_ SIMPLE ROUTER TECHNIQUE me SN 7 Saeed ae Le pe) B53 TABLE SAW OTT eae Ua Aaa Te FOR YOUR SHOP — —-“4 ri Etreeee Contents eG Features dream shoy ject Classic Cabinet Base Workbench KSEE +5 Every shop needs a heavy-duty workbench. This classic cesign has altho featwes youll ever need, including a cabinet siye base for storage, to vises, and a large, solid top, fine tools Wood & Brass Spokeshave 2B Enjoy shaping and smoothing curves with {your oun shop-made spokeshave. This spokeshave eatures a micro-adjustable blade and soltd-brass hardware weekend workshop. Drill Press Accessory Cabinet. 34 a 's the storage for your chill press bits and acces- -sories bursting at the seams? This wai! cabinet will oop ovorything organized and close at hands Departments Readers’ Tips 4) router workshop Get a Flat Panel with Splines 8 A hassle-fre way to create strong, flat pane! with a minimum of elforis to use splines Here's what you need to know to do it right. materials & hardware Shop Cabinet Levelers ‘Keep your shoo projects level and wobble free from the ground up. Learn more about the best kinds of levelers to use in your shop. 10 Jigs & accessories Easy-to-Use Toggle Clamps (Once you start using toggle clamps in your shop, you'l find them versatile enough to handle just about any task Shop Short Cuts 4 ‘Shop-tested tips and techniques to solve your woodworking problems. ‘hands-on technique Using a Spokeshave. With the right setup and a litle practice, you'l be creating thin shavings in no time. ‘ShopNotes No, 34in the shop All About Bench Vises. ‘Securely holding a warkpiece is tha key 10 Suc- 1 cessful woodworking. Learn more about the y types of vises every bench should have. | setting up shop Workshop Fire Safety | ‘A $50 fie extinguisher — its the most mpor- | tant tool in your shop. mastering the table saw No Fuss Bridle Joinery Here's a strong, sturdy joint thats so easy fo ‘make you can do itall on the table saw. All you need is a simple shop-made jig. great gear Air Hose Reels {s deaing with your air hose @ big hassie? Solve the problem with an ait hase reel ultimate garage Roll-Around Tool Cabinets A metal, roll-around cabinet is a great way to ‘organize and protect a shop tl of tools. Learn all about choosing the right kind. | QA aa | Sources ‘wiwShopNotes.com 38 42 4a 4% 48 Cutoffs everal years ago, Iwas down in my shop leaning some rust off an old hand plane. As I went along, I tossed the used pieces of steel wool into a pile on the end of my bench, Suddenly, as if by magic, the pile of steel wool burst into a ball of fire. ‘The “magic” turned out to be a seemingly harmless, cordless drill battery lying on the bench, Some ofthe steel wool had touched the battery contacts. The electric charge instantly {ignited the steel wool like tinder. Fortunately, aftera momentofstunned shock, Twas able to smother the smoldering steel wool before anything else caught on fire. Thenext moming, I went out and purchased what's now the most important tool in my shop —a fire extinguisher. To find out more, check out the article that begins on page 42. Tony This symbol lets you know there's more infor- mation available online at www.ShopNotes.com Sr Pees pontine mie eastt Sa ce een eee aT pga See seep ae ae | a oes eM ier eee de cannes 3Tips for Your Shop / Getmore wood. easy to reach when Ineed one. Working tipstree. To keep my planes omganized VistusontheWebat 274 accessible, I built the simple nuptoreceNve 2 — way. And the planes are in sight Readers Hand Plane a Storage Rack Storing hand planes has always ‘been a challenge in my shop. Since most planes are long, they Hort fit well ona shelf, And when MPP’ sored ina drawer they renot always CoM _storagerack yousee in the photo. It hangs on the wall so it’s out of the ont, few maden mec mall every ‘The rack is simply a hardwood with a ¥i" hardboard back. The frame that’s fitted back fits into rabbets cutin the back of the frame and is used to mount the rack to the wall, ‘A couple of slots at the top and. bottom hold hardboard dividers (detail ‘2, These dividers form © bays that separate the planes and keep them from bumping into one another. SIDE VIEW eo) pare 4 : ‘To hold the planes in the rack, I drilled a hole a the top of each bay, passed the ends of he'dia. nylon cord through the hole, and secured them with a knot. A predrilled hardwood ball slips over the cord toadjust the loop around the knob. Now plane storage is easy. Just set the plane in the rackand tighten the cord securely around the knob. David Myer Lakeland, Florida ‘ShopNotes No. 84Finding a Corner Radius often need to make a nice, rounded comer on a workpiece. But this can often lead to alot of trial and error until [ get the comer radius just right. You'l find a carpenter's square and a compass makes this task quick and easy. And the results are perfect every time. For example, I needed a 4" radius at the comer. So I lined up the edge and end of the workpiece with the 4° mark tn the outside of both legs of the square {eee photo below). Then mark the point of the square. Finally, put the pointed arm of the compass on this mark, extend the compass to the edge of the workpiece, and Scribe the line. Craig Kelley Knoxcille, iowa Win A Porter-Cable Router That's right, send us your shop tips. If your tip or technique is selected as the featured readers tip, you'll win a Porter Cable routor just like tho one shown below. Just wete down your tip and mail it to: ShopNotes, Ties for Your Shop, 2200 Grand Avenua, Des Moines, lowa 50312, Please include your name, address, and daytima phone number (in case we have any au tions). If you would like, FAX it to us at 615-282-8741 or gond us an omail message at: stopnotes@shopnoies.com. We will pay up to $200 if we publish your tip. The Winner! Congratulations to Frank Penicka of Mount Pearl, Canada, His tip on making a jig for cutting relist _grooves in dowole wae colocted ac winner of the Porter-Cable router Just like the one shown at right. makes a quick and easy job of adding glue relief grooves to dowels. To find out how you could win a Porter: ‘Cable router, check out the information above. Your tip just might be @ winner. www. ShopNotes.com Issue 84 Nov/Dec.2005 PUBLISHER OoraidB, Pesce EDITOR wey). Seen ‘EMR EDTORS Bjan Neon, Vincent Ancon2 ASSOCIATEEDTORS 71 Hide, tes Hate ASSISTANT EDTORS fon jot, Revd A Nosey xecUTVE ART DRECTOR a Lb ‘ART DRECTOR Cary Crestensen SEIIOR GRAPAKE DESIR ame Dowmig SENIOR LLUSTRATOR Roger Kelant ILLUSTRATORS DnsicKalemyr, Pte. Laon (REATWE DIRECTOR Tes Krak ‘SENIOR PROJECT DESIGNERS Kan ne, ene Wish chsh FROIEC DESIGNERSBULDERS Nike enown, ‘ois Dole ‘Ho CRAFTSMEN Sieve Cut, Stew rion SI. PHOTOGRAPHERS Cray Englne, Denis Keaneoy [ASSOCIAE SIE DIRECTOR Hebe Cunningnon ELECTRONIC MAGE PECLALST Al uke LVDEDGRAPHERS Craig Fuego Mark Hays ‘Seasons OR na nets Na rhea arpa stehione EA ‘Somme y ing Fane aie Arcee seciee uctaneipayenOn tes ba nd sats SP aaa ‘www.ShopNotes.com ONLINE SUBSCRIBER SERVICES * Access you acount 9 GHHECK or 2 subseroten payment # TELL USit youve misedanisie 9 GHANGEYoU rain oral acres REMEW ou suxcipton + PAY yuri i on “Subs Spicer in the Eton he et seo ou ome sgt eres and rns vl uke you tough ono the cout Ramanan Seve ee. HOW TO REACH US: FOR SuBScRPTIONS, aDoRESS CHANGES ORQLESTIONS, WATE OR CAL ‘Cuntoner Sere Sees rand sve bes ins, 14 £0512 0338:5864 Fam cos pm cr (ORSEND AN EMAL TO: ‘ordeneshepnotes.com Printed USA AUGUST HOME. 5Grooving Jig for Dowels I make my own dowels and like to have relief grooves cut in them to allow space for excess giue-So built ‘a handy jig that makes quick work of adding grooves. It’s simple to build and easy tous. ‘The jig hes fo parts, a handle and a block beneath that holds a pair of cutting blades (see drawing below), The handle has a hole that’s sized to fit the dowel. ‘The small cutting block is attached below the handle by screws and T-nuts. A slot cut par- tially through the thickness of the block holds two sharpened pleces of hacksaw blade. Its important that you cut the slots the same ‘width as the hacksaw blade s0 the blades fit tightly in the slot. ‘Ahole drilled to the depth of the are tightened to hold the cutting through the cutting block, Be sure slot on each side of the block blades securely in position. to drill this hole from the handle receives a pressin threaded insert Once the handle is attached to sideso the two holes are perfectly ‘anda knurled screw. These screws the block, you can drill a hole aligned. Two small holes on each Side allow the shavings to escape “DIN RSeR, Nore opus To use thejig chaméerthe end of rowan || Soheontcem the dowel. Then place it in a vise. [_ a | Now slip the jig over the dowel < —— ) withthe handle on top (se photo Se above) and slowly push it down, at ‘Frank Peni Seam = ‘Mount Peas Nd, Conada @. BOTTOM VIEW eiSeFioexr oe ‘SOBE AoW HAINES eueeare ae b. FRONT SECTION VIEW ower Hour ' y re} » ats) T gmc saumuen Nur Aiigppe “soeew 6 ‘ShopNotes No. 84Miter Gauge Alignment Mark Wherever Ineed tocutanumberof pleces using the miter gauge on my: table saw, I find that | often spend quite a bit of timebetween cuts lign- ing the blade wit my cutmars. 50 to speed up the process and still Apply the Tape. First, applya Choose A Siraightedge. The makeaccuratecuts,Lappliedamark piece of painter’ tape to the fop of straightedge should have enough tomy saw tableto help mequickly he saw table a iew inches in front height and/length to butt up against e cuts of the blade of the saw. several ieeth on the saw blade. ee line up th I didn’t want a permanent mark con the table of my saw, 50 Tused a piece of blue painter's tape as my marker. The tape iseasy to see and can be quickly removed without leaving sticky residue behind. First, [laid a stip of tape about 2" in frunt of the blade. I wented the edge of the tape aligned with the teeth of the blade, so 1 used a long piece of aluminum angle to butt up against several ofthe fet Next, cut along the straightedge and remove the leftside ofthe tape. Then just align the mark on the workpiece with the left edge of the A Trim Along the Straightedge. & Line Up the Cut. To make a tape and make the cut Line up the straightedge with the quick and accurate cut, you can Len Urban lacie, cut a line through the ‘ape, simply line up the workpiece with Rancho Mirage, Colifenia and remove the piece on the leit. the left edge of the tape. Z| A Mohael Gerdes of New Bern, NC places old belts around the jaws of his machinist vise to protect the piece he's workng on. He cuts the belts to fit around th jaws and then punches newnotches in each belt vewwShopNotes.com A To keop debris off of his band aw tres, Chad Husting of Mason, OH eutsofithe head ofatoothbrush and glues it to ¢ siack of magnets so that iirubs against the tie. A vacuum extension mounted > to the wall lets Mike Oslund of San, Antonio, X get rid of his cust pan. He just sweeps dust io the nozzle.get for panels fost With Splines This simple hand-held router technique will give you smoother panels in less time. Hi | Edge gluing panels —sounds easy enough. Take a few boards, apply glue to the edges, and clamp them together to make a wide panel. For small panels, there's not much more to it But the challenge comes when gluing up larger panels like the workbench top on. page 16, As the boards get longer, they arer't likely to be perfectly flat The resalt can be joint lines that aren‘t flush. Working these jpints flat can be time consuming. To avoid the problem, [turn to a simple, router technique, ROUT SLOTS FOR SPLINES: To create a flat panel, Irout narrow grooves in the exiges of the boards. ‘Then I fit splines in the grooves to coax the boards into alignment. The splines act like a key to lock the boards in place. The tricks routing the slots the “right way.” I like to use a hand-held router. Here’s why: the small base of the router follows the “hills and val leys” of the workpiece (drawing delow). The result is a siot that’s parallel to the surface and consis- fent from board to board, Trout the grooves working from the top face. This means the top of the panel will be aligned for sure. ‘And any slight variation in board thickness will be on the unseen, botiom face of the panel SlotCutting Bit. Making a slot requires a slot-cutting bit It locks like a mini saw blade, as shown in the photo on the opposite page. ‘There are two siyles available. ‘The mostfamiliar type has two, three, or four teeth on a cutter- head. To change the size and depth ‘of the slot, you can buy additional ‘cutters and bearings. ‘The other type of slot cutter is designed more like a stack dado set for a teble saw. Instead of just one cautterhead, it comes with several, ‘each cutting a different width slot ‘What sets this bit apart is the cut- ferheads can be stacked on an extra-long arbor to create custom- sized grooves. You'll also find a range of spacers ana shims to fine- tune the siot width. Some sets even come with multiple bearings so youcan change the slot depth. If possible, select a slot cutior ‘with a 14” shank. This beefier bit is less likely to deflect during the cut and will giveyou smoother resuits. Sizing Splines. As for the size of the splines, [ like to use 1"-wide splines for large panels like the benchtop shown above. That means routing a ¥s"-deep groovein NOTE: cuere ws gonna — See toe io i] rast enpoys reas poe } Mamie rece ShopNotes No. 84‘each piece. For smaller panels, you can use /"-wide splines. Spline Material. Once you have the bit taken care of, the next order of business is to choose a spline material, And here you have a lot of choices from hardwood to hard- board or plywood. The problem with hardwood is that ¢ long grain spline can split along the jpint line while you are trying to get the parts lined up, ‘which defeats the purpose. For my money, "hardboard works best. It has a strong, uniform consistency, ‘which keeps it from splintering, Tt ‘comes in lange sheets that are great for cutting long splines. And hard board ispretty inexpensive. Loase Splines. Now Iknow that Ys hardbeard can be slightly less ‘than If" thick. But Thaver’t found ‘that to have much effect on the per formance of the spline. Reinforcing Joinery: Splined Miters When it comes right dow toit,a riterjoint isn't much different than a butt joint Thismakes for a poor glue suriace.Soifsno wonder that miterjoints havea nasty habit of failing over time. To keep the joint from opening, I like to usesplines to add strength to the joint. Now, instead of simple butt joint, the spline ‘makes the joint more like an inter- locking tongue and groove joint. Router Table. Unlike adding splines to glued-up panels, this is. a task for the router table. With ‘smaller workpieces, you'll have ‘more control hy using the fence. (Crose-Grain Splines. There are a few othe things to think about hen adding splines to miter joints The first is the pe of spline to use. Here, I usually use a hardwood spline. ButI make sure the grain runs across the joint line, as you can see in the ‘www:ShopNotes.com But if you want a really snug ft {or the splines, there are two things you can do. One way is to start with a thinner slot cutter (Ye' for example) and just make two passes. The only trouble with this is the time-consuming extra step. ‘The second solution, is to use a stacking slot cutter and assemble the cutter stack so it porfectly ‘matches the spline thickness. Cutting the Splines. The next step after you have routed slots in. all the edges, is to rip some spline stock to width. When doing this, like to cut the splines sightly nar~ rower than the slot depth, as you ‘an see in the right detail drawing, ‘This provides room for excess glue and guarantees that the boards will come together without a gap. Gluing the Panel. Assembling a panel with splines isn’t much dif- foront than edge gluing. But there drawing above. This way, the spline is less likely to split ard will expand and contract along ‘with the frame pieces. ‘Visible or Invisible. A second thing to consider is whether you ‘want the epiine to be visible on the comer of the joint. If 30, you may want to use a spline with a contrasting color to add a decora- tive touch. But if you don’t want to see the spline, rout a stopped slot on each workpiece. FIXED SLOT CUTTER area few things I want to mention. First, apply glue to the edges of the boards aad to the grooves. Second, you may need to apply some gentle pressure to the mis- aligned sections ofthe panel to got ‘he splines to pop into the grooves. After you takethe clamps off, the results willbe obvious, Thesurface of the panel will be pretty fat and you'llspend less time ina doud of dust sanding joints flush. You may even find that you can use splines to solve other wood- working problems. You can read about another way to put splines to workin the box at left. & Bi FIGURE NO SPLINE 6 (UL BOARDS TaNSIDE-MOUNTED LEVELERS ‘pr eupporie sipping CC aiprevppore \ 10 shop cabinet Levelers Keep your shop on an even keel with a set of heavy-duly levelers. Nothing is more frustrating than to set up a shop cabinet and have it rock and wobble decause your shop floor ist level. The solution for this al-too-common problem is toinstall levelers. Advantages. Besides leveling your shop cabinets, there are other advaniages to adding. levelers. Keeping your cabinets off the floor protects them from ebsorbing roisture through the floor or from any spills. That's especially true if your cabinets are made from parti- leboard or MDE, because they can soak up moisture and swell. ‘Another benefitof using levelers ‘comes when moving the cabinets ‘round. Levelers notonly make the cabinets slide easier, but they also protect the botiom edges of the cabinet from the chipping or splin- tecing that moving may cause. ‘There's rothing wore than hearing the sound of veneer peeling off piywcod because you Con: Stick out from sides and get in the way hhad to nudge your cabinet just a Title closer to the wall. Heavy-Duty. As you can see here, levelers come in a variety of shapes and sizes. But what you don't see are thelightwoight piastic kind. They're just not strong enough for shop use. In my shop, I use the sturdy, all-metal levelers that you buy at woodworking spo- cially stores. Gources on page 51.) Alevelerisntall thatcomplex— is essentially a pad attached to a threaded rod. The rod passes through a metal bmcket attached to the cabinet. There are two acivan- tages to this design. One is added strength. The other isthe brackets and pads can be ordered sepa- rately, allowing you to customize them for your specific needs. Adjusiment. You can adjust the hhvight of loveles in diferent ways For example, some levelers are adjusted by simply twisting the pad or an adjusting nut. Others are adjusted by using a screwdriver (op lef photo) or a hex key (tottom left corner photo) on tp of the threacied rod. Most of the time, you'll have to adjust these types of leveless theough a hole drilled in the bortom ot your cabinet ‘SIDE-MOUNT Lovolers come in cither sdemount and comer-mount. Two types of sidemounted levelers are shown on theleét. They canbe mounted to cither the inside or tho outside of the cabinet. Butif you mount them to the inside of the cabinet, you'l hhave to drill an access hole in the ‘ShopNotes No. 84bottom shelf to be able to adjust them, or fo allow room for the threaded rod to come through. ‘The “U” bracket on the opposite page isthe simplest to install. lit fakes is four screws. But while it’s the easiest to install, its also the ‘weakest. The weight of the cebinet is carved by those four screws which are often less than 3" long, ‘And screws that short don't bave a Jot of holding power, especially pparticeboard and MDE. Ifyou want a side-mounted lev- er that will handle aheavierload, Shop-Built: Leveler With just a handful of hardware ‘and some scrap blocks, you can quickly make your own levelers. Basically, esch leveler consists of ‘svo parts: an adjustable pad and a thick mounting block that attaches fo the bottom of the base. By turning a bolt that passes through the center of each piece, you can raise or lower the pad. Mounting Block. To provide plenty of strength, each mounting block is made by gluing up wo pieces of Yi'thick hardwood. Before gluing and screwing the ‘mounting block to the bottom of thebase, you'll need to drill acoun= terbored sharkchole to hold 2'Fnut ‘hat accepts the adjustment bolt swwwShopNotes.com hold leveler Adjusting nut CORNER- Lip supports ‘cabinet weight MOUNTED LEVELERS step up to one with a “lipped” bracket. Instead of relying on only four screws for strength, the sides of the cabinet are supported by a flange that goes undomeath the bottom edge. This leveler also adds stability with its beefed-up design. ‘The levelors that work best for me are the comermount models you see above. Even though they ‘mount underneath the cabinets — making them a little harder to adjust — that inconvenience is WASHER Pad. Once the block is in place, you can add the pad. Its also a piece of 34'-thick harclwood that’s ‘captured on the end of thebolt bya pai of lock nuts offset by the added strength and stability they provide. These lev- clerscanhold more weight because they attach to two sides of the ceb- inet. And, like the side-mounted levelers, they use four screws and come in a“lipped” variety too. So for me, there's no skimping, ‘when it comes to levelers for my shop cabinets. For your shop, make sure to get heavy-duty levelers like these that can take some punish- ‘ment and stil provide firm foun- ation and good protection for your shop cabinets. 6 ‘One of the nuts rests in a coun terbored shank hole cnlled in the botiom of the foot The other tightens against the top ofthe foot to lock itn place. u Extra support prevents leveler from tipping A Easy Adjustment. To raise or lower tis shoo-made leveler, simply tern the adjustment bolt with a socket wrench.Accessories easy-to-use Toggle Clamps _ Reach for these clamps for the ultimate in versatility and safety in your shop. Part of the enjoyment I get out of woodworking is finding ways to work smarter and safer. So if I find myself needing an extra pair of hands, Til offen turn to toggle ‘lamps. They help me concentrate onthe jobathend. ‘Toggle clamps make your work safer by keeping parts in place without slipping, You get better control ofthe workpiece, especially small or hard-to-hold pats. Their uses in the shop are ‘unlimited. For example, Tuse them to make clamping jigs for gluing Up projects. And they make excel- lent hold-down fixtures for routing, drilling, or sawing, Talso like toggle clamps because they‘re easy to use. With usta quick flip, I can snap the handle into the clamping position. Releasing them is just as easy. Alt takes isa gentle tug on the handle with a couple of fingers. They really do “toggle” the clamping pressure on or off. When you first look at these clomps, ivs hard to understand how they work. But after experi- ‘menting with them, you see what makes them so powerful, It’s really physics at work. The handle acts 2s a lever that transfers all the force you apply into a single point and then lecks it down. It’s an ingenious design. It doesn’t take much effort to puta lotof clamping pressure on your workpiece Two typesoftogele damps that] find most useful are the hold-down and straight line types. HOLD-DOWN CLAMPS k (SEE DETAILS) perce fe SRE “HUE es \ ne * POSITION, TH jo PROTECTIME WoRKnECE mie eanoie REA /OLD-DOWN noe | Hold-dowm clamps apply clamy see CLAMP a annie eed ca ae great for making a ripping jig {main photo above) or miter sled for your table saw. They also come in handy at the drill press. You can uuse them to hold small parts in position so your fingers don’t have tobeclosetoa spinning drill bit, as shown in the inset photo above. Adjustability. What I like most about these clamps is how easy they are to adjust. With the hold- down style of clamp, you can adjust the spindle both vertically and horizontally. imply adjust the height of the threaded spindle by loosening the top and bottom nuis and turning the spindle fo change ‘ShopNotes No. 84the height. Detail ‘2’ on the oppo- site page shows how it works. This controS the amount of pressure ~ applied when you push the lever down to the damping position. It abo lets you adjust for diflerent ‘workpiece thicknesses. Youll also notice that the hold- oven arm is slotted to accommo- date horzzental movement of the spindle, This allows you to slide the spindle along the arm to fine: tune where the pressures applied. Detail” on the opposite page shows this adjustment. ‘STRAIGHT LINE CLAMPS Straight line clamps area litle dif: ferent than hold-down clamps They work by applying pressure horzontally. This makes them ideal for use in jigs for gluing up projects, as in the main photo above. Ill also use a straight line clamp on my drill press to hold a ‘workpiece agsinst a fonce, like you see in the inset photo at right. ‘On a straight line clamp, the plunger moves in or out horizon- fally, similar to a piston. This SECOND: sours veh ames grugeorsle, The slution is wea woo ey oe | strip to guide the panel through the saw (see drawing). > ‘Make the Strip. For this to work, the strip should fit the miter slot snugly, but sil side smoothly. And for post resulls, the strip should be long enough to extend 8" past cach edge of the pandl. ‘Auiach the Strip. Once you have a good fit, you're ready to attach the strip. And there area couple things to keep in mind here. Firs, the strip needs tobelocated so the end of the panel extends slightly past the blade, as in detail ‘2’ Second, the strip needs to be square to the edge of the panel. (Iused a framing square.) Make the Cut. Depending on the size of your saw's extension able to the right, you may need to provide extra support for the panel as you make the cut. So et "upextre outfeed and side supports before youstert. aes = NOT Fear? Srnbenier * pics ese u ‘ShopNotes No. 84Routing Square H ‘Theworkbench on page 16 features traditional, square bench dogs ‘And for that you need square “oles” To make quick work of completing these holes, I turned to ‘my handheld router, a 2"-dia, pat tembit, and a handy shop-madejig Making the Jig. Since a pattem bit will follow the edges of a tem- plate exactly, the key to accurately routing the dog holes is taking the time to make thejigjustright You cen find all the information you'll need to build the fig in the Dog Hole Jig drawing shown at ght. On tho top of the j sce a pair of openings created by three shaped pattems. The patterns are attached to a pair of glued-up cleats that butt tight egainst the ‘edges of the bench dog strip. The ‘guide strips keep the jig in just the right position as ie screwed in place, like you see in Figure 1 ‘Two Openings. Each opering is shaped like a bench dog and the ‘openings are angled toward each ‘ther, As shown in Figure 1, one ‘opening is used to rout the holes in fhe bench dog strip. The other ‘opening is then sed 10 rout the holes in the tail vise strip (Figure 2} Foe ate cas Gi UNfres OF ar PrN joles ince the bench dog holes you rout will match the jig exactly, be sure to test fit the bench dogs in the ji make any adjustments before you start routing and thea your workpieces, Routing the Holes. ‘Once the jig is complete, routing a dog hole is just matler of laying out their locations and screwing the jig over the workpiece so the opening lines up with the layout, as in Figure 1. Don‘t worry about the serew holes, they’! bbe covered up when you attach the strips to thebench. Sie you'll be routing the dog holes across the grain, you don’t want to remove all the weste in @ single pass. I found that a series of shallow passes works best (nomore than i" deep). But there’s one small problem. For the rt couple passes, the bearing won't make contact ‘with the edges ofthe jg, To solve this problem, you'll need 10 carefully rout down the center of the opering to remove most of the woste, 29 in Figure Ta BOR HOLE JIG a MEW) a 2m b < ‘Once the bearing is below the top of the jg, you can then trim along the edges 10 remove the mst (of the waste, like you see in Figure 1b. Note: Be sure to set the depth stop on your rouler at the final depth of cut (4). This way, each dog hele will end up identical. & ‘www ShopNotes.comThis workbench has it all — classic looks, plenty of storage, plus a top and vises able to handle the most. demanding tasks. classic cabinet-base 16 ‘ShopNotes No. 84Exploded View Details wwwShopNotes.com wvbuilding the Base When it comes to building a work- bonch, the base has toda two things. needs tobe strong and stable. ‘To meet these requirements, 1 started with heavy-duty legs and joined them with beefy rails to create a pair of end frames. Then, the frames are connected by long stretchers. To enclose the base, stiles. and solid wood panels are added to theend frames and back, Start with the Legs. The first step is to make the legs (Figure 1). did this by gluing up two pieces of TWhthick stock To avoid the problem of Keeping. the pieces aligned as I glued them together, I started with extra-wide pieces. ‘Then, after squaring up eech blank and ripping it to final width, you cancut thelegs tolength. Mortises & Grooves. To join the nals of each end frame to the legs, I used large mortise and tenon joints Butefore making the mortises, leut grooves in the legs to hold the solid ‘wood panels and stiles that are added later Cutting the groovesfirst allows you to use them as a guide for the mortises (see box below). ‘The important thing to keep in mind when laying out the grooves and mortises is that the legs aren't g a Mortise ‘The nice thing about most of the mortises for the woskbench is that laying them out isasrap. After cutting the grooves in each leg, you can use the shoulders of the groove as a teference for the sides of the sortie when drilling out the waste, used my Forstner bites a guide to set theauxilary fence on my drill press before INSIDE VIEW front edge of the bench with a heavy-duty bench dog assembly. ‘To start with, I glued up a thick fille strip and planed itdown until itwas flush with the end of the left apron, like you see in Figure 12c. [After cutting a groove to match the uuee b. a. ASSEMBLY SPLINE eee tay @- FILLER STRIP Gases All that’s left to complete the assembly is to add the bench dog strip (Figure 12}. Fist, you'l need to add the holes for the bench dogs to the trip. did thiswith a hanc-held router and a shop-made jig (For ‘more on this, see page 15). Once the ieee ano GRE HCE ce Pa IHIER STOCK side as you work, asin Figure la. one in the top, the strip is simply holes for the bench dogs are routed, Bench Dog Assembly. At this glued in place with a wide solid you can glue the strip in place and point, you're wady to build up the wood spline (Figure 124). start getting ready to add the vses. Materials & Hardware BASE FRAME 1A Large Drawer sides (4) 24x314-25/4 | B0B Backer [) Macrh-> A Lest) 3x5-31% BD YLageDrower Front (2) %x616-2% CCC Tall VaeStip Q) Wont 2 Upper End Rail (2) War3-244 CC HLargeDrawer Backs (2) 4 x6%-21% DDD Pinch Block (I) Wr 4%e-3 Lower End Rail (2) Wx5W-24% DD XLargeDrawer Sides(4] 4x 64-23% EEE Collar Support Block (1) WH x2%-16 D Stile (5) 1x3-23% EE Guide Strips (16) Wex%e- BY, _ FFF Face Vise Block(I) Ba xTA- 15 E End Panels (4) Y%x10-B% FF DrawerStops (16) Yax¥a-2 — »(64) #8 x2" Rh Woodscrews: F LowerStetcners (2) %4x5/4-73% Go small shel () Ryze) MMe Woouaen & Upperkear stretcher) P4x314-73% HH Large Shelf (}) 22¥ix22-YoMy. 6 (12) x7" Fh Woodscrews. Hi Back Panels (4) YxiGYo-23% Ml Shelf Edging(2) Yxw-D ei Wondiziews | Support Cleats (4) YxI4-24% 3) Door stiles (4) Wxth- BK eerie |, Bottom (i) Dx MAY Ply. KK Door Rails (4) Yaak de ee K_ UpperFrontStretcher(I) 8412%-73% UL Door Panels (2) Yx6%- 1% (DT oe DRAWER CABINETS BENCHTOP + (0) #2 1214 Fr Woodscrews Cabinet Sides (4) 24x23%4-% Ply. MMBenchtop (l) 1427- 92%, °C) #4 x14" Fh Woodscrews ‘M Trim Stites (4) %x1-23% NN Spline 1x 450 (Rgh) -YeHdbd. —* (6) #14 x3" Fh Woodscrews Ni Webrame tnd: (8) hex -738% OO Back Apron Txt 94 (VVC xs lag Screws O Web Frame Frts/Backs (16) %4x11-22% PP Front Apron (1) WAx4A-HY 63)" x4" Lag Screws > Trimraie(@) Yox1-22 QQleftEnd Apron) VARA eas Q Drawer Guides (4) xi RK Right End Apron f}) Wx 28% 616) 4" Washers SRAWERS, DOORS, & SHELVES $5 Suppor Beam () We cue ere R Small Drawer Front (2) %x3%-2% TT Cross Supports (2) Wx %- 26% 8) shelf Support Fins S SmallDrawer Backs (2) -Y%x3%-27A UU Mounting Cleat (2) ARS ey ale ace Heaps wea T SmallDrawer Sides(4) __Y4x3%4-23% VWFiller Strip (1) DWE TOA ee ea U Drawer Bottoms(8) 21% x23-4Ply. WW Assembly Spline(1) Your sy, ~ (09) Wie. Knobs w/Serews V_ Medium Drawer Fronts (2) %x4%- 21% XX Bench Dog Stip () 1%4x4%4-79 (2 Pr) Magnetic Catches w/Screws W Medium Drawe! Bucks(@) V4d¥g-21% TAIL PACE VISES 1p Face Vise Hardware and Handle X Medium Drawer Sides(4) 14x4¥4-23% YY TailVise Tp () 1124-20 + Tail Vise Hardvare and Hancle Y Large Drawer Fronts (2) %ax5/4-2V4 ZZ Tail Vise Bottom (1) YxTh-20 + (1Pr| Bench Dogs Z LageDrewerBacks(2) —4xe5}0-21% AAAFront File () Banda www.ShopNotes.com 25outfitting the Vises ‘Vises can make or break a work: bench. But don't worry. the vises yousee here are rock-solid and wil hhandle the most demanding tasks ‘with ease. Note: For more on bench ee NESS COMPLETING THE TAIL VISE At first glance, the tail vise at right looks like a solid block of wood. need to disassemble and then the mounting plate (Figure 15a). . But whats interesting is what you reassemble the tail vise afew times. And there shouldn't be any gap dort see. And that’s the metal Mounting the Plate. The first between theapron on thebench and hardware on the “inside” thing you'lLneed todo Is attach the the edge ofthe tal vise top. In Figures 13 and 14, you can tail vise mounting plate Figure 13). To help locate everything accu- see that thekey pieces of hardware This plate fits into the recess in the rately, 1 clamped the two pieces are the mounting plate attached to front apron and is screwed inpplace together and test fitit to the bench. the front apron and the two guide so the top edge extends just above Once you have the tail vise top plates that sandwich it, As you the bottom edge of the apron sized and the guide plate located, tum the handle these plates guide groove, asin the End View atleft. youcan screw them together, the assembly smoothly as it — Onoetheplateisinplace,thenext Note: You'll also need to drill a travels back and forth. step is to size the tail vise top and couple counterbores in the tal vise For the most par, the rest of the attach the metal guide plate of the top ‘or the ends ofthe bolts used to paris of the vise assembly keep the tail vise. What you're looking for clamp the lower guide plate in plates spaced correctly: The secret here isto end up with the tail vise place, as in Figure 14. You can use to adding them is to tral it every top flush with the top of the bench _ the guide plate to locate them, aa thing as you go along. So you'll whentheguide plateishooked over At this point, the critical “assembly” of the vibe is over. All = ovenview (5 ys aa couvrerBone, thats left to do now is add the two eZ filler blocks and the tail vise bottom. Here again, test iting will ey | helpyousize theblocks and bottom aa ees ‘Add the Bench Dog Strip. At . : this point, you're ready to add the tall vise strip thet holds the bench dogs. As before, page 15 covers we THEE vee ASSEMBLY Resale Ne psenety Sete ria 4) Tanvise elite TAI Vige Sige ney NOTE: se= “ Morte BERNE Bc rouse my Ly 6 atte. PROVIDED WITH VISE ShopNotes No. 84everything you need to know. Once the dog holesare compte, glue the strip 1 the tal vise assembly. Tocomplete the tal vise, ladded “pinch” block tothe inside face of the vise. This gives the mounting collar and handle for the vise a “centered” look and covers theend of the vise hardware (Figure 13) Finally, add the handle to the vise. ‘You can make your own orbuy one {see sources on page 51). ADDING THE FACE VISE All that’s left to complete the bench. 5 t add a face vise. The nice thing &, there are only two parts to make —a face vise blockancl a collarsup- port strip, as shown in Figure 15. Like the tail vise, you'll need to disassemble and reassemble the vise a few times. Plus, drilling slightly oversized holes (detailed in the drewings) helps avoid any alignment probiems. Mounting the Vise. The firststep 's to disassernble the vise and belt the mounting plete to the bottom of {he bench (Figures 15a and 15). The next step isto make the sup- port block for the metal collars that provide extra support for the guide rods (Figure 15). Note: You'll need to cut a couple notches where the strip covers the bench dog holes. Afier drilling a pair of oversized holesin the collar support block for the guide rods and screw, bolt the block to the bench, as in Figure 15. Now, slide the support collars onio the shafts and assemble the vise by feeding the rods through the collar support block, into the vise mounting plate. At this point, you can slide the support collars up to the support wwwShopNotes.com block and trace around the outside ‘edges. Now, disassemble the vise (gain) and using the tracing as a ‘guide, drill @ counterbore for the support collars. Note: The counter- bore can be slightly oversized with the supports collars flush with the face of the support block. With that complete, bolt the sup- port strip back in place and reassemble the vise. Then, slide the collars into the counterbores and screw them in place. All that’s left to do now is make the face viso block (Figure 15) After ‘gluing up the block and rounding theediges, drill set of holes forthe {guide rods and threaded shaft. ‘These holes should align with the holes in the support block. And be sure to locate the holes so the block ‘ends up flush withthe leftend and topedge of the bench. “After slipping the face vise block over the rods and shaft, tighten the vise to “clamp” the block to the bench. Then simply screw the block in place, a8 shown in Figure 15b. Then all thet’ lft to dos add 2 handle to the vise and start working at your new bench. NOTE: Noren coltae suppcer PLeCR TO MATCH DOG ‘Aoeee narra 248 enor SSE 4 b. edb Slay LlEXPLODED vIEW BH | I’ve always admired the look and feel of the old-style, wooc-body spokeshaves that I come across at tool swaps. The design of these spokeshaves is about as simple as can be—often nothing morethan a narmow, contoured, wood body holding a small, U-shaped blade ‘The upshot of this tool envy is the handsome, wood-body spoke- shop sacs wo seass REE G es ENCTURED We Pettit BOB HOt | ut aS a shave you see in the photo above. It {allows the old design but adds a few nice improvements. ‘The Anatomy. Take alookat the drawings and photo below to see how the spokeshave is put together. The underside of the con- toured body is where the action i. 4, Here, you'll find a narrow ‘(oS s conrortste CONTOURED PANDLE A cowemses.. ‘wear plate mortised into the body overa beveled clearance throat. The high-carbon steel blade 1 used isat the heart of the upgrades to the traditional design. A threaded post at either end of the blade allows it to be firmly ti ened down, and just as impor- tantly, easily adjusted. The wings cof the blade rest on a pair of adjust ment screws in the blade mortise So fine-tuning the depth of cut isas simpleasa slight tur of the screw. Next, the brass wear plate in front of the blade isn’t just for looks. It creates a durable sole that will stand up to a lifetime of use. ‘Throw ina pairofshop-made brass nutsto tighten down the blade, and you have a tool that looks, feels, ‘and works likea dream. ‘ShopNotes No. 84 S,preparing the ns Blank With the blade in hand, you can start by cutting a hardwood blank tosize (Figure 1). used anice piece of cocobolo, but any dense wood will do. And next, you'll prepare It SECOND: ons our Stabe moe WT, Seon trae re BOTTOM VIEW soo ADJUSTMENT SEW to accept the black and wear plate. ‘The Throat. The fist oxier of business is to form the beveled — foiibierSctens threat through the center of the blank. This should be a hair wider than the cutting edge of the blade. Sale ape Thebox below shows aneaey way [BY MS ti "3 to get thejob done on the table saw. MEET xe Fit the Blade. With the throat ‘complete you can startworkon fit- ting the blade. The eatting edge its into the recess created by the throat. But you'll need fo cuta mor tise on either side of the throat for the wings of the blade (Figure 1). After using the blade (0 lay out the mortises, a%6¢-dia. Forstner bit will do the job of forming the end profiles and removing the waste. Note thatthe blace will est on the hard bearing surface for the knobs _ piece of Sh”thick brass bar stock twoadjustmentscrews,sothemor that tighten on the blade posts by morfised into the body and held in tise is deeper than just the thick inlaying washers around the post _ place witha couple of brass screws. ness of the blade (Figure 1). holes (Exploded View at lef). Go You can cut the recess now and Post Holes. A‘ter cleaning up ahead and dill the %c-dia. holes then fit the wear plate after the the mortise at the bench, Ttook the nowand add the washers later. body hes been shaped. blanic back to the drill press. You'll Finally, as mentioned, the wings used a if"-dia, Forstner bitin need to dill wo accurately placed, of the blade rest on adjustment the drill to form the rounded ends, ‘f!-dia. holes through themortses _screvsinslalied in the moxtises. At _ ofthe mortise (Figure 2a). To com- toaccept thepostsofthe blade. this point allyouneed to dois drill plete the work, I took the blank to Details. A couple details will the pilot holes Figure 1a) the bench and chiseled out the complete work on fiting the blade Wear Plate. The wear plate rests waste, And at this point, the blank and its hardware. First,I created a infrontof theblade andis simply a _is ready to get is final shape. Cutting the Throat The photo and drewing at right show how to cleanly and accurately cut the beveled throat in the blank on the table saw. The trick is to use a notched sled clamped to the miter gauge to hold the blank at a 19° angle to the table, as shown in detail ‘a.’ Then the throat can be quickly cut by making multiple passes acroas the saw blade. Touse the sled, lay out the throat on the front of. blank. Now, with the blank in place, raise the blade between test cuts 10 reach the final depth. After nibbling away the waste, follow up with a rasp and sandpaper fora periectly smooth surface. vwirwShopNotes.com FRONTVIEWshaping the Body One of the marks of a fine tool is the way it feels in your hands. So now that the blank has been readied for the business part of the spokeshave, the next task isto give i a shape that feels just right and gives you the best control ‘The Shape. The profile that I uusediis shown inthe pattems atthe bottom of the page. As you can seo, the slim handles are contoured on all four sides for a comfortable grip. But this means that cutting the body to shape takes litle bit of advanced planning, The key is doing things in the right order. To get started, Icut out a full- sized top pattern and side patter and glued them right to the blank. ‘This makes it very easy to follow the layout lines when cutting the blank to shape at the band saw. Since you've’ already cut the ‘mortises forthe “hardware,” youl ‘want to make sure you get the two patterns attached in the right orien tation, And note that I glued the side pattern to the long, curved ‘edge ofthe blank (the back side). Making the Cuts. The pattern drawings below also show the oder of the cuts. Fust, with the bottom of spokeshave flat on the band saw table, cut the two deep curves of the handles, followed by the tivo ends. And next comes the sweeping curve along the back of the spokeshave as shownin Figure3. ‘A Lite Tape. When you remove these waste pieces, do it with one con- tinuous cut. You want fo have the pleces intact s0 ‘you can carpet tape them ‘back in place to complete ‘cutting the body to shape. The long waste piece from the back of the blank ‘now holds the pattem, s0 ‘be sure to get it aligned properly when you reattach it. The two short curved pieces will help provide a litle more stability, ‘The Final Cuts. With the waste reattached, you're ready to finish up. I made the cuts on the bottom next, sarting near the middle and cutting out to the ends (Figure 4). Since the end profiles have already bbeon cut, you're missing a litte bit of the pattemn. But once you've established the curve, its a simple matter to follow itto the end of the lank. Then the final two cuts can ‘be made the same way. ‘Smooth and Rounded. When the work at the band saw is done, ‘you can take the body back to the Dench to adel a few refinements to the shape. First, I used a cabinet file and sandpaper to smooth the band saw cuts. After this wasdone, 1 spent some time rounding off all the sharp edges. Remember, what you're shooting for is ¢ comfort able grip.So I gave special | attention to rounding all the edges of the handles And once you think the spokeshave feels just right in your hands, youre ready to add the brass parts to the body. 30 ‘ShopNotes No. 84adding the Brass Now, you're down to adding a few ‘small but important parts. The wear plate needs to be fitted to the body and then you can make a pair of custom brass knobs. Wear Plate. First comes the brass swear plate. And I took this slow to get the best possible it. Both the wear plate and the knobs are cut froma shert length of 5he! x14" brass bar stock: You'l find 2 coupleof sources on page 51 You can star*by cutting a section just slightly longer than the length of the wear piate mortise. Then I picked up a file to square the ends and trim the blank tofit snugly into the very top of the mortise. To compiete the ft, you'll need to round the inside comers of the plete until it seats tightly in the rounded mortise. The best way to do this is to file the corners a bit and then test the fit. Just repeat the process until you like whatyou see. ‘The brass works easily, so this er ShopNotes.com Custom-Made: Brass Knobs won't take much time or effort. Brass Screws. As you can see at right, a couple brass screws hhold the wear plate in place. I drilled the countersunk holes for these screws at the daill press with the wear plate snug in its mortise. ‘The heads of the screws should sit flush with the surface A Slight Bevel. With the wear plate in place, one important task remains. In order for the spoke- shave to lake a shaving, the weer plate needs to bevel very slightly toward the front edge (Figure 5a). This allows you to tip the bedy for ward to get the edge of the blade started into a cut. ‘To create the bevel, frst I high- lighted the bottom surface of the wear plate with a dark marker. ‘Then starting at the outside edge, I filed across both the body and the wear plate. You'll only need to go about 'Aa" deep at the front. Then t y Peres eae tte feather the bevel back to the inside edge eee: of the wear plate using, &- =a the marks as a guide @. ENDVIEW ‘After completing the bevel, 1 |" Y took a fev passes across the front | sedge of the body with the file to |i make sure the woarplateand body ‘were perfectly fush. And thea, T eased the leading edge with a slight roundover Finally | polished the whole works by sanding with 20-grit then 320-grit, and then an ultrafine sanding pad ‘And after installing the two brass adjustment screws, all you need are a couple knobs. Check the box below for the details on this Then after a couple coats of spray lacquer, you can tum the page for tips on making fineshavings. & Note: Tap threads before cutting knob Ig eo» % The blade that I ordered came with small, ‘brass nuts for tightening down the blade. But 1 decided that a pair of easy-to-gnip, custom- ade knobs would work bette: The knobs are made from the same bar stock as the wear plate. The trick to making, them was to do most of the werk while they were sill attached to the longer bar. T started by laying out a knob on the squared end of the bar (see dimensions on aa efasoatn fromfF@ bay ae Dill Se"-doep, and ap #608 theeds photo above). Then I drilled an appropriately sized pilot hole at the drill press and tapped threads into the knob (leit photo). Now, with the bar stil tghtly clamped in ‘the vise, you can start cutting the knob to shape. First, I cut the chamfer on the square end ofthe bar. Next, you can cut the opposite chamfer, stopping. at the intersecting, layout line A final short, square cut will free the knob from the bar. And once loose, the knob canbe finished up with a file, some fine sand- paper, and a coat of lacquer 31HANDS-O Technique Bi | Aspokeshave works great on some of the shaping chores you might otherwise tackle with sandpaper or ‘a rasp. The advantage is that it removes wood fester and leaves a cleanly cut surface. All that's required isthe right technique. ‘A Fine-Tuned Blade. Before trying to take any shavings, you'll want t do some work on the blade. There are two parts to this. rst, as with any edge too), the sharper the better. My Hock blade arcived with 2 pretty keen edge, but that didn’t stop me from honing it to a bright polish before putting it fo use, The shape and configuration of the blade make this a bit of a challenge. The box at the bottom of the opposite page shows how I got the job done. Next, the sharpened blede needs to be finely adjusted. The mechanics A ATumofihe Screw. Avery here are simple (margin fine turn of the adjustment photo). The two adjust- screwsis allt takes toraiseor ment screws are tumed lower the blade. in or out to lower or raise ‘A Push or Pull — Always Downhill. The spokeshave can be pushed away from your body, as in the inset photo, or ‘pulled toward it (main photo). But the key is to always cut with the grain or “downhill.” 32 Spokeshave the blade, Then you can reinstall the blade to check its height The goal is a “hair's width” of the cutting edge exposed beyond. the wear strip. This will give you the fine shavings you're after Just use sight and feel to get it right. ‘Another Option. For most jobs, 1 set the blade to take an even cut along its length. But I should men- tion there is another adjustment option. At times, [raise the blade ‘touch on one side. This lots you rough out a shape with heavier cuts on the “high” side, and then smooth the surface with fine shev- ings taken with the opposite edge. BODY LANGUAGE With the sharpened blade finely adjusted, you have a good start Next comes a few basics on hen- dling aspokeshave. ‘The Grip. Youll find that a finn, but not too firm, grip gives the best control. Alookat the photos on this page will give you the idea For a push or a pull cut (1 talk about this later) the grip is essen- tally the same. The thumbs rest on the near side of the body. The index fingers are placed near the front, top edge and are used to steer the ccut and apply downward pressure The other fingers are wrapped lightly around the handles. And the palms can add a litle extra pressure when needed. Push or Pull. When you ask spokeshave users whether they prefer to push theshave away from theirbodies or pull it toward them, you'll get about a 50/50 split. 've tried both and found the choice depends 2 lot on the ob at hand. in fact, at times 1 find myself using both a push and a pull stroke on a workplace (photos at lof). My adivice is to try it each way and see Which fees “netural” and gives the best results. The nice thing is that the too! is “reversible” and works just as well either way. MAKING SHAVINGS Now all that’s left is putting the shave to work. And here, there ere ‘a couple things to keep in mind. Simple Tips. Since the sole of the spokeshave doesn’t have much contact with the workpiece. you'll need to use firm downwant pres ‘sure. This is one of the keys to a ‘smooth cut And as with most ‘other edge tools, cut withthe grain. With contoured pieces, this often ‘means you'll have to cut from both directions (photos at lef). A ShopNotes No. 84Shavings. To start 2 cut, lay the spokeshave on the surface and then tip it slightly forward so that the wear stip is laton the surface. (Remember the bevel) This sight forward lean allows the cutting edge of the biace to bite into the ‘wood ard stert lifting a shaving Now, with a steady push (or pull), the spokeshave will start to lift a fine shaving. When you reach a stopping point, just tip the spoke- shave up and out of the cut. You can easily “feel” aclean cut. The spokeshave glides smoothly and easily over the workpioce edge as afine shaving curls out the back, Clean Endgrain. One of my favorite things about this spoke shave is that it handles all types of cuts. With the right approach, you'll get fine shavings and a ‘cleanly cat surface on endgrain. Since endgrain offers more resistance, you'll need to apply ‘more muscle. You can also lighten the cut by tilting the spokeshave slightly to one side. Then ti in the ‘opposite direction for the next pass (Figures 3 and Sa). You'll end up with e smooth, square edge. TAMING CHATTER Chatter is the enemy of a smooth cat. It feels just like it sounds. Rather than gliding smoothly across the surface, the spokeshave bounces along, leaving a rough, bumpy trail. And a litle chatter sets up a “washboard road” effect for the following cuts. ‘When you experience chatter, there are several things you can do. First, check the blade setting. The finer the cu, the less resistance and chatter you'll encounter. ‘Next, remember that firm pres- sure will keep the blade in contact ‘with the edge and chatter can‘t get started. You might try switching from a push toa pull stroke or vice- versa forbetter control. Honing the Edge ‘When sharpening the spokeshave blade, the goal is no different than. with any other edge tool. First you want to flatten and polish the back side of the blade. Next, you hone the25° bevel to arazor-sharp edo. The problem is that withouta good way t get a grip on the narrow A A Razor Sharp Edge. A pair of finish washers hold the blado meme ini the ic) al ing you fo) easily hone the cutting edge. ‘ShopNotes.com blade and its protruding posts, this second siep can be troublesome, The solution to the problem is the adjustable honing guide you see in the photos and drawing. ae x NOES Bor Honing ANGE A final strategy is to skew the spokeshave in opposite directions con successive cuts as shown in Figures 1 and 2. Varying the angle between passes, allows the blade to “top off” any bumps or roughness left rem the previous cut If you're like me, once you gota feel for using a spokeshave, you'll find yourself putting it to work more and more often. & below. It simply does what your fingers can't do and snugly grips the blade at just the right angle. ‘And putting a fine polish on the cutting edge isa simple matterA Accessory Cabinet ° Customize your drill press storage with this handy cabinet that keeps everything easy to find. 34building the Case ‘Thecabinetis essentially two boxes held together by a piano hinge (see Figure 1). You'l notice the big dit- ference between the two boxes is that one has matching dadoes in its sides forthe acjustable racks. ‘The Joinery. Tostartbuilding the cabinet, the first thing to do is cut the parts for the top, bottom, and sides for the case and the door. cut them from a single extrarwide piece. This makes it easy to cut the joinery for both the door and the ‘cabinet at the same time. The joinery is tongue and dado, a fairly simple joint that’s strong and sturdy, The box below shows how is cuton the table saw Final Culo. Once the joinery is done, you can rip the case parts to their finel widths. Then, set-up ‘your table saw to cut the matched ‘dadoes in the case sides that the removable racks will fit into (See Figure 1a). What's important here is to keep the dadoes aligned and sized, so the'/ hardboard bottoms of the racks will slide easily At this point, you're ready to cut the grooves that hold the door panel and the back panel of the case, as shown in Figure 1b, And after cutting the two panels to size, you can rabbet them to fit the grooves you just cut Tongue & Dado Joint Tused.a tongue anddado automatically when you steps tocut adado at the joint to assemble the start putting it gether. top and bottom of each cabinet because tt has Cuttin good holding power and simple three-step process detal‘a’on the left everything lines up almost on the table saw. Thefirst_ ‘The second step is to 7a jue, AUR FENCE ‘uxeence | cuta small tongue on the PaxStinge asetaNSe UPPER CABINET Dit AscemoLy Nore: Jor poTOM AND nc D5 Door SqrTOM ix Bay Assembly. Finally, you're ready to assemble the cabinet. I started with the case Then I glued and ‘damped the door using the case as areference to keep it square snug agaist the case. Once that’s Before you attach the door to the done, you can screw the piano ‘ase, you'll need to rout rabbets in hinge, the door handle, and. the the case and the door forthe piano magnetic catches in place. hhinge to fit into. By putting the With thecabinet complete, you're _ ail Hingeinmibes;thedeorwilldose realytomulethescitory ec aga 1g this joint is a _ side for thetongue, like in Bt aac lower the blade and cut bb.) away the waste, as you canseein detail’b’ Finally, lau ends of the top and PUM) soon pice liens dadoes cutin thesides, as you see in the main vaww-ShopNotes.com drawing on the right.‘As | mentioned earlier, one of the ‘great things about this cabinet is the accescory racks. You can move the mcks sround to maximize storage. And some of the recks can be removed and carried with you wherever you need them. ‘Another nice feature about the racks is that the inserts (the parts that actually hold the bits) are easy to change out as your collection of building the Each rack is basically a piece of MDF sandwiched between two pieces of plywood (Figure 2). The door racks are screwed into the oor Figure 2b). The case racks are ‘mounted on hardboard “pullouts” that fit into the dadoes cut into the «ease sides (photo below). Organizing the Space. Before ‘you start building the racks, you need to determine what's going into the cabinet and where. For example, since I use my twist bits away from my drill press more than any other accessory, I stored those on a pullout rack. Next, arrange the accessories on ceach rack to igure out the spacing you need between them. Some accessories, like sanding drums, ‘ake up more room than others. Just remember to leave space on ‘the ends for mounting screws. ‘And remember to leave enough room above and below the racks fo slide the bits in and out. This is ‘especially true for the door racks, since they're not adjustable ance you insiall them. PULLOUT BITRACK | DASE, ees Accessory Racks Assemble the Racks. Now thet you've determined where every- thing’s going in the cabinet, you ‘ean start working, on the racks themselves. Since the inserts are designed to be replaceable, you don’t want to glue them together. What I did was cut all the parts for the rack a little Jorg, put the racks together with screws, and then trimmed the assembled racks to final size. (Notice the cese racks are a litle shorter than the door racks) Next, dill the holes for the bits. Be careful not to dril all the way through to provide solid sup- post forthe bits in the racks. Installing the Racks, The door racks are simply screwed into place, as you see in Figure 2b. Note: The screws for the case racks are shorter. Now you can center each case reck on @ hardboard bose (dletail‘a’)and screw them together. Finally, you can hang the cabinet next to your drill pss by screwing through the back. And for even more storage, you cin build the lower cabinet on the next page. & ‘ShopNotes No. 84Optional Lower Cabinet ‘This lower cabinet packs a lot of storage space into a small area — perfect for those few tools that really don’t fit in thecabinet. Plus, the drop-down door serves as a worksurface near your drill press. If you look at Figure 1 below, ‘you'll notice that the construction is pretty much the same as the upper cabinet. The only differ- ences are the size of the cabinet and door And instead of racks, the inside of the lower case has a drawer and a small shelf. I putin. 8 “lip” to prevent bits and other accessories from rolling out. ‘The lower cabinet is screwed to the upper cabinet But I added a hardboard spacer between them. so the upper door will have ‘enough clearance to open and close, as in Figure 1. The spaceris glued to the lower cabinet flush, with the back and then it can be fastened to the upper case. Door Supports. As I mentioned before, you ean wie the door as a worksurface. To do this, you'll need to install apairof lid staysto support the door When you're ready to install them, clamp the door at 90° and screw the stays ino the cabinet sides and the door panel. Just make sure these sup- ports clear the lip along the Dottom of the lower cabinet when. ‘you close the door. Making the Drawer The drawer slides on a hardboard Ipase, just like the adjustable racks for the upper cabinet (Figure 2). ‘The drawer is built using simple rabbet jaints. And a cutout in the front serves s the pull Now you have storageand flex- ‘bility for your drill press with this handy cabinet nearby. & ete new PANEL cont ety = Tor VIEW wwv.ShopNotes.com 37Jaw required to ‘Securely camp workpiece Cute Pre OME tireads fore jew smoothly end accurately Deacon requires cadoes ipallowuse efbeneh dogs Bench Vises The key to great results when working at your bench is securely holding your workpiece. Whatisit that really tumsa”bench” into a workbench? For a wood- worker, ifs a bench vise. More speciically, a face vise and tall vise that allow you to quickly and securely camp ust about anything. | TRADITIONAL FACE VISE Mest woodworkersare familar with 2 fae or front) vise. lt’ te simplest tobuildinorboltontothe frontedge ofjust aboutany workbench Vise Sizes. Anoter reason face vises are so popular is you'l find them in a numberof different sizes Bysizing mean the maximumsize workpiece you can clamp in the vise. The thing you need to Keep in 38 ning is thatthe maximum doest’t fake into account any aundlary wood jaws you may adal tothe vise Orhow its installed orexample the face vise you see above has a maximum capacity of 1B". But thas a it misleading. in onder to securely hold a workpiece, theres a massive wood jaw atthe frontand a “built-in” jaw at the back — redncing the capacty to 79 Sil that’s more than enough capa- bil fr mest woodworking tasks, Build It In or Add It On. Whats nice about this visoisyou can build itin io new bench, or ada ion to anenisting bench Its easy because the vise is just an assembly of Beoly mounting plate bells. 12 bonoht ene Tana Tey precisionmachined guide rods, a threaded shat, and pair of heavy- duty castings, asshown above. To completo the vise ard securely hold «workpiece, you need to add a pair of wood jaws. (One of the wood javes attaches to the font ofthe vise. While the rear "jaw is formed by the apron of the bench and en extended jaw. Some larger vises feature stel collars that provide additional sup- port for te guide rods, These col- Jars are attached toa jaw extension below the apron ofthe workbench. BOLT-ON FAGE VISE Acclese cousin tothe traditional face vise you seeabove § the oneshown, con the opposite rage. What makes this vise different is the metal jaws cast into the vise fself, You can add this to an existing workbench and be working right away by just bolting it in place. But metal javes ean be hard on a workpiece, so its good ShopNotes No. 84BOLT-ON idea to screw acouple wood ws MV gl = Poy = in place for protection. There is one problem with bolting a vise like this in place. If you want to clamp @ long, work- plece along the front edge, it won't rest flush with the front of the bench. This can make it a hassle to add additional camps for support. Building It In. If you're building a new bench, you can solve this problem by “burying” the rear jaw into the apron of the bench (Cross Section at right). By iesielir creating pocket in the apron before ee itsattached to the top, you end up aes ‘with a builtin wood “jaw.” Cele ” rs eet ie Balwe. One ‘seome” > ook forina bolton viseisquick- Mester release feature. With a quick-release, you don’t have to spend a lot of lime rotating the handle ofthe vise arourd and around to open or close the jaws to match your worke Wm SUE OF plese. You can do it in one quick RR = ll and exsy motion. “The Jorgensen vise shown here fea- tures a half-nut that releases when —-_-SOUNTERGLOGAWSE you rotate the handle counterclock- woe Ole me es ve spring-loaded lever on the front to easel = mo accomplish the same thing, a x TheNew Level Alc vseisjust GROSS , GENG uid Noddedcuers 5 — GaGTION La harder Fora couple more ways, fake . Se CREME Gann a look at the vises on the next page. EIR Z| SMECHANIEM Prevent Racking Aine ee sewn eee. clamp a workpiece near one edge, Sarmonae eae a ee Grace orca te ead Serta eon re ce thework eoitiantas secure To solve these problems, you ey tose on the appodie side. The Meckiojuat «Sick ples ofhara to snien ee TH handle Workpsces a wide range of thickness, the steps are graduated in 14" increments. wwwShopNates.com 39working with a. Tail Vise Although Luse my face vise alot the ise Teouldin’t do without is the tail ‘ise installed at the end of my work- bench. Whether I need to secure a Jong workpiece forplaningorholda ‘wide panel for alittle belt sanding, my tail vise isup tothe challenge. ‘TRADITIONAL TAIL VISE A traditional tail vise like the one you see above, securely clamps a ‘workpiece to the fop of your work- bench, yet still allows you to work versatile clamping without any interference. To do this, the vise hes a few dog holes that align with a long row of dog roles in the front edge of the bench. With a pair of bonch dogs, holding, just about any workpiece a snap. ‘Nove: Formore versatility, youcan even dampa workpiece between the face of the sliding jaw and the bench. How a Tail Vise Works. Although a tail vise looks like a solid ascombly, it’s really a wood box with an open back. IY’ the hardware inside that’s the secret to ow a tail vise works. To see what mean, take a look at the illustration above. Bench Dogs & Pups So what do you do if you already. havea workbench ard can'tadd 2 tail vise? You can do the next bost thing, And that’s to use the handy hardware you see at right These Veritas Wonder Pups and ound bench dogs from Lee Valley only require drilling a series of 4" dia, holes in the top of your bench, Plus by dailing a few more holes in your workbench and the jaw of your face vise, the vise can hold workpieces much larger than the capacity ofthe vise. 40 TRADITIONAL VE Seon ‘The hardware Inside consists of a stee! mounting plate attached to the front edge of the workbench. This fixed plate has a threaded “ut” that accepts the screw of the tail vise. As you tum the handle, the vise assembly slides back and forth along the mounting plate. “To keep the vise level and slicing smoothly, apair of see! guideplates aresandiviched around the top and bottom edges of the mounting plate. You want to build the wood! box s0 that when the plates are send- ‘wiched around the mounting plete, the tal vise assembly 15 rock solic, yet will stil move easily Planning for a Tail Vise. The downside toa tail vise i that installing one requires the most planning, The reason for this is you have to design the top of the bench around the vise. So it’s espe- cially important to have the vvise on hand before you start building your workbench. And like a face vise, you'll have todecide on the capecit you'd like. In this case, the capacity is actually the back and forth travel of the vise. ‘And building itinto thework- ‘bench doesn’t afiect this movement. So the capacity specified & preity mach what ShopNotes No. 84you get. (For a way to incorporate the capability and features of a tail vise into an existing workbench, check out the box at the botiom of the opposite page.) TWIN-SCREW VISE One of the more unique vises you'll find ona workbenchis the one you see in the photo and drawings at ight and below. Instead of asingle screw moving the jaw in and out, this vise uses two handles along with a pair of screws. How it Works. Now this doesn’t ‘mean you have to tum both han- des at the same time to secure a workpiece. Under the cover you see isa chain that connects the two screws (See lower right photo). ‘Tuming either handle causes both screws to turn together. ‘This way, the jaws stay parallel automatically and the vise won't rack no matter how much you pressure you apply to the work- piece. (A spring-loaded lock pin allows you to disengage the chain to skew the jaws for slightly tapered or outot-square assemblies.) Two Vises in One. What I really Uke about this vise is that You get two for the price of one. By drilling holes inthe top of the bench anci the front jaw of the vise, it works like a tail vise. (You can clamp anything up to the length of your workbench, plus the nearly 32" capacity of the vise.) Don’t need a tail vise? Simple Just damp a workpiece anywhere between the jaws and use it like a ‘Support pins hola workpiece above vise screws _og Cover plate hides. ohain-drive mechanism face vise Asan added plus, youcan Sip a wide workpiece vertically between the screws to work on i. Note: You can easily install a fovin-screw vise along the front eige of a workbench to make a reat, large-capacity face vse. Ws All in the Kit. No matter where you install the vise, what you start with is a hardivare kit made by Veritas that includes everything you'll need but a set of wood jaws (ee page 51 for sources). The kit allows you to Cea) Diego Cees) Bae Borge ar) retrofit the vise to an existing bench includes a longer chain so you can ‘or design it in from the start. space them 24” apart. The Kit comes in two “sizes’ ‘The Choice is Yours. A face vise, depending on how far apart you'd a tal vise, er both — what you add like to place the screws. One kit or build into a workbench will pro- handles spacing the vise screws up vide you with more capability and to 16%" apart, while the other kit improve your woodworking. €& geser "ecgeessaee cx098 SECTION BEAR nail ; aa 5 aa’ mame Re ee Se - a t I e regorcaure gas ‘ ae . Ly ovgsas sore) srs grees wwwShopNotes.com AMAR RAD Sorrow re 4workshop Fire Ye C2 Yi Binal | in your shop you'll want to use is the first tool you frocehore WE | ‘The most important tool in your A quick look erourd my shop _likeacanofspray paint, When you chop is one most of us will never shows me plenty of available fuel press the Tevet, the propellant tie Itsalso one toolno shop should sources—from woodandsawdust forces the powder out on there. bewithout—afireextinguisher to paint and finishing materials. ‘These extinguishers are also the My friends in the fire depart You'llalso find anumber of heat best all-around choice because rent sey it takes thee things t sources. Tool sharpening and elec- they'll put out most types of fires, make fio: fuel, oxygen, and heat. tric motors generate heat. Even They can effectively put cut wood Laeerese ‘mixingsome glues and finishescan and flammableliquid fires. And eh ee ceey en produce enough heat tostartafire. since the powder won't conduct and is easior ary Fortunately, all ittakes to putout electricity, i's good for electrical toaim et Thumb a fire is to remove one of those fires as well. Best of all, they're Lever three elements inexpensive and readily available. a - How Big? You can find dry FIRE EXTINGUISHERS chemical fire extinguishers in sizes Sefely inthe workshop, one ofthe mest _ ranging fom 2 sal the way wp I” effective waysto remove one of the _to giant, 350-Ib. wheeled tank can- tlomentsinwitha freestinguisher, ister. ‘The weight designation Most fire extinguishers accomplish refers tothe the amount of chem- ‘Handle this by separating the oxygen from ical that’s inside the extinguisher. the fuel, smothering the fire. When you look for extinguishers ‘What Kind? Youcan use watorto at home centers and hardware put outa fire. But since vlectrcty is stores you'll ind the? 1b. and 5, Usually present in theshop, thiscan sizes most often. Iv tempting, to bedangerous, Carbon dioxide extin- pick up the less-expensive, smaller snickers worlewollbut hey'w nly extinguisher like the one shown in Expensive, So the most practical the photo at lft But the minimem choice of fire extinguisher for the size you should consider for the ‘Azib shop isone that useadry chemical. shop is a b extinguisher, like the ASIb. Sctnpuisher sizgis good Whee Inside? Dey chemieal_lrger one inthe photo, une 1eU® —— exinguishershaveadry powder(o The reason the larger extn: ‘she for boat trGar — Jot like baking soda) and an aerosol _guisher isa better tool is because it a shop — P) propellant inside, They work a lot contains more than fovice the cry 2 ‘ShopNotes No. 84chemical. This means itlasts longer _ Fist, beeause the propellant can than the smaller version. You can leak out over time, check the dial pick upa5Ib, model for about $50. every month to make sure the The bigger one also has a short charge is still good. If the gauge hhose that gives you a longer reach shows the charge is low, you'll and makes aiming easier. Another need to get the extinguisher great feature of these extinguishers recharged or buy a new one. I also is that, unless it's made of plastic, have mine checked and tagged by E they can usually be recharged at aa fire safety professional at least ‘A Frequent Check minimal expense (around §20). once a year (see photo at right). gs A quick gauge ‘After you get the right kind, Whenever you check the gauge, check lets you you'll want to keep ithandy soivs quickly tum the extinguisher s know its charged casy to find ifyou ever needit. upside down onee or twice. This : and ready, ‘keeps the dry chemical thatsin the Lapa canister from settling and caking When I asked about fite extin- inside. That way, the chemical will & Annual Inspecilon. A yearly guishers around here, almost be completely expelled along with inspectin ensures the extinguisher everyone had one. But many were the aerosol ifi’sused. is in gocd working condition. a bit unsure as to exactly where A final thing to remember is if they kept them. Some thought it you ever use your extinguisher guisher only deprives oxygen to the wwas under the bench and others (evena little bit) be sure to have it fire. It doesn't cool down theburning thought it was sitting somewhere recharged. Partially used extin materials. A visit by the fire depart in the far comer ofthe shop. {guishers are more prone to leaking ment may also be needed if you're The thing is, if your extinguisher and may rot work well (f at all) going tofilean insurance claim. is stored where it’s hard to find or when you really need it Secondly, if you attempt to put you can't get to it quickly, it won't the fire out. say low to avoid the Bick hap when you rely EABREGREMMSOUT Th A sanp your hater need it. That’s why Talways try to Youhope youneverhave afire.But the fire and an exit so you won't mount mine on a quick-release if you do, there are a few things run the risk of being trapped. bracket near an ext you'll want tokeep in mind. Finally, know how %© operate Phone First. The very first thing your extinguisher before you need MAINTEMANCE ‘youneed todo iscall thefire depart to useit. The box below shows you Just like any tool, your fire extin- ment. Do this even if you're able to an easy-to-remember technique, sguisher requires attention. But put the fre out. You'll want experts A fire extinguishor is theone tool You'l find tata few minutes each make sure the fre is not smo you'll buy and hope never to use. month i all it takes to keep it in cering somewhere, only to reignite But itcould be the most important good working order. later. Remember, the fire extin- tool purchase you ever make. How To: P-A-S-S 4 P-Pull. The fret tep in put-_& A- Aim. For tho best offect, -& S - Squeeze. Squeeze the A S- Sweep. Finally, use a ling out 2 fre is to pull the ain tenozzle ofthe extinguisher lever handles togethertoallow side-to-side sweeping motion salety pin sc youll be able to atthe base of there, not atthe the propellant to spray the dry to spray the chemical across squeeze tne lever, 109 of the flames. ‘chemical onto the fie. the burning surfece. ‘wwwShopNotes.com BMortiseand tenonjoineryis second to none when it comes to building strong frames like those for doors and frame and panel assemblies: But sf you have a lot of mortises to cut, it canbe a time-consuming task. In these situations, I usually turn to the bridle joint. This variation of the mortise and tenon shares many. of its strengths, but adds a key advantage — it can be cut entirely. onthe table sa Open Mortise. Unlike a tradi- tional mortise, the mortise in a bridle joint is open on the end, as you can see in the drawing above. ‘This open design makes it easy 10 cut on the table sew. Italso simpli- fies sizing of the parts since there's no joinery to account for. ‘Simple Tenoning Jig. The key to cating» bil jit on tguiney Sense tering He overe inte hotobow ae ee EXPLODED VIEW (TENON Jie) wignmes WORE sreyEitvontpece Faw Pein 44 ‘The jig is basically a saddle that sides aleng the rip fence. The work- pieces are held vertically. This eaves smooth mortise and tenon cheeks fora solid glue joint. Prepare the Workpieces. Before getting into how to cut the joint, I ‘want to mention one more thing. I Tike to cut a few extra pieces from the same width and thickness I'm using to set up the jig. A little time spent upfront on setup will make things easier later on. GUTTING THE MORTISE Just like makinga traditional mortise and tenon joint start with the mor- lise. Forme, it's easier tofitthe tenon to the open mortise. “The process for cutting an open mortise is straightforward. Start by clamping a test piece in the tenoning jig. Then set the rip fence {and jg) so the blade will cuta kerf just off the centerline away from the fence, as shown in Figure 1 on ‘the opposite page. ‘Test Mortise. The next thing to do is set the blade height. Here, you'll want the height of the blade fo match the width of the tenon piece. To do this, I use one of the parts asa setup gauge. Now, you can tum on the saw and makea cut. After sliding the ji back, unclamp the workpiece, flip it around, and make a socond cut. “This two-pass method centers the mortise in the workpiece. (ifset mortises are cut a litle differently. You can read more about this in the box on the opposite page.) Sneak Up on Width. With the mortise started, you can check its ‘width and readjust the fence. [like Se caeto start by cutting a narrow mortise and work my way up to thefinal width, This means Tear do all the setup on a single piece. Once you're satisfied with the mortise width, you can go ahead and completeall the mortises. ATENON TO MATCH After cutting the mortises, you can begin work on the tenons. The process goes nearly the same as for themortises. Only instead of cutting groove, youl be cutting anotch on «itherside ofthe workpiece. Start Wide. To get started, I set the fence so that the tenon will be a little “fat.” This way, lean sneak up ‘on the perfect size. Next, you can make @ cut, flip the workpiece around, and make a matching cut on the other side, as shown in Figure 2 (If your parts are the same width, youwon’tneed to adjust the height of the blade) You'll notice that there are Years” fon the outside etiges of the piece. Offset Bridle Joint Bridle joints are used to con- wwwShopNotes.com To cut the mortise, start by struct the web frames in the setting the jig so the blade will workbench on page 16, But cut the inside face to the they arecut alittledifferently. dimension shown in the detail Hore the paris are two dif at right. Then cut a kerf in all forent thicknesses, And instead the web frame stiles for a con- of @ centered mortise and sistent result Thenextstep is to tenon, the mortise is offset nudge the fence over abit until slightly to keep the drawer the mortise is widened to its front from scraping against the final size (Yi). Now, complete web frame rails mortises in the rest ofthe parts. To test the fit of the tenon, you'll need fo cut away the ears on your test piace with a hand saw. When you're satisfied with the fil, you ‘can goahead and cutall the cheeks. ‘Shoulders. All that remains to complete the tenon is to cut away the ears. This step also cleans up the shoulders ofthe tenons. ‘This final cut is made with the workpiece Iying flat on the saw table. I set the blade so its high enough to trim the ear and still not cat into the tenon. The other bit of setup you'll need to do is to attach stop block in front ofthe blade, as in Figure 3. This will give you con- sistent results and ensure the ceatoff piece isn't trapped between the fence and the blace. Clamping. There's one last thing to mention. When assembling the joint, Tike to puta clamp right over it. This keops the cheeks of the tenon in firm contact with the sides of the mortise. & a. SBMSGreat Gear selecting a / a Keep your air hose from ending up.in aheap on the > shop floor. . More and more, I find hing for air-powen Jn the shop. I ce nyself “ept — Different h they m The most basic reels are manual ( of 0p simple hand red. B hose back onto the reel. The main to manually guide ‘ShopNotes No.ar Prete ares Rem hte te Org conto the reel ag you rewind Itt Most automatic reels also make sure it doesn’t get tangled feature 2 hose guide with up.lEyou're goingtobeusing your rollers that prevents the sirhose reel every day, you'llprob- hose from snagging as you're ably want to spend. the extra pulling it out or winding it back monejo getanatiomalicree, onto hered. Atop afoched tothe AUTOMATIC REELS sel iba ga foe Like the name implies, automatic ‘The great thing about auto- res retrac the hose automatically, matic reels is that they work usually through means ofa spring- quickly and smoothly. All you loaded mechanism inside the reel. have to do is walk the hose back [As you pull the hose out tension isto the reel while it rewinds, The placed on a torsion spring, while a reel does all tie work for you. ratcheting device Keeps the reel Safety Reels. Ther’sone éown- from revinding. Then when you're side to automatic rel. if you acci- Gone for the day, you simply give dentally let go of the end of the the hose a quick tug to disengage hose asthe rel is rewinding, itcan the ratchet, and the spring winds whip around wildly, possibly thehosebeck onto the reel infusing someone or damaging a something nearby. = X To prevent this, k Oe some hose reels are ; Ye safety rewind system that con- trols the speed! << Automatic. These roels use 2 spring-loaded ‘mechanism to rewind the air hose. The reel on the right aiso features a safely rewind system. wowShopNotes.com at which the reel rewinds the hose. ‘These reels are a bit more expen- sive than others, but thissafety fea- ture isnice to have. Selecting a Reel. Aside from the retraction method, there are some other things to consider when shopping for an air hose reel, Frst, since mostof these reels come with an airhose, you want to choose a bose length and diam- eter that fits your needs. You'll typically find hose rwels with 25 £0" hoses, but reels with longer hoses are available. Youll also need to decide wshere you're going fo mount the hose feel. Most reels can be adapted to mount on a wall, a ceiling, or the floor. If you do a lot of work off-site, you may want to purchase a portable hose reel like the one shown above. Finally, you'll have to consider your budget. The lower-priced reels will get the job done, but the more expensive reels _have upgraded. fentures like beefier bearings, high-quality swivel con- neclors, heavier steel construction, better hoses, and powder-coated finishes to resist wear. In the end, it all comes down to weighing your needs versus the cost a ‘APortabe. The handle design of thie rea! allows you to-cary it comfortably with one hand.Finish, Bait- bearing slides on this cabinet allow the crawers 10 ssidle smoothly ‘even when fully-loaded. Y Friction Slides. Metal frotion slides are fong- wearing, but don't operate as smocthl. roll-around Tool Cabinets Learn what to look for when choosing a rol-around tool cabinet. HE | Rollaround tool cabinets were wonder (as I did) if you're paying wanted to see what features (ifany) force thought to be the domain of more just for a fancy name. Tofind the extra money buys you. auto mechanics and factory out, we took a look at a couple of Steel. The first difference 1 workers. But today, you'll find toolcabineisat opposite ends ofthe noticed between the two cabinets them in more and more home price range. One is a consumer was the thickness of the steel com- shops and gorages. And it makes grade cabinet that we purchased ponents. As you might expect, the sense. Available in many sizes and for under $100. The other oneisan more expensive cebinet uses a drawer configurations, they're industral-quality cabinet that sells thicker gauge of steel. But there's, {great forstoring all sorts of tocls — for oughly fourtofivetimes more. more tot than just the thickness. ‘Rot just wrenches and sockets. ‘Now, on the surface, this might The consumer-grade cabinat But as soon as you start shop- seem like an unfair comparison. uses the same thickness of steel on ping for a rolkaround cabinet, Butwe weren't trying todoaheed- all the parts — the case top, sides, you'll discover that prices are all to-head comparison to see which and even the drawers. But the over the map. And you might cabinet is better. Instead, we just industrial cabinet puts extra-thick sheet metal where it really counts, ‘The bottom pan of the cabinet is thicker than the sides in order to < Thiokorie _supportthe weight and prevent the Better. Heavy cabinet from racking as it’s rolled gauge ste! around. Likewise, the drawer bot: means tte toms are thicker in order to hold Cchost at the far plenty of tools without sagging. left wil hold up You'llalso notice that the case of better over the the more expensive tool cebinet is, long hau reinforced with extra bracing and 48 ‘ShopNotes No. 84bing. And this is ceally impor- tant 9 how well the cabinet will hold up over time (left photo above}. Light-duty cabinets can sag and rack, which in tum affects how well the drawers fit in the case. Drawer Slides. Speaking of Grawers, the drawer slides are another area where you'll notice a Gifference. In the photos above, you can see there are two basic types of drawer slide. The less expensive to produce. They ‘work, but they can bind and stick, especially when the drawers are ¥ Locking Drawers. A locking mechanism on the inside of the ‘chest (upper photo) is more secure than an exterior lack (lower photo) oe ei ‘www.ShopNotes.com heavily loaded with tools. But you ‘won't have that problem with the industrial cabinet. That's because the drawers ride on roller-bearing slides. So they slide smoothly even ‘when fully loaded. Casters. If you plan on rolling ‘your tool cabinet around the shop, fone feature you'll want to pay attention to is the casters. The ‘casterson the higher-priced cabinet feature large, ruber wheels that tum smoothly and can roll over power cords and other obstacles: ‘Tne less-expensive cabinet has hhard, plastic casters that are ‘smaller and tend to get hung upon items littering the floct. Locking Mechanism. To keep tools secure, both tool cabinets hhave locking drawers. The lower- priced cabinet uses. metal bar that slips into slots at the top and bottom ofthe cabinet to prevent the drawers from being opened. But it ‘wouldn't take much to cut through the bar witha hack saw. ‘The lock on the industrial cab inet is mounted inside the case, s0 its harder to overpower. And another nice feature of this partic- ular cabinet is that you can leave ‘one drawer open. and stil lock the others. Then when you (or your neighbor) returns a tool to the cab- inet, simply close the open drawer and it will lock automatically Fit and Finish, One other thing 1 noticed when comparing these two cabine's is the difference in the ‘overall fit and finish. Open one of the drawers of the consumer-gracle eebine! anc you'll notice thet the ceges of the sheet metal are sharp and unfinished. But on the higher- priced cabinet, the sheet metal edges are rolled over to provide a smoother, stronger edge. ‘There's also a difference in the paint jobs on the two cabinets. ‘The industrial cabinet has a powder-coated, “wrinkle” finish that’s durable, and hides finger- prints and smudges. The less expensive cabinet has a painted finish that scratches easily. These may sound like minor details, but they are the kinds of thingo that make the higherpriced cabinet a pleasure to use. Value. So the ques tionis whether or not an industial-quality cab- inet is worth the extra money. The answer really depends on how ‘you'll use the cabinet — and your budget. Too! cabineis designed for industry standards can withstand years of, heavy use. In a factory setting, a tool cabinet cen be rolled around up toamile a day. But most home- ‘owners may only move thoir tool cabinets a few fect a year — to sweep underneath them, If that's the case,a less expensive tool cebinet might just be the perfect choice; providing secure, omgan- ized storage forall your tools, And that will leave you with some extra ccesh in your pocketto buy the tools toput inside the cebinet. 49 ~< Bracing. The tool cabinet on the lefthas extra bracing under the top and on the sides of the case. The cabinet on the right iso reiniorced quite as well ¥ Casters. Large, rubber casters (upper phoio) alow a tool chest to roll ‘smoothly on uneven surfaces.questions from Our Readers vertical-grain - Douglas Fir Inissue No. 80, you featured a tool cabinet made out of Douglas fir. When I tried to bury Douglas fir locally, all I could find was framing lumber and it doesn’t look anything like the wood you used. Why is thie? Art Beauclamp Baton Rouge, LA Hl | Whenever we build projects out of On theotherhand, most framing On the other hand, trees that are Dougles fir, we typically use orci- lumber has grain that runs almost commercially planted and har- nary framing lumber (commonly parallel with the face of the board, vested tend 1 mature much known as “two-by” stock), But for typically resulting ina loose, way quicker. And as. result, they have the heirloom tool cabinet in Issue grain pattern. (See phoios in widerspaced growth rings. No. $0, as well as the workbench margin at let for comparison.) Sources. Vortical-grain Douglas fon page 16 of this issue, we used Growth Rings. Justas important fir isn’t something you're likely to cetical-grain Douglas fir. asthe graindirectionisthe tree that find at your local home center. Vertical-grain Douglas firisn’ta the wood comes from. The best- You'll have better luck trying a tra- different species of type of wood. looking fir comes from trees that ditional Lumber desler. And you Instead, this wood gets its name grow Up in mature, established may even have to special-order the fromthe way iscutat thesewmill. forests, These trees grow slowly wood. But be prepared for a litle If you take a look at the end of a because they're competing with sticker shock. Because ofthe waste piece of vertical grain fi; you'll see neighboring trees for light, air,and involved in sawing logs into ver- that the growth rings run nearly soilnutrienis. And theslowera tree _tical-grain boards, you can expect perpendicular to the face of the grows, the closer the annual to pay three to four times more board, producing a straight, growth rings are spaced, resulting than you would for run-of-the-mill craipenpinae. saab stapes foaming lumber 4 Vertical Gents Technique: dmv’ Grain Matching you can see thatthe grain Matching grain between boards _workbenchin this issue, Ifaced 2 runs vertically is a concern whenever you're different Kind of challenge. 1 gluing up a panel, But when it wanted all four faces of each leg << Horizontal came togluingup the legs forthe i look similar To do this, 1 Gran. Most selected boards with grain run- construction ‘ning dizgmally to the face of the iP lumber has board. This way the grain on the - grain that runs edges ofthe two leg halves locks horizontally or the sameas the grainon the faces nares ofthe boards (see photo). ShopNotes No. 84Sources CABINET BASE WORKBENCH AIR HOSE REELS (bof 312%.5) from Metal Expres. You'll nzed to find afairamount of A good hose reel is a great help in Brass bar stock (SS54K188) & also hardware to build the cabinet base controlling and stosingyour air com- available from McMaster-Carr but ‘workbench on page 16. Most of the pressorhase. You'lfine| many types _ the minimum length is three feet basicitems canbe found at yourlocal and atyles of hose reels available Thelow-angle spokechave blade hrarcware store, But there are some from a number of manufacturers. | (SP062) 1 used came from Hock items you'll probably need tocorder picked up the two Amfle reels fea Todls. It comes complete with to complete the project. tured in the article on page 46 at a threaded posts and brass knurled ‘The 2" x 1%" antique, ball-tip local Home Depot knobs. You'll want to be sure to hinges (0020805) I used to hang ‘The Black, portable reel came order the larger, 47«’-long blade. the center doors on the cabinet from Ropid Reel. You can get dealer came from Lee Valley. And Rockler information by contacting, them. DRILL PRESS GABINET carries the cross dowels (31823) The EZ-Coil system with @ brake Most home centers carry the hard- and shelf supports (33902) you'll was ordered from Corres. You'll ware you'll need to build the drill need. The cherry knobs (68783)and_ find ordering information for this _pressaccessory cabinet. Bu! you may magnetic catches (26859) came reel in the rightmargin as well. need to order some catches for the from Recker as well doors. The 7h.” magnetic catches You'll ned a pair of vises forthe SLOT CUTTERS (29280) I used came from Rockler. workbench. The Veritas tail vise To cut the slots for the spline join- If you're going to build the (7OCO9,01) and face vise (70G08.02) ery in the article on page8,Tused lower cabinet, you'll need a way to were both ordered from Ler Valley. f° slot cutter (63210) from Amane support the door so you can use it ‘The vises dont come with handles. Tools. They also make a Quadrasei_ for a worksurface. For this, I So youll need to make them cr Assembly (53600) that includes four ordered id stays ‘rom Lee Valley order them from Lee Valley cutters, a bearing, shims, and an Youllneed a right-hand (00T07.22) >) (@5G1203). The Woodsmitt Stow extra-long bor Thissetallowsyou and a lefthand (00TO7.12) lid stay. alsohas these handles and rises. tocutslots ranging from 6" t0 "ag ‘To round out your workbench, wide. You'll fine both types avait LEVELERS & TOGGLE CLAMPS youll need to get some bench able from the Woodsmit Stove. Many of the levelers featured on ‘dogs. I used bench dogs (114141) ‘page 10 and the toggleclamps from that came from Highland Hardware. ‘SPOKESHAVE page 12 can be found at the But you'll find that Lee Valley also Theitemsneeded for the spokeshave _ Weodsmith Store. Home improve- carries bench dogs (05G0201) that on page 28 are available in most ment centers and woodworking ‘work well. It’s good idea to have hardware stores. Bat you'll need to stores also carry a variety of togsle the bench dogs in hand before you ordera blade and brass bar stock, clamps and levelers. You'll find the siart work on the holes. That way, I was able to order a 12"-long information for some other sources youcan be sure they fit propedy. piece of Yh’ x Yh’ brass bar stock listed in the right margin. & ShopNotes Binders Keep your issues erpaciecal ‘As you build your SiopNots Hbrary, her's a way to hep your lssves organized. Each binder features durable vinyl covers and ‘easy to-read perforated number tags. Snap rings with a quick: ‘open lever make iteasy to ncertand remove issues. And there'san ‘extra pecket inside for storing notes Each binler holds a full year (Gissves)of the new, expanded SiopNots. Visit wnww.ShopNotes.com to order ‘these binders, or call 1-800-347-5105, ShopNotes Binder 0 701950-SN84 (es 6 sue $12.95 ‘www. ShopNotescom 51 Similar project supplies may be ordered from the following companies: Woodamith Store 800-835.5084 Bench Vacs, Bech Ds, Levers Magne Dar Cites, Sirf Suports St (utes, Rare Cay, Yi He Wo le Rockler 800.270.1141 we z0eltersom Bove Vises, Cross Dont Mapiete Dror Cates, SietfSipport od Roos Hock Tools 888.262.5253 Spatralan Bade ‘Modal Repose 800-657-0721 wowsmealespresstet re Bor Stace vosamanatol com ‘Sit Cts Medfaster Care 690-833-0900 we memastecomt ras Ber Stck Highland Hardware 00-24-0748, oso svodvoringom Bench Dos Bech Ve se Vales 200-871-8198 wine.eeales.com Door Hinges, Levers Lid Stays, Rie Cho, ViriterBench Ve & ec ‘Deg Vine Hones Rapid Reet 86655232963 ‘ArH Re Contes 800.269-75 ‘ito Rese Kenaedy Manuficturing 300-415-8665 swwKennedyi.com Mere’ 800-145-7887 wnwmetelymcom ple CanaScenes from the Shop Wood and Brass Spokeshave, The quickest way toget smooth, stock quickly — or take fine shavings. And, you'llfind that the ‘even curves is fo use a spokeshave What makes this even smoothly contoured handles olve you perfect control The article otter ia working with a epokoshave youve made yourselt ke on page 28 wil take you through the process. the one below. Wit the micro-edjustable blade, youcan termove Using a Spokeshave. Afferthaking your E een eae y eet AU ee cy eee eee ae ree Leys www.ShopNotes.comPage 1 of 5 ShopNotes. Cutting Diagram Cabinet Base Workbench Materials BASE FRAME a 313-34 8 Wend 24% Lower end Ral(2) Wxs 20% D Stile(5) 113-2 £ End Fanels(4) %x10-294 F LowerStetchers(2) Wax 4-734 © Upper Rear stretcher ()) 142215 734 H backeanels(s) Wri 24 1 Sipport lest (4) 1 3h 20 J fottom Y4x724-% Ry K_Uppertrone tretcher(I) 13 24-79% DRAWER CABINETS Livcabinet sides (8) 24x23%-% Hy M Trim stiles (4) 21-23% N Web Frame Ends(15) Myx 84-2394 © Web Frame Frts./Backs (16) %4x We-22% Pima) Vyxt-2 Q Drawer Guides ) xh DH DRAWERS, DOORS, & SHELVES R smal Braver Fron'@) 1344-204 S Small Drawer Backs (2) Yxs-2WA T Small Drawer Sices(M} Yi 2344-234 U Drawer toroms(e)20%4423-% Fy V_ MedumDrawer Fronts (2) x4%-20A W Medium Drawer ecks(2) 4 x4%-204 X Medium Drawer Sides (4) 4 x 4% - 23% Y large Drawer ronte|2) 4x54 2% Z_ Lame Drawer Backs (2) 419% 20% [AA Large Drawer Sides (e) 143514204 0 Ylarge Oraner Fon's (2) %436/4-20A €C Yelarge Drawer Backs (2) 4364-24 DD X-targe Drawer Sides (4) in 64-23%, EE Gude strips (5) Hex Va- 2, FF_ Drawer Stops (1) Wx¥2 GG small shelf) wi4x2- “Ay HH Large Shelf) DYxD-Y Ay IN Shelf Edgingl2) Ys J) Door Stiles (4) YUx%h-DH KK Door Rae (4) Wns OA LL Door Pane’ (2) YreA-9% BINGHTOP MMieenchtop (1) Lx27- 92% NN Spline 11450 f@gh) 4 Haba ‘So Back Apron Wax sas PP Front Apron () Vax 84-94% QQLeFt End Apron Ward 2H RR RightEndApron() Max 4¥%4- 28% SS. Support Beam ()) Wax 34-92% TF Cross Supports (2) Wns 28% UU Mounting Cleat (2) 15-20% Willer Strip) x7 Ww Assembly Spire (1 Taxli04 XX Bench Dog Strip () Wet 78 TAIL & FACE VISES. YY Tal Vse Top 0) Wax 2%-70 22 TailVse Bottom (1) Wx, 20 ‘AAA front Filler (1) Wax? 888 Back Filer(}) Wem CCC Tal Vise stip () Wax 94-20 DDD Finch Block’) WarY-3 EEE Collar Support Block) 4x 24-16 FFF Face Vise Block(}) BAKTR-16 ShopNotes No. 81 ©2005 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved.swiv.oe maar a é =f A {94"x 6" -96" DOUGLAS FIR (TWO BOARDE) F x4" -06" DQUOLAS FI 6 oe ‘axa -00" poUOLAS Fe K 7 J 14x74" 90" DOVOLAS FR ' 1 8 Y 7 1 1 8 e o 54? x6" -06" DOUGLAS FIR ‘het 4*- 86" DOUGLAS Fie (TWO BOARDB) DRAWERS 54°64 - 96° DOUGLAS FTO BOARDS) oo Y v ok Wen eiit-96" DOUOLAS FR (TWO BOARDS) a z w 5 Page 2 0f5 ShopNotes No. 84 ©2005 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved{842 x8" -96" DOUGLAS FR ‘54° xO -40" DOUGLAS FR wu uu 84" x" +86" DOUGLAS FIR > YY w A 14°10" -00" DOVOLAD F. Ww me ‘Bet e496" DOUOLAS FIR (TWO ce = ‘VISE PARTS YY. 77, AAA, BBB, FF = NAW bap A Page 3 0f5 ShopNotes No. 84 ©2005 August Home Publishing. All rights reserveda a I a T kc | Ke | ee | Ki o uw PANELS KT 06" DOUGLAS FR > > > > > V Hoe 4103-96" DOUGLAS FIR E E & E ‘x4 -96" DOUALAS FR CWO BOARDS) 4 4 4 4 Page 4 of5 ShopNotes No. 84 ©2005 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved48" x96" 54" PLYWOOD ir v Vv iE L L 40°96" -w"Pwooo u u u u U U U u 240" 24 PerWOOD GG HH Page 5 of5 ShopNotes No. 84 ©2005 August Home Publishing. All rights reserved