I Shop-Made Scratch Awl Dowel Storage Rack

I Usina a Skew Chisel Grinding Wheel Basics

 EDITOR l l m Robertson
A ~ D C I A T EEDITOR
ASSISTINT
Tom Begnal
BryanNelson
EDITOR
ART nlnEcroR Gary Christensen
SR. BR~PHICDESIGNER Kurt Schultz
I fit's in your way, put it away. As
a kid, that was the rule that was
intended to keep our garage from
method of organizing them - a
better way to put them away.
DOWEL RACK. The solution was a
SENIOR ~ r r u s m ~ mRowr
~ s Relland
~ g Higdon
k
-rrettine- too cluttered UP. rack that uses a sim~le"stairstep"
There's only one problem. For design to organize dowels by lengh.
D R U T M ~ R C ~ rules to work, you have to follow This rack works great for storing
Craatitis D i m d m Ted J h h k . Pmjmt DBvelow: them. I found that out the hard way. dowels. But it's also a good way to
.
Ken M u k e l - S ~ n i m p r o j e d &vin
~ ~ :Boyle.
Pmjjd corndinaim Kent WdSh Shop M a q m : I laid my bike down on the garage organize any long strips of material
Photqgmpher Cmq0Is England
Roderi&Kennedy
.
SteveCurtin.ShopCmp~man-SteveJ?hnson.Sene
Photogmphsr.
floor. (After all, it wasn't in m y
way.) Still, it didn't prevent the bike
-like pieces of angle iron, threaded
rod, or strips of molding. (For more
from getting crumpled when my on this Dowel Storage Rack, refer
mUI
.
Ezsciltiw. Editor Douglsa L . X & A d Dim*:
Steve Lueder SrGrophic Designer Chris Glooaeld.
father backed over it with the trnck. to the article beginning on page 6.)
Ad.Edims:Jae I ~ . ~ R " e g s e g g e g g e As the years have gone by, I've GRINDING STATION. A ~ i l l l i l ~
muunou come to realize the wisdom of that thing happened with my grinder. It
rule. But I have to admit, I don't was sitting on the end of my bench
always follow it as well as I should. where I'd been using it to sharpen
CATCH-ALL. For instance, there's my chisels.
CORPORATE S E W W
one corner in my shop that's sort of So I picked up the grinder and
vPofPlalalaii#&Fim#:J~nMsdy.Caholl~r: a catch-all. (One of those places that turned around to put it away. In this
payaalc ~ ~ a sehntt.
r y .
Robin Hutchois~n.Sr Acct.Laura Thanas .Aects.
AG-. RBG: M~~~~petma . the spiders like to hang out.)
It's the type of place where I put
case, "putting it away" meant sit-
.
Pmd Drr: George chmielnn .Elect Pl'b:Do"ghsM.

-
Lidstere Pmd Asst:Swsn Rueve P r e - h s s I w e
Spac.: Tmy Clark, Minniette Bieghler N m Media things and forget they're even there
ting the grinder on a shelf that was
already mled with too much stuff.
MF.: Gordon C. Gaippe M u l t W ~ A ? i D i i : E u g e n e - odd lengths of threaded rod, Once again, I was just moving
Fed-. E - c m ~ A n o l y s t . c a m l S e b o e p p lW
~eb
.
s~EditmHoUsI(ihom.KR.&~t.:ICYstenKoelel. strips of molding from an old pro- things around to make it appear like
.
Mgr: J u h Fish + Re*:
~ ~ ~ ~ : S a " i u e H . I n m a n
Jeanne Johnson,
S h m i Ribbey Ria. Maint.: Ken Gmtb .Special
ject, and metal corner beads from
the time I drywalled my kid's room.
they were organized. But they
really weren't. In a day or two, I'd
NAIL ORDER
In front of this clutter was a plastic have to haul out the grinder again,
.
,,l,m.v,v I,,, H., 8ah-r. .L*. i r , ,r 1 , J,nl.lc
~
~.l..hn-.n. D..yr I II.A
~ n . . lvo.,in,o. s * j l r tir.>
Jau.PrhRe#.\Lyhu'.i~lL~.<btain.k r . 5 . Am r
bucket with dowels sticking out of it
like pencils in a jar.
lug it to the bench, and then repeat
the entire process all over again.
03% Tamq ?hi&henbmd, Adam Best, Naoey ~ m v n q i , So recently, I decided to do some- This time, a better solution turned
DebmahRleh. wwdm'se sylvlaCarey
thing about that corner. I slid out out to be a wall-mounted Grinding
ShopN~tesO(ISSN 1062-9696) is publiabed bimonthly the bucket, brushed off the cob- Station like the one shown on the
(Jan., March, Msy, July, Sept., Now.) by August Home
Pmbkhiw,Z230 Gmnd. Des Moines. IA 50312.
webs, and sorted through the junk. cover. It's a permanent "home" for
ShopN~te~@hare~tedtradtradtradk~f Am& HHH Well, the corner was cleaner my grinder. And it has several addi-
Pvblishine OComdrht 1999 bv Aumst
" Home
~ubbhi.8.AU r i b & -med
"
alright. But as I set the bucket of tional features that simplify the job
Subraiptions: Single copy: $4.99. One ywsubsdption
(Bissues),%21.94.GanaMoreignsdd$6puyov dowels back in place, I realized I of sharpening tools.
PeriodiurlsPmtaePaidai Des Moines, IAandataddi
tionsidg&ees.
was up to my old tricks again. The
Postmaster: Send ehaoge ofaddress t o ShopNotas, P.O.
Boa37103,Boone,IA5OUl-2103.
dowels were out of the way. But
Subscriptiongu~tlons?Write to: ShopNotes Customer what I really needed was some
Sen"ce,P.O.BwrW,DesMdnes,IA50304-9961. O r d l
1-800-3335854,83l0 am to 6:W pm, Centrsl Ilm+weak-
dsw.FAX 515-285-OM7
E-MUI. s h o p ~ o t e ~ b o p p p t e t e
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te
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ShopNotes No. 44
 Dowel Storage Rack 6
With four "stairstep" comparhnents, this shop-made storage
rack makes it easy to organize dowels by length.Also, a set
of drawers provides storage for all your doweling supplies.

Using a Skew Chisel 10

This versatile turning tool does it all - from making a
glass smooth planing cut, to turning a bead. Here are
some simple tips and techniques to show you how

Selecting
- Grinding
- Wheels 14
The secret to sharpening a tool on a bench grinder is
using the correct grinding wheel. Check out these
handy guidelines for choosing the right one.

Grinding
- Station 16
e A sturdy mounting platform, a clean, well-lit sharpening
area, and plenty of storage. That'swhat you get when you
build this wall-mountedstation for your benchtop grinde,:

Benchtop Drill Presses 22

0;r editors test four benchtop drill presses - and the
results are in. Find out which one is best. Also, a close-up
look at a drilipress designed especially for woodworkers.

Scratch Awl 26
Each of these scratch awls has the look and feel of a
finelv crafted tool Yet it only takes an hour or two to
c 0 ~ ~ 1 e tOur
e . step-by-step plans make it easy

Departments
Readers' Tips
Our readers offer their own shop-tested tips dealing
with some of the most common woodworking problems.

New Products 31
e Three new products that are sure to come in handy in
your shop Plus, information on where to get them
Shop-Made
Scratch Awls
page 26
NO.44 ShopNotes
 Readers' Tips
r
Power Cord Reel I I

W This simple hand reel is a near the ends of each side. It's which makes it easy to wind up
nifty way to store a long power also a good idea to cut a curve on the cord. (I cut the pipes 1' 16"
cord. To wind up the cord, you the ends of the sides. This keeps s h d e r than the handles.)
just "pedal" the reel like a bicycle, the power cord from getting Next, to prevent the pieces of
see photo. Once the cord is snagged as you wrap it up. pipe from slipping off, I placed a
wrapped up, it won't get tangled, To assemble the reel, it's just a fender washer over the end of $
so it's ready to go when you need matter of inserting the dowels in each one and screwed it in place.
it. (This reel holds a fifty foot- the holes in the sides. The han- All that's needed to complete
long power eord.) dles are formed by extending one the cord reel is to glue a
The reel consists of two ply- end of each dowel past opposite clothespin to one side. Clipping
wood sides connected by a pair sides of the reel. (The other end of the end of the power cord in the
of dowels, see drawing. Besides each dowel is flush with the side.) clothespin frees up both your
providing a rigid support to After screwing the dowels to hands to crank the reel.
wrap the cord around, the the side, I slipped a short length Wallace E. Delo
dowels a d as handles for the reel. of PVC pipe over each one. The Buffn7-Vew York
The dowels fit in holes drilled pipe spins freely on the handles

Utility Saw -
This simple utility saw really
comes in handv when working. in
tight places. Ail that's neededY to
make the saw is a reciprocating
saw blade and a hardwood block
for the handle, see drawing.
The blade fits in a kerf that's
cut in the handle. After shaping
the handle to provide a comfort-
able grip, I used epoxy to hold
the blade securely in place. CUT A WIN KERF REClPROCAllNG
IN TOP EDGE SAW BLADE
R. B. Himes OF HANDLE BLANK
Vienna, Ohio I I
ShopNotes No. 44
 Quick Tips
hrn
A By applying hot glue to the
edge of a chisel, Alex Schultz of
Otlex /A forms a reusable cap
that keeps it from getting nicked.
Cutting Threaded Rod
w Cutting a threaded rod with a
hacksaw can be a nuisance. If you
clamp the rod in a machinist's
vise, the metal jaws chew up the
threads. And if you use a wood-
worker's vise, the threads mar
I(b the wood faces of the jaws.
Table 5aw Tip
A To collect chips from his planer;
Don Zillioux of Brevard, NC rolls
it onto a tarp. Then he folds the
tarp and empties the chips.
The solution is simple - an
ordinary hex nut. The trick is to
cut a kerf through one of the
"corners" of the nut, see Fig. 1
and detail below. Then just
thread the nut onto the rod and
clamp it in a machinist's vise.
- KERF ?
w Every time I crosscut a wide
workpiece, the head of my miter
gauge "clunks" against the front
edge ofthe table saw. Over time,
this knocks the miter gauge out
of adjustment. So I filed a bevel in
the table that allows the miter
gauge to ride smoothly across.
Bt11 Edwards
Kansas Cvty, Kansas
A To see at a glance what5 inside
his tim storage containers, Ed Page
of Erie, PA uses hot glue to attach
a piece of hardware to each lid.
As you apply pressure, the
jaws of the vise pinch the nut
tightly around the rod. This
holds the rod securely without
damaging the threads, see Fig. 2.
Nathan Gutman
S i m b u q , Connecticut
To share your original shop tips to
1I problems you've faced, send them
to: ShqNotes, Attn.: Readers' Tips,
i, 2200 Grand Avenue, Des Moines,
IA 50312. (Or if it's easier, FAX
themio us at: 515-282-6741.)
I Well pay up to $200 depending on
i the published length. Please include a
I
,
daytime phone number so we can call
1 if we haveany questions.
m
 11 recently, my only of system is I don%
"systemn for storing dowels have to wony about
was to stick them in a five-gallon the diameter of the
plastic bucket. It worked okay. dowel (or whether it's
But often, the only way to find oak, maple or cherry).
A To rt sa the dowel I needed was to dump I just put the dowelin
dowel, just s l ~ pit them out and play a frustrating the compartment that
out of the boltom of game of Pi-Up-Stix. suits its length.
the compartment. To solve the problem, I built a For example, long
Th~swax even simple storage rack, see photo. dowels (24"to 36")are
long dowels won't With four narrow compartments stored in the tall compartment 18"-longand 6" to 12"-longdowels.
bump into anythfng that "stairstep" up from one side on the left. And the compart- Another nice thing about the
above the rack. of the rack to the other, it orga- ment next to it holds 18" to 24"- compartments is they're open in
nizes all my dowels by length. long dowels. The last two com- kont. So it's easy to sort through
The nice thing about this type partments are used for 12" to the dowels and grab the one you
CENTER RIGHT want, see photo in margin.
DIVIDER DlVlDER DRAWERS. But this rack does
01 G% more than just organize dowels.
A bank of drawers also provides
plenty of storage for dowel pins,
dowel centers, or a dowelingjig.
nJE CASE
The storage rack starts out as a
simple plywood case that's
divided into four compartments
and three drawer openings, see
Exploded View at left.
SIDES. Because of the stag-
gered heights of the compart-
ments, the only vertical pieces
LEIFT that are the same length are the
DIVIDER two sides (A). Both sides are
rabbeted to accept the bottom of
EXPLODED the ease, see detail c' !
VfMl Although the sides are iden-
( C M E ONLY) tical in length, there is one thing
that's different. The side on the
NOTE: right (as you're looking at the
ALL PIECES
EXCEPT DRAWER
front of the case) has a number of
GUIDES ARE
W PLYWOOD
dadoes that support three shelves
and a pair of drawer guides.
DIYIDERS. The opposite ends
of the shelves (and the other two

6 "4'- ShopNotes No. 44

 drawer guides) fit into matching NOTE:
dadoes in the right (B),center (Cj, D
<-.EEPTO FITM.. PLY^
6" CUT ALL DADOES '/a" 6

and left divider (D), see Fig. 1. So & -2a -4-d- x-

@to ensure these dadoes align, it's
best to cut them in pairs.
CUTDADOE~When cutting these
dadoes, it's important to provide
plenty of support for the work-
piece - especially since the side
and the dividers are fairly long.
So after setting up a dado
blade in the table saw, I attached
a long fence to the miter gauge.
Also, clamping a stop block to the e
RIGHT
fence will ensure accurate results
when cutting the three pairs of
dadoes for the shelves, see Fig. 1.
The same type of setup works
SIDE
DIVIDER ,,,,,
SIDE
well when cutting the dadoes for
the drawer guides (E), see the
Exploded View and detail 70.'
But the drawer guides are made
from lk" hardboard. So here, a
STEP1
CUT DADOES
s
FOR TOP SHELF
STEP
CUT DADOES
FOR MIDDLE SHELF
a1e1-3
CUTDADOES
'BRIGHT
FOR BOTTOM SHELF
SIDE 1
single pass with a cornhimation
saw blade is all that's needed. made an angled cut on the top This way, each one a d s as the
Once again, he sure to cut these corner of the sides and dividers. bottom of one compartment.
dadoes in pairs, see Fig. 2. SHELVES & BOTTOM. At this And it also helps to form one of
CUT NOTCHES. After gluing in point, a11the vertical pieces of the the openings for the drawers.
@ the drawer guides, the next step case are complete. To connect After cutting them to final ske,
is to cut a wide notch near the top them, it's just a matter of adding it's just a matter of cutting a dado
end of each piece, see Exploded the three shelves (E: G, Hj and the in the three longest pieces.
View and detail 'a.' These notches bottom (I)of the case, see Fig. 3. (There's no dado in the top shelf.)
accept a railthat's added later. These pieces are all the same These dadoes make it easy to align
Also, to make it easy to see into width. But they get progres- the bottom ends of the dividers
the top of the compartments, I sively longer from top to bottom. when assembling the case.

I
ICKNESS
F Vd'PLY

NOTE: I
CUTV8"-
WIDE BOTTOM
DADOES M SHELF
Ve" DEEP 5 (6"x I@#')
(@

I -
RIGHT CENTER
DIVIDER
"4tT
r 1 DMDER

1
4lH 1 Zy,",?
i
CUTDADOESFOR CUT DADOES FOR NOTE:
DRAWER GUIDES ALL PARTS
IN C E N E R DlVlDER ARE MADE
AND RIGHTSIDE AND RIGHT SIDE FROM M" PLY
Assembling the Case
At this point, most of the pieces
that make up the case are com-
plete. Now it's just a matter of
putting them together.
T-SHAPEDASSEMBLIES. 1 began
by gluing and nailing three T-
shaped assemblies together, see
Fig. 4. The largest one is made
up of the base (I) and left divider
(Dl. And the middle assemblv
consists of the bottom shelf (H) )
I -
THIRD:
TOP
SHELF 1
and the center divider (C). 4d
,,,,
SECOND: GLUE & NAlL
LARGE T-SHAPED
Attaching the middle shelf (G) to %SHAPED ASSEMBLY I N PLACE
the right divider (B) forms the I I
smallest assembly.
Before connecting the three
assemblies, it's best to attach the
top shelf (F) to the right divider
(B). Then after joining the two
smaller assemblies with glue and
nails, the large one is attached
the same way.
With the "skeleton" now
complete, you can attach A
the base and sides, see
Fig. 5. These parts help
stiffen the case, but they TOP
SHELF
don't support the dividers.
UIL. That's the job of a
long rail (J) that spans the top of RAIL AND
FINISH SPACERS
the case. The rail is just a strip of NAIL -- -
A l l F $6" PIY
p1.ywood that fits into the 1
notches in the sides and dividers.

B
Before attaching the rail, KEEPER
you'll want to make sure that the STRIP
(1IM x 4%")
dividers are spaced an equal dis-
tance apart. An easy way to do n
this is to cut a spacer to fit each
of the first three compartments.
(The top shelf keeps the right
divider aligned.) Then glue and
nail the rail in place.
KEEPER STRIPS. TO prevent
the dowels from kicking out a t
the bottom of the compartment,
I added four keeper strzps (K),
see Fig. 6. These are nothing
more than short pieces of ply-
wood that are glued in place.
BACK. All that's left to com-
plete the case is to add the ply-
wood back (L). It's simply cut to
fit the back of the case and then
glued and nailed.

8 ShopNotes No. 44
Building the Drawers
One of the most useful features
of this dowel storage rackis a set
of five drawers that hold all my
doweling supplies, see photo.
The drawers fit into three
openings in the lower a h t corner
of the case. Since each of these
openings gets progressively wider
from top to bottom, there are
three different sizes of drawers.
The narrow opening on top
holds two shallow drawers, see
Fig. 7. One of these drawers
rests on the middle shelf (G),and
the other slides in and out on the
drawer guides.
NOTE: 51DE6 AND DIVIDERS
(5W x @he")
AREW HARDBOARD;
ALLMHER PARTS
ARE MADE FROMW PLY.
SIDE
t-
%"
\CL
p FRONTIBACK
, 7
No. 44
The opening directly below
these drawers also holds two
shallow drawers. But since this
opening is wider, the drawers are designed to allow $6''
sized accordingly. Here again,
one drawer is supported by the
drawer guides while the other
sits on the bottom shelf (H).
To store tall items, I made a gap between the
single, deep drawer that fits in drawer and the shelf
the large opening at the bottom. (or drawer guides)
Unlike the other drawers, it's
divided into compartments to
help keep th'mgs organized.
DRAWER SIZE. when sizing the
drawers, there are a couple of
I front. see Fie. 7e. These notches
FRONTIBACK
(5h"X 143d')
ShopNotes
things to take into
consideration. First,
all the drawers are
of clearance between
the case and the
sides of the drawers.
I also wanted a %$
above it.
Another thing to
keep in mind is that the overall
length of the drawers (from A The five drawers
front to back) matches the depth are sized to
of the opening. (In my case, this provide a variety of
was 6".) This way, when you push different storage
a drawer all the way in, it's flush options for your
with the front of the case. doweling supplies
Regardless of their size, the and accessories.
drawers are all basically the
same. The drawer fronts, backs,
and bottom are made from 112''
plywood. And the sides and
dividers are '14'' hardboard.
RABBET JOINTS. The drawers
are assembled with simple
rabbet joints. The front and
back (M, N, 0) of each drawer is
rabbeted at each end to accept
the sides (P, Q), see Fig. 7a.
Also, each drawer bottom IR.
S, T) fits in a rabbet in the
bottom edge of the front and
back, see Fig. 7b.
FINGER RECESS. With all the
joinery completed, I cut a semi-
circular notch in each drawer
serve as finger pulls that make it
easy to open the drawers.
DIVmERs. There's just one
more thing to do before assem-
bling the drawers. To accept the
diviclers (U), you'll need to cut
two narrow dadoes in the front
and back of the large drawer.
ASSEMBLY. NOWyou're ready
to assemble the drawers. This is
just a matter of brushing a thin
coat of glue on each of the mating
surfaces and then clamping the
drawers together. 6
 Tips on Using a
3
C risp, sharp details. And a
glass-smooth finish. ' b o
things you can depend on when
using a skew chisel to turn a
spindle on the lathe.
The reasonis simple. The blade
of a skew chisel is beveled on both
sides like a knife. This forms a
cutting edge that peels off shav-
ings like the skin off an apple.
SKEWED EDGE. But it isn't a
keen edge that makes a skew ,..~=.-
chisel such a versatile turning
tool. It's the fact that the edge is
1 ..
L
,

-..
. .:,
i,.<:<
Ti?

angled (skewed) across the end ,

of the blade, see drawing below. ;i :,
This skewed edge makes it ;. $$
ideal for planing the long grain - '.++
of a spindle, see photo above. Yet arrr
it also lets yon cut a From pianing a
shoulder in turning a bead, a
stubborn
end grain or
turn a delicate bead. (For more
skew chisel is a versatile turning fool.

They range in width from '14" up minutes to "tune up" a brand

on this, refer to pages 11and 12.)
SIZE. Depending on the type of
cut (and size of workpiece), there
are several sizes of skew chisels.
to 2". I've found that a 'h"or 3/4'1
skew chisel is fine for most work.
m & SHARPEN. Regardless
of its size, it's worth taking a few
e
new skew chisel, see box below.
And as with most hand tools, a
sharp edge is the key to getting
good results, see box on page 11.
Planing Cut
An easy way to create a satin skew. This is the area between this point. But that's okay.
smooth surface on a spindle is to
"plane" across its length with a
skew chisel, see photo at right.
SHORT POINT. TO do this, the
short point of the skew "leads" in
the direction of the cut, see Fig.
1. But it's not the short point (or
the long point either) that does
the actual cutting.
SWEET SPOT. It's the "sweet
spot" on the cutting edge of the
BLADEONREST
50 HEEL OF BEVEL
RE6TS ON WORKPIECE
No. 44
the short point and the center of
the cutting edge, see Fig. la.
The best way to "iind" this
spot is to start with the handle
quite low and the blade resting
flat on the tool rest. Then, with
the heel of the bevel rubbing on
the spindle, rotate the handle
slightly so the blade tips up on
its short edge, see Fig. lb.
The blade isn't mttimg yet at
SKEW ONTO
SHORT EDGE.
THEN RAISE
THIRD: SLIDE BLADE
AWNG REST
ShopNotes
To begin cutting, slowly
raise the handle and slide
the blade back just a bit on
the tool rest. At first, this
only creates dust. But if you
raise the handle a bit more,
it will start to produce thin, A A plan~ngcut (a
wispy shavings, see Fig. lc. a 11ghttouch) w~ll
To complete the cut, simply produce a smooth
slide the blade smoothly and surface that doesn't
steadily across the tool rest. need sanding
b TIP BLADE ONTO
ITS SHORT EDGE
I'' RAT,, HANDLE
TO START CUT 1
11
 - Facing Cut-
A skew chisel is also a great
tool for making a deep cut
in end grain. When facing
(squaring up) the end of a
spindle for instance, it
severs the wood fibers to
create a crisp, clean sur-
face, see photo at left.
the long point of the blade. The
idea is to position the point just
above the centerline of the
spindle. So here again, hold the
handle down low. Also, to pro-
vide clearance between the
bevel and spindle, you'll need to
angle the blade slightly to the
ENTRY CUT. To make the entry
cut, slowly raise the handle and
push the blade forward at the
same time, see Figs. 1 and lh.
The long point of the blade
should follow a descending arc
toward the center of the spindle,
peeling off a thin (about lh")
The thing that's different side, see Fig. la. sliver of material.
about a facing cut is the
blade doesn't traverse the
tool rest. Instead, it pivots
A Peeling off a like a seesaw to produce a
sliver of wood slicing cut down into the wood.
with a facing cut UNDERHAND GRII: To create a
makes it easy to stable pivot point, an underhand
square up the grip works best, see Fig. 1. I've
end of a spindle. also found that wrapping my
index finger around the bottom
of the tool rest provides better
control of the skew.
LONG POINT. With a facing cut,
the business end of the skew is

Turning a Bead
I
Thming a bead with a skew
chisel reauires two thinw
- practzce and patience.
Not because it's a particu-
larly difficult technique.
But because it blends ;ev-
era1 different movements
I into one continuous cut.

A The secret to
I The bead is formed by
rolling the skew - first to
one side, then the other, see
1 photo. But first, you'll need
to provide some "shoulder
turning the curved room" for the blade to work.
shoulders of a
bead is to roll the
skew chisel in one This clearance is created by cut-
continuous motion. ting two V-shaped grooves -
one on each side of the desired
location of the bead.
LONG POINT. The grooves are
formed by using the long point
of the skew chisel. (It penetrates
deeper than the short point.)
Here again, the entry point is
just above the centerline of the
spindle. (I use the same grip.)
 Only this time, hold the blade
perpendicular to the workpiece.
To make a cut, raise the handle
straght up and sweep the blade
down into the spindle, see Figs. 1
and la. The entire process only
takes a second. To avoid burning
the blade, withdraw it when the
long tip is "pointing" at the ceu-
terline of the spindle.
ENLARGE GROOVE.Atthis paint,
the groove still isn't wide enough
(or deep enough) t o roll the bead.
$0 you'll have to enlarge it by
making two more cuts - one on
each side of the groove, see Fig. 2.
Basically, each cut is the same
as the V-groove. Only here, tilt
the blade a bit so you can slice
down the side of the groove, see
Figs. 2a and 2b. (I start eacb cut
lhz" from the rim of the groove.)
To clear out the waste, just
work back and forth from one side
of the m o v e to the other as if
you're chopping a notch in a log.
TURIQENG ME BIAQ
Now you're ready to turn the
bead. It's f m e d in two steps -
first rounding one shoulder of
the bead, then the other.
SMALLBITEG. What works best
is to round each shoulder by taking
a series of small "hites." With each
bite, the blade starts out flat on
its side, see Fig. 3. Then the short
point is "feathered" into the wood
as the skew is rolled onits edge.
To form the initial roundover,
hold the handle low and mgled
away from the direction of cut,
see Fig. 3a. Now roll the skew in
the direction of cut by rotating
the handle, see Fig. 3b. At the
same time, raise the handle and
push the skew forward,see Fig. 3c.
Once you've established asmall 4b and 4c. But as the roundover process is identical. But the skew
roundover, it's just a matter of increases in size, there's a subtle is rolled in the opposite direction.
increasing its size by making difference. To keep the cutting You may find it's easier to turn
several more rolling cuts -each edge in contact with the wood, a uniform bead on one side or the
one beginning closer to the center slide the blade a short distance other (depending on whether
of the bead, see Figs. 4 and 4a. across the tool rest as you work you're right or left-handed). But
a As before, ease the cutting edge
into the wood and roll it into the
your way around the bead.
COMPLETE BEAD. TO tm the
don't worry. W~thpractice, you'll
be turning nice symmetrical
bottom of the V-groove, see Figs. second shoulder of the head, the beads in no tjme. d
...
1 at's the secret to ending u p with a
4 razor sharp edge o n a chisel? Start
u sing a bench grinder to
sharpen a chisel or plane
iron used to be a frustrating
experience for me. In fad, some-
times it seemed I was just as
likely to bum the tip of the tool
as to get a sharp edge.
The first time it happened, I
figured there was either some-
thing wrong with the grinder or
the way I was going about
sharpening the chisels. So I tried
several things to correct it.
Still I was having problem.
Even when I used a light touch
and steadily moved the bevel
across the grinding wheel, the
blade turned blue, It wasn't until
I'd ruined one of my best chisels
that I finally discovered the real
eel
gn ;wheel. But it's 1 >e
of .cue wheel is 1" wide (mceaa of
3/a"widelike most 6"grindhgwheels).
I like the extra width because f
can grind a bevel on a tool (like my
3/4" chisel) without having to move
it back and forth across the wheel.
The larger surface area is also
handy for grinding turning tools. I the chisel (or lane ironidoesn't
To fit the wheel onto the arbor of
a grinder (and still have room for
the nut), the center of the wheel is
"dished" out to form a shallow cup,
see photo. (This wheel is available
from the source listed on page 15.)
by using the right grinding wheel.
culprit -the pindiw wheel.
ALL-PURPOSE. The grinding
wheel I'd been using was a gray,
all-purpose wheel that had come
with my bench grinder. This
type of wheel works fine for
sharpening a lawnmower blade
or garden hoe. But it's not really
intended for grinding the type of
steel that's used in most chisels
and plane irons.
That's because a gray wheelis a
hard, slow-cutting wheel. So it
tends to clog up with tiny bits of
metal. As the grinding surface of
the wheel fills with metal, it
becomes "glazed."
When a grinding wheel is
glazed, the chisel no longer
comes in contact with as many of
1 especially good for that is a
the abrasive particles in the
wheel. Instead, you get steel-to-
steel friction. This friction can
generate a lot of heat, quickly. So
quickly that you can be grinding
away and all of a sudden the tip
of the tool turns blue.
TEMPER. The blue color indi-
cates that the steel has lost its
"temper." (Tempering is a heat
treatment that makes the metal
tougher, so it will hold an edge
longer.) If the metal loses its
temper, it won't stay sharp. r)
Fortunately, not all @ding
wheels will cause heat to build
up as rapidly. So the secret is to
replace the gray wheel with one
that's not as likely to draw the
temper out of the tool.
%WEE -EL. One wheel that'8
white, aluminm-oxide grinding
wheel. This wheel cuts fast. And
just as important, the binder or
"glue" used on this type of wheel
allows the abrasive particles to
break away faster than the par-
ticles in an all-purpose wheel.
This is good for two reasons.
First, the cutting surface doesn't
get clogged up with bite of cut-off
metal. Since it's not clogged up,
get as hot while grinding.
The second reason is that
"fresh," sharp cutting edges are
continuously being exposed. So
the wheel cub quicker and cooler.
But there's a tradeoff to using
a white wheel. Since the abrabra-
No. 44
 sive particles break away faster, the first step of the sharp-
the wheel also wears out faster. ening process. To form the
(In other words, it has a soft bond.) final cutting edge, you'll
On a wheel with a soft bond, shill need to hone the bevel on
you're more likely to wear a a sharpening stone.
groove in the grinding surface Because of that, I'm not too
when sharpening a tool. So if concerned about the coarseness
you're doing some heavy of the grind marks on the bevel.
grinding (like reshaping the In fact, I prefer a wheel with a
-
edge of a lathe tool for instance), relativelv coarse wit. It gets the
a bktter choice would be a pink; jol) tlonr q~uckly,so rhe1.e'~less
~~
Three of thc
rr;osr importanr x
aluminum-oxide wheel. chancth for heat t o bnild u p in t l ~ e ln,ngs /ou nced lo knon
PINK WHEEL. The abrasive tool. (I use a 60-grit wheel.) about a grinding wheel are
particles on a pink wheel don't CODE. So how do you know if a contained in a code printed on
break away quite as readily as wheel is actually a 60-grit, alu- the paper washer (in dark pnnt).
on a white wheel. (A pink wheel minum-oxide wheel? One way is
has a slightly stronger bond.) So is to look at a code that's printed (as with the white and pink
you don't have to worry as much on the paper washer on the side wheels). But on a wheel with a
about accidentally grooving the of the wheel, see photo above.
face of the grinding wheel. The code has a lot of technical
Since a pink wheel is more information. But you can find out
hard bond (like the gray, all-pur-
pose wheel), the particles are a
little more stubborn.
.cmn suppne
600-551-8876
Gnndhg Whecls,
resistant to wear, it's ideal for all youneed toknow by "cracking" To distinguish one grade from Wide Gnndmg Wheei,
sharpening the high-speed steel the first three parts. Diamond Truing Tool
another, most manufacturers use
GsrreCt Wade
used in many turning tools. (This ~ R A S N E TYPE & GRIT. For a lettering system from 'A' to 'Z' 800-221-2042
type of steel is harder than the example, the letter 'A' indicates
tool steel used in most chisels.) that this wheel has abrasive par-
WHICH GRrr? In addition to the ticles made of aluminum oxide.
(with 'A' being the softest and 'Z'
the hardest.) Note: The white
wheel I use has a bond grade of
.
Grinding Wheels
Lee Valley Tools
BOO-87l-8158
Grinding Wheei5
color of the wheel, you'll also And the '60' refers to the grit. X' which is fairly soft.
need to decide which grit to use. BOND GRADE. Another thing Because of this, the abrasive
As with sandpaper, a coarse-grit the code will tell you is the gmde particles separate fairly easily.
wheel will leave a rough surface of the bond. Basically, this is the And fresh cutting edges are con-
on the bevel, and fine grits will measurement of how easily the tinually exposed. So the wheel
create a smoother surface. abrasive particles will break away. cuts cooler, heat doesn't build up,
The thing to keep in mind is With a soft bond grade, the and it's no longer a "grind" to
that grinding the bevel is only particles separate relatively easy sharpen my tools.&

The nice thing about the white and pink grinding wheels is they "shed"
their abrasive particles as you grind. So they're not as likely to clog
with metal. (They're more or less "self-dressing.")
Even so, you'll still need to true up these wheels. This squares up the
face of the wheel across its width. Andit knocks off any high spots. As a
result, you can grind a nice, uniform bevel across the blade.
DIAMOND TRUING TOOL. One of the best ways I've found t o
true up a wheel is with a diamond truing tool, see
phol left. The diamonds are embedded
in a 1"-wide head that's placed
against the face i f the
grinding wheel, see photo
A With tiny ,f a t right. This way, you can
diamonds emoedded in true up a wheel in a matter
of seconds. (For sources,
ick work of truing up a grinding wheel. see margin at right.)

-1: No. 44 ShopNotes 15

 This versatile
wall-munted
unit provides
a complete
workstation for
your grinder.

ore often than -

not, it's a sturdy platform for 'grinder, it nate, see photo above. So a damp
dimly lit area that makes it hard has a long, flexible lamp that cloth is all i t takes to clean it up.
to see when you're sharpening. shines light right where it's needed. A clean, well-lit work area is
And it's usually dirty and gritty PLASTIC LAMINATE. Of course, one thing. But there's more to
from years ofmessy grindingjobs. there's nothing t o keep it from this grinding station than that.
To get a handle on the clutter
that accumulates around a grinder,
it has several types of storage.
STORAGE. Grinding wheels and
sharpening supplies are stored
in a drawer under the table, see
photo A at left. And a narrow
shelf up above holds small items
that often get in the way. There's
even a sliding tray that provides
a temporary place to put tools
you're working on, see photo B.
CW. Finally, there's one more
thing about this grinding station
A. Full-Extension Drawer. To provide easy access B. Sliding Tray. A tray slides out that's just plain fun - a shop-
to accessories, the drawer in this grinding station of either side of the station to made plastic cup that's used to
is mounted on full-extension drawer slides. hold the tools youye working on. quench a hot chisel or plane iron.

ShopNotes No. 44
 EDGING _ WORKLIGHl

NOTE:
AND WASHER6 TO
MOUNTGRINDING
STAllON TO WALL
.
T-NIIT
FRONT
CROSSPIECE 9-
14" DRAWER
SLIDES >

FALSE
FRONT

SIDE

Frams * (1 Pr.) 14" Fuil-Exr. Drawer Side6

A Supprc Arms (a 0 Front/Back (2) %xZa/a - 1& 2 #8 x %"enhead Sorswe
t3 Uprighk(2) P Sides(2) -
% x Z3/s 14 (2) #8x fUAnhead Screws
C Top/5omom Rail5 (2) Q Bottom (7) 13% x 19% - %Hdbd. (4) #BxS1/e" Fh W O O ~ ~ C W W S
D Front Crobspiece (1) -
3Lx 4 22'/2 * (8) #6 x Z1/2" Fh Woodscrews
E Reartrosspieoe m
F Tray Supporns (2)
--
$14 x 2 n112
f1/ex 21 */4Hdbd.
s CUP Holder ilj 4 x 6 - % ~ l- ~ (30) # a x f// Fh Woodbcrew~
(171 # 8 x 3/4" Fh WOO~SG~WS
1 l"x 1" -4"Aluminum Angle
6IidIn# Tray
-
B31ax 2 6 % Hdbd.
a
/'(' Thick)
G B o m m (l)
H Keeper Strip - You can makeall t h e art5 forche Grinding
I5/ax 6 Lin. Ft. 3/4 Pry. Station fmm (1) 2 x 4 iece of D o u g b Flr
ieqht feet iong~,one J e e t ofaM aa\ttc aimh *
(1
(I)
Zn-Pia. PVC Pipe (llk" Long)
2%-Dla.WC End Carp
Back. Tab/#,& Shelf Pbood, one% 6heet of '4' hardboard, anda r (1) 3"-Dfa. x 2"-Dia. PVC Coupler
I Back (1) -
21x 14'/z '/4 Hdbd 24" x 48" pi- of piastic lamiflam,
J C~ead)2) */4 x 1 % ~1- 3 Toorder a ktt that rndudee all of thi6
K Table0) 16 x 25 - % Pb. Note: The workl9ht we used for thls Grinding hadware, call 800-347-5105.Note
L Edging 1
'% x g/4 (5 Lin. Ft.) Station is availablefmm W. W Grainger for Worklilght. noC rnciuded.
M Shelf (1) 3% x 22 - Pry. $33 44 To order, call 515-266-3460 and
% x 1% (3 Lin. Ft.) request Part Number 4P033 K i t No. 6 W i O O . .......,....5B33.95
I I I I

No. 44 ShopNotes 17
 Frame
UPRIGHT
I hegan work on the Grinding
Station by making a sturdy wood
frame. It consists of a pair of L-
shaped brackets connected by
two rails and a couple of cross-
pieces, see drawing. Note:
I made all of the pieces
from straight-grained
I
Douglas fu.
1-SHAPED BRACKETS
To provide solid support for the
grinder, each of the brackets
consists of two interlocking FRONT
parts: a horizontal support a m , CROSSPIECE
and vertical upright.
SUPPORTARMS. The two sup-
port a m s (A) are quite simple. NOTE:
Each one is made from a piece of CROSSPIECES
ARE MADE FROM
"two-by" material that's cut to w-THICKSTOCK ... 3
SUPPORT
final length and width, see Fig. 1. ARM
To prevent the support m s
from sagging under the weight a long, shallow notch in the top are two more things to do. First,
of the grinder, they fit securely edge of each support arm. These you'll need to rabbet the top inside
in the uprights. This requires notches will create an opening edge of each support ann to accept
cutting a wide rabbet a t one end for the sliding tray on each side the crosspieces. Then, to create a
of each support arm, see Fig. 1. of the grinding station. slimmer profile, I cut a gradual
In addition to the rabbet, I cut With the notch complete, there taper along the bottom edge.

CUT RABBET FOR

FOR TRAY
5lEP 1 5lEP 2
CUT DADO CUT TWO
FOR SHELF T N D E H E S FOR
SIZE DADO THE RAILS

II NOTE: LEFT
UPRIGHTSHOWN.
CUT DADO RIGHT UPRIGHT
IS MIRROR IMAGE
STEP 2
a
RABBET
FOR 3"
ROSSPIECE

TOP/BOTTOM RAIL
STEP3 1 L 0)
/i
CUT
1W-LON
RABBET
W DEEP

RABBET EDGE
N m LEFl (SEE DETAIL)
SUPPORT ARM
EDGE SHOWN. RIGHT ARM NOTE: RAILS ARE
IS A MIRROR IMAGE 1Yz"-THICK STOCK

18 ShopNotes
 WRIGATS. With the support TRAYSUPPORT 4
- arms complete, you can turn CROSSPIECE
I your attention to the two
upl-ights (B), see Fig. 2.
To accept the support arms,
there's a wide dado cut in the
i"rn
--
inside face of each upright. Also,
a narrow dado near the top holds
a shelf that's added later.
+B .
With the dadoes complete, I
notched both ends of each upright
along the hack edge. These
notches will accept the rails that TRAY
"tie" the uprights together. (IM" ~ 2 1 " ) N m TFAY SUPPORTS
ARE MADE FROM W HARDBOARD
ASSEMBLE BRACKETS. After
sanding a radius on the outside
corners of each upright and the
bottom corners of the support
anns, the brackets are ready for
assembly. They're simply glued
and screwed together.
RAILS. To join the brackets
together, I idded a top and
bottom rail (C), see Fig. 3. The ripped to width to fit flush with TRAY SUPPORTS. TO support
ends of each rail are rabbeted to the shoulders of the notches in the sliding tray, it rests on two
fit into the uprights. And a the support arms, see drawing attray supports (F) made from
shallow rabbet in the inside edge top of page 18. narrow strips of 114" hardboard,
accepts a back that's added later. see drawing above. These strips
extend past the inside edge of
and screwing the rails in place, After gluing and screwing the the crosspieces and are simply
all that's left to complete the crosspieces in place, the basic glued and screwed in place.
frame is to add the two cross- frame is complete. Now it's just a SLIDING TRAY. Now you can
pieces. Besides adding rigidity matter of adding the sliding tray, concentrate on the sliding tray.
to the frame, these pieces form see drawing above and Fig. 4.
an opening for the sliding tray.
It's just a piece of I/4" hardboard
The tray is designed to be with aplywood lip on all four sides
The crossaieces are identical nulled out from either side of the to keen tools fromfalling.oE.
in length. B& their width is dif- &ding station. This way, it BOGOM. B he bottom?^) of the
ferent. To guide the tray as it doesn't matter which wheel you're tray is cut to fit between the
r
slides in and out, the front (D) using on the grinder -there's still notches on the support arms, see
and rear crosspiece (E) are a convenient place for your tools. detail 'a' above. To make it easy
to pull out the tray, it extends 1"
past each support arm.
LII! After sanding a gentle
curve on the corners of the tray
bottom, I added four keeper
stl-ips (H) to form the lip around
the tray. These are narrow strips
of 3/4" plywood that are laid on A To keep tools
edge and attached to the bottom. from sliding around,
Besides ensuring that tools I cut a piece of
stay put, the strips also prevent non-slip shelf liner

* BOTTOM IS MADE
FROM %" HARDBOARD:
KEEPER STRIPS
ARE 3/i"PLYWOOD
the tray from tipping down when
you pull it out. To make this
work, the strips sit just below
(%z") the top surface of the cross-
pieces, see detail 'a' above.
to fit the tray.

No. 44 ShopNotes 19
Back, Table, & Shelf
This grinding station won't do
anything to reduce the mess that
often results from grinding. But it
sure makes it easier to clean it up.
That's because the back, table, 4
and shelf are all covered with
plastic laminate, see drawing at
right. So you can simply wipe
them off with a damp cloth.
BACK
Besides enclosing the rear part
of the grinding station, the back
also adds rieiditv to the frame.
The back(^) is just a piece of
l14" hardboard with a plastic lam-
inate cover, see Fig. 5. It's sized are 3/4"-thi~k
strips that are glued To accomplish this, the table
to slip between the uprights and and screwed to the uprights. (K) starts out as a piece of 314"
to rest in the rabbets that were plywood, see Fig. 7. Then to cover
cut earlier in the rails. the edges of the plywood, I added
To produce a good fit, it's best Once the back is complete, you can 1/2"-thick strips of e&ng (L) to
to start with an oversize piece of turn your attention to the table. It the front and ends of the table.
hardboard. Then glue on a piece provides a solid mounting plat- NOTCH CORNERS. After gluing
of laminate that's smaller than form for the grinder. on the edging, yon can cut the
the hardboard but larger than Like the hack, the tahle is cov- notches in the back corner of the
the final size of the back. (I used
contact cement.) After trimming
the back to final size on the tahle
ered with plastic laminate. But I
didn't apply the laminate right
away. That's because the back cor-
table, see Fig. 7b. The goal here
is to size the notches so the table
fits tightly against the back and
e
saw, it's just screwed in place. ners of the table are notched to fit around the uprights.
CLEATS. To provide additional around the uprights, and I wanted To do this, I used a sabre saw
support behind the back, I added to make sure the table fit just and then fled the edges smooth.
two cleats (J), see Fig. 6. These right before adding the laminate. While I was at it, I rounded the

NOTE: BACK 1
s
MADE FROMW HARDBOARD
COVERED WITH PLASTIC LAMINATE
15 MADE FROM
%"-THICK STOCK la
20 ShopNotes No. 44
* outside corners of the table, see
Figs. 7a and 7b.
APPLYLAMINATE. Now it's just
a matter of applying the lami-
nate. This time the jaminate is
oversized and trimmed flush
with a hand-held router and flush
trim bit. A little work with a Be
will clean up the material left on
the inside corners of the notches.
MOUNTING HOLES. Before
attaching the table, it's best to
locate the mounting holes for
your grinder. To do this, center
the grinder on the length of the
table. Also, check for clearance
in front so tool handles won't hit
the table as you're sharpening.

.
Then transfer the location of thk
holes in the grinder to the table.
The grinder is held in place
with bolts that thread into T-nuts
installed in the bottom of the
table. These T-nuts slip into
counterbored shank holes, see
Fig. 8a. Note: Size the mounting
bolts and T-nuts for your grinder.
HOLE FOR POWER CORD. After
.
Installing the T-nuts, I drilled a
large hole near the hack edge of
the table. This hole will allow the
power cord for the grinder to
feed down through the table.
ATPACETABLE. NOWyou can
attach the table to the frame. It's
held in place by driving screws up
through We crosspieces and also
through the hack, see Fig. 8a.
The shelf (MI is cut to fit I applied %"-thick strips of edging
S W between the dadoes in the (N) to the front edge and ends of
All that's left is to add a shelf uprights. Here again, it's cov- the shelf, see Fig. 9. But to form
near the top of the grinding sta- ered with plastic laminate. a lip that keeps things kom
tion to hold small items. ADDEDGING. ASwith the table. falling off. these strms are wider
than the thickness oithe shelf.
The edghg is cut to fit so when
you set the shelf in place, the end
pieces fit tightly against the
uprights. After gl* on each strip,
simply round the outside cor11ers.
Before gluing and screwing
the shelf in place, I drilled a
large hole near the back edge. As
before, this hole accepts a power
cord. But this time, it's the cord
for a worklight that's attached to
the frame, refer to page 17.
 Drawer
One nice thing about this
grinding station is that extra
grinding wheels and sharpening
accessories are always in easy
reach. You just slide out the
drawer that fits in the
opening under the table.
To provide access to
items in back, the
draweris mounted on a
r
pair of MI-extension 7
drawer slides, see Fig. 10.
Note: It's best to have these
slides in hand before deter-
mining the size of the drawer.
WIDTH. The slides I used
DRAWER SLIDES
A To keep the required a l12" clearance on each
drawer sl~delevel side. So I built a20"-widedrawer
FALSE FRONT
during installation, (1"less than the distancebetween
slip a scrap under the support arms).
the crosspieces to LENGTH. Another consid
act as a spacer. tion is the length (from front to
hack) of the drawer opening. The
opening is designed to accommo-
date a 14"-longdrawer. (This also
provides clearance behind the
drawer for the power cords on
the grinder and worklight.)
LOClLNGBBBBET8. One final , ,
thing that affects the size of the 1 \

drawer is the type of joinery

that holds it together. For this
a
drawer, I used locking rahbet
joint. It's a simple joint, yet it
still provides plenty of strength.
At this point, it's just a matter
-
of cutting the"fronthack .10) . and
sidcs (F, of the drawer to final
size, see Fig. 11. (I used 'k -thick
& for all of these pieces.)
Now, you can concentrate on
FRONTIBACK,
AND SIDES ARE
W-THICK STOCK
the l&e <, rabbet ioints. The
fronthack pieces are iabbcted on
each ant1 tolbllna tongue,sec:Fig.
llh. Thistongue fitein a matching
dado that's cut in each side piece.
Before gluing UD the drawer,
you'll nee; tocut a groove in
each piece for a hardboard
bottom I&),see Figs. 11and lla.
Also, it's a good idea to drill
countersunk holes now for a
false front that's added later.
D R A ~ RSLIDE. Now you're
ready to add the fullfullextension
slides. These slides have a
release that lets you separate
them into two parts.
One part of the slide is
screwed to the inside of the sup-
port arm, see Fig. 10a and
margin. The other part is
mounted to the side of the
drawer, see Fig. lob.

22 ShopNotes No. 44
 FALSE FRONT. AH tnat s lert to
complete the drawer is to add a
false front (R), see Fig. 12. It's
nothing more than a piece of V4"-
thick fir that's attached to
the front of the drawer.
The false front is sized to
allow %6" clearance on the
top and on each end, see Fig.
1%. I also wanted it to fit flush
with the rounded comers on the
ends of the support arms.
To match these comers, I
routed a roundover on the
bottom edge c2 of the false kont.
Then, after using carpet tape to
position it on the front of the
drawer, it's just screwed in place.
Quenching Cup
When grinding a chisel or plane
iron, I usually just stick it in a tin
can filled with water to keep the
metal from overheating. But
sometimes, I accidentally bump
the can and spill water all over.
TO prevent thin, I made a
quenching cup that fits into a
holder attached to the grinding
No. 44
L
7
1 !
&~g
o~1LLplL0TH~k5
station, see the photo at right.
Cw. The cup consists of three
parts: a eouplw and end cap made
from PVC fittings and a sleeve
that's cut from a length of PVG
pipe, see Fig. 13. Gluing these
pieces together forms a water- see Fig. 13. This
tight seal. (Iused PVC cement.)
Note: I also spray painted the
# e x I%' PANHEAD N m : LOCATE
SHEET METAL HOLE FOR CUP
REMOVE
TAPE AND SCREW
FALSE FRONT IN PLACE
to use a circIe A As an opt~on,
cutter chucked in the drill press.) you may want to
But since the cup holder is add th~shandy
fairly small (and I get nervous quench~ngcup to
when the wings of a circle cutter the ade of the
are whizzing around), I applied gr~nd~ngstation.
the laminate to an extra-long
piece of plywood that's ripped to
frnal width. This way, it can be
clamped securely to the drill
press table when cutting the hole.
After cutting the cup holder
(S)to final length, I used a baud
saw to cut a 2" radius on the end
and sanded it smooth.
To allow the cup to nestle
down into the holder, the next
step is to rout a chamfer around
the rim of the hole, see Fig. 13a.
Finally, to mount the holder, I
rabbeted the end for a piece of
aluminum angle. The angle is
simply screwed to the holder and
the support arm. &
h
! - ~. .- a glance, these benchtop drill presses all grease couldn't nx. Still, it made me think twice i
I. .C
ook remarkably alike. In fact, it almost before complaining about the thick, gooey coating +-
that protected the tables on the other drill presses. '
- - . .
v
1. appears as if each one was popped out of the same
mold and painted a different color. TABLES. After cleaning things up, I could see
But in spite of the close similarity, there's one that the cast iron tables were all well-machined. It
difference between them - the cost. They also gave me a chance to check out the two dif-
range in price from $219 to $350. ferent types of tables we selected for this tool
Criteria So what accounts for this difference in price? review. One table is designed for drilling metal,
are the more expensive drill presses really while the other is better suited for woodworking. ;i:
worth the extra cost? To catch lubricants when drilling metal, there's a ;, ,>' ,
To find out, we bought and tested the four trough running all the way around the metal- - '
shown above. Editor's Note: For a close working table, see photos at top of page 25. And
qe8.k price look at another (more expensive) drill press that the slots don't extend all the way through the table.
52'9 to 535

-
we tested separately, refer to page 27. But these "blind" slots present a problem for a
ires cast iro,
SHIPPING. When the drillpresses
pinionwith rack&
adjustmer arrived, two of the cardboard Drill Pr! s at a Glance I I,
..
boxes were pretty beat up.
Fortunately, the only damage
was a small dent in the capacitor

[.
c
!

i
of the motor on the Grizzly.
But one thimg that was a bit
more irritating is that the cast
iron table on the Bridgewood had
rusted. Nothing that some elbow
*
Y-
I 24 ShopNotes No. 44
 woodworker. They make it diffi-
cult to attach an auxiliary table.
• So if you're working only with
wood, one of the circular tables
with slots that extend all the
way through is a better solution.
Note: The P o w m a t i e is the
only drill press that offers both
tables. (The cost is identical.)
SWING. After assembling the
drill presses, I got a feel for how
big (and heavy) they are. Each
one has a 14""swing." This means
it's possible to drill to the center
of a 14"-wideworkpiece. That's a
plus if you're building cabinets
or furniture. (Some benchtop
models only have an 8" swing.)
QUILL TRAVEL. Another thing
I check is the maximum distance
a quill will move downward. The
farther it travels, the deeper
the hole you can drill without
adjusting the height of the table.
On these drill presses, there's
only a fraction of an inch differ-
ence in the quill travel, see chart
on page 24. So none of these drill
presses has a real advantage in
this area. But it's something to
keep in mind if you're consid-
ering a different model.
cmcs SIZE. Another thing to
look for is the size of the chuck.
As their name implies, the lh"
chucks on the Bridgewood and
P o w m t i c hold bits with
shanks up to lh" in diameter.
Testing Procedures
R Accuracy. B check runout B. Performance. By drilling C. Power. To see if
a (wobble)on each drillpress
we useda dialindicator and
a precision steel rod.
dozens of mortises with
each drill press, we got a
feel for overall performance.
No. 44
Tables. To catch lubricants when drilling metal, there's a trough
running around the table on the Powermatic (left). And the T-shaped
slots used to attach a vise don't extend all the way through. A table
with "open" slots (right) makes it easier to attach an auxiliary table.
That's fine for most jobs. But drill holes - dozens and dozens
when working with metal, I of holes, with all types and sizes
occasionally need to use a twist of drill bits. So that's what we
bit that's larger than 'h". That's did, see photos B, C, and D.
when the 5/x" chuck on the Jet MOTOR SIZE. The thing I was
and Grizzly would come in handy. curious about is how the size of
RUNOm. Regardless of the size the motor would affect the per-
of chuck, the spindle it's mounted formance of the drill presses.
on has to spin "true." Any wobble As it turned out. I couldn't boe
(runout) is exaggerated a t the tip down the 'h hp motors on the Jet,
of the bit -and that makes it dif- Grizzly, and Bridgewood -even
ficult to drill holes accurately. when boringlarge, deep holes. The
So we checked the runout on 3/4 hp motor on the Powermatie A A 60-watt light in
each drill press, see photo A worked great, but it seems like the head of each
below and chart on page 24. While overkill. (Plus, it adds to the cost.) drill press makes it
the Powermatie had the least WORKLIGHT. One more note. easy to see when
amount of runout, the other drill When you're working at these positioning work
presses were quite acceptable. drill presses, you won't have to under the bit.
MORE TESTS. But the numbers strain your eyes. A bright work-
don't tell the "hole" story. The only light mounted in the head of each
way to get a feel for the overall drill press completely eliminates
performance of a drill press is to the shadows, see margin.
the drill D. !ssories. Finally, we
presses would bog down in
a heary cut, we bored a
series of large, deep holes.
put each tool through its
paces by using a variety of
drill press accessories.
ShopNotes 25
 Adjusting Spindle Speed
It's one of the cardinal rules of
drilling - match the speed of
the spindle to the size of drill bit
and type of material you're using.
Usually changing the speed of
a drill press involves fiddling
with belts and pulleys. So I was
anxious to see if these drin
presses made the job any easier.
BELTS & PULLEYS. When 1
"popped" the hoods to find out,
they looked like what I expected
-a system of V-belts and "step"
pulleys. What's different is the
number of belts and pulleys.
With three pulleys connected
A A lock~ngcollar by two belts, the Powermatic,Jet,
on the Grizzly and and Grizzly have as many as six-
Bridgewood lets teen different speeds, see upper
you quickly "dial in" drawing and Chart below. But the
the depth of hole. Bndgewood only has two pulleys
and a single belt, so it's limited to
five speeds, see lower drawing.
S i c e I work with all types of
material (from hardwood to
metal and plastic), the additional
speeds are a real plus for me. It's
dso important that there's a
wide range of speeds. see upper drawing. When I move so little slack in the belts that fit-
That's the nice thing about the the motor toward the head to ting them onto the pulleys is a
Jet. I t runsfaster at the top end loosen the belt tension, this arm real finger torture.
of the range than any of the drill swings freely. So it only takes a
presses, yet it also has the minute to swap the belts around. COWCLUSIOWS
slowest spindle speed, see chart. But it's a different story alto- Okay, so which drill press is
REPW3TIONINGBELTS. But that gether on the Powermatic. The best? And is spending more
A But tightening won't mean a thing if it's difficult center pulley is mounted to a money really worth it?
two nuts on a to shift the belts from one pulley metal bar that's bolted to the As my first choice, I'd recom-
threaded post to another. That's where I noticed head. So I have to loosen the bolts mend the Jet. It runs smooth, and
creates a more a big difference- especially on the each time I change speed. I l i e its wide range of speeds.
reliable depth drill presses with a center pulley. To make matters worse, the Plus, it's easy to change belts.
stop on the Jet On the Jet and Grizzly, the motor binds when I loosen the But I wouldn't overlook the
and Powermatic. pulley is mounted on a pivot arm, belt tension. As a result, there's Grizzly either. I t doesn't have the
number (or range) of speeds like
the Jet, but it's a solid tool. And it
costs about $40 less.
Although the Bridgewood is
the lowest priced drill press, it's
a good, utility tool. But the lim-
ited number of speeds puts it out
of the running for me.
And the Powemtzc? I'd kick
myself every time I needed to
adjust the speed of the spindle.
For the price, I expected more.
e
26 ShopNotes No. 44
 Wood Drilling S y s t e m - v n s
You expect a lot from a drill press
@that mats $400.So I was curious
whether this Ryobi Wood Drilling
System was worth the money.
DRILLING C A P A C ~ One . thing
it has going for it right off the
bat is a large drilling capacity.
With an 181/2"swing, it's bound to
come in handy on large projects.
SPEED ADJUSTMENT. But what
impresses me the most about it
is how easy it is to adjust the
speed. You simply turn a crank
that's located on top of the head.
With this system, there's a
continuous range of speeds. Even
so, I wish it ran faker a t the
upper end of the range, see chart
on page 25. It's a tad slow for
small (1/16" and I/sN) drill bits.
Another detail I'd quibble
about is the crank. It's made of
plastic, so it seems like it's just a
matter of time before it breaks.
A beefy metal crank would be
more reassuring -like the one on
@ .the slde of the head assembly.
HEAD. This crank is used to
raise and lower the head on the
column, see photo A below. So
instead of adjusting the height of
the table (as with most drill
A. Head. The unusual thing about 9.Tilting Table.A tilting table and
this drill press is you crank the
headup and down -not the table.
No. 44
-
presses), the head travels up and
down instead. It sounds a bit
odd, but it's a convenient way of
working a t a drill press.
TABLE. The table on the Ryobi
also sets it apart. It's twice as
large as the tables on the other
drill presses. So there's plenty
of support when drilling a long
workpiece. And when drilling an
angled hole, you can tilt the table
by loosening one knob, see photo B.
Still, I'm not completely satis-
fied with the table. It consists of
a lightweight aluminum kame
with a top made of MDF. The
problem is there's no center sup-
port under the top. So there's a
certain amount of "give" when I
lower the bit into a workpiece. A This Ryobi Wood Drilling System
FENCE. The Ryobi also has an incorporates several features that are
adjustable fence that makes it designed with a woodworker in mind.
easy to position a workpiece and
provide support when drilling. never applied any real pressure.
Also, a flip-up stop is handy for CONCLUSIONS. All in all, I'd say
drilling holes in multiple pieces. Ryobi has made some d e f i ~ t e
HOLD-DOWN. There's even a
hold-down for drilling holes in
innovations. Some worked, and
some didn't. Is it worth the
small pieces, see photo C. The money? I don't think so. I'd stick
only problem is I couldn't get it with a traditional (less expen-
to work. As I tightened the hold- sive) drill press. And I'd add a
down, i t just crept back up. So it shop-made table and fence.&
C. Hold-Down. The hold-down is
fence m&e it easy to support e good idea But since it wonst
round stock or drill angled holes. tighten down, it's nearly useless.
ShopNotes 27
 've always enjoyed making I was buying a drill bit at the onto the handle. And since the
my own hand tools. Especially local hardware store when I brass is quite soft, just a little
when it's a tool like this scratch came across an extra-long (6") work with a file would create a
awl that only takes an hour or twist bit, see margin. It was long smooth transition.
two to complete. enough for a blade. But it
But the most intriguing thing seemed like the flutes might pre- PALM HIU~DLE
about this scratch awl sent a problem. The handle of this scratch awl bas
isn't its simplicity. It's That's when it occurred to me. a gently rounded knob that fits
the process of working By filling the flutes with epoxy into the palm of my hand. When
with both wood and metal and "twisting" the bit into the I'm starting a screw hole or
to create a tool that's prac- handle, the blade would be per- marking a layout line, the shape
tical and nice looking as well. manently attached to the handle, of the handle provides a comfort-
HANDLE. The wood handle of see drawings below. Then I could able grip for me, see Pattern
the scratch awlis turned to shape sharpen the blunt end of the bit below. But you may want to
on a lathe. (I used a chunk of to a fine point. experiment with your own shape.
spalted maple I'd been saving for FERRULE. Using a drill bit as a BLOCK. To make the handle @
twist bit and a just this type of special project.) blade was one thimg. But I also shown below, start with a 2"-
brass flare nut BLADE. But figuring out what wanted to cover the end of the square block that's 5" long. Note:
prov~detwo of the to use for the long metal blade of handle with ametal ferrule. As i t It's important that the ends of
key ingredients for the scratch awl (and how to turns out, I found the answer in the block are square.
this scratch awi. secure it to the handle) was more the plumbing department - a To accept the blade of the
of a challenge. The solution came brass flare nut, see margin. scratch awl, you'll need to drill a
about in aninexpected way. The nut would simply thread hole in one

DRlLL916"-DIA. HOLE LA 1 HANDLE

FERRULE r TOCOVERFLUTES
OF DRILL BIT

- / NOTE:
GRID PATTE 3WN 1
, i , , I I i I i _ l 1 I i ,

HALF-PATTERN (FULL SCALE)

SbopNotes No. 44
end of the block. The diameter of
this hole is sized to accept the
a
twist bit that will be used as the
blade. And it's deep enough to
cover the flutes.
It's tempting to drill this hole
with the long twist bit. But there's
a problem. Any irregularity in the
grain can "catch" the tip of a
twist hit and cause it to wander.
If that happens, the blade on
the scratch awl will be crooked
when you put it in the handle. So
to drill this hole straight into the
blank, I used a brad point hit.
MOUNT BLOCK. Now you can
mount the hlock on the lathe. It's
oriented so the centerpoint on
the tailstock fits into the hole in
the block, see Step 1below.
CUT TENON. After the initial
roughing cuts, I turned a short
tenon on the end of the block
that's supported by the tailstock,
see Step 2. Later, this tenon will
he sized to fit the ferrule. But for
now, leave it a hit thick. (I turned
a 3/8"-dia.tenon that's l/4" long.)
HANDLE LENGTH. To establish
the overall length of the handle,
the next step is to make a
parting cut near the end of the
hlock that's closest to the head-
stock, see Step 2. It's best to
leave about a 'iz" of thickness
here. This provides plenty of
support for the spinning block.
SHAPE HANDLE. NOWit's just a
matter of turning the handle to
shape. The thick knob on the end
of the handle is formed by rolling
a spindle gouge - first to one
side then the other, see Step 3.
Note: You'll need to waste out
additional material to provide
clearance for the spindle gouge,
see pattern on opposite page.
The spindle gouge also makes
it easy to shape the neck of the
handle. I t sweeps down from the
knob, flares out to create a stop
for your thumb, and then tapers
toward the shoulder of the tenon.
FmAL DETAILS. To complete
the handle (and add some visual
detail), I used a skew chisel to
cut a series of V-shaped grooves,
see Step 4.
This is also a good time to
lightly sand the handle and apply
a finish. You don't need to
remove the handle from the
lathe to do this. But later, after
removing the waste at the top of
the handle, you'll need to com-
plete the sanding and finishing.

FIRST: DRILL HOL

1 Start by drilling a hole in the end of a block to

accept the blade. Then mount the block on the
lathe so the centerpoint of the tailstock fits in the hole.
2 After roughing out the block, use a parting tool,
to turn a tenon on one end Then cut ~nat the
opposite end to define the top of the handle

Using a spindle gouge, turn the handle to

shape. To ensure a comfortable grip, stop the
lathe frequently and check the feel of the handle
4 It's easy to add some v~suaideta~lto the th~ck
part of the handle Just use a skew ch~selto cut
a serles of V-shaped grooves In the knob.

No. 44 ShopNotes 29
 Adding the Ferrule
Once the finish is dry, the next amount of material, see Step 5.
step is to add the brass ferrule. The goal here is to remove
I t prevents the end of the handle just a whisker, checking the fit
way to do this is to remount the
handle on the lathe and use a small
triangular file, see Step 6. Note:
a
!P
from splitting. Plus, it creates a frequently. Continue this process Be sure to remove the tool rest.
smooth transition between the until you can tighten the nut One thing to be aware of is the
handle and the blade. about halfway onto the tenon "wall" of the nut is quite thin. So
The ferrule is made by fitting with your fingers. Then complete file off just enough material to

1- 1 the brass flare nut onto the the job with a wrench, see margin.
tenon at the end of the handle. FILE CORNERS. Once the flare
round the corners. Then polish
the ferrnle smooth with progres-
A After thread~ng But the tenon is still a bit thick, nut is in place, it's just a matter of sively finer f i t s of sandpaper. (I
the flare nut onto so you'll have to shave off a small removing the "corners." An easy went up to 600-grit sandpaper.)
the tenon so it's
"finger tight, " use a
wrench to turn it
the rest of the way

Tosize the tenon for the flare nut, shave off a small Once the flare nut is installed, remove the tool
5 amount of materialand check the fit Continue the 6 rest and remount the handle. Then turn on the
process until the nut threads halfway onto the tenon. lathe and file the corners using smooth, even strokes.
a
lntitalling the Blade
All that's left to complete the The idea is to hold the blade at fine point, see detail %.'
scratch awl is to add the long a slight angle to the belt while POLISH BLADE. Finally, I pol-
twist bit that's used as the blade. you rotate the handle. What you ished the entire length of the
REMOVE WASTE. But fist, want to accomplish here is to blade starting with 150-grit
you'll need to take the handle off sand a I1/z"-longtaper on the end sandpaper and working my way
the lathe and remove the waste at of the bit that narrows down to a up to 600 grit. &
the top end. (I used a handsaw.)
INSTALL BIT. After sanding the I /-
a' TW'STFLUED
\I .' / I\ /I
rough spot left by the saw teeth
A To hold the blade (and touching it up with finish),
SHARPEN
of the scratch awl you can install the bit. To perma- BLADE TO
A FINE
securely ~nplace, nently secure the bit in the handle, POINT
fill the flutes of the start by coating the flutes with
twist bit with epoxy epoxy, see margin. Then simply
"twist" the bit into the end of the
handle, see detail 'a' in Step 7.
SHARPEN BLADE. When the
epoxy cures, the next step is to
sharpen the blade. An easy way
to do this is to use a belt sander
that's clamped in a vise, see Step
7. Note: since this will create Affer using epoxy to secure the blade in the handle, it's easy to
sparks, be sure to remove the
dust hag on the sander.
7 sharpen it to a fine point. Just clamp a belt sander in a vise and
sand the end of the blade until it tapers to a sharp point.

ShopNotes No. 44
 Products
Custom Floor Mat
Floor mats do a meat iob of
providing a cushion when ;outre
standing on a hard shop floor.
But they're usually only avail-
able in a few different sizes.
That's why I like this floor
mat, see photo above. It's called
Dn-Dek. And it's sold in 12"x 12"
squares that simply snap together.
Dust Mask
I that are used to filter dust. They
rn Most European-style hinges
have a metal "cup" that fits into
a hole in the cabinet door. To
accept the cup, you need to drill
either a 35mm or 40mm hole.
Usually, this requires a drill
press to ensure accurate results.
But this new drilling jig (Jzg-It)
accomplishes the same thing
with a hand-held drill.
Basically, the jig consists of
two parts: an alignment plate
that elamps to the door and a
rmg-shaped collar that guides
' the drillbit, see photo. Note: The
drill bit is not included.
No. 44
This makes it easy to customize mat is it has a series of
the mat to fit whatever size or holes that allow dust to fall
7 .
shape you need. through. This way, I don't track
To avoid tripping on the edge as much dust into the house.
of the mat, you can also get The only drawbackisthe mat is
tapered edging strips and cor- a bit expensive. We paid $48 for a
ners, see inset photo. Here again, 24" x 36" mat. It includes six
they just snap together. squaresplus the edging strips and
Another thing I like about this corners, see margin for Sources.
I've never been completely that fits tightly against my face.
satisfied with the paper masks So no air leaks in or out.
don't conform to the shape of my
face very well, so I end up
breathing in dust.
And the air I
In addition to the seal, this
dust mask has a special filter
that will capture even the finest
wood dust-To install the filter,
you simply fold it over a wedge-
breathe out fogs up shaped insert, see inset photo.
my safety glasses. Then clip the insert into the mask
But this new dust Note: The Dustfoe costs about
mask (the Dustfoe) $25 and comes with five extra fil-
has a soft rubber seal ters, see margin for Sources.
When drilling a hole, the aligr
ment plate establishes the loca-
tion of the hole at the correct dis-
tance from the edge of the doo
And the collar fib over a circula.
lip on the alignment plate.
These two interlocking part-
ensure that the hole is centere
inside the circular opening in th,
alignment plate. Also, the collar
keeps the drill bit perpendicular
to the workpiece.
The jig costs about $30, see
margin. It includes a spring and
stop collar that lets you preset
the depth of the hole.
ShopNotes 31
 Scenes from i

uilt in the early 19009 by 1

;ompan% this cast Iron clrlii

- ly's benchtop models it fe

P