Woodworker_s Journal - December 2016.Bak(1) (1)

HOW TO MAKE YOUR HARDWARE LOOK GOOD; FOOD-SAFE FINISHES

HOLIDAY GIFT SECTION!

40 YEARS

“America’s leading woodworking authority”™

Gift Projects Galore! INSIDE: Band Saw Box Handcarved Gift Turned Rolling Pins … and More!

December 2016

Page 72 Display until January 2, 2017

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Wo o d w o r k e r ’s

J o u r n a l

Contents December 2016

Projects

Vo l u m e 4 0 , N u m b e r 6

HOLIDAY GIFT SECTION!

starts on page 31

Trapezoid Band Saw Box

Page 42

By David Picciuto Make a simple box with not much more than a band saw, clamps and some sanding.

Inlaid Picture Frame

Page 72

By Chris Marshall Made-to-order inlay adds an elegant stripe which ups the ante on a basic picture frame.

3 Kitchen Doodads By A.J. Hamler These quick-to-make kitchen conveniences include a set of tongs, a banana hanger and a pasta pair: measure and server.

Carved Shrink Boxes

Page 58

By Kimberly McNeelan Handcarved boxes made with green wood “Viking technology.”

Page 50

Pizza Cutter Block

Turned Rolling Pins

By Alan Vondran A router jig with two templates creates the recessed storage for your pizza cutter in this handy storage block.

By Ernie Conover A turned cylinder forms the basis for rolling pins with rotating handles or without.

Page 36

Page 33 4

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Departments

8 Letters

24 Reader’s Survey

Buzz about our beehive project; benefits of plywood as a jig base; project building brags.

14 Tricks of the Trade Ease your dry fits with custom size dowels, plus more tricks.

18 Questions & Answers/Stumpers The advantages of a drop cut; how to harvest burl.

22 Technology & Woodworking DeWALT brings battery power to table saws with its FlexVolt™ 60V MAX* platform.

74 What’s in Store

Find out what kinds of gifts fellow woodworkers make (and what’s on their own wish lists).

New tools add size upgrades and other improvements.

86 Finishing Thoughts 26 Shop Talk

Wax, oil and film finish options for kitchenware projects — plus a bonus spatula plan.

Imagination’s the limit as brothers create a home library with their CarveWright.

90 Hey … Did You Know? 63 Today’s Shop

Wood strong enough to stop a speeding cannonball.

Mark sure your projects look as great as you’ve built them to be with Sandor Nagyszalanczy’s helpful tips on hardware choice and installation.

woodworkersjournal.com Y

ikes, it’s already November! I don’t know about you, but every year the holiday season sneaks up on me and I have to scramble to make a bunch of gifts. If you’re in the same boat as me, you’ll be happy to see several great project ideas in this issue, and you can find many more on woodworkersjournal.com. Don’t forget to take pictures of your finished work and send them to us. Seeing your work is an inspiration to your fellow subscribers. Here are the best ways to share your projects: 1. Upload them to Reader’s Project Gallery at www.woodworkersjournal.com/readers-project-gallery 2. Post them in the Visitor Posts section on our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/woodworkersjournal 3. Post them on Instagram and tag us in the description by including our username @woodworkersjournal 4. Mail your photo prints to: Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340 I can’t wait to see what you build next! — Dan Cary

6

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Letters

ROCKLER PRESS

THE VOICE OF THE WOODWORKING COMMUNITY

DECEMBER 2016

Woodworking Circa 1977

Volume 40, Number 6 ROB JOHNSTONE Publisher ALYSSA TAUER Associate Publisher

40 YEARS OF FURNITURE, GIFTS AND FUN... In 1977 I was stationed at Port Hueneme, California, taking care of sick sailors and their families. On the other side of the country, in New Milford, Connecticut, James McQuillan had the crazy idea to start a woodworking magazine for home shop woodworkers. Looking at his first editorial, he identified the desire to build things from wood and to create things with your own hands as a panacea of sorts, a way to escape from and cope with the day’s “technological explosion and its mixed blessings.” I am guessing that strikes a familiar chord with you who are reading this editorial four decades later. This issue is the last one of the year in which Woodworker’s Journal is celebrating not been immune to the effects of time. We have gizmos and gadgets that in 1977 would have seemed like they were stolen from Star Wars (another ‘77 startup), but now they don’t raise an eyebrow. Even so, the core of the craft is unchanged. And in my opinion, the motivations of woodworkers are the same as well. Woodworkers made gift projects “way back then,” and in this issue we are offering some ideas to help you in your holiday goals. We’ll also teach a few techniques and offer a few shop tricks to make your shop time easier and more productive, and talk about a couple of tools of interest.

JEFF JACOBSON Senior Art Director JOE FAHEY Associate Art Director DAN CARY Senior Web Producer MATTHEW HOCKING Internet Production Coordinator MARY TZIMOKAS Circulation Director LAURA WHITE Fulfillment Manager

Founder and Chairman ANN ROCKLER JACKSON

Publisher Emeritus Contributing Editors NORTON ROCKLER SANDOR NAGYSZALANCZY ERNIE CONOVER

Advertising Sales DAVID BECKLER National Sales Representative [email protected] (469) 766-8842 Fax (763) 478-8396

Editorial Inquiries JOANNA WERCH TAKES [email protected]

Pretty good fare in the 21st century, or way back in 1977. — Rob Johnstone

Subscription Inquiries (800) 765-4119 or www.woodworkersjournal.com Write Woodworker’s Journal, P.O. Box 6211, Harlan, IA 51593-1711

Beekeeper Buzzkill?

8

CHRIS MARSHALL Senior Editor

LARRY N. STOIAKEN

its 40th year in print. Lots of things have changed since 1977, and woodworking has

I don’t want to be a “buzz kill,” but the August 2016 issue touched on a hobby of mine that I take very seriously. [“Backyard Beehive”]. For 50 years, I have been a beekeeper. Before 1984, beekeepers faced fewer problems. Compared to today’s challenges, it was a “walk in the park.” We now contend with varroa mites, tracheal mites, African hive beetles and colony collapse disorder. Building a backyard beehive and throwing in some bees without really knowing what you’re doing will doom the bees to failure. I have seen it too often. People want to save the bee and save the planet. There is a huge difference between a “bee haver,” which your article implies, and a beekeeper.

JOANNA WERCH TAKES Editor

email: [email protected]. Include mailing label for renewals and address changes. For gift subscriptions, include your name and address and your gift recipient’s.

Book Sales and Back Issues Call: (800) 610-0883 www.woodworkersjournal.com

Other Questions or Problems Call: 763-478-8255 [email protected]

Prior to acquiring bees, learn, learn, learn! There are numerous books on the subject. I suggest that you read a minimum of two of them, join a local beekeeping Continues on page 10 ...

Woodworker’s Journal (ISSN: 0199-1892), is published in February, April, June, August, October and December by Rockler Press Inc., 4365 Willow Dr., Medina, MN 55340. Periodical postage paid at Medina, Minnesota and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Woodworker’s Journal, P.O. Box 6211, Harlan, IA 51593-1711. Subscription Rates: One-year, $19.95 (U.S.); $28.95 U.S. funds (Canada and other countries). Single copy price, $5.99. Reproduction without permission prohibited. Publications Mail Agreement Number 0861065. Canadian Publication Agreement #40009401.

©2016 Rockler Press Inc. Printed in USA.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

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Letters continued There’s more online at woodworkersjournal.com www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB

Check online for more content covering the articles below: Questions & Answers (page 18): Cutting stopped dadoes (video) Technology & Woodworking (page 22): DeWALT 60V MAX* Table Saw in use (video) Woodturning (page 36): Turning a cylinder and making French baguette and American handled style rolling pins, plus a pasta cutter (videos) Trapezoid Band Saw Box (page 42): Full-size pattern (PDF); how to apply flocking (video) 3 Kitchen Doodads (page 50): Downloadable plans for Bagel Slicer and Casserole Dish Holder (PDFs) Carved Shrink Boxes (page 58): Knife skills techniques for carving (video) Today’s Shop (page 63): Tips and techniques for hardware installation (video) Weekend Projects (page 72): Blending and applying a dyetinted epoxy inlay (video)

club and find a mentor who has at least 10 years of experience as a beekeeper. You will quickly realize that beekeeping is a year-round responsibility and commitment. It is not to be taken lightly. Mike Niemeyer Bright, Indiana

Stepping Up Being left-handed and doing most everything backwards, I found the golf ball suggestions for file handles quite useful [Tricks of the Trade, August 2016]. I also figured, if you use a step drill, you get a nice tapered hole that seems to hold my files quite snugly. Thanks for the tip. I even aligned the logos on the golf balls so they look nice. Ace Potter Moline, Illinois

Goosed? On the trivia page of the August issue [Hey, Did You Know?], you say that Howard Hughes’s Spruce Goose flew “quite successfully.” I think that’s a bit of a stretch. The plane flew only about a mile, in a straight line, lightly loaded, at an altitude of 70 feet, which is well within ground effect. By all reports, the tail was twisting and vibrating badly. It’s been debated ever since whether it could have climbed out of ground effect or carried anywhere near its design load. I think most experts think not, at least without significant modification. Chris Landry Hudson, New Hampshire

10

Everything Old is New I love the new take on the “Lighted Bookshelf” in the August issue with the dovetails, but similar technology that makes it work to my adjustable “Laminated Bookrack” from the October 1980 issue. I was one of your first contributors in the newspaper days. I am now 80 years old and still working every day in my shop here in Florida. Harvey Helm Hernando, Florida

Plywood a Better Choice

Back to the future with bookshelves: Our reader (and, in 1980, contributing author) Harvey Helm likes what he sees.

solid wood is that seasonal movement will absolutely destroy the jig’s accuracy. Please note that Don Phillips indicated that using plywood would be acceptable, but I think it is far more than that. I believe that not using plywood (or MDF) is wrong.

I recently cut joints for eight splined segments on my sliding compound miter saw, which resulted in 16 cuts that Steve Lanier, Ph.D. Lady’s Island, South Carolina were just a Wheaties flake off from dead perfect — but off they were. The accumulated error associated with 16 miter cuts at 22.5 ± a flake resulted in a lot of bench time fine-tuning with a hand plane and a homemade shooting board. Accordingly, I was more than a little interested in the “Miter Cutting Sled” by Don Phillips in the June 2016 issue. I will probably build this jig, but with A reader believes building one major alteration: the base of this jig from plywood will reduce not building the sled problems with seasonal wood movement. base from solid wood. Continues on page 12 ... The problem with

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

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Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

11

Letters continued Please Be Seated Saw an article in the Letters section of the October issue on the Adirondack chair. Thought I would share with you one I made for the granddaughter. I scaled down the measurements using a ruler I purchased that dropped an inch to .618 of an inch and all the increments accordingly. All the measurements were as the plan said except that they were scaled down and it worked perfectly well. I had to scale down the screws also and used stainless panhead 6-gauge and plugged the holes. The color is her favorite, and she is pleased with it having come from her old pop. Thought it might give others an idea for other items that may also be made smaller and in scale. Barry McIntosh Greymouth, New Zealand

Kiwi grandpop builds a pink Adirondack chair for his granddaughter and her buddies.

I made two of the “Family-made Adirondack” chairs [June 2016] and used the same method as Chris Marshall and his daughter did, with only a few tweaks. It worked out pretty well, and I ended up with two fantastic chairs. As you can see, I chose to fit the arms before the back slats and not the other way around, like you did. In this way, I found it easier to distribute the seven back slats evenly. Talking about the arms, in case you use a piece of 20" scrap material and clamp it next to the back leg, it will assist you in mounting the arms in an easy way as the back part of the arm will rest on this scrap material. As you know, here in Europe, we do all in meters, centimeters and millimeters. As the Adirondack chairs are good all-American and the dimensions provided in the design are in inches, I chose to respect that and adjusted my 50-year-old brain from centimeters to inches. Conclusion: A great project, and I loved to make these chairs starting from raw timber and following the Imperial system without converting to metric all the time, which was a pleasant eye-opener. I made a few mistakes with the stretchers but learned from that. My next project will be Kimberly McNeelan’s “Bar A pair of chairs look equally as good in Norway as they would in upstate New York.

12

Our reader custom built a few benches to properly fit his 10 1⁄2-foot long table! They look like they really did the job.

Stool” [June 2015] and an 8-foot long outdoor bench inspired by the same beautiful design. Nici van Nieuwkasteele Norway

I was looking for a bench design for my last farmhouse table. I found one in your August 2015 issue [“Easyto-Build Benches”]. I had fun building them. I have a 101⁄2-foot table and thought a bench that long would be awkward, so I made two 44" according to your plan and two larger ones at 70" apeice to fill out each side. Peter T. Knutsen Manheim, Pennsylvania

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Tricks of the Trade

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Tricks that Fix Sticky Situations

Don’t Get Stuck Dry-fitting Dowel Joints Dry-fitting a dowel joint is a must before you glue it together, but the dowels are made to such tight tolerances that they can get stuck in their holes. To prevent this problem, I sand pairs of dowels of different sizes down a few thousandths, then I.D. them with markers or dye to set them apart from the rest of my dowel supply. I save these marked sets for dry-fitting. They don’t get stuck, and once I know things fit properly, I switch to regular dowels for the final glue-up.

Bar Clamp as Planing Backstop Holding a box or drawer for final planing can be a challenge if your bench doesn’t have a vise or bench dog holes. I find that a bar clamp secured across my bench can make a handy backstop in these instances. A piece of rubber drawer bottom liner also helps keep things from shifting while I plane. Charles Mak Calgary, Alberta

Dean Ross Missoula, Monana

DIY Wood Stain If you want a gloriously rich nut-brown stain, just mix roofing (lap) cement and turpentine or mineral spirits together. It’s an old recipe I’ve used since I was an antique furniture restorer. Lap cement is mostly asphaltum, which stains wood beautifully. A ratio of 1:4 lap cement to solvent works well for me, but there’s no hard-and-fast rule. Once applied, you can lighten the color by wiping the wood with more solvent, or darken by applying additional stain coats. It’s also a good way to use up extra lap cement. Paul Guncheon Wahiawa, Hawaii

14

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Safety First Learning how to operate power and hand tools is essential for developing safe woodworking practices. For purposes of clarity, necessary guards have been removed from equipment shown in our magazine. We in no way recommend using this equipment without safety guards and urge readers to strictly follow manufacturers’ instructions and safety

Quick Trim Remedies Binding Drawer Slides

precautions.

On a recent kitchen storage project, I made a shallow tray slightly too wide for its opening, which caused the drawer slides to bind. Instead of starting over and making a new tray, I cut a very shallow rabbet along the sides of the tray, just tall enough to fit the slide hardware. It gave my drawer the little bit of extra clearance it needed to operate smoothly, saving me time, material and effort. Paul Lund Anderson, Indiana

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Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

15

Tricks of the Trade continued PICTHKE

OF KS TRIC Weatherstripping Holds Dust Bag in Place Holding the bag up and in place on my dust collector while also trying to lock the strap used to be frustrating, because the bag would invariably slip off. But there’s an easy fix. I installed a strip of adhesive-backed rubber weatherstripping around the rim. The added diameter and friction holds the bag up on its own. This simple modification has made emptying my dust collector easier for years.

Thinner Breaks Fresh Glue Joints Sometimes I get ahead of myself during glue-up and have to pull a joint apart. I’ve found that lacquer thinner will dissolve ordinary PVA wood glue if you apply it before the glue dries hard. Just brush a liberal coat of thinner into the joint, and wait a few minutes for the glue to turn rubbery. Then you can often wriggle the pieces apart without damaging them. This works best on exposed joints like rabbets, and it can save the day! Don Vercamen Clermont, Florida

Willie Sandry Camas, Washington

Toothbrush as Glue Brush At my house, we go through toothbrushes almost as fast as I lose glue brushes in the shop. Recently, I needed a glue brush and tried an old toothbrush instead. I found that it spreads glue just as well and costs me nothing. So save your old toothbrushes for the shop instead of tossing them! It sure beats paying for glue brushes — or using your finger. Michael Butler Edmund, Oklahoma

Bags are Better than Filters Those pleated filters that come with shop vacuums plug up with debris quickly, and cleaning them is a dusty mess. So, I’ve switched to disposable vacuum bags instead. They’re available in different volumes to fit the canisters of common shop vac brands, and they don’t seem to reduce the vacuum’s effectiveness. When the bag fills up, just replace it with a new one. Dan Martin Galena, Ohio

Shop-made Iron-on Edge Banding Iron-on edge banding is easy to make. Rip the wood strips about 1/32" thick from the edge of a board, then coat both the strip and your substrate with yellow wood glue. When the glue dries, iron the edging to the substrate with a hobby iron or a household iron set to medium heat and no steam. The heat will reactivate the glue so the edging sticks, and pressure from the iron flattens and smoothes the surface. It works great! Darold Lobb Snohomish, Washington

16

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

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Questions & Answers Why Drop Into a Drop Cut? THIS ISSUE’S EXPERTS Chris Marshall is senior editor of Woodworker’s Journal and author of several woodworking books. Tim Inman is owner of Historic Interiors (restoration and reproduction) and author of The Art of Classical Furniture Finishing.

Contact us by writing to “Q&A,” Woodworker’s Journal,

Q

As a reader of the Woodworker’s Journal eZine, I watched Chris Marshall’s Tricks of the Trade video this summer on “How to Cut Stopped Grooves or Dadoes Using a Router Table.” In the video, Chris makes a drop cut, lowering his workpiece onto a spinning router bit. I was wondering why it was done this way and not starting from the open end of the intended cut? It would seem to this long-time DIYer that it may prove tricky to lower the piece down “exactly” where you want the cut to start even with the reference lines.

4365 Willow Drive,

Laurie Taite Winnipeg, Manitoba

Medina, MN 55340, by faxing us at (763) 478-8396 or by emailing us at: [email protected] Please include your home address, phone number and email address (if you have one) with your question.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB For the video on how to VIDEO

cut stopped grooves or

dadoes using a router table, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab.

A

Here’s why I did a drop cut in this instance. If I had started both of those stopped cuts from the back “open” end of the drawer shown in the video, I’d have to flip the drawer around for making the second cut on the other side of the drawer. In doing so, I’d be presenting the top edge of the drawer to the router fence for one cut, then the bottom edge of the drawer

to the fence for the other cut. That would be fine, provided the router fence is EXACTLY centered on the bit, because flipping and routing would yield centered slots. But, Murphy’s Law often punishes us otherwise. If the fence weren’t perfectly centered (which, more often than not, it isn’t — it’s always a tiny bit Chris Marshall used a drop cut technique to create off-center), start- the stopped grooves in this drawer. A reader asks: ing from the open Why? Why not just start from the open end? you have to both start and end would create stop a cut “blind” instead of two slots that won’t line up being able to start in from perfectly with one another the open end. Think of a across the drawer. They’ll be mortise or drawer bottom offset from one another the groove, where cutting the distance that the fence isn’t groove all the way across centered on the bit. And offthe workpiece will cause it set slots will make installing to show at the corners when the slides more complicated you put the drawer together. or result in a drawer that If you mark the edges of won’t hang straight in its the bit accurately on either opening. your router fence or right on Here’s another example the router table, it’s not hard where drop cuts are good to to start or stop a cut preknow how to do: sometimes, cisely on the mark. I’ll often “sneak” up on it by setting the workpiece down on the bit just a tad shy of my mark, then sliding the workpiece carefully up to my starting point. You don’t have to hit the “start” point immediately in the cut; just getting there in the end is what matters.

Instead of starting both cuts from an open end, as shown here, pairing a drop cut and an open-end cut when making stopped grooves on opposite sides of a drawer can ensure that both grooves will be correctly aligned. The same face is against the fence on both cuts.

18

— Chris Marshall

Continues on page 20 ...

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Stumpers

Questions & Answers continued

Back to Buggies

Q

Readers whip their answers into shape

If you were visiting

What’s This? Darryl Mickelsen of Austin, Minnesota, found this tool at an auction. He didn’t know what it was, but bought it anyway. Do you know what it is? Send your answer to [email protected] or write to “Stumpers,” Woodworker’s Journal, 4365 Willow Drive, Medina, MN 55340 for a chance to win a prize!

Woodworker’s Journal editor Joanna Werch Takes compiles each issue’s Stumpers responses — and reads every one.

In our August issue, the hardware store we presented a mys- in the late 1800s, tery tool submitted you might have by Ben Cowling of seen one of these hanging from the Roca, Nebraska. ceiling. Like Ben, one astute reader knew what it was: “The item is probably a buggy whip holder used in a hardware store to display buggy whips that had a knot in the end or tip. They were in the process of collecting made of cast-iron in the late guesses. 1800s,” Erwin Fullerton of Ed Kozinsky of WaynesSouth Woodstock, Vermont boro, Georgia, for example, told us. thought it might be “a clinThat is indeed what it is. ker breaker from a forge According to tool owner or furnace,” which “would Ben Cowling, it could have have been turned to break been displayed not only in up the glassy slag that a hardware store, but also forms when burning some in a harness shop. “It hung kinds of coal. It is similar from the ceiling and held 100 to some others I have seen, buggy whips.” with the ribbed ‘fingers’ on As Erwin Fullerton said of the edges.” the tool, they are quite rare; And Phil Warren of although he noted that he Canaan, Maine, went to that has a round one in his “farm go-to guess for Stumpers museum of farm artifacts.” (It’s not clear whether he was mystery tools (although he did put a question mark referring to one of the actual on it): “It’s a saw tooth setfarm museums in the area, ting tool?” or outbuildings on the family Not in this case. As Ben farmstead that no one has Cowling said, “It is just a cleaned out for decades. Not cool item to have hanging on that Stumpers would know my living room beam.” anything about that ...) As usual, we did learn about some other old tools

Winner! Erwin Fullerton of South Woodstock, Vermont, wins a RIDGID 18V Stealth Force Pulse Driver Kit (R86036K). We toss all the Stumpers letters into a hat to select a winner.

20

I like to turn items on my lathe. To this end, how do I harvest a walnut burl from a 16" to 20" tree? It is in a group of other trees, and I would prefer not to kill the tree or damage the surrounding trees. The burl is at least 30" in diameter and is about 21" to 23" deep. Ron Mantynen New Baltimore, New York

A

Burls are like malignancies on trees. They start out as a “wart” that goes nuts and becomes a huge growth. Sometimes the inside of the burl reveals a wound or other damage that triggered the callous tissue to grow into the burl. Some trees are much more prone to growing burls than others. Redwoods grow great burls; Carpathian elm burl is classic in antique furniture. Silver maple trees grow abundantly where I live, and I have a burl from one in my grandmother’s yard that measures over 36" in diameter. Walnut trees grow them, too, as you know. So, what to do? Removing a burl is like tree surgery. You’re going to cut into the living tissue of the tree when you remove it. In your case, as you describe it, the burl is actually a huge growth that is larger than the diameter of the tree. This is quite possible, but it also means that when you remove the burl you will be doing major damage to the vascular system of your tree. It is going to be hard on that tree. I would definitely recommend not cutting the burl while the tree is actively

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Elizabeth Moss, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Burls can produce dramatic turnings, but they can also be tricky to turn — and to harvest without damaging the tree.

growing. I would take it off after the tree has gone completely dormant for the season. But, I would do it as soon as possible after full dormancy in order to give the tissue time to harden off. When spring comes, you will see the tree bleeding sap. Hopefully this will “self-cauterize” before the tree does itself in. But there is risk!

Finally, I’ll add this: Burls can be quite disappointing. They are often hollow inside and also often include bark inclusions besides the beautiful swirly grained wood. Getting big pieces of usable burl can be a challenge. The grain goes in all directions and some of it is very hard. Some of it is soft. Cutting it on the lathe requires a light

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

touch and razor-sharp tools to get the surface finish you want and to avoid the appearance of “chatter.” Burl is also dimensionally unstable: a “round” salad bowl will not stay round. The old rule for drying wood is to allow one year per inch of thickness. Burl needs at least this much time. So if you have a 6"-thick burl, expect to be well into the next decade before it is ready to begin turning … not to be too discouraging. I’ve turned many things from burl and will continue to do so.

Winner! For simply sending in his question on harvesting burls, Ron Mantynen of New Baltimore, New York, wins a General International 7-piece Deluxe 8" Dado Blade Set (item 55-185). Each issue we toss new questions into a hat and draw a winner.

— Tim Inman

21

Technology And Woodworking DeWALT 60V MAX* Table Saw By Woodworker’s Journal Staff

Unveiled in June, this “off-the-grid” table saw delivers surprising power and runtime from a 60-volt lithium-ion battery. features a steel roll-cage frame that supports a 19" x 19" top and a rip fence that can extend to cut a 4x8 sheet lengthwise, down the middle. The stout fence clips onto a pair of telescoping fence rails in two positions, enabling it to be set either from 0" to 20" or from 4" to 24" out from the blade. DeWALT says this design keeps the rail system as compact as possible. The rip fence also has a flip-over ledge for supporting wide workpieces that extend beyond the table.

Cordless Cutting

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB For video showing the VIDEO

new DeWALT 60V MAX*

Table Saw in action, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab.

22

S

ooner or later, in the frenzied race to make an ever wider array of cordless tools, a table saw was bound to pop up. And in June it did, when DeWALT beat competitors to the punch with its new 81⁄4" DCS7485 Table Saw ($499 with one bat-

tery and charger; $379 bare). It was launched as part of a new FlexVolt™ 60V MAX* battery platform, along with several other new tools designed for these high-output, 6.0Ah lithium-ion batteries. Weighing only 45 pounds without a battery, the saw

One battery slides into the saw’s side dock. There’s no adapter cord for plugging the tool into an outlet instead. But, hit the switch to start cutting, and 60 volts provides a surprising amount of power and runtime for the brushless motor inside (see sidebar, next page). Until the battery depletes from full to mid charge, the saw sounds and cuts like its corded cousins, zipping through 2x material at 5,800 rpm. At about half charge, it continues to cut without bogging down. And, while it might just be luck, we couldn’t stall the blade in a cut, even when the battery was approaching end of charge. After a final cutting pass, the tool’s electronic protection system kicked in to prevent more sawing and possibly over-discharging the battery.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

With its fence rails retracted, the saw fits on end in the back of a sub-compact car without folding the back seats down. A carry handle makes its 45-pound weight easier to lift for transport.

Surprising to see on a “jobsite” style table saw, the DCS7485 offers dust collection ports on both the blade guard and lower dust shroud. When they are connected to shop vacuums, sawdust collection is quite efficient.

Specially designed for this saw, DeWALT’s high efficiency FlexVolt 8 1 ⁄4" blade is about 30 percent thinner than typical 10” thin-kerf table saw blades. Reason: the extra-narrow kerf saps less energy from the battery.

below the table, deliver very tidy dust collection. A separate riving knife, small miter gauge and push stick also come standard.

Special Blade, Features

Do We Need Cordless?

DeWALT has designed “high efficiency” accessories for its new FlexVolt tools, and for this table saw, it’s an ultra-thin (1.8 mm) kerf, 81⁄4"-diameter blade. While that’s almost 2" smaller than typical jobsite table saw blades, it still affords the DCS7485 a 2 9⁄16" depth of cut at 0° or 13⁄4" when tilted to 45° bevels.

And, the super-thin blade extends precious runtime — because once it’s spent, you’ll need about 60 minutes to recharge the battery fully before you can saw again. The machine has a clear, well-designed split blade guard that installs without tools. A 13⁄8" I.D. dust port there, plus a 21⁄4" I.D. dust port on the dust shroud

DeWALT is targeting this saw at jobsites where electrical service may be limited. Do woodshops need the same convenience? Generally, no. But, when today’s battery and motor systems offer heavy-duty performance like this, imagine the possibilities of cordless tools to come!

The saw has a rugged rip fence that locks securely and stays parallel to the blade. Front and back latches attach it to the telescoping fence rails. Two registration screws on each rail position it for 0" to 20" or 4" to 24" rip-cutting ranges to the right of the blade.

Hard-core Cutting Results We put this saw to work making repetitive rip cuts on 4-ft. lengths of Southern yellow pine 2x10 and 3/4" maple plywood. After two rounds of running the battery to empty on 2x stock, the saw averaged 128 lineal feet of cuts per charge. In practical terms, that’s 16 end-to-end rip cuts on thick, resiny 8-ft. lumber. Repeating the same test on plywood, in two rounds of cuts, the saw averaged 230 lineal feet before the battery quit. That’s almost 29 sheets of 4x8 plywood split in two, lengthwise, from 60 volts. Pretty impressive runtime from one battery charge. Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

23

Reader’s Survey Woodworking Gifts: Given and Received By Woodworker’s Journal Staff

This time out, our topic is woodworking gifts — the best you ever gave and received, as well as a few other questions about the topic.

Most woodworkers (84%) believe receiving handmade wooden gifts is influential in inspiring someone to become a woodworker. Who’s

Toys top the list, at 12%, of the kind of woodworking projects you make as gifts. Next in line are jewelry boxes at 10% and picture frames at 9%. Only 2% of survey respondents don’t make wooden gifts. 24

getting all these gifts? Most woodworkers are making for their families, with spouse the most common recipient at 25%, followed closely by

children/stepchildren at

23%. Grandchildren came in at 17%.

When it comes to gift-getting, tools top woodworkers’ lists. 24% say the best woodworking gift they ever received was a new stationary power tool, with 17% saying it was a handheld power tool. (A sad 11% have never received a woodworkingrelated gift.) December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

What do woodworkers wish for? While 25% of woodworkers would be happy to see a new stationary power tool in their stockings, 20% are wishing for a gift card to a woodworking retailer. While a significant number (36%) of woodworkers do production runs (making multiples of the same item) for gifts, most (64%) focus on an individual item, with one-offs.

“Easy to apply” tops the chart as the choice of 48% when it comes to the most important criteria in choosing a finish for a gift.

Of those who have received a gift from another woodworker, most commonly (22%), it’s from a friend. Most, however (42%), have never received a gift that another woodworker made them. Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

Best Gifts Ever Is it better to give or to receive? How about both? Below, a few of the best gifts woodworkers in the survey have given — and received. Given: My children still talk about the toys they got as children that I made them. A cradle. It was given to my sister-in-law when she had her sons, and she gave it to my son for his son. Da Vinci model working catapult, with ammo, in a custom box. A wood serving tray. I made a few that year. Everyone loved them (or at least said they did). A hotplate trivet made of light-anywhere matches given to my elementary school teacher. 30”x30” framed walnut tree on birch panel with heart leaves. Used as wedding “guest book” for daughter. “Busy board” for toddler grandson. Not the most complicated or requiring the greatest woodworking skills, but probably the most used and loved. Complete bedroom furniture set for a refugee family with six children. A one-string slide instrument called a diddley bow. A memorial park bench for my neighbor. A bed with a doggie bed attached.

Received: A recurring annual subscription to your magazine. A box of pencils. The love and knowledge of and for woodworking from my grandfather. A class. Sign made by my grandsons. Wife took a woodturning class. Came home and said, “Do you have a band saw? You need a band saw!” Locally grown lumber. A gift from my mother: corded drill 50 years ago. $1,000 gift card to my favorite woodworking store. Dust cyclone. Shop apron. A cabinetmaker letting me hang around his shop, asking questions and getting his cutoffs. Saw blades.

25

Shop Talk The Library CarveWright Built

Brothers Build with Their Machine

J

oe Lovchik describes his and his brother Chris’s design process as: “We sit down with a couple of beers and come up with all sorts of crazy ideas.” The brothers are with LHR Technologies, inventors of the CarveWright CNC System, which they’ve used for Chris’s home library.

26

Although not yet finished — “I don’t know that we’ll ever be totally finished,” Chris said — the 1,000-foot (50' x 20') room is already up to two-thirds full of books (it’s designed to hold up to 4,000 volumes). Carved busts serve as corbels to the room’s columns, while carved panels depict stories from disciplines such as math, physics or philos-

ophy. Historical scenes pay tribute to the Eygyptian, Greek and Roman eras, as well as the Revolutionary War and World Wars I and II. “There’s 140 linear feet of different scenes,” Chris said, with Joe adding, “That’s the significance of doing it with these types of machines. With that volume of carving, every single one is unique. Even in great old libraries, you’ll find the carving is a repeated pattern that some master carpenter can set apprentices doing.” “That was one of the main reasons we wanted the CarveWright, was to do things like this,” Chris said. “It would’ve taken me the rest of my life if I tried to do it by hand.” The CarveWright software also gave them an advantage, Joe said: “The software is designed with more of a design element. You can arrange something the way you want it, at the size you want, and then upload and print. It’s a fun design process.” “When you’re telling the story of philosophy, you can ask, ‘What do you put in there?’ It’s getting to play with the art,” Chris said.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

When making the fireplace, Chris pointed out, the wood used was offcuts from a door company, with the larger sizes allowing more detail in fewer sections — particularly since the CarveWright has the ability to cut larger pieces. “A machine that can fit on a desktop was able to make these 8' pieces,” Joe said. As they move further on the library project — envi-

sioned, Chris said, “like an old English gentleman’s club, like where Sherlock Holmes’s brother would hang out” — to needing furnishings and more, “If we can’t find the table or desk that we want, well, let’s just build it,” Joe said. “With this machine, there’s no doubt in our minds that there isn’t anything else that could make it.”

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

— Joanna Werch Takes

27

Shop Talk continued Stunning Pieces from San Diego Show photos by Andrew E. Patterson, photographer, and San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association

Acacia by Chance Coalter California Tansu by James Frantz

Maple Gown by Paul Schurch

T

he San Diego Fine Woodworkers Association marked the 35th anniversary of their Design in Wood show at the San Diego County Fair this past summer. Qualifying entries to the 2016 edition of the juried show were placed in 25 different classes, ranging from Traditional to Contemporary, Model Building to Musical Instruments, and more — even Furniture Designed and Created by Computer (Laser and/or CNC). Woodworker’s Journal once again sponsored a prize in the show, with James Frantz’s

Night Surfing by Robert Stafford

Continues on page 30 ...

Kitty Kitty by Bill Churchill

28

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

The Classic Look of Hand-Cut

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Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

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29

Shop Talk continued Federal Dressing Glass by Robert Stevenson

California Tansu (previous page) winning the Excellence in Joinery award. It’s made from bubinga, maple and ebony. Interested in applying for the 2017 show? Keep an eye over the next few months on the site www.sdfwa.org/ design-in-wood-exhibition/, where the acceptance of new entries will be announced, or contact Ed Gladney by phone at 619-251-4410 for more information.

scatter

Six Drawers and a Mirror by William Bardick

Topsy Turvey by Karen Freitas

First Swim by Michael Rumsey

Scorpion Wheelchair by Roger Aceve

30

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

T F I G Y A D I L O H ! N O I T SEC

This year, to help with your holiday preparations, Woodworker’s Journal has compiled several easy-to-make gift projects into a special section. Thanks to our advertisers for making it possible.

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

31

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December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

PIZZA CUTTER BLOCKS By Alan Vondran

Keep your pizza cutter on the counter and at the ready with this handsome slotted storage block.

M

y decorative wooden blocks will store Rockler’s metal pizza cutter (item 34913) inside a form-fitting recess you can make with a special routing jig (see next page). The jig consists of a base and four spring-loaded carriage bolts with knobs that hold two interchangeable routing templates. One template creates a round recess for the pizza cutter’s wheel, and the other template forms a

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

The key to routing the two-part recess for the pizza cutter in each half of the storage blocks is a special routing jig with interchangeable templates. Both are shown in the inset photos here.

33

Routing Jig Base

MATERIAL LIST (Routing Jig) 1 Base (1) 2 Ramp Routing Templates (2) 3 Cutter Recess Template (1) 4 Carriage Bolts (4) 5 Washers (16) 6 Nuts (4) 7 Springs (4) 8 Knobs (4) 9 Hinges (2) 10 Builder’s Shims (3)

3

TxWxL 3/4" x 111⁄4" x 171⁄2" 1/2" x 12" x 12" 5/8" x 103⁄4" x 12" 1/4" #20 x 4" 1/4" #20 1/4" #20 1/2" x 11⁄4" 1/4" #20 1" x 1"

/4"

1

103/4"

33/8" 1

/4" Dia.

11/4"

Ramp Routing Template

Cutter Recess Template

2

3 41/4" Dia. 3

/4" Dia.

51/2"

43/8" 3"

7

21/8"

35/8"

/8"

1" 11/8"

2"

ramp to cut a relief for the wheel’s tapered metal housing. Build the jig base and two template assemblies from sheet stock as shown in the Drawings above. I use springs on the carriage bolts to help push the templates up when the knobs are loosened, to make the block workpieces easier to slide in and out. These blocks can be made from a single piece or multiple laminations. I start with a blank 41⁄ 2" wide, 8" long and about 2" thick. Split your block through

34

its thickness into two equal halves to prepare for routing. Mark a horizontal line 21⁄ 2" from the top across the inside face of each block half so you can align it with either the 51⁄ 2" or 43⁄ 8" centerpoints on the two routing templates (see Drawings).

Routing the Cutter Recesses Start the routing process by installing the cutter template on

When the blocks are routed and first glued together, the opening at the top (inset) is just a rectangle. Steps shown in subsequent photos create the longer arched opening.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Length of Router Cuts

21/2"

41/2"

1 1

2

83/8"

2

Builder’s Tip I recommend you start by building some sample pizza cutter blocks from scrap wood. This will give you practice using the jig and enable you to establish alignment marks.

Exploded View

41/2"

MATERIAL LIST 1 Outer Front and Back (2) 2 Inner Front and Back (2)

Scribe the top 4 1⁄2”-diameter arch on the block with a compass to create the contour for the pizza cutter’s curve. The line should just “kiss” the top and sides of the block.

Band saw the arch to shape. If this cut doesn’t quite expose the long pizza cutter slot, as shown, sand the arch on a disc or drum sander until the slot opens up in the rim.

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

the jig base, and clamp one of the block halves into place (the top of the block should face the router opening). Use a short 1/2"-diameter pattern bit to rout the circular cutter recess to a depth of 1/8". Rout both blanks. Next, switch your jig to the hinged ramp routing template to mill the tapered wheel housing recess. Slip three shims between the plates of this template to open it up to about 5/32". Install a longer pattern-routing bit in your router, and set the depth to cut the top opening of this recess 15/32" deep. As you rout, the cutting depth will decrease to about 21/64" when you reach the tapered end of the recess, due to the effect of the hinged ramp. Rout this angled recess into both block halves to wrap

TxWxL 5/8" x 41⁄2" x 83⁄8" 5/16" x 41⁄2" x 83⁄8"

up the pizza cutter recess. Now glue and clamp the block halves together. Mark the broad arch on top of the block with a compass, and band saw it along your layout line. If that doesn’t quite open up the long cutter slot, sand the arch farther until it does. Insert the pizza cutter and check its fit, then continue sanding until the hardware nests nicely in the curve. Ease the sharp edges with a router and roundover bit.

Finishing Up Give your block a thorough sanding. I finish mine with boiled linseed oil first, including flooding it into the recess and dumping it out. When the oil dries, apply a durable topcoat. These blocks make such great holiday gifts for others that my wife is still waiting for hers! Alan Vondran is a woodworker in Asbury, Iowa. His son’s girlfriend got the first pizza cutter block.

35

Woodturning Turning Rolling Pins By Ernie Conover

Master the challenge of turning a cylinder, and you’ll be able to create either a baguette style or a handled rolling pin.

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB For videos on making VIDEO

baguette, American and

pasta cutter style rolling pins, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab.

36

A

wonderful wood, which is ny cooking store a serviceable rolling pin, I stable, durable and survives sells wooden rolling overwhelmingly recommend countless washings. I like pins and most kitchhard maple. Most of the to use curly maple, which is ens still sport one. Unforantique American examples I tunately, modern examples have seen are made from this what I used for this article. In an example of are puny and of poor the exception to the workmanship comrule, the two pins you pared to the ones our see in the upper right grandmothers turned of the lead photo were out pies, pastry and made by my mentor, cookies with. Rude Osolnik. He Rolling pins make laminated many of a nice gift and are a good seller at craft 3 The author’s baguette pin, at top, has a diameter of 2 ⁄8". his rolling pins from fairs. While most The 2" center pin is a fairly standard diameter. The 1 3⁄4" a variety of available hardwoods and cut hardwoods will make bottom pin is a bit small for use.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

10" to 14" 1

2" to 2 /2" diameter 41/2"

American style rolling pin 1"

Handle

1

4 /2" 3

/8"

Trunnion

1/2" diameter 1" deep 1/2" diameter through hole 1/2" diameter (slide fit with drilled hole)

Turned to 1/32" less than the 1/2" diameter for a sloppy fit with handle. 10" to 16"

the blanks on an angle, yielding a unique look. My maple rolling pins in that photo show three different types of pin: from top to bottom, you see a baguette pin, a traditional American style and a pasta cutter. In this article, I discuss how to make the first two types. The traditional American style has trunnions at each end that capture rotating handles. The “French” baguette pin is so-called for its resemblance to a loaf of French bread. As I hinted earlier, the diameter and the length of rolling pins has decreased in the last half century. It is hard to find a wood example that is over 2" in diameter and has a working length over 10" for a traditional pin or 18" for a baguette pin. Personally, I frequently use a baguette pin to roll pizza dough, so I make mine 20" to 24" long. This gives them a working length of 12" to 16". Likewise, I make my traditional pins 12" to 14" long. While shorter is OK, a longer pin makes for faster work. The length of your pins will largely depend on the between-center distance of your lathe. Mini-lathes are usually limited to between 12" and 15". This will yield an acceptable French pin, but the distance is much more suited to the American design.

Turn Your Cylinder Turning an exact cylinder is a challenge, which is why a rolling pin is an exercise for my basic turning students. Jointing two faces, then sawing your blank to an exact square, helps greatly. You need to end up with at least a 2" square, with 21⁄4" to 21⁄2" being better. To begin turning, center punch the exact centers of the billet. Use a speed of 800 to 1,200 rpm and a spindle roughing-out gouge. Be sure to wax the tool-rest so the gouge slides freely. As the piece approaches round, lightly touch the work on the far side with your fingers while holding the gouge down with your thumb. You will feel the flat spots go away. The trick is to move the gouge side to side while just removing the flat spots. You will end up with a perfect cylinder. If you’re adept with a skew, you can now plane the cylinder to a perfect finish. Safer is to turn your roughing-out gouge at about a 30° angle to the work and push it down the cylinder, keeping the 30° angle constant. You can see this technique in my More on the Web video for this article.

1"

2" to 21/2" diameter 4"

Baguette pin

Use a spindle roughing-out gouge to bring the blank nearly round, then lightly touch the back of the piece with your fingers while holding the tool with your thumb. Sweep side-to-side to feel when the flat spots disappear.

Two Styles of Pin After you have turned the cylinder common to both pins, you create the differen-

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

Holding the spindle roughing-out gouge at about a 30° angle to the work and pushing sideways (maintaining the 30° angle) will give you about as good a finish as that left by a skew, with none of the danger of a catch.

37

Woodturning continued tiations depending on your choice of style. I show the methods for creating both styles in my videos. To create a baguette pin, you start at about 4" from each end and create a taper that reaches about a The French baguette pin tapers, starting 4” from each end, to about 1” in diameter. You should 1" diameter at the be able to set a ruler down and have it touch end of the cylinder. everywhere on this straight taper. This should be a straight taper, with no curving in or out. To create an American style rolling pin, you will need to drill 1/2"-diameter by 1"-deep holes at each end of your cylinder. You will also need to turn the handles. The starting blank for the handles of the traditional pin should be 41⁄2" long by 1" square. You need to drill a 1/2"-diameter hole that extends all the way through the Most of the trunnion shaft needs to be turned at handle. You can least 1/32” under 1/2” for a sloppy fit in the haneither drill this in dle so the pin works even when soaking wet. a drill press or on The last 1” has a 1/2” diameter to be a slide fit with the hole drilled in the main cylinder. the lathe, which I

If you don’t have a four-jaw chuck, you can turn the tapered tenon between centers, tap it into the hole in one end of the handle, then mount the tapered tenon to the drive center and the other end of the handle centered on the cone of your live center.

think is easier. Simply push the blank halfway onto a drill in the headstock with the live center, drill halfway, then turn your blank around and drill the other way until your hole extends the length of the blank. Hold the blank in a small screw clamp for safety. Hold off on turning the handles just yet: the next step is to work on the trunnions that extend all the way through the handles. These trunnions start life as a 57⁄8"long by 3/4"-square blank. Turn 51⁄2" down the length of the blank to 1/2" diameter, using a 1/2" wrench. Leave the remaining portion at the 3/4" diameter and round it into a half bead to create a button head on the end of the trunnion. Next, use a skew to bring the area between the head and 1" from the end down to a bit under 1/2". (Leave the last 1" at the 1/2" diameter.) This means that, although it may be hard to get the end of the trunnion shaft through the hole you drilled in the handle, utting grooves into an American there will be enough style rolling pin turns it into a pasta play that the handle cutter. Grind a pointed scraper (the will turn easily on author used an old screwdriver) the shaft once it is through. (You need at to cut the grooves, and be sure to least 1/32" of play so scrape with the tool pointed downScraping grooves into an American rolling that the handle turns pin turns it into a pasta cutter. Careful hill. A pasta-cutting pin should be no easily even when layout and tool presentation are critical to more than 10” long. getting even spacing for good cutting. soaking wet.)

Making a Pasta Cutter

C

38

Back to the handles. You need to have good centering when turning the outside of the handles. To achieve this, I turned a tapered 1/2" tenon on a square of wood held in a four-jaw chuck (photo above). Held against this tenon with a live center, the bore is perfectly centered on the axis of the lathe while I turn it to a handle shape as per the Drawing on page 37.

Final Assembly After you have finished your turnings, sand all parts thoroughly, but only to 120-grit. A sanding pad in an electric drill is great for quickly sanding the working cylinder of either pin. It will bring everything smooth and to a constant diameter. To assemble the American style pin, push the trunnions through the handles, then apply a bit of waterproof glue, such as Titebond® II, into the 1/2" holes drilled in the pin, and inset the trunnions into them. Remember: the trunnion cannot trap the handle; there needs to be about 1/16" of side-to-side play to allow for swelling if wet. I finish my rolling pins with a bit of walnut oil or olive oil. Now, go ahead and bake a pie or make a pizza. Ernie Conover is the author of The Lathe Book and The Frugal Woodturner.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

39

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Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

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41

Trapezoid Band Saw Box By David Picciuto

Here’s a fun gift project to use up those too-good-to-toss scraps and fine-tune your band sawing skills while you’re at it.

This project was originally published in The New Bandsaw Box Book: Techniques and Patterns for the Modern Woodworker (ISBN 9781-940611-32- 7) by David Picciuto. That book and the author’s new book, Make Your Own Cutting Boards, are published by Spring House Press (springhousepress.com).

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December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Clamp up the blank, applying small F-style clamps all around the perimeter to ensure even pressure throughout. You should see some glue squeezing out of every seam.

Glue up the five box laminations. Apply an even bead to each face, spread it with a foam paint roller or small brush, and sandwich the pieces together. Ordinary yellow wood glue works fine for this job.

B

and saw boxes are what really got me started in woodworking years ago, because they’re not that difficult to make. If you’ve got a handful of clamps, a band saw and some attractive scraps, you’re pretty much all set to make any number of different box styles. Plus, compared with more involved woodworking projects with lots of parts or complicated joinery, band saw boxes provide almost instant gratification: you can make many simple designs in just a day or so of shop time. If you’ve never made a band saw box before, this Tennessee Box, from my collection in The New Bandsaw Box Book, is a great place to start! I think its simple trapezoidal shape is elegant, and learning to build it also provides a launchpad for designing and building more complex designs of your own. I’ve chosen walnut for the front and back faces, because where I live, it’s easy to get for a reasonable price and always looks great when you put an oil finish on it. For the center laminations, I’m using some leftover Baltic birch plywood. The repeating lines of the plywood laminations help to emphasize the shape, and you can sand it very smooth. The edge plys also take finish well, and there are almost no voids between them. I use Baltic ply quite often on my boxes. I’ve topped this drawer off with a sleek pull that mimics the box’s shape.

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

Preparing the Blank The first step on any band saw box project is to glue up the laminated blank. Select your choice of scraps, based on the colors and grain patterns you like. The pieces should be at least 3" wide x 8" long. The thickness of your box blank can vary, but my five, 3/4"-thick laminations add up to 33⁄4". It isn’t critical that all the pieces of your box blank are exactly the same size, but it sure helps the clamping process if they’re flat. Flatten the faces of any pieces that need it before The author recommends using a 3/16”-wide, skip-tooth band saw blade (inset) for cutting the box’s curved outer profile to shape.

Cut as close to the line as possible without touching it. Take your time, use a slow feed rate, and let the blade do the work.

Photocopy the pattern on page 45 and cut it out. Apply it to the front face of the box blank with spray adhesive. Stick the pattern down carefully so it’s smooth and free of air bubbles.

proceeding. If the laminations are ready to go, spread glue on mating faces of each board. I use a small 4" brush or foam paint roller, which makes it easy to apply a smooth, even coat of glue. Ordinary yellow wood glue works just fine for this glue-up. Rub the laminations back and forth against one another as you assemble

This blade’s tooth configuration removes waste quickly to minimize burning and wandering while leaving a relatively smooth cut.

43

For rip-cutting against the fence, switching to a 1/2"wide resaw blade can yield smoother straight cuts — but it’s not a necessity.

The box back must be removed before work on the drawer can begin. Set your band saw fence 1/2" from the blade, and feed the stock slowly along the fence to cut the back free.

home center. Spray a light coat on the back of the pattern, position it on the blank and stick it down. Smooth it and work out any air bubbles that might be trapped underneath.

Cutting the Outer Profile to Shape

Cutting this box’s tight corners requires a narrow band saw blade. I prefer a 3/16" skip tooth blade with four teeth per inch. I’ve found that a blade with a higher tooth count doesn’t remove waste fast enough, which causes burning and the blade to wander in the cut. Tension the blade good and tight, and go ahead and cut the With the narrow skip tooth blade installed, and starting from the end box’s outer shape. of the box, make the long inside cut to remove the drawer face blank. Follow as close to Steer around the corners slowly and as precisely as possible. the line as possible without touching it, and remember, the blank to work the excess glue out, everything outside this line is just waste and clamp it all together. I use a bunch material. Later, you’ll sand to the line for of F-style clamps spaced all around to final shaping. Take your time as you cut, distribute the clamping pressure evenly. using a slow feed rate, and let the blade You should see glue squeezing out all do the work. around the perimeter of each lamination. Let your blank dry for at least four hours or more. Swapping Blades for Next Cuts Now that the outside of the box is cut to shape, the next order of business is Applying the Pattern to NOT cut out the drawer! Instead, the Photocopy the full-size pattern on the back panel of the box comes next, and next page, and trim it to size. The best for that, I recommend switching to a way to secure it to the front face of the wider band saw blade. It isn’t absolutely blank is with aerosol spray adhesive. necessary, but I like to use a 1/2" resaw You can find it in the glue section of any

44

blade for my straight cuts. It leaves a smoother surface than the narrower blade and, when used in conjunction with your band saw’s rip fence, it cuts a nice straight line. To cut the back panel free, adjust your saw’s rip fence 1/2" away from the blade, and feed the back face of the blank slowly along the fence. Once the back is off, go ahead and cut the drawer out of the box interior. But if you changed to a 1/2" blade for the last cut, switch back to your 3/16" blade for the drawer cut. Start this long cut on the end of the blank and work in the direction of the grain (see bottom photo, left). It’s important to take your time and cut right on the line. Any drifting off the line at this point will make the walls of the box unevenly thick. When you get to the sharp corners, keep pushing the blank and feeding the blade around the curve in a smooth, controlled motion. Take the corners slowly and as precisely as possible. And when you finally reach the end, and the drawer blank breaks free, pat yourself on the back — here was this project’s trickiest cut!

Gluing the Box Back Together Set the drawer blank aside for the moment so you can glue the box back together. Spread a little glue into the entrance cut you made to start the drawer cutout, and press the kerf closed with a few F-clamps. You don’t need to bear down on the clamping pressure here — just tighten them enough to ensure a thin glue line that will mostly disappear. When the glue dries, reattach the back to the sides of the box with more glue and clamps. Align the grain of the two pieces carefully before tightening the clamps. When properly aligned, this glue line also will be hard to see on the finished project.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Box

Exploded View Drawer

Full-size Pattern To download this template as a PDF, visit this issue’s “More on the Web” section under the Magazine tab at woodworkersjournal.com.

Glue and clamp the box to close the entrance cut for the drawer, as shown here. Apply just enough clamping pressure to hold the joint closed.

Woodworker’s Journal grants permission for readers to photocopy this Pattern, or the PDF format available at woodworkersjournal.com via the More on the Web button, for personal use.

Reattach the back to the box sides with glue and plenty of clamps all around. If you align the grain carefully, this seam will disappear when the glue dries.

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

45

www.woodworkersjournal.com

MORE ON THE WEB For a downloadable PDF of VIDEO

the Trapezoid Tennessee

Band Saw Box full-size pattern, as well as a link to the author’s video on applying flocking, please visit woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab.

Cutting Out the Drawer Parts

Begin creating the drawer by cutting the drawer back off of the rest of the blank. Make this panel 1/2" thick, just as you did for the box back, using the rip fence as a cutting guide.

The drawer consists of three main pieces: the back panel, drawer face and an interior section. Cut the drawer face 1/2" thick to match the drawer back.

While the back panel joint is drying, you can turn your attention to the drawer. The first step to making it is to switch to the 1/2" blade again. That’s because the front face and drawer back get sawed off the blank so you can reach the interior compartment. These two cuts are just like the box’s first back panel cut. Position your saw’s rip fence and slice off a 1/2"-thick drawer face and back panel (see top and center photos at left). Now that the front and back are removed, you’re ready to start work on the center section of the drawer. I sketch this out freehand with a pencil. When you grip the pencil, just let your index finger serve as the offset as you trace around the drawer blank to mark the cutout area. I aim for the drawer bottom and sides to be about 3/8" thick (see bottom photo at left), but a little thicker or thinner is just fine, too. With the tracing done, go ahead and remove the waste piece inside the drawer. Make this cut with your narrow, skip tooth blade installed, using a slow, steady feed rate. Cut just to the waste side of your pencil line, and if you happen to accidentally cut into this waste area a little bit, it’s no biggie. The only thing you’ll need it for later is to make the drawer pull.

A Drawer Takes Shape Now you’ve got a hollowed-out interior, a front face and a back panel — and these three parts finally begin to resemble a drawer. If the cut you made Trace around the drawer’s inner section freehand to create the cutout area, aiming for the drawer bottom and sides to be about 3/8” thick.

46

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Now that the interior area is removed from the center section, the three components are starting to resemble a drawer.

Back at the band saw, cut away the inside of the drawer with your narrow, skip-tooth blade. Cut just to the waste side of the pencil line, and proceed slowly and carefully around the tight inside curves.

to hollow out the center section is fairly smooth and burn-free, glue and clamp the drawer components together. Since they’re cut from a single blank, if you align the grain properly, the seams will vanish when it dries. But if that interior cut didn’t go as smoothly as you might have hoped it would, not to worry. Sometimes that happens! There are two solutions: if you want the interior of the drawer to look like wood when you’re through, you need to file and sand the interior faces smooth. That’s the harder fix. Or, you can do what I often do: leave the cut just as it is, glue the drawer together, and plan to flock the inside of the drawer instead (see sidebar, page 49).

Sanding and Shaping As the drawer joints dry, you can take the outer shell of the box to your disc or spindle sander and sand the outside profile up to the pattern line. If you use a disc sander, double-check the table for squareness to the disc before you begin, to make sure the sander will sand the box evenly from front to back. If you don’t have access to either of these Clamp the drawer parts together. When the glue squeeze-out inside the drawer reaches a rubbery consistency, scrape it out while it’s still easy to remove.

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

stationary sanders, you could clamp a belt sander upside down in a vise and sand that way, do your sanding with a random-orbit sander, or just grab some sandpaper and sand by hand. Once the shell is sanded to a smooth, even profile, do the same thing with the outside surface of the drawer. But be careful here. The goal is to just get the drawer smooth. The more material you remove, the looser the drawer will fit in the box opening. So, sand only to get rid of any obvious blade marks or burns, and call it good.

Spread an even coat of yellow glue around the front and back edges of the drawer’s center section, and set the drawer face and back in place.

At this point, even though the big outer surfaces of the box and drawer are fairly smooth, the edges are still sharp. I like to round these over for a more finished look. A 1/8" roundover bit mount-

Sand the perimeter of the box (top) and drawer (left) to smooth these surfaces. Be careful not to oversand the drawer, or it will fit too loosely inside the box.

ed in a router table is a good way to ease these edges and not have to balance a handheld router over such a small project. At the router

the smoother your box is, the better! Time for more sanding. I suggest starting with 120- or 150-grit sandpaper in your random-orbit sander, and give the box a good going-over. Touch up the roundovers carefully, too, especially if the router bit left little burn marks around the corners. Then, switch to hand-sanding at this grit to remove any swirl marks the sanding disc might have left behind. Sand with the grain. Now switch to 220-grit and go over the whole project again, sanding with the grain. You want every outer surface to be smooth to the touch and blemish-free. It really doesn’t take much time, so be really fussy here.

Adding a Drawer Pull

Ease the remaining sharp edges of the box and drawer with a 1/8" roundover bit at the router table (larger photo, above). Then continue sanding the project through finer grits to remove all machining marks and burns.

48

table, feed the outer edges of the box and drawer clockwise around the bit, so you’re cutting against the bit’s rotation. If you want to round over the inside edges of the box walls, too, feed the box counterclockwise against the bit. Band saw boxes are going to get touched — it’s just part of the charm of small, useful projects with moving parts like this. So,

That last chunk of core material from inside the drawer will give you more than enough material to make the little drawer pull. I cut a blank for my pull about 3/4" thick that’s both walnut and just a few thin layers of Baltic birch plywood for contrast. Photocopy another pattern so you can apply the drawer pull portion of the pattern to your blank with spray adhesive. Then cut out the drawer pull. Sand its surfaces smooth, and round over the edges by hand until the pull is pleasing to the touch. Center the pull carefully on the drawer face, and glue it in place. A small spring clamp will apply plenty of pressure to hold it there until the glue dries.

Final Touches Most any finish could work on this box, but I’ll suggest a couple of options. My favorite is a three-part mixture of boiled linseed oil, polyurethane and mineral spirits. It wipes on easily with a rag and warms up the color of most

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Using a portion of the full-size pattern affixed to a scrap piece, cut out the drawer pull. The author’s pull consists of both walnut and a few thin layers of Baltic birch plywood.

woods with an amber tone. It also dries much faster than straight polyurethane from the can. If you go this route, apply four coats, allowing one day to dry between coats. Another good finishing option for small projects like this is spray aerosol shellac or lacquer. Both dry super fast, and they leave a smooth finish because every new coat partially “melts” into the layer below it and levels out. Spray three or four very light coats. You can get them all done in just a couple of hours. Shellac will produce a glossy finish; you can find lacquer in both satin and gloss sheens. Sometimes a low-luster, satin finish actually looks better than one that looks wet and shiny, but that’s totally up to personal preference.

Sand the drawer pull by hand to soften all of its sharp edges. Then install it on the drawer face. A little glue and a small spring clamp are all it takes to mount the pull permanently.

If you’ve decided to take my advice to flock the inside of the drawer — and even the inside of the box if you like — do that now to complete The author blends equal parts boiled linseed oil, oil-based polyurethane the last big detail. and mineral spirits to form a simple wipe-on finish for this project. I’ll often flock the Spray-on shellac or lacquer would be other good choices, too. insides of boxes try a few band saw boxes of your own where the drawer fits a bit looser than design! It doesn’t take long for them to I’d like. It takes up some of that extra become addictive ... trust me! unwanted gap. When the flocking dries, your Tennessee Box project is a wrap — and David Picciuto is a woodworker who blogs at this time of the year, it’s a perfect at makesomething.tv and hosts a YouTube project to wrap up for gift-giving. Then channel focused on creative woodworking at get back out there, be creative, and www.youtube.com/user/drunkenwoodworker.

Decorating Band Saw Boxes with Flocking Flocking adds a soft coating to the insides of band saw box drawers fibers is also a messy process, so be sure to cover your work surfaces, to simulate a suede or velvet lining. The author also uses it inside

wear a dust mask and use proper ventilation. Applying flocking inside

the box shells to tighten up loose-fitting drawers and provide an easy

a plastic storage container or large box can help capture excess

open-and-close action. You can buy flocking supplies online and from

flocking fibers for use on another project.

woodworking retailers such as Rockler in several colors and shades, including black, brown, green, red and blue. Applying flocking is a two-step process that involves brushing on a colored undercoat adhesive (shown in the photo at right), then using a flocking gun (not shown) to blow colored flocking fibers into the wet adhesive. The gun consists of two nested tubes with holes on one end that hold the bulk fiber. Plunging the tubes in and out provides the air pressure that sprays the fibers. Before brushing on flocking adhesive, the author recommends masking off the edges of the drawer and shell with painter’s tape to prevent flocking from sticking to where you don’t want it. Blowing the

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

Find a link to the author’s detailed YouTube video on the flocking process in the More on the Web section of woodworkersjournal.com.

3 Kitchen Doodads By A.J. Hamler

Toasty Tongs Rounded sides plus a wedge fulcrum create tongs that can be adapted in length to serve a variety of functions.

I

sometimes have a hard time getting things out of a toaster. Full-size pieces of bread are usually OK, but smaller pieces (and just about all English muffins) don’t seem to pop up high enough to grab without burning my fingers on the toaster. Of course, if you don’t let the toast cool for a few moments before grabbing it, you can burn you fingers on the hot toast, too. An easy-to-make pair of grabbers like these “toasty tongs” will fix all that. And there’s no need to relegate them

50

strictly to toast duty, either. The tongs presented here also go perfectly with a veggie tray, and by changing a few key dimensions you can use the same process to create tongs of any size for any cooking task. As with most utensils used for cooking or food preparation, it’s best to steer clear of open-grained wood. I’ve selected some outstanding tiger maple for the tongs themselves, while the fulcrum and rear accent present a wonderful contrast in dark walnut.

Tongs of this length must be able to bend easily, so you’ll want to start with stock no more than 3/16" thick. Anywhere from 1/8" to 3/16" is a good working range. Cut the two sides of the tongs to a width of 1", then to a length of 9". Now, round one end of each piece for the front of the tongs and sand the two pieces up to 150-grit. Set them aside for now. The tong sides are attached to a fulcrum on the back end that sets the angle of the tongs. The fulcrum is just

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

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an angled wedge that anchors the two halves together. You can cut the wedge with any Glue the assembly together and clamp up till dry. The pivotCut the fulcrum wedge on the band saw at a 5˚ angle. You saw capable of cutting need a push stick and push block for the small workpiece. ing pads on this spring clamp easily handle the angled end. an angle, but this is a really small workpiece 3 4 and I found it easiest to do on a band saw by tilting the table and using push blocks to keep my hands clear. For tongs of this length, a wedge angle of 21⁄2˚ on each side made for an opening on the business end of 11⁄2", which will nicely handle both toast and Trim the accent dowel with a flush-cut saw. Masking tape Bevel the outside tips of the tongs on a disc sander, then cut veggies. (More on helps protect the workpiece from wayward scratches. smooth the bevels with a sanding block. angles a bit later.) As noted earlier, you can make these tongs in a vise and trim the dowel flush. To achieve the 21⁄2˚ any size. A set of tongs 12" in length Once cut, sand the dowel smooth. angled sides on the wedge, tilt the band would work well for salad or for using To make it easier to slip the tongs saw table to 5˚. Slide your workpiece with a skillet, while bumping up the down into your toaster, let’s bevel the into the blade — the orientation has the length to between 18" and 20" (with ends a bit. You can do this with a rasp grain on the fulcrum vertical here — a fulcrum lengthened to 21⁄2" to 3" for or coarse paper on a sanding block, but and cut a small section. You don’t have a disc sander is easiest to work with, as to cut much, as this piece will only be strength) would be ideal for using with the squared table helps make the bevel 1" wide. Back the workpiece out of the the grill. As you lengthen the tongs, also even and level side-to-side. Remove cut, return the band saw table to level, consider making them wider than the 1" beveling marks by following up with and cut the resulting wedge to size. I used here. With additional length, you sanding through higher grits with a only made a single 5˚ cut, but once you can also make the tong sides thicker. square the ends when cutting the wedge sanding block. These tongs will get a Keep in mind that the longer you finish of boiled linseed oil, so I sanded to width and length, it evens out to 21⁄2˚ make the tongs, the wider the resulting up through 220-grit. opening will be. Do a dry assembly on each side. As I typically do when oil finishing of your components and decide if the Apply glue to the wide faces of the kitchen utensils, I flooded on the oil opening is appropriate to the intended fulcrum, clamp the tong sides into and let it soak for a bit and then wiped use: if it’s too big, decrease the angle place and allow to dry. This glue joint off the excess. The next day after it was when cutting the fulcrum so the openis long-grain to long-grain, so it’s plenty dry, a once-over with 400-grit sandpaper ing is smaller. strong. Although it doesn’t strictly need made the wood smooth as can be before reinforcing, an accent not only looks 1 /2" Fulcrum adding two more coats of oil and then great, but it will make the fulcrum joint (Top View) buffing the tongs to a soft sheen when even stronger. fully dry. Center a 5/16" hole through the fulcrum. If drilling this hole by hand, be 21/2° 21/2° sure to angle the drill so the hole goes MATERIAL LIST 11/2" squarely side-to-side. On the drill press, TxWxL support the tongs on one end to angle 1 Tongs (2) 3/16" x 1" x 9" the assembly so the hole is vertical right 2 Fulcrum (1) 5/8" x 1" x 11⁄2" through the fulcrum. 3 Fulcrum Accent (1) 5/16" dowel Glue a short length of 5/16" walnut 5 dowel into the hole, then secure the /8"

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Banana Hanger Handy for hanging bananas, this handsome addition to your countertop has other uses as well.

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You can make your hanger out of anything, but since the bend of the hanger arm is pretty sharp across the short grain, hardwood is best. I chose standard 1x oak for its strength in that short-grain area, plus it matches my kitchen cabinetry. Since this will be sitting out on the counter, it complements the existing woodwork nicely.

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A band saw makes fast work of cutting out the hanger’s arm pattern, but you could also use a jigsaw if you prefer.

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’ve always loved bananas. Guess you could say they really have appeal. OK, now that we’ve gotten the bad jokes out of the way, I have to admit that I really do like bananas. Except when traveling or when we have overnight guests, my regular morning fare is coffee, a cup of my favorite yogurt and a ripe banana. Fresh fruit is a great between-meal snack, and my usual choice is a banana. For that reason, I want them

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close at hand, not stashed in a cabinet or at the bottom of a fruit basket, and nothing works better for that than a basic banana hanger. This is no single-purpose item, either, which is why I have more than one. I have a wonderful herb garden and, during the season, I often pick a small bunch of herbs, tie them off at the stems and suspend the bunch to dry on a hanger identical to this one.

Begin by transferring the hanger arm pattern to a 3/4"-thick workpiece by your preferred means — either cut out the pattern and trace it onto the wood, or simply use a spray adhesive to adhere the pattern to the wood and peel the pattern off after cutting. I’ve opted to cut out the pattern on the band saw, as seen above, but a jigsaw will also do the trick. If using a jigsaw, be sure to install a blade rated for hardwood, and dial back on the saw’s rotary action for a cleaner, less-splintery cut. When you’ve cut out the pattern, refine your curves, if needed, to remove any marks from the saw (a combination of disc sander for the convex curves and spindle sander for concave areas works well), then set up your router table with a piloted roundover bit. Leave the flat bottom area alone, but round over all other edges on one side, then flip the workpiece over and repeat with

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

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Using a router, round over all edges of the hanger except the very bottom.

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Drill a pilot hole, then use a screwdriver or other object to twist the hanger hook into place.

the other side. When 4 5 finished, give the arm a good sanding all around up to 150-grit. The hanger base, also made of 3/4" oak, is a simple oval measuring 6" wide by 7" long, which, again, you can cut out with a jigsaw or on the band saw. Using the same setup on the Countersink a pilot hole through the underside of the hanger A few coats of satin polyurethane bring out the oak’s color router table you used base, and drive in a 2” screw to secure the arm. and offer great protection. for the hanger arm, cut When dry, give the hanger the finish of a roundover around the top edge of the 1 your choice. For kitchen furniture and base, then sand to 150-grit. /2" accessories, I like the protection offered Secure the hanger arm upside down by polyurethane. Any splashes from in a vise or clamp it to the edge of your 3 21/4" /4" the sink or preparing food are easy to workbench to temporarily install the clean off, and I really like the way that hanger hook. You can use any type or poly gives oak a deep golden color. Two size of screw-in hook here that is large 7" 6" or three coats is good, sanding lightly enough to handle a bunch of bananas. between coats. With the hanger arm vertical, drill a pilot Want to explore some additional hole 1" from the front of the arm appropriately sized for your hook, and then just options for kitchenware finishes? Check out Michael Dresdner’s Finishing twist the hook into place. You may find Thoughts article on page 86 of this issue. it easier to use the shaft of a screwdriver 6" When the finish has dried, twist the to twist the hook in, as I’m doing in the hanger hook back into place with the top right photo, above. Now remove the opening facing forward — it’ll go in easihook and set it aside while finishing the er this time — and it’s ready to go. hanger; we’ll reinstall it later. One final step to consider is to add To attach the arm to the hanger base, a few peel-and-stick felt “dots” to the secure the arm into your vise so the underside of the base. The hanger, even mounting end is flush with the top of Arm loaded with a ripe bunch of bananas, the vise. Invert the base onto the arm, (Side View) 11" and position the arm 1/2" from the back isn’t heavy at all, but those felt dots make it easy to slide anywhere you like edge of the base, which exactly centers on your countertop. the hook over the base. Drill a countersunk pilot hole through the base and up into the arm. Dab a bit of glue onto the MATERIAL LIST arm’s attachment point, line up the base TxWxL and drive in a 2" screw. 1 Base (1) 3/4" x 6" x 7" Remove the completed assembly from 2 Arm (1) 3/4" x 6" x 11" the vise and wipe off any glue squeezeEach square = 1/2" out where the arm meets the base.

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Pasta Pair This matched set of utensils will take you from cooking pasta to serving it with style.

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enjoy making kitchen projects for my own use as well as for gifting to family and friends, and there’s nothing I like better than creating wooden versions of classic utensils. I’ve made several pasta servers like the one presented here, but this time around I thought two complementary pasta utensils would make for a fantastic matched set. Although they are different sizes and have different uses, these utensils share the same basic pattern: The shape of the handle ends as well as the curve of the front ends are identical on both pieces. The only difference is that the server is long and narrow, while the measure is shorter, with an extended wider portion on the business end.

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Any hardwood is fine for this project, but avoid open grains like oak and ash, especially for the server, as soft pasta could lodge in the grain. Closedgrain woods like cherry and maple are good choices, but for some beautiful figure consider giving olivewood a try. Olivewood can be on the expensive side in larger sizes, so your best bet is to find a turning blank. With some careful resawing, the 2" x 2" blank I used here will easily provide two matched pairs of workpieces. Start by cutting a 3/8"-thick slice for the pasta measure, and then a 1/2" piece for the server. When it comes to resawing, the band saw can’t be beat. After cutting, give the faces of the two

workpieces a good sanding to 150-grit to remove all saw marks. Transfer the patterns to each workpiece, and then cut both pieces out on the band saw. For the pasta server, I located each of the drilling points for the tine holes by poking the tip of an awl right through the pattern. With brad point bits, the marks from the awl make it easy to place the sharp tip of the bradpoint bit in the exact spot. A drill press is ideal for drilling these 1/4"-deep holes to ensure that the dowel tines are perfectly vertical to the face of the server. The pasta measure has much larger holes that gauge the amount of spaghetti. The smallest hole is 7/8" for a single serving, the next is 13⁄16" for two, and the largest hole is 11⁄2" for three servings.

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Transfer the pattern to the workpieces. Use an awl or other From a 2” x 2” turning blank, cut out a 3/8” slice for the For more servings, it’s sharp item to mark drilling holes right through the pattern. pasta measure and a 1/2” slice for the server. easy to use a combination of any of these 3 4 three holes. Clamp the measure to your bench or work surface with a sacrificial piece underneath, and then use Forstner bits to drill out the holes. With all holes drilled, ease all the corners and edges of the two workpieces with a With the workpiece securely clamped, use Forstner bits to Use waterproof glue to set the pasta server’s dowel tines sanding block. Sanding drill the three sequential holes in the pasta measure. into place in the drilled holes. up to 150-grit would be fine for items receiving Apply waterproof glue into the server second and third coat just as the first. a film finish like polyurethane, but these holes and slip the tines into place, taking When the final coat has dried, a brisk will get a rubbed oil finish, so sand up to care to orient the rounded tips outward. buffing with a cloth will give them a 220-grit for a really smooth surface. Be sure to wipe off any squeeze-out with soft sheen. Cut a 1/4" dowel into 10 sections, a damp cloth. Both utensils will handle washing well, each 11⁄2" long, for the server tines. I gave both pieces several coats of but don’t put them in the dishwasher. If boiled linseed oil. Apply the oil liberthe appearance begins to dull with freAgain, any closed-grain hardwood is ally and allow it to soak in for about quent use, a fresh coat of oil will help to fine, but I wanted a nice contrast with a half hour, then wipe off any excess renew that beautiful olivewood figure. the olivewood, so I opted for walnut. and allow the utensils to dry for a day With the tines cut, slightly round off or so. When the first oiling has dried, the exposed tips with sanding — I A.J. Hamler is the former editor of Woodshop I like to go over utensils like these alternated between a sanding block and News. He is the author of several woodworking with some 400-grit sandpaper for a twisting small pieces around the tips for books, including The Woodworker’s Kitchen glass-smooth surface, and then apply a a smooth end. (ISBN 978-1440346002).

Pasta Measure (Top View)

MATERIAL LIST Each square = 1/4"

1 Pasta Measure (1) 2 Spaghetti Server (1) 3 Tines (10)

TxWxL 3/8" x 2" x 9" 1/2" x 2" x 12" 1/4" Dia. x 11⁄2"

Spaghetti Server (Top View)

Each square = 1/4"

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

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December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

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Carved Shrink Boxes By Kimberly McNeelan

The techniques for making these Scandinavian style shrink boxes, or “krympburkar,” date back to the days of the Vikings — but they’re just as fun for modern woodworkers.

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the steps correctly, the shrink box will rand Marais, Minnesota, is one These shrink boxes could be conbecome watertight for a drinking cup or of those magical little towns that structed using just a saw and a knife, seem almost unreal. Driving but the steps laid out here make the pro- airtight to store spices or tea. Class started with practice and through pea soup fog on the way to get cess quick and easy. When you follow demonstrations of safe carvthere and on the way back made ing techniques. The preferred it seem even more as if I was actuknife for this type of work is ally being rocketed through some called a Sloyd knife, made by sort of portal to an amazing place the company Mora of Sweden. on another planet. Once I arrived We practiced by making at the North House Folk School, butter paddles. The class had the community and dedication to all levels of woodworking excraft magnified the dreaminess of perience, and Paul discussed this breathtaking setting. changing your technique My goal of this trip was to learn and using different ways of how to make Scandinavian Shrink cutting to help avoid muscle Boxes, which are Viking technolfatigue. Check out the More ogy! Thanks to instructors Jim on the Web video to see a live Sannerud and Paul Linden (who demonstration of the knife made the boxes shown above), Instructor Paul Linden’s drawings on how to cut with the grain carving techniques. that goal was easily attained. assisted class members with all levels of woodworking experience.

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December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

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MORE ON THE WEB For a video of the author demonstrating VIDEO

knife skills techniques, please visit

woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab.

Butter paddles served as carving practice. Changing cutting technique helps to avoid muscle fatigue.

tiring, you switch it around holding the blade towards you with your palm up and roll the wood towards you. Work from both ends of the box to achieve a consistent thickness. For a box in the 4" range, a wall thickness that’s between 1/4" and 3/8" is appropriate.

Green Wood, Traditional Tools

of these innovative canisters can be made using any closed grain hardwood such as birch, box elder, cherry, maple, aspen, etc. My class used birch branches that Paul had harvested the evening before class began. The bottom and lid of the box are made using dry wood that is easy to carve, such as basswood or pine. There are a few different tools to use to achieve the following steps. At North House, they have several shave horses and all the hand tools to work in a more traditional way. Once you have your wood, drill a hole into the end grain deeper than the desired box height. You could use a drill, vise, and any style drill The author’s arm and bit. Then cut off a length for the wrist are stiff as she height of box that you’d like. uses the weight of her Using a sacrificial surface to body to cut the bark make downward cuts is a safe and off (above). A “potato peeling” cutting effective way to remove the bark. technique creates the After doing that, you chamfer the chamfer on top and A traditional tool available at the school was a Cook’s outside edge of the top and bottom bottom (inset). pattern auger bit used to drill end grain. just enough so that it won’t be sharp. This cut is made like you are peeling a potato. When hollowing out the branch, if Hollowing out the you tire of rolling the wood clockinside of the branch wise away from you with the knife is one of my favorite pointing away, switch it around steps. Roll the wood with the blade toward you (palm up) and roll the wood towards you, on your thigh while counterclockwise. holding the knife still. When the knife blade is pointed away from you, roll the wood away from Here a bow saw and shave horse are used to cut to you. If that gets length. This can be accomplished in many ways. The construction of these boxes is rather clever. Essentially, you are exploiting characteristics of green wood. The sides

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You can choose among several styles of grooves to fit the bottom of your box. The author preferred the style in the middle of the drawing above.

Cut and Fit the Bottom Now that the inside is hollowed, you will make a groove to capture the bottom. Using a marking gauge with the depth set to scribe about halfway deep into the side of your box, scribe a line about 1/2" up from the bottom. Then use your carving knife to remove material below your scribed line, keeping the top of the groove flat and angling down over 1/4" for the bottom to pop into.

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To make the bottom, start by tracing around the inside of the box onto a piece of wood that is about the same thickness as your box sides. Then cut out the circle approximately 1/16" larger than your traced line. Make alignment marks on the box and the bottom piece so that you can fit the bottom to the exact shape of the box. You will carve the bottom to mimic the shape of the groove you made, but more extreme.

The goal here is to get the bottom to barely pop into place. Patiently remove material around the edges until you get the perfect fit. Once the bottom is in place, the wet wood will dry out and shrink around the already dry bottom. It is amazing how quickly this happens! It is best practice to wait at least three weeks before fitting the lid so the wood will be completely dry.

Creating the Lid Jim and Paul made boxes without lids that would be dry for class so that we could go through the lid making process. There are several ways to make lids: Jim demonstrated one, and Paul showed us another. I chose the method to fit the lid into the opening by giving it a slight angle. Start by establishing the inside dimension of your box. Put

To make the groove for her box bottom, the author found it easiest to put the marking gauge in a vise and rotate the box around to scribe the line.

Next trace around the inside of the box onto a piece of basswood, an easy-to-carve choice for the box top and bottom.

The author left a 1/8” flat on the side of the bottom piece and then carved an angle before fitting it into her groove.

Finally, use your palm to apply pressure and pop the box bottom into place. The alignment mark acts as a guide for the custom fit.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Trace around the flour that is left after flipping a flour-filled box onto a dampened piece of wood that will serve as the box lid.

With the band saw tilted to 67˚, be sure you are cutting on the side of the line that will make the lid larger, rather than smaller.

Marking with a pencil where you need to remove material makes the process of carving your lid to fit into your box pretty easy. (The lid will stand slightly proud of the box sides.)

flour into the box. Wet the surface of the wood you are using for the lid. Place the wood on top of the box, and flip it over, putting the flour on the dampened surface. Pick up the box, and the internal dimension of your box will be left behind. Now go to the band saw and cut the lid out slightly bigger than your line at a 67˚ angle. Put reference marks on your lid like you did your box bottom. Now you will use your knife to carve the lid to fit into the box. Leave the lid sticking out proud about 1/4". By putting the lid on the box, you can make pencil marks where the lid is hitting and then cut that off. Once the lid fits, chamfer the corners. Then make your knob. I chose to make the knob on the lathe, but you can easily carve a knob, too. Drill a 3/8" hole that is off-center in your lid. Putting the knob off-center actually makes it easier to

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

open the box. Then make a kerf in the bottom of the knob that is going across the grain so that it will be less likely to spit the whole knob. Carve a wedge that will fit into that kerf. Then glue the knob into place. Glue and tap the wedge in, too. After the knob has dried into place, you can trim the bottom of the knob and wedge flush with the lid bottom.

Finishing Options Now you are ready for surface treatments! You may want to leave the box textured with your knife cuts. Or you could get out your carving gouges and add more texture. Jim did a great demonstration using milk paint, a wonderful way to add color to any project. Whether or not you paint your shrink box, you’ll want to apply a finish to protect the wood. We discussed walnut oil, non-boiled linseed oil or beeswax as

When you put the knob into the lid, make sure your wedge will be perpendicular to the lid’s grain. That is shown here with pencil marks.

good options. Each of these finishes are food-safe and very easy to apply. Now that I have learned the process of making shrink boxes, I can make these rather fast. I can do about seven bottoms fitted into the box in one relaxed day. Shrink boxes are great gifts, and it is a wonderful way to accelerate my knife carving skills! I highly recommend taking the opportunity to go to North House Folk School for any of the awesome classes or events that they offer. The whole experience of being a part of a community focused on enriching lives by sharing skills and knowledge is priceless. Words can’t do justice describing the adventure of going to North House Folk School. Kimberly McNeelan is a woodworker, artist and woodworking teacher. Follow her on Instagram at ksm_woodworker.

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Today’s Shop Make Your Hardware Handsome By Sandor Nagyszalanczy

Don’t spoil a near-perfect project with poorly chosen or mounted hardware. Here are some expert tips to help ensure that pulls, hinges and other metal accents will highlight your hard work.

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ust like in every other aspect of woodworking, there are tried-and-true methods for making hardware installation an easier, cleaner and more precise process, as well as reducing the chance of running into problems. In this article, I’ll present some of the procedures I’ve found particularly useful for installing some of the most common types of cabinet and furniture hardware, including pulls and knobs, hinges and drawer slides. I’ll also offer some general tips for mounting just about any hardware that’s screwed or nailed on.

And, just in case you run into problems, I’ll show you a few good tricks for remedying them (or avoiding them in the first place). Obviously there’s a ton of specialized hardware out there beyond the scope of this article (lazy Susans, flipper door hardware, electric lifts, etc.). For such specific hardware mounting information, I strongly urge you to read the instructions that come with your hardware. Better still, you can almost always find instructional videos on the Internet that show you exactly how to install special types of hardware.

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

Choosing Hardware Peruse the pages of a hardware catalog, and it’s easy to be overwhelmed by the number of choices. Unless the style of the piece you’re building dictates the style of hardware you’ll use (Shaker, Craftsman, Ultra Modern), your hardware choices can have a significant effect on the appearance. For example, a simple, clean-lined cabinet fitted with stainless steel wire pulls will tend towards a contemporary look; white ceramic knobs offer a country feeling, and antique brass bail style pulls lend a classical appearance.

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Today’s Shop continued

the color and grain of the wood your project is built from. For example, black anodized pulls offer good contrast when fitted on a natural maple project but likely would be too subtle if used on a dark wood piece. If you find brass When choosing hardware, it’s good to compare hardware finishes against finished or bronze hardware wood samples. that you like, but Hardware that’s prominent- it has too shiny a finish, you can actually create a darkly located (knobs, latches, er, duller look with a brass etc.) should be chosen to darkening solution (available match the scale of the parts from Rockler.com). Start by it’s used with. For example, removing the protective clear tiny pulls on big doors may coating from the shiny brass seem out of place or simply by scrubbing thoroughly appear incorrect. with a steel wool pad dipped Hardware finish also in acetone or lacquer thinner affects final appearance (wear protective gloves). considerably and should Now fill a small glass bowl be chosen not only to suit or disposable plastic cup the style of your piece, but with darkening solution and to work harmoniously with

immerse the hardware in it, including screws used to mount the hardware. Leave them soaking until they achieve the desired shade of darkness, then rinse them thoroughly in clear water. If the pieces still aren’t dark enough, repeat the soaking/ rinsing process. If pieces end up too dark, you can lighten their finish by rubbing them with fine steel wool.

Screw-on Hardware One of my biggest hardware mounting pet peeves is seeing beautiful, expensive screwed-on hardware that’s either mounted crooked or has screws with stripped heads. To prevent these problems, here are some practical steps to follow when mounting hinges, latches, trunk corners, or just about any other kind of screwed-on hardware. Start by determining and marking the exact position of your hardware. If the hardware spans two separate parts, say a clasp fastener that locks two halves of a tabletop, set the parts together just as they will be after final assembly. If there’s supposed to be a gap between the parts, use cardboard or thin wood strips to shim them. Now set the hardware in place and either clamp it down or use double-stick tape to secure it. To assure perfect pilot holes for the mounting A brass darkening solution can take the shine off brass or bronze hardware to match other hardware or achieve a look you prefer.

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December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

screws, it’s best to use a self-centering drill bit. Choose the bit that matches the size of the screws: a 5/64" bit for #4 screws; 3/32" for #6 screws; 7/64" for #8 screws; and 1/8" for #10 screws. Before drilling, set the bit’s sleeve to limit the drilling depth to match the length of your screws. Keep the bit square to the work surface while drilling, and clear chips from the bit after every hole. A self-centering bit will often work with hardware that lacks countersunk mounting holes. But if it doesn’t, mark hole positions with a pencil, create centered dimples with an awl, then drill the pilot holes with a regular bit. If your hardware has steel screws, or brass-plated steel screws (if you’re unsure, check with a magnet), you’re all set to drive them in place. However, when driving soft brass or bronze screws into harder woods (oak, maple, etc.), it’s best to enlarge the pilot holes with a slightly bigger drill bit (try a bit that’s 1/64" or 1/32" larger), to avoid breaking the screws or stripping their heads. You can also “pre tap,” as shown at right. Whether you re-drill or pre tap the pilot holes, it’s best to run a test with spare screws and a scrap of your project’s wood. When you’re ready to drive the mounting screws, it’s important to choose a screwdriver that fits the screw’s drive recess (Phillips, square, etc.) correctly. If you don’t,

Double-stick tape holds hardware in place while you drill pilot holes with a self-centering bit. A springloaded sleeve on the bit centers and seats in countersunk mounting holes on hardware.

you’re in danger of the driver deforming the screw heads in some way and leaving an ugly result. Take special care when driving Phillips head screws, as there seems to be a stunning number of different sizes and styles. If your hardware comes with slotted-head screws, I urge you to replace them with Phillips head screws — it’s all too easy for a slotted screwdriver to slip out and ruin the screw head or, worse, scratch the hardware or gouge the wood! To make driving easier, lubricate mounting screws by rubbing a little wax from an old candle into the threads. To seat the hardware evenly, run all the screws most of the way in first, then go back and tighten them fully, taking care not to apply too much torque. To prevent breaking or stripping screws when using a portable powered drill or electric screwdriver, set the tool’s clutch to the lowest torque setting that’ll get the job done. If you do get a “spinner” — a screw that’s fully driven, but won’t stop turning — an old, but effective, trick is to un-mount the hardware, and apply the toothpick trick de-

scribed in the bottom photo below. After letting the glue dry, re-drill the pilot hole and remount the hardware; just go a little easy when driving the screw. If you accidentally break off a screw while driving it, don’t panic; if any of the shank is still exposed, try gripping it with locking pliers and unscrewing it. If the shank breaks below the surface, you’ll need to drill out the broken “Pre tap” pilot holes for soft brass mounting screws screw with a by driving a steel screw the same size and length in tubular screw and out of the mounting holes. extractor, plug the hole with a short length of dowel, then re-drill the pilot hole and drive a new screw.

Fix a “spinner” screw with the toothpick trick: shove a yellowglue-covered toothpick or two into the stripped-out hole as far as it will go, then snap it off flush with the surface.

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Today’s Shop continued

Nail-on Hardware

The small bits needed for pilot holes for small pins are easy to break; keep your rotary tool steady when drilling. Drive the pins with a small hammer: a comb holds the pin and provides some protection in case you miss.

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Small nails and pins are often used to mount hardware such as small latches, hinges and box corners. But driving pins directly into hardwoods is simply begging for problems. To keep small fasteners from bending or driving crooked, it’s best to create pilot holes before driving them in place. After positioning your hardware and securing it, use an awl to mark all holes. Just make sure pieces, such as box corners, are fully seated. Choose a bit for pilot holes that’s slightly smaller than the diameter of the pins. Unfortunately, a 1/16" diameter bit (the smallest from a regular drill set) is too large for pins size 16-gauge and smaller. Use bits from a numbered small drill bit set for these pilot holes: #55 for 16-gauge; #63 for 18-gauge; #72 for 20-gauge. Also, the chucks on many portable drills can’t handle bits this small, so use a rotary tool fitted with a drill chuck. To make the pins easier to drive, rub a little wax on them and use a tack hammer or other small hammer. To avoid smashing your fingers, hold the pin between the

teeth of a regular hair comb and leave the comb in place until the fastener is almost fully driven. After removing the comb, carefully tap the pin in until its head is in firm contact with the hardware. Don’t drive it in any farther: you’ll likely deform the pin’s head, and an over-driven nail can easily distort and buckle thin brass hardware.

Mounting Hinges Hinges are needed for any project that has a door, lid, hatch or other articulated parts. Proper installation varies considerably: some hinges are designed to be surface-mounted; others must be mortised into place, while still others require special drilled or routed recesses. Surface-mount hinges, suitable for a wide variety of projects, are the easiest to install. Butterfly hinges are a good choice for small wood boxes with thin lids,

while chest hinges are best for attaching heavier lids on blanket chests and toolboxes. Once these hinges are positioned and mounting holes are drilled, they simply screw (or nail) in place. With either type, it’s important to keep hinge barrels parallel with the edge of the workpiece, as crooked hinges won’t allow the door/lid to open and close smoothly. The downside of surface-mounted hinges is that they typically leave a gap between the hinged parts. For closer fitting parts, there are several kinds of hinges that are easy to mount, including Rockler’s Easy Mortise hinges (see top left photo on next page). Hidden barrel hinges are also very easy to install: Simply drill a pair of holes, one for the cylindrical portion of each hinge half, and press them into place. Euro-style concealed hinges, popularly used with frameless cabinets, require

A rule or straightedge pressed against the barrels of surface-mounted hinges will quickly assure correct alignment. The barrels should also be parallel to the edge of the workpiece.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

work, position each hinge leaf and mark its outline with a razor or marking knife. For rounded or irregularly shaped hardRockler’s Easy Mortise hinges have semicircular ware, stick the leaves designed to fit into shallow recesses leaf down with created with a 30 mm Forstner bit. double-stick tape and carefully trace around a large pocket hole (usually it. Next, use a small plunge 35 mm) for mounting one router (or laminate trimhalf of the hinge. On large mer) with a small-diameter doors, these holes can be awkward to bore using a drill straight bit to remove the press. An alternative strategy mortise waste. In most cases, mortises should be cut just is to use a drilling guide to deep enough to position the keep the big bit square to hinge leaf flush or just slightthe surface. ly proud of the wood surface. But there are exceptions, such as when the mortises must be deep enough to compensate for the thickness of the hinge’s barrel. Before routing, darken your A drill-mortising guide like the JIG IT keeps a large knife lines with Forstner bit on-center to create a clean, cylindrical a pencil, so you hole for mounting a concealed hinge. A pre-drilled can see them 1/8” pilot hole helps guide the Forstner bit, and more easily, then a collar locked on its shank stops the bit at the rout to within correct boring depth. about 1/32" of each line. By setting the Mortised Hinges When a project calls for basic bit depth carefully, routing assures a flat pocket of conbutt hinges or any hardware sistent depth. If you accidenthat requires mortising into tally rout too deep, you can the surface of the work, compensate by putting a bit here’s my preferred methof tape on the underside of od. After determining the the hinge leaf, or by shimlocation of the hinges on the

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

With regular rectangular hinges, it’s easiest to use a try square or other layout tool to guide the marking knife when outlining a hinge leaf.

Sometimes, you will need to make an adjustment to your depth of cut for a hinge mortise — such as when one leaf from each hinge is surfacemounted, instead of being mortised.

After routing away the waste, use a sharp bench chisel to clean up the edges and corners on your hinge mortises.

If you end up with sloppy or mis-cut mortises on the edge of a box side or frame, it’s usually possible to cut off the bad edge, glue on a strip of matching wood, then re-cut the mortises.

67

Today’s Shop continued Knobs and Pulls

The JIG IT Hinge Mortising System is especially good for complex mortising jobs, such as those necessary for mounting quadrant hinges.

ming it with a small piece of thin cardboard. If you have dozens of mortises to cut, say for a production run of jewelry boxes, you’ll get the most consistent results by using a template and plunge router fitted with a guide bushing. The template clamps atop the workpiece and has an opening sized and shaped to produce the desired mortise. The bushing rides around the opening, allowing a straight bit to rout the mortise with great precision. You can make your own template, or use a ready-made system, such as the JIG IT® Hinge Mortising System.

68

rately is time-consuming and can lead to mistakes. It takes Unless your cabinet or only a few minutes to make furniture piece is fitted with a drilling template that will push-to-open hardware or guarantee that all holes end has doors and drawers with up exactly where they should routed finger grips, you’ll be. Holes drilled through need to install some sort the template at the desired of knobs or pulls. When locations serve to guide the positioning these on drawdrill bit. Because the stop er fronts, centering them vertically seems like a logical strips overlap both sides of the plywood, the template thing to do. However, you’ll can be flipped over and set at find that this doesn’t always either end of a long drawer look right, especially on the face, allowing you to drill lower drawers of a dresser or kitchen cabinet. This is due to the foreshortened perspective we see when gazing down at lower objects: centered pulls end up looking too low. Hence, it’s common practice to mount such pulls/ To install a dowel screw, lock two nuts onto the knobs a little above threaded end, then drive the wood screw end into a pilot hole. Remove the nuts and thread center. There’s no your hardware onto the stud. hard and fast rule for how much higher; it’s holes for pulls on both right best to temporarily tape pulls and left sides. or knobs onto the finished When the need arises for piece, stand back, and see mounting knobs in thick parts what looks best to your eye. (or when you simply don’t Unless you want machine screw heads to have only a few to show on the inside of a drawmount, measurer), use a dowel screw. ing and marking If the holes you drill for holes for each mounting knobs or pulls are knob or pull sepaslightly off, all is not lost. In lieu of filling the holes and re-drilling (trust me, To accurately posiyou’ll see those bad holes tion your knobs and no matter how well you fill pulls, make a drilling template from a scrap them), you can fit the pulls of plywood. Two with backplates (or choose strips of wood are bail style pulls which have nailed on adjacent their own wide backing edges and set against plates). Many styles of pulls the side and top edge of the drawer or door. (and knobs) have matching

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

A backplate fits underneath a pull or knob and covers up the surface under it, including any mis-drilled holes. Fitting a backplate can also cover up old holes when changing from one size pull to another.

backplates, but you can always mix and match, or even make your own backplates from wood.

Drawer Slides If you are using metal drawer slides in your cabinet or furniture project, your choices are almost as overwhelming as those for hinges and pulls. Basically, you need to choose a set of slides with adequate length and weight capacity as well as enough extension to allow easy access to items in your drawers. These days, some slides are available in different finishes, including black, white and brown. Using a black slide with light wood drawers can look classier than the typical nickel-plated steel slides. Once you’ve picked the slides that best suit your application, you face the challenge of building your carcass and drawers to suit the requirements of the slides. Read thoroughly through the mounting instructions before you start building to avoid ending up with drawers that don’t fit or won’t work with your slides. One problem to avoid at all costs is ending up with a cabinet and/or drawer boxes that aren’t square. If the sides of the carcass are not parallel, or aren’t square

to the front, your drawers will never close properly, regardless of the type of slides you’re using. Even if you adjust the individual slides forward or backward so that they catch in the closed position, your drawer’s face will still end up crooked relative to the cabinet’s face frame or front edges. Another all-too-common mistake is to fail to subtract the thickness of the slides from the overall width of the drawer. If you find yourself in this situation, you may be able to avoid building new drawers by switching to under-mount style slides (if they’re just a skosh too wide, you may be able to sand down the drawer sides to offer more clearance). On the other hand, if your drawers end up being too narrow, it’s fairly easy to install shim (strips of cardboard or veneer) under the cabinet-mounted portion of each slide. In order to end up with drawers that operate smoothly with faces that are evenly aligned to the cabinet and to one another, each pair of drawer slides must be mounted at precisely the same height and parallel to one another. Further, the cabinet-mounted portion of

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

each slide must be square (vertically) to the front of the cabinet/drawer housing. You can certainly achieve this by careful measurement, but it’s easier to use a universal slide mounting jig, as shown in the photo below. The jig aligns and supports the cabinet-mounted portion of the slide while you screw it in place. Sandor Nagyszalanczy is a craftsman and contributing editor to Woodworker’s Journal. His books are available at Amazon.com.

A slide mounting jig aligns and supports the cabinet-mounted portion of your drawer slide while you screw it in place.

When attaching the drawer-mounted portion of each slide, clamp-on brackets support the drawer at the correct height relative to the cabinet-mounted slides.

69

Woodworking Tools & Supplies Index December 2016 For product information in the blink of an eye, visit www.woodworkersjournal.com and click on “Woodworker’s Marketplace” under the Tools & Supplies tab.

ADVERTISER

Page No.

1-800-BunkBed

7, 77

Web Address

ADVERTISER

www.1800bunkbed.com

Leigh Industries, Ltd.

Page No.

9, 17, 29, 87

Web Address

www.leighjigs.com

American Fabric Filter Co.

41

www.americanfabricfilter.com

Lignomat

41

www.lignomatusa.com

Armor Crafts

17

www.armorcrafts.com

Mirka Abrasives, Inc.

19

www.mirkawoodworking.us

Armor Tool

39

www.armor-tool.com

Next Wave Automation

11

www.nextwaveautomation.com

Badger Hardwoods of WI, Ltd.

9

www.badgerwood.com

Original Saw Company

39

www.originalsaw.com

Beall Tool Company

9

www.bealltool.com

Osborne Wood Products, Inc.

57, 89

www.briwax.com

PanelPro

56

www.panelpro.com

CMT USA Inc.

41

www.cmtusa.com

Piher

32

www.piher.com

Cook Woods

56

www.cookwoods.com

Quickscrews International Corp. 57

www.quickscrews.com

The Craftsman Gallery

77

www.chipsfly.com

Rikon Power Tools

13, 77

www.rikontools.com

DAP Products Inc

62

RapidFuseWood.DAP.com

Rockler Woodworking

DR Leaf and Lawn Vacuum

17

www.drleafvac.com

and Hardware

17, 40

www.rockler.com

DR Redi-Plow

41

www.drrediplow.com

SATA Spray Equipment

32

www.satausa.com

Briwax

9, 77

www.woodencomponents.com

Earlex

9, 91

www.earlex.com

Sawblade.com

3

www.sawblade.com

Epilog Laser

9, 21

www.epiloglaser.com/wwj

Steve Wall Lumber Co.

29

www.walllumber.com

www.festoolusa.com

SuperMax Tools

29

www.supermaxtools.com

furnituremedicfranchise.com

Teknatool International Group

11

www.teknatool.com

77

www.grexcordless.com

Titebond

5

www.titebond.com

Harbor Freight Tools

80-83

www.harborfreight.com

Triton Precision Power Tools

57

www.tritontools.com

Howard Products, Inc.

39

www.howardproducts.com

Wagner Meters

11

www.wagnermeters.com

Knew Concepts

9

www.knewconcepts.com

West Penn Hardwoods

77

www.westpennhardwoods.com

Laguna Tools

71

www.lagunacleanair.com

Woodworkers Source

17

www.101woods.com

Festool Furniture Medic Grex Power Tools

70

92 2, 15

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Pr G oj ift ec t

Weekend Projects Inlaid Picture Frame By Chris Marshall

P

icture frames are often simple projects, but that doesn’t mean their style has to be hum-

drum. We’ll make sure that doesn’t happen here! This 8x10 frame features an eye-catching inlay that you can make with a mixture of wood dye and two-part epoxy. Once it’s poured into a saw kerf in the frame parts and planed flush, you’ll have the look of a colored pinstripe with very little fuss. So, grab a piece of special stock from your scrap bin that measures at least 3/4" thick, 21⁄4" wide and 24" long. Ordinary epoxy

and either a water- or alcohol-based dye will work fine for the inlay.

Frame (Section View)

C L 1

Colored Inlay

/4" 1

3

/4"

/4" 5

1

/16"

/2"

1"

Milling the Frame Parts Start by surfacing your frame stock to 13/16" thick; we’ll plane it down to 3/4" after the inlay is poured. Rip the blank to 21⁄4" (if it isn’t already). Notice in the Drawing, above, that the inlay is centered on the frame pieces. To cut those shallow grooves, raise a 1/8"-kerf table saw blade to 1/8", and set the rip fence 7/16" from the blade. Rip two long kerfs into the best-looking face. Mix and apply the inlay in the grooves (see sidebar, next page). While it may be tempting to rip the stock into narrow rails and stiles next, it’s safer to form the 5/16" x 1/2" rabbets on your wider workpiece to house the glass and a back panel. Tackle those now at your

72

The author cuts and fills the inlay grooves, mills the back rabbets and adds the inner bevel cuts all before ripping the frame parts to their 1" width. It’s safer.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

www.woodworkersjournal.com

Tinted Epoxy Inlay

ONLINE VIDEO

MORE ON THE WEB For a video about mixing and applying

VIDEO! VIDEO

epoxy for an inlay, please visit

www.woodworkersjournal.com and click on “More on the Web” under the Magazine tab.

Epoxy tinted with just a few drops of liquid wood dye will provide a colorful inlay for your picture frame. To give yourself enough working time, use a slower-setting formula than the five-minute variety, if possible. Mix the resin and hardener according to the manufacturer’s instructions. For one picture frame, you’ll only need about an ounce of prepared epoxy. Stir three to five drops of dye in and check for color: the lighter and more transparent the inlay is, the better light will penetrate it to make the frame color really pop! Drizzle the liquid inlay mixture into the kerfs with a small paddle, filling them to the top. When the epoxy cures hard, run the wood through a planer to remove the excess and reduce the stock thickness to 3/4", leaving crisp, clean color lines.

are 9" long. Make the inside edges of the side stiles 7" long when you miter-cut those to size. I made these precise cuts with my workpieces resting on an “L”shaped jig screwed to my table saw’s miter gauge (see photo at left). An “L”-shaped miter gauge jig with a clamped stop block keeps the frame Swinging the miter pieces from shifting during cutting and ensures accurate part lengths. gauge to 45° one way or the other set the correct miter router table or table saw. Make sure to angle directions. A clamped stop block mill the rabbets along both edges into ensured matching-length parts. the face opposite the inlay. Finish this Glue and clamp your frame together. profiling stage by routing a 1/4"-deep, On a frame this small, glue alone is 45° bevel into the edges beside the instrong enough for the miter joints. I’ll lays (see photo, page 72). Now split the recommend Titebond®’s new “Quick & frame stock into a pair of long, 1"-wide strips. Each will become both a top or Thick” formula. It tacks up fast, doesn’t bottom rail and a side stile for the frame. drip and relies more on surface adhesion than soaking in to form a strong

Mitering and Assembly Miter-cut the top and bottom rails to length at 45° and so the inside edges

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

Gluing miter joints together can be tricky, but a strap clamp like this (or pieces of painter’s tape stretched around the corners) makes it easier.

bond: three good attributes for these end-grain butt joints. When the glue dries, rout a bevel around the perimeter of the frame to match the inside bevel detail, then give a careful hand-sanding.

Finishing Up Spray can lacquer dries fast and makes an attractive clear finish here. I bought precut 8x10, .080"-thick acrylic at a home center for the “glass” and used a piece of 1/8" plywood (found in craft stores) for a back panel. You can secure the frame’s back panel with brads, but a few dabs of hot-melt glue are easier to apply and seem to hold just as well.

Tack a hanger to the frame’s top rail. Install the glass (or acrylic) and the photo. Then secure the back panel with dabs of hot-melt glue or brads.

73

What’s In Store Bigger, Better Tools Contact Information BORA Tool (Affinity Tool) 866-588-0395 Hitachi 800-706-7337 Infinity Cutting Tools 877-872-2487 JET 800-274-6848 Milwaukee 800-729-3878 Powermatic 800-274-6848 Rockler 800-279-4441 Trend 877-918-7363

Plugfones

74

JET 15”, 18” and 20” Steel Frame Bandsaws

J

ET ®’s new 15", 18" and 20" Steel Frame Bandsaws feature the largest resaw capabilities and table dimensions in their classes. Resaw height of the new JET 15" band saws has been increased to 14", which is 4" taller than previous models. The 18" and 20" band saws boast a full 16" resaw capacity, a 33⁄4" increase. The 15" band saw’s table measures 211⁄2" long x 16" wide, while the oversize table of the 18" and 20" saws

measures 271⁄4" x 20". These cast-iron tables tilt 0˚ to 45˚ right and 0˚ to 5˚ left, providing support for a wide range of bevel cuts. Table height for the 15" band saws is 35", and the 18" and 20" saws are set at 37". All are equipped with extruded aluminum, dualposition fences that can be used flat for cutting thin inlays and furring strips or upright for resawing, crown molding and cutting other large materials. The saws are driven by single-phase, totally enclosed, fan-cooled motors ranging from 13⁄4- to 5hp, pre-wired for either 115or 230-volt service. The 15" saw comes in two models: JWBS-15 (13⁄4hp, $1,649.99) and JWBS-15-

3 (3hp, $1,799.99). Two versions of the 18" saw include: JWBS-18 (13⁄4hp, $2,099.99) and JWBS-18-3 (3hp, $2,299.99). JET’s 20" options are: JWBS-20-3 (3hp, $2,999.99) and JWBS-20-5 (5hp, $3,249.99). Plugfones are compact earphone headphones with a 25 decibel noise reduction rating. They can be plugged into your portable music device or smartphone, allowing you to listen to music while protecting your hearing. They come with one pair each of silicone and foam earplugs, plus an “extra long” audio cord and a 3.5 mm audio plug that’s compatible with most audio equipment. Plugfones are available through Infinity Cutting Tools for $25.90. Replacement foam or silicone earplugs come in five-pair packs for $8.90.

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal

Rockler Dust Right Bench Sweep

Rockler’s new Dust Right Bench Sweep is an 18"-long, 3"-wide plastic accessory with keyhole slots that can be mounted to the end of a router table or workbench to act as a “catchall” for debris. Opening the cover on top creates a backstop to help you deflect dust and debris down into the funnel as you clear it off your work surface. Underneath, a 21⁄2" hose port enables the Bench Sweep to be connected to a standard shop vac hose or Rockler’s Dust Right Shop Vacuum Handle (item 55083, sold separately). Closing the Sweep’s lid acts like a blast gate. A blue grid fits inside the Sweep to prevent larger material, bits and small tools or metal fasteners from falling into your dust collection system. Remove the grid and you can direct larger wood chunks down into a trash can instead. The grid can be hung on the back of the Bench Sweep when not in use. Storage hooks on both ends of the housing are handy for hanging a dust brush and other essential tools. Rockler’s new Dust Right Bench Sweep (item 50608) sells for $19.99.

Powermatic has introduced two new mid-sized CNC woodworking routers: the PM-2X2RK, with an aluminum work table measuring 391⁄4" x 281⁄2", and the PM-2X4SPK, with a table measurement of 63" x 281⁄2". Both are threeaxis CNC machines, in which the spindle works in the X, Y and Z planes (side-to-side, back-and-forth and up-anddown). The PM-2X2RK provides ZYZ travel of 24" x 24" x 6" and the PM-2X4SPK features XYZ travel of 24" x 48" x 6". A USB port allows for file transfer; it’s not necessary to connect a computer to the machine. Both Powermatic CNC routers accept software including VCarve Desktop, VCarve Pro and others. They can cut many types of wood, as well as plastics, composites, aluminum and foam, for furniture components, door panels, moldings,

Woodworker’s Journal December 2016

3D carvings and more. Enclosed steel stands include storage drawers, and four hold-down clamps are included with each machine. A 4" port on the dust shoe allows for connection to a standard dust collection system. The PM-2X4SPK has a 7.5-amp, 3hp motor with a speed range of 0 to 2,400 rpm and is prewired for 230-volt operation. The collet accepts both 1/4" and 1/2" chucks. It is priced at $8,499.99. The PM2X2RK has a universal 31⁄2" router mount that accepts several compatible routers; that machine is priced at $5,719.99.

Powermatic PM-2X2RK and PM-2X4SPK CNC routers

75

What’s In Store continued

Trend Door and Board Lifter

Milwaukee Tool Double-Ended Power Bits

The Trend Door and Board Lifter (item D/LIFT/B) is a foot-operated accessory that allows both up-and-down and side-to-side movement for positioning doors, panels or more. The Door and Board Lifter rotates 360˚ and can lift doors and panels 23⁄8" high. It holds a maximum weight of 165 pounds. Made of durable steel, the Door and Board Lifter is equipped with a non-marring foot pad and weighs 1.5 pounds. It’s priced at $30. Milwaukee Tool has a new line of 23⁄8" Double-Ended Power Bits for impact drivers: one bit offers two unique tips. Both ends of the bit lock securely in impact drivers and quick-change chucks. Made of Custom Alloy76™ Steel and heat treated for maximized wear and shock resistance, the Double-Ended Power Bits feature a unique Shockzone™ geometry to absorb peak torque and prevent breakage. Each Precise-Fit Custom Machined Tip™ also prevents stripping and reduces wobble. The Double-Ended Power Bits include a variety of bit tip configurations: PH2/SQ2, PH2/T25, PH2/SL-1/4 and T20/T25. Each bit is priced at $2.49.

Hitachi KNT50AB Finish Combo Kit

Hitachi’s Finish Combo Kit, the KNT50AB, includes the new six-gallon EC710S Compressor. Weighing 36.5 pounds, the EC710S uses a 1hp motor that operates on standard household current; maximum working pressure is 150 PSI. It’s quiet, at 73 decibels, and can operate multiple nailers. The kit’s NT50AE2 Brad Nailer accepts 5/8" to 2" 18-gauge fasteners and weighs 2.2 pounds. A depthof-drive dial lets you adapt to woods of var ying density, while a selective actuation switch goes between sequential mode or bump fire mode. The Hybrid Air Hose is about 25% lighter than a rub-

ber hose and remains flexible in cold temperatures up to -40˚ Fahrenheit. The kit’s list price is $250. The MiteriX angle measuring and duplicating tool from BORA Tool is designed to ensure that miter cuts are at the perfect angle. The user can measure the exact miter angle needed on the material, lock it, then transfer that exact angle to the miter saw. Divide in half (the product comes apart) for an accurate miter. The MiteriX measures internal or external angles from 0 to 180˚ (miter angle from 0 to 90˚). The MiteriX is collapsible and foldable for storage. It’s priced at $40.

BORA Tool MiteriX

76

December 2016 Woodworker’s Journal










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