lo Issue 62 Pox eee es Ty DISPLAY UNTIL MAY.21, 2002ShopNotes. ‘March 2002 Donald B. Peschke ‘Terry J.Strohman Bryan Nelson Vincent Ancona ‘Toe! Hess (Craig Ruexseguer Cary Christensen Kurt Schultz ‘Roger Reiland ‘Mark Higdon SENIOR ILLUSTRATORS. ren Dato Redo Pr Dope Kea nk ‘Com Pgs sr Dt Den: Plt Se Gantt Deegan Cit Gone © Grape Dain” ‘Se «Asn ter ug Rtg Ao Rin aOR Hop ra Subset Sei Die Sy Hn» ee Bain De ‘ac J Rings Covaltan srt Ave Kn Saemaars eee Crs ereny Ae Pet veal isa Pua Ropr rp Derr at ef Finan Mr Sh Cot Ri ib Si ‘het amatiae fc Pty ae rl Ate Pers»: Gye Cia « Bt Pak Dre Dog ies Nese ninco P Moe Be: BabCecks Pre Prete Svat Ca, Mate beige Neal ew on (nt Gages ates tr: Eee Peron Sine sat Cl Shen ie Mg Dat Bel Ser ee er arias PD ACEI Sgt Krai Pron Fee putin Dar ur Sov ne ‘ici Nya ek eye Thonny asleep: ‘mime at Son ps a Noes ‘inp bide hare Manto Cany, Sate cg, Dve acne Tin ie» Se ‘Restle Sno ary ra Sepa Medina eps Veo Re igesseRN eee tintin Hd, Sepsareye sits Ana tne ng Biota enf Aue ene Paine ‘Borne ara anata Ssotensschprttn marines, ‘Biidsotapt it Me lala ir sn gett ptie20oT, perros bein turde Wisi rhea peat ers, petgeee tere ces ial Shannen, Talim preston PRINTEDINUSA. EDITOR'S NOTE Cutoffs ‘ave you ever stopped in the middle of building a project and heard a small voice say, “If only this joint would fit better.” or “T wish this jig was easier to use?” When this, happens I've found it’s a good idea to pay attention to that voice. The reason is simple. Quite often the inspiration for a new project comes about when you're wishing for a better, safer, or more efficient way of building a project. (page 4) is the cend result of listening, to that voice and then making small yet signifi cant improvements. First to geta precise it, we wanted Clamping Station - Another project in this issue started out as a ‘simple wish, “I wish I didn't have to ‘lear my bench to glueup a panel.” ‘The answer to that wish is the WallMounted Clamping Station on page 24. Not only did we rectaim workbench space, but we did away with having to wrestle with individual clamps — the clamps are bui To top it off, the entire project only uses common materials and a ‘minimum amount of hardware. One final note. We're looking for an editor to join us here at August jig. Home Publishing. Ifyou're enthust- amount of setup time involved when ‘making different size box joints. Box Joint Jig Our new Box Joint Jig has an easy-tobuild, dualrunner system, which prevents racking and any side-toside movement. But what ike best about thisjigis what you don’ have to do —readjust it, A system of replaceable fences ‘means that setup is now a onetime deal —no matter what size box joint ‘you're making. Visit other ShopNotes subscribers’ workshops and see photos of the shop projects they've built, I's all online at Woodworking Shop Toms on the ShopNotes web sitex www.ShopNotes.com We want you to he part. of our shop tours! To on photos of your favanite ‘ShopNotes projects or views of \ _your shop, just follow the instruc- ‘ions you'll find on our web site. ShopNotes astic about woodworking or home ‘improvement and enjoy working as partofa team, we'd like to hear from you, Send a cover letter and a resume highlighting your expet?- ence to M. Sigel, 2200 Grand Ave. Des Moines, IA 50312, Email msigel@augusthome.com. fost Co No. 62Eee Contents Features Box Joint Jig. 6 Unlike most box joint gs, his one uses runners in both miter slots to make an extremely smooth-working jig. And replaceable fences alow you to make different size box joints without having to reture” the fit Making Box Joints 10 You cant halp but aporeciat the eratsmanshio of precision box/oins: Learn how easy itis tomake them with ou simole stop-by-slep approach, Carpenter's Toolbox. 14 ths lasso nes, sa wood constuction, andstong box joints, this carpenters toolbox wil be around to use (and ‘cm for generations 0 come, Iaisofaiuesererovable tay for erganing smal o's and hardware. Great Glue-Ups 20 There's more to creating a wide, solid-wood panel than just gluing @ bunch of boards together Learn the step-by-step process we use to glue up panels that look great and stay fat. Clamping Station __________24 Glue wpa panel without taking up valuable banch space? And without pipe clamps? Ths shop built staion makes it possible. Departments Readers’ Tips 4 ‘Shop teste tips to solve commen vicocworking problems. Shop Talk. 32 We share the “secrets” used in our shop for creating a smooth, ‘even profle with a router bit and a hand-held router. Tool Chest 34 Unconventional design, great results, Find out about an unusual bit that cuts perfect countersinks in wood or metal. Sources 35 Mail-order sources and supplies fo help you complete the projects featured in this issue. No. 62 ShopNotes: Box Joint Jig page 6 Carpenter's Toolbox page 14 Clamping Station page 24Readers’ Tips 0 Toggle Bolt Hold-Downs My portable workbench gets pressed into service as a stand for several of my benchtop tools. But instead of breaking out the clamps every time I want to attach a tool to the workbench, I came up with a shop-made hold-down, Iésfaster and easier fo use than clamps, and it can. bbe made from a few pieces of com ‘monly available hare: ‘ware and a wood dowel. ‘The hold-downs are made using a/" toggle bolt, 2 washer, and a wing nut, see detail drawing at right. ‘The toggle bolt has a couple of A Hold-Downs. The wings that fold up, allowing it be toggle bolts used for inserted through the holesin the top these shop-made of the workbench. Once the wings hold-downs can be pass through the hole, they spring found at focal open. To keep the toggle bolts cen- base on which the tool is mounted, hardware store, tered in the holes of the workbench, Allyou have to do is tighten the wing: ‘made some spacers for the bolts by nuts to hold the tool down to the top drilling ?/,"dia, holes through short ofthe workbench, lengths of /4-dia. dowel stock. Dana Craig ‘The bolts pass through a plywood Norwood, Massachusetts Pegboard Bit Holder MI duit the Sliding Door Wall decided to put it to good use by Cabinet in ise No, 59, Since Thad making a router bit holder for one of some pegboard left over from the drawers of the cabinet. The making the back of the cabinet, I holder can also ston top ofa shelf or workbench for easier access. To make the holder, | simply cut a couple of pieces of the Yi" pegboard tofftinsde the draver Then [glued a pair of spacers in between the peg- board layers taking care to keep the holes lined up, see drawing at right. Finally, T glued a piece of 4" hard USP EEvena, oe board to the bottom, PEGpOARe ere ‘Theholesinthe pegboardarejust KASReD the right size for my Vi-dia. router RUB. bits, see detail drawing at right. Deborah Vogt Douglas, Alaska oro (et HaRoBOnRD, BE EY) 4 ‘ShopNotes No. 62A To keep track of his pencils, Robert Scott Reichert, of Pittsburgh, PA, uses To quickly adjust his outfesd roffer, Jon Phardel, of Ortonville, MI, uses Velcro to short lengths of rain gutter material to Philips, of Fridley, MN, marks the arm to attach the pencils 10 his aril press and make convenient shelves for holding indicate the cowect height fo the different ctther power tools around the shop. ‘spray paint and other aerosol cans. power fools in his shop. Squaring Box Corners for Gluing i Whenever Ii assembling a box sa ftACb OMe ‘or drawer, [feel like I need two pairs CaNDER EAC ‘ofhands—one to hold the assembly BBING CLAMS square and another to apply the ‘lamps. To make things alitle easier, Teame up with some squaring blocks > tohelp hold the pieces square while 1 clamp them together. made my squaring blocks out of plywood. The base is just a square piece of 9" plywood. The top layers actually made up of three separate pieces of plywood, see detail draving To use the squaring at right. The trick is to glue these blocks, simply place one under three pieces down squarely to the each corner of the assembly before ‘base so that the space in between clamping the pieces together. them matches the thickness of the Roy Heaton workpieces you are clamping up. Tas Vegas, Nevada Paint Can Lid 1 Whenever I use a can of paint or finish, the liquid always rans from my brush into the groove around the rim of the can, making a mess when 1 replace the lid. To prevent this from happening, [cut a “donut” out of Ys" hardboard and simply taped it down tothe top ofthe can, see photo. ‘The donut keeps the finish out of the groove of the can and also pro. vides a convenient place to wipe off the excess finish from my brush. Melvin Kessler Linden, Michigan ‘ShopNotes riers oF ao Te Se Get more wood- 7 wore, working tips free. ‘ae alSG'8 tus onine Wen at prhie GiuED ETE, Son up to receive ales sont ‘email every Send in Your Shop Tips Ifyou have a unique shop tip, we'd lke to consider featuring it in one or more of ‘our print or electronic publications. ‘We'll pay up to $200 for a tip we pub- lish, Just write down the tp and mail it to ShopNotes, Ata: Readers’ Tips, 200 Grand Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. Or FAX it to 515-282-6741, or send us an e-mail at shopnotes@shopnotes.com. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number in case we have any questionsAs™= That's the key to suc- cess for just about any jig, but Perfect box joints particularly for a box joint jig. So epi ae Hee amet thsi, now Ses is Doxa ia eed ne elininate as many ofthe variables 2s Espen possible that could reduce accuracy. ‘And we did this by trying to “bil ee eee relies Take the runner system, for example, Most box joint jigs are Box Joint Jig simply attached to a miter gauge, If there is any slop in your miter gauge bar, it can throw off the accuracy of the jig, But instead of using a miter gauge, this jg fits directly into the miter gauge slots of your table sav, see left photo below. The sides ofthe jig serve as runners, And since the jig travels in both slots, there isn't any chance of racking, Some box joint jigs use an adjustable index key to space the fin- ‘A Two are Better Than One. The sides Having two runners gives the jig more ‘of this fig form runners that ride in the stability and offers iess possibilty for miter gauge slots of your table saw. 6 ‘error due to racking of the jig. ShopNotes ‘gers of the box joints. The problem with this that you have to fine-tune the adjustment every time you want a to switch to a different size of box’ joint. Instead, this ig uses a system fof removable fences with separate keys for different sizes of box joints. A simple stop on the end of the jig allows you to return each fence to the exact position it was in the last ‘time you used it, see right photo. Carriage - These removable fences all bolt on to a common base or “carriage.” ‘The carriage is the part of the jig that will ride in the miter gauge slots of your table sav. | A Stop. A sorew in the end of the fence contacts a hardboard stop for accurate set-up every time, No. 62_ a Ea started by making this assembly, AAs you can see in Figure 1, there are only three parts to the carriage of the jig — a base, a pair of sides. and a fixed fence. Making the sites (A) is straightfor ‘ward. They are cut to size ‘out of 4" Baltic birch ply- ‘wood. The top edge of each side is tapered and then a couple of coun- tersunk serewholes ate drilled in each one (Figure 3). Base — Making the base requires a little more attention to detail. You can see in Figure 2 thatthe base (B) is nothing more than two layers of plywood. But it has to be sized to fit in between the miter gauge slots of your table saw. And since this dis tance will vary from saw to saw, you'l have to custom fit the base. Tmadle my base by cutting the two layers to width first, Then Icut them a hair longer than the distance ‘between my miter siots, (This allows you to sneak up on the final length.) ‘The two layers of the base are screwed together, Just make sure that you locate the screws close to the ends of the base, so that they ‘won't be inthe path ofthe saw blade. To determine the final length of the base, [sett on my table saw and clamped the sides in place, just like you see in Figure 4, This allows you to test the fit of the jig on your table sav. You want the carriage to slide freely, but there shouldn't be any side-to-side play in the jig. Its better =e tohave the tbe alitle too snug than {00 loose, since you can always sand down the sides a litle after the car- rage is assembled My base was a litle too Tong to begin with, so trimmed offa hair at a time and tested the fit after each <4 Ge pass. Once you are satisfied with the fit, the sides can be glued and screwed to the base. This is also done with the help ofthe table saw. After applying the give, simply ‘lamp the base in between the two sides, making sure that all the pieces are flush at the front. (The sides should be resting on the bottom of the miter gauge slots) Then drive a {ew screws through the holes in the sides and into the base. Fixed Fence - The fired fence (C) provides @ means of attaching theremovable fences that you willbe ‘making later If you take a Took at Figure 1, youll see that i's just a piece of #" plywood. A hole is drilled at each end of the fence for the carriage bolts that will be used to attach the removable fences to the jig. The fixed fence is then screwed to the front of the cariage. SIDE VIEW (CROSS SECTON) xe" Poot ie elsA Replaceable Insert. A hardboasc) backing insert can be easily replaced as it gets chewed rr ee) BACKING as Nase REE, ‘The second part of this jig is the fence. Or maybe I should say “fences.” That's because youl want to build 2 separate fence for each size of box joint that you want to ‘make, But this isn’t as much work as it may sound like. Except for the size of the index key, the fences are jdentical, s0 you all you have to do is make multiple parts for each one. Ifyou take alook atthe box on the ‘opposite page, youl see that I made a total o ive different fences for the ‘ive most common sizes of box joints Tuse (Ya!, 1, Ye, Yo), and 9/4") ‘The fence consists of two main ShopNotes parts — a fence plate and a carrier plate, sce Figure 5. The fence plate (D) starts offas nothing more than a piece of 9/1 plywood, cut to size. A shallow dado is cutin the frontof this piece to hold a replaceable backing insert that will be added later In order to position this dado, 1 installed a°/" dado blade in my table saw, Then the fence plate is placed against the cartiage of the jig, ‘making sure the two are lush on the ends, With a pencil, mark the loca tion of the dado blade on the edge of the fence plate (Figure 6) ‘Then with the jig removed from the table savy cut a dado that is /4" wider on each side of the markings (Figure 6a), By using the rip fenceas stop, was able to cut the samesize dacio on all five of the fence plates I ‘was making, Once the fence plates were fin ished, Imade the carrier plates. The carrier plate (B) is an important part of the jig. It not only supports the workpiece while the box joints are being cut, italso holds an index key that is used to space the box joints, This key will be fitted into a shallow slot in the carrer pate ‘As you can see in Figure 7, I cut the slot for the key on my table saw, ~ using the jig to back up the carrier plate, The width of the slot (and the kkey) has to match the width of the No. 62ee) kerf cut by your saw lade or dado ‘lade. I made the slot for the 4/3" “index Key with a regular G/" ker ‘saw blade, Then [switched toa stack dado setto make te slotson the rest ofthe cartier plates. In order to position each slot, all you have to do is slide the cartier plate to the left so that the end extends past the left side ofthe fixed fence, 28 shown in Figure 7. The amount ofthis offset should be twice the width of the slot you're cutting nother words, Ye"fora'/ slot, 1/9! fora" slot, and so on. After cutting the slot forthe kes, the carrier plate fs screwed to the bottom of the fence plate so the io are flash on the ends. (Again, make ‘sure to keep the serews out of the path ofthe blade.) Mounting Holes — Carriage bolts, washers, and knobs are used to attach the removable fence assembly to the carriage of the ji. Butin order todo this, you need to rill countersunk mounting bole at each end ofthe fence. Mhisis done in several steps. In Figure 8, you can see how I used a brad point bit to transfer the hole locations from the carriage tothe removable fence. To dill the counterbored holes, started by drilling a small C/ INpeexey Portes Set No. 62 ia) pilot hole through each end of the fence, right where 1 had marked the centerpoints onthe back of the fence (Figure 9). ‘Then 1 used a Forstner bit to make the ‘counterbore on the front of the fence (Figure $a). Finally, I finished ty enlarging the through hole with a'/'eia, bit Figure 9b). Backing Insert ~ The backing insert (F)iscut from '/i'hardboard. (Make up some extras to have as re placements.) The insert is attached to the fence with a single screw through the center (Figure 10). eos woe Index Key and Stop — Once the ‘ence is mounted to the carriage, you can add the final touches, First, a hharcwood indes: key (G) is cut to fit the slotin the carrier plate and glued inplace (Figure 10). Then a stop (H) is made out of two small pieces of hardboard and screwed to the end of the fixed fence on the carriage, as ‘you see in Figure 11. A screw in the end of the fence plate contacts the stop and provides a means of fine ‘tuning the fence setting. (For more ‘on tuning th ito cut box joins, see thearticleon page 10) YOU fs" KeyMaking | Box Joints Perfect fitting box joints on your table saw — we'll show you how. ‘ox joints have a lot of things going for them. They're strong. They don’t require a lot of special skills or equipment. And they look great. With their rows of evenly-spaced pins, box joints have a traditional, almost old-fashioned appeal, making them perfect for a BOX JOINT project the classic Carpenter's Toolbox on page ‘ANATOMY Interlocking Fingers - Box joints are made up of alternating pins and a slots, see drawing at lft. The pins on ‘mating pieces interlock like tiny fin- gers. This creates a lt of good, face- grain glue surface and makes for a stronger joint. But for the optimum ‘SECOND, axe corm Sie eEE DEA ance Boe To position the removable fence “yo set the height ofthe blade, set for the inital cut through the jig, datone of your workpieces on the ig set it flush with the end of the fixed and raise the blade so it is slightly Fence and lock itin place. (sz) higher than the workpiece, 10 ShopNotes PINS joint, you stil need a snug, accurate ft jig, you can build the one on page 6.) between the pins and the slots. Ofcourse, adjusting the jigis where the challenge lis. ‘The trick to getting a good fit with Most box joint jigs use an index key to determine the ~ hoxjointsis precision and consistency. size and spacing of the slots and pins, The process is 1€ width of the pins has to match the fry simple. You cut the firstslotin the workpiece, place ~~ width of the slots. And each pin has to be same size that slot over the index key to cut the second slot, and as the next one. The best wav to achieve this i to use a_then keep working your way down until you've got 2 Jig. Once the jig i adjusted properly, cutting the joints is complete row of evenly-spaced slots and pins. almost automatic. (f you don't already have a box joint But in order to get a perfect fit, vou have to spend a lite bit oftime adjusting the position ofthe index keyin relationship tothe blade of your sav. And the best way to do tisis to cut some box joints on couple oftest pieces hefore moving onto your actual workpieces. Setting Up the Jig - The frst step to setting up the jg is to install ‘your saw blade, Whether you are using a dado blade or a single saw blade (for 1" box joints), the width of the blade needs to match the width ofthe index key on your jig. I it doesnt, youtl have to shim your dado blade to make it match, Before you can use the ji for the first time, you need to make No. 62an initial cut through the carrier “plate and backing insert. To post | tion tis ent, see Step 1. ‘To set the height of the blade, | tse a piece of the same stock that | Laut my workpieces from Step |}, The blade should be slightly | Gabout 1") higher than the thi ness of your workpieces. This | way, the pins will stand a. tittle proud, and you can sand them down flush with the sides. Test Pieces ~ Rather than diving rightin and cutting the box:joints on my workpieces, Tike to start with a couple of test pieces. But its impor- tant that these test pieces be the same thickness and width as your actual workpieces. ‘Why? Because ifyour jigisoffjust «thar, you probably wont notice it if ‘you only catt one or two slots as a test. Buta small error can add up to abig one over the with ofthe work piece. And the only way'to determine | thts is to make your test pieces the Jj same width as your workpieces. ‘Make Test Cuts - Cut the box joints on the ends ofthe test pieces, as shown in Steps 3 and 4, Once you are done, try fing the pieces together and compare the results ‘wit the drawings in the box below. If the pieces fit together perfectly ‘on the first attempt, great. You're ready to move on to your actual ‘workpieces. But chances are that ‘you will have to make an adjustment to your jg by moving the fence (or the index key). On ourjig,thisisjust ‘a matter of loosening the knobs on CT Tana x ‘Loose fit if there's @ gap Tight ft. Ir the pins wont ht between each pin, simoly into the slots at all, then slide the index Key away slide the index key from the blade. fowards the blade. No. 62 Set the fist test piece against the key and cut 2 slot. To cut re- ‘maining slots, move the piece overso the siot you just cut straddles the key. To cut the fist slot on the second test plece, butt it up against the bottom edlge of the fist test plece. Then cut the rest of the slots. ‘SECOND: Shertence FAB Tete Nose. ‘Check the fit of the joints (see box below. if they are too loose, shift the fence andlor index key fur- ther anay from the blade (see detail ‘the back and nudging the fence over abit, as shown in Step 5. ‘The difference between a perfect. ‘iting joint and one that is too tight ‘or 100 loose is only a few thou ssandths of an inch, so move the fence in very small increments. After ‘ShopNotes ‘a! If they are too tight, shift the index key closer f0 the blade (see detail b. Then make more test cuts to check the new setting. each adjustment, make another series of test cuts, Repeat this process as many times as necessary tuntil you're satisfied with the fit. ‘Then you can tighten the knobs down and adjust the screw on the ced of the fence to contact the stop. ‘Shortpins. ithe daco blade E Is setto0 low, youll end up A With a perfect box joint, the two with pins that are too short. pieces will ft snug, and the pins So raise the blade slight willbe a litle proua before sanding. iAlthough adjusting the jig for ‘aperfecttest fit is usually the most, challenging and timeconsuming part of the process, there are stil ‘some things to watch out for when it comes time to cut the box joints in your actual workpieces. Fortunately, there are a few simple precautions you cantaketo ensuresuccess. ‘Visual Appeal ~ When building ‘with box joints, I typically shoot for visual accuracy rather than dimer- sional accuracy. For instance, the toolbox on page 14 is supposed to be 8" tall (before the lid is cut of). But whether it ends up exactly this height or not, the important thing is that there's a fall pin (or Slot) at the top and bottom of each piece. Extra-Wide Pieces ~To do this, typically start with workpieces that a are extra wide ‘ut, see Step 6. This way, I always end up with a ful pin (or slo). Ofcourse, there are times when a workpiece has to be a specific dimension, like when building a drawer. But even in these cases I sill start with an oversize piece. I simply trim the pieces so the pin (or lot) is thesamesizeatthetopandbottom. *meeabeNer Label Pieces ~ Another thing 1 like to dois label the front, back, and side pieces and number the joints so T can cut the joints in sequence, see drawing above and Step 4 below. Consistent Pressure ~ When cutting the box joints (see the steps ieee setthebottom of the fist workpiece against the key and hold it tightly against the fence and carver plate, Then cut the frst slot. es a "Nowe move the piece so the fst slot stadoles the Key and cut @ second notch. Repeat this process tui al the slots on this end are cut ‘After ail the slots are cut on one ‘end, flip the piece end-forend, keeping the waste edge on the same side. Then cut the sis on this side ‘Now, rotate the fst piece so the vaste Is outside and the frst lot fitsover the key Butt the mating piece against the frst and cut the fist slot. 2 ‘Now, slide the slot you just cut in the mating piece up tight to the key. Continue this procedure until the box joints are cut an all pieces. ShopNotes beave uit in“ “Weir Before assembling the bax, rip the waste edge off each piece so there's a full pin and siot on the top ‘and bottom of the piece. No. 62_-~ below), you sill have to think about consistency, Even shifting the pres- sure slightly can affect the fit ofthe boxjoints. So I hold the ji with both hhands and perform each pass in exactly the same manner. Unfortunately, even if your box. joints it perfectly, you may run into am | __ tuokherprobem — chipout eae Ree) Chipout - Our jig takes care of Jom END URLY this problem, but there are a few atte | __ other things you ean do to minimize | it First, make sure your blade is Firs, I try to avoid slopping glue sharp. And don't push the pieces all over the box joints so that I won't through the blade too quickly. If have a big mess to clean up later. To you're getting a lot of chipout, try helpwith his, tapetheinsideedges Also, to get the glue on quickly, I slipping a scrap piece of hardboard of the pieces (Figure 1). This way, usea small acid” brush (available at ‘behind the workpiece so that each any glue squeezeout can be cares most hardware stores). You don't catis backed up completely. fully peelel away later. ‘want much giue though, Even alittle } Smooth Assembly-Afiercutting Time Savers ~ To buy myself bitereates a strong hold. the slots on all your pieces, you're more time, Ise white glue instead When itcomes to clamping up the ready to assemble the box. Here’s of yellow glue. White glue sets up ox oints, there area couple of other | wherel keto take afew precautions slower, which helpswhentherearea things to know, See tokeepthingstromgettingtoofantic. lototboxjoins, ike on the totbox, the box below. ARES Clamping up a project with box Its also important to make the clamping pressure in a joints can be a litle tricky. sure that you have plenty of straight tine. For small projects Because the ends of the box clamps on hand. Keep in mind that don't require much pres joint fingers stand proud of the that cach joint needs to be sure, you can use band clamps. ‘sides, you can't really apply clamped in two directions in To prevent the sides of clamps directly on the corners, order to pull the pieces larger_projects from bowing ‘The answer is to use clamping together. So you will need a under the clamping pressure, blocks that will allow you to minimum of four clamps for often make a simple squaring position the clamps as close to even the smallest project. Bar form out of foam or a piece of & Squaring Form. A biock of | the joints as possible, see draw- clamps work well because particle board, see drawings at wood or foam prevents the ings below. they allow you fo concentrate right and below. sides from bowing in. Meson (i Sheek Peesoure GtAM Buen ~ } J BENT BAR CLAMPS No. 62 ShopNotes 13Carpenter's Toolbox Pee ae aaa ee Me EL Cy: the vears, I've run across a lot of old. car AA penter’s toolboxes that look similar to the one you see here. But there's something different about this toolbox. Mast of the old toolboxes Fve seen were quickly slapped together with nails and butt joints. And over time, the boards had shrunk or cupped and pulled loose from the nails. You won't have that problem with this toolbox. That's because the corners are joined with interlocking box joints. The individual fingers of the box joinls provide a large amount of ging surface, resulting in a much stronger joint that holds up over time, But the box joints aren't the only reason to build this toolbox. It's also loaded with other hhandy features. To start with, it’s the perfect size for toting around an assortment of your favorite hand tools. A sliding tray at the top of the box has compartments for nails and fas: teners, The underside of the lid is fitted with a holder for ahand saw. And aleather handle on top of the lid makes it easier to carry the toolbox around from job to job, Tf for some reason you don't want to use box joints, there's an easy alternative, We've provided details on our website for building 4 ShopNotes the toolbox with rabbet joints and nails instead of box joints, see photo on opposite page. While not quite as strong as box joints, rabbets offer more strength and ‘dlue surface than butt joints, And to give the box an old- time look, we used copper nails with square heads. ‘Wood ~ A lot ofthe older toolboxes I've seen were made out of pine, probably because it was readily avail able and cheap. But I decided to go with Douglas fir instead. Its litle bitharder than pine and takes on a nice, ‘warm color over ime. No. 62EXPLODED VIEW Grea eaNoCe eenSeEe soup woop regi Sateouos HiRRDOReb PANEL END VIEW (CRo08 SECTION) bot vecsion ofthe ecbox, 90 to win shopnotes.com. E Base Molding (1) F Bottom Panel (1) Slax Pa BA (rgh) Gx 2014 ated. « (1) Materials & Hardware ‘A Front/Back (2) ‘exB%4 (rah) 20K TrayBovtom () Slax We Y4Haba, 5 nas (2) gxBih (mh) 8. Tray Dvidero(2) "ax 2ie-Blo G Tray Runners (2) 4x 27-YyHdbd. — M Tray Handle (1) Mex Bile - Fle, D Lid Stop (1) yx 2yy BA (rgh.) + (2) Small Brass Trunk Hinges Leather Trunk Handle G Lid Molding (1) yx Ph -96 + (2). Brass-Plated Draw Catches H Lid Panel 5x Ola 26% + (10) 26x" Brave Fh Woodscrews I Tray Front/Back (2) YexS(rah)-18 « (6) #8x°A' Brass Rh Woodscrews J Tray Ends (2) "end (rah) - 6% No. 62 ShopNotesWhenever I build a box with a hinged lid, I usually find it easier to ‘glue up the sides ofthe box first and ‘then cut the lid from the box. This ‘toolbox is no exception. It starts out asa foursided box that gets cut into ‘two sections: a case and alld. Blanks - 1 started by ‘gluing up some 1/"thick blanks for the front and back (A) and the ends (B). There's a couple of things to keep in mind here. First, make sure that the blanks are extra wide. (made my blanks about 81/4" wide to start with) Second, make up a couple of extra blanks to use as test pieces for setting up your box joint jg. These test blanks should be the same thi ness and width as your workpieces. Once you have the blanks cut to Jength, you can cut the box joints (Figure 10. The fingers of the box Jointsare'/4' wide by /!'longs (Refer totheboxjointjigarticleonpageGand thetechniquearticle on page 12) After cuting all the box joints, you ‘can trim the pieces to final width. ‘The exact width of these pieces will vary depending on the width and spacing of your box joints. The important thing is that you have 16 pins and 16 notches on each piece. ‘Once the pieces are cut to width, A Base, Molding surrounding the bottom of the toolbox creates a base and supports the bottom panel oe Erith St0cK) (® wut? oe veer Sr8c%) thenes stepistocuta groove on the inside face of the front and back pieces, as shown in Figure 1. These srooves ae fora couple of tray run- ners that will be added later. Make sure the grooves are positioned in between two pins. This way, you won't see them from the outside ‘once the case is assembled. Assembly ~ After cutting the srooves, you can glue up the case. Once the glue is dry, the box joints Bees) pe END = FRONT aN —_ aay ies 8 ® = Se | Bl ic| [ile ccan be sanded smooth so that they are flush with the sides of the box. Cutting Lid from Case ~ To cut the id from the case, Iused my table ‘saw to cut through each side of the ShopNotes No. 62aT ee box. But if simply cut the lid off Figure /~ witha single cut on each side, the UD sTor ‘box joints on the fd wouldn't match Ghsorn ‘up with the box joints on the case. @ The trick is to cut out a narrow section of the box between the case and fda section equal to the height ‘of a full pin and a full notch. To do this, first set my tip fence to make a cut through the front and back ofthe box, boul51/2from the bottom, see | Figure 2a, Then, I lowered my saw | blade soit was about fe! lower than the thickness of my stock and made © coring cat rleathvend) awa reageunner /) Figures 2 and 2b, se fikeb BOARD) ‘Ale this was done, I moved the etic rip fence over fr a second set of cats nud oko cree using the same techingue. Then a ae utility Knife can be used to cut NOTE: up sror through the remaining material on As tan the ends ofthe box that connects the lid tothe case (Figure 3) ‘Tray Runners ~ With the lid set over on two edges. They are mitered and 6a, Then cut a groove to match aside for the time being, you can to length and glued in place around the thickness ofthe walls of the ease, finish up the work on the case. To the inside ofthe box. as shown in Figure 6b. Finally, cuta | suartwith,acouple of "hardboard Base - The base ofthe tool boxis_rabbet to hold a hardboard bottom tray runners (C) ate glued into the a little unusual. Its really a frame (Figure 6c). Once this is done, the ‘grooves in the front and back, as made up of four pieces of molding. molding picees are mitered to fit shown in Figure 4 ‘The case fits into a groove cut in this around the bottom ofthe case. Then } Lid Stops ~ Next, you'll need to molding. And a hardboard panel the frame can be glued together make up some tid stop (D) for the completes the base ofthe toolbox. around the case inside of the box. These create a lip To make this base, start by cre After the glue on the frame has around the inside of the box atingthe hase molding (E). Thisisa dried, you can cut a piece of 1/4" opening, aligning the fd when it is threestep process. After cutting the hardboard for the botiom panel closed. These stopsare cutfrom'/- blanks to size, rout an ogee along (F). This is simply glued into the thick stock that has been rounded one edge, as you see in Figures 6 opening in the base molding frame. © Bottom LS No. 62 ShopNotes 7The fd of the toolbox features a solid-wood panel that “oats” in a mitered frame. Lid and Tray ‘With the lower half ofthe toolbox fin- ished, you can now turn your atten- tion to completing the lid. ‘The Hid is built much like the bottom of the toolbox. It features a BH witered srame surrounding a P solid wood panel. To allow the panel to expand and contract with ‘changes in humidity, the panel “iloats’ in a groove that is cut on the inside edges of the frame, You ‘can see what I'm talking about in Figures 7 and 7a. 1 started by making the lid ‘molding (G) forthe frame. After cut ting a couple of blanks for the molding, an ogee profile is routed along one edge (Figure 84). Then a roundover is routed along two other edges (Figure 8b). To allow the frame pieces to fit lover the lid section of the box, Yplowide groove is cut on the face of each blank. To do this, 1 switched over to the table saw and used a dado blade, as you can see in Fig. 8c. Then a /'wide groove is cut on the edge of each blank to hold the lid panel (Figure 84). Once all the profiles and grooves: have been cut, you can stat mitering the individual fame pieces oft over cow BB FIGURE LID PANEL as the lid section that you set aside earlier. Just cut the miters so that the frame pieces fit around the case, but don't glue the frame together just yet. You sill need to make the panel. Panel - The lid panel (H) is ‘glued up from solid, /4-thick stock. Its sized to fit in the grooves of the frame, less Yo" on all four sides. ‘made my panel 61/s!x261/!,) After cutting the panel to size, youlll need to cut a groove along each edge to create a tongue that fits in the groove ofthe frame pieces, as ‘you can see in Figures 7a and 9a. Before assembling the lid frame and panel, a chamfer is routed along aa A Saw Storage. Mount- ‘ed t0 the inside of the id, a custom-fitted wood block and turn- button secures the saw handle, And a leather “pocket” holds the end of the saw blade. uBtthae ence wey 18the top edges of the panel. Then the frame and panel can be glued up around the lid. Note: I used just a drop of glue on each end ofthe panel when ghiing it to the frame. This holds the frame in place while stil allowing for wood movement. ‘Hardware - To complete the ‘toolbox, all that’s let is to add the hinges, catches, and handle. Before attaching these items, however, 1 “aged” the hardware by placing it in. special darkening solution (See ‘page 35 for more information). Ifyou want to store a hand saw in the lid, you can add a convenient holder and leather “pocket” to the underside of the lid. See the photos in the margin on opposite page. ‘Tray-Nowthatthetoolboxiscom- plete, you can build the tray that fits inside it Like the toolbox, the tray is also joined with box joints. Start by cutting out blanks for the fay fronilback (2) and the tray ends (J). “These pieces should be cut a litle wide so they can be trimmed to size aftertheboxjointsarecut (Figure 10) Afier cutting the box joints ont he tray pieces, a couple of dadoes fare cut on the inside face of the front and back to hold a pair of dividers, as shown in Figure 10. ‘Then a rabbet is cut along the tite, G RAY ENDS bottom edges of all our tray pieces for a bottom (Figure 10b). Bottom — After you've glued up ‘the four sides ofthe tray, you can cut apiece of hardboard to serve as the tray bottom (K). This is cut to fit in the opening in the bottom of the tray and simply glued in place. With the bottom attached, you No. 62 ShopNotes ‘can cut a pair of trmy dividers (L) and a tray handle (M), which you can see in Figure 10. Adado iscutin each tray divider to hold the tray handle, Then a notch is cut on each, ‘end of the handle to allow ittofitinto thedadoesinthe dividers (Figure 1), ‘Tomaketheopeninginthehandle, couple ofholesare drilled asshown in Figure 12and the waste inbetween, themis cut out with ajig saw or scroll saw. Then the upper corners of the handle are radiused and sanded smooth (Figure 12a), When this is done, the inside of the handle opening and the top edges of the han dle are rounded over ona router table, refer to Figure 10. Then the dividers and handle are glued = into the tray. ‘To complete the tray, some small wood plugs are ghied into the ends of the ‘ray to conceal the rabbet for the ead ‘tray bottom (Figure 10d). Finally, all the outside edges of the tray are rounded over. 19Take the mystery out of gluing up a solid wood panel by following a simple step-by- step process. ae ae Great Glue-ups ‘aking a giuedup panel seems like such a simple process, Just take a bunch of narrower boards and glue them together into the size you need. But as you may have guessed (or experienced your- sel), there's alot more to it. Ending up with a panel that’s not only greaHlooking but starts out and stays flat, isn't just luck. It’s a delib- ‘erate step-by-step process that starts Jong before you squeeze out that first bead of elue. ‘SELECTING & ARRANGING BOARDS ‘Making a panel starts with selecting the boards you'll be gluing together. ‘And unless you have a large supply ‘oflumberin your shop, selecting the boards starts with a trip to the store. Selection ~ When orfing through the lumber pile, it's a good idea to go through a mental checklist as ‘you look at each board, First, make sure the boards don’t exhibit any warp (like cup, twist, or bow). ‘There's no point in starting out with problems that might show up Jater in your panel Color ~ Once Ihave a pile of suit able boards, the next thing Look for are boards that are close in color. ‘There's nothing worse than a panel where one board stands out from all the others because its lighter or darker than the rest. Grain ~ Now that the boards are matched, youll want to take some time to study the surface grain of ‘each board. This way, you can visu- alize the overall grain pattern the panel will have once the boards are ‘glued together. ‘What I look for here is to match the grain that runs along the edge of each board so one curve flows into another, lke the photo at the lower left shows. Or straight grained lines ‘on one board match those on the board next to it (right photo). This A. Appearance, To get 2 good-looking, wide panel, i's best to avoid drawing attention toa joint lina, To do this, arrange boards so curved patterns merge (lett) and straight- grained boards are positioned to create an “invisible” joint (right) 20 ShopNotes sway, the boards will “melt” together to form a panel that looks like a single, wide board The one thing you don't want to do is rush this process. Spend some time turning the individual boards aver. I even like to lip them end for end. This way, Ibe sure to “see” ll tne possibilities. Wood Movement ~ Like most ‘woodworkers, I try to alternate the end grain of adjacent boards as 1 ‘make up the panel. The thought is that this will minimize any chance of the wood moving and the panel cup- ping after it’s been glued up. But to be honest iit comes down to making a choice between alter nating the boards or not, select the best color and grain match first. This way, I know TIL end up with panel that’s looks good, And as for fatness, Thavent noticed much ofa problem. What's more important to me is hhow the edge gain matches. As you ‘ean see in Figure 1a, do my best to orient the edge grain so each board is goingin the same direction. No, 62‘The reason is simple. When you PRANIANE corm > tue upa panel, youl probably have oe eee todo alittle smoothing. And whether LEAST 2" 5° LONGER You use a hand plane o planer todo a ee this, having the grain going in the same direction on all the boards will minimize any tendency for chipout ‘on the face ofthe panel, CUT TO ROUGH SIZE (Once all the board sre leckecied irate ready to ct tert aug Sim Tike to cat the boards 23" | yore, Tonger than the Sal Yength of my | SOMEBD ETSCY panel, This way, I don't have to | FINISHED WIDTH OF PANEL worry about keeping all the ends perfectly flush as I glue them up. With the boards cut to length, You sure don’t want to throw out all you're ready to size them to rough that hard work by gluing up the width. As you do this, you'll need to boards in the wrong order, ‘keep a couple things in mind. A good way to avoid this problem First, you want to leave enough is to take a minute to draw a large ‘extra material to prepare the edges of _“V" across the face of the panel with each board. And second, the overall a piece of chalk, like you see in width of the panel should be about 1" Figure 1 above. This way, reassem- ide ian required. This Wayyoul ng the panel Is jst a’matter of (FA hive altle“cishion” when tcomes reforming the °V" time to trim the panel to final size. To: account for both these things, I leave. PREPARE EDGES an extra °/s" or so on each board. At this point, you're almost ready to At this point, you've spent. a good think about gluing up the panel. But deal of time getting things just right. first, you'll need to be sure that the SEO CTR Abie step towards making a flat panel is ensuring the edges of each work- piece are square tothe face. Jointer ~ My first choice for doing. this is to use a jointer (igure 1). A inter takes uniform amount offeach, ‘workpiece. I slowly fed the workpiece ‘withthe grain (Figure 1a). After afew light passes, the workpiece has a smooth edge thats ready to be glued ‘Table Saw ~ Another method for jointing edgesis to usea table saw and ‘a good combination blade. To do this, use @ doublecut method. Start by ripping the boards straight Figure 2). ‘Then repeat the cut, but only remove (> about half the thickness of the saw blade Figure 2a). This second cut results in a very smooth surface. isa Silber ese No. 62 ShopNotes boards will form a strong glue joint, For that, the edges of each board need to be smooth and straight. But {to ensure the panel is ai, each edge need to be square tothe face. To pre- Regardless of the method you choose, it's important to set the ‘machine up correctly. When using a jointer, I make sure the fence is exactly 90° to the table. And when Tmusing a table sav, I double check that the Blade is 90° tothe table.A Gluing. A bristle brush is a quick and easy way f0 spread a smooth, even layer: ‘of glue along the edge of a board. ‘4 Clamping. A thin bead of glue inaleates good pressure along the joint line. ARRANGE CLAMS Ror ANG eof SO CREE A FET ee With the boards carefully selected and arranged, the panel is going to look great. ‘And with all the edges pre- pared smooth, straight, and square, the boards will ft together just as good as they Jook. Now's the time to get your work area and clamps ready to gue up the panel Work Area - One thing Ive learned over the years is that if you ‘want a flat panel, you need to give ‘yourself plenty of room to work. So take the time to clear off your work- bench (or even the shop floor), ‘Clamps ~ When gluing up ‘panel, Ive always used pipe clamps. But other types. of lamps will work just as well. Regardless of the type of ‘lamps you use, the key is to have the right number on hand. You'll need enough to space them evenly across the panel about 6" to 8" apart. DRY RUN ine SieaoHrense A dry run is a simple process of clamping up the panel — without the zlue. This gives you a chance to pin- point any problems and resolve ‘them — before i’ too late. Start by laying out a few pipe clamps on your worksurface and set With everything at hand, you might be ready to grab the ghue bottle and go to work. But instead of pressing ahead at full speed, i's good idea to make a “dry run” first. ting the boards in place. To help dis- tribute the pressure more evenly and prevent the panel from cupping, Tike toalternate the clamps onthe topand bottom of the panel (Figure 2). ‘Occasionally Tl need a tittle help to ‘keep the boards in a panel aligned. ‘That’s when T turn to splines or bis- ‘exits to keep the outside surfaces of ‘the boards as flush as possible. To cut-a slot for a spline, Luse a ‘handheld router and a slot cutter ‘Tighten Clamps ~ Now you can tighten the clamps justenough so any gaps between the boards disappear ‘This shouldn't take a lot of pressure. Justa little extra tum on the clamp ‘once it's snug should be enough. ‘Now's the time to give the panel @ good going over. For me that means getting down and sighting along the top surface (@ straight- edge often helps here). What you're looking for isto see whether Figures 1 and 12). But if only need litle help here and there with align: ‘ment, Tl use a biscuit joiner to cut slots for some biscuits (Figure 2). Regardless of the method you use, if the ends of the panel will be exposed, be sure to start and stop theslot for the spline or biscuit2"-3" short ofthe ends of each board. es ShopNotesae the surfaces align with each other. Since yellow glue sets up fast, Ifthe boards aren't too far out of youl need to work quickly So start alignment ('/«") you can clamp or by laying all the boards fat on the tap any boards back into alignment pipe clamps. Note: A strip of waxe | igures 2a and 2b). But sometimes paper or masking tape between the that’snotenough. Thats whenIturn pipes and your boards will prevent to splines or biseuits fora litle help the give from reacting wit the pipes (Gee the box onthe opposite page). and creating blac mars onthe panel. Besides surface alignment, [also Tighten Clamps - Nowits justa check a few other things. For more matter oftightening the pive amps. What 1 ike to do now is wait a on this, take alookcatthe box below. like to start atthe center and work couple hours unfl the gue sets up. towardthe ends alternating between This allows you take the clamps off GLUING UP THE BOARDS thetopand bottom lamps. Butdon't and use a scraper to “pop” the glue With adry run under your belt and overdoitiere. Youonly wantto apply off the suriace (see photo above). any problems taken care of, you're enough pressure so there's an even Even though the excess glue is ready to startgluing up the panel. _beadofgluealongthejointine (bottom removed, the gluein the onts needs Glue ~ To speed things along, 1 margin photo on opposite pase). to cure completely before you can squeeze out a bead of glue on one Align Boards ~ Here again, if work with the panel But you don't ‘edge only ofeach board and brush it you aren't using spines or biscuits, want to lay it fat on a bench or floor toaneven film,as you can seein the checkcthe surface ofthe panel witha to dry. Since ir isn free to circulate ‘upper margin photo on the opposite stragitedge. Then tap (or clamp) evenly around both sides of the page. Note: ike to use yellow glue any boards fush (Figures 2a and 2b). panel, iteould end up cupping. ‘vhen making panels Excess Glue ~ At this point, I Instead, set the panel on one en ‘What you want here isthe “wet” used to wipe away the excess glue and Jean it aginst a wall so is as Jook. Ifthe glue fooks dull and fat, with a damp cloth. But this often _ straight up and down aspossble This squeeze on a bit more and spread forced the glue into the pores — keeps the pane! lat and allows the 7 the glue back along the edge. causing finishing problems later. _glue to fully cure from both sides. €& BOC Oy Dry clamping a panel is a great way to dis. cover problems before you start applying any ale. Here are a few things I check for. Arrangement ~ One of the first things 1 verify is that the arrangement of the boards is correct. A quick check for the “V” makes it easy to seeif any boardsare out oforder, srs ow cog ‘oint Lines ~ Then Icheck the jointlines. 25S2MD8 Gare One thing you might notice és a gap at the n ends ofthe boards becanse of snipe, as shown . in detail ‘a"To solve this problem, i's best to tune up your jointer and rejoint the edges, And ifTve used a table saw to square up the . ledges, [check them for saw marks like the ones in detail.’ An edge with sa mari fst smooth and ean result in a weak glue joint. Here again, youll want to retrim the edges. Flat & Flush — Finally, check that the panel is lat and the surfaces are fish (letails Ere ‘cand i). Here again, squaring the edges will RES Sain rise remove any cup. And if the surfaces aren't corewian (fash, you can clamp the ends or tap them down, WS APPLIED . against the pipe clamps. Ifyou need some extra hrlp, see the box on the opposite page. | No. 62 ‘ShopNotes 23,Wall-Mounted Clamping Station Gluing up a panel is a breeze with this space-saving clamping station that mounts to the wall of your shop. amping up a panel is a series fot challenges. ‘The first is learing your bench to create alarge enough area to work, The next chal lenge is setting up the pipe clamps to do the job, And finaly, to reclaim ‘your bench, you need to wrestle the panel (and clamps) off the bench and find a place to set it while it dries, ‘Clamping Station - To meet these challenges head-on, [built this ‘wallmounted clamping station. It ‘combines the giteup area, clamps, and drying area into a single loca- tion, So there's no need to worry about cleaning offa workbench when itccomes time to glue up a panel, You won't have to run around looking for pipe clamps either — the “clamps” are builtin, As you can see in the Exploded View on the oppo- site page, the lower camp bar is positioned to accommodate the ‘overall width ofthe panel. Once you've placed the glued up ‘boards in the station, simply tighten A Muttiplo Panels. This wall-mounted shawn above) is just as easy. Just ‘clamping station isn't just forlarge panels. readjust the lower bar and then tghtan the Gluing up smaller panels (ike the pair clamp heads incividually for each panel. 24 ‘ShopNotes the handwheels across the top of the clamping station, Finally, you won't have tolug the clamped up assembly away from your bench and find a place to “store” it until it drys. You simply walk away and wait for the asseinbly to dry right on the station. Cost = Although the clamping sation is large in size, building it won't cost you an arm and aleg. The mediumeensity fiberboard (MDF), plywood, maple, and few pieces of hardware cost much less than an equivalent set of pipe clamps. ‘As a matter of fact, many of the parts could be made using, scraps you probably already have in your shop—reducing the cost even more. One last thing, don't get the idea that this clamping station is just for large panels, It works just as well for gluing up smaller panels, as shown in the photo at left. No. 62Hanownse Aer i res, aiee Cuting EAD BvENY mee Diagram for ‘the Clamping Staton, go 10 ‘ve shopnotescom, To download eropsoew 48H) Be" yen eat sunrogr IDX BOSH sotneack wente Gaur Nesp not aes ee Materials Hardware Clamp Head Support & Platform + (12) #8x114" Fh Sheet A Lower Rail (1) tax3 46 L Bar Face (1) "ex Pls 48 : oreo Crim ae Clamp Heade & Handwhoele Metal Berens 6 ie ee. Share-ury | | (an sorter tones E Braces (4) ixaerhe tumor NM Clamp Bodies (6) Shen - 2 Ply F Mounchg Ralle(2) @xaB Humor 2 Retaling Strips (6) Zax he-SPh. | |» (6) Sut OD.x%%" LD.xI"Long gi P Handwheels (6) 7x7 (rgh)-" Py Bronze Bushings Vertical Raile & Clamp Bar @ Gamp head Faoce (6) "ext She «+ (24) Sp Hox Nose Vertical Rallo 7) Saxtla-a% * (18) "ie" Fat Washers Hi Guide Strips (12) tax 3-12 Note: You'll need (1) sheet of Mediun- * (6) "%" Acorn Nuts 1 Berka Shea ad Density Flerboard (MDF), approsinately16 | | » (3) tx le" Quick Release Pine J Clamp Bar Guides (6) *%qx1'fe-8 bd, Ft. of "thick hardwood, and (1) 2'x-4" © (6) "o"-Dia, x 15"-Long K Ber Stifener() 2x2+48 lece of plywood for thle project. Althea Steel Rode No. 62 ShopNotes 25Ee Clamp Head Support & Platform ‘op.astoxnona UPPER RAIL, _ i BRONZE BogNeS usoey © . - SEER Seno) Brera) = Ecce nme | END VIEW Bost ‘To provide firm supportas clamping sandwiched between longrailsatthe extra thick hardwood (11/2"). Now pressure is applied, I started by top and bottom (Figure 1b). This the easiest way to make this rail >) building a rock-solid frame for the frames then mounted to the top ofa would be to use apiece of 1/!thick ‘clamping heads at the top ofthe st large panel that forms the foundation stock. But you can also glue up the tion, This frame is then attached toa ofthe clamping sation (Figure 1). lower vail (A) from two layers of large platform, as shown in Figure 1, ‘The first step is to make the rails 3/'4hick stock (Figure 0). ‘Clamp Head Support - The for the clamp head support. To pre- While the giue dries on the lower ‘camp head support is built like a vent the lower rail from ending as_ ral, you can size the upper rail (B) to ‘miniature wall with short “studs” pressure is applied, it’s a piece of the same width and length from /"- thick stock (Figure 1). Holes - The next step isto drilla series of holes through both rails ‘These holes provide a way to anchor the threaded rods that make up part ofthe clamp heads. To prevent the clamp heads from binding as you adjust them, its important for the holes to align with. each other. So its good idea to drill all the holes at the same time, To do this, I used a few pieces of carpet tape to hold the two rails together, as, ‘you can see in Figure 2 Start by drilling a deep counter- bore in the bottom of the lower rail igure 2a). This counterbore will accept a large hex nut that the ‘threaded rod feeds into, allowing the clamp head to adjust up and down (Figures laand 1b). Once that’s complete, all that’s left 26 ShopNotes No. 62SE to do is drill smaller through hole ‘Min both pieces. To prevent wear on the sides of the holes in the upper rails these holes are sized to accept bronze bushings (Figure 2), After drilling the holes, you can cal the rail spacers (C) to final size and serew the clamp head support together (Figure 1b). Finally, glue the hex nuts in place with epoxy and press the bushings ino the top rail Platform ~ With the clamp head ‘support complete, you're ready work onthe platform. The firststep hereis to cut the back (D) to size. Its nothing more than a 48'square piece of /" MDP. Attaching the clamp head support to the back is just a matter of screwing it in place (Figure 1a). To ensue the screws are located prop- ely, take some time to lay out each location, After clamping the support to the back, drill the pilot holes and then screw the supportin place Braces - Now you're ready to complete the ret of the platform. To Keep the back rigid as clamping pressure is applied its attached to a set of braces (Figure 3). These braces (E) are tapered pieces of 1" MDF. The taper positions the back at a slight angle to make it easier to ‘keep workpieces in place asyou glue ‘wpapanel Figures 3a and 3b). Because ofthersize, found teas jest to cut the braces using a circular sow and straight edge (Figure 4). ‘Aller cutting the braces to size, youl need to cut pair ofnotches along the back edge ofeach one to accept pair RAIL gy — RING Re © a Steen ‘Sento mownn ——— frais Figures 3a and 36), Now that the notches are cut, vou can serew the braces to the back. Since the serews will be going into the edge of the MDF, I like to use sheet metal screws, Unlike a tapered wood serew, the shanks of sheet metal serews are straight So theyre less likely to split the edge ofthe MDE. Mounting Rails - Once the braces are screwed in place, you can ShopNotes Here again, they're attached to the braces with sheet metal screws, Mount Platform ~ Now’sa good time to atlach the platform to the wall. This Solves 2 couple problems, First, you don't have to. worry about moving around a heavier assembly later. And second, it post tions the clamping station at just the right height for adding the remaining parts. Even so, the clamping station still ‘weighs quite abit. So you'll probably ‘want a litle help from a friend when you're ready to ‘mount itto the wall. And to make the whole process ‘easier, I screwed a cleat to the wall (see margin). 1 attached the cleat so the top edge was about 16" from the floor. This puts the hhandwheels (added later) ata comfortable height. Finally, be sure to screw through the mounting rails into at least three studs at both the top and bottom. aT ) A Metal Work. Smooth countersinks in soft eee your woodworking a “cut above” the a rest, add a set of Weldon countersink ‘metal, like brass or the alurninum shown above, bits to your tool collection.&& are a snep with 2 Weldon countersink. 34 ShopNotes No. 62a To give the Carpenter's Toolbox (page 1) a classic Took, I used some traditional trunk hardware, as you can see in the photo at the upper right. This type of hardware is avai able from a number of different sources. I ordered mine from Lee Valley Tools, but the margin at right lists other sources as well ‘The Yé-thick leather trunk handles 8/4" long and comes ith a nal fo secure the handle inside the brass loops. The draw catches are Before ah 6 After eB Se A Aging Hardware. Giving the brass an aged look requires time — or a Iitle hefp with @ brass darkening solution (refer to margin for sources). Sources Carpenter's Toolbox 1/2! wide and 2/:" long, and the trunk hinges are 1/4" wide and 2" Tong. One thing to keep in mind with all these parts is that you'll need to ‘supply your own screws. You'll need sic #8 x °/" Rh brass woodserews for the handle and a total of eighteen 86 x */3" Fh brass woodscrews for the draw catches and hinges. Aging Hardware ~ Regardless of where you get your hardware, its going to come with a bright brass finish. To “tarnish” the brass and. use it more of an aged look, Tturned toan antiquing solution that darkens brass. (A couple sources are listed in. the margin at right.) Before using the darkening solu tion, be sure to read the instructions thoroughly. Since they're mildly cor- rosive i's a good idea to cover your ‘workarea witha piece of plastic. And be sure to wear safety goggles and ‘rubber gloves. In order for the the solution to ‘work, youll have to remove the pro- tective coating from the hardware first. To do that, simply soak the hardware in lacquer thinner. Avthis point, aging the hardwareis just a matter of dipping it in the solt- Hardware Canisters As was looking through catalogs to find just the right hardware for the Carpenter's Toolbox, I ran across these handy storage canisters. ‘They're made from stainless steel, so they’re pretty tough. And the lids have apieve of clear plastic ontop. So you don'thave to remove the lid to see = whats inside — a quick ance is al it takes, ‘And unlike @ lot of small ntziners where the lid fits loosely, the lid om this canister pops on and off with a satis- No. 62 Qa fying “snap.” So you don't have to ‘worry about knocking a lid off and spilling the contents on the floor (or inside your toolbox. Each canister is 2/0" in diameter and 3%! tall — perfect for storing all sorts of small pieces of hard- ware (or other stall items). Tordered these canisters from Lee Valley Tools. Besides these canis: ters, they also have a wide assortment of other storage con: A tainers, See margin for ‘ordering information ShopNotes i tion and letting the darkening process begin. I only kept the hardware inthe mixture for afew minutes to getthe look I wasafter, fg When youhavethe okyouwant, J remove the hardware and rinse itoft =" with water to stop the process. Then eer OA fevr thin coats oflacquer (D¢f SOURCES Leather ~ Ifyou like the look of the eather trunk handle youcan use Constantine's itas ie But Tdecided to “age” ittoo, 9545611716 No need for a fancy solution here. 1 Tooypan Hartiware simply picked up some shoe polish (brown) at the grocery store, wiped Tae Yaniey Sool iton, and then butfed it ont. eon Toolbox Hardware, ON-LINE EXTRAS: ‘Stainless-Steot You don't have to build the er Carpenter's Toolbox with box Rockler joins, Weve also designed another 800-279-444 version that uses. simple rabbet _,™moeklescom joints. You ean find more informa lax Hardteare tion about this version at our web- VanDyke's Restorers site at worw.ShopNotes.com. 100-558-1234 Or you can have the information jrmesandvics.com railed to you. Just send a stamped, DS Parkenina selfaddressed #10 envelope to: peers ‘i tore soe a Brass Darkening Des Moines, IA 50304 er Sh opNo tes "Online Fatras”- Plans, Ptters, & More ‘+ Over 100 Woodworking Tips Online ‘* Forums for Woodworking, Tools, & Classifieds aeoey Online Customer Servic sropaimatos | GonSdaaberSrvnct fa Ass your cert tots ee sCeatgetnontiog, | Some ‘Tega Pe ee eee ou chr Une Oer || che Motoring Se | Semele Orie ShopNota€ | dat et ed www.shopnotes.com | 35,Scenes from the = = 2 = 2 2 e 2 ” Be