UE 2 SOE ONO SSG ESO TEI Re USES) fo Issue 21 acOLO RE a3 THICKNESSING JIG = Adjustable Featherboard «=Table Saw Review = Avoiding Kickback =Tongue & Groove JoineryIssue 21 May 1995 Donald B, Pesce Douglas L. Hide Richard §: Peters ‘Tim Robertson Phil Totten Mark A, Wiliame ‘Te Kralieek Cary Christenson Kurt Sohltz Roger Reiland Mark Higdon Crayola England Chris Glowaek! Ken Mankel Kent Welsh Stove Curtis Steve Johnson New Bua. Sor: nay Beam» Dir Mail Mos 7 Dwell, dnt: Tle Gvenee + Nova ‘Suloe Kerk A Buckonevolyer Shane Pratt Plex. Div: Jun Macathy + Conroe: Roba ance » Acrounts Lars Those» Bre lly Laces «Pr. Mgr Carl Quine» Pa Sor Mgrs Gndan Gales Att Chora (Gyaarfiyo Sora My=doyee Moores sluct Pe Goo Drogas Lilktor = Nec Adm: Nik Then Al, ACh Sel aa Fo + Rest Feanadltsone Bp. ito Ge Ar DiveCinty eons Ctelg roast ye So Bakers ns Coro Pro gr: Mavi a= tn Pr Se La Jae Tech. Sport Dasid Stones Sye Oper Tammy Aldi Sp. Sipe: Nancy John -Fallmant ia Be am Cn Clam Sa Cw Lary ie Mar: Seaie Ea Ta Ler Katia Coo = Chater Serie Rapa Joni Dar, ‘krameStrx Koo, Anna Cae, Lennie Aloe, un Beat, Ket Andrews conyers Pee Deniers doe Sees TEE sl ca Bite eer re gent ct a 2 eed 2 SGherelens sta Coy, 308, One ee s> in at Rn na end Can Postage Po Oe Yin TA ‘Dortisoe Ds Hains crown ‘Stharipden Qos Cl 0.500 Edtati Prog: ERIEDTA, Comper: 75990200, Innes tones wre PRINTED IN USA. Cutoffs Dlink of an eye. That’ allt takes for an aecident to happen in the workshop. And unfortunately, safety is, ‘one topic that just doesn’t get: much advance thought. Sure, most woodworkers wear some type of safety glasses. And often use a push stick, But that just isn't enough, It hnas to be a part of everything you do. ‘The problem is that safety is one of ‘those things you usually don't do any- thing about until something happens (often with disastrous results), And if ‘you wait for an accident to happen be- Tore you become serious about safety, you éould find your entire life changed. INNER VOICE. That's what happened to Richard Suabedissen, a reader from. Middlesex, New Jersey. He wrote to ime about the Civtoffs in issue 17 where Ttalked about an inner voice that often speaks’ to woodworkers about safety. In it, I suggested that the seeret to safety is listening to this voice every time you hear it. Richard didn't. And ‘with the hope that he eould prevent an accident like his from happening to Pe Te aT C14 Dear Don, ve been using my table saw for over 45 years for all types of wood working and therefore am “expert enced." Late one day, I wes In a hhuny to rip @ 2x4 in half 0 make Tax 12" x 9long garden stakes. 7 meant to rio a fong iength first and then cut the pleces to size. But with my mind ona leer phase ofthe project, | cut them to lengih fst ‘An ‘inner voice” told me that i would’ be too wise to rip these shortpieces. But Iwas ina hurry and ignored it. After al, ve done this @ thousand times before. So | procesded to ro a 9" poce. | As 1 tnished the cut, | pushed the outside (waste) plece away from the blade with my left hand. someone else, he offered his letter for publication, see the box below. must admit, Iwas deeply affected by Richard's letter. After writing and thanking him for sharing his story, I felt ‘compelled to do something about safety. SAFETY. In this issue, you'll find two articles that ean make your shop a safer place to work. The first article gives a number of ideas to help prevent kiek- back — one of the most. dangerous things that ean oceur in the shop. The second is a set of plans for an adjustable featherboard. Not only does it make work on your table saw or router table safer, it also adds precision to every cut or joint you make. SAFETY FIRST. Onefinalthonght.The letter Richard sent sparred us into ‘making our shop a safer place to work. I hope his letter gets you thinking about safety in your shop too. A split second later, the blade kicked back the waste piece. Halfof my left thumb was on the floor, anc! was holding my totally severed left Jndex finger in my left han. After thirteen grueling hours of microsurgery, the surgeons gave up trying to save the thumb, There was ‘no chance at all for the index finger. Please emphasize in your column again the need to “listen to the inner voice every time you hear it.” J didn't listen. And it took that piece of wood (traveling at over 100 feet per second), only 004 of a sec- ond to tear off my fingers and change the rest of my life. Sincerely. Richard H. Suabedissen ShopNotes No. 21SET eee ° Contents Projects & Techniques Avoiding Kickback _____________4 Safety is no accident, Here's a close-up look at some of the causes of kickback and what you can do to prevent it. Featherontas= = es 6 A unique desian lets you adjust this shop-made featf- erboard to use on many ofthe too‘s in your shop. Tongue & Groove_____ 8 Cutting a tightitting tongue and groove joint is easy when ‘you folow our simple step-by-step approach, Lap Deakas 2 on ear a 17 This compact lap desk provides space inside o organize pencils and paper and a large stable surface fo wnte on. Thicknepattig lg 2 = AB You don't needa planer to thickness stock accuratoly. Ait takes is a hand-held router and this easy to build jig. Departments The Small Shop Wer CO leis SS ae ea, Which power tools are best for the small shop? Full-size, benchtop, or combination tools? GreatTips Cle Ep ipo se es 20 A collection of our bes js that includes everything from choosing the right glue to the best way to apply it Selecting Tools Hable Gawe 28 2s es 22 Our team tests six popular table saws and offers practical suggestions on selecting a saw that wil suit your needs. Readers'Tips ehomociuviona. = aes ae 28 ‘Shop-tested solutions from our readers on their most ‘common woodworking problems. Plus two quick ips. Lumberyard Softwood Grades_________ 30 Building a project out of softwood? Understanaing the different lumber grades can affect its cost and agpearance. Finish Room Water-Based Top Coate__________ 31 A durable finish that's easy touse. And nomessy cleanup. All this makes water-based top coats worth a close look No. 21 ShopNotes Tongue & Groove page & Thicknessing Jig page 16 Table SawsSET aaae) Avoiding Kickback. have a friend who has. piece getting pinched between the ure between the fence and one of ‘of wood embedded in the wall blade and fence. Or the saw kerf the miter gauge slots — at both behind his table saw. It’s a re- closing up around the blade. In ends ofthe fence, see Fig, 1. (This minder to others entering his either ease, the blade grabs the assumes your saw blade is paral- shop not to stand directly behind workpiece and propels it back- lel to the miter gauge slot.) the saw when it'sin use. And it's wards — quicker than you can Along with a properly set areminder to bimself as to how blink an eye, see Cutoffs, page 2. fence, there are a number of inex- dangerous kiekback ean be. But kickback on the router ta- pensive things you ean do to re- Kickback shouldn't be taken ble occurs for a different set of duce your chances of kickback. lightly. It’s as serious as an un- reasons.Formoreonthis,seethe _PAWLS. One thing you should guarded saw blade or an exposed _ box on the opposite page. aluxays doisuse your blade guard router bit. And the seeret to pre- FENCE POSITION. Onthetable _ with its anti-kickback pawls, see venting kickback (and an injury) saw, one of the simplest ways to photoabove. Aslong asthe pawls: is to understand where its most _get-a straight, bind-free cut is to are sharp and well-maintained likely to oceurand what eausesit. set the rip fenee parallel to the they should dig in and “atch” the ‘Two TOOLS. There are two sawblade, Having the fence par- workpiece ifit's kicked back. toolsin the shop where the poten- allel tothe bladeallowsthe work. SPECIALINSERT: When I can't tial for kickbaek is high: the table piece to slide smoothly past the use the blade guard, T often use a saw and router table (or shaper). ladle without binding, special insert with a built-in split- With the table saw, kiekbackis To make sure the fence is par- ter, seebox belowleft. This splitter often the result of a workpiece allel to the blade, I simply meas- prevents the saw kerf from closing Aa i ‘There are times when L have to curs ewe graves exe | remove my blade guard for a eer- S) TBhntes ante or ono, | tain ent, When this ocours, Tre- es ) place the metal insert with a We special insert that has a built-in splitter, see drawing, ‘The splitter helps protect me from kickback eaused by a work- piece dosing up around the saw blade — even with the blade guard removed. The insert is just a scrap piece ‘of hardwood cut and sanded to match the metal insert. A kerfin ? ‘one end aeceptsa hardwood split- aegs oF sure nse e@ ter that keeps the workpiece ‘Rena NeeeT from pinching the blade. | 4 ShopNotes No.21EER uaaa? up sxourd the saw biade. Kickback rollers. It also keeps a [B ‘Another way to help prevent workpiece tight against the fence ey kickback on the table saw is to or table top to help you get a Nore! use a pair of antickiekbackrollers straight ent, see Fig. 2. And the | reAtietsdaro ora featherboan fingers help prevent aworkgiece | “Meuse” ROLLERS. Anti-kickback roll from kicking back at you should | reantexsoane xeere ers mount to an auxiliary fence the blade get a hold of it. ener, thatboliedorelampedtotherip A featherboard, like the one | “Meuse reevett fence, see photo a left. shown here, is available through | Y°* ‘The unique thing about these many woodworking mail-order rollers is they rotate only in one catalogs, see sources at right. Or | — | direction, And as a side benefit, _youcan make your own, see page6. | parr the rollers hold the workpiece SAFETY TIPS. Whenever possi- | ome Put tight against the fence and table ble,itselsoagoodideatouseapush | P= pox top to ensure a straight cut stick. Itwontpreventkiekback,but | woerece ) Rollers are available through it just might save afinger or twoit | many woodworking mail-order something does go wong. 4 catalogs, see sources at right. FEATHERBOARD. A _feather- ‘board works much like the anti- Working with a router table ean he deceptive. It might have a stnaller motor and use a smaller cutter than a table sav, but a se- rious aceident.ean oceur here, too. Avworkpieee ean kiek backifit's fed into a router hit too quickly. Or you try to remove too much wood inoneppass, And even ifthe bit hits knot, So its a good idea to first carefully inspect the workpiece ‘before turning on the router Also keep in mind the other rules for a router table, Rout ina right-to-left direction —whether you're using a fence or a bit with ‘2 bearing, see drawing, Never backrout —thisis very dangerous. With backrouting, there's ways a chance the router bit will ‘grab the workpiece and pull it, along with your fingers, into the sharp cutters. Never rout with the workpiece between the bit and the fence. And always keep your fingers safely out of the way. ANTL-RICKBACK BITS, You can also reduce your chanees of get~ ting kickback by using anti-kielk- GOTO Ta And finally, never remove the waste piece until the power is off and the blade has come to a stop. back bits, see photo at right. Unlike standard router bits, these bits have less eutter str- face exposed, see detail A below. Asthe workpiece passes through the entter, less wood ean be re- moved per revolution of the bit. Less wood, less chance ofkickback. ‘MULTIPLE PASSES, And one of the simplest ways you can reduce Kickback is to nibble away at the wood by taking aseries of shallow passes, see detail B below, Anti-kickback Bits. Abit with less cutter surface ex- posed lessens the ikeli- hood of kickback Sources No. 21 ShopNotes ‘Anabhekback Roore a Featherbowd Garete Wade booeazoi2 Haren To) (200.246.2806 Atttickbock Bite I Tale Ban-aaI sae etcieurg Boo 2chees0 Woodworkers Supe | papaee y Ta) ae Featherboard ° a for your power tools DIMENSIONS: BASE ae 38 Lez Oo of the simplest things Unlike most other feather- slot or the height of the base. you can do to make a table boards,thisonehastwoidentical, Safety Note: When cutting a saw or router table safer for adjustable hold-downs. Bach deep kerf or all the way through, yourself is to use a featherboard. hold-down attaches to the base _don'tusethe second hold-down as A featherboard can help you by way of'a pair of carriage bolts it can pinch the kerf closed. hold a workpiece firmly against that fit ina slot in the base, see ‘BASE. The base of the feather- the table top or fence. It canalso drawing above, board is just a piece of $4" ply- preventaworkpiecefromkicking By loosening two knobs, each wood with a piece of ¥4"-thick back at you if the blade or bit hold-down can be positioned any- ‘Masonite glued to one side, see happens to grab hold of it. where along the length of the T- Pig. 1. But before gluing the Ma- tra aie uafonirer@ pwoon Rip Fence. Clarping » the featherboard to the table saw rip fence will press a workpiece firmly against the table top. \ Table Top. Or you can > clamp the featherboard to the table top to hold a workpiece firmly against the rip fence. ee < Bie oe Router Table, Just ko > the table saw, you can lamp the featherboard (0 router table top ora ‘outer table fence, 6 ShopNotes No.21Fs @© rcorite in place, a groove is cut in and rough length, see dravwing at the plywood to form the bottom right. ‘Then so the hold-downs TICK e half of the T-slot, see Fig. 1a. (_willgripaworkpiece and prevent cut this groove to ft the head of it from kicking back, cut the ends a4! carriage bolt.) of each blank at a 20° angle. After the Masonite is glued in To create the fingers which place (Lused contact cement), the press against and grip the work- Tslot can be eompleted. To do piece, the next step is to cut a this, cut aseeond groove centered series of Kerfs. To do this so directly over the first groove, they'll be evenly spaced, I made ‘You want the width of the second an indexing jig that attaches to groove to just fit the square the table saw miter gauge, see shanks of the earriage bott. box below. HOLD-DOWNS. Nowthebaseis __Onee the fingers have been cut, ready for the two hold-downs. it'sjustamatter of laying out and Since theseare going to take alot drilling holes for the slots. of abuse, I made them from ¥'- Then remove the waste with a thiek hard maple. band saw or sabre saw and attach ‘Tp make the hold-downs, fist the hold-downs to the base with cent two blanks to finished width the mounting hardware. HOLD-DOWN | Cutting evenly-spaced kerfs ona gauge, it's best to have the blade featherboard hold-down is quick in this ker? so the jig is perfectly ‘and easy with this indexing jig. If aligned with the blade. you're at all familiar with how 2 To eut the first kerf, clamp the box joint jig works, then you're workpiece to the backing board already familiar with how this so it’s tight against the pin, see particular jig works. tail, Then maike the frst pass, ‘The jighas two saw kerfs that After the first kerf is eut, un- ave spaced 14 apart,seedrawing. clamp the workpiece and shift it One kerf has a hardwood pin over onto the index pin, Then re- gluedinit. The otherkerflinesup clamp the workpiece and take an- Perfect Kerfs. The index pinmakes it easy to with the saw blade. Note: When other pass. Repeat thisprocessto cut evenly-spaced kerfs, Just index the work- serewing the jig to the miter complete all the fingers. piece on the pin between each pass. = FINGERS ARE SPACED 16" APART — RSEeoce tees Boson BACKING BOARD ON MITER ONLE No. 21 ShopNotesTongue. Forming a tongue is just a matter of rout- ing @ rabbet on each face. To ensure a consistent cut, a featherboard applies downward pressure. here's a good reason why so many hardwood floors are still as strong and flat today as the day they were laid down — they're held together with tongue and groove joints. Even though Idon't install alot ofhard- ‘wood floors, T still find a tongue and groove joint useful on many of the projects I build. ALIGNMENT. For example, when gluing hardwood edging to a ply- wood shelf, it automatically aligns the two pieces, see draw- ing A below, And it provides me- chanieal support as well as additional glue surface, STRENGTH. Even without glue, tongue and groove joint offers plenty of mechanical strength. ‘Take the back of a cabinet that’s made up of a number of wood slats for instance. To keep the slats flush, tongue and groove joints form a strong, interlocking panel, see drawing B. BREADBOARD ENDS, Another way to take advantage of this strength is to attach a “bread- board” end to a panel, see draw- ing C. Whether the panel is eolid ‘wood or plywood (like the top for Groove. A table saw makes quick work of cutting ‘a groove 10 fit the tongue. Here, the featherboard presses the workpiece tight against the rip fence. the lap desk on page 12), the breadboard ends Help keep the @ panel from warping. ‘TWO TOOLS. While there are a number of different ways to ent tongue and groove joint, I use simple method that’s as depend- able as the morning paper. All it takes is two tools: a router to cut the tongues, and a table saw for the grooves, see photos above. The nice thing about this method is it doesn’t require aspecial router bit orsaw blade. (Tuse a ¥4" straight bit and combination saw blade.) — [BREADEOARD END A. Alignment. tongue and groove B. Strength. Even without glue, the C. Flat. To ensure this table top stays Joint automatically aligns strips of strength of a tongue and groove joint fiat, a “breadboard! end is attached ‘hardwood edging on a plywood shelf. keeps the slats on this cabinet fush. with a tongue and groove joint. 8 ‘ShopNotes No.21The Tongue T usually start [q by cutting the tongue. Typically, it’s centered on the edge of the workpiece by ent- ting two rabbets — one on each face. In most eases, you ean do this quickly and easily on a q router table. But forlarge work- pieces, @ hand-held router works best, see the left-hand box below. ‘ ‘THICKNESS. Kither way, you'll need to adjust the depth of eut to establish the thickness of the tongue. A simplerule of thumb is || tomakethe tmgueaboutonethind the thickness of the workpiece, LENGTH. Another consitlera- tion is the length of the tongue. This is determined by the posi- tion ofthe fence. Theexact length. isn’t critical, I usually make the tongue soit’s nobmore than twice as long as itis thick. FEATHERBOARD. Before mak- ing a test out to check the thiek- eye ‘When routing a tongue on a large panel, it's easier to ‘use a hand-held router and a rabbet bit than to man- handle the workpiece on the router table. ‘Here again, the idea is to eut a rabbet on each face, Butinstead ofa fenco, the routers guided by abearing on the bit that rides against the edge of the workpiece. By changing the size of the bearing (or bit), you can vary the length of the tongue, ness and length of the tongue, there's one more thing to do. To hold the workpiece down flat on the table and ensure the tongue isa consistent thiekness, clamp a featherboard to the fence, soe Fig. 1, (Plans for this feather- board aro shown on page 6.) NOTE | JeueWemerece Pewee "raeees ‘TONGUE. Once you're satisfied with the setup, you ean make the tongue on the “real” piece. Just rabbet one side of the workpiece, see Fig. 1a. Then flip it over and rabbet the opposite side, see Fig. 1b, Note: Fora tip on making clean. ccuts, see right-hand box below. One problem I have when routing a rabbet in plywood (or eross-grain in hardwood) is I don't always get a lean cut, Seoring the shoulder of the rabbet with a ‘knife helps, but it's hard to make this eut accurately. ‘To do this, I make a simple guide. Tes just a serap | piece that's ronted with an identical rabbet. This rabbet, positions the edge of the serap along the shoulder so ‘you can seove an accurate line on the workpiece, HANDHELD ROUTER, ShopNotes,Pr groove can be ext tofit-In most The Groove eases, the groove is centered on the edge of the workpiece. While you'd expect this to make the surfaces flush, slight variations in thickness ean ex- ‘pose one of the edges. So T use a ‘workpiece that’s slightly thicker (about Ye"). This way, it, will stand a bit “proud” when the pieces are assembled. And the surfaces can be sanded flush later. DEPTH OF CUT. Before cutting the groove, you'll need to setthe depth of eut. To allow room for excess glue, I adjust the blade height so the groove is about Ye! deeper than the length of the tongue. FENCE. Now it’s just a matter of positioning the rip fence to lo- cate the groove, see Fig.2.'To cut a groove that’s centered exactly onthe edge, I use a simple trick. Assembly ‘There ave several ways to asser- ble a tongue and groove joint. PLYWOOD. The simplest way is when one of the pieces is ply- wood. To attach a hardwood strip (or breadboard end) to the ply- ‘wood, jst glue the pieces together 3 Tonove With the tongue SS complete, the mec nouenivon A Start by roughly centering the edge of the workpiece on the blade and locking the fence. Now it’s just a matter of making too passes. The first pass is made with one side against the fence, see Fig. 2a, Then flip the work- piece end for end and make a sec- SOLID WOOD. But when join- ing two solid wood pieces, you'll need to allow for movement caused by changes in humidity. ‘To do this, apply giue only to the middle third of the tongue, see Fig. 3. Then lock each end in onoue—7 ond pass, see Fig, 2b. TEST RIE Although this pro- duces a centered groove, it may not be widle enough to aecept the tongue. So you may need to “pump” the fence a bit and make ‘two more passes. Just continue like this until you get aperfectfit. by “pining” a small dowel ‘through the tongue. (I gluean ¥s" dowel ina stopped hole.) SAND FLUSH. Now just sand ‘the surfaces fush. A sanding Dlock wives good control to avoid eross-grain seratches, see Fig. 4. sANDWn SHeGean 10 ShopNotes No. 21lompaet yet functional. That's ‘what I like about this lap desk. A shallow tray organizes writing (or drawing) materials, see Exploded View below. Anda top serves as a writing surface. ‘To provide access to paper and pencils, the top is hinged to the tray. And it's slanted — just This easy to build lap desk organizes pencils and paper and provides a sturdy writing surface as well. CT ‘enongh to make it comfortable to write on, but not so steep that paper slips around on the desk. Finding the best writing angle vas just a matter of experiment- ng a bit. But the real challenge ‘was making the desk lightweight 50 it's easy to cary (even for a child). Yet sturdy enough to with- stand getting knocked around. ‘The solution is to combine thin pieces of hardwood (I used 14" and Y4"-thick maple) with Va'- thickplywood. Whilea single piece of plywood provides plenty of strength for the bottom, the top is built up from two layers to pro- duce a stable writing surface. OVERALL DIMENSIONS: NORA" WH 2256" Laas | e EXPLODED VIEW | No. 21 ShopNotes iCUT ‘The tray is usta simple wood box that's used to store writing and drawing materials. SIDES.To provide @ eomfort- able writing position when the top is added, the sides (A) of the ‘tray are angled, see Figs. 1 and 2. But before eutting the angles, it's ‘easiest to rabbet both ends of the sides now to aevept a front and back piece added later, see Fig. 1a. Next, to make both sides iden- tical, earpet-tape them together hefore cutting the shape with a sabre saw or band saw, see Fig. 2. ‘Then shave off the ‘remaining ‘waste to the line with ahand plane. FROND/BACK.The sides are held together witha front (B) and back (C), see Fig. 1. To allow the lid tosit down tight, Theveled the topedgeofeach piece onthetable saw to match the angle of the sides, see Fig. 1b. ‘The simplest way to do this is to dry assemble the tray and mark ‘the bevel. Then ripa straight edge first 60 the pieces are 14" wider ‘than finished size, Now rip the ‘Pieces to width as you cutthe bevel. BOTTOM. Allthat’s lefts to eut grooves in each of the tray pieces for a Y-thick plywood bottom | jeetiare (D). Aer eutting the bottom to | xeeB%nele fit, just glue the tray together Top With the tray complete, thenest [% step is to add a top. What 1 171 wanted is a solid (yet light |” wore weight) writing surface. a So I started off looking for ¥6"- thick maple plywood. But since ‘that was hard to find, I decided to ‘make my own out of two oversize top pieces (E) made of 44'-thiekk bireh plywood, see Fig. 8 These pieces are held together with contact cement. (with the “good” faces out). Then simply ‘square up the panel and trim it to final size, see box on next page. 2 Nore: curtor ices Orca HEN Or Fanti eeu ShopNotes No.2CET Tae BACK STRIP To cover the ex. [4] posed exlge on the back (the front edge is covered later), I added a hardwood back strip (F), see Fig. 2 Itsathin, narrow piece that'seut longer than the panel. Aer gluing it in place, just trim the ends fush, BREADBOARD ENDS. Next, to make the top more rigid, 1 added two wide “breadboard” onds (@), see Fig. 4. These hardwood ends are held in place with a tongue and groove joint. (For more on this, see page 8.) After gluing the endsin place, Tehamfered the top [55 and bottom edgesonthe hack and sides of the panel. STOP. Now, to create a lip that keeps pencils from rolling off the desk, a stop (H) that’s taller Gwvider) than the thickness of the top is glued on, sce Fig. 5. LEAT. There's only one more strip — a cleat (J) for hinge sevews that secure the top to the tray, see Detail‘ in Exploded View onpage 11. The hingesare screwed {into mortises cut in the back (C) of the tray, see Exploded View. Finally, T sanded chamfers on the stop and cleat and wiped ona couple coats of tung oil. et omnes B optima ave aay TAs oreRrANONS | eee Te PENCe i Sean TO PANEL Edges. With an overhanging edge running againstthe rio Ends, To tin the ends square, carpet tapea framing square fence, the first step is to trim the opposite edge straight. to the panel so the short leq is flush with the back edge and Then, after repositioning the fence, use the edge you just the long leg overhangs the end slightly. Once one end is cut as a guide to trim the pane! to final with, ‘squared up, remove the square and cut the opposite end, No. 21 ShopNotes 1Bree Power Tools - for the small shop tring a full complement of power tools into a sinall shop ean be like packing a dozen sardines, into a small tin. But it doesn’t have to be that. way. Ifthe tools are selected and organized properly you can have the tools and still have room to work. The key to selecting a power tool isto first deter- mine how much use itl get. Hits used alot, go with a full-size stationary tool. If itl only be used now and then, go with a bench-top tool that ean be stored out of the way when not in use. ‘Shown here are the power tools I'd buy (in order) if T were outfitting a small shop today. Note: For those working in a really tight space, you might consider a multipurpose tool, see box on next page. 1. Table Saw. 1° could only have one power tool in my shop, it would be a contractor's table saw (refer to the table saw review starting on page 24). The table kaw in our shop fs used all the time to rip, crosseut, and miter workpieces. It’s great for entting rabbets and dadoes. And the lange table top makes it easy and safe to ent, a full-size sheet of plywood. Note: From time to time you may need to move the ‘saw around to make certain cuts, Soit'sa good idea toalso invest in a set of castors or a mobile base. 2. Dust Collector. When working in a small, en- e elosed shop, you shoul be concerned about protect- ing yourlungs from sawdust. Since atablesaw kicks up a lot of dust, your next purchase should be a ‘two-stage dust collector to hook up to the saw. Most small two-stage dust collectors come with & quick-diseonmect hose that ‘makes it easy for you to con- neet to other tools with the same mated connector, And many dust collectors also ‘come with eastors so you can easily roll it out of the way when it'snot being used. 3. Router Table.1 never realized how much of a necessity a router table was until I started using one, ‘The ronter table in our shop gets used every day. Not only is it used for routing decorative profiles, bout it’s also great for routing: rabbets, dadoes, and box joints. And with special router bits, you ean ‘even rout raised panels. Although in many cases a hand-held router could also get the job done, I'm more comfortable with the control @ ‘the router table offers with its larger table top, adjust- able fence, and miter gauge. 4 ShopNotes No. 21Pree @ 4. Drill Press. Tne next toot Pa buy would be advil press. And there are a couple of ways to go here. ‘Ifyou're only going touse a drill press for drilling ‘holes, you might consider a small, bench-top model. ‘When it’s not in use, you'll be able to store it out of the way in a comer or dom under a workbench, But if you're going to drill alot ofholes, mortises, or use it for sanding, you might con sider a larger, full-size model. ‘Tt won't take up much more space, and you'll have a large table top and bigger motor to handle the extra work. 5. Thickness Planer, in the past few years, the cost of owning a thickness planer has dropped like a tackle box sinking in a lake, Forless than $400, you can chooserom a number of quality 10" and 12! bench-top thickness planers that should handle most of your planing needs. Aplanerin the shop means you won't he limited to the lumber thieknesses available at your local lumberyard. @ {nb yos can save money by Iuying rough stock directly from a sawmill and planing it to thickness yourself. 6. Compound Miter Saw. A radial arm saw is a great power tool for crosseutting and mitering. But they take up alot of space. And they'renot portable. A compound-miter saw on the other hand is both portable and compact. Miter saws have been used primarily by trim and finish earpenters because of their portability and aceu- racy. But they're starting to find their way into many workshops — for the same reasons. Although smaller, ‘you'l find that a compound- miter saw will cost about the same as a radial arm saw. 7. Band Saw. ty final tool of choice for the small shop is the band saw. A band saw is great to have around if you're going to cut a lot of emves and roles. Or resaw Iumber — whieh can save you money when you're working with thin stock. Again, like the other power tools, determine how much use a band saw will get. If you think you'll use one a lot, go with a full-size model witha mobile base. Ifit'sonly ‘going to be used vecasionally, a beneh-top model will work just fine, and it will eost a lot Jess than a ful-s Another space-saving measure ‘when you're working in a small shop is to select a povrer tool that oes multiple jobs. ‘Many of these machines, like Robland, TotalShop, Shopsmith, and Kity, combine five tools into ‘one, see photo at right. They all provide a lot of wood- working in a small space. But set- ting up the different operations isn't as efficient as it ean be with individual power tools. Another small shop option combined with a belt sander. that's worth eonsideringisacom- A A multipurpose tool such as this Kity Dination tool, see far right photo. _K-5 combines a table saw, edge jointer, With this type of machine, you'll _ thickness planer, shaper, and mortiser @ | isxpicaty find a jointer combined —Ithasmany ofthe advantages that simi- with a planer. Or a disk sander lar stationary tools have, but takes less ‘space, (Farris Machinery: 800-872-5489) No. 21 ShopNotes 16 _ A This Hitachi P12RA planerfointer combines a 12" thickness planer with a 6" edge jointer. A combination too! ke this takes up less space than two simi- lar, separate bench-top power tools (Hitachi Power Tools: 800-362-7297)3 Router e Thicknessing Jig Lj \ A™: Jig in our workshop _seraping, or heavy belt sanding. be thicknessed down to 4", see wvill always draw some SPRCTALBIT|The secret to photo A below: e skepties —and this thicknessing such asmooth finish isthe special WIDE PANELS. Another thing jig for the router was no excep- router bit we used, It's a 1'-ia, like about this ig ist can be used tion, But all it took was a couple bottom-cleaning bit, see box on to thickness glued-up panels and ofppasses ofthe router for every- opposite page. Though the jig is one to realize that not only did it designed for this bit, you could FLATTEN STOCK. One last sur- work—it worked better thanwe use a normal straight bit — you prise is how effective the thick- hnad hoped. just won't end up with a surface nessing jig is at flattening a Sure, we expected the jig to that's quite as smooth. ceupped or warped workpiece, see quickly thieknessaboard, Butwe THICK & THIN. The jig is also photo C. Just ereatea flat on one were really surprised at how designed to thiekmess both thick side of the workpiece as a refer~ smooth and at the board was.So and thin stock. It easily handles ence, Then flip the workpiece smooth thet light sanding is all stock up to 1"thiek. And withthe over and rout the board to the that’s necessary — no planing, workpiece shimmed up, stock ean desired thickness. A. Thin Stack. You can thickness thin B. Wide Panels. The thicknessing jig. Flattening. In addition to smooth- stock as well as thick stock by adding can handle gluedtup panels and wide ing stock, this jig can also flatten a 2 shim under the workpiece boards up to 159%" in wich cupped or warped workpiece. 16 ShopNotes No.21ee = sons rh cassinge os WOODSEREN ADJUSTABLE RAIL EXPLODED VIEW ‘OVERALL DIMENGIONS: BEI Wx ATO4" Life" H STRETCHER @ | Hardware © (8) 14-20 Threaded Knobe © (4) Ya"x 4" Hex Boles © (4) ¥a"x2" Carriage Bolts (4) Ye" Nuts © (4) Ye Hex Nute © (4) 14" Flat Washers © (8) #8 x Ve" Fh Woodscrews © (70) #8 x54" Fh Woodscrews © (8) #8 x12" Fh Woodscrews Materials Platform A Sides (2) Sax te AB B Stretchers (4) Bax We-22Ve © Top (1) 23%ax 4754 - Vs peghrd. D Fixed Plate (1) axa 4s E Fixed Rail (1) Yax Wo - 47% F Carriage Guide (1) Piox 475/4- Vs Mas. G Hold-Down Bar (1) Sax Wa- 475 H Adjustable Plate (1) Yax4- 47% 1 Adjustable Rall (1) Sax tle - 47% @ | carriage J. Carriage Raile (2) Vax te -36%2 K Router Base (1) 9x36l2 - 4 Mae. L_ Backing Board (1) Wax 16V4 - V4 Mas, This bottom- leaning bit is similar to a ™ straight bit. But it has an addi- tional set of entters on the bottom that are designed to “plane” the surface sinooth and flat. What ‘you end up with is a surface that requires very little sanding. ‘The 1"tia., 4" shank bit T use is available from Cascade Tools (800-235-0272). Ask for part C1259 ($14, plus shipping). No.21 ShopNotes Ww(CONSERIGHON Metis Sake Sas e ‘The thicknessing jig consists of two main parts: a platform that holds the workpieco, and a car- riage that eupports the router, re- fer to Exploded View on page 17. PLATFORM ‘The platform consists of arectan- sgular-shaped base with two,jaws. One jaw is fixed; the other is ad- justable, see Fig. 1 BASE. The base is just a hard- wood frame consisting of two anayetants JAW) Cee sides (A) that are drilled and oe ) weebacrew serewed to four stretchers (B). (I oi used hardl maple.) To make it easy to position the adjustable jaw anywhere on the base, T used 1%" pegboard for the top (C).Shop Tip: Instead of dill- ing extra holes to serew the peg- board to the frame, cut the pegboard so the existing holes port for the carriage. And to moveandpressagainst the work- are centered over the frame guide the carriage, a earriage piece, isn't serewed to the base. Pieees see End View in Fig. 1. guide (#) made from ¥4! Ma- Instead it’s held in pace with « FIXED JAW. The next step is to sonite is glued to the rail (H), __hold-down bar, see Fig. 2. ‘make the fixed jaw. It'smadeup After you've glued and The hold-down bar () sits on of three parts: a plate, arail, and screwed the jaw together, it can top of the plate (H). Bolts pass a carriage guide, see Fig, 2 be mounted to the base, see Fig. 1. down through it (and slots in the The plate (D) isbeveled so the ADJUSTABLE JAW. The adjust- plate) into the pegboard. Plastic Jaw can grip a workpiece better. able jawalsohasthree parts. But knobs (or wing nuts) lock the bar The rail (B) is serewed to the eachisabitdifferent, Inorderfor and plate securely to the base. plate to form an L-shaped sup- the plate on theadjustable jawto Then, to allow the plate to be Se CARRIAGE GUIDE 2a <— oc) ED ~~ © ore | YAW actnne >} Pt (tation. es ene eat eS wont \ woobeckey a es E ~ = “aowusneie JAW -® woobecken 18 ShopNotes No. 21eee Qo ee boltsrunthroughthewidthofthe the grooves that are cut next, a hold-down bar into T-mats and backing board (L) is eut to fit press against the rail (1). between the rails and is glued to Counterbores intherailaecept the top ofthe base (K), see Fig. 3. the bolts and keep the jaw from After the glue dries, the index 4 Grooves in the bottom of the carriage sliding when pressure is applied. grooves cane cut. These are just fz over the carriage quide on the platform ‘The clamping pressurecomesfrom series of M4" grooves on the bot- to produce overlapping passes threaded knobs (or wing nuts) and tom of the base (K) to fit the ear- jam nuts threaded onto each bolt. riage guide (F), see Fig. 8a. different bit, you may need to Once the adjustable jaw is com- ‘The grooves are spaced forthe space the grooves differently. plete, attach it tothe base,see Fig. ottom-cleaning bit, see page 17. MOUNT ROUTER. After you've Land Exploded View on page 17. This provides a ¥4" overlap on cut the grooves, eut a hole for the each pass. Note: Ifyou're using a routerandmountittothecarviage. CARRIAGE ‘The carriage supports the router [> BACKING BOARD al above the workpiece as it rides et) across the platform. It consists of oe oO ‘pair ofrails with abase for the | CARRAGERAL\ _ sow router, Grooves in the hottom al- al low you to index” the router over the workpiece in even inere- ments, see photo above right. RAITS.I began work on the carriage by making the rails (1), @ £22 Fig.2. Mey’re both eut extra long so the carriage can reach the jaws no matter where it’s indexed. The rails are giued and serewed to a router base (K) made of ¥4" Masonite, sce Fig. 3. Safety Note: Don't serew into section of the base that will be ‘grooved later on. Using the Jig Setup. To secure a workpiece in the Thickness. Place carriage on plat- Flatten. To fiatten a workpiece, start Jig, first position the adjustable jaw. form and rout in a left-to-right direc- with the crown side up. Once you've Then tighten the hex bolts tomove the tion. Pull carriage back to clean up “leveled!” the crown, flip it aver and jaw as you lock the hold-down bar. pass. Then index router and repeat. thickness the other siae. No. 21 ShopNotes 19Glue-Up Tips squeezing it out ofa bottle. Here are a ‘few tips to make the job go easien. Glue & Storage ote Be Bees White Glue. Use vihite glue in- stead of yellow give to provide ‘more assembly time when work- ing with a complex project. Applicators Tether Cap. To avoid misplacing the tiny cap on the end ofa give bottle, tether ito the bottle with a wire brad and a piece of string, Glue Bottle. A clean, empty mustard bottle makes a great glue bottle. It's free, airtight, and has a handy twist cap. uve no Forcing Glue. Getting glue into a tight spot can be a problem. To solve this, biow through a straw to force the glue in place. 20 pie Te Glue Spreader. An old tooth- brush is the best too! I've found for spreading glue. tt spreads it evenly and cleans up easily. ShopNotes ‘ALARSE SORTASE Glue Roller. To quicklyand @ evenly spread glue out over a large surface, | use a small short napped paint roller No. 21Cara @ Squceze Out Neer conn ‘Mask Comers. Taping off inside comers before gluing and as- ‘sembly reduces the time spent later cleaning out the corner. Contact Cement ‘There's really no great mystery in working with. contact cement. All you basically have to do is. apply an even coat on the two surfaces that are going to be joined. Let the glue dry until it’s skimmed over end dry to the touch (about 20 minutes depending on the humidity). And then place one piece on top of the other. Application of most brands of cement is about the same. But to be sure, always read the instrue- tions on your particular brand before you begin. ‘Also, inake sure you work in a well ventilated area since many brands of contact cement con- tain solvents that ean cause respiratory problems, Non-Stick Barrier. Waxed paper workpieces gives you a chance to make fast minute adjustments. Once the pieces are aligned, pull out the paper and apply pressure. between No. 21 Glue Scooper.A stray works {great for scooping away skinned- over beads of giue that are trapped in tight comers. ShopNotes Glue Scraper. Use a plastic clip from a bread bag to scrape away skinned-over beads of glue from a fat surface. Trowel. The key to a good bond when working with contact cement is to spread the cement evenly. To do this, !use a.small, hand-siza piece of plastic laminate as a trowel. Emergency Release. In tie event ofa disaster, ‘you can separate the two workpieces by flowing aliberalarmountof lacquer thinner between them, and gently peeling off one of the layers. 21T[ceeoettine venti about most woodworking shops —a table saw usually ocen- pies center stage. Not just its physical location. But the fact that a table saw is at the heart of almost every project built. That's why selecting a table saw is such an important deci- sion. After all, it's a big invest- ment in money. And a good quality saw provides the ground- work for making straight, accu rate euts and tight-fitting joints. ‘To make this decision easier, -we bought six table saws, see pho- tos below. Then we asked three woodworkers with different in- terests and skill levels to test ‘them. This way, you ean identify with one of these people based on the type of work you do — and choose the saw that’s best for you. ‘To ensure reliable results, we bought identical carbide-tipped blades for each saw. Then we had ‘the same person (Steve) assem- ble and tune up all the saws. (BF irst impressions count. For example, what did you think of ShopNotes. Grizzly Model G1022 -< Our team of fosters includes three people. Ken (left) is a professional carpenter and cabinetmaker while Steve (cen- ter) spends most of his time bbuliding projects for his house and shop. Cary (right) is just setting up his shop. the way the sas were packaged? Steve: The Delta and Jet were packaged the most securely — like somebody cared that every- thing got here in good condition. Much better than having loose parts rattling around in the box like the Grizaly and AMT saws. (ADid you find any damaged or ‘misaing parte? Steve: The worst damage I found was on the AM, The shaft that controls the angle of the bblade was bent, And the threaded end was “filed” down by a cast iron extension wing that rubbed against it in shipment. ‘As far as missing parts, both AMT and Jet forgot to pack a mi- ‘ter gauge along with the rest of $875 No. 21é the saw. And the belt and pulley from vibrating loose, Maybe guard was missing from the Jet. that's why it’s so sturdy. Fortunately, customer serviee But with the heaviest gauge was helpfal, and it only derailed metal of all of the stands, the me a few days. Deltaisalsorocksolid. (See photo ‘That gwve you some extra time below.) At first, 1 thought the the Sears saw is much more complicated to look over the manuals. Were closed panels on the Griaaly and io assemble than the other saves. aome more helpful than others? AM stands might compensate Steve: Some manuals (like the for their thinner gauge metal. sides the fact that adjusting the Jet and Delta) were like havinga But these stands wiggled even linkages on these arms is like good road map — clear illustra- after I'd assembled the saws. wrestling an octopus, they block tions and easy-to-follow diree- (One thing Pnoticed is the blade my sight of the blade. tions. But using the AMT manual guard on the Grizzly is different "The plastic guards on the other required a lot of guesswork — than the rest? Is different better? saws are easier to see through. especially whenwiringthe motor. Steve: Don't count on it. The And with the exception of the Even a mamual that was as Grizalyguardhastwometalanms Delta, they stay up out of the way thick asa book didn't make itany that move independently. Be- when I'm changing blades. easier to assemble the Sears saw. (See photo above.) In fact, it took tne tice as longas the other saws. One thing T appreciated is the straightforward approach in the Grizaly manual, It makes no bones about the fact:you might be short a piece of hardware (as it turned @& em oe that you may have to file the sharp edges and burrs (plan on doing some filing). What about the metal stands on the saws? Steve: What stieks in my mind is the Jet stand is held together _& Stands. Heavy-gauge metal and a wide stance create a stable with forty bolts. And each bolt base for the Delta saw (left). But the Grizzly stand (right) tends to has alock washer to keep the nut wobble, even with solid panels on the front and back Sears Jet Model 29886 Model TWTS 10JF ee, ee Powermatic Model 63 $679 No. 21 ShopNotes 23Sea ee Saw Table BiEack saw has a heavy, cast iron table, Besides weight, what dothe tables have going forthem? Cary: One thing is the bevel on the front edge of the Jet and Delta saw tables. (See photo at right.) At first, I coulde’t figure out why it was there. But when I used the miter gauge to crosseut a wide panel, the reason hit home. Instead of clunking against the edge of the saw table, the miter gauge rides smootiily over the bevel. TADid you check out the flatness of the table top? Ken: That's not some- thing that drastically affeetsa cut. Butatable that’s absolutely flat does give me an idea of the overall quality of the saw, And T'm al- ways using my saw table asa ref- erence for establishing the Aat- ness of a workpiece, So Tlike the dead flat tables on the Jet and Sears saws. While there's slight hump in the Delta table, the other tables are “ished” inthe middle. (Gee the right-hand photo above.) Steve: Also, the grind ing on the Jet and Delta tables was smoother than the other saws. Especially compared tothe AMT and Grizzly that were gouged around the opening for the insert Sears Bevel. The miter gauge slides smoothly over the beveled edge on the Jet and Delta saw tables. Wi Speaking of inseris, what were yo looking for? Stove: One that’s sturdy and won't flex — like the heavy gauge Delta and Jet inserts, Those inserts also had more rib- bing for support than the AMT, Grizzly, or Powermatic inserts. (See mangin photos.) Cary: Another thing about both the Delta and Jet inserts is ‘there's a finger hole that makes it easy to lift them out when I change blades. The AMT and Grizzly inserts don't have finger holes. And they ft so tight I had to poke a stick up through the back of the saw to pop them out. Ken: My pet peeve is an insert that rattles when you tum on the saw. The AMT and Powermatie solve that problem with spring clips that press against the sides of the saw table around the open- ing, And there'sno vibration with the Sears insert either si Flatness. Dotiar bil slipped un- der a straightedge reveal a “dish In the Grizzly saw table. serewed in place. Butit drives me nuts getting a serewdriver out every time I change blades. Cary: Something that bugged me when I changed blades on the Jot saw is the opening for the insert is 4" narrower than the other saws. So Thad to seranehup my hand to thread on the arbor nut — especially when T pat on a full width dado blade, hone thing we haven't talked ‘about isthe extension wings that bolt to the saav tables. Steve: Originally, Twasleaning toward the cast iron extension wings on the Sears, Grizzly, AMT, and Powermatic saws. (See pho- tos below.) After all, the more mass the better when it comes to dampening vibration. But when I pinched my finger in one of the openings as I was sliding the rip fenee, started be- lieving in the stamped steel wings on the Delta and Jet saws. Extension Wings. Heavy-gauge stamped siee! extension wings on the Delta and Jet saws (left) 24 provide plenty of suoport when crosscutting a long board. And unlike the open-grid cast iron ShopNotes: wings on this Sears saw (right), there are no sharp edges to ac cidentally "caich’ your fingers. No. 21Miter Gauge Slots. A straight slot ike on the Sears and AMT saws (left) makes it easy to insert the bar on the miter gauge. But it doesn't lock the miter gauge in the siot like the T-shaped slot on the other saws (right). GBAt a glance, all. the miter gauges look a lot alike. So what separates one from another? Steve: One thing I noticed was the bars on the Sears and AMT miter gauges fit in a U-shaped slot. (See photos above.) That's okay if Y'm erosseutting a work- piece that doesn't hang over the edge ofthe table. But witha large ‘workpiece, the Tehaped slot on ‘the other saws is a big help. ‘That's because there'sa special ‘washer attached to the end of the bar that locks the miter gauge in the Tslot — even when I pull it all the way back, As a result, 1 don’t have to worry about sup- porting the miter gauge ad the workpiece at the same time Cary: I think the Plots are a hassle. Every time I use the mi- tier gauge, Ihave to slide the bar into the slot from either the front orback ofthesaw.So I'd just take off the washer. {Gi Regardless of the shape, what did you notice about the fit of the bar in the slot? Kon: I wasimpressed by the fit of the bar on the Grizaly miter gauge — like a well-machined tool. Although there's some “play” in tho bars on the Jet and Delta miter gauges, they're bet- tor than the loose fit of the Sears and Powermatic. Cary: At first, I thought AMT had a great idea with its miter gauge — to make it adjustable. No. 21 But when I adjusted the bar to remove all the play, it stuck in the middle ofthe cut. ‘What this boils down to is the ‘width of the slot varies from one end tothe other. And even worse, when I switch from oneslot to the other, the miter gauge won't even fit unless I readjust the bar, So there's no eonsisteney from one slot to the other either. What about the adjustments for the preset stops at 45° and 90°? Steve: Except for the Sears, all the miter gauges use a metal tab as a stop. (See right-hand mar- gin.) But thore's enough flex in the tabs on the Grizely, AM, and Powermatic that it’s hard to re- turn to the same setting over and over again, The sturdier tabs on tho Jet and Delta produced a much more positive stop. Ken: The Sears miter gauge has a different stop system —a pin that slips into a slot in the back of the miter gauge. It’s a ‘2004, solid stop. But Iean'tadjust ‘one stop without affecting all of ‘them, And if T'm cutting miters for a frame where accuracy is critical, that's a real headache, Cary: At least with the adjust- ‘ment screws on the other miter ‘gauges, I can change the stops independently. On the Delta, I just have to tweak an Allen serew. That's handier than fid- dling with the adjustment serews and nuts on the other saws ShopNotes A Delta. Ametal tab and an Allen screw make the 45° and 90° preset stops on the Delta miter gauge accurate and easy to adjust. AAMT. Adjustment screws on the AMT miter gauge aren't as handy. And a fimsy metal stop makes it less accurate. S.A pin in the Sears miter gauge pro- vides a positive stop. But the 45° and 90° stops can't be adjusted independently. 25Rip Fence _ Guide Rails. Regardless ofthe shape, the ails that _ aluminum channel on the Jet (left) andthe round tube guide the sip fence should be rigid and strang. in on the Powermatic (center) provided a smoother adltion to being the most solid guide rails, the action than the angle rails on the Sears saw (right) BThe rip fence can make or fencesacross the railssoundslike the saw table? dreak a saw. So how do thefences you're dragging a piece of iron Ken: That’ssomething Hook at stack up against eack other? across concrete. And the Sears closely — especially since Lresaw Cary: That's where [noticed a fence lurcheslikeabeginnerlearn- alot afthick stockcinto thin boards, big difference. Starting with how ing to drive a stick shift And I can’t do it accurately if the smoothly the fences on the Jet Steve: Even move important to fence isn't square to the table, and Powermatic glide across the me is whether the fence locks par- What I found is all the fences guide rails, (See photos above.) allel to the blade. Theres nothing are flat and square exeept the Although the fence on the more frustrating than having to Sears and Grizzly. Adjusting the Delta saw doesn't slide as easily, measure the distance frum the guide rails is supposed to square it's definitely a step above the fence to the front and back of the up the Sears fence. But it’s @ AMT and Grizzly. Sliding these blade every time Imakeacut, chore. Especially compared to a ‘The only fences I simple, built-in adjustment on found that locked paral- the Powermatic, Tel consistently are the (How accurately can you posi- Jet, Delta, and Power- tion the rip fence? Some fences (like the Jet and Powermatic) lock only | matie, There's so much _ Cary: got spoiled byhow easy ‘on the front guide rail, see top drawing. While you'd | slopinthelockingmecha- it is to read the indicators on the | expect these fences to defect when making a cut, | nism on tho ABT and Jet,Powermatie and Sars fences they're rock solid. And unlike most of the other feness | Grizzly fences, ean’trely (See photos below.) The pointers that are secured on the front ard back rails (bottom | onthem.Andit'slikespit- on the other saws aren't quite as drawing), they lock parallel to the blade every time. ting in the wind trying to accurate. And on the AMT and 53 ee keep the Sears fence ad- Grizzly, I ean’t even see the num- at justed to lock parallel. hers on the scale because they're = S | @What about the face of hidden by the casting that holds @ ince | | the fence? Is it square to the fence on the rail || (Ee Lf | | | EBERT ge 27 rear a | | Saereat ski“ as | | | » || Poh a ree | | CAS Sep ee 282.2%, | | Indicators. When setting the rip fence, @ cursor vith a hair | [ra cote + Ra BACK RAILS, fine indicator on the Powermatic (left) is more accurate and easier to read than the pointer on the Delta fence (right). 26 ShopNotes No. 21EET aL ee @lontrols neh i The controls on a saw make a big difference in how easy and comfortable itis to use. What did ‘you think about the controls? Steve: For starters, [liked the big, beefy handwheels on the Powermatic that control the height and angle of the blade, (See photos at right.) They're easy to find and comfortable to grasp. And they provide more leverage than the eookie-sized hhandwheels on the AMT. Ken: Besides the size of the handwheels, I liked the smooth action of the Powermatic and Jet ‘when adjusting the blade. While the Delta and Grizaly aren't as smooth, at least they're not as stiff as the Sears and AMT saws. Cary: One problem I noticed is the knob on the AMT that’s supposed to lock in the height of the blade just doesn’t work. And when I tighten the lock knob on the Delta, the blade ereeps about M4". ‘Switches. Unike the small iogale ‘switch mounted on the Delta saw cabinet (left), you don't have to Handwheels. The large handwhee! that controls the height of the blade on the Powermatic (left) is more comfortable to grasp. And it provides more leverage than the small handwhes! on the AMT (right). i What about the onloff switch? Ken: I’shard to getused tothe toggle switch on the Delta save Gee photos below.) The rail mounted switches on the Jet and Sears saws are handier: @BOne last thing. How would you rate the performance ofthe sanes? Steve: Just by how easy itis to plow through 2"-thiek hard ma- ple, I'd say the Powermatic has thestrongest running motor. And the Jet, Delta, and Sears saws grope around to find the rail- ‘mounted switches on the Jet (center) or the Sears saw (right). also have plenty of muscle for most of the work Ido. But tokeep the motors on the AMT and Griz~ ly saws from bogging down, I had to ease up on the feed rate, Ken: One concern [have is that the open motors on the Delta and Sears saws can draw in dust — which can significantly shorten the life of the motor: (See photos below.) The other saws have to- tally enclosed fan-cooled motors to seal out the dust, Motors. An enclosed fa (left) protects against dust that can cause overheating in an open motor (right) Ken: Pieking one table saw out of the bunch is easy for me —Td go with the Jet in a heartbeat. T especially liked the smooth action of the fence and the alumi- mam guide rail, And since it locks parallel to the blade every time, can rely onit for accurate setups. nally, with all the plywood I cut, RECOMMENDATIONS Steve: All through the test, two saws kept coming to the top — the Delta and the Jet. ‘The fit and finish of these saws isexcellent. And the heftand ma- chining of the parts told _me ‘they're built with quality in mind, But when push comes to shove, the smooth, accurate fence on the Jet makes it my first choice. ShopNotes Cary: That's a tough one. T was impressed with the fence, the strong-running motor, and the éust-hookup on the Powermatic. But the Jet ‘more, sol chose: hecanse ofits attention to detail. A sturdy base. The beveled front edge on the saw table. Even a handy rail-mounted switch, 27PT es) Shop Solutions Small Piece Miter Gauge I make a lot of small picture frames for gifts — the challenge is mitering the ends of these small pieces accurately. It’s diffi- «alt to hold them when using my standard miter gauge. To solve this problem, I've made a jig designed for small pieces. It’s nothing more than a shallow box attached to a runner. pista BIADEAND SEER Centering Dadoes The wobble type dado blade T use with my table saw does 2 great job of eutting dares. But setting therip feneetto accurately position the dado can be a veal hassle. That's because the indiea- tor for my rip fence is set for 2 single blade — not a dado. ‘To solve this, T use the centor of my dado blade as a reference and align it with the exact eenter- Tine of the dado T want to cut. ‘Then it's easy to measure (or ref- erence) from the center of the blade to the fence and set the ex- act location for eutting your dado, Finding the center of'a wobble- type blade is simple. Start by ad- justing the blade to its smallest 2B width (usually 4"), Then use a combination square to measure from the miter gauge slot to the center ofone of the saw teeth, see drawing. Finally, transfer this ‘The runner rides in the miter gauge slot for accuracy. And the ‘workpiece can be clamped to either of the sides closest to the blade, see photo. ‘Tomake the jig, cut four pieces of stock-for the aides. Simple rab- boot joints help align the pieces during ghuc-up, see drawing. (Note: Size the boxsoit clears the blade when it's attached to the vunney, see detail in drawing) To strengthen the sides of the box, I glued a piece of 44" Ma- sonite to the bottom. Finally, glue and serew the box to a wooden vunner; Note: To cut aceurate mi- tors with this jig, it’s evitieal to make sure the box sits at a 45° angle to the blade. Shop ‘ip: The workpiece may shift when making the cut even ‘with dlamps.To prevent this, ue sandpaper to the sides of the box. Sherwood Cook ‘Tenants Harbor, Maine measurement to the insert and mark or file a notch to indicate the centerline, Reve Lawrence Heber City, Utah OK | ae os ae eee ‘ShopNotes No. 21TIPS & '® Drilling holes in small pieces is a problem on the drill press. ‘Small pieces are difficult to clamp, and if you try to hold them with yourhand, they want tospin when the bit breaks through the back side, To prevent injury, 1 made an auxiliary table to hold small pieces securely. The auxiliary table is shaped like an I-beam—the top and bot- tom pieces extend ont aus clamp- ‘ng platforms, see photo. ‘To build the table, start by cut- ‘ting an identieal top and bottom piece from plywood, see drawing. ‘Then use a dado blade to cut a groove down the center af both pieces to fit a 2x4. Finally, glue and clamp the pieces together. Now to finish the table, drill holes in the top and bottom, This allows you to attach it to the drill press with carriage bolts and a = Glue Moat Cleaning up excess glue from a project can be time consuming. Especially around molding. To solve this problem, Ill use a giue “moat.” I's just an extra saw ker? ext on one of the strips of mold- ing. This way when the pieces are clamped together, any glue squeeze-out collects in the moat. David Dale Murrieta, California Quick Tips WA quick and easy way to lamp ‘odd-shaped projects together is with an inner tube clamp. ‘To ‘make one, Yl eut the valve stem off a bieyele inner tube and tie a Iknot with the ends tomake arub- ber clamp the size T need. For @© digger projects, two or more ean be tied together TI. Shipman Buckhannon, West Vergivia No.21 TECHNIQUES Drill Press I-Beam couple of wing nuts, Make sure you bolt it in at least two slots to prevent the table from twisting. Note: When the top gets chewed up with use, just flip the table over and use the other side, Charles Brownold Davis, California ite ben NOTE: cuveesen Borrow woueine Using a rubber or no-mar mal- let is a good idea when assem- bling furniture. But instead of buying one, I eonverted my regu- Jar hammer into a rubber mallet by slipping a rubber cane tip over the head. Note: Bring your hammer along to the hardware store to get the right size, ‘Arne Sax Hubbell, Michigan ShopNotes NOTE: cive saurezes nro Noss Note: Sie A Eon 29Te) Softwood Grades Tm having a tough time making sense out of all the different soft- wood “1by” lumber grades. One local building center earvies Se- lect, Quality, and Standard pine. Another sells D-Select, #2, and #3 Common pine. Their prices are competitive, but I'm confused. Am I missing something here? C..M, Houghton Boston, Massachusetts mt sounds to me like they're oth selling the same three Softwood grades of lumber — they're just Iumber grades eng sbont 3 cifferniy, The inst building center is probably cam be confis- stacking their own marketing ing — unless name to each of the three grades. uu know what ‘The other is selling the same (or to look for. similar) product under the grade name it was given at the sawmill STAMP & TAG. What youlhave todois compare the lumber your- self, The lower grades should havea grade stamp on the face of each board, see photo at right. Higher grades aren't stamped, bat they might have a grade tag stapled to one end. Comparing the stamps (or tags) and appearance, allows you to compare apples to apples. RULES.But there is a catch here. You need to keep in mind that there are seven organiza- tions writing softwood rules which regulate over 20 grading ‘inspection agencies throughout North America, ‘These inspection agencies pro- vide a standardized system for grading forest produets _pro- duced in their particular region. This system keeps the saw- mills in each region on the same playing field to ensure their eus- tomers get a consistent product, Forthe most part, each agency we ah Grade Stamp. This Wester Wood Products stamp indicates this is a #2 & Better Common board that's ponderosa pine or lodge pole pine. It came from mill #422 and was planed after it was dried. follows the same basie rules. But many assign their own names to the different grades. Also, each uses a different grade stamp, ‘which might explain why there's some confusion at the retail level. The good news is, most lum- Select or Finish (eset, clear, cabte, or D-Select) Common (#1, #2861, #2 and #3) ShopNotes: beryards earry only two or three grades of softwood lumber, ‘GRADES. Softwood that's gen- erally knot-tree with a consistent color is assigned one of the “Se- lect” or “Finish” grades, see top photo below. Depending on the mill where the umber was proc- essed, you might see boards graded B & Better, Clear, Select, C & Better, D-Select, or Finish. If you don't mind knots (or thats the look you're after), then go with a board graded “Com- mon.” Of the “commons,” a #1 or #2 Common board will have the fewest number of knots, see bot- tom photo below. A #8 Common will have more knots, and s0 on. (For more on softwood grades send $2 to: Western Wood Prod- ucts Assoe., Dept SN, 522th Ave. S.W, Portland, OR 97204-2122.) SPECIES, Another thing to eon- sider is all softwood isn't the same. ‘The stack at the lumberyard might be ponderosa pine, larch, or Douglas fir from Oregon or Wash ington. It might be white pine from New Hampshire. Or south- ern yellow pine from Georgia. In fact, the stack could be a mixture of different softwoods. It’seommon for western sawmills tomixponderosa pine withlodge- pole pine, Lumber marketed as SPF lumber ean be a combination of spruces, pines, and some true firs, And “white wood” ean be a mix of just about any western softwoodl (excluding Douglas fr, larch, cedar, and redwood). ‘The point is, you'll want to pay particular attention to the color and grain of each board. By se- lecting similar-looking boards, you'll end up with a more uni form, consistent project — which will make a big difference when ‘you apply a stain or finish, No.21. Water-Based Top Coats Then water-based top coats first came out, I was like an old dog learning new tricks. After all, they looked and acted differently than the solvent- based finishes I'd been using. ‘What surprised me the most is water-based top coatsdry inered- ‘bly fast. Depending on the ‘weather; I can apply two or even three coats in one day. Yet they still produce a hard, du- walnut or cherry. To get this am- ber color, you can add small amounts of water soluble aniline dyes to the finish, RAISES GRAIN. Another thing to be aware of is water in the finish will raise the grain of the ‘wood! and leave a rough surface, But it's easy to minimize this by sanding with finer grit sandpaper than you normally would (up to use a paint pad, see photo C. ‘THIN COAT. Whether you use a ‘brush o pad, the key is to apply as thin a coat as possible. Cf you're used to solvent-based products, it will feel like you're ‘working too “dry.”) ‘The idea is to lay the finish on in the direction of the grain, ‘Then go back over it (one time only) in the same direction. Although it’s tempt- rable finish, All it takes are afew simple tricks ing to continue to work Another thing I like about water-based top coats is they don't smell ad. And you can apply a ina basement without wor- rrying about the risk of fire. Even clean-up is easier — just use ‘warm water and soap. While I appreciate all these things about water-based top coats, they do have a few quirks that Chad to get used to, ‘coLor. Eventhough thefinish appears milky when you pour it out of the container, it dries clear ‘The fact that it, doesn’t “yellow” light eolored woods (ike pine or maple) is great, But I miss the “arm” color on dark woods like BA No. 21 to get a professional-looking finish with water-based top coats. 220-grit.) Then, ater the first cout dries, knock off the “whiskers” swith 320-grit sandpaper. FILTER. Before applying the finish it'sagoodidea toflterit, see photo A below. That's beeause the solids in the finish ean form small Jumps like eur in cottage cheese, APPLICATION. Since the finish sets up fast, it's important to work quickly when applying a water-based top coat. A syn- thetic bristle brush works well on small projects, see photo B. But to cover large surfaces quickly, I ‘ShopNotes A. Filter, To strain out any lumpsinthe 8. Brush.A synthetic bristle brush C. Pad. Forlarge surfaces, a paint pad finish, pour it through @ paper paint filer into a plastic (or glass) container, (nylon or polyester) helps lay down a ‘smooth coat of finish on small pieces. the finish, it’s best to eave it alone. Any brush marks or bubbles that form will soon disappear as the finish levels out. ADDITIONAL Coats. After the finish dries, Luse an abrasive pad (ike Scotch-Brite pad) to re- move any dust “nibs.” (Steel wool ean leave tiny splinters that will rust.) Then wipe the surface with damp rag2and apply another coat. BRANDS. There are a number of ands of water-based top coats. ‘Two brands that work well for me are Carver Tripp (available at ‘many hardware stores) and Envi- ronmental Friendly water-based finishes, see margin for sources. 31 Sources Woodworkers’ Store 200-278-4441 Wooderat 800-225-165 Woodeith St ‘00444-7082 works best. It loads well and lets you apply the finish quickly and evenly.im of A This adjustable fthertoard attaches 10 your (A woodworkers tests six popular models under $700 and router table (or table saw) to ensure a precision ewt. offers practical suggestions on what to look for. Atthe same time, itreduces the chance of kickback. A Can't decide which table saav to bry? Or A With a sturdy writing surface that as a handy drafting table. And its Ifa wp to provide access to supplies compact site makes it easy t store e and materials, this lap desk doubles the desk conveniently out of the way.