Tips for Installing Drawers Simple Clamp Storage oeEpiror's Cctober, 2001 0 Donald B. Peschke cue SAWDUST Jon Garbison Brian McCallum: Craig Ruegsegger Todd Lambirth David Kreyling Dirk Ver Steeg Harlan V. Clark Graphic Intern Jonathan Eike ypically, welike to startplanning for We wanted our scaled-down ver- Foodsmith projects a year or more sion to have the same features as the before they appear in the magazine. fullsize one — glass doors that ip But sometimes 2 good idea fora pro} andslide outof the way and individual ‘ec. comes up unexpectedly, and IJust cases that can slack on top of one can'twaitawhole year toshareit. And another quickly and securely, And as (CREATIVE RESOURCES: eat tr lr «Pr: Dee Nn that's exactly what happened with one you might have guessed, incorpora- | Deir Ci Fh, $30) tamer Sew ofthe projects in this issue ing these featuresin a smaller project eG Seek ire Coa a Not too long ago, a bunch of us presented a few design challenges. SPECIAL PUBLICATIONS were discussing the design of the For instance, you can't simply Sorta Deen Ce ome ae iter Ce Barrster's Bookcase that was fea- shrinic down the joinery that was ingens: Asin ator oe A ess Jet Ewin * tured in Woodsmith No. 134, This used to build the fullsize version. The POE ne eee project was based on those old- parts would be too smal to work with CIRCULATION fishloned,stackiig Bookcases you tatty od eticintiy S Sor thi pro ‘ve Right Mint Prt oe ne offen find inan attorney'soffice. ect, we simplified the joinery: stopped pees dit «Pt ar Pa ee At some point in the discussion, dadoes, rabbets, and half aps, all of Monee dn Res Sterne Ase Co Mating oe Ken Munkel (our project developer) which can be created on a router Bee pe en ee ees TEER said, "You know, it would be neatifwe table with a couple straightbits. ® ‘ConPORATE sERVicTS ‘could shrink these bookcases down Of course, the barrister’ CD case ES oe ee ‘and use them for storing CDs.” isn’t the only project in this issue. No one said anything fora few sec- ‘There's also a unique Craftsman-style fonds a we mulled over the idea. cabinet, a handsome mantel clo diner, crs Semrce ch, ‘Ses Tr A Gai inte olen» New Mee er ‘Then suddenly, as iftomeone flipped andsome clamp storage ideas. Ithink eay aioe eral Satan Sa Guan a switch, everybody was talking at these are all great projecis, but ['d owt Br SM. Moe" Deine ‘once. We all agreed, a CD case based really like to know what you think Hele perm ram DeMned eons tarigers bocaace sounded abn thom we asve eesed aoent Teninurstoy dst! ey Mea wnejat ane like a good idea, And the timing was online survey, and we're hopingyou'l ‘on Me ey Di er perfect — there was sil plenty of take the He to glve us some feed: WOODSNITH MAIL ORDER time tobuilditbeforethe holidays. back. (See the box below.) erations Direcar Bob Bake: Comer Sere Me Senie Ete llamkace Sir Ney json * Ber: Linda Jones * Tech. Service Rep Johnny Aulete » Admin. Asst: Nancy ‘Downer © Cut Sem Aes: Tenn Trockenbroa Kd Arbur ‘aa Cos, Deborah Rich, Ap Revell, Viele Rey, Lins ‘Seon « Hamhouse Spin Cory, Nancy Conelly: Mary Couch, Dust Hess Sher Boo, Alot MOODSMITH SORE Ie Cory i ann ce Ne Woodsmith Reader's Review eo eS Mice Rat Cay ada BS ‘What do you think about the projects in this issue? Are the step-by-step instruc. eee tions dear? Are the tps helpful? Wedo our best to make each issue of i eto Voodsnit a great tol for you to vse in your shop. And wet relly ike to Sor rer ‘know what you thinkof this isste. So we've created an online survey that will (ere hatred ie ‘ve you the chance to give us some feedback. To find it, simply log onto the. ican Bonin Sec hgetabrearo Weston oc ii Rowe IA Woodemith web site:www.Woodsmith.com. Wheel Sodus Gs Coach Cand 4nd ityou don'thave access to the internet, we'd be Henan ‘Woodsmiith | too tonat youre surey Sinise ca ‘ard ide Wet then SASE to Wiodsmith Readers Review, August Home Prine aUSA Publishing 2200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, 1A 50312, 2 Woodsmith No. 137PW Bele) INSIDE Features Craftsman-Style Cabinet... 6 Like many other Craftsman projects, this cabinet looks great and is full of practical storage space. And the wide variety of wood- uorking techniques will provide just the right challenge. Five Drawer Installation Tips Ag You've got the drawer built, now what? Here are five shop-tested tips for installing drawers. Learn ecrets to installing metal slides properly, getting an inset drawer flush with the face of cabinet, and positioning a jalse front quickly and accurately. Arts & Crafts Clock. 18 Whether you build one for yourself or several to give away as gifts, this handsome timepiece doesn’t require. much wood or hardware. Te @ great reason to spend a few hours inthe shop. Barrister's CD Cases ................... 22 This miniature version of a barrister's bookcase works just like the full-sized originals. The sections easily stack on top of each other. And the doors flip up and slide out of the way jor easy access. Clamp Storage .. ..28 Some serap plywood and an afterioon in the shop are all you need to.get your clamps organized. And this storage “system” can grow as you buy more clamps, Plus, check out our mobile clamp caddy. Ten Drill Press Tips ......... wee Are you ready to make your work at the drill press quicker, more accurate, and more versatile? Here are ten of cur favorite tips that will help you do just that. Departments Tips & Techniques.............0:.0ccc008s 4 Shop Notes Sources No. 137 WoodsmithFROM FELLOW Noonan Tapering Jig Recently 1 was makinga set of small tables, and the designed called for tapered legs. The jig I ended up making was a little diff ent thar the ones that Ive seen in many books. Ituses similar ideasas other taper ing jigs, butit rides in the miter shit ofthe table saw Tvefound thet it works ust as well as jigs that ride alone the rip fence. ‘As you can see in the drawing, thefig is an over- sized piece of plywood with a groove on the bot- tom for a hardwood run- net. Since the miter slot Tocation can vary slightly from one saw to the next, the oversized base can be ‘rimmed to fit the saw. The length of the jie depends on the fength of the pieces getting tapered. I made mine 30" Jong, so it will work for ‘most standard table legs. Cleats attached to the top align the workpiece to the edge aia Slight angle (Gee deta. The cleats can easly be se forany angle, ‘To hold the blanks in place, I use doubiesided carpet tape. And a evat of ‘wast on the bottom of the jig helps it glide smoothly acrossthe saw table. Rusty Brat Howton, Texas TAPER JIG Saw Blade Cleaning ‘The cleaners that remove pitch and gum off of my sawblades give offa song ‘dior. Plus these cleaners tere to evaporateand ‘dry out quickly when used in the open, recently bought a saw blade that came in a clear plastic sealable case, like the one shown at right. I now can clean a blade in the plastic case, end it helps prevent the chemi- from drying out and ‘up my shop. John E. Heide Jecksomil, Florida ‘Gear plastic Sealsble Woodsmith NOTE: Harewood runner Es miter gauge ot Hack Saw Knife Finding anew use for an ld too! has always been a challenge for me. I often ase marking knives in my shop. And I found that an old hacksaw blade works great for ‘making an inexpen- sive knife Place about 4" of an old Blade in a metal vise at an angle. Then careful ly bend it back and forth to break the blade. To complete the knife, just grind and sharpen the blade ‘end, as shown helow. Roy Smith Kent, OhioHole Saw Reinforcing Sandpaper Unplugged When using fine sand- Tuse a hole saw to paper, tke 220 to 400 grit, ut out small ‘wooden wheels for the paper is thin and has a tendency to rip easily. It toys. But trying to happens most often with remove the pieces my finish sander. leftinside a hotesaw My solution was the vas sometimes difficult if give the head a twist and handyman's special: duct rot impossible to do. the wheel will pop right tape. Asyoucan seein the Then I realized that outofthe saw bod. drawing at ight, [placed | Suct pe only one side ofthe wheel 1 now spend less time two strips across the back | G/sandpaper vould show in the final and frustration trying fo of the sandpaper before Project. Sonow to get the get those plugs ott ofthe putting it on my finish paper can be expensive, a wood piece out, Idrive hole saw and more time sander. This provides a roll of duct tape can goa two small woorlscrews in driling them, backing that prevents the long way in saving money. about "to make handles Jin Kucher sandpaper from tearing, Richard L. Smith (Gee phote). Then simply “Troudale, Ongn Because quality sand- Seiing, Oldham Wax Holder It seems like every timeI When the scribe is needed thescrbe rommy pushed back into te hole, combination square, it was the wax provides asnug fit gone. It had fallen out and by filling the voic fos ‘was someniierein my she. Paul Kee ‘And findingitin the sawdust Trl, Flrida vwasagambleat best, - : Alter replacingitcer- cca times, [decided PVC ‘Most hollow mortise chis some inexpensive holders, els don'thave a protective Using some lefover PVC to come up with a new solution To prevent the seribe trom falling casetokeepthem in, pipe in my shop, Icut sev out again, I put ‘elgekeeo | To prevent the delicate eral to length and added a small ball of “allng ext | comers of the bits from some capsto the ends, beeswax in the hole in the square. getting nicked inside my Gary Selick tool chest, Teame up with Barron, Wisconsin QUICK TIPS miley ‘SHELF PIN GUIDE 15P/90 AS CLEANER ‘When it comes to locating When cleaning blades and and driling aseries of holes bits, [don’t want to smell up foradiusableshehing,Thave my shop. usea phosphate tried everything from peg- free TSP/90 by Red Devil. board to premace jigs. But I buy itt the local hard- Ive found that an inexpen- ware store. Mix a small sive aluminum ruler works amount in a pail with some best Allyouhavetodoisdril warm water, After soaking the holes in the ruler with ‘or about 30 seconds, the the spacing you want and pitch and gum wipes right then usetherulerasaguide off, As with many chem forthe drill bit, cals, gloves are needed, Jeff Swecker Karl Riley Bruceon, West Vigne ‘Vi the Inemet No. 137 Woodsmith 5saan ROONT CRAFTSMAN-STYLE CABINET This project will challenge you to pull together a variety of basic cabinet- making skills — assembling a case, fitting a door, and building drawers. Leslee scieior oh their hammered ring pulls? Or possibly the straight, even grain ofthe oak case? For arelatively small project, there's: allot of details to “take in.” And there's a lot of woodworking here too. The case etn etic ee is an open mortise and tenon assembly with a mitered frame. And the top isa large, glued-up panel. Add to this eee variety of cabinetmaking techniques —and challenges. [fall this sounds a bit overwhelming, keep in mind that all these techniques are pretty straightforward. ‘Take the case, for instance. Fitting a lot of case panels Woodsmith together while you're adding give and clampscan be a real jugeling act. But that won't be a problem here. When it’s time to assemble the project, al you have to, do iswork from the inside out, adding a piece or wo ata time, And the relatively small size ofthe case also helps keep the assembly from being unmanageable. So you ‘won't need an extra set of hinds to build this project. Or how about the drawers, They're built with a half. blind dovetail router jig and are mounted in the case on fullextension metal sides, These slides work great (especially when the drawer is stuffed ful), and theyre fairly easy to install. Sil, by the time all four drawers ‘were in place, had a pretty good list of installation ips, and the five best are included on page 13. No.137‘OVERALL DIMENSIONS: (led wood panel 38°W x 20"D x 3515" top i chamfered. on top.and bottom edges Frame and pare! I ‘Seor hes two! centerstes Sources forpuls and ses ted ennege 3s 1x2 but hinge at Drawers mounted with fultectenson Graver sidesA. This case can be tual with regulor Pywwaad (top) or MDF-oreply- ‘wood (botiom). tongue ations pw sides evertesl Case ‘To build this Craftsmanstyle cabinet, I started with the case. The joinery here is typical of case construction: the plywood panels are put together mostly with dadoes, And eventually, all the edges will be covered with thin strips of solid wood. -RIFTSAWN RED OAK. But I should begin by mentioning something about the wood used to build this project. The straight, even grainis a need to try to fill the height of the openings — youscan allow fora itle smut Bea ae NOTE: ning pus fortran reeure Belong machine. rents see 9. P30 pieces, the emall front and back (Mf) and the large front and back () are easy to size. Simply meas- ure the width of the openings and subtract 1" for the metal slides (/" ‘on each sile). Figuring the length of the sides (O) requires a bit more math because you need to alow for the false frontand the dovetail joint. But again, the drawers don'thaveto match the depth of the cabinet exactly. ( made the sides 15/4" Jong, leaving 14" space in back.) DOVETAIIS & BOTTOM GroovE. With the drawer pieces in hand, you can out the haltblind dovetails, as shown in the left margin. Then the groove for the ¥/" plywood Fottoms (BQ can be cut (Fig, 12) Ilike to NOTE tn Yai maple for EROS Bie Fons Drawer slide I ‘center the groove on the first pin on the drawer sides so it wont be visi ble after the drawer isassembied, MNSTAUATION. Afier the drawers have been gued together, they can be mounted on the metal slides. This isn' too difficult, and the instal Jation tips on the next page should ‘make the job even easier. FALSE FRONT. Finally the °A"-thick ‘false fronts (R, 8) can be added, as in Fig. 19. Here's where any custom fitting will come in. I sized each piece toallow fora 1A¢! gap on each side (Fig. 11b). To attach them to the drawers, I relied on carpet tape and a couple of pennies. (See bot- tom right tip on next page.) Then all that’s left is to mount the pulls Dk ee “breathing room” (Fig. 11a), And since all the openings are the same Reg Tt ewe ees al ripped to the same width (434"9. As for the lengths of the drawer == = = eee = a | te ee ee et se . it ee NOTE fees, cece, 3 Se = ZF ce ca. | sich | se fone ‘washer 2 Woodsmith No.1375 DRAWER INSTALLATION TIPS Building a drawer is only halt the battle — you also have to install it soit opens and closes smoothly. Whenever possible, Tike 10 use metal sides. The reasonis simple they work well whether the drawer is com- pletely empty or packed ful, Of course, the drawer slides have to be installed properly, 2. Adjustment Slots Many mounting slides have both holes and slots to screw through (Fig. 1). Forthe drawer half ofthe side, [use the vertz cal slots so the drawer can be shifted up or down ifnecessary. ‘Later, when Thave the drave- er opening smoothly, I add a ‘screw to one of the holes so. exerythings locked in pice. 4. Inset Faces When an inset drawer is shut, its face should be in the same plane as the face of the cabinet. Ifit’s not uh, you can end up with a fairly obvious shoulder, ‘When a drawer needs to be planed or sanded flush, i's tempting to work on the false front, But there's a risk. You ‘could round over its edges. Instead, I sand or plane the actual front of the drawer before the false frontis added. (Or I'llremove the false front.) And to help me ser exactly where to plane the front piece (as well as to help check my progress), Ise a metal rule No. 137 And in theory, this is prety 1. Flatten the Bottom straightforward. The reality is << When invaling that case openings are not slides, Imeasure always perfectly square, And from the bottom ‘getting the two halves of each ‘edge. So I make slide periectly parallel isn't sure the boom quite automatic, But here are is flac using five quick tips you can use to. adhesive-backed make the process (and the A sandbaperon he slides) as smooth as possible Ram table saw, 3. Slide Installation Jig ‘When installing a metalsidein onto the drawer half Now distance into the cabinet, as ‘case, the slides need to be nding the height of the jigis_ shown in detail '’ below. To, level with each other. Andtodo just a matter of measuring _helpwith this, I first screwed a this, Imakethejigshownbelow. down to the bottom of the short cleat to the front of the just a scrap pi drawer and allowing for the jig. Then I drew a mark 3/"" slide rests on as it’s being gap below the drawer (1/ back from the joint line, ‘screwed in place. Fig. lla on page 12). ‘Now with the cleat against HEIGHT OF 116. The important dimension with this jig is its height — the case half of the needs to align with the drawer half. But following a ‘simple procedure makes this ‘easy enough to figure out. ‘The first thing to do is ‘mount the drawer half of the slide, as shown in Fig, 1 atlefi (For this projec, the slides are centered on the height of the drawers.) Next, the case halt of the slide can be slid back as a straightedge, as shown in the drawing above. Simply set it across the opening in the case and pull the drawer out until it touches the rule, ‘GUT, Since these drawers the irontof the case, align the have a 3/"-thick false fronts, slide with the lyout mark the slides need to te inset this _ before screwing itin place. = a ti ae ae es mae > == \ Phe ~ ae | 2 t eat : the False Front | Attaching a fase font can be an“on arzin, off again” ordeal, With "Ao! gaps between this piece and the case opening, it has to be positioned perfectly fo get the gapseven, To mount the false front, 1 place a few strips of double- false front Woodsmith sided carpet tape on the front of the drawer. (See drawing) ‘Then to create the gap at the Dottom, Iset a few petmies in the case. After centering the it can be tipped up and pressed against the drawer sidetoside by exe, |With the drawers complete,all that’s leftis to make the small inset door. It’s a frame and pane! assembly joined with stub tenons and grooves — the only “twist” being a couple of center siiles that divide the panels, 2s shown. in the photo at left HECK CASE. Before building an inset door, Ike to check the case opening first. If i's square, the 34!- thick stiles (1), rails (U), and cen- ter stiles (V) can be cut to final size, as shownin Fig. 14. (zed the door so the geps around its edges would match those around the false draw- er fronts — 4a") On the other hang, ifthe case isn't square, then Til cat the pieces slightly oversized. This way, the door can be trimmed to match the shape of the opening 0 the gaps around it are consistent. STUB TEION & GROOVE. To join the frame pieces, Ichose stub tenon and ‘groove joinery. You'll want to start by cutting one *4'-deep, centered ‘groove on each piece, as shown in Fig. 15. The exceptions to this are the center stiles — they get 2 ‘stove on both edges (Fig. 1a). ‘The method Ilike to use for cut ng a centered groove doesn’ volve a careful layout or a dado blade, Instead Tsimply use a regular blade that’s oughly centered on the workpiece and make two passes, flipping the piece end-forend between passes. (This process cen ters the groove automatically) After the first two passes, the groove will be too narrow. But all you have to do is nudge the rip fence toward the blade slightly and repeat the process until the groove holds apiece of 1" plywood. Cutting the stub tenons on the rails and center stiles is much the with the piece flipped over between asses, Ard you'll want to sneak up ‘on the size of the tenon unti it just fits the groove. (This time though, you'll be using a dado blade buried inan auxilary fence.) PANELS & ASSUNBLY. Now that the joinery for the frame is complete, you can cut the three identical door Fanels (W) that fit between the stiles, as shown in Fig. 14 ‘Then alter the door has been dry assem- bled and youre satisfied with the i, the pieces can be zhied together. HANG DOOR. When mounting this Inset door, I used common butt hinges (antique brass). The morts- es for these hinges are cut justin the leit door ste (not the case), and sized them so there would be a ‘je gap between the door and case NOTE, Cut goove; on both edges 0 enter sole Woodsmith No. 137(Fig. 14). An easy way to do this is at the table saw, Simply stand the door on edge (with the help of tall ‘ausiliary fence) and make repeated passes over e dado blade. MOUNT HARDWARE. Al that’s lest to ‘complete the door nowis to addthe ring pul to the right stile (Fig. 14) and add a magnetic catch (and strice plte),as shown in Fg. 17 SHELF. The last piece to add before: finishing the cabinet is an adjust- able shelf (2), as shown in Fig. 17. ‘Thisis just a°/" plywood panel with Yi strip of edainer (© added to ita front edge. To support this panel, you'll need to drill some */"-deep holes inside the case and add some shelfpins Fig. 172). A Case Sides (2) B Top/atm,Divider 3) %4 py.- 17x33 Ypy- 17/4x25% Edging 96% %a- 230m. i D Vertical Divider (1) %ob.- 17» 18% E Drawer Dividers (2) % ny =17 x 1638 F Legs (4)* 13x 1%4-B3) G FronuBack Rals (2) 7%4x3/2-31%3 H End Rails (2) %x 315-15 1 Frame frontifack (2) %4x3=35 J. Frame Ends (2) x3 -18)2 K Top Panel (1) x20 38 L Back Panel(1) Ye ply = 33% x25% M Sm. Drawer Fe/Bk. (6) J2x 43-1478 N Lg. Drawer Fr/Bk. (2) ex 4¥e-31% (© Drawer Sides(8) Jox.4%4- 15% P Sm. Bottoms (3) % ply - 1594x 14% Qig.Bottom(1) Moy. -15%x31 R Sm. False Fronts (3) %4x514- 15% S lg falsetront(1) %4x5/4-32%5 T Doo’ Stiles 2) bx dhe VT U Door Rails (2) Wx 1Ve V Doo! Ctr stiles (2) %4x1%4- 13% WDoor Parels (3) My. - 372 x 1344 X Adj. ShelF(1)— Yeply - 16 x 15% + (22) #8 x 1%" Fh Woodscrews + (6) #8.x 1/4" Rh Woodscrews + 28) #8 Washers + (1 pkg) #17 x 34" Brads + (@ pr) 16" FulkExtension Slides + ©) Ring-Siyle Drawer Pulls +) #8-32 14" Rh Machine Screws + (16) #8 x 1" Rh Woodscrews + (1 pt) 1%s" x2" Ant, Br Butt Hinges + (1) Magnetic Catch w/Sirike Plate + (@) 14’ Spoon-Style Shelf Pins * Eachleg dued up fom three 34th banks. No. 137 SOLID WOOD CUTTING DIAGRAM [i K x 51-96" Red Oak [wo Boards @ 37 Bl Ft Each) FY Lae "x 7-96" Red Oak (47 Bd Ft) [i = a 176 dak a ar 04364 Se aay eee (Ere reer eee ee t é Ys" x 51s"- 96° Maple (Two Beards @ 3.759. Ft. Fach) a pam ‘¥g, 515*-96° Mople (3:7 Sq.Ft) ae ny), NOTE: Plawocd cutting elagram shown on page 8, Sources for hardware listed on page 35. ‘Traditional Craftsman projects were ‘often finished toa dark: brown color by fuming theoak with ammonia I didn't want a darc cabinet, and I wanted to jd the potential danger of working. with ammonia. But Idid want to even ‘atthe color differences between the plywood and solid wood. ‘To find just the right color, l expert mented with several different stain ‘combinations oa tes. pieces, The one I chose was a combination of two Gonoral Finishes? SeatACel stains. ‘Simply mix one part “Special Walnut” ‘Woodsmith ‘and two parts “Golden Oalc” (Isand- ced everything to 180 grit) Whatyou use forthe topcoatisess citcal (though its stil a good idea to test it over the stain). chose Hope's ‘tung oil varnish, giving the entire project (inside and out) one coat ‘Then another three coats were applied to the outside surfaces. Between costs, Iaedto sand asitte as possible, using 320grt (or higher) ‘aredpaper. And go lightly around any corners — it doesnt take much to ‘sand through the varnish and stain,A. Since te ends of the stopped dadoes need tobe squared up anyway, they are cuta bit shor ofthe mark. Then use a chisel 0 comple the dado, SHopP NOTES Stopped Dadoes ‘Each section ofthe barris- ter's CD cases on page 22 has three pairs of stopped dadoes, The easiest way to cut these is with a '/! straight bit in a table- mounted router Even though each pair of dadoes has a different length, the procedure for cutting them is the same. As you cut one dato, you'll be pushing the workpiece into the bit To cut the second dado, you need to plunge the piece onto the spinning bit and push it through. STOP UNE. For the frst cut, you'll need to know where to stop the work- piece before the bit cuts through the backedge. All you need to do is ‘mark a stop line on the fence to the right of the bit, as shown in Fig. 1.1 allow a bit of “fudge room.” If the dado is sup- posed to stop 4! from the end, PT mark the line 4" from the bit Since the end of the dado needs to be squared up with a chisel, it’s easy to complete the length of the dado as you do that, like you see in the margin photo st left START Lie. For the other ado in the pair, you'll need to make a start line ‘on the left side ofthe bit, lke you see in Fig. Since each pair of dadoes stops a different distance from the edge, ‘each pair will need new artand stop ines, 6 Cutting Half Laps Usually, Tout halflaps with a dado blade in the table saw, But that can leave score marks. Those marks could be sanded cut on a larger piece (or would go unnoticed), but not on the doors ofthe barrister’s cb ceases, So I decided to cut SiTUP. Belore working ‘on the door pieces, I cut a test joint on some scrap the same thickness as the door pieces, All you need to do Is raise the bit 4" above the table. Then ‘make a passon one exd of. each serap, as shown in the faces are flush, the bit isat the right height. CUTTING JOINT. Using a 1A" straight bit, T took three passes to cut the 1” ‘width of each Joint. Take a look at Fig. 2 and you can see that the first pass defined the shoulder of ‘against the router table fence. This cut helps pre- vent chipout as you clean, ‘up the remaining waste. ‘Asyou make each pass, press firmly on the pieve 0 the cuts are all the same deoth. Even so, Gere may be a slight the joint with a straightbit Fig: 1. Check thesetup by _ the joint. The second pass _ ridge between the passes. in the router table to get a _ fitting the pieces together isa light cut with the end _ A light sending will take es ee ee | A a. Pais i ES Spe ae ‘befiush when setup WondsmithTrimming Plywood Edgi Using plywood makes building a carcase much quicker. One drawback, though, isthatyouneed to cover the exposed plywood edges. Ths is simple todo with solid wood edging strips cuta bitover widih, For the Craftsman-style cabinet on page 6, the edg- ing on the sides is trimmed flush before the can be trimmed using a flush trim bitin the router, It’s next to impossible to balance a router on the edges of the carcese. So to provide a wider surlace for the router to ride on, 1 used a couple of methods. DOOR OPENING. For the edging along the top of the door opening, Icut a rabbet in a 2x4 and clamped itto the cabinet, like you see in Fig. 1. Just make sure the edge of the 2s is perfectly Dish with the top ofthe edging Fig Ja) so you don't end up routing a beveled edge. DRAWER OPENINGS. I came up with a simpler way to trim the drawer openings and the side and bottom of the door opening. I just spanned them with an auxiliary router base made of !(" hardboard, as, shown in Fig. 2 After routing, the cor- ners will still need to be ‘squared up. A sharp chisel vith the bevel against the edging makes quick work ofthis Fig, 2a). 1 Riftsawn and Plainsawn The straight grain of the lumber used for the cabi- net on page Gis a result of using rftsawn materials, The difference between riftsewn and. plainsawn (also called “flatsawn”) arain has to do with how the board is cut from the Jog. Growth rings on the ends of plainsawn lumber are at 30° or less (or “flat’) to the face of the Veneer-Core and MDF- When youlook for itsawn sheet goods you may findit witha core ofmedium den- sity fbertoard (MDE) ora sore typical veneer core. Either one works fine for the cabinet on page 6. The wo tpesshould be priced about the same, but there are some key differences between them. NDF CORE, An MDF-core plywood, shown in the top phot at right, really ien't plywood. ‘The MDF core No, 137 board (Fig. 2). The result is apeaked or “cathedral” grain on the iace. If you look at Fig. 2, you'll see that riftsawn lumber has the growth ings oriented closer to vertical (between 30° and, 60° to the face of the board). This gives the ‘grain on the face of this, board a more consistent, straightappearance. 0 ‘ore Plywood rakes the sheet very sta ble, consistently fat, and a uniform thickness Its also much heavier than regular plywood. So ‘even smaller project like the cabinet will end up being pretty weighty. One more thing. MDF ‘wort hold serews as well as regular plywood. So to get the best possible grip, drill pilot holes and use a serew with deeper threada that runall the wey up the shank, such as a sheet metal screw, VENER CORE. Like the name says, the center of veneercore plywood is severallayers of veneer, as you can see in the lower photo aright. This type of plywood is usually just under 94" thick, and the thickness may vary alte across the sheet In this material, regular woodserews will provide plenty of “bite.” 59 ‘Woodsmith @. Use chite! to inside corners End gran is r Bean 30: ond 60° to face A. Rijtsaun sheet goods may have a substrate of tthe: MDF (cop) or several layers of ‘wood pies (Botton)Arts & CRAFTS CLOCK Decorative pegs that fit without gaps? A perfectly round clock opening? You can build this handsome clock with confidence — in a day. EL only natural to expect big challenges from big projects, But don't sell small po} ets short. They may not take months to com plee, butthey have tobe built with the same care and accuracy. In fet, a small clock Fike this will often get a closer inspection than a large project. People just can't resistpicking itup to get abetter look —which meansthe joints better fit tight BECORATIVEPEGS. Ths clock has one feature {in particular that looks lke it might require ahigh level of accuracy: the decorative pezs below the clock face. But even though these pegs are guing get a close look now and then, you don’t have to worry about getting a gappftee fit. Like the button-style plugs used to hide ecrews, these pegs have a lip around them, so any gaps inthe ft will be ‘covered up. All you have to dois lay out the holes carefully and follow a simple, three. step process to create the pegs ‘@OCKOPENNG. Andi don’t be worried about the circular opening for the clock face. Getting it perfectly round is a snap with an ordinary wing cutter inthe drill press. Note: Even though I used a common ‘quartz movement for this clock, its alwaysa ood idea to get your movement, ial, and hands before you start building. Mail order sources are listed on page 35. MATERIALS, SUPPLII , & CUTTING DIAGRAM A Face (I) Yex5to- 9 G Mounting late (1) taps Alex Al B Sdes 2) hx3-92 + (1) Quartz Clock Movement € Sub Top &Botiom@) Ix AYy- 21 + (1) Ale*-dia, Clock Dial D Back (1) Yapy-5x9% + (1 pt) Clock Hands 17%" Long E Top &Bottom 2) Bxa-1 + (8) #0 x4" Fh Woodscrews F Decorative Peos (4) Wx Me + (8)#6 x 4" Fh Woodscrews 156x515" 60" Cherny (2.350. soneroe, AIS Wele E z a Se eee on é - J) wile ie 18 Woodsmith No.137Clock Case Aswith mostprojects, the first ques- AH tiontoansweris what ype of wood to use to build this clock. I had some some cherryon hand, so decided to build this clock with i, But quacter- sav oak would have been ancther ‘200d choice, as it was traditionally used for Arts and Crats projects. ‘Note: As you can see in the mate- rials list on page 18, neariy all the solid wood parts for this clock are 1p! thick. But if you're starting with ‘A'zhick stock, you'll want to cut a short 9/!-wite strip for the pegs before planing the board down to ¥pehick, (You'll also need a couple small pieces of 1! plywood) For this clock, 1 decided to begin by making the case pieces and cut- ting the joinery, a shown in Fig. 1. But these pieces wor't be assem- bled until after the clock opening and the openings for the decorative pegs have been cutin the front face. FACE 8 S063. The first thing to dois ‘cut the face (A) to size, as in Fig. 1. é And you can also cut the two sides D Bliispeormemctnyrete ‘same length as the face piece (014"), RABBETS. The face is rabketed on cach edge to hold the sides (Figs. 1a and2). Here, you want to be sure to end up with a nice, tight fit. Iwas ableto use my dado blade to do this, as shown in Fig. 2, But notall dado blades will cu square shoulders, $0 ‘you may want to cut the rabbets on the router table using a straight bit ‘The side pieces are also rabbeted to hold a %4"-plywood back that will be added later (Fig. 1a). Since 14" plywood is never quite 1" thick, 1 sneaked upon the size ofthe rebbet, {esting itwith a scrap of plywood. SUB TOP & BOTTOM. The last two pieces to make (for now) are the sub top (C) aud sub bottom (C), as shown in Fig, 1. Here, I had to SUBTOP Grain on sub top ‘gra botim ruts Front to back é which way the grain should ‘When the humidity changes, should these pieces expand and ‘contract with the face piece or with the sides? I chose the face piece because it’s wider: So the grain on the sub top and botom pieces runs front to back (not side to side). ‘To size the sub top and bottom, I cidn't automatically cut them to the dimensions noted, To get the best. fit, their width should match the shoulder to shoulder dimension at the back of the face piece. To find the length of these pieces, you'll ‘want fo seta sie piece into the rab- ‘bet on the face piece. Then you can ‘measure from the inside of the face to the rabbet for the back (Fig. 1a) ‘The case isntt ready to be assem- bled yet, but as you can see in Fig. tb, I went ahead and drilled some ‘countersunk stank holes in the sub top and bottom for attaching the top, and bottom panels later.Clock (continued) Refore the case can he assembled, ‘several operings will need to bemade inthe face piece: Ones the ercular opening for the dock dial. The others are the small square openings for the four decoraive peas. DIAL OPENING. I started with the ‘opening for the clock dial. This clociskoldsa commen quartz move ment with a separate dial, refer to Fig. 7 on the next page. The dial sets behind the face yiece, and there’s no bezel or glass in front. ‘What this means is thatthe open- ings very much apart ofthe “face” ofthe clock. So you'll want the open- ing to be a perfect circle. This ist atall hard to do. As you can see in Fig. 4 below, an ordinary wing cul- tecin the dal press wild the tick quickly and cleanly. (Just be sure to reduce the speed of your drill press. toite lowest song) Note: You don’t have to own a wing cutter to make the opening. Atter drawing a d'da. crcl, drill small starter hole and remove most of the waste with a sabre saw or ‘scroll saw. Then carefully sand up to the line with a drum sander. With the opening created, the next step is to rout a 14" chamfer around the outside face of the open- ing, ns shown in Fig. 5,1 di this in two passes because cherry burns. easily, and I didn’t want to risk rui ing the circular opening by having to do a lot of sanding to the chamfer. PEG OPENNGS. Now thatthe clock. opening is done it'stime to work on NOTE After case ‘saserled ze back | ‘eh openng the four square openings for the decorative pegs. While these open- ingsneed to line up with each other, they dont need to be perfect (ike the clock opening) since they'll be hhidden by the pegs later. ‘The first thing to do is lay out the ‘openings on the face piece, as in Fig, 3 above. Then you can remove mos! of the waste by drilling dia. holes (Fig. 6). The last step is to square up the hoies with a chisel. ‘And to make sure they ine up, you'll want to use a straightedge to mide the chisel, as shown in Fig. 6. ASSEMBLE CASE & BACK. Now that the face piece is complete, the ease can ‘NOTE: Ga stragntedge BRS bao ot sowed ‘pant inal feterto he be glued together. And while it's drying, a %4" plywood back (D) can be cut to fit the opening inthe back. ‘The back won't be screwed to the ‘case until after the clock has been installed, but at this point, l added a stmll finger hole to make it easier to. remove the back (when changing thebatteriesor adjusting the hands) 10P & BOTION. The next pieces | added were the fop and bottom (E) of the case (Fig. 7). They're sized to overhang the front and sides °" ‘Then their font and side edges are ‘chamfered. As you can seein Fig. 8 T did this on the table saw, using ¢ tall auxiliary fence 9 support the ‘CROSS SECTION Pchamfer fe 2 Woorlsmith No. 131Soften top edaes Tarts sandpaper 34" chamfer, refer toFg. pieces, Then the opposite edge can be softened with sandpaper Fig. 7). A _wooRatve ees. With the top and bottom pieces screwed to the case, its time tomake the decorative pegs (F). Here, youll need a strip of #4! x 54" cherry. And to shape the pegs safely, I started with a 12"long blank and used the three-step process shown in the box below. (Work at both ends of the blank, so you can make two pegsat a ime.) { FINSH. The pegs are simply glued | (1% Tong) 4d. ial” sgounring pare py asa) into their openings. But if you plan to stain the clock, then it would be a good idea to do this before you add the pegs. That way. you can wipe off the stain evenly without having to a with FOX Paseran work arond the pegs. (Note: For See box below) this clock, I simply applied a few a Lightly sand outside g OS eciges2f top and _BorTon tom pieces lightcoats ofa wipe-on finish.) ‘MOUNTING PLATE. The clock dial and quartz movement are mounted to a 4" plywood mounting plate (Q) that’s sized to fit inside the case opening, as shown in Figs. 7and 7a. ‘The only thing to do to this plate is drill a ‘4"-dia, hole for the clock DY Skat tamed to double eno that this hole was going to end up cen- | tered in the opening onthe face. So set the plate in the case and traced the opening on it. Then after the holeis drilled and the clock dial and movement are mounted (Fig. ), 1 screwed the plate inside the case and attached the plywood back. 6 ed a ¥ Roce ys [7 Blade oo a foie ee | U i i? Sarting wih aie xe Blank (12" MyNoa routa vic chamfer aroundthe #9 Pray cut the pea fom the blank long) ita ¥dkep coc 7 flo fe dxendotthebank, using abacter board usng etiera band sav/orhandsaH ‘end cn all four faces of the bank. To guide the blank and prevent chipout. (The peg should be roughly "Ze" long.) No.137 Woodsmith aFEATURE PROJECT These CD cases work just like the bookcases, but they can be built on a bench top and stacked on a table top. BARRISTER’S CD CASES Gene working ona smaller scale can be areal treat. While building these cases, Treally liked the fact that dida't have to find room all over the shop to store the work. pleces, When I stopped for the day, all the parts dt rieht on my bench top. Although these cases are scaled-down versions of a barrister’s bookcase, there's more to it than just shrinking all the pieces. ‘The smaller size meant using different join- ery than might be used on its “big brother.” In fac, all the joinery is cut on the router table with just a couple of straight bits. FeaTuRES. But even though i's smaller and the joinery is abit different, this CD case has all the features of a fullsize bookcase. As you'd expect, the doors pivat up and slide into the case to allow access. And the cases ‘can be stacked on top ofeach other A raised field on the top of each case “locks” into a recess in the case aboveit (see inset photo). BASE. As for the base of this project, there are a couple of options. The first is the pedestal base shown in the main photo. Since a stack of casos filed with CDs will be rather topheavy, this base has a compart- ment filled with sand to help keep the stack. stable. The second option is a simple, lov- profile base shown in the photo on page 27. MATERIALS & SUI A Tors (2) YUxTh- 102 B Bottom (1) x5%- 152 © Sides (2) Wx2-7 D_ Edging (1) Ux t= 15 E Dividers (3) xt 4 F Door Rails (2) ox - 14% G Door Stiles 2) Bx1- 6% H Glass Stop x4 22 ini. 1 Back (1) Ypy.-7% 15%2 J Base Front/fack (2) ex5- 16 Woodsmith K L 4 The bottom of locks with the voised field in the cose below it. is Bese Sides (2) Jax 5-6%4 Base Bottom (1) 14 ply 62x 1512 (i) fa" 1° Brass Knob wiScrew Stud (i) "thick Glass Panel (4%s" x 13%") (90) %* Brads ()%'-dia, Dowel, 4° long (2) Ma" Felt Dots (@) #8x 1" Fh Woodscrews (8) #4x 34° Fh Woodscrews Note: Matena ste are for one case and base No. 19?Construction 2 Details OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 16)5"W x 7i4"D x 13%46"H (Base and one caso) alle holds 22 Cbs Baise feld "locks" int recess in bottom Alligints cut onioutertable % Case. door and base are Door asiembled with Gatton te plod faletan joint omen ‘ised t0 SIDE SECTION VIEW For aimpler Sipe gos Beate aegis ope CUTTING DIAGRAM Ne Cry (2504 lege 7 WW i's 85 By oe a K elon baefiles A 4 = Stacked eases ix" - 24" Cherny (1 Sq.Ft.) Cale Yen Tht 48 Cherey (25 Sa Fe) aa eae 8 a‘A To prevent round- ing ver the edge ‘as you sand a rab- bet, clamp a piece of serap next to the rabbet to help sub portthe sander abbet on back edges Wx" deep — NOTE: 109, bottom, ‘Sndsides are ged up from narrower stock Just like many fullsized barristers bookeases, these cd casesare builtin sections tht stack up. To make the setions interlock, arecessin the bo tom of each case fits over a raised field on the case below it. Gee the inset photo on page 22) TOP MNeL. Before you begin buile- ing, youneed to know how mary sec ‘ions youwant. Thenyoucan glue w ‘a panel for each top (A), plus one ‘extra to be used later forthe base. TOP FACE, After cutting te top pan- els to size (Fig. 1), the first thing ‘worked on was the raised eld on the top face. I decided to make this with straight biton the router table. This porrom viEW GE means making a few more passes than with 2 dado blade, bityosl save alot of sanding time, ‘To start, Imadea skim cutaround each top panel to prevent chipout. You can see this in Fig. 2, Then I set the fence to cut the shoulder of the rabbets on the ends (Fig. 3a). Once the ends were done, I moved the fence to eut the rabbetson the front and back edges,as shown in Figs.3b and x, (Ifyou needo doa bitofsand- ing to clean upthe rabbets, there's a quick tip in the left margin.) ‘Ai this point, the extra top you made for the base is complete and can be set aside. As Fig. 1a shows, ‘¢ ——>} the case top still needs some dadoes anda rabbet for joiningwith the oer ‘case pieces. [started with the dad that will connect with the sides, ‘STOPP{D DADOES. These daloesstop short ofthe front edge, so they're cut on the routertablo. (Taereare three pairs of stopped dadoes on this prof ect, Although they're all different lengths, the process for cutting ther is the same.) Routing one dado involves pushing the piece into the bit and stopping (Fig. 4), The of dado is routed by plunging the wor piece onto the bit and pushing i through (Fig, 5). For more detail about this, refer to page 16. Skimeut helps | Straight bit wnbisrencvg ate END VIEW [eub view = ie, Backer board |e ew — straight 4 Sena ot <7 \c ee © panel (ee [ENO view Fence! Lt ‘Backer Bare ‘Backer (i toard ‘ack Front ee edge} TS @ | Woodsmith No.‘Aer the dadoes are cut, arabbet isrouted hetween them. Youcan use the same bit used to cut the dadoes. Just postion the fence flash withthe back edge of the bit lke you see in Fig. 6. This time, instead of drawing start and stop lines on the fence, I marked the top of the workpiece to show the locations of the dadoes. BoTTOMS. Next, a 1/!thick panel can bo glued up forcach bottom: (8). Asyou can see in Fig. 1, the bottom is narrower than the ses and top. ‘Thisleaves room forthedoorto hang in front ofthe bottem panel. After cutting the botiom pane! to size, a rabbet s routed on each end to leave ai/"thicktongue (Fig. 1). Later, three dividers wll be adlded to support thecDs.Each divider wil rest in a dado routed all the way across the bottom (ig, 1e). But don't worry —the front edge gets covered by apiece of edging later. sigs. Now you can work on the sides (C). Like the other pieces, The technique forrouting these tobe added tothe inside ofeach side these are gluedsup panels with dadoes's the same one used earlier as shown in Fig.1.‘Then the four case stopped dadoes and rabbets. But (refer te page 16). Jus: remember to _piecescan be glued together. Dre tick here is the sides arent makenewmarksontherouterfece ENGNG Onl afepecesarelefto identical — they end up as mirror each time. Ifyoulookat Fig. 1, you'll complete the case. First, to form the images of each other. see that the lower decloes stop far- front ede of the recess, edging (D) if RABBETS, I routed the rabbetson ther from the edge than the upper _is cut to fitbetween the sides of the the topand back edges frst 1b). ones. Ako, te lower dadoesarepos- case, as shown in Fig. 7. Its then | The rabbet along the top creates a tioned so thebottom panelsitsabove glued flush with the top edge of the tongue that fits the dado in the top thebottom ofthesides. Thiscreates bottom panel (Fig. 7b). piece. And therabbetalng'the back therecess that will ftoverthe raised _ DIVIDERS, Finally, I added three edgewill accept the back panel later. field onthe top panelbelow (Fig. 1). dividers (E) sothe CDs wouldn't fall ADOES. The next things to work PIVOT PIN. There's just one more over ifthe case wasnt full To make onarethetwo stopped dadoes—one thing to do before assembling the iteasy to grab a CD, Icut away the | near the top for the door tostidein, case, To support the door when it’s front corners ofthe dividers (Fig. 74) and another toholdthe bottom panel, slid intothe case, short dowelneeds before gluing them in place. =e J Edging and diudersare eae No.137 Woodsmith 25Door ‘Whenever I stand next to a barris- ter'sbookase shard oesst open ing and closing the doors: at least ‘once, The same holds true for this sealediown version. ‘Although this door works the: came way asthe illsie one is ull difereniy.Intesd of mortises and tenons, the small: doors canbe joined 6} svith baif laps. I's plenty stone — plus theres justone sup needed to ‘cut the joint instead of two. To start, the rails (F) can be cut totength sotheyire Y/ less thn the pening at the front ofthe case Fig. 8) Thestiles(G) arceut olensth to ‘allow the back cornerto clear the’ ‘bot tom panel when the door ypened. HAL tars, Lie the other joints on wore: real A Likea boriste’s this project Leutthebalflaps onthe Nols ingiassstop DOOR STILE forbea twice). fookease, these router table with a straight bit, 25 cases have glass- Fig. 9. With just onesetup, | panaled doors easy to make, butthere are and rest om a ‘ill afew fips fo pass along, which separate base. youiind on page 16. Once the joints fare cut, you can glue upthe door, Neat, to provide clearance as the doors swang open. a roundover fs routed on the top outside edge of each door (Fi. 8. ‘DOWEL PINS. The doors pivot and slide with the help ofa pair of dowel pinstiattravelin the stopped dadoes in the side panels, As you can see in Fig, 10a, the holes for the pins are ofthe door te acca shegless Asyou Although its tempting to install ‘Conteredion the thickness ofthe door. can seein Fig. 1, Thisisdone onthe theglassnov;ifsagood idea to oppty ‘This puts the hole right in the joint can eriablewih arabbet bk Thenthe 2 finish to the case, doo and gliss per ofthe rabbetcan be squared stop frst. wiped on ‘acouple coats of tine. So to prevent any spliting, did ane eoleof things. Fist, clamped up with sharp chiseL ‘a onestep oll and urethane top coat ‘odtorte mybeach (10) Then, Nec Imadesome gia () After the finish has dried on these srave my dowel ft a bit tight, 1 te hold the glass. You Ce ‘do this pieces, the glass can be installed. To ny drill and sanded it safely on the table saw by followin prevent the glass stop from spliting, Se gepsinticmargin. Onceyouve Ipredriled the brad holes. Roped enouw stop (osizeto At The last few 12% have to be Tippett the door, it can be cut io addedtoihe door itr inplace, $0 igo ahead and slide the door into the 1A The gass stop can te curwithwo chucked asseson the table lightly t reduce its diameter ‘AD Gass. The next thing todo is add the glass panel, To do this, | ae alabbet around theinsdeface length asshown in ig: saw. [sea 2270 clearonce insert around the blade.case from the back, like you see in Fig. 12, Once the door was installed, Tcentered a knob on the bottom rail and added a coupleoffek dots to keep the door from banging (Fig. 12c). Bek. Now to complete the case, a YA" plywood back: (1) can be added, Asyou can seein Fig. 12, it'scut to fit the opening inthe backandis hel place with stall screws. This way, ‘you'l beable to remove the back ifthe door ever needs repaired. BASE ‘There are a couple of ootions forthe base, depending on where you'l be setting the case. Ifyou plan to stack several cases (especially on acarpeted floor), the weighted pedestal base shown in Fig. 12 is a good idea. For single case siting on adesk top the extra top you made eater vill works justine as shownin the photo below. PIDESTAL BASE, The pedestal base starts with four pieces of Y-thick stock. The base front and back (J) and sides (K) can all be cut‘o size a8 shown in Fig 12. The side pieces fit {ntorabbets cat inthe front and back, 0 Lrouted these next (Fig. 13). After that, a groove needs to be cut in each piece to accept the ply- wood boitom that’s added later. did this on the table saw with a regular blade, like you see in Fig. 14, Just move the rip fence slightly between passes to widen the groove. ‘NTOU. To lighien the look ofthe base, a cutout on each piece forms “legs” at the corners. Ifyou look at the pattern in the margin, you can see how this is lad out. The shane canbe roughed out onthe band saw Jagle a NOTE: Install door Before attaching back 16°” NOTE: Base pieces Rees . rece {oe ae ot | « BASE TOP VIEW + ae Brass knob | EPA ® oe @ le ee Lem ‘or with a ig saw. I then fastened the pieces together with carpet tape and sandedto the linewith a dram sander OTTO, Now vou can dry assem ble the base pieces and measure for the 1" plywood base bottom (L). Once it’s cut to size, the base pieces and the bottom can be glued together: No.137 Woodsmith Buiding the base with a rabbet joint makes assembly easier but eaves a small line of end grain exposed on the sides. There's a sim- ple trick that will make this end grain virtually disappear. Just chamfer the corners of the base (Fig. 120). ‘Before screwing on the extra top that was made earlier, illed the base with sand, Then I softened the exposed edgesof the base with alight sanding and applied a finish. = —_— ——— = “For acase that sits ona desk top, just ase the extra tp asabase. Ie will lift the case enough so make iteasy 10 rab the knob end open the door.j CLAMP STORAGE Have some scrap plywood and an empty bit of wall space? That's all you need to get your clamps organized. I here's an old saying that awood- _SINFLEDESIGH. Wht came upwith clamp storage wherever you have worker can never have too many isa rack that can bemade from four an open bit of wall space. ‘lamps, know that over the years smal pleces ofplywood and fitsjust __ROU-aROUND cADDY If youre short Tvocolected quie afew. Infact ind about anywhere, A series of these of wall space, don't worry. The ingspace toput my evergrowing col racks can be customized to old all_racks can also be auached & Tection was becoming an issue. \ypesofbar and pipeclampe.And as handy rollaround caddy. In fact Wha’ I needled was a better way you can see in the photos below, 1 even if you have plenty of wall to store and organize my clamps. even madeacoupleofextraracksto space, you may want to consider thad the new “system had to be hold gluing eupplies and clamps. building the caddy anyway I holds coy to build and add on to. That One thing all the racks have in all of your clamps in ene place and sway, as T got more clamps Tcould commons that they are designed males I easy to rol them to wher Take anew rack forthem quickly, to serew to the wall. So you can fit _ ever your project may be. AA snag: bos keeps gue and Celanps are held on this imple A. Pistlrip claps can be cinched Aaa naneseeted. Movingit —vck.Iecanbe custom buit tot down on a rack, ready to rab and rem theclamps makesit handy. ferent ses of lamps. be pu o work ‘Woodsmith> Racks ‘The heart ofthis clamp storage sys tem isan Lshaped rack braced at each end by a triangular support, Exch racksthe same size, The only diterence isthe slots thet are cus tomized for tifferent ypesofclamps. Ail of the pieces are made from %" plywood (although hardwood would work as well). In fact, [built ny racks from pieces of scrap ply- wood that were too small for pro} cts buttoo big to throw ont To keep things simple, I made each rack 12" lng. That way they fit in small bits of wall space as well 8 onthe optional rollaround cay. But they can be made any length ‘you lke to accomodate your clamps. (UT PEGS. The fist step was to cut a top (A), back (B), and two sup- boris (C) to size for each rack, like You see in Fig. 1. (made the sup- Ports by ripping a long 314"avide blank, then making alternaing 45° cuts on the ent) Before assembling the racks, 1 took the time to drill a couple of countersunk holes in each back viece (Fig. 1a), These are used to sere the completed rack toa wall. S1OT AVOUT. The next step to ay ‘out the slots for the clamps in each top piece. The detail drawings in Figure 1 show racks for the most ‘common types of clamps, Small bar amps sit fry close together Fg. 18). Fbeam clamps need more room between slots (Fig, fe). And Fig. 1d shows the spacing for pipe camps, Note: Racks for pistoLgrip camps don't need slots, Refer to the lower Fight photo on the opposte pax GTSLOTS. After the slots are laid ‘out, you can start cutting them, 1 found the best way to do this was to drill a hole at the top of each slot first, like you see in Fig, 2. After the holes are drilled, the wase can be removed on the table saw. As Fig. 3 shows, [attached an auxiliary fence to my miter gauge to ‘support the workpiece and prevent the waste piece fram kicking back. ASSEMBLY. Once the slots are cut, the rack can be glued up. The top clamped to the top edge of the hack: then the supports are added. With my long clanps taken care of, [turned my attention to my C- lamps and accessories. MATE! Bar & Pire Cump Rack A Top (1) B Back (1) Supports (2) RIALS 4 pW 4x 12ie vy. = 3x 12 2% ply 34x 3% Camp Rec & Sronact Box D Clamp Back (1) % pi, - 3%x 12 E Dowels (2) F Box Front (1) G Box Back (1) H Box Sices (2) 1 Box Bottom (1) Clamp Canpy J. Sides (2) K Bottom (1) L Divider (1) M Base (1) 5 dia. x 5Yp phy Ax 12% phy Mex 1D kp. 4 xAl> YUpy. Mex 11 Yep. 14448 ely - 14x 25% ply -25)2x 47%. py -22 128A C-clamps hang neatly on arack made witha ply- ‘ood back and a couple of dowels AA serage box wll hold ghang aces- tories and kee themelose at hand chung assembles. » te the srongest mount the edge of het ingsurface forheavy racks, to hanga rack on pegbo C-Clamp Rack To keep Clampsinorder, Imade thissmal rack. It'snothing more than apair of short 34"" dowels attached to. a plywood back. Ifyou take a look at Fig. 4a, you can see that the holes for the dowels fare dried at a slight angle. This keeps the clamps from sliding off the front. For larger or smaller C- clamps, just change the spacing betiveen the dowels. The completed rack is then screwed tothe wall Storage Box Once you start aglucup, you cant really stop to hunt for some acces- sory you forgot. That's why! like this simple storage box. It gives me one convenient place to keep bottles of glue, clamp ‘pads, band amps, brushes, and other odds and ends that seem to “wander of” just as Tm realy tostartagueup. Like the racks, the box is made from %" plywood. And keeping with the modular design of the stor: age system, the box is the same length as the racks. Ifyou look at Fig. 5, you can see one thing that’s atte anusual bout the box — the back is 1" taller than the front. As ‘you can see in Fig. 5a, this allows NOTE Dail dowel fowesate angle the mounting srews to be up high: cer so they can be reached easily ‘with a screwdriver. (sa gocd idea to dril the holes for these screws before the boxis glued up.) counter: sine = ‘Assembly of the box is simple. 1 spread glue on all four edges of the bottom piece, then sandwiched it between the sides before adding the frontand back pieces. Woodsnith No. 197‘While the camp racks are designed (@W tobe small enough to st just about any available wall space, you might ‘want te consider building this rol- around caddy to hold them. It pro vides plenty of room io fasten clamp sacks and storage boxes. ‘Two clanp racks will ft between the sides. As shown in the photos below, more racks can be fastened tothe outside faces. And best of al, the caddy is mounted on locking swivel casters, soiseasytorallitto wherever you need it The caddy can be made from a single sheet of plywood (with enough left over to make a few racks). The pieces ft together with a series of dadoes and rabbets, CONSTRUCTION, There are oniy five pieces in the caildy: So the place to wore: pies sfart is by cutting the sides (D),bot- i tom (K), divider (L) and base (i) tosize, as shown in Fig, 6 Next, dadoes are cut in the sides and boitom to ft the divider (Fig. 68). Then as Fig 6b shows, the side ©@ ices also receive a rabbet that accepts the bottom panel Before assembling the caldy, 1 rounded the corners ofthe base to make it “ankle friendly" (Fig. 6c) ‘The top comers of the sides receive ghohran orien then | the same treatment. Give ond atv base Asseaaty. To assemble the caddy, ' first glue the divider to the bottom | and then add the sides. A few serews along the dadoes and rab- shown in Fig. 6d. Then the caddy bets help reinforce the joints. assembly is centered on the base “There are just a few small things and glued and. screwed down, left. One isto screwa locking swivel Finally, you can attach the racks and casterto esch corner of the base, as _fil them with clamps. Optional Clamp Caddy a. — On op corners des NOTE: Cady sized fonoid twnracisor Bones side-by-side NOTE: cut res teforesenbiy CUTTING 247-49" x 96° Maple Plywood, J ‘A Tike it for a spin. The four casters on this caddy mae imobile, so yous can wheel it over to an assembly and have your clamps (and accescores) right at hand. Plus, the casters allow sou to spin the caddy around easily, thick means auileacces to he clamps on four sides No. 137 Woodsmith atsuo Our SHOP 10 Dritt Press TIrs A handful of simple, quick tips that will help turn your drill press nto aharder-working, more accurate machine. ‘piece of my shop, I use the drill spend less time setting up the drill press in some way on almost every pressand more time building projects. or jointer, but @ drill press doesn't and easy tips from our shop that precision gauges found on table saws press. These tips should help make and other stationary tools. So the your drill press safer, easier, and 1. Setting the Table ‘A good habit to develop in the shop. is periodically checking the algnment ‘of your tools. And the drill press is no exception. Setting up a dill press for consistent results is easy — the tables the only adjustable part, frequently check the alignment of my drill press table, Start by installing a rod oc an ordinary drill bitin the chuck. Thenaligna square on the table next to the bit. Cheek to see that the blade of the square touches the bit near the top and bot tom edges as seen in Fig. 1 ‘When the table is square, lock it in place. Then as.a quick check, set the square against the other side of ces Speed Chart. A ctart for dil bit E speeds can be dowloaded from ‘our website: www iNoodsrith.com. (you don't fhave access to the intemet, see page 35.) Woodsmith ‘even a few other tips for using your rill press for something other than oiling holes (ike installing thread- ‘ed inserts). Plus there’s even a quick table and fence that expands themetal table to triple its size, “These tipsare timesaving, simple, and have been proven in our shop. ‘Now try them in yours. the bit and verify the alignment. ‘When setting the table at an angle, many newer drill presses hhave index markings and an indice {or on the table support for making this easy. However, many older drill presses don't have this feature ‘Ahandy way to check the angles to use the miter gauge from your table saw, The frst thing to do is set the miter gauge for the desired angle. Then place the gauge through the center hole inthe table, Rotate the table until the bar of the miter gauge is in line with the col ‘umn of the drill press and the dail bit, as shown in Fig. 2.Basic Fence & Tabli Unlike a table saw, router table, or >and saw,a dril press doesn't come with a fence —and the table isn't very bigeither, So addingan auxiliary table and fences a good idea. ‘The table shown at right isa piece of 34" plywood cut to 16" x 24". The fence is made from “two-by” stock and is cutto the same length as the auxiliary table, A small chamfer is ‘made on the bottom edge of the fence for sawdust clearance. ‘One end ofthe fence has a hole drilled for a carriage bolt: The bolt head is recessed into the table as shown in detail ‘eat right, (Ihe other holes allow for greater adjust. 3. Using Bit as a Spacer ‘When drilingaholectoseto the edge ‘ofa workpiece, trying to measure from the fat fence to the round dill tit can be difficult. Instead, set the spacing by using a drill bit the same size asthe desiced distance from the edge ofthe piece tothe hole, race the shank end ofthe spacer it between the fence and the bit being used. Then adjust the fence sothe spacer is just touching both. ‘ment when deiling in langer pieves.) the fence. And a clamp is used on the opposite end to lock it in place. A washer and wing nat top off the bolt, which acts as a pivot point for To adjust the fence, loosen the cclimp and pivotthe fence slightly. ‘The whole assembly can be ‘mounted to the table with screws, bolts, or witha pair of clamps, 4. Finding Center of Stock Drilling overlapping holes isa quick. vay to rough out mortises. But cen- teringthe bit onthe workpiececan be areal challenge sometimes. Instead of taking an extra step in marking out the center ofthe stock, use this quickand reliable method. Setthe fence by eye a first, Then drill ashalow hole on a test piece to show the location ofthe: the drawing below, Next flip the piese ‘endfor-end and ¢rill another shal- low hole directly on top ofthe first. Iftwo distinct outlines of the bit are visible, the bit is not centered, Adjust the fence slightly and test ‘again. When the two holes line up perfectly the bit is centered, ‘This technique works best with a Forstner or bra¢-point bit, Their design produces cutlines that make it easy to see the location ofthe bits. 5. Framing Square Tip (Often Ineed to make a small run of ‘identical pieces for a project. And ifa hholeneedls to be dried in each piece Inthe same spot try using a framing ‘square, The square acts as both a fence and a stop block, Just place the workpiece under the bit where the hole will be drilled. ‘Then set the square around the workpiece and clamp it to the drill press table as shown below. ee repeat uni holes areidendcal 6. V-Notch. Cutting a notch in the fence prevents the chuck from ubbing when dling close to the fence or when using short bits,10. Accessory Bar, Placing a magnetic ‘baron the housing of te cl press provides a handy storage place for ‘small accessories. Installing a threaded insert can be tricky. You need to apply enough ‘downward pressure to get the threads to grab, while at the same time keep- ingthe insert from goingincrocked. ‘The drill press is an ideal tool to help with this. Itwill keep the insert square, and it lets you apply plenty of downward pressure, Start by drilling the hole for the insert. Then find a bolt with the same threads as the inside of the insert and cut the head offthe bolt. Now before you chuck the bolt into thedrill press, thread the insert onto the boltalong with a pair ofhex: nuts, see detal ‘a’ at right. threaded insert is next. First position the piece under 8. Hole Saw Relief ‘When using hole saws, thesmall saw teeth cut slowly and often burn the workpiece. But aclearance hole will help solve this. It prevents the teeth from clogging by allowing a place for the sawdust to collect. This not only reduces the burning ‘of the wood, butt prevents the saw from dulling. Another advantage is that since the saivdust is removed, the sawis able tocut much faster. First, start with a hole saw and ake a cu jst deep enough to see theoutine of thesaw (Fig 1). ‘Next, drill a relief hole on the cut line left by the hole saw, as shown in Fig. 1. (A Forstner bit works best.) Finally, reinsert the hole saw and ‘complete the hole (Fig. 2). 9. Drilling on the Round ‘Tomakedeingsholin rund sock a snap, I use a simple V-block. It Trees ceca) ote Ni being drilled by aligning the bitdead center on the stock. To make the block, set your table ‘saw blade ata 45° angle. Then make two intersecting cuts to form a 90° che the (a tbe Voce Positioning the V-block is just 2 matter of using asmall bitor a point- ered GHA ae ae et tom of the channel with the rod tip, as in detail ‘a’ at right. Then just clamp the Vblock to the table. the insert and dampit tothe table. ‘Then slowly turn the chuck clock wise by had, as shown in the draw- ing above. At the same time, slowiy add moderate pressure on the quill feed lever, and the insert will begin tapping itselfinto the wood. ‘Once the insert is threaded, lock the spindle in place. Then, loosen the lock nuts and remove the bot. Positon vbiock, Sa rbitircentered ‘ondowel |) (scedetal a") A a WoodsmithMAIL ORDER SOURCES (OURCES Sintar ject supplies and hardware may ‘ARTS & CRAFTS CLOCK ordered my parts from Kleckit. be ordered from For the Arts & Crafts clock, you'll Their phone number and web —_— the following reed a quartz clock movement, adéressare in the margin. Here are companies hands, and a dial face, like those outside edge of the face to the other) The time ring diameter the part numbers for the pieces 1 face of the clock, I used awing cut ter. These can be found at some shown in the photo at right. used: the clock face is 28541, the paeretnste Forthecloc fas, youl want one hands are 67015, and the quartz eee with a dial diameter of at least 414". movement is 10082. 3 bras com (This is the measurement from one WING CUTTER. To cut the hole in the zZ Crapmanetye bine vino Hingee should be about 3". (This is he hardware stores and home centers A A battery-powered clock move- moenieee Dart of the dial you'll see with the or from several of the mail order ment is the heart ofthe Arts &? sera com numbers and time markingson it) sourceslisted at right. Crafs clock on page 18. Sia bib act CRAFTSMAN-STYLE CABINET PULLS & HINGES. The angular ring _‘Thehingesforthedoorshould be 00-556-2518 The cabinet on page 6 eombines tra- pulls and butt hinges came from frly common (sec the list alrigh), __wormMeeitom ditional and modern hardware, The Horton Brasses. (Contact informa: ‘They're just 1%e" x 2" butt hinges Cust movement pullson the drawers and door add to tion is in themargin.) The ring pulls with an antique brass finish. neces the period look of the cabinet. The area mission style pull (partMS-13) DRAWER SLIDES. The drawers arc Roctler Wixiworing drawer sles are amodern conven- and measure 1%" x 2¥/", When mounted on 16"fullextension draw- 800-270-4441 ‘encethatallow youto pullthe draw- attaching the pulls tothe drawers, ersldes. Theseare carried by many Smeswercom, ersalltheway outso you can resch you'll need to substitute longer home centers and hardware stores Stamatis | ] etieteskcomers: ‘machine screws (32x 14"), aswellas the sourceslisted here. ponte ca smoeent & hone BARRISTER’S CDCASES ass panel, [wait uniil the door is ‘ONLINE EXTRAS mons The only hardware needed io build built before having the glass cut to ‘Toreally getthemos.out of your dill yawwoatersicon the CD cases on page 22 is. small size. For the CD cases just measure press (and io useit safety) itsimpor- "Sal ras hots, brass knob foreachdoor afew wood- betiveen the rabbets on the back of tanttorunthe bitsatihe properspeed hoe Wings, serews and gles peneleforthe doors. thedoor and subiact'4 fom cach You ean download a free drill press Pride Oe KNOBS. The brass knobs are avail- measurement to allow a bit of speed chart from our web site (see ""™"*" able romsome ofthe sources ited “breathing room.” box below), Tohaveacopy mailed io Weodsmith Sore at right, The ones Tused have a filf DOTS. The selfadhesive felt you, send aselfaddressed, stamped __S00.895.5084 screw stud so they can be driven dots that keep the door from bang- #10 envelope to Snail as kot, rightinto the lower door rail Thisis ing against the case can be found at Woadsmiith Drill Press Chart Phoifeweyse att made easier ifyou drill pilet hole. erait and hobby stores. You might BO. Box 842 gary uss. When I make a door with a even find them ina hardware store. Des Moines, A 5304 Woodmorker® Surety 100-615-9292 Sail rot Hl, Wing ters ‘Drover ses, Clock smoremerts hands 1 Vi Our ener Pet Phos Calley * Prot Pans Yo Cm Download + Catalog of Project Ks, Tools, Jigs, & Plans + Forums for Woodworking, Tools, & Classiieds: + Links to Othe Woodworking Sies + Onder Wendaith & Shop Noten Bade fies www.woodsmith.com No. 137 WoodarnithUPS Fore ikea flied barister's bookcase, the doors here fib up and slide nto the case, And the sections stack ontop ofeach ‘ther, 0 the projet cam “ow with yen election of Bs, Plans start cn page 22. A Clamp Storage. Compact, convenient, ad ready to customize, thiseasyto-ld caddy pats clamps ct your fingertips when younced them and rol out ofthe way when you dont ‘Step-bystepmsmctions begn on nage 28. ‘A Craftsman Style Cabinet. This wel oporioned Craftsmen deals buts bul with modern conveniences ike plywood and metal des ‘Complete plans can be fond on page 6. 2 Arts & Crafts Clock, A few dllrsarda @™ few hows ae all ou need to bul his hand- ‘same cock. Tito page 18 for details.