NO.

47

t)

NOTES FROM THE SHOP

$2.50

.;_.1:

'\\1'1:)( lSI I.&.&!

Number 47

October, 1986

Eal1O<
Donald B. PescI1ke

Design 1lI<eda<
Ted Kralicek
AssiS18nl EIi!oIS

Steve Krohmer
Douglas L. Hick.

Douglas M.Udale<
TechnocsIllluslra(OfS
David Kreyllng
Mike Henry
Jim PrIll
Subsa1ption Manager
Sanely J. Baum
&JbscriptJon _nlS

Christel Miner
VIcky Robinson

J4ck1e Slroud
PatKoob
Compu1er Opere""",,
Ken Miner
A<fmInistralive Ass!stanls
Cheryl Scott
KateBauma

Bulliding MaIm""""""
Ar""le Knruoe

WOODSMITH (ISSN 0164-4114) is ptJbIished

bin)on1IlIy (February. April, June. Aug\JSt. OCIober,
1lecen1be<) by _"""lh
P\IbIIsI1ing Co.. 2200

Ira_

Grand Ave., De.~.lowa503'2.

WOODSMITH Is regisl."'"
01 .he
Woodsllilh PIJIJIISI1ing Co.
<CopyrIght1986 by WoodsmIlh PublIShing Co.
AI Rights Reserved.
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BACK ISSUES

AD bad< Issues 01 WoodsmIfh are $1111 .vailable.

Send to< a free booIde. describlf1g the COI'IlenlS
and
pricas 01 all back Issues.
SAMPLE COPIES
Hyou have a friondwho would likolO ...... <:epy 01
Woodsmlth. jusI send 1hename and addltlSS, and
well send a sample (a. no 0051),

Sawdust
ABOIIT nus ISSUE. Otcasionally I like to

But with pieees 2' to I long, thi. can be

build thinllS just for the shop. One project
an awkward maneuver at best, Boards this
I've been wanting to build fora longtime is 10llgtend to be a bit too heavy to grab and
a new stand (or the table saw,
pull up comforlabl"
The metal slands thUI tYllically come
That"~ why I've wanted a convenient
with table saws are okay, bUlth~y <!Ouldbe outfeed table. One that attached righl to
much more helpful WIth little Ih"ught.nd
the saw. but could be e!llSlIy folded away.
effort. It would be nice, ror ill<I:UIC". if G"'8t idea. The only problem was desil(nthey provided a way to hold lh~ th, -e-e ing a way to auach the table to the ';'1W.
essentials: lh~miter nUf(C-. ril) r(nc(.. an,1
I n one brain-srorrning session, we finall)'
arbor wrench. [lut lh.y lI"n't.
came up with a design that work.s. If.
That's all I had in mind I~'I I.'gall I" ~lIllpl". _). to build, and does the job, [f
think about a n('~'stand. Then rn.\' "'\\'nnt you don't add M)'thing else to your saw,
list- began to grow. Addinl( a way to <atth .dd thi... utfeed table.
sawdust moved closer t(llh~ LUI",flh. h.t.
CIIQICt;,;.A fWr talking so much about
Then it came to nl~th.tlhN"_' was an .11 ful tabl. saw- I want to add one more cornlot of wasted.p.c~ beneath the table
mr-nt, About half ofthi~ issue ofll'clOd$milll
that could be used fur Storage.
OOl1<l('ntn.tu",,,,projects for table saws. And
The cabinet/stand that c\,Q"'OO (shown thut '_1,,,,101(to roo."" problems for everyone
on page 41 has 1,,'Ovidudmere than storage.
who u.c. ;. "'''luI! ann saw as his principal
I was surprised to feel. new sense of order
piece of equipment,
and ol'l(3llization around the saw. In the
The choice of equipment for II woodworkpast the saw quickly became the center of ing shop <an stir up a heated debate in a
chao, in the midst of 3 project.
hurry lly fueling is this: Radial ann saw!'
Things seemed to accumulate around 'he
arc designed for and excel at co""truction
saw to the point of being a hazard. Now work (cutting dimension lumber to length).
with the new cabinet, all those things have Thble SQ'VS are designed for and excel at
phtce within easy reach under the saw.
woodworking (both ripping and C1'05S cutThere's one other thing about this cabi- ting lumber for cabinetmaking),
net. As with any project shown in Wood
That'S why we lise table saws to build the
$mitl" it can be altered to lit your need . In P''Ojeets shown in W(JQ(!$I/Iilh. I know 'his
the case of this cabinet, J would encourage
causes probtems and some frustration far
alterations - particularly as it affects the tbose with radial ann saws. But with the
height of the saw table.
limited amount of space we have. we can
I've worked with Sears. DeltalRockweU), only show one tool.
Powermauc, and L\lCA table saws. Every
PLANES. That debate aside. there's one
one has a different working height - f!'Om other tool I consider essential to every
34" on the Delta/Rockwell (which is too low shop. I couldn't gel by without 3 wellfor me) to;l9' on the INCA (which is too hip:h tuned, well-sharpened hand plane.
for me).
I knew not everyone shares my enthuOne way to determine a oomfonable
siasm for planes. The biggest difficulty
working height is to mca.su re from ttw Ooor seems to be sharpening the plane blade.
to the top of your pants. then subtract :r to And the biggest obstacles to sharpening
4". Another way is to measure from the Ooor are I I working with a grinder, and 2)
to a point midway between your wrist and
holding the blade at the right angle for
elbow. On me, these measurements oome honing.
out beeween 36" and :l'i". So I built the
The sharpening technique we're showcabinet with the working height ofth~ table
ing in this is._uesolves both or those probsaw at this height.
lems - by eliminating them, You don't
OUTFE&D TABLE. \Vhether or not you
need a grinder (a simple steel plate works
build the cabinet. there's one addition to a JUSt as well), and there an! honing guides
table saw that's well worth the effort, The
that hold the blade at exactly the right
oUlfeed table (shown on page 10) iS3 dream angle. Sharpening couldn't be easier,
come true.
[f you haven't tried it, spend ju,t one
For years I've struggled with roller evening to master the technique of sharpstands and various holders to support
ening. All il takes is the feel or that one
boards on the outreed side oC the Lablesa":
perfect shaving from a well.sharpened
They help, but they're notlhe best an,,'Wer. plane to make Il all worthwhile - el'peThe worst situation seems to O<'cUT when cially if it's fram a woodell IIlane you've
ripping mediumlength pieces (about 2' to made yourself.
4' in length). As the cut i. oompleted. I
NEXT MAILLOO;G.
The December issue of
usually tip the piece off the end of th. saw, Woods",il" INo. 18) will be mailed during
grab the end. and lift it back.
the week of l)ec(,mber29, 19.'l6.

..a"

\VOODSMITH

___

T_i~s& Technigu_e_s __
transferred (healed) onto the wood project.
lh('logo will once again appear correct.

HfATDECAlS

In IVoodsmilll No. 45 there was a tip from

Keith Anderson explaining how to copy

patterns onto wood from a pbotocopy

(Editor' s .Vote: Keith crplaim'll iloll' 10
copy Q p/lbloropinl palterll uuto 1100<1 by
'inmi,tg" 1/". back 0/ t.Iu: pauer .,.ill, "
clolh~ iron, The heal transfer uu illk 10'lr
from the phol.txopy di,.,,<tl!/to thr u'OOI/,)
The uses for this method of image transfer
as -hea~ decals" are almost unlimited. For
example, toydelivery trucks with the 101!:O
of
a local business. or wooden plaques or boxes
with an old ad"erti,'cment would be unique
at a trnft fair. Or you could even transfer
yOUT own homemade "handcrall.ed b~c-logo
to personalize a projccl.

[ discovered that ",qjnlt a woodburning

pen connected ID a standard light dimmer

TAP ObGIfrriAL

ORIGiNAl

LOGO 10 TRANSFER

SKrn -

tOGO

_J

LIK

Note: If you have access to a photocopy

IlIlIcbine Lhal can make a copy 011aeetate (.
clear plastic sheet), you can quickly make
the backward copies by copying the logo on
the neetate first. Then turn the acetate over
in the photo>py ~hine to ~t the back-

_/

In II'IIO(/R,,"IIINo. J4 there's a technique for

making nliter and dovetail key joints on a
box. After gluing the keys into the joint. it
WIIS recommended that the excess be cut olf
close to the box with a fine-toothed saw.
I tried iton thetirstcornerbutit
was hard
to keep from scratching the side of my box
since the saw teeth have a slight set on the
side of each tooth. 10 proteei the wood on the
next COI"II('T. [ placed a piece of Formica (or
poster board) on the side of the box. Then [
laid the side of lhe >;IiW on the formica and
cut the keys,
If the Formica is placed so its edge isn't
quite up to the keys, the side of the saw leeth

ward (mirror image) com'

\Vhen transferring the copies to wood.
tape down the photocopy along one edge 80
that the progTOS$onhe image C'an be periodically checked. If an area i!ID'tdark enough,
keep working over it with the hot pen until
more toner is released. It takes a little
practice IDdetermine the correct amount of
heat and time to keep the woodburning pen
from burniog the wood.
Most common finishes will work over the
IOboo. bul experiment first. I've had success
\\ilh Deft Clear Wood Finish and shellac.

I'OOMICA '" P'OSTt~ IOAID

ICfEPS SAW Ttmt FIOM

SCWCI<ING SlOE0< eo.

'\

won't cut into the Formica rnnking it easier

to complete the cut. After the keys are
Da"ville. Klmll(ky trimmed off
shave offany e.xeesss with
Edit",.'sNQlc: IVclri,:d lmll:;jb'ritlg a lO{}Qto a sharp chisel.
IIloy (nu:k (_ phl)[oaoo"e)/ol/ou'ill9 Ouy's
L.. A. Dlmtl
81Iggcstio)l8 a,u/ ,t'(!Ttl i))lpressl'd u;;ill the
We.t 8""d, WillelltUrill
drtllil. 11'< <Well t,ied '<8illg $OmcIJ[ 'ke '!e",,'
Guy

WOOOBURHlNGPN

TRIMMING OfF KEYS

,,,grail'

switch allowed the precise control needed to

transfer very intricate designs to wood.
The mirror-image problem Keith men- color p/wI<)copy uULeiti",'$ u! a local cupy
tioned can be easily corrected. First, make a ITnierandhod good resldls.
standard Ilhatocopy of the logo you want, on
Some b,u,uf. of p"oIIJcopirn< use a 10ller
your project. NeJIt. transfer this copy to t)lIll<&mesoff whel. rubbed willi all oil jilli8/1
another pieee of paper with a woodbunling
or 1IIulC>- lacqulJr suet: a8 Deft. 81t/ a .,.,,1
pen. Use a series of light passes with the pen coat ofslld/ae OL-er the logoproIeds theumer
on the back of the photocopy with the dim- from mosf/op lIlls.
mer switch set. for a medium heal. This
We ttsrd a II'oOOo"",iI19 pen tital's .fte>1
produees a bad.~vard(mirror image) logo on ..sed by car_,. wllo mak. m:w.iltd!ealhcr
the tnInllCer sheet.
itlg 011 duck ckr.<1fls.see SOllrces. pq.ge04.

.1""""

FINISHING NOOKS AND CRANNIES

I reeenlly built a eouple Model T toy trucks.

\\'ilh all the nooks and crannies I was hesi-

tam about appl~ing a finish \\~thOULspray

equipment.
To solve the problem I used a spray bottle
(such as a Windex bottle) filled with \Vatco
Danish Oil and in a few minutes my trucks
were complete.

Dermis Bastia

PREVENTING STATlC SHOCK

My shop vacuum has a plastic hose lbat

builds up quite a static charge when the
vacuum is running. \Vhen I used it to clean

Caluttlei.ll!icltigalt

1---,,------------1
SIND IN YOUR IDEAS

uparoundJXIwedoolR,lgotshocksfromthe
f----------------i
statie electricity generated by sawdust
Hyou'd lil(e 10shere a woodwol1<ing bp with other
NOli::

IF .... IS

1OO~_
"""WOOO
WlLlIURN

traveling through the hose.

To prevent the shock. 1 "ired 8 piece of
cImin IDthe bottom of'thevacnum, The chain

drags

On

the concrete Hoorand grounds out

the eharge.
Now taka the backward logo copy to the
photo>py machine and make. f1-eah.tonerrich copy of it. When this backward eopy is
WOODSMITH

GaryPaule

Davis/ytI .11iclligatl

readers 01 Woodsmith. send your Idea to:

WoodSlTUlh. Tips & Tochmques. 2200 Grand

Ave . Des Maines, iowa 50312We

pay. minimum01$10

10<bps. and $150r

rno<e for special techniques (tIlal are aocePled

for publicatlcn). Please give a complete expIanalion 01your ide a, 11a sl<elch Is needed. send .1
along: we'" draw a new one.

Table Saw Cabinet

MAKING USE OF WASTED SPACE

ThIS cablll('1 IS jl1.<1. what 1\'" al\\il~'5\\ IUl't"(1 ftJr m,. table saw. It
add~ W"lb"'t and ,Ulbility. it mlL<
a\\8)' fur ..l(trag v. It haK H sawdust
cotlecuon "Y"hm in the cabinet.
and it tun .. nil the w"'teel "",'ee
under thl' N\\' illlO much-needed

Th~,,' III('C(" are wider

than th,'y arv long, <Ce J!TIlindi-

':\01"

recuon

Fill. S.)
l>IVIU':'L~. FilUllly. cut the two
di\'id,"'" (I) ,",,1 E) 10 a length of

171 J~"and to a width of23~". see

Fill. 3. (Kot,; These dividers are
114 norrt .." (Or than the other
pieec-, 10 allow for a
baek.)

1',

"Iorage.
But bo'[on' Keltinlt' into the constnlct10n ofthl' CMbi.l(t.;o.omet.h.i.r.'ig
,houJd he oaioI about It- -iz,.._ Thb
...bin... "iII")mf~rt.,bl> support a
:iear< lIT table .. " or a (klta
(Rockwell) ",.. ('ont,.acto,., :;a",
\TIw 0\ eno.lI ....ldth of tht- ",bin< t j,
>izl'd to 6t und,'!' tho AAW with

ItAlIans AND

the ~x major piee<:, "ere CUI

10
'. I laid 001 the positions of
tho nahbeu and dado.-,. used to join

tN-m 1"I:l"lher
It. unportant to lay oot t.be.e
nru so tN-,..,..-ill be mirTured set<

n",h"lfht of the ""b'''''l ,.hown

here .. 2:l~
(wIth ....,t("'I. This
put.; the worldlll! heij!ht ofbolh the
::ieaT1< and Ddt" saws at l!6v,.
(whieh i.th( ""'lie "-' the Sear. saw
Oil a s._'a... stand, but :!: higher

M.,""'II'

CUT PIECES TO SIZE

Istarted work on the cabinet by cutlin!! the

.1.< main piect>, (ItIt, top bottom, ends, and
divid .... )lo ftnAl.ib>
a 1'''1>'sheet of ,.
bin:h plyw ocd (8in:h iI' a little more expensive than COX fir pI)'\\oOO. but the IinaI
appl"at'IIK:C .. \\ orth il..'

mom

TOP DO'TTOMf'i",l. rut thp t.lpllt.Uum

,)iect',AI to a I,njrth or~ and to a width
(If:!:l :.""" fjlf. I.
ES!>:>.;\<,t cut two end pi"",,,, \B and (1
to a "'n~>thof :'~I
.nd to th. same width a;
the trJIIIbc,tt"m I~:o.. :!:rY.t'. :"".\.'rJ~ :!
cumNG

F D~rlunn

G kpototon(2)
H Shelf ClotCIh(.,
I 8od&
tl,
J She ....... ('1)
It Sm. Orwr 'tOf'Ih (.,
l ..... o.wr""'h{'"

Pon.'

M Sm

SId. (a)
N'_" Orwr: SHIft (a,
Owr.

o Stn Orw.-IoduC.'
, lit

o~
I c:otm.r Front

tJ ,.

WOoot Ro,l. (2)

X DoorPoMI(I,
Y Co.1tMPodt(.,

rc lolk 1 II, t",11n FI(:. 1.

:Sole '11.k''('I' Ihlng' simple, all of the

rnl.brlo. dad_. "n" J'TI)ol\'e,faT the basi.
c;lbUlCt lin ~ul to a ('0 ,nll1<>nd"Pi" of """,
only tilt "itllh \-ancs
DlAGaAM

7.:..- .:"

Eli.
p

"',. J[ 1
'." MM_. 17':11/ .... 39
.J."p4y..7v...12t/.

.1

~:_",.l ....

NOn: cur. ntonlM

S"'I" AtOM WASil
AlSO tfOUIltU

~. ~AJ1)'2-.1"

X 3' ... 11",4

''.., 5' 11''/,

3',.

13~:.
\,.S' .._13J..
\-i.2" ..-11'.
III .. - 11'.
\,

lit

."Mos..xl\t, 13
lock (2) '\.)1; '1-1OJ-.

S CotcNtStdM(2)
T~1~(2)
U Cootc:htt d.cm (2)
V Ooot-Sfllfl(2)

,V,.

tty,.

c., \.,...
...'..,.(a)

Orwt IIoc:b

'.

'11.'1... 13
1;_".pty.)I; 12~.

Bark

..
.. ..

23 ".. h. 40" w)[ , ..' ." d

111.- pIy.. 23':'.39
'.- pI),o23"" 20
, ply. 23""' 20
'. ...y..23Y,17'~1.
\."p)'o.23'h.17'O/,.

....(16)

I" k... 'P t~

titl'8lj!ht. I marked
tilt front and _k edges of each
ah;o, tbc f_ that will
halO' alilhe ,'UI&.M'C Fig. S.
IIA( " HAIIII.:n;. Start by JayIIII! "ul a",1 .utting rabbets for
Ih,' ~,.
baek, These rabbitl' ,ll,ltUllh4' iru..irle back edge of
th. I'.J I ''''lttlll1l J,i("C('::, (A) and the
llUOlfl.,t);lc'k , .. Ijoti()r bI.t h (",tiS j B and C), see

,....,' ,.1

than the normnl Delta ",,1.111'.)

o-..oN ~'*"'

DADOES

(Ino,,,,

t.\lf..'rmotl
"I~.)

A lop httttm (2)

a t.ft End(1)
C lighl End (1)
o ....1Ot'vi"(')
f IIth'Oivkt.t(1)

10

~.~~~.t6

r-

0
G

~.x2 ..1".
.Ma$...\t/ , ..,.
........ 114 - 21
';".,I/ l"Pr,.
,''; It "1
, OV.

I,,,," peg 10'/ lSV,.

%p'y..4

..S

0
J

E
~

v v
WOOOSMITH

BOTrOMRABBETS.Next, lay OUtand cut

the rabbet. to join the bottom to the ~nd>.
These rabbets are on the bottom edJ(e of
both end pieces (B and C), see Bottom
Rabbet Detail in Fig. 4.
Note: The width of these rabbets should
equaltheaclual thidmessofthe plywoodwhich is usuallv little shv of
for hardwood plywood ..'But LOkeepthmgssimple, all

...... ,

'I

....

v,

t.~.,."
BAq< ........

I$E AG. 4)

measurements are MO\~nas ..".

TOP DADO.Now lay out the positlon of
tbe dadoes ihat are used to join the LOp (A)

to lh~ ends (8 and C), To determine lhe

location of these dad_ I wanted to plan
ahead to allow cnou~ spate for the drawers below it. This requires an overall opening of 1;-,. (or tWO 3~"higb drawers and
two oVt".high drawers witb R 1,'1f1- gap
betweeneach drawer and the cabinet.
"'hen Ihad this measurement Iworked
from the bottom edge up-c--allowing v," for
the bottom rabbet (refer to Fig. 2). plus
17;<.. for the drawers, plus Y' for the
thickness of the LOp (A). This le1\ 1 '" as
the measerement from the top edge to the
top of the dado, see ~ig. 2. (This position
creates a raised edge to keep things from
sliding off the cabinet, refer to photo.)
DRAWER RUNNER DADOes, After the
top dadoes are CUt, there are four more
dadoes fOl'the drawer runners in the end
piCCC$(8 and C) and dividers (0 and E),
see Figs. 2 and 3. However, the problem
with Ial~ngout these cuts is that you're ltlll
working with the same measurements on
theendsascnthedividers. Theendshavete
accommodate the LOp and raised edge that
extends above the LOp.
To lay out the first (top) rt"W~dado on
the ends (8 and C), measure clown 3" from
the top edge. Then continue 10 work your
way down Ial~ng Out the remaining dadoes
as shown in Fig, 2.
Note: All of the measurements for the
positions orthe dadoes (shown in Figs. 2 and
3) are taken Ii"", the top edge of the workpiece to the top edge of the dado. This is the
same mcasorement needed when setting up
the saw - it.'s the measurement from the
fence to the dado blade.
RUNNER DADOES ON DIVIDERS. The lop
runner dado 'Ill the dividers (0 and E) i.
only 10/,,"from the LOpedge, see Fig, 3.
Note: For ease of construction on a table
saw \\'e'\"e shown all of the runner dadoes
going all the way to the back of the cabinet.
But lhe drawers only run part of the way
back. To get a slightly neater appearance.
you could use a router and .tOP the dadoes
14' from the noont edge,
SEPARATQROROOves. After the runner
dadoes are cui. lay OUI and CUt the vertical
grooves for the separators (C) that divide
the drawer compartments from the shelf
COmpartments, refer to Figs. 7 and 8 on
page 6, Locate these groove. 14" from the
front edge ofthe ends and dividers, see Figs,

-..J

-12:...

AGUft.

eNOS

\I.- Jr

..

~;.-

OAOO
(mAG.')

'4"--""

BOTTOM

-.j.,

1'"'---->3--

RABBET

DETAIl

.. 3
1.. ,

.~
...
J

OMORS /"

.L!....
7''1,.''
131/."

,.oy, !
....

I ---

I[

t
r~.

GtoOVE CSEHtG,

-l[

-,
.-

.
i,

'\ 't"
1/.":11.

'

OA00

_:::I [SEE fIG.'"

. .. ...
'

lWAIk

.~

j. .-'_"':::==.,:!":!
1"'4----23"-

TYPICAL
OAOOl
GROOVIO

'='

FlGUIfS

@
lUI
IlMOEIt

Zane! 3.

WOOOSMITH

DRAWER RUNNERS

.......
0

After the rabbets. dadoes. and WOO"""are

cutin the six main pieees. work can begin on

the: drawer runners,
Start by cutting 16 runners (~1
I/O"thick

DRAWiR

RUNNEl

and to width to match the dadees, see Fig. 6.

Th help guide the drawers into place, I
sanded a slight chamfer on the front comer
or each runner, see Detail in Fig. 6.
After the runner. are cut to size, glue
them in so the front of each runnel' 15flush
with the front edge of the end or divider.
AGUtl7

SIMRATOtS AND SHELF CLEATS

Tlwrt"s a separate compartment in the back
of lhe cabinet that has space for shelves. see
Thll
in Fig. j, The shelves are held up
"ith L->hapOO pinstyle shelf supports ..e.

' '"W

~
IIIG'" ./
DI'IIOll

SEPARATORS
(1WO-J

171( '

l)ptail in Fig. 12,

SEPARATORSTo hold the shelf supports
(and nl....give the cabinet rigidity), I cut '1'\-

_,..

v.
1-2',,

--

-.,...

.1

ItIGHT

..

END

MOU!'.'TING !tou:s.

,!.

418. 1,... FfI

~

Next, to m01mL the

cleats (1) the cabinet, drill three COlin tel"

"unk h"l in each cleat. see Fig. 7,

_ ....
WOOOSCJIEWS -

plywood -eparaters (Gl to tit between the

ends and dividers, see Figs. 7 and 8.
SHELF SUI'PORT CI.-EATS. Then to hold
the shelf supports at the baek of the cabinet, cut four cleats (H) from -I. 4 stock (''',.
actual thickness) LA> a width of 1- and the
same length as the separators, see Fig. 7.
SUPPORT 1I0u;s. After the separators
and cleats are cut to size, drill II{'holes for
the pin-style shelf supports. see F~g. 7. Th
keep the holes aligned in all the pieces, I
laid out the holes centered 011 on" of the
cleats and then used that cleat 3.' a drilling
guide for the other cleats and separators.
(Note: Since the separators fit into V<
deep grooves, center the holes in the
separators '11,- in from the edges.)
To make the pieces completely interchangeable
(which makes assembly
easier), I drilled the holes com/llc/ely
through the el...ats and separators and kepl
the hole. a wrifonn distance from each end.

SCREW

mal~

801lOM

ASSEMBLY

Once the holes

art'

drilled. assembly can

""!rin, Th cheek that e\".-,-thlng

Iits ail it
should, I started by dry assembling the
entire cabinet with screws (counterboring
the screw holes. sec Serew o.,tailin Fig. 10,)
0""", I was sure the cabinet \V!I.< square, I
took out the screws and then applied glue
before 6Cre"mg it back together;
The procedure I used fOI' assembly was to
start by attaching the dividers (D and E) to
the top and bottom aligning thefi-ont edges,
see Fig. 8. Next, fit the separators (GI into
the grooves in the dividers and glue and
screw from the inside, Then attach the ends
(B and C> to the top, bottom, and dividers.
And finally, glue and screw in the shelf

support cleat.s (H). sec Fig. 9.

Now plug all the counterbored screw
holes, sec k'ig. 10. (Note: See 'l'.ill<ingShop.

WOODSMITH

page 23, for atip on trimlningthe plugs flush

with the surfaee.)

SABRE SNN DTPJJ,

SHELf COMPARTMENT OPENING

When the baic cabinet is assembled. "JX'n

ing> ean be cut in the ends so the .h~lf
compartments can be reached from thesides
of'thecabinet, refertoFig.l2. 'nIJ-ret a clean
opening in the plywood, there's a nifty trick
uSing U sabre saw and u router,
SUu~ hy stancling the cahin"l UI' (In end
and lay Gut the opening with II pencil. (The
opening corresponds to the inside edges of
the cleat, top. bottom and separater )
Next, drill Y' holes at each comer about
y,.- j""id, the penciled outline, see Fig, 11.
Then rough CUL the opening with II sabre sa"
sta~ing aboUt v. inside tho outline. see
Sabre Saw Detail in Fig. U.
No", CO~ the trick. Toclean OJ' the last
,t, I used a llu..<h trim router bit with a ball
bearing pilot, see Sources. pag,,24. The pilot
runs again.<t the inside of the cleat, top.
bottom. and separaterwhile the cutter trims
up the Itt-<t ~;. orpl)'wood. 'C. Route,' Detail
in fig. 11.
BACK PANEL Next, cut lhe back panel
(I) frGm a piece of ~." Masonite to fit the
back opening created by th. rabbets. and
nail it to the back edit". of the dividers, see
Fig. 12.
SHELVES.Then cut the shelves (J I from
0/," plywood to fit in the shelf compartments, see Fig. 12.

FIGURE 1'2

RUBIS

{SEfIiG.

'41

TRIM AND fiLL

v.

1b eever all the plywood edges on the cabinet

and shelves. rip some thick trim strips
from 4i.J stock, see 8:1' I in Fig. 13. Then
cut them to width to match the thiekness of
the plywood.Step 2 in Fig. la.
AODTHt: STRIPS.Now glue and nail the
trim strips on with
brads and set the
heads, see f'ig. I~. (Note: The trim strips
Onthe back edges of the cabinet hold in the
back panel.) Finally. round over the top
edges with a I,{.0 round-over bit.
FILLTHE GAP", Alter adding the trim
snips. thercarea couple gaps on the inside
top of the ends that should be filled. (These
gaps were created when the grooves and
rabbets were ent.) 1b fill the gap. I cut 8
couple pieces or scrap and glued them in
place. see Fig. 14.

'0

SAWDUST OPENING

EI.

There's one more step to complete the basic

cabinet - <ulling the sawdust opening in
the top. This opening allows the dust and
chips to eelleer in a Vta.'tic trash bag mounted
inside the cabinet.
Cut 3 10' x 13"opening 21<,' from the back
edge of the top and centered between the
dividers (0 and E), see Fig. 15. (Note: 'fbi.
opening will fit both the 1000SeanlandDelta!
Rockwell saws, For other saws. check the
Openingon the saw and cut 3 etlrre;<ponding
opening in the cabinet.I
WOODSMITH

BACKYJEW
FtGUI 15

RGUII! 13

CUTOUT
MINOUSl

CUTTIIM

$'IIJPS_
414 STOCK

'.
AGUQ: 14

y.'

~::<,
,

. -.

,,--

A.._--

....

'DG'
I

I"

DIV....

_\;_JL_J.

II...

FRONt

o'onNG

'I

.....J
1:
T

'3"

'0"

.J

;=--

-"1-'I

I'~"
I.EFT

OM...

.I

-.

rorYiEW

,--

THE DRAWERS
After the cabinet is complete, the eigh~

drawers can be built to fi~the opening,

There are two drawer heigh~. but they're
both eonsnucted the "am" way.
DRAWER FRONTS. Begin by cULling the

tenD PUU. t-

fronts (K) for the four small drawers from

4,4 stock 10 a width of 3\1: and the fronUt
(L) for the four large drawers 10a width of
5V'. see Fig. 16. To determine the length
of all the fronts, measure the cabinet opening and subtract y," to allow for a y' gap
on each side,
ORAWER SIDES. Nexl, cut eight ~m.,11
on.wor <ides (~) anti eight largo drawer
side. (l'\) from ~. stock to match the width
"flh, fronts, and cut them all to. common
IVllh'lhof 13 .", _ f'ig. 16.
Thv drawer sides have LwO grooves. CUI
one gI'OOv,' ,. wide on the (mlaid~or each
drs".r ,",I,' (or IhI.' drawer runners to slide
in. AL"" cuI a V.. ...;,I. gI'OOveon the ill.ide
of .:lclI .I.-.wer id~ aJIrl drawer from to
aeeept the ,,_ bottom, see Fig. 18.
JOINTS TIl<' drawer sides are joined 10
the froms with rabbet joint", that are ,;(to
cured with screw . Cut the rabbets on the
drawer fron4'oto match the thickn ess of the
drawer side. (~=),
se e Detail in Fig. 16.
Then to accept Ih~ drawer back. CUI a
~ "\\~d. dado on the inside of the drawer
side. ~.- from the back edge.

FROM 1C)P(0Gf

Oft4CH_
5MA1LOCAWU
HEfGHT 3".WGEOUWtI
HaGHt = S~'.~

lUNNEa

GftOOV

Uif'1, ...

17

,.

',....tK)UNDOVI

Afltt..ss_

I~.
~~~~~~t...-~_;~--;""\I~GAI'S

~~~~I/

<:

DRAWER BACKS. Xow cut the drawer

backs (0 and PI [rom \0" stock to fil between the dadoes in the sides and wide
enough 10 rest on top of the drawer bottoms (right at the lOp of the gt'OO\ -es).

,,-GAIS

I
ftGUltf

19

fRONT

....

...

sroor'"
I

CHIP CATCHER

WOOO
SCUW

Ft.

Now clamp the drawer together and will

countersunk screw hole. through the sides
and into the front and back. see Fig, 16.
DRAV.'l:RBO'M'OMS.Tempol-drily screw
the drawer together. and measure and cut
.i"hl drawer bottoms CQlfrom '4- Ma..<onire to fit In the grooves and under the back.
No" :L"\.""'{'mhlt'each drawer with glue 3,~(1
sac"'" Then slid" in the bouom, and nail
it to the drawer back.
\Vhen the drawer is drv, round over the
il\>idetop edges. Then meunt a pull on rhe
front Qfeach drawer. see Fig. 16.
CHIP CATCHER

COtiSJRUCDON
< ..

The chip" and sawdust that fall throUj,th the

opening in the top oCthe cabinet are roughl
in a plastie trW! bag. 'lb hold the bag (and

#'.1''''

WOOOSCRI;W

make i\ easier to pull out for Cll1lltying), I

buill a chip catcher frame.
FRMu.:.Start by culling the frontlback
pieces (R) from 4'~ stock to a width of 2'
and a length of l(W.". see Fig. 19. Then cut

two sides (S)2" wide and 181'long.

Now CULrabbets on the front and back

CHIP
CATCHER
RUNNER

I'. THICI.. 1':6( WIDE

MASONn.

It

SI.,

FRONT

pieces, and screw the frame together. see

Fig. 20.
KEEPER GROOVE. The trash bag is held
to the frame with large rubber band or

"bungee" tie-down cord that fits in a cove

WOODSMlTI!

around the frame. ThCUl the cove, use a.

core box bit on the router table and rout all
four sides oflhe frame, see Pig. 21.
RUNNli!RS. The frame 'is heIr! in the cabinet with
Ma.."(Initcrunn ers (T) that 'ide
on tOp of a couple cleats, 1"(:f.,to Fig. iU.
Screw the runners down to the top edge of
the frame so the inside edge is flush with
the illlJid.of the frame, see Figs. 22 and 2:1.
CLi!A'TS.Next, cut two cleats (U) from
4A stock to a width of 1',,' and a length of
21', To hclp guide the frame into place,
chamfer the top (,,"'t corner of the cleats.
see Cleat Detail in Fig. 25.
Now SCI'eW the clealS to the divide rs 21','
from the front of the cabinet and 'fIG down
from the top, see ~'ip. 24 and 2'i.
I~"

ClOSS SECTION

'I,

lCJNGH
COlt.

I
TV.SIt \
IWl

DOOR

Mer I was sure the chip catcher would .Iide

"",,;Iy into the upening. I began work en the
door that cover; the chip catcher opening.
The door is made with a pegboanJ panel thal
provides additional space to hallg tools and
saw blades,
STILESANDRAlLS.I built the door using
stub tenon and W'OO\'c joinery (SeI: \rood
(,,,dtlt No. 29for more on making this joinl).
Firht. cut the lll.~ (\')from ~:' stock to a
width of 11'. and
in I~ngt.h than the
height of the opening. see Fig. 26. Then
measure lhe width oClheopenil1j(llndl'Ut the
rails ('1';1to length, >ubu1ldmg the "itlth (If
both stiles and a ,.' RUI)on both ,ide. of th,
door,and adding an allowance for the Y.'long
stub tenon. on each end. (In my ease, this
made the rail:; lUll,," lung.)
GROOVES AND TENONS.
ow cut \/.wide groove. (to accept the
pegboard
panel, on the inside edge of each stile an,'
rail. Then cut ,tub tenons nn the ends of
(he rails to match th~ groove s.
PEGBOARD PANEL. After the tenons arc
cut. dry assemble the frame, And cut the
pegboard panel (X) to size to, fit in the
grooves, see Fig. 26. Then glue the frame
together with the panel in Ihe groov ...s.
"TNGE MORTISI<$. Once the door is j!lued
together. L'Ut2"-long hinge mortises in the
len stile, see Fig. 26. (Note: Mortise to a
depth slightly less than the thickness of the
hinge knuekle.) Then mount the hinges in
the mortises, and mount the door to the
inside of the opening $0 that the faoo sets
back lhO from the front edge of the cabi-

~.-'e:;s

1..

.L

_-...
/

...rC"

10'1w,1~-

-lONG STUBTtNON
cut TO m GROOVE-

--.

}~~~l"::
':J!

~rr:::o ,

I. I.

s.... HOl.
1OMAJa<
HANot.

v.

o e

AGURE"l7

CIt"

CATCHU

/cwu

Ufl
DMDQl

roeYIEW

000II

,_\

OM...

<y;
net, bee Fig.
_"

HANDLEANDCATCH.To complete the

door add a handle (pull). and mount a
magnetic catch to the <livider and catch
plate on th~ back Dfthe 00<11'.
see I'ig. 27.
CA..<;TR
PADS.To bold casters to the
bottom of the cabinet. I glued caster pads
(Y) on each of the corners. Then I screwed
the casters to the pads, _ Fig. 2S.
fINL'iHJNG. J linishl'Cl the cabinet with
three coats of'Deft Ctear Wood Finish. and
then screwed the saw to the top with lag
screws and Masonite spacers. see I"ig. 29.
WOODSMITIl

Outfeed Table

LENDING SUPPORTAS YOU FINISH A CUT

----------------------.-\ft ... buiLI"'ll the table ... " eabmet Mown

oo~.
4, 1<I<'ci&><! to 0.1<1 an oetfeed tabl e.
I "ant,,1 thL- u.bl. ((I be J)<'nnnnently at
t.Il:h"lw tI...",'" tnot ..... parate unit that
has t"l",o('\ ul"'al'l, tilll<' you tL<e iL-llk~ a
roll"r .UH.Il.

I also wanted to IX' able to fold thl' outfeed

table "own IOth( """ ,,,uld tx-roU"d 8j!llJIl>t
a wall. This d"'Il'"I,,,,, ju't that. (And it talt
IX' buih to fit any"",'. with or without lh"
cabinet.)

.'

NOn:
NOfCH ONU' ()t4: /WI..
_KAt." flHCI .....

',.

""'-

-HOU

0WNt1-

10

WOOOSMln-t

Now clamp these pieces under the ply

flGUR!3

wood top Rush with lhe edges. and drill

ofthe arms. Then measure the distance from

the bottom oi the frame side (e) to the
bottom of the ann, see fig. 4. Now cut the
g~de railsto a length of J.2" and mount them
to the arms, see Pig. 5.
GUARD NOTCH. You,will have to cut out a
notch in the front of the table for thewety
guard. The notch has to be wide enough $0
the llIIard can tip to a ful1-15". For a Sear.
saw ill...
means,a notch about 2Y.1l' wide and
3'1.- deep. see Fig. 2.
CIIAM.FR EDGES. Arter the notch is cut.
rout a '1.'- chamfer around all the outside
edges of the table top and frame.

"

.. ~

SOEWS

1~'t"

1-1-1
-', t

r
&-',.'

1-

wOO(>.

0fIP

NOTE: COUNTB8OIlSCRrYJHOlES ~.-..DEEP

fIG<J'"

....

glOlS g,QlON

-,

IAIlfTOP

..

ANOAA/II

~,

l'l..

,9:

SHOUlI>

.. "US!<

~
.... 1..
WOOOSCIlW

.'

,D
GUIJ(

IWL

-'-

l'

','
l

../

AGUlf7

.'

1:-

I.
0U1 A

~I.~

f'IlOT HOU.,

2'" DEEJICfHTIfO

ASSEMBLY

The tabko is connected to the ann. with lag

screws used as ph'ot pins. To locate them.
clamp lhe table in place so the front edge is
aligned with the nold! in the right arm, see
fig. 6. Then drill through the front end of
the slot into the frdme side in two steps,
First. use. 1/,.brad point bitin the vr 8101
to drill in just enough to make a <"ntering
hole. see Step 1 in Fig. 7. Then drill a pilot
hole wirh a ",," bit, see Step 2. Finally, screw
in a V. x 2" lag SCI"'" with" washer (but not
too tight). see Step 3.
STOP PL"I. The last step is to prevent the
outfeed table from sliding out of position.
Clamp the table into place with the lag

screw tight .gainst the front end of the

slot. Then drill V'-dia. hole up from the
bottom throuJlh the glide rail and "....into
each of the frame .ide_, see Fig. S.
Then lift up the table and glue a '1,.long
dowel into the hole in the frame side, see
Detail In Fig. 8,
1\0\\ the table is ready to use. To PULit
into lbe "down" position. lift. up slightly
(enough to lift the pin out of the hole), slide
the table forward, and pivot it down.
WOODSMJTH

~c~:

....,

GLIDE RAILS

To support the table, 1 added giide ralls (F)

to the IlrnlS rA). To detennine the width of
t.he:ie glide rails, clamp the table between
the arms so lhe top is Rush with the top edge

P
,""1"-

f,..... - .

Now screw one stretcher under the far

end of the table and another 10l't"from the
near end. see t'ig. 2. Finally. drill and
screw through the side rrames into lhe
ends or the stretchers and plug all the
screw hole>'.see Fig. :I.
SUPPORT BLOCKs. To add a little more
strength to the pivot point on the arms. I
glued a support block (EJ to the front
(open) end or uach ann and rounded over
the bottom to a 'h" radius. see Detail in
Fig. 2.

SECI\ON

Ql,QSS

eounterborsd screw holes, see Fig. 3.

STRETCHERS.After the top is screwed
down to the sides, measure the distance
between the sides. In my ea.", this was
380/1.... Then cut two stretchers (D) to this
length.

ON

fI"'HO~

v(

,
~IN1O

fttAMf SlOE

Wrt'H.,r ctmtltED

, . 2"

AGAJ'N'ST

.....lAG SC.tEW

fNDOfSlOT

AGUREB

CROSS SECTION

1 LIFt u'

-...

..,.

SIOP PIN DJA!L

SlCWPlN

2 JOUUOUl

"-_I.

STOP PIN
-

HOlE

STOP"N

, ".

STO'PlN
HOUi ---.,..,

('.- ooWti)

II

Flattening The Blade Back

THE FIRSTSTEP TO A LASTING EDGE

iii,,,.Iu.", 1001-. A,1;uaIIy, I~hould rephral<e

1M'.h~hUyI like to sharpen tools. I enjoy

Ihe .h."",niflll" process and the rewards of
<r;!lIUnK' Indy tine edjre.

Yel. over the year., one of the mos t

IInlr!JIJ'tthings I've learned about sharp(flint.! it; that there are a lot of \\.'3~"$to
"PProoeh it. In (atl. I've changed my entire
"ppro:lCh several times ttyinl( 10 find way!;
to make it easier and still produce what J
COIlt'u:ler a

Vel)'

1+----_
2-1-----

..

sharp edge,

Althl)Ugh the techniques and equipment

mil(ht bave changed, one thinK r<'nlain;
true, The only way to l(el a sharp edge i~
III
hove 1.\\10 flat, smooth surfaces intersect,
The key here b that there an' t "to surfaces.
AU 100 often the $harpenlng process eon-

,-enQ-lIWSon the bevel of the chisel or plane

blade, But no matter how Oat and smooth
the bevel ih, the SIO<.'Ond
$tlrr- - the back
of the chisel or plane h!:tde - mU>I be o(
equal smoothnes s,
In (act, that's where the whole P""""'"
begins. When I get relldy to sharpen a new
(01' old.

(or that matter) plane blarle, I eon-

eentrate on Oattenin-g and smoothing the

back Iirst,

Althout it may seem smooth, the back:,

of most plane blade> are U>'tUIlJy covered
with a swirl of grinding marks, see photo
above. If these J!I'OOvesWore to remain, the
rielges and valleys woult! create a -",'I\'
lOoth" cutting edjre. So, the firsl step is to
remove all these marks and get the bsek
truly smooth and Oat.
To get the back Ilat Rnd smooth, the first
step is what might be called "grinding-, but
you don't use agrindinj! I\'heel. Instead, thi.
invol\'e.'Iitusing a coarse ab)"a.~i\c~urface to

quickly flatten the back and smooth ofTall

the ridges left by the fal101'y grinding.
GRtNDING THE BACK

I've iOllnd two methods thaI work weU.

Firsl is using a diamond stone. I've been
using diamond stones 10Oallen tbe backs of
plane bladO!"for aoout four year><anti fInd
them tough to beat. (f'or acampl.te ,..";",,
or diamond stones. see "'oodsJuitl, No. 24.)
F1GUH 1

I. Pul i"It~1 <III tiOlNJ.gril,filIi,'/' .((me

t. S'II(K)//rni (I" l(IO~,)-grit.lfflJtI~

4, Grol,.r/d 01' Slf' I plil/f
~. f'arll'ry

Jt ~113Jt

.~ (li;ul)(~ntt~tf"l4.'I....actualJ~'a plastic base

with :" nUl. steel surface. OIl top or thi:-. fiat
~wi~i:- .t l;i~'l'rof ftiaOKt,tcidtbl lhc"lt':-

imbedded il1.Ia~l'" ,,( nickel,

TIre om)' prtJIll,'m with Ilulnlclnd stones itthe C<bt- ~IO tn ~!.l (or -Ion. ~ in the sizes
n<.-"Ce'~lo work t,n IlI.tn, blllttl'?'.
Thcrr'!- UIl\ ,tth"r J)ruhl"ln I t-h()uJrl men ..
tion, Lately W(,," h".llnouhl, fio.jinJ,!lint

rliamQn(1 :-.lf)l:-,._ Ht'CllU/it' .tr;, rlt.:log\ m tht

manufa(.1;urinlt 1.1'0(."".... t))f; ~uI1nc."tIlr lht!
(tiamon<1 Sl()IIl" is ""\ ~tlu."I\ fhlt (~~(It.a
$OtJI"t.'C (or flat C'iia.n'KJo-ll"l()JU;, !'of,'C IXI~i'
2-1 )
81'1-:1.PLAT. An allt'l"lIati, (. lfl lhi'
lnodel"ll technf.lujQ' of ." .lial"flll(J ~tllnl' i:- a.
meth()(l the Japanl'~'" ha,.., u:>(',1for l't'll'
twie~.It'~ j,l:.-l U ~(l ~tf!'f'l},late lhut'~
sprinkled \\;t h ,i1icon carhid, I",'nil",
To "Sf' th~ ,t.~1 "lAte I.) nalll'lI I h~ back
of 3 plane blade. WN the ,;U"(3('(> so it hao g

thin. even film o(waler on ,t. Th.n ,pnnkle

a pillch o( 22O-grit "lil'<>h <"rbln. powd.r

on the platt? (&>t! l"~~{'~1(or ...fJUrw:(' fnr

stecl plate and silicon carbide po"der.)
SIUCON CAtalOE

Add" drop or two of water and swirl the

back ofthe plane blade overthis mixture 10
even it out on the steel plato. Now you
have to work.
Plane the back of the plane blade Oat on
lh~ steel plate and press down directly
behind the bevel with both hands, S{'(! Fig.
I. Pre". down hard lIntl stroke the blade
rrom one end of the plate to the other.
Reany bear down. The idea is to cur the
"ted. nul jUl't makegrating noises,
Tin: St:CRET.Butifyou're I)oshing down
'0 hard, why doe.n't the >ilioon liarbidc
just holl.." nut the sLeel pl"t,,?
This sevms like a logical question be
CII">'('Ihl' plllle is much setter than the
bl.do. BUI the "oftne., of the plate is what
makes the whole systern work.
\\'htlt h"IIJl('ns i.that the .hllT]>points o(
the silicon carbide become imbedded in the
l'elath''']y :;oit surface or the plate. They
.tay in po.itionjuSl nke the diamond partic1es imbedded in the surface on the
diamont! stone, see Fig. 2.
CRECK PROGRESS. As grinding progreases. a shiny suface will begin to grow
""'0....' the back of the blade. SCe photo.
When this surface extends f''1)mone edge
ofth. blade to the other, the back i.flat.
KILL CORNERS. Before moving on to
smooth this surface, (here's one more little
step 1do at IlLs point. 1"kill" the comers to
minimize the tiny ridges that always seem
t~appear on Ii piece of wood where the

planin!! >lrniu's o\'erlap.

T. kJU th~ oomel'>', hold the bL~de3t
"h"ut. Ii; angl~ to the sW'face, and drag
the c"mertWer tbo surface. see Fig. 3. The
i,lea i. Iu eliminate the shllT]>point, not
..... ate I' really "i,ible chamfer. Ju~t a few
~tl,)k~ on each COlllcris enough.
POLISH THE BACK

After the baek has been "ground- Oal. the

.Japan_ <",ntinue working the blade in the
:;iIieon carbide pastC until tt'~almost <itJ'
\\'hat happen.q i. lh.-u the particle. break
down smaUer.nd """,Ucr. Finally.lhe)','(o so

small they leave theslIrfnce mirror-polished.

r
L

fIGURE.

DIGS INTO SOfT S1'fE~

CROSS

SEalON

12

WOODSMITIi

thing Ih., bark of lh~ plan" blade, I dothi..

ir.l\\'c.!'-tt11. un lw\nleMon~.First f refine
Ih,' ,urf.,,,,, on a 1(l(1O-~'lilwaterstene.
Hen: I repeal the <tr.king action used
when Ilrinding. but don't bear down quite

where it meet. lhe edge,

.....'hen the surface is fre~of all scratches,
I begin to refine it by allowing' the "slurry"
I.A> buDd up and dry out a bit. (Keep it just
moi<l enough so it doesn't "chunk" up.) The
.lurl1' i~
,",wally broken rnlgmen~ of the
waterstone that get finer and finer as
they'r" rubbed, The finer they get, the

as

smoother the surface gets,

I don't KGto this much effort. "'hen I can stones (up to 1<OOIll{lilllhal~';vean ineredsee the back is !lat. I move on to a lOllC).grit ibl~'
smooth surface,

Japanese waterstone.
Once again, this is a ch3l\j(e f,'Omthe way I
used to work. I used to use ArI<an_sas toih
stones. But I've become a eharnpi .. n of
waterstcnes,
WATERSTON'&S. After U$in~waterstoues
for more than foul' years, I CUII'I Ima~~n,'

S~IOO"II1'11DACK.:'\CI\\ back Ih -moo-

h1Lfl1. k; }'ClU

start on this stone, con-

going back to using cilstone for sharpening plane blades and chisel s,
Why do I like waterstones? Fir;;l. the,

cut faster. This is m'.1."tl~ht."c:lU.~ there's

almost no chance for the surface 10 glall4las
oilstones do The binder that holel< the
abrasive parueles t~lher in waterstones
gives \\'9)' ftt J~l th~right rate to always
yield a fr",h ,urfa, e,

unue 10 ~prinkle water on the surfae... 10

thin oul the "slurry" that builds up on Ih.
surface, cr UlIC a spray boule.)
The object here is to keep rubbing the
back on a fresh cutting surface of the

Anotht~rr.":'~n I like waterstones is

gone, This is important because each

scratch len. will become a microscopic nick

that they come in J!1'1'rles finer than oil-

warerstone until the surface takes on an

even patina.

Then look carefully at the surface 10

make certain aU the grinding-scratches :m'

POUSHING, Por a truly smooth surface,

IlL"C 3 60Q0..Jnil waterstone with the same

procedure as on the lOOO-gritstone.

It;' easy to tell when you're done. The
back will have a mirror finish, Don't accept
any wuvyness. If~'ou ~ an~{scratches or
wavyness in Ihe reflection. 1(0back to the
lOOO-grilstone and flatten it OUI again.
Thil; sounds like a lot oC work, but the
whole process is necessary only once in the
life oC thp blade. It's worth doirogright.

REPLACEMENT BLADES buyJ!]g better steel

Flattening 10e back of a plane blade L-hard that came on my Record OSjack plane. It
work. bul it;' ~
if you want II truly
transformed theplane fromagood tool into a
woodworking wonder, see Sources, page 24,
<harp ed~~,
One lesson I've learned from aU this hard
Ona laminated blade, thetuttingedlteisa
labor is if I'm going to work up a sweat
thin piece of bigh~n
steel Cortte-welded
perfeetlng the back of the plane blade, I'm to a bOO:;nf.ott steel, This high-CU'bonsteel
edge will take and bold what I consider the
llOingto do il on the best blade I can buy,
The question is, how can you determine
ultimate edge,
quality withou; 8 lot of pxtra"ag-ant metalI was .0 bnpres..~ with the laminated
t~ling ~>quipment?
hlade that I ,.,t out to replace the factory
There is one method that will W". you a blades inall my planes. Unfortunately. these
!(GOd idea of the quality of the steel in Ihe blades are available ill just 2" and :w,."
plane blade. y~ucan "read the burT."
\\idths. '!'hat tvers mOSIbench plan"", Bul.
for specialty plane>;I was out of luck.
READ Tll BURR. "'hUe $moothing the
back of the plane blade. the bWT indicate.
SOLIDHIGR-CARBONBI.AJ)~. Recently,
what kind of edge I can expect il$ 8 reward
my luck changed. ROIl Hock, a knife maker
for my sharpening efforts,
in FOlt Bragg. California offers a complete
The bun' is the 1..<1 layer oi 51eel that
line oi ""lid, bigh-<:arbon steel blade~ to fil
alrno,;t
every plane and spokeshave 011 the
resists being ab'llded by the waterstone.
\\'h~thappens i,Ihis. \VIUle the back oCthe market, and he'll custom make blades ror
blade I~ rubbed ovel' Ihe surface of the antique.. (l u.<edone of Hock', blades ror
waterstone, the steel abov. keeps tile low- the wooden plane shown on page I~,)
er level in position as iI'S ubraded away.
These blades are made entirely of the
tf the .teel i. :lOIt, this layer will be $90\e basic Sleel "" the edge on lhe
pusbed up and bend away from the ablll- laminated blnde.. so they perfOI'fll \\ith the
sh'e !!IIrfo"", As thi~ hallpens a bUIT i~ <am. high quali~', see SaUfl"''', page 24.
formed at the eutting edge. Thj,; bUITwill
HIGH CARBON STEEt
bend toward the bevel, Then as the bevel i.
\Vhat i:; il about thOlie high-cttrbun .II!<'I
honea (see page 16) it will hend baok.
On the other hand, if the .teel i.< hard, blat!"" that make them capable ortakingand
thi~ Inst, VOI1'thin Ia.yer will stick Sl.rai~1
holdini(u good edge?
out and be abraded unlil if. miero:;ropAcrording 10R()n Hock. it'" n!>t.., much
ieally lhin, Then as the be"e! u; honed, thi.. whaf~ inthe steel If.",hot's left out.
thin burr will snap off. (It looks like Crag"TIter<! are three qualities that make a tool
menu, o[ a thin wire on the surface of the steel suitable (or making btade." Hock told
walerstone.) This indicate& the blnde is me. 4'hese are edge-holding ability, <harphard enough to take a keen edge.
enabitity, and rust. l'eSwn, ..".
As I've worked with differenl plane
"For metallurgiCilI reat!Ort$, you <:an have
blade. I've come 10appredate two blades only t\\'o of the three qualitie., So on the
(sold ... "replacement" blades) for plane ..
blades I rn.'lkefor woodworking. I think the
two mo.-t importanl qualilies are a longREPLACEMENT BlADES
lasting edge lhat can be ea.ily sharpened,'
Several ye....... a,::o I bought. a Japanese
A longlasting edge i$ dependent on the
laminated .teel blnde to replace tile bl,de Sl~el's hardne:;s, If.the carbon conlent in
\)lOODSMITH

Ihe steel that determines fts ability 10 harden with heat t.reatmenl. That hard ness
ve" an eclg. the ability to stay sharp under
mild abrasive pressure (wear). So. the
harder the steel, the longer il holds an edge.
"But. there's a trad e-o[[: Hock explained.
'Really hard steel L, lIS brittle os glass, Th
reduce this brittleness, the steel is ternpered, Unf<...twtatel)', reducing the blade's
hardnessalsotowers tts wear-resistance. So.
a balance must be struck to make the blade
hru-denoogh 10hold an edge, but not so hard
il \\ill break while planing or be difficult to
~harpen,"

Hock tempers his blades so they lake a

keener edge than the standard bwles tOOL
Chm. with mo;t new (01' old) planes_ But,
Hock's blades are not SOhard thaI tbe\~",
diBicult to ~h!u-penor chip in use.
.
There is one othe, characteristic oi Hock'l;
bind"" that take< a tinle getting Ul'ed to,
"The\' "ill 11lSt.
-i~n'tinclude rust-resislingelements on
lhe .w~[0" tile plane blade . " says H""k.
"101o.<t plane manufacturer,; IlUIl<e blades 10
sau~l' the gIl.v who JUSt uses his plane
oc:ca,:ionally. So they add other elements to
the steel to prevent rust. "
t-orm.-tance, chromium isndded to make
lhe blade alloy stainleij$ sleel. BUI.
clu'Omlum has l \\'0 negati\'e chal'arteri$tics.
PiTsl. its e.xt:remely hard, so it makes a
blade that's harde .. to sharpen,
Second, chromium<1'ystalsaremuch targ.
et' than tIlo"" o[ high-<!arbon steel. Tbal
meIDl, there "ill be "lumps" in Lhe boned
edge that "ill k.. p the edge (rum bcing 3l;
line 3l; it could be.
The trade-off \\ilh with Hock's highcarbon blnde> is toot they require mQrecare.
(Give them a squirt of \VD-40 from time to
time.) E"en ifthey do looks little rusty, the~'
lake an illCl'Edibly keen edge that CUIS like
nothing I've used before,

13

The t"u~"'t part of ,harp<ming a plane

blade (01' c:hi.;el) is holding the blade at the
sameanj!le through the grinding and honmg
process (t':..pos;;ibletodothi.byhand,but.
sharpening jig makes it a (at easier,

A LOOK AT FOUR JIGS

All bbule :;harpening jil\>'work on the same

principle. They grip the blade 80 two measurements remain constant <luringthe honIng prceess, Tbe"" measurements 8),,: I) the
di!;tance the blad. PI'I'j.cu; boomthe jig, and
Z) the height of the blade ever the stone.
These two dimensions set and hold the
sharpening angie. However, the method
used to aceomplish this \'''';e,;fi'Omjigtojig.
The four jig!! shown in the photo at right
are relati\'ely inexpensiv e (all cost I""" than
$25). and it~
_~.to assume they all work
the same. But. there's actually quite a bit of
diiferenee among them. To establish a basis
for comparing Ih\!!\C jig:;. I've ".ted six
characteristics that are critical to performanee, Then, lJ:rndedeachjigonascaleofl
to 10.see Chart.
I. HOLDSSECUREL\: A jig has to hold the
blade in place. If lh~ blade slip" Iorwa ..d or
back. the sharpening angle (bevel) "ill
change. If the blade twists sideways. the
cutting edge will he out of square.
2. SETS UP SQUAlIE. A blade must be held
!;Quare in the jig to produee a square cutting edge, The score in this cat~ry
is
based on how easily the blade can be pesitioned squarely in the jig while the gripping mechanism l' tightened,
3. MAlNTAL"iSANGLE. Once the blade is
locked in thejig, thejig shculd be able to be
moved from eOOJ'SCrto finer stones without
changing the sharpening angle.
4. EASy TO RESE1: For the jig to function
as a honing guide, it should be ea:;y to reset
to the original sharpening angle or change
to a mierebevel angle setting.
5. DOESN'T~tARSURFACE.The jig should
grip securely without leaving dent> 0"
burrs on the blade. Thl. is not just u
eosmetie consideration. Dents and burrs
on the blade can bind the plane adjustment

mechanism,
6. WORKS WITH CHJSKLS. The jig should

work as well with chisels as it does with

plane blades, (For details on this t"ltegory
see Box cppcslte.)
SHARPENING STONES. There's one other
item to mention about these jig. They all
work on either Arkansas (oill stones 0'Japanese water stones,
JIGS TESTED. The four jigs tested are
those most commonly available in hardware stores and mail order catalegs. see
Soun"".I,age 24. Others are available, but
these represent basic boldin,!Zmethods.

14

LEI

ECLIPSE

S'l'ANLEY

VALLEY

Holds Sewt&ly

10

up Square

Moin10in, Angle

(o.~yTo Ra.sel

10

9.2

7.5

6.0

4.5

S4:J:J

Doesn't Mar Surfoce

UJO Wrth Chisol.

lOTAl

GfNEAAl.

that ride on a threaded shaft and squeeze

togetber on th. sides of the blade when the
The E:elip.<e 36 jig (A in photo) is the """"
eempaet and I.,,-,t .xpc",.;"e of all the jil!"
tested, And it "'oM<. 1",lter than any other
we've used in the Mop.
.'EATUIlS.The key feltlUre of tile Eclipse is the way it holds the blade in place.
sec Fig, 1. First. it holds. plant blade "CIT
securely This is because the I''''king meehwli.51nlcon~ist!' of t\\o OI)I~inJ! \i~f.>.in\\'s."

Icx:kinlr knoh is twisted.

)10':" important. however, ;,; that the
jaws of this miniature vise are not mirror
inl~
Qr one another: Instead one is a
~tT:light ja\\ lind the other L' a convex
curved jaw, The effect ofthis design is that
the curved surface presses on the side of
the blade foreing the opposite side of the
blade again.! the alraightjaw. The resultis
RGUIt.2

f1GUH'

....8IAllE
N'

..

SIANIiY

WOODSMITH

that the blade is automatically aligned

square every time.
WIlTAl'IOSS. The only limitation of the
Eclipse is that it won't work with blades
shorter than 3". This is because the blade
bas to project 2" from the front oCthe jig to
establish 25' sharpening angle and the
clamping mechanism need> at least I" or
blade (or a secure grip.
This means the Eclipse won't work \\;th
Japanese chisels (which have short blades)
Or spokeshave blade . BUI, it works perfectly with all western chih~l. and plane
blades.
STANLEY

AGU.. '

,
~,~

. '.
-,

square, centered, and projecting the right

amount. Also, this jig is dc>i!,'1I('<i so the
screw presses Ihe top face of the blade
down on the support platform, which
makes it a poor choice for chisel" see Box.

all three stones have to be exaeuv the same

height above the workbench - otherwise
the angle will change when mo,ing from
one stone tn the next. Although it can he
reset between stones, it'. time consuming
and difficult to reset to get the exact angle
as change. arc made.

The Stanley jig tB in photo) looks more like a

gadgeL than a I'reci,,;on honing aid. see Fig.
2. But it does work pretty well
GENERAL
PATVIU!S. The strong point arthi.jig is
thaI iI's designed to pre ss the back or the
The Gcnert~ ID in photo) L<l'lldk1lll)'diffcrTHE FINALCHOICE
blade agamst the top of'thejig. (The impor- enl from the other jig> tested. It has an
tance of this is diseu sssed in the Box below.) outboard .'Ollerthat rides on thc workbench
or this Ilroup. the Eclipse jig is the clear
AlSO,therollerontheStanleyispo:;itioned
surface about 8" behind the edge
the winner, If plane blade. and western ehisels
behind (instead of beneath) the .UI,pol"l blade, rather than on the stoue, $(!C Fig. .
were all I ever sharpened, I can't imagine
seal. This design has two very positive
Ft:ATVRES. Since the roller rides on the
needing II dlll'erentjig.
elTeets,
workbench rather than the stone. the enBUI, 1da appreciate having ajig that will
First, the rear-mounted roller forces tire length of the Slone can be used while handle .Japanese chisel, and the oecasional
pressure down over the blade edge. This is sharpening. This lessens the tendency to job of sharpening II spokeshave blade. For
critical when honing an edge (see Fig.1,
dish out the center of the Stone,
these [obs the Stanley jil! is the best choice,
page 17). Seeond. the rear-mounted roller
I..IMITATION$. But this, roller design beSince neither of these tWl)jig><:;Q1"e. 1111
allows sharpening very short blades.
comes II liability that outweigh. its assets.
8ha'1",ning lll'Oblems, I ~upjlOlleI'd buy the
which means the Stanley jig can 00 used I like to work on II series of three stones to one that fil$ mest ofmyneeds. Then. I'd add
with Japanese chisels and spokeshave
hone a bevel. For this jig to "ark pl'Operly, the other to my sharpening kit later,
b~des.
~--------------------~------------------------------~
LIMITATIONS. On the negative side, the
blade gripping mechanism on the Stanley
jig requires tightening two knobs separateJy, TIIi. design is helpful when working
Of tile four jig><e~Wlted here, two have ~ and Eclipse jig,. havedQll1!.Bullhey do il. in
with chisels. see Box. But, holding a blade
basic desjgl! lla", This flay, makes thern different ways.
STAl'ILEY. On the Stanley jig, n wedge
so it projects the .ight distance and re- inacturate for;barperling chisels.
."
mains square while getting both knobs
The problem has to do with the basie pincheo';the blade up against the body of
locked in place is difficult. The same prob- pnncipk of how the edge of chisel gels tbejig to compen..<aI.e{or the lack of blade
lem occurs when trying to reset the blade shrp. A sharp edge is the intersection of "lUface paraIlell<l'n.
eCLIPSE. The Eclip.se jig solves lhe
for a miercbovel.
twe !iUrf~- the bevel and the back ofthe
('hi.scl. The de;;ign llaw is that some jig>< pl...blem diffe~lltl.l' The sides of the "jaws"
lEE VALLEY
slope ouN.,'llI'd to\\'8I'd the lOp. So, when
clamp the top face of the chisel dGwll ~l
tight~ned. tbe buck of the
'The Lee Valleyhoningguide (C in photo)is surfaee on the jtg that's par-"lIeI to the the jaws
chisel
is
foreed
to the Lopof the jig,;o it's
delightful to look at and handle - it's made st.ooe, se....Detail A.
of anodized aluminum. steel. and bronze,
Okay, so what's the big problem? This parallel to the stone, see Detail B,
and feels good in the hand.
clamplng design fails similly beFEATURES. The best part of this guide is
cause some chisels aren't. made the
"')),..
lOr-the roller meehanism, see Fig. 3. First.the
way they're ,;up~
\0 be made.
~
{'~
I~
axle is set j~t beneath the blade .UppOI~ After chl-els are forged, they're
--....
~
\
ground
to
final
shape.
During
this
IIAD<
.,,_
::>'~
,
platform that holds the blade In place, This
grinding process the backand tQp HOt=:!fl
"-D
"" :::::---"'_1IAClC
allows the tool to be used 10 hone very
short blades like Japanese chisels and faces rarely come out panllIel-in
10,
HI10INJ~"" ~:::::{/
eross section, the two {l)J;eS are
~
~ _lAaSiOEU 1. """~~j
spokeshave blades,
The second out..'l.anding feature of the MgIt><l
"'J /
roUer is that its a,xle is ac~uaIly an adjustIf the honing jig works off the
,
~
hIt.1
etc I::J tr1 f',
the bevel wiUbe hanedai
,",~.;c,_:
;.,.
able cam. This means that to fine-lune the wp
angle or reset for a microbevel all you ha\'e M nngle to the back. Ali " l't';j(J1L,
. "'.'_
;.;;'
.~
to do is twist a knob to change the angle in the l'<lgC\\~1l1le>skewed.
.. "
1increments.
'The Sl>lutiQnis to design the jig
A"~.
'.
' HRO
so the clamping mecllani:!mpressB..
MltAUfl
UM1TAl'IONS. However, this jig's perfor..sthebackofthechiseltlpag:Unsl.
~'
IOS1ONE
mance isn't on par \\1th its appearance.
\\-'hen tightening the screw that hQlds the
a surface parallel to tJ)e l<lOt)e, """
blade in place. it's difficult to seL the blade Dwtil B. This is what the Stanley

or

GRIPPING A CHISEL

1--------------------------------1

3m

rJUrr--"""'=:::::--------------------,
IAOf

C:--:::.

r_.

\VOODSM1TH

:..ex
,':::;.:;::&:;::::;~Of .......

15

Honing The Bevel

THE SECRET IS STABILITY
Sharpening a plane blade L; pl'<!tt,'
e.1S~at least in principle. The r" are
two basic steps, Fit .. t, the baek is
ikltleood 'lIId smoothed. Then the beveled edjtt! is ground to the culting
angle you want and it'~
honed smooth.
\\'Qrkinl!the back smooth and Oat;,
tclati"ely'.traight,forwlU-d, although
it does require some elbow j.'t'ea.<e, see
the article on page 12. But forming'
and honing the bevel is another .lory
The problem is that throUgh th~ entire process of In'inding the anll'leand
then honing it smooth. thP hlad. must
be kept at exact.l" the same angle on every stroke
No matter what technique 1$ used,
the goal is the same: to remove metal
to produce a smooth, fiat .urface on
the bevel that intersects \\;lh the
smooth, Oatsurface of Ul<' bark.

another pair of strips to set the blade

1.~,. for a 3C1microbevel.)
GIUNDING THE BEVEL

AilA!r the blade is locked at the COI'l'l'(1

IIngle.th. bevel can be formed. One of
the faslel't ways to '~'lind' this lingle
is on a coarse or extra-ccarse diamond
stone (see Scurees. page 24). Or you
can use the steel plate and ,ilicon
carbide powder used to Oauen the

back (see pajtt! 12).

There are a fe\\' tips for using a

But, what if you don't have 8 grinder to

hoUowgrirnl the bovel~ No problem. By
u.o;inga hcnmg jig (0;<'(' page 14) the plane
blade ran be kept at the same angle through
the entire processs of shaping and honing on a

critical. I usually grind and hone the bevel to

about ZO', and then add a nuei....bevel at
about 30'.
SETTING TH~ Allet.t:. Setting up the
boning guide to this .ngle is the first
problem. Basically. the angle is determined
by the di.<t.nce the blacle projl!Cl" from the
front of the jig, see Fig. 1.
On the Eclipse jig, if the blade projects
:!" from the front edge of the jig the angle
will be 25', Re>Nting Ihe blade se the
projection is 1!_- establishes the microbevel ,tngl~of:lO So every ~i.change
means a 1 change in the angle.
For the $tanll'Y, th, bllld" must r....
j~(
l" iOI' a 25 lUlglc. 811<J iii" for :!O". For the
Lee Valley ji)!:an ~C(''''''l')'is available fOJr
setting' the angle .... ,' Suu"'~" l~jJ(.21.
(But if )'QU wam to mt.'a..urv, UR\-' 1," (or
2.5' and J for a;~ 3J1b~e,'
8l.A.DE ssrnsc ,JIG.It would "', nice if

series of stones.

)'OU could

Note: I Uke to u,;c a t'([tiC!' of thl'l:e ~toncs

for this prooess. 1) A COlU"$e 01' extm~
diamond <lone. (This ran be 1~13ee<1,,;th a
$leel plau, and silicon l-arbide powdel~ as
used to Oatten the b.~ck,~ page 12.) 2) ,\
lOOO-ltlitJapanese watCI'>'tonefOl'the initial
honrng. And 3) a tiOOO-gritwaten<tone to
fOlm and polish the mierobe"el.
Abo, I like to u..'t' the Eclipse :l5 honing
guid(>(which is the one shown in Ihe IU't used

about it during Ihe whole PI'OC<:"<

uf .hap
ing ancl hOlling the b('\'el. Rut something
always >ecmS to happen - th~ blade :;lip-,
01' you need to take it oul W <h.ek If it's
.quare. To mak~ certain I enn return 10the
srune angle each time, I use ~imple blade
seUingjig, see fig. 2.
Tn mak~ Ihi' jig, J(lue two .trip. of
Masonile al!lO angles to each other 10 a
piece of ~ersp plywood. se(> t'ig. 2. The
strip parallel to lh~ edge of the SCI'llPac"" a
po.itive -stop .., Ihe blade will always be
t'('$~t to Ih. "lIJ!W projection.
The .trip
perpendicular to the edge aligM the blade
in the honingjig so the ('utting edjtt! will be
gruund square.
For the Eclipse jig, the rli~tanee between the edge of the plywood and the
!tip is 2" for a ZO'grinding angle. (I added

GRINDING THE BEVEL

This whole procedure starts with grinding

the bevel to the cutling anj(le you want. I

u.... aUy use a grinding wheel to establish the
sharpening angl(>and hollowgrind the bevel
on chisels and planes blades (see II'tJOd.'lIIifh

Nos. 20 and 23).

\\'hen the be"el is hollow-ground. I firnl it

ea.1' to hold the blade (,,;thQUt "jig' so ju.1

the toe and the heel contaCt the stone. With
just these two points 1"e..;ting on the stone,
the blade wom rock during honing, SO the
sharpening (bevel) angle ran be maintained

on earn stroke.

to illUl;U'3letllk article). But Lb. Stanley and

Lee Vtille,' jil\>' (shown on pagI? 111<>Ill bo
u.'Cdthe same wa)\
SET THE SHARPNESS ANGLE

The first SLeP in forming Ihe bevel is to

deeide what the bevel ane <houldbe. While
this can bea topic for endI.." d;';cussion. I've
found that the exact angle is nat all that

16

set tht.! aJ\J.,rtc once nn{1 n(.t

"'.~rT}'

honing guide for grinding the bevel.

ror maximum eenrrol. I place my
thumbs behind the jig and press my
filll(ertips down on the back of the
blade right over the edge, see Fig. 3.
(Don't pre."> down over the wheel.)
Wh"n -grinding' on the diamond
stone or the steel plate, I uppl,\' pressure on
the forward stroke only, releasing pressure
while backing up. I \l')' I" imagine I'm
peeling a label offthestone to jtt!t the ~tting
acr ion that works best.

CHECK FOR

SQUARE,

As the bevel ;,.

l,'I'<)und.tho <'(igemust 00 square. In order

to eh(>l'kfor "quare, you might have to take

the blade out ofthc jig. (Resetting it after
it'. checked is when the blade setting jig
shown in Fig. 2 comes in hand~,)
If the blade is being ground out of
square, press harder on the -long' corner,
see Fig. 3. Keep grinding until there's an
even mane surface from heel to toe of the
bevel, This means you're jtt!tting the sur-

faee Oal.
1\, make SUN! the cutting edge has been
...rreund <'trsight, cheek fO) an even burr on
th.- bark (Oat side), This burr is formed as
Ihe~unac(' of the bevel is ground down and
inlc!'l;l'Ct" with the surface of the back. A.<
th_ IWO "II1'faces meet, a thin "fW<e" of
motal curn. lip on the back edge to fOlm a
burr.
t;"" Ih(>pad oryour finjtt!r to feel for the
burraJong the baek oflhe blade. Don't puU
your linger along the edg<!. I IlSte(ld, pull it
at goo to the edge . ee ~'ig. 5.
You know if the edjtt! is nut of squal .. if
the bw'r is heavier on one end lhan the
other. Keep -grincling" unlil the burr is
."en aero. the oock of the blade.
REMOVE BURR. Then the burr must be
....muved. Don'l Iry to pull or break rhe
bu.rr off. As it "te""," loose. it willieav. a
ragged edge on the edge of the blade.
Instead, rub the burr off.
I use only the finishing (6000-gril)
waters tone to rub off the burr. see Fig. 6.
(The back has al...,.oidy been polished to

WOODSMITH

"

nurr(lr tiniM. 80 )'OU non"t \\ ant to ltOdo" n

to Ii ~Nt'r tllOM at thi....point jlkt. to
....mo'" the burr. R,fer to paj!e 12 f'J< tht'
"'<1"('11'" In .moolhllllZ the back with till
IIn,hinl1.,t')I)('.1
To rub olf the burr. plact-lh. ba.,k ,,(lh,
blade tlat un th~ fim"hilll! .\()ll('. :';0"

a"" ,

prell$Ured'''dl) cver the edge and ,r"k,

the blad, t"t<k and rorth ,.., th. clltlUlg
edge remain" parallp.i to the .;;idt>;O;
.,( lht

stone. Th~burr will (.'Omt (}ff In fivi: or six

stroke . (It will look like rragmen,' of n
Vt'r)' thin wm (1)\ top I,(the slt,nt-.)
SMOOTHTHE8EVU

AlWr IlK bt \ el .' gl''''nO and the burr

removed. thc hallllll: 1"'>(,(,""""" begin to
"",,JOlh the
ortl>< bcv...1. Here. I use
a t w o-step proc< on. ltO>-I(ril.tone.

.ur("""

linl slop. Ju.", don't rilLsc tho -tcne Intea,l. ,L a ".turn" f JW'Il<'le- roJJe<,t on
the ria<'t'of lht lone as ~ou bone
1'Iru" urry"
rto(amu.lm.,doupof
broken I'ragmtnI$ from the "aler.toDe.
,; nn Ibn<> l'raj(mentJ; are small. they pro,Iu(, D nil< r finl h than w orking on a dean
freshl~ r1n...-d .. ~I"',;t
..ne
:;t..p :.;""'. ,\ th, .IUIT) builds up on
tht tLUrf.\ct of the "'(lIn". it rna).'stick to tht"
\\ h",'1 on Ih, hOlllng j,g. Check it every
cno- in a "'hilt< an(1 wipe il off,
Wh"11 there i. a thin, even burr from
L<lgv 10 ,~IK(' on the hack of th~ blade.
remove il by QJllIin puli.hing the bark on
thef'~IO~'liI.lonc.
THE MfCROBlVEl

F:cli"., Jh::, th rs ""an' 1'('du<inl!: the

amonnt tbe blade I'!'OJ'octo to 1~ ",)
>10' nlE '11ICROIlE\'hl.. Honing the rni<1'000\('1 .. the 'lUlCkt""t and most .ati:,fy.
inK I"rt. (lh< ",hok- sharpeninl! Pl'O<'\:"-
:;rnnkl~some water on a 60UO-pil finish
stone kfl(1plact- the blade on top. :O;m< bear
nQ" n on lh,' I~",hng edge of the blade and
m.1.'kt fi\c ,," 1I1!\ rfln\an) ~lroke-:,. Thl'n
look at thtolocl.rt.
Th r1~ hould have a .hiny hairline
,!I'I' at I .1It(of the bevel, If this strip
l'xtc,nIJ~from '-'dgt, to c(I~(.I, the microbevel
I. tin"hl'd. If i!'. 1101quue complete. give
the I:\('toll"I' (IT two more strokes.
The secret to tl181UnJ(a mierobevel is
knu,\jn~ when to t~Ull If It'~
an~' widt"r

h,

than "micre," ).uu're jl\:tlJn..r troOd

exercise

AI lhis IIOIIIt.Ihe b1a"~ ISsharp enoul:h for

rtm{",ng ml:taJ. hut) ou're not impro\;ng

ISITIAL _\1001111'(. f 11"1.I gotlu-ough
a1mootan) 1''''1''''''' RUIit you wanl asuperth( "I~. And It will make honing tho
a p....:ess of tiaI moothing I() remove thp keen cdg.,. ),OUnm add a rru.,robe\'el A ml<ruhc\dhanll!r th" IleJlltune.
$O'IItdles left b) "J(rindml!". <ee Fij!. .t
rnkrobo:\.1 L' ju.<t .. hal tOO nam<> impli,~
Rf:'II()\. Tilt SI'RR \\'hen th. mi
To remo\ t lhe I!mltcM. quicldy. U~101.. It's. tln)~l'("('Oflfiary be\'t>l that ~lan$out no n'Oh.:,\t,llS- ("(Jrlll,letf!(rom Mrre to edge. It
or .... ter on lho ltJOQ1(l'ltwater;.tone to \\ider lhan h.'l1I' on Ih. edge oi lhe main \\,11 h"" l<'It an abnost Illn_,ibl. burr.
nnse ""-11) th" ".lun; - frequentl): Thl< bto\ ,,1 ..,.. "hoIo.
Rl'ml.\t thiS blJrrb~ ptaC1r1Jirth.._,backdo\\-n
keeps lhe lx\ d in <,,"tad wrth the r",.h
SET "OR'tI('ROD~\'f:L.To,..,\ the jig ror lin tht nlll~hinK '10he and concentrate on
abra.si\ I' par1.J('tl~ on the :'iurfa.ce.
th., m",rubo\d. I.,...n the clampingmech- jtl\'i"K tl... b;"'k n"lJu_'t 1",Ii.:-h.
H",lI' unlll the o.-\'el ha., a unirorm dull :lni:-1114)n tht, jll( :o.;'xt preN! the blade edg4!
REIlOSI!>;(; TlIt; MtCROBEVEL. A mi
n'... (thJ.t I""ks like pl'wlerl. and fL-e1for ar:ain'l tlw M"""nIlC ,U'lp lha!'. closer to crobt\..t
uppreciat<-d when the
an ~Vt'nl)urr on the baek, Then rem()\'e the
the "Ige uf Ihe ill)'" 00<1 ba.,e . .ee Figs. I bhul, I,M,,'" it, nnc NI~c. Hehoninll to that
burr on Ih., fini~hing(6O()O.g';t)~tone.
lOld2. Then ~lidc Ihe honinl!'jig along the Ulli"lRl, ,(IJ.t(,tak(,:. j\l~l 3 fe\\' moments;
.'INAL S'IOOTIIiNG. The ""l'Ond part of bind,' unlll il contacts the pl~'woodba.""
tu\.'tlU,",4f)I1I~' n n\i(')Of.('(')I)ic amount ofmttIhis I"OC\'~' i" to do a final smoothing on and lighlt'n the clamping m~<h.nil;m. Th;,
III ntt(I~tf, I,."r('111r'Vt1t. Tht, ~c('rct i~
nollo
Ih" lOOOgrit ,Innp. 'fhi, i,the,;ame ..' the inc,,,,e-.,,, Ih, "n!tle to about 30 _ (On the let tho hhul,' gd ,lull berore rehoning.

''''.'''"L'8

-IItoIlflAl

A>ICiU
11'

A
7'/,1'I~, I "11'f
rap,t,.olled "ll tilt
1
,/,,1.. ,, lit. bl..d. p""Jfds/1'I>1II ti'fjiq.
2
IIII!/) Ih'
.\ 1"1111',. ,I&il",,('( Sf.'ls ~Jla'pcJlillg aJlgle: a
II

'l'11)rlt'1',i, "J"t

111,

1;,..',' 11"(,~f:.'el

rckrl''tcl er.lgt.
3 ~"'I'Ip"t~~'tr((In

'"(Jktj( ulliltg (and 'ttlirl

"It"'P' ,I/Ilr/ nllt( ",icrobetv'l
ollglr ... ,,1/ pll. ,\/" .. "", Irip" Will rot billd,

\\'/,1")' t'flgl ia lilltOI'(, ('Qu,i""e g""di119

IlfYi)"rt'flll (lUlf

"'i/il

ltllUIHt Jig

tllt!I"

"/(J.d,..~ttltIJP'f

II

!/Mlilltll9

bt'f'tlttlliftl(,l'

totlCt'ultYJlJ

fIll "'OlIO" (,O)'ll(tr.

;1tj101nnd tffmight

~SS~

...... "'->.. ,

IIUIII ~

.....

JUt fCC ......

usl_OfANGU
10fffl foOl auu

Th, pnlllarlllJc,,tl mJ" i..ked whell all

TJ"
by po[UIt'/fg tl{t
Wh." I "'U"9 III Ml'd 011tlI# JIJI.'J-gTi1
4 3/,,",.
.. ~,. bltrr o'lt',IIh; Iii,[1I/lll'1Igt}) o[ tI,. 6 oo(k Ih. J",i."
ll/lP/!I
on tltt- jon(urd
5
Pn:8$ bockflol
,d91. Tu/td I(.r Imrr. drall' the blade edg.
0" ,1(Jllt mId ,,"",. parol/Ula''''
bl(ltU .'<Ig<
bUn" I., l'l U'(/t'~f

/)I"t~1tun

stmler

(I"ly C'ott"t"lrulf' prT.:Jd~freQI'{"r II"

blade cdg.

II"llltr jiy rvl/qr,

V.'<X)J)SMITH

Oil

light/'I nrrol!.' ,.,,/ (if/i>I[JI!T.

_'011'.

ltntillht' b,t 1''' c( ilto1>lleO1'8,

17

Wooden Plane

AN UPDATED VERSION OF A TRADITIONAL TOOL

1 willarlmit to" special fondness for wooden

I know
plane. are ~usie;-to
atijll'l, and hokl up a tol l"llj(\'r. And rion'l
"Loed any special attention. But wl>O<l~n
planes arejnst a lot nicer towork with, They
feel better in my hand and gi"e 8 nice warm
f.-clinj( that iron planes ju.,1 don't have.
My fondness for wooden planes hasn't left
me btind. thou!. Tho old plane.. weren't
perfect, So when I """il{Tlt'Cl this wooden
smooth plane. I uKlk a Nu,1 I""K at lhe
shoncominll" of the old models and ineorporated a few feature. 1reel have been missing

ire."

planes,

011 wooden

planes.

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW

The biggest problem with wooden planes is

that the throat ol)l;mingget.; "ide.''''' the
o;olewears and lhe,.",,no way to adju." it.
To solve this problem. I borrowed the
sliding throat plate idea from block plane.
(see 11'00<1$)11;/1,
No. i6). By loo,;cning the
front knob, I ean slide the lower part of the
front bloek to eompensate Ior wear, and have
lhe versatility of an adjustable throat.
Since this is my plane. I deviated from the
tradirional4S' blade mounting nngl". A luwer nngle of 40" seems to he better for allaround II..~.And this lower angle positions
the top of the 3~_"longblade even with the
top of the plane. so il doesn't dig into my
hand. (See Sources. )Jaf(~24 for more on this
btade.)
Finall:;,I've never understood wby the
throat should be closer to one end of the
plane than the other, 80 I positioned the
blade $0 it proje<:l$from the center of the
sole where it gets maximum SIIPfJOIt .t both
the beginning and the end of" pass,

sandwich with two thin <ide panels on the

tJ,~back of the plane. 'Th;" makes the plane

outside and two angled blocks lnside.

I began by cutting the main body sWd< to
size (rom 8'., (111."1 stock, Start with. piece
M hlIl'rlwood about 9" lon~ and 2" high, """
l"ig. 1. (The choice of wood is optional, l've
used oak. walnut. maple, and 3 variety of

slide more srnoothly when planing.

CUTOUT800\' BLOCKS.AItI!J' the main
\)tIdy steek i~rip)l('Illo width. the f.oontand
rear blocks are cut to size. Since the blade
will project from the center of the sole,
mark this point as reference for making

exoticweedsto makethis plane.)

the fir<t cut.

Next. Ij!lued a thin slab of lignum vitae

wood l', the beuom tn 8(,,'1 as the sole.
(Li,l'(llum vua e male"" an ideal ,;01. because
it$l!.'~l..rl"mel,:.
dense and wear-resistant.
$EC'

Sources rJlll!\':!oI.'

<Inc"

MAKE THE BODY

II'hen the ~"ue

nl' thb block to final
\lidlh, Thb nwa;;UI'<'nlcnt ,h oulrl he Vi.."
\\ IdeI' Ihall lhe bllldc III allow for skew
adjUSlment>. Sin.:e I ""L><i til ~:-"idcblnd~.

Like most, wooden planes, Lbisonc looks like

the center has been mortised OUl for the
blade and wedj!e assembly A,1oaUy. it's a

Note: When gluing the ""I, in "I"",,, make

sure that the grain of both th""""'k and the
sole slope in the same direction - tJ)\\'ant

Fig. I.
REAR BLOCK- A fte. marking the center
point, cut the rear block lA) at a 100angle
f'ee

lhe blade angle).

BLOCK. Then reset the miter
gauge to a iO angle and cut off the waste
from Lb. mair tock to make the front block
(R). (The' 70 angle provides clearance for
shavlng, )
(which establishes
FRONT

SliDING THROAT PLAT!

I ripped the stock 10 I' ,.".

Aft.r the front and rear blocks are CUl 10

si1.A.', the ,tiding throat plate (C) is ripped
(rom the from block.
RGUtt2

::::::::;:.:;;:;~:::-.:
-I"':

9"

-- 1
fIlM
FINAl
. ..,.._~-.-..:;:;-~
,..-10RClCJGI<

I'....

WIDTH 1'"'".

aAac

WllIDY

.WkOCI(

FIONT 8tOCK

t'

_._I

70'--(
~

18

ow

.'f

"

lIP,....OFf IOffOMOf
AtONT ... OOClO 101M
SUDING THICAJ !'tATE

WOODS~UTH

CL'TTIrnOAT"UTE. To make the throat

plat", "",1..,1 the tahl ..... w rene<''Y," from
the blade and saw off tl><>
bnuom to form a
laminAtt'd plAte. '-('t ~i]o!'.2~
CL'TKl" (.ROOVE 1'Iwn cut the j!I'OO\'e,
(or the kp) Ill' in tho front block l B) by
a<lju~unl:the router table fenC<'to make a
."-\\ltlt an.fQ\'e in two pa~e."with a ~
trdijlht bit, 1'< f'i~. 5, Rout a
-deep
jI1"OO\'" in th, h<lUllm of lh~ front block IB).
.... Fil:~'
Shop !'iot,,: To keep the small pieces
from calehln)! on Ihe bit opening in th~
fence, Imael. II fadng Cor the router table
renee r,."m ",.. Ma.;onile.
The ... m, ~'T"I)\'e" routed in dw tOP of
the MJu>tm.'nl 1.lal,(('), hut u's only I."
d~p - just "",)u~h 10 h"lrl the key in
poIluon while the ).''Iue drie-, <t'(: Fig. 4.
~hop :-low Th,' .djll,tmenl pIat~b too
,mall to I.... 0\. r the rou\(-r bit by hand. I
u.~a ru!>bel grout trowel 3.< a hold down.
see TlilkiJll: ~hol" ""ge :!:l.
ISSTALL KEY After the eroove- are
routed. cut the k,') 10. to til. Thil.
gh",d IIIto II><>
arljLJ<tableplat" on!) (The
upper part odirl.... In the groove Itt the front
block, ...-e Fll(, fq
UX:A11: tNSHt'I Th- arlJu.tment
mounted t the ""nl block \\ IIh u boll Ihnl
extenel, Ihrllul:h Ihe Crolllblock und into a
tlll"('8(ll"f1
ill~rt lht"t'" mounted in the at)
ju.tm.,nt "h. I.kl'Y,H'(, Fig. ~.
To mark thl' location for the threaded
insert, use a .. brad point bil to bore
thtuullh Ihe comer "f the front block. Set
the d"plh 11',1'&0 the point of the bit JUst
breaks throuJ(h the bottom nrthe bloek and
mark.. the luria"" of the key. 'C FiJ(. 7.
Then llOI\'. hole at the mark on the key (or
the threaded ._rt.
""''''.\LL ",t;RT. T,) in-tall the threaded
In~rt, I u_lth., drill press. First cut the
head orr of ~ Y" bolt and thread a nut part

y,

..
"",."

.
,

\\'8,)'UJ).:-:l'~ll

,"(."1"\'\\

the insert onto the

bolt so it "jam;" ol("i""t the nut. 'l'hen with

the bolt ![riPIl,,1 by the drill press chuck,
hand Iwist thl' in.'crt straight down inlo
Ih~ k~)whil'l'x(,.tilll( downward pressure
on Ihp quill, ~('{'Fil(. P
REAR 9t.OCK That completes the from
block. Nt'XI, I "ork,,1 un thl' rear bluck
(AI. ThP anlll,'" Ca", of this block sup port,
Ih'I.l8n, blade, But to allow space for the
h"atl uftl><>
ICJ'l'W Ithat hold. th, blatl{'and
cal' Iron tOj!elh.-rl I drilled a
-deep reeess In the IDIIIl'd Cacewith a I" Forsu ...r
bl1. 15<'" fiJ(. 10,
:-';0'" The I'
Ieaves room to
arlju>t the blad.. '.:" f'il: 12
To locate Ihl3 bole. measure lhedi~
from the end orthe cap iron tn the thn-aded
hole an the ."1' iron. ITbi. distanee ;." I'h"
on the Hock blade u,.-d for this plane.)
Nl'xt. makl' a mark this same distanee "I'
from th. bottom edge of the bl""k oontcn:d
on thl' fart', ,'h,-n "..,ure the block in a viS('
and bo"'lh., hole, s('t' Fig. II.

CUT INC) Of KEYTO

II'NCH 'Iff MI'ftl.

..

'",

,
I

""j

,,",tt- .,.

AOUI'6

ftC)U.11

A04J
.. ,IAO

""NT err

..
m

F- -.
I<..

DIU 1

"

.'"

..ou:

Mil'

7
UUIIOCK

Y"

"""""leT

WOOI)SMITH

....

e_

19

ffGUl13

SIDE

SIDE PANELS

(lAY OUT 1WO MlttaOIlMAGt_$)

UNle)
IW.1OCI(

2'

UNI:(A\--

_14

"""- -

After finishing the body blocks I made the

side panels thai hold them together to form
the plane. Resaw 414 stock to v." lhiek by
2v. "ide by about 91/"long. see Fig. 13.
I'MRK ReAR BLOCK POSlTtON. Alter the
side panels are cut to size. mark the posinon of the rear block on the inside surfaces.
Begin b)' making Sure the grain slopes
downward from the fronl of the plane. see
~lg. 13. (This is to make il easier to plane
the bollom edges flush with the sole later.)
Now. place the rear block against lhe
inside face of the side panels with the
bottom and back edges flush. Then trace
the angle (40") orthe blade support. face.
LOCATE WEJ)(le PI." HOLE. After the angled line (A)isdrawn. it's used to locate the
pin that ",11 hold lhe wedge in place. Begin
by drawing a vertical line (B) that starts
where the angled line meet. the bottom of
tlw side panel. SCi! Fig. 13. Next, draw
anether line (C) parallel to this line ;-.
toward the rear of the panel. Then. measure I
up from tbe bottom on this line
(C) and mark a point for the wedge pin.
BORE wsoce ptl'( 1l0Lt:. After the location 01' the wed!!:e pin is marked. a ~~"
stopped hole is bored in each panel to hold
the pin. Use H Forstner bit to bore this hole
Mo" deep (abou; halfway through the
panel), see Detail. Fig. 13.

II.

-..........."

.tiQn. REMOVE SUo.NG

DONOT A1ft"IOWE NEAJt

tHROAt PlAIt

8UOI.fGW(

SETS

SUDiNGtHROAt ftAJt

ITMUSIIl

FREf TO SUDE

ASSEMBLE PLANE BODY

1lGURIS

SIOEVlEW

2,,'

.r;

f-

10

'

~)

.......
0110 OMDm tNTO w SOUAJtS

.1

\
I

.,.

-!

.-

1
I
IV.

moNl

Before final 3Sl!Cmblyof the plane. the

wedge pin is cut to length.
WeDGE PIN.The wedge pin is a 'Y." dowel
approximately 2"1'" long. The exact
length should allow just a little space in the
hole bottoms when the panels are pressed
against the blocks, (Note: The wedge pin is
not glued in place. It spins in the holes
when the wedge is til(htened.)
POSITION t'RONT BLOCK. After the
wedge pin is cut to length. the position of
lb. front block has to be marked. To do
this, cbj.assemble the plane with the front
face of the rear block aligned wnh the
angled line fA) on the panel.
Next, oct the blade in place against the
rear block, see Fig. 14. Then, slide the
front block back until the front edge of the
throat opening touches the blade edge.
Now trace the angled face of the front
block on the inside faces of the side panels
to align this block when gluing.
GLUING.After the front block outline is
drawn. the panels and blocks are glued
together to form the plane. Before applying the gllle, Tused a \4" bolt to temporarily fasten the adjustable plate lO the from
block. see Fig, 14. Also, I pressed the
wedge pin into one of the holes in the side
panels so I wouldn't forget to do it laler.
Now apply glue to the sides of the blocks
(not on the side panels), B~ careful not to
get glue on the side of the ac:ljuRrment plate
WOODSMITH

Or rlose to th~ edges of the angled (ace"

where It could squeeze into the "mortise."
Next, press the panels together, making
sure the wedge pin seats securely 'Then
align the blocks with the lines traced 011 the
insides of the panels and clamp tightlY.
After the glue has dried (or a few minutes, loosen the bolt and remove the throat
adjustment plate so excess glue doe.nlgct
ir stuck in place.
SOAPING.Af\er the glue dries, the plane
can be brought to it.' finished shape. Begin
by pressing the .liding plate back in place.

If \7

Then trace the shape )'OU want (thin can be

any nice shape that fil$ your hands), and
bandsaw away the waste, see Fig. 15.
After ifs cut to rough shape, plane the
bottom edges of the .id e panels Ilush with
the ISOle.
Then smooth all the contours with
rasp or file and sand the shape smooth,

see f'ig. 11.

SUOING
TMROM "-AlE

_-

MAKE THE KNOB

Alter shaping the pllone. I made the domeshaped knob. This knob serves two purposes: 1) it's a palm.tiDing front handle: and
2) it twists to lock the throat adjuslmenl
plate inplace.
So the knob would bear only on its perime-

ter when tightened, I bored a 1"-dia. hole

'". deep over the bolt hole on the ropoftbe
front block, sec Fig. 16. Then I drilled
overlapping holes ro elongnte the bolt hole,
formingaslotforadju.tment,
S<!<' t'ig.16.
TURN THE KNOB. The knob is turned
from 3 2".quare block cut from 1IlsLOck.
Although this seems like a job for a lathe, I
found it can be done on a drill press.
PRPA,REBLOCK. To prepare 1he block,
glue a vo' x T'hex head boll inlo the center
with epoxy, see f'ig. 18. Aller the epox')'
hardens, scribe a circle on the block and cui
away the comers, see Fig. 19.
RASP TO SIIAPE. After the comers are
eut off the block, it can be shaped on a drill
1'1'1,..... with a rasp. To do this. secure the
bolt In tho chuck. Then, at low speed, bring
tl,.. bl,ltk to a rough dome shape,
\\'111 n tht knob was roughly shaped, I
11I""OJI4,llh., speed to about 1,300 rpm and
u "1..'n,II~,,,,r ror final shaping,

MUll

AGUII19

"
aou

~I&EAalCt!
ON TotOI' BlOCK

-,,_

on- CORNEas

,,/

Off-1l0Cl( -

WI"'SAW
fIOOU.,.,

FtGUft21

MAK THEWEDGE

1'... Ih'

I"'''.' ill finished

fIOOU ..

except (or the

\\,,1):<,Ih'" h"kL'lhe blade in place,

CIT 01" \\t:I)(a:. The wedge is band<awn to h'I'" [rom., I ~wirle piece of 4 1
~Iock,...,_aClulllt<I.Wp",fiI~
in Fig. 22. To
get a perf~1 fit 1If1.r the wedge is cut to
rough ~hape, pian,' t he ~ntire back (:lee of
the wed.l(e. Stop planing when the wedge
can be pushed under lh,' pin te about 113
the way up (rom the ~nd,see Fig. 28.
FINISHING TOUCHES

For a finish, I applied two COOLS of teak oil.

This mann. finish doesn't get <'ticky when
my hands get sweaty see Sourees, page 2.1.
WOOOSMITH

'1

IORf

WEDGE

~Atsa:rJ

SIPfYIEW

CRQSS.SECT!ON

21

Tuning A Wooden
Plane
3.""'"

I ron\ 11I'O\" thi5. but I think the transitit>n

frum '&roOd-n ~
W metal 0_ had noth
mil: to do .. th lho! pL_', ahility tu ;mwth

It ""'I I.. do with the difficulty "r

1IIlj.. 1IllJ!:,,,,I (meturun~ tho bla<lesettinj! in
.... od

"IXMt( n l.laJll~.
\\ I"'t pian"" have only a 'imple. intim"llIlrng\\,'11)(1: 10 hold the plane b~,de in
I~"''' And IItt' method or lapping the blade
1(11(1 ~_Itl('n looks liki' something onl) a
masu r <nlft.m,ut .. ,uhl do with clliciN1C),
;.ncI ik"UI"IICY,

"It"""

='.""

~0lI"'"

t.,

"'tt"

....

WDGf

P".ili,,/I lit. b(IId. by "",I.rillg il ill lilt

1
block of S,!(lII'W<I.Til",.
"/(lrli8r"

\\HI. )U,t lik. a lot of thID!:" it', easier

than II k<Ok:l- "".. thr trick '-' learned,
"J-:Ct-R11fE BI.AD. IWI" .... geuing to
thr trick, tho! fi",. ,Itp in ",ILing up ~
weoden "lane is to .. -<'II re the blade in tltt'
pia"" with .Itt' .. ",II!
~
by pl.",ng tho! " ....'" on a piece or
,0ft .. oo<I, ....
I. (Thl.' protect~ the
b1ad~
and k,..,p> your workben~h
from getting jtollg,.I,) Stide the bLade in
and pn' .. tho" 1.'11110in pl""c,
TICllTt:N II v.l>(lt~ Ancr the wedge i.
po.itinnpd, drive it in tightly \\ith a ham
mer-twoo,'
th ....~ good 1..11"'_.ee Slep 2.
SETTIH,IJI.AOt:.Allhi, poinl the wedg~
II~IIprobably huv" pu,hed the blade so it
projet't~ too far oijl th,' bollom, To reset

"'1:"

fine tune the dt.-pth r..r nice thin sha\ln!!"'fhi., b beb~d'>I1<' by trial and error.
Th n, a,, 1\\" ,hff".....nt techniques I use
tA fi'.....
tu',.. tbe d~l>thofcut. Onsome planes
I mal", a,ijll.tn,,nt~ by Utppingthe front and
back cnd ,,(tl"'I'I:II'" body attentately to set
th,' <lit tUll( d,'pth,
On other
I J(lve Ihe back end of'the
quickly ",hl(ls IH)"'llJIJn \\ hllf? Inertia keeps plan" 011('I(1.KI smack so the cutting edge
the blufll..' III thl' MOle 1MnOlllfin .. The effect i~ $hiI\,. all thl' wily til' int" the plane body,
1't'llOt'lt iUllln~
l ht, blu(it'
Then I tal' do" I) un the top (If the blade
To ,'j:hllh rs, bold th .. 1'1:.110 upside do" n itself, :-i('1. Slotp;).
and SI~hl from Ih,' front end of tbc plantShop r\e>l,- I """ a Stanley 'Dead Blow'
m:,u",
.. h<-n "'p,.ng on th< wooden bod):
t",'anl th'''Illllngedgt'. Tap until
onl~ 3 llllj:ht l:Iimmcr .. r the <uttln!:' edl"! Rut I w ueh to a ball peen hammer or t..'ld<
abo,, Ihe l!llrf.... uf tm, i!<4t
hamm<'r Uti)on titt' blade,
!'Q~ARt; THE B1..AJJt:\\'hat lJ.<ually hap.",.L Dt;PTfI Tbe trup te,t or the CUt
"lilt
d, I'lh ,. 10 make a trial CUtand make
1"1\> at Ih.. POint Is thaI the cuttlr,~ .. l"" i1<
,k"",.I. To o;quart' t~ blade tap thr ~ dt' lIClju>tm,nls untO the blad ...j_., set to CUt10
the .. ptn)uu "alit,
or th,' "la.l<'. "''<''
I :;tUl hoM.1IIt t~
plane u"."I" d,," n 311<1
~ting 0\ <r the
t ",". "It ARt;NSS. \\'hen makin!,
~olf.t.al' th~..It)" '"'Ijl..:." 111.;.t i ... litJl tht- Ih."..., fi"" I)u Im,'nt '. ifth. blade needs a
~i(l(ur tht I,htn,, \\'hl"l'f' the cutlin~ t~Rt'
lighl Inl<rtll .. lju<tment \to take an even
hll....(IN'I)I,,"o.(1 (10\\',. into the thro"ll until tht- ~Il (rllfu l(I,' l" fllrlC). jU$t tap the top
l'l.rnt'l'S Ilf th~I)la(lt.
CUt! illll ,"h(e i.p......
lld with the "(lIe,
.\11 lOr Ih" lal'l'lItj: nlll)' sound tedious,
FINE ADJUSTMINTS
lout .1 1'\ ,.lIy IMk.,. ,,"ly n few geconds to
Si)thtinl( :110111(
tl", .. ,Iol,t< the bllld" roul!'h tn.t \. I" th.1"c,k JI4'\'cl("f1 t(1 ~t the blade to
1)'n,ljU>I"1. But Illy eyc i>n\ good cnoull'h t" rrutk"llf<rf,,,, I ~hl"111K1"

IItt' blade, Jli> c tbe rearoftitt' plane

rai', ..,'to Step ~.
That', the trick. 'I'lM.- idc" b that you'",
not adju>tinR lh, Vla"e blade. you' re adju.tin)( the VII","bod): -Ib move the blade
up, you aetunlly move Ihp plane body down
by t"""illg 011 th( back ,nd.
\VI",n you "'II Ih. bud)' tlf th~ plane. it

1(;/11 flit

pine< Gild I)""u Ihr

re8ti1~g Ott a
hol<llhe blade ill

("(/gr

""'gr ill lightly.

hydritillg tlfl'
R,..tlIJ" bI(I(l,
Jim,' adJI<Stmnrl by
2 /I'('((gr
ligltll/lll 'd"(lIi biOI'" malleI will,(I,rorl
3
>'fa,' of
1xxfy. Tile
bft"~,""" b/,"le ,,,,d till "iI' "''''''';1( refol ;01"0 blade, so ",. cdgr 111;11
bf
SrC'141'1Ilff' IHadt

,/'(J!lt

~"

IIIPI'III!I

I}lt
l('illl(lIIl ,1'};"'>"i,,'I0" I~p t~flill 1I""'g(,

jilr
1,la"'

pu. ""

<1"""" back i'liu 1/" 111"",1

Sqll(lrt

thl' hllld(' (or au

("t~1I

cut 611

Ill/'III"'I "" Ihr .lIk oJIM 1xxfy. D;"(I

inq Ihr blmll ttl tn, de ",1" 1\ Ih~ conU'l' oj
Iht bloll, rdg., i.lol" lI'illl')I("" /)16 high si.u.

22

F, I f I" "" Ih~ bla<lefol' dRpIll of 1;1(1by

WI'P'''!J tilt I(JII oflh,. bluiU u-itha smail

3wef Iw',,"II'r. F'lIr ~ke,,' u<u".lmenl , lap

/he top ('Ol">lfl'l< If tilt blade,

Tu d'~lt,';f~/t,hltpla/lf: for .'t/'orpe".ng.

gl1pIht OOtI!lll"'h tI",,,,b pru"'~' back

agtti ... "op <of /(,~Igf rl,,'" lap rear Qf body

10d~ltx4l,. blllIle

(111(1

uot'Clgr,
WOODSMITH

Ta _. gSho~

AN OPEN FORUM FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS

Sometimes I gel n litlJo. n"""'"" "Ik'" I'm

!o<.!a 111.1 fini""'." i1iff"r"nUy than the >'UI"

"')tJIMtin~y:ooo. (~'limes youwantthis
"1'1"~ranoe .,. a design eomrast. but that's

cutting a \'e_tj' til'tlnJl \\ u"'fnf't"ll' 'ItI thf lAhI.,\

tu.nl}Kr :-.tQl").)

sa"' or rotMr tahlt, ,"'.Jr t.'ulrt}ilC' "hi>" I

wag routinl! lh., "'i,ling lhrt"t 1'~'lr C..r Ih"
\\~nplant,JW" "',go 1 nl""'Ir!,1!4"
I ab> d"n\ Uk. Ilk i.I'1I (,r my 5111(\'''''
prt~ng down .'11llPllol a IlIOanJwb....
n it's

Th~ other problem with using a dowel is

!'ha\,;ng it Ilush \\~th the surfaee aJ\er it's
been cut off close. End grain just won't
shave off as smoothly as side grain. AM if
you try to sand a dowel down lIush \\~th the
surface, the end wain of the dowel \\'on\
sand as eao;iJyas the surrounding area. You
end up with a dished-out area around II
raised dowel.
That gets us right back to where we
started: How do you cutotl'p]ugs(ordowels)
Bush with the snce?
One way is with II hand saw, lOU can cut a
plug about
above the surface with a back
saw or dovetail saw. and then shave the rest
offtlush \\~th a sharp chisel.
Note: Uyou try to cut off the plug perfectIy flush, the seton most saw teeth is likely to
scratch the surrounding surface.
Another way is to use a router. I used
rooter to cut (rout) off the plugs on the table
saw cabinet and ouifeed table. It works
much more quickly and easily than cutting
them offwith a saw And there is less chance
of chipout with a route>:
To rout off plugs. mount a straight bit in
the router. I used a %'straighlbitforthe
y,'
plugs. Then set the router on a tlal surface
and adjustthedeplh of cut so the bit isjust.a
hail" above the surface. see the Detail in the
drawing belo",
Once the routeclepth is set. tift the router
up above the plug to be cut off. Then slowly
bring itdown gently over the plug in sort of a

GitOUT TROWEL PU5H[R

J1IL,
...inMu\'t'r al.ltl,I.- ~I" 1,luell'. rouler bit, or
Jointer knl\t"" wbcn c\illln~ rabbet.... or
IW.Io< .... 'n.. " I ''IU' (,..1 110.,\,;brnlion right
untll't m)

""~'1"IL..

and the router plunged down onto the top

"f the plug.
After routing, there's still a little bit more
to shave otT with a sharp chisel since the
router bit was set a "hair" above the surface.
Todo this put the Oat back of the chisel down
tight on the surface of the work and slice it
"rr smooth.
AUGNING TABLESAW PULLEYS
After J finished building the table saw cabi-

net, 1decided to lake a few minutes to "tune

up' my saw. This lIb'ually involves getting
the saw blade lined up parallel with the
miter gauge grooves Md adjusting the rip
fence and miter gauge.

'I,.'

11)selve the problem. I've started using 3

l(I'0II1 trowel as a hold-downlpush-stick Cor
th..'S(' !lituations. Grout trowels are made Cor
purting the grout between ceramic tiles and
al\! readil.\' available at building centers or
lumber yards for about $2 to $5. The one I
found measures aboul4' x 9" and has a nice
hig handle to grip. It also has a soft, sponge
rubber bottom that grabs the workpiece and
hold. it securely as it'. pushed over the
cutter.
'The long. Oat surface of the grout trowel
puLS uniform pressure down on the workpiece without increasing the pressure on my

nerves.
ROUTING PLUGS FLUSH

While I was building the table saw cabinet

and theoutfee<! table forthis issue, I realized
that there are a couple ways to cut off plugs
flush with the surface,
But that's getting ahead of the story.
First, the holes have to be tilled with plugs. [
like to use plugs (cut with a plug cutter)
rather than dowels to till counterbored
screw holes. One reason is that plugs can be
cut from the same wood (even the same
board), and 1 can get an almost perfect color
match to the SW'rOundingwood.
Also the grain of a plug can be oriented to
run the same direction as the slln'OUllding
wood. When you use a dowel. the grain runs
the length of the dowel, and so the grain will
be perpendicular to the surrounding surface,
What you see on the dowel is end grain - il
WOOOSMITH

AUGH Sl'RAIGtfT(DGI
WlTMot.m:lOf lOGE

OFEACMPUlUY)

r ---

TOl'VlEW

....,.
I

But there's another step that's often overlooked on belt-driven saws: aligning the
motor pulley and the puUey on the sawblade
arbor. If the pulleys aren't perfectly in line
with one another or tighton their arbors, the
belt won't run true and the saw will vibrate,
&rJSalignmen~can also cause extra wear OIl
the Vbelt and the side pressure on the
pulley. might actually loosen them on their
arbors,
'lb detennine if the pulleys are aligned,

swirling fashion -like a helicopter coming

in for a landing. Slowly work downward
cleaning orr the top of the plug until the
router base rests Oat on the surface of the

wood.
Note: This is even easier to do with a
plunge router since the base of the router
can be kept on the surface the whole time

fu'St remove the cover that's over the motor

pulley andbeit. Then hold a straightedge (be
sure it's ""Jiectly straight) alongside the
pulleys. I f the pulleys are in perfect align
ment, the straightedge should touch the
outsib edge of each pulle):
If the pulleys aren't lined up, loosen the
motor on the mount (it's usually fastened
with bolls in a slot) and shift it until it's close
to the correet position. Then, for final adjustmenlo loosen the set screw in the motor
pulley and tap it slightly in or OUt until both
pulleys are perfectly aligned and retighten
the set screw.

23

Sources
GARRETTWADe COMrANY. INc., 161 Av
TABU SAW CABINET
enue of the Americas, New York, NY
Youcan order the hardware for the table saw 10013; BOO2212942 (Catalog: $4.00).
cabinet from the following SOUJ'C(!S:
Eclip~. HOllillg G"idc. Order No.
'IlI WOODWORKERS' STOIl, 21801 InIOM07.01. sa50. Lee I'a/ley 801lill9 Guide,
dustrial Boulevard. Rogers, MN 55.~74: Order No. 80.101.01. $22.50. Lee Valkll Be(612) 428-2199 (Catalog: $2.(0). D,.""..... t'Cl Setler, Ordel' No. SIlJ02.Ql, $8.00.
Pull (hO>ldletl), 9 needed, .cUd cak, bore
You can order the Eclip!'e and G<!neral
311., ~. dia.. Order No. 05620, Sl.95 each. boning guide. from:
WooDCllAFTStJPPl,Y CORP. (see address
$17.60 for 10. B"U Hi>lges(1 IXUr), brass. 2"
long, I' open "wth, Order No. DI>')<>.$2.1() above), Sdil' .t flO/WIg Gllide. Order Ko.
per pair. .Ifag,,,,tir COlflr,Order No. 0"2107, 03A2I. $10.9.';ppd. GrllProl S/tn'"p<""r,Or$.95. Pi" Slyi. S/td/ SUPJlorl . (8), br;>.ss, der :>10. 06GGI. $16.80 ppd.
The Stanley boning KUi<l~ean be purOrder No. 09156. $.15 each.
WOODCRAFT SUPPU' CORP..II Atlantic
chased at many local lumber )artl<. hard-

Ave., Dept. 116. P.O. Box -1000, Wobu"n

MA 01888: SOO-22.5-115.~ (Catalog: Free),
-dia, x I VI'
wide rubber wheels. weight caJl"clty rated
at 210 pound, each, mounting screws nOI
included. $17.50 ppd. per pair.
ROUTER BIT$.W. used three router bits
that may not be available from all 10<'81
retailers to build the table saw cabinet.
The V; core boz bil is available in the
Sears 1986187 Power and Hand Thol C"talOll
as Order No.9 GT 255.16. ;$12.99.
Thejlll$1I trilll /iit used toclean up the t<idu
openings in the cabinet must have a cuUing
length of at least "'... (Note: Laminate or

ware, arm tool SWl"\........

DIAMOND STONES

Su... l-Brok Ca.ters (2pair).;r

'\Ie have found it difficult to

di.wond

SlOJ1l>j;.

gt'l

Irlll!I,/I(l1

There i. O!1f' >ul'piJt.r thAt

guarantees Hat diamond stones:

WOODCllAFTSUPPLY C'ORP.{St'<!address
above). tf' Coorsf'''9~-itDin)',4>udS(Q",.. ()r-

del' No. 09('.13. $3'1.50 ppd.lt XCoonre-grit

DiamOl,d StOlle, Order No. O'ZP15,$37.50
ppd. li" COOtSl!'fJn'tDWmu"d SI",u. Order
No. 17X22. $&1.00 JlP<1. .r' X .("oo''II<'l/ril
Diamolld Slu" e. Order No. 17X;l'2.$64.00.
12"CO(lr~'f/ril Dia,,,,,,,d Stone. Order No.
02P31. $87.;;0 ppd, ir XCoursegrit
DiU'1I0'ld SI"" e. Order No. 02P42, Sb'1.5O.

placement blades
planes from:
'\\'OODI,.~

(III'

R('(:Ordand Stanley

Till> JAPAN WOODWORKER

(sec address above). H,,"'il1. Bludc. Or

der No. 53.175. $15.95. _"'.IV'ufc BIIUk. Order Ko. 53.200, S16.95. l-Y;Widr Blade,
Order No. 53.238, $19.50. J ;'-II'ide fJ/lJdc.
Order No, 53.262, $21.50. (Other sizes available for block planes and spokeshaves. \Vrite
for free Rier.)
You can order laminated blades with n
hil-c3rbon steel edg<> from:
I'INETOOL IMPORTS,P.O. Bo< 3271, 430
"'est 7th SL. Chico CA 959'27; 916-891
1&<;.rI1ide l.<J,,,,itto.(ed Btoa Order No.
WR-50, $17.00 ppd. M""id, l.<J,"';lIoled
Btodo, Ord"r No. WR.oo, $19.00 ppd.
PARTS fOR WOODEN PLANE

Voucan ordcr" Huck blade and lignum \;UIC

solo for the wooden plane shown on page 18
from:
woom.JNE,
rn~JAPAl'( WOODWORKER
(~ ad'I .....-' "be,.C'. 1<,.lrid. B/(Jdf. Or
der :':0.53.0016, $22.95. (Note: Weused the
IV,.\\cl<!c llo,de fClr tbe plane we built, but
\Voodline also orr.,,,, Ihese other Hock

blades: I ".1\',.1. Hlad., 0,,1,,1' No. 53.0017.

$24.95. !'l\'id, Bu,d" Order No. 53.0018.
$25.95.I Lrglllw,lIllU 2", I!l' piece spproxveneer trimmers enen only have cutting
nDlltely ,," thick (cnuu,:h for two plaoe.;),
length!l of IS'.)
Order No. 5:1.212.$7.9.>.
WATfRSTONES
The .'" round-over bit isn't always necesYou can order the teak oil we used on the
:sary. It makes a uniform radius. but this The waterstones we USC in the \\'oodsmith wooden plane from:
radiw< can be made with a file or sandpaper
shop are King brand stones, You can purTHE WOODWORKt:ttS'
STORE. (Sec
AD three bits can be ordered from:
chase these stones from:
address above). \lUi,,, r....
k Oil. Order No.
W()()DCRAFTSUPPU' CORP. (.... address
MASON & SULLIVAN CO 58fi HilQ:ins
PI6.'IO. Si.75 per quart.
Crowell Road. West Yarmouth, MA 02673: above). King JOIJO.grilIIWen<lolle, Order
TURt\Uf::D INSF.RT You "ill need one
(617)778-0475. COn' BOJ' s, L_". Order 1'0. No. llH21. $11.95 ppd. Killg De/It". -s: threaded insert (somerimes called a oRe)Sl82X (1'," shank) 01'No. 84SSX (W shank),
san Insert") for the wooden plane. \>;e
(6000'fJrU) Palisllill{l Sun:, Order No.
llH51.
S17.75
ppd.
(Note:
i\
combination
learned (the hanl way) thaI the oll[8ilk
$12.50. FllI.slt 1h1ll Bil. ball bearinl( guide.
1" carbide length, Order No. 8814('1,' shank)
l0001iOOO-grit stone is available. Order No. diIJmcter of th..ClIded in.'<!,'l:> ean vary from
or No. 8819 (I':" shank), $7.95. ~.' Ro,tlldillfl 09CJ1, SI5.95.)
manufacturer to nlanufactUt't'l' e,'en I.houl
Ot'er 8it, Order No. SSS-I (110-shAnk) or 1\0.
the inside diameter (bolt ,,;;r,e) L.thesame.
STEfl GRINDING PLATE
8835(~."shank), $13.95.
In II'ood8",ill, 1\0. 3S we specified a 0/',."BONGEE" CORD. To hold the plastic
\00 can order the plate and powder (or #18 threaded in';{I'1.from The \\'oodworkers'
tra.t'h bag to the chip caleher f....une inllide grinding the back and bevel o(plane blades
Store for a bunk bc.'<I project. \'i'e cxplain(.'Il
the eabinet. we usod a large rublx>r band from:
that you <hould <trill all'..' hole to ac<,ept the
from an office supply store. You could also
WooDLlNE, TIll;: JAPAN WOODWORKER.
insert (Ihe .....". refers to the bolt I!ize). A ~"
use an elastic hold-dowll or -bungce' cord 1731 Clement Ave. Alameda. CA 94501; hole i.. the oorrect si7"e to drill for a >,,,r
sold at most bicycle and camping ~tore .
4155211810 (Catalug: $1.50). HOlli,lg threadl'<l ilt.-ert obtained from moot sources,
PUrl. (lunaban). Order No. 01.65-1. $8.50. but not that ."cci6c insert from The \\'ood
WOOO8URNING PEN
Silu'OII Carbide Abrusir( Powd,.,. (Kongs worke,'>' Store. It required a '\,,,,' hole (as
ha), 22Q..grit. Order No. 15.152.1. $.9.).
Voucan order. woodburningpen formakillg
many renders told usl.
'l'he moralof the lory i:. thll;: Buy your
the "h""t deeah;" dcscribt..cJou page 3 n"'Il:
Steel "lmc also t'8ll be pul'l:bru;ecJ locally at
CONS1'A~TINE'S,
2050 EaSLchester
:;c:rtlp metal companies (look under "&rap
hard\\'l\re jiY'fJt. Then dlill the hole to match
Road, Bronx, NY 10461.22!17; 800-2:2.1 Metals' or -Steel Distributors" in the YeDow tbe hardware you purchased.
8087 (Catalog: SI.OO). lVoodbll.,."ing Pm" Pu~). SiOOm carbide abrash'e powder of
You can order a I.hread"d insert (or the
Order No. 57\VB3, SI6.95.
ten C-dll be purcl1a.."Cd at lapidary (Mtorw wooden plane from:

polisbing) supply houses.

THE WOODWORKERS'
STORE. (See
BEVELHONING GUIDES
address above. Note: Minimum C8$horder
REPLACEMENT PLANE BLADES
You call order the Eclipse and Lee Valley
$7.501. Throaded HlTUs r""erl, 1',-20. Or
honingguides dL<CUSSed
on pages 14-15from:
You can order Huck high-clrixm >llecl re- der No_08010. $.40each.

24

WOODSMITH