21 projects for developing your woodworking skillsice rtant safety not is impo read th “To prevent accidents, keep safety in nd sve you work. Use the safety mans Installed on power equipment: they are for your protection. When working on posrer equipment, Keep fingers antag from saw blades, wear safety soles 1 Drevent injuries from fying wond chips nel sawedust, wear hearing protection ‘nel conser installing a dust vactum ‘to redhice the amount of airborne sa lust in your moedshop. Dont wear loose ‘otis, such as neckties or suet with bose sleeves, or jewelry, sich as rings, ancekinces or bracelets, when working 6 Dower equipment, Te back lon hale vo event t fom goting caught in your pment. Prope who are sersitive to certain clerical should check the chemical content of any prodiuet before sing t The asthors ane edors who compile this book have tried to make the contents us accurate ara correct as possible, Plans, Mlustations, aitograpts and text have heen carcfily checked All Instrctions plans and projects sould be arefly read, stinle asc ners before begining construction. In some pletos, power tol guar ave been re ved to more clearly show the operation boeing slemonstrated. Abtays use al safety ‘und and attachenents that come with ‘Son penver tons. Due to the wari ity of local conditions, construction rsteras, still eves, ee, nether the author nor Popular Woortworking Books assumes ary responsibility for any accents, injuries, damages or eter Iosses incurred resulting from the material presented i this book Prices sted for supplies an equipment ‘ere current athe time of publication and ae subject to change. Glas shelving ‘should have all edses paished and must te tempered. Unterpened glass shelves mnay shatter and can eause serious bodily inj: Tempered shelves are very stunt ‘avd f they’ beak wil st erutble, eine nang esa igury: metric conversion chart to covert to maltipty by tet Cestineters aM ernuneters Weteseseeseesseceeveesies Peet Pernt x Cernimeters Fret 3 Wee ves sass Mens oy Moers tants u oxy tox. Consright © 206 Ly sey Stack, Prete atl sd a Chia {Abin reserved Neo ptf thst may be reprcaced in any Smo leary seetonieorrectunical mate chang avormatn stra ax rerival epsems won pesniaton in wing fom te pul, cept ty reviewer ho nay quot bie passages ina eviews, Fublsbe fy Popul ‘Woodworking Books, an anys of FW Pubeatins, hr, 470 East Gl ‘rl ed, Cinch, Ohio, Pit eit, Geo tim, Onta ‘tbe athe Tad Bare by Dl Chak ae Hea Ihren TON2 0 rain Fax (641) ba s2010, ena makina sak Dab in Auta iy Caprio Lk Yo soe WO i eh Rr Ulett a rescce for wolnorcon (ter fine Pepa Woetwortng leks are asnlabe tram your oe tek Hore dre tom the publisher. Library of Congress Cataloging i-Pablleation Data Sk in. 1961 ‘Box by or /sum Stack en relates tes ISBN-15,$76-1.98570-774.0 (harcore alk paper) ISHN-I0- 18087-7781 (hardoower: alk pore) L.hotwork, 2 Wooden bones, Ti cay aces ronan Acieeaee care eae orton Any Hatesby prsienes fran Rowth TECHNICAL LUSTHATOR Stak sone reojecr iovocearitte Al Parmshtable of contents Woodworking skill levels for this book are defined a: B basic | those folks who are interested Jn woodworking and know how to use a saw, hammer, screwdriver, dil, possibly ‘a hand plane and sandpaper wrapped ‘around a block of wood. This includes those who have some experience but consider themselves beginners Hintermediate | those folks who have been woodworking for a while and have basic knowledge (and hope: fully hands-on experience) using sta tionary and handheld electricpowered ‘woodworking tools such as a thickness planer, jointer, table sav, router, band sa, jigsaw, random-orbit sander, drill ‘and possibly a lathe and scrall saw. This Includes those who consider themselves experienced woodworkers Badvanced | those folks who have been woodworking for years and are experienced in all areas of woodwork ing, including laying up veneers. bending ‘wood, doing inlay work, and they are comfortable using all woodworking toot What matters is your confidence as a ‘woodworker. This affects how you ap- proach woodworking and how you feel ‘about your abilities to do the actual ‘work. Thece are lots of things to consider when woodworking: design, drawing, creating materials lists, making cutting lists and the actual cutting, shaping and ‘working of the wood. Finally, there's the finishing of your projects, which you've: spent a lot of time creating, clips n' things PRouect Two old-pine box 12 what's cookin’? 20 PROJECT FOUR box inabox 2 PROJECT FIVE flipper 30Sania matic pen intar mites crowning touch... 35 cutting-edge display 12 bake! se § why don't you write?,..44 little black box. 13 sasioe nite sagan nailer safely kept. 50 old-school laptop... 122 a sansa pnomer sueves big top... 66 soueer TWELVE crazy 20... 72 val nanan roundup. 82 Fapin eh eler aes be is it finished yet?... 195 SURRLIEHS uz aes 2 eee = UA YJ3T-A6G-85RFA BOX, A BOX FOR MY KINGDOM OR MAYBE A BOX FOR ALL SEASONS. There are plenty of box ideas in this book. After all, most things are basically boxes. Your house, your car, your room, your computer, your cup, your pencil holder, your purse, King Tut's tomb and of course the most famous box of all, television. “T want to learn woodworking, so what's the first thing I should make?” I've been asked this question many times, and my answer is always the same — build a box. That's what this book is about. Building boxes. Each project is graded according to your individual wood- working abilities. If you are a beginning woodworker, start with the first project. After you've built that one, build the second one, And so on. While building each project, you will learn one or more woodworking tech- niques that will enable you to build the next box. Rest assured, there are projects for any level of woodworker from beginner to advanced. I know what you're thinking — golly Jim, how many boxes can one person build? Won't you run out of ideas or get bored and beg to watch Leave #t to Beaver re- runs? No, you won't run out of ideas. I've just scratehed the surface for box ideas in this book. It’s up to you toput on your Tom Terrific thinking cap and extricate, expand and extrapolate your own box concepts. As usual, I've stolen most of the designs contained in this book and tried to make them my own, so I expect nothing less from you, my fellow woodworkers, It’s all been done before anyway — just not by you — so go for it. And finally, keep makin’ sawdust. Jem StackFOR SUCH A SIMPLE BOX, i's small and kind of cute, actually. t consists of two ses, ‘we ends, a bottom, a lid and lie Keeper. Simple anid sweet You can keep your paper cins, puhpins coins, paper money or spitwads in the box \Winat you'l lean building thi box is how the party” sizes telate to the overall finshed di mentions of the project You'll see that you need 10 allow for the thickness ofthe sides when figuring the length of the ends and allow forthe thickness of all the sides when determining ‘the dimensions of the bottom, ts not uncommon for begin nes to cut all the parts of box to the finshed dimensions of the box itself, The builder hur Fes without stopping to think abowt how te projet ging parts relate to each You might be wondering i sue and butt joints are good enough 10 keep this box to- ether In a word, yes, When the parts are damped tegethe, the glue inthe joints is forced Into the pores ofthe wood, The glue creates a bridge between the parts. When the alve dies, the bond is strong and wal ON “AN \ oe Ae clips n't ings \withitand normal amounts of stress, If the bax were to Be dropped, it would probably sur: Vive intact fm not a mathema ‘can, but the odds are in favor of it holding together rather than blasting apart, Of course, {fit is throw on the Floor oF ‘against a wall, al bets are off I don’t know what ts about small boxes. but people like them. Give them away as gifts andl youl be showered itn compliments, And because these boxes are small, you can use select (really nice) word ‘witout overspenting on ASu sie Yen Lid (ns! 5 AT te neter e de | }inches (millimeters) ‘Tools neoded 4 $ Adah i i 3 : z : 60,100,120, 150 ad 2b sandpaper Ba Eg 2 tam) B fam) 3 nn) Na d000steel wool Ai oe dey Ye iG) ate 9 SMe 129, sanding ee sig Hc ht page 1 81 trom my Yeah) aH 19 Sapte tina) C1 idler dey Me) Phe (6) Pe 1) temple oad D2 ies dey 61M G2) 527) ranma ead tea a a dey 416) 1% G2) atoms oa Hardware & Supplios spay or wipe lacquer ‘You can use a hand miter saw or power miter saw to cut the Clue the sides to the end/bottom assembly. Line up the ens of parts to hae, (See the “OMEPine Box” project, step T.) Gl tye sides fish seth the end ploces, Wipe anny” any’ ge sjiseze= ‘he ends to the Botton. Be sure the eclges of all parts are fash out with a damp rg. Ifyou rinse Che danny nig frequently, you swith each ete. ‘wont spread the she about, “The clean rag will pick up the glu. The excess ue ‘ull wet he Wood, which wl help sou Soe whe jt be lurking. 165 important that yon eenter te keeper on Ihe li, Measure’ Usa stationary power sander to sand the end of the box 1 mark where the keeper will be located, them apply glue sanpath, wise spring clamps to holt it in place. Spring lamps ane sy Lo use aa inexpensive to purchase 10Over the years, Ive collected a large arsenal of sanding blocks. ‘The gray ones are made from serap Homasote®, which is smedium-density material used for pinup boards. I's perfeet for sanding blocks used to soften sharp edges. The one on the right has a cork bottom and functions the same as the Homasote®, There’ ane with a hard rubber bottom for wet sanding, one with a Scoteh-Brite® pad on the bottom for con- ‘our sanding anv several that are formed to specie shapes for sanding mouldings, ‘Years agp, in one ofthe shops where I worked, one of the suys showed me a sanding block that he had inserted into a 4° x 24" (102mm x 610mm) sanding belt. thought it was 8 great idea, ve had one of these blocks ever since, It's great for lev- ling and Mattening surfaces quickly. Sanding blocks for any occasion My standart sanding block is 4" 3" 544° (19h TOmmn x Onin). tear an 8Y2"« 1 men) sheet of sandpa- per into fourths (T even made a fg to eut the sandpaper cleanly nd straight so Ican have a ple of quartered sandpaper in about ‘90 seconds) and wrap one of these around the Lack. The part ‘of the sandpaper that wraps up the sides provides a grip to help hold the sandpaper tight against the block and gives good control of the block. Tenow what youre thinking — this guy sure is particular bout his sanding block! Wel, ths tte guy has sanded miles and niles of edges, Mats and whatever else need sanding. When You're working in a produetion shop, time ls money. would tear myself a pile of sandpaper and have it standing by, ready. {didn't need to stop and refold the paper, Ljust grabbesl another sheet ‘and kept working. ound that if sandpaper is folded back on itself and used that way, the unused parts become worn because Une rough paper is rubbing against itself, Picky? Maybe, but that’s just me, 2mm % Another method of sanding the box isto use sanding, block wrapped with sandpaper, (In fact, Ifyou usedt a stationary sander, youl still need to hand sand.) I youve cut y ately, you won't have raul suing to do, Start with 120-grht sandpaper. Then use 15O.gnt, thon 180-grt, Finish sanding the box using o-grit sandpaper, Each thne you change toa finer ant (ibe higher the grit number on the sare, the finer or stmoother the finish), sand with i until the suing marks left by the previous grit are removed pats ac Don’t ty to jam from 120 git to 220 gt. The 2 sit wont remove the 120 pits sara marks easly ‘When you finish sanding with the 220-grit sandpaper, the surfice of the wood will eel super saath an will have a lowsluster sheen. Wher you apply Sih to a surface that has been prepared thks way, you will ed ‘no more than two coats 1112 THE WOOD FOR THIS BOX came from my bathroom coset. No, I'm not so desperate that Ive started demolishing my hause or wood. was replacing seme slightly capped and ling painted shelves with something litle flatter and berter fitting, The end grain didn’t have paint fom it, $01 knew the wood was some species of pine. | removed five coats of the toughest paint Ive ever had to deal with but it was werth it! “pin | was happy to see that the wood was yellow pine, Itwas at least 70 years old and had that great, kinda sweet, Kinda musty Smell that only old wood can have Ita certainly stable in moisture content, so! proceed: ed immediately, cutting and planing it tothe dimensional thickness that Iveanted. The rest you'l seein the pictures that follow. So, find some wood. Go to your local home improvement ma DOXx center oF lumberyard and ask tor some white pine or yellow pine. White pine i 2 sfter wood that is eater te work than yellow pine because it's softer, i more consistent in rain testure (which means its eatier to sand smooth and level) and it dows split as easly. Gr check your cosets there could be seme lumber hiding there just waiting for you to give it new lifeMarepuan, sauinwenieis aetopesinches (millimeters) ‘Hardware & Supplies: 5 10 #82171" Gem) wood sens, i i i i Lowi 8 1610 (dn) oa ces i E tom EG fmm) 12 6th as A 2 Kdand bottom pine Se 16) 778) 11279) twopar epoxy B 2 ends pine Ye (16) & C102) 741128) ack paint (or coor you ike) € 2 sides pine Ye (16) 4 Croat 10% (257) amber shea fish D1 bd keeper pine ww @ th (2M 9H a8) 1 handle pine 06) 1% GB) 3 es) Tools needed hens oth eb 000150 a2 gk ren sets ‘dab verve ‘bench plane demote re est Ifyou can find boards about 3° (76m) tod” (102mm) wide, that’s perfect. Go to your local store attd ask for 1 4 pi boards. (The acts dimensions of these boards will be 4' 2344 [10heun x 89m) For the top and bottom parts, youtl nee ‘to glue a couple of boants together to get the proper width, As in the photo ahove, ty’ Lo mateti grain patterns from dlter= ©) ent boards so they blend with each other 2) White the match in this photos Hooks OK, ‘you should try different combinations to see if you can get something that looks Voila! By simply switching the boars bet to rig, Ue patterns blend nicely,Sometinyes a second opinion is helpful. lz thought every "hing looked good so thar’s tow we Hel i Apply Just enougtr glue to do the job, How much is enough? When the glue is spread over the surface ofthe joint, it should ‘bea thin i Uat is slightly transyren, Pipe chumps are inexpensive and will last forever, I've hal clamps for over 20 years and they're sul pulling things together. Put some masking tape on the pipe before gluo-up. Sometimes ale oazes from the glue joint and rans onto the pipe. This pulls color from the pipe up through the glue and into the wood. I's slfficult stain to sarnd out soso i My finger isthe best applicator Ive found for this type of glue. ‘up. Lalways have it with me and its an easy cleanup, “The reason {or smoothing the glue is to thin it, Then, when the parts are put together, they wont slide around while you clamp. When tighten: Ing the clamps gently tighter one, then go to the next one and ‘i of, Go lek Lo the first clamp ant snug It up. Do not tighten ‘unt you hear the wood seresminys, IFS unnecessary work on Your part, and the glue will hold without being foreed out ofthe joint, ve seen elarnps that are so tight the head ofthe serew has per rated the clamps faoo, That's jst bad jolaces 15Preparing a board's edges for glue up You'll want the edges of boards that are ta be edge-giued to oddly enough, a jointer. A jointer straightens the edges of bbe straight and smooth, Well, Jim, that's nice. How do Ido boards quickly and accurately. that? Here are some methods you can try. ‘You can also use a router set up in a router table. Install a ‘The fist is the time-honored hand planing of the board's straight bit in the router and use a two-part fence that looks edges straight and smooth. This takes practice, but once you _ like a jointer table turned vertically. The outfeed fence is get the feel of the plane, stun to-do. ‘offset slightly to compensate for the material the router bit, Ty ‘Another method isto use a stationary power tool called, removes. step three | For the final test, put the hoards’ edges together. There should be no gaps. This process is one that hs been used for hundreds of years ane is worth learning. Practico, practice, practice! step one Use avise to hold the board, step two | Use your eye to check for Plane the edge and check for square. straitness of the planed edge, Sight down Practicingis the only way Lo et this the board anv look fora curve or waviness, technique perfect Replane and check again until its straight photo at right | Using a jointer isnt dificult. Ifthe fence is square to the bed, you'll make a square edge on the board, I the infeed and enticed tables ‘are parallel to each other and the outfeed is fash with the cutters edge, the boards will he straight. Keep the board snug, ‘against the fence and run the board's ede over the spinning cutter, A steady food ‘works wel When the board starts onto the utfeed table, Keep ight pressure on it “Take as fow passes as posable to straight: ten boards using this tool Passes eat wood ‘and can dramatially change the dimen sional width of your board in short ander! onary pow photo at loft | You can use a straight bit in 4 router that is set up ina router table to Joint edges straight, I's lke using a jointer with its bed sitting verticals. The outfeed fence is offset soit Aush with the euter’s ladge. This method works especially well vith a straight shear cutting bit because we cutter is angled such that i slices the ‘wood and minimizes grain tear-out. That ‘means it leaves a supercool clean cut. 16Here youl cut the sites i your box to ste, Tm Lay ont the locations fort tasng a banesavr called back ietets stiffening box is done, the ra rod attach tt a Inatiiter well space them ev box. reve the fasteners are locatec om a pecject gives it i sharp, you ean cu a kt of wood quickly ani accurately and says, “Hes Lust utth nd te two end pieces on end. Lay’ one of the side pieces Use glue na sto the ends. TH teens, Dri fishing al of the one four corner joints. Ifyou (Benn). fe stout blomss with your suspecting wand all ease i810 parieand split. Don't surprise your wood, fet it know dhet yonlte mia Ove seam snl WwWUsing tae box asa pa around the inside of it and ‘eribe ine on the bottom af the lid. This line shows you ex- acily where to locate the keeper: [eal it the keeper because 1S attached tthe underside of the bid and Keeps it Dal. Also, youl notice the sere holes in the bottom of the place. box, Intached the bottom, then remembered I nasled to par. form the operation show here, Oops, bt no harm, no foul “Measure the inside ofthe box and cat larger in both width and length. Use your block plane to fine ‘Tube the fof the keeper. You want itto ft just shy of sug, ‘but not too shor the li will move around When people reinove the li to ook into the bos, then replace the Ii (and ‘they wil boeause ace are all naturally exrions), they notice how well it fits anc will compliment you ua it gets embar: rrassing, Then they'll want you te make them a ba tat v1 close in the privacy of their own home. Now back to your box. Center the keeper on the lines you seribed fon the unvletside ofthe id. A lid using serews only, no glue. If you gl it could cause the ld to warp because of tension eaused by the Reetdt, Though the seress are fined place, the keeper aul the li willbe able to expand and contract indepenctently ‘ofeach otter, This will greatly reduce the chances of the lid chaning shape, keeper just a litle ean open Jn it to the underside ofthe p keeper to the tl Attach the bottom to the botton of the box. That makes sense, doesn it? Prednil for the serows and use a countersink dill bit 10 cut bevels for the serew's heads, Here Tin using a Yankee serewiriver, As yout push up and down on the handle, as iby magic (and it woll could be magic) the serewdriver’s tip tums ancl drives the serew into place. This wolves no electricity, just Damer from your arms. Cool Eworkes! non shop years go teat issued these screwclrivers te all employees, and we assembled ‘eabinets all day Tong sing vem. Remember thse rail heads you set? Well, mix up some two-part ‘epoxy add a few drops of Black pant (oF pink or orange oF wha ‘ever you lke), mix ita lithe more and use this mess to Bll Ube al holes. Ianow they Took bal now, at when sou sand the epoxy filler level with the surface of the sides it wall ok lovely, When the epoxy cures (leting it cure overnight is a good rule to fl Tow), sun the box 19WHEN I WervT AWAY TO COL- LEGE, my mother sent copies of alt ‘and have enjoyed 19 the food that gave me comfort asa child This box is made to hold 3" x 5° (76mm x 12imm) note cards, know a lot of recipe cards are 5° x7" (127mm 178m), 50.94 the necostary dimonions i this it making course, you display113inches (millimeters) Tools needed ¥ 3 lesan i i : E bandsaw Ba: g Heh ew ier A 2 oh yelonpie = %4 9) 3%) dewalanw a1 fem lone = % 19h G5) chs Ct bak ywlonsne = he) Hh 57) sanding bck D2 tmrsidedaats ylowsioe == Ye (13) (13) 12 GS) wort dat dcr £1 imertack dent yom pine oi Ye (3) 18% 6) samy ane F 2 Kdenis——yalompie «= Ya) Th GR GSH) 60100, 1, 150 and Ogi dap G2 Kise yelping = ¥4 9) 1M GTB 57) No.0 ste wo Wo baton yond Ye @ 14 Bo) 17 11 ftedpane ppd (3 0 as) 1 11 bederboud —pjwond 4 @ Rh Gm K 7 sieldceits —yelowpine Hes) L 2 endldcns —yelowpine Hew) Mot giicpine gas 2 Ow 6 Hardwrare & Supplios 1 se 1 Gar x25) bt binges sp ripe nla Lay out the sides first, Use the iste ton asa staring point for proportions and adjust them according to your particular I needs, The angle of the slope isn’ that ceritical. The measurements at the front and ack of the sides will determine the ange “The rest of the parts wil be measured using the sides, Rough-cut the angles on the sides. Use a hand plane or jointer Stand the side on its top edge and set the table-snw blade to the to straighten the save cul, Make sire the two side pieoes are end angle. "This isthe bevel angle forthe top exkges of the front pxactly the same size anid back box parts 114Guta rabbet on the inside edges ofthe fd parts then gue the frame together, Rest the frame on two clamps and stradille the frame with two more clamps. "Tighten the clamps unl the Jotns ar all ight and square ‘Cut the inner panel Lo inside and rest onthe cleats. An -your collection on the panel ane trace around each pices. 116 While the glue is drying on te il frame, cut three cleats ad _lue then in place insile the box. Rest the front ends of the theo side cleats on the bottom of the box and raise the back ene of the cleat so the cleat 1s parallel to the top eddge ofthe sides. Gie the cleat to the back af the box fush with the top ends of the side cleats, When you cui out the traced stapes, cut on te pent Une so it disappears. Then the cutout will be just the right size ard the pieces should easily ft into the openings I'not, use a rasp to adjust the ft of ue cutout, Thea, using sandpaper, stioott the insides ofthe cutouts and the edgesCut the mortises forthe hinges and Install the hinges on te box. a et panel, Apply glue sparingly between the eutouts so the glue doesn? squeeze out into the cutouts, Install the plas in the il, Attach the lid the Finish the box and apply locking to the fitted pane, When all is dy, simply Fuinges sins ane sere i each bee “drop the panel n place and youte Rood to go. to be sure that it nes up with the box. Make the necessary adjustments, When the li i properly aligned, install the remaining hinge screws 117© skill level: advanced 118121In this updated version, Fve luded compartments for stor: buy it by the lineal yard toier jal sgl he c Teeter np ice oie she 2) wee righ he er ft eho) Va pace ‘er SN Drawer fh ong 123inches (millimeters) Tools needed ge : tle : : ‘ : i = i rites 2 5 (um) Bem) ime) il press AOD ends mahogany % 09 SW 11 27) jolatae BD ses mony fs (19), 133s (C2. veneered panels phyweod Ye 06) 1054) 12S) lock plane DD iwer panels plywood | Ye 03) The M0) 117h6 291) bench plane 1) side drawer guide mahogany Ye 13) MMe 23) 18% 282) ranchom-orbit electic sander F 1 top drawer guide mahogany, Yt) 3G) 18) 252) statlonary sander G2 drawer frontiback mahogany Ye 0) Me 5) 27), 100-, 120, 150- and 220-gitsandpapers, H 1) tight drawer side mahogany: ‘2 03) Mh BS) 10% 287) No 6000 steel woot 1 lett drawer side mahogany: Ye 03 1% Gi 10% gen 41 drawer bottom hardboard w OG) Mh 6H 1 am Hardware & Supplies sets sewing machine ines Racer #30879 1 fal mortise lok, Roce #33432 1 M4" 11/8" Game x 22m) contin binge ‘pra oF wipeon neque Veneers are cut into fitees, which means {heyrre sliced along the length of the log and stacked just as they were wher the ‘was whole. You will typically buy part of a Mitch, To ereate a bookmateled pattern, Cone sheet of veneer is flipped ee turned lover like a page in a book and placed ed toverge to the next sheet, [seal rosewood veneer for the veered panels, When | placed the sheets next to each other (as shown in the photo), I thought the sea pattem created to9 riuch of a tapered look UT restackesd the sheets and, using a stralghtedge as a guide, | cut When the veneers were bookmatehed, the grain pattens flawed the vencer more parallel to the grain. better (at least to my eye). The dark curs grain at the bottom of the veneers wil be cul away when the panels an cut ta size, (See shlobar on page 40 for gluing veneers) 124Drill the Hole for the threaded brass inseet that guldes art keeps the spring-loaded! locking pin in place. This hole is Arlled to the dept of the insert Stop the eut 17 (Gnu) from the top of tbe drawer Fused a ouge andl removed mone of the wood in the cutout an Belt the tool marks. It gave the the fingernail pull same texture Then reset the dit press dept of cut and make the mortise for the body ofthe lock, ‘This is a great way to cut mortises using just your drill press and some Forstner bits! 126 TW cut the fingemail drawer pull, clamp the drawer at an angle fghinst the dril press fence and cut the noteh using a 4 (16m) Forstoer bit. Use a Forstner bit to-cut the shallow mortise for the loek's mount: plate, Mark the location of the keyhole using Lv lock’ enver plate as a templateCut the keyhole using a dil bit anda sharp knife Cut the ner panels to fit inside the box seetion and glue the faux leather to the outsides ofthe panels (see sidebar, page 5) Cut the finger pullin the inner lids using. a 12" 8eum) Forster bit. A Forster bit cuts the out of the hole as wel as remov- Ing, material inside the hole, soit the best choice for cutting elf of a hole, ined the bow and drawer with felt, After ‘you've applied the finish tothe box, cut the Fett vo a yellow or brown carpenter’ glue on Breas where you! be applytu the felt ‘box hinges and instal both inner panels using continuous hinges. I'you like, you can use a couple of small magnet eateles to hold the inner his in place, 127128Center teller K \ Alone 3/8 Ch) gp bebveen ond of center flier el en Mlile D 72 sx 409 g ‘fis a oy . Drow syste Bae Drmer pide ay PHO) 1 Yen 1 Draner ise ‘ a [Pewee 6 1 Drawer dei ¥ LE jor Ty | oO Lf a 129inches (millimeters) wero veer RY za™ MON w > pen 130 5 z sides tee teton mile tepbotem panes tepotim end ding ‘optbotem fort edsing tepotem hack eéheg Ire hae center holier long ont halter short rant hese eae cuides eam is aoe back exe font tame oto inlay sp bogany mahogany wood Plywoed sywood maogany mahogany saooay lwo ear ear penta eer maogany matory satogany 03 om 25) 5) 09) 7 @ on en 9) on ce) @ ® Tools needed ‘lesan 3 rm te Eton Si dora onion gan) 1889) et @% ga) 1 am) sang te 1m Wh os9 sont 859 17% ay au 10% O75) 12 G68) weep ta 1M G2) 122 318) ‘sanding black plane an wh a9 ‘ambi dre Me G2) 142 (G68) ‘Stationary sandler © oan om 62,100, 19, 10-4 Ogu Ym) 12% 02 e000 wo th oa om hey 26) Hardware & Supplies on aso 11h Bssan or Nae % oy 9% ow 1 aay eg) 9 223) he 4) 1D sa) sh a0) % om YW 654 (37) simingines Alter cutting te sides and ends to dimensions, set your marking, ange tothe thicknoss of th parts, Score a line on the ends of the fend pats, This scores ine is here soul stop the dovetailLay out the pins using your siding Thevel and a ruler. W's tra-— [tseasier for me to make all the cuts on the same siete of each ditional to make the pins narrow. Space them however you like. pin, then make the cuts on the otter side of each pin, That way [put the two outside pins closer together, Cuton the outside only change the angle of the saw two times, Of the lines that mark the pis andl eut down to your scores line, Be sure to mark the waste material between the pins, a Remove the material between the pins. Clam the part toa Use the pins asa template and, using a sharp pend scrap boan! and start chiseling. Some woodworkers ike to use tal on the sides. Note the numbers on each part. Each set of| 4 coping savor band se to remove the bulk of the material, pins is probably a litle different (because thes’ then clean up using a chisel. {mover trusted myself doing it ‘be sure 1o-mark each set of pins snd matching tal, that way so stick with the mallet and chisel, Try to ways. And see what you like the best. There's no maggie ballet to this process. Keep practicing using sour chisel andl mallet and youll soon get a feel . aS By ‘Hopefully the joints fit together. You may need to tein thy ‘of the tals just tile to get a sma ft. Wheat’ su it? Te sa les with the density of the wood you're using. For mahogany, the joint can be a litle snug and stil go together because the wood i the tals down to the scored line, Cut on the outside of the softavd wil give a lite, IF you're using maple, howe ver, the joints tail marks. Again, remernber to mark the waste between the need to be cul precise: Maple will not forgive imperfections. tails. Alor you've cut the tails, remove the material beaween That’ why ike softer woods for makin harw-cut dovetails.) Henn as vou aid for the pins One you're pro, use all Oe maple vou want 131Tleft the rounded corners in the rabbets ara fitted the bot- Cut the drawer parts to legs aul slighthy wider thats shown ky om fo the eu. Glue the bottoms in pl er tecuttng ist, The ft the sides to te drawer pein so they sguides and glue them inside the box. The eges of the guides slide in ard out stootbly, Cut the baek to the sare width as the should be fish with the endsof the draveerfomt cutout and sides guntis the thickness of the bottom, Cut a rabbet i the bot square to the foont of the box, ton inside of the drawer frm soi ls over te Eom edge wf he ottom. This rabbet reeds to incl the thickness of the eto at tri te ne ses fora roe bottom, Cut the drawer bottom andl glue the drawer together Cut the notches in the center holder using a dado Bead in {your table saw. Ifyou dont have a dado cutter, use your muter Je witha straight router bi. Fused differ stvsl spacers to leeate the notelies. Or, you eal slmply move the saw’ fence after making the etls al each end ear te aad you're xe the part. Mave it mo dst to to, Make the two front holders from a long niece of wood, cut the totches, ‘then cut the pasts to length. Ie necessary, ten Ch trl verre (ae ai nin Venecr” on the previous page), Ct four consecistive pieces of xe eet to one-quarter the size of the top pan, Joint two adjace exlges to exactly 40, Fip tao Nencens over (like openinat a hook), then flip upa single veneer from each set lke you're openitts briefcase way bonkeanateh, The 0 cones should Cut the grooves in the knife holder usiys a table saw or, as cane together perfeetly; unless yout: deal accurate, youl shown here.a router table, I chase the router table becanse it yee to doa litle tweaking of the joints. That's OK. A hairs-with cuts plywood cleanly: reno ial worn? be notleed Tape Ie jon togetter ad lus ther as shown in the sidebar, “Preparing Veneers for Lavy” ni 133Rernove the tape from the veneer joints afer the glue has ‘ried an lay up the top panel in your press. {Wher the panel has been in the press for 24 hours, remove it From the mille of the panel, where the jolts convenge, mea sure half the length and wich ofthe fished dimensions of the panel and draw a suark, Do this both ways on the panel and cut te pane! to your marks, This fs ve surefire way to pet the ve neers centered om the pas Use a straight bit and your rater table to cut the mabbet for Mark « ‘he iday strips. Make Us rabbets slightly less deep than the thickness of the inlay, After the inlay is glued i place, twill tue easy to level it to thw veneer, inlay stip to Ions using the panel as your gue BAW. _— Miter eut the ends of the inkay strips Tape ce step i place and fit the next ome to it, Then reenove the tape, aeld glue to the rabbet and tape the strips buck in place. Place the panel In your venver press for 1 hour. Then remove the rane! from the press, remove the tape and carefully hand same the inky strips low with the veneer, 134Mil the edging to size, mater the ends and ve them to the twp-and bottom panels. Attach the tack edging (not shovw the photo) fast, then the front edging, then ext ane Ne the end fedgings. Hold the edigings as close to Aust as possible to the surface of the veneer or just slightly proad af the veneer, Do not Ie the top of the evlgings get below the surface of the ve nicer: You'll end up sari Hough the veneer trying to Revel the edging to the wencer, Ie found tat asin blocks eu. to precise thickness and placed unde keep the ean level to te pane the panel isan easy was" Make a flscale layout of the scalloping on the top and bot tom panels’ edges, Then apply the patterns with spray adhe sive, Cut the patterns using at hand sa oe fasaas, Sand the selling inal shape, removing ang’ saw bate meek, Using your table sas, cut a "at-doey (21 mun) by 7 high @22men) rat in the top back of the box. The dimensions of this rabbet tare determines by the thick- toes al height (ad the thickness of the continuous hinge to the height) of the top back ecg, Adding Yt (um) to the depth oft rabbit gives clearance for ve Bi to be eles. Gently clamp the edging to the pancl. No undue clamping pres: sue is necessary — exer, Ifyou hawe to apply excessive clamping pressure, sou need to cheek and fix sour joinery, No pressure will make it Fight — you'll end up ruining your clamps soup of Cutting this profile is easily done using your router table and a router bit, I weeommend sou purchase a router bit that has the ‘proflle you Ike so you can perform this eperation in one step, You ‘ull iv mony’ uses for this router bit Cutting the rabbet iy Step 27 makes i possible forte back of the id to be Mush with the back of the box and the back of the bottom, Ito makes it possible For the fd to clase around the top of the tox, eteating a mill sea which helps to slow «town the ishing ofthe silver Marware 135[ten tips for a professional finish ] is it ONCE YOU'VE BUILT YOUR PRICELESS BOX, YOU 9 NEED TO FINISH IT. (This is where a lot of folks get, yY e : discouraged because they've had not-so-good experi- ences in the past when it came to finishing.) The fear of finishing wood is real. A lot of woodwork ers build furniture and then hire a professional to finish their work. That's a viable option, (We used a profes- sional finishing shop for years at a particular cabinet shop.) The finishers were set up to do finishing and. nothing else. They produced a great-looking finish while we concentrated on building a great-looking project. However, finishers need to make a living too, and they charge accordingly for their services. I'd like to show you how you can achieve a better than average (and in some cases, professional) finish that holds up to scrutiny from the harshest critics, Does finishing take a lot of time? Am I (the v worker) truly able to apply a professional-looking finish? No and yes to the questions. Let's get started. I've taken the finishing demonstrations you'll use for od several of the projects in this book and put them into one chapter. This is the final step — make it. a good one 136one | grain coloring Some types of wood such as oak, ash and mahogany have ‘open pores that you can fl with color to make an interesting finish, There are a couple of easy ways to-do this. One is to srmply palnt the wood after it been finah sanded. Let the paint dry, then sand the wood again until you remove as much ‘of the paint as you Like. Then apply a clear top coat of lacquer or polyurethane, depending on what type of paint you've used. Polyurethane can be used asa top coat over anything. Lacquer ‘can be used to top coat only Inequer-basod paints. Pe a al Another way to achdeve this firs sv apply a sealer to the ‘wood first. A sealer will seal the wood usta tle. It does 30 by geting ts litle sealer hands into the open pores of the ‘wood and setting up house. That way, nothing else can get in there. When the sealer dries sand it smooth using 20-gnit sandpaper. Then apply a thinned coat of paint and wipe i Ummedately, Some ofthe color wil stay behind, You cai co trol the amount of colo you want using this method. Ty both rmethads to see how it works, at You can use oil-based or water based paint for coloring the grain. ‘You can also use colored lacquer, but it dies too quickly to make it practical forall but the smallest surfaces, When the pant hss dried, sand it unt just the sight amount remains in the grain for ‘your particular needs. Afer all, its your project. ‘This isthe fnal ook of the “Big Top” box. I wanted just te deep- est parts of the oak to retain the color. For a more colored look, ‘you could use the method in step three and leave more of the paint on the wood 137two | painting like the pros OK, there are a couple of types of painted surfaces — those that are done with a brush ancl thase that are sprayed. Hike to spray because it ‘doesm leave brush marks, the cover- rage is even and its quicker. Because I painted the "Crazy project, Tused two-part auto body putty and drywall spackling to fill {he edges ofthe plywood an to fl any voids in the joints or dings in the plywood. The auto body pulty is lke ‘epoxy — you mix a litle hardener wi the putty and it's ready to go. It will dry quickly and forms a hard Eller that you can sand, stape and paint, ‘The drywall spackling is best for filing the sanall dings, dents and little voi. I also dries quickly and is easity sanded and painted, Sand and shape the filler, workinut up to 220-gnt sandpaper. Apply a coat of primer. What's reat about primer fs that it has a Joc of solids in it, That means it wil build up to a thick coat that can be sanded, Aner you apply @ ‘couple of coats, sand it using 320-arit sandpaper and you will achieve an amazingly smooth surface. Fany dings remain, you can fil them with spack- ling, sand and apply more primer, then ssn! the primer. Keep dig this unt you tke the way the surface looks, 138 Apply the paint. It will low so smoothty you'll be amazed, Until you've prepared a surface using this method, you dont truly ‘understand how smooth a finish can be Apply another coat of paint if needed, You ‘can stop here if you like, but take it to thee next level. Shall we? You bet! Apply a clear top coat. He sure the clear top coat won't ‘wrinkle or react with the paint. Try it out ‘ona test piece to be sure, ‘This isthe final finish on the “Crazy 20° box. I did all the steps as outlined above. “The key to-this type of painted finish is hhow smooth you ean make the surface before painting, Pinish-sanding the wood's surface using 220-grit sandpaper is suf- ficient. The filing, sanding with 220 grit, filing, sanctng, priming, sanding. priming and sanding will fil any small scratches ‘he 220-grit sandpaper leaves behind ‘When the paint touches the sinooth si face, i's a happy eecaston — for you and we paint, For the final and ultimate touch, {you can wet sand the clear top coat with ‘600-grit wovtry sandpaper. Then rub out the finish using No, 0000 steel wool. A final coat of wax will leave all who beBold {this nish breathless. For more on. the wet-sanding process, see “Wet Sanding, ‘Not Saruing Wetthree | a primer primmer You must use a primer that is compatible with the paint or lacquer youll be using. Ifyou dont apply primer, tere is a good chance the paint won't ccure properly. I was finishing a tabletop that I hed ‘made of MDF. After I shaped and sanded the top, Would’ cure arid remained soft, even afer I walied several days, Thad to remove the finish and use the recommended primer first, When the finish lacquer ‘was applied ovar the primer, it cured to a nice hard ‘nish, Lesson learned the hard way. [applied the colored finish lacquer. The lacquer Jour | stain isn't necessarily a pain As a general rule, Idor't lke to use stain, I profer, like many woodworkers, to see the natural color of wood. Most wood changes color over time and it's something that makes wood, well, wood. | did apply stain to one of the projects in this book ‘The “Let's Eat” project is made of mahogany. Mahogany turns a deep orange-bromn overtime, ‘and I wanted just alittle more brown in the final color, so Tapplied a medium brown gel stain that Drought out the end grain of the dovetails and added depih to the color of the carpathian elm burl veneer fon the box’ Ii. This was one time that using stain rade the project that rnuch richer in eolor and tex: ture Sive | textured paint isn’t rough to use ‘The “Safely Kept” project is painted. I differs slightly from the pated finish on the “Crazy 20 bbox in that i cals for textured paint, The “Safely Kept” bank is made of MDF. I shaped and nlst- ssended it using 220.grit sandpaper. [applied prim- cer and sanded using 220-grit sandpaper. A couple of coats of primer wore all that was needed. The textured paint came straight out ofa spray can. sprayed it on the project, and it worked its magic right in front of my eyes! It looks Uke hammered steel. [applied one more coat to ensure even color ccoveraste and that was that. ‘The textured jaunt on the “Safely Kept” project adided an element of realism. [finished the tumbler ‘knobs with spray-on gloss enamel paint. A dab of red paint served as orientation indicators forthe tumbler knots. 139,six | wet sanding, not sanding wet “The first time I ever wet sanded a project, [was confused, Wasn't lacquer ergic to water? And here I was using water to wet sand a freshly laequered tabletop. (Actually the laequer had been curing for a week.) ‘That's the Fist thing to remember —let the lacquer cure for at Feast a work, even mote if you have time, Lac- quer wall shvink in is first few days of being inthe world. Then it settes down. to live life one day ata time. If you're planing on wet sauxling, you should have 10 to 15 good, even coats of lac- quer on the surface. Lacquer blends with Itself, so every time you apply an- other coat, it essentially becomes one thicker coat. And soit goes coat after coat, ‘The reason for wet sanding is to level the litte hls and valleys in the lacquer. Use 600-grit wetlry sandpaper to do the trick. Fuse water and a few drops of liquid dishwashing soap. The soap helps the sandpaper alide better, The water keeps te sandpaper lubricated ‘and clean so it can eut through the sur. foe of the lacquer. Dip the sandpaper inthe water and drip some water on the surface to be sanded, Start sancling, ‘occasionally adding water so the sur face stays 140 AAs youre sanding, the surface ofthe you don't sand through the lacquer If you lacquer will start to dull. These are the do sar though, you'l need to stop sannd- hls being leveled, TMere wall be places ing. and reapply mare coats of liquer. If tays shiny. Those are the val- you sand through the laceuer on veneer, cant to keep saving unt it's possible the veneer could absorb the the whole surface becomes dull. This water and buckle "Trust me, it happened, ‘means you're done. Check your progress frequently so So avoid saving through the lacquer! seven | the rub out When you've successfully wet sanded your project to a wonderfully smooth lacquer finish, you're ready {o rub it with No, 0000 steel wool, Unroll the steel ‘wool bale and make it ft your hand. Rub completely from one end of the surface to the other. Be careful not to get the lnequer too warm oF ‘t-wil start to melt. Take it easy and pay at tw the warmth of your han. Also, take eare at the edges and sharp comers. These areas don't have: wich Jacquer on them, so you could rub through. How do I know about ll these mistakes? Tve made them, so hopefully you won't! When the surface is shiny and even, you're done. As the fra finishing touch, apply some paste or lia tid wax to the surface. Let the wax dry a little, then rub it shiny. Wow, I can see myself?nine | making new look old ‘Tho “Little Black Box” is a painted project I chose to give a used look. When the paint was dry, I used No, 0000 steel wool to rub out the fish —Uiter- ally, Stee! woo! removes finish much the same way hhands and fingers wear away the finish overtime. It doesnt take much rubbing to remove the paint, ‘80 proceed slowly and youll do fine. eight | polish it off Iwet sanded the “Lets Eat” project, Veneers that have been carefully lid up lke this deserve the very best. A lnoquer Finish with a wet-sanced surface that has heen slee!-wool rubbed and waxed eneour- ages the beauty of the wond to shine through and protects it in the process. The veneer is happy, the lacavet is happy and best ofall, you'e happy with & jobs well done. ten | three cheers for lacquer Ws the for me to reveal the finishing! for the boxes in this book: I painted two, I wet-sancle! ‘nd polished one, I shellacked one and the rest 1 finished with precatalyzed nitrocellulose lacquer. Precatalyzed lacquer doestit require the use of a sanding-sealer primer. It acts as its own seater. IL also cures harder than traditional nitrocellulose lacquer, bat it has all the positive working charac. teristics of nitroceulose lacquer — namely, i will dissolve and blend with any previous layers of lac quer and you can easily wet sand without having, to worry about sanding through to the next layer of finish, (This will happen if you try to wet sand or level polyurethane finish.) Tve set up a small spray booth in my garage with a tube-axial fan made especially for spray booths. It doesn't spark and it ereates good ait ffow.I an purchase precatalyzed lacquer at my local paint store in a fat, satin or goss finish I also comet in colors, which is a great way to paint. Lacquer is highly Qammable but with adequate: ventilation it's safe to use and it dries quickty — usually in 15 to 30 minutes, | finish-sanded all projects using 220-grit sand paper to remove all tooling and coarser grt sand- paper marks. I then sprayed one coat of lacquer on tine projec, Het tis dry, sanded it using 320-arit sandpaper and applied a second coat of lacquer. That'sit [ot the second coat of laequer dry for several ‘days before sanding it one more time with 220- sit sandpaper, rubbed out each project with No. {0000 steel wool, then applied a coat of wax, Wax helps keep the lacquer surface free of Fingerprints and further protects from moisture. Ifat anytime ou want to remove wax, wet rag with mineral spirits and rub the surface clean. Mineral spirits will not dissolve of harm lacquer. 141More Great Titles from lid Popular Woodworking Books! Birdhouses You Can Quick and Bulld in a Day Easy Weekend By the keltors of Popular ‘Woodworking Projects Woodworking Books Outlines the basic wood working sills readers reed to turn their back- yards into a birdwatchers paradize clades 50+ projects that an be made By the Editors of Popular This compilation features 23 of Popular Weodwork ina’ quickest quality home improvement pro ‘ects From Christmas om iments to an arts & rats bbookcate all of which ean ‘be completed in just one weekend sing readily available ‘tools ane materials ise seinaieeniie eal asa Is tssm707082 is wo. 15s 0468, $2053 ad OS Saaoph a ees Building Benita , Creating the Pata ‘ating Renin ear Satna ins Pa Bend Saw r Wood Joe LErarto {By Lol Keener Ventura pice feops by loe vaio pais tome noneot i ; Finish eters fcc ps rqinecerl ee sroodwoing sis Pot tod apiyoew fas to ther tied and worn ae fureitre quickly, without worry oF mistakes ‘teens with photos and ‘eer directions make these 15 works of ort easy to achieve 3 978-1-55870-7683 0: 155070. 744.1 524.99 pb, 128 p, 470697 These and other great woodworking books are available at your local bookstore, woodworking stores, or from online suppliers. www popularwoodworking coma Advanced sil eel, ‘Almost the round, 70-81 Angles. compound, 2 b Backer word, 1 andar br, almost inthe rout, 76-81 asc sl evel Bevel, 25 top, GAT Block plane, 18 Hox ina box, 24.29 c Coming, 88 heel aot ups, 2 ip ings, Bold Common angles, 2-25 CCommponn ore 8 60,2. Conpering, 12 Gray 7275, 198, 110 Growler, Bak Cones, S85, Cuting-ge dopa, LLL a Daaloes, LS, 120 ovetalljonts| termplate quick setup, 106 tweasure this project, 58, 6.61 yg a route and template fingtrg sige table saw Drawer, ited, 8, ILL st masks, 58,55 £ Finishing ups ara coring, AZ baoqver, 11 wai eo ok old, 1 paint and primer compariy, Bim ann, Ls polish off, 1 rub ou, 10 stain, LY textured paint, 122 wet sanding LAD Fted drawers, 95, 1al=4n5 Fes panels, 112) MSL Flaware bos, 1-15 Flipper, 0.0 French curves, 88205 g ‘las hed satery ‘tung bose ees, 15 Sin cover 32 ‘Grmose-se tenon constriction ar i {eosahecron, 2 Interoeking tp Joint 28. Intermediate sill evel, 4 i “Jewelry tox, loki’ good, tout Joint deta See Dovetal joints se aad at ois 8 Interlocking Lap out 28, Jpinter, LF See Miers Fis k Key nts, ib ‘Keyed sir joints, 1 Lacquer, ML Lap desk lite lack box, 118121 ld school laptop, ee Let ea, 128-186 Letter holder, 12-40 [Lite btack box, UieL2h Looky’ good, 1.29.04 etae conversion eu, 2 Miers compoune! antes, 2275, compen! mites, 66, 9 Zk eyed miter jl, HL 29-2 miter joints, £0, 2 Moetse-anu-teponjolery, Ae ° (Old-school! iaptop, L227 (O10-pine bse, LE PB Pant ane primer ‘ompatibity, 7, 12 Siishing tins, 133 ma Pine ‘tpn box, 2219, sua pre, white or yell pine, 12 Pug cutter, 27-28 Power equipmant safety Us, 2, 3 Recipe box, 223 Roundup, 828 Router, Rub ot, 120. 8 Safely kent, LST Safety tips chemicals, 2 dust masks ase seving, 2 ower eqipmens, Sanding French curves, 88,92, 94.05 cuca spine srver, 18 sanding blocks, LL wet sanding, Le Serowinver,Yankow, 1 Seresn fasteners, 2 SkllIevel, 4 Slider, 2.37, ‘Stain, 40 Suppliers, 2 t Theres no point, 30 Treasure this, 38-05 ‘Trnblers on safely ke project. v Ven ‘bookmatehed pote, Lat attening, 182 panel edges, La preparing for lun, 09 Watch out for the curves, 25 What’ cookin, 28 Why dont you wnite?, 44-49 y ankee screwdrve 2 143Hone Your Woodworking Skills One Box at a Time