NO. 39
NOTES FROM THE SHOP
$2.50
Sawdust Number
39
May/June, 1985
Edilor Donald B. Paschke
Dos19" [)!rector Ted Kralicek
Assistant Editors Steve Krohmer Douglas
l. Hick.
Douglas M. Lidster'
Art DIrector
KaV Mulder TedlflicallUustralor'S Oavld Kreyling Mike Henry
Subscripllop Manager Sandy J. Boum SUbscription Assistants Christel MIner !llc~y Robinson JackIe Stroud Diana Starr
Comput8f Operations Ken Miner ClrctJla~n Manage, Jeff Farris
Administrative AsSiStant Sheryl Scott
BuDdfngMalhlenance Archie Krause (ISSN 016'4-4114) is published bimonlhly (~anu.ry. Malch. May, July. Saptem· ber, Novelnbe,) by Wood,mlth Publlsl\lng Co.. 2200 Grand Ave., De, Moin.es. Jowa50312. WOOOSMITH 1$• rogl$1ere
All Rl'ghl$ Reserved. Subscriptions:
0ne year (6 issues) S10, 1:wo
years (1215$uO$) S18. 'Single copy price, 52.50 (canada and Foralgn; add 52 per year.) Ghange Of Addr&&s: Please be sure to lnclude both your old ""d nEOlYaddre ss, Second class ~$tage paid at Des Moines,
Iowa. Postmaster: Send ctlange of address notK:s, Form 357~. to Woodsmilll Publishing .Co.. 2200 Grand Ave., Des MoTnes. Iowa 50312.
BACK ISSUES All backIssues of Woodsmlth",e sUliavallablo. Send tor a free booklel describing the contents and prlclls 01 all b.-cidssue$. SAMPLE COPIES If Y')u have a I~end wIlo,would like 10see a copy of Woodsrnlth, just $(JJ1d1hename aodaddress, and we'lI $&J\~ a sample (81 no cost).
2
AUOllT rnrs ISSUE. Custom made. When you say thcsewords, you' I'. usuallytalking' aboutsQmething pretty faricy. But iCl were to say "custom-made dowels," thab just soun(ls U.k. Jl lol Of work that should be avoided, But that's what I needed to build the "breakfast- in bed" tIlay shown i.n this issue. Normally. building a project that involves a lot of dowels is.not a big deal,
had the new jig. It was j.ust a piece of wood with a groove cut in it to hold the edge of the file. But it worked. Then, with a few more cuts on the table saw and a couple carriage belts, the other edge of this pieoo of wooa was transformed into a jig to clamp the scraper in position when the edge is "rolled' to form a cutting burr. '1\\(0jigs in one. I \\'85 in heaven. Okay, maybe I'm getting tarried away a Birch do\\'els are ava.il~abre everywhere. little. But I am kind of excited about the And if you get tired of birch, there are jilrS and techniques we used to build the some SOUI'<.'
ady (or the router 'III'S. In addition to the jigs mentioned table, and r was I:«ady to make dowels. above, there, are several problem-solving OfCOlU~, IC<)ulan'fstol) there. Ihad to tips and tochniques !lelItte,-e~ throughout make another jig to cut the square stock this issue, For example. Ihad to drill a hole needed to make the dQwe~. Now 1 was for a dowel in rhe end of a long, narrow romng. I made a third ji'g to, cut a kerf piece of stock. in the end of tha dowel so could tall a For years .I've struggled with a lesssmall wedge in place to tig~tIW the dowel than-perfect set-up on the drill press. Then in the hole. it finally dawned .on me that. if I just With each step came a new jig. This i. a clamped the piece in a woodworking vise to common theme in woo~"vorkilig. In fact, I hold it vertically, I could use aPol'talign to think most of my time in the shop is spent drill the hole. (This is shown in Fig. 2 on figuring out. way to make some process page 19.) ~ie)' 01' more accurate. This little technique is not what you'd SCRAPER. that was certainly the case call an earth-shattering discovery, but- J when I was in the shop sha'l'pening a was delighted when r finally.figured it out. scraper recently, (A scraper is just a 3",5" And that's the kind of experience that piece of tempered steel with a cutting burr proves that you can't let little problems get burnished on the edID'. see the artiele on you down. If you Stick with it long enough, page 11.) tb~ answer ,,111 come. For years r••used the-same teclmique GLU)ER. Every spring, about the time for sharpening a scraper. Then Doug Lid- the tulips begin to bloom, you see the latest ster joined the W"UI' here at Woodsll1itlt. Cl"P of porch swlngs in front of all the (See New Faces at the end orthis artiele.) lumber yards and ha rdware stores. This Doug and ,) were down in the shop and ye.,; I finally decided it was time to stop the subject of scrapers came up. We ware looking at them and build my own. talking about what kind of file to usa to But instead of hanging il on the-porch, 1 square up the edge of the scrape>: wanted to put it under my favorite shade Then file conversation turned to tech- tree in the. back yard. This meant building nlque. How do you hold the file''to make a glider frame. Now, with the swtng mounsure you're filing 811 edge that's perfectly ted as a glider, I can sit and swing and square to the face of the 5erap'e,'? pursue my favorite psstime . . . watching I've always relied on "touch." Some way (.he neighbors mow their lawns. Ijust kind of know when I'm filing a square' l'(~WFACES.Doug Lidster has joined the edge, At least, I just kind o( know about editorilll staff here at Woodsmilll. D.oug 75% ot the time. There are plenty of days spenL the past year as editor of D.og when my "touch" is off a degree or. two. magasine, Now he's signed on here and is That's when Doug suggested switching putting his woodworking skills (he has things around. "Why not hold the file carved and finished gun stocks as a hobby steady and move the scraper back and fO)'the pal;t30 ye"",) to use on some larger forih? It might be more accurate. A1Iyou'd projects. We're glad to have him with us. have to do is build a little jig .. ." N&XTMAll.ING. Tlie July/AugustillSue of My eye$lit up at the mention ofbuilding WoodsllIith will be mailed during the week yet another jig. A few minutes later we of August 13, 191);;.
r
G'"''
WOODSMITH
T_ips & Technigu_e_s __
__
3·STEP Cl£ANING SYSTEM
'l;o clean dircy brushes, I've developed a three-step syswm. Iuse three peanut butte,' jahl or one-pound coffee cans with lids and fill each about ona-rhird full with the approprjate solvent. I wash my brushes in series slaTting with container #1 and ending with COntainer #3. WhCl'container #1 gets dirty, I clean it up, refill \\fith solvent, and I·otatfr.it into tbe #3 position. Using this system T always end up with 1he cleanest solvent on my brush last. El'rurst L. fClill,dt Batluttly, ,Ifis$<;uri JIG FOR STOPPED ROUTER CUTS
The problem I've a1waY$·hl\dwith.stepped cuts On the touter table i$ getting tho-cor. rect setup. Ihave to 100k.U OYermy shop for long lost c.clamps and then find some scrap blocks of woed to clamp to the fence as stops. Then I get it all set up only to fmd that one of the blO
JIG $a!Wto TO SACKOf fENCE ANO fURNfOfOSlWARO fO~ stOP910 CUT$'
~~
Start by buying a Short hexhead bolt that ,(ljll screw into the internal tbr~ds of the insert. The bolt should be the same length or shorter than the combined length of the insert and the depth of the socket. Screw a nut onto the bolt so the distance from the tOI> of the bolt head to the bottom of.the nut is the same as the depth of the socket. ~'inally, insert the bolt and nut into the soeket, add a washer as a buiCe,', and then screw the insert onto the bolt. Now, attach the ratchet handle of the socket wrench, On. hand app]es downward pressure to keep the insert vertical while the other turns tbe band le. With. ratchet you can always have it positioned (or the best leverage.
drilled'these.boles off center so I could tum them around to get a little. more distance if I needed it.) Sawdust ,..,liefs are "outed (with. cham-
1I0UTE.R TAlllE" fENCE
ret bitl on the bottom and one side Qf the sto.!' block and on the bottom edge of the auxiliary fence. Also, a notch is cut OUI, centered on the bcuom edlle of the auxiliary fence, eaan opening for the router bit. 'Then the stop blocks are
HEXH£,O.D '01'-_
SOCKET WAENCli/
E.H. Ca'"",l T..,a8
fK~EADED tNSEItl _,
Once the top of the i"sert is even with the-surface, loosen lhe nut with .an openend wrench and remove the bolt.
[Alli?!g.
BLACKBOARD ERASER SANDER
Craig Sa,lcicrs
A common felt blackboard e..sser makes a simple and inexpensive sanding block. 'Vhen sanding a nat surface, I fold. quarter sheet of .andl>.'pe,· in half and wrap it over the top of the eraser, The top swface provides just the tight amQunt of "give:'
Mi11"etlpolis, A1illJ1Csota Il'dito,'" Note: IVe tried Mr.
Sand.,..'
..,etlwd an4fatmd it lvo"/;' s, fi"e. 81lt.somc· ti,)lt6S
the insert
J1CI!JiS
~o~e
slightfy below (he surfaoe. For removing shall> corners OJ"$moothin~ Til.. , we find il .tS"fill UJ curved surfaces, 1 wrap lhE
The mejhcds.explained ill past Woodf'ltilh. LO use it and turn it back when I wanted it articles for installing threaded Inserts out of the way. have been helpful, but sometime. f)ley I started by making an olL,;li.,1' fence don't, meet mY needs. 1'l\e"e ate limeS th.t was about36" long (though i~could be when I want to put an inseli in " 10<1Itio.n any length). r routed tw.o It..-wtde slots where 1can't use a drill press (The method through it that runfrom a point close to·the recommended in lI'oodsmiUt No. 30). A,nd center onhc length to near each end. Then 1Jm sure some of your readers do)t't even on the back I routed. %·.,,'de by V,"·deep have a drill press, groove centered over the slot. This forms a I recently put some insel·ts in top of '"I''' that will accept the.head and shaft of 0 my hardwood workbench and came upon the idea of using a socket wrench. It gave %" carriage bolt. The stop blocks are 2..,' x 3" and have a me sufficienlpower to drive the insert into :*··diameter hole drilled in them that lines hardwood. At·the same time I was able to up with the slot In the auxiliary fence. (I keep the insert, aligned vertically.
startd si1u:e-y0'l' do,,'t /w:veto j14?)!.b/4l (t"olH"llining up the boll /"'.,/ along 'lvilk a lUlt iuside the socket. ment
1----------------1
(1",
WOODSMITH
SEND IN YOUR IDEAS
It you'd like to share a woodwo4'king lip wltholher r~aders 'of Woodsm;th, send your Idea to; Woodsmith, Tips & Technique., ~200 Gran
Ave" Oes MOines.Iowa 50312~
0, mo(e fot Speeiat leCflOKlues (lllat are accepted We pay a mlrllmum01$10 lor IIp$,and 5.15
for publfealion).Pleas&gll>ea complaI8,explana· li
3
Porch Swing
_
SIT AND SWING AWHILE On a hal summer's night a lot of folks cool down by going inside, turning on the air conditioner, and reclining in the La·Z.. Boy to watch reruns on 1lV: But it wasn't
this \vay. There was a time when air condit-ioning
a1\Y3)'S
meant a cool glass oflemonade and a porch swing, And the entertainment was just swinging and watching the world go by. That's my kin~ of fun. r made ihis swing ju.~ like the one I remem,ber. It's d~gned so it can hang from chains on a porch, or it can be mounted to. stand lIS a glider. This article covers the swing, the next explains the glider. THE SUPPORTS The slying's seat is made of thin slats supported by three L-shaped seat frames, refer to ..ig; 8. Each oj the seat frames consists of a back support (A) and a seat support (B) that are joined togethe" with an angled half-lap joint. Ibegan by cutting the back supports and seat supports to rough length out of 6/4 stock (lV.," thick actual). The three back supports (A) are ZW' wide by 24" long and the three seat 'supports (B) are 3Y.f wid~ by 24" long, see Fig. 1. ."~CLED IIALF.'..AP$. When all six pieces are cut to si1.." the angled half-laps that join them together can be cur with a dado head on the table saw. Set the heightofthe dado head to half the stock's thickness. 1b cut the angled half-laps, start by putting a pencil mark On the edge of one piece, 311,' from the end. (Note: This measurement makes bhe half-lap more, than lopg
enough to make the joint. The excess is cut 00' after the joint is assembled.)
1b hold the workpiece steady as the cuts arc made, 1attached an auxiliary fence and stop block to the miter gauge, see Fig, 2. Set the miter gauge-at, 75·(tipjled 15' 00the light) and place, the workpiece (the oue with bhe pencil mark on it) against the
fence. Now line up the pencil mark with the left side of the dado bead, and clamp a stop block to the fence at the ,igltt end of thlJ
...
USE 5/4 C1'Ii,"J..STOC""
'HAll
shape. To get this curved shape, I made a cardboard template, see Detail in Fig. 3. Tape a 12"'x 24" piece of cardboard to tbe top oflhe workbench. Then the template;" laill out SO the bottom edge of the seal support is on the long (24·> edge. 1b fo('DIthe curved top edge of the pattern, strike two larl1\' arcs ($' and 12" radii) using thefOC''ts (B). (Note: Be-sure that the curved pattern is traced on the correct edj!'o- the edge with
--'i
THE THICKNESS Of STOCK
~~~~~==~-=~---------,r=r. ® S~T
SIIPeQRI
THREE PIECES
18"
4
A~~
I
H~lf.lA~
+-3 /l"_..f 1
WOODSMITH
tJ
the long point of the angled half· lap. refer to fig. 3. The heel of the half-lap should be on the bottom e to shape. SO"J'C'JII\'(: TJt":~.:'''TSL'I'PORTS. Next. cut ~. -deep notch •• in the bottom edge of each ""at support wide enough to accept cross supports (~') that are added later, see locations of notch es in Fig. 3. CU1TING'·IIP. IlACKSIlI·~ORT.Making (h.
back 8UI)POl'''(A) is much simpler. Draw and cut out" genUe curve starting 6" from the top f,·ont. corner, see Fig. 3. (Once
ftGU:tE 3 (OGf Of
CUT AWAY WASTI
W_WIa<
z
CU ...
llM.
v.
SUppoRT ~ •• IIMPLAT~
,
the one with the long point of the half.lap.l Now the complete<1seat and back supports can be glued together at the half·laps. To givelhem additional strength. I addedtwo -%. dowel pins to eaeh joint. Start by locating the eenterpoints oCthe hoi es for the dowel pins. see fig. ~. Then use a C·.lamp to hold the two pieces to)tether. and drill two %" holes through both pieces, see F·ig.5. Spreadglueoltlwo %" dowel pins and in the joint. reclamp. and drive the pins into the holes. When the glue is dry, saw off the pins close to the surface. see Fig. 6. Then use a sharp chisel to trim them oft'perfectly !lush with the surface . •'noJI),. the (lxce8Rlength of the half-laps can be eut orr the "'lat lind back supports. ')im offthu ".,",&" that extend beyond the joint. and round the bottom corner to a 21'." radius. sec Pig. 7.
HAlI.LA'
CUT A,WA'f WASTE
again, be sure il.'s on the correct edge JOINING THE SUPPORTS
G£HTl£
SW
SUPP'OJIT
'!)
i
+1
f. ,.+
v..t
-I\",OE£P
,I
• ...I ~";'''
NOtCH
l'V.·
•
2'1.-
s
~~;::==:::;;::::;:;::::;:::;===:::;--;-;:;;;;;;,:;;::=~~~=::;:;;::=~ AGU... SlAT SU_
~
....I
I -OlAw IN SHOULDU
UN"
'-;;;;.;;::;:::;;:====;:::::;;:::=;:;::~ rAGU" •
DRIU HOLES THlOUGH toTH
'II!CES
FIGURE 'f
THE PILOT HOLES
The seal frames arc complete at this point, but before adding the slats I marked and drilled the local ion of the pilot holes. The pilot holes are centered on the thickne""oCth. stock and spaced along the seat frame at the measurements shown in fig. 8. (Note: The distances between the holes in the ~at support are not uniform to compensate for the curved shape of the top edge. However; \lJ\ing the measurements given results in ft uniform y.J_'" gap between the ,18t•. ) The easiest. WRYto mnrk the hole toeauons i. to lRY out the marks along the bottom (stl'Right) edge of one frame, and then square up to the top (curved) edge of this frame. Then clamp the three frame. togethe" and use the marks on the first frame to square across the curved top edges of aU three frames at the same time, see Detail A, Fig. 8. lb mark the center of the thickness. use acombinationsquare .see Detail B. Set the squareju.t a little Ie". than half the thickness. measure in from each side. and put marktl. Then. split the dirrerence between the marktl to locate the exact center. After lhe centerpcints are marked. drill W' pilot boles, :y.. deep at eoch pcint. WOOOSMITI'I
RGutE. o.;lU.. ~ HOl£$
"to, DEl'
ALL MOllS ON lACK
SU~1tt
s.'t·~ ......,.
t~APART
PILOT HOLE LOCATIONS
pETAI18
5
AGU.
,
SlATS ANO CAPS After the seat fram .. are assembled. the 18 slats as well as the topond front CRl"!can be added. C~"I'PffiCES TO SIZE. '('0 make the slat. (C). cut at least 18 pieces of Yz" .took to • common "idth of IW and to a length of 06". (I CUta couple extra slats >II) I could choose the 18 best.) The top and front cal"! are cut from 4'4 stoek (oy,." atlual thieknC$S). The top cap (I) is 2" "ide and the front cap eE) i. 3\1, "ide. Botb are 06" long.
......COUHTtUOllf • • ",.' 1)lW.
f
LOCAn.xG TIlE SCR&~·IIOLgs.N01A'mark _AfTER GLUE
",.cur
PWGSfWSH
P\UG HOlES WIn!
J;.- ecwas
••• I"." Fh WOOOSClI:fw
$IN
,.'
RGURr 12
-
NOTE; (APS AND SlATS HANG OVER SEAl
SUf'PORfS'ItON (ACti £ND
@
ro.
CA,
(A) OACl
® IOrTOM
fin.! SLAt I$I\U$H Wmt SU"aQRT
SUP"Otr
SU'P'OI'
the location of the serewhel es in the se pieces - at both end. (centered I" from each end) and in the middle (centered on the length), see Fig. 9. Sinee the screws mil be plugged with ,!,," dowels. drill a %" counterbore followed by a 0/,,' shank hole at each location. (Shop Note: 'Ib drill all the holes in the same location on each slat, I mounted afenee and stop block 011 the drill pre .. , tree Fig. 10.) BEVELS AND CHAMPERS. After the hoies are drilled, knock off the top edge. of all the slats with a ~" round-over bill 01" a chamfer bit. Then rip a 30' bevel on the tOI)edge of tbe front cap, and a 16' bevel 011 the n"nt edge ofthe top cap. see Fig. 9. Now, rout a II. roundover on the other edge of both eaps, t'inal1y, the ends of the toll cap BI'" chamfered at 45', see Fig. 9. ASSEMbt.l', After the slats A11(1C31)l1.Ul'e shaped, they can be screwed to the three seat frames with No.8 x J v..... Fh, SCI'(_\\VS, see Fig. II. Before plugging the serewholes, two of the slats (the second one from the frollland the fifth one from the top) have to be trim, med short to make room fOI' the arm. and arm uprights. I marked them nush with
the outside or the seat fnmcs, removed them. and cut on the mark.
SKONO SlAJ IS R.uSH wm<
',.
$U_
45 AHGU
CI!QSS SUPPOIIT
RGUt! "
,,..
~
~[ I ~ .. 'I",.
6
U~S4 l STOCK
t
The completed seat rests on two cro~
I
supports (F) cut from 5/·1 steek. The~ pieces are 3~' wide by 58" long, see Fig. 13. After they're cut to size, knock o"th. four corners with a 45· 3lltOe cut. see DeWI
CROSS SUPP.O.RTJ!eJI',ll
~
1
e
,
,r
;1
II
".
7
7
1
1 CUT fWD "KfS
After screwing the se two short 81a13 back in place. plug all the holes with '1',. dowels, Then out off all 63 plugs and chi>el them Oush with the surface. CROSS SUPPORT
~\]
~
in Fig. 12. SCRE"' l..OCATI0!\""S. No,'" the cross SUI)ports (F) eon be sere wed 3IIdglued into the notches previously cut in the seat supports (B). Start by locating Ihe three holes in each cross support .... t'ig. IS. Mark the middle hole first so it's eentered on the cross support'. length and thickness. Then mark the two end holes so they're centered on the notches ill the two outside seat frames. WOOI)SMITH
•
.to
'I
DIl)LLING TH.!: HOLES. Arler making these points. drill ""··
Atlhis poinHhc basic seat is complete. All
"GURE 14
Vi- COUNTEHOIitS,
.
"' .....
Il..
oJ(
.-.
that's needed are the arms and arm up. ,ights. Both are cut from 514 stock.
++
.1
"-)
1.
rr]
l'ti."
3vl'-oJ ~."'SHA.N~ HOlf;--
17
(/) ~
0
·-b -i r."'-'~..
TilE MUllS.The arms (G) al',,314- wide by 23jt,"longwith a large notch cutout of the back inside corner, see grid pattern in Fig. 15. Mer cutting out the notch, cut 45° angles off the other three COJ11~1'S. Then use a chamfer bit to put an '18" chamfer on the top and bottom edges. THEtlP1UGHTS.The arm uprights (H).,~ cut 2" wide by 10'" long. anti a. notch is cut out of the bottom inside corner to fit over the slat and seat support, see Fig. 16. ASSB~UlLEAR~tSAl"O UPRIGHTS.
@
ARM
'..... GRID l..~COIJNmSOlLf.
~·~~~D~e~~::=-::~L
t
:::,....
'i!
'23~"
4l,1"k. !
--,
flGUR< 17
After
the arms and uplights are cut to shape. drill the counterbore and shank holes at the locations shown in Figs. 15 and 16. The. drill I)ilot holes in the ends or the uprights and glue and screw the arms to the uprights. see ~'ig. 17. A1'Il\CH liPIUCH1'$. To attach the arm assembly to the seat. position the uprights directly above Ihe OI'OSS supports, and mark rutd drill Yo" pilot holes in the side of the s.eat supports, see Fig. 17. Th(\D Screw [be uprig!>!S in pia ee. .Next, attach lhe arms to the back supports, First make sure the arms are parallei with the bottom ,edge. of the ... t supports, see Fig. 18. Then ma"k and d,ill the pilot holes in the 'Side 0) the back support. and screw the arms in pta ee. Finally, plug the holes with W' dowels and trim Dush. FINISH. Before attl!ching: Lbe chain, I I finished the entire swing with three coats of s~ar varnish. see Sources, pg. 24.
,"
Now all that's needed is th~,chain to hang the swing. Attach a 6' length of swingset chain to the end or the back cross suppo~t with a lag screw, see Fig. 19. Then to keep th .. swing from tipping over backwards, pass the chain through a sere", eye in the ann. see Detail in P'ig. 18. And finally, fasten the other end to Ihe front cross support.
To hang the porch swing, mount,a screw eye to the ceiling. Then use "S" hooks to attach one end of a single chain to the screw eye, and the other end to the middle oi the looped chain on the seat, Now relax and swing awhile.
'" (
HANGING CHAIN
WOODSMITH
,_
~·~~'·
---,=-_=,--_.l.'"""
lAG
scaew 1/." WASI-I!R
MATERIALS LIST
curnxe DIAGRAM
G\rerall Dlmonsions: 26"W x 23y.-NH • SS"l A 80ck SIofPpottt(3) 8 Seol Supports- (3)
[.c SI.t. t'8) D E F G H
Top Cop (1) Front Cop (T)
CroSJ Support' (2) A"". (2) Arm UprightI' (2)
11/,. x
2'1"t • 14 lV,. x 3% - 24 Y,xl\!J-56
'V,. x 2 - 56 'v,.x 3V•. 56 lYt.x 3V.,· 58
v..
x 3V•. 23'12 1'/,. x 2 ·10 1
7
Glider NO PORCH? NO PROBLEM It used to be that just about every house in town had a big front porch. Nomore. And with the demise of'the front porch went the logicalplace to hang a porch swing. If you don't have a porch, the next best way to eljjoy a sw;ng is to make itintoaglidu ThegtiderI made h... four main parts: tWO frame-andpanel end unilS that are held together with two stretchers. I s'al't.ed by working on the end UniLS. THE RAltS
grooves are routed between the mortises for tho rIoating keys. ('rh ••• keys are used to hold the panels in the end trames, refer to Fig. 7.) ADOISCTlt£PM)$.1b keep the bottom rails out of direct contact \\;Ih the ground, I added two '!!iN thick pads, bevelling the inside edge to 45', see Fig. 2. CIIAJlIFER ,:UOY.$. I'lnally, rout. l1o" chamfer on all edges of the rail. and pads - except the top edges o( the top rails and the bottom edges o( the bottom rails.
The end units are built \\;th frame and panel eonstruetioIL (Tenons on stiles that fit iniAl morttses in rails. ) I THE STIltS made the four roils (A and B) firat. 1b complete the frames, the stiles EaCh.11ilconsist8 of two pieces of (0) are cut from 514stock, 3V,· wide 4f4 stock laminated together, see by 2214" long, see ~'Ig.3. Then rout a Fig. I. 1b get the (our rails needed, V," chaml'er on all (our edges. cut 8 pieces of 414 stock to rough After the stile. are chamfered, cut dimensions of:r wide by 24' long. tenons on each end to match the After culting the rail pieces to mortises in the rails. It's important rough dimen.iOllS. cut two dadoes thar the shoulder-te-shoulder dis:W. wide by 14" deep in all eight tance between the tenons is 18Y,". pieces. 'I'hese dadoes automatically (Youhave to be pretty exact with all form the mortises when the two your measurements from this point halvesaregluedtogether, see ~·ig.I. on or the swing will rob against the CLtlL'iCTlIERAILS.However, when -------------------glider.) gluing the two halves ohhe rails together_ tanee from the end. of the rail., the rails )IOItTI~P.FOR STRETCIIERS. With the it'. important that the dadoes line up are cut to (lnallength by me... uring from tenon. complete, cut two tbrough mortises exactly, 1b align them, I made. couple the center out to the ends. rodo this on the in the stiles for tbe stretchers (F) that are temporary "keys" that fit snugly in the top rail. (A). measure lOW' from tlie added In'"r. Cui these mortises y,,··widc dadoes. (As 800n '1$ the glue is spread and center to each end, and on the bouom rails by 2:y.".long,4%-·up from the shoulders of the ciampaare in place, knock the key. out (B) measure Ily." !'romthe center to each the tenons, see Fig. 7. ISOthey won't be permanently glued in.) end, see ~·ig. I. THEPAN'LS Ctl1TlSCTO fISIS" DDlE.''SIOSS.When Alter the rsils are cut to (In.,Isize, trim • the glue is dry, the rails can be cut to their 45" angies o(fthe bottom comCTl5 ofthe top No," the panels CD)can be made from 414 finisheddimensions. First, rip the top rails rails. and the top corners o( the bettem stock to (It the frame. Cut rour panels (two (A) 2' wide and the bottom rails (B) 2~' rails, see ~'ig. I. per frame) 40/,' wide by 1'7¥," long. Then wide, see Fig. 1. GROOVR.'OR TilE I)ANHI~Kl~Y.To com- kneck a 45° angle offall four eomers orcach Then to keep the mortises the 6"me dis- plet e tho "nils, ",,"-wide by Yo -, deep piece, see Fig: 4.
,
-t
10' •
~~~U""~2'---~----------
...,...,.......
ROUf A ~'·W10E.-
, •"OIl' GItOOYl H1Wlt .. ~
lOCAI10f1l5 fROM CtNTER OF !tAIL
BorrOM
RAlt
NOTl!
Al.$O ROUt
GROOV( IN
IO'UJU
......'24 (CUTDGKT Plfeu AFTUcvmHO DAOOfS. Glut TOClTH'. 'N MiltS
END YI~W MORTISES rORMED -, IV OWING DADOED t4,MvIS TOGfTltfR
8
TO ItOUGH
/
"
OIMEN$K>H$
NOTE, OAOO£$ Altl
Y.' DE(,
ENDVIEW
=;
-I.)
\
-
~A
'~'
<
i
/.
/~
.
WOOOSMITH
ROUII ..
Before edge·gluing the two panels Ior ead> rram~. Ieut out the center "diamond" design. (Make a template by striking two ~ as ~hown in Fig. 4. and rraee the design on the edges of the panels.) Arter cutting the diamond shape. rout. II," chamfer .11 the way around the panels. (Note: U.. a sharp chisel 10 clean up the chamfer where the router bit can't reach.) Finally, edge-glue the panels together. Now, cui grooves ('1'''' wide by Yo" deep) in tho ends of the panets to accept the nosting key, Ace~'ig. 4. Then cut four keys to fit the grooves in the panels and the tOI) and bottom rails, THE CAPS Before IIJ!S No.8 x 114" Fh. screws and plug the holes with W dowels. THE STRETCHERS With the end uniUl complete, I made the stretchers that run between Ihe two units. CUl the two strewhel'l! (F) out of;;r~ stoek 31i."wide by 630/."long, sec Fig. 6. Next, cut. llY'III"'..long tenons on each end to fit into the mortises in the stiles of the end unit •. Before mounting the stretchers, cut two I" x I" notches located 14."(in both directions) from the center, see Fig. 6. (These nOlChes are for the runners that will be f"'tened to the swing lat"") ASSE"B~f.'Ib mount the stretchers I<> the end units. first dry-clamp the tenons in the mortl_ and drill twe holes for%"-dia. pins, see f·ig. 9. Then, glue the tenens in the mortises and drive home %" dowel pins. Finally. eut and chisel the pins flush
\\ith the surface. WOODSMITH
f
f
,
1
.J L. .,.
.j2"~'
""'---------,
- __ ~'o~.~._.:.::.:::t:===~' ..~==::;' ' ::'J: reCAP ® 3'>.~ 0;
j_
--.---
-
---.
-
L,. r-: ..,I
uS! ./. (I IV,.)
l...,. r.o -_
-'
.~ ,:.
"
SJOC1(-fiGURE: 6
STRETCHER
1-,.... ~
1¥o·
.L
..
I--
I""U •• 7 eN.
I-
'1
• ~r-
e
USE 5/4 (lI1,') StOCK
I
'4'
Jj .,'
7-
~
'1
'4'
",J
..,,91-r
,....
U)
r
... 1"""
.w
f
-
I
63"" AS$~8t'Ul.!!l!i
.<;
'-....._ ':'--'_-q MNlL
®
~ !'- _
KFr
I""U.,
y
-
CHAMffJl fNDS Of flHON SUGHl'l!'
' .. I
~
sm. @
9
-
,,0t..::
USE.'4 SlOCJ(
RUNNlRS
...
TO((Hflts
Of C.OSS SUIIPORTS
"'" AGUR! It
DETAil A (CROSSSlcnON)
\'. - • 2 'Itor HOLE
L
DETAIL B (SCII£W StOCI( Dl!fAJLt v..t__ -.!_~ '!'o. r-
~,......._~--'........
_
__
',I).
-
MAlI( (£"'flkEO HOLEfOIt LAG SCREW --"'II' _
I.•
c·· -
.
~~
CUT IN HAlf TO MAJCE TWO BLOCkS
_
_v ~
' p--"'">-- ~-'"""",,- AI
.~~ ,.-g, ~y - r: ...... USE """
-<:.>:::.....
'r
M.~ ." , (OUNTe.BOREtour CHAMfER 0,.. All TOP fDOES
4'4 $lOCI(/
.,,.
w
0\,- • l' f
wooden hangers, see t'ig. 11.These hang. ers are mounted to screw blocksat the lOP of the glider's end units. SCREW 8LOCMS. To make the four screw blocks (l). cut two pteees of 414 stock, see Derail B in Fig. Il. Then layout and drill counterbores alId shank holes. Abo. mark the bole locations for the lagscre",,, used to
1~••" • ",," • 7'" (TWO IOAJ.OSl
10
'V•• " 2: • 20'h 'If,•• 2¥. ..22';' 1'/,•• 3V•• 22'/.
''I,•• 4¥.... 11V.. 'V,.
mount the hangers.
CUTTING DIAGRAM
MATERIALS LIST
8oHom Roil. (4' Stil." (4) D Pon.l, (4) E Ca". (2) F Sh'etn,.n (2) G Rynn'r G1.IJd•• C4, H Rvn"''' (2) I Strew 810cb C4) J Honge" (4)
two cross supports. Then trans.fer this measurement to the runners and dlill the eounterbores and shank holes. Next,. locale the I>ilotholes on the cross supports. 1b do this, set the swing 011 the glider so it's centered between the end units. Then mark where the notches in the stretcher touch the front,cross suppo,."on the swlng. Lift the swing off and transfer these locations to the back cross support. Then mark and drill the ~" pilot holes for the: runners in the cross ~UPI)Ol't3, screw on the runners. and plug all the holes with '1(," dowels. The swing hangs (and swings) from four
LAG
•c
the runners to the cross supports, measure the distance between the centertines of t he
HANGERS
"'Itw
A lop Roil. (4'
After the glider stand is assembled, the runners and hanging system can be added, RUNNER GUIDES. To make the runner guides (G). cut 4 pieces I" x I" and long enough to fit between the stretche ... (in my case this was 12\<1" see Fig. 10. Here [ should mention one thing; I changed the design oft er completing' the glider shown in the photO$.[ recommend that the runner guides be attaebed W the stretchers (F) rather than to the swing cross supportS as shewn in the photos, ToaUaeb the runner guides, tecate them alongSideeach notch in the stretchers by drilling eeunterbere and shank hoi•• in th. stretchers (see Notch Detail in Fig. 10). Then drill pilot holes in the ends of the nmner guides and screw them in place. R~l-'XgRS.With the Dewdesign. the runners (H) are screwed to the bottom of the swing cross supports. Cut lhe runners from 4/4 stock (I" x ISV..') W fit between the guides. Then knock orr the bcuom corners at-a 46&aJ\gle, sec Detail in Fig. 10. To 10<3t.e the screwholes for attaehing
:I
3V.... 21'~
11/, •• 3'/ ... 43tV. 1.1·12'/ ..
'VI•• 1 .. tsv. '¥••• 2.y•• 2 v..tV, ... 11V..
1
=
"',....t(.:'~
---F
,"'(TWO IOA.OS)
Next. rout.~"chamfer on all top edges and cut each ofthe pieces in halfto fonn the
va
four screw blocks. Then attach the screw blocks under the wp eaps (Detail C), and drill pilot holes for lhe lag screws. see
5 1.....£:z:t2j DetaiJ A. HA."GERS. The y,,"lhiek hangers are CUI [:0 ~f'~D~I--o-:-:~L--D~1 IV,," wide and llYo"long. Round the ends [e
«,......5·
72·
.~ ••~:. s·..,"· ..... rTWO eOAItOS)
C 3==to "".~ 11"" ... 72'
t=r
- {f=;;;;;j n
I'm~~
and drill v..--di a. holes. centered "" fI'Om each end for the lag screws, see Fig. II. FL~SH.Before attaching the swing to the hangers, I finished the entire glider with three coats of spar varnish. WQODSMITJI
~ I
Tools of the Trade HAND SCRAPERS A burnisher is just a hardened steel rod mounted to a handle. They're made from tool steel (usually a file bank without the teeth) that's tempered $0
It's n good feeling to accomplish ,
u difficult task with a simple tool. It'o an even better feeling when that job is a thankle .., one (like removing bum marks). but _ ju~t using the right tool makes it rewarding. The tool that deserves all this
it's harder than the scraper. (Can you use the shaft or • screwdriver instead? Probably not, "'lost screwdrivers are not hard enough.) There are three traditional shapes (01' burnishers - J'oUI1{I,
praise is a hand scraper. A scraper is nothing more than a thin piece of tempered steel, about 3'" b)t 5'" in size. (You might aft)' it's elegant in its
triangular,
.implicl~y.)
'A'hen it-'s just. sitting on the workbench, a scraper doesn't look like i~could do much. But I have yet to find another tool tha~ "ill remove bum marks, mill marks, and scratches with
ever
J would make. one small modification. I
The burnishing
proce."I reo
Quires considerable pressure. Fer better control.l use an aux-
such ~mciency. SCRAPER SElECTION Scrapers come in a limited selection or shapes and si~. As fo,' shapes, you have your choice between straight edges and curved edges, see photo. As ror size. to those produced by " plnne, there arc two basic sizes: Those made by If it does scrape th~ wood, producing U.S. companies (Stanley and Dioston) ere only sawdust instead of gho\'ings, it needs 3" x 6", while those made in Europe (Sand, to be sharpened. The technique we use to vik. Hirsch, Two Cherries) tend to be sharpen is described in the next article, longer and narrower (a common ,ire i. 2~· This sharpening technique is relatively x 6".) simple - it requires only a metal-cutting Among these sizes, how do you decide filet an oil stone, and .. burnisher. which scraper to buy? '"LLFILE. A metal-cut.ting file is used to That'. a tough question because t.he joint (square) the unprepared or worn differenC1l between the sizes is mostly 1I edge of a scraper, I uso n Nicholson 10" matter of how it feels in your hands. And to smooth cut mill file to alllu'pen my SClOPsome extent, t.his has to do with whether ers, see Sources, »g'. 24. you pull Ihe scraper when you usc it 01' Shop Not.: The name "mill" file refers to push it. lhe original use of this tYI>eof me: to I like to pull the scraper and ror me the sharpen mill or circular 83W blades. The wider 3" by 6" Stanley or DL",.tonscraper term "smooth cut" reters 10 the spacing of reel$ comfortable in my hands. Ir you like the teeth, which determines the coarseto push the scraper, you'Uprobably prefer ness of eut, Y ou can gel bastard, second the longer narrower European ..,rape"'eut and smooth eui mes (listed from thi$, sir..e allows you to flex the scraper coarsest. to finest). around your thumbs (as shown in the photo 1I0NINC,sroNE. AIl.er the mill file is used on page 12). to square the edge, it hao to be honed smooth. To do this. I use a son Arkansas SHARPENING ACCESSORIES
stone.
Beyond the 8i7.<1 and shape, the key 10 thi. Nol:e: Although I like to use Japanese liltlo piece or steel is the edge. A scrapel' is water stones to hone chisels and plane n userul tool only because of the cutting irons, I find them too sol\ for honing the edge (the burr). edge of a scraper. The narrow edge of the But with respect to the edge, the name scraper can quiddy gouge the surfaee of a scraper i•• little misleading. The edge ora water stone. seraper doesn't (or shouldn't) really scrape 8I1R>lISIJER. After the edge is honed at an. When it's properly sharpened, the ,mooth with the stone. a burnisher is used edge should tilt veT)t fine sha\rings ~imitar to draw the edge to rorm the cutting burr. WOODSMITH
311(1oval. The ehoiec
i'l)retly much a matter or what shape strikes your fancy. How"
iliary handle. This isjusta scrap of wood with a hole in it that li18 over the other end of the burnisher so I can bold i~ with two hllnds, see Fig. 7 on page 13. One last thing about burnisher •. We've had several letters asking about the Ulmi. Rapid Wheel burnisher (nn L'shaped block of wood with. metal wheel mounted in it.)Does it work1 Is it worth the ~ priee tag? Yes, it works, But I have a hard time justifying th. cost compared to the S7 "traditional" burnishel'll that do the same thing (and I think, orrer more control). USING A SCRAPER Okay, once you've eolleeted these tools and used them to burnish •.perfect cutting burr on the edge of. scraper, what do you do with it? A scraper is basically a finishing tool that'. used to clean up the surface of wood. or to fix problems or mistakes. In addition to removing burn marks. I usse it to clean orr mill marks (the ripples left by a planer or jointer). It's also e x..,I, tent for smoothing the surface of a piece or stock that has wild or burt grain (where • plane would jUSLcause te ar-out). And I have an old scrape,' that I use to remove excess glue from joinb lines and par-
ticularly in comers. As for how to use a scraper, there are no rule s. Just, Wt it to whatever angle it takes until you feel It cut, and then pull Or push it, depending on what reels best. That's the beauty or using a scraper. I~'s a simple toollhat gets thejob done, and at the same time transmits the feel of the wood ,;~hlthrough to your hands.
11
__
S_h_arRening a Scra~_er __ TIPS ON SHARPENING A SCRAPER
The only good thing I C3Jl say about.a dull scraper i. that it doesn't take up much space in the shop. Fortunately, it doesn't take long to sharpen. But there's 'Wrt M!l trick to it. Producing a cutting edge on a SCI1\pt1l' isn't sharpening' in the con-
ventional sense, A scraper is sharpened by bllMti8hiltg the edge to rorm • burr.
FIG It~C
qAltRIAOI
NOTE, CUI 'KERF '0 HOI,O fiLl SNUGLY
NOTE,
,
BOLl
SUGHnY CWLM'[1t
TOP AND aonOM lOGES
(
12
WOODSMITH
me EDGE.'l1l draw
the edge, lay the scraper flat on Lhe jig, and hold the ORAI\'
burnisher flat on the (nee o( the scraper, a drop of oil on t he edge o( the scraper to reduce (riction.l Bear down hard with your thumb, and take two or three stroke. along the edge. This will draw the edge to produce the prome shown in the Detail in Fig. 6. ROLL TlIP. SCRR. Now the edge can be burnished to a cutting burr. 'l1l prevent
we Fig. 6. (put
nex, clamp the scraper in t.hcjig than lit' of the race hi exposed.
SO nomore
UURNISBTHE EDG';. Hold the burnisher at n alight (5" to llY') angle, and bear down as you pull the burnisher along the edge to roll the burr, see Fig. 7. The object istoroU
• uniform burr along the edge from one corner o( the scraper to the other. P';P.I. FOR 1'11£ BU"". AJ\cr two or three stroke", check (or the bur" Pull the pad of your tinger up (perpendicular to) the edge. Feel along the entire edge orthe scraper to
sec if the burr ise.ven.lfit's
nol, take a few
more strokes. Forming the burr-on a curved scraper is a little more difficult. Mount the scraper SO jus~ y." or the face is above the jig. Then burnish the edge '" far you can. Repositton the 801111><>1' to pick up where the last strokes Iclt off. 'I\-y to maintain a uni(ornt angle and pressure 80 the bUJ1'will remain the same around the perimeter o( the curve. (;llR\'EDSCRAPBR.
8.
USING THE SCRAPER
When you've roUcd an even burr on the edge of the scraper, take it out of the jig and make a cut on a piece o( hardwood. Play around with the angle until you reel itc"t the wood, not just slide over it. When it rai_ a pile or very fine .h8vings (not just dust), you know it's sharp. The burr on the scraper edge wears out pretty quickly. \Vben the ..... per raises both shavings and dust, it's getting dull. \Vb.n it raises nothing but dust, iLis dull. It'. tempting tojustreburnish the edge. But 1don't. I tnke five minutes to repeat the enUre sharpening procedure. Then go back to producing a glass-smooth finish.
NOTE, toTAn sct.UOI WHILE IOINTlHO lOGf
T. square !.he !Scraper'lSedge, press off Ihe prot'iu", b",.,· by/u" .. edgeo[ a c" .....cd scroper, 1 Smooth 3 Torotate8q"areIII.thescraper inU IM[ace 0[,11. 8Cmlltr with "-80ft 2 8craper firmly agai, .. t I/le file while VII.MIID it stolte. JUliet: b'~(lnuerot.ed VielU ""pr61X'red or 100"/1 8cmper edge.
l\'rkau"(l8
0/
(llid
~r
Plf~"il.Im"(It'
SOUAlI: lOGE
SHIM) '0 VARY
[lirllJfJttl. It take« a little proctic~ 10do tl,i$ (lIt
NOTE: HOlD IUANISHER RA' em SCI"".
roSfflON
O'SlON!
creolelh. cutting burr,firtt draw the (dg' Itfl aftor fili,'Il by Remoc« the wire edge btl robbing lhe 4 S",00111 6 Tothtedgt(ou hOlling1M saaper', .dgt agam.t the 5 edge .[th •• tone fla: !.helaceo/the imet) bypiaci"o Ihe bu" scraper. I .... 1: Afttr IWII'II9 ti,.[au, tli. llitfuor «lm08lf1aIOl' thelau o[t/i. 8Craper Oil
edgt 01 the ATkall'''' .t.lle. " .. et: Wirt edge rai se
edge ./iould bo smooth. and
$'1''''''''
and ISlroking["Om ",UJ. to ."d.
lilt
'Olt MOST If'lCllNT CUmNGAHGU AUXlUAlY MANDl! MAl)£fllOM KAlDWOOO SGR.Ar
NOTE, aulHliH
lXPOSfD
CUIIVt $EGMIHT
THIN tfPOsmoN scaM( It Iff JtG
• TOO lOW
Cl4mp semper ill the jig, (md fo'i,tdillD !M best cuUing «IIgle •• a Forlll 0... burr ,," Ihe tdge o[ 1M 7daW7! burnislttr toform the hooked 8 c«rued SCTQpe..08 don, lhe 9 II",tter olle.l. Hotd the scraper at all .traight seraper. P·rageui.·tly rtpOISiIi(m ""gl. and pull push) il ."til it propre ••
01.
,.U'II0 burr, see ill«!. Use pad o[finger 10[«llora" ''I'm b"rralollg tlltire edge. WOOOSMITH
It.."
Oft
(or
tltl .croptT
to nla-fntaut
Q.
l(Ptiform bUrT_
duu. fi"e .havings
(nol dUBt).
13
____
S_e_rv_i_ng Tray
_
READYTO GO When this project started, the idea was to build a complete "breakfast, in bed" serving tl'ay (which 1. shown on page 18). But as we were working on the design, I thought it wouldbenice if the actual tray part could be lifted out of the carrier Irame. It turned out tbat the tray was kind of handy by itself, SO I decided to build a couple more (witheut the carrier frame) and try different versions for the tray's bottom. Note: If you want to build the whole "breakfast in bed" serving tray, it's best to build the carrier frame first. Then build fhe tray to fit the frame.
terline on the top edge Ofthe frame's side pieces (C). '(The centerline .is needed later to position 'he holes for the bandle.)
.N'o,,,.round. over the 'i1lside
THE TRAY BonOM
Whether you're building the tray by itself or to fit in the carrier frame, start with the bottom panel. The easiest approach here is to lise y.- hardwood plywood- cutting it to a rough size of 13Y." x 17W'. For-a more durable surface, 1 tried another version for the tray bottom by mounting Formica on both sides of a piece of Y." Masonite. (You need to cover ixJtll sides to prevent warping.) [ atso made a version with a solid-wood bottom panel. Todo this, I ripped 414 stock into 2" wide pieces. Then I turned these. pieces on edge and resawed them into sll'ips W' thick. These strips are edgeglue4 togetller to form the bottom panel, see Fig. 1Whatever version you choose, cut the
panel to rough size. (It's cut to final size after the frame is cut.) THE MITERED FRAME
Afte,' the panel is cut 00 rough Size, the four-pieces for the frame (B and C)can also beeut to rough size. Cut tl'ese piece~oul of 414 stock so ihey
edges ofthe four frame pieces, I did this on the router table using a o/f" round-over bit on the top edge and a Vo"·l'Ound· over bit on the bottom edge, see FIg._. · • MITER TOLENGTH. AJ\er the edges are rounded, miter the pieces to final length. (If you're building the tray to fit the carrier frame, miter the pieces so the poinb-to-point length is y,." shorter than the opening in the frame.) TRIM J>ANEL TO SIZE. When the frame piece. are mitereel to final length, trim the bottom panel to fina],size to fit between the bottoms of the grooves in the frame. The amount of clearance needed here depends oTlthe type of material used for the bottom panel. For plywood or POI11)ieapanels, allow a tolol of Y,,' for 3 glue relief, see Fig. 3. However, for the ~olid·woodpanel, allowa total ilr W· so the panel has a little room to expandreontract. with seasonal cbanges in humidity. ,ISSEMBLY. Now the fi.. me and bottom panel can be assembled. For b.. ys with plywood 0' Formica panels, apply glue to the grooves and to the mitered ends or the frame pieces, and use a band (web) clamp to clamp the fname around the bottcm panel.
FIGURE 1 SID!
@
~Y80nOM
@ 13.'
4'1.
1 '4·
• OH
1--+--17""" itOUGH----.j
:~~~~~~'8~~~.~'~O~UG~H~~~~~~ 17 FItONT/SACK :lid- ® ..
MARK CENTERS ON SlOt ptKf$
14
MfTEREQ TO 17'11
WOODSMITH
If you're using a solid-wood panel, apply glue to the mitered ends only, not in the
NOll, DONOr OWl
grooves. (The panel should be free to expandfcontrae~in the frame.) Then clamp the frame around Lhe panel with • band claml). 81'1.'''£.Tostrengthen the mner joints, I added a spline. Clamp the tray in a holding jig, see Fig. 4. (This jig is described in more de~U in Wood$milh No. 36.l Make onepass on each corner, making certain the cu~doesn't extend into the panel groove. Then cut. spline to fit the kerf. Glue the spline in place and when the glue is dry, trim offth. "ears" oflhe spline, and sand it nush "ilh the frame. ROUND SDGt:S.Finally, the outside edges of the frame can be rounded, the same way as the inside edges. see Fig. 7.
fur IOI'IOM
'IGURE 4
souowooo
'lAY IOm)M
"""-
®
-
IF USING PLYWOOD TIIAr. AUOW '}i.." tOR GlUE--""t CUT .,., \10. Oil' ~It SPliNE
ROUt'S
THE HIlNDLE5
1\)complete the tt-ay, handles are added. I have to admit that there are easier ways to make bandies than the way shown here. But this is one of those extra-ume details that [ kind of e'lioy doing. TilE HA.~I)LES.To make the handles, start by cutting a ,trip I' wide by 6Y," long,see Fig. 5. (Youcoulduse a llttle pieee ofexotic wecd.I'Iurn this piece onedge and resaw two strips v....thick to form the bandies. nOtES IN ""NOLES. AlWr the handles are cut to 8i7~,drill ~" ..clin. holes centered on the width and %" from each end. Then round over the top edge of the handle with a Vn" round-over bit. nOLES 'N '·IIA>I&.Center the handle on the width of the frame (see f'ig. 6). and using the handle as a template, mark the position of the holes on the centerline (thllt \\'3S marked earlier), rue oowsis. Now the handles can be mounted to the frame with Yo" dowels, 2~" long. (I made my 0\>1' dowels, we page 16.) To ensure a good tight lit (and to add a little decoration). [ cut kerf. in the top and botLOrn ends of the dowels and tapped in wedges. To eat the kerfs, hold Ihe dowels in the simple jig shown in Fig. 9. TilE WEDGF.s. The wedges are made by ripping a strip Yo- "ide (to match the diameter of the dowel) and to a thlckness to match the kerf, see Fig. 8. Alter the strips are cut, ttim off Y...-long pieces and sand the ends to a wedge shape. AsseMSLr.Now, glue the bottom end of the dowels into the holes in the tn.y frame, and glue the handle over the top end oflhe dowels. see f'ig. 10. Then use" toothpick to put a little glue in the kerf, and push the wedge in place. When the wedge bottoms out, IH lhe glue dry and then cut it offand sand it nush with the surface, see Fig. 10. P'N'SRL~O.When the handles were complete, I sanded the my frame smooth and al)pUedtwo COllISof tung oil varnish. \VOODSMITli
ON_
USI HANDlf AS rlMftATf 10 MAt!( H«IS
NOli: ItO\INO Ovtt TOI' fOOlS WITH'. IOUNo.oVU III AGUItI 7
v.·
otJU ·OC.... HOU n-iItOUGH FtAJ,U SlOtS fOR H...NOlE
.t. SETffNCf TO COl Sl'I'r~-l fOUA.ll0 THKXHISS 0' 1([1:'
TO
CUt Off IOU .. L rc DJAM!TIJl Of DOWEl
1
_oJ
(.J ~ ....
" -Y ..---
2
...r
".-
suet 0"
wtoot.
S.. NO
TO POINffD
'-,oor OETIlIL GUll 9
WfOGE
I ClAMP JIG IN VI$E TO HOLD DOWn IN PLACI
oown C;!1055 sgTlQtI
15
Dowel Making
_
JUST A SQUARE PEG IN A ROUND HOLE ['ve always wondered if there. were a way to custom-make dowels - any size I wanted, out of any wood I wanted, 'The~-e
is. Back in Wood"mit" No. 19 we featured. jig that can be mounted to a route.' 00 "turn" yow' own dowels. I deeidedto modify ~hat jig for use on the router table to make a small production run of dowels needed for the "breakfast in bed" tray
shown in the next article. The nice part about this jig is that it's easy to mak e. MAKE THE JIG
J started by ripping. a 4"-wide by WOO-long piece of scrap maple into two pieces 2" "~de. One of these pieces is used for the support ann, the other is drilled and cut to form three guide blocks, see Fig. L SPLINES. Before making the guide blocks, I cut grooves down the edges of both pieces for llI"J\1asonite splines. Then later, when all these pieces are assembled) the spynes will guarantee alignment of the guide blocks to the support arm. THE GUruS 6LOCKS. Now the guide blocks can be made by drilling infeed and outreed holes. The diameters of the holes depend on the size of dowels you want to make, see chart. D£TSR"L'
DOWlltAl
StOCK (8)
1/.·
lh,'
INfttD
"'-
M.
1/~.""
1/."
'h"
¥. .....
711,"
'10-
~j.~
"JI'A ....
'h"
111\."
'/16•
.'1'1-
·A,"
'-VI'"
'h_"
.. 'A" ~.- "'"'-
)/,."
·fOR LA.OEIl H01ESj MAleE SlOCIC AT LEASt
16
~oflJlO~
lin - T
THE BASE. lJ'he assembled jig is secured to a Yo. Masonite base, To mount 'it, hold the jig on-the base and drill. 14" hole near the front end so it goes through Iloth the jig's support arm and the M,asonite base. Then countersink the hole in'the base for a v." Fh. machine screw, see Fig. 1. SLOTTEDHOL&.You have to pivot the jig in order to make fine adjustments when setting up the cuts. So, drill a-series of ¥t. holes to form a ('-long slo1.near the baek end of the jig's SUPPOItarm, see Fig. 5. Then position the jig on the bas~ and
tac
driU a ~. through the base so it lines up
wjth the slotted hole in the arm. Again,
countersink the hole in the base for a Fh, machine Screw.
CUT THE DOWel STOCK
'I'hejigis ready to be aligned. Pill itneeds is the dowel stock. '!'he dowels are turned from square stock that's cut to size $0 the corners contact the clrcumrerence of the infeed hole. see Fig. 2. Shop Note: I tried making dowels out of oak, ash, cherey, maple, red gum. and mahogany. All these woods work as long as the stock has stra:ight gI.. in. Wavy grain causes chip out just like on a jointer. CI!TS'I'OCKTOS1Z&.'the dimension ofthe square stock was actually determined earlier to get the diameter of'the infeed hol<>just add y,,' to the diameter of the dowel
you "~tanto For~'" do\vels, thjs means-stoek lOP \ll~ DRIll EACH AOlf
a=AfI'I
••'
TH£ DOwEl. sroce IS tQUA~to II'tE DESIREDDOWEL DIAMET£. PlUS- VI. INf;ilO
C=lIlIl iff HOLE IS EQUAL to THE STOC~
¥,."
110LE. t'Olt 01'1', Final1y, drill a ¥.tor ..dia. hole in the base between the infeed and outfeed guide blocks, see Fig. 6. (This is where the router bit on the router table will come·through.) Now clamp the jig to the router table and mount a ~. carbidetipped straight bit, in the router,
fIGURe; 3
HOLf tD) 1/,"
'/
as shown in Fig. 5.
OUlfEED
HO" Ie) Ij,,"
Yt~-
:::=::~~?'1IIIi
ing enrl of the Next, I aligned the outfeed gui(]e'~lock by USing thepoint left: by the %•• hole, an(] drilled to a depth of Z'. Again cutoffthishlock, leaving-the bottom part of the hole. Repeat tNS process to get another outieed guide block with 3 11.." hole. Then use a large countersink bit to chamfer the front edges of these holes so the dowel stock will reed in easily. see Fjg. 6. ASS~~ml.Y. Now the guide blocks can be glued to the support arm, using !iIo"lIIasonite splines to "Iign them. and spacing them
'" DEEI'
T
Ptl:;-;:;::_::· - -~- -~- - -~- ~-- -~- _. ,liftED
Moe«
'OUT'f£EC}
e.c.OCIc...-l
OUTJHD
~dC
#2 _
[
1--,·-·1,· "-1->"-1
TlMfS JH6 SQUARE IIO.OT Of 2.{1.414)
WOODSMITH
tbat-'s ¥tG" square) see chart. Shop Note: Ripping stock this thin can be dsngerous. I used a special push jig, see Talking Shop, pg. 23. '{RIAL l;1>"r. AfUlr determining the size of thadowel stock cut a trial piece and push it into the infeed hole. It should fittighton aU four corners. (l~'s better to be a tittle too fighb than too Joose.}
A
J
\..
making, long dowels, it helps to have a friend hold the dowel stearly as i~ comes out, of the second outfeed block.) Then turn off the router before withdrawing the newly ..formed dowel. To complete the unturned section at the
WOODSMI'TH
.ANO
I
~W 9~
~9~
.I
r
W' • 1'/.~FI" MACHINE Stl!:£W
TURNING THE DOWELS Before actually running the dowel stock through the jig, Ibe jig bas to be set up. Por the ·initial positioning, sight, th",ugh the holes in the guide blocks, and move the entire.jig until the edge of the hole in the outfeed block tines up with the ed~ of Ihe router bit, see Fig. 6. Then,clamp tbe jig to the router table. FORM A SHANK. Before making the final a
,RAISE DOWEL
")
TO
tEn SIDEOf IiOlf I~ eASt AUGNS WITH
O\IlFEED
/tNFEfO
HOlE
HOlE .,
~f'"
UJUU.. HQll THttOUGH 8ASE
,"-
\.
~'"
...
, ...t...
t...
'";1.
-
".
INFEEd·HOLt
-- -
-
IQe lll~W
SU!POItT AlM
CHAMfER F$lONl EDGES
.
-~ ,----I
3·/....
fIGUR;E (;
Slon£OHOY NEAll REAft
6UTfEED HOtE~l
- -
t_
DETAIL
I~
e
IOP VIEW
@ -
...-.
ARM
t
'JlONT
•
~
FRQNIIIIEW
FIGU9E S rS\lPPeRT
'JIG TO
:: ) .~~t:
./"" '<,
(p
.cu
",
oun££.O HOLE
-1 -
t
--
/~~
,-
-
-
t
~,AUGNBIT WITH OUTSjOE
EDGe-Of OOfFE£O HO~E
I" .,; ,
'"
SJRAiGHT &1T fl(iURfO 7
~~\ ---J
•
RO·UGH WRt-! APPROXIMATElY~a SHA.NK- ,
-:,~~.
\-: ~
~
~
- "_A'
\\
"
-
~'"
-
,
ROUGH TURN ONE eND BY HAND TO Fir ORlt' CHUCI(
L / ~~
flGUR ••
~~(~'-' :
",'
~~
;(/;
flj)U~' •
.
PAST 81T
!~
_s~.
NMAPeR
SMooTHt fOGES ANO 'ROItCISHAND
,/ ~
.~ . .,. ~ ~
~
-
¢HUC!i SHANJ( INTO I>Rlll
~
j
'GuR. ,.
~
D.'~
~~~
CHUC<~( SOH. SMOOTH
.r-
~_.
'I< \' _,
-
,~ .~
,'I,
»"
IiOlE IN MOCte S~~IUZES ut END
/l>~
- \0
17
____
u_ra_y Carrier POCKET THE DIFFERENCE
A. 1 was building this ~ray/¢.rrier, I thought it would only be used on s»eeial days (anniversaries and Afother's Day) for breakfastlnJJeq. But since it's been around
for awhile.J've found the
L\V,O "pouches"
00
the sides very handy. An ordinary tray isgood Ior carrying flat things, I\ke dishes. But when you have 00 carry [all glasses of feed tea out to the porch, or mint julips to the veranda, or a
couple bottles cf beer, some chips, and the sports page out to the back yard, this carrier tray comes in handj; TItE CARRIER FRAME
To start, r built the top Iramc. This frame consists of six pieces cut from 414 stock, 1" "ide and tQ rough length (about I' longer than needed), see Fig. I. ~tJTe'RENDS.Now miter the faux .pieces (A and B) for the frame to final length.
(Note: When mitering these pieces, turn them on edge so they're I'high.) Miter the frontrbaek pieces (A) to a length of 2'W," from long point 00long point of the miters, and miter the aides (B) to a length of 15" from long point to long point. DIVIDERS. To complete the frame, the two dividers (C) are cut to final length to match the inside length of the side pieces (B). (The inside length is the distance be· tween the heel8 of the miters.) ASSEMBLE DIVIDERS TO fRAME Before assembling the mitered frame, the dividers are joined to the iroriVback pieces with dowel joints. see .l'ig. 4. Ftrst, drill a hole on the end of the divider. To drill this hole, I mounted the
v.,.
divider in a vise, and located the center point by drawing lines connecting-opposite corners, see Fig. 2. Then I used a Portalign to drill .14··dio. hole, >y.N deep. Nexl, corresponding hole. are willed in the tray frame. The se holes are positioned
cf thedlvlders, ~
on
Pig. end of the divider; and centered W down 6"<)m· the 001' edgtl. (Since the divider is 1" high, lh)"puts the support. dowel off-eenter allowing mo,.., room ab the top to hold the Il'ay in position.) After the hole. are drilled, cub the fou. ~ .. support. dowels l'¥tft long, but don't glue them in place yet.
4. these
are located 2" from the
ROll'Nl)EDGES.Before the. carrier frame can 00 assembled. the edges of pieces are rounded over. 1 did this router table, using a %" round-over the top edges and a. W' round-over FIGURE1
so the divider is 5" from the mitered end'of
,I.£
the frontzback pieces, see Fig. 4. TO position these holes, f~tmark a line 5"in from the long point of the mitered ends on the frontlback pieces, see Fig. 3. Then extend this line down the inside edge of the frontl back pieces.
®
\.
all SIX on the bit. on bit on
the bottom edges, see Fig. 5. ROIJNQ ENOS OP D,I\T)I)ERS. Since the inside edges of the t"ay frame are rounded,
there's an awkward transition between the ends-of the dividers and the rounded edges of the fronVbaok pieces. To smooth tfiis transition, 1 eounded the ends' of th. dividers. 'frying to round lhe ends of such small piece. is a tricky operaticn. '~he technique r used to do this was to clamp the dividers together along with. piece of scrap, see Fig. 6. This assembly is then wide enough to safely rout the ends on the router table. With. the pieces clamped together, rout the
~ls~======~j~C=~============2~1 rRONT/8ACK A
CUT DIVIDtRS TO MA)"Ctt
HEEl,.To.HIEl
OI~S
-..
.
DIVIDERS
C
"NGTN Of SlD' ~ltC.ES
Now mount a dowel center in the hole in the end "fthe divider. Place a try square on the marked line (see Fig. 3) and slide the divider along the square until the dowel center marks the position of the hole on'the fronVbaok piece. Then drill this Yo'·dia. hole %' deep. TRAYSUPPOltr DOWJlLS.Next the holes for the tray support dowels (D) are drilled
18
SIDE NOlf~ 1~ItN,FAAMEPIEcES ON EDGE;!EJORE MIllAtHO
~
r "ONT/8ACK ® 27¥-," ANAt 28"" SlOUGli
WOOOSMITH
ends with a 0/$" round-over bit.
ROURE 1
Shop Note: Although the round-over bit ._. 'I has a pilot to guide lhe pieces, I found it "IRS best to use the fence 011 the router table. Set the height of the bit, and then aligu the edge of the fence with tho edge of the pilot ..
GUR.'r~
Z
PO ....UOH- •
SUOf OIVIO,. AtOKGm .$QUAJlE __
OOWlL
~~
ASSEMBLE THE TRAY
Finally, the frame is ready 10 be assembled. Glue ehe dividers between the frontJback pieces, ana apply glue to all the mitered ends. Then clamp the frame together with a band clamp, and clamp the. dividers in place with bar clamps. SPLINES. To strengthen the mitered joints, I added splines. Place the Irame in a holding jig (as shown in Fig. 7) to cut kerfs Yo- deep at the four COI'nel'SIor the splines. Then CUL the splines to site to fit the kerf and glue and clamp them in place. See Detail in Fig. 7.
(~~
, VISE
~
t:?' ./ _ e:>
~
v
'S'
/
'h I·. \' - y_
V'RYSOUA.'
7'
1
~
»>
US~~~.' Of
VISE TO AllGN
olvloER V(iI,lICAUY
p"
~ 'Of~"ci:~~
MA'KUH'~ LONG
-,
\)/
fIGURE 4
flM\f
THE POUCH BASES
"'ONT
After Ihe carrier frame W·.IS assembled, T made the LwO bases (E) thaLform the bot· toms of ,he side "pouches". These bases ar.• made (rom ~··thicl< stock, see Fig. Shop Note; If ~··thick stock is not available, you can make ·the base by resawing 41~stock. Pirsl, eur three pieces of 414 steek 1%" wide by 16" long, The" turn these picces 011 edge and resew them to a thickness ofjust over y,'. E
a.
$'
,..._
",ONTI8ACI(
.
SIDE@:
,.' RGUtt£S
11"_
fflllCE
Size.
T· ,,,I
The final dimensions of the bases are I taken from the assembled top frame. Cut tbe bases to length to match the 'front·~ back measurement of the frame, and to width to match the width of the "pouches" - from the side piece to the divider. (This should be "., refer to Fig. 4.) After the bases are cub to final size, round over the top edges ,,>jtha Y,"l'ound· over biL and tbe bottom edges with a y,;' round-over bit, see Fig. 9.
y
I..c::l...
'1" . ./ ;b!;
""L
'JjpiI
'OP'OG,/ 0/0'
ROUND-OVEtt
.n
FENCE
F~UR£ r
I nNe.E
'ENe!:
WOODSMITH
19
".
THE DRILLINGTlMPLATE The bases (E) are joined to the carrier frame with 3 whole bunch or dowels (56 in ali). In order Loposition the holes for these dowels, r made a drilling template, Cut a piece of 414 hardwood (I used ea k) ..~. the sam. size OJ! the base, sec Fig, 12. Then drill ~·-dia. beles centered I~· apart and ~. rrom the outside edge, sec Fig. 10. (It's best to drill th ... hol.s on a drill press LOmake sure they're perpendieular.) r also added "wings" to the sid es of the template LOhold it steady on the workpiece, see Fig. 12. DlUU. HOLES.Now place the LOpface of tbe template over the bottom face or the frame, see Fig. II.(Note; To ensure alill'" ment or all the dowel holes, the LOpof the template sbould face the carrier frame during drilling. The boLtom of the templ.te sbould face the base when drilling its dowel holes, refer LOFig, 12.) When the template ts in place, drill each hole to a depth of ".... Note; When drilling the holes in the carrier frame, don't drill the six hole. (three per side) where Lhe handle will be, see Handle O.tail. THEIIANIJLt;S.The last step before putling all the dowels in place is to make the handles. To do this, cut 8 IIiece of 414 stock I' wide by 6W'long, see fig. 13. 'I'hen LUI'n thi~ piece on edge Loresaw the two h.n<110. y.' thick. To mount the handles, drill five V,·-dia. dowel hole. centered on the width of the handles and spaced 1W' apart (the same no on the template). t-inish the hnndles by rounding over the top edges with " VA" round-over bit, see Detall in Fig. 13. Now the bases can be mounted to the earrier frame with vr dowel •. I custom-made the dowels for this project. sec previous article. A total of 56 dowels are needed. 50 of them are ';%" long and the six (three per side) used at the handles are only 5%"long, sec Side View in Fig. 14. The six short dowels (three on each handle) are fastened to the handle \\ith wedg1!s,see Handle Detailin f·ig. 1·1.To do thls, out kerfs in the ends of the dowels (or the wedges. (This is the same procedure used on the tray.) I thought it would be a real hassle to mount all of these dowels, but it went smoother than I expected. Use a Q-Tip LO dab a little white glue in each hole in the base and push the dowels inLo (he holes. Then dab glue in the hoies in the carrier frame. and press the frame over the other ends of the dowel s, FL~ISHING. After the dowel" are ~Iucd in place, I applied two C
20
S'
l-
r ..
••
•
• ••
++
..
,- r
>71~ •
T
I,,." lit
~
-
__
o
~
-TtMI'WE
J
,
~
$JDE OF TEMPt.ATt
I
'4
t-
~I
-V-'-'
'(NeE-
la.
'1.-
-
'M
~
I
.I
",
, <; .....
1
, •
,
!!E!1I11
THROUq_H HANDLES
!
,
-:..... ,
'I
A9A1.t
'*
fo 'V.
.
~
lAOD l'h" WlNGS-::::"~ CENmtED ON EACH
,
~
~~ :::r-
v.* HOUS
...
U~'''Conu~ CMITSIOE Of FU.Ml ..
6¥i~
17
"GUlli
... THIS 5:10£ TOWAtO IASI ~/
..+
NOff AU HOtfS S, ...C(O ,'/.
t
........
••
/ORIU
lAS<
""TIOM
w"1-
IO
r.:l· •
_SIDE" toW_
"
..... ---I"·t
~
~~. "ltD C,~,1V
.. •
7'
Po'~."'"
t
4-
•... '-
"II
• ..•-*-",
c
.. • •
1$'
I
.......
I~H~~
• f-, =:i 1
•
ro'
MOUNTING THE DOWELS
CUT NOM HAROWOOD
~
I
1 --+-1%1/4
-1'1'~~
y,,' ROUND-OVI.
-
)-
111'
c
s
..
~
,
~
l ~, ,
FRONTVtEW CROSSSECTION
I,
~-."., • g ....<,~.
I
~~F
I
TU'f
---...__ . ~ ............'~
""~>' .
I
• .' ,
".-'t-
3 r
" II , 'Hi I
r
,
I
1',
$/,.
iI"",
,
I
SlOEVIEW~ROSS SECTION
WOODSMITI'I
---
-
-
-
-
---
fj
Finishing_:
_Fill_er_s
_
HOW TO GET A GLASS-SMOOTH SURFACE In Wood.milk No. 38 we began our
APPLYING fiLLER
finishing 8Cri~8 with an article on
Before filler is applied, it's important to properly prepare the surface (sec the artlcle on surface pr~p.ralion In IVoodsmith No. 88)_ After final &nnding,the pores will be filled up with nn. dust. Use 8 soft cleaning brush, compressed
"Surface Preparation." About tho time I was wrlUng thaI arncle I received" lotto.' (loom.reader ask-
ing why
\\'0
using' paste wood fill••· to prepare tJ1C surface 01 lin oak project we featured, It got me thinking about fillers and seaters and why we haven't suggested using them more. It's true we often take the easy way out: "I used \Vatco Danish Oil" or ""I applied two coalS or llinwa:< Early American Stain and followed with Hope'. Thng Oil Varnish_" Let's raoe it, using an oil is easy: Put it on. wipe it orr, and you're done. (Well,there'. a little more to it than that. see lI'oodsmith Nos. 30 and 32.) BULwe have another reason for using oils. They soak In and bring out tho character of the wood fol'a more natural ftl)PC81'nIlCC - which seems appropriate fo.-most of the projects we've built. I've noticed, though, that there are timl'8 when oils (Ion'l create the '---finillhI want. If I'm building an oak desk and need a gl..... ~moothwriting sufaee, an oilfini.h probably isn't the best choice. To get • smooth surface on open-grained wood. like oak, a liner is needed. Note: Other open-grained Woods include walnut. mahogan)', ~h, rosewood. chestnut, and buuernut, These Species have large open pores that arc iilioed in half (lengtbwtse) when they're sawn into tumher. Since the length orthe pore is exposed, it's very dimcult to create a glass-smooth surface, The POri" need to be filled and sealed 80 they're flush with the surrounding area,
air, or a vacuum to clean them out
J
Okay, whttl"e'l' all this lea
The complication~ in obtaining a smooth finisb start with paste wood fillers_O'aste wood filler shOUldn't be confused \\ilb wood putt)'. That'. used to fill holes or repair gouges- Paste wood filler is used to fill the open pores on the surface.) Wbonever asked about using paste wood WOOOSMITIi
Gllo,.,;.my fil'lltndviee i. "don't." (I usually qualify that with "unless you must have a pcrfectly smooth SUrfRce_ '1 I'll never forget my firste'pcrience with paste woodfill.ron an oak desktop. I wondered wbat I had ItOtWnmyself into. It was terribly messy. Dirt,)' rags were all over the shop_ The filler was drying and the excess had to be wiped ofl'beforc it got too hard. I began to wonder if my project would ever be the same. It was messy and a lot or work. but the smooth surface was worth it (1 guess). BASIC lNGKEIlI':NTS_ Paste wood fillers consist of three (or four) materials: a filler; a binder, a solvent, and, in SOmeeases, a pigmented eoloring'medium. The Iiller Is usually silex. Silex is crushed stone quartz that actually feels like very fine snnd, The portion of the mixture that holds the silex and any pigments together ofter drying is called a binder. The binder in paste wood filler is usually Japaned white varnish. When the filler i. pushed down into the pores, the tiller and binder fonn a tight interlocking substance, It bonds with tbe wood when the soh'ent evaporates. Paste wood rulers arc available in natural (0 tan eeter) or pre-mixed in a varlety of colors (eee bex on next page).
so they can aeeept the filler. THINNING TilE FILLER_ To apply the filler, it has to be thinned SO it can be worked down into the clean, opcn pores. From the can it's a very thick, goopy material about the consistency of peanut butter (smooth, not chunky). I use naphtba as a thinner since it dries quickly. but some manufacturers recommend mineral spirits. Check the instructions on the can. The actual ratio of thinner to solvent varies depending on the size of the pores (Ieso solvent for large poree, more for small ones) and lhe brand of the paste wood filler. One o!the fillers r like to use Is Behlen's PO"e-O-PacPaste Wood Filler (see Sources, pg. 24). When using this filler on oak, I mix it a Httlethicker than they suggest on the can. instead of the .uggested 60150mixture, I mix about four pam; filler to only three parts naphtha in a wide mouth mayonnaise jar. On woods \\;th smaller pores such as walnut and mahogany, I mix it 50150to get a little thinner mixture: about the consistenc:,' of heavy cream, BRUSIlING IT IN. AfWr the ml.r is thinned, it's important to make sure it, gets packed down tightly into the pores, Buy a cheap brush and CUI down the bristles until they're very sho.1. lind stiff. Fill up the brush with the thinned filler and pack it down into the pores. First work with the grain, then brush across the grain leaving a thin layer offiller on the surface. Occaslonally stir the thinned filler as you work. REMOVING TilE .,.LLER_ Before too long (about five minutes with naphtha and more like 15to 20 minutes with mineral spirits), the filler starts to look dull. Before it gets completely dry and hard, the filler has to be wiped orr the .urf_ - ",ithout pulling it out of the peres. Irs always a race again.s~time. A piece of burlap Is probably the best wiping rag, but any coarse cloth will work. (It needs to be abrasive enough to break up
21
the quickly dr)1ng gunk, and porous enough 10 hold lots of it.) \Vipe of[ across the W'tlin to remove only lhe Iiller th~t's on tho aur(llce. Sometimes a }ightfollo\v-up wiping ulitJtthe grain may be necessary to remove any streaka. In corners, crevices, and moldings )'OU may have 10work with a piece of cloth wrapped around a sharpened dowel. Shop Kote: It's much casier (and quicker) to put the filler on than to wipe it off. If you apply it 10a large area, the filler can dry hard at one end while you're scrambling to wipe orr Iho othcr end. (If this happens, moisten it. with the solvent to keep the surface wet.) I find it less frus· trating if I work On a three square foot area, wipe, and then proceed. Once all the surfaee fillcr is wiped off, cheek it by viewing at a low angie 10 the light. All the pores probably won't look completely filled and fiat (that requires the aurfaec finish), but it should look like it's almost filled. II it doesll't, mix up some more filler (make the mixture a little thinncr this time) and apply it the same way 10 top off any unfilled pores. With all the pores tightly packed with fiUer. allow tbe project 10 dry compieIeJy. This may take overnight or • couple day s. Theil sand (220 grit) very lightly and wipe with. naphtha-moistened rag to clean up the surface. Now iI's "eady to be sealed. SEALERS AS LIQUID
FILLERS
Sealers can be used in • number of ways: 1) They are applied before $wning Iolimit penetration of the stain into the wood. Or, 2) aner staining to provide a "cushion" between the stain and thc top coat. Or. 3) on raw wood to provide a nat, smooth base for a top coat. (These uses of sealers will be covered in subsequent artlcles.)
FIN
sea Iers are intended for lacquer, and are not compatible with varnish or poly-
urethane. However; there are sealers
formulated specifically for var nI8h (see Sources, pg. 24). You have to check the label for compatibility. A WASil COAT.All of these problem. can be POrE'. This leaves minute crevices on the avoided by using a dilute (50150) wash root surface of the wood that need topping off or the fin;"h you plan to use as the top root. - with a sealer. I usual!,)' brush a mixture (half top finish, Also, when I'm working with cl08e~ half solvent) right on the bare or filled omitted woods - such :lIJ pine. maple, \\'000. Any varnish, shellac, polyurethane, birch, and cherry - where filler isn't or Jnc.·(IUCrcall be thinned down and used as needed, ( sometimes usc t~sealer to fill in a wash com without compatlblllty probthe minute pores and level the surface. lems (i.e .• varnlsh wash coot under varnish If you want to use • 8.81er as a liquid top coat, ete.) filler, there arc several products available. Note: Shellac is often mentioned as a Tho,", labelledjust.plain "sealer" pro, ide a standard wash coat. But it's not eompaticlear impenetrable base coat (or steins and ble \\;th polyurethane sod many varnishes, top coats. "Filler-sealers" USUallycontain In general. sanding seale", arc used by oilie. and are thinned down, but clearer. professionals who want to get a base coat vo... ion~ of paste wood fillc1' Perhaps the down, sand it smooth, and get Ihe top <'08t m~l commonover-the-counter product. is on - all In a few how'S. But for those of us who aren't in a rush, and still want a glasscalled "sanding' seale.'," !ing lem. is just to use a wash coat or the top time, Sanding sealers al"Ohave zinc stear- finii"h a.... a sealer. ate added 3$ a lubricant to make sanding CONCLUSIONS ea.'Ji<-r. These f;V.'O ingrta
NG TIPS ••• adding color to filler
One of the bigge.'l problem. that comes up when working with paste wood filler L< color. Should you use a .tain when you use n filler? And if so, how? Most of the booka I've read recommend thllt you stain !'irst nnd then apply. filler that's darker than the stain. However. this m~an~you can't agg1'c~ijl\'e)ysand the filler fiat with the rest of the surfaee-a.. you're sanding the mler, you'lI also sand right througll the .!:oin. Reversing the pruc.;"", d_n't solve the problem. I£you apply a colored ruler first, you can sand it clown Rat. But the filler tends 10 seal thc wood so the stain can't soak In evenly to give the co1< ... you want. So, what's the solution? I don't bothcr to use a stain at all when I uw paste wood filler. Instead, I keep •• upply of natural pao;te wood filler on hand and add a variety of pigments to it to create the shade I
22
But there's another role o.al ers can play - as a light (liquid) liller. In the ftrSt part of this article, I talked about u~ing paste wood fillcl' to obtain a omooth su r face on O/X'U'{J>'U;IItd woods. This works to a point. Out paste wood filler doesn't always fill lip 100% of every
want. Enougb of the oolor from lhe filler >'(l..kainto the area betw ec·n the pores that
the whole piece takes on n uniform ('Olor. Th. two colOring mat",;.I. [ use are ,Japan col.,"" and artist'S oils, .cc Scurces, I'g. 24. Note.: It's tempting 10 want to add an oil-based stain (lik. MlnwlIx) to color the filler, but this can cl~·.l,' problems. \Vith oil 8U1.ins you're adding a solvent along with the pigmenl, and you may wind up adding too much .olvent to j!Clth. color ~'OU\\'ant,
and extend th(' dl')'ln,ll time.
Japan colors and .rti.ts' oils. on the other hund. are highly concentrated pigments sWlpended in a thlok mcdium (about the consistency of peanut butte"). They
allow you to add color in Nrnull nnlounts"itho.1 dlluting the fille>: The mOl'tcommonJapan colo", I use are raw gienna (yellowish brown), burnt sienna (reddish brown), ".". umber (light
brown), buml umber (dark brown) sod "an Dyke (dark chocolate brown). By adding these colors a tittle bit at a time, you can obtain just about any shad e. II', best to be a little con.
it darker.
One of my fa"orile shad"" l. similar to )Jjn\\'ax·~Early
American stain, Th mL,\: it,
I thin '.
______Ta_~_m_gSho~
_
AN OPEN FORUM FOR COMMENTS AND QUESTIONS exactly the same size. 1 needed a better method than the "waste edge" approach. One of the most difficulL operations on a The scluticn was a special push jig ror table saw is cutting thin, narrow strips. I small pieees, see Fig. 2. Thisjig rides over had to make several variatiens .fLhis <)1)(0 the fenee and guides pic ees as amall as \I." x or cut for the projects shown in this issue. 1 \10" securely through the blnde with no needed small splines for the Lr ay, small dange.· of kickback. square stock to make tho dowels, and thin To make lhejig, cut. blo
hold it sgoinst the renee. To cut narrow pieces. ~lide the bolddown over the stock and tighten the wing nUL. see Fig. 3. I aL", use a .mall guide "OLD $11111AO/JN5T FENce WITH NOfCtilO GUloe '''(I(
*..
-~
UR
t SET DISTANCI!
SIT HllGHT Of ILADI TO100M WIOlll Of Sl'UNI ____.,.
8fTWtlN '(NeE AND 6lADf TOEQUAL
T
GlUE
to
etOCK
Of SPUNt
An.er this notch is cut. cut
CUT SnlNIS Off
_..t--"WAsre-
'001
BuUorthesecondcut, the measurement musl be taken on the outside (Iaft.)side of the blade. Then when the cut i. made, the small ,trip just falls off on the waste side. with no danger of kickback. PUSH JIG FOR SMALL STRIPS
The "waste edge- method ie okay if you onl)' need to cut one Or:' lWO strips off one edge of the board. But t hi. method becomes tedious if you want, to cut a lot of ~trips because you hnve to measure and t'C·a,ljuat the fenee each cut. Thi. is the problem I faeed when 1 had to
an.,·
cut a whole bunch of strips
"'I"'" x +1.-
square to make the dowels (shown on page 16). Since all of these strips had to be WOODSMITH
AND
WING{Hur AND WASH'.
nuC1
'_
MfASUltf MOM lEfT $11)l OF IlAO(
•
'\ SCflEW
SUOING HOlD-OOWN
H
piece of y.-
Ma.onit~ long enough to fit th. notch. and "ide enough to extend to the surface of the tabl e. Note: Cut this hold-down wilh "heels" on both edges. A. one edge gets worn just Rip the piece over 10 use the oth er edge. b'or very narrow piece •• I alSo cut n hold-down out of W' Masonite. Then to mount this piece In the nOleh, drill. pilot hole centered in the n<>teh,and sere w a hex-bead bolt in th. hole. (AI· though this may not seem proper, the thread. will "screw" intc the wood.) Screw in the bolt far enough 80 about 11.. of the threads ",'0 len. sticking out. Then cut off the shank (unthreaded PRlt) and t,he head of the bolt. Shop Note: \Vhenever you cut a threaded piece to length. the end gets all goofed up so it's difficult to thread on a nut. To801,·.this problem. thread on a nut first. thon cut t h. piece to length and unscrew the nut. As the nut comes off it will"clean" the threaded end. Now, in order to mount t.h•• liding holddown, drill a series of ¥an" holes LO form a slot that tits over the th,..,nds of the bolt. Mount the hold-down over the bolt and hold it in plaee with a washer and wing nut.
Then screw and glue another piece of M... nite to the right side of the block to
stick with a notch on the end to push the workpiece tight against the fence as thejig push .. it througb the blade. WEDGEDDOWns
If )'OU remember Tinker Toys, you know the whole theory behind the wedged dow· els we used for the "breakfast in bed" tray and earrter (see pages. 14.and 18). Thi. project involved what ohould be a very simple operation: putting the end of. y.... -dia, dowel in a ~·-dia. hole. But this never seems to work the ".~. it should. The dowel is always" tad too big or a smidgen tOOsmall U) fit just right. To solve this problem, 1 used an enhaneed version of the Tinker To)' method - jUgt cut. kerf in the end of the dowel and add" wedge. To make sure the kerns centered on the dowel. 1 u~ed a small holding jig. sec Fig. .1. Start by cutting a guide kerf with the back saw about I' from the end and Y.... deep. Then drill a hole the sam. size as the dowel. centered on this kerf.
CUT $KONO KlltF ON
..... s.w
oown
~DE YIEW
11l clamp the dowel in this hoie. cut another kerf that goes through the center of the hole. Now, slide the dowel in the hole, elamp the sides of the jig tight around the dowel, and use a back saw to cut. kerf in the end for a wedge.
23
Sources fiNISHING
THE SWING/GLIDER
to finish the porch swing and glide.' base, we decided to take a look back at the article we did two years ago on When it was time
outdoor finishes (lI'ood81>1it" No. 27). That iss". featured a redwood and cedar picnic table, chairs, and outdoor bench. recommended that they be fini$hed with Olympic Wood Preservative (Cleal·). Ted took the furniture home and pu~ them out on his deck, \Vitbiil a couple months' lime, problems developed. First, tbe cclors started fading. Then, dirty stains appeared. A,nd finally; water eings showed up wherever a wet glass had been set down. He ended upsanding and reeoating the set twice each year, The problem is that the outdoor wood
'V.
preservatives and stains we discussed in lVood~milh.No. 27 aredesigoed topreserv" the wood. But they just don't stand up to the wear and tear associated with outdoor furniture. And they're not fcrmulated to work on hardwoods- like thaoak we used for the swing and glider. There's a better answer for both hardwoods and softwoods: spar varnish. This is an excellellt finish to use on outdoor furniture, for three reasons, First. it's waterproof, SO it stands up to repeated cycles of rain and sun. Boatb\lilders use it ((l finish boats used in salt water, Second, it's both tough and elastic. it resists surface wear and rear and allows the wood to expand and cont~ct without cracking the finish (as sometimes happens with polyurethane). And finally, most spar varnishes contain ultraviolet inhibitors to prevent the sun's rays from discoloring the wood. Spar varnish is available at many hardware and paint stores. Pratt: & Lambert'« No, 8~ Spa.' Val'nigh and Pittsb"rgit. Paint's all .. " Spar Va,,,,is}/ are a couple. national brands we found locally. The Spal' varnish we used on the ..wing and glide" is 80h/"'''8 Water White Reuoration Varnisli. \Vater white ....fers to the fact that it's clearer than most varnishes. Note: Behlen's i. very thin - but many spar varnishes are thicker and should b. thinned as much as 50/50. Behlen's can be ordered from: WOOD fl~JSHING SUPPLY CO.. INC., 1267 ~l.ryDrive, Macedon, NY 14502: (315) 9864517 (Catalog: $2.50). Behlen's !VaUlr White R.stomtion Varnish, Order No, 8603·22756 (quart), $10.20; Order No. B6Q8·22767(gallon), $25.88. ~1ostspar varnishes contain a mixture of tung oil and linseed oil. Sutherland lVell•• ' fung Oil Varnish (Emrior) only has tung
oil (which makes it expensive, but very
24
durable.) Sutherland Welles also makes a Poly",.rizetl j?fY;tQrior'1lm{/ <'>it thai penetrates into the wood rather than forming a surface coat. Both can be ordered from: GARRf)'M'WADE gO .. I!1C.. 161 Avenue of the Americas, New Yo"k, NY 10013; 800·221·29(2 (Catalog: $3.00), 711ng Oil Van,i8I. (E",teritn-J, Order No. 99Rt3.01, $31.45 (qt.). Polym4t'(z4d J;qctel·Wt· 1I<"g Oil, Order 1'10.99'&14.01, $20.90 (qt.). SCRAPERS
VOltcan owe)' hand scrapers from: (;,\R."WT WAlle. CO., INC" (see address above). C'Il'lJBd Scrapers, Set of 2, Order ('10. 70K06.01, $4.10 per set. S,"edish.
Scrapers, 2v",~~X5" an(12V....x 6", Order No. 71KO~.OJ,$3.90 per set. Sa,ndvik Scraper, 2V,' x 6". Ord ••' No, 19K02.01, $4.85.
SEARS, ROE8I!C~ ANDCO.. (1984/85 lbol Catalog). tl,,·e.-Piece ScralJl6r S.t, (curved, round-end, and SQ.. ight), @rder Mo. 9 GT 37014, $5.99 pel' set. ~V.S.JENRS&SOIl,7387thSt.N.W., \Va.sh· ington, DC 20001; 8OO·6lJ8.6405,Disston SC1'(IPer, S" x 0', Ord .. , No, 20-3x5, $1.95. U.S. GENERAL SUPPLY COR'\. 100 Commercial Street. Plainview, NY 11803; 800·645·7077 (Catalog: $2. 00). Sta"l~y Scraper; S· x 5', Order No. 23895, $4.99, BURNISHERS
You can order burnishers from: GARRETT WADE, CO.. tNe, (see address above). Ro"nd 8,,,,,.i.hl/1', Order No, 19KO~.0I, $5.90. Triarrgular BI
MILL FilES In the article on sharpening scrapers, we recommended .using a Nicltol-so')t JON Smooth e1lt Mill File. Most local hardware stores carry this file or can get it. The Sears 1984185Thol Catalog has a Orajisman IIr Smooth C,,' M';ll File for $4.29 (O.-der No.9 GT 31278), Garrett Wade (address above) recommends using their Second C"t ,Ifill File for squaring the edge of scrapers befo"e honing. price is $5.70 (Order No. 62\VI3.01).
no
PASTE WOOD fiLLER Locally, I found B6>ljami>!.Moore» 8e1'" wood Paste WOIJd,Pill••· and Pralt & [,(I"" /XII1!. Fe.! NatuiVli Paste 1V0odFiller in
half.pints, quarts, and gallons. Sherwin-
Williams carries SII,e1··Wood Natura!
FiUe,. in gallons only.
Order Behlen's Pore-O'Pae from: WOOD F'NlsmN(,: SUPPLY CO.. INC"
(see
address above). Behle,,'. Po,'e·O·Pac Past. Wood Filler, Natural, Order No, B744·04FI6 (quart), $9.30; Order No. B744-04F17 (gallon), $26,70, They also carry seven colored paste wood fillers. Naphtha or VM & P (varnish makers' and 'Painters') naphtha is recommended to thin most paste wood fillers. If it isn't available locally, you can order it Irom l\'ood Finishing Supply. Beh,,,,,'s Naph. Iha, Order No, B650-OO56(quart), ~.50: Order No, B650..()()57(gallon), $1,2.00. Japan Colors can be used to tint natural paste wood filler (seebox at bottom o[page 22). Wood FinishingSupply offel-s19Japan Colors (sec catalog~, We mentioned Bel".
1111'." B"r"t
Umber Japa" Color, Order
No, Bif60..14334 (¥. pt.), $6.88. Artists' oil colors also can be used to tint paste wood filler. 'rhey're available in t~thpaste·style tubes (usually 1.25 fl. oz.) from '''~ supply stores. Common brand names are Liquitex, Bellini, Grumbachel; and Windsor & Newton's. Prices range from $2 to $7, hut earth colors (the siennas and umbel'S) are the least expensive. SANDING SEALER The problem in selecting the correct sanding·sealer is compatibility - it must be. compatible with the top coat. Those I.· belled "lacqu .. •sanding sealer" should only be used under a lacquer top coat, SherwinWilliams, for example, makes Sh.t,·Wood
u.~){e;- Sa>
Order lacquer sanding sealer from: WOOD ~"NTSll'NG SUPPLY GO.. INC.. (see address above). 8e)l/en'. QllaialacqSand· iitg Sl!Il16r, Qrde" No. B611·02oo7, SI8,88 per gallon. Those labelled "sanding sealer" or "vinyl sanding seal ••,,, usually can be used und.. , varnishes. Some state on the can that they may be used under polyurethanes, Othel'S are specific that tbey should not be used und .. · any urethane varnishes. Sherwin- Williams makes Sher·Wood Vi· "'1ItS«tlding SOO/eI'($21.90 per galion) and Pratt and Lambert makes E36 F'ille,i Seb~ ($7.94 per quart, $23,44 per galion) and H.O Sa"ding Sealer ($5.83 per quart, $17.00 per gallon). You can order vinyl sanding sealer from; 'rilE WOODWORKERS'STOll>;, 21801 lndustrial Boulevard, Rogers, MN 5;;374; (612) 428-4101 (Catalog: ~.oo). McCIo8· k-ey's Cle,a,' Sa'l!lillg Seale'; Order No. P1240, $9.75 per quart, $24.95 per gallon. WOOI)SMITH
