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THE ART OF WOODWORKING
HOMEWORI$HOP
SAFETY TIPS
POWER TOOTS
HAND TOOLS
.
Wear appropri at e saf et y gear:
saf et y
gl asses,
a f ace shi el d f or ext ra prot ect i on,
and heari ng prot ect i on. l f t here i s no dust
col l ect i on syst em, wear a dust mask. For
exot i c woods such as ebony, use a respi -
rat or; sawdust may cause an al l ergi c
react i on. Wear work gl oves when han-
dl i ng r ough l umber .
o
Drape t he power
cord of a port abl e
power t ool over your shoul der t o keep
i t out of t he way.
.
Concent r at e on t he
j ob;
do not r ush.
'
Never work when you
are tired, stressed,
or have been dri nki ng al cohol or usi ng
medi cat i ons t hat i nduce drowsi ness.
o
Al ways keep your wor k ar ea cl ean
and t i dy; cl ut t er can l ead t o acci dent s,
and sawdust and wood scraps can be a
f i re hazard.
o
Keep your hands wel l away f r om a
t ur ni ng bl ade or bi t .
.
Do not use a tool if any part is worn
or damaged.
.
Use the approprrate tool for the
j ob;
do not try to make a tool do somethi ng
for whi ch i t was not i ntended.
o
Cl amp your workpi ece to free both
hands for an operati on.
o
Cut away from yoursel f rather than
toward your
body.
.
Do not force a tool ; i f possi bl e,
try
removi ng l ess stock on each pass.
.
Keep the edges of cutti ng tool s sharp.
WORKSHOP
GUI DE
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GLUING UP LEG BLANKS
Face-gl ui ng
For many tabl e and desk l egs, you
wi l l need thi cker stock than i s com-
monl y avai l abl e. The sol uti on i s to make your
own l eg bl anks by face-
gl ui ng thi nner stock. Start by prepari ng
the stock sl i ghi l y l arger than
the f i nal si ze of the l eg. To ensure a seaml ess fi t,
j oi nt
the mati ng sur-
faces. Then gl ue
up the boards face to face, al ternati ng the end grai n
of the pi eces and arrangi ng the stock to maxi mi ze grai n and col or. The
process
is identical to edge-gluing boards into panels (page
93), except
that C cl amps shoul d be used. As shown at ri ght, space the cl amps at
3- to 4-i nch i nterval s to provi de
constant
pressure
across the enti re i oi nt.
J(l INERY ADHESIVES
CHARACTERISTICS
Pol yvi nyl -acetate based; not toxi c or fl ammabl e
.
Strong bondi ng; worki ng ti me 3 to 5
mi nutes
o
Setti ng ti me about 30 to 45 mi nutes; cures ful l y i n 24to 72 hours
r
Dri es
cl ear and col orl ess
r
Does not sand as wel l as yel l ow gl ue
Yel l ow Al i phat i c-resi n based; not t oxi c or f l ammabl e
o
Bet t er i mmedi at e adhesi on f or f ast er
gl ue grab t han whi t e gl ue; worki ng t i me 3 t o 5 mi nut es
.
Set t i ng t i me about 30 t o 40 mi nut es;
cures f ul l y i n 24 I o 72 hours
o
Dri es opaque
(f aded yel l ow);
more heat -resi st ant f or bet t er
sandi ng propert i es
t han whi t e gl ue
Epoxy Resi n and hardener must be mi xed pri or t o use; not f l ammabl e but may be t oxi c
gl ue o
st rong, wat erproof bondi ng; worki ng t i me 5 mi nut es t o 2 hours
(dependi ng
on t ype)
r
Set t i ng t i me 5 mi nut es t o 2 hours
(dependi ng
on t ype); cures f ul l y i n 24 hours
Hi de gl ue Prot ei n-based; avai l abl e i n granul ar
or l i qui d f orm; not t oxi c or f l ammabl e
o
St rong bond-
i ng, worki ngt i me 3-5 mi nut es
r
Set t i ngt i me t hour; cures' f ul l yi n24 hours
o
Sandabl e,
dries a dark color
o
Not water-resistant, glue bond can be softened with water for disassembly
Pl ast i c Urea-f ormal dehyde-based, avai l abl e i n powdered f orm; not f l ammabl e but t oxi c
resi n
'
St rong bondi ng, worki ng t i me 20 mi nut es
.
Set t i ng t i me 4 t o 6 hours; cures f ul l y
i n 3 days
o
Wat er resi st ance hi gher t han t hat of al i phat i c gl ues, does not st ai n aci di c
w000s, sanos ct eanl v
TYPE
White
gl ue
USES
General woodworki ng
General woodworki ng
Bondi ng aci di c woods such as
oak; use on exoti c woods that
bond poorl y wi th other gl ues
Cabi net constructi on, anti que
restorati on, veneeri ng, and fi ne
woodworki ng
Veneer i ng, l ami nat i ng, and
edge-gl ui ng hardwood
THEART OF WOODWORKING
TABTES
AND DESI$
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THE ART OF WOODWORKING
TABLES
AI\IDDESI$
TIME-LIFE BOOKS
ALEXANDRI A. VI RGI NI A
ST. REMY PRESS
MONTREAL. NEW YORK
PUBLISHER
PRESIDENT
Series Editor
Series Art Director
Senior Editors
Art Directors
Designers
Research Editor
Picture Editor
Writers
Research Assistant
C o nt r ib ut in g Illu st r at o r s
Administrator
Production Manager
System Coordinator
Photographers
A dmini s tr a t iv e As si st ant
Proofreader
Indexer
Kenneth Winchester
Pierre Ldveill6
Pierre Home-Douglas
Francine Lemieux
Marc Cassini
(Text)
Heather Mills (Research)
Normand Boudreault, Luc Germain,
Solange Laberge
Lina Desrochers, H6ldne Dion,
Jean-Guy
Doiron, Michel Gigudre
Iim McRae
Christopher
fackson
Andrew
Iones, Rob Lutes
Bryan
Quinn
Gilles Beauchemin, Roland Bergerat,
Michel Blais,
Jean-Pierre
Bourgeois,
Ronald Durepos,
facques
Perrault,
lames Th6rien
Natalie Watanabe
Michelle Turbide
Jean-Luc Roy
Robert Chartier, Christian Levesque
Dominique Gagnd
Judith
Yelon
Christine M.
Iacobs
THE ART OF WOODWORKING was produced by
ST. REMYPRESS
THECONSUTIANTS
fon
Arno is a consultant, cabinetmaker, and freelance writer
who lives in Tioy, Michigan. He also conducts seminars on
wood identification and early American furniture design.
I(am Ghaffari is a freelance writer and editor. He has his own
business in Rhode Island designing and building one-of-a-
kind and limited production furniture. Kam's background
also includes working professionally in furniture reproduc-
tion and fine carpentry and studying with furniture patri-
archs Wendell Castle of the U.S. and England's Fred Baier.
Giles Miller-Mead taught advanced cabinetmaking at Montreal
technical schools for more than ten years. A native ofNew
Zealand, he has worked as a restorer of antique furniture.
Thbles & Desks
p. cm.-(The Art of woodworking)
Includes index.
ISBN 0-8094-9s12-0
l. Thbles 2. Desks 3. Furniture making I. Time-Life Books.
II. Title: Thbles and desks. III. Series.
TT197.5.T3T33 1994
684.r'3-dc20 93-49732
CIP
For information about any Time-Life book,
please call l-800-621-7026, or write:
Reader Information
Time-Life Customer Service
P.O. Box C-32068
Richmond, Virginia
23261-2068
@ 1994 Time-Life Books Inc
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by
any electronic or mechanical means, including information
storage and retrieval devices or systems, without prior writ-
ten permission from the publisher, except that briefpassages
may be quoted for reviews.
First printing. Printed in U.S.A.
Published simultaneously in Canada.
TIME-LIFE is a trademark of Time Warner Inc. U.S.A.
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Time-Life Books is a division of Time Life Inc.,
a wholly owned subsidiary of
THE TIME INC. BOOK COMPANY
TIMELIFEINC.
President and CEO
John
M. Fahey
Editor-in-chief
John
L. Papanek
TIME-LIFEBOOKS
President lohn D. Hall
Vice-President, Director of Marketing Nancy K.
)ones
Executive Editor Roberta Conlan
Executive Art Director Ellen Robling
Consuhing Editor
lohn
R. Sullivan
Production Manager Marlene Zack
CONTENTS
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6 INTRODUCTION
12 TABLE AND DESK BASICS
14 Wood movement
16 Selecting and ordering wood
18 Lumber defects
19 Preparing stock
2L Designing tables and desks
22 Table and desk styles
28 DESK CASEWORK
30 TWo types of desk casework
32 Casework
joints
33 Building a carcase
4L Building a frame-and-
panel desk
54 LEGS AND RAITS
56 Leg styles and hardware
57 Leg-to-rail
joints
58 Tiipod table
59 Pedestal table
60 Thpered legs
63 Cabriole legs
66 Ttrrned legs
68 Pedestal legs
69 Octagonal legs
72 Leg-to-rail
joinery
88 TOPS
90 Inventory of top designs
92 Hardware and accessories
93 Preparing a top
96 Attaching a top
101 Adjustable tops
II2 Decorative elements
116 DRAWERS
1 18 Anatomy of a drawer
I20 Drawer
joinery
13 1 Drawer hardware
133 Mounting drawers
138 Drawer stops
140 GTOSSARY
I42 INDEX
I44 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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INTRODUCTION
Simon Watts talks about
HIS RECYCLED
DESK
f
have worked with wood for a half-century, building furniture, houses, and small
I boats and still I marvel at the endless possibilities of the material. However, as I
get older and the trees get fewer, I prefer to use wood that has already had a career
as a bridge, a boat, or a building-two careers, if you count being a tree as the first.
Far from a limitation, I've found that working with recycled wood stretches the
imagination and takes considerable ingenuity. Used boat lumber is the greatest chal-
lenge because it is curved and full of closely spaced fastenings.
I made the desk in the photo for my San Francisco apartment using Douglas-fir
reclaimed from a local wrecking yard. After removing all visible fastenings, I wire-
brushed the surfaces and ran the boards though a thickness planer. I made no attempt
to conceal bolt holes, iron stains, and other evidence of the timber's previous life;
instead, I incorporated them into the desk.
Like most of the larger pieces I make now this one knocks down completely. The
four boards of the top are doweled together without glue and the supporting struc-
ture consists of mortise-and-tenon
joints
and draw pins. Driving the tapered pegs
home pulls the
joint
together. The stretcher is tenoned through the legs and secured
with loose wedges.
Unless you have delusions of grandeur, there is no point in making a working
surface larger than you can comfortably reach when sitting down. That means a
maximum of 6 feet long and no more than half that in depth-the size of this desk.
I prefer to keep only the items I associate with desks in the drawers: writing mate-
rials, stamps, paper clips, stapler, and so on. Computers, monitors' printers, and
associated equipment are, I think, much better housed in a separate unit. I don't like
file storage built into a desk Drawers frrll of files make a piece of furniture monu-
mental, even intimidating, in aDpearance. Also, a person's filing needs change, so I
think it is better to add or change file units than to remodel or replace a desk.
It may happen that this desk will outlive its usefulness and the wood again turned
into something else. With no glued
joints
and no hidden fastenings, that would be
easy-and perhaps suitable considering the recycled nature of the piece. The desk will
be my gift to a woodworker in the next century.
Simon Watts is a woodworker, writer, and teacher. He now lives in
San Francisco wherehe offers nationally recognized classes in wooden
boat building. He is also the West Coast editor
for
American Woodworker
magazine and last year published three boat-building manuals.
INTRODUCTION
Kam Ghaftari discusses
DESIGNING
TABLES
I
nu* built practically every type of furniture, from decorative high-sryle chairs
I to kitchen cabinets, but I'm fascinated by tables. Both the first piece of furniture
I made and the first one I designed were tables. It's an undeniable challenge to cre-
ate a beautiful chair that is also comfortable, or an elegant entertainment center
designed specifically around the sizes and functions of its contents. But for sheer
simplicity and design freedom, you can't beat a table.
Sooner or later, manywoodworkers want to start designing their own furniture.
It's something I strongly encourage; designing greatly increases the satisfaction
derived from woodworking. A table is a great place to start. A table has relatively
few structural elements and technical requirements: If you've got a flat top and a
solid support system to hold it up, you have got a functional table. The rest is up to
you. Take into account strength requirements, use, and size when planning the piice.
Will this be a heavy-duty kid-proof kitchen table or a delicate decorative hall table,
for example? Then bring in forms and shapes that please you. Subtle points such as
a delicately shaped leg, decorative
joinery,
a clever handmade mechanism, or a par-
ticularly handsome piece of wood can be showcased in a table.
Your piece can be simple or complex, as austere as Shaker or as ostentatious as roco-
co, based on designs of the 1930s or the 1730s-or something unique and imagi-
native. Its design can also address a particular need not met by commercially available
furniture, like a telephone table, or a backgammon or chess table.
The table in the photo was influenced by the classic Danish designs of Hans
Wegner, as well as by my appreciation of the aspen leaf, hence the name, Aspen Thble.
This was designed for streamlined production without sacrificing its handcrafted
look. I wanted a table that knocked down flat for shipping, yet was sturdy when
assembled. A light-dury three-legged table is stable if the legs are evenly spaced and
far enough apart. It also doesn't require leveling on uneven floors.
I tenoned the turned legs into the shaped rails, then devised a removable grooved
metal plate that, with screws going into threaded inserts in the rails, ties them all
together. The rails are also countersunk for screws that fit into threaded inserts in the
stable multi-ply top. The inlays in the tops are routed with a collar riding in a female
template. The ivory-colored material is tinted patching resin for solid-surface coun-
tefiops. The green aluminum veins are computer milled to ensure a precise fit time
after time. For a single inlay, this part could be cut with a
jeweler's
saw and file.
Kam Ghaffari designs, builds, and writes about
furniture
at his studio in Westerly, Rhode Island.
\
1
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TNTRODUCTION
Tory Searer on
ASPANISH-STYLE
DESK
\ A f
hen you run a commercial furniture shop, creating a unique and pleasing
Y V design can be an invigorating challenge. Foremost in the process is listening
to the customer and balancing practical and esthetic considerations.
The buyers of the desk in the photo wanted a handsome sculptural piece of fur-
niture that would also allow them to display art objects. Other design considera-
tions involved incorporating three hanging file drawers as well as numerous small
drawers and cubbies with a self-contained light source.
The drop-front design was inspired by the original varguefio traveling desks
brought from old Spain to the frontier of New Mexico. The carved motifs and turned
legs are derived from pieces that survived from the Spanish Colonial era. The entire
piece is made from sugar pine, a wood native to the western United States.
There is an enduring and rich tradition of carving and furniture making in north-
ern New Mexico. Ramon Martinez, sitting at the desk, exemplifies this centuries-
old Hispanic tradition. Thirtyyears with the company, most as a shop foreman, have
shaped him into a true master crafsman. In building this piece, Ramon made the desk
as authentic as possible within the context of the design. All the primary
joints
are
mortise-and-tenon, which is historically appropriate. The raised panels float for
expansion and the decorative hardware is hand-forged. The desk features an inset
leather desk pad. The knobs on the outside are connected to concealed bolts that
hold the leather pad in place. The bolts can be released so the leather surface can be
easily replaced.
The end result is a compact and funaional desk that adds a very warm and pleas-
ing design element to the user's home. The desk has been in use for some years now
and the antiqued finish we applied-a combination of various hand-rubbed oils
and sprayed lacquers-has only improved with age.
Tony Searer owns Southwest Spanish Craftsmen, a
furniture
shop in
Sante Fe, Nm Mexico, that specializes in Spanish Colonial. Spanish
Provincial" and its own classic soutlr,vestern styles. Previously, he
designed andbuilt exhibi*
for
the Museum of Nnv Mexico.
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F
..1
il
il
f . t f r
,llE--l
il
t:ffi
q i l
l i l
, # r o
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mation you will need to purchase the
wood for your project.
With vour stock in hand, one crucial
step remains before you can start to
put your work together: preparing the
stock
(page l9). This process includes
jointing
and planing rough wood so it is
smooth and square, and cutting stock to
length and width. For rough, unsurfaced
lumber, first pas one face acros the
join-
tet then one edge, producing two sur-
faces at 90o to each other. Next, plane the
other face of the board to make it paral-
lel to the first. When the stock is square
and smooth, you are ready to rip it to
width and crosscut it to length. If you
buy S2S stock, which already has both
faces surfaced, pass one edge across the
jointer,
then rip and crosscut it to size.
S4S stock, which has all its surfaces pre-
An orbital sander smoothes the top of a double-
pedestal desk. After a
final
pass with a
fine-
grit paper, the desk will be ready
for
a
finish.
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TABLE AI\TD DESKBASICS
I
tttrough the following chapters of
,t \ this book focus on the nuts and
bolts of table and desk construction,
there is more to building a piece of fur-
niture than cutting
joints
and assem-
bling components. Before any of this
can happen, some time must be spent
designing the piece, and selecting and
preparing the lumber. This chapter
focuses on the skills you will need to
carry out these preparatory steps. For
some craftsmen, the preliminaries are
among the most enjoyable aspects of a
project. Hand-picking a mahogany
board at the lumberyard, or unwrap-
ping a package of exotic wood from a
mail-order supplier, for example, can
be rewarding experiences.
First, you need to select the kind of
table or desk that suits your needs. The
illustrated gallery oftable and desk styles
beginning on page 22 can provide a starting point in your
search for a suitable design. The dimensions you incorporate
will affect both the appearance and suitability of the piece.
Standard dimensions are discussed in detail on page 21.
Once you have selected a design
(or
sketched one your-
self), it is time to buy the lumber. The sections on wood
movement
(page 14), ordering woo d
(page16), and deriving
a cutting list from a sketch
(page
17) provide the basic infor-
Lumber quality varies widely, even
within the same grade. Takingthe time
to examine and selectboards carefully
at alumberyardwillhelp you obtain
the best stock
for
your project.
pared, can be ripped and crosscut imme-
diately. Only edges that will be
joined
together, such as boards
being edge-glued to make a tabletop, need to be
jointed.
Finally, remember that it is important to tackle your project
methodically. For greatest efficienry,lay out your tools in the
shop so that your wood follows a relatively direct route from
rough stock to final assembly. When you have
jointed
your
stock and cut it to size, fashion your
joints
and sand all com-
ponents before assembly.
t 3
WOODMOVEMENT
\ [ f
ood gai ns and l oses moi sture as
V V the rel ati ve humi di ty of the sur-
roundi ng ai r changes. And as the
wood's moisture content changes, so
do i ts di mensi ons and wei ght. These
changes can cause problems for a piece
of furni ture, some merel y i rri tati ng,
others much more seri ous. Knowi ng
how moisture affects wood and mak-
ing the appropriate allowances will help
vou avoid difficultv.
'
The water contai ned i n a pi ece of
wood i s measured as a percentage of
the wood' s oven-dry, or water-free
wei ght. For exampl e, i f a 50-pound
piece of wood weighs 40 pounds when
it is oven-dry, the weight of the shed
water-10 pounds-di vi ded by the
wood's dry weight---4O pounds-is the
moisture content of the original piece:
in this case, 25 percent.
Wood contains water in two ways:
as free water in its cell cavities and as
bound water i n i ts cel l wal l s. When
wood is cut and exposed to the air, it
sheds its free water first. When all free
water is expelled, the wood is said to
be at i ts fi ber saturati on poi nt (FSP),
which is typically between 23 and 30
percent moisture content. Up to this
point, as shown in the illustration at
right, there has been no change in the
di mensi ons of the pi ece; i t si mpl y
weighs less. As wood dries further, how-
ever, water is removed from the cell
walls, and the board shrinks.
Under normal circumstances, wood
never regains its free water, but changes
i n humi di ty i n the ai r do affect the
amount of moisture in the cell walls.
At 100 percent relative humidity, wood
reaches its FSB holding as much bound
water as possible. At 0 percent humid-
i ty, wood i s devoi d of al l moi sture.
Usuallv, because the water content of
wood reflects the moisture present in
the atmosphere, the moisture content of
most woods ranges between 5 and 20
percent. The fl uctuati on i n rel ati ve
humidity of nearly 80 percent between
typi cal North Ameri can wi nters and
summers can cause substantial wood
movement over the course of ayear.
Because of thei r si ze, tabl etops and
desktops are especially prone to move-
ment. A 3-foot-wide tou with the wood
grain running along its length can expe-
rience annual movement of more than
I inch across its width. This can cause
serious difficulties for an extension table,
for example, which relies on the per-
fect alignment of various components.
You can do several things to com-
pensate for the effects of humidity
changes on wood. In your shop, use a
humidifier in winter and a dehumidifi-
er in summer to keep the humidity lev-
el as constant as
possible.
Also, make
allowances for wood movement in the
constructi on of your work. Wi th an
extension table
(page
90), for example,
orient the wood grain of the top to run
across the width of the table, not along
its length. This way, wood movement
will not affect alignment of the pieces.
The method you use to attach a top is
equally important. Several effective
methods are shown starting on page 96.
Usi ng frame-and-panel constructi on
(page
31) for the casework of a desk will
al l ow wood to expand and contract
without affecting the stability of the
piece. Some woods tend to swell and
shrink more than others. Your lumber
dealer can help
you
select dimensional-
ly stable speciis'for your projects.
Vhen the moisture content of a 2-by-10 plain-sawn plank of softwood lumber
drops below its
frber
saturation point (FSP),
the wood shrinks. At 17 percent, the
board is',/o inch nqrrower than it was at lrs FSP; it loses
qnother
% inch of width
when kiln-dried to 8 percent. Shrinkage depends partly on the density of the
wood; generally, a denser species shrinks and swells more than a less dense one.
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Moisture content above
30% (no chanqe)
Moiature content at FOF-
26% (no chanqe)
Moist.ure content at 17%
(1" ahrinka7e)
Moiature content. at. 13%
(/o" ehrinka1e)
Moiature content at B%
(h" ehrinkaqe)
TABLE AND DESK BASICS
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WOOD SHRINKAGE
Tangenti al and radi al shri nkage
Wood does not shri nk uni forml y. As shown
by t he t he dot t ed l i nes i n t he i l l ust rat i on
at ri ght, tangenti al shri nkage-roughl y paral -
l el to the growth ri ngs-i s about twi ce the
radi al shri nkage, whi ch occurs across t he
ri ngs. Thi s di fference causes boards and
panel s to warp when they shri nk or swel l as
rel ati ve humi di ty changes. Shri nkage al ong
t he l engt h of a board i s usual l y i nsi gni f i -
cant. A Z-by-IO pl ank, for exampl e, whi ch
shri nks % i nch across i ts wi dth mi ght l ose
l ess than %e i nch al ong an 8-foot l ength.
When bui l di ng t ops f or t abl es and desks,
ori ent t he grai n i n t he di rect i on t hat wi l l
cause the fewest probl ems.
Quartersawn
stock, whi ch has growth ri ngs that are at
ri ght angl es to the face, has l ess of a ten-
dency to cup and i s a good choi ce for tops.
WOOD GRAIN AND JOINERY
Tanqential
.r'
'.{{ Tan7ential
PEne
0pti mi zi ng
grai n di recti on
Wood movement can have an effect on
t he st rengt h of a
j oi nt .
Ori ent t he grai n
of t he mat i ng pi eces of a
j oi nt
so t hey
wi l l move i n t he same di rect i on. l n t he
morti se-and-tenon
j ornt
shown at l eft,
t he boards' t angent i al pl anes are paral -
l el t o each ot her, Consequent l y, t he
wood movement that one oi ece exoeri -
ences wi l l be cl osel y mat ched by t he
ot her and t he
j oi nt
wi l l not be weak-
ened. Assembl i ng a
j oi nt
wi t h t he t an-
genti al pl anes of the two pi eces at ri ght
angl es coul d weaken t he
j oi nt
or even
force i t aoart.
15
SELECTING AND ORDERING WOOD
T
umber for your table or desk project
l-l can come from several sources, each
with its own advantages and drawbacks.
The local lumberyard is the most obvi-
ous supplier, and often the most conve-
nient, but the selection may be limited
to constructi on woods such as pi ne,
spruce, and other softwoods. Though
you may find the occasional cache of
hardwood, more often than not you will
have to venture farther afield, consult-
ing the Yellow Pages or woodworking
magazines to find dealers who special-
ize in some of the less common hard-
woods used for fine furniture. You will
usually pay more, but the quality of the
wood should be higher too.
There are other less costly ootions for
finding the wood you need. A lumber
mill may sell you boards at a reasonable
price, but the wood will most often need
to be seasoned and surfaced, whi ch
means that you must own a
jointer
and
planer. Also,larger mills are often reluc-
tant to fill small orders. Rerycled boards
are becoming increasingly popular with
woodworkers, a result of the scarcity of
certain woods. Salvaged wood is rela-
tively inexpensive and, because it often
comes from old-growth timber, it can
be visually and structurally superior to
recently harvested lumber. Regardless of
your chosen supply, define your needs
carefully before ordering wood. The tips
that follow will help you get what you
need at a reasonable cost. Being well pre-
pared will also speed the process con-
siderably.
.
Species: Ask for the specific wood
species, rather than a broad family name.
For example, order Western red cedar,
not simply cedar. To be sure you get what
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CATCULATING BOARD FEET
Ordering lumber by the board foot
The
"board
foot" i s a uni t of measurement
used t o cal cul at e t he vol ume of a gi ven
amount of stock. l t i s commonl y used wi th
hardwood l umber. As shown i n the i l l ustra-
t i on at ri ght , t he st andard board f oot i s
equi val ent t o a pi ece t hat i s 1 i nch t hi ck,
12 i nches wi de, and 12 i nches l ong. To
cal cul at e t he number of board f eet i n a
pi ece of wood, mul t i pl y i t s t hree di men-
si ons together. Then, di vi de the resul t by
144 i f the di mensi ons are i n i nches, or by
12 i f i ust one di mensi on i s i n f eet .
l" x 12" x 12" =
I 572111urd board foot I
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NUMBER OF BOARD FEET IN
8 tINEAt FEET OF DIFFERENT
SIZED BOARDS
1- by- 3=2boar df eet
The formula for a standard board:
I " x 1 2 " x 1 2 " + I 4 4 = I
( o r 1 " x 1 2 " x I ' + 1 2 = I )
So if you had a 6-foot-long plank that is 1
i nch thi ck and 4 i nches wi de, you woul d
cal cul ate the board feet as fol l ows: 1" x 4" x
6' + 12
=
2
(or
2 board feet). Other exam-
pl es
are shown i n the i l l ustrati on. Remem-
ber that board feet are cal cul ated on the
basi s of the nomi nal rather than actual
di mensi ons of the stock; consequentl y, the
board feet contai ned i n a 2-by-4 that actu-
al l y measures l Yz-by-3% i nches woul d be
cal cul at ed usi ng t he l arger di mensi ons.
1- by- 6=4boar df eet
1- by12=Bboar df eet
2-by-4
=
5% board feet
2- W- 6=Bboar df eet
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TABLE AND DESK BASICS
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you want, Iearn the botanical name of
the wood you want and ask for it.
.
Quantity:
When ordering wood,
specify whether you want the stock in
board feet or lineal feet. A lineal foot
is merely an expression of a board's
length, regardless of its width or thick-
ness. The board foot is a soecific volume
of wood;it is usually necesiary for order-
ing hardwoods, which are often available
in random widths only. See page 16 for
information about calculating board feet.
.
Size Wood is sold in nominal rather
than real sizes. so make allowances for
the difference when ordering surfaced
lumber. L2-by-a is actually l/"'-by-3Y.".
The thickness of hardwoods is often
expressed as an i mproper fracti on i n
cuarters of an i nch. A 1Z-i nch-thi ck
hardwood board, for exampl e, i s
expressed as fl4. The nominal and real
dimensions of unsurfaced, green boards
are the same.
.
Grade Wthin the higher hardwood
grades, the primary difference between
the various grades is appearance rather
than strength. Considering the differ-
ence in price, it is best to reserve the best
stock for the visible parts of your pro-
jects,
using less expensive, lower-grade
wood for hidden components. Consult
your lumber dealer for a chart of the dif-
ferent grades available.
.
Seasoning: Lumber is sold either
kiln dried
(KD),
air dried
(AD),
or
green. Kiln-dried wood is generally the
most stable. It has a moisture content
(MC)
of 8 percent, whereas air-dried
wood has a MC of 12 to 20 percent. Air-
dried wood is often preferred by carvers.
.
Surfacing: Surfacing refers to how
the stock is prepared at the mill before
it comes to the lumberyard. Softwood
lumber is usually surfaced on both faces;
hardwood is often sold rough. If you
have a planer and
jointer,
buying rough
lumbe.r and surfacing it yourself will
Prove
less expenslve.
A CUTTING LIST
Maki ng and usi ng a cutti ng l i st
A cutti ng l i st records the fi ni shed si zes of l umber needed for
a part i cul ar pi ece of f urni t ure. l f one i s not i ncl uded wi t h
the pl ans you purchase, you wi l l have to make your own
based on a sketch of the desi gn. Use the formul a
shown on page 16 to total the number of
board feet for each comoonent of the
project; add 20 to 40 percent
(dependi ng
on t he grade) t o
account for waste and defects i n
t he wood. Al so use t he nomi nal
t hi ckness
(i ndi cat ed
i n parent heses)
| l /
C
of t he pi eces i n your cal cul at i ons.
For the si mpl e tabl e shown at ri ght,
whi ch total s 25/oboard feet, you
shoul d ourchase 30 to 35 board
feet of l umber. Assi gn each component
a l etter for l ater reference.
CUTTING IIST
26Yr' ash 1. 5
29' ash 6.0
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LUMBERDEFECTS
T
umber defects are flaws that reduce
L a board's strength or workabiliry or
adversely affect its appearance. They can
result from the way the lumber is pre-
pared at the mill, the methods of sea-
soning and storing, or, more often than
not, the natural growi ng condi ti ons
experienced by the tree.
DEFECTS IN W(l()D
Not all defects are unwelcome. Some
natural imperfections can make a piece
of wood more desirable for some uses,
particularly when they produce a visually
stunning figure such as bird's-eye. If their
strength is not compromised, defective
boards can be used for concealed parts to
greatly reduce a project's cost.
In the end, it is the eventual use of
the lumber that determines what is an
acceptable blemish. By recognizing the
lumber defects illustrated below and
inspecting your wood carefully before
buying you can increase your chances
of getting the quality you want for the
right price.
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Gum
<
----4
V2---
Checks-_=------\
=4
Bow /-
V
CHARACTERISTICS
A ti ght knot appears as a whorl enci rcl ed by surround-
i ng wood t i ssue; a dead knot i s enci rcl ed by a dark
ri ng. Formed as gi rt h of t ree i ncreases, gradual l y
envel opi ng t he branches. Li ve branches i nt egrat e
wi th surroundi ng wood; dead branch stumps cannot
i ntegrate and form dead knots.
An accumul ati on of resi n on the surface of the board
or i n pockets wi thi n the board. Usual l y devel ops when
a tree has suffered an injury, exposure to fire, or
insect attack.
Lengthwi se ruptures or separati ons i n the wood, usu-
al l y caused by rapi d dryi ng. Spl i ts go ri ght through
board, from one face to the other. May compromi se
strength and appearance.
An endto-end curve al ong the face, usual l y caused
by i mproper storage. Introduces i nternal stresses i n
the wood that make i t di ffi cul t to cut.
An edge-to-edge curve across the face. Common on
tangenti al l y cut stock, or boards cut cl ose to the pi th.
Al so occurs duri ng dryi ng i f one face of a board has
l ess contact wi th the ai r than the other.
End-to-end curve al ong the edge, caused by i ncorrect
seasoni ng or havi ng the pi th of a board cl ose to the
board edge. Weakens the wood, maki ng i t unsui tabl e
for wei ght-beari ng appl i cati ons.
Uneven or i rregul ar warpi ng where one corner i s not
al i gned wi th the others. Resul ts from uneven dryi ng or
a cross
grain pattern that is not parallel to the edge.
Lengthwi se separati on of the grai n, usual l y between
t he growt h ri ngs. Resul t s f rom i mproper dryi ng of
wood or f el l i ng damage.
REMEDIES
Ti ght knots can be cut out or used,
as appearance di ctates; dead knots
shoul d be removed before worki ng
wi th stock.
Do not use stock i f a qual i ty f i ni sh
i s requi red, as gum wi l l bl eed
through most fi ni shes.
Can be cut off.
Fl atten bowed boards on the
j oi nt-
er, or cut i nto shorter
pi eces,
then
use the
j oi nter.
Cup may correct itself if both faces
are allowed to dry to the same mois-
ture content. Cupped boards can be
ri pped i nto narrower ones on the
band saw or fl attened on the
j oi nter.
Hi gh spots can be fl attened on
i oi nter or cut off on tabl e saw.
Board can be cut i nto shorter
pi eces.
Cut of f shake, al l owi ng f or possi bi l -
i ty that the defect may conti nue
l engthwi se under the surface.
1 8
PREPARING STOCK
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SURFACING TUMBER
Joi nti ng a board
l f you are worki ng wi t h rough l umber, st art by
j oi nt i ng
one f ace.
Lay t he workpi ece f ace down on t he i nf eed t abl e a f ew i nches
f rom t he kni ves, but t i t s edge agai nst t he f ence, and pl ace t wo
push bl ocks squarel y on t he t op f ace, cent ered bet ween t he
edges.
(Use push bl ocks wi t h angl ed handl es t o keep your hands
from hi tti ng the fence.) Feed the board sl owl y and steadi l y across
t he kni ves
( above) ,
appl yi ng downwar d pr essur e t o keep t he
boar d f l at on t he out f eed t abl e, and l at er al pr essur e t o hol d r t
f l ush agai nst t he f ence. Next ,
j oi nt
an edge of t he boar d. Wi t h
t he f ace you j ust j oi nt ed
r est i ng agai nst t he f ence and t he edge
on t he t abl e, f eed t he boar d wi t h a hand- over - hand t echni que.
Next, pl ane the board
(step
bel ow) to create two paral l el faces.
Pl ani ng stock
Set the cutti ng depth to Xo i nch. Stand to
one si de of t he wor koi ece and use bot h
hands t o f eed t he st ock i nt o t he machi ne,
keepi ng t he edges of t he boar d par al l el t o
t he pl aner t abl e. Once t he machi ne gr i ps
t he boar d and begi ns t o pul l i t acr oss t he
cut t er head, suppor i t he t r ai l i ng end t o
keep i t f l at on the tabl e
(/eff).
Then move
t o t he out f eed si de of t he
pl aner
and sup-
por t t he wor kpi ece wi t h bot h hands unt i l
i t cl ear s t he out f eed r ol l er . To pr event
st ock f r om war pi ng, avoi d
passi ng onl y
one f ace of a boar d t hr ough t he machi ne;
i nst ead. ol ane t he same amount of wood
from both si des.
I 9
TABLE AND DESK BASICS
CUTTING ST()CK T() SIZE
Ri ppi ng a workpi ece
Ri p st ock t o wi dt h on your t abl e saw usi ng t he ri p f ence as a
gui de. Rai se t he bl ade t o about % i nch above t he workpi ece.
Posi t i on t he r i p f ence f or t he wi dt h of cut , t hen f eed t he
st ock i nt o t he bl ade, pressi ng i t agai nst t he f ence wi t h your
l ef t hand and pushi ng i t wi t h bot h t humbs
(above).
St and t o
t he l ef t of t he wor kpi ece and st r addl e t he f ence wi t h your
r i ght hand, maki ng cer t ai n t hat nei t her hand i s i n l i ne wi t h
t he bl ade. Once your f i ngers approach t he bl ade, use a push
st i ck t o compl et e t he pass. (Caut i on:
Bl ade guard part i al l y
retracted for cl ari ty.)
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( - (
Crosscutting stock
Cut your st ock t o l engt h on t he t abl e saw.
Wi t h t he workpi ece f l ush agai nst t he mi t er
gauge, al i gn t he cut t i ng mar k wi t h t he
bl ade. Posi ti on the ri p fence wel l away from
the stock to prevent the cut-off pi ece from
j ammi ng
bet ween t he bl ade and f ence,
and ki cki ng back t oward you. Hook your
t humbs over t he mi t er gauge, hol d t he
board agai nst t he gauge
and f l at on t he
t abl e, t hen f eed t he boar d acr oss t he
table
(right). (Caution:
Blade guard partial-
l y retracted for cl ari ty.)
20
DESIGNING TABLES AND DESKS
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crucialpart of building a piece of
A furniture is deciding on its final
dimensions. A desk that is too high or
low will be uncomfortable; a tabletop
that crowds its diners will make meal-
time an aggravating experience. Once
you have chosen a particular style from
the gallery oftables and desks starting
on page 22, it is time to size its parts.
Standard dimensions for a wide range of
STANDARD TABIE AND DESK DIMENSIONS
TABTES
Bedsi de
(ni ght
tabl e)
Butl er' s tabl e
Butterf l y tabl e
Candl e stand
Card tabl e
Coffee table
Conference tabl e
Consol e tabl e
Dressi ng tabl e
Drop-l eaf tabl e
Extensi on di ni ng tabl e
Gatel eg tabl e
Li brary tabl e
Occasi onal tabl e
Round di ni ng t abl e
Ti l t-top tabl e
Trestl e tabl e
DESKS
Computer desk
Executi ve desk
Offi ce desk
Pedestal desk
Secretari al desk
Secretary
Typewriter stand
traditional and modern table and desk
styles are provided below. Dining tables
should provide 24 inches in width for
each diner. Allow at least l2 inches from
the table edge to the center for each place
setting; an additional 4 to 6 inches will
provide space for serving dishes. To allow
adequate leg room,leave about 7
'linch-
es between the chair seat and the under-
side ofthe top, and at least 2 feet between
the floor and the bottom of the table or
desk rail. Remember, however, that these
figures are guidelines; furniture should
fit those using it.
A table or a desk also should fit into its
environment. For desks and dining
tables, remember to allow for the height
of the accompanying chairs. Bedside
tables should not rise more than 6 inch-
es above the bed.
HEIGHT
24' , - 30"
24',
-
36',
Depends on use
25' - 31'
25' , - 29' .
12'
-
22' ,
?nn
30'
29' - 30'
Depends on use
29"
-
31'
29' - 30' ,
30"
27"
-
29',
29' ,-3r' ,
26',
-
28',
29',
-
31',
20'
-
26',
29' - 30' ,
29',
?ni l
30"
Tot al hei ght : 74"
-86";
Writing surface: 29'
-
30'
?nr
[ENGTH
18"
36' - 48'
Depends on use
28"
-
36'
Depends on use
Depends on use
36' , - 72' ,
40' - 48' ,
Depends on use
Open: 96"; cl osed: 60"
Depends on use
60' - 84'
24',
-
28',
48',
-
r20',
48"
-
50'
72',
-
84',
60'
30'- 42',
60' - 66'
30' - 44'
?ni l
WIDTH
18'
20'
Depends on use
28' ,-36' ,
20'
Depends on use
16'
-
20'
18'
-
22',
Depends on use
36',
-
42',
Depends on use
24' , - 36' ,
24',
-
28',
At least 30"
24"
-30',
36',
-
42',
?ni l
18
- 22"
30"
-
32'
18'
-
22',
18'
DIAMETER
12"
-
L7' ,
Depends on use
24',
-
28',
At least 40"
24',
-
26',
2 l
TABLEAND DESK STYLES
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f.f
undreds of tabl e and desk
L I styles have evolved through-
out the ages, each with its own spe-
cific purpose. The butler's table, for
example, also serves as a serving
tray. The secretary (page
26) com-
bines a bookcase, a desk, and a chest
of drawers, supplying ample stor-
age space for books, papers, and
other items, and a writing surface
that can be folded up out of the way
when not i n use. The fol l owi ng
pages illustrate more than two
dozen types of tables and desks to
inspire your designs.
The knockdown trestle table is a design
that traces its roots back to the Middle
Ages. The example shown above was
built
from
cherry by Thos. Moser
Cabi netmakers i n Auburn, Mai ne.
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Eutterfly table
An Ameri can drop-
leaf table, uLiltzinq a
Card table
A aquare table,
aomet.imea with
dished cornero
for holdtn4 coina.
One aide ta nor-
mally left undec-
prvotinq eupport to
hold up wide leavee
on eiLher eide of a
narrow, central tabletop
orated and placed
aqainet a wall when the
table ie not in uae. The top
folds in half and the aide
raila fold inward to move
Lhe le4e cloeer to4ether
Coffee table
A low occaatonal table
deeiqned to be uaed
with eofa and chaira
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Eutler's table
A portable table, the
eidee and ende of which
fold up Lo form a qallery,
or fence, and handlea
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TABLE AND DESK BASICS
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Extenaion table
Any table whoae len7th can
be increaaed with one or
more leaves; the top eep'
aratea alonq elidee, enablin7
a hinqed leaf to ewinq up or a
aeparate leaf to be added
Gateleg table
A eLyle of drop-leaf Lable
wi th extenaton l eavee
eupported by ewin1in4
le4a attached to bottom
Ieq atretchere
Conaole table
A side, or entry,
table with two front
lege that are eet cloeer
Lo7ether than back leqo;
6ome exampl ea are
aecured Lo a wall with
brackets and eupported
by only Lwo fronL leqe
Droo4eaf table
Kefbra u any of oeveral eLytee of table
with htnqed leavee that hanq down when not
in uae: when open, the leaves are eupported
in a variety of waya, includin4 qate lego,
ewin4 le4a, or bracketo fastened to the raile
Handkerahief table
A trianqular drop-leaf table;
when the table ia opened,
the top io equare
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TABLE AND DESK BASICS
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Harueat table
Any of varioua Ameri-
can otylea of larqe
di ni ng tabl eo, often
with leavee on both
ai dee of a narrow top
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Nest of tablea
A aet of occaaional
tablea eized eo that
they can be etored
one ineide the other
when noL in uae
Pedeetal table
A table with a top
fagtened Lo a cen-
tral column; the
column ie uaually
mounted on three
(Lripod) orfour le4e
Trestle table
A larqe tabletop eupported
by Lreetl ea; Luek tenona j oi n
leqo Lo aLretcherE allowinq
for eaay disaeaembly
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TABLE AND DESK BASICS
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5tand
Any omall table
deaiqned to die-
play objecta; a
candle atand is
one example
Tilt-top
table
A variation
of the trrpod
pedeatal table fea'
turin7 a top that
pivote verEically to
con?erve 9Pace
Night table
A amall occaeional
table uaed to eup-
porE lampe and other
bedaide accesaorrea;
ofLen with one or
more drawerq and a
ahelf or amall ator-
aqe compartment
Pembroke table
A type of drop-leaf
table with leavea
oupported by brack-
ete hin4ed to the
table raila; common-
Iy feat.ureo one or
two drawera
Seattle craftsmanHank
Hol tzer bui l t the
"Morrison
table" shown
above
from
walnut.
The extension table
features
a S-foot-
diameter top that
opens to 8
feet.
It will seat
from
6 to 10 people.
Tavern table
Low rectan7ular or
circular table with
etretchera and
turned leqo: occa-
eionally, the tabte
hae carved eup-
porte at the enda
connected by a
stretcher
25
TABLE AND DESK BASICS
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Fall-front desk
A desk with a working aurface that
"falla"
down into the open poaition,
held up by eupporte that btide out
of receeaea in the deak front
9earetary
Pedestal deak (kneehole type)
Featurea a top eupporLed on both aidee by drawer
carcaoea called pedeotala: the kneehole is
A otyle of elant-top deek featurin4 a
fall-front wriLina eurface with a cheat
of drawera belo-w and a bookcaee with
wood or
4laoa
doore above
Writing table
Any flat-topped deak
with a writinq eurface
and drawere below
the top
Lap deak
A amall lift-top deek held on
the lap while in uae
cloeed at the back and mav contain a
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I i l t
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TABLE AND DESK BASICS
Writing deek
Aleo known by the
Eriilah term Daven'
porL,
thie amall deek
'hau
u, an4led, tifLin4
top wrth etoraqe
epace under it; draw
erq or cuPvoaraq are
located on the Eidee
of the carcaee, rather
than i n thefront
Pedeetal deok (partner'e type)
Similar to the kneehole pedestal
desk, but the Lop ie lar4er and Lhe gap
between the pedeotala ta lefL open on
boLh eidea-oriqinally to allow two peo'
ple Lo uee the deEk at the aame time
Roll-top deok
A deak wtth a elidinq
cover, or tambour,
that can be drawn
down to cover the
wrrtin4 aurface; the
top may be eupporred
by pedeetale or lege
5tanding deek
Al ao known ae a
clerk'e deak, thia
ta ll, el a nti n
4
| ifL-to p
desk typrcally hae one
or two amall drawera
and may have a shel f
below the wriLin7 eurface
Suggestive of an open
fall-front
desk, the piece shown at left incor-
porates other design elements, includ-
ing a graceful curve along the
front
edge of the top. The desk was built
from
cherry and maple by
ludith
Ames of Seattle.
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r
and shrinkage. As illustrated on
page 31, individual frame-and-pan-
el assemblies are
joined
to form a
case. The opening in each frame is
filled by a panel that rests in grooves
cut in the inside edges of the frame.
Although the frame pieces are glued
together at the corners, the panel is
set into the frames without adhe-
sive to allow it to swell and shrink.
The panel is often beveled around
the edges-a decorative touch that
also allows it to fit more easily into
its groove.
The method you choose for
assembling a carcase or frame-and-
panel case will influence the char-
acter and individuality of your desk.
Various
joinery
options are shown
The double-pedestal desk shown at left
features
two identical carcases
joined
together by rails, which are concealed by the top. The pedestals sit
on molded bases and are divided by dust
frames
to accommodate drawers.
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DE,SKCASEWORK
asework is the fundamental
building block of most desks.
It can be as simple as a four-sided
box or as elaborate as a frame-and-
panel cabinet. Such elements as
dividers, shelves, drawers, face
frames, and dust panels provide
refinements that transform this
casework into a piece of furniture.
This chapter will show you how
to apply casework techniques to
the construction ofa two-pedestal
desk like the one shown opposite.
Carcases are easier to build than
frame-and-panel cabinets. As shown
on page 30, all carcases consist of
four panels
joined
to form a box.
Make sure that the wood grain of
all the panels runs in the same direc-
tion. This will allow the panels to swell and shrink at the same
rate as relative humidity levels change. If you assemble a car-
case with the grain of adjacent panels at right angles to each oth-
er you risk splitting one of the panels.
The second type of casework-frame-and-panel-solves
the problem ofwood movement by allowing space for swelling
Gluing up a large carcase requires many clamps.
ln the setup shown above, bar clamps are
aligned with the panek of the carcase and with
the dust
frames
being
joined
to the carcase sides.
Applying uniform pressure on all of the
joints
will help make the carcase square and solid.
on page 32.The rabbet
joint
worla well with either solid wood
or plyr,vood panels. Through dovetails are more time-con-
suming to make but they are more attractive and considered
a sign of fine craftsmanship. Frame-and-panel assemblies can
be put together with mortise-and-tenons or the more deco-
rative cope-and-stick
joint.
29
TWO TYPES OF DESK CASEWORK
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CARCASE CASEWORK
Duet frame (page 56)
A frame-and-panel aaaembly thaL adde etrenqth to
the carcaee and oupporLa drawera; frame ia connected
to carcaee eides by twin morLiee-and-tenon and blind
spline-and-qroove jointo. A larger frame eupporto a
middle drawer between the two deak
pedeatale
Back
Typically%-inch plywood nailed and glued
into a rabbet routed around the back
edge of panela; can alao olip into qrooveo
routed ineide the facee of panele
9pline
.)
Rear connectin7 rail
(pase 53)
Connecte Lhe back
of the two deak
pedeatala with blind
morLtge-and-tenon
joinLa;
alao hidea
back of middle drawer
\
Frontconnectins
)
rail (paqe 39)
,/
ConnecLa Lhe
--/
front of Lhe two
deok pedeatale:
jotned to the car-
ca9e5 0y aove-
tailed half-lapo
Eraae
9upporto back
of carcaae
/--l
\
Dovetail
halflap
joint
\-
Twin tenon
---------'
-__----f
Corner joint (page 33)
)ec u rea pa n el e tog eLher.
KabbeLjoint ia ahown, but
through doveLail and plate
jointe
are aleo popular
choicee: for a aelection of
joints, eee paqe 32
?topped groove
Accepto opline
of duEL frame
Panel
Ueed Lo form the top,
boLtom, or eidee of a
carcaae. Can be made of
plywood or solid lumber;
if aold, typically made
from ql ued-up boarde
Eaee molding
Qase
ao)
A decorative frame of
molded etock beveled at
Lhe ende and joined witn
plate (or biecuit) joinLe.
Carcaae aite in rabbeLa
routed around top edqe
of frame; brace at back
providee oupport
30
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DESK CASEWORK
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FRAME-AND-PANEL CASEWORK Front
conneating
rail
Rear aonneating rail
Dovetail
Haunahed mortiae-
and-tenon
joint . ' \
twtn mora,oe-
\
and-tenonioint
)
A / /
/ \ / ,
(
) t
\ t
Rail
Hortzontal member
of frame-and-panel
aooembly: bottom
railo may feature
a decorative arch
alon4 bottom edqe
)
Middle drawer rail
(pase 52)
ConnecLa two frame- and-
9tile
Vertical compo-
nent of a frame'
ana-Panel
aeeembly; ettle
ehown ia parA of
both rear and
aide aeaembltea
panel deek pedeatale and
eupporto middle drawer;
joined to pedeetala by twin
m o rtt e e
-
a n d
-te
n o n
I
o i nte
Drawer rail
Qaqe
a9)
Supporte drawere
and 7trenqtheng
caee; joined to eLilee
fo
twin mortiae-and-
f,enon jointo
Panel (page 4)
)olid wood piece that.
fite into qroove tn
frame: can be flat.or
have ita edqea rabbet-
ed or beveled to
"raiae"
cenLer of panel
Blind mofiiee-
and-tenon joint
Decorative
bot'tom rail
lnner frame-and-
panel asaembly
Featurea lar7er Lop rail
than ouLer aoeembl y, and
correopondi n4l y omal l er
panel : rai l te l ar7e enou4h
to accept duatframe below
center drawer
Bottom (page 51)
Attached to caee by
led4er etdpe on raile,
or seL into groove cu1,
around ineide ed4ee
of bottom ratla
Ledger etrip (page 51)
Ueed to faef,en bottom
panel to ca6e; one edqe ie
acrewed Lo inatde facea of
bottom raila while the other
edqe ie screwed to bottom
3 1
Rabbet joint
(pase 33)
Ueed to join
carcaae
panele toqether; end
of one
panel fita into
rabbet cut in the mat-
in4 panel. Kabbet ia
typically routed in carcaae aidee to con-
ceal end
7rarn
of top and bottom panela
Stopped groove-a nd- epline
(pase 57)
Ueed to join etretchere and duaL
panele to carcaae aidee. )topped
qroovez are routed in both the
edae of the atretcher or the duat
frame rail and the ineide
face of the carcaae
aide; a floatinq
epline allowa
.....-:
for wood 1!.e*
CASEWORKIOINTS
Twin mottiee- and-tenon
Qase
5a)
Ueed to join duat panele to
carcaee aides and drawer raila
to frame- a nd
-
pa nel etil ee
Stopped tonque-
and-dado joint
An alternative to the etopped
4roove-and-epline
for
atta chin7 atretchera to
carcaoe sidee; a atopped
tonque cut in edge of
stretcher fita into
atopped
7roove
cut
.
.
^s\
q
in carcage
./
'--\.,.
Eeveled plate
joint
(page 4O)
Uaed to aasemble
piecea of baee mold-
inq Loqethery biecuita
of compreaaed wood
fit into alote cut in
beveled enda of mat-
tnq aurtacee
Cope-and-atiak joint
A decorative alternative to blind and
haunched mortiae- and-tenona for
frame-and-panel conatruction. A aet
of router bile cute matching
profilea in raila and atilea;
7roove
for floating
panel ie cut srmul-
taneoualy
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movement
Made on connect-
inq raile to join
deek pedeatalo
wood fit into
elotg cub in
the matinq
boards.
Slota are
typically cut
into enda
of top and
bottom
panela
Blind mortiee-
and-tenon
(pase 36)
Uaed to aeoem-
ble duet framee
and connect
deek pedeotala
toqether; con-
necte raila and
atilea in frame'
and-Panel
aeoembliee
Haunahed
mortiee-and-
tenon (page 41)
Uaed to join raila
and etilee in
frame-and-panel
aesemblies: tenon
haunch in rail filla
panel
4rooveo
routed tn atilea ?late (biaautt) joint
Uaed to ioin carcaae
panela
to4ethei without havi'nq to ahape
the piecee: biacuita of compreeeed
Through dovetaila
(pase 125)
Tapered pina on top and
bottom panele interlock
with an7led taile
cut into the eide
panela: uoed
where the join-
ery ie an impor-
tant element
of deoi4n
32
BUILDING A CARCASE
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our panel s
j oi ned
to form a box: The
l- carcase is the sunplest and most basic
buildi ng block oi fu rniture construction.
A carcase provides the rigid framework
for items as diverse as a bookcase and a
drawer. Build two boxes and
join
them
together and you have the heart of an
attractive two-nedestal desk. The sec-
tion that followi shows how to do this.
Carcase Danel s can be constructed
from plyruobd, but for fine furniture,
the panel s are most frequentl y made
from narrow boards edge-gl ued i nto
wider panels (page
93). The panels are
then planed,
jointed
on one edge, cut to
size, and sanded. To allow the panels to
contract and expand wi th changes i n
humidiry the grain of all panels in a car-
case i s al i sned i n the same di recti on.
The twin mortise-and-tenon
joint
offers more gluing surface and structur-
al stability than a simple mortise-and-
tenon, and k often used to
join
stretchers to carcase sides. Here o
twin tenon is being test-fitted into its
mating mortises in the side of a desk.
Carcases can be assembled with several
types ofjoints
(page
32). The rabbet joint
i s a popul ar choi ce: The j oi nt
offers a
l arge gl ui ng surface and i s si mpl e to
make. As illustrated below the rabbets
are best cut into the side oanels so that
t he end gr ai n oi t he t op and bot t om
panels willbe covered. The end grain of
the sides is often concealed bv the too.
When planning a carcase, ii is wise to
take into consideration the type ofshelv-
ing or drawers
(page 116) that will be
bui l t i nto i t. For exampl e, the desk
shown on page 2B f i at ures dust
frames(page 34) Ihat both support the
drawers and provide strengh to the car-
case. The ioinerv needs of these frames
must be taken into account before the
carcase is glued up.
PREPARING THE SIDES: RABBET J()INTS
1
Cutti ng rabbets i n the carcase si des
I The r abbet wi dt h shoul d equal t he
t hi ckness of t he carcase t op; mark a cut -
t i ng I i ne f or t he r abbet s on t he l eadi ng
edge of one si de panel . I nst al l a dado head
sl i ght l y wi der t han t he rabbet on your t abl e
saw. Attach an auxi l i ary wood fence to the
ri p f ence and rai se t he dado head t o cut
a not ch i n t he wood f ence. Set t he cut -
t i ng hei ght at one-hal f t he st ock t hi ckness
and adl ust t he f ence f or t he wi dt h of cut .
Cl amp a featherboard to the fence di rectl y
above the bl ade to hol d the panel securel y
agai nst the tabl e, then make the cuI
(l eft).
Cut a rabbet at the opposi te end of the pan-
el and bot h ends of t he ot her si de
panel .
DESK CASEWORK
r)
Cutti ng grooves for the back panel
L Once vou have rabbeted the carcase
si des, you need to prepare the four panel s
t o accommodat e t he back, whi ch can be
set i nto a rabbet or a groove. For the rab-
bet, repeat step 1, but make the cut al ong
t he back edge of each panel and adj ust
t he cut t i ng dept h t o t he t hi ckness of t he
back- t ypi cal l y % i nch. For t he gr oove,
adj ust the dado head to a wi dth of % i nch,
t hen posi t i on t he f ence so t he gr oove wi l l
be % i nch f r om t he back edge of t he panel
(l eft).
CUI the back from %-i nch pl ywood
t o f i t t he openi ng i n t he car case, addi ng
the depth of the grooves to i ts di mensi ons.
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MAKING DUST FRAMES
1
Cutti ng twi n tenons i n the front rai l s
I The dust f rames t hat wi l l support t he
drawers are
j oi ned
t o t he desk pedest al s
wi t h t wi n mort i se-and-t enon
j oi nt s (page
36). St art by cut t i ng t he t enons i n each
f r ont r ai l on your t abl e saw; t hey wi l l f i t
i nt o mat chi ng mor t i ses i n t he car case
si de panel s ( st ep
3) . Equi p your t abl e
saw wi t h a dado head % i nch wi de, t hen
i nst al l a t enoni ng
j i g
i n t he mi t er sl ot .
Mark a t wi n t enon at each end of t he rai l ,
and set t he cut t i ng hei ght at X i nch. Cl amp
t he rai l t o t he
j i g
end-up and shi f t t he
j i g
si deways t o al i gn one of t he t enon marks
wi t h t he dado head. To make t he cut , push
t he
j i g
f orward, f eedi ng t he st ock i nt o t he
bl ades
(ri ght).
Turn the rai l around to cut
t he ot her t enon shoul der. Repeat t he cut s
at t he ot her end of t he rai l and at bot h
ends of t he r emai ni ng r ai l s.
34
DESK CASEWORK
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r)
Cl eari ng the waste between tenons
Z. St r i t t t he t enonr ng
j i g
t o l i ne up t he
dado head wi th the waste between the twi n
tenons ?i ght). Make several passes unti l
vou have cl eared awav the excess wood.
Q
Chi sel i ng the doubl e morti ses i n the carcase si des
r - J Mar k l i nes on t he i nsi de f ace of t he si de panel f or t he
l ocat i on of each dust
panel . Pl ace t he r ai l f ace down on t he
panel , al i gni ng t he edges of bot h and posi t i oni ng t he end of
t he r ai l f l ush wi t h t he t op l i ne. 0ut l i ne t he t wi n t enons on
t he
panel ( above,
/ ef f ) . Repeat f or t he ot her r ai l s. To chop
out t he mor t i ses, cl amp t he panel t o a wor k sur f ace. Then,
st ar t i ng at an end of one out l i ne, hol d a mor t i si ng chi sel
squar e t o t he f ace of t he panel and st r i ke t he handl e wi t h a
wooden mal l et . Use a chi sel t he same wi dt h as t he mor t i ses
and be sur e t hat t he bevel ed si de i s f aci ng t he wast e. Cont i nue
maki ng cut s at i nt er val s of about % i nch unt i l you r each t he
ot her end of t he out l i ne. Us e t he c hi s el t o l ev er out t he
wast e t o t he r equi r ed dept h. Chop out t he adj acent mor t i se
( above,
r i ght ) and t he ot her doubl e mor t i ses t he same way.
Test - f i t t he
j oi nt
and wi den or deepen t he mor t i se wr t h t he
chi sel . as r eoui r ed.
35
DESK CASEWORK
Maki ng the dust frames
Pr epar e a r ear r ai l , a f l oat i ng %" pl ywood
panel , and t wo st i l es f or each dust f r ame as
you woul d f or a non- r ai sed f r ame- and- panel
assembl y
( page
48) , si zi ng t he f r ame t o f i t
t he i nt er i or of t he car case. I nst ead of cut t i ng
rabbets, rout a %-i nch-deep groove around the
i nsi de edge of t he f r ame t o accommodat e
t he panel ; t he gr ooves wi l l al so ser ve as mor -
t i ses f or t he st ub t enons t hat
j oi n
t he r ai l s
and st i l es t oget her . Al so r out a gr oove al ong
t he out si de edge of each st i l e t o accept t he
spl i ne t hat wi l l f i t i nt o a mat chi ng gr oove i n
a carcase si de panel (page
37).
f,
Gl ui ng up the dust frames
r-,f Sand anv surfaces of the frame that
wr l l be dr f f r cul t t o r each af t er gl ue up.
Spr ead adhesi ve on t he t enons and t hei r
mat i ng gr ooves. Do not appl y gl ue i n t he
panel gr oove; t he panel must be f r ee t o
move. Gl ue one of t he st i l es t o one of
t he r ai l s, i nser t t he
panel ,
t hen assembl e
t he ot her oi eces. Cl amo t he dust f r ame
acr oss t he
j oi nt s
wi t h bar cl amps, check-
i ng f or squar e and usi ng wood pads
t o
protect
the stock
(bel ow).
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9tile
,r'
Kear rail
9trte
Ort
for
Groove for
,/
floaLinq panel
Float;inq panel
. 9Lub t enon
_l
l
---t
Front dust frame ratl
I
roove
, r
apl t ne
36
DESK CASEWORK
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GLUING UP THE CARCASE
dr ill du 'tl llil iiil ,ill dt lll llil rlll iill llii ,ill llll Jll llil illi
' l
Groovi ng the carcase si des
I Each dust f r ame i s secur ed t o t he
carcase si des wi th stopped
groove-and-
spl i ne
j oi nt s
t hat wi l l enabl e t he f r ame
t o move wi t h changes i n humi di t y. Each
j oi nt
consi st s of a har dwood spl i ne t hat
wi l l si t i n matchi ng stopped
grooves rout-
ed i n t he car case si de and t he st i l e of
the dust frame. To cut the grooves i n the
car case, i nst al l a %- i nch st r ai ght bi t i n
your r out er and secur e one of t he si de
panel s i nsi de- f ace up t o a wor k sur f ace.
Cl amp an edge
gui de t o t he panel so t he
bi t wi l l be cent er ed on one of t he doubl e
morti ses
you cut for the drawer rai l s. For
each dust frame, rout a stopped
groove
st ar t i ng about I i nch f r om t he mor t i ses
( above)
and st oppi ng about 3 i nches
f r om t he opposi t e edge. Repeat f or t he
ot her car case si de.
)HO? Tt ?
5 c rewi n g d raw er's up p o rt'
frames to a carcase
l f you are i neLal l t nq oupporl
framea,wool ocrews offer a quick
and eaoy way No f i x f ' hem I o
l he ei d,es of a carcase, Uee two
ocrew; L,o secure each frame sLi l e
i n pl ace. Sore an el ongat ' ed cl ear-
ance hol e (paqe 96) for each
ecrew Nhrouqh the eti l e and i nl o
l he carcaEe si de, maki nq
-. . '
sur e Nhe l wo hol es
f or I he same el i l e
ar e
V
er - f ecLl y al i qned.
DESK CASEWORK
r)
Instal l i ng the dust frames
L Cuttwo hardwood or pl ywood spl i nes
f or each f r ame. The spl i nes shoul d be a
l i t t l e short er t han t he grooves you
cut i n
st ep 1 t o al l ow f or wood movement ; f or
maxi mum st rengt h, t he grai n
shoul d run
across t he spl rne' s wi dt h. Pl ace one si de
of t he carcase i nsi de-f ace up on a work
surf ace, appl y gl ue t o t he t wi n mort i ses
and t enons, and set t he f r ames i n pl ace,
maki ng sur e t hat t hey f i t snugl y over
the spl i nes
(/eft).
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Assembl i ng the carcase
\ , , Wi t h al l t he dust f rames i n pl ace and
t he remai ni ng spl i nes set i n t hei r grooves,
assembl e t he rest of t he carcase. Fi rst
appl y gl ue al ong t he r abbet s i n one si de
panel
and sl i de t he back and bot t om i n
posi ti on (ri ght).
Next, set the top i n pl ace.
Spread some gl ue on t he remai ni ng t wi n
morti se-and-tenons and careful l y l ower the
ot her si de panel
on t op of t he assembl y,
gui di ng t he spl i nes i nt o t hei r grooves
and
t he t wi n t enons i nt o t hei r mort i ses. I nst al l
bar cl amps across the front of the carcase,
al i gned wi t h each dust f rame, and across
both the top and bottom of the assembl y.
Use wood pads to protect the stock, Rei n-
f orce t he rabbet
j oi nt s
and t he back wi t h
count ersunk nai l s or screws whi ch can l at -
er be conceal ed wi t h pl ugs.
38
DESK CASEWORK
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INSTALLING A CONNECTING RAII
1
Cutti ng dovetai l ed hal f-l aps
I i n the front connecti ng rai l
l n a two-oedestal desk. the carcases are
l oi ned
by connect i ng r ai l s and a dust
frame that supports a central drawer. The
f ront connect i ng rai l i s
j oi ned
t o t he car-
cases wi t h dovet ai l ed hal f -l ap
j oi nt s.
To
prepare
each rai l , cut i t t o si ze and saw
a dovet ai l ed hal f -l ao i n each end wi t h a
dovetail saw
(right).
)pline qroove
for central
dust frame
Twin morEiaee
for central
duat frame
r')
Cutting the mating
Z dovetai l s i n the carcases
Use one of the dovetai l ed hal f-l aps
you cut
i n st ep 1 t o out l i ne t he mat i ng dovet ai l
mort i se i n each carcase. Then use a saw
and chi sel t o cut t he mort i se
(/ ef t ).
Next ,
make a dust frame
(page
36) to fit between
the carcases and support the central draw-
er. Rout grooves and morti ses on the out-
si de of both carcases to accommodate the
j oi nery.
Al so cui a rai l to span the carcases
at the back and hi de the back of the drawer
(page
53). Joi n thi s rai l to the carcases
wi th bl i nd morti se-and-tenon
j oi nts.
Assem-
bl e and cl amp the desk together
(page
53)
39
DESK CASEWORK
BASE MOLDING
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Maki ng the base mol di ng
I The base mol di ns f or t he car case i s
made f r om t hr ee
pi eces
of mol ded st ock
and a br ace. To pr epar e t he mol di ng, r out
a decorati ve detai l al ong one edge of each
boar d, usi ng your t abl e saw f i t t ed wi t h a
mol di ng cut t er head or a t abl e- mount ed
r out er wi t h a mol di ng bi t . Then cut a r ab-
bet i n each pi ece al ong t he opposi t e si de
of t he same edge; t hi s wi l l f or m a l i p t o
suppor t t he car case. Saw t he boar ds t o
l engt h, bevel i ng bot h ends of t he f r ont
pi ece and onl y t he f r ont end of t he si des.
Al so saw a br aci ng pi ece
t hat wi l l f i t , f ace-
up, bet ween t he si des at t he back of t he
mol di ng; bor e a hol e f or a scr ew t hr ough
t he br ace. The scr ew wi l l at t ach t he br ace
t o t he car case. The mol di ng i n t he i l l us-
t r at i on i s assembl ed wi t h pl at e
l oi nt s.
The
boards wi l l mate end-to-end, except at the
back of t he mol di ng, wher e t he br ace i s
l oi ned
t o t he i nsi de f aces of t he si des. A
pl ate j oi ner
wi th an adl ustabl e fence makes
i t easi er t o al i gn t he t ool when cut t i ng t he
sl ots i n the bevel ed ends //effl .
r)
Gl ui ng up t he base mol di ng
L Worki ngqui ckl y, appl y gl ue t o al l t he
sl ot s, i nsert one bi scui t f or each
j oi nt ,
and
assembl e t he base mol di ng. Secure t he
brace t o t he si des wi t h a bar cl amp, usi ng
wood pads to protect the stock; i nstal l a
web cl amp wi t h corner bracket s around
t he mol di ng at t he mi t er
j oi nt s.
Ti ght en
t he web cl amp, usi ng t he wrench provi ded
(ri ght),
then ti ghten the bar cl amp. Once
t he gl ue i s dry, i nst al l t he base by appl y-
i ng gl ue onl y al ong t he rabbet i n t he f ront
pi ece and set t he carcase i n pl ace. (Thi s
wi l l cause any wood movement i n t he si de
pi eces t o t ake pl ace t owards t he back of
t he mol di ng, prevent i ng
t he mi t ers at t he
front from separati ng.) Attach the brace to
t he carcase by dri vi ng a screw t hrough t he
hol e you dr i l l ed i n st ep l
40
BUILDING A FRAME-AND.PANEL
DESK
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Tl rame-and
panel
construction offers
-F on. solution to the
perennialprob-
Iem ofwood movement. The principle is
simple: A panel
"floats"
in a groove cut
on the inside edge of a frame. The pan-
el can be flat, as in a dust frame
(page
4B), or
"raised,"
with bevels cut along its
edge. The beveling allows the panel to
fit into a groove in the frame and pre-
sents a decorative face to the public. A
oanel can be raised on the router table
(page 44)or the table saw
(page 45).
To construct a frame-and-panel desk
Iike the one shown on page 31, you need
to
join
four individual frame-and-pan-
el assembliesi arear assembly
(page 47),
a front assemblywith drawer shdes
(page
49),four side rails, and two side panels.
(The
stiles in the front and rear assem-
blies double as stiles for the side frames.) Traditionally, panek
for frame-and-panel
construction were
"raised,"
or beveled,
with specialized hand planes-a time-consuming task. Modern power tools, like
a table saw with a tilting arbor, have made this operation much simpler.
HAUNCHED MORTISE.AND.TEN()N JOINTS
1
Cufting tenons in the rails
I t o
t oi n
t he rai l s and st i l es of i ndi vi dual f rame-and-panel
assembl i es wi t h haunched mort i se-and-t enons, i nst al l a dado
head sl i ght l y wi der t han t he l engt h of t he t enons on your t abl e
saw. Attach an auxi l i ary fence and rai se the dado head to notch
i t . Set t he wi dt h of cut equal t o t he t enon l engt h. To cut t he
t enon cheeks, but t t he st ock agai nst t he f ence and t he mi t er
gauge, then feed i t face down. Turn the rai l over and repeat the
cut on the other si de. Next, cut tenon cheeks at the other end of
each rail
(above,
/efti. Position the fence to leave a haunch equal
i n wi dth to the depth of the groove for the panel ; set the hei ght
of t he dado head t o cut about % i nch i nt o t he t enon. Wi t h t he
stock on edge, use the fence and mi ter gauge to gui de i t i nto the
blade
(above,
right). Repeat to cut the haunch on the other side
of t he t enon. For t he rai l s of t he f ront assembl y, whi ch has no
panel ,
cut bl i nd t enons
(page
42), maki ng t he shoul ders equal
to the wi dth of the notch vou cut i nto the haunched tenons.
41
DESK CASEWORK
A TENONING JIG FOR THE TABLE SAW
You can use the
j i g
shown at ri ght to
cut bl i nd t enons on t he t abl e saw.
Adapt t he di mensi ons suggest ed i n
t he i l l ust rat i on t o cust omi ze t he
j i g
for your saw, i f necessary.
Cut t he
j i g
f ence and back f rom
%-i nch pl ywood and saw a 45" bevel
at one end of each board: the oi eces
shoul d be wi der t han t he hei ght of
your saw' s ri p f ence. Fast en t wo
pi eces together face to face to fash-
i on t he back, t hen use count ersunk
screws to attach the fence and back
i n an L shape. Make sure the fasten-
er s wi l l not be i n t he bl ade' s oat h
when you use t he
j i g.
Next , cut t he
brace from sol i d stock, bevel i ts ends,
and attach i t fl ush wi th the top edges
of t he f ence and back, f ormi ng a t ri -
angl e. Make t he cl amp by f ace gl u-
i ng two pi eces
of %-i nch pl ywood
and cut t i ng t he assembl y i nt o t he
shape shown. Use a hanger bol t ,
washer, and wi ng nut to attach the
cl amp t o t he
j i g
back, l eavi ng a gap
between the edge of the cl amp and
the fence equal to the thi ckness of
t he st ock you wi l l use. Of f set t he
bol t so the cl amp can pi vot eccentri -
cal l y,
(You
can dri l l addi t i onal hol es
i n t he
j i g
back so you can shi f t t he
cl amp t o accommodat e di f f erent
stock thi cknesses.) Next, cut the run-
ner from sol i d wood. When attached
to the
j i g
fence, the runner wi l l strad-
dl e t he saw f ence, el i mi nat i ng any
wobbl e. For some model s, you wi l l
have to mi l l a groove down the l ength
of t he runner, as shown, t o f i t t he
r i p f ence. Fi nal l y, cut a
pi ece
of
cl ear pl ast i c
as a bl ade guar d
and
screw i t t o t he
j i g
back f l ush wi t h
i ts front face.
To t t se t he i i p. set i t
on t he saw
l l b '
v v ! | l \
t abl e i n f ront of t he bl ade wi t h t he
r unner and f ence st r addl i ng t he r i p
f ence. Cl amp t he workpi ece i n t he
j i g
and posi ti on
the ri p fence to al i gn the
cut t i ng mark on t he workpi ece wi t h
t he bl ade. Feed t he
j i g
i nt o t he cut -
t i ng edge.
(Your
f i rst use of t he
j i g
wi l l produce a kerf i n t he back. ) Fl i p
the workpi ece around and repeat to
cut the other cheek
(below).
Remove
t he
j i g
t o cut t he shoul ders.
Kunner
1" x 2" x 24"
Fence
' 1 " x 5 / , " x 2 4 "
Groove for rip fence
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DESK CASEWORK
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r)
0utl i ni ng the morti ses i n the sti l es
L l t rarV, t he aooroxi mat e l ocat i ons of t he mort i ses on each
st i l e
(See
oase 52 f or an overhead vi ew. ) Then use one of t he
r ai l s you cut i n st ep 1 t o out l i ne t he l engt h and wi dt h of t he
mort i ses. St art by hol di ng t he cheek of t he t enon f l ush agai nst
t he f ace of one of t he st i l es; make sure t hat t he edge of t he
r ai l i s al i gned wi t h t he end of t he st i l e. Out l i ne t he l engt h of
t he t enon
(above,
l ef i l . f o mark t he mort i se wi dt h, hol d t he
edge of a t enon f l ush agai nst t he marked f ace of t he st i l e and
outl i ne the cheeks of the tenon
(above,
ri ght). ExIend the l i nes
al ong t he f ace
(shown
i n t he i l l ust rat i on as dot t ed l i nes). Once
al l t he mor t i ses ar e out l i ned, chi sel t hem out sl i ght l y deeper
than the tenon l ength, usi ng a morti se chi sel
@age
35).
Cutti ng
grooves for the panel s
0n t he rai l s and st i l es, mark l ocat i ons
f or t he gr ooves t hat wi l l hol d t he panel .
You wi l l need t o make a groove i n t wo
si des of each rear st i l e, al i gni ng t he cut s
wi t h t he mort i ses you cut i n st ep 2. Then
set up your t abl e saw wi t h a dado head
the same wi dth as the groove, typi cal l y %
i nch. To cut t he grooves i n t he rai l s, cen-
ter the edge of a rai l di rectl y over the dado
head and
posi t i on t he f ence agai nst t he
st ock. Set t he bl ade hei ght t o % i nch. Use
a featherboard, braced by a support board,
t o hol d t he workpi ece agai nst t he f ence
duri ng t he cut . To cut t he grooves i n t he
st i l es, do not move t he f ence, but adj ust
t he posi t ron of t he f eat herboard and sup-
port
board. Feed t he st ock wi t h a push
sti ck
(/eft).
43
DESK CASEWORK
MAKING A RAISED PANEL ON THE ROUTER TABLE
r)
Making the cut
L Lower the guard
over the bi t and turn
on t he rout er. To mi ni mi ze t earout , cut
the ends fi rst, bevel i ng the top and bot-
tom of the panel . Feed the stock i nto the
bi t outsi de-face down, keepi ng i t butted
against the fence
(right).
Repeat for the
two sides. Test-fit the panel in the grooves
you cut i n the rai l s and sti l es
(page
43).
l f t he panel si t s l ess t han Yo i nch deep,
i ncrease t he cut t i ng dept h by %e i nch
and make another pass around the panel .
1
Setting the fence
I St art by cut t i ng t he panel t o si ze.
Test-fi t the rai l s and sti l es of the frame,
then measure the openi ng between them.
Add % i nch t o each of t he di mensi ons t o
al l ow the bevel ed edges of the
panel
to
rest i n the grooves routed i n the frame;
t hi s wi l l l eaue l q i nch on each si de t o
allow for wood movement. Then fit a router
wi th a panel -rai si ng
bi t and mount the tool
i n a tabl e. To ensure that the cutti ng depth
i s uni form,
posi ti on
the fence i n l i ne wi th
t he edge of t he bi t pi l ot . Wi t h t he t ool
switched off, place a scrap board along the
fence. Adj ust the fence unti l the bi t
pi l ot
turns as the board touches it
(/efil.
Set
the router to make a shallow cut at first. tv-
pi cal l y % i nch.
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DESK CASEWORK
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MAKING A RAISED PANEL ON THE TABLE SAW
1
Bevel i ng the ends of the panel
I Cut t he
panel t o si ze, t hen set t he
bl ade angl e t o yi el d t he pr oper bevel . The
usual
" r eveal , "
or bevel ed ar ea of a3A- i nch-
t hi ck
panel r s appr oxi mal el y I Y^ i nches.
For a %-i nch-wi de
groove, begi n by marki ng
al o-i nch square at the bottom corner of the
panel . Then dr aw a l i ne f r om t he f r ont f ace
of t he panel t hr ough t he i nsi de cor ner of
t he squar e t o a poi nt on t he bot t om edge
% i nch from the back face
(i nset).
Instal l a
6- i nch- wi de auxi l i ar y wood f ence, t hen
adl ust t he angl e of t he bl ade and t he posi -
t i on of t he f ence unt i l t he cut t i ng edge
al i gns wi t h t he mar ked l i ne. Next , r ai se t he
bl ade unti l one tooth protrudes beyond the
front face of the panel . Cl amp a gui de bl ock
t o t he panel so i t wi l l r i de al ong t he t op of
t he f ence. Make a cut i n one end of t he
panel ( r i ght ) ,
and t est - f i t t he cut i n a
groove. l f the panel rests l ess than % i nch
deep, move the fence a l i ttl e cl oser to the
bl ade and make anot her
pass.
Repeat t he
cut at t he ot her end of t he
panel .
r)
Bevel i ng the si des
Z- Bevel i ng t he si des af t er you have
bevel ed t he end gr at n hel ps mi ni mi ze
tearout. Set the
panel on edge and feed
i t i nt o t he bl ade, keepi ng t he back f l ush
agai nst t he f ence. Turn t he panel over
to cut the remai ni ng edge
(l eft).
Auxiliary fence
CutLin4 line
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DESK CASEWORK
A PANEL.RAISING JIG
FOR THE TABTE SAW
To rai se a panel on t he t abl e saw
wi t hout adj ust i ng t he angl e of t he
bl ade, use t he shop-bui l t
j i g
shown
at ri ght. Refer to the i l l ustrati on for
suggest ed di mensi ons.
Screw t he l i p al ong t he bot t om
edge of the angl ed fence; make sure
you posi ti on the screws where they
wi l l not i nterfere wi th the bl ade. Prop
the angl ed fence agai nst the auxi l i ary
f ence at t he same angl e as t he cut -
ti ng l i ne marked on a panel (page
45), using a sliding bevel to transfer
the angl e. Cut tri angul ar supports to
fit precisely between the two fences,
t hen f i x t hem i n pl ace wi t h screws.
Count ersi nk t he f ast eners so t he
panel wi l l sl i de smoot hl y al ong t he
angl ed f ence.
To use t he
j i g, posi t i on i t on t he
saw tabl e wi th the
j oi nt
between the
l i p and t he angl ed f ence appr oxi -
mat el y % i nch f rom t he bl ade. But t
the tabl e saw' s ri p fence agai nst the
j i g' s
auxi l i ary f ence, and screw t he
two together. Turn on the saw and
crank up t he bl ade sl owl y t o cut a
kerf t hrough t he l i p. Next , seat t he
panel i n t he
j i g
and adj ust t he hei ght
of the bl ade unti l a si ngl e tooth pro-
trudes beyond the front of the panel .
Make a test cut i n a scrap board the
same thi ckness as the oanel and then
check i ts fi t i n the groove; adj ust the
posi ti on
of the fence or bl ade, i f nec-
essary. Then cut the panel , bevel i ng
the ends
(right,
bottoml before saw-
i no t hc
qi deq
Anqled fence
12" x 30"
Auxrliary fence
I x 3 0 '
Li P
1 %"
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DESK CASEWORK
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ASSEMBLING THE BACK FRAME-AND.PANEL
1
Fi tti ng the
panel i n the frame
I Once
you have rai sed t he panel , you
are now ready to gl ue up the frame-and-
panel assembl i es t hat provi de t he backs
of the two cases needed for a two-pedestal
desk. Start by test-fitting the parls
(right)
and make any f i nal adj ust ment s. l f any
of t he
j oi nt s
are t oo t i ght , use a chi sel
t o
pare away some wood. Once you are
sat i sf i ed wi t h t he f i t , di sassembl e t he
frame and sand any surfaces that wi l l be
di ffi cul t to reach once the assembl y has
been gl ued up. You shoul d al so deci de
whi ch met hod you wi l l use t o i nst al l a t op
(page
96); some of t hese t echni ques
requi re bori ng pocket hol es i n the rai l s or
rout i ng grooves i n t he rai l s and st i l es.
r")
Gl ui ng up
L nppl y gl ue to the tenon cheeks. Do not i nsert any adhesi ve
i n the grooves; the panel must be free to move. Cl amp the frame
and panel usi ng bar cl amps across the rai l s
(above), protecti ng
t he st ock wi t h wood bl ocks t he same wi dt h and t hi ckness as
t he r ai l s. Ti ght en each cl amp t n t ur n unt i l a t hi n bead of gl ue
squeezes out of the
j oi nts.
47
DESK CASEWORK
BUILDING A NON-RAISED FRAME AND PANEL
O
Instal l i ng the panel and
L decoraliue molding
Cut a panel f r om veneer ed pl ywood
t o f i t
t he r abbet s.
( A
sol i d- wood
panel
woul d
spl i t the frame, si nce the rabbets provi de
no r oom f or wood movement . ) Spr ead
some gl ue i n t he r abbet and set t he
pa-
nel i n pl ace. For t he decor at i ve mol di ng,
shape t he edge of a %- i nch{ hi ck boar d
l ong enough t o yi el d mol di ng f or t he i nsi de
edges of your
frame; make sure the board
i s wi de enough t o f eed saf el y acr oss t he
tabl e saw or router tabl e you use to shape
t he mol di ng. Ri p t he mol di ng f r om t he
boar d i nt o Z- i nch- squar e pi eces. Then
cut f our pi eces t o f i t t he i nsi de t he f r ame,
mi t er i ng t he ends. Gl ue t he t op and bot -
t om st r i ps of mol di ng t o t he f r ame f i r st ,
pos i t i oni ng
t hem t o hol d t he panel i n
pl ace. To cl amp t he mol di ng, use t hi n
stri ps sl i ghtl y l onger than the gap between
the molding pieces (right).
1 Routi ns a rabbet around the frame
t -
I Lrke dust frames
(page
34), the panel s
of f r ame- and- panel desks can be made
f l at i nst ead of r ai sed. To bui l d t hi s t ype
of assembl y, you can f ol l ow al l t he st eps
for a raised panel frame-and-panel
(page
41) c v r enl f nr hpr i pl i no f hc
pdooc
nf t ho
panel . An al t er nat i ve t o pl aci ng t he f l at
panel i n a gr oove i s t o assembl e t he f r ame
wi t h bl i nd mor t i se- and- t enons, and r out a
rabbet around the frame to recei ve the pan-
el . To cut t he r abbet , gl ue up t he r ai l s
and st i l es and secur e t he assembl y t o a
wor k sur f ace. I nst al l a %- i nch oi l ot ed r ab-
beti ng bi t i n your router. Set the depth of
cut at l east % i nch deeoer t han t he t hi ck-
ness of your panel to l eave room for deco-
r at i ve mol di np
( qt en
2) Rout t he r abbet
b \ ! ' v Y 4 "
ar ound t he i nsi de edges of t he f r ame,
keepi ng t he bi t pr l ot pr essed agai nst t he
stock throughout the cut
(far
left), Ihen
square the corners wi th a chi sel
(near
l eft).
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48
DESK CASEWORK
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l nstal l i ng mol di ng
al ong t he panel si des
Once the gl ue securi ng the top and bottom
mol di ng st r i ps has cur ed, gl ue t he mol d-
i ng al ong t he si des of t he panel
(ri ght ).
Agai n, use cl ampi ng st r i ps t o hol d t he
mol d i ng i n pl ace.
BUILDING A FRAME-AND.PANEL CASE
1
Gl ui ng up the front assembl y
I To assembl e a frame-and-panel
pedestal for a desk, begi q'
by gl ui ng up t he f ront f rame. For t he desk shown on pag*37,
thi s frame consi sts of top and bottom rai l s, twosti l es, and a
seri es of drawer rai l s
j oi ned
t o t he st i l es wi t h t wi n mort i se-and-
t enons.
( The
bot t om r ai l i s i oi ned wi t h bl i nd mor t i se- and-
t enons. ) Appl y gl ue t o al l t he cont act i ng surf aces of t he
j oi nt s
and assembl e t he f rame. I nst al l a bar cl amp across each of t he
rai l s, al ternati ng between the top and bottom of the assembl y
where possi bl e. To di stri bute cl ampi ng pressure and protect the
st ock, use t wo cl ampi ng st ri ps. Tl ght en t he cl amps a l i t t l e at a
Ii me
(above),
conti nui ng unti l gl ue squeezes out of the
j oi nts.
49
DESK CASEWORK
Assembl i ng the pedestal
To compl et e t he
pedest al ,
bui l d si de
assembl i es to fi t between the front and rear
assembl i es
(page
47). Each si de assembl y
needs onl y a panel
and t wo rai l s, si nce i t
wi l l shar e st i l es wi t h t he f r ont and r ear
assembl i es. For a doubl e-pedest al desk,
t he t op r ai l of t he assembl y f aci ng t he
second oedest al shoul d be wi der t han
t he hei ght of t he cent ral drawer bet ween
t he t wo pedest al s (page
31). Once you
have prepared
al l t he
part s,
t est -f i t t hem,
t hen sand t hei r i nsi de f aces. Appl y gl ue t o
al l the
j oi nts-wi th
the excepti on of the
panel grooves-and assembl e the
pedestal .
Cl amp t he pedest al wi t h bar cl amps
spanni ng the si de rai l s
(l eft);
use wood
pads
to
protect
the sti l es.
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Q
Checki ng l or squar e
r - , 1 Measur e t he di agonal s bet ween oppo-
si t e cor ner s of t he pedest al i mmedi at el y
af t er t i ght eni ng t he cl amps
( r i ght ) . I hey
shoul d be equal ; i f not , t he pedest al i s
out - of - squar e. To cor r ect t he pr obl em,
i nst al l a bar cl amp acr oss t he l onger of
t he t wo di agonal s. Ti ght en t hi s cl amp a
I r t t l e at a t r me, measur i ng as you go unt i l
t he t wo di agonal s ar e equal .
50
DESK CASEWORK
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INSTALLING THE BOTTOM
1
I nst al l i ng l edger st r i ps
I To i nst al l a bot t om usi ng l edger st r i ps,
cut f our 1- i nch- squar e wood st r i ps t o f i t
al ong t he r ai l s at t he bot t om of t he case.
The ends of t he st r i ps shoul d but t agai nst
t he st i l es. Bor e t wo set s of count er sunk
hol es i n each st r i p: one cent er ed al ong
one edge, f or scr ewi ng t he st r i p t o t he r ai l ,
and anot her al ong an adj acent edge f or
at t achi ng t he bot t om
panel . St agger t he
hol es so the fasteners wi l l not contact each
ot her . Wi t h t he pedest al upsi de- down,
posi t i on a l edger st r i p on t he i nsi de sur f ace
of a bottom rai l about 1 i nch from i ts top
edge. Mark the posi ti ons of the screw hol es
wi t h an awl and bor e
pi l ot hol es. Usi ng
cl amps t o hol d t he st r i p i n posi t i on, scr ew
t he st r i p i n pl ace ( r i ght ) .
Repeat f or t he
n f h p r l p d o p r c t r i n s
r)
Instal l i ng the bottom
L Cut a bot t om
panel t o f i t t he case,
not chi ng i t s corners t o f i t around t he st i l es.
Tn mnr r ni l hp nanpl c pi t ho nodpc i : l nn
i t s back. Hol di ng t he panel f l ush agai nst
t he st r i ps wi t h one hand, mar k t he scr ew
hol es wi t h an awl and bor e pi l ot hol es.
Then screw the bottom i n posi ti on (/eft).
DESK CASEWORK
JOINING DESK PEDESTALS
r)
Attachi ng the connecti ng rai l s
L and drawer support
Test -f i t t he rear connect i ng rai l and t he
drawer support i n the pedestal s. For the
front connecti ng rai l , cut a dovetai l ed hal f-
lap at each end with a dovetail saw
(page
39). Use t he hal f -l aps t o out l i ne t he mat -
i ng morti ses at the top ends of the sti l es,
then cut and chi sel them out. Test-fi t the
rail in the mortises
(right),
paringthe half-
l aps i f necessary to ensure a ti ght fi t.
1
Pl anni ng the
j oi nery
I Once bot h desk pedest al s are gl ued
up, you are ready to
j oi n
them. The di agram
at l ef t shows t he
j oi nery
i nvol ved. At t he
back of the desk, a rear connecti ng rai l i s
attached to the sti l es of the
pedestal s
wi th
bl i nd morti se-and-tenons; thi s rai l provi des
st ruct ural support and hi des t he back of
t he cent ral drawer. At t he f ront , a con-
nect i ng r ai l , whi ch pr ovi des suppor t f or
t he t op, i s
j oi ned
t o t he st i l es wi t h dove-
t ai l ed hal f -l ap
j oi nt s.
Di rect l y bel ow t hi s
rai l i s a support board
(vi si bl e
i n t he i l l us-
trati on bel ow) for the central drawer. l t i s
connected to the sti l es wi th twi n morti se-
and-tenons.
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52
DESK CASEWORK
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jllj
tlll ilil lll llll llll ll|| llll llll llll illJ lltl llll llll lll lllJ llll llll
)HO? TI ?
Uoi ng pi pe cl amps i n pai ra
l f your' Vi i pe cl amVo are not , l onq enouqh l o gl ue up adeok, doubl e
up I wo shorLer cl ampo t o l unct i on ao a ei nql e uni N, To do t hi e,
Q
Gl ui ng up t he desk
r - , 1 Appl y
gl ue
t o al l t he
j oi nt s
bet ween
t he connect i ng r ai l s and dr awer suppor t
and t he pedest al s and assembl e t he desk.
Cl amp t he uni t acr oss t he back wi t h a l ong
pi pe cl amp
( above) ,
usi ng wood pads t o
pr ot ect t he st ock. I nst al l a second
pi pe
cl amp al ong t he dr awer suppor t at t he
f r ont of t he desk. Check t he openi ng
between the pedestal s for square by mea-
sur i ng acr oss t he cor ner s. I nst al l a t hi r d
cl amo. i f needed.
pooi l i on l he t wo cl ampo al onq Nhe desk eo t he
l awe
aL
t he handl e end qri p l he deek whi l e t ' he Nai l et oVo
overl aV. Ti qhLen one of t he cl amVo unLi l t ' he
tai l eNoVo
.make
conLacl ,,Ae you
:-:6-g
c onNi nu e t i ghbeni n
4,
t h e deek
wi l l be pul l ed t ogebher
l ueL
ae i l you were uoi n7 a
si ngl e l ong cl amV.
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of the piece before choosing an
appropriate leg style.
The delicate cabriole leg
(page
63) has been a popular feature of
high-quality furniture for more
than two centuries. Simple to cut
on the band saw, the cabriole is
designed to suggest the leg ofa leap-
ing animal. Tapered legs
(page
60)
can be cut on a
jointer
or table saw
and are suitable for a wide range of
tables and desks. They are a simpler
alternative to turned legs
(page
66).
A table is only as sturdy as the
joinery
used for the leg-to-rail
assembly. Traditional
joints,
such as
the mortise-and-tenon
(page 34) or
dowel
joint
are reliable. If the piece
will be moved frequently, commer-
cial or shop-made hardware
(page
84)
thatallows the legs to be
removed may be your best option. In designing your table or
desk, take into account the method you will use to attach the
top to the rails. If, for example, you plan to use wood buttons
(page 98),you will need to cut the grooves in the rails before
they are fastened to the legs. A lower rail, or stretcher, can be
added to any table for extra strength or decorative effect; gate-
leg tables may require these bottom rails to serve as anchoring
points for any extra legs.
A tusk tenon
joint
connects the stretcher to the legs of a
trestle table. The tenon will extend beyond the through
mortise in the leg so that a tusk-like wedge can be insert-
ed to lock the
joint
while allowing it to be disassembled.
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LEGSA}{DRAILS
egs and rails are the structural
heart of most tables and desls.
The furniture legs provide vertical
support, and the rails connect and
brace the legs while also support-
ing the top and framing the draw-
er assembly.
Strength and beauty must be in
harmony here: The shape and pro-
portion of the legs and rails must
complement other elements of the
piece of furniture, balancing the
weight of the top and the size of
the drawers, for example.
The following chapter demon-
strates the techniques for making
many of the most common types
of table and desk legs, including
tapered, cabriole, turned, pedestal,
and octagonal pieces. This is followed by detailed instructions
for
joining
legs to rails.
Making the legs is usually the first step in constructing
a table or desk. Since most legs require thicker stock than is
commonly available, you usually must face-glue thinner stock
into a blank of appropriate size
(see
front
endpaper). Make sure
the lengh of the blank is proportional to the intended height
of the table or desk, and that it will be strong enough without
appearing too bullcy. Also consider the design and planned use
Smoothing a turned leg is simply a matter
of leaving it rotating on the lathe and allowing
the sandpaper to do its work. The process
typically begins with 8}-grit paper and worles
its way up to 180 grit or
finer.
55
LEG STYLESAND HARDWARE
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Cabriole Ieg
(pase 63)
Ite 9-ehaped curve
imiLatea,the aweep
or an ant mal l e4
Tapered leg
(paqe 60)
Tripod/pedeatal Ieg
(pase 68)
Typtcally aawn in a
ehallow curve; Lop end
ie joined
Lo a central
column with oltdin4
doveLarl jotnt
Turned leg
(pase 66)
FeaLures decorative
beadE and filleLe;
ohaped on a lathe
A equare leq with two adjorntn7 facee
or all four facea tapered; vtrbually ae
atronq ae untapered leq
Octagonal leg
(pase 69)
A etratqhL le4
wr1;h etqht etdee
COMMERCIAL tEG HARDWARE
Leg braaee
Hinqed atrute that
allow leqa to fold
under t.ableLop
Corner brace
Allowa lega Lo be
removed; aLtached
to leq with hanqer
bolt and to raila
with ocrewo
Castera
Allow leqa to roll; wheele
available in braae, wood,
porcel ai n, nylo n, pla otic,
or leather mounted tn braaa, wood.
or caet-iron brackeLa. Clockwiae from too lefL:
equare cup, plate, atem, and claw foot caetere
Adjustable levelers
Flastic feeL screwed into
bottom of leqe f,o level fur-
niLure on uneven floore;
mounted with T-nut and bolt
Table glide
and leveler
9prtn4-loaded
nylon feet auto-
maLically level furntture on uneven
floora: mounted with T-nuL and bolt
56
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LEG-TO-RAIL
IOINTS
Elind moraise-
and-tenon
joint
(pase 76)
An invieible joint
with excellent
otrenqth. Tenon in
rail fita into mat-
inq mortioe in leg
;
, . -
' - H
" " - - - - ' , '
- - - . ' - _ ,
- _ - . ) < : -
- : ; 1 - - -
, . - " " - . -
thop-made
"' .-.::
11.1-' ,"
corner brace
-\,
?
./'
(paqe O6)
'\,
,/'
Allowa leqo to be removed.
Wooden corner block te faa'
tened to le7 and raile;
4roovea
and aplinea reinforce connec-
tton between block and raile
Dowel joint
(pase 74)
A retnforced corner
butt joint; dowele
extend into leq
Commeraial
hardware
(page 84)
Allowa leaa to be removed. Corner
brace ia bolted to le7 and ecrewed
to raila; to accommodate brace, Ieq
ie notched and raila are arooved
Tuak tenon
joint (page 72)
Commonly uoed to
join f,he leqe and etretcher of a treatle
table. Tenon extende beyond the throuqh morDise; tuak, or
wedqe, ia inaerf,ed to lock joint and removed to dieaeeemble iL
57
TRIPOD TABLE
The simple appearance of a tripod toble belies the
"
..
precise joinery
needed to build it. The three legs are
fastened
to the central column with liding dovefails, ctrt
with angled shoulders to sit tight against the turned column. The
legs must be exactly 120o apart and the column centered under the top. To give
the legs added strength, a metal plate can be mounted under the legs and cohrmn.
The top end of the column is
joined
to the rail with a round mortise-and-tenon.
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ANATOMY OF A TRIPOD TABIE
Metal
Dovetatl
aocket
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PEDESTAL TABLE
As on the tripod table, the legs of a pedestal table are
attached to a centrql column with sliding dovetails, usu-
ally reinforced with a metal plate. The rails are secured to the column with
a type of interlocking bridle
joint consisting of crossing edge halflaps and
mortises. The large table shown at right is supported by two sets of legs
and columns. Because of the table's considerable weight, casters have been
aneched to the legs to make the piece easier to move.
ANATOMY OF A PEDESTAL TABLE
Mortiae for
interlocking
bridle
joint
Column
Dovetail
socket
Detail of
dovetaile
Leq
Dovetail
TAPERED LEGS
CUTTING A FOUR.SIDED TAPER
Taper atarL line
Thpered and stop-tapered legs like those
shown above are
frequently
used on
drop-front and rolltop desks and a wide
assortment of tables. They lighten a
piece's appearance without seriously
diminishing its strength.
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1
Setting up and starting the cut
I You can taper l egs qui ckl y and accuratel y on a
j oi nter.
Start by outl i ni ng the di men-
sions of the taper on the bottom of the leg blank with a cutting gauge (above,
top).fhen
mark l i nes on the four faces of the stock to i ndi cate where the taper wi l l begi n. Instal l
a cl amp to hol d the guard
out of the way duri ng the operati on. Set the depth of cut for
x i nch and, hol di ng the bl ank agai nst the fence, al i gn the taper start l i ne wi th the front
of the outfeed tabl e. Butt a stop bl ock agai nst the bottom of the l eg and cl amp i t to the
i nfeed tabl e. To start each pass, careful l y l ower the bl ank onto the cutterhead whi l e
hol di ng i t fi rml y agai nst the fence and the stop bl ock
(above,
bottom). Make sure both
hands are over the i nfeed si de of the tabl e.
60
LEGS AND RAILS
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r)
Joi nti ng the taper
L f eed t he l eg across t he cut t erhead
wi t h a push st i ck, pushi ng down on t he
t rai l i ng end of t he st ock whi l e pressi ng i t
flush against the fence
(left).
Keep your left
hand away from the cutterhead. Make as
many passes as necessary unti l you have
t r i mmed t he st ock t o t he t aper out l i ne,
t hen repeat t he process t o shape t he
remai ni ng f aces. Make t he same number
of oasses on each si de.
J()INTING A STOPPED TAPER
Using twin stop blocks
Mark l i nes on al l f aces of t he l eg bl ank t o i ndi cat e where t he
t aper i ng wi l l begi n and end. I nst al l a cl amp on your j oi nt er ' s
i nfeed tabl e to hol d the guard out of the way. Set a %-i nch depth
of cut, then butt the bl ank agai nst the fence wi th the taper l i ne
about % i nch i n front of the edge of the outfeed tabl e.
(The
extra
% i nch wi l l compensate for the fact that, as the i nfeed tabl e i s
l owered l at er, i t wi l l al so sl i de back. ) But t a st op bl ock agai nst
the foot of the bl ank and cl amp i t to the i nfeed tabl e. Next al i gn
the taper end l i ne wi th the back end of the i nfeed tabl e. Butt a
second st op bl ock agai nst t he t op end of t he bl ank and cl amp
i t to the outfeed tabl e. To make the fi rst
pass,
l ower the work-
pi ece onto the kni ves, keepi ng i t fl ush agai nst the fence and stop
bl ock on t he i nf eed t abl e. Feed t he workpi ece usi ng a push
stick
(above);
use your left hand to press the blank against the
fence. Keeo both hands wel l cl ear of the cutterhead. Make one
pass on each face, then lower the infeed table% inch and repeat
the process on al l four si des. Conti nue, i ncreasi ng the cutti ng
depth wi th each pass unti l the taper i s compl eted.
61
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LEGS AND RAILS
A JIG FOR TWO.SIDED TAPERS
Taperi ng l egs on a tabl e saw can be
done easi l y wi t h t he r i ght
j i g.
The
one shown bel ow i s made f r om
%-i nch pl ywood, some sol i d wood,
and two toggl e cl amps. l t i s sturdi er
t han many commerci al model s; t he
cl amps ensure that the stock i s hel d
f i rml y i n pl ace whi l e t he cut i s bei ng
made. Ref er t o t he i l l ust rat i on f or
suggested di mensi ons.
To assembl e the
j i g,
set the saw
bl ade to i ts maxi mum cutti ng hei ght,
butt one si de of the
j i g
base agai nst
t he bl ade, and posi t i on t he ri p f ence
agai nst t he ot her si de of t he base.
Lower the bl ade and mark a cutti ng
l i ne for the taper on one si de of your
l eg bl ank, t hen set i t on t he base,
al i gni ng t he mark wi t h one edge of
the
j i g.
Hol d the workpi ece securel y
and but t t he pl ywood gui de bar
agai nst i t. Press the l i p snugl y agai nst
the end of the bl ank. Screw the gui de
bar t o t he base and t he sol i d wood
shi m t o t he bar, maki ng cert ai n t hat
t hei r edges are al i gned. At t ach t he
t oggl e cl amps t o t he shi m. Cl amp
down t o secure t he bl ank t o t he
j i g
wi i h t he t aper mark al i gned wi t h t he
edge of the base. Screw the handl e to
the base at l east 6 i nches away from
t he si de t hat wi l l pass by t he bl ade.
To cut t he f i r st t aper , cl amp a
featherboard and support board to
t he saw t abl e, maki ng sure t hey wi l l
not i nt erf ere wi t h t he bl ade.
(The
featherboard shoul d press onl y on the
j i g
base, not on the workpi ece.) Set
t he bl ade hei ght and sl i de t he
j i g
and
l eg bl ank across t he t abl e, maki ng
sure t hat nei t her hand i s i n l i ne wi t h
the blade beloil. To cut the second
t aper on an adj acent si de of t he
bl ank, repeat the
pass
wi th the two
untapered si des of the bl ank agai nst
the
j i g
base and gui de bar.
(Cauti on:
Blade guard removed for clarity.)
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62
CABRIOLE LEGS
MAKING A CABRI(ITE LEG
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Desi gni ng the l eg
I For a templ ate, cut a pi ece of sti ff cardboard or hardboard to the same l ength
and wi dt h as your l eg bl anks. The desi gn shown above at t op wi l l yi el d a st abl e and
wel l -proporti oned l eg, but you can al ter the desi gn to sui t your proj ect. Begi n drawi ng
the l eg by outl i ni ng the post bl ock. Make i ts l ength equal to the wi dth of the rai l that
wi l l be attached to i t; the post bl ock shoul d be wi de enough to accept the rai l tenons.
Next, sketch the toe and the front of the l eg from the toe to the ankl e usi ng a French
curve
(above,
bottom); at i ts narrowest poi nt, the ankl e shoul d measure about two-
fifths of the stock width. Move on to the knee, sketching a gentle curve from the post
bl ock to the front edge of the templ ate about 3 to 4 i nches bel ow the bl ock. Then
j oi n
t he knee t o t he ankl e wi t h a rel at i vel y st rai ght l i ne. Compl et e t he out l i ne at t he
back of t he l eg, connect i ng t he bot t om of t he l eg wi t h t he back of t he ankl e, t hen
sketchi ng a curve from the ankl e to the bottom of the post bl ock. You may need to
redraw the curves several ti mes unti l you are sati sfi ed wi th the desi gn.
Despite its delicate appearance,
a cabriole leg provides excellent
strength. A well-balanced leg
should be able to stand by itself.
63
LEGS AND RAILS
Cutti ng out the l eg
Set t he l es bl ank on t he band saw t abl e wi t h one of t he out -
l i nes f aci ng up and t he t oe of t he l eg poi nt i ng away f r om you.
Al i gni ng t he saw bl ade
j ust
t o t he wast e si de of t he mar ked l i ne
f or t he hack nf t he l ep f eed t he st ock i nt o t he cut t i np edpe Tr r r n
of f t he saw about hal f way t hr ough t he cut and r emove t he bl ank.
Then cut al ong t he same l i ne f r om t he opposi t e end. To avoi d
det achi ng t he wast e pi ece f r om t he bl ank and l osr ng t he mar ked
r' )
Transferri ng the desi gn
a ^
L UUI OUt your l empt al e 0n a Dano saw,
t hen sand t he edges t o t he mar ked out -
l i ne. To t r ace t he out l i ne on t he l eg bl ank,
ol ace t he t emol at e f l at on one of t he i nsi de
f aces of t he bl ank, maki ng sur e t hat t he
ends of t he t empl at e and t he bl ank ar e
al i gned and that the back of the post bl ock
i s f l ush wi t h t he i nsi de edge of t he bl ank.
f r z c p a l a n s i h p
p d o p c ,
n f i h p i p mn l : t o
Tur n t he bl ank over and r eoeat t he or oce-
dure on the other i nsi de face
(/efi l .
At thi s
poi nt, some woodworkers prefer to cut mor-
ti ses or dri l l hol es for the l eg-to-rai l
j oi nery.
( l t
i s easi er t o cl amp and cut
j oi nt s
on a
r ect angul ar l eg bl ank t han on a l eg wi t h
Dr onounced cur ves. ) 0t her woodwor ker s
cut t he l eg f i r st and t hen do t he
j oi ner y.
out l i ne on t he adj acent f ace, st op t he cut about Z i nch f r om t he
fi rst kerf, l eavi ng a short bri dge between the two cuts
(above,
/ ef f ) . Ret r act t he wor kpi ece, t hen cut al ong t he l i ne f or t he
f r ont of t he l eg, agai n l eavi ng br i dges. Tur n t he bl ank and saw
al ong the marked l i nes on the adj acent si de
(above,
i l ghi l .fhi s
t i me, compl et e t he cut , l et t i ng t he wast e f al l away.
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LEGS AND RAILS
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f,
Shapi ng and smoothi ng the l eg
r-, f To f i ni sh shapi ng t he cabri ol e l eg and
remove bl emi shes l ef t by t he band saw
bl ade, smooth i ts surfaces wi th a spoke-
shave, f ol l owed by a rasp and sandpaper.
Begi n by f i xi ng a bar cl amp i n your bench
vi se, t hen secur e t he l eg i n t he cl amp.
Hol di ng a spokeshave wi t h bot h hands at
t he t op of a curved edge of t he l eg, pul l
the tool sl owl y toward you, cutti ng wi th the
grai n (ri ght).
Repeat unti l the surface i s
smoot h. Turn t he l eg i n t he bar cl amp t o
cl ean up t he ot her edges. Use a rasp t o
smooth an area that the sookeshave cannot
reach. Thi s tool works best when pushed
di agonal l y across t he grai n. Fi ni sh t he
j ob
wi t h sandpaper, usi ng progressi vel y f i ner
gri t s unt i l t he surf ace i s smoot h.
Cutti ng the bri dges
Turn off the saw and rotate the bl ank
so that the fi rst si de you cut faces up. Sl i de
the bl ank forward to feed the bl ade i ni o the
kerf at t he f ront of t he l eg. Turn on t he
machi ne and cut t hr ough t he br i dge t o
rel ease the waste pi ece. Then cut through
the bri dge between the kerfs at the back
of the leg
(/eff,).
65
Most turned legs
for
tables, like the one
shown at right,
fea-
ture a squtre section,
or pommel, at the top.
This enables the leg
to be joined to the
teble rails without
cutting or attaching
hardware to the
turned segments.
r)
Turni ng the cyl i nder
1
tl se
a roughi ng-out gouge to round
the corners of the bl ank bel ow the oommel .
Wi t h t he t i p of t he gouge t i l t ed up agai nst
t he r ot at i ng bl ank, gr adual l y r ai se t he
handl e unt i l t he bevel under t he t i p i s
rubbi ng agai nst t he st ock and t he cut t i ng
edge i s sl i ci ng i nt o t he wood. Work f rom
bel ow the pommel
toward the bottom of the
l eg
(ri ght).
Keep the tool at a ri ght angl e
t o t he bl ank t hroughout t he cut . Cont i nue
unt i l t he bl ank i s cyl i ndri cal and smoot h.
TURNED LEGS
TURNING A LEG
1
Def i ni ng t he pommel
I To t urn a l eg on a l at he, st art by separat i ng t he pommel f rom t he cyl i ndri cal
sect i on. The cyl i ndri cal sect i on i s t hen t urned
(st ep
2) and, f i nal l y, t he beads and
hol l ows are added
(st ep
3). Begi n by marki ng t he pommel on t he l eg bl ank, t hen
mount t he bl ank on t he l at he and move t he t ool rest as cl ose t o t he workpi ece as
possi bl e wi t hout t ouchi ng i t ; t he pommel shoul d be l ong enough t o accommodat e
the l egto-rai l
j oi nery
method you wi l l use. Next, use a skew chi sel to cut a V-shaped
not ch at t he marked pommel l i ne. Braci ng t he bl ade agai nst t he t ool rest , begi n
wi t h t he cut t i ng edge angl ed sl i ght l y t o one si de so t he l ong poi nt of t he t i p cut s
i nt o t he bl ank. Thi s wi l l def i ne one si de of t he V. Now, angl e t he bl ade t o t he ot her
si de t o def i ne t he ot her si de of t he V nol ch
(above).
Cont i nue angl i ng t he bl ade
f rom si de t o si de unt i l you reach t he desi red dept h. As much as possi bl e, keep t he
bevel of t he bl ade rubbi ng agai nst t he st ock at al l t i mes.
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66
LEGS AND RAILS
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Addi ng beads and hol l ows
To f or m beads, wor k wi t h a skew chi s-
el and l he same t echni nr r e used t o def i ne
t he nommel Sl ar l i ns eac h c ut wi t h t he
t ool al mos t hor i z ont al , r ar s e t he handl e
unt i l t he bl ade sl i ces i nt o t he st ock. Cut one
si de of t he bead at a t i me by t i l t i ng t he cut -
t i np edpe' i r st 1o one si de and t hen t he ot h-
er
( above) .
For t he hol l ows, use a spi ndl e
o n r r o p Si : r i
p : e h
e r r i : l n n o
p d o p
o { t h p
hol l ow wi t h t he bl ade on edge so t hat r t s
. nn. 2\ / p c i dp i c f : e i no t hp nnnnc . i i o
pdoo
nf
t he hol l ow. Rai s e t he handl e s o t he t i p
begr ns sl i cr ng i nt o t he st ock. Then, sweep
t he t ool t owar d t he hol l ow' s opposi t e edge,
r ol l i np t he hl ade s o t hal , at t he c ent er of
t he hol l ow, t he concave si de of t he bl ade
i s f aci ng up
( l ef t ) .
Remove t he gouge and
r ono: l l hp er r l f r nm t hp nnnnc i t p
pdop
nf
t he hol l ow, wi t h t he concave si de of t he
bl ade f aci ng t owar d t he hol l ow. Cont i nue
sweeni np and r nl l i np t he bl ade f r om si de
t o si de, al ways wor ki ng downhi l l , unt i l t he
hol l ow i s symmet r i cal and smoot h.
PEDESTAL LEGS
The pedestal, or tripod, leg is best cut on the band
saw. The legs have a
flat
section at the bottom and a
dovetail at the top that
fits
into the central column.
Because dovetails are tnore dfficult to cut in a con-
toured workpiece, it is best to prepare the leg blank
for
joinery (pages79
and 82) before shapingit.
the l eg, the top and bottom ends must be
perpendi cul ar
to each
other, and the spread of the l egs must be l ess than the di ameter
of t he t abl et op. Once you are sat i sf i ed wi t h t he desi gn, cut t he
fi rst l eg on the band saw
(above)
and use i t as a templ ate for
the others. Keep a copy of the templ ate for future proj ects.
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CUTTING A PEDESTAL LEG
Sawi ng the l eg on the band saw
Cut a dovet ai l on t he t op end of your l eg bl ank, usi ng ei t her t he
table saw
(page
79) or a router table
(page
82).Then, outlrne
t he l eg on your bl ank; use a penci l and a French curve as you
woul d for a cabri ol e l eg
(page
63).fhere are three absol ute rul es
for desi gni ng a pedestal l eg: The grai n shoul d fol l ow the sl ope of
68
OCTAGONAL
LEGS
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SHAPING AN
(ICTAGONAL
LEG
Cutting the leg on the table saw
To set up t hi s operat i on, unpl ug t he saw,
crank t he bl ade t o i t s hi ghest set t i ng, and
adj ust t he cut t i ng angl e t o 45" . The r i p
f ence shoul d be posi t i oned so t hat t he
bl ade i s ti l ted away from i t. Lay one face
of t he l eg bl ank on t he bl ade wi t h a cor-
ner resti ng on the saw tabl e, then butt the
fence agai nst the stock
(above)
and l ock
i t i n
pl ace.
To make the f i rst cut, butt the
st ock f ace-down agai nst t he ri p f ence a
f ew i nches i n f ront of t he bl ade. Adj ust
the cutti ng hei ght unti l one tooth
j ust pro-
trudes beyond the face of the workpi ece.
Feed t he bl ank i nt o t he bl ade, st raddl i ng
the fence wi th your hand. Rotate the l eg
90' cl ockwi se and repeat t he cut on t he
adj acent f ace. Cont i nue i n t hi s manner
(right)
unlil the sides are cut.
The attractive octag-
onal leg is simple to
cut on the table saw.
69
Commercial mar-
quetry banding adds
a decorative touch to
a tapered leg.
LEGS AND RAILS
CUTTING GR(|(IVES FOR INLAY
Usi ng a tabl e saw
To cut a strai ght groove for i nl ay, use a tabl e saw wi th a dado head the same wi dth
as the i nl ay. l f you are worki ng wi th thi ck shop-made i nl ay, set the cutti ng hei ght to
sl i ght l y l esst han t he t hi ckness of t he i nl ay; f or commerci al i nl ay, set t he cut t i ng
hei ght to i ts exact thi ckness. Make a cut i n a scrap board, test the fi t, and adj ust
the wi dth and cutti ng hei ght of the bl ades, i f necessary. Next, mark a l i ne for the
groove on t he l eadi ng end of t he l eg and al i gn i t wi t h t he dado head. But t t he ri p
fence against the stock, then feed it across the blades
(above).
Using a router
To make a groove that requi res more than
one st rai ght cut at di f f erent angl es, use
a rout er wi t h a commerci al edge gui de.
Secure the l eg to a work surface, then fi t
t he rout er wi t h a st rai ght bi t t he same
wi dt h as t he i nl ay and set t he cut t i ng
depth. Remember, the groove shoul d be
sl i ght l y shal l ow f or shop-made i nl ay, but
f ul l -dept h f or commerci al i nl ay. Out l i ne
t he groove on t he l eg, al i gn t he bi t over
one of t he l i nes t hat run al ong t he grai n,
and butt the edge gui de' s fence agai nst
the stock. Gri ppi ng the router f i rml y, cut
the groove;
remember to move the tool
against the direction of bit rotation. Repeat
to cut the other grooves (left).
For the short
cut s agai nst t he grai n, cl amp a wooden
edge gui de across the l eg. Fi nal l y, square
t he corners wi t h a chi sel .
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70
LEGS AND RAILS
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GLUING DOWN THE INLAY
Setti ng the i nl ay i n the groove
Cut t he i nl ay t o l engt h t o f i t t he groove. l f
you are usi ng shop-made i nl ay, use a t abl e
saw or a backsaw i n a mi ter box; for com-
merci al i nl ay, use a wood chi sel . To i nst al l
i nl ay i n the four-si ded groove shown, make
mi t er cut s at t he ends of t he i nl ay pi eces.
I t i s easi est t o cut and dryJi t one pi ece at
a t i me, maki ng sur e you al i gn t he mi t er
cuts wi th the corners of the grooves. Wi th
commerci al i nl ay marquet ry, t ry t o mat ch
the pattern at the corners to form one con-
t i nuous desi gn. Once al l t he pi eces ar e
cut t o si ze, spread a t hi n l ayer of gl ue i n
t he groove and on t he mi t ered ends of t he
i nl ay. I nser t one st r i p at a t i me. Whi l e
t he gl ue dri es, secure t he i nl ay wi t h st ri ps
of maski ng t ape.
DETAILING A LEG
Routi ng edge detai l
Secur e t he l eg t o a wor k sur f ace. Mar k
l i nes on t he l eg f or t he begi nni ng and end
of t he cut , t hen i nst al l a decor at i ve bi t
i n your r out er . A pi l ot ed quar t er - r ound bi t
i s shown; t hi s bl t wi l l r out a r ai sed bead
al ong t he f r ont cor ner s of t he l eg. Set a
cut t i ng dept h appr opr i at e t o t he
pr of i l e
you want t o make, t hen al i gn t he bi t wi t h
t he st ar t l i ne. Hol di ng t he t ool wi t h bot h
hands, gui de t he bi t al ong t he cor ner of
t he l eg agai nst t he di r ect i on of bi t r ot a-
t i on. Keep t he base pl at e f l at on t he t op
surface of the l eg and the bi t pi l ot pressed
agai nst the stock throughout the operati on
( / ef f .
St op when
you r each t he end l i ne,
reposi ti on the l eg on the work surface, and
make a second
pass, ri di ng the base pl ate
on t he adj acent f ace of t he l eg. Thi s i s
usual l y done onl y on t he l eg' s out si de
cor ner , but t he ot her cor ner s can al so be
r out ed dependi ng on t he l eg desi gn.
LEG-TO-RArL
IOTNERY
TUSK TENON JOINTS
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A nrk tenon
ioins
the stretcher to the pedestal leg of the
table shown altove. Although the tusk joint
is assembled
without glue so that the table can be disassembled, it is
as strong as a glued blind nrortise-and-tenon.
1
Marki ng the l ocati on of the wedge
I Cut a four-shoul dered tenon
(page
76)
l ong enough to extend beyond the l eg by
at l east 2 i nches; t hi s wi l l
pr ovi de
suf f i -
ci ent st ock t o r esi st bei ng spl i t by t he
wedge. Cut a t hrough mort j se t o accom-
modat e t he t enon and assembl e t he
j oi nt .
Then, hol di ng t he pi eces t oget her on a
work surf ace, mark a l i ne on t he t op of t he
cheek where the tenon emerses from the
morlise
(lefD.
r)
Dri l l i ng the hol e for the wedge
Z. Di sassembl e t he
j oi nt
and make a dri l l i ng markYt a t nch on t he
shoul der si de of t he scr i bed l i ne; t hi s wi l l ensur e a t i ght f i t when
the wedge i s dri ven i nto pl ace. Set a morti se gauge
to one-thi rd the
t hi ckness of t he t enon and use t he gauge t o out l i ne t he hol e i n t he
mi ddl e t hi rd of t he t op cheek, borderi ng on your mark. Usi ng a bi t
sl i ght l y smal l er i n di amet er t han t he out l i ne, bore t he hol e t hrough
the tenon on the dri l l
press (above),
LEGS AND RAILS
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Inserting the tusk
Cut an angl ed hardwood wedge,
cal l ed a t usk, t hat i s t apered t o f i t t he
sl ot you chopped i n st ep 3; i t s l engt h
can be uo t o t wi ce t he t enon wi dt h. To
assembl e t he
j oi nt ,
sl i de t he t enon i nt o
t he mort i se and st ri ke t he wedge f i rml y
wi th a mal l et unti l the
j oi nt
i s Ii ght
(ri ght).
Do not use gl ue, as t hi s
j oi nt
i s desi gned
t o be di sassembl ed.
Q
Angl i ng the wedge hol e
r. J Usi ng a mort i se chi sel , enl arge and
square t he hol e you dri l l ed t o accommo-
dat e t he wedge. Hol di ng t he chi sel at a
10" angl e away from the tenon shoul ders,
cut a t apered sl ot , as i ndi cat ed by t he
dotted l i nes i n the i l l ustrati on
(/eff).
Then
chop out t he wast e, hol di ng t he chi sel
wi th the bevel faci ng the waste.
73
LEGS AND RAILS
D()WET JOINTS
r)
Pi npoi nti ng mati ng dowel hotes
C- lnserl dowel centers in the holes. Then
al i gn t he t op of t he rai l wi t h t he t op of t he
leg
(right),
and swing the rail up so that its
outsi de face i s % to % i nch i nsi de the edge
of t he l eg. A penci l mar k l i ke t he one
shown wi l l hel p al i gn t he r ai l . Tap t he
ot her end of t he rai l wi t h a wooden mal -
l et . The
poi nt ed
ends of t he dowel cen-
t er s wi l l punch i mpr essi ons on t he l eg,
pr ovi di ng
st ar t i ng poi nt s f or bor i ng t he
mat i ng dowel hol es. Repeat f or t he ot her
rai l s and l ess.
1
Locati ng and bori ng
I dowel hol es i n the rai l s
St art by marki ng t he l ocat i on of t he dowel
hol es. Hol di ng one of t he rai l s end-up, set
a cut t i ng gauge t o one-hal f t he t hi ckness
of the stock and scri be a l i ne across the end
of t he board. Wi t h t he gauge
at a sl i ght l y
wi der setti ng, scri be two l i nes that i ntersect
wi t h t he f i r st l i ne on t he end of t he r ai l
(l ef \ .
f o avoi d spl i t t i ng t he st ock, use
gr ooved
dowel s no mor e t han one- hal f
the thi ckness of the rai l s. Fi t a dri l l press or
an el ect ri c dri l l wi t h a bi t t he same di ame-
t er as t he dowel s and bore a hol e at each
l ocat i on poi nt ;
t he dept h shoul d be sl i ght l y
more t han one-hal f t he l engt h of t he dow-
el s. Use t he same t echni que t o bor e t he
dowel hol es at the opposi te end of the rarl
and i n t he ot her rai l s.
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LEGS AND RAILS
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Assembl i ng the l egs and rai l s
Spr ead a l i t t l e gl ue on t he sur f aces of t he l egs and r ai l s t hat
wi l l cont act each ot her, t hen dab a smal l amount of adhesi ve i n
t he bot t om of t he dowel hol es wi t h a smal l wood scrap. Avoi d
spr eadi ng gl ue di r ect l y on t he dowel s; t hey absor b moi st ur e
qui ckl y and wi l l swel l , maki ng t hem di f f i cul t t o f i t i nt o t he
hol es. I nser t t he dowel s i nt o t he l egs, t hen t ap t he r ai l l i ght l y
wi t h a mal l et t o seat t he shoul der .
( Be
car ef ul about usi ng t oo
much f or ce, whi ch can cause a l eg t o spl i t . ) Fi t each end of t he
rai l onto a l eg
(above,
l eft) and hol d the
j oi nt
together wi th a bar
cl amp, protecti ng the l egs wi th wood pads. Al i gn the bar of the
cl amp wi th the rai l , then ti ghten i I
(above,
ri ghi l unl i l a bead of
gl ue squeezes out of t he
j oi nt .
Bori ng the mati ng dowel hol es
Bore the hol es i n the l egs to the same
dept h as t hose i n t he rai l s-sl i ght l y more
t han one-hal f t he l engt h of t he dowel s. l f
you are dri l l i ng i nt o a t apered l eg on a dri l l
press,
be sure to keep the square
part of the
l eg f l at on t he machi ne' s t abl e.
75
LEGS AND RAILS
HAND.CUT BTIND MORTISE.AND.TEN(lNS
r)
Cutti ng the tenon shoul ders
L f o remove the waste from the tenon cheeks, cl amp the rai l
f ace-up on a work surf ace, prot ect i ng t he st ock wi t h a wood
pad. Cut al ong t he shoul der l i ne on t he f ace of t he r ai l ; t ur n
over t he st ock and repeat t he operat i on on t he ot her si de
(above,
l eft).To cut away the waste on the edges of the tenon,
1
Cutti ng the tenon cheeks
I Out l i ne t he t enons on t he rai l s, mark-
i ng a shoul der l i ne al l around t he ends so
t hat t he l engt h of t he t enons wi l l be no
more t han t hree-quart ers t he t hi ckness
of the l eg. Secure one of the rai l s end-up
i n a vi se. Cut al ong t he l i nes on t he end
of t he rai l wi t h a backsaw; t i l t t he saw
f orward and cut t o t he shoul der l i ne of
the tenon
(l efi l .
f hen compl ete the cut
wi t h t he saw l evel .
secure t he rai l end-up i n a vi se and saw t o t he shoul der l i ne on
bot h edges of t he rai l . Fi nal l y, cl amp t he rai l edge-up and cut
t hrough t he shoul der l i nes on bot h edges of t he rai l
(above,
right). Repeat steps 1 and 2 to cut the tenon on the other end
of t he rai l and at bot h ends of t he remai ni ns rai l s.
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LEGS AND RAILS
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Outl i ni ng the mofti ses
r-,1 Mark the morti se outl i ne on each l eg
i n two steps, usi ng one of the rai l tenons
as a gui de. Fi rst , hol d t he cheek of t he
tenon fl ush agai nst the l eg, wi th the top
of the rai l al i gned wi th the end of the l eg.
Draw a penci l al ong the edges of the tenon
to outl i ne the l ength of the morti se, then
use a try square to extend the l i nes across
the l eg. To mark the wi dth of the morti se,
hol d the edge of the tenon centered fl ush
agai nst the l eg and mark al ong each cheek
(right).With
a try square, extend the marks
al ong the l eg unti l the two outl i nes i nter-
sect. Repeat the process on the adjacent
face of the l eg.
Chiseling the mortises
For each morti se, cl amp the l eg to a
work surface, protecti ng the stock wi th a
wood pad. Then, starting at one end of the
outl i ne, hol d a morti se chi sel square to
t he f ace of t he l eg and st ri ke i t wi t h a
wooden mal l et . Use a chi sel t he same
wi dth as the tenon and be sure that the
bevel ed si de of t he bl ade i s f aci ng t he
waste. Make another cut % i nch from the
fi rst. Conti nue unti l you reach the other
end of the outl i ne, l everi ng out the waste
to a depth that sl i ghtl y exceeds the l ength
of the tenon. Test-fi t the tenon and wi den
or deepen the morti se as requi red. Repeat
to cut the remai ni ng morti ses. Then spread
gl ue l i ght l y i n t he mor t i ses and on t he
cheeks of the tenons. Fi t the l egs and rai l s
together, then cl ose up the
j oi nts
wi th the
same cl ampi ng setup used for the dowel
joint (page
75).
77
LEGS AND RAILS
TRIP0D TABLE: ASSEMBTING THE LEGS, C0LUMN, AND
1
Turni ng the tenon on the col umn
I St art by t urni ng t he rai l t enon at t he t op of t he col umn, as
shown at ri ght. Then rout the dovetai l sockets for the l egs at the
col umn' s bottom
(step
2). Next, cut the dovetai l s i n the l egs
(st eps
3 and 4)and assembl e t he pi eces (st ep
i l . Mount t he
col umn bl ank on your l athe and turn i t i nto a cyl i nder
(page
66),
l eavi ng a l i p and enough st ock near t he bot t om f or t he l eg
sockets. To turn the tenon, use a parti ng Iool
(ri ght),
movi ng
t he bl ade f rom si de t o si de. The l engt h of t he t enon shoul d be
about one-hal f t he t hi ckness of t he mat i ng rai l . l t s di amet er
shoul d be at l east % i nch and mat ch t hat of t he bi t vou wi l l use
t o dri l l t he mort i se i n t he rai l .
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I
RAIL
r)
Routing the dovetail sockets
(- tJnpl ugyour
l athe and turn the col umn end-for-end to cut
t he socket s, usi ng a rout er and a shop-made
j i g
consi st i ng of a
%-i nch pl ywood box cl amped to the l athe bed. Make the box as
wi de as t he rout er base pl at e. At t ach t he t wo runners so t he
router bi t wi l l cut the sockets wi th i ts base pl ate si tti ng on them.
Next, mark the l ocati on of the three sockets on the col umn; they
shoul d be I20" aparL Al so mark the upper ends of the sockets,
about 3 i nches f rom t he bot t om of t he col umn. To hel p al i gn
the cuts, transfer the socket marks from the col umn to the l athe
facepl ate. Now, rotate the col umn bv hand unti l one of the marks
on t he f acepl at e i s vert i cal and cl amp t he dri ve shaf t wi t h a
handscrew
(i nset).
Cut each socket i n two passes, fi rst usi ng a
strai ght bi t, then a dovetai l bi t. Adj ust the router' s cutti ng depth,
al i gn the bi t wi th the socket end mark, butt a stop bl ock agai nst
t he rout er base pl at e, and screw t he bl ock t o t he
j i g.
Hol di ng
the router i n both hands, pl unge the bi t i nto the col umn, starti ng
at t he bot t om, and gui de t he t ool al ong t he runners unt i l t he
base pl ate contacts the stop bl ock. Repeat wi th the dovetai l bi t
(above).
To cut the second and thi rd sockets, rotate the col umn
so the socket mark for each cut i s verti cal .
Faceplata
78
LEGS AND RAILS
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Q
Cutting the dovetails
r-,1 The dovetai l s i n the l egs are cut i n two steps: The fi rst cut
i s made on t he t abl e saw, and t he second by hand. l t i s easi est
to cut the dovetai l s on l eg bl anks before shapi ng the l egs
(page
68). Adj ust your t abl e saw' s bl ade angl e t o mat ch t hat of t he
sockets you cut i n step 2. Set the cutti ng hei ght to sl i ghtl y l ess
than the depth of the sockets. Outl i ne the dovetai l s on the edge
of one l eg bl ank and, hol di ng t he bl ank on end on t he saw t abl e,
al i gn a cut t i ng mark wi t h t he bl ade. But t t he ri p f ence agai nst
t he st ock and l ock i t i n
pl ace.
Cl amo a shi mmed f eat herboard
t o t he t abl e t o support t he bl anks. Al so cl amp a gui de bl ock t o
t he bl ank; t he bl ock wi l l ri de al ong t he t op of t he f ence, hel p-
i ng to gui de the workpi ece. To form the dovetai l , make a pass
to cut one cheek
(above),
then rotate the workpiece and feed
the opposi te face al ong the fence to saw the other. Once both
cheeks of t he f i rst dovet ai l have been cut , check t hem agai nst
a socket i n t he col umn. l f necessary, adj ust t he bl ade angl e or
hei ght or t he cut t i ng wi dt h and make anot her set of passes.
Repeat for the other dovetai l s.
Cufti ng the angl ed shoul ders
The shoul ders of the l eg dovetai l s
must be cut at an angl e so t hey l i e f l ush
agai nst t he col umn. Once t he dovet ai l
cheeks are al l cut , cl amp a bl ank t o a
work surface wi th the cheek cuts extend-
i ng off the tabl e. Then use a backsaw to
cut the shoul ders to roughl y match the cur-
vature of the col umn
(/eff).
Test-f i t the
dovetai l i n i ts socket and tri m the shoul -
ders, i f necessary, unti l you get a sui tabl e
f i t . Repeat f or t he remai ni ng dovet ai l s.
79
LEGS AND RAILS
f,
Fasteni ng the l egs to the col umn
r. , / Once al l t he dovet ai l s f i t i n t hei r socket s, t ri m of f t he t op
% i nch of each dovet ai l . Thi s wi l l hi de t he t ops of t he dovet ai l s
f rom vi ew when t hey are pushed al l t he way i nt o t hei r socket s.
Now you are ready to cut out the l egs
(page
68) and attach them
t o t he col umn. Spr ead gl ue evenl y on t he dovet ai l s and i n t he
socket s. Then, hol di ng t he col umn upsi de- down on t he f l oor ,
sl i de t he l egs i nt o pl ace and t ap t hem i nt o f i nal posi t i on wi t h a
wooden mallet hbove). To strengthen the assembly, add a three-
armed pl ate cut from sheet metal
(page
58), Next, cut the rai l
t hat wi l l connect t he col umn t o t he t abl et oo. Bor e a mor t i se i n
the center of the rai l to accept the tenon at the top of the col umn.
Use a rout er f i t t ed wi t h a roundi ng-over or chamf eri ng bi t t o
shape the bottom edge of the rai l al l the way around. Fi nal l y, stand
t he t abl e upri ght , spread gl ue on t he t enon and i n t he mort i se, f i t
the rai l over the tenon, and screw the rai l i n pl ace
(ri ghi l .
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LEGS AND RAILS
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PEDESTAL TABLE: GTUING UP THE LEG ASSEMBTY
1
Prepari ng the col umn for the l egs
I Mark a l i ne across t he col umn near
the bottom to defi ne the square secti on
t hat wi l l be
j oi ned
t o t he l egs; t he area
shoul d be as l ong as t he wi dt h of t he
l egs. I nst al l a dado head on your t abl e
saw and set the cutti ng hei ght at rough
l y % i nch. Usi ng t he mi t er gauge, make
several Dasses across t he col umn t o
remove the waste from al l four si des of
the col umn
(above).
r)
Cutting the dovetail sockets
L
pl o*
a dovet ai l socket on each si de of t he col umn on t he rout er t abl e. l nst al l a
st rai ght bi t i n your rout er and mount t he t ool i n a t abl e. Mark a l i ne f or t he socket s
down the center of each si de, al i gn a socket mark wi th the bi t, butt gui de boards agai nst
t he st ock, and cl amp t he boards t o t he t abl e. Feed t he col umn across t he t abl e t o cut
t he f i rst socket , st oppi ng t he cut when t he bi t reaches t he end of t he square sect i on.
Leave t he col umn i n pl ace, t urn of f t he t ool , and cl amp a handscrew as a st op bl ock
agai nst t he end of t he col umn. Repeat t he cut on t he ot her si des of t he col umn, st op-
pi ng when the stock contacts the handscrew. Compl ete the task wi th a second pass
on each si de usi ng a dovetai l bi t
(above).
Prepari ng the top of the col umn
0nce t he dovet ai l s ar e cut , t ur n t he col umn on a l at he, l eav-
i ng a square secti on at the top to accommodate the rai l s and a
l i p
j ust
above the bottom square secti on to conceal the tops of
t he l egs.
( The
l i p i s vi si bl e on page 82. ) The r ai l s wi l l f i t i nt o
t wo i nt ersect i ng mort i ses cut i n t he col umn' s square sect i on.
Mark cutti ng l i nes for the morti ses down the center of each si de
of t he col umn; t he mort i se wi dt h shoul d be one-hal f t he t hi ck-
ness of t he rai l s. Set t he saw bl ade hei ght t o t he wi dt h of t he
rails less the edge recess shown in step 7
(page
83), To feed the
col umn saf el y, make a
j i g
t o hol d i t upri ght . Take a l arge push
st i ck and screw a pi ece of wood t o t he si de, f ormi ng an L. Wi t h
t he l eg rest i ng snugl y i n t he L, al i gn t he cut t i ng mark wi t h t he
bl ade and l ock t he ri p f ence agai nst t he f ace of t he push st i ck.
Lay a spacer on t op of t he f ence
(i t
must be t he same t hi ckness
as the fence) and screw i t to the push sti ck; screw a gui de board
t o t he spacer so t he
j i g
f orms a channel over t he f ence. Check
t he al i gnment , cl amp t he l eg i n pl ace, and make a sequence of
cut s unt i l t he mort i se i s wi de enough
(l ef t ).
Repeat al l cut s on
each face to ensure that the morti ses are oerfectl v centered.
Fueh atick
8 1
LEGS AND RAILS
Cutti ng the dovetai l s on the l egs
Instal l a dovetai l bi t i n vour roui er and
mount t he t ool i n a t abl e. Set t he cut t i ng
depth to make the dovetai l s sl i ghtl y shorter
than the depth of the dovetai l sockets you
cut i n st ep 1. Posi t i on t he f ence so t hat
about one-half of the cutter projects beyond
i ts face. Wi th a featherboard cl amoed to the
tabl e to support the workpi ece, feed a l eg
blank
(page
68) on end across the table,
pressing it against the fence
(\efl.
f urn the
bl ank end-f or-end and repeat t o compl et e
t he dovet ai l . Test -f i t t he
j oi nt
and adl ust
t he f ence and make addi t i onal cut s, i f
necessary. Repeat for the other l eg bl anks.
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Joi ni ng the l egs to the col umn
r-,f Cut out the legs on a band saw
(page
68), t hen not ch t he t op end of t he dove-
t ai l s so t hat t hey st op short of t he socket
end. Thi s wi l l conceal t he
j oi nt s
bet ween
t he l egs and col umn. Spread gl ue on t he
dovet ai l s and i n t he socket s and sl i de t he
dovet ai l s i nt o pl ace, t appi ng t hem wi t h a
mal l et i f necessary. For addi ti onal strength,
y0u
can make a f our-armed bracket out
of sheet met al t o f i t under t he col umn and
l egs, and screw i t i n pl ace, as shown on
page 58.
82
LEGS AND RAILS
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Joi ni ng t he r ai l s t o t he col umn
/ To conceal t he mor t i ses once t he r ai l s ar e i n
pl ace,
cut a / -
i nch- deep r ecess i nt o t he bot t om edge of each r ai l , al ong t he
l engt h of t he r ecess i n t he f ace. Next , not ch t he mi ddl e of t he
edges. Thi s can be done wi t h t he dado head; t he wi dt h shoul d
equal t he t hi ckness of t he l apped sect i on of t he r ai l s. Adj ust t he
bl ade hei ght t o cut hal f way t hr ough t he r ai l , t hen saw an edge
hal f - l ap i n t he bot t om edge of one r ai l and t he t op edge of t he
Prepari ng t he rai l s
To al l ow t he r ai l s t o f i t t he er ooves i n
t he col umn, cut recesses i n t he mi ddi e of
bot h f aces of t he rai l s. l nst al l a dado head
on your tabl e saw and set the cutti ng depth
t o about one- ouar t er t he r ai l t hi ckness.
Scr ew an ext ensi on t o t he mi t er gauge.
Make t est cut s i n a pi ece of scrap t o be
sure t hat t he rai l s wi l l f i t snugl y i n t he mor-
t i ses. Mark t he shoul ders of t he recesses
on one rai l so t hey are as l ong as t he wi dt h
of t he square sect i on at t he t op of t he col -
umn. Al i gn a mar k wi t h t he dado head
and cl amp a st op bl ock t o t he ext ensi on,
f l ush agai nst t he rai l , Feed t he rai l wi t h t he
mi t er gauge, pressi ng t he st ock agai nst
t he st op bl ock. Fl i p t he pi ece t o cut a
shoul der on t he ot her f ace, t hen r ot at e
t he pi ece and cut t he shoul der s at t he
other ends of the recesses. Repeat on the
ot her rai l , t hen remove t he st op bl ock and
remove t he remai ni ng wast e.
other, maki ng sure the notches are centered between the shoul -
ders bbove, /eff). Adl ust the bl ade hei ght for the second rai l to
account for the edge recess. Once both edge half-laps are cut, round
t he ends of t he rai l s on t he band saw, spread some gl ue on t he
contacti ng surfaces of the col umn and rai l s, set the col umn bottom-
end up on t he f l oor, and f i t t he rai l s i n pl ace (above,
ri ght ).
9top block
Edge half-lap
83
LEGS AND RAILS
COMMERCIAL LEG HARDWARE
r')
Notching the leg for the mounting plate
I Anotch must be cut at the top of each
l eg to accommodate the mounti ng pl ate.
St and t he l eg up and hol d t he rai l -and-
pl ate assembl y on top of i t, al i gni ng the
ends of the rai l s wi th adj acent si des of the
l eg. Mark a 45' di agonal l i ne across t he
t op of t he l eg al ong t he mount i ng pl at e.
Next , al i gn t he t op of t he pl at e wi t h t he
t op of t he l eg and mark a l i ne al ong t he
bottom edge of the plate across the inside
corner of the l eg, addi ng Xe i nch for cl ear-
ance. To cut t he not ch, set t he l eg on a
band saw and ti l t the tabl e to 45" to al i gn
t he bl ade wi t h t he di agonal l i ne. But t a
board agai nst the l eg and cl amp i t to the
tabl e as a ri p fence. Feed the l eg i nto the
bl ade, then cl amp a stop bl ock i n pl ace to
hel p wi th repeat cuts
(ri ght).
Compl ete
the notch usi ng a handsaw.
1
Prepari ng the rai l s
I Commerci al hardware that connects
l egs and rai l s shoul d be i nstal l ed fol l owi ng
the manufacturer's instructions. To use the
hardware shown on the facing page, test-
assembl e t he l eg, rai l s, and mount i ng
pl ate, then mark the l ocati on of the pl ate
fl anges on the rai l s. To cut the sl ots for the
f l anges, al i gn each mark wi t h t he bl ade,
t hen but t t he ri p f ence agai nst t he rai l .
Set the bl ade hei ght to the l ength of the
fl ange, addi ng %u i nch for cl earance. Feed
the rai l i nto the bl ade wi th the mi ter gauge
(left). (Caution:
Blade guard removed for
cl ari $.) Repeat for the other rai l . Sl i p the
fl anges i nto the sl ots and mark the screw
hol es on t he st ock. Bore pi l ot hol es and
screw the mounti ng pl ate to the rai l s.
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84
LEGS AND RAILS
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Q
Prepari ng the l eg for the hanger bol t
r J Test - assembl e t he l eg and r ai l - and-
pl at e assembl y agai n and mar k t he hol e
on the stock for the hanger bol t provi ded
wi t h t he har dwar e ki t . Fi t your dr i l l pr ess
wi t h a br ad- poi nt bi t and bor e a pi l ot hol e
f or t he bol t usi ng a shop- made V- bl ock
j i g
(right).
Repeat for the other legs.
uAt t x
6" x7"
Fasteni ng the l eg to the rai l s
l nsert t he screw-t hread end of t he
hanger bol t i nt o t he prl ot hol e rn t he l eg.
Unl i ke ot her f ast eners, a hanger bol t has
two types of threads: screw threads at one
end and machi ne t hreads at t he ot her; i t
al so has no head. Screw two nuts onto the
machi ne- t hr ead end and t i ght en t hem
agai nst each ot her wi t h t wo wr enches,
f or mi ng a t empor ar y head on t he bol t ,
Ti ght en t he bol t wi t h one of t he wrenches
to dri ve the screw threads i nto the l eg, then
unscrew t he nut s f rom t he bol t . Sl i p t he
rai l -and-pl at e assembl y over t he bol t and
screw a nut on i t . Keepi ng t he t op of t he
r ai l s f l ush wi t h t he t op of t he l eg, t i ght -
en the nut
(/eff).
85
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LEGS AND RAILS
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SH()P.MADE LEG HARDWARE
You can at t ach a l eg t o rai l s usi ng a
wooden corner bl ock, a hanger bol t ,
and four screws. Begi n by maki ng the
corner bl ock. Cut a oi ece of wood thi n
enough to dri ve a hanger bol t through
i t i nto the l eg. Then make a 45' mi ter
cut at each end. Next, saw grooves
for
spl i nes, whi ch wi l l hel p
j oi n
t he bl ock
t o t he r ai l s. I nst al l a dado head on
your t abl e saw wi t h a wi dt h and cut -
ti ng hei ght equal to one-thi rd the thi ck-
ness of the rai l s. Screw a board to the
mi ter gauge as an extensi on, then al i gn
t he mi dpoi nt of one end of t he bl ock
wi t h t he bl ade. Cl amp t he bl ock t o t he
ext ensi on. But t a wast e pi ece f rom
t he mi t er cut s agai nst t he workpi ece
t o serve as a st op bl ock and cl amp
i t t o t he ext ensi on. Feed t he st ock
i nt o t he bl ades, t hen t urn i t over and
cut a groove in the other end
(above).
B6
LEGS AND RAILS
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Next, mark two hol es on each si de of
t he cl earance hol e and dri l l count er-
sinking holes
(facing page, bottom),
t hen i nst al l a smal l er bi t t o dri l l cl ear-
ance hol es for the screw shanks.
To
j oi n
the l eg and rai l s, fi rst fasten
the corner bl ock to the rai l s. Spread
some
gl ue i n the grooves i n the bl ock
and t he rai l s, and i nsert t he spl i nes
i nt o t he
grooves i n t he bl ock. Then
hol d t he bl ock agai nst t he rai l s and
screw it in place (left).
Prepare the leg
as
you woul d for commerci al hardware
(page
84), cutting a notch out of the
top for the corner bl ock and bori ng a
pi l ot hol e for a hanger bol t. Fasten the
l eg to the rai l s wi th the bol t, sl i ppi ng a
washer between the nut and the corner
bl ock. Ti ghten the nut
(bel ow)
unl i l
the l eg and rai l s fi t snugl y together.
Test -f i t t he bl ock agai nst t he rai l s,
then mark and cut the
grooves i n the
r ai l s. Now cut t he spl i nes, maki ng
t hem %. i nch short er t han t he com-
bi ned depth of the two grooves. Pl ane
t he spl i nes caref ul l y t o make sure
that they f i t preci sel y i n the matchi ng
grooves. For maximum strength, make
sure that the grai n of the spl i nes runs
across thei r wi dth, rather than al ong
t hei r l engt h.
Now bore countersi nki ng and cl ear-
ance hol es f or t he hanger bol t and
screws t hat wi l l secure t he brace t o
t he l eg and rai l s. I nst al l a brad-poi nt
brt i n your dri l l press and mark t he
cent er of t he l ong edge of t he bl ock
for a hanger bol t. Secure the work-
pi ece rn a handscrew and cl amp i t to
the dri l l
press
tabl e, wi th the center
al i gned wi th the bi t. Then bore the hol e.
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87
'r-,
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TOPS
or deskt being. The stru
1 1 c e : n u s t ! e I l 1 I 1 n a s | ! l 4 r ! r e I l ! | - l w l l d . J g 2 \ L t l l J t t , l l L d u l t J . I l l L I l L
design ofthe table or d,
made of glued-up piec
*nhffftrH*ffii;:ffH: ffii#1"*TJl.b';ffH-*1111
fully to create the illusion that the An adjustable top males a table more
flexible;
variety of tops for tables.and desls,
surface is made from a single wide by mounting sliding table extenders under a fromgl-uing up the-top
(p.age 93) to
board. To do this, you will-need to table with a divided top, you can expand the attaching it to a base
(page
96).
experiment until you succed. Thke table to make room
for
additional leava. While you
qan
make a tabletop by
your time Four or five planks, for
veneering.sheet products such as
ixample, can be flippedind turned end-for-end to create lit- plywood, solid wood remains the building material of choice;
erally scores of possible combinations. sheet materials require edge banding and are often not as
During the Middle Ages, when dining took place in great appealing visually as solid.w-ood.
communil halls, huge trestle tables were ihe norm: Dozens of The type of top you build depends on the function ofyour
people could be fed and the tables could be knocked down for table. If your goal-is to maximize seating while-reducing stor-
itorage after dinner. As separate rooms for public and private age space, adjustable top s
!7gSe
10I) for drop-leaf, gateleg, or
dinin! came into vogue in the l5ttr Gntury, smaller, adjustable extension tables are a good idea. If you want t9 addan- unusu-
tableiwith hinged flaps evolved. These so-called drop-leaf al touch, the section on decorative elements
(page 112) shows
tables were used in coffeehouses and taverns. Other modifi- you how to combine wood with such contrasting elements as
cations included tables that could split in two to make room for glass, leather, slate, and felt.
The edge of a tabletop is
just
as important to its
appearance as the wood's grain and color. At left,
a router
fitted
with a rounding-over bit is used to
soften the square edges of a mahogany tabletop.
89
INVENTORY OF TOP DESIGNS
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Tabletops do not have to be rec-
tangular and wooden-or pre-
dictable. The
"Folia
Table"
shown at left, built by Rhode
Island cqbinetmaker Kam
Ghaffari,
features
a curly
maple tabletop dyedblack and
green, and cut into a stylistic
representation of a leaf. The
black half of the leaf is lower
than the green half; it is cov-
ered by a pane of cut glass that
rests on stainless steel
"veins."
METHODS
(lF
ATTACHING A T(|P
Tabletop
raSf,enera
Deektop
TA6Lene16
TOP SHAPES
E [ ] E
Kectanqular
t l
Kounded enda
and curved eidea
Kounded enda Curved aidee
\ /
Round Oval
5ix-legged gateleg table
(pase1o5)
Drop-leaf type table featuring two
1ate
le4a in addition to four etationary
leqa; receaeea in raila may be required
to allow ewin7ing le4e to be tucked out
of the way when not in uae
Four4egged awing4eg table
( pase106)
Drop-leaf type table
with two of four le4e that
ewin4 out to eupport leavee:
ewin7inq le1a are hinqed to
raila of table baee
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TOPS
EXTENSION TABTES
Non-dividing
extension table
(pase l OO)
Only tabletop and decorative apron
divide: leq-and-rail aaeembly io
acrewed to
gtationarv
center
gea-
ment of table extendera.
(Decorative
apron removed for clarity.)
Dividing
ertension table
(paqe 1O7)
Entire table dividee in two: movinq ee4-
menLa of table extendera are acrewed
to both halvea of tabletop from
underneath; le7e move when
tabte ie opened
Non- dividing treatle table
(page 11O)
Breadboard ende pull
away Trom cenf,er on
treatle table alidea
HARDWARE AND ACCESSORIES
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Table locke
Mounted under extenaton tablea to lock
halvee in place: lonq arma allow
eaoy acceoe. 9pring-loaded
and lever models
available
Table leaf latchea
Mounted under exteneion tablea to
[ock leaves in place; available in brass
and steeL Model shown below (lefI)
featurea eccentric alot thaL drawa
the leavee anugly toqether when cloaed
Drop-leaf aupport
leaf tablee to ali4n leavea
or halves ae they are cloaed
/A\
a-
t =l
)
Steelfastenera
Q/- z/n',.
Ueed Lo aL.tach Lope.to
./ V
teq-ana-rai l a' aem2teo.
\ f
Deektop, or fiqure-eight, V
faetener ie tnetalled flueh wtLh top
Of ratl E and
gcrewed
i ntc
+t4b +a^. 7-
eh aped Labl eLop f^ *tr ti' i " u"[tr1a
to top and maLee with
0roove6
rout-
ed along inaide of table raila
Table fork cloaure
U-ohaped handle mounted
under extenaton tablee to
tock tabletop halvea in place
Cranked hinge
Uaed to tnstall the
adjuatable leqe of four-
legqed ewinq-leq tablea:
when cloaed, hinqe holde
le1 flueh with table rail
Rule joint hingea
Ueed to connect leaf and
top of drop-leaf table with
rule ioint: lonaer htnae rule joint; lonqer htnqe
leaf brid4eo the
./-
coved half of
the joint
Treatle table slide
Hardwood olidea with
d ou ble- alidi n g dovetail
jointe mounted in paire
underneath breadboard
endo of a LreaLle f,able;
typically exLenda from
26 to 40 inches ,-/
Elind
pivot,
hinae ,z\
ueedi n pt aca o7\
)
a dowelin a
,Q1
y
pivot rail or \)D/
butLerfly Lable
Table leaf alignment pina
Ueed to alian tabletopa and
leavea fluai on extenLion f,abtee;
braaa, hardwood, and
plaatic
modela available I t nuuot e avauaur o
NN
Z ) -,.1W
-,')
6)r- N/,Nr/
\)).
\)r)"
s)t
Mounted underneath drop-
leaf tabletop to suppor, leavea.
Metal bracket mounta to underside
of top; movable wood alide eupporto leaf
Table extendera
Mounted in paira under both dividing and non-dividin7
extenaion tablea. Outer eeaments, acrewed to eiLher
half oftabletop, are puahed away from each
other by rack-and-pinion mechaniam; center
eeqmenL rematne etationary. Typical
lenqtha are 26 and 3B inchee
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PREPARINGATOP
The edges of a rectangular desktop or
tabletop are often shaped to soften its
contours. Here a router is used with a
commercial
jig
to round the corners
of a tabletop. For a gallery of top
shapes, see page 90.
MAKING A TOP
ost tops for tables and desks are
made by edge-gluing boards
together. Few boards are available that
are wide enough and most of those
would be unsuitable, because of the ten-
dency of wide planks to twist and cup.
However, by selecting boards carefully
and matching them for color and grain
direction, you can create the illusion of
a single piece of wood. Assess the color
and grain of lumber by planing the sur-
face lightly to reveal what lies under-
neath a plank's rough exterior.
A sturdy, flat top starts with proper
preparation of stock. Make sure you use
kiln-dried wood or wood that has been
stored long enough in the shop to have
a moisture content between 8 and 12
percent. A low moisture content means
that the wood will be relatively stable.
Also steer clear of bowed or twisted
boards. Since many tops have a finished
thickness of % inch,4/4 rough-sawn
stock is an ideal choice as it allows you to
plane and sand offup to % inch ofwood.
Wide tops are seldom glued up all at
once because it is much easier to thick-
ness plane several smaller panels than
one large one. The glue up sequence you
follow for your projects will depend on
the finished width of your top, and the
size of your planer. For example, if you
own a l2-inch planer and want a 30-
inch-wide tabletop, it is best to glue up
three 8- to l2-inch-wide panels and plane
them individually, before gluing them
into a single top. To he$ keep the boards
aligned during glue-up, some wood-
workers use dowels or biscuits spaced
every 6 to 8 inches, although this is not
essential. Unlike standard tables. the
grain for tops for extension tables should
be perpendicular to the table's length.
Ideally, use quartersawn stock for these
tops, as well as for the leaves.
After the glue has dried and the pan-
el has been planed, the edges ofthe top
can be shaped
(page
95).With dropJeaf
and gateleg tables, this shaping is done
before the
joinery.
One exception is the
round drop-leaftable; its leaves should
be installed
(page
101) before the circle
is cut to ensure that the table will be per-
fectly round.
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Jointing the boards
I Prepare each board by fi rst
j oi nti ng
a
f ace and an edge, t hen pl ane t he ot her
f ace. Next , roughl y crosscut t he boards,
l eavi ng them about 1 i nch l onger than the
top' s fi nal l ength. Ri p the stock so that the
combi ned wi dth of al l the boards i s rough-
l y 1 i nch wi der than the fi ni shed top, then
joint
all the cut edges
(/eff).
Next, arrange
the boards for appearance, taking into con-
si derat i on any l eaves i f you are maki ng
an extensi on, drop-l eaf, or gatel eg tabl e.
(Leaves
are typi cal l y
gl ued
up separatel y
from the tabl etop.) To mi ni mi ze warpi ng,
arrange the planks so the end grain of adja-
cent boards runs i n opposi te di recti ons.
When you are sati sfi ed wi th the arrange-
ment, use a
pencil
or chalk to mark a refer-
ence tri angl e on top of the boards. Thi s wi l l
help you correctly realign them for glue-up.
93
TOPS
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Appl yi ng t he gl ue
To hol d your bar cl amps upri ght dur-
i ng gl ue- up, cut not ched wood bl ocks and
set t he cl amps i n t he bl ocks. Space t he
cl amps at l east every 24 to 36 i nches. To
avoi d mar r i ng t he edges of t he panel
when you t i ght en t he cl amps, cut t wo
wood pads as l ong and as t hi ck as t he
boar ds bei ng gl ued. Appl y a nar r ow bead
of gl ue t o one edge of each
j oi nt
and
use a smal l , st i f f - br i st l ed br ush t o spr ead
t he adhesi ve evenl y on t he boar d edges
( above) .
Move qui ckl y t o st ep 3 bef or e
i h p o l r r c h p o i n c t n c p t
Q
Ti ghteni ng the cl amps
r.,l Lay the boards face-down on the bar
cl amps and al i gn t hei r ends, maki ng sur e
t he si des of t he r ef er ence t r i angl e ar e l i ned
up. Ti ght en t he cl amps under t he boar ds
j ust
enough t o but t t hem t oget her . To bal -
ance t he cl ampi ng pr essur e and keep t he
panel f l at , pl ace bar cl amps acr oss t he t op
of t he panel bet ween t he ones under neat h.
Fi ni s h t i ght eni ng al l t he c l amps i n t ur n
(ri ght)
unti l there are no gaps between
t he boar ds and a t hi n, even bead of gl ue
squeezes out of the
j oi nts.
Remove excess
gl ue wi t h a scr aper or a damp cl ot h.
94
TOPS
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SIZING A TOP
Cutti ng a rectangul ar top
Once the top has been gl ued up, ri p i t to
wi dth and tri m i t to fi nal l ength. l f the top
i s too l arge to cut on your tabl e saw, use a
router fitted with a straight bit. First, secure
the too on a broad work surface and cut i t
roughl y usi ng a ci rcul ar saw, l eavi ng about
% i nch to tri m on al l si des. Cl amp an edge
gui de to the tabl etop near one si de so that
t he rout er wi l l remove about one-hal f t he
waste wi th the fi rst pass; reset the depth
of cut to trim the rest of the waste tighil.
Repeat for the other edges.
Maki ng a round top
Scr i be a ci r cl e on t he gl ued- up t op and make t he cut wi t h a
router. For smal l -di ameter tops, you can use a commerci al com-
pass j i g;
to cut l arger tops, use the shop-bui l t compass
j i g
shown
i n the i nset. Make the devi ce from %-i nch hardboard, si zi ng i t to
sui t your router. Cut the router end of the
j i g
to the si ze and shape
of your tool ' s base pl ate, and make the arm at l east 2 i nches wi de
and l onger than the radi us of the ci rcl e you wi l l be cutti ng. Bore a
cl earance hol e for the bi t i n the center of the router end. and fi x
the tool to the
j i g.
Draw a l i ne down the center of the
j i g
arm and
mark the radi us of the tabl etop on i t, measuri ng from the edge of
t he bi t . Dri l l a hol e at t hi s cent er mark and screw t he
j i g
t o t he
center of the workoi ece. Secure the stock to a work surface wi th
cl eat s and a scrap board underneat h. Pl unge t he bi t i nt o t he
stock and rout the ci rcl e i n a cl ockwi se di recti on
(above).
Make
t he cut i n t wo or more passes, i ncreasi ng t he dept h of cut
between each pass.
95
ATTACHINGATOP
1\
ttachi ng a top to a tabl e or desk i s a
f 1" straightiorward task-so long as you
consider wood movement. Screwing a top
in place without providing for the swelling
and shrinking that occurs with humidity
changes will result ur split or cracked wood.
Because wood expands al ong the grai n
much l ess than i t does across i t, most toDs
are rnade wi th the pl anks runni ng l ength-
wise. One exceotion to this rule is exlension
tabl es, wherel he grai n must be al i gned
across the width of the table so that the
two halves do not expand in width at dif-
ferent rates, causing the slides to bind.
Several popular methods for securing
toDS to tables and desks are shown in this
section, including screwing the rails to the
rop
(see below) and using wood buttons
(page
98), ledger strips (pnge 97), screws
in pocket holes
(page
9B), and steel desktop
fasteners (pnge 100). For each of these
methods, the rai l s of the l eg-and-rai l
assembly need to be prepared for the top
before the legs and rails can be glued up.
SCREWING THE RAIL T() THE TOP
1
Dr i l l i ng t he hol es
I To at t ach a t abl et op or deskt op t o a
l es- and- r ai l assemhl v bor e a ser i es of
count er sunk hol es i n each r ai l f or t he
scr ews, bef or e t he l egs ar e
j oi ned
t o t he
r ai l . Dr i l l t he hol es on a dr i l l pr ess i n t wo
st eps. Fi r st , bor e hol es at 6- i nch i nt er val s
about hal f way t hr ough t he t hi ckness of
t he r ai l . Cl amp an edge gui de t o t he dr i l l
or ess t abl e t o keeo t he hol es i n l i ne. To
accommodat e t he movement of t he t op,
t he hol es shoul d be l ar ger t han t he di am-
et er of t he scr ew heads you wi l l be usr ng.
I n t he second st ep, bor e cl ear ance hol es
sl i ght l y l ar ger t han t he scr ew shank al l
the way through the rails
(right).
Trestle tnbles ore often desigred to be disasserrrbled. Itr the
exantple shown above, tlrc screws nttaclrirrg tlte ltose o.l'thc ttble lo
the top can easily be rerrroved. The cottntersurtk screw holes
are el ongated to al l ow
for
wood rrtoverrretl t across the groi rr.
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TOPS
tlll lllt llll lll'lltl lII lil lfll'llll'fil fiI'llll''fi1'"1ll1]ll llll ffi III
1HO? Tt?
Addi ngl edger otri po
l f you have a Labl etop or deekLop
wi l h thi n rai l e LhaI woul d be weak'
ened by enl ar4ed ocrew hol ee, you
can ocrew l edqer ol ri po Io Ihe
i nei de faces of the rai l s. Cut, four
ol ri po l o fi I al onq Nhe i nei de
of Lhe rails, and bore Iwo
oelo of oversized holee in
r)
Attaching the rails to the top
Z- Set the too face-down on a worK sur-
face, and center the l eg-and-rai l assem-
bl y on i t. Screw one si de rai l to the top
fisl
(above),
using washers to allow the
wood to move. Square thetop
(page
100),
then screw the opposi te si de rai l i n pl ace.
Lastly, screw the two end rails to the top.
adiacenl edqee of each
.*d.=
eNri p (paqe 96).)crew
,,..-nl
Ihe l edaer stri ps to al l
four ratrs,l hen' atl ach
4
Ihe oIri Vo No the IoV.
TOPS
P()CKET H()LES
W()OD BUTT()NS
1
Maki ng the buftons
I To at t ach a t op usi ng wood but t ons,
you wi l l need to pl ace a wood button every
6 i nches al ong t he r ai l s. Begi n by cut t i ng
a gr oove on t he i nsi de f ace of each r ai l
aboul 7 i nch f r om t he t op. You can cut
sever al l " - by I 1l " but t ons f r om a si ngl e
boar d; make t he t hi ckness of t he st ock
equal to the gap between the bottom of the
gr oove and t he t op of t he r ai l s, l ess Xe i nch.
Cut a rabbet to frt the groove at each end
of t he boar d, t hen r i p t he boar d i nt o 1- i nch
st r i ps on a band saw and cut of f t he but -
tons about 1% i nches from the ends l i nset).
To make hol es i n t he but t ons f or i nst al -
l at i on, use an L- shaped cor ner
1i g
f ash-
i oned f r om a scr ap of l - i nch pl ywood and
t wo pi eces of wood. Cl amp t he
j i g
t o your
dr i l l pr ess t abl e and st eady t he but t ons
wr t h a hol d- down f ashi oned f r om scr ap
wood. Bor e t hr ough t he cent er s on t he
unrabbeted porti ons of the buttons
(rrghf).
Dr i l l i ng t he hol es
You can use an el ect r i c dr i l l and a commer -
ci al
j i g
to dri l l pocket hol es for attachi ng the
t op t o a l eg- and- r ai l assembl y. Fol l ow t he
manufacturer' s i nstructi ons to adj ust the
l i g
t o t he desi r ed dept h of cut and cl amp i t t o
a work surface wi th a backup board agai nst
t he st ock. Pl unge t he bi t i nt o t he wood,
maki ng t he pocket cut
( l ef t ) .
Then, f i t a
dr i l l wi t h t he bi t suppl i ed wi t h t he
j i g
and
bore a cl earance hol e connecti ng the pock-
et hol e t o t he t op of t he r ai l , usi ng t he ki t ' s
gui de bus hi ng t o di r ec t t he oper at i on
/l nsef). Space pocket hol es every 6 i nches.
Screw the top i n pl ace as shown on page 97.
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\Tocket
cut
9B
TOPS
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ill llr irl, lJl illl fiIl llr 1lll ljll lllr fiIl llll ll[ llil llli llt llli liJ
5HO7 Tt ?
Uei ng eteel tabl etop faetenere
Commerci al st eel Nabl eLop f ae-
Leners work l i ke wood buLNonst
They are screwed Lo Nhe Iabl etop
f rom underneat h and qri p a groove
rouf,ed or cuL i n the i nei de face
of t he rai l s. Secauee commerci al
f aet ener e ar e Lhi nner Nhan l i
woodbuLl ono, l he qr oova
- '
,
does not haveLo be cut
wi Lh a d,ado bl ade: i N can
be made wi Lh a strandard
eaw bl ade, or wi th a Nhree-
wi nq el oi t i ng cul l er i n
a t , abl e- mounl ed roul , er.
r)
Instal l i ng the buttons
L Cent er t he gl ued- up l eg- and- r ai l
assembl y on t he t abl et op and screw i t t o
t he t op usi ng t he wood but t ons you cut
i n st ep 1. Fi t t he rabbet ed ends of t he
buttons i nto the groove i n one of the si de
rai l s, spaci ng them every 6 i nches. Screw
the buttons i n pl ace (above),
l eavi nga X-
i nch gap bet ween t he l i pped ends of t he
buttons and the bottom of the groove to
al l ow for wood movement. Square the top
(page
100) and i nst al l t he but t ons at
t he opposi t e si de. Last l y, i nst al l t he but -
t ons al ong t he end rai l s.
To ensure
?roper
Lengi on, make
the groove a l i ttl e farLher from l he top
l han' ,,tou woul d wi th the wood buLl ons,
8,ffi;P
fq"*
TOPS
DESKTOP FASTENERS
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Instal l i ng the fasteners
Desktop fasteners are a popul ar choi ce for
at t achi ng t ops. l nst al l ed i n shal l ow not ch-
es so t hey l i e f l ush wi t h t he t op of t he rai l ,
they are then screwed i nto the Iop
(i nset).
The f ast eners can pi vot sl i ght l y back and
f or t h as t he t op swel l s and shr i nks. To
i nst al l t he f ast ener s, r out or chi sel out
recesses f or t hem i n t he t op of each rai l ,
spaci ng the notches every 6 i nches. Screw
the hardware to the rai l s
(/efl ),
then cen-
t er t he l eg-and-rai l assembl y on t he t op
and screw i t i n pl ace through the fasteners.
SSUARING THE T()P
Checki ng for square
Bef or e scr ewi ng a t op t o a l eg- and- r ai l
assembl y, make sur e t hat t he sur f ace i s
cent er ed and squar e. A bar cl amp and
wood pads wi l l do thi s. Pl ace the top good-
si de down on a wor k sur f ace, set t he l eg-
and- r ai l assembl y on t op, and at t ach one
si de r ai l t o t he t op. But t one
j aw
of a bar
cl amp agai nst t he edge of t he t op at one
end, and t he ot her
j aw
agai nst a l eg at t he
opposi t e end. Use wood pads
t o
pr event
mar r i ng t he st ock. Measur e t he di st ance
bet ween t he edge of t he t op and t he end
r ai l s at sever al poi nt s at bot h ends. Al l
y our meas ur ement s s houl d be equal . l f
not , squar e t he assembl y by t i ght eni ng
t he cl amp
( r i ght ) .
Check t he measur e-
ment s, t hen scr ew t he opposi t e si de r ai l t o
t he t op. Remove t he bar cl amp and scr ew
t he end r ai l s i n ol ace.
100
ADIUSTABLE TOPS
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\J
ot everyone has the space for a large
l\ dining table, although the extra
surface area is often needed. One solu-
tion is a table with an expandable top.
There are several choices open to you.
Drop-leaf tables typically have long
leaves parallel with the grain that hang
out of the way when not in use. Small
leaves may be supported by a pull-out
bar. Large leaves that more than double
the surface area require swing legs or
gate legs to be added.
Swing legs are part of a four-legged
leg-and-rail assembly
(page
106); gate
legs are an additional set of legs used
specifically for support
(page 105).Ifyoa
want to increase a table's length, exten-
Extension tables
feature
dividing tops
that open in the middle to make room
for
spacer leavel The mahogany dining
table shown above slides open using
commercial table ext ender s installed
under both halves of the top. Steel
tabletop eveners lock together when the
top is closed, ensuring a
flush
surface.
sion tables feature tops that split open
on sliders to accept additional spacer
leaves. Extension tables can be built so
that the entire table opens
(page 107),
or
just
the top
(page 108).
Adjusable tops are made in muchthe
same way as solid wood tops
(page
93),
with a few important exceptions. Drop
leaves are best glued up from quarter-
sawn wood, where the growth rings are
at right angles to the face. This will
reduce the tendency of the wood to cup.
Since it shrinks and swells less than
plain-sawn stock, quartersawn wood is
also ideal for the tops of extension tables,
where the grain runs across the width
of the table.
MAKING A RULE IOINT F(|R A DROP-LEAF TABLE
1
Routing the cove in the leaves
I The easi est wav to make a rul e i oi nt
i s
by using a matchei set of piloted cove and
round-over rout er bi t s. Fi rst , i nst al l t he
round-over bi t i n your router and shape a
bead around t he t abl et op and t he t hree
outside edges of the leaves. Make the cut
i n several
passes, l eavi ng a %-i nch l i p
around the edge. Then i nstal l the pi l oted
cove bi t and mount the router i n a tabl e.
Al i gn t he f ence wi t h t he bi t pi l ot so t he
wi dt h of cut eoual s one-hal f t he cut t er
di ameter. Set the depth of cut shal l ow at
fi rst; make several
passes to reach your
f i nal dept h
gradual l y. Feed t he t abl e
l eaf i nto the bi t,
pressi ng the edge of the
workpi ece fi rml y agai nst the fence
(/eff).
After each
pass, test-fi t the
pi eces unti l
the tabl etoo and the l eaf mesh wi th a
very sl i ght
gap
between the two.
101
TOPS
r)
Instal l i ng the rul e
j oi nt
hi nge
Z. Posi t i on t he short er hi nge l eaf agai nst t he undersi de of t he
t abl et op and t he l onger hi nge l eaf agai nst t he t abl e l eaf ; t he
hi nge pi n shoul d be al i gned wi t h t he st art of t he round-over cut
on the tabl etop
(i nset).
Offset the hi nge pi n Yzz i nch toward the
edge of t he t abl et op f or cl earance. 0ut l i ne t he hi nge on bot h
t he t abl et op and t he l eaf and r out out t he wast e. Chi sel out
t he mort i ses t o accept t he hi nge pi ns (above),
t hen screw t he
hi nges i n pl ace.
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SUPPORTING A DROP LEAF
Usi ng a commerci al drop-l eaf support
Cut a not ch i n t he mi ddl e of t he rai l adj a-
cent to the tabl e l eaf to accommodate the
support.
(For
drop l eaves more than 3 feet
l ong, use t wo support s, l ocat ed about
6 i nches f rom each end. ) Wi t h t he l eaves
i nst al l ed and t he t abl et oo at t ached. set
t he t abl e upsi de-down on a work surf ace.
Sl i de t he support i n t he not ch, posi t i oni ng
i t so t hat i t f ul l y suppor t s t he l eaf
,
and
screw it in place (right).
r02
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TOPS
ir;
DROP.IEAF SUPPORTS
l f commerci al drop-l eaf supports are
too bul ky for your tabl e,
you can easi l y
make supports that wi l l compl ement
your desi gn. Before attachi ng the l eg-
and-rai l assembl y to the tabl etop, cut
two notches i n the top edge of each
si de rai l adj oi ni ng a drop l eaf . The
not ches shoul d be about 6 i nches
from the ends of the rai l and si zed to
f rt t he support s
you wi l l make. For
each l eaf, cut two supports from the
same st ock you used t o bui l d your
t abl e. The support s shoul d be suf f i -
ci ent to hol d the drop l eaf; the one
i n t he i l l ust rat i ons at ri ght i s cut 2
i nches wi de and 14 i nches l ong f rom
%-i nch-thi ck stock.
To prepare the supports,
you need
to rout two grooves down the mi ddl e
of each one to accommodate screws
and washers. Cut one
groove hal fway
through the support sl i ghtl y wi der than
the washers you will use
(inset);
cen-
ter the second
groove i n the fi rst one,
maki ng i t sl i ghtl y wi der than the screw
shanks and cut t i ng ri ght t hrough t he
support. Both grooves shoul d stop 2
i nches from each end of the support.
At t ach a knob t o one end of t he
support to make i t easy to sl i de i n the
rai l not ch. Set t he f ul l y assembl ed
tabl e upsi de down on a work surface,
sl i de the support i nto the notch, and
posi ti on i t so that i t supports the l eaf.
l nstal l a screw and washer i nto the top
at the i nsi de end of the groove, dri vi ng
t he screw unt i l i t meet s t he washer
(right,
top). This screw will be the sup-
port ' s out ward st op. To mount t he
i nward stop, retract the sl i de so the
knob-end i s f l ush wi t h t he rai l , and
i nstal l a second screw and washer the
same way as the first
(right,
bottom).
Outward etop
Support
t L" x2" x14"
103
TOPS
PIVOTING DR()P.LEAF SUPP()RTS
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illl llll lllr ilIl ljlt llll llll lllt t]l] illj tjll llll t]il iltl llll ilij tllj lll
9HO7 Tt?
Level i ng drop l eavee
OroV l eaveo thal droop
can be l evel ed eaei l y
wi t h a ehal l ow
wedge. Gl ue
l he pi ece of
wood to the
undersi de of
Lhe l eaf i n l i ne wi t h
l he droVl eaf euVVort .
The wedqe wi l l
j ack
t he l eaf up when t he
oupporl i e el i d
i nLo pooi t i on.
Maki ng and i nstal l i ng the pi vot
rai l
An al ternate method of buttressi ng drop
l eaves i s wi th pi voti ng
supports. Housed
i n a not ched sect i on of t he t abl e rai l , t he
support pi vot s
on a dowel t o hol d t he
dr op l eaf when t he l eaf i s ext ended
(above,
l eft), then al i gns wi th the rai l
when t he l eaf i s not needed. Begi n by
cutti ng the supports from the same stock
used for the tabl e: Make one for a drop
l eaf t hat adj oi ns an end rai l , and t wo f or
a l eaf adj acent t o a si de r ai l . The sup-
ports shoul d be as thi ck as the rai l s, one-
hal f t hei r wi dt h, and t wi ce as l ong as t he
di stance between the rai l and the mi ddl e
of the drop l eaf when the tabl e i s assem-
bl ed. Angl e t he ends of t he support and
notch the top edge of the rai l to match.
Thi s wi l l al l ow the support to cl ose al most
f l ush wi t h t he r ai l . Bor e a hol e i n t he
centers of the support and the notch for
a dowel or a bl i nd pi vot hi nge; each
hol e shoul d be sl i ght l y deeper t han one-
hal f t he dowel or hi nge l engt h. Gl ue t he
dowel or i nst al l t he hi nge i n t he hol e i n
the rai l
(i nset),
pl ace the support on the
dowel , and assembl e t he t abl e.
t04
TOPS
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GATE LEGS F()R A SIX-LEGGED TABTE
1
l nstal l i ng the
gate l egs
I 0n si x-l egged
gatel eg tabl es, the tabl e l eaves are supported
by two swi ngi ng
gate l egs hi nged to the tabl e rai l s and stretch-
ers. The tabl e shown at ri ght has a standard four-l egged l eg-and-
rai l assembl y, an addi ti onal set of rai l s, cal l ed stretchers, i nstal l ed
near the bottom of the l egs, and two gate l egs. The tabl etop i s
connected to two l eaves wi th rul e
j oi nts (pages
101-102). fhe
central porti on of the top can be narrower than on a drop-l eaf
t abl e, but t he wi dt h of t he I eaves shoul d not exceed t he hei ght
of t he t abl e, or t he l eaves wi l l t ouch t he f l oor when t hey are not
i n use. The gate l egs are attached after the base i s
j oi ned
to the
tabl etop
(pages
96-99). Cut four gatel eg rai l s: two to
j oi n
the
gate l egs to the tabl e rai l s, and two more to connect the l egs to
t he st ret chers. The rai l s shoul d be l ong enough t o hol d t he
gat e
l egs near t he cent er of t he l eaves. Joi n t he gat e rai l s t o t he l egs
wi th morti se-and-tenon
j oi nts (page
76); use hi nges to fasten
the rai l s near the mi ddl e of the stretchers and tabl e rai l s ti ght),
maki ng sure t he gat e l egs wi l l rest bet ween t he f i xed l egs
when the l eaves are down.
O
Instal l i ng
gatel eg stops
L
,l se
wooden stops to hol d the gate
l egs i n pl ace when t he l eaves are i n use.
Set t he t abl e upsi de down on a work sur-
f ace and swrng open t he gat e l egs unt i l
they are centered on the l eaves. Butt a
smal l wood bl ock agai nst the outsi de of
each gate l eg and screw i t to the under-
side of the leaf
(left).
105
TOPS
Swing legs were traditionally attached
to table rails with wooden hinges. Some-
times called knuckle
joints,
these were
made by cutting interlocking
fingers
into
the hinge rail and the swing-Ieg rail. The
two rails were then connected by a wood-
en or metal pin. These joints qre
still
used on reproductions of antique swing-
leg tables. On most modern tables, a
metal crankedhinge is now used.
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SWING LEGS FOR A FOUR.LEGGED TABLE
9win4leq
Usi ng a cranked hi nge
In a four-l egged swi ng-l eg tabl e, there are two fi xed l egs and
two swi ng l egs that pi vot out to support the l eaves
(abovd.fo
assembl e thi s tabl e, fi rst prepare a top wi th a rul e
j oi nl (pages
101-102), then make four l egs and rai l s, maki ng any necessary
preparati ons
for the method you wi l l use l ater to attach the top
(page
96-99). Joi n onl y two l egs to the rai l s at opposi te corners;
use mortise-and-tenon
joinls (page
76). Set the two other legs
asi de as swi ng l egs, and
j oi n
t he rai l s at t he t wo remai ni ng
corners wi t h dovet ai l or box
j oi nt s.
Next , cut t he hi nge and
swi ng-l eg rai l s, one f or each swi ng l eg. Cut recesses i n t he
t abl e r ai l s, t he swi ng- l eg r ai l s, and t he hi nge r ai l s f or t he
cranked hi nge; t hi s wi l l al l ow t he swi ng-l eg rai l s t o si t f l ush
agai nst t he t abl e rai l s. Al so cut a not ch rn t he l egs so t hey wi l l
wrap around t he t abl e rai l s when t he l eaves are down. Screw
t he hi nge rai l s t o t he t abl e rai l s and
j oi n
t he swi ng-l eg rai l s t o
the swi ng l egs wi th morti se-and-tenon
j oi nts.
Fasten the swi ng
l egs i n pl ace wi th cranked hi nges, screwi ng one l eaf of the
hi nge to the tabl e rai l and the otherto the swi ng-l egrai t
(teft).
Now pl ace the tabl etop top-si de down, posi ti on the swi ng-l eg
assembl y i n pl ace, and screw the two together.
Hinae rail n
" \
U
106
TOPS
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DIVIDING EXTENSI()N TABTES
1
Posi ti oni ng the tabl e extenders
I To make a di vi di ns ext ensi on t abl e
wi th l egs and rai l s that-move when the top
i s expanded, bui l d a l eg-and-rai l assem-
bl y and a t op. But rat her t han at t achi ng
t hem, cut bot h i n hal f on your t abl e saw.
(To
ensure that the tabl etop hal ves do not
expand at di f f erent rat es as a resul t of
humi di t y changes, al i gn t he grai n of t he
top across i ts wi dth.) Attach the l eg-and-
rai l assembl i es t o t he t op hal ves, maki ng
sure t he cut edges of t he rai l s and t ops
al i gn per f ect l y. The commer ci al t abl e
extenders shown on this
page are screwed
t o t he undersi de of t he t abl et op hal ves.
To determi ne the posi ti on of the extenders,
set the tabl e hal ves upsi de down on a work
surf ace and mark l i nes on t he undersi de
of t he t oos 4 t o 6 i nches f rom t he si de
rai l s. To ensure t he l i nes are
perpendi cu-
l ar t o t he
j oi nt
bet ween t he t op hal ves,
use a carpente(s square
(right).
r-)
Installing the table extenders
L ltiarV,the center of each segment of the
t abl e ext enders wi t h a penci l . Then posi -
tion the extenders face down on the under-
si de of t he t abl et op, al i gni ng t he cent er
marks wi th the
j oi nt
between tabl e hal ves
and t he i nsi de segment s wi t h t he l i nes
you marked i n st ep 1. Bef ore screwi ng
t he ext enders down, open t hem sl i ght l y;
t hi s ensur es t hat t her e wi l l be no gap
between the top hal ves when the tabl e i s
cl osed. Wi t h t he t abl et op hal ves but t ed
t oget her and ends f l ush, screw t he out -
si de segment s of t he ext enders t o t he
top, dri vi ng screws through the predri l l ed
hol es
(/eff).
Cut a l eaf to f i t the openi ng
between the top hal ves.
r07
TOPS
NON.DIVIDING EXTENSION TABTES
1
Maki ng the decorati ve apron
I 0n a non- di vi di ng ext ensi on t abl e- wi t h t abl et op hal ves t hat
open whi l e the l eg-and-rai l assembl y remai ns stati onary-the top
hal ves are attached to the outsi de movabl e segments of the exten-
der s and t he r ai l s ar e f ast ened t o cr osspi eces t hat ar e scr ewed
t o t he mi ddl e f i xed ext ender segment s
( above,
/ ef t ) . St ar t by
cut t i ng t he t op i n hal f . Now bui l d a decor at i ve apr on- and- post
assembl y for each tabl etop hal f and screw each i n pl ace (above,
right), The aprons and posts are
loined
(page
76) and attached to
the top
(page
96)i n the same fashi on as a l eg-and-rai l assembl y.
Fasten the tabl e extenders to the top hal ves as you woul d for a
di vi di ng extensi on Iabl e
(page
107). At thi s poi nt, the assembl y
i s l i ke an ordi nary di vi di ngt abl e, wi t h corner post s i n pl ace of l egs.
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r)
Prepari ng the l eg-and-rai l assembl y
L t o suppor t t he t abl e. you must now
bui l d a l eg- and- r ai l assembl y t hat wi l l f i t
i nsi de t he decor at i ve aor on. To at t ach
t he cr osspi eces t hat
j oi n
t he assembl y
t o t he t abl e ext ender s, cut f our not ches
i n t he t op edge of t he si de r ai l s usi ng a
chisel and a wooden mallet
(right).
Make
sur e t he not ches i n oooosi t e r ai l s ar e
per f ect l y al i gned. Scr ew t he cr osspi eces
t o t he r ai l s.
t
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i - t
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u
I r n^ ant 2az
Tahl el - nn
hal f
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r0B
TOPS
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1 Attachi ns the l es-and-rai l
<.
r-,1 assembl y to the tabl e extenders
Compl et e t he t abl e wi t h t he t op upsi de
down on a work surface. Center the l eg-and-
r ai l assembl y i nsi de t he decor at i ve apr on.
The cr osspi eces wi l l r est on t he f i xed seg-
ment s of t he t abl e ext ender s. Scr ew t hem
i n pl ace (ri ght).
CUI a l eaf to f i t the open-
i ns i n t he t abl e.
PEDESTAL EXTENSION TABLES
Attachi ng the base to the top
To make an extensi on tabl e wi th a pedestal
base, st art wi t h a t op and an apron-and-
post assembl y l i ke t hat of a non-di vi di ng
extensi on tabl e
(page
l 0B). Attach the
out si de sl i di ng segment s of t wo t abl e
ext enders t o t he t oo hal ves. You are now
ready to attach the base to the fi xed por-
t i on of t he ext enders. Make sure t he rai l s
of t he pedest al base ext end beyond t he
f i xed segment s, and bore hol es f or coun-
t ersi nki ng screws t hrough t he rai l s. Al i gn
t he hol es over t he mi ddl e f i xed segment s
of the extenders and screw them toeether.
Apron-and-rarl
aeaembly
Pedeatal baee ratl
r 09
TOPS
INSTALLING LEAVES ON A TRESTLE TABTE
O
Instal l i ng the spacer l eaves
L Cut and shape spacer l eaves t o f i t
between the too and the breadboard ends.
Make the l eaves sl i ghtl y narrower than the
t abl e openi ng so t hey can be i nsert ed and
removed easi l y. To hol d each l eaf i n al i gn-
ment when i nst al l ed, use dowel s at i t s
breadboard-end edge and tabl etop eveners
(page
92) at the other edge. For the dow-
el s, bore hol es i n t he edge of t he bread-
board end and the leaf
(page
74), Ihen
gl ue t he dowel s i n t he l eaf . Screw t hree
oai rs of eveners t o t he undersi de of t he
l eaf at t he ot her edge and t he t abl et op.
To use t he spacer l eaves, ext end each
breadboard end ful l y, set the l eaf i n pl ace
(ri ght ),
and push t he t abl e cl osed unt i l
t he dowel s f i t i nt o t hei r hol es and al l t he
pi eces butt together.
1
Instal l i ng trestl e tabl e sl i des
I To i nst al l spacer l eaves on a t rest l e
t abl e, f i rst cut and rout t wo
"breadboard"
ends usi ng the same bi t you used to shape
t he r est of t he t abl et oo. Then set t he
t abl e upsi de down on a wor k sur f ace,
al i gn t he breadboard ends wi t h t he end of
the top, and
posi ti on
two commerci al tres-
t l e t abl e sl i des f ace- down on t he t oo' s
undersi de. The ends of t he sl i des' i nsi de
segment s shoul d be f l ush wi t h t he
j oi nt
bet ween t he t abl e and t he breadboard
ends; t he sl i des shoul d al so be par al l el
t o t he t abl et op edges. Screw t he i nsi de
segment s of t he sl i des t o t he t abl et op
(l eft).
Before screwi ng the outsi de seg-
ment s t o t he br eadboar d ends, open
t he sl i des sl i ght l y t o ensur e t hat t her e
wi l l be no gaps i n t he t op when t he t abl e
i s cl osed.
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1 1 0
TOPS
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TABLE.TOCKING HARDWARE
punch i mpreeei one on Nhe
edqe of Nhe Nop, provid-
i ng eLarl i nq poi nf , e
. , / -
. "a'
l or bor i nq I he
mati nq hol ee.
ilIl illt lrll t]ll llll tlll llll llll llll llrl lll illl illl llll ilil lll llll ljll
)HO? TI ?
Aligning table leaveo with dowel centero
To keep Nabl e l eavee
Vroperl y
al i qned wi thl abl e'
LoVe, maLi nq hol ee for dowel e or al i qnmentr
Vi ns
mueL l i ne up preci oel y, Oowel cenl erl are
i deal f or Nhi e Naek. For l he Nabl e ohown
here, bore hol ee i n one edqe of Nhe l eaf
and i neerL dowel cenNers.Then al i an
/-'
the leaf with Nhe NoV and butt them
f::
the leaf with Lhe t oV and butt them
rZffi
Zi\%if ;;11':';ilni^:;'oZnouffi
-i*"r----::-::
Instal l i ng a tabl e l ock
To orevent an ext ensi on t abl e f rom sl i d-
i ng open when i t i s moved, i nst al l t abl e-
l ocki ng har dwar e on t he under si de of
t he t op. The t abl e l ock shown normal l y
keeps t he t op hal ves t oget her. By si m-
pl y reachi ng under t he end of t he t abl e
and pul l i ng on t he wi r e, t he l at ch i s
opened. To i nstal l the tabl e l ock, center
and screw t he l at ch on t he t abl e
j oi nt .
Then ext end t he wi re t o one end and
f i x i t i n pl ace usi ng t he scr ew and cl i p
provi ded (above).
of r,he dowel cenNere will ^--
-=.*NRlnil*
--
-
DECORATIVE ELEMENTS
A glass top can lighten the
Iook of a large table. The top
can either consist of a single
pane of glass, or incorporate
glass as a design element,
as in the
framed-glass
top of
the mahogany coffee table
shown at right.
INSTATTING A FRAMED.GTASS TOP
1
Prepari ng the frame
I Prepare the four frame pi eces by shapi ng thei r outsi de edges
and rabbeti ng the i nsi de edges to hol d the gl ass. Use si ock that
i s at l east % i nch thi ck and 2% i nches wi de. For the shapi ng
cut s, i nst al l a decorat i ve mol di ng bi t i n your rout er and mount
the tool i n a tabl e. Use three featherboards to suooort the work-
pi ece: t wo cl amped t o t he f ence on ei t her si de of t he bi t and
one secured to the tabl e. Feed the stock face-down
(above.
bfi l .fo cut the rabbets, attach an auxi l i ary wooden fence to
your t abl e saw and i nst al l a dado head, adj ust i ng i t s wi dt h t o
the rabbet wi dth-about % i nch. Set the cutti ng hei ght to the
gl ass thi ckness. Usi ng three featherboards to support the work-
pi ece, posi ti on
the fence for the wi dth of cut and saw the rab-
bets hbove, ri ght).
(l n
both i l l ustrati ons, the featherboard on
the outfeed si de of the fence has been removed for cl ari tv.)
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LT2
TOPS
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Gl ui ng up the frame and
i nstal l i ng the gl ass
Once you have shaped and rabbet ed t he
frame pi eces, cut them to l ength wi th 45"
mi t ers at t hei r ends. For added st rengt h,
j oi n
t he corners wi t h bi scui t
j oi nt s.
Cl amp
t he oi eces t o a work surf ace and use a
pl at e j oi ner
t o cut mat i ng sl ot s i n t he
mi tered ends
(above).
Insert gl ue and one
bi scui t at each corner
(l eft)
and cl amp the
frame together. Next, attach the frame to
t he l eg- and- r ai l assembl y of your t abl e
(page
96). Measure t he openi ng i n t he
frame and have a sheet of tempered gl ass
at l east %-i nch t hi ck cut t o f i t . To i nst al l
t he gl ass, gl ue st ri ps of f el t i nt o t he rab-
bets to act as a cushi on
(i nsei l ,
then set
t he sl ass i n t he f rame.
1 1 3
TOPS
INSTALLING A LEATHER TOP
1
Gl ui ng l eather to a base panel
I Tops for tabl es and desks can i ncorpo-
rate l eather i n thei r desi gn. Thi s exampl e
features a leather-covered panel surround-
ed by a wood frame. To start, cut a piece
of leather to cover the face and edges of a
base panel , t ypi cal l y %-i nch pl ywood;
usi ng l eather that wei ghs at l east 4 ounces
per
square foot
(about
Xe i nch thi ck) wi l l
prevent the surface of the panel from show-
ing through the leather. Use contact cement
t o at t ach t he mat eri al t o t he f ace of t he
panel and smooth i t down
(ri ght).To
en-
abl e t he l eat her t o bond cl eanl y around
the edges, cut out smal l squares at each
corner
(inset).
Then glue it to the edges.
O
Instal l i ng the
panel
i n a frame
L tttat<e and gl ue up a tabl etop frame
for the l eathered panel as you woul d for a
glass-framed top
(page
112). Fit the panel
i n the frame and set the assembl y upsi de
down on a work surface. Fasten the oanel
to the frame, spaci ng screws at 6- to 8-
inch intervals
(/eff,).
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INSTALLING A TILE TOP
llt'II1 ffi-.llf1th{r-llf"tll
-{Il .lflr{r "llr"ll}1ll"1ll-llll
llll llll
5HO7 Tt?
A felr-iopped writing deok
Decauee fel t i s nol ae sLi ft as l eaLher,
maki n7 a fel N-covered deekto? can
be a tricky taek. 1larL by
cul Ni nq a ehal l ow receoo
i n the top for Lhe fab-
ri c, uei nq a rouher fi l .'
ted with a etraiqht bft.
Cut a piece of heavy
fel ttc; fi tthe recess,
i ron out any wri nkl eo,
and ql ue t he mal eri al
i n ol ace. Do noI use
l i qui d ql ue, a6 i N may
bl eed throu1h Lhe fabri c:
i nstead, uee a opray adhe-
eive lormulated Io bond fab'
ri c t o wood. Smooth ouI l he
fabric wilh a veneer roller.
Ceramic, marble, or slate tiles can also
be incorporated into tops
for
tables or
deslcs. Making a tile top is much like
making a leather one (page ll4). The
tiles are glued to a substrate of
'h-inch
plywood, which is then screwed to a
tabletop
frame.
As the tiles are being
glued down, rubber spacers are in-
stalled to maintain the proper spacing.
Once the adhesive dries, the spacers
are removed and the gaps between
the tiles are grouted.
.i,
]:,
",
\--
-''\
1 1 5
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I
irtually all desks and many
tables need drawers. And no
matter what their use, all drawers
must meet essentially the same
requirements. Whether you are
making three or four sturdy draw-
ers for a desk pedestal, like the one
shown in the photo on page 116, or
a single unit for an end table, each
drawer must fit precisely and with-
stand considerable stress, while also
complementing the design of the
furniture that holds it.
The first step in building a draw-
er is to consider its use. What will
the drawer contain? How much use
will it receive? These matters will
determine the type of wood and
joineryyou
choose.
Start with the drawer front. It is
not only the most visible piece, it
also undergoes the most stress. A
solid, durable
joint
is required to
DWRS
Rather than measuring a drawer opening
with a tape or a rule, use the drawer parts them-
selves. Here, a drawer side is inserted into its
opening and a cuttingline is marked on the
stock in line with the
front
edge of the opening.
A shim at thebackwill ensure that the drawer
is slightly shorter than the opening and will
not close against the back of the carcase.
durable wood that is resistant to
warping.Ash, oak, maple, and cher-
ry are all strong enough to with-
stand heavy use. Softer species like
pine and poplar are usable, but only
for smaller drawers. Some cabinet-
makers choose contrasting woods
like walnut and ash for the front and
sides to highlight the
joinery
when
the drawer is opened.
Beyond appearance and strength,
a drawer must fit perfectly. A draw-
er that
jams
or chatters when it is
opened and closed will wear more
quickly than one that whispers qui-
etly. There are several ways to
mount drawers, as shown begin-
ning on page 133. Each method is
designed to support the drawer, pre-
vent it from tipping as it is pulled
out, and stop it as it slides home.
Preparing dust frames for bottom-
run drawers is shown in the
keep it firmly attached to the sides.
foinery
methods are shown
beginning on page 120. The front should also blend attrac'
tively with the grain of the wood surrounding it. For struc-
tural reasons, the grain of the front should run horizontally.
Vertical grain will not produce solid
joints;
it will also be prone
to greater movement with moisture changes.
The stock you use for the drawer sides and back does not
have to be the same as for the front-provided you choose a
Casework chapter
(page
28). The section on drawer stops
(page
J38) presents several effective ways to stop drawers from being
pulled out or pushed in too far.
Hardware adds the final touch to a drawer. The selection
shown on page 119 offers some suggestions. Locks are applied
to drawers both for securing valuables and to copy tradition-
al pieces. Steps for installing a half-mortise lock are shown
starting on page 131.
Combining strength with appearance, half-blind dovetails are
a popular choice
for
joining drawer
fronts
to sides. Here, a dove-
tailed drawer is slid into one side of a double-pedestal desk.
ANMOMYOFADRAWER
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A
drawer i s essenti al l y an open box,
A consi st i ng of a f ront , a back, t wo
sides, and a bottom. The front is most
often made from thicker stock than the
sides and back; the bottom is typically
made from Z-i nch pl ywood. Beyond
these general similarities, drawers vary
in style, methods of
joinery,
and tech-
niques of mounting. Many drawer-mak-
ing options are illustrated below and on
the following page.
Three popular drawer front styles are
shown directlybelow. Installing a draw-
er can be a tricky operation, especially
if the drawer is
poorly
made. An out-of-
square draweri an someti mes be con-
ceiled with a false front, but if it is badly
twisted, it will be almost impossible to
install so that it opens smoothly. Several
joints
for assembling drawers are also
shown below; each possesses different
qualities of strength and durability,
Installing hardware is the final, and
usually the simplest, step in building a
drawer. The selection of drawer hard-
ware shown on page 119 wi l l provi de
you with many options.
l l *
t%
1
Falsefront: A separate
front
is
attached to the stntctural
f'onr;
conceals end grnin of drawer sides
Flush
front:
Allows the drawer
to
fit
entirely within the carcase;
also known as an inset drawer
Lipped
front:
A rabbeted
front
creates a lip that is useful
for
con-
cealing commercial runners when
the drawer is closed. Lip performs
double duty as drawer stop
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t'"*.t;:
tt,"
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1
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,,,u,_o
:
DRAWER J()INTS
i''
' l ' i
Rabbet
For back-to-aide
jointe;
aloo etronq
enouqh for joininq the
frontto Lhe ei dea
tf reinforced wrth
ecrewo or natle.
9uiLable for aalid
wood or plywood
Through dovetail
)Lronq, decorative
joint for any drawer
corner; end qrain of
drawer aides can be
concealed with falae
front. Appropriate
for aalid wood buL
not plywood
Half-blind dovetail
The traditional joint
for connecting f,he
fronf, to the eidea;
conceale end
4rain
of
eidee. 9uitable only
for Eolid wood
Dado
Commonly Lo join
the back to Lhe
aidee: for aolid
wood or plywood
Double dado
For any corner of
a arawer; conceal1
end
7rarn
of eidea,
)uitable only for
aolid wood
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DRAWER HARDWARE
drawer Eides
;.
DRAWER-MOUNTING METH(l DS
Commeraial elide runners
....
Metal elidee screwed
to drawer eidee mate
'1fi"'
with runnera acrewed iii,i
. i i i l
LO Carj age ,t:
"'i l"'t' '
iiji
"--;":t'
, , , 1
' ' \
' :
iiil
DRAWERS
Kunner
Bottom-run
Drawer alidea on rail-and-runner
aeeembl y wtth or wtthout duet
panel. Twin Lenona aL enda of ratle
are qlued into double mortieea cuL
inLo carcaae panelo: one edqe of
runnere can be rabbeted to fit into
groove cut into carcase aidee or
grooved for a apline joint (paqe 37)
Duet frame ia aesembled with
m orLi e e- a n d
-Le
n on
j o I nt7
side-mounted iiii
\'\
Wooden elidea
,, \
ecrewed to carcaoe
:;; L
'
eide panela run,in ti\i
..r. \
qroovea routed in
! - l
}
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Commeraial elide runners
Uaed to mount drawera in
carcageo; bottom runner
(top) and aide runner (riqht).
Farticularly ouitable for draw-
ere that will carry heavy loada
= o l a
i
-*Ttr
- d. Drawer handlea
*ttf one or more are mounrea
G,
'
o, arawer irontr; avatape
il\
'
**-
in stvlee as varied ae
ffi-
Esautaheona
r',-fi
?rotect wood eur-
roundin4 keyhole; plate
r.
eacutcheon(l etr,tup)
1 I
and decorative braaa
threaded eacutcheon
(lefE, botbom)
Half-moft,ise loak
Mounted in half-mortiae cut
into back face of drawer
front; bolt extends into mor'
tiee cut in rail of carcase
Chippendale and thaker to
W
9lide
1 1 9
DRAWERIOINERY
hen you have settled on the size
of a drawer, it is time to choose
the right
joinery.
Since the corners ofa
drawer undergo different stresses, choose
your joints
accordingly. The front-to-
side connections endure the most stress
and require the strongest joinery.
The
connections between the back and sides
are less affected by everyday use and
therefore do not have to be as solid.
The following pages present several
j oi nery
opti ons. Three of them-the
half-blind
(below)
and through dovetail
(page
125), and the double dado
(page
1271--<an only be used with solid wood.
Each of these
joints
is strong enough to
connect the front to the sides, although
the double dado should be reserved for
small, light-duty drawers. For pllwood
drawers, use a rabbetjoint for any ofthe
connections, or a standard dado
joint
to
attach the back oiece to the sides.
Dffirent joints
for
dffirent needs:
A dado-and-rabbet joint
works well
for
attaching the back to the sides of a
drawer. The
front
demands a stronger
joint
that will conceal the end grain of
the sides-in this case, a double dado.
The
joinery
options you choose will
also affect the appearance ofthe drawer.
Unless you are installing a false front,
choose a
joint
like the half-blind dovetail
or double dado to conceal the end grain
of the sides.
Drawer bottoms fit into a groove cut
in the sides and front. The groove can
be cut with a saw before the ioinerv cuts
are made (page
123)or once the diawer
i s assembl ed, usi ng a tabl e-mounted
router and a three-wing slotting cutter.
Before gluing up, make sure you have
decided on a mounting method. A side-
hung drawer, for example, needs to have
a groove cut in its side before the draw-
er is assembled
(page
133).
Before you begin cutting, select the
most attracti ve face of each
part
and
mark i t wi th an X to desi gnate i t as the
outside of the drawer. Reserve the most
visually appealing piece for the front.
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HALF-BLIND DOVETAIT J()INTS
' l
Marki ng the pi n boaro
I Mar k t he out si de f aces of al l t he boar ds wi t h an X. Then
set a cut t i ng gauge t o about t wo{hi rds t he t hi ckness of t he
pi n
board-the drawer front-and mark a l i ne across the end, cl oser
to the outsi de than the i nsi de face
(above,
/eff). Adj ust the cut-
t i ng gauge t o t he t hi ckness of t he drawer si des and scri be a
l i ne on t he i nsi de f ace of t he f ront t o mark t he shoul der l i ne of
t he t ai l s. Next , use a dovet ai l square t o out l i ne t he pi ns on an
end of t he f r ont ; t he wi de par t of t he pi ns
shoul d be on t he
i nsi de f ace of t he st ock so t he f ront does not pul l away f rom
t he si des. There are no st ri ct gui del i nes f or spaci ng dovet ai l
pi ns, but f or most drawers, a hal f -pi n at each edge and t wo
evenl y spaced pi ns i n bet ween makes a st rong and at t ract i ve
j oi nt .
To compl et e t he marki ng, secure t he f ront i n a vi se and
use a t ry square and a penci l
t o ext end t he l i nes on t he board
end to the shoul der l i ne on i ts i nsi de face
(above,
ri ght). Mark
the waste secti ons wi th Xs as you go.
t20
DRAWERS
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r)
Gutti ng the pi ns
L S"rrr" t he drawer f ront i n a vi se wi t h
t he i nsi de f ace of t he st ock t oward
you,
t hen cut al ong t he edges of t he pi ns wi t h
a dovetai l saw
(l eft),
worki ng
your way
from one board edge to the other,
(Some
woodworkers
prefer to cut al l the l eft-hand
edges of t he pi ns, t hen move on t o t he
ri ght-hand edges.) Hol d the board steady
and al i gn t he saw bl ade
j ust
t o t he wast e
si de of t he cut t i ng l i ne; angl e t he saw
toward the waste to avoi d cutti ng i nto the
pi ns. Use smoot h, even st r okes, al l ow-
i ng the saw to cut on the push stroke. Con-
t i nue t he cut t o t he shoul der l i ne, t hen
repeat to saw the pi ns at the other end of
t he board.
Q
Chi sel i ng out the waste
r.J Lay the drawer front i nsi de-face up on
a wor k sur f ace and cl amp a gui de bl ock t o
i t , al i gni ng r t s edge wi t h t he wast e si de of
t he shoul der l i ne. St ar t i ng at one edge of
t he st ock, hol d t he f l at si de of a chi sel
agai nst t he gui de bl ock; t he bl ade shoul d
be no wi der than the narrowest
porti on
of
t he wast e sect i on. Wi t h t he chi sel
per pen-
di cul ar t o t he boar d f ace, st r i ke t he handl e
wi t h a wooden mal l et , maki ng a %- i nch-
deep cut i nto the wasl e
(ri ght).
Then hol d
t he chi sel bevel - up about % t nch bel ow
the board face and peel away a thi n l ayer
of wast e. Cont i nue unt i l
you r each t he
scr i bed l i ne on t he end of t he boar d.
Repeat t he
pr ocess wi t h t he r emai ni ng
waste secti ons, then
pare away any excess
waste
(step
4).
t2l
DRAWERS
Fi nal pari ng
Wor ki ng on one t ai l socket at a t i me,
remove the remai ni ng waste from between
t he pi ns.
Fi rst
press
t he f l at si de of t he
chi sel agai nst t he bot t om of t he socket
wi t h t he t humb of your l ef t hand; wi t h your
r i ght hand, push
t he chi sel t owar d t he
shoul der l i ne, shavi ng away t he l ast sl i vers
of waste
(lefil.
f hen pare
away any waste
from the si des of the
pi ns (i nset).
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f,
Layi ng out the tai l s
r-, f Set one drawer si de out si de-f ace
down on the work surface. Hol d the draw-
er f r ont end- down wi t h i t s i nsi de f ace
al i gned wi t h t he shoul der l i ne of t he t ai l
board, maki ng cert ai n t he edges of t he
boar ds ar e f l ush. Out l i ne t he t ai l s wl t h
a penci l (ri ght),
Ihen use a try square to
ext end t he l i nes on t he end of t he board.
Mark al l t he wast e sect i ons wi t h Xs.
DRAWERS
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Cutti ng the tai l s
Use a dovet ai l saw t o cut t he t ai l s
t he same way you cut t he pi ns
Gt ep 2).
Angl i ng the board
(ri ght),
ral her than the
saw, makes f or easi er cut t i ng. Secure t he
board so that the ri ght-hand edges of the
t ai l s are vert i cal . Saw smoot hl y and even-
l y al ong t he edges of t he t ai l s, st oppi ng at
t he shoul der l i ne. Reoosi t i on t he board i n
t he vi se t o cut t he l ef t -hand edges. Once
al l t he saw cut s have been made, remove
the waste wi th a chi sel as i n steps 3 and 4.
To avoi d spl i t t i ng t he t ai l s, remove about
hal f the waste, then fl i p the workpi ece over
t o chi sel out t he remai ni ns wast e.
J
Preparingthe drawer for a bottom panel
f Dryl i t t he drawer and mark any spot s where i he
j oi nt s
bi nd;
use a chi sel t o pare smal l amount s of wood t o achi eve a good
fi t. Loose
j oi nts
can be ti ghtened
(page
124). Next, use your
tabl e saw to cut a groove i n the drawer front and si des to accom-
modat e t he bot t om. I nst al l a dado head, adl ust i ng i t s wi dt h t o
t he t hi ckness of t he st ock
you pl an t o use f or t he bot t om
(t ypi -
cal l y % i nch). Mark t he groove on t he drawer f ront and si des; t he
groove shoul d be l ocat ed
j ust
above t he hal f -pi n at t he bot t om
edge of t he f ront . Al i gn t he groove mark wi t h t he dado head and
posi t i on t he ri p f ence agai nst t he edge of t he st ock. Adj ust t he
bl ade hei ght f or t he dept h of t he groove
(no
more t han one-hal f
t he st ock t hi ckness). Feed t he drawer f ront across t he t abl e
using a push stick
(left). (Caution:
Blade guard removed for clarity.)
Repeat t he cut on t he drawer si des. Then i nst al l a combi nat i on
bl ade and t ri m t he bot t om of t he back f l ush wi t h t he t op of t he
gr ooves i n t he si des and f r ont . Thi s wi l l al l ow t he bot t om t o
sl i de i nt o oosi t i on when t he drawer i s assembl ed.
Drawer aide
r23
DRAWERS
Gl ui ng up the drawer
Before assembl i ng the drawer, cut a
bottom panel from %-i nch pl ywood
or sol -
i d stock to fi t the drawer openi ng, addi ng
the depth of the grooves (l ess
%e i nch) to
i t s wi dt h and t he dept h of one groove
and the thi ckness of the back panel to i ts
l engh. To gl ue up dovet ai l
j oi nt s,
cl amp-
i ng pressure shoul d be appl i ed to the tai l
boards.
(On
the drawer shown above, the
back i s
j oi ned
t o t he si des wi t h t hrough
dovet ai l s. ) To di st ri but e cl ampi ng pres-
sure properl y, make a speci al l y notched
cl ampi ng bl ock f or each
j oi nt .
Each bl ock
shoul d be as l ong as t he wi dt h of t he
stock and notched so i t onl y touches the
tai l s and does not exert pressure on the
pi ns. Spread gl ue evenl y on al l t he con-
tacti ng surfaces of the boards and assem-
bl e t he
j oi nt s.
I nst al l a bar cl amp al ong
each pi n board, t hen t i ght en t he cl amps
a little at a Iime hbovd. Check the draw-
er for square
(page
128) and adj ust the
cl ampi ng pressure, i f necessary.
fifi lll ilt llll llt firl rlll illt llll l]It llll illl tlll fill lll ilIl illl lI]
1HO? TI ?
Fixing dovetaile
Even exo eri enced woodwork-
ers cul , Nhe occasi onat aove-
Lai l thaX fi ts a l i LIl e l ooeel y.
l n mosl caoeo, emal l gape
can be fi l l ed Io i mprove the
f i L and al l earance of t he
joinL,
CuN smallwooden wedqeo
f rom t he same wood as Nhe
drawer, t aperi n4 them eo Nhey
wi l l el i de i nt o Lhe openi nqe.
1pread ql ue on l he wedqee
and use a wooden mal l et , No
NaV t hem i n pl ace, 7and any
or oLr uei one f l ueh wi t h I he
surface of the drawer,
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t24
DRAWERS
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THROUGH D()VETAILS
' l
Marki ng the
pi n board
I t he t hrough dovet ai l i s si mi l ar t o t he hal f -bl i nd
j oi nt ,
except
t hat t he t ai l s ext end f ul l y t hr ough t he pi n boar d. To begi n
mar ki ng t he
j oi nt s,
make an X on t he out si de f aces of al l t he
boards. Then set a cutti ng gauge to the thi ckness of the stock
and scr i be a l i ne al ong bot h ends of t he boar ds t o mar k t he
shoul der of t he pi ns and t ai l s. Next secur e t he dr awer f r ont
end-up i n a vi se and use a dovet ai l square t o out l i ne t he pi ns
on t he end of t he board; t he wi de part of t he pi ns shoul d be on
t he i nsi de f ace of t he st ock. As wi t h t he hal f - bl i nd dovet ai l
(page
120), the spaci ng i s a matter of personal choi ce, but for
a typi cal drawer, a hal f-pi n at each edge and two evenl y spaced
pi ns bet ween provi de a good combi nat i on of st rengt h and
appearance
(ri ght).
Mark the waste secti ons wi th an X as you
go. Fi nal l y, use a combi nat i on square t o ext end al l t he dovet ai l
marks down bot h f aces of t he board t o t he shoul der l i nes.
Cutti ng the
pi ns
Leave the drawer front i n the vi se wi th i ts outsi de face toward
you. Use a dovetai l saw to cut al ong the edges of the pi ns, al i gn-
i ng t he saw bl ade
j ust
t o t he wast e si de of t he cut t i ng l i ne. Cut
al l the ri ght-hand edges fkst
(l eft),
then compl ete the l eft-hand
edges. Use smooth, even strokes, taki ng care to keep the bl ade
l evel as you cut to the shoul der l i nes. 0nce the pi ns are cut, l eave
the board i n the vi se and use a copi ng saw to remove as much of
the waste as possi bl e between the pi ns. At the si de of each pi n,
sl i de a copi ng saw bl ade i nt o t he kerf and rot at e t he f rame wi t h-
out st ri ki ng t he end of t he board. Keep t he bl ade about %o i nch
above the shoul der l i ne as you cut to the kerf on the edge of the
adj acent pi n (above).
Pare away any remai ni ng waste wi th a chi s-
el as you woul d for hal f-bl i nd dovetai l s
(page
122). Repeat the
orocess at the other end of the drawer front and for the back of
t he drawer, t hen mark and cut out t he t ai l s on t he drawer si des.
t25
DRAWERS
DOVETAIL IIGS
Hand-cut t i ng dovet ai l
j oi nt s
f or a l arge
number of drawers takes consi derabl e ti me
and pract i ce. Your rout er, pai red wi t h a
commerci al dovetai l
j i g
l i ke one of those
shown on thi s page, provi des an effi ci ent
al t ernat i ve. Al t hough rout er-and-j i g cut
dovetai l s may l ack the hand-crafted l ook
of sawn and chi sel ed
j oi nts,
they are
j ust
as strong, fi t together as wel l and, most
i mportantl y, can be produced i n a fracti on
of t he t i me. But remember t o f act or i n
setup ti me for the
j i gs.
l f you are maki ng
onl y a coupl e of drawers, hand tool s may
wel l be a faster al ternati ve.
Three popul ar dovet ai l
j i gs
are shown
bel ow. The model on t he l ef t f eat ures
i nt erchangeabl e t empl at es. Dependi ng
on whi ch templ ate i s used, the
j i g
enabl es
a router to cut the pi ns and tai l s for hal f-
bl i nd, through dovetai l s, or box
j oi nts
wi th
a si ngl e set up. The
j i g
i n t he cent er con-
si st s of t wo f i xed t empl at es f or cut t i ng
through dovetai l s. The templ ates are fas-
tened to backup boards that support the
workpi ece. One templ ate i s used for cut-
ti ng the pi ns, the other for the tai l s. The
j i g
on the ri ght can be used for routi ng
both hal f-bl i nd and through dovetai l
j oi nts.
Its si ngl e adj ustabl e templ ate al l ows you
to vary the si ze and spaci ng of the pi ns
and t ai l s, gi vi ng t he
j oi nt s
mor e of a
hand-crafted l ook.
Al l t hree
j i gs
work on essent i al l y t he
same pri nci pl e. A rout er i s f i t t ed wi t h a
dovet ai l bi t and a gui de bushi ng-bot h
usual l y provi ded wi th the
j i g.
By feedi ng
t he t ool al ong t he t empl at e, t he bi t i s
gui ded i n and out of the sl ots to cut away
the waste. The fi xed-templ ate
j i g
i s shown
i n acti on above. Once the temol ates have
been attached to backup boards, the pi n
and tai l boards are secured i n ol ace. For
several i denti cal
j oi nts,
a stop bl ock can
be cl amped t o t he backup boards f or
repeat cut s. The
j i g
i s shown produci ng
t he t ai l s of a i oi nt .
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t26
DRAWERS
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DOUBTE DADO JOINTS
1 Cutti ns dadoes i n a drawer front
t -
I Mar k one end of t he boar d, di vi di ng
i t s t hi ckness i nt o t hi r ds. Then, i nst al l a
dado head on your t abl e saw, adj ust i ng
t he wi dt h t o one- t hi r d t he t hi ckness of
t he dr awer f r ont . Set t he cut t i ng hei ght
equal i o t he t hi ckness of t he dr awer si des.
Next , i nst al l a commer ci al t enoni ng
l i g;
t he
model shown sl i des i n t he mi t er sl ot . Pr o-
t ect i ng t he st ock wi t h a wood pad, cl amp
t he dr awer f r ont t o t he
j i g.
Move t he
j i g
si deways t o al i gn t he mar ks so t hat t he
bl ades cut t he dado i n t he mi ddl e t hi r d
of t he boar d. Sl i de t he
j i g
al ong t o f eed
t he st ock. Tur n t he dr awer f r ont over and
cl amp i t t o t he
j i g
t o cut t he dado at t he
other end
(right).
!
Tri mmi ng the dado tongues
4- I nst al l a wooden auxi l i ary f ence on t he
ri p f ence, t hen mark a cut t i ng l i ne on t he
edge of t he drawer f ront t hat di vi des one
of t he t ongues on i t s i nsi de f ace i n hal f .
Wi t h t he st ock f l ush agai nst t he mi t er
gauge, i nsi de f ace down, al i gn your mark
wi t h t he dado head. But t t he f ence agai nst
t he st ock and r ai se t he bl ades t o cut a
rel i ef not ch i n t he f ence. Set t he cut t i ng
hei ght t o t r i m t he hal f - t ongue. Hol di ng
the drawer front fi rml y agai nst the gauge,
feed i t i nto the dado head. Turn the board
around and reoeat t he orocedure at t he
other end //eft).
r27
DRAWERS
Q
Cutti ng matchi ng dadoes
r-.f i n the drawer si des
To
j oi n
t he dr awer si des t o t he f r ont . cut
a dado near t he f r ont end of each si de.
The dado must mate wi th the hal f-tongue
on t he f r ont . Set t he cut t i ng hei ght t o
t he l engt h of t he hal f - t ongue and scr ew
a wooden ext ensi on boar d t o t he mi t er
gauge. To set t he wi dt h of cut , but t t he
dr awer si de agai nst t he f r ont and use a
penci l t o out l i ne t he hal f - t ongue on t he
dr awer si de. Hol d t he si de agai nst t he
ext ensi on and al i gn t he mar ks wi t h t he
dado head. Cl amp a s t op bl oc k f l us h
agai nst the end of the stock and feed the
board to cut the dado hbove). Repeat
t he cut on t he ot her si de
ilii fill llil ,iit iltJ Jb t:ll lllt ijli llii ,i[ l:ll ilt llll lll ,llJ dd J'
9HO7 Tt ?
Cheaki ng drawers for equare
To keep drawers oquare duri nq
ql ue up, measure Lhe di aqonal e
beNween oVpooi f,e cornero i mme'
di aLel y al Ler t i 7hLeni ng t he
cl ampo. Use Lwo eNi cke as a
meaouri nq j i g. bevel one end of
each stick eo thaL iL can exlend
i nl o an i nsi de corner of the draw-
er. To use the j tq, hol d Nhe ebi cke
face Lo face, eeal the bevel ed
ends i n oppoei Le corners, and
mark a l i ne acroes t hei r edqee.
Kepeatr wi Lh Lhe Lwo oNher cor-
ner s. The l wo mar ke ehoul d
al i qn exacl l y, l f noN, t he drawer
i o out - of - square, CorrecL t he
probl em by l ooeeni nq the cl amVo,
ol i di nq one j aw of each cl amV
away t rom Lhe j oi nl al oppooi t e
c o rn er s, an d r eLi qhl eni n q.
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\ 28
DRAWERS
GLUING UP A DRAWER WITH DADOES
()R
RABBETS
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LIPPED RABBET J()INTS
Cutti ng a l i pped rabbet i n a drawer front
To cut l i pped rabbets around the edges of a drawer
f ront , mark l i nes on i t s i nsi de f ace t o al l ow f or an
overhang of at l east
3/a
i nch
(i nset).
Al so mark the
rabbet depth on i ts edges-up to one-hal f the thi ck-
ness of t he drawer f ront . Cut t he rabbet s on t he
tabl e saw i n two steps, fi rst notchi ng the i nsi de face
of t he f ront wi t h t he bl ade hei ght set t o t he dept i
of the rabbets. These cuts are made wi th the stocf^
f ace down on t he saw t abl e. Then f eed t he st och
i nt o t he bl ade on end and on edge. Set t he bl ade
hei ght t o t he wi dt h of t he rabbet s, al i gn t he bl ade
wi t h t he marks f or t he rabbet dept h, and but t t he
f ence agai nst t he st ock. Keepi ng t he drawer f ront
fl ush agai nst the fence, feed i t on end i nto the bl ade
t o compl et e one rabbet . Turn t he board over and
repeat to cut the rabbet at the other end
(ri ght).
Then feed the stock i nto the bl ade on edge to cut
the rabbets on the top and bottom edges.
Usi ng bar cl amps
Before gl ui ng up a drawer, deci de how you
wi l l i nstal l i t
(page
133), si nce si de-mount-
i ng may requi re you to prepare the drawer
si des before fi nal assembl y. Appl y gl ue on
al l the contacti ng surfaces of the
j oi nts
and
assembl e t he dr awer . Ar r ange t wo bar
cl amps on a work surface and l ay the draw-
er on t hem, al i gni ng t he bars of t he cl amps
wi th the drawer front and back. Instal l two
more cl amps al ong t he t op of t he drawer.
l f you used rabbet
j oi nts
to assembl e the
drawer, i nst al l anot her t wo cl amps al ong
the drawer si des. Protect surfaces by pl ac-
i ng wood pads bet ween t he st ock and
t he cl amp
l aws.
Ti ght en t he cl amps
l ust
enough to close the
joints
fully
(left),
Ihen
check the drawer for square
(page
128).
Fi ni sh t i ght eni ng t he cl amps unt i l a bead
of gl ue squeezes out of t he
j oi nt s,
check-
i ng as you go t hat t he corners are square.
Once the adhesi ve has dri ed, scrape away
any dri ed gl ue. Sl i de t he bot t om panel i nt o
pl ace and secur e i t wi t h f i ni shi ng nai l s
dri ven up i nto the drawer back.
r29
DRAWERS
INSTALLING A BOTTOM WITH DRAWER SLIPS
r)
Mounti ng the sl i ps on the drawer
Z. t "t ot cf rt he sl i ps so t hat t hey cl ear t he back, t hen set t he
gl ued-up drawer upsi de down on a work surf ace, spread some
gl ue on t he cont act i ng sur f aces of t he sl i ps, and cl amp t hem
1
Maki ng t he sl i ps
I For drawer si des made from stock that i s
t oo t hi n t o be grooved f or a bot t om panel ,
i nst al l drawer sl i ps. Sl i ps al so provi de great er
bear i ng sur f ace f or bot t om- r un dr awer s.
Before the drawer i s assembl ed, prepare your
sl i p stock from a stri p of wood-1-by-1 stock
i s appropri ate for most drawers at l east as
l ong as t he combi ned l engt h of t he drawer
si des. Round over one corner of t he board,
then set up your tabl e saw to cut a groove i n
i t . I nst al l a dado head, adj ust i ng i t s wi dt h t o
t he t hi ckness of t he bot t om you wi l l use, and
set the cutti ng hei ght to about % i nch. Posi ti on
the sl i p stock fl ush agai nst the bottom edge
of the drawer front and mark the l ocati on of
t he groove on t he board. Al i gn t he mark wi t h
t he dado head and posi t i on t he r i p f ence
agai nst t he st ock. Cl amp on t wo f eat her -
boards, as shown, to support the workpi ece.
Saw t he groove, t hen crosscut i t i nt o t wo
l engt hs equal t o t he drawer si des measured
from the drawer front.
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agai nst t he si des and drawer f ront
t hat t he gr ooves i n t he sl i ps and
aligned
(above,
right).
(
a bove, l eft ). f,Aake certa i n
dr awer f r ont ar e per f ect l y
,/ ./l)'
./' ,y' ./
,//,t'
,,//'
130
DRAWERHARDWARE
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The
faceplnte
being attached
to the drawer"f"ont shown at
right
forms
part of a half-
morti se Iock. The l ock bol t
exl ettds i nto a nrorl i se cut i n
the rail or casework directly
above the drawer.
INSTALLING A HALF-M()RTISE LOCK
' l
Centeri ng the l ock
I Set the drawer on a work surface and
mar k t he mi dpoi nt bet ween t he si des on
the top edge of the front. Then use a com-
bi nat i on squar e t o ext end t he mar k ont o
t he i nsi de f ace of t he f r ont
( / ef f ) .
Next ,
hol d the l ock facepl ate
(see photo above)
agai nst the i nsi de of the drawer front, al i gn-
i ng t he keyhol e wi t h t he cent er mar k and
keepi ng t he f acepl at e l i p f l ush wi t h t he t op
edge of t he dr awer f r ont . Use a penci l t o
out l i ne t he f acepl at e on t he i nsi de f ace
and t op edge of t he f r ont .
1 3 1
DRAWERS
Cutti ng the l ock morti se
You need to cut three morti ses for the l ock: one for the face-
pl at e, anot her f or t he l ock housi ng, and a t hi r d f or t he f acepl at e
l i p. Thi s i s one of t he r ar e cases when t he r out er i s used f r ee-
hand. I nst al l a st r ai ght bi t i n t he t ool , set t he cut t i ng dept h t o
the thi ckness of the facepl ate, and cut a morti se i nsi de the marked
out l i ne f or t he f acepl at e. St ar t by gui di ng t he t ool i n a cl ockwi se
di r ect i on t o cut t he out si de edges of t he mor t i se; cl ear out t he
r emai ni ng wast e by f eedi ng t he t ool agai nst t he di r ect i on of bi t
r ot at i on. Use a chi sel t o souar e t he cor ner s and oar e t o t he l i ne.
For t he l ock housi ng, measur e t he di st ance bet ween t he edges
of t he f acepl at e and housi ng and t r ansf er t he measur ement t o
the fi rst morti se. Adj ust the router' s cutti ng depth to the thi ckness
of t he housi ng and cut i t s mor t i se. Next , use t he chi sel t o cut
t he r ecess i n t he t op edge of t he dr awer f r ont f or t he f acepl at e
l i p
(above).
Test the fi t of the l ock i n the cavi ty and use the
chi sel to deepen or wi den any of the morti ses, i f necessary
(/eff).
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Q
Cutti ng the keyhol e
r - J Set t he l ock i n t he mor t i se and mar k
t he l ocat i on of t he keyhol e. You need t o
dr i l l t wo hol es f or t he key: one f or t he shaf t
and a smal l er hol e f or t he key bi t bel ow i t .
Bor e t he wi der hol e f i r st wi t h a bi t sl i ght l y
l ar ger t han t he key shaf t . Then use a bi t
sl i ght l y l ar ger t han t he t hi ckness of t he key
bi t t o bor e t he second hol e. Use a copi ng
saw to
j oi n
the two hol es
(rrght).
To fi ni sh
i nst al l i ng t he l ock, mount an escut cheon
on the outsi de face of the drawer to protect
t he wood sur r oundi ng t he keyhol e.
Keceas for
faceplaLe Iip
132
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MOUNTING DRAWE,RS
Evert coreful nteosurettl ent does not
alwnys gttorantce o per.fbct
.fit.
If a
r l r owcr i s / oo sr r r r q i r r i t s opt ' t t i r t t ,
yot t
cot t pl ot r c dowr t t l r e si des ur t t i l t hc
trrti t operrs orrd cl oses vrtoothl y.
r-
pr
here are several ways to install draw-
$. ers in a desk or table. The method
you choose shoul d sui t the desi gn of
your piece and the loads you expect the
drawers to bear.
The simolest wav to moul-lt a drawer
is with side runneri. Shown below and
on the next pages, this method involves
routi ng grooves i n the drawer si des
before assembl y. These mate wi th
si i des mounted on the i nsi de of the
casework. Si de-mount i ne i s i deal i rt
frarne-and-panel casework t pnge I 35 )
and for small- to rnedium-sized draw-
ers that wi l l bear moderate l oads.
Commercial slide runners are anoth-
er method of side-mounting drawers ir-t
a carcase. Although purists may decry
their use, commercial runners are strolt-
ger than wood runners, and so are a
sood choi ce for drawers that wi l l bear
hear,ry l oads. Commerci al runners are
available in different sizes. Buy the hard-
ware and read the manufacturer' s
i nstructi ons before you br-ri l d your
drawers, since runners require specific
cl earances between the drawer si des
and the carcase.
The st rongest met hod of securi ng
drawers i s bottom-mounti ng. Here, the
drawers ri de on runners mount ed i n
grooves milled in the sides of the case-
work. The runners are
joined
at the fiont
and the rear with stretchers, which pro-
vi de both a beari ng surface for the
drawers and strengthen the casework.
Dust panels (pnge 3a) can be added to
the frame formed by the runners and
stretchers by setti ng them i n a groove
routed in their inside edges. Some wood-
workers prefer to rout a groove in the
carcase si des and i nstal l a shel f, whi ch
serves doubl e-duty as drawer support
and dust panel .
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SIDE-MOUNTING A DRAWER IN A CARCASE
1 Cutti ns srooves i n the drawer si des
|
- -
I Cut a sr oove i n t he out si de f ace of
each dr awi r si de bef or e f i nal assembl y.
Ther e ar e no r i gi d gui del i nes f or t he gr oove
wi dt h, but i t shoul d accommodat e sl i des
t hat ar e hef t y enough t o suppor t t he
dr awer . On your t abl e saw, i nst al l a dado
head the same wi dth as the groove. Draw
cut t i ng l i nes f or t he gr oove wt dt h t n t he
mi ddl e of t he l eadi ng end of one dr awer
si de. Set t he cut t i ng het ght at no mor e
t han one- hal f t he st ock t hi ckness. But t
t he l i nes f or t he gr oove wi dt h agai nst t he
dado head, posi t i on t he r i p f ence f l ush
agai nst the stock, and make the cut
(/eff).
l f t he gr oove wi dt h exceeds t he wi dt h of
t he dado head, t ur n t he boar d end f or
end and make anot her pass. Repeat t o
cut t he sr oove i n t he ot her dr awer si de.
t33
DRAWERS
r)
Maki ng and i nstal l i ng the
Z- drawer sl i des
On your t abl e saw, ri p t he drawer sl i des
from a board that i s sl i ghtl y shorter than
t he dept h of t he carcase. Posi t i on t he ri p
fence to a cutti ng wi dth sl i ghtl y narrower
than the grooves i n the drawer si des
(sfep
l ). Cut t wo sl i des f or each drawer, usi ng
a push stick
(above). (Caution:
Blade guard
removed for cl ari ty.) To mount the sl i des,
i nsert the drawer i n the carcase and hol d
i t i n pl ace whi l e usi ng a penci l t o mar k
t he l ocat i on of t he grooves on t he f ront
edses of t he si de nanel s.
Then use a
carpent er' s square t o ext end t he marks
acr oss t he i nsi de f aces of t he panel s.
Bore t hree count ersunk cl earance hol es
t hrough t he sl i des; make t he cl earance
hol es sl i ghtl y wi der than the screw shanks
t o al l ow f or wood movement . Hol di ng
t he sl i des recessed f rom t he f ront edge
of the carcase between the marked l i nes
on t he si de panel s, dr i l l pi l ot hol es and
screw t he sl i des i n
pl ace (i nset ),
Test -
f i t t he dr awer . Use shi ms under t he
sl i des t o t i ght en rt or deepen t he grooves
t o ease t he f i t .
lll1 rlll lllt lllJ ljlt llll illJ tllJ lltJ illl lltJ illJ lll1 rlll tllj l]li tllt tlll
?HO? Tt?
?ooi l i oni ng drawer sl i des
To ensure drawer sl i des on
oppooi tre oi dee of your car-
caee are aN preci eel y the
eame hei qhl , uee a wood
gpacer
cul from a oi ece of
ecraV. Make ite widLh equal
t o t he neceooarv e0ace
bel ween l he el i i ee.' Hota
Nhe edae ol t he ezacer
aqai noi t het o? Andt he
face agai nel one ei de pan-
el , butl the el i de aqai nsl
l he sVacer, and screw i f,
i n pl ace, Kepea| Nhe
procedure for the
remai ni nq sl i dee.
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r34
DRAWERS
SIDE-MOUNTING A DRAWER IN A FRAME.AND.PANEL CASE
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DRAWERS IN FRAME-AND-PANEI CASEWORK
Installing drawers in
frame-and-panel
casework is a
little more complicated than with carcases. Runners
connot be used because drawer supports cannot be
fas-
tened directly to the
floating
panels. As shown at right
and on page 136, the supports ore instead anached to
corner strips screwed to the stiles of the casework. The
drawer supports are
fixed
in the dedoes. During instal-
lation, hold the corner strips in position with hand-
screws and test-fit the drawers to make sure the
supports hold them straight and level. The strips can
run the
full
height of the casework to support several
drawers, or be shortened to mount a single drawer in a
piece of
furniture
like the night table shown at right.
1
Maki ng the corner stri ps
I Ri o a board to a wi dth of 4 i nches and
crosscut i t t o reach f rom t op t o bot t om
i nsi de the case. The dadoes for the drawer
supports are easy to cut on a radtal arm
saw. I nst al l a dado head, adj ust i ng i t s
wi dt h t o accommodat e t he t hi ckness of
the supports you wi l l use i n step 3. Starti ng
at the end that wi l l be at the bottom of the
cabi net, cut a dado for the l owest drawer.
Sl i de t he board al ong t he f ence t o cut t he
second dado at the next drawer
posi ti on.
l f
the di stance between the suoports wi l l be
equal , dri ve a screw i nto the fence to serve
as an i ndexi ng pi n; l ocat e t he head of t he
fastener agai nst the l eft edge of the fi rst
dado. Now cut t he second dado and reoo-
si t i on t he board so t he l ef t edge of t hi s
dado rests agai nst the screw head. Cut the
r emai ni ng dadoes i n t hi s f ashi on
( l ef t ) ,
t hen ri p t he board i nt o f our equal st ri ps.
r 35
DRAWERS
Q
l nsefti ng the drawer supports
r-,1 Measure the di stance between the
f ront and back st i l es on bot h si des of t he
case. Cut drawer support s t o f i t t he gaps
bet ween mat chi ng pai rs of dadoes. Make
sure t hat t he support s are wi de enough
to buttress the drawers adequatel y, and
that they f i t snugl y i n the dadoes
(rghfl .
r)
Instal l i ng the corner stri ps
L Bore a cl earance hol e for a No. 8
screw near the end of each corner stri p,
then wi th a l arger bi t, dri l l deep enough
to recess the screw head. Now oosi ti on
each stri p i n the case, maki ng certai n that
the dadoed edges are fl ush wi th the edge
of t he st i l es. Temporari l y hol d t he st ri ps
i n pl ace wi t h handscrews, make and
insert your drawer supports
(sfep
3), and
test the drawers i n the case. Adj ust the
hei ght of t he corner st ri ps, i f necessary,
to l evel the drawers. Then remove the
drawers and drawer supports, mark the
screw hol es near the too and bottom of
t he st i l es usi ng an awl , and bore pi l ot
hol es for a No. 8 screw. Screw the stri os
to the case
(/eff).
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r36
DRAWERS
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FINE.TUNING A DRAWER T() FIT
Pl ani ng drawer si des
l f a drawer bi nds i n a pi ece of f urni t ure,
you can use a hand pl ane t o i mprove t he
f i t . l f t he si des bi nd, remove t he drawer
and f i nd and mar k any shi ny ar eas on
t he si des-t hese are hi gh spot s t hat can
be shaved wi t h t he
pl ane.
Secur e t he
dr awer on a wor k sur f ace so t he bi ndi ng
si de i s f aci ng up. Gri ppi ng t he pl ane wi t h
bot h hands, shave of f t he marked spot s
wi th smooth, even strokes
(ri ght).fesI-
f i t t he drawer i n i t s openi ng and cont i nue
pl ani ng unt i l i t f i t s per f ect l y.
Pl ani ng the top of a drawer
l f t he t op or bot t om of t he drawer rubs
agai nst part of t he casework,
pl ane t he
t op. To hol d t he drawer i n pl ace, secure
one si de between bench dogs, usi ng wood
pads to protect the stock. Pl ane the edge
to be trimmed with a light, even pass
(/eft).
Test{i t and conti nue pl ani ng, as necessary.
t 37
DRAWER STOPS
{-
.i
rawer stops control how far a draw-
L r'
er can sl i de i n or out . I nward st oos
are al most al ways needed. They prevent
a drawer from being pushed in too far.
Outward stops, to prevent a draw-
er f r om pul l i ng out of a car case, ar e
always needed when a drawer carries a
heavy l oad, and may be desi rabl e at
other times as well. The following pages
show a few methods for installins both
types ofstops.
Tl rc i nward stop shown ot l ef' t wi l l
nl l ow the
frortt
of the drawer to rest
exactly
llush
with tlrc cnrcase
front.
It is
installed on the dust ptutel xtpporting
the drnwer, oJfset
fr"ont
the
Jiont
edge by
tl rc thi ckness oJ' the drntver
Jront.
To
make thi s metl rcd work, tl rc drawer
li'ont
rrrtrst overhang the bottorrt so the
inside
lace
of the
frortt
c()ntacts tlrc stop
whert the drawer is closed.
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INWARD ST()PS
Attachi ng an eccentri c stop
Thi s i s an easy- t o- i nst al l adj ust abl e st op.
Bef or e i nst al l i ng t he back panel of your
car case, use a band saw or saber saw t o
cut a 1- t o 1%- i nch- di amet er di sk f r om a
pi ece of scr ap wood t he same t hr ckness
as t he dr awer si des. Bor e an of f - cent er
hol e t hr ough t he st op, t hen scr ew t he di sk
t o t he si de
panel
near t he back. Set t he
case on i t s si de and cl ose t he dr awer .
Loosen t he scr ew sl i ght l y and r ot at e t he
st op unt i l i t
j ust
t ouches t he dr awer , t hen
tighten the screw
(right).
L3B
DRAWERS
0UTWARD ST0PS: CARCASE
Instal l i ng an outward dl awer stop
Cut a st op f rom a pi ece of scrap wood. Bef ore gl ui ng up t he
drawer, cut a not ch f or t he st op i n t he drawer back. Make t he
not ch deeper t han t he st op' s t hi ckness and wi der t han i t s nar-
r ow di mensi on t o al l ow t he st op t o f i t t hr ough t he openi ng
when you i nstal l the drawer. For the desk pedestal shown above,
t he st op i s f i xed t o t he under si de of t he shel f or dust panel .
To mount t he st oo. i nst al l t he dr awer and mar k t he l ocat i on
of t he not ch on t he f rame above t he drawer. Bore a pi l ot hol e
through the stop, then screw i t i n posi ti on
(above,
/eff). Do not
t i ght en t he screw al l t he way. Wi t h t he l ong edge of t he st op
paral l el to the si des of the case, sl i p the drawer i n pl ace (above,
ri ght). Once the stop passes compl etel y through the notch,
rotate i t 90" so that i ts l ong edge i s paral l el to the drawer back
and ti ghten the screw.
OUTWARD STOPS: FRAME.AND.PANEL
Instal l i ng a stop on the front rai l
Thi s method works for the too drawer of a
frame-and-oanel desk or one wi th drawer
rai l s between each drawer. Cut a drawer
stop from scrap. To mount the stop, bore
a
pi l ot
hol e near one end. Screw the stop
t o t he mi ddl e of t he rai l , l eavi ng t he f as-
t ener
j ust
l oose enough so t hat you can
rotate the stop out of the way. Instal l the
drawer. Once t he drawer back cl ears t he
front rail, rotate the stop 90"
(/eff).
r39
GLOSSARY
A.B-C
Base molding: A decorative frame
made from molded stock that sup-
ports the bottom ofa desk.
Bound water: Moisture held within
the cell walls of wood; see
free
water.
Breadboard end: A narrow strip of
wood installed across the end grain
ofa tabletop to conceal that grain.
Cabrioleleg: A type of furniture leg
characterized by rounded contours
designed to imitate the graceful leg
of a leaping animal.
Carcase: A piece of furniture with a
boxlike construction; made from
solid panels.
Caseworlc The framework of a
piece
of furniture constructed either fiom
solid panels or from frame-and-
panel assemblies.
Cope-and-stickjoint A method of
joining
stiles and rails in frame-and-
panel construction; the
joint
features
mating tongues and grooves and a
decorative molding.
Crosscut A saw cut made across the
grain of a workpiece.
D-E-F-G-H-I
Dado: A rectangular channel cut into
a workpiece.
Desktop fastener: Metal hardware
that fastens the leg-and-rail assembly
of a table or desk to the top; installed
in shallow recesses cut into the mat-
ing pieces.
Dividing extension table: An exten-
sion table with a tabletop and leg-
and-rail assembly that slide apart
to accommodate additional leaves;
see non-dividing extension table.
Double dado
joint:
A corner joint
that
features a tongue in each piece that
interlocks with a groove in the other.
Dovetailedhalf-lap
joint
Used for
joining
the connecting rail of a desk
to the carcase; the half-lap at the end
of the rail is cut in a dovetail shape to
lock the
joint
in tension.
Dowel
joint
Any joint
relying on dow-
els for alignment or reinforcement.
Drawer slide: A type of drawer sup-
port; usually a wood strip fastened to
the side panel of a carcase that mates
with a groove in the drawer side, or a
commercial metal slide fastened to the
drawer side that meshes with a runner
screwed to the carcase.
Drawer slip: A grooved wood strip
fastened along the bottom edge ofa
drawer side to support the bottom.
Drawer stop: A wooden block or disk
attached to desk or table casework to
prevent a drawer from being pulled
out or pushed in too far.
Drop-leaf table: A table with a nar-
row top and hinged leaves that fold
down when not in use.
Dust frame: A flat frame-and-panel
assembly used to support desk draw-
ers and prevent dust from entering
the drawers.
Escutcheon: A metal plate installed
around a keyhole for decoration and
protection of the surrounding wood.
Extension table A table with a top
that opens on table extenders to
accommodate additional spacer
leaves. See dividing and non- dividing
extension tables.
False front A piece of wood installed
over a drawer front, usually to conceal
the end grain ofthe sides or to create
a lipped front.
Fiber saturation point (FSP):
A con-
dition in which wood cell cavities are
free of all water, while the cell walls
remain fully saturated.
Flush front A drawer front that sits
flush with the front edges of the car-
case when the drawer is installed; also
known as an inset drawer.
Frame-and-panel assembly: A
method of casework construction in
which a wood panel sits in grooves in
a frame made of horizontal rails and
vertical stiles.
Free water: Moisture contained with-
in wood cell cavities; see bound water.
Gatelegtable: A six-legged table with
two legs that swing out from the table
rails to support drop leaves.
Grain: The arrangement and direc-
tion of the fibers that make up wood;
grain appearance varies with the wood
species and the sawing technique.
Half-blind dovetail
joint
Similar
to a through dovetail
joint,
except
that the pins are not cut through the
entire thickness of the workpiece,
thereby concealing the end grain
of the tail boards; ideal for
joining
drawer fronts to sides.
Haunched mortise-and-tenon
joint:
Similar to a standard mortise-and-
tenon
joint,
except that one edge of
the tenon has a haunch that fills the
groove cut for a panel.
Inlay: A decorative strip of metal,
wood, or marquetry that is glued into
a groove cut into a workpiece.
I-K-r-M-N-O-P-Q
Lap
jointA joint
in which one or
both of the mating boards are dadoed
so that the surfaces ofthe
pieces
rest
flush with one another when the ioint
is assembled.
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Ledger strip: A short, narrow piece
of wood used to support the top or
bottom of a table or desk.
Lipped front A rabbeted drawer
front that overhangs the sides, con-
cealing drawer- mounting hardware
when the drawer is closed: also serves
as a drawer stop.
Marquetry: Decorative inlay done
with veneers, metal, or other materials.
Mortise-and-tenon joint A
joinery
technique in which a projecting tenon
cut in one board fits into a matching
hole, or mortise, in another.
Nominal size The dimensions to
which lumber is sawn before olan-
ing; wood is sold according to nomi-
nal size.
Non-dividing extension table: An
extension table with top slides that
open on table extenders while the leg-
and-rail assembly remains fixed; see
dividing extension table.
Outward stop: A wood block that
stops a dropJeafsupport in the open
position; also, a block screwed to the
inside of a carcase to prevent a drawer
from being pulled out too far.
Pedestaltable: A table with a top
that is supported by a central column
usually mounted on three or four
short legs.
Plain-sawn lumber: Lumber that has
been sawn so that the wide surfaces are
roughly parallel to the annual growth
rings. Also known as flat-sawn lum-
ber when referring to softwood; see
quartersawn lumber.
Pocket hole: An angled hole bored
into the face of a workpiece and
exiting from its top edge; typically
used to attach a top to the rails ofa
table or desk.
Pommet The souare section left on a
turned furniture leg; allows room for
mortises needed to receive rails.
Quartersawn
lumber: Wood sawn so
the wide surfaces intersect the growth
rings at angles between 45" to 90o.
Also known as vertical-grained lum-
ber when referring to softwood; see
plain-sawn lumber.
R-S
Rabbet A step-like cut in the edge
or end of a board; usually forms part
of a
joint.
Rabbet
joint A method ofjoining
wood in which the end or edge of
one workpiece fits into a channel
cut along the edge or end ofanother
workpiece; typically used to
join
carcases at the corners.
Raift A board running along the bot-
tom edge of a tabletop to which the
legs can be attached; also, the hori-
zontal member of a frame-and-panel
assembly. See stile.
Raised panet In frame-and-panel
construction, a carcase panel with a
bevel cut around its edges, a decora-
tive effect that
"raises"
the center and
allows the panel to fit into the groove
cut in the frame.
Relative humidity: The ratio of the
water vapor present in the air to the
amount the air would hold at its satu-
ration point, usually expressed as a
percentage figure.
Rip cut A saw cut that follows the
grain of a workpiece.
Rule
joint
A pivoting joint
commonly
used in dropJeaf tables; features mat-
ing concave and convex profiles cut
into edges of the table leaf and tabletop.
Seasoning: The process or technique
of removing moisture from green
wood to improve its workability.
Stile: The vertical member of a frame-
and-panel assembly. See rail.
Substrate: A piece of plywood or solid
wood used as the foundation for
veneer, leather, felt, or tile that covers
the surface of a table or desk top.
Swing-leg table: A four-legged table
with two legs that swing out from the
rails to support drop leaves.
T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z
Thbletop evener: Hardware installed
on the underside of adiustable tables
to align the table halves or leaves as
they are closed.
Tirngential plane: A viewing plane in
wood identification cut along the grain
tangential to the growth rings; plain-
sawn lumber is sawn tangentially.
Template A pattern cut from ply-
wood, hardwood, or particleboard to
reproduce multiple copies of a part.
Through dovetail
joint A method of
joining
wood at the corners by means
of interlocking pins and tails, both cut
to the thickness of the workpiece.
Trestletable: A knockdown table
with a large top supported by trestles
at each end that are connected to rails
with removable wedged or tusk
tenon
joints.
Thipod table A pedestal table with a
central column supported by three
shorter legs.
Tusktenon
joint
A type of through
mortise-and-tenon
joint
in which the
tenon extends through the mortise
piece and is fixed, not by glue, but by
a tusk-like wedge.
Wood movement: The shrinking
or swelling of wood in reaction to
changes in relative humidity.
I4I
INDEX
Page references in iralics indicate an illus-
tration ofsubject matter. Page references in
bold indicate a Build It Yourself
proiect.
A.B-C-D
Adhesives:
loinery,
front
endpaper
Blind mortise-and-tenon
joints,
57, 76- 77
Boardfeet,16-17
Build It Yourself:
Frame-and-panel construction
panel-raising jigs
for table saws, 45
tenoning
jigs
for table saws, 42
Legs
jigs for two-sided tapers, 62
shop-made hardware, 85-87
Tops
drop-leaf supports, 103
Butler's tabIes,22
Butterfly tables, 22
Cabriole legs, 56, 63-65
Carcases,29,30
Assembly,3T-38
Drawer mounting
positioning drawer slides
(Shop Tip), l3a
Drawers, 132- 133, 138-39
foinery
dovetail joints, 32, 39
groove-and-spline joints, 32
mortise-and-tenon
joints,
33, 34- 36
plate joints,
32
rabbet joints, 32, 33-34
tongue-and-dado
joints,
32
Panel s, 33
Card tables. 22
Circle cuts:
Round table tops, 95
Clamos:
Using pipe clamps in pairs
(Shop
Tip), 53
Coffee tables, 22
Console tables. 23
Cope-and-stick
joints,
32
Crosscutting,20
Cutting lists, 17
Dado
joints,
32, 118, 120, 127-128, 129
Davenport desks,27
Decorative technioues:
Inlays,70-71
Desks:
Assembly
checking for square, .100
Desi gn, 6-7, 10-l l , 2l
styles,26-27
Repair
iratching
compounds, back endpaper
Standard dimensions, 2l
Tops,89-90, 93-95
adding ledger strips (Shop Tip),97
felt-topped writing desks
(Shop Ti p), l 15
gl ass, 112-113
gluing up, 94
hardware, 92,99, 100
leather, 114
methods of attachment, 90,96-100
tiles, l.l5
using steel tabletop fasteners
(Shop Tip), ee
See also Pedestal desks
Desktop fasteners, 100
Dining tables,25
Double-pedestal desks. See Pedestal desks
Dovetail
joints:
Fiing loose dovetails
(Shop Tip), 124
Half-blind dovetails, 116, 118
HalfJap dovetails, 32, 39
figs
and templates, 126
Sliding dovetails, 5& 59, 78-80,81-82
Through dovetailjoints, 32, 118, 125-126
Dowel
joints,
57, 74-75
Drawers, 116, 117-118
Adjustment, 133, 137
Assembly, 129
checking for square
(Shop
Tip), 128
Bottoms, I30
Fronts, IJ8
Hardware,.l19
half-mortise lo ck. I 3 1- 1 32
foinery,
118,120-124
Half-blind dovetails, 116, 118
rabbetjoints, 118,129
Measuring, 1-17
Mounting, 119, 133-136
positioning drawer slides
(Shop Tip), 134
Stops, 138-I39
DropJeaftables, 23
Tops, 101- 102, IO3, 104
leveling drop leaves (Shop Tip), 104
Dust frames, 3436
screwing dust frames to a carcase
(Shop Tip), 37
E-F-G
Extension tables, 23
Tops, 89, l0l
aligning table leaves with dowel
centers (Shop Tip), I I I
dividing, 91,107
non-dividing, 91, 108- 109
pedestal extension tables, 109
tableJocking hardware, I 1 I
Fall-front desks,26,27
Felt:
Desktops (Shop Tip), ll5
Frame-and-panel construction, 29, 31, 4l
Assembly,4T
Drawer, 135-136,139
Joinery
cope-and-stick
joints,
32
haunched mortise-and-tenon
loints,
32. 41-43
Panels
non-raised, 48-49
raised, 41, 44-45, 46
Pedestal desks, 49-5.1
Gate-leg tables,23,90
Assembln 105
Ghaffari, Kam, 8-9
Glass:
Desk/tabletops
,
1 12- 1 1 3
Gluing:
Carcases, 29,37-38
Desldtabletops, 94
Drawers, 129
Leg blanks,
/ront
endpaper
See a/so Adhesives
Groove-and-spline
joints,
32
H-I-I
Half-blind dovetails, 116, 118
Handkerchief t ables, 2 3
Hardware:
Desks, 92, 99, 100
Drawers, l-19
Legs, 56, 84-85
shop-made,86-87
Tables,92,99, 100, 102, 106, 111
Harvest tables,24
Haunched mortise-and-tenon
ioints,
32, 41-43
Inlays:
Legs,70-71
figs:
Dovetail
joints,
126
Table saws
jigs
for two-sided tapers,62
panel-raising jigs,
46
tenoning
jigs, 42
foinery:
Adhesives,
/ror
t endpaper
Cope-and-stick
joints,
32
Dado joints, 118, 120, 127-128, 129
Dowel joints, 57, 74-75
Drawers, 118,120-124
Groove-and-spline
joints,
32
Leg-to-rail joints,
57, 72-87
Plate
joints,
32
Rulejoints, 101-102
Tongue-and-dado joints,
32
Tusk tenon
joints,
54, 57, 72-73
Wood grain, 15
See also D ovetail ioints; Mortise-and-
tenon joints; Rabbet
lomts
fointing,
.19
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K-L-M
Keyholes, 132
Lap desks,26
Leather:
Desk/tabletops, .l l4
Leaves
(table
extension):
Aligning table leaves with dowel
centers
(Shop
Tip), lll
Legs, 55
Gate-leg tables, 105
Gluing up legblanks,
front
endpaper
Hardware,56
foinery,
54-55, 57
blind mortise-and-tenon joints,
57, 7G77
commercial har dw ar e, 8 4- 8 5
dowel lornts, 57,74-75
shop-made hardware, 86-87
sliding dovetail
joints,
s8, s9, 78-80, 81-82
tusk tenon joints, 54,57,72-73
Pedestal tables, 59, 81-83
Styles,56
cabriole, 56,63-65
octagonal,56,69
pedestal, 56,58,59,68
tapered, 56,60-62,70
Turned, 55,56,66-67
SwingJeg tables, 106
Tripod tables, 5& 68,78-80
Locks. 131-132
Lumber:
Cutting lists, 17
Defects, 18
Measurement, 16-17
Selection, 13,16-17
See akoWood
Martinez, Ramon, l0-11
Measuring and marking tools,
back endpaper
Moldings:
Base moldings, 40
Mortise-and-tenon
joints,
32, 33, 34-36
Blind mortise-and-tenon
joints,
57. 76-77
Frame-and-panel construction, 41-43
Legs, 57,7G77
Legs-to-rail joints,
57
N-O-P-Q
Nested tables, 24
Night tables,25
Occasional tables,24
Octagonal legs, 56,69
Panels:
Frame-and-panel construction,
41, 44-45, 46
non-raised pan els, 48- 49
Patching compowds, back endpaper
Pedestal desks, 12, 26,27,29
Assembly,52-53
using pipe clamps in pairs
(Shop Tip), 53
Base moldings, 40
Carcases, 33
gtuingup,37-j8
Connecting rails, 39
Dust frames, 34-36
screwing dust frames to a carcase
(Shop Tip), 37
Frame-and-panel pedestals, 49-51
Pedestal tables,24
Extension tables, ]09
Legs, 59, 68, 72, 81-83
Pembroke tables, 25
Pl ani ng, . l 9
Plate
joints,
32
Pocket holes, 98
Power tools:
Safety precautions,
front
endpaper
R.S
Rabbet joints:
Carcases, 32,33-i4
Drawers, 118, 129
Rails, 55, 57
Ripping,20
Roll-top desks,27
Round table tops, 95
Routers:
Raised panels, 44
Rulejoints, 101-102
Safety precautions:
Tools,
front
endpaper
Searer, Tony, J0-ll
Secretary desks, 26
Shop Tips:
Desk assembly, 37, 53
Drawers, 124,128,134
Tops, J5, 97, 99, I I I
Sliding dovetail
joints,
58, 59, 78-80, 81-82
Square:
Checking for square
drawerc, 128
tables. 100
Standing desks,27
Stands
(tables),25
Swing-leg tables, 90
Assembly,]06
T-U-V
Tables:
Assembly
checking for square, i00
Desi gn, 8- 9, 2l
styles, 22-27,90
Reoair
patching compounds, back endpaper
Standard dimensions, 21
Tops, 88-90,9j-95
adding ledger strips (Shop Tip),97
gl ass, 112-113
gluing up, 94
hardware, 92,99, 100, 102, 106, 111
leather, 114
methods of attachment, 90, 96- 100
round, 95
t i l es, 115
using steel tabletop fasteners
(Shop
Tip), 99
Table saws:
figs
for two-sided tapers, 62
Raised panels, 45-46
Tenoning jigs,42
Tabletop fasteners, 99
Tapered legs, 56, 60-62, 70
Tavern tables.25
Through dovetail
joints,
32, I 18, 125- 126
Tiles:
Desk/tabletops, .l l5
Tilt-top tables, 25
Tongue-and-dado
joints,
32
Tools:
Measuring and marking tools,
back endpaper
Safety precautions,
front
endpaper
Trestle tables, 22, 24
Legs,54
Tops, 91, 96
leaves, -l l0
Tripod tables:
Assembly, 78-80
Legs, 58, 68,78-80
Turned legs, 55, 56,66-67
Tusk tenon
joints,
54, 57,72-73
Two-pedestal desks. See Pedestal desks
W-X-Y-Z
Watts, Simon, 6-7
Wood:
Grades, back endpaper, 13, 17
Grain, 15
Moisture content, 14- 1 5
Recycled, 7
Shrinking and swelling, 14- 15,96
See alsoLrtmber
Wood buttons, 98-99
Writing tables, 26
t43
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The editors wish to thank the
following
TABLE AND DESK BASICS
Judith
Ames, Seattle, WA; Delta International Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.;
Hitachi Power Tools U.S.A. Ltd., Norcross, GA; Hank Holtzer, Seattle, WA;
Thomas Moser Cabinetmakers, Auburn, ME; Shopsmith, Inc., Montreal,
Que.
DESKCASEWORK
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools, Towson, MD; Delta International
Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.;
Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Griset Industries, Inc., Santa Ana, CA;
Frank Klausz, Frank's Cabinet Shop, Pluckemin, NJ; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA;
Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT; Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerlandi Colonial
Saw Co., Kingston, MA; Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY;
The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN
LEGSANDRAILS
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Black & Decker/Elu Power Tools,
Towson, MD; Delta International Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Allan Flegg, Montreal,
Que.;
Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Robert Sorby Ltd., Sheffield, U.K./Busy Bee Machine Tools,
Concord, Ont.; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA; Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL;
Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; Wainbee Ltd., Pointe Claire,
Que.i
De-Sta-Co, Troy, MI; The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN
American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Black & D..kl?El: Power Tools, Towson, MD; Cabot Safety Corp.,
Southbridge, MA; Delta International Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Allan Flegg, Montreal,
Que.;
Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck Saw Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division),
Millbury, MA; Lee Valley Tools Ltd., Ottawa, Ont.; Edna and William Mills, Montreal,
Que.;
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;
Steiner-Lamello A.G. Switzerland/Colonial Saw Co., Kingston, MA; 3M Canada Inc., London, Ont.;
Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN
DRAWERS
Adjustable Clamp Co., Chicago, IL; American Tool Cos., Lincoln, NE; Delta International
Machinery/Porter-Cable, Guelph, Ont.; Freud Westmore Tools, Ltd., Mississauga, Ont.; Great Neck Saw
Mfrs. Inc. (Buck Bros. Division), Millbury, MA; Frank Klausz, Frank's Cabinet Shop, Pluckemin, NI;
Robert Larson Company, Inc., San Francisco, CA; Leigh Industries Inc., Port Coquitlam, B.C.;
Record Tools Inc., Pickering, Ont.; Sandvik Saws and Tools Co., Scranton, PA;
Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, IL; Stanley Tools, Division of the Stanley Works, New Britain, CT;
Vermont American Corp., Lincolnton, NC and Louisville, KY; The Woodworker's Store, Rogers, MN
The
following
persons also assisted in the preparation ofthis book:
Eric Cordeau
(Les Bois D'Ecor, Montreal,
Que.),
Lorraine Dor,
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Ettinger, Graphor Consultation, Genevidve Monette, David Simon
PICTURE CREDITS
Cover Robert Chartier
6,7 Robert Holmes
8,9 Ian Gittler
10, ll Michael Tincher
13 Philip C.
Jackson
22 Courtesy Thos. Moser Cabinetmakers
25 Hank Holtzer
27
Judith
Ames
90 Dean Powell/Kam Ghaffari Design
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HARDWOOD TUMBER GRADES
GRADE
Al l owabl e l engt h
of board
Al l owabl e wi dt h
of board
Mi ni mum % of
el ear f ace nr r f i i nqs
Mi ni mum si ze of
cl ear cutti ngs
Maxi mum number
of cl ear cutti ngs
perm
i tted
SELECT
6
- 1 6
4" or wi der
83IA%
3" x 7'
4 " x 5 '
4
N0. 1
C(]MMON
4' , - 16
3" or wi der
66'A%
3 " x 3 '
4 " x 2 '
5
N0. 2A & 28
C()MMON
4',
-
16'
3" or wi der
50%
3 " x 2 '
usEs
Fi l l i ng l arge hol es, gouges,
cracks and dent s
Fi l l i ng smal l hol es,
scrat ches and cracks
Fi l l i ng scr at ches, dent s
and gouges
Fi l l i ng nar r ow cr acks,
^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ l ^ - ^ i l L ^ t ^ -
B d p ) ,
d i l u ) i l r o i l i l u r t r J
Unl i mi t ed
NO. 38
COMM()N
4'
-
16'
3" or wi der
25%
Not l ess than
1%" wi de
cont ai ni ng 36
squar e I ncnes
Unl i mi t ed
COMPATI BI LI TI ES
Compat i bl e wi t h most f i ni shes;
appl y bef ore or af t er st ai n
May be i ncompat i bl e wi t h
l acquer ; appl y af t er f i ni shi ng
May be i ncompat i bl e wi t h al cohol -
or l acquer-based f i ni shes; appl y
bef ore or af t er f i ni shi ng
Compat i bl e wi t h most f i ni shes
N(). 3A
COMM()N
4'
-
16'
3" or wi der
33' A%
3 " x 2 '
TYPE
Wood f i l l er
Wax st i ck
Shel l ac st i ck
Shop-made
f i l l er
CHARACTERISTICS
Sol veni - or wat er-based, dependi ng 0n t ype.
Can be t i nt ed wi t h st ai n or purchased pre-t i nt ed
Wax- and resi n-based; avai l abl e i n a vari et y
of col ors. Set s qui ckl y
Shel l ac- and r esi n- based; avai l abl e
i n a vari et y of col ors. Set s qui ckl y
t o f orm a hard surf ace
Sawdust mi xed wi t h bi nder , such as hi de
gl ue or shel l ac; can be t i nt ed wi t h st ai n
WORKSHOP GUI DE
FAS
8' - 16' ,
6" or wi der
83tA%
3 " x 7 '
4 " x 5 '
4
Chart courtagv of NaLi onal Hardwood Lumber Aagoci ati on
USEFUT MEASURING AND MARKING TOOTS
WOOD PATCHING COMP()UNDS