Issue 143 RUitey vine s[skee‘AN ACTIVE INTEREST MEDIA PUBLICATION EXECUTIVE EOOR Fi Her SOREDIOR Er Lape ASSSANTEOOR Petr ‘COMTBUTINGENTRS Login Wine Cabin Kt [RECUTWE AR RECTOR To Labs ‘SOR LUSTRATOR Dik ver Sos SEO GRAPHIC DESIGNERS 2 roman sy nee ConTRIBLTING ILUSTRATOR Haron Ck ‘Rene DRECOR ch en OIE DSGNERBULDER enn Dole SHOP MAMAGER Mops ontaunNG PROTOGRARUER Cs Hoy, Logan Witin ee HOME GROUP ane san a A | ShopNotesCustomerService.com CUSTOMER SERVICE Phone: 002925075 suascrions sDTORAL Glee Sess dia) conde we centha Desksnes 0312 ‘SopoesOshopatescom » estore A312 Stopoesshopctescon AERTS SALES DIRECTOR Hester Gin Gries cE PRESIDEN CREUATION Pe Nr joven ‘A PODUCTIN COORDMATOR Ie Oten sO HOME CRCUP Pete ee RESCH ROU Gav De anes “ro stghenPompeo| ‘lam ERT a alt 2 + ShopNotes /No, 143 It’s been a year since we relaunched ShopNotes. Thank you for joining us in celebrating the spaces where we build. ShopNotes has been my favorite woodworking magazine since I was in col- lege. While I didn’t build much in my dorm room, any time I went home my dad's issues were waiting for me. ‘You may have seen a survey about the relaunch recently. One of the primary reasons is to find out what makes ShopNotes readers unique. What drew me to the magazine were the ideas and inspi- rations about creating a space of my own. A place to build things, learn techniques, and develop a skillful use of tools. [also discovered the delight of restoring vintage tools, modifying the tools I had, and ‘even making some. Building furniture projects for others using tools, Imade feels. little magical. I'd like to know what draws you to ShopNotes, past and present. Send me an email, phuber@aimmedia.com, Speaking of past issues of Shop- Notes, one of the projects you'll find here takes inspiration from issue no. 2 (way back in 1992): the drill press organizer shown here. It wwas a fixture in the shop here for years. Chris Fitch took the concept and added more features, You can find the plans starting on page 14 PROiy Se aN 17" BANDSAW — (ne heavy-duty bandsaw o> 10" 3 HP 240V TABLE SAW ‘The centerpioce of your shop = Single-phase, 3 1 motor » AO Cason 4] 2 Rca ‘( 12" Resancapacty ‘7003500 FPN Bate pee 5 Left 45° Right tablet EES € 48" X 47" HEAVY-DUTY WOOD LATHE Digital control at your fingertips 41% HP SHAPER (ur best sling shaper ines Ss Spice pees Vora requency ve 0" eu speed Digital Cation construction indexing eg: . Precon round i CastironTate Adjustable C nce Wi Salty 6 a eB ULF Baik (UT AL , PR ero23A. = 415" 3 HP FIXED-TABLE PLANER Craft perfect, at umber masterpieces 2 HP PORTABLE CYCLONE DUST COLLECTOR Top-notch dus collection capabilites Buin vacuum eeualer Oui lease dum Clear plastic adapter foreasyistiity ae Ercan ed EasDepartments vorking with tools Mortising Jig Upgrades Hand Tools LaserPecker in the shop Rotary Tool Accessories Sources 4» ShopNotes/ No, 143 10 42 46 50 Contents Projects upgrades & add-ons Drill Press Organizer 14 Keep your atilling gear close at hand. Build a set of swing-out trays to attach to the drill press column. Solid Wood Shop Shelf 20 This traltionaly styled organizer is made from common materials and offers plenty of storage space. cnc basecamp CNC Router Mk. II 24 Our shop-made CNC router gets a new look with expanded capacity and a vertical work-holalng feature. Hayward Tool Stool 34 Taking your tools on the go shouldn't mean doing without This carryall doubles as a small-scale workbench.The Complete Woodsmith Magazine Collection 1979 to 2022 — 264 Issues! v Access 44 Years Worth of Issues, Articles, Photos and Illustrations v Every Plan, Tip and Technique— Everything You'll Ever Need! ~~ v Instant Online Access on Your 2 a Computer, Laptop or Smartphone hem 120 25% OFF PLANS Cee EES er Urey aan TE _ MBINATC ARCHED-STRET OUTER TAR ‘SOFA TABL PANEL SAW. More than a thousand to choose = A 7 from for home, gift and shop! | PLUS VIDEO PLANS! “a Each video plan includes a 26-minute video and a detailed printable plan. WoodsmithPlans.com oe~ upgrades | BP ons Building an adjustable mortising jig for your plunge router essentially creates a bbenchtop joinery tool. Over the years, I gravitated to power tool joinery meth- cds: biscuits, dowels, loose tenons. They click for the way I work. ‘ShopNotes has featured several differ- ent jigs — I even wrote about some of them. They range from simple to com- plex. When it came time to make a ver- sion for myself, the jumping off point took the form of the two jigs shown at left. To be clear, there isn't anything wrong with how they work. They are easy to set up, accurate, and straightfor- ward to create An early ShopNotes mortsng jig from This jg (ssue 112) offers some upgrades. As worked with my firstiteration, a issue 64. The front block can rotate for to the ealir model. t's the basis for the few modifications came to mind. Asan mortises in all kinds of parts jig made .. and modified. aside, I don’t feel like I truly own a tool 6» ShopNtes /No, 143 itten by: Pil Huberunless I've customized it in some way. THE LATEST MODEL. The result is the one shown in the main photo on the previ- ‘ous page. There are some big differences, but the family resemblance shines through. I'll walk you through my changes and What each allows me to do. The goal isn’t to sell you ‘on my upgrades. Instead, Twant you to see that the plans in this (or any other form) are a starting point It’s up to you to make it your own. First things first. Yes, the back part of the jig is, painted. “Persimmon” (if you want to know) from General Finishes’ line of acrylic milk paint. Orange is my favorite color, Design details matter. (One of my first changes was to redo the top. That change was driven by achange in equipment. As built, the earlier jigs havea channel in the top sized to match thebase ofthe router —it keeps the router ‘on track. So what happens if your router changes? In my case, I wanted to use my small palm router for making smaller mortises. My Porter Cable 690 is reserved for larger tas GUDANCE. My solution was to change how the router is guided in the jig. T routed a slot to accept a 1" O.D. guide bushing. You can see this in the upper right photo. This slot is lange enough to accept my usual range of bits: 1/1, ‘8mm, /s", and 1/2". There's also plenty cof room for chips to clear Switching routers is now as easy as installing a guide bushing. If I change tools down the road, the jig will still work just fine A few other points to keep in mind. ‘You want the bushing to run smoothly the slot without any play. I had to sand the edges a bit to get the right motion. Even though the top is made from 1/2" Baltic birch plywood, I didn’t ‘want the slot to wallow out over time. é I sealed the edges with a couple coats of thin CA glue. It soaks into the ply- ‘wood rather than building up a finish that would alter the fit of the bushing. Finally, painted the top alight gray and sprayed on some lacquer. SETTNG STOPS. This change required me to modify the end stops. The stops are hardboard squares with an open slot You can see these in the lower right photo. The slot slides along runners mortised into the top. Threaded knobs lock the stops in posi- tion. I'm thrifty, so T tapped threads into the plywood (sealed again with CA glue) Threaded inserts or Tanuts would also work, though they ‘may need to modified themselves to work in thinner plywood. ORIENTATION. The next change isn’t as notice- able. I marked center- lines in both direc- tions on the inside slot. Again, you can see this best in the ‘An accurate reliable working jg begins withthe top. Adjustable stops control the length ofthe mortise. precision slot accepts a guide bushing to keep the router moving in a straight line closeup below. This is a decision based on simplifying the layout process and avoiding confusion during the con- struction process By marking centerlines on one of my workpieces, [can adjust the top ofthe jg tuntil the lines on the workpiece match Lup with the lines in the slot. From there the jg is programmed for all the parts that follow. Well, there are a couple of other items that follow from this. We'll get to those presently. Finely marked centertnes in the slot are used to position the Jigs top, and thus the route bit in relation to similarly marked lines on the workpiece for accurate work ShopNotes.com * 7FACE OFF After refitting the top of the mortising jig, my attention shifted to the face of the jig, Here again, the stock plans work well. Both jigs use an array of T-nuts to hold various supports. What I wanted was a better method for mortising mul- tiple, identical parts— something that’s pretty common. In addition, I use loose tenon joinery frequently, so I needed simple solu- tions for supporting a workpiece held horizontally and for securing a work- piece vertically when routing a mortise into itsend. RIGHT ON TRACK. The jig face shown in the photo above is my response to those needs. Actually, I made this for another attempt at a mortising jig. That ‘one didn’t work out, but I liked how this part functioned. There are two main differences, First, this face is wider than the originals. This provides more support for long, parts held horizontally. Covering the face ofthe jg with plastic laminate creates a durable, smooth surface. T-tracks open up wide accessory possibilities. The second difference isthe use of five ‘runs of aluminum track instead of the ‘Trnuts. It may seem like a small detail, but the tracks allow for more accessory options. And it’s all about the accesso- ries, right? One length of track is parallel to the top. The other four tracks run ver- tically, Feel free to set your own pattern. Tracks aren‘t the only way to gain flexibility. The box below shows a shop- made solution. One final change is the use of plastic laminate to cover the surface. It’s dura- ble, smooth, and entirely optional. FIND YOUR CENTER, Take another look at the new jig face. I marked a centerline here as well, During initial set up, I'm usually crouching down to get the workpiece and stops in place (more on these in a bit). The centerline helps me keep my bearings. TRACK ACCESSORIES Here's how I put the T-tracks to work. Some of these solutions are utility infielders. Others are specialists. SUPPORTS. Simple, square pieces of plywood are the first type. These are Track Aluminum T-track isn’t in everyone's budget. There's another way to get the same benefits by making your own tracks. This jg face is made in two layers. The back layer isplywood. Cuta series of dadoes and grooves to suit whatever layout you pro- ‘A. A two-layer face allows you to create T-tracks in any fer. The width and depth of the dadoes should allow the head of a 5/16” hex bolt to slide easily. Next, glue a hardboard layer over the top. Trim it flush, then cut narrower dadoes and grooves centered on the now- buried ones, What you have are custom T-tracks that can accept all manner of stops, supports, and hold downs (photo at right) pattern you wish. Don't forget the centerline. ‘A. Clamps and stops can be positioned anywhere to provide registration and a solid grip on a workpiece 8» ShopNotes /No, 143ried. ‘This setup shows my typical mortising arrangement. An end stop registers multiple pats ‘Two supports below prevent shifting. A toggle lamp locks the piece down snug, shown in the photo above. They have a hardboard runner to fit the Track and prevent spinning, Their main function is to support parts in a horizontal po tion from below, Ona related note, I use the face of the jig and the underside of the top as my reference surfaces for a workpiece. [tuck the workpiece into the corner and then bring up the supports. litle play in the fit of the supports allows them to sit flat. |WDSTOR. Thad a Woadpeckers track stop ina drawer and found a use for it here then fixed in the upper track it serves ‘dual-purpose suppor is used primarily for routing mortises inthe end ‘of a workpiece. An angled face is for mortsing mites (inet photo at right as an end stop, registering parts for production work, TOGGLE CAMP. In order to pin a work- piece in place, I use a self-adjusting toggle clamp by Armor. It has a flange ‘on the bottom that slides in the track without having to mount it to a block, A knob allows you to lock it in place, Unlike basic toggle clamps, this style ‘provides the same clamping pressure no matter the thickness of the workpiece. I think it works like magic. VERTICAL SUPPORT. When routing. the end of a workpiece, you need support alongside the part for accurate align- ment with the bit. For these operations, I made the block shown in the lower left photo. Itruns in the upper track for easy side-to-side adjustment. Start by registering the workpiece against the underside of the top. Then bbring the block up to tin order to keep it square to the bit. Paired with the tog- ¢gleclamp,that'sall youneed for routing ‘4 mortise for loose tenon work. Idon’t often use miters, But when I was making the vertical block, I decided to miter the opposite edge, as you can see in the inset photo below. So if needed, I can reinforce the miter with a loose tenon, FUT WORK. Most mortises are cut into edges and ends of parts. Sometimes though, a mortise needs to be made in the face. Registering and support- ing need a different solution. The block below is inspired by one from Michael Fortune, a. chairmaker. It's a_ thick block glued up from several layers of plywood, It runs in one of the vertical tracks, A shop-made hold-down pins the workpiece against the face. I use my other support blocks to lend help- ing hands. Full-featured router mortising jigs take longer to build than single-pur- pose jigs. The advantage is their greater flexibility to suit the needs of projects. After you gain some experience with a base model, there are sure to be some upgrades you will want to make. This Allows thejig to grow along with youth ‘The custom block shown here camps wide pars in place fr routing mortises in the faces of aprons and stretchers. ShopNotescom * 9~ 10 + ShopNotes ‘No. 143 ‘A jack plan i used to remove large amounts of material effeciently. The mordant adage that “there's more than one way to skin a cat” holds true in many areas of life, ‘woodworking no less than any other. While we detail the process and tools we used in creating our projects, there are often numer- usalternatives available using. variety of different tools. Among these tools is one niche group in particular that we explore only on ‘occasion: hand tools. Entire books could be (and certainly have been) written con setting up a hand tool shop. However, that’s not what I'll be focusing on in these next pages. Instead, I'll cover some basic tools for those who may be inter- ested in dipping their toes into the hand tool side of the pool WHY USE HAND TOOLS? There are a number of reasons to use hand tools in the shop. For some it's an issue of space —a small shop can store many more hand tools than it can large machines. For others it might be an issue of health. No power tools means far less noise and dust, not to men- tion the exercise. And I believe every hand tool user has, to \riten by: Rob Petre‘The long body ofa jointer plane helps it to create an even surface, perfect for jointing an edge or flattening a face. some extent, an interest in the craft and history of the tools themselves Regardless of the reasoning, the next few pages will show off some essential hand tools. Ifany tools catch your eye, a advise you give them a try —younever know what your next favorite could be. The best place to begin is with the first step in any project: sizing the boards. When it comes to dimensioning a work piece, hand saws take the place of miter saws and table saws, HAND SAWS. Hand saws are used to cut workpieces to size. They're large saws without backs, allowing the saw to pass fully through workpieces. While it depends on what size of pieces you're working with, chances are crosscutting will be your first step. Hand saws are the largest kind of saw you'll find, usually sitting around 2'long, and they tend to have a low tooth count. That low tpimay create a rough edge, but itdoes an excellent job of cutting quickly and efficiently. After cutting a piece to length, the ‘width is next, and for that you'll want a rip-filed hand saw. You can see pho- tos of this type of saw below. Ripping hand saws tend to have an even lower tpi than crosscutting saws — often just 45 teeth per inch. While this can make starting cuts difficult, you'll be amazed how fast these saws can cut When ripping a board by hand, its important to give yourself alittle extra ‘waste from the final width (especially if ‘you're just getting started in hand saw- ing). This gives you some wiggle room in case your cut isn’t perfect, plusit gives you some extra material to plane off for a crisp edge. ‘Two hand saws will serve you well:one forripping and one for crosscutting. While you could keep shorter, finer Classichand saws ae used ‘to cut boards to rough length and width before planing. rip saws on hand for thinner stock, I find along saw works well no matter the size of the workpiece, and it means I only have one rip saw to keep sharp. The next two tools on the listserve the same purpose as the jointer and planer in a power tool shop. Together they'll bring boards to thickness and ensure that the workpieces you use are square. JACK PLANE. First is the jack (or fore) plane, These are medium-sized planes, usually reaching a foot to a foot and a half in length. Jack planes also have wide mouths, and this is due to their use: hogging away at the face of the workpiece. jack plane is used to reach the rough thickness of a board, and to remove any twisting or cupping from the piece. The jack plane may leave a rough surface, but it excels at prepping a board quickly for the next steps. JOINTER PLANE, A jointer plane is a big, heavy tool, and one of the most com- ‘mon planes to find secondhand. This is because jointer planes have a very spe- cific use: flattening a surface or edge. The long, flat sole helps the plane create an even surface across the whole piece. ShopNotes.com * 14Looking towards hand-cut joinery first ‘come the backsaws, These saws have a back that fortifies the blade, allowing it to be thinner (meaning a thinner kerf and thus a more efficent cut) without risking the saw buckling, Backsaws can be put into three cate- sgories based on theirsize: tenon, carcass, and dovetail. A tenon saw (top photo at right) is the largest, with a wide blade that allows it to cut deep tenons, half- laps, and bridle joints without bottom- ing out. A carcass saw is the next step down (middle photo). Despite its some- What macabre name, it derives from being used to cut the joinery on the car- «ass (or case) of a project. Finally, there's the dovetail saw. These small saws fea- ture numerous rip-filed teeth that allow for smooth, accurate cuts. While they're designed to cut dovetails, they're useful for joinery on small projects of al kinds. Shoulder planes work j well in hard to reach places. ‘A smoothing plane finishes up a workpiece. Though it appears similar toa jack plane this plane will eave a glass-smooth finish. 12 + ShopNotes/No. 143 Back saws come ina variety of materials and styles, with backs made from traditional folded bras (bottom), ‘more modern ‘machined brass (riddle, and even a reinforced polymer resin (top), Dovetail For the uninitiated, the sheer vol- ‘ume of hand planes can be stagger- ing, While each has is use, some are more versatile than others, and Ifind ithest tobegin with the ones that will serve you in a variety of operations. BLOCKPLANE. One plane you should certainly consider starting out ‘with is a block plane (right photo above). One of the dedicated pur- [poses of a block plane is to trim the end grain on a piece, which is why you'll find the blade of the plane seated at a lower angle than most Block planes make hick work of trimming dowels and cleaning end grain This allows the blade to slice into the end grain fibers rather than push them. Block planes are also useful for trimming dowels flush, chamfering edges, and all manner of minor adjustments. SHOULDER PLANE. The shoulder plane (left photo above) is often used to trima tenon down to fit its mortise (thisis where the name “shoulder” comes in), but they can also be used to clean outa dadoor tomake rabbets. The iron of a shoulder plane is slightly wider than the sole, which makes it excellent for cleaning the comers of a joint. &&BENCH CHISELS, For chopping ‘out and paring away waste, its hard to find a better option than. a bench chisel, They're use- ful for making out dadoes and dovetails, and are a necessity for handmade mortises. For most woodworkers, a selection ‘of bench chiselsis a good place to start. You could purchase a whole set running from %" wide all the way up to 2", however I don't think this is necessary for most woodworkers. | find that having the “four quarters” (74", DRILLS. Holes are vita fora variety of joints and fasteners. For hand diiling, there are two choices, The first hand drill many think of is the eggbeater. These iconic tools are easy to spot with their gears. The speed of an eggbeater makes it - Honorable Mentions Ye", 94", and 1") covers most of ) the work | do. There are a few different types of chisels. | prefer bevel-edged hisels like the ones you see here. They'te easy to maneuver and a good size for most of the \ work | do. However, if | dedi- ' cated mysetf to hand-chopping mortises, | would invest in a heavier-duty mortising chisel. AbeveLedged bench chisel works wonderfully to pare away waste and chop out joints good for smaller holes. In contrast, the brace drill is able to take more stress, Self- feeding bits ike the one you see above ate good for larger holes, These two styes of ilar both useful to and many feature a ratchet that lets have on hand, with the brace dil exelingin you adjust as you fl power and the eggbeater focusing on speed. LAYOUT TOOLS. Youll find all the usual measuring and layout suspects have just as much use in a hand tool shop. However there are two tools I'd ike to point ‘outin particular: the marking and bevel gauges. ‘A marking gauge is useful for laying out a parallel line, Amortise, the shoulders of a tenon, or the base- line for a set of dovetails are all Ikely candidates here ‘Additionally, marking gauge scribes a physical ret- ference point when it comes time to make the cut. Abevel gauge earns its keep by helping to ay out angled lines, but also comes in handy when dling angled holes. Driling by hand allows you to work at your own pace, and the bevel gauge can be kept nearby and used as a reference while you work. ShopNotescom + 13Drill Press Organizer I tend to fall into the though I've been chipping. problem here and there as I make my There seem to be two types of people hen it comes to grabbing tools for 1 project: surgeons and runners. The surgeon lays everything out neatly in a row with each tool ready to go 2s soon as the corresponding step is reached. The runner, on the other hand, goes back and forth between project and tool cabinet each step, rummaging around until they obtain the single item they need, repeating throughout the project latter camp, way at that shop a more pleasant place to work in overall. I've found that grouping tools by task means I can bring an entire tool receptacle to my workstation and make fewer trips. Now I'm taking it a step further with this handy orga- nizer, which mounts directly on the drill press itself. IV to hold the bit the drill press, saving me unnecessary steps while remaining small enough to stay out of the way while working. For my use I decided tw trays would be adequate, and I also included a caddy for holding my vari ous countersink bits in the top section. You can (and should) make it your storage ‘own, maybe with more trays, or fewer ones that are larger. Whether you're a surgeon ora runner, you're sure to find this organizer handy.Exploded View Detai OVERALL DIMENSIONS: ReErsvouRMosrose> 1014"D x 12"W x 5%<"H (STORED SIZE) \ sera /- BOTRAY AND DRAWERS S etic cuana riers veuR ogee materials & hardware A Top(I) BxI2-%Py. | BieCaddy (I) $%x5%4-% Py 8 Botom (I) K Clamp(I)2x6%- 14 Phy © Topfiller (I) 212-%Py. D Spacer (I) WexT-2Py._ + 2)416x5" dreaded rod Thick Dwr nds (2) 174514 114 Phy »(I) 3-16 x54" carriage bole F Thin Dwr Ends (2) WY4x5¥4- YP.» (3) 4 ft washer G Drawer Sides (4) Max 12- Yah. * (3) 3416 nylon insert lock nut Hi Tray Bottoms (2) 5%4x 10%. Y4Ph. (3) 14° 114" wood dowel ‘A When not in use, the drawers and tray swing back into 1 Teprray (I) 6x I2-4Ph. place creating a nice, compact form, keeping it neatly outoof the way. erator Han lak ShopNotescom * 15NOTE:r0r corto ao TOFFLER Ae Auta PimoDb araceRis oURMeceS Orie" Puvwo00 Creating from Cutoffs ‘The onganizer is built around a core body that the trays mount to. It, along, with the rest of this project, is made from plywood. This isa great opportunity to use up those scraps that you've been hold- ing on to that you knew you'd find a use for. The spacer, for example, is made of four pieces of 45" plywood laminated together. If you're anything like me, you have four small pieces of 16" plywood somewhere in your shop. Now’s the time to put them to use. TOP & BOTTOM. We'll start with the bread of this drill organizer sandwich so to speak. The top, bottom, and top filler are all made with %" plywood. Start by cutting all three pieces to overall size, Then get ready for some 46 » Shophlotes/No, 143, cote) | TOP FILLER o. ® 0P batch processing. Stack all three components in order and stick them together using double- sided tape. Mark the cutout and corner radii you prefer. Your column cutout diameter (Figure 1a) should be pretty close to the diameter of the column on your drill press, but the depth should be slightly undersized — you'll want small gap between the organizer and clamp to tighten it down. Head to the band saw and cut the half-circle shape for the column mount, then radius the outside cor- ners. Get as close as you're comfort: able, and clean up by sanding them. ‘Asspindle sander is built for work like this, but you can also do it by hand Finally, drill the hole for the carriage bolt through both pieces while every- thing is taped together. SPACER & ASSEMBLY. As referenced bofore, the spacer is simply a few aes 1 TOP VIE\ (oRO38 SECTION) pieces of plywood scrap laminated together. Glue them up, then cut to size and radius the corners. You can do this again with a band saw and sander, or use a router table. Separate the double-sided tape batch group and remove any resi- due. Glue everything up in the order shown in Figure 1. Once the glue dries you can drill the holes for the threaded rod as seen in Figures 1b and 1c (on your drill press naturally), HANDY DRAWERS ‘The meat and cheese of this sandwich, ‘we're constructing are a pair of draw- ers that pivot out of the middle of the organizer. As designed, both drawers are identical to each other. STRONG STRUCTURE. Though the draw- ers aren’t particularly large, that doesn’t mean they can’t be built well. ‘A tongue and dado joint ensuresthey'll last as long as you have a drill press, and then some. Iwent back to the scrap bin for the drawer parts. One end piece is thicker than the other to allow space for the bolt to pass through, so I laminated 3% and '4" pieces of plywood to reach the correct size. You can see the dimensions for the thinner side in Figure 2a, and the thicker side in Figure 2b, The larger side will be where the drawer pivots from so it's thicker for strength. I decided to cut the rabbets and dadoes for the joinery on the table saw. Use a miter gauge and sacrificial fence to cut the rabbets on the two end pieces. It will take two passes to make the cut (three if you're using a thin kerf blade). Don’t forget to adjust the blade DRAWER SIDE Gwent) height between the thick end and the thin end. Since these are such small workpieces you might want to clamp them to the gauge for safety instead of working freehand. ‘The dadoes for the sides are simply cut using a miter gauge on the table saw. ‘The depth of cut is the same for both ends, but the positioning and width of the cut are not. It's time to glue up the ends and sides of the drawer. We'll cut the fingerhold ina bit. BOTTOM ROUTING, The bottom of the drawer sits in a small rabbet routed into the sides and ends (Figure 2c) The rabbet is cut 4" deep and wide using a rabbeting bit on the router table. Since the stock itself is rather thin, you'll need to use a small-diam- eter bit to make this cut. Square off by % «fo F Nv 1 | © hin f ieee oe ae ay TOP VIEW Netexooeae Kane ares Soe Reet the comers with a chisel, then glue the drawer bottom in place. FINGERHOLD & ROUNDED EDGES. Both craw- ers feature a fingerhold to open and close, highlighted in Figure 2e. I chose to cut them on the band saw. I made the straight cut first, then cut the curve. A sanding stick smoothed out the blade marks and eased the curve. Head back to the band saw and round the four corners of each drawer. Sand everything smooth. DRILING OUT. With the drawers assem- bled, you can finally drill the hole for the pivotbolt. placed the drawers into the organizer body, making sure the thicker side was in the correct location, Using my original holes as a guide, I used the drill press to drill through both drawers at the same time. T0P y viEW * v1 LAY Ee I ole fy l Shoplotes.com + 17Top it with a Handy Tray If Lwere going to continue my sand- wich metaphor the top tray might be akin to a pickle, or pethaps an additional slice of bread? Since this, is quickly going off the rails let’s just, focus on what we're building. ‘The main purpose of the tray is to hold a select few bits and hardware that you want easy access too. We'll make the main tray first, then the rotating bit caddy. DEEP RECESS. The tray starts life as a solid piece of i" plywood. About half of itis taken up by a recessed section for holding bits and hardware. I started by drawing an outline of my recess on the tray, making sure to 18 + ShopNotes/No, 143, leave space for the bolt hole later on (Figure 3b). I very carefully used a compact router to cut the perimeter of the recess. You'll want to use a nar- row-diameter router bit for this step to get nice, tight comers. A straight bit ‘works fine but a spiral bit is going to bea cleaner and more efficient option. The center waste is removed using a similar action ton inkjet printer — ‘making passes back and forth, remov- ing material one row at a time. Start- ing on the outside edge and working back towards the middle will allow you to always have a solid surface to rest your router base on. Going rea- sonably slow and steady should yield clean results that will require minimal sanding. A larger router bit will also make the clean up process easier. REFINEMENT. Like the middle trays before it, the top tray will need some refinement on the band saw. Radius the outside corners, then cut the fingethold in the same manner as before. Finish up with some sanding. Then quickly stop at the drill press to bore the hole for the main bolt and the hole for the bit caddy. BIT CADDY ‘The last major challenge before the home stretch is making the rotating bit caddy. Circles are not exactly a go-to shape for most woodworkers, but they're not actually difficult to make. The bit caddy isa smaller diameter and can be made quickly on the band saw. You can use something like the bandsaw circle cutting jig from Shop- Notes 113, but if you don’t have one already there’s another way. MAKE IT ROUND. The neat thing about the caddy is that while it is in factround, it doesn’t actually need to be a true circle. You're not making a wheel, simply a round shape. Before making any cuts you'll need to do some layout work. Mark the center of your workpiece and make a circle using a compass. A protractor will help you lay out the the angles for the holes around the circumfer- ence (Figure 4d). Now you can rough the shape out on the band saw, making at the very least an octagon or decagon, Then it’s back to your sander to finish creat- ing a circle, Make the top and bottom chamfer by sanding as well. The goal is to end up witha bit caddy without any rough edges. With your shape finalized, use your marks from before to label the TOP VIEW (R068 SECTION) locations and sizes of the holes. Then bore them on the drill press. CLAMP & FINAL STEPS: It’s time for one last trip to the scrap bin to make the clamp. Remember to leave a gap between the body and the lamp piece so you can tighten every- thing down nicely. ‘NP CUTTING, Laminate two %" pieces of plywood, then rough out the clamp shape on the bandsaw. As before, hone in your final shape with a sander. Bore the two holes for the threaded rod (Figure 4a), Installing the threaded rod into the ‘organizer is easy. The rod is pressed into the holes with a small amount of force, Use a bit of epoxy to prevent it from turning or pulling out later. NOTE: capoviore PonGoB CANS LAMINATED FROM TO } set6xs snieabeb oo CLAMP eee FRONT VIEW You'll want to finish all of your parts before final assembly and let them cure fully. The last thing you need is the trays permanently affixed in place due to impatience. Spray lac- quer or polyurethane are both good finish choices. Cut a dowel to length and glue it into the body. Install the caddy on top but don’t glue them together — it should be able to spin freely. Infact, you could make multiple eaddys and swap them out as needed, Finally, install the top and middle drawers and secure them with the carriage bolt, washer, and nut as in Figure 3. And with that, it’s time to attach the organizer to your drill press and fill it with everything you need, ready to go at a moment's notice. & — w-rennon INSERT LOCENUT ShopNotes.com + 19In the shop, storage is an in-demand commodity. The need to not only store tools, but also hold consumables and other supplies is necessary for an effi- cient working space. If you want your storage to also look good — well, this shelf ticks all of those boxes. Made of yellow pine, this shelf looks _greatin theshop, butcould alsocasily find itsway into the home for every-day use. 20 + Shophlotes /No. 143, If you add a few pegs, I could see this working very well in an entryway asa landing station for coats, gloves, and hats. Add a coat of paint, or a different material of your choice, and you havea completely new look. TRADMONAL CONSTRUCTION. The construc- tion techniques used for this shelf have stood the test of time. A series of dadoes, and notches connect the parts together, and screws in the cleat hold the shelf securely to the wall, ready to accept even the heaviest loads. Just because the material and joinery techniques are tried and true doesn’t mean you won't earn something during the building process. Creating a series of matching profiles, accurate notches, and correctly sized dadoes are some of what this project has in store. Witton tine et ean he enExploded View Details OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 12%4"D x 72"W x 2714" ower ectioswao0 ERSTRICTON — aa 7 oPCeneTnon Seaton ren ack cussies PROBE AccEDS'O “THE WALL FOR ‘ouneruse share on ree Srpeneeh Sirs te ‘foomon or — HANNE FES materials & hardware A Sides (2) YxiA-2% E Ceat(l) 4x 21h- 642 + (23) #8. 114" Phwoodscrews B_ Cabby Botom (I) 4x 114-65 F Brackets (2) 4x97%-9N4. + (II) #632" Phwoodscrews © Top il) W4x 124-72 G Ledger Board (I) %4x 10-64% D Dividers (2) %4x 10Y4- 1415 4 The large cubbies ‘on the shelf offer plenty of room for toals both big and ‘small, while the ‘top is a blank slate forstoring a wide range of shop neces, sates Beck, ShopNotescom * 24Oo opus, Shelf DETAILS As you can see from the drawing on the previous page, and these pages, the shelf consists of only a handful of parts. Creating the sides and bottom are the first task SIDE DEIANS. The sices of the shelf are pretty straightforward. A stopped dado runs from the back towards the front to capture the bottom. The top, front edge is notched to seat in dadoes in the top (more on that later) Finally, the lower edge is shaped with a decorative profile. First things first, let's cut the dadoes. STOPPED DADOES. This project has sev- eral stopped dadoes. By creating a simple T-fence to guide your router, you can cut all of the dadoes with one jig. Clamp the T-fence to the side, and rout the dado in a smooth pass. A note here — double check the fit of your stock with your router bit. It will be best to plane all of your stock down to match the router bit you'll be using for the dadoes. Otherwise, you ‘can use an undersized router bit and make the dadoes in multiple passes. After you've routed the dadoes, square up the ends using a chisel. To notch the top of the sides, use a tall auxiliary fence at the table saw to sup- port the workpiece. A dado blade can 22 + Shophlotes/No. 143, CUBBY BOTTOM (awaoe) ‘make this notch in one pass, otherwise nibble itaway with a narrower blade, Finally, shape the bottom of the sides. You can see the side profile in Figure Ib. Use double-sided tape to stick the sides together and cut the shape atonceat the band saw. Smooth ‘out the profiles with a spindle sander, or rasps and sandpaper. ATIAGHTHEBOTIOM. As you can see in Fig- ure 1, the bottom is simply a board with a pair of stopped dadoes on both the top and bottom faces. Cut the dadoes as you did in the sides, and notch both ends at the tables saw (or with a hand- saw for this long piece). The bottom can be glued into the sides, and affixed with screws installed from the outside. TOP, DIVIDER & CLEATS ‘The top is the next piece of this shelf shaped puzzle. It’s a thicker piece of stock that has four dadoes in it: two for the dividers, and one for each side. As before, use the router jig to rout the dadoes, making sure toalign the divider dadoes with the dadoes cut in the bot- tom. Ease the top edge by routing a chamfer along the ends and front. Sot the top aside for now to work on the dividers and cleat. The dividers are panels that are b. sweview (Goes eon you i notched on three of the four comers. Figure 2 above shows these notches. The top and bottom notches on the front edge are for the dado joints. The back notch is larger, and that’s to cap- ture the cleat used to hang the shelf on the wall. ll of these notches can be cut at the table saw. BRING IT TOGETHER. ‘The dividers are glued into the dadoes in the top and bottom. Install screws into the divid- ets from the top and bottom sides, and the top can be screwed into the sides (Figure 2a). Take a measurement for the cleat and cut it tosize. I's installed with glue and screws as well LUDGER BOARD & BRACKETS. With the top portion of the shelf assembled, turn yourattention to the lowerside. A led- ‘ger board runs between the sides, and brackets extend down in front of the ledger board (Figure 3). The ledger board is cut to fit between the sides. It is glued in place, and attached to the sides with screws.SIDE VIEW (C2085 SEcnoN) Speaking of the brackets, they are cut to shape at the band saw. The top edge is notched, as you see in Figure 3a below. The brackets slip into the dadoes on the bottom of the shelf, and then sctewed to the ledger board from the back side. If you'd like to, the led- ger board is.a great place fora few pegs for hanging items. After the glue dries, you can add ‘your choice of finish. Lacquer is what DIVIDERS, Gowan oP. aterey NOTE: rons 1 macx = eee © ‘SOFTWOOD ®— LEAT cement) se t¥'Em woobscee NOTE: aunwones, RRC SCREN (R096 SEET100) een ee ae © Joe pot — ‘we used on ours, but a coat of paint would look great as well. If you use pine, concealing primer will help avoie any bleed-through of pitch or grain. Finally, the shelf can be put to service by B=" SIDE VIEW (Gro8s eecTI0N) hanging it with screws through the cleat, as well as the ledger board. Make sure to position the screws so that the shelf is secured directly to thestuds, as thisshelF is ready for a heavy load. & NOTE: surpass MRE Mabe FROM seiucxsorrwa0o Betlisero aren ISTALING SCREWS, ShopNotes.com * 23cnc ecamp shop -made As many times as not, when I hear the term “new and improved’ up being an eye-rolling event. But the upgrades that Chris Fitch endowed this version of our CNC router isimpressive 60 BIGGER. Compared to the first iter tion and 243 of Woodsmi re three improvements that make all the difference. First, as you see in the photo above the worksurfa (the Y direction), allowing for a full 24" routing area, Second, since the electron. ics box is not attached to the bed of the it winds as presented in issues 2: it magazine there is wider tes/No, 143, machine — but tethered by a length of sheathed wiring — you can stow it out of the way and have an unlimited X direction to play with (photo above and right) STAND UP. To complete the trifecta, notice the T-tracks embedded in the end of the base — this lets you clamp. boards vertical ends of workpieces. ments combined y to rout joinery in the These improv th the c 8 versusa manufactured machine have you rolling up your sleev« heading to the shop. Afan-cooled, enclosed plywood box holds all of the electronic components that make the CNC machine go, and can bee tucked out of the way under the base.‘OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 67%4"D x 43° "W x 39" LSACRNARD OOWN HE LENGTH 7 ‘OETHENACHINE BED ansistableenoes, susan were cee The V.axis motor and the router mount (shown here) with the Z-axis motor, are featured in the next issue, = oR CRE n does Nowe rewnoroenen enn eee aes materials & hardware BASE Toplbottom (2) Ras (4) End Rais Q) Inner Sk (2) A 2A x5644-% Phy 8 c D E Skees (2) F G H 1 J Wax55-% Ph. Vax Ds VP, BA x6-APhy 2314 x 10-%4Ph Camping Paten(I) 2344 10- 1 Phy Rail Mounts (2) 4x 63-4 Ply Rail Spaces (2) M4x8-% Ph Rais 2) 2 x 63-1 Ply ‘Clamp Boards (7) 34x 59-%4 Ply, GANTRY K Gane Sides (2) 1654 x24¥ie- 1 hy LBoaring Support (4) 1V43 12-4 ly M Adjustment Knobs (§) 243x244 4 Py N- Ganery Base (1) 10/4 x28%4- | Phy © Motor Moune (I) 4x 514-1 Phy P Screw Cover) 3x3-% Ph Q GancyTop (I) Wax Ba- “Phy R Gantry Bottom (I) —-5x28%-4 Phy S$ Ganvy Back!) Ia x35-% Phy T Gancy Ras 2) 29x35 - 1 Py U_ Ganzy Ends Q) Wax lt 14h. V- Screw Supports (2) 24x 6-14 Ply + (194) #8 x 14" PhWoodserews + (24) #8 x 7A" FhYNoodscrews + (20) #8 x24" FhWoodscrews + (52) 6 x 4" FhWeodscrews achive JONERY sdettas parents SS EMDBOKJONTS + (1) 48" FTrack +) I? x 1" 63" Alum Angle (4" Thiek) +) 56-16 x 2%" Hex Head Bots + (4) %6'16 2314" Hex Head Boks (8) thick xx 14" Fender Washers (16) 34" Shim Washers + @)36' x14. Washers +(@) 4" 1DV.Groove Bearing +) 36-16 Stop Nurs + (0) Pia x 12" rgh. Dowel “(Ax A" x Be Bracket (Ye Thick) + (2) Sie" -18x 1% Hex Head Boles + 2) Ye" Washers +2) Ya 18 Lock Nus + (2) 46-243" Machine Serows +2) #8-24 Lock Nurs +2) #8 Washers, + (1) 6" AnseBaelash Nut + (1) A'-1OTPL 5914" Lead Serew +1) Ax A" Shaft Coupling + (1) 16° LDux 116" OD. Bearing +4) 4-20TNus + (4) 4-20 I'A" Socket Head Machine Serew (UX Axis Motor + (4) 4 1.'4" O.D.#10 Nylon Spacers +A) Ye 7" Lag Screws + (@) Ye" Washers +) Ye" 1A" Lg Screws +2) I" 1735" Alum Angle (4"Thck) ShopNotescom © 25NOTE: wor 15 Fy Moopeceeweane Useprorasren BED yocenee In the Stabl ‘There's one simple requirement for the bed of a CNC machine — don’t move {and hold the workpiece in place, we'll talk about that late). All the precision in the world is moot if the bed under the router is flexing or vibrating, This problem is easily solved by the torsion boxlike frame shown in Figure above. I say box-like because the con- struction above lacks one element of a pure torsion box — cross ribs. In many cases, torsion boxes are suspended (like 2 floating wall shelf) or a hollow core door (hanging on hinges) that requires, the extra rigidity thatthe cross ribs pro- vide. Our base sits firmly in place and is anchored to skirts on both ends. So for the sake of saving a little weight and build time we skipped the cross ribs. RAL. What's left to make up the core of the base are the rails and end rails, you see in Figure 1 above. They're Tipped from plywood, cut to length, and screwed together. The assembly looks like a small section of wall fram- ing that you would see in house con- struction. Figure Ib shows the spacing of the rails along the end rails. ‘The box that is the base is created by sandiwiching the rail assembly between two plywood skins. Figure 1 and 1a 26 + ShopNotes/No, 143 begining there's a TOP/BOTTOM (2342 56) show the screw pattem across the sur- face of the base that makes the strong ‘web-like bond between the skins and the rails. Be sure that the top and bot- tom pieces are perfectly square and the same size. If not, when you try to glue and screw the second skin to the rails, your day will get alittle cloudy to say the least. Now that the box ofthe base is complete you can focus on the parts that will lift the whole assembly off the surface that’s supporting it. This is one of those junc- tions in building a project that you could make it your own by customizing the Jegs of the base. You could build a free- standing machine — let's say throw in some casters to make the CNC router a road show — with some storage underneath. VARIETY 15 G00D. Over the decades we've seen many clever adaptations by those who tackle the projects we offer. IF you choose to make modifications, please send photos our way — we enjoy soe- ing the clever things you've done. ‘Our version is going to reside on the ‘art you see in the beginning of this article. I's a table that’s on casters that END RAIL owe) has room underneath to house the elec- ‘tronic components and other items you ‘want close at hand — along with a few drawers to keep the area tidy. You can‘t sit that base on the table. ‘The mechanical parts of the undercar- riage, and the gantry, need to move freely under the base of the machine. ‘To provide proper clearance for these parts, Figure 2 shows the simple two- part assembly that lifts the base. If a plywood outer skirt with an inner skirt glued to it. Figure 2b shows how it’s screwed to the base. HARDWARE HOLES. After the skirts are glued up you need to drill holes in both to accommodate the undercarriage hardware. Figure 2a shows the hole in the back skirt, It’s the larger of the two to give clearance for the coupling that’s attached to the X motor and a long threaded rod (the lead screw). The hole in the front has just the lead screw pass- ing through it so it's smaller. Drill the holes, ease the edges with sandpaper then screw the skirts to the base. LAMPING PLTEN. As you see in Figure 3 there's another part to add to the front of the base — the clamping platen. This is the surface that allows you to clamp pieces vertically in the machine forrout-O. INNER SKIRT sexe) ing a variety of joinery. It'smade of two pieces of 14’ plywood glued together to ‘add rigidity to the workpiece. After trimming the glued up panel to size, cut the grooves in the face for the aluminum T-track, Then layout the corners of the opening for the screw ‘cover, (The screw cover is the part that houses the bearing that holds the lead screw in place, you'll get to that later.) At the drill press, drill the four comers with a Forstner bit, then shape the rest Of the opening with your jg saw. Next install the T-tracks — the upper T-track {strapped between the mounts, s0 you'll need to remove some of the flange to slide clamps in place (Figure 3a), RAIL MOUNTS. The rail mounts are next Lup on the to-do list. Notice in Figure 3 that they extend beyond the front of the sentir bese END VIEW nsioe) (23% 10 base. This lets the gantry reach over the clamping platen, allowing the router to shape pieces that are clamped in the platen, After cutting the pieces to size, round the comers, then glue and screw the mounts in place, Z\ FoxK Fh wooseceew CLAMPING PLATEN (230s 109) Shoplotes.com + 27Notbe ear sracoes act ee ansoe eats [ARE TWO PECES Ore PLPWOODGLUEDUP Wk f wooDScREW b. TOP VIEW (R088 SECTION) scree CLAMP BOARD —WodbscREW (ee “O 0 RAIL (ewxea) =a xa J vik (cr08s Secnon) Trim out the The bones of the base are in place and what's left to do is dress out the parts that interact with the gantry. This pro- ccoss starts with the rails that the gantry rides on. Figure 4a shows the anatomy of the rails. Like the clamping platen before (and the gantry sides you'll make shortly) the rails are glued up from two layers of plywood then capped with aluminum angle. To complete the base ‘you'll make and space the clamp boards ys For isd woODscREW Gl ln across the surface. Let's start by gluing up the material for the rails, AALS. After cleaning up any glue squeezeout, take the rail blanks to the table saw tobevel the ends. There you'll need to tilt the blade to 45° and set the fence to the width of the ral. After cut- {ing the bevels on one end flip the blank and cut them on the other end. You'll notice in Figure 4a that there's, plywood spacer between the railsand the base. This spacer provides clearance for the gantry and lets it move along the rails. Glue the spacer to the rails at this time. Then you can spend some time at the drill press drilling countersunk pilot holes in this modest assembly: AWNINUM ANGLE Now the angle that the gantry bearings will ride on can be added. Figures 4, 4c, and 4d show the locations of the countersunk pilot holes As for installing the rail assembly to the base, it’s critical that the rails are Any number of F-bolt damps and hold downs will workin the wide, open bed of this CNC router im 24> a Lan! s Y ee 3 © “5 FRONT VIEW PRONE VIEW = 7 SIDE VIEW (Goss secTION) eed aS eee a = —- TEMPORARY LEAT parallel toeach other. Also, the rails need to be the same height along the entire length of the bed. There’s no need to fret about this detail. As you see in Figure 4d the bottom of the rail assembly is flush to the bottom of the rail mount. That's, the place toclamp a support block while screwing the rail to the base. CLAMPING BOARDS. The last bit of wood- working to do on the base is adding the clamp boards across the top ofares Naren soe BEARING SUPPORT cect) the base. As you see in Figure 4b, the clamp boards have rabbets on the bot- tom edges. The rabbets, combined with the spacing between the boards create a Track that works with Tbolts and commercial clamps that are designed for T-tracks. This system gives you a lot of latitude when it comes to clamping workpieces that you're going to rout ‘Tomake the rabbets, bury a dado blade in an auxiliary fence attached to the rip fence on your table saw. All the clamp boards are the same size, but you'll note in Figure 4d that the two outer boards have rabbets only on the inside edge. Those two outer boards get attached first to the bed of the base, then the remaining boards are spaced across the bed. In case any of the pieces need replacing down the road, don’t glue the clamp boards to the bed. TRY SIDES Act IL of the CNC router introduces the gantry to the stage. The gantry wraps around the bed of the machine and is powered from underneath by the X-axis ‘motor to move up and down the length. of the bed. Up above, the gantry bridge spans the distance between the sides and ishometo the Y-and Z-axis motors. The first order of business to make the sides that you see in Figure 5. NOTE: urrerseaRNc RTEACHEDAT Sa Pama : swoon, tf UE b. SIDE VIEW (G05 9ECT0N) Oo} ul [") As I mentioned earlier, the gantry sides are one of the parts that are made of two layers of 14" plywood. You defi- nitely want the sides to be strong and stable. When the glue is dry on the over- sized blanks you can trim them to their final size and head to the bench. UWYOUT TIME. Sharp pencils, squares, a compass, and some circle templates are the tools used to lay out the dimensions to the gantry sides. The front view in Figure 5 provides the information. ‘After roughing out the shape at the band saw, clean the profile with your drum and spindle sander. Then use the finished side as a template to make the other side, Next, we'll add a little more support for the bearing hardware. BEARING SUPPORTS. The bearing sup- ports you see in Figure Sa and 5b add more rigidity to the sides where the hardware is attached. They are cut to size and have the edges chamfered for clearance before they're glued to the inside faces of the sides. Then you can rill the holes shown in Figure 5a ShopNotes.com + 29wembcR neat BIAcRFENGER tinstee (ona) Adding lots of Hardware Now you're ready to add the hardware to the gantry sides. This allows the gan- {ty to move smoothly up and down the rails of the bed. Notice that the upper bearings are fixed in their position. The ower bearings have a nifty feature that lets you adjust how firmly the hard- ‘ware grips the rails —a shop-made cam assembly. The cam assembly consists of 30 + ShopNotes No, 143, sei xr on. vbr (ro Bowery e24xsye Hex ese a knob that's made from 1" plywood, and a cam that's a short piece of dowel with an offset hole drilled in it. 101085 FRST. The front view of the knob you see below has the measurements you need to make the lobes. You can tape several oversized blanks together to save time. Next, lay out the center and the lobe locations on the top blank ‘and head to the drill press. When the drilling is done, go to the band saw and ‘cut out the profile of the knobs. ‘DOWELSECOND, Once the knobs are pried apart, glue in the dowels flush to the front of the knobs and head back to the drill press. Figure 6b shows the location of the offset hole. When you're done ceasing the edges of the lobes with sand- paper, you can install the hardware in the sides. Figure 6 shows the stacking order of the fixed upper bearing set. When they're threaded in place you can tighten the bolts. Justbelow them are the adjust- able bearing sets. For now loosely attach, them to the gantry. INSTAL THESES. Turn the cam assem blies to their lowest positions, rest the fixed bearings on the rail and swing the gantry in place. Then you can rotate the cam knobs to tighten the sides on the rails. Now tighten the bolts to lock down the lower bearings. Next you'll ‘make and install the base. agin THEBASE. The gantry base is a U-shaped piece of plywood that ties the gantry sides together under- neath the machine. You can see this in Figure 7, Before attaching the base you need to make wseskey and install the bracket that holds the anti-backlash nut that’s shown in Figure 7a, The bracket is ‘made from the same aluminum used con the rails. When it's screwed to the hhase you can attach the base to the gan- try sides as is shown in Figure Ze. Wo8 THREAD THE UNDERCARRIAGE There are times when relying on mea- surements won't do — installing the undercarriage hardware is just one ofthose moments. The final position of two parts (the motor mount and screw cover) that hold all the hardware in place have to be “field fit” toensure that the gantry won'tbind while it's working at either end of the bed. First, let's look at the parts involved to make the gan- ‘try move along the whole length of the ‘machine (the X-axis drive train), THE UNEUR. In Figure 7 we're looking at the underside of the machine from the rear. Going left to right, first you see the X-axis motor, then the coupling that ties the motor to the lead screw (Figure 7c). ‘The motor mount is next, and it’s two pieces of plywood glued together. On the motor side there are four pilotholes for the lag screws that anchor the motor tothe base (Figure 7c). On the skirt side there are fourholesand T-nuts installed to fasten the motor to the motor mount (Figure 74). Moving on, the lead screw threads into the anti-backlash nut that’s ‘mounted in the bracket on the base (Figure 7a) and then passes into the hole in the front skirt. Figure 7b shows, ‘where the lead screw lands — ina bear- ing that’s embedded in the screw cover. ‘The screw cover is attached to the base with lag screws as you see Figure 7b. Now that we know all the parts, le’s thread this needle. STEP BY STE. Firs, roll the gantry to the front of the machine. Also, ask a friend for help. Having to wrestle a long lead serew and. the other parts involved With this drive train will goa lot easier with a partner on the other end. 1 = ASSEMBLY. Attach the coupling to the motor and lead screw. Next, slide the motor mount over the lead screw and fasten it to the motor with screws and spacers (Figure 7c). 2— THREADING. Feed the lead. screw through the opening in the rear skirt, {nto the anti-backlash nut, then out the hole in the front skirt. Now place the bearing-embedded screw cover over the end of the lead screw. 3 — FLOATING. Congratulations, the drive train is sitting in place under the ‘machine, but not attached. We'll attach itfirst where the gantry is—at the front of the machine. With the lead screw GANTRY BASE ‘Cow's 2884") resting in the bearing of the screw cover, move the screw cover around in its opening. The goal here is to find the floating center position — where the lead screw is not touching the hole in the skirt. When you find this sweet spot, mark the pilot hole locations in the skirt with your awl, drill the pilot holes and install the lag screws. 4 = BACK UP. To properly attach the ‘motor end of the drive train you'll need the gantry as close as possible to the back skirt. This means turning the lead screw by hand to roll it to the back of the machine. 5 — DUAVU. Finding the floating center for the motor is a repeat of step 4. This time you're moving the motor mount around until the coupling is floating free in its opening, Again, mark and Grill the pilot holes, then install the lag screws. In the end, all this fussing ensures the drive train will operate smoothly fora long time. Now it’ time tw tackle the gantry bridge, Shoplotes.com + 31secures wee SIDE VIEW (Gross eecn0N) toe Build the , Gantry bridge With all the wrestling of the X-axis drive {rain on the underside of the CNC router done, you can stretch fora bit and plan your attack on the gantry bridge. Ulti- ‘mately the bridge holds the Y and Z. drive trains as well asthe router. Allof the wood parts and rails for the Y-axis will be done here. But the motor and drive train will be installed in the next issue along with the remaining patts of the CNC router. Now let's see ‘what this bridge is all about. BRIDGE PARTS. There are thee parts that ‘make up the bones ofthe bridge — the gantry top, bottom, and the gantry back. As you see in Figure 8a, the top and bottom gantry pieces are screwed to the gantry sides and flush to the front edge. The top and bottom tie the sides together and buttress the back. The gantry back is screwed to the edges of the top, bottom, and gantry sides as you see in Figure 8c. 32 + ShopNotes/No, 143, MEASURE ONCE. First, let's install the gan- tty top and bottom. In a perfect world all the measurements provided in a project such as this should be dead-on. But, in the spirit of “trust but verify,” ‘you need to confirm the actual distance between the gantry sides. Why this fussiness? Similar to when ‘you installed the rails on the base, all these parts need tobe square tothe table and parallel to each other. Here, this ‘means checking the distance between the sides at bed-level. This measurement isthe accurate length ofthe top and bot- tom gantry pieces. (I'm sure it's25%" but better safe than sorry.) After you've cut the parts to length — you guessed it, sglueand screw them square to the sides and parallel to the bed. GANTRY BAG. The gantry back is next in line. The face of the gantry back is ‘where you'll mount the rails that the router mount will ride on (Figure 9). ‘The gantry back also has parts attached to its edges. We'll got to those shortly. After cutting this plywood piece to size you can use a hole saw to drill the five openings in the back. If you don’t have a hole saw you could rough out the openings and make a template to pair with a flush-trim bit. Or, you can leave the holes out; they do reduce a little weight, but mostly they're a stylis- tic choice, Figures 8b and 8¢ show the sctew configuration that attaches the back to the gantry and adds rigidity to the assembly. I know Fm nagging —but make sure the back s parallel tothe bed, AILS, ENDS & SUPPORTS ‘Thenext ayerof partsare in preparation for completing the CNC router in the next issue, That involves adding the Y and Z drive trains. The rails that you'll make are attached to the gantry back. ‘They're for the router base, Zdrive train, and the router assembly (Figure 9a and 9b). The Y drive train will be housed on. the side of the gantry and the train will be attached to the ends and supports, that you'll tackle shortly First, le’s work on the rails. RAIS. The pair of rails you see in Fig- ure 9a are made in a similar fashion as the long rails that the gantry runs on. The process starts by gluing up the 14" plywood strips (@ litle longer and ‘wider to start with).Now you'll head to the table saw to rip the bevels on the edges. It’s the same scenario as before — the rip fence and saw blade tilted to 45° is the setup. But as you see in Figures 9 and 9a, these rails are only beveled on one edge. It's not difficult, but if cutting the bevels in these narrow pieces make youa little nervous, you could start by gluing up a wider blank (and a little longer). Then cut the bevels on the edges. Now tilt the saw. blade back to 90° and trim the blank to final length with the help of your miter gauge. Lastly, set the rip fence to the ‘width ofthe rail (Figure 9a) and cut the strips free from the blank. AUNINUN ANGLE, Cut the two pieces of aluminum angle to length and file away any burrs that ate left behind. To drill the countersunk pilot holes 1 placed the angle on the edge of a IGURE NOTE: cavrereauo.ze Ho RECS OF WoDeLLED Ur GANTRY RAIL COGS sacrificial board and drilled the holes at the drill press, The countersinks are done by hand, Then it’s just a matter of screwing the angles to the rails. ATTAGH THE RAMS. First, drill the shank holes and countersinks in the face of the rails. Notice in Figure 9a that the bevels line up to the edges of the back. Clamp the rails there, drill pilot holes, and screw the rails to the back. Next we'll add the parts that support the Y motor and drive train, Figure 10 shows that they're both simply rect- angles with holes. The gantry end on the left (Figure 10a) has a large hole to ‘SCREW SUPPORT (ais oie) GANTRY END SIDE VIEW (Goss etcrI0N) allow clearance for the shaft coupling. ‘The ends and supports have smaller holes for the lead screw to passthrough. Tserewed the ends in place and glued the supports to them, PART 2. Next time we'll pick up right here — fleshing out the parts of the router base for the motor and router, and adding the Y motor and drive train to the parts just installed. & Shoplotes.com + 38There are a few ways to define “por- table” when it comes to shop gear: The ‘most familiar is a grab-and-go concept associated with cordless drills or tool totes, The stool you see here works on a different aspect of portable. It’s designed think shop in a box. The drawing and photos on the t page lay out some of the fe Drawers and an upper till keep sary tools and suppli and organized, like a mini tool chest for site work close by 234 © Shoptlotes/No, 143, ‘The two-piece top tums the unit into a stout, low workbench (complete with miter station). Between tasks, you can sit down for a snack and drink as you ponder the next move BAIANCNG AC. It's tough to get portabil- ity and the features Ijust highlighted to play well together. Design editor Dillon Baker found inspiration in the work of Charles Hayward and other English craftsman of the early 20th century. The project is made from southern yellow pine for its own balance of light weight and stoutness. Varying the part thicl nesses trims drawers and dividers to lean necessity ISSENTIAL JOINERY. Dadoes and grooves along with well-placed mortise and tenon joinery share the same constru tion as any heavy-duty workbench. Here's what this all means. A fe easant evenings in the shop reward you with a smartlooking solution to turn an away game to your advantage.‘OVERALL DIMENSIONS: 1474"D x 2615"W x 16" oe gape a CROSSCUTTING—_ rt INTOA SHOOTING: eats BOARD FORGO" NO "SCRE ustow ciears b ie! = —= = —t Houwsauares SRE POBITONED “Ramee “ocwanea: Moensesin feerroe TABLE STANCE ‘A Take the id off to reveal the upper too til and a thick walnut dowel that allows you to camry the stool from place to place. ‘A The stools just the right height to work .a saw bench (as shown), an assembly area, ora place fora well-earned break. 44 Solid-wood construction and rugged joinery mean you can confidently stand on the stool for overhead tasks eta Dik eS ShopNotescom * 35NOTE: ens age Sit eoerwoo Built like a Bench While looking over the plans for this project, kept thinking of other projects this reminds me of. However, there's ‘one piece of furniture that helps in understanding the construction of this ‘one: blanket chest The large compartment above a set of drawers mirrors one version of the blanket chest, sometimes called a mule chest. Figure 1 shows the final shape of the ends, buta pair of matching rectan- gular blanks isthe first stage. JOWERY MENAGERIE. The inside faces of the blanks house joinery excava- tions: mortises for the drawer system. Grooves and dadoes house the upper compartment. T worked from the bottom up. The mortises are cut as deep as possible without breaking through the face, as shown in the upper right elevation. ‘There are several approaches for making the mortises. Considering the dadoes and grooves that lie ahead, I opted fora plunge router and guides to tackle ital Careful layout is a must. I taped a straightedge across the face to keep pairs of mortises aligned. Step your 36 » Shophlotes/No, 143, way down to final depth. The rounded comers eft by the bit require some chisel ‘work to square them up. Leave the bit, but switch to an edge guide to rout the stopped groovesalong the edges. Figure 1a has the depth dimension for these cuts, Then it's back toa taped guide (and a smaller bit) to form the dado that connects the grooves. HOLES & SOLE. Take a moment to sweep up the chips. Then take a trip to the drill press to make even more chips, this time with a Forstner bit. Drill the hole for the handle. Cutouts on the bottom of the sides create feet fora stable stance to this tool stool, [used a smaller Forstner to drill out each end of the cutout. This adds a welcome curve to the appearance. Connect the radii with a cut at the band saw (Figure 1). use the rip fence to keep this cut straight. The blade tucksinto the drilled end easily. Clean up the cut with a sanding block. You might as well got comfortable at the band saw. At the top of the end, a notch cut along either edge creates a tab that registers the lids that come later. ‘This is detailed in the upper right draw- ing. Figure 1a shows a fun feature on Cone of those tabs. [cut three kerfs with aback saw: 67.5° (for eight-sided work), 90°, and 45°. A ledge added later creates a small parts miter box. Feel free to use the angles that suit your needs. THE TILL ‘The uppercompartmentis called a tllin some chests. For this stool, it's made up of three parts, as you can see in Figure 2.on the next page. A pair of sides join with a floor. Al the joinery work occurs on the sides of the til. The first task isto cut a rabbet on each end. This formsa tongue that needs to fit into the grooves in the sides, as shown in Figures 2b and 2c. The lower edge of the tongue is notched to fit the stopped grooves, with the upper surface sitting flush with the upper edge of the end. I did this with a backsaw. With the side dry fit, mark the loca- tion where the dado meets the side. This identifies where you need to cut a groove to house the floor. Figure 2a shows the perfect world dimensions.‘CURIOUS NOTCHES. Along the top edge of one of the sides, you'll notice a pair of notches (Figure 2), These accept a set ‘of blocks attached to the underside of the lid panel. Take my word for it that it will make sense later. One more time, dry fit the sides into ‘one of the ends to determine the size of the floor. Then cut it to slide in eas- ily. A little slop side to side allows for FIGURE B STRETCHER Cerno) ® the seasonal movement of the ends, Set these parts aside for now. STRETCHER TEM. Figure 3 below reveals the final case parts needed for the stool Six stretchers and four dividers create compartments for the drawers as well asadd robust structure. The stretchers have a tenon on each end to fit the mortises you made earlier (Figure 3a). As important as that fit is, ISR HARDbONRD END VIEW (ckoss ecToN) there's another aspect of the fit that’s equally important, The shoulder to shoulder length of the stretchers must ‘match the sides. DWDES. The middle two stretchers havea pair of notches cut near one end, asin Figure3c. These accept the dividers that frame the openings for the smaller drawers Fit the stretchers into the ends to verify both the length of the divid- ers as well as the location of the mating notch you need to cut in each divider, as you can see in Figure 3b. Resist the temptation to glue these... for now. be FRONT VIEW ShopNotes.com + 37