NOscO NOTES FROM THE SHOP $2.50 codsmith UND DINING — ERY (ROUND) CLOCKSawdust Donald 8. Peschke WOODSMITH (ISSN 0164-4114) Is pubisbec bimonthly January. March, May, July, Sep- tember, Noverrber) ty Woodsmih Publishing Co,, 2200 Grand Ave.,Oes Moines, lowa 50912. WOODSMITH is a registered trademark of he |Weodemith Publishing Co. “Copyright 1983 by Woodsmith Pubishing Co, AI Fights Reserved. Subscriptions: One year (6 issues) $10, Two years (12 sues) $18. Single copy price, $2.50 {Canada and Foreign: add $2 per year.) Change Of Address: Proase be cure to include bot your old end new address for change of ‘acéress. Mail tc: Woodsmith, 2200 Grand Ave. Des Moines, lowa 50812 ‘Second clase postage pald st Ors Nones, ‘owa. Postmaster: Sord change of address netic, Form 3579, t Woodsmith Co, 2200, Grand Ave. Des Moines, towa 50312. BACK ISSUES ‘Ast of the contents of al back issues appears ‘on the wrapper ofthis isue. tthe wrapper is missing, you can send lor @ booklet the contents and prices of all back issues. ‘SAMPLE COPIES ‘you have a riend who would lke see a copy ‘of Woedemith, ust send thenameand address, and weil send a sample (at no cost) ‘apovrTansisstr. Allthree projects inthis ‘ssue use spline joinery. The splines are tod to join mitered pieces together to form frames, which, for these projects, are then routed into eirealar shapes But we alsa aaed splines on the Cheval Mirror stand io join the legs and stretcher to the uprights. ‘So what's the big deal? You make it sound like you discovered a new joint ‘Not a new joint, ust a replacement for an old joint that f've always had trouble with, Inthe past I might have used dowels to make joints like this. But dowels can treate more problems than theyre worth Granted, dowel joinery sounds easy — just drill two holes, stick a dowel in them ‘and the joint is made. ‘But using dowels to join two mitered pieces is din my opinion) one ofthe most Aitfialt operations in woodworking. ‘The problem is that ether the wood or the dei bithas to be angled to dil opposing toles in each mitered edge. And these holes have to be perfectly aligned. Net just in one direetion, butt a fall 887, And that’s ‘hat eansoe problems. Question: So, if you don't lke dowels, what's your alternative? ‘Answer. [prefer to use splines. This joinery technique doesn't reveive much attention. But It's an extremely versatile Joint that I find myself using more and tore — particularly to replace dowel. This all started about four years ago when [was building an octagonal fame for 2 clock, Tused dowels to join the mitered fends of the frame... and had a lot of problems. Tmagine, eight pieces with miters on toth ends. Thats 16 miers and esck miter with two dowel holes — 22 dowel ‘holes that all had to be perfect. I got that frame together, but | had to “cheat” more than enee. Now Luse splines. This requires grooves which ean be cut with relative ease on with the new jig we're showing en page 22 (Once the grooves are ca, the spines are ‘cut to fit, and glued in place. At this point the eplines can be thought of as Nattened- sutdowels..- but with more surface area, which provides more gluing surface and rakes the joint moch stronger. OIL FINISHES. When it comes to Snishing «| Project, there's an old proverb: One favorite nish in another's mayen. ‘Not toolong ago a reader wrote into say he'd discoverd the finest finish ofall time: 2 misture of mayonnaise ard cigarette ashes. We had a good chuckle. dowasd x so that the sender want all oni a tn nih oc that He was using & ‘essentially relied on oll (in the ease of ‘mayonnaise, a vegetable ol), some solids ‘nthe mayonnaise to give the finish some substance, plus cigarette ashes to add a little color. Although I probably wouldn't use mayonnaise (vegetable ofl will tam ran- cid), | am very fond of oll finishes. This really hit home when I was ready to fnish the round tale shown in thi ese. In the past, I probably would have: a “normal” polyurethane finish on this table, And there would have been the lang wait for the finish to dry before I could fix all the usual problems: bubbles, brush marks, and drips ‘But instead of facing those old problems, 1 decide to use Sutherand Welle’ tung oil and polyurethane mixture. As T appli it, there were still bubbles and brush marks... but I didn't have to watt to fix them. Apply the ail, then wipe it off — along with all the problems. T have a more confidence in the way the finish will turn out now. NEW FACES. Back in October, on the day we moved out of our old offices and into our new building, Mike Henry happend to stop into see if we had a job opening in the art department. ‘At the time, there was much confusion, I was tired, and the only job we had avail- able involved moving box after box of whc- knows-what. We gave Mike a copy of Woodsmith, and asked him to come back in 1 few days when the dust settled. ‘Mike eame back four days later. By thon he had designed and built a trestle table, drew 16 pieces of artwork showing how the table was built, and managed to lay out everything the way we need it for an issue. ‘We hired him, and immediately put him to work on some of the art for this jasue, Mike is already proving to be a good addition to the staff. ANOTHER NEW FACE. Inthe last issue we ran a picture of the outside of our new ‘building. The inside is even nicer —thanks in large part to Kay Mulder who designed tthe office layout. It’s an “open plan” ‘arrangement of a modular office system every detail of the new office. AS soon as, she was done, we asked her to join us fall time. Now she's putting her skills to work on the artwork in the issue, photography, and will be in charge of prodaction (getting, the issue to the printer on time). ‘NEXT MAILING. Woodsrith No, 81 will bbe mailed the weok of February 20, 1984. 2 WoopsmitHTips & Techniques THREADING THREADED INSERTS. read with interest how you used threaded inserts on the modular storage units in Woodsmith No. 22. Since then, I've used them for several different projects — with varying degrees of success, ‘The problem I'm always faced with is how to prevent the threaded inserts from ‘Yeering off coarse as they're threaded into the workpiece. By the time the inserts sre completely embedded, they're angled so far ff to one side tat they cant even be Finally, I came up with « method for installing threaded inserts that works ‘every time — using a drill press. First, 1 ‘huck a 8" long machine belt in the Jacebs chitek on the drill press. (Most Jacobs ‘out unstacking the entire pile above the piece in question. ‘After my most recent episode of un- stacking these random pieces, it finally ‘curred to me how to eliminate this prob- Jem, By simply writing down the sable ‘measurements on the ends of each piece ‘with a felt tipped pen, it becomes easy to locate a piece elose to the size needed. ‘And T've found that by using my own special codes, Ian even identify burls and ‘other unique pieces. Robert Drake Keystone Hs., Florida ‘A SABRE SAW TABLE Due to the limited size of my shop (and the limited size of my budget), 1 need to have top. This shim prevents the base trom tilling asthe brackets are tightened Granted, this setup isn’t much competi- ton ora truejigsaw. But with only a$2 to $Binvestment, and the space limitation in ry shop, it works like a charm. Mark Bryan Enid, Oklahoma ROUTER TABLE INSERTS I've completed the router table shown in Woodsmith No, 20, and there's one change ve made to the original design that may be of interest to some of your readers. P've found that there are some projects and : ie ire s smaller collet hole specified in the plans. hhead of the bolt, yet still allow the jaws to ‘wrap around and tighten on the shank of the bolt itself. If not, simply cat off the head of the bolt.) ‘To install the insert, thread it and a nut nthe bolt, and tighten the two together. ‘Then align the short unthreaded shaft of the insert into the pre-drlled hole in the ‘workpiece. Apply light prossure with the control arm of the drill press, and rotate the chuck in clockwise direction to thread tho insert into the workpiece, When the insert is completely embed- ‘ded, lock the spindle in place, and back off the nut from the top of the insert, Then unlock the spindle, and unthread the bolt from the insert. while slowly releasing ‘pressure on the control arm. Jim Knowies Atlante, Georgia SIZING IT UP [just recently completed stacking some of the random length pieces of wood that always seem to col the shop. Us ; more times than not this ‘effort is useless. As soon as the pieces are Sociak selon pombe to determane the actual size of any individual piece with iy tools perform multiple funetions when- ever possible. So after I built the router table in Woodsmith No. 20, 1 decided to sadd two metal brackets under the tabletop for attaching my sabre sw. Now, with the sabre saw securely anchored to the table top, Iean do many of the operations which previously could only be done safely with a siesaw. Although the setup varies depending on the model of sabre saw used, the basicides is the same, First, I flipped the router table top upeide down, and positioned the tmscot tuotabee sv orer te clit le 20 there was enough room to easily change the bade Thea {used two "x 10" mend ing plates (ovallable frm any hardware store) as brackets o sandwich the base of tha eave ant te botinn ofthe ruber ‘The mening lates (and the sabre it (i e saw) are secured to the top with " machine bolts countersunk inthe surface of the table, Then the bolts are secired. with twinguuts to male tightening the brodkats easy. ‘Since the router table was designed fora router, there's 4" deop recess for the base of the router. To mount the sabre ‘saw, [ shimmed out the recess so that it's flush with the bottom surface of the table ONTETOP + VS aaso Eas ‘To solve this problem, I eut «§" equare hole (located directly over where the router recess will be cut) in the Masonite top before ghaing it to the %' fir plywood. ‘Then the router table top was constructed {n the normal manner. After the top is assembled, I eut out four Ye Masonite inserts to fit the 9° square hole in the top. Preferably, the inserts should be cat from the same piece of Masonite as the top. ‘Then a diferent size collet hole is cut in each insert. T use 1%", 1%", 1", and 4" diameter collet holes, but any ‘size will ‘work. Secure the inserts to the top hy countersinking serews in each corner. Elvin Carlson Topeka, Kanses you'd thew share @ woodworking tp with cher ‘eaders of Woodsmith. send your idea to: Woodemith, Tipe & Techniques, 2200 Grand ‘Are., Des Moines, lowa 50912. We paya minimum of $10 fr tos, and $15 or more for special techniques (thal are accepted {or pubicllon) Please give acompete exiana- tion of your idea. I a sketch is needed, send it ‘along; well draw a new one. WoopsMiTHCheval Mirror | _A NEW SLANT ON YOUR IMAGE One of the biggest problems with a full-length mirrors that it's never at ‘the right height. No matter where it’s hung on the wall, it's almost impossible to keep from looking either “headless” or “legless,” or both. To remedy this problem, 1 built a cheval mirror —a full-length mirror that swivels on a stand. ‘This mirror consists of an arched- top frame that’s attached to a two- post stand. But the fun part is building the frame for the mirror. THE ARCHED TOP ‘The mirror frame is built with nine separate pieces: a four-sided arched top, a three-sided bottom, and two straight sides. I started with the most difficult section, the arched top. ‘The arched top consists of four pices of /4 oak (1¥s«"thiek) that are mitered and joined with splines, see Fig. 1. Toassemble these pieces, rip aboard 3%’ wide, and 87" long. Then cut this board ‘into four 9-long pieces. MITERING. Toform the arch, miter oth ends ofall four pieces at 225° so their final length is 8%" from point to paint, seo Fig. 2 CUT GROOVES. Next, cut grooves (for splines)inthe mitered ends ofall four pieces. To do this, rout a 1¥C-ong by ¥-deep slot in the mi tered ends of all four pieces, see Fig. 2. (L used a 4" straight router bit and the roater jig shown on page 22.) ‘Then hardwood splines are cut to Sit the slats to the grain of the spline runsat right angles tothe joint. For more information about this joint, When asing a qrammel attach inant the vl pit met be tthe tare eight nthe workploc ae So'T aiktet a small pece O¢ 84 Sop to the plywed taser a | ey we Fie 8 "Then eae the pivot point by cadng a trig eg to exond the Join tines tothe base, The pot | where these nes mest marks the | Costar Gu pe honlie t pesseipfe TDSIDE RADIUS Set the tramme! astachnent to Feat an & ean ot thc lnmide edge ofthe sxoenly. Be Sore to meature from the pivot hale to the ouside edge ofthe router Dae Then freted he ial rtios direction, and takingseveral shallow passes, see Fig. 8. ‘OUTSIDE RADIUS, Next, reset the trammel attachment to rout a 104." radius on the outside edge of the frame. (This time measure 10 from the pivot point to the inside cexge of the bit.) ‘Shop Note: In order for it to eut through the I¥ie'-thiek stock, I had to pull the 1” bit I was using out of thecollet about §". This won't eause any problems as long as the bit is not over-extended. ‘THE MIRROR BOTTOM. After the top arch was routed, I worked on the three-piece bottom vr PIECES. First, rip enough stock to form two 4"-wide comers (C), and the 2¥/-wide bottom (D), Both corner piecesare mitered to 45° so they're 10% long from pint to | ‘see Shop Notes on page 9.) ASSEMBLY. After the splines are cut to fit, the four pieces are giued up, two sec- jons st a time. Apply glue to the miters, insert the splines, and hold two pieces together for two or three minutes. (Clamps are not needed; hand pressure alone will produce a good joint. ‘TRIM ENDS. At this point, thearch should form s half cirele, with mitered ends per- fectly aligned in a straight line, refer to Fig. 3, Unfortunately, this rarely is the case. Usually, when a straight edge is but ted across the ends ofthe arch, only the toe or heel ofthe miters tone the sraght ize. Correcting any error on the ends of the archis important. Unless they're perfectly aligned, the long sides (B) of the mirror frame will either be toed in, or toed out. To correct the alignment of the miters, tack the assembled arch to a piece of ply- ‘wood and use a table saw to remove only enough material to produce a fresh ext completely across the miters. (For more information, see Shop Notes, page 9.) ROUTING THE ARCH Toround out ofthis mitered assembly, two radius cuts are made using a router with trammel point attachment, When doing this it'sbest toleave the arch tacked to the plywood, and clamp the plywood to a work bench to secure everything during the | roating operation point ext, determine the final length for the | ‘bottom piece. Todo this, measure the out- side diamotor ofthe top arch (which should bbe 2044, then subtract 9” (for the two 45¢"radius pieces used on the corners), 0c Fig. 4. The result will be the length of the botiom pieve (11'4" in my ease). ‘ASSEMBLY. Once these three pieces are cut, join them by cutting slots on the both tends of the mitered corner pieces and on the ends of the bottom piece. ‘Then cut splines to fit the slots and glue the three pieces together, see Fig. 5. ‘TRIMMITERS. Next, true up the mitered ‘ends that will be joined to the frame's long, sides (B). To do this, first use ahand saw to remove the extra “ears” extending below 4 WoopsMiTHthe bottom piece, sce Fig. 5. Then use a table saw to trim the mitered ends (keep- ing the bottom piece tight against the fence) s0 the assembly is 1%" wide. ‘TEMPLATE. After the mitered ends are trimmed, they're ext into rounded comers on a band saw. To do this, cut out a tem- plate with an inside radius of 2¢ and an outside radius of 4", see Fig. 6. ‘Then butt the bottom assembly against the top arch (as shown in Fig. 7), and position the template s0, 1) the outside edge of the template lines up with the outside edge ofthe top arch, and 2) so the template is flush with the mitered edge that's butted against the top arch. ‘After the radius is traced on both corner pieces, cut out the round enmners ona band sav. Then sand the edges smooth using a drum sander on a drill press. "THR SIDES. Next, the frame's long sides (B) are added. To determine the length of these sides, butt the bottom assembly against the’ top arch, and measure the ‘combined height of both assemblis. Th ‘subtract this measurement from the 93° height of the frame, see Fig. 1 ‘Cut both sides 2% wide, and tothe final length, Then rout slots (for splines) onboth ends of each piece, see Fig. 8. Finally, the entire mirror frame can be assembled and set aside to dry, THE MOLDED EDGES All four edges on the mirror frame are ‘molded with a router in four separate cuts, FIRST CUT. The first cut is made on the outside exige of the face side of the frame ‘using a 3¢" rounding.over bit with a pilot Set the depth of eut to produce a ¥" shoul- der (Gee Step 1 in Fig. 9), and rout the frame in a clockwise direetion. ‘SECOND CUT. Then switch to a 4" rrounding-over bit with a pilot to rout in a counter-clockwise direction) the inside ‘edge of the frame, leaving a 2" shoulder, see Step 2 in Fig. 9, ‘THIRD CUT. The outside edge on the back ‘side of the frame is also routed with a 4" rounding-over bit (moving clockwise) — bout this time there's no shoulder, see Step Bin Fig. 9. FOURTH CUT. The final eut is to rout a rabbet for the mirror itself. This cut is made using a rabbet bit witha pilot (see Step 4), routing counter-clockwise with ‘very light pastes. This rabbet should be {just slightly deeper than the groove forthe ‘Spline, see Detail 5 in Fig. 9.‘AL this point, the mirror frame looked ‘sharp enough by itself that I was tempted tojust hangiton the wall. But it didn’ttake Jong before I ran intothe “how high to hang it” problem, and decided (again) that the swivel stand was really a good idea. THE UPRIGHTS The first step in building the mirror stand is to laminate two pieces of 4/4 lumber (ve" thick) to produce the 1%" thick stock needed for each upright. Then the laminated stock is cut tothe final size for the uprights, see Fig. 10. ‘SLOT MORTISES. A double-slot mortise and spline joint is used to join both the center stretcher and the legs to the ‘uprights. This joint is similar to-a martise and tenon, except slots (mortises) are cut in both pisces being joined, rather than in only one piece. Then the two halves are joined with aspline, which acts asa tenon. ‘Using the router jigshown on page 22, 1 routed two mortises (for attaching the legs) centered on the 15'-wide faces of the uprights, see Fig. 11. Then I eut anther mortise forthe stretcher) centered on the Bride face [MOLDING THE UPRIGHTS. After the mor- tisos aro ext, al four edges ofthe uprights are routed with a 3 rounding-over bit. ‘These molding cuts stop 3" from the top cendof the upright, and 6” from the bottom ‘(mortised) end, and have a shoulder on only the 2svie faces, see Fig. 12. ‘Making tho uprights requires two dif- ferent setups onthe router table. The frst step is toattach along L-shaped auxiliary fence to the router table, oe Fig. 13. Then blocks are clamped at both ends of the ierte One Heck wT to te iat ofthe center of a3" rounding over bit, and the other is 80° to the right of the bit, see Fig.l ‘With the stop blocks in these positions, the molding will stop 29 from the top of the uprights, and 5%" from the bottom. ‘To rout the first edge, position the upright on the roater table with the 2eavide edge face dawn, and the bottom ‘end of the upright agsinst the stop on the Fight, Keep the top Geft)end of the upright several inches away from the bit, and start the router. Then use a kiss and run move- ‘ment s0 the router bit doesn't burn the vwoed, To do Upright into the bit, sliding the upright toward the left stop. Sant rasta toe aright eo thn apgnesie ede face ie down on the router table, and rout this edge. "At this point, enly two diagonal edges have been routed, sce Detail, Fig. 14. Routing the remaining two edges requires reversing the pasition ofthe stop blocks, ‘and flipping the upright end for end, seo the second setup in Fig. 14. Rout the remaining two edges in the same manner 6 WoopsMiTH‘ae the frst two edges, again, keeping the Z-wide face down on the router table. ROUT ENDS. After the edges are routed, ‘thetop andbottom ends oftheuprighte are routed using a %" rounding-over bit, see Fig. 15. To help keep the upright at 90° to the fence, I usod a square piece of serap, stock to guide the upright through the bit. DRILL. HOLES. The key to making the frame swivel is a fancy piceo of hardware called a “swivel mirror screw and insert.” ‘This is just an ornate thumb screw and threaded insort, see Sources on page 24 In order to mount the screw, drill a i" hole on through the 2-wide side of the uprights, cee Fig. 18. While I was at it, T also drilled two 9 holes, “ deep at the bottom of the uprights for decorative but- tons, refer to Fig. 16 ‘THE STRETCHER A ingle atretchor is used to join the two uprights on the mirror stand. To deter- ‘mine the correct length of the stretcher, measure the outside width of the mirror frame, and add twice (for both sides) the thickness of the flange on the threaded insert. ‘The center stretcher is cut from 544 stock so it's 4" wide, and to the length figured above (this chould be 2074"). Using. ‘the layout shown in Fig. 17, make a tem- plate and trace the curve at both ends of the stretcher, see Fig. 18. Then bandsaw ‘the profile, and sand it smooth. Again, rout %" x 2" slot mortises in theends ofthestretchors (seo Fig. 19), and. ‘eat hardwood splines to fit. Then the top. and bottom edges on the stretcher are routed using 34" rounding over bit, pro- ducing a Ya" shoulder, see Fig. 20. ASSEMBLY. Finally, finish-sand the ‘uprighteand the stretcher. Then assemble ‘these pieces so the bottom edge of the streteher is ¥" from the bottom of both uprights, see Fig. 21 THE LeGs To help eliminate waste, nd to provent ‘weak spots due to improper grain direc- ton, the four curved legs of the mirror stand are cut at anangleon four S-wide by 2r-long pieces of 54 stock. Mer both fends on each piece at 45°, 50 they're 18° Tong from point to point, see Fig. 2 ‘Catting al four legs to exact the same ‘shape requires using a template. To make the template, Bret copy the profile shown in Figure 22 onto a piece of cardboard. ‘Then ent out the template and trace it on the legblanka, see Fig. 2. Once the profile is transferred to the blanks, the legs are trad sawn and sanded smooth ‘Then slamp the legs together to chock the consistency of the legs where the ‘curves will meet the upright. These ends ‘must be of equal size so the logs can be positioned correctly tte. WoopsmiTH“After the legs are cat to sae, rout 0 x ‘2/4’ slot mortises on the end of each leg that sttaches to the uprights, see Pig. 23. (pin, T used the router jg on page 22 to atthe mortises.) MOLDING. Then using 2 8" rounding. over bit en the router table, rot oly the top edge om all our legs, ste Fig. 23. SSEMRLY. After the logs are voted, they're fished sanded and glued to the ‘uprights. Then cut splines to fit the mor- tines, and luo the lege 3 from the bottom of the upright, see Fig, 24. You can ase handserews and pipe elangps (see Tips and Techniques, Wondewith No, 29), or hand pressure to clamp the legs in position. THE FINAL FITTING [At this point, both the mirror frame and stand are basically complete. The only thing that needs to he done isto position the mirror frame on the stand and install the threaded inserts. POSITION THE FRAME. To position the mirror frame, place a %’ spacer block between the bottom of the mirror frame and the top ofthe stretcher, see Fig. 25 ‘With the frame in this postion, mare the location for the threaded insert on one side of the mirvor frame, see Fig. 2. ‘Tobe sure the insert onthe other ide is located in exactly the same position, mea- sure the distance from the mark to the hottom of the frame. ‘Then use thie die tance to find the location for the insert on the other side. “Tho 36" holes for the threaded inserts are dried %" deep, entered on the flat spot on the outside edge of the frame (s* from the back edge), sce Fig. 27. Noto: As 1 was installing the inserts, I decided to ‘oat the outside threads with epoxy ta help prevent them from rotating in the hole. ‘THE MKKOK BACK. The deep rabbet that was routed on the back of the mirror frame provides room for a '-thick mir- ror, a thick Masonite back, anda flex- {ble rubber stop ‘Tomake the Masonite beck, rip a piece ‘of Masonite to the same width as the dis- tance between the rabbets on the back of the mirror frame. Then lay the frame over the Masonite, and trace the inside profile ‘of the top arch and both bottom comers, fee Fig. 29. Using a sabre saw, cut the ‘radii on the ¥4" Masonite to fit the frame. ‘Atthis pint, I took the unfinished mir- ror frame to # local glass store and hod ‘themeut a thick mirror to ft the frame. FINISH. To finish it off, I stained the frame and stand with two coats of Minwax Early American stain. Then 1 applied three coats of Minwax Antique Oil Fish. ‘MOUNTING THE sRROR. Finally, I pos tioned the mirror in the frame, covered the hack with the 4° Masonite, and tacked a flexible rubber stop in place to secure the mirror in the frame, see Fig. 20. Setwdelt EAS fae (MATERIALS LIST [A Mier Arch Pieces (8) Wie x 301-80 [8 Micrr Side Pins (2) Via x 274 - 38%) |C Bottoms Mitered Peces (2) Tin 3 4 = 108% [0 Miror Frame Siretchar (1) Wie x 2¥4 10%) 1e Upeight tether (1) Vie 4-207 |F Feet (4) War S 219 [@ Upright Blanks (4) Mien 8 WoopsMITHShop Notes ‘As we were building the projects for this ‘issue, I jotted down some notes concerning. miter and spline joinery ‘CUTTING MITERS Although catting miters seoms like a sple opecation, here's really more to it than just eating the workpiece athe cor- esangis Tn ict, even when the ane Set correctly, the cut can all be of. The Drobiem is thatthe saw blade often tends Weither pall er push the workpivee. This treepng makes it impossible to make a Straight cut, CREEPING. The easiest way to provent the hom ereeping isto attach a plywood fence to the miter gauge to sup- part the workpicce all the way to the blade. ‘Then clamp a stop biock to the fence 30 ‘constant pressure can be applied to the ‘workpiece to push it away from the blade, pieces, Iuse the following proced: T cut each of the pieces for the frame to rough length (usually ¥° to 1° longer than needed). ‘Then I've found it's best to sneak up on ‘the miter by making two cuts. The frst cut clears away most of the waste. Next, a trim cut is made which just barely skims ‘offthe end of the miter. This cut should be ‘gauged sone more than one-half the thick ness of the saw blade actually makes the ‘cat. This way there's much less chance of ‘the blade pulling or pushing the workpiece ‘out of line. CUTTING GROOVES FOR SPLINES After the miters are cut, the pieces are joined and also aligned with the use of ‘splines. To keep the pieces aligned, these grooves must be either, 1) centered on ach miter, oF 2) they must be the same distanee from the face side of each piece. Back in Woodemith No. 21, we showed how tocut these grooves on a router table. ‘This method does a nice job of keeping the grooves the same distance from the face ‘ldo of the mitered piece. However, one ‘roove on each pece mist be seated With plunge ct. ‘To get around tia probles, Tuid the sig shown on page 21m this fasue to cat ‘grooves that are exactly centered on each iter, Thiselininstestheproblom ofwak- a plnge eat, et stl provides perfect alnment forthe splines curtine seunes Of course, once the groves are cut, the splines have to be eut to mateh. The key here is to cut the splines so they have a good friction fit in the groove. For greatest strength, the spline should be cut 0 the grain is running across the Joint line, see Fig. 2 This requires two ‘cuts, The first eut is made by setting the rip fence the “proper distance” from the blade. This distanceis equal to the width of ‘the groove in the mitered pieces. For the second cut, set the rip fence about Ye" beyond the bottom of the first ‘eut, and guide the workpiece with the iter gauge to make two shallow cuts. ‘Then simply snap off the splines and sand ff the ragaed edge. GLUING UP MITERED FRAMES If the spline fits well, the mitered pieces ‘can be glued together without clamping. Hand-pressure alone will produce a good ‘ight joint. This is because the strength of aspling joint is between the spline and the sides of the grooves — not between the two mitered edges. Ifthe spline fits tight in the groove, it will piek up moisture as glue is applied swell, and produce a very tight jeint. Hold the joint together for a minate or so, and then set it down ona fat surface to dry. Ina fow minutes, it will be almost impossible to get the joint apart — even if ‘you wanted to, MAKING ADJUSTMENTS ON MITERED FRAMES. If you're building a frame with these iitered pieces, don't try to giue them all together at once. (They almost never fit together perfectly.) Tnstead, glue pairs together to form two halfframes. Then the open ends of the frame halves can be trimmed so both halves ft together perfectly. Ifyou're working with asix-sided frame, ‘the open ends can be trimmed on the table ‘saw, see Pig. 3a. If the frame is eight- sided, it must be mounted to a piece of plywood first, see Fig. 96. ROUTING ROUND FRAMES ‘The secret behind cutting a round frame’ simple: use a router with a tramme! attachment. use 2 Sears router and the Sears No. 25179 multi-purpose router ‘guide and trammel attachment. If the radius of the cirele is lange (as on the round table in this issue), an extension ‘arm ean be added, see Fig. 4. SMOOTH RABBETS When 1 was bailding the frame for the | cheval mirror shown in this issue, Teut «| rabbet on the back side ofthe frame with router and rabbet bit. However, there's a problem with this type of routing: ‘One shoulder of the rabbet (where the bottom of the rabbet bit cuts) always chips cut, Unfortunately, this is the shoulder that will be reflected in the mirror. ‘To prevent chip-cut on this shoulder, set the rabbet bit to the final depth of the ut ‘Then make a light scoring pass, moving the router in a counter-clockwise rotation round the inside edge ofthe frame. Ths is actually the “wrong” direction, but it pro- duces a smooth, clean shoulder. ‘Then to complete the rabbet, reset the depth of cut and make successively deeper ‘ets in the correct (clockwise) direction Until the scoring eut is reached. WoopssiTHRound Clock Frame ROUTING ‘ROUND THE CLOCK How do you make a round frame? This is ‘one of the woodworking techniques that has always intrigued me. Although there areseveral waysto goaboatit, the method used for this clock produces a sturdy, and quite handsome frame. One that should stand up to the test of time. ‘However, in order to build the round frame for this eleck, i's best to first onler the clock face and bezel (the glass dome ‘that fits over the face), because they will affect the final size of the frame. MAKING THE FRAME ‘The bezel I purchased (see Sources, page 2A)has a diameter of 91, oI built a frame with a diameter of I around the frame. This involves buildings hexagonal (six-sided) frame first; then routing it (with the aid of a trammel tachment) into 2 circular shape. RIF STOCK. To build the hexagonal frame, rip a 60"-ong piece of 5/4 stock toa ‘width of 84, Thon cut off six sections toa rough length of 9 ‘Shop Note: As | was cutting the rough lengths, I numbered each piece and indi cated the grain direction so when the frame was assembled, the grain would run continuously around the frame. A nice touch, CUT MiTERS. To join the six sections together, I used miter and spline joinery. ‘The details of making this joint are given ‘on page 9. But it basically involves cutting 30° miters on both ends of all six pieces £0 their final length is 8° from point to point, see Fig. 1 JOINERY. After the miters are cut, the next step is to cut grooves in each mitered end for the splines that hold the joint together. These 4"-wide grooves are ‘stopped so they don't show on the outside perimeter of the frame, see Fig. 1. (To cut stopped grooves, I used the router jig described on page 22.) ASSEMBLY. After the grooves are cut \V-thick hariwood splines are ext to fit the grooves. Then the frame can be ‘assembled. I did this by gluing up two “half” sections consisting of three pieces each, Then I glued these two halves together to form the six-sided frame. (Shop Notes on page 9 deseribes how to Join these halves to form a perfect frame.) SETUP FOR TRAMMEL ATTACHMENT ‘After the frame is assembled, it’s formed {nto its final circular shape using a router and trammel attachment. However, to hold the frame in place while routing, T first tacked it to a circular piece of plywood (cut to a 6” radius), see Fig. 2. (fake sure the brads are placed where the router bit won't strike them.) ‘Then I nailed a piece of serap 2x4 to the bottom of the plywood so the w assembly can be held securely in a bench vise. PIVOT POINT. In order to use the tram- rel attachment, the pivot point has to be at the same height as the frame. I glued and nailed a pieso of 5/4 serap to the ply- ‘wood — approximately in the center of the frame, see Figs. 2, “Then to locate the pivot point, place a straight edge across the three opposing ‘joints and mark lines on the center block, see Fig. 8. The point where the three lines Intersect is the pivot point for the trammel ‘attachment. (The Sears trammel attach- ment Iused requires 2 4" pivat hole at this point.) ROUTING THE FRAME At last, the frame can be routed into a oe © © € © © © © © © © © © circular shape. Doing this involves three basic steps and five different routing cuts (Note: In all eases, the routing is done by moving the router in a counter-clockwise direction.) OUTSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE. The first step isto rout the outside circumference of the frame to a radius of 644" (diameter of 18). To do this, first mark a line 64" frm the pivot point and drill 7 pilot bole s0 it Just touches the outside ofthe marked line, 4. This pilot hole makes it easierto lower the router bit when routing the circumference. ‘Then use a 34" carbide-tipped straight Dit and the trammel attachment to rout, through the frame in several (counter- clockwise) passes, see Fig. 5 ROUT RABBET. The next step is to rout a abbet on the inside of the frame. (This rabbet is for a ¥ plywood inert whi will hold the quartz clock movement and the clock face.) Re-tet the trammel attachment so the outside edge of the router bit is 4¥¢ fram 10 WoopsMiTHthe pivot point, see Fig. 6. Then rout « srpove as deep as the actual thickness of the plywood you want to use for the insert (ince the depth of this cut is shallow, ‘there's no need for a pilot hole.) After roting the groove, there wil still bbewaste sectionsleft on the inside edges of the frame. To remove these areas, use the roster (without the tearm attachment) anda i straight bit. This wil eave a wide ‘Shoulder (or rabbet) on the inside of the ‘frame forthe plywood insert see Fig. 6 MOLDING CUTS. The basic round frame is ‘complete at this point. Nov allit needs isa couple of molding euts to dress it up. used a i" comer-round bt witha pilot ‘oform a corner-round profile with an shoulder, see ig 7. Beezuse pit is used ‘with the router bit, this operation can be done freehand (without the trammel | stachmen’.'T made two successively ‘deeper passes to form this molded edge. CORE BOX BIT. ‘Then | softened the aquare shoulder by switching back to the {wammel attachment and used a ° core box bit to rout a cove toa depth of "(in to passes), seo Fig. 7. When finished, there should be a ¥<' cove with a % square shoulder remaining below the cove. INSTALL BEZEL AND CLOCK FACE After the frame is routed, the bezel, elock face, and elock movement can be installed PLYWOOD INSERT. To support the clock ‘movement, I cut a ¥« plywood insert to fit the rabbet in the frame. (This circular | insert can be made the same way as the | frame: mount the piywood to the base used earlier and rout it with « trammel attachment.) ‘Next, drill a4’ hole in the center of the plywood for the stem of the clock move- ‘ment. And finally, glue the plywood insert in the frame, using °C” clamps to keep it flush with the face of the frame. BEZEL HARDWARE. For stability (and looks) I wanted to hinge the bezel at the ‘top of the clock instead of the side. So T decided which part of the framme was going tobe “12 o'dock high.” Then I centered the beael on tho frame (with the hinge at 12 'elock) and marked the location for the two hinge serew holes. Taleo marked the position of the slightly hole for the catch at the 6 o'clock position, see Fig, 8. Drill these holes, and counterbore tho backside of the framo for the fastening nats. FINISH. After the holes were dried for the bezel, I finith-sarded the frame and applied one coat of Sutherland Welles iymerized tung oil sealer. Then I rubbed Infive coats of high gioss polymerized tung oil, INSTALL MOVEMENT, When the finish is dry, attach the elock face to the plywood Insert, and install the bezel. And finaly, ‘mount the clock movement. WoopsMiTHOil Finishes FINISHING ISN'T AS BAD AS YOU THOUGHT Using oi to finish and protect wood isn't anything now — oll Bnichee have beon around since the first woodworker spilled bear grease on the top of his table and ‘watched the raindrops roll off. Even beck then it was obvious that an ofl Gish was relatively easy to apply, provided some protection against water, and made the ‘wood look better. (Over the years, wood finishers have cre- sted thousands of variations in an attempt {o improve on the first crude ol finishes, Solvents such as turpentine or mineral wise and te Gre the ol bear ability; driers are added to make th of dy faster: resins and waxes are added for surface protection, and even the makeup ofthe oll has been changed by “cooking” itor combining it with other ols ‘The reoult of all these changes and enhancements is a type of finish that has struck a responsive chord with modern. day woodworkers. Although the god of surface finishes (paint, varnishes, lac quers, polyurethanes) have their place, there’ thing quik the foo pice Which is exactly the point. With an oil finish, you can foel the wood, and not a layer of something over the wood. But, what exactly are cil finishes? The ‘moet Common ail finishes in use today are linseed ol, tung ol, the so-called “Danish” oil finishes, and the relatively new ofl and ‘varnish combinations. ‘Each of these oils and oil combinations has advantages and disadvantages. Per- haps the biggest advantage (at least the fone that's promoted by all the manafac- turers) is the ease of application: Putt on, wipe it off, and you're done. But the best Way to achieve the “hand rubbed, of fn- ish” everyone wants sto spend some time ‘understanding how ol finishes work. HOW THEY WoRK Not all ols ean be used to finish wood. In fact, there are ‘two Kinds of cls: oils that dry, and oils that don't dry. Tung ‘oll and linsoed oil will dry or “euro” to a relatively hard finish. However, other types of oil (mineral ol and motor oi, for sample) won't ry atall. Ife lla matter of chemistry. ‘Since I don't know much about chemis- try, Laaked somoone who does — Dr. Bill Feist, a research chemist with the U.S. fson, Wisconsin, Here's what he had to say boat drying oils: 12 “The term ‘drying’ meats that the cll reacts — usually with air — to form an essentially new material whichis nolonger dissolvable in the original solvent. This is basically how a drying oil differs from a product like lacquer oF shellac. “Lacquers or shellacs do not react chemically — they merely lose thefr sol- ‘vent and the material i left behind in the farm of a discrete film. ‘That film can be redissolved by putting the same solvent right back on it. “The best example of this is when an aleoholic drink is placed on a shellac- covered table and it spills and leaves a ‘white ring. ‘The alcohol in the drink is artially dissolving the shellze again, “Linseed all, tung oll or the other drying oils cannot be redissolved, in any way, ‘with their original solvent after they have ried because they have changed their chemical composition. It’s sort of like ‘having/a bow! of spaghetti dry out. Once it thas done its caring bit, you Just can't do anything with it” PENETRATION. There is another differ fence between il finishes and “surface” finishes. Most oil finishes are touted as boing-“penetrating” finishes. When an cil fish is applied to wood, it soaks in, dries, ‘and heeomes part of the wood, instead of sitting on top of it ‘To some extent this is true. But the depth of penetration on the surface of the ‘wood isn't all that much — only a few ‘microns (a couple of cell layers) deep. Pen- tration on end grain is much greater — anywhere from V4’ to 2 depending on the type of wood — but that's not usually where you want or need protection. ‘Toget better penctrationon the surface, ‘the oll can be rubbed in by band, or with fine-grit sandpaper. This creates heat, hich lowers the viscosity of the oil and helps it penetrate a litte better. At least, that's the “elbow-grease" way to do it But, there are other ways to increase ‘penetration. Most oll flishes are thinned ‘with mineral spirits or other solvents to allow the oil to penetrate the wood. Then, after the oil finish i applied, the solvent ‘evaporates, and the thin layer of ol that's left behind bogins to react with the air and cares. ‘When an ol finish has eared, it provides some protection for the weod. But the protection can aii vanah oer ei eo ‘when all the confusion begins. ‘ie gpectel tats wed theese the alt and the method of aplication all affect the amount of protection the finish = PURE O1L FINISHES Determining what an oil finish consists of, what it will do, and how to use it ean get a little confusing. Basically, there are only two drying oils widely available on the market today: linseed oil and tang oil “LINSEEDOM. Linseed ol (made from fax ‘seed isthe granddaddy of oil finishes. In fact, if you look on the labelsof many snd varhen Youll il fd nooo lis ‘one of the main ingredients. adlthough rw lise al is erable, 3's sold today is boiled linseed SL Ba thetor baled” nsometingota misnomer. You can't take raw linseed ol, boilit, and expeet tohave anything usable, We really refined linseed oll No matter what you call it, boiled lin- seed oil does a good jab of penetrating the ‘ood, sealing it, and provides some pro- tection against the elements. ‘When I was talking to Bill Feist, he referred to boiled linseed cil as *sort of a lovely nish even now. [think the modem finishes have gone more to the alkyds, rmotifed linseed oll, tung ol, or mixtures of tung and linseed ols, But, when yoa talk to ome ofthe paras, bed ince ais still it.” For the recond, many woodworkers are ‘more than willing to give up this old stand- by. As one wood finisher told me, “linseed i stinks to high heaven and itl keep on stinking for about six months.” Linseed oil also tends to turn woods « very dark, almost undesirable color. It also tends to five the wood a definite yellow tint. ‘TUNG OL. In recent years, tung oil has attracted a lot of active st and promoters) who prefer it to linseed oil. Pure tung oil, polymerized tung oil, tang ail varies, and Sone fin- ee ee 4, ung ol is it new. ‘Tung oil has been around for thousands of years. Marco Polo is said to have brought tung oil back from his excursions to China, And the story istold that ‘was used to seal the Great Wall of (ory 5 tame tos aust) ‘Tung oil was also used as the base Ingredient for the time-honored oriental ver finishes. word tung is Chinese for “heart” — the dark green leaves ofthe tung tree are ‘heart-shaped. The tree itself is about the size ofa magnolia tree, and produces pod WoonsMITH f‘about the size of a chestnut. That. pod ‘contains cluster of smaller nuts from Which the tung ol is squeezed. ‘Tung trees require very specific grow- Ingeonaitions (warm and moist). The trees ffourish in parts of China, and for thoa- ‘sands of years were grown only there. Now, however, several countries in South ‘America are supporting. groves of tung trees for the commercial production of tung ol. For a while from about 1904 to 1969) there. was limited American pro- duction of tung oil, ut Hurricane Camille ‘Wiped out the tung groves and American ‘was halted. ‘Most ofthe tung ofl we use comes from South America. But before It hts the shelves, it's cleaned, refined, processed, fd the, if nothing is added, labeled 00% I Tian pore Cig ola poured trom the can, it's thicker than you might expect. Mest people thin it with mineral spirits to help its penetration, especially onthe first ‘oat. The effect of tung ol on woed isalow lster finish that’s more resistant to water snd heat than linsood il POLYMERIZED TUNG Ot. Even better than pare tung of (according to is fans) is polymerized tang oil. Here's another instance whena degree inchemistry would come in handy. Although i's easy to see tnd fel the lass pared ct ef the ean, ‘what happens to it ater it's applied is quite invisible — on the molecular level. Bill Feist explains that when an cil dries, “it changes from one molecular weight to another. Everybody calls this curing, bat the correet term is crosslinking — i's sctually a chemical crosslinking. “By heating the oll, this cross-linking process i partially completed. Theoll os from a state where it's a very low cross- linked material to one that becomes a little bit more resinoas, 2 ite e ‘Then after i's on, it doesnt ha oto eure.” lymerization is another word for that chemical process. If a complete curing ‘ele involves, say, a dozen or more cheri- cal cross-linking changes, polymerizing the tung oil may speed up five or six of those changes in advance. ‘To change pure tung ilinto polymerized ‘tung cil i's heated to about 350 degrees, ‘and oxygen is bahbled through it. The end rem related, but ne, product — polymerized tung oll — which dries 4nd with ahigher luster than pure tung oi As with pure tung all, polymerized tung of can be used “straight” or mixed with vari- us varnishes. DANISH Olt FINISHES ‘Tung oll and linseed cil both are used to create a second ‘of ol fishes — ‘the so-called “Danish lls and oil/vanish mixtures. ‘The “Danish” part of the name relates to ‘the natural oil finish that. was applied to ‘Danish Modem furnituredaring the 19505, Part of the “look” of Danish Modern fur- niture was the hand-rubbed ofl finish (not a surface finish such as varnish or lacquer), ‘Although Danish Modern furnitare isnt as poplar as it once was, there is no deny- ing thatthe “Danish oll finishes areat the height of their popularity. With good reason. ‘They're easy to apply, almost foolproof, they show off the natural beauty of the ‘wood, and they aid a measure of pro- {ection beyond ato pare ol ish One other advantage to the “Danish oils (and, for that matter, all oll nishes) is the abil ity to repair the finish simply by adding ‘more oil to a scuffed area or mincr serateh. Erie Dennis, the Marketing Director for the Wateo-Dennis Corporation, says his firm came out with Wateo Danish Oil back in 1997; it's based on a formula that eame from England. We called the product ‘Dan- ish’ ol, but it’ strictly «generic term, There's no standard for ‘Danish’ ol.” ‘COMPONENTS. The “Danish” oils and oil/ | varnish mistres havo three base soo | ponents: (obviously), solvents o | thinners, and resins. They also may con- | tain drying agents, and sometimes a pig- ‘ment to add color to the wood. | "Is guneral, the addition of resina’and | sclvents tothe ofl is what makes it a“Dan- Ish" ol fnish. Adding resins to ol is fry common practice, And resins come in many forms. Bill Feist says, “There are literally hundreds of possible resins to choose from, and from those hundreds, of course, there are millions of poesible com- binations beeause many finishes may have three or four different resins in ther.” ‘RESINS, But what are resins? Resins occur everywhere — especially inthe plant ‘world. The sap in a tree, for example, is form of resin. And there are synthetic resins made by chemical reaction oF ‘merization. (Urethane and polyurethane fare examples of synthetic resins. There's really no difference between urethane and polyurethane — the words ean be used i interchangably.) “Danish” oil finishes, whatever their brand name, are simply one of those infinite combinations of oils and resins. ‘They are penetrating oil finishes to whieh enough rosins (in most eases, varnish or urethane) have been added to give the finished piece of wood some surface protection. WHICH TO CHOOSE ‘When you set out to choose an oil or ofl/ ‘varnish finish, there's no way to say that ‘oneis better than another. There are times ‘when you may want just light protective ‘coat on the wood. In this case, a pare oil or ‘one of the “Danish” oil finishes would be the “Tight” choice. Or, you may want a relatively heavy protective coat — which probably means ehoosing one of the oil ‘ernish mixtures. ‘Its really a matter of personal prefer- ‘ence, and alittle guess-work. When I set out to finish a project, the reason I choose fone product over another depends on the loak'l want the wood to have, how famiar Tam with the product, and (to be real honest about it How the spirit moves me at the moment. Even then, I may alter the method ef application and the number of coats to affect the outcome of a particular type or brand of finish. Tn fact, Toften apply a finish in ways the ‘manufacturers specifically recommend against. But [like the results. Even the ‘manufacturers tell me they're sometimes surprised at the results their customers ‘get with their products using procedures ‘and techniquee they hadn't thought of. ‘While there is no single answer to the ‘question “Which finish should Tuse?”, in the process of trying to answer this qucs- tion, Task myself (and with any luck, answer) a number of questions about the project I'm getting ready to finish: What Go T want the wood to look like when I'm one? How do I want it to feel? Will the project be exposed to moisture (spilled ‘water, coffee, aleohol)? Willitbe subjected to roigh wear and tear that may need frequent touching-up? Do I want the wood to have a “natural” lok, or havea Ite ‘i Essentially, the finish | select is deter- mined by my answers to those questions fl pull experience, Here what | thee ‘Sent some of th ol frishes Ive wed ard ‘what Kind of fish Lexpect fom ther. Linseed Oil. I don'tuse boiled linseed oil saa nalts vecyohenbeecen sever Seems to dry completely — it always Fermin jst athe ea have used It (in combination with pumice or rotten- (Gone torsboutyerod ail topa And Bill Feist mentioned that he used it to Fefubis the old veriah at on aoe DSe-year-old sing bass. (te mixes. teil hanced cl Wh Mineral spur and a touch of alechol to soften the old finish a little). Ingeneral, | tend to avoid boiled linseed ities ea ver aoe See toomuh edut and, {tun there ae Pele posers il cere Pure Tung Oil. I've switehed to tung oil ver I want to use'a pure ol nish The {aly problem bevels mowing exacty what gato being. Bone ofthe ng lahes ‘sold today are thinned down. So, in effect, becpslreetemeh le crs at thn rang the ol ean hep the ol penetrate ‘wood better) But, 1 don ia a least from a price-comparison standpeint) aeeasarong nee cr ect wae WoonswiTH 13thinners have been added. Hope's 100% Pure Tung Oil (the one we use most often) is por (ot thinned tang ol tiiveany to sop byrabing iton th four hand or with a Gath AE though ean be applied straight fom the ‘can, most of the tlme, I thin it down with mineral spirits (especially for the first coat) to help it penetrate into the wood better. ‘One or twocoats of pure tung oil will dry toaseft luster that's as love toa “natural” nish as you can get. By adding more coats, you can get more of “hand-rubbed” look, oF even develop a sheen that looks like @ matte varnish finish. Polymerized Tung Oil. I've only used polymerized tung oil a couple of times. But when I did, Iwas pleased with the results. It ean be applied by brush, cloth or hand rubbing. And, the resulting finish is classy. fone or two coats of polymerized tung oil are appliod, it’s nct much difforent than pure tung ol. But as the ecats are built up, it begins to take on more and more of a Seems: soft lustre varnish or lacquer. ‘The only brand of polymerized tang oil T'veused is Sutheriand Welles, which sells several different versions. Each version hasan inereased percentage of tung oo selvents. ‘When Italked to Frank Welles about the difference between these versions, he said that it just makes it easier to got the amount of tungol you want. Ifyou want to apply sealer coat ofthinned-down ol, you ‘can use his “sealer” version instead of thinning it down yourself, For additional coats, you can switch to low lustre, ‘medium lustre or eles iste ae higher ‘the luster, the greater. percentage of polymerized tung oil) ‘One nice thing about the Sutherland Welles products is that the percentage of oil is listed on the label along with clear, concise, and complete instructions for its use and application. (OIL-VARNISH MIXTURES 1¢1 want more pro:estion than the pure oil finishes provide, I switch to one of the oil-varrich mixtures ‘Wateo Danish Oil. Watco oil isthe fn- ish [ use a lot when I want the wood tohave a very natural look. This “Danish” oi is a mixture of linseed oll and solvents, to ‘thik 2 small amount of resins have been added. ‘The amount of resins in Watco oil is apparently less than in seme other “Dan- ish” oil finishes, and eee “nacural oi” ‘Which isa rice vwny ofeaying that itlooks “dried out” ater a few months. This is why Watco recom- ‘ends maintaining the look of the finish by reapplying the predict periodically, or by inwax oil (oats ec tous save ee ie ‘wood — a sheen that seems to last longer than when Wateo is used, but whole lot easier to apply. ‘One or two coats of Hope’s Tung Oil Varnish gives the wood 4 low gloss. An even greater sheen can be achieved by applying additional coats. Then the finish can be buffed with steel woo! to a matte "Danish Ola With Urethane. Eve since “Danish al beeame popular, there has been a rash of new Prete with new combinations of resins. Def, Sutherand Ep areal profcng ‘Ol fae? cer es es ether ‘tung or linseed) with urethane resins. My txpertence with them is Hmited, bat 1 think they will be good finishes for any burface tat node lite more protection than normal Sach aa table tp) FINISHING TECHNIQUES Once I choose the ol finish, the only other problem is how to apply it. Although this may sound dumb, I think the bost Approach to using oll finishes is to follow the instructions on the can. After trying watever technique i sugested, then I Start experimenting ‘However, there is sort of a universal approach to applying an oil finish that ‘works well for me. Prepare the wood. The first step is to ‘smooth the wood. On large at surfaces, I use a scraper blade or plane to smooth the ‘wood beeause these tools eave the pares ‘open to accept the oil. On emaller surfaces, ‘Tse progressive grits of sandpaper. ‘Without going into a lot of detail about thisnecessary chore, I usually start with a 100grit ‘and an orbital sander, and remove all the saw marks, planer ‘marks, and burn marks. ‘Once the obvious marks and scratches are gone, I switch to 150-grit sandpaper and a hand sanding block, and finally go ‘ver the surface with 220-grit. ‘Apply thin coals. After dusting off the project with a tack cloth, | apply the oil finish, All oll finishes are designed to be applied in thin ceats. This does not mean to apply the finish sparingly. Infact, it means just the opposite. ‘When applying the first coat of an oil finish, start by flooding the surface. Then, if 'm using one of the pure oil finishes or the light “Danish” oil finishes, I rub the finish in with arag, (On small project, it's nice to rub it in by hand. It's also kind of ‘mesey, but you get more ofa feel far what. ‘youre doing.) When Tim applying ove of ihe oilvarnish mixtures I usually use one ‘of those polyfoam brushes to spread a slightly heavier coat. ‘Nomatter what kind of ol fnish is used, always keep the surface of the wood wet for whatever length of time the manu- facturer recommends. (This is usually from 10 minutes to one hour.) “Allof this talk about the surface and keeping it wet may not sound lke I'm applying a thin coat, but the next step takes care of that. Wipe if off After the finish has had time to soak into the wood, wipe it off. John ‘Moser of Wood Finishing Supply Company says, “wipe it off tight so there's noexcess left at all. That's a term used in staining. I apprenticed with a gentleman who was & Stainer for 50 years and that’s a phrase he always used. ‘Wipe it off tight? meant wipe it off clean; wipe i off completely.” John's advice is good. Initially, you want te flood the surface ofthe wood and keep it ‘wet to ive the ol a chance to soak into the ‘wood. After the wood has absorbed 25 much of the finish as it ean, the excess should be wiped off “tight.” This is what produces the “hand-rubbed look. Ifthe cil fs not rubbed off, the exsess left on the surface wil dry 10a sticky mess. Shop Note: All of this wiping on and swiping off requires a lot of clean rags. I've long since exhausted my supply of old T- shirts, so I finally had to break down and actually buy some rags. T locked in the Yeliow Pages under “Rags” and found a company whose sole ‘business is selling clean rags. The rags ‘they were selling are really remnants of ‘the same material used to make T-shirts in the first place. I was able to get 15 Ibs. (a Iife-time supply) of rags for $21, Let it dry. After the excess oil is wiped ‘off, give the soaked in cil a chance to dry. “The length of time the finish needs to dry will depend on the type of ofl it is and ‘weather conditions. usually wait 24 hours before the second coat. But if the humidity is igh or the temperature slow, or there's no alr circulating, you might want to wait, 448 hours before applying another coat. Weotch for bleedback.. During the time the finish is drying, keep an eye out for cexeess ofl which may seep to the surface. ‘This irritating is called bleedback (more about this ater) andi: always seems to happen when T use an mi 4 WoopsMITHture or “Danith” ol finish on open-pored woods (like oak and ash), but it can oeear ‘on closed-grain woods as well (cherry, maple, ete.) If bleedback occurs, keep wiping the ‘excess il away unt it stops surface. After one or two 2 finish, the pores in the woo! willbe sealed and bleedback wont occur anymore. ‘Second coat. After the first coat has the same manner as the first — ie the ston ten wipe ig ‘e's usually not necessary to sand or uso steel wool between coats, but again, check the manufacturer's instructions. ‘The key thing to keep in mind with oil ther worl, be patent — doa" stop too soon. ‘SOME RULES TO BREAK Although the procedure described above is the one ual ao, here are some var ationson this theme.” . the kinds of things ‘that usually are not recommended. ‘One variation is to apply the oil nish ith sandpaper instead of rubbing or brushing it on the surface. Any ofthe pure ils or the “Danish’ oils ean be sanded into the surface on initial application with Wet- Or-Dry sandpaper. (I usually use 820 or a accomplishes two things: First, it ereates friction which results in heat. The heat helps the oil penetrate into the wood better than ifits simply rubbed ‘in or brushed on. ‘Second, the sandpaper creates a fine savdust which mixes with the oll andor ‘il-vamish to produce a sort of goop. This ‘Roop acts almost like a paste filer and fills the pores of the wood. When the ist coat of goopisdry, a very light eanding with 400-grit sandpaper will remove any roaghness. The second and sueceeding coats ean be applied in the normal way (without sanding during application.) ‘The final finish achieved with this method is similar to what youd expect from filling the wood with a paste filer — ‘and it's much easier. The result is a very ‘smooth, yet natural surface. OILAVARNISH MIXIUKES. When I'm fin- ishing. a project that needs a little more protection, orthat might look better with a more glossy finish, [ like to use Hope's ‘Tung Oil Varnish and a slightly different procedure to build up, a thicker-than- ‘normal coat. WoopsmiTH, Essentially, I take advantage of the fact hatte prot realy te aish, Fist 1 amply a coat of Hope's ‘Tung Oil Varnish in the normal way ( the surface, then wipe it tight). Fer the second and coats, I use a poly- foam brush to spread the oil-varnish ceverly over the surface. Then, instead of ‘Wiping tof, alow each ofthe ccatstodry without wiping them off. ‘The result is finish that looks ike t has 4 coat of varnish on it (and, of course it oes) but most of the problems usually sscociated with finishing with varnish are eliminated. ‘Since the Hope's product has more oi and selvents than “normal” varnish, each oat leaves only a thin evat of varnish. ‘Thus, the drying time is reduced, and the of contamination by dst is re- Aluced. Also, drips and rins are easier to ‘contra (particulary onmolded edges), and brush marks “fow out” easier. In short, it’s a whole lot easier to apply three or four ‘thin oats of an oil-varnish, than two heavy coats of regular varnish. steeDBack Although there are alot of advantages to using ol finishes, one ofthe biggest prob- Jems is something that's called bleedback, This problem always seems to crop up when I'm finishing with athinned-down of! finish or one of the “Danish” ofl finishes — particalarly on otk. When bleedback oceurs, it leaves spots of oll or varnish over the surface of the ‘wood. But it doesn't always happen right aay. Infact, Lusualy don't discover the appearance of those spots until an hour or ‘wo after the first application — when the finish has dried. No matter how well I wipe the wood, ‘these spois keep appearing. I've tried to find an answer, or atleast a reason for this ‘annaying problem. l'teprobably asked 100 ‘people why bleedbeck occurs, and I've received about 200 answers. Some of the ‘possibilities: bleedback only oceurs on oak ‘grown in certain parts of the country; the {anins in the oak react with the chemicals | in the finish; moisture in the pores of the ‘wood pushes the finish back out, dirt oF Set ee oe pa ol ‘ir pret pastes the nish out shead of Pipe anever hoch T thnk isthe mst plausible le that as the solvent in the ofl ftish evaporates and escapes from the very large pores of the wood (called vessels ‘in oak), it “eats” ‘the surface film (from underneath) which as already started to dry, After the solvent has escaped, the surface film has hardened too much to flow back over the openings and thus there are little eruptions that form concentrated spots of oil or varnish. Unfortunacely, there's nothing much ‘you can do to prevent bleedback unless the ‘wood is filed with a paste filler. (But that ‘kind of defeats the purpose of using an oll finish in the first place.) ‘The best thing todo is keep watching for bleedback to happen, and keep wiping the surface when you see little blobs of finish. If you miss any and find yourself with hardened, pimpled surface, simply let it ‘ry and then use fine steel wook to batt it out. Ti bleedback occurs while you're apply- ing a pigmented oil-based finish, the prob- lems are different. Ifthere are pigments in the finish when it bleeds back, they can result in a diealored fly-specked appear ance. In short, disaster. “Again all you can do is keep watching for i to happen after you've wiped down the first coat. And then keep wiping the surface dry. Inother words, don't apply a pigmented ol finish (or an oil stain for that matter) just before you retire for the night, If bleedback occurs overnight, ‘you're in trouble, Wait until you ean apply the stain during atime when you'l be able to wateh it carefully WHERE TO GET HELP Allofthe people we talked toarenice folks. Not only were they helpful to me, they promised to help any Woodsmith readers if ‘you want some advice about how to use the products, Here's where to wre ot ‘The Hope Company, 100 Weldon Park- way, Maryland Heigh's, MO 63083. Tele- phone: (814) 492-5697. Sutheriand Welles, Ltd., 403 Weaver Street, Carboro, NC 27510. Telephone: (91) 967-1972 Wateo-Dennis Corporation, 1756 22nd Street, Santa Monica, CA $0104. Tele- phone: (218) 870-4781. Deft, Inc., 17451 Bon Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA $2714. Telephone: (714) 74-0100, ‘Minwax Company, Ine., 102 Chestnut Ridge Plaza, Montvale, NJ 07645. Tele- phone: (1-800) 526-0495. Wood Finishing Supply Co. (Behlens Products), 1267 Mary Drive, Macedon, NY 14502; Telephone; (815) 980-4517. SPECIAL THANKS ‘We talked to a lot of people to get the information for this article. Special thanks to Dr. Bill Feist of the Forest Service spany? Behlens; and John Moser, Wood Finishing Supply Company. As they say on television, without their help this story couldn't have been written. bRound Dining a CONTEMPORARY DINING FOR FOUR (OR SIX) For some unknown reason, I'm attracted to round tables. They seem inviting and comfortable. When | firally got around to balding this table, I decided to also make it practical by incorporating a sliding sys- tem so 2 leaf could be added to provide ‘seating for six people. have to admit that this was not the ‘easiest project I've ever built. The round topisa study in patience and care. [thasa 46"-diameter solid-wood border with a veneered insert in the eenter. ‘THE BORDER FRAME ‘The outside border of table top starts out asa giant octagonal (eight-sided) frame. (I used Honduras Mahogany.) To get the thickness I wanted forthe border, Frough- cut 16 pieces of 4/4 stock 5° wide by 21” long, and laminated (giued and clamped) ‘pairs together to form the eight sides for the frame, sce Fig. 1 ‘When the glue is dry, trim the eight pieces to s final with of 4%". Then ext 224° miters on both ends of each piece so the final length is 19% from long point to long point. ‘GROOVES. The eight pieces are jcined by cutting through grooves on each mitered fend and then cutting splines to fit the grooves. To ent the grooves. 1 ‘used a router table and a YE straight bit, see Fig, 2 Adjust the fence on the router table so the bit cuts a groove centered on the thickness of the stock. ‘Then mark the face (top) side of each piece and keep this side against the router fonco. (This will ensure that the top sides fall pieces will be fush when the splines are inserted.) SPLINES. Next, eight splines are cut to fit the grooves. I made these splines long enough (534") to stick out of both ends of the grooves. ASSEMBLY. Trying tojoin all eight pieces at one time (while making sure ll the joint | ites met perfectly) canbe nightmare Instead, I glued pairs together, and then slued these assemblies to form two halves ofthe frame. Lay theseassemblies ona fiat surface while the glue sets up and dries. ‘Then to make sure the two half-frames ft together, [trimmed the open (mitered) ‘ends 80 they formed a straight line, see Fig. 8. Todo this, tack each half-frame to a piece of plywood so the open (mitered) ends just barely hang over the edge, and run them through the saw totrim the ends. Finally, glue the two halves together to form the eight-sided frame. (I used a web | clamp to pull the two halves together.) | ROUTING THE FRAME | ‘This frame can now be routed into its final | (circular) shape with a trammel attach- ment and router, | PIVOT POINT. To provide for the pivat point for the trammel attachment, Tut a | stretcher (with pointed ends) to fit tight between two opposing joints ofthe frame, see Fig. 4. Note: The excess length of the splines (on the inside ofthe frame) must be pared off with a chisel. I went ahead and | did this on all eight joints. ‘To find the pivot point, slide the frame over the ends of the stretcher. Thenplacoa straight edge on opposing joint lines and ‘mark lines on the stretcher. Where these es intersect is the center of the frame (the pivot point). Later in this process, you'll need tohave pivot points on both the top and bottom Sides of the stretcher. So, drill a small hole Straight down throagh the stretcher to ‘mark both sides. EXTENSION ARM. In onder to rout a circle this large, [had toaddan extensionarm to the trammel attachment (see Shop Notes, page 9). After this arm is mounted to the ‘trammel attachment, drill a hole in the other end of the arm and screw it at the 16 WoopsMiTHpivat point on the stretcher, see Fig. 5 PULOT MOLE. Before routing the outside edge of the frame, I drilled a pilot hole s0 the router bit could be lowered to make successively deeper passes. The inside edge of this hole is 23° from the eenter of the pivot point, sce Fig. 4. ‘OUTSIDE CIRCUMFERENCE. To rout the outside circumference, I used a 4 straight bit sot to a depth of 4’ for the initial pass. Adjust the trammel attach- ‘ment so the biti in the pilot hole, and rout the perimeter of the frame, ‘After the first pass is made, lower the bitin the pilot hole and make successively. deeper passes until you're about half-way ‘through the thickness of the frame. Then {ip over this entire assembly (the frame ‘and the stretcher), and rout the other side until the outside waste breaks free. INSIDE RABBET. Next, the inside edge of the frame is routed to form a rahbet to hold ‘the table top’s circular insert. “To make this rabbet, the first step is to rout a groove around the inside edge of the ‘frame. This groove should be about ic" deeper than the thickness of the insert. ‘Shop Note: ‘The reason for this extra depth is to keep the surface of the frame above the surface ofthe insert. Then ater, the frame can be sanded down without sanding through the thin veneer on the insert. This also means you have to know the exact thickness of the insert before ccatting this rabbet. The insert is discussed. inthe next section, but I want to finish this, part about the rabbot first ‘When you've determined the depth of therabbet, drill pilot hole tothis depth so the outside edge of this hole is 2134" from the center of the pivot hole for the trammel ‘attachment, see Fig. 5. Finally, rout the groove in successively deeper passes, Afler the grocve is routed, there will be waste sections between the ‘groove and the inside edge of the frame. ‘These areas can be removed using a router free-hand (without the trammel attach- rmont) and a 4 straight bit. ‘THE CIRCULAR INSERT ‘There are two choices for the table top’s centerinsert, The easiest way to make itis to se 9 hardwood plywood. But since | wanted to use a quarter-caw white oak forthe top (which is not usually available as plywood), | bought a flexible veneer and mounted it to piece of particle board. (I used Pliant Wood Veneer, which fs very easy to work with. One piece of ‘veneer 35" x 96" is needed forthe table top and the leaf, see Fig. 6.) If you want to make a veneered table top, cut two pieces (24° wide by 48° long) ‘ut of the sheet of veneer. (The “waste” is used to make the leaf.) Then cut a 4'x4’ rece of 1’ particle board. Spread contact, ‘cement over the surface of the particle co rom ora macs oe | anSUAhRAE PuRS TOSETH ar WoopsmiTHveneer roller (r &roling pin). ‘CUTINSERT. Whether you use hardwood plywood or the veneered particle board, ‘You should have a 44 workpiece for the table top insert. To rout the insert, draw ‘agonal ines onthe back side ofthe work piece to locate the conter point, see Fi. ‘Then dil shallow hole for the pivot point of the trammel attachment. Next, set the trammel attachment te the radius of the rabbeted area on the frame (219), and makea shallow teal cut on the ‘hack (bottom) side ofthe workpiece, Check this eat by laying the rabbeted side of the border frame over the scored plywood to see ifthe shoulder of the abet touches the outside edge of the scored groove, see Fig. 7. Make any adjustments necessary so the outside ede of the groave is just a hair lose than the rabbet. When you've got the right diameter for the groove, drilla pilot hole onthe edge afthe tia! groove so the bit ean helowered to make successively deeper passes. Then oat the circular insert. (When youre Aone, save the outer waste piece. It willbe used later.) “ASEMBLY. After the insert is routed, ilue it to the rahbet in the frame, ust Clamps to secure it in place, see Fig. 9. Note: Be sure to align the grain of the insert with two opposing joint lines on the frame, see Fig. 8. When the glue is dry, sand the frame s it's flush with the face of the insert. CUT TABLE TOP IN HALF Since I wanted toad lea to this table, T hnad to divide the top intotwo halves. Todo this, use the outer waste piece left over from routing the circular insert ‘Murk lines on this waste piece so the lines divide it in two equal halves, see Fig. 10. Then tack the tabletop to this waste piece (tack from the bottom side), making Sure two opposing joint lines ofthe frame are aligned with the lines marked on the waste plese, ‘CUTIN HALF. This whole set-up can now be ripped in half on a table saw. Set the fenee so the blade splits the marked lines on the waste piece, see Fig. 11 LEAF CONSTRUCTION Adding a leaf to this table is fairly easy. Ripa piece of hardwood plywood toa width of 18%" and to length to match the diam- cter of the insert, (If the insert is to be vencered, eut a pices of particle board to size and laminate the veneer to it.) ORDER. This leaf receives the same laminated borders as on the table top. Rough-cut four pieces of 4/4 stock 18) long and 3° wide, and laminate them to form the two borders. When the glue is dry, trim them to a fnal width of 2¥'. WoopsmiTHt‘Then eut « I" wide rabbet on ene edge of each piece, see Fig. 12, ‘Glue and clamp the leaf into the rabbets of these picees. Then rip the entire leaf to ‘final width of 18°. (Here it’s best to rip an equal amount from both edges to get two parallel edges.) ALIGNMENT SPLINES ‘Since the table top is split in half, some vision must be made to align the two ives, and also to align the leaf (when it's used) with the table top. ‘To accomplish this, I used splines mounted in slots. Mark the positions of four slots on each ‘exposed edge of the table top and the leaf, see Fig. 15. (There are 16 slots in all.) To rout the slots, [used the jg shown on page 2. Clamp one of the sliding wings to ‘edge of the table, and rout the slots, see Fig. 13. Next, cut splines to ft the slots so the ‘grain runs across (perpendicular) to the Joint ines. Glue four ofthese splines onone ‘edge of the table top (to align the two halves ofthe table), and giue the other four splines to one edge of the leaf (to align it when it’s used). Bevel the leading edge of, these splines so they slide into the oppos- ing slots easily. ROUND THE EDGES. ‘Tocampletethe tabletop, [rounded allthe ‘edges. Position the leat between the two halves of the table and draw them together. Then lay this assembly face down on u work surface. ‘Now rout the inside edge of the frame with 2.3" round.over bit and pilot, see Detail in Fig. 15. Next, ewitch to a is" round-over bit and pilot to round over the ‘outside edge of the frame. Then lip the table top over and rout the top edge ofthe border, also with a 1° carner-round bit. MOUNTING EXTENSION SLIDES ‘The last step on the table top is to mount the extension slides. (I used a set of wooden slides, see Sources, page 24.) ‘Tomount the extension slides, place the two halves of the table top face down on a work surface, and push them together. ‘Then align the slides so they're 24° apart, and exactly perpendicular to the joint line, see Fig. 16. ‘The slides I bought have pre-drilled ‘mounting heles. I marked their position on the bottom of the table top, drilled pilot holes, and then screwed the extension slides in place. Note: As the slides are screwed in place, make sure they're paral- lel and exactly 9° tothe joint line. Ifslides are out of kilter, they will bind as the table halves are pulled apart. ‘Asa final cheek, insert the leaf and dose the table halves. Thad to adjust theslides a litle to get the top halves to close tight against the leaf. WoopsmiTH 19.[BASE UNIT CONSTRUCTION ‘Once the table top is complete, all it needs ‘sa base to reat on, The problem reise construct @ base that ean be separated when the table top is pulled apart (for the dead, ‘The base | made consists of four C- shaped log units that are joined together in pairs and then attached to the two halves ofthe table top, refer to Fig. 23. When the table top is pushed together, the legs form 4 four-ley pedestal. And when the table top is separated to insert the lea, the legs also | separate to support the extended version | of the table, refer to Fig. 24. C-PRAMES. To build this double-duty bbave, I made four C-frames. Each C-frame consists of three parts: an arm, an upright, and afoot, see Fig. 17. Toget the thickness T'wanted (192) for these parts, Trough ut two pieces of 44 stock for each part, and laminated them together. ‘CUT MITERS. After all the pieces are laminated, rim them to a final width of ‘84¢. Then cat 45" miters on only one end of ‘tho arms and fect, and straight-eat the ‘other end so the final length of the arms is 11 and the feet are 17” (measuring to the Jong point of the mite). or the uprights, cut 45° miters on beth ends so the final length is 25° from long point to long point GROOVES AND SPLINES. Then, to assemble the C-frames, join the mitered tends ofthe arms and legs to the uprights with splines, First, cut +-wide through srooves centered an the mitered ends of tach piece, (Once again, {marked the face side of each piece and cut the grooves on a router table, Keeping the face side against the fence for every ent, refer to Fig. 2) ‘Then the splines are eut to fit the grooves. (Note: Cut the splines s0 the {Brain une perpendicular tothe joint Ine.) HOLES IN ARMS. Before assembling the frames, leounterbored holes in the arms for 14" machine screws and washers, see Fig. 17. (The machine screws will be used later to hold the table top to the base.) ‘ASSEMBLY. Now the C-frames ean be asembied. The important thing here is to make sure the arms and feet are parle. Todothis, eut a spacer piceoto fit between the arm ani leg, see Fig. 18. "After testing the fit (and the elamping procedure), apply ghie to the miters and Splines and use a band clamp to hold the assembly together while the gue dries. CUTLECSSILAPE. After the glueisdry on the four leg units, I cut them to their final profile This is simply a matter of rounding the inside comers (where the splines are) toa radius of 347, and then tapering the ums and feet down toa width of 1, see ig 17 "Focnsureallfour frames would be the same, I drew the rounded corners and WoopsMiTHtapers on a piece of cardboard, cut it out, ‘and then traced the pattern on each C frame, ‘Then cut the pattern on a band saw and] sand the edges smooth. Finally, round| over the edges on the inside ofthe C-frame| with a 4" comer-round bit and pilot. CONNECTING THE LEG UNITS Now comes the tricky part. The leg units are joined together to form two 90° assemblies. This is accomplished with connector piece between the C-frames. ‘CONNECTORS. To make the connectors, laminate two pieces of $36"-wide by 29"-Jong stock together. Thea rip this laminated piece into two 1%"-square blanks, see Fig. 18 JOIN To C-PRAMES. Each connector is Joined to two C-frames with spines. To do this, ent Weide grooves centered on two faces of each blank. Then cut matching rooves centered on the edge of the upright on esch C-frame, see Fi SPLINES. Next, cut %" plywood splines tofit the grooves. Then glue and clamp two ‘C-frames to the connector. As the clamps are tightened, make sure the C-frames are at 90" to each other, and the top edges of the arms and bottom edges of the feet are fash. ‘BEVEL EDGE, The last stepis to bevel rip the connectors at 45°. This simple oper- ation creates a real headache. Making this ut requires the use ofan auxiliary fence to ‘ude the C-frame. Ona Rockwell saw (where the blade tilts tothe right) an L-shaped fence is attached totherip fence, see Fig. 21. OnaSears aw (where the blade tltsto the let) a separate ‘C-shaped fence is clamped tothe left of the blade, soe Fig. 2. After the auxiliary fence isattached, the ‘gonnestor is bevel ripped at 45° so the blade just touches the corners of the ‘uprights, see Fig. 20. ATTACH LEGS. Now the two leg assemblies can be joined to the tablestop, With the table top upside down and the ‘two halves pushed tightly together, center the two leg units on each half of the top. ‘Then mark the position of the mounting holes (that were drilled in the arms ear- lion), soe Fig. 23. Remove the leg units and deillholes for 4" threaded inserts, see Fig. 25, Then mount the leg units to the top with 14" machine serews and washors. FINISHING 1 used Sutherland-Welles Tung Oil Poly- urethane mixture to finish the table top and base. If there's a void between the table top’s border frame and the insert, it can be filed with a mixture of fine sawdust and the tung oil/polyurethane finish. Then 1 applied three costs of the finish to the entire table according to the instructions MATERIALS LIST Tor Table Top: 1A Table Frome (16) "hex 4%4- 1974 B lect Frome (4) "hex 244-18 Table Top Inert Max a= 48 D ea invert Mente For Base: E Feet (8) Mme 3% 17 Upeights (2) hex 94-28 © Arms (8) Mex 3017 W Connectors (4) hax 184-28 1 frome Splines (16) Vex V4- 5% 4 Table Splines (16) Yax2- 10% ‘CUTTING DIAGRAM Weare ‘on the can. a 7 WoopsMITH aRouter Jig A JIG FOR ROUTING CENTERED GROOVES ‘three projects in this issue use miter neoinry, The ke to sucessfly this joint is to cut the grooves for the splines in the proper location To do du sraeaialy Tinea cro racy te that can be adjusted to ft stock from "to 3 thick and automatically centers the ‘ervove on the workpiece. BUILDING THE JIG Be spline, fe thick plywood cut 1%" wider than the diameter of the router base, and 13" long. ‘Then %"-wide fences are attached to three sides of the plywood base. Note: When attaching the twoside fences, they must be parallel to each other, and the distance ‘between them must be equal to the dia- meter of the router's hase, Next, rout a double-stopped 4'-wide ‘groove in the plywood base. To do this, plunge the router so the groove starts 4° ‘rom the open end, and continues until the router bate contacts the back fence. WINGS. Next, the two adjustable wings are added to the bottom of the plywond base. These wings are constructed with /" plywood, and solid wood “pinchers,” see Fig. 1. The plywood pieces are slotted by drilling ond holes, and using a cabre caw to remove the waste. Then they're glued and screwed to the solid wood pinchers. Finally, screw threaded inserts in the base, Fig. 1, and attach the wings with 1" pan head screws and washers ‘THE SETUP Before the jig ean be used, the wings have to be adjusted for the thickness of the workpieze, while at the same time, keep- ing the workpiece perfectly centered under the 1" groove in the plywood base. To accurately set up the jig, I used setup block (made from the same stock as the workpiece itself) that has a perfectly centered tongue on one edge. Cut this tongue by placing alternate sides of the block against the fence of the table save (see Fig. 2). Sneak up on the cuts until the tongue fits the groove in the j ‘Then to set the adjustable wings of the jig, place the setup block between the wings, with the tongue in the 4° wide groove, see Fig. 3, Pinch the wings against the sides ofthe setup block with C-elamps, and tighten the four serews. USING THE JIG Once the jig is buit, make a trial et in Piece of serap to see where the router bit ‘stops when the router hase contacts the buck fence. Mark the end ofthis stopped foove on the base, and position the work- Piece using this mark. ‘Then clamp the entire assembly in a vse, sce Fig. 4 Finally, postion the router on the Jig with the router hit in the groove, jast ahead of the workpicee. Start the router and feed it into the workpiece until the hase contacts the end of the Jig. ‘DOUBLE-STOPPED GROOVES. To se the Jig for routing a double-stopped groove, clarap an additional stopto the open end af the plywood base. Then make a plunge cut tw start the cut, and slide the router back and firth to caplet the groove.Talking Shop AN OPEN FORUM FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS ‘THE SHRINKING TIME MACHINES Several readershave written to tellus that the clock movements we recommended for the Schoolhouse clock (Woodsmith No. 20) ‘and the Mantel clock (Woodsmith No. 24) rates ieee retin Aensonn von in the catalogs Mont of the confusion about whether or rot the movements will it comes from the fact that the catalogs don't always provide the correct minimum “inside dimensions” required. Some of the measurements in the alalogs are slighty exaggerated to ‘he “overall” dimensions are given, rather However, I did go back and double. check all ofthe eonfiting dimensions and found that the movements we recom- ‘mended do ft the dimensicns ofthe clock ‘tes as shown in our plans. Forthe Schoolhouse lock, we listed two sourses: the Klockit catalog, and the Mason and Sullivan catalog. The Klocki ‘movement is a small battery operated 16°), priced at $26.95, ‘The Mason and Sullivan movemont is a ‘key wind “Bim Bam” calendar movement, MIX, that comes with a 14%" pen- dulum, and is currently priced at $67.00. For the Mantel clock, we used Mason Could you tell me what to Look for when breying hardwood plywoo? Davia Klatt Upland, Indiana face veneer, ‘actual thickness. factors have been weighed, seas 6 ‘panel often comes down to the quality of the face veneers. 'TACE VENEERS. The veneers used onthe face of the plywood are graded with a standard grading system. The highest See eee ee ee sore eae called #1, #2, #3, #4, respectively. ‘Usually, even the highest quality hard- warneccties oie seas faced with an “A” grade veneer. Then the Sel ens ee eee oe slightly lower grade. sate” (lS) another dei ee ee tion is most often used on imported ply- ee Se ee Se See ren ree ea ee Se ie are ee iescmces See Te ee cea is “Shop Grade,” which basically means Son coer ners went coe ‘ingly.) In some cases, a high quality pane! esac ‘small defect. In other panels, there may be. a major flaw. But in every ease, there is a. Pon epepibaatoctrny Although the face veneers are usually wpe eet rer, te et or ‘THE CORE CONSTRUCTION. There are eee struction: veneer core, lumber core, par- Ses ey ee or se meee cee Seca ee plys (layers) that are used, the more stable pee eee far accounts for the majority of the ply- cer eee ee meinen Sea ate eae method uses narrow strips of solid wood to eee meriyomer nee cat than veneer core plywood. rer erorel aenecke intel aoe : need to be shaped. The kwon oe manera Sie be ieee oes et ‘veneer core plywood. ee cate cas cr struction method is called particle board core. This method consists of using one of ne ee ees eee ee core, The problem with this method of core construction is that it has very little stiff- "etme. The geet protien nh ore buying hardwood plywood is that it’s rarely the actual thickness that’s des- ‘There are two reasons for this. First, the industry has created a set of standards that allows a certain amount of variation in the actual thickness of hard- wood plywood. This is usually the reason ee en ene ie The second reason for variation inthick- nessis that most of the thinner piywood (in fact, 75% ofall plywood) is purchased from oriental manufacturers who designate the thickness in millimeters rather than inches. they're close to the inch designations, the variation can drive you batty if t hasnt been taken into aesount So to be safe, always measure the thick ness of the actual piece of, that’s ‘oing to be used, before it’s too late. ING CANISTERS? After reading the erticle on stave con- struction in Weodomith No, 25,1 fel that you should warn your readers that this mexiremelydangeroes method "gluing tip lock for wood turning. ‘The joints have 10 be well made ond properly clamped, not ust held together by ‘Althouph stave constraction produces gh eave consirction beatiful pieces, and saves material ond money, the risk of txhury st vory Nigh Fred Zualé Grand Rapids, MI ‘Stave construction, in our opinion, doesn't Dose any excessive danger to's wood ftmer, as ong asa few basi precaution= try stepsare tan, Andthe first step isto Shaye wear 3 face shld This slne can prevent serious injury if the stave- Eenstracted einer happens te separate, "The ther precautionary stp ito bs sure the eslinder is ble with god sold Joints. Forstave construction, that means without camps. The problem is that the Individual staves are clamped together, the clamping action can actually yaa the fomtn apart if tho bevels arent perfectly St. Ths can cause a serious problem i goes undetected. fel the best way to produce slid Joint using stave construction is to use ‘hand pressure toglue the individual staves together, because you can feel ifthe joint is. offs the glue takes bol, erie bree ieee ore ‘wart. Wal eave consrucon. at shone wear face shied WoopssiTH 23