VOL.

15

NOTES FROM THE SHOP

NO. 86

No. 86

April, 1993

Edilor Don~lklB. Peschke

Managing Editor Douglas L. Hicks
Assistant Editors James NI. Dolan
Philip A. Totten
JonathAn
Creative Director

GltrbiSOIi

"red Kn\Iicek.

AJ11:>il'cctOJ' RodStoakes

Senior tllusuators Oavid Krcyling

Chris GlowacJd

Illustrators Dirkver Steeg

Cjnda !Shnmbaugh

Pholographer C",yola EnglAnd

Design DIR!CI()t Ken k\luukel

Senior Designer .hl'n Hale Svee
Designer Kent \Velsh
Shop Manager Steve CUrtis

Circulation Director
Subscription i\1anager
Cil'cnlalionAnalyst
Newsstand Salas

Liz- Bredeson
San~y Baurn
Rod Cain
Kent.~ 8uckton

PUBLISIiING SKRVICES

Associate edilOr Gordon C. Caippe

Robert H. Whitmer
Jllusrraror Mark I:tigdon
CORPORATE SERVICES
Comroucr Paul E.
A<;counling taunt TIl()lIias
Bookkeeping Julianne Spears
Informalion5Qv.Mgr. Joyce Moore
Netwod: Administrator Douglas M. Udster
Adfninistl1uive ASSts. Cheryl A Scotl
$1'.Graphic AniSI

Cr.,

Julia r-i.sh
Receptionist JeanneJohnson

BuildingMainlenance

Ken Criffilh
Archie Kmuse

WOODSIW'l'HMMLOROER
Marketing Director Robert Murry
Art Dir(:ctor ("'indy Jacksen

CatalogProdUCISM$I'. Bob Baker

Project Supphes linda Jones

TechnicalSuppa" Jdf Janes

Sysu::ntS OpCl'1IIOr

I,.indn i\'1orro\v

RecpliOllist 'Ke'i Lee

CUsr@~f.ERSERVICE
Jennie Enos (Supr.),JellniferMurphy.

loy Johnsen. SaraKeno. Ami Blansaen.

AnnaCox.ChriSLo
SfllPPING DEPARThI'ENT
Jerry Carson (Supervisor), Gloria Sheehan,
DonnieMcVey. Ghuck cartson, Sylviacarey
WOODSMJTII STORE
Dave tarsen (Manager).
WendeU Stooe. VICki 'Edwnrds.
Dominic Bazrocco. S_

Johnson

EDITOR'S

COLUMN

Sawdust
S

hOl'llYafter we approved the working

drawings for the Slant Front Desk for
this issue, Iasked Steve Curqs. our shop
manager, to pickup the lumber. As usually
happens at this point. Steve got this eager
look in his eyES-lhen disappeared with
DIecompany truck.
A few hours later Steve reappeared with
a load of wood. "Not just any wood." he
pointed out. ''Native Iowa Cherry." II was
some of the most beautiful cherry I've seen.
Ten-foot-long boards. 6" to 1(1' wide. Very
little sapwood. Perfect lor the desk.
Where did hefind thisgreatwood?Seems
he knows a fellowwho runsa little sawmill.
And Stevehasaknack for showing upwhen
the best Stock comes out oftbe kiln.
Okay. Don. but ldorrt live iu lowa.and l
dont know 3Jt)' sawye.s. How ranlget Ill)'
projeetsto look as mce as your desk'f
Althoul\" the wood is important. what
you do WIth it is more important. You can
make a lot of good things happen depending.onhowyou match andlayounhepieces,
ORA.L\'PA'ITERN,~APPEARANCE. W hen

picking out wood for a project, I look for

pieces with similar color and grain patterns.
1 may have to go through a whole stack of
boards before Ivechosen the ones to use.
Occasionally, I'vefound lWO boards from
the same tree -they have the same color
and grain I,attem. Ifglued up together, the
panel will lave a consistent appearance.
When gluing up panels. I try to hide the
jointsby matchingthegrain patterns. Nothingwill emphasize 311 edge-gluedjoim more
than a piece with straight grain next to a
piece with figured grain.
CHooSlNG P1ECES. Selectingthe stockis
only halfd,e battle. You also have to decide
which pieces come out of which boards. I
concentrate on the most visible ones.
On rhe desk. the appearance of tile door
and drawer fronts W3$ the most imponant
part ofthe Pfojecl. So I started by laying out
those parts on the best wood.
There are also sn~111details that really
add to a projecl. I wanted Ihe grau. to run
/ICI'OSscertam parts of the desk. [;ookattbe
g,'ain paltem on the drawers of the pigeonhole'unit (page 24-). All dlrec drawerfrollts
were cut fiOO1 one long section of stock.
And D.e pieces for the ogee bracket feet
(page 26) are cut so the grain wraps right
around .he corner.

Woodsmith

Sometimes it's bard to keep all these

pieces ot:ganized when it comes time for
assembly. But close attention to details
makesthe difference between anice project
andarrulybeaunfulpieceoffurnirure.
CtmlNG DI.\GRAMS. This is all good theory, but it gers a little triCkYto present in a
cuning diagram in Woodsmish. We dom
knew whanhewoed will look like thai VOU
bring home from the lumberyard. Wi'ere
arerheknots? Sapwood? Warp?
So the.cuuiug diagrams are often ideal.
You COI1Ie1 gettbe pieces out of the boards
specified,Butyouprobablywontwanrto.
Cherry. forexample, canbaveasmucb as
3tY'A> sapwood. Soyau'li probablywamroeut
thatour and use it foranourer project where
color isn't as important. By the lime YOII
finish cutting out the maier defects. you
won't get all the pieces 0111 of he boards.
So what do you do? I alwa% buy a few
extra boards so that r end up with (he pieces
1 want, If 1\11 taking the time 10 build an
heirloom project, i~s worth it to spend an
extra .wenty or thirty bucks.
NEW FACES. Just about the time Sieve
waspickil~upthechcrry, Bob Bakcrcamc
into my ottice. He was applying for a new
position. Catalog Products Manager.
Within two minutes I discovered that no.
only was he a Woodsmitl: subscriber. but
he also bad a small portable sawmill, (l immediately had all kinds ofvisions of'geuing
0uI' OW11cherry logsan.d Bob cuuing them.)
Anyway. Bob told me that his sawmill is
powered by a puil-sicn Volkswagen engine
and could cut through 4-foOIdiameter, 1S.
foot4ong 10gii. f figured that anybody who
could keep ihar thing going should be able
to keep lip wiDlIhe products in eur catalog,
Shortly after 60b started work, Cind
Jackson. the Art Direcror ofourmail order
catal@g.The WoolIslltlllt 8110/),pointed our
another ofhis quali6calions- hewas "0I1tstanding Shop Student" when she graduated from highschool with him.
And then It occured to me that somehow
orother I forgot t9 illtroduceher3S a "New
Face" wheu 51le stalted here over a year
ago. I(s Cindy's job to lilY o.)t the catalog
pag.esand oversee it$ production.

umraThOlilas hasalSQreotntlyjoined 11$

a~an accountant. She will help keep tnlCkof
how 1spend Dlemoney. (Sbe'has her work
cut oul for her.)_---...

No. 86

LOOK

INSIDE

Contents
1Tips & Technjques

f4l Six

tips from fellow woodworkers.

. L:U J} Pipe Clamp Spreader. 2) Squaring a Saw Blade. 3) Ustng Biscuits to

Glue Breadboard Ends. 4) Routing
Large Half-Rounds. Plus Quick Tips.

ICountry Coat Rack

1 Gluing
1-.

Up Panels

,;__.=:....~

Coat Rack &,Shelj

page 6

f6l This Coal Rack is like a closet Oil the

~ wall. II holds outdoor items right
where they're needed-Ileal' the door.

f11l For
some projects, solid wood panels are a better choice tha,nplywood.

__J. ~

We discuss the best ways to select wood,

match grain, and assemble apanel.

I Shop Notes
L...

111411)2) Hidden
Tall Fencefor the Router Table.
Compartment Behind a

___J

_-"-

Drawer. 3) RouterEdge Guide.

I.'------------'.
Slant Front Desk

11161 Solid
cherry construction makes
this Slant Front Desk an heirioom

I.'--"'----------'
Ogee Bracket Feet

11261 make
You don't have to be a sculptor to
decorative feet. Step-by-step

1 Sharp

Teeth

.I-:.._.!...

project. Inside is (J handy pigeonhole

unit with drawers. dividers, and a shelf

instructions reduce

it to a Series ofcave,
curve, and smoothing operations.

11301 Aofaclose-up
look at the business end
crosscut blade. PIllS, how to rec-

...I

ognize a well-sharpened carbide tooth.

I Sources
L...

No. 86

11311 Hardware
and supplies needed/or
the projects this Issue,

___J.

!II

Woodsmith

Slant Front Desk

page 16
3

FRO

FELLOW

WOODWORKERS

Tips & Techniques

PIPE CLAMP SPREADER
Recently 1 reglued a failed
joint in an old dresser. I didn't
want to take apart and reglue all
the joints - just the tailed one.
But holding the joint open and
squeezing the glue in at the
same time was a problem, 1
didn't have enough bands.
To solve this, J carneupwith a

way

(0

apply an even, outward

force Onthe failedjoint. I used a

pipe clamp - out not in rhe
usual way.
FilS!remove both the tail and
the head of the clamp from the
pipe. Tben reinstall them backwards, on the pipe, see Fig. I.
When reinstalling the head,

SQUARING A SAW BLADE

screw the pipe about halfway

into the threads, see Fig. la.
Then, to provide-a runner for

the jaw on the head, you'll need

an extra 8"loog threaded piece
of pipe. Screwrhis piece into the
remaining threads of the bead.
To open the joint, position the
clamp near the failed joint, sec

BREADBOARD

Fig. 2.. to..s you turn the handle,

you'll beableto precisely control
the amount of distance between
the head and tail 10 open the
joint. (Note: You'll have to slide
the handle back and forth duril)geach rum to clear the pipe.)
WiUardF. Leii<t6"
Wageller,Sortlh Carolina

ENDS & BISCUITS

Most woodworkers know to expose the sawblade, see Fig. Over time, end caps (somehowto check if a table saw blade 2. Using an accurate combinatimes called "breadboard ends')
is 90" to the table, see Fig. I. Bur lion square, extend the blade of have a tendency to break free
the method I use is a little differ- the square below the surface of from glued- up blanks. This is
ent, and'alinle more accurate.
due to t he expansion SAd eonthe table saw, see Fis. 2.
First, adjust the saw blade to
Now when checking the saw traction of conflicting wood
the height neeessaryto cut your blade, I'm able to use the entire grains glued to each other. Bnr a
workpiece. (I make this adjust- surface of tbe saw blade. This method I use with biscuits alment first because the angle of produces a more accurate read- lows the wood to expand and
the blade.may change slightly as ing than the other method.
contract. see Fig. I.
it's raised and lowered.)
Adam COlLtt/I
Instead of gluing (III the bisThen remove t he insert plate
Santa MOllica. (.(llijOmia cuits in, I only glue the inner-

most biscuits (usually one or

two). Also, 1 only apply glue
along the joint line ncar the

gluedin biscuits.
The other biscuits are allowed
to Ooal.And, to keep these from
shifting, l soaktheminhot water
for 15minutes so tbey can swell.
Then after they're dry (about an
hour), push them into the slots,
Keith J.;ukaszek
Hamtmmck, Michigall

GlI.CEltTER
BISCUIT ONLY --

Woodsmith

No. 86

ROU~INGLARGE HALF-ROUNDS

Recently I made a new banisterandhandrait foraset ofstairs

in my home. I wanted the top
edge of both to have a marching
rounded profile. But figuringOut
a way to shape a large balf-round
(in my case, a profile with a 1W'
radius) without a shaper was
quite a challenge.
To do it.Icame upwith atech-

The carriage consists of two

support blocks shaped like the
front ofa Marine Corps Quonset
hur, See Fig. I.These are coonected by stabilize", that ride
along the sides of the workpiece.
Apair of end caps made ofMasonite prevent the router from
slipping off the support blocks.
When cutting the notches in
nique using a router, a straight the suppon blocks andend caps,
Cut them to fit over the workbittand ajig Ibuilt, see photo.
hejig has two main sections; piece you're going to rout. You
a carnage and a platform. The want tile carriage to fit over the
carrialle fits snugly over the workpiece snugly, see Fig. 2.
The platform consists of a
workpiece, And the platform pivbase plate that's screwed '0 the
orson top ofthecamage,

router, see Fig. I. And screwed

to the base plate ace two arched
pivot blocks that ride on the carriage support blocks.
To use the jig, first set the
depth of the birso it restson the
workpiece, see Fig. 2. Then,
staning at one end, rout along
the length of the workpiece.
(During each pass, hold the
rouier at a consistent angle.)
Once you've reached the end,

pivot tbe platform slightly and

roui back towards the opposite
end, see Fig. 2. Repeat this until
all the waste has been removed.
Afierboth comers have been
rounded, clean up the profile
with a cabinet scraper and sandpaper. (Witb thejig built, inook
me about an hour to complete a
six foot length ofhandrail:)

Dave Ender

Rochester, Millllesota

2"x4"

CARRIAGE
ASSEMBLY
EHO CAPS
(1/4" MASONfTE,

tN YOUR TIPS
Ifyou would liketoshare an
original tip or idea,just send i.
to Wood$mith,'fipsandTechniques, 2200 Grand Avenue,
Des Moines, low\l50312.
We will pay (upon publication) $25 to $100. depending
on the published length of the
up.Please include an explanation. a photo or skereh (we'll
draw. newone), and. daytime
telephone number, in case we
have some questions.
SEND

QUICK TIPS
MECHANICAL

1\
t

PENCILS

Next time you're laying out

hand-cut dovetails (or any other
type of layout work). try using a
mechanical drafting pencil insteadofa traditional No.2 pencil
or carpenter's pencil.
You'll find the thinner JaYOIIl
lines a mechanic. I pencil produces are easier to follow if you
want to cut tight fittingjoints.

No. 86

The mechanical pencil r use

takes lead that is only .5mm in
diameter. And whenever it
needs to be sharpened, alII have
todoispressthepush-buttonfor
a fresh tip.
You can purchasemechanical
drafting pencils with lead refills
for under SIO at most office supply stores.

SECURING SETSCREWS

Thesetscrewsin mytablesaw
and router table msens used to
vibrate out of position. To keep
them from moving, [ removed

and wrapped each one in plumber's tape. Since then. the setscrews have stayed put and the
inserts have remained level.

William O. Bartl(ll'
Sail Antonio. Texas

Woodsmith

Steven II. HI/I'd),

Mary8lJi1k, Wasltillg/()II