Woodworking Projects in Waupun, WI
Woodworking Projects in Waupun, WI
I
NEWOR. AWIN.Dongla8
AwuamrnE urn. Cheryl Scott
I$&&&u
Julia Fish I
Peters to a National Hardwood
Lumber Association Seminar.
Two of the projects in this issue
(Tool Handles and the Set-up e
Rick came back from the semi- Gauge) have brass parts.
RECEPTIONIST Jeanne Johnson
nar muttering about a sore back But brass parts are used for
'BUILDINENAl*rENANCE Ken Griffith
and lots of work. (Actually, I more than decoration. For exam-
think he had agreat time hanging ple on the tool handles shown on
around the saw mill.) page 10, I used a brass ferrule.
But in the end, it was worth it. The ferrule is installed on the end
Rick gathered a mountain of in- ofthe handle and preventsit p om
formation and some new insights splitting.
TECHNICAL SUPPORT on lumber standards. For the Set-Up Gauge shown
SVSTEUS OPERATOR C-. Another change you on page 24, I used brass for dif-
may notice is there's not a Shop ferent reasons. To protect the
Supplies catalog with your issue. base of the gauge from wear, I
This is not an oversight. The added a wide brass strip. An-
Shop Supplies catalog is being other brass strip keeps the 6"
completely redesigned. metal rule vertically aligned.
The people involved with the ADDlTIONS. Since the last is-
catalog are looking at new ideas sue of ShopNotes we've added a
and products. And new ways of few new faces. Mark Higdon is
presenting these ideas to you. helping produce the art work.
In the mean time we mill con- Kent Welsh has joined our design
tinue to offer kits and hard to find staff. And Jeanne Johnson is our
hardware on the Sources page. new receptionist.
No. 5
I S S U E N U
0
Small-Piem Miter Box 4
Cut tlght-f~ttmgmlters on small pleces of trlm with th~s
shop-made miter box
Small-Piece Miter Box page 4
SmaN Shop lip5
,I
8
Five space-saving tips to make your woodworking shop
more comfortable and efficient.
Tool Handlee 10
Manufactured handles are designed so "one size fits
all. " A custom-turned handle looks and feels bettec
Turning Jig 14
You don't have to own a lathe to turn wood. This simple
jig lets you turn small projects on your drill press.
Shop 5olutions 28
Five shop-tested tips: Drilling Tip, Scroll Saw Blade
Organizer, A Tip for Turning, Squaring a Miter Gauge,
and Pads for C-clamps.
Lumber Thicknetis 30
Find out why saw mills, lumber yards, and retail outlets
often use different terms to designate lumber thickness.
SOUIY;~~ 31
Hardware, project supplies, and mail order sources for
the projects in this issue. Set-Up Gauge Page 2.4
NO.5 ShopNotes
JIGS & ACCESSORIES
Small-Pie
Miter- -
NYLON BPACER
4 ShopNotes No. 5
J 1 6 S & A C C E S S O R I E S
SECOND:
GLUE FACE
ENTER FOOT ON TO FENCE
No. 5 ShopNotes 5
~
. ~.~
~
1:
NOTE: SPAcE135TOucH
C
WHEN BOLTS ARE INSTALLED
OF SPACE135
of the miter box is the SPACERS. The key to these ''guide bolts" are mounted
WN
pivots to position the saw at the box on page 31.) Three of these and eliminate any "play".
ShopNotes
-
No. 5 ShopNotes 7
Thesefive space-saving tips
will help you get the most out of
your small workshop.
COHBIIPIl46 TOMS
One space-saving tip is to com-
bine two stationary tools into
one. An example of this would be
to turn the extension wing of
your table sawinto amutertable,
see drawing.
Besides saving floor space,
there's another advantage to this
set-up. You can use your rip fence
to guide a workpiece on both the
table saw and the router.
Note: When you're not using
the router, just lower the bit so it KIP FENCE CAN
doesn't protrude through the top BE USED WITH
SAW OR ROUTER
of the extension.
8 ShopNotes No. 5
EXTRA WORK SPACE
If space is limited in your shop,
you can convert your tahle saw
into a light-duty assembly or fin-
ishing area.
This is easy to do. Just slip a
shop-made cover over the top of
the saw, see drawing.
The cover is a piece of plywood
that's cut to fit the overall dimen-
sions of your saw table. To keep it
from shifting in use, glue wood
trim around the edges.
Note: This cover is not de- COVER IS INTENDED
signed for heavy weights or ham- FOR LIGHT-DUTY U S E
mer blows.
SUPPORTING WORK
It's surprising how well two tools
can work together if you position
them next to each other.
For example, locate a drill
press next to a radial arm saw,
*
see drawing.
Positioning the drill press like
this allows you to support and
safely cut long boards on the ra-
dial arm saw.
T9 do this, position the drill
press to the lefiof yourradial arm
saw. Then raise or lower the drill
press tahle untjl the workpiece
lays flat on the saw tahle. When
it's level, make the a t .
TOOL GROUPS
Many woodworkers position their U5E TOOL HEIGHTS TO
tools around the perimeter of the POSITION ROUTER YOUR ADVANTAGE
shop. But grouping tools together
cansave alot ofspaee,seedrawing.
The trickis positioningthetools so
they don't interfere with each
other in use.
For example, if your router ta-
ble is the same height (or slightly
lower) as your table saw, you can
position it behind the saw. This
way it saves space and acts as an
outfeed table.
Or if the top of your jointer
fenceis lower than the top of your
bablesaw, you can slide it right up
next to the table saw.
No. 5 BhpBaEes
I
You can rnake
your own
finely crafted
tool handles de-
signed to fit
your hand like use, the important thing is the fit of
a glove. the handle on the tool. For tools with
a tang (files and most chisels), you
have to drill a hole in the end of the
belonged to your grandfather), you small pilot hole in the block before I start turning.
don't even need alathe or turning tools to make any FERRULES. To prevent the tang from splitting
of the handles shown on these pages. (For more on the handle, a ferrule (metal collar) is mounted over
turning handles, see page 14.) the end of the handle.
WOOD. One of the Grst things to consider for a I've tried making ferrules from small pieces of
handle is the material. A chisel handle that's going to brass tubing. But the tuhimg stretches out of shape,
be hit with a mallet requires a tough, springy wood and then rattles around or falls off. The ferrules
like oak While a handle for a fle or a paring chisel is shown on the handles here are made kom brass hex
a good place to try out different kinds of hardwood. nuts. (See page 13 for more on this.) a
- 6eWaWr can &a fsp eand of dle to shape and Bim &a hsr@ a w r Wthe
f ~ pilol
~ " hale> hwl
i
'
the bkxk. 77,s is d ta waste off the top. fhe bot-
gu& this M t&m drilling tom is left on toprovicks%up- IhehaMfla m s a m l t h e
ffwz bgw hdhlfw fb tang. port when drillinn endsmooth. ,,
10 ShopNotes NO.5
One of the ironies with top qual- 4 A rounded end
ity files and rasps is that they that tapers gently
don't come with a handle. You're
expected to make your own.
1Vd' 0.6"
1 TI I 'r to a finger
that's stop . to
the secret ..
y
t L I -
That's actually a blessing in the comfortable
zgT:~
disguise. The handles that come
on cheaper files are usually too
15 SIZED
FOR 3%"
HEX NUT
Q -E~.,*., grip on thfs large
file handle made
small for comfort and control. of cherry
A good handle on a file can kinds of wood. I used cheny be- hand comfortably, I turned the
make a big difference in the fa- cause it's tight-grained, turns handle 6" long with the rounded
tigue on your hand and the ease well, and the color contrasts end at a lN" diameter.
of applying pressure where you nicely with the brass fittings. This is slightly larger than
want it -especially on a project HANDLE SHAPE. The handle is most manufactured handles he-
that requires a lot of shaping. shaped with a large rounded end. cause I have a tendency to
For large fles and particularly Then it tapers to a neck, and in- squeeze small handles with a
wood rasps, I prefer a large handle creases again to create a stop for "white knuckle" grip.
like the one shown above. your thumb. FERRULE. TO prevent the end
MATERIALS. Making a file han- Basically, the length and thick- from splitting, I turned it to accept
dle like this offers agood opportu- ness of the handle is a matter of a 5h" brass nut as a fermle. (For
nity to experiment with different individual preference. To fit my more on femules, see page 13.)
1
TAPER. The neck of the handle MATERIALS.As for the mate- The hole for thefile is sized tofit the width of
is turned to a short taper -just rial for this handle, I used a piece the tang halfway from the end of the tool, and
long enough to rest your knuckle of spalted maple to create ahighly is slightly deeper than the lw@h of the tang.
and extend your index finger past figured design.
No. 5 ShopNotes 11
The handle for a b ion the heel of your hand.
paring chisel Although it's not intended to be
must have a hit with a mallet, the domed end
barrel that fits
NOTE: % canwithstandlightpoundingwith-
the palm of your
hand, and the
neck should be
TOOL END
IS SKED
FOR %"
HEX NUT
%~-*tm-47-z4 out splitting. (I would use a wood
mallet with a leather face.)
FERRULE.The tool end of the
shaped to handle is sized for a 6h" brass hex
fit your thumb. The form of a chisel handle is de- neck should be sized and shaped nut that serves as a ferrule. (For
termined by its function For a to fit your thumb so you feel com- more on this, refer to page 13.)
paring chisel (that is meant to be fortable pushing the blade into Likeflehandles, aholeisdrilled
pushed rather than struck), I the wood without fear of slipping. inthetool end to accept thetangon
chose a rather traditional handle. Compare this to the chiselhan- a chisel, see box below.
This style is especially suited dle below that is designed to be MATERIALS.S~~C~ this handle
for handwork because the barrel struck with a mallet. is not intened to be struck with a
of the handle tapers to a small D O m END. Another feature mallet youcanuse just about any
neck, which then h e s to a of this handle i e the rounded or kind of wood. I turned a piece of
thumb stop. "domed" end. When using two maple which created a unique
Thebarrelshouldbesized tofit hands to push the chisel through swirling pattern on the handle
your hand comfortably. And the a workpiece, the dome helps cush- shown ab
Straight-grained b
oak, a hoop, and dle to help it withstand the shock
a leather washer h m a mallet.
combine to help HOOP. First, I added a hoop on
this handle with- the end of the handle to protect it
stand blows IS SIZED
from splitting or deforming.
from a mallet. , - The hoow is made from a sec-
tiun of brass pipe. Since it doesn't
If you're going to use a chisel screw on (likethe brass nut I used
primarily for chopping, the hxn- for the fermle), it's fitted to thc
dle should be designed to with- end of the handle and sized so the
stand repeated blows. wood mushroom over the hoop
WOOD. To take the shock from to hold it in place. (For more on
a mallet, the wood for the handle making a hoop, refer to page 13).
needs to be tough and springy. (I LEA'WASHQ~ At the
chose oak for the handle shown other end of the handle, I used a
above.) Also, the wood should be 5h"brass hex nut for a ferrule, as
straight-grained and W e of knots on the other handles.
to reduce the chance of b r e w . But before attaching the han-
HANDLE SHAPE. The shape of dle, I added a leather washer to
the handle is not as critical as that fit between the tool and the fer-
l b f i t the chisel in the handle, the hole is sized of a paring chisel. I chose a simple rule. The washer acts as a "shock
to match the diameter of the tang and drilled barrel-shaped handle that's easy absorber" to help cushion the
slightly daeper than the length of the tang. to grip with my band. blows of a mallet. (I made this
However, there are two addi- washer h m an old belt.)
12 ShopNotes NO. 5
SHOP PROJECT
Ferrules
Turning the handle to shape is TANG.However, the problem FERRULE. I made a ferrule by Ferrules made
just the &st step. To mount the here is the tang acts as a wedge grinding the "corne1~"off a brass from brass hex
chisel blade to it you need to drill and can easily split the handle. To hex nut. (I chose brass because nuts prevent
a hole for the tang. Then you can prevent this, a fermle is mounted it's easy to grind to shape and the handle
drive the handle onto the blade. t o surround the hole for the tang. polishes up nicely.) from splitting
Installing the ferrule is simple. when driving it
Just tighten the nut in a vise and onto the tang.
CUT THREADS ON TOOL END
BYTURNING HANDLE INTO NUT screw the handle into the nut like
THIRD: a wooden bolt, see Fig. 1.
DRIVE HANDLE
ONTO TANG
FINISH.^^^^ the nut '%ot-
toms out" on the handle, back it
off and grind the corners smooth,
see Fig. 2. To polish the ferrule,
FIRST:
THREAD NUT sand it with progressively finer
ONTO HANDLE grits (120 to 600) of silicon car-
AND GRIND
TO SHAPE bide sandpaper.
LEATHER WASHER.A8 an O p
tion, you may want to add a leather
washer as a "shock absorber" be-
tween the blade and the ferrule,
OPTIONAL LEATHER
WASHER ON CHISEL
see Fig. 3.
SEATHANDLE. Afterretighten-
ing the f e d e , the last step is to
seat the chisel blade in the handle.
To do this, place the cutting end of
the blade against a wood block and
drive the handle ontc "- 'ang, see
Fig. 3.
I t doesn't take much pounding on BRASSPIPE.The hoop is cut To prevent gonging the wood r A metal hoop
a handle before the end starts to from a short length of 34" brass when fitting the hoop over the made from a
split and deform. To prevent this, pipe. (I picked the pipe up in the end, file a slight bevel on the in- piece of brass
I install a metal hoop on the end plumbing depar+s..at the side edge of the hoop, see Fig. la. pipe reinforces
of the handle, see Fig. 1. hardware store.) 5. :, ,:?.3+j;;] U&e the ferrules,there are no the end of a
. ..--.--:.
- ..
I.:.
- 8
No. 5
Turnln!g
JU
All it a e s to The guys in the shop were just a bit skeptical when
your aI kdrillt showed them this turning jig. After all, using
press as a vertical lathe is a bit unorthodox,
into see photo. Not to mention the fact that I used an
a lathe are a ordinary flat-bladed screwdriver as a turning tool.
few scraps of (For more on this, refer to box on page 15.)
wood, a couple After turning a few tool handles, everyone was
of bolts, a.nd an amazed at howmuch this jigfunctionedlike astand- Here again, the head and threads are cut off. To fit
ordinary ard lathe. That's because it has the same basic eom- the center of the workpiece,grind one end to apoint,
ponents as a lathe: a drive center, a tailstock, and a see box below. Then drill a hole in the block to
screwdriver. tool rest, see drawing below. support and position the bolt on the drill press table.
D&IVE CENTER To turn a block of wood, you TOOLREST ASSEMBLY.The last part of the turn-
have to prepare one end of the block by cuttimg a ing jig is a tool rest assembly. The purpose of this
diagonal kerf, and drilling a hole for the drive cen- assembly is to support and guide the scraper. It
ter, refer to Step 2 on next page. consists of three parts: a tool rest, a support block,
The drive center transfers the rotation ofthe drill and a base, see Exploded View. Note: The tool rest
press chuck to the workpiece. It's made from a bolt is made from hardwood, while the support blockand
with the head and threads cut off, and has a 6d nail base are made from plywood.
mounted at one end of the bolt. (For a tip on drilling
the hole to mount the nail, see page 28.)
TAILSTOCK The other end of the workpiece
So that you can hold the scraper at an angle to the
workpiece, cut a 45" chamfer on one edge of the tool a
rest, leaving a 3A6"-wide edge to support the flat
spins on a tailstock. This is just a side of the screwdriver blade.
EXPLODED VIEW bolt or rod that fits in a block To complete the turning jig, screw the tool rest
# 8 x t * h U ~h of3A"-thickhardwood. and support block to one corner of the base.
WOODSCREWS
14 ShopNotes No. 5
=OX) Cart
Wheels,pegboard panels, and pull-out
t ~ a y combine
s to make this roll-around
cart a versatile addition to your shop.
i-
S torage and
bench space.
There never seems to be
tion inside the eart holds power tools and supplies.
And an open area under the top is the perfect place
to keep clamps handy.
Faughin the shop. Powertools PEGBOARD PANELS. Pegboard side and back
&ecessoriesend up buried under panels provide an easyway to hang oftenuseditems
' sawdust. Andwhen aproject gets started,
the benchgetshiddenunder apile of lumber.
on theoutsideofthe cart. This keeps tools andother
accessoriesright at hand.
r What I needed was storage space that could OPTIONALTRAYS. Trays on the inside of the eart
double as a bench or work surface. And it had to be pull out on full extension slides. And this makes it
mobile. This way I could move it easily around the easy to fuld those tools and parts that always seem
shop where it was needed. The solution to this to hide way in the back.
problem is the shop cart shown above. JOINERY. Another feature of this eart is it's easy
8TORAGE SPACE. F h t of all, there's plenty of to build. I used a simple stub tenon and groove joint
storage space, both inside and out. A divided see- throughout. (For more on this joint, see page 22.)
No. 5
FEATURE PROJECT
RAIL
-0
STILE
No. 5 ShopNotes 17
Back and Sides
The roll-around shop cart is basi-
cally a simple cabinet. It's made
up of a back and two sides, refer
to Exploded View.
I*
BACK
I started work on the cart by
making the back. The back is just
a frame and two pegboard panels.
The frame consists of a top and
bottom rail (A), two end stiles
(B), and a eenW stile (C), see
Fig. 1. The stiles fit between the
rails and support the two peg-
board panels (D).
JOINERY. After I cut the frame
and panel pieces to size, I use a
stub tenon and groove joint to
join the frame and the panels to-
gether, see Details in Fig. 1.(For
step-by-step instructions on how
. IS S/d'-THICK
No. 5
I Shelves and Divider
iS) The shelves of the shop cart pro-
vide storage space and help IDE SUPPORTS.
strengthen the cabinet, refer to
Exploded View. The two shelves
are identical and easy to build.
S n ~ ~ w s . E a cshelf
h (I) is
made from a piece of 1h"plywood.
Then to prevent the shelf &om
bowing and to cover the plywood
edge, I added a piece of shelfedg-
l ing (J), see Fig. 4.
This edging is joined to the
shelf with an offset tongue and
groove joint, see Fig. 4a. After
the joints are cut, the edging is
glued to the shelf.
SUPPORTS. TO attach the
shelves to the cabinet, I used shelf
supports. They're preddled to
make it easy to screw the shelves
to the cabinet, see Fig. 4.
The side supports (K) are
glued to the shelf first. Then a
back suppd (L) is cut to fit be-
tween them, see Fig. 4.
~ A C SHELVES.
H TO attach
, @ the shelves, screw the lower shelf
inside the cabinet so the bottom
of the edging (J) is flush with the
bottom of the cabinet, see Fig. 5.
Then to create a lip around the
upper shelf (so tools won't roll
off),position the shelf 1h"below
the top rails (A and F ) and screw
it in place, see Fig. 5a.
C ~ D I V I D E R Next, a
c a t e r divider (M) is screwed he- shelf edging (J) and back support These 1"-thickblocks provide ex-
tween the shelves, see Fig. 6. The (L), see Fig. 6a. tra holding power for the screws
center divider is just a piece of CASTERS.Finally, a set of that hold the locking swivel cast-
1h"plywood with the top two cor- caster blocks (N) are glued under ers in place, see Fig. 7. (For
ners notched to fit around the the bottom shelf, see Fig. 7. sources of casters, see page 31.)
SHELF EDGING
No. 5 ShopNotes 1
~ - - --
I
With the center divider screwed
in place, the next step is to make
the top of the shop cart.
TWO PIECES. The top is made
by gluing up two plywood top
pieces (0).These pieces are cut to
match the overall width of the
sides (191h") and to a length of
42". Note: The 42" length allows
for a 3" overhang on each end.
To 'lock" the top in place, I cut
dadoes on the underside of the
plywood to fit over the side stiles
(E). -
. ., see Fie. 8a. Once thev're cut.
the too nieces are screwed to the
I
L A
Doors -
W~"-THICK
. .
ier. The idea here is to cut them
b RAIL
to length so the doors are tight (9'X 12V~'')
20 ShopNotes NO.5
F E A T U R E PROJECT
No. 5 ShopNotes 21
l
I CENTERGROOVE
ON THICKNESS
OF STOCK
b.
[ ,
RAIL
h.
5TLE
UP- . .- .E:
GROOVE5 ARE CUT
IN ALL FRAME PIECES
(-
TENON FILLS
GROOVE ON
END OF STILE
ShopNotes No. 5
Cutting the Grooves
The grooves are cut in the rails
and stiles for two purposes. First,
they hold the panels in the frame.
And second, they serve as open
"mortises" for the stub tenons.
CENTERED GROOVE. The im-
portant thing is to cut agroove so
FORMS HALF
it's centered on the edge of the
frame piece. To do this, start by
USE FEATHERWARD
setting the blade height to the TO HOLD WORKPIECE
desired depth for the groove. AGAINST FENCE
No. 6 ShopNotes 23
Adjustable m~i
T %-Up Gauge
TMs adjustable set-up gauge This means you can "pop" the
solves both problems -it's pre- rule off and use it elsewhere. It
cise and easy to read. also allows you to slide the rule
TWOPARTS. There are two ba- and use it as a depth gauge, see
sic parts to the g w g e a bodyrand
a sliding arm,see h w k g a t l e f t .
Agmovein the body accep€s a
center photo below.
EASYTOREAD. The key to
making the set-up gauge egsy to
e
S etting a MIW blade or router
bit to an exact height (or
depth) can be a challenge. The
tongue that's cut in the arm.This
allows the arm to slide up and
down the body without twisting.
read is the sliding arm. It's sup-
ported by the body and extends
out over the bit or blade, see bot-
tricky part is getting an accurate Then the arm can be locked in tom left photo.
readingoff a rule or tape mesure. place to take accurate readings. In use, the arm is adjusted so
The curved profiles on many PRECISION. What makes this the bottom just touches the high
router bits make it almostimpoasi- gauge precise is an accurate rule. point of the bit or hlade. Then the
ble to get a precise measurement. (Forsources, see page 31.) The brass strip on the sliding arm in-
And likewise,the angled teeth of a rule is held in place with a small dicates the exact height of the bit
saw blade make it diflicult to read. magnet, see Exploded View. or blade on the rule.
A Helght: Accurate height readfngs A Depth: The rule of the gauge is held
are easy wfth this gauge. That's be- in place with a magnet. This lets you
dA Disfance: The gauge can also be
used fo set a fence a precise dfstance
cause the arm extends over the blade. slide it to check the depth of a mort,se away from a router brt or saw blade
24 ShopNotes No. 5
7he Body
The set-up gauge consists of two
main parts: a body, and a sliding
arm,refer to Exploded View on
the opposite page.
I started work on the L-shaped
body by cutting a 3" wide by
515/16" long blank, refer to Fig. 2.
GROOVE. Next, a shallow (%"-
deep) groove is cut in one edge of
the body. This groove is one-half
of a tongue and groove joint that
allows the arm to slide up and
down the body without twisting.
The other half (the tongue) is cut
on the sliding arm later.
It's easiest to rout the groove
in the blank before the body is cut
to shape. I did this on the router
table, see Fig. 1.
To make sure the 1h"-wide
groove is centered on the stock, SECOND: .,
use a%" straight bit and take two . ... .
passes, flipping the workpiece THIRD:
end for end between passes, see
Fig. la.
z A $ , " T BODY f
BODY SHAPE. After the groove
is cut, lay out the shape of the
body on the blank (note the lo=- NOTE:
k-
5 1~~' +
BODY IS CUT FROM a/$'-THICK STOCK
tion of the groove), see Fig. 2.
Then drill a 1"-dia. hole and cut
out the body with a sabre saw or router table, see Fig. 3a. dia. hole for the magnet that holds
hand
...... saw. ShowTiw: To ensure a werfedlv the metal d e in ulace. see Fig. 4.
ROUND 0 v E ~ m ~ s . W i theth smoo&&d-over, firstsand thk Note To makeLsure the h e
body cut out and sanded,the next sawn edges of the body, then rout doesn't slip, I use a high-strength
step is to soften the outside the edge. magnet. (Seepage 31 for sources.)
edges, see Fig. 3. To do this, I MAGNET.After the edges are Finally, to complete the body,
used a 1A" round-over bit in the rounded, lay out and drill a %"- epoxy the magnet in the hole.
FIRST:
Hardwar
LAY OUT AND DRILL HOLE
SECOND:
EPOXY MAGNET IN HOLE
W D I A . HOLE
No. 5 ShopNotes 25
I.
C -
The 51jding Arn
After completing the body of the
set-upgauge,Istartxdworkonthe 2
slidixg am. Here again, I used an FOR SUPPORT
oversized blank, see Fig. 5.
CUT TEIE TONGUE. The &st
step is to cut a tongue (the other
half of the tongue and groove
joint) to fit thegroovein the body.
The important thing is to get a
tight fit that still allows the arm
to slide smoothly.
Just like the groove, I cut the
tongue with a straight bit on the
router table. But this time I
moved the fence overthe bit leav-
ing lh"exposed, see Fig. 5a.
To do this, start with a test
piece (the same thickness as the
sliding arm). To form the tongue,
take light passes on each edge
until the tongue just fits in the
groove. When the fit is snug, cut
the tongue on the blank.
THE SHAPE. After the tongue is
cut, lay out the shape of the sliding
arm on the blank, see Fig. 5.
To make it safer to rout the
sliding arm,I left a "handle" on
both ends, refer to Figs. 6 and 7.
To make the handles, drill a 1"-
dia. hole and cut the blank to
shape, refer to Fig. 5.
ROUND OVER EDGES. The next
step is to round over the outside
edges of the arm. (Note: Don't
forget to sand the edges first.) To
do this safely, hold the blank by
the 'Onandles" and rout a V4"
round-over, see Fig. 6.
CUT TEE^. lblocktheset-
up gauge in position after you've
taken a reading, a slot is cut in the
sliding arm,seeFig. 7. Cuttingthe
slot is a two-step process.
First, drill a pair of %I1-dia.
holes to define the limits of the
slot. Then rout out the waste.
This can be done in a couple of
passes with a V4" straight bit on
the router table, see Fig. 7. (Here
again, use the handles for safety.)
Finally, trim the sliding arm to
its finished width and length, re-
fer to Fig. 7a.
ShopNotes NO.5
()body
The sli- arm is attached to the
ulth a brass machine screw,
washer, and knnrled nut, seeFig. 8.
BRASS SCREW.To locate a per-
fectly centered hole forthe screw,
I use a V4" brad point drill bit.
To do this, hold the arm and
body together with the ends
flush. Then insert the bit in the
end of the slot and mark the cen-
ter, see Fig. 8a.
Now drill a hole slightly less
than the diameter of your screw.
~ s ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ . A s sofe mtheb l y
gauge is simple. F i t , the brass
m e w is screwed into the body.
Then the head of the mewis cut off.
Next, slip the arm over the
screw and add the washer. Now
just thread on the lmurled nut and
fle the screw flush, see Fig. 8h.
BRA.% ~TRIPS. There are three
brass strips on the gauge: two
3A"-widestrips act as wear plates
on the bottom, and a V4"-wide
strip on the sliding arm to keep
the rule ahgned, see Fig. 9. (For
sources of brass, see page 31.)
Since the V4"-wide strip is filed
flush with the wear plate on the
bottom, it acts as apointer for the
rule, see Fig. 9a. (For more on
attaching brass, see box below.)
FWE After the hrass is at-
tached, wipe on a couple coats of
tung oil. Finally, attach the rule
to the gauge and it's ready to use.
A A simple sy%tem
No. 5 ShopNotes 27
Shap Solutions
Drilling 77p -
I need to drill a
hole for a cross-pin in
a dowel, bolt, or steel rod,
see photo above. The problem is
the bit has a tendency to wander
off the curved surface, so it's
tough to center the hole exactly.
To pinpoint the hole and to pre-
vent the tip of the bit from sliding
off, I use a simple drilling jig.
(Editorb Note: This jig is espe-
eiallv hadv when drillinu the
hole needed on the drive center of the block againat a fence clamped Now drill the second hole the
the Turning Jig, see page 1.4.) to the drill press table. The f i s t same size as the desired uoss-pin
The jig is just a block of wood hole is drilled with a bit the same hole in the bolt. The bit doesn't
with a square end. The idea is to
drill two holes in the block that
diameter as the bolt (or dowel), slip off, And the bolt is held se-
see Fig. 1. Next, rotate the block curely by the block. a
are at 90"to each other.
To do this, position the end of
soit rests onits adjacent side. and
=..
insert the bolt, see Fig. 2. :;'i.;-:, :
.
. . . :,.. .- r~
.' . ~
-,
-.--
-$.:~'-:-
-
D a mS O U ~
Pride, Louisiana
. . .~.;~?i :,:-<,
~.. ..:
28 ShopNotes No. 5
1 Turning
- lip I
.Here's an old turner's trick I against the spinning workpiece.
use before applying a finish to a Thisburnishesthe wood and brings
project on a lathe. out a nice sheen in the turning.
When I'm done sanding, I Alan Miller
press a handful of shavings up Sumamento, Cal$onzia
1 .
Squaring a Miter Gauge
I read your tip on setting the
miter gauge on a table saw 90" to PIECES T O G N E R
the blade. (Editor's Note: This tip
appeared in Issue No. 1.)
I use a slightly different teeh-
nique that doesn't waste as much
wood. This technique requires
taking a thin slice off two pieces
at the same time, see Fig. 1.
F i t , stack one piece on top of
the other. Then place the edges
against the miter gauge and trim
the ends, see Fig. la. Next, unfold
the pieces like you would turn the
pages of a book, see Fig. 2.
-
Now. set the ~ i e c e son edge
(the edges that were against the
,ter gauge are down on the ta-
ble), and slide the cut ends to-
gether, see Fig. 3.
If a gap appears at the bottom,
the miter gauge needs to be ad-
justed clockwise, see Fig. 3a. If
A~JUSTGAUGE a.
CLOCKWISE IF GAP
the opening is at the top, adjust 15 AT BOTTOM
Clamp &ds -
T o keep h m marring the sur-
TAPE SNAP-ON
LIDS FROM 35mm face of a workpiece when using
1f .you'd &&share miginaLaolq-
tions ko problems you've faces, &&,
C-clamps, I attach "pads" to the
.them:ttz HbpiVotes, Attn: SharJ So-
jaws of my clamps, see drawing.
The pads are snap-on lids from
35mm fihn containers that are
taped to the jaws with carpet
No. 5
-
Lumber Thickness
I ' v e often heard other ards for surfaced thick-
woodworkers talk about ness. Some stores sur-
The terms used 414, 514, and 814 stock. face hardwood down to
to describe lum- What do these desigru- 3A"because that's what's
tiom mean? used with soRwood.
ber thickness
-
Canbe confus- First of all, these "quar- .I've seen lumber sold
ing. But once ter" designations stand as S2S and S4S. What
you break the for the thickness of do these letters and
"code" it's easy hardwood lumber as it's numbers mean?
to understa.rzd. cut into rough boards.
QUARTERS.Tl-adition- These letters and num-
allv. hardwood lumber is
30 ShopNotes No. 5
Sources
ShopNotes Pmject Supplies is of- Cart are available separately. called a rare earth magnet. If you
fering some of the hardware and The drawer slides are 18" full want to purchase the magnet
supplies needed for the projects extension slides and are rated at only, it is available through Shop-
in this issue. a 75 lb. capacity. One pair is Notes Project Supplies and
We've also put together alist of needed for each drawer or tray. through the source listed below.
other mail order sources that S1006-211 One Pair 18" S1001-250 Rare Earth
have the same or similar hard- Drawer Slides ...................$5.95 Mamet ..............................
$10.95
ware and supplies. We used two pairs of 3"lo~king
casters on the Shop Cart. 8' RULE
MITER BOX S747-211 One Pair 3" The Set-up Gauge shown on page
There is a hardware kit available Locking Casters ............
$19.95 24 is designed to work with any
for the shop-built Miter Box 6"metal (not aluminum) rule. The
shown on page 4. The kit includes SET-UP MU6E rule we used is one we had manu-
all of the hardware necessary to If you would like to purchase all factured to our own specifica-
-
build the Miter Box. It does not of the hardware needed to make tions. One side is graduated in
include the hand saw, the wood, the Adjustable Set-Up Gauge Vls" increments the other side
or the Masonite. shown on page 24, there is a kit has 4g" increments.
S6805-100 Miter Box Hard- available. The kit includes all of S701-116 Woodworker's Rule
ware Kit ..............................$9.95 the brass varts, screws. and high- No. 601................................ $9.95
strength magnet. (BASS strips Note: Similar rules are avail-
Rm-AROUHD CAM lik, the ones we used can also be able from some of the mail order
ShopNotes Pnoject Suppliesis of- found at local hobby shops.) sources listed below.
feriig a kit that contains all of the You'll need to supply your own
hardware needed to build the metal rule and wocd. Note: Ifyou GLUE
Shop Cart shown on page 16. donlt have a metal rule, one is We used a special glue to tempo-
Similar hardware can be found available separately. rarily hold the brass onto the Set-
locally or *om the mail order 56805-300 Set-up Gauge Up Gauge. The glue we used has
sources listed below. Hardware Kit ..................
$14.95 a slower setting time than most
S6805-200 Shop Cart Hard- instant glues. This type of glue is
ware Kit ............................ $69.95 also available from some of the
The only unusual piece of hard- mail order sources listed below.
DRAWER SUDES & CASTERS ware used in making the Set-Up 54010-210 Special-T Instant
The drawer slides and locking Gauge is the magnet. We used a Glue (2 02.).......................... $9.95
casters that we used on the Shop small, but very strong, magnet S4010-220 Solvent .......... $4.95
a 800-221-2942
Instant GlzLe, M a 1
R&
Store
612428-2199
Dnwm S l h , Iid&g
cwtm, M d Rule, 1%
stant G l w
G l v a Metal Rule 1-800-444-7527
No. 5 ShopNotes 31
~