NO.

63

NOTES FROM THE SHOP

------------------------------------

$3.50

No.63

EDITOR'S

June, 1989

COLUMN

Sawdust
Ed~or Donald B. Peschke
Design Oireclor Ted Kralicek
ManagingEd~or Douglas L Hicks
_
Editors Douglas M. Lidster
Kent A. Bucklon
Terry J. Strohman
ProjeclDesigner Ken Munkel
TechmcallllUSlratorsDavid KreylJng
Cary Chrlstensen
RodStoakes
Chris Glowacki
CustomerSeMce Sandy Baum, Mgr.
Jackie Stroud
PatKoob
Lisa Thompson
PlOjecISupplies Leslie Ann Gearhart
Computer Operalioos Ken MIner
Adminisb'ativeAssts. Cheryl Scott
Jean Carey
BuildingMaintenance Archie Krause

WOODSMITH STORES
~ratiohs Steve Krohmer
MarketingManager Steve Dozier
StoreManagers:
SI. Loois, MO Jon Behrle
8erI<etey, CI\ Michael DeHaven
Des Moines. 11\ Kent Welsh
WOODSMlTH (ISSN 0164-4114) is published bimonthly (February, April, June,
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by
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BACK ISSUES: For a booklet ck!scribing
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SAMPLE COPY: We willsend a free sampie copy of Woodsmith to anyooe. JUSt
send us his/her name ari!l address.

f someone suggesled to me that we

ought to build a toolbox as a project in
Wood.~mith,Iwould immediately think of
one of those wooden cases with all the
drawers in it- an engineer's case.
But the toolbox we're showing in (his
issue isrnore like the metal boxes designed
to hold automotive tools or fishing gear.
'Vhy this style? 'Vhy not the big case?
This proiectdidn'tstartout as a project for
Woodsmitl~ It started as a solution to a
rather simple problem. Ted (our design
director) needed a small case to carry some
tools around.
He likes to use someofhisown hand tools
in the Woodsmithshop when building projects for the magazine. But he also needs
them in his shop at home, too. So he built a
toolbox that would hold his jaek plane, a
block plane, some lavoritechisels (a beal up
one (or hacking around, and a set of good
paring chisels), and an assortment of other
hand tools.
Okay, Don, what's the point of this story?
The point is that 1had to do some thinking
about basic practicality. The fancy ell'
giueer's case (that T've always wanted to
build) is not very practical (or storing woodworking 1001s. While the metal toolboxes
(that! don'tparticularlylike) are much more
practical.
\Vhal ultimately changed my mind was
thefactthauhetoolbox Ted built for himself
was made out of y," maple aildjoloed with
box joints. It look on a completely different
look and feel than the metal boxes, even
though the basic shape is the same.
When Ifirst saw it, my reaction was, thls
looks pretty neat. But as my practical mood
returned, I wondered if a toolbox made of
thin wood would hold up for long. Ted's has
now lasted more than a year with more and
more tools crammed into it all the time.
Is it practical? Yes. Am I surjlrise<l?Yes.1
have to say that this project surprised me.
lt'sone Iwouldn't have thought Iwould wanl
to build, but now I would have a bard time
glviQg it up.
TIlIN LUMBER. Ellen more surprising was
the strength and durability of the thin wood
used to make the toolbox ..[would have assumed that this box would qat last long,
especially with a lot of heavy metal tools
banging around inside.
But maple is exceptionally strong - even
when it's only II." thick. After a year that's
given it a 101of use, the maple box shows
little sign of wear. Not bad for a wooden box
that "ought" to be made of metal.
Woodsmith

Now that I'm on the subject of thin lumber, it's time to say that in the past wl1ve
often avoided projects SPecifically because
they requirethin lumber. Irs noteasyto buy
at lumberyards or even specialitystores. It's
even harder to make it yourself - if you
don't have a thickness planer.
So itwas time to corne up with some.alternatives. The traditional method is to resaw
thicker lumber Into thin pieees and use a
hand plane 10 smooth it to final thickness,
Since Ilike using hand planes, this is the
method I'd choose.
That is, except when planing maple (as r
needed for the toolbox). Talk about aerobic
exercise - hand planing even small pieces
of maple wiUget the or heart pumping.
ltonly took a few boards before I wanted
way to leta motor do the work.Therouter
jig we came up with (shown on page 13)
works great. Even though you have to make
a lot of passes over the sun ace, it comes out
fairlYsmooth. And it cleans up quickly with
a hand scraper and a little sanding.
Am Igetting '<lay, letting a motor do the
work? Maybe I'm just getting practical.
BOO~lATClllNG.One of the nicest effects
you can create when making thin lumber is
bookmatehing. If you need a wide thin
panel, it can be made by resawing a board.in
half and joining (bookmatehing) the two
pieces together.
When Imade the thin panel for the chisel
case (page 8) I resawed a piece of'Y4"thick
walnut that had a nice swirl pattern in the
grain. [fyou have the chance to try this technique. look (or a piece of wood with some
character. Avoid "perfect" pieces with nice
straight grain. I look for a piece with "defects"like knots, orspalting, or acraaygrain
pattern. Although a bookmatched panel
with wild grain is difficldt to plane, it sure

creates aspectacular effect

NEW FACES. 1 usually try to mention new

people joining us here at Wood~mith.Al

though Terry Strohman isn't new to Wood8Jn,itlt~he now has a new responsibility.
For UIO~past few issues Terry has been
handling the Sources page, and in the
process, learning the way we go about putting together an issue of Woodsmith.
\Vith this issue, Iasked Terry to contribute more by writing one of the 'project
articles, He was delighted to help.and we've
all benefited by having one more source of
knowledge.
Nro-T ISSUE.The August issue of Woo4''''Iith (No. 64) will be mailed during the
week-of August 28,1989.

No. 63

.-

FRO

FELLOW

WOODWORKERS

Tips & Techniques

ROUTER BIT HOLDER

CCLAMP TABLE

When mounting a router bil.you shank. To do this only takes

don't want the bit to "bottom three hands: one to hold the bit
out" in the collet. TIle problem up, and the other two to tighten
has todo with tbe transition fillet the collet with two wrenches.
that's between the cutting bead
Or, you can slip a rubber O
and the shank On most router ring around the shank of the bit
bits. IT the shan k of the bit The Oring willhold the bitatthe
correct height above the collet,
ORING HOLDS BIT
and then you'll have both hands
WHllI TIGHTENING
free to tighten down the bit
Ipicked upsome ofthese rubber O-rings for about 20 cents
apiece at a local hardware store.
(For a V4" shank you'D need to
otIo.- __ -1/4"OJA. OR
use
a V." O-ring and tor a 'h"
1<'lt"DrA. O-RING
shank use a lh" Oring.) J llstroU
drops all the way down, the col- the Oring onto the shank until
let will grab around the Iilletand it's about a ~" from the transinot the whole shank.
tion fillet
So, you raise the bit up a little,
MeivinEvc.'(s
until the collet only contacts the
Meridian, Idaha

SANDPAPER CUnlNG

JIG

piece in po-sition. I
created a simple
'):>oar ..man's" clamp.

ClAMPS CAN GO IN ANO

OUT ANOWORK IN
ANY DIRECTION

cer OUT WASTE:

1'hisidea uses or~
IN SHAPE OF OVAL
dinary Celampsthat
U~
fit through oval windows in the ply
~
wood, see drawing.
y_
To CUI the ovals,
DRfU TWO HOW
5IOE BY SIO
mark areas on the
table lop where you
would most likely clamp pieces.
To use the table, slip a Cclamp
My role ofthumb for measur- through the ovaland then tighten
ing the width of the oval is to your workpiece to the table.
measure the width of the neck
Mike Ft().n~wli
on the Cclamp, then add 1".
NiagataFa/is. Ne York

6~

Trying to cut uniform pieces of glued ontoonecomer

sandpaper for an orbital sander

is a hassle. To make it easier, I
built a sandpaper cutting jig.
The base of the jig is a square
of plywood with V-grcoves
routed at measured widths to
glide a shop knife. To make the
base. , cut a piece of :j!4"tllick
plywood 10 12" x 12".
Next, determine how many
piecesor sandllaper you can get
out of one sbeet for your sander.
The standard size of a sheet of
sandpaper is 9" x 11". Most orb ..
tal sanders use 1/30fa shee~114
of a sheet, or even 1/6 of a sheet.
Once you know thesheet size,
layout the position of the cut
lines on the topotthe base. Since
there are two ~"wide stops

113 OR
1/6 SI%

Slims

No. 63

later. start
~" from one edge.
Now rout v-grooves ~" deep
along the layout lines to serve as
a cutting trough for the )mife.
Then Iadded two strips atone
corner to Iorm a stop for the
sandpaper, see drawing. Since
the stop gets in the way of the
knife blade, I cut a kerf through
the stop with a hand saw, aligningthekerfs with the Vgrooves.
To use the sheet cutter, place
a couple of sheets of sandpaper
upside down on the base with a
comer against the stops. Now
cut through the sheets. Move
tbe just-cut edge against the
stops and repeat the cut

r have an extra "workbench" To get the length, add 2" to

made out of a piece of plywood the width of the oval. Now
that sits on tOp of two old layout the ovals at the locasawhorses.
I use this bench tion marks on the table. Drill
for all types of work, especially boles at both ends of the
sanding. But while sanding. the ovals and cut between the
workpiecetendstoslidearound.
two holes with a sabre saw.
To hold the work- r.MAJ(=<' "'ov"A1S=;;.IG""'N"O"'U"O;;:H"'SO"""------,

GLUING EDGING

PANEL RAnLE

In Woodsmitlt No. 62 there's a To allow for expansion when

technique on how to clamp thin making raised panels, 1usually

edging to plywood using a cut the panel a little narrower.
clamping board with a rounded Sometimes, though, the panel
edge. This works fine, but Ihad will rattle inside the grooves of
problemskeeping long thioedg the frame.
iDg strips from sliding while
To fix this problem. I cut narclamping and glling.
row stripso( seli-sticking foam insulation tape (Vs"thick). When
the tape is stuck to the bottom of
the groove in the frame, it keeps
the panel from rattling. and also
allows room for expansion. insulation tape can be found in most
hardware stores.
To keep edging from sliding,
George Seifert
drive thin brads about every 12"
a:l'egHilUm"ul
Shoreview, Minl1sota.
Beale AF B, Califlln!irJ, along the edge of the plywood
SEND IN YOUR TIPS
and snip them off so a point protrudes, Then apply glue to the
If you'd like (0 share a tip
strip and align it with the edge.
with others, sendin your idea
Press the strip against the first
to Woodsmith, 'l'ps & Techbrad point, then repeatdown the
niques, 2200GrandAve., Des
length of the edge. (N0te:.Edging
Moines, Iowa 50312.
strips must be thicker than the
We pay $15 for accepted
length of the protruding pointa)
tips. Please send an exptanaNow clamp the strip in place.
tion and a sketch it needed
David Warren (we'll draw a new one).
A1a.tinez, C(.lifon,ia
Woodsmith

FEATURE

PROJECT

Bookshelf
This bookshelf is easy w build, easy to knock down, and it's sturdy.
So, why should that be surprising? It's all done without using permanent
joinery or hardware w hold the shelves to the end frames .

he primary design feature of this bookshelf is

one you can't see. There's no hardware. In fact.
there's no permanent joinery holding U1C shelves to
the end frames. It all "knocks down" because the
shelves can be lilted right of( the end frames.
The shelves rest 011 dowels in the end frames.This
makes Ute whole unit easy to knock down by just lifting
the shelve.olHhe end dowels.
Okay, that makes it easy. but it can't be very SIUrdy,
right? Well.the sturdiness comes fi'omstilfeners tharare
added to the back edJ{csof the shelves. These stiffeners
are cut to fit tight between the end frames to prevent
racking (sideo.-aysmovemenO.ThcyaJsoserveotherpurposes. They keep the shelves from bowing under
weight. and they work weDas back stops for books so
they don't slide oflfhe back edge,
~t<\I1lRJAl.S.1
used ~. "-thick redoak to build the sheI\-es
and the end frames of the bookshelf. I also used oak
dowels in the end frames to match the other il'UIS of UtC
bookshel( (If you can't find oak dowels. any hardwood
dowelswill work)

"

SUEI.\'ES, One of the linlt considerations when buy

ing the lumber for" prciect like this is getting stock
that's wide enough (or the shelves (9\11!" wide). AI
though that might be the easiest approach. it may not
be the best. Wide stock tends to warp easily. Since the
shelves in this bookshelf are not mounted into dadoes
in the end trames, they are particularly susceptible 10
warp as time goes 011.
I prefer to glue up a couple of narrower strips 10
make each shelf. The different grain patterns in eacb
strip will help prevent warp. We've shown the CUlling
Diagram with this approach oflwo strips for one shelf.
RADIUSCOIt"ERS. There's One feature on the end
frames that's typical on a lot o( furniture projectsa radius is cut on each corner to soften it. To cut
these radii. I used a method that produces a uniform radius on every corner. Check out this procedure in the tip box on page 7.
FlNISII, I finished this bookshelf using two coats
of satin polyurethane varnish, sanding lightly between eacb coal.

Woodsmith

No. 63

EXPLODED VIEW
STIF~ER

44\1'4

2"

"i

SHElF

,,& H

SHElF
D

."

.... -.,....

-~

_,

.".--

-...::::-..

r0
.eo

1I..

'0''''.--1

STIFFENER

I
/,

"'"
-....:::

S~lF

47'
~

--

.'t--:

~-

S~lF
~

."

SUPPORTDOWEL

'\
STill
A

OVERAll DIMENSIONS:
36',,"H x 47'h'W x 13.,,"D

I'-

I'-

\f.'"

)It

.L

<,

~'."

I I
I

,.......

.,.,'

DIAGRAM

1= ,-

E"

0-

,b: ,

SHELF@)

\ If

""-

~OAK
_

DOWEL

MATERIALS LIST
E

LVA?WA7/v~AW&wyffff~;V~

I SUPPLIES

I
I
I

0
0

Stiles(~)
3/. X 2 36~
Rcolls(4)
2 131~
SheltSup, Dowels (lOH~ x 10%
Shelves(3)
~.x9~-47~
ShelfStltteners(3)
o/.x3~- 44V.

~." x $\l'Je , 96 (3.6 ad. Ft.loch)

A
B
C
o
E

3f41"x 4" 96 (2.6 ad. Ft.)

STilE
A

:
, : \.0:1"

STilE

71)2" 9645 &I. Ft.)

: '\1-"

SHlF~ENER
~

CUnlNG

W-OlA.
WOOD PLUG

SHELF/DOWEL

~?:::SHELF

-'.t~R,

./ ,,::';' ]"
,.

> .'

~.

7/

SHELF
STIF~NER

6"

, I-

STIFFENER

'8x;1Fh
~wOODSCRew

, ,

"'!I

I,

.....!

6"
-o;J

~l

2'

-1.

STilE

1--

~-

...

.......
_
,

CORNER/STIFFENER

;t."

LUMBER
(S.5Boord ft. 'It.'fhIGk.solid red ook
Olhercholcesmlght be birch o(maple
4 -1hrge II, oaJ(dowel rods. 'I.!-dlo..
or other 'h',dlo. d0wel rods

HARDWARE
1518x l'fhwoodscrews

[::::',,:::"T"":::::":=:'
~~~i~i~~:.':~'
.~~,
",~.::.,:::::*ffX~~:]
..
~'.'DS

~~,~
~

No. 63

Woodsmith

FINISH

vorntsh: Two coots> ot sat1n polvurefhone.sond i%l"ttv between coots

STILES AND RAILS

This bookshelf is laps, see
relatively easy to
buitd-there
are
only two end frames
and three shelves. I
started by making
the two end frames.
Begin by ripping
four stiles (A) and
(our rails (a) all to a uniform width of 2".
Then cut the stiles 36Yl" long and the rails
I3..!" long.
Shop Note: I also went ahead and cut
some extra pieces thatl used fortestcutting
the joints Onthe end frame.
1'10lAPS. Afterculting thestilesand rails
to size, they're joined with end laps to form
the end frames. (For more on cutting end

the article on page 20.)

ROUNDOVEREl)GJ;S. Before assembling
the frame, Irounded over the inside edges
of the stiles (A) using a Vs" round-over bit in
the router, see Fig. 1.These edges can't be
rcundedafter the frame is assembled because
thedowelswillbe in thew'!)', referoo Fig. 5.
1'0 keep [rom routing into the joints on the
stiles, I made pencil marks 2!fz" from each
end for stop marks, see Fig. 1.
LAYOUfHOl.S.Afterrowlding the edges,
Ilaid out reference marks to drill a series of
holes down the inside edge of the stiles to
mount the shelf.support dowels (C)..
To get tile marks aligned onallfour stiles,
stack them on edge so the ends are flush,
then clamp them together. see Fig. 2. Now
make marks across the edges, starting 6IA"

from one end, then every 6". refer to the

Exploded View on page 5.
CENTER BIT. Before drilling the boles, I
centered the bitoo the thickness of the stile.
To center the bit, insert a \12" brad-point
bit into the chuck, then clamp a 2x4 on the
drill press table for a fence, see.Fig. 3. Now
put the outside face of a stile against the
fence. With the drill press oft, lower the bil
so the bit'.s point makes a mark in the wood.
Flip the stile around, so the olber face is
against the.fence and lower the bit again. If
Ibe point on the bit doesn'l exactly enter the
first mark. adjust the fence and try again
until you only make one mark
DRIU. ROl.S. After the bit is centered.
drill five holes:V4" deep into the inside edge
of each stile (A).

MARK AC.A:O$S

sruss

AU.
WITH SQUAR.E

KEEP
~EHDSflU$H

END FRAME ASSEMBLY

After drilling holes foe Ibe support dowels
(C), 1started to assemble the end frames.
SllEl.I' SUPPORT OOIllEI.$. First, I cut the
sbel(supportdowels
(C) to length. Til determine the length. measure tile distance
between the shoulders of Ihe rails (9Vl"),
see Fig. 4. Then add In this measurement
the depths of two holes in Ihestiles. Noweut
len W'-dia. dowels VII'less than Ibis lotal so
they won't bottom out.

STIli

to pull the shoulders tigh~as shown in Fig.

In length. insert them between two stiles. 5. Once the shoulders are tight, [ added a
(Make sure the Jap joints on the stiles face Cclamp on each comer to squeeze the end
the same direction, see FIg. 4.)
laps together.
ASSMllLY.1'0 complete the assembly of
RADIUS.After the glue dries. I cut a 1"
the end frame. lay the stile assembly flat radius on all comers. refer to the tip box on
across two pipe clamps so the end laps face the opposite page.
up, see Fig. 5.Nextapply glueto the end laps
ROUNDOVER.After cutting the radius
on Ibe rails (B) and clamp them to the end comers. finish rounding over the inside and
lapson thestiles (A) usingthreepipeclarnps
outside edges of the end frame. see Fig. Sa.
INSERT DOIIIELS.After cufting Ule dowels

FIRST: fNSRt

SH.ELFSUPPORT
DOWfl5INTO snLlS ......~ __

RAIL

FOURTH:
TlGHTfN c..clAMPS
ATCORNfRS

NOTE:

SHELF
SUPPORT
DOWELS

FOR DOWll

LNGTH ADD
DISTANCE
BETWEN

SHOULDRS

PLUSHOL!
OE'PTKS

9'AI"

NOTE:
SECOND:

ADD GLUE

FINISH '11" R,OUNDOV:R

ON INSIDE END FRAME

to LAP JOINts

Woodsmith

No. 63

SHELVES

After the end frames

are finished, work
~~
can begin on the
three
adjustable
.~~
shelves (D). To preveotthe shelves from
warping, I edge~~
glued two boards together to make a
shelf blank 11" wide by 4S" long.
COTTO SIZE. After the glue dries, cut the
shelves to a finished length of 47I1z". To determinethewidth, measure the distance between the inside edges of the end
frames. Then cut the shelves-vis" less to

allow for expansion/contraction.

DADOES.After cuttingthe shelves to width,
I cui dadoes on the bottom 01each shelf to fit
over the shelf support dowels (C). Set the
fence I\'3" from tbeinsideofa Vi'wide dado
blade. see FIg. 7. Now sneak up on the final
depth of the dado by raising the blade and
making a pass on a scrap piece unlil a shelf
support dowel 618 flush with the bottom olthe
shelf. Once set, cutdadoes on the bottom (ace
atboth ends olall three shelves.
RADIUS AND 1<OUNo OVF.R. To complete
theshelves, cula 1" radius on thecornersof all
shelves. see tip box alright 'Then round over
all the edges with an W' round-over bit.

RADIUS CUnlNG
One of the best ways to round consi'ilt'flt
comers is with a template and flush-trim
router bit. Make the template by cuuingn
piece of Masonite S" square. Then use 11
compass to layout a 1" radius on one
comer. Cutthe radius oversize, and c~lIr
fulllIclcanlO the lineusinga disc sander.
To use the template, stick ildown on a
comer of tbe workpiece using doublesided carper tape. Now set the height of a
flush-trim bit so the bcaring rides only on
the template. Cut the radius in several
passes, until the bearingridescompletely
around the radius oithe template.

FLUSH
TRIM alT
ON ROUTtR TABLE

r-

8CUTsnffENER

TO
~rrnGHT BEtWEEN

--

DRILL IlOlJlS. Next, to Jastenthe stiffeners

FASTllNSJ11't"ENER.l'<ow
10fasten thestiff10theshelves.lay outa seriesofcounterbored
eners to the Shelves, lay the front of the
shank holes 'Va" down from the lop edge of bookshelf down lIal, see Fig. 8. Nexllay a
each stiffener. see Fig. 8. Mark the center of stiffener on the back edge offhe.shelf, Then
the holes starting 2" from oneend, then every use the spacer 10 align the stiffener so it's
l()I'. Now drill W'-dia counterbore holes \'4" liz" above the shelf. see Fig. 9.
deep, then~16" shank holes.
When the stiffener is aligned, drill a pilot
STIFFENER HEIGHT. After drilling the
holes. the stiffener can he screwed to the
shelf 50 the top edge of the stiffener is ~"
above thetop (aceof the shelf. To make Sure
this height isuniform down the length of the
shelf. Imade a spacer block out of a piece of
scrap with a liz" notch cut out of one comer.
see Fig. 9.

hole and SCrewthe stiffener down with a No.

S x 1" Fh woodscrew. After fastening. move
the spacer block to the otherend of the shelf
and repeat the procedure.
"PLUGs.Withall the screws down tight, I
glued o/s"-dia.wood plugs into the counterbored holes In the stiffeners. and then
trimmed them flush.

9 10useAUGN
~~' \~. ",.x
S.ACE, BLOCK
STIffENER

~
~

~.J

END FRAMES

IS COMP\.fT1!

ASSEMBLY
To keep the shelves from bowing and to prevent tbe whole bookshelf from racking. 1
added stiffeners (E) to the back edge of
each shelf, see Fig. S.
CUTTOSIZil. Start by ripping enough.stock
3W'wide to make three stiffeners. To determine the final length. assemble the bookshelf, and measure the distance between the
end frames along the shelves. Cut the stiff
eners to length by starting a little long. then
sneak up on the finished length. Check Ihe
fil between the end frames after each cut
until you geta snug fi(.
ROUND EDGES. After cutting the stiffeners,
round over the edges and ends, see Fig. Sa.

MAKE SEVERAl

PASSES UN11l RAbluS

'h" UP frOM SHElf

a.

SPACER
~"DIA.
8lOC~'. WOOD
PlUG

~.

.'

SHElf

,NO

f'AAf''-.' ....!I
~

_/_,:~~
'~

'OUNOOVER
All EDGESON STIffENER
WItH I,..,. ROUNIX)VER BIT

No. 63

lOP
SHElf

LAY UNIT
FACE~OWN

a.

Woodsmith

S HOP

PROJECT

Chisel Case
This case protects your favoTite chisels and doubles as a
working chisel stand. Instead of complicated joinery> this project relies on
a precise fit and understanding the natural movement of wood.

have afondness for unique containers. That's why

[am intrigued with this project Ilnotonlyholdsand
protects the chisels, it's also a working display box.
The fact that we used Ihis box for chisels doesn't
mean that it wouldn't work eQually well fur a set of
knives, or by removing the dividers, it could hold a
special book or house the family album.
END GRAIN. Since the tolerances on this case are
very tighl, I hac)to pal' close attention to the movement
of the wood as it expands and contracts (with seasonal
changes in humidity). To prevent problems with the
wood splitting, thegrain of all the pieces should run in
the same direction.
IVbileitmayseem like a lotofextra work to deal with
all of the end grain pieees.the resultis wellworth it.All
of the grain in the case runs in the same direction,
almostas ilthecase were hollowed ourofa single piece
of wood. By doing this, any movement in the case that

should occur will not open any of the joints or cause

cracks to develop.
JOINERY. Wbile thejoinery in this project is notcomplicated, precise fits are very important. For most
pieces. Precommend they be cut oversized, and then
trimmed to fil.
WOOD. When choosing wood for the case. try to lise
hardwoods that have been kiln dried. No matter how
carefully the case is constructed, using wood with a
high moisture content willcause problems.
1 built this case out of walnut. The bandies on the
chisels are light colored and the dark background
makes them stand out. Walnut is stable and relatively
easy 10work with.
PINISH. After completing the case, Ihe interior and
the exterior were fiojshed with three coats of handrubbed tung on. If you feel you need a more durable
finish, polyurethane willoffer more protection.

WoodSll.lith

No. 63

EXPLODED VIEW

MATERIALS LIST
TRAY

LID PANEL

A EndBlocl<S(2)

8 Cose Dlvtders(7)
C Bottom Pon~ (1)
D Chlseillesfs (6)

<:ASE
DMDER

I~.9lj. 'AI
'1.xl~1)'1.
'1ax 91;, 12~
~.xll;.\.'.1

UP
E LidPonel ( I)
F Ud SkIes (2)
G Ud-stiftener(I)

CUnlNG

\I.x911.12').1
!l4x212'n
:v., x 9'14 if2

DIAGRAM

1/4" X 31}2" ._36" (.9 Sq. Ft.)

1118111
F

LID SIDE

'/"":It 5" 38'" (1.3 Sq. Ft. Each)

IcW*id

lelel
~ .. " 1(

BOTTOM
PANEL

~I
S" . 16" (.6 ad. Ft.)

A,O,G

SUPPLIES
LUMBER
3.5 sq. ft. !I.thlck walnut
.6 Boord It. '!I.'thick walnut

& FINISH
(2) No. 12X1'I.' Rhoross woodscrews
HARDWARE
TungoD
Postewox

CROSS SECTION

LAY OUT THE END BLOCKS

I started work on Ole chisel case by determining thewidth oftheendblocluJ(A). The

width depends Onthree things: the width of
your widest chisel, the number of chisels.
and the thickness of the tray dividers.
DETERMININGTHE WlDTIJ. Measure the
widest part ofyour largest chisel, add I'll" for
clearance, and thiswill be the widtn of each
tray section. (The largest chisel in my set is
1Va" wide. so each tray section is 1V." wide.)
Once you know the size of each section.
you can multiply that figure times the num-

FIRST:(DG' GLU(1WO
~" x $" . 80AROS,
CUT OfF

o PJECE.I

THEN RIP TO 91j,,"

berofchiselsyou have. 0 havesixchiselsso

6xlV."-7\i!t'.)
Also, determine the total thickness of the
kay dividers. (Since) used seven V."thick
dividers the total thickness of all of the
dividers is 1:V.".)
Now, add the total width of the tray sections (7W~and the total thickness of the
dividers (1~")
to get the total width (9V,")
of the case tray (and the end blocks).
END BLOCKS.
To make theend blocks W,
I edge-glued enough :v.1"'thickstock to fonn

a blank 10" wide by S" long, see Fig.L

When the glue is dry, him both ends and
then cut 0 a 6"long piece, leaving a l'lfs"
piece, see Step 1. (Save the short piece for
later use.) Now. rip the 6'~longpiece to the
finished width for your end blocks (9V.',).
To get the thickness needed for the end
blocks,cutthe6"longpiecesinhalfandglue
these two pieces together face-to-face to
form a block.see Step2. After the glue dries,
Gutthis block to getlwo end blocks (II) 9\1.4"
wide by 'I/il" long, Step 3.

SECOND: CUT. PIECEIN HAlf,

THIRD: CUTTO FO!<MlWO

THEN STACK AND GLUE TOG-tmER

END BlOCKS '4" lONG

NOTlGRAJN
PAmRNANP

END
BLOCKS

JOINTUNES

10 ;tOUGH
DIMENSION

No. 63

\Y/ oodsmith

CUnlNG

THE GROOVES

Aiter making the

end blocks, 114" tabbets and grooves are
cut to hold the case
divider(B).(Cut the
rabbets and grooves
to match the actual
thickness of the
dividers.)
SET'IH.EDADO BUIDE. Begin by setting the
saw to cut a 11." x V." rabbet. To do this,
attach a wooden fence to your table saw rip
fence, see Fig. 2.1 also used a wooden extension on my miter gauge. The extension sup.
ports the piece and helps prevent chipout,
Now set the rip fence (0 act as a stop and CUI
a rabbet on both ends of the end blocks (A).
see Fig. 2.
Note: These rabbets (and the grooves
LhaHollow)must be cut into end grain on the
end blocks (Al.

DIVIDERS & BOnOM

With the end blocks
(A) completed you
can begin work on
the case dividers
(B):Startby ripping
V4" stock for th e
dividers to width,
RIP TO WID'I1'I. To
determine the width
of the dividers, measure the tJlicknes$
(height) of the end blocks (A) and rip the
dividers to that width. (In my case that
measurement was 1.i".)
DE1ERMlNETHE LNGI'H. After the pieces
have been ripped to width, Icut all of the
dividers to the correct length for my chisels.
To determine this length, measure your
longest chisel and add %". (The extra :V."
allows for the V4" grooves in the end blocks
(A) and a V4" of clearance within the case.)
lAYING OlTl'1lI ARC. After the dividers
(B) have been cutto length, layoulashallow
arc to allow clearance to pick up the chisel.
Begin by laying out the arc on one of the
dividers. To do this, mark points 1%" in
from each end of the divider along the top
edge, see Fig. 4.
To draw the are, tape the dividerto ascrap
piece of plywood and drive a couple of nails
alongside the two marks on the divider, see
Fig. 4. Then bend a piece of posterboard
insidethenailsandadjusttheapexofthearc
so it's \4" from the opposite edge of the
divider. Then draw the arc.
CIJl11'NG THE ARC. Next stack all of the
dividers with uie arc on top and wrap the
stack with masking tape, making sure that
theedgesandendsareflusb.
see Fig. 5.Now
cutdose tothe layout linewith the bandsaw,
and then sand up to the line using a drum

10

CIJl11'NG THE GROOVES. After

the rabbets
are cut. divide the space between the rabbets into six equal spaces (or the number of
chisels in your set) with a \4" groove between them. see Fig. 3. Now move the table

saw fence so that it acts as a stop for your

next cut. AftercuUing the first groove, tum
thepieceendforendandcutanothergroove
before moving thefence. Repeat this procedure uotil all of the grooves are cut.

PANEL
sander or a sanding block.
ASSEMBLY. After the dividers have been
sanded. fitaod glue them into the grooves in
the end blocks, see Fig. 6. (Make sure that
this assembly is square and that it sits fla~)
II0'IT0MJ>.~t.. After the dividers (B) are
glued inlC)lheend blocks (A), you can make
the bottom panel (C).
Start by edge-gluing enough V."-Ulick
stock to make the bottom panel. see Shop

FLUSH END BLOCK

ANO DIVIDERS

Notes, page 12.TIle finished size of the bottom panel is the same as the outside dimensions ot the tray that you just glued up, see
Fig. 7. (Our divider tray measured 9l1.," x

12.!".)

Now glue the bottom panel (C) 10 the

divider tray. Use glue sparingly to avoid
squeeze out. Make Sure the edges of the
bottom panel (C) are flush with the sides of
the tray dividers (B) and the end blocks (A).

CU180rrOM

PANELTOffT

BOTTOM
PANEL

NOTE:

D~VIDER

AUGN

ASSEMBlY
MUST 8!
SQUAR,E

Gl,ur 6OTToM
PANn TO DIVIDERS

fLUSH
ON All
$IOf,S

AND tND 8LOCK

Woodsmith

No. 63

LID ASSEMBLY
After the lJ'ay as-

sembly is complete
you can begin OJ) tile
lid panel (E). Start
by gluing up enough
stock to make a
panel that's
V4"
wider and 1" longer
than the tray. After it
dries, rip the panel Vt6"wider than the tray.
ASSEMBLEme POCKJo:T.Next, to form the
pocket and lid top, cut the panel into two
parts, see Fig. 8. To determine the length of
Olepocket.measure from the end ofthe tray,
to where the arc begins Onthe divider. Then
ada ~"to allow for trimming.

Now set your saw blade at 30' and cut a

piece off the panel that's the length you just
determined, see Fig. Sa.
Next, place the short piece on tile case so
the long beveled point is touching the arc.
Now mark and trim the end Ilusb, see Fig. 9.
UDSIDES, To make thelid sides (F).start
by measuring the thickness (height) of the
case. Then rip two pieces ofll4" stock to that
measurement (2") and cut them to the same
length as the case, see Fig.9,
After the lid sides (I') are cut, fasten them
to the tray with double-sided carpet tape.
RINGE SCIlliWS. With the sides in place
you can drill the holes for the hinge screws.
First, drill a ~3"counterbore, VI6"deel,>and
2>\'4- TO THE
LONG POINT
OF TI-I BEVEL

~" from tile bottom end. See Fig. 10.Then,

drill a Va" pilot hole through the lid sides (F)
and into the end blocks (A). see FIg. 10. Now
remove tile carpet tapeand enlarge the hole
in the lid sides (F) to ~".
Before screwing the lid sides (I') to the
case tray, place a 1'.i2" shim behind each lid
side (1'). Now tighten down a No. 12 roundhead screw until the bottom ofthescrewslot
is Bush with the lid sides (1'), see Fig. lOa.
ASSEMBLE'l'liE UD. Next. fit the remainingpartofthe lidbetween the sides, and trim
the end flush with the lOP of the case, see
Fig. 9. Then glue the panel '0 the lid sides
(I') only. When theglueisdry.file the screw
heads flush, see Fig. lOa.
Gl.U MOVA6LE SIDES
TO TOP PANEL ONlY

LID ",'r-,
PANEL

LONG

PO,m

StT SAW SlADE TO 30

DONor

a.
POCKET
PANEL

GLUE SlOES
TO POCKET
PANEl

_;--

TOOL RESTS AND LID STIFFENER

Once the lid is completed, round over the

sides (VS"round-over) and ends ~II roundover). refer to Fig. 12.Then you can begin on
the chisel rests (D) and lid stiffener (G).
ROtJJ1NC THE EOGE, Using the cut-off left
over from making the end blocks (A) (refer

to Fig, 1). use a %" round-over bit and rout a

bullnose on both ends. see Fig. 113.
CUT TO FIT. Nter tile bu llnoses are
complete. cut off two ~"Iong pieces, see
Fig. ll. Now, cut the chisel rests (0) to fit
between thecase dividers (8) .and cutthelid

12

CHISEL REST
CUT TOFfT
8,TWEI;N
CASE DIVIDERS

stiffener (G) 10 fit between the lid sides (1').

see Fig. 12, Finally. glue Ole pieces in as
shown in the Cross Section on page 9,
FINGER REOESS. The last step is to file a
~"wide finger recess in the bottom end to
make a lip for opening the lid. See Fig. 12.
UD Sl,FFENER

cer TO

FfT

G BETWEEN
UD $IO[S

NOTE: ROIIND OVER(NDS

AND EDGES WITH CASE C.LOSED

No. 63

Woodsmirh

11

TIPS

SOME

FRO

OUR

SHOP

Shop Notes
BOOK MATCHING
Wben making the Chisel
Case on page 8, J used a technique called book matching to
create the mirror image grain
pattern on the lid. Book matching refers to how apiece ofstock
is cut and glued back together.
GRAIN I'ATl'ERN. To create a
book-matched panel, select a
piece of wood that has some
figure to it Ilook for an interesting burl or a swirling grain pat-

tern. Make sure that the pattern

goes all the way through the
piece. (lfitdcesn'tgo through.It
may not book rnatch.)
RESAWI'IECE. Now,resawthe
piece ioto two parts of equal
thickness. I prefer to resaw on
the band saw because the kerfis
smaller, and lbe two pieces tend
to match up a liute better.
However, resawingcan be done
on the table saw. see page 22,

PLANE IN
DIRECTION OF

AAAOWS IEfOR.
_ ...... G1.UING UP

SlDfGRAlN
POINTS TO BACK OF 80ARD

OPEN TIlE BOOK. Afler resaw-

ing, put the two halves back together as if the piece had never
been cut Now stand them 00
edge and opeo the lWO pieces as
if you were opening a book. The
spine of this "book" becomes
the matched joint.
Note: Open the book (rom the
lOP edge, then try opening' (rom
the bottornedge. Eitherway, the
pieceswiUbe bookmatched, but
the grain pattern will be different. Choose the one with the
most interesting pattern,
PtANJNGl'ROBLEM, Although
matched lumbergives you interesting patterns, itcan bedifficutt
10 plane smooth. The problem is
that after the two pieces are
glued together, the grain of the
pieces runs in opposite directions, see Fig. L If you plane
both pieces of the panel in the
same direction, tbe grain might

.By ?'esa'I.inglumber, and then

ed{le-joining thepieces b~kW
get/win a book-maich; you get
a patter" ,qitha mirror imaqe.
tear out on one half of the panel.
TIle solution is to plane each
piece before you edge-glue.
Then carefully align the pieces
when gluing SO you onlyhave to
sand the panel after it dries.

EDGE-GLUING THIN STOCK

On the Chisel Case Ineeded
to edge-glue Ir.i" stock to form
the lid and the bottom panels.
Edge-gluingthin stock with pipe
clamps can be a problem,
As you tighten the clamp, the
pressure is applied in line with
the screw on the clamp head,
which is usually centered about
:v." above the pipe.This pursueeven pressure on the joinl and
the pieces won't lie flat If you
apply too much pressure the
pieces might spring apart
So, in order to edge-glue thin
pieces, I use a technique that
musicaliostrumentmakersuse.
PREPARE STOCI(. To use this
method, first make sure the two
edgesfittogetherwithoutgaps.
This is important since you
won't be applying enough pressure to close any gaps.
WORK
Now,
place
the ON
twoPI,YWOOD.
pieces edge-toedge on a flat work surface. (I

12

use a piece of plywood.) Also, pieces to be glued are t(J"~hi?lg,

place apiece ofwax paper under see Fig. L
the pieces <at the joint line) 10
With both pieces in place,
prevent them (rom sticking.
drive several nails into the plyNext, drive several small nails wood along the edgeofthe other
orbrads, into theplywood,along piece, see Fig, 1,
the edge ofmlllot the pieces.
GLUE T1i JOINT. 'Vben the
SPACER. After the nails are in nails are in place 00 both edges,
place, slide a 'k"thick spacer till one of the panels up and
under the joint line. Center the spread a light film of glue along
spacer on the joint and make the inside edge, Then gently set
Sure the bottom edges ofthe two the piece back into position.
.--,
==
--,

SPACER

FIRST: DR,vt

~::_:::;:~~~::;:

NAILS

ALONG EOGEOF

ONE PUCE

\VEIGH DOWNTOP. Next slide

the spacer out and lay another
strip of wax paper on top of the
joint line. Now lay a board on
top of the wax paper and stack
a heavy object (I used a brick)
on top of the board.
Make sure the (WO pieces are
laying flat, and let the glue dry.
After the glue dries. remove the
nailsfrom one side before taking
the panel up,
PUU OUT SPACER ANO
__

AP}>I.YWEfGHT
ABOV[JOINT

THIRD: DRIVENAILS

'TO;;;:;;,::,_-,,:~AllONGfOG'

OF 0"'"

PIECE

l~~~~~~~~;;~~
NAlLS

Woodsmith

No. 63

HAND PLANING THIN STOCK

If you resaw stock on band

saw, you'refaced with thetaskof

smoothing the rough-sawn surface. On small pieces I use a
hand plane. But i~s difficult to
plane a consi8tent thickness
across the entire piece.
I've found irs worth the time
to make a jig that helps stop the
plane at the correct thickness,
(Note: FlI"St,I resaw the workpiece about VI&" over the final
thickness. see page 22.)

tMIONG TIlEJtG. To make the

jig. start by cutting a plywood
base, see Fig. 1. Then rip two
guide strips to the final thickness you want for tbe workpiece. Now place the resawn
workpiece on the base and tack
the strips about 1" from each
edge of the workpiece. (To keep
from damaging the plane, set
the brads below the surface.)
Next, to keep the workpiece
from moving while planing, tack

down thin stop blocks (I use

1/8" Masonite) in front and in
backofthe workpiece. Also, 5ta
couple of thin spacer blocks between the workpiece and the
guide strips.
USINGTHE JIG. After the jig is
built, you can begin planing. I
stan with the plane held at an
angle so the heel of the plane
bangs over one of the guide
strips, see Fig. 2. Continue to
plane until the heel of the plane
PLANE-AT

GUIDE STRIPS

SLIGHT ANGLE"

"bottomsout" on therightguide

strip and the toe bottoms out on

the left guide strip.
If the workpiece is so wide
that the plane can't bridge
across both guide strips, that's
okay. Ai; long as you start with
the heel overoneguide strip, the
toe of the plane will finally rest
On the far guide strip as you
work across the piece.
ONE MORE THING. There's
one other thing Ishould menlion here. [said that the final
thickness of the workpiece will
be the same as the thickness of
the guide strips. That's not exactly true.

Since the cutting edge of the

blade sticks out slightly below
thesoJeofthe plane, thefinished
thickness ofyour workpiecewiJI
actually be a hair thinner than
the strips. If your thickness bas
to be6xact, slightly increase the
thickness of the strips to compensate for the blade depth.

PLANING WITH A ROUTER

Besides planing tbin stock
with a hand plane. I've also used
a router, making repeat.passes.
To do this, I made a two-part
jig, see Fig. 2. The 6rst part is a
base to hold the workpiece. The
second part is a wing attached to
the router that slides Onthe base.
BASE.To make the base. cut a
rectangle from :jI~"plywood a
little longer than the length of
the workpiece, and about 3"
wider than your workpiece.
Next. to raise the router up off
the workpiece, I glued rails
along the edges of the base. Cut
the rails 14"wider (higher) than
the thickness of the workpiece.
SUDING WING.After making
the base, I cut out a wing to replace the plastic base on the
router. To make the wing, rip a
piece of \14" Masonite 2" wider
than therouter'splasticbase.As

No. 63

fortbelength, cut iuwiceaslong

as the width of the jig's bM8.
Now screw the wing to the
router using the Original base
plale as a drilling guide.
Also, 10keep the bit from routing into the rails, 1 glued stop
blocks to the bottom of the wing
near the ends. see Fig. 1.

USING111EJIG. After bulldiog

the jig. you're ready to plane.

the bit
about Ya"deep and rout the
Start by sticking the workpiece workpiecewitl1 the grain. (Rout
down on thejig base with double- ing across the grain may create
sided carpel tape, see Fig. 2.
swirls on the face.) Then make
mE art, Next, mount anyflat another pass to "plane" the
bottom bil in the router. Aiter stock to final thickness. If there
SOmelesting, !found a:l4" or JI,!". are any swirls left on the surface,
dia straighrbit worked the best, 1use a SCraperto clean them off.
'/4" MASONnt
WlNG

MULTIPU: PASSES. Set

MAKEMumPLf
PASSES WITH

THEORAIN

USE ROUTt~

aASEAS
TEMPLAn
TO LOCAlE
scaEWHOlS

\Voodsmirh

~ ~~~~STOP
FaOM.
CUnlNG INTO RAILS

13

FEATURE

PROJECT

Toolbox
How do you make a toolbox that's both strong and lightweight?
Our solution was to use thin maple and join it with box joints.
We also added a unique laminated handle on top.

here are two main considerations in designing a

toolbox:strength and weight It has to be strong
enough to stand up to heavy use. but lightenough so it
isn't a burden to carryaround,
REINFORCEMENTS. The solution was to build the
toolbox b'om thin stock (V,"). but reinforce tbeweak
spots. For example, the top panel of the lid is made
from V4" stock that's backed with another pieceot'V4"
stock. This backing locks the angled lid pieces togetherand provides a If.!11 base to attach the handle. see
the Cross Section on the opposite page.
The bottom of the case is cut from V4" plywoodand
mounted into ~" grooves. To keep the lip below the
grooves from breaking out. 1added angled trim strips,
JOINERY.
I decided to use boxjoints for this project.
lithe pins and slots match perfectly, there's plenty of
gluing surfaces and that creates a strong joint.
The boxjoints are also smallenough (Vi" x V.'~
that
they can be cut on either a table saw or a router table.
(In Woodsntitk No. 42 we showed how to make an

14

adjustable box joint jig for either the table saw or the
router table.)
HANDLE. The handle is probably the most unusual
part of this project, The easy way to make a handle is
to cut itoutofa piece of~" stock, But there would be
weak spots at the upper corners where the grain cuts
directly across the corner .
Instead, I laminated the handlefrom three pieces oj
V." stock. The grain on the middle piece runs at right
angles to the face pieces. Likeplywood, this-strengthens the piece in both directions.
WOOD.r built the toolbox from hard maple. It's
strong and will last for years. (nun lumber may be
difficultto obtain,seeTaikingShopand Sources, pages
23 and 24.) Maplecan chip out when planinl1.(For fips
on planing, see Shop Notes, page 12.) Poplar or red
gum wouldalso be good choices. They'renotasstrong
'<IS maple. but lighter and easier to plane.
fINISH. For maximum durability 1decided to apply
two coats of semi-gloss polyurethane to Ibe toolbox.

Woodsmith

No. 63

MAIERIALS

EXPLODED VIEW

OVERALL DIMENSIONS,

CASE

PIVOT

81/4uH x 16"L x 8"0

LISI

BLOCKS

A Front/Bock (2)

'I4J<4!14-16

8 Ends(2)

V.x4V.,8
'I. x7~. XHW.
~x !I"15~
!I'. x 1M - 7'1.
V.x I- 15'1.2

C BoHom(I)'
TOP

D Stm, Fr/Il!< Trim (2)

E Stm, End Trim(2)
F HingeCleat< 1)
G Fr,Tray ledge (I)

ANGLID SIO

UD
FRONT

I'< x 1V4 - 15'1.2

I'< x 1\1.- 7'1.

H EndTrayled~(2)

UD

1 Frant/Boc!< (2)

~ x I~- 16

J EndS(2)

V.x3-8
~ x316

K Mgled Sldef(2)
L TopO)
M TopBocking(l~

'I4x4",,-16
'I. X 4'1.2- 15l-2

N Hinge Cleat (1)

V.x I'll. - 15'1.2

(1)

V.x8-6(5pes.)

o Box Handle
TRAY

'I. x 1% - 14'~.
Q EndS(2)
V.x I'll.- 6"V,.
R BoHom(I)'
'14X 6. x 14''1,.
S Handle (I)
iI.1 x 2 iii- 147/,e
These pieces are V" plywood,

P Front/Bock (2)

CUnlNG
1,1.... x

DIAGRAM

5 33" 11.15Sq. Ft. Eoch)

A

CROSS SECIION

M
p
p

6
K
A

o
o

,/
ANGlED IAC1<lNG
PIKE LOCI(S lOP

~ .. x 3 . 3-3" (.7 Sq. Ft.)

TOGETHER

,,
CATCH

--

REMOAIl!

'eRA.

,,

ONE 24.x

"

24" PIECE OF 1/." PLYWOOD

FOR CASt AND TRAY BonoMS

ALSOREQUIRlD:
(c, R)

SUPPLIES

lowm

PIANO
HINGE

LUMBER
7 SquGre H. V.' solid maple
0.7 Square H. '11"solid mol'll6
24' x 24' plee Y4' maple 0( blreh ply.

COMpARTMENT CAPACITY:
3'/ ...Dx7!t'J-w'"
1511;2"L

HARDWARE
"

ANGLID

RE.INFORCfiMENT
STRIP

1 Brossplonohlnge(P/'6'X
13')
1Bressbox cctcn with screws
6 No. 6 X :Vd' ro~ndhead
WOOdSCl8WS
, See page 24 for kfflnfaClTlotlen

FINISH
Varnlsh: Solin polyur.efhone

No, 63

Woodsmith

15

CASE
1began work on the the bottom edge of each piece and worked
B01TOM.Next, cut an !,t"deep groove for
toolbox by making up. (The waste atthe topwili be cutoff later.) the II." plywood bottom (C) On all four
~'?
the case. Start by The case end pieces (B) start with a pin at pieces. Position the groove so it cuts
~
cutting a C8$e front the bottom edge and the case front/back through the first pin (en the case front) up
and back (both A) pieces (A) start with a slot. see Fig. la.
from the bottom, see Fig. 1.
and two ends (8)
Procedural Note: l'I'hile the jil(' is set up,
After the groove is cut in all four pieces,
.........._
from II." stock to a you may alsowantto cutthe box joints on the cut the plywood bottom (C) to fit.
rough width of 5". lid and tray pieces (see pages 17 and IS).
ASSJ;AWLY. To clamp the case together, I
see FIg. 1.Then cut
CtrM'OWlDTFJ. Aftercuttingthe box joints, used band clamps and scrap clamping
the front and back pieces (A) 16" long and I trimmed down the case pieces to final blocks, see Fig. 2. Position the blocks just
dIe ends (8) S"long.
width. First rip the case end (B) so the cut beyond the joints at each comer. To keep
Procedural Note: Wbileyou'reselup, you aligns with the top edge of the ni,!lk pin up the top of the case square. Islipped a scrap
can also cut the lid pieces so they're the trom the bottom, see Fig. 1. Then cut the piece of plywood into the case.
exact same lengths, see opposite P'llle.
casefront and back (A) to this same width.
PWG HOLE. After the case is assembled,
BOX JOINI'S. Alter the pieces are cut to
Note: Ifyour dado blade cuts eccuctly II." there's still a little void in theends where the
size. you can cut II." box joints on the ends wide slots, then these pieces will be 4114" bottom groove COmes through one of the
of all four pieces. see Fig. 1.
wide. The important thing is to cui the box joinl pins. To fill it, I glued in a wedge\'Ibeo cutting the box joints J started at pieces so they end with a fuji pin or slot
shaped plug and cut it off flush, see Fig. 2a.
'6"

Tf

Ts.
41'' 1

WASTE

TOP
lOGE

NOTE:

CASE FRONT/BACK

ALLSTOCk

(CUTtwO)

2
~

SCRAPPLYWOOD
---

KEPS CASE SQUARE

@
BonOM
PLYWOOD

:V.~~~T~H~IC~K~~~::::~==~:=~~~~~~~
'--cur

a.

80TTOM GROOVE ...... D.EP

CAS. ~

F~f

@~

@K

rTf

rn
CUT

EDGE

(CUTtwO)

TOP
CASE END
'_t)~~~=l
'=========:===!i

CUTGROOVE

AT

THROUGH
FIRST
PIN

N;':"

-l

8"

T5"
4r"t

'l

OFF FLUSH

ClAMP

TRIM STRIPS, HINGE CLEAT, TRAY LEDGE

Alter the case is dry. I turned it over and the inside.Toprovide a screw surface for the
added trim strips (D and E) to the bottom. Jid hinge. I mounted a hinge cJeat(F) to the
'11U1II ~"IRIPS.To make the angled strips,
inside back of the case. see Fig. 4.
rip a 45' bevel on a piece of ~II stock. Then
Cut the hinge cleat 1" wide and to length
set the blade to 90' and rip the angled.strips to fit inside the case. Then glue the cleat in
off the waste side otthe blade.
place so the top edge isllush wilh the top of
Next, miter the strips to length and glue the case back. see Fig. 40.
them in place, see Fig. 3.
TIlAY LEOGE. To support the removable
HINGE CLEAT. Alter the trim is in place, I tool tray. [glued !"wide tray ledge slrips
turned the case over and started to work on (0 and R) inside the case on the front and

3
~_J

THIRD:

@)

fRONT/BACK
TRIM

~C~::-

fiRST:
(UTHING

h.
~

,_

~.J'~

END~~
TRIM
1/ .

__.,:J,.

;_...,

a.

TOFJT

NOT~-'"

4::.:.......

45' ANGLE

CASE

lj '"''r-)

'"!:."
-I-_.~
~"4
~

ClEAT TO

FIT 8ACK

jy

P1.YWO
IIOTTOM

TRIM STRJ:

MITE.
CORNERS"

.j-.

1-...

OD OFCAS(

MntR

'Ii'_'-

p- ~
_

I....

I!--

.~

-L,3

END
TRAY LEDGE
UTtwO)

~_R~EI?.~

Woodsmitb

;....-

1'\
...."..

a.

~GlUEfLUSH

01 END

mAY
LEDGES

""ONT

'"Il

UPSIDEDOWN

16

both ends. These strips are made by cutting

a \(1"odeeprabbet 4" wide on one edge of a
piece of W'thiek stock, see Fig. 4b.
Then miter both ends of the fronl Iray
ledge (G) to fit inside the front of the case.
see FIg. 4. On the end tray ledges (H), miter
the front end. but let the back end butt up
against the binge cleat (F).
Now. glue the strips in so the top edges
are 114"above thetopofthecase, seeFig. 4b.

TO fiT
(NJ)$ OF
CASE

.t

,"

Ll

CLEAT

HINGE

CASE
BACK

~
FRONT TRAY
LEDGE
SECOND:
MITER FRONT UbG
TO FIT INSIDE CASE

TltAY_/ --., _ I""" . ILlDGE

CASt SIJ)E--"
;

No. 63

LID FRAME

Tbe basic case is

complete at tbis
point. Next, YOucan
build the lid. Beein
0"'
by cu tling the lid
front and back
pieces (I) l:jl~"wide
and the same length
as lhe case (16"),
see Fig. 5.Then cut two lid ends(J) 3" wide
and to length to match the case (8'~.
BOX JOJ.l(lS. Wi!h the pieces cut to size,
you can cut the box joints. Once again. start
from the bottom edges. see F'1g. 5.
Note: Only two slots are cui in the
front/back pieces so there's room to bevel
the top edges later, refer to Fig. 6.
CUT O,FFANGus. After the box joints are
complete, cut a 45' angle off the top comers
of the end pieces 0), see Fig. S. To do this.
make the cutso the angle aligns with the top
outside comer otthe second pin. see Fig. Sa.
ClITOFFFRONT/IlACJ(. Next. dry assemble
tile lid pieces. Where the angled comer you
just cut 00 the end piece meets the front
piece. make a mark, see Fig. 6.111eo rip the
front/back pieces at22lfl so the Sh01'tpoinl
of the angle ends at the mark.
ASsEMBLY. Now glue thesefour lid pieces
together. To hold them square. Iplaced
them on the.assembled case. see Fig. 7.

r-5~---------------------------------------------------'

1.

UD FRONT/BACK
(CUTTWO)

All STOCK 'I..

"THICK

,-------------------------,

1~
.."

I'i'\

ROUGH

1------------1.NOTE:

Q.

UD ENDS

1f

COTTO

UOEND

MAtCH CASE

-r

FRONT/lACK PIKES r_-r,,-IC_UT_TW_O_:.I.....,,-ry-FT"

STARTWmI A PiN.
THEN cur
TWO SLOTS
3

CUT45' ~L
....,~-TOAUGN

CUT45"

ANGLS OFF

WITH COftNrR

CORNERS

CUlTO
MATCH CASE

MARKWHERi IND
MflTS fRONT/BACK.
THEN RIPUD
fRONT/BACK

AT22.,.,'

UD

CLAMPING

FRONT/BACK

LID TOP

Once the lldframeassembly is dry, you can

cui the top pieces. The top ismade outoftwo
angled sides (K) and one lid top (L).
ANGI,.EDS!l)J;:S.1 started bycultingthetwo
angled sides (K), see Fig. 8. Rip one edge
of each piece at a 22lf'l angle to a rough
width of 3lfl".To determine the final width.
hold the piece in place and mark ihe point
where the angled comer on the lid end (I)
meets the angled side piece (K).
Now rip the pieces to width (at 22V:0 on
the pencil mark and cut them to length.
TOP. Once ihe angled pieces are glued
down, the top piece (L) fils in like a keystone, see Fig. 9. Firstcut one edge at 221't.
Then sneak upon theother edge untilitfits,
BACKING. Next, I reinforced ihe topwith a
backing piece ("1), see Fig. 10. To make
this piece, firstcutit to length to fitinside the
lid. Then rip the edges at 45' and glue it in.
HINGe ClE'\T. To provide a screwing surface for the hinge, Imounted a hioge cleat
(N) on the back insideofthe lid. seeFig. 10.
Rip one edge at 45', and cut the other edge
flush with the bottom of the lid. see Fig. lOa.
CHA\fFER. Wilh the cleat glued in. rout a
chamfer around the i"si4e'ellge of the lid
front and ends to make the lid fit easier on
the case, You may also have to bevel the
outside of the tray ledges, refer to Fig. 4b.

No. 63

ANGLED

WASn

END VIEW

SIDE

22~'

LID TOP

UVEL

SECOND:
CUT 22'h"

'EVl1SO

2'\0'

W10TH

MA'~ES
ANGLE
ONEND

lEVa.
~r~...

ANGLED SIDES

NOTE: CUTUD TOP TO

,n

OPfN~NG
BnwtE'N ANGlED SIDES

10

UD HINGE
CLEAT

CUT OFF FWSH WITH

Q.

ct:;t==='=O=TT",O.,M,::Of=U::D=::j
\

',

UD HINGE
CLfAT

"'.

(NAMEIR

TOP
SACKING

".--

NOTE:

""--~

LtD UPSIDE

TOP
BACKING

4S'
ANGLE

"

DOWN

Wooosmith

17

HINGE
Afterthe lid is completed. it's attached to the
case with a piano hinge.
CUTIlNG TI:IESINGE. Istarted by cutting a
1Vlsltwidepiano hinge to length. To determine the length, three things should beconsidered: the length mustbeshonerthan the
case; both ends should be cut at knuckle
joint lines; and the distance from the end of
the hinge to the first screw hole should be
uniform on both ends. In my case. I cut the
hinge 13"long. see Fig. 11.
mNGE~IORl1SE. Aftercuttingthe hinge to
length, you can cut a matching mortise in

11

I-.J

me lid. Begin by laying out themortiseso it's

centered on the back of the lid.
Irouted the mortise with a straighl bil on
the router table, see Fig. 11. Raise the bit so
the height of the bit equals the thickness of
the hinge. seeFig. 11a.
To routthemortise, move the lid back and
forth over the bit routing completely
through the lid back (I) and the hinge cleat
(N). r stopped short of Ute end lines and
cleaned up to the lines using a chisel.
After the mortise is complete. you ~'a11
mount the piano hinge. see box at right.

Ot$TANCf FROM SCREW

HOLEto (ND OF
HINGE SHOULD

AFTER. ROUTlHO,

aEUNIFORM

a,

ClAN UP TO

AT 80TH

LAYOUTUNf

ENOS

HINGE MOUNTING
To mount tile hinge, Istarted by Sllrewiug
one hinge leaf to the mortise in the lid.
Then. stick a narrow strip of doublesided carpet !ape on Ilte top back edge of
the case. Now. set the lid on top of the
case so it's in the dosed position.
Next, carefully open the lid a little
ways, reach inside, and press the binge
leaf down tight against the carpet tape.
Then open the lid all the way and put a
block of wood under the lid 10support it.
Now driU holes for the hinge screws by
driUing through the holes in the hinge
leaf and righl on through the carpet tape.
seedrawing. Fil\ally. remove the!ape and
screw the leaf down tight.
.n.

WRHCtiJHL

J.

PIANO
HINGE

DRilL 8IT

CARm

TAPE

CUT HINGE

ATKNUCKU
JOlNT UNE

CASE

-.
,

Uo

TRAY
,.------,

Sometimes irs handy

After the pieces are CUl to

to just carry a tray size. you can cut the box joints. The procefilled with tools in- dure is the same as the case - start at the
stead ofa whole tool- bottom of each piece and work up.
box. So I included a
Theil rip the pieces to width so you end up
removable tool tray. with four full pins on the front/back pieces.
CUT PI ECES. To
BO'ITOM. Next, cut a groove for Ute botmake the tool tray. tom on all the pieces. Then cut the plywood
'---l start by cutting a tray tray bottom (R) to fit between the grooves.
front and back (both P) and two ends (Q)
IISSEMB~Y.The procedureforassembting
from V4" stock to a rough width of 2", see the tray is the same as the case. Be sure to
Fig. 12. To determine the le,ngtb of these plug the holes made by the bottom groove.
pieces, measure the distance between the
RANDLS.To make the tray handle (S). I
tray ledgesioside the toolbox and then sub- used 1Il" stock. First, cut the handle to a
tract V's" (so the tray fits comfortably).
finished width ofilf.!", see Fig. 12.'Illen cut
BOX JOINTS.

13

12
I--....Jv
..L

""
'>!;J TRAY FRONT / BACK

(CUT IWO)

it to length to fit inside the tray.

To form the grip, first drill Lwo1"holes 1"
down from the top edge. see Fig. 12. Then
cut between the holes with a sabre saw.
Now, cut angled sections out 01 the top
COmers of the handle. see Fig. 12. Then
round over the inside of the grip and the LOp
edges with a V." round-over bit. see Fig. 13a,
AITACII IIJ\NDL. After the edges are
rounded, T glued the handle to Ute inside
bottom of the tray, see Fig. 13. To
strengthen thejoint, drill a Va" hole through
the end of the liay and into the handle, see
Fig. 13b. Then glue a short length of 14i"
dowel into Ute hole and trim itnush.

a,

GLUEHANDl
TO BOTrOM

"'T
,;-.' 2"

'I'l"
CENTtR
HANOU:
ON TRAY

.OTTO~jWA$"
GROOV

Ih DEEP

b.

'- __

18

Woodsmith

GLUEINPWG;

THeN CUTOFF FlUSH

No. 63

HANDLE
The last part to
make is the handle
(0) and the two
blocks that hold the
handle to the lid.
HANDLE BLANK.

Start by laminating a
blank from three
pieces of ~" stock,
see Fig.l4. Cuttbe three pieees3" wideand
6" long. Then cut one of the pieces in half.
Now tum the two half pieces so the grain
runs alright angles to Ihe6"long pieces and
"sandwich" (glue) the half pieces between
the long pieces.
After the glue dries, rip the blank down to
2" wide for the handle and save the waste
piece/or the pivot blocks. Before cutting the
shape ofthe handle, I trimmed the blank to
5\12" long and rounded over the bottom
edges with a 'Va" round-over bit, see Fig. l~.
INSIDE ClnOUT. Next, to form the inside
corners of the handle, drill two :ol"-dia.
holes, llla"from each end, see Fig. IS. Then
layout thelllsideedges oCtbe handle.
Before cutting out the handle, Idrilled
%2"dia. boles in the ends of the handle to
hold pivot pins, see Fig. 153.
CUTOUT SRAPE. Next, cut out the inside
edgesoftliehandlewith a band saw, sec Fig.
16.To finish the shape, trim 45' angles off
the top comers.
ROUND OVER EDGES. To make the handle
morecomfortable to grip, Irounded overthe
top edge and the inside edges, see Fjg.17.
PIVOT BLOCKS. After the handle is
complete, Imade the pivot blocks from the
strip cut off the handle blank. Start by cutting the strip:v,," wide, and then cut 45' angles off the top comers, see Fig. 18. Next,
drill two pilot holes near each end to accept
the mounting screws. Then cut the lll.l"long pivot blocks offboth ends of the strip.
PfNS, The handle is held to the pivot
blocks with pinsmadefrom No.sscrews. To
do this, start by drilling a %2"dia. hole
centered on the inside end of each pivot
block. see Fig. t~.Next, tighten a No.6 x
:V," screw into the hole leaving \I," of the
shankshowing. Thenculoffthescrew head.
MOtlNTlNG 11U! HANDLE. To mount the
handle, first center the handle and pivot
blocks on the topofthe toolbox. Leave about
V16" between the handle and each block to
prevent binding, see Fig. ZOa.
Now, to locate the screw holes, tip the
blocks on their sides and draw lines down
from the two holes in the blocks onto the lid,
see Fig. 20. After drilling shank holes at
these points, tighten the pivot blocks down
to the lid with roundhead wood screws,
CATCH. To complete
the toolbox, 1
centered a catch on the front of the toolbox
and screwed it down, see Fig. 21. Then file
off the screws on the inside of the lid.

No. 63

14

SECOND:

FIRST:CUT'lHREE
,,

.'

,
@

6"

CUT ONE PIECE

IN HALf

'.-----'

PIECES TO SJzr

11-3-1 B
,

I I

OURTH
RIPOFF 2"

HANDLE PIECES
V4" THICK

WIDEHANDlf

At15TOCK

8LANK

BOX HANDLE

a,
TODRIU HOLE
AT 90', HOLD

BLANK FLAT ON
DRill PRE.S5
WITHClAI.\P

WArn

~~DlA..
HOLES

FOft SMEJ'Y,

17
4$' ANGLE

EDGES

18

NOTE:

PIVOT

SOfTEN All fDGES

BLOCKS

OF PIVOT BLOCKS

AND HAND1.E

NOTE:
CUT 45' ANGLES
OFF COftNERS

21

BOX CATCH
CENTttlCA1CH
ON TOOLBOX

FILE Off SClEWS

fLUSH wn'H
INSIDE' OF ue

o
UD

Woodsmirh

19

WOODWORKING

TECHNIQUE

Joinery: Half Laps

T

here's a common belief that cutting a

hall lap is easy, certainly much easier
than cutting a mortise and tenon joint But
you're actually cutUnl( IwOtenone to form a
half lap (or end lapas it's called when itjoin$
the ends of two boards),
The tenons you're cutting are bare-faced
tenons, That is, there's only one shoulderthe other face is "bare" (no shoulder). And.
just as with tenons, there are two ways to go
about cutting a half lap.
One method is to use a dado blade to
make multiple passes on the end ota workpiece, see below. The other method involves
two CUIS:a shoulder cut. and then aface cut
that's made with the aid of a tenon jig, see
opposite page.
Which iseasier?Which producesa better
joint?The quality of the joint is based on two
things: its ability to hold together under
stress, and its overall appearance.

The second method (using the tenon jig)

wins in both cases. The adjoining faces of
the half laps are much smoother using this
method. The smooth surfaces provide a
stronger glue joint, and produce a cleaner
appearance around the edges of the joint
But the other method (making multiple
passes over a dado blade) has. faster set-up
time. And its quality is nOIall that bad.
Both methods begin by cutting the workpieces to size. Typically you're cutting stiles
(vertical pieces) and rails (horizontal
pieces). Rip all the pieces to 6naJ widthfirst,
Then, cut them 10 length.
Then no mailer what method you use,
youll also need some test pieces. The object
is to cut two half laps in the test pieces that
are exactly one-half the thickness of the
stock. \Vith both methods, this is achieved
through trial and error - by gradually
sneaking up on the cuts on the test pieces.

a good lap jOint, tile "'tta/uwe to

be exactly o'IJ!-ltalf lite thickneS8 of the
8t{)ck,and lite fa.cos slunt/d iJ<l smooth to
prollilh a good gluing surface.
To make

MULTIPLE PASS METHOD

One of the fastest ways to set up for cutUnghalflap joints is to make multiple passes
oyer a dado blade.
SET RIP FENCE. To set up the cut. mount a
dado blade in the saw. Then I use the rip
fence as a stOplOestablish theposition oCthe
shoulder on the workpiece. Use one of the
mating pieces as a gauge to adjust the fence
until the edge of the workpiece is aJigned
with the outside edge of the dado blade. see
Fig. 1.
SETVIiP11l OF cur. Next, set the heightof
the dado blade so it'sa tittle 1688 than balflbe
thickness of the workpiece.

MUI;nPIJl PA<;SF_~.Now

irs a matter of
making test cuts to sneak up on the final
depth of cut. While guiding the test piece
with the mltergauge, make thefirstcutwith
theend of the piece against the rip fenee. see
rig. 2. This establishes the shoulder. Then
continue 10 remove the rest of the material
out to the end of the piece.
QUAllIY OF cur. The only problem is the
quality of the cut surface. Theoutside blades
on most stack dado sets have beveled teeth.
The points of these teeth CUIa hair deeper
than the square-cut teeth on the chipper
blades, see Fig. 2. The result is that you get

a series of small Vshaped kerfs on the face

ofthc cuts that show on the edges.
How do you gel rid of the V-cuts? Alter
making the initial passes,Ihold the cut face
over the dado blade and slide it rigbtto left,
while moving it forward and back v.ith the
aid of the milergaUJ(e. see Fig. 3.The points
of the beveled teeth "plane" down the surface so it's smooth.
To complete the joint_make passeson the
ends of two test pieces and check the
fit.Then gradually raise the blade (deepen'
ing the cut) until the outside surfaces of the
pieces are flUSh.see fiR. 4.

.-------:7""-,.,..---,

CH[CKrIT enWlN
CUTS UNTIL FWSH

'1.$lCUT

INTlaMfDtATf

----

CUT

HOU) WITH MmIt

GAUGE AND USf

f[NC(AS STOP

FJNA1 CUT

Mount a dado blade and

Whe" a dtuto set
Toremovethe V-cut3,slide
MakerepeaUdpa8811Sover
1
86tUlAfettce a stop. Use 2 the bevel teeth Ut8
3
the 1Uo"kpiece right and 4 ilIA) ella of two test pieces.
a 1Uorlcpice10 set the distance side blades make small V'Mlts left over blade1Uhilepushillg it Theil check Ulilfit ""tiltJliI outi8 IUled,

<UJ

bet1UeenUwfenu and blade.

20

Ott

intheface ofUw hal/lap.

..

Old

fonoarda,uf,back.
Woodsmith

8ide surfaces arej!lIsh.

No. 63

CUnlNG

END LAPS WITH A TENON JIG

TIle best way to get smooth surfaces on

the mating faces of an end lap joint is to use
a tenon jig. This not only produces a joint
with a better appearance, but the smooth
faces provide a stronger gluing surface.
SHOlILDER ClJI'. To cut anend lap with this
method, first you have to make a shoulder
cut. This sets the length of thejointfrom the
end oithe workpiece to the shoulder line.
To make the shoulder cut on the stiles.
use a rail to settherip fence asa stop. Setthe
fence so the distancebetween the fence and
the outside edge of the blade equals the
width of the rail, seeFig. 5.
Next, I raise the blade so it's about ),Iu;"
less than llalf the thickness of the stock. (l

I,

set up the cut like this so the points of the

blade don't cut too deep into the workpiece,
refer to Fig. 5. Since it's easy to set the cut
too deep, I set the initial cuts too shallow and
clean up the cut later.)
Now make a shoulder cut in all the rails

and stiles. And also make shoulder cuts in a

couple of test pieces.
TENON JIG. TIle face cut is made with the
aid of a teoon jig. First, raise the blade so it
cuts into theshouldercut,see Fig. 6. Isetthe
blade a hair less than the top surface of the
shoulder cut so the points 01 the teeth don't
make a V-cut in the shoulder.
Now mount a test piece in the jig, see Fig.
7. Adjust the rip fenceso the jig is inposition

. \

FENCE

l6toW

$HOULOR

II
jI

'1'1I\
I

Ii

KtJ:P nETH

to make a face cut that's a little more than

one-half the thickness of the stock, Then I
sneak up on this settin~. To check the progress, you have to make the same cut in two
test pieces, and then hold them together.
Gradually sneak up onthe fit, moving the
fence (and jig) a hair at a time until the outside surfacesof the two test pieces arellush,
refer to Fig. 4. When the testpiecesfit, make
the face cuts on the stiles and rails.
(U.'MOVECORNER.Sincetheinitialsettiogs
on both the shouldercut and the fare cut are
less than the length and height of the end
lap, there will be a little corner at the
shoulder of the end lap. Use a sharp chisel
to cut this corner out, see FIg. 8.
FIRST" ....

HOLO WORKPIECE
TIGHT A_GAINST
TtNONJIG

DOWN ON--,.<...
SHOULDER

lU ';

l~s,~~,
L

,/

TO CENTER
OF SAW KItF

SECOND:
CUTour

NOTE: KtfP CHfSEt

sorroa FLAT

,---WASTE

AGAINST FACE

Set fence to cut should",'

For the face
set the
Hold tJl6 1IJol'k,Jiecein the
TJI6 seUinU8 described: in
5
equal to lo,'dth of ,-ail. Set 6 height of the blade so fl 7 te>))~jig. Tilen grad,w.llll 8 Steps 5 and 61oo'v6aSIII.aU
blade Iwight 1/16'ieee tJIIJ" )lIJlf highest paint nu
half- move the fence ""til the blade eon,er 1:,~tll6siloulder flwt'8re
Cllt,

([bollt

tite tJlukilwss oftltestock.

TENON CUnlNG
Thejig Iuse to make the face
cut for an end lap is the same
one used for culling tenons, Its
whole purpose is to hold the
workpiece vertical as it's
guided through the blade.
The jig is designed to
straddle the rip fence. This
holds it.D position and also providesawayloadjustitsposition
in relation to Ule blade,
CIJI'PlECES. The jig consists
of two faces held together with
crosspieces. There'salso avertical stop at the end of the jig.
To make the jig, first rip two
cross pieces to width to match
the thickness of your rip fence,
This width is fairly critical be
cause you want a good friction
fit agalnst the fence when the
face pieces are added.
if the pieces are a hair too

No. 63

wa:g into the shmuel",' Cllt.

clds halfthe

thitkne;;.~.

mooed. with 0. ""isel.

JIG
narrow, the jig will bind on the

ripfence.

and test tile fit over the fence.

Then add shims if necessary,
VIlJmCALSTOP. 'Vhen tltejig
slides easily but firmly. add a
vertical stop On the back end.

If the cross pieces are too

wide, thejigwill be looseon the
fence. 111eo irs difficult to adjust when sneaking
up on the face cut.
TENON
CunlNGJIO
SlUMS. How do
you get it perf(!Ct?I
Uyto getthe pieces
righton the money.
J;lutifl'moff,ltryto
err by making
them tOO narrow.
Then 1 shim out
With paper or old
piayingcards.
ADO FACES. Aner
cutting the cross
pieces, cut the face
pieces about 6" by
JIG SHOUlD 8
fRictiON m
12". Screw all these
OVEtt FtNCE
pieces together

Woodsmith

As this stop is added, make

sure it's vlJrlictt/ to the saw
table. The only other caution is
to make sure the screws are
above the path of the bJade.

NOTE:
CUT ALL PIECESFROM
....PLYWOOD

CROSS PI(C[S

VERTICAL STOP
MUST Be 90' C)

MATCH FENCE

TOTA811

THICI(NESS

LO(AtE
SCREWS ABOVE
8LADEPATH

FACE PIECE

21

TECHNIQUE

WOODWORKING

Resawing
S

imply put, resawing is cutting thick

boards into thinner boards. While the
methods may differ, resawing can be done
on atable saw ora band saw (see boxbelow),
TABLE SAW, If the piece is less than 2"
wide. it can be cut in one pass on a table saw
with a rip blade. However, if the piece is
wider than 2", you will have to cut it from
both sides. (Note: \Vith a 10" blade, the maximum depth of cut is about 3". This means
the stock can't be wider than 6",)
THEFENeJ>, The first step in resawing is to
mount a high fence on the table saw. Iuse a
6" high auxiliary fence that is screwed to the
rip fence, see Fig. L This fence helps prevenrthe stock from tilting and makes il easier 10 steady the piece as i~s being cut.
ROUGH cur, After I'veattached the high
fence to the rip fence, I resaw in two steps.
First, I raise the blade 11-2"above the table

SCREWAUXlUARY
fENCE T\ RJ':..:E.'Nct:

Notes, page 13), or you can make a final

cleaning passon the tabJesaw.seeStep 5. To
makethe finalpasson thetablesaw.I switch
to a SO-toothcombination blade,
Before making the cui, set up a featherboard SO it'siustahead of the blade, see Fig.
3.Thefeatherboard will keep the stock tight
against the fence. Now adiust the fence to
trim to the final thickness. Then raise the
blade V16" higher than the mid point of the
piece so that lbe finish cuts can be
completed intwo passes,
\Vhen you're making the final cuts, push
the piece through with steady pressure and
without hesitating. This will help prevent
burning and leaves a smoother .finishon the
face. After the first pass has been made, Uip
the piece and make the final cut,
Finally, if there are still any burns 01' saw
marks,l remove them with a scraper.

and set the saw fence to resaw the stock

V16" thicker than the final thickness Iwant.
Note:Jfyou'recutUog through dense lurnber, you may to have reduce the heigh Iof
your firstcut,
Usinga push stick, feed thestock through
the blade while holding it tighl against the
fence, see Fig. 1. Then tum the piece over
and make a second pass on the opposite
edge, seeSteps 1 and 2 in Fig. 2.
Try to cut through the stock in as few
passes as possible, If the piece requires
more than two cuts, raise the blade in 1"
increments and CUlthe piece on both edges
before raising the blade again, see Step 3.
FlNlSHTHICKNES$. After cutting thepiece
in balf (Step 4), you have a couple of options
to get a smoother finish and remove any
bum marks. You can hand plane the piece
down (J) a finished thickness (see Shop
fl,;IP P1Et
AND MAKE THE

CqMBINATtQN

SlCOND PASS

1~ 2

8L.AJ)E USEO FOR~

ANAL CUTS

SET BLAD. H"GHT ~o

) /
'\5.lEAH UP THE FACE~

~" IN!)!!o,S.'!'S ...."""'"'1

BAND SAW METHOD

Ifpossible, I prefer to resaw
on a band saw.There's less kerf
waste and no danger of kickback, Before cutting, make
sure your hand saw is tuned up.
The blade sbould be sharp and
.set 90- to the table. (For more
On setting up a band saw. see
Woodsmith,No, 51.)
Begin by mounting the
widest blade your sawwill take,
To keep the blade from
bOwing,setthe blade guides so
they are slightly above the
stock. finally, check that the
blade is tensioned properly.
REs.~W,GUll)E. There's a tendency for the blade on a band
$W to drift (pull to one side)
while resawing. To compensateforthisand to haveagauge

22

for consistent cuts, I use a

simple shop-made guide as a
fence, see Fig. 1. (Note: If the
blade C01!tinWlUy drifts or if
you're resowing a number of
long boards, set up an angled

clamp the guide to the table.

With the guide in place, you
can begin cutrtng. Push the
boardtightagainsttheguide, U
you see the piece start to drill
off the line, simply swing the

tail end of the piece in that

direction and continue to push
the .stock through the blade.
The radius on the end of the
guide allows you to swing the
piecewithoutbinding.

r1~~~~~~~~

see If'ood&mWI, No, 51.)

if-...:
fence.
For more information,
Theguidelorreeawingshort
I \.
piecesismadefromascrap2x4
clamped on edge on the band
sawtable.Cutaslightradiuson
the end of the 2x4, see detail.
ClTI'UN. Before resawing,
mark a cut line on the edge of
the workpiece, with a pencil
and a combination square.
I :;; .
MAKlNGTHEClTI'. Now. line ~~
up the mark with the band saw I_!:'ov,
blade. Move the guide against I'U
one side of the board, then
FOR DfU'"

17 _

Woodsmi[h

J....-

.i

.'~~"~~!D

C~;4vm

CUT

a.

SUGHT

'"
I

._

.A:.

/~

:/':;,-

"

')

. ;;,~

/!

I
1-<..'

GUID

'-- __

.=L.LJ

"

Na.63

COMMENTS

AND

QUESTIONS

Talking Shop
THIN LUMBER

Two of the projects in this

issue, the Tool Box and the
Chisel Case, use thin (Y4")
stock. That's something that
you're not likely to find at your
local lumberyard.
1lllCKNESS PtANER.11!e easiest solution is to use a thickness
planer to surface the lumber to
exactly the tllickness you want.
Okay. let's be realistic. The
cost of a planer is difficult {or
most home-shop woodworkers
to justify - with one exception.
A few years ago, ~yobi introduced a tight-weight 10" pI<Iller
(the AP10) that sells for less
than $450. Apparently, the price
wasrightSincethen. thousands
have found their way into shops
across the country.
The compact size and light
weight makes the Ryobi planer
easy to store and move around.
The surface it produces rivals
the firush out from machines
costing much more. Allin all. it's
a tool we've recommended for
home woodworkers who need a
planer for occasional uSl>-but
don'twanltospendthousandsof
dollars.
()1'H)1RMtm'lOD$. Although a
thickness planer is a great machine to havela a shop,formany
home woodworkers the extra

$400 is still a little beyond their

shop budget.
So on page 13, we've described a couple of inexpensive
techniques{or"plarting" resawn
lumber. One ofthemethods uses
a traditional hand plane.lhe other
is a low-tech jig that employs a
router to do all the planing,
If hand planing
seems like too much
work. there's a simple alternative - get someone else to do
it. \Ve checked around and
found that some local cabinet or
millwork shops will plane your
stock down to V4" or lesss, The
going rate for shop time in our
area isabout$30to $40 per hour,
and most shops have a minimum chargeofS15 to $20.

A thfchneJlspiamer'i$ one oJthe

easiest method [or plMlinu

is the AP10

lsunber ',nooth and

finish dmQII to as thin as 1/$'

thick on l(J'wide stock,

to a con

sistemthicklress. Piduredhere

ing hardwoods. It's actually a

measure of vol"m- . (For more
information on board feel refer
to Woodi,..",itl1
No. 61).
The standard practice, when
figuring board feet, is that any
thickness less than 1" is still
Iigured asifitwerea full1" thick.
When dealing with thin lumber,
Uliscall get a little confusing.
It means that a V.1"thick
board could be listed as having
the same number of board feet
/lOlwd feet,
as
a ~4thick board that's the
Note: Board feet is the standard unit of measure when buy- same width and length - even
8UY1NGTHIN UIM8ER.The

Jinal alternative is to buy thin

lumber through the mail which can be expensive. (For a
list oj mail order sources for thin
lumber, see page 24.) Before
placing an order. you should
know a couple things about how
thin lumber is usually specified,
SQUARE~llErVS. BOARD rssr.
First, lumber under ~4"thick is
usually sold in square feet. not

pla'le,' f,"om

Ryobi. It produce a smooth.

though the V." board actually

has less ~'017'meof lumber in it.

To eliminate the confusion.

the standard practice is to list
thin lumber as a surface dimension (square (ee!). rather Ihan
board feet
WIDTHS AND

LENGTHS.

Another thing should be noted

about thin lumber. It's oftensold
only in random widths and
lengths. So you should order
extra lumber to allow for
possible edgegluing, and to
compensate for short pieces.

GLUE SHELF LIFE

r8 there a short siUJ/f lifefor

Doyle, of Franklin's Chemical

glue like there is for some fin Research Lab. "We advertise a
is/rtSsueho s/rel/(u;?
minimum of one ,ear. That
Wayne Boyd would be from the time the conDenver, Colorado sumer buys it, So, in reality. by
the time tile glue is used itcould
Since we use Titebond brand be 18 months or more from the
glue most of the time in the date of manufacture.
lVoorhmith shop. I decided to
That is subject to storage concall Franklin Chemical. theman- ditions. Hightemperatureshortufacturer oiTitebond, to see if I ens storage tile. If it's frozen and
could lind the answer.
thawed 10 or 12 times, that
"S)lelf life On Titebond and would shorten it. Butlight(ultra
most of the otheryellow glues is violet rays) doesn't have a negavague,' explained Dennis
tive effect Onit.'

No. 63

ROIVdoyou know ita bottleof

glue may havereactied its timit?
-Ii the glue starts to thicken
or get very grabby, that's usually
indicative of the [act irs on its
way out, It won't change color."
Will it separate ifit's bad?
"No. Tf there is a little bit of
liquid separation at the top or a
dark line around the top. it can
be stirred back together. As
long as you can stir it back in so
it looks good, it is good."
In the ran of 1988, Franklin
Chemical began putting expira-

Woodsmirh

tion dates 011 all bottles of Titebond (exceplgallons). If a glue

bottle isn't labelled, you should
date it yourself - especially if
you're buying a large quantity.
After I've had a bottle Jor a year.
I start to get suspicious,
Also, it's best to buy from a
dealer who sells a lot of glue.
You'll have a better chance of
getting afresher stock of glue.
One other thing. I try to keep
the lid or cap on Utebottle to prevent the glue from getting a
skim layer.

23

SUPPLIES

PROJECT

Sources
THIN LUMBER
There are several sources for
thin lumber and we have listed a
fewofthematthe right, Lookfor
the code TL after !be address.
TOOLBOX
TIle hardware that we used on
the Toolbox isavallable through
Woodsmith Project Supplies
or from one of the catalog
sources listed at the right (see
codeTB).
We are also offering all the
thin lumber needed to build the
Toolbox. TIle lumber is all kilndried hard maple. except the
plywood which is IA" birch.
All of the maple has been suo
lace sanded on both sides andall
the edges are cut square.
Since tbe lumber is cut to
special specifications. we are ineluding a new cutting diagram.

Toolbox Hardware
.763100Toolbox
KiL. $5.95
(1) 1V!6" x 13" Brass Piano
Fnngewith Brass Screws.
(1) Box Catch wi!b Screws.
(6) #6 x :y." Rh BrassScrews.

Toolbox Thin Stock

763200TIlin Stock .. $34.95
(12.)5" x 17"Pieces, 1A"thick
(2) 3Y'Z"x17"Pieces, W"(hjck.
(2) 8" x 17" Sheets of '4"
Birch Plywood.

ORDER INFORMATION
BY MAIL
To order by mail. use the form
on the protective cover of this
issue or write your order on a
piece ofpaper, andsend it with
your check or money order
(please include$1.50 shipping
charge with each order). lA.
residents add 4% sales tax.
Send order to:
\Voodsmitb ProjeclSuppUes
P.O. 80,,1.0350
Des "foines, IA50306

BY PHONE
For Caster service use our
Toll Free order line. Phone
orders can be placed Mon.
thru Fri., 8:30 4:30 CST.
Before you call please fiIIout
the order form completely,
VJSA or MC orders only.

1-800-444-7002
AU"", ~ (06 """"./or dIllivery

Note; PriWl8u,bje~J to ClitlQ6

uft"" 1111811

CATALOGS
TIUJ folwlui'YIg

eo,Upa91ft'$!Vlt'6

Si1}l-tW)' ha.rdt{l(1r6 or 81(.ppliea.

Pka.6 re!er to tlt.'r catalog

lDhe" OJv/mtlg.

Albert Constantine
2050 Eastchester Rd.
BrOIL",NY 10461
TL, T8

Bob .Morgan Woodwor!Qng

1123 Bardstown Rd.
Louisville, KY 40204
TL
Craftsman Wood Service
1735 \V. Cortland cc
Addison.lL60101
TL, TB
The Woodworkers' Store
21801 Industrial Boulevard
Rogers. MN 55374
TL,TB

PROJECT SUPPLY UPDATE

Woodsmith Project Supplies
is now offering new hardware
options for the two heirloom
projects shown here.

24

BLANKET CHEST

UNGERIE DRESSER

Woodsmith Project Supplies

now has hardware for the
Blanket Chest that we featured
in Woodsmitk No. 32. The kits
include your choice of pulls (see
photo) and. all the necessary
hardware for the project
732100 Kit BCA
$59.95
732200 Kit BGB
S59.95
732300 Kit BCC
SS9.9S
All of the above kits include:
(2) 2" x 3" Solid Brass Hinges
(1) Full Mortise Chest Lock
(1) Satin Brass Lid Support
This lid support features an
adjustable tensioning rod that
lets you fine tune the amount of
resistancenecessarytokeepthe
lid in position, It also keeps the
lid from slamming shut.
If you would like to purchase
either the lid supporter the pulls
individually. specify the followingorder numbers:
.732104 Lid Support. $22.95
732101 Pull BeA. $4.95 ea.
732201 Pull BCB. $4.95 ea.
464 753 Pull sec. $4.95 ea.

Woodsmith Project Supplies

also hasthree hardware kits for
the Lingerie Dresser in Wood,
smith No. 53. Each kit contains
your choice otdrawer pulls (see
photo) and all the hardware to
complete the project.
753110 Kit LOA
539.95
.753120 Kit LOB
$39.95
.753130 Kit WC
$24.95
Allthree ofthese kitsalsocontain the following:
(7) plastic retaining buttons
(used for the drawer stops).
(20) feel of selfadhering plastic glide strip for the drawer
slides,
If you need extra parts or
would like to use this hardware
00 another project, we are offer
ing the drawer pulls and the
glide strip individually. (The
glide strip comes in 10 foot
lengths only.)
753112GlideStrip
..... $4.95
.464-753 PuliLDA. $4.95 ea.
464-722 Pull LDB. $4.95 ea.
75313i Pull LOC. $1.25 ea.

Woodsmith

No. 63