Plans NOW® www.plansnow.com

THANK YOU! You have successfully downloaded your FREE PlansNOW.com plan.

> Go to Page 1

Tips for Trouble-Free Printing Clear printer memory. If you are unable to print this document, turn off your printer for at least 15 seconds and try again. Get advanced printer help. Visit Adobe Support for instructions in troubleshooting common printer problems. www.adobe.com/support/techdocs/150d6.htm

A Plan for Every Project! See more than 250 Plans at PlansNOW.com

Workbench Plans Bedroom Furniture Plans Sound woodworking starts with a Beds, dressers, armoires, cribs, solid . cradles, and more!

Shop Plans Craftsman Furniture Plans Get the most from your with Build the same distinctive fea- easy-to-build shop jigs. tures from the early1900s.

Home Improvement Plans Outdoor Furniture Plans Save hundreds of dollars in Easy-to-build projects using a remodeling when you DIY. minimum of power tools.

Playhouse & Shed Plans Gazebo & Arbor Plans Everything you'll need for a kid's Make outdoor living more enjoy- summer entertainment. able this summer!

Visit us at www.PlansNOW.com Plans NOW® www.plansnow.com CLAMPING & ASSEMBLY The secrets to goof-proof glue-ups are found in what you do after the pieces are cut and before the glue goes on.

efore reaching for the glue bottle, BI always pause and take a deep breath. Once the glue is applied, there’s no turning back. It will start to set in just a few minutes, so things have to go right the first time. It doesn’t matter what size or shape the assembly is — an edge-to- edge panel or flat frame, simple drawer or large carcase, thin edging strips or a large tabletop lamination. Each has its own challenges — and solutions (which I’ll get to in a minute). But there are still some basic steps that I always try to take with every assembly. ASSEMBLY SURFACE. The first thing needed is a flat work surface. If it’s not, you’ll have to work that much harder to get your assembly flat and . (Or you may not notice a glue goes on. For a flat panel, like the project without glue can help problem before it’s too late.) the one in Fig. 1, a “’s tri- you find problems, so you can solve A workbench is a natural assem- angle” drawn across the boards will them without getting frantic. For bly table, but for smaller projects, a help you get them back in the same example, you may discover that table is another good choice. orientation quickly. And by writing pieces need to go together in a par- (Be sure to protect the top surface labels on mating pieces of frame and ticular order. Or that you don’t have with paper.) And for large projects, I case assemblies (Fig. 2), it’ll take enough hands to get parts together lay down a solid-core door to even just a glance to tell which pieces go in the time it would take before the out the bumps in my shop floor. together and in what orientation. glue cures. It’s best to know this LABEL PARTS. Another ingredient for DRY ASSEMBLE. But I find the most before the glue goes on so you can a smooth assembly is organization. important part of a successful glue- call in a helper if needed. The time to figure out top from bot- up (and the easiest to shortchange) tom and left from right is before the is the dry assembly. Clamping up FLAT ASSEMBLIES Gluing up panels from two or more 1 NOTE: Alternate clamps boards is one of the most common to help keep panel flat a. glue-ups you’re going to face. Another is putting simple frames together. Carpenter's Both assemblies must end up flat with triangle strong, tight joints. COVERAGE. One thing to think about (especially when gluing up panels) is the number of clamps With narrower boards, clamps you’ll need to pull the joints tight. must be closer together The reason has to do with how NOTE: Position clamps clamping pressure is distributed. to get even pressure Pressure extends along entire joint line at 45° angles from As you can see in Fig. 1, clamping clamp heads pressure extends out at about 45°

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 1 ©2002 August Home Publishing. One copy permitted for personal use. Other copies prohibited. All rights reserved. angles from the head (and foot) of a 2 clamp. With a wider board, a clamp Tape covers a wider area. The idea is to measure use enough clamps to apply pres- sure along the full length of the joint lines. This means when working with narrower boards, you’ll need to Label mating have a few more clamps on hand to pieces pull everything tight (Fig. 1a). NOTE: CENTERING PRESSURE. Besides having Panel is square when diagonals enough clamps, you also want to are equal make sure the pressure is centered on the thickness of the pieces. And a. b. TOP VIEW Clamp pulling since boards resting on the pipes or END VIEW frame out of bars of the clamps often sit below square the of the clamp, the pres- NOTE: If door is out of sure is applied down as well as into square, move clamps toward longest diagonal the joint. The result is an assembly Shifting that tends to buckle and joint lines clamp NOTE: Rounded clamping block position that refuse to close up. protects edge and centers pressure slightly on thickness of workpiece pulls frame With panels, a simple solution is square to alternate the clamps above and below the panel, as shown in Fig. 1. But even here, the boards may shift up or down at a joint line, causing a tle different with a frame assembly. SQUARE FRAMES. With frames, there “bump” in the surface. At the ends In these cases, just one clamp is is the additional concern of ending of the workpieces, you can use the used at each end, like you see in Fig. up with an assembly that’s square. method shown in the margin at 2. Here, to center the pressure, I Checking if it’s square is easy — right. In the center of the panel, I like to use clamping blocks with just measure the diagonals, as find a good blow with a “no-mar” rounded edges that are the same shown in Fig. 2. If these dimensions is the quickest way to get a thickness as the workpieces. These are the same, the panel is square. If workpiece back “in line.” blocks are slipped between the not, you can shift the clamps slightly Centering the pressure on the clamps and the workpieces, like you toward the longer diagonal and thickness of the workpieces is a lit- see in Figs. 2 and 2a. retighten them (Fig. 2b).

APPLYING GLUE & CLAMPING

It seems there are two glue-up ques- to determine what each joint needs. lems). What you need is a thin, even tions that I hear a lot: “How much One thing I can tell you is that in coat, as shown in the first photo. { Tightening a clamp glue should I use?” and “How much both cases, more is not better. Besides applying too much glue, across the end of a clamping pressure is enough?” Applying too much glue just another common mistake is to try joint line draws the There’s no simple answer to either gives you a lot of squeeze-out to to make up for a poor fit by increas- surfaces of the question. It takes some experience clean up later (creating other prob- ing clamping pressure. Even the boards flush. strength of Hercules won’t make a joint any stronger. Once the pieces have made contact or the joint has closed, apply just enough additional pressure to hold the pieces in position. A thin of glue { How much glue? A strong joint needs { How much pressure? Apply clamping should appear along a thin, even layer of glue. Spread the pressure until an even bead of glue the joint line, as in the glue with a brush or piece of scrap. forms along the joint line. second photo.

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 2 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved. Case Assemblies 1 With panels and frames, you want to Back end up with flat assemblies. When gluing up a box-type assembly (like a a. drawer or cabinet case) the goal is to clamp up assemblies that are square. Squaring A back that’s set into will form make this job a lot easier. It can be Case set in place (at least temporarily) to Corners cut so help square up the pieces (Fig. 1). form isn't glued NOTE: Back into case And if the case doesn’t have a helps keep back, then a simple squaring form case square does the same thing (Fig. 1a). A piece of or sized FIRST: Glue up inside 2 sub-assembly Spacers provide to fit inside the case is all you need. clearance for clamps And by clipping the corners, you don’t have to worry that it’ll become a permanent part of your assembly. SEQUENCE. Open, four-sided boxes are fairly straightforward to assem- ble. Add a divider or some fixed shelves, as in Fig. 2, and you’ll need Curved a. caul to do a bit more planning. While my initial inclination is to SECOND: Add clamp up the sides first, it’s often outer portions Slight curve on { These assembly easier to work from the inside out, to inside assembly edge of caul blocks help hold as you can see in Fig. 2. And many parts of a case times, a large case is best tackled in until the clamps two stages. (Taking a little extra to help you temporarily hold the side edges of the joint, you’re often can be positioned. time when dry assembling will help pieces, as shown in the left margin. left with a gap at the center. The Just cut a pair of you find the best procedure.) CAULS. Wide boxes and cases pres- solution here is a caul — a scrap intersecting dadoes Large assemblies are also hard to ent an additional challenge — get- piece with a slightly curved edge in pieces of scrap. hold together while you’re getting ting the pieces pulled tight across (Fig. 2a). This curve extends the the clamps in place. But you can the entire width of the joint. Since “reach” of the clamp heads so the quickly cut a couple of extra “hands” clamps put pressure only on the out- center of the joint is pulled tight.

SQUARING

A common way to check an assem- piece is tapered to fit tightly into NOTE: When bly for square is to measure the diag- the corners of the assembly. diagonals are equal, box is onals. When the measurements are USING GAUGE. To use the gauge, square equal, you’ve got a square assembly. just loosen the wing nut and GAUGE. While a will extend the ends of the gauge into work for this, I often use a simple opposite corners of the box, as squaring gauge. This way, I don’t shown in the drawing. Snug the have to remember dimensions that wing nut just enough to keep the change as the assembly is adjusted. gauge from sliding. (This makes it If you look at the detail in the easier to adjust the gauge as you Wing nut drawing at right, you’ll see that this check the diagonals.) a. & washer gauge is just a couple of narrow Now position the gauge across Cut pieces of scrap that slide against the other diagonal. If one diagonal on ends each other. One piece has a slot is longer, squeeze those two cor- !/4" that accepts a bolt and a that ners toward each other and adjust slot !/4"carriage serves as a guide. Tightening a the clamps. Check the diagonals Guide pin bolt (!/4 " dowel) wing nut locks the gauge at a spe- again and repeat the process until cific length. And one end of each the diagonals are of equal length.

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 3 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved. Edging When plywood is used in a project, centered on the edging, two things block across the you have to consider how to hide the can be done. First, elevating the ply- panel and then run plies on any exposed edges. One way on a spacer strip aligns the your edging clamps to the to do this is by applying center of the panel with the head of anchor block. edging. The photo at right shows an the clamp (Fig. 1a). And second, the TAPING. There are some projects example — the lid of a plywood chest. edge of the clamping block is round- where the edging isn’t applied until CLAMPING BLOCK. Getting even pres- ed to direct the pressure to the cen- after the case is assembled. If the { To hide sure across a narrow edging strip ter of the edging. back of the case is already in place, the edges of the would require lots of clamps posi- EXTENDING CLAMPS. When gluing there’s no way to get clamps onto plywood, the lid tioned close together. The solution edging on a long piece of plywood, the edging. A little trick I use in of the storage shown in Fig. 1 is to use a wide you may not have clamps long these situations is shown in Fig. 3. A chest is wrapped clamping block. Like clamping enough to reach the length of the few strips of packing tape can be with hardwood wider boards in a panel, this spreads panel. Fig. 2 shows a way to get the used to hold the edging in place edging. out the pressure from each clamp. job done with shorter clamps. All while the glue dries. To keep the clamping pressure you have to do is clamp an anchor

Anchor block clamped in Tape clamps 1 2 middle of panel allows 3 edging to use of shorter clamps shelf

Wide Clamping clamping block block spreads pressure over wider area a. Edging Packing tape

!/4" spacer Rounded edge centers pressure Spacer block

Face to Face I’ve found the biggest challenges need a stronger bond than contact together, the brads “bite” into the when gluing workpieces face to face cement provides. In these cases, I’ll mating piece and keep it in position. are keeping the pieces in place and use yellow glue. The problem is that And since it can be tough to get clamping them securely. when the pieces are pressed togeth- clamps to the middle of the work- To fasten two large, flat surfaces er, they tend to slide around, like pieces, screws will help secure the together, I’ll usually use contact they’ve been greased. pieces while the glue dries. cement. It bonds the pieces in place BRADS & SCREWS. One way to get CAULS. For larger areas, cauls (like instantly. But there have been times around this is to drive a couple of those used for case assemblies) when I need to be able to make brads into one workpiece and snip come in handy. The curved edge some slight adjustments as the off the heads, as shown in Fig. 1. puts pressure in the middle of the pieces are brought together, or I When the two pieces are pressed panel, as shown in Fig. 2. W

Sand or slight curve 1 2 to direct clamping pressure Glue to middle of panel

Caul

Brad with head snipped off "bites" into mating piece to prevent slipping Screws provide clamping pressure Plywood base Hardboard

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 4 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved. CLAMP STORAGE Have some scrap plywood and an empty bit of wall space? That’s all you need to get your clamps organized.

here’s an old saying that a wood- SIMPLE DESIGN. What I came up with clamp storage wherever you have Tworker can never have too many is a rack that can be made from four an open bit of wall space. clamps. I know that over the years small pieces of plywood and fits just ROLL-AROUND CADDY. If you’re short I’ve collected quite a few. In fact, find- about anywhere. A series of these of wall space, don’t worry. The ing space to put my ever-growing col- racks can be customized to hold all racks can also be attached to a lection was becoming an issue. types of bar and pipe clamps. And as handy roll-around caddy. In fact, What I needed was a better way you can see in the photos below, I even if you have plenty of wall to store and organize my clamps. even made a couple of extra racks to space, you may want to consider And the new “system” had to be hold gluing supplies and C-clamps. building the caddy anyway. It holds easy to build and add on to. That One thing all the racks have in all of your clamps in one place and way, as I got more clamps I could common is that they are designed makes it easy to roll them to wher- make a new rack for them quickly. to to the wall. So you can fit ever your project may be.

{ A storage box keeps glue and { C-clamps are held on this simple { Pistol-grip clamps can be cinched accessories organized. Mounting it rack. It can be custom built to fit down on a rack, ready to grab and near the clamps makes it handy. different sizes of clamps. be put to work.

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 5 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved. a. Countersunk screw hole

BACK Counter- Racks 1" 1 B sunk screw The heart of this clamp storage sys- B 4" hole tem is an L-shaped rack braced at 12!/2" each end by a triangular support. 2" 12!/2" Each rack is the same size. The only difference is the slots that are cus- tomized for different types of clamps. 3!/4" b. TOP VIEW BAR CLAMPS All of the pieces are made from 3 %/16"-dia. /4" plywood (although hardwood A A C TOP hole would work as well). In fact, I built SUPPORT !/4" 3 NOTE: 4" my racks from pieces of scrap ply- All pieces are 2#/8" BAR #/4" plywood wood that were too small for proj- CLAMP SUPPORT 3!/4" ects but too big to throw out. 1#/4" 1" 1" RACK C To keep things simple, I made 1 each rack 12 /2" long. That way they fit in small bits of wall space as well c. I-BEAM CLAMPS d. #/4" PIPE CLAMPS as on the optional roll-around caddy. !/8" A !/2" A 1 -dia. But they can be made any length -dia. hole hole TOP you like to accomodate your clamps. TOP 4" !/4" &/8" &/8" VIEW VIEW 4" 1 1 1 CUT PIECES. The first step was to cut #/8" 2 2!/2" a top (A), back (B), and two sup- #/4" ports (C) to size for each rack, like 1#/4" 3" 1 3" you see in Fig. 1. (I made the sup- 1 ports by ripping a long 3 /4"-wide blank, then making alternating 45° cuts on the end.) CUT SLOTS. After the slots are laid MATERIALS Before assembling the racks, I out, you can start cutting them. I BAR &PIPE CLAMP RACK took the time to a couple of found the best way to do this was to A Top (1) #/4 ply. - 4 x 12!/2 countersunk holes in each back drill a hole at the top of each slot B Back (1) #/4 ply. - 3!/4 x 12!/2 piece (Fig. 1a). These are used to first, like you see in Fig. 2. C Supports (2) #/4 ply. - 3!/4 x 3!/4 screw the completed rack to a wall. After the holes are drilled, the C-CLAMP RACK & STORAGE BOX SLOT LAYOUT. The next step is to lay waste can be removed on the table D C-Clamp Back (1) #/4 ply. - 3!/4 x 12!/2 out the slots for the clamps in each saw. As Fig. 3 shows, I attached an E (2) #/4 dia. x 5!/2 top piece. The detail drawings in auxiliary to my miter gauge to F Box Front (1) #/4 ply. - 4 x 12!/2 Figure 1 show racks for the most support the workpiece and prevent G Box Back (1) #/4 ply. - 4!/2 x 12!/2 common types of clamps. Small bar the waste piece from kicking back. H Box Sides (2) #/4 ply. - 4 x 4!/2 clamps sit fairly close together (Fig. ASSEMBLY. Once the slots are cut, I Box Bottom (1) #/4 ply. - 4!/2 x 11 1b). I-beam clamps need more room the rack can be glued up. The top is CLAMP CADDY between slots (Fig. 1c). And Fig. 1d clamped to the top edge of the back; J Sides (2) #/4 ply. - 14 x 48 shows the spacing for pipe clamps. then the supports are added. K Bottom (1) #/4 ply. - 14 x 25!/2 Note: Racks for pistol-grip clamps With my long clamps taken care L Divider (1) #/4 ply. - 25!/2 x 47!/2 don’t need slots. Refer to the lower of, I turned my attention to my C- M Base (1) #/4 ply. - 22 x 28 right photo on the previous page. clamps and accessories.

Tall aux. 2 3 fence a. FRONT VIEW Drill press fence Tall FIRST: Lay out aux. slots on top piece A fence A Slots cut in two passes 2"#/8 Raise saw blade A to height of hole SECOND: Drill holes

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 6 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved. C-Clamp Rack To keep 4" C-clamps in order, I made 4 this small rack. It’s nothing more than NOTE: Drill dowel a. CROSS holes at a 5° angle SECTION 3 a pair of short /4" dowels attached to 12!/2" 4#/4" Counter- a plywood back. sunk screw If you take a look at Fig. 4a, you 2" #/4"dia. hole can see that the holes for the dowels 1" { C-clamps hang are drilled at a slight angle. This %/8" 3!/4" neatly on a rack keeps the clamps from sliding off 5!/2" 1 2" Dowel at D made with a ply- the front. For larger or smaller C- E 5° angle wood back and a clamps, just change the spacing DOWEL couple of dowels. between the dowels. The completed (#/4" dia.) D C-CLAMP BACK rack is then screwed to the wall. Storage Box 5 !/2" Once you start a glue-up, you can’t !/2" 12 SIDE 4 a. SECTION really stop to hunt for some acces- 4!/2" VIEW sory you forgot. That’s why I like this 4" G !/2" H BOX simple storage box. It gives BACK me one convenient place to G 4!/2" 11" Counter- keep bottles of glue, clamp sunk I screw hole pads, band clamps, brushes, BOX BOTTOM H { A storage box will and other odds and ends that F hold gluing acces- seem to “wander off” just as BOX FRONT sories and keep I’m ready to start a glue-up. 4" NOTE: All box them close at hand Like the racks, the box is made #/4" H 3 pieces are during assemblies. from /4" plywood. And keeping plywood BOX with the modular design of the stor- SIDE age system, the box is the same length as the racks. If you look at the mounting screws to be up high- Assembly of the box is simple. I Fig. 5, you can see one thing that’s er so they can be reached easily spread glue on all four edges of the a little unusual about the box — the with a screwdriver. (It’s a good idea bottom piece, then sandwiched it 1 back is /2" taller than the front. As to drill the holes for these screws between the sides before adding you can see in Fig. 5a, this allows before the box is glued up.) the front and back pieces.

ALTERNATIVE MOUNTING OPTIONS

These small racks don’t take Dry wall anchor much wall space. Even so, the L-hook weight of the clamps will play a big part in where and how you mount the racks. Pegboard will be suitable #8 x 1!/2" Fh wood- for a short rack with small screw #8 x 1!/4" Fh woodscrew clamps. But it may not be strong enough to hold a rack CROSS CROSS CROSS a. SECTION a. SECTION a. SECTION filled with long pipe clamps. Peg If you’re fastening the racks board to drywall, try to find one stud !/2" #8 x 1 #8 x 1!/4" to screw into. The other end Fh wood- Fh wood- screw screw of the rack can be attached L- hook with a drywall anchor. Solid wood or plywood (like on the caddy on page 8) will Pegboard. L-screws driven into Drywall. Hollow wall hangers Caddy. To fasten racks to the provide the strongest mount- the edge of the top allow you will hold a rack, but try to drive caddy, drill pilot and shank holes ing surface for heavy racks. to hang a rack on pegboard. at least one screw into a stud and use woodscrews.

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 7 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved. NOTE: Cut#/4 " radius Optional Clamp Caddy on top corners of sides a. TOP 6 VIEW While the clamp racks are designed #/8" to be small enough to fit just about NOTE: Caddy sized to hold two racks or 25!/2 " any available wall space, you might boxes side-by-side #/4" L want to consider building this roll- J around caddy to hold them. It pro- 14" K vides plenty of room to fasten clamp #/4" racks and storage boxes. J SIDE 2" Two clamp racks will fit between #8 x 1!/4 " the sides. As shown in the photos Fh wood- b. below, more racks can be fastened screw L 47!/2 " #/4" to the outside faces. And best of all, FRONT L the caddy is mounted on locking #/8" VIEW DIVIDER 24" swivel casters, so it’s easy to roll it to J wherever you need it. 48" #/4" K The caddy can be made from a single sheet of plywood (with enough left over to make a few racks). The pieces fit together with c. NOTE: Cut radius a series of dadoes and rabbets. J before assembly SIDE CONSTRUCTION. There are only five pieces in the caddy. So the place to NOTE: All pieces cut from M start is by cutting the sides (J), bot- #/4" plywood 2" #/4" tom (K), divider (L) and base (M) radius to size, as shown in Fig. 6. Next, dadoes are cut in the sides K #/8" and bottom to fit the divider (Fig. BOTTOM 6a). Then as Fig. 6b shows, the side d. Locking pieces also receive a that #10 x%/8 " swivel 25!/2 " Ph screw caster accepts the bottom panel. 14" Before assembling the caddy, I !/2" M 28" 22" !/2" rounded the corners of the base to BASE make it “ankle friendly” (Fig. 6c). !/4" NOTE: Assemble sides, #8 x 1 The top corners of the sides receive divider and bottom, then Fh wood- the same treatment. glue and screw to base screw ASSEMBLY. To assemble the caddy, first glue the divider to the bottom and then add the sides. A few screws along the dadoes and rab- shown in Fig. 6d. Then the caddy bets help reinforce the joints. assembly is centered on the base There are just a few small things and glued and screwed down. left. One is to screw a locking swivel Finally, you can attach the racks and caster to each corner of the base, as fill them with clamps. W

CUTTING DIAGRAM

#/4"- 48" x 96" Plywood

J L

J

{ Take it for a spin. The four casters on this caddy make K M it mobile, so you can wheel it over to an assembly and have your clamps (and accessories) right at hand. Plus, the casters allow you to spin the caddy around easily, which means quick access to the clamps on all four sides.

From Woodsmith Magazine Page 8 ©2002 August Home Publishing. PlansNOW.com All rights reserved.