Stanley’s New Chisels: Back From the Dead?
JUNE 2011 ■ #190 Jefferson’s Bookcases Build the Boxes That Built the Library of Congress The Sector: 2 Sticks That Solve Insane Math Problems The 130 Best Books On Woodworking 5 New Tricks For Your Old Combo Square Tea Caddy: Inlay With a Drill Press
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0 FnL1 04 0120 01 JUYrVyBQdWJsaWNhdGlvbnMsIEluYyAo 02 SW9sYSBkaXZpc2lvbikPR3JlZ29yeSBL 03 cnVlZ2VyAE0RxQQEMTAuNAI4MAExBVVQ Qy1BDDA3NDQ3MDAxMzU1NgA= 74470 01355 6 Display until June 27, 2011 popularwoodworking.com
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& & Bdidg/&=E!&&%K$''%K!h^c\aZ"e]VhZ Bdidg/& ¿'=E!&&%K!h^c\aZ"e]VhZ Bdidg/& ¿'=E!''%K!h^c\aZ"e]VhZ! & 8dckZndgbdidg/ ¿&%=E &,'%GEB 6beh/&)$, HE:8>6AL6AA >ciV`Zh^oZ/) BDJCI9:H>
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3040 46
FEATURES
24 Monticello’s 36 Caddy for Your 46 Jasmine Stacking Tea, Governor? Jewelry Box Bookcases Use unconventional (and quicker) techniques Simple tools, techniques and joinery deliver Build the book boxes that held the foundation to build a traditional inlaid tea caddy. elegant results in this ash jewelry box. for the Library of Congress. BY GLEN D. HUEY BY GARY ROGOWSKI BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ ONLINE u Fan Inlay Video ONLINE u Author Blog Watch Rob Millard make a fan inlay using Gary regularly writes about woodworking on ONLINE u Tour Monticello Take an online tour of Monticello and see traditional sand shading. the Northwest Woodworking Studio blog. the reproduction book boxes in Thomas popularwoodworking.com/jun11 popularwoodworking.com/jun11 Jefferson’s library. popularwoodworking.com/jun11 40 Secrets of 52 Combination The Sector Squares 30 The Craft Just two sticks and one hinge will eliminate Discover how to choose and make full use of Classics in Just 5' math and layout errors as you work. this must-have measuring and layout tool. Fight ignorance in 15 minutes a day with our BY JIM TOLPIN BY ROBERT W. LANG collection of must-have woodworking books. ONLINE u Sector Video ONLINE u Is It Square? BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ Watch a sector in use in our shop. Watch this video to fi nd out how to tell if your popularwoodworking.com/jun11 square is actually square (and how to fi x it if ONLINE u Readers’ Favorites We queried blog readers for their favorite it isn’t). woodworking books; you can read the popularwoodworking.com/jun11 complete list online. popularwoodworking.com/jun11
36
BOOKS, SECTOR & TEA CADDY PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH; JEWELRY BOX PHOTO BY GARY ROGOWSKI; COVER PHOTO BY AL PARRISH popularwoodworking.com ■ 3
~~c2-5_1106_PWM_TOC.inddc2-5_1106_PWM_TOC.indd 3 33/28/11/28/11 11:07:4411:07:44 AMAM CONTENTS JUNE 2011
1620 58
REGULARS
8 The Curious 20 Ask a Toolmaker 58 Lacquer Case of The DESIGN MATTERS Thinner BY GEORGE R. WALKER Stanley Works FLEXNER ON FINISHING BY BOB FLEXNER ON THE LEVEL BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ 22 Stacking Bookcases 62 Glossary I CAN DO THAT TERMS OF THE TRADE 10 Sawing for BY ROBERT W. LANG Woodworking’s terminology can be over- Lefties whelming. Learn the terms used in this issue. LETTERS FROM OUR READERS 64 Workshop Radicals 14 Multi-use END GRAIN Bench Hook BY ROY ANDERSON TRICKS OF THE TRADE FROM OUR READERS
VIDEO u Tricks-in-Action Watch a video of one of our tricks at work. popularwoodworking.com/tricks
16 Stanley’s New Chisels
TOOL TEST Number 190, June 2011. Popular Woodworking Magazine (ISSN 0884-8823,USPS 752-250) is BY THE EDITORS published 7 times a year, February, April, June, August, October, November and December, which may include an occasional special, combined or expanded issue that may count as two issues, by F+W Media, Inc. Editorial and advertising offices are located at 4700 u E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, Ohio 45236. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs and ONLINE Tool Test Archives artwork should include ample postage on a self-addressed, stamped envelope (SASE); We have lots of tool reviews on our web site, otherwise they will not be returned. Subscription rates: A year’s subscription (7 issues) is $24.95; outside of the U.S. add $7/year ■ Canada Publications Mail Agreement No. free. 40025316. Canadian return address: 2835 Kew Drive, Windsor, ON N8T 3B7 ■ Copyright popularwoodworking.com/tools 2011 by Popular Woodworking Magazine. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Send all address changes to Popular Woodworking Magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235 Canada GST Reg. # R122594716 22 ■ Produced and printed in the U.S.A.
CHISELS & BOOKCASE PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH; TABLE PHOTO BY TRACEY SCHLOSSER; FINISHING PHOTO BY BOB FLEXNER 4 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
~~c2-5_1106_PWM_TOC.inddc2-5_1106_PWM_TOC.indd 4 33/28/11/28/11 11:08:0811:08:08 AMAM ~~c2-5_1106_PWM_TOC.inddc2-5_1106_PWM_TOC.indd 5 33/28/11/28/11 11:08:2611:08:26 AMAM CONTRIBUTORS
Gary Rogowski has been a woodworker since 1974, JUNE 2011, VOL. 31, NO. 3 when he found an old wooden handplane outside his popularwoodworking.com house, and proceeded to teach himself woodworking. EDITORIAL OFFICES 513-531-2690 He began showing his work in galleries in the late ’70s, and building on commission. In 1989, his pieces were PUBLISHER & GROUP EDITORIAL DIRECTOR ■ Steve Shanesy featured in the Oregon Biennial at the Portland Art [email protected], x11238
Museum, and in 1991, Gary was awarded the Oregon EDITOR ■ Christopher Schwarz Arts Commission fellowship in Crafts. Today, Gary [email protected], x11407 is director of the Northwest Woodworking Studio SENIOR ART DIRECTOR ■ Linda Watts in Portland, Ore. [email protected], x11396 He’s been writing about woodworking since 1988 EXECUTIVE EDITOR ■ Robert W. Lang [email protected], x11327 and has dozens of published articles and videos, and SENIOR EDITOR ■ Glen D. Huey two books on joinery. [email protected], x11293
This is his first article for Popular Woodworking MANAGING EDITOR ■ Megan Fitzpatrick Gary Rogowski Magazine. megan.fi [email protected], x11348 ONLINE COMMUNITY EDITOR ■ Ajax Alexandre “Jasmine Jewelry Box,” u To read more about Gary and his woodworking classes, visit [email protected], x11008 page 46. northwestwoodworking.com. PHOTOGRAPHER ■ Al Parrish
F+W MEDIA, INC. Jim Tolpin has been a professional woodworker for CHAIRMAN & CEO ■ David Nussbaum three decades, and his career spans everything from CFO ■ James Ogle PRESIDENT ■ Sara E. Domville boat building to timber framing to building custom EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, eMEDIA ■ Chad Phelps cabinets and furniture. He’s also written a number SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, of woodworking books (of which he’s sold more than OPERATIONS ■ Phil Graham SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, 750,000 copies) and articles for many major maga- ADVERTISING SALES ■ David Shiba zines, and now teaches at the Port Townsend School IT DIRECTOR ■ Jim Kuster of Woodworking in Port Townsend, Wash. EVENTS DIRECTOR ■ Cory Smith Though he used to swear by his t able saw, Jim has DIRECTOR OF DIGITAL CONTENT ■ Peter Costanzo
recently delved deep into the hand-tool world; his ADVERTISING
latest book, “The New Traditional Woodworker” ADVERTISING DIRECTOR ■ Don Schroder (Popular Woodworking Books) covers that journey. 331 N. Arch St., Allentown, PA 18104 In t his issue, he w r ite s about t he sector – a v irtually TEL. 610-821-4425; FAX. 610-821-7884 [email protected] forgotten woodworking tool for layout and design. Jim Tolpin ADVERTISING SALES ■ “Secrets of the Sector,” COORDINATOR Connie Kostrzewa u To read more about Jim and the Port Townsend School of TEL. 715-445-4612 x13883 page 40. Woodworking, visit ptwoodschool.com. [email protected]
NEWSSTAND For newsstand sales, contact Scott T. Hill: Ajax Alexandre joins us as the new online com- [email protected] munity editor, which means he takes care of the Popular Woodworking Magazine web site, answers your e-mails, coordinates and directs video shoots SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES: and much more. Plus he’s a woodworker – so expect Subscription inquiries, orders and address changes can be to see some of his work in future issues of the maga- made at popularwoodworking.com (click on “Customer Ser v ice”). Or by mail: Popular Woodworking Magazine, zine and on the site. P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Or call Ajax earned a master of fi ne arts degree in Arti- 386-246-3369. Include your address with all inquiries. sanr y/ Fur niture De sig n from t he Universit y of Mas- Allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery. NEWSSTAND DISTRIBUTION: sachusetts at Dartmouth, and has a bachelor’s degree Curtis Circulation Co., 730 River Road, New Milford, NJ in Theatre Arts from The Ohio State University. 07646. PHONE: 201-634-7400. FAX: 201-634-7499. BACK ISSUES are available. Call 800-258- 0929 for He’s moved back to his hometown of Cincinnati pricing or visit popularwoodworking.com. Send check after 15 years in Rhode Island, where he most recently or money order to: Popular Woodworking Magazine Back worked at the Rhode Island School of Design. Issues, F+W Media Products, 700 E. State St., Iola, WI Ajax Alexandre 54990. Please specify publication, month and year. Your new Online Copyright ©2011 by F+W Media, Inc. All u You’ll see Ajax’s work on our web site (popularwoodworking. rights reserved. Popular Woodworking Magazine Community Editor. com) and in upcoming issues of the magazine. is a registered trademark of F+W Media, Inc.
6 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
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BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ, EDITOR Customer Service How can I contact customer service with questions regarding my subscription, including a lost or damaged issue? Visit popularwoodworking.com/customerservice. Or write to Popular Woodworking Magazine, P.O. Box 420235, Palm Coast, FL 32142-0235. Or, if you prefer the telephone, call 386-246-3369 and a customer service representative will be happy to help you. When does my subscription expire? The Curious Case The date of your subscription expiration appears on your magazine mailing label, above your name. The date indicates the last issue in your subscription. Can I get back issues of Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine? Of The Stanley Works Back issues are available while supplies last. Visit popularwood working.com/backissues. Or if you know the exact month and year of the issue you want, call our customer service department toll-free at 800-258-0929 to order. What if I want more information about the projects and tools I read about in Popular Woodworking Magazine? hen I grew tired of my no-name it introduced a modern line of planes For all editorial questions, please write to Popular Woodworking Magazine, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Or Wblock plane and chisels, I did to compete with Lie-Nielsen, Clifton e-mail [email protected]. Does Popular Woodworking Magazine offer group what every red-blooded woodworker and Veritas. discounts? wants to do: I bought Stanley tools. The results? Mixed. These new Group discounts are available by special arrangement with the publisher. For more details, send an e-mail to Debbie Paolello at After all, Stanley built America and planes don’t equal the tools Stanley [email protected] or call 513-531-2690 x11296. America built The Stanley Works. Stan- made before t he war. The cast ings are Our Privacy Promise to You ley made excellent metallic tools. And rougher. The lever cap is lightweight. We make portions of our customer list available to carefully screened companies that offer products and services we believe it was so successful at business that it The handles are uncomfortable. you may enjoy. If you do not want to receive offers and/or information, please let us know by contacting us at: gobbled up most of its competitors. Yes, the planes work. But not as List Manager, F+W Media, Inc. But when I well as old Stan- 4700 E. Galbraith Road Cincinnati, OH 45236 bought Stanleys, I ley tools and Safety Note didn’t buy new ones. new premium Safety is your responsibility. Manufacturers place safety devices I bought a jack plane planes. on their equipment for a reason. In many photos you see in Popular Woodworking Magazine, these have been removed from the early 20th But in this to provide clarity. In some cases we’ll use an awkward body position so you can better see what’s being demonstrated. Don’t century and chisels issue of Popu- copy us. Think about each procedure you’re going to perform from before World lar Woodwork- beforehand. War II. ing Magazine I Why not new? review the new You know why. Stanley Sweet Highly Recommended After the war, Stan- Heart chisels, ley turned its atten- and the results If you want to start in hand work and hand joinery, it can be diffi cult to fi gure tion from building a full range of tools are different. The chisels are based out where to begin. Here’s a good start- for the carpenter and serious wood- on venerable Stanley 720 and 750 ing point: inexpensive reprints of two worker to making everything for any- designs, which are so perfect that Lie- classic books by William Fairham. one. And I mean everything – garage Nielsen used these discarded patterns “Woodwork Tools” and “Wood- door openers, sliding glass doors and as the foundation for its chisels – my work Joints” are two excellent and underappreciated English texts on laser levels. Stanley made almost every- personal favorite. handwork. Now Toolemera Press has thing you needed – except high-quality After weeks of using the Stanley reprinted them and they are less than hand tools for woodworking. chisels, I’m torn. The chisels are not $20 each. This is a steal. The reprints are This is the void that Lie-Nielsen as perfect as the Lie-Nielsen versions, excellent, but the content is even better. Toolworks, Veritas, Clifton and other but they are excellent. Have wood- We like the books so much that we carry them in our store, or you can order them toolmakers fi lled during the last gasp workers prodded Stanley into making at shop.toolemera.com. of the 20th century. By the skin of their great tools again? Will Stanley start — Christopher Schwarz teeth, these small toolmakers (and oth- gobbling up its competitors again? ers) made tools t hat improved upon t he Can Stanley keep improving its tools that The Stanley Works churned tools to the point where it was in out during its early years. 1939? It was these small-scale makers that I say this with both fear and hope: ignited the renaissance we are now see- We’ll see. PWM ing in hand tools. But in the process they might have awakened a sleeping giant. For Stanley has decided to again pur- sue the serious hand-tool user. Last year
8 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR PHOTO BY THE AUTHOR
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008-9_1106_PWM_OTL.indd8-9_1106_PWM_OTL.indd 9 33/28/11/28/11 11:10:4611:10:46 AMAM LETTERS
FROM OUR READERS
with a number of the brands. Bartley’s dries considerably faster than the others, which Sawing for Lefties causes some problems (which you have surely gotten used to) on larger surfaces. You may be able to recoat sooner, though. n “How to Saw” (a post on his blog), Duane, But after using all the brands, I actually liked Christopher Schwarz states that You raise a good point that I should have I using Bartley’s the least. if you are left-handed, you should clarifi ed. When I saw in the vise, I fi nd I All the brands had one really critical attempt to cut on the left side of the am more accurate with the waste to the downside: None is water-resistant. So I line when possible. But, on his saw- front and with my saw on the left of the recommended coating with another fi nish bench DVD, Christopher states that line. I need to ponder “why” this is so, (which it sounds like you’re doing), the n coat- you should always position the waste but I think it has to do with the different ing over with the gel varnish at the end to toward you. body positions. When sawing in the vise produce the pleasing satin sheen, and dust- That seems contradictory to me (for a tenon cheek), my body is parallel to and brush-free results. because to position the waste toward the bench. But when I saw using a bench One more thing: There did appear to be a me would have me saw ing on t he r ight hook, I (a right-hander) saw on the right slight differe nce in the degree of gloss (shine). side of the line. Am I missing some- of the line. I applied seven coats of each brand, and the thing? It seems to me that it would So that’s what I meant. Sorry for the more I applied the more apparent the dif- be best to position the waste toward confusion. ferences. Bartley’s and Old Masters seemed the bench in order to saw to the left Christopher Schwarz, editor to be a little glossier than General Finishes of the line. Please clarify. and Woodkote. Duane Lindsey So I guess if you were trying to fi nd the via e-mail exact same “look,” you should try to fi nd someone who carries Old Masters, which is labeled “Gel Polyurethane.” I’d be curious to hear how you apply the gel varnish. Bob Flexner, contributing editor
Kids & Woodworking I have a 5-year-old grandson who I’m trying to get started in woodworking. And like elsewhere, the schools here aren’t going to help. I’m not an expert at which motor skills are available to pursue at what age, and perhaps in what sequence, and which tools might relate to a particular Replacement for Gel Varnish my hoard of Bartley’s and may soon be developmental stage. I do know the 5- In my part-time work restoring antique getting desperate. year-old can navigate the Internet and furniture, I’ve been using Bartley’s Ron Potter, fi nd approved game sites on which to “Wipe On Gel Varnish” (satin) as a top Forest City, Pennsylvania play. And on Wii he can beat teenage coat on most of the pieces I repair and Ron, cousins in select games. refi nish. Regrettably, this product is no There are other brands of gel varnish, includ- It’s a stretch to expect a child accus- longer being made (though I hear some- ing Old Masters and General Finishes. Old tomed to such quick feedback to accept one may bring it back into production). Masters is sold in paint stores. General “exercises” for skill building, nor will he Is there a product on the market that in Finishes is sold in woodworking stores and learn to use a hammer by straightening your opinion might give me the same catalogs. You may fi nd “neutral” gel stain, all the reclaimed nails in the coffee can results as the Bartley’s? also, which is gel varnish. as I did. (Yes, I’m that old.) I hate to bot her you w it h such a mun- For an article on gel varnish I wrote for Lowe’s is t r y ing to help by prov iding dane request but I am running out of the December 2009 issue (#180), I did tests simple pre-cut projects for free (Sat-
CONTINUED ON PAGE 12
10 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY JANE FAVORITE
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110-13_1106_PWM_Letters.indd0-13_1106_PWM_Letters.indd 1111 33/28/11/28/11 11:11:4711:11:47 AMAM LETTERS
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
“We learn more by looking for (so the leg vise pushes only on the top, But before you start building a new base, not against the leg also), is pushing the try securing your existing top to your exist- the answer to a question and top hard enough to offset it from t he legs ing base to withstand the force of a leg vise. not finding it than we do from and that the legs are wracking so that Christopher Schwarz, editor they are no longer square. The result is learning the answer itself.” that the top and the leg no longer line — Lloyd Alexander (1924-2007) up. Do you think I just need to build a Ticking Stick Memories American author better base? In the early 1980s I worked in a boat I want to use hem-fi r from the home shop where we used ticking sticks all the urday morning kids’ sessions) or for center (I live in the Pacifi c Northwest time for fi tting bulkheads and similar a modest sum when purchased off the and yellow pine is out of the question). items into the V-bottom of boats and shelf. The sessions do hold his inter- The dimensions of the stretchers, at 15⁄8" other irregularly shaped spaces. est, but there’s not a lot of skill building thick, are a bit awkward. If I use one Through the wonders of social net- going on there. Skill-building projects piece of 2x lumber dried and machined working, I recently reconnected with that provide reasonably quick feedback in my shop, it w ill be about 11⁄4". Is that a gal I worked with at the time. I had seem important for today’s kids. too thin? But if I laminate two pieces, I recently unearthed my 30-year-old, I think such a book would find a am up to 21⁄2". 1⁄4"-plywood scrap, fi berglass-coated lot of fathers and grandfathers fi nding Am I the only one who wonders ticking stick and sent her a picture of it value in it. And we’ve got to get him about this type of thing? Any advice saying, “Remember this?” trained since he will inherit a terrifi c would be appreciated. In response, she sent me the Novem- shop. Lucky guy. David Brown, ber issue of Popular Woodworking Maga- Do you have any suggestions? Spokane, Washington zine (#186) with the article on ticking Harlan Janes sticks! We had formed a bond being the Chocowinity, North Carolina only two women in the shop. Careers Harlan, 3⁄4" dowel – taper both ends and families took us to different sides of You are right that there isn’t a lot of stuff out and center in leg the Pacifi c, but we both still work with there for kids. With my girl, I use “Exercises wood and are looking forward swapping in Wood-Working,” which is a school text for some shop tips when we get together older kids, but works fi ne with the younger this spring. PWM ones as well. My little girl is 9. Jody Fergerstrom Doug Stowe has devoted his life to Captain Cook, Hawaii teaching young kids to be woodworkers using the Sloyd system. He could defi nitely help you out. Read through his blogs on his school and such. That will give you lots of u Go Online FOR MORE … ideas (wisdomofhands.blogspot.com and David, Letters and Comments dougstowe.com). First, attempt to salvage your current work- At popularwoodworking.com/letters The Sloyd system is very interesting and bench. Angle brackets work fi ne with some you’ll fi nd reader questions and probably should be revived. But how? be nches (I used the m on the “24-hour Work- comments, as well as our editors’ Christopher Schwarz, editor bench” I built years ago). However, they don’t responses. play well with a leg vise because the vise will We want to hear from you. transfer the force of the chop to the front edge Popular Woodworking Magazine wel- Vise & Bench Base Problems of the benchtop. comes comments from readers. Published I am trying to retrofi t a leg vise on my There’s a simple solution: Join the top and correspondence may be edited for length or style. All published letters become oddball workbench that I built when I base with a few 3⁄4"-diameter dowels. Some the property of Popular Woodworking fi rst started years ago. My top, which is do this by drilling blind holes in the base and Magazine. laminated plywood, is about 3" thick. top, then dropping the top on the dowel. This Send your questions and comments The base is quite rough – a 2x4 con- will prevent the top from shifting. via e-mail to [email protected], struction of my own design. The top is As to using dimensional stock, I have or by mail to: attached to the base with angle brackets. found that 2x material will finish out at Letters Popular Woodworking Magazine 1⁄ I am fi nding that the force of the leg vise, 1 2" thick. That’s thick enough for stretch- 4700 E. Galbraith Road when I hold small, narrow pieces that ers. Double up and that’s thick enough for Cincinnati, OH 45236 are not wider than the depth of the top legs.
12 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
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110-13_1106_PWM_Letters.indd0-13_1106_PWM_Letters.indd 1313 33/28/11/28/11 11:12:1611:12:16 AMAM TRICKS OF THE TRADE
EDITED BY KARI HULTMAN
THE WINNER: Multi-use Bench Hook
any people eager to learn wood- screws. Attach the runner to the long long edges of the bench hook. Mworking become discouraged side of the top with screws, keeping the I made a “shoe” with a 5⁄8" dado by limited space or a tight budget. I bottom edges fl ush. that slides over the Veritas Wonder designed a bench hook with them Attach the top edge of the face to the Pup (#05G10.02). A V-shaped notch in mind. It’s heavy enough to stay front edge of the top with screws, keep- on the opposite side snugs the work- put, but it’s easily moved out of the ing it fl ush with the top’s surface. Then piece. I cut a corresponding notch in way when space is needed. Depend- attach the crochet with screws, keep- the thickest bench stop and use the ing on which accessories I use, the ing it fl ush with the top’s surface and two accessories together when work- bench hook enables me to work on right-side edge. ing the edge of a board. the face, edge and end grain of small I built three double-pegged bench Mary Nickol projects. stops. Each is a different thickness – 1", Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Because I use my low-angle jack 7⁄16" and 3⁄16". The 3⁄4" dowels protrude plane for the lion’s share of edge and 1⁄2" from the bottoms of the stops and are Editor’s note: Visit Popular Wood- surface work, the top of the bench spaced on 5" centers to match the holes working Magazine’s 3D warehouse hook needed to be long and wide on the top and face of the bench hook. collection for SketchUp templates and enough to accommodate my 15" plane. The bench stops are at a 90º angle to the dimensions for this trick. The 21⁄4"-thick maple top provides a hefty, stable surface, and enables the Top bench hook to accept commercially available accessories. Crochet The runner (for shooting) is attached as a separate piece. This allows for easy removal when tru- ing the bench hook. As an option, you can layer two boards to construct the top, leaving the lower piece wider to create the runner. Wonder The face piece is long enough Pup to accommodate end-grain work, Stop such as cutting dovetails, but not Face Planing block stop too long to upset the balance of the bench hook. Make sure all pieces are perfectly square and countersink the Workpiece
Workpiece Dado in block slides Planing stop with onto Wonder Pup; V-notch holds notch on opposite workpiece side of block snugs up to workpiece
Double-pegged planing stops are used for shooting and face planing
14 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY JANE FAVORITE
114-15_1106_PWM_Tricks.indd4-15_1106_PWM_Tricks.indd 1414 33/28/11/28/11 11:12:4311:12:43 AMAM Long Board Supports A carriage bolt, large washer and Workpieces are held in place by a I used to use a freestanding, adjustable wing nut connect the scrap block to spacer and a front board that connect to deadman to support long pieces at my the benchtop through a dog hole the vertical backer board with 1⁄4" car- workbench, but designed a better sys- riage bolts and knobs. I use spacers that Backer board is screwed tem that eliminates fl oor clutter and to 2x4 scrap block match the thickness of my work. obstructions. I came up with end vise Face The carriage bolts go through the vise and mid-bench supports made from 3⁄4" plywood front of the jigs and the knobs are tight- pieces of 3⁄4" plywood and 2x4s. Workpiece screwed to 2x4 ened on the backs, so they don’t get in The end-vise support has a 2x4 body the way. Drill rows of adjustment holes Mid-bench long enough to be held by the end vise support in the vertical backer boards, and size without racking. The top piece of ply- the vertical backer boards, spacers and wood rests on top of the workbench and End vise front boards to suit your needs. support End vise end vise so that the weight of the work- Jim Quinlivan Front board, spacer piece is transferred to the bench. and backer board (all Drill Torrance, California The mid-bench support works with made from 3⁄4" plywood) rows of any of the dog holes near the front of my are connected with two adjustment 1⁄ holes workbench. A large washer, carriage 4" carriage bolts and knobs u Go Online FOR MORE … bolt and wing nut connect the support Size the support boards and For links to all these online extras, go to: spacers to suit your needs assembly to the benchtop through a u popularwoodworking.com/jun11
dog hole. VIDEO: Tricks-in-Action shows you a free As an alternative, you can install a be inserted from beneath, through the video of one of this issue’s tricks in use in our Veritas Bench Anchor from Lee Valley support assembly, and into the bench shop. Watch the “Carabiner Cord Holder” (#05G22.05) mounted upside down anchor, so that no metal protrudes – as well as a few of our other favorites. in the dog hole. This way, a bolt can above the workbench. WEB SITE: Visit the 3D Warehouse for tem- plates of the Multi-use Bench Hook. BLOG: Tricks editor Kari Hultman writes Sharpening Spokeshave Blades about woodworking on her blog, The 3 Village Carpenter. I use ⁄4"-thick MDF, double-sided tape Use double-sided tape to attach blade, and sandpaper to fl atten the backs of bevel-side down, to a piece of MDF IN OUR STORE: “601 Woodshop Tips & Tricks,” by Graham McCulloch. spokeshave blades and sharpen them. Flip the block and I attach the blade to the MDF, bevel- blade over, and Our products are available online at: slide the blade (away u ShopWoodworking.com side down, with double-sided tape. This from the cutting edge) across fine sandpaper provides a way to handle the blade with- Cash and prizes out danger of nicking my fi ngers. On that’s attached to a piece of MDF for your tricks and tips! another piece of MDF, I adhere a sheet Each issue we publish useful woodworking of sandpaper and use it as I would a Fine-grit sandpaper is glued to 3⁄4" MDF tips from our readers. Next issue’s winner sharpening stone, to fl atten the back receives a $250 gift certifi cate from Lee Val- of the blade. Chamfer edge of MDF so blade’s bevel ley Tools, good for any item in the catalog or is on the same plane as the top surface on the web site (leevalley.com). (The tools I cut a chamfer on another block of of the MDF MDF, the angle of which positions the pictured below are for illustration only, and are not part of the prize.) blade’s bevel on the same plane as the Lay another Blade is Runners-up each receive a check top surface of the MDF. Double-sided block of bevel up for $50 to $100. When submitting a MDF in tape holds the blade at this angle. Then, trick, include your mailing address and front of I slide the MDF/sandpaper block across blade so phone number. If your trick is selected, the bevel to sharpen it. sanding an editor will need to contact you. All Double-sided tape entries become the property of Popular block remains flat keeps blade in Bill Larsen Woodworking Magazine. Send your trick by while sharpening position Round Lake, Illinois e-mail to [email protected], To sharpen, slide sandpaper-backed MDF or mail it to Tricks of the Trade, Popular across the blade, away from the cutting edge Woodworking Magazine, 4700 E. Galbraith Road, Cincinnati, OH 45236. Carabiner Cord Holder I’m moving around a lot and need even When I am using a corded tool such as more control, I attach a second carabi- a sander, drill or router, the cord gets ner to the belt loop behind me and run in the way or catches on something. My the cord through it as well. Carabiners solution is to attach a large carabiner can be found at your local hardware to my belt or belt loop. I run the power store. PWM cord through the carabiner, which puts Dan Urban it where I want it – out of the way. If Glen Ellyn, Illinois
popularwoodworking.com ■ 15
114-15_1106_PWM_Tricks.indd4-15_1106_PWM_Tricks.indd 1515 33/28/11/28/11 11:12:5811:12:58 AMAM TOOL TEST
BY THE EDITORS Stanley’s New Chisels
New Britain is back. And they want woodworkers.
or woodworkers, good chisels Fhave been hard to find or have been expensive. You could search the fl ea markets for nice vintage tools or Looking good. Stanley’s Sweet Heart chisels are a reasonably priced mid-range chisel. shell out the money for Ashley Iles, Lie- Nielsen or (brace yourself for wallet Hornbeam. The impact) handmade Japanese tools. They are not Lie-Nielsens. But they hornbeam handles can take a beat- Now The Stanley Works is wading are a serious competitor for the mid- ing and are nicely back into the fi ght with a set of bevel- range chisel makers. Stanley’s steel is fi nished. edge chisels that look like the excellent (as always) good. The handles are good. Lie-Nielsens but are priced more like The fi t and fi nish is pretty good. And the Ashley Iles, at $220 for a set of eight the price is fair. with a leather tool roll. Here are the stats: The chisels are a Should we care? After all, for 30 high-carbon alloy with some chromium years, Stanley has focused more on the mixed in, but the good news is that the homeowner and the contractor – not tools don’t have so much chrome that the serious woodworker. Woodwork- they feel gummy when you sharpen ers demand good steel, wooden handles them. The blades are fairly fl at out of and excellent balance. As long as I have the box compared to other mid-range been woodworking, The Stanley Works chisels. (No chisels compare to the Lie- has been delivering the goods only in Nielsens in initial fl atness.) It took me the “good steel” department. less than two hours to set up the entire I think the new English-made Stan- set of eight Stanley chisels. turned the eight tools over to a wood- ley chisels are worth a serious look. The handles are hornbeam and are working class to use. The chisels sur- virtually the twin to the Lie-Nielsen ver- vived a lot better than I expected. sions. But unlike the Lie-Nielsen socket Overall, these are good tools. They Sweet Heart Chisels chisels, the Stanley handles kept drop- are lighter and machined a bit rougher ping out of their sockets – even after a than high-quality vintage examples and Stanley ■ stanleytools.com or 800-262-2161 good beating. I fi xed that problem with the best new ones. But they are worlds Street price ■ $220 for eight a squirt of hairspray on the male part better than most of the new chisels on of the handle. the market today. u VIDEO: Hairspray secures socket chisels at popularwoodworking.com/jun11. The Stanley blades sharpened up It looks like Stanley still has some Price correct at time of publication. quickly, and overall held their edges love for woodworkers. quite well. After sharpening the set I — Christopher Schwarz
CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
16 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 STANLEY CHISELS & GREX BRAD NAILER PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH; WENZLOFF SAW PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
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116-19_1106_PWM_ToolTest6-19_1106_PWM_ToolTest 1717 33/28/11/28/11 11:13:5011:13:50 AMAM TOOL TEST
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 Wenzloff & Sons No-set Saw Most saws have too much set, which The tapered blade allows makes the tool wander and cut roughly, it to run without set. But and makes it difficult to push. Now that’s not all. Wenzloff & Sons has produced a new The saw is fi led for 10 backsaw based on the Disston No. 77, points per inch (ppi) at which was designed to run without set. the heel, but it is fi led at This 16" saw is nothing short of 14 ppi at the toe, which amazing in dry hardwoods. It tracks makes the saw easy like a laser and leaves a surface behind to start, even in hard that is – no lie – as smooth as glass. maple. Here’s how it works. The blade’s The hand-filed teeth thickness tapers from .025" at the have a 25° rake and 25° of teeth to a nominal .018" at the spine. fl eam, which would sug- gest that this saw is only for crosscutting. Not so. Wenzloff & Sons No. 77 The No. 77 is excellent for both ripping is no exception. The walnut handle is tenon cheeks and cutting tenon shoul- perfectly formed with no hard lines. Wenzloff & Sons ■ wenzloffandsons.com ders. In fact, during the last month or so The back, blade and saw nuts all come ■ Street price $265 it has been the only saw I’ve been using together without gaps. Considering all u BLOG: See close-up shots of the for cutting tenons. the handwork, it’s amazing this saw has resulting cut at popularwoodworking. com/jun11. Mike Wenzloff has always made an introductory price of only $265. excellent custom and production saws If precision sawing is your thing, this Price correct at time of publication. from his shop in Oregon, and this saw tool is a must-have. — CS The Best in Brad Nailers Money spent on quality tools is seldom even plastic tube that carries the air to a bad investment, and having a quality the rear. Grex did away with the tubing brad nailer in your shop is a great idea. and has designed a channel in the cast- If you have the same thoughts, the new ing to direct the air to the back. 1850GB from Grex is the right choice. Grex has also designed the 1850GB The 1850GB is an 18-gauge nailer for tighter work areas. At the nose, the that drives brads from 1⁄2" to 2" in safety is cast, not stamped. The casting length. With it Grex has upped the ante adds more strength to the safety, and with a departure from traditional nailer allows for a smaller nose. That allows construction. you to get in close at corners or in tight The t rend in nail g un s is toward rear spaces. Also, the narrow nose allows the exhaust – who needs air bursts kicking tool to drive brads at any angle. up dust as you work? In most nailers t hat Another modifi cation that augments have rear exhaust, there’s a copper or close-up work is the stepped magazine t hat is ext r uded aluminum in stead of a composite. Tilting the brad nailer keeps Grex 1850GB its body behind the nose of the gun, which makes it easier to work tight to Grex ■ grexusa.com or 888-447-3926 a vertical surface or wall. at .008" - .010" per detent, a swivel-type Street price ■ $198 Of course, the 1850GB has all the air inlet and a dual-fi ring option. u BLOG: Read more about Grex tools at popularwoodworking.com/jun11. expected attributes, as well: a dry-fi re The 1850GB is not cheap, but if this mechanism, fastener indicator window, is your “go to” gun, it’s worth it. PWM Price correct at time of publication. depth control adjustment that changes — Glen D. Huey
18 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
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116-19_1106_PWM_ToolTest6-19_1106_PWM_ToolTest 1919 33/28/11/28/11 11:14:1711:14:17 AMAM DESIGN MATTERS
BY GEORGE R. WALKER Ask a Toolmaker
Konrad Sauer designs more than just awe- inspiring infi ll planes.
he next time you attend a wood- Tworking show, don’t pass up a chance to t alk de sig n w it h a toolmaker. As a group, I fi nd toolmakers a treasure trove of knowledge. I’ve yet to fi nd one who didn’t have a practiced eye, and often their questions are just as insight- ful as their answers. You may know Konrad Sauer for his stunning infill planes inspired by classic British tools Unraveling. The plank forming this coffee table, designed by Konrad Sauer, appears to unravel. that exemplifi ed the pinnacle of plane- making more than a century ago. Last fall I took one of his infi ll planes contrast to the curvaceous planes for ideas and keep his thoughts fl owing. for a test ride. Although the shiny metal which he is known. Yet this simple rec- Thumbnail sketches helped fl esh out a and rosewood infi ll sparkled w it h new- tilinear form stretches the imagination concept for a table that begins as a large ness, it fi t my hand like a well-broken-in with a play of light and shadow. solid plank that gradually breaks apart. baseball glove. The blade sliced cleanly Sketching is an important part of Sau- In this case he chose curly maple for in a way that reminded me of the con- er’s creative process. Since high school its alluring refl ective properties. Fig- nection you get with clay responding to he has used a sketchbook to explore ured maple often displays a character- your fi ngers on a potter’s wheel. Most of istic known as chatoyance, which is all, it made me want to create somet hing defi ned as “having a changeable luster.” wonderful, perhaps push my abilities Depending on how the grain is oriented to places I’ve never been. in relation to a light source, it will either glow softly or conversely go dim. Furniture Designer & Builder In this case, Sauer ripped the plank Designing and building infi ll planes into strips then crosscut those strips is a discipline practiced within tight into smaller blocks. Randomly, he boundaries, on par with striving to cre- fl ipped the orientation of the grain so ate a perfect wine. While most of Sauer’s refl ections would project in different energy goes into his planes, he occasion- directions. He also recessed blocks until ally takes on furniture commissions. they became voids. The voids create a He graciously shared his thoughts on Starts with a sketch. Rough ideas from a delightful surprise as they allow sun- de sig n w it h me as we discussed a coffee sketchbook spark the seed of an idea for this light to spill through and light up the t able he recent ly built. It st and s in st ark tool and furniture designer. surface of the legs below. As you walk
20 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 PHOTOS BY TR ACEY SCHLOSSER ; SKETCHES BY KONR AD SAUER
220-21_1106_PWM_DesignMatters.ind200-21_1106_PWM_DesignMatters.ind20 2020 33/28/11/28/11 11:14:4511:14:45 AMAM around the table the random blocks of Best of both worlds. fi gured wood twinkle on and off as they Sauer sketches his catch the rays of light from a nearby ideas on tracing paper then lays it on top of a window. digital image. Getting Seeds to Germinate I asked Sauer how he develops an idea, and found his approach fascinating. He’s a bit of a hybrid designer from a techni- cal standpoint, combining both hand sketching and digital tools. Though an idea may cook for months or even years as bits and pieces in a sketchbook, he then takes the basic form and draws it using Adobe Illustrator on his com- puter. He shared w it h me t hat it’s useful Sauer also utilizes a camera to take for working out the technical aspects of dig it al photos of an object t hat may con- the design and handy for quickly mak- tain the seed of an idea. Using ortho- ing big changes or experimenting. graphic views then downloading them Yet Sauer said t hat it doe s have some into Illustrator, he can then print the limitations when it comes to exploring image and continue detailing and revis- curves and more organic aspects of a ing by hand with tracing paper. Why limit yourself? Sauer’s tools and furniture design. (Although digital programs are share a tactile quality. capable of generating curves, they often Getting Stuck hinge on the user’s mastery of the soft- I asked Sauer a few of those age-old ques- ware.) Instead, he jumps back to hand tions designers wrestle with: “How do ing overlap and spill over each other. sketching. Sauer prints out the digital you know when you have it? How do That infi ll plane perfectly sculpted to image, overlays it with tracing paper, you know when to leave a design alone? the hand offers an inviting connection, a then begins adjusting and detailing by What do you do when you get stuck reminder t hat t he gent le cur ve s worked hand. He can work in smooth, subtle just short of your design destination?” into the arm rest on a chair are no acci- curves or transitions that might prove With the tone of his voice sounding to dent. PWM cumbersome to manipulate digitally. me as someone who’s been there, Sauer George is the author of the DVDs “Unlocking This tracing can then be re-scanned, explained that often when he can’t seem the Secrets of Traditional Design” and “Unlocking the generating a revised drawing that can to get that breakthrough, he concedes Secrets of Design: Moldings“ both from Lie-Nielsen be manipulated electronically. This pro- he’s just going in circles, revising and Toolworks (lie-nielsen.com). ce ss can cont inue back and fort h, as he redrawing. It’s best just to walk away gradually refi nes the image. for a while, perhaps a few days. When he returns, he places a piece of tracing paper over the old drawing and starts u Go Online FOR MORE … over completely. This often helps him For links to all these online extras, go to: break free. u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 As far as knowing when to stop, it ARTICLE: Editor Christopher Schwarz comes down to going back and looking wrote about Sauer for Fine Tool Journal. at what you set out to achieve. If you WEB SITE: Visit Konrad Sauer’s web page were after a certain spiral on a table leg, to see more of his work, including his can you step back at a distance and see it infi ll planes. clearly? If you are after a tactile sense, do IN OUR STORE: George R. Walker’s DVDs. you feel this as you run your hand over Our products are available online at: a surface? This also speaks to the fact u ShopWoodworking.com that some aspects of design, especially the tactile, can only be fully worked out About This Column as the piece is built. Something as small If you have a thirst to hone your creative as softening a sharp edge with a block skills, Design Matters dives into the basics of plane makes a big difference; it invites proportions, forms, contrast and composition us to touch rather than pull away. to give you the skill to tackle furniture As I listened to Sauer share his design challenges The maker. Konrad Sauer, of Sauer & Steiner approach to design I had a strong sense with confi dence. Toolworks. that his tool making and furniture mak-
popularwoodworking.com ■ 21
220-21_1106_PWM_DesignMatters.ind210-21_1106_PWM_DesignMatters.ind21 2121 33/28/11/28/11 11:14:5611:14:56 AMAM I CAN DO THAT
BY ROBERT W. LANG Stacking Bookcases
Make boxes to fi t your books – and your space.
he typical bookcase is a good exam- Plan on making at least Tple of poor design. We make them two passes with the router that way because that’s the way we’ve to reach the final depth. In always made them; almost every plan theory that should be 3⁄8", but you see is 12" deep, yet few books require your wood might be a bit thin- that much space. Most bookcases are ner or thicker. In reality, the heavy and a pain to move. These stack- depth is half the thickness of ing bookcases solve those problems, your material, and the article and won’t take long to build. on adjustable squares (page Before you begin, assess your library. 52) shows a quick way to find The three sizes shown here are based and set your router to the on common lumber sizes, and typical exact center of the wood. sizes of books and video cases. If you If you’re new to routing st ay w it h st andard 1x lumber, you won’t rabbets, make a few practice be able to change t he dept h, but you can cuts in scrap to get the feel change the height and width. of it. The router will behave An inch or t wo higher t han your t all- differently when you move it est book is a good inside height, but don’t in different directions. When go too wide; beyond 36" and the shelves you move from left to right, Made to order. may begin to sag. Also consider how the the cutting edge of the bit is Fit the cases to your books parts of the sizes you are planning will moving into the work. This is to avoid wasting space, lower your fi t the available lengths of material; an more efficient and gives you material costs and make moving easy. inch or so of adjustment may save you greater control – but when you from buying another board. reach the edge of a board, it tends to break a chip out of the edge. In This Corner Get Ready to Rabbet Moving from right to left is consid- Before you put the boxes together, sand The individual boxes could be just glued ered backward, and is called “climb-cut- the inside surfaces with a random-orbit and nailed together, but the rabbet joints t ing.” If you move t he router back ward sander or by hand. It is diffi cult to sand shown here will be stronger, and the into what would normally be the end into the corners after the boxes are boxes will be easier to assemble. I used of a cut before you make the cut, you assembled. The vertical pieces go out- a 3⁄8"-wide rabbeting bit that uses a ball can prevent blowing out the wood. You side the horizontal pieces, hiding the bearing below the cutter as a guide. should only climb-cut for a short dis- end grain when viewed from the side. You may find a cheaper version of tance after the cutter enters the wood. Put a bead of glue on the end-grain this bit with a solid piece of steel instead Keep the base of the router fl at on surfaces of the sides and spread it across of the bearing. Don’t give into the temp- your work while you press the guide the entire surface. Let it soak in for about tation to save a few dollars. The solid bearing against the edge. Be careful at fi ve minutes before applying glue to the guide spins at the same speed as the the start and end of a cut that the bear- other joint surfaces. This allows the glue cutter, fast enough to burn the edges ing doesn’t go around the corner and to soak into the end grain and makes for of your wood. on to the adjacent edge. stronger joints – it’s called “sizing.”
22 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; STEP PHOTOS & ILLUSTR ATION BY THE AUTHOR
222-23_1106_PWM_ICDT.indd2-23_1106_PWM_ICDT.indd 2222 33/28/11/28/11 11:15:2511:15:25 AMAM 231⁄4" Stacking Bookcases NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL T W L 1∕2 9 ", ❏ 3⁄4 1⁄2 1⁄4 1 2 Narrow sides 5 10 1x6 pine 11 ⁄4" or 1 3 1 10 ⁄4", ❏ 2 Medium sides ⁄4 7⁄4 12 1x8 pine 131⁄4" 12" or ❏ 2 Wide sides 3⁄4 91⁄4 14 1x10 pine 14" ❏ 2 Narrow tops & bottoms 3⁄4 51⁄2 231⁄4 1x6 pine ❏ 3 3 2 Medium tops ⁄8" x ⁄8" rabbet & bottoms 3⁄4 71⁄4 231⁄4 1x8 pine on two ends and 231⁄4" ❏ 2 Wide tops one edge of top, 1 5 ∕2", 3⁄4 1⁄4 1⁄4 1 & bottoms 9 23 1x10 pine bottom and sides 7 ⁄4" or 1 1 1 1 ❏ 1 Narrow back ⁄4 5⁄2 23 ⁄4 Plywood 91⁄4" 3 ∕2" ❏ 1 Medium back 1⁄4 71⁄4 231⁄4 Plywood EXPLODED ❏ 1 Wide back 1⁄4 91⁄4 231⁄4 Plywood VIEW 243⁄4" ❏ 2 Base ends 3⁄4 31⁄2 95⁄8 1x4 pine ❏ 1 Base front 3⁄4 31⁄2 243⁄4 1x4 pine 95⁄8"
Put the corners together and use backs in place with either 3d fi nish nails Drive a couple 11⁄4" drywall screws from clamps to pull them tight. Clamp a (quick, but be careful with your aim) or the top of one box into the bottom of the Speed Square (or a square block of #6 x 5⁄8" wood screws. next to keep the assembled bookcase wood) in each cor ner as you nail to keep stable. PWM the entire assembly square. I used 3d Off the Floor fi nish nails, and set them slightly below Cut a rabbet along one long edge of the Bob is executive editor of this magazine. the surface of the wood. When the nails piece for the base before mitering the are in, the clamps can be removed and corners. Size the mitered ends with glue, you can move on to the next box. as was done with the end-grain of the Let the glue dry overnight, and rabbets. Assemble the three parts of the u Go Online FOR MORE … remove any excess wood at the joints base with more glue and nails. Clear For links to all these online extras, go to: with a block plane or a random-orbit packing t ape at each cor ner w ill hold t he u popularwoodworking.com/jun11
sander. When all the corners are fl ush, pieces in position while you nail. VIDEO: Watch our free video of using a sand the outside surfaces and break the I used clear shellac as the finish, router to cut rabbets. sharp corners with sandpaper. brushing on two coats. Before finish- PLAN: Download the free SketchUp plan Cut the backs to fi t the openings, but ing, I mixed some dust from the collec- for the stacking bookcases. fi nish the bookcases before attaching tion bag of the sander with a dollop of ARTICLES: All the “I Can Do That” articles them permanently. You can hold the shellac to make a filler for the nail holes, are free online. and any gaps on the edges of the joints. Download the complete “I Can Do This takes a while to dry, but the price That” manual: u popularwoodworking.com/ is right, and the color will match the icandothat surrounding wood. After fi nishing, the boxes are stacked Our products are available online at: u ShopWoodworking.com on top of one another and on the base. About This Column Our “I Can Do That” column features projects that can be completed by any woodworker with a modest (but decent) kit of tools in less than two days of shop time, and using raw materials that are avail- able at any home center. We offer a free online manual in PDF format that explains all the tools and shows you how to perform the basic operations in a step-by-step format. Visit ICanDoThatExtras. com to download the Router rules. Clamp the work securely before Nice and square. Clamp a square in the cor- free manual. routing the rabbets and keep the base fi rmly ner to hold the boards in position while you on the surface. drive and set the nails.
popularwoodworking .com ■ 23
222-23_1106_PWM_ICDT.indd2-23_1106_PWM_ICDT.indd 2323 33/28/11/28/11 11:15:3811:15:38 AMAM Monticello’s Stacking Bookcases
BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
Thomas Jefferson’s book boxes became the foundation of the Library of Congress.
like to think of Thomas Jefferson’s personal library as America’s fi rst I “bookmobile.” When the British burned down the nation’s capitol in 1814, the inferno took with it many of the books owned by the government of our young nation. Lucky for us, Jefferson had a personal library of about 6,700 books – an astonishing accomplishment for the time. And after some negotiations, Jef- ferson ag reed to cede his ent ire librar y at Monticello to Congress for the sum of $23,950. The question was, how to transport 6,700 books from Virginia north to Washington, D.C., with horse- drawn wagons. Lucky for us, Jefferson was a clever man. He stored his precious library in pine boxes that were designed specifi - cally to travel. While it isn’t known if Jefferson designed the book boxes (or “book presses” as they are sometimes called), they do bear the mark of his cleverness. For when the day came to transport this massive chunk of knowledge, the process was straightforward. Scrap paper was stuffed among the books to protect them, then a lid was nailed over the front of each unit and it was loaded onto a wagon and carted to Washing- ton. Jefferson’s collection of books (which continues to make headlines even today) Stacked to move. This modular system of stacking book boxes allowed Thomas Jefferson to easily was the foundation for our Library of expand and move his enormous library.
24 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; STEP PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTR ATIONS BY ROBERT W. LANG
224-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in244-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in24 2424 33/28/11/28/11 11:16:0511:16:05 AMAM Congress. His method for organizing The middle cases were designed for his books (memory, reason and imagi- “octavos,” which are 9" high x 6" deep. nation) pushed us into a more modern The top cases were for “duodecimos,” classifi cation system. Until that time which are 73⁄8" high x 5" deep. it was common to organize books by So I designed the three different height or color. book boxes around these three sizes. As I mentioned above, the lower cases But What About the Boxes? are a little taller than necessary, and the While a good deal is known about the middle cases are a little shallow. But it books in Jefferson’s collection that he actually works, and I like the way the sold to Congress, far less is known about boxes step gracefully up my wall. the stackable boxes that he used to store his library at Monticello. By examining About the Joinery the written records, offi cials at Monti- I chose to use through-dovetails with cello built six bookcases for the museum mitered shoulders at the corners. This in 1959 that are a good guess at what was the same joint the joiners at Monti- would have housed Jefferson’s library cello used in the 1959 reproductions of (though he could have had as many as 20 The designer? While we might never know the book boxes. I like this joint because of these units, if you do the math). if Thomas Jefferson designed these book it dre sse s up t he front edge of each box boxes, he designed many clever devices at Since the day I started woodworking, Monticello. with a miter. Also, it is strong and easy I have been concerned about amassing to make. Yes, you read that right: easy information on the craft. For me, the to make. written word enhances my personal “I cannot live without books.” You might be wondering if you can experience in the shop, and it is a way — Thomas Jefferson (1743-1826) cut a mitered through-dovetail joint. to stay in touch with the craft while in an 1815 letter to John Adams The answer is: Yes. It is as easy as a I am on the road, in bed or sitting on regular through-dovetail, once you let the couch. go of your fear of miters and cut the As my library got out of hand some- shiplapped and nailed on to the car- joint freehand and use the joint’s natu- time about 2005, I decided I needed to cases. This approach to building a box ral compression to help you fi t it so it’s build something to store all my wood- is typical for the time, and I bet that my airtight. Of the 24 mitered dovetails in working books. I also wanted something modern book boxes would easily sur- this project, only one is less than air- that would allow them to be easily trans- vive a wagon journey from Monticello tight. And it was the fi rst one I cut. ported when my wife and I leave our to Washington, D.C. The rest of the joinery for these boxes house after the kids are off to college, and is cake. The 1⁄2"-thick backs rest in 1⁄2" we launch the next phase of our lives. A Discussion of Sizes x 1⁄2" rabbets cut into the end pieces And so I became interested in Jef- After researching Jefferson’s book boxes and are nailed to the top and bottom of ferson’s book boxes. I read the origi- and the history of 18th-century publish- the boxes, which are 1⁄2" narrower than nal letters that describe how the books ing, I found that these original book the end pieces. were transported. I used the standard boxes would not be as friendly to the The only other thing to build is the measurements for books of the day to modern library. The largest book box plinth that supports the book boxes. Jef- help fi ll in the blanks when it came to is taller than necessary, and the smaller ferson’s papers don’t mention a plinth, designing the three different case sizes two boxes are shallower than necessary but the joiners at Monticello in 1959 Jefferson describes in his correspon- for some modern titles that are squat. built plinths for their cases, and I think dence. But I decided to build my book boxes it’s a fi ne idea. Oh, and what was the joinery on to suit old books – you can alter yours The profi le I chose for the plinth is a these boxes? Who knows. Perhaps the as you see fi t. ty pical late 18th-centur y foot that you boxes were nailed together, as there were Here are the old dimensions. Jef- can fi nd on fur niture made in bot h t he as many as 150 individual book boxes ferson said the bottom cases were 13" North and South of the United States. to hold the nearly 6,700 books. But I deep, the middle cases were 63⁄4" deep Feel free to select another profile for prefer to think that our third president, and the top cases 53⁄4" deep. As to the your plinth, especially if your bookcases who was familiar with the principles heights, we can turn to the standard will reside in a more modern setting. of joinery, would insist on something sizes of books at the time (according After all, when old furniture started more substantial. to the American Library Association). to look unfashionable, the owners And so, despite the fact that no The lower cases were designed to hold would change the plinth and the hard- surviving examples of these book “quartos” and “folios.” A folio is 15" ware to update it. So you can alter your boxes exist, I built each of these units high x 12" deep. A quarto is 12" high x plinth to refl ect Shaker, Arts & Crafts using through-dovetails with mitered 91⁄2" deep (the typical size of a modern or even Scandinavian aesthetics. It’s shoulders at the corners. The backs are woodworking book). your library.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 25
224-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in254-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in25 2525 33/28/11/28/11 11:16:1611:16:16 AMAM Worth the effort. Because of the miters, the tail joint at I dressed the con- the front of the case has one of its cor- cave face of my ners that mutates into a miter. It looks wide boards with my jack plane like a half-pin in one direction and a then ran them full tail from another. I know, I know. through my pow- It seems confusing. Stick with me. ered planer. By At the rear of each case, I used a half- jacking one face tail at the back edge so that I could eas- before planing the other, I avoided ily conceal the backboards with simple having to rip the through-rabbets. The half-tail conceals boards down and the 1⁄2" x 1⁄2" rabbet on the inside back re-glue them. edge. As a result, the completed end pieces look a little weird to the tradi- tional eye. But you’ll get over it. So here’s how you should proceed: Figure out a tail width at the rear of the case t hat w ill hide t he backboard s and remain strong. Lay out that tail. At the front of the case, things are a little more complicated. The miter Building the Shelves should begin 3⁄8" from the front edge. These shelves are 48" long without So mark a line 3⁄8" from the front edge any center supports. This sounds like of your tail board. Make this mark on a recipe for sagging. But if you nail in the end grain. But don’t mark it down your back pieces (which add strength) the face grain of the outside face of your and use beefy, 7⁄8"-thick stock, you will tail board, which would be typical. fi nd that your book boxes are nigh on Instead, make this sloping tail mark indestructible. on t he in side face of t he board. It’s weird, You could get away with 3⁄4" stock I know. But do it. throughout without too much of a visual Lay out the rest of your tail cuts compromise, so don’t think that you between these two tails, leaving a gap Under pressure. Press the stock down hard 1 have to fi nd 4/4 rough stock to build to ensure that the cut is consistent across the between your tails that is about ⁄8" wide these shelves. width of your boards. The dado stack will try at the top. Begin by dressing all your stock to to turn your board into a hovercraft. Don’t let Now make your tail cuts with a dove- thickness. I was lucky enough to score it. Press down. tail saw. When you are done with one some Eastern white pine boards of face, it should look like you have a board unreasonable widths. So I had to dress with two half-tails at either end. Turn the boards for my bottom cases by hand ing these rabbets. Anything less, and the board around so the rabbeted face before I could run them through my the rotation of the cutterhead will lift is facing you. Take your dovetail saw powered planer. the work off the table. No lie. and make the compound cut at the front After dressing my stock to size, I cut With all your shallow rabbets cut, of the case that defi nes the face of the a shallow rabbet on the ends of the tail you can cut the 1⁄2" x 1⁄2" rabbets in the miter. This cut is 45° to the front edge. boards. This rabbet is 1⁄16" deep and inside back edge of the end pieces. I It looks tricky. It ain’t. If you can see the the width of the mating pin board. This again use a dado stack for this. line, you can cut the line. shallow rabbet makes it quite easy to Now you can begin to lay out your Now position the board so the front mate up the two pieces when transfer- dovet ail joint s. This is t r ick y to ex plain, edge of the corner faces the ceiling. Take ring the marks from my tail board to but once you cut one mitered dovetail a miter square (or your combination my pin board. joint, you will laugh loud and hard. It’s square) and use it to lay out the miter If I had only a couple boxes to build, fl ipping easy. If you are skeptical, then from the tip of the case to the baseline. I’d make this rabbet with a moving fi llis- please give it a try using some scrap fi rst, When I mark this miter, I use a thin-lead ter plane. But because I had 28 of these then you can come crawling … . (.3mm) mechanical pencil. rabbets to cut, I set up a dado stack in Cut this miter freehand to free the my table saw and cut them all using Tail Layout waste at the front of the corner. You’ll the table saw. When you lay out a traditional through- need to angle the saw at 45° to make While this might seem like a no- dovetail joint, you will lay out a number this cut. Again, try this once on scrap brainer technique, it requires fi nesse. of full tails on the tail board. The pin and you will be a pro. You need to really press the top of your board has full pins – plus half-pins at When that waste has fallen away work hard against the table when mak- the ends. Not so with this project. you can clear out the waste between
26 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
224-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in264-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in26 2626 33/28/11/28/11 11:16:3111:16:31 AMAM 48" 3 7⁄8" 5 ⁄4"
10"
UPPER CASE 7⁄8" 63⁄4"
Here’s the deal. You can see almost all the trickiness here. Note how the tail on the left doesn’t go through the face of the board, so 12" it looks like a half-tail. On the right, you can see how the half-tail conceals the rabbet for the back. MIDDLE CASE 13"
18"
LOWER CASE 1⁄2"
An inside job. Turn your tail board around 51⁄4" and cut the front tail on the inside of the cor- ner. It’s a 45° cut. 49" 131⁄2" PLINTH ELEVATION PROFILE
Monticello Book Boxes NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL T W L
LOWER CASE ❏ 2 Ends 7⁄8 13 18 Pine ❏ 2 Top & bottom 7⁄8 121⁄2 48 Pine ❏ 7⁄ 1⁄ Slice the wacky waste. Then turn the board 1 Back 8 18 47 2 Pine on its side and saw the miter on the front edge. MIDDLE CASE This looks like a complex cut, but just follow ❏ 7 3 the line. It makes sense when the waste falls 2 Ends ⁄8 6⁄4 12 Pine away. ❏ 2 Top & bottom 7⁄8 61⁄4 48 Pine ❏ 1 Back 7⁄8 12 471⁄2 Pine
UPPER CASE ❏ 2 Ends 7⁄8 53⁄4 10 Pine ❏ 2 Top & bottom 7⁄8 51⁄4 48 Pine ❏ 1 Back 7⁄8 10 471⁄2 Pine
PLINTH ❏ 2 Ends 7⁄8 43⁄4 131⁄2 Pine ❏ 2 Front & back 7⁄8 43⁄4 49 Pine ❏ 1 Interior support, front 3⁄4 3 471⁄4 Pine ❏ 2 Interior support, ends 3⁄4 3 113⁄4 Pine The result. See? Here’s the miter at the front, ❏ 4 Glue blocks 1 1 41⁄8 Maple which intersects the sloping tail. Once you see ❏ Moulding 1⁄2 1⁄2 72 Pine it, you’ll get it.
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224-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in274-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in27 2727 33/28/11/28/11 11:16:4411:16:44 AMAM the other tails. I use a coping saw. But step of dropping those lines down the feel free to bang it out with a chisel. face of my pin board to my baseline. It slows me down, but it’s a habit I have yet Pin Layout to break from my fi rst dovetail class. When the waste is clear, you need to Slice all the pins with your dovetail transfer the pattern of the tail board saw. But before you remove the waste onto the pin board. The shallow 1⁄16"- between the pins, cut the miter at the deep rabbet makes this a cakewalk. front of the pin board. Clamp your pin board upright in a vise. Clamp the pin board on its side and Needs a fi t. You can see how the tail isn’t fully Place the tail board’s rabbet on top of the lay out the miter from the tip of the seated in its socket. The way to fi x that is to pin board and press the two together. board to the baseline – just like you saw through the miter. When the two are mushed together, did with the tail board. trace the shape of the tail board onto Saw the pins and remove the waste the pin board with a marking knife. between the pins using a coping saw The little mitered section at the front and chisel. Then saw the miter (on the is tough to get a spear-point knife into. waste side) freehand. If you are sloppy, Depending on the acuteness of the tip clean up the cut a bit to the line with a of the knife you can do a fi ne or a lousy shoulder plane. job. Do your be st and t hen “infer” (read: guess) the remainder of the slope with Fit & Slice a ruler and a knife. When you have the pins and tails With the lines marked out on the end cleaned up to your satisfaction, it’s time Saw right through. Use a thin-kerf saw and grain of the pin board, I take the extra for the fun part: fi tting the miters. cut right through the miter. The joint might Drive the tail board onto the pin pinch the blade a bit. That’s OK. It means the board. What is likely to happen is that process is working. the tails will seat everywhere but up by the miter. The miter is what is prevent- ing the tail from landing home at the draw closer together. The evidence of bottom of the pin socket. this will be that the tail will seat more When the parts are driven together, deeply in the pin socket. t hey w ill generate some pre ssure r ight at If the miter is tight and the tail is fully the miter – a good thing. Place the joint seated, you are done. If the tail isn’t fully on your workbench so the miter faces seated, saw through the miter again. the ceiling. Take a thin-kerf saw and cut Sometimes the pressure from the through the miter freehand. joint isn’t enough to pull the miters Yes, you read that right. Saw through together as you are sawing. If this hap- the miter freehand. pens, clamp the joint and then saw it. The set of the teeth will remove the Make all the boxes using these tech- excess wood on either side of the saw niques. Yes, it takes some time, but by plate. As you saw, you should feel the t he end you’ll be able to make t his joint Tails, meet pins. I have my tail board resting wood pinch the blade. Keep sawing. without hesitation, and it’s a fi ne one to on a scrap to keep it in position as I press its When you reach the bottom of the joint, have in your arsenal. shallow rabbet against the pin board. Knife in slide the saw out and the miters should the joint. Use light strokes at fi rst, followed by heavier ones. The Backs The backboards for these boxes are nothing more than 1⁄2"-thick pine boards that are shiplapped, beaded then nailed on the back of the boxes after the bookcase is fi nished. You can make your backs now or later.
The Plinth A traditional plinth looks delicate but will support the entire weight of the book boxes above without any problem. More wacky miters. Here’s the completed The pin board result. This board looks a little pin board layout, with the waste marked with more straightforward than the tail board. It’s The trick is to design it correctly. “X”s. Clear out the waste between the pins, basically a standard-looking pin board with a The corners of the plinth should be then cut the miter. miter cut on its front edge. dovetailed before you cut the scroll-
28 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
224-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in284-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in28 2828 33/28/11/28/11 11:16:5611:16:56 AMAM work to create the feet. If you cut the Trace, cut, scrollwork fi rst, the plinth boards will shape. The plinth be too fragile for dovetailing. design is where you can alter the After dovetailing the corners, trace design to suit your foot design onto the front, back your house. Like and ends. I drew my shape freehand Shaker stuff? and it was based on a typical design of Look at Shaker the period. Once the shapes are laid feet and draw something similar out, cut the scrollwork and clean up on your feet. the saw cuts with rasps or an oscillat- ing spindle sander. Assemble the four plinth pieces with glue, clamps and lots of care. This is when the pieces are fragile. I destroyed one foot while clamping things together. Luckily, I was able to glue it back on. With the outside of the plinth com- plete, work on t he in side g ut s t hat offer neighbor using #8 x 11⁄4" wood screws. brute strength. I glued a mitered three- And to keep the bookcase from tipping sided frame inside the plinth to give it forward should a toddler attempt to strength. I used 3"-wide boards that scale it, I attached the whole thing to were scrap. Really, anything wider than the wall with an anti-tipping kit. 2" will be fi ne here. Then came the best part – loading the Once you glue in t he mitered frame, bookcase with my woodworking books. fl ip the plinth over and glue in 1" x 1" These book boxes added 24' linear feet maple blocks in the corners. These Clean the corners. I use a block plane to dress of storage for my books, which have glue blocks reinforce the corners of the the long straight run on the front. But when it been piling up in my offi ce. plinth and carry the weight of the entire comes to the corners, a chisel plane is handy But joy turned to defeat. I have more bookcase. When made properly, the for getting right up against the scrollwork. books than I thought. When loaded, this maple blocks should extend 1⁄8" from case holds only half my books. I need the bottom of the plinth. to build a second set. To fi nish the bookcases, I applied Hmmm, perhaps Jefferson’s book Moulding & Finishing two coats of orange shellac, followed by boxes were just nailed together. PWM Trim all the dovetails and prepare the one coat of dull-sheen lacquer. The ver- plinth, backs and book boxes for fi nish- sions at Monticello are dark brown. ing. When t hat is done, place t he lowe st After the fi nish was dry, I nailed on Chris is editor of this magazine and the author of book box on the plinth and glue and nail the backboards using clout nails then several woodworking books, including “The Work- bench Design Book” (Popular Woodworking Books). a small moulding around the lowest stacked the book boxes in place on top He also writes a daily blog for our web site and spends case. I use a small square ovolo profi le of the plinth. To keep the boxes from entirely too much time with his nose in books. here, which matches the period. sliding around, I screwed each box to its
u Go Online FOR MORE …
For links to all these online extras, go to: u popularwoodworking.com/jun11
VIDEO: Watch how the shellac and lacquer fi nish was sprayed on. BLOG: Read about Southern furniture on our editor’s blog. WEB SITE: Take an online tour of Monti- cello and see the 1959 book boxes. TO BUY: “Building 18th-Century American Furniture” by Glen D. Huey. IN OUR STORE: DVD: Cheating at Hand- Glue blocks. These maple blocks do almost cut Dovetails. all the work. They are 1⁄8" proud of the foot of Miters that won’t show. This will be covered the plinth and support all of the weight of the Our products are available online at: by the lower case and moulding, so it doesn’t book boxes. They also strengthen each corner u ShopWoodworking.com have to look pretty. It just has to be strong. to protect them from swift kicks.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 29
224-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in294-29_1106_PWM_JeffersonBoxes.in29 2929 33/28/11/28/11 11:17:1011:17:10 AMAM The Craft Classics in Just 5'
BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ
Fight woodworking ignorance 15 minutes each day.
n 1910, Harvard University Presi- the list done. The results of that debate dent Charles W. Eliot laid out a plan is the list of books that follows (publish- Ithat allowed every man and woman ers listed are for the editions we own). to get the basics of a liberal education by It’s by no means a perfect list. It is a list reading for 15 minutes a day from a list that would probably change a bit if we of books that fi t on a 5'-long shelf. had the debate again in a couple months. Called “Dr. Eliot’s Five Foot Shelf,” Some of these are classics, some are con- the 51-volume set of books were later temporary. But these are the books that renamed “The Harvard Classics” and are fi rst in our hearts. are still a must-read list for people with ascots, pocket squares and elbow Design patches on their corduroy jackets. Eliot’s “American Country Furniture” by list is comprised of everything from Nick Engler and Mary Jane Favorite Charles Darwin and Cervantes to Des- (Rodale). cartes and Confucius. “American Furniture” series, edited What doe s t hi s have to do w it h wood- by Luke Beckerdite (Chipstone Foun- working? Every week – if not every day dation). – readers ask us for book recommenda- “American Furniture of the 18th Cen- tions. What they are mostly looking for tury” by Jeffrey P. Greene (Taunton). is a single woodworking book, that will “American Furniture in the Metro- cover everything they need to know polit an Museum of Art” by Mor r ison H. about every aspect of the craft, that they Heckscher (Random House). can refer to for the rest of their lives. Oh “American Furniture: The Federal and it would be nice if it were $10. Period” by Charles F. Montgomery That book doesn’t exist. (Viking). But the idea of Dr. Eliot’s Five Foot “American Furniture: Queen Anne Shelf inspired me to compile a 5'-long and Chippendale Periods” by Joseph shelf of woodworking books that would Downs (Bonanza). make you a well-rounded and well-read “The Book of Shaker Furniture” by craftsman. And though I have a sizable John Kassay (University [U] of Mas- woodworking library, I also know that sachusetts). my interests are a little too narrow. I “Chinese Domestic Furniture” by like traditional texts and traditional Gustav Ecke (Dover). furniture. “The Encyclopedia of Fur niture” by So I enlisted the help of the maga- Joseph Aronson (Crown). zine’s staff and asked them to bring in “Fine Furniture for a Lifetime” by the books that they consider essential Glen D. Huey (Popular Woodworking to their woodworking. Then I built a 5'- Books). long shelf and we spent a long morning “Furniture of the American Arts and debat ing t he mer it s of each book before Crafts Movement” by David M. Cathers An education. Reading and browsing these we placed it in the shelf. (Turn of the Century Editions). books will make you a well-rounded wood- When the shelf was full, we called “The Furniture Masterworks of worker.
30 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH
330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind300-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind30 3030 33/28/11/28/11 11:17:3811:17:38 AMAM John & Thomas Sey mour” by Robert D. “The History of Woodworking Tools” “David Charlesworth’s Furniture- Mussey Jr. (Peabody Essex Museum). by W.L. Goodman (G. Bell & Sons). making Techniques” by David Charles- “Furniture Treasury Vols. 1 & 2” by “Japanese Woodworking Tools: worth (Guild of Master Craftsman). Wallace Nutting (Macmillan). Their Tradition, Spirit and Use” by “Elementary Turning” by Frank “Greene & Greene: Furniture and Toshio Odate (Taunton). Henry Selden (Popular Woodworking Related De sig n s” by R andell L . Makin- “Handplane Essentials” by Christo- Books). son (Peregrine Smith). pher Schwarz (Popular Woodworking “Encyclopedia of Furniture Making” “Greene & Greene Furniture: Poems Magazine). by Ernest Joyce (Sterling). of Wood & Light” by David Mathias “Mechanick Exercises” by Joseph “The Essential Woodworker” by (Popular Woodworking Books). Moxon (Toolemera). Robert Wearing (Lost Art Press). “The Heritage of Upper Canadian “The New Complete Guide to the “Illustrated Cabinetmaking” by Bill Furniture” by Howard Pain (Key Por- Band Saw” by Mark Duginske (Fox Hylton (Reader’s Digest). ter). Chapel). “The Joiner and Cabinet Maker” by “How to Build Shaker Furniture, “The Table Saw Book” by Kelly Anon. (Lost Art Press). Revised Edition” by Thos. Moser (Ster- Mehler (Taunton). “Measure Twice, Cut Once” by ling). “Traditional Woodworking Tools” Jim Tolpin (Popular Woodworking “John Townsend: Newport Cabi- by Graham Blackburn (Blackburn Books). netmaker” by Morrison H. Heckscher Books). “Modern Practical Joinery” by (Yale University Press [UP]). “The Wooden Plane” by John M. George Ellis (Linden). “Mackintosh Furniture” by Roger Whelan (Astragal). “The Perfect Edge” by Ron Hock Billcliffe (Cameron & Hollis). (Popular Woodworking Books). “Making Antique Furniture Repro- “Turning Wood with Richard Raf- ductions” by Franklin H. Gottshall “Don’t let school interfere with fan” by Richard Raffan (Taunton). (Dover). “Woodturning: A Foundation “Making Furniture Masterpieces” by your education.” Course” by Keith Rowley (Guild of — Mark Twain (Samuel Langhorne Clemens) Franklin H. Gottshall (Dover). Master Craftsman). 1835-1910, author and riverboat pilot “Measured Drawings of Shaker “Woodturning Design” by Mike Dar- Furniture and Woodenware” by Ejner low (Fox Chapel). Handberg (Berkshire House). “Woodworking with the Router” by “Woodwork Joints” by Charles H. “The New Fine Points of Furni- Bill Hylton (Reader’s Digest). Hayward (Evans Bros.). ture: Early American” by Albert Sack “The Woodwright’s Guide” by Roy (Crown). Underhill (U of North Carolina). Inspiration “Sculpted Band Saw Boxes” by Lois “The Workbench Book” by Scott “A Cabinetmaker’s Notebook” by James Keener Ventura (Popular Woodwork- Landis (Taunton). Krenov (Linden). ing Books). “Workbenches: From Design & The- “The Craftsman” by Richard Sen- “Shop Drawings for Craftsman ory to Construction & Use” by Christo- nett (Yale UP). Furniture” by Robert W. Lang (Cam- pher Schwarz (Popular Woodworking “Master Woodturners” by Dale L. bium). Books). Nish (Artisan Press). “Southern Furniture 1680-1830” by “The Workshop Book” by Scott Lan- “A Reverence for Wood” by Eric Ronald L. Hurst and Jonathan Prown dis (Taunton). Sloane (Ballantine). (Colonial Williamsburg Foundation). “The Soul of a Tree” by George “Studio Furniture of the Renwick Techniques Nakashima (Kodansha). Galler y” by Oscar P. Fit zgerald (Smit h- “The Art of Japane se Joiner y” by Kiyosi “Working at Woodworking” by Jim sonian). Seike (Weatherhill). Tolpin (Taunton). “Bob Lang’s The Complete Kitchen Finishing Cabinetmaker” by Robert W. Lang Raw Materials “Flexner on Finishing” by Bob Flexner (Cambium). “Harvesting Urban Timber” by Sam (Popular Woodworking Books). “Cabinet Making for Beginners” by Sherrill (Linden). “Understanding Wood Finishing” Charles H. Hayward (Drake). “Oak: The Frame of Civilization” by by Bob Flexner (Reader’s Digest). “Cabinetmaking and Millwork” by William Bryant Logan (Norton). John L. Feirer (Chas. A. Bennett). “Trees of North America” by C. Tools & Shops “The Chairmaker’s Workshop” by Frank Brockman (St. Martin’s). “Restoring, Tuning & Using Classic Drew Langsner. “Understanding Wood” by R. Bruce Woodworking Tools” by Michael Dun- “The Complete Guide to Sharpen- Hoadley (Taunton). bar (Sterling). ing” by Leonard Lee (Taunton). “Hand Tool Essentials” by vari- “The Complete Illustrated Guide But I still wasn’t entirely satisfied ous writers (Popular Woodworking to Shaping Wood” by Lonnie Bird, with our list. I wondered if we’d read Books). (Taunton). enough woodworking books as a staff
popularwoodworking.com ■ 31
330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind310-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind31 3131 33/28/11/28/11 11:17:5011:17:50 AMAM Kelly Mehler. Of Kelly Mehler’s Michael Dunbar. Of the Windsor Institute. Roy Underhill. Of “The Woodwright’s Shop” School of Woodworking. on PBS.
to create a solid list. So we surveyed the thing new every time you open it. deal. At the turn of the 19th century, a readers of my blog (the results of that “Planecraft” by John Sainsbury, guy comes back from college when his are on our web site), then asked many (HarperCollins). An old classic on a crit- father falls ill and can no longer manage of the woodworkers who write for us to ical tool. I don’t know that anyone has the old family wheelwright business contribute lists of their favorite wood- ever really improved on this book. alone. He realizes that he has stepped working books. Theirs are below, in their “The Old Way of Seeing” by Jonathan into a vanishing world of “kindly feel- own words (publishers have listed only Hale (Mariner). Before machines began ing” when the “grain in the wood told on first reference; but if no publisher dictating how wood was worked and secrets to men.” Thanks to Sturt, the old has been noted, the book is available on how it ended up looking, woodwork- English way with wood is still alive in Google Books at books.google.com). ers saw the world very differently. Hale the pages of this remarkable book. shows us how to see through their eyes. “With Hammer in Hand” by Charles Kelly Mehler He opens ours to far greater understand- F. Hummel (UP Virginia). Resurfacing Kelly Mehler’s School of Woodworking, ings. like Brigadoon, the woodworking shop kellymehler.com “Early American Furniture” by John of t he Dominy family was sealed up w it h “The Encylopedia of Furniture Mak- T. Kirk (Knopf ). Like Hale, Kirk shows the tools still on the benches and saws ing” by Ernest Joyce. how to look through different eyes. still sharp. Moved to the Winterthur “The Impractical Cabinetmaker” by “Understanding Wood” by R. Bruce Museum, the workshop is an open por- James Krenov (Linden), for his wood- Hoadley. The title says it all. How can tal into village woodworking in early working philosophy. you successfully work the material if America. Hummel’s book takes it tool by “The Book of Shaker Furniture” by you don’t understand it? tool, piece by piece, expanding our view John Kassay, for his precision drafting with a true scholar/craftsman’s eye. of a variety of Shaker pieces. Roy Underhill “Understanding Wood” by R. Bruce “The Woodwright’s Shop” Peter Follansbee Hoadley. and The Woodwright’s School, Joiner at the Plimoth Plantation, “The Workshop” and “The Work- woodwrightschool.com plimoth.org bench Book” by Scott Landis. “Woodworking in Estonia” by A. The best tool book I know is still “Classic Joint s w it h Power Tools” by Viires (National Technical Informa- Charles F. Hummel’s “With Hammer Yeung Chan (Lark). tion Service). This is our share of the in Hand: The Dominy Craftsmen of East I have not looked at t hem in age s but booty from the cultural exchanges of the Hampton.” the very fi rst books that infl uenced me Cold War years. The Soviets got mod- If pressed, I’d add Henry Mercer’s were the Eric Sloane books. els of our nuclear subs, and we got one “Ancient Carpenters’ Tools” (Dover), And of course “The Table Saw Book” of the best books on folk woodwork- then Joseph Moxon …. by moi …. ing ever. Aside from showing how to For how-to, I lean toward green make everything from wooden wheels woodworking, my introduction to Michael Dunbar to bentwood cheese boxes, this book is the craft. So John Alexander’s “Make The Windsor Institute, also an education in the way Eastern a Chair From a Tree” (Astragal), Drew thewindsorinstitute.com European history gets written. Imagine Langsner’s “Green Woodworking” and “Dictionary of Woodworking Tools” Eric Sloane dividing early American “The Chairmaker’s Workshop” are both by R.A. Salaman (Taunton). How can one woodworking into feudal, capitalist excellent. Roy Underhill’s books come work wood without knowing what tools and socialist periods! next. do what jobs? Great reference, but also a “The Wheelwright’s Shop” by George A couple of many books from Eng- great work for browsing. You learn some- Sturt (Cambridge UP). Here is the real land: J. Geraint Jenkins’ “Traditional
32 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 MEHLER & UNDERHILL PHOTOS BY AL PARRISH; DUNBAR PHOTO BY ANDREW EDGAR
330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind320-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind32 3232 33/28/11/28/11 11:18:0211:18:02 AMAM Peter Follansbee. Joiner at the Marc Spagnuolo. The Wood Chuck Bender. Of the Acanthus Adam Cherubini. “Arts & Myster- Plimoth Plantation. Whisperer. Workshop. ies” columnist.
Country Craftsmen” (Routlegde) and the Workshop” (Linden) and “Adven- by my tools makes me somewhat of a George Sturt’s “The Wheelwright’s tures in Wood Finishing” by George kook. But here, amongst friends, I sus- Shop.” Frank (Taunton). Peart’s book kicked off pect I am not alone. I’ve copied many For furniture itself, mine all lean my fascination with all things Greene tools in these books and sought tools toward history, just as the previous & Greene. Peart does a fantastic job that resembled these and been a hap- books do. Here’s three titles, not a stick of covering history as well as practical pier person for it. of mahogany in the lot of them. Oak all techniques. “The Tool Che st of Benjamin Seaton” the way, just about: (Tools & Trades History Society). Victor Chinnery, “Oak Furniture: Chuck Bender “Tools: Working Wood in Eigh- The British Tradition” (Antique Col- The Acanthus Workshop, acanthus.com teenth-century America” by Jay Gaynor lector’s Club). “American Furniture at Chipstone” and Nancy Hagedorn (UP Virginia). Benno M. Forman, “American Seat- by Oswaldo Rodriguez Roque (U Wis- “Restoring, Tuning & Using Clas- ing Furniture 1630-1730” (Norton). consin P). sic Woodworking Tools” by Michael Frances Gruber Safford, “American “American Furniture from the Dunbar. Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum Kaufman Collection” by J. Michael “Dictionary of Woodworking Tools” of Art I. Early Colonial Period: The Sev- Flanigan (Harry N. Abrams). R.A. Salaman. enteenth-Century and William and “New England Furniture: The Colo- “With Hammer in Hand: The Mary Styles” (Yale UP). nial Era” by Brock Jobe and My r na K aye Dominy Craftsmen of East Hampton, The annual journal American Furni- (Houghton Miffl in). New York” by Charles F. Hummel. ture (edited by Luke Beckerdite) from “American Antiques from Israel “British Planemakers from 1700” by the Chipstone Foundation is worth Sack Collection” Volumes 1 through Jane and Mark Rees (Astragal). having. I never miss an issue. Ditto for 10 (Highland House). “A Guide to the Makers of American Regional Furniture (editor Adam Bowett) “Treasure s of St ate: Fine and Decora- Wooden Planes” by Martyl and Emil from England. tive Arts in the Diplomatic Reception Pollak (Astragal). And for sheer inspiration: Wil- Rooms of the U.S. Department of State” Inspiration/Projects: I derive inspi- liam Coperthwaite, “A Handmade by Clement E. Conger and Alexandra ration for projects from many places: art Life: In Search of Simplicity” (Chelsea Rollins (Harry N. Abrams). museums, historic homes, even mov- Green). “Master Craftsmen of Newport” by ies. The last two books on this list have I continue to turn to Bill’s book; it Michael Moses (MMI Americana). beautiful pictures of furniture in the hasn’t been on the shelf yet and I’ve had context of living spaces. it for seven years or so. The poem “Dead Adam Cherubini I fi nd furniture takes on new mean- Time” (about his canoe) resonates per- “Arts & Mysteries” columnist, ing when separated from the sterility of fectly w ith what I tr y to do w ith wood- adamcherubini.com an art museum (such as the Philadel- working. These are books that I think every phia Museum of Art’s American Wing. period woodworker should have in his Maybe that’s why I prefer the museum’s Marc Spagnuolo or her woodworking library. period rooms). Jeffrey P. Greene’s book The Wood Whisperer, Tools: I am in spired by tools, whet her is perhaps my favor ite of recent per iod thewoodwhisperer.com the tool is a good chef’s knife, a water- woodworking texts for its ambition and There are two books that I would color paintbrush or a lowly marking helpful exploded diagrams of furniture consider highly infl uential in my per- gauge. I fi nd 18th-century tools particu- in its appendix. sonal woodworking path. Darrell Peart’s larly beautiful and elegant in their sim- “Furniture Treasury” by Wallace “Greene & Greene: Design Elements for plicity. To openly admit I am inspired Nutting.
FOLLANSBEE PHOTO COURTESY PLIMOTH PLANTATION; SPAGNUOLO PHOTO BY MEGAN FITZPATRICK; BENDER PHOTO BY RIC DELIANTONI; CHERUBINI PHOTO BY ADAM CHERUBINI popularwoodworking.com ■ 33
330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind33 3333 33/28/11/28/11 11:18:1411:18:14 AMAM Tommy MacDonald. Of “Rough David Charlesworth. Of David Jim Tolpin. Of the Port Townsend George Walker. “Design Matters” Cut – Woodworking with Tommy Charlesworth Fine Furniture School of Woodworking. columnist. Mac.” Courses.
“American Furniture of the 18th “The Art of Joinery,” excerpted David Charlesworth Century” by Jeffrey P. Greene. from “Mechanick Exercise s” by Joseph David Charlesworth Fine Furniture “Williamsburg: Decorating with Moxon (Lost Art Press). Courses, davidcharlesworth.co.uk Style,” Colonial Williamsburg Foun- “1772 Philadelphia Furniture Price As a teacher I fi nd Ernest Joyce’s “The dation (Clarkson Potter). Book” by Alexandra Kirtley (ACC). Technique of Furniture Making” (Bat- “The Shaker Legacy” by Christian “The Mechanic’s Companion” by son) invaluable, ’tho it is as far away Becksvoort (Taunton). Peter Nicholson. from an enjoyable read as possible. Simi- Techniques: I use many techniques larly Bob Wearing’s “Essential Wood- I “discovered” on my own. Many were Thomas J. MacDonald worker.” Bob is one of the only people things I learned from the Internet. At “Rough Cut – Woodworking With who ever gave insight into traditional this time, I don’t think there’s a single Tommy Mac,” thomasjmacdonald.com/ English technique. I believe the lack of great text on period woodworking rough-cut-woodworking similar books is due to the apprentice- technique. The edition of Moxon listed “Tage Frid Teaches Woodworking” ship tradition of teaching, where noth- below would be my top choice for this Volumes 1-3 by Tage Frid (Taunton). ing was ever written down. category. “American Furniture in the Metro- I greatly enjoyed “Handplane Essen- Period Documents: In addition to politan Museum of Art: Late Colonial tials” by Christopher Schwarz – par- the books below, I recommend a thor- Period: The Queen Anne & Chippendale ticularly the punchy style and refusal ough reading of Jay Stiefel’s report on the Styles” by Morrison H. Heckscher. to accept traditional lore without close Account Book of John Head, available at “American Furniture: Queen Anne scrutiny and experimentation. the web site of the American Philosophi- and Chippendale Periods in the Henry If it’s not too presumptuous, I also cal Society (amphilsoc.org). Francis Du Pont Winterthur Museum” enjoy my own books. Largely because “The Gentleman & Cabinet-Maker’s by Joseph Downs (Winterthur). I have forgotten how diffi cult they were Director” by Thomas Chippendale “John Townsend: Newport Cabinet- to write and the effort of preparing (Dover). maker” by Morrison H. Heckscher. the examples and props. I think they “L’Art du Menuisier” by A.J. Roubo “Amer ican Ant ique s from Israel Sack address many of the practical issues of (Bibliothéque des Arts). Collection” Volumes 1-10. furniture making.
If the book fi ts. After hours of debate, these are the books we chose for our 5' shelf.
MACDONALD PHOTO COURTESY WGBH-TV; CHARLESWORTH PHOTO BY CHRISTOPHER SCHWARZ; 34 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 TOLPIN PHOTO BY CRAIG WESTER; WALKER PHOTO COURTESY LIE-NIELSEN TOOLWORKS, INC.; BOOKSHELF PHOTO BY AL PARRISH
330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind340-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind34 3434 33/28/11/28/11 11:18:2711:18:27 AMAM My second favor ite book is “De sig n- ing Furniture From Concept to Shop Drawing: A Practical Guide” by Seth Stem (Taunton). Set h is a fr iend of mine and his book opened up a lot of doors for me as I was learning to give a voice to my own furniture style. “Encyclopedia of Furniture Mak- ing” by Ernest Joyce. A lot of furniture makers think this is the best book but I disagree. It is a wonderful book but I have found some of the information not Bob Flexner. “Flexner on Finish- Marc Adams. Of the Marc Adams School of Woodworking. as informative as it should be. Still it is ing” columnist. one of the better books out there. “Table Saw Techniques” by Roger W. Cliffe (Sterling). This book was the Jim Tolpin confl icting mishmash of “design speak” first book written on table saws and Port Townsend School of Woodworking, tossed about. Hope I have another 30 definitely has the most information. ptwoodschool.com years in me so the Semes book will Again it is a little dated but anyone who This is a list of books that have had a someday be a midway milepost in a has written a table saw book since has profound infl uence on my life in wood- long, rewarding journey. plagiarized from Roger’s book. working. Each one has inspired and “The Encyclopedia of Wood” by the informed me in ways that made me a Bob Flexner U.S. Department of Agriculture. What more skilled and successful artisan. “Flexner on Finishing” columnist I like about this book is that it is very “A Museum of Early Amer ican Tools” “Repairing and Restoring Antique technical and is not for the fainthearted. by Eric Sloane (Funk). Fur niture” by John Rodd (Van Nost rand It explains wood and wood movement “Foxfire” (series) edited by Eliot Reinhold). and defi nes all the testing standards. Wigginton (Anchor). “Antique Furniture Repairs” by The Home Craftsman Series by “The Complete Woodworker” edited Charles H. Hayward (Scribner). Charles H. Hayward. This series by Bernard E. Jones (Ten Speed). These are the two best books on includes books on joinery, jigs and fi x- “Hand Tools: Their Ways and Work- methods of doing proper wood repairs tures, fi nishing and carving. They are ings” by Aldren A. Watson (Norton). to antique furniture. Unfortunately, well illustrated and very informative. “Restoring, Tuning & Using Clas- both are out of print so you have to fi nd “The Complete Manual of Wood sic Woodworking Tools” by Michael them in the secondary book market. Veneering” by William A Lincoln (Scrib- Dunbar. For the most part, furniture restor- ner). Again, it is a little dated, but when “How to Build a Wooden Boat” by ers/refinishers/conservators in the it comes to veneering he knew what he David C. “Bud” McIntosh (Wooden- United States lack the necessary hand- was doing. He was a true craftsman and boat). tool skills to do proper wood repairs. it shows in his writings. PWM “The Furniture Doctor” by George But avid readers of Popular Woodworking Grotz (Doubleday). Magazine do possess the skills. Like me Chris is the editor of this magazine and spends too “Adventure s in Wood Finishing” by in the 1970s, you just need instruction much of his kids’ college money on books. George Frank. on how to go about it. These books pro- “How to Build Shaker Furniture” by vide this. They greatly infl uenced the Thos. Moser (Drake). techniques I use in my shop, and many “The Wheelwright’s Shop” by George are shown in the “Repairing Furniture” u Go Online FOR MORE … Sturt. video/DVD I made for Taunton. For links to all these online extras, go to: u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 George Walker Marc Adams “Design Matters” columnist, Marc Adams School of Woodworking, VIDEO: See a short clip of all the books fi tting on our 5' shelf. georgewalkerdesign.wordpress.com marcadams.com ARTICLE: Read the list of our readers’ You can bookend my 30 years of My absolute favorite book on wood- favorite books. woodworking with two volumes. Roy working is “Cabinetmaking and Mill- BLOG: Read Christopher Schwarz’s Underhill’s “The Woodwright’s Shop: work” (second edition, revised) by John favorite books on handwork. A Practical Guide to Traditional Wood- L. Feirer. Although the photos are dated, TO BUY: We carry many of these books craft” (U of North Carolina P) marks the content is right on and very accu- in our store. the beginning. Today, Steven W. Semes’ rate. This book covers it all. I do wish Our products are available online at: “The Architecture of the Classical Inte- I would have had the opportunity to u ShopWoodworking.com rior” (Norton) makes sense of all the meet John.
FLEXNER PHOTO BY JIM ROBERSON; ADAMS PHOTO BY AL PARRISH popularwoodworking.com ■ 35
330-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind350-35_1106_PWM_FiveFeetBooks.ind35 3535 33/28/11/28/11 11:18:3911:18:39 AMAM Caddy for Your Tea, Governor?
BY GLEN D. HUEY
Use unconventional techniques to construct a traditional tea caddy.
ngland began to import tea about the middle of the 17th century. EWhen fi rst introduced, tea was expensive, so it was a drink affordable only to the wealthy. That, of course, was an inv it at ion to smug glers who, dur ing the next 100 years, drove down the cost to make tea available to the masses. As the demand for tea increased, the need to store and protect the tea leaves also grew. By the mid-1800s, woodwork- ers were making wooden tea caddies of Inlay outside the box. Think differently about inlay as you slice and fi t fans – assembled from single-, double- or triple-compartmen- wedges – into recesses created at your drill press. talized boxes. Traditionally, caddies are a study in veneer. The boxes are built in pine, But because the caddy top sits on top Not by the Book oak or mahogany, then veneered with of the top edge of the box (adding a 1⁄4" Preparing the panels for inlay is also figured hardwoods and inlaid with in height), only the bottom edges and not very traditional. Set up a drill press intricate designs. While my caddy has the ends of the box sides are scribed at with a 15⁄8" Forstner bit to cut the fan fi gured hardwood and striking inlay, this setting. To scribe lines along the rece sse s. Create an L-shaped ply wood there is no veneer. This is how to accom- top edges of the box sides, adjust your fence to accurately align each fan loca- plish similar results using methods that cutting gauge from 3⁄4" to 1⁄2". tion. Set the fence and panel so the bit is are much more simple. centered over the intersection of two 3⁄4" scribe lines. Clamp the fence in place, Choose, But Choose Wisely set the drilling depth to 1⁄16", then cut From the get-go, my inlay had to jump the recesses at each corner. from the caddy. That meant no dyes or The drill locations along the top stains to mute the contrasting colors. edges change, so space the panel away I also wanted a mahogany-like color from the fence using a 1⁄4"-square spacer and good fi gure, so I chose quartersawn set between the fence and your panel sapele for its strong stripe; the inlay is along the 1⁄2" scribe line. walnut and maple. To complete the recesses for the To begin, cut and size the four pieces inlay, adjust your table saw to remove that make up the box, as well as the 1⁄16" of thickness from the show side of caddy top. Before any machine work all parts, including the caddy top. Cut begins, establish the area for the band- Proper spacing. A spacer, to compensate for from center point to center point of the ings, both inlay and cross. Scribe lines the 1⁄4" added when the box top is attached, fan recesses – the top edge requires a 3⁄4" in along all four edges of the top. moves the box parts into the proper position. blade height adjustment.
36 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; STEP PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTR ATIONS BY ROBERT W. LANG
336-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd6-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd 3636 33/30/11/30/11 1:12:031:12:03 PMPM “A little inaccuracy saves a ton of explanation.” — H. H. Munro (Saki) (1870-1916) British author
Assemble the Box The four main parts of the box are joined with 45º-mitered corners. The miters need to be accurate. Use a step-off block Accurate lengths. It’s important that all the parts main- Thin reinforcement. The seldom- as shown at right to ensure a matching tain their length relationships. Use a step-off block held used veneer-keyed miters add length after the cuts (as long as your behind the blade center. You don’t lose contact with tremendous strength to a mitered original parts were also identical when the block until you’re into the cut. corner. sized). With the blade back to vertical, plow a 1⁄4" x 1⁄4" groove in the box parts. Set the groove, into which the caddy bottom fi ts, 1⁄4" up from the bottom edge. Measure the groove from beveled cut to beveled cut, then mill the bot- tom to size and thickness (leave room for expansion, if needed). Rabbet the four edges of the bottom so the result- ing tongues fill the grooves with the Cut extra. Twenty fans are needed to bottom fl ush with the box. Be exact. Setting the saw blade at less than 9º leaves complete the box, but as you’re sure Arrange the pieces so when folded your section short of 90º, while a setting of more than to lose a few in the next steps, extras together they form a box – alternate the 9° results in excess trimming. should be cut. short and long pieces. Make sure to align the top edges before joining each piece to the next with a short length of tape. grooves as is the bottom, there would With the tape in place, fl ip the unit so be problems with the cross banding the inside of the miters are up, then used on t he top. (Le ss movement is one apply a thin layer of glue to the bevels advantage of quartersawn wood.) and allow it to soak into the end grain. After a few minutes, apply another layer Wedges to Fans of glue t hen fold t he part s toget her as t he Traditionally, corner fans are made tape acts as a hinge. Don’t forget to slip from pieces of veneer. After reading There is a trick. Trimming the fans to shape the box bottom in place as you assemble Jameel Abraham’s “Precision Inlay, is easy work, but don’t cut directly at the line the box. Once the box is folded together, Simple Tools” in the April 2011 issue – sneak up on it. add a piece of tape to the fi nal corner (#189), I decided to make a length of fan and allow the glue to dry. inlay that is sliced as needed. It worked With the glue set, remove the tape great. ermost wedges. You’re gluing end grain, then cut saw kerfs across the corners, as Begin with a simple table saw jig, as so use plent y of glue as you assemble t he shown in the top right photo. The kerfs shown in the photo above. Tip the blade fan inlay section. Arrange the wedges are angled to the corners, similar to the to 9º. With a couple 7⁄8"-thick pieces of so the outer two pieces meet to form a slope of dovetails (the degree of slope four-squared scrap – use contrasting tight point. Use rubber bands as clamps. doesn’t matter). When fi lled with thin colors such as maple and walnut – cut Place bands at 1" intervals or the point stock milled for a tight fi t, these veneer- one end square at t he 9 º sett ing. Flip t he end of your section will open as the glue keyed miters help secure the joint. Glue stock face down, then align the cut so dries. A dried fan section is then sliced the veneer into the kerfs, then trim the the resulting offcut is a perfect, 7⁄8"-tall by hand to produce individual fan inlays pieces fl ush to the caddy. triangle. (A mark on the jig helps align – keep the fan thickness at 3⁄32". Cut a 1⁄2" x 1⁄4" rabbet along all each cut better than a stop-block – the Set a compass to 13⁄16", place its pivot four edges of the top so that the fi eld block tends to hold your offcut at the leg at the point of the fan then draw a fits inside the box. The top is simply blade.) Make enough pieces to create a quarter circle across the inlay. Next, glued to the box. This is a cross-grain couple fan sections. trim the fans using a flat chisel in a attachment, but there is no way around Arrange fi ve piece s in an alter nat ing rocking motion. Keep one corner of the the problem – if the top were set into pattern – I used maple for the two out- chisel in contact with a sacrifi cial board
popularwoodworking.com ■ 37
336-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd6-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd 3737 33/28/11/28/11 11:19:2511:19:25 AMAM as you work to t he line. Final smoot hing rub joint to secure the fi t. Add pieces of utility knife and straightedge. Fit and can be done with a fi le. tape to secure the bandings in position install the cross banding just as you The trimmed fans fi t perfectly into until the glue dries. did the inlay banding. Of course, the the recesses created by the drill bit. The cross banding that wraps the longer r un s may be t wo or more butted Apply glue to the fan then affi x the fan in fi eld just outside the inlay banding is cut pieces. position with a rub joint – a piece of blue from 2"-long pieces. Slice those pieces With the cross banding installed tape across the fans helps secure the into 3⁄32"-thick veneer using your band and the glue dry, bring all surfaces fl ush edges to keep them from lifting as the saw then use a spindle sander to dial-in w it h a card scraper or by sanding. Next, glue set s. Once the glue dr ies, tr im the the thickness to 1⁄16". The number of install the last bit of decoration for the edges of the fans (if necessary) to align pieces you need depends on the width box, the tiger maple 1⁄8"-square pieces. with the straightedges of the box. of your stock at the start. There’s no big These protect and hide the cross band- expense here, so make sure you prepare ing edges. Remaining Inlay enough material. Use a router and rabbeting bit to cut Because the diamonds on this 1⁄4"-wide, Score a cut line with your cutting the edges of the box. Rout and install store-bought banding are tight end-to- gauge to establish the width of the cross the vertical corners of the box fi rst, then end, it’s more diffi cult to achieve a well- banding, then make the cuts using a move on to the horizontal corners. As matched corner. Begin on the long sides of each panel. Center the inlay to the box and place a mark on the inside edge Position is pertinent. of the banding where it meets the edge Any inlay pieces of the panel. Looking at the refl ection should be centered to in the back of a shiny chisel allows you achieve the best look. to make a near 45º cut without measur- It’s not enough to sim- ply run the inlay band- ing each piece. Trim both ends then ing around the fi eld. temporarily attach the banding with blue tape. With the two long pieces set in posi- tion, slide a short section of the banding under the two trimmed ends and trans- fer the exact cut location with a pencil or marking knife. Match the designs for the best look. As you fi nish fi tting the banding to a panel, glue t he piece s to t he box. Apply glue to the banding pieces then use a
Supplies Easily aligned. Fine-tuning the position of the Modifi ed thickness sander. To fl atten and Horton Brass end inlay banding is simple when positioned thickness the cross banding, squeeze the horton-brasses.com or -800-754-9127 under the mating pieces. Slide the piece until band-sawn pieces between a fence and the 1 u rosette pull w/ backplate the best look is attained. sanding drum of a spindle sander. #h-10 (31⁄4" boring)
2 u solid brass desk knob #h-42 (1⁄2" diameter) Call for pricing. Rockler rockler.com or 800-279-4441
1 u solid brass, fi xed pin narrow hinge #32941, $14.59/pr
1 u half-mortise box lock #71456, $14.99 Inlay Banding inlaybanding.com or 704-221-2147 Rabbet. Miter. Glue. Climb-cut the 1⁄8"- 1 6 u Federal-style banding Take two. The cross banding fi ts to the caddy deep by ⁄8"-wide rabbet to help alleviate #131, $6.35 just as the inlay banding did: work the two any tear-out, then fi t the maple corners to the longer sides, miter the ends, then mark the box. Quality craftsmanship dictates mitered Prices correct at time of publication. remaining pieces off of those. corners.
38 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
336-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd6-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd 3838 33/28/11/28/11 11:19:3911:19:39 AMAM you rout the horizontal corners, you two long pieces that are cut to just fi t cleanly trim the previously installed inside the box and have centered dados maple inlay. Miter the corners of the to catch the middle divider. These pieces 1⁄8"-square stock and use tape to hold are slip-fi t in the caddy. the inlay secure as the glue dries. Mill the material for the compart- ment lids, cut the 5⁄8" recess for the Hardware & Finish bandings then add the inlay banding Separate the lid from the box at the table and cross banding just as you did on saw. The cut line is positioned 1⁄4" below the box. The lids are rabbeted so that the uppermost fan inlays. Use a thin- the 1⁄4"-lips rest on the partition. kerf 71⁄4" saw blade to save as much of Sand the project to #180 grit after you the box as possible. Adjust the fence so fi t the hinges and lock to the caddy. Your the box bottom rides along the fence fi nish could be as simple as a few coats allowing the top to be the offcut. Raise of an oil/varnish mixture, however, due Fill the slot. To keep the caddy lid from spring- ing free as it’s separated from the box, fi ll in the blade to 9⁄16" and cut the two long to time constraints, I added a coat of oil the thin kerf with spacers. Add a couple clamps sides of the box. to highlight the wood grain, followed to hold everything secure. Next, cut and install a snugly fi t fi ller by a couple coats of shellac and a layer into the kerf. Attach a clamp to the cen- of dull-rubbed effect lacquer. ter of each of the long sides of the box The handle makes for easy transport need a veneer press. While I doubt this then cut the two ends. As you make the and a velvet-wrapped plywood panel box will caddy any tea, I’m sure you’ll cuts, the lid stays put. It’s easy. squeezed into the lid dresses up the fi nd a taker when it’s complete – if you Install the 1⁄8"-square maple inlay interior. wish to part with it, that is. PWM along the cut lid and box edges. Miter This box is a perfect example of how Glen is senior editor of this magazine and prefers the corners. Also, make and fit the non-traditional techniques can lead to coffee over tea. Contact him at 513-531-2690 x11293 interior partitions. The partitions are traditional-looking results. You don’t or [email protected].
1⁄2" 1⁄4"
1⁄4" 15⁄8"
3⁄8"
57⁄8"
41⁄4" 31⁄8"
12" 1 7 1 ⁄4" 3-D VIEW 5 ⁄8" ⁄4" 1⁄4" 1⁄4" SECTION
Tea Caddy NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL u FOR MORE … T W L Go Online ❏ 2 Long sides 1⁄2 55⁄8 12 Sapele For links to all these online extras, go to: ❏ 2 Short sides 1⁄2 55⁄8 57⁄8 Sapele u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 1 3 1 ❏ 1 Bottom ⁄2 5⁄8 11 ⁄2 Poplar VIDEO: Watch as a fan is sliced, marked ❏ 1 Top 1⁄2 57⁄8 12 Sapele and trimmed for the tea caddy. ❏ 2 Long partitions 3⁄8 31⁄8 11 Popular VIDEO: Watch Rob Millard create a tradi- ❏ 1 Center partition 3⁄8 31⁄8 43⁄8 Popular tional fan inlay using veneer. ❏ 2 Compartment lids 1⁄2 43⁄4 53⁄8 Mahogany WEB SITE: Get more information on inlay bandings, including shop-made designs. ❏ 2 Fan blanks 7⁄8 61⁄2 12 Walnut/Maple * IN OUR STORE: Pick up a great book on ❏ 6 Inlay banding 1⁄16 1⁄4 36 Purchased creating beautiful inlaid boxes. ❏ 10 Cross banding 1⁄16 61⁄2 2 Sapele ❏ 12 Corner inlay 1⁄8 1⁄8 13 Maple Our products are available online at: u ShopWoodworking.com * One each of contrasting colors
popularwoodworking.com ■ 39
336-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd6-39_1106_PWM_TeaCaddy.indd 3939 33/28/11/28/11 11:19:5111:19:51 AMAM Secrets of the Sector
BY JIM TOLPIN
Just 2 sticks and 1 hinge will eliminate both math and errors from your layout work.
f you haven’t heard of the sector, it probably means you aren’t an artisan Ior a ship’s navigator living and work- ing in the 17th and 18th centuries. An invention attributed to Galileo, the sector is a calculation instrument comprised of a pair of hinged sticks eng raved w it h a var iet y of scale s t hat – coupled with a pair of dividers – enabled you to solve trigonometry, division and multiplication problems (amongst other The traditional tools. Here’s an ivory sector and traditional dividers. While original sectors are functions). rare, you can make your own with scraps in an afternoon. Though I haven’t found source docu- mentation of this yet, the sector was likely used by architects and artisans and change the scale of a design up or The Sector & How it Works to lay out designs based on the (once) down without losing its integral pro- The sector works on this basic proof in ubiquitous whole-number ratio propor- portions – all within a matter of sec- geometry: “Similar triangles have their tioning systems. You probably haven’t onds and all without having to crunch like sides proportional.” That means the heard of this tool, however, as post fract ional numbers. A s I w ill show you third side (“B” or “D” in drawing B) of a 1830s factory-based furniture manu- in this article, all you need do is hold triangle formed by the two arms of the facturing eclipsed the traditional design a sector in one hand, a pair of dividers sector will always be in a whole-number and processing methods of the artisans in the other and be able to count to 13. proportion to the third side taken at any with the result that their tools of the Once you st art working w it h t his tool, other division on the arms. trade – dividers, sectors and applied you’ll wonder how you ever made do What this means “on the bench” is geometry in general – faded almost without it. that when you set your dividers to fi t the entirely from use. 10th notch on each arm, the spread of I have discovered, however, that a the dividers will be exactly twice that simple version of the sector can be a use- “The better class of workmen of the distance you’ll fi nd between the ful and effi cient tool for layout work. In fi fth notches (see Drawing C at right). addition to using it to create furniture would rather part with the clothes Likewise, if you set your dividers to the designed to the whole-number ratios off their backs and the beds from ninth notches, you now have a dimen- embedded in the classic order pro- sion that is three times the dimension portioning system, this simple device under them, than make away that exists between the third notches. can divide a board’s dimension (or the with their tools … .” This opens up a world of possibilities dimension of a space to be fi lled) into — Henry Mayhew (1812-1887) in both refi ning and speeding up your equal parts, lay out hardware locations, The Morning Chronicle, July 11, 1850 layout work. Best of all, you no longer
40 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; ILLUSTRATIONS BY MARY JANE FAVORITE FROM DRAWINGS BY THE AUTHOR; PHOTO ON PG. 45 BY CRAIG WESTER
440-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd0-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd 4040 33/28/11/28/11 11:20:3711:20:37 AMAM have to deal w it h fract ional numbers or, Working With the Sector for that matter, division or multiplica- Once you have built a sector (see Draw- tion work outside of single digits. The ing A below), begin to experiment with sector generates physical dimensions it to solve the following common layout that can be “lifted” and transferred by a problems. (Note: If I haven’t yet con- set of dividers, making it unnecessary to vinced you to make a sector, you can generate numbers that must be recorded substitute a traditional folding rule, and transferred with numbered mea- using the full inch marks as the divi- suring devices. I don’t know about you, sion points and setting the divider but I fi nd that to be an enormous boon points to the inside edge of the rule to for my eyes, my mental health and, per- lift the transverse dimension as shown Sector in use. Try this with a traditional fold- ing rule. To divide the board into fi ve, set the haps most important of all, my ability in the photo at right). When you feel rule so the marks at 10" up the legs touch the to avoid mistakes. you understand how to use the sector board’s corners. Set the dividers to touch at 2" to solve these problems, then try using up each leg. That width is 1/5 of your board. it for the more complex task of design- ing an entire cabinet. opening then dividing that number by Problem 1: Divide a Door the number of planks (quick: what is Opening Into Five Equal Parts 1715⁄16" divided by 5?), you can get the X X X Let’s say we want to make a plank door answer from the sector nearly instanta- HINGE-TO-DIVISION for a rustic cabinet, and that we want neously – with the bonus of having, in LINE SPACING the five planks to be of equal width. the process, set up a layout device (the Instead of measuring the width of the div iders) to mark t his w idt h. If you are Spacing “X” is not to any numerical measure- ment. Set divider spacing to allow 13 divisions within length of stick.
Taper 7⁄8 " 5⁄8"
TOP VIEW LEFT LEG Make a slight notch at scribed division lines – angle should be on side away from hinge.
Note: Span between back of hinge pin and fi rst Make length about 24" long for small projects and division line should equal all division spacings. components, 36" or more for full-size furniture layout. Butt hinge
1"
X X SIDE VIEW Chamfer all edges Inset magnetic INSIDE FACE catch
DRAWING A: SECTOR CONSTRUCTION
These two lines, when intersecting a circle Span A is three times longer than span B. And drawn from the intersection, defi ne a sector note that at the 6th division line, the span would of the circle. The span at B is proportional to Span A is twice that of span B. be 2/3 that of the span at the 9th division. length A as span D is to length C. 10 9
5 C 3
A B A B A B D
3 5
10 9 DRAWING B: GEOMETRY OF THE SECTOR DRAWING C: DERIVING PROPORTIONS
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440-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd0-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd 4141 33/28/11/28/11 11:20:4911:20:49 AMAM ripping the stock by hand (that is, you So open your sector and place the Problem 2: Lay Out Tapered Stock don’t need a number to index a machine mark s at 5 on each cor ner of your open- Now let’s pretend the door opening is to), t hen you don’t even need to fi nd the ing. With the sector in place and set, wider at the bottom than the top. How measurement for this span – you can adjust your dividers so their points are we going to get fi ve equal planks that simply lay it out from the dividers right touch at the marks for 1. The dividers taper in width from top to bottom? As onto the stock to be ripped. are now set for 1/5th of your opening. you might guess, the sector comes to the rescue: We set the sector as described above to get the plank width for the span at the bottom and mark this on one end 1. At the top of the opening, of the board. We then repeat the process set the 5th division at the corners and set dividers to at the top and mark the other end of the span at the 1st division. board. See drawing D at left. For the sake of aesthetics, let’s not 2. Step out 5 spaces assume we can lay out the taper from along the top. the edge the mill gave us to work with. As you can see in Drawing E below, this can result in an awkward (read: ugly) Dividers grain pattern. Instead, we’ll begin by ripping and truing one edge parallel to the centerline of the cathedral, then we’ll lay out the width of the plank’s top and bottom from there. (And don't worry about the angles on the ends of Opening these hypothetical boards – they’ll be Then set the sector to the trimmed to fi t the hypothetical opening bottom opening and repeat after assembly.) steps 1 and 2. Another way to ensure that the cathedral is centered on the plank is to draw a centerline fi rst, then lay out to either side of it. But wait, our divider is set to fi fths of the span top and bot- tom. The solution: We’ll reset the sec- tor to give us 10ths and then use this dimension to lay out on either side of DRAWING D: the centerline. LAYOUT OF TAPERED PLANKS
Make fi rst edge Lay out top and Lay out half-spans to cut roughly parallel Mark end cuts bottom spans with Lay out end cuts either side of centerline to centerline of perpendicular dividers. Connect Draw centerline perpendicular to top and bottom. cathedral. Cut. to centerline. marks and cut. through cathedral. centerline. Connect and cut.
C C
Plank Plank length length
DRAWING E: LAYOUT OF TAPER ON STOCK ALTERNATIVE METHOD
42 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
440-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd0-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd 4242 33/28/11/28/11 11:21:0211:21:02 AMAM 7 CC4
4 8 8 7
4 4 LEFT: Place sector to 8th division and ABOVE: Place sector to 7th division across set divider at 4th division. 4/8 = 1/2 so width and set divider to fourth. Lay out 4/7 divider will mark center. from bottom on centerline.
DRAWING F: LOCATE A SINGLE PULL ON CENTER
2 Problem 3: Lay Out Hardware 2 Place sector to 10th division and pick Now let’s use the sector to lay out hard- off span with divider at the second ware locations (such as pulls) in pleas- division. 2/10 = 1/5, so lay out 1/5th inset from either end with a divider. ing, whole-number rat ios t hat relate to the overall span of the component to which they are mounted (and to each 10 other, if in pairs). For example, in Draw- 10
ing F above, the sector fi nds the vertical 1⁄5 1⁄5 centerline of a drawer face for mounting a pull: We open the arms of the sector so that an even number falls on each end of the face (in this case, eight) then set the dividers to half that number (four) on the arms: we’ve located the center as DRAWING G: LOCATE A DOUBLE PULL four-eighths, which reduces to 1/2. We’ll then set one leg of the divider to the edge of the drawer face, make a pick off the span at the fi rst division. If Use the Sector to Design Furniture pin point mark with other leg, and erect the face is too long for the sector’s fi fth Now let’s step back in time to the world a vertical line with a pencil. The pull division marks to reach, we’ll set the of the pre-industrial artisan. Here’s the will install somewhere along this line. sector divisions at 10 and pick off the instructions that we, the journeyman If you want it centered, you just repeat inset at the second division marks (2/10 cabinetmaker, might have been given these steps, setting the sector across the = 1/5). See Drawing G above. by the shop master to build a particular width of the face. If, however, you want it offset toward the top a bit (commonly done because we are usually looking Old story sticks. down on a chest of drawers), a pleasing You can use your ratio is 4/7ths up from the bottom. To sector to quickly fi nd this location, we orient the sector scale a project on its seventh division lines across the up or down, or detail its compo- width then set the divider to the fourth nents. division line: This, as I’m sure you’ve guessed by now, represents 4/7th the width of the face. In a similar fashion, if we are lay- ing out two pulls, we may choose to set them 1/5 of the way in from each end – a common and pleasing choice in 18th-century casework. We’ll get this spacing by setting the sector so that the fi fth division falls to either end then
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440-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd0-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd 4343 33/28/11/28/11 11:21:1611:21:16 AMAM 6
3 2 1
Square Square and one-half of a square; 2:3, width to height 1 ESTABLISH THE ELEVATION
6 9
To fi nd toe space to bottom rail, place sector 6 at 6 and take off spacing at 1. This gives 1/6th of case height.
TOE SPACE 24"
1 1 6 6 9 9 9 9
First, draw a Then, set the sector on 9 at 24" line. each end of the line. Set the divider at 6.
Third, set out the width 6:9 (2:3, width to height).
Width
5 5 Leg width = 1/9th of case width Last, set the depth. 4 4 Case depth is 4/5 width. ESTABLISH THE HEIGHT, WIDTH & DEPTH LEG WIDTH
5 6 4 1⁄6 1 1 4⁄6
1 1⁄6 1 4 6
To fi nd height of drawer, set 5th division of sector to toe kick and Drawer face = 4/6 spacing for drawer 5 to top of case. Take off 1/5th at 1. Blades = 1/6
DRAWER FACE DRAWER DETAIL DRAWING H: SIDE TABLE DESIGN
44 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
440-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd0-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd 4444 33/28/11/28/11 11:21:2811:21:28 AMAM piece of furniture. (We are assuming it’s To fi nd and lay out the proportions of six or eight, respectively) and record a one-off and there are no templates or insets and components within the form, this new, scaled-down dimension. If story sticks): we can again use the sector to set out the we wanted to go to 3/4 scale, we would “The client wants a side table about ratios. Refer to Drawing G to see how use division lines that could be divided 24" high with a door and a drawer above. I’ve used the sector to establish such by four (4, 8, 12) and set the dividers to The proportions will be a “square and features as the rise of the toe space; the 3, 6 or 9 respectively. PWM a half” and the depth shall be 4/5 of its space allowed for the drawer face and width. Now off you go …” its top and bottom blades (also called Jim is the author of the book “The New Traditional Because a “square-and-a-half” for a rails) as well as the proportions of these Woodworker” (Popular Woodworking Books) and side table is accepted to mean that the components within that space; and the runs classes at his school: Port Townsend School of Woodworking (ptwoodschool.com) t able is half again as high as it is w ide or width of the legs. three parts high to two parts wide (see Drawing H at left), all we need to do is Problem: Scale the Design draw a 24"-long line, set the sector so We’ve got the design for the side table the ninth division line strikes the top all done, we’ve built the table, and the and bottom of the line, then take off the customer is happy. But now he wants span at the sixth division line. Because another one for his children’s bedroom 6/9 reduces to 2/3, we have found our – but built to “kid-size.” No problem, 2-to-3 ratio to lay out the width of the we’ll just build the same thing, but to 2/3 table. To find the depth – which the scale. How do we change the design in master told us should be 4/5ths of the the most effi cient way possible to come width – we set the sector so that its 5th up with a new cut list or tick stick? division lines touch the outside edges Again, the sector comes to our rescue. of the face, then take off the span at the For every span on the full-scale drawing 4th division line. This is the depth of all we need do is set the sector so that the cabinet case. (Note: If your sector a division line that can be divided by isn’t large enough to reach at the 5th t hree (i.e. t hree, si x, nine or 12) w ill fall div ision line, set it at 10 and t ake off t he to each side of the span. We then pick span at 8 because 10/8 =5/4. off the 2/3 point on the arms (two, four,
Modern sectors. I built these two sectors for use in my shop. There are more details on these tools at the magazine’s web site.
u Go Online FOR MORE …
For links to all these online extras, go to: u popularwoodworking.com/jun11
ARTICLE: Read more about how to build a sector on our web site. VIDEO: Watch a sector in use in the shop. WEB SITE: Visit the Port Townsend School of Woodworking’s web site. TO BUY: “The New Traditional Wood- worker” by Jim Tolpin. IN OUR STORE: “Measure Twice, Cut Once” by Jim Tolpin. Our products are available online at: u ShopWoodworking.com Not just for architects. Sectors can open up a whole new way of dividing up your work and scal- ing your projects.
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440-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd0-45_1106_PWM_Sector.indd 4545 33/28/11/28/11 11:21:3911:21:39 AMAM Jasmine Jewelry Box
BY GARY ROGOWSKI
Simple tools, techniques & joinery deliver elegant results.
t’s the stuff of arguments: Which tools in the shop are really the most Iimportant for joinery? It’s almost like arguing the top movie or the best shortstop of all time. There is no one answer that satisfi es everyone (although “The Maltese Falcon” and “Ernie Banks” should). Were you to ask me, my answers would be quick but not absolute. Give Ashtastic. This ash, fi nger-jointed jewelry box is simple to build with just a few tools: A band saw, me three tools: a band saw, a chisel and chisel, handplane and router are all that’s required. a router, and I can build just about any- thing. This jewelry box project shows how versatile these tools are. quickly cut a finger joint that looks divided up at 3⁄4" evenly. This is not Choose your joinery on three factors: pretty good using the band saw. critical for the strength. What is criti- function, economy and skill. What will Finally, what are you capable of cal is how accurately you set up to cut the piece do? This poses the question: doing in your shop with your tools and these joints. How strong does it need to be? There your skills? You might want something Before beginning this method, try out are 10 ways of building this box and a lot prettier than a butt joint and you this band saw technique on a piece of all of them are good. But which one of have the tools and time to do it. This these methods is strong enough and fi nger-jointed box offers in its design adds something to the design? strength, simplicity and symmetry in How quickly does it need to be equal measures. made? Is this jewelry box a diversion or a Christmas or birthday present? If Finger Joints on the Band Saw it’s the latter, then almost by defi nition To lay out the fi nger joints, I divided the it’s late. The speed at which you work width of the box side into thirds. Take will come into play. You might want to a ruler and put the corner of it at one use dovetail joints but you don’t have edge of the board and rotate the ruler the time to hand cut them. But you can until it hits the other edge at a number easily divisible by three. Mark out your thirds and square those marks out to “As with all woodworking the end of the board. Just make certain activities the only true guide is that the width of the center slot is just a hair wider than one of your chisels. Divisible by three. To lay out your fi nger positive experience, often bitter This way your chisel will enter more joints, place a ruler at the edge of your board, then angle it to the opposite edge until you but nevertheless inevitable.” easily when chopping out t he waste. For have a measurement easily divisible by three 1 — Ernest Joyce this box measuring 2 ⁄4" high, I used – and ensure the center slot is a hair wider “The Encyclopedia of Furniture Making” a 3⁄4" chisel and the remaining space than the chisel you wish to use.
46 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR; ILLUSTRATIONS BY ROBERT W. LANG, FROM THE AUTHOR’S DRAWINGS
446-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd6-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd 4646 33/28/11/28/11 11:22:1011:22:10 AMAM scrap. First, all your stock has to be the in the middle, mark out the faces and less risk of tear-out to do all this work same width. Triple check and adjust as the edges of the board. Next, chamfer now rather than later. needed. Next, you’ll need to make a shim the ends of your boards with a block With your shim the perfect size, that fi ts the width of the cut that your plane. Then, using your block plane cut out the four notches on your long blade makes. This kerf will vary from again (or a sander), clean up the ends boards. A simple precaution when cut- blade to blade so make a practice cut in of your boards. It will be simpler with ting is to set up a stop on the fence to a board and try to fi nd a shim that fi ts well. Perhaps two pieces of veneer glued together will work. Maybe you’ll need Tight shims. You must to add a piece of masking tape to them use shims that fi t tightly to increase the thickness – or shave or into your saw kerfs. If scrape a little off the veneer instead to you don’t have veneer thin it. You may have to make your own that will serve, cut shims at the band saw. shim by cutting it on the band saw. But however you make t his shim, it has to fi t the kerf tightly or the joint won’t fi t. Use a band saw blade with at least 4- 6 teeth per inch to cut the joint (I use a Wood Slicer blade). Cut the center notch fi rst. Set up your fence distance to cut the closer of the two side walls of this notch. Line it up to make a notch wide enough for your chisel and make sure to mark the baseline for your cuts on this test board at slightly less than the board’s thickness. Make the fi rst cut up to this line. Flip the board and make the matching cut on this slot. Mark this slot as waste then check that the shim fi ts tightly. Adjust the shim as needed. For the matching cut, nothing changes on the band saw except that you introduce the shim between the fence and the second board. Keep that board tight to the fence as you make the cuts and keep the shim always close to Notch test. With stock at the ready sized in the end that’s being cut. What’s happen- width the same as your actual pieces, set ing, of course, is that the second board your band saw fence to make the fi rst cut for Fit test. To cut the matching part of the joint, is being pushed away from the fence by the center notch, then fl ip the board and cut slip the end of the shim between the fence the width of the cut. If your shim is too the second side of the notch. Make sure your and your stock, and make the cut with the loose, then so will be your joint. If it’s shims fi t the slots tightly and check that your shimmed stock held tight to the fence, then chisel will fi t just inside the waste. fl ip the board and make the second cut. too tight in the kerf, then you’ll have trouble closing the joint. You can see this relationship when you hold the two board s up to one anot her. Once you cut away the waste, the joint should just fi t snugly together with hand pressure.
Joinery Details & Fitting One of the important ways to set a proj- ect apart is to detail it. With these fi nger joints, I make them protrude through and chamfer their ends to call them out. Set up your marking gauge for the thick- ness of the stock plus 1⁄32" to 1⁄16" more. Have your center slot marked out on the End-to-end match. If your cuts are set up and Ease the edges. Use a block plane to chamfer two long boards and mark their faces. shimmed correctly, the inside edges of your the ends of your stock now, before you make For the end boards with the single fi nger kerfs should align. any cuts.
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446-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd6-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd 4747 33/28/11/28/11 11:22:2511:22:25 AMAM prevent going past the gauge line. Cut table. I line a piece of plywood with a ones. Clean up the round ends of the these center slots first, mark out the decorative paper for this jewelry box so stopped cuts with your chisel. waste sections, then add the shim and I make the bottom from 1⁄4" plywood make the matching cuts on the shorter (which of course measures something Lining the Bottom boards. Mark out the waste pieces on less than that). Check how thick your I use decorative papers often on the their ends too. paper makes your plywood package in side of my boxe s as a pleasant sur pr ise Use a narrow band saw blade to before routing the grooves. Set the fence and contrast to the wood. At a good art remove the waste more easily in the at the proper distance from the bit and store you’ll fi nd hundreds of options center slot. (If all you have is a wide set the bit height for two cuts at 3⁄32" or available and they’re usually inexpen- blade, make a series of cuts to remove one at 3⁄16". sive at $5-$10 a sheet. The adhesive I it.) When you get close to the line, with Stopped cuts are used on the longer used to use to lay t hem dow n w it h was a a deft touch, you can nibble away the pieces so I set stops on my fence to limit binder called matte medium. It was not waste by moving side to side, just catch- the travel distance of the cut. To fi nd cheap. One day a friend of mine walked ing the teeth. Get as close as you can to where the bit starts cutting, simply hold into my shop and watched me gluing the line then chop out the waste with a block to the bit, rotate the bit backward down some paper. He noticed that the your chisel. Once you get started with by hand and mark on the fence where smell of the expensive matte medium your cuts, you can undercut the end the block stops moving. This will be one smelled curiously like the smell of inex- grain a little to make the job go faster. cutting edge of the bit. Do the same for pensive water-based polyurethane. Oh, Before removing the waste on the the other side. With stop marks penciled happy discovery. The poly works great ends, start to chop out the waste on your on the top of the long piece, line up the as a paper glue. end slots about 1⁄16" to 1⁄8" deep. Chop board with the marks on the fence and Cut your plywood exactly to size down from both the faces and the edges set your stops with a clamp. and your paper oversize by an inch or of your boards to establish the plane of When making a stopped cut, hold so. Coat the plywood surface with the the end sockets. It’s easier to get these the work tight to the stop and fence then water-based poly then coat the under- cuts established now then band saw off move dow n onto the bit. Just move the side of the paper. Lay the paper onto the the waste close to the gauge lines. You work along as you rout so you don’t burn plywood, stretching it out as you go to can pare these end sockets fl at later for your way to depth instead of cutting to eliminate bubbles. Press it fl at from the a great fi t. Just be sure not to chop dow n it. It may take several passes to get to center out to the edges. Then coat the too hard or your chisel w ill be forced off the finished depth, but once you do, top of the paper with the poly as well. the gauge line and into the good wood. make the cut until you reach the far Let the piece dry overnight and trim This can be visible from the edges. stop. Make the through-cuts next on the excess paper with a knife. Once it’s After chopping, clean up the box the shorter end boards. Then raise the dry, check the fi t of the bottom into your sides with a handplane and scraper to bit height to the fi nal depth, fi nish up grooves being careful not to peel up the remove any working marks. the through-cuts then do the stopped paper at the edges (you can also wrap
Routing for the Bottom After fi tting the joints, I lay out and cut the grooves for the bottom at my router
Establish the cut. Use your chisel to establish Stop(s). Establish the beginning and end of the stopped grooves for the box bottom, then clamp your cuts and help guide the band saw blade. stop-blocks to your router fence.
48 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
446-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd6-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd 4848 33/28/11/28/11 11:22:3711:22:37 AMAM the paper around the edges if you cut compatibility before committing to the joint in the top and breadboard ends. the corners carefully). Then prepare cutting your boards to length. Plane a The loose-tenon method works for a lid your clamps, dry-fi t the box together light spring joint on the edges of these this size. It’s simple to set up for stopped and glue up. board s before gluing t hem up. This w ill cuts in all the boards at the router table. lock them in place as you glue. Lay your Cut the pieces to length and clean up Breadboard Ends for a Top boards together then fold them apart the end grain. Mark the length for the A thin 1⁄2" top like this will cup over and place them in the vise. Take a few groove and set your stops. Lower each time without the proper restraint. strokes with your smoothing plane until board carefully onto the bit and make (Who doesn’t need proper restraint the edges are good and straight. your cuts to depth. Then prep loose- from time to time?) A panel fl oating in Before planing, take the time to tune tenon stock. I used the offcuts from a frame is one tried-and-true method your handplane on some scrap. Make resawing my stock to thickness and of accomplishing this. But using a sure it’s cutting smoothly, lightly and passed one board through the planer to fl at panel with breadboard ends also evenly (a good rule for all of my cuts). bring it close to thickness. Cut pieces works. These breadboard ends fi t over Coming in on a diagonal, take a few to length then plane to fi t. When the the ends of your large panel using passes over the center of your boards. panel fi t s snug in t he breadboard end s, loose-tenon construction and a little Just a little gap is all that’s required to it’s time for the fi nal touch. bit of glue at the center of the panel. give you good pressure at the ends. Cutting a spring joint into the ends But the key to success is the spring Glue up your stock, let it dry over- keeps them in tight to the panel. Come joint you add to them. night, then fl atten the new board and in at a diagonal to t he edge and t ake t wo Take the time to grain match the square its edges and ends. Plane the end or three handplane passes. Check the boards. With quartersawn ash, match- grain so it’s dead fl at before beginning fi t again and you should now see a small ing boards isn’t too hard. Hold one board your joinery. gap in the middle of the panel. Center on edge up to another to check their There are several methods for cutting one clamp to it and see if you can’t pull
Loose tenons. Cut your loose tenons to length, then plane them in thickness to fi t the groove you cut at the router. Remember that the grain direc- tion of the ten- ons should run the same as the panel.
Raise your glue-up. With thin stock, it’s best to hold the assembly up so that the Dead fl at. Before you start the joinery for the breadboard workpiece is centered in your clamps’ jaws. If you skip this step, the clamping pres- ends, plane the top’s end grain so the end is dead straight. sure could more easily twist the panel.
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446-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd6-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd 4949 33/28/11/28/11 11:22:4911:22:49 AMAM Template. Mark out the handle shape onto your blank. A template made Cleanup. Clean up the fi rst band saw cut on the handle with a spoke- of MDF or masonite allows for quick transfer of the shape. shave or rasp. Work downhill into the hollow to avoid tear-out.
it in good and tight. If you can, you’re tight-fi tting length worked just as well. I’ll get a shape that I like. Templates ready to glue up. Mill the divider stock to 1⁄4" thickness are quick to make in masonite or MDF With a top this thin, use some shims and trim it exactly to length fi rst. Use a and not so precious I can’t throw one to move the boards up higher in your plane and a shooting board to nail the away. The other reason for using a solid clamps. This will help to prevent any fi t. Put the dividers together with half- material is that when I have a shape twisting when applying clamping pres- joints after you decide how you want to that I really like, I have the template sure. Put glue only on the center 3" to 4" divide the inside compartments. Mark for another handle. of the grooves in the breadboard ends, their positions and gauge in a line for the Then I make up several options out and a dollop in the matching location depth of cut. You can cut the half-joints of poplar until I fi nd one t hat work s. For on the panel (this is where the loose ten- at the band saw or by hand. purposes of visualizing, a black magic on s w ill be in serted). No glue should be Designing handles is a job I post- marker turns the poplar into ebony or applied past this center section because pone until I can look at the fi nal piece. walnut; blue and red make it rosewood. you still have to allow for movement I fi rst design on paper to fi nd a shape My fi nal handle for this box is of walnut over time. With the spring joint and the that suits the intention of the box. Then cut out on the band saw, then shaped loose tenon, you’ll get plenty of pressure I make up a template to guarantee that and sanded to round the top edges. Cut and support at the edges of the panel. Clean up the panel and breadboard ends, and chamfer the ends on them to match the fi nger joints.
Finishing Touches Finger joints don’t need pinning for strength, but if you like the look, add- ing round pins here is a nice detail. Make up pin stock at the band saw cutting just over the fi nal diameter you want. Plane to size, then chamfer the edges with a block plane before hammering the stock through a dowel plate to size it accu- rately. Mark out and drill your fi nger joint s t hen glue in your pin s. A cont rast- ing wood here adds a nice touch. After hinging the lid with simple butt hinges, add dividers to the inside. I stopped cutting dados for dividers Plane to fi t. Fit the base boards together using a bench plane with a bench hook or shooting in my box sides when I realized that a board. Plane the long-grain edges of the short boards until they just fi t into their notches.
50 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
446-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd6-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd 5050 33/28/11/28/11 11:23:0211:23:02 AMAM the handle’s top edge first. That way I drilled two pin holes for small dow- saw with a crosscut sled set up with there’s still some wood remaining and els into the bottom of the handle, then stops, or saw them by hand and use a it’s easier to clamp it into the vise to glued and pinned to the lid. shoulder plane to get them to depth. clean up with your spokeshave or rasp. The base pieces make the jewelry box I never try to make the width of the If you need to work out to t he end of t he appear to be fl oating. I notch the long cut perfect. There are too many ways I handle, clamp one end of it into the vise boards 1⁄8" deep to capture the shorter can fi nd to screw that up! and clamp a stick onto your bench. The ones. Mark out the starting line 41⁄2" in I cut the notch just a hair under- handle then rotates into that stick and from their ends with a marking gauge. sized in width then plane the sticks to won’t budge as you shape it. You can cut out the notches on the table fi t together. I use my bench hook as a shooting board with a No. 4 plane and take just enough passes to get a snug fi t. Mark out the short pieces with a gauge 2" line 21⁄2" in from their ends. This is 12" 1∕2" where they’ll fi t into the longer ones. Check the fi t on all the pieces before gluing them up. Use just a spot of glue and clamp the pieces together. You can also run a short dowel pin through the
121⁄8" joint to lock them in place. Finish the inside of any box with shellac – not an oil finish. Oil finish will leave a smell inside that will last, regrettably, forever. It’s not a pleasant smell so get over your fear of shellac (if
121⁄8" you have any), and give it a try. Thin the stuff in the can down with alcohol (or dissolve shellac fl akes at a #2-pound cut) so it’s easy to apply and add as many 1 2 ⁄4" Bottom light coats as you want. 1⁄4" x 115∕8" x 155∕8" 3 For a jewelry box like this, add a few ⁄8" drops of a pleasant essential oil such as jasmine, rose or vanilla to the shellac. This is g uaranteed to make t he recipient 161⁄8" 21⁄4" of this jewelry box barely notice how late it arrives – while you will have the satisfaction of building something that uses just a few great tools. PWM
3 ⁄4" Gary is director of the 3 12 ⁄4" Northwest Woodworking Studio in Portland, Ore. (NorthwestWoodworking.com).
163⁄4"
EXPLODED VIEW u Go Online FOR MORE …
For links to all these online extras, go to: u popularwoodworking.com/jun11
Jasmine Jewelry Box VIDEO: Gary has a number of free videos NO. ITEM DIMENSIONS (INCHES) MATERIAL on a variety of woodworking topics, T W L available at YouTube.com. ❏ 3 1 1 2 Front/back ⁄8 2⁄4 16 ⁄8 Ash BLOG: Read Gary’s blog. ❏ 3 1 1 2 Sides ⁄8 2⁄4 12 ⁄8 Ash WEB SITE: Find out more about the North- ❏ 1 Top 1⁄2 12 12 Ash west Woodworking Studio and classes ❏ 2 Breadboard ends 1⁄2 2 121⁄8 Ash offered. ❏ 2 Front baseboards 3⁄8 3⁄4 167⁄8 Ash IN OUR STORE: “New Masters of the Wooden Box,” by Oscar P. Fitzgerald. ❏ 2 Side baseboards 3⁄8 3⁄4 127⁄8 Ash ❏ 1 Bottom 1⁄4 115⁄8 155⁄8 Plywood Our products are available online at: ❏ 1 Handle 1⁄2 1 11 Contrasting wood u ShopWoodworking.com
popularwoodworking.com ■ 51
446-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd6-51_1106_PWM_JewelryBox.indd 5151 33/28/11/28/11 11:23:1411:23:14 AMAM Combination Squares
BY ROBERT W. LANG
Choosing and using this must-have measuring and layout tool.
n 1878, Laroy S. Starrett designed and patented the combination Isquare. His invention was a multi- purpose layout and measuring tool for machinists and it was rapidly adopted in the trade. Woodworking books of the period don’t mention this tool. After all, the try square and marking gauge were com- mon and effective, so it took a while for the transition from machine shop to cabinetshop. Today, most woodwork- Quality counts. The combination square is one of the most frequently used tools in any project. ers own a combination square, but few Get yourself a good one, and chances are you will see a need for several more. know all of its uses, and many try to get by with inferior versions. The biggest technical challenge Star- the shop caught fi re, I wouldn’t have ily in an apron pocket and cover most rett faced was milling a groove that was to look for it as I ran out the door; it’s common tasks. perfectly parallel to the edges of the rule. in my apron pocket or hand most of Prices range from around $50 for the That’s what allows the head to slide to the time. smallest to around $80 for the largest. any position and remain square to the The adjustable square is also a great That’s a tidy sum for a little bit of metal, blade. This is the part of the tool that example of ergonomics, even though but these are high-quality tools that last most manufacturers still don’t get right. it was invented a century before the for generations. Every machinist who After 133 years, the Starrett square is term became current. The curve in the practiced the trade in the last century still considered to be the best. stock is a comfortable place to park your had at least one, so they are plentiful on I use my combination squares to t humb, or it ne st le s neat ly in t he crook the used-tool market. check corners and miters. It’s precise between you thumb and forefi nger. If Don’t pay more than half the price of enough for that task, but I use it more you have any doubts about how to hold a new tool for an old one. In old tools, often to mark, set, gauge and transfer the tool, fi nd a comfortable hand posi- the level vial and small metal scribe are precise measurements, both in the tion and you can’t go wrong. often missing. Use that as a bargaining layout and in the making of joints. If tool to get a lower price (you won’t notice Size Matters their absence). Parts are generally inter- The combination square and its brother, changeable and available; if you fi nd a “A thing is worth what it can do the adjustable double square, come in usable head you can get a rule for it, and several sizes, designated by the length you can replace a broken lock bolt. for you, not what you choose to of the rule. Four inch, 6" and 12" lengths When you shop, you’ll see two addi- pay for it.” are the useful sizes for the woodworker. tional heads: a center-fi nder and a pro- — John Ruskin (1819-1900) The two I use most are a 6" combination tractor. You may be tempted to get these, English critic and social thinker and a 4" double square. These fi t eas- but in all likelihood you can live without
52 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 LEAD PHOTO BY AL PARRISH; STEP PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
552-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd2-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd 5252 33/28/11/28/11 11:23:4911:23:49 AMAM them. I inherited my grandfather’s tools, The cheap imitations you see for half If you work in the metric system you and the protractor and center-fi nding the price or less are, well, cheap imita- can get a rule divided in millimeters, head have been in the same drawer for tions. That kind of tool will hurt ever y and you may find an older rule divided the last 20 years. time you try to use it. If you only splurge into 10ths or 50ths of an inch. You can The heads are available two ways: on one tool in you life, get a Starrett always buy a replacement rule with the cast iron or hardened steel. The steel square. You’ll be glad you did ever y t ime 4R graduations. costs about $10 more and is more dura- you pick it up, and your children and The larger divisions are on the side ble. The cast head will still last several grandchildren will inherit a valuable of the rule with the groove, and I work lifetimes, and a smooth fi le and a few and useful tool. most of the time with the groove up. I minutes’ effort will smooth out minor rarely need to set a distance finer than dents and dings in the cast head. Follow the Rule 1⁄16" and when I mark with a pencil from It may be painful to pony up the cash There are also options for the gradu- the end of the rule, the pencil point for a Starrett, but that pain will go away ations on the rule. The most common won’t slip into the groove. and you won’t have any regrets after is called 4R. The 4R scale is in inches The rule is held to the head with a you start using one. There are a couple and fractions (as it should be) with one lock bolt on a spring-loaded knurled other brands that are close in quality; edge marked in 1⁄8" increments, with the knob. A tongue on the end of the bolt Browne & Sharpe and Mitutoyo are well opposite one in 1⁄16". Flip the rule over fits in the groove, and when you tighten regarded, and Lee Valley has a very nice and it is marked in 1⁄32" on one side and the knob, this holds the rule against double square in 4" and 6" sizes for a bit 1⁄64" on the other. two raised nubs within the head. If the less money than a Starrett. Scales in other formats are available. square ever goes out of alignment, you
Like a glove. The head of a good combination square fi ts comfortably in Pencil’s partner. Make a parallel line a precise distance from an existing the hand, in almost every usable position. edge by sliding the head along the work and holding a pencil to the end of the rule.
Remove & reverse. The groove in the rule slides in a tongue at the end of There is a solution. The rule rides on two nubs inside the head. If it isn’t the spring-loaded reversible lock bolt. If you remove the rule, you need square, fi ling one nub or the other will bring it back. to line them up.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 53
552-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd2-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd 5353 33/28/11/28/11 11:24:0211:24:02 AMAM can get it back in by carefully filing one Light the way. Hold of the nubs. the square and your To fit the rule to the stock, push in work up to a light source and you can on the knurled knob and turn it to align detect tiny variations. the tongue with the groove. It’s dark Here, there aren’t any. in there and hard to see, but you can reverse the direction the rule extends from the head by turning the post 180˚. Wipe the rule once in a while with some light oil to keep it sliding smoothly and free of corrosion. To use the square to check an inside corner, loosen the knob and set the bot- tom of the rule down on a flat surface, such as the top of your table saw. This ensures that the rule is not extending past the head. To check an outside corner, hold the square against the end of the board and aim that at a source of light. Check a 45˚ miter the same way. Teeny-tiny dis- crepancies will show as a band of light between the metal edges of the square and the wood. against an edge. Place the point of your With an adjustable square, you can pencil against the end of the rule and set the fi rst piece on your bench, set the The Good Part slide the square along the edge, keeping bottom of the head on top of it, loosen Checking corners isn’t anything special, the pencil in place. The result is a paral- the knob and drop the end of the rule and you don’t need to spend a lot for a lel line. This works along convex curves down on the benchtop. Tighten the tool that is capable of that task. If that’s just as easily as for straight lines. knob and move on to the other board. all you need, you can get an imported Want to make a rabbet in the end Place the head of the square on the end engineer’s square for $10. Where the of a board that matches the thickness and mark from the end of the rule. combination square and the adjustable of another board? With a fi xed-head This process is called gauging, and square become heroe s is when you make square, you have to measure the thick- eliminates the need to deal with num- use of the sliding rule. ness, then carefully measure from the bers and fractions. A piece of wood that Most joint layout involves mak- end and make your mark. If you’re should be 3⁄4" may actually be 25⁄32" or ing a line parallel to an existing edge. good at measuring and really careful 49⁄64" – but that won’t matter. Because Adjust the rule to any dimension from you can come pretty close, but it will you set the distance from the material the bottom of the head and hold the head take a while. you know you’re right and the parts will
Don’t touch that dial. A setting from your layout can also be used to set Check your work. After you make a cut, you can check to see how close cutters to an exact distance. you came to your layout lines.
54 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
552-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd2-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd 5454 33/28/11/28/11 11:24:1411:24:14 AMAM “X” marks the spot. Use the 45˚ head to fi nd the exact center by drawing Fast & precise. Make a series of accurately spaced marks by lining up the angled lines from opposite edges. Where they meet is dead center. end of the blade with the last mark made.
fit. Not only are you right but you’re by t wo. If you want to find t he center of The knowledge of when and how to finished in far less time than it would a square piece, eyeball the center and use the sliding head is the key to the take to squint and decide which itty- mark in from all four side s. A t iny square tool’s versatility and precision. Much bitty mark is closest. in the exact center will be the result, of woodworking is simply cutting to You can use this trick to match one even if the stock isn’t perfect. a line. With a good adjustable square, element of a joint to another. Drop the getting good lines in the right places is rule down into a groove, or down the Repeat After Me simple matter. shoulder of a tenon, and transfer the It’s handy to be able to keep a distance A good square will also improve your exact size to the matching part. You can setting throughout a project, and this is accuracy, and provide you with a refer- use the same square you used to make a valid reason for owning more than one ence that you can rely on with confi - the mark to set up your tools. Then, adjustable or combination square. A big dence. It’s also an inspirational tool; it when you cut the parts, you can use the advantage of the double-head adjustable reminds you that accuracy is important pre-set square to check your work. square is t hat you can keep a dist ance set in all phase s of woodworking. If you can You can also find the precise center on one end for marking, and still have work up to the level of the quality of the of board in a similar fashion. Draw a the other end available for checking and tool, you’ll have nothing to be ashamed square line anywhere across an edge, drawing square lines. of in your woodworking. PWM then mark a 45˚ line starting at the cor- You can also use an adjustable square ner of the line and the edge. Flip the to mark repeating distances along a line, Bob is executive editor of this magazine. He can be square over and draw a second 45˚ line such as a row of regularly spaced holes reached via e-mail at [email protected]. from the opposite corner. The two lines for shelf pins. Set the center-to-center will make an “X” and the intersection distance and make a mark at the center will be at the exact center of the edge. of the row to start. Then set the edge of u Go Online FOR MORE … Place the bottom of the head against the head on the mark and make a second the edge, and set the end of the rule to mark from the end of the rule. For links to all these online extras, go to: the intersection and your square is now You can continue on indefinitely, u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 set to mark the centerline of your stock. and if you are spacing parts, you can set VIDEO: A simple test to see if your square Make a mark from both sides and draw a one square to the size of the part, and is really square, and what to do if it isn’t. pencil line parallel to the edge, through a second square to the size of the gap. ARTICLE: Read about using a combina- tion square for layout on our blog. the center of the “X”. Mark from both Once again, this is a fast way to make WEB SITE: Visit the L.S. Starrett web site sides to be sure you’re right. your layout, and it will save you the frus- for history and a full catalog. If there is a gap between the two tration or embarrassment of making a TO BUY: Shop where the machinists shop lines, you’re off a little bit, or you need measuring or mathematical error. at McMaster-Carr.com. to adjust for the thickness of your pen- Parts of the square itself can be used IN OUR STORE: Jim Tolpin’s book “Measure cil line. Aim the end of the rule for the to mark common dimensions. The rule Twice, Cut Once” is a worthy tome. center of the gap and readjust. When the on the 6" Starrett combination square Our products are available online at: 1 3 two lines coincide, your line is dead cen- is ⁄16" thick and ⁄4" wide. On the 12" u ShopWoodworking.com ter, and you didn’t have to divide 49⁄64" square, the blade is 1" wide.
popularwoodworking.com ■ 55
552-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd2-55_1106_PWM_ComboSqr.indd 5555 33/28/11/28/11 11:24:2911:24:29 AMAM WOODWORKER’S MARKETPLACE
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56 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
556-57_1105_PWM_Classifieds.indd6-57_1105_PWM_Classifieds.indd 5656 33/28/11/28/11 11:24:5711:24:57 AMAM WOODWORKER’S MARKETPLACE
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ADVERTISER’S INDEX
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popularwoodworking.com ■ 57
556-57_1105_PWM_Classifieds.indd6-57_1105_PWM_Classifieds.indd 5757 33/28/11/28/11 11:25:1111:25:11 AMAM FLEXNER ON FINISHING
BY BOB FLEXNER Lacquer Thinner
This solvent is unique.
acquer thinner is the thinner used Three thinners. You have far more control of the drying rate of lacquer-type fi nishes than other Lfor all types of lacquer (not water- fi nishes. To speed up the drying, add a little acetone. To slow the drying, add some lacquer based fi nishes, which are sometimes retarder. Because of the variables you can’t know how much to add except by experimentation, misrepresented as “lacquer”). These but you have a wide range available to you. include the most common lacquer – nitrocellulose lacquer, colorless CAB- acrylic lacquer and the most durable So, to lower the price of lacquer thin- An automotive lacquer thinner, lacquer – catalyzed lacquer. ner, manufacturers add a signifi cant available from auto-body stores, will Of all solvents used in wood fi nish- amount of what are called “diluting” dissolve and thin wood lacquer fi ne, but ing, lacquer thinner is by far the most solvents. These solvents don’t actually a wood lacquer thinner may not work unique because it is the only one made dissolve the lacquer. But, critically, they well in an automotive lacquer. up of a half-dozen or so indiv idual sol- evaporate more rapidly than the dis- Similarly, a lacquer thinner meant vents. By varying the solvents used, solving solvents so the lacquer doesn’t just for cleaning spray guns doesn’t have manufacturers control the strength of come out of solution. to be as strong as a lacquer thinner meant the lacquer thinner and the speed of The ratio of dissolving to diluting sol- for thinning wood lacquer. So less dis- evaporation. vent varies depending on the intended solving solvent is included in clean-up Even if you don’t use lacquer, under- use for the lacquer thinner. For exam- thinners to reduce their expense. standing a little about lacquer thinner ple, automotive lacquers require more Don’t use a clean-up lacquer thinner will help you understand the other solvent strength than wood lacquers. for thinning any type of lacquer because thinners used in fi nishes – denatured So a higher ratio of dissolving solvent the thinner will probably take the lac- alcohol, mineral spirits and water – is used, making these lacquer thinners quer out of solution. The sprayed surface and, most important, the limitations more expensive. will be covered with small white par- of these thinners compared to lacquer ticles resembling cotton. This is called thinner. “cotton blush.” In case you’re interested, the dis- Solvent Strength solving solvents are ketones, esters and The various types of lacquers don’t need glycol ethers. Alcohols also have a dis- a whole lot of solvent to put them into solving effect when combined with the solution. But the nature of these fi nishes other dissolving solvents. The diluting requires a lot of thinner to make them solvents come from the hydrocarbon thin enough to brush or spray. This family and include toluene and high- is because the molecules of these lac- fl ash (fast evaporating) naphtha. quers are very long and skinny, shaped somewhat like strands of spaghetti. It Evaporation Rate takes a lot of thinner to separate these Cotton blush. If you thin lacquer with “clean- Manufacturers can make lacquer thin- up” lacquer thinner, the lacquer will probably molecules enough so they don’t bump come out of solution and show up on the sur- ners that evaporate faster or slower sim- against each other, which has the effect face as small cotton-like particles. Always use ply by which individual solvents they of making the fi nish thick, or viscous. a lacquer thinner meant for thinning lacquer. choose to include.
CONTINUED ON PAGE 60
58 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 PHOTOS BY THE AUTHOR
558-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd8-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd 5858 33/30/11/30/11 1:13:101:13:10 PMPM 11 Years of Woodwor k i n g on 1 DVD
76 ISSUES of Popular Woodworking Magazine – more than 6,000 pages of easy-to-search woodworking information! You’ll find a huge range of project plans in a variety of styles – bookcases galore, tables in all shapes and sizes, blanket chests, stepbacks CARD #10 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM and more. Plus 20+ workbenches and tool storage If you are in a cabinets, tool woodworking techniques and business… reviews, and more. this could be the $119.95 $89.95 most valuable tool DVD • #W2304 in your officesm. Please call BONUS: A complete 1-800-321-9841 PDF copy of “Exercises for your 740 page in Wood-Working” catalog. Mention code pw11 Order the “Popular Woodworking FREE 2000-2010” DVD NOW to woodworking businesses. at ShopWoodworking.com or call 1-800-258-0929. visit us at pro.woodworker.com/pw11
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558-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd8-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd 5959 33/28/11/28/11 11:25:5011:25:50 AMAM FLEXNER ON FINISHING
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 58
There’s no reason, except expense, that a lacquer thinner couldn’t be made with just one dissolving solvent if it evaporates at a proper rate. But there is a really big advantage to using a number of solvents that evaporate at different rates: resistance to sagging when the fi n- ish is sprayed onto a vertical surface. If you have ever sprayed a finish that thins with lacquer thinner and Dry spray. Spraying in hot temperatures, or Moisture blush. A very common problem compared the experience to spraying spraying the insides of cabinets and drawers, when spraying lacquer is moisture blush, can lead to dry spray that creates a sandy look which occurs in humid conditions, and any other fi nish – for example, poly- and feel. The lacquer is drying so fast that it appears milky or cloudy. To avoid this prob- urethane, water-based fi nish or shel- turns to dust before it lands on the surface. To lem, add some lacquer retarder. It will slow lac – you must have noticed how easy avoid dry spray, add some lacquer retarder to the drying of the lacquer, allowing time for the it was to spray the lacquer-type fi nish the lacquer. moisture to evaporate. without runs and sags. And how dif- ficult it was to do the same with the other fi nishes. your lacquer in hot, dry conditions to This has two impacts. First, it makes This is because the solvents in lac- avoid “dry spray,” which is a sandy sur- the lacquer more expensive. Second, quer thinner are chosen specifically face caused by the lacquer drying so and much more signifi cant, it makes to evaporate at different rates so the fast that it has turned to dust before it the lacquer dry so fast it can’t be sprayed lacquer thickens quickly. Some of the reaches the target. in warm temperatures without getting solvents, especially the diluting sol- Retarders also make possible the dry spray. (The lacquer works great in vents, begin evaporating even before avoidance of “moisture blushing” in cold temperatures, however.) the sprayed fi nish reaches the target. humid conditions. Condensed moisture Finishers get around the fast drying Others, including some of the dissolv- enters the fi nish, which then dries before by adding butyl cellosolve, the slowest ing solvents, remain in the fi nish for fi ve the moisture can evaporate. When the evaporating retarder, to the lacquer. It’s or 10 minutes to allow it to level out. moisture does evaporate, air voids are legal to sell and buy this solvent every- This step-by-step drying, made pos- left which cause the finish to appear where, but you should be aware that sible by the varying evaporation rates of milky white. Slowing the drying allows adding it to your lacquer may t ake it out components of the thinner, is the prin- time for the moisture to evaporate before of compliance with local laws. ciple quality of lacquer that makes it the fi nish dries so completely. Lacquer thinner is indeed a unique loved by professional fi nishers. It’s so At t he opposite end, some automot ive solvent, especially when contrasted easy to spray a fl awless fi nish. lacquer manufacturers supply “fast” lac- with the other solvents used for fin- quer thinners that make the lacquer dry ishes. PWM Problem Solving at a normal rate in cold temperatures, Bob is author of the new book “Flexner on Finishing,” With dozens of individual dissolving even as low as 45° F or 50° F. These thin- available at ShopWoodworking.com. solvents available, it should be obvi- ners are available at auto-body supply ous that brands of lacquer thinner can stores. Adding acetone will achieve the vary noticeably in evaporation rate. You same end, and it is widely available. should be aware of t his possibilit y if you u Go Online FOR MORE … switch brands. You may have to adjust Restricted Areas For links to all these online extras, go to: your timing. Some parts of the country have volatile u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 It should also be obvious that lacquer organic compound (VOC) laws that ARTICLES: You’ll fi nd many fi nishing t hinners can be made to evaporate ver y restrict the percentage of polluting sol- articles online at our web site. slowly or ver y rapidly to make possible vent that can be included in a fi nish. TO BUY: Get Bob Flexner’s new book, lacquers that can be brushed, called Typically, these laws restrict lacquer “Flexner on Finishing.” “brushing lacquer,” and lacquers that to 27.5 percent, which is way too little ARTICLE: To spray lacquer inside, you can be sprayed in extreme weather con- for spraying. need a spray booth and exhaust system ditions. Acetone, however, is an exempt sol- – here’s an affordable solution. For example, lacquer “retarders” vent. It can be added to lacquer in any Our products are available online at: are made with slower evaporating sol- amount, so manufacturers typically u ShopWoodworking.com vents. You can add a little retarder to make up the difference with acetone.
60 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
558-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd8-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd 6060 33/28/11/28/11 11:26:1511:26:15 AMAM WOODWORKING INSTRUCTION AT YOUR FINGERTIPS Instant Access to Popular SHOPCLASS ON DEMAND VIDEOS Woodworking Magazine’s Online Videos
ShopClass On Demand features woodwork- ing advice and techniques from professional woodworkers. Watch what you want, any time you want. With the 6-month subscription, you get unlimited access to the complete library of videos. Plus watch for future videos that will add to your knowledge and inspire your woodworking.
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558-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd8-61_1106_PWM_Flexner.indd 6161 33/28/11/28/11 11:26:3911:26:39 AMAM GLOSSARY
oodworking’s lexicon can be Woverwhelming for beginners. The following is a list of terms used in this issue that may be unfamiliar Dividers to you.
catalyzed (adj) A fi nish that is “catalyzed” requires an acid catalyst to harden. Though usu- ally sold as a t wo-part fi nish, the prod- uct called “pre-catalyzed” lacquer has Half-joint or the acid catalyst added by the manu- “egg crate” joint facturer.
chisel plane (n) A small handplane on which there is glue block (n) rabbet (n) no mouth; instead the blade is held by A small block of wood typically cham- A recess in the edge of a piece of wood, a lever cap in position just beyond the fered on one long-grain edge that gets either with or across the grain, typically front edge of the body. Thus, the plane glued into the interior corner of a case cut to accept a mating piece. can sneak into corners or elsewhere joint to provide additional strength. set (n) where a typical plane toe prevents the (If the case joint grain runs cross- On a sawblade, the distance the teeth blade from reaching. wise, several smaller blocks should are bent to the right and left of the saw- be employed.) plate. The set provides clearance for the half-joint (n) sawplate and prevents the tool from “You see, if you take pains and Also called an “egg crate” joint, this binding in the cut. joint has a notch in each piece; they learn in order to get a reward, the Sloyd (n) slot together to interlock, like the work will seem hard; but when A hands-on craft education system that cubbies inside an egg crate or box was founded in Finland in 1865 by Uno you work ... if you love your work, for wine bottles. Cygnaeus. “Sloyd” can be translated, you will find your reward in that.” jack plane (n) loosely, as handy or skillful. — Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) Typically the fi rst plane used to pro- spelch (v) Russian novelist cess a piece of stock, this plane has To blow out or splinter the grain on the a sole that is between 14" and 20" edge of board when planing or rout ing long, with a cambered iron to quickly dividers (n) it. This usually occurs when the cutting remove a lot of stock. It is typically A traditional layout tool shaped like a action is perpendicular to the grain of followed by the jointer plane, then compass, but with a sharp point on each the board. the smooth plane. leg. Use dividers to step equally spaced spokeshave (n) points on a workpiece or to transfer knurling (n) A traditional tool with a two-handled marks from a drawing to a workpiece. A series of small grooves or ridges on body available in either wood or metal, the surface of a metal piece, such as fi nger joint (n) with a thin, fl at blade, that is used for knob. Knurls make it easier to get a A joint comprised of interlocking rect- trimming and detail shaping of curved secure grip on a small surface. angular cuts in two workpieces. Unlike pieces of wood. PWM a dovetail joint where the sloped pins plinth (n) and tails can stay together without glue, The base of a casework piece; it sits a fi nger joint must be glued (or other- on the fl oor and is often decoratively Go Online FOR MORE … wise secured) to keep it together. shaped with scrollwork. u For links to all these online extras, go to: gel varnish (n) pound-cut (n) u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 Liquid alkyd or polyurethane varnish The amount of shellac fl akes by weight to which a thixotropic additive has been dissolved in one gallon of alcohol. A BLOG: Read more about dividers on George Walker’s Design Matters blog. added. The product appears thick in the #2-pound cut, for example, denotes ARTICLE: Learn how to grind and sharpen container but can be easily spread, and two pounds of shellac fl akes per one a jack plane. it doesn’t run. gallon of alcohol.
62 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011 SECTOR ILLUSTR ATION BY MARY JANE FAVORITE; JOINT ILLUSTR ATION BY ROBERT W. LANG
662-63_1106_PWM_Glossary.indd2-63_1106_PWM_Glossary.indd 6262 33/28/11/28/11 11:27:1811:27:18 AMAM WHAT’S NEW at ShopWoodworking.com Publisher’s TOP PICK
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662-63_1106_PWM_Glossary.indd2-63_1106_PWM_Glossary.indd 6363 33/28/11/28/11 11:27:3311:27:33 AMAM END GRAIN
BY ROY ANDERSON Workshop Radicals
Farewell TV, DVDs and http.
ne of my more serious-minded Ofriends asked me why I was a woodworker. I replied that I’m just here to have a good t ime play ing in my wood- shop. No, he insisted. That’s not good That backward-looking romanticism The New Arts & Crafts Movement enough. You’ve got to have a theory, a is dead. The Middle Ages are no lon- is not a social movement, but an indi- woodworking philosophy. ger idealized, but recognized as dirty, vidual movement. The idea that the “Huh?” I adroitly responded. But I unhealthy, intellectually straightjack- designer and the worker can be united will admit, he planted a seed. Not want- eted and socially frozen. The imprac- into one individual is not dead. The idea ing to appear inadequate, I came up with ticality of returning to a guild system that each individual can devise suitable a personal philosophy. So here goes. is recognized, but fortunately, Indus- work methods based on his or her own The original Arts & Crafts move- trial Revolution ills have been reduced. needs (and not what the big box store ment had a strong element of social- Labor is not as brutally exploited and wants to sell) is not dead. ism. It was an attempt to improve the workers have more of a say. You and I decide what we do with the lives of the masses by eliminating the But life is not ideal with all our leisure time the technological revolu- capitalists and factories. The founders technological wonders. The relentless tion has supposedly given us. We decide found fault with division of labor and onslaught of multi-media manipulation what to buy with our paychecks and to romanticized the individual craftsman. from our mercantile overlords demands what deg ree we are en slaved by our t ie s As John Ruskin said, “It is not truly that we work at meaningless jobs for to the mercantile dictatorship. Even speaking, the labour that is divided, but money we squander on meaningless though we would like to think that we the men: divided into mere segments tech toys in the belief that will make us are different from the serfs of the Middle of men – broken into small fragments happy. It doesn’t. It keeps us satiated so Ages and have free will, we are not and and crumbs of life; so that all the little we’ll prime the pump and make the plu- we do not. We just have a slight ly longer piece of intelligence that is left in a man tocrats of industry richer. Sorry to sound leash. What we choose to do with that is not enough to make a pin, or a nail, anti-social; that’s just the way it is. leash makes all the difference. but exhausts itself in making the point The juggernaut of the advertising In other words, I’m just here to have of a pin or the head of a nail.” machine will continue to have most peo- a good time playing in my woodshop. Thus, the original Arts & Crafts ple completely beguiled. However, each PWM movement was a social movement. It individual can choose to manage his Roy has been a woodworker for a decade and enjoys was also a reaction to the excesses of or her life differently. When the mod- making things in the Arts & Crafts style using a mix of the Industrial Revolution. Ruskin, Wil- ern worker comes home to a McMan- hand and power tools. liam Morris and others romanticized sion, popped up in a McSubdivision the Middle Ages with its emphasis on and sur rounded by McMalls, he or she guilds. The idea of the designer and the can make a decision whether to pop craftsman united in one person was in a CD, turn on the television, throw u Go Online for more … appealing to them. They did not like the in a DVD, fi re up the PlayStation, read For links to all these online extras, go to: concept of the designer as an elite indus- the McNews on the McNet, chat with u popularwoodworking.com/jun11 trial engineer and the worker as a lim- virtual friends about virtual lives in a BLOG: Editor Christopher Schwarz has ited troglodyte serving as a machine. virtual world – or make an alternate recommended a number of books on his Ruskin’s most successful book, “The individual decision, and do something blog about all aspects of woodworking. Stones of Venice,” makes this point. creative and uplifting.
64 ■ POPULAR WOODWORKING MAGAZINE June 2011
664-c4_1106_PWM_EndGrain.indd4-c4_1106_PWM_EndGrain.indd 6464 33/28/11/28/11 11:28:1411:28:14 AMAM CARD #58 or go to PWFREEINFO.COM
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