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NNOWOWEvenEven MoreMore ProjectProject DesignDesign Options!Options!

TM Woodworking To Improve Your Home

InstallInstall YourYour OwnOwn SolidSolid WoodWood FloorFloor

Plus:Plus: ●● 33 QuickQuick WaysWays to to DressDress UpUp DoorsDoors ●● Easy-to-BuildEasy-to-Build EntertainmentEntertainment CenterCenter ●● LayLay aa CustomCustom GardenGarden WalkwayWalkway

www.WorkbenchMagazine.com No 266 July/August 2001 Contents

16 16 Garden Walkway You don’t have to be a skilled mason to lay this garden walkway. Using precast concrete squares and a simple wood framework, you can build a casual walkway, patio, or even entry steps to your home.

22 22 Install Your Own Solid Wood Floor Nothing beats the beauty and durability of a solid wood floor — except the satisfaction of installing it yourself. Find out everything you need to know to nail down a great looking floor.

30 Pre-finished Wood Flooring Solid vs. engineered? Nailed vs. glued installation? Here’s a close-up look at pre-finished flooring products.

2 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 TM

32 32 Entertainment Center Build this elegant cabinet for your TV and stereo equipment in a weekend — for under $400. That’s what I call entertainment! 40 3 Quick Ways to Dress Up Doors Pick your style — country, traditional or contemporary — and turn plain-looking interior doors into something special.

DEPARTMENTS 5 13 Questions & In The Shop Answers 48 8 New Products Tips & Techniques 51 11 Sources & Resources Workbench 53 Interactive.com 8 Craftsmanship 53

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 3 TM

VOLUME 57 NUMBER 4 EDITOR Tim Robertson ASSOCIATE EDITOR Erich Lage ASSISTANT EDITORS Bill Link Kevin Shoesmith Mike Donovan Joel Hess ART DIRECTOR Robert L.Foss SR. ILLUSTRATORS Susan R.Jessen Kim Downing ILLUSTRATORS Mark S.Graves Robert McCammon CREATIVE DIRECTOR Ted Kralicek SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER Crayola England PHOTOGRAPHER David McClure PROJECT COORDINATOR Kent Welsh EDITOR’S NOTES PROJECT DEVELOPER Ken Munkel PROJECT DESIGNERS Chris Fitch & Craig Iseke ave it yourway.That slogan interior doors on page 40.If youhave SHOP CRAFTSMEN Steve Curtis & Steve Johnson ELEC. PUB. DIRECTOR from a popular fast-food place hollow-core passage doors (or bi-fold Douglas M.Lidster PRE-PRESS IMAGE SPECS. Troy Clark Hkept running through my closet doors) in your home,one of the Minniette Johnson mind as we worked on the projects for three styles is sure to be a hit. PRESIDENT & PUBLISHER Donald B.Peschke this issue.Like a super-sized combo meal, GARDEN WALKWAY.We’ve also MARKETING AND SALES DIRECTOR these projects are allabout options. includeda great Garden Walkway pro- Fritz Craiger(515)282-7000 ext.2400 The Entertainment Center featured ject (page 16) with such a simple design ADVERTISING SALES MANAGERS Mary K.Day(515)282-7000 ext.2200 on page 32 is a good example.You that it can be modified in dozens of George A.Clark(515)282-7000 ext.2201 can build the cabinet exactly as it’s ways.The four options shown on page ADVERTISING COORDINATOR shown.Or if you prefer another style, 21 are just the tip of the iceberg. Nicolle Scott(515)282-7000 ext.2135 choose one of the design options above. NEW FACES.One reason we’re In spite of the differences in style,all able to provide so many options is

of the cabinets are quite similar.Each because our Workbenchfamily is grow- WORKBENCH(ISSN 0043-8057) is published bimonthly (Jan.,Mar.,May,July,Sept.,Nov.) by August Home Publishing Company, one starts out as a manufactured base ing.Kim Downing has joined us as our 2200 Grand Ave.,Des Moines,IA 50312. cabinet,then the entertainment center new Sr.Illustrator,Robert McCammon Workbenchis a trademark of August Home Publishing.Copyright©2001 August Home Publishing Company. is “pieced”together around it. will be helping out as Illustrator,and All rights reserved. Subscription rates:Single copy,$3.95.One-year subscription (6 issues), To change the style,simply select a Erich Lage is picking up the respon- $15.94;two-year sub.,$27.95;three-year sub.,$39.95.Canadian/Intl.,add $10.00 per year.Periodicals postage paid at Des Moines,Iowa,and at addi- base cabinet made of maple instead of sibilities of Associate Editor. tional offices. “USPS/Perry-Judd’s Heartland Division automatable poly.” oak,or use different moldings,or buy In addition to their art and writing Postmaster:Send address changes to Workbench, arched-panel doors instead of narrow, skills,these guys have over 50 years of PO Box 37272,Boone,IA 50037-0272. flat-panel doors.(To find out more woodworking and home improve- Printed in U.S.A. about these options,you can visit us at ment experience between them.So Corporate Services: www.WorkbenchMagazine.com) we’re excited to have them on board. Corporate Vice Presidents: Douglas L.Hicks,Mary R.Scheve • Controller: Robin Hutchinson • DRESS UP DOORS.The options Senior Accountant: Laura Thomas • Accounts Payable: Mary Schultz • Accounts Receivable: Margo Petrus • Production Director: George for the Entertainment Center are only Chmielarz • Network Administrator: Cris Schwanebeck • New Media Manager: Gordon C.Gaippe • Web Site Art Director: Eugene the beginning.Be sure to take a look at Pedersen • E-Commerce Analyst: Carol Schoeppler • Web Site Content Manager: David Briggs • Sue M.Moe • Professional the three different ways to “dress up” Development Dir.: Michal Sigel • Human Resources Asst.: Kirsten Koele • Office Manager: Noelle M.Carroll • Receptionist: Jeanne Johnson • Mail/Delivery Clerk: Lou Webber • Circulation: Subscriber Services Director: Sandy Baum • Circulation Manager - New Business: Wayde Klingbeil • Multi-Media Promotions HOW TO REACH US Manager: Rick Junkins • Renewal Manager: Paige Rogers • Billing & Collections Manager: Rebecca Cunningham • Marketing Analyst: PROJECT DESIGNER Editorial On The Internet: Kris Schlemmer • Assoc. Marketing Analyst: Paula M.DeMatteis • Questions: WorkbenchMagazine.com Promotions Analyst: Patrick A.Walsh • Creative Resources: WorkbenchMagazine Free Weekly Associate Editor: Craig Ruegsegger • Assistant Editor: Joseph E.Irwin 2200 Grand Ave. • Art Director: Douglas A.Flint • Senior Graphic Designers: Chris We’re looking for a Project Designer to Woodworking Tip: Glowacki,Mark Hayes,Robin Dowdell • Graphic Designers: Vu research and designwoodworking and Des Moines, IA 50312 WoodworkingTips.com Nguyen • Products Group: Operations Director: Bob Baker • [email protected] Customer Service Manager: Jennie Enos • Warehouse Supervisor: home improvement projects. For more Nancy Johnson • Buyer: Linda Jones • Administrative Assistant: Subscriber Services: Nancy Downey • Technical Service Representative: Johnny Audette • information, check out our career open- WorkbenchCustomer Service Customer Service Representatives: Anna Cox,Tammy Truckenbrod, ings at www.AugustHome.comorsend P.O. Box 842, Des Moines, IA 50304-9961 Deborah Rich,April Revell,Valerie Jo Riley,Linda Stepp,Eddie Arthur Phone: (800) 311-3991, Fax: (515) 283-0447 • Warehouse Staff: Sylvia Carey,Sheryl Knox,Albert Voigt • Dustin a resume to: Ted Kralicek, 2200 Grand Hess,Micheal Overbey • Woodsmith Store: Manager: Dave Larson Online: WorkbenchMagazine.com • Assistant Manager: Tim Thelen • Sales Staff: Wendell Stone,Jim Ave., Des Moines, IA 50312. • Access your account, Check on or make a subscription Barnett,Kathy Smith,Larry Morrison,Harold Cashman,Mark Johnson payment, Change your mailing or e-mail address, Tell us • Office Mgr.:Vicki Edwards if you’ve missed an issue, Renew your subscription

4WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Questions & Answers

Thinner shingle sawn Shingles & Shakes: on both sides What’s the Difference?

Inoticed you used cedar shin- Shakes are also available in dif- gles on the “Garden Gazebo” ferent styles,namely:hand-split, Qfeatured in your May/June taper-split (tapered),and hand-split 2001 issue.Are cedar shingles the same and resawn (smooth on one side). as cedar shakes? INSTALLING SHINGLES.It’s Jason Bodicker best to apply wood shingles to a roof Philadelphia,PA over open sheathing of 1x4’s or 1x6’s without an underlayment,as shown Although you might hear in Figure 1.Open sheathing allows people talk about wood shin- air to circulate underneath the shin- Hand-split A gles and wood shakes as the gles,which helps prevent rot.Solid and resawn shake same product,there are a couple of sheathing along the lower edge gives differences worth noting.Where the roof a finished look underneath they differ is in their appearance or and provides a base for attaching ice- the profile they create (a result of guard membrane (required in some INSTALLING WOOD SHINGLES how they’re made) and in the northern regions). sheathing and underlayment needed INSTALLING SHAKES.Wood when attaching them to a building. shakes can be applied over either APPEARANCES.Wood shingles open or solid sheathing depending have a machined surface on both on where you live.Their rougher sides (see photo above),which texture allows some natural air flow. Open gives them a smooth,finished The use of an underlayment is the Sheathing !/4" -#/8" Wood appearance.This is because the big difference between attaching Spacing Shingles shingles are sawn from chunks shakes and shingles. (called bolts) of wood. To install shakes,start by applying Solid Most wood shakes,on the other a 36" (or wider) strip of 30-pound Sheathing 1"!/2 hand,are thicker than wood shin- roofing felt for eave protection.Then Overhang Double gles.They also have a rougher,tex- use an 18"-wide strip between the Starter tured surface (see photo).This is a upper portion of each course of Course 1 result of shakes being split,not shakes,as shown in Figure 2.This is sawed,to thickness.Splitting also especially important in severe cli- produces a more rustic looking mates where driving snow and rain INSTALLING WOOD SHAKES profile or appearance. can penetrate the textured shakes. 18" Roofing Full strip of Felt eave protection #/8" -%/8" Spacing Tapered S H A RE YO UR Q UES T IO NS ! Edge 15" If you have a question about woodworking or home improvement, write it 36" Wood Shakes down and mail it to WORKBENCH Q&A, 2200 Grand Ave., Des min. Starter Course Moines, IA 50312. Please include your name, address and daytime phone number in case we have any questions for you. You can also reach us via Fax at !/2 Rafter 1" Double (515)283-2003 or by E-mail message at Overhang Layer [email protected]. If we publish your Bottom question, we’ll send you one of our handsome Row 2 and fashionable Workbench caps.

5WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Repairing Bubbles on a Veneered Surface

I have an old piece of furniture Loose veneer usually is a Then carefully cut a single split in with a veneered surface that’s result of poor contact the bubble with a utility knife, as Qcoming loose.The problem is A between the veneer and the shown in Figure 1. It’s best to score “bubbles” about the size of quarters are substrate.The adhesive may have the bubble several times to make the starting to appear.What’s the best way simply dried out, causing the veneer cut in multiple passes. to deal with these? to lift. If the veneer is dry or brittle, Now you can work some glue Dale Duncan start by lightly dampening the repair underneath the loose veneer.When Green Bay,WI area to soften it.This will help keep working with veneers, I like to use the veneer from cracking further. hide glue. It forms a strong bond and dissolves with moisture and heat if you ever need to make repairs again.To apply the glue, use a needle-tipped syringe inserted into the repair area (Fig. 2). Finally, press the veneer flat onto the substrate with a laminate roller (Fig. 3).A piece of wax paper will keep the roller from sticking to the veneer.You can use some heavy books or clamp a wood block over the repair while the glue dries.

Cut with grain in multiple passes.

Bubbled 1 Veneer

Squirt glue under loose veneer. Glue Syringe

Use roller to press repair flat.

Wax Paper 3

6 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Adding Flashing to an Existing Deck Siding removed There isn’t any flashing To prevent water from sitting Wall between my deck and house, directly on top of the joists, the Sheathing Qand I’m concerned about water flashing can be bent into a drip Ledger Board seeping behind the ledger board and edge.To do this,use a wood block causing rot inside the wall. How can I and a hammer.You don’t have to fix this problem without having to tear pound very hard when doing this. the whole deck apart? Even a slight edge will help direct Toni Hansen water away. Decking removed Omaha, NE 1 PROTECTING AGAINST WATER It’s possible to add flashing Before you reattach the siding, Silicone Caulk to your deck, but first you’ll apply a bead of silicone caulk along A have to pull up the first few the seam of the flashing under- deck boards and remove the bot- neath the door sills. It’s a good idea tom row of siding, as shown in to apply caulking around all of the Wall Galvanized Figure 1.This will expose the wall fasteners, too. Sheathing Flashing sheathing and ledger board. Once you’ve sealed everything, all that’s left is to reattach the first ADDING THE FLASHING couple deck boards.You’ll also Deck Joist With the decking and siding out of need to fit the siding that was the way, you’re ready to retrofit the removed back into place. It goes Drip Edge deck with strips of flashing. Start at overtop the flashing, as shown in 2 one end of the deck and cut a 12"- Figure 3. long strip of 7"-wide galvanized This procedure works well to flashing to span the ledger opening. add flashing to an existing deck. It’s easier to work with shorter But whenever possible — espe- Leave siding short strips and allow for a 3" overlap cially if you’re building a new deck of deck surface. between sections. — I also recommend you use some Next, bend the strip lengthwise type of spacer to set the ledger 4" from the edge.After spreading a board away from the house a bit. bead of silicone caulk along the This will allow the ledger board to Decking top edge of the ledger board, press dry out if necessary. reattached the long leg of the flashing against The box below shows how to the house and nail it to the wall attach a new deck and flashing to 3 sheathing (Fig. 2). the side of a house. ATTACHING AND FLASHING NEW DECKS Anytime you have a beam such as a ledger board pressed Outer Silicone Caulk Galvanized tightly against a house, there’s a good chance it will trap moisture and encourage rot. To guard against this when Multiple Flashing washers building a new deck, you should create a gap for air to for spacers circulate so the board can dry out. Inserting three or Drip Edge four galvanized washers between the ledger board and flashing does the trick. To further defend against water, I’ll use two layers of Deck Joist flashing. The outer layer can again be tucked underneath the bottom row of siding and bent slightly. Extend the inside layer below the ledger board and bend the lip out Ledger over the siding underneath the deck. This way any water Board that gets behind the ledger board will run away from the house before it reaches the siding. Inner Galvanized As a final precaution against potential water damage, Flashing apply caulking around any seams and holes.

7 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Tips & Techniques

FEATURED TIP

Tray Back (1) #/4 " x 3" x 12" Tray Side (2) #/4" x 3" x 10" Tray Front (1) #/4" x 3" x 10 !/2 "

Handle Slot Tray Bottom (1) 1!/4 "-wide, Back (1) !/2 #/4" x 10 !/2 " x 9" 5!/4 "-long #8 x 1 " #/4" x 12" x 18 #/4 " Fh Woodscrews Post (2) CL 1#/4 "-dia. Hole 1"!/4 #/4" x 3 !/2 " x 22 !/2 " (drilled through) !/4 " Base Side (2) Chamfer #/4" x 2" x 11 !/4 " !/4"-deep, Opening is 1!/2 "-wide Rabbet 6" x 6" Risers (2) #/4" x 2 !/2 " x 12"

8" 1"-dia. Dowel Thumbscrew fits CL 6" through holes in Base and Sub-base. 1"!/4 CL counterbore 2" Sub-Base (1) #/4" x 12" x 14" 1%/8 " Caster (4) Base (1) #/4" x 12" x 17 !/4 " Shop-Built Cart Adds Full-Size Features to Small Vacs

Having limited shop space means For instance, it’s mounted on storage tray.The storage tray is making compromises when swivel casters to make it easy to supported by two posts and has a choosing tools.Take shop vacu- pull around.Also, the shop vacu- built-in handle.The handle is 1 ums for instance.The big models um itself is attached to a sub-base made by drilling 1 /4"-dia. holes. have a lot of convenient features that slides on and off the cart for There are also holes drilled in the like on-board tool storage, a built- easy emptying.The sub-base is tray bottom to hold hose exten- in cord reel, and large handles. held in place with a thumbscrew. sions.Those holes line up with The downside is, those large vac- There’s also a piece of 1"-dia. two smaller-diameter counter- uums take up a lot of space. dowel glued into the sub-base bores in the top riser. Depending Recently, though, we heard that acts as a nozzle holder. on the size of your extensions, the from Ken Winter, who built a spe- On the back of the cart, there’s a hole size and the need for risers cial cart to add full-size features to hole large enough to reach through may be different than ours. his five-gallon shop vacuum. for turning the vacuum on and off. Workbench congratulates Ken Using Ken’s design as a starting The power cord feeds through this Winter for submitting this issue’s point, we came up with our own hole also and wraps around turn- Featured Tip. In recognition of his cart, pictured above.The cart is built buttons that are made with 1"-dia. tip, Ken will receive $250 worth 3 entirely from /4"-thick plywood dowels and hardwood tabs. of tools from The Stanley Works. and has several useful features. On the top of the cart is a

8 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 I-Beam Drill Press Accessory

Holding small pieces on the drill press Glue all joints. is always tricky.Their size doesn’t give you much to hold on to, and most V-Grooves, Top (1) clamps won’t reach far enough to be !/4" deep #/4" x 6" x 6" any help. It can even be dangerous if the drill bit grabs the workpiece and spins it out of your hand. To solve this problem, I construct- Sides (2) ed a small I-beam that clamps to the #/4" x 3 !/2 " x 6" table.With the beam fastened to the drill press table, I clamp the workpiece to the top surface of the I-beam. The I-beam is made entirely of Spacer (2) plywood. Its “I” shape provides sup- #/4" x 1 !/2 " x 6" 6" port and clamping clearance for the workpiece on the upper surface.The lower surface allows the beam to be Center spacer 3"!/2 5" clamped to the drill press table. For blocks on top 1!/2" extra control, rout V-grooves in the and bottom. top to help hold round stock. Bottom (1) Adolph Peschke #/4" x 6" x 6" Des Moines, IA

Homemade PVC Wrench Eases the Reach

I recently replaced a sprayer attach- could use a wrench or channel locks Share Your Tips, ment to my kitchen sink. It was an for a little extra “snug.” To twist the easy job right up until it came time nut on, I set it into the slots in the Jigs, and Ideas to tighten the plastic retainer nut end of the pipe and used the underneath the sink.The nut only “wrench” to reach behind the sink. I Do you have a unique way of doing something? Just write down your tip needs to be hand tight, according to had a helper hold the sprayer-base and mail it to: the instructions. But the instructions from above while tightening the nut. Workbench Tips & Techniques failed to mention how I was sup- Richard Kane 2200 Grand Ave. posed to get my hand around the Troy, MI Des Moines, IA 50312. pipes and all the way up behind the Please include your name, address, sink.There was no room Retainer and daytime phone number. for channel locks, and a Nut If you prefer, e-mail us at: basin wrench doesn’t fit [email protected] that kind of nut. Sprayer Cut kerfs You’ll receive $75-$200 and a I eventually came up in end Workbench hat if we publish your tip. with a wrench design of Nylon of pipe. Retainer Also, The Stanley Works will award my own that I made from Nut $250 in Stanley Tools for the a length of PVC pipe. Featured Tip in each issue. Glue Using the nut as a guide, I 1!/4 "-dia. these joints. For a free woodworking tip every cut kerfs in the end of the PVC Pipe week via e-mail, go to pipe that lined up with WoodworkingTips.com. the “wings” on the nut. I cut the kerfs with a hack- Threaded Plug saw then snapped them PVC Female Adapter out with a pair of pliers. PVC Female Adapter On the other end of the pipe, I glued on a female adapter and a PVC Threaded Plug threaded plug.That way I

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2000 9 New Leverage for an Old Solution

I’ve seen the idea of using short sections of PVC pipe as clamps in a lot of maga- zines, and I’ve used the tip successfully many times. By cutting a kerf in one side of the pipe section, it can be opened up. Then the pipe’s natural spring tension makes it a decent clamp. One problem with this technique though, is that it can be Squeeze screwdrivers difficult to open the pipe toge ther to open very far by hand. PVC “clamp.” I solved this problem 2"-dia in my shop recently by PVC Pipe drilling holes in the pipe and using screwdrivers as handles to pry the “clamps” open. Hole drilled in PVC pipe These clamps work Saw ke rf creates especially well for lami- clamp opening. nating pieces of plywood together. Hank Miller Gappney, SC Slick Finish Nailing

Whenever I install wood molding, I like to lube the finish nails with wax before driving them. It makes driving the nails easier and eliminates splitting the thin, narrow molding. Carrying around a can of wax can be incon- 1 venient, though. So I drilled a /4"- dia. hole in the wood handle of my hammer.Then I pressed wax into the hole. Now the wax is always close at hand when I need it. !/4"-dia. Hole Mike Donovan filled with wax Des Moines, IA Electrical Connector That Handles a Load

I do a lot of picture framing, and one Typical hangers stick out from the of the challenges I’ve had to overcome frame a bit and keep the picture is the bulkiness of most frame hangers. from lying flat against the wall. Others require you to loop the wire Back of frame through a connector and then twist it around itself to secure it. My solution is to use small, loop- !/4" Ring Tongue Terminal style electrical terminals. Double over the wire at the end for a snug fit, then crimp it into the terminal.Then use woodscrews to attach the terminals. #8 x#/4 " Omar Showalter Rh Woodscrew Harrisonburg,VA

10 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 WORKBENCHinteractive.com W Online Turning Magazine Fills a Need for Lathe Know-How

If a spinning lathe gathers no dust, I have to admit, my lathe gets a bit dusty. It’s not that I don’t enjoy woodturning. I just don’t have as much call to use my lathe as, say, my table saw.That also means I’m not much better at turning than I was when I first got my lathe. Of course, one difficulty that any inexperienced woodturner faces is where to get good instruction. Let’s face it, a lathe isn’t as self-explana- tory as a lot of other tools.A little help from experienced woodworkers is a must for new turners. Lucky for me, I came across a Web site recently that aims to help turners of all experience levels. It’s called Woodturns Online Magazine (www.Woodturns.com).This monthly e-zine launched in March of this year and is devoted entirely to turning wood. One unusual element of this a run-on sentence here and there, online magazine is that it requires a you may enjoy that it’s written by paid subscription ($15 a year at the real woodworkers. time I signed up). Once your sub- Some of the things I’ve really scription is activated (it takes a cou- enjoyed so far were an article that ple days), you’ll get a notice that demonstrated eight ways to mount a your password-protected Woodturns workpiece in a lathe (Issue #3, May homepage is ready. Each time a new 2001) and the Artist Showcase that’s issue goes up on the Web, a link to a regular feature in each issue. the issue will be added to your Overall, the site includes a nice homepage.You just need to sign in blend of nuts-and-bolts information to your homepage then follow the and artistic inspiration. link to the latest issue. As to whether Woodturns is worth An alabaster The three issues I’ve seen so far the $15 annual subscription, they do turning by have a good mix of content. offer two free issues so you can try Max Krimmel Including an article on getting started before you buy. I’d recommend try- (above) and in woodturning, to more advanced ing the free issues to see if the e-zine this seg- projects like turning wood fruit. is right for you. Personally, I don’t mented piece In truth, this is a new magazine mind paying for the content. by Tom Dunne (inset) are two examples without the benefit of experienced For subscription information and of the work that is featured in the Artist writers and editors. But as long as a look at the e-zine, go to Showcase in each issue of Woodturns you’re not put off by a few typos or www.Woodturns.com. Online Magazine.

11 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Hardwood Council CD Has Tips for Finishing Touch and More

The Hardwood Council and it’s even more convenient on (www.HardwoodCouncil.com) CD-ROM.All of the Hardwood calls their new informational Council’s popular Project Tips and software “The Finishing Techniques are included on the disc Touch.” But there’s much more as well.These were previously avail- than finishing know-how con- able only as pamphlets. tained on this free CD. The projects range from installing First is the species guide that hardwood flooring over a variety of lists the aesthetic qualities, surfaces, to special finishes like pick- mechanical properties, and ling and antiquing.There’s also some popular uses of 21 domestic good information on installing hardwoods.This is one of my molding. In particular, a lot of atten- favorite features of The tion is given to figuring out the Hardwood Council’s Web site compound cuts you have to make to fit crown molding around a corner. Other projects include a recessed wall unit and a tub surround. This software was designed for the professional finisher who needs guidelines for specifying finishes, but there’s a wealth of information in here for the do-it-yourselfer, as well. The CD can be ordered online at: www.HardwoodCouncil.com Or by calling or writing: The Hardwood Council P.O. Box 525 Use “The Finishing Touch” CD-ROM to experiment with different stains on a vari- Oakmont, PA, 15139 ety of projects. Picured here is a bathtub surround in light and dark stains. (412) 281-4980.

Site To Watch Test Your Hardwood Knowledge

www.BeConstructive.com Using information from “The Finishing of popular hardwoods and descrip- This site may Touch” CD from the Hardwood tions. See how many hardwoods you be worth- Council, we prepared the following list can match to their descriptions. while some- day. I sure Match the definitions at right to A. The Latin name for this tree, hope so.After all, the entire focus of the terms below. An answer key Quercus, means “a fine tree.” this site is to promote awareness of is provided at the bottom right- B. 30 gallons of sap from this tree wood as a construction material.The hand corner of this page, or you will yield 1 gallon of syrup. people responsible for the site call can look the terms up at: C. The roots of this tree release a themselves the Wood Promotion www.HardwoodCouncil.com. toxic material which may kill Network and describe their roster as other plants above them. a “newly formed coalition of indus- ____ 1. Poplar D. Used as early as 400 B.C. by the try companies and associations.” ____ 2. Cherry Greeks and Romans for When I visited the site, it had little furniture making. in the way of unique content. Here’s ____ 3. Hard Maple E. Grows taller than any other hoping they can deliver on what ____ 4. Red Oak U.S. hardwood species. they promise:“A web site that houses information for professional ____ 5. White Oak F. Impervious to liquids and has builders, carpenters and contractors, been used extensively for ship ____ 6. Black Walnut as well as homebuyers, homeowners, timbers, barrels, and casks.

do-it-yourselfers and hobbyists.” Key:1-E;Answer 2-D; 3-B; 4-A; 5-F; 6-C

12 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 In The Shop Perfect Wood Edging With a Flush Trim Fence 1"!/2 Base 4!/2" x 27"#/4 Support 4!/8" x 8" 2"!/2 Fence 10" x 27#/4"

1!/4" x 2" Notch

#/8" 1!/4" x 2" Notch Fence a. Base Straight #8 x 1!/4" NOTE: Bit All pieces for Fh Woodscrew fence are made from Insert 3 /4" birch plywood.

A tall fence with When building the Entertainment recess provides clearance for the TRIM ENDS a shallow recess Center(page 32),I applied a strip of projecting lip. All that’s left is trim the ends of the near the bottom solid wood edging to the plywood The fence is extremely simple to edging.A quick way to ensure a 3 is perfect for shelves. To completely cover the build. Made entirely of /4" ply- square cut is use a table saw and a trimming solid exposed plies, the edging must be wood, it consists of a fence piece, a miter gauge. But there’s a problem. wood edging perfectly flush with the ends, top, base, and four wedge-shaped sup- Since the shelf is quite wide, you flush with the and bottom of the plywood. ports. Notice that there’s a curved have to pull the miter gauge fairly surface of a The best way to do that is start notch in the fence and the base to far back to support it.This means plywood panel. with a strip of edging that’s longer provide clearance for the router bit. that the bar of the miter gauge and wider (taller) than needed. I cut Also, to create the recess for the lip, comes almost all the way out of the edging to length so it extends position the fence so it overhangs the slot.As a result, the head wob- 1 3 about /4" past each end of the shelf. the base by /8".Then, after making bles, and it’s hard to get accurate cuts. (It’s trimmed flush later.) As for sure the fence is square to the base, The solution is to turn the miter width, it should be slightly “proud” assemble all the pieces with screws. gauge around (see photo below). 1 of the surface (about /16").This To use the fence, simply align it This way, the bar of the miter gauge forms a lip that’s easy to trim flush. with the cutting edge of the bit stays in the slot, and the head pro- (see Detail a).Then clamp it in vides solid support for the shelf as FLUSH-TRIM FENCE place and trim the edging flush. you cut off the ends of the edging. To do this,I use a straight bit and a tall, plywood fence that clamps to the router table (refer With the miter to the photo above). In use, the gauge turned fence supports the shelf and around, it pro- keeps it from tipping as you vides plenty of trim the edging. support for a Well, that sounds fine. But wide panel. This since the lip on the edging sticks makes it easy up above the surface of the ply- to trim off the wood, how do you keep the ends of the shelf flat against the fence? The wood edging. secret is a shallow recess in the bottom edge of the fence.This

13WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Pattern Routing: The Secret to Cutting Identical Slots

The Entertainment Centerfeatured on base of the router. (I made mine 6".) Now it’s just a matter of drilling page 32 has seven large slots that And it needs to be long enough so two end holes and roughing out the provide access for power cords and when it’s clamped to a workpiece, waste with a jig saw.Then sand (or cables.To cut these slots quickly and there’s still clearance for the router file) up to the layout lines. accurately, I used a handheld router base. (In my case, that was 24" long.) Before using the template, you’ll and a pattern bit that’s guided by a After cutting the template to size, need to lay out the centerlines for shop-made template. carefully lay out the slot.The idea is the slot on the workpiece. Be sure The template is just a piece of to center the slot on the width and these lines extend far enough so 1 /4" hardboard with a slot that length of the template, leaving the they don’t get covered up by the matches the size of the cord access centerlines visible. Later, they’ll serve template.Then rough out the slot in slots.You’ll want to make the tem- as reference lines that make it easy to the workpiece. Here again, drill a plate wide enough to support the align the template on the workpiece. couple of end holes and remove the bulk of the waste with a jig saw. Router Base Now it’s time to remove the !/4" template remaining waste.This is where the Workpiece time spent making the template pays off. Just align the centerlines on the template with the layout lines on the Workbench!/2" Template workpiece and clamp it in place (see a. Pattern Bit !/4" x 6" x 24" drawing at left). Note:To avoid cutting into the bench, make sure the Align centerlines on template workpiece hangs over the edge. with those laid out for Then set the base of the router slot on workpiece. on the template, flip on the switch, and rout the slot in a clockwise direction.With the bearing of the !/4 Cut 1"-wide x pattern bit riding against the tem- 10!/2"-long slot in template. plate, the cutting edge creates a smooth, clean surface.

a. Miter Moldings Safely and Accurately

If you’re building a project with a lot of miter joints,it’s hard to beat the Panel speed and accuracy of a power miter saw.It will definitely come in handy if Molding you plan to “dress up”the interior doors of your home,as shown on page Support 40.That’s because all of the door panels are surrounded with strips of mold- Block ing that aremitered to fit.That’s a lot of cutting and fitting. Before you get started though,there’s one thing to consider — how to Miter Saw hold the molding on the miter saw.This is especially true for the panel molding on the traditional door.With a curved,decorative profile on one side and a lip on the other,neither side will sit flat on the saw.So how do you keep the molding from rocking back and forth when making a cut? What worked well for me is to attach a wood support block to the table of the saw with double-sided tape (see drawing and Panel Detail aleft).Notice how the lip on the bottom of the mold- Molding ing fits tightly against the corner of the support block.This Fence way,the molding will lie flat when making a cut. To cut the miters,rotate the turntable 45° to the right Support Block and hold the molding firmly against the support block. Turntable Then turn on the saw and lower the spinning blade until it cuts all the way through the molding and support block.After Attach support block rotating the turntable to the opposite 45° angle setting,just repeat with double-sided the process for the other end of the molding. carpet tape.

14WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Tips for Cutting Plywood Cutting a full sheet of ply- CUTTING GUIDE. Finally, to To make a cutting guide, start wood down to size can be a ensure accurate cuts, it’s important by gluing and screwing the fence challenge.It’s big and awk- to use a fence to guide the saw.You to an extra-wide base.Then trim ward to handle.And it’s hard could clamp a board to the ply- off the waste to create the refer- to get clean,straight cuts. wood to use as a fence. But posi- ence edge, (Detail a below). Note: So when building a pro- tioning it on the workpiece so the You may want to make two guides: ject like the Entertainment cut is made exactly where you a 48"-long jig for crosscutting full Center(page 32) that has sev- want it can be a guessing game.To sheets of plywood and a 96"-long eral large plywood panels, solve that problem, I use the cut- version for ripping. how do you cut them to size? ting guide shown below. Now, to ensure an accurate cut, The best way I’ve found is to The cutting guide consists of two simply align the reference edge with use a circular saw, a special parts: a hardboard base and a wood the layout line on the plywood. blade, and a cutting guide. fence that guides the saw.The edge Then with the base of the saw rid- SAW BLADE. One of the of the base acts as a reference that ing against the fence, the blade cuts simplest things you can do to indicates the path of the saw blade. precisely along the layout line. improve the quality of cut is to use a saw blade that’s designed specifically for cutting plywood.The blade Clamp cutting guide in place shown at left produces a clean so that reference edge aligns To help reduce cut with virtually no chipout — even with layout line. chipout, this when making cross-grain cuts. NOTE: Lay plywood with 1" foam steel saw blade SET UP SUPPORTS. It’s also "good" side down insulation has 200 tiny, important to provide (4x8 sheet) Fence razor-sharp plenty of support #/4" x 2" x 48" teeth that underneath the a. remove small plywood. Saw- 2x4 supports amounts of horses, some 2x4’s, Base material. and a sheet of rigid !/4" x 14" x 48" foam insulation Reference work great. Edge Waste Fence

Two Tricks for Getting Tight-Fitting Miters If there’s one thing that can try the material with a chisel (Fig.1).This the wood shrinking as it dries out. patience of most woodworkers,it’s allows the pieces to fit together An easy way to close this gap is to getting a tight-fitting miter joint. tightly along their front edge. burnish the tips of the miters with Fortunately,there are a couple of BURNISH THE TIPS.Even after the shaft of a screwdriver (Fig.2). tricks you can use to ensure tight- the moldings are installed,a miter Hold the shaft at a 45° angle to the fitting joints.Both of these tech- joint may “open up”and cause a gap corner and use moderate pressure to niques should come in handy when to appear.This is usually caused by “fold”the wood fibers into the gap. working with the mitered moldings on the Entertainment Center(page 32) or a different project altogether. Trim the back Use shank of screw- edge of miter BACK-CUTTING.First of all,if driver to burnish with a chisel. tips of miters. you’re trying to fit crown molding to a corner that’s not exactly square, you’ll probably find a noticeable gap where the two pieces of molding meet.To get rid of this gap,try relieving the back edge of the miter by trimming off a small amount of 1 2

15WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Garden Walkway

Planning to add a walkway or patio? Pre-cast concrete squares and pressure-treated lumber are the stepping stones to success.

ften,one home improve- crushed rock path leading up to it. In addition to creating a straight, ment project leads to What I really wanted was a more per- level walkway,there’s another big Oanother.The Garden manent,inexpensive walkway that advantage to the grid.It makes it Gazebo featured in the May/June could be built quickly and easily. easy to build whatever shape walk- issue of Workbenchis a perfect exam- After checking around a bit,I way you want.(Turn to page 21 to ple.It turned out to be a great pro- found just what I needed at the check out other design options.) ject,but I just wasn’t satisfied with the local home center — pre-cast,con- The grid I built has a long walk- crete squares.These “squares”only way leading to a large octagonal cost about $3 each,and they’re area. Granted, the shape is a bit available in a variety of colors and unusual. But it matches the “foot- patterns (We’ve shown a few sam- print” of the gazebo. Incorporating ples on page 17). a large opening into this section To keep the squares aligned,they provided a great place for a planter. fit into a large wood frame that Regardless of the design you forms a grid.(SeeConstruction View select, there’s some groundwork on next page.) Each opening in the involved before you can start build- grid has a base of sand that keeps the ing the walkway. The sidebar on squares level and prevents them page 17 (Breaking Ground) provides from breaking,as shown at left. some useful tips to get you started.

16 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 CONSTRUCTION VIEW CUTAWAY VIEW DETAIL Walkway Grid

Concrete Square

2x6 Frame with Gazebo Concrete Squares forms step. Sand Base Support Stake Concrete Squares can be cut to customize walkway. Simple butt joints and screws make the grid easy to assemble. Concrete Square

Opening for planter, sculpture or birdbath

NOTE: Octagonal area matches Sand keeps Concrete Squares shape of Gazebo. level and prevents them from breaking. Wood Stake anchors Grid made of pressure-treated and levels grid. lumber keeps Concrete Squares aligned.

BREAKING GROUND PRE-CAST SQUARES The size and shape of your walkway high spots off the ground. I rented PAVER PATTERN > will most likely be different than the a sod cutter that cuts an 18"-wide One common type of one shown here. But it will still swath. It’s a heavy machine, and I concrete square has require some basic groundwork. needed a truck and a ramp to trans- a pattern resem- Start by making a rough outline port it. But it was surprisingly easy bling paving stones of the walkway. To provide room to to control. And at $75, it was defi- that lock in place. work, this should be about 6" larger nitely worth the cost. than the overall size of the project. As you can see in the photo at DOUBLE right, I spray painted the layout BASKET WEAVE > lines to make them easy to see This red square has the while removing the sod. same double So why bother cutting the sod at basket weave pattern all? Why not just lay the walkway as the tan-colored right on top? Because over time, stones we used for the sod will decompose and cause our walkway. the squares to settle unevenly. When removing the sod, a gas- powered sod cutter will make short COBBLESTONES > order of what would otherwise be To create the look of an a backbreaking task. (These are After spray painting the outline of the old-fashioned walkway, try available at many rental places.) It walkway, a gas-powered sod cutter using concrete squares also comes in handy for shaving makes quick work of removing the sod. with the look of cobblestones.

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 17 GRID ASSEMBLY

Rail Stretcher

A Step (refer to sidebar on page 19) Rail C a. B c. E

E Sides Opening for planter

F E Divider Outer B C A Rail Rail Stretcher E b. Divider Side Rail D F 22!/2° Bevels End Outer Rail NOTE: Grid is Cap assembled with NOTE: All pieces Sides 3!/2 " Deck screws. are made from pressure-treated 2x4’s. 22!/2° E Side d. 45° BUILDING THE GRID that are added later will complete place while driving in the screws. The backbone of this walkway is a the opening for each concrete square. Depending upon the length of wood grid that creates the openings SIZE OPENINGS.The thing to your project,you may have to add on for the concrete squares (Grid keep in mind is the sizeof the open- extra stretchers to make a longer 1 Assembly).To resist rot,I made the ings.For easy installation,they’re /4" walkway.The stretchers are just but- grid from pressure-treated 2x4’s.But largerthan the concrete squares in ted end-to-end and then spliced cedar would also work well. each direction.I used 18"-squares,so together (Detail a).The goal here is to 1 To simplify construction,it’s best I made 18 /4"-square openings. center the joint line on the thickness to build the grid in the largest sec- To ensure consistent spacing,cut of the rail that fits between the two tions possible.The largest section in all the “like”rails and dividers at the sections of walkway. this walkway is a long,ladder-like same time.For accuracy,I used a This requires cutting the existing assembly that runs from the gazebo miter saw with a stop block.As for stretchers to final length.To deter- all the way through the center of the the stretchers,start with extra-long mine their length,use the same octagonal area.It’s made up of four pieces and then trim them to final spacer again and lay out the location long stretchers (A) connected by a length after the rails are added. of the rail on the stretchers.Then 3 series of rails (B).A set of dividers (C) INSTALL RAILS.To install the measure /4" beyondthat point (half rails,set the first one the thickness of the rail) and trim between the stretchers the stretchers to that length. (flush with the ends) and Now just clamp the rail between screw it in place.The rest the stretchers and secure it with A Stretcher of the rails should go screws driven in at an angle.Be sure B together quickly.Just to drill pilot holes for the screws to Rail remember to space them avoid splitting the stretchers. 1 18!/4"-long 18 /4" apart.What works After installing the remaining Spacers well is to cut a couple of rails,it’s tempting to complete the 1 18 /4"-long scrap pieces entire grid.But the extra weight and use them as spacers would make it quite a bit heavier.It’s Pipe Clamp holds to locate the rails (Fig.1). much easier to position the walkway Rail in place while fastening. A pipe clamp comes in now,rathar than trying to wrestle the 1 handy to hold the rail in entire structure around later.

18WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 SQUARE, STRAIGHT, AND LEVEL FIRST: Square end of When determining the location of SECOND: Drive in stakes walkway to fixed to keep walkway from shifting. the walkway, there are three things reference (Gazebo shown). to keep in mind — it has to be THIRD: Use a String Line square, straight, and level. to position the opposite SQUARE IT UP. If the walkway end (Detail a). leads to a building (or a structure like the gazebo), it should sit square to the entrance.To accomplish this, I started by squaring one end of the walkway to the gazebo (Fig. 2). String Line Stake for string Then to keep it from shifting out of position, I drove in a wood stake Framing Remove any bow in Stretcher and then stake Stakes near each inside corner. Square the middle of walkway. SET IT STRAIGHT. The next 2 step is to remove any curves or bows a. in the walkway.To do this, attach a string line to the squared-up end Stakes should and pull it tight (Fig. 2a). Then align sit below the opposite end to the string and Concrete Squares. drive in stakes. Finally, pull out any bows in the middle of the walkway Grid Concrete Square and stake it in place. FIRST: Level Sand Base CHECK FOR LEVEL. Now it’s grid with shims. time to check it for level. I wanted a SECOND: Set Dirt modest amount of “fall” away from support stakes. a. the gazebo, so I leveled and THIRD: Screw stakes to grid. shimmed it as needed and then 3 screwed the stakes to the stretchers (Fig. 3). Just be sure the stakes are set low enough not to interfere with some angled cuts, the basic con- Now it’s just a matter of leveling the concrete squares (Fig. 3a). struction is similar to the walkway. the extensions to the walkway, as ADD DIVIDERS. Once the main Each wing has three angled sides shown in the photo below. walkway is leveled, you can add the (E) that are beveled on both ends to ADDING A STEP. One final note. dividers (C) that form the halves of fit around the walkway (Grid To create a step up into the gazebo, I each opening. As before use the Assembly and Detail b). Here again, added a wood frame that holds two spacers to locate the dividers before identical rails (B) form the rectangu- concrete squares. (See sidebar below.) screwing them in place (Detail c). lar openings. Only this time, I added This same idea can be used to make EXTENSIONS.At this point, you two short outer rails (F) and beveled steps for a variety of projects. can add any extensions to the grid. one end of each piece to fit against For me, this meant building a the side (Detail d). Like the walkway, “wing” on each side to create the a divider (C) separates each rectan- octagonal area.Although this requires gular opening into two equal parts.

STEPPIN’ UP TO NEW HEIGHTS

It’s easy to add a Size box to hold two Screw step step. Just build a Concrete Squares. to grid. wood frame to hold the concrete squares. Using either 2x6 or 2x8 lumber creates a convenient “rise” After assembling the wings (or whatever extensions you for the step. add), shim and level them to the main walkway. Then anchor the extensions with stakes and screws as before.

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 19 SETTING BED DEPTH

Notch is !/4" shorter than concrete The Screed rides on square thickness. the grid to ensure a TAMP FOR SUCCESS. The secret to a consistent depth. flat, level walkway is to compact the bed with a tamper.

BUILDING UP THE BED the grid. This way, the concrete has arrived — laying the concrete 3 With the grid completed, it’s time to squares (which were 1 /4" thick) squares in the grid. 1 add the sand. It forms a solid bed would sit about /4" proud of the grid. EASY DOES IT.The squares are that helps prevent the concrete SCREED.To make the bed a con- very durable — once they’re in place. squares from settling or breaking. sistent depth in each opening, I used But fitting them into the openings The best way to determine the a shop-made screed (See drawing and requires a gentle touch. The photo amount of sand you’ll need is to detail above).This is just a board that’s below shows a method that worked contact your local sand and gravel notched at each end to form two well for me. Rest one side of each supplier.The walkway I built required “ears.”As you work the screed back square on the grid and slowly lower it A mitered wood two tons of sand which I had deliv- and forth across the sand, the ears into the sand.Try to resist the temp- block makes it ered to the site for about $100. ride on top of the grid which tation to stomp on the square to seat easy to tamp FILL & TAMP. To create a solid ensures a consistent depth. it in the bed. Instead, grab the corners the sand in the bed, you’ll want to fill the grid open- Note:The final depth of the bed and wiggle it down into the sand. angled corners ings in layers, tamping the sand depends on the size of the notches in CUTTING THE SQUARES.With 1 of the grid. between each one (See photo above). the screed. I cut 1 /2"-deep notches all of the full-size concrete squares BED DEPTH. Once the sand is to make a bed of the same depth. in place, there was still the matter of within an inch of the top of the filling the triangular openings in the grid, it’s time to establish the final LAYING THE SQUARES grid.That required making a diago- depth of the bed. I wanted the bed After preparing the bed, the nal cut across the concrete squares. 1 to be about 1 /2" below the top of moment you’ve been waiting for The guidelines in the sidebar at left should make this a fairly simple task. FILL GAPS. After fitting the trian- CUTTING CONCRETE SQUARES gular pieces into place, it’s just a matter of using sand and a broom to fill Cutting concrete squares is defi- with the saw adjusted for a full- in the gaps around the squares. nitely dusty, but it’s not difficult. depth cut, gradually move it for- All it takes is a circular saw and ward until the blade begins to cut. a masonry blade, as shown below. Then guide the saw through the You can find masonry blades cut carefully and deliberately. at a home center for about $7. These blades “grind” through the concrete squares very efficiently. THINK SAFETY. Before you get started though, put your safety goggles on. It’s definitely not worth having a small particle of concrete fly into your eye. SLOW & STEADY. The key to cutting the concrete is a GENTLE TOUCH. To avoid breaking a slow, steady feed rate. So concrete square, prop it on the grid and then lower it gently into the sand.

20 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Design Options There’s one big advantage to the simple, straightfor- ward design of the Garden Walkway — it can be easily modified to build a variety of outdoor projects. To create your own unique walkway, change the BACKYARD GETAWAY > shape or size of the wood grid; use different colors, Looking for a backyard getaway? shapes, and patterns of concrete squares; or experi- Select a focal point like this ment with multi-level projects. The design options tree. Then after building a grid below should provide a step in the right direction. around it that holds different- shaped squares, sit a spell on custom-made benches.

:< PATIO By cutting concrete squares in half (or in quarters), you can create a decorative border for a patio. To ensure proper drainage, just be sure to slope the patio away from the house.

ENTRY STEPS > A bank of steps provides a grand entrance to a home. Each step is a wood frame that holds the concrete squares. Like the step on page 19, using either 2x6 or 2x8 lumber forms pre- sized risers. < SERVICE WALK Even an ordinary service walk can add a distinctive element to your home. And you can knock it out in a weekend — without the hassle or expense of pouring concrete.

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 21 Install Your Own Solid Wood Floor With pre-finished wood strips, installing a wood floor is a do-it-yourself project.

t’s hard to beat the warmth and laying a solid wood floor can be a beauty of a solid wood floor. bit intimidating. In fact, it’s not a IJust take a look at the ‘Before’ job that’s usually tackled by most photo shown at left and the photo homeowners. above to see what I mean. Not that the actual installation is Okay,so it’s a great looking floor all that difficult. It’s just that sanding and durable enough to last a life- and finishing a wood floor is a real time. Plus, it adds a tremendous chore. Not to mention having to BEFORE amount of value to a house. deal with all the sanding dust and But let’s face it, the prospect of fumes from the finish.

22 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 ANATOMY OF A SOLID WOOD FLOOR

Expansion Gap allows floor to expand without buckling. Baseboard covers expansion gaps. !/2" Expansion Gap Fireplace & Hearth

#/4" Tongue-and-Tongue and Groove Stripsstrips form an interlocking floor system.

15 lb. Construction Paper Trim Strips forms moisture barrier. accent fireplace Optional!/4 " Underlayment evens out variations in subfloor. Spline (or Slip Tongue) is used to reverse direction of flooring.

#/4" Tongue-and-Groove Plywood creates a solid subfloor.

NOTE: Install flooring 2x12 Joists provide perpendicular to joists a study support for floor. to create a flat, level surface. WORKBENCH Fortunately,there’s an ideal solu- information about pre-finished wood W ONLINE tion that won’t drive you out of the flooring products,turn to page 30.) Visit us at WorkbenchMagazine.com for: house.That’s to install pre-finished No matter which flooring you ● Exclusive How-To Video Clips wood flooring.This type of flooring choose,a good understanding of on using a “blind” nailer and a has a durable finish applied at the how it’s installed will help prevent time-saving jamb cutter factory.So the difficult job of sand- problems from cropping up later. ing and finishing is already done. The drawing above shows an You’ll find pre-finished wood overview of all the elements in our NEWNEW flooring in a variety of widths,thick- floor installation.But you should be nesses,and wood species.We used able to apply these same basic con- 1 3 2 /4"-wide strips of /4''-thick oak for cepts to your own situation,as well. this project.(See photo at right.) To help guide you through the Notice that these strips of floor- entire process,we’ve included some ing have a tongue on one edge that practical tips and techniques in the fits into a corresponding groove in next few pages for installing a pre- the adjoining piece.Likewise,inter- finished,solid wood floor.From the locking tongue-and-groove joints initial planning and preparation to provide a way to fit the ends of the figuring out the basic layout of the We installed Mirage Classic oak flooring with strips together.This makes it easy to floor,here’s everything you need to an auburn stain. For distributors and manufac- install a flat,solid floor.(For more get professional-looking results. turers of pre-finished flooring, see page 52.

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST200123 PLANNING & PREPARATION FLOOR PLAN Installing your own wood floor is definitely a “do-able”job.But it FIREPLACE shouldn’t be rushed.To get good results, it takes planning and preparation. 24" 3' 6" 3' 0" ESTIMATE MATERIAL.The 3' 8" LIVING ROOM first step is to estimate the amount of 6' 4" flooring material that’s needed.This 16' 6" 13' 6"

depends on the total square footage 6" 13' of the room. FAMILY ROOM PASS THROUGH

This is easy to calculate if it’s a 16' 2" PRE-EXISTING square or rectangular room.Just TILE FLOOR ENTRY TO BE multiply the length of the room by 2' 6" 6' 6' 6" its width.If it’s an irregular-shaped DEMOLISHED area,it helps to make a scaled floor plan,as shown at right.Then calculate the square footage of the smaller 6' 6" rectangles and add them together. One thing to keep in mind is TILE FLOOR there will be some waste when cutting the strips of flooring to fit the TILE FLOOR room.Also,you may end up discard- ing a few pieces because of defects or a mismatched color.To take those PREPARING THE SUBFLOOR taking off the baseboard shoe and things into account,it’s a good idea While you wait for the flooring molding, rolling back the carpet, and to buy about 5 percent more floor- material to acclimate, it’s a good then prying off the tack strips as in ing than needed. time to get started on the subfloor. Figure 1. Removing the carpet was LET IT BREATHE.Once you Keep in mind that the floor will easy compared to the next step. bring the flooring home,it’s tempt- only be as good as the condition of I wanted to lay wood flooring in ing to start laying it down right the subfloor. So it’s important that the small area next to the kitchen away.But to avoid potential prob- the subfloor is solid, flat, and level. that was covered with tile. (Refer to lems caused by moisture and wood Depending on where the floor is the Floor Plan above.) Breaking up movement,it’s best to set it aside for installed (or the age of the house), the these tiles was a real workout — and awhile to let it “breathe”or accli- subfloor may be made of solid wood somewhat messy (Fig 2). But in the mate to the moisture level of the slats, plywood, or concrete. In my end, incorporating this area as part of 3 house.Most manufacturers recom- case, /4" tongue-and-groove ply- the wood floor installation was mend waiting at least 24 hours.For wood had been used as a subfloor. worth the extra effort. information on how to measure To provide access to the subfloor, CLEAN SWEEP. After scooping moisture content,check out the you’ll first need to remove the old up the rubble and sweeping the sidebar on page 25. floor covering. For me, this meant subfloor, it’s time to give it a good once-over. Scrape off any dried adhesive or joint compound, and fill knots and holes.Also, look for loose spots and secure them with nails or screws. While you’re at it, set any protruding nails or screwheads flush with the surface of the subfloor. Sometimes there are more severe problems that can result in a wavy, uneven floor. To check for these potentially troublesome areas, place a long, straight board at several dif- 1 2 ferent locations and slide it across the floor. If there are large dips or To prepare the subfloor, I started by Demolishing the tile floor next to the high spots, you may want to consult using a wrecking bar to pry off the kitchen exposed the subfloor so I a professional to look at the under- tack strips that held the carpet. could lay wood flooring there, as well. lying structure of the floor or house.

24 WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 CHECKING MOISTURE CONTENT One of the secrets to installing a wood floor is patience. To and the subfloor (or underlayment). Moisture content is the avoid damage to the floor, it’s important to give it time to amount of water trapped inside a board compared to the adjust to the moisture level of the house. weight of the wood when it’s dry. How long do you have to wait before installing the floor? To measure moisture content, I use a special meter that That depends on the moisture content of the flooring material has two sharp prongs (sensors). When you jab these prongs into a board, the moisture that’s present completes a circuit between the sensors. A small com- puter reads the moisture content, which is dis- played as a percentage on the meter. (Sources of moisture meters are listed in the margin below.) Ideally, the difference in moisture content between the wood flooring and the underlayment should be no more than 4 percent. This will allow the flooring and underlayment to expand and contract at similar rates with changes in humidity. To check the moisture content, jab Make sure the moisture content of Checking the moisture content as shown at left — the prongs of the meter into the bot- the underlayment is within 4 percent and waiting to install the floor until they’re in the tom of a strip of wood flooring. of the flooring before installation. correct range — will ensure a long-lasting floor.

UNDERLAYMENT. Once you’re Note: If the subfloor is uneven TRIM JAMBS. Before laying out The following satisfied with the condition of the (and the underlying structure is the floor, there’s one last thing to do. sources sell moisture 1 3 subfloor, the next step is to decide sound), try installing /2" or /4" ply- That’s to trim the door jambs and meters for whether or not to add underlay- wood to create a flat surface. casing so you’ll be able to slip the under $40: ment. It’s made up of plywood LAY DOWN PAPER. Regardless flooring underneath. A hand saw - Amazon.com sheets that are laid perpendicular to of whether you use underlayment, makes quick work of this. I use a - Woodcraft the subfloor. it’s a good idea to cover the entire scrap piece of the flooring as a gauge 800-225-1153 Not all flooring projects require area with construction paper (Fig. 4). to establish the proper height of the - Tools-Plus.com underlayment. I used it on this pro- The paper acts as a vapor barrier that cut (Fig. 5). 800-222-6133 ject for one reason. Without it, the prevents moisture from migrating If there are quite a few doors, you tile floor in the kitchen and hall into the floor, which can cause the might want to consider using a 1 would sit about /4" higher than the strips to cup. power jamb saw. These tools are wood floor. This would mean hav- One of the side benefits of the available at many rental stores. ing to step down onto the floor. So construction paper is it provides a Editor’s Note: To see a short video to even out these two surfaces, I clean worksurface. And later, when demonstration of how a jamb saw 1 installed sheets of /4" lauan you’re laying out the floor, it will works, visit us at our web site: mahogany, as shown in Figure 3. make it easy to see the pencil lines. www.WorkbenchMagazine.com

3 4 5

To “raise” the height of the wood Next, to create a moisture barrier, roll When cutting door casings, use a scrap 1 floor, I screwed sheets of /4" plywood out construction paper in overlapping of flooring as a gauge. Just rest a hand perpendicular to the subfloor. strips and staple it in place. saw on the scrap and trim the casing.

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 25 LAYING OUT THE FLOOR CAREFUL LAYOUT IS THE KEY The best piece of advice I can give you for laying out a floor is to take STEP 1: Fireplace Floor Joists your time. It took an entire morning To determine the for me to plan, measure and lay out location of the A B my floor, but all this puzzling was baseline, consider FIRST: Mark two points at definitely time well spent. the focus areas, distances “A” and “B” SECOND: Lay out Baseline. BASELINE. To lay out the floor, transitions from from walls. the first step is to establish a baseline. room to room, and A B This is the starting point for the first the direction of row of flooring. As you can see in Lay flooring the floor joists. perpendicular Step 1 at left, I decided to lay out the to floor joists. baseline in the pass-through between the two rooms. I did this for a couple of reasons: the direction of the Entryways floor joists and the size of the rooms. A good rule of thumb is to lay the flooring perpendicular to the floor Kitchen Entry joists.This way, you’ll end up with a solid, stable floor. So what does this have to do with the location of the STEP 2: Fireplace baseline? It needs to run in the same From the baseline, Baseline direction as the flooring. measure to the The second consideration in leading edge of any E C D establishing the baseline was the size focal areas and Guideline of the rooms. In my case, they were establish parallel quite large (about 425 square feet). guidelines. Guidelines E C D NOTE: Lay out parallel So locating the baseline between the Guidelines that align rooms divided the project into more with leading manageable areas. edge of focal points. Another look at Step 1 will explain how to lay out the baseline. The idea is to mark two points that Entryways are identical distances from the wall and then snap a chalk line. Since I wanted to start near the middle of Kitchen Entry the floor, I made two measurements from each wall. GUIDELINES. Once the baseline Fireplace STEP 3: Screw Starter Cleat is established, the next step is to lay Laying out 6' flush with Baseline. out some guidelines (Step 2). These squaring triangles 90° lines will provide an important ref- Trim makes it easy to Strips erence that will help keep you on create reference 10' 8' Squaring track as you lay the flooring. I’ll lines that will be Triangle explain more about that later. used to locate the The process for laying out the Trim trim strips. 8' 10' Strips guidelines is similar to that for the baseline. Only this time, the goal is Reference 90° to make the guidelines parallel to 6' Line 10' 8' the baseline, as shown in Step 2.So here, just lay out a couple of marks Trim Entryways 90° Strips the same distance from the baseline 6' and snap a line. Kitchen Entry Notice that I laid out three guidelines, and each one is aligned with a highly visible area of the room (the fireplace and two entryways).There’s

26 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 flooring strips in front of you.That way you can sort through them and place boards with similar color and grain in a loose sequence of how you’ll want to install them (Fig. 7). This way, you’ll be able to grab a board, nail it in place, and move on to the next piece without having to search for the right strip. One thing I’d suggest is mixing 6 7 the lengths of the strips. If there are too many similar length strips in After screwing a wood cleat to the Racking the boards helps you select the one area, it can cause a noticeable subfloor, set the first flooring strip colors, grain patterns, and lengths that — and not very pleasing — pattern against it and nail it in place. blend together in the completed floor. where the ends of the strips come together. If possible, avoid H-shaped patterns or “stairsteps.” a good reason for that.I planned to screwed in place. The starter cleat Also, make it a point to repeatedly highlight these areas with trim strips acts as a stop. With the cleat in measure the distance from the last that run perpendicular to the floor- place, set the first strip of flooring strip of flooring that’s installed to the ing.So to establish the location of tightly against it (Fig. 6). This way, guidelines. These lines that you these trim strips,Ineeded one more the impact from the nailer won’t painstakingly laid out are there for a set of reference lines that were push it off the baseline. reason — to keep you on track. square to the guidelines.(These are To provide a nailing surface, the I measured after every five or six the red lines shown in Step 3on tongue on this strip should face rows. If there’s any discrepancy, try page 26.) away from the cleat. The nails are to compensate for it by making a SQUARING TRIANGLE. To lay driven in about 8" apart to fasten very small correction between one out these reference lines, I used an the strip to the subfloor. strip and the next. At most, this 1 old trick. It’s called a squaring trian- Before going on, it’s a good idea means leaving a /32" gap at the end gle, and it’s based on the fact that to “rack,” or arrange, a number of that needs to be adjusted. any triangle with sides that yield a 3:4:5 ratio will guarantee a right angle corner. With that in mind, I PNEUMATIC FASTENERS laid out three large (6:8:10) triangles to create a square corner Always use the right tool for the BLIND-NAILED between the guidelines and the ref- job. That old saying definitely erence lines. holds true for installing wood Blind flooring. I used two types of air SECOND: Nailer GETTING STARTED nailers for this floor project. Nail is set at 45°. Strike Plunger After completing the layout, it’s The first one is called a Blind- with Mallet. time to get started. I recommend Nailer. It drives nails at a 45° FIRST: Tap rounding up a couple of air nailers angle through the tongue of each Nailer like those shown at right. It will strip. It works by setting the against definitely make the job go quicker nailer directly on the flooring, tap- floor. and provide better results in the end. ping it back into position against Since I planned to start in the the flooring, and then striking the pass-through opening between the plunger with the rubber mallet. FACE-NAILED rooms, I was able to use the blind- I also used a Finish Nailer. This nailer to install the first strip of works a little different than the flooring. If you’re starting near a Blind-Nailer. It drives the nail at a wall, you’ll have to face-nail the 90° angle through the face of the Nail is set at 90°. first few strips until there’s clearance flooring strip. I used the finish for the blind nailer. nailer to fasten down all the trim Finish STARTER CLEAT.To install the strips and the flooring strips close Nailer first strip, I had to use a starter cleat. to the wall. This is a straight board that’s positioned along the baseline and

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST200127 HIGHLIGHTS & TRANSITIONS

One of the things I like to do when laying a wood floor is to highlight the most visible areas. For this project, those areas turned out to be the fireplace and the entryways. The transitions from one room to the Trim Flooring Strips next also deserve special attention. Strip

TRIM STRIPS 8 9 To accent each of these areas, I installed two trim strips.These were To create an attractive transition A careful layout results in a tight-fitting long pieces of the same flooring between rooms, I face-nailed a double joint where the flooring strips meet the strips I’d been using for the rest of row of trim strips in the entryway. trim strips around the fireplace. the project. But what really set them apart is they’re perpendicular to all the rest of the flooring strips. you can fit the main flooring strips installing flooring in the opposite A look at Figures 8 and 9 shows a against them, as shown in Figure 9. direction from which you started. double row of these trim strips next When laying these rows of floor- If you recall,I laid out the baseline to one of the entryways and the ing, a general rule of thumb is to and installed a starter cleat in the fireplace. Notice that they’re butted work away from the trim strips, not pass-through between the two edge-to-edge with the tongue fac- toward them. There’s a good reason rooms. So the first row of flooring ing into the room. This way, the for this.The last wood strip installed that was set against the cleat (and all groove in the end of each flooring in each row usually has to be cut to the subsequent rows up to this point) strip will slip over the tongue and length. This requires removing the had one thing in common — the create a nice, tight-fitting joint. At “factory” end of the strip.You really tongues faced away from the cleat. least that’s the goal. don’t want this end of the board to That way, they could be fastened To make this work, the trim strips be in a highly visible area (like up with the blind nailer. must be perfectly square to the ends against a trim strip). It’s better to hide But in order to lay flooring on of the flooring strips. That’s where the cut end under the base molding the opposite side of the cleat, I had to the layout line made earlier with the at the opposite end of a row. reverse direction. In other words, the squaring triangle comes in. By plac- tongues on the flooring strips had to ing the trim strips precisely along this BACK-LAYING face the other way. That much was layout line, it ensures that they’ll be Installing the trim strips was just one easy. I just turned the strips around. perpendicular to the flooring strips. of the interesting challenges pre- But this also meant that two of the With the trim strips in position, sented by this flooring project. It also flooring strips would be placed it’s just a matter of face-nailing gave me a chance to try my hand at groove-to-groove. them, as shown in Figure 8. After a technique called back-laying. Like To connect these two strips, the installing the rest of the trim strips, the name suggests, back-laying is idea is to insert a slip tongue or spline g a.!/2" Expansion BACK-LAYINGGap EXPANSION GAP FIRST: Glue Spline See into groove Detail a in this strip. NOTE: Leave Expansion Gap at left. between the wall and the ends of the Flooring Strips.

Spline Wood Flooring SECOND: expands and contracts Fit Groove in across its width. this strip over spline.

28 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 LAYING THE LAST STRIP When it comes to laying the last strips of flooring, you’ll probably notice there’s an uneven gap between the wall and the floor. That’s because very few rooms are perfectly square, and very few walls will be absolutely parallel to the edge of the floor. Fortunately, there’s an easy solution. That’s to create a “stair-stepped” row of flooring next to the wall that compensates for the gap. (See drawing below.) This requires ripping strips of different widths and fitting them in place, as shown at left. Be sure to leave a 1 /2" gap between the strips and the wall so the floor can move with seasonal changes. There’s not much room to work when installing the last row. Using a pry bar as a lever will help coax the last strip into Wall place. If the space is just too tight to get the tongue-and-groove joint together, cut Use the bottom edge off the groove and simply Pry Bar set the board in place. Then tap one end If there’s an uneven gap between the to make final of the strip with a hammer to seat the “Stepped” floor and the wall, you can compensate strips fit tight. Strips opposite end and face-nail the strip. by installing strips of different widths.

into the grooves.(Refer to the Back- wantto leave a gap between the wall FINAL DETAILS laying illustration on page 28.) The and the floor.This gap allows the To complete the project, there were spline is just a piece of hardwood wood floor to expand and contract just a few final details to take care of. that’s ripped to the thickness of the with changes in humidity. BASEBOARD. First, I reinstalled grooves and glued in place. If you look at the Expansion Gap the baseboard (Fig. 10). In my case, Once the glue dried,I fit the illustration on page 28,you can see it was thick enough to cover the groove in the next strip of flooring that most of this wood movement expansion gap. But if necessary, you over the spline.Then I nailed that occurs across the width of the floor. can add a shoe molding to cover strip in place and continued working This means you’ll want to leave the wider gaps. my way across the floor.The pace of largest gap next to the long edge of TOUCH UP. Finally, I touched 1 the project picked up considerably at the floor. A /2" gap should be up a few boards that I accidentally this point.And before I knew it,I was plenty to allow the floor to move scratched during installation. The ready to install the last few rows of freely without binding against the touch-up kit supplied by the manu- flooring.(See Laying the Last Strip.) wall (Expansion Gap Detail a). facturer (shown below) came in As for the gap next to the ends of handy here. It contained a wax stick 1 EXPANSION GAPS the flooring strips, about /4" is all for filling nail holes (Fig. 11). And There’s no need to cut the last floor- that’s needed. There’s not as much for fixing deep scratches, there’s a ing strips to fit tightly against the movement with the grain (along the stain marker and a small bottle of wall.In fact,it’s just the opposite.You length) of the flooring. polyurethane topcoat.

This touch-up kit has everything that’s needed to fill nail holes and repair scratches in the pre-finished wood floor.

10 11

After completing the installation, the Finally, a wax “crayon” that matches gaps around the floor are covered with the floor color creates an almost invis- baseboard and a shoe molding if needed. ible repair when filling the nail holes.

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST200129 SELECTING MATERIALS Pre-Finished Wo o d F l o o r i n g Find out which type — solid hardwood or engineered — will work best for you.

here are several good reasons CONSISTENT LOOK. Finally,it’s to choose a pre-finished almost impossible to duplicate the Tproduct for your next floor- consistent quality and appearance of a ing project.One of the biggest ben- pre-finished floor.A builder often fin- 3 /4" SOLID efits is the hassle-free installation (see ishes a floor on-site in three steps — HARDWOOD FLOORING pages 22-29). stain, seal, finish coat — but a manu- NO SANDING. A pre-finished facturer can go through four, seven, floor doesn’t require sanding. This even up to 13 steps. The additional means your home won’t need a top- sanding and extra finish coats result in to-bottom cleaning once the job is an extremely high-quality product. completed. Plus, you don’t have to But when buying pre-finished worry about gouging a brand new, flooring, there’s more to consider expensive floor with a heavy sander. than the finish.As you can see in the NO FINISHING. As the name photos at left, there are two types of implies, with a pre-finished floor, all pre-finished wood flooring: solid wood the finishing is done at the factory and engineered. — not in your home. So there’s no On the surface, both solid wood waiting for the finish to dry or the and engineered products look the fumes to disappear before you can same once they’re installed. Both 3 /8" ENGINEERED move the furniture back and types are manufactured in strips (typ- 1 FLOORING STRIP breathe the air in the house. ically 2 /4" wide) or planks (3" or

CHOOSING THE RIGHT GRADE OF PRE-FINISHED FLOORING Pre-finished wood flooring — solid and engineered — is species that shows a lot of heavy character marks. graded based upon the number and prominence of the However, sometimes you can use grading to your advan- “character marks” of the individual wood species. Some tage. For example, you might want to install an oak of these marks include pin knots, mineral streaks, and floor that has a lot of natural character to it. Choosing natural color variations. a Tavern- or Cabinet-grade of flooring will not only give As you might expect, Prime- or Select-grade flooring you the look you’re after but will also save you money. that has very few noticeable character marks (almost It’s important to note that some manufacturers’ entirely clear) will cost more than flooring of the same warranties vary depending on the grade of flooring.

Prime or Select Standard or Better Tavern or Cabinet Nat’l. Oak Flooring Manuf. Assoc.

30 WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Baseboard Base Shoe Flooring Nail #/4" Solid Hardwood Floor wider).One difference is that engi- on page 30).You can expect to pay neered planks often come in wider anywhere from $4.99 per square foot !/2" Gap widths than solid hardwood — up to for standard-grade oak up to $15 per 7" or more. square foot for premium-grade All pre-finished flooring — solid mahogany (uninstalled). wood and engineered — is milled to !/4 very exact thicknesses.Interlocking ENGINEERED WOOD FLOORING " Lauan Plywood Underlayment tongues and grooves hold each indi- Unlike solid hardwood,engineered vidual strip or plank in place to cre- flooring consists of several layers of #/4"-thick Subfloor 3 1 { HARDWOOD ate a solid,level floor.But there are a wood — /8" to /2" thick — glued few significant differences between together (see bottom photo,page 30). INSTALLATION 1 the two types you’ll want to consider. The top “wear” layer is usually /16" Nailing (or stapling) is the most common 5 to /32" thick. Depending on its way to install solid hardwood flooring. SOLID WOOD FLOORING thickness, it can be sanded and refin- A solid wood floor is exactly what its ished several times. name implies — solid wood This multi-layered design makes }ENGINEERED INSTALLATION throughout (see top photo,page 30). engineered flooring more dimen- Engineered flooring is often installed It’s not a wise choice for damp areas sionally stable than solid wood and a on concrete using a mastic (especially below grade) because the good choice for below-grade installa- adhesive much like tile. wood absorbs moisture,which can tions. It can be nailed to a plywood cause the floor to buckle.This means base. But more often, it’s glued-down it’s also unsuitable for use over a con- using a mastic adhesive, as shown at crete slab unless a subfloor is installed. right. When applying engineered Base Shoe The most common way to install flooring over concrete, it’s important a solid wood floor is to nail it to a to follow the manufacturer’s recom- Baseboard plywood subfloor,as shown above. mendation on which type and brand Some flooring projects may require of adhesive to use. a lauan underlayment between the You might expect to pay less for #/8" Engineered Floor subfloor and flooring (see page 25). engineered flooring. But the extra Solid hardwood flooring is usually time it takes to manufacture the 3 sold in /4"-thick strips.As you might product offsets any potential price expect,material prices vary depend- savings. So expect to pay about the ing on the species of wood,finish, same amount for engineered flooring !/4" Expansion Gap Mastic Adhesive manufacturer,and grading (see box as you would for solid wood. Concrete Floor

PRE-FINISHED PINE: AN ALTERNATIVE TO HARDWOODS Everywhere you look, homeowners are using wide Pre-finished pine flooring has the same tongue-and- wood planks to create historic, elegant, and bold groove construction as other engineered products. And flooring styles. With its distinctive grain pattern and it’s available in different widths and thicknesses. rustic look, pine flooring is an option worth consider- ing when you’re looking for a floor with lots of character. And now it’s also available as a pre-finished product. Seen here is Rustic Pine flooring from the Coastal Woodlands collection from Bruce Flooring. The engineered construction of this pre-finished FLOATING FLOOR pine flooring makes it a realistic and practical alternative to common hardwood floors. Although pine flooring will show more wear and indentations than a harder flooring such as oak, the factory-applied finish again makes it tough and durable. Plus, the nat-

ural pitch in pine flooring will harden over time. Courtesy of Bruce Flooring

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 31 WOODWORKING We e k e n d Entertainment Center Build an elegant cabinet in a weekend? For only $400? Now that’s entertainment.

hen it comes to building a large cabinet or furni- Wture project,two things always seem tobe in short supply — time and money.Thisentertainment center solves bothof those problems. By using a simple “shortcut,”you can build the entire project in a weekend.Better yet,the entire cost for the materials is only about $400. BASE CABINET.The secret is to start with a manufactured kitchen base cabinet,as shown on page 33.(I bought an oak cabinet made by the Mill’s Pride Company). Then build the entertainment center around it. Alright, I admit it.This is a rather unorthodox approach. But as you can see in the photo at left, the results are impressive. PRE-MADE MOLDINGS.One thing that gives this entertainment center its distinctive appearance are the fancy moldings on the front and sides of the cabinet. Now don’t worry, this won’t require any special tools. In fact, you don’t need to make them at all.We used pre-made, oak moldings that are available at most home centers. FINISH. Now it’s one thing to match the oak base cabinet by buying oak moldings and oak plywood. But what about the finish? How do you ensure a good color match? The solution is to remove one of the doors (or drawer fronts) and take it to a local paint store.They should be able to mix up a stain that’s almost identical in color. As for the finish, I brushed on three coats of a semi-gloss varnish to match the sheen of the existing finish.

32WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 ENTERTAINMENT CENTER ASSEMBLY 13 7 1 Side Backer W OVERALL SIZE: 43 /16"W x 26 /8"D x 71 /4"H Board V Front Backer Board Q Upper Front Trim Crown Molding X

WORKBENCH R ONLINE Upper Side W ONLINE C Trim J Visit us at Side T Case WorkbenchMagazine.com for: Panel Bead Back Free Cutting Diagram for Molding Entertainment Center 3 Great Design Options with different styles of moldings and manufactured doors

Shelf Unit is Shelf built up from Edging #/4" plywood. U Drawer Front

Drawer NOTE: Our base cabinet came with European-style door hinges and drawer E slides included. Mounting Block

A Spacer Adjustable Lower Block Shelf Side Trim D P B Baseboard Edging S Strip Door O Lower Front Trim 3"#/4 F Pull Filler European-style Strip H door hinge Bottom Stretcher MATERIALS LIST LUMBER 3 1 1 3 1 1 A(2)Adjustable Shelves /4" x 21 /2" x 31 /4" P(2)Lwr. Side Trim /4" x 4 /2" x 25 /4" 1 3 1 3 1 This manufactured B(2)Edging Strips /4" x /4" x 31 /4" Q(1)Upper Front Trim /4" x 3" x 40 /2" 3 3 3 3 1 C(2)Side Panels /4" x 23 /4" x 69 /4" R(2)Upper Side Trim /4" x 3" x 25 /4" base cabinet serves 3 1 1 3 5 D(4)Spacer Blocks /4" x 2 /4" x 23 /2" S(1)Baseboard /8" x 2 /8" x 120" rgh. 3 1 3 1 as a starting point E(4)Mounting Blocks /4" x 3" x 23 /2" T(2)Bead Moldings /4" x 3 /4" x 64" 3 3 1 3 1 for the Entertain-ment F(1)Filler Strip /4" x /4" x 37 /2" U(2)Shelf Edgings /4" x 1 /2" x 34" rgh. 3 1 3 1 1 G(1)Top Stretcher /4" x 2 /4" x 39" V(1)Frt. Bkr. Board /4" x 4 /2" x 43 /8" Center. For a close-up 3 1 3 1 9 H(1)Bottom Stretcher /4" x 4 /2" x 39" W(2)Sd. Bkr. Boards /4" x 4 /2" x 26 /16" 3 1 3 5 look at how different I(1)Top Panel /4" x 24 /4" x 39" X(1)Crown Molding /8" x 3 /8" x 144" rgh. 1 1 1 styles of doors and J(1)Case Back /4" x 29 /2" x 38 /4" 3 1 HARDWARE: (See pages 51 for sources.) K(2)Shelf Ends /4" x 5" x 23 /2" moldings changes the 3 (2) Liberty No.4520 Minaret Pulls (Pkg. of 2) L(1)Shelf Back /4" x 5" x 36" look of the project, 3 1 1 (13)#6 x 1" Fh Woodscrews M(3)Shelf Panels /4" x 23 /2" x 37 /2" 3 1 (77)#8 x 11/ " Fh Woodscrews visit us at: N(2)Shelf Supports /4" x 3" x 37 /2" 4 3 1 1 (64) #4 Finish Nails O(1)Lwr. Front Trim /4" x 4 /2" x 40 /2" www.WorkbenchMagazine.com

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 33 BOX INSIDE A BOX entertainment center is “pieced” sources and additional information, This entertainment center is really together around it. please turn to page 51.) nothing more than a box inside a It only takes a few minutes to box.To see what I mean,take a look ASSEMBLE THE BASE CABINET assemble the base cabinet (Base at the Cabinet Assemblyshown There are a number of inexpensive Cabinet Assembly).It’s held together below.The manufactured kitchen cabinets available.I purchased a with knock-down fittings that base cabinet serves as the inner box. kitchen base cabinet manufactured “lock”the pieces together.And pre- Then the large outer case of the by the Mill’s Pride Company.(For drilled holes make it a snap to mount the drawer slides and European-style hinges.Note:To avoid scratching the CABINET ASSEMBLY doors and drawers,it’s best to set them aside until later. Top Panel ADJUSTABLE SHELVES.The I base cabinet comes with a shelf,but #6 x 1" #8 x 1!/4" Fh it was quite narrow.So I added a Fh Woodscrew Woodscrew couple of wide shelves (A) made of 3 /4" plywood.Gluing a thin strip of hardwood edging (B) to the front of G each shelf covers the exposed plies. Top Stretcher Case Back To provide access for power !/4!/2!/4 " x 29" x 38" cords and cables,there’s a wide slot Side Panel J C near the back edge of each shelf #/4" x 23#/4" Side x 69#/4" Panel (Detail a).This is just one of a num- C ber of access slots in this project.So to cut them quickly,I made a tem- Cut 1!/4"-wide slot, centered on plate to use with a hand-held router width of Back. Cord Mounting and a pattern bit.(For more infor- Access Slot Bracket mation about this,turn to page 14.) To make the shelves adjustable, !/2" 4 you’ll need to drill holes in the sides Adjustable Edging of the cabinet for shelf pins. The Strip Shelf Base pins on one side need to align with #/4" x 21!/2" x 31!/4" Cabinet !/4" x #/4" A x 31!/4" those on the other. Otherwise, the B shelves will rock back and forth.To prevent this, I drilled holes in a scrap NOTE: All pieces, piece of hardboard and used it as a except back and template when drilling the holes for Spacer Block the shelf pins (Detail a of Base edging strip, are D 3 Cabinet Assembly). made from /4" ply. Filler BUILD THE CASE F Strip With the base cabinet complete, you can turn your attention to the large case that’s built around it. SIDE PANELS. The first step is to add a couple of tall, plywood side Mounting Block E panels (C). The width of the side Bottom panels should equal the depth of the Stretcher FIRST: Mount base cabinet. As for the length H Bracket to Sides. (height),I wanted it to be tall enough D to accommodate a 30" television and the shelf for a DVD player. !/2" !/4" Cut 1!/4 "-wide slot. 3 Start by cutting the two sides (C) CL SECOND: 3 from a full sheet of /4" plywood. J #/8 Screw base " cabinet to These are large pieces (almost six !/4" Rabbet 9 Shelf #/8" Brackets. E feet long), so I used a circular saw Bit a. b. c. and a shop-made edge guide to do

34WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 this,see page 15.Then I added rab- BASE CABINET ASSEMBLY bets for a plywood back. Rout the rabbet along the back edge of the 2"!/2 case sides, sizing it as shown in Detail b of the Cabinet Assembly. Drawer Back Cleat Slide 2"!/2 MOUNTING BRACKETS 2"!/2 Once the sides are cut, the next step Base Drill!/4 " is to attach two L-shaped mounting Back shelf holes. 2"!/2 brackets to each side panel (Fig. 1). 2"!/2 The brackets serve two purposes. Base First they gave me a way to attach Side 2"!/2 the base cabinet to the side panels. Base Bottom Also, by holding the sides out away European-style 5!/2" from the base cabinet, they provide Hinge 1 room to install the 3 /4" bead mold- Knock-down ing applied to the front of the case. Fitting !/4" Hardboard There are two parts to each of NOTE: To avoid scratching the Drilling Template the brackets, a spacer block (D) and shelves, doors, and the drawer, a. a mounting block (E) (Fig. 1).Cut set them all aside until later. them to size, then glue and screw the parts together to make the four worry. Installing a filler strip, two Finally, make a plywood top L-shaped brackets. stretchers, and a top panel will add panel (I) and attach it with glue and I attached the lower brackets as rigidity to the cabinet. screws, as well (Fig. 2). shown in Fig. 1. Then I positioned Start by adding the filler strip (F) the top brackets flush with the top to the underside of the toe kick on MAKE THE CASE BACK of the base cabinet. This way both the base cabinet. The filler strip With the cabinet assembled, go the base cabinet and the brackets hides a small gap between the bot- ahead and measure for the case back help to support the shelf unit, which tom stretcher and the base cabinet. (J) (Cabinet Assembly). Cut it to size is added later. Now add the top and bottom and add the cord access slot. stretchers (G, H) to the cabinet sub- But don’t attach the back just ADD STRETCHERS & THE TOP assembly. I simply glued and yet. It’s best to leave the back of the At this point, the case will have a screwed these stretchers to the front cabinet open so you can use it as a tendency to rack a bit. But don’t of the cabinet (Figs. 2 and 3). clamping surface.

!/4 Spacer Block #8 x 1 " #/4 !/4 !/2 Fh Woodscrew " x 2 " x 23 " Top Stretcher Top Panel D #/4" !/4 x 2 " x 39" I G Top Panel Side #/4" !/4 x 24" x9" 3 Top L-Shaped Stretcher Mounting #8 x 1!/4 " Fh Bracket 2 Woodscrew Filler Strip 34!/2 " #/4" x #/4" x 37 !/2 " Side #6 x 1" Fh F Bottom woodscrew Stretcher Base 10" Cabinet Filler E H Strip Mounting Bottom Block Stretcher 1 #/4" x 3" x 23 !/2 " 3 #/4" x 4 !/2 " x 39"

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST2001 35 SHELF UNIT & MOLDINGS Miter ends of trim pieces at 45° to fit around corner Upper Side Trim Upper Front Trim Q #/4 !/4 #/4 !/2 R " x 3" x 25 " Glue Block " x 3" x 40 " R Q

a. C T

T Bead Molding Glue Block keeps the #/4" x 3 !/4 " Bead Molding from twisting C x 64"

#4 Assemble Shelf Finish Nail Unit, then Glue install in cabinet. b. Block U Shelf Edgings TOP VIEW #/4" x 1 !/2 " x 35" C Mounting !/8" Bracket Reveal Lower Side Trim Base #/4" x 4 !/2" x 25 !/4 " Cabinet c. 3"!/4 P Baseboard #/8" x 2 %/8 " x 50" Baseboard S S C

P O

O S #8 x 1!/4 " Lower Front Trim d. Fh Woodscrew #/4" x 4 !/2 x 40 !/2 "

SHELF UNIT depth, it’s designed to sit flush with centered in the shelf back. Now, Once the main cabinet is assembled, the front of the base cabinet and the assemble the ends and the back with the next step is to build a shelf unit shoulder of the rabbet in back. butt joints and screws. to hold electronic components. A H-SHAPED ASSEMBLY. I began This assembly is sandwiched look at the drawing above shows by building the H-shaped assembly. between three identical plywood that this unit is an open-front box. It It consists of two shelf ends (K) and shelf panels (M). Two of the panels 3 provides a compartment for a DVD a shelf back (L) made of /4" ply- form a thick upper shelf.These two player and a shelf for a television. wood. To make the compartment layers and the shelf back keep the To simplify construction, the tall enough to hold a DVD player, I unit from sagging under the weight shelf unit is built separately and then ripped the ends and back 5" wide. of a heavy television. A single panel installed in the cabinet. It consists of Also, to hide cords in back of the underneath forms the lower shelf. an H-shaped assembly that’s sand- compartment, the shelf back is Here again, once the panels are wiched between three large panels located 16" from the front of the cut to size, lay out and cut the cord and a couple of narrow support shelf ends (Shelf Unit Subassembly). slots (Shelf Unit Subassembly).Now, strips (Shelf Unit Subassembly). Before assembling the shelf unit glue and screw one panel to the top When sizing the shelf unit, just drill countersunk shank holes in the and one on the bottom of the H- remember it has to slide into the end pieces for mounting screws. shaped assembly.Then, the last panel opening, so it’s built to fit. As for And I also added a cord access slot is added to the top with glue only.

36 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Finally, I added two shelf supports SHELF UNIT SUBASSEMBLY (N) to the underside of the shelf unit. !/4 This way the two shelf layers are the 3"!/2 1 "-wide Slot same thickness, adding symmetry to CROSS SECTION CL M the unit when it’s trimmed out. Because they won’t be seen, the supports aren’t full-sized panels. M K M Shelf Ends It’s time to install the shelf unit. #/4 !/2 Shelf Back " x 5" x 23 " L Check that it’s flush with the front of K M #/4" x 5" x 36" the base cabinet, then mount it with L C screws through the pre-drilled shank 16" holes and into the sides (Cross Section). E N M All screws are Shelf Panel APPLY TRIM & MOLDINGS #8 x 1!/4 " #/4" x 23 !/2 " x 37 !/2 " D At this point, the basic cabinet is Fh Woodscrews.i. complete, but it still needs something to “dress it up.”That’s where the trim and moldings come in. By applying these pieces around the top, bottom, Shelf Supports #/4 !/2 and front of the cabinets, it turns " x 3" x 37 " NOTE: All parts of shelf unit N 3 what looks like a plain plywood box are made of /4" ply. into an elegant piece of furniture. TOP AND BASE TRIM. The This same procedure is used to use glue and finish nails to attach first steps are to add the upper and install the baseboard (S), but with them to the sides. lower trim strips (O,P,Q and R).All glue and nails instead. Mine is a stock SHELF EDGING. One last piece 3 are made from /4"-thick oak and molding with a profile along the top. of trim needs to be added before vary only in width. BEAD MOLDING. Once the top starting on the crown molding. To Regardless of their width, the and bottom trim is complete, I cover the exposed plies, the shelf ends of the trim strips are mitered added two wide pieces of bead unit has solid oak edging (U) added. 1 where they meet at the corners of molding (T). These are 3 /4"-wide Rip the pieces to width and trim the cabinet.To get these miter joints pre-made moldings (Detail c at left). them to length. A few finish nails to fit tightly together, I used the To keep the moldings from hold them in place until the glue technique shown in the box below. twisting, I glued a small plywood sets up. If necessary, use a block After the trim strips have been cut block to the back of the upper trim plane and sanding block to trim the to fit, glue and screws are used to piece (Detail b at left). After cutting edging flush with the shelf. While attach them to the top and bottom both strips of bead molding to fit you’re at it, ease the sharp corners of of the case (Details a and d at left). between the upper and lower trim, the edging by sanding.

PERFECT-FITTING MITERS FIRST: Miter one SECOND: end of Side Mark short Trim Piece. end of miter.

FIRST: Miter one end, SECOND: Mark then temporarily clamp and trim Side Front Trim Piece Piece to length. to cabinet. 1 2

To produce tight fitting miters, start by mitering one end the trim strip and miter the end, then attach it to the of a front trim piece (Fig. 1). After aligning the mitered case. With the front piece cut to size, miter one end of a end at one corner and clamping the strip in place, mark side piece. Slide it in place, mark the back end, and the location of the miter on the opposite end. Remove crosscut the trim piece to length (Fig. 2).

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 37 CROWN MOLDING VIEW CROWN ANGLES #8 x 1!/4" Fh Woodscrews Once it’s installed, crown molding projects out W from a wall (or project) at an angle. But not Side Backer Board all crown molding tilts out at the same angle. #/4" x 4 !/2 " x 26(/16 " To determine this angle for the molding on Top Panel the Entertainment Center, set a short piece against a square. Then mark the “triangle” V formed by the square and the molding. The Front Backer Board angle between the base of the molding and the #/4 !/2 X " x 4 " square equals the angle of projection (33°). !/8 #4 Front Crown x 43 " Finish Molding Nails #/8 %/8 Backer " x 3 " x Board Base of 50" rgh. I Molding X Framing Side Crown Square Molding 33º Side G Crown #/8" x 3 %/8 " x Panel Molding 33" rgh. a. Upper Paper Trim

THE CROWNING TOUCH that the lower edge of the molding Eventually these pieces will be When building any project, there’s rests against the upper trim. As for mitered to length. But before deter- always a point when it’s time to apply the upper edge, it requires some kind mining their final length, you have to the crowning touch.That’s especially of support to attach the molding to. establish the amount of overhang.To appropriate for this project. To dress ADD BACKER BOARDS. That’s do this, it’s best to start with extra- up the cabinet, I added crown mold- the job of three backer boards (V long backer boards.Then use one of ing to the front and sides, as shown in and W) attached to the top of the the boards and a piece of the crown 3 the Crown Molding View above. cabinet. These are pieces of /4"- molding to determine the overhang. The profile of this crown molding thick hardwood that overhang the The idea is to hold the crown looks complex. But don’t worry, you front and sides. The overhanging molding and a backer board in their can purchase it right off-the-rack at edge of these pieces is beveled so “installed” position. To support the most home centers. You’ll find sev- the molding fits tightly against it. molding, I attached a scrap piece to eral different styles to choose from, So what’s the correct bevel angle? the cabinet with carpet-tape (Figs. 5 1 but the profile doesn’t matter as much It should match the angle of the and 5a). I allowed for a 1 /4" reveal. 5 as the width. (Mine was 3 /8"-wide.) crown molding once it’s installed.An Then slide the backer board so it fits Cutting and fitting crown mold- easy way to figure out the angle is tightly against the molding, and ing around the outside corners of a shown in the box above. Once you mark the location of its back edge on cabinet can be a bit tricky. That’s determine the angle, go ahead and tilt the top panel. because it doesn’t lie flat like other the blade on your table saw and rip After measuring the distance moldings. Instead it “leans” forward enough stock to width to make all of from the front edge of the cabinet at an angle (Detail a above). Notice the backer boards (Fig. 4 and 4a). to this line, lay out lines for the two

a. a. Tilt saw V SECOND: Set Backer blade to I Crown Board in place Waste Q 33° Molding and lay out miters. 1"!/4 Scrap FIRST: Lay out lines for Side Backer Boards. Slide Backer Board Rip#/4 "-thick against molding, stock 4!/2 " wide to mark location of make Backer Boards. back edge. Scrap 4 5 piece 6

38 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 sidebacker boards that are set in the SLANT-FRONT FENCE same amount (Fig.6).These lines will make it easy to position all the When cutting crown molding on a table saw, attaching this slant-front fence to the miter backer boards,lay out the miter gauge makes it easy to cut accurate compound miters. That’s because the slanted face of joints,and miter the pieces to final the fence supports the molding at the same angle as it will be when installed (33° in my case). length.I used a similar process for The fence is just a scrap of 2x stock with an angled face that’s bevel cut on the table cutting and fitting the miter joints as saw. For safety, I used a two-pass method. Sandpaper shown on page 37. First, tilt the blade to 33° and make keeps Molding the initial cut (Fig. 1). Then reposition from shifting. CUTTING THE CROWN MOLDING the blade to 90° and adjust the fence to After screwing the backer boards in make the second cut (Fig. 2). place, it’s time to cut the crown Fence molding. This requires taking two 1 2 Aux. Fence 1!/2" x 24" different angles into account: the Adjust fence, angle at which it tilts out (33°) and set blade to 90° Set for second cut. the 45° miter angle where the blade crown molding meets at the outside º to 33 . NOTE: Fence is made Waste removed corners of the cabinet. In other from a 2x4. when first words, the ends of the crown mold- cut is made. ing are cut at a compound angle. Half the battle in fitting crown molding is in cutting these compound miters accurately. Normally, the slot on the left side of the saw molding (Figs. 8 and 8a.) It’s a good a compound miter is cut on a table blade and tilt the head to 45° (Figs. 7 idea to cut it slightly long at first.This saw by tilting both the blade and the and 7a). Then place an extra-long way, you can sneak up on the final miter gauge.This means you have to piece of crown molding (the one length, checking the fit of the mold- worry about two different angles. If for the front of the cabinet) against ing until it’s just right. either one is off, you won’t get a the fence.The thing to be aware of Before cutting the side pieces of tight-fitting joint. here is that in order to get the com- molding, temporarily clamp the To get around this problem, I pound miters to fit together, the front piece to the cabinet.This will leave the table saw blade set at 90° molding has to be upside down.Now make it easy to fit the side pieces and tilt the crown molding instead. trim one end of the molding. against it. The setup is exactly the With the crown The trick is to hold the crown Before cutting the second miter, same here. Start with an extra-long molding resting molding at the same angle it’s you’ll need to lay out the final length side piece and cut the compound against a installed on the cabinet. of the molding. Here again, I used the miter on one end.The opposite end beveled fence, AUXILIARY FENCE.To do this,I same process as before — holding the is designed to fit flush with the back it’s easy to cut use an auxiliary fence that attaches to molding against the front of the cab- of the cabinet. So just fit the side accurate com- the miter gauge. (See sidebar above inet and marking the opposite end. piece in place, mark the back end, pound miters. and photo in margin.) The front face At this point, it’s just a matter of and then crosscut it to final length. of this fence is slanted to support the moving the miter gauge to the right After repeating the process for the molding at the proper angle. side of the saw blade, tilting the head other side piece, it’s time to add the Using the fence is a two-step to the opposite 45° angle, and then final crowning touch — gluing and process. First, set the miter gauge in trimming the opposite end of the nailing the molding in place.

a. a. Top Top View View Tilt miter gauge 45º Tilt miter to the right. gauge 45º to the left.

Move miter gauge to right side of Set blade at 90º blade to cut to table and raise second compound 7 to full height. 8 miter.

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST2001 39 QUICK WAYS TO Dress Up 33Doors BEFORE he interior doors of a home Now check out the photo above. low because they’re incredibly light- are certainly functional. These same doors have been trans- weight.But inside,there’s a honey- TPassage doors provide pri- formed into what looklike expen- comb of corrugated cardboard.To vacy,and closet doors hide all the sive,custom-made doors. create a strong,rigid door panel,this stuff that’s piled inside. Don’t let their appearance fool cardboard is sandwiched between But let’s face it.Quite often,the you,though.All it takes is a few two extremely thin “skins.” interior doors of a home are pretty inexpensive materials to turn these drab.Take the plain-looking doors in plain-looking,hollow-core doors PICK A STYLE the ‘Before’photo for instance.Both into something special. What’s inside these doors isn’t the passage door and the bi-fold closet HOLLOW-CORE.Actually,it’s a nearly as interesting as the outside. doors are your standard,hollow-core bit misleading to call them “hollow- To see what I mean,check out the slabs found in many homes. core”doors.They might seem hol- photos on the next page.

40WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Country Traditional Contemporary

Two large beadboard panels surrounded Tall, narrow panels with built-up Applied panels wrapped with corner by off-the-rack corner moldings create moldings produce a more elaborate, moldings with a natural finish provide an old-fashioned country look. traditional appearance. a contemporary feel.

We’ve included three completely Alright,I know.It takes some CONTEMPORARY. In the case different — and distinct — styles of courage to cut into a perfectly good of the contemporary-style door, the doors for you to choose from:coun- door.But it’s actually a very simple panels aren’t recessed at all. Instead, 1 try,traditionaland contemporary.This technique.Our step-by-step instruc- /4" plywood panels are applied to way,you can pick a door that best tionsbegin on page 42. the surface of the door and then matches the style of your home. TRADITIONAL. The same tech- “wrapped” with corner moldings. COUNTRY.If you take a close nique is used for the traditional- We used oak plywood on this look at the country-style door, style door. Only here, the narrow, door to complement the oak you’ll see that it has a couple of recessed panels and elaborate mold- veneer. But walnut or maple would large beadboard panels that are ings produce a more elegant look. provide an interesting contrast. recessed into the door. But aren’t these fancy moldings FINISH OR PAINT.To provide a To accomplish this,the idea is to difficult to make? Actually,you don’t natural look, we applied two coats cut into the veneer skin of the door. have to make them at all.To produce of a wipe-on varnish to the con- This creates two openings that allow the decorative profile, we combined temporary door. As for the country you to install the beadboard panels three different types of moldings, all and traditional-style doors, using and then surround them with some of which are readily available at two different colors of paint high- off-the-rack corner molding. most home centers. lighted the recessed panels.

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST2001 41 Existing Support Country

A To create a country look,this passage Hollow-Core Door door combines two beadboard panels (2'8" x 6'8") and off-the-shelf corner moldings. 5" B The openings for the bead panels are formed by removing part of the A Upper veneer skin on one side of the door. C Beadboard After installing wood strips,a bead- Panel board panel is recessed into each opening and framed with moldings.

#16 x%/8 " Brad MAKING THE OPENINGS 36" The first step is to lay out the two E Corner Molding openings for the beadboard panels. The size and location of the open- Mitered Corners ings are shown at left.A combina- Recessed tion square comes in handy for beadboard panels 80" Opening cut in door marking the layout lines. lend a country Once you’ve completed the lay- A Filler Block feel to this out,you can turn your attention to Backing passage door. B Strip making the openings for the beadboard panels.A jig saw will make 6" quick work of this.And if you mount a reverse-cutting blade in the saw,it will significantly reduce chipout.(See photo on the facing page.) Even with a reverse-cutting blade, there’s still another thing to take into consideration before you actually cut 25" into the door — the distance covered by the stroke of the blade. If the E stroke is too long, the blade will cut through the bottom skin of the door. Although you can’t change the stroke of the jig saw, you can shorten Lower the blade.To do this,first set the base 8" D A Beadboard of the saw on the edge of the door B Panel (Fig.1).With the blade extended as far NOTE: Filler Blocks are planed or resawn to down as it will go, mark it just above 5" thickness to fit between the bottom skin. Next remove the door skins. blade and score it at this mark with a file.Then secure it in a vise and cut it to length with a hacksaw.

CROSS SECTION MATERIALS LIST (one 2'8" x 6'8" door) #16 x%/8 " Brad Corner Molding E LUMBER 3 1 1 A(8)Filler Blocks /4" x 1 /8" — 18 /2 lin. ft. 1 1 B(9)Backing Strips /2" x 1 /2" — 17 lin. ft. 5 A C(1)Upper Beadboard Panel /16" x 22" x 36" 5 D(1)Lower Beadboard Panel /16" x 22" x 25" 5 1 E(8)Corner Moldings /8" x 1 /8" — 19 lin. ft. Leave!/16 " gap on each B %/16"-Thick side of Panel. HARDWARE Beadboard Panel 5 (60)#16 x /8" Brads

42 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Now you’re ready to actually cut After thicknessing enough stock to STANDARD the openings. To provide a starting make nine strips (five for the upper BLADE point, you’ll need to drill a small opening, four for the lower one), cut 1 ( /4") hole in each corner (Fig. 2). the backing strips to length to fit Then insert the jig saw blade in the between the filler blocks. hole and cut along the layout lines. At this point, all that’s left is to REVERSE-CUTTING Once you’ve cut the openings, glue the backing strips in place. The BLADE carefully peel off the veneer skin, as only problem is it’s hard to get clamps shown in Figure 3. A stiff putty knife to reach the middle of the door. A helps to work the skin loose. good way around this is to use a sys- The teeth on a reverse-cutting jig saw Underneath, you’ll see a maze of tem of long cauls, as shown in Figure blade point down (bottom), while a cardboard strips placed on edge and 6. Slipping wedges underneath the standard jig saw blade’s teeth point up glued to the bottom skin. You can cauls will hold the strips tightly (top). As a result, a reverse-cutting probably pull these cardboard strips against the skin while the glue dries. blade produces less chipout. out by hand, as shown in Figure 4.If necessary, use a utility knife or the putty knife again to cut them off. When working near the edges of Pull jig saw the openings, push the cardboard blade down into farther into the door hollow.Then lowest position. scrape off any dried glue on the inside of the skins and from the !/4" Starter Hole exposed lower skin. This will give Cut blade at marked Door Layout Line you a smooth surface for attaching line. the filler blocks and backing strips that are added next. It’s a good idea to lay the door on a flat, solid surface before scrap- ing.You can easily cut right through 1 2 the veneer skin if it isn’t supported.

FRAMING THE OPENINGS Putty Knife One thing to be aware of is the skins will be quite fragile near the edges of the opening. That’s because there’s nothing supporting the skin along Square up Scrape off the cut edges. So to add rigidity, Remove corner with dried glue. you’ll need to install some filler door skin. chisel. Pull out blocks (A).The blocks are made of 2x cardboard web. that’s thicknessed to fit between the door skins. Shop Tip:To make it easy to position the filler blocks, I attached a 3 4 screw in both ends so I could slide it in or out (Fig. 5). Once the blocks are #8 x 1!/2 "Fh Woodscrews #/4x 1 !/2 " glued and nailed in place, simply Clamping remove the screws. Align Cauls There’s just one more thing to do Filler Block before adding the beadboard panels. flush with To provide a mounting surface for cut edge. the panels, you’ll need to install a set of thin backing strips (B) in each Door opening. The strips are made from Wedges 3 /4"-thick pine that’s either planed or 1 resawn to /2" thick. This way when Use scrap pieces A B to raise door the beadboard panels are added later, Backing Strips Filler Block off worksurface. they’ll be recessed into the opening. 5 6

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 43 ADDING BEADBOARD PANELS panel across the opening so the bead filler block and the veneer skin,the To complete the country-style door, near each edge is set in the same molding creates a transition from pine beadboard panels are fit into the distance (Fig.7). the surface of the door to the bead- recessed openings and then sur- Remember,you’re working with board panel. rounded with corner molding. a solid wood panel that will expand To install the molding (E),start The panels are made up of and contract with changes in humid- by measuring the distance from the individual strips of Edge ity.To compensate for this move- panel to the top edge of the open- 1 and Center Bead,as ment,it’s best to leave a /16" gap on ing.Then trim one leg of the mold- shown at left.(It’s avail- each side of the panel.This will allow ing so it matches this depth (Fig.8a). able at most home cen- the panel to expand as the weather Now you can rough cut the ters.See page 52 for more changes.After taking this gap into molding to length and cut the miters. information.) A single package account,lay out a line near each edge There are quite a few miters,so to 1 includes six 3 /4"-wide tongue-and- showing how much waste to remove. same time I used a power miter saw. groove strips — enough for one pas- Then remove the two strips that need If you take a look at page 14,you’ll This Edge and sage door.Be sure to check for splin- to be trimmed and rip off the waste. find a simple way to support the frag- Center Bead tered pieces or checked ends.You There’s one small detail to con- ile moldings on the miter saw table. comes in may want to buy extra just in case. sider before you reassemble the pan- Once the molding is cut to size, 8 ft.-long pine Each of the strips has a bead on els — priming and painting the bead- it’s time again to prime and paint. strips that are the “tongue”edge and also in the board strips (front only).That way Then attach the molding to the door 5/ " thick. 16 center.When making the beadboard you won’t have to tape off the rest of with small brads.One problem of panels (C,D),the goal is to end up the door later.Don’t forget to paint working with fragile molding is that with a bead that’s the same distance the tongues on the strips.Otherwise, it often splits when nailed.To avoid from the edge of the opening on if a panel shrinks,the bare wood on this,try the tip shown at the bottom each side. the tongues will be exposed. of the facing page. The best way I found to do this Once the paint is dry,it’s time to is to start by dry assembling enough reassemble the panel and glue it to A COUNTRY CLOSET strips of edge and center bead to the backing strips.Don’t overdo the The same beaded panels and corner make a panel that’s wider glue.The individual strips still need to molding were used to create a coun- than the opening.Then be able to expand and contract.To try look for a set of bi-fold closet lay the oversized allow for this movement,I put several doors.These doors have four individ- E spots of glue centered on the width ual slabs that are hinged together.You of eachedge and center bead strip — can get all of the measurements A one spot for each backing strip. needed to complete a set of bi-fold doors from the Materials List and the FRAMING THE PANELS Bi-Fold Door Assembly. At this point,you’re ready to add Here again, the first step is to cut B %/16"-Thick the corner moldings.In addition to the openings in the door for the pan- Beadboard covering the exposed part of the els. As before, remove the cardboard Panel

Depth of opening Equal Equal Corner %/16"-Thick Molding Beadboard Panel Push Block Waste Waste a.

B Backing Strips

Recessed Opening

E Corner Molding NOTE: Trim waste from outer strips (shaded areas) so beads are set in an equal amount on both sides. Zero-Clearance 7 8 Insert

44WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 webbing from the center of the BI-FOLD DOOR ASSEMBLY door and frame the openings with filler blocks (A).To finish preparing Filler Block the openings for the panels, fit and Backing Strip A B glue a set of equally-spaced backing strips (B) in each opening. Upper Panel C 5" The next step is to add the pan- #16 x%/8 " Brad els. The same technique for sizing A and fitting the panels you used before applies. Start by dry assembling oversized panels, then lay them over the openings and mark where they need to be trimmed. E 36" Corner Remember, the goal is to end up Molding with a bead that’s the same distance B from each edge of the opening. Now it’s just a matter of disas- The set of bi-fold doors shown sembling the panels and trimming 80" above is sized to fit a finished the waste from the two outer strips. closet opening that’s 72" wide Prime and paint the beadboard and 81" tall. strips before fitting the panels back together. Finally,glue the panels into 6" the recessed openings. A All that’s left is to add the mitered Lower Panel D moldings.These can be attached with brads just like on the passage door. E CROSS SECTION B #16 x%/8 " Brad 25" MATERIALS LIST (4 bi-fold slabs) E LUMBER A 3 1 1 A (32) Filler Blocks /4" x 1 /8" — 53 /2 lin. ft. 1 1 B(36) Backing Strips /2" x 1 /2" — 24 lin. ft. 5 C (4) Upper Panels /16" x 8" x 36" (each) B !/16 5 %/16"-Thick Leave" g ap D (4) Lower Panels /16" x 8" x 25" (each) 1 5 1 Panel on each side E (32) Corner Moldings 1 /8" x /8" — 56 /2 lin. ft. 8" of Panel. HARDWARE 5" 5 (60) #16 x /8" Brads Miter moldings to fit. 5"

SIMPLE TRICK TO AVOID SPLITTING MOLDINGS To prevent fragile moldings from splitting when you nail them in place, I use an old trick to drill pilot holes. The idea is to use one of the brads to drill the hole (see draw- ings). Besides keeping the molding from splitting, using a brad for a drill bit saves a lot of time rum- maging through your tool- To drill a pilot hole the exact size Then chuck the brad in a hand- After tapping a new brad into box looking for the right needed, cut the head from one of held drill and use it like a bit to the pilot hole, fill the hole with size bit. the brads you’re using. make a pilot hole. paintable caulk.

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 45 5" 8"!/2 5" Miter corners to fit. Traditional G E F The idea behind this traditional- 5" looking door is to use four tall,narrow panels and fit them into a A framed,recessed opening.A three- part,built-up molding surrounding the opening gives the door some depth,which creates an elegant look.

C 36" CUTTING THE OPENINGS B One thing that’s different about this door is that the panels are made This traditional from the veneer skins.Because of door features this,you’ll want to be extra careful recessed panels when cutting the openings.Here and elegant, again,start by laying out the open- built-up moldings. 6" ings for the panels,drilling a starter hole in each corner,and cutting C along the lines. 80" Upper Once you’ve cut the openings, Panel E carefullypeel off the veneer skin.I accidentally broke one of the panels 25" Corner Molding G when I was removing it.If this hap- D F Panel Molding pens,don’t panic.Simply make a new D Glass Bead Molding 1 one from /8" plywood. As before,the cardboard support #17 x 1" Finish Nail inside the door has to be removed 8" and the exposed surfaces of the skins scraped clean before attaching the filler blocks (A).This is especially CROSS SECTION important because you’re reusing A Filler Block the skins for the recessed panels. B E G Again,these panels need a mounting Backing Strip NOTE: Upper !/8"-Thick F surface,so glue backing strips (B) and Lower Panels Panel into the openings. Hollow-Core Door are made from (2'8" x 6'8") veneer skins. A ADDING BUILT-UP MOLDINGS B The moldings are what really give G this door its traditional feel.As F before,it’s a good idea to drill pilot E holes to attach the molding pieces A (see page 45). Once again, I started with a simple piece of corner molding (E) and MATERIALS LIST (one 2'8" x 6'8" door) B ripped one “leg” so it fits tightly LUMBER against the recessed panel (Cross !/8 3 1 "-Thick A(16)Filler Blocks /4" x 1 /8" — 27 lin. ft. Section). Next came a piece of glass 5 1 Panel B(18)Backing Strips /8" x 1 /2" — 13 lin. ft. 1 1 bead (F) tucked tightly against the C(4)Upper Panels /8" x 8 /4" x 36" (each) 1 1 D(4)Lower Panels /8" x 8 /4" x 25" (each) corner molding and the panel. 11 7 E(16)Corner Moldings /16" x /8" — 28lin. ft. A piece of panel molding (G) 1 1 F(16)Glass Bead Moldings /2" x /2" — 26lin. ft. that fits over the corner molding G(16)Panel Moldings9/ " x 11/ " — 21lin. ft. 16 8 completes the three-part, built-up HARDWARE molding. It also provides a nice tran- (60)#17 x 1" Finish Nails sition from the door skin to the recessed panel.

46WORKBENCH■ JULY| AUGUST2001 Contemporary

1 This contemporary-looking door 4 /4" to mark the location of the C 1 was created by applying two /4" panel. Then cut the panel to align 4"!/4 plywood panels directly to the face with the layout lines. 1 of the door, then wrapping them Clamping two 4 /4"-wide spacers with corner molding. around the panel will help with alignment (Fig. 1). To hold the panel APPLYING THE PLYWOOD PANELS tight against the door during glue-up, The trick to centering the panels on use some long cauls clamped on top A the width of the door — perfectly of a large pad (Fig.2).The lower panel Upper aligned with each other — is to cut (B) can be applied the same way. Panel and glue one at a time. Once the panels are in place, the 37%/8 " C Start with the upper panel (A), as only thing left is to attach the corner Applied panels, shown in the drawing at right. You molding (C), as shown in the Cross corner moldings, can use a combination square set to Section below. C and a natural finish give this #16 x%/8 " Brads door contempo- MATERIALS LIST rary character. Cut Panels to 80" LUMBER fit layout lines. 1 5 5 A (1) Upper Panel /4" x 23 /8" x 37 /8" 1 5 5 B (1) Lower Panel /4" x 23 /8" x 25 /8" 4"!/4 7 1 C (8) Corner Moldings /16" x 1 /8" — 17 lin. ft. Miter corners HARDWARE to fit. (32) #16 x%/8" Brads B Lower Panel %/8 Clamping Pad 25 " (sized to fit Panel)

Layout Lines C Corner Molding 8"!/4 #/4" x 4!/4 " Spacers Hollow-Core Door (2'8" x 6'8") 4"!/4 4"!/4

1 CROSS SECTION

%/8 1!/2 " x 3 !/2 " Clamping Cauls 4!/4 "-wide #16 x " Brad Spacer C Clamping Pad (sized to fit Panel) !/4" Plywood Panel

!/4" Plywood %/8 #16 x " Panel Brad C Corner 2 Molding

WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 47 New Products & Tools Here at Workbench, we have lots of opportunities to try out all sorts of new products and tools. Some of them make woodworking and home improvement projects easier, quicker, or safer. Others are just handy to have around the house. To help you make informed decisions when buying new products, all of these items have been carefully selected and approved by the Workbench staff.

This Skinny Blade is no Weakling

■ There’s no need to worry about cordless saws “running out of gas” these days.With higher-voltage batteries and faster chargers, they have power to spare. On top of that, new saw blades designed specifically for cordless tools give them even longer run times. This Xtend blade manufactured by Vermont American is a good example. It’s a general- purpose, carbide-tipped blade. More importantly, it cuts an mounted it in a cordless saw with a “fresh” extremely thin saw kerf battery.Then I made a series of full-depth cuts (.064). This means there’s less in a piece of treated 2x stock. Even with the resistance as the blade cuts thin blade, there seemed to be little, if any, through the wood, so you get deflection. Better yet, over 150 cuts later, the more cuts per charge. saw was still running strong.When you com- This thin-kerf saw blade is specifically At least that’s the theory. bine that with its low price ($7.99), you’ve designed for cordless circular saws to To check it out, I bought an definitely got a blade that’s a “cut” above. provide more cuts per battery charge. 18-tooth Xtend blade and Source: Available at most home centers

Lots of Clamping Power at a Low Price

■ To make a tricky cut safely and accurately, I often build a jig.That’s why I appreciate toggle- style, hold-down clamps.They exert a preset and consistent pressure on a workpiece. Plus, I can operate them with one hand. The metal versions of these clamps have been around for years. But they’re quite expensive — 1 as much as $17 for a 6 /2" x 4" clamp.This new hold-down clamp manufactured by DeStaco solves that problem. Made of a durable, nylon composite material, it costs about half that of a similar metal version ($8.75 for 5 3 a 5 /8" x 4 /4" clamp).Yet it does a great job of holding a workpiece securely in place. Source: McFeely’s (800) 443-7937 or on-line at: www.McFeelys.com

48 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2001 Drill Press Hold-Down Device

■ Let’s face it, clamping a board to workpiece just before the drill bit and the table on a drill press can be a holds it securely in place. pain.The cast “ribs” underneath The amount of pressure applied the table always seem by the foot can be adjusted from 30 to get in the way. lbs. up to 120 lbs. But even at the And if I’m drilling lowest pressure setting and using large a hole in a small work- Forstner bits, I could still hog out piece, my clamps often don’t material without the slightest move- have enough “reach” to be of use. ment of the board. So when I heard about a new One thing I was concerned hold-down device for a drill press about was whether the foot would for only $90, I decided to give it a mar the workpiece. But the try. Manufactured by Drill Sargent, rounded edges and flat metal base the hold-down can be quickly didn’t leave any marks at all. attached to the side of both floor- If there’s one limitation to the model and benchtop drill presses. hold down, it’s that the size of the Basically, the hold-down is a opening in the foot prevents you from pressure cylinder connected to a large drilling holes larger than 2". But I With this hold-down device attached to “foot.” As the seldom use bits that large anyway. your drill press, the workpiece won’t quill is low- Source: Woodcraft Supply stores budge — even when drilling large holes. ered, the foot (800) 225-1153, contacts the www.Woodcraft.com

A Different Thread Design ProMax Screw Traditional Screw ■ Sometimes the best innovations are the simplest.Take these new screws made by ProMax for instance, called Optimized Thread Length Screws. Longer That’s really just a fancy name for saying the screws have fewer threads and a Smooth longer, smooth shank compared to conventional screws. So when attaching Shank two materials, you end up with all of the threads biting into the Surface Gap sub-material rather than part of them still gripping the surface material material, as shown at right.This draws the pieces tightly Fewer together, so you don’t have to worry about gaps.The Threads smooth shaft also eliminates the need for a shank hole. Sub-material Source: McFeely’s (800) 443-7934, www.Mcfeelys.com Suggest Retail Price: $7.68 (box of 100 #8 x 3")

Removing Stripped-Out Screws

■ Nothing is more frustrating — and often Unlike many other screw extractors, these very time-consuming — than trying to remove removers don’t require drilling a hole in the a screw with a stripped-out head. Fortunately, damaged screw. Instead, each remover has two all you need is a reversible drill and one of the hardened cutting edges that “bite” into the new screw removers shown below. It’s part of a screw head.Then the remover is backed out — three-piece set from Craftsman. taking the screw with it. All in all, these screw removers work great. They grab hold of damaged screw heads like a magnet and yank out the screw. At $19.95 for a 3-piece set, they’ve earned a place in my toolbox. Source: Sears stores or www.Sears.com

49 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2000 Ratcheting Combo Wrenches

■ How did I ever get along without one? That’s the question I asked the first time I used these ratcheting combination wrenches made by Crescent. A ratcheting mechanism installed in the box end of the wrench makes it great for working in tight quarters. In fact, it only takes a short “swing” to tighten or loosen a bolt (5° to be exact).To reverse the ratcheting mechanism, just click a button on the head of the wrench. Another thing I like about using these wrenches is they’re easy to fit onto the head of a bolt.That’s because the ratcheting ring has 12 separate facets (instead of 6 like most box end wrenches). This makes it a snap to “find” the bolt head when working where visibility is limited. One final note. You won’t have to worry about busting your knuckles with these wrenches.The box end is offset at an angle, so there’s plenty of clearance. These wrenches are available in sets of four and seven in both SAE and Metric sizes. Sources: Hardware stores and auto supply stores Suggested Retail Price: $45.96 (set of 4); $87.87 (set of 7)

50 WORKBENCH ■ JULY | AUGUST 2000 Sources & Resources

Get a Handle on Interior Doors —page 40

In the article beginning on page 40,we show three different ways to “dress up”interior Kwikset doors.Depending on the style of door,you may want to change the existing door knobs. Lido (200 LL) Most home centers and hardware stores will have a large selection of door knobs and levers available to match your particular door style and other room furnishings.Here’s a list of companies that manufacture the knobs and levers we used.We’ve also included a couple of additional sources for door hardware. Kwikset……………………………………………………………800-327-5625 www.Kwikset.com Cameron Ashley Building Products ………………………800-749-4067 Kwikset (maker of Guardian Door Knobs) Valiant (200 V) www.cabp.com Schlage Lock Company………………………………………800-847-1864 www.SchlageLock.com Restoration Hardware…………………………………………800-762-1005 www.RestorationHardware.com

Schlage Orbit (ORB CSV 626)

Entertainment Center —page 32

Nearly everything you’ll need to build the Entertainment Centeron page 32 can be found at your local home center. Here are the specifics on the products and materials we used along with a few other sources to help you find just what you want. For starters, we purchased a Mill’s Pride base cabinet. The cabinet comes with drawers and steel, side-profile drawer glides and hardware, plus European- style hinges for the doors.Then we chose a “Door Pack” that included two doors and drawer fronts to create the look we were after. Base cabinet — SKU# 266254 (Home Depot) Door Pack — SKU# 276760 (Home Depot) We used brass drawer pulls with minaret ends from Liberty Hardware (also 1 available at Home Depot.) We chose stock moldings to trim the unit.The /4" spoon-style shelf pins we used can be found at Rockler Woodworking & Hardware.

Shelf Pins Beaded Molding Base Cabinet

Minaret Pull

Home Depot…………………………………770-433-8211 www.HomeDepot.com Rockler Woodworking & Hardware ……800-279-4441 www.Rockler.com Baseboard Crown Molding

51WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST2001 Making Beaded Panels —page 40 Feedback and The beaded panels we used to cre- groove wood strips called edge- ate country-style passage and closet and-center bead.We used a knotty Follow-Up doors (page 40) were made by pine,solid wood planking (Pro’s 1 fitting together 3 /4"- Choice) manufactured by PGM CHECK YOUR MATH wide,tongue-and- Products.It was purchased at Home In the May/June issue of Depot and came in packages of six Workbench,reader Tom 8-ft.-long strips. Granger asked us to help For a bit more money,you can end his confusion about cal- get premium poplar or red oak culating board feet (Questions beaded paneling manufactured by & Answers,page 7). Babcock Lumber Company. As many readers have since pointed out,our explanation may have made PGM Products ………………………………800-752-1478 things worse for Tom. Our answer instructed www.PGMProducts.com readers to round up allfrac- Babcock Lumber Co. ………………………888-239-0658 tional measurements to the www.BabcockLumber.com next whole number.So,in the example we used,the board feet of a piece of material that measured 1 1 1 /4" × 3 /2" × 6 ft.was cal- culated this way: Wood Flooring —page 22 2" × 4" × 72" = 576" 576" ÷ 144" = 4 bd.ft. There are several manufacturers (Notice that 6 ft.was converted that offer pre-finished hardwood to 72".) floors and related products. It iscorrect to round For the wood flooring article width and length up to the on page 22,we used Premium next whole number.But the 3 Grade, Mirage /4" tongue-and- mistake we made was in groove red oak pre-finished floor also rounding up the thick- in an auburn stain and a satin nessdimension.The correct polyurethane finish. equation is: Mirage is made by Boa-Franc 1.25" × 4" × 72" = 360" Inc. of Canada and is distributed in 360" ÷ 144" = 2.5 bd.ft. the Midwest by Lockwood Flooring.To locate other distributors, check SORRY, WRONG NUMBER your local phone book or Boa-Franc’s web site. On page 41 of the May/June issue,we listed a phone number to contact Boa-Franc, Inc. ………………………………800-463-1303 Trex Company —manufac- www.Boa-Franc.com turer ofTrex wood/plastic Lockwood Flooring …………………………800-325-9608 composite decking.Actually, we only listed part of the National Wood Flooring Association ……800-422-4556 number.Here’s the whole www.WoodFloors.org thing:(800) 289-8739 Bruce Floors …………………………………800-527-5905 You can also learn more www.Bruce.com about Trex Company’s products online at: Robbin’s Floors ………………………………800-733-3309 www.Trex.com www.RobbinsFlooring.com Nat'l. Oak Flooring Manuf. Assoc. ………901-526-5016 www.nofa.com

WORKBENCH■ JULY|AUGUST2001 52 CRAFTSMANSHIP Mosaic Magic

The Saint Louis Cathedral glitters in gold and glass.

An architectural hybrid of Romanesque and Byzantine styles, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Louis is more than a place of worship. It’s also a work of art. Beautiful mosaics like the ones you see here adorn the soaring domes and arches throughout the cathedral. These artistic compositions are made up of more than 41 million pieces of glass in nearly 8,000 shades of color. The typical Byzantine mosaic also features a striking gold-leaf background. It took 20 international artists more than 75 years to create and install the 83,000 square feet of mosaics — the world’s largest collection. Together, the mosaics tell the complete story of Judeo-Christian history. To see more mosaic images of the cathedral, visit WorkbenchMagazine.com For tour information, call (314) 533-0544. 53