Popular Woodworking

13" PORTABLE PLANER TEST – WE REVEAL THE BEST
JIM TOLPIN’S RIP-FENCE JIG: SIMPLE, ACCURATE & VERSATILE

FEBRUARY 2004
ISSUE #139
14 MUST-KNOW
ROUTER JOINTS
The Best Techniques,
The Ultimate Jig
Upgrade Your
Workbench
10 Tweaks Make
Everything Easier
PLUS
• Why Wax is a Poor Finish
• Eames-style Coffee Table
• Finally! Affordable Rip Dozukis
popwood.com
$4.99 U.S. $7.99 CAN
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0 71486 01355 6
AD2005
CIRCLE NO. 125 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.

contents
IN EVERY ISSUE
17 Sagging MDF Shelves

Q&A
Find out how much weight an MDF shelf can handle
(it’s not much). Plus: Learn how to research the toxici-
ty of woods, and how to scrape small mouldings.
21 Quick Fix for Chisels

TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Flattening the backsides of your chisels is tedious –
21 until you learn about drywall sanding screen. Also: A
great way to hold your dust collector’s bag in place.
32
32 Next Generation
Of Sliding Miter Saws
TOOL TEST
The Bosch 4410 has some features you won’t find on
any other saw. Also: A tape measure that keeps you
sharp and a review of the exotic Festool 12-volt drill.
34 Carving for CEOs

GREAT WOODSHOPS
Visit the three shops of David Monhollen, who shed
a career in sales to carve wildlife for executives.
34 38 The Case for Case Miters

POWER-TOOL JOINERY
The best-looking joint for the corners of casework
38
is a miter, hands-down. We get to the bottom of the
real trick – cutting and clamping them.
By Bill Hylton
92 Edge-jointing by Hand
FROM THE BENCH
Even if you own a powered jointer, you should learn
how to get a superior edge joint with just a hand plane.
By Don McConnell
100 The Facts on Wax

FLEXNER ON FINISHING
Although it is a poor finish when used alone, wax truly
excels when used as a polish.
By Bob Flexner
Popular Woodworking (ISSN 0884-8823, USPS 752-250) is published seven times a year in February, April, June, August,
October, November and December by F&W Publications Inc. Editorial and advertising offices are located at 4700 E. Galbraith
Road., Cincinnati, Ohio 45236; tel.: 513-531-2222. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and artwork should include ample
postage on a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE); otherwise they will not be returned. Subscription rates: A year’s
subscription (7 issues) is $28; outside of U.S. add $7/year ■ Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. 40025316. Canadian
return address: 2744 Edna St., Windsor, ON N8Y 1V2 ■ Copyright © 2004 by Popular Woodworking. Periodicals postage paid at
92 Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Popular Woodworking, P.O. Box 100
5369, Harlan, IA 51593 Canada GST Reg. # R122594716 ■ Produced and printed in the U.S.A.
popwood.com 3
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PROJECTS, TOOLS AND TECHNIQUES
42 Eames-style Table
This take on a classic coffee table is a great way
to try cold-bending, learn a new band-saw trick
and fire up the hand-held power planer.
ON THE COVER
49 Router Joinery
WOODWORKING ESSENTIALS
Our seven-part series on routers continues with a
In this issue we pay look at joinery. Learn how to use your router to
homage to the king of make basic, elaborate and – above all – accurate
the joint-cutting power joints. Fourth of seven chapters. 42
tools: the router. Check By Nick Engler
out Nick Engler’s
Joint Maker jig (page
77), Bill Hylton’s 57 13" Portable Planers
“Power-tool Joinery” These premium machines have more
column (page 38) and, features and more capacity than the
of course, our special previous generation of tools. We find
out which one should be in your shop.
section on the router
(page 49) that’s devot-
ed to router joinery. 62 True Japanese
Cover photo by Al Parrish Dovetail Saws
57 Two new rip-tooth dozukis now on the
market are efficient dovetailers.
DEPARTMENTS
64 Serpentine Table
Surprisingly straightforward, the only real
10 Out on a Limb trick to this project is a well-tuned band
Join the Club or
Get Some Class saw and a set of our templates.
By Warren A. May
12 Letters
Mail from readers
70 Upgrade Your
99 Caption Workbench
the Cartoon Your bench could be a whole lot better.
Win an Amana Check out these 10 (mostly inexpensive
slot-cutting system
and quick) things you should do to make 64
your workbench more useful.
104 Out of the
Woodwork
Ironwood Logs
and Mad Bulls 77 The Joint Maker
by Peter Sieling Add a sliding top to a horizontal router
table and you’ll have this extraordinary
joint-cutting machine.
By Nick Engler
84 Jim Tolpin’s Rip Fence

Your table saw can easily cut curves,
patterns and tenons in just one pass
with this incredible (but amazingly
simple) versatile fixture.
84 By Jim Tolpin
6 POPULAR WOODWORKING February 2004

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A DENT IN THE CHAIR.
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this could be the February 2004, Vol. 24 No. 1
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SAFETY NOTE:
Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place
safety devices on their equipment for a reason. In
many photos you see in Popular Woodworking, these
have been removed to provide clarity. In some
cases we’ll use an awkward body position so you
can better see what’s being demonstrated. Don’t
copy us. Think about each procedure you’re going
to perform beforehand. Safety First!

OUT ON A LIMB CONTRIBUTORS
JIM TOLPIN
A professional woodworker for more than
Join the Club or 30 years, Jim Tolpin has spent his career
doing finish carpentry, cabinetmaking and
building boats and English gypsy caravans.
While running his own custom cabinet
Get Some Class shop, Tolpin wrote a

manual for his new em-
ployees to read. That
manual turned into his
first book, “Working at
O ne drawback to woodworking is that it

tends to be a solitary activity. Don’t get
me wrong, I enjoy my time alone in the shop,
classes or weekend classes. Woodworking
stores, such as Woodcraft and Rockler, also
offer evening and weekend classes. In fact,
Wo o d w o r k i n g ”
(Taunton Press). Today,
Tolpin is the author of
away from all the stress of my “other world.” Woodcraft is vastly expanding its education 12 books, including the second edition of
And to some degree, this solitude may at- program with the establishment of Woodcraft “Jim Tolpin’s Table Saw Magic,” in book-
tract some people to woodworking. University, where you can earn college cred- stores now. Aside from drawknives and
But life has taught me that reaching out- its for certain woodworking programs. spokeshaves, the table saw is his favorite
side my world almost always brings back ben- At the “sleepover” schools, where your woodworking tool, one that he still uses
efits I couldn’t have imagined. class lasts a week or so, you’ll focus on ad- with extreme caution. (Tolpin has seen a
There are several ways to get out of the vancing your skills exponentially. Most schools table saw turn on all by itself – the switch
shop and still develop your woodworking offer small classes, which means lots of in- was caked with sawdust.) To learn how to
skills and knowledge. Here’s a short list of dividual attention from instructors. Many build Tolpin’s universal fence fixture for
ideas to consider for the coming year. attendees see their week at school not as the table saw, see page 84.
• Join a club focused on the aspect of work, but more as a mini-vacation!
woodworking that you enjoy most. There • Attend a woodworking show. There BILL HYLTON
are clubs for general woodworking, wood- are numerous shows around the country and You’d think that a joinery expert would
turning, carving, scrollsawing and instru- they offer a lot. Of course you can check out have a favorite joint to use in his per-
ment making (who are known as luthiers). the newest tools and sometimes buy equip- sonal projects. But for Bill Hylton, the fun
A quick survey of the Internet turned up ment at a discount, but many shows also offer part of writing our “Power-tool Joinery”
more than 125 general woodworking clubs, excellent demonstrations by some of the column (on page 38) is learning some-
about 250 carving clubs and close to 200 country’s leading woodworkers. thing new: “Here’s a
turning clubs scattered throughout the No matter what you do I bet you’ll see joint. How many dif-
United States and Canada. that woodworkers and people associated with ferent ways can it be
Woodworking clubs are a great place to the craft are a really nice group of folks. I’ve cut?” This is how he has
meet nice people who share your interest, found this to be the case with our readers, learned so much in his
and you’ll learn a lot, too. Just about every contributors, people at shows, equipment 25 years of woodwork-
club meeting includes some time dedicat- manufacturers and even editors at compet- ing. After taking some
ed to building knowledge and skills. Sometimes ing woodworking magazines. The point is classes at a vo-tech
club members make presentations; other that meeting up with any group of wood- school, most of Hylton’s education came
times experts from outside the club speak. workers is bound to be a pleasant experience. on the job. As a writer and editor for Rodale
You can learn a lot just by listening. Better Make a New Year’s resolution to expand Press, he helped produce the company’s
yet, you can ask questions about problems your woodworking horizons by getting out first woodworking books. Hylton picked
you might be experiencing in your shop. And of the shop and into a club, school or wood- the projects, gave them to the woodworkers
don’t overlook the possibility that you might working show. You’ll learn a lot and meet and watched them the whole time. What’s
have the answer to a problem that a club some wonderful woodworkers. And like a his favorite project? “The next one. ... I
member is experiencing. You don’t have to box of Cracker Jack, you’ll discover that un- get excited about working out the design,
be a charter member to know something. expected surprise that happens every time the joinery and the construction process.”
• Sign up for a woodworking class or you take the initiative and do something
attend a woodworking school. There are new – you become better. PW Our Privacy Promise to You
classes and schools for every aspect of work- We make portions of our customer list available to
ing in every state and province. carefully screened companies that offer products
Many schools have opened in the past and services we believe you may enjoy. If you do
not want to receive offers and/or information,
several years and most are doing well, a please let us know by contacting us at:
testament to the positive experience atten- Steve Shanesy List Manager, F & W Publications,
dees are having. Many schools offer five-day Editor & Publisher 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236

LETTERS
‘Poop’ was Promised,

But Never Delivered
Reader Still Wondering Why Certain lars to hundreds, any of which produce a fine
Hand Planes are So Pricey shaving instead of pulverized dust, that I
In reading your response to “Why are Some found this suggestion a bit of a stretch. It’s
Planes So Expensive?” (Q&A, November hard to imagine why anyone would buy a
2003) I was amazed at how good a job you $40 replacement blade and grind it off square!
did at not answering the question. I bet Peter R. Presnell
the person asking for the “straight poop on Kneeland, California
hand planes” was disappointed, too. In my
experience, any hand plane needs to be tuned Editor’s Note: Grinding the edge at 90° to make
up whether it is new or used, regardless of a scraper plane is something that works for
price. By touching on some relevant points, me. I got the tip from Brian Boggs, a chairmaker
such as body material (either cast or ductile in Berea, Ky., and have demonstrated it many
iron), blade material (A2 tool steel or cryo- times. I don’t argue that a purpose-built scraper
genically treated), blade thickness and over- would be better, but you’re going to spend more
all design, you could have enlightened us as than $40 for a good one.
to why some planes truly are so expensive, – Christopher Schwarz, executive editor
thus giving him (and us) some “straight poop.”
Cody J. Niendorf Table Saw Article Serves as Impetus
Ashton, Idaho For Reader to Fix His Own Machine
I usually adjust my saws and equipment every
Editor’s Note: While I didn’t specifically mention so often, but I haven’t had time lately to
ductile iron or A2 tool steel, I did say the premi- check the saw I recently purchased. Reading
um planes are “better-made, better-machined and “Table Saw Tune-up” (November 2003) gave
work extremely well.” For a detailed discussion me an incentive to see how far off it was. I
of the differences between low-cost and expen- knew it was off a little, but was surprised to
sive planes, see our review of metal-bodied jack learn just how far off it was. Thanks.
planes in the April 2002 issue (available for George A. Ulrick Jr.
sale online). We examined materials and ma- DeWitt, Nebraska
chining tolerances for a variety of inexpensive, continued on page 14
mid-range and premium brands.
– Christopher Schwarz, executive editor
WRITE TO US
Hand-plane Connoisseur Curious Popular Woodworking welcomes letters from
About Endurance Test Statement readers with comments about the magazine
I have been a hand-plane user and collector or woodworking in general. We try to
for the past 29 years. Since the mid-1980s, respond to all correspondence. Published
my collection of Lie-Nielsen planes has mul- letters may be edited for length or style. All
tiplied in my shop like rabbits! letters become the property of Popular
So I was puzzled why, in your tribute to Woodworking. How to send your letter:
the Lie-Nielsen low-angle jack plane • E-mail: popwood@fwpubs.com
• Fax: 513-891-7196
(Endurance Test, November 2003) you sug-
• Mail carrier:
gest grinding the blade at 90°. Doing so does
Letters • Popular Woodworking
not make a scraper – it makes a blunt in- 4700 E. Galbraith Road
strument. There are so many purpose-built Cincinnati, OH 45236
scrapers available, ranging from a few dol-

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www.woodcraft.com, and at your local Woodcraft store.

LETTERS
continued from page 12
Actually, Art and Craft are Different

In regards to “Congratulations! You’re an
Artist” (November 2003): Don’t be “MAD”
at the newly named Museum of Arts and
Design. There is a difference between art
and craft, and it’s easy to explain:
An artist creates designs, while a crafts-
man does the work to turn those designs into
solid reality. You may be an artist and a crafts-
man at the same time (sequentially, actu-
ally): You’re an artist when designing the
piece and a craftsman when making it.
Steve Henigson
Eastsound, Washington
Editor’s Note: Your definition of art versus craft

is adequate if taking a narrow view. In the larg-
er context, some of the best thinkers since the
Middle Ages have written volumes exploring the
subject, and it’s still not settled.
– Steve Shanesy, editor and publisher
Lumber Lusting in Canada

I got a kick out of “Lusting for Lumber”
(August 2003). In my shop almost all the
wood I use is “found” stuff.
I’ve recently completed building a har-
vest table made from two 2" x 10" pine planks
that were originally scaffolding. I left those
planks sitting uncovered but stickered for
eight years behind my shop before I brought
them in and planed off the surface scruff.
Underneath, the wood was gorgeous, com-
plete with worm and nail holes. The lady
who bought the table is delighted with both
the piece and the story behind it. PW
John Milne
North Bay, Ontario
CORRECTION
Gorilla Glue is the versatile, A caption in the November 2003 “Woodwor-
interior/exterior adhesive king Essentials” was incorrect. In “Jig
ideal for most household Journal,” the distance from the hole to the
fixes and building projects: nearest edge of the router bit is the radius.
furniture repair, crafts,
woodworking, and general
repairs around the house.
MORE LETTERS ONLINE
Bonds wood, stone, We received many letters commenting on
metal, ceramic & more! “The Truth About 240V” (November 2003).
Incredibly strong and Because space doesn’t permit them here, we
100% waterproof. have posted many online at popwood.com –
click on “Magazine Extras” to see what your
REQUEST YOUR FREE fellow readers say and how co-author Greg
INFORMATION KIT! Hyland, a professional electrician, responds.
www.gorillaglue.com
1-800-966-3458 CIRCLE NO. 100 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.

Q&A
MDF is Inexpensive,
But it’s Not Sturdy
Yellow birch: 348 lbs.
Yellow poplar: 284 lbs.
Illustration by Hayes Shanesy

MDF: 87 lbs.
MDF with 3⁄ 4"

dropped edge: 90 lbs.
Is MDF Strong Enough to Prevent MDF’s weakness is that it doesn’t have a

My Shelves from Sagging? grain structure like solid wood or plywood. Save
I am getting ready to make some inexpen- the MDF for shorter spans and stick to birch ply-
sive garage cabinets and I was considering wood or solid wood for your shelves.
using 3⁄ 4" medium-density fiberboard (MDF) — Christopher Schwarz, executive editor
for the case sides and shelves.
The shelves will be 18"-24" deep and Why is the Blade of My Shoulder Plane
about 36" long. I am planning to use dados Wider Than the Tool’s Body?
in the case sides to support the ends of the I recently purchased a Stanley No. 92 shoul-
shelves; and I’ll reinforce the shelf with a der plane. The blade is precisely 3⁄ 4" wide.
piece of 1"-wide hardwood along the front continued on page 19
attached with biscuits. Will the dados in the
sides be strong enough to support the shelf
ends? Will the shelf sag over time? Would I WRITE TO US
be better off with birch plywood? Every day we get questions from readers on
Jeremy Graham all subjects about their woodworking. Some
Bend, Oregon are letters; many are e-mail messages. We
are more than happy to share our wood-
While the dados will be OK, 36" is a mighty long working experience with you by answering
span for MDF, even with the “dropped edge” your questions or adding some clarity to
detail that you plan to add. The maximum span whatever aspect of your craft you are unsure
for MDF without a dropped edge is 32". With about. In addition to the hundreds we an-
the addition of a 3⁄ 4" dropped edge, a 36"-long swer privately every month, we want to
share the best questions here with readers.
MDF shelf will sag unacceptably with only 90
Send your questions via e-mail to
pounds on it – that’s not much for a garage cab-
popwood@fwpubs.com. Or send a note by
inet. Yellow poplar – even without a dropped mail to: Popular Woodworking, Q&A, 4700
edge – won’t sag until you put 284 pounds on E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.
it; yellow birch sags at 348 pounds.

popwood.com 17
Q&A
The width of the plane’s body is 1⁄64" less than will fit in its groove every time. It always
the blade. The blade fits flush with the right fits, holds well and is easy to use.
side of the plane, but it protrudes the extra Bob Mesenbring
1⁄
64" on the left side. Is there a purpose for Grand Marais, Minnesota
this or should I just grind down the left
side of the blade so it fits flush with the plane? You’re right. Hardboard is cheap, accurate in
James Brimm thickness, stable and very easy to use. If you in-
Cookeville, Tennessee tend for your spline to be solely an alignment de-
vice, it is a good option and I probably should
The extra width allows you to fudge the blade have mentioned that. However, if you want your
left or right if it isn’t ground square. But 1⁄ 64" spline to also serve as reinforcement for the joint,
is more than you need. Grind the edges of the you shouldn’t use hardboard. Hardboard has no
blade so it’s .006" to .010" wider than the plane’s grain, so it can’t be said to reinforce the joint,
body. That will be all the adjustment you’ll re- while plywood, solid wood and biscuits all have
quire. When you trim a shoulder using the right grain that can help you here.
side of the tool, move the blade so it’s flush on — Bill Hylton, PW contributor
the right side. When you trim a shoulder using
the left side, flush the blade with the left side. How Do I Scrape Small Mouldings?
— Christopher Schwarz, executive editor I wanted to get your advice on scrapers.
I’m building a bed out of curly cherry with
How Can I Determine if a Species 50 narrow slats. Each slat planes or scrapes
Of Wood is Toxic to Humans? very nicely, but I want to put an 1⁄ 8" radius
I’m developing a product that is made using on each of them, which is done most easily
mango wood (a cutting board with a lemon with a router table. This routed detail has
oil finish) and I need to know if mango wood a rougher surface that needs sanding to get
is food-safe. Can you help me? it as smooth as the flat planed surfaces.
James Pettingill I’m a huge fan of the depth of finish you
Concord, Massachusetts get from planing, but I don’t know how to
get that level of finish on these cherry slats
The leaves and twigs are indeed toxic; ingesting without resorting to sandpaper.
the leaves or twigs is fatal to cattle. The sap is I’ve tried a cornering tool to cut the ra-
a skin irritant much like poison ivy. The wood dius but I have a hard time with the curly
should never be burned. Whether enough of the cherry tearing out, so I’m at a loss. Is there a
sap could ever contaminate food might be a mat- radius scraper? Is having a partly sanded/part-
ter of some debate, but why risk it when there ly scraped piece noticeable?
are so many other species of wood available? Mark Paulek
Whenever we have a question about the tox- Golden Valley, Minnesota
icity of a particular species, the first place we
consult is an online list from the Musical Instrument A commercial gooseneck scraper can do the job.
Makers Forum (mimf.com/archives/toxic.htm). Or you can make your own scraper to clean up
Though mango isn’t here, the list is always a that roundover by grinding or filing the shape
good jumping-off place for your research. you want on an old scraper or saw blade. Stone
— Christopher Schwarz, executive editor the curved edge as best you can and then turn a
burr. It does take practice, but it can be done.
Can I Use Hardboard for Splines? If, after trying this on a few spindles, it still
I read with interest the Power-tool Joinery doesn’t yield good results, there’s no shame in
column in the October 2003 issue titled resorting to sandpaper. I routinely sand mould-
“Splined Joints.” I was surprised you didn’t ings that are router-cut. I’ve found that the sur-
suggest using 1⁄ 8" hardboard for splines. I face area of the moulding is usually so small
have been using hardboard because all the that it’s not going to leap out at you anyway.
cabinetmakers I know also use hardboard. It’s the large flat surfaces, especially tabletops
It’s stable, takes glue well and is consistent and door panels, that benefit most from hand
in size so you can make a pass through the planing and scraping. PW
table saw with a 1⁄ 8" kerf and the hardboard — Christopher Schwarz, executive editor

popwood.com 19
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Compiled by Paul Anthony
TRICKS OF THE TRADE Illustrations by Matt Bantly
Sanding Screen
Speeds Sharpening
THE WINNER:
For a chisel or plane iron to be truly sharp, #120-grit drywall sanding screen
its back must be lapped flat, then polished is placed on top of sandpaper
to a smooth finish. This initial lapping step
tends to be the most tedious part of sharp-
ening and I’m always looking for Plate
a quicker way to do it. glass
In the past, I’ve used
wet/dry silicon-carbide
sandpaper, but I
found that it
tends to slight-
ly round the
back of the tool.
I recently discovered that a #120- #400-grit sandpaper is
grit “sanding screen” – an inexpensive prod- adhered to plate glass
uct used for smoothing drywall – works great
for the process. Available at home supply
stores, the screen cuts very aggressively and the #400-grit sandpaper underneath as the
the openings allow the honing “swarf” to fall next honing surface in a sequence that con-
through without building up on the surface. tinues up through finer grits until I have a
I place the screen on top of a piece of finely polished surface on the tool.
#400-grit wet/dry sandpaper that I adhered Tod Herrli
to a sheet of plate glass using spray adhesive. Marion, Indiana
After lapping the tool on the screen, I use continued on page 22
CASH AND PRIZES FOR YOUR TRICKS AND TIPS!

Each issue we publish useful woodworking tips from our
readers. Next issue’s winner receives a Freud SD608 Dial-A-
Width Dado set. The Dial-A-Width dado cuts splinter-free,
flat-bottomed dados without using shims to adjust for your
perfect width. In fact, you can sneak up on the exact setting
(in .004" increments) without taking the stack off the table
saw! This dado set is a $270 value.
Runners-up each receive a check for $75. When submitting a
trick (either by mail or e-mail) you must include your complete
mailing address and a daytime phone number. If your trick is
selected for publication, an editor will need to contact you.
All entries become the property of Popular Woodworking. You
can send your trick by e-mail to popwoodtricks@fwpubs.com,
or mail it to Tricks of the Trade, Popular Woodworking,
4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236.

popwood.com 21
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Clamp-free Belt Sanding and Hand Planing

When belt sanding, you must restrain frames A better approach is to make a sanding strips. If the workpiece extends beyond the
and panels from being thrown backward from platform from 1⁄ 2"-thick hardwood plywood panel, just shim under the overhanging sec-
the force of the belt’s rotation. This can be with stop strips fastened to two adjacent tion with scraps of 1⁄ 2"-thick plywood.
a problem if your workbench isn’t fitted with edges. I make the strips 1⁄ 4" thick to allow for The platform works well for holding pieces
dogs to secure the panel. You can clamp the sanding of thin panels. The platform can be when hand planing as well as belt sand-
workpiece to the bench, of course, but then clamped or screwed to the bench, with the ing. Whatever operation you’re performing,
the clamp heads impede the sander. workpiece simply butted against the stop just make sure the force of the tool is di-
rected toward the stop strips.
Shim under overhanging section Richard James
if necessary Sonoma, California
1⁄
2" plywood base
1⁄
4" plywood stop strips
attached to right and
Soda-can Mixing Tray
bottom of base I often need to mix small amounts of two-
part epoxy and have found that the bottom
of a 12-ounce soda can serves as a great
portable, disposable mixing tray. The dished
surface is clean, non-absorbent and prevents
dripping. Placing the up-ended can in a foam
drink cooler provides stability to the can
Force of the plane is directed during mixing and using.
into the stop strip Mike Still
Force of a belt sander is Kempner, Texas
back into the stop strips continued on page 24
Tune up your cutting tools with

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CTL improves the performance and life of your cutting tools.
Unlike other products, CTL won’t effect finishing or gluing
and contains no petroleum oils or silicone. Ideal for band,
circular, hole, saber/reciprocating, coping, and scroll saw blades.
Penetrates bearings to clean and lubricate surfaces
for longer bearing life. Works on router bits,
virtually any cutting tool.
Each 8 oz. bottle comes with Saves time and money!
both a spray and dropper top!
Visit your Olson Dealer
and ask for CTL!
Dealer inquiries welcome! CIRCLE NO. 154 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.
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OLSON ®
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www.olsonsaw.com
Made in USA
INTRODUCING A NEW WAY TO LOOK AT ROUTERS.
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Looks like someone has turned the router world on its head. For the nearest dealer, call 1-800-4US-TOOL
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TRICKS OF THE TRADE
Paring With Confidence Don’t Get Left

I made a table with a plywood panel that Clamp guide block Holding the Bag
to work piece
fit between the legs. After laying out the
I recently bought a portable dust collec-
notches at the panel’s corners, I cut them
tor for my shop. While detaching the bag
out with a jigsaw. To be safe, I undercut them
was easy, reinstalling it was a challenge. The
and had to pare them a bit to fit.
Keep chisel problem was getting the bag to temporar-
After a couple of attempts at careful free- flat against ily hang in place on its flange while wrap-
hand paring, I realized that I needed help. guide
ping it with the band clamp. I was about to
So I clamped a thick, square block of wood block
get my wife to help me when I noticed
to the panel, aligning its edge with my cut-
Thick, square the rare earth magnets stuck to my table
line. This provided a straight, flat reference
guide block saw. I used four of them to hold the bag in
surface for the back of the chisel, and it yield-
place at four different spots on the metal
ed the fine, straight cut that I was after.
flange while I installed the band clamp.
Jim Stith
Rare earth magnets are available from
Beulah, Missouri
various mail-order houses, but I get mine
from discarded computer hard drives. The
magnets usually are attached to brackets
Measure Without Markings that hold the arms that read the data. It’s
Many of the common measurements that we one leg that is 11⁄ 2" wide and one leg that is fairly easy to disassemble a hard-drive case
use to lay out joints, offsets, overhangs, etc., 2" wide. When gauging lines and laying out to get to the magnets, although you may
are easily found in the width of layout tools. joints, you can often simply use the width of need a Torx screwdriver for some.
For example, the blade on a typical combi- these tools rather than their markings. Bill Reid
nation square is 1" wide. Many 6" rulers Sue Lawless Audubon, Pennsylvania
are 3⁄ 4" wide. A framing square usually has Billings, Montana continued on page 26
w
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THE FESTOOL
SYSTEM
ATF 55
What was your first time like?

When was the first time you cut a perfectly straight, clean cut
with a circular saw, without getting bogged down
with clamping or improvised jigs?
Many of our users say that the Festool ATF 55 Plunge Saw is
the first one that lets them cut straight, clean lines right out
of the box. It comes complete with our multipurpose Guide
Rail. Simply align the Guide Rail, place the saw on it, and
cut. The Guide Rail stays put without clamping or taping,
and it won’t mar the surface. An integrated chip guard
gives a clean cut edge. The blade moves flush against
the Guide Rail edge, so all you so is line it up and go.
A host of ergonomic and safety features make the ATF 55 easy

to work with. The blade stays covered, and an extraction port
lets you connect a dust extractor for a clean worksite.
It all means you can saw better, straighter and cleaner –

first time and every time. See for yourself. Call us or
go online to find your nearest Festool dealer.
Hook up to the system 888-337-8600

with our CT Dust Extractors CIRCLE NO. 115 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD. www.festool-usa.com
TRICKS OF THE TRADE
A Knob-drying Rack Holding Brads –

Remove magnet
I needed to come up with a way to easily Here’s the Catch from cabinet catch
stain wooden knobs and set them aside to
I have big, fat fingers that make it difficult File a notch
dry, so I came up with the rack you see here. if one doesn’t
to hold small brads for hammering. I’ve tried
It’s nothing more than a piece of 1⁄ 4"-thick exist
various methods for holding the brads, in-
plywood attached to two vertical uprights
cluding needle-nose pliers or a piece of card-
that are screwed to a base. To hang the knobs,
board, which pulls away before driving the
I cut a series of slots in the plywood to hold
brad home. None were convenient. found that placing a brad in the corner of
the knobs by pan-head screws driven into
Recently, I was digging through my col- the notch holds it upright for those first few
them. To stain each knob, I dip it in the stain
lection of cabinet catches and came across hammer blows. If you can’t find a similar
while holding it by the screw head. After
a broken magnetic catch – the type that has catch to disassemble, you simply can file a
wiping it, I hang it on the rack to dry.
a rectangular, flat magnet sandwiched be- notch into any flat, thick magnet.
Zachary Swope
tween two metal plates. I noticed that the Neal Mesmer
Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania
corners of the magnet were notched, and I Boise, Idaho
1⁄
4" plywood top is
screwed into uprights
Centering Solid-wood Panels
When fitting solid-wood panels into their Available at most home centers, I use the
3⁄
frames, it’s important to allow room for the 16"-thickmaterial with a sticky back. Cut
panel to expand and contract. The problem strips of an appropriate width into short lengths
is that a loose-fitting panel can rattle around and place them into the stile grooves with the
Thread pan-head in the frame. To prevent this and to keep adhesive side against the groove’s bottom.
screw into hole the panel centered, I install foam weather Robert Barron
in knob stripping in the grooves. Madison, Alabama
continued on page 28
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TRICKS OF THE TRADE
A Hinge-drilling Template
When installing surface-mount hinges on template from 3⁄ 4"-thick plywood that I’ve To use the template, I first fit my door
cabinet doors, I’ve found that I can increase cut to the exact length and width of the into its opening, shimming around the
accuracy and efficiency by using a shop- open hinge. Laying the hinge on the tem- perimeter with cardboard shims to create a
1⁄
made template to drill the holes. I make the plate, I mark the location of the screw holes, 16" gap all around the door. I then position
Place hinge on top of block and

then drill appropriately sized pilot holes the template at each of the hinge locations
mark location of screw holes through them using a drill press. I also lay with the centerline 3d nails projecting into
out two holes along the vertical centerline the gap to align the template. All that’s left
of the template, then drill them to snugly to do is to drill the hinge holes through the
accept two 3d finish nails. template into the cabinet and door. It works
perfectly every time.
Roger Amrol
3d nail projects into the
Columbia, South Carolina
gap to center the jig
3⁄
4" plywood block is the Wrenches as Calipers
exact width and length of
open hinge When turning parts for chairs and other fur-
niture, I often have to turn tenons on the
Use shims to maintain
a consistent gap
ends of spindles. Rather than setting up a
caliper for each size of tenon, I raid my me-
chanics tool box and find the appropriate size
open-end wrench to use as a gauge. PW
Sam Gribbly
Catskill, New York
W hy pay more just for the label?

These high-quality German-made
Hirsch chisels and carver sets are hand forged from
high-carbon steel and hardened to Rc61 (56 for micro
tools) for durability. The hornbeam handles are shaped
for comfort and control. Firmer Chisels – $14.50 to $18.00
or $87.00 for set of 6 (55J01.60); Cabinetmaker's Carver
Set of 4 – $54.50 (61S01.04); Micro Carver Set of 3 – $32.50
(61S01.03). Great value in finely made chisels. For more
information, call for a free catalog or visit us online.
Shipping and N.Y. sales tax extra.
1-800-683-8170 www.leevalley.com
Lee Valley Tools Ltd., 814 Proctor Ave., Ogdensburg, N.Y. 13669
Finally, a slot cutter with nothing to lose.
No shims, no spacers.
Nothing to take apart, just dial it, lock it, cut it.
Easily makes perfect grooves for today’s

undersized plywood.
Perfect for edge (“T”) molding installation.
Available in two sizes:

•#55500 - For 1/8"-1/4" wide slots, 1/2" deep
•#55510 - For 1/4"-1/2" wide slots, 1/2" deep
Carbide tipped for long life.
Special Introductory Price

List price $14995
Patent Pending
For Our New Catalog or a Dealer Nearest You

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Visit our website at
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More power.More capacity.
TurboIII Dust Extractor
Introducing the NEW FEIN Turbo III

Portable Vac.
The new 9-77-25 makes dust-free sanding and wet/dry cleanup easy and practi-
cal. The perfect size for big jobs, the Turbo III features 14.5 gallon capacity, an
automatic on-off switch and a three-second hose-cleaning delay. The powerful
two-stage motor offers bypass cooling to prevent electrical damage and prolong
the life of the motor. And with 10% more suction power than the Turbo II, it
can run two 6” or one 8” Random Orbit Sander.
For more information and the name of a local dealer, visit us
Fein
at www.feinus.com or call 1-800 441-9878.
Finishing is just the beginning.
Fein Power Tools, Inc. 1030 Alcon Street Pittsburgh, PA 15220
TOOL TEST
Bosch 4410 10" Miter Saw: The Next Generation of Sliders
L ast year Bosch introduced a 12" double-

bevel sliding compound miter saw with
so many handy features we were overwhelmed.
The 4410’s capacity is impressive.
It will handle 101⁄4"-tall crown mould-
ing lying flat, a 2" x 12" board at 0°
However, the $700 price tag and the 12" size miter/45° left bevel and a 35⁄ 8" x 81⁄ 2"
(not our recommendation for home wood- (4x8) board at 45° miter/0° bevel.
working) kept us from sharing the news in We found the cut to be nice
print. This year, Bosch took all the great fea- and all the features are
tures of that 12" saw and put them on a 10" very user friendly. The
model. And we couldn’t be happier. micro-adjustment
The 4410 model has all the standard items for the miter setting
you’d expect from a professional sliding com- is unique in the cat-
pound saw: 10 positive miter stops; 41⁄8"-high egory (and it works
x 101⁄ 8"-wide adjustable fences; a powerful very well). And this miter
15-amp motor producing 4,600 rpm; and a saw is one of the very few
72-tooth thin-kerf carbide blade. dual-bevel sliding com-
Then there are the new features: A “D”- pound saws on the mar-
shaped handle with four positions to suit ket today. The price is still SPECIFICATIONS
every user; micro-fine miter adjustment to pretty high ($560) and un- Bosch 4410 Miter Saw
let you tweak your settings in tiny incre- fortunately Bosch still has some work to do Street price: $560
ments; two built-in 7" extension wings with to achieve efficient dust collection when Motor: 15 amp
Performance: ●●●●●
a built-in stop on the right wing; up-front using the included bag. But other than that,
Price range: $$$$$
controls for dual-beveling (47° left and this is the most feature-laden high-quality
Bosch Tools: 877-267-2499 or
46° right) and mitering adjustments; and on- miter saw available. – David Thiel boschtools.com
board storage for all the adjustment tools. For more information, circle #175 on Free Information Card.
Festool Cordless Drill is Exotic and Expensive – but Worth it

Woodworkers seem to have two philosophies can sneak in almost anywhere
when it comes to cordless drills. Either we – there’s no need to buy a sep-
buy whatever is on sale and throw it away in arate right-angle drill.
a couple years or we spend some serious money I found the 12V batteries
on a professional tool. and motor provide more than
The Festool CDD 12 FX is for wood- enough torque for a wide va-
workers who are firmly in the second cate- riety of woodworking tasks –
gory. Priced at $395 for the basic 12-volt drill, you’ll never want for power.
charger and two batteries, this tool is a long- Even during demanding
term investment. But after six months of drilling and driving, the tool
hard use in our shop, I can say that my skep- keeps up with you because the
ticism has been replaced by a healthy respect 2 amp-hour batteries charge
for this pint-sized tank. in just 15 minutes. SPECIFICATIONS
Everything about this drill oozes with And while all that is nice, what really Festool CDD 12 FX
quality German construction. The switch- won me over is the way it feels while in use. Street price: $395
es operate with authority, the body (which Unlike any other cordless drill that has passed Chuck capacity: 1⁄ 2"
has survived several nasty falls) is balanced through our shop, this one’s like an exten- Weight: 4 pounds
in your hand and the metal one-handed sion of my arm. For woodworkers who use Speeds: low: 0 to 380 rpm;
chuck seizes everything and holds on tight. their drills a lot, that’s just enough reason to high: 0 to 1,100 rpm
Performance: ●●●●●
The small size of the drill (about 71⁄4" long make them open their checkbooks a little
3⁄ Price range: $$$$$
x 8 4" high) allows you to get into tight places wider. OK, a lot wider.
Festool USA: 888-337-8600
other drills won’t. And with the tool’s right- — Christopher Schwarz or festool-usa.com
angle chuck installed (a $70 accessory) you For more information, circle #176 on Free Information Card.

FastCap TriTape Includes
Notepad and Sharpener
When you check something with a tape meas-
ure, your next action is most likely writing
down a dimension. For that you need a sharp
pencil and a notepad. The TriTapes from
FastCap make this routine easy. RYOBI’S 3-BASE ROUTER
Available in 16' and 25' lengths, each of
the TriTapes has a built-in pencil sharpen- The RE1803BK kit offers a variable-speed
er and an erasable notepad on the side of the 9.5-amp motor with three bases and is a
SPECIFICATIONS good buy at $180 for the occasional user.
tool. All you supply is the pencil. Far from
FastCap TriTapes And it’s all wrapped up in a cool canvas
being a gimmick, the tapes are well-made
Street price: $6.50 for 16' carrying bag. The motor has a nice soft-start
with a 1"-wide blade that stands out to 8' $9.50 for 25' feature, good power, low vibration and
without kinking. The case has a soft over- Performance: ●●●❍❍ reasonably low motor noise. Along with the
mold grip and a brake that makes it simple Price range: $$ fixed, plunge and D-handle bases, the kit
to stop the tape during retraction with slight FastCap: 888-443-3748 or fastcap.com includes an edge guide and a five-piece
pressure. The belt clip is even improved to template guide bushing set.
release easily with slight thumb pressure, but For the more experienced user, there are
it holds strong when required. trous use. These are nice tapes in their own some things that will be disappointing. The
And best of all, the scale on the PS (Pad right (though they may be a little chunky D-handle and fixed-base releases are awk-
Standard, shown at right) blade is easy to for some), they’re priced very well against ward, requiring the motor be extended to
read and marked in 1⁄ 32" for the first 12". the competition and the added features hon- maximum height to be released. The adjust-
FastCap also offers a PSS-R model that has estly have value. — DT ment ring used for this process is set for fine
adjustments, but it makes changing the base
left- and right-reading scales for ambidex- For more information, circle #177 on Free Information Card.
too much work. The motor buckle lock holds
the motor tight, but it doesn’t come to a
positive stop, causing the user to question
DeWalt DC500 Cordless Vacuum whether the buckle is securely locked. The
plunge base action also is less than perfect,
Let’s say this right up front: Unless you need with a rough plunging motion that, with just
a wet/dry vacuum that is cordless there are a little sideways pressure, can be stopped.
more affordable options than the new DeWalt As long as the user understands there
DC500. However, if you need ultimate porta- are some trade-offs for the savings, this kit is
bility without a cord, DeWalt has put every- an acceptable bargain. — DT
thing in a tidy package. Street price: $179
The DC500 will run on either AC or bat- Motor: 9.5 amp
tery power and has a number of handy tools Speed: Variable (15,000-25,000)
to make job-site clean-up a whole lot easi- Collet: 1⁄ 4" & 1⁄ 2"
er. The wet/dry filter from GORE (the same Performance: ●●●❍❍
company that makes GORE-TEX fabric) Price range: $$$
offers dust collection up to 99.7 percent SPECIFICATIONS Ryobi: 800-525-2579 or
DeWalt DC500 Vacuum www.ryobitools.com
efficiency (according to DeWalt). Stored on
the vacuum is a 5' positive-lock rubber hose Street price: $99
Power: 12-, 14.4- or 18-volt battery packs
with 11⁄ 4" opening that can also be attached TOOL RATINGS
Capacity: 2 gallons
to the exhaust side of the tool to turn the Performance is rated on a one-to-five scale.You
Weight: Under 10 pounds with battery
DC500 into a blower. won’t see a low rating (“one” or “two”) be-
Performance: ●●●❍❍ cause we don’t publicize inferior tools. “Five”
Other useful tools include a wide nozzle Price range: $$$$$ indicates the leader in the category. Five dol-
and crevice tool. The suction produced is DeWalt: 800-433-9258 or dewalt.com lar signs indicates highest price in the cate-
adequate for most light-duty jobs, and can gory. Three indicates an average price. If you
be used as an at-the-tool dust collector for have tool questions, call me at 513-531-2690
smaller woodworking tools. Be aware that own. Cabinet and kitchen installers are going ext. 1255, or e-mail me at david.thiel@fw-
the DC500 does not come with a battery to love this tool and will be willing to pay pubs.com. Or visit our web site at popwood.com
to sign up for our free, e-mail newsletter.
or charger – but it will run on 12-, 14.4- or for the cordless convenience. — DT — David Thiel, senior editor
18-volt DeWalt batteries you may already For more information, circle #178 on Free Information Card.
popwood.com 33
GREAT WOODSHOPS
Carving for CEOs

Visit the 3 shops of
David Monhollen, who
shed a successful career
in sales to carve wildlife
for executives.
D avid Monhollen has three woodshops.

His first shop is decidedly bigger than
yours. His second shop (his so-called “work-
ing” shop) is in his house. And the Crittenden,
Ky., carver’s third shop (what he calls his
“dirty” shop) is in his garage. It’s in this dirty
shop where he performs the grungy parts of
carving – the slamming and banging parts
of carving – that give this shop its name.
Although he shares the garage with a car,
gardening tools, workbench and canoe, the
majority of the floor space is filled with stacks
of linden, walnut and cherry. But he doesn’t
think of this cache as lumber. Rather, he
refers to wood as souls of trees. Here, he says,
Photos by Al Parrish
is where they wait for him to create.
Most of his work is done by hand. The
few power tools he owns are stored on metal
shelves in the corner of this shop. They in- Monhollen was inspired to carve this female, red-tailed hawk after visiting his daughter in Colorado. He paints
clude a Craftsman belt sander, a Porter-Cable his carvings with acrylics when a client requests it, although he’d rather highlight natural wood with lighting.
miter saw, a router and a couple of drills.
den. To accurately depict the flowers, he dug Monhollen’s hand-pegged, cherry work-
The Working Shop some up, studied them and then replanted bench sits next to the studio area, in front
Monhollen’s second shop, what he calls them when he was done. of a double window. Outside the window is
his “working” shop, is in the back of his home. He painted the project, but only because a spring. He enjoys, along with Native
Walking into the shop, which is also a stu- he was asked. “My personal preference,” American music, listening to the water tum-
dio and office, you first notice a carving of a he says, “is [to] let the wood be.” ble over rocks. He illuminates his bench with
female red-tailed hawk (shown here and on Some carvings are on display in his stu- fluorescent and low-wattage bulbs, although
page 35). It’s so realistic that your fingertips dio. Most were commissioned and are wait- he says sunlight filtered through trees is best.
half-expect to encounter a body of soft feath- ing to be taken to their new homes. Except Behind the workbench is a simple oak
ers instead of the wood. for pieces he gives to his wife, Monhollen tool cabinet. Tucked inside are his tools –
All of Monhollen’s carvings relate to na- keeps nothing. His attachment to a piece gouges, chisels, V-tools and carving knives.
ture, and he spends hours researching his isn’t in the owning, but in the creating. Pulling out Pfeil’s Swiss Made tools and
subjects to authenticate his work. For ex- some carving tools purchased from Japan
ample, a few years ago he carved dozens of by Kara Gebhart Woodworker, he says Japanese and Swiss
wildflowers, songbirds and butterflies into a Comments or questions? Contact Kara at 513-531- tools feature the sharpest and toughest steels.
61⁄ 2"-thick, almost 4'-diameter piece of lin- 2690 ext. 1348 or kara.gebhart@fwpubs.com. To keep these tools sharp, Monhollen

Past this reflecting
uses Japanese waterstones. He starts with pond is a gazebo that
#800 grit, then moves to #1,200 and a fin- overlooks an apple
ishing stone. For curved tools, he uses a leather orchard and small
barber’s strop loaded with jeweler’s rouge. garden. Monhollen
doesn’t eat his
He also has a leather sharpening wheel
apples; rather, he
that he chucks into a drill. The vise on his grows them for
bench holds his drill steady, and the leather possums and rac-
gives his tools a razor-like edge. coons. Similarly, his
Monhollen used to use oil stones. But 20 berry bushes are for
the birds.
years ago he read an article about Japanese
waterstones by George Nakashima, a man
whose furniture and writings have influenced
Monhollen greatly. Monhollen purchased
some waterstones and has been using them
ever since. He says there’s no comparison.
Also in the oak cabinet is a tool Monhollen
has owned since he was 9 – his Cub Scout
pocket knife. When first given it, he says he
had a riveting thought: He could create. For
him, that was magic, he says.
As a boy, Monhollen carved constant-
ly. One day in the third grade, his teacher
caught him carving during class. Instead of
scolding him, she asked the other students ning or insects, might represent the compa- Once a carving is completed in the other
to bring in a block of soap and a knife, and ny’s challenges. Six birds carved out of six shops, it goes back to the “dirty” shop for
the next day Monhollen gave a carving les- species of wood might represent the diver- sanding and polishing. On hardwood,
son to his class. When he finished, the teacher sity of the company’s owners. Monhollen uses Tru-Oil Gun Stock finish,
explained that the students could contin- which he rubs on by hand. After building
ue to carve, but only on their own time. The Shop Outside three coats he uses the finest steel wool he
And Monhollen did. His passion led him When you arrive at Monhollen’s gray farm- can find to buff it out. Then he applies two
through high school, college and Vietnam. house tucked into the woods, you expect to
During the war, Monhollen served in the be first led into the studio to view his work.
Army. While there, he carved birds for But instead he insists on taking visitors to
Vietnamese children, and the children gave a shop that’s bigger than yours – a place he
him a nickname: “The Carver.” goes to every morning – his back yard.
Today Monhollen carves not for children, In many ways, this eight-acre “shop” is
but for clients – mostly high-profile corpo- his most important because it’s here where
rate executives who will come to visit him. he draws inspiration. The trails that wind
So in his working shop is a sitting area where through the woods are covered with chips –
Monhollen sits with clients and tries to dis- remnants of past carvings.
cern the topic of a commission. When talk- A wooden arch crosses one of the trails
ing to executives, the words “a bird” don’t with the words “Be Peace” carved into one
cut it – he wants to know more. side and “Be Love” carved into the other.
Monhollen, who has a degree in business Monhollen has planted many of the trees
from the University of Cincinnati and a ca- – one of his many ways of giving back. The
reer in sales, will sometimes sit with clients trails lead you to a hammock, a gift from his
for hours, pulling out the history of the com- two grown children, Perrin and Kyle. It’s sit-
pany and what the carving is meant to rep- uated so that when lying on it you are graced
resent. He strives for his work to intimately with a spectacular view of the underside of
reflect his clients’ companies. several pine trees. Monhollen says this spot
For example, birds resting on a base pyra- sparks much of his creativity.
mid might represent a company built on a Every morning he walks these trails re- A close-up of Monhollen’s female, red-tailed hawk
solid foundation. A beautiful slab of walnut gardless of weather. On some days you can exemplifies the detail. He plans to use this carving as a
with a defect in it, whether caused by light- find him carving out here, too. sample of his work when talking to clients.
popwood.com 35
GREAT WOODSHOPS
This bench was built

to three coats of Johnson’s paste wax. For by one of
painted pieces, he uses acrylics. Monhollen’s friends
15 years ago. The oak
The Business of Carving tool cabinet at right,
Monhollen enjoys the fact that he doesn’t which he purchased
from Sam’s Club,
have to punch a time clock every day. In fact, keeps his tools
he can only estimate how long each carving accessible. His pocket
takes – some take weeks, some months. knife – which he has
As far as income is concerned, he does used since he was 9 –
is on the bench at the
well – very well. One carving can fetch any-
far left.
where from $15,000 to $60,000. Some are
even in the six figures. Besides 50 years’
experience and obvious talent, a previous
career in sales has helped him succeed.
In the late 1970s and early ’80s, Monhollen
worked as a sales representative in pharma-
ceutical sales and then metal sales. In 1981,
he was offered a promotion and transfer.
But instead of taking the promotion,
Monhollen quit. While working in sales, he
discovered that 60 percent of the clients he gently and with as much love as he can. author’s property. Although he didn’t get to
sold to were making warfare products. While Monhollen remains, as he calls it, in- meet Nakashima, the author’s reverence for
in Vietnam, Monhollen says he saw war first- visible to the public. He doesn’t “do” art nature in his work inspired Monhollen when
hand and the experience damaged him in shows and he doesn’t “do” galleries. When he returned to Kentucky to begin carving
ways he’s still figuring out. But perhaps more first starting out, he cranked out songbirds one-of-a-kind pieces for corporate execu-
than that, he simply wanted to carve. and sold them to state parks. But it felt like tives that are inspired by nature.
“I dove in the pond, paddling like crazy,” he was working on an assembly line, he says. For each of his birthdays Monhollen tries
he says in describing the leap from the cor- Then he read Nakashima’s “The Soul to do something new. On his 57th birthday,
porate world to carving. “It isn’t always an of a Tree.” The book inspired him so much he climbed the tallest tree on his property
easy paddle.” But he tries to do his work as that he traveled to Pennsylvania to walk the and tied a ribbon at the top. On his 59th, he
was looking into his reflecting pond and sud-
denly dove in. There he swam wearing his
clothes and sandals – paddling like crazy –
and so glad he jumped in. PW
BOOKS MONHOLLEN
RECOMMENDS
In the working shop is a cherry and walnut
bookshelf full of books that have inspired
Monhollen. They include:
• “The Artist’s Way: A Spiritual Path to
Higher Creativity” by Julia Camerson
(J. P. Tarcher)
• “No Nature: New and Selected Poems”
by Gary Snyder (Pantheon Books)
• “Payne Hollow Journal” by Harlan Hubbard
(University Press of Kentucky)
• “The Soul of a Tree” by George Nakashima
(Kodansha International)
• “A Timbered Choir” by Wendell Berry
In his “dirty” shop, Monhollen stores thousands of board feet of lumber along with a bench and a few tools. (Counterpoint)
Here he is working a piece of wood with a chisel and 3-pound mallet.

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POWER-TOOL JOINERY
The Case for

Case Miters
These joints look great. Cutting and
clamping them is the real trick.
W hat joint would you use at the corners

of a case? If appearance is a consid-
eration – when is it not? – you definitely don’t
simpler to align is
by using biscuits.
If you have a bis-
want an ugly joint like a rabbet. No matter cuit joiner, you
how thin, that strip of exposed end grain – know it takes only
the butt of the board – is unattractive. a minute to set
From the standpoint of what looks best, the fence and cut
Photos by the author

the miter joint should be atop your list. The slots in both parts.
only surfaces visible are the attractive ones: The biscuits make
the faces and the edges. If you are making a alignment easy
small chest and you have a wide, long board and they offer
Try this with a garden-variety case miter joint. The lock miter joints hold your parts
with killer figure, you can wrap that figure some reinforce- together on their own, freeing both your hands to apply clamps.
around the corners without interruption. ment to the joint
You may think of the case miter as being as well.
difficult in subtle ways. Well, yes, it can be. Lacking a biscuit joiner, you can achieve ited, typically less than 12", and all three
If the joinery cuts are off by a degree or two, the same effect with a through or stopped saws can have some accuracy shortcomings.
the joint isn’t going to be square no matter spline. The details of how to cut a slot and You’ll most likely want to cut the bevels
what you do. Gluing and clamping the parts fit a spline were covered in the October 2003 on a table saw. Tilt the blade to 45° and, de-
can be an exercise in torment and despair. issue (available for sale online at pop- pending on the proportions of your work-
There’s no mechanical interlock to hold the wood.com), so I won’t repeat that here. piece, guide the work through the saw with
parts in alignment, and glue just enhances Another joint worth learning to master the miter gauge or along the rip fence. It’s
the natural tendency of the surfaces to creep. is a routed lock miter joint because it gives pretty cut and dry, until you run into one (or
Moreover, despite the fact that a miter the appearance of a miter but introduces an more) of the problems that often come up.
joint has more gluing surface than a butt interlock, expands the glue area and makes First of all, be wary of kickback. If you’re
joint, the glued miter joint isn’t that strong. assembly and clamping foolproof. We’ll come using the rip fence, you always want the saw
The shortcoming is that the miter brings end back to that in a little while. blade to tilt away from it. With the blade
grain to the glue-up session. tilted toward the fence, the offcut is trapped
But simple solutions to these and other Sawing the Bevels between the blade and the fence, and it’s all
difficulties do exist, and the results make it Accurate 45° bevels on the mating parts are but certain to fire back toward you.
a joint worth mastering. essential for the case miter. You could cut If you have a left-tilt saw, the customary
the bevels using a radial-arm saw, compound- fence location (to the right of the blade) is
Case Miter Varieties miter saw or sliding compound-miter saw. the safe one for bevels. But most saws are
Let’s look first at some of the ways the joint But the capacity of the latter two saws is lim- right-tilters, and with those saws the fence
can be shaped to reinforce it, and to make will have to be moved to the left of the blade.
assembly and clamping easier and more ef- by Bill Hylton In any event, be sure you stand to the left of
fective. The most basic miter joint is made the blade, clear of “Kickback Alley.”
Bill Hylton makes noise, dirt and the occasional piece
by beveling the mating edges of both parts of furniture in his basement workshop. His book The most disheartening problem is the
at 45°, then butting these edges together. “Chests of Drawers” (The Taunton Press) shows both one that isn’t evident until all the joints are
Surely the easiest way to make the joint his shop and his handiwork. cut and you start assembling them. This is

when you discover that the bevel angle is off cut on the stock and align the layout line
a degree or two, and the joints aren’t square. with the blade. Then bring the fence into Kerf in backup strip
Maybe you didn’t tilt the blade enough, but position. It’s easy to do this with your stock
more likely the fault is hiding in the ad- on the outfeed side of the blade.
justment and alignment of the saw.
You should know if you can trust the scale Assembly
on your saw when you tilt the blade for The biggest problem you will confront when
this cut. If you aren’t absolutely certain it assembling a case miter is applying clamp
is accurate, use a drafting triangle to check pressure without forcing the joints out of
the blade’s angle. Crank the blade to its max- alignment. V-blocks, lined with packing tape
imum height, tilt it, then check it. Make sure to shed glue, can hold the tips of the bevels
the triangle is flat against the saw blade’s together, but other strategies work, too. A backup strip attached to the miter gauge aids when
body and not against a carbide tip. Glue tack often holds a small box together you are trying to locate the bevel cut. Align your
Double-check the angle by making a pair while you position pressure blocks and apply layout line with the kerf in the strip.
of test cuts and join the two samples. If the clamps. Or you can use packing tape to hold
corner they form is square, your setup is right the parts while you apply the clamps. Tape
and you can proceed. the outside of the joint before adding glue.
You won’t always use the rip fence. If the With a chest or cabinet, the parts are larg-
edge being beveled is the short one, you’ll er, more cumbersome and less cooperative.
want to use the miter gauge. This common In this situation, it may be practical to ad-
accessory is, of course, another source of in- dress one joint at a time. Glue up two joints
accuracies. If you use your miter gauge, make individually, then wait for the glue to set be-
sure you square it to the blade with a draft- fore combining them into the box or case.
ing triangle before tilting the blade. Also, adding biscuits or splines to the Cauls
Instead of a miter gauge, a lot of us use a joint makes it easier to align and hold the
crosscut sled to ensure we get square cuts. pieces in place while you position the blocks
The sled can be used for bevels, too. and apply the clamps.
If you make a lot of bevel cuts and think (Editor’s note: For another great way to A sure way to assemble case miters is with shop-
it’s worth the materials and shop time, you clamp up miters in casework, see “10 Tricks for made miter-clamping cauls. Clamp a caul to each half
can make a sled exclusively for bevel cuts. If Tight Joints” from our October 2003 issue. of the joint, then apply clamps. Do one joint at a time.
you do this, you’ll derive a couple of bene-
fits. One is the unmistakable angled kerf you
can use to align the workpiece. Another is Positioning a Rip Fence for Bevel Cuts
the zero-clearance around the kerf, which
helps minimize chipping on the underside Left-tilt saw Cut chip-free at top
of the workpiece. If you work with veneered surface
Slender offcut may jam and/or kick back
or melamine-coated sheets, this is a benefit Offcut not trapped
you’ll really appreciate.
Finally, if you are using a contractor’s saw,
you may be reluctant to tilt the blade at Chipping usually occurs on bottom surface Tip solidly contacts fence
all. Doing that can throw some saws out of
alignment. Instead of tilting the blade, you
WRONG CORRECT
can use an angle sled to deliver the work to
the blade. In this case, the workpiece is tilt-
ed instead of the blade. Right-tilt saw Tip can ride under fence,
(Editor’s note: Plans for such a sled also were stalling cut, precipitating Tip solidly contacts fence
kickback
included in the October 2003 issue.) Cut chip-free at top surface
Aligning the work for the cut is less straight-
forward than you might think. If you’re using
the crosscut sled or a miter gauge with a back- Trapped offcut Chipping usually occurs Offcut not trapped
up strip, you have a kerf to use. is kickback hazard on bottom surface
Move fence to left of blade
But there’s no practical way to measure
directly from the tilted blade to position the WRONG WRONG CORRECT
fence. Instead, you have to lay out the bevel
popwood.com 39
POWER-TOOL JOINERY
Lock Miter Joint

The routed lock miter sets off in a very dif-
ferent construction direction. You get that
attractive miter-joint appearance, but you
use a table-mounted router and a “trick” bit
to cut it. When the time comes for assem-
bly, the joint aligns perfectly and you can
apply clamps without pressure blocks.
The bit’s trick is that one setup suffices
for cuts on both pieces you want joined.
When you have the bit adjusted spot-on and
the fence perfectly positioned, you’re gold-
en. Just lay one panel flat on the tabletop
and slide it along the fence to rout it. Stand Half of each lock miter joint is cut with the work flat
the mating panel upright against the fence on the top of the router table. Using a push block
to make the mating cut on it. helps you hold the workpiece down while you
advance it across the bit.
There are two parts to the setup process:
setting the bit height and then setting the
fence position. You have to make gross set- Maybe you’ll nail the alignment, but it’ll
tings of both before cutting anything. Then, probably take a test cut and an adjustment
through a series of test cuts, you hone in (or two) to get it just right.
on the optimum settings, first of the bit height, Having set an approximate bit height,
then of the fence position. Here’s how: move the fence into position to guide your
• Setting the Bit Height: The key is lin- first test cut. I stand a piece of the working
ing up the midpoint of the bit with the cen- stock “behind” the bit and sight along the Stand the work on end flat against the fence to rout
the other half of the joint. A featherboard keeps the
ter of the stock. The midpoint of the bit is fence to the bit. My objective is to have the
workpiece against the fence, obviating the need for a
on the very slightly angled edge of the in- stock aligned with the profile’s bottom edge. tall fence facing.
terlock, as shown in the illustration below. Make a test cut with the sample flat on
The best thing you can do is mark the the table. Cut it in half, turn one of the pieces
centerline on a scrap piece of the working over and join the two. If the faces are flush, • Setting the Fence: When cutting the
stock, set it beside the bit, hunker down and the bit setting is perfect. If they are offset, joint, you’re dealing with a 45° bevel. The
squint across the tabletop to line them up. an adjustment is needed, as shown below. exposure of the cutting edge above the table
Use the depth-bar of a dial caliper to meas- and in front of the fence must match the
ure the offset between the two test pieces. thickness of the working stock. Because the
Setting Up a Lock Miter Bit Raise or lower the bit half the measurement. bit is set, it’s no longer a variable. Only the
Midpoint of profile Centerline of stock (Having a good depth-adjustment system on fence position is in play. If the fence is set
Workpiece your router and table is a boon here.) too far back, a cut will remove too much
stock and alter the length or width of the
workpiece. If it is too far forward, you won’t
get the full miter. You already have a gross
setting; now you just need to refine it.
Tabletop Need to raise bit
To set your fence correctly, cut a scrap
1. Set bit height, aligning midpoint of the profile piece from the working stock, feeding only
with the centerline of stock a few inches into the cut.
Workpiece Need to lower bit • If the tip is square, move the fence back
Fence to expose more of the bit.
• If the cut is shortening the material,
Bottom edge of pull the fence forward so that it will be
profile Bit is perfect able to house more of the bit.
• If the tip comes to an acute angle whose
tip is flush with the square, unrouted edge of
Adjust the lock miter bit up or down based on your
the stock, the fence position is just right.
2. Set the fence back from the bottom of the profile test cuts. Halve the sample and fit the resulting two With the final fence position set, you can
by the thickness of the working stock pieces together to see how they fit. proceed to the real workpieces. PW

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Eames-style Table
Photo by Al Parrish

A great way to try cold-bending, learn a
new band-saw trick and fire up the
hand-held power planer.
lmost any discussion of the leg-
A endary furniture designs of Charles

and Ray Eames begins with ply-
wood that has been formed into seeming-
ly impossible shapes.
During World War II, this husband-
and-wife team worked for the U.S. Navy
to shape plywood under heat and pressure
in ways that had not been done before.
Their goal was to make lightweight splints,
stretchers and even a shell for an experi-
mental glider. But what they ended up with
was the technology to create one of the
most memorable pieces of 20th-century
furniture: the Eames molded-plywood chair.
To complement this celebrated chair,
the couple designed a coffee table simi-
lar to the one shown here. The most no-
table difference is that the Eames table has
a top with a shallow depression in the mid-
dle that is molded from five wooden lay-
ers, also known as plies. Our top is made
using solid wood and is flat. (To see a photo
of the original table, which is still manu-
factured today, visit Herman Miller’s web
site, hermanmiller.com.)
by Christopher Schwarz
Comments or questions? Contact Christopher
at 513-531-2690 ext. 1407 or
chris.schwarz@fwpubs.com.
“You usually find that what works is better than what looks good.
You know, what looks good can change, but what works, works.”
— Ray Eames
popwood.com 43
Because few (if any) home the glue dries, the legs retain the A Form that Functions The second important part of
woodworkers have the equipment shape of the form. This process, Building the plywood form for the form is the two straight pieces
to make a molded-plywood top, called “cold bending,” can be in- the legs is simple. Using the il- of 1⁄2"-thick plywood. These pieces,
we decided to focus our attention timidating for woodworkers who lustration below as a guide, first which measure 3" wide x 16" long,
on the beautifully curved and ta- have never tried it. However, like make a template from 1⁄ 4"-thick are clamped on top of your lam-
pered legs – which usually take a many things in woodworking, the plywood or hardboard. Cut the ination and distribute clamp pres-
back seat to the top of this famous barrier is only in your mind. curve using a band saw and smooth sure evenly on your leg. They’re
piece of furniture. This simple and easy lamina- the edge with sandpaper. shown in action on page 46.
These legs are made by gluing tion is a great project for you to Next, saw four pieces of 3⁄ 4"- Cover the working surfaces of
thin layers of wood together over give this useful and strong way thick plywood to the same rough your three form pieces with a layer
a curved plywood form. When of bending wood a try. shape as the template and rout of duct tape. Glue won’t stick
them each to shape. Here’s how: to duct tape, so this prevents you
Simply screw the 1⁄ 4" template to from gluing a leg to the form.
your plywood. Chuck a pattern-
Cut 3/4"
cutting bit in your router (mine Right Wood; Right Thickness
has a bearing that follows the pat- Some woods bend better than
tern on the bottom of the bit) others. Ash, hickory and oak are
2 1/2"r. and trim them to finished shape. good choices for bending stock,
With all four pieces of the form whereas cherry is too brittle to
routed, glue and nail them into easily make it around this curve
one big perfectly aligned sand- without shattering.
1 1/2"dia. wich. When the glue is dry, drill I actually ended up using quar-
clamp holes 13" 11⁄ 2"-diameter holes in the form tersawn Japanese ash, sold as
to allow you to position your “senn,” for my legs. I was seduced
10 1/2" clamps’ heads. I drilled 13 holes by its arrow-straight grain – and
in my form in two rows: One row by the fact that my lumber sup-
is centered 2" from the edge; the plier was completely out of reg-
other is 31⁄ 2" from the edge. The ular ash. I bought 18 board feet
exact placement isn’t critical – of 4/4 stock, which was enough
Cut just space them evenly. to make six legs. You definitely
4 3/4" 9 1/4"
14"
Leg bending form
1⁄
4"-thick
template
Even for small jobs such as making this form, using a template to rout the individual The band saw wastes less wood than the table saw, but it will be more work. Be
pieces ensures an accurate bend and predictable results. After the form is sure to set up your band saw carefully for this resawing operation. Get your guides
assembled, smooth the finished curve with sandpaper. in close and set your fence for the drift of your blade.

want enough wood to make at piece of equipment. We have a count for my inevitable mistakes). ple and straightforward process.
least one extra leg, especially if drum sander in our shop, so I opted Your wood species of choice might If you shoot from the hip, you’ll
you’ve never done this before. to use the band saw. require fewer plies. end up with a messy and worth-
If you are planning to resaw The next step is to discover As you saw your plies, stack less tangle to show for your effort.
your plies on the table saw, it’s a what is the thickest ply that will them in the order that they come • Make sure you own or bor-
good idea to choose a wood that bend around your form. This varies off the saw. I marked mine on one row enough clamps. I needed 30
is inexpensive, such as yellow from species to species. Start by edge so I could keep my plies to- bar clamps for this lamination.
pine. Because the plies are so thin, cutting an 1⁄ 8"-thick x 3"-wide gether. This helps make uniform- • Have the right safety equip-
you’re going to waste almost as x 33"-long ply. Try to bend it over looking legs in the end. ment on hand. The best glue for
much wood as you use when you the form using finger pressure. If this job is plastic resin glue, also
cut these out on the table saw. the wood breaks, cut a thinner Get Ready to Glue known as resorcinol (see the sup-
There is quite a good reason ply. If it bends, but just barely, try Pulling off a successful bent lam- plies box for ordering informa-
to use a table saw instead of a band a slightly thinner ply. The ideal ination is mostly about prepara- tion). You mix it from a powder
saw for this operation: Table-sawn thickness for my ash was 1⁄ 16", tion. If you have everything ready with water. If you have gloves,
plies are ready to go into the form which meant I was going to have to go and have been through a a face mask, goggles and long
as soon as you cut them. A band- to have 12 layers of wood to cre- dress rehearsal, you’ll find it a sim- sleeves, it’s easy. If you lack any
sawn ply has rough-cut surfaces ate a 3⁄4"-thick leg. In other words,
that must be first sanded down in to make six legs I had to saw out
a drum sander – an expensive 72 plies (and a few extra, to ac-
34"-dia. top
20"-long brace
2 3/8"x 2 3/8"x 3/4"

leg joining block
Plan 1 7/16"
3/8"-high x 3"-wide
bottom edge chamfer &
1/2"-radius top edge
roundover 20"
3/8" 2 3/8" 3/4"
3/8" 1"
3"
13 3/4"
This monster drum sander is a luxury. Luckily, there are consumer versions available 32"
from Performax and Delta. If you don’t have one, chances are someone in your local
woodworking club does. These are mighty handy machines. Elevation
popwood.com 45
of these things you’re going to • Pull off three 12"-long strips you do, don’t clamp both ends Paint the glue on in a thin but
have irritated skin, a hacking of duct tape and stick one end of and work toward the middle bend even layer on both sides of all your
cough and burning eyes. (Why each to your bench. You’re going – you’ll get a big ugly gap. interior plies. Work quickly be-
not use yellow glue? It’s flexible to wrap the lamination with these Take the plies off the form cause once the glue hits the wood,
when it dries and will “creep” too before it goes on the form. Having and get ready to mix the glue. the clock is ticking. Stack your
much – the legs will lose their these on hand will save you five It’s time for the real thing. Plastic plies as soon as you’ve applied the
shape. Plastic resin glue dries hard- minutes of fumbling. resin glue is messy but strong. glue – this slows down the glue’s
er and won’t creep.) • Have your gluing equipment Your best bet is to mix it up in a curing time. When all the plies
ready. The best way to apply the small bucket using a paint-stir- are stacked, take a piece of duct
glue quickly (you can have as lit- ring attachment on your cord- tape and wrap it around the end.
tle as 10 minutes to do the job) less drill (variable speed gives Tape it snugly, but by no means
is to pour it into a disposable paint you more control). To glue up tourniquet-tight. Wrap the other
tray and roll it on. one leg, I found that 11⁄ 2 cups of end and the center. The duct tape
• Have your plies stacked ex- powder and 3⁄ 4 cup of water gave minimizes the tendency of the
actly the way you want them and me just enough for the job. plies to creep side-to-side.
vacuum the sanding dust off them Mix the glue outside; good Put the lamination on your
before you begin. ventilation is key. Slowly add the form, put the plywood piece on
Once your clamps are in a row, water until the glue is the con- top and start clamping at the top.
go through a dress rehearsal with- sistency of heavy cream. Then You shouldn’t break your wrist
out glue. Bundle your plies with stir it until all the lumps are gone. when you tighten the clamps.
a few lengths of duct tape and If you cannot get rid of the lumps, Snug them until the gaps close
clamp them in the form. Start strain the glue through a nylon on the edges. When you get to
from the top of the leg and work stocking or paint strainer. Then the middle bend, push your lam-
toward the bottom. Whatever pour the glue in your paint tray. ination down on the form and se-
cure it with the second piece of
plywood and a clamp. It should
This simple $3 plastic paint-stirring
gizmo did a better job of mixing the
be easier to bend than in the re-
glue than the fancy $12 paint-stirring hearsal – the water in the glue
gizmo I own. Go figure. makes things more pliable. Then
add the rest of the clamps.
Wipe the edges of the lami-
nation with a moist rag – not too
wet. Look for gaps and adjust your
clamp pressure. Wait 12 hours for
the glue to cure. Then repeat the
whole process for the other legs.
Get Your Legs in Shape

This is the second-most fun part
of the project (the big fun comes
Straight parts of
form (covered in
duct tape)
distribute clamp
pressure evenly
Don’t use too much glue, or you will just
make a sliding mess when the clamps
go on. A thin film on both sides is Turn off the radio, hold your calls and don’t stop to chat
enough to do the job. Dry spots on the during this part of the project. Speed and accuracy make a
plies are a no-no, however. good lamination. This glue can set up fast.

2 3/8"
later). First you need to clean The photo below shows it best. pattern from our web site (click
up the left edge of your lamina- Why not just calculate the on “Magazine Extras” to find it)
9 1/4"
tion so you can run it through the angle and cut it on your miter to make this process easy. Stick
table saw. If your jointer knives saw? Each leg will have a slight- the pattern to the backside of the 2 1/8"
are carbide (or if they’re due to be ly different amount of “spring- leg using a spray adhesive and cut
replaced), clean up one edge on back,” which is when the leg tries the taper on the band saw.
your jointer. The resin glue is mur- to bend back to its original straight “Wait a minute,” you’re prob-
3 7/16"
der on steel knives. Otherwise, I shape after coming off the bend- ably saying to yourself. “How 23 7/8"
recommend a belt sander (be wary ing form. Because each leg is bent do I cut the taper on the bent part
of the dust) and then a block plane at a slightly different angle, the of the leg?” It’s easy. Start your Bend
to clean up one edge. foot angle needs to be slightly dif- cut at the foot. When you get area
With one edge clean, you can ferent for each, too. What a pain. to the bend, simply tilt the leg
trim the excess junk off the top Do it like the photo below shows back as shown in the photo below
11 3/16"
and cut the angle at the foot. This and your legs will sit flat without right. It looks nuts, but it’s quite
is easier than you think. After geometrical equations. safe if you take it slow. After a
trimming the excess off the top, Next, lay out the taper on the couple of tapers, it’s fun to do.
set your table saw’s fence to 133⁄4". legs. The legs start out at 2 3⁄ 8" Clean up the band-sawn edges
Then crosscut the foot by run- wide at the top and taper to 17⁄16" with a block plane, working from
ning the leg through the saw with at the foot. You can use the il- the top to the toe to reduce tear-
the top edge flush against the fence. lustration at right or download a out. Sand your legs to their fin- 1 7/16"
ished grit. Start with #100 grit
and work up to #220. A word of Leg taper pattern -
caution: Take it easy on the in- apply to backside
side and outside bends. It’s easy of each leg
to sand through a layer of your
lamination, ruining your work. the top sit above the legs and
reveal the curve; they don’t add
Build the Braces much to the structure of the table.
Sandwiched between the legs and I laid out the half-lap joint, cut it
the top are two 1" x 23⁄ 8" x 20" on the band saw and cleaned it
poplar braces that are joined into up with a chisel and shoulder plane.
an “X” shape using a half-lap joint Once you get the braces nest-
at the center. The braces make ing together, screw a 3⁄ 4" x 23⁄ 8" x
This looks like a funky jointer operation, but the leg actually just bends around the
guard, making it safe and simple. Too bad you’ll have to sharpen those cutterhead
knives now, but you were probably overdue.
Keep leg
pressed firmly
Scrap block against fence
Press the top of the leg against the fence and this cut is a snap. I clamped the scrap The third in our series of odd machinery operations. The band saw’s blade pushes
block to the leg during the cut to prevent tear-out on the backside of the leg. the work against the table, so it’s easy to keep control of the leg as you make this
Another option is to use your miter gauge and a gauge block clamped to the fence. bend. Still unsure? Then cut from both ends and finish the middle with a hand saw.
popwood.com 47
23⁄8" block of plywood to the cen- the top, lay out the circular shape. Once that’s complete, flip the es the grain of the top are slotted.
ter of the “X.” Then butt each leg Then, on the underside, lay out top over and get out your hand- The slots allow the top to expand
against the center block and screw a 28"-diameter circle. This is held power planer. You heard me. and contract. Screw your legs to
them to the braces. where you’ll begin the chamfer. The best way to make this cham- the braces and you’re in business.
To give the braces a clean look, Cut the top to rough shape fer is with a power tool usually used A clear finish is appropriate
trace the taper of each leg onto using a band saw or jigsaw. You by door installers. The power plan- for this piece, as is a red dye or
its matching brace. Disassemble can then sand the sawn edge to er happens to be a champ at shap- even an ebonized look. I sprayed
the entire base assembly and taper a circular shape or rout the top ing large chamfers, too. on two coats of clear satin lac-
the long edges of the two braces. round using a straight bit in your Work from the inside out to quer (sanding with #320-grit
I cut the taper on my band saw router and a circle-cutting jig. the edge to sculpt the chamfer stearated paper between coats)
along my pencil lines and cleaned Once your top is round, cut a and follow the grain as much as and called it done. PW
up the edges with a block plane. roundover detail on the top edge. possible. Once you get within
I used a 1⁄ 2"-radius roundover bit. 1⁄
32" of your two lines, move on
A Solid Top Then scribe a line all around the to another section of the top. SUPPLIES
There are ways to make the top top that’s exactly one-half of the Clean up the chamfer with a block DoItBest
imitate the look of the original, thickness of the top. This is where plane and a random-orbit sander. doitbest.com or 260-748-7175
but we decided a less slavish im- your chamfer will end at the edge. With the top complete, it’s just 41⁄ 2 lb.• DAP Weldwood
itation was appropriate. This top Before you cut the chamfer – a simple matter of a few more plastic resin glue
has a large chamfer on the un- the most enjoyable part of this screws to get the table on its feet. (resorcinol)
derside and a rounded top edge table – prepare the top surface for Screw the braces to the underside # 334178, $23.69
to give it some lightness. Once finishing. Plane and scrape (or of the top. Make sure the clear- Price as of publication deadline.
you’ve edge-glued your boards for sand) the surface smooth. ance holes in the brace that cross-
When my grandfather visited Japan he was presented with these beautiful machine-
age trammels as a gift (his hosts knew he was a woodworker and engineer at
heart). I use them every chance I get.
Use the hand-held

power planer to
sculpt the chamfer
on the underside.
It’s a free-form
operation. Set your
tool to take a Exploded view
small bite and
you’ll do just fine.
EAMES-STYLE TABLE
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) M AT E R I A L
T W L
❏ 72 Leg strips 1⁄
16 3 33 Japanese ash
❏ 2 Braces 1 23⁄ 8 20 Poplar
❏ 1 Center block 3⁄
4 23⁄ 8 23⁄ 8 Plywood
❏ 1 Top 3⁄
4 34 34 Maple

WOODWORKING
ESSENTIALS BY NICK ENGLER
CHAPTER
4 Router Joinery
lthough routers were originally than with any other joinery tool. No • Most routers won’t stand up to
A designed to create moulded

shapes, they can be excellent
joinery tools. In fact, they’re better in
matter if you have a fixed-base or
plunge router, you can cut more types of
joints than with any other kind of tool.
continual cutting as well as heavy-duty
woodworking machinery.
• Because you can’t make deep cuts
some ways than table saws, professional- • Accuracy: There isn’t a more in a single pass on a router, it may take
quality mortisers or dado cutters when it precise joinery tool. You may find tools you longer to rout some joints than it
comes to cutting joints. There are sever- just as accurate, but none that surpass would to use a mortiser or dado cutter.
al reasons routers have an advantage: the router. Because routers cut quickly, • Depending on the joint you want
• Simplicity: Setting up hand-held they leave a smooth surface, meaning to make, you may be limited by the sizes
or table-mounted routers is rather joints fit better and bonds are stronger. and configurations of available bits.
straightforward. Tools dedicated to There are some disadvantages to These shortcomings, however, are
joint-making such as hollow-chisel using your router for joint-making, and minor. Routers are indispensable joinery
mortisers are more complex and require I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention them: tools in any workshop.
more time to set up. Sure, it could be
worth the effort to use a mortiser if
you’re planning to make dozens of du-
plicate joints. But if all you want to cut
are a few mortises and tenons, for exam-
ple, a router will save you loads of time.
• Versatility: You can make a
greater variety of joints with a router
PRO TRICK:
Dehumidifier Can Make
Your Tenons Fit Tighter
Woodworkers who use mortise-and-tenon
joints sometimes keep a dehumidifier in
their shop to make it drier than the
surrounding environment. Once in the
shop, wood shrinks slightly. Then, when a
completed project is returned to normal
humidity, the tenons swell in the mortises,
making the joints tighter.
TIPS & TRICKS
PRO TRICK: Rabbets, Dados & Grooves unnecessary, you still should use one to
You can make the most basic woodwork- limit the amount of bit exposed and to
Tilting Pieces to
ing joints – rabbets, dados and grooves – help guide the pieces. Align the fence
Create Stopped Cuts using a simple fixed-base router and an with the outside edge of the bearing for a
inexpensive set of straight bits. seamless process. For improved accuracy
Rabbets (and the simple tongue for a and safety, use a fingerboard to hold the
tongue-and-groove joint) are produced material against the fence and table.
easily with a router. While you may need As mentioned earlier, a rabbet also
a variety of rabbet sizes, a single rabbet- can form the tongue for a tongue-and-
Bit locations
marked on ing bit can accomplish them all. By groove joint. The tongue can be flush to
fence purchasing a rabbeting bit with inter- one side of a board (for offset raised-
changeable guide bearings, the width of panel doors) or the tongue can be cen-
the rabbet can be changed quickly by tered on the board. Essentially, the
selecting and installing a different diam- tongue is just a long tenon. Run the
Stopped grooves or dados can be made eter guide-bearing on the bit. groove first, then simply size the tongue
safely on the router table by first marking Rabbeting can be accomplished safely to fit in that groove.
the bit location (both sides of the bit using a router free-hand or in a table. For Many dados or grooves can be made
profile) on the fence, then carefully rabbeting smaller pieces (such as with with a straight bit that is sized to accu-
lowering and raising the piece for the cut frames or door mullions) I recommend rately make the joint with a single-width
using the end of the board opposite the using a router table. In a table, you can pass. To make a dado or groove that’s a
cut as a fulcrum. use a simple straight bit to cut the rab- non-standard size, choose a cutter that’s
bet, or you can use a rabbeting bit with a slightly smaller than the width of the
bearing guide. Even though you may joint and cut the joint in two passes, as
PRO TIP: think the bearing guides make a fence shown in the photos below.
No Templates Needed
If You Copy an Existing Piece When routing dados
To reproduce a shape quickly and and grooves, the joint
precisely without making a template, just ordinarily will be the
same width as the bit.
use an existing part to make copies.
If you need to make a
Adhere the shaped part to the stock with joint of a larger size,
double-faced carpet tape and, using first make a cut that’s
either a pattern-cutting or flush-trim bit, somewhat narrower
cut the stock while tracing the shaped than the joint needed
part with the bearing. However, because (left), then move the
fence or straightedge
the bit won’t cut inside corners that are
to make a second cut
smaller than the bit diameter, you’ll have (below), enlarging the
to cut this with a band saw or scroll saw. joint to the desired
width.
GREAT TIP:
Mortising Bits are Worth
Taking the Plunge For
Some manufacturers offer so-called
mortising bits. They look like a standard
straight bit with one difference: They
have an additional small cutter at the end
of the bit. This bit allows you to plunge
directly into your work, instead of wig-
gling the bit as you plunge, which is
typical with a straight bit.
POPULAR WOODWORKING
Because most basic joints are cut
parallel or perpendicular to straight
edges, you must guide the router or the
work in a straight line. The best way to
do this is to use an edge guide, straight-
edge, fence or miter gauge. You also can
use a shop-made jig, such as the T-square
Router Guide (which was featured in the
“Jig Journal” in Chapter One of this series).
If the joint is blind (which means it
stops before running through the board)
at one or both ends, attach stops to the
workpiece or the guides to automatically
halt the cut. The location of these stops
depends on where the joint is to be cut
in the board. For example, to cut a blind
groove that stops 6" from the ends of the
board, clamp a stop to the outfeed side of
the fence 6" from the router bit.
Now, if the joint is blind at both ends,
Stop block
you can determine the distance between
the two stops by adding the length of the
board to the length of the joint and When cutting blind joints – rabbets, dados and grooves that are closed at one or both ends – use
subtracting the router bit diameter. (For a stop block to halt the cut at the blind ends. Note that the end of the stop block is mitered. This
example, if you want to cut a 4"-long prevents sawdust from being trapped between it and the stock, where the dust might interfere
double-blind groove in a 10" board with with the accuracy of the cut.
a 3⁄ 8"-diameter straight bit, position the
stops 135⁄ 8" apart.)
But what if the rabbet must follow a
contour? Well, there are a couple of
choices, but the only bit that makes good
sense for making contoured rabbets is a
bearing-piloted rabbeting bit.
For a contoured groove, a different
approach will likely be necessary. The
answer this time is a guide collar (also
called a template guide) and a template.
Because a guide collar is slightly wider
than the diameter of the bit, the contour
cut by the router will not be the same size
as the template. For inside curves and
corners, the contour will be smaller; for
outside ones, it will be larger.
There always will be a small gap be-
tween the edge of the template and the
nearest side of the cut because of the
different diameters. To determine the
width of this space, subtract the diameter
of the bit from the outside diameter of
the collar and divide by two. (For exam-
ple, if you cut a contoured groove with a
5⁄ 1
8"-diameter collar and a ⁄ 2"-diameter When cutting a joint in a contoured edge, use a piloted bit to follow the contour. A piloted
bit, the distance between the template rabbeting bit will neatly cut a rabbet in an irregular edge, while a spline cutter will likewise
and the groove will be 1⁄ 16".) make a groove in an irregular edge a simple task.
popwood.com
TIPS & TRICKS
PRO TIP: Mortises and Tenons piece of plywood that has a hole in it
To make a mortise and its matching that is the exact size of the mortise you
Let the Wood Get Acquainted
tenon, you must combine several tech- wish to rout. Just clamp the template
With its New Surroundings niques. Although it may seem complex, a directly onto your work and then form
When you first purchase lumber, bring it mortise-and-tenon joint is just a combi- the mortise using a straight bit that has a
into your shop and let it sit untouched nation of several basic joints. After all, a bearing above the cutting flutes. There
for a few weeks before you use it. This mortise is simply a groove that’s blind at are a variety of ways to make the tem-
will give the moisture content of each both ends, and a tenon is made by cutting plate, from making plunge cuts on a
board a chance to reach equilibrium two or more rabbets in the end of a board. board with a table saw to edge-gluing
The trick to cutting precise mortises four pieces of wood together and leaving
with its new environment. If you cut a
and tenons is to make the cuts in the a gap in the middle that is the size of the
board while its moisture content is in
proper order. Most experienced wood- mortise. All work just fine.
flux, the wood may expand or contract
workers agree that it’s easiest to cut the When cutting the mortise, first
unevenly, ruining the fit of your joints mortise first, then fit the tenon into it. plunge straight down in the area you
and distorting the project. To make a mortise, you must bore a wish to waste away. Then, with the
starter hole and expand it to the dimen- router fully plunged, follow the tem-
sions needed. There are several ways to plate’s edge with your bearing to shape
GREAT TRICK: do this using a fixed-base or a plunge the mortise to its finished size. (See
Connect the Dots to Keep router, either hand-held or in a table. below for how to cut the tenon.)
Cutting in Straight Lines However, when you make mortises for
mortise-and-tenon joints, you usually Dovetails
want to make several mortises in several There are three basic dovetail joints:
different workpieces, all the exact same half-blind dovetails, through dovetails
size and shape. The easiest way to ac- and sliding dovetails. The router is the
complish this is with a simple template. only power tool that can create them all,
As a general rule, mortises should be using a special dovetail bit.
about half the width of the material Both half-blind and through dovetails
they’re made in. So a mortise in a 3⁄ 4"- are most easily made using accurate
wide piece of wood should be 3⁄ 8" wide, templates. These can be purchased
with a 3⁄ 16" shoulder on either side of it. (there are many commercially manufac-
The bit does not always fall in the exact The depth of the mortise should be no tured ones) or you can make your own.
center of a round router sole. Because of less than 3⁄ 4" to ensure a good joint, but Through dovetails require two passes
this, the cut won’t be accurate if the
1" or slightly more usually is a good idea. and two matching templates. These
The simplest form of template is a templates are less common than half-
router turns while you’re guiding the
base along a straightedge. The accuracy
also may be spoiled when you remove
To make a tenon, cut
and replace the sole. To avoid this, put a
two or more rabbets in
spot of paint on the edges of the sole and the end of the board –
base, one above the other. Keep these these rabbets will
spots toward you as you rout, and align become the cheeks and
them each time you reattach the sole. shoulders of the tenon.
Scrap
To fit the tenon to the
mortise, cut the tenon
just a bit large, then
GREAT TIP: Cheek
slowly raise the bit,
Watch Your Tenon Widths Shoulder shaving away a paper-
thin layer of stock on
As a rule of thumb, most woodworkers
each cheek until you
limit the width of mortise-and-tenon get the fit you’re after.
joints (where the wood grain must be Guide the cuts with the
glued perpendicular to its mate) to 3". miter gauge, using the
Once you exceed 3" wide, you will need fence as a stop.
to use double tenons.
POPULAR WOODWORKING
blind dovetail templates and, because of
the precision required to make them, can
be much more expensive.
Sliding dovetails require no special
equipment, other than your router,
router table and dovetail bit.
To make a sliding dovetail, first rout a
dovetail slot the same way you would
rout a dado or groove. Because of the bit
shape, however, you must cut the full
depth in one pass. Next, cut a dovetail
tenon to fit this slot – this must be cut on On half-blind dovetails (above), the joint is hidden from view
a router table. The slot, on the other on one side. This makes it ideal for the fronts of drawers and
hand, can be cut using a hand-held other applications where you don’t want to see the joinery.
router. Leave the depth of cut Through dovetails (right) are visible from both sides and are
unchanged from the setup you used often used for decoration, as well as joining.
when routing the slot. Then pass a board
by the bit, cutting one face. Then turn
the board around and cut the other face.
These two cuts form the tenon.
To assemble the joint, just slide the
tenon into the slot. If necessary, adjust
the fit by trimming a little stock off the
tenon’s cheeks, either with your router, a
small plane or simply with sandpaper.
To rout a half-blind dovetail joint (right), secure

both of the adjoining boards in the template.
The “tail” board is held vertically, so its end is
flush with the top surface of the horizontal
“pin” board. Cut both the tails and the pins in
one pass with a dovetail bit, using a guide
collar to follow the template.
When using a fixed through-dovetail template

(left) you can’t change the size and position
of the tails and pins. Rout the tails first, using
the tail template, a guide collar and a dovetail
bit. Then you can switch to the pin template
and a straight bit. Fit the pins to the tails by
moving the template forward or back on its
holder. This will change the size, but not the
location, of the pins.
popwood.com
TIPS & TRICKS
GREAT TRICK: Coped Joints • Single bit with interchangeable
Perhaps the easiest way to make a joint cutters: You switch from the male to the
Need a Hinge? Just Add a
with a router is to cut a “coped” joint, female cutter by disassembling the bit
Hole to Finger-jointed Boards where both adjoining surfaces are and changing the orientation of the
To make a wooden hinge, roundover the shaped. The most common example of cutters. There are small shims involved
ends of two boards with a roundover bit this is on cabinet doors where the rails so you need to keep those in the right
(the radius of the bit must be half the (the horizontal pieces) meet with the place as you assemble the bit each time.
thickness of the boards). Cut finger stiles (the vertical pieces). Each joint • Two bits: There’s one bit for cut-
joints in the rounded ends and assemble surface is a mirror image of the other, so ting the male part of the joint and a
the joint. At the center of the rounded
the two surfaces mate perfectly. second for the female. This is usually the
This has two advantages: the shape of most expensive route.
ends, drill a hole through the interlock-
the joint aligns the adjoining parts so the There is another type of bit used for
ing fingers and insert a wooden or metal
surfaces are flush and the corners are assembling boxes that routs the joinery
dowel to serve as a pivot. square, and the shape increases the glu- on both edges. The drawer-lock joint –
ing surfaces and strengthens the joint. one example of these – is shown below.
Coped joints require special router
PRO TRICK: bits that can be pretty expensive. There Loose-tenon Joints
Two Jigs are Better than One, are three types of bits, and each must be Along with all the joints we have dis-
Especially for Dovetails used in a different manner: cussed so far that require joinery parts
• Single bit with one cutter: The cut on the mating pieces, there are a
Many woodworkers keep two dovetail
male and female cutters are on the same number that use an extra piece to form a
fixtures in their shops – one for half-
bit, making it a long piece of tooling. loose-tenon joint. The three most com-
blinds, one for everything else. For You raise and lower the bit in the table mon are the true loose-tenon joint, the
example, I make frequent use of two to change which set of cutters are in use. spline joint and the biscuit joint.
commercial dovetail routing setups. In
one, I have an inexpensive half-blind
dovetail jig and an old router with the
necessary guide collar and dovetail bit.
Because I rout more half-blind dovetails
than any other dovetail joint, this saves
me lots of time. Then, when I need to
rout through dovetails or other special
dovetail joints, I just use my other jig.
GREAT TIP:
Just a Little Bit off the Top,
Even when Routing Mortises
When routing deep mortises, remember
to make the cut in several passes, rout-
ing no more than 1⁄ 8" with each pass. If
the wood is very hard or tends to chip
and splinter, it’s better to rout in 1⁄ 16"
passes. Also, use a spiral straight bit to A drawer-lock joint requires only one bit and
help clear the chips from the mortise as one setup. However, instead of reversing
boards face for face as you cut them (like in
you cut. This is especially important
the finger glue joint), you must cut the drawer
when you’re using a hand-held router front with the face of the workpiece against
and the bit is positioned over the work the router table, and then cut the drawer side
because the chips tend to fall down into with the face against the fence. Adjust both
the mortise and clog it. the depth of cut and the position of the fence
so the members fit together properly.
POPULAR WOODWORKING
A BIT OF ADVICE
The true loose tenon is exactly what join together. This can be an edge-to- A router bit consists of a cylindrical
it sounds like. Rather than making a edge joint or an edge-to-face joint. It shank (1⁄ 4" or 1⁄ 2" in diameter) and one or
mortise in one piece and a tenon on the doesn’t matter. more flutes or cutting wings, usually
other, both pieces have mortises. A third A special router bit called a spline- comprised of a piece of carbide brazed to
piece (often made in a long stock piece cutting bit is used to cut the groove. As the metal body of the bit. Throughout
and cut to length) becomes a double- with a rabbeting bit, the spline cutter this series, we will be providing a closer
sided tenon, connecting the two mortis- uses interchangeable bearing guides of
look at many of the common and spe-
es. The strength is essentially the same as different diameters to adjust the depth of
cialized bits that can be used with your
it is in a mortise-and-tenon joint, but the cut. A router table’s fence also can be
process is perfect for use with a router, used to adust the depth. router. These three bits are great when
and it is quick and accurate. With the mating grooves cut, just using your router for joinery.
The mortises are made as described glue a spline in place. The spline can be
earlier and can be left rounded on the made from 1⁄ 4" plywood or solid wood, Rabbeting Bit
ends, as created by the bit. The tenon is depending on your preference. Again, This handy bit usually comes with a set
made from a piece of stock planed and the spline should be slightly less wide of different-sized bearings that you can
ripped to fit the mortises. Next the four (deep) than the groove to allow some simply swap out to cut
arises are rounded using a roundover bit room for glue squeeze-out. rabbets of different depths.
in your router to make a perfect fit in the Biscuits follow the same concept,
mortises. Then you simply crosscut the except the spline cutter is used to cut
tenon to fit the mortises. shorter grooves and commercially avail-
Spline and biscuit joints are cousins able biscuits are used to bridge the joint.
to each other. The spline joint requires a In essence you’ve replaced the need to
groove (usually about 1⁄ 4" wide) that you buy a $150 biscuit jointer with a $20
run the entire length of the two pieces to router bit – not too bad. PW
Cope-and-stick Bit
Making decorative frame-and-panel
assemblies is a snap with this bit. There
are three versions that have different
ways of approaching the same opera-
tion. In this version, one bit
cuts both the male and
female pieces.
Spline-cutting Bit
Making grooves in edges is
the mainstay of this bit.
Newer versions allow you to
adjust the size of the groove
A tongue-and-groove joint requires two
with shims or by
matching bits. Rout a groove in one edge of
each of the workpieces, then change bits and adjusting the cutters.
rout a tongue in the other edge. You must
carefully adjust the depth of cut for the
second cut to match the first so the faces of
the adjoining boards will be flush.
popwood.com
Everything you need
JIG JOURNAL to know about
the router in our
Finger-joint Jig special series!
For many woodworkers, one of their
first tools is the router, but there
his jig will evenly space
T notches as you cut them,

allowing you to make
perfect finger joints. It’s de-
often isn’t enough instruction about
how to use it. This series aims to fix
that by giving you everything you
ever wanted to know.
signed to mount on any miter
gauge and will work great on Chapter 4
your router table (or, if you’re
so inclined, you also can use Router Joinery
A great tool for joinery, the
it on your table saw).
router is perfect for making
Make the face and the all kinds of tight joints —
mount from cabinet-grade rabbets, dados, grooves,
plywood and the stop from mortise-and-tenons, dove-
hardwood. If you wish, you tails and more.
can make several different
faces, each with a different- COMING IN FUTURE ISSUES
sized stop. This will enable
To use the jig, screw or bolt the mount to a miter gauge. Chapter 5 (ISSUE #140)
you to cut different sizes of
Loosen the wing nuts that secure the face to the mount
finger joints. Use Your Router to
and slide the face sideways until the stop is the proper
distance away from the bit. When the stop is positioned Build Drawers
An excellent application for
properly, tighten the wing nuts.
a table or hand-held router.
Mount Chapter 6 (#141)

Edge & Surface
Treatments
Spice up your projects with
these special edge shapes.
Chapter 7 (#142)
5⁄
Advanced
x 11⁄ 2" carriage bolt,
16"
washer & wing nut
Techniques
We comb our resources to
Face
give you some special tips
and projects to work on.
141⁄ 2" Stop

IN PAST ISSUES
3⁄
4" 2"
Exploded view Chapter 1 (#136)

3⁄
4"
Fixed-base Router
1⁄ The basics of router
14 2"
set-up and rules every
Top view woodworker should know.
3" 31⁄ 2" 8"
2" 1⁄
5 2" Chapter 2 (#137)
11⁄ 2"
Plunge Router
11⁄ 2"
An in-depth look at
5⁄
5⁄ 16" dia. thru versatile plunge routers.
16"
wd slot with 1⁄
6 4" 61⁄ 4"
3⁄
4" c’bore
Variable Chapter 3 (#138)
The Router Table
83⁄ 8" Mount layout Learn which routers work
Variable
best in a table and get lots
Front view Illustrations by Mary Jane Favorite of table tricks.
POPULAR WOODWORKING
S
ince our last review of
portable planers in 2001,
several manufacturers have
introduced 13"-wide machines,
and a couple even have two feed-
ing speeds. So it was clear that it
was time to take another look.
The two most significant
changes are from Craftsman and
DeWalt. Craftsman has added
powered height adjustment that
raises or lowers the cutterhead
with the push of a lever. Also, a
new internal dust-collection fan
pulls chips away from the cut-
terhead and into a garbage can
without a dust collector.
DeWalt also added an inter-
nal dust-collection fan, plus two
feed speeds, similar to the Delta.
But DeWalt went further, adding
a three-knife cutterhead – all the
others have two. The three blades
significantly increase the oppor-
tunity for a fine finish.
DeWalt also upgraded its phys-
ical design. (The traditionally de-
signed DW733 is now available
in an upgraded DW734 version
that is a 121⁄ 2" disposable three-
blade model. Disposable blades
are used twice – once on each side
– and are then thrown away. They
can’t be resharpened.) The new
DeWalt has a short, wide de-
sign that has some advantages we
will discuss later in this article.
Another significant change
13" Portable
on the DeWalt is its lack of a head
lock. All the other 13" models
offer a manual head lock, which
fixes the moveable head in place
and reduces snipe. DeWalt elim-
PLANERS inates snipe by adding strong

springs to remove the “backlash”
tendency of the head (one of the
causes of snipe). The result is a
glass-like finish with virtually no
snipe and no head lock to engage.
We test 7 premium machines to find out
by David Thiel
which one belongs in your shop. Comments or questions? Contact David
at 513-531-2690 ext. 1255 or
david.thiel@fwpubs.com.
Photo by Al Parrish
popwood.com 57
Even with these changes, the drop them into a ready-to-use po- handle the higher cutterhead up to 1⁄ 8". Delta’s machine em-
DeWalt may not be the planer sition without having to be set speed and feed speed under load. ploys an indicator that snaps back
you need. It’s pricey ($479) and or adjusted. Check out “Three As we noted in the chart, some into the housing when the ma-
may be more machine than re- Blade Systems” below for addi- manufacturers have listed a dif- terial is contacted, but it doesn’t
quired. We’ve listed our individ- tional information. ferent maximum depth of cut have a scale. Again, personal pref-
ual comments on each of the test when you are planing a 6" or 13" erence will help you choose your
models on the following pages. Understanding the Chart board. This tends to indicate the favorite scale or gauge.
We should mention the signifi- motor won’t perform at peak per-
Putting Them to the Test cance of some of the test cate- formance on a full-width board The Bottom Line
Our tests were based on real-world gories. Feed speeds that are list- at a full-depth cut. We got to test a number of nice
use. We tested how much am- ed in the chart on page 61 are machines. The Ryobi is a decent
perage the motor needed, both as stated by the manufacturers. Feature Attractions tool for a pretty low price, but
while free-spinning and while A slower feed speed usually will Other features that deserve com- only if you’re an occasional wood-
making a 1⁄ 16" cut on a 6"-wide improve the quality of your board’s ment are the depth stops and the worker. The Ridgid and Craftsman
white oak board. We also tested finish because each knife can take material-removal gauges. Depth models both have advantages,
the revolutions per minute on a smaller bite of wood, so there stops let you set the machine to but each is hampered by either
each machine (both with and are more cuts per inch. plane a certain thickness time price or the competition.
without lumber being planed) in- But you also have to take into and again. Some of the machines Ultimately the DeWalt plan-
dicating how the feed rate and consideration the cutterhead offer several adjustable stops with- er walks away with our highest
cuts per inch changed under load. speed. An increase in rpm also in a certain range. Two offer a sin- praise and Editor’s Choice award.
The best planers kept up their rpm increases the cuts per inch, and gle stop with infinite adjustment. Its strong innovations and user-
without drawing huge amounts this should improve the cut qual- Your methods of work will dic- friendly design are only icing on
of additional amperage. ity. This means that a machine tate the better system for you. the very impressive quality fin-
We also evaluated how easy with a fast feed rate and a fast cut- There also are two styles of ish left on the material.
the blades are to change. All of terhead may have the same num- material-removal gauges. These Of course, you could save $80
the test models use double-sided, ber of cuts per inch as a machine let you see how much of a bite and buy the Delta, which also has
disposable blades – a good eco- with a slower feed rate. you’re going to take before you a very good quality of cut and two
nomic option over resharpenable Then there’s the whole prob- feed the wood through. Most offer speeds. And so we award the Delta
blades. And they all allow you to lem of whether the motor can a scale with graduations in 1⁄ 32" our Best Value prize. PW
THREE BLADE SYSTEMS: EASY, EASIER AND SUPERB

Five of the planers we tested use a good blade Screw-and-plate system. We call it the “Fixed right). Similar to the Delta, the cover plate
hold-down system that made it simple to adjust Screw-and-plate” (below middle). You don’t doesn’t need to be removed to adjust or change
or change the knives. Pictured (below left) is have to remove the screws and the cover plate; the blade, only backed off. Using square nuts
what we call the “Screw-and-plate” system. You the screws need only to be backed out enough rather than socket-hex screws is an advantage.
remove the hex-socket machine screws and a to lift the blade over the setting pins. This is It has been our experience that the socket-hex
cover plate to remove the blade. When provided achieved with reasonable ease using the mag- screws are easy to strip (especially when they’re
with the proper tools (a T-handle wrench and netic tool provided. With this system, there’s machine-tightened from the factory – see the
magnetic pickups) it’s a user-friendly method. little chance of losing screws. Shop Fox review) and the square nuts are more
Two better methods also were found in this The last method is found on the Ridgid, and reliable. In fact, we’d rather see a square or hex
test. The first, on the Delta, is a variation on the we call it the “Fixed Nut-and-plate” (below bolt on all of the “Screw-and-plate” models.
Nuts and cover stay

Magnet in place
Magnet
Blade
Blade Magnet
Photo by ????????????????
Screws and
Wrench cover stay
Hex screws in place Blade
Cover plate
Screw-and-plate Fixed Screw-and-plate Fixed Nut-and-plate

CRAFTSMAN 21743 This is a pretty good planer with nice features, (8,000 rpm, which is bad for cut quality), it actu-
but it also has a couple of things that curb our ally appears to be an efficient motor when look-
enthusiasm. The powered height-adjustment ing at the amperage spike during operation.
feature lets you quickly raise or lower the head Closely related to the rpm is the cut quality. The
without making yourself dizzy turning a handle. Craftsman is tied for the lowest cuts per inch (50)
It’s nice, but not really necessary. The built-in in the test. Happily, the finish is within an accept-
dust-collection fan, however, is functional, neces- able level. The blade change is acceptably easy,
sary and pretty darn cool. It might sound gim- though there are springs under the cover plate
micky, until you consider that this machine that were a nasty surprise, popping loose and
doesn’t need to be hooked up to a dust collector heading toward the interior of the planer. The
to remove the chips. You just saved $150 and height scale is located horizontally across the top
some floor space. This also is the only machine of the infeed side, an unusual location. It is in
with fold-up extension tables that allow you to both English and metric, and is difficult to read.
close the outfeed table with the dust collec- As the second-highest-priced model in the test,
tion device still in place. the Craftsman had a couple of good points, but
The motor is sort of a good story/bad not enough to warrant the price compared to the
story. Running at the slowest speed in the test competition. (craftsman.com)
DELTA 22-580 One of the “old guard” in the test, the Delta how much material will be removed in a pass. As
performed admirably against the youngsters. with most of the dust diverters in the test (avail-
Priced in the middle of the pack, the two feed able as an accessory on the Delta), this one
speeds provided a quality finish. The amperage impedes the outfeed table closure. The blade-
draw also was in the middle of the pack, and well changing system on this model is one of the best.
below a 15-amp circuit concern. Snipe with the The pop-top access is an excellent feature, offer-
head lock in place was less than .001" – good ing lots of room and light. The head can be turned
enough for us. The head-lock lever is mounted on to the correct position from the exterior of the
the right side and is easier to access and engage machine by using a tool, so there’s less chance of
than others in the test. The full-height depth stop getting nicked. Not having to take out the cutter-
is a nice feature, but we’re a little conflicted head screws is a strong plus in our book. The
about whether having the ability to set only height scale is graduated in 1⁄ 32" and is fairly easy
one stop at a time is a limitation. It will proba- to read. When we ended up tallying the numbers,
bly depend on your woodworking habits. the Delta’s cut quality (owing to the two feed
Best Value
While the Delta has what can be called a speeds), motor performance and price were
wood-removal gauge, it’s more of a contact impressive enough to give this planer our Best
indicator rather than a scale and does not tell you Value award. (deltawoodworking.com)
DEWALT DW735 The DeWalt is the leader of the pack. It’s the most point as with the other machines in the test) and
expensive, but only by $50 and we think that’s a clear height scale graduated in 1⁄ 32". The height
justified. It stands out for a number of reasons, adjustment moves smoothly, and the integral
the obvious one being visible. The motor and dust-collection fan leads to a snap-in port with
head are mounted side-by-side rather than on two sizes (4" and 21⁄ 2") for hose hook-up or
top of one another. There are no standard attachment to an optional garbage-can hood
infeed or outfeed tables, but the 191⁄ 2" table accessory. Access to the blades is excellent, with
is larger than the more-standard 9"- to 13"- the whole top coming off via four screws that
deep beds. Most importantly, it uses a three- stay attached to the hood. Inside there are bright
knife cutterhead that, in conjunction with the red, easy-to-reach finger bolts to release the head
two feed speeds, offers an excellent finished cover. The rest is pretty simple, but it’s still the
surface. Because of the extra knife, each is work- same cover with hex-head screws that have to be
ing less, extending the life of the blades. Also an fully removed. On most of the planers it is notice-
important part of the “finish” process is the lack ably harder to raise the height of the head than
of a head lock. Rather than being immobilized, to lower it. But this is fluid in either direction.
the DeWalt’s head is under constant pressure to Amperage spike during operation was decent,
counteract the movement that causes snipe. It’s but we did notice higher amperage draws in
always on and it really works. general, so make sure it’s on a 20-amp breaker
Other features include a wood-removal gauge for best performance. This is a well-engineered
(running the full width, not just measuring at one and thought-out machine. (dewalt.com)
popwood.com 59
RIDGID TP1300LS In the 13" category, the Ridgid is better outfitted slightly different than on the rest of the planers
with features than the average planer. It’s a mid- in the test. Still efficient and offering lateral
priced machine with a dust diverter (which adjustment, the blades align via hooks on the
blocks outfeed table closure but also offers ends rather than the common pins on the com-
deflection to either side by switching the diverter petitors. The height scale, graduated in inches (by
1⁄
cap location), a cord wrap, on-board tool storage 32") and millimeters, is reasonably easy to read.
in a clever side-mounted tool box, and very The TP1300LS also comes with an extra set of
convenient access to the cutterhead (as with the knives and a stand, in case you want it to be less
Delta, the whole top pops off). One feature on mobile. During operation the amperage draw
the Ridgid that is unique in the test is the blade- was low enough for a 15-amp circuit and indicat-
change mechanism, using a “Fixed Nut-and- ed a reasonably efficient motor. The finished cut
plate” configuration (see “Three Blade was reasonably good with less than .001" snipe
Systems” on page 58). There’s no need to with the head lock engaged. The Ridgid put in a
remove the nuts to release the blades; just back good performance in the test, but it was ulti-
the nuts off a few turns. mately beaten out by the more feature-laden
The blade alignment on the TP1300LS is three-knife DeWalt. (ridgid.com)
RYOBI AP1300 Priced $109 less than the next model in line, we they forgot a tool that should be included –
didn’t expect amazing results from the Ryobi. But magnets. Most of the machines in our test offer
we did find a planer with a number of quality magnets to handle the blade covers and the
features that turned in an OK performance in blades themselves. While the Ryobi does have
regards to the final finish. The graphics on all the “finger lifts” on the standard “Screw-and-plate”
controls indicate that the machine is geared blade cover, you still end up handling the blades
towards first-time users. Unlike most machines in with your flesh – not preferred. The height scale
the test, the cord is stored in a cloth bag attached is graduated in inches (by 1⁄ 16") and millimeters
to the underside of the outfeed table. It’s a little and has clear, understandable graphics. The
easier to access and put away, but this is not a motor is of average efficiency, but the finish cut
huge benefit. The head lock is a large lever that fell short with the poorest example of snipe in
very obviously lets you know when it’s engaged. the test. This machine is priced well for someone
It’s not a huge benefit, but it’s nice for the novice. who is likely to use it occasionally and won’t
As with most models, the dust diverter im- have unrealistic expectations about performance.
pedes the closing of the outfeed table. The top of But if you want a planer for the long haul, we
the machine offers a handy little tool box, but can’t recommend this one. (www.ryobitools.com)
SHOP FOX W1675 The Shop Fox typifies the average planer for this the first time, take it slow and then replace the
category. Its features include a wood-removal screws with better-quality screws.
gauge, head lock, tables with rollers and a dust During the test, the motor showed a very high
diverter that blocks the outfeed table from amperage spike and pushed over a comfortable
closing fully. It has an infinitely adjustable depth 15-amp breaker level. The board finish was
stop that functions between 1⁄ 8" and 2", but it reasonably clean and smooth with good snipe
can only be set to one height, unlike the “preset” performance at less than .001". This machine is
stops found on other planers in our test. This sadly the only one in the test that doesn’t offer
model also uses the “Screw-and-plate” blade lateral adjustment for the knives to compensate
cover, but the screws were overtightened at the for nicks – that’s an oversight. When adjusting
factory, and we stripped two screw heads (and the cutterhead height we felt it was rougher to
even stripped the tip off the hex wrench) move than expected. Even with the reasonable
when we tried to change the blades. If performance, the lack of features and the difficul-
you choose the Shop Fox, we suggest ties in operation don’t justify the price of this
that when you take the blades out for machine. (woodstockinternational.com)

WOODTEK 115-946 We’re just going to call the Woodtek the tion. The manufacturer has also thrown in an
“Craftsman Light” planer. These two models are extra set of knives.
the only ones in the test offering 8,000-rpm During testing we found that the Woodtek
motors (providing the least cuts per inch, which has the highest amperage spike while under load
is going to adversely affect the quality of the and the recorded amperage draw may cause
cut). There are significant structural similarities problems if your shop is equipped with only 15-
between the two machines, but the Woodtek is amp breakers. Conversely, the rpm loss on the
missing the dust-collection fan, the auto-height Woodtek was the lowest in the category, so
feature and the chain-drive mechanism; it uses a perhaps the amp spike is useful for performance.
plastic transverse tooth drive. It does have a head The snipe test measured out at about .002",
lock, a wood-removal scale and the “Screw-and- which isn’t terrible but also not the best. Priced
plate” blade cover with the tools (even the at the same level as the Delta and Ridgid, the
magnetic holders) stored on the ma- Woodtek should offer more features or equal cut
chine. The height scale is graduated in quality, but it doesn’t. If you’re looking to spend
inches (by 1⁄ 16") and millimeters. It’s ade- $380 on a benchtop planer, make it an even $400
quate for the task, but we prefer a 1⁄ 32" gradua- and buy the Delta. (woodworker.com) PW
13" PORTABLE PLANERS

Craftsman Delta DeWalt Ridgid Ryobi Shop Fox Woodtek
21743 22-580 DW735 TP1300LS AP1300 W1675 115-946
PRICE $440 396 479 397 270 399 379
M OTO R S P E E D ( R P M ) 8,000 10,000 10,000 9,500 9,900 10,500 8,000
CUTS PER INCH 50 60/90 96/179 66 66 67 50
F E E T P E R M I N. 26 20/30 14/26 26 25 26 26
1⁄
C U T C A PAC I T Y ( M A X ) 13” x 6" 13" x 6 2" 13" X 6" 13" x 6" 13" x 6" 13" x 6" 13" x 61⁄ 8"
3⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄ 1⁄
MAX DEPTH OF CUT * 32" 8", 16" 8", 16" 8" 8" 8", 16" 8"
1⁄
TA B L E L E N G T H & T Y P E * * 12"F/R 12 2"F N/A 12"C 11"C 12"F/R 12"F/R
C O R D L E N G T H & T Y P E * * * 6'/P 8'/P 10'/RB 10'/P 8'/P 8'/P 8'/P
D E P T H S TO P S ( # / L O C. ) † 6/ 1⁄ 8 "-1 1⁄ 4 " IN/ 1⁄
8 "-6
1⁄
2" 6/ 1⁄
8 "-1
1⁄
4" 8/ 1⁄
8 "-1
3⁄
4" 8/0"-1 3⁄
4" IN/ 1⁄
8 "-2" 6/ 1⁄
8 "-1
1⁄
4"
WEIGHT (LBS) 97 97 92 85 77 93 77
A M P S / N O L OA D 8.7 6.8 10.8 7.4 7.68 7.12 6.83
A M P S / U N D E R L OA D 12.5 12 15.2 13.8 14.2 16 16.5
A M P E R AG E S P I K E 44% 76% 41% 86% 85% 125% 142%
R P M / N O L OA D 8,000 9,600 9,300 9,500 9,760 10,500 8,000
R P M / U N D E R L OA D 5,750 6,700 †† 8,000 6,600 7,500 7,000 7,500
RPM LOSS 28% 30%/27% 14% 31% 23% 33% 6%
DECIBELS 94 89 94 90 92 91 92
B L A D E ††† 2D 2D 3D 2D 2D 2D 2D
15 ⁄ 15 ⁄
BLADE SIZE (INCHES) .056 X 32 .058 X 32 .060 X 7 ⁄ 8 .070 X 3⁄ 4 .060 X 15 ⁄
32 N/A .056 X 7 ⁄ 8
KNIFE CHANGE/EASE‡ SP/3 FSP/5 SP/4 FNP/5 SP/3 SP/2 SP/4
SNIPE (W/LOCK) .002 <.001" .002 <.001" .007" <.001" .002"
DUST COLLECTION‡‡ IF DNI IF DI DI DI DI
* When two numbers shown, manufacturer has † IN = Infinite settings ‡ FNP = Fixed Nut-and-plate, FSP = Fixed Screw-and-
specified different maximum cut for full-width boards †† rpm is 7,000 on fine setting plate, SP = Screw-and-plate; 5 is best, 1 is worst
** C = Corrugated, F = Flat, R = With rollers ‡‡ DI = Diverter included, DNI = Diverter not includ-
††† All blades are double-edged
*** P = Plastic, RB = Rubber ed, IF = Integral fan
popwood.com 61
True Japanese
Dovetail Saws 2 new rip-tooth
dozuki saws
are efficient
dovetailers.
utting dovetail pins and
C tails is primarily a ripping

operation. So it has always
bewildered me that almost every
Japanese saw sold for dovetailing
had teeth designed for crosscut-
ting or cutting plywood.
A few specialty importers do
sell Japanese backsaws with a rip-
tooth configuration, but these are
made mostly by hand and cost
between $140 and $1,500.
Why, I wonder, isn’t there a
machine-made dozuki that sells
for about $35 – the cost of a de-
cent crosscutting dozuki? Well,
I don’t have the answer yet, but
the two new rip-tooth dozukis
on the market are considerably
less expensive (between $70 and
$80). To check the quality, I com-
pared them to a premium rip-
tooth dozuki that I’m quite fa-
miliar with – the Kaneharu rip-
ping dozuki, sold by Hiraide
America for $182 (see the Sources
box for more information).
Sure they look like standard dozukis,

but these saws have rip teeth. We by Christopher Schwarz
Photo by Al Parrish
compare the Kaneharu (in use) with

new saws from Harima-Daizo (left) Comments or questions? Contact Chris
and Lee Valley (right). at 513-531-2690 ext. 1407 or
chris.schwarz@fwpubs.com.

Fleam
The Kaneharu saw has graduated teeth. Near the handle (left) there are 15 teeth per The Lee Valley saw has 18 tpi and a The Harima-Daizo Deluxe saw has
inch, while at the toe (right) there are 10 tpi. This combination of tpi makes the saw small fleam that it uses for crosscutting. 10 tpi. This makes the saw cut faster
simultaneously easy to start and fast-cutting. It cuts slower but starts easy. but a bit harder to start.
To understand how the less- Lee Valley: Easy to Use has deeper gullets and fewer teeth Another important difference
expensive saws are different, let The rip dozuki offered by Lee (10 tpi) than the Lee Valley saw is that all three of these saws can
me introduce you to the Kaneharu. Valley Tools shares some of its and a longer blade than the be resharpened – they are not re-
DNA with crosscut dozukis. Kaneharu (also 95⁄ 8" long). placeable-blade saws. This can
Kaneharu: Small and Perfect The handle and blade are The downside of the Harima- be a good thing or a bad thing de-
For anyone familiar with tradi- longer, like the traditional cross- Daizo is that it was harder to start pending on your point of view.
tional dozukis, the Kaneharu ap- cut saw (233⁄ 4" total length; 95⁄ 8" the cut than the other two saws. If those differences aren’t
pears small. At about 187⁄ 8" long of teeth). The teeth are finer than While I personally never had any enough to convince you, re-
with 63⁄ 4" of the blade devoted to those on the Kaneharu – 18 tpi, problems, beginners and those member that these three rip saws
teeth, the Kaneharu is about 4"- and they have a small secondary unfamiliar with Japanese rip saws also track better in a rip cut. Plus
5" shorter than many dozukis. bevel filed on them. This sec- reported difficulties when start- they leave an excellent finish.
The teeth are different, too. ondary bevel – called the “fleam” ing the cut, particularly in softer They are, in short, the right tool
Crosscut dozukis traditionally in saw parlance – is what allows woods such as cherry. for dovetailing. PW
have teeth that are all the same crosscut saws to sever the wood Like the other two saws, the
size. The teeth on the Kaneharu fibers like a knife. Harima-Daizo tracked perfectly
start small near the handle (15 The fleam on the Lee Valley straight in the cut, left an excel-
teeth per inch) and get larger to- saw is small enough not to inter- lent finish and had durable teeth. SOURCES
ward the toe of the blade (10 tpi). fere with a rip cut (which is me- Hiraide America
This is similar to the configura- chanically similar to levering out Which Saw is for You? 877-692-3624 or
tion of rip teeth on a ryoba saw. the sawdust with a chisel). But If your budget allows it, the japanesetools.com
The graduated teeth make it’s large enough to allow the saw Kaneharu is hard to beat. (The • Kaneharu Ripping Dozuki,
your cuts easy to start: You make to be used for some crosscutting. Japan Woodworker catalog offers $182
your initial kerf with the small- Also, the rip teeth are more a similar saw with graduated teeth,
The Japan Woodworker
er teeth, and once you get going durable than crosscut teeth. In a the Izeamon dozuki rip saw, for
800-537-7820 or
you use the full blade and the saw month of testing, I didn’t have $140. While I haven’t tested this japanwoodworker.com
dives through the wood. (All three any problems with snapping teeth saw, I have heard a number of
• Izeamon 81⁄ 2"-blade
of the backed saws discussed here – even in notorious ring-porous good things about it.)
Dozuki Rip Saw
have a maximum cutting depth woods such as white oak. For the beginning dovetail #05.114.21, $140
of 2", which is ideal for cutting Because the teeth are small, saw user, the Lee Valley (at $69) (also available in two
dovetails and most tenons.) the saw is easy to start. And while is probably best, and it also will longer sizes)
For someone accustomed to it cuts a little slower than the pick up some crosscutting chores.
Lee Valley Tools
cutting dovetails with a crosscut Kaneharu, it’s decidedly faster For the advanced user who wants
800-871-8158 or leevalley.com
saw, the difference is significant. than a crosscut dozuki and leaves to save some money, the Harima-
A dovetail that takes 14 strokes a very clean cut surface. Daizo ($79.95) is my pick. • Rip-tooth Dozuki
#60T04.04, $69
to cut with a crosscut dozuki takes But more important is how
only 10 with the Kaneharu. Plus, Harima-Daizo: For the Expert well these three saws compare to Tools for Working Wood
it’s my opinion that the rip saws The Harima-Daizo from Tools for the crosscutting and combina- 800-426-4613 or
track better than the crosscut saws Working Wood is a ripping mon- tion-teeth Japanese saws. The rip toolsforworkingwood.com
during a ripping operation. The ster. It seemed to consistently out- teeth are far more robust than the • Harima-Daizo Deluxe
quality of the cut surface is as good pace the other two saws when crosscut teeth – say goodbye to Rip Dozuki
as any dozuki I’ve tried – no mat- it came down to pure speed. I that “tink-tink” sound you hear #MS-JS340, $79.95
ter what the tooth configuration. chalk that up to the fact that it when your saw teeth snap. Prices as of publication date.
popwood.com 63
Serpentine
Table
I make a leg
template on thin
plywood (right)
and trace the
pattern on two
adjacent sides of
the leg blank (left).
I then band saw
Surprisingly straightforward, the piece to shape
(center).
the only real trick to this project

is a well-tuned band saw.
T
his table might look like Start With the Legs
a snake in the grass, but When selecting your leg stock,
with a good band-saw look for the most attractive grain
blade and the right patterns, it’s (the straighter, the better) for the
actually quite the charmer. two front legs. The simple back
The idea behind the serpen- legs are for balance and are 13⁄ 4"
tine aprons and drawer front is to stock that I’ve tapered to 1" at
enhance the grain of the wood, the bottom on the two insides.
making the piece look fancier Next, either trace your pat-
than it really is. You want the tern onto two adjacent sides of
highlights, shadows, reflections the leg blanks or make enough 41°
Optional
and wood grain to bring out its copies so that you can affix them relief cut
inner beauty, so one of the most to the sides (making sure the pat-
important steps in creating this terns face the correct way). Band-
piece is wood selection. I typi- saw one face, then tape the pieces
cally use walnut or cherry and se- back on so you can cut the curves
lect my boards for good figure. on the adjacent face.
Here’s the project in a nut- Once the curves are cut, I
shell: First cut all your parts to smooth the legs on a stationary 41°
size. Then make the patterns for belt sander, which is where I do
your front legs and the front and most of my shaping.
side serpentines. I’ve added an extra-wide table
With those patterns in hand, to my sander so the legs can stay
the actual construction isn’t dif- horizontal while being shaped on
After cutting the 41° angles on both ends of the side aprons, band saw the pattern
ficult. Saw the curved side aprons the sander, which I lock in the onto the outside. The relief cut makes it easy to fit the drawer guides.
and legs to shape, then screw the vertical position. After you’ve
legs and side aprons together. Saw sanded the legs most of the way,
the curved front pieces and com- you’ll need to get all the nooks and drill the overlapping holes. The Side Aprons
plete the table base by attaching and crannies by hand. Each finished mortise should The word “serpentine” simply
the side assemblies to the back After the legs are complete- measure 3⁄ 8" wide, 11⁄ 2" long and means curved, and that’s all you’re
(with biscuits) and front rails ly shaped, cut the 3⁄ 8"-wide mor- a tad more than 1⁄ 2" deep. doing here. Choosing plain-sawn
(with mortise-and-tenon joints). tises to accept the tenons on the (Note that the mortise for the wood with smaller growth rings
Then it’s a simple matter of top and bottom front rails. I do top drawer rail is 7⁄ 16" from the for the side aprons, as well as the
building the drawer’s web frame this on my drill press with a 3⁄ 8"- top of the leg to prevent you from front rails and drawer front, will
with screws and then the draw- diameter drill bit, overlapping blowing out the mortise wall dur- yield the best-looking results.
er itself. Finally, shape and attach the holes. Sit the legs on a block ing assembly of the base.) (More dramatic grain or upward
the top – I’ve even got a trick for sweeping grain at the bottom of
making the serpentine top match by Warren A. May the rail is the most pleasing.)
the base. It’s all pretty simple with Warren A. May has been crafting solid-wood furniture and mountain dulcimers for
To save your nice wood for
the patterns and construction more than 28 years. His showroom and dulcimer workshop is at 110 Center St. in the surfaces that show, the side
drawings provided here. Berea, the arts-and-crafts capital of Kentucky. aprons are laminated to their 2"
popwood.com 65
3/8"-thick x
thickness from two pieces that hole on the back side of the leg
1 1/2"-wide x are face-glued together. You need and later plug the holes with a
1/2"-long tenons
your side aprons to be extra-thick matching wood before finishing.
both ends
to ensure they can be joined solid- (Tip: You don’t have to use
ly with the legs. pocket screws for this operation.
Once the glue dries, bevel the Common drywall screws drive
ends of the aprons at 41° using and hold just as well for me.)
your miter saw or table saw. Next,
affix the curved pattern for the The Front Curves
side aprons to your wood and cut If you prefer, you can make the
the curves (see “Serpentine Patterns front drawer and rails from one
Online” on page 69 for full-size solid piece of wood that’s 23⁄ 4"
copies of these patterns) and sand thick. Or you can go the easier
them to their final grit. route (shown here) by making
1"grid To attach the aprons to the them out of three separate pieces
front legs, you’ll want to cut a – one for the top drawer rail, one
screw pocket on the backside of for the drawer front and one for
the apron. I use a stepped drill the bottom drawer rail – and tem-
bit designed to be used with pock- porarily screw them together be-
et-hole jigs in my drill press. fore band-sawing your pattern.
Simply clamp the apron to your Before you cut your pattern,
2-part drill-press table, tilt the table 41° trim the drawer rails to length
lamination and drill the pocket hole. (The and cut the 1⁄ 2"-long tenons that
other option is to keep your drill- join the rails to the legs. The
Left side press table flat and tilt the apron tenons on the rails are 3⁄ 8" thick
apron - 41°, which I don’t recommend.) and 11⁄ 2" wide (the same dimen-
flip for I use this same setup to drill sions as the mortises).
right side the pocket holes that attach the For the bottom drawer rail,
aprons to the back legs. The only cut the tenons so they are cen-
difference is that you’ll make your tered on the thickness of the piece.
Lock
Drawer
rails
You can screw the top and bottom rail to the drawer front before cutting the pattern
on the band saw. I’m using a 1⁄ 4" band-saw blade (Lenox 6-tooth hook Flex Back
Cabriole leg Drawer blade – lenoxsaw.com or 800-628-8810) to make the cuts. Also, you can see the
front tenons I’ve cut in the rails that will attach the rails to the legs.

After attaching the
This should give you a 1⁄ 4" shoul- and into the drawer runners. drawer support
der on the top and bottom of the To install the web frame in the blocks to the back,
tenon. For the top rail, you need case, glue the front support rail install your drawer
to offset the tenon a bit so that to the bottom drawer rail. To at- Support block runners.
it doesn’t blow out the mortise tach it at the back, screw two
wall in the leg. So while the tenon small support blocks to the back
is the same finished size, I make of the case, then screw the draw-
the bottom shoulder 1⁄16" and the er runners to each block. See the
top shoulder 7⁄ 16". photo at right for details.
With the tenon shoulders es- Next, cut and fit the drawer Drawer runner
tablished, screw the drawer front guides. These narrow strips are
blank between the rails. Cut the screwed to the web frame and
curves on this assembly and sand keep the drawer moving smooth-
the piece with a 6" belt sander, a ly. Position and install these once Drawer guide
detail sander and sanding blocks. your drawer is built and fits.
Unscrew the rails from the Then cut the drawer front
drawer front, then dry-fit and to fit its opening and cut a curve
clamp the rails between your as- on its inside face. This lightens
sembled side aprons. Measure the its appearance and makes it eas- ADDING THE LOCK INLAY
opening for the back piece. Cut ier to fit the lock. One of the traditions of Kentucky- Next, take a router with a
this part to length for biscuits You’ll want to add the lock style furniture is the inlay, which small bit (I usually use a 1⁄ 16"-
or tenons (whichever you pre- and inlay design to the drawer I’ve done on this table around the diameter straight bit) to waste
fer). The unit is now ready to as- front before you complete con- lock/key area of the drawer. away the wood up to your knife
semble. Glue the back and rails struction of the drawer (see Once you have a pattern you lines. Then you can chisel out the
between your side assemblies. “Adding the Lock Inlay” at right). like, mark on the drawer front rest. Insert the inlay piece you’ve
My lock and drawer pulls usual- where you want it and clamp your made (also based on your tem-
Making the Drawer ly are 3⁄ 4" solid brass. Check your template to the piece using a plate) and you’ll be pleased with
wood block as shown. the way it works.
To assemble the drawer’s web hardware store and choose what-
Then take a sharp knife and I’ve done some pieces where
frame, first cut the front support ever will be most pleasing.
trace around the pattern. Remove the inlay is of a contrasting wood,
rail that fits behind the bottom The most challenging part of the clamp and template and make as well as where the inlay is of the
drawer rail. This will need 41° building the drawer is the 1⁄ 4" the cuts deeper so you can see the same wood, and have been
miters at either end, so cut it to groove on its curved backside that outline clearly. pleased with both.
fit the opening. holds the drawer bottom in place.
Then cut the two drawer run- Once you’ve cut the curve, mill Here you can
ners to size and screw them to the the groove for the bottom using see me installing
the inlay on
front support rail. I put the web a bearing-guided slot cutter in
another table
frame together simply by screw- your router table. The bearing I’m making.
ing through the front support rail will follow the curve easily. Use Notice the piece
of scrap wood
I use to help
Block to hold
12" clamp the inlay
template
1/2" template to the
Half-blind dovetail drawer front.
3/16" 7/16" 1 /4 "

Template
3 /8 "
Through 2 3/16"
3 3/16" dovetail
1 /4 "
7/8" 1 /4 "
1 /2 "
Drawer profile
popwood.com 67
43 1/4"
1 /2 " 1/2"
22"
3 7/8"
the same slot-cutter to mill the
groove for the bottom piece on
11 1/2" Drawer both of your drawer side pieces.
14 5/8"
10 1/8" With the groove cut, you can cut
Lock your drawer joints. I use half-blind
dovetails at the front and through
5/8" dovetails at the rear. The draw-
1 1 /2 " ing on page 67 shows you how I
23" Outline of top laid out my dovetails.
7 5 /8 " 28" Dry-assemble the drawer and
Drawer plan fit the drawer bottom to the groove
and curve on the drawer front.
38 3/4"
1/2" typ. Topping it Off
1 3/4" 2 1 /2 "
20 5/8" Choose some nice boards with
1 /4 " grain that curves to mimic the
shape of the top (if possible) that
1 3 /4 " 7 /8 " 3/4"t. x 2"w. you can glue together to serve as
41o the top. Once this glue dries, you’re
drawer kicker
8 15/16" between 1 /2 " ready to cut the pattern along the
9 9/16" blocking & top sides, and for this you can use the
drawer rail table’s base as a pattern.
1 1 /2 " Turn the top upside down on
2" 2 5/8" 3/4"x 3/4" blocking your bench and flip the table base
below top - on top of it. Clamp the top draw-
2" at back & sides
23" er rail to the underside of the top
and mark all around the base with
Plan - top and drawer removed
43 1/4"
1 3 /4 "
1 /2 " 38 3/4"
2" 2" 1 3/4"
23" 9 9/16"
7/8"
3/4"
3 1 /4 " 5"
7 /8 "
29"
1"
42 1/4" Profile
Elevation

Once your drawer
a marking block that offsets your is built, fit the SERPENTINE
line by 1⁄ 2". (See “Outline of top” drawer guides and
in the illustration at left.) screw them to the PATTERNS ONLINE
Band saw the top to shape, drawer runners. For all the curves you’ll need to
sand the curves and finish-sand make a Serpentine Table just like
the top to its final grit. Blocking to this one, we’ve provided full-
To attach the top, glue scraps attach top size patterns online at
(about 7⁄ 8" x 7⁄ 8") to the top edge popwood.com. Click on
of the side and back aprons. You’ll “Magazine Extras” and you’ll
be able to download and print
attach the top to the base by screw-
the 81⁄ 2" x 11" pages similar to
ing through these blocking pieces.
those shown below. You can
Now screw a drawer kick be- then tape them together and
tween the top drawer rail and the affix them to your lumber to
blocking. This piece of wood keeps make the curves.
the drawer from drooping as you You’ll get the patterns for:
pull it out of the case. Then screw • The Front Legs
the top to the base through these • The Drawer Front & Rails
l
strips and the front drawer rail. rai • The Side Aprons
ort ail
up p err • The Top
s w
nt dra l You will need Adobe Acrobat
My Finishing Technique Fro to m rai
Leg Bo
t
wer Reader to view these plans,
Round over all the edges with a ra
1⁄ pd which is a free computer pro-
8" roundover bit in your router To
gram that you can download
and sand everything up to #150 Marking
p through a link on our
grit. Saturate the piece with one To block
“Magazine Extras” page.
thinned coat of DEFT oil (an oil Side
and varnish blend) and let it dry apron
for one week – yes, one week. 1 20
Add two coats of sanding seal- 9 1
er, sand it with #240-grit paper, 8 1
use two coats of semi-gloss lac- 7 1
quer and rub with 0000 steel wool.
Serpentine Table - Drawer Front - Popular Woodworkng - February 2004

6 1
Then spray on some furniture After assembling the unit, flip the base onto the underside of the top and trace 5 1
polish and wait for the inevitable the pattern using a marking block. This will give you the identical serpentine 4 1
compliments. PW shape on the front and side of the table. 3 1 23
2 1 2
SERPENTINE TABLE 1
0
1
1
2
20
NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) M AT E R I A L COMMENTS
T W L
❏ 2 Front legs 3 3 29 Cherry 8
❏ 2 Back legs 13⁄ 4 13⁄ 4 29 Cherry 7 1
❏ 2 Side aprons 2 5 14 Cherry Laminated from two pieces

Serpentine Table - Left Table Side & Left Top Edge - Popular Woodworkng - February 2004
6 1
❏ 1 Top drawer rail 7⁄
8 3 24 Cherry 1⁄
2" TBE
❏ 1 7⁄ 1⁄ 5 1
Bottom drawer rail 8 3 24 Cherry 2" TBE
❏ 1 Drawer front 2 31⁄ 4 23 Cherry 4 1
❏ 1 Back of table base 7⁄

8 5 383⁄ 4 Cherry 3 1
❏ 1 Front support rail 7⁄

8 11⁄ 2 25 Cherry Miter to fit opening 2 9
❏ 2 Drawer runners 7⁄
8 21⁄ 2 815⁄ 16 Cherry 1 8
❏ 2 Support blocks 7⁄
8
7⁄
8 3 Cherry 0 7
❏ 1 Drawer guides 1⁄
2
1⁄
2 101⁄ 2 Cherry Miter to fit
6
❏ 1 Drawer kick 7⁄
8 2 99⁄ 16 Cherry
❏ 2 1⁄
33⁄ 16 121⁄ 2
5
Drawer sides 2 Cherry
❏ 1 Drawer back 1⁄
2 23⁄ 16 23 Cherry
❏ 1 Drawer bottom 1⁄
4 121⁄ 2 221⁄ 2 Cherry Cut to fit
❏ 1 Top 3⁄
4 143⁄ 4 431⁄ 4 Cherry
TBE = tenon on both ends
popwood.com 69
UPGRADE
BEFORE
8
▲
1
▲
7 4
▲
10
▲
2
▲
6
▲
AFTER
Your Workbench
10 ways to make your
bench indispensible.
I
hate to say it, but no matter how much time and
money you spent building or buying your work-
bench, it’s probably not as useful as it should be.
Like adjustments to a new table saw or hand plane,
there are a number of things everyone should do
9
▲
to tune up their bench. Also, there are several
simple improvements that will make your bench
perform feats you didn’t think were possible.
Most of these upgrades are quick and inex-
pensive. All of them will make your woodworking
easier, more accurate or just plain tidier.
3
▲
1 Improve Your Topography

Flattening your benchtop regularly is like chang-
ing the oil in your car. It’s a routine step that will
save you headaches down the road. A flat top is es-
sential to accurate work for three reasons:
• When planing, sanding or routing a board,
you want your work to rest firmly against your bench;
a flat benchtop helps keep your work in place.
• A flat top will divine whether your work-
pieces are cupped or bowed. If you ever want to
remove the cup or twist from a door panel – a com-
mon malady – you must have a flat benchtop to
know when your panel is finally flat.
• A flat top guides you as you assemble your
projects. If you want your latest table, chair or cab-
inet to not rock, you have to make the legs or base
all in the same plane. A flat bench will quickly
point out your problems and the best solution.
So how do you flatten a benchtop? The simplest
way is to run it through a big drum sander, which
by Christopher Schwarz
Comments or questions? Contact Chris at 513-531-2690
ext. 1407 or chris.schwarz@fwpubs.com.
You can order plans for our $175

Workbench as shown, top left, at
popwood.com. Go to “Plans for Sale.”
popwood.com 71
you can find in mid-sized cabinet what complex carriage system First place one of the winding plane the top diagonally, moving
shops. A couple woodworkers I that guides and holds the tool. sticks across one end of the bench. from corner to corner. Then come
know have paid about $50 for the My way is faster. I flatten my Then lay the other stick across back diagonally the other way.
privilege. The only downside is benches with a No. 5 jack plane, the bench at various places along Do this a couple times until you’re
that you’ll have some sanding grit an old No. 7 jointer plane, and a the length of the top. Crouch taking shavings at all points across
embedded in your bench when couple of sticks. The sticks are down so your eye is level with the the top. Finally, plane the length
it’s all over, which can scratch two pieces of plywood that meas- sticks to see if their top edges are of the bench. Start at the front
your work in the future. ure 3⁄ 4" x 2" x 36". Traditionally parallel. If they are, that area is edge and move to the back edge.
There is a way to flatten your called winding sticks, these will flat. If they’re not, you’ll see where When it looks good, check it with
bench at home by planing it with quickly determine if your bench there are high spots. the winding sticks.
a router – once you build a some- is flat and where it’s out of whack. Old-time winding sticks were
made using a stable wood, such 2 A Deadman Lends a Hand
as mahogany, and were sometimes One of the trickiest operations is
inlaid with ebony and holly on working on the narrow edge of a
the edges (a black wood and a board or door. Securing the work
white wood) so you could easily is the No. 1 problem. The tra-
see the difference. I prefer ply- ditional solution is what’s called
wood because it’s dimensional- a sliding deadman. I installed the
ly stable and cheap. If you need one shown here in an afternoon
contrast between your sticks, I and now I wonder how I ever got
Painted winding stick highly recommend “ebony in a by without it.
can” (black spray paint). Because the deadman slides
Mark all the high spots directly across the front of the bench, you
on your bench and start shaving can accommodate all lengths of
them down with your jack plane. work. And because the ledge can
Unpainted winding stick Continually check your work with be adjusted up and down, you can
your winding sticks. (For more hold narrow boards or even en-
on these sticks, see “Keep Your tryway doors. With the help of
Winding sticks are the key to making sure a benchtop or tabletop is indeed flat. Winding Sticks in Focus” at right.) your face vise, you can immobi-
Check the top by moving the light-colored stick to different positions across the When the top is reasonably lize almost anything with this rig.
length of the bench and comparing the top edge of each stick. flat, fetch your No. 7 plane. First I added the deadman by screw-
ing two rails to my bench that
each have a groove milled in one
long edge. The deadman itself
has a slightly undersized tenon
on each end that allows it to slide
in the grooves. You can down-
load a construction drawing for
A No. 7 jointer plane’s key asset is its length.

Because of its length, the plane rides over the
Most of the hard work when flattening your top is handled by low spots and shears the high spots. Begin by
the No. 5 jack plane, which can take down high spots quickly. working diagonally; don’t worry about tear-out
My bench always seems to dish in the middle (similar to a (above). When the top is flat from your diagonal
waterstone), so I begin by taking down the sides. passes, plane directly with the grain (right).

this project from our web site at holes (see the next section on
popwood.com. Click on “Magazine dog holes for directions) then in-
Extras” to get to the drawing. sert a 3⁄ 4"-diameter dowel in one
of the holes. You’re in business.
3 Add a Leg or Bench Jack The disadvantage of this jack
While I consider the sliding dead- is that it supports only long work.
man to be the cat’s meow, there To hold shorter work, you need
are simpler ways to support over- to add a second kind of jack to
sized work at your bench. your bench – a bench jack.
If you do a lot of work on big For your bench jack, you’ll
doors, a leg jack is probably the bore the 3⁄4"-diameter holes across
best bet for you. Basically you the front edge of your workbench
bore 3⁄ 4"-diameter holes every 4" – every 4" or so should be suffi-
up the front leg of your bench cient. Make the holes about 2"
that’s opposite your face vise. (For deep and chamfer their rims.
example, if your vise is on the left Next get a 2" length of 3⁄ 4"
side of your bench, bore the holes dowel. To create a ledge for the
While flattening the top is the most important upgrade, a close second is the sliding
in the right leg.) Chamfer the board to rest on, your best bet is
deadman. This clever bit of engineering will allow you to immobilize doors easily.
to buy an L-shaped piece of steel
from your local hardware store.
A leg jack is great
This $1 item usually has screw
TIP: KEEP YOUR holes already bored in it and is
for clamping long
work, and it takes
WINDING STICKS used for reinforcing corners. only about 20
IN FOCUS Screw this L-shaped steel to minutes to add to
your bench. There
the end of the dowel (see photo
When using winding sticks, one are fancier ways to
below right). This jig now will do this, but none is
of the difficulties is trying to Leg jack
allow you to hold narrow boards more effective.
keep both sticks in focus when
they are 6' away from each
of almost any length in place so
other. If one of the sticks is you can work on the edge.
blurry it’s difficult to tell if they
are in line with each other. 4 Add Bench Dogs
The solution comes from the A good system of bench dogs and
world of photography. Take a dog holes makes routine opera-
piece of thin cardboard – I use tions easier and impossible tasks
the stuff from the back of a a cake walk. And retrofitting a
notebook. With your brad awl, bench with round dog holes is
punch a small hole (1⁄ 32" or so)
quick and simple.
in the center of the cardboard.
I like to have at least two rows
Crouch down in front of your
winding sticks and look at them
of dog holes running down my
through the hole. They should benchtop that are spaced 4" apart.
both be in focus. On some benches, I’ve had the
In a camera, when you close dog holes line up with the dogs
the aperture (also called the on my tail vise so that I can clamp This simple bench
F-stop), more of the picture is in things between my tail vise and jack excels at
focus. The same principle works clamping boards
any dog hole on the bench. But
with your eye. If you close the that are 8" wide
even if you don’t have a tail vise Bench jack or narrower. Like
aperture that light passes you can unlock the power of the the leg jack, this is
through, more of what you see
dog hole with a product called a quick upgrade.
will be in focus.
the Wonder Dog from Lee Valley
As a practical matter when
doing this, check both ends of
(see the Supplies box at the end
the sticks by moving your eye of this article).
left to right, not your head. It’s The Wonder Dog is essentially
easier to get a reading on your a mini-vise that slips into any 3⁄4"-
sticks this way. diameter dog hole. It allows you
popwood.com 73
to apply pressure in any direction, speed. After you drill each hole 5 Add a Tail Vise dog holes to the top or front edge
which is great for clamping round you need to chamfer the rim to If you’ve got just one vise it’s al- of the wooden vise faces.
or other irregularly shaped pieces keep from ripping up your bench- most always on the front (some- • You can buy an expensive
for sanding or planing. top when you pull out a dog. The times called the face) of your specialty vise that will do things
To drill the dog holes, your easiest way to do this is with a bench. A tail vise (located on the your face vise won’t. The Veritas
best bet is to make a jig like the plunge router. end of the bench) is an extremely twin-screw vise ($159) gives you
one shown below (middle pic- Chuck a 45° chamfer bit that useful upgrade. The retractable a huge tail vise that can be used
ture). Also grab a 3⁄ 4" auger bit has a 3⁄4" bearing on its end in your metal dog on most vises allows for clamping or holding almost
and a corded drill. plunge router. Insert the bear- you to clamp really long work- any flat work. Or you can buy a
Clamp the jig to your bench ing into the dog hole, turn on the pieces to your bench between the patternmaker’s vise ($220 - $550)
and drill the hole all the way router and plunge straight down, vise’s dog and a dog in the bench- that excels at holding irregular
through the benchtop. Use a slow making a 3⁄ 8"-deep cut. top. It’s also just plain handy to objects at any angle. Both of these
have a second vise. are expensive, but worth it.
When choosing a tail vise, you
If you can’t afford have three good options: 6 Add a Planing
a tail vise, these Wonder dogs • You can buy a traditional and Sanding Stop
Wonder dogs
quick-release metal vise with a Many woodworkers clamp their
make many
clamping chores retractable dog for between $65 work down when they don’t have
easier. With two and $150. It’s easy to install. to. In many cases, gravity and the
Wonder dogs and • You can buy a front-vise force of your tool will do the job.
bench dogs you screw kit that you just add wood- A planing stop is essentially
can clamp
en jaws to. This option can be a a lip on the end of your bench
odd-shaped
material. bit cheaper (about $70) but re- that can be adjusted up and down.
quires more labor. The advantage When you’re going to plane your
Bench dogs to this vise is that you can add work you merely put the wood
This gizmo works

like a primitive
doweling jig. Mark
lines on your top
where you want
your dog holes.
Clamp this jig to
your bench and
line it up with your
marks. Drill away
using a corded
drill. Chances are
you’ll cook a
cordless drill.
Chamfering your
dog holes prevents
you from tearing
out the grain
when you remove
a stubborn dog.
A tail vise, such as this Veritas, is a luxury we all deserve. Since adding one to my
bench at home, shown here, I’ve found myself using it far more than a face vise.

Washer Wing nut
Insert nut Bolt

against the stop and plane into Bench
it. The force of gravity plus the
direction you are pushing your
tool holds the work in place. Plywood
The same concept works for stop
belt sanding. Just remember which
way the sander spins. The front
of the sander should point away
from the stop. Otherwise the ma- The key to the planing stop is the
chine will shoot your work across hardware. Here you can see how the
1⁄ 1
4" x 20 screw-in insert nut, 1 ⁄ 4"-long
the room, easily puncturing any
bolt, 1⁄ 4" x 20 wing nut and 1⁄ 4"-hole
styrofoam cooler in its path. Don’t
washer are assembled.
ask me how I know this.
The most versatile planing
stop is a piece of 1⁄ 2"-thick ply- that drops into a hole in your
wood that is as long as your bench bench. You tighten it with a screw
is wide. A couple wing nuts, bolts or rap it with a mallet to lock the If you use a hand plane, you really should invest $6 and an hour of your time to
make this planing stop. It is the most versatile stop I’ve ever used and works great
and washers allow you to posi- work to your bench.
for thick or thin stock.
tion and fix the stop up and down, There are three major types
depending on the thickness of that are worth purchasing. The
your workpiece. Veritas Hold-down is the Cadillac
The hardware is readily avail- of the bunch ($52.50). It drops
able at any home center. The part easily into any 3⁄ 4" hole in your
that is driven into the bench is bench and is tightened by turn-
sold as a 1⁄ 4" x 20 screw-in insert ing a screw on the top. I’ve used
nut. To install it, first drill a 3⁄ 8"- this holdfast every day for five
diameter hole in the end of your years and has never let me down.
bench. Coat the hole with epoxy The second option is more
and drive the insert in slowly using economical. Glass-filled nylon
a (usually metric) hex wrench. holdfasts are cheap ($11.50 a pair
Then thread a 1 1⁄ 4 "-long bolt from Lee Valley Tools), but you
through a 1⁄ 4" x 20 wing nut and have to reach under your bench-
a 1⁄ 4"-hole washer. top to operate them.
The Veritas Hold-down is a joy. It’s well-engineered and holds the work with aston-
The stop itself is plywood with The third type is a metal hook.
ishing pressure. I won’t cut dovetails without it.
two stopped slots that measure Rap the top to tighten it and rap
5⁄
16"-wide. Make the slots long the back to release it. All of the
enough so your stop can go below versions I’ve seen in catalogs are
the edge of your bench. cast metal and don’t work well
This stop allows you to plane for me. My fellow hand-tool en-
wood of almost any thickness with thusiasts recommend forged hold-
ease. Unscrew the wing nuts, ad- fasts, which are handmade by
just the stop where you want it blacksmiths. It’s worth asking
and tighten the wing nuts to hold around in your area if there’s a
the stop in place. blacksmith who will do this work
for you. Expect to pay about $30,
7 Add a Holdfast maybe a bit more.
Sometimes you need to hold a
board on your bench so you can 8 Add a Sharpening
work on its end, such as when and Finishing Tray
you’re chiseling out the waste be- While some people might accuse
tween dovetails. Nothing is as me of just being fastidious, there
quick or efficient at this job as a are sound reasons to protect your Never sharpen or finish on your bench without protecting the top. The slurry and
quality holdfast. bench from sharpening slurry and stain will dig into your work and sully the wood you place on top of it. This simple
A holdfast is essentially a hook finishing materials. tray drops into the dog holes in the top (no clamps) to contain your mess.
popwood.com 75
Sharpening slurry is made up top because you’re introducing
of bits of metal and abrasive that moisture in places where it has
will dig into your bench and later spilled. And dried glue can eas-
get embedded in your work. And ily mar your work.
finishing materials (dyes, stains So I have a removable top that
and glazes in particular) can rub fits right over my benchtop for Vise block
off on your work for weeks or years gluing chores. It’s made using 1⁄8"-
if they spill on your bench. thick hardboard (available at your Dowel
That’s why a tray with a low local home center store) and four
lip is ideal for typical sharpening cleats that keep it securely in place
and finishing jobs. I make my trays on the benchtop.
from inexpensive plywood with Why not use newspaper or a
Vise blocks improve the holding power
the lip made of 3⁄ 4"-thick scrap blanket? Well, newspaper makes of any vise. The dowel prevents the
pieces – plus glue and screws. The a lot of waste, and is slow and block from dropping to the floor when
best thing about the tray is that it messy. Blankets, if not perfectly you open the vise.
SUPPLIES
drops into two dog holes, so there’s flat on your bench, can actually BENCH DOGS AND
no need to clamp it in place. This introduce a little twist in your WONDER DOGS
makes the tray especially good for glue-ups. If you don’t want to The solution is so simple I’m
sharpening because the tray stays make a hardboard glue-up top, surprised that I don’t see this more Lee Valley Tools
put as you work. the next-best option is to buy a often. Put a block of equal thick-
thin plastic tablecloth. ness on the other side of the jaw • Veritas round bench dogs
9 A Top Just for Gluing and your problem is solved. I have #05G04.02, $17.50/pair
Not all of us have the luxury of a 10 Vise Blocks Add Bite a set of “vise blocks” in the most • Veritas Wonder Dog
separate bench for assembly, so I One of the biggest complaints common thicknesses I deal with #05G10.01, $23.50
end up constructing most of my woodworkers have with their vise (1⁄2", 5⁄8", 3⁄4", 7⁄8" and 1"). To help
BENCH VISES
furniture right on my bench – is that it doesn’t hold the work me out even more, I drive a 3⁄ 4"
both at work and at home. very well when they clamp using dowel through each block to pre- Lee Valley Tools
Getting glue on the bench is only one side of the jaw. The jaw vent it from dropping when I re- 800-871-8158 or leevalley.com
a big problem most woodwork- bends a little bit – especially with lease the vise. This quick and sim- • Large front vise kit
ers face. Yellow glue, which is wooden vises – and this weakens ple fix will save you a lot of future #70G08.02, $69.50
mostly water, isn’t good for your its grip on the work. frustration. PW • Record quick-release vise
#10G04.03, $149
• Veritas Tucker patternmaker’s
Until I can afford
my 3,000-square-
vise, #05G09.01, $549
foot dream shop, I •Veritas twin-screw vise
have to assemble #05G12.21, $159
projects on my
bench. This cover Woodcraft
keeps my 800-225-1153 or woodcraft.com
benchtop like • Economy 9" quick-release vise
new. Make sure #129850, $64.99
the cleats that
keep the top in • Patternmaker’s vise
place don’t #128748, $219.99
interfere with
your vises. HOLDFASTS
Lee Valley Tools
• Veritas hold-down
Glue-up top #05G14.01, $52.50
Cleats • Inexpensive hold-down clamps
#16F02.10, $11.50/pair
You can find hardboard at your
local home center.
Prices as of publication date.

Photo by Al Parrish
The Joint Maker

This horizontal router jig has a table
that slides in four directions, turning a
T his horizontal routing jig, which I call “Joint Maker,” holds the
router to one side of the work. This setup offers several ad-
vantages over a standard router table for certain operations:
• You have more control when making mortises – you can rest
router into a joint-making monster. the part on its face and feed the edge into the bit.
• When making tenons, the rotation of the bit doesn’t pull the
work sideways as it does on an ordinary router table. Instead, you cut
by Nick Engler directly against the rotation.
Nick Engler, the author of more than 50 books on woodworking, has built a replica of • And if you use vertical panel-raising bits, you’ll find that with
the 1903 Wright Flyer, the first true airplane, and is now working on the 1905 Flyer. the panel resting flat on the worktable, gravity works for you.
popwood.com 77
I’ve built several Joint Makers in the illustrations on page 81. Stops limit the travel
throughout the years and I’ve no- Note that the grooves in the top of the sliding table
ticed that the most serious limi- run front-to-back, while those in
tation encountered is in routing the carriage run side-to-side. The
small, narrow parts – your hands grooves fit around the cross slides.
come too close to the bit for safe, Cut the shape of the top and
accurate control. So I added a cross-slide mount. The top has a
carriage on this one – essential- “fixed stop” on one side and a
ly it’s a sliding table. It works won- cutout in the other.
derfully. Just clamp the workpiece Then cut a 21⁄4"-diameter dust- Fixed stop
to the carriage and use it to feed collection hole in one of the end
the work into the router bit. Four pieces. Next, you should drill a
5⁄
stops on the carriage help posi- 16"-diameter pivot hole for the
tion the work and control the cut. router mount in the back side. The sliding carriage has several straight slots with a 3⁄ 4"-diameter hole at one end
A unique cross slide keeps the Assemble the bottom, sides, for you to mount the stops without having to remove the hardware. Just insert the
work perfectly aligned with the ends and baffle (which is a dust- head of the mounting bolt in the hole and slide the stop in.
bit, yet allows you to feed it front- collector diverter) with glue and
to-back and side-to-side. screws. Insert the carriage bolt
that serves as the pivot for the the board it attaches to, this the router mount. The heads of
How Do I Build It? router mount through the pivot arrangement gives you a fraction the screws must be countersunk
In essence, the Joint Maker is just hole in the back side, then screw of an inch more depth of cut. More in the mounting plate so they rest
a Baltic birch plywood box with the top in place. But don’t glue importantly, it lets you see what slightly below the surface.
two flat work surfaces – one ver- the top to the assembly – I found the router is doing as you cut.
tical, one horizontal – mounted that out the hard way. If the pivot To attach the plastic plate Cutting the Slots
to it. The vertical surface (or router bolt happens to fall out, you can to the router mount, make a cutout There are two types of slots in this
mount) is attached to the back lose your religion trying to get and rabbet the edge to accept the fixture. The carriage has several
of the box and holds the router. it back in. (Of course, had I been mounting plate. Attach the router keyhole slots – straight slots with
The horizontal surface (or car- smart, I would have epoxied the mounting plate to the router a 3⁄ 4"-diameter hole at one end.
riage) slides over the top of the bolt in place.) mount with #10 flathead sheet- The holes let you mount the stops
box and holds the work. metal screws. When installed, and clamps instantly, without
Cut the parts to the sizes given Mounting the Router the router mounting plate must having to remove the hardware.
in the cutting list. Rout 3⁄ 4"-wide Attach the router to a clear plas- be flush with the work surface of Just insert the heads of the mount-
x 1⁄4"-deep grooves in the top sur- tic plate before putting it in the
face of the top and the bottom router mount. Because this router
surface of the carriage, as shown mounting plate is thinner than 5⁄16"x 2" 3⁄8"-wide x
5⁄16"x 3" hanger bolt,
carriage 3⁄8"-deep
bolt, flat rabbet flat washer, fender
washer washer and wing nut
5⁄16" x and stop 18" #150-grit
2"-long nut 5" 8" PSA
carriage bolt, 5⁄16"-wide slot 1⁄4"
3 sandpaper
flat washer and with 3⁄4" x chamfer 2" ⁄8" (typ) (adhered
wing nut (2 sets 1⁄4"deep c'bore
(2 places) to box
required) 3
3⁄8" 16" 2" 11⁄2"dia. 8 ⁄4" 2" surface)
8"
Illustrations by Mary Jane Favorite
13 3⁄4"
3⁄4" 14"
4" 21⁄4" 3"
radius
diameter 6" 5 1⁄2" 7 1⁄8"
8 7⁄8" 51⁄2"
radius 8 3⁄4" 5⁄16"
11⁄2" 2 5⁄8"
11⁄8"
101⁄2" 11⁄2"
16 1⁄2" (baffle)
Profile Back view

N
P
P
L L
C B
M M
G
J
K L
H
B
F
E
A
F
E
Exploded view
THE JOINT MAKER

N O . LET. ITEM DIMENSIONS (IN INCHES) COMMENTS HARDWARE
T W L
3⁄
❏ 1 A Baffle 4 6 161⁄ 2 Baltic birch plywood ❏ 5⁄
16"
x 2" carriage bolts (6)
❏ 2 B Top/carriage 3⁄
4 16 18 Baltic birch plywood ❏ 5⁄
16"
x 5" carriage bolts (3)
❏ 1 C Router mount 3⁄
4 133⁄ 4 18 Baltic birch plywood ❏ 5⁄
16" flat washers (15)
❏ 1 D Bottom 3⁄
16" wing nuts (8)
❏ 2 E Ends 3⁄
4 6 101⁄ 2 Baltic birch plywood ❏ 5⁄
16" fender washer
❏ 2 F Sides 3⁄
16" stop nut
❏ 1 G Router mounting plate 3⁄
8 83⁄ 4 83⁄ 4 Acrylic plastic ❏ 5⁄
16" x 3" hanger bolt
❏ 2 H Front-to-back slides 1⁄
4
3⁄
4 113⁄ 4 Baltic birch plywood ❏ #10 x 3⁄ 4" flathead sheet metal screws (8) & nuts
❏ 2 J Side-to-side slides 1⁄
4
3⁄
4 18 Baltic birch plywood ❏ #12 x 11⁄ 2" flathead wood screw
❏ 1 K Cross-slide mount 1⁄
4 113⁄ 4 18 Baltic birch plywood ❏ compression springs (3)
❏ 4 L Stops 3⁄
4 11⁄ 2 11⁄ 2 Hardwood 0.030 wire x 11⁄32" I.D. x 5" long
❏ 4 M Stop pins 1 5⁄
16" diameter ❏ #8 x 13⁄ 4" flathead wood screws (45)
❏ 3 N Clamps 3⁄
4 2 53⁄ 4 Baltic birch plywood ❏ 5⁄ 16" x 4" full-thread hex bolts (3)
❏ 3 P Clamp jaws 3⁄
4
3⁄
4 2 Baltic birch plywood ❏ 5⁄ 16" T-nuts (3)
popwood.com 79
You can make a
counterbored slot ing bolts in the holes and slide use the tool itself as a glue-up jig.
in two steps. First the stop sideways in the slot. Place a single layer of thin plas-
rout the wide The slots let you position the tic in the grooves in both the top
“counterbore stops and clamps wherever you and the carriage (a plastic gro-
groove” that
need them when making cuts. cery bag works well). Then press
forms the step
inside the slots . Note that these slots are coun- the slides into their grooves on
terbored, which helps hold the top of the plastic. Apply a thin
heads of the bolts so they don’t bead of glue to the exposed sur-
rub on the top of the fixture. face of each slide. Place the cross-
To make the keyhole slots, slide mount on top of the slides
drill the 3⁄ 4"-diameter holes first. in the top, then place the carriage
Then rout 3⁄ 4"-wide x 1⁄ 4"-deep (with the slides in place) on top
counterbore grooves using a of it. Don’t worry if there’s glue
straightedge as a guide. Without squeeze-out; the plastic will pre-
changing the position on the vent it from accidentally bond-
router guide, change bits and rout ing surfaces that shouldn’t.
a 5⁄16"-wide slot through the mid- Make sure everything lines up
Then rout a slot
down the middle dle of each groove. properly and the back edge of the
of the groove, The other slot used in this carriage is flush with the back of
cutting completely Joint Maker is the curved slot in the Joint Maker. Then clamp the
through the the router mount. To rout this parts together and let the glue
stock in four
1⁄ slot, attach the router to a router dry. After it sets, take the carriage,
8"-deep passes.
compass jig. Insert a pivot bolt cross slide and Joint Maker apart,
through the compass and the and trash the plastic.
mount, then swing the router
in an arc as you cut. Make the Stops and Clamps
The stops and clamps are all at-
Make the Cross-slide Mount tached to the carriage by carriage
The cross-slide mount is a sim- bolts. The stops are just blocks of
ple assembly, but you have to get wood with dowels protruding from
all four of the slides positioned the underside to keep them from
correctly for it to work well. The rotating while in use. Chamfers
best way I found to do this was to around the bottom edges prevent
Router
compass jig
To rout the curved slot in the router mount, first make a router
compass jig to guide your router in an arc. Drill the 5⁄ 16"-
diameter mounting hole in the router mount and mark the
ends of the curved slot. Use the mounting hole as the pivot and
swing the router in an arc to cut the slot.

sawdust from interfering with the On the clamps, a compres- equate for the work I do. But if Final Assembly, Finishing
accuracy of your setup. sion spring around the mount- you think you’ll need more, now Give all the wooden surfaces a
I found that as sawdust builds ing bolt automatically raises the is the time to make them. light sanding, then apply a durable
up around the stops, it prevents clamp when you loosen the knob. As another option (if you’ve finish to all parts of the Joint
the parts from making full con- A hex bolt threaded into a T-nut got a few extra dollars) there are Maker: the router mount, car-
tact. This, in turn, keeps you from at the back of the clamp prevents a couple of hold-down clamps riage, cross slide, clamps and stops.
positioning the parts correctly. the assembly from tipping when available from catalogs that will Apply a thin coat to all ex-
The chamfers give the sawdust you apply pressure. also work very well when at- posed surfaces, then rub down
somewhere to go. You will still Make as many clamps and tached to the Joint Maker (see those surfaces that will slide to-
have to brush the dust away from stops as you think you’ll need. I “Some Store-bought Options to gether (such as the back and the
time to time, but you don’t have made just three clamps and four Improve the Joint Maker” on router mount, or the top and the
to get every little particle. stops, which I’ve found to be ad- page 82 for more information). cross slide) with steel wool or fine
Countersunk pilot hole for

#12 x 11⁄2"-long flathead 6"
wood screw
2 3⁄4"
5 1⁄8"
3⁄4" 113⁄4"
radius
1⁄4"
3⁄4"
5"
12"
18" 3⁄4"
Cross-slide layout - plan 3⁄8" (typ) Cross-

slide
3" 18" layout -
24" 4" 4"
3⁄4" 3⁄4" profile
Carriage layout - plan Cross-slide layout - elevation
2"
2" 6" 8"

3⁄4" 4" 3⁄4"
4" 4"
23⁄4" 3⁄4"
3⁄8"-deep
3" 3⁄4"dia thru 5⁄16" 5" slots
16"
3" 3⁄4" 12"
3⁄4"
3" 6" 51⁄4"
11⁄4"
8 1⁄4" 8 1/4"
13⁄4" 1 3/4"
18" 18"
Carriage layout - bottom view Top layout - plan
popwood.com 81
11⁄32" dia. thru with 15⁄16"-dia. x
abrasive pads. Then apply a coat 1⁄16"-dp. counterbore for 5⁄16" T-nut
of paste furniture wax to the slid-
ing surfaces of the top, cross slide
and carriage, and buff it out. The 5⁄16"
2" 1⁄2" 1⁄2"
thin layer of wax lubricates the
dia.
surfaces and helps the parts slide 1" 5⁄16"
much more easily. 1⁄2"
Attach the router mount to
the Joint Maker with a pivot bolt, 3⁄4" 3⁄4" 2 3⁄4" 11⁄2"
5⁄16"x
1⁄2"-deep
washer and a stop nut. Using the 5 3⁄4"
curved slot as a guide, drill a 1⁄ 4"- hole with
Clamp detail - plan 1"-long
diameter pilot hole for the hang- 5⁄16" 11⁄2"
x 4" full dowel
er bolt in the edge of the top.
thread hex bolt
Install the hanger bolt, fender and T-nut #150-grit Stop detail - plan
washer, flat washer and wing nut, sandpaper
as shown in the illustrations. 1⁄8" chamfer 1⁄2"
Also install the hardware in 3⁄4"
the stops and clamps. The car-
3⁄4" 3⁄4"
riage and cross slide are not at-
tached; they simply rest atop and
slide on the Joint Maker. 3⁄4"
Stop detail - elevation
Once you’ve done that, you’re 5⁄16"-dia. x 5" carriage
ready to test it out on all your bolt, 3 flat washers,
joint-making operations. PW compression spring
with 11⁄32" I.D. x 11⁄2"
x .030" wire and
wing nut
Clamp detail - profile
SOME STORE-BOUGHT OPTIONS TO IMPROVE THE JOINT MAKER

When we had a chance to work with the Joint time necessary to build the jig and get you costs 89 cents. The hold-down unit below left
Maker in the Popular Woodworking shop, we using it more quickly. (item #60736) costs $3.99 and includes a solid
were definitely impressed with the cleverness of Both the knobs and hold downs shown here aluminum hold-down, a bolt and a 1⁄ 4"-20 knob.
the design. Our minds were spinning with the are available from Hartville Tool (800-345-2396 – David Thiel
amazing number of operations that could be or hartvilletool.com). The knobs (right) are
performed easily with this homemade jig. made from recycled plastic and available as
We also let our minds wander a little further two-prong (item #60936), three-prong (item
about some of the features of the jig. After #60866) or four-prong (item #60796). Each
adjusting the numerous wing nuts (especially
when applying hold-down torque to such a
small surface area), we decided that some very
affordable handles would make the jig more
user-friendly. T-handle, star and three-wing
knobs are available for 50 cents to $2 each, and
make gripping and tightening the adjusters a
whole heck of a lot easier.
Another addition we felt would be useful
were some optional manufactured hold-downs.
While Nick’s hold-downs function well, there
are a number of other hold-downs available for
less than $5 that offer slightly better perform- While the four-prong “star” knobs are
ance. The store-bought hold-downs shown at easiest to grab, the two-prong “T” knobs
right will work with the slots as shown in the require less clearance. The hold-down at
plans, and by purchasing them you’ll reduce the left also works in the Joint Maker’s slots.

USING THE JOINT MAKER TO CREATE A HAUNCHED MORTISE-AND-TENON JOINT
1 You can cut grooves on the inside

of edges of rails and stiles with a straight
bit. Lock the carriage to the base with a 2 To cut the mortise, clamp a stile to the carriage so the 3 Secure a stop against the end of the stile to quickly align
wood screw and feed the parts past the inside edge faces the router. Adjust the hex bolts so the clamp the other stiles.This makes it a lot easier to make the same cut
bit, guiding them along the mount. jaws sit squarely on the work while you tighten the knobs. in multiple pieces without having to set it up each time.
4 Advance the router bit to cut the full depth of the 5 For the tenon, mount a rail on the carriage so the edge 6 You can use the wooden clamp as a
mortise. Holding the carriage, feed the stock into the bit is perpendicular to the mounting plate. Secure stops against stop to prevent the bit from cutting into the
no more than 1⁄ 8" deep at a time, moving it side to side. the rail to help you position the others for duplicate cuts. carriage as you work.
Feed this
direction
7 Once you set up the stops and clamps to cut the tenons just as you want them, 8 To cut the tenon’s shoulders, turn the rail so the outside edge rests on the
feed the rail across the bit, cutting the underside of the stock. With the cutter below carriage and clamp it in place. Readjust the router bit and cut the haunch in the
the work, you need to pull the work toward you to cut against the rotation of the bit. tenon, using the carriage to feed the work and control the cut.
popwood.com 83
Photo by Al Parrish
Jim Tolpin’s
UNIVERSAL RIP FENCE
A simple fixture lets your table saw cut curves, patterns and tenons in one pass.

y universal fence fixture
Minitrack UHMW plastic strip
– the heart of my table
M saw system to which an
entire galaxy of accessories can
1/16" x 21/4"
Angle
brace
be attached – greatly expands the
utility and ease of use of the table Pronged T-nut 5/16"-18
saw. With this system you can (countersink flush)
2"
easily create a wide variety of
joints with speed and precision: Biscuit
from tenons to tongue-in-groove
and spline joints, to raised pan- Drill and tap
Illustrations by Joseph W. Bradley and Settingpace

els and rabbets. holes for bolts
It revolves around a single aux- in metal rip fence
41/2"
iliary fence that quickly bolts to
my table saw’s existing Biesemeyer- Existing fence sides
style rip fence. Used by itself, this
fixture (which is generally left in Existing metal
place as it does not interfere with rip fence
most table saw operations), guides
wide stock on edge through the
blade. This fixture also incorpo-
rates a “Minitrack” T-slotted alu- Cross-section
minum extrusion that accepts the
1⁄
4" x 20 attachment bolts of two Pronged T-nut or Angle brace (4)
or more shop-made hold-downs threaded insert
to keep stock flat to the table. 40"
Building the Fixture

I recommend building the fixture 36" Minitrack
from a high-quality grade of hard-
wood plywood that’s free of voids Filler strip in groove
and warp. Generally speaking, the *All parts are (end angles toward
3/4" plywood. base of Minitrack)
more laminations the better.
Take your time to get the cuts 4"
straight and square, and securely To fit top
glue and screw the fixture together. Auxiliary rip fence of rip fence
I use biscuits to strengthen the
butt joints – full-length shop-made
1⁄
splines would give even more extend the vertical face of the 16"-thick strips of ultra high mo- In this article I will introduce
strength if you want to take the fence to run down past the face lecular weight (UHMW) plastic you to three of my favorite ac-
extra effort to make them. Careful of your rip fence all the way to on the bearing surfaces of the fix- cessories that I regularly use with
construction of this fixture will the saw table. You can then run tures where they run against each my universal rip fence fixture sys-
ensure that the accessories that bolts horizontally through the other or on the table surface. tem: the rip fence sled, the pat-
depend on it will run smoothly wood fence (with the bolt heads These strips and the aluminum tern fence and the rabbet fence.
and accurately. buried into a countersink) and extrusions (which I set into grooves
To attach the fixture to your through your table saw’s rip fence. to accept attachment bolts for The Rip Fence Sled
saw’s rip fence, you may need only To reduce friction (on this and accessory fixtures) are available The most versatile of the fixtures
to drill and tap a hole in its metal all other fixtures), note that I use from suppliers listed on page 88. is the rip fence sled, which nests
top surface to accept the hold- and slides on top of the basic fix-
down bolts as I did with the by Jim Tolpin ture. It offers a multitude of uses
Biesemeyer fence at left. If, how- depending on how it is set up.
Excerpted from “Jim Tolpin’s Table Saw Magic, Second Edition” copyright 2004
ever, your particular rip fence is by Jim Tolpin. Used with permission of Popular Woodworking Books, an imprint of
It can act as a short rip fence; a
not a square steel box, you may F&W Publications Inc. Visit your local bookseller, call 800-448-0915 or visit the tenon jig with integral clamps
have to get a little creative and Bookstore at popwood.com to obtain your copy. and replaceable backing strips;
popwood.com 85
To cut both cheeks of the tenon
3/4" plywood Fence sled at once, I install two identical
blades. The one caveat is that
Biscuit
your saw must have sufficient
Adjustable runner power (2 horsepower minimum
Universal is recommended) to run two blades
rip fence simultaneously through the type
of material you are cutting. I also
11" Biesemeyer-type recommend using a 24-tooth,
rip fence thin-kerf rip blade – here you’ll
need two, of course – to ensure
best results. If you do not have
Cross section
these blades, you could use the
two outer blades from a standard
stack dado set. Be aware, how-
ever, that they won’t cut as effi-
Angle brace
ciently as the thin-kerf rip blades
and will require more step cuts.
Setting up the double blades
requires a plywood washer (don’t
use solid wood, as its thickness
36" 21/2"
can change with the humidity)
augmented by paper or plastic
21/2" dado-blade washers for fine-tun-
36" Minitrack
ing the width. Note that the wash-
er width must be greater than the
UHMW plastic strips tenon width to account for the
Adjustable runner
1/2" x 21/2" x 36" fact that the blades’ carbide tips
plywood are wider than the saw-blade plate.
I install a fresh throat plate and
Rip fence sled set the fence to a story stick. (A
story stick simply is a scrap piece
of wood with a project’s dimen-
sions transferred to it.)
Begin by test-cutting a scrap
The rip fence sled,
set up with a an end-bevel cutting and shap- of stock. When satisfied, clamp
vertical back stop ing jig; and a feather spline miter- the stock in place and begin mak-
and clamp, carries joint carriage (for frames). ing the cuts in steps, never more
a board on end An adjustable guide system than 1" in height at a pass – less
through a set of
allows you to tweak the amount if dense hardwood. On the last
double blades to
create a tenon. of sliding friction. The use of this cut, in which the blades reach
sled brings precision, efficiency the shoulder cuts, push the sled
and control to these processes. all the way past the blade and turn
Here I will explain just a cou- off the saw. After you cut these
ple of its applications: cutting cheeks, then finish the tenons by
tenons on the end of a board and cutting the shoulders.
creating a feather spline joint in
the corner of a mitered frame. Cutting Feather Spline Joints
With the Rip Fence Sled
Step photos by Craig Wester
Cutting Tenons I often use “feather spline” joints

With the Rip Fence Sled on the corners of a frame to add
I often use the rip fence sled to decoration and strength to an ex-
cut tenons vertically. It’s a fast isting miter joint. I often make
and accurate process. the feathers out of a contrasting

Stock support
Set up the fixture to cut the feather splines. A drafting triangle set between the Use a 24"framing square, such as the one shown above, to set the second support
underside of the stock support (attached to the sliding rip fence fixture) and the saw square to the first. To see this operation in action, check out page 31 of our
table makes quick work of securing the first support at a precise 45° angle. December 2003 issue or go to “Magazine Extras” online at popwood.com.
hardwood (with the grain run- sled and the blade by measuring The Pattern Fence I start by making an exact tem-
ning perpendicular to the miter to a story stick and then lock down Pattern-sawing on the table saw plate of the shape I want to re-
line for strength). the rip fence. Make test cuts in offers a quick and accurate way produce. Be careful to get it right
To simplify things, I make the scrap to ensure accuracy. At this to create duplicates. because all the other pieces will
spline the same thickness as the point it’s simply a matter of set- The pattern fence (below and be its clones. I usually add a han-
kerf of one of my saw blades. Of ting the frame (which I previ- illustrated on the next page) acts dle to the template to provide a
course, if you want a thicker feath- ously glued together – it’s fragile as an index for a template so that more secure grasp.
er, you can use a dado blade. Just but strong enough for this oper- the blade makes its cut in the The next step is to rough-size
be sure the slot isn’t too tight or ation) in the crotch of the two stock precisely along the perime- the workpiece within 1" of its fin-
there won’t be any room for glue supports, clamping it down and ter of the template. Slotted holes ished shape. Try to avoid a larg-
when it’s time for assembly – you pushing the sled along the uni- in the fixture allow it to be ad- er waste margin as the offcuts
want a slip fit, not a pounding fit. versal fixture. Use a series of cuts justed to the blade at any height. might get trapped between the
To set up to cut these feath- if the slot is going to be more than The pattern fence also can make blade and the fence.
3⁄
er joints on the rip fence sled, I 4" or so deep. long straight cuts and gentle curves. Next, attach the template
install a pair of stock supports
(with attachment bolts that fit
into the sled’s integral T-slot shown In combination
above). These will carry the frame with the pattern
fence, a template
at an exact 45° angle to the table
attached to your
surface. In this way, the slot made workpiece quickly
by the blade will cut an even dis- and accurately
tance along each side. clones the shape.
Set the first support up with a
drafting triangle as shown in the
photo above left. The second sup-
port is then set up square to the
first using a carpenter’s framing
square. Then lock the supports
tightly against the sled. Tape a
piece of thin hardwood to the
Vertical slots allow for
face of the rear support to serve
height adjustment
as a replaceable backing board
for the exiting blade. This helps
prevent tear-out.
Set the distance between the
popwood.com 87
to the workpiece with protrud- Workpiece
ing pins (brads) or screws if their Handle
hole marks are not going to show
on the finished workpiece. If both Template (3/4" plywood)
sides must be clean, I use a vac-
uum clamp system or go the easy
route with double-stick carpet
tape. The tape will last for five or
six cuts before it needs replacing.
To help the tape stick better, I
sand the bottom of the template
and brush or spray on several coats
of shellac or other sealer. To en-
Handled bolt
sure a good grab to the carpet tape,
I tap the template onto the work-
piece with a rubber-faced mallet. Example pattern Low fence fixture
To set up for the cut, raise the
height of the low fence fixture Universal rip fence fixture
equal to the thickness of the work-
piece, plus another 1⁄4" (use a piece
of 1⁄4" plywood as a spacer). Next,
T-nut
move the fence system over until
the outside reference edge of the
low fence comes flush to the out-
side of the blade, then set the
height of the blade to just a frac-
tion below the fence base; it should Rip fence
almost touch. Make a note of the
cursor reading on the rip fence
for future reference.
The magic is now ready to Blade
begin. Index one facet of the tem-
plate against the fence ahead of Profile - pattern fence
the blade and, with a steady mo-
tion, move the template (with
the rough-cut workpiece below) carefully to keep the edge of the tach a known straightedge to the Curved Cuts
forward through the blade. Work template tight to the fence. Then board precisely along the cut line. With the Pattern Fence
rotate the workpiece counter- On any work more than 1' long I was happy to discover that it’s
clockwise to the next facet and I recommend screwing (rather possible to cut a curve on the table
SUPPLIES cut again. Repeat this process than carpet-taping) the guide in saw – up to 3⁄4" per foot arc in 3⁄4"-
Woodcraft until you have cut all around the place. Screws are more secure. If thick stock. (I do not recommend
800-225-1153 or template. In just moments, you the guide board is wide enough cutting curves in stock thicker
woodcraft.com have created a perfect replica of (the longer the board, the wider than 3⁄ 4", as the forces involved
• 1⁄ 16"-thick x 3"-wide strips the template – it’s that simple. If it needs to be, about 1" per 21⁄ 2' become huge.)
of UHMW plastic you’ve used carpet tape, remove of length), you need to screw the I discovered the use of the table
#16L65, $18.99 the template by lightly tapping guide board only at the ends. If saw for curve-cutting when I set
FasTTraK
the side with a hammer. your guide board is perfectly out to cut planks for a small boat
888-327-7725 or straight (be sure to check its bear- from 4' x 10' sheets of plywood.
woodworkingfasttrak.com Straight-edge Ripping ing surface against a known I found that I could cut these
• Minitrack aluminum
With the Pattern Fence straightedge) and you are careful planks nearly four times faster on
extrusion, available in 12" The pattern fence system is also to keep the guide against the pat- the table saw than with a jigsaw
to 48” lengths an excellent way to gain a straight tern fence, you will come up with or circular saw. I also discov-
$6.99 to $14.99 edge on a board of any length, an edge as true as one you would ered that the table saw produced
without using a jointer. Just at- gain from a jointer. such an accurate cut that no trim-

ming (other than a bit of hand At this point you have two pro- Mark the location of the front isn’t available or doesn’t help,
planing) was necessary to make cedural options: You can fix a bat- of the blade on the top of the pat- you’ll have to use another cut-
the planks fit precisely. ten in place to points directly on tern fence as a visual reference. ting method.
The trick to making curved the workpiece (which leaves lit- This is where you must keep the
cuts is to use a curved-edge tem- tle nail holes to fill but is re- template or batten in contact The Rabbet Fence
plate, or batten, fixed to the stock, markably fast), or you can lay out with the fence as you proceed You can cut a rabbet quickly and
in conjunction with the pattern and then cut a curved template through the length of the cut. accurately in a single pass by using
fence and a 40-tooth combina- in a piece of sheet stock. You can Feed the stock smoothly and a dado blade and this specialized
tion blade (don’t use a thin-kerf attach this with screws or carpet steadily through the spinning rabbet fence that bolts securely
blade). If you keep the curves shal- tape. Screws do leave small holes blade, keeping the guide tight to to the universal fence fixture.
low, the kerf cannot bind on the but in the long run, they’re more the pattern fence at your mark, The fixture’s T-slot accepts
blade because the offset of the car- secure. The latter procedure is as shown in the photo below. bolts to secure my shop-made
bide tips keeps the concave side preferable if you intend to make Be sure to set an outfeed table comb-type hold-downs as need-
of the kerf away from the blade a number of pieces to one curve. to catch the stock. If you encounter ed to hold the stock flat to the
plate. The saw blade doesn’t care With the template or batten resistance and/or see wisps of table. The cavity cut in the fence
that the cut line runs along a curve affixed to the workpiece, the next smoke, the curve is too tight for lets you “hide” a portion of the
as long as you carefully control the step is to set up the pattern fence your blade. Stop feeding imme- dado blade within the fence it-
stock so it can’t back into the blade. as described earlier for template- diately, lower the blade and re- self, allowing you to adjust the
This is where the pattern fence cutting. If the offcuts of the stock move the board. Try another blade width of the dado simply by set-
comes into play. will be too big to fit between the with greater tip clearance. If this ting the position of the fence
The first step to making a blade and the rip fence, you must
curved cut is to lay out the curve. first trim any oversize areas.
Curve-cutting with the Pattern Fence
Batten (sprung
to curve) Kerf
Pattern fence
Rip fence
Workpiece
Position of blade
below pattern fence
Fence
Mark indicates leading

edge of the blade
Blade location
Batten
Plan - pattern fence
Pattern fence Rip fence
Batten
Workpiece
Offcut
A long, gentle curve cut can be made with the pattern fence by attaching a curved Blade
guide batten to the workpiece and running it carefully against the edge of the fence. Profile - pattern fence
popwood.com 89
rather than changing the width hold-downs are secured firmly in
of the dado blade by adding or place, as any lifting of the stock
subtracting cutters or shims. up from the table will cause the
With the cutter height ad- rabbet to fluctuate in depth. PW
justed to the depth of the rabbet,
you need only to run the work-
piece against the fence to pro-
duce the finished cut. Be sure the Auxiliary rabbet fence
(knob-handled bolt secures fixture
to tall auxiliary fence T-nuts)
To order this book visit the
Bookstore at popwood.com or
24" Minitrack (cut dado
call 800-448-0915.
in fixture to accept)
6" Tall auxiliary MORE ACCESSORIES

36"
fence FOR THE UNIVERSAL
FENCE FIXTURE
The following is a list of additional
fixtures that I’ve devised for this sys-
tem. You can find a complete descrip-
tion of their construction and use in the
3/4" plywood fully revised and updated second
Featherboard
edition of “Jim Tolpin’s Table Saw
Note: Round all edges and corners Magic” (Popular Woodworking Books).
as shown, sand and shellac. Cut The first two fixtures slide on the fence;
cavity to enclose blade with jigsaw the rest quickly bolt to it:
(trace raised blade). • Carriage-type taper jig and
Rabbet fence straight-line ripping fixture: Features a
unique adjustable clamping and guid-
ance system, which simplifies set-up
and ensures accurate cutting action.
The rabbet fence is
• Raised-panel jig: Features easy
bolted to the
universal fence
sliding action, integral hold-downs and
fixture and then an adjustable field angle.
set up with a pair • Vacuum-powered rip fence:
of featherboards Works with a shop vacuum to keep
bolted to its delicate, thin slices tight to the fence.
aluminum T-track. • Long-extension fence: Used to
support and guide panel stock and long
Clearance cavity boards ahead of the saw table.
• Edge jointer: Cleans up and
straightens edges of boards and panels.
• End-stop fence: Features easily
adjustable stops for setting up single-
and double-blind slots and grooves.
• Fence for thin sheet stock: Guides
and controls thin, flexible parts.
• Edge-band trimmer: Allows
precise flushing of edge bandings.
• Coving jig: Lets you cut multiple
flute patterns; accepts a quick-bolt
hold-down fixture; a simple spacing
system ensures even flute spacing with
Featherboards
speed and precision.
– Jim Tolpin

!
W
E
N
Unique patented guide system • Joints from a tiny 1⁄ 16" x 3⁄ 32" to 1⁄ 2" x 5" in stock
up to 3" x 5 1⁄ 2" • Easy fingertip adjustment of joint tightness, recordable and
repeatable • Make angled and compound angled joints • Rout perfectly aligned
double, triple and quadruple joints • Use virtually any plunge router • Uses 1⁄ 2" shank
cutters • Cam-action speed-clamps • Integral dust port for vacuum
STOP!
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performed in Popular Woodworking’s workshop!
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FROM THE BENCH
Precision Edge-jointing by Hand

Even if you own a
powered jointer, you
can get a superior fit
with a long hand plane.
I imagine a good percentage of you are won-

dering why in the world you should learn
to joint a board’s edge with a hand plane. After
all, most woodworkers own a machine join-
ter and have gotten by without this hand skill.
However, having jointed edges by both
hand and machine, I’ve found it requires a
good deal of care to tune a machine jointer
Photo by Al Parrish
for precision edge-jointing. And it’s almost
always possible to improve the jointed edge
by planing it by hand – even those edges from
well-maintained machines. Learning how to joint a board by hand pays great dividends when you need a perfect fit or you are dealing with
Additionally, there are circumstances boards that are too long for your powered jointer. With a little practice, almost anyone can do it.
where a hand plane is the only way to achieve
a true edge. A particularly long or heavy board
can be too cumbersome to pass over a ma- Some of you may already know the value tional characteristic of the planes wood-
chine jointer. In this instance, the most ef- of this skill, but you are not sure how to pro- workers have used for millennia: The cut-
fective method would be to hold the board ceed and think it might be a bit too tricky. ting action of the plane iron is regulated by
stationary and shoot the edge by hand – if you Or you may have already taken a stab at it the flat sole of the plane that’s in contact
have the planes and know how to use them. and met with some frustration. with the surface of the wood.
This column will show you an approach If it were possible for the cutting edge
to edge-jointing by hand that is clear and to lie at the same height as the flat sole of
basic enough to help anyone with average the plane, every bench plane would cut in a
hand-eye coordination to begin mastering straight line. However, things are not that
this fundamental skill. Specifically, the focus simple. Because the cutting edge projects
will be on the planes and edge-planing tech- below the sole to take a shaving, bench planes
niques involved, as I believe this to be the tend to cut in a shallow, concave arc.
keystone to edge-jointing by hand. Many factors enter into the magnitude
of this arc, but it’s roughly a function of the
Getting Straight and Square length of the plane and the depth of the iron.
At its most basic level, this is the goal when The shorter the plane and deeper the cut,
shooting the edges of boards: Create two sur- the more pronounced the arc. Conversely,
faces that will mate well enough so the glue
will create a joint that will not fail under by Don McConnell
normal circumstances.
Don McConnell builds furniture and does ornamental
It’s not accidental that the effort to gain
Even if you don’t have a jack on your bench for carving in Mount Vernon, Ohio. Formerly at the
supporting long boards, you can use handscrews. this desirable proximity in edge-jointing in- cabinetmaker’s shop at The Ohio Village, he remains
Clamp one end in your face vise and the other end in volves the quest for straight, square edges. an avid student of the history of the trade,
handscrews that you rest on your benchtop. Rather, it flows directly from the critical func- tools and shop practices.

When edge-jointing, it’s important to pay attention to In the middle of the pass, the pressure should be Use your fingers as a fence when edge-jointing. With
your body mechanics. At the beginning of your pass, equal fore and aft on the plane’s body. At the end of your hand wrapped around the plane as shown, you
apply considerable pressure to the toe (front) of the the pass, as seen here, all of your downward pressure can keep the plane registered on the edge and
plane and push forward with your other hand. should be applied to the heel of the tool. positioned laterally where you want the cut.
the longer the plane and finer the set of the ing advantage of the inherent control of the
iron, the more closely its cutting action will plane by maintaining that uniform contact.
approximate a straight line. By shifting your hand pressure as I describe
That’s why longer bench planes (20" to in the photos above left and center, you
24" try planes, 26" to 30" jointers) are typi- get a great deal of control, especially on boards
cally used for final truing of surfaces and edges. that are 3⁄4" thick or more. (For thinner stock,
Their length, in combination with irons set you can use an appliance known as a shoot-
to take a light shaving, regulates the cutting ing board to great advantage.)
action to closely approximate a straight line. Surprisingly, when using this technique
to shoot an edge with my try plane, if a
Properly Applied Pressure straightedge indicates that the plane has
Throughout history, woodworkers have de- left it very slightly hollow in the middle
veloped the following simple strategy for of the board I take it as a sign that the plane
taking advantage of the cutting character- is functioning properly and my technique
istics of these long planes. is sound. Though this may seem at odds with
The technique involves concentrating the purpose of edge jointing, that largely
downward pressure on the toe of the plane proves not to be the case. We’ll get back to
as the cut commences and transferring that this point in a moment.
When preparing a board for edge-jointing, I typically
downward pressure toward the heel of the take a couple of strokes in the middle of the edge –
plane as the cut continues. The pressure is Fix a Crooked Edge starting and stopping before the ends. This slightly
concentrated toward the heel as the cut ends. First let’s deal with the question of how to hollow edge is easier to put the final edge on.
This helps ensure that the weight of the plane correct an edge that is out of square if we’re
hanging off either end of the board doesn’t not going to tip the plane laterally. The key edge into square one shaving at a time.
interfere with the sole maintaining uniform is using a plane iron with a cutting edge that Controlling the lateral position of the
contact with the material. is slightly cambered. In other words, the cut- plane to correct for square is the main aspect
When edge-jointing, the principle of ting edge has a slight convexity. of edge planing that differs from face plan-
maintaining uniform contact between the A slightly cambered iron (only a few thou- ing. Rather than gripping across the top of
sole of the plane and the edge is sometimes sandths of camber is necessary) will take a the stock of a wooden plane, or the knob
lost sight of. Often that’s because some peo- slightly thicker shaving where the curvature of a Bailey/Stanley plane, place your thumb
ple think the plane needs to be tipped, lat- is at its maximum, namely the middle of the on the top of the plane and curl your fingers
erally left or right, to correct an edge that cutting edge. We take advantage of this fea- under to grip the sole of the plane (as shown
is out of square. The unwanted consequence ture to correct an edge that is out of square in the photo above right).
of this tipping is that it tends to defeat the by shifting the plane sideways (but keep- This technique allows you to use your
self-regulating nature of the plane, causing ing the sole in contact with the surface of fingers as a fence to control and influence
your edge to have several surfaces, or facets, the edge) so that the middle of the cutting the lateral position of the plane, while
none of which are straight or square. edge is taking a heavier shaving at the high still using your thumb for downward pres-
To plane straight edges, I recommend tak- side – or arris. This allows you to bring an sure at the beginning of the stroke.
popwood.com 93
FROM THE BENCH
A slight hollow in the

middle is preferable. ly approximates a straight line that it is pos-
A hump in the middle sible to directly achieve a “perfect” fit. In
will likely result in fact, woodworkers have traditionally made
joint failure. use of the rapid adhesion of hot hide glue
to do “rubbed joints” in these circumstances.
In other words, the two pieces were rubbed
together momentarily until the hide glue
began to congeal and grab, eliminating the
need for any clamps. I’ve successfully done
this with aliphatic resin glue, but I feel safer
using at least one clamp.
On longer pieces, woodworkers tradi-
tionally have made use of the slight concave
arc produced by their planes to execute a
“sprung joint.” The rationale for leaving this
Begin With a Slightly Hollow Edge the basic techniques already described, con- slight hollow in the middle of the joint (to
Edge-jointing generally takes place after at tinuing until full-length shavings are pro- be pulled together with clamps) rests on the
least one face of a board has been trued up. duced. This can be followed by, or combined observation that the ends are subject to more
It’s a good idea to mark the true face to en- with, manipulating the lateral position of stress through dimensional changes because
sure it is consistently used as the reference the plane to square the edge up. Finish by of the more rapid moisture movement in the
surface when checking the edge for square. taking one full-length shaving while keep- exposed end grain at the ends.
If an edge is in the rough or has a signif- ing the plane centered on the edge. This rationale seems to have some merit,
icant fault, a jack plane with a significantly When both edges are to your satisfaction, and generations of woodworkers have suc-
cambered cutting edge can be used at the one edge can be offered up to the other to cessfully used sprung joints. However, I am
outset. A heavier shaving and more pro- test the fit. If it rocks, swivels in the middle unaware of any research testing this ration-
nounced camber allow it to remove saw marks or if the reference faces don’t create a flat ale and it seems safest to minimize the clamp-
and major faults quickly. This will need to panel, adjustments will need to be made. ing pressure required to pull any joint closed.
be followed up with a try plane or jointer, On shorter pieces, the slow arc of the Edge-jointing by hand is not as difficult
depending on the length of the edge. cut of the longer try plane or jointer so close- or mysterious as many might believe. While
In either case, the approach is the same. it takes some experience to feel comfort-
In my experience, it’s desirable to remove able with it, and every situation is slightly
any convex bow by beginning and ending a different, anyone can have early success at
couple of strokes short of each end. Next, Plane iron this task by making use of the control in-
full-length strokes can be taken, following herent in their planes. PW
Toe of plane
Horizontal
Cambered
cutting edge
(exaggerated)
Illustration by Matt Bantly
High arris
(exaggerated)
After a pass or two, check your edge to see if

it is square to the faces of the board. You can The final test is to lay the board’s mate on the edge
use the cambered iron of your plane to you just planed. The top board should not pivot easily
adjust an edge that is out of square, as or rock on the board. If it does, you have a convex
shown in the illustration above. edge that needs to be removed.

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JAN. 16 - 18, 2004 JAN. 30 - FEB. 1, 2004 FEB. 6 - FEB. 8, 2004
PRODUCT INDEX
PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
ADHESIVES POWER TOOLS
Epoxyheads 8 113 epoxyheads.com Legacy Woodworking 103 135 legacywoodworking.com
Franklin International 20 119 titebond.com Makita 18 138 makitatools.com
Gorilla Glue 14 124 gorillaglue.com Porter-Cable 23 150 makitatools.com
Norton Abrasives 16 143 nortonabrasives.com Ridgid 11 151 ridgid.com
Sears Craftsman C3 153 craftsman.com
BITS, BLADES & CUTTERS Shopbot 22 154 shopbot.com
Amana 29 102 amanatool.com Smithy 28 155 smithy.com
Forrest Mfg. 41 118 stores.yahoo.com/forrestman Wilke 37 163 wilkemach.com
Freud 9 120 freudtools.com Woodstock Int’l 27 167 woodstockinternational.com
Infinity Cutting Tools 14 126 infinitytools.com
Librawood 102 136 librawood.com SAWMILLS & KILNS
Olson 22 145 olsonsaw.com Norwood Industries 102 144 norwoodindustries.com
Ridge Carbide 103 171 ridgecarbidetool.com
SHOP ACCESSORIES
BOOKS Airware America 103 101 airwareamerica.com
Woodworker's Book Club Insert — woodworkersbookclub.com Modine 99 142 modine.com
Oneida Air Systems 30 146 oneida-air.com
BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY
Furniture Medic 37 121 furnituremedic.com TURNING SUPPLIES
Packard Woodworks 102 148 packardwoodworks.com
CLAMPS
Wetzler 22 161 wetzler.com WOOD & VENEERS
Newton Woods 102 — walnutwoods.net
FASTENERS Wall Lumber 30 159 walllumber.com
Kreg Tool 26 132 kregtool.com Woodfinder 102 — woodfinder.com
McFeely's 99 140 mcfeelys.com
Miller Dowel Co. 91 141 millerdowel.com WOODWORKING CATALOGS
Amazon 20 103 amazon.com
FINISHES & SUPPLIES Lee Valley Tools 28 134 leevalley.com
Waterlox 102 160 waterlox.com Rockler 24 152 rockler.com
FURNITURE & PROJECT PARTS Woodcraft 12-13 164 woodcraft.com
Adams Wood Products 14 100 adamswoodproducts.com Woodworker’s Choice 102 168 thewoodworkerschoice.com
Osborne Wood Products 97 147 osbornewood.com Woodworker's Supply 8 170 woodworker.com
HAND TOOLS WOODWORKING SHOWS

BrandNew Industries 103 107 brandnew.net Woodworks 2003 95, 98 — woodworks2003.com
Fine Tool Journal 102 116 finetoolj.com
Glen-Drake Tool Works 24 123 glen-drake.com
Japan Woodworker 24 127 thejapanwoodworker.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 91 137 lie-nielsen.com
Manny’s Woodworker’s Place
Tools For Working Wood
102
102
139
157
manny’swoodbooks.com
toolsforworkingwood.com See something you want?
HARDWARE
Ball & Ball
Whitechapel Ltd.
30
8
104
162
ballandball-us.com
whitechapel-ltd.com
Need more information?
Woodworker’s Hardware 30 169 wwhardware.com Use the Free Information Card in this issue to receive
free advertiser information.
KITS & PLANS
U-bild.com 102 158 u-bild.com For faster service, go online at www.popwood.com
Woodcraft Plans 103 165 woodcraftplans.com and click "FREE INFORMATION" or fax the card to
MISCELLANEOUS (585) 321-0043.
Dakota Alert 103 108 dakotaalert.com
POWER TOOL ACCESSORIES Win A Festool
Beall Tool 102 105 bealltool.com
Bench Dog Tools 20 106 benchdog.com PS300EQ Trion Jigsaw
Jointech 37 131 jointech.com When you request information,
Leigh 30, 91 — leighjigs.com
you're automatically entered in
Stots Corporation 102 156 stots.com
Woodpeckers 103 166 woodpeck.com our drawing to win a Festool
PS300EQ Trion jigsaw. When
POWER TOOLS we tested this jigsaw, it came
Delta Machinery 15 109 deltamachinery.com
Delta Machinery 17 110 deltamachinery.com out on top, earning our Editors’
Delta Machinery 19 111 deltamachinery.com Choice. It also earned a Best
Delta Machinery 21 112 deltamachinery.com New Tool of 2003 award. The
Fein Power Tools 31 114 feinusa.com Trion is just about the most
Festool 25 115 festool-usa.com
Fisch 91 117 fisch-woodworking.com
expensive jigsaw available, but
General Mfg. 26 122 general.ca it really is German (and Festool)
Grizzly Industrial C2-1 125 grizzly.com craftsmanship at its best. We’ll select one lucky winner from
JET Tools 2 128 jettools.com the first 200 information requests received from this issue.
JET Tools 4-5 130 jettools.com
JET Tools 7 129 jettools.com (See Advertiser Index or Product Index for circle numbers.)
Laguna Tools C4 128 lagunatools.com
ADVERTISER INDEX
ADVERTISER PAGE # CIRCLE # WEB ADDRESS
Adams Wood Products 14 100 adamswoodproducts.com
Airware America 103 101 airwareamerica.com
Amana 29 102 amanatool.com
Amazon 20 103 amazon.com
Ball & Ball 30 104
Beall Tool 102 105 bealltool.com
Bench Dog Tools 20 106 benchdog.com
BrandNew 103 107 brandnew.net
Dakota Alert 103 108 dakotaalert.com
Epoxyheads 8 113 epoxyheads.com
Fein Power Tools 31 114 feinusa.com
Festool 25 115 festool-us.com
Fine Tool Journal 102 116 finetoolj.com
Fisch 91 117 fisch-woodworking.com
Forrest Mfg. 41 118 stores.yahoo.com/forrestman
Franklin International 20 119 titebond.com
Freud 9 120 freudtools.com
Furniture Medic 37 121 furniture medic.com
General Mfg. 26 122 general.ca
Glen-Drake Tool Works 24 123 glen-drake.com
General Mfg. 26 124 general.ca
Grizzly Industrial C2-1 125 grizzly.com
Infinity Cutting Tools 14 126 infinitytools.com
Japan Woodworker 24 127 thejapanwoodworker.com
JET Tools 2 128 jettools.com
JET Tools 4-5 129 jettools.com
JET Tools 7 130 jettools.com
Jointech 37 131 jointech.com
Kreg Tool 26 132 kregtool.com
Laguna Tools C4 133 lagunatools.com
Lee Valley Tools 28 134 leevalley.com
Legacy Woodworking 103 135 legacywoodworking.com
Leigh 30, 91 — leighjigs.com
Librawood 102 136 librawood.com
Lie-Nielsen Toolworks 91 137 lie-nielsen.com
Makita 18 138 makitatools.com
Manny’s Woodworker’s Place 102 139 manny’swoodbooks.com
Special Issues from McFeely's 99 140 mcfeelys.com
Miller Dowel Co. 91 141 millerdowel.com
Popular Woodworking! Modine
Newton Woods
99
102
142
—
modine.com
walnutwood.net
Norton Abrasives 16 143 nortonabrasives.com
Looking for some project inspiration? Want to transform your shop? Norwood Industries 102 144 nortonabrasives.com
Always eager to learn new tricks and tips? Want detailed plans for Olson Saw Co. 22 145 olsonsaw.com
classic projects in the best styles, including Shaker, country and Oneida Air Systems 30 146 oneida-air.com
Osborne Wood Products 97 147 osbornewood.com
mission? Then look no further than the Special Issues from the
Packard Woodworks 102 148 packardwoodworks.com
editors of Popular Woodworking! Inside each, you’ll find all the Polymeric Systems 102 149 epoxysticks.com
information you need: materials selection and cutting lists, step-by- Porter-Cable 23 150 portercable.com
step plans, exploded drawings, and clear direction. Ridge Carbide 103 171 ridgecarbidetool.com
Ridgid 11 151 ridgid.com
Woodshop Projects Rockler
Sears Craftsman
24
C3
152
153
rockler.com
craftsman.com
Shopbot 22 154 shopbot.com
American Heritage Furniture Smithy 28 155 smithy.com
Stots Corporation 102 156 stots.com
Ultimate Home Woodshop Tools for Working Wood 102 157 toolsforworkingwood.com
U-bild.com 102 158 u-bild.com
Great American Furniture Wall Lumber
Waterlox
30
102
159
160
walllumber.com
waterlox.com
Wetzler 22 161 wetzler.com
Furniture Building Whitechapel Ltd. 8 162 whitechapel-ltd.com
Wilke Machinery 37 163 wilkemach.com
Jigs & Shop Tips Woodcraft 12-13 164 woodcraft.com
Woodcraft Plans 103 165 woodcraftplans.com
And more! Woodfinder 102 — woodfinder.com
Woodpeckers 103 166 woodpeck.com
Woodstock Int'l. 27 167 woodstockinternational.com
Visit www.PopularWoodworking.com for a full
Woodworker's Choice 102 168 thewoodworkerschoice.com
selection of Popular Woodworking Special Issues, and Woodworker's Hardware 30 169 wwhardware.com
Woodworker's Supply 8 170 woodworker.com
Woodworks 2003 95, 98 — woodworks2003.com
MEDIA SPONSOR
EDUCATION SPONSOR
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WOODWORKERS’ RETREAT
SAWDUST CAFÉ SPONSOR
FINISHING SPONSOR
WATCH FOR SIGNS. TM

WoodWorks is on the road again.
WoodWorks is revved-up for a new season of nationwide events designed to please

woodworkers of all skill levels. Shop for the newest tools and supplies you won’t
find in retail stores, watch and learn from experts who come from around the world
or be inspired as you wander through exhibition galleries of fine work. WoodWorks is
family-friendly with many free demonstrations and activities for all ages.
Work safely & see you on the Road!
L E A R N | S H O P | B E I N S P I R E D
VISIT OUR WEBSITE: WOODWORKSEVENTS.COM 310.917.4408
SPRINGFIELD ONTARIO PHOENIX
MASSACHUSETTS CALIFORNIA ARIZONA
JAN. 16 - 18, 2004 JAN. 30 - FEB. 1, 2004 FEB. 6 - FEB. 8, 2004
CAPTION THE CARTOON Illustrated by Bob Rech
bobrech@juno.com Square Drive
Screws
• Square Drive Beats
#63 Driver Bit Slippage
• Hardened Steel for Extra Strength
• Deep Thread for Super Grip
• Over 750 Sizes & Styles
SQUARE DRIVE SCREWS
PO Box 11169 • Lynchburg • VA 24506
www.mcfeelys.com or 1-800-443-7937
Work in shirt-sleeve comfort when it’s doggoned cold?

Don’t let winter hound you out of your garage. Stay on the trail of your
pet projects with a Hot Dawg®.
• Four natural-or-propane-gas sizes to heat from one to five-stall
We Now Take E-mail Entries! garages, new or old.
For a free brochure and your nearest Hot Dawg source, fetch your
Submit your captions for this cartoon by e-mailing them to cartoon@fwpubs.com (be
phone and call toll-free 800-700-7324
sure to put “Cartoon Caption #63” as the subject of your e-mail) with your name,
address and phone number. Or send it to us on a postcard: Popular Woodworking, www.modine.com
Cartoon Caption #63, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236 by March 1.
Winners will be chosen by the editorial staff. Energy
This issue’s winner receives Amana Tool’s Efficient
new Patented E-Z Dial Slot Cutter. This carbide- Garage
tipped slot cutter has no shims and no spacers. Heaters
Simply dial it, lock it and cut it. One full turn of
the dial changes the slot width by 1⁄ 32". The slot
cutter is valued at $150! Runners-up each win a
one-year subscription to Popular Woodworking. CIRCLE NO. 142 ON FREE INFORMATION CARD.
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runners-up each receive a one-year subscription to Popular Woodworking:
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popwood.com 99
FLEXNER ON FINISHING
The Facts
On Wax
Although a poor finish
when used alone, wax
excels as a polish.
W ax has been used for centuries as a fin-

ish and polish on furniture and other
wooden objects, but it is still a very mis-
understood material.
Wax is derived from all three classes of
natural materials – animal, vegetable and
mineral – and some waxes are made syn-
thetically. The practical difference in these
waxes is hardness, which corresponds to
Photo by Al Parrish
their melting points: the higher the melt-
ing point, the harder the wax. For example,
carnauba (pronounced “car-NOO-ba”) wax
has a higher melting point (about 180° F)
and is harder than beeswax (150° F), which
has a higher melting point and is harder than or waxes in mineral spirits or turpentine (and Beading doesn’t mean the water isn’t pen-
paraffin wax (130° F). adding a colorant if you like). Heating the etrating into the wood below.)
As it turns out, a melting point of about wax and solvent in a double boiler, so as not To repair a water smudge, simply apply
150° F is best for wax applied to wood or used to cause a fire, will speed the dissolving. more wax and buff off the excess. If this does-
as a finish. Higher melting-point waxes are n’t remove the smudge, try rubbing the area
too hard to buff out; lower melting-point Wax as a Finish lightly with very fine steel wool or sandpa-
waxes smudge too easily. So manufacturers Until modern times, woodworkers were lim- per that is lubricated with the wax.
using a hard wax such as carnauba commonly ited in the choices they had for a finish be- Wax’s weak water resistance doesn’t pre-
blend it with a softer wax such as paraffin. cause of availability; as wax was widely avail- vent it from being a good finish choice for
Because of this blending, all the liquid- able, it was often used. But wax isn’t a good decorative objects – such as carvings or turn-
or paste-wax products sold for application finish because it’s too soft to be built up enough ings – that won’t be handled much. In fact,
as wood finishes or polishes develop about to protect against water. A drop left on a wax uncolored wax is the only finish that leaves
the same hardness as beeswax when the sol- finish for even a few seconds penetrates the wood looking entirely natural: The wax just
vent evaporates. The differences in these wax and causes a dull smudge by raising adds shine. For turnings, solid wax sticks are
products are in color (if some is added) and the grain of the wood. available that make the wax easy to apply
in the evaporation rate of the included sol- (Don’t confuse water repellency with while the wood is spinning on the lathe.
vents – petroleum-distillates such as miner- water resistance. Water beads on waxed sur- It’s often suggested that you can improve
al spirits, and terpenes such as turpentine faces because of surface-tension differences. water resistance by applying shellac or an-
and citrus. The faster the evaporation rate, other finish under the wax. Of course you
the sooner the wax is ready to buff off. by Bob Flexner can do this, and of course it makes for a more
To get a paste wax with hardness char- Bob Flexner is the author of "Understanding Wood
protective finish. But it’s inaccurate to label
acteristics not available commercially, you Finishing" and a contributing editor to Popular this a wax finish. It’s the other finish with a
could make your own by dissolving any wax Woodworking. wax polish applied on top!

Wax as a Polish SUPPLIES
Though wax is not very functional as a fin-
ish, it is excellent as a polish over another Wax sticks and imported colored waxes are
finish. Unlike liquid furniture polishes, wax available from Woodcraft at 800-225-1153
or woodcraft.com.
provides long-lasting shine and scratch re-
sistance without smear (as long as the excess
is buffed off). In addition, if the wax includes
a colorant, the product can be used to fairly
permanently color in nicks and scratches so
they become less noticeable.
Because it’s the finish underneath that
provides protection for the wood, wax’s weak
water resistance is not a factor. You won’t get
a white water mark unless that finish has de-
teriorated. If that’s the case, waxing the fin-
ish won’t help much.
To maintain a wax polish, apply more wax
when you can no longer buff up a shine in
the existing wax. On tabletops in constant
use, this might be as often as every couple of To avoid a smeary appearance on a waxed surface, You can use colored rather than clear wax when
months, but on other objects, it might be as change to clean cloths or lamb’s wool pads when you there are recesses that the wax can lodge in such as
buff. Otherwise you’ll just move the excess wax around this wedged through-tenon. Clear wax will dry
seldom as once every year or two.
around, rather than remove it. white in the recesses.
You don’t need to worry about wax buildup.
The solvents in each new coat of liquid or
paste wax dissolve the existing wax, making To remove excess wax, rub with a soft, The biggest problem in wax removal is
one new mixture; wax can’t build unless you clean cloth just after the wax has dulled be- smearing, which is caused by continuing
just don’t buff off the excess after each ap- cause of solvent evaporation. At this point to buff with a cloth or lamb’s wool pad (on
plication. Wax doesn’t build in layers; it the wax should offer a slight resistance to an electric buffer) that is already loaded with
builds because you leave it thick. your cloth. If there’s no resistance, you’ve wax. Instead of transferring wax from the
Just as the solvents in a new coat of wax wiped too soon and you may be removing all surface to the cloth, you’re just moving the
dissolve the existing wax, the solvents in liq- of the wax, or you’ve waited too long and wax around. To eliminate smearing, change
uid furniture polishes also dissolve wax. So the wax has hardened too much. often to a clean cloth or lamb’s wool pad.
it’s best to dust a waxed surface with a damp On non-flat surfaces such as carvings, use Of course, you can leave a smear inten-
cloth or chamois rather than with furniture a shoe brush for buffing. At any point if you tionally if you want. This is commonly done
polish so you don’t remove the wax. have problems, you can apply more wax to by antique dealers, and the smeared-wax look
resoften the existing wax, or you can remove has become popular. Just be aware when using
Applying Wax all the wax by wiping the surface with paint a colored wax that the color has the poten-
Wax is very easy to apply – the effort comes thinner or naphtha and then start over. tial of rubbing off on clothes. PW
in buffing off the excess.
To apply wax, put a lump of paste wax on
For non-flat surfaces or
a cloth, wrap the cloth around the wax any surfaces with
and then move it over the surface in any di- recesses that are
rection, pressing just hard enough so the wax difficult to get into, use
seeps through the cloth and coats the sur- a paint brush to apply
the wax and a shoe
face. The idea is to cover the surface entire-
brush to buff it.
ly but deposit as little wax as possible, so re-
moval will be easier.
Alternative application methods include
dampening the cloth with water, brushing
the wax into recesses or applying the wax
with 0000 steel wool. Using steel wool com-
bines the application step with that of dulling
the finish surface, so use steel wool only when
your intention is to abrade the surface.
popwood.com 101
WOODWORKER’S MARKETPLACE
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popwood.com 103
OUT OF THE WOODWORK
Ironwood Logs and Mad Bulls

A quest for lumber leads
to some fancy firewood,
a sore butt and a full gut.
T he best parts about running a small lum-
Illustration by Pat Lewis

ber business are that I get plenty of
healthy exercise and bring in a decent in-
come – at least most of the time.
Every few weeks a local dairy farmer, Dick,
dumps a spreader load of cow manure on our
garden. In exchange for the fertilizer, I
give him a load of clean planer shavings. Dick looked around. “Oh, that’s just Frosty. “Here it is,” Dick said as he stopped at the
One time, he was in the spreader pack- He’s a big marshmallow,” Dick said. felled ironwood. The outside looked beau-
ing the shavings as I shoveled them out of Strings of saliva dripped from Frosty’s tiful; the inside was hollow. “You still want
the bin. He stuck his head up the chute just jowls. He lowered his head and shook his it or should I turn it into firewood?” he asked.
as a load of shavings came down. horns. Dick continued up the hill, swinging “Well, have them saw it up and see what
After he spit out a mouthful of sawdust, his walking stick. I thought the “marshmal- it yields, I guess,” I said.
he asked: “You still want that giant ironwood low” looked more like a rabid rhinoceros Dick casually hefted a cudgel-shaped limb
log?” (Dick had been promising me this as I turned to catch up with Dick. from the ironwood tree. “This would make
log for at least 10 years.) Dairy farmers all seem to walk oddly, with a nice walking stick,” he muttered, and we
“My neighbor is hiring a portable band- kind of a slow, loose gait. Perhaps it’s from headed back towards home.
saw mill next week,” he told me. “I’m haul- bending under cows for hours every day. During the next week I spent a couple of
ing a few logs over for myself. I can take the Or maybe it’s from being charged from be- hours with the farmers and sawyer as they
ironwood log over, if you’re interested.” hind by mad bulls. Dick was still talking as set up the mill and sawed my ironwood log.
Now ironwood, also known as hop horn- I caught up with him. It yielded about 40 board feet of lumber, plus
beam, is the hardest of the northeastern hard- “So I say to Bruce, ‘I’ll just chain the some really nice crotch-figured sections. Dick
woods. Its light tan color polishes to an al- log to the bucket on the tractor and …’” He asked for just $10, the cost of the sawing. I
most-metallic shine. Even though the trees paused. I thought it was odd to hear loud wrote him a check for $30.
rarely exceed 8" in diameter, they can grow thunder on such a sunny day. Dick swung his He’d been limping badly and he winced
to almost four times that size if the condi- walking stick at me and I quickly ducked. as I handed him the check.
tions are good. I was intrigued. But he wasn’t aiming for me. “Frosty, you “What happened?” I asked.
I like working with odd woods – they can calm down!” he shouted. “Frosty,” Dick said as he gingerly patted
be a challenge to dry, but it really beats the Frosty swerved like a freight train as the his gluteus maximus, “is now in the freezer.”
monotony of using red oak, yellow poplar, stick broke over his withers. “Bad bull!” Dick I took the lumber home and dried it in
hard maple and black cherry all the time. said as he tossed the stump of his busted walk- the kiln with some hard maple. Some of the
“Sure!” I shouted down the chute. “Just ing stick toward the bull. Then he turned to large blocks I sold green or partly air-dried
let me know when it’s ready to saw.” me apologetically: “Soon as we’re out of sight for turning bowls. The rest cracked and ended
Two days later Dick called. “I felled that he’ll leave us alone.” up in the wood stove. In total, I netted about
ironwood log. I think you better take a look Frosty glared sullenly after us. Once we $70, a lousy $5 an hour for all my labor.
before I drag it over to Bruce’s place.” entered the woods, I kept a tree between But in the end, it all balances out, even
I drove to Dick’s farm. He led me behind Frosty and me. Dick ignored him. with this story. Before I left Dick’s dairy farm
the barn, unlatched the electric fence gate that day I wrote a second check to purchase
and closed it behind us. A large bull stared by Peter Sieling 50 pounds of ground beef.
at us from a distant corner of the pasture. Peter Sieling runs Garreson Lumber Co., a small It turns out that Frosty wasn’t such a bad
“He dangerous?” I asked. cabinetmaking hardwood supply firm in Bath, N.Y. bull after all. PW

IT WILL
DRILL THROUGH
WOOD, CONCRETE
AND TIME.
Volt for volt, no cordless drills offer more torque than Craftsman’s new EX drills. So
with one in your hand, you can carve through just about anything. And every EX drill
has the longest battery life in its class. So you’ll spend less time changing batteries.
Get yours at Sears or Sears Hardware Stores. Or order
by phone at 1-800-437-9686
or online only at craftsman.com.
© 2004 Sears Brands, LLC.

Simply the best!
w
800.234.1976
w w . l a g u n a t o o l s . c o m

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