodworkingshop,from tablelegs
to tool stands.Occasionally it seems
thattheiroriginalpurpose-to support
boardsfor sawing-is only an after-
thought.It is easyto seewhy sawhorses
areconsidered soversatile,
for theircom-
pactdesignmakesthemespecially use-
ful in shopswith limited floor space.
Somecommercialmodels,liketheonesin
thephotoat right,canbeadjustedto dif-
ferentheightsandfoldedup for easystor-
age.Wth commercialbrackets(.below),
you can slzesawnorses to sult your
needs.The shon-made horsesfeatured
on page119canbe disassembled and
put awayafteruse.
Differentoperationsrequirediffer-
ent-sizedsawhorses. For supporting or asoutfeedsupportsfor a tablesaw This sawhorsefeatures leg extensions
stockfor handsawing or holdinglarge Theyshouldbeabout%inchlowerthan that can be adjusted to a variety of
workpiecesat a comfortableheight, the sawtable.Whateverthedimensions heights.The legsretract into the cross-
smallhorses about18incheshieh are of your sawhorses, nevermakethem piece,making the unit compactand
ideal.Tallersawhorses areneededifthey tallerthantheirlength,astheywill tend portable.A pair of theseslendermetal
areto be usedto holdup a worksurface to be unstable. horsescan supportone ton of material.

MAKING
SAWHORSES
Using commercial sawhorse brackets
A pairof metalsawhorse brackets can
helpyoutransform a coupleof 2-by-4s
and1-by-3s intoa sturdysawhorse, like
theoneshown at right.Sawthelegsand
crosspiece from2-by-4s, thencuta bevel
at the bottomof the legssotheywillsit
flatonthefloor.Fitthelegsintothebot-
tomof thebrackets, insert thecrosspiece
andspread thelegs;thebrackets willgrip
t h ec r o s s p i eacneds t a b i l i zt e
h eh o r s e .
Screw thebrackets to thelegsandcross-
piece.Foraddedstability, addbraces
anda stretcher. Thebraces arecutfrom
1-by-3s andscrewed to the legs,making
surethattheendsareflushwiththeout-
sidefacesof the legs.Forthestretcher,
cuta 1-by-3 to sizeandscrewit between
thebraces.

118
WORKSURFACES

Building a knock-down sawhorse

Withonlya smallamount of lumberand
plywood anda fewminutes' time,you
canmakea sturdy,knock-down sawhorse
liketheoneshownabove. Cutthe legs
from7+inchplywood, thensawa 3-inch-
deepnotchin the middleof thetopof
bothpieces. Next,cut the crosspiece
from1-by-6stockandsawa 1%-inch-
deepslot8 inchesin fromeitherendto
fit intothe legs.Angletheslotsroughly
5ofromtheverticalsothe legsspread
slightlyoutward. Foraddedstability,
screw4-inch-long 1-by-2cleatsto the
crossoiece on eachsideof the slots.

119
 WORK SURFACES

Assembling a frame-and-footsawhorse
Lightweight, compactf rame-and-foot
sawhorses liketheoneshownat leftcan
bebuiltfrom2-by-4stock.Startbycut-
tingthelegsto a suitable height, then
prepare themto jointo theotherpartsof
theunit:Cuttenons at thebottomends,
routthrough mortises halfway up the
faces, andsawl-inch-deep notches in
themiddle of thetopends.Cutthefeet
to lengthand,for addedstability, cut
recesses alongtheirbottomedges, Ieav-
inga 2-inchpadat eachend.Routmor-
tisesthrough themiddleof thefeetfor
thelegtenons.Next,sawthestretcher to
fit between the legsandcuttenons at
bothends.Cutthecrosspiece andsawa
notch4 inches fromeitherendthatwill
fit intothe notchat thetopof the legs.
Toreinforce themortise-and-tenon joints,
sawa pairof kerfsin theendof each
tenonandmakewedges to f it intothe
WEDGED kerts(inset). Tapthewedges in to expand
MORTISE- thetenonwhenthejointis assembled.
A1{D-TENON
JOINT

uu llillllilllllltllllilt lltuillil lll I]llilI]illrfitlilltilltllllllltfitl

9HO?TI?
iltl

?addingsawhorses
To prevenla sawhorsefrom
marrinqyour work,coverils
croeeViecewilh a ebripof old
carpeN.Foldthe caroet over
theNopedqeoflhe cross-
pieceand ocrewit,to the
eidee.Fora smoolherour-
face,usean oldNowel or
blanket,ralherthan a i
.^r^^^ -c i
pieceof car?et.

r20
 WORKSURFACES

Makinga heavy-duty sawhorse

Reinforced braces,
by a stretcher, andsimplejoinery,the theywillsit flatonthefloorandlieflushwiththecrosspiece.
sawhorse shownabovewill endurefor yearsasa sturdywork Thestretcher is a 2-by-4cut to the samelengthasthe cross-
surface.Sawthe crosspieceto lengthfroma2-by-6andcut piece;cuta notchin eachendto lineupwiththe brace,leav-
dadoesin the edgesabout4 inchesfromeitherendto accom- inga lL/z-inchshoulder. Sawthe bracesfrom2-by-6stock,
modatethe legs.Anglethe dadoes roughlyLOofromtheverti- mrteringtheendsto beflushwiththe outsidefacesof the
cal.Next,sawthe 2-by-4legsto lengthandcut 1%-inch-deep legsandsawing a 2-inchdeepnotchin themiddleof thetop
anglednotchesintotheiroutsideedgesto housethe braces. edgeforthestretcher. glueup thesawhorse,
Finally, strength-
Thetopof eachbraceshouldrestabout1% inchesbelowthe eningthe jointsbetween andbraces
the legs,crosspieces,
topsof the legs.Alsocut bevelsat bothendsof the legsso withscrews.

r2r
 WORK SURFACES

Top railo
3/o"x5%"x36"

Corner half-lap joint

(fl
W
half-lap joint.
Hingedcro66brace
3/^"x5%"x16"

a
IW
a\)
3A"x5%"x54"

Building a folding sawhorse

Madeentirely from1-by-6stock,with
a hinged crossbrace
weightsawhorse
andtop,thislight-
foldsflatto storeeasily
l]lllll1
tll]tllltllltlllllltr
fiulll1
filtfit]lllllll1
llllll11
lltlfilJ
iill
in eventhemostcramped workshop. Cut
thelegsandrailsto length. Then,cut 1HO?TI?
notches in thepieces for half-lapjoints.
Seouringworkpieaeo
UseTtypehalf-laps (inset,bottom)to edge-upon sawhorses
jointhelegsto thebottom rails,andcor- Clamphandscrewe ln lhe croee-
nerhalf-laps (inset,top)to jointhetop pieceeof Iwo sawhoreee to eup-
railsto thelegs. Assemble andgluethe port workedqe-upwhena bench
twosections of thehorse, andreinforce viseie not,available.
thejointswithscrews. Whentheglue Toprevenllhehand-
hascured, jointhetwosections at the screwl from pivoNinq,
toprailswitha continuous pianohinge. aecureeachwithlwo
Finally, cutthecrossbrace; besureit C clampeas shown.
Uoeao many

I^
is longenough sowhenthehorselegs
sawhorses and
spread, thepianohingeis recessed handscrews as
between thetop rails.Sawthecross- neededNo ade-
bracein halfandconnect thepieces 6u??ort I
quabe,ly
witha piano hinge, making surethatthe Tne ?ECe, I
hingeis installed sothebrace willpivot
upwards. Then,fasten thecrossbrace to
bothsiderails, again usingpiano hinges.

r22
 WORK SURFACES

Notched wood block

1%"x3%"x4"

Sawhorse panelsupportframe
Whensawing largepanels,proper
supportis needed to keep theendsof theS{ootlengths forthecrosshalf-lapjointsthat
theworkfrombuckling andbindingonthebladeasthecut is holdtheframetogether asshown. Thencuttwo4-inch-long
made,andto stopthecutofffromfallingawayasthecut is fin- blocksfrom2-by-4andsawa two-inch-deep notch,wide
ished.Toaccommodate thesecumbersome jobs,constructthis enough to fit over 7%-by-I%-inch deep notchesin themiddle
4-by-8-footsupport frame,whichis easilyheldin placewith of thecrosspieces of the sawhorses youplanto use. Screw
notched woodblocks.Cuttwo4-footandtwo8-footlengths theblocks to the bottom of the end pieces
and assemble and
of 2-by-4fortheendsandsidesof theframe.Cutdadoes six glueuptheframe.Secure theframeto thesawhorses bymat-
inchesfromtheendsof the4joot lensthsand18 inches from ingthenotches in theblocks withthosein thecrosspieces.

r23
 WORKSURFACES

A VARIABLE.HEIGHT
WORK SURFACE

24"

Buildingthebox
Constructing a boxwithdifferent width,
lengh,andheight dimensions willpro-
videyouwitha worksurface thatcanbe
usedatthreelevels. Thetoosurface of
theboxshownat right,forexample, can
beeither 24,30,or36 inches high.Saw
allthepieces from1-by-4stock,making
eightboards 36 incheslong,eightboards
23tlaincheslong,fourthatare30 inches
long,andfourmore29tl+incheslong.
Usinghalf-lap joints(lnset)assemble
theboards intosixframes: twomeasuring
30 by36 inches, twomeasuring 23Ll+ by
29tlqinches, andtwomore23% by36
inches.Oncetheframes areassembled,
cuta s/e-by-3/e-inchrabbet alongallfour
edges of eachofthesixframes. Usea
lightweightwoodlikepineto makethe
boxeasilyportable. lf youchoose to
reinforcethejoinery at thecorners with
screws,besureto countersink the
screwheads.
II
t
?HO?TI?
A ehop-madeglue raak
A rack madefrom two mef,-
al-brackettyp e eawhoreee
Vrovideoa coinvenienNway
to holdbar clampofor qlu-
inqup panele.To buildlhe
ji6, replaceihe crooepiece
of your sawhorseswilh
oubstitutea thal are at
leaet ao lonqao lhe boards
t'o be6luedt o6ether.Notch
oneed6eof eachcrooopiece
at, 6-inch inlervalo,mAkinq
bhecuts wideenouqhto
holda bar clampenu6ly
and deepenou7hlohold
the barlevelwith the top
of t'he croeepiece.

r24
 WORKSUPPORTS

Q upporlinglongplank andlargepan-
J elsasthevarefedacrossa sawtable
ranksasone of the mostcumbersome
taslsin thewoodworkingshop,Outfeed
tablescanbeattached to mostsaws, but
theytendto takeup a lot offloor space.
Oncesidesupportsareaddedto your
machine,your shopmay becomean
obstacle course.
Commercial rollerstands,liketheone
shownin the photoat right,makebet-
ter useof shopspace;they canalsobe
movedeasilyto wheretheyareneeded
andadjusted to whateverheightis suit-
able. The shop-made standsdescribed
below and orthe following pageshare
theadvantages ofthe store-bought vari- Thereareotherwork-support jigs A commercial rollerstandsupportsa
ety,with the additional benefitof being that
make life in
easier theshop.The vise boardbeingrippedon a radialarm
easyand inexpensive to build. They extension standshownonpage127,for saw.Thestandshouldtypicallybeset
canalsobe dismantled and stored when example,solvestheproblem of keeping l,/t-inchbelowthelevelof thesawtable
not needed. long boardsedge-up in a bench vise. andpositionedtwofeetfrom itsedge.

ROLLER
TW()SHOP.MADE STANDS
Setting upa temporary stand
Withonlya sawhorse, twoC clamps, and
a commercial roller,youcanmakea sim-
plerollerstandliketheoneshown at left.
Makea T-shaped mastfortherollerthat
i s l o n ge n o u gtho h o l di t a t a s u i t a b l e
height. Screw theroller to thehorizontal
partof themast.Adda brace to theside
of thehorse forclamping themastin
place:Cuta I-by-4to spanthelegs
between thesawhorse bracket andthe
original braceandscrewit to thelegs.
Cuta 1-by-2 to spanthetwobraces and
screwit in placeasa vertical guidefor
themast.Tosecure therollerstandto
thesawhorse, clampthemastto the
braces, making sureit isf lushagainst
theguide.

r25
 WORKSURFACES

Buildinganadjustable rollerstand
To buildtherollerstandshown at right,
startbyconstructing theframeforthe
roller,
cutting thefourpieces from1-by-4
stock.Gluetheframetogether withbutt
joints,adding screws to reinforce thecon-
nections.Thenborea holeinthemiddle
of eachsideof theframefor a t/t-inch-
diameter carriage bolt.Locate thehole
3 inches fromthebottomof theframe.
Inserttheboltsfromtheinside of the
frameandscrew therollerto thetoo.As
/^ rnaaniera
wellasthecommercial rollershown, two 3/+"x51/z"x19"
variations thatpermityouto feedthe
workpiece fromanydirection areshown
below. Cuttheremaining pieces of the
standfrom1-by-6stock,referring to the
dimensions provided,thenroutar/q-inch-
wideslotdownthe middleof thetwo
uprights; theslotshouldbeabout14
incheslong.Screw thecrosspiece to the
uprights,aligning thetopof thepiece
withthe bottomof theslot.Fasten the
uprightsandrailsto thefeet.Toguide
therollerframe, nail1-by-1 cleats to the
uprightsaboull/qinchin fromtheedges.
Tosetupthestand,position theroller
framebetween theuprights, fittingthe
carriageboltsintotheslots.Slipwashers
ontheboltsandtightenthewingnutsto
settheheishtof theroller.

Plate-mounted aaatere

t26
 WORKSURFACES

STAND
A VISEEXTENSIOI{

Making andusingthestand
Alsoknownasa benchslave,a viseextension standis usedto otherfoot.Gluethetwofeettogether. Oncetheadhesive is dry,
support the freeend of a long board clamped in the shoulder screw the upright to the feet.Cut the support pieceand swivel
viseof a workbench, Referto thedimensions in the illustration bars,anglingthetopof thesupportpieceabout10" (inset).To
for a stand that workswell with most workbenches. jointhesupport pieceto theswivelbars,boreholesfor %-inch-
To build the stand,cut the uprightto length and, starting5 diameter dowels throughthe pieceandnearthe endsof the
inches from the bottom, saw angled notches at2L/z-inch inler- bars, and slipthe dowels intotheholes; gluethemin place.To
valsalong its Cut
length. the notches about 1 inch long and r/z use the stand, insert the dowel at the top endof the swivelbars
inchwide. Then saw the feet to length and cut recesses along in the appropriate slot in the uprightfor the heightyouneed
theirbottom edges.Join the feet with a cross lap joint:Cut a and propyour workpiece on thesupport piece.
lap in thetop edgeof onefootandin the bottomedgeof the

t27
 WORKSURFACES

LARGE
CUTTING (lNTHEBAND
PANELS SAW

Making andusingthejig
Formaking circularcutsoutof largepanels onthebandsaw,use sinkthefasteners. settingupthejig, markthecenterand
Before
a jig liketheoneshown above. Buildthejigfrom3/q-inch
plywood, circumference of thecircleontheworkpiece. Thencut fromthe
cuttingthepieces sothetopof thejig is levelwiththesawtable edgeof thepieceto themarked circumferenceandbackto the
whenthefeetarescrewed or clamped to a worktable.Before edge,creating a startingpointforthecircularcut,Nowsetupthe
assembling thejig, drivea IV+-inch-longscrewasa pivotpoint jig:Attachit to a tableandplacetheworkpiece onthejig sothe
through thecenterof thetoppiecesothetip of thescrewpro- marked centerof thecirclecontacts thepivotpoint.Position
the
jectsfromthesurfacebyaboutVzinch(inset).Thenscrewthe tablesothebladebuttsagainst themarked circleandthe pivot
topandfeetto thesidesof thejig, andattachthetriangular- pointisaligned withthecenter of thebladeandthemachine's
shaped supportbrackets to thetopandsides;besureto counter- centerline.Cutthecirclebyrotating theworkpiece intotheblade.

t28
 EXTENSIONTABLES

Q tationarymachines liketablesaws,
J bandsaws,anddrill presses come
fromthemanufacturer equipped with
tablesthatareadequate for mostrou-
tine ooerations. But therearesome
tasls-crosscutting longplanlsor pan-
elson thetablesaw,performing long
cutson thebandsaw,andsmoothing
largepieces witha sanding drumonthe
drill press-thatcanbe awkwardor
evendangerous to attemptwithout
extending thesizeof themachine's table.
Often,thesolutioncreates a newprob-
lem,however, because increasing the
sizeof a stationarymachine with aper-
manentadditioncancrowdeventhe
roomiestworkshop.
Thefollowingpages illustrateavari-
ety of devicesfor extendingthework
areaof woodworking machines. Al-
thougheasyto build anduse,eachjig
isdesigned to beremoved or foldedout
of theway.
An extensiontablegreatlysimpli-
fiesthetaskof crosscuttingwide
panelson thetablesaw.Thiscom-
mercialmodelmorethan doubles
1HO?TI? thesawtable'ssurfacearea.It also
featuresa speciallydesignedrip
Double-dutyworkNable fencethat canbemovedto any
To qet maximumueefrom positionacrossthetable.
lhe worktablein your ohop,
buildit oo the too ie althe
oame heiqht,or eli7hr,lylower
than lhe levelof your table
oaw.lnadditrion bo beinq
a handyworkeufiace
tor light jobo,the
lable can butt
againotthe
saw lable to
eervea5 an
outfeedoup'
port.lf neaee'
oary,modify
the iableto
male liqhtly with you?eaw
by cutlinq a nolch in the
top to clearthe blade7uard
or' oth er obsl,r ucIi ons.

r29
 WORKSURFACES
EXTENSION
TABTES
Buildinganextensiontablefora radialarmsaw
Madeentirelyfrom2-by-4and 1-by-3stock,the extension
tableshownabovecanbe attached to theoutfeed or infeed
endsof a radialarmsawtable.Using2-by-4s, cut the legs,
rails,andstretchersto suitthedimensions of yoursaw,mak-
ingthe lengthof the legsequalto the distancebetween the
topof thesawtableandtheshopfloor,lessthethickness of
the stretchers.
Attachthe railstretcherssothattheirtopsare
flushwiththe rail'stopedges. Attachthe legstretchers to
the legs,thenscrewthe legsto the insideedgesof therails.
Makecertaintheoutsiderailstretcher is buttedagainst the
topsof the legs.Cutthe bracesfrom 1-by-3sto reachfrom
the bottomof thesecondrailstretcher to the insideedgesof
130
the legs,Miterthe endsof the bracesandscrewthemin
place.Tofastentheextension tableto thesawtableshown,
cut twowoodstripsandscrewoneendof eachpieceto the
underside of the insiderailstretcher,Settheextension table
flushagainst thesawtableandfastentheotherendof the
stripsto the underside of thetable,usingshimsor spacers
asneeded. lf youpreferto spanthetable'srailswithrollers
(inset),ratherthanwoodstretchers, cut the rail stretchers
longenoughto fastenthemto the bottomedgeof the rails.
Thenscrewcommercial rollersto the topsof the stretchers,
placingshimsunderthe rollers,if necessary, to setthemlev-
el withthetooof thesawtable.
 WORK SURFACES

outfitting a tablesawwitha fold-down outfeed table

A h a n d ye x t e n s i otno y o u rs a wt a b l ef o r c u t t i n gl o n gs t o c k t, h e
s h o p - m a dj ei g s h o w na b o v es w i n g sd o w no u t o f t h e w a yw h e n
i t i s n o t n e e d e dS . t a r tb y c u t t i n gt h e t o p , s i d e s ,a n d s u p p o r t
b r a c k e t fsr o m% - i n c hp l y w o o ds, i z i n gt h e p i e c e st o s u i t y o u r
needs.Thensawthe bracesandcleatfrom 1-by-2stock,adding
an anglednotchat the bottomend of both braces.Screwthe
sidesto the top, countersinking the fasteners. Next,get readyto
a t t a c ht h e l i g t o t h e s a wh o u s i n gF. i r s ta, t t a c ha n a n g l ei r o nt o
e a c hs i d eo f b o t hs u p p o r bt r a c k e t sT.h e n ,h a v ea h e l p e rh o l d
t h e t o p a g a i n stth e s a wt a b l e ,m a k i n gs u r et h e t w os u r f a c easr e
l e v e l l; e a v ea s l i g h tg a pb e t w e e tnh e t o p a n ds a wt a b l es o t h e bracesto the sideswith boltsspacedabout8 inchesfrom
l i g w i l lf o l dd o w nw i t h o ulta m m i n ga g a i n st th et a b l e .N o wd e t e r - t h e b r a c k ebt o l t s .L e a v ea l l t h e b o l t sl o o s ee n o u g hf o r t h e
minethe position of the supportbrackets by buttingeachagainst s i d e sa n d b r a c e st o p i v o t T. h e n ,h o l d i n gt h e j i g l e v e al gain,
t h e i n s i d ef a c eo f a s i d ep i e c eM . a r kt h e h o l e si n t h ea n g l ei r o n s s w i n gt h e b r a c e tso w a r dt h e s a wh o u s i n gM . a r kt h e p o i n t s
o n t h e s a wh o u s i n gD . r i l la h o l ef o r a m a c h i n es c r e wa t e a c h w h e r et h e b r a c e sc o n t a ctth e h o u s i n g a n ds c r e wa c l e a tt o
m a r ka n df a s t e nt h e a n g l ei r o n st o t h e h o u s i n gR. e p o s i t i ot h ne t h e h o u s i n gs o t h e c l e a t ' st o p s u r f a c ea l i g n sw i t h t h e t w o
jig againstthe sawtableand boreholesfor a carriage boltthrough points.To setthe jig in position,restthe braceson the cleat.
the sidesandsuooortbrackets. Usewashers underthe nutsand To fold the tabledown(insef),raisethe top slightly,move
b o l t h e a d sa, n d b e t w e e n t h e s i d e sa n d b r a c k e t sA. t t a c ht h e t h e b r a c e so f f t h e c l e a ta n ds w i n gt h e j i g d o w n .

131
 WORK SURFACES

Building anextension tablefora bandsaw

A na u x i l i a b r ya n ds a wt a b l ew i l l s i g n i f i c a ni n
t lcyr e a st hee accessory ripfence.) Depending ontheposition of thethread-
m a c h i n ev' se r s a t i l i tTyh. ee x t e n s i ot anb l es h o w n a b o v ei s ed holesonyoursawtable,youmayhaveto posrtion thetop
e s p e c i a lhl ya n d yf o r c u t t i n gl o n go r w i d ep i e c e sU. s i n g7 a - of thecleats closer than3/tinchto themachine tabletop. ln
i n c hp l y w o o d cu, t t h et o po f t h ej i g t o a s u i t a b ldei a m e t e r . thatcaseyouwillhaveto routgrooves forthecleatsonthe
Cutoutthecenter andtheedgeto fit thetoparound thesaw u n d e r s i doef t h et o pt o a l l o wt h et a b l e t otpo s i t f l u s hw i t h
tableandthroatcolumn. Sawa 1%-inch-wide channel between the machine's table(inset,left).Markthe holelocations
thecutouts sothetopcanbe installed withoutremoving the onthecleats,borea holeat eachspot,andfastenthecleats
blade.Next,prepare twocleats thatwillbeusedto attach the to thesawtablewiththescrews provided fortherip fence.
sawtableto thejig top.Forthese,two1-by-3s shouldbecuta Thenplacethetabletop onthecleatsandscrewit in place
fewinches longer thanthesawtable.Thenposition eachone (inset, right);besureto countersink thescrews. Thetopshould
in turnagainst thesideof thesawtablewiththreaded holes, sit levelwiththesawtable. Youmayneedto cutclearance notch-
sothattheyare3/qinchbelowthetablesurface, withat least essothatyoucanreach themachine screws oncethejig is
t/qinchof stockabove the holes. (Makesureyourmachine completed. Toremove thejig, loosen onlythemachine screws,
hastheseholes; mostbandsawshavethemformounting an leaving thecleatsattached to thetop permanently.

t32
 WORK SURFACES

Fittinga drillpresswithanextension table

t r i l lp r e s s ewsi l ln o ta d e -
T h es m a l l t a b ltey p i c aol f m o s d install a bit in thechuckandmeasure thedistancefromthe
quately support manylargeworkpieces. A customized exten- column to thebit.Prepare to installthe jig onthedrillpress
sion table for the tool will enable you to keep a workpiece tablebycuttingtworecesses alongits backedge,leaving a
rectangular "ear"thatprotrudes behindthebackhole.Then
levelasyoufeedit intoanaccessory likea sanding drum
(above). Startbycuttinga pieceof 7+-inchplywood intoa borea holethrough theearfora Vq-inch-diameter carriage
square with dimensions that suit your needs. Then mark a bolt.Next,sawthejig in twoalongthecenterline andcut
linedownthe middle of the piece and draw two circles cen- outthetwocircles. Youmayneedto makeothercutsto clear
teredon theline.Locate oneabout4 inches fromthe back protrusions onyourparticular drillpress. 0n themodelshown,
edge,sizing it to fit snugly around the drill press column. a notchwasneeded forthetableheightadjustment rack.
Locate thesecond hole under the chuck; make its diameter Finally, screwa butthingeto thefrontedgeof thejig to join
r/z
about inch greater than the largest accessory you planto thetwohalves together (inset). Thecarriage boltandwing
insertintothechuck. To help you pinpoint the center of hole, t h et a b l ei n p l a c e .
n u tw i l lc l a m p

t33
 TOOL STANDSANDTABLES
stand or table can transforma
portablepowertool into a reason-
ablefacsimileof a full-sizestationary
machine.Whattheyconcede in power
to theirlargercousins,
bench-mounted
toolscompensate with portability,ease
of storage,andlowerprice.
There are commercialstandsfor
benchtoptools,but you caneasilybuild
a standliketheoneshownbelow.Storase
shelvesanddrawerscanbeaddedto cui-
tomizethe basicdesign.Thereis one
requirement, however:
Ensurethestand's
surfaceareais largeenoughfor your
needsand that it supportsthe tool at a
comfortable height.Theextension router
tableshownoppositenot only converts
a routerinto a mini-shaper, but canbe
easilyremoved whenit ii not needed, A
moreelaborate, but versatileoption is
illustratedon page136.Thethree-in-one
portable power tool table features
replaceable insertsfor a router,anelectric
drill, and a sabersaw.
Because of its centralrole in wood-
working,the routermeritsa dedicated
tablein most shops.The shop-built
benchtopversionillustratedon page139
allowsyou to takeadvantage of this tool's
greatversatility.

HeId upsidedown in q commercialtable, a router becomesa

stationary tool. Here, it is cutting a groovefor a sliding dovetail
joint. Many woodworkersconsiderthe router table to be the
singlemost important accessory you can add to your tool.

SUPPORTS
F()RPORTABTE
POWER
TOOLS
Building a benchtop toolstand
Thestandshownat rightis constructed
from4-by-4and2-by-4lumberandply-
wood.Sawthe legsfrom4-by-4s andthe
railsfrom2-by-4s, sizingthepiecesto
suityourneeds. Notchthelegsat thetop
and6 inchesdownfromthetopto fit Toprail
therails,thencutmatching rabbets
at the
endsof all therails(inset). Glueupthe
legsandrails,adding countersunk
screws
to reinforce thejoints.Cutthetopfrom
3/o-inch plywood. lf youplanto placea
tablesawon thestand,sawa square
holeoutof thecenter of
thetopasshown to allow
sawdust to fallthrough;
place a boxunderneath to
catchthewaste. Finally,
screw thetopto thelegs
a n dr a i l sa, g a i nc o u n -
tersinking thefasteners.
Whenusinga toolon
thestand, secure rttothe
topwithscrews orclamps.

134
 WORK SURFACES

Making andmounting a removable router table

Attached to a workbench or table,theextension tableshown tabletop. Remove thesub-base andturnyourattention to
above serves asa compact router tablethatcan stored be when thetabletop. Useyourrouter to plowa 7a-inch-deep recess
it is notneeded. Sizethe parts according to your needs. Start withinthepencil outline of thesub-base. Then,usingthepilot
t h et o pf r o m3 / a - i n cphl y w o o ad n, dt h er a i l sa n d
b yc u t t i n g holeasa center andyourrouter asa template, cuta round
braces from2-by-4 stock. Sawtherails6 inches longer than holethrough thetabletop thesizeof yourrouter's standard
thewidthof thetopsotheyextend under thetopandcanbe base, Thetabletop is nowready. In thesub-base, drilla hole
fastened to theunderside of thebenchusingnutsandhanger in thecenter thatis slightly larger thanyourlargest router bit,
bolts.Thehinged braces should belongenough to reach from andscrew thebaseto therouter, usingcountersunk machine
theunderside of therailsto a legrailonthebench. Cuta bevel screws. Laythesub-base in thetablerecess andscrewit
at thetopendof thebraces andanangled notchat thebottom down,countersinking thewood screws. All surfaces should
end.Therouter is attached to thetopwitha square sub-base be flush.Fora fence, cut two pieces of 3/rinch plywood and
madeof l/q-inch clearacrylic. Several stepsarenecessary to fit screw themtogether in an L shape. Saw a notchout of the
thebaseto thetabletop andthento therouter. First,laythe fence's bottom edgeto accommodate yourlargest btt,then
s q u a rseu b - b a si net h ec e n t eor f t h et a b l ec, l a m pi t i n p l a c e , screw onfourfencesupports foradded Attach
stability. a
andmarkitsedges witha pencil. Markthecenter of thesub- clearsemicircular plastic guard with a hinge io allow it io be
baseanddrillapilotholecompletelythrough thebaseandthe raised outof the way (inset).The fence is clamped in place.

135
 WORK SURFACES

PORTABTE POWER TOOI TABLE drill,therouter,

Easyandinexpensive to build,thever-
satiletableshownbelowallows youto
convert threedifferentportable power
toolsintostationarvtools:theelectric
andthesabersaw.
Thetablefeatures a soacioustable-
top,an adjustablefence,a storage
shelf,anda conveniently located
On/offswitch.
Thetabletoo includes
a rectangular
cutoutto accepta cus-
tom-made insertforeachof thethree
powertools.
Use3Z-inchplywood forthetable-
top,theshelf,thecleats,the inserts

Eottom rail

CUTflNG LIST
- Tabletop:'1"x 25" x 40"
- Lega(4): 1%"x 31/z " x 30"
Le4 - Suppott bracketa (6):1/+ " x 9" x 9"
- Front and back rails (4):5/o"x 2'/2"x 40"
- 1lde raila (4): 5A"x 2 %"x 25"
- thelfr "/o"x 25" x 33"
- Cleats (2): %" x 3" x I %"
- Cleate (2): %" x 5" x 16"
- Inserte (3): 3A"x 121/2"x 14%"

r36

andthe fence;14-inch plywood for
thesupport brackets; and solidlum-
berfor the otherparts(2-by-4sfor
the legsand 1-by-3s fortherails).
Referto the cuttinglist for suggested
dimensions.
Startbuilding thetableby prepar-
ingthetabletop thetoolinserts.
for
Cuta rectangular holeoutof itscenter
the samesizeasthe inserts. Then
WORK SURFACES
screwthecleatsto the underside of
thetop,forming a ledgeto whichthe
insertscanbefastened(below).
Before assemblingthetable,routa %-
inch-deep dadoacrossthetableabout
12 inches fromthe left-hand endto
accommodate a mitergauge. Then
screwthe partsof thetabletogether.
Uselapjointsforthetoprails(placed
flat),thenscrewthisframeontothe
t37
topof the legs.Screwthebottomrails
(placed on edge)to the legs,then
attachtheshelf.Youcaneithercoun-
tersinkthefasteners or counterbore
theholes, andthenconceal thescrew
heads withwoodplugs.
Next,sawthethreetoolinserts, siz-
ingthemto f it precisely
in theholein
thetabletop, Preparetherouterinsert
asyouwouldthetopof theremovable
 WORKSURFACES

routertableshownon page135.To
mountthe insertin the table,set
it in placeon the cleatsandbore
a holethroughthe insertandthe
cleatsat eachcorner;the holes
shouldbecountersunk. Screwthe
insertto the cleats.
Fortheelectric drillinsert,bore
a holethroughthe centerof the
insertthat isslightlywiderthanthe
largestaccessory youplanto use.
Thenscrewa commercial drillguide
to the underside of the insertsothe
drillchuckwill becentered in the
hole.(Youmayneedto drillholes
through thebaseof thedrillguide
to fastenit in place.)Thebit or
accessory in thedrillchuckshould
protrude fromthetop of the insert
withoutthe chuckbeingvisible.
Placewooden washers underthe
guiderodsof the drillguideto

adjusttheheightof thedrill,if nec-

essary@bovel
Forthesabersawinsert,position
thetool'sbaseplatesothe blade
willbein thecenter. Makea plunge
cut to pass the bladethroughthe
insert,thenscrewthe saw'sbase
plateto the insert(left).lt thereare
fewerthanfourscrewholesin the
baseplate,drilladditional holes.
Mountthe drillandsabersaw
insertsto thecleatsasyouwould
the routerinsert.
Makethefencethesamewayyou
wouldfor the routertableon page
135,andattachit in thedesired
position withclamps,

138
 WORK SURFACES

Buildinga benchtop router table

Thebenchtoo tableshown above isa full-size router tablewith
mostof thefeatures of themanufactured version, including
a pivotrng,quickly adjustable fence.Beginbycutting thetop
from%-inchplywood, sizedto suityourneeds; thetableillus-
tratedmeasures 24 by36 inches. Thefourtoprailsshould
nextbecutfrom1-by-2stockandscrewed in place(counter-
srnkingallscrews, hereandin futuresteps), andtheentiretop
should be covered with a piece of l/q-inch plastic laminate,
chamfered at the edges. Turn the table over so you canscrew
supports around the inside edges and attach the legs to the
railsand top. The supports, legs, and feet can be constructed Through thebaseof theL, drilla holefora t/q-inch
carrtage
of %-inchplywood; thefinaldimensions willbedetermined by boltaboutsixinches fromoneend.Nowcenter thefence
thesizeof your table. Make sure the legs are at least long about6 inches fromtherearof thetop,marktheposition
enough to furnish ampleroomforyourrouter. Toprepare the of thehole,anddrillforthecarriage bolt,Slipa boltthrough
tabletop for the router, drilla hole about 8 inches from the thehole;usingthatasa pivot,swingtherightendof the
frontcenter; makeit slightly larger thanyourlargest routerbit. fenceforward. Whenthefencereaches theholeyoucutfor
Ontheunderside of the top, center the router over the holeand therouterbit,markthehole'sposition onthefence.Thatis
traceitsoutline. Use the router to plow a %-inch recess within where youwillcuta clearance notchto accommodate your
theoutlineto accommodate your router base plate (or,make an largest routerbit.Makea guardthatis hinged soitwillswing
acrylicsub-base and mount it as shown on page 137). Mark the outof thewayliketheoneshown on page136.Screw your
locationof thebaseplatescrewholes, drillcounterbore holes, router to thetopandassemble thefencebyinserting thecar-
you
and willbeready to fasten the router in place. Next, con- riageboltfromthebottom, usingwashers andwingnutsto
structthefence(about6 incheslonger thanthetop)outof two tightenit. Adjustthefenceforanywidthof workbyptvoting
piecesof 1-by-3stockscrewed together in theformof an L. it intoplaceandsecuringthe freeendwitha C clamp.

r39

A.B-C
Bench dog: A round or squarepeg
of metal or wood that fits into a hole
in a workbench to grip and hold a
workpiecein place.
Bevel cut: A cut at an anglefrom
faceto facealong the length or width
of a workpiece.
Box joint: Identical interlocking
fingersthat meshto form
a cornerjoint.
Butt joinery: A method of joining
wood in which the end or edgeof
one board is setsquarelyagainst
the faceor edgeofanother.
Carcase:A box-like construction
that constitutesthe body of a piece
of furniture.
Cheek The faceof the projecting
tenon in a mortise-and-tenonjoint.
Circuit: Continuous path for electri-
cal current; from the main service
panel in a houseor garage,a branch
circuit runs to a seriesof outlets,
wall switches,and light fixtures, and
returns to the panel.
Counterbore: To drill a hole that
permits the head of a screwor bolt
to sit below a wood surfaceso it can
be concealedby a wood plug.
GLOSSARY
Countersink: To drill a hole so that
the headof a screwor bolt will lie
flush with or slightly below the sur-
faceof a workpiece.
Crosscut A sawcut acrossthe wood
grain of a workpiece.
D-E-F
Dado: A rectangularchannelcut
into a workpiece.
DecibehThe standardmeasuring
unit of sound intensity; the decibel
(db) scaleextendsfrom 0 to about
130,with 0 representingbarely
perceptiblesoundsand 130delin-
eating the averagepain level.
Dedicated circuifi An electricalcir-
cuit to which only one tool or fixture
is connected.
Dovetail joinery: A method of
joining wood at cornersby means
of interlocking pins and tails; the
name is derived from the distinc-
tive shapecut into the endsof
the joining boards.
Dowek A wood pin usedto rein-
force certaintypes of wood joints.
End cap:A pieceofwood that covers
eachend of the top slab of a work-
bench; bolted to the slab and glued
to the aprons by meansof dovetail
or finger joints.
Facegluing: Bonding several
boardstogetherface-to-faceto
form a thicker workpiece.
140
Facejointing: Using a jointer to
cut shavingsfrom the faceofa
workpieceuntil it is flat and square
with the edge.
Faceviss A vise that holds work
againstthe front apron of a work-
bench.
Featherboard:A pieceofwood cut
with thin fingersor "feathers"at one
end;usedin conjunctionwith clamps
to hold a workpiecesecureagainst
the fenceor table of a power tool.
Fence:An adjustableguide designed
to keep the edgeor faceof a work-
piece a fixed distancefrom the cut-
ting edgeof a tool.
Furring strip: A thin board that is
nailed to a wall or ceiling to provide
a flat or levelsurfacefor securing
drywall or paneling.
G-H-r-J
Ground-fault circuit interrupter
(GFCI): A tFpeof electricaloutlet
that trips instantly when it detects
a short-circuit leak in current.
Hanger bolt A bolt with no head;
one end of the bolt has screw
threadswhile the other end fea-
tures machinethreads.
Inlay: A decorativestrip of metal,
hardwood, or marquetry that is glued
in a groovecut into a workpiece.
Joist:A horizontal support for
a floor.

K-L
Kerf: A cut made in wood bythe
thicknessof a sawblade.
Kerf splitter: A metal device that
holds a kerf slightly open during a
sawcut to preventthe blade from
binding.
Kickback The tendency of a work-
pieceto be thrown back in the direc-
tion of the operator of a power tool.
Knockdown fitting: A piece of
hardware that acceptsa screw or
bolt, allowing the quick assembly
and disassemblyof a workbench
or other furniture.
Lap joint A typ" ofjoint in which
matching dadoesor rabbetsoverlap
to connecttwo boards.
Lead anchor: A type of fitting that
is insertedinto a hole in concrete
or masonry; expandsto hold a screw
or bolt securely.
Legvise: A visethat securesstock
to the front left-hand leg of a work-
bench.
M-N-O-P-Q-R-S
Miter cut A cut that anglesacross
the faceof a workpiece.
Mortise: A rectangular,round,
or oval-shapedhole cut into a piece
ofwood.
GLOSSARY
Mortise-and-tenon: A joint in
which a projecting tenon on one
board fits into a mortise on another.
Push block or stick A device used
to feed a workpiece into the blade,
cutterhead,or bit ofa tool to protect
the operator'sfingers.
Rabbet A step-likecut in the edge
or end of a workpiece;usuallyforms
part of a joint.
RaiL A board running along the
bottom edgeof a tabletopto which
the legsofa table can be attached.
Service entrance: A box contain-
ing circuit breakersor fuses,from
which power is distributed to house
branch circuits.
Shoulder: In a mortise-and-tenon
joint, the part of the tenon that is
perpendicularto the cheek.
Shouldervisq A fixed type offace
vise with a jaw that moYesto clamp
a workpiece againstthe front apron
ofa workbench.
Sliding dogbloclc A wood block,
part of the tail vise of a workbench,
that appliesthe clamping faceto hold
a workpiecebetweenthe bench dogs.
Static pressurs A measureof the
friction encounteredby air asit
movesthrough a duct; often
expressedin inchesper foot.
t4r
Stretcher:A board running between
the legsof a workbench to provide
additional support.
Stud: A vertical member forming
walls and supporting the framework
of a building.
T.U-V-W-X-Y-Z
Tirilvise: A screw-typevise on the
right-hand end of a workbench
incorporatinga sliding dog block
to securestock on the top surface
ofthe bench.
Tenon:A protrusion from the end
of a board that fits into a mortise.
Truing: Squaringthe end of a blade
or the working surfaceof a grinder
wheel so that it conforms to its orig-
inal shape.
Trussrod: A type of threadedmetal
rod usedto reinforce the legsand
stretchersof a workbench.
Wheel dresser:A star-wheelor dia-
mond-point deviceusedto true the
working surfaceof a grinding wheel
and exposefresh abrasiveparticles.
 INDEX
Pagereferencesin ltalicsindicate Circular saws: Garages:
an illustration of subjectmatter. BIades Workshop layo:ut,36,40
Pagereferencesin bold indicate circular sawbladecarriers(Shop Generators, 71,74-75
a Build It Yourselfproject. Tip), 102 GIueracks:
storage,102 Shop-made glueracks(ShopTip), 124
ABC Clamps: Ground-fault circuit interrupters
Air compressors,69, 70, 72, 73 Storage,LO5,106,107 (GFCIs),17
Air-powered tooIs, 68,72-73 Storinghandscrews(ShopTip), 107 Handsaws:
Attics: Collins,Martha, 8-9 Storage,100,101
Workshop layout, 38 Compressed-airtools. SeeAir-powered Hand tools,/ront endpaper
Axtell, Peter,6-7 tools Safetyprecautions,14
Band saws: Hearingprotection, .18,19
Curved cuts DE Heatingsystems,45
circle-cuttingsupportjigs, 128 Doors: Hickman,Ron,47,112
Dust collectionsystems,82, 85 Opened-doorsignals High-volume,low-pressure (HVLP)
Extensiontables,111,132 safeattention getters(ShopTip), 37 spraysystems,70
,.
Workshop IayouI-,j2, 38 Dowel racks,90 Jlgs:
Bar clamps: Drill presses: Band saws
Shop-madeglueracks(ShopTip), 12a Extensiontables,.133 circular cuts, 128
Storage,106, 107 Workshop layout, 33 Benchdog holes,54
storing clampsin a garbagecan Drills: Benchgrinders
(ShopTip), 106 Nr-powered,,72 gouge-sharpening jigs,77
Basements: SeealsoElectricdrills Vises
Workshoplayout,39 Dust collectionsystems,69, 70, 78-81 steppedblocksto preventracking, 6.1
Bench dogs,62-63 Dust hoods,82-84 Workbenches
Carving dogs,64 adaptingstandardsheetmetal ducts benchstops,61,65-67
Edgedogs,63 asdusthoods(ShopTip), 83 carving dogs,64
Holes,54,54 Electricalsweepsfor right-anglejoints edgedogs,63
Benchgrinders,71,76 (ShopTip), 81 woodeninsertsfor metal-jawed
Gouge-sharpe ning jrgs,77 Portable,85,87 vises,60
Workshop layout, 34 shopvacuums,71,85,87 Iointer/planers:
Benchslaves.122 Shop-madeblastgates(ShopTip), 84 Workshop layout, 33
Black& DeckerWorkmater",47,112 Vacuumscreeningramps(ShopTip),86 Iointers:
Build It Yourself: Electricalsystems: Pushblocks.2l
Benchgrinders Electricalshock,27 Workshop layout, 33, 38
gouge-sharpening jigs,77 Portablegenerators,71, 74-75
Safetyequipment Powercord covers(ShopTip),42 KLMNO
featherboards, 22 Powertool ratings,75 Lathes:
pushsticks,20-21 Safetyprecautions, IZ Workshop layout, 33
Shoplayout Shoplayout,41-42,44 Lee,Leonard,l0-ll
shop dollies,37 Electricdrills: Lighting:
Storage Tables,136-138 Bench-doglamp support(Shop
fold-down workbenchand tool Emergencyprocedures: Tip), a3
cabinet,98-99,I10 Fire,16 ShopLayout,43
handsawholders,101 SeealsoFirst aid; Safetyprecautions Lumber:
lumber-and-plywoodracks,91 Extensioncords,l7 Sizes,backendpaper
mobile clamp racks,105 Lumber racks,94 9l
scrapboxes,109 FGHII Adjustable,92-9j
shelvesfor clamps,106 Fasteners: Anchoring lumber racksin concrete
tool cabinets,95 Anchoring lumber racksin concrete (ShopTip), 93
tool cupboards,96 (ShopTip), 93 Multitesters,T0
Workbenches Storage,108,109 Nail guns:
benchdog holes,54 Featherboards, 22 Air-powered,73
edgedogs,63 Finishes: Outfeedtables,125,I 29-I 33
slidingbenchstops,6l Safetyprecautions,14,15
Work surfaces Fire,13,16 PQR
Iibrary-typework tables,113 Fire extinguishers,16 Pipeclamps:
portablepowertool tables,136-138 Fftstaid.23-27 Storage,106, 107
Carving dogs,64 Eyes,24 storing clampsin a garbagecan
Shock,26 (ShopTip), 106
electrical,27 Planers:
Wounds,25-26 Dust hoods.82

t42
Plywood: Stackingsawhorses (ShopTip), lI9 Positive-pressureventilation, 86
Storageracks,91 Scrapboxes, 109 SeealsoDust collectionsystems
Powertools: Scrollsaws: Vises:
Hanging portablepower tools from Workshop layott,34 Extensionslands,127
the wall (ShopTip), l0.l Shapers: Workbenches,56
Multipurpose, 30 Workshop layout, 33 facevises,56, 58-59,60, 61
Safetyprecautions,14 Shopdollies,37 quick-switchvises(ShopTip), 60
disablinga power tool (Shop ShopTips: tail vises,56-57,60, 62
Tip), 14 Dust collectionsystems,81,83,84, woodeninsertsfor metal iaws,60
featherboards,22 86,87
noiselevels,-19 Safetyprecautions,14 WXYZ
pushsticks,20-21 Storagesystems,93, 101,102,104,106, Wheeldressers,71,76
Wattageratings,75 107,108 Wide panels:
Workshop placement,30 Workbenches,60, 64 Circle-cuttingsupportjigs, 128
spaceand light requirements,32-34 Workshop layout, 37, 42, 43,44 Support frames,123
SeealsoLir-poweredtools Work surfaces, 117,119,120,722,124, Tablesaws,129
Protectiveclothing, 13, 18-19 129 Wood:
Pushsticks,20-21 Shopvacuums,71,85 Toxic effects,backendpaper,13, 15
Radialarm saws: Panty-hoseshopvacuumfilters (Shop SeealsoLumber
Dust hoods,82 Tip),87 Workbenches,10-ll, 46-49
Extensiontables,130 Smokedetectors,l6 Bases,50-52
Workshop Iayout,j2 Solvents,15 Benchhooks,66, 67
Respirators, 18,19 Sprayguns: Benchstops,65-67
Roller stands,125-126 Ait-powered,72 sliding benchstops,61
Routers: Storagesystems,8-9, 89 Black& DeckerWorkmater',4T,112
Air-powered,73 Flammableproducts,89 Carvingscrews(ShopTip),64
Tables,134,136-137,139 Tool chests,88 Fold-downworkbenchand tool
dust hoods,83 TooIs,94-95,96, 97, 103-104 cabinet,98-99, 110
removablerouter tables,135 clampracks,105,106 Hold-downs,65
workshop layout, 32 fold-down workbenchand tool Tops,43-55
cabinet,98-99, 110 Vises,56
STUV handsawracks,104 101 facevises,56, 58-59,60,61
Sabersaws: hangingportablepower tools from tail vises,56-57,60, 62
Tables,f36-f38 the wall (ShopTip), JOI woodeninsertsfor metal jaws,60
Safetyprecautions,13 magnetictool racks(ShopTip), 104 Workshop layo:ut,j4
Anti-fatigue mats,44 SeealsoLtmber racks SeealsoBenchdogs
Compressed air, 73 Tables,lll,112 Workshop layout,29-31
Door-openedsignals Assemblyand finishing tables,34 Dust collectionsystems,78
safeattention-getters(ShopTip), 37 Extension tables,129-133 Electricalsystems,41-42,44
Electricalsystems,12 double-dutywork tables(Shop Floorc,44
Finishes,14,l5 Tip),129 Largespaces,40
Flammableproducts,89 Library-typework tables,113 Lighting, 43
Generators,75 Low assemblytables,114 Medium-sizedspaces, 39, 42
Hand tools.14 Stow-awaytables,115- 116 Scaledrawings,28, 30, 36,39, 40, 42
Powertools, 14 Temporary,117 tools,35
disablinga power tool (Shop stabilizinga temporarywork Smallspaces,36-39
Tip), 14 surface(ShopTip), 117 Workshops:
Protectiveclothing, 13, 18-19 SeealsoWorkbenches Ceilings,44
Tool storage,94 Tablesaws: Floors,44
SeealsoToxic substances Extensiontables,129 making the transition to a raised
Sanders: double-dutywork tables(Shop floor (ShopTip),44
Air-powered,68, 72 Tip), 129 power cord covers(ShopTip),42
Sandingstations,84 fold-down outfeedtables,I3-l Heatingsystems,45
Storingsandingdisks(ShopTip), 108 Safetydevices,12 Planning,6
Workshop layout, 34 Wheelbases,29 Ventilation systems,45, 86
Sawhorses, 118-120 tablesawon wheels(ShopTip), 3i Walls,44
FoIding, 122 Workshop layout,29, 31, 32 SeealsoDust collectionsystems;
Heavy-dfiy, 121 Telephones: Workshop layout
Paddingsawhorses (ShopTip), 120 Visual ringing signals,37 Work surfaces:
Panelsupport frames,123 Toxic substances: Tool stands,134,135,136-138,139
Securingworkpiecesedge-upon rlnrsnes.15 Variable-heightwork strfaces,124
sawhorses (ShopTip), 122 Woods, backendpaper,13, 15 SeealsoT ables;Workbenches
Shop-madeglueracks(ShopTip), 124 Ventilation systems,45

r43
 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Theeditorswishto thank thefollowing

SAFETY
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; DeltaInternational
Machinery/Porter
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FisherHill Products,Inc.,Fitzwilliam,NH; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,
Mississauga,
Ont.; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL;
VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY

SHOPLAYOUT
Black& DeckerPowerTools,Towson,MD; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter Cable,Guelph,Ont.;
Hitachi PowerToolsU.S.A.Ltd.,Norcross,GA; LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,
Chicago,IL; ThoroughbredSawhorsesand Equipment,Divisionof the Ivy Group,Inc.,Valparaiso,
IN

WORKBENCH
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; Black& Decker/EluPowerTools,Towson,MD; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.; GreatNeckSawMfrs. Inc. (BuckBros.Division),
Millbury, MA; Hitachi PowerToolsU.S.A.Ltd.,Norcross,GA; The WorkbenchBook (TauntonPress,1987)by ScottLandis;
LeeValleyTools Ltd., Ottawa,Ont.; RecordTools Inc., Pickering,Ont.; RobertLarsonCompannInc.,SanFrancisco,CA;
SandvikSawsand ToolsCo.,Scranton,PA;Sears, Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; ThoroughbredSawhorses
and Equipment,Divisionof the Iry Group,Inc.,Valparaiso, IN; VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,
NC and Louisville,KY; Woodsmirh,2200GrandAve.,DesMoines,1A50312

SHOPACCESSORIES
CampbellHausfeld,Harrison,OH; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter
Cable,Guelph,Ont.; DewaltIndustrial
Tool Co.,Hampstead,MD; GreatNeckSawMfrs. Inc. (BuckBros.Division),Millbury, MA; Ingersoll-Rand
CanadaInc.,Rexdale,
Ont.; Sears,
Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; WagnerSprayTechCorp.,Minneapolis,MN

STORAGE
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; AmericanTool Cos.,Lincoln,NE; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.;
Hitachi PowerToolsU.S.A.Ltd.,Norcross,GA; The WorkshopBook (TauntonPress,1991)by ScottLandis;
LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; RobertSorbyLtd., Sheffield, U.K./BusyBeeMachineTools,Concord,Ont.;
SandvikSawsand Tools Co., Scranton,PA; StanleyTools, Division of the StanleyWorks, New Britain, CT;
VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY

WORKSURFACES
AdjustableClampCo.,Chicago,IL; Black& DeckerPowerTools,Towson,MD; DeltaInternationalMachinery/Porter Cable,
Guelph,Ont.; FreudWestmoreTools,Ltd.,Mississauga, Ont.; HitachiPowerToolsU.S.A.Ltd.,Norcross,GA; The WorkshopBook
(TauntonPress,1991)by ScottLandis;LeeValleyToolsLtd.,Ottawa,Ont.; RecordToolsInc.,Pickering,Ont.;
SandvikSawsand ToolsCo.,Scranton,PA; Sears,Roebuckand Co.,Chicago,IL; Shopsmith,Inc.,Montreal,Que.;StanleyTools,
Divisionof the StanleyWorks,New Britain,CT; ThoroughbredSawhorses and Equipment,Divisionof the Ivy Group,Inc.,
Valparaiso,IN; Tru-Align ManufacturingInc.,Tempe,AZ; VermontAmericanCorp.,Lincolnton,NC and Louisville,KY

Thefollowingpersonsalsoassisted
in thepreparationof this book:

Ren6Bertrand,ElizabethCameron,DonnaCurtis,LorraineDor€,RdjeanGarand,GraphorConsultation,
Irene Huang,CarolynJackson,LeonardLee,GeneviEve
Monette

PICTURE CREDITS
Cover RobertChartier
6,7 RobertHolmes
8,9 RaymondGendreau
10,ll Ron Levine
30 CourtesyShopsmith,Inc.
47 CourtesySjcibergsof Sweden
49 CourtesyWoodcraftSupplyCorp.
70 CourtesyMakitaCanadaLtd.
89 CourtesyIustrite ManufacturingCo.
l12 (upper)CourtesyShureManufacturingCorp.

t44
I
I
t
GPU I D E
WORKSHO
t
Toxtc
w00Ds Al{DACTUAT
1{0M[{At
t yourself
Protecting fromtoxicspecies
SOFTWOODTUMBERSIZES
Thedustfrommanywoodspecies canposehealth ilominal Actual
I risksranging fromrespiratoryailmentsto skinanc (lnches) (lnches)
eyeirritations.Somewoods chemicals
contain that
t cancausetoxiceffects(page10. Thechartbelow
dry
Surfaced
3h-by-It/z
green
Surfaced
25h2-by-IeA6
listsa number of speciesandtheirpossiblehealth l-by-2
t effects.To reduce to dustfroma
directexposure
reaction,keepyour
1-by-3 3/+-by-21/z 25/zz-by-2eA.o
woodthatmaytriggeranallergic 3/q-by-3r/z 25/zz-by-3e/rc
1-by-4
I shopcleanandwellventilated,
forcutting,operations.Before
andweara dustmask
handlingthespecies, 1-by-6 3h-by-5t/z 25/zz-by-55/a
spread a barrier creamonyourskinor wearprotective
I gear,including longpantsandsleeves, gloves,
and
1-by-8 3h-by-7th 25Az-by-7Vz
^^J^+., ^l^^^^^ 1-by-10 3h-by-9|h
I 5drur.y Brd55cs.

I-by-12 3h-by-Ilth 25/zz-by-IIr/z

Arborvitae
I Ash
2-by-2 I1/z-by-Ir/z Ts/rc-by-leAo
2-by-4 I1/z-by-31/z Ie/rc-by-3e/rc
Blackcherry RS
I Blacksoruce RS 2-by-6 Ir/z-by-St/z Iehe-by-55/a
Boxwood RS 2-by-8 Ir/z-by-7th leAa-by-7
Vz
I redwood
California RST 2-by-I0 lVz-by-91h Ie/rc-by-9Vz
Cashew
I Chestnut RS
2-by-12 I1/z-by-IIth Is/rc-by-IIVz

Cocobolo RS 3-by-4 2t/z-by-3t/z 2sAo-by-3s/rc

I Douglas-fir RS 4-by-4 3r/z-by'3r/z 3e/rc-by-3e/rc

t Ebony
Europeanlarch
RST
RS
4-by-6 3Vz-by-51/z 3eAe-by-55/a

EUrOpeanspruce RS
I lmbuia RS
lroko RS
I Lacewood RS THICKI{ESSES
STAI{DARD
Mahogany, African RS FOR HARDWOOD
SURFACED
I Mahogany, SouthAmerican RST
l{ominal Actual
0ak RS
I Pine RS
(rough) (surfaced
twosides)
3An 3/:.a"
Redcedar RS
I Rosewood. Brazilian v'
Rosewood, EastIndian
I Satinwood,Ceylon
%'
,1.
%ott
slu"
Silkyoak RS
I Teak 1u % "o r ' % e "
Walnut RS 7Yo' IrAe"
I Wenge RS T''' I5lu"
Westernredcedar RSI
I Whitecedar RST
2', l % "o r I % "
3' 23/o'
I R = Respiratory
ailments
S = Skinandeyeirritations 4" 3%',
T = Toxiceffects
I
I
t
I
.r