Kitchen Work Center * Classic Picture Frames © Serving Tray * Stacking Collector Cases USE Vour tale: SO OWENS Cove Moin NGtieeloel Work Center ‘wanw.woodsmith.comWoodsmith No. 129 June, 2000 cod Pathe Rete SAWDUST Editor Terry. Strohman Associate Editors Jon Garbison Vincent Ancona bas Tocsre sities sae Tike this: You make cut and then ask — wood frames. This is the type of what if the angle of the fence was frame where the moldings are scooped changed. Or what ifwe tilted the blale? ‘out to a graceful curved profile. The | Orwhat ifwe changed the fence angle ‘only problemisthistype offrame tends and tilted the blade? to be very expensive. (A large frame Before we knew it, we didn’t have ‘can cost several hundred dollars.) So _justone frame, We had three great ook- Idecidedtotry my hand at making my ing frames. We also came up wih a cntoe Bre: Does Hess» Sener Gre own molded frame. design for a serving tray that uses the Peer Git fn Ei ah Now typical this type ofmolding same bascechnquefor eutng cores. Naga akerning cy Ce ismade usingalarge shaper with spe- I'youve never eit coves on atble Glalcutters.Sothe challengefor meas saw before [think youll ind watching cancun ‘woodworker was how to crate the thecurved profes take shape aninter- Sea Snie DoS is Dir gently curving profile without using esting process. To ensure good ress, any special tals. we've included a step-by-step article { ‘That's when [started thinking about beginning on page 28 that lets you in simple technique Tve used afew times onal the tricks. in the past — cutting coves on a table ‘saw. This involves pushing the work- HELP WANTED U piece acrossthe saw blade atan angle. One final note. We're looking for some- When Imentioned thistechniqueto one who is enthusiastic about wood lta ne al agra it —reccng acd home ingrovenient to sounded like a good idea. But there ourproject design team here at August ‘was only one way to know for sure— Home Publishing, This would include 20 to the shop and try it out. designing projects for Woodsreith and Westarted by clamping acouple of two of our companion publications, plywood fences at an angle to the saw ShopNotes and Workbench. Ifyou're blade, After making a series of light _ interested in this positon, send acover passes the cove looked justaboutright. letter and resume highlighting your ‘Then we starieda process reilly enjoy. experience to: Ted Kralicek, 2200 It's called “what if" Itgoes something Grand Ave., Des Moines, 1A 50312, ‘imu Te = Ope: Vu Bt | gE Vets ey | eoeeeeoee Woodsmith Readers’ Gall \| Bx es eens ieee ee Visi other Woodsmith subscribers’ workshops. and see photos of ieee ot alien a, the projects they've bul. It'll onfine inthe new Readers He dh 0. ex 2. Gallery on the Woodsmith web site: Rep Resee er sesiasgmere sss wwwawoodsmith.com e ‘mid Whey Pe chek on We want you tobe part of the Reader Gallery! To Tens submit photos of your favorite Woodsmith projects ‘or views of your shop, follow the instructions your findat the gallery. 2 Woodsmith No. 129rbot) 4 INSIDE CONTENTS Features Kitchen Work Center . With its sold maple construction and strong mortise joinery, this work center can stand up to any kitchen task. Plus, a large drawer and a pair of slated shelves offer convenient storage Pastry Board ... pals Here's a project you can build in an evening out of scrap wood. It conveniently hooks over a countertop or work center and makes an ideal place for voling out pastry dough Classic Picture Frames .. 18 One look at these gorgeous frames, and you'll think they came from a custom frame shop. But all three profiles are created with nothing more than a table saw and a router. We'll show you how ° it’s done and give you some tips on framing your picture as well. Serving Tray 26 Despite the elegant look, the molded sides of this tray can easly be ‘made in your shop. And don’: worry about assembling the tay. 2. You'll learn how to get perfect results when it comes to cutting the compound miers and gluing up all the pieces. Cutting Coves on a Table Saw .........28 At first glance, it seems hard to believe that you Crile sweeping cove on a table saw. After all, a table saw is for straight Serving Tray pag 26 cuts. But you'll discover the secret and get all the information you need to make professional-looking cove moldings Stacking Collector Cases . 2630 The draviers ad open shelves om these cases are great for soring and displaying your favorite keepsakes. But the realy interesting feature isthe way the cases stack together like building blocks. Departments > Tips & Techniques . Shop Notes... Sources 4 35 No. 129 ‘Woodsmith 3A Plastic ruts make con- venient caps for alue bottles or tubes of caulk FROM FELLOW WOODWORKERS Corner Cabinet Kickstand ‘When I was making a cor- ner cabinet a few months ago, I discovered that the ‘most difficult part of the project wasn't cutting the nitersor even camping the cabinet together it was sup- porting the cabinet on my workbench while working ‘on the face frame. 1 suppose I could have builta special cradle to hold the cabinet, but I didn't have anything on hand to ‘make one. So instead, put Wire Nut Cap Iwas always losing the cap fo my glue bette, But recently, I discovered a good replacement. I simply faye enone mak the photo at left. ‘This not only works for glue bottles, but it's an Gelber) cx otieat tially used tubes of caulk or silicone to prevent them from drying out. Mae Dever ‘St. Hilaire, Quebec Dust Bag Hold-Up Reattaching the bag on my dust collector is a job that takes three hands. You have to hold the bag around the flange of tie collector while attaching the metal my mind to work to come upwith another method ‘The solution Iarrived at couldn't be simpler. I just attched a couple of clamps to each end of the cabinet, Tike in the drawing. Bach clamps works lke 4 kickstand on a bicycle, holting the cabinet upright ‘and preventing it fom tip- ping over while I attach the face frame, Ron Biogen Essids, Kanes Router Bushing Thread Lock ‘When I'm routing dovetails or following a template, I ‘usea guide bushing on the base plate of my router, ike theone shown inthe draw. strap that holds tin place. ‘Tomake the ob easier, simply fished a piece of clastic waistband through the hem of the dust bag susingasafetypin, keinFig. ing below. Butsometimes I have a problem with the threads of the bushing working loose due to the vibration of the router, 1. (Elastic waistbandcanbe purchased at most fabric supply stores.) ‘After gathering the hem of the bag around the elas- tic, I tied the ends of the ‘To solve this problem, I use a simple fix. Before installing the bushing on ry roater base, wrap the male threads of the bush- ing with Teflon tape (the kind used with threaded pipe connections). The tape prevents the threads from vibratingloose. (Tifton tape can be found at most hard- ware sores) Kevin Raber Kary, Texas waisthand together, as in Fig. 2 Fig. 3 shows how well the elastic holds the bag in place. Morgan Norks Tempe, ona agin Elstic holds place white Bteacning metal stpRouter Table Indexing Jig Recently Ihad to cutaseriesofevenly the center for the router bit. A strip spaced dadoes across the sides ofa of wood is inset into the top to serve smal display shelving unit Twasmak- as an index pin for spa ing. Iwanted to make the dadoes on dadoes, like in Fig. 1. This top can ig the ‘my router table, but I needed a way be clamped to your router table. Just to space them evenly. havea miter gauge slot in my router the router bletop, Icouldn'tuseamiter gauge nce [dont make sure that the distance between ‘and the index equals pacing of your dadoes. i tospace the dadoes. So came up With the auxiliary top securely fas- with this idea instead, tened, butt one of the workpieces I started by making a simple aux- against the index pin and push it for iliary top for my router table out of ward with a backer block to cut the a piece of ¥/" MDF (medium-lens- first dado. Now just shift the work ty fiberboard). The top has a hole in piece so the dado you just cut fits over the index pin and cut your second A A simple auxiliary dato. Repeat this process untilallthe table fited with an daioes have been cut, asin Fig. 2. index pin allows Shirley Weismann you torout evenly- Rolling Meadows, ins spaced grooves or dadoes. Stop Collar for Lathe Tool Rest Tenjoy turning onthelathe, To make this job easier butone of my east favorite and quicker, simply added tasks is adjusting the tool a “stop collar” to my lathe rest height whenever Ire- tool rest. The collar i just position the tool rest. a ¥4"wide hose clamp that BLT Um CU Ril) If you have an original shop tip, we would like to hear from you and consider publishing your tip in one or more of our publications. Just write down your tip and mail it to: Woodsmith, Tips and Techniques, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines, lowa 50312. Please include your name, address, and daytime phone number in case we hhave any questions. If you would like, FAX it to ‘us at 515-282-6741 or send us an email mes ‘sage at woodsmith@woodsmith.com. We will pay up to $200 if we publish your tip. No. 129 fits around the post of the the base and automatically tool rest, as you can see in positions the toolrestatthe the photo below. Whenthe perfect height. tool rests inserted int its base, the clamp contacts Hand Cleaner Here's a tip for removing varnish or icky finishes from your hands, Firs, poura small anount of cook- ingoilin your hands and rub itn briskly. Then add a squirt of liq uid soap and alte water and work itin Finally, rinse your hands in clean water. The oiland soap mix- turehelps lif the vamish fom your hands without drying them out. Jim Kapusta Hermige, Pemsslania Quick Set-up Gauge When setting upa fence ona table saworrouter table, a quick way to cheek the distance between the fence and the bladeorbtis to use adr bitasa gauge Henry Es Mabou, Frida Woodgmith Tuse red and black permanent markers in my shop for identify. ing my tools and marking on sur- faces that won't accept ordinary pen or pencil, But sometimes, I accidentally getan unwanted mark. ‘on my project: Quite by accident, Tve discovered that if you spray the errant marking with Lysol® disinfectant spray itwill wipe right off. This also works on furniture, walls, and countertops. David Fckoner Seo Wis, Washngon Editor's Note If you're using this. tip on a piece of furniture or a ‘wall, it's probably a good idea to test the spray on an inconspicn- ‘ous area first to make sure it ‘won't damage the finish or paint.FEATURE PROJECT KITCHEN WORK CENTER _ When you think about it, there’s a lot that goes into a recipe for a sturdy kitchen work center — and this one has all the right ingredients. N: ‘question about it — this project hhasall the ingredients needed to make a great kitchen work center. And whether you're going to be chop- ping vegetables, rolling outa pie crast, or tenderizing meat, you can really put some muscle into it. This project isnot going to budge. STOUT BASE. There's a good reason why this center is so sturdy. It has four solidlegs and traditional joinery. Nothing fancy though Just thick mor tise and tenon joints that create astout base that’ not going to rack or move. GE GRAIN TOP. But the base isn't the only “beefy” part ofthis project. The top as to be durable enough to withstand sharp utensils So I made Woodsmith the top a large euttng board, gluing up pieces of hard maple face to face, ‘hich slustrated inthe detail atthe top of page 7. This techniaue post tions the more durable edge gran on the top—exactly where you need it Note: You don't have to build this work center for alarge cutting board. ‘There's also a smaller version ofthe top you can build for your kitchen counter. (The plans are on page 15) WORK CENTER PROPORTIONS, But more es into a recipe for a work center than justa strong base and top. The proportions also have to be right. ‘They're not going to be the same as they would be for a dining table or a desk. Instead, this centeris designed <0 you can work comfortably while standing. In fat,its the same height as most kitchen counters. However, dont think you'll need ‘an industrial-sized kitchen for this rroject.Ittakes up less than six square feetoffloor space. And if you'd like to rove it out ofthe way often, there's am optional le design on page 9that features heavy-duty locking casters. STORAGE. In addition to the right pro- portions, I also wanted to cook up some extra storage space, sol added drawer and two shelves. ‘When first designing the center, I Ted the look oftwo small drawers, but tobe honest, they wouldn't have held much. Instead, there's a wide rawer that looks like two small nes, 2 show in the photo at right. Pus, cone drawer is much easier to build and support than two narrow ones. Finally, Ladded a couple of shelves —a fixed shelf and an adjustable shelf. And for you wine enthusiasts, there's even an optional wine rack that can be added to the adjustable shelf, as shown on page 14 No.129Construction © Details overatDmensons j 36H x 36°W x 22°D Sea “J eae Ba Top panel ‘Stri mar oe ines, report a Berea SS I pinged pa 107 ote aa SO ee 85 0p, seepage 15, Ze WOTE: suustaie Seng mortse erated wits Grawettad ental sa 3i4"-wide Srawer pul f Single kerf Jobe rant creates look” of wo. arrow drawers A This single, wide drawer opens on fill extension metal sides so there's plenty of stace for cooking utensis or table linens No. 129 Woodgmith 7‘A Tolighen the look ofthe legs, the inside faces care tapered anda stopped chamfer 5s rowed om the cutside comer. : i a is beef rch ees ‘components as aay table base: four Jegs and connecting rails. But because thisis a work ‘enter and because i’ tall ‘enough to stand at while ‘working, the base hasto be strong and sturdy enough toprevent rocking. To accomplish this, T rade the legs. full 3" thick. rus, in addition to rails at the top of the base, there's another set near the bottom. Giou can see their mortises inFig. 1 or turn t page 7) Design Note: You can also build this center with cast ers, as shown in the box on the next page. The tech- niques are the same, but the dimensions will be different. GGUUE UP BLANKS. The first step is to sglue up the legs (A) from 8/4 stock bout 14" thick). The goal isto end up with 'squareblanks, which isnt too difficult. Butthere isa procedare I ollow to make ita bit easier. First off, I like to size the blanks ater they're glued together so don't have to fuss with keeping the edzes aligned perfectly.So the pieces sart cout oversized, and I just make sure the faces being glued together are flat and smooth, After the glue’s dry and two alja cent faces are jointed flat, the blanks can be cut 3" square. You can use a table saw todo this, but to be honest, 3° hard maple wil give a contractor's ‘sawareal workout Instead, [ranthe Jegs through a thickness planer until i exploded view they were 3" square. PER, After the legs were ‘cut to length, I tapered the inside faces ofthe legs. These don'taffect the weight ofthe legs much, but they do make them look “lighter.” ‘Since the legs are" thick, tapered them in two steps. First, after drawing the taperson all the legs, [rough cut them on the band saw, staying about Ye from the layout line. co De Next, instead ofgrabbinga sander (and a dust mast), Icleaned up each taper on my table saw. With most of the waste removed, this reallyjust aaskim cut, so it's not quite as taxing‘on the saw. And with a good, sharp blade, there won't be much sanding ‘or burning to clean up afterwards. ‘MoRTISES. Once the tapers are cut, the legs have “inside” and “outside” faces, and the mortises for the rails can be cuton the inside faces. Allthe ‘mortises are set back %c! from the outside faces ofthe legs. Ishould also, point out that the lower mortises are identical, as indicated in Fig. 1. And Figs 1, 1a, and 1ewill give youll the information you need to cut the upper ‘Square up ‘mortise with chisel ‘mortises on the ends and back. ‘The unusual mortises are the ones thathold the two horizontal rails that create the drawer opening, asyou can see in Fig. 1a. Il show you the steps for making these two mortises (Figs. 4 and 5), but the procedure is the same for all the mortises. First, most of the waste is removed by drilling overlapring holes with a Forstner bit (Fig. 4). Note: You can alsouse a brad point bitto rough out the mortises, butyou won't be able to drilloverlapping holes, so there will >be more clean up work to do. Top end and Inside comers eft square El round: overbie Allthat’s lefts to clean up the mor- tises. I don't know of any shortcuts here. The waste hes to be carefully pared away with a sharp chisel unt the walls of the mortise are straight and square, as shown in Fig. 5. HOLES FOR SHELF PINS. After the mor- tises are cleaned up, there are just a few odds and ends left. The first thing 1 did was drill the holes for the shelf pinsthat will hold the adjustable shelf later. (Fig. 1 shows their locations) ‘You won't install the shelves for a while, butt’ easier to drill these holes now before the base is assembled. lay out the start and cezch leg. This will require afew minor changes, s you ‘can see in the drawing at right. The leg wil end upa litte shorter and are not tapered, and the metal plate on each caster requires an However, dont use just any caster. Find asetthatis ‘Awork station doesn'thave tobestationary You can eas- ily make it mobile by mount- ing acaster atthe bottom of No.129 ‘HAMEERS & ROUNDOVERS. To complete the logs, there are two routed profiles toadd: a chamfer and roundover. To dress up the outside corner of ‘each leg, [routed a stopped chamfer. Fortunately, with 3" square legs, you ‘won'tneed any special setup. Simply routthem with a hand-held router, as shown in Figs. 6 and 6a, ‘Once you've routed the chamters, carefully inspect the ends of each, The problem with routing stopped ‘chamersis that the ends can end up RC aT looking a bitlopsided, as you can see inthe margin pheto. But this ean be fixed easily. Simply wrap a piece of sandpaper around a dowel and sand the chamfer. Dont overdo it though. —itwill only take afew strokes. The last thing to do ie rout a 4" stop lines and roandover on three edges and the bottom end of each leg, as shown in A The end of a Fig.6b. (lefttheinsideedge square, routed stopped as shown in Fig. 1c.) These round- chamfer often. oversrelievethe sharp edges, which needs 10 be you'll appreciate if you ever knock touched up with a your knee into one ofthe legs. litle sandpaper. Sar locking. In other words, make sure the caster's brake prevents, the wheel from turning and from swiveling on its plate. WoodsmithRails | 7 | ‘Now thatthe legsare com- doded views plete, the next step is to ‘make the rails that connect them. Like the mortises in the legs, the tenons on the rails are pretty typical (except for the ones that create the drawer opening in the front, as shown in Fig. 9on page 11) ‘Thereal trickis keeping all these workpieces ‘straight. So I tacked this partofthe work center con- struction in two steps. First, the end rails are built and are glued between the legs to create the end assem- bes, asyou can seein Fig. 7. Then I worked on the rails that connect the two end assemblies (Fig. 9). END Ralls. To build the end assemblies, [started by cutting the '/"-thick ‘upper end rails (B) and narrower lower end rails (©) to size, as indicated in Fig. 7. TENONS. Next, I worked on the tenons on the ends ofthese rails The “rame” that these als willreatehas tobe strong, otherwise the thick leas won't do much good. Generally my rale of thumb is to make the tenons athird of the thickness of the work piece (usually ("on a2"thick pioce ‘ofstock). Butas you can seein Figs. a and 7b, these tenons are alittle “beefier” GA) — half the thickness ‘ofthe stock. (had planned for this ‘earlier when driling the mortises) Even with thicker tenons, the pro- cedure isnt any different. decided to ‘make mine on the table saw with a dado blade. First the cheeks of the tenon are cut in multiple passes, as shown in Figs. 8 and 8%, Then the railcan be set on edge, and the shout ders on the top and bottom can be ccut (Figs. 8b and 8c). But I should point out one thing here. ‘Most of the tenon shoulders will NOTE: Cut a! tenons Tore ‘bee, just ike the shoulders on the ‘cheeks, Buttakea lookat Fig. Zaand &; the top shoulders on the upper nails are much larger —#", (This 14" of stock kept me from breaking through the end ofthe leg when chop- ring the mortises.) The important thing here is thatyou cut these shoul- ers so the tops of the rails will end flush with the tops ofthe lees when the ends ofthe base are assembled, Woodsmith No.129rowoovas Ree ptingtlers : andend rails together, [softened the erplodéa view. edges ofthe rails that would end up being exposed This mean thatthe lower outside edges ofthe upper rails get 14" roundovers, asin Fig. Ta. While on each lower rail, the lower outside edge and two upper edges are routed Fg. 7). {HD ASSEMBLY. Now its time to put the ends of the base together ilustratedin Fig. 7. This procedure wort be difclt butt’ a good dea to double check that each assem- bly ends up with front anda back Jeg. (a be easy to get confused and end up with an assembly with two fronts or two backs) FHOKT/#ACK Rll. While the glue ‘is drying, you can begin on the front sad beck ral, oo shown in Fig. 9. Except for the two upper front ais, thesspper back rail (D) and lower {rontloack rails (B) are built exact iy the same asthe end rails Figs. 2a and9e), They're frst cutto size, Then tenons are cut on the ends, and the ‘exposed edges are rounded over. DRAWER RAS. The upperand lower tracer rails (F) create the opening forthe drawer, 0 they're a ite it ferentthan the other rilsasyoucan checkthe‘tofthese shouersinthe puts the top ofthe upper rail lash seein Fig.9. However, the techniques open mortises atthe top of the legs _ wth the tps a the legs. formaking them are pretly much the (fferto Fg. 5 on page 9) OUNDOVERS & ASSEMBLY. These rails same. ltsjustthattheworkpiecesare After cutting the shoulders, Icut are rounded over jus ke the other oriented horizontaly Gnstcad of ver the checks, sneaking wponthe height rll, Then the rails and end assem tically ike the other ral). oftheblade right drawingin Fig. 10). bles can be glued together. At this Because these ralsarehorizontl, Here, the wo drawer railsae dffer- point, you could include al five rails, thechecks aren't cut fist. Instead entfrom each other, asshown in Fig, buttomake the assembly easier, set started with the shoulders on each $b. The lower rail has a typical cen- the upper drawer rail aside for now. ced, a8 you can se in the left draw- tered tenon. The upperralasan off Itcan be glued and screwed in place ingin Fig. 10. Thisway,Ivasableto set tenon with just one cheek. This later, as shown in he photo below. "NOTE: Upper drawer Tilhas cheeks cut onbottom face ony A With the open mortises om the top of the fron eg, the upper drawer rail can be glued end screwed in place after the base has been assembled No.129 Woogsmith uADJUSTABLE SHELE (Bottom Section View) on ED SHELF (Gotiom Section View) er Shelves By now, this project is really taking shape. Ait needs is a couple shelves, awide drawer, and a top. I decided to add the shelves next, as shown in Fig. 11. The lower shelfis fixed. It fits “inside” the lower rails, as shown in the photo. The upper shelf is adjustable and will rest on spoon-style shelf pins. When designing these shelves, I liked the look of individual slats, rather than a single, large panel. Plus, they're a lot easier to work with. SUAS, For one thing, all the slats (G) start out the same size. They're cut to fit between the lower end rails. (Mine ended up 28°4" long.) Next, on the shelves’ outside cor- ‘ers, notches are cut to wrap around the legs. However, the two shelves aren't going to fit around the legs exactly the same. The upper drawing inthe margin shows how the notch: -eson the adjustable shelf wrap around ‘the leg with a '{c" gap. This way, you'll beable to adjust the shelf easily. The notches on the fixed shelf should fit ‘tight (ower drawing in margin). ‘Tocut the notches, I grabbed four ‘slats and laid out each notch. Then ‘the notches were cut witha sabre saw: (or band saw), as shown in Fig. 12. ‘There's one other difference to note. between the shelves. I wanted to round over all the “exposed” edges ofthe slats. So on the adjustable shelf, the outside edges of the slats (inclid- ing the ends) are rounded over (Fig. a), while on the fixed shelf the out- side edges (the ones that fit against the rails) are left square (Fig. 11). ADIUSTABLE SHEL, With the edges [gna rats removed for darty ‘leat flush with | Sottom of rail rounded, focused my attention on the adjustable shelf. To “tie” the slats together, I made two simple braces (with chamfered ends, as shown in Figs. 11, 1a, and 13. ‘When screwing the slats to the braces, the goal isto keep the gaps between them consistent. Thisis easy to do, I screwed the outside slats in place firstas shown in Fig. 13. (This isa good time to make sure the shelf will iin the base.) Then the center slat can be added Now when thelast ‘wo slats are centered in their open- ‘ngs. all the gaps will be identical. FIXED SHE. Next, I worked on the fixed shelf At this point, there's noth- ing for the shelftorest on, so the rst thing to dois screw cleats (H, 1) tothe rails, as shown in Figs. 11 and 11b. ‘As you can seein Fig. 14, turned the base upside down to screw the sats in place. (Lalso added plastic tack glides tothe bottom ofthe feet) Fed shelf fitsDrawer & Top At this point, the base is open. So © wth sit had access through the top, | added the single, wide drawer that you can see in Fig. 15. Then to complete the center, the thick top can beaiided, as shownin Fig. 16 below. DRAWER. This wide drawer is buit to ft between the legs (Fig. 19). But when sizing the 1f"thick front/back (Ki) and sides (L), keepin mind that the drawer should end up 1" narrower thanthe opening to allow for the metal slides (Fig. 15b). I joined the drawer with 14" smachine-cut dovetails and centered a'f' plywood bottom (M) on the bot- tom pin. Then to cover the metal slides, Ladded a false front (N). A simple kerf on this piece gives the Impression that there are two draw- ers, and oversized shank holes make iteasy to center the false frontin the drawer opening (Fig. 15). INSTALLATION. Now the drawer can be installed on the full-extension slides. This really isn't very compl- P_ctet and on pare 16, walk you through my procedure step-by-step. (Later, after the finish was applied, I screwed a couple pulls to the drawer, as shown in Figs. 15 and 15b.) 10. With the drawer in place, I began work on the top (O), which you can see in Fig. 16. Unlike a ‘NOTE: Drawer pieces are 1" thick false fronts Ye -thick, bottom se" plywood 14"-deep~/ shen counter, this top is really a large cutting board. So Ibuiltthe top panel witha durable, edgegrain face from 8/4 stock (planed 1%! thick). The top should end up 1!4"thick and about 22" wide. Iactually ripped the thirteen strips a little oversize NOTE, rips cut rom Bese sd toed So.edge grain faces up 2" wide rower pull’ kerf contered seamen Pu en tae Wont (Q%fe") so they could be planed or sanded later. Then the strips are turned on edge so the edge grain faces up, as illustrated in the upper right detail on page 7. I glued these strips into favo pan- cls This way, ifthe panels end up with ay ridges, they can easly be planed flat with a 12" thickness planer. (Or you can glue up a single panel and ‘end itwith a belt sander) Now you have two flat panels that can be carefully glued together. But even when that’s done, this large, thick pane! will stil need to be cut to length. There are a number of ways todo this, but I used my table saw andasharp crossct blade. For more ‘on this, see Shop Notes on page 17.) ‘With the panel cut to size, I want- ced to soften the sharp edges. Sothe four corners are rounded (Fig. 16), and the top and bottom edges are rounded over Fig, 16c). ‘Then before ataching the top to the base with figures fasteners (ig. 16a), 1 applied several coats ofan oil finish. Infact, to prevent the top from cupping, i's a good idea to apply fin- ish to both faces ofthe panel 13described in the box on page 15), the ' work center is essentially complete. And while standing back to admire the project, I decided I just had to requires is just three ‘worepieces —two that have circular cutouts to cradle the bottles anda third piece toact as a stop, as you can seein Fig. 17 atright. Ar To sus, These pieces areall the same size, butto begin with, A Todd awine rackto the Teut them extra wide adjustable shelf, all you so the circular cutouts reel to make are afew woul be easy olay out. Pieces with circular cutouts ‘The first thing to drawisa 194"radius cir- cle on each end of all three work- pieces. Next laid outa row of these same circles 4" apart for the bottle support, as you can see in Fig. 17a. Finally, arow of smaller circles can be ‘drawn on one of the remaining work- MATERIALS & SUPPLIES A Legs (4) 3x3-3% B Upr. End Rails (2) %4xS¥e- 15 C LwrEndRails(2)-%x2%-15 D Upr. Back Rail(1) %4x5Y%-27 E lw Fr/@k. Rals(2)%4x 2-27 F UprAwt Dwr. Ralls (2)% x 2-27 G ShelfSlas (10) -4%4x3-28% H End Cleats (2) Wx 13 1 FriBk, Cleats (2) %x 14-25 3. Braces 2) %x3-16 K Dwr, Fk. (2) Yox 3-24 L_ Dwr. Sides (2) Wax 32-15% M Dwr. Bottom (1) Yopi.-15%8x23! N Dwr Fale (1) %4x376- 28% 0 Top(1) 4x 22-36 * (1 pr) 16 Full-Extension Drawer Slides + (@) ¥e" Spoon-style Shelf Pins * (4) Figure-8 Table Top Fasteners + (6) #8 x2" Fh Woodscrews + (30) #8 x 1%" Fh Woodscrews + (22) #8 x 134° Fh Woodscrews + (8) #8 x 1" Fh Woodscrews + (4) #8 Finish Washers + (@) Plastic Tack Glides + (2) 3%" Wide Drawer Puls Neck support Nore: Al, rack pieces 5 ic and star outer wide wox2" Rout ie" roundovers ‘on all exposed edges Bottle support — pieces forthe necks of the bottles. With the circles laid out, I ripped the pieces o width. Now the circular ‘openings can be cut with a band saw (ora sabre saw) and sanded smooth. (A drum eander chucked into the drill press works great.) Now before attaching the back and two support pieces to theadjustable shelf, i's a good idea to soften the shelf slats (Fig. 17a). 09 ae] 2 sharp edges by routing !4!'rad. round. covers on the ends and top edges. Aitaching the support pieces and stop isn't tricky. They're just screwed to the adjustable shelf, as shown in Fig. 17. But note that you'll need to use two different screw sizes, That's because the screws near the ends wil go through the braces, as well asthe CUTTING DIAGRAM 1447" 72" Hard Maple Two Boards © 7 BF Each) a A z a Fie 134x784 Hara Me 6. (20a Fe) o. 1x6" 84" Hard Maple 784. Ft) 44° Hard Maple 23 aoe oe ‘A150 weeoen: Gree xa piece 696 Hard Maple BF) x ES E ¥ 5 6 96" Hard 42 Bde) © z cas ae aa “ Woodsmith, No. 129PASTRY BOARD Since 1 always buy extra lumber to What makes this pastry board without the board sliding arouné. allow for defects in the wood (and _uniquearetwocleatsthatare screwed CUT T0 SIZE. Building this pastry stakes made by the builder), Ito both faces of the panel. These board is a lot like building the top ended up with some extra 8/4 stock. “hook” the edge of a table or coun- (Gage 13). Besides the two cleats that ‘And rather than toss the pieces into tertop justlike an oldfashioned bench are added later, the only my cutoffs bin, I decided to hook in the shop. This way, real difference is the wae Te +f you can rollout dough size ofthe panel, . determine the fence angle on your ‘own. But i's hard to “see” what the coveis going to look like. Soa trick like to use isto draw the profil ofthe cove on the end of my workpiece. ‘Then I place the workpiece behind the blade and kneel down so I can sight down the blade, just ike in Fig. 1. Try positioning the workpiece at different angles untlthe profile ofthe blade matches the profile ofthe cove ‘drawn on the end of the workpiece. Once it does, you can position your fences to match this angle. ‘This is a good way to test and see ifispossibleto cut the cove you want. Keep in mind that not every shape is Feed Direction. Whether your saw blade tits to the right or the left, make sure you always feed the workpece into the titof the blade when cut- ting asymmetrical coves. And for safety’ sake, be ‘ure to alvays use push blocks upon the diameter ofthe blade. To clamp the fences in place, start by getting one fence (usually the one in front of the blade) positioned and ‘clamped down. Then place your work piece agains this fence. Now just butt the second fence against the other edge of the workpiece and clamp it down as well. Lower the saw blade and check to see that the workpiece slides smoothly between the fences without binding. However, you don't want any siie-to-side play. ‘CUTTING THECOVE. The mostimportant thing to keep in mind when it comes to actually cutting the cove is that it haas to be done gradually, in a series of passes. Since you're feeding the workpiece into the blade atan angle, the teeth are only cutting on one side. ‘As you can see in Fig. 2, Ike to start with the blade raised only about Ye! forthe frst pass. Then raise the blade no more than ¥4¢" ata time for each successive pass. ‘There area few things to be aware of as you are feeding the board over the saw blade. Firs, you want to main- tain consistent downward pressure “onthe workpiece to keep it flat against the table. This is where the push blocks come in. like to use a pair of jointer-style push blocks (ora couple ofrubber-faced grout floats). Second, you want to feed the work piece at an even pace. Slow and steady. ‘Try not to stop along the way. Ifthe ‘saw blade or the motor seems to be ‘boguing down, let up on the feed rate. A lower feed ratealso has the advan- tage of giving you a smoother cut, ‘requiring less sanding later. Finally, make sure that the blank ‘sfacing in the same direction foreach, pass. Its easy to get the workpiece flipped around when you turn it over to examine your progress. To help ‘keep things straight, [like to draw a the metal drawer slides that you choose should be full ‘extension slides so you can access the entire drawer Currently, Woodsmith Project Supplies is offer ing a hardware kit that includes everything you need exeeptthe castersand ‘drawer pulls, see below: (1 pair) 16"ong Falk Extension Slides | (@ Figures Tabletop Fasteners | (A) Plastic Tack Glides @ Spoon Style Shelf Sapports (NickeD (@ #8x1" Fh Screws 20) 88 114" Fh Screws (@2) 48x 1A" Fh Screws (© #8x2" Fh Screws @) #8Finish Washers ‘Kitchen Work Center Hardware Kit 7129-100 $21.95 ‘DRAWER PULLS, Inthe hard- ware kit above, we decided not to include the drawer pall since you might want to choose some pulls to match those on your kitchen cabinets. For our ‘work center, we chose 314" wide nickel plated puls we found at local home cen- ter. (They/re also available from Restoration Hardware, whichis listed at right) LOCKING CASTERS. If you ‘wouldlike this work center to be truly mobile, you ‘might consider building the legs with 4"dia. casters, as shownin the box on page 9. Of course, you'll want locking casters for this But don't settle fr justanycast- ers —the wheel on atypi- cal caster will still swivel afer the whee! is locked. What you want are “double- locking” casters — ones that won't roll or swivel when the brake is engaged (Gee the list at right). PASTRY BOARD. The pastry board s simply alargecut- ting board with a couple of cleats to help keep it in place while you work. The only hardware you'll need are half a dozen wood- screws, as wellas some ‘A= diameter wood pluge to hide the screw heads. FRAMING SUPPLIES We didn't use any special tools orhardware to make the cove molding for the picture frames on page 18. You will, however, need some hardware and sup- plies when mounting and hhanging the picture, as we described on page 25. Craft stores, framing shops, and hardware stores should carry nearly every- thing you need. And there are plenty of mail order sources that carry hanging hardware, mat cutting tools, and even small picture frame moldings. * Over 100 Woodworking Tips Online * Visit Our Readers Project Photo Gallery, + Proc Pans You Can Download © Catalog of Project Kis Tools, Jigs & Pans + Forums for Woodworking, Tools & Classifeds + Links to Other Woodworking Sites * Order Woodemith/ShopNotes Back Issues www.woodsmith.com Woodgpnith Note: Unless you're ‘experienced at cutting mat board for prints, Pd suggest ‘going toalocal frame shop ‘tohave your mats cut. (The «glass can be purchased at the hardware store.) BEVELED MIRROR. When uusing.a beveled mirrorina project, we often custom order it, But this time, the frame was “designed around” a standard beveled ‘mirror that we purchased at ‘home center. (Ours was ‘approximately 22" x 28") COLLECTOR CASES The stocking collector cases on page 30-area great ‘weekend project, and you ‘won'tneed much hardware to build them — just a few woodscrews and Gf you decide to add drawers) ‘some knobs for the fronts. For the knobs on my drawers, I ordered 1"-dia. ‘oilrubbed” bronze knobs from Restoration Hardware (item No, 2403.0078), see the list at right. However, ‘small knobs are readily available from any of the sources listed. 0 DIPLO! ALL ORDER SOURCES Similar project supplies and fardware may the following coimpanies: Constantine's 800.228-8087 smmcomstantines.com Kitchen wk center hardoar, Caster, Proming pple Lee Valley 800.871.8158 sw devaley.com Casto, ramingsappics Restoration Hardware 1900-762-1005 Rockler Woodworking 800-270-4441 snc rockercom Kilehensere cowterhanbuar, rumingspptics Wooderatt 00.2251152 mwwoodracom Kitchen wok center Framing spi: Kitchen wore FroingexpesBere) . “4 Kitchen Work Center. This atractive workstation features a heavy-duty cuting board top fr chopping, pounding, or sing. Plans fora wine rack and other options are also included. Ill begins on page 6. Y Stacking Collector Cases. Perfect for CDs or small collectibles, these stacking caves are modular 9 you can add to them as your collection or storage weeds grow. Complete plans start on page 30. ‘A Serving Tray. The sides of this serving nay are hollowed out to create a graceful profile that feels comfortable in your hands. Easy-to-follow direc- tions fr his projec canbe found om page 26. lassie Picture Frames. Thess three large, impressive-looking frames al have in common — they feature wide, ollowed-out coves that can be cut on at by-step instruetons guide you though the process starting on page 18,